RTHK: Covid-hit Psaki says she kept distance from Biden

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, she said in a statement, adding that she had last seen President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Psaki, 42, who stated she was vaccinated and experiencing mild symptoms, said she and the president sat outside more than 1.8 metres apart and wore masks on Tuesday. Biden tested negative for Covid-19 on Saturday, said a person familiar with the matter.

I am disclosing todays positive test out of an abundance of transparency, Psaki said.

Psaki, the main spokesperson for the White House, is the most high-profile person in the Biden administration known to have contracted Covid-19 since he took office in January.

Psaki decided not to join Biden on his trip to Rome and Glasgow this week because a member of her household tested positive for the virus, after which she quarantined, she said.

She has been in quarantine since Wednesday and repeatedly tested negative before testing positive on Sunday, she said.

Psaki planned to return to work at the end of a 10-day quarantine period following a negative rapid Covid-19 test, she said in the statement.

The White House has been struggling to get the pandemic under control, with millions of Americans declining to take life-saving vaccines.

Psaki said earlier this year that Biden, who is fully vaccinated, is tested randomly every two weeks as surveillance, at the request of his physician, Kevin O'Connor. Biden, 78, has received three Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 shots, including a booster last month. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-11-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: G20's climate pledge leaves activists unimpressed

Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies agreed on a final statement on Sunday that urged "meaningful and effective" action to limit global warming, but offered few concrete commitments, angering climate activists.

The result of days of tough negotiation among diplomats leaves huge work to be done at the broader United Nations COP26 climate summit, which starts this week.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi hailed the Rome gathering, saying for the first time all G20 states had agreed on the importance of capping global warming at the 1.5 degrees Celsius level that scientists say is vital to avoid disaster.

"We made sure that our dreams are not only alive but they are progressing," Draghi told a closing news conference, brushing off criticism from environmentalists that the G20 had not gone nearly far enough to resolve the crisis.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who warned on Friday that the world was rushing headlong towards climate disaster, said the Rome summit was not all he hoped for.

"While I welcome the #G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled  but at least they are not buried," he said in a tweet.

The G20, which includes Brazil, China, India, Germany and the United States, accounts for 60 percent of the world's population and an estimated 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The 1.5C threshold is what UN experts say must be met to avoid a dramatic acceleration of extreme climate events like droughts, storms and floods, and to reach it they recommend net zero emissions should be achieved by 2050.

The stakes are huge - among them the very survival of low-lying countries, the impact on economic livelihoods the world over and the stability of the global financial system.

"This was a moment for the G20 to act with the responsibility they have as the biggest emitters, yet we only see half-measures rather than concrete urgent action," said Friederike Roder, vice president of sustainable development advocacy group Global Citizen.

The final summit document said current national plans on how to curb emissions will have to be strengthened "if necessary" and makes no specific reference to 2050 as a date to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

"We recognise that the impacts of climate change at 1.5C are much lower than at 2C. Keeping 1.5C within reach will require meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries," the communique said.

The leaders only recognised "the key relevance" of halting net emissions "by or around mid-century". This removed the 2050 date seen in previous versions of the final statement so as to make the target less specific.

China, the world's biggest CO2 emitter, has set a target date of 2060, and other large polluters such as India and Russia have also not committed to the 2050 target date. (Reuters)

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RTHK: Japan's PM Kishida declares victory in elections

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declared victory on Monday after leading his ruling coalition to a strong majority in national elections.

The long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito won 293 of the 465 seats in parliament's lower house, local media reported while the official result was finalised.

"It was a very tough election, but the people's will -- that they want us to create this country's future under the stable LDP-Komeito government and the Kishida administration -- was shown," he said.

"We received a precious 261 seats for the LDP. As a responsible party... we will meet the public mandate," said Kishida, who has been in office for a month.

The benchmark Nikkei stock index rose more than two percent after news of the result, which enables the ruling bloc to enact bills on issues from pandemic stimulus to defence spending on its own.

The coalition had previously held 305 seats in parliament, and the LDP 276 on its own. (AFP)

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South Africa: South Africans make their mark

Eligible and registered South Africans are heading to the polls this morning in the Local Government Elections, to choose who will represent them in 257 municipal councils, across the country.

Voting stations are expected to open at 7am and will close at 9pm with more than 83% of special votes already cast over the weekend.

Some 26 million South Africans are registered to make their mark in the elections which will be cast at more than 23 000 Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) polling stations.

Voters in metropolitan municipalities will receive two ballot papers  one for their ward candidate and another for their political party.

In local municipalities, voters will receive a third ballot paper to select representatives for their District councils.

The voters roll has a more youthful look this year with those aged between the ages of 20 and 39 accounting for 41% of the roll.

The IEC has said these elections will be the most contested in history with more than 95 000 candidates staking their place in the ballots.

Briefing the nation on Sunday, IEC Chairperson Glen Mashinini said preparations for these elections had been completed under difficult circumstances but the commission is ready to welcome South Africans to the polls.

The commission is confident that all preparations are in place for us to achieve free, fair and, in the context of COVID-19, safe elections in our 2021 municipal elections. The commission is further satisfied that it has done everything in its powers to prepare for these elections which are highly contested given the number of candidates and parties which are contesting, he said.

Last week, Mashinini insisted that transparency in these elections is critical and the integrity of the results would be secured from vote rigging.

Transparency in our counting of results systemprovides all the stakeholders with the necessary confidence that the results cannot be rigged.

We would like to reiterate that we do have the measures in place. Some of these measures include the capturing and verification of results at each voting station by officials and party agents as well as posting those results at the door of the voting station. There is no way a commissioner or anybody can change the result, he said.

Security

Police Minister Bheki Cele said on Sunday that police would be working closely with the IEC to ensure that no disruptions at polling stations due to protests and instructed police to protect the voting stations and help the IEC to make sure that [voting] stations are opened.

10 000 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members have been deployed and are expected to protect infrastructure such as ports, national key points, national roads and power stations.

Last week, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise said all safety and security measures were in place to secure the elections.

Over and above the physical deployments of SAPS officers at voting districts, reserve forces from the police are on standby to provide additional assistance should the need arise in and around the identified hotspot areas.

To this end, security measures have been put in place to ensure the safety and security of voters, IEC officials, role-players, equipment, resources, voting stations and the general public, she said.

COVID-19

This years elections are being held as the country continues to battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to IEC Chairperson Glen Mashinini, non-pharmaceutical protocols will be followed at voting stations.

Voting stations will be safe becauseelectoral staff will be provided with the necessary personal protective equipment to minimise the risk of contagion or spreading of the virus. Acceptable methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be enforced [such as] maintaining social distancing by observing a distance of at least a metre and a half [and] sanitizing touch surfaces frequently, he said.

The national Health Department as well as Gauteng Health Department is expected to have pop up vaccination sites near at least 1000 voting stations.  SAnews.gov.za

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Hong Kong: Huge opportunities for maritime trade

Secretary for Transport & Housing Frank Chan

At a time when the global supply chain suffers from unprecedented disruption by the pandemic, international trade and logistics resilience provides a lifeline for millions, enabling access to food and other essential supplies. According to the World Trade Organization, merchandise trade declined by 5.3% in volume and 7.6% in value in 2020. However, despite some initial disruptions, the value of trade in medical products rose by 16%, and trade in personal protective equipment expanded by 50%. In the first half of 2021, merchandise trade had rebounded above its pre-pandemic peak, and the World Trade Organization is now predicting a 10.8% growth in volume in 2021, followed by a 4.7% rise in 2022. So we do see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In 2020, Hong Kong ranked sixth among leading world traders, accounting for 3.2% of world merchandise trade, with a total trade value of US$1.1 trillion. With over 90% of our cargo volume being carried by water, port and shipping play a vital role. With over 150 years of maritime heritage, robust international connectivity and our multi-faceted maritime excellence, the Hong Kong port remains one of the top 10 container ports in the world, as well as a transshipment hub in the region. There are some 280 weekly container vessel sailings, connecting to over 600 destinations worldwide. We are also home to nearly 900 shipping-related companies, providing a broad spectrum of well-developed maritime services. The opening of the first overseas office by the International Chamber of Shipping and the designation of Hong Kong by the Baltic & International Maritime Council as their named arbitration venue all speak for themselves.

Being an international maritime centre, Hong Kong is not immune from global challenges faced by other port cities, particularly the disruptions caused by the pandemic. We put public health first and foremost; we also endeavour to do whatever we can to help ensure a smooth and steady flow of goods across the globe, with our port operating ceaselessly round the clock. Besides, we also facilitate sea crew change, bunkering and re-provisioning in Hong Kong.

While the pandemic is yet to be over, we must plan ahead for post-COVID and long-term development. For Hong Kong, other than fostering closer collaboration with counterparts in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to make the most of the cluster effect, and enhancing our competitiveness and global outreach in maritime services, we are determined to go smart and green too. Adopting the use of innovative technology and promoting digitalisation has topped our agenda. To this end, we have set up a Task Force on Smart Port Development, and call upon industry stakeholders, to critically examine and see to it.

The 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic & Social Development reaffirms the unwavering support of the Central People's Government to reinforce Hong Kong's position as an international maritime centre. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is committed to integrating into the dual circulation and contributing to the national development strategy. All these would provide maritime stakeholders, both local and global, immense opportunities for common prosperity.

2021 marks the fifth edition of the Hong Kong Maritime Week. With concerted efforts, it has become an annual flagship event of Hong Kong's maritime sector. This year, we have over 30 activities, organised by over 40 partners from home and abroad, with a wide variety ranging from seminar, conference and forum to light-hearted activities such as visit, exhibition and family fun day. Such extensive coverage and participation is a clear demonstration of the solidarity and teamwork of our maritime community.

Secretary for Transport & Housing Frank Chan gave these remarks at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2021 on November 1.

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South Africa: Pretoria voting stations open on time

Most voting stations in Pretoria North opened on time with no incidents of violence and intimidation reported.

Police officers were clearly visible at most voting stations where all health protocols were observed.

Only two voting stations in Mabopane did not open on time due to a shortage of ballot papers.

SAnews spoke to some of the people who came to cast their votes.

Karen Park resident, Modiegi Lebale, who came to cast her vote at the Akasia Municipal voting station told SAnews that she is happy that she has voted for her favourite political party that she hopes will bring services to the people.

I am confident that I have made the right choice. The person I have voted for will bring services to the people. We need better services here, Lebale said.

Lebale encourages others to make their choices for better service delivery.

She expressed concern on the low number of young people who turned up to cast their votes.

Im disappointed that only a small percentage of young people turned up to cast their votes, I hope they are still coming, she said.

Presiding Officer at Akasia Municipal voting station, Karabo Mtshweni, told SAnews that the station opened on time.

When we arrived here, there were already people queuing outside. Others arrived here very early. No incidences of violence or intimidation took place here. It has been quiet, Mtshweni said.

Mtshweni said they only had few individuals who cast their special votes over the weekend, adding that she hopes everything will go smoothly.

Police are here to monitor the situation, we do not anticipate any disruptions, Mtshweni said.

In Soshanguve, North of Pretoria at a voting station near Changing Spot, presiding officer Sipho Msiza told SAnews that since that station opened at 07:00, people have been trickling in.

We hope that the young people are still coming, Msiza said.

At Eagles of Faith Voting station, also in Soshanguve ward 37, presiding officer Lethabo Mabuza told SAnews that they did not have any individuals casting special votes.

When we opened at 07:00 this morning, there were only a few people waiting outside to cast their votes, Mabuza said.

Mabuza said he hopes that most people will come to cast their votes later this afternoon.

When SAnews visited the station, there were only a few people who came to cast their votes.

In total, more than 23 000 voting stations have been set up throughout the country.

Special votes

According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, at least 80 percent of voters who had applied for special votes cast their ballet at their voting stations over the weekend.

Briefing the media on Sunday, IEC Chairperson Glen Mashinini said the Commission was pleased with voter turnout over the past two days.

In ensuring the safety of the voters, the Gauteng Health Department has set up at least 94 pop-up vaccination sites near voting stations in the province. This will supplement the national Health Departments 1 000 pop-up sites.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Voting flowing smoothly, says IEC

The vast majority of the countrys 23 148 voting stations opened on time at 7am and voting is flowing smoothly in the countrys 2021 Municipal Elections.

Voting  got off to a smooth and timely start at almost all voting stations early today. The Electoral Commission is particularly encouraged that many voting stations reported strong turnouts from early in the day with many voters already waiting to vote before the 7am opening, said the IEC in a statement.

Delays in voting were reported in less than one percent of voting stations due to a variety of circumstances including tents being blown over by high winds overnight and the late arrival of election staff and voting materials in a few voting stations.

A presiding officer in the eThekwini Metro was arrested after allegedly stuffing marked ballots into a ballot box.

The matter is now in the hands of the South African Police. This incident, which did not affect voting, is a testament to the in-built safeguards in the voting process that also include an active role for party and independent candidate agents, it said.

The Electoral Commission said it was pleased to note that the weather was reported to be relatively good to mild in many parts of the country and had not adversely affected voting during the early part of the day.

Voting will continue throughout the day until 21:00 tonight when voting stations close.

Voters who are at the voting station or in a queue at 21:00 will be allowed to vote.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: First time voters excited to make their mark

First time voters have expressed excitement and high hopes for the future after making their mark in the 2021 Local Government Elections.

A better South Africa and the preserving of democracy is what first time voters hope will be the outcome of the municipal elections.

Jahid Jadwat, an 18-year-old first time voter from Johannesburg, told SAnews that he was extremely excited when he woke up this morning, ready to cast his vote at Laerskool Jim Fouche in Ward 58.

While queuing at the polling station, he realised once again the importance of participating in free and fair elections and likewise the importance of maintaining a democracy.

As I made my mark, knowing full well its importance as a civic duty, I reflected on the struggles of our anti-apartheid heroes who fought for this very privilege which many take for granted today, Jadwat said.

Jadwat said he hopes a South Africa that embodies the hopes, aspirations and diversity of its people can be achieved.

I hope that my vote will help us strengthen our democracy, until it reaches a point where it becomes indomitable. I also hope that it will inspire other young South Africans to become active in building the South Africa we all wish to see, he said.

Speaking about the importance of voting, the youth said he understands that voting is a vital element of democracy and it is a privilege many people in other parts of the world lack while some South Africans take it for granted.

Jadwat appealed to all first time voters and young people across the country to realise the importance of voting and not reject their democratic right to vote.

Many young people have told me that it is 'a waste of time' or 'a fallacy', but nothing can be further from reality. I urge you not to reject your right to vote because Nelson Mandela and his companions did not make such huge sacrifices only to have you - the future leaders of our country - be apathetic on this important day. More than just our democratic right, it is our duty. It is our duty to ensure that our democracy is upheld now and forever, he said.

Another excited first time voter, Kabelo Legane from Soshanguve in Pretoria, said it felt great to be voting for the first time and he hopes his vote will bring changes to his area.

The main thing I want to see change is the crime around our area.It is an issue in our communities, I am hoping that the party I am voting for will treat this as a priority. We want to see police patrol the streets in order to reduce crime, the 22-year-old said.

Legane decided a long time ago that he was going to exercise his right to vote this time around.

I realised that by not voting I am doing myself an injustice, if I want to see changes I have to stand up and vote for the change and a better South Africa I envisage, he said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Newzroom Afrika reporter released after 'confrontation' with police

Newzroom Afrika journalist, Ziniko Mhlaba, has been released after being detained while covering the Local Government Elections in Orlando, Soweto, on Monday.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the incident has since been escalated to the Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng who ordered both the release of the journalist and an investigation into the matter.

Police were forced to remove a television journalist and a cameraman from a polling station in Orlando East, Soweto, after they allegedly interfered with the work of the presiding officer at that station, SAPS explained.

The police have since described the matter as an unfortunate situation that resulted in a "confrontation" between police and the journalist.

Our reporter @zinikozini has been released after being unlawfully detained at a voting station this morning. As a business, we are taking this matter with the seriousness it deserves, Newzroom Afrika Director, Thabile Ngwato, tweeted.

Amnesty International has since spoken out against the "harassment" of Mhlaba.

We are concerned by the reported arrest of a Newzroom Afrika journalist at a voting station. Journalists must be allowed to report on the elections without intimidation or harassment.

The global movement has since called on the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to investigate the incident.

It was reported that citizens filming the incident were allegedly manhandled by the SAPS. This heavy handling and obstruction of journalists is a violation of their rights and it must cease immediately. SAnews.gov.za

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Hong Kong: New LeaveHomeSafe app rule set

Chief Secretary John Lee today urged the public to comply with the requirement of using the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app before entering government buildings or offices.

The new requirement took effect today, under which all people, except for those exempted, have to scan the venue QR code at government premises by using the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app before their entry.

Speaking to the media, Mr Lee explained that the use of the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app can facilitate the Government's anti-epidemic work.

He said: "I hope the public will appreciate that all we are trying to do is to ensure that, overall, we have an effective strategy to do contact tracing and to ensure that we will, in the first instance, be able to identify whoever may be infected with COVID-19 or subject to that risk so that we can control and prevent it from being spread and also prevent people from unnecessarily encountering the possibility of having to go into a quarantine centre.

"So the intention is to ensure that we have an effective system."

He added that venue staff will provide assistance to people who are not familiar with using the mobile app.

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Hong Kong: HK crucial to bay area development

It really gives me great pleasure to join you today for the inaugural Greater Bay Maritime Forum. Let me first congratulate the Hong Kong Shipowners Association for hosting this forum which brings together our important partners in the maritime sector, not only in the Greater Bay Area but also globally. I am also glad to witness the signing ceremony of two memoranda of understanding by maritime associations and arbitration bodies of Hong Kong and other parts of the bay area.

It is fitting that this inaugural forum is hosted in Hong Kong, an international maritime centre with over one and a half century of maritime heritage. Shipping has long been one of our core businesses, with over 90% of our cargo volume carried by water. Given our strategic position as the springboard to the Mainland and the rest of the world, Hong Kong has become a major regional transshipment hub serving the global maritime communities, with some 280 weekly container vessel sailings connecting to over 600 destinations worldwide.

Our role as the transshipment hub in the region has been tested and proven amid the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the joint efforts of the Government and the industry, including of course the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, I am pleased to say that our maritime sector has lived up to the challenges and has been able to ensure the smooth and stable flow of goods to meet the needs of our community. We have made great efforts to allow sea crew change, which is in fact a compassionate arrangement for crew members who have been stranded onboard vessels for an excessively long period owing to the closure of other ports. Qualified ships without cargo operation are also allowed to enter Hong Kong for pure bunkering and other ship services, which is of particular importance to the smooth operation of the international shipping industry. My Government has announced today some tightening of the exemptions but I can assure you that this sector is not affected. We have done all these, while at the same time never dropping our guard against the importation of the virus.

Todays forum provides an ideal platform for us to share thoughts and insight on the development of the maritime sector, particularly how we may fully grasp the immense opportunities arising from the bay area development. With a population of some 86 million and a combined gross domestic product of about US$1.7 trillion, the bay area development is accorded key strategic importance in our countrys development blueprint. It puts the emphasis on complementarity, and the nine Mainland cities in the bay area, Hong Kong and Macau are expected to leverage their comparative advantages to drive the overall development of the bay area.

The Outline Development Plan for the bay area promulgated by the central authorities in 2019 recognises Hong Kongs role as an international maritime centre. The same recognition can also be found in the National 14th Five-Year Plan published earlier this year. In particular, the central authorities support Hong Kongs development of high value-added, professional maritime services and the provision of such services to Mainland enterprises.

We already have a vibrant maritime cluster here in Hong Kong, with some 900 shipping-related companies providing a broad range of maritime services, including ship finance, marine insurance, maritime legal and arbitration services, ship management, shipbroking, etc. Over the years, my Government has implemented various measures to support further growth of this maritime cluster. They include, first, offering profits tax exemption and half-rate tax concessions to ship leasing and marine insurance businesses. These were made available through legislative amendments last year. And tax measures aiming at attracting more ship managers, agents and shipbrokers to Hong Kong are in the pipeline.

Secondly, enhancing the services of the Hong Kong Shipping Register by expanding its overseas network. Regional desks have hitherto been set up in London, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney, and additional ones will be established in San Francisco, Tokyo and Toronto. We want to ensure that ships flying the Hong Kong flag will receive all the support they need so that more ships will register with us.

Thirdly, providing port back up sites as well as subsidies to encourage third party logistics service providers to adopt technology.

Fourthly, nurturing local maritime talents through dedicated post-secondary programmes as well as training programmes supported by the Maritime & Aviation Training Fund.

Fifthly, more lately in my 2021 Policy Address delivered last month, promoting the application of technology and driving the development of Smart Port and a sustainable shipping industry by providing liquefied natural gas bunkering for ocean-going vessels.

With our strength in maritime services, I am confident that Hong Kong can make an important contribution to the development of the bay area into a world-class port cluster. We will work closely with ports in Guangdong, which mainly handle direct shipment, to ensure mutually beneficial development. In this connection, the agreement on maritime co-operation in the bay area signed by the authorities of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau in August last year has already laid a solid foundation for the implementation of joint maritime projects for the benefit of the whole bay area.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Hong Kong Shipowners Association and our other partners in the industry, for working with the Government over the years in promoting Hong Kongs strengths, in promoting the application of technology, in tackling climate change and more. We have made Hong Kong an international maritime centre fully recognised by our friends worldwide. The International Chamber of Shipping established its first ever overseas office in Hong Kong in 2019, while the Baltic & International Maritime Councils Law & Arbitration Clause 2020 has included Hong Kong as the fourth named arbitration venue. All these were achieved with the concerted efforts of the industry and the Government. The two memoranda of understanding to be signed today also demonstrate our shared commitment to making the most out of each and every opportunity to strengthen co-operation with our partners around the world. I am sure I can continue to count on the industrys support as Hong Kong seeks to seize the massive opportunities ahead, including those arising from the bay area, the 14th Five-Year Plan and the dual circulation development strategy of our country.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave these remarks at the Greater Bay Maritime Forum on November 1.

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South Africa: Police on high alert as voting continues

Police vigilance is expected to be heightened as the sun begins to set on voting day in South Africa.

This as polls in this years Local Government Elections are expected to close at 9pm across the country.

National Police spokesperson, Brigadier Vish Naidoo, said officers would not be dropping their guard.

Our deployments are informed by the three categorisations: the low, medium, to high risk areas. But the risk becomes even greater as the sun sets. Its part of our risk planning approach. Members are being readied for the night shift, he said.

Naidoo said apart from a few incidents slowing down voting processes in some areas, the day has been a safe one.

There have been minor glitches taking place, which caused slight disruptions to the voting process but nothing significant that it would warrant or cause for the entire process to be brought into question, he said.

Naidoo said some incidents of note throughout the day include:

The arrest and subsequent release of a journalist reporting from a voting station in Soweto.

Prominent politician Helen Zille opening a case of assault against a police official after an incident at a voting station in Bethelsdorp, Eastern Cape.

A KZN IEC official was arrested for allegedly stuffing marked ballot papers into the ballot box.

Disruptions at a polling station in the Alfred Nzo District in the Eastern Cape which slowed down voting.

In Bizana, also in the Eastern Cape, there were road closures during a protest, which were removed by police, with voting allowed to continue.

A 49-year-old Mamelodi man attempted to cast more votes than he was allowed to do and was subsequently arrested.

Apart from that, there were other incidents where people were complaining that placards were being destroyed or replaced by other political parties placards, there were confrontations between political party representatives with charges and counter-charges opened against each other.

But otherwise, all in all, 95% to 99%, things have been running quite smoothly, Naidoo said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Good start to elections as 3.5 million cast their vote

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has expressed satisfaction at the progress of the 2021 Local Government Elections.

This as 3.5 million votes were cast by 12.30pm on Election Day on 1 November.

This was despite a handful of voting station operations being hampered by inclement weather, community protests and power outages, as well as others opening late.

This was on Monday revealed by IE chairperson, Glen Mashinini, during a press briefing on the progress of the 2021 Local Government Elections. He expressed satisfaction at how the polls were progressing.

By 12.30pm, 99% of the 23 148 voting stations had opened without incident.

"Many voting stations have reported a strong turnout from early in the day, with many voters already waiting to vote before the 7am opening. We continue to urge registered voters to make their way to voting stations."

In general, Mashinini said, voting was progressing well across the country. In addition, logistical arrangements, as well as the voter management devices, are holding up well.

"As at 12.30pm, over 3.5 million voters had already voted. We are able to report this because of the use of the voter management devices. The Commission is therefore satisfied with the voting process. As with any event of this magnitude involving 23 000 service points, there have been incidents which have been reported," said Mashinini.

Among these were 20 voting stations that did not open on time due to community protests in Camperdown and Mdlothi in KwaZulu-Natal.

With assistance from security services, the stations have since opened.

Earlier, a presiding officer was arrested in the eThekwini Metro after allegedly stuffing marked ballots into a ballot box. The matter is now being investigated by the police.

In the Eastern Cape, 19 voting stations also did not open on time due to community protests.

"In all incidents, communities dug trenches to deny Commission staff and voters access to the voting stations. The Commission, with the assistance of municipalities, was able fill the trenches and anticipates that the voting stations will be open later today," said Mashinini.

In Limpopo, a hailstorm delayed the opening of voting stations in Giyani.

While there was no load shedding, disruptions in power supply interrupted voting in some parts of Limpopo and the Northern Cape.

In Modimolle, Limpopo, an accredited observer was asked to leave a voting station for wearing a political party t-shirt. A process to withdraw the observers accreditation was initiated.

In Moretele, North West, a member of a political party was arrested after he interrupted the voting process. In Taung, in the same province, the Commission had to lay charges against a presiding officer after he opened a ballot box that had been sealed.

The IEC expressed regret at the arrest of a Newzroom Afrika journalist at a voting station in Soweto.

"After the intervention of the Commission, the journalist has been released and an investigation into the circumstances of his arrest will be instituted," said Mashinini.

He also confirmed reports of isolated cases where voters were stopped from entering voting stations by election staff for wearing political party clothing and regalia. Mashinini clarified that this should have not happened, saying only party agents were prohibited from this.

The IEC reiterated that while voting stations would close at 9pm, voters who were at the voting station or in a queue at the time would be allowed to vote.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Vote to defend democracy, says Tsenoli

National Assembly Deputy Speaker, Lechesa Tsenoli, says participating in elections is an act of defence for democracy.

Millions of South Africans have taken to the polls today to make their mark in the 2021 Local Government Elections.

Tsenoli said not participating in elections is to allow the wrong practices to take root in our absence (sic).

As angry and disappointed we may be in certain respects, we must nevertheless exercise our right to vote; and to visibly, practically show our preference for democratic decision-making... To defend democracy, deepen it and literally advance it is an act of deep revolutionary duty for all of us, he said on Monday.

He said democratic processes like voting are a manifestation of the Constitution, which require that new leaders to be elected every five years.

"When we each go to vote, whatever our status, we reinforce the principle of equality in key local decision making responsibility, Tsenoli said.

The Deputy Speaker praised the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) for its work in carrying out the elections, including special votes that were cast over the weekend.

We know already the IEC officials have visited voters in their homes, who could not travel to voting stations. We commend them for this crucial task in support of democracy. This body is one of the structures created to support democracy as required by the Constitution.

When we also turn out in our numbers to deepen this culture [of voting], we consolidate a key responsibility to realise our vision of a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.

Tsenoli said councillors and municipal officials must consult the communities they serve regularly on matters when local government elections have come and gone.

[W]hen that happens properly [and] regularly, we ensure that both the representative and participatory requirements of the Constitution are implemented... he said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: Voting proceeds in KZN, despite hiccups

The Electoral Commission in KwaZulu-Natal says despite the minor logistical problems experienced in some voting stations earlier today, at least 80% of voting stations opened on time, with 1 263 352 (or 23%) voters having cast their ballot by 4pm.

The Commission said a few voting stations opened late for a number of reasons, including a dispute regarding traditional leadership at KwaNyavu in Mkhambathini Municipality reported on Sunday, where voting station officers were not comfortable working at the voting station because they reside in the area and were receiving threats which made them feel unsafe.

To resolve the situation, the IEC swapped staff around by sourcing personnel that resides outside the area to conduct voting station operations. Road blockages were also experienced in Ward 15 in Jozini Municipality. The South African Police Service (SAPS), together with the municipality, assisted with clearing the roads. The last voting station to open in the ward was Ludaka Primary School at about 9am, the Commission reported.

Road closures were also experienced in uThukela region. However, they were cleared by SAPS members. In KwaMaphumulo Ward 3 (Elungeni Primary School), gates to the voting station were locked by the community.

SAPS were able to break the lock to gain access. We have received reports that in some voting stations, presiding officers were not allowing voters to go through the process until they were successfully scanned through the Voter Management Devices (VMDs). That has been addressed through the bulk SMS facility.

There was also a voting station that was broken into overnight in eThekwini Metro Ward 14. Voting station officers had left the voting station prepared for today. Everything was vandalised, however, it was only bulk material, which is voting compartments, ballot boxes and tables, the Commission said.  SAnews.gov.za

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South Africa: SA keeps democracy alive

Over eight million South Africans had cast their votes at 23 148 voting stations as at 5pm, the Electoral Commission (IEC) said on Monday.

Giving an update on the progress on Election Day of the 2021 Local Government Elections, less than an hour before the polling stations closed at 9pm, IEC Commissioner, Dr Nomusa Masuku, said the Commission has noted reports from Commissions call centre regarding some registered voters who couldnt find their names on the voters' roll.

Masuku said the voters' roll has been updated and the Commission is attending and responding to complaints, as they are raised, and continues to communicate with the affected voters.

Masuku also reported that investigations have been conducted into the reported shortage of ballot papers in several voting districts.

As pointed out earlier, there should be no shortage because the Commission procured 100% of the ballots needed. We are happy to report that the shortages from distribution issues have been resolved and the Commission continues to monitor voting station performance in this regard.

The Commission also reassures voters that sufficient Universal Ballot Templates (UBTs) have been procured and there should not be shortages. Voters are encouraged to report shortages when experienced, she said.

Masuku said the Commission, together with the South African National Council for the Blind, developed the UBT to assist persons with disabilities and special needs to have an independent and secret vote during elections.

Protests

Masuku said all 20 voting stations, which did not open in KwaZulu-Natal due to community protests, including 19 voting stations that did not open in the Eastern Cape due to civil unrest, were subsequently opened and were processing votes.

The Commission has fixed tents that had been blown away by strong winds in the Free State and Northern Cape, said Masuku.

She reiterated that voting will continue throughout until 9pm when voting stations close, and voters who are at the voting station or in a queue at the closing time, will be allowed to vote.

Voters must have their ID documents with them and are reminded that each ballot paper must be stamped on the reverse. Voters are also reminded that it is prohibited to take a photograph of a marked ballot paper. This is essential to protect the secrecy and integrity of their vote.

After voting stations close at 9pm and voters in the queues have voted, counting will begin. The first results are expected after midnight, Masuku said.  SAnews.gov.za

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RTHK: UK and France agree to talk over fishing

Planned French trade sanctions on Britain over a fishing licences conflict will not be applied before a meeting of French European Affairs minister Clement Beaune with UK Brexit minister David Frost in Paris on Thursday, Beaune said on Monday.

"In the interest of dialogue, the measures announced and prepared by France will not be applied before this meeting and the examination of new British responses to the fishing licences issue," Beaune said.

France had earlier said that, starting from 2300 GMT on Monday, it would restrict cross-Channel trade, threatening to turn bickering over fish into a wider trade dispute between two of Europe's biggest economies. (Reuters)

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UK will further support Vietnam

UK will further support Vietnam in green development: British Ambassador

The United Nations-Climate Change Conference COP26 (the 26th Conference of the Parties) is taking place in Glasgow, the United Kingdom, between October 31 and November 12. The UK will be assuming the COP26 Presidency, in partnership with Italy.

British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward. (Courtesy photo of the embassy)

The British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward talks to Viet Nam News, an English-language newspaper run by the Vietnam News Agency, about expectations on the conference and how Vietnam can play a part in the cause to reduce climate change impacts.



What does the UKs government expect from the event?

Well, 140 world leaders are participating in COP26 - the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. The main objective is to keep 1.5 degrees alive, which means to stop the world from heating 1.5 degrees more than the pre-industrial level. In order to do that, there are four key issues we need to resolve.



The first is about mitigation - that is, reducing the number of emissions that countries produce carbon and carbon dioxide and secondly, we need to support countries to adapt because the world is already heated up more than 1 degree, perhaps 1.2 degrees, and we can see the impact of that in many countries around the world, including Vietnam, whether is through rising sea levels or severe weather incidents.



And the third area we want to work together is finance because developed countries recognise historically, we have produced most of the carbon emissions in the environment, so we should fund developing countries to help you transition more quickly.



And finally, its a negotiation on a treaty, so there are a lot of details of works to be done so that everyone can sign up the new measures so that we can have transparency and collaboration between countries and that we are all working in the same direction.



Could you tell me your opinion on the reduction of coal use in Vietnam?



Vietnam has a fast growing economy, and will need more electricity in the future. The question is what sources will that come from?



Within the past five years, Vietnam has gone from being a net coal exporter to a net importer and coal is currently a leading source for power generation in Vietnam.



Unfortunately burning coal is very bad for greenhouse gas emissions and for air pollution. Many countries have committed to moving away from coal  for instance in the UK coal provided less than 2 percent of the energy mix by July this year.



Countries including Japan, the Republic of Korea and China have decided to stop providing financing for new coal power stations.



At COP26, the United Nations global climate summit to be held in Glasgow in November, all countries are being asked to commit to no new coal power'.

Illustrative image. (Photo: congthuong.vn)

Climate change is not just theoretical. In Vietnam we can already see the impact of global warming which has reached around 1.2 degrees more than pre-industrial levels, for example, salination in the Mekong, flooding in major cities, and extreme weather events, all of which impact Vietnam heavily.



The biggest contribution Vietnam can make to the global effort to stop global warming is to move away from the old technology of importing and burning coal. Vietnam can meet its energy needs through new technology and using its own clean resources. Vietnam has huge potential in solar and wind power. International investors from the private sector will build this renewable capacity quickly if the right conditions are set.



To enable this, Vietnam needs new grid infrastructure to increase its capacity to transmit electricity to where its needed. The international community wants to provide overseas development assistance to help Vietnam upgrade its grid, and Vietnam can become a leader in renewables.



The energy transition should be a priority for Vietnam in the years ahead. It brings huge opportunities to create new jobs, and to attract new investment as supply chains shift and the global economy recovers. Moving away from coal towards renewable energy development is not only cost effective, but also offer tremendous potential to stimulate the wider economy. There are also major risks in continuing to build new coal, starting with air pollution and health. Dependency on imported coal, the risk of losing new investment and exposure to future carbon taxes are good reasons for the shift to a green economy.



What has your government done or will do to support Vietnam in the process?



The UK has been supporting Vietnam on energy transition and increasing access to finance for green projects. Together with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and many other development partners, the UK is leading COP26 Energy Transition Council with technical and financial support for energy transition acceleration to 15 countries including Vietnam towards 2025.



We look forward to seeing continuous engagement with Vietnam and assure our highest engagement to this important agenda.



Investors from the UK are showing significant interest in investing in renewable energy projects in Vietnam, in both solar and wind power. They need the Government of Vietnam to introduce long-term support policies as well as simplification of procedures for project implementation./.

VNA
World has positive views on Vietnamese spices

The wide variety of Vietnamese spices with their own characteristics are the positive factors that make Vietnam an important supplier of spices for the world market.













Vietnamese pepper is well-known around the world. (Photo: VNA)

The rising global demand for spices is a positive signal for Vietnam. Among Vietnams spices, pepper is the most well-known around the world and accounts for the largest share of exports. Currently Vietnams pepper is available in 110 countries and territories in the world and makes up 60% of the global market.



According to Hoang Phuoc Binh, Vice Chairman of the Gia Lai Chu Se Pepper Association, pepper prices are rising and expected to reach VND250,000-300,000 (US$10-13) per kilogram within the next 8-10 years.



Although prices are rising and pepper farmers are no longer incurring losses, the sector is facing certain challenges such as 6 to10-fold increases in shipping costs to the Middle East, Europe and the US.



Vietnams total pepper cultivation area currently stands at 130,000 hectares with an annual output of 180,000 tonnes, according to Le Duc Huy at the Vietnam Pepper Association, adding that Vietnams pepper exports are still stable despite difficulties due to COVID-19. In addition to quantity, the quality and diversity of Vietnamese pepper varieties have also been improved.



Huy said that the global demand for pepper and other spices are rising while some suppliers are reducing their exports due to the pandemic and higher logistics costs.



According to Le Hoang Tai, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, Vietnamese spices are varied and always welcomed by the international market, such as cinnamon, star anise, clove, pepper, chili pepper, turmeric and ginger. These are important factors in making Vietnam an important supplier of spices for the world market.



In recent years, through various trade promotion activities and technical support, importers, distributors, retailers and consumers in many parts of the world have taken a different view on Vietnams spices sector, said Tai.



He added that Vietnamese spice exporters increasingly meet better the strict requirements of foreign partners and are capable of supplying safe products with high added value and high quality to many top importers and distributors in many areas around the world.



In order to make the export of Vietnamese spices sustainable, many suggest that the government, ministries and relevant agencies need to provide accurate, complete and up-to-date information about the cultivation areas of the world and Vietnam, the stages of processing, circulation and sale, thereby helping players in the sector develop appropriate strategies.



India is one of the markets with great potential for Vietnamese spices. The country imports US$1.4 billion worth of spices annually, with pepper accounting for US$120 million, of which US$25-30 million worth of pepper comes from Vietnam, said Bui Trung Thuong, Vietnams commercial counsellor to India.



In order to boost Vietnamese spice exports to the world and India in particular, Thuong suggested enterprises apply science and technology to create products that meet the taste of a specific market.



For the European market, Pham Van Hien, Director of LTP Import Export B.V in the Netherlands noted that Vietnamese enterprises should have a thorough understanding of this market by attending trade fairs and looking for information on the websites of European trade associations if they do not yet have a market research department.
Vietnam Airlines meets US security requirements to operate regular direct flights to US

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has officially confirmed that Vietnam Airlines meets all security requirements to operate a regular commercial direct flights to the US from October 25, the national flag carrier announced on November 1.













Vietnam Airlines meets US security requirements to operate regular direct flights to US (Photo: Vietnam Airlines)

With this event, Vietnam Airlines has become the first Vietnamese airline to be allowed to operate regular direct flights to the US - the country applies the most stringent legal procedures and aviation security regulations in the world.



This is one of the most complex and important conditions that foreign airlines need to meet in order to be licensed by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate directly flights to this country.



According to Vietnam Airlines, after completing the last step of gaining a licence from the FAA, the airline will conduct its first regular commercial direct flight to the US at the end of November this year.



After two decades of preparations, the national flag carrier will become the first airline of Vietnam to operate a direct service to the US./
Construction of Tan Son Nhat airports new terminal to start in December

Work on HCM Citys Tan Son Nhat International Airport Terminal 3 is scheduled to kick off in December.



According to the Ministry of Transport, the ministry has received a feasibility study report of the project conducted by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV). The report is expected to be approved by the ministry in November.

Passengers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport
PM Pham Minh Chinh hosts business, university leaders in UK

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted leaders of ten foreign corporations and leading British universities in Edinburg, Scotland, on October 31 (local time), as part of his visit to the UK for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).













Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) hosts President of Pacific Land Group Patrick McKillen. (Photo: VNA)

During the meetings, Chinh held that despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has been highly regarded by the international community for its efforts to fulfill the twin goals of keeping the virus at bay and boosting economic growth, and for remaining a safe and attractive FDI destination.



Sharing concerns of foreign investors in Vietnam over the COVID-19 fallout, the PM said the Vietnamese Government and public agencies will continue to create favourable conditions for them to grow successful and sustainable business in the long term in the spirit of harmonizing benefits and sharing risks.



Meeting Prof. Mohammed Abdel, representative of the UKs University of Liverpool, the Vietnamese leader asked the professor and University of Liverpool to continue coordinating with Vietnam in training human resources and developing strategies, policies and mechanisms in response to climate change in the Mekong Delta particularly, environment protection, and emerging epidemics.



Agreeing with Chinhs proposals, Abdel said his university wants to bolster specific cooperation projects with Vietnam to produce practical results.



Talking to President of Pacific Land Group Patrick McKillen, Chinh highly spoke of the group's projects in Vietnam, especially Hanoi Biotech Park, which would help the country in coping with impacts of climate change and emerging epidemics.



McKillen, for his part, voiced his hope to be able to run long-term and stable business in Vietnam and revealed his intention to build a major hub for biotechnology studies in the country.



Chinh also had meetings with business leaders from large energy companies, including Enterprize Energy, Siemens, and JAKS Malaysia, during which he welcomed these companies to expand operation in Vietnam and called for more private investment in developing and providing hi-tech solutions for energy projects in the country.



All the guests expressed their delight at Vietnams socio-economic development and COVID-19 response, saying they hope the Government of Vietnam to maintain and reinforce investment attraction incentives and provide all possible favourable conditions for them.
Vietnamese Vice President pays official visit to Greece

Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan paid an official visit to Greece at the invitation of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou from October 31  November 2.









Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan (L) and Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. (Photo: VNA)



On November 1, Xuan had a meeting with Sakellaropoulou, during which both sides agreed to enhance the exchange of delegations and visits at all levels, especially those at high level, towards expanding bilateral economic, trade, investment, cultural and tourism ties.



Sakellaropoulou announced a decision to present 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Vietnam.



Xuan thanked Greece for the decision, saying that it demonstrates the loyal friendship between the two nations and their people.



On regional and global issues, they affirmed support for the settlement of disputes by peaceful means, refraining from use or threat to use force, as well as highlighted the importance of maritime security, safety and freedom, and compliance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).



On the occasion, Xuan conveyed President Nguyen Xuan Phucs letter to the Greek President to invite her to Vietnam next year.



Meeting Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Greece Charalampos Athanasiou the same day, the Vietnamese official suggested the Greek parliament continue promoting the effective implementation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Vietnam  EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) for common benefits of the two nations, as Vietnam  Greece economic and trade ties remain modest compared to political ties.



The host affirmed appreciation of ties with Vietnam and support for Vietnam  Greece and Vietnam  EU relationships.



He pledged to step up all-around ties with Vietnam, both bilaterally and at multilaterally, together with the Greek Government.



Earlier on October 31, the Vice President visited the family of the late Greek hero of the Vietnam Peoples Armed Forces Kostas Nguyen Van Lap as well as met staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Greece./
Xi urges concrete actions to address climate change, energy issues

Xinhua) 08:09, November 01, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the 16th G20 Leaders' Summit via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday called on the international community to take concrete actions to address climate change and energy issues.

Xi made the remarks while addressing the 16th G20 Leaders' Summit via video link in Beijing.

Climate change and energy issues are today's prominent global challenges, which concern the common interests of the international community and the future of the Earth, Xi said.

The willingness and motivation of the international community to work together to cope with challenges continued to rise, and the key is to take concrete actions, he said.

He called on the world to adopt comprehensive and balanced policies, and balance environmental protection and economic development, as well as addressing climate change and safeguarding people's livelihood. Major economies should strengthen cooperation in this area, he added.

Xi urged for fully and effectively implementing the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, upholding the role of the UN as the main channel, following the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, abiding by international law, and being action-oriented.

He also highlighted the importance of taking stronger actions and enhancing cooperation.

The Chinese president also called on developed countries to increase their support for developing countries, saying that the G20 members should take the lead in the promotion and application of advanced technologies, and developed countries should earnestly fulfill their commitments to developing countries in providing funds to help them cope with climate change.

In the past 15 years, the cut of China's carbon emission intensity has greatly exceeded the climate action goals of 2020, Xi said.

He stressed that China would successively release implementation plans and supporting measures for major areas and industries to achieve carbon peaking, and establish the "1+N" policy framework for carbon peak and carbon neutrality.

China would continue to promote the transformation and upgrading of energy and industrial structures, promote the research, development and application of green and low-carbon technologies, support qualified localities, industries, and enterprises to take the lead in reaching the peak, and make positive contributions to the global efforts on addressing climate change and promoting the energy transformation, Xi said.

At present, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered multiple crises, Xi said, adding that the development achievements made by the international community over the years have been seriously eroded and developing countries are facing unprecedented challenges and tests.

The COVID-19 pandemic has once again shown that all countries, with high stakes in each other's future and converging interests, form a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said, noting that promoting sustainable development in developing countries will benefit the people of the countries concerned, and also affect the future and destiny of the whole mankind and the Earth.

China recently has launched the Global Development Initiative and called on the international community to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and promote a stronger, greener and healthier global development, Xi said, adding that the G20 should build consensus and step up actions in this regard.

Xi stressed giving priority to development and acting on the people-centered philosophy. He urged all parties to take improving people's well-being and achieving all-around human development as the starting point and the ultimate goal, place development cooperation in a more prominent position in global macro-policy coordination and the G20 agenda, and strive to address problems including poverty and imbalanced development.

He called on the G20 to stick to being action-oriented and promote practical cooperation. All sides should increase input in development, attach importance to the needs of developing countries, and strengthen cooperation in critical areas including poverty reduction, food security, industrialization and connectivity, said Xi.

He added that China successfully hosted the International Conference on Food Loss and Waste in September this year, and stands ready to contribute more Chinese wisdom and solutions through the G20 platform.

The G20 should pursue mutual benefit and build partnerships, Xi said, adding that all sides should support the United Nations in playing a coordinating role, deepening global partnership for development, and building a global community of shared future for development. Developed countries should earnestly honor their development assistance commitments and provide more resources to developing countries.

The Global Development Initiative proposed by China will further synergize with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and jointly advance global development, Xi said.

A leaders' declaration was adopted at the summit.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Iran doubts alleged U.S. determination to revive 2015 nuke deal: FM

Xinhua) 08:11, November 01, 2021

TEHRAN, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has cast doubts on U.S. President Joe Biden's alleged determination to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, according to his interview published by the Iran daily newspaper on Sunday.

"Mr. Biden postures as anti-Trump, but when he wants to talk about Iran, he is still carrying the same sanctions record with him, and so far he has not taken any practical steps to lift the sanctions," said Amir Abdollahian in the interview.

On Saturday evening, Biden, along with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain, issued a joint statement after a meeting at the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, pointing to the U.S. president's "clearly demonstrated commitment to return the U.S. to full compliance" with the nuclear agreement, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The statement also affirmed Biden's commitment "to stay in full compliance, so long as Iran does the same," and called upon Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to "seize this opportunity and return to a good faith effort to conclude our negotiations as a matter of urgency."

"The problem is that we hear this will and intention from the Americans in their messages, but we do not see it in their behavior," said Amir Abdollahian.

Biden, the Iranian minister said, could immediately issue an executive order to take the United States back to the point where his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018.

Amir Abdollahian also criticized Europeans for exerting pressure on Iran and demanding its return to the negotiating table while staying "inactive" and not pressuring the United States to comply with its commitments under the deal.

In the interview, the Iranian top diplomatic chief reiterated ties with Iran's neighbors and Asian countries including China and Russia, as the priorities of the current Iranian government's foreign policy.

"We have explicitly stated that we will not tie the destiny of the people and the country to JCPOA or to any country in an absolute manner," the minister noted.

Since the United States abandoned the JCPOA, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has consistently urged government officials not to tie the solution of Iran's economic difficulties to Washington's will to lift the sanctions as stipulated by the deal.

Since May 2019, Iran has gradually stopped performing restrictions on its nuclear program, arguing that its reactions are allowed in the JCPOA in case of the counterparts' non-compliance and it would return to full compliance when sanctions are lifted.

After Biden took office in late January, Iran and the JCPOA Joint Commission held six rounds of talks in Austria's capital Vienna to revive the agreement between April and June, but the process was interrupted by the Iranian presidential election in June and subsequent transition of government.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
U.S., EU agree to tariff-rate quota deal to resolve steel, aluminum tariff disputes

Xinhua) 08:12, November 01, 2021

Flags of the European Union fly outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 21, 2021. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

As part of a resolution to their disputes over U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, the EU intends to suspend its retaliatory measures against the United States that were introduced in June 2018. It will also suspend the increase in retaliatory measures against the United States set for Dec. 1, the EU said.

WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The United States and the European Union (EU) have agreed to use a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system to help resolve their three-year disputes over U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the EU.

The United States will replace the existing tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products under the so-called Section 232 with a TRQ, according to a fact sheet released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Sunday.

"Under the TRQ arrangement, historically-based volumes of EU steel and aluminum products would enter the U.S. market without the application of Section 232 tariffs to meet the demands of downstream users," the fact sheet said.

"Historically-based volumes" refer to the volume of EU steel and aluminum that was exported to the United States prior to the imposition of the Section 232 tariffs in 2018, according to the EU.

Citing national security concerns, the U.S. administration of former President Donald Trump unilaterally imposed a 25-percent tariff on steel imports and 10-percent tariff on aluminum imports in 2018, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, drawing strong opposition domestically and abroad.

Failing to reach a deal with the Trump administration, the EU took the case to the WTO and imposed retaliatory tariffs on a range of American products.

As part of a resolution to their disputes over U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, the EU intends to suspend its retaliatory measures against the United States that were introduced in June 2018. It will also suspend the increase in retaliatory measures against the United States set for Dec. 1, the EU said.

Photo taken on Oct. 28, 2021 shows the U.S. Commerce Department in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"In the past year, the cost of steel used by America's auto and appliance manufacturers has more than tripled, creating increased costs for consumers," said U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

"Today's news will provide much-needed relief for those workers and industries, the workers and businesses who were threatened with overwhelming retaliatory tariffs of 50 percent and American consumers, who are worried about increasing prices," Raimondo said.

"In addition to the EU eliminating the retaliatory tariffs against the United States, we have agreed to suspend the WTO disputes against each other related to the 232 disputes," U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai added.

Valdis Dombrovskis, EU Commission executive vice-president &EU trade commissioner, said the U.S. decision on steel and aluminum tariffs will "alleviate an important trade irritant" that has hampered EU-U.S. trade relations.

"During the next two years we will work towards a global steel arrangement, which would allow us to remove 232 tariffs for good," Dombrovskis said.

While the deal is a step in the right direction, the "reliance on TRQs is an unwelcome form of managed trade" that will continue to bring about uncertainty for workers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, said Jake Colvin, president of the National Foreign Trade Council.

"Mechanisms such as these that manage international trade undermine competitiveness, create winners and losers, add significant supply chain costs and disproportionately affect small and medium sized companies," Colvin said.

The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, representing more than 30,000 U.S. manufacturing companies, also expressed concerns that replacing the tariffs with the TRQ will hurt its members because "the threat of tariff reinstatement looms with the surge in steel and aluminum demand expected when the bipartisan infrastructure bill passes."

"This type of government restriction on raw materials and intervention lead to market manipulations and allow for gaming of the system that could put this country's smallest manufacturers at an even further disadvantage," the coalition said, urging the Joe Biden administration to immediately begin negotiations to "lift these damaging tariffs on our other close allies and trading partners."

"U.S. steel- and aluminum-using manufacturers cannot secure the raw materials that they need and at competitive prices, and are losing business to competitors in other countries who are paying far lower prices for steel and aluminum," the coalition said.

The U.S. imported 2.5 million tons of steel from the EU last year and 3.9 million tons in 2019, down from 5 million tons each in 2018 and 2017, according to Bloomberg.

Myron Brilliant, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's executive vice president, said that the deal offers some relief for American manufacturers suffering from soaring steel prices and shortages, "but further action is needed."

"Section 232 tariffs and quotas remain in place on imports from many other countries," Brilliant said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese FM urges U.S. to change its wrong China policy

Xinhua) 08:14, November 01, 2021

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome, Italy, Oct. 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

The urgent task at the moment is that China and the United States must earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and make political preparations and provide necessary conditions for the next phase of exchanges, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

ROME, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Bilateral relations between China and the United States in the past few years have suffered an all-round impact due to the wrong China policy pursued by the United States, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Sunday during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The United States has wantonly interfered with China's internal affairs, Wang stressed, noting that the current U.S. Congress has introduced more than 300 anti-China bills, and the United States has included more than 900 Chinese entities and individuals in various unilateral sanctions lists, which severely disrupted the normal bilateral exchanges.

Moreover, the United States is also patching up various small circles to suppress China on a global scale, and even exerting pressure on many small and medium-sized countries, Wang said, adding that these practices are not in line with the interests of the peoples of the two countries, not in line with the expectations of the international community, not in line with the development trend of the times, and hence China voices its clear opposition.

The important experience accumulated over the past four decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries is that both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, Wang said, adding that the two sides have learned from contacts in Anchorage, Tianjin and Zurich that they must respect each other and treat each other equally.

Participants attending the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders' Summit pose for a group photo in Rome, Italy, Oct. 30, 2021. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, attended the summit as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has repeatedly called for the world to prevent division and avoid a new cold war, Wang said, adding that the important consensus reached by the heads of state of China and the United States during the two phone conversations this year is that the two sides should restart dialogue and avoid confrontation.

The urgent task at the moment is that the two sides must earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and make political preparations and provide necessary conditions for the next phase of exchanges, Wang stressed.

Wang expressed the willingness to establish regular contacts with Blinken to exchange views timely and in a frank manner on how to manage and control differences between the two sides, properly resolve problems that arise, so as to enhance understanding, eliminate doubts, avoid misjudgments and explore cooperation.

The Taiwan issue is the most sensitive issue between China and the United States, Wang said, adding that if it is handled wrongly, it will cause subversive and overall damage to bilateral ties.

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2015 shows the national flags of China (R) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington D.C. on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)

Wang pointed out that recently, the situation across the Taiwan Strait has become tense again, and the United States has repeatedly stated that this was caused by China's change of the status quo, yet this is not a fact at all but a serious misleading to the international community.

Wang emphasized that the true status of the Taiwan issue is that there is only one China, Taiwan is a part of China, and the mainland and Taiwan belong to the same country, noting that historical experiences have repeatedly proved that any change to this status quo will seriously damage the stability across the Taiwan Strait and even create a crisis.

The crux of the current situation across the Taiwan Strait is because the Taiwan authorities have repeatedly tried to break through the one-China framework, and the United States' connivance and support for "Taiwan independence" forces is also to blame, Wang said, stressing that to stop the development of the "Taiwan independence" tendency is to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait.

We urge the United States to realize the serious harm of the "Taiwan independence," to pursue a real one-China policy, instead of a fake one, to fulfill its commitments to China faithfully rather than treacherously. We also urge the United States to truly implement the one-China policy and put it into actions, instead of saying one thing and doing another, Wang said.

For his part, Blinken reiterated that the United States will continue to adhere to the one-China policy, and the two sides should develop bilateral relations in the spirit of mutual respect. The United States is willing to maintain communication with China, manage differences responsibly, and avoid confrontation or crisis, he noted.

Wang also expressed China's solemn concern over various issues that the United States has harmed China's legitimate rights and interests, and requested the U.S. side to change its course and push China-U.S. relations back to the track of healthy development.

The two sides also exchanged views on important issues such as climate change, energy supply, Iran nuclear issue, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and expressed their willingness to maintain dialogue on addressing various global challenges.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Why Xinjiang's cotton fields offer more than warmth

Xinhua) 08:22, November 01, 2021

-- The cotton harvest season in Xinjiang, China's largest cotton-producing region, will last until mid-November this year, with the output expected to reach 5.2 million tonnes.

-- The region has contributed nearly 90 percent of China's cotton production capacity and about 20 percent of the global cotton production.

-- This year, more than 70 percent of the 2.48 million hectares of cotton fields in Xinjiang are harvested mechanically.

URUMQI, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- In four days, Lu Gaolin, a cotton farmer in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, completely finished harvesting his 64-hectare cotton field thanks to a gigantic green machine.

The cotton picker is way more efficient than manual labor. "It used to take seven or eight workers over two months to complete the job of manually picking cotton," he said.

The cotton harvest season in Xinjiang, China's largest cotton-producing region, will last until mid-November this year, with the output expected to reach 5.2 million tonnes. The region has contributed nearly 90 percent of China's cotton production capacity and about 20 percent of the global cotton production.

RUMOR MILL KEEPS RUNNING (Xinhua)

Resistant to drought and sandstorms, cotton is an indispensable crop for the farmers' livelihood in Xinjiang. In their eyes, the rumors about "forced labor" in Xinjiang are extremely absurd.

Arkin Rehim, a cotton farmer in the region's Yuli County, has a great sense of fondness for cotton because cotton helps his family live the happy life they dreamed of.

"We will never allow anyone to smear Xinjiang or defile the cotton we have planted," he said. "I have confidence in Xinjiang cotton and will never give up planting it because of rumors."

For Xinjiang farmers, cotton-picking used to be an exhausting job. "We even worked until one or two o'clock each night during the harvest season," Lu said.

Aerial photo taken on Oct. 24, 2021 shows a cotton picker working in Lu Gaolin's cotton field in Sandaogou Village of Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

However, since manual cotton-picking became a thing of the past as early as 2014 in Shawan City, Lu's hometown, farmers there have already been free from the arduous physical labor. This year, more than 70 percent of the 2.48 million hectares of cotton fields in Xinjiang are harvested mechanically.

Presently, the whole process of planting and harvesting has been mechanized on more than 90 percent of cotton fields in northern Xinjiang. The mechanization rate of cotton picking has reached 40 percent and is still rising in the region's southern part.

Workers of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang always choose jobs of their own volition, and there is no coercion of any kind, said a white paper issued by the State Council Information Office.

Lu Gaolin, a cotton farmer, talks with a cotton picker owner through cellphone in Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

GROWING PROSPERITY

Mijit Bakri, a cotton farmer in Bachu County, could barely feed his family of six in the past 20 years with a 2-hectare cotton field. Now he and his family have bid farewell to poverty.

Like his neighboring families, he chose to lease his field to a large-scale agricultural enterprise. They apply mechanized planting and harvesting to the families' fields, covering tens of thousands of hectares.

Combo photo taken in Lu Gaolin's cotton field shows cotton seed sowing underway on April 15, 2021 (top), a drone spraying pesticide (middle) on July 15, 2021 and cotton to be harvested on Oct. 28, 2021 in Shawan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

Free from the previous heavy manual labor with slender income, Mijit Bakri does not merely depend on the leasing income for a living. The company hires him to manage over 6 hectares of cotton fields with the help of a planter, a cotton picker, a water pump and other equipment.

Lu Dewen, son of Lu Gaolin, plans to buy a large cotton picker worth 6 million yuan (about 940,000 U.S. dollars) with other cotton farmers. "The machine can not only make work convenient but will help us increase our income if we rent it out," he said.

Xinjiang has added nearly 1,000 cotton pickers in 2021, making its total number almost 7,000, according to the data from the region's agricultural and rural mechanization development center.

More villagers are no longer confined to rural areas and choose to seek jobs and better lives in towns and cities thanks to the large-scale mechanization.

Since 2014, thousands of textile and garment enterprises have injected investment and built factories in southern Xinjiang.

By the end of 2020, Xinjiang's production capacity in the cotton textile industry accounted for 17.6 percent of China's total, which provides job opportunities for nearly 600,000 people.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Like Talking to a Friend

CGTN) 08:27, November 01, 2021

In 2014, during a trip to Argentina, President Xi Jinping visited a family estate to the northwest of the capital city, Buenos Aires. There he was treated to a demonstration of two skills for which Argentina is particularly famous  horsemanship and tango. His hosts that day, the Moneta family, have never forgotten their Chinese visitor. In particular, they remember how relaxed he was with everyone he met, and how interested he was in the details of estate management.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Shanghai Disney Resort to be temporarily closed for epidemic control

Xinhua) 08:50, November 01, 2021

Performers greet tourists at the entrance of the Shanghai Disneyland theme park in east China's Shanghai, May 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Ren Long)

SHANGHAI, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Disneyland and Disneytown will be temporarily closed from Monday to Tuesday for the purpose of epidemic prevention and control, said a notice released by the facility Sunday evening.

The reopening of the facility will be announced once it is decided, the notice said.

Earlier on Sunday evening, the facility said entry has been suspended to cooperate with COVID-19-related epidemiological investigation in other provinces and cities, and guests have been required to undergo nucleic acid testing at the exit when leaving the resort.

A total of 220 shuttle buses have been arranged to transport the tourists who left the park Sunday evening as the metro service at Disney Resort station has been suspended.

All tourists who had visited Disneyland and Disneytown during the weekend were required to report to their neighborhood, employer, or school, and conduct a nucleic acid test immediately at a nearby medical institution, Shanghai's epidemic prevention and control headquarters said Sunday evening.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Xi stresses promoting sustainable development of developing countries

Xinhua) 08:53, November 01, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the 16th G20 Leaders' Summit via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday stressed the need to promote the sustainable development of developing countries.

He said this will benefit relevant countries and peoples, and concerns the future of the entire humanity and globe.

Xi made the remarks while addressing the 16th G20 Leaders' Summit via video link in Beijing.

The spreading COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in multiple crises, dealing a heavy blow to development achievements accumulated by the international community over the years, Xi said, adding that developing countries are facing unprecedented impact and challenges.

The pandemic shows, once again, that all countries, with high stakes in each other's future and converging interests, form a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi stressed.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China has made vital contribution to solving global issues

09:03, November 01, 2021 By Ban Ki-moon ( People's Daily

On Oct. 25, 1971, at its 26th session, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 that decided to restore all lawful rights of the Peoples Republic of China in the UN. It marked an important opportunity for the UN, the most universal international organization, to make further progress.

Photo taken on Sept. 14, 2020 shows the outside view of the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

This historic moment came shortly after I started a career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and this piece of big news impressed me very much. During the 10 years when I served as the UN Secretary-General, I had diverse communication and negotiation with China, which made me quite aware of the important role played by the country in the international society.

Solidarity and partnership are important factors driving the progress of human society, and the UN was founded exactly to promote them. Since the establishment of the UN in 1945, the organization has been committed to the peace and development of the entire human rice and attached high importance to human rights, and thus grown into the most universal international organization in the world today.

To enhance multilateral cooperation is particularly important for the organization to stay true to its founding aspiration and cope with global challenges. China has always been a firm supporter and true follower of multilateralism, and actively conducted multilateral cooperation, which echoes with the spirit of the UN Charter and is of vital importance to solving global issues.

China's economic and social development has made important contributions to achieving the UNs Millennium Development Goals and implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The vision of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development raised by China exactly resonates with the 5 Ps that shape the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership.

Chinas poverty alleviation achievements have set an important example for the cause of global poverty reduction. One of the Millennium Development Goals is to reduce the worlds extreme poverty rate by half by 2015, compared to the 1990 level. Since the reform and opening-up of China in 1978, the country has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, which was of vital importance for the UN to have reached the goal five years in advance. The countrys completion of its poverty reduction goal is not only a historic achievement of its own, but also a milestone in the realization of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To enhance the well-being of the entire human race, China, while pursuing its own development achievements, upholds the global governance philosophy of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and is actively advancing South-South Cooperation. It joins hands with developing countries for mutual assistance, and by further expanding its foreign aid and cooperation, enhances its support for them in poverty reduction, education, health and many other areas. The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation is a model of South-South Cooperation. Under this framework, China has offered huge assistance for African countries to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As an initiator of the framework, I very much recognize and appreciate the role played by China.

Climate change is an important challenge facing our humanity and planet. Therefore, the international society needs to act in solidarity and build a sustainable future. In recent years, China has already demonstrated to the international society its resolution to follow a low-carbon and sustainable path of development and build a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society. The Chinese idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets is quite impressive. Actively joining the multilateral cooperation on climate governance, China has made important and constructive contributions to tackling climate change.

China is working to cope with the common challenges facing the international society, and it deserves high evaluation in this regard. The COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder that we humanity can either rise together or fall apart depending upon our strong conviction on the concept of shared future. Therefore, to defeat difficulties, we must take the sharp weapon of solidarity and cooperation. China's role and contribution are obvious to all.

In the past 50 years since China restored its lawful seat in the UN, it has always upheld the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. As a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has made important contributions in a wide range of areas such as maintaining world peace and stability and promoting global development. The country will play a bigger role in the UN, and Im sure about that.

(Ban Ki-moon is the eighth Secretary-General of the UN)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Hainan FTP to improve Sino-ASEAN economic ties

China Daily) 09:10, November 01, 2021

A view of Sanya Bay in Hainan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The growth of the Hainan Free Trade Port will further enrich business ties and regional connectivity between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations members, creating favorable conditions for the expected implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement next year, experts and business leaders said on Sunday.

The Hainan FTP and ASEAN countries are highly complementary in natural resources, capital, technology, markets, industry and human resources, which is conducive to the free flow of these factors in the region, and will expand the space for economic and trade cooperation, said Zhang Fei, vice-president of the Haikou-based China Institute for Reform and Development.

"With the reconstruction of global industrial and value chains, it would be fairly beneficial for Southeast Asian countries to establish a common market with the Hainan FTP, as it is geographically located at the center of China and ASEAN," he said. "Apart from sharing China's massive market demand, it is helpful for the two sides to consolidate the existing regional industrial chain."

Addressing a subforum at the 87th International Forum on China Reform held in Haikou over the weekend, Zhang suggested that the governments of China and ASEAN countries draw on the established model of the APEC Business Travel Card program, to explore the launch of similar visa-free travel between Hainan FTP and ASEAN member countries.

The APEC Business Travel Card allows holders to use a dedicated immigration lane and enjoy streamlined immigration clearance.

Since the government has made foreign trade and investment more convenient and freer in the island province, the foreign trade of Hainan soared 60.4 percent year-on-year to 101.35 billion yuan ($15.82 billion) during the first three quarters of this year, exceeding its total exports and imports for 2020, and surpassing 100 billion yuan for the first time in the province's history, data released by Haikou Customs showed.

ASEAN maintained its status as Hainan's biggest trading partner, according to Customs statistics.

Chi Fulin, president of the China Institute for Reform and Development, said that China's dual-circulation growth paradigm will enhance economic cooperation and trade between China and ASEAN members in the coming years.

Under the dual-circulation economic model, the domestic market is the mainstay while the domestic and foreign markets reinforce each other.

Because of the long-term growth of consumption in China, the country will not only be a major export market for ASEAN intermediate products, but also a major export market for consumer goods and services, he added.

French spirits group Remy Cointreau opened its first boutique store in the Hainan FTP late last week, as duty-free shopping on Hainan island is a crucial part of the dual-circulation growth paradigm and has constantly attracted global businesses.

"The total value of Hainan's tax-free shopping reached approximately $5 billion by the end of 2020, making this place one of the world's largest duty-free markets. The Hainan FTP will shape the future of retail, especially for premium brands," said Nicolas Beckers, CEO of Remy Cointreau Greater China.

Wang Huiping, president of the Hainan Academy of Social Sciences, said the upcoming RCEP will lay the foundation for more intraregional trade and GDP growth when it comes into force.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Hongyu)
China slams "declassified assessment on COVID-19 origins" released by U.S.

Xinhua) 09:16, November 01, 2021

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday slammed the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) for releasing a declassified version of its report on the novel coronavirus origins on Friday, and said that the report has no scientific basis or credibility.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks when asked to comment on the release of the report. He stressed that when the U.S. intelligence agency released the so-called unclassified summary of assessment on COVID-19 origins in August, China made clear its firm opposition.

"A lie repeated a thousand times is still a lie. No matter how many times the report is published or how many versions it comes in, it will not change the fact that this report is, in essence, a political and false one, with no scientific basis or credibility," said Wang.

He pointed out that the study of the origin of the novel coronavirus is a serious and complex scientific issue, which should and can only be carried out by global scientists in cooperation. The use of intelligence agencies to trace the origins is in itself an iron-clad proof of politicization.

"The U.S. intelligence services have a deplorable track record, with their falsification and deception tactics known by the world," Wang added.

Recently, more than 80 countries have stated their explicit position of opposing politicization of origins-tracing and upholding the joint China-WHO study report through various means, including writing to the WHO Director-General, releasing statements and sending notes, said Wang. He added that over 300 political parties, civil organizations and think tanks from more than 100 countries and regions had submitted a joint statement opposing politicization of origins-tracing to the WHO Secretariat.

"These are voices of justice in the international community," said the spokesperson.

However, the U.S. remains obsessed with political manipulation and intelligence-led origins tracing in disregard of international justice. This will only further undermine the general atmosphere for science-based global cooperation in origins-tracing, hamper international cooperation in combating COVID-19, and cost more lives, stated Wang.

At present, the U.S. should stop all scapegoating and the blame-shifting moves and focus instead on domestic efforts and global cooperation in fighting COVID-19. It should stop political manipulation and create enabling conditions for scientists all over the world to conduct origins-tracing cooperation, Wang said.

He added that the United States should stop attacking and smearing China, respond to the international community's legitimate concerns, receive WHO experts' visits, and open up its biological labs at Fort Detrick and biological experiment bases.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Fresh epidemic resurgence occurs when outbreaks in 14 provinces yet to be over

Global Times) 09:26, November 01, 2021

Recent flare-ups likely to be effectively controlled within a month: experts

More regions including East China's Jiangxi Province and Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province are grappling with a fresh epidemic resurgence, even as the COVID-19 transmission chain related to Northwest China has yet to be cleared.

Calming the public, Chinese experts said that they expected the latest resurgence will be effectively controlled within a month under the country's zero-tolerance policy, which has proved to be effective and will be sustained in face of the dual threats posted by the Delta variant as well as cold weather.

The number of domestically transmitted cases in the Chinese mainland on Saturday was 48, with 19 from Heilongjiang, 10 from North China's Inner Mongolia, nine from Northwest China's Gansu, three in East China's Shandong and three in Northwest China's Ningxia.

Another two were reported in Southwest China's Yunnan, one in Beijing and one in East China's Jiangxi, according to data from the National Health Commission (NHC).

Just as the general epidemic related to Northwest China turned brighter in recent days, outbreaks in Heilongjiang and Jiangxi made national headlines.

At least two people working for a holiday resort in Jiangxi tested positive. As a means to curb the huge traffic flows, Yanshan county - where the resort is located - even said on Saturday that all traffic lights will be turned to red. The mandate to switch all traffic lights to red was quickly withdrawn on Sunday morning after it made national headlines. It is unknown if the local outbreak has any relation to with the recent ones in Gansu or Inner Mongolia.

A region in the county was labeled as medium-risk on Sunday, raising the total medium-risk regions in China to 26 and total high-risk regions to two.

The outbreak in the China-Russia border city Heihe, Heilongjiang, which is an isolated viral chain that was caused by an imported case and is unrelated to cases in Inner Mongolia or Gansu, rapidly escalated since October 27.

New cases have continued to be detected by mass testing, suggesting that viral spread has caused community transmission and thus poses the risk of further spreads or spillovers, according to the NHC.

Of 19 new local cases on Saturday, 18 were reported in Heihe and one in Harbin. Affected by the local outbreak, classes will be suspended in the capital city Harbin, and all primary and middle schools will have closed-loop management.

Qiqihar, another city in Heilongjiang, launched mass nucleic acid tests in counties neighboring Heihe.

To curb infection spillovers, the health codes of all residents in Heihe have been turned to yellow. The health code is an important pass to travel around in China.

Mi Feng, an NHC spokesperson, on Saturday warned that COVID-19 outbreaks have swept 14 provincial-level regions across China in the past two weeks. The current epidemic is still in a rapidly developing phase and remains complicated.

Voices seeking to discredit the zero-tolerance policy are rising, as they said that such a wide scale resurgence is testing the country's limits, and some even wantonly highlighted the negative impact caused by the strict anti-epidemic measures.

Such a policy prevents the virus from spreading across the vast country at the price of limiting the normal lives of a small proportion of key groups. With the policy, China has wiped out domestic infections and guarded the country against going through waves of imported COVID-19 resurgence. It has helped gradually stabilize the epidemic situation relating to Northwest China's regions, through tracking down close contacts and cutting off transmission, Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital, told the Global Times.

"That is a stark contrast to the situations in many Western countries where epidemics have swept across the whole country with multiple transmissions. They have to take a laissez-faire approach as they do not have the capacity to operate such a policy, which requires the united resources of all. Only China can do this, which has proved to be a success," Wang said.

China, still a developing country, has unbalanced medical resources across the country, so the situation of having thousands of new cases like that in the West is not something the country could bear, not to say the double risks brought by the highly contagious Delta variant and the cold weather in winter, Wang said.

As more experience has been gained, China's zero-tolerance policy has been adjusted to minimize the adverse impact brought by the strategy, with coping measures affecting much smaller areas and emergency measures rolling out faster, Wang said.

The risk of spread and spillovers in the China-Mongolia border city Ejin Banner, Inner Mongolia has been effectively controlled as most new cases detected in recent days were identified at quarantine points. Previous anti-epidemic measures have proved to be effective and viral transmission in communities has been basically controlled.

Although small clusters of sporadic cases have occurred in some areas of China, China's top respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said that he believes it will be effectively controlled within a month.

The Global Prediction System of COVID-19 Pandemic developed by researchers from the Collaborative Innovation Center for Western Ecological Safety of Lanzhou University indicates that the nationwide resurgence is likely to be controlled before November 9. The total confirmed infections are likely to stay between 415-771.

As for when is the best time for China to open its doors, Wang believed that could only happen if a large percentage of people get vaccinated, bringing herd immunity in China. But China could consider opening its doors to major economies, as well as to neighboring countries if they can control outbreaks at a very low level, Wang predicted.

As of Saturday, China had administered more than 2.26 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and the number of people who had completed the full course of vaccination exceeded 1.07 billion.

As the vaccine roll-out continues, China will encourage children aged 3 to 11 years old to get vaccinated.

Zhong said it is expected that about 80 percent of Chinese people will complete vaccination by the end of 2021.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Hongyu)
Pledged Chinese FDI commitment in Nepal surges in Q1 of FY 2021-22

Xinhua) 09:38, November 01, 2021

KATHMANDU, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese investors pledged investments into Nepal in the first quarter of the current 2021-22 fiscal year close to the amount they committed in the entire 2020-21 fiscal year, Nepal's Department of Industry said.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) committed by Chinese investors totaled 21.91 billion Nepali rupees (182.41 million U.S. dollars) during the first three months of the current fiscal year starting in mid-July, which accounts for 97.37 percent of the total investments pledged by Chinese investors during the whole 2020-21 fiscal year, showed data released by the department.

Nepal received a total of 22.5 billion Nepali rupees (187.32 million U.S. dollars) in FDI commitment in the previous fiscal year.

"Chinese investors have been at the forefront of pledging the highest investments in Nepal for the last several years and it is a continuation of that trend," Jiblal Bhusal, the department's director general, told Xinhua.

China had topped in the FDI commitments to Nepal for six years in a row till the last fiscal year, according to the agency.

Bhusal attributed more FDI commitments to fewer COVID-19 cases in the country. On Saturday, Nepal reported 297 new infections, as new cases have remained in hundreds for weeks, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.

Though regular flights between Nepal and China have remained halted, local agents have been working on behalf of the Chinese investors, said Bhusal.

The Chinese investors had registered 92 enterprises in Nepal in the past three months, covering hotels and restaurants, international cargo handling, mask manufacturing, construction service, software development, packaged drinking water, assembling of electric vehicles and furniture, among others, according to the department.

Nepal received a total of 23.71 billion Nepali rupees (197.4 million U.S. dollars) in FDI commitment in the first three months of the current fiscal year.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Shenzhen posts robust foreign trade growth in Jan.-Sept.

Xinhua) 09:39, November 01, 2021

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 11, 2020 shows the city view of Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

SHENZHEN, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen saw foreign trade grow 15.2 percent year on year to 2.51 trillion yuan (about 393 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of this year, local customs said.

During the January-September period, exports rose 13.5 percent year on year to 1.35 trillion yuan while imports jumped 17.2 percent to 1.16 trillion yuan, said Shenzhen Customs.

The top ten trading partners of the manufacturing hub, which borders Hong Kong, contributed to 77.3 percent of the total trade, with trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union seeing double-digit growth.

Privately-owned businesses contributed to 1.54 trillion yuan of the trade. It is up 17 percent year on year, accounting for over 61 percent of the total trade, said the customs. The proportion rose by one percentage point from a year ago.

Mechanical and electrical products accounted for nearly 80 percent of both exports and imports during the nine months.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Scholar elaborates on marked contrast of changing living standards between China, U.S.

Xinhua) 09:45, November 01, 2021

A country has four limbs: an awareness of its own situation, coping successfully with its internal problems, a sense of global responsibility, and having a spiritual vitality, notes Kishore Mahbubani.

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese people have seen great improvement in their standards of living over the past 40 years, while the average income of the bottom half of Americans has remained almost stagnant for decades, a renowned Singaporean scholar has said.

China is humanity's oldest continuous and one of its greatest civilizations, Kishore Mahbubani, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore, said in a recent interview with Xinhua, highlighting factors for China's successful development today.

China's willingness to learn from the rest of the world is a huge asset, said Mahbubani, adding that four decades of peace has also been a key element.

Mahbubani has served as the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, and Singapore's ambassador to the United Nations. He was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019.

A flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China is held at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

Chinese civilization has proven itself to be one of the strongest and most resilient civilizations in history, he said in his book Has China Won? The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy, released last year.

If there is an index to measure the relative strength and resilience of different civilizations based on their real performance over more than 2,000 years, the Chinese civilization could rank number one, he added.

"The United States is the only society, only developed society where the average income of the bottom 50 percent has basically remained stagnant for three decades," he told Xinhua.

"Today in America, the middle class has been shrinking in significant ways," he said, adding that "the equality of opportunity that used to exist in the United States has been eroded in recent decades."

In the area of social and economic rights, Mahbubani said "it's clear that the bottom 50 percent, bottom 30 percent, bottom 10 percent have seen a deterioration in their standard of living and that's an area where the United States is not doing well."

Photo taken on Oct. 28, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The biggest challenge facing the United States today is that it has become a plutocracy, he said.

The U.S. political system is moving from being a democracy to becoming a plutocracy, betraying the ideals of its founding fathers, Mahbubani said in the book, adding that the U.S. system has effectively created a new moneyed aristocracy.

He noted that the priority of the U.S. government should be taking care of its bottom 50 percent. However, many American governments have deployed resources to fighting illegal wars overseas instead.

The United States is facing severe political, economic and cultural challenges, he said in his book, adding that it appears that the United States today lacks "spiritual vitality," an idea raised by one of the wisest U.S. strategic thinkers George Kennan.

When Kennan was advising the United States on how to manage its competition with the former Soviet Union, he noted a country has four limbs: an awareness of its own situation, coping successfully with its internal problems, a sense of global responsibility, and having a spiritual vitality.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chimelong Safari Park solicits names for proboscis monkey babies

Ecns.cn) 10:09, November 01, 2021

A proboscis monkey baby lives with its family members at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Oct. 27, 2021.(Photo: China News Service/Chen Jimin)

Two baby monkeys officially meet with the public on Wednesday, waiting for an official name from the public. They have been delivered for two months.

Proboscis monkey is the national treasure of Indonesia and listed as endangered species by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the largest and most influential nonprofit organization for nature and ecology conservation globally.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Improving roads lead rural residents to happier, wealthier life

People's Daily Online) 10:16, November 01, 2021

Thanks to projects for improving roads in rural areas, Xindu district in north Chinas Hebei province has continuously improved the quality of life of its rural residents.

Although mountainous areas account for 70 percent of the districts total, Xindu in Xingtai city of Hebei has managed to build over 500 kilometers of new roads and 180 new bridges in rural areas in recent years, with the total mileage of its rural roads reaching 1,886 kilometers. Besides, more than 90 percent of Xindus rural areas now enjoy regular bus services.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 3, 2020 shows mountain roads leading to Chenqiao Village, Zhouning County, southeast China's Fujian province. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)

With a bus stop right at my doorstep, its so convenient for me to go to the Peoples Hospital of Xindu District for a regular check every month, said Hou Quanying, a resident in the districts Houaoyu village, who had a heart stent installed several years ago.

A broad and compacted road now connects the village to the districts downtown area, and buses are also being put into operation, Hou said excitedly. She still remembered that the road in front of her house was bumpy in the past, explaining that she previously had to go to the hospital by renting a car, which cost a handsome amount of money.

Xindu is representative of Chinas efforts to build good roads and maintain them in rural areas. China has built or upgraded about 2.36 million kilometers of rural roads, with the total rural road mileage reaching 4.38 million kilometers, benefiting more than 500 million rural residents. As of the end of 2020, all townships and administrative villages with feasible conditions had been connected to asphalt and concrete roads, in addition to operating bus services.

While bringing added convenience to rural residents, improved road conditions also stimulate expanded rural consumption. Due to the improvements in rural roads and the mail service network, in 2020, the number of express packages delivered to and from rural areas surpassed 30 billion, with the exchange of industrial products and farm produce between urban and rural areas totaling 1.5 trillion yuan ($234.7 billion). Statistics also show that the retail sales for rural consumer goods increased 15.6 percent year-on-year to over 4.2 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of this year.

Thanks to improving road conditions, local governments across China have boosted the development of industries that suit local conditions, driving further income growth for villagers.

With the total mileage of rural roads amounting to 6,573 kilometers, Tongjiang county, Bazhong city of southwest Chinas Sichuan province now sells its local specialty tremella, a variety of edible fungi, to a massive market. Fueled by surging market demand, the county saw the price of tremella increase from 200 yuan in 2000 to 1,000 yuan per kilogram last year.

In 2020, Tongjiang produced 375 tonnes of dried tremella, with an output value of 400 million yuan, bringing each of the more than 8,000 households that planted tremella an average income growth of 23,000 yuan each. The county also sells its deep-processed tremella products throughout China.

Wang Yonghai, a farmer who has been planting tremella for 40 years in the countys Xiajiangkou village, is one of the locals who has benefited from improving roads and the resultant expansion in local industry. Last year, Wang garnered 50,000 yuan from the planting of tremella.

In the past, Wangs quality tremella couldnt sell at a good price due to poor transportation. Now merchants buy his tremella at a decent price in the village, thanks to the opening of a hardened road connecting the village to the outside world in 2018. Besides, the next-day delivery of his products to customers in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan, can be guaranteed.

Meanwhile, improving roads are also driving a boom in rural tourism. In 2019, Chinas rural areas received 3.2 billion tourists, generating operating revenue of more than 850 billion yuan while helping 12 million farmers increase their incomes.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
New Zealand companies embrace opportunities popping up at CIIE

Xinhua) 12:41, November 01, 2021

WELLINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the upcoming fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, New Zealand's largest dairy company Fonterra has already signed its contract in advance to secure a spot at next year's CIIE.

Fonterra is one of the many New Zealand companies embracing the opportunities popping up at the CIIE. This year, more than 20 New Zealand companies will showcase their products at the two New Zealand pavilions, "Taste New Zealand" and "Health New Zealand". In addition, big New Zealand brands will have their stand-alone pavilions at the CIIE venue.

Roy van den Hurk, general manager of Theland Global R&D at Milk New Zealand Dairy, is an "old friend" to the CIIE. Hurk became famous when he launched the company's online livestream platform last year at the CIIE after spending time in the managed isolation and taking multiple COVID-19 tests.

This year, due to the border restrictions in New Zealand, Hurk was not able to go to Shanghai in person. He is still committed to the CIIE and will participate in the event online.

"The fourth China International Import Expo is held under the global pandemic background. It gives me strong confidence that China is still keeping an opening-up policy and efficiently controls COVID-19," he said.

"Its huge consumer market helps foreign trade enterprises like us to find opportunities in the green food industry and promote global economic recovery. With the New Zealand-China free trade agreement (FTA) upgrade, we take the CIIE as a fast-sales growing channel for New Zealand Dairy companies to enter into China's big market."

Thanks to the FTA and its upgrading, dairy products export from New Zealand to China has taken off rapidly. This week, New Zealand's major dairy companies will gather at the CIIE. Chinese consumers will enjoy multiple New Zealand dairy brands besides Fonterra and Theland.

Mengniu Yashili, also a four-term veteran of the CIIE, will showcase its New Zealand-made infant formula products. The CIIE's new face Blue River Dairy will debut its sheep milk products.

In addition to dairy products, Chinese consumers will not miss out the high-quality New Zealand food and beverage products to taste a pure New Zealand.

Silver Fern Farms, New Zealand's largest producer and exporter of red meat, which has also participated in the CIIE four times in a row, will be presenting chilled beef and lamb, as well as Reserve beef catered to the high-end food service sector. The company is also introducing its retail gift box of venison products at this year's CIIE.

According to Chief Executive Simon Limmer, China has been the fastest-growing market for Silver Fern Farms over the past decade and has become Silver Fern Farms' largest international market for three consecutive years.

"The CIIE provides a great opportunity to showcase our brand and raise brand awareness of Silver Fern Farms, further positioning both our company and New Zealand as a world-leading red meat exporter. The CIIE also brought us closer to our customers and consumers, enabling us to learn consumer preferences first-hand and then adapt to meet Chinese market demand," he said.

One of the most active New Zealand companies at the CIIE, Pic's Peanut Butter Company is the largest peanut butter manufacturer in New Zealand. Pic Picto, owner and founder of the company, eyed the CIIE as a huge opportunity.

"Pic's are looking forward to participating in the CIIE this year with a stand in New Zealand National Pavilion. The CIIE is a very important part of Pic's journey in China, providing a wonderful opportunity for us to engage with new and existing customers from all over the country."

After New Zealand and Australia, China is Pic's third biggest market, accounting for around 15 percent of sales. The company's close relationship with Chinese distributor Ebaytown has seen Pic's premium food products available in a multitude of retail channels, 69-year-old Picto added.

Health products companies, such as Grin Natural, are also coming back to the CIIE this year after huge benefits from participating in the past CIIE events. Grin saw an increase of eight times in its sales volume after participating in the CIIE 2019 and 2020.

More New Zealand companies are coming on board, attracted by CIIE's role in brand exposure and sales promotion. OTU Wine Estate and Mill Orchard are the first-time participants in the CIIE. The two South Island-based companies are endeavoring respectively to present their high-quality wine and beverage products to Chinese consumers.

"For many years, we have witnessed the development of the Chinese economy. We are very confident in the Chinese market," said N.A.J. White, co-founder and executive director of Mill Orchard.

Huang Yuefeng, economic and commercial counsellor of the Chinese embassy in New Zealand, said the CIIE has proved to be an important business platform for companies around the world in showcasing their expertise to the Chinese market.

"It is also an excellent platform for New Zealand companies to introduce products and services to Chinese consumers and to strengthen and establish connections with the huge market. Through the CIIE, New Zealand products with high quality have been winning greater popularity and exposure in the Chinese market, earning the consumer's trust and satisfaction," Huang said.

Andrew White, regional director for Greater China from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), was pleased to see a big New Zealand presence at this year's expo.

"The CIIE is an important event in the business calendar in China. It is the first import-focused international expo. It is a very interesting initiative from the Chinese government, as part of its market opening-up and expanding those opportunities for international companies," he said.

"New Zealand has been participating in the CIIE from the very first year. NZTE and a lot of New Zealand companies have been active at the expo and embrace the opportunity. The positive feedback grew from the opportunity to meet existing channel partners, make new potential partners on the market, share the new products, and build their brand awareness," White added.

"The CIIE is one part of their efforts to reach the China market, but the fact that 20 or so companies coming back in the CIIE itself is very encouraging."

"It's been quite a challenging sort of 12 to 18 months for businesses to travel across the world. It's not something that impacts only New Zealand businesses. I think the CIIE has a very valuable opportunity to continue to build your brand in the market and export through," said White.

Wayne Huang, principal of the Institute of Commercial Education New Zealand, said the CIIE will bring more opportunities for enterprises from all over the world, noting "the practice in the past 40 years (since China's reform and opening-up) proves that China's peaceful development is an anchor of stability and a driving force for world trade and economy."

"The economies of China and New Zealand are highly dependent and highly complementary. Bilateral trade has grown against the trend of COVID-19. It is foreseeable that with the boosts of the CIIE and the New Zealand-China FTA upgrade, the China market will play an important role in the post-pandemic recovery of New Zealand enterprises," Huang said.

China has been New Zealand's top trading partner since 2017. The two countries upgraded their free trade agreement in January this year. China continues to be New Zealand's largest trading partner and export market.

According to the trade figures from Statistics NZ, from Jan. 1 to Oct. 20 this year, New Zealand exported 15.36 billion New Zealand dollars' worth of products to China, an increase of 26 percent from the 12.19 billion New Zealand dollars last year. (1 New Zealand dollar equals 0.72 U.S. dollars)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Lao gov't orders full-scale preparation for China-Laos railway opening

Xinhua) 13:01, November 01, 2021

VIENTIANE, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government has ordered full-scale preparations for the opening of the China-Laos railway, as Laos and China count down to Dec. 2, the planned date of its inauguration.

The cabinet gave the order at its monthly meeting for October, which ended last Friday, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Monday.

Chaired by Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh, the cabinet meeting told authorities in charge to accelerate action to fulfill plans to attract investment in facilities alongside the railway.

The meeting called on the relevant departments to prepare for the construction of expressways as well as repair damaged roads.

Authorities were told to take more effective action to improve the business environment by streamlining bureaucratic procedures and removing barriers to business operation.

The streamlined "China-standard" bullet train, or electric multiple unit (EMU) train, for the China-Laos railway arrived at the newly built China-Laos Railway Vientiane Station on Oct. 16.

The China-Laos Railway is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.

The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of Chinese management and technical standards. The construction of the project started in December 2016 and is scheduled to be completed and operational in December 2021.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
US military a black hole for information

(China Daily) 13:10, November 01, 2021

The recent collision of the US nuclear submarine USS Connecticut with an unknown object in the South China Sea has drawn great attention from the international community. It is not only the nuclear submarine collision itself that has caused concerns, but also the slow manner in which the US side has disclosed information about the "accident".

The collision took place on Oct 2, but the United States didn't announce it until five days later. And more than 20 days later, the US navy is still not sure what object the submarine hit or else it does not want to disclose the fact.

Covering up the truth is a tradition of the US military.

Just two months ago, the US military carried out a drone strike in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, claiming to have killed two terrorists. However, this was a complete and utter massacre of innocent people. Ten civilians, including seven children, were killed. When questioned by the media, the US army first fabricated details to try to cover up the truth, and then said it would investigate. At last, it chose to downplay the attack as a "tragic mistake".

The US military has long showcased its weapons and equipment in a high-profile fashion, and has often accused many countries of "military opacity".

Now is the time to ask whether the US military is open and transparent.

With regard to biological militarization and the safety of biological laboratories, the US is the only country that has obstructed negotiations on a verification protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention over the past 20 years, and it has more than 200 biological laboratories around the world. Many of these facilities are ill-managed and lack effective supervision.

These examples show that the US will never consider openness and transparency if it conflicts with its own interests. The so-called openness and transparency of the US military is nothing but a cover to deceive the international community and oppress other countries.

As one deception after another is exposed, the "halo" of public opinion the US has enjoyed is slipping.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Study says U.S. "China Initiative" stymies scientific innovation: SCMP

Xinhua) 14:00, November 01, 2021

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. "China Initiative" has stymied its scientific innovation, and the country should strengthen scientific collaboration with China, according to a study released recently by two U.S. researchers.

The stated objective of the initiative -- to bolster U.S. competitiveness and frustrate China's plans to dominate strategic global tech markets -- is undermined by vilifying talented Chinese researchers crucial to U.S. innovation, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Friday, citing the 30-page study by two researchers from the University of Arizona.

The study found that more than 90 percent of 1,949 top Chinese and non-Chinese scientists working in the United States said Chinese researchers made important contributions to research and teaching.

Meanwhile, over three-quarters of the members of two civic groups felt the United States should strengthen scientific collaboration with China, said the study.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
G20 summit concludes with progress on climate, vaccines and emphasis on multilateralism

Xinhua) 14:57, November 01, 2021

ROME, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Summit drew to a close on Sunday, with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi saying that progress on key issues including climate change, COVID-19 vaccines distribution, and global tax reform made him "profoundly optimistic" about the role multilateralism can play in global affairs.

Leaders from the world's major economies met, virtually or in person, here in the Italian capital on Saturday and Sunday to formalize a series of agreements hammered out during around 175 ministerial negotiations, working group discussions, and other preparatory meetings held earlier in the year in the lead-up to the leaders' summit.

MULTILATERALISM AT CENTER STAGE

"Something changed at this year's G20," Draghi told reporters at the conclusion of the event.

He said the summit's success lay on its reliance on multilateralism. "We have all agreed that we cannot confront big issues like the pandemic or climate change alone."

"I am profoundly optimistic that we can continue to work together," said the Italian leader. "But if we start arguing and fighting among us, we will go nowhere."

"Around this room, we have different views over how soon we must start to act and how fast we must change course," Draghi said.

According to Vittorio Emanuele Parsi, a professor of international relations at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, the goal of multilateralism is "a difficult but important challenge" for the world's largest economies.

"It is a fundamental change for countries to shift from competition to cooperation, and it will not happen easily or quickly," Parsi told Xinhua.

GLOBAL ACCESS TO VACCINES

Sunday's G20 Rome Leaders' Declaration created a global target of fully vaccinating at least 40 percent of the world's population by the end of this year and at least 70 percent by mid-2022, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The 20-page document said countries agreed to "take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries." But it failed to call for vaccine-related intellectual property rights to be removed or for mutual recognition of vaccines endorsed by the WHO.

Asked about those points in the closing press conference, Draghi said the world has already had enough vaccines to meet the 40-percent target without taking additional steps, but countries need to work to make the safe shipment of vaccines easier and promote the production of vaccines in Africa and South America.

MINIMUM CORPORATE TAX FOR BIG MULTINATIONALS

Draghi hailed the formal adoption of a plan to create a minimum 15-percent tax rate for corporate income globally -- officially the "OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting," co-authored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) -- as a major step. Applied only to companies with an annual revenue of more than 867 million U.S. dollars, the system is scheduled to enter into force in 2023.

"This is something that has been discussed for 10 years or more, and only this year have countries been able to finalize a deal," Draghi said. "It's an extraordinary result."

The system is aimed at removing some of the incentives for multinationals to declare income in low-tax jurisdictions. It applies the minimum tax in all jurisdictions.

If a large multinational pays a lower tax rate in any country, it will be forced to pay the difference between that tax rate and the 15-percent minimum in the country where the company is based.

CLIMATE FINANCE, GENDER EQUALITY, AND OLYMPICS

Among the high-profile accomplishments of the two-day meeting was a commitment to achieve global net zero, which includes greenhouse gas emissions or carbon neutrality by or around mid-century.

The G20 Rome Leaders' Declaration also agreed to step up efforts initiated by economy and finance ministers and central bank governors to raise more money for climate-related finance initiatives in order to work toward the target of raising at least 100 billion U.S. dollars per year to help underwrite climate adaptation efforts in poor countries.

The declaration also highlights progress under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative, or DSSI, which will allow at least 12.7 billion U.S. dollars of debt owed by poor and developing countries to developed economies to de deferred.

It also reaffirmed the G20's commitment to gender equality, emphasizing the "pivotal role of women's and girls' empowerment and leadership at all levels for inclusive and sustainable development."

The document said leaders looked forward to the Winter Olympics and Paralympics to be held next year in Beijing as "opportunities for competition for athletes from around the world, which serve as a symbol of humanity's resilience."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China applies to join DEPA in boost for global digital trade

Global Times) 15:02, November 01, 2021

Move to boost global digital trade, help Chinese firms tap overseas markets

China has applied to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), an international agreement that establishes approaches and collaboration in digital trade issues, a move that experts say could help Chinese digital companies tap overseas markets more easily as they face increasing crackdowns from certain countries, particularly the US, by seeking to establish a globally recognized cooperative mechanism for cross-border digital trade.

Addressing the first session of the 16th Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Summit on Saturday via video link, President Xi Jinping said that "China attaches great importance to international cooperation on digital economy, and has decided to apply to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement. China stands ready to work with all parties for the healthy and orderly development of digital economy," according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The DEPA is an agreement signed by Singapore, Chile and New Zealand in June 2020 that is aimed at facilitating economic engagement and trade in the digital era. It also contains a number of provisions that enable trusted data flows, such as developing mechanisms to protect personal data being transferred across borders.

Independent technology analyst Liu Dingding said that China's move to join global digital agreements shows China's responsibility in bridging digital gaps, as the country, with its sound development of online industries in recent years, has a lot to offer to other countries, whether in terms of technologies or products.

"By joining such agreements, countries could learn from each other's digital experience and share their benefits, while interacting with each other's markets in a more profound manner," Liu told the Global Times.

Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research Institute, said that China's digital development has led the world in recent years, but the lack of an internationally recognized legal framework for digital trade has led to much friction for relevant businesses, including attempts by the US government to crack down on the operations of some Chinese internet firms, like TikTok, in their country.

"At a time when trade is increasingly turning digitalized, it's an urgent task for countries to work out a unified set of rules under which such trade can be carried out smoothly," Zhang told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that China's membership in the DEPA would accelerate Chinese companies' digital business layout.

Despite their differences, Liu also stressed, China and the US also have a lot of interaction and common ground in their online industries. Microsoft, for example, has developed its cloud business very well in China, and global cooperative agreements could provide a basis for China and the US to seek more cooperation instead of picking on each other's faults, according to Liu.

China's decision to apply for membership at the DEPA comes as the country is tightening regulations on internet platforms that handle large volumes of personal data, aiming to target monopolies and other illegal activities that harm consumers' rights and interests.

According to draft guidelines rolled out by the Cyberspace Administration of China on Friday, companies with more than 1 million users in the country must apply for a security review before they can send user-related data abroad. Companies were also told to carry out an internal risk assessment, covering such issues as the legitimacy and necessity of their moves, before sending data abroad.

The guidelines represent the latest effort by regulators to tighten regulations on Chinese companies that have vast troves of personal data. In July, Chinese regulators noted that any company with data for more than 1 million users must undergo a security review before seeking overseas listings, shortly after China's widely used ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing was removed from app stores over alleged data violations.

According to Zhang, joining international digital treaties and agreements does not conflict with China's management of data security.

"The premise of international digital regulations is that they should respect each member country's internal regulations and laws. If there's clash between the two, then there should be future negotiations to find common views," he said.

(Web editor: Liang Jun, Hongyu)
"Action" -- highlight of Xi's remarks at G20 Rome summit

Xinhua) 16:22, November 01, 2021

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Action is the much-emphasized message in Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks delivered at the G20 Rome summit held over the weekend.

In the past two days, G20 heads of state and government as well as their counterparts from invited countries, and representatives of some of the main international and regional organizations discussed a wide range of issues including pandemic response, economic recovery, climate change and sustainable development.

Calling on the world to jointly tackle global challenges, Xi said in his remarks via video link that taking concrete actions is the key.

As the Chinese saying goes, "Honoring a promise carries the weight of gold." In dealing with these global challenges, China has not only called for actions but also taken the lead to act, demonstrating a sense of responsibility as a major country.

China took new steps forward at the summit such as proposing a Global Vaccine Cooperation Action Initiative and an international forum on resilient and stable industrial and supply chains, among others.

The highlights of Xi's remarks are as follows:

-- China has provided over 1.6 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations, and will provide over 2 billion doses to the world during the course of this year.

-- China is ready to work with all parties to enhance vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries and make a positive contribution to building a global line of defense through vaccination.

-- China welcomes the International Monetary Fund's decision on the new allocation of Special Drawing Rights totaling 650 billion U.S. dollars, and stands ready to lend the new allocation to low-income countries that are seriously affected by COVID-19.

-- A people-centered approach must be taken to make global development more equitable, effective and inclusive, so that no country will be left behind.

-- Forming exclusive blocs or even drawing ideological lines will only cause division and create more obstacles, which will do no good but only harm to scientific and technological innovation.

-- China will honor its words with actions and work with all countries to pursue a path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development.

-- China reiterated its goals to peak its CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. It will support qualified localities, industries and enterprises to take the lead in peaking CO2 emissions.

-- The developed countries should honor their funding commitments to developing countries to help them cope with climate change.

-- The Chinese side has recently proposed the Global Development Initiative, calling on the international community to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to promote more robust, greener and healthier global development.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Charming China - Charming Anhui

People's Daily Online) 17:37, November 01, 2021

SYDNEY, Oct.30 (Peoples Daily Online)  On Oct.30, the travel program Charming China - Charming Anhui was broadcast on Seven Network, Australias largest free-to-air television network, showcasing the picturesque scenery and historical culture of Southern Anhui.

Charming China - Charming Anhui airs on Channel 7.

In this episode, award-winning Australian TV presenter and producer Greg Grainger connected remotely with Amy Lyons, an Australian Youtube Vlogger who is currently in China and introduced Anhuis cultural heritage and its charm.

Anhui Province is located in the hinterland of eastern China. The history and culture of Anhui is constantly attracting visitors from all over the world. In this episode, the audience was taken on an immersive journey through multiple historical and cultural sites in Anhui, where they could experience and explore a variety of features, traditional customs and local cuisine of Anhui, including Xuancheng city, the hometown of the Four Treasures of Chinese Study, and Huangshan city, home to Mount Huangshan, known as the "Most Spectacular Mountain in the World."

Co-host Amy Lyons tastes Anhui cuisine.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
Man devotes life to protecting Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys

People's Daily Online) 17:55, November 01, 2021

Zhong Tai, former deputy head of the management administration of Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in Deqin county, southwest Chinas Yunnan province, has devoted himself to protecting Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, one of the worlds most endangered species, for 38 years.

Zhong Tai (3rd L) and other rangers eat while taking a rest during a patrol. (Photo/Yu Fengqin)

Zhong, who recently retired, was recruited as a staff member of the reserves Yeri protection station after graduating from middle school at the age of 17 in 1983 when the reserve was established. Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys are distinguished by their upturned noses, pink lips and big eyes, and are an endangered species unique to China under national first-class protection.

Back then, Zhong encountered various difficulties, such as poor transportation and a lack of electricity and office space. It was also much more difficult to catch sight of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, as they live in alpine forests with an altitude of more than 3,000 meters and are rarely seen. However, Zhong always went to the mountains to look for the animals whenever he had time.

Fortunately, Zhong managed to see the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys up close during a field investigation in June 1985, and trailed them for five days to observe them. He went on to publish a paper on the species habits.

Since then, Zhong and his colleagues, as well as researchers from the Kunming Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have traversed about 20,000 square meters of mountains in the northwestern part of Yunnan province and found more Yunnan snub-nosed monkey groups, laying a solid foundation for the protection and research of the species.

In the past, hunting and logging damaged the habitats of the monkeys, posing threats to their survival. To solve this problem, Zhong began mobilizing surrounding residents to participate in conservation efforts in 1999, starting from Tongduishui villagers group in Shusong village, Benzilan township.

In the mountainous Tongduishui, which has scarce arable land resources and difficulty accessing drinking water, many villagers previously made a living through lumbering. Zhong brought in programs and funds and worked with villagers to improve the drinking water supply and build terraced fields, helping solve the villagers problems. Consequently, they no longer cut down trees and now volunteer to plant trees and patrol forests.

For more than 20 years, Zhong has dedicated himself to helping villagers near the reserve increase their incomes so as to mobilize them to join efforts to protect the monkeys.

Meanwhile, Zhong has become a forestry engineer and an expert on the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys due to his unremitting devotion to their protection and research. He has published over 10 papers on the species at home and abroad.

Zhong began to take charge of the protection of the species in Xiangguqing village in 2008, when the monkeys there were found to be suffering from diarrhea and other experts failed to find a solution.

Drawing from local villagers experience, Zhong and his colleagues used sumac and pumpkin seeds to treat the diarrhea, a method that proved effective. At that time, Zhong lived in Xiangguqing and assigned specific rangers to take care of particular monkey groups. After years of conservation, the monkey population in Xiangguqing is now growing. Eleven Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys were born there so far this year. On top of that, the village is now the only place in China where people can observe the creatures up close. Now, researchers from several institutes and universities conduct research into the species in Xiangguqing.

Zhongs long-term efforts and the joint efforts of the government, researchers and local villagers are now paying off. The groups and population of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys are constantly rising. So far, 23 groups have been identified, up from 13 in 1996. The total population of the animals also rose from between 1,000 and 1,500 to over 3,300 during the same period. Furthermore, Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve is home to around 60 percent of the total population of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
As a group of police officers took off their hats and saluted a body in uniform lying amid a sea of flowers on Sept 28 in Anqing, Anhui province, the eyes of about 150 people at the funeral hall welled up with tears. "In the past days, since Sept 24, every time I see Zhou Lei's name, I just wanted to cry," said Ma Zhongdong, Zhou's colleague. As the head of a criminal police team responsible for major and serious criminal cases in Anqing, Zhou had solved more than 600 criminal cases and participated in more than 100 arrest missions, according to the police. On the morning of Sept 24, he led a team to the neighboring Tongling city to arrest someone suspected of a major theft. An officer with 22 years of experience, he stood at the front as always, according to his colleagues. Zhou, 43, knocked on the door of the suspect's home, as three other officers took position on both sides preparing to conduct an arrest. When the door opened, the suspect surnamed Huang, resisted arrest, urging his wife to give him a knife, according to Chen Yifan, who participated in the mission. Zhou reacted rapidly, put a handcuff onto one of Huang's wrists with the help of his colleagues, while Huang's violent resistance continued for about five minutes. When the suspect was finally brought under control, Zhou, who fought bravely, fell into a coma. After doctors spent about an hour attempting to resuscitate him in hospital, he was pronounced dead from sudden cardiac failure. Zhou's colleagues said he had risked his life on many missions since 1999, when he graduated from police school and joined a local station. Once in April 2018, when Zhou and his team members had been mobilized for an arrest mission, he unexpectedly came across the suspect in an elevator. Zhou threw himself at the suspect, who was carrying a knife, without any hesitation. As his colleagues recalled, he said to them after the mission was completed, "as an officer, you cannot fear death. If you do, then quit". "Every time when we had tough missions, the first man we wanted was Zhou, who had become a real expert in criminal cases," said Wang Tao, deputy director of Anqing Public Security Bureau. A grandson of soldiers who served the Communist Party of China's army in the 1930s, Zhou cared about people. On the day prior to his death, he received a call from an elderly man that his cellphone had been stolen in hospital. After some investigation via surveillance videos, he rode his scooter to a bath house, found the thief and returned the cellphone to its owner. Once, his colleagues asked him why he did not drive a car to commute, he said riding the scooter helped him watch the city better. Hardworking and meticulous in his colleagues' eyes, Zhou was also a caring husband. "If he was home, he would cook the meals and if he returned late at night, he would go to our daughter's room to check she hadn't kicked off the quilt," said Cao Liying, his wife. Cao does not have a steady job and has to stay home to take care of their child and elderly family members. "Every time he traveled to coastal cities for work, after the mission was finished, he would go to the seaside and show me and our daughter via videos how splendid the sea was," she said. After Zhou passed away, Xing Yuelan, victim of a previous criminal case handled by the officer, still sent a message to his mobile phone number. "Why are you so careless with your safety, why don't you protect yourself better?" said Xing in the message. Between 1949 and 2020, more than 16,000 police officers have died and more than 300,000 others have been wounded while on duty, according to a report by the Ministry of Public Security released in January. Overwork has also been a major cause of death among officers, according to the report.


More than 9,000 travelers trapped during virus outbreak begin to leave Ejine Banner, where the latest round of COVID-19 broke out, plans to transfer the 9,412 travelers who are stranded there to places classified as low-risk in three to five days, according to the local government. "Specific plans have been made for each tourist to go back home," Zhou Qiang, deputy director of the transport bureau in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said at a news conference on Thursday. "All the problems that the tourists might encounter during the transfer, including security, supplies and quarantine, have been considered." According to Zhou, the first batch of 586 tourists were transferred from the banner to Zhengzhou, Henan province, on Wednesday, while two trains traveling to Kunming, Yunnan province and Nanyang, Henan province left the banner on Thursday. Another train heading to Anhui province moved off on Friday. The four trains have transferred a total of 2,428 stranded tourists. Stranded tourist Song Yumei, 48, took the special train from Ejine to Anhui, on Friday. Song, who arrived in Ejine on Oct 17 with a group of over 30 tourists, only got to visit one attraction before being quarantined. "Our biggest challenge was a lack of drugs, food and living necessities, but the local government has tried its best to help us," she said. The train has 513 passengers and most are elderly people. She said the train would stop at different stations in Anhui. Song will get off in Bengbu city and be quarantined at a local hospital. "We should cooperate, for our family and for ourselves. Some tourists complained but problems were well solved," she said, adding the pity was that she had not tasted any delicious food or seen more in Ejine. "I didn't bring back anything except for a populus leaf, although I did eat the best boxed meal in my life." Ejine, as the autonomous region's banner with the largest area and smallest population, has been under great pressure to contain the outbreak and guarantee normal lives for the stranded tourists. However, tourists that do not meet the health requirements to be transferred will have to stay in the banner, Zhou said. According to local health requirements, tourists had to pass five rounds of nucleic acid tests, be quarantined for at least seven days in Ejine, show no symptoms for 14 days and present negative nucleic acid test results taken within 48 hours to be allowed to transfer. Wang Lixia, deputy Party secretary and the chairwoman of the autonomous region, said that workers transferring the tourists must be extremely responsible and meticulous. "Safety evaluations should be done for the senior people and those with illnesses," she said. "Medical workers should accompany them the whole journey. Attention should also be paid to those who have shown psychological and emotional pressures." Shuang Bao, director of the banner's bureau of culture, tourism, radio and television, said that 80 percent of the first batch of 586 tourists are aged 60 and above. "We've considered what the seniors need during the transfer," he said. "We provided ramen, instant cooked rice, yogurt and apples for them. Each train has at least one doctor and one worker serving them." Places receiving the stranded tourists, either by train, bus or car, have prepared rooms with good conditions for them, such as Khiyabagsh in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. Each of the tourists will have a separate room equipped with Wi-Fi and cable, as well as access to free books, fresh fruit and hand gel. The tourists will be allowed to go home after a 14-day quarantine. On Thursday, the Chinese mainland reported 48 new confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, according to the National Health Commission on Friday. Of the cases, 19 were reported in Inner Mongolia, 12 in Gansu, nine in Heilongjiang, three in Qinghai, two each in Beijing and Ningxia, and one in Yunnan.


By Ling Yunzhi

The Chinese and Russian navies have recently carried out a live joint maritime exercise near Peter the Great Bay, Russia, covering day-and-night anti-submarine operations and air defense in formation. After the exercise, they assigned ten vessels in a combined formation to sail through the Tsugaru Strait to the West Pacific and cross the Osumi-kaikyo for the first time before arriving at the East China Sea, bringing their first joint maritime cruise to a successful ending.

The China-Russia military cooperation has lasted a long time and made plenty of achievements. In particular, their joint military exercise has evolved from small-scale anti-terror exercise in the early period to joint maritime anti-submarine, anti-ship defense, landing and other large-scale combat-oriented exercises now, and the scope of exercise has expanded from littoral exercise to joint oceangoing exercise. The development of military cooperation fully demonstrates the high level of strategic mutual trust and staunch traditional friendship between the two countries. It also sends the signal that China and Russias effective deterrence to certain countrys constant provocations and joint response to security threats is vital for opposing hegemony and maintaining regional stability.

Realistic-combat exercise deepens China-Russia coordination

In view of the constant changes in international security situation and the need to cope with common security threats, China and Russia have deepened their defense cooperation in recent years. Since 2012, the two countries have been holding regular joint military exercises every year with the contents and scope expanded steadily.

The recent maritime exercise and joint cruise by Chinese and Russian navies were tasked with keeping secure the strategic sea routes and included such highly difficult subjects as joint air defense and joint anti-submarine operation that required a high level of mutual trust and coordination. In particular, the anti-submarine subject is generally acknowledged as a very difficult one by navies of all countries, which has higher demands on such systematic combat capability as underwater detection, search and positioning, and fire strike.

During the exercise, Chinese aircrafts entered the Russian air space for an anti-submarine operation for the first time, which was a highly symbolic and strategic move as it reflected the two sides broader consensus on how to better exert the navys strategic role. This consensus benefits from and will promote the systemic interoperability of the Chinese and Russian navies and the advancement of the two countries comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in a new era.

The Chinese and Russian vessels participating in the joint maritime exercise continued to carry out the joint cruise without rest, during which they performed joint passage voyage, maneuvering and actual use of weapons, and further verified and enhanced the navies capability of continuous operation, oceangoing action and joint operation, which marked a new height in their capability to jointly respond to the maritime security threats.

The warning signal strongly deters Japans right-wing inclination

The Japanese government has displayed a growing inclination towards the right-wing and a stronger ambition to seek regional domination in recent years. To achieve those goals, Japan has been willing to play as an accomplice in Americas attempts to contain and curb China and Russia.

The joint maritime exercise of Chinese and Russian navies and their sailing around Japan immediately afterwards in a way sent a warning signal to Japan, and was also a necessary reaction to Americas strategic suppression in the Asian Pacific region.

The US has been willfully using its military deployments in the Indo-Pacific region to initiate provocations and deterrence, which not only seriously threatens the security of China, Russia and the entire Asia Pacific, but also escalates its tension with China and Russia to a new level. Under such circumstances, the closer relation and military cooperation between China and Russia is a choice driven by the pressure from the US, but its also a positive action to resist Americas major-country confrontation policy and to safeguard the security environment in the region.

Editor's note: This article is originally published on thepaper.cn, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
"It costs more than 10 million kyat [$5,572] to build a house. We put everything, all our savings, in building a house according to our Chin traditions, so it will be very difficult to rebuild when we are fleeing war, have no money, and not enough food to eat," a resident who fled Tal village told RFAs Myanmar Service. "Now we have no house in the village because of the fire. Do we have to just live in our forest hut? I don't know what to do anymore. Everyone is in tears," the Tal villager said.

Witnesses said they saw the military not only burning homes, but also looting them and killing farm animals. About 900 residents from seven villages fled to the deep forest to escape the onslaught.

The military rampaged through Chin's Thantlang township, on Sept. 18, destroying 19 houses. Between Oct. 13 and Oct. 25, junta soldiers torched 42 houses and one church in nearby Falam township, in parts of Talang Ron and Tal villages, and the entire village of Rialti.

Myanmar junta troops have laid waste to more than 60 civilian homes and a church in months of scorched-earth operations in Chin state, a western region where fighting between the junta and ethnic armed organizations has raged on since the Feb. 1 coup, RFA statistics showed.

Though the military has denied carrying out the arson attacks, sources told RFA that the junta soldiers were the only possible culprit.

"They were the only ones in our village as everyone had already fled. If they didn't burn the houses, who did?" a resident of Talang Rong village, who declined to be named for security reasons, told RFA's Myanmar Service. "It is unforgivable that they set fire to the village and stayed in our houses and ate our food They did whatever they wanted. They killed our animals for the sake of killing them. There are so many cases like that," the Talang Rong resident said.

The October arson attacks happened just after major military reinforcements to the region on Oct. 9, as soldiers opened fire on every village along the Kalemyo-Falam-Hakha road, a highway that connects that part of Chin state with the southern part of the Sagaing region.

Both Chin and Sagaing have been hotbeds of armed resistance by local militias against the troops that overthrew Myanmar's elected government nine months ago.

RFA attempted to contact military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment but calls went unanswered. On Oct. 14 he denied to RFA that the military burned the 12 houses and church in Rialti village.

The military in Chin state has violated international law, Salai Za Op Lin, executive director of the India-based Chin Human Rights Organization, told RFA. "Almost the entire town of Thantlang was burned to the ground," said Salai Za Op Lin. "We are carefully recording and documenting what is going on. We will keep this information and will one day publish it," he said.

According to CHRO statistics, about 30,000 people have fled across the Myanmar-India border to India's Mizoram state. Another 30,000 people are displaced within Chin state. The CHRO said about 30,000 people have fled to Mizoram, India, due to the ongoing fighting in Chin state, and another 30,000 people have been displaced in Chin state. Since August, military troops set fire to 300 homes in the state, the CHRO said.

Myanmar's military has been conducting combat operations against armed ethnic groups in areas close to its border for decades. Many of the groups who signed cease-fire agreements with the democratically elected government declared those agreements invalid after the coup.

As of Thursday, the junta has killed 1,219 people since the Feb. 1 coup, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.


The streets of Itaewon in Seoul were packed with partygoers celebrating Halloween over the weekend as Korea prepared for a phased return to normal.

Bars were full and long queues formed outside. Across the country, tourist hot spots were teeming with visitors as well.

But the first stage of the phased return to normal did not officially start until 5 a.m. on Monday, with businesses other than bars allowed to open around the clock while private gatherings of up to 10 people in the Seoul metropolitan area and 12 in other parts of the country are permitted regardless whether they are all vaccinated.


President Moon Jae-in only chatted briefly to U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome on Saturday. They were on their way to have their group photograph taken.

The last time Moon and Biden saw each other was at the G7 Summit in the U.K. in June.

Cheong Wa Dae said Moon mentioned his meeting with Pope Francis the previous day and said, "The pope prayed for peace on the Korean Peninsula and said he would visit North Korea if invited." Biden welcomed the news and told Moon that he "is accomplishing progress" in resolving North Korean issues.

Moon also spoke about North Korea in his meetings with other G20 leaders.
North Korea appears to be preparing for another test-launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile at the Sinpo shipyard in South Hamgyong Province, according to website 38 North of Johns Hopkins University last Friday.

The website said satellite imagery indicates "continued activity around North Korea's Sinpo-class experimental ballistic missile submarine consistent with preparations for additional testing of submarine-launched ballistic missiles."

The sub is the same 8.24 Yongung from which a new SLBM was launched on Oct. 19.
Shanghai will begin vaccinating booster doses to citizens

From:english.eastday.com | 2021-11-01 17:50

Residents of Shanghai will be able to make appointments for booster shots of a COVID-19 vaccine for free starting from Nov. 1, the local government said.

Vaccinations for citizens meeting requirements can be booked via the health cloud app or the Jiankangyun app from 8pm on Nov. 1. Citizens aged 70 or above need to be accompanied by their family members or volunteers during their vaccination. COVID-19 vaccines that can be used as a booster shot include the inactivated virus vaccines developed by Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd., Sinovac Biotech Ltd., and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. as well as the adenovirus vector vaccine developed by CanSino Biologics Inc.

How does COVID-19 booster shot work? After a full vaccination, neutralizing antibodies will subside after a period of time. However, the body will have already produced corresponding memory-B cells. When a booster shot is administered, it will induce memory-B cells to proliferate rapidly and produce antibodies so the human body can regain high immunity.

COVID-19 booster shots are prioritized for groups of people who have completed vaccination as follows:

Those at higher risk of contracting the virus, such as port, customs, aviation and health workers. Those planning to travel to high-risk areas. Members of the general public aged 18 and above can also apply for a booster shot at least 6 months after a full vaccination if they meet requirements.

On the day of vaccination, people need to not only bring along their ID cards, but also show the bar codes they received when booking the vaccination and sign an informed consent form before inoculation. They will undergo a 30-minute medical observation immediately after receiving the vaccine. Have a good rest and do not take strenuous exercise after vaccination on the day of vaccination.

Residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, overseas Chinese and foreign nationals will be able to receive vaccine boosters later according to further arrangements.
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Mutual Trust between Civilians and Military Pushes Headway against Terrorism

More at: https://pinglacson.net/article/mutual-trust-between-civilians-and-military-pushes-headway-against-terrorism

Our law enforcers deserve our congratulations and support for the major headway against terrorism over the weekend - dealing major blows to the Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) on one hand, and to the New People's Army (NPA) on the other.

Salahuddin Hassan, the leader of DI in Mindanao, was reportedly killed in Maguindanao following a brief firefight. His wife, who was also killed in the operation, was reportedly the DI's finance officer in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, Jorge Madlos (a.k.a. Ka Oris) was killed in an encounter with the Army's 4th Infantry Division in Bukidnon last Saturday.

But the achievements also underscore the importance of trust, without which local residents would not have provided our forces with the information they needed.

The people have, in their own little way, shown they will not tolerate terrorism. I have been and I will continue to be one with them in this regard.
Press Release

November 1, 2021 Pangilinan to govt: Buy locally made Covid medical supplies, and create jobs SENATOR Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan pushed anew for the passage of a measure that would give tax perks to Filipino manufacturers of Covid-19 medical supplies, stressing this would ensure adequate supply that are not overpriced and create jobs. "Bukod sa ating mga frontliner, dapat protektahan din ang kapakanan ng mga backliner na gumagawa ng mga kailangang-kailangang Covid-19 supplies (As much as we are protecting the welfare of our frontliners, we must not forget our backliners who makes critical Covid-19 supplies available)," he said. "Dapat nga sinusuyo pa sila ng pamahalaan para tuloy-tuloy lang ang paggawa. Pag tumatakbo ang mga pagawaan, may trabaho ang mga Pilipino (Government should encourage them to stay the course. If factories are operating, Filipinos have jobs)," he added Pangilinan is author of Senate Bill 1759 or the Pandemic Protection Act that gives incentives to local manufacturers and producers of some of the products critical amid the pandemic, such as personal protective equipment, test kits, ventilators, face shields, face masks and other supplies. Under the bill, importation of capital equipment, spare and accessories, raw materials and other needed articles is exempt from customs duties, value added tax (VAT), other taxes and fees such as import processing fees and other fees imposed by the Bureau of Customs, Food and Drug Administration and other relevant agencies. It will also exempt the local sales of critical products and services from VAT. The bill also requires businesses that produce and export critical products or services to supply up to 80 percent of their daily production to government institutions, hospitals, and private establishments for local and domestic use. The bill, together with other similar bills from other senators, are still pending at the Senate. Corresponding bills at the House are similarly pending. When the pandemic broke out, Pangilinan said it was bared that there was no one in the country manufacturing critical medical supplies. "Napilitan tayong mag-import at magbabyad nang mas malaki para sa mga Covid supplies. At malaki ang kinakain nito sa budget natin, sa pera ng bayan (We were forced to import and paid more for the Covid-19 supplies, and this hurting our budget, the people's money)," he said. Responding to the needs of the times, Filipino manufacturers bonded together and repurposed their operations to be able to produce the items. However, they decried competition with imported medical products, which they said are often being favored by the government despite the lack of standards and testing. At a recent Senate hearing, members of the Coalition of Philippine Manufacturers of PPE and the Confederation of Wearables Exporters of the Philippines also pushed for the passage of the Pandemic Protection Act. In a joint statement, the two groups said, "We are here today, in aid of legislation, and to plead that the Senate act with immediacy on the proposed Pandemic Protection Act pending before both Houses of Congress." "Tumugon sa tawag ng panahon ang mga local manufacturers natin at gumawa ng mga kailangan para protektahan ang sarili natin laban sa Covid-19. Dapat lokal na at hindi imported ang bilhin. Mas high quality na, tama pa ang presyo (Our local manufacturers have heeded the call of the times and produced what we needed to protect ourselves against Covid-19. The government must begin to shun imported supplies and buy local. We will get the same if not better quality and at the correct price)," Pangilinan said.
The Iranian navy has busted Monday a pirate attack against an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, Arab News reports city Iranian state TV.

The attack according to the media occurred the before the vessel crossed the Bab Al-Mandeb straight.

The Iranian navy ship fired at four boats carrying armed men, the TV added.

It is the second such an attack in less than one month. Last month, the navy also prevented an attack by pirates against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden.

The destroyer Alborz escorting the oil tankers shot at five pirate ships which were forced to leaving the area.

Irans navy, Arab News notes, has extended its reach in recent years, sending vessels to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates.
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced plans to host the 2030 edition of the World Expo to mark its vision 2030, Trade Arabia reports.

The Gulf country has expressed its bid for the global event in a letter by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, handed to Dimitri Kerkentzes, the Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

It is clear that the whole world, as a collective, needs to work together to foresee the future and address, with its brightest minds, the challenges and opportunities that emanate from this change, stated Prince Mohammed.

The 2030 World Expo in Riyadh will coincide with the culmination of the Kingdoms Vision 2030, he added. The Crown Prince is driving the kingdoms vision 2030 aiming at diversify economy of the Gulf country and ending dependency on oil revenues.

The World Expo 2030 will represent an extraordinary opportunity to share with the world our lessons from this unprecedented transformation, the kingdoms de facto ruler also indicated.

The Saudi bid theme is The era of change: Leading the planet to a foresighted tomorrow. If the granted the event, the Arab country plans to stage expo in capital Riyadh 1 October 2030 to 1 April 2031.

The Saudi proposal is in competition with four other countries namely Russia, South Korea, Ukraine and Italy. The Emirati city of Dubai is currently hosting World Expo 2020 under the theme Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. The Japanese city of Osaka will play host to the next World Expo, from 13 April to 13 October 2025.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco has sent a speech to participants in the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which opened on Monday in Glasgow, Scotland.

Here follows the full text of the royal speech, which was read out by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch:

Praise be to God,

May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin

Mr. Chairman,

Mr. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,

Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government,

Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Your Excellencies,

Your Highnesses,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I should like, first, to congratulate the United Kingdom on successfully organizing and on chairing the Twenty-Sixth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This is an opportunity to reinforce our collective commitment to face up to the great perils threatening the future of humanity.

With the growing number of reports by climate change experts, everyone now realizes that the gloomiest predictions have unfortunately become a bitter reality. Mankind has but one of two choices: either surrender to self-destructing apathy, or engage honestly and unequivocally in a set of practical measures that can rapidly effect a real change in the current policy, which has proven its ineffectiveness.

The global response to the threat of the covid-19 pandemic has shown that there are possibilities and means which were presumably unavailable when it came to combating climate change. A number of countries, which bear the historical and moral responsibility for the deterioration of the current environmental situation, have managed to come up with huge financial resources. Moreover, experience has shown that it is possible to reduce these countries activities which are harmful to the climate and the environment without there being any unbearable consequences.

Clearly, real political will is urgently needed, as is a fairer commitment towards a broad category of humankind, which is currently bearing the brunt of a global economic system from which it is not benefiting equitably. Given the damage suffered by Africa as a result of climate change, the poor financial and technological support provided is a stark indicator of the shortcomings of the current international system.

Mr. Chairman,

Your Excellencies,

Your Highnesses,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is our hope that this COP session will stimulate a global collective awareness which would pave the way for the establishment of sustainable, solidarity-based human communities that uphold the values of fairness and coexistence.

With that firm belief in mind, Morocco has been enhancing its multi-faceted commitment to tackling climate issues, pledging to raise its Nationally Determined Contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45.5% by 2030. This is part of an integrated, low-carbon development strategy to be implemented by the year 2050. Its aim is to help transition to a green economy that is in line with the sustainable development goals and to enhance resilience and adaptation in order to protect the environment, both of which are pillars of the Kingdoms new development model.

With the same resolve, Morocco has been enhancing its engagement, along with African sister nations, to confront the destructive impacts of climate change. Thus, it has launched initiatives for agricultural adaptation, for the promotion of security and stability and for access to sustainable energy, in addition to setting up the three African Climate Commissions, within the framework of the Africa Action Summit, held in Marrakesh in November 2016.

Mr. Chairman,

The changes that must be introduced to curb the repercussions of the climate crisis are well known, and the international community should not keep hesitating but rather move forward and activate tangible solutions with a specific implementation agenda, backed by strong political will to change the worrying path towards which the world is heading.

We are calling for an awakening of the global conscience and for a collective, responsible commitment to tackle climate change in order to ensure a better future for all humankind.

Thank you.

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
PEOPLES UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES

332, Patpar Ganj, Opposite Anand Lok Apartments, Mayur Vihar I, Delhi 110 091

Founder: Jayaprakash Narayan; Founding President: V M Tarkunde

President: Ravi Kiran Jain; General Secretary: Dr. V. Suresh

E.mail: puclnat[at]gmail.com& pucl.natgensec[at]gmail.com

01st November, 2021

PUCL Salutes Sudha Bharadwaj and her fight for Justice!

Sudha Bharadwaj marks her fourth birthday in prison today, November 1st, 2021, when she completes 60 years. She has been in jail along with the other BK-16 accused as undertrials, with the state neither commencing the trial nor releasing her on bail.

Sudhas life is a testament to a passionate concern to redressing injustice and redressing injustice is nothing, if not the mandate of the Constitution. This continued detention of someone who has dedicated her life to bringing the constitution to life for the adivasis of central India and the working class and other marginalised sections, is a continuing affront to all those believe in a plural, democratic and inclusive India.

The PUCL believes that Sudha Bharadwaj and the BK-16, as well as thousands of others, are being detained and prosecuted because their viewpoints are at odds with the ideology of the current political dispensation. Their continued detention is nothing other than an attempt by the Central Government to send out a message that dissent will not be tolerated and democratic voices will be silenced.

What is the dissent which the central government is so afraid of?

The Dalit activism of Sudhir Dhawale and the Kabir Kala Manch trio of Gaichor, Gorkhe and Jagtap which proclaims Ambedkars view that Hindu Raj will be the greatest calamity for this country.

The trade unionism and legal activism of Sudha Bharadwaj as well as Vernon Gonsalves, Surendra Gadling and Arun Ferreira seeks to make the state accountable to the Constitution.

The Adivasi activism of Father Stan Swamy (who is no more with us) and Mahesh Raut which seeks to implement the constitutional promises to the Adivasi people.

The civil liberties activism of Gautam Navalakha and Rona Wilson seeks to make the Deep state consisting of the army, police and intelligence agencies accountable to the rule of law.

The intellectual activism of Hany Babu, Shoma Sen, Anand Teltumbde and Varavara Rao which asserts that universities too are spaces of activism and that the writers imagination cannot be imprisoned.

Remembering Sudha Bharadwaj and the BK-16s forms of activism is to remind ourselves again of a continuing injustice. It is to remember that the injustice can take particularly cruel forms. Gautam Navalakhas partner, Sahba Husain recently wrote that the seventy year old Gautam Navalakha was being denied simple facilities like, phone access to his lawyers and family, and some fresh air to walk in once or twice a day. As she poignantly put it, It is not too much to ask for these simple facilities.

The PUCL demands that the Maharashtra state government accede to these basic demands and ensure that all prisoners are able to live a life of dignity as mandated by the Supreme Court and the Constitution of India. The right to dignity which consists of access to reading and writing material, letters to family, clean air and safe water cannot be denied to prisoners, whatever be the nature of the charges against them. Even as we feel the pain of family members denied what should be basic rights, we know that the love for justice cannot be extinguished. The forms of activism which the BK-16 represent are very much alive and the tribute we can pay to the BK-16 is to continue to take forward their vision of a plural, inclusive and democratic India in our own lives.

We mark Sudha Bharadwajs fourth birthday in detention today, 01st November, 2021, by rededicating ourselves to fighting for her release. We also reiterate our commitment to work for the release of the other BK-16 in jail, as well as the release of the thousands of other political prisoners  the prisoners of conscience - who are in jail, merely because they chose to exercise their constitutional right to the freedom of speech and association.

Ravi Kiran Jain, Dr. V. Suresh, Mihir Desai, Kavita Srivastava

Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, PUCL
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

 High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

 Thoughts and reflections on the making of the film from director Jim Jarmusch in 2002

 Interview with director of photography Robby Muller from 2002

 Footage from the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, including a press conference featuring Jarmusch and actors John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, and Nicoletta Braschi, and an interview with Lurie, with commentary

 Sixteen outtakes

 Music video for Tom Waitss cover of Cole Porters Its All Right with Me, directed by Jarmusch

 Q&A with Jarmusch in which he responds to fans questions

 Recordings of phone conversations between Jarmusch and Waits, Benigni, and Lurie

 Production Polaroids and location stills

 Isolated music track

 Optional French dub track, featuring Benigni

 Trailer

 PLUS: An essay by critic Luc Sante
Our friends at Chronicle Books are offering ONE lucky pre-order customer a fantastic collection of Spike Lee merchandise along with their copy of SPIKE on publication. All you need to do is pre-order by Tuesday 9th November to be in with a chance of winning.*

* Winner will be chosen randomly from all customers who pre-order SPIKE before midnight on 9th November.

Spike Lee is a world-renowned, Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a cultural icon, and one of the most prominent voices on race and racism for more than three decades. His prolific career has included over 35 films, including his directorial debut She's Gotta Have It (1986), his seminal masterpiece Do the Right Thing (1989), and more recently, his Oscar-winning film BlacKkKlansman (2018). Spike Lee's provocative feature films, documentaries, commercials, and music videos, have shone the spotlight on significant stories and have made an indelible mark in both cinematic history and in contemporary society.



The custom bold, typographic design is inspired by the LOVE/HATE brass rings that Radio Raheem wore in Do the Right Thing and that Spike Lee wore at the 2019 Academy Awards. The gold foil deboss on SPIKE on the vibrant fuchsia front cover is a bold and beautiful, eye-catching design. Featuring hundreds of never-before-seen photographs by David Lee, Spike's brother and long-time still photographer, SPIKE the book, includes behind-the-scenes, insider images that underscore his creative process and his significant impact on the culture at large. From his critically acclaimed film Malcolm X (1992) starring Denzel Washington, to his recent film Da 5 Bloods (2020) featuring the late Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee's work continues to resonate now more than ever. Also included here are his beloved commercials with Michael Jordan for Nike, which helped launch the billion-dollar Jordan brand product empire, as well as his music videos with Prince and Michael Jackson. This is a must-have collector's item and ideal gift for any cinephile and fan of one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers in history.
Taking place over a tumultuous Christmas at Sandringham, Spencer, Pablo Larrains biopic of Diana, Princess of Wales is unlike any portrait of the royal family you will have seen before. It is, as Terri White writes, a gothic horror, a ghost story, a surreal psychological thriller, with Kristen Stewart giving a central performance that absolutely sounds and looks like Princess Diana but, perhaps more importantly, puts a psychic echo of her on screen, makes the audience feel Diana as it pulls you inside her skin. White and Stewart discuss about the stars shapeshifting career, from teen fantasy-romance star to arthouse collaborator.

Elsewhere, Jane Campion speaks about The Power of the Dog, her first film in over a decade, which is typically perceptive about the myriad effects of toxic masculinity, as channeled through Benedict Cumberbatchs rancher Phil.



As a complete retrospective of Mike Leighs films returns to cinemas, we sit down with the British director and avid cinephile to chart his cinematic loves and obsessions, from the 1950s to today.



Celine Sciamma returns to childhood for Petite Maman, her magical and tender look at the relationship between two eight-year-old girls. The director speaks to us about the films simple but striking premise and the moments lifted from her own youth.



Toyoda Toshiaki has been long overdue his UK breakthrough. This interview charts the often troubled waters of his career whilst shining a light on his cult filmmaking style.

And the Black Film Bulletin returns for another packed instalment, which looks back at the year nearing its end, and looks forward to the future, via interviews with archivists, curators, filmmakers, critics, producers and more. Jennifer G. Robinson discusses Channel 4s Black to Front day of programming, and an extended interview with the luminary British producer Nadine Marsh-Edwards continues.
After directing two of the most extraordinary movies of the 1970s, Badlands and Days of Heaven, American artist Terrence Malick disappeared from the film world for twenty years, only to resurface in 1998 with this visionary adaptation of James Joness 1962 novel about the World War II battle for Guadalcanal.

A big- budget, spectacularly mounted epic, The Thin Red Line is also one of the most deeply philosophical films ever released by a major Hollywood studio, a thought- provoking meditation on man, nature, and violence.

Featuring a cast of contemporary cinemas finest actors Sean Penn (Dead Man Walking, Milk), Nick Nolte (The Prince of Tides, Affliction), Elias Koteas (Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers, The People vs. Larry Flynt) among themThe Thin Red Line is a kaleidoscopic evocation of the experience of combat that ranks as one of cinemas greatest war films.
In 1996 Trainspotting was the biggest thing in British culture. Brilliantly and aggressively marketed, it crossed into the mainstream despite being a black comedy set against the backdrop of heroin addiction in Edinburgh. Produced by Andrew Macdonald, scripted by John Hodge and directed by Danny Boyle, the team behind Shallow Grave (1994), Trainspotting was an adaptation of Irvine Welshs barbed novel of the same title. The film is crucial for understanding British culture in the context of devolution and the rise of Cool Britannia.

Murray Smith unpicks the processes that led to Trainspottings enormous success. He isolates various factors  the films eclectic soundtrack, its depiction of Scottish identity, its attitude to deprivation, drugs and violence, its traffic with American cultural forms, its synthesis of realist and fantastic elements, and its complicated relationship to heritage  that make Trainspotting such a vivid document of its time. Although it heralded a false dawn for British film-making,Trainspotting is, Smith concludes, both authentically vernacular and yet transnational in its influences and ambitions.

In his afterword to this new edition, Murray Smith reflects on the original film 25 years after its release, and its 2017 sequel T2: Trainspotting also directed by Boyle. Smith also considers Danny Boyle's subsequent directorial career, with highlights including Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.
[November 01, 2021] HotelKey Reaches 2,500 Hotels on its Property Management, Reservations and Payments Platform DALLAS, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HotelKey, the leading cloud-based hotel property management system for hotels, now has more than 2,500 hotels on its platform, making it one of the fastest-growing providers in the space. Enterprise clients include G6 Hospitality, owner of the Motel 6 and Studio 6, brands, Extended Stay America (ESA), Vagabond Inn and hundreds of independent hotels in five countries. HotelKey now has more than 2,500 hotels on its platform, making it one of the fastest-growing providers in the space. HotelKey provides Cloud-based functionality-rich software to manage end-to-end property operations, reservations and payments. It also includes industry leading integration architecture using real time events and API endpoints, enabling enterprise clients to innovate with dynamic decisioning during booking, check-in and reservations modifications workflows. HotelKey integrates with local legacy property systems - Locks, Payment Terminals, PBX -, using IoT an edge gateway and AWS IoT Core to enable a full end-to-end property experience for its customers; and provides an industry-first training tool called "TrainKey", that provides In-App UI flows to hotels onboard staff more quickly and significantly reduce training time. HotelKey co-founder and CEO at HotelKey Fareed Ahmad, said, "The HotelKey platform provides rich functionality for both individual properties and hotel chains, driving a consistent experience for guests and a configurable system for hotel owners and enterprise teams. The platform automates most of property operations while also allowing room for flexibility and user innovation. We believe that in today's fast-changing environment, guests need a more personalized experience than ever before, hotel owners need automation to drive costs down and increase revenue, and enterprises need platforms to be configurable, event-based, with real-time reporting. We are pleased to provide it." Aditya Thyagarajan, HotelKey co-founder & President, concluded, "We're excited to now have more than 2,500 hotels, including two major brands, enefiting from these features on the HotelKey platform. We anticipate even further accelerated growth in the months ahead. We are immensely grateful to our clients and an industry we have come to love, for their support and partnership."

About The HotelKey Platform HotelKey's platform features include: HotelKey PMS  Including comprehensive property management functionality to manage reservations, guest profiles, housekeeping, maintenance, rooms, payments automations, direct bill, group masters, house accounts, automated night audits, and more. HotelKey CRS  Offering rich rate and room type administration, a responsive booking engine, dynamic shop and book APIs, direct connections to Expedia, Booking.com, Google, Agoda, SynXis, and TripAdvisor. All inventory and rate decisions are real time and accessed through an externalized API from the client apps including HotelKey' own apps. CRS offering also includes Call Center app, Find and Reserve, to allow reservations centers to book across properties and provide feature-rich service (i.e. folios, reservations modifications) to the contact center staff without calling the properties. HotelKey POS  Providing feature-rich point-of-sale systems for captive outlets at the lodging properties. It natively integrates with HotelKey core platform for room charge and financial reporting. HotelKey Reports and Analytics Reporting and Analytics module, which provides dynamic reports across every aspect of the hotel management, including operations, guests, reservations, revenue, direct bill, auditing and more. The dynamic reports allow column selections, filters, grouping, highlighting, and CSV, PDF Excel exports for every report. HotelKey's Owner App  Enables property owners to have full access to real time property view on their smartphones while they are on the move. Chuck Valentino, Vice President of Operations at California-based Vagabond Inn Hotels, said, "We're delighted to partner with HotelKey to bring the benefits of advanced innovation to hoteliers across our portfolio. We've been able to benefit from the singular efficiencies and cost savings the HotelKey platform offers and are eager to expand those benefits even further in the future. Congratulations to the HotelKey team in reaching this milestone." Vagabond Inn has 22 hotels and close to 2,000 rooms at distinctive Executive and Affiliate locations across the West Coast. About HotelKey HotelKey was founded by two software entrepreneurs, Fareed Ahmad and Aditya Thyagarajan, with the simple goal of making property management easier, more reliable and more cost-efficient for hoteliers. The company's mobile platform has grown into the industry-leading solution across hotel property segments, with a development team that is quickly advancing new products to meet and anticipate the needs of the industry in a time of rapid change and disruption. The company is also growing rapidly, with headquarters in Dallas, offices in Southern California, Europe and South Asia and a team of 250 professionals on call 24/7 to support more than 2,500 hotel clients around the world. Since 2015, HotelKey has provided software solutions that are efficient, reliable, and easy to use. The HotelKey Platform combined with its world class Client Services teams supports individual properties, small to large sized portfolios, and global enterprises. For more information, visit www.hotelkeyapp.com . Contact: Michael Frenkel

Email: michael@mfcpr.com Phone: 201-317-7035 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hotelkey-reaches-2-500-hotels-on-its-property-management-reservations-and-payments-platform-301412248.html SOURCE HotelKey

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Skillet and Tauren Wells to Headline 2022 Winter Jam Tour

Theme "All Together Now" and $10 at the Door Admission Welcomes Thousands in 41 Cities



NEWS PROVIDED BY

EPIC

Nov. 1, 2021



NASHVILLE, Nov. 1, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- Presented by NewSong Ministries with Premier Productions, Winter Jam, Christian music's biggest multi-artist tour, is back for 2022 with headliners Skillet and Tauren Wells and a solid lineup of acts. Sponsored by Compassion International and coupled with a $10 at the door donation, Winter Jam welcomes everyone to the "All Together Now" tour.



Skillet, best known for songs like "Whispers in the Dark," "Hero" and "Monster" joins the tour with new album "Dominion" set to drop January 14th. Meanwhile, Tauren Wells is coming off his hit single "Famous for" winning Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year at the 2021 GMA Dove Music Awards.



"We are beyond excited to play Winter Jam again," says John Cooper of Skillet. "Due to the times we are living in, I think Winter Jam will have more energy, more passion and will be more encouraging than ever before. We'll be playing new songs from our upcoming record, Dominion, and some of the old fan favorites too. We are ready, the fans are ready  let's kick off 2022 as a year of victory instead of defeat!"



Winter Jam kicks off this year's tour on January 7th in Charleston, WV. The tour is continuing it's "no ticket required" policy with a $10 donation at the door. This year's tour will hit a total of 41 cities around the country including, Columbus, OH; Tampa, FL; Tulsa, OK; Columbia, SC; St. Louis, MO; Norfolk, VA; before its final stop on March 27 in Allen, TX.



Other performers at this year's tour include KB, Colton Dixon, I Am They and NewSong. Shane Pruitt will preach the gospel while Abby Robertson and Bayside Worship lead the pre-jam.



"I am so excited about getting back out on a full 41 city Winter Jam Tour with an amazing lineup," says Eddie Carswell of NewSong. "After the last couple of years, we wanted to make sure everyone could come to these shows, so we went to just a $10 donation at the door. The heart of Winter Jam is to make it affordable for everyone. It's all about the people getting together to hear the music and the message of Jesus."



This year, Jam Nation Memberships start at only $34.99 per person. Jam Nation members will receive free early admission, an artist Q&A, merchandise coupon, a commemorative pass and lanyard. Jam Nation Max members will also receive a backstage tour, meet & greet with Skillet and seating in the reserved front row section.



For more information and the full list of cities and dates, visit 2022.jamtour.com.



About Winter Jam

Winter Jam was founded over 20 years ago by Christian music group NewSong. The tour has stayed true to its original mission of low admission to allow as many people as possible to hear the gospel. Winter Jam has consistently ranked in Pollstar's top tours and has taken the number one spot several years. Promoted and produced by Premier Productions, the tour hits the road again in 2022.



About Premier Productions

Founded in 1996, Premier Productions has sold over 20 million tickets to patrons. Premier has been a Top 20 global promoter and has produced more than 2,000 concerts and events in the past five years. Pollstar named Premier the #1 faith and family independent promoter in the last 10 years. Producing events that move the soul both nationally and internationally, Premier is proud to have helped raise more than $271 million to improve the lives of children and communities in 100+ countries worldwide. Whether it's a large multi-day festival, sold-out concert or intimate conference, Premier seeks to positively impact the lives of every attendee so they leave encouraged, happy and hopeful. Premier is currently promoting acts including Hillsong UNITED, Dude Perfect, Lauren Daigle, Hillsong Worship, Baby Shark, Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Sadie Robertson, Elevation Worship, Kari Jobe Bethel Music and many more.



About Skillet

Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1996. The band currently consists of husband John Cooper and wife Korey Cooper along with Jen Ledger and Seth Morrison. The band has released ten albums, two of which, Collide and Comatose, received Grammy nominations. Two of their albums, Comatose and Awake, are certified Platinum and Double Platinum respectively by the RIAA, while Rise and Unleashed are certified Gold as of June 29, 2020. Five of their songs, "Whispers in the Dark," "Hero," "Monster," "Awake and Alive," and "Feel Invincible," are certified Platinum, while another four, "Rebirthing," "Comatose," "Not Gonna Die," and "The Resistance" are certified Gold.



About Tauren Wells

Tauren Wells is an American Christian pop-rock and R&B artist and a worship leader at Lakewood Church, Houston, Texas. He is the former frontman for the American Christian pop rock band Royal Tailor, which produced two albums over a five-year career, garnering two Grammy nominations and a New Artist of the Year award from the Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. In 2014, Wells, along with his wife, launched the Prisma Worship Arts School, a private music academy with multiple locations in the Houston area.



SOURCE EPIC



CONTACT: Jennifer Willingham, 615-483-4729, jennifer@EPIC.inc


By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan and Turkey have discussed joint steps to be taken to establish a joint technopark in Baku.

The discussion took place at a meeting between Azerbaijani Digital Development and Transport Deputy Minister Rovshan Rustamov and Turkish Industry and Technology Deputy Minister Chetin Ali Donmez.

During the meeting, an agreement was reached to study Turkey's experience in this area in relation to the development of the startup ecosystem in Azerbaijan.

The parties also focused on the issues related to the Technofest Aerospace and Technology Festival to be held in Baku in 2022.

Azerbaijan and Turkey cooperate in various fields of economy and have jointly completed giant energy and infrastructure projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, and TANAP.

Eleven agreements were signed between the two countries within the Azerbaijani-Turkish business forum held in Ankara on February 18. The agreements envisage the development of Azerbaijani-Turkish cooperation in the economic, trade, and other spheres.

On June 15, Azerbaijan and Turkey signed the Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations, which focuses on defence cooperation, promoting regional stability and prosperity, and establishing new transportation routes.

In the first nine months of 2021, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Turkey amounted to $3.2 billion. The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $4.1 billion in 2020.

The two countries set up a goal to bring the mutual trade turnover to $15 billion in 2023. It should be noted that so far, Turkey is Azerbaijans second-largest investor followed by the UK.

Additionally, Turkey was one of the first countries that expressed its interest and readiness to participate in the restoration of Azerbaijans liberated territories.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan increased natural gas transportation through main gas pipelines by 18.2 percent, that is to 25.4 billion cubic meters in January-September 2021, Azertag has reported.

The South Caucasus Pipeline (or the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline) accounted for 50 percent of natural gas transportation. Some 12.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas were transported via this pipeline in the first nine months of the year.

Moreover, 26.1 million tons of oil were transported through Azerbaijans main oil pipelines during the reported period.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline accounted for 74.8 percent or 19.5 million tons of the transported oil. In addition, 2.5 million tons of transit oil were transported via BTC this year.

It should be noted that BTC, which takes Azerbaijani oil to Europe, exported more than 27.8 million tons of crude oil loaded on 278 tankers at the Ceyhan terminal in 2020. The daily average throughout the South Caucasus Pipeline was 33.8 million cubic meters of gas per day during 2020.

The South Caucasus Pipeline was built to export the Shah Deniz gas from Azerbaijan to Georgia and Turkey. The pipeline starts from the Sangachal terminal near Baku. It follows the route of the BTC crude oil pipeline through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey, where it is linked to the Turkish gas distribution system. The pipeline has been operational since late 2006 transporting gas to Azerbaijan and Georgia and starting from July 2007 to Turkey from Shah Deniz Stage 1.

The BTC pipeline is a transport line for Azerbaijani oil from the Caspian Sea to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey, and then to European markets via the Mediterranean Sea. On July 13, 2006, the official opening ceremony of the BTC oil pipeline took place in Turkey. The total length of the pipeline is 1,768 km, of which 443 km pass through the territory of Azerbaijan; 249 km to Georgia; 1076 km to Turkey. The projected capacity is 50 million tonnes of oil per year or 1 million barrels per day. Light oil produced at the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field is transported via BTC.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan has invited Ukrainian businessmen to actively invest in the liberated territories and implement innovative projects.

The remarks were made at a round table held as part of the Ukrainian-Azerbaijan Business Council. The roundtable was arranged by Azerbaijans Small and Medium Business Development Agency and the Ukrainian Commerce and Industry Chamber.

During the roundtable, the parties discussed the current state of business ties and prospects for investment and cooperation. The information was provided on the economic and investment potential of Azerbaijans liberated territories.

Speaking at the event, Agencys Board Chairman Orkhan Mammadov stressed the development of bilateral economic ties and noted the importance of the Business Council in establishing direct contacts between two countries SMBs.

He noted that SMBs are the driving force of economic development and can be active participants in innovative progress.

Mammadov underlined that the agency can provide Ukrainian businessmen with the necessary information and consulting services to stimulate cooperation between SMBs.

In turn, Ukrainian ambassador Vladislav Kanevsky stressed the successful development of relations between the two countries in various fields, including the economic one. He added that the sectoral discussions, arranged as part of the Business Council, would be important for establishing new partnerships and expanding bilateral ties in trade, investment, and other areas.

The event, dedicated to the agro-industrial complex and land reclamation, was attended by officials and businessmen from Azerbaijan and Ukraine, engaged in the appropriate activities.

The Ukrainian-Azerbaijan Business Council was created to expand economic and investment ties between the two countries and collaboration between businessmen. The council, created on the initiative of Azerbaijans Small and Medium Business Development Agency and the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is represented by more than 70 businessmen and representatives of government organizations acting in various sectors of the economy. The first meeting of the council was held in June 2021.

Ukraine was Azerbaijan's second-largest trade partner among the CIS countries with a trade turnover amounting to $771.5 million in 2020. Of the total turnover, export from Azerbaijan to Ukraine amounted to $353 million, while imports from Ukraine amounted to $418.4 million. In addition, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $646.7 million in January-September 2021.

Additionally, Ukraine was among the countries to voice support to Azerbaijan over its just position and its territorial integrity during the 44-day Second Karabakh War with Armenia in 2020. Ukrainian companies expressed their interest in reconstructing Azerbaijans liberated territories.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan State Drama Theater has staged a play "Nizami Ganjavi. Khamsa" in Derbent, Day.Az reported, quoting the Russian media.

The production tells about the poet and the young Afag who was presented to him by the ruler of Dagestan.

Afag played a significant role in the life of Nizami Ganjavi. She had an extraordinary mind, inner culture and knew many folk tales and legends. Afag also inspired Nizami to create such female characters as Shirin, Nushabe and Nistandarjikhan.

The author of the idea is Iftikhar. The play was staged by Honored Artist Sarvar Aliyev.

Speaking about the play, director of the Azerbaijan State Drama Theater Firdousi Asgarov stressed that the play was staged in occasion of the 880th anniversary of the Azerbaijan's poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi.

In Dagestan, in particular in Derbent, Nizami's legacy has been always accepted with special love. After all, his spouse was from Derbent. The poet often mentioned Derbent in his works.

The play was presented in the Lezgin Theater and aroused great interest among spectators.

Nizami's legacy is of great importance for Azerbaijani culture. The poet, who started his creative activity with lyrical poems - gasidas, ghazals and rubais, has gained popularity all over the world. He dedicated his whole life to lyrical poems, and different philosophical problems.

The works of Nizami Ganjavi were translated into many languages. The rare manuscript copies of his works are kept and preserved like precious pearls in famous libraries, museums and literary foundations in cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Baku, Tashkent, Tabriz, Tehran, Cairo, Istanbul, Delhi, London, Paris and others.

In Khamsa (Quintet), the poet revealed the living pages of history. The attack of the Russians on Barda city, a fairy tale of the Russian Princess, the beautiful Shirin amazons, battles, described in various poems of Nizami - all this is historically and geographically related to medieval Azerbaijan and the Caucasus.

Nizami Ganjavi passed away in 1209 in his native city of Ganja. A grandiose tomb was raised over his grave.
By Trend





The first meeting of the Prosecutors General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States will be held on November 1 in Baku, Trend reports.

Within the framework of the meeting, bilateral and multilateral meetings are also planned.

Prosecutors General of Turkey, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, First Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, Deputy Secretary General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States, President of the International Association of Prosecutors and other guests today will be met at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

The authenticity of the information was confirmed by the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office.
By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

On September 27, 2020, in response to a large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline, the Azerbaijani army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist".

The 44-day war put an end to nearly 30 years of occupation, ensured the liberation of Azerbaijan's lands and the restoration of the country's territorial integrity.

Chronicle of 44-day Second Karabakh War: November 1, 2021

- President Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by the Turkish foreign minister.

- The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry released information on the latest situation in the frontline as of November 1.

- A list of destroyed military equipment of the Armenian armed forces was announced.

- Armenia violated a ceasefire on the state border.

- The Armenian armed forces shelled the territory of Tartar and Aghjabadi regions.

- A video of the destruction of Armenian military trucks loaded with ammunition was released.

- Two Grad missile systems of the Armenian armed forces were destroyed.

A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and urged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centres, and historic Shusha city.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Baku has hosted the first meeting of the Council of Prosecutors-General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States (Turkic Council), Azertag reported on November 1.

At the meeting, Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General Kamran Aliyev stressed the importance of expanding mutual and effective cooperation between law-enforcement agencies of the Turkic world.

He stated that the council, to be established on the basis of friendship and brotherhood, would serve to respond to threats to regional security, peace, and stability and become an effective tool for developing present capacities and coordinating interaction.

The prosecutor-general conveyed the Azerbaijani presidents greetings and congratulations on the creation of the council to the meeting's participants.

In turn, Deputy Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States Mirvokhid Azimov stressed that the council will play an important role in developing cooperation among the Turkic-speaking countries, especially in the fight against crime and terrorism.

President of International Association of Prosecutors Cheol-Kyu Hwang, who was invited as a guest to the event, emphasized the importance of joint platforms in combating global and regional threats and said that council members will be able to actively benefit from the exchange of experience and information.

The video message from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was shown to the meeting participants. In addition, a video was then shown of the successful results of cooperation among Turkic-speaking countries.

After the opening speeches, the statute of the Council of Prosecutors-General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States was signed.

It is also scheduled to hold bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the first meeting of the prosecutors-general of the Turkic Council.

The high-level meeting was attended by the prosecutors-general of Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, the Turkic Council deputy secretary-general, the president of the International Association of Prosecutors, and other representatives. The meeting was also attended by the ambassadors of the Turkic Council member countries and Hungary in Azerbaijan.

On October 3, 2009, at the 9th summit of the heads of the Turkic-speaking States in Nakhchivan, a decision was made to create the Council of Prosecutors within the framework of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as regrettable Washingtons support for the terrorist organizations PKK, PYD and YPG in Syria, Yeni Shafak newspaper has reported.

Erdogan made the remarks following his meeting with US President Joe Biden as a part of the G20 Leaders' Summit held in Rome on October 30-31, the report added.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also attended the closed-door meeting that lasted approximately an hour and 10 minutes.

Undoubtedly, we expressed our sadness about these terrorist organizations in Syria, such as the PKK, PYD and YGP, especially regarding the support they received from the United States, and as a NATO member country, we expressed our sadness for this support. We also said that there are steps that will harm our solidarity on these issues, Erdogan said.

The Turkish leader expressed hope for positive changes. He stressed that the Turkish and U.S. foreign and defence ministers should be in close contact over the matter in question.

Commenting on the purchase of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets from the U.S, Erdogan said that Turkey had paid $1.4 billion for these jets and the sides were trying to move the process in a positive direction.

The modernization of F-16 jets, the ones we have, or the supply of new F-16 jets came to our agenda. IN this regard, our defence ministers are following the process. As I see the positive approach of Mr Biden on this issue, of course, another dimension of the event is known, be it the House of Representatives or the Senate. We said: now you have weight on both sides, we expect the necessary care from you at this point, Erdogan underlined.

Later on, the Turkish presidents press service reported that the bilateral relations and regional issues were discussed at the meeting, which took place in a positive atmosphere. The two leaders made a joint statement on the further development of Turkey-U.S. relations and the establishment of a joint mechanism in this direction. The sides also discussed their mutual steps to boost bilateral trade.

It was stated that the sides will continue discussions on the F-16 and F-35 issues at the lower technical levels.

In the statement made by the White House, it was stated that Biden had underlined his desire to maintain constructive relations with Turkey, expand areas of cooperation and manage conflicts effectively.

It was reported that Biden had confirmed U.S-Turkish defence cooperation and Turkey's importance as a NATO member.

On the other hand, the U.S. expressed its concern over Turkey's possession of the Russian S-400 missile defence system, the report added.

Furthermore, Erdogan touched on his bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He said that France made an effort to organize a summit on Libya.

In other words, there is an effort to hold a conference equivalent to the Berlin Conference... Now, it may not be appropriate to hold a similar meeting here again. But our foreign ministers and special representatives should carry out a study and bring it before us as soon as possible. We will take the necessary step after that," he said.

As for France's arms sales to Greece, Erdogan said that Turkey had shared its concern over the issue during the conversations.

Speaking about the South Caucasus, Erdogan stated that a six-party structure with the participation of Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Armenia and Georgia would be appropriate for the establishment of regional peace.

We are constantly working on the issue that a six-party structure would be appropriate, especially in this region that we are focusing on. We wanted to bring peace to this region," he stressed.

Commenting on global climate change, Erdogan described Turkey as a pioneer in green transformation. He stressed that the world has to ensure a better environment for future generations.

You know, as Turkey, we ratified the Paris Climate Agreement in the past weeks, and we are at a very good level in this regard as a country. With the goal of the green development revolution, I hope we will assume a leading role in this field all over the world, Erdogan stressed.

Erdogan's previously announced Glasgow visit has been canceled due to the protocol dispute with the UK. Erdogan was to attend the UN Climate Change Conference held in Glasgow. The cancellation was caused by the British authorities, who did not agree with Turkey's request for the implementation of the highest level of security protocol. Therefore, Erdogan's meeting with Biden in Glasgow was also taken to Rome at the last minute.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Turkey, the UAE and Pakistan have agreed on a new shipping route for transporting goods, Yeni Shafak newspaper has reported.

Turkey activated the TIR Carnet agreement with the UAE and Pakistan, which will provide time and cost advantages for exporting companies, especially during the container crisis caused by the pandemic, the report added.

Under the agreement, the goods departing from the UAE and moving to Iran via the Persian Gulf will be transported through Turkey, Turkeys Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) said.

The goods such as aluminum and silica, which were transported from Sharjah Port in the UAE to Bandar Abbas in Iran via the Persian Gulf, entered Turkey through the Gurbulak Border Gate and were delivered to Iskenderun.

The TIR Carnet makes it possible to reduce the shipping duration to six-eight days, which is more convenient than the Sharjah-Mersin route through the Suez Canal that takes 20 days by sea from the UAE.

Moreover, through the other route, the first land transportation on the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul land transportation corridor was made with the TIR Carnet in October.

The cargoes carried by the 5,300-km-corridor reached the Istanbul Muratbey Customs Directorate from Pakistan. The corridor established with Pakistan aims to reduce maritime transport, which currently takes one month, to 10 to 12 days on the land route and to accelerate the trade between the two countries.

The agreement was signed by Turkeys commerce and transport ministries and the Pakistani ambassador Syrus Sajjad Qazi with the presence of representatives from Pakistan and Iran, as well as international organizations such as the International Road Transport Association (IRU) and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) with the meeting he provided, the report added.

Along with its time-saving features, the project will also significantly reduce shipping costs and will positively impact Turkeys foreign trade.

Furthermore, a new maritime road trade route was created between Turkey and the UAE under the Customs Convention on the International Carriage of Goods by Road (1975 TIR Convention), the relevant authorities reported.

Our Commerce Ministry officials, who are the contracting parties of the TIR Convention in our country, shared their experiences with the UAE authorities during the field visits and provided the necessary assistance to the carrier company in the first transportation, the report added.

The signing of the agreement between the transport ministries of both countries will contribute to the development of the aforementioned route.

The TIR Carnet is used as a transit document that facilitates international land transport and trade.
By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Turkey will increase the share of renewable sources in energy production starting from 2022, Yeni Shafak has reported.

The highest capacity rise for 2022 is expected to be seen in solar energy production with around 1,000 megawatts, the report added.

The Energy and Natural Resources Ministrys strategic plan for 2023 aims to increase the ratio of renewable energy sources from 59 to 65 percent in the total electricity production.

The share of renewable energy in Turkey's total installed power of 100,000 MW has reached 54,000 MWs.

GUYAD Renewable Energy Investors Association President Cem Ozkok said that Turkey is extremely rich in terms of natural, domestic and renewable resources such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal.

For Turkey to meet half of our electricity consumption from renewable energy, the ratio of our installed capacity to the current capacity must be at least 70 percent. This means approximately 35percent of non-HEPP renewable energy capacity. In other words, the target should be to commission at least 5 GW of renewable energy capacity every year, Ozkok stressed.

He added that the system infrastructure should be reviewed to increase the renewable energy capacity in Turkey.

Ozkok said that foreign investors should be involved to the renewable energy transformation process in Turkey, since the projects require massive capital.

Furthermore, he underlined that necessary measures should be taken and favorable legislation should be adopted to promote the use of renewable energy sources in the country.

Expressing his expectations on effective and binding decisions to be made at the Glasgow Climate Summit to be held between from 1 to 12 November, Ozkok said that even though the target is to keep the warming at 1.5 degrees in a century, the world will face 2.7 degrees temperature increase with current policies.

In order to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, countries need to increase their current plans by seven times in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, he added.
Jada Fund of Funds, a wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has become the anchor investor of a new fund by Saudi Arabia-based Energy Capital Group (ECG).

The fund was set up following a merger between the ECG and Cayan Holdings.

From 2008, the previous private equity funds, launched and exited, achieved impressive multiples and provided a proven track record of growing portfolio companies, primarily within Saudi Arabia and the GCC.

The new fund between both groups will target the creation of National Champions in energy and energy-related technologies, said a statement from Jada Funds.

The funds strategy is aligned with Saudis Vision 2030 and Aramcos IKTVA program. The main goal is to acquire leading local companies to develop local content and bolt-on cutting-edge technologies for transfer to Saudi," remarked ECG founder Ali Abdulaziz Alturki.

The fund will focus on establishing a solutions and technology-oriented National Champion across the energy sector.

Alturki also thanked Jada and the other investors of the new fund for their confidence in the launch and in the ECG leadership team.

Riyadh-based Watar Partners, a leading Saudi multi office family investment company, has agreed to be a strategic advisor to the new fund.- TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) today signed an agreement with A P Moller - Maersk, global integrator of container logistics, committing to an investment of $136 million (SR510 million) over a period of 25 years to set up an Integrated Logistics Park at Jeddah Islamic Port in Saudi Arabia.

The signing took place in the presence of the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Ports Authority, Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and Richard Morgan, Managing Director, Maersk West & Central Asia, together with several officials from related sectors.

The agreement was signed by Omar bin Talal Hariri, President of the Saudi Ports Authority, and Maersk Saudi Arabia President Mohammad Shihab.

Spread over an area of 205,000 sq m, the greenfield project will be the first of its kind at Jeddah Islamic Port offering an array of solutions with the goal of connecting and simplifying the supply chains of importers and exporters in the Kingdom. Maersk will also be investing heavily in renewable energy to power the facility and eventually achieve carbon-neutrality. The project is expected to create more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs in Saudi Arabia, a statement said.

A vision for the future

Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 lays great importance in capitalising on the Kingdoms strategic location to build its role as an integral driver of international trade connecting the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. Vision 2030 aims to more than triple the share of non-oil exports from Saudi Arabia from its current levels, to reach 50% of total exports. It also seeks to substantially raise the Kingdoms global ranking in the Logistics Performance Index to ensure that Saudi Arabia becomes the regional leader in logistics.

Transport Minister Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser said: We are pleased to enter into this agreement today, which represents another remarkable milestone in strengthening Saudi Arabias position on the regional and global stage. The development of the new Integrated Logistics Park will further enhance the capabilities of Jeddah Islamic Port and contribute to consolidating the Kingdoms position as a leading global hub for maritime transport and logistics services.

Morgan said: We are building an innovative, digital and technologically-advanced logistics infrastructure on the foundations of our strong network of global shipping and logistics services to create value for customers in the region. Our ambition is not only to connect and simplify our customers supply chains, but also be a catalyst in the growth of trade and economies through our customer-centric solutions.

Hariri said: The strategic partnership between the authority and Maersk is an important step to achieve our ambition for Jeddah Islamic Port to become among the top ten ports in the world by 2030. I am confident that this partnership will greatly enhance the distinguished operational capabilities of Jeddah Islamic Port, which ranks first among the Red Sea ports due to its strategic location linking the international shipping route between East and West.

He added: Mawanis new strategy enables the authority to continue developing a sustainable and prosperous maritime transport ecosystem that supports the Kingdoms social and economic ambitions and contributes to achieving the ambitious goals of Vision 2030.

A truly integrated logistics solution for all

The bonded and non-bonded Warehousing & Distribution (W&D) facility will cover more than 70% of the total area, while the remaining part will act as a hub for transshipment, air freight, and LCL cargo. The W&D facility will feature several different sections to accommodate general warehousing (food & beverages, furniture, automobiles, chemicals, textile & apparel, and machinery, appliances & electronics) and cold chain storage (fruits & vegetables, protein, and confectionary & consumables). To cater to the rapid penetration of eCommerce in Saudi Arabia, the facility will also have a dedicated eCommerce fulfilment center. The Integrated Logistics Park will be able to handle annual volumes close to 200,000 TEUs across different products. - TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain plans to set up a pool of public properties showcasing potential investment areas and opportunities in the country as part of its new economic action plan. The Government Land Bank is part of a regulatory reform package which aims to support $2.5 billion of foreign direct investments (FDI) by 2023, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

For further details, visit https://www.gdnonline.com
DHL Express, one of the world's leading international express service provider, has been named the number one best workplace worldwide in the annual list published by Great Place to Work (GPTW) in collaboration with Fortune Magazine.

The achievement rewards over ten years of continuous improvement and investment in its people, advancing from 8th in 2017 to 1st place in 2021.

Since 2009, DHL Express experienced an era of transformation guided by its strategy Focus. Within this strategy, we made it our purpose to motivate people working with us and to become the employer of choice, says John Pearson, CEO DHL Express.

For a company of 111,000 colleagues operating across 220 countries and different modes, this was a brave move. What drives me every day is our belief in people and their ability to deliver excellence for our customers and each other. Congratulations to all colleagues who make this possible, and thanks to those who participated in this year's survey. I have never been prouder to be part of this company.

DHL Express attaches great importance to valuing the work of its employees. The transformational Focus strategy was one of many innovative DHL programs that the award has recognized. DHL Express' Focus strategy is geared towards Deutsche Post DHL Groups goal of becoming the employer, investment, and provider of choice for the world. Key to its success is a program called Certified International Specialist (CIS). In 2009, the CIS program was introduced to accelerate the cultural and developmental DNA based on customer focus and trust. It includes inspiring training and engagement content delivered by senior leaders with the business encouraging, recognizing, and rewarding vital behaviors.

One of the key elements of our strategy is focused on the people who work for DHL Express. Without the engagement of our great people, we would not be able to deliver the excellence to our customers as we do today, says Regine Buttner, Executive Vice President HR, DHL Express. We are very proud of how our initiatives and HR efforts around the elements of Digital People, Developing People, Diverse People, Healthy People, and Giving Back to People have evolved and that our dedication is paying off.

Deutsche Post DHL Group takes pride in DHL Express being the #1 World's Best Workplace 2021. Our colleagues who connect people and improve lives all around the globe are our biggest asset and their engagement and motivation is the prerequisite for sustainable success. DHL Express is a role model for people focus and employee orientation and an inspiration for all of us, explains Thomas Ogilvie, Chief Human Resources Officer at Deutsche Post DHL Group. I am more than excited that our employees awarded us with the best rating in this year's Great Place to Work survey.

During the global pandemic, the pressure on logistics people was intense. The recognition as Worlds Best Workplace 2021 is a testament to the strength of the DHL Express culture. The confidential survey assesses employee experience across fairness, credibility, respect, pride and camaraderie. Initiatives and programs that reinforce company culture are also audited for the survey. The GPTW survey recorded increased staff motivation and engagement levels, surpassing the company's 93% score in 2020. DHL Express focused on job security and staff well-being throughout this challenging period, ensuring employees remained safe, connected, and supported.

While its never been more critical to be a great place to work For All, its also never been more difficult, says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. DHL Express has proven that when you deliver for your people, they deliver for your customers. 94% of DHL employees say their customers would rate the service they deliver as excellent, outperforming the global benchmark of 86%.

To be recognized as a Worlds Best Workplace, companies must rank first on Great Place to Work's Best Workplaces national lists. This recognition is based on confidential survey data that assesses employee experience in trust, innovation, company values, and leadership. Companies are also rated on how well they create a For All workplace experience that includes all employees, regardless of who they are or what they do. This year, Covid-19 put the spotlight on physical and mental well-being for both employers and employees.---TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Chambers Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) has launched four new smart individual CSR Labels, offering companies a more convenient way to assess their CSR practices and gain recognition for their outstanding efforts.



Companies can apply for one or all of the four new SMART Dubai Chamber CSR Labels namely: CSR in the Workplace, CSR in the Marketplace, CSR in the Community and CSR initiatives related to the Environment.



The Dubai Chamber CSR Label is the most established and prestigious framework and development tool that helps companies evaluate their CSR strategies, gain recognition for their efforts and improve their reputation. 490 labels have been awarded to companies since the launch of the Dubai Chamber CSR Label in 2010.



Companies of all sizes and across all sectors including those based locally, regionally or internationally can apply for one or more of the new labels categories, and those who meet the criteria get prompt recognition from the Chamber, receive a certificate to celebrate their achievements, gain exposure as an awarded recipient and become more visible to stakeholders as a responsible business.



Applicant companies should be operational for at least two years, and hold a valid operating license from the country where the organization is based. Individual companies belonging to Groups or Holding companies are welcome to apply for the CSR label separately. Applications for the first 150 SMART individual Dubai Chamber CSR Labels are being offered free of charge and companies can apply through the Dubai Chamber website.



Dr. Belaid Rettab, Chief Economist and Senior Director, Economic Research & Sustainable Business Development, Dubai Chamber stressed the importance of the new categories of the Dubai Chamber CSR Label, pointing out that by applying for the SMART individual Dubai Chamber CSR Labels, organisations can benefit from assessing their responsible business practices against best practices.



The new Labels are supported by a smart online application tool that allows companies a simple way to apply and be promptly recognised by the Dubai Chamber for their responsible practices in the areas of Workplace, Marketplace, Community and Environment, he added.



Founded in 2004, the Dubai Chambers Centre for Responsible Business (CRB) is the first institution of its kind in the UAE that plays a leading role in promoting corporate social responsibility. The Centre encourages member companies of the Chamber to adopt responsible business practices, which ultimately enhance their performance and competitiveness.  TradeArabia News Service
The annual Roar Africa Greatest Safari on Earth aboard Emirates Executive Private Jet is set to provide an extraordinary trip of a lifetime experience to ten discerning travellers in August/September next year.

With its ethos rooted in humanity, targeting sustainability and conservation, the life-changing itinerary delivers 10 guests in unbridled luxury to the four iconic African destinations that offer the ultimate adventure and encounters with environmental educators and conservation change makers.

The 12-day safari, hosted by CEO and Founder of ultra-luxe Africa travel specialist Deborah Calmeyer along with expert, knowledgeable guides, and renowned leaders, is priced at $125,000 per person.

It has never been more important than now to curate experiences that facilitate an understanding of how the natural world works, and why and how we should help, says Calmeyer. To this end, we have curated this strategic itinerary by working from a place of deep insight and acute understanding of Africas many strengths and complexities. We have painstakingly selected profound destinations and intimate wildlife discoveries to reveal what must be done to ensure that Africas people, nature and animals survive and thrive. And knowing that time is a non-renewable resource, guests will appreciate the absolute exclusivity and unparalleled ease of travel.

Having hosted our inaugural Greatest Safari on Earth in August 2021, and witnessed first-hand its many life-changing moments, I truly believe this is the most extraordinary and impactful safari on earth. This authentic experience sets a new paradigm in ultra-luxe adventure and sustainable travel and is also a robust catalyst for change. In times like these when so many of us ache for the wild and long to explore a deeper more sustainable way of being, ROAR AFRICA removes the uncertainty and chaos of travel. You can go wilder, stay safer, dream bigger, and rediscover your innate and instinctive sense of adventure. It really will make your wildest dreams come true, she adds.

Emirates A319 Executive Private Jet

Providing the sole means of international transport throughout the journey, the Emirates A319 was created for guests who want to go beyond first class, and reflects the glamour of a bygone era when air travel was both exclusive and an integral aspect of luxury travel experiences. The jet features 10 private suites, private shower spa and powder room, an expansive lounge which functions as a communal gathering space or dining area, and a cabin crew committed to providing the highest levels of personal service.

The Itinerary

The transformative and life-changing itinerary begins in Dubai where Roar Africas VIP guests will meet before embarking on the journey in ultimate privacy and comfort to Zimbabwes Victoria Falls (one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World), the Okavango Delta in Botswana (the largest inland delta in the world), Kenyas Great Migration, and the worlds last wild mountain gorillas in the forests of Rwanda.

Guests will experience spectacular locations of extraordinary properties, hand-picked because of their shared vision and commitment to creating a better future, combined with the charm and hospitality of their local communities and residents. The following is the itinerary:

 August 26 - Bvlgari, Dubai, UAE

 August 27, 28 - Matetsi, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

 August 29, 30, 31 - Xigera, Okavango Delta, Botswana

 September August 1, 2, 3 - Angama Mara, Maasai Mara, Kenya

 September 4, 5, 6 - Singita Kwitonda, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Giving Back

Conscious that flying on the new A319 Executive Private Jet creates a significant carbon footprint, Roar Africa is ensuring the entire trip (flights and on-the-ground emissions) will be carbon neutral with high-quality offsets.

In addition, there are additional initiatives planned to thread sustainability leadership into the whole experience allowing guests to experience an intimate connection with where their money is spent on the ground and its positive impact.

The Roar Africa Emirates Executive Private Jet African Safari will also be offered from August 26 to September 7, 2023, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service
Industry professionals are almost equally split over whether only the wealthy will be able to afford holidays in the future, reveals research released on Monday (November 1) by WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry.

Some 1,000 professionals from around the globe were asked about the impact of the widely anticipated price increases as a result of the pandemic on the overall market. Just over half (51%) were concerned that travel will become the preserve of the rich, with 49% disagreeing.

The WTM Industry report also asked about the scale of the increases, with the net result confirming that prices are set to go up in 2022. More than one-in-three (35%) of the sample said prices were likely to go up by between 1% and 20% compared with the current year. However, intense cost pressures and the need to recover revenues lost during the pandemic mean that more than one-in-ten (12%) are expecting to put up prices by more than 20%, the report said.

On the other hand, some are anticipating prices to drop with 15% predicting a modest drop of between 1% and 20%, while 9% said their companys prices would fall significantly, by more than 20%.

Around one-fifth (22%) expect prices to be the same.

UK consumers are also aware that the twin impact of Covid and Brexit on prices has the potential to impact the affordability of travel, with 70% admitting this is a concern for the future.

Simon Press, WTM London, Exhibition Director, said: In the UK, the total cost of overseas travel for summer was skewed by having to pay for testing, while the demand for staycations led to supply shortages and price hikes. These specific pressures may or may not still be applicable for next year, but the results from the industry are unequivocal  prices will rise in 2022.

Many sectors in travel were moving their consumer messaging towards value rather than cost. The challenge for the industry is to ensure that they can provide a product and experience which justifies the price increases to the traveller and which retains their margins, but without pricing themselves out of the market.

WTM London takes place over the next three days from November 1 to 3 at ExCeL -London. - TradeArabia News Service
Help India!



The family of incarcerated activist Atikur Rahman, who is in Mathura jail under UAPA, have alleged that medical neglect at the jail is worsening Rahmans health condition. Rahman is suffering from a heart condition called aortic regurgitation. Rahmans family is praying for his bail, which was earlier rejected by court.

Nikita D | TwoCircles.net

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NEW DELHI  The continued incarceration of Campus Front of India (CFI) activist Atikur Rahman (27) under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) at Mathura jail in Uttar Pradesh has worsened his health condition, his family said. We havent been able to get any relief for him, his wife Sanjeeda Rahman told TwoCircles.net.

Rahman is suffering from a heart condition called aortic regurgitation since his childhood. If not treated, he could suffer from heart failure.

Rahman was scheduled for an open-heart surgery last year in November but was arrested a month before in October by the Uttar Pradesh police. He, along with journalist Siddique Kappan, Masood Ahmed, and their driver Alam, were arrested by the UP Police while on their way to Hathras on October 5, 2020, where a young Dalit woman was gang-raped by upper-caste men and later succumbed to injuries. A resident of Riawali Nagla village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, Rahman comes from a family of sugarcane farmers.

His wife Sanjeeda Rahman is distressed due to her husbands continued incarceration and fears for his life.

Despite falling ill several times in jail, the authorities brought him to the jail hospital where treatment for his condition is not available, Sanjeeda said.

Sanjeeda said the states neglect and delay towards Rahmans deteriorating health condition is putting his life in danger.

Sanjeeda said she spoke to Rahman earlier today who told him that he is not well. He is in Mathura jail hospital. His condition is not good. He has palpitations, high blood pressure and high fever due to his condition, she said.

Even after spending more than a year in jail, Sanjeeda said the hearing of case keeps getting delayed.

The hearing was on October 19 and was shifted to October 27. Nothing happened and the hearing has been postponed to November 11 now, she said, adding, His other hearing for medical treatment was due on October 25 and it didnt happen and got delayed again.

Sanjeeda has appealed to the court to provide immediate treatment to Rahman at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

We want him back. We are ready to take responsibility for his surgery but we do not want to send him back to jail after surgery. We are praying for his immediate bail, she said.

Sanjeeda said that his husbands heart condition is serious and can be fatal. I know this because I too am a heart patient with the same condition, she said.

When Rahman fell ill on September 22, he was taken to the Lucknow PMLA Court, which directed the Mathura jail authorities to take Rahman to AIIMS immediately for medical treatment. Two weeks after the courts direction, Rahman was finally taken to AIIMS New Delhi on October 8 for a medical check-up. The doctors at AIIMS once again advised surgery for Rahman. The surgery would cost up to 2 lakh rupees.

According to his family, a letter was sent to the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) regarding the issue of funds for Rahmans treatment. At the time of publication of this report, the family has not received any response from the higher authorities.

Talking to TwoCircles.net, Brijesh Kumar, Superintendent of Mathura district jail said, I do not know how much time it will take for the application to process. I have forwarded the letter to the DIG and have verbally told him about it as well. We are doing his (Rahmans) follow up in AIIMS.

Advocate Saifan Sheikh  who is one of the three lawyers fighting the Hathras case, told TwoCircles.net that Rahman has two pending cases against him. One in the PMLA Court in Lucknow related to the ED (Directorate of Enforcement) and the UAPA case in Mathura court. His bail plea got rejected in both courts. The bail plea rejected by the Mathura court has now been sent to the Allahabad High Court.

Talking about the status of medical treatment for Rahman, Advocate Saifan Sheikh said, The application is pending with the jail authorities, but since they are taking so much time, we have filed another application for bail on medical grounds at the PMLA court. At present, the habeas corpus application is also pending at the Allahabad High Court.

Advocate Sheikh said that Rahmans arrest along with other three people is similar to that of student activists Umar Khalid, Safoora Zargar and others.

We saw how they harassed and wrongly incarcerated Umar Khalid, Safoora Zargar and others after the Delhi program. In the same way, Rahman and others are being made the scapegoat in the Hathras case, Shaikh said.

Time is of essence for Rahman considering his health condition, his wife maintains. We just want him to be free so that he can get proper treatment, she said.

Nikita D is an intern with TwoCircles.net.
Holiness is "joy and prophecy". Joy because without it "faith becomes a rigorous and oppressive exercise and risks becoming sick with sadness", prophecy because in the Beatitudes Jesus "overturns" worldly criteria: he calls the poor, the afflicted, those who hunger for justice blessed.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Beatitudes "are the prophecy of a new humanity, of a new way of living: to make oneself small and entrust oneself to God, instead of emerging over others; to be meek, instead of trying to impose oneself; to practice mercy, instead of thinking only of oneself; to commit oneself to justice and peace, instead of nourishing, even with connivance, injustice and inequality".

This Pope Francis- reflection at the Angelus on the day in which the Church marks the liturgical memory of "All Saints" and in which the liturgy recalls the Beatitudes that "show us the path that leads to the Kingdom of God and to happiness: the path of humility, compassion, meekness, justice and peace".

Over 10,000 people were present in St Peter's Square, despite the gloomy day. Francis spoke to them of holiness as "joy and prophecy". Joy because without it "faith becomes a rigorous and oppressive exercise and risks becoming ill with sadness", prophecy because Jesus in the Beatitudes "overturns" worldly criteria: he calls blessed the poor, the afflicted, those hungry for justice, while the world says that "to have happiness you must be rich, powerful, always young and strong, enjoy fame and success".

"Beatitude, holiness, is not a life plan made up only of effort and renunciation, but is above all the joyful discovery of being Gods beloved sons and daughters. It is not a human achievement, it is a gift we receive: we are holy because God, who is the Holy One, comes to dwell in our lives. For this we are blessed! The joy of the Christian, then, is not a fleeting emotion or a simple human optimism, but the certainty of being able to face every situation under Gods loving gaze, with the courage and strength that come from Him".

Prophecy because Jesus overturns the world's criteria and says that "true fullness of life is reached by following Him, by practising His Word. And this means another poverty: being poor inside, emptying oneself to make room for God. Those who believe themselves to be rich, successful and secure base everything on themselves and close themselves off from God and their brothers and sisters, while those who know that they are poor and are not enough for themselves remain open to God and their neighbour. And he finds joy".

Holiness, then, is "welcoming and putting into practice, with God's help, this prophecy that revolutionises the world. So we can ask ourselves: do I bear witness to the prophecy of Jesus? Do I express the prophetic spirit I received in Baptism? Or do I conform to the comforts of life and my own laziness, thinking that everything is fine if it is fine with me? Do I bring to the world the joyful newness of the prophecy of Jesus or the usual complaints about what is wrong? Questions that it will do us good to ask ourselves".

After the recitation of the Marian prayer, Francis announced that "tomorrow morning I will go to the French Military Cemetery in Rome: it will be an opportunity to pray in suffrage for all the dead, in particular for the victims of war and violence. In visiting this cemetery, I unite myself spiritually with those who in these days go to pray at the tombs of their loved ones, in every part of the world".
Other school systems in the region have set deadlines for their employees to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing, including Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties. Baltimore City already has the requirement in place because it has been testing all students and faculty in the building each week since early in the school year.
Officers believe the man was standing at a gas station on the corner of Reisterstown Road and Belvedere Avenue in Northwest Baltimores Woodmere neighborhood when he was approached by an unknown individual wearing all black, who began shooting at him. The 23-year-olds injuries were non-life-threatening, police said in a news release.
The shooting occurred on Oct. 25, at around 10:20 p.m., in the parking lot of The Shops at Kenilworth. Officers found a silver Honda with its engine running that was partially on the curb, and Ransom was in a wooded area yelling for help. He had been shot once in the torso and was pronounced dead at a hospital around 1:15 a.m., police said.
Campus News

Undergraduates musical journeys redefine student boundaries

By CHARLES ANZALONE

As UB junior Marcus Lolo walked onto the stage in the majestic Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall earlier this month and approached the concert grand Steinway piano, he faced the familiar leap of faith that comes before he begins to play.

Its an exercise in confidence and vulnerability, he says. Its overcoming mental doubt that accompanies his live, organic performances while looking for that exhilaration that follows when connecting with his audience.

This time, though, Lolo faced arguably the biggest honor the university can confer on a student musician. He was the hand-chosen, hands-down choice to enhance the video shown during President Satish K. Tripathis State of the University address.

Lolo calls it the moment of truth, a cliff jump toward something remarkable, magical. Engage your audience. Move them with a creation that establishes this bond within that lovely room.

Spoiler alert: Lolo, a 27-year-old piano performance major who stretches the boundaries of being a student, nailed it. The ovation from those listening to Tripathis annual speech tipped the applause meter as much as anything that day.

I would call it knocking it out of the park, says Jonathan Golove, chair of the Department of Music, who along with colleague and piano professor Eric Huebner, chose Lolo to perform that day. He was extremely poised with a sense of gravitas. Hes an undergraduate, but he comes across as a person with greater depth of experience than you might expect, one who inspires confidence.

Before beginning his original creation that served as the soundtrack to the video highlighting 175 years of UB history, Lolo paused and gathered himself. The UB community watched and waited. Sure enough, those inner voices of doubt morphed into something else.

The moment you are engaged  as soon as I played my first note  that uncertainty goes away, says Lolo, who came to UB as an engineering major and vows to finish that degree when he completes his musical study.

Its like jumping off a cliff. Are you going to fall or fly? You have already done what you needed to do, which is play the first note. So now you are already in. You might as well give it your best shot.

Lolos best shot is impressive, indeed. He gives new meaning to community-minded undergraduates. Hes the force behind a community music school filling a pressing need in the community for artistic expression, he says emphatically. The multi-platformed and well-conceived release of his ode to democracy single dedicated to Haitian musician Manno Charlemagne  a voice against the brutality of Haitian dictatorships  used local musicians and a locally produced video.

Theres more to Lolos resume. But anyone interested in his power to inspire should be there when Lolo finds himself at a piano and starts improvising versions of Georgia on My Mind, one more fluid and expressive than the other.

I love Ray Charles, he says.

Clearly, this is not your parents undergraduate experience.
At least one person was killed and four others were injured in a massive explosion due to a gas leak at residential flats in Islamabad, local media reported. Citing police statement, ARY News on Sunday reported that one person died on the spot while four other people including women were critically injured due to a gas explosion. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. The person who died was identified as Shah Jahan, said the Pakistani publication.

In a similar incident, at least four people lost their lives and seven sustained injuries in an explosion near a petrol pump in Karachi's Nazimabad area on Friday. According to initial reports, an explosion injured 11 people near the education board office located in Nazimabad. Four of the wounded persons succumbed to injuries, ARY News reported. It further stated that the hospital sources said that five injured were receiving medical assistance at the hospital.

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I am inspired this week by an assignment my wife is doing for a Law in Education class. Her assignment was to write about religion in school and particularly release time for religious classes. It is an interesting assignment for her because, unlike most of her class, she grew up in a state 
Blackfeet Nation Chief Earl Old Person has journeyed to the Spirit World but his legacy will forever remain earth bound.

Char-Koosta News

BROWNING  You didnt have to know Earl Old Person to know Earl Old Person  you just had to be in his presence. He was subtle as a half-moon shadow with the guiding force of the North Star whose legacy will forever cast a long rising-sun spiritual shadow that will shade over the Pikuni people as long as there are Pikuni people. Chief Earl Old Person was a living legacy while walking on Mother Earth and now that legacy will continue in the Spirit World where he has joined the Circle of Ancestors of the Pikuni people.

Old Person, the son of Jupiter and Molly (Bear Medicine) Old Person, was born April 13, 1929, on the Blackfeet Reservation, 20 miles northwest of Browning at his familys land known as Grease Wood. He had a pair of Indian names: Stu Sapoo or Cold Wind, and Ahka Pa Ka Pee or Charging Home.

He left his earthly existence for the Spirit World Oct. 13, 2021, and was laid to rest in the Old Person Cemetery at Grease Wood on Oct. 22.

In his youth he touched the guiding hands of his people that existed from the mid-1800s on. From them he learned the time immemorial traditional ways of the Pikuni people and carried them forward into the 21st Century.

Simply put, Earl was all our chief. He was a connection to that old way. He sang with warriors who hunted Buffalo and continued to sing with those of us alive today, Robert Hall told the Great Falls Tribune. He represented us with dignity and respect and is one of the greatest ambassadors of the last 100 years.

During his time Ambassador Chief Old Person met every U.S. President from Harry Truman to Barack Obama, and met present President Joe Biden when Biden served in the U.S. Senate as well as Queen Elizabeth and other world leaders.

On Friday, Oct. 22, more than 500 people of all ages attended Chief Old Persons funeral services. Among them were Montana political leaders U.S. Senator Jon Tester, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, former Gov. Steve Bullock, and former Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, UM President Seth Bodner, Montana Broadcasting Hall of Fame member Norma Ashby, and many Montana Tribal Nation and Blackfoot Confederacy leaders, as well as numerous State, local and tribal law enforcement officers.

This is not just a private event, its not just a Montana event, this is a national event. said funeral emcee Jay St. Goddard. We are putting one of our last Chiefs to rest.

Old Person served a total of 60 years on the Blackfeet Nation governing body that included 52 years as chairman. In 1978, the family of the late Jim White Calf bestowed the hereditary lifetime Chieftainship to Old Person. For centuries, according to Pikuni tradition, the Tribe chose its Chiefs until the U.S. Congress passed the Wheeler-Howard Act, aka the Indian Reorganization Act, in 1934. The IRA, among other things, mandated the establishment of a Western style government  the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council  with an election to seat its members. That year, the last traditional Chief, John Two Guns died and the Chieftainship remained vacant until 1978. Now, the Chieftainship will remain vacant until the Old Person family decides if and when it will be filled. If they decide to fill it they will name the person that will become the next Chief of the Blackfeet Nation.

Democrat U.S. Senator Jon Tester expressed a thought that was probably on the minds of many of the funeral attendees, that life is fleeting and sooner or later the mortality bell tolls for all. Old Person had the blessing of 92 years before the Creator beckoned him home to the Spirit World but still that seemed too soon.

This is a day I havent looked forward to, Tester said, then balanced the books, saying, But on the other side well be seeing him again someday.

Tester then filled in a few details between Old Persons bookends of earthly existence by comparing his life on the political frontlines with a pair of well-renowned and respected Montana U.S. Senators, Mike Mansfield and Lee Metcalf. Old Person was elected to the Blackfeet Nation governing body in 1954 and worked on behalf of his people with the ol school of civil-politics senators till their passing in 1976 and 1978 respectively.

Earls got 40 years on them (Mansfield and Metcalf) doing good things for Indian people, making it right for Indian people, Tester said.

In an address to the U.S. Senate prior to the funeral, Tester said, He was a keeper of Tribal history, a tireless advocate, and for many, he was a national voice for the challenges in Indian Country The world is a better place because of Chief Old Person and the work that he did. He will never be replaced.

Former Gov. Bullock said Old Person was a man of humility and his accomplishments werent for personal glory but for the citizens of the Blackfeet Nation.

I drove up not to talk but to listen because I learned in my time in public office that every time that I would see Chief Earl Old Person, if I would only listen, Id walk out of there with my heart, my soul and my mind more-full, Bullock said. What he cared about wasnt the honorifics, wasnt the recognition, but it was the Blackfeet people, Bullock said, adding another measure of Old Person. I never heard him say anything disparaging [about anyone].

[Earl Old Person] was a tireless advocate, educator, storyteller, Gov. Gianforte said. And none of us will ever forget his unparalleled strength of character and dedication to service.

Kenny Scabby Robe, Old Persons nephew, said he believes his uncle hasnt stopped working for the Blackfeet Nation, he just is working for them elsewhere.

We must value what we have here, the things the Creator gave us, Scabby Robe said. I am standing here today because of him. He taught me the way. Taught me not to be afraid to speak up and say whats on my mind. As long as we stay together, we can do great things like he did. Stu Sapoo, thank you for showing this way of life.

One of the things in the 1950s that was on Old Persons mind was the federal threat of termination of Indian treaties  according to the U.S. Constitution, the highest law of the American Republic  and thus the termination of Indian Tribal Nations, a termination of a people.

On the subject on termination of Indian Nations, Old Person let his thoughts be known in an address to the National Congress of American Indians in 1960.

It is important to note that in our Indian language the only translation for termination is to wipe out or kill off, Old Person said. How can we plan our future when the Indian Bureau threatens to wipe us out as a race? It is like trying to cook a meal in your tipi when someone is standing outside trying to burn the tipi down.

Thankfully, tribal leaders, like Old Person, doused the fire and are, figuratively speaking, able to feed their people.

In case you ever wondered why Chief Old Person always wore blue shirts, former Tribal Councilman and practicing attorney Joe McKay in his eulogy explained. At a confab in Idaho, the people there thought he was a Mormon because all the Mormons there wore white shirts, so not to ever be mistaken as a Mormon, he switched to blue shirts and never changed shirt colors since. As to pay homage to Old Person, many people, including his pallbearers, donned blue shirts.

We all feel like were a part of Earls family, McKay said, adding that Old Person taught him the value of life time service and continued to lead his family until his passing.

McKay, likened Old Person to Sen. Mike Mansfield, one of the last truly great leaders in the U.S. Congress, in his ability to build bridges to both the Democrat and Republican parties for the cause of better lives for his people and by extension tribal people as a whole.

Chief Old Person was not only a local, state and nationally recognized leader, he was also recognized internationally.

McKay recounted Old Persons 1971 visit to Tehran, Iran to be a part of the celebration of the 2,500-year history of the Persian Empire. While there, he inadvertently broke a thousand-year tradition when he asked the sitting Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to stand up to listen to his speech. It was an invitational gesture that scraped against the grain of Iranian traditions  the Shah  King of Kings  is the one that gives orders not takes orders.

Not long after that a revolution overthrew the Shah of Iran, McKay said.

In 1978, the Islamic Revolution resulted in the overthrow of the Shah. Old Person, later joke that he perhaps had a hand in starting that by asking the Shah to stand up, thus showing that he was not invincible.

While walking on Mother Earth, Chief Old Person was invincible but now he has gone on.

This day comes for everyone. There will never be another Earl, the world he grew up in doesnt exist anymore. Earl carried the burden of leadership all his life. We should all be so lucky in life to be like Earl Old Person. No one will ever do what do what he has done, what he accomplished. He was the kindest person I knew in my life, McKay said. He gave his self to us. He never got tired of helping people. Humility and respect are the two words that are the hallmark of Earls leadership. Learn humility, learn how to be humble, how to give deference to others. Love. Earl loves you, his family. Earl loved each and every one of us. He sacrificed for us. He showed us kindness. He loved children because they are the future of our people. Everyone of here today are better because of Earl. Go in peace.

Although Old Person never attended college, he was a bundle of and a purveyor of knowledge and an advocate of education, and that didnt go unnoticed.

In 1991, the University of Montana endowed a scholarship in his name to be awarded to a member of the Blackfeet Nation, and in 1994, UM bestowed upon him an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters. For 26 years, Old Person sang traditional Blackfeet tribal songs at the UM graduation commencement ceremonies. He was also a staple and announcer at the annual Kyiyo Powwow.

In 1998, Chief Old Person was awarded the Jeannette Rankin Civil Liberties Award by the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana. A year later he was the first person awarded the University of Lethbridges Christine Miller Memorial Award for Excellence in Native American Studies. In 2007, he was inducted to the Montana Indian Hall of Fame.

Of most importance though, Old Person was a preservationist of the traditional, cultural and linguistic foundations of the Blackfeet people during a time when a lot of that traditional knowledge was lost due the passing of fluent practitioners. According to the Blackfeet Tribal Historic Preservation Officer John Murray, Earl stayed close to it and hes been an advocate for promoting the language and was able to retain them songs. So, when the culture started coming back, they would go to himhe was a repository for that type of music.

As long as there is Chief Mountain, there will be Chief Earl Old Person, he is one for the ages, and we are all better because of him. Rest on high Chief, you deserve it. But we know the respite wont be long. We will be listening, and we will be hearing from you soon.
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Landowners within the Flathead Reservation were recently notified of the opportunity to register certain types of previously unrecorded existing water uses until March 16, 2022. The Effective Date of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT)  Montana Compact (the Compact) is September 17, 2021, when it was signed by the US Secretary of the Interior.

The signing of the Compact by the Secretary of the Interior initiates a 180-day period in which landowners within the boundaries of the Flathead Reservation may file previously unrecorded state-based water uses. Also during this time, the Flathead Reservation Water Management Board is being formed to administer and manage water rights within the Reservation, per the Compact. Two members of the Board will be appointed by Governor Gianforte, two by CSKT, and a fifth chosen by the other four members. The Board, in turn, will establish the Office of the Engineer, which will be the professional staff managing the day-to-day operational work of the Board.

After more than a decade of discussion and negotiations between the tribes, the state, legislators, and stakeholders, we are now ready to take the next step of solidifying more water certainty for residents and a clear process to lead us into the future, said DNRC Director Amanda Kaster.

Concurrent with the Compact, the State and the Tribes codified the Unitary Administration and Management Ordinance, which is the law that will be implemented by the Board and exclusively governs future water right administration on the Reservation. The Ordinance allows certain previously unrecorded state-based water uses (i.e., uses which were put to use on or before 9/17/2021 but for which a water right has not been previously issued by Montana DNRC) to be registered with the Board. The deadline for registering these uses is March 16, 2022.

During the 180-day registration period, the State, through the DNRC, will accept registration forms, which will be transmitted to the Board for processing once it is operational. Recognizing the Boards role in the administration of water rights moving forward, DNRC will not process the registration forms. Information on eligible state-based water uses can be found here.

Landowners interested in searching the database to see if there is an existing water right on land within the Flathead Reservation may do so here by entering the parcel geocode. For assistance or more information, see DNRCs CSKT Water Compact website or contact Water Resources Regional Offices:

 Kalispell Regional Office, 655 Timberwolf Parkway, Ste 4 Kalispell, MT 59901-1215 (Phone: 406.752.2288); or

 Missoula Regional Office, 2705 Spurgin Road, Bldg. C, PO Box 5004, Missoula, MT 59806 (Phone: 406.721.4284)

The CSKT-Montana Compact is the result of more than a decade of negotiations to resolve the Tribes claims to reserved water rights. It includes State, Federal, and Tribal authorizations. The State of Montana ratified the Compact in 2015 (MCA 85-20-1901); the Federal government approved the Compact in late 2020 (Montana Water Rights Protection Act); the CSKT Tribal Council approved the Compact two days later; and final approval and release of claims and waivers by the Department of the Interior was completed with the signature of the Interior Secretary on September 17, 2021.
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Organized by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, National Cultural Heritage Administration and Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, the exhibition contains the printed versions of 39 murals found in the Tang tombs, highlighting the prosperous age. Interactive activities and lectures given by experts in this field will take place to complement the show.

According to Li Qun, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, young people are the inheritors, protectors and practitioners of cultural heritage in the future. He hopes such cooperation will showcase the history and wisdom of the Chinese civilization so that young people will understand the influence of traditional Chinese culture, and try to promote it.

According to Zhang Zhiqing, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Arts of the university, the exhibition is a feast of art. He hopes it will give Macao people, especially students at MUST, an opportunity to learn and gain new perspectives.

The exhibition will run until the end of November, and then it will travel to the City University of Hong Kong for three months.
The southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen saw foreign trade grow 15.2 percent year on year to 2.51 trillion yuan (about 393 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of this year, local customs said.



During the January-September period, exports rose 13.5 percent year on year to 1.35 trillion yuan while imports jumped 17.2 percent to 1.16 trillion yuan, said Shenzhen Customs.

The top ten trading partners of the manufacturing hub, which borders Hong Kong, contributed to 77.3 percent of the total trade, with trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union seeing double-digit growth.

Privately-owned businesses contributed to 1.54 trillion yuan of the trade. It is up 17 percent year on year, accounting for over 61 percent of the total trade, said the customs. The proportion rose by one percentage point from a year ago.

Mechanical and electrical products accounted for nearly 80 percent of both exports and imports during the nine months.
The Chinese mainland on Sunday reported 59 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Monday.

Of the new local cases, 27 were reported in Heilongjiang, 10 in Gansu, nine in Hebei, six in Inner Mongolia, three in Ningxia, and one each in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Shandong and Qinghai, the commission said.

Sunday also saw 33 new imported cases, including 12 previously reported asymptomatic carriers, it said.

One new suspected case arriving from outside the mainland was reported in Shanghai and no new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Sunday, it added.
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome, Italy, Oct. 31, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

Bilateral relations between China and the United States in the past few years have suffered an all-round impact due to the wrong China policy pursued by the United States, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Rome on Sunday during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The United States has wantonly interfered with China's internal affairs, Wang stressed, noting that the current U.S. Congress has introduced more than 300 anti-China bills, and the United States has included more than 900 Chinese entities and individuals in various unilateral sanctions lists, which severely disrupted the normal bilateral exchanges.

Moreover, the United States is also patching up various small circles to suppress China on a global scale, and even exerting pressure on many small and medium-sized countries, Wang said, adding that these practices are not in line with the interests of the peoples of the two countries, not in line with the expectations of the international community, not in line with the development trend of the times, and hence China voices its clear opposition.

The important experience accumulated over the past four decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries is that both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, Wang said, adding that the two sides have learned from contacts in Anchorage, Tianjin and Zurich that they must respect each other and treat each other equally.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has repeatedly called for the world to prevent division and avoid a new cold war, Wang said, adding that the important consensus reached by the heads of state of China and the United States during the two phone conversations this year is that the two sides should restart dialogue and avoid confrontation.

The urgent task at the moment is that the two sides must earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and make political preparations and provide necessary conditions for the next phase of exchanges, Wang stressed.

Wang expressed the willingness to establish regular contacts with Blinken to exchange views timely and in a frank manner on how to manage and control differences between the two sides, properly resolve problems that arise, so as to enhance understanding, eliminate doubts, avoid misjudgments and explore cooperation.

The Taiwan issue is the most sensitive issue between China and the United States, Wang said, adding that if it is handled wrongly, it will cause subversive and overall damage to bilateral ties.

Wang pointed out that recently, the situation across the Taiwan Strait has become tense again, and the United States has repeatedly stated that this was caused by China's change of the status quo, yet this is not a fact at all but a serious misleading to the international community.

Wang emphasized that the true status of the Taiwan issue is that there is only one China, Taiwan is a part of China, and the mainland and Taiwan belong to the same country, noting that historical experiences have repeatedly proved that any change to this status quo will seriously damage the stability across the Taiwan Strait and even create a crisis.

The crux of the current situation across the Taiwan Strait is because the Taiwan authorities have repeatedly tried to break through the one-China framework, and the United States' connivance and support for "Taiwan independence" forces is also to blame, Wang said, stressing that to stop the development of the "Taiwan independence" tendency is to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait.

We urge the United States to realize the serious harm of the "Taiwan independence," to pursue a real one-China policy, instead of a fake one, to fulfill its commitments to China faithfully rather than treacherously. We also urge the United States to truly implement the one-China policy and put it into actions, instead of saying one thing and doing another, Wang said.

For his part, Blinken reiterated that the United States will continue to adhere to the one-China policy, and the two sides should develop bilateral relations in the spirit of mutual respect. The United States is willing to maintain communication with China, manage differences responsibly, and avoid confrontation or crisis, he noted.

Wang also expressed China's solemn concern over various issues that the United States has harmed China's legitimate rights and interests, and requested the U.S. side to change its course and push China-U.S. relations back to the track of healthy development.

The two sides also exchanged views on important issues such as climate change, energy supply, Iran nuclear issue, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and expressed their willingness to maintain dialogue on addressing various global challenges.
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Photo taken on Oct. 31, 2021 shows a general view of the opening ceremony for COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, the United Kingdom. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 26th United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP26), delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, kicked off on Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland.

As the first conference after the five-year review cycle under the Paris Agreement inked in 2015, delegates are expected to review overall progress and plan future actions on climate change in the coming two weeks.

The conference comes at a time when the world has gone through a series of climate-change-related weather disasters, from severe flooding to wild fires.

Issues high on the agenda include finalizing the rules for the Paris Agreement's market mechanism and wealthy countries' unmet finance pledge to the developing countries to help them tackle climate-related challenges.



COP26 President Alok Sharma said in his speech at the opening ceremony: "We postponed COP26 by a year. But during that year, climate change did not take time off...And we know that the window to keep 1.5 degrees within reach is closing."

"We know that our shared planet is changing for the worse. And we can only address that together, through this international system...And if we act now, and we act together, we can protect our precious planet," he added.
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Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev announced late Sunday that he resigned as both prime minister and chairman of the ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) party after the party's defeat in the second round of local elections.

Zaev told a press conference that he took responsibility for the "bad results" in the local elections held earlier in the day for 44 municipalities across the country.

The preliminary results of the second round of local elections showed that the candidates from the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party were taking the lead.

According to the country's State Election Commission (SEC), the turnout in the second round was 48.61 percent or 640,076 voters out of over 1.33 million eligible voters.

The SEC is expected to announce the election results within 12 hours, according to the local media.
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Fifteen people were reported injured in Japan's Tokyo by a man wielding a knife on a Keio Line train on Sunday night, according to Kyodo reports.

Among the injured, a man in his 60s was seriously hurt and unconscious.

The authorities immediately took the suspect, a man in his 20s carrying a knife, into custody after the police received a report about the knife-wielding man around 8 p.m. local time.

The police arrested the suspect for attempted murder, and are currently investigating the incident and questioning the suspect.

According to the police, the suspect also used an oil-like liquid to set fire in the train, burning part of the fifth carriage of the train.

The police also received a report that hydrochloric acid was spread on the train, but later denied that the acid was used.

The incident took place on a 10-car train bound for Shinjuku in central Tokyo and caused panic among passengers amid the fire and smoke.

Screaming of several people was heard from the carriage where smoke and fire came, with people climbing through the windows to get out of the train.

After the incident, the train stopped at a station that is not originally planned for the fast train, where people temporarily got off for shelter.
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The Taliban's elusive leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada made his debut in the group's birthplace Kandahar on Saturday and visited a religious school there, head of the school Mawlawi Sayed Ahmad Sayed said Sunday.

"The supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada Sahib visited Al-Hakimia Madrasa at 10:30 a.m. local time yesterday," Mawlawi Sayed told Xinhua.

Akhundzada, who has been leading the Taliban movement since 2016, also delivered a 10-minute speech to the students of the Madrasa (religious school) in Kandahar, said Mawlawi Sayed.

Another official of the Madrasa said that his two sons, two nephews and his brother accompanied Akhundzada during the visit.

When asked if any photo from the supreme leader had been left in the Madrasa, Mawlawi Sayed replied, "the great Ulema (religious scholars) doesn't like pictures and videos and the use of cell phones was prohibited during Haibatullah (Akhundzada)'s tour to the Madrasa."

Since Afghanistan's takeover by the Taliban in mid-August, the group's supreme leader whose whereabouts is unknown has not reportedly visited Afghanistan's capital Kabul.




Proclaim African Evangelists Congress 2020 changed the African outlook of evangelism. The 3-day Congress brought together 3,318 participants from 49 African countries and 10 diaspora countries. And this gave birth to an idea that will transform evangelism in Africa.

By targeting specific groups under the theme: Let Africa hear and proclaim the gospel, the congress seeks to impart knowledge, educate evangelists and build a strong foundation upon which evangelism will thrive in Africa with a view of reaching all Africans with the gospel.

Beginning with the Proclaim Young Evangelists Congress that took place from the 10th to 12th September 2021. Targeting at least 2,000 evangelists between the ages of 15-35 from all over Africa. By bringing the future generation of evangelists together to learn at the feet of those curving the path ahead of them, ensures a proper appreciation of evangelism is instilled to go with the passion and fire that burns within each and every attendee of the Congress. The panelists have been specifically targeted for their influence in their areas of dominion.

This will be followed by the Regional Proclaim Evangelists Congress taking place in November 2021. Developed with the knowledge that evangelism styles across Africa are different, this will give the various regions of Africa i.e. North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and Southern Africa an opportunity to meet within their various regions and learn from each other as well as connect and network.

Proclaim Continental Congress 2021 shall be culmination of the country, regions and young evangelists congress within the year. The congress shall run as from 7th- 9th December 2021 for the virtual congress while the in person shall run from 6th- 11th December 2021 in Nairobi. Emerging evangelism topical issues from regional and country congress shall be handled. Seasoned and experienced evangelists shall handle such as this issues giving relevant case studies and success stories to learn from. Regions shall also present their Regional and Country Evangelism Plans to the wider Africa creating a platform to learn from each other. Proclaim 2021 shall also seek to study what other continents are doing to reach their own.
Global Nano Crystalline Soft Magnetic Materials Market - Scope of the Report

The nano crystalline soft magnetic materials market research report offers in-depth market insights for segmentation including Classification, Application, End-Use Industry and Region. Addition to this, this report offers analysis of several vital insights such as growth driving factors, industry trends, market opportunities, and restrains which are negatively impacting the growth of market. The study also provides a separate analysis of recent developments, and competitive landscape, market share of major players, among others.

Global nano crystalline soft magnetic materials report also provides detailed analysis of companies engaged in nano crystalline soft magnetic materials market. Key points included in company profiles include company overview, business strategy, financial analysis, SWOT analysis, recent news and developments, and product portfolio analysis.

Global Nano Crystalline Soft Magnetic Materials Market Segmentation

In addition to coverage of major growth driving and restraining factors, this market research report also offers in-depth analysis of the Classification, which includes One Dimensional, Two Dimensional and Three Dimensional. This study also analyses other segments which include Application, End-Use Industry and Region. Furthermore, the Application sub-segment is further segmented into Transformers, Inductors, Motors and Generators. The End-Use Industry segment is divided into Healthcare, Electronics, Semiconductors and Automotive. Market data such as market size and year-on-year growth analysis is provided for each sub-segment.

Download Research Sample with Industry Insights @ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/13687

Market size of countries and nano crystalline soft magnetic materials market growth potential in leading countries is provided in the report. Moreover, the report also offers coverage of five regions across the world:

North America (U.S. & Canada)

Europe (Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, and Rest of Europe)

Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, and Rest of Asia Pacific)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America)

Middle East & Africa (GCC (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman), North Africa, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East & Africa)



By Classification:

- One Dimensional

- Two Dimensional

- Three Dimensional

By End-Use Industry:

- Healthcare

- Electronics

- Semiconductors

- Automotive

By Application:

- Motors

1 hp-100 hp

101 hp-200 hp

201 hp-1000 hp

Above 1000 hp

- Transformers

Portable

Transmission

Distribution

Motors

- Inductors

- Generators

Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

The report covers the impact of COVID-19 on nano crystalline soft magnetic materials market and analysis is performed from supply side and demand side. Major changes during COVID-19 such as consumer behaviour, government regulatory changes, impact on procurement of raw materials are considered to provide latest update of the market. This updated research report provides market size and forecast, including the COVID-19 impact on the market.

Key Companies in the Global Nano Crystalline Soft Magnetic Materials Industry

The report identifies key players engaged in market and provides FPNV Positioning Matrix analysis on the basis of business strategy and product satisfaction. Also, competitive strategic window is covered in study which helps buyers to strategically align their product portfolio in line with market opportunities.

This market research report also covers Porters Five Force Analysis, value chain analysis, PEST analysis, SWOT analysis of the nano crystalline soft magnetic materials market. This aids readers to understand competitive landscape in a better way.

Some of the Key Companies covered in the report:

- Bomatec

- Henan Zhongyue

- Qingdao Yunlu Energy Tecnology

- Magnetec

- Henan ZY Amorphous Technology Co., Ltd.

- Hitachi Metals Ltd.

- Vikarsh Stampings

- VacuumSchmelze

- Other Major & Niche Key Players

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The global C-reactive protein testing market expected to Reach US$ 1.99 Billion by 2027 according to a new study by Polaris Market Research. The report C-Reactive Protein Testing Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Assay Type (Immuno-turbidimetric Assay, ELISA, Chemiluminescence Immunoassay), By Detection Range (hs-CRP, Conventional CRP, cCRP), By Disease Area (Cardiovascular Diseases, Cancer, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Endometriosis, Lupus), By End-Use; By Regions; Segment Forecast, 2020  2027 gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth.

The key factors responsible for the market growth are recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the globe, market players focused approach towards PoC diagnosis, new innovations, and clinical trials in the biomarker discovery. Moreover, the emerging countries, owing to their huge population base, particularly India and China, focusing on rapid tests, which is cost effective and reliable.

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https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/c-reactive-protein-testing-market/request-for-sample

The market is fragmented based on assay type, detection range, disease area, end-use, and region. In terms of product, the market is segmented into immuno-turbidimetric assay, ELISA, chemiluminescence immunoassay, and others. Based on detection range, the market is further bifurcated into hs-CRP, conventional CRP, and cCRP. Based on disease area, the market is classified as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, endometriosis, lupus, and others. The end-use segment is further divided into clinics, hospitals, laboratories, assisted living healthcare facilities, home, and others

Segment Highlights

The immuno-turbidimetric segment accounted for the largest revenue share of the market owing to its high specificity and accuracy rate. However, the chemiluminescence assay segment is expected to witness fastest growth over the forecast.

Based on detection range, the hs-CRP test segment is projected to constitute almost half of the market in 2027. The segment holds majority of share due to its aggressive use in the healthcare industry to check pandemic infections across the regions.

Cardiovascular diseases accounted for the largest revenue share in 2019 on account of the increasing use of C-reactive protein testing CVD across the regions. In addition, the growing incidences of fatal diseases is expected to drive the market growth.

North America is accounted for the largest revenue share in 2019 owing to excellent reimbursement setup. However, Asia Pacific is expected to witness fastest revenue growth over the coming years.

List of Key Players

Merck KGaA

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Roche Ltd.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings

Abbott Laboratories

Others

Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/c-reactive-protein-testing-market/toc

Polaris Market Research has segmented the C-Reactive Protein Testing Market report on the basis of Assay Type, Detection Range, Disease Area, Type and Region

C-reactive Protein Testing, Assay Type Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

Immuno-turbidimetric Assay

ELISA Clinical Nonclinical

Chemiluminescence Immunoassay

Others

C-reactive Protein Testing, Detection Range Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

hs-CRP

Conventional CRP

cCRP

C-reactive Protein Testing, Disease Area Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

Cardiovascular Diseases

Cancer

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Endometriosis

Lupus

Others

C-reactive Protein Testing, End-Use Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

Clinics

Hospitals

Laboratories

Assisted Living Healthcare Facilities

Home

Others

C-reactive Protein Testing, Regional Outlook (Revenue  USD Million, 2016  2027)

North America U.S. Canada

Europe France Germany UK Italy Spain Netherlands Austria

Asia Pacific China India Japan Malaysia South Korea Indonesia

Central & South America Mexico Brazil Argentina

Middle East & Africa UAE Saudi Arabia Israel South Africa



Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/c-reactive-protein-testing-market/request-for-discount-pricing

About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide our customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high growth markets, emerging business environments and latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities.

Contact us-

Polaris Market Research

Phone: 1-646-568-9980

Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment And Disposables Market Growth & Trends

The Asia Pacific veterinary equipment and disposables market size is anticipated to reach USD 692.8 million by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.3% from 2021 to 2028. Increasing pet adoption, advancements in veterinary care and treatment, and the presence of market participants are factors likely to drive the market.

Equipment such as ventilators, patient monitors, fluid warmers, and disposables, such as wound care products and needles, are used in a variety of veterinary procedures, ranging from breeding to surgery, and diagnostics to treatment. The rising population of companion and livestock animals across the Asia Pacific region is a major driver contributing to market growth.

According to a 2019 report by Animal Medicines Australia, around 61% of Australian households own at least one pet. A similar trend is observed in South Korea as well. In 2019, 4.5 million households owned a dog in the country, while 1.1 million households owned a cat, according to Statistics Korea.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the animal health industry including the market for veterinary equipment and disposables in Asia Pacific. Some of the major points of impact include supply chain disruptions, the decline in sales, low demand, and operational hurdles due to changing policies and restrictions.

The market is dominated by many small and large players, including B. Braun Vet Care GmbH; Nonin Medical; and Midmark Corporation. There are many regional players as well, functioning as manufacturers, traders, and exporters. These organizations are undertaking various strategic initiatives, such as product launches, mergers and acquisitions, and collaborations, to gain market share. For instance, in July 2020, Midmark Corporation launched the Midmark Multiparameter Monitor for enhanced veterinary care.

Request a free sample copy or view report summary: Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment And Disposables Market Report

Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment and Disposables Market Report Highlights

Advancements in monitoring and therapy equipment and disposables, such as ventilation support, IV fluid therapy, temperature management, and pain control are further impelling demand

In the product segment, major revenue share was held by critical care consumables owing to their cost-effectiveness and increasing usage in veterinary procedures

The companion animals segment dominated the market in 2020 in terms of revenue share. Growth in the pet population and rising emphasis on pet care and wellness by owners are contributing to segment growth

The veterinary hospitals/clinics segment held the largest revenue share in 2020. Factors driving this growth are the increasing number of animal hospitals and clinics, investments by the private sector, and rising pet ownership

For example, in September 2020, Tencent and Boehringer Ingelheim along with other companies invested in Chinas largest animal hospital chain-New Ruipeng Pet Healthcare Group-bringing its market valuation to about USD 4.4 billion

In terms of country, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan grabbed the largest revenue share of the market in 2020 owing to increasing research activities and the presence of market players in these countries

Access Press Release@ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/asia-pacific-veterinary-equipment-disposables-market-analysis

Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment And Disposables Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the Asia Pacific veterinary equipment and disposables market on the basis of product, animal type, end use, and country:

Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment and Disposables Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Critical Care Consumables Wound Management Consumables Airway Management Consumables Gastroenterology Consumables Needles Fluid Administration and Therapy Consumables Accessories Others

Anesthesia Equipment Complete Anesthesia Machines Ventilators Vaporizers Waste Gas Management Systems Gas Delivery Management Systems Accessories

Fluid Management Equipment Large-Volume Infusion Pumps Syringe Pumps

Temperature Management Equipment Patient Warming Systems Convection Warming Systems Conduction Warming Systems Fluid Warmers

Rescue & Resuscitation Equipment Resuscitation Bags Oxygen Masks

Research Equipment Lab Evacuation Systems Induction Chambers

Patient Monitoring Equipment

Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment and Disposables Animal Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Companion Animal Dogs Cats Horses Others

Livestock Animal

Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment and Disposables End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Veterinary Hospitals/Clinics

Research Institutes

Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment and Disposables Country Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

China, Hong Kong, Taiwan

Japan

India

Thailand

Australia

South Korea

Singapore

Vietnam

New Zealand

Malaysia

Philippines

Indonesia

List of Key Players of Asia Pacific Veterinary Equipment and Disposables Market

Smiths Medical

Nonin

Braun Melsungen AG

Kshama Equipments

Vetland Medical Sales & Services

Midmark Corporation

Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.

Dispomed Ltd.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
The Global Halogen Bulbs Market Report, in its latest update, highlights the significant impacts and the recent strategically changes under the present socio-economic scenario. The Halogen Bulbs industry growth avenues are deeply supported by exhaustive research by the top analysts of the industry. The report starts with the executive summary, followed by a value chain and marketing channels study. The report then estimates the CAGR and market revenue of the global and regional segments.

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2021

Forecast Till: 2027

The report classifies the market into different segments based on type and product. These segments are studied in detail, incorporating the market estimates and forecasts at regional and country levels. The segment analysis is helpful in understanding the growth areas and potential opportunities of the market.

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A special section is dedicated to the analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth of the Halogen Bulbs market. The impact is closely studied in terms of production, import, export, and supply.

The report covers the complete competitive landscape of the Worldwide Halogen Bulbs market with company profiles of key players such as:

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Halogen Bulbs Market Analysis by Type:

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Halogen Bulbs Market Analysis by Application:

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Halogen Bulbs Market Analysis by Geography:

North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico)

(USA, Canada, and Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Europe)

(Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South-East Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

(China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South-East Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Rest of Latin America)

(Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Rest of Latin America) The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East and Africa)

Key questions answered in the report:

What is the expected growth of the Halogen Bulbs market between 2022 to 2027?

Which application and type segment holds the maximum share in the Global Halogen Bulbs market?

Which regional Halogen Bulbs market shows the highest growth CAGR between 2022 to 2027?

What are the opportunities and challenges currently faced by the Halogen Bulbs market?

Who are the leading market players and what are their Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)?

What business strategies are the competitors considering to stay in the Halogen Bulbs market?

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About Us:

DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research report provider, enriching decision-makers, and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research reports, customized research reports, company profiles, and industry databases across multiple domains. Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise, and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

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DecisionDatabases.com

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Phone: +91 90 28 057900

Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/
The Global Smart Meters Market Report, in its latest update, highlights the significant impacts and the recent strategically changes under the present socio-economic scenario. The Smart Meters industry growth avenues are deeply supported by exhaustive research by the top analysts of the industry. The report starts with the executive summary, followed by a value chain and marketing channels study. The report then estimates the CAGR and market revenue of the global and regional segments.

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2021

Forecast Till: 2027

The report classifies the market into different segments based on type and product. These segments are studied in detail, incorporating the market estimates and forecasts at regional and country levels. The segment analysis is helpful in understanding the growth areas and potential opportunities of the market.

Get | Download FREE Sample Report of Global Smart Meters Market @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-5723

A special section is dedicated to the analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth of the Smart Meters market. The impact is closely studied in terms of production, import, export, and supply.

The report covers the complete competitive landscape of the Worldwide Smart Meters market with company profiles of key players such as:

Itron Inc.

Elster Group SE

Landis+GYR

Siemens AG

Schneider Electric SA

Badger Meter Inc.

Circutor SA

Edmi

Holley Metering Limited

Honeywell International Inc.

Icsa (India) Limited

Iskraemeco

Neptune Technology Group Inc.

Sensus

Sentec Limited

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Smart Meters Market Analysis by Type:

Smart Electric Meters

Smart Water Meters

Smart Gas Meters

Smart Meters Market Analysis by End User:

Residential

Commercial & Industrial

Smart Meters Market Analysis by Geography:

North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico)

(USA, Canada, and Mexico) Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Europe)

(Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South-East Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific)

(China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South-East Asia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Rest of Latin America)

(Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Rest of Latin America) The Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East and Africa)

Key questions answered in the report:

What is the expected growth of the Smart Meters market between 2022 to 2027?

Which application and type segment holds the maximum share in the Global Smart Meters market?

Which regional Smart Meters market shows the highest growth CAGR between 2022 to 2027?

What are the opportunities and challenges currently faced by the Smart Meters market?

Who are the leading market players and what are their Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)?

What business strategies are the competitors considering to stay in the Smart Meters market?

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About Us:

DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research report provider, enriching decision-makers, and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research reports, customized research reports, company profiles, and industry databases across multiple domains. Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise, and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

For more details:

DecisionDatabases.com

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Phone: +91 90 28 057900

Web: https://www.decisiondatabases.com/
Former Coronado Fire Chief Mike Blood, who has been serving in an interim capacity since July, has been permanently appointed to the position, City Manager Tina Friend announced. Blood, who served Coronado for 28 years in all ranks of the organization, retired as Coronados fire chief in October 2017. He will return to active employment on Nov. 1.
Dedicated to honoring this past and educating future generations, the League of Wives Memorial Project is ready to set sail on a mission to memorialize Sybil Stockdale and her heroic group of wives with a statue, right here in Coronado. With well over 1,000 signatures petitioning for the establishment of a League of Wives Memorial in Coronado, support from the Naval Aviation and Naval Spouse communities, and genuine relationship and collaboration with our local League Ladies, the League of Wives Memorial Project is well positioned to begin taking monetary pledges of support. Please visit https://www.leagueofwives.com/pledge to embark with us on this journey!
Join Edith Salas of Salas Properties & host Jenn Barlow as they visit the Coronado Shores community. The towers have amazing views including the world famous Hotel del Coronado, downtown San Diego, San Diego Bay, the City of Coronado, Point Loma, and the Pacific Ocean.
The discussion of potential raises for some teachers was in its early stages, and on Thursday night, a district spokesman reported that the talks have been tabled until early next year because the district is also negotiating new three-year contracts with the Hartford Federation of Teachers and several other labor unions.
This abuse was of no practical value in terms of intelligence, or any other tangible benefit to U.S. interests, the letter said. Instead, it is a stain on the moral fiber of America; the treatment of Mr. Khan in the hands of U.S. personnel should be a source of shame for the U.S. government.
Elsewhere, in West Haven, 3,628 voters, 12.7% of 28,562 voters had turned out where a mayoral race heated up after the arrest of a state representative who is accused of stealing federal COVID-19 relief funds. And in Guilford, where the question of critical race theory has divided residents in the race for board of education seats, 5,525, 34% of 16,309 registered voters had cast ballots as of midday.
But Republican Jeff Caggiano, a former school board member who is running for mayor, says that progress has been too slow for the past four years under Zoppo-Sassu in the all-important downtown area. She counters that 12 projects are planned for downtown, including some that are expected to break ground soon. Twelve residential units, along with commercial space on the ground floor, are expected to break ground in the coming weeks. In addition, three buildings with 88 apartments and retail space are expected to be built near city hall starting in the spring of 2022.
Lincoln, NE (68508)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 31F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 31F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
My vision for Virginia is one day, we will lead the nation in job creation, because taxes are low and regulations are reasonable, because small business can access capital, people can hire who they need to hire, and expand, because every graduate is either college ready or career ready with the skill that will put them on the pathway to a more prosperous future. To reinvigorate our job machine, we will take several important steps. My vision is a Virginia with safe neighborhoods, where our children can play without worry, where the elderly can take a walk without fear, with police partnering with communities to patrol and keep everyone safe.
To those yet to get vaccinated, the order is clear: You have a responsibility to take action now, protect our nation and those we love, or be held accountable for failing to do so, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has said.
Lubbock, TX (79409)

Today

Plenty of sunshine. High 79F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. Low 46F. WSW winds shifting to NNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Thiruvananthapuram: Thousands of students on Monday stepped into schools for the first time, after a hiatus of more than one-and-a-half years, in unusual circumstances induced due to COVID-19 health protocols.

Students of classes from 1 to 7, 10 and 12 reached the schools, which were sanitised and decorated to welcome the children across Kerala adhering to COVID protocols. The school authorities tested the temperature of students, provided sanitisers and ensured that they wore masks.

Offline classes for students in standards 8, 9 and 11 will start on November 15.

The children looked excited as some were going to school after a gap of more than 18 months while small children of class 1 and 2 were going to the school for the first time.

The school authorities welcomed the children with tiny gift packets which included books, pen, sanitisers, masks and balloons. Even teachers were excited as they could take a break from the online classes and physically talk to the children and get the feedback.

"Online classes have its own advantage but we may not get proper feedback at times. I am very much happy that the schools are now reopened and we could meet the children. We could teach them and spend time with them. However, we need to be extra careful as the pandemic is still here," Deepa, a teacher from a school in Ernakulam told PTI.

Meanwhile, parents are also excited as the children will be able to spend more time in schools rather than inside the four walls of the houses.

"As the mother of two children who live in an apartment, I feel that my kids need more space to spend their energy. In schools, they will be able to talk to children of their age, meet their teachers, there will be activities to keep them busy and many more. We are still worried about the pandemic," Swapna, an Infopark employee said.

Parents are also worried about children spending time with other students especially during the COVID-19 season even as the state government has assured that all precautions have been taken in schools.

Meanwhile, State Education Minister V Sivankutty inaugurated the state-level school reopening at Cotton Hill Girls schools near here and asked the parents not to worry about sending their children to school as the government had taken all precautions.

"More than six lakh students have newly joined the public schools. The government stands with the students and their parents. There is no need for any concern with regard to the children being sent to the schools. The government has taken all necessary precautions," Sivankutty said.

Students appeared to be excited and happy talking to their friends and classmates on their first day at the school.

The schools will function in a safe manner strictly following the guidelines prepared by the Health and Education departments.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had directed the schools to implement the measures to control congestion, maintain social distancing and ensure cleanliness in classrooms and surroundings.

The preparations included cleaning and disinfecting places where children throng and strictly implementing the bio-bubble system.

School authorities have been directed to prepare mid-day meal for children and distribute them adhering to COVID protocol besides ensuring them the service of a doctor, the Education department had said.

Along with soap and sanitiser, thermal scanner to examine the body temperature of children, teachers and non-teaching staff would also be arranged in each school.

In view of the COVID spread, the state government has been imparting online education to the children in government and aided schools for the last two academic years including the ongoing one.
A view of Jain Coral Cove apartment, built in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone norms in Maradu Municipality, being demolished using controlled implosion, in Kochi. (Photo: PTI/File)

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed two pleas which had alleged judicial misconduct against one of its sitting judges as well as two of its retired judges in relation to orders passed by them in connection with the Maradu flats demolition issue.

Justice P B Suresh Kumar held that the pleas were not maintainable.

The detailed judgement giving reasons for the decision is yet to be made available.

Both the petitions, filed through advocate Yeshwanth Shenoy, had sought setting up of an in-house committee to look into the petitioner's complaints of judicial misconduct against the judges and to give him a copy of any reasoned order passed on his complaints.
Sanjay Kumar was speaking to the media after paying tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the statue in the Assembly premises on Sunday. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar demanded an inquiry into the alleged shifting of EVMs and VVPATs from Huzurabad Assembly constituency to Karimnagar in a private vehicle after Saturdays byelection.

Fearing defeat, TRS leaders had shifted the VVPATs under the direction of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, he alleged. Sanjay said the Election Commission should conduct an inquiry and take action.

Responding to the officials clarification that non-functional EVMs and VVPAT machines were being shifted in a private vehicle, Sanjay said, If VVPATs are not working, it should be informed to the polling agents, he said. Shifting of VVPATs in a private car is against the rules, he said. We have doubts on shifting of VVPATs, he said.

Coming down heavily on the TRS leaders for paying up to Rs 20,000 per vote in the byelection, he said people of Huzurabad would give a fitting lesson to the Chief Minister.

Sanjay Kumar was speaking to the media after paying tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the statue in the Assembly premises on Sunday. Sanjay flagged off the Run for Unity rally at Kukatpally on the occasion.

Sanjay said the then princely state of Hyderabad would have merged with Pakistan if Sardar Patel was not in the home ministers post. Patel freed Hyderabad state from Nizams rule and merged it with the Indian Union, he said. We achieved Telangana state because of Sardar Patel's daring decision in 1948, he said.

Sanjay said Chandrashekar Rao always praised the Nizam but never took part in the birth anniversaries of any national leader including Sardar Patel. The people were taking note of Raos attitude and they would teach him a lesson at an appropriate time, he said.
Karimnagar: Exchanging of ballot boxes is against democracy, said BJP candidate Etala Rajendar on Sunday, following reports that the Huzurabad byelection EVMs were switched when they were being carried to the strongroom at the SSR College here.

Rajendar alleged that the journey from Huzurabad, where the election took place, to Karimnagar lasts just one hour. But the buses in which ballot boxes were being shifted did not reach Karimnagar until 12 midnight though the polling ended hours earlier.

The explanation of the officials that only non-functional EVMs were being shifted in a private vehicle from the strongroom to another location raised doubts, Rajendar said.

Speaking to the media here, Rajendar alleged that the district administration had failed in preventing the TRS activists, who he claimed were involved in illegal activities for five months, from switching the EVMs.

He said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao issuing a government order after the Huzurabad byelection notification was released was a blunder. TRS leaders had threatened the people saying that they will not get Dalit Bandhu, pension and other welfare schemes if they do not vote for the TRS, Rajendra said.

He said that the BJP had complained to collector R.V. Karnan and police commissioner V. Satyanarayana a number of times but in vain. They behaved in a biased manner in support of the TRS, Rajendar said.

Such an election has never happened in India. Police escorted the vehicles carrying money and liquor to be distributed to the people. People gave security to the leaders who distributed money and liquor. MLAs themselves involved in distribution of money, Rajendar alleged.
Kolkata: In a blistering attack on the Congress, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the country's oldest party of making a "compromise" with the BJP at the Centre of putting up no opposition against it on various national issues in the last seven years.

The Trinamul Congress supremo, who has set her eyes on coming to power in other states, also refused to rely on the Congress in her battle against the BJP in 2024.

Inaugurating Janbazar Sammilita Kali Puja in central Kolkata, Ms Banerjee said, "We once formed a government at the Centre in an alliance with the NDA based on a common minimum programme. Our top agenda was that attacks should not be meted out to the people from other religions. But, has the Congress fought any movement since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come to power? They only make tall talks when elections come near."

She claimed, "We are compelled to go everywhere because the Congress can not be relied upon. The Congress makes a compromise which we do not do. We can die but we can not allow the hands of the BJP to be strengthened. This is our commitment. We have been fighting this battle for a long time. There are some people who speak the truth straightaway. But there are others who say one thing in public but do something else in private to maintain understanding."

The TMC chief argued, "Let the Congress fume. How can they expect us to support them in other states while they fight us in each and every seat in Bengal? One should remember that the policy should not be different. It must be one. We were also in the Congress. But we came out. Why? Because, they cheated us and the people."

She argued, "People then helped us to be here today after a long battle. We formed three successive governments here with the help of the people. In the first among them, we helped the Congress to work with us. But they made an exit midway. We also came out of the UPA because of the continuous fuel price hike. Someone needs to make a decision. We have the ability to do it. That is why we resigned. But they (Congress) can not. They supported the CPI(M), which was our biggest enemy then and which once joined hands with Atal Behari Vajpayee. How could they do it?"

Ms Banerjee's salvo on the Congress coincided a tweet by her party which said, "@INCIndia's present leadership is BJP's BIGGEST insurance! In WB, we've been fighting & successfully defeating BJP since 2001. Instead of accusing others INC should put its house in order to effectively fight BJP or let others who've the will & ability to fight them nationally."
Visakhapatnam: Anakapalli MLA Gudivada Amarnath of the YSRC said Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan has no moral right to speak on the Visakha Steel Plant (VSP) as his party is sailing with the BJP, whose government at the Centre is privatizing the plant.

He claimed that the entire state has been fighting against VSP privatization for the past 260 days. Pawan was never a part of this agitation. Pawan, rather, carried the BJP agenda in a recent meeting and criticised the state government on this issue without any basis, he said.

The MLA said there was no sanctity to Pawans words and the people are not going to trust him. He has already got himself tagged as a package star.

Amarnath criticised Pawan for not questioning the BJP over the privatization of VSP and asked why the actor was supporting BJP even as he had once slammed the special package announced by the BJP government for AP by comparing it with rotten laddus. Pawan supported the BJP in the Tirupati and Badvel by-elections, the MLA noted.

He said Pawans criticism of VSP privatization was no more than a political stunt to bluff the people. Pawan Kalyan is an unstable person, who had sternly opposed the fight against VSP privatization and now started holding meetings against the privatization.

Amarnath said the YSRC has always been opposing the privatization of VSP. Chief minister Jagan had held talks with employee unions and passed a resolution in the state assembly. Also, the CM wrote to the PM twice, urging him to reconsider the decision and suggested alternative steps, he said.
World Health Organisation has sought additional clarifications from Bharat Biotech, which manufactures Covaxin and a decision on emergency use authorisation is expected early next month. (AFP)

Canberra: Australian government on Monday gave recognition to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status in the country.

"Today, the Therapeutic Goods Administration determined that Covaxin (manufactured by BharatBiotech) vaccine would be 'recognised' for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status," Australia's High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell informed in a tweet.

"Importantly, recognition of Covaxin, along with the previously announced recognition of Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca India, means many citizens, as well as other countries, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia," the High Commissioner added in the tweet.

COVID-19 vaccines are approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) after an assessment and approval process.

"In recent weeks, the TGA has obtained additional information demonstrating these vaccines provide protection and potentially reduce the likelihood that an incoming traveller would transmit COVID-19 infection to others while in Australia or become acutely unwell due to COVID-19," a statement from Australia's Department of Health informed.

Recognition of Covaxin, along with the previously announced recognition of Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of India, as well as other countries where these vaccines have been widely deployed, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia, the statement said.

"This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia," the statement added.

From 1 November 2021, vaccinated Australians and permanent residents aged 12 and over may depart Australia without the need to seek a travel exemption, the Australian Health Department said.

The UN health body -- World Health Organisation -- has sought additional clarifications from Bharat Biotech, which manufactures Covaxin and a decision on emergency use authorisation is expected early next month.

WHO giving approval for Emergency Use Authorisation for India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' would facilitate the process of assisting other countries, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Saturday addressing a media briefing on the first day of G20 summit in Rome.
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FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2019, file photo, then Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during a joint press conference with Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Ousted leader Suu Kyi testified in court for the first time Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in one of several cases against her, but details of what she said were not available because of a gag order on her lawyers.
Emporia, KS (66801)

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Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 39F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 39F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
China must stop its return to socialism if it wishes to continue its rate of economic growth By Crofton Lee

China has been well known as one of the fastest growing economies in the past 30 years, in fact, since 1991, Chinas GDP per capita has risen from $333 to $10,500 in 2020, an increase of $10,167 or %3155. This is as drastic an increase as anyone has ever seen. Many attributes this astounding rate of economic growth to two factors, rapid productivity growth and large scale capital investment (financed by large domestic savings and foreign investment) (CRS Report). Economic reforms since the Mao and Deng Xiaoping era have boosted China into the upper level of economic productivity. In the past year, however, Chinas economic growth has started to slow down, and if China wants to continue on its economic boom from the 90s, it must once again change its economic policies. In 2021, the Chinese government in Beijing has put pressure on businesses to reduce their carbon emissions, which has led to a coal shortage in northern China. These coal shortages have resulted in frequent power deficiencies. Many provinces have implemented electricity rationing programs, and recurrent blackouts have severely impacted businesses productivity. In order to combat this shortage, the government must diverge capital away from technological research subsidies and instead use this capital to buffer the steal and cement industries, which have taken a particularly hard hit from a lack of power. Because of this re-allocation of capital, future technological advancements will start to grow farther away, and labor productivity will continue to decrease, further exaggerating diminishing marginal returns. Beijing has also ramped up pressure on Chinas property sector, demanding that the sector finds some sort of solution to reign in its debt. This pressure will decrease potential for economic growth, as capital that could be spent on investment or technological advancements will now have to be spent paying off debts. According to BBC, "The slowdown in the property sector will affect the activities of firms in areas such as construction contracting, building materials, and home furnishing." It would seem that simply removing some government subsidies from technological companies is not enough. The Chinese government has recently enacted a slew of new regulations and a new, more stringent enforcement of existing rules. Chinas chairman, Xi Jinping, has decided that the current party policies relating to daily live and technology are no longer compatible with Chinese beliefs, claiming that he is putting the Communist back in the Communist Party, at least to some extent (BBC). Xis goal is to bring China back to the traditional way of Mao, and has tried to achieve this by setting limits of daily lives of Chinese citizens, as well as a crackdown on Chinas tech giants. What Chairman Xi fails to realize is that these new regulations will only serve to slow down Chinas economic progress. After the ride hailing tech giant Didi listed its stock on in New York, China responded by removing it from the Chinese app store, and even making it unavailable for use in some major Chinese cities. This decision has resulted in Didi price shares falling by more than 20%, and strongly discourages foreign investors to invest in Chinese companies, for fear of similar backlash plunging the value of the stock of local companies. In order to help improve the economic progress of 2021, and continue the economies upward trend, China needs to lean on more capitalist practices. By lessening regulations of product markets (like regulations that reduce competition) and relaxing strict employment regulation, China can allow for more economic growth that stems from competition and employment benefits. Secondly, by relaxing regulations on businesses, whether related to environmental or monetary impacts, the government can allow businesses to fend for themselves, instead of being careless and waiting for the government to bail them out. With a lessening of funds required for subsidies, the Chinese government can then focus more on technological advancements that will help expand their production possibilities frontier, paving the way for an increase in economic growth. Most economists agree that more capitalistic practices tend to promote economic growth more than others, but whether China will be willing to follow ideas fundamentally different that its own communistic ideals still remains to be seen. (c) 2021 Crofton Lee. Home
Community and identity in late modernity  updated to 2021 (Part Three) By Mark Wegierski

The delineation of particularity vs. universality, and the negative things one has to embrace along with particularity, is perhaps too stark in the theoretical understandings of some pro-particularist thinkers. For example, could it not be confidently said that certain practices are always aberrant? There was, for example, the case in Canada of a man who had committed long-term incest with his daughter, and was applying under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to have custody of their children. Some would argue that there is no argument from within liberal premises that could be made against this case, assuming that he "takes proper care of the children". However, it could be assumed that many people would feel an incredible sense of revulsion at this practice. But what is the source or justification of this revulsion, if not some sort of incipient concept of a "higher law" (or whatever one chooses to call it)? Does the acceptance of some sort of general normative principles necessarily entail the embrace of what sometimes tend towards becoming socially-corrosive, so-called "universal human rights" (sometimes also called abstract universals)? Would it also be considered as an undermining of the particularistic thesis to point to the prevalent practices of most, earlier human societies, existing before 1965 or so, as a standard, that is, the use of "history" itself as the normative standard? Might it not be argued that, whatever the occasional barbarities such as female circumcision or mass human ritual-sacrifice, there is in fact, ultimately, little difference between what various human societies consider to be good or evil? Mothers everywhere still take care of their children, and so forth. In fact, it might be possible to derive a roughly similar general ethic from most of the human societies that existed before about 1965, in contrast with contemporary society. C. S. Lewis has argued that there are rules for society and social existence (which he interestingly enough termed the Tao) that exist across all times and places. He brought attention to the fact that most of the aberrant phenomena of social existence occur as a result of taking one aspect of the Tao and elevating it above others. For example, extreme nationalism is the exaggeration of a proper self-regard for ones own nation and identity. The type of Western liberalism that flagellates itself in abasement to minorities is an exaggeration of notions of charity and of the desire to be humane. It might be argued that most human societies differ so exceedingly much not in their general moral prescriptions, but rather in terms of their memory of their specific experience in the world, their pantheon of heroes, etc. Peoples and nations, of course, have a specific history and memory of a pantheon of heroes, which they seek to preserve, but the general structure of these identifications exists across peoples and nations. It might also be said further that the moral prescriptions for day-to-day life derived from an interpretation of one's history (which generally speaking makes claims of seeing one's nation at the heart of the world, and as being more moral than any other people or nation) -- are generally similar. Thus, it could be argued that differences between peoples and nations are not ultimately based so much on substantive differences between their "languages of good and evil" (though there may be perceptions of extremely wide gulfs) but rather mainly on the exigencies of survival or power-accumulation in the world. One would like to question once again if holding such a position (i.e., condemning some clearly aberrant practices of some traditional societies, or, on the other hand, saying that some things are always wrong) necessarily implies having to embrace what may tend to become a socially-corrosive Kantian universalism? When one says, one is "fighting to preserve rooted particularities," does this not mean that one is fighting to preserve a nation's or people's sense of identity in terms of them retaining their symbolic understanding of their place in history and the world? However, although in a people's self-understanding, their identity is seen to offer a distinctive, worthier moral system than that of any other people or nation, in fact, the moral codes of all rooted societies are  it could be argued -- largely similar. This is not to say that there may not be distinctions in the so-called "character" of nations, both for the good and the bad, but certain bedrock things remain the same across all humanity. In trying to understand the historical process, some theorists have drawn attention to the fact that the evolution of human history has often proceeded through a series of revolutionary upheavals  such as the founding of new religions and nations. It is argued that tradition  no matter how longstanding -- frequently conserves an initial radical founding. Nevertheless, the very fact that vast social and cultural structures emerge and are built upon the initial founding, is an argument for the importance of tradition. In trying to understand how radical foundings have led to very longstanding traditions, perhaps an idea similar to that of Webers routinized charisma can be invoked. One extremely important notion for relations between nations is that  at least in theory  some kind of ethical code must be seen as taking precedence over the elevation of the nation as the supreme end. Although a nation or people may see itself at the center of the world, it can still uphold a moral code that does not give it permission to carry out any kind of evil it wishes to against other nations and peoples. Gross evil and immorality on behalf of ones nation should not  at least on the theoretical level  be permissible  even if it gains great power and advantages for ones nation. The most notorious example of seeing the nation as prior to any moral considerations was of course Nazi Germany. It is extremely dangerous when large numbers of members of any nation, or of any grouping in a given society, begin to explicitly theorize that their group-interests take precedence over what could be called normal moral considerations. Ideally-speaking, the ethical code of a nation (its virtue), will be mutually reinforcing with the nations sense of identity (its culture). Its possible to argue that in situations where a nation is more harmoniously ordered, it can achieve great things in the physical world, as well, because it does not actively go in the direction of a blowhard strife and aggression. However, this is unfortunately not always necessarily the case, as Nazi Germany came close to achieving world-dominance while being based on a profoundly evil order. Another major issue in relations between nations apart from the embrace of antimoral outlooks is when a nation moves beyond morality into the excess of what could be called moralism. The moralizing and missionizing nation can never feel at ease in the world, and typically makes claims to impose its enlightened values on the planet on the whole. A third issue which has arisen in late modernity is the cultural imperialism of (lets be blunt about this) America. The near-ubiquity of the mostly American-derived, technologically-driven, pop-culture means that rooted and traditional ways of life of many societies around the planet are becoming attenuated and undermined in the direction of Americanization without any need for U.S. troops stationed in dusty garrison-towns. Ironically, the various Hollywood cultural industries are probably even more radically opposed to a more traditional America, as to traditional societies (or remnants of traditional societies) outside of America. Obviously, human history has been characterized by constant warfare and strife, but considerable amounts of it arose  it has to be said -- out of the virtually unavoidable exigencies of national survival. There were also frequently attempts made  for example through such constructs as just war theory -- to try to limit the destructiveness of warfare. There were also notions that claims of different communities had to -- at least to some extent -- be accommodated, through various forms of autonomy or proto-federalism. [1] Another matter one could look at is the question of seeing Western universalism as "our own particularity". Is this not problematic? -- i.e., if it's our particularity, it's not truly universal, although it claims to be universal. Footnotes: [1] One of the greatest ironies of our age is that what is today sometimes called federalism in Europe, is centered on the notion of reducing the independence and distinctiveness of the respective European countries. The shift in terminology from European Community (a union of sovereign states) to European Union is quite telling. The original premise of federalism was to allow maximum distinctiveness within a somewhat loose framework. In the United States, federalism has come to mean two almost opposite notions  one, the idea of a Union of American States (as some argue was the intent of the Founding Fathers)  with only comparatively limited powers allotted to the federal government  and, secondly, a vast federal government and system that has virtually swallowed up the individual States. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
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Britain's terse reaction to Joe Biden's attempt to appease France is another attempt that went astray after the AUKUS deal caused the initial problem. French President Macron has not definitively said the US, UK, and especially Australia are still out in the cold.

Joe Biden's stressed US, France special relationship

Exchanging an old ally ever since, the UK took the brunt of trying to make friends with, the French who are now the most and oldest allies, per the US leader's statement. This has taken its toll on the alleged 'special relationship' of England and the US, which has been sidelined.

A reaction to not backing Downing St. has affected the relationship with Washington, which is seen as a negative against the present US administration, reported the Express UK.

The French leader met with his US counterpart during the G20 Rome Summit to bolster ties. Instead of keeping silent on the UK-Paris fishing spat, the White House leader incepted himself again, like Brexit's issue with Northern Ireland protocol. He said that the United States sees France as its most valued ally, and the US will be there for them.

French, Brexit row on fishing rights

Paris says it will have retaliatory measures imposed by the UK and France clashing over fishing rights and Brexit licenses. But, the US chose to support France, which allegedly points out that the Biden administration is not supporting London, cited Al Jazeera.

Individuals have expressed several comments about the actions of the US leader. Joe Biden's attempt to appease France is seen as not constructive.

Read Also: Biden Attempts To Make Amends to French President Over the Ill-Advised AUKUS Deal that Ruined US, French Relations

Angered reactions to Joe Biden's comments

Biden's latest comments have sparked a furious response from media readers. One individual said that Biden has admitted that the special US and UK relationship does not exist. It's time for the British government to wake up that Washington does not care.

Another reader wrote that France should cover America's back, and the UK sit back whatever happens. One of these reactions is, then Biden should call in France when it needs someone to support it, whether it's military or others. Still, another one remarked that no one could trust Biden, Pelosi, and Harris because they are no friends of the UK.

Last Thursday, an awful spat between France and Britain exploded when a UK trawler was brought into a French port, noted CNN.

France was furious last month because the United Kingdom authorized about 15 of 47 requests allowing small French fishing boats to operate in its maritime areas.

Jersey, which receives 95 percent of its electricity via France, also awarded 66 full licenses and 31 interim permits while declining 73 applications. To this action, the French have stated the will be a blockade of British boats from its ports and make more strict checks on boats in its waters.

The administration of Macron said they want to get the issues finished by November 2, or there will be countermeasures to follow. One would be cutting the power to the Channel Islands.

According to Sky News, Environment Secretary George Eustice said that the UK had given 1,700 vessel permits to fish. About 750 French fishing vessels were allowed to fish. He remarked that France was not enough and added they could do as well. Joe Biden's attempt to appease France only worsens the row when dealing with a crisis at home.

Related Article: French Leader Called Off Meeting with Australia Over AUKUS Despite Meeting with Joe Biden

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China's attempt to reunify the island would cause instability in the region, extending into a global conflict, said a Taiwanese MP. This move comes as Taipei is the center of a power struggle between the US and China, placing the island in the middle of the conflict.

Global conflict could happen if China pursues Taiwan

Wang Ting-Yu, a member of Taiwan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, promised that the island would not surrender to the People's Republic of China. This comes as Beijing is more serious after the US threw down the gauntlet that challenged China, but China said the Americans are making the island an excuse.

China has been developing its forces with technology and capability in its air force and navy, adding more defenses. The PLA is continually testing the capability of the Republic of Taiwan with breaches of the airspace with multiple warplanes and bombers, which is the threat that faces the islands daily, reported the Express UK.

Wang Ting-Yu adds the PLA is getting better every day, and caution is needed to deal with them. Furthermore, the Chinese are the problem with their military forces being too overconfident in the current situation. He mentioned that when Xi Jinping did not step down and pursue his agenda. In the year 2023, the military would be improved significantly for reunification, cited the BBC.

The military will be involved in activities to create conflict in the South China Sea, Himalayan borders close to Indian, with the Taiwan Strait, and the Senkakus in the Sea of Japan.

Read Also: EU Bloc Violates One China Principle Sending Officials After Beijing Push Back, Directed Against the Western Alliance

Everything in the Indo-Pacific is on thin ice with a threat that can prove catastrophic should something trigger it.

Taiwanese MP says Beijing is not being cautious

A statement by the White House is trying to walk back the last words that President Biden spoke about the defense of Taiwan if China invaded. Beijing took it seriously as the US will support Taiwan in the event of armed conflict, as stated by Biden, but many doubt the US can fulfill its vow, noted the Taipei Times.

In effect, what Biden said was an official change of the policy, but the White House is trying to correct what the president said. This effort means the US might not come to Taiwan's aid.

In the Town Hall event in Baltimore, Washington DC Correspondent Kethevane Gorjestani stressed the statement of the US president when asked whether the West would defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese invasion, which he answered clearly yes.

There is a bit of confusion about how Biden answered the statement if he made a public statement if the US would defend the island, but there was no change in foreign policy.

The White House said there was an official relationship with the US according to the Taiwan Relations Act. So, Taipei has a right to defend itself. Also, Washington opposes what China does, which warns China not to do anything rash.

Over what Joe Biden said about Taiwan's defense is inaccurate, and the White House is correcting mistakes in the statement he made. It's not sure if the US will support Taiwan in China's attempt to reunify the island.

Related Article: New Zealand Open To Join the AUKUS Defense Deal; Move Could Start Nuclear Arms Race in Indo-Pacific

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
F-35 Lightning II is scheduled for Block IV upgrades that will improve its performance significantly. These updates are needed in some aspect of the plane that is crucial to keep it advanced from the pack.

The Air Force's aim to fast evolve the Block IV delays are hampering the software upgrade procedure. It is needed to keep the capacities up to date and give the technological edge in any encounter with near-peers.

Delays in the F-35 upgrades

The Air Force is alleged to be getting fewer F-35A variants reported by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Slowed downed timelines is the casualty of it, says the National Interest.

Future Fighter Force is the headline of the study. Disruptions in the supply of Block IV aircraft until 2029, mentioned Our Nation Requires: Building a Bridge, may influence the service's delivery and acquisition plans for the aircraft.

Most Block 4 upgrades are undisclosed hardware, tech, and software modifications that greatly enhance the F-35's fighting capability. The F-35 was designed and built to implement more features into production aircraft.

Most of the plane combat capabilities are part of upgrades that will keep it flying with tricks the adversary aircraft are guessing.

Per Warrior Maven, the block 3F F-35 software upgrade gives the capability to deploy a Small Diameter Bomb or a 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, as well as greater weapons delivery capacity.

Read Also: F-35 Lightning II Stealth Fighter Up Against Conventional Jets in Air Combat Drills

Getting the Block 4 F-35 Lightning II upgrades installed as fast as possible can be included for software that is beneficial to move the F-35 onto a better bar of performance in a lesser amount of time.

Officials with the Air Force have indicated that system modernization will no longer be accomplished in predefined time frames spaced by a year or more but on an "as-ready" approach.

This method works with the broader software upgrade plan to ramp up modernization, security fixes, Automation functionality, condition-based maintenance, and armament upgrades.

Thanks to recent software modifications, the fighter plane can now deploy the Sidewinder missile "off-boresight" and a growing number of many armaments. The Block IV upgrade will allow the stealth fighter jet to drop the Small Diameter Bomb Increment II, commonly known as the Stormbreaker, in the years ahead.

New F-35 upgraded capabilities

In a war with China, the F-35 will be a key player, noted a report by Stars and Stripes. All the new capabilities should be installed sooner as it is the only other 5th generation fighter other than the F-22.

The US military needs an F-35 Lighting II with the more advanced Block 4 improvement as China develops more capabilities.

One of the problems is how soon these advances are available for the upgrades scheduled to be installed. The entire suite of capabilities to the complete upgrade will be at 2029 at the soonest.

This is why it is prolonged, even with prodding to get everything online earlier. When the jets are in the next level of improvement, their buying won't be so slow anymore.

Related Article: Russia to Deploy High Tech Radars That Can Detect Stealth Signatures and Hypersonic Systems in the Far East Sector

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A top-secret Chinese stealth fighter jet is seen flying for the first time after being caught on prior occasions. This sighting resolves the argument on its flight since most of its capacities are shrouded unknown.

This confirms that China is moving forward in technological capabilities. Like the US with the F-22 and F-35, the F-31 and F-20 will be only the second nation to have such fighters.

Evidence of Chinese new 5th generation jet

Footage of China's newest fighter has been seen, flying low speed and at low altitude for the first time, reported the Sun UK.

The blue-green aircraft on a test flight will be the counterpart to the F-35 Lightning II. The People Liberation Army Navy will be using it on carriers like its American equivalent. The first evidence of the speculations is that a carrier prototype, specifically the Shenyang FC-31 stealth fighter, is starting trials.

Only the first ever 5th generation stealth fighter besides the US F-35 has several differences like two canted tailfins, highly visible and raised cockpit, with T-bar for catapults and folding wings. Same as the non-naval version of the FC-31 that was seen recently but parked. This earlier variant was flown in 2012, cited the Drive.

Some upgrades on the Stealth Fighter Jet

The top-secret Chinese stealth fighter jet and carrier version of the 5th generation jet is in the second variation with better streamlining on the airframe, including smaller vertical tails.

Read Also: US Air Force Upgrades F-22 Raptors to Give a New Lease of Life

The new carrier-based plane will be called based on sources that say it will be either of the two, either J-21 or J-35, decided on by those concerned.

A memo from the Pentagon, which outlines Chinese military developments, was sent to Congress last year. It states the development of the smaller FC-31/J-31 to be exported as a future naval fighter for Chinese carriers, noted Australia News.

The PLA Air Force is keeping the specs of the new jet very top secret. In December 2019, a silhouette showed the F-31 shape in the Weibo microblog site and bragged it to be a future carrier-borne fighter.

Sources later said the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) revealed it was developing a brand-new fighter design. This overwhelming development comes after a test to bomb ports that the US Navy might use.

Naval Port Demolition Test Program

Chinese wargames have become more frequent in the months past, and the port busting explosives is only one of the weapons developed to take out US assets.

The Global Times provided a video of an unnamed port showing the destroying charge that caused a massive pillar of water from the explosion. However, they did not reveal the exact locale of the test. Data was collected from the blast and sensors from the port to assess how much was destroyed.

Captain Zhao Pengduo, Deputy Director of the Naval Port Demolition Test Program, said the explosives were intended for a surprise attack. He added that stealth is a suitable method like the port destroying explosives that could wipe out the enemy.

Michael Beckley, the author of the book about the future of the US as a superpower, said China is ready for war. Taiwan is more vulnerable than ever and can be invaded. Still, America is weak for now, with terribly weak defenses. The top-secret Chinese stealth fighter jet threatens the US unless they finish the upgrades of their protection, and China's getting ahead fast.

Related Article: China's 'New' Stealth Fighter FC-31: Is It a Match for the F-35 Lightning II?

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission launch time and date have been delayed, but not for long. Also, people can still watch its live takeoff online.

New NASA SpaceX Crew-3 Mission Launch Time and Date

In the blog post by NASA, the space agency stated that they are moving the launch date and time from the previous announcement. The new time and date will be on Wednesday, November 3, at 1:10 a.m. Eastern Time.

NEW LIFTOFF DATE: NASA's @SpaceX Crew-3 mission is now targeting 1:10am ET (05:10 UTC) on Wed., Nov. 3, for its next launch attempt due to weather along the flight path.



Watch NASA TV coverage starting Nov. 2 at 8:45pm ET (00:45 UTC Nov. 3): https://t.co/KXTmDNSZWm pic.twitter.com/BB3HkTizZo  NASA (@NASA) October 30, 2021

The agency explained that the postponement was due to the unfavorable weather condition on NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Apparently, there's a large storm system wandering throughout the Ohio Valley as well as across the northeastern part of the U.S. during the launch attempt of the Crew Dragon flight on October 31.

Luckily, NASA clarified that there will no longer be another delay since the weather conditions are expected to improve on the new launch date. Aside from the weather expectations, the 45th Weather Squadron forecast seesan 80 percent chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch site.

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Who Are the SpaceX Crew-3 Astronauts?

The New York Times shared some background information of the four astronauts who will be flying to the ISS this November and will stay until late April 2022.

Matthias Maurer : He is the mission specialist of Crew-3. Maurer is a German astronaut who is a representative of the European Space Agency. In 2015, the 51-year-old also joined the European astronaut corps.

: He is the mission specialist of Crew-3. Maurer is a German astronaut who is a representative of the European Space Agency. In 2015, the 51-year-old also joined the European astronaut corps. Kayla Barron: Barron was part of the first group of women to serve on a Navy submarine. The 34-year-old astronaut also entered NASA's astronaut corps in 2017. Both Barron and Raji Chari are members of the Artemis astronaut corps of NASA. This only means that they are eligible to travel to the moon in the future.

Barron was part of the first group of women to serve on a Navy submarine. The 34-year-old astronaut also entered NASA's astronaut corps in 2017. Both Barron and Raji Chari are members of the Artemis astronaut corps of NASA. This only means that they are eligible to travel to the moon in the future. Raja Chari: He is the mission commander of Crew-3, and the fifth Indian astronaut to go to space. The 44-year-old astronaut was a test pilot and an Air Force colonel who had combat missions in Iraq. Same with Barron, he also joined the astronaut corps in 2017.

He is the mission commander of Crew-3, and the fifth Indian astronaut to go to space. The 44-year-old astronaut was a test pilot and an Air Force colonel who had combat missions in Iraq. Same with Barron, he also joined the astronaut corps in 2017. Tom Marshburn: He has flown on two space vehicles in the past such as on Russia's Soyuz Spacecraft in 2013 as well as on Space Shuttle Endeavour of NASA in 2009.

For background information, Crew-1 was launched in November 2020, while Crew-2 lifted off on April 23, 2021, per Engadget.

How to Watch NASA SpaceX Crew-3 Mission Launch?

According to Engadget, the live coverage of the mission launch of NASA SpaceX Crew-3 will be aired on NASA's YouTube channel.

Aside from NASA's YouTube channel, viewers can also tune in to Kennedy Space Center YouTube channel.

Hopefully, though, the weather forecasts are correct and there will no longer be any delay in the launch of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station.

Related Article: Elon Musk Mars Plan: SpaceX CEO Doubles Down on Red Planet Colonization, Shows Gateway to Mars
In this screenshot from YouTube channel "Asian Boss," Christian Lagahit speaks about his career and experiences in Korea.





By Yoon Ja-young







A Filipino actor who played the role of a migrant worker in the popular Netflix series, "Squid Game," talked on the popular YouTube channel, "Asian Boss," about his experiences of discrimination in Korea.







In an interview with Youtube channel "Asian Boss," Christian Lagahit, who appeared on the original Korean drama as "Player 276," introduced himself as a marketing consultant and data analyst who works as a part-time actor here. He said that he came to Korea in 2015 at the suggestion of his mother, who was also working in the country. He started working here as an English teacher and also did part-time gigs as an actor in several films, including "Space Sweepers" and "The Negotiation."







Asked whether he has had any experiences of being stereotyped in Korea, Lagahit said that it was closer to discrimination.







"I was inside the village bus (a direct English translation of the Korean word meaning a local public bus)  I was sitting at the back of the small bus which can only accommodate a few people to sit," he began.







"There was this woman who was just staring at me. But at first, I didn't pay attention. A few minutes passed by. I was just surprised when something hit my face. She threw a cabbage on my face."







He said that he was wearing eyeglasses at the time, so the first thing he worried about was his eyeglasses, because he couldn't see. When he picked them up, however, they were broken.







Christian Lagahit appears in "Squid Game" as "Player 276." Screenshot from the "Asian Boss" YouTube channel





He asked the woman, who seemed to be in her late 50s, why she had done that. One of the other bus passengers said that the woman wanted him to get off the bus because he was not Korean.







He said that he had felt like crying inside, adding that he just felt so bad that not a single person had tried to help him.







"Even when she was about to leave the bus the woman was still screaming 'all foreigners here in Korea are bad people," Lagahit said. He also mentioned another case in which people refused to sit beside him on the bus.







As he shared his experiences in the interview, some Koreans commented online that they felt sorry and ashamed, and that they wanted to apologize on the behalf of the woman on the bus. Some others, meanwhile, claimed that they could not imagine such an incident happening and wondered if the woman had a mental health problem.


Han So-hee in a still of Netflix original series "My Name" / Courtesy of Netflix



By Kang Hyun-kyung



"Two lives. Two names. That's why he looked like he was on the edge of a cliff."



Actress Han So-hee plays a revenge-driven woman named Jiwoo in the hit Netflix series, "My Name." She is hell-bent on chasing down the person who murdered her father, an undercover cop who infiltrated a criminal organization responsible for selling and distributing 90 percent of the crystal methamphetamines sold on the streets of Korea.



Constantly reminded of the gun shots that killed her father in front of their home, Jiwoo vows to take revenge and silently begins to track down the murderer.



For noir film fans, the popular Netflix series is reminiscent of the 2013 crime action movie, "New World," which is also about a showdown between cops and a criminal gang in the guise of a corporation. The showdown occurs after the sudden death of its boss in a dubious car accident, resulting in a leadership vacuum.



Both "My Name" and "New World" deal with betrayal and revenge and how they reshape the balance of power between the police and a criminal organization.



The Netflix series and "New World," directed by Park Hoong-jung, also share one more characteristic in common: they are both worth watching more than once. A second viewing of the two fast-paced works reveals more hidden meanings.



In "My Name," Jiwoo embodies revenge. Determined to find and avenge the murderer of her father, she is ready to accept all of the consequences of her actions. She chooses to work for a gang boss, played by Park Hee-soon, and betrays him later after learning about the truth surrounding her father's death.



The gang boss lies to Jiwoo, increasing her anger toward the hooded man who killed her father, and grooms her after she drops out of high school. He transforms Jiwoo into a killer and plants her inside the narcotics division of the police in order to gain access to classified information.



"I've never betrayed anyone that I trusted. Yet, why have I always been betrayed by them?" the gang boss asks himself near the end of the eight-episode series.



His remarks explain where his anger came from. But what he said is self-contradictory, too. He himself is a liar and blames others for betrayal, which is another form of a lie.



In the Netflix noir series, betrayal has a chain reaction. Hatred brews in Jiwoo's mind after she witnesses the murder of her father, which triggers her to seek revenge. Revenge leads to her desperate search for the truth, which in turn prompts her to betray her boss, who has been controlling her.



Han's transformation into a revenge-driven gang member who is planted inside the police is stunning. Born again as a bloody, revenge-seeking character in the Netflix series, Han successfully portrays her character and her performance is impressive enough to make viewers forget about her previous role as a young, seductive mistress in an affair with a married man in JTBC's 2019 drama "The World of the Married."





Actor Park Hee-soon plays a gang boos in Netflix original series "My Name." Courtesy of Netflix

Co-star Park Hee-soon (playing the gang boss) is charismatic. "My Name" will certainly be a turning point in the success of his acting career. He took advantage of the Netflix series to prove himself to be a versatile actor capable of playing a lead role.



In "My Name," the two co-stars both stand out.



Meanwhile, in the 2013 crime action film, "New World," Hwang Jung-min, who plays a Chinese-Korean underboss competing with others for the leadership succession following the mysterious death of their boss, steals the show.



Hwang outshines co-star Lee Jung-jae, an undercover cop named Ja-sung, who infiltrates the criminal organization. Viewers find it difficult to sympathize with Ja-sung about the extreme level of anxiety and insecurity that haunts him, as he risks his life living a dangerous double life as a cop and a gangster.



The imbalance in the stage presence of the two co-stars makes the 2012 film less convincing, despite the strong cinematic details that director Park tried to put into the movie.





Hwang Jung-min in a still of 2013 crime action film "New World" / Korea Times file




Household loans by major banks in South Korea grew at a slower pace in October from a month earlier as the government tightened its grip on lending, industry data showed Monday.







The combined outstanding loans of five major banks, including KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana and Woori, came in at 706.33 trillion won (US$600.4 billion) as of end-October, up 3.44 trillion won from late September, according to the data by the banks.







The growth slowed from a 4.07 trillion won on-month rise tallied in September.



Their outstanding home-backed loans also expanded at a slower pace over the same period.







The data showed that their combined mortgage loans stood at 501.22 trillion won at the end of October, up 3.8 trillion won from a month earlier. The increase compared with a 4 trillion won on-month rise registered in September.







The slower pace of growth came as South Korea beefed up its regulation of household debt amid worries excessive lending could weigh on economic recovery.







In the latest in a string of such measures, the government announced last week that it will enforce stricter lending rules based on borrowers' repayment capability through the debt service ratio from January next year to curb soaring household debt.







The government said that it will work hard to keep the annual household debt growth rate in the 5-6 percent range for this year and lower it to the 4-5 percent range for next year.






Eleven people have lunch together at a restaurant in Daejeon, Monday, after the government introduced its gradual easing of social distancing regulations as part of its "Living with COVID-19" plan. In regions outside the capital area, up to 12 people can have private gatherings when including eight fully vaccinated people, up from the previous 10 including six fully vaccinated ones. Yonhap
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a G-20 meeting in Rome, Oct. 31 (local time). Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in on Sunday pledged that South Korea will compete the phase-out of coal-fired power generation by 2050 and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality on a global level.



Moon made the remarks as the leaders of the Group of 20 countries gathered for the second day of the Rome summit, their first in-person gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic, with attention focused on whether they will reach a meaningful agreement on how to fight global warming.



"In line with the carbon neutrality target, the Republic of Korea will complete the phase-out of all coal-fired power generation by 2050," Moon told the summit.



Moon said South Korea will help developing nations achieve carbon neutrality by providing funds and technologies.



"Based on the Republic of Korea's growth experience, we will join efforts of carbon neutrality by developing nations," Moon said. "The Republic of Korea will also step up cooperation with developing nations in the field of green technology."



Earlier this month, South Korea finalized a decision to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the 2018 levels by 2030, sharply raising its previous goal as part of efforts to curb the pace of climate change.



South Korea also confirmed that it will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, as the nation started tackling the challenge of responding to climate change and attaining sustainable growth simultaneously.






President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook walk down the stairs of the presidential plane after arriving at Glasgow International Airport in Scotland, Nov. 1. He will attend a U.N. summit on climate change. Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in arrived in Britain on Sunday for a U.N. summit on climate change where he is expected to urge the world to urgently tackle the climate crisis and highlight South Korea's role in combating climate change.



The U.N. summit, also known as the COP26 summit, is set to bring together more than 100 heads of state, including Moon, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city.



World leaders are expected to assess achievements since the Paris agreement to limit global warming, which was signed in 2015. Whether to agree on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is one of the key topics at the U.N. summit.



Scientists said the timing of the 1.5 C rise in the earth's temperature is very likely to come before 2040, a decade faster than an earlier prediction, if greenhouse gas emissions remain at current levels.






gettyimagesbank



South Korea plans to gradually lift restrictions on arrivals of migrant workers prompted by the pandemic starting later this month as the country has begun to take steps to return to normalcy, the labor minister said Monday.



"In light of the shift to 'living with COVID-19' scheme, we're going to push for a measure to gradually ease entry restrictions on foreign workers," labor minister An Kyung-duk said during a visit to a workplace that employs migrant workers.



All foreign workers will be allowed to enter the country if they are confirmed to have been vaccinated back home and have negative results in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and the cap on daily and weekly arrivals of migrant workers will also be removed, the minister said.



"We will make sure the entrance of foreign workers will be expanded at the end of this month at the latest," he said.



On Monday, the first stage of the three-stage scheme to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions was activated as more than 70 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated.



So far, South Korea has only allowed a limited number of migrant workers from certain countries to enter the country amid the pandemic due to virus concerns.



Only those who tested negative on PCR tests were allowed to enter the country and required to undergo mandatory two-week self-quarantine upon arrival.



In the light of such policies, the tally of migrant workers who entered South Korea plunged from an annual average of 50,000 before the pandemic to below 7,000 last year, according to the ministry.



Many small and medium-sized businesses here, as well as farms, have complained of manpower shortages due to the sharp drop in the number of migrant workers.



About 50,000 foreigners with work permits were waiting to enter the country as of last month due to the restrictions, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)


South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, poses with first lady Kim Jung-sook at the Glasgow International Airport in Scotland, Monday. / Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in plans to report South Korea's raised goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at U.N. climate talks on Monday, as the COP26 talks opened with a sense of urgency regarding the need to limit global warming.



More than 100 heads of state, including Moon, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, gathered in Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city, for the U.N. climate summit, which came a day after leaders of G-20 major economies stopped short of setting clear targets on carbon neutrality.



Moon is set to deliver a keynote speech at the Monday summit, where he is expected to urge the world to urgently tackle the climate crisis and highlight South Korea's role in combating climate change.



Last month, South Korea finalized a decision to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 2018 levels by 2030, sharply raising its previous goal as part of efforts to curb the pace of climate change.



South Korea also confirmed that it will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, as the nation started tackling the challenge of responding to climate change and attaining sustainable growth simultaneously.



At the G-20 summit in Italy, Moon pledged that South Korea will stay in lockstep with the push for carbon neutrality.



"We will put a complete end to coal-fired power generation by 2050. Moreover, official financial support for the construction of new coal-fired power plants overseas has already been suspended," Moon told the G-20 summit.



"Although Korea's methane emissions are relatively low, we actively agree with relevant reduction efforts and will join the Global Methane Pledge," Moon said.



During the COP26 summit, Moon is expected to formally announce South Korea's decision to join the Global Methane Pledge, a global pact to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.



In Glasgow, world leaders are expected to assess achievements since the Paris agreement to limit global warming, which was signed in 2015. Whether to agree on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is one of the key topics at the U.N. summit.



Scientists said the timing of the 1.5 C rise in the earth's temperature is very likely to come before 2040, a decade faster than an earlier prediction, if greenhouse gas emissions remain at current levels.



Wrapping up the G-20 summit, world leaders agreed that, "Keeping 1.5 degrees within reach will require meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries."



However, they agreed to achieve global net zero greenhouse gas emissions or carbon neutrality "by or around mid-century," instead of setting a target year at 2050. (Yonhap)




A local district health official in protective gear disinfects shop fronts as a precaution against the coronavirus in Seoul, Oct. 29. AP-Yonhap



A total of 1,289 people in violation of anti-COVID-19 rules were caught in the past three days at Halloween parties and private gatherings across the country, police said Monday.



The National Police Agency said 630 people were discovered violating antivirus protocols, food sanitation rules and music-related regulations Saturday, followed by 400 on Sunday and 259 on Friday.






A handwritten visitor log to track COVID-19 cases is shown at a restaurant in western Seoul in this April 5 photo. Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwon



By Lee Hae-rin



A restaurant owner in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, is being investigated by prosecutors for allegedly contacting a female customer after obtaining her phone number from the visitor register, a mandatory log the government requires store owners to compile to track COVID-19 cases.



The Asan police said, Monday, they had referred the case to prosecutors, asking them to indict the restaurant owner, whose name was withheld, for violating the Personal Information Protection Act.



The victim visited the restaurant with her two children in July. She filled in the handwritten visitor log because there was no QR code scanner for digital check-ins. After the visit, she received a message from an unknown number that read, "I want to be good friends with you," according to the police.



To help health officials track the spread of coronavirus infections, all businesses here, including restaurants, are obligated to document every visitor digitally or manually and record their personal information, including phone number and area of residence.



When the woman did not respond to the text message, the restaurant owner allegedly sent more messages via Kakao Talk saying, "Did I do something wrong?" and "Did you go to work?" the next day.





Seen is the text message record between the female customer and the restaurant owner who wrote "I only had good intentions," and "I just wanted to be good friends with you." Screenshot from SBS




Prosecutors sought arrest warrants Monday for three key figures in an urban development scandal on charges of breach of trust and bribery in connection with a lucrative project in Seongnam, south of Seoul.







Prosecutors have been looking into suspicions over how a previously unheard-of asset management company, Hwacheon Daeyu, and its seven affiliates reaped astronomical profits from a 2015 project to develop the Daejang-dong district in Seongnam into an apartment complex.







The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sought the warrants for Kim Man-bae and Nam Wook, private partners of the project, who are alleged to have colluded with Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., to set the terms of the public bidding in the project to allow Hwacheon Daeyu to become the preferred bidder.







Prosecutors believe that Hwacheon Daeyu reaped profits of 65.1 billion won (US$55.3 million) from the alleged collusion and caused damage to Seongnam Development Corp.







Investigators also sought an arrest warrant for Chung Min-yong, former head of the strategy business division at Seongnam Development Corp., who is suspected of colluding with Kim, Nam and Yoo.







Prosecutors also pressed additional breach of trust charges against Yoo, who was arrested and then indicted last month on charges of accepting 500 million won in bribes in exchange for business favors to Hwacheon Daeyu.







Last month, prosecutors had sought an arrest warrant for Kim, but a Seoul court rejected the request, citing insufficient grounds for his arrest. Whether the court accepts or rejects the second request for Kim could be critical in the investigation moving forward.







The scandal has received intense media coverage amid questions about its potential impact on next year's presidential election, as the project was launched when the ruling Democratic Party's presidential nominee, Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, was mayor of Seongnam.







The main opposition People Power Party has claimed Lee was behind the whole scheme.







Lee has apologized for what he described as "appointing the wrong people" but has rejected all allegations raised against him. (Yonhap)


By Lee Hyo-jin



Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), has stirred controversy with his remarks on dog meat consumption, which reflected claims shared among supporters of the dog meat trade.



Yoon, who has been known as an animal lover raising four dogs and three cats, spoke about the dog meat trade and animal rights issues during a televised debate among presidential contenders of the PPP, Sunday.





Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a TV debate at KBS on Yeouido, Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
The Han River Park near Cheonho Bridge in Seoul is submerged due to heavy rain in this Aug. 6, 2020 photo. South Korea suffered from torrential rains in its capital and central regions at the time, with the first flood alert in nine years issued for areas near the river. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki



This article is the last in a series on various environment problems, government countermeasures and expert opinions on how to solve them.  ED.



Korea still left behind in efforts to slow down global warming



By Jun Ji-hye



An increasing number of people around the world have been suffering damage from abnormal weather conditions caused by climate change in recent years, such as torrential rain, scorching heat and droughts.





This summer, deadly floods devastated several European countries, including Germany, causing more than 200 deaths and widespread damage, while hundreds of people in the U.S.'s Pacific Northwest died due to unprecedented high temperatures.



In September, the remnants of Hurricane Ida caused flash flooding and a number of deaths in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut in the United States, leaving more than 150,000 homes without power.



Citing a research paper published Oct. 11 in the journal "Nature Climate Change," The Washington Post reported that at least 85 percent of the global population has experienced a variety of abnormal weather caused by changes in the climate.



"We have a huge evidence base now that documents how climate change is affecting our societies and our ecosystems," lead author Max Callaghan, a researcher at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Germany, was quoted as saying. "Climate change is visible and noticeable almost everywhere in the world."





This graph from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that the global surface temperature in 2020 has risen by more than 1 degree Celsius compared to the pre-industrialization period. However, it could have remained relatively unchanged if only natural factors had been applied without human intervention. Courtesy of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change



In August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that under all scenarios examined, the earth's temperature is likely to rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius within 20 years, compared to the pre-industrialization period (1850-1900).



The IPCC noted that the Earth has already seen a temperature rise of 1.09 degrees Celsius between 2011 and 2020 from pre-industrial levels.



Nearly 14,000 scientists also warned, at the end of July, against "untold suffering" facing humanity, if effective measures to tackle global warming are not taken immediately, jointly signing a new climate emergency paper published July 28 in the journal "BioScience."



In the paper, the authors suggested three policies: implementing a global carbon price to reduce emissions, banning fossil fuels, and protecting carbon-rich ecosystems such as forests.



South Korea has been no exception in experiencing abnormal climatic changes as the country suffered from heavy rain in the capital and central regions in summer last year, which caused a number of casualties and property damage, and scorching heat this summer.



On Oct. 16, unseasonable cold wave alerts were issued for most of the country, including Seoul, marking the first time in 17 years that such an alert has been issued for the capital in that month.





Rail officials spray water on railroads near Jochiwon Station in South Chungcheong Province, July 23, to prevent the track from buckling and warping amid the scorching heat. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han



Despite growing concerns over climate change both inside and outside the country, South Korea has ranked low in its response, according to an annual report  the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)  released by three international environmental research institutes: Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network.









In the CCPI 2021 released Dec. 7, South Korea was still among the lowest-performing countries, ranking 53rd out of 61 countries, although it had climbed five positions from a year earlier.



"The country drops from a medium to a low rating in the renewable energy category, reflecting a very low current share of such energy," the report stated. "In line with the CCPI target analysis' findings, experts assessed the long-term renewable energy targets of a 20-percent share of the total energy mix by 2030 and 30 percent to 35 percent by 2040 as too unambitious."



In a bid to join international efforts to slow down climate change, President Moon Jae-in last year declared the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.



Toward that end, the presidential committee on carbon neutrality finalized a decision, Oct. 18, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or the country's nationally determined contribution (NDC), by 40 percent from 2018 levels by 2030.



The target of reducing carbon emissions was raised from the 26.3 percent set in 2020 and from 35 percent stated in a relevant bill passed at the National Assembly in August.



"The goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40 percent is a very challenging target and the maximum the country can do, which shows our strong willingness for carbon neutrality to the international community," Moon said during the committee meeting he presided over.





President Moon Jae-in speaks at a meeting of the presidential committee on carbon neutrality held on Nodeul Island, central Seoul, Oct. 18. Yonhap



The President will announce the country's upgraded NDC target at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, which is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, through Nov. 12.



The decision, however, has invited criticism from environmental organizations that claim the target is insufficient, considering international standards.



"The target decided by the government is very disappointing. To prevent the worst degree of climate change, we should immediately start reducing greenhouse gas emissions to significant levels and achieve at least a 50 percent reduction in 2030 from 2018 levels," said Jeong Sang-hoon, a climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Korea.



"If the government announces this target at COP26, it will face a cold reaction from international citizens. International investment institutions and global companies, which place importance on responses to climate change in their investment decisions, will also have doubts on the future of South Korea's economy."



For its part, the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements issued a statement, claiming the presidential committee made a too hasty decision in a bid to meet the COP26 schedule.



"The hasty decision will only result in damage for future generations. The government needs to reset the target and produce a detailed plan," it said.





A man looks at a car in flood waters, Sept. 2, after Hurricane Ida brought drenching rain, flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the U.S. Northeast in Mamaroneck, New York. Reuters-Yonhap
By Joschka Fischer





BERLIN  In light of ongoing global political changes, there is much discussion in the European Union about the need for "strategic autonomy." The thinking in EU institutions in Brussels, and among leaders in Paris and some other capitals, is that the global rebalancing of political and economic power away from the North Atlantic requires Europe to develop a more forceful security and defense policy so that it can engage in the geopolitically ascendant Indo-Pacific.



But the Indo-Pacific is far from Europe. Even if France still believes that it has strategic interests there by dint of its overseas territories, the same most certainly does not apply to Europe as a whole. Moreover, even if France aspires to be a Pacific power, it no longer has the requisite strength. Its foreign-policy ambitions must be recognized as mere echoes from a bygone era.



This is not the eighteenth or nineteenth century. If a 21st century Pacific power really had aggressive designs on one of France's far-flung Pacific territories, France would be unable to muster an effective defense. It would be in the same situation as Great Britain vis-a-vis Japan during World War II: totally dependent on the United States.



Because the EU is not, in fact, a global power, it cannot be a stabilizing force in global security. Though it faces no shortage of challenges and threats, these emanate primarily from its immediate neighborhood (mostly the European continent and the Mediterranean), and stem largely from its own internal contradictions. It remains ultimately reliant on the credibility of the U.S. security guarantee for its own defense.



The new debate about "strategic autonomy" follows from the fact that U.S. policies in recent years have called into question the credibility of that guarantee. But if Europeans want to reinforce the principle of mutual defense by increasing their own contribution to transatlantic security (as I believe they should), they ought to look first and foremost to their own neighborhood.



Until now, the EU has had only one truly effective security-policy tool at its disposal: the promise of accession to the bloc. But since the EU's great eastward expansion in 2004, it has had to deal with internal crises caused by nationalist governments in Hungary and Poland, both of which have directly challenged the EU by rejecting the supremacy of EU law.



In any case, the enlargement process has effectively ceased, owing to the frictions introduced by previous expansion and older member states' inability to implement the necessary internal reforms. Yet even though the EU has deprived itself of the means of achieving an independent role in security and foreign-policy matters, it has begun to bang the drum of "strategic autonomy." This should be recognized as a dangerous contradiction.



It is worth remembering that at the June 2003 Thessaloniki Summit after the war in Kosovo, the EU made a binding commitment that has since underpinned the postwar settlement and maintained the prospects for regional peace. Here is what it said:



"The EU reiterates its unequivocal support to the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries. The future of the Balkans is within the European Union. The ongoing enlargement and the signing of the Treaty of Athens in April 2003 inspire and encourage the countries of the Western Balkans to follow the same successful path.



Preparation for integration into European structures and ultimate membership into the European Union, through adoption of European standards, is now the big challenge ahead. The Croatian application for EU membership is currently under examination by the commission. The speed of movement ahead lies in the hands of the countries of the region."



Ten years later, in 2013, Croatia was admitted to the EU. Reneging on this promise for the region's other countries, or postponing additional accessions to a later date ad kalendas Graecas (meaning never), would have disastrous consequences. While one can argue over whether Turkey really counts as part of Europe, there is no doubt whatsoever that the Western Balkans do. Nor is there any doubt that instability there poses a danger to the entire continent. The long, violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s ought to have driven that point home.



On top of this geopolitical risk are the dynamics associated with new great-power rivalries. Russia and China have already shown that they are all too eager to play the Balkan card against the EU. If faith in the EU's earlier promise to the region were to evaporate, a revival of aggressive nationalism would likely follow, creating the conditions for a return to war.



Viewed from this perspective, the EU simply cannot afford to abandon enlargement, especially not if it is serious about achieving "strategic autonomy." To be sure, recent internal challenges have shown that modifications to EU governance may be necessary. But breaking the promise of membership is not an option. It is in the Balkans, not the distant Indo-Pacific, that European security and foreign policy must prove itself. And it is in the entire West's interest that Europe acquit itself well there.



Translation from German: Jan & Monica Doolan





Joschka Fischer, Germany's foreign minister and vice chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader of the German Green Party for almost 20 years. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


Bolder action needed to fight climate change



More than 120 world leaders kicked off a 13-day U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, a Scottish city in the United Kingdom, Sunday, to discuss how to save the planet from the devastating impacts of climate change. This gathering comes amid deteriorating weather conditions such as extreme heat waves, flooding, severe drought and raging wildfires.



The participants will review what the world has done to implement the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to prevent further global warming. They are also expected to come up with measures to achieve the long-term goal of carbon neutrality.



At stake is how to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels. Each country is scheduled to present its carbon reduction goal, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) during the summit, which is officially called the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).



President Moon Jae-in will announce South Korea's plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 2018 levels by the end of 2030. The reduction target represents a significant rise from the previous target of 26.3 percent. It is part of the country's commitment to realizing carbon neutrality by 2050. Moon needs to publicize the nation's efforts to fight climate change, despite a backlash from domestic industries.



It is time for our nation to shake off its image as a "climate villain." Korea is the world's 10th-largest economy by GDP  it is also known as the world's ninth-largest emitter of carbon. Now the country should become a responsible member of the international community by fulfilling obligations commensurate with its global economic status.



We hope that the COP26 summit will bring a new opportunity for Korea to speed up its energy transition to renewable resources, and transform the economy into a carbon-neutral one. First of all, the country needs to push for the phasing out of coal and other fossil fuels earlier than its target year. Businesses, particularly manufacturing companies, should also double down on reducing emissions. They should regard carbon reduction costs as investments in new technologies.



Alok Sharma, a British politician serving as president of the Glasgow summit, said at the opening ceremony that the COP26 climate negotiations are the "last, best hope" to keep the goal of curbing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. There are high expectations for world leaders to work out bolder measures to head off a climate catastrophe. Yet, there are concerns about the wide differences over how to stop climate change and who will pay the bill.



The U.S. and some European countries are adamant about meeting carbon neutrality by 2050, while pledging to reduce emissions by half by 2030. But, China, Russia, India and other countries are trying to delay their target year or refusing to present their reduction goal. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been notably absent from the summit. This could bode ill for the global fight against climate change. World leaders should not waste a make-or-break chance to save the Earth.


KT executives bow in a gesture of apology for damage caused by a network failure that caused disruptions in wired and wireless services for subscribers, Oct. 25, at a briefing outlining compensation and measures to prevent such an event from recurring, at the company's office in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap



By Kim Bo-eun



KT will pay out up to 40 billion won ($33.97 million) in compensation to customers of its wired and wireless services, which underwent nationwide disruptions Oct. 25, the company said.



The telecom company outlined its compensation policy for the network failure during a briefing, Monday. A routing error disabled wired and wireless services from around 11:20 a.m. to noon a week earlier  most services were back by noon, but some disruptions lasted longer.



KT said it will pay compensation for 10 times the disruption time of 89 minutes, which works out at 15 hours, for individual service customers. Small business owners will be eligible to receive compensation for 10 days' worth of damage, given they use a number of devices that need to be connected to the internet, such as card payment systems.



Regarding the specifics of the compensation method, the company said customers will be compensated via a discount in subscription plan payments for this month to be paid for in December. A website and call center will be set up to address customers' inquiries and run for two weeks, the company added.



However, following its announcement, complaints began to grow given the average level of compensation for individuals comes to 1,000 won and for small business owners, 8,000 won.



The network failure disabled stock trading by individuals, card payments at restaurants and orders via ordering platforms from being registered. Taxi drivers experienced disruptions in navigation services and incoming calls.



KT noted the compensation plan is comprehensive given that the extent of damage could vary for each service subscriber, and it would be difficult to cater to each individual.



"We ask that the service subscribers consider that this was the best possible solution, given the plan needs to be fair and drawn up as fast as possible," KT's head of customer division Park Hyo-il told reporters in a briefing.



Under its contract, KT is not required to compensate for disruptions of less than three consecutive hours, but the company appears to have made the choice amid deteriorating public sentiment.



The company stressed the level of compensation is greater than that paid for disruptions stemming from a fire at a KT branch in western Seoul in November 2018. Disruptions at that time lasted longer, but only affected parts of Seoul and the metropolitan area.



NTT Docomo, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile caused disruptions in services for subscribers (customers) in recent years, but none offered compensation.



"We are offering the greatest level of compensation compared to both local and foreign companies in the same industry," a KT official said.



The Ministry of Science and ICT said the mistake of an employee of a KT subcontractor caused the nationwide disruption. The routing work was supposed to be carried out during night hours, but the employee had been doing the work in the daytime, with KT's consent. KT said it was responsible for failing to properly monitor the situation, as well as detect the error at a prior review stage and prevent the error from spreading to nationwide networks.



KT said it will incorporate a test-bed that will simulate the routing process before they are actually performed, to prevent any recurrence, and expand an existing system that blocks routing error dissemination.




President Moon Jae-in speaks during a multilateral summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss global supply chain issues on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rome, Sunday. Yonhap



Experts say Moon's low-key speech is understandable



By Yi Whan-woo



President Moon Jae-in remained "low-key" over requests by the United States to address global supply chain issues, during a multilateral forum on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, Sunday, experts and sources said, Monday.



Moon touched broadly on the significance of normalizing the global supply chain while being specific about ways to tackle the international shipping crisis, which needs China's support to resolve. These actions reflect an extension of Korea's balancing act to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of the U.S.-China row.



Such a complex diplomatic gesture, however, may leave Samsung Electronics in an equally difficult position regarding its semiconductor business in the United States, as it may have to deal directly with the Biden administration over whether to hand over confidential information on chips, the expert said.



Ahead of the U.S.'s "voluntary" Nov. 8 deadline for chipmakers to provide data to make global chip supply chains more transparent, the Korean tech giant's possible compliance with the White House request could also prompt China to make an identical demand. The U.S. Department of Commerce said earlier that SK hynix and Taiwan's TSMC are both on track to share their key data before the deadline.



According to Samsung Electronics' 2020 business report, China accounted for some 32 percent of its total semiconductor business sales last year.



Samsung Electronics was not available for comment.





President Moon Jae-in, front row left, listens to U.S. President Joe Biden, front row right, during a multilateral forum hosted by Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, Sunday. Yonhap
U.S. President Joe Biden and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen shake hands after talking to reporters about pausing the trade war over steel and aluminum tariffs during the G20 leaders summit in Rome, Sunday. AP-Yonhap





By Yi Whan-woo







POSCO, Hyundai Steel and other Korean steelmakers may face setbacks in their exports to the U.S., following Washington's deal with the European Union to ease steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018, according to industry sources, Monday.







The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy convened an emergency meeting with representatives from 11 steel mills, Monday, to discuss possible countermeasures and the industry's outlook. The U.S and the EU agreed to ease tariffs on billions of dollars of steel and aluminum to end a trade dispute dating back to the previous administration, according to reports.







Under the deal reached on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rome over the weekend, a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent on aluminum will remain, while a limited volume of EU-produced metals will come into the U.S. duty free.







The EU in return will scrap a 10 percent tariff imposed as a retaliatory measure.







The agreement is also intended to reduce global carbon emissions and ease supply chain bottlenecks in the metals industry.







Korean manufacturers, however, will face problems exporting 260,000 tons of steel products  the quota agreed with the U.S. in their respective deal signed in 2018.







Korea was asked back then to reduce its export amount to 70 percent of the average level from 2015 to 2017, while receiving a 25 percent tariff exemption in return.







"The influence on Korea's steel exports will be inevitable to some extent following the deal," Joo Young-joon, a senior trade ministry official, said during the emergency meeting at the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) in southern Seoul. "The government will make utmost efforts to minimize the negative impact."







An executive from a steelmaking firm said the U.S.-EU deal will be "detrimental" at a time when the American economy is on a recovery path and demand has been rising for steel.







Increasing production in the U.S. was suggested as an option to overcome the challenge. But given the fact that POSCO is the only Korean company with manufacturing plants in the U.S., most companies do not see that as a practical measure.







Some steelmakers requested the government to ease the 2018 quota and also engage in talks with other countries that have implemented steel safeguards.







They called for private-public efforts to speed up eco-friendly manufacturing in the steel industry, which has been criticized for being energy-intensive.


Official poster of Gmarket's Mega G sale festival / Courtesy of eBay Korea



By Kim Jae-heun



The local e-commerce platform Gmarket, operated by eBay Korea, will host "Mega G," its biggest sales event of the year, from Nov. 1 to 12, as part of its self-titled "Big Smile Day."



Gmarket provides English- and Chinese-language services on its Global Shop platform, where international shoppers can search for cosmetics, foods, clothing and K-pop-related goods discounted at up to 70 percent. The e-commerce platform also gives out free e-coupons, which customers can use to add more discounts to the final price.



Gmarket will offer beauty products and grocery items on the first day in collaboration with Lotte Confectionery, Sulwhasoo, Clio, Caraz, Cherryville and Vaseline.



Some of the exclusive promotions for Mega G will include Sulwhasoo holding raffle events and Clio giving out free photo cards of K-pop girl group aespa.



Lotte Confectionery will introduce a limited edition of its Pepero snacks, with only 3,000 packs available. People can get a maximum 30 percent discount if they use a 20 percent discount coupon for Big Smile Day and another 10 percent discount coupon distributed by Gmarket. Those who purchase the limited-edition snack will receive two photo cards of K-pop boy band AB6IX, and for those who buy more than two packs, Gmarket will give a free clipboard.



On Monday, Gmarket held a live broadcast together with AB6IX on its official YouTube channel INSSA OPPA G to promote Pepero and invite the K-pop band's fans. INSSA OPPA G had garnered over 4.75 million subscribers as of Nov. 1. Last December, the channel launched the web drama "Can I Step In," which gained popularity worldwide.



AB6IX gave away copies of its new album as a special gift to customers buying Pepero. AB6IX has been collaborating with various brands over the last year through Gmarket and meeting new fans around the world.



Gmarket also opened a special exhibition page for K-content where it sells various merchandise for the recent mega-hit drama "Squid Game," including the red training suit, "ttakji" and "dalgona." Ttakji is a flat square game piece that a player use to hit and flip other ttakji. Dalgona is a sponge toffee-like sugar candy available in Korea from street vendors.



"We have opened the Mega G festival to celebrate Big Smile Day, the Korean version of Black Friday, which is the largest shopping festival of the year. Mega G will invite international customers to shop online from outside of Korea and give big discounts for their favorite local brands," a Gmarket official said. "We have prepared a lot of special discounts for many popular Korean items in the fields of cosmetics, fashion and K-pop. There are products traded exclusively on our platform and we have invited K-pop stars to meet and communicate with international fans on our platform."



Participating brands also include AmorePacific, Etude and Banila Co. in the cosmetics sector; CheilJedang, Dongseo Foods, Teazen and Chungjungone in the food field; Cherry KoKo and Attrangs in the fashion area; and YG Select, Yes 24 and Apple Music from the culture content industry.






Firefighters gather outside Kokuryo Station on the Keio Line in the city of Chofu in western Tokyo, after a man injured at least 17 people in a knife and fire attack on a train, Oct. 31. AFP-Yonhap



A man dressed in Batman's Joker costume and brandishing a knife on a Tokyo commuter train on Sunday stabbed several passengers before starting a fire, which sent people scrambling to escape and jumping from windows, police and witnesses said.



The Tokyo Fire Department said 17 passengers were injured, including three seriously. Not all of them were stabbed and most of the other injuries were not serious, the agency said.



The attacker, identified as a 24-year-old man, was arrested on the spot and was being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder, NHK said. His motive was not immediately known.



Nippon Television reported that the suspect told police that he wanted to kill and get the death penalty, and that he used an earlier train stabbing case as an example.



Witnesses told police that the attacker was wearing a bright outfit  a green shirt, a blue suit and a purple coat  like the Joker in Batman comics or someone going to a Halloween event, according to media reports.



Tokyo police officials said the attack happened inside the Keio train near the Kokuryo station.





Emergency workers and police officers on the scene at a train station in Tokyo, after a man brandishing a knife on a commuter train stabbed several passengers before starting a fire, which sent people scrambling to escape and jumping from windows, police and witness said, Oct. 31. AP-Yonhap
France's President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he addresses media representatives at a press conference in Rome, Oct. 31, during the G20 Summit. AFP-Yonhap



French President Emmanuel Macron said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him over the cancellation of a submarine building contract in September, and indicated more was needed to be done to rebuild trust between the two allies.



Macron and Morrison were in Rome for the G20 summit, the first time they had met since Australia scrapped a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with France as part of a new security alliance with the United States and Britain announced in September.



The new security alliance, dubbed AUKUS and which could give Australia access to nuclear-powered submarines, caught Paris off guard and saw the French ambassadors recalled from Washington and Canberra amid accusations France had been betrayed.



"I have a lot of respect for your country. I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people. I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistently with this value," Macron told a group of Australian reporters who had travelled to cover the G20.



Asked if he thought Morrison had lied to him, Macron replied "I don't think, I know."



Morrison, speaking later at a media conference on Sunday in Rome, said he had not lied and that he had previously explained to Macron that conventional submarines would no longer meet Australia's needs. He said the process of repairing the relationship had begun.



On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden said he had thought France had been informed of the contract cancellation before the AUKUS pact was announced, and said that the handling of the new security agreement had been clumsy. (Reuters)


1. Comedian Amanda Seales (of HBOs Insecure) is about to take you to school. Sick of the stereotypes about African Americans in media and the overall lack of knowledge of black history, Seales mixes humor and her doctorate in African American studies with her love of games and music to cr


Bilingual Case Worker - $2,000 Sign-on Bonus (IFS) Requisition #: req6003

Location: DuPage & Kane County, IL Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week) *$1,000 incentive bonus upon CWEL Completion

*$2,000 sign on bonus for being CWEL certified upon hire Bethany is changing the world through family. We began our work by serving one child more than 75 years ago. Today, Bethany is an international Christian nonprofit partnering with communities in more than 30 states and in several countries around the world. We strengthen and preserve families, support displaced people fleeing danger, and find safe, loving families for children who need them. Bethany is at the forefront of creating and implementing solutions to meet the growing needs of vulnerable children and families in the U.S. and around the world. Intact Family Services maintain and strengthen family units, by providing in-home services designed to prevent children from entering the foster care system. This program, works with family strengths, monitors the family dynamics, provides linkages to community resources, as well as general case management services. Emphasis is on child safety and keeping the family together. The program provides intensive in-home case management. Work schedule is typically M-F, with flexibility. Meeting with families in their homes at various hours of the day.

Essential Job Responsibilities: Serve as a conduit of information between all parties to the case and identified stakeholders, including medical, educational and mental health providers.

Conduct visits with children, parents and/or caregivers that include the on-going assessment of child safety, permanency and well-being.

Develop and implement a plan that meets the needs of the children and the family.

Facilitate placement and delivery of services in collaboration with biological, foster and adoptive families.

Perform case management responsibilities in accordance with state and federal laws, Department of Children and Families Administrative Codes and Operating Procedures, funding source policies and internal policies on child abuse, abandonment, and neglect within required time frames.

Attend court hearings, prepare and file all court documents within required time frames.

Perform other duties as assigned. Qualifications: Minimum Qualifications for professional staff that deliver Intact Family Services include one of the following: A Bachelor's degree in Social Work from a college with a program approved by the Council on Social Work Education or ;

A Bachelor's degree in a field related to social welfare with one year of subsequent experience in social welfare;

CWEL and CERAP certification strongly preferred; but if not already, the candidate must be willing and able to complete upon hire. Additional Requirements: Bilingual in English and Spanish

Demonstrates professional verbal and written communication skills.

Demonstrates excellent assessment, therapeutic and crisis intervention skills.

Computer and documentation skills sufficient to perform essential functions.

Demonstrates organization and time management skills.

Maintain a reliable automobile with adequate insurance coverage.

Subscription to and integration of the agency Statement of Faith, Mission Statement, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commitment. Must have good driving record and willingness to travel. This very important role requires Case Managers to drive 50% of the time. We value and embrace the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion; our culture is strengthened and our workplace is more dynamic. We are a global organization with multicultural staff, clients and stakeholders, so we strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work. More work remains, but we are deeply committed to honestly acknowledging and addressing the impacts of race and racism throughout the organization. This work can be uncomfortable and even painful, but we believe that the greatest challenges bear the greatest rewards. #LI-DNP




YAMHILL COUNTY

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

Juvenile Probation Officer I

Full salary range: $3853 - $5066/month (DOE) with Excellent Benefits

Job #CJ21-118

Recruitment closes November 5, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. The Juvenile Probation Officer I

This is a regular full-time position for a probation officer to perform professional correctional and social casework of a basic nature with delinquent youth and their families. Duties include investigation, counseling, adjustment,

rehabilitation, and guidance of children and youth on court-ordered probation and those who are being handled

informally, intake assessment, coordinating court appointed attorneys as requested, preparation of cases, written reports, documentation and file maintenance/management, and other duties as assigned. The Benefits

Health coverage - Group medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage is available for the entire family. For the 2021- 2022 plan year, the County will pay 98% of the monthly premium and employees will pay 2% ($35.78 per month) for the Base Plan. With this plan, employees are eligible for a $100 a month contribution into an HRA VEBA account. Buy-up plans are also available.

Retirement - PERS (Public Employee Retirement System) contribution is 100% employer funded, which includes both contribution to PERS pension and IAP accounts (IAP contribution is 6% of salary).

Short-Term Disability  100% County paid.

Life insurance - $10,000 for employee/$2,000 for spouse and children  100% County Paid.

Vacation/Sick Leave - Flexible Earned Time (FET) is a combination of vacation and sick leave. To start, employees earn 13 hours per month and future accruals increase based on years of service. After a year of service and depending on FET balance, employees may sell-back up to 40 hours of FET per year. Yamhill County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and values diversity. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. A completed County application is required. Applicants are considered for employment based on their qualifications without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin,

age, marital or veteran status, medical condition or disability, or any other factor prohibited by law or regulation. Veterans are encouraged to apply. In order to receive Veterans Preference Points, please be sure to submit the required Veterans Hiring Preference Form. Please notify the Human Resources Office if you need accommodation or assistance with any part of our application process.

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FULL-TIME OPENINGS:

SPRING VALLEY - Facilities Maintenance Technician I - Custodian - Financial Aid Specialist - Technology Support Specialist I or II - Instructional/Reference Librarian

RIFLE - Upward Bound Coordinator

CENTRAL SERVICES - Financial Aid Program Coordinator - Assistant Director of Financial Aid - Dean, Isaacson School of Communication, Arts and Media - Administrative Assistant II, Registrar's Office

About Colorado Mountain College

Imagine working at a college that welcomes everyone  students, faculty, staff, and community members  regardless of their backgrounds, beliefs, or traditions. An institution that is also integrally connected to, appreciated by, and supported by those same communities.

Envision yourself at a dynamic, innovative, forward-leaning college that has a highly entrepreneurial spirit and deep commitment to every learner  from first-generation college students and new-traditional and adult learners to academically motivated students seeking a more traditional liberal arts education  all within a robust and highly personalized learning environment.

Visualize applying your energy and skills for an organization that respects and cares about its employees enough to offer competitive compensation and benefits while encouraging every team member to renew and recharge in places of inspiration, reflection, and world-class outdoor recreation.

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We will spend most of the Thanksgiving holiday away from home.

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China is discovering that under capitalism, what goes up must come down. The impending collapse of property developer Evergrande, as it struggles with more than $300bn debts, is reminiscent of the subprime mortgage crisis. The Chinese government is facing the same dilemmas as the US over a decade ago, as it stares into the abyss of capitalist crisis.

What is Evergrande?

The past decade of economic growth in China has been fuelled to a large extent by a housing construction boom. Property now makes up around 30% of GDP. For years, property developers, of which Evergrande is only the largest, borrowed unsustainable amounts of money in order to build housing. It was even borrowing from its own employees to keep building.

Another property developer, Fujian Fusheng, deployed a so-called 3691 model: start building new developments in only three months, start selling the properties in only six months (while still being built), finish construction within nine months, and return the money with interest in a year. This breakneck pace was dictated by the feverish nature of the property bubble and the large amounts of debt it had to take on in order to compete. Unsurprisingly, Fujian Fusheng has gone into default.

The entire industry was borrowing huge sums on the assumption that house prices would keep on going up. Goldman Sachs says the industrys total debt is now $2.8trn, or 18% of Chinas GDP. But if anything should burst that bubble and property prices stagnated or fell, it was clear the debt load of property developers would sink them.

That is exactly what has happened to Evergrande. It is one of the biggest property developers internationally, and has total liabilities amounting to around three percent of total Chinese GDP.

Its collapse therefore threatens the worlds second biggest economy as a whole, and by extension the world economy.

Why is it collapsing? Seeing the unsustainability of this never ending debt carousel the Chinese government has placed restrictions on the amounts that companies can borrow relative to their size in an attempt to prevent a bigger collapse further down the line. However this appears to have provoked a hard landing that may be spinning out of control already.

Closely related companies are folding. Fantasia Holdings, a smaller property developer, has just defaulted on its debt. Modern Land this week asked for a three-month extension on repayments on a $250m bond. Sinic and the above-mentioned Fujian Fusheng have also defaulted.

Crisis

Home sales by value fell 17% in September, and by 19.7% in August. In some cases properties are being flogged off by developers desperate for cash with 30% discounts.

Since property makes up a massive 30 percent of Chinas GDP and has been the main driver of Chinas growth - which in turn has been the main driver of world growth - prices falling fast is a huge problem. Evergrande is not only a property company - it has a car business and many other investments. Other Chinese companies will have big investments in Evergrande. Its crisis will directly lead to crisis in other sectors.

Property makes up a massive 30 percent of Chinas GDP and has been the main driver of Chinas recent growth / Image: Windmemories, Wikimedia Commons

But why has a property bubble been the main driver of the economy? Why has China seemingly repeated the behaviour in America that led to the subprime mortgage crisis?

In 2008 China actually went into recession, briefly. Millions of workers were laid off. But then in a matter of weeks the economy was growing again, thanks to the fiscal stimulus, which was so big (around $586bn) it is widely recognised to have pulled not only China out of recession, but also the world economy out of an outright depression. But because China was by then a capitalist economy, this stimulus was delivered by means of an explosion of debt, instead of a plan of production.

If in 2008 Chinas private companies were holding back investment and laying off workers, there was a good reason for it, which is that there was a limit to the amount of cars, clothes and phones that the world market could absorb during the financial crisis. This problem did not go away because the central government was lending lots of money. The limited demand of the crisis ridden global market remained.

Therefore if the state in its desperation drowned these companies in cheap credit, they would not use it to build bigger factories making more products they could not sell, but would spend it speculatively.

All kinds of companies, including ostensibly state owned ones, started lending the excess capital out, speculating with it, rather than investing in production. State owned steel companies created financial arms, shadow banks that would lend to property developers. These finance arms became more profitable than their core business.

As Marx explained, credit allows capital to expand beyond its natural limits, and to temporarily overcome its crisis  but at the cost of an even greater crisis when those debts have to be repaid.

As more debt is issued, it becomes less effective. It now takes around $4 of debt to produce an extra dollar of growth in the Chinese economy, whereas before the stimulus it took around $1.40. This is because the extra debt is largely taken on to pay off existing, unsustainable debts, instead of to spend on creating new productive capacity.

In other words, there is an avalanche of bad debt just waiting to be defaulted on. Before 2008, total Chinese debt was around 160% of GDP. By 2016, it was up to 260%.

The Chinese government funded the stimulus through debt because, in a market economy, there is no other way to stimulate growth. They could not launch a plan of production because the levers of the economy are in private hands, and are motivated by profit making and not social need.

Bursting the bubble

The fact that Evergrande could not survive without taking on more and more debt shows that it was fundamentally unsound.

In this respect, Evergrande is like a microcosm of the latent crisis of Chinese capitalism, which has only been able to keep growing by borrowing more and more money. Of the countrys fifteen biggest property developers, only one was in full compliance with the governments new Three Red Lines - the rules that make excessive borrowing harder. The problem is general and deep.

The government has introduced these measures in order to burst the credit bubble before it gets too big. The trouble is, the bubble may already be too big, and bursting it is not something the government can keep control of.

There is no evidence of a plan to bail out Evergrande. It is unclear if it can be rescued. To do so would create what they call moral hazard - runaway debt would get even more out of control, because companies would be incentivised to take on debt to grow more quickly, as everyone would know the government would bail them out in the end too.

To bail Evergrande out is also phenomenally complex. Evergrande alone has 1.6m unfinished homes - if you add other developers in trouble, the figure is even higher. How will these homes, which have already been bought off-plan, be finished? As The Economist explains, If the projects are to be kept running, local governments will probably need to take over their operation, requiring complex negotiations in hundreds of cities. Whether all this can be pulled off is far from clear. (23.10.21)

Furthermore, rescuing a company that has been highlighted as an example of the greedy excesses of Chinas billionaires would seriously undermine Xis attempt to portray himself as cutting the rich down to size and putting a stop to irresponsible economic behaviour.

If the state tried to resolve the crisis by making it easier once again to borrow more and more money, flooding the market with cheap money from the central banks, it would simply be restarting the cycle that has led to the crisis today. Just like the EU during the Eurozone crisis, China would be kicking the can down the road and solving nothing. What has Europes experience led to? Countries like Greece are as indebted as ever, so the next financial crisis will no doubt see a resurgence of all the same problems, such as the danger of the EU breaking up. And the fictitious capital that has been pumped into the economy by central banks in the West has not only merely put the day of reckoning off (and made it even worse when it comes), but it has also created a stagnant economy typified by zombie firms - companies that should go bust but are kept afloat by taking on more and more government backed debt. That is Chinas future if they go down this path.

On the other hand, to not rescue Evergrande and allow them to default will crash the property market, leading to a Chinese financial crisis and then a full blown recession. This in turn will push many other countries into recession.

What the Evergrande crisis reveals is the limits of the capitalist system. China is reaching the end of the road for its capitalist boom, which could only be maintained with a big bubble based on fictitious capital.

Some of the leftwing supporters of the regime claim that the Chinese regime is only following a decades-long plan to use capitalism to lay the economic basis for socialism. If that was correct and the regime was genuinely communist, surely they would see this crisis as the culmination of that plan. In such a case, this crisis would be a perfect opportunity for Xi, who has more power than ever and has cultivated a left-wing image, to nationalise Evergrande and many others, beginning the transition to a planned economy. But of course this is not going to happen.

In fact, we can see the opposite shift in another recent crisis. In parts of China there have been blackouts as a result of big coal price rises. Because the government has placed caps on the amount consumers can be charged for energy, it became unprofitable for many energy producers to produce and sell energy with coal so expensive. So they simply switched their generators off, which caused sudden blackouts for millions of ordinary Chinese people. Is the government responding to these profiteering companies by nationalising them? The very opposite - they are looking into removing the energy price caps so that producers can keep on generating and selling energy at a profit even when coal prices go through the roof (The Economist, 23.10.21). It is working class Chinese people who will pay the price to maintain these profits.

Chinese crisis = world crisis

In 2007, the US subprime mortgage crisis sent the world economy into a deep crisis. Ironically, this crisis was prevented from turning into a depression by the Chinese starting their own property bubble, which is now leading to a crisis similar to the subprime mortgage one. The mountain of credit pumped into the Chinese economy in the wake of the 2008 crisis created Chinese demand for raw materials and capital goods, which boosted a lot of economies, such as Germany and Australia.

A crisis in China today, a highly likely scenario, could affect the world economy in a similar way as the 2008 crisis, which started in the west. Such a crisis however, would be compounded by the unsoundness of the rest of the world economy, which has never really recovered from the financial crisis of 2008-9, and by the devastating effects of the covid pandemic. Furthermore, it would differ from the last crisis, in that there will not be another country like China to absorb the crisis internationally.

A crisis in China today could affect the world economy in a similar way as the 2008 crisis, which started in the west / Image: public domain



Chinas corporate debt is a huge 31% of global corporate debt. Chinas corporate debt to GDP ratio is amongst the world's highest. So a credit crunch in China will have the scale to rock world markets and spread throughout the economy.

Indeed, there is already a cash crunch for some indebted Chinese companies outside the property sector, who in these uncertain times are finding they cannot borrow the money they badly need to tide them over. Evergrande itself owes billions to offshore bondholders, who will be the first to suffer from the default.

Some say the crisis in China will not seriously affect the world economy as a whole, thanks to the decoupling that has recently taken place. Whilst the rise in protectionism is a very real phenomenon (and not a healthy one for capitalism), the emerging trade war between China and the US and the EU is nowhere near strong enough to have decoupled the Chinese economy from that of the west. The size and centrality of the Chinese economy is far too great to allow such a separation to take place, let alone overnight.

Whilst European and American businesses will reduce investment into China due to the rise in protectionism and the fear that their investments may not be safe under Xis regime, this will only go so far. Earlier this summer, it was reported in an annual survey by the European Chamber of Commerce that European businesses were actually increasing investment in China and moving supply chains there due to its quick recovery from the pandemic. Nearly 60% of European companies planned to expand their China operations in 2021, up from 51% last year. The most common reason given was the higher profit margins in China.

Recent events, not the least of which is Evergrandes likely default, probably mean these increased investments will not take place. But the fact that only a few months ago most European businesses were planning to increase investment into China shows there is a limit to decoupling in the imperialist stage of capitalism.

This is proven by the fact that Chinas share of global trade is 13.6% - the biggest share of any country. It represented 28 per cent of all global growth between 2013 and 2018  twice that of the US. There can be no doubt that the long delayed crisis of Chinese capitalism will push the world economy into crisis.

Inequality

Decades of capitalist boom have utterly transformed Chinese society. Extreme inequality is its defining feature and it dogs every thought of the regime. In January, Xi Jinping declared that we cannot allow the gap between the rich and the poor to continue growing We cannot permit the wealth gap to become an unbridgeable gulf.

It is comments like these that have given Xi his reputation for being a neo Maoist who has a plan to abolish capitalism. But as this comment reveals, he is not opposed to the inequalities of capitalism, only its excesses which are so extreme as to threaten capitalisms viability.

Whilst China now has almost as many billionaires as America (698 vs. 724), and a parliament far richer than Americas (Chinas top 20 businessmen-cum-lawmakers are worth a staggering $534 billion), on the other hand over 28% of Chinas 286m migrant workers lack a toilet of their own. And in parts of rural China, 16-27% of pupils suffer from anaemia, according to a 2016 study, because they lack vitamins and iron. (The Economist, 2.10.21)

Chinas inequality has grown so rapidly, that it has gone from being one of the most equal countries in the world, to one of the most unequal now, with a Gini Coefficient (a measure of economic inequality) slightly higher than the USA and Britain. Chinas big cities are some of the most unaffordable places in the world.

Class consciousness is accelerated not so much by the existence of inequality itself, but by the rapid rise in inequality. It is for this reason that class anger is so high in China - there is a burning sense that the extreme wealth of the elite is unnatural and unjust, is against the communist values of the country and has been gotten by means of blatant corruption.

There is also profound alienation amongst Chinas youth. They feel like they are running on a treadmill, unable to make any progress, and yet the booming capitalist economy has created huge pressure to succeed. This treadmill effect is linked to the housing bubble - the economic growth that has kept people in work has also pushed up housing costs to levels completely unaffordable to the young.

Many young people see the growth of the Chinese economy not as a great patriotic success, but as someone elses success - the corrupt rich. They are class conscious but the regime does not allow for expressions of this, although occasionally it finds a brief outlet.

Bonapartism

The regimes awareness of this discontent is the reason for Xis turn to the left. He is trying to maneuver in advance of an outbreak of protests and strikes, to pre-emptively establish himself as on the peoples side against the rich. For instance, the regime has just urged Evergrandes owner to pay off some of the companys debt with his own fortune.

But for every attack on the rich, there is an accompanying assurance that this will not go too far. For instance On September 6th Liu He, a deputy prime minister, tried to reassure private businesspeople, saying their endeavours were critical to the countrys economy. (Economist 2.10.21)

The regimes awareness of discontent in Chinese society is the reason for Xis turn to the left / Image: kremlin.ru, Wikimedia commons

Shortly after the slogan of common prosperity was introduced, the party took the time to reassure the capitalist class that common prosperity will not be achieved by robbing the rich.

Capitalism was introduced to China precisely in order to preserve the power and privileges of the state bureaucracy. They did not necessarily intend to end up with full fledged capitalism, but nor did they intend on fighting for socialism. They saw capitalist investment, the profit motive, and access to advanced technology, as a means to enhance their wealth and power.

They thought they could manage this process. In a sense they have, because it has made the Chinese state very powerful.

But this seemingly all powerful regime is realising that the contradictions of capitalism are more powerful still. By conjuring capitalism into being, the regime is like the sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom he has called up by his spells, as Marx described in the Communist Manifesto.

The CCP is obsessed with stability. Over the past ten years, they have witnessed increasing instability in countries of the west caused by the crisis of capitalism, and they have taken note. In 2015, de Tocquvilles The Old Regime and the Revolution became required reading for high ranking party members.

Last year, Xi specifically cited Thomas Pikettys Capital in the 21st Century to warn that the party must curb inequality in order to maintain stability.

Seeing the destabilising impact the 2008 economic crisis had on the West, the Chinese state bureaucracy is trying to stay ahead of the curb and act responsibly in order to secure the stability of their system. But if you accept capitalism, you have to accept the laws of capitalism. Like all capitalist regimes, it can only maintain stability by means that increase contradictions in the long run - by issuing debt. In other words, by creating more instability in the future.

They are walking a tightrope and cannot maintain balance forever. The crisis of capitalism is catching up with China. This crisis will transform it and the world. For the past 30 years, world capitalism has been kept in business by the entry of China into the market. That is used up now. The future for China will not be like the past. The crisis in the Chinese economy is another sign we are entering an era of unprecedented turbulence and class struggle.
The African Union in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates government and Expo, will host its second event at the Expo 2020 Dubai under the theme of Infrastructure Development in Africa . The event will bring together the public and private sector, as the continents leading minds in the field, best unpack policy, commercialisation and the evolution of Infrastructure Development across the African continent.

The business community, members of the public, the diaspora and members of the media are invited and encouraged to participate in the event through in-person attendance as well as through the virtual platforms which will be made available through the African Union digital channels.

The 2-day high-level conference that will include High Level Officials and Ministers in Infrastructure, Energy, Transport, ICT, and Water Sectors as well as Private Sector companies leading in the Infrastructure sector.

The conference will build on the recently adopted second phase of Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA PAP2) (https://bit.ly/2Y4Q3cO) set to be implemented from 2021-2030, and continue to engage stakeholders on the effective delivery of infrastructure on the continent considering the already existing initiatives and frameworks such as the Continental Digital Transformation Strategy (DTS) (https://bit.ly/3pOYB2V), the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) (https://bit.ly/2Y6sCQo) and the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) (https://bit.ly/3msY7xc).

BACKGROUND:

For the AU, Expo 2020 Dubai offers an opportunity to further entrench the relationship between Africa and the UAE, by leveraging on the longstanding economic partnerships between the two regions and showcase the continent-wide commitment to sustainable development through the AU Agenda 2063 strategic framework  as well as explore opportunities for potential partnerships (https://bit.ly/3btATkd) required for the African continents socio-economic transformation.

Expo 2020 Dubai also provides an opportunity to be a part of the created innovative solutions, following consultations with the 55 AU Member States in how to increase the quality of life and well-being of all African citizens. For instance: access to market through regional integration, world class infrastructure connecting the Continent to enhance accessibility and mobility of persons and goods to facilitate trade, which will ultimately increase economic growth. Africa is open for business, with a myriad of opportunities to invest in building the Africa we want.

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International

25 bank robbery suspects killed in Brazil

BRASILIA, NOV 1 (IANS) | Publish Date: 11/1/2021 11:37:40 AM IST

At least 25 bank robbery suspects were killed in two clashes with Brazilian authorities in the state of Minas Gerais, police said.

The events occurred in the municipality of Varginha during a joint operation by the Military Police, the Federal Highway Police, and the Minas Gerais Special Police Operations Battalion against a gang dedicated to robbing banks, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the police, there were two gun battles: in the first, a group of individuals attacked a group of agents, who responded and left 18 suspects dead.

Later, authorities went to a house where a number of suspects were hiding and a gun battle ensued, leaving seven people dead.

Police also reported that weapons, bulletproof vests, explosives, ammunition, and 10 stolen vehicles were also discovered.

It is probably the largest operation against the new type of robbery in the country. Several offenders were preparing a bank robbery and were surprised that our intelligence service had been integrated with the Federal Highway Police, said Layla Brunella, spokesperson for Minas Gerais military police.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 17:37:17|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for vaccine equity and continued vigilance against the coronavirus as global COVID-19 deaths exceeded 5 million.

"Today, the human family crosses a painful new threshold: 5 million lives lost to COVID-19," he said in a statement. "This devastating milestone reminds us that we are failing much of the world."

While wealthy countries are rolling out third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, only about 5 percent of people in Africa are fully vaccinated. This is a global shame, he said.

The five-million threshold should also stand as a clear warning: guard against the virus cannot be lowered, he said.

There are still more deaths, overcrowded hospitals and exhausted health workers, and the risk of new variants spreading and claiming more lives. At the same time, other dangerous threats continue to allow COVID-19 to thrive -- misinformation, vaccine hoarding and vaccine nationalism, and lack of global solidarity, he said.

"I urge world leaders to fully support the global vaccination strategy I launched with the World Health Organization last month. We need to get vaccines into the arms of 40 percent of people in all countries by the end of this year -- and 70 percent by mid-2022. I call on them to deliver with urgency and scale, address funding gaps and coordinate their actions for success," Guterres said.

It would be a mistake to think that the pandemic is over. As restrictions ease in many places, there is a need to match vaccines with vigilance, including through smart and proven public health measures like masking and social distancing, he said.

"The best way to honor those 5 million people lost, and support health workers fighting this virus every day, is to make vaccine equity a reality by accelerating our efforts and ensuring maximum vigilance to defeat this virus," said Guterres. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 23:23:16|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called on all parties to take stronger actions to jointly tackle the climate challenge.

Xi made the remarks in a written statement for the World Leaders Summit at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is being held in Glasgow from Monday to Tuesday.

"I hope all parties will take stronger actions to jointly tackle the climate challenge and protect the planet, the shared home for us all," he said.

The adverse impacts of climate change have become increasingly evident, presenting a growing urgency for global action, he said.

The Chinese president made a three-pronged proposal to address climate challenge, including upholding multilateral consensus, focusing on concrete actions, and accelerating the green transition.

"When it comes to global challenges such as climate change, multilateralism is the right prescription," he said.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement provide the fundamental legal basis for international cooperation on climate. Parties need to build on existing consensus, increase mutual trust, step up cooperation and work together to deliver a successful COP26 in Glasgow, he added.

Parties need to honor their commitments, set realistic targets and visions, and do their best according to national conditions to deliver their climate action measures, Xi said.

The Chinese president stressed the responsibility of developed countries in tackling climate change, saying that they should not only do more themselves, but should also provide support to help developing countries do better.

In terms of green transition, Xi said it is important to harness innovations in science and technology to transform and upgrade the energy and resources sectors as well as the industrial structure and consumption pattern.

Guided by the vision of a community of life for man and nature, China will continue to prioritize ecological conservation and pursue a green and low-carbon path to development, he said.

"We will foster a green, low-carbon and circular economic system at a faster pace, press ahead with industrial structure adjustment, and rein in the irrational development of energy-intensive and high-emission projects," he said.

He added that China will speed up the green and low-carbon energy transition, vigorously develop renewable energy, and plan and build large wind and photovoltaic power stations.

China has recently released an action plan for carbon dioxide peaking before 2030, as well as a document titled "Working Guidance For Carbon Dioxide Peaking And Carbon Neutrality In Full And Faithful Implementation Of The New Development Philosophy."

Xi said the country will roll out specific implementation plans for key areas such as energy, industry, construction and transport, and for key sectors such as coal, electricity, iron and steel, and cement, as well as supporting measures in terms of science and technology, carbon sink, fiscal and taxation, and financial incentives.

"These measures will form a '1+N' policy framework for delivering carbon peak and carbon neutrality, with clearly-defined timetable, roadmap and blueprint," he added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 00:20:21|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on Aug. 19, 2020 shows wind turbines at the Jiucaiping scenic area in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

-- China is serious about reducing carbon emissions and pursuing green development.

-- Scientific top-level design and strong implementation of plans are keys to the country's achievement on climate change.

-- As a responsible country, China is ready to share its experience and approaches with the rest of the international community.

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Amid a strong call to save the planet, China has set ambitious targets and taken solid actions to address climate change, injecting certainty to the global combat against the worrying issue.

"Visions will come true only when we act on them," Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday in a written statement to the 26th United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change.

"Parties need to honor their commitments, set realistic targets and visions, and do their best according to national conditions to deliver their climate action measures," Xi said.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 17, 2020 shows a photovoltaic power station at a green industrial development park in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Hainan, northwest China's Qinghai Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Long)

China aims to peak its CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. To meet these goals, the country has formulated and released a top-level design document for peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, and an action plan for peaking carbon emissions before 2030.

"Specific implementation plans for key areas such as energy, industry, construction and transport, and for key sectors such as coal, electricity, iron and steel, and cement will be rolled out, coupled with supporting measures in terms of science and technology, carbon sink, fiscal and taxation, and financial incentives," Xi said.

"Taken together, these measures will form a '1+N' policy framework for delivering carbon peak and carbon neutrality, with clearly-defined timetable, roadmap and blueprint," he said.

Aerial photo taken on July 22, 2021 shows a villager walking past a solar powered street lamp in Maobishan Village of Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)

"Anyone who knows China well is sure my country is serious about reducing carbon emissions and pursuing green development, and that we mean what we say," Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang said in an article published in The Guardian on Wednesday, shrugging off worries about whether China will honor its pledges to reduce emissions.

"Anyone familiar with China's political system knows that once decisions and goals are set by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the top leader, they are incorporated into the overall national development program, turned into feasible action plans and delivered faithfully by local governments and competent departments," Zheng said.

China has long been hailed for thinking strategically and playing the long game. Scientific top-level design and strong implementation of plans are keys to the country's achievement on climate change.

In terms of climate action, China met its target for 2020 ahead of schedule. By the end of last year, carbon emissions intensity had come down by 48 percent compared with 2005, and non-fossil fuels accounted for 16 percent of primary energy consumption. China phased out 120 million kilowatts of installed coal-fired power generation capacity during the past decade.

Workers assemble new energy vehicles at an automobile company in Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 12, 2021. (Photo by Li Hanchi/Xinhua)

"The most crucially important contribution of China was its strong commitment to fighting against climate change," said former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Ban said China played "a decisive role" in the negotiation process of the Paris Agreement in December 2015, adding that without China's efforts, "we would not have the Paris Agreement on climate change even now."

As a responsible country, China is ready to share its experience and approaches with the rest of the international community. From supporting Africa in monitoring the climate system with satellite technology and building low-carbon pilot zones in Southeast Asia, to introducing energy-saving bulbs to small island countries, China's cooperation with less developed regions of the world has produced tangible results.

China has launched green action initiatives that encourage green infrastructure, energy, transportation and finance under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. In 2020, 57 percent of China's investment in BRI partner countries went to renewable energy projects, up from 38 percent in 2019.

Photo taken on Oct. 29, 2021 shows the first China-developed hydrogen fuel cell hybrid locomotive in a trial run in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Xinhua)

"Developed countries should not only do more themselves, but should also provide support to help developing countries do better," Xi said.

"Ancient Chinese believe that 'successful governance relies on solid action'. I hope all parties will take stronger actions to jointly tackle the climate challenge and protect the planet, the shared home for us all," Xi said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 22:34:56|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian federal government on Monday disclosed that more than 100 residents were killed by rebel forces in a key town in Ethiopia's Amhara regional state.

"The terrorist group, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), has summarily executed more than 100 youth residents of Kombolcha in areas it has infiltrated," the Ethiopian Government Communications Service said, as it called on the international community not to turn a blind eye to such atrocities.

Legesse Tulu, Ethiopian government spokesperson, said in a briefing on Monday that the atrocities perpetrated by forces loyal to the TPLF over the night particularly targeted youth in Kombolcha. Kombolcha is a key industrial town in the Amhara region, bordering the conflict-hit Tigray region.

The Ethiopian House of People's Representatives, the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, had previously designated the TPLF as a terrorist organization.

The Ethiopian government had previously expressed its concern over lack of response from the international community in condemning the perpetuated atrocities of the TPLF.

Since the early hours of Nov. 4, 2020, the Ethiopian government has been undertaking military operations against the TPLF.

The Ethiopian government had previously assigned an interim administration in Tigray after the ouster of the TPLF, which used to rule the region.

However, the government in late June announced a unilateral ceasefire in the country's conflict-affected northernmost Tigray regional state. Forces loyal to the TPLF soon took control of much of the area in the region, including the regional capital. The conflict has since then expanded to the Amhara and Afar regions, neighboring Tigray.

Amid intensifying conflict over northern parts of the East African country, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy ahmed had on Sunday called on all able Ethiopians to participate in the ongoing fighting against the rebel group. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 23:53:16|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Somalia on Monday started the long-awaited elections for Lower House of Parliament with the election of two members from Somaliland in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.

The two seats were contested by four candidates, including the country's deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled.

"I am pleased that the House of the People elections have gotten off to a positive start today. I urge the other federal member states to begin holding Parliamentary elections as soon as possible, and I hope that the electoral process will be a success," the Federal Electoral Implementation Team chairperson Mohamed Hassan Irro said.

The delegates will be selected through collaboration with civil society, traditional elders, and State governments. The elections will also take place in only two locations within every state, down from the previous four.

The Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble congratulated the two elected MPs from Somaliland to the incoming House of the People of the Federal Parliament and urged other regional States to speed up the elections.

"I am happy with the official kickoff for the election of the House of the People today. I am requesting the regional states to start elections of the House of the People quickly, hoping election processes will end successfully," Roble said.

The 54-member Senate and the 275 members of parliament from the Lower House are expected to jointly elect a new president later this year or early 2022.

This year's election, which will be the third since Somalia got its first internationally recognized government after the civil war, will also involve the biggest number of electors since 2012. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 00:23:57|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Monday announced that it will organize a trade mission for its business community to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in order to boost bilateral trade.

Betty Maina, cabinet secretary of Ministry of Trade, Industrialization and Enterprise Development told journalists in Nairobi that the mission undertaking includes a 15-day visit to the central African nation between Nov. 29 and Dec. 13 in the cities of Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Goma, and Mbuji Mayi.

"DRC is the sixth leading export destination for Kenyan products in the world with agricultural and manufactured goods topping the list. This trade mission will strengthen service and product investment between the two nations, and we are looking to explore more partnership opportunities in various sectors of the economy," Maina said.

Equity Group, through Equity Bank Kenya and Equity BCDC, its DRC banking subsidiary, will support the trade mission by mobilizing small and medium entrepreneurs.

Maina noted that the visit by Kenyan investors will boost trade and development which in turn translates into an economic win for the region and the greater Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to the trade ministry, investors from Kenya will meet and network with their counterparts in the DRC in exploring opportunities that have the potential to unlock trade, tourism and investment opportunities in the DRC as well as the Great Lakes region.

Maina added that the trade mission, which expects to attract over 200 investors and business participants from Kenya, and a similar number from the DRC, will include trade exhibitions, business forums, and site visits.

Geoffrey Botuli Bosaw, second secretary in the DRC Embassy in Kenya said that there is significant untapped potential in the DRC given the current population of over 100 million potential consumers, mineral resources, fertile agricultural land, and potential for political renewal.

"By empowering local SMEs and fostering foreign investment in the country, we shall awaken an economic giant and increase trade and investment inflows and outflows. We look forward to hosting the Kenyan delegation and will facilitate and support them during their 15 day trade mission in our country," he noted. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 00:49:56|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Monday his country will leverage its position as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to advance peace, stability and inclusive growth in Africa.

Kenyatta said that Kenya has been deeply involved in preventive diplomacy, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction across Africa.

"Central to our foreign policy as a nation and member state of the African Union, is our commitment to Pan-Africanism," Kenyatta said in a speech read on his behalf by Eugene Wamalwa, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Defence during a regional forum organized by the African Union.

The 12th AU high-level retreat on the promotion of peace, security and stability is being attended by senior government officials including diplomats and former African leaders.

Kenya is one of the three African countries that are non-permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council in 2021/2022.

"We accept this high calling with gratitude and a deep sense of purpose, as demonstrated by our UNSC Presidency in October 2021," Kenyatta added.

The Kenyan leader said that Africa has made considerable progress in addressing traditional peace and security challenges.

"The African Peace and Security Architecture has contributed immensely to the promotion of peace, security, and stability on our continent," Kenyatta observed.

He revealed that Africa's collective efforts to embrace and promote democratic practices have led to resilience, greater stability, good governance, respect for human rights, as well as political and social inclusion across the continent.

The president noted that Kenya is currently hosting over 600,000 refugees from across the region.

He explained that at the height of the conflicts in some neighboring countries, especially in the early 1990s, Kenya was receiving 3,000 refugees every hour," he said.

"It was and continues to be a difficult task, but we continue to offer a haven for our brothers and sisters who are unable to return home, owing to serious and indiscriminate threats to life," Kenyatta said.

He added that multilateralism and its constraints are under siege, challenged by more transactional zero-sum politics.

"Instruments of collective action are being incapacitated, while those of collective accountability are increasingly being misused to serve selfish interests," Kenyatta noted.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of African Union Commission said that solidarity is key to finding a durable solution to the threat to peace, stability and economic growth in Africa.

Mahamat stressed that dialogue and mediation as opposed to military intervention could be the answer to civil strife that has undermined Africa's quest for transformation. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 01:48:47|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Egypt received on Monday a new shipment of donated Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, the Chinese Embassy in Egypt said.

The shipment was provided by the Chinese government under the cooperation between the two countries in fighting the pandemic, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population said in a statement.

"The vaccine is safe and effective," said the ministry statement, adding the new shipment will be distributed to the vaccination centers after being tested at the laboratories of the ministry of health.

Egypt has so far received more than 74 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna vaccines in addition to China's Sinopharm and Sinovac, according to the statement.

Egypt plans to vaccinate 40 million adults by the end of 2021. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 02:07:51|Editor: huaxia

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Rescuers work at the site of a building collapse in Lagos, Nigeria, on Nov. 1, 2021. At least four people were killed after a 21-storey building under construction collapsed Monday afternoon in the city of Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, an emergency management official said. (Photo by Gbenga Omotosho/Xinhua)

LAGOS, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed after a 21-storey building under construction collapsed Monday afternoon in the city of Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, an emergency management official said.

Ibrahim Farinloye, the coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the Lagos state, told Xinhua on the phone the 21-storey building under construction in the Ikoyi area of the Lagos city collapsed at about 3 p.m., local time, Monday, and so far four dead bodies have been recovered and four people been rescued alive.

Farinloye said the emergency phase of search and rescue is ongoing with additional assistance from the Nigerian army and air force, and more people are feared trapped.

He said what caused the collapse remains unclear and an investigation is underway.

Residents living in the area told Xinhua the building was under construction for more than one year, and more than 50 people, mostly construction workers, were trapped under the rubble.

Building collapses often occur in Nigeria as some property owners and developers do not adhere strictly to planning and building laws and regulations. In most cases, heavy loads are placed on the building and substandard materials are often used in construction. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 09:07:08|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member greets passengers at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 1, 2021. After Australia's two largest cities Sydney and Melbourne scrapped overseas arrival restrictions due to COVID-19, hundreds of Australians began to fly home, after being stuck overseas since borders first slammed shut in late March 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)



SYDNEY, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- As Australia's two largest cities Sydney and Melbourne scrapped overseas arrival restrictions due to COVID-19, hundreds of Australians have begun to fly home, after being stuck overseas since borders first slammed shut in late March 2020.

Fourteen international flights are expected to touch down in Sydney airport on Monday, and passengers from Singapore and Hong Kong are due to arrive at Melbourne airport over the day.

At present, Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) are the only states that have lifted their cap and quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated overseas arrivals.

From Monday fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents would also be allowed to leave Australia without a previously required travel exemption.

While announcing the return of regional travel in NSW at regional Dubbo Airport, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet praised the lifting of restrictions as "the start of a new journey".

"As we open up, we won't go backwards, we will start to re-join the world, and that's going to be great for the state," he said.

As NSW continues to claw its way back to normalcy, the state recorded 135 new locally acquired cases and four additional deaths in the 24 hours to 8:00 p.m. Sunday night.

The lifting of restrictions for international students, skilled migrants and tourists intending to enter Australia has yet to be finalized.

In NSW 93.6 percent of the over-16 population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 87.7 percent have been fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile Victoria saw another uptick in cases, recording 1,471 new locally acquired cases in the 24 hours to midnight Sunday as well as four deaths, an increase from 1,036 cases reported the previous day.

The state hit its 80-percent vaccination milestone on Sunday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 09:36:01|Editor: huaxia

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Undated file photo shows a long-tailed bat in its natural habitat in New Zealand. Once critically endangered native long-tailed bat has won New Zealand Bird of the Year 2021, the event organizer announced on Nov. 1, 2021. This is the first time New Zealand's only land mammal has been included in Forest & Bird's annual contest. (Photo by Ian Davidson-Watts/Xinhua)



WELLINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Once critically endangered native long-tailed bat has won New Zealand Bird of the Year 2021, the event organizer announced on Monday.

This is the first time New Zealand's only land mammal has been included in Forest & Bird's annual contest, and it has flown away with the title.

The Bird of the Year competition is an annual competition held by New Zealand's independent conservation organization Forest and Bird, in a bid to raise people's awareness of New Zealand's natural birds. The event has caught considerable interest from both home and abroad.

After a two-week campaign that nearly broke the Internet and turned friends against one another, the long-tailed bat was the winner with both the most No. 1 ranked votes, and most votes after transferrable vote rankings were applied.

"Kiwis clearly love their native bat, and they have chosen our only native land mammal to be the 2021 Bird of the Year," Forest & Bird's Bird of the Year spokesperson Laura Keown said.

"The campaign to raise awareness and support for this little flying furball has captured the nation!"

"A vote for bats is also a vote for predator control, habitat restoration, and climate action to protect our bats and their feathered neighbors!"

"Long-tailed bats, or pekapeka-tou-roa, are a unique part of New Zealand's biodiversity, but lots of people don't know they even exist," said Ben Paris, senior conservation advisor at Auckland Council and New Zealand Batman.

"There are pekapeka projects spanning the whole country with conservation communities doing great mahi with our bats. Here in Auckland our bat conservation efforts have been supported by our targeted rate which has allowed us, together with our communities, to undertake a lot more work," he said.

"These bats were added to Forest & Bird's competition to help people get to know them, and their story has flown around the world!"

Forest & Bird runs Pelorus River Bat Recovery Project in Marlborough with the support of the Department of Conservation, involving 250 hectares of predator control and a bat monitoring program every summer to identify roost sites and protect critical long-tailed bat habitat.

New Zealand has two species of native bats, the long-tailed bat and short-tailed bat, of which there are three subspecies. A third species, the greater short-tailed bat, is thought to be extinct. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 14:39:21|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea logged its second-highest export last month, keeping an upward momentum for the 12th consecutive month, a government report showed Monday.

Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, came in at 55.55 billion U.S. dollars in October, up 24 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

It marked the second-highest monthly figure since relevant data began to be compiled in 1956, continuing to grow for 12 months since November last year. The record high was 55.83 billion dollars tallied in September this year.

Import soared 37.8 percent over the year to 53.86 billion dollars in October, sending the trade surplus to 1.69 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for 18 months in a row.

The outbound shipment topped 50 billion dollars for eight months since March amid a continued recovery in global demand from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The daily average export reached the second-highest reading of 2.65 billion dollars in October.

For the first 10 months of this year, the export amounted to 523.2 billion dollars, exceeding 512.5 billion dollars for the entire year of 2020. The record yearly high was the export of 604.9 billion dollars in 2018.

Out of the country's 15 major export items, shipment for 13 products recorded a double-digit growth last month.

Semiconductor export advanced 28.8 percent over the year to 11.17 billion dollars in October, surpassing 10 billion dollars for the sixth consecutive month.

The shipment of petrochemicals and oil products jumped 68.5 percent and 138.1 percent each last month amid the global economic recovery and an expensive crude oil.

General machinery export gained 12.7 percent to 4.39 billion dollars due to brisk activity in the manufacturing and construction industries of the major economies, while steel shipment surged 48.6 percent to 3.37 billion dollars on higher product price and strong global demand.

Export for telecommunication devices, such as smartphone, and display panels continued to grow for 12 and seven straight months respectively on the back of the launch of new smartphones and the global demand recovery.

Automotive export reduced 4.7 percent over the year to 3.83 billion dollars in October due to the supply disruption of chips used to manufacture cars.

South Korea's shipment to nine major export destinations all increased for the seventh straight month in October.

Export to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, soared 24.9 percent over the year to 14.39 billion dollars in October on a higher demand for consumer goods, including smartphones and clothing, during the year-end season and the continued demand for chips and petrochemicals.

Shipment to the United States and the European Union expanded in double figures to 8.06 billion dollars and 5.09 billion dollars each thanks to the economic recovery from the pandemic shock.

Export to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations spiked 29.2 percent to 9.72 billion dollars last month on robust demand for locally-made chips, display panels and oil products.

Export to India advanced 29.9 percent to 1.4 billion dollars on higher price for petrochemicals, steel and oil products, while shipment to Japan, Latin America and the Middle East all increased in double digits in October. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 16:19:10|Editor: huaxia

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BAMIYAN, Afghanistan, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Bamiyan province surrounded by mountains in central Afghanistan is famous for housing the giant Buddhas as well as its ancient historic landscape, and residents here rely on agricultural products especially potatoes to make a living.

However, the crippling drought, endless war and instability have hampered potato harvest and led to price reduction.

"The potato harvest has dropped to half and its price has also fallen down," Qiamudin Falah, a farmer, told Xinhua.

"An ordinary farmer could harvest at least 1,000 sir (7,000 kg) of potatoes in past years and sell each sir (7 kg) for 170 afghani (1.86 U.S. dollars), but this year the harvest dropped to half and the price of 1 sir reduced to 92 afghani," he said.

Expressing frustration, Falah said Bamiyan produced 400,000 tons of potatoes last year but the crippling drought reduced the outcome to almost half this year.

The cultivation of potatoes has been supported and encouraged in the province over the past nearly two decades, as almost all the farmers in the highland province cultivate potatoes to earn a livelihood.

To encourage potatoes cultivation, authorities provided improved seeds and chemical fertilizers to the farmers in Bamiyan province.

In efforts to promote Bamiyan potatoes and find market for the crop, the provincial authorities marked "Jashn-e-Gul-e-Kachalo" (Potatoes Flower Celebration) over the past four years, but the celebration has yet to take place this year.

The farmers are concerned over the decrease in potato harvest and price, which would bring poverty and reduce their ability in buying daily necessities ahead of the chilly winter.

According to a joint report of the UNICEF and the World Food Program released early October, 14 million people of Afghanistan's some 35 million population are facing food shortage and about 3.2 million children under the age of 5 are expected to suffer from malnutrition by the end of the year.

The freezing winter for the poor Afghans, especially for those living in the mountainous regions like Bamiyan, would prove to be catastrophic if not provided with humanitarian assistance, locals said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 16:31:28|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks finished sharply higher on Monday with the Nikkei index ending at a one-month high after the Japanese ruling coalition retained the majority in Sunday's general election.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed 754.39 points, or 2.61 percent, higher from Friday to 29,647.08, its highest close since Sept. 28.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended 43.54 points, or 2.18 percent, higher at 2,044.72.

Trading volume on the main section decreased to 1,285.90 million shares from Friday's 1,564.98 million shares.

Supported by political stability, both indexes moved in the positive territory from the outset and closed at their highest points in the day.

Although the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) saw its number of seats drop by 17 prior to Sunday's House of Representatives election, it effectively controls all standing committees and can steer the legislative process, with the LDP and its partner Komeito securing 291 of the 465 seats.

Chihiro Ota, the assistant general manager of investment research at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., said, "With political uncertainty fading, market players bought back issues that have good earnings prospects."

Some investors had been worried that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government would be short-lived as some media polls suggested before the election that the ruling party would struggle to gain a majority.

After the general election, stock market investors are turning their attention to the U.S. Federal Reserve's two-day meeting through Wednesday and the release of more corporate earnings reports.

"The Nikkei will resume its upward trend toward 32,000 points through the end of the year if upcoming events end without any major problem," said Kazuo Kamitani, a strategist in the Investment Content Department of Nomura Securities Co.

By the close of play, precision instrument, machinery, and electric appliance shares headed for the upward trend. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones 1,901 to 243 on the First Section, while 40 finished unchanged.

Firms that released upward revisions of their profit forecast in recent earnings reports rose ground. Among them, Japan Tobacco jumped 6.4 percent, and machine tool equipment maker Okuma gained 4.4 percent.

Precision instrument and machinery companies also attracted buying, with Olympus advancing 3.9 percent and Hitachi Construction Machinery rising 3.4 percent. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 18:47:10|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are considering launching a cruise service between the two countries to boost tourism and trade, Sri Lanka's Tourism Ministry was quoted by local media reports as saying on Monday.

The Tourism Ministry said that during the discussions between Sri Lankan Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Taregmd Ariful Islam, it was decided to launch a cruise service between the two countries in the future.

Ranatunga said that more attention should be paid to uplift the tourism industry in the South Asian region through regional conferences such as BIMSTEC and SAARC.

He also said that a joint tourism action plan should be implemented in these countries through a conference of tourism ministers of South Asian countries.

The Bangladesh high commissioner said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tourism is expected to be signed between the two countries, adding the MoU has been drafted and is expected to be signed soon.

The high commissioner also pointed out that the assistance of those involved in the tourism industry in Sri Lanka is essential for the revival of the tourism industry in Bangladesh and asked the Sri Lankan minister to assist in that endeavor. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 18:50:08|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday held a telephone conversation with his Australian counterpart Marise Payne and discussed a wide range of issues including bilateral relations, Afghanistan and regional cooperation, the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said.

While appreciating the steady progress in multi-dimensional bilateral relations over the years based on mutual trust and understanding, Qureshi reaffirmed Pakistan's strong desire and commitment to consolidate and further enhance cooperation with Australia in diverse fields, a Pakistani foreign ministry statement said.

The Pakistani foreign minister also highlighted his country's constructive role in support of efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He underscored the importance of inclusion, continued engagement of the international community with Afghanistan, and urgent coordinated steps for mobilization of much-needed humanitarian and economic assistance for Afghanistan, the statement added.

Expressing satisfaction on the current level of engagement, the two foreign ministers agreed on further enhancing high-level interactions, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 18:52:44|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) and Dubai Ports World (DP World), a multinational logistics company based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, have signed an agreement on maritime and logistics services worth 7.5 billion U.S. dollars, an INA executive said.

The cooperation between INA and DP World was set up in an effort to improve the quality of port operation, reduce logistics costs and sharpen Indonesia's competitive edge, INA's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ridha Wirakusumah said in a statement in Jakarta on Monday.

According to Wiraksumah, DP World will later bring world-class technology to the development of new terminals and other port assets in Indonesia, thereby increasing inter-island and international traffic.

The strategic partnership with DP World is in line with the INA's mission to optimize investment in infrastructure to encourage long-term economic growth, he said, adding that Indonesia is now among the top 15 countries and regions in terms of container traffic. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 20:03:20|Editor: huaxia

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Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen speaks at the launching ceremony of a COVID-19 vaccination drive for children aged five Nov. 1, 2021 in Phnom Penh. Cambodia on Monday began to vaccinate five-year-old children with China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine as the vaccination for the population aged six and older was completed, Hun Sen said. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Monday began to vaccinate five-year-old children with China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine as the vaccination for the population aged six years and older was completed, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said.

Speaking at the campaign launching ceremony held at the Peace Palace in capital Phnom Penh, Hun Sen called on parents or children's legal guardians to bring their kids for the jab in order to protect their lives from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Vaccinations are the key to fighting against COVID-19," he said. "Vaccines reduce infections, hospitalizations and fatalities."

Ministry of Health (MoH)'s Secretary of State Or Vandine said five-year-old children in the Southeast Asian country will receive two doses of the Sinovac vaccine and the gap between the first and second shot is 28 days.

When taking their kids for the jab, parents or legal guardians must bring along a copy of their birth certificates, family record books or passports, she said.

RELIEVED PARENTS

Sok Mary, a 28-year-old housewife, said she felt relieved after having her five-year-old daughter vaccinated against COVID-19.

"I feel happy that my little girl received her first dose of China's Sinovac vaccine today because I had waited for this opportunity for months," she told Xinhua at an inoculation site in the capital city.

"I totally trust the safety, quality and efficiency of Sinovac vaccine in protecting my life and family from this highly contagious disease. So far, all of my family members have been vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Sinovac vaccine," she added.

Vong Vichhai, a 43-year-old car mechanic, said he has been worrying about his little daughter's health safety amid COVID-19.

"But I have a sense of relief now after she received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine today," he told Xinhua. "Thank China for supplying vaccines to Cambodia and we will never forget your kindness, and thank the Cambodian government for providing vaccines to the people free of charge."

Chhay Kimlang, a nurse at a vaccination site in Phnom Penh, said if there were no China's vaccine supplies, Cambodia would not have enough vaccines to inoculate its people.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed," she added.

VACCINATION FOR PEOPLE AGED 6 AND OLDER COMPLETED

Hun Sen has announced Cambodia's national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for its population aged six years and older was successfully completed more than eight months after it was launched, with China being the major vaccine supplier.

"As of Oct. 31, Cambodia had vaccinated 85.68 percent, or 13.7 million of its 16-million population," he said. "We have achieved our target about eight months earlier than planned."

The country had inoculated 100 percent of the adult population of 10 million, 97.89 percent of the 12-17 age group of nearly 1.83 million, he said.

"We are recovering from the COVID-19 crisis, and social and economic activities in all areas have been gradually reopened, with the adaptation to the new normal," Hun Sen said. "Today, schools across the country are reopened."

Cambodia recorded 91 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing total tally to 118,613, the Ministry of Health said, adding six new fatalities from the pandemic were registered, bringing the overall coronavirus death toll to 2,794.

"If compared to our population of 16 million, the infection rate is 0.74 percent and the mortality rate is 0.017 percent. The rates are relatively low," the prime minister said.

"But if we compare the number of fatalities and infection cases, it's high, up to 2.35 percent, so we need to strengthen our treatment capacity," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 20:48:40|Editor: huaxia

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Travelers are seen at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 1, 2021. Thailand on Monday reopened to vaccinated visitors from more than 60 countries and regions amid efforts to revive its pandemic-battered economy. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

BANGKOK, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Thailand on Monday reopened to vaccinated visitors from more than 60 countries and regions amid efforts to revive its pandemic-battered economy.

From Monday, fully-vaccinated travellers flying from 63 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Britain, Australia and Japan, are allowed to enter the Southeast Asian country without quarantine requirement.

Upon arrival, the travellers have to stay at designated hotels for the first night to wait for their on-arrival COVID-19 test results.

Vaccinated visitors from countries and regions that are not on the quarantine-free list can travel to Bangkok and 16 other destinations, but have to stay there for at least seven nights before heading elsewhere in the country.

They can travel freely in the confined destinations during the seven days once their on-arrival tests come out negative.

The reopening came after Thailand had shut its borders to most foreign visitors since April 2020 after local transmission of COVID-19 started to climb.

The country's number of foreign tourist arrivals dived to 6.7 million in 2020 from a peak of nearly 40 million in 2019, taking a toll on the tourism sector, which accounts for about one-fifth of Thailand's economy before the pandemic.

The country's economy recorded its worst recession in more than two decades in 2020, shrinking 6.1 percent from 2019.

Rising tourist arrivals would help lift Thailand's economic growth to 3.5 percent next year, said Kirida Bhaopichitr, research director for international economics and development policy under the Thailand Development Research Institute. She expected the economy to grow between 0.5-1 percent this year.

Despite the reopening, it may take another two or three years before the tourism sector could return to its pre-pandemic levels, Kirida said in an interview with Xinhua.

As a pilot program, from July 1, Thailand allowed fully-vaccinated foreign visitors to enter its resort island Phuket without quarantine.

On Monday, Thailand reported 8,165 new COVID-19 cases and 55 more deaths, raising the total number of infections to 1.9 million while that of fatalities to 19,260, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

As of Sunday, the country has administered more than 75 million doses of vaccines, with more than 40 percent of its people having been fully vaccinated. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 22:06:55|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has started administering COVID-19 vaccines to school children aged 12-17 years in capital Dhaka.

The campaign was formally launched on Monday at a vaccination center in Dhaka's leading Ideal School and College in the presence of Education Minister Dipu Moni and Health Minister Zahid Maleque.

The campaign will be expanded to other districts outside Dhaka gradually.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, students will be receiving Pfizer vaccine doses in line with World Health Organization instructions at eight centers in capital Dhaka initially.

As 120 students who were administered Pfizer doses on an experimental basis on Oct. 14 showed no side effects, the Bangladeshi government launched the campaign in Dhaka with a target to vaccinate at least 40,000 students every day. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 23:49:07|Editor: huaxia

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by Dames Alexander Sinaga

JAKARTA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- At a state primary school in the western part of Indonesia's capital Jakarta on Monday morning, students attentively listened to their teacher Agus Wibawa's explanation about rules and protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in school.

Amid the anti-pandemic new normal, the teachers kept reminding students of health measures since the reopening of the school in late August this year following lengthy closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"All students in this classroom must wear masks and conduct practice of social and physical distancing anytime. Please follow these rules strictly," said Wibawa, a maths teacher at a public elementary school, before he began lessons.

Schools nationwide now provide sanitization, first aid and emergency rooms, and check the students' temperatures, while some also use infographics written in a child-friendly language to promote safety and hygiene for the students.

"Kids are so happy to be back to school. We always tell them we can fight COVID-19 together. We won't let the third wave occur as it may lead them back to learning from home," Wibawa said in an interview with Xinhua.

"Their parents are also advised that they also set good examples in implementing health protocols for their children," he added.

Students in the school have been on cloud nine since the reopening of the school, despite having to implement the COVID-19 health protocols.

Dewi Sandra, a sixth-grader, said that having been reunited with her classmates and teachers has made her much happier.

"I missed my friends so much. We can learn and play together, although we can't touch one another," Sandra said.

Achmad Sofyan, another primary school student, is pinning hopes that the number of cases in Indonesia continues to decline.

"No more fully home-based learning, please. Learning from the classroom is absolutely the best," he said laughingly.

More and more schools in the country have reopened following a drop in the number of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations as the government is continuously easing its four-tiered COVID-19 restrictions for public activities, locally known as PPKM.

Authorities are also accelerating the national vaccination program. More than 120 million Indonesians have received their first doses of vaccines and more than 74 million have taken the second doses.

Home to some 270 million people, the country has so far administered over 195 million doses, including the third booster jabs. The government aims to vaccinate about 208 million people.

Indonesia has endured the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak triggered by the more contagious Delta variant, as daily cases peaked at over 50,000 in July this year.

Although daily cases have come down significantly, the country is still facing the threat of other variants.

Last week, Indonesian President Joko Widodo called on heads of regions across the archipelago to do anything they can in a bid to prevent the third COVID-19 wave, which could occur during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.

During the same period of last year, increasing crowds and public mobility led to a spike in daily cases.

To prevent massive mobility of people, the government has decided to reduce the number of collective leave days for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

At a virtual press conference on Monday, the country's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the ministry has been "running an active surveillance" on those schools implementing face-to-face learning, aiming to strengthen the health protocols there.

The data has shown that "there are indeed some schools having been affected by COVID-19," the minister said, adding that the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in reopened schools is relatively low.

Sadikin said if any reopened school is found with COVID-19 positivity rate above 5 percent, its normal operation must be suspended for 14 days.

The minister emphasized that face-to-face learning is highly important, and at the same time the handling of COVID-19 in schools is also crucial to keep them in operation. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 00:28:36|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's exports increased by 25 percent during the first four months of the current fiscal year 2021-2022, compared with the same period of the last fiscal year, said a government official on Monday.

The country's exports during July-October of 2021 were recorded at 9.468 billion U.S. dollars, slightly lower than the set target of 9.6 billion U.S. dollars, Abdul Razak Dawood, advisor to Pakistani prime minister for commerce and investment, said in a series of tweets.

The export figure in the same period of the last fiscal year was 7.576 billion U.S. dollars, according to Dawood.

Exports in October grew by 17.5 percent to 2.471 billion U.S. dollars, compared to 2.104 billion U.S. dollars in the same month of the last fiscal year, Dawood said.

Imports stood at 24.99 billion U.S. dollars in the first four months of the fiscal year compared to 15.19 billion U.S. dollars during the same period of the last fiscal year, the advisor said.

About 40 percent of the increase in imports was investment-driven which included capital goods, raw materials and other products, indicating expansion of industry and enhanced activity by industry, he said.

The remaining 60 percent was comprised of petroleum, coal and gas, vaccines, food, consumer goods and others, the official added. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 12:38:35|Editor: huaxia

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by Maria Spiliopoulou, Yu Shuaishuai

ATHENS, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- As the world's second-largest economy and an important force in restarting the world economy under COVID-19, China has demonstrated its leading role in international trade through events such as the upcoming 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE), a Greek official has said.

Amid trade restrictions and the general downturn in economic activity caused by the pandemic, "China's commitment to maintaining an open and welcoming trade environment sends a strong message that we must move forward together," said Betty Alexandropoulou, executive director and member of the board of Enterprise Greece, an official trade and investment promotion agency of Greece, told Xinhua in a recent written interview.

Greece, as a world leader in shipping, and China, as the world's largest exporter, are both heavily vested in international trade, she noted, commending China's policy of further opening up and reforming its economy over the past decades.

"This has transformed China into the world's second-biggest economy and benefited the entire world too. Those efforts continue and the CIIE is a critical part of China's long-term policy," she told Xinhua, as Greece is preparing to participate in the 4th edition of the expo that will be held on Nov. 5-10, with an aim to further deepen Sino-Greek cooperation.

"From the standpoint of a small country like Greece, China is an enormous market, and Greek exporters are understandably keen to establish a foothold there. The CIIE provides a platform for showcasing Greek products, building brand awareness among Chinese consumers, and connecting directly with buyers. It is an unrivalled opportunity for Greek exporters to enter the Chinese market," Alexandropoulou noted.

At last year's CIIE, Greece focused on health care products, while this year, amidst a growing demand for Greek foods and beverages, there will be a large Greek representation from this sector, she said.

Greek food products -- from olive oil to fresh fruit, from honey to herbs -- are associated with health and wellbeing, and in China and around the globe, there is a rising consumer awareness about healthy lifestyles, something that has come into even nearer focus in view of the coronavirus pandemic, she explained.

Greek exports to China have risen steadily in the last few years and the CIIE platform plays a very important role in that growth, the official said, adding that for example, in 2019, the year after the first CIIE, Greek exports to China almost doubled to nearly 1 billion euros (1.16 billion U.S. dollars).

Regarding future Sino-Greek cooperation, the Greek government has just released its National Strategic Extroversion Plan and is pursuing two dozen initiatives to engage with China involving both exports and investments, Alexandropoulou said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 21:32:39|Editor: huaxia

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COPENHAGEN, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Perhaps few people have heard of the city of Billund in the west of Denmark, but the LEGO bricks, which were born in this small town, have already become popular all over the world.

In the 12,000-square-meter LEGO House in Billund, waterfalls, dinosaurs, giant plants and other landscapes are built with small LEGO bricks.

Nowadays, these ideas can also be found thousands of miles away in China. During China's National Day holiday last month, LEGO Group opened its world's largest flagship store in Guangzhou as the company continues to expand in the Asian country.

As of June, LEGO has 737 stores worldwide, of which 291 are in China, it said.

This year, LEGO will also participate in the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE). As a multinational company involved in the first edition of the CIIE, LEGO regards the expo as an excellent platform for enterprise development.

"We've seen very strong return brought by our previous participation at the CIIE as it offers a dialogue platform with local partners and government," said Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of the LEGO Group, noting that the expo showed China's opening-up and improving business environment, which encourages foreign companies to further invest, develop and innovate there.

Christiansen said the company has opened more than 60 branded stores in the first half of this year, and more than 40 of them are in China. It is expected to cover 85 Chinese cities with 300 stores by the end of this year.

Paul Huang, Senior Vice President of the LEGO Group and General Manager of LEGO China, said the CIIE is a good platform to introduce new products, technologies and services, adding that the company's products showcased in the past expos have received "successful results." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 01:03:53|Editor: huaxia

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LISBON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- A government decree-law came into force on Monday in Portugal, prohibiting the sale of single-use plastic products, such as cotton swabs and utensils for food or decoration.

It also sets the goal of gradually reducing the consumption of cups for beverages and packaging for ready-to-eat foods by 80 percent by Dec. 31, 2026, and by 90 percent by Dec. 31, 2030.

Approved two months ago by the Portuguese Council of Ministers, the decree-law complies with a European Union directive of June 5, 2019 that determines the "reduction of the impact of products made from oxo-degradable plastic," such as expanded polystyrene.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Action said in a statement that in order to meet the objectives, reusable containers will be made available for the consumption of food and beverages. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 04:05:00|Editor: huaxia

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VALLETTA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- There is always more to discover no matter how many times you visit China, Maltese writer Fiona Vella said.

"Sometimes the media does not give a true picture. You have to see with your own eyes," Vella, who has visited China twice, said in an interview with Xinhua.

Vella is currently working on a book that compiles the stories of Maltese people visiting China for the first time.

Before she visited China for the first time in 2014, Vella thought China was "faraway and strange." After her first visit, however, she said China has become "a close friend."

"I have always been interested in China, but it is such a faraway country, with a different culture and a different language. So initially, it was just a dream for me to visit China," Vella explained.

She admitted that she knew almost nothing about China before her first visit, except what she found in books or in the media -- although she had written some articles about the country.

Vella realized her dream of visiting China in 2014 as part of a Maltese group who were invited by the China Cultural Center in Malta.

During their two-week stay, Vella and her travelling companions visited Beijing and Shanghai. They went to ancient heritage sites such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, as well as enjoying modern lifestyles in both cities.

"China was awesome," Vella said. "My experience was so amazing that I didn't want to keep it for myself. I wanted to tell everyone."

During her voyage of discovery, not only did Vella fill the gaps in her knowledge about China, but she said she was also deeply impressed by the hospitality, trustworthiness and diligence of the Chinese people.

"If Chinese people promise you something and you agree to do it, you will have what they have promised," Vella said, "They are people who keep their word."

Five years later, Vella visited China again, participating in a seminar on cultural heritage protection held in Beijing. She said that although it was the first time she had travelled abroad alone, she felt she was visiting a friend.

Her second visit to China lasted around a month. During her trip, Vella had the opportunity to travel to Yunnan province. "I was really surprised to see that so many ethnic minorities with different characteristics and cultures live together in harmony in Yunnan."

Comparing her two trips to China, Vella said that between her first and second trip to China, the country has become more open to foreign visitors. It is also rapidly developing on a social and economic level, with wide access to high technology and good living standards across the country.

"China is so massive and is really running with rapid development," she said. The country has become "a dream," she said, attracting people from many countries around the world.

Vella's 19-year-old daughter also hopes to visit China, and maybe even work and live there in the future. Vella and her daughter are both currently learning Chinese so that they will be able to communicate better and more directly with Chinese people when they visit.

"China has given me a lot, and I want to give something back to China," Vella said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-01 12:40:39|Editor: huaxia

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HOUSTON, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear two challenges on Monday to the highly controversial Texas state law banning near-all abortions.

The high court has taken the cases up with unusual speed, but a ruling could take weeks or months, according to a NBC News report.

One of the challenges comes from the U.S. Department of Justice, while the other is from Whole Woman's Health, said the report.

Taking effect from September as reportedly the most restrictive one in the country, the Texas law prohibits abortions once cardiac activity is detected in an embryo, which can happen as early as about six weeks before many women are aware they are pregnant.

The fetal heartbeat law makes no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape. Furthermore, it allows most U.S. citizens, no matter where they live, to file lawsuits against abortion providers who they think infringed on the policy.

U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this year called the Texas law "extreme," saying it "blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade," the U.S. Supreme Court's decision adopted in 1973 legalizing abortion in the country.

The Biden administration argues that the private enforcement regime is a transparent attempt to shield what they see as a blatantly unconstitutional ban and that if the scheme were allowed to stand, it could allow states to undermine other constitutional rights in similar ways.

The high court is also reportedly to hear in December another case over a Mississippi abortion restriction that is directly challenging the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 04:49:40|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Most U.S. congressional districts exported more goods to China in 2020 compared to the previous year despite bilateral tensions and the beginning of a pandemic-induced global recession, according to a report released Monday by the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC).

U.S. goods exports to China grew by roughly 18 percent to 123 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, marking a sizable rally from a near-decade low in 2019, while U.S. goods exports to the rest of the world fell by 15 percent, the report said.

"This disparity is likely the result of China outpacing the rest of the world in its recovery from the pandemic-induced slowdown," the report said, noting the top U.S. goods exports to China are oilseeds and grains, semiconductors and their componentry, oil and gas, and motor vehicles.

A total of 278 out of 435 U.S. congressional districts saw growth in goods exports to China in 2020, and 72 districts increased their exports by more than 100 million dollars, according to the report.

The increase was particularly sharp in the farming communities of the Midwest, oil-exporting regions in Texas and Louisiana, and Oregon's semiconductor hub, also known as Silicon Forest, the report said, adding China remained the United States' third-largest goods export market.

"Our data show that tariff relief by China's government, which allowed Chinese buyers to purchase U.S. goods based on market demand after years of hampered trade, also helped fuel American goods exports in many parts of the country," USCBC President Craig Allen said in a statement.

"USCBC continues to advocate for both the United States and China to draw down and permanently remove all of their respective tariffs," Allen said.

U.S. services exports to China, the data for which lag a year behind, fell slightly to just over 54 billion dollars in 2019, partly due to declining numbers of Chinese travelers to the United States for business, pleasure and education, according to the report.

"The decline in travelers could have been the result of the trade war and other bilateral tensions, which might have made the United States an undesirable destination in the eyes of Chinese travelers," the report said.

However, of the United States' top 10 services export markets in 2019, China had the highest average annual growth rate over the previous decade.

Meanwhile, China was the United States' fourth-largest services export market, and many congressional districts, particularly those that represent large metropolitan areas, college towns, or logistics hubs, still generate substantial economic value from service exports to China.

"As our data show, trade between the United States and China has real consequences for businesses, workers, and communities all across the country and nearly every industry," Allen said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-11-02 05:12:26|Editor: huaxia

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HOUSTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and 17 others injured in more than a dozen separate shootings across the Houston area during the violent Halloween weekend, according to a report from local media outlet ABC13 on Monday.

On Friday night, a woman was shot dead and at least five people, including a 17-year-old, were injured in separate shootings across the Houston area, said the report.

Early Saturday morning, a female juvenile was shot near a party hall in northwest Harris County and a man was shot during a robbery in southwest Houston, the report said.

Authorities said later in the day, a woman in southwest Houston turned herself into law enforcement after shooting her mother dead and her father injured.

Just after midnight Sunday, a man was shot dead and a teen injured outside a home in southeast Houston. The shooter remains at large.

Throughout Sunday, there were at least three more separate shootings across the largest city in Texas, leaving two people killed and at least six others injured, including a father and his one-year-old child in a road rage shooting, according to the report. Enditem
The newly elected Zapu president, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, has urged party members to remain to loyal to the opposition party and work with him to restore the organisation back to its former glory.

Nkomo, son to the late founding father and nationalist Joshua Nkomo, invoked the spirit of unity after he won the presidency in a drama filled elective congress on Saturday.

Nkomo, whose home province is Matabeleland South won with 793 votes, against former party Secretary General  Dr Strike Mkandla from Bulawayo who only received 22 votes while the youngest candidate, Bernard Magugu from Midlands managed 52 votes.

The three day Zapu elective congress comes after a series of postponement due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

However, during the congress, six party members including one presidential aspirant, Matthew Sibanda, filed an urgent chamber application against the party and Nkomo to stop proceedings.

The applicants later voluntarily withdrew their case and congress proceedings continued.

Before voting started, all provincial chairpersons were informed they would receive ballot papers corresponding to the number of their registered and accredited delegates.

Delegates from Bulawayo Province were allocated 247 ballots, Matabeleland North -128 ballots, Matabeleland South  227 ballots, Midlands -135 ballots, Manicaland  seven ballots, Harare  49 ballots, Mashonaland East  eight ballots, Mashonaland West -14 ballots, Mashonaland Central  eight ballots, Chitungwiza- 26 ballots.

Structures from outside the country were also represented as South Africa received 45 ballots, Botswana -two ballots, Canada and the United Kingdom both received one ballot each.

Total number of ballots issued for the post of President was 898 papers.

The delegates were then asked to write the name of their preferred candidate on the ballot paper given.

For the vice presidency, three candidates were nominated and these were, Derek Katsenga from Mashonaland East, who won with 309 votes, against Isabel Murambiwa from the Canada province with 284 votes and Buster Magwizi from Mashonaland West with 152 votes.

For the post of National Chairperson, four of the five candidates were former ZPRA and army generals.

Former Treasurer General, Mark Mbayiwa from Matabeleland North emerged the winner with 431 votes, defeating Magwizi (54 votes), the partys national organising secretary  Zolani Dlamini from Bulawayo (47 votes), Patron Nketha also from Bulawayo (44 votes) and Richard Chitiyo from Midlands with (23 votes).

The Secretary General post was won by Mthulisi Hanana from Botswana province with 590 votes, against Vuyani Hlazo from South Africa province who polled 54 votes.

Former Deputy Secretary for International Relations, Future Msebele from the South Africa province grabbed the Treasurer General post with 152 votes against Grace Noko ( Bulawayo with 90 votes), Bongani Halimane (South African with 79 votes and Khethiwe Silundika (Bulawayo with 79 votes as well. Cite.org.zw
THE Department of Lands in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement has degenerated into a haven of corruption as officers demand kickbacks for land allocations.

The departments officers have introduced a something for something and nothing for nothing concept, targeting especially Zimbabweans in the diaspora that want to invest in land.

Government has reviewed the policy on allocation of vacant land and restructured the Provincial and District Lands Committees to curb the rampant corruption.

This was said by Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Anxious Masuka, addressing senior officers in the Lands Department attending a land management and distribution meeting in Gweru yesterday.

The Lands Department now has a bad reputation. The department has degenerated into a haven of corruption activities as officers demand kickbacks in land allocations and that is very bad. We need to clean that image now by doing the right things in a professional manner, he said.

Dr Masuka said there are land officers, whose offices are only accessible to people that can afford to pay kickbacks.

There are land officers whose offices are entered only by those with something in their pockets. Something for something and nothing for nothing, and that is corruption in land allocation. Corruption, corrupt activities must stop henceforth, he said.

To show how corrupt some land officers have become, Dr Masuka said he has been receiving phone calls from land seekers, who reveal to him their schedule number, which should be a confidential matter.

The land officers who would have received kickbacks go to the extent of giving confidential information about the process of land allocation. Planning, preparation of schedules and numbers are done by the ministry officials, but I get phone calls from people giving me their schedule number. That shows that the officer will be trying to please his/her benefactor because such information as schedule numbers are private and confidential, he said.

Dr Masuka said land was an economic enabler which must be allocated to deserving people so that agriculture contributes to the growth of the economy in line with Vision 2030.

Land is an economic enabler; the land must be used to unlock value and must be allocated in a transparent manner. Land can be used to maximise the productivity of the agricultural sector so that the country earns foreign currency, he said.

Dr Masuka reiterated the need for lands officers to be fair and transparent.

There is a backlog of about 250 000 people who applied for land and these applications should be dealt with in fairness and transparency. We must do away with corruption, he said.

He said the revised guidelines on allocation of land will target multiple farm owners, abandoned farms, derelict land and underutilised farms.

Government has also now issued revised guidelines to provincial and district land committees to ensure that the first four categories are the priority categories for identification of vacant land and for the allocation of land.

As a civil servant, I think you should strive to leave a lasting legacy in the area of operation. Now we have land officers who set targets, for example, to have two Mercedes Benz vehicles in two years from corruption, which is wrong.

Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement chief director human resources, Mr George Chijarira said the unscrupulous lands officers were targeting Zimbabweans in the diaspora, who have become their cash cows.

He said reports of lands officers demanding cattle from potential land beneficiaries have also reached the ministry.

There are a lot of people in the diaspora who want land and the land officers have found their cash cow from that constituency.

There are reports where land officers are demanding bribes from those in the United Kingdom and other countries. That constituency is now their cash cow. Some people have paid officers livestock before their names are put on the land waiting list. We hear these stories and you must know that it is an act of misconduct and is also criminal. Anyone found on the wrong side will face the full wrath of the law, said Mr Chijarira.

Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Larry Mavima said Zimbabwe will reemerge as the bread basket of Africa through President Mnangagwas efforts to revive the agricultural sector.

He said Government has been providing farming inputs on time as a way of supporting farmers for the growth of the agriculture sector.

With the leadership of President Mnangagwa, agriculture is being revived and Zimbabwe will re-emerge as the bread basket of Africa. The meeting is coming at the right time to address issues to do with land applications, the redistribution of underutilised land as well as other land related issues, said Minister Mavima. Chronicle
The five minutes gave listeners plenty of time to think  about the tens of thousands of people disabled with long-haul COVID and lingering symptoms, including disability; about the traumatized health care workers who have seen too much death; about the tens of thousands of children who have lost one or both parents or caregivers; about those who finally did beg for the vaccine as they were about to be intubated, only to be told it was too late; and about how many more lives could have been saved if people had pulled together to don masks and get vaccinated.
An undercover Homeland Security agent reached out in early January and, within a few emails, was sent an invoice for 200 doses at $30 per dose, for a total of $6,000. The buyer was ordered to pay 50% up front and 50% upon delivery and payments were to be sent to a Navy Federal Credit Union account to which Oluwalade had gained access in November.
The judge also sided with the feds by allowing witnesses who will testify about alleged sexual abuse to remain anonymous. Maxwells legal team had argued that protecting the victims identities would be unworkable and unconstitutional. The jury will know the womens identities, but they will be referred to by pseudonyms in court.
We want everybody to know that we are not anti-vaccination by any means, and any signs in the crowd right now that say otherwise, we dont want to be part of that, Eustace said. This is about anti-mandate and anti-mandate only. That is the only stance we are taking right now.
About four hours later, police found the carjacker and the Mustang near the corner of 197th St. and Jamaica Ave. in Hollis, about a half mile from where the muscle car was stolen.
Calderon was speeding south on the expressway and tried to take Exit 4 to get onto the Bronx River Parkway, but was going too fast and lost control, went off the road and hit a tree, police said.
The 17-year-old suspected car thief was nabbed after a brief foot chase but had no idea what police were talking about when he was asked about the boy, who had been described to cops in great detail. He supposedly had braided hair and was wearing a green hoodie, black jeans and white sneakers.
Lee allegedly confronted a student, who was not in any of her classes, Friday after the student accused her of using the N-word in an Instagram post announcing the teachers honor. Lee allegedly viewed the message as a threat to kill her, according to the arrest report.
The Pardon and Parole Board has now twice voted in favor of commuting Julius Joness death sentence, acknowledging the grievous errors that led to his conviction and death sentence, Jones lawyer, Amanda Bass, said in a news release. We hope that Governor Stitt will exercise his authority to accept the Boards recommendation and ensure that Oklahoma does not execute an innocent man.
According to WAPT, Megan West, an anchor for the station, was walking to her car after trick-or-treating with family and friends in Jackson when four armed men approached after 7 p.m. and demanded wallets, cell phones and the car keys.
It was coming up that one of the mayors staff on several occasions was assigned to Inspector Redmonds hotel room during their travels, and when I questioned him about it, he basically snaps the paperwork out of my hand and made a beeline over to City Hall, Rugg said in the deposition in connection with his lawsuit alleging Redmond improperly denied him a promotion.
The commissioner can not claim that unvaccinated firefighters taking medical leave is causing the staffing shortage. By the commissioners own admission, the vast majority of them are unvaccinated, and would have been sent home this morning by the mayor anyway thanks to his dangerous mandate, said United Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro. It is common knowledge that firefighters work hurt. It would only be natural for these firefighters to seek treatment and document their injuries before they are let go by the mayor. This crisis is clearly on the mayor.
I am the first candidate to say, when elected, there will be no-kill shelters. Were not killing any dogs or cats or animals again, he promised during his closing remarks at the second and final mayoral debate last week. It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, A society that does not take care of its animals does not take care of its people.
For a lot of people in our community, they dont even know that they are living in the last Republican district in Queens  which is scary for them when they found out and theyre like, Oh my God, that is so disgusting, Singh said in an interview last week. They know that the Trumpian values they voted out in 2020 could be at risk of coming back if Joann Ariola is elected.
As the summit opened, the U.S. was still struggling to get some of the worlds biggest climate polluters  China, Russia and India  to make stronger pledges to burn far less coal, gas and oil and to move to cleaner energy. China under President Xi Jinping has made firmer commitments to cut back on coal power and make other cuts, but not at the pace that the United States and its allies are asking.
That includes former President Donald Trump, who is holding a tele-rally for Youngkin on Monday. Youngkin has said he will not be participating. Youngkin more fully embraced Trump during the Republican nominating contest, but since becoming the nominee he has walked a fine line as he tries to court moderate voters in a state that Trump lost by 10 percentage points to Biden in 2020.
Earlier this year, the Lone Star state banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy  which is before many women even know they are pregnant  and in a bizarre legal twist left the enforcement to private citizens, who can sue doctors or anyone who helps a woman get an abortion.
It is not immediately known what caused the collapse. However, such incidents are relatively common in the city because enforcement of building code regulations is weak. Other observers blame shoddy work by private developers eager to meet demand for housing for the citys population of 20 million.
Hochul needs a crash course on the crazy Gateway world, where even though Trenton and Albany are supposed to equally split the non-federal cost of the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack, New York was totally iced out of the planning and NJ Transit budgeted a fantastically expensive span that can be built at one-tenth the price. But they still want New York to put in $800 million. And now the NJT board has authorized a construction contract that exceeds that budget by another $400 million, making New York liable for $1.2 billion, with no New York approval.
No one is ready for that. On this Monday afternoon, activists including City Council candidate Allie Ryan are being arrested for putting their bodies in the way of demolition  and not because they oppose adapting the park to buffer the city from effects of climate change. On the contrary, they simply want to have confidence in the plan that will be realized. There is consensus around the problem that Lower Manhattan will continue to be prone to damaging flooding, and there is consensus around the need to physically modify East River Park so that this coastal sliver of land can do as much protecting of the city as possible. But local stakeholders were not involved in the creation of the current plan, and have been deprived of essential information, so they dont trust it.
Change is always difficult. A new report shows that more than half of New Yorks Open Streets  which compared to the new streets and networks in London and Paris were always a half-hearted effort  are neglected and no longer operational. A powerful city bureaucracy wants to continue its job of making traffic flow (even though we have so many cars that it doesnt), while drivers think pedestrians and cyclists get in their way.
We suspect that there were other live rounds, but thats up to the testing, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said. Right now, were going to determine how those got there, and why they were there, because they shouldnt have been.
Several social media users accused the couple of being starved for attention since leaving their sensationalist networks. Dodd said in June she was fired from Bravo for causing executives a lot of grief. She claims to be 30% Native American.
Ive always been very public with everybody Ive personally interacted with, whether its somebody that I meet at a bar if Josh and I are out, or were talking to friends, the Indian-American actor told People. Im really excited to share our relationship with readers. But Josh, my partner, my parents, and my brother, four people who Im closest to in the family, are fairly quiet. They dont love attention and shy away from the limelight.
The city leases the space from the 55 West developers and in turn subleased it to Mad Cow Theatre, which took occupancy in 2011. Although the theater does not pay rent, it is responsible for operational expenses and contractually obligated to pay a common-area maintenance fee, known as a CAM. That monthly charge, which pays for services such as security, is $2,029.04 and hasnt been paid in five years, the city said.
Carmelo Vazquez has been a volunteer with Advanced Community Outreach Center for about five years. Due to his experience, he is now in charge of the food drive's logistics, like the one on Monday. (Daniela Vivas Labrador / El Sentinel)
I looked at this building with a friend of mine before [Tchekmeian] had it, trying to conceptualize but it didnt work out. He came up to the bar one night and kicked out the idea  he wanted to do a Foxtail, but the Milk District can handle all day, so why not put together a group that could do everything?
Across the country, American canceled more than 880 flights on Sunday  nearly a third of its total  and more than 1,600 over the past three days. Another 288 American flights were delayed Sunday, about 10% of the total.
The Volusia County Sheriffs Office identified the victim as Xyrus Zelaya, 16, a student at Deltona High School. The teen was driven by a privately owned car to Halifax Health/UF Health in Deltona shortly after midnight Sunday. It was not immediately clear how long he survived.
Loyds defense rested soon after. The 46-year-old is accused of killing Clayton during a shootout Jan. 9, 2017, at the Walmart on Princeton Street after she tried to arrest him for the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon. He faces the possibility of being sentenced to death if a 12-person jury finds him guilty of first-degree murder in Claytons death.
"Alexander" is the story of Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia, who conquered much of the known world by age 32. The nearly three hour-long movie has been described by critics as emotionally and intellectually incoherent, flawed, and an excruciating disaster. (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)
In Districts 1 and 3, runoffs may be needed if a candidate doesnt receive 50% plus 1 of the vote totals. District 1 incumbent Jim Gray faces Sunshine Grund and Bill Moore to represent parts on Conway and all of Lake Nona. While District 3 incumbent Robert Stuart is challenged by Nicolette Springer and Samuel Chambers for the seat representing College Park, Audubon Park, Rosemont and Baldwin Park.
It was a whole constellation of criminal behavior that was going on behind the scenes, Weiner said. The reporting we did had the result of getting federal and local investigators to pay attention to him  It really shows that without something like the Orlando Sentinel and without a journalist like Martin Comas, I dont know that Joel Greenberg would have ever gotten caught.
If UF values its place among the nations leading universities  and if it expects to attract faculty members who value their independence  it will reverse this embarrassing decision and free professors to pursue outside work regardless of whether it might anger powerful and vindictive politicians. The accrediting body for UF already is planning an investigation into the universitys actions, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The economically secure can pump social and financial capital into new startups, fall back on savings and flit between opportunities  but do we all have this luxury? History shows us that freedom comes with new risks. Study after study has warned us of the decreased earnings and growing insecurity of gig work, as the most economically marginalized are barely earning a minimum wage.
This is why leaders are sounding the alarm and asking Americans  especially veterans and active-duty military  to step up and make a Warrior Call to check on those who have worn or are wearing the uniform. On Nov. 21, right after Veterans Day and before the holidays, we are commemorating National Warrior Call Day, a coast-to-coast call to action to connect with vets and service members.
Right now, what we are doing is we are all competing for a really small pool and actually a slightly shrinking pool of nurses, said Justin Senior, CEO of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, which represents public, childrens and teaching hospitals. A lot of retirements have been pulled forward. We have got to replace what we have lost, and then grow it even more for our growing population.
I know of no case where a professor has been denied the right to be an expert witness or a paid consultant, Churchill said. And I have worked with the University of Florida since 2006.  Its extremely common. Even [according to] their own website and their own policies, its a very low-risk activity, and theyre usually approved.
NASA would not say which of the crew members  Americans Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn or Kayla Barron or the European Space Agencys Matthias Maurer  was affected or what exactly the medical issue entailed but said the issue is not a medical emergency and not related to COVID-19.
Step away from the candy corn, fold up your Squid Game costume and get ready for the stretch run of 2021. At Central Floridas theme parks and attractions, November and December are dominated by holiday celebrations, but there are other artistic events happening plus the return of a rehabbed attraction, holiday favorites and the IAAPA convention.
While some places in the United States are less at-risk than others, every state is prone to some type of natural disaster. Whether it's hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, forest fires, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes or heat waves, each state in the union has dealt with a devastating natural phenomenon in the last century or so. These storms and catastrophes loom large in the memories of people who lived through them. But which weather event had the biggest impact? Between loss of life, property damage and historical impact, here are disasters that have made a major impact in each state. (Kaitlin Miller, The Active Times)

(Kaitlin Miller)
Oswego, NY (13126)

Today

Overcast. High 44F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low 38F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan Prime Minister Abelhamid al-Dbaiba took part in the opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), a summit of world leaders, in Glasgow, United Kingdom, on Monday, an official source said
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Monday that 92 illegal migrants were rescued on Sunday evening by the Libyan coast guard
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
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Congress leaders have slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his comment that the party is not appointing a common woman as party president, and questioned him why there is no cabinet-rank woman minister in the state. Yogi during a private media interaction a few days ago had asked, "Why is Congress not appointing a common woman as the party chief?" Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, "Yogiji you are upset about Priyankaji's decision to give 40 per cent tickets to women. You had also opposed the women reservation Bill in Parliament, you don't have any woman cabinet minister in your council, you want to control women power. Better change your mindset." Yogi's cabinet currently has three women ministers -- Swati Singh, Gulab Devi and Neelima Katiyar. All three have Minister of State rank. Singh is MoS with independent charge of women and child welfare. Gulab Devi is also MoS for Secondary Education. Neelima Katiyar is MoS for Higher Education, Science and Technology. Before the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state, the Congress is trying hard to woo the women who constitute half of the state's population. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said that her party has prepared a separate manifesto for women for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. "My dear sisters of Uttar Pradesh, your day is full of struggles. Understanding this, the Congress party has prepared a separate manifesto for women," she said in a tweet in Hindi. "On the formation of the Congress party's government, three LPG cylinders will be given for free to women annually and women will be able to travel for free in state government buses." Priyanka Gandhi also tagged a picture along with the tweet listing the Congress' promises to the women if the party comes to power in Uttar Pradesh. The other assurances include an honorarium of Rs 10,000 per month to ASHA and Anganwadi workers; appointment of women to 40 per cent posts according to the provisions of reservation; pension of Rs 1,000 to old widows; and opening of 75 skill schools that will be named after the brave women of the state. The Congress is trying to consolidate the women power in its favour for the Assembly polls. Priyanka had said last month that all Class 12 pass girls will be given smartphones while all graduate girls will get electric scooters if her party forms the government in the state.




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Dermatological Drugs Market by Key Players: Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Bayer, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Allergan, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, PharmaDerm Pharmaceuticals & Allergan Inamed Corporation



Geographically, this report is segmented into some key Regions, with manufacture, depletion, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Dermatological Drugs in these regions, from 2015 to 2026 (forecast), covering China, USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia & South America and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2021 to 2026.



Informational Takeaways from the Market Study: The report Dermatological Drugs matches the completely examined and evaluated data of the noticeable companies and their situation in the market considering impact of Coronavirus. The measured tools including SWOT analysis, Porter's five powers analysis, and assumption return debt were utilized while separating the improvement of the key players performing in the market.



Key Development's in the Market: This segment of the Dermatological Drugs report fuses the major developments of the market that contains confirmations, composed endeavors, R&D, new thing dispatch, joint endeavours, and relationship of driving members working in the market.



To get this report buy full copy @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=3662018



Some of the important question for stakeholders and business professional for expanding their position in the Dermatological Drugs Market:

Q 1. Which Region offers the most rewarding open doors for the market Ahead of 2021?

Q 2. What are the business threats and Impact of latest scenario Over the market Growth and Estimation?

Q 3. What are probably the most encouraging, high-development scenarios for Dermatological Drugs movement showcase by applications, types and regions?

Q 4.What segments grab most noteworthy attention in Dermatological Drugs Market in 2020 and beyond?

Q 5. Who are the significant players confronting and developing in Dermatological Drugs Market?



For More Information Read Table of Content @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/3662018-dermatological-drugs-market-1



Key poles of the TOC:

Chapter 1 Dermatological Drugs Market Business Overview

Chapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type [, Prescription-Based Drugs & Over-the-Counter Drugs]

Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume)

Chapter 4 Manufacture Market Breakdown

Chapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market Study

Chapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown

..

Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & Aggressiveness

Chapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type

..

Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis)

Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, LATAM, Europe or Southeast Asia.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/01/2021 -- The Latest research study released by HTF MI "Sexy Costumes Market" with 100+ pages of analysis on business Strategy taken up by key and emerging industry players and delivers know how of the current market development, landscape, technologies, drivers, opportunities, market viewpoint and status. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid the market growth. Some of the Major Companies covered in this Research are Rubie's, Lucky Toys Factory, California Costumes, Roma Costume, Spirit Halloween, Jinhua Heyli Costume & Costumes 'N' Parties Pte Ltd etc.



Click here for free sample + related graphs of the report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/3529840-sexy-costumes-market



Browse market information, tables and figures extent in-depth TOC on "Sexy Costumes Market by Application (Men's Costumes & Women's Costumes), by Product Type (, Plush Costumes, Inflatables Costumes, Costume Shoes & Masks & Accessories), Business scope, Manufacturing and Outlook  Estimate to 2025".



for more information or any query mail at sales@htfmarketreport.com



At last, all parts of the Sexy Costumes Market are quantitatively also subjectively valued to think about the Global just as regional market equally. This market study presents basic data and true figures about the market giving a deep analysis of this market based on market trends, market drivers, constraints and its future prospects. The report supplies the worldwide monetary challenge with the help of Porter's Five Forces Analysis and SWOT Analysis.



If you have any Enquiry please click here @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/3529840-sexy-costumes-market



Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per your needs for added data up to 3 businesses or countries or 2 analyst hours.



On the basis of report- titled segments and sub-segment of the market are highlighted below:

Sexy Costumes Market By Application/End-User (Value and Volume from 2021 to 2026) : Men's Costumes & Women's Costumes



Market By Type (Value and Volume from 2021 to 2026) :, Plush Costumes, Inflatables Costumes, Costume Shoes & Masks & Accessories



Sexy Costumes Market by Key Players: Rubie's, Lucky Toys Factory, California Costumes, Roma Costume, Spirit Halloween, Jinhua Heyli Costume & Costumes 'N' Parties Pte Ltd



Geographically, this report is segmented into some key Regions, with manufacture, depletion, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Sexy Costumes in these regions, from 2015 to 2026 (forecast), covering China, USA, Europe, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia & South America and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2021 to 2026.



Informational Takeaways from the Market Study: The report Sexy Costumes matches the completely examined and evaluated data of the noticeable companies and their situation in the market considering impact of Coronavirus. The measured tools including SWOT analysis, Porter's five powers analysis, and assumption return debt were utilized while separating the improvement of the key players performing in the market.



Key Development's in the Market: This segment of the Sexy Costumes report fuses the major developments of the market that contains confirmations, composed endeavors, R&D, new thing dispatch, joint endeavours, and relationship of driving members working in the market.



To get this report buy full copy @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=3529840



Some of the important question for stakeholders and business professional for expanding their position in the Sexy Costumes Market:

Q 1. Which Region offers the most rewarding open doors for the market Ahead of 2021?

Q 2. What are the business threats and Impact of latest scenario Over the market Growth and Estimation?

Q 3. What are probably the most encouraging, high-development scenarios for Sexy Costumes movement showcase by applications, types and regions?

Q 4.What segments grab most noteworthy attention in Sexy Costumes Market in 2020 and beyond?

Q 5. Who are the significant players confronting and developing in Sexy Costumes Market?



For More Information Read Table of Content @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/3529840-sexy-costumes-market



Key poles of the TOC:

Chapter 1 Sexy Costumes Market Business Overview

Chapter 2 Major Breakdown by Type [, Plush Costumes, Inflatables Costumes, Costume Shoes & Masks & Accessories]

Chapter 3 Major Application Wise Breakdown (Revenue & Volume)

Chapter 4 Manufacture Market Breakdown

Chapter 5 Sales & Estimates Market Study

Chapter 6 Key Manufacturers Production and Sales Market Comparison Breakdown

..

Chapter 8 Manufacturers, Deals and Closings Market Evaluation & Aggressiveness

Chapter 9 Key Companies Breakdown by Overall Market Size & Revenue by Type

..

Chapter 11 Business / Industry Chain (Value & Supply Chain Analysis)

Chapter 12 Conclusions & Appendix



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, LATAM, Europe or Southeast Asia.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/01/2021 -- As the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal factors continue to change, business leaders across industries have shifted focus to strategic objectives to achieve market excellence. "Global Single Trip Travel Insurance Market Size, Share Analysis with Forecast to 2026" report comes with comprehensive business strategies and plans have proven to propel business growth in such a scenario. For that purpose, companies require relevant information and market intelligence-based insights to measure changing market trends, best practices, competitor's market position, customers' needs, and demand-supply changes.



The Single Trip Travel Insurance Market report covers extensive analysis of the key market players, along with their business overview, expansion plans, and strategies. The key players studied in the report include: Allianz SE (Germany), Munich Re Group (Germany), Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (Italy), Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc, (Japan), Axa S.A. (France), Mapfre Asistencia (Spain), USI Insurance Services (United States), HanseMerkur Group (Germany), Starr Assist (United States), ABTA Ltd (United Kingdom)



Get Free Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of This Research @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/122114-global-single-trip-travel-insurance-market



We help our customers settle on more intelligent choices to accomplish quick business development. Our strength lies in the unbeaten diversity of our global market research teams, innovative research methodologies, and unique perspective that merge seamlessly to offer customized solutions for your every business requirement.



Single Trip Travel Insurance Definition:

Single trip travel insurance covers a travel insurance policy single trip covering medical, accidental, baggage expenses. It can be used for individuals and business applications, it is widely purchased by insurance intermediaries, insurance companies, insurance broker banks, and other entities. The single trip insurance also covers domestic and international trips. It can be availed online as well as offline with various plan options.



The following fragment talks about the Single Trip Travel Insurance market types, applications, End-Users, Deployment model etc. A thorough analysis of Single Trip Travel Insurance Market Segmentation: by Type (Personal Insurance, Group Insurance), Application (Individual, Business), Coverage (Medical Insurance, Evacuation Insurance, Baggage Insurance, Others), End User (Insurance Intermediaries, Insurance Company, Bank, Insurance Broker, Others)



Single Trip Travel Insurance Market Drivers:

- Growing Demand for Insurance Services in Every Industry

- Need for Insuring the Trips Against Any Kind of Loss



Single Trip Travel Insurance Market Trends:

- Increasing Consumption of Personal Single Trip Travel Insurance



Single Trip Travel Insurance Market Growth Opportunities:

- Rising Awareness Variouss Kinds of Travel Plans and Policies will Boost the Single Trip Travel Insurance



As the Single Trip Travel Insurance market is becoming increasingly competitive, it has become imperative for businesses to keep a constant watch on their competitor strategies and other changing trends in the Single Trip Travel Insurance market. Scope of Single Trip Travel Insurance market intelligence has proliferated to include comprehensive analysis and analytics that can help revamp business models and projections to suit current business requirements.



Have Any Questions Regarding Global Single Trip Travel Insurance Market Report, Ask Our Experts@ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/122114-global-single-trip-travel-insurance-market



What benefit does AMA research study will give?

- Latest industry impacting patterns and improvement situation of Single Trip Travel Insurance Market

- Open up New Markets

- To Seize amazing business sector openings

- Key decision in planning and to further expand market share

- Identify Key Business Segments, Single Trip Travel Insurance Market suggestion and Gap Analysis

- Assisting in allocating marketing investments



Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Single Trip Travel Insurance Market:

Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Single Trip Travel Insurance market

Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary and the basic information of the Single Trip Travel Insurance Market.

Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges & Opportunities of the Single Trip Travel Insurance

Chapter 4: Presenting the Single Trip Travel Insurance Market Factor Analysis, Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis.

Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region/Country 2015-2020

Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Single Trip Travel Insurance market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile

Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by Manufacturers/Company with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions (2021-2026)

Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source

Finally, Single Trip Travel Insurance Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies.



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/122114-global-single-trip-travel-insurance-market



Key questions answered

- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Global Single Trip Travel Insurance market?

- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Global Single Trip Travel Insurance market?

- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Global Single Trip Travel Insurance market?

- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured an amazing new photo of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 6984.

NGC 6984 lies approximately 164 million light-years away in the direction of the southern constellation of Indus.

Otherwise known as ESO 235-20 or LEDA 65798, the galaxy has a diameter of about 110,000 light-years.

NGC 6984 was discovered on July 8, 1834 by the English astronomer John Herschel.

This galaxy is a familiar sight for Hubble, having already been captured in 2013, Hubble astronomers said.

Its sweeping spiral arms are threaded through with a delicate tracery of dark lanes of gas and dust, and studded with bright stars and luminous star-forming regions.

The new observations were made following the discovery of two supernovae: SNhunt142 in 2012 and SN 2013ek in 2013.

Supernovae are unimaginably violent explosions on a truly vast scale, the researchers said.

These events are powerful but rare and fleeting  a single supernova can outshine its host galaxy for a brief time.

The discovery of two supernovae at virtually the same time and location  in astronomical terms  prompted speculation that the two supernovae may somehow be physically linked.

Using optical and ultraviolet observations from Hubbles Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), we sought to get a better look at the site of the two supernovae, hopefully allowing us to discover if the two supernova explosions were indeed linked.

Our findings could give astronomers important clues into the lives of binary stars.
Paleoichthyologists in China have re-described Nochelaspis maeandrine, a species of large-sized eugaleaspiform fish that lived 415 million years ago (Devonian period).

Nochelaspis maeandrine was first described in 1987 from a nearly complete head shield found in the Xishancun Formation near Qujing City, Yunnan Province, southwestern China.

The ancient jawless fish belongs to the order Eugaleaspidiformes in the class Galeaspida.

The jawless armored galeaspids thrived in the Siluro-Devonian period, but were strictly restricted in China and northern Vietnam, said Dr. Min Zhu, a paleoichthyologist in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his colleagues.

They are among the enigmatic clades of stem-gnathostomes for understanding the transition from jawless to jawed vertebrates.

As one of three major groups of Galeaspida, Eugaleaspiformes diverged from the basal galeaspids as early as the middle Telychian, Llandovery of Silurian.

To our knowledge, the largest eugaleaspiform is Nochelaspis maeandrine from the bottom of the Xishancun Formation, they added.

However, it remains poorly known in its morphology and taxonomy because of the scarcity of material.

In the new research, the paleoichthyologists examined two new specimens of Nochelaspis maeandrine  two incomplete head shields and two complete cornual and inner cornual processes of head shield  from two localities of the Xishancun Formation.

The two new specimens redefined the characteristics of Nochelaspis maeandrine, including its triangular head shield, slit-like median dorsal opening with a sawtooth-like edge, dermal ornamentations composed of coarse stellate tubercles, and a more robust inner cornual process with the posterior end far beyond the posterior margin of the cornual process, they explained.

Moreover, the new specimens unraveled the mystery of the ventral side of the head shield in Nochelaspis maeandrine for the first time.

The head shield curves ventrally to form a flat ventral rim, embracing a large pear-shaped oralobranchial fenestra. The branchial fenestra is covered by a ventral plate.

There are six pairs of successive round branchial openings symmetrically aligned along the lateral margins of the branchial fenestra.

The mouth is assumed to be located at the front end of the oralobranchial fenestra.

The ventral plate of Nochelaspis maeandrine is large enough to have close contact with the ventral rim to shape the branchial openings.

The new evidence suggests that the pouch-like gills of Nochelaspis maeandrine open to the exterior ventrally by six separated, large, and circular branchial openings, said Dr. Xinyuan Meng, a paleoichthyologist in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The external branchial openings or slits are distributed on both sides of the body in extant lampreys, hagfishes, and most jawed fishes.

By contrast, the branchial openings of Nochelaspis maeandrine are located ventrally, as in modern rays, which indicates a benthic lifestyle dwelling on sandy or muddy substrates in a quiet marine environment.

The study was published in the journal Vertebrata PalAsiatica.

_____

Xin-Yuan Meng et al. 2021. Redescription of Nochelaspis maeandrine, the largest eugaleaspiform from the Lower Devonian of Qujing, Yunnan. Vertebrata Palasiatica 59 (4): 257-272; doi: 10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.210727
ArborGen Holdings Limited (NZX: ARB ) (the Company or ArborGen) has entered into an agreement to sell ArborGen ANZ for NZ$22.25m to Geyser Limited Partnership (Geyser).

The transaction has arisen as a result of the strategic review being undertaken by the Company (as announced on 30 June 2021 https://www.nzx.com/announcements/374791). The Company engaged PwC to assist with the strategic review.

ArborGen ANZ is an operationally separate and significantly smaller operation than ArborGens US business. It is forecast to contribute approximately 15+% of Group Revenue in FY22, but has a lower growth profile compared to ArborGens other markets. ArborGen ANZ is currently operating at around its maximum combined productive capacity of approximately 30 million tree stocks per annum in NZ and 5.5 million per annum in Australia, and further expansion of capacity to grow the core forestry and horticulture businesses would require significant additional capital spend. The Board believes that sale proceeds are better deployed in higher growth markets in the US and Brazil.

The Companys core strategy is to grow the sales of its higher margin proprietary advanced genetic products (Mass Control Pollinated (MCP) and Varietals) in the United States where there is significant identified potential to grow market share and drive advanced genetics adoption. Further investment in the US comes at a time when that business is poised to benefit from decades of investment in developing best-in-class proprietary MCP products, expanding supply through orchards expansions across the US South, and upgrading both industrial and private landowner customers to MCP seedlings. The Company confirms that it continues to be on track to deliver its highest MCP sales year in the US this year with year-to-date MCP sales orders now at approximately 105 million seedlings, 25 million units higher than the prior year. In particular, MCP unit sales to the private landowner segment, where the majority of MCP sales growth will occur are projected to be up over 45% compared to prior year.

Further investment in Brazil comes at a time when ArborGen has grown to become one of the largest commercial suppliers of eucalyptus and loblolly pine seedlings, benefitting from increased recognition of its proprietary advanced genetics, and strong pulp and charcoal markets.

Please see the links below for details

ArborGen Holdings Announces Sale of ArborGens ANZ Businesses

Grant Samuel Independent Appraisal Report in Relation to The Proposed Sale Of ArborGen ANZ

Source: ArborGen Holdings Limited

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by Ali Sukhanver

Extremism leading to militancy is no doubt the most grievous threat to the calm and peace of society all over the world. It is something very encouraging that the whole world has joined hands together to curb the menace of extremism but things become very horrible when at some places the Allegation of Militancy is used as a weapon against the  Persona-Non-Grata. The only target of such malicious activity is nothing but to malign the repute and credibility of the individuals, groups, organizations and the countries not in ones good-books. The worst example of this malpractice could be noticed in the Indian Illegally Occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir where the Indian troops themselves are involved in the cruelest violation of human rights.

In the mid of this May the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar claimed in a press statement that the police got information about two terrorists hiding somewhere in the Khanmoh area of Srinagar. In search of those terrorists a joint team of Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force was assigned to launch a search operation to find out the terrorists. He claimed that during that search operation the security team had an encounter with the wanted terrorists in which at least two terrorists were killed. The IGP blamed that the deceased terrorists were affiliated with the Al-Badr terror outfit. On the other hand the residents of Khanmoh in Srinagar have categorically refuted the claim that the two youth brutally murdered by the Indian security forces were militants and had links with any militant organization. They said that it was a clear case of fake encounter and this practice of murdering the Kashmiri youth has ever been a practice of the Indian troops in the illegally occupied territory.

They told the media that the gunshot-wounds on the dead bodies were mainly on legs and feet which indicated that it was not a firefight. It appears that the youth had tried to flee and were shot in the legs and after getting hold of them they were killed. Different eye-witness to this horrible incident said that the youth were totally unarmed and it was a false claim of the Indian army that two pistols and grenades were recovered from them. If they were the so-called militants, they would have proper fighting weapons in their possession and they would have certainly given a tough-time to the security-forces. Moreover a white bandage on injured left hand of one of the innocent boys was a strong proof that before this encounter the security forces had kept them in their custody. According to the media reports, the security authorities claimed that during the encounter the parents of the murdered militants appealed to them to surrender but they didnt listen to their appeals. But the local people reject this cock and bull story concocted by the security authorities. They said that their parents were not in the area; they were in Pulwama and the boys had just come to Khanmoh to meet their friends and relatives. Unfortunately the Indian authorities in the region could give no justification and no explanation to the allegations levied upon them by the local people.

Killing of Kashmiri youth under the cover of fake encounters is not a new practice. In the name of so-called battle against the militants and militancy, every year hundreds of young boys and even girls are brutally murdered by the Indian forces and every time the official statement says It was a police-encounter though we tried our best to avoid it. Last year in the month of July, in the Amshipora area, three young boys were shot to death in the same way in a fake encounter by the Indian security forces. According to the details in the village of Amshipora, Indian military personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles killed three Kashmiri laborers on 18th of July 2020; one of them was a minor. Initially the Indian Army claimed that the three victims were foreign terrorists who opened fire on a security team without any reason. The matter was somewhat full of ambiguities and media-men were raising a lot of questions on credibility of the security forces, so an Inquiry Commission was set up for the detailed investigations. The Inquiry Commission said in its findings that it was simply a fake-encounter staged by the Indian Army. The terrorists were in fact laborers working for daily wages in local orchards. Their murder was staged to claim a cash bounty of 20 Lakh rupees equivalent to US$28,000. This is the amount granted by the Indian Army as a reward for killing militants. Reports say that an Indian Military Court is currently conducting a court-martial proceeding against Army Captain Bhoopendra Singh of the Rashtriya Rifles, as well as an unnamed non-commissioned officer whereas proceedings against two civilian informants are ongoing in local courts in Kashmir. The military authorities could have been buried Amshipora Murder under the dust of time but the media did not let them do it.

Same is the case with the Lawaypora fake encounter that occurred on 30th December 2020. One of the so-called three militants was 19 year old Aijaz Maqbool a resident of south Kashmirs Pulwama District. He was a fresh graduate of Government Degree College Pulwama. The other two included Athar Mushtaq a college student from Putrigam village and a 22 year old mason Zubair Ahmad. Their families say that the three youngsters were abducted by security forces and killed in cold blood. The families claim that all of them were leading normal lives till the news of their fake-encounter came in. It is also a point to be pondered over that the name of none of the three was in any list of militants and none of them had any record in any police station. It was pointed out in media reports that the motive behind this fake-encounter was also the same traced in Amshipora fake-encounter incident; the prize money. It is something very pathetic that in greed and lust of prize-money, the Indian Security personnel are slaughtering the innocent children of those people who have even never touched a gun. Certainly the human rights organizations would do something to save the wretched Kashmiris from this tyranny of the Indian security forces in the Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.
A popular mandate is not a licence for a leader to do as he or she pleases. Instead, it is the authority the people confer on a political leader to act as their representative and serve them.

by Prabath Sahabandu

It has been reported that the Rajapaksa brothers saw red when one of the SLPP coalition leaders, at a recent meeting, expressed his displeasure at the appointment of Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara as the head of the so-called one-country-one-law presidential task force. They reportedly demanded to know what right the dissenting leader had to question the decision of a President who had received a mandate from 6.9 million people. Their line of reasoning defies comprehension. Do they think the mandate they are crowing about has made the President infallible?

A popular mandate is not a licence for a leader to do as he or she pleases. Instead, it is the authority the people confer on a political leader to act as their representative and serve them. It does not deprive dissenters of their right to question the actions or policies of a leader in power. Otherwise, a mandate will serve as a passport to dictatorship; the same goes for parliamentary majorities, which politicians consider a source of unbridled power, and act accordingly. This is exactly what Hitler did in the early 1930s, after mustering a two-thirds majority in the German legislature. He also flaunted and abused his partys majority, and secured the passage of the draconian Enabling Act before suppressing democracy for years to come and causing the destruction of millions of lives. Mandates some politicians and/or political parties obtain could become as dangerous as cut-throat razors in the hands of mad monkeys. This is why politicians and political parties in power must be kept in check.

If the SLPP leaders believe that the incumbent Presidents decisions and actions cannot be questioned or challenged simply because of his mandate, then they will have to explain why they protested against what the late Presidents J. R. Jayewardene and R. Premadasa did. They held street protests, filed court cases, and carried out malicious propaganda onslaughts against those leaders. They even went to Geneva against President Premadasa. They also campaigned against President Maithripala Sirisena and tried to oust him in spite of his mandate, didnt they?

Following the 2010 presidential election, the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa also thought he could act according to his whims and fancies because the people had given him a huge mandate. He even amended the Constitution to do away with the presidential term limit, among other things, in a bid to secure a third term. He laboured under the delusion that his mandate would help justify his actions, and the sky was the limit. That the people did not approve of the manner in which he and his cronies exercised power became evident when he was beaten by a dark horse, as it were, in the 2015 presidential race.

It is being argued in some quarters that Gnanasara Theras appointment at issue is unprecedented. But we believe that it is similar in most respects to the appointment by President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Mervyn Silva as the Deputy Minister of Media, in 2010, despite the latters history of attacking journalists, and media institutions. Protests, however, brought Mahinda to his senses, and he removed Silva from that post soon afterwards. If he had cared to banish the boot-licking political dreg from politics, he would have been able to prevent public opinion from turning against him to a considerable extent.

A leader is known by the persons he/she appoints to key positions.

The SLPP leaders, who use their mandates as a Roman testudo in situations where they draw fire for their bad policies, wrong decisions and deplorable actions, will see the public assessment of their conduct and performance if a midterm election is held.

The yahapalana government was scared of elections. It postponed the Provincial Council elections, but had to face the Local Government polls, where its constituents suffered an ignominious defeat. Whether the people who gave the incumbent leaders mandates in 2019 and 2020 are still on their side will be seen if the delayed PC polls are held.

Prabath Sahabandu is the Chief Editor of The Island, a Colombo based daily where this piece first appeared.
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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(0x7f3fde3aa298)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fde3dd998)', '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(0x7f3fde3aa298)') 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(0x7f3fde3dd998)') 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(0x7f3fde423c00)') 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(0x7f3fde3dd998)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fde3dd998)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdda95ec8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fde4c2948)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fde4c2948)') 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(0x7f3fde317ca0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fde395988)', '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(0x7f3fde317ca0)') 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(0x7f3fde395988)') 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(0x7f3fde360ed8)') 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(0x7f3fde395988)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fde395988)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdda8bf28)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fde3c4dc8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fde3c4dc8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
Belgium special event

Look for special event station OQ35EUDXF to be active from Lommel, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the EUDXF's (European DX Foundation) founding.

Activity will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8/FT4. QSL via ON6CC or ClubLog's OQRS (for Bureau QSLs). LoTW will also be available

OPDX
Algiers, 31 October 2021 (SPS) - Algeria does not support the "biased" resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on the renewal of the mandate of the MINURSO (UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), the ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad said Sunday, regretting the "fundamentally unbalanced" approach set out in the resolution that "sorely lacks responsibility and insight.



"Following the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 2602 (2021) renewing the mandate of the MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara), Algeria expresses its deep regret regarding the fundamentally unbalanced approach set out in this text, which is sorely lacking in responsibility and insight because of the unfortunate forcing of some of the influential members of the Council," the ministry's statement said.



"Algeria, which expresses its full understanding of the findings and conclusions of the Saharawi side, will not support this biased resolution that has the effect of reinforcing the exorbitant claims of the occupying State (Morocco) and encouraging its intransigence and manoeuvres to hinder and pervert the process of decolonization of Western Sahara."



"Out of principle and solidarity with the brother people of Western Sahara, Algeria expects the new UN chief's personal envoy to work, during his mandate, for the strict implementation of Resolution 690 (1991) on the Settlement Plan accepted by both parties to the conflict, the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front, and adopted unanimously by the Security Council," the ministry said.



In addition, "Algeria expects the international community to spare no effort in bringing the Kingdom of Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), as member states of the African Union (AU), to implement the decision of the AU Peace and Security Council adopted at its Heads of State and Government meeting on 9 March 2021, which calls on the two countries to engage in direct and frank talks, without any precondition and in accordance with Article 4 of the AU Constitution."



"Any approach that ignores Saharawi people's right to self-determination and independence will be counterproductive, unfair, dangerous, and will only add to the tension and instability in the region," the ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Community abroad concluded.



062/700
Yeah, so for us when we were really designing the menu its a team effort. Here we have Chevy Farrell, who Ive known for 10-plus years and weve opened projects together and hes director of beverage for all of Garrett Group, so hes got a lot on his plate. But you know, the past month, weve been sitting around drinking cocktails, trying them and really creating exactly what we think Fort Lauderdale needs, which is a menu that you read and you want to try everything. Thats something that whether youre a gin fan, a vodka fan, only bourbon or only rum, the idea for us was to create a menu that makes you want to think outside the box.
When that happens multiple times a week, theyre losing 25% or 50% of their planning for that week. They have to choose whether to do it on their own time when theyre not getting paid for it, he said. Theres not a balance between their personal or professional lives, theyre being stretched to their limit, and there are teachers leaving the profession because of it.
In Germany, which has one of the most generous benefits, mothers receive their full pay for 14 weeks and then another 44 weeks of partial pay, CNN reported. In addition to the United States, the only other countries with no paid maternity leave are the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Suriname and Tonga, according to The New York Times.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that if Uden attended the event and led an organized protest, she would be given a warning and asked to leave. If she refused, she could be arrested and face a fine up to $500 or 60 days in jail. The spokeswoman didnt respond when asked how the city defined an organized protest.
In the long-run, his actions in the wake of the controversy are likely to add street credibility to him as an edgy comic and free thinker unafraid to ruffle feathers. Some have said that he is giving comedians permission to be just that: comedians. Ultimately, I believe this controversy will make a lot of people who have never heard of Chappelle, or who werent thinking of watching his special, tune in to see what the fuss is about.
Spokesperson Pushaw is cleverly trying to incite and add fuel to the fire by suggesting hypothetical inflammatory political statements. It seems she doesnt know that Rosies has hosted this for nine years without any incidents of violence or death threats. She may also be unaware that the restaurant was closed to the public when they arrived, a special menu was provided, and all of the students had parental permission for the visit.
The Perspective

Atlanta, Georgia

November1, 2021

The Liberian Peoples Party (LPP): Calls on our Liberian Lawmakers to encourage The National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) to reduce risky portfolios, or private equity such as real estate and invest into stocks, bonds, etc. The General Audit Commission of Liberia (GAC), in its Audit Report, dated October 2020 for the fiscal period ended on 6/30/2019 and 6/30/2018, stated that the entity reported USD 141M Assets Available for Benefits or which NASSCORP called Total Reserve.

What is the purpose of NASSCORP? Long before Liberia enacted its first Pension Act in 1976, which was revised in 2016, Europe envisioned the concept, and North America adopted it in the 1930s. Then, as it is now, everyone agrees that it has become difficult for siblings and/or communities to finance the costs of living of injured, employees, retired workers, and their dependents.

Therefore, the government should create a SUSU/type organization since poor employees might find it difficult to individually accumulate adequate savings. The employee-retired entity is responsible to collect withholdings from employees and employers. Management shall invest the net withholdings into less risky portfolios but yield a profitable rate of returns.

Instead of reporting a profitable rate of return on investment, NASSCORPs rate of return was 2% ($3.5M/$141M ). (See Page # 4 Audit Report.)

1. NASSCORP earned $2.3M investment income from $6.7M invested in securities of the Liberia Bank for Investment and Development (LBDI). (See pages # 22 & 29). 2. NASSCORP generated $0.6M rental income from real estate investment of $35M ($49M minus $13M invested in Medical Diagnostics Center). The $49M includes the buildings used by the Liberian Revenue Authority and 19 additional real estates. (See Page # 29.)

3. NASSCORP received $0.4M interest income from $62M investment ($69M minus $6M invested in LBDI). The $69M includes $40M lent to the GOL and $3M loaned to the Central Bank of Liberia. GOL and CBL did not pay interest income. (See page # 23). 4. NASSCORP generated $0.05M from other income from other assets.

Is NASSCORPs 2% rate of return acceptable? Yes, if a significant portion of the investment were stocks, bonds, etc. since the 2% is within the average range of 5%, according to Private Equity. https://www.oecd.org/finance/private-pensions/Pension-Funds-in-Figures-2021.pdf). However, NASSCORP invested into risky portfolios as per the list below:

A. NASSCORP bought USD 40M of Liberian government T-bills and Treasury notes, which is 28% ($40m/$141M). But NASSCORP did not report USD 8M (20% of USD 40M) as interest income received or interest income to be received in exchange for buying the governments promissory notes. (See Page # 23 of the Audit Report).

B. NASSCORP recorded USD 23M as Receivable and prepayment, which is 20% of the USD 141M Assets Available for Benefits. NASSCORP did not record interest income. (See Page # 23). C. NASSCORP invested USD 14M into real estate located at the ELWA and Tubman Boulevard, Paynesville, which is leased to the Liberian Revenue Authority, a government agency, which is 10% of $141M. Worse the government has not paid rent for two years, USD 1.3M and USD 0.7M for 6/30/19 and 6/30/18 respectively. (See page # 32 of the audited report).

D. NASSCORP invested USD 14M into real estate property that it uses as headquarters, which is 10% of the USD 141 Assets Available for Benefits. (See page # 29) E. NASSCORP invested USD 13M into Medical Diagnostic Center/Jamale. NASSCORP did not report any income (dividend from subsidiary capital) from this investment, which is 9% of the $141M. (See page # 29).

Why NASSCORP continues to invest 49% (i.e., 20%, 10%, 10% and 9%) of its funds into private equity (i.e., risky portfolios), even though it generates 2%? Or better yet how come other pension funds generate a 12.5% to 15% rate of return from the same type of portfolios? www.oecd.org/daf/pension/pensionmarkets.) Table 3.1 on page # 6 shows that pension funds generated 12.7% to 15%. The table did not provide information on how well African countries performed with private equity.

However, African countries invested in private equity ranged from unclear to 2.5% and 10%. Please see page # 15 within (www.oecd.org/daf/pension/pensionmarkets.) Ghana did not authorize a specific percent, while Botswana authorized 2.5 percent to private equity, and pension funds in Kenya were allowed to allocate 10% in private equity.

It is true that Ghanas allocation to private equity was unclear, but it invested 10% in stocks and 74% in bills and bonds, according to figure # 2 on page # 4 within this report. https://www.oecd.org/finance/private-pensions/Pension-Funds-in-Figures-2021.pdf). Pension funds in Jamaica invested 40% in stocks and 54% in bonds, while Namibia invested 55% in equity and 40% in bonds. Pension funds around the world invested 74% in equity and bonds in 2020, the report stated.

Real estate offers predictable cash flow, but it has limited transparency, thus experts link it to corruption, according to www.researchgate.net/signup.SignUp.html). Also, it is not easily exchanged into liquid assets. Other factors that affect the values of real estate include political crisis (chaos, rallies, military insurrection, etc.). Further, volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, etc. could affect the values of real estate.

If Liberians are to benefit from their investment, LPP recommends these measures:

Regulatory Commission to regulate and supervise the functions of NASSCORP. Reduce the (11) eleven-member Board members to five and select a six-member Regulatory Commission. Civil society, employees, and employers should appoint one member of a regulatory commission and one member of the board of directors. The President of the Republic of Liberia shall appoint the remaining members of the regulatory commission and board of directors. The regulatory commission should be responsible to approve the percent of private equity the pension funds can purchase. The President of the Republic of Liberia should appoint a special investigation team to review NASSCORP investment portfolios. The regulatory commission should advise and recommend the foreign investment portfolios the pension funds can purchase especially since Liberia does not have many corporations selling securities and our government is broke.

(https://www.oecd.org/finance/private-pensions/Pension-Funds-in-Figures-2021.pdf)

(https://gac.gac.gov.lr/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/AUDIOT1-1.pdf)

www.oecd.org/daf/pension/pensionmarkets.)

www.researchgate.net/signup.SignUp.html).

LPP Secretariat

J.Yanqui Zaza

Tel: +011-231-776-491-322 Info@LIberianpeopIesparty.org

80 Broad Street,

Monrovia, Liberia
By Lena Wiebe

wiebelen@grinnell.edu

On Sept. 16, 2021, the Grinnell-Newburg Board of Education voted unanimously at a contentious special meeting to require masks in Grinnell-Newburg School District buildings for all students, staff and visitors.

The meeting was called after a federal judge in Des Moines placed a temporary restraining order on Iowas ban on mask mandates in schools, ruling that the ban violated requirements of the American Disabilities Act and was dangerous to students with health conditions.

Professor Timothy Dobe, religious studies, said the meeting, which he and several other Grinnell faculty and staff families attended was, in a word, tense.

To Dobe, the meeting was a microcosm of a broader divide between the Colleges approach to COVID-19 prevention and that of some other local families.

I think the contrast between the really good outcomes weve seen at the College, with the policies that the College has been following  students, faculty, administration  its just a pretty strong contrast to what were seeing in the public school. Its the same community, but a very different approach and outcome, so its a local example of how the policy choices really matter for health in the community.

Dobe said that a local health professional, who spoke at the board meeting about how masks had helped prevent her contraction of COVID-19, even when she treated patients who had tested positive for the virus, was met with hostility and skepticism.

From the beginning it was, How do we know thats true? What are your sources? People shouting out. Just not a polite manner, and very skeptical of doctors, which is just kind of shocking, he said.

As the contagious COVID-19 delta variant poses a growing threat, the CDCs guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools currently recommends universal masking indoors regardless of vaccination status, in accordance with the scientific consensus that universal masking can help prevent transmission.

Professor Ross Haenfler, sociology, said he was strongly in favor of mask requirements.

It [a mask mandate] just seems like the minimum we can do to keep one another safe. This is how we express our care for ourselves, our families and our communities  by trying to keep one another safe, Haenfler said.

Dobe, whose two school-age children tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this year, said he also thought the mask mandate was a positive step, but questioned whether implementation would be effective at the school level, particularly with religious exemptions to the requirement in place.

Theres no real enforcement if students are not wearing their masks properly or at all.  My son in junior high is finding a lot of very relaxed, or careless, kind of attitude towards it, like, Yeah, were going to do this, but not really. So thats frustrating, and from a health perspective, worrisome.

Dobe said several other faculty families at the College had also contracted COVID-19 during the school year at Grinnell.

Amidst this spread, both Dobe and Haenfler expressed concern over the lack of other measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission, such as widespread access to rapid testing and Test Iowa sites and no measures for contact tracing in place in public schools.

I really feel that the governors office is making sure that we dont really have a great sense of how many positive cases there are, Haenfler said.

According to an information sheet sent to families regarding the Grinnell-Newburg Districts decision to mandate masks, the Iowa Department of Public Health does not have an order for contact tracing.

There seems to be very spotty reporting, Dobe said. Theres no tracing and theres no real finer-grained approach to disseminating information and tracking it in the schools. That seems really sloppy and is just not being done. So, we dont really have a sense of what the situation actually is.

Another concern raised at the school board meeting was how the decision to mandate masks would affect prospects for current school board members.

Somebody from the anti-mask crowd got up and made it clear that the new school board election, in this round, theyre going to try and punish the board for this decision, Dobe said.

As the Grinnell-Newburg Board of Education election approaches this week, mask mandates have become yet another point of polarization.
Lepidico, a global lithium exploration and development firm headquartered in Australia, will set up the first lithium production facility in the Middle East at UAEs Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) investing AED348 million ($95 million).

Utilising a first-of-its-kind design process, the facility covers a land area of 57,000 sq m and the first phase will house clean-tech L-Max and LOH-Max process technologies.

For this Kizad, a subsidiary of AD Ports Groups Industrial Cities & Free Zone (IC&FZ) cluster, has announced the signing of an agreement with Lepidico.

The vertically integrated Phase One Project (P1P) comprises two-small scale open-pit mines that will feed a mineral concentrator in Namibia, following which the lepidolite concentrate will be shipped to the facility being developed in Kizad via Khalifa Port.

An innovative developer of sustainable lithium hydroxide and chemicals for the 21st century, Lepidico plans the investment for the chemical conversion plant in Abu Dhabi for an initial term of 25 years, which will employ the companys proprietary process technologies, L-Max and LOH-Max.

The project is a significant step forward in developing a sustainable lithium hydroxide industry and supports the global clean energy revolution.

The process extracts lithium and recovers valuable by-products from lithium-mica and phosphate minerals. As an eco-friendly, zero-waste facility, the residue predominantly gypsum, will be repurposed for use in the construction industry.

Abdullah Al Hameli, Head of Industrial Cities & Free Zone Cluster, AD Ports Group said: AD Ports Group is committed to supporting cutting edge innovative solutions that advance industrial development within the UAE. The Lepidicos process technology also aligns with our sustainability principles, and our vision to support innovative environmental solutions that contribute to the long-term sustainable development of Abu Dhabi, as outlined by the leadership of the emirate.

We are pleased to host an innovative and environmentally conscious company like Lepidico, which aims to establish the regions first lithium production facility in the Middle East, located in Kizad. The project is a critical enabler for developing an electric vehicle supply chain in the Middle East.

Joe Walsh, Managing Director, Lepidico, said: The signing of the agreement represents an important milestone in developing the first phase of the new chemical plant and enables critical path geotechnical, and infrastructure EPCM works to commence.

In our endeavour to developing a sustainable lithium industry, we plan to integrate social, economic, environmental, and health and safety opportunities as part of the project design criteria and strive for a zero-waste process through our innovative and proprietary technologies. We look forward to working with AD Ports Group as we bring the lithium chemical industry to the UAE and wider Middle East region.-TradeArabia News Service
The General Authority for Military Industries (Gami) has signed a contract with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami) for the development and manufacture of the SkyGuard unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The strategic objective of this signing, lies in building a leading foundational base for technological innovation, both regionally and internationally, a Saudi Press Agency report said.

Ultimately, this contributes to the overarching goal of achieving localisation of more than 50% of expenditure on defence equipment and services, by the year 2030.

Sami also signed an Agreement with Prince Sultan Defence Studies and Science Research Centre (PSDSARC), with the objective of further developing the UAV.

SkyGuard is the outcome of numerous R&D efforts, undertaken by the Centre and geared towards developing a truly local product, which is satisfactorily compliant with the operational requirements of end Users.

The signing ceremony was attended by Governor of Gami Ahmad Al-Ohali, Vice Chairman of Sami Dr Ghassan AlShibl, CEO of Sami Walid Abukhaled, and a number of key executives from the two entities.

Al-Ohali asserted that this signing is expected to add great value by increasing military readiness within the Saudi Arabias defence ecosystem, and enhancing both field responsiveness and technical support, as well as expanding high-skilled job creation for Saudi human talent.

Worth noting, is that such value addition forms part of the framework for incentivising localisation in the kingdoms defence sector, and supporting its Vision 2030 targets, adding that Saudi Arabia today is laying the foundation for transformative change in this promising sector for generations to come.

"Moreover, one of the biggest drivers of this change, is the undeniable empowerment that the kingdoms defence sector enjoys from its wise leadership," said Al-Ohali. He went on to applaud the unprecedented openness (and ease) of doing business in Saudi Arabia, which cements its place across a multitude of domains, as a prime destination for investment.

Abukhaled stated that the signing marks a step amongst many, in the kingdoms aspirational and inspiring localisation journey. Abukhaled further noted the pertinence of this signing to building a robust local defence ecosystem, comprising indigenous supply chains that satisfy our strategic need to be self-sufficient.

Saudi Arabia draws its Vision 2030 target of localisation of defence expenditure from its core national priorities, namely military readiness, strategic autonomy, transparency and efficiency of spend, sustainability of local military industries, and interoperability within and across entities.-- TradeArabia News Service
IBTM has announced first details of its Knowledge Programme for IBTM World Barcelona, due to take place at Fira Barcelona from November 30-December 2.

The conference programme includes three keynote speakers, as well as a packed schedule of sessions around four topical themes: Trends and technology; gamification and engagement; the future of event planning (including sustainability, safety and security and government support); and career and personal development.

Keynote speakers are drawn from complementary industries outside of meetings and events, and include expert in digitisation and internationalisation, Alba del Villa Olano.

A visiting professor at the University of Navarra and consultant for several leading Spanish companies, Olano will discuss how the digitalisation process affects the events industry and offer ideas on how event organisers can adapt to the changing landscape.

On day two, ex-Deutsche Bank and PwC employee and founder and CEO of TLC Lions, Gian Power, will present an interactive and educational keynote session on the power of storytelling. During this session, attendees will be provided with resources and tips to implement into their own lives, as well as takeaways for their organisations.

On the final day, founder of Wavelength Marketing, Darren Coleman, will explore how event organisers can harness the power of experiences to make their events stand out.

Event Director David Thompson said: Alongside face-to-face meetings and networking opportunities, we know that knowledge acquisition is a key driver for attendance at IBTM World. Our Knowledge Programme provides access to over 65 expert speakers from a range of industries, specially curated to deliver insight, inspiration and fresh ideas on subjects relevant to the events industry now.

A further 65 Knowledge Programme sessions will be delivered by expert speakers from organisations including the United Nations Climate Change, LinkedIn, CrowdComms, American Express Meetings and Events, ICCA, VisitScotland, BBC Creative and more.

The programme also includes a specially curated Association Programme which will follow three core themes: inspire, exchange and solve. Designed to spark fresh ideas, encourage peer-to-peer learning and deliver tangible solutions to real issues facing the associations and events sector now, the tailored programme includes case studies, speeches and panel sessions from some of the leading organisations in the association sector.

IBTM Accelerate will return to help answer delegates questions on the future of the events industry. Featuring interactive discussion, new ideas and inspirational short talks, IBTM Accelerate will showcase solutions, applications and technologies on specific meetings and events industry challenges.

The programme will address issues such as the change in consumer behaviour, the role of technology, sustainability, and the future of the events industry.

IBTM World Barcelona has been granted preferred provider status from the Events Industry Council (EIC) for its Knowledge Programme. This allows delegates to gain Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) points for each education session attended.-TradeArabia News Service
The first Abu Dhabi Business Events Week wrapped up last week with three days of keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshops aimed at accelerating the recovery, growth and future of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) industry in Abu Dhabi and the wider MENA region.

The event, which took place from October 2527 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), was organised by Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism  Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), to provide an industry-led platform for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing on best practices in the MENA region.

The first day commenced with a MICE outlook for the GCC. Moderated by Edward Matti, the panel featured the regions experts from private and government entities such as ADCEB, DCT Abu Dhabi, Dubai World Trade Centre, Oman Convention Bureau and ASM Global.

The panel discussion made evident the issues that the MICE industry currently faces, including compliance with changing health and safety guidelines imposed on in-person events; managing hybrid events and profitable business models for hybrid formats.

Following this, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) hosted a general session that dove into the client journey - from the first point of contact to successful event delivery with key learnings shared including understanding the client's event objectives and partnering with them through event execution and delivery.

Closing off the first day, Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing, DCT Abu Dhabi, said: We have been brought together by our shared values of innovation and ambition, as well as our dedication to the MICE industry. The industry is essential on a global scale, estimated to be valued at over $1.3 billion by 2028.

"So much has changed over the last 18 months, including business travel trends and event formats, yet the principles and objectives of MICE events have stayed the same. Success is now driven by creative and innovative approaches.

Day two saw the Future of Travel and Tourism panel discussion, where experts shared their business insights. Panellists included Al Shaiba; Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO); Anita Mendiratta, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General; Steen Jakobsen, Assistant Vice President of Dubai Business Events; Julien Munoz, Senior Vice President of Sales at Radisson Hotel Group; Gerald Lawless, Ambassador at World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC); and Terry Daly, Executive Director Guest Experience, Brand and Marketing at Etihad Airways.

Al Shaiba expressed his confidence in Abu Dhabis Go Safe Certification Programme in instilling a level of trust for both businesses and consumers. We are making great efforts to work towards providing stringent health and safety measures across all retail, tourism and commercial establishments, he said.

On the final day, as participants continued to network and explore partnerships within the community, the half-day agenda put a particular focus on business forecasts and future-proofing.

Scott Livermore, Chief Economist of Oxford Economics, Middle East hosted a live regional panel titled Outlook for the Global recovery in Business Travel based on Oxford Economics' before opening up the floor to a Question and Answer session.

Speaking of the future of MICE in the region and the Abu Dhabi Business Events Week, Al Shaiba, said We curated Abu Dhabi Business Events Week to support key pillars of Abu Dhabis Economic Vision 2030. This type of event and the opportunity it brings to not only our city, but the larger network of MICE industry professionals, is vital.-TradeArabia News Service
Baker Hughes is investing locally in sustainable energy and digital technologies to accelerate the adoption and deployment of new fuel sources and emission solutions to decarbonise energy, regional Vice-President Zaher Ibrahim tells OGN.

The comapany has pledged committment to supporting localisations initiatives across the region, including in countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.

'These countries have strong programmes with clear goals that we help support through local manufacturing, supply chain and ecosystem development, knowledge transfer, capability building, and job creation,' Ibrahim says.

He sees energy transition and digital adoption as two key trends across the region. These trends are in response to the changing market dynamics and environmental needs.
The role of diversity and inclusion within Africas energy transition and the need to drive greater equity practices at workplaces of the future will be the hot topics at Africa Oil Week (AOW).

Scheduled to take place from November 8 to 11, 2021 in Dubai, Africa Oil Week 2021 will be held in partnership with Lean In Energy (Lien) under the theme AOW Accelerates Diversity & Inclusion. The initiative will host progressive dialogue and drive inclusive growth across the industry while welcoming male allies into discussions.

To empower the next generation of female leaders in the energy industry, AOW 2021 will facilitate vital discussions where women leaders will share their insights and experiences on their contribution to the sector, offering different perspectives from their male counterparts. Stakeholders will stimulate progressive dialogue on equity issues across the African energy value chain. They will also engage in conversations to recommend the direction that should be taken to allow greater female participation in the industry.

Lame Verre, Co-Chair for Europe & Sub-Saharan Africa at Lean In Energy (Lien), said: At Lien, our mission is to empower women and allies in the energy sector and those interested in energy, to achieve their ambitions through peer-to-peer mentoring, community, public awareness, education and advocacy. Our alliance with AOW provides a collaborative platform for both organisations to reach a much wider audience. By joining forces, the two organisations can elevate the voices of women and make sure they are heard in key decision-making concerns whilst providing the vital conduit and pathway to achieving the global energy transition and the journey to a low carbon economy.

As the world prepares to accelerate the energy transition and embarks on the journey to a low carbon economy, the role of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) cannot be overemphasised  the business case is clear, and the workforce gap is even more apparent. Similarly, as the continent of Africa undergoes a shift due to discoveries, changing industry trends, adoption of renewable solutions, technological innovations, it is imperative to have a diverse workforce. Thus, women will indeed have a fundamental role to play in the energy sectors success.

Cynthia Lumor, Deputy Managing Director, Tullow Ghana, said: As nations across the globe make diversity and inclusion part of their central agenda, it is heartening to see that we are also playing a role in integrating this very important feature into Africa, particularly in the energy sector. I am positive that AOW Accelerates will serve as a major platform to empower women, encouraging them to participate in decision making and the growth of the sector. This is also in line with the Gender Equality goal set by the United Nations as part of their 17 SDGs. Women have proved that they have tremendous potential and can contribute enormously to any sector, which is why it is important to engage them in crucial discussions that can reshape the industry.

Paul Sinclair, Vice President of Energy & Director of Government Relations, Africa Oil Week & Future Energy Series Africa, commented: The discussion of inclusion and diversity has always been key. The energy sector undoubtedly needs greater participation from women. Their unique, innate skill-set and perspectives can drive innovation and change in the sector. To facilitate this positive move, our collaboration with Lean In Energy is crucial. Our primary goal is to initiate progressive dialogue and ensure inclusive growth across the industry. We want more women to be seen at the table, we want their voices to be heard, and we want them to participate in helping us reinvent the future of the energy industry.

Carefully curated by Africa Oil Week and Lean in Energy, the 2021 Power List comprises 50 inspiring women  from Morocco to Cape Town, from Manager to Minister  all of whom are working and motivating others across the African energy sector was also recently launched. As the traditional energy industry sits on the verge of a new transition, there has never been a more important time to drive diversity and inclusion awareness into our sector, to ensure that women continue to have a voice and opinion in shaping this transformation.

AOW will unite key decision-makers and ministers from several African nations and the UAE. The conference will serve as a platform for crucial dialogue, solutions and positive engagement over key challenges facing the energy sector in Africa. It will also facilitate partnerships with stakeholders in the Middle East and attract investments into the African oil and gas industry.-- TradeArabia News Service
Wego, an online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Oman's Ministry of Heritage and Tourism have signed an agreement to promote the Sultanate's tourism sites in the GCC region.

Oman has opened its borders to visitors from the GCC and it announced that it is open for travel for Covid-19 vaccinated tourists from September 1.

The Sultanate has eased its travel restrictions, lifting flight prohibition for people travelling from previously banned countries. It is implementing precautionary measures and following through with the vaccination drive across the country, according to a statement.

All travellers to Oman should present a vaccine certificate containing a QR code that states they have received two doses of a vaccine that is approved in Oman (Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford Astrazeneca, Covishield AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Sinovac, Moderna, and Sinopharm, or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson).

The last dose of the vaccine should have been received not less than 14 days before the arrival date. Travellers should have done pre-registration via (https://covid19.emushrif.om ) and upload the vaccine certificate as well as the Covid-19 PCR certificate, both containing QR codes.

Over 550,000 searches were performed on Wegos platform in Q3 2021 from the GCC to Oman, which overlooks the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman, and the Arabian Gulf. Out of these searches, 34 per cent were from Saudi Arabia, 27% from UAE, 16% from Kuwait, 14% from Qatar, and 10% from Bahrain.

Director General of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism Haitham bin Mohammed Al Ghassani said: Oman has always been at the forefront of tourism, and this partnership with Wego reflects our commitment to continue the momentum. We are confident that this association will help us to promote Oman among the GCC countries, as well as attract more foreign investment to Oman.

Wego MENA and India Managing Director Mamoun Hmedan said: We are seeing an increase in the number of searches from the GCC to Oman following the flight resumptions. We are glad to partner with Oman's Ministry of Heritage and Tourism for the second time to promote this gem. Its proximity, ancient culture, green mountains and wadis make it the best escape during the summer period for GCC travellers.

Through this partnership, Wego and Oman aim to drive the conversation around Oman across all marketing channels and social media platforms and increase visitor footfall to the country.-TradeArabia News Service
2022 Wind River Startup Challenge Accepting Applications

The University of Wyomings IMPACT 307 business incubator program, in coordination with Central Wyoming College and other local partners, has launched the third annual Wind River Startup Challenge (WRSC).

The WRSC will award funding to new and emerging Native-owned businesses within the Wind River community. The challenge is accepting applications until midnight Sunday, Nov. 14. To apply, visit the WRSC website at www.windriverstartupchallenge.com.

Enrolled Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribal members are eligible to participate in the WRSC, which will wrap up in May 2022 at the Final Pitch Day event. This platform seeks to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Wind River community by supporting entrepreneurs through startup funding.

This is a rare opportunity for local entrepreneurs to receive startup funding that is debt-free, says Meghan Kerley, business counselor for IMPACT-Laramie. Many of the past winners applied with an interesting idea they wanted to develop, and they were able to win between $1,000 to $10,000 in funding.

The WRSC will follow similar regional challenges, in which participants receive free advising for their businesses along with one-on-one support in preparation for the Final Pitch Day event.

We are really inspired by the previous winners and how they are working to make a meaningful difference here in Wyoming, says Fred Schmechel, interim director of IMPACT-Laramie. You may not fully realize the effect just one new business has on a local economy but, in our experience, the impact is immeasurable.

Previous winners of the Wind River Startup Challenge are Taylor Bell, Taylor Bs Tees; Denyse Bergie and Mike Ute, Intertribal Wellness; Stephanie CHair, Wildflower Salon; Eugene Coulston, Timber Beast; Eustace Day, Native FX Art and Designs; Kevin Goggles, Heavyhand Fencing LLC; Letara and Red Lebeau, Reds Recon; Hannah Nicol, The Monahooboo Hut; Harmony Spoonhunter, Dancing Rain Consulting; and Leslie Spoonhunter, Gooses Kitchen.

It has been amazing to work with these entrepreneurs as they figure out and develop their business models to see how they can affect the community and the state, Kerley says. And we are excited to see what this years challenge brings.

The WRSC is a partnership among Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribal members, Central Wyoming College and UW, including the Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network, the Wyoming Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), the High Plains American Indian Research Institute and IMPACT 307.

To contact a business adviser, those interested can call IMPACT 307 at (307) 766-6395 or email impact@uwyo.edu.
UW Announces Winners of Collegiate WYTeach Contest

Emily Balfour, a sophomore secondary education career and technical education major at the University of Wyoming at Casper, was named the first-place winner of the inaugural WYTeach Collegiate Competition.

Balfour, from Casper, took home a $500 scholarship after teaching her lesson, Drawing Views, to a virtual class of avatars via a live video feed. The contest used innovative virtual reality software from Mursion that allowed participants to experience what it is like to be a teacher.

Madison McCreath, a UW sophomore secondary education agriculture education major from Lyman, placed second in the competition and earned a $300 scholarship for her lesson, Everyday Hero. Third place and a $200 scholarship were secured by Emma Daly, a UW freshman secondary education agriculture education student from Kremmling, Colo., who presented her lesson, Lets Eat Some Dirt. Daly had previously won the inaugural WYTeach High School Competition last spring.

Lindsey Freeman, a UW assistant lecturer, and Colby Gull, managing director of the UW Trustees Education Initiative (TEI), developed the WYTeach contest to combat a teacher shortage that is being felt in the state and across the country.

Although there are other teaching competitions, the contest at UW stands out for providing a more realistic teaching experience. Most teaching contests see participants present lesson plans as opposed to teaching their lessons to a classroom of unpredictable students. Using virtual reality to provide an authentic classroom environment is what helped set WYTeach above the others.

The contest was made possible through a collaboration with Mursion, which donated the cost of running the virtual reality simulations for the competition and supplied funds to purchase prizes for participants. The Ellbogen Foundation, the UW Foundation and the UW College of Education all contributed the scholarship money that was awarded to the top three contestants. TEI supported Freemans idea for the contest and helped make connections so that the innovation would become a reality.
Wheelocks Record Release Concert Nov. 5 at UW

Andy Wheelock, a UW Department of Music assistant professor, will present a record release concert Friday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. (Andy Wheelock Photo)

Andy Wheelock, a University of Wyoming Department of Music assistant professor, will present a record release concert Friday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m.

The concert is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall. Seating may be limited.

Music from Wheelocks new CD, View From Here, will be featured as part of the UW Department of Musics Faculty Recital Series. View From Here represents Wheelocks musical perspective of fusion, funk, timba, jazz and many other genres combined into heavy grooves, infectious melodies and wide-open sonic vistas.

Wheelock will be joined by a band of all-star musicians, featuring Denver-based musician Alex Heffron, on guitar; UW Department of Music Associate Professor Ben Markley, on piano; two-time Latin Grammy Award nominee Gonzalo Teppa, on bass; and two-time Grammy Award winner Ernie Watts, on saxophone.

Wheelock is an active jazz drummer and percussionist who has performed with numerous notable musicians. His latest projects include performing with the Ben Markley Quartet, the Gonzalo Teppa Quintet, the Dimitrije Vasiljevic Quintet and with the UW jazz faculty.

Wheelock is the UW Department of Musics percussion area coordinator. He leads Jazz Ensemble II; teaches percussion methods and percussion lessons; and directs the UW Percussion Ensemble, for which he regularly composes.

For more information, call Kathy Kirkaldie, UW Fine Arts coordinator, at (307) 766-2160 or email kirisk@uwyo.edu.
UW in the News

State, national and international media frequently feature the University of Wyoming and members of its community in stories. Here is a summary of some of the recent coverage:

The fiscal outlook for the state, according to the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG), shows an increase of $248.2 million for the current fiscal year and a promising outlook the next five years. The big surprise in the CREG report is how quickly revenues have rebounded, UW economist Rob Godby said in The Casper-Star Tribune article.

The New York Times interviewed UW architectural engineering Professor Anthony Denzer about a famed Los Angeles house designed by the midcentury-modern architect Gregory Ain. Denzer, who has written a book profiling Ain, commented about the Los Angeles house that has been completely remodeled after almost being destroyed by fire.

Construction on the new Wyoming Innovation Center in Campbell County is underway, according to a Wyoming Business Report article published by Coal Zoom. Holly Krutka, UW School of Energy Resources executive director, said the school will use the facility, which will develop advanced carbon products using coal and coal byproducts as the primary raw material. The center is intended to accelerate research from lab level to pre-commercialization.

Business Insider interviewed UW law Professor Michael Duff for an article on how Starbucks may soon have its first unionized store in the U.S. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decided that each of the three Buffalo, N.Y.-area stores that filed for a union vote will be allowed to vote in separate elections. Duff is a former NLRB attorney.

In a Wyoming Public Radio segment focusing on the Wyoming Department of Health recommendations for booster shots for specific populations, UW Professor Christine Porter said vaccines are effective at avoiding the worst outcomes of a COVID-19 diagnosis.

The Western Farmer-Stockman cited a UW study that focused on a program under consideration to voluntarily reduce agricultural water use in the Upper Colorado River Basin that could cause a relatively small loss of income while saving growers money in irrigation and labor costs.

Chad Baldwin, UW associate vice president for communications and marketing, discussed with Sheridan Media a project that donated 3 tons of potatoes to Food Bank of Wyoming, which has made the potatoes available to food pantries around the state. The potatoes were grown at UWs James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center near Lingle.

ScienceDaily reported that UW postdoctoral research associate Dulcinea Groff was among scientists who recently discovered evidence of prehistoric human activity in the Falkland Islands.

Steven Lupien, director of UWs Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation, was mentioned in an AiThority online article that focused on Miami-Dade Countys adoption of a resolution that will create a task force to study the feasibility of the county accepting cryptocurrency as a method of payment for county taxes, fees and services. Lupien was among Wyoming leaders who provided digital currency educational discussions for the Florida county.

SweetwaterNOW and The Pinedale Roundup published UWs release noting that a $250,000 gift from the Muley Fanatic Foundation to the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources will support science that advances the conservation of mule deer. The gift also will support the growth and development of future leaders in wildlife science.

UW Associate Professor Derek Scasta was interviewed by Nature for an article focusing on wild horse herds that have to be culled in Australias largest alpine national park.

The Star-Herald, in Scottsbluff, Neb., previewed UWs The World Needs More Cowboys community event in Torrington last week. The Star-Herald also published a follow-up article.

Former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, who died earlier this year, will be inducted into the Wyoming Business Hall of Fame later this month. Sheridan Media noted that UWs College of Business is among the sponsors of the award.

KPVI Television cited a UW Department of Geology and Geophysics report that noted Wyoming may be in for a long wildfire season because the Rocky Mountain region has been experiencing hotter summers and drier winters. Prescribed burns are planned this month in Grand Teton National Park to alleviate the threat of wildfires.

UW law Professor Melissa Ballengee Alexanders study on the use of air ambulances -- as related to the inequity of rural health care that leads to massive costs for rural residents -- was cited in a Daily Yonder article. The online news website provides news, commentary and analysis about and for rural America.


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Halls Sophie Garner-MacKinnon has been named the 2020-21 Gatorade Connecticut Softball Player of the Year, according to a release from Gatorade. Garner-MacKinnon is the first Gatorade Connecticut Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Hall High School.
analysis

Dangote Industries Limited dominates the Nigerian cement market and is a key player in the rapidly expanding African cement business. The conglomerate has also expanded its manufacturing activities in a range of food processing industries such as sugar and salt. This expansion has made it the biggest group listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

By 2020, the three Dangote subsidiaries listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange employed 19,672 workers. This is equal to 51% of all workers in listed manufacturing firms.

Dangote has been a main beneficiary of Nigeria's backward integration policy. Introduced in 2002, it was operated through tariffs, levies and tax breaks. In the last few years Nigerian manufacturing has shown some degree of recovery. Manufacturing's share in output increased to 9.3% in 2017, up from 6% in 2002 (calculations based on UN National Accounts).

The policies were initially designed for cement and beverages. They were later extended to sugar, rice, tomato paste, automotive, oil and gas and textiles. The changes led to Nigeria emerging as the largest cement producer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Is the rise of Dangote's group therefore an illustration of successful industrial policy? Not quite, we argue in our recently published research.

Dangote might be an example of a successful and dynamically expanding manufacturing firm in Nigeria. But structural transformation across the Nigerian economy remains very limited.

We tried to unpack why this is so. We argue that a key challenge for late-industrialising nations like Nigeria is to support the development of domestic demand for goods at the same time as policy is being used to develop the capacity of industries to increase production.

Both need to work together if there is going to be structural change across the economy beyond the development of a few industrial islands of efficiency.

Islands of efficiency

In Nigeria, public policy has failed to support the development of structures that can nurture the growth of domestic demand for goods. This is itself the result of historically formed power relations or asymmetries between actors in their ability to influence and exert power.

The industrial policy that made import licences contingent on setting up domestic supply capacity - backward integration - may have encouraged increases in output and productivity in individual firms such as Dangote's. But these productivity increases were not passed down to consumers through price reductions, higher wages for workers or other redistributive measures such as taxation of corporate profits.

If that is the case, for any given level of capitalist consumption and investment, effective demand and output will fall. This follows from the economist Micha Kalecki's "paradox of costs". While an increase in wages increases an individual firm's costs of production and cuts into profit margins (that is, profits per item sold), the aggregate level of output that can be profitably sold increases. And with it overall sales and the profit rate.

This is because workers and subsistence collectivities have a higher propensity to consume than capitalists.

In contexts where firms respond strongly to increases in demand as has been the case in Nigeria, the results are only individual islands of efficiency as well as limited structural transformation in the economy as a whole, given that demand growth has not been supported by industrial policy.

Learning by doing

Structural change is almost universally recognised as the key development challenge for sub-Saharan African economies. There is equally growing recognition that industrial policy is necessary to ignite structural transformation because productivity increases rely on tacit knowledge about how to operate machines and organise production.

This can only be acquired through the production process itself.

Therefore, production costs will typically initially exceed world market prices. That means instruments like subsidies, credit direction or tariff protection are needed to ensure production can take place before competitiveness is reached.

The key issue revolves around the conditions under which industrial policy can be successfully implemented because learning ultimately depends on the active effort of firms. This can be difficult for government to enforce. A significant analytical breakthrough here comes from the insight that industrial policy instruments have to match the distribution of power in society.

The key challenge is therefore how to promote growth in demand through distributional processes and market structures.

Beyond islands of efficiency

We argue that the likelihood of successful implementation of industrial policy increases with expanding markets (rising demand). Expectations by industrialists of market expansion can act as an incentive to achieve productivity increases.

Conversely, if market conditions are contracting, the "size of the prize" might be too low for firms to warrant high levels of effort in learning beyond cashing in subsidies from industrial policy. This was highlighted, for instance, in Ethiopia's apparel industry.

What is more, industrialisation doesn't just depend on knowledge. It also depends on scale. The size of the domestic market is key to realising increasing returns to scale and hence further productivity increases. The bigger the market, the greater the number of inputs produced under increasing returns to scale.

Hence, the size of the market is critical in sustaining structural transformation across the economy.

The case of Dangote

We show that substantial capital formation by Dangote's firms was spurred by expectations about rising domestic demand and that learning has taken place. We did this using data from balance sheets, statements of Dangote's senior management to their shareholders and media interviews.

The rate of re-investment (investment relative to profits) was on average 49% in Dangote Cement, 58% in Nascon (Dangote's salt processing subsidiary) and 31% in DSR (Dangote's sugar processing subsidiary) each year between 2010 and 2017. This suggests substantial capital formation.

Meanwhile the cost-revenue ratio in Dangote Cement declined and is substantially lower when compared to Lafarge, its closest competitor in the Nigerian cement market.

Dangote Cement's revenues increased at a faster rate than their costs, while cost and revenue grew roughly in line for Lafarge. Since the two companies can charge the same price in Nigeria, it suggests productivity increases in Dangote Cement.

In that sense, industrial policy was successful in terms of supporting learning and productivity increases.

As a result of productive investments, Dangote extended its lead over competitors, resulting in monopolistic market structures.

Meanwhile, Dangote has successfully co-opted opposition groups and rival civil society groups as ruling elites change to guarantee the continuation of the government's backward integration policy. As this paper shows, Dangote Industrial Limited has been a major beneficiary.

Key lessons

It is true that monopolistic market structures are an outcome of productive investment. But the political and economic power of Dangote favoured a disproportionate growth in profits relative to the purchasing power of wage-earners and subsistence collectivities.

This meant that the domestic market (demand base) was left vulnerable.

This vulnerability is worsened by economic shocks such as the 2014 fall in oil prices. This resulted in a depreciation of the exchange rate. In turn this put pressure on domestic prices. The effect was dwindling purchasing power of lower income households as well as an increase in the costs of imported raw materials needed in production.

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More unequal distribution of income and wealth makes the demand base more sensitive to such externally induced shocks and hence undermines the initial driver of productivity growth while also limiting space for other firms.

Notably, profits across the conglomerate increased faster than wages. In Dangote Cement, average wages per employee in 2018 were lower than in 2011. Profits more than trebled in that period.

Moreover, the effective tax rate was just under 5%. This left limited resources for pro-poor redistribution.

Dangote does not single-handedly control the growth of purchasing power of the entire economy. Nevertheless, firm-level observations for Dangote reflect the distributional dynamics in Nigeria and mirror the wider trajectory of the wage share in Nigeria. This has been falling since the wake of structural adjustment of the 1980s.

In short, responses to demand can drive competition and productivity increases and can underpin successful implementation of industrial policy in the sense of enforcing learning effort. Nevertheless, the outcome of such responses to demand can be monopolies, which - paradoxically - can undermine demand by undercutting purchasing power of workers and subsistence communities.

Demand-side conditions for successful implementation of industrial policies and sustained structural transformation have long been absent from the debates both on a theoretical level as well as in policy terms.

But demand growth is closely linked to distribution of income and wealth. The expansion of domestic markets alongside - and as a basis for - export growth is important in supporting late industrialisation. Therefore, successful industrial policy is not only contingent on achieving productivity increases. It is also contingent on pro-poor, pro-labour distributional outcomes.

Richard Itaman, Senior Research Associate at Jesus College, University of Cambridge and Christina Wolf, Senior Lecturer in Economics and leader of the Political Economy Research Group, Kingston University
The victims included seven security personnel and 33 civilians.

In the week that Nigeria's police chief said that the 'security situation in the country has been significantly stabilized,' at least 40 people including three police officers were killed by armed non-state actors.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the police chief, Usman Alkali, said Thursday that not only was the security situation getting better, but the existing cases of insecurity were "isolated cases of crime and threats to public safety, peace and security in some parts of the country."

However, findings by this newspaper, as part of its weekly review of attacks by armed persons, paint a different picture from what Mr Alkali said.

Last week, between October 24 and 30, at least 40 people were killed in separate incidents across the country. Seven of the victims were security officials while the remaining were civilians.

The security operatives included three police officers, two operatives of theand one Customs official.

The total tally of casualties for the week (October 24-30) was compiled by PREMIUM TIMES from media reports. Thus, unreported cases were not included.

Although the 40 people reported killed last week is lower than the 47 killed in the previous week, the number of incidents was higher last week.

Here are the cases compiled from media reports last week.

South-east

Gunmen in the early hours of Sunday attacked the police divisional headquarters at Unwana, Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and killed three police personnel on duty.

According to the report, the gunmen attacked the division at about 2 a.m. and killed one constable and two inspectors.

Also in the South-east, some gunmen on Friday attacked operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) in Anambra State, killing two personnel.

The officers were said to have been ambushed by the armed persons while on an election campaign duty in the Ekwulobia area of the state.

Another personnel of one of the security agencies also lost his life when troops of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army had an encounter in Anambra State with IPOB/ESN separatists.

North-central

Armed persons attacked a mosque in Maza-Kuka village in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, killing 18 worshipers.

It was gathered that the armed persons invaded the village in large numbers and attacked the villagers, who were performing their early morning prayers on Monday.

In neighbouring Kogi State, six persons were killed while some houses were burnt by armed persons in a Monday morning attack on the Bagana community of Omala Local Government Area of Kogi.

The Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Idrisu Dabban, confirmed the incident to reporters after a visit to the area.

North-west

At least six people were reportedly killed while several others were abducted after bandits on Sunday evening raided Unguwar Samanja village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Also in Katsina, a large group of bandits on Thursday attacked Dangeza, a farming and business community in Batsari Local Government Area and killed five residents.

South-west

Suspected smugglers killed an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Fagbohun village, Yewa South Local Government Area, Ogun State.

The smugglers attacked a patrol team of customs officers from the Federal Operating Unit (FOU) who had arrived in the village for an operation.

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Two other officers were reported missing after the attack.

Efforts ongoing to tackle insecurity

Speaking on the security situation Thursday in Abuja, the police chief, Mr Alkali, said the police are making efforts to address the situation.

"The Nigeria Police Force is however unrelenting in rejigging its public safety strategies to adequately contain prevailing and emerging crime trends across the country."

Mr Alkali said that "the strong collaboration between the police, armed forces and other security agencies" led to what he described as "the improved security situation in the country."

"Let me state categorically that the new spirit of collaboration between the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Armed Forces, the Department of State Services and other security and intelligence agencies in the country has indeed spurred a common front in reducing crime and criminality nationwide," he said.
The Committee had, in September, called on Nigerian filmmakers to submit their films for the next edition of the Award scheme.

The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced the cancellation of its plan towards the country's participation at the 2022 Oscars.

The 94th Oscars is scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California on March 27, 2022.

The Committee had, in September, called on Nigerian filmmakers to submit their films for the next edition of the Award scheme.

In a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Chairperson of NOSC, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi, expressed regret that the Committee could not continue the selection process for this season, citing eligibility issues of films received as a major concern.

She stated: "After a series of deliberations by the Committee members, we regret to announce that there won't be a submission of films to represent the country for the 94th Academy Awards. This is due to the fact that the films received so far for screening failed the eligibility rule test set by the Academy."

Anyaene-Abonyi added that the Committee is committed to ensuring that the film which would eventually represent the country at the 94th Academy Awards in the International Feature Film (IFF) category meets all eligibility rules and technical requirements for the competition.

The IFF Award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains 50 percent or more of non-English dialogue.

The 94th Academy Awards requires that films submitted must meet other criteria, including accurate English subtitles, streaming, or theatrical release for at least seven consecutive days in Nigeria, between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.

The NOSC boss, while expressing optimism that Nollywood will be better prepared for subsequent editions of the Oscars, noted that Nigerian filmmakers need to learn more about the Academy rules, hence, the NOSC will be engaging practitioners in a series of training.

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Background

Nigeria attained the first-time feat at the Academy in 2020 with the country's submission, "The Milkmaid" ratified by the Executive Committee of the IFF, having passed the eligibility rule test before dropping at the first shortlist category.

In 2019, Nigeria's official submission, "Lionheart", was disqualified for not meeting the non-English dialogue criteria.

This led to the controversy on whether or not Nigerian pidgin should not be considered a local language.

Although the Oscars has since reviewed the rule, giving approval for dialogues in pidgin, 'The Milkmaid' shot with Hausa, Fulfulde and Arabic dialogues appeared to have been made with the original Academy rules in mind and had not left anything to chance.
The Oba of Benin was on hand at Cambridge University to sign documents on Thursday, the last step in the handover of a statue of a cock, known as the "Okukur", that was stolen by the British colonial forces in 1897.

Omo N'Oba N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II said that he hoped other countries and institutions would return artworks to the kingdom, especially as many have religious significance.

The Oba is head of the Eweka family of the Benin Empire in what is present-day Nigeria.

British looting

The statue is one of many artifacts looted by the British during a punitive campaign. Trade deals between the kingdom and the British had soured, and the British insisted on visiting the Oba after he requested a delayed visit.

During this time, a number of Edo soldiers ambushed the expedition (reportedly without the Oba's knowledge), and killed nearly the entire British party. This punitive campaign forced the Oba into exile, and the kingdom was decimated by the looters, who sold some of the pieces to pay for the expedition, and they were scattered around the world.

Student initiative

At Jesus college in Cambridge, where the cock was originally displayed and considered a mascot, a classics student in 2013 saw the object and inquired into its provenance. She realized it was given to the college by the father of a student in 1905.

Creating the Benin Bronze Appreciation Committee with others, she looked into repatriating the valuable piece, which they estimated had been originally at the palace.

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France hands back Benin cultural treasures at historic museum ceremony

Bring African art and history back to Africa, panelists tell France's Macron

The statue was unceremoniously removed from the public eye in 2016 until 2019, when the college's Legacy of Slavery Working Party group determined that the rooster should be repatriated.

This is in line with a number of repatriations by Germany, and more recently, the French government, who also signed documents this week at Quai Branly museum in Paris with the Benin government to return 26 items stolen by the French in Dahomey (now modern-day Benin).

After making a number of overtures towards art repatriation in 2017, including a report on the issue, French President Emmanuel Macron was seen as dragging his feet before signing the agreement this week.

In a special Africa-France summit called by Macron this month with members of African civil society and activists, including art experts, he announced that the 26 items would be returned at the end of this month.
The president is scheduled to deliver his national statement at the High-Level segment for Heads of State and Government at the conference on Tuesday.

President Muhammadu Buhari will Sunday, October 31, depart Abuja for Glasgow, Scotland to attend the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The president is scheduled to deliver his national statement at the High-Level segment for Heads of State and Government at the conference on Tuesday, November 2.

President Buhari's address is expected to highlight Nigeria's key priorities and action to tackle climate change as well as progress on the country's transition to low carbon economy, consistent with achieving the Paris Climate Agreement.

The conference, hosted by the United Kingdom in partnership with Italy, will bring parties together to help accelerate action towards the Paris Agreement as well as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Given Nigeria's leading role in taking climate action and as a signatory to the Paris Agreement, COP 26 will afford a unique opportunity for the Nigerian delegation to work with other parties to make progress on the main goals of the conference including securing global net zero by mid-century and keeping 1.5C within reach; adapting to protect communities and natural habitats as well as mobilising the much needed finances to meet the set targets.

In Glasgow, President Buhari will participate in some side-line events hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The lresident will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of State, Environment, Sharon Ikeazor; National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno (Rtd) and Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

President Buhari will, thereafter, travel to Paris, France on an official visit to reciprocate an earlier one to Nigeria by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and also attend the Paris Peace forum 2021, the fourth edition to be hosted by the French President.

It will have Heads of State and Government and CEOs of major multinationals, as well as several civil society actors, gathering to advance concrete solutions to the enormous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to improve global governance in times of COVID-19.

The Summit will focus on spurring a more solid and inclusive recovery by addressing the various gaps in global governance, offering initiatives to better tend to the global commons, and putting forward new principles of action for the post-COVID world.

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While the president is in Paris, the Nigerian government will organise the Nigeria-Paris Forum. The event is expected to pull a crowd of Nigerian and French investors, government and business leaders, diplomats and the media in the hope of showcasing opportunities on both sides as well as bringing enlightenment to bear on the prevailing security, economic and investment climate in Nigeria.

President Buhari is expected back in the country after the engagements.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

October 31, 2021
Nairobi  Several students were rushed to hospital on Sunday evening after fire broke out at Buru Buru Girls High School.

The school's authorities however, said none of the students sustained burns after the fire at Kingdom dormitory with reports that there had been warnings from unnamed students that they will torch the school.

"Several students have been rushed to hospital after inhaling the smoke fumes," an official at the school said, "We don't have injuries from the fire."

He said at least 20 were taken to hospital after the incident that occurred at around 5pm.

Police said the cause of the fire was not immediately clear, but an investigation had been launched.

Soon after the fire broke out, more than a dozen parents arrived at the school and demanded to be allowed to go home with their children leading to a stand off.

"No one is telling us anything and that is why we want to be allowed to go home with our children," one parent said.

Police and the school management had a hard time restraining the agitated parents as fire fighters struggled to put out the blaze.

"All we want to know is about the safety of our children but no one is telling us, they are just saying we should wait," another parent said.

A statement sent to the parents by their association chairperson however, appeared to downplay the incident.

We confirm that the fire incident was in 1 of the 45 cubicles of the Kingdom Hostel. It was immediately contained such that even curtains are intact. The incident caused serious panic among students. Any affected student is in safe hands, it stated.
President Paul Kagame has challenged world leaders on action in tackling climate change, noting that previous commitments have not always materialized.

Kagame was speaking at a session on climate change at the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy.

The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU) and works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.

Kagame said that the commitment to mobilize $100m billion a year for green transition in developing countries has not fully materialized and there is no tangible action in this direction.

"This year's G20 is an opportunity to recall that pledge. We need a delivery plan. The world's largest economies contribute almost 80 per cent of worldwide emissions," he said.

"Even before the pandemic, the world was off-track with the Sustainable Development Goals. Getting back on track will require focus and political will. Trade is a key pathway to prosperity." President Kagame | #G20RomeSummit pic.twitter.com/BtmVliyxvE

- Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) October 31, 2021

He however noted that Africa is not sitting on the sidelines waiting for the developed world to act and was keen to play tangible roles in curbing climate change.

"Africa is not the main cause of climate change, but we can and must be part of the solution and intend to do just that. In July 2021, a new five year African Union Green recovery action plan was launched with renewable energy, biodiversity and climate finance as its pillars," he said.

Sharing Rwanda's approach to tackling climate change, Kagame said that Rwanda has put a national cooling strategy in place to phase out the hydroflourocarbons that contribute to global warming.

"This action is in line with the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol. Fully implementing this agreement is one of the most consequential actions that we can take to slow the pace of climate change. I hope that the urgency of the climate emergency will guide the discussions at COP26 starting tomorrow," he said.

Speaking earlier in the day at a session on sustainable development, Kagame called for a further reallocation of the International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Rights based on need.

Special drawing rights are supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets defined and maintained by the International Monetary Fund.

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Day 2: President Kagame attends the #G20RomeSummit. pic.twitter.com/CTtB3newCq

- Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) October 31, 2021

Of the $650B allocated to address liquidity shortfalls, only $21Billion was channelled to low-income countries.

Kagame further noted that extra fiscal space will support women, youth as well as getting back on track with Sustainable Development Goals.

"Even before the pandemic, the world was off-track with the Sustainable Development Goals. Getting back on track will require focus and political will," he said.

He also called for restoration of the World Trade Organisation ambitions after years of stagnation as trade is a key pathway to prosperity.

Kagame featured in G20 on behalf of NEPAD, the African Union Development Agency.
President Muhammadu Buhari had a very successful visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the high which is the symbolization of our mutual trust and resolve to combat climate change, improve trade and promote investment in humanity, not profit as a motive.

It was also an opportunity used by the President to reassure the global investment community on the question of security which is of utmost significance to anyone wishing to bring their money here.

Addressing the 5,200 participants at the 5th Future Investment Summit, FII called by the Saudi Arabian Monarch and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the President gave the most important assurance his large audience-physical and virtual in attendance- wanted to hear: "security is our most important priority. It's the bottom line and common sense. It is up to us to secure our country and we will do it."

To President Buhari, growing social unrest and insecurity are products of inequalities and unfair policies that exclude the majority from opportunities for participation, admonishing world leaders and global investors to prioritize inclusive and humane policies.

He then went on to list a litany of things going for the country: we are the largest on the continent in the economy and population-a people driven by aggressive competitiveness.

He had on the entourage retinue a of Nigeria's successful business leaders including Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabi'u, included in the top ten ranking of Africa's richest.

The official delegates included Mr. Tope Sonubi, Wale Tinubu, Omoboyede Olusanya, Abubakar Sulaiman, Herbert Wigwe, Muhammadu Ndimi, Alan Sinfield, Leo Stan Ekeh, Hassan Usman, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal. It was their opportunity to seek deals and partnerships with their foreign counterparts.

As an aside, it interested many seeing Abdulsamad and Dangote arriving together and leaving on the same aircraft. They shared the same hotel and same car throughout.

This was contrary to the public perception of the relationship between the two business moguls.

On the Government side, the President was supported by the Ministers of Trade and Investment, Communications and Digital Economy-the nation's fastest-growing sector with a record contribution of two trillion Naira in a year from almost nothing in the past-and the Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs and Petroleum.

The Saudi's made it clear from their invitation that they were impressed by President Buhari's last outing at the summit and had hoped that this same spirit will reflect in this year's event.

The President, indeed Nigeria was honoured by the organizers in making our country's leader to be the first Keynote Speaker at the prestigious event anchored by two of CNN's leading finance, business and investment analysts' cum-reporters, Richard Quest and John Defterios.

Taking a cue from the theme of this year's summit, President Buhari presented an address titled: "Investing in Humanity: The Nigerian Perspective." Of course, he had a strong statement to make here. Not only is this in line with his personal philosophy, fact is that investing in humanity is all that his government has been doing.

It's the angle from which all decisions of government are taken. For him, therefore, this was a most befitting platform to tell the world what his country has been doing.

In that speech, he mentioned that:

"Investing in humanity is investing in our collective survival. This is why in Nigeria we believe that public and private partnerships should focus on increasing investments in health, education, capacity building, youth empowerment, gender equality, poverty eradication, climate change, and food security. By so doing, it will go a long way in reenergizing the global economy in a postCOVID-19 era.

"Nigeria's population today exceeds 200 million people. Some 70 percent are under 35 years old. When we came into government in 2015, we were quick to realise that long-term peace and stability of our country is dependent on having inclusive and humane policies.

"In the past six years, our government took very painful but necessary decisions to invest for a long-term prosperous future knowing very well that this will come with short term pains," he added.

The President took a look at global challenges, past and present and warned thus:

"We cannot invest in humanity without relieving our countries from the crushing effects of the debt burden especially when the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of deepening the debt portfolio of poor countries.

"These nations increasingly allocate more and more resources towards external debt servicing and repayment at the expense of the health, education and other services that contribute to the overall wellbeing of their population," he said.

Describing the summit as a credible forum for interaction between the public and private sectors, to explore ways of advancing economic growth, development and global prosperity, the President said Nigeria's diversification efforts continue to yield results, particularly in agriculture.

On the important government policy of Climate and the place of Public-Private Partnership, the President noted that climate change has triggered conflicts, food insecurity, irregular youth migration, rising level of sea waters, drought and desertification, as well as the drying-up of the Lake Chad.

"In the Lake Chad Basin region, where Boko Haram insurgency continues to undermine the peace, security and development of the region, climate change is largely responsible for the drying up of the Lake Chad which has shrunk by more than 85 percent its original size.

"The diminishing size of the Lake is at the root of the loss of millions of livelihoods, displacement of inhabitants and radicalization of teeming youths in the region who are recruited to serve as foot soldiers in the insurgency.

"In order to redress this situation and restore the lost fortunes of the Lake Chad Basin region, strong public-private partnership through massive investments will be needed to recharge the waters of Lake Chad. I am confident that this forum will rise to the challenge in the interest of durable peace and sustainable development of our region."

The President's meeting with Nigerians in the Diaspora gave him an opportunity to send an important message to Nigerians on his unbending determination to respect the Constitution at all times and on all issues.

Not only did he restate his determination to leave office at the end of his tenure in 2023, he followed up with a warning to would-be campaigners, in case there are some who are contemplating this, that he will not undermine the law of the land by extending the tenure of office and that nobody should start doing this nonsense.

Apart from the usual homily to Nigerians to respect the laws of the counties in which they reside, the President threw his weight behind the clamour for the incorporation of new technologies in the election process.

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He was blunt with the fact that without technology in the 2015 election, the Electronic Voters Register and the Card Reader, he may not have won; that he could have been schemed out or ought rightly cheated of his victory by the governing authorities as did happen on three previous elections 2003, 2007and 201.

"With this innovation, they could not defeat me on the altar of money and fraud."

The President also narrated a story familiar to many Nigerian families, in which members dared the desert and walked their way to the Holy Land for the pilgrimage.

They traded on the route, served as farmhands and the skilled among them earned upkeep as they trudged on for years before getting to their destination.

Millions of these made these journeys as millions of others failed to make it, by either losing their lives or choosing to settle down as migrants in countries on the way.

"My uncle" whom he named as Hussaini "undertook this arduous journey but died in Sudan in the homeward stretch," said the President.

An important point he made of this, was that these earlier generations built the strong bond of relationships between our peoples and nations and the present generation must do nothing to derogate from the existing cordiality and friendship of our two states.

President Buhari's trip to Saudi Arabia focused mainly on marketing Nigeria and developing a positive image for the nation. From all intents and purposes, the objective has been achieved.

GARBA SHEHU IS SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT, MEDIA AND PUBLICITY

October 31, 2021
The Chapel Hill Denham Nigerian Infrastructure Debt Fund (NIDF) has announced that it has reached financial close for circa N3 billion Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) project at the Lagos State University (LASU).

In a statement, it stated that the project is being implemented by Advent Integrated Services Limited (Advent) under a long-term concession granted by the Lagos State Government.

"The Project's scope includes design, construction, operations and management of 1,128 bed spaces spread across three accommodation blocks at LASU's Ojo campus. The PBSA will be equipped with amenities such as laundromats, cafeteria, retail stores and state-of-the-art common and reading rooms. The project is scheduled to be completed in time for the new academic session in 2022.

NIDF's funding directly supports Nigeria's efforts towards UN's Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), "the statement reads.

CEO, Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund, Anshul Rai, commented:"By supporting the project, NIDF has once again demonstrated its commitment to support critical social infrastructure projects in Nigeria. It is the fourth PBSA being funded by NIDF and we hope to conclude a number of similar transactions in the coming months. Making long-term Naira funding at commercially reasonable terms is crucial to bridge the infrastructure deficit in the country. By offering tailor-made financing solutions through a streamlined process, we have materially reduced the financing risks faced by project sponsors pursuing such opportunities across Nigeria."

Also speaking on the project, Managing Director, Advent, Goke Dokun, added: "Working with the NIDF team has been a great experience for Advent. Not only did they provide us with the requisite funding with a highly customized structure, we also benefitted from their support on enhancing the legal, contractual and project management aspects of the project. NIDF is also supporting us in implementing the Environmental & Social Management System for the PBSA - a first for the PBSA industry in Nigeria.

"The partnership with NIDF will enable us to accelerate execution of similar projects in other geo-political zones of Nigeria - realizing our vision of delivering 20,000 quality and affordable bed spaces for students across the country."
Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said the administration is currently building 40 digital literacy centres across the state, calling it a big investment in the Kwara child to survive in the knowledge economy.

The digital literacy centres among the 2014-2019 school infrastructural projects of the administration under the Universal Basic Education Commission-Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) interventions.

The Governor, who spoke in Ilorin at the commissioning of an ICT Lab donated to the Government Secondary School (GSS) by Huawei under its Youthhub Africa Initiative, said government is making deliberate efforts to raise a new generation of digital natives in Kwara.

He said, "In the next few years, everything we do will be ICT driven. It is therefore important for all of us to plan for the future. In a world where robots and artificial intelligence are fast taking up jobs hitherto held by humans. The best investment for the future is deliberate investment in digital education. Our administration is seriously committed to this goal. At the moment, we are building at least 40 modern digital literacy centres in schools across the state."

"This is unprecedented in the history of Kwara State. We are also hosting a smart school donated to the state by the UBEC. However, that is a drop in the ocean compared to our needs to grow a new generation of digital natives. The ICT Lab we are launching today is a great boost to the efforts. It is a gift from Huawei to the Kwara child. It is the best investment in the future of our children. For me, it is a shining example of how conglomerates can partner with government to build sustainable future anchored on digital education, " AbdulRazaq added.

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He urged the authorities and students of the school to make good use of this multimillion-naira facility.

The governor, who also promised to fix some facilities at the iconic GSS, directed immediate supply of 100 units of furnitures to the school.

He commended the Huawei for the ICT intervention, saying: "It is the best investment in the future of our children. For me, it is a shining example of how conglomerates can partner with government to build sustainable future anchored on digital education.

Deputy Managing Director/CEO of Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria Limited Kelvin Yangyang explained that Huawei had developed various initiatives in building talents and future of Nigerian youths.

"The country's strength is about its people and the country's future is about its youths. That is why Huawei is helping in building young talents. In Nigeria, we have three major talent initiatives for students at various levels," Yangyang said.
A group, the New Environment Corporation (NEC), has expressed concerns that the grave issues associated with climate change are not being given the urgency they deserve in Nigeria.

Chief Executive of the corporation, Mrs. Nancy Durodola, at a media briefing in Abuja, said majority of Nigerians do not accord climate change the required attention needed to address the situation.

She said the group had resolved to intensify efforts in. "tackling the vexed issue of climate change in Nigeria. We have seen over the years and of recent what nature is capable of doing and the impact such activities have on the people. While many understand this, but believe they have no role to play in tackling it, others just feel that it is a natural phenomenon and bound to happen anyway."

Durodola, further explained that it was due to the lukewarm attitude by especially those who ought to know about the dangers of climate change that NEC was established to "make sure we don't continue on the same trajectory to doom with our eyes fully open".

She said, "Our focus will also be on the grassroots where majority of Nigerians believed that they do nothing to contribute to the situation the world is in today.

"An average person believes that climate change issues are for the elite because of the terminologies we use and even some of the places that such issues are discussed and actions plans arrived at."

She expressed regrets that Nigerians still regard climate issues as foreign problem that has no bearing on the country

She said, "Our hope is that we will be able to bridge that gap, domesticate the issues and call for more actions from all stakeholders, government and the people and this is where the media comes in."
The federal government through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has renewed its commitment to the nation's maritime capacity development programme to bridge the skill gaps in the sector.

As part of the effort towards the policy, the NIMASA' third phase of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) has sent over 200 youths overseas for international maritime training.

Performing the flag-off for the NSDP programme in Lagos, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, charged the selected youth to be good ambassadors of the country as they departs the country.

Ameachi, who also expressed his delight on the programme as part of the government's effort to increase capacity development, urged NIMASA to consider some maritime training institutions in the country subsequently.

Specifically, he said, "Everything that needs to be said has been said, in fact the gentleman from PortHarcourt read my address; that is exactly what I wanted to say. He even added what I want to say that as you proceed in your assignment as NIMASA always remember that there are training institutions in the country.

Like he said, you should send some people to him, the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, and some overseas to see how it goes.

"For you the young women and men that is graduating congratulations, I pray you get jobs, because we are still battling with some that have graduated that have not gotten sea time and I hope you have been given sea time, and if not I hope the DG NIMASA will arrange for sea time for those who have not gotten sea time."

"For those who are leaving, I will give an experience I have. We send about 150 students to China; about four of them are back to the country, why? They were caught with drugs, please do not embarrass the country as you are now ambassadors of Nigeria and not just NIMASA," he noted.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Director General, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamol, stressed that the programme is part of the FG's initiative to bridge the capacity gap in the maritime sector across the six geopolitical zones.

"Seafarers have the potential to add to our national economy. Today it becomes more important that the 200 youths standing before us today now bear the major burden on their shoulders.

"Government is making this huge investment in all ramifications for you in order to position our country for the blue economy. The training you will receive and the certification you will achieve will put you into the global shipping market place and enable you to ultimately contribute your prospective quota to the expansion and diversification of the national economy, " he said.

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Reiterating the Minister's view on Sea time training, the NIMASA DG, said it would be part of the programme "so that there is no waiting time , students will learn for a period determined for the institution to embark on voyages ranging from three to six months and go back to school. This is against the standard in the past where cadets complete training and wait for allotment and call-up onboard; this is the kind of change that will be introduced in the NSDP third phase."

Earlier, the Founder, Charkin Maritime Academy, Dr. Charles Wami, urged the regulatory agency to consider local Training centers in the programme.

"We have international training institutions in the country that can help the nation meet its target in the maritime sector. So, please in the future consider these training centers in the country. For the private sector the programme would be successful if there is continuous collaboration between the agency and the various stakeholders in the sector in the areas of sea-time and certificate of competency (CoC), "he said.

Commenting on the programme, the Managing Director, NLNG Ship Mamagement Limited, Mr. Abdulkadir Ahmed, noted that since inception NSDP has trained over 2000 cadets that are working in different sector of the global maritime industry.

Represented by the Head Business Development and Strategy, Oladipo Egbeyemi, he urged the cadets to embrace professionalism, "we believe working with NIMASA can sustainably increased the number of qualified Nigerian in the global maritime industry," he said.
There are speculations the APC wants Mr Jonathan to dump the PDP and then vie for the presidential ticket of the ruling party.

Former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), may have deliberately avoided the just-concluded PDP National Convention in Abuja.

Mr Jonathan said on Friday he was leaving Abuja on Saturday for Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the African Union retreat on the promotion of peace, security and stability in Africa.

But some PDP leaders believe the former president only used the trip as a "convenient excuse" to stay away from the party convention.

"If indeed he was interested in the convention and the affairs of the party, he would have attended briefly and perhaps give a short speech before travelling on Saturday, " one party chieftain told PREMIUM TIMES. "He could also have sent his former deputy, former Vice President Namadi Sambo or anyone else to deliver a goodwill message on his behalf."

Party insiders said Governor Douye Diri of Mr Jonathan's own Bayelsa State, and his Oyo State counterpart, Oluseyi Makinde, met with the former president on Friday to persuade him to attend the convention.

Our sources said when Mr Jonathan said he had a scheduled flight to Nairobi, the governors urged him to at least make a brief visit to the convention ground. They also offered to arrange a flight for his trip after the event if necessary. Mr Jonathan declined, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

When this newspaper contacted Mr Jonathan's media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, Sunday morning, he requested that the paper send a message to him via WhatsApp.

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He was yet to respond to the question about Messrs. Diri and Makinde's meeting with the former president as of the time of filing this report.

Mr Eze is currently with Mr Jonathan in Nairobi.

Prior to the convention, even before the list of Bayelsa delegates was compiled, Governor Diri reportedly met Mr Jonathan to request him to lead delegates from the state to the event. Our sources said Mr Jonathan agreed.

Some party chieftains interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES said they suspect Mr Jonathan's heart was no longer with the party.

Aside from his absence at Saturday's convention, the former president has not been attending the PDP National Executive Committee meetings, nor involved in the effort to resolve the party's intractable internal crises.

There have been speculations that the All Progressives Congress would want to put forward Mr Jonathan as its candidate in the 2023 presidential election. PREMIUM TIMES has yet to independently verify the claim.

The former vice president under Mr Jonathan, Namadi Sambo, did not also attend the convention.

Mr Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo, who has also kept away from the party, are the two living former presidents produced by the PDP which governed Nigeria for an unbroken 16 years.

The third president, Umaru Yar'Adua, passed on in 2010, about three years into his four-year tenure.
The Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has applauded the stability of the Nigerian banking sector citing it as a catalyst to the recovery and development of the country.

She also noted that the emergence of innovations in financial technology (FinTech) would continue to play a role in the stability and growth of the banking sector.

She said this virtually over the weekend at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), 2021 Fellowship Investiture where she was conferred as a fellow of the CIBN.

She said: "Nigerian's banking sector has contributed immensely to the development of the country but there is still so much to be done. And our financial services industry, including the emerging FinTech sector, as a stronghold to play.

"The theme of your deliberation regarding Nigeria's debt profile and its implications for sustainable development is a very important one. If there is a group that has the necessary professional insight on issues of debt, and debt, sustainability be it at the individual, institutional or national level, it is you."

Speaking on her fellowship, she applauded the institute on its unwavering commitment to stability in the banking sector.

She added: " it is an honor to be made a fellow of the prestigious Chartered Institute of bankers of Nigeria.

I want to thank the Institute for the excellent work it has done to uphold the professional and ethical standards of the Nigerian banking industry, as well as its efforts to educate new generations of bankers."

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Also speaking at the investiture, The Deputy Governor (Economic Policy) of the CBN, Dr. Kingsley Obiora who was also conferred as a fellow noted that the e-Naira has positioned Nigeria as a leader in the payment system landscape globally.

He said: "The e-Naira is scoring the historic first and introducing Africa's first digital currency. And that is not a lean feat because it positions us again as a global leader in innovation and in the financial system and the payment system landscape.

Also, while delivering his paper Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader, PWC, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, said said with the current fragility in economic performance , impact assessment was important.

He warned that due to the growing integration among ECOWAS countries and Nigeria's role in the region, a debt crisis in Nigeria could spillover to other ECOWAS countries.

"Some ECOWAS countries are already showing signs of debt distress. Therefore, the situation requires urgent remedial actions, "he noted.

Oyedele said Nigeria spends actual government revenue on payment of interest on debts and barely anything left to finance development.

According to him this has been the crux of public debt sustainability for Nigeria as well as other ECOWAS countries as debt can only be serviced with revenue and not GDP or export.
On 29 October 2021, for the first time, Rwanda joined the rest of the world to celebrate World Stroke Day through a national organization created by Rwandans who survived the stroke, Stroke Action Rwanda (SAR).

The theme for 2021 is "Minutes can save lives" and focuses on improving awareness of stroke signs and symptoms with an emotional campaign that aims to highlight what can be saved if we all know the signs of stroke.

One in four people are at risk of stroke in their lifetime. It is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Rwanda, this disease is the third cause of death.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to a certain part of the brain is interrupted or reduced. It prevents brain tissue from receiving vital nutrients and oxygen causing the cells to die. It is important to act fast when somebody is having a stroke as every second is crucial.

Attendants of World Stroke Day organised by Stroke Action Rwanda (SAR)

Speaking at the event that took place at Serena Hotel, Dr Joseph Rukeribuga, the president of SAR said that stroke survivors in Rwanda still have challenges that include lack of capacity in terms of money and members who are not capable of performing technical works like drafting a project in case they are looking for a donor.

He declared that some of the medicines they require to take are expensive and yet some of the members of SAR do not have insurance to help them since they have even lost their jobs, adding that their families have gotten tired of taking care of them.

He requests the government to establish a board that gives grants to stroke survivors and at least get them medical insurance.

He said that more campaigns should be organized in every area of the country and reach those who are likely to get strokes than others due to what they do or how they live, like those who drink too much beer, smoke, don't take rest, among others.

Dr Joseph Rukeribuga, the president of SAR

Dr Francois Uwinkindi, the Division Manager for Non-Communicable Diseases Division at Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) said that stroke is the effect of Non-communicable diseases that are not well treated, adding that hypertension and diabetes serve as the main causes.

"According to our research, people get strokes but delay accessing medical care because they don't know about it, its symptoms and what they can do in case it arises. This is why we are raising awareness so that they can understand that it's not sorcery and that it can affect not only the old but also young people. Getting to hospital early is the key to being helped effectively," he said.

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"In 2009, stroke was ranked ninth in diseases that cause deaths in Rwanda, but today it is the third. If we do not do anything about it, in 5 years, it can come first."

Talking about medicines for stroke patients, he said that basic medicines are available in Rwanda though the new medicines are not yet registered to be taken by a stroke survivor who uses Mutuelle de Sante, adding that they are going to advocate so that they can also be accessed.

Ghislain Mutabaruka, 37, a stroke survivor who caught the disease in 2015 said that it was due to his behaviours like working ceaselessly, partying many days without rest, drinking beers and smoking ceaselessly, adding that he didn't have any information about the disease.

"I got ill on a Friday night at 8p.m and decided to sleep until Saturday at 3p.m and that was late. When I woke up, I couldn't raise either my legs or arms. Even the person who reached out to me didn't know how to help or anything about stroke. This time, stroke has already gotten worse on me. There are hours one shouldn't exceed without accessing medical care," he said.

"If I had information, I wouldn't have gotten sick to this extent. I would immediately call a taxi to take me to the hospital instead of sleeping, thinking that I would be fine the next day.

Mutabaruka also advised people not to mistake stroke with witchcraft or sorcery because they are far from being similar, adding that society should value going to hospital instead of taking traditional medicines, thinking that they have been poisoned.
opinion

In 2015, no sooner had Mr. Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as Nigeria's president than he sent a chilling warning in the direction of the south-east whose remorseless support for Mr. Buhari's predecessor, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, was an open secret. Mr. Buhari warned that those who did not support him in the run-up to his victory should not expect as much attention as those who did. Six years down the line, and amidst Nigeria's mounting challenges, it would be interesting to sample the opinions of those who overwhelming supported Mr. Buhari to see where they are in terms of being satisfied with the baby they helped deliver.

Like a boa constrictor, the proscribed group, Indigenous People of Biafra, is folding Nigeria's south-east in a stranglehold. Another sit-at-home order was observed on October 1, 2021, being Nigeria's independence anniversary. Others have since followed. Nigerians are yet to forget how shaken Mr. Buhari was by the effects of the sit-at-home that overshadowed his recent visit to Imo state.

Nigeria's south-east, the ancestral homeland of the Igbos, used to be a haven of peace and ennobling enterprise. But recently, thanks to the insecurity spreading across Nigeria like a wildfire, and the abrasive rhetoric and aggressive tendencies of IPOB, the region is fast unravelling. Innocent citizens have been killed and no one has been held to account. Public buildings have been razed and no one has yet been named as the perpetrator.

It is under such an atmosphere redolent with strife and uncertainty that the good people of Anambra State will queue before the ballot box on November 6, 2021 to make their choice over who would govern them for the next four years.

Anambra is a unique state. In 2003, after four years of the suffocatingly inept administration of Mr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, the PDP's lavishly lubricated rigging machinery broke down in the state under the relentless pressure of the people's will. When the party invoked its infamous electoral sorcery to visit upon the state one of Nigeria's worst electoral heists, the judiciary rose to the occasion in 2006 with a historic verdict that sent current labour and employment minister, Mr. Chris Ngige, packing as the governor of the state and brought in the trailblazing Mr. Peter Obi who went on to become a reference point for prudence in public administration in Nigeria. The judiciary was to follow the Anambra algorithm in upturning elections in Edo and Ondo States in a salutary sanitization of Nigeria's electoral process.

In 2015, in spite of the effusive promises of APC stalwarts in Anambra State led by Mr. Chris Ngige, the state was to prove an embarrassingly slippery slope for Mr. Buhari. With former governor, Mr. Peter Obi, on the ticket of the PDP in the general election of 2019, the All progressives Congress fell to a resounding defeat in the state.

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Ahead of the November 6 election, the good people of Anambra State do not appear ready to float the same boat with the ruling party and it promises to be a battle royale between the major political parties who will fight it out.

The All Progressives Congress will be desperate to get the state to use it as the launchpad for building its dominance in the southeast.

But the good people of the state must again engage their distinct sixth sense for good governance. They must again put the long-term gains of good governance above the shortsightedness of phony popularity. This has become even more critical in the face of the feverish attempts by the IPOB, to scuttle the elections. If the IPOB feels it aggregates the views and voices of the people of Anambra State, why has it not floated a political party to contest the November 6 2021 election?

The good people of Anambra must put faith over fear and prudence over popularity. As Nigeria continues to witness a famine of good governance, they must again find the courage to bear witness to the delectable fruits of democracy, and the power of choice it gives, especially through the ballot box.

Particularly, the good people of Anambra State must be wary of the candidates of those political parties who having lain waste to other states are on the lookout for new victims.

To embrace them would be to give in to those who having sharpened their spears of oppression seek to shove them into the side of the people.
The Catholic Bishop of Ekiti, Most Reverend Felix Ajakaye, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the coming gubernatorial elections in Anambra and Ekiti States to boost its image positively.

The clergy man, gave the charge in Ado Ekiti at the weekend, while delivering a lecture, entitled, 'Ekiti Politics and The Search for Great Leadership.'

The lecture was part of the activities marking the 2021 Annual Lecture/Award presentation of the Nigeria Union Journalists, Correspondent Chapel, Ekiti State Council, held at Prosperous Royal Hotel and Resort.

Ajakaiye asked the commission to be above board and neutral in the conduct of the forthcoming Nov. 6, 2021, Anambra governorship poll, so as to keep its image from further dent.

He admonished the electoral umpire to also replicate same in the June 18, 2022 governorship election in Ekiti, saying the image of the commission is central to achieveiving public confidence in accepting outcomes of election exercises, as credible, acceptable, free and fair.

The News News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that he also asked voters to avoid compromising their future through engaging in activities capable of aiding and abetting fraudulent practices that go against the norms of acceptable global standards.

According to him, INEC must act as a truly independent body, and allow the votes of Nigerians to count.

"I have observed that it is when election is coming that all manners of politicians begin to emerge.

"They are one-off politicians. They will set up all manners of empowerment programmes and when the election is over, you won't see them again. That is why we have to be careful," he warned.

Bishop Ajakaye stated that whoever emerged as a leader in the elections must eschew winner-take-all spirit, by accommodating members of the opposition and competent apolitical individuals in governance, for effective delivery.

Speaking on the poor figures being recorded on election day due to voter apathy, the challenged Nigerians, especially those in Anambra and Ekiti to participate effectively in electoral exercise.

"I humbly urge many of them to start mobilising and enlightening the people and sacrifice on election day, leave their comfort zone and come out like other people to vote".

Bishop Ajakaye advised Nigerians to be determined in fighting the problem of vote selling and buying, saying this remained the best way to prevent their future from being mortgaged.

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On the 2023 Presidential election, he urged Nigerians to elect competent President and Governors that would transform the country and all states beyond the present situation.

Bishop Ajakaye added that while the controversial zoning agitations might not be out place, those who would emerge through such arrangement must be competent, energetic and sound intellectually.

He advised that each state of the federation must resist all odds and elect responsible and committed individuals like Governors, who can bring about the needed growth and development in the area of economy and solve the increasing cases of kidnapping, banditry and terrorism.

The Cleric said: "We need competent Nigerians to emerge as President and Governors in Nigeria for us to be able to be where we ought to be.

"For those agitating for zoning, the best must emerge from that zone to be Nigeria's President, not recycled, weak and incompetent person.

"Whoever wants to be Nigeria's President must be strong both in body and mind.

"We should not allow mediocres to be leading us and if we allow that, then we are in serious trouble," the Bishop said.
The President of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA), Mr. Folorunsho Daniyan, has stated that members of the association have not benefited from the implementation of Executive Order 003 since it was proclaimed on May 18, 2017, by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in his capacity as Acting President.

Daniyan is also the president of the Nigerian Textile Garments and Tailoring Employers Association.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, who is saddled with the responsibility of coordinating the implementation of the executive order, told THISDAY yesterday that the government was sensitising the MDAs and realigning the public procurement process to ensure full achievement of Executive Order 003.

The federal government, through Executive Order 003, had directed its MDAs to grant preference to local manufacturers in their procurement of goods and services.

The executive order states: "Made-in-Nigeria products shall be given preference in the procurement of the following items and at least 40 per cent of the procurement expenditure on these items in all MDAs of the FGN shall be locally manufactured goods or local service providers: (The items are) uniforms and footwear; food and beverages; furniture and fittings; stationery; motor vehicles; pharmaceuticals; construction materials and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)."

However, Daniyan, in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, said the MDAs have ignored the products of the members of the NTMA in spite of the several demonstrations they had carried out to persuade the MDAs that they have products that meet their needs in both quantity and quality.

He said: "You would have noticed that I chuckled when you asked this question. The fact is that none of the agencies has purchased a meter of cloth from the Nigerian textile manufacturers. It was only during the COVID-19 period that a little quantity was purchased from our members. Since then, nothing has been done."

Daniyan said he has not fathomed the reason the Nigerian government could not insist, "that our armed forces, our police, and the customs, etc., must patronise locally made fabrics? Kenya did it and is not regretting it today. If they say that our quality is not good then they will be upgraded.

"Another worrisome example is about one of our members in Zaria, the Zaria Industries. It produces tarpaulin of the highest quality that meets the military's needs but they would not buy them from the industry. The military would rather import them.

"Nobody has told us what is wrong. We have met the quality. They have demonstrated it. You know that the military operations require tarpaulin and canvas that will not absorb too much heat in order to be conducive for their operations.

"All these have been tested. The one being imported from Egypt or elsewhere is not as good as the one produced by Zaria Industries. But why is the preference to buy from outside the country?"

However, Adebayo in response to THISDAY's enquiry, said: "There have been achievements here, but we are still working on further sensitisation of government agencies as well as better alignment of the public procurement process to ensure full achievement of Executive Order 003."

The minister also added that the government is working to improve the fortunes of the textile operators by collaborating with the Central Bank of Nigeria "to provide specific interventions such as machinery and equipment and have instituted a seedling program that enables the provision of cotton seeds to farmers. We are also addressing competitiveness of the (textile) sector by working with the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources to reduce the cost of gas, which is a key cost component of the textile industry."

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The Public Relation Officer of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Comptroller Joseph Attah, told THISDAY in a telephone interview, that the NCS had been complying with Executive Order 003 and has been sourcing its uniforms from local manufacturers.

Attah said: "The answer to your question is capital 'YES.' I am very sure of that. I can remember that in 2019, some people came and made presentations with textile materials and some were adopted. The simple answer to your question is 'yes.'"

In the same vein, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS), Mr. Amos Okpu, also told THISDAY that the NIS has been purchasing its uniforms from Nigeria manufacturers long before Executive Order 003 was introduced and has continued to do so to ensure full compliance to the executive order.

Okpu, however, declined to mention the local manufacturers that has been supplying the NIS its uniforms and foot wares, saying that he does not have the information about the suppliers presently.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has revealed that the federal government was owing the state over N300 billion as money spent on the rehabilitation of federal roads across the state.

Abiodun made this known while playing host to members of Igbobi College Old Boys Association, who paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Abeokuta.

The governor, who lamented the deplorable condition of most of the federal roads in the state, also said the sum of N13 billion would be needed to reconstruct the failed portions of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta expressway, adding that N75 billion would be needed to fix the entire stretch of the road.

"The federal government is owing Ogun State over N300 billion for the various federal roads we have constructed so far. Concerning the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta expressway, when the engineers were asked to assess the road, they put the cost of reconstructing the failed portions at about N13 billion, while the sum of N75 billion will be needed to reconstruct the entire stretch of the road. Our State does not have such amount of money," Abiodun lamented.

While intimating the old boys association of his administration's achievements in the last two and a half years, the governor said interventions had been carried out in the education, health, agriculture and road infrastructure and Information Technology, adding that a Tech Hub had been established to chart a pathway to technological innovations in the state.

He noted that the security architecture in the state had been rejigged to create conducive business environment.

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Abiodun also noted that the local fabric of Adire had been revolutionised to enable the people benefit from its value chain, while 7,000 hectares industrial cluster had been opened at Magboro town, with necessary facilities for investors' attraction.

The governor, however, called on investors to take advantage of numerous potentials available in the state, saying that land acquisition, hitherto done haphazardly, had been digitised.

"A business promotion agency has also been established for seamless business relationship between government and investors", he stated.

The governor stressed the need for old students associations such as Igbobi College Old Boys Association, made up of prominent personalities from almost all parts of the country, to join the state government in reforming the education sector.

Earlier in his remarks, the chairman of the association, Senator Lanre Tejuosho, said the association was in the state for a four-day retreat, saying the courtesy visit was to familiarise members with officials of government, as some of them are interested in investing in the state.

In their respective remarks, some members of the association lauded the incumbent government for the successes recorded so far, especially in the areas of agriculture and road infrastructure.

They, however, called on the state government to build a central park in Abeokuta, the state capital, while more structures should be put in place to attract more investors to the state.
Dar es Salaam  The Indian High Commission has announced it will be celebrating an iconic Week to mark 75 years of India's Independence and 60 years of India-Tanzania diplomatic relationship.

Various programs will be executed as part of the celebrations dubbed 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, an initiative aimed at commemorating 75 years of progressive India and the history of its people, culture and achievements.

The High Commission of India in Dar es Salaam said in a statement that it has planned activities packed with competitions, cultural performances, delegation visits, exchange programs, educational initiatives, seminars, workshops and many more.

The commission said the celebrations are expected to connect the people of India with Tanzania.

A classical dance group 'Baba Gorekhnath Gotipua Dance Association' of India arrived in Tanzania on October 27, 2021, in preparation for the event. The 12-member artist team is performing Odissi and Gotipua dances at the Bagamoyo International Art festival.
THE Tanzania Media Women's Association (TAMWA) has applauded the University of Dodoma's response to an event in which students accused a lecturer of sexual corruption.

TAMWA Executive Director, Dr Rose Reuben, said the organisation was strongly condemning the actions while praising the leadership of the University of Dodoma (UDOM) for taking bold action against the lecturer and advising the university's leadership to put in place approaches to prevent similar acts in the future.

TAMWA wants the law to take its course after the investigation is completed so that it can serve as a lesson to other lecturers who mistreat girls, according to Dr Reuben.

"We also urge the PCCB to continue working with stakeholders to educate the public about sexual corruption and other forms of sexual harassment," she said.

She stated that a statement published by the institution following the spread of text messages about the incident on social media admitting that the lecturer conducted such behaviours, showing that sexual corruption exists at the university.

"As an institution that condemns sexual harassment and corruption, we condemn the occurrence, that violates public service values and, more especially, the mistreatment of girls at the university," she said.

Similarly, TAMWA condemns such behaviours, which have not only harmed girls' career prospects, but have also caused infectious diseases, depression, and stifled women's development.

TAMWA surveyed in 2019 to determine sexual corruption in newsrooms, businesses, and higher education institutions and discovered that the problem is widespread.

It further stated that victims of sexual corruption have remained silent for a variety of reasons, including fear of losing their jobs, being expelled from school, or failing their exams.

Basil Mswahili, a lecturer at UDOM, has been suspended from all activities, including teaching, following charges of sexual corruption.

A text message has been circulating on social media since October 26 this year, claiming that they caught the lecturer in the act with one of his students, demanding sex to award her scores in her supplementary examinations.

Mr Mswahili was suspended with effect from October 25 because of the allegations, according to a statement released by the university's public relations section on October 28.

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The lecturer was also suspended from all academic duties until the inquiry into the claims was concluded, according to the statement.

"In compliance with norms and regulations, the institution has taken appropriate disciplinary action." Reads the statement,

Last year, the PCCB charged Jackob Nyangusi, a UDOM Assistant Lecturer, with sex corruption allegations involving a student.

According to the PCCB, the lecturer was arrested on October 3, 2018, at around 9 p.m. at his home in the Nyumba 300 area of the city, just minutes before completing his mission with a first-year student seeking a Bachelor of Arts and Environment Studies.

The corruption watchdog obtained evidence that the Assistant Lecturer had solicited a sex bribe in order to help a first-year student pass an examination. They put the accused person in the spotlight and were able to apprehend him before he could engage in sexual activity with his student.
AS part of its continued efforts to support the government's efforts in improving health services, the Benjamin Mkapa Foundation (BMF) is set to deploy 620 Community Health Workers (CHWs) to Dar es Salaam region.

The deployment of CHWs will be done after completion of a 16-day training to equip them with relevant knowledge on Covid-19 awareness, prevention and vaccination, nutrition, Reproductive and Child Health as well as improved Community Health Fund (iCHF) sensitisation and enrolment.

The project is jointly implemented by BMF under support from the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) and the government through the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children as well as the President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government.

Speaking over the weekend during an event to wind up training for batch one that had 311 CHWs, the BMF Chief Executive Officer Dr Ellen Mkondya-Senkoro said the project was implemented in line with observing the National Community-Based Health Programme (CBHP) Policy Guidelines.

"The focus is to assist the government in imparting knowledge in health related issues to members of the community in Dar es Salaam, this programme is also being implemented in Mbeya, Songwe and Mtwara regions," she noted.

She said the second batch of 309 CHW's would start training tomorrow and after that, they will be deployed to 561 streets in all five councils of Dar es Salaam region.

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The project kicked off in August this year, and is expected to be concluded in May 2022.

Out of the 620 CHWs for Dar es Salaam region, the Dar es Salaam city will get 189 followed by Temeke (142), Kinondoni (131), Ubungo (91) and Kigamboni that has been allocated with 67 community health workers.

According to Dr Mkondya-Senkoro, all the CHWs have been provided with working tools such as smartphones, uniforms, identity cards, gumboots, umbrellas, facemasks and rainy coats.

Speaking of the awareness on covius-19 vaccine the BMF top official said within two months, the foundation managed to vaccinate a total of 89,000, adding the number is expected to increase following the on-going training and recruitment of CHWs.

For her part, chief guest to the event, Dar es Salaam regional health secretary Ms Sister Mathew, said the region has completed all the 160,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson.

Ms Mathew, who was representing the Dar es Salaam Regional Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Rashid Mfaume, commended the BMF for its initiative efforts to support the government in Dar es Salaam region on improving the health sector.

"We appreciate the support that we have been receiving from BMF, we will continue working together with the foundations to ensure all the targets are realized," she said, asking the CHWs to work hard and deliver to the maximum of their abilities.

She also called on the CHWs to use the working tools provided as they are intended to be used, for the interest of the health sector.
Nairobi  The uptake of the second dose of COVID-19 among those who received their first dose rose to 41.7% Sunday, with only 6 percent of the adult population having been fully vaccinated.

In a statement, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said a total of 5,307,181 vaccines had so far been administered across the country. Of these, 3,679,975 were partially vaccinated while those fully vaccinated were 1,627,206.

The Government has said it is working towards vaccinating a targeted population of 10 million people by December out of a population of almost 54 million.

Nairobi County was leading with 17.8% of the population fully vaccinated.

The Health Ministry said that in a target population of 3,052,494 above 18 years, only 543,275 had been fully inoculated.

Nyeri county ranks second with 80,534 out of the 510,028 targeted population having been fully vaccinated, amounting to 15.8 percent.

Kiambu county ranking third with 9.5% of its population having ben fully vaccinated with 153,780 out of 1,623,545 target population having been fully vaccinated.

The biggest headache for the Ministry of Health vaccination exercise being Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Marsabit which have continued to record the lowest numbers with less than 1% of the population fully vaccinated

The Ministry of Health has faced numerous challenges in the vaccination exercise due to the nomadic nature of communities in the north and other areas hard hit by drought.

Kenya crossed the 5 million mark on COVID-19 vaccination on October 26, a major milestone in tackling the pandemic.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said his government hopes to vaccinate 10 million people by December.

Kenya is deploying Astrazenecca, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in the vaccination drive.

On Sunday, Kagwe said that 17 people have tested positive for the disease, from a sample size of 3,014 tested in the last 24 hours raising the case load to 253,310.

The positivity rate is now at 0.6%.
THE National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) on Saturday announced results for the 2021 Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), which indicate that pass rates have increased by 8.89 per cent, with Dar es Salaam emerging the best in overall ranking.

A total of 907,802 out of 1,107,460 pupils who sat for the exams, equivalent to 81.97 per cent, passed the examination.

Announcing the results in Dar es Salaam, NECTA Executive Secretary, Dr Charles Msonde explained that 574,704 of those who passed were girls while the remaining 532,756 were boys.

"1,108,023 candidates of registered candidates took the exam. Of these, 574,998 were girls and boys were 533,025. Some 24,061 candidates did not take the exams due to various reasons, including absenteeism and illness. Of these, 9,616 are girls and 14,445 are boys," he noted.

In 2020, a total of 833,672 out of 1,008,307 pupils who sat for the exams, equivalent to 82.68 per cent passed the examination.

The exams were conducted on September 8-9, 2021.

Dar es Salaam came out on top in the overall national ranking, followed by Iringa and Mbeya in third and fourth, respectively. Arusha, Njombe, Kilimanjaro, Katavi, Lindi, Simiyu, and Coastal are among the top 10 regions.

Boys have outsmarted girls, according to the results, just as they did last year, when a boy, Eluleki Haule from St Anne Marie in the Dar es Salaam Region, was named the best performer among the top ten students.

The other best students with their schools in the brackets are Happy Deus, John Charles, Joshua Jacob (Twibhoki - Mara), Eva Chengula (Fountain of Joy - Dar es Salaam), Joctan Matara, Barnaba Magoto (Twibhoki - Mara), Rahma Juma (Mtuki Highland - Dar es Salaam), Juliana Shimbala (St Joseph's - Dar es Salaam) and Jackline Manfredy (Masaka - Dar es Salaam).

The results also reflect the usual pattern, with private schools holding on to their dominance over public schools. Mara region Graiyaki Primary School emerged the best, followed by St Peter Claver and Rocken Hill from Kagera and Shinyanga in that order.

Kemebos school from Kagera was number four, Bishop Caeser from Kager came in number five, Kwema Modern from Shinyanga number six, St Magret from Arusha came in number seven, Waja Springs from Geita number eight, Kadama in Geita number nine, while Chalinze Modern Islamic in Coastal region came in number ten.

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Dr Msonde went on to say that the results show that candidates' performance in all subjects is good, with Mathematics, Kiswahili, Science and Technology, Social Studies and other subjects performing above average except for the English Language, which performed below average.

"Except for the English Language, which has a pass rate of 48.02 per cent, the results show that performance in all subjects is above average." Candidates excelled in the subject of Kiswahili, with an 88.50 per cent pass rate," he noted.

He stated that the Council will conduct an in-depth analysis of the results for each subject and produce publications that will be distributed to education stakeholders, including all primary schools in the country, to enable teachers to use analytical information to improve teaching and learning in schools.

According to him, the Council withheld the exam results of 128 candidates who experienced problems or became ill and were unable to complete the exam for all or some subjects. In compliance with section 32 (1) of the Examination Rules, the relevant candidates have been given another opportunity to take the PSLE in 2022.

Dr Msonde went on to say that the council has annulled the results of the 393 candidates who were caught cheating under section 30 (2) (b) of the Examination Regulations, as well as Section 5 (2) I and (j) of the Examinations Council Act chapter 107.

In addition, the Council has advised the appropriate authorities to take action against all those involved in fraud in one way or another, following the Code of Ethics for Public Servants and the laws of the country.
Maria Wafula's eighth birthday was on April 30. At 7.30pm on what was to be the great day, her father died from Covid-19 complications.

The girl's mother, Nehema Wafula, says the difference in timing between Maria's birth and her father's death was five minutes.

Maria is one of the 4,712 children in Kenya coping with the loss of a mother, father or both parents to coronavirus.

According to a study published in the Lancet medical journal, some 1.5 million children worldwide have lost a parent, custodial grandparent or grandparent who provided the child a home and basic needs.

The study relies on research by the Centre for Disease Control, an American agency, and other affiliations.

It was conducted in 21 countries from March 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021.

Countries with the highest number of children orphaned by the virus include Peru (102 per 1,000), South Africa (51), Mexico (35), Brazil (24), Colombia (23), Iran (17), the US (15), Argentina (11) and Russia (one).

From the study, 3,574 children have lost their fathers, 738 their mothers while 400 been left orphans by the virus in Kenya.

Kenya stands at 0.4 per 1,000 children. The country has recorded 5,273 deaths since the virus was first reported in Nairobi on March 23, 2020.

Kenya has recorded 253,151 infections from 2.6 million tests.

A single mother of two children aged nine years and two weeks, succumbed to the virus last week.

Life has become unbearable for families that have lost primary breadwinners.

Covid-related deaths

Orphanhood is defined by Unicef as death of one or both parents. The death of a caregiver can have devastating consequences.

Children losing primary caregivers have higher risks of experiencing mental health problems; physical, emotional and sexual violence; and family poverty which later raise the risks of suicide, teen pregnancy and infectious and chronic diseases.

"Orphanhood and caregiver deaths are a hidden pandemic resulting from coronavirus-associated deaths," the report says.

The analysis used mortality, fertility and census data to estimate coronavirus-associated orphanhood and deaths of custodial and co-residing grandparents between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.

"Orphanhood as a result of Covid-19 has not spared the United States," said Susan Hillis, a CDC researcher and lead author of the study.

"All of us, especially children, will feel the serious impact of this problem for generations."

The study found that deaths are greater in men than women in every country, particularly in middle-aged and older parents.

Estimates for age-specific average numbers of living children are higher for men than women, especially in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

Greater risk of neglect

"This, in combination with higher male death rates, helps to explain the greater number of paternal versus maternal orphans, which ranged from 16 to 59 times higher in the 21 countries," the report says.

Compared to many of these children, Maria is somehow better as she still has a mother.

The parents of Erick Otieno, 11, and his four siblings died of the virus at Jaramogi Oginga Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kisumu county, last year.

Otieno's mother, a greengrocer, was the first to die. Her husband was taken ill immediately she died. He remained in the ICU for months.

Fortunately, none of the five children caught the virus.

The children are being taken care of by their grandmother who is also the caregiver of three other grandchildren.

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"These are my blood. I will do all I can to ensure they eat," Ms Faustine Akello, who sells traditional liquor, told the Sunday Nation.

From the study, about 62 children being taken care of by grandmothers have been orphaned, 126 by their grandfathers are orphaned while 24 lost both secondary givers.

"The loss of one or both caregivers can have a detrimental impact on the nutrition, growth and development of children. It can put them at greater risk of neglect, violence and exploitation, particularly infants and young children from low-income families," the study says.

However, there is no Kenyan-based information on the number of children being orphaned by the pandemic for now.

From June, when the study ended, more parents may have died.

In August, after the study was done, Kenya recorded more than 30 deaths, one of the highest and worst daily numbers since the pandemic began early last year.
Nurses have condemned Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe for exposing their failure in the English language tests required for UK jobs.

The nurses, through their Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) said the CS has despised them.

On Wednesday, Mr Kagwe revealed that only 10 out of 300 nurses headed to the UK passed their English language proficiency test.

Mr Kagwe said a majority of the Kenyan health workforce recruited for the UK jobs failed in their English proficiency test urging them to work hard to pass their employment standards for the foreign jobs.

"Out of 300 health workers sent for an English language test only 10 passed. We had negotiated for clinical workers for job exports but this turn of events is unfortunate," Mr Kagwe said during the Kenya Clinical Officers Association scientific conference in Mombasa.

However, nurses now want Mr Kagwe to apologize to the health professionals saying the minister had no right to reveal to the public about the outcome of their test which they insisted was a private matter.

They said the CS made the pronouncement in the wrong forum.

"He ridiculed us before other health workers during the meeting. The statement was unfortunate, a test is supposed to be private and shouldn't be discussed in public. It was wrong for the CS to release such a report without informing those who sat for the test," said Morris Opetu, the deputy general secretary of KNUN.

They questioned why Cuban doctors working in Kenyan public hospitals cannot speak Swahili a local language. They defended their colleagues saying they were ill-prepared for the test.

He wondered why Cuban doctors brought to Kenya were not subjected to English and Swahili language proficiency tests. Mr Opetu rejected the CS's report terming it false.

"We respect him but we request him not to expose our issues in public. Nursing issues should be private and to the nurses only. Kenya is an English-speaking nation and we speak the Queen's language, therefore you cannot tell us over 300 nurses failed!" he added.

Mr Opetu further added that the nurses were not prepared in advance.

Kisumu branch secretary of the KNUN, Ms Anne Owiti expressed her disappointment over the CS's remarks.

"Exams are supposed to be private and be handled with a lot of confidentiality. The government disappointed us by failing to adequately prepare our colleagues. Nurses did their English test way back in form four and even then they were ill-prepared. You cannot be given short notice of one week for an international test and expect them to excel," said Ms Owiti.

She urged the UK government to stop subjecting Kenyan nurses to English language proficiency tests.

"From pre-school to secondary, colleges and universities we have been doing our examinations in English, we don't know why you have to subject us to the same once again. We are helping you address your shortages why frustrate us? If someone passed nursing how can they fail English?" asked Ms Owiti.

The union further urged the ministry to address their remuneration issues.

"Nurses that had gone before the government signed the bilateral agreement with the UK were being paid between Sh600,000 to Sh800,000, therefore, we are demanding that any contract has given with any country abroad, nurses toiling in Kenya should be paid three-quarters of that sum," said Mr Opetu.

"Nurses are learned people as this is a noble profession. We laud the government for exporting labour abroad but they should prepare the nurses first. They are taken straight from colleges without any preparation. How come we passed our nursing exams?" asked Florence Munoru, a nursing lecturer at Karatina University.

Furthermore, she said those taken for the UK jobs were newly recruited.

"All nurses should be given equal opportunity. Before the announcement was made the CS should have called our nurses' union leaders and revealed the matter to mitigate it instead of announcing it to the clinical officers. How comes Cuban doctors do not speak our local language?" said Ms Munoru.

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She said nurses should be exposed to international standards to be at par.

"Let's find solutions instead of criticizing nurses. When he came here he told us the numbers were alarming for those who failed but he said the state is outing measures to mitigate the matter," said the nurse lecturer.

Jobless Kenyan nurses and other health workers recently got a chance to work in the UK as part of a new scheme requested by Kenya this year.

The unemployed health workers were meant to serve in the UK's National Health Service before returning to work in Kenya.

The deal is similar to the one made by Kenya and Cuba, which saw the government get 100 Cuban doctors, with the Cuban government getting a cut.
The friction between culture and child rights laws is nothing new. But giving away a one-year-old granddaughter to a man thought to be in his 50s to raise as a "future wife" is a shocking decision even for the most rooted of traditionalists.

In August, the authorities in Kajiado West arrested JS, an 80-year-old man, for forcing his Form Three daughter into marriage. The Sunday Nation cannot reveal the name the 80-year-old man to protect the identity of the teenager. The schoolgirl had got pregnant and bore a child with her secondary school boyfriend.

To cover what the family considered to be "shame", she was made to drop out of school and be the fourth wife to KK, her father's friend, from Ewaso Kedong in Kajiado West sub-county, who is thought to be in his 50s. The teenager would effectively be a stepmother to her secondary school age mates.

It was the collaboration by officers from the children's and education departments that facilitated the girl's rescue from her "matrimonial" home, alongside her one-year-old daughter.

As the teenager returned to school, the baby was placed in the custody of her grandmother, who is also JS's younger wife, in Nkorkidinga village, Isinya.

JS, in a bizarre act of trying to "preserve" the broken marriage he arranged, took back the one-year-old to his friend KK. Family members, who spoke in confidence, told the Sunday Nation this was to "compensate" KK, who was to raise the one-year-old to be his wife in future if the teenage mother taken away by the authorities did not return.

Child rights activists say the bizarre incident would not have been possible without the bribery of local officials who they say have turned a blind eye to the betrothal of a one-year old despite protests by family members.

"When the granddaughter was returned, Mzee (JS) was livid. Early the next morning, he asked that the child be brought to a waiting family car to be taken to Kedong," a family member said. He did not want to be named for fear of facing JS's wrath. The Octogenarian is said to be a fierce man, laden with strong cultural disposition and feared by many, including the area chief, who is related to the old man.

This reporter got a taste of this wrath when she spoke to JS this week, in a difficult interview at the tail end of a month-long investigation.

Strange arrangement

"That night," the source continued "the distraught child's grandmother, who was deeply affected by her husband's decision to return the child, fell ill as her ulcers worsened. She ended up hospitalised for several days."

Back in school, the teenage student is said to have broken down uncontrollably when she learnt that her child was given away.

Sunday Nation embarked on a treacherous journey to find the minor in the interior of Ewaso Kedong. It's a remote area where residents interact with elephants and other wild animals in the Maasai Mara ecosystem.

At KK's homestead, two of his three wives and more than 10 children came out to meet us, but the man kept away. At first they were hostile and feigned ignorance about what we were looking for.

Later, they cooked up a story saying that the teenage student we were talking about was their sibling named Beatrice, who had been married off elsewhere and that upon returning home with her child, the government "abducted" her, never to be seen.

All the while, one of the wives was carrying the one-year-old. She even made the one-year-old to suckle in a bid to corroborate their story. The baby vomited immediately upon this attempt.

Efforts to speak to KK about the strange arrangement with his friend JC were unsuccessful. Not even follow-up phone calls were responded to.

Ewaso Kedong chief Moses Teeka said he was aware that the child was at KK's home, but was not privy to the bizarre future marriage arrangement.

"I told him to return the (one-year-old) child to her grandmother. Give me time to enquire whether he did so," he said on phone.

Violent octogenarian

We also visited JS's home several kilometres from Isinya town, but had to make a decision not to knock at his gate. Our sources advised that we approach the old man with caution.

"The moment you appear asking those questions, he will turn wild. He is a man who uses force and we all fear him. He has even kept his hair and beard long like a prophet," he said.

The octogenarian often allegedly resorts to violence and our source reckoned that the teenage student's mother would most likely be the subject of his aggression once we ask questions about her.

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Calling him became the suitable option. Listening to his responses and choice of words validated our decision not to enter his compound. He was boiling with anger, wondering why a government, with no wife or children, was interfering with the running of his homestead and questioning his authority as the head of the family.

"It's unforgivable for the government to remove my (teenage) daughter from her matrimonial home and take her to a place I don't know. I am not a poor man. I have cows and was not unable to pay her school fees. Let them redirect her scholarship to needy children," JS said.

He added that as long as his daughter remains in the hands of the authorities, the one-year-old granddaughter would stay in KK's home. He has made the minor a symbol of strife in the family.

In a phone interview, Kajiado West Deputy County Commissioner Morekwa Moranga said he was unaware of the fact that JS had returned the child to Kedong. He asked for time to investigate, but a week later, he declined to respond to our inquiries.

We could not also independently verify claims that an administrator had been bribed with Sh30,000 and a goat to turn a blind eye to the matter as the fate of the one-year-old remained in limbo.
Police in Ruiru, Kiambu County have shot dead a gangster and recovered a Cseka pistol in Kihunguro area.

The gangsters, who impersonated police officers, waylaid a couple as they waited for their gate to be opened at 3.40am.

One of them introduced himself as a police officer and later robbed the couple of their motor vehicle and mobile phones and sped off. The vehicle would later be found vandalised and abandoned within Kihunguro Gorofa Chafu area.

Police report indicated that Mr Victor Mwangangi and his girlfriend were accosted by two armed men who introduced themselves as police officers as he parked his car at Kihunguro Geo Lucky Apartment within Kihunguro.

Ruiru DCIO Justice Ombati told Nation.Africa that the robbers shot in the air as they drove off in the Toyota Allion car registration number KDB 893W.

The gunshot, Mr Ombati said, attracted the attention of officers from Ruiru Police Station who pursued the robbers who shot at the officers.

"At the scene, one mini Ceska pistol CZ 2075 S/NO B O52204 loaded with seven rounds of 9mm was recovered alongside assorted motor vehicle parts and spent cartridges," a police report said.

The body of the gangster was moved to Nairobi City Mortuary as police pursued his colleague who escaped.

This comes two days after police officers from Ruiru, Kiambu killed three gangsters on Mwiki-Kasarani - Githurai 45 Road. The three were driving in a stolen Toyota Probox car.

The motor vehicle, police said, had been stolen from Kayole, Nairobi. The suspects later proceeded to Githurai Kimbo where they had planned to commit crime.

During the shooting, a firearm was recovered from the gangsters.
Students of Keveye Girls High School in Vihiga County went on strike on Sunday. The learners were protesting over alleged insecurity and high handedness by the school administration.

Vihiga County Commissioner Ochilo Oyugi said the unrest, which started at 4am, saw the rowdy students hurl stones before the police arrived at the institution by 7am. Mr Oyugi said no destruction of property was recorded during the incident.

The angry students then left their dormitories and converged at the school playground as others stood outside their classes.

The girls claimed the school management had turned a blind eye to their complaints and insisted that the institution was insecure. They claimed an unidentified man had been breaking into the school at night.

The girls from Kilimanjaro dormitory began shouting in the dead of the night. They claimed they had seen a strange man.

"The students began shouting at 4am. There is no substantial destruction of school property, we are still processing the situation," said Mr Oyugi.

Vihiga County Police Commander Benjamin Ong'ombe said he dispatched his officers to the institution to restore order after being informed of the incident.

County Director of Education Hellen Nyang'au did not pick our calls when we reached her for comment.

By the time of going to press, the school's administration was yet to speak about the incident.

This is not the first time the institution is in the news for the wrong reasons.

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In 2016, the school was in the news after a six-minute video emerged on social media showing teachers administering corporal punishment on students.

The government banned corporal punishment, particularly caning, in schools since 2011. Keveye Girls' is one of the academic giants in Vihiga County.

At the time the video leaked, the school administration termed the move as malicious.

The six-minute footage showed four teachers -- three men and a woman -- standing in line and as they caned terrified students in the staff room.

After the four teachers were done with the students, the learners were then passed over to yet another teacher waiting at the door for more caning.

The video - whose authenticity the Nation could not verify at the time -- was recorded in 2015 just before the schools closed for December holidays, but surfaced in February 2016.
A village in Embu County was Saturday thrown into mourning after two children died after their house caught fire in Gakwegori village.

The victims, a five-year-old boy and his sister, four, were burnt beyond recognition in the Saturday night inferno.

According to witnesses, the children's mother locked them up before she left.

Upon returning home, she found her house on fire and raised an alarm, attracting scores of residents who fought the fire for hours before putting it out. It was, however, too late to rescue the children.

Area assistant chief Joseph Maina said it was unfortunate the two minors lost their lives.

"The mother locked the house from outside and went away. When she returned, she found a huge fire had engulfed the house. Had she not locked the door from outside, the children could have been saved," Mr Maina said.

He warned parents against locking up their children in their houses.

The administrator said the cause of the fire could not be immediately established.

"Investigations have been commenced with a view to establishing what really happened," he added

The bodies of the victims were taken to Embu Referral Hospital mortuary.

A resident, Susan Nyaga described the incident as a great loss to the family. She blamed the county firefighters for taking too long to respond to the fire incident.

"The county firefighters were alerted early enough but they took too much time to arrive at the scene," she said.

This incident comes barely two weeks after another one in which three children were burnt beyond recognition in Gachuriri village Mbeere South in a house fire.
Sakuye Community elders have endorsed Isiolo Governor Mohamed Kuti to seek re-election in the 2022 General Election.

About 200 elders from all the 12 clans across the county said they had unanimously resolved to support Dr Kuti due to his development track record.

Led by spokesperson Isack Kara, the elders gave Governor Kuti the green light to pick the party of his choice and vowed to support the presidential aspirant he asked them to.

The elders cited health and infrastructure among sectors the governor had immensely transformed and asked other communities to support his re-election bid saying he was the most suitable candidate.

"The governor has done quite some tremendous work and deserves another chance to accomplish his agenda for the county. We will assist him reach out to other communities to solidify support for his second term quest," Mr Kara said.

The elders, during the meeting held in Nanyuki, gave Governor Kuti a rod to symbolise authority to represent the community's interests.

Other gubernatorial hopefuls include former Governor Godana Doyo, former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission boss Halakhe Waqo who was recently endorsed by his Karayu clan, Mohammed Huka, Paul Murunga and Shalom Kinyua.

Exuding confidence

Governor Kuti lauded the elders for exuding confidence in his leadership and promised to ensure improved livelihoods for Isiolo residents.

"The elders' blessings is a clear indication of the confidence they have in my leadership," Dr Kuti said.

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The endorsement gives the Governor a greenlight to seek inroads in other communities as he seeks to reclaim the position.

Dr Kuti faces stiff competition from his predecessor Doyo in what is likely to be a two-horse race should the former governor be endorsed to be the Borana community's governorship flag bearer.

But wrangles in the Borana Council of Elders could further divide the community, giving the incumbent an edge over the other contestants.

Currently, some of the elders feel Mr Doyo, from the Warjida clan, is the suitable person to send Governor Kuti home while another group wants a fresh candidate picked, favouring Mr Waqo from Karayu clan.

Reclaim the seat.

Governor Kuti is banking on the Borana community's continued differences on their preferred candidate and likelihood that Mr Doyo and Mr Waqo end up in the race to reclaim the seat.

Mr Waqo said he was readying for the race and will be on the ballot whether endorsed by the Abdullahi Gonjobe led Borana Council of Elders or not.

"It is all about the vision one has and the difference they want to bring to the county. I cannot withdraw after investing my thoughts, planning and engaging other communities. I am readying for the race," the former EACC boss told Nation.Africa.
A leadership crisis looms in one of the teachers unions as officials grow an appetite for political seats in next year's elections.

Six of the nine Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (Kuppet) national officials have declared their interest to contest for different elective posts next year. Three who are current MPs are seeking re-election. Several others at the branch level also plan to seek various political posts in the 2022 General Election.

Secretary-General Akelo Misori is seeking to be elected as the Homa Bay governor, National Secretary, Secondary Representative Edward Obwocha is contesting the Kitutu Masaba constituency seat while National Vice-Chairman Julius Korir is contesting the Soi constituency seat. National Secretary, Tertiary Representative Sammy Chelang'a wants to be elected as the next MP for Baringo North.

Mr Misori will be contesting for the first time while Mr Obwocha and Mr Korir will be making second attempts after they lost in 2017. Those who will be defending their seats are National Chairman Omboko Milemba who is the Emuhaya MP, Assistant National Treasurer Ronald Tonui (Bomet Central MP) and National Secretary, Gender Ms Catherine Wambilyanga who is the Bungoma County Woman Representative.

Only Deputy Secretary-General Moses Nthurima, National Treasurer Wicks Njenga and National Organising Secretary Paul Maingi are not seeking elective posts. Mr Njenga unsuccessfully vied in the last elections.

Speaking to the Sunday Nation, Mr Misori said his decision to seek the governor's post has been driven by a desire to serve the country and influence positive changes in the education sector.

"I am answering to the call of teachers who feel that through my leadership I can bring a difference. My colleagues who have gone ahead of me have brought major changes in the teaching fraternity and in the education sector at large, I want to be part of the teachers who will bring positive change in our country," he said.

If elected, Mr Misori said he may not be able to serve in Kuppet but will continue to work with teachers and support them.

Major changes

"As you are aware, a governor's post is a full-time job and therefore unlike the MP's post that allows one to serve in Kuppet, I will relinquish my job as secretary-general and serve the people of Homa Bay once I clinch the post next year," he said.

Mr Obwocha said there is need for more teachers to come out and join politics to influence policy changes that will see teachers earn better salaries and have good working environments.

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"As a union official, it's my duty to fight for the rights of teachers and because the budget is done in Parliament, it will be a very good opportunity for me as an MP to push for increased allocations for teachers," said Mr Obwocha. He added that he would also table bills that will ensure teachers welfare is taken care of by the constitution.

Mr Korir said teachers cannot continue to suffer when there are ways that their union official can use to help them.

Being an MP and Kuppet national chairman, Mr Milemba said, has helped him to has bring major changes in schools and the way teachers are remunerated.

"Together with my other colleagues, Ms Wambilyanga and Mr Tonui, we have sponsored bills and petitions that have seen the teachers' medical scheme enhanced, more funds allocated for recruitment and improvement of teachers' salaries. I moved a motion during the Covid-19 pandemic that saw boards of management teachers paid last year, and also petitioned for payment of teachers who were involved in marking the national exams," said Mr Milemba.

He added that a petition is pending before Parliament seeking to have the Teachers Service Commission pay for the Teacher Professional Development programme.

Unlike the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) constitution that requires an official to resign before joining politics, the Kuppet constitution allows officials to serve on a part-time basis.

In Knut, none of top leadership official has publicly declared interest in vying for a post in next year's elections. Secretary-General Collins Oyuu had to resign as a Knut official in 2017 when he contested for an MP seat in Kisumu County.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's bid to unite opposition leaders to face off with his deputy William Ruto gained a new urgency after he met with One Kenya Alliance (OKA) leaders yesterday in a hastily arranged meeting.

With the President keen to manage his succession with just about 10 months left before his tenure runs out in August next year, the meeting was the third he has held with the opposition leaders since August. ODM leader Raila Odinga was, however, absent as he is on a foreign trip to Dubai. Kanu chairman Gideon Moi and Cyrus Jirongo did not attend, with the former campaigning in Ngong, Kajiado County, where he continued to drum up support for his presidential quest.

Read: Bid to reduce DP Ruto powers splits Uhuru, Raila camp

The President hosted the trio of ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka and Ford Kenya's Moses Wetangula at State House, Nairobi, yesterday, amid reports that he whipped them to drop their bids and support Mr Odinga instead.

ANC deputy party leader and Lugari MP Ayub Savula told the Sunday Nation that the Head of State is interested in seeing the former National Super Alliance (Nasa) chiefs working together to form a formidable team which will battle it out with DP Ruto who has hit the campaign trail.

OKA leaders

"The President is meeting the OKA leaders at State House because these are people who represent political parties, they have to consult. There is an issue of convincing and as Uhuru said before, opposition leaders have to unite because they have a common enemy but that is just an appeal, he cannot force them to support a particular person," the Lugari MP said.

At the meeting yesterday, sources told the Sunday Nation that the President curtly told the three leaders that he was not going to sit and see them mess up his plans on the future of Kenya and insisted that they must rally behind his choice, the ODM leader.

The meeting was the third of its kind after the two that were held in Mombasa last August.

During yesterday's meeting, besides talking to them to back Mr Odinga, the President is also reported to have complained that his counsel had been ignored and that the continued campaigning by the OKA team was causing confusion not just in the country but specifically to the former Nasa strongholds that could prove costly to his plans.

Mr Mudavadi was particularly accused of making public pronouncements in his campaigns that have suggested that the economy is dead and nothing good was happening.

Sources at the meeting said the President likened the ANC leader's comments to what he described as DP Ruto political posturing, and warned that painting the economy in bad light would scare away investors.

Appetite for loans

The ANC leader has lately taken a hard stance on the economy, calling out President Kenyatta's administration for its huge appetite for loans and running down the economy.

In his campaigns, he portrays himself as the only one who can save the economy. Mr Musyoka has, on the other hand, not been very vocal. In Kakamega on Friday, Mr Mudavadi suggested that some unnamed people were trying to force OKA leaders to either drop their bids or support a candidate he did not name.

While the common assumption was that he was referring to the President as the person making the calls, a source within OKA told the Sunday Nation that the target of the speech was Mr Odinga, who the alliance believes has been using the President to ask them to support him.

"The remarks were directed at Mr Odinga because we believe the President is a mere conduit of Mr Odinga's message," the source said without elaborating.

Further meetings with the President are planned once Mr Odinga returns with the realisation that there is little time left to craft a coalition agreement and market it before next year's elections on August 9.

Ford Kenya deputy party leader Richard Onyonka and Kitutu Chache MP also confirmed a push to have the leaders work together in the next year's polls.

According to Mr Onyonka, the meetings are aimed at ensuring that the OKA leaders agree on how to streamline their personal interest in anticipation of crafting a joint coalition including Mr Odinga. "OKA members do not have major disagreement on how to govern this country in case they take power but the only issue they are raising is that they had agreed with Raila before that he could support them whether he won or not," he stated.

"The President hopes and wishes that they would agree and work together because they agree on all other outstanding issues," Mr Onyonka added.

Western tour

People close to the three leaders, particularly aides to Mr Mudavadi were, however, not happy with both the last-minute summons and its outcome. According to ANC chairman Kelvin Lunani, the invitation for the meeting was made on Thursday night, a development that disrupted the itinerary OKA had laid out for the weekend. It had planned to have road trips in Vihiga county starting in Chavakali, Majengo, Emuhaya and ending up at Luanda. This was also echoed by Mr Savula.

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On Sunday, they were to be in Thika town, Kiambu County. The initial plan was for the meeting with the President to take place at 5pm on Friday.

The OKA leaders, some of whom were already in Kisumu ahead of western tour, decided to proceed with the Friday activities hoping to travel back in time for the meeting. However, it rained in the region and delayed their arrival in the city forcing the meeting to be postponed to yesterday.

Another close ally of Mr Mudavadi complained that the last minute summons was deliberate to disrupt OKA principals' itinerary for the benefit of Mr Odinga who has recently been campaigning in the region.

Malava MP Malulu Injendi, another ally of the ANC boss, said that the OKA leaders are angered by the manner in which Mr Kenyatta is trying to influence his succession by leaning towards a particular candidate. "It is an open and clear position that the President is campaigning for one of the presidential aspirants," he told the Sunday Nation.

Reports by Walter Menya, Onyango K'Onyango and Ibrahim Oruko
The Kirinyaga County government has supported selected self-help groups with fishpond liners, fingerlings and feeds to enable them undertake beneficial fish farming.

Twenty community groups that were selected after applying for funding from the county government were given the inputs at the beginning of this month and they are expected to harvest their first produce after six months.

Governor Anne Waiguru has said that the fish farming project is one of the components of Wezesha Kirinyaga economic programme that has been supporting farmers to diversify on their agricultural activities in order to increase their revenue streams.

She said that the project was informed by the huge deficit of fish, which makes Kenya to import fish as lake fishing cannot sustain the demand. She pointed out that her administration will support the farmers for the first six months and, thereafter, the groups are supposed to sustain the projects after selling their initial produce.

Alternative livelihoods

"Fish farming will provide alternative livelihoods and give direct support to women and youth who will be involved at various stages of the project value chain which include, cooking, selling and transportation of fish. Others will be employed at fish eateries which have now become very popular in the county", said the governor while distributing pond liners to the farmers.

Governor Waiguru also urged Kirinyaga residents to embrace routine consumption of fish as a way of boosting their health as well as growing the county's economy. She said that consumption of excess red meat has been attributed to high prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney diseases among the residents, noting that fish provides a good source of the recommended white meat.

Beneficiaries happy

Beneficiaries of the fish farming projects were upbeat about the project, saying they look forward to uplifting their standards of living through.

Caroline Wambui, a member of The Great Star Youth Group in Gichugu Constituency, said that the project will help them by first supplying the members with a nutritious source of protein and then with extra income from sale of the surplus fish. Her group was formed in 2019 and started with table banking, with the fish farming project now expected to boost their income.

Mr Benson Kagiu, another member of the group, thanked the county government for empowering the youth through such projects.

Kiamuruga Tissue Culture Bananas group in Kirinyaga Central is also a beneficiary of the project. The group's Chairman Elijah Karari said the 25-member group was happy about the project and that they look forward to selling their first produce and expanding the project as a way of empowering members economically. He said that fish farming, compared to other farming activities, is less time consuming and production costs are manageable. He thanked Governor Waiguru for the support which he said will go a long way in uplifting the living standards of the farmers who have embraced the fish project.

The county government has been supporting farmers to exploit the favourable climatic conditions to increase fish production over the past two years.

During the National Aquaculture Annual Stakeholders Review meeting held earlier in the year, the Kirinyaga County government emerged among the top five counties in implementation of the Aquaculture Business Development Programme.

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Half of all the fish produced in Kenya comes from aquaculture while the other half comes from ocean and lake fishing.

Favourable aquaculture conditions

Ms Waiguru said that her vision is to see Kirinyaga get a fair share of fishing potential given that it is endowed with favourable aquaculture conditions which include fresh water and ready market.

The county government is working to increase annual fish production from the current 29.4 tonnes, valued at 12.8 million, to 62 tonnes, which will fetch the farmers around Sh30 million per year.

Other projects that the county government is supporting under the Wezesha Kirinyaga programme are poultry, dairy, avocado and tomato value chains as well as pig rearing, bee keeping and value addition of traditional vegetables.
Tigrayan rebels, Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on Sunday claimed that their forces had taken control of another strategic city in Ethiopia's Amhara region.

TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda said that rebel forces were "firmly in control of Kombolcha", an industrial city only 20 kilometers from Dessie city.

The new claim comes less than 24 hours after the rebel forces took control of the strategic city of Dessie.

A political analyst who spoke to Nation.africa on a condition of anonymity said that the fall of Kombolcha, an industrial city, will pave a way for the Tigrayan forces to advance towards the capital Addis Ababa.

Safe transition

As TPLF forces advance further deep into the south Amhara region following the main highway that leads to Addis Ababa, the rebel group hints at a "safe transition" proposal for a potential post-prime minister Abiy Ahmed era.

TPLF said it "will continue to work with all stakeholders who want to see a safe transition in Ethiopia"

Fighting between the federal government and the TPLF, erupted in November last year. The civil war has killed thousands and displaced millions.

About 5.2 million people, about 90 per cent of the Tigray population, are currently in need of emergency assistance. Hundreds of thousands are also facing famine.

The rebel group today pledged to cooperate with UN aid agencies on their efforts to aid provision in conflict affected areas in north Ethiopia.

"In the meantime, we will cooperate with the UN in managing their aid efforts in Tigray and Amhara including by protecting their warehouses" Getachew said.

Siege on Tigray

The TPLF official said that TPLF forces will continue to take all appropriate measures to break the siege imposed on the people of Tigray.

"It needs to be clear once again that we don't have other motives than breaking the deadly siege on our people" said Getachew in a statement he issued in his Twitter page.

International aid agencies have been accusing the Ethiopian government of deliberately hampering humanitarian assistance to Tigray, an allegation Addis Ababa denies.

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Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Air Force on Sunday carried out airstrikes outside the Tigray capital.

Sunday's airstrikes hit the town of Agulae, about 60 kilometers away from Mekelle, the capital of Tigray.

Addis Ababa said that the fresh attacks targeted a former military camp of the Ethiopian Army which allegedly was turned into a training centre for Tigrayan fighters.

This is the 11th time for Ethiopian bomber jets to strike rebel-held targets in the troubled Tigray region since the military launched aerial bombardments in the region early last week.

Final offensives

The fall of the two strategic cities will be a big blow to the Ethiopian government who recently launched major offensives to drive out Tigrayan forces from the Amhara region.

On October 11, the Ethiopian army launched what it said was a "final and decisive offensive" against the TPLF, a former dominant ruling party turned rebel.

The conflict took a new phase during the past two weeks as the Ethiopian military also regularly carries out airstrikes as part of the major offensives to quell the TPLF, a rebel group which is fighting government and allied forces in Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions.

US condemnation

The United States government last week condemned Ethiopia for an escalation of violence after the military launched deadly air strikes in Mekelle and urged warring factions to immediately cease hostilities and engage in peace talks.

Previously, the US government has threatened to impose sanctions if the parties to the Tigray conflict fail to reach a negotiated settlement to end the nearly one-year long running bloody civil war.
Adults, youth, children, and people in wheelchairs waited several hours for the doors of the temple to open.





Complying with the protocols to protect themselves from COVID-19 contagion, guests enter the temple for one minute and a half and then leave to allow other believers to have the same opportunity.









The closing of the Lord of Miracles month featured a mass with a maximum capacity of 100 people.









The activities will come to an end this evening.





About Lord of Miracles





Known as the Christ of Pachacamilla, Lord of Miracles constitutes Peru's most heavily attended religious festivity and is celebrated by all strata of society in homage to the Crucified Christ.





This image is a replica of a centuries-old mural of the crucifixion painted by a slave in the 17th century.





The Lord of Miracles became a motive for worship after the wall on which it was painted miraculously survived a destructive earthquake unscathed.




El Alto Representante de la Union Europea @JosepBorrellF inicio su visita oficial al Peru, siendo recibido por el Canciller Oscar Maurtua en el Palacio de Torre Tagle. Las delegaciones sostienen una reunion a fin de fortalecer los vinculos politicos, economicos y de cooperacion. pic.twitter.com/39VV3yT727
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan received today newly-appointed Ambassador of Norway to Armenia Helene Sand Andresen, the Parliaments press service said.

The sides discussed a number of issues relating to the development of the Armenian-Norwegian relations. Both emphasized the importance of implementing programs aimed at boosting the inter-parliamentary cooperation.

The Speaker of Parliament also highlighted the necessity of deepening the cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries in various international platforms.

The discussion also touched upon the regional security and stability. In this context the sides highlighted the role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship in the comprehensive settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Alen Simonyan stressed the urgency of the repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan.

The meeting also covered topics relating to democracy and human rights.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian arrived in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, to attend the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).

The President held a brief talk with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Mr. Johnson and Mr. Guterres welcome the heads of state who arrived in Glasgow for taking part in the summit.

UK and Italy will co-chair the conference.

The Armenian President will deliver speech at the World Leaders Summit which will be held within the frames of COP26. Sarkissian is also expected to have bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the conference.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan received today Ambassador of Italy to Armenia Alfonso Di Riso, the Parliaments press service said.

Welcoming the Ambassador, Alen Simonyan highly valued the Armenian-Italian relations in all areas, expressing confidence that the Ambassadors mission will give a new impetus to the friendly ties, the statement says.

The meeting sides attached importance to the multilateral inter-parliamentary cooperation.

In turn the Italian Ambassador thanked for the reception and attached importance to the implementation of the Armenian-Italian parliamentary agendas.

The sides discussed the necessity of returning the Armenian prisoners of war and civilians from the Azerbaijani captivity. Alen Simonyan emphasized the importance of the resolution adopted by the Chamber of Deputies of Italy, which calls on Azerbaijan to release the Armenian POWs.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, 1 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 1 November, USD exchange rate down by 0.35 drams to 477.45 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 4.56 drams to 552.17 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.03 drams to 6.74 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 6.88 drams to 652.10 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 547.58 drams to 27157.11 drams. Silver price down by 1.27 drams to 368.56 drams. Platinum price down by 134.24 drams to 15488.53 drams.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The Prosecutors General of Armenia and Iran, recording the achievements, have reached agreements to jointly withstand new challenges, ARMENPRESS reports the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia Arthur Davtyan said in an interview with the Public TV, referring to the recent visit of the Prosecutor General of Iran Mohammad Jafar Montazeri to Armenia.

Among these agreements, I attach great importance to the joint will to clear the region from terrorists, to the need to fully implement the legal mechanisms, about which he, my Iranian counterpart, spoke very clearly. Back in the first days of the war, when we already received the first factual information about the presence of mercenary terrorists in the region, especially in the southern part of Artsakh, taking into account also our partnering relations, I informed my colleague about it, because it was the border area with Iran. There were reasonable doubts and risks that the terrorists recognized no borders, there could be any movement. This was appreciated by my colleague, and the necessary preventive measures were taken. Today, they also have clear facts about the activities of terrorists in the region and the area I mentioned, and their existence today, and the need to fight against this evil through joint legal mechanisms was recorded, Davtyan said.
1071 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded over the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total number of confirmed cases to 309,397, the Armenian healthcare ministry informs.

November 1, 2021, 11:15 1071 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in Armenia

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 1, ARTSAKHPRESS: 12,835 tests were administered.

51 patients died, bringing the death toll to 6379.

The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 1,641, the total respective number so far is 270,741.

As of November 1, the number of active cases stood at 30,978.
The construction of a new settlement in the Ajapnyak district of Stepanakert continues with the funding support of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.

November 1, 2021, 12:18 Construction of a new settlement in Ajapnyak underway

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 1, ARTSAKHPRESS: Martha Danielyan, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Urban Planning of the Republic of Artsakh, told "Artsakhpress".

The district will consist of 15 buildings with 240 apartments. The total area is 37,800 square meters, and the construction area is 6,523 square meters. The area to be improved is 31,277 square meters, " Martha Danielyan noted.

The new settlement will be built in accordance with all modern requirements. The construction is carried out by "Arame" and "Mechta" companies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu focused on the prospects of a regional 3+3 platform in the South Caucasus at their meeting on the margins of the G20 summit in Rome on Saturday, TASS reported.

November 1, 2021, 15:35 Russian, Turkish FMs discuss 3+3 mechanism for South Caucasus

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 1, ARTSAKHPRESS: "The coordination of the two countries efforts to further stabilize the Balkans and the South Caucasus was the main focus of the conversation. They discussed potential joint steps to facilitated Bosnian settlement, including the use of multilateral formats. They exchanged views on prospects for launching a 3+3 regional mechanism in order to unblock economic and transport ties and to promote mutually beneficial infrastructure projects in the South Caucasus," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released after the meeting.

Additionally, the two ministers touched upon other international issues and the key issues of the Russian-Turkish ties.

The presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey - Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan - earlier put forward a proposal to hold six-party talks (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey and Iran) on Karabakh and on the unblocking of economic and transport communications in the region. Iran welcomed the idea assuring of its willingness to help seek peace for the region.
Scott Morrison has said he will not accept "sledging of Australia" after French President Emmanuel Macron took a swipe at him on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome.

At the G20 summit, Australian journalists asked Mr Macron whether he believes Australia's Prime Minister lied to him.

"I don't think, I know," the French president said.

"I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people," Mr Macron said.

"I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistently with this value."

Mr Morrison refuted Mr Macron's claim he was lying while he was in Rome and then again in Glasgow, while attending the COP26 climate talks.

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Source: EPA

"I must say that the statements that were made, questioning Australia's integrity and the slurs that have been placed on Australia ... I'm not going to cop sledging of Australia," he said.

"I'm not going to cop that on behalf of other Australians."

He also said he had no interest in "personalising" such matters, and did not want Australia to "settle for less", saying the country always had "aspirations" to have nuclear powered submarines.

The shock announcement of Australia partnering with the UK and US and ditching the French deal was kept under tight wraps.

The move infuriated France, who say they were only informed hours before a press conference announcing the new deal.

Mr Macron responded by temporarily recalling its ambassadors from Australia and the US and several prominent figures condemned Australia's handling of the deal.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd said the spat was "enormously damaging" to Australia's standing on the world stage, while Malcolm Turnbull said it was "deceitful".

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded to the French president's allegations of him lying. Source: EPA

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Mr Morrison had contradicted himself about what Mr Macron was told and when.

"What you need when you deal with international relations and with diplomacy, is honesty and integrity," Mr Albanese said.

Story continues

"The fact is that President Macron has said very clearly and unequivocally that Scott Morrison did not tell him, he can't have made it any clearer."

Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce wanted everyone to move on from the submarine issue.

"We didn't steal an island. We didn't deface the Eiffel Tower. It was a contract," he said.

"I hope that President Macron understands that, ultimately, Australia and France have got so much more in common and so much into the future than a contract which is now in the past."

Australia had signed a contract with France in 2016 to acquire conventional Attack Class submarines from French company Naval Group before Australia announced the deal was off.

Australia scrapping the submarine deal with France in favour of a deal with the UK and the US, raised several concerns. Source: PA Wire

Macron had 'little doubt' about future of doomed deal

Sources close to the dispute have contradicted Mr Macron's claims about Mr Morrison lying, as he knew the submarine deal was in a trouble for quite some time.

Mr Morrison made several attempts to raise issues with France's submarines before the AUKUS deal was final, sources told the Daily Telegraph.

In the days leading up to the AUKUS deal being announced, Mr Macron reportedly messaged Mr Morrison, saying he was not available at the time Australia wanted to call.

Should I expect good or bad news for our joint submarines ambitions? the French president reportedly said, as per messages shared with the Daily Telegraph.

Sources who were reportedly privy to the conversations between Mr Morrison and Mr Macron, say there was "little doubt" about the future of the France-Australia deal.

Macron was told pretty clearly, but he just didnt want to hear it, one source said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

- With AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has had a tense exchange with journalists over accusations he lied to French President Emmanuel Macron over a $90 billion submarine deal.

Mr Macron told the ABC: I dont think, I know, when he was pressed if he believed Mr Morrison had been untruthful to him.

The French president was referring to Australias strained relationship with France after the Morrison government ended a lucrative deal for submarines and signed a groundbreaking pact with the US and the UK, which included a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Mr Morrison and Mr Macron are among world leaders meeting at the G20 summit in Rome.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison denies he lied to French President Emmanuel Macron. Source: ABC

Morrison denies lying to Macron

The PM was asked by a reporter if he ever considered exercising the gates to get out of the contracts, to which he replied he was very clear the submarines did not meet Australias strategic interests.

The reporter, ABCs Bevan Shields, pointed out that was not the question.

But thats my answer, Mr Morrison said.

The PM was then asked about the extraordinary allegation made by the French president accusing him of being a liar.

And I dont accept it, Mr Morrison said.

Mr Morrison said he has begun working on fixing Australias relationship with France.

Mr Macron speaks at the G20 summit. Source: AAP

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was asked about the accusation on Nine's Today show on Monday morning.

Mr Frydenberg reinforced the claim Mr Morrison did not lie.

"Of course, there's disappointment on the French side. This was a major defence contract that they wanted to see through to completion, but of course it wasn't compatible with the new AUKUS arrangement that we entered into," he told the program.

US president Joe Biden on the weekend described the way the decision by the AUKUS partners was handled as "clumsy".

Story continues

"I think what happened was  to use an English phrase  what we did was clumsy. It was not done with a lot of grace," Mr Biden said during a meeting with Mr Macron in Rome.

"I was under the impression certain things had happened that hadn't happened."

Mr Morrison arrives for the G20 welcome ceremony in Rome on Saturday. Source: Getty Images

Australia criticised over relations with China and France

On Twitter, people were concerned Mr Morrison had exacerbated the situation.

This is getting worse, one man tweeted.

Another man tweeted that the exchange between the journalist and the PM reminded them of a Clarke and Dawes skit.

Others called Mr Morrisons answers embarrassing and grotesque.

Regardless of the accusations, the ordeal is another blow to Australias international relations which remain at a low point with both France and China.

The submarine deal has not gone unnoticed by Beijing which last month warned, through the state-run Global Times newspaper, the lives of Australian soldiers will be lost if Australia continues on its current trajectory.

Relations between Australia and China have been tense for months since the PM called for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
A Syracuse man is facing several criminal charges from three law enforcement agencies stemming from an evening in which authorities say he burglarized an Auburn hotel, stole an automobile in Sennett and crashed it into a Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The Auburn Police Department said it responded to Grant Avenue in Auburn around 5:38 a.m. Monday to assist the Cayuga County Sheriffs Office in a stolen vehicle investigation. An automobile had been taken outside the Tractor Supply Co. store on Grant Avenue Road in Sennett and was reported to be heading toward the city.

The vehicle was found unattended crashed into KFC on Grant Avenue. Auburn Fire Department responded to the restaurant, as well, to take care of a gas leak.

APD, the sheriff's office and New York State Police searched the area for a suspect and found him behind the Grant Motel, also in the city on Grant Avenue. He was identified as 32-year-old Rashawn Wilborn of 550 Clinton St. in Syracuse.

The sheriffs office charged Wilborn with third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a class A misdemeanor.

He was then turned over to APD, which was investigating Wilborn for a burglary at Grant Motel that took place around 3:25 a.m. For that he was charged with third-degree burglary, a class C felony, and petit larceny, a class A misdemeanor. He also was issued six traffic tickets related to the crash, and more charges may be filed, APD said.

Earlier in the night, Wilborn had been arrested by state police in Elbridge in connection with an incident there. At around 10:45 p.m. Sunday, state police charged him with fourth-degree criminal mischief and petit larceny, class A felonies, along with the violations of trespass and second-degree harassment.

Wilborn was arraigned and being held at Cayuga County Jail as of 1 p.m. Monday. Bail was set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.

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2021 TVS Raider comes in three youthful colours - Striking Red, Blazing Blue, Wicked Black and Fiery Yellow, along with specially designed textures and finishes to give the rider an energetic vibe.

At the heart of the new motorcycle is an advanced 124.8 cc air and oil-cooled 3V engine that produces a maximum power of 12.9 PS at 8,000 rpm and a torque of 11.5 Nm at 6,500 rpm. TVS claims that the 2021 Raider comes with the best-in-class acceleration of 0-60 km/h in 5.7 seconds. The engine comes mated to a five-speed gearbox unit.

2021 TVS Raider

TVS Raider's gas-charged 5-step adjustable mono-shock suspension, low friction front suspension and split seat along with 17-inch alloy chunky wide tyres ensure comfort and better handling. Its advanced Reverse LCD digital speedometer provides riders with easy to read details.

Other key comfort and convenience features of the 125cc motorcycle include its low seat height configuration and a mono-shock. The exhaust design comes with a distinct tone, reflecting the spirit of the motorcycle. 2021 TVS Raider also gets helmet reminder and USB charger.

With the launch of the new Raider in Nepal, TVS Motor aims to appeal to the Gen Z of the country. For our millennial and digitally native Gen Z customers, we have consistently introduced products with best-in-class features and technology. To further build on the excitement and aspiration of the new-age customers, we are launching the 125cc TVS Raider in Nepal," said R Dilip, President  International Business, TVS Motor Company.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- NIO announced on Monday it delivered 3,667 new vehicles in October 2021, representing a 27.5% decrease year-over-year and a 65.5% slump month-over-month mainly due to the retooling of the production lines at its Hefei manufacturing base.

The company said its deliveries in October was largely impacted by reduction in production volume as a result of the restructuring and upgrades of production lines and the preparation of new products introduction from September 28 to October 15, as well as supply chain volatilities.

NIO revealed the production of the ES8 was resumed towards the end of October.

The startup's new car deliveries for October consisted of 218 ES8s, 2,528 ES6s, and 921 EC6s.

In spite of the production and supply chain issues, the startup's new order volume still hit an all-new high last month thanks to rising user demands, said NIO.

By the end of October 2021, the EV manufacturer had delivered 145,703 vehicles in total.

Actually, NIO warned of its sales decrease last week in a notification to its users. The company said then it would delay the delivery of some vehicles, which were supposed to be handed over to buyers in October, as its car production was affected by the aforesaid facility retooling.

The company would offer extra App credits as the compensation to the users who were affected.

In October, NIO added one NIO House, 81 battery swap stations, 78 supercharging stations, as well as 30 plus destination charging stations. On Oct. 30, NIO launched its 1,000th charging station in China.
XPeng Motors became the most popular new energy vehicle (NEV) startup in China with highest October deliveries, and Hozon surprised the industry as the runner-up with monthly deliveries outnumbering Li Auto and NIO, the other two U.S.-listed Chinese startups.

From a year-on-year change perspective, all startups Gasgoo compiled, except NIO, had at least double-digit growth, but compared with the previous month, three startups delivered fewer vehicles. NIOs October deliveries also had a sharp decrease of 65.5% month over month.

XPengs monthly deliveries have surpassed 10,000 for two consecutive months by October. Apart from February, XPengs monthly deliveries volume were all more than 5,000 vehicles. The P7 remained the main contributor while monthly sales of the G3 has kept growing since the delivery of the G3i, the mid-cycle facelift version of the G3, started in September.

Besides, the monthly deliveries of the P5 amounted to 437 vehicles last month. Since the sedan hit the market on Sept. 15, the automaker had delivered 681 P5s by the end of October.

Hozon, the parent company of NETA brand, ranked second among all local NEV startups. It is also the only one among the six which had seen continuous and stable month-on-month growth since February of this year, and October also marked the ninth consecutive month of delivery record.

Last month, Li Auto delivered 7,649 vehicles, only 52.8% of its monthly orders (14,500). The main challenge was still the automotive chip supply shortage, which made the automaker slow the delivery pace. By October, Li Auto was the only one among the three U.S.-listed NEV startups in China whose monthly deliveries had never achieved the milestone of 10,000 vehicles. But with only one model for sale, the achievement of 100,000 production milestone indicates that its product is very received.

By monthly deliveries, NIOs ranking dropped from the first to the fifth in October, outsold also by WM Motor whose monthly deliveries had exceeded 5,000 vehicles for two consecutive months. The automaker attributed the substantial month-on-month decline to the production interruptions caused by the upgrading of its manufacturing base from the end of September to the middle of October. The production went back to normal at the end of October.

But NIO remained the winner in terms of the year-to-date deliveries of the first ten months this year, 3,520 vehicles more than the cumulative volume of XPeng. With only two months left for this year, it seems very difficult for those startups to realize annual sales of 100,000 in 2021.




GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  In a markedly more humble tone for a U.S. leader, President Joe Biden acknowledged at a U.N. summit Monday that the United States and other energy-gulping developed nations bear much of the responsibility for climate change, and said actions taken this decade to contain global warming will be decisive in preventing future generations from suffering.

"None of us can escape the worst that is yet to come if we fail to seize this moment, Biden declared.

The president treated the already visible crisis for the planet  flooding, volatile weather, droughts and wildfires  as a unique opportunity to reinvent the global economy. Standing before world leaders gathered in Scotland, he sought to portray the enormous costs of limiting emissions from coal, oil and natural gas as a chance to create jobs by transitioning to renewable energy and electric automobiles.

Yet he also apologized for former President Donald Trump's decision to leave the Paris Agreement and the role the U.S. and other wealthy countries played in contributing to climate change.

Those of us who are responsible for much of the deforestation and all of the problems we have so far, Biden said, have "overwhelming obligations to the poorer nations that account for few of the emissions yet are paying a price as the planet has grown hotter.

As for Trump's action, Biden said: I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit.

His words, in seemingly impromptu comments, appeared a break from past comments of many U.S. leaders, who either made little mention of U.S. responsibility for the warming earth or  as Biden himself did on the eve of the climate summit  blamed China as the world's current biggest emitter of climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes.

Over history, scientists say, its the United States that has pumped out the most climate-damaging pollution of any nation, as coal, diesel and gasoline powered the United States and other developed nations to wealth.

Biden, who briefly closed his eyes at one point during the speeches, used the summit to announce he planned to work with the U.S. Congress to provide $3 billion annually to help poorer countries and communities cope with climate damage, as developing nations increasingly are demanding of established, wealthier economies.

At Glasgow, the magnitude of the moment is crashing head-first into complicated global and domestic politics. The Biden administration is exhorting other nations to make big, fast emissions cuts to stave off the worst scenarios of global warming. But the president is simultaneously fighting to nail down his own climate investments with Congress that would keep the U.S. on track with Biden's own pledges.

Well demonstrate to the world the United States is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example, Biden said. I know it hasnt been the case, and thats why my administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words.

The summit is often billed as essential to putting into action the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, which Biden rejoined after becoming president this year. The Trump administration largely withdrew from hands-on diplomacy. Part of Biden's efforts at the climate summit and the gathering of the Group of 20 nations in Rome last weekend was to reestablish the U.S. as a partner.

But Biden and his administration face obstacles in prodding the U.S. and other nations to act fast enough on climate, abroad as at home. In the runup to the climate summit, the administration has tried hard to temper expectations that two weeks of talks involving more than 100 world leaders will produce major breakthroughs.

Rather than a quick fix, Glasgow is the beginning of this decade race, if you will, Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, told reporters Sunday.

As the summit opened, the U.S. was still struggling to get some of the world's biggest climate polluters  China, Russia and India  to make stronger pledges to burn far less coal, gas and oil and to move to cleaner energy. China under President Xi Jinping has made firmer commitments to cut back on coal power and make other cuts, but not at the pace that the United States and its allies are asking.

Scientists say massive, fast cuts in fossil fuel pollution over the next several years are essential to having any hope of keeping global warming at or below the limits set in the Paris climate accord.

Trump before his presidency famously accused China of manufacturing climate change, and Trump's administration invariably pointed to China as the top climate offender in justifying its rollbacks of U.S. climate measures.

Biden, too, said he was disappointed that the Group of 20 summit in Rome before the Glasgow gathering failed to nail down stronger promises on climate.

Russia and China basically didn't show up at the Rome meeting with new climate commitments, Biden told reporters Sunday night. Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor China's Xi attended the G-20 and climate summits. Xi sent a senior official, his climate envoy, to the Glasgow summit.

The Biden administration on Monday also released its strategy for transforming the U.S. into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050.

The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris agreement, would increasingly run the world's largest economy on wind, solar and other clean energy. More Americans would zip around in electric vehicles and on mass transit. And state-of-the-art technology and wide open spaces carefully preserved could soak up carbon dioxide from the air.

As with much of Biden's climate promises, fulfillment of the long-term strategy depends in part on lawmakers and American voters, both blocs that are now sharply divided.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with the president that climate change should not viewed as a rivalry between the U.S. and China, as China, the worlds second largest economy, could act on its own.

Nothing about the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and China, structurally or otherwise, impedes or stands in the way of them doing their part," Sullivan said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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I am a parent of a student at Sinagua Middle School. My son recently brought home the annual PTO fundraiser and it is not OK. The community of Flagstaff should be aware of the marginalization and discrimination on disadvantaged students at this school.

Students are expected to raise $7,000 in an economic climate where gas pushes $4/gallon, eggs are more than $3/package and rents continue to escalate. Parents are struggling to provide the bare necessities. Students can be tardy for $25 and blow off homework for $40. Is this instilling integrity? In years past you could buy your way out of detention, which is like buying your way out of jail. This is not how citizens behave, and Sinagua is doing a grave injustice to its students.

It is unethical and cruel to conduct a fundraiser where there is not equal opportunity. Sinagua Middle School is and will continue to build a wall of separation between the "haves" and "have nots where from a demographic standpoint white students benefit, and students of color suffer. I find it hypocritical of Superintendent Penca and the FUSD School Board to promote diversity within schools but flagrantly ignore this. I have brought this up before, and yet this practice continues.

Why isnt Principal Popham bringing up these concerns? Why isnt Mr. Pencas wife, who teaches at Sinagua, voicing concerns? The community of Flagstaff should be outraged, as most parents at Sinagua are. We cannot allow this practice to continue as a community.

NADINE HART

Flagstaff

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The idea of developing Hue into the capital of ao dai, according to Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, is by nature the renaissance of the traditional heritage in order to integrate this heritage into modern life, gradually build up the images and brand name of ao dai Hue; and enables ao dai to become a unique product of cultural tourism. It also makes Hue city become the capital of ao dai Viet Nam.

Making ao dai a vision of beauty of the ancient capital

Restoring traditional heritage

There are several objectives to develop Hue into a capital of ao dai in Vietnam stated in the proposal of the project Hue  the Capital of Ao dai. These objectives include the promotion of the value and the brand name of ao dai Hue; the development of the brand name Hue  the Capital of Ao dai Viet Nam; and the training of artisans, designers and tailors of ao dai.

In addition, there are other objectives: establishing well-known trademarks for ao dai Hue; making ao dai Hue a unique tourist product; and investing the facilities, and opening showrooms and tailoring centers for ao dai to meet the public and tourist demands.

Together with the Ao dai Festival, being held every two years as a series of cultural public events with the participation of people from all walks of life, and becoming one of the highlight cultural events in the festivals in Hue, especially in Hue Festivals, the provincial authorities have also encouraged to use ao dai as the official attire in cultural and ritual activities and traditional festivals in order to create a distinctive feature of the ancient capital.

To achieve these objectives, the Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee pointed out duties to fulfill, which comprise searching and synthesizing the information to build up a database of ao dai, designing programs, video clips and other media forms to promote ao dai Hue and establishing and managing the brand name Hue  the capital of ao dai.

Meanwhile, procedure and policies must be made and human resources invested for the sake of promotion and advertisement. The Ao dai Hue tailoring industry should be given favorable conditions for development. A center for exhibiting, designing and tailoring ao dai, training human resources and organizing fashion shows of ao dai should also be set up; and, tours and tourist products associated with ao dai Hue should come into being.

The trend of wearing ao dai in Hue in recent time

The project also sets out the task of building up a dossier of the national intangible heritage, laying the ground for building the dossier submitted to UNESCO for the recognition of ao dai Hue as the intangible cultural heritage of mankind.

Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Provincial Department of Culture and Sports, said that after researching carefully on its history, life and cultural values, the Department has prepared the intangible heritage dossier of the five-panel ao dai (a kind of ao dai for men) basing on two principles: traditional techniques and custom usage. It is expected that the document will soon be nominated as an entry in the list of national intangible heritage.

Building up a brand name for ao dai Hue

The concept The capital of Ao dai which was first brought forward in the scientific conference Hue  the capital of Ao dai in July 2020 has been approved by many researchers based on historical and traditional data as well as on the efforts for conversation and promotion of ao dai Hue.

According to Nguyen Xuan Hoa, a researcher, it is necessary to affirm that Ao dai Hue is a unique cultural value in the heritage treasure of Hue in order to attain a determination to build up the brand name for ao dai Hue as a unique intellectual product of the ancient capital. Therefore, in addition to extending the encouragement that high school girls and women wear ao dai in social activities frequently, Thua Thien Hue needs to launch campaigns to promote and honor the beauty of ao dai Hue.

It is also necessary to diversify the promotion of Ao dai to form the image of Hue as the home to Vietnamese ao dai  the capital of ao dai Viet Nam, province wide, nationwide and worldwide.

Nguyen Xuan Hoa said that there were many tasks to fulfill to make Hue a real capital of ao dai. First, it is essential to make the public aware of the ao dai as the costume for both men and women. Besides, the building up of the brand name of ao dai Hue must be closely connected with the unique traditional cultural values of Hue.

Taking advantage of Hue as the city for ao dai business, the local authorities must have policies to appeal the investors to develop the production and business specializing in ao dai Hue. It is advisable to expand the production of ready-made ao dai not only for men but also for women, for both ancient ao dai and Nhat Binh ao dai. In this way, there will be various styles of ao dai Hue, creating an impression of a land of ao dai when tourists come to Hue.

Although ao dai can be found nationwide, the ao dai designed by artisans in Hue bears its distinctiveness. For a sustainability of the distinctiveness of ao dai, Hue tailors and designers should be encouraged to make ao dai manually, with elaborate seams.

The designer Viet Bao said: The ao dai Hue has not been classy because all it has is the skillful cuts and elaborate seams. It needs to display the beauty of the ancient capital in the product. To develop the brand name of ao dai Hue in the contemporary time, beside the enhancement of skills and techniques, having a connection with the fabric manufacturers is necessary to put the patterns and designs based on royal arts, Hue fine arts inspired by ancient capital culture onto ao dai.

Story: Minh Hien  Photos: The Department of Culture and Sport
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The novel coronavirus has already killed more than 4.94 million people and infected more than 244 million people worldwide. So countries need to set aside their geopolitical interests and work together to contain the pandemic. But there is lack of concerted efforts by countries to strengthen the global fight against the pandemic.

Amid such uncertainties, the White House has announced a vaccination policy for international travelers that will go into effect on Nov 8. Fully vaccinated foreigners visiting the US will be exempted from quarantine, provided they produce proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an aircraft to the US and a negative test for COVID-19 conducted three days before the flight. As for unvaccinated travelerswhether US citizens, lawful permanent residents, or the small number of excepted foreign nationalsthey will be required to test within one day of departure.

The fact that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that all the vaccines approved by the World Health Organization or authorized by the US Food and Drug Authority for emergency use will be accepted for travel means those who have taken both doses of the Sinopharm or Sinovac jabs in China can visit the US. That the US' vaccination policy is not discriminatory toward China is heartening to know, especially because Washington has been targeting Beijing with unilateral and selfish policies for the past few years.

Yet Washington's "vaccine passport" arrangement could undermine the global prevention and control efforts, even reverse the gains some countries have made in containing the virus, because people visiting the US could be infected since the virus is still raging in the country and become asymptomatic virus carriers to their own country or any other country they choose to visit.

In particular, the US' measures have failed to control the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus from spreading at the community level. The southern US states have been hit the hardest by the Delta variant, which is responsible for the majority of the new 4.6 million cases since late June. As such, the risky move to exempt foreign travelers who have a "vaccine passport" from quarantine could worsen the epidemic situation in the US. And if the policy leads to a drastic increase in the number of US citizens traveling abroad, it would further complicate the global pandemic situation.

Unlike the US, however, China will continue its "zero tolerance" approach to new cases rather than hastily ease its immigration restrictions. China's prudent border policies are based on successful practices and are nondiscriminatory, and it has worked out its pandemic border control policy very carefully.

China has largely contained the pandemic, thanks to its strict prevention and control measures. After bringing the first wave of the pandemic under control in early 2020, the Chinese government adopted and adjusted strict anti-pandemic measures to prevent the resurgence of infections.

True, small cluster infections have been reported from some parts of China over the past months, but the local governments, with the help of central government health officials and cooperation of the local people, have quickly brought the situation under control.

Such government-community commitment and synergy are hard to find in Western countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom where some people even object to wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the virus.

China has shown its determination and capability to quickly respond to any new outbreaks and bring them under control, and as part of its response to the pandemic, China had fully vaccinated 71 percent of the population by late September, compared with 56 percent in Japan, 55 percent in the US, and 32 percent globally.

And since China doesn't want to lose these gains, requirements such as a higher vaccination rate, formulation of prudent protection measures including booster doses, and more progress in COVID-19 treatment must be met before it will consider relaxing immigration restrictions.

The US' hasty opening of its borders would lead to an increase in air passenger numbers, and could go against the International Civil Aviation Organization's recommendation that the current pandemic situation warrants travel restrictions and minimal movement of passengers between major domestic and international airports.

At this critical stage in our fight against COVID-19, any "vaccine passport" policy could pose global risks that might result in undesirable consequences.




COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in Montana in 2020 following heart disease and cancer and just ahead of chronic lower respiratory disease. So far, data collected during 2021 signifies that COVID-19 will remain the third leading cause of death this year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS).

In the first nine months of 2021, at least 842 Montanans died from COVID-19 related illness. In the last seven days, 107 deaths were added, bringing the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic to 2,366.

Over the weekend, four more Yellowstone County residents died from COVID-19. Two were vaccinated and two were unvaccinated. All had underlying conditions.

Despite a decline of COVID hospitalizations, COVID positive inpatients remain high with 395 active hospitalizations across the state. On Sunday, Oct. 31, 82% of intensive care beds were in use with 115 beds being utilized by COVID patients. Over the last week, Montana has averaged 116.7 COVID patients hospitalized in ICUs every day.
The COVID death of Laurel Mayor Tom Nelson is a huge shock and a great blow to the city. We offer our condolences to Nelson's family.

Nelson had a long history of public service. He served for seven years as Laurel's Ward 4 councilman before running for mayor in 2018 (and losing but becoming mayor anyway when the victor, city employee Dave Waggoner, didn't show up to be sworn in.) As a councilman, Nelson showed great leadership in negotiating with the state over funding for the city's vital water intake project.

Since becoming mayor, he has done a solid job of representing the city's interests. He was proud of separating fire and ambulance services, improving ambulance response.

He won reelection in 2019, facing only write-in opposition. Nelson ran emphasizing experience and solid accomplishment. As Laurel continued to grow, that experience and knowhow in working with other levels of government played to the city's advantage. He was fiscally prudent, pragmatic and knowledgeable.

It is one more tragedy in a cavalcade of tragedies brought on by this virus. As with every one, we can only hope that the shock of losing this dedicated public servant will motivate individuals, organizations and governments to take the necessary steps to protect all of us.

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Bismarck is taking part in a nationwide campaign aimed at encouraging people to come together and Honor Your Hometown.

The nonprofit effort that runs through Thanksgiving is spearheaded by well-known documentary producer Ken Burns and Country Music Hall of Fame member Marty Stuart. It's designed to encourage Americans to celebrate their hometowns and reflect on their shared experiences and common values.

The goal of the nonpartisan effort is "to help heal some of the division in our country by focusing on what unites and inspires us the most -- our ties to our community and our hometowns, organizers said in a statement.

The effort is being supported by a number of entertainers including Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton; cultural, community service and veterans institutions; and mayors and other leaders from all 50 states. Bismarck Mayor Steve Bakken is featured in a video to go with the campaign Our Hometown: Bismarck, North Dakota.

"Bismarck is a vibrant, growing community that brings people together," Bakken said. "Bismarck is a place our residents are proud to call home.

To view the video, go to www.bismarcknd.gov or www.facebook.com/bismarckndgov.

People who want to participate in the effort can post a short video on social media focusing on what they love most about their town, using the hashtag #HonorYourHometown. For more information, go to www.honoryourhometown.com.

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North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers on Sunday shot and killed a cow that was headed for the Grant Marsh Bridge.

The Mandan Police Department requested assistance about 5 p.m. when the cow escaped from Kist Livestock, the patrol said. Troopers made an unsuccessful attempt to tranquilize the cow and had to put it down before it created safety issues on the bridge.
Federal airplane crash investigators have found no mechanical problems with the plane in a crash that killed a student at the University of North Dakotas aerospace school last month.

John Hauser, a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in commercial aviation, turned around the Piper PA-28-181 he was piloting late on Oct. 18 shortly before it crashed, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The report found that the plane then made a rapid descent before hitting the ground.

Hauser, who was from Chicago, was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was flying by himself on a night flight from Grand Forks to Fargo's Hector International Airport. Air Traffic Control lost contact with the aircraft less than 30 minutes after it took off around 7 p.m. Local law enforcement found the wrecked plane in a field near Buxton roughly one hour after communication from the plane ceased.

The aviation school halted flights for three days after the crash so it could review safety protocols, as well as to provide counseling to fellow students and remember Hauser.

UNDs aviation school is one of the largest such programs in the country, with more than 1,800 students and 500 faculty members.

The fatal crash was the first involving a UND airplane since 2007, when a student and flight instructor were killed in central Minnesota after their aircraft collided with geese, the NTSB said. In 2000, an aviation student died when he crashed a UND-owned twin-engine plane in Rapid City, South Dakota, and authorities suspected he had taken his own life. In 1995, two UND students died in the crash of a rented plane in Wisconsin during a flight that was not school-sanctioned.

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North Dakota's coronavirus pandemic death toll rose by six over the weekend, increasing October's already-high total.

The newly reported deaths on the Health Department's coronavirus dashboard brought the total since March 2020 to 1,762. They raised the total for October to 136, which is the fourth-deadliest for the state during the pandemic. That total could increase more, as death records can be filed up to 10 days from the date of death under state law.

The department no longer publicly reports the county, sex and age range of newly confirmed deaths. The dashboard death total for Burleigh County increased by one over the weekend, to 241; Morton County's was unchanged, at 115.

No new deaths were reported Monday in North Dakota, as the global death toll from COVID-19 as tallied by Johns Hopkins University topped 5 million. Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil -- all upper-middle- or high-income countries -- account for one-eighth of the worlds population but nearly half of all reported deaths, The Associated Press reported. The U.S. alone has recorded over 745,000 lives lost, more than any other nation.

Modeling by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows virus-related deaths nationally should decline sharply after about another week. They could plateau in North Dakota for another couple of weeks before dropping.

More daily data

Deaths and other COVID-19 data have spiked the past few months due to the onset of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus last summer. Cases have been on a downward trajectory in North Dakota the past few weeks, however.

The Health Department on Monday reported a relatively low 157 new virus cases after a typical Sunday of light testing. Active COVID-19 cases were at 3,124 statewide and 605 in Burleigh-Morton, compared with 4,334 reported statewide and 1,230 in the two counties on Oct. 1.

But the state's 14-day rolling average test positivity rate, at 7.19%, remains well above the state target of less than 5%. It has not been below the target since mid-August.

COVID-19 hospitalizations also remain relatively high, at 170, though Monday's figure was down nearly 20% from the recent reported high of 211 on Oct. 11.

About 8% of staffed inpatient beds statewide were available Monday, and about 6% of intensive care unit beds were available. The most recent state data showed 176 available staffed inpatient beds and 14 available ICU beds statewide. In Bismarck, neither Sanford Health nor CHI St. Alexius Health had any available beds in either category.

The Health Department during the pandemic has confirmed 148,551 COVID-19 cases, with 143,655 recoveries and 5,943 hospitalizations.

More information

The state's vaccine dashboard shows 55.4% of eligible North Dakota adults and 33.5% of adolescents in the 12-18 age group are considered fully vaccinated. North Dakota has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S., according to the CDC. The percentage for adults increased by 1.9% during October; the rate for adolescents rose by 2.6%.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday endorsed Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11, and the CDC is expected to issue its formal recommendation this week. There are about 82,000 North Dakotans in that age range. The Health Department has ordered 18,000 initial pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 doses from the federal government, and providers could begin distributing them late this week or early next week.

People can go to https://www.ndvax.org or call 866-207-2880 to see where COVID-19 vaccine is available near them.

The coronavirus transmission risk is considered substantial or high in all of North Dakota's 53 counties, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data tracker website. The CDC recommends people in those risk categories wear masks in public indoor settings. The transmission risk in the Bismarck-Mandan region is considered high.

A list of free COVID-19 testing offered by local public health units is at health.nd.gov/covidtesting. For more detailed information on coronavirus in North Dakota, go to www.health.nd.gov/coronavirus. For more information on coronavirus variants, go to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html.

Reach Blake Nicholson at 701-250-8266 or blake.nicholson@bismarcktribune.com.

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Departures at the State Crime Lab in Bismarck have limited what evidence the lab can process for law enforcement agencies, potentially delaying cases.

Eight of 23 lab employees have left in the last two years, including five in 2021, because they've been offered far higher salaries elsewhere, according to Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.

"The salary disparity is something that makes it much more difficult to attract and retain our forensic scientists," he told the Tribune.

One worker left for a position in Georgia where the salary was $30,000 more. Two toxicology scientist finalists both declined job offers due to the pay.

"It's become a situation where it's just not sustainable," the attorney general told the Senate Appropriations Committee in early October.

The State Crime Lab forensic scientist annual salaries range from $48,000 to $85,704.

"Part of the problem is that these are national searches," Stenehjem said. "You have to find people from all over the country, and we're competing with an increasing demand in an area that has a lot of demand for more workforce."

The lab has an ever-increasing workload "for good reasons," he said.

"They're a critical part of our prosecution system, and it helps us to solve crimes or even to exonerate the innocent," he said, also noting "the science is just getting better and better, but it's just not as easy as it looks on TV."

Crimes such as murder, rape, assault, and drug and weapon violations generally increased from 2015-20 in North Dakota, which saw a record 32 homicides last year.

Stenehjem has asked the Legislature this fall to use $537,000 of leftover Consumer Protection Refund Fund money to increase lab salaries. A similar move by the Legislature helped recruit and retain state crime bureau agents, Stenehjem said. It's up to future legislatures how to fund the salaries going forward.

The attorney general also is working with two area universities that have science programs similar to the lab's qualifications. He recently visited with the University of North Dakota about working together.

"That helps us in getting a pool of people from the region who are more likely to want to continue to live here, and it helps the university because this is a growing field of work," Stenehjem said.

The lab eliminated its firearms and latent fingerprint divisions due to the staffing situation. South Dakota was doing firearms analyses for the lab, but now North Dakota's neighbor is overwhelmed and unable to help anymore, Stenehjem said.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives won't take a case that isn't its own, he said. North Dakota's Crime Lab doesn't get many firearms, but it's "scrambling to find somebody" to do firearms testing, he said.

The lab needs two analysts each for fingerprint and firearms analysis: someone to do the initial work, and then a reviewer of every case, to meet national accreditation standards.

"When somebody leaves, it leaves that whole discipline in the lurch," Stenehjem said.

The situation has affected the overall work done at the lab, including drug and DNA analyses and toxicology reports, he said.

The attorney general acknowledged the situation can delay prosecution, and he met with law enforcement leaders in mid-October to discuss the lab situation.

For fingerprint analyses, Bismarck police would have to send the evidence to private labs, which Deputy Chief Jason Stugelmeyer said costs $500 per analysis, as opposed to no cost at the state lab.

They have not done so yet; Stugelmeyer wasn't sure how many fingerprint items Bismarck police are sitting on.

"We're still discussing who's responsible for those costs: Is it the crime lab or is it the local agency?" he said. Firearms examinations also would have to be contracted, he said.

A further hindrance is bringing in those contracted analysts to testify at trial, "so it's now no longer anyone local here in the area, so usually the state's attorney, counties have to bear that cost to bring these experts back to testify on the case for what work they did," Stugelmeyer said.

The police also have more difficulty getting items to the lab. Stugelmeyer said the lab will accept evidence only for a half-hour duration.

"We're lucky because a lot of agencies have to mail stuff. We don't have to have that cost associated with that," he said. "We hand-deliver it, and the problem is, we'll have a bunch of evidence and then we only get a half-hour, and whatever they can't log in in a half-hour we have to take back with us and try to do it a different time. It just continues to backlog everything."

The issue is minor but continues to compound "to the point where eventually when you do that for long enough, it's just going to take longer," he said.

Evidence includes sexual assault examination kits, DNA swabs, clothing, tool marks, fibers and footprint impressions.

Officers collect evidence from a suspect or a crime scene, log the items into a secure database to track it, then determine with prosecutors what evidence will go to the lab, Stugelmeyer said.

"If somebody has 10 pot pipes on them, let's say, we don't send all 10 pot pipes to get tested, so we've got to determine, 'OK, one for prosecution would be sufficient,'" the deputy police chief said.

Closer to trial, attorneys might want some evidence further or additionally tested, he said. Evidence is held at the police station, and tested items are packaged, sealed and returned to police, who secure and later deliver them to court for trial.

Overall, the lab situation "slows things down when you have limited resources and staffing," Stugelmeyer said.

Communication both ways is key, and if police are to bear certain costs, "we don't have budgets for that," he said.

Burleigh County Sheriff Kelly Leben said "the biggest thing for us" has been a delay in processing some evidence due to the firearms and fingerprints situation.

"Fortunately, we've been able to keep working with them on certain issues, but definitely, we've seen a backlog of some of the evidence not being processed in a timely manner," Leben said.

He's emphasized communication between the lab and his office to get evidence timely analyzed. He also acknowledged the lab is addressing priority cases.

He's not aware of any specific instances of delayed prosecution, but the pace of some investigations has been slowed while investigators awaited lab results to guide their work, he said.

Firearm and fingerprint analyses are "low-frequency issues, but definitely a high priority when they do surface," the sheriff said.

Cass County Assistant State's Attorney Joshua Traiser pointed out the lab has a process for expedited testing for serious cases, such as murder or aggravated assault, and drug cases set for trial.

"My experience with the lab is that they're doing all they can to make it work, and thus far, they've done a very good job making sure we have results ready for trial when we use that process," said Traiser, whose caseload includes crimes of violence.

Proving cases without lab analysts is "sometimes not feasible," he said.

"That's something that we care about because those are highly trained and experienced individuals ... so integral to our job," Traiser said.

Generally, evidence can range from drugs and drug paraphernalia, to items such as weapons, sheets and clothing containing blood or other bodily fluids.

"I can tell you that we're all aware of the burden that this testing imposes on the lab, so we're not going to send things that we don't believe could have evidentiary value, so it's very case-specific," Traiser said.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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State lawmakers on Monday laid the groundwork for their special session beginning next week, while eyeing a raft of potential flashpoint issues proposed outside of the session's main scope.

Many of those bills would ban or restrict vaccination requirements and so-called critical race theory and address election integrity. They await an introduction decision process. Key lawmakers expect at least some of them to advance.

Gov. Doug Burgum on Friday called a special session to begin Nov. 8 for the Republican-controlled Legislature to reapportion its districts and to divvy up North Dakota's $1 billion of federal American Rescue Plan Act aid. The Legislative Management panel on Monday advanced bills for both topics, which will each go through a committee hearing process.

The special session gives the Legislature all the time it needs for its business, not subject to the state constitution's 80-day limit. Otherwise, the Legislature would have just four days remaining from its 76-day regular session, which adjourned in April.

House and Senate budget writers worked throughout October to cull more than $9 billion in requests for the Rescue Plan money, emphasizing one-time projects such as infrastructure. Omitted proposals could resurface in the 2023 Legislature.

The Rescue Plan money must be allocated by the end of 2024 and be spent by the end of 2026.

The Legislature's Redistricting Committee held a rapid-fire series of meetings in September to redraw legislative districts using 2020 census data. The draft map maintains 47 districts, and includes House subdistricts for the Fort Berthold and Turtle Mountain Indian reservations.

Lawmakers also submitted 26 other bills for the special session that deal with wide-ranging topics, notably divisive issues such as critical race theory and restrictions on vaccination requirements.

Those bills -- 21 in the House and five in the Senate -- must go through delayed bills committees to be introduced. Approved bills would then go to the Joint Technical Corrections Committee, similar to a House-Senate conference committee.

Chief sponsors "will give their reasons for the bill and why it's the best thing since apple pie and hot dogs," said House Majority Leader Chet Pollert, R-Carrington, who chairs the House Delayed Bills Committee. There will be no other supporting testimony or any opposing testimony for the introduction of bills.

"It would be my plan that these things are going to be moving pretty efficiently," Pollert said. "What makes it, makes it, goes on to Joint Technical Corrections Committee, and what doesn't is done, unless there's debate on the floor, which they have that right."

A bill by Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot, would require pharmacists to dispense the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin if presented with a prescription for treating COVID-19, even if it's against their professional judgment. The federal Food and Drug Administration has not authorized or approved ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

Several bills ban or restrict vaccination requirements; one is 24 pages long.

One bill by Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, bans the teaching of critical race theory, which centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nations institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society, according to The Associated Press.

A bill by Senate Education Committee Chairman Donald Schaible, R-Mott, also would restrict teaching of race, gender, sexuality and equality.

Some bills relate to the major issues at hand, such as district party reorganization and the staggering of legislative terms after redistricting.

Sen. Jerry Klein, R-Fessenden, who chairs the Senate Delayed Bills Committee, said he expects vaccination and critical race theory bills to come out of the special session, citing a "political environment currently that is screaming for action as it relates to those two issues."

He wants to ensure every bill is thoroughly vetted, and to see what could wait until the 2023 Legislature.

After some unsuccessful iterations, the 2021 Legislature passed a law banning so-called "vaccine passports," which verify a person's immunizations. The law prohibits government entities and businesses from requiring documents for certain vaccinations.

Pollert expressed openness about "taking a look at" restricting vaccination requirements and the teaching of critical race theory.

"I will not support eight different vaccine mandate bills, whatever you want to call it. I will not support that many," he said.

The governor declined to comment on the batch of proposed bills "because we haven't seen the bills."

"We'll just have to evaluate them when they, if they, reach our desk," Burgum said Friday.

Sen. Erin Oban, D-Bismarck, opposes advancing legislation outside the scope of redistricting and the Rescue Plan money "because that's what the special session is intended to be dealing with."

"If somebody doesn't put the hammer down, this is going to be a longer session than it needs to be," she said.

She sees the regular session as most appropriate for policy changes, and agreed with Pollert's stated preference that the special session wrap up late Friday, Nov. 12.

Legislative Management on Monday also advanced other bills from interim committees, including ones to:

Temporarily amend spending approval limits of the Emergency Commission on special funds

Transfer Judicial Wing space to the Legislature for meeting rooms

Exclude the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from the state's behavioral health bed management system

Phase in cybersecurity K-12 education requirements

The Legislature has met in special sessions 15 times in state history, most recently in 2016 to address a $1 billion state revenue shortfall.

Legislative Management also approved an agenda for the first day of the special session, set to begin at 8 a.m., including a joint session and committee meetings expected to last into the night. The governor also will give an address. Agendas will be set on a daily basis.

"We've been working like busy beavers to get ready for this session," said Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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Since the National Security Law was imposed Beijing in 2020, basic human and civil rights in Hong Kong have been increasingly crushed, with no end in sight and emigration the only short-term solution. []

Hong Kong has become the face of Chinas dictatorship, the most dramatic evidence of Xi Jinpings determination to extinguish even the hint of dissent among his people. Today residents of the Special Administrative Region are ruled as completely and cruelly by the Chinese Communist Party as are those living in Beijing or Shanghai.

Yet paranoia afflicts regime apparatchiks, who recently targeted chocolate as a threat to public order. In a story befitting The Onion, The New York Times reported: The citys top security official, Chris Tang, said last week that some people in Hong Kong prisons were accumulating chocolates and hair clipsitems allowed in limited numbersto build power and solicit followers, with the possible goal of undermining the government. Many people may find it strangethey just have a few more hair clips, one more piece of chocolate, whats the problem? he told reporters. Then he continued, They make other people in jail feel their influence, and from there feel even more hate for the Hong Kong and central governments, and from there endanger national security.

Subsequently, the authorities launched a raid on a warehouse where an activist group was storing materials, including M&Ms, for distribution to prisoners. Three people were charged with inciting subversion. Reported Nikkei Asia: Steve Li, senior superintendent of the police national security bureau, told reporters the trio aimed at fomenting war or revolution against the governments of Hong Kong and China. It turns out that Hong Kongs petty despots are loons as well as thugs.

Hong Kongs birth reflected the tumultuous collapse of Imperial China. The territory was seized by the United Kingdom in the so-called Opium Wars, with most of the land denominated a lease. Its expiration led to negotiations that culminated in the 1997 return of Hong Kong to what was then the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Beijing promised to preserve Hong Kongs autonomy for 50 years, but there was no enforcement mechanism.

For nearly two decades, China appeared to keep its bargain, delegating supervision to local authorities chosen through an electoral process that nevertheless guaranteed Beijings control. However, a decade ago a new general secretary took over the Chinese Communist Party. He eventually focused his determination to strengthen party and personal control on Hong Kong. Democracy advocates demanded what the CCP could never give, democracy, and created what the CCP could never accept, chaos. The PRC won the inevitable confrontation.

Instead of a reprise of the bloody crackdown in Tiananmen Square (and beyond), Xi and his minions adopted a form of ruthless minimalism, the National Security Law (NSL). Beijings factotum, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, even promised that the law will not affect Hong Kongs renowned judicial independence. It will not affect legitimate rights and freedoms of individuals that are protected under the Basic Law and the relevant provisions of international covenants as applied to Hong Kong.

Experience soon demonstrated otherwise. The genius of the measure was its ambiguity. Stanley Ng, a CCP minion serving in Chinas rubberstamp National Peoples Congress, admitted that Beijing left the measure indeterminate to enhance the real effects of intimidation and deterrence. The NSL prohibited collusion, separatism, subversion, and terrorism, all broadly defined. Thus, criticizing the government can be held to endanger national security in multiple ways.

And conviction is guaranteed. The Beijing authorities set the laws interpretation, sent security personnel to Hong Kong to enforce the law, and provided special judges to hear national security cases. The measure even applies to activities overseas and to foreigners. Having criticized the PRC in Washington, President Joe Biden could be arrested if he visits China or Hong Kong.

The NSL came into effect on June 30, 2020, and began transforming virtually every aspect of Hong Kong society. Receiving particularly malign attention by the authorities were educational institutions, from elementary school to university; the media, from government-funded operations to private newspapers; protests, mostly banned in the name of combating COVID-19; free expression, including speech, print, online communications, banners, and art; and political opposition, with critics of the Hong Kong and Beijing authorities barred from office. The city even set up a hotline for snitches to report their neighbors.

As of June 2021, roughly 130 people had been arrested under the law. The first conviction occurred in July. The defendant waved a Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times banner and ran into police on his motorcycle; on the first count he received a sentence of six and a half years. The court ruled that liberate meant secession, which violated the law. Warned Professor Surya Deva of City University of Hong Kong: Anything could be argued by the government as being capable of having that meaning of inciting secession. And this case is just the start. The New York Times observed that it is in some ways, a preview of how the courts may consider a slew of national security cases centering on peaceful protest and free expression that are set to follow.

The second conviction was reached in October, with sentencing to come. It was a pure free speech case in which the crime was shouting pro-independence slogans. Stated the judge: The defendant has constantly and unreservedly incited things that are forbidden under the national security law. The regime is attempting to stamp out certain forms of speech, argued Kellogg, by bringing serious charges against people who say things that the government doesnt like.

The authorities continue to extend the laws reach. At the end of October, the Legislative Council, from which all democratic activists have been excluded, voted to censor films. Reported Reuters: The Hong Kong government said the film censorship law was aimed at content deemed to endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite activities that might endanger national security, which means anything failing to exhibit sufficient obeisance to Beijing.

In September, members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which organized an annual Tiananmen Square vigil, were charged under the NSL. The group subsequently disbanded. Its Tiananmen Massacre Museum was raidedwith exhibits confiscated and website access limited. Hong Kong University removed the Pillar of Shame sculpture, on permanent loan from the Alliance.

Amnesty International announced it was closing its local and regional offices by the end of the year; Human Rights Watch had already left. The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions voted to disband. The Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union also said it planned to dissolve. Reported The New York Times: Activist groups have also been decimated. The Civil Human Rights Front, which had organized large marches, closed in August after Beijings office in Hong Kong accused it of opposing China and the police opened an investigation into its funding.

Brian Wong of the independent research group Liber Research Community said it was not interested in politics, but from what we can see on the mainland, eventually all of civil society can be seen as a threat. The Hong Kong Journalists Association continues to resist. However, association chairman Ronson Chan told the Times: Honestly, its a gamble. How cruelly will the Beijing government treat us? We know the history of journalists in the Peoples Republic of China.

According to the Hong Kong Free Press, the public broadcaster RTHK has gone all in with the new communist order after hiring a new Director of Broadcasting with no previous media experience at the helm in March. Since then, RTHK has also scrubbed its online archives, purged and restricted its Twitter account, launched a chat show hosted by Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and issued directives to staff to use Beijing-approved wording.

A patriots only government was created by ousting any legislator even at the district level not under Beijings control, after elections two years ago delivered an overwhelming anti-PRC majority. By August, reported The New York Times: More than half of the council members from the pro-democracy camp, over 250 of them, have quit in recent weeks to avoid being ensnared in Beijings campaign. Those who remain are worried about being arrested. Having rendered the upcoming contests meaningless, the Hong Kong authorities then threatened the opposition parties for not fielding candidates.

In sum, the National Security Law fulfilled its purpose to intimidate, thereby making possible the sort of full-scale oppression characteristic of the mainland. Xi Jinping and the CCP have destroyed Hong Kong as an intellectually free society.

Alas, they are not yet finished. In October, Lam announced plans for a new megacourt to handle thousands of cases for such offenses as unlawful assembly and flag desecration dating back two years. According to the Guardian: She also outlined plans to continue tightening security in Hong Kong  bringing in a fake news law, increasing national security education in schools, introducing programmes to help young people develop positive thinking and lawabiding awareness, and expanding mandatory oath-taking for public servants.

What Lam has been unable to control, however, is the ongoing human exodus. In 2020, Hong Kongs population dropped by 1.2 percent, the largest reduction since the 1960s, when records were first kept. Many people are determined to raise children without indoctrination, or patriotic education, as the CCP calls it. Immigration consultant John Hu said the NSLs passage boosted demand for his services, particularly from families with kids: They prefer their children to have more freedom of speech and to have more balanced education. Hong Kong schools have lost students and consolidated classes as a result.

The light of freedom is going out in Hong Kong. However, history has not ended. Americans and others of goodwill can do little today to influence Beijing, but they can offer the people of Hong Kong refuge and promote the continued free flow of information. And, ultimately, hope for Chinas rebirth.


Shotwell received her bachelors and masters degrees in 1986 and 1988, respectively, from Northwesterns McCormick School of Engineering, and currently serves on the universitys board of trustees.

Northwestern also awarded Shotwell with an honorary degree.



Hey, Class of 2021, Im incredibly proud to be your commencement speaker.

Thank you, Morty [Schapiro] for inviting me, and thanks to the board and Lanny Martin, its chairman, for allowing me to speak, even though you guys know me for my six years of service on this board, and that this invitation is a tiny bit risky.

But it is an honor to follow in Mayor Lori Lightfoots steps. Last year she brought gravitas to this event, while she honored George Floyd and implored graduates to participate in our democracy.

This is a special year to do the Northwestern University commencement. This is my 35th anniversary of my Northwestern University undergraduate commencement, and most importantly, Stephen Colbert, who also graduated from NU  or almost did  in 1986, did this speech exactly 10 years ago, and he predicted that the speaker for 2021 would be, and I quote, a zoo parrot with a mortar board that has been trained to say congratulations. So here I am, Gwynne Shotwell, your zoo parrot, for the class of 21; congratulations to you.

Class of 21, you have achieved something important. All graduations deserve a celebration but you, this class of 2021, have an even greater achievement: You not only survived but succeeded throughout the insanity of 2020 and into this year. You were able to focus and invest in your future during a period of immense suffering.

But many of the issues that we face going forward will be different. I think highly dynamic social, political and economic situations are the new normal, and you are now better prepared to succeed in them. You have lived it and not just survived, but succeeded. Feel good about that and carry that new skill with you; I think you will use it.

Okay, before I share a few jewels of my life lessons learned, there are a few things you should know about me to help put my remarks in context. I am a mother, a wife, a mechanical engineer, and nerd. We arent all nerds, but Im proud to be one. Im a longtime SpaceX employee and leader, an active listener, a rancher, of course a wildcat, and an aspiring winemaker. I love my country, even though it is flawed and Im committed to helping resolve its social injustices. And I am desperate to be a grandmother, but my children arent cooperating in my vision, at least yet.

My road to Northwestern started in Libertyville, Illinois, which is a small town north of the university  thats where I grew up. I did very well in elementary and high school academics, and I also worked incredibly hard at having a full social life. I decided to be a mechanical engineer, after my mother took me to a Society of Women Engineers event when I was only 15 or 16. I applied only to Northwestern University School of Engineering. But it wasnt because it was the best engineering school  I applied because of Northwesterns richness in other fields. It was ranked among the top, or was the top at that time. This was important to me because as a teenage girl in the late 70s  yep, Im that old  I was terrified as being tagged as a nerd. Now Im super proud to be one.

I was accepted by Northwestern  Im not sure I would be today, so I think I timed that properly  and I completed two degrees from this fine institution, a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and a masters degree in applied math. Though I criticize my engineering education as too theoretical. I think the best engineers are those that can put the theoretical to practice, and I got almost no practice as an undergrad. Northwestern highlighted the criticality of broad-based thinking. Just being good in math and science will not drive success. Its whole-brain thinking brought to practice that does. Im thankful that Dean Ottino has brought a strong focus of this concept and applied it so well here to Northwestern engineering.

As I was building my own foundation in engineering, I also found time to build a family. I gave birth to and raised two extraordinary children who are better people than I, and could be president of the universe, rather than just being president of SpaceX. One is a double alum in mechanical engineering from Northwestern and one will be a double alum from Stanford, both in mechanical engineering and business. As a mother giving advice to potential future parents: Never tell your children what they should be when they grow up  they will in fact do the opposite. But you can be a good role model, or show them good role models, as my mother did for me  she was an artist.

For the last nearly 19 years I have worked for one of, if not the, finest physicist and engineer, Elon Musk. He gave me the opportunity to help him grow SpaceX from 10 people to nearly 10,000 people, and from zero revenue to billions annually. I have helped bring the commercial launch business back to this country, along with the tens of thousands of jobs that come with it. The one accomplishment that we have that I am most proud of is helping to get our country flying astronauts again on American-made rockets and spaceships. We are now positioned to fly astronauts from all over the world on our Dragon spaceship and later this year we will fly the first all-civilian mission, where regular everyday people will travel to space on a multi-day journey around Earth. And this is just the beginning.

I hope that I have helped create a path that allows humans to live on Earth, the moon or Mars, whichever their choice. I hope for a future where people can live even further out, amongst other star systems and galaxies. I often joke about wanting to meet other people and see otherworldly fashion. I know I wont see that in my lifetime, but I hope that my work serves as a foundation or a small beginning to achieve that.

Okay, so now that you know more about me, its time to share some advice. Ill name three and then Ill go back and talk about them. Set and try to achieve absolutely absurd goals, and dont be afraid of failing, if you cant achieve them. Work hard, really hard, and be helpful. Be kind, but at minimum, be respectful. Dont be afraid to admit that if you fail, you were wrong and take a different path  or better yet, dont even consider trying something and not getting the outcome that you want as failure. Consider it growth.

When I was considering joining SpaceX back in 2002 I was struggling with a decision and drawing it out for weeks. It seemed so risky for me personally to join this little start-up, in an industry where none had ever succeeded. At the time I was a part-time single mother, and this was just too far out of my comfort zone. I was driving on the freeway here in L.A. when it finally hit me: I was being a total idiot. Who cares if I tried this job and either I failed or the company failed? What I recognized at that moment was that it was the trying part that was the most important. Try that risky thing, be a part of something exciting. I dont want to imagine what my life and career would be like had I said no. Im sure I would have been fine but I would not have been a part of this amazing company, working alongside such extraordinary people. Not taking that job would have been the fail.

On a business level, SpaceX took massive reputational risks, mastering the technology and operations associated with landing a rocket. In fact we were continually criticized by our competitors and the media for these failures. I looked on these failures as a source of pride. Our very first attempt to land the rocket on a drone ship, we hit it. We didnt land on it, but we hit the drone ship  that tiny target was hundreds of miles away from the launch site in a vast ocean. After about a dozen attempts we finally succeeded in landing that rocket and landing rockets has become almost routine for us. Still tricky, but its almost routine. And that technology has been enormously helpful to our business and is critical to establishing a settlement on Mars. If you cant land the rocket, you cant get people to the surface.

Working hard and being helpful. I was hired as vice president of business development  that means head of sales. Well I did my job and we got customers, but then their missions needed to be managed and we needed an accounting and finance function because we actually were bringing in money, we needed to work closely with the launch ranges and get permission to be able to launch from them, so I took that on as well. And, as we demonstrated success, we needed a government affairs function to play defense for us in D.C., as our competitor started fighting us. I remember even vacuuming the carpets before a big customer event. In 2008, when we won our biggest contract to date  a nearly $2 billion effort from NASA to take science experiments and cargo to-and-from the International Space Station  Elon needed a partner, and he asked me to do it. I think it was in large part because I had kept growing my scope, being helpful in other areas to the company, all trying to do a great job.

Being kind, but at minimum, you must be respectful. Note that almost everyone that you interact with every day is battling some demon or trying to get through some issue. Please consider this as you battle your way to work on the subway, as youre hurrying through the lines at the grocery store, or as you get frustrated with someone in a meeting at work.

At SpaceX we have a no a------ policy. These kinds of people  a------  interrupt others, they shut down or co-opt conversation, and they create a hostile environment where no one wants to contribute. This is not a way to promote sharing good, innovative, and even outrageous ideas that are required to solve hard problems. In short, the best way to find solutions to hard problems is to listen harder, not talk louder. Embrace the ideas of your fellow workers, especially when they differ greatly from yours.

Stuff that Im not sharing lessons on but that I think are really important, especially to talk about in a commencement speech in 2021. Im worried about a lot of things, but Im not knowledgeable enough in these things to have any useful advice for you, at least not yet. However, I cannot in a commencement speech in 2021 fail to mention the things that I worry about knowing, that many are problems I want to help tackle in the future.

Im worried about our nations children. We are not giving all of our children an education that will shape them into resourceful and productive people that our country needs to remain relevant. Every child is a resource to better our future, and our future will be driven by technology. That is why I am so concerned about the science and math test scores that we have in this country. China scores first. Ireland  I just bring this up because its what my heritage is, my ancestors are from Ireland  scores 12th, and the United States ranks 25th.

Worse than that, if there is a worse than scoring 25th in math and science as well as reading, is that the gap between our lowest scoring students and our highest scoring students is widening. We are not preparing our children for their future.

I love this country and Im worried about the widening, economic, social and racial divide which was amplified during the pandemic. Not addressing education for our youth is not helping that. We are not treating our neighbors with the respect that they deserve. We are not listening hard to each other and respectfully working on the really important issues that we face as a country and as a human race.

I havent helped our country work on these issues yet  I whine a lot about it  and its time, probably in the very near term, for me to commit and help fix them. Maybe we can work on these things together.

So Ive given you some actual experience that taught me that more can be accomplished when crazy ideas are respected, listened to and evaluated. That being helpful and hardworking pays off; it did for me. And that wasting resources, especially human capital, is a moral and ethical sin. And that a small group of people, like those of us here at SpaceX, can change an industry, and by extension can help change the world.

Growing up and even early in my career, my friends, colleagues and I focused on getting ahead with an aside or maybe even an afterthought that maybe we should do something good for the world. But as I accumulate more lifes lessons, its clear that a far richer life results from switching that up, finding a career where your pursuit of a better world leads to your getting ahead. And all of you have in you right now all that you need to start your pursuit of a better world. Congratulations, and Godspeed.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/14/spacex-president-gwynne-shotwell-2021-commencement-address.html
When Shanghai Disneyland had promised in a video teaser to bring "wicked Halloween surprises," they weren't kidding around. On Sunday, Disney employees and government officials "quietly sealed off the park's gates," according to Fortune, trapping at least 33,000 visitors inside the park. They weren't permitted to leave until they faced the swarm of medical authorities in white hazmat suits to take a Covid test.

These extreme measures were taken after one woman on Saturday tested positive for Covid. Nobody, however, tested positive on Sunday.

It seems a better solution might be testing each visitor before they enter the park.

From Fortune:

The partial closing of the park created bizarre scenes that went viral on Chinese social media. Hundreds of people in full medical hazmat suits were seen testing young children and other park-goers as a Disney-themed fireworks display erupted overhead. Shanghai's government announced on Monday that it had tested over 33,000 people connected to the possible Disneyland outbreak. None tested positive. Still, Shanghai Disneyland announced that it will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday, and possibly longer. "We will notify guests as soon as we have a confirmed date to resume operations," Disney said in a statement.

Health officials in white protective suits issued orders for Shanghai Disneyland and the neighbouring Disneytown to be closed on October 31 after a recent visitor tested positive for Covid-19. pic.twitter.com/SAdcMVpYIZ  South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) November 1, 2021
The ultra-rich folk attending COP26 in Glasgow can't be expected to mingle with vermin-infested commoners who fly commercial. They're taking private jets to the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties from 31 October  12 November 2021.

Not to worry, they've surely bought carbon offset credits to neutralize their climate impact, allowing these polluters to keep polluting without affecting their supercilious consciences. Others, such as Prince Charles, used "sustainable fuel" in their jets. "His Royal Highness has personally campaigned for a shift towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel and would only undertake travel to Rome when it was agreed that sustainable fuel would be used in the plane," said a spokesperson for the prince.

From The Daily Mail:
WCAI Massachusetts has an inspiring story about a Mashpee-Wampanoag woman who was given a rare opportunity to grow a traditional corn strain on its native land again, after Puritan colonists had tried to ravage the crop. During a particularly bloody conflict known as King Philip's War, which ran between 1675 and 1676, colonists destroyed thousands of acres of Wampanoag crops. The flint corn strain came to be known as King Philip's Corn, after the leader of the Wampanoag people, Metacom, who in 1660 requested that the Puritans give him an English name as a gesture of solidarity; they dubbed him "King Philip," and 16 years later, they quartered his body and mounted his head on a pike at the entrance to the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Did I say this was an "inspiring" story? Right! Anyway!

The WCAI piece focuses on Danielle Hill, who was given the King Philip Corn seeds by a group called True Love Seeds, who describes themselves as "a farm-based seed company offering culturally important and open pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds." She had been dreaming about corn  through her pregnancy, and her postpartum care  and the offering seemed like an opportunity, a spiritual moment, and a reckoning of sorts:

"The Wampanoag word for corn is weeachumun, but apparently the King Philip corn name came when all of the corn was raided and all of the fields and the crops were burned. So apparently this is the corn that non-natives, colonists had salvaged and saved for themselves and just continued to grow out." It's been more than 340 years since King Philip's Corn and the land it was grown on was taken from the Wampanoag. This May under a new moon, four hundred years after the arrival of the first colonists, Danielle and a few other tribal members held a planting ceremony and returned King Philip's Corn to Wampanoag land. They planted 200 mounds of the landrace flint corn with native squash and beans and as the corn grew, Danielle began to feel a heavy sense of responsibility. "I was so invested, it was this nurturing that I didn't know existed in me beyond my kids. It was like I have something sacred and I need to really take care of it and take it seriously like especially the story and the significance and the history."

I've always been surprised that so-called "Indian corn" has yet to become a hipster bastion, with locally-sourced handmade grass-fed organic heirloom pop corn or boutique craft corn syrups done in that uniquely douchey American way. But this  this is so much better.

A Mashpee Wampanoag woman reconnects with a traditional corn [Elspeth Hay / WCAI Cape & Islands]

Image: Vilseskogen / Flickr (CC-BY-SA 2.0)
The University of Florida is prohibiting three professors from providing expert testimony in a lawsuit, reports the Associated Press, which challenges new voting restrictions in the state. The University even made clear that it was preventing the testimony to avoid conflict with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The blatantly unconstitutional restriction on employee speech by a government-funded institution earned brisk criticism across the board.

ACLU:

UF simply should not be looking to Governor DeSantis to decide which speech activities it will permit its employees and students to engage in

FIRE:

The profound civic importance of fair trials requires the ability of fact and expert witnesses to come forward to testify truthfully without fear that their government employer might retaliate against them. Public university faculty are no exception. We call on UF to reverse course immediately. UF should be aware that Plymouth State University's ill-considered decision to punish faculty who had testified in a trial ultimately cost the state of New Hampshire's taxpayers $350,000. FIRE warned Plymouth State then, and we're warning UF now: If you pick a fight with the First Amendment, you will lose.

The University of Florida insists that controlling what its employees do off the clock is fine because anything that might hurt the state, such as litigation, also hurts the University of Florida.

"The University of Florida has a long track record of supporting free speech and our faculty's academic freedom"

Not anymore.
One month ago, the sun not yet up Oct. 1, dozens upon dozens of workers poured out of Mercy Hospital's front entrance, joining hundreds of their colleagues on the picket line in South Buffalo.

Since that moment, negotiations have continued but with no deal in sight.

Until Sunday morning, when the Communications Workers of America Local 1133 told its members the two sides "were very close to reaching an agreement" after an all-night bargaining session that concluded at 6 a.m. Catholic Health echoed that Sunday, mentioning the two sides met through much of the weekend and appeared close to a tentative agreement on several occasions before "talks broke down again."

The union said the main outstanding issue is staffing, noting it has concerns about Catholic Health's last proposal. Catholic Health, meanwhile, said it stands by its offer that "includes progressive staffing language."

After getting some rest, the CWA said it planned to return to the table Monday and "evaluate where we are at."

Despite the progress at the table, much of the language used by the two sides publicly remained bitter Sunday. For instance, Catholic Health just after 3 p.m. announced it had started sending notices to striking workers that the health system would stop paying and administering their health benefit coverage, following up on a warning announced several days earlier.

That followed a week in which both sides had turned up the heat publicly.

CWA is running ads with workers saying Mercy is understaffed, putting patient care at risk. Catholic Health, meanwhile, has claimed the union is showing no sense of urgency, criticizing the CWA's tactics as distracting and brutish.

Meanwhile, the strike has become one of the most significant work stoppages locally in years, with 2,000 in-demand health care workers on the picket line.

And the costs are building.

Catholic Health is paying millions each week for replacement workers and has been forced to pass patients off to other local hospitals for treatment and procedures, costing it revenue and squeezing capacity at other hospitals  with burned-out staff of their own.

The health system claims 50 union-represented nurses have quit since the strike began, deepening the staffing crunch at the heart of negotiations.

The CWA workers are nearing their second month without paychecks, though union strike checks and unemployment benefits have kicked in. And now they will have to rely on the CWA's relief fund for health benefit coverage.

Both sides have dug in through the first month of the strike, but maybe that will change as we enter November.

"Usually if it goes past a month, it shows that the parties have very real substantive differences that will be difficult to resolve," said Cathy Creighton, a former labor attorney and the director of the Cornell University Industrial and Labor Relations School's Buffalo office.

"I think it also shows that both sides have been traumatized by the Covid pandemic, and they've been working so hard over the last year and a half that the stress is probably also inhibiting reaching an agreement," she said.

'We definitely do have leverage,' Mercy Hospital nurses say amid strike, labor shortage The ongoing worker shortage could provide leverage for CWA as they continue to negotiate with Catholic Health System, hospital employees and labor experts say.

The stakes are high in this labor battle, one capable of affecting future negotiations between hospitals and workers  both in the hotly competitive Buffalo Niagara market and beyond.

Where things stand

Catholic Health President and CEO Mark Sullivan stood at a podium inside Mercy Hospital on Tuesday, facing a question about whether he saw talks with the CWA as a "bargaining war."

Moments earlier, he had said Catholic Health was weighing whether to continue paying for the striking workers' health insurance as the walkout neared its second month. Since the strike began, he said, the health system had paid more than $1.3 million for the workers' health benefits, something it was not legally required to do.

Catholic Health could cut health insurance for striking workers at Mercy Hospital If Mercy Hospital workers' health insurance coverage is cut off, CWA's relief fund will cover those with chronic conditions or facing health emergencies.

"I'm pretty proud of what Catholic Health did for the associates to offer health insurance at a time when we are spending a ton of money on replacement workers," he said. "It's not a bargaining war. This can end today; it can end right now."

While Catholic Health started the day Sunday by saying it had decided to temporarily hold off on issuing notices to workers discontinuing payment of their health insurance, the health system changed its tune just a couple hours later.

"Catholic Health will resume payment and administration upon ratification of the tentative agreement by the membership," the health system said.

In a negotiations update last week, the health system said its latest proposal includes a minimum 3% wage increase in the first year, followed by general wage increases of 2% in the second and third years and 2.75% in the fourth year, up from 2.5% in its proposal before the strike. In a concession, Catholic Health has agreed to make wage increases retroactive to the first full pay period of June.

On perhaps the dispute's biggest topic, staffing, the union said in an update to members Thursday that the "primary issues continue to be around some of the ratios as well as the penalty for not meeting the ratios." In the union's update Sunday, it appears staffing remains the largest impediment to reaching a deal.

While talks continue, the union has broadened its job actions, targeting Catholic Health board members.

+2 What's the economic cost of Mercy Hospital strike? Both sides feel the pain For Catholic Health, keeping Mercy Hospital open means paying vastly higher wages to replacement workers. For striking workers, each day means more lost wages.

On Wednesday evening, a few workers handed out flyers on the sidewalk in front of the Wegmans on Amherst Street in Buffalo, taking aim at a Western New York-based executive for the supermarket chain who sits on Catholic Health's board. In recent days, the union has circulated the names and phone numbers of Catholic Health's board members, urging workers to call them.

Workers have been going without a paycheck from Catholic Health, but have been collecting weekly checks from the CWA's relief fund since the strike hit day 15 on Oct. 15.

On Friday  day 29 of the strike  those weekly payments increased to $400 per worker. They're also able to file for unemployment benefits, worth up to $504 a week, depending on pay.

But it's still not easy to be out of work.

"We're staying strong. We're taking it one day at a time," said Kevonna Neely, an EKG technician and a certified nursing assistant at Mercy Hospital who has worked at Catholic Health for 12 years. "Of course, we want to get back to work, but we also want to go back to work with a fair, decent contract and be able to take care of our patients efficiently and have the resources that we need."

Potential fallout

Since the beginning of the strike, Larry Zielinski said he believes there's been way too much negotiating in the media by both sides. Back-and-forth emotions and dialogue belong at the bargaining table, he said.

"You keep them in the room until you can come to a conclusion," said Zielinski, a former Buffalo General Medical Center president who is now an executive in residence in health care administration at the University at Buffalo. "When you start to air these kinds of things, all it does is antagonize the other side. And unfortunately, that's what it's gotten to."

More of that has happened over the last week.

Union members on Thursday night, reasoning that "CHS seems to think that eating food while picketing = 'tailgating,' " decided to have a tailgate on the picket line while wearing Buffalo Bills gear. Days earlier, Catholic Health had issued a news release of its own, claiming the CWA was showing "no sense of urgency" in getting its members back to work.

On Thursday, Catholic Health doubled down on that stance, arguing the union had "escalated its pressure tactics" with the television commercials and by leafletting board members' businesses.

At his news conference Tuesday, Sullivan claimed the health system has heard from a growing number of employees who want to settle negotiations.

Since the strike began, he said, more than 50 CWA-represented nurses have resigned from Mercy Hospital, including more than a dozen from the intensive care unit. That could only worsen staffing shortages at Catholic Health at a time when hospital officials across the region say it's become difficult to hire.

Catholic Health renews deal for Mercy replacement workers as 50 striking nurses quit "We want our associates back at Mercy Hospital, spokeswoman JoAnn Cavanaugh said. The longer the strike goes on, however, we will need to consider all of our options.

At nearby Erie County Medical Center, President and CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr. said the hospital has seen some nurses from Mercy Hospital apply for positions in the emergency department and critical care since the strike began. He didn't have an exact number of applications and noted there's typically "movement between our institutions" when it comes to workers.

Kaleida CEO Robert Nesselbush said the health system may have gotten a few applications from Mercy workers, though he wouldn't qualify it as a meaningful uptick.

Sullivan also expressed concern about long-term ramifications on the health system.

This ongoing strike is further harming our ability to recruit the talent necessary here, the skilled associates to meet those staffing needs here at Mercy Hospital," he said.

But Nesselbush and other health care executives are closely watching what happens at Mercy, especially since Kaleida will soon be negotiating a new labor deal for thousands of its workers, with the current deal expiring at the end of May.

"A lot of things that are at the forefront of people's thinking is, how do we make this better for both the workers and for the hospitals and health care systems?" Nesselbush said.

"And so, I mean we really need to properly compensate people for the really valuable work that they're doing. I'm pretty supportive of that," he said. "But we also have to recognize that the current reimbursement system does not really support us well.

Lasting impact

Zielinski knows how a strike can linger into an organization's future.

As Buffalo General's president from 2008 to 2011, he remembers hearing nurses talk about their strike at Buffalo General in 1983 that lasted 79 days.

Debora Hayes, CWA's area director who is at the table negotiating with Catholic Health, actually played a key role in forming the local union of nurses at Buffalo General and leading them during the 1983 strike as they fought for their first contract.

And while the 1980s was a different time in the history of labor strikes, the Mercy Hospital walkout is starting to rank among the region's longest for nurses, who almost never went on strike in the last 20 years.

Mercy Hospital nurses authorize a strike, but walkouts almost never happen Of the Communication Workers of America members at the hospital who cast ballots, 97% voted in favor of giving their union the power to call a strike.

In 2001, 170 registered nurses at what was then St. Joseph Hospital in Cheektowaga went on strike for three weeks before approving a new deal. That same year, 127 registered nurses at Lockport Memorial Hospital went on strike for five weeks.

In 1987, a nurses strike at DeGraff Memorial Hospital in North Tonawanda  Hayes was involved in that one, too  lasted 13 weeks.

"Health care strikes are rare and when they do occur, they are normally very short-lived," Zielinski said.

So far this year, there have been 198 labor strikes across the country, according to the Cornell-ILR Labor Action Tracker. Of those, 24 have been in health care and social assistance  none longer than the ongoing nurses' strike at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., that started in March.

+2 Health care industry pressures spurring strikes across the country The reasons health care workers cite for striking are similar: They have endured the demands and exhaustion of working through the pandemic and insist hospitals staff up to help shoulder the workload.

In Rochester, the unions representing 1,800 service workers at Strong Memorial Hospital and University of Rochester on Friday announced they had reached a two-year tentative agreement, one week after the previous deal expired and members authorized issuing a 10-day notice of job action to their employer.

Zielinski said if he was leading a health organization with a union contract ready to bargain over, he'd be making one message clear to his negotiators.

"I'm telling my negotiators, 'Don't let this happen here,' " he said. "Don't let it erode to what it's eroded to at Mercy."

Jon Harris can be reached at 716-849-3482 or jharris@buffnews.com.

The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Sunday was an interesting day in what is now a month-long strike that has idled many services at the South Buffalo hospital.

The day started with a glimmer of progress, with the CWA informing its members that the two sides "were very close to reaching an agreement" after an all-night bargaining session that concluded at 6 a.m.

Catholic Health echoed that at midday Sunday, mentioning that the two sides met through much of the weekend and appeared close to a tentative agreement on several occasions before "talks broke down again." In fact, Catholic Health's news release around noon Sunday said the health system was temporarily holding off on sending notices to workers about how to continue coverage of health care benefits through federal COBRA legislation "as a show of good faith that this agreement will be reached."

Roughly three hours later, however, Catholic Health announced it had started sending the notices to striking workers.

The health system appeared frustrated that the CWA planned to rest up Sunday and resume bargaining Monday, rather than continue to press toward an agreement. Catholic Health said it had previously advised the CWA that if an agreement was not reached by Saturday, it would begin sending the notices to workers.
For Western New York's hospitals, it was the perfect storm.

+2 What's the economic cost of Mercy Hospital strike? Both sides feel the pain For Catholic Health, keeping Mercy Hospital open means paying vastly higher wages to replacement workers. For striking workers, each day means more lost wages.

It started with the Covid-19 pandemic, which over the past 18 months has strained hospital staff.

Then, in late September came the state's vaccine mandate for health care workers, which pushed hundreds of employees to the sidelines because they refused to get the shot.

And just a few days later, on Oct. 1, came the Mercy Hospital strike, which idled many of the South Buffalo hospital's services, put 2,000 health care workers on the picket line and redistributed patients  and pressure  across the region's hospitals.

A month later, the Buffalo Niagara region's other hospitals are grappling with more patients. And patients are facing longer wait times for emergency services as volumes increase, while others are seeing their elective surgeries postponed due to a lack of available beds.

WNY's hospitals, at lowest bed capacity so far this year, face more pressure The region's health care system, already squeezed after hundreds of workers lost their jobs or were put on leave because of the state vaccine mandate, is facing even more constraints if unionized workers at Mercy Hospital go on strike Friday.

In fact, 10 days after the strike began, Erie County Medical Center had 562 patients staying in its hospital  the highest inpatient census in the more than 100-year-old institution's history.

At Kaleida Health, while the emergency room wait times listed on its website for Buffalo General Medical Center and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital are regularly over an hour, patients often wait much longer.

And for Erie County's Division of Emergency Medical Services, the job of coordinating medical communications between ambulances, hospitals and other providers has gotten even more challenging.

Catholic Health and the striking workers' union, the Communications Workers of America Local 1133, continue to bargain and work toward a deal, one month into a dispute over wages and staffing levels. Catholic Health is paying millions of dollars each week to a staffing firm for replacement workers to keep Mercy Hospital operating, albeit at a significantly reduced scale.

Mercy Hospital operating 'as best we can' amid strike, CEO says Mercy Hospital of Buffalo was caring for less than half as many patients on Wednesday than i

For instance, Catholic Health said Mercy Hospital is caring for about 100 patients daily, down from its usual census of more than 300. Its emergency department is seeing about 50 visits a day, compared with the typical 145-160 patients daily.

Its a fraction of the care we can provide at this hospital, which means others in the community needed to step up or theres been long delays in care," Catholic Health President and CEO Mark Sullivan said.

Some of that burden also has shifted to Catholic Health's other hospitals, which all are at or near capacity, spokeswoman JoAnn Cavanaugh said.

Since the strike began, the number of staffed hospital beds across Western New York has fallen  sharply. As of Oct. 30, there were 2,188 hospital beds across the region, down about 461, or 17%, from 2,649 beds the day before the strike began, according to state Health Department data.

Similarly, the number of staffed intensive care unit beds was 288 on Oct. 30, down 131, or about 31%, from 419 ICU beds on Sept. 30.

With fewer beds, the percentage of occupied beds has pushed higher as of Oct. 30, to 87.1% in hospital beds and to 87.5% in ICU beds.

For the region's other hospitals, it is still unclear when the storm will subside.

Mercy strike affecting patient services at other WNY hospitals Mercy has suspended inpatient elective surgeries, and is diverting ambulances from the hospital and Mercy Ambulatory Care Center.

ECMC

Go back to 2019, before Covid-19, and it was rare to see the inpatient census at ECMC go above 500.

Maybe a bad flu season or a spike in traumatic injuries in the summer months could cause that number to hit 501 or 505, but such a figure would set off a warning signal inside the campus to try to alleviate that burden.

If red alert used to be 501, you can imagine what 562 did to the building," Dr. Sam Cloud said of the inpatient total on Oct. 11.

ECMC is licensed for 573 beds.

Cloud, ECMC's associate medical director and an attending physician in the emergency department, said that increased patient load gets distributed to the same amount of workers.

Like Catholic Health, ECMC also has struggled to hire. Spokesman Peter Cutler said ECMC has about 500 open clinical positions.

To help with the higher demand, ECMC had four nurses and one tech from New York-Presbyterian Hospital make the trip to Buffalo. Three of them worked in the emergency department, and two were in one of the critical care units for one week, working their last day at ECMC on Oct. 22.

Cloud said ECMC's inpatient census on Oct. 26 stood at 538, lower than the peak a couple weeks earlier, but still high. That number climbed to 557 people as of Monday morning, Cutler said.

In addition to more patients coming in, Cloud said ECMC also has had a decrease in patients leaving the hospital.

With shortages of nursing home staff and home health aides, ECMC is holding 39 people who no longer need to be hospitalized because they can't find alternative care in the community.

"We're getting bottlenecked with the patients in the building," Cloud said.

So much so that ECMC's "left without being seen" rate in its emergency department, which means a patient left the hospital without being seen by a doctor, has increased significantly.

Cloud said ECMC typically aims to have that rate below 3.5%. Now?

"Weve been having days where the left without being seen rate is 20% because the ER is so full that patients decide after waiting for a couple hours that they dont want to wait any longer," he said.

Cloud did say, however, that ECMC's staff is trained to see which patients need to be seen immediately, such as those who are unstable or have a serious medical condition.

Even before Mercy Hospital decreased its inpatient capacity amid the strike, ECMC was having difficulty treating all of the patients that came in through its emergency department.

In September, ECMC had 800 people leave without being seen, compared with just 200 in September 2020, ECMC President and CEO Thomas J. Quatroche Jr. said.

"It's creating a real  not only a challenge for us for access for patients, but obviously financially," Quatroche said. "Those are patients that would have been treated, and we would have been reimbursed for it."

With challenges this big, there are no immediate fixes.

"Its going to take us a while to dig out of this," Cloud said.

+2 Health care industry pressures spurring strikes across the country The reasons health care workers cite for striking are similar: They have endured the demands and exhaustion of working through the pandemic and insist hospitals staff up to help shoulder the workload.

Kaleida

On the first day of the Mercy Hospital strike, Kaleida saw an immediate surge in patients needing cardiac and stroke care. That first day, within an hour, Kaleida had to call in an extra team to respond to heart attacks and another team for strokes, said Dr. Michael Mineo, chief medical officer at Buffalo General, Millard Fillmore and DeGraff Medical Park.

Buffalo General is seeing more than 10 additional ambulances a day, he said. And Kaleida's website almost always lists the emergency room wait time at Buffalo General at more than an hour.

In reality, it can be much longer. Mineo said the wait time in Buffalo General's emergency room can be as much as 12-16 hours, though he noted patients are almost always seeing a doctor in triage, where a patient's illness or injury is assessed shortly after arrival.

Millard Fillmore is seeing in excess of an additional two or three ambulances a day, Mineo said. Even DeGraff in North Tonawanda, 20 miles north of Mercy Hospital, is seeing 60 to 70 patients a day  record highs in recent history, Mineo said.

With labor and delivery services at Mercy also suspended, he said Oishei Children's Hospital has had a 35% increase in deliveries since the strike began.

To adjust, Kaleida has been postponing some elective surgeries on a case-by-case basis, due to a lack of available beds, Mineo said.

One month into the Mercy strike, Mineo said the increased patient demand has remained elevated.

"We had the surge," he said. "We developed some processes, which gave us a quick benefit, but the challenge we're having now is just extreme fatigue amongst our staff. They were fatigued from Covid, and the last thing they needed was the additional volume from a strike outside our system."

Kaleida also has struggled to hire and has 300 open positions across the system. Mineo said Kaleida has hired more recruiters, approached retired staff and agreed to an incentive program with the unions representing many of its workers that allows some employees to earn extra pay for picking up additional shifts.

Facing staffing crunch, Kaleida Health offers incentives for workers who pick up extra shifts Kaleida's staffing crunch has been aggravated by the pandemic, the state's vaccine mandate and a patient volume increase stemming from an ongoing strike at Mercy Hospital.

"It's showing some effectiveness in some areas, but really it's encouraging the staff we already have to keep coming to work," Mineo said. "But it doesn't address the issue of needing more people."

Patrick Weisansal, vice president of CWA Local 1168, which represents 3,800 workers at Kaleida, said the pandemic and the Mercy strike has put a spotlight on the longstanding issue of hospital staffing.

"It's always been busy," said Weisansal, a 12-year Buffalo General employee who is a CT scan technologist at the facility. "It's just adding more onto the plate."

While the Mercy strike has grabbed the headlines, he said many other hospitals find themselves in a similar situation with burned-out employees looking for improvements in their next contract. CWA Local 1168 represents some workers at Catholic Health's St. Joseph Campus, which is part of the ongoing negotiations.

The union's contract with Kaleida expires at the end of May.

"The strike, yes, has an impact on volume," Weisansal said. "But the problems we've been seeing are the same they've been."

Emergency Medical Services

Coordinating medical communications already could get complicated. It only became more challenging through a pandemic and amid staffing shortages at hospitals and at ambulance companies.

"The strike at Mercy has compounded it," said Gregory Gill, deputy commissioner of Erie County's Division of Emergency Medical Services. "Instead of ambulances driving 10-15 minutes to a hospital, theyre driving 30 minutes to a hospital. Its hitting the volunteers in the southern area, south of the city, because of the lack of hospitals there."

To this point, he said north of Buffalo has fared a little better.

"Taking Mercy out of the mix really increases the burden on the volunteers," Gill said.

To adapt, Gill said the county is working on being able to transport patients to immediate care facilities if the injury or illness is more low risk. In New York, he noted, the patient makes the determination of what hospital they want to go to.

Gill called the strike "a tipping point," with the patients that Mercy would have treated being redistributed to other facilities across Western New York.

Its quite the ripple effect throughout the whole system," he said.

Jon Harris can be reached at 716-849-3482 or jharris@buffnews.com.

The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A prominent cluster of adjacent properties at the corner of Main and Best streets near the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is now up for sale  for $10 million.

The so-called Osmose portfolio  currently owned by the medical campus and developer Jon Williams  represents one of the largest single blocks of prime real estate for sale in or near downtown Buffalo. It was acquired by the medical campus from Osmose Holdings Inc. in December 2016, for $3.75 million, and targeted for reuse.

What's next for the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus? The Medical Campus has changed greatly since 2002 and there is still more to

At the time, campus officials planned to renovate the existing buildings to make them available for medical companies on the campus that needed additional office or laboratory space, or for new companies seeking to move there. In particular, the campus' Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott St. had reached capacity, and officials wanted to open a second one. Initial plans called for 15 companies to move into the Osmose facilities.

But the medical campus came up under heavy fire in 2017 as it sought to demolish part of the property because of environmental contamination, including a house that was thought to have been designed by famed architect E.B. Green. A court eventually ruled in its favor, allowing the demolition.
Sahagun noted the overwhelming bustle and financial activity that took place at the market in the capital city of Tenochtitlan, modern-day Mexico City, during the Aztec ritual feasts.

All manner of foods and goods were sold to citizens to celebrate the Aztec feasts of the dead. In this respect, there wasnt much distinction between commercial and religious activity. The religious feasts supported the market and vice versa.

The Catholic religion also emphasized commercial activity in relation to All Saints and All Souls Day. According to 16th- and 17th-century Catholic belief, the majority of souls landed in purgatory after death, rather than heaven or hell. It was the responsibility of the living to help alleviate the suffering of souls in purgatory and assist them in getting to heaven. This could be done through prayer or by making offerings to the souls.
Even though Williams was found in possession of seven dogs, prosecutors believed they only had enough evidence to prove Williams had been fighting three of the dogs, Flynn said. And of those three, prosecutors believed they could prove Williams deprived medical treatment to only two of the dogs, he said.

"That's why even though we have seven dogs, there's only three counts of dog fighting, two counts of the torturing and then we found basically two pieces of equipment that were used for training these animals," he said.

That equipment consisted of a treadmill with an attached chain, as well as a weighted vest, said William Heine, an SPCA senior investigator.

All of the dogs recovered "showed various signs of extreme aggression towards other dogs, which is common in dog fighting," Heine said. Those signs of aggressive behavior included bite wounds on the necks and on the front legs.

"If they were not, they would have most of their bite wounds on the hind legs," he said.
The Buffalo Public Schools placed a high-profile, polarizing high school principal on paid administrative leave in May 2017.

In January 2018, after McKinley High School Principal Crystal Boling-Barton petitioned a judge to get her job back, the district revealed it was investigating possible misuse of school funds.

By December 2019, the district began an effort to fire Boling-Barton  a slow process under the best of circumstances that has all but ground to a halt amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

In fact, the district and Boling-Barton have yet to hold a single hearing on the termination effort. The sides most recently had a session scheduled for next month but the arbitrator backed out of the case and they haven't agreed on a replacement.

Meanwhile, the district has paid Boling-Barton $606,000 during her nearly 4-year suspension.

"We have been unable to move the needle on the expedition of the 3020-a for Crystal Boling-Barton," district spokeswoman Elena Cala said in an email, referring to the section of education law that governs this process. "We feel it has been dragged out to the financial detriment of the district."
But the BSA plan also has support from a separate group of plaintiffs attorneys, called the Coalition for Abused Scouts for Justice, which helped craft the proposed settlement. The coalition said it represents about 18,000 people who allege they were abused as scouts. It is telling those who have an abuse claim to vote "yes" because its the best deal possible.

Voting 'no' does nobody any good at all. Vote 'yes' and everybody will get compensation, said attorney Ken Rothweiler, a co-founder of the coalition. You vote 'no,' in my opinion, youre going to be in litigation for five to 10 years. Youre not going to see any money. You vote 'no,' $1.8 billion goes away and we start from scratch.

Voting by electronic ballot began in October and continues through 4 p.m. Dec. 14.

A former scout who alleged he was abused while at Troop 523 in Lackawanna in the 1980s said he will vote in favor of the plan because he wants to put the abuses behind and focus on reforming the national organization.

How do we fix it? How do we make it a better program? said Greg, 53, who now lives in Tennessee, outside Nashville. He requested that he not be identified by his last name. Im very much interested in the reform and how I can help.
Brown, who described himself as "a major supporter of Black Lives Matter," said he saw nothing redeeming in Walton's participation.

"It is clear the way Mr. Fisher protested and the way Ms. Walton protests are much different," Brown said. "There were clear objectives out of the protests Mr. Fisher did to bring back things for the community, and not just to shout empty slogans into a megaphone."

+2 Voter guide: 2021 election Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Day. Find out what you need to know before heading out to cast your votes. Click here for

Walton said she worked with Open Buffalo and Partnership for the Public Good to come up with 32 policy recommendations that were ignored by the mayor.

"That could have put Buffalo at the forefront of the movement to reform police departments, and our police department, in impactful and positive ways before all of this bubbled over into trouble," Walton said.

"I would also point out that I encouraged the mayor to make marijuana a simple possession enforcement, the lowest level law enforcement priority, long before cannabis was legalized in New York State."

Walton said it was the mayor's inaction over issues with police abuse along with issues of abuse nationally that contributed to the anger that boiled over at Black Lives Matter protests.

As a candidate, Walton has backtracked from the comments she made as a protester, Brown said.
ALBANY  A change to a 2016 state law will add siblings to the list of family members who can be eligible for paid family leave benefits to care for someone with a serious illness.

The measure, which passed both houses earlier this year, was signed into law Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Taking care of your family is a human right," Hochul said of the measure she signed that was authored by Assemblywoman Sandy Galef of Westchester County and State Sen. Joseph Addabbo of Queens.

The current definition of who counts as a family member for purposes of getting a portion of his or her salary paid during time off to care for a member of the family is limited to children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren and a spouse or domestic partner.

The states paid family leave law, which about 100,000 people use each year, provides up to 12 weeks of partial pay  depending on a workers salary with a maximum weekly amount of $1,068 in 2022. The program is employee-funded, but employers have certain obligations, including providing a waiver to eligible employees to take the time off.

In the Covid era, Addabbo said the paid family leave law has more significant meaning now than when it was first enacted in 2016.
Biden said Russo's life circumstances make her best for the job.

The daughter of a union carpenter and a spouse of a combat veteran, Allison Russo knows who built America: working people and the middle class, Biden said in a statement. Shes the kind of leader we need as we build back an economy that creates good-paying jobs, delivers more affordable health care, and puts middle-class families first.

When Trump endorsed Carey before the August primary, he said: "Numerous candidates in the Great State of Ohio, running in Congressional District 15, are saying that I am supporting them, when in actuality, I dont know them, and dont even know who they are. But I do know who Mike Carey is  I know a lot about him, and it is all good.

Carey has said he has watched as political parties, politicians and legislators have let people down over the years, and he wants to go to Washington to fight like the president did against the folks in the Beltway.

Both endorsements could resonate with voters in the state. Trump twice carried Ohio by more than 8 percentage points, besting Biden last year with a record-setting 3.1 million votes to 2.68 million.

Democrat Barack Obama  with whom Biden served as vice president  also twice won the state. The 2.94 million votes he received in 2008 set the previous record.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
FILE PHOTO: Photo of the logo of Fortescue Metals Group adorning their headquarters in Perth, Australia

By Nicolas Misculin and Agustin Geist

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Australian mining billionaire Andrew Forrest is planning what could be up to an $8.4 billion "green hydrogen" investment in Argentina, the South American country's government said on Monday after a meeting between the businessman and President Alberto Fernandez.

Forrest, whose Fortescue Metals Group Ltd aims to become carbon-neutral by 2030, is a major backer of green hydrogen, a zero-carbon fuel made by electrolysis using renewable power to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

While currently more expensive than rival fuels, backers tout it as a clean replacement for fossil fuels in industries otherwise hard to decarbonize. The International Renewable Energy Agency has forecast rapid growth in coming years.

Fortescue is looking at developing the project in the province of Rio Negro with a view to producing green hydrogen on an industrial scale, which the government said would help create more than 15,000 direct jobs and additional ones indirectly.

"It is expected to turn Rio Negro into a global green hydrogen export hub by 2030," the government said. "It is the most important international investment for our country in the last 20 years."

Fernandez and Forrest, it said, met on the sidelines of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Agustin Pichot, the Latin America head of Fortescue Future Industries, the mining firm's green energy unit, said in a press conference alongside government officials that the project would be one of the company's most important worldwide.

"We signed a memorandum of understanding a few months ago and today we are talking about an investment of around $8 billion," he said.

The Australian company will carry out analysis on local resources as well as wind availability, which it uses as the main energy source to power production. If that goes well, public consultations and other work for construction would begin.

A $1.2 billion pilot stage aiming to produce 35,000 tons of green hydrogen is planned for 2022-2024, before a $7.2 billion first productive stage aiming for an output of some 215,000 tons of green hydrogen - enough to power 1.6 million homes.

(Reporting by Nicolas Misculin and Agustin Geist; Editing by Adam Jourdan, Peter Cooney and Marguerita Choy)
For the first time, the organization is offering individual and family plans to Maricopa, Pinal and Pima county residents who can enroll via banneraetna.com or through a registered broker starting today.

PHOENIX, November 01, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Open enrollment for 2022 begins today in Arizonas health insurance exchange, allowing residents of Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties to obtain quality coverage from Banner|Aetna. This unique joint venture, owned by Banner Health and Aetna, a CVS Health company, previously marketed health benefit plans exclusively to employers in the state.

Individuals and families in these three counties can now enroll in a Gold, Silver or Bronze plan that brings together the clinical expertise of Banner Health, the largest nonprofit health system in Arizona, with the national resources of Aetna. Although these plans are part of the Arizona health insurance exchange, enrollment in these Banner|Aetna plans can actually be completed through Banner|Aetnas website, even if the applicant is receiving subsidies that lower premium costs. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than half of uninsured Americans qualify for subsidies or financial help that can reduce the cost of coverage, including through Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans available offered by the exchange. Individuals can also enroll in these plans with the help of an authorized health insurance broker.

All Gold, Silver and Bronze health plans provide no-cost annual wellness exams and other "essential health benefits" across categories of care, including mental health and substance abuse treatment, lab services, emergency, maternity and newborn care, among others. Members who enroll in Banner|Aetnas plans also gain access to its performance network of health care providers, no- or low-cost 24/7 access to virtual primary care, and 24-hour Banner Nurse On-Call access. Additionally, Banner|Aetna plans provide convenient retail, pharmacy and no- or low-cost health care services at CVS MinuteClinic, CVS HealthHUB and CVS Pharmacy locations across Arizona.

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"Banner|Aetna offers unique coverage, teaming with high performing local physicians and hospitals to discover new ways to reduce the overall costs of health insurance while improving member health," said Tom Grote, CEO of Banner|Aetna. "In fact, our performance network includes doctors and hospitals from Honor Health and Tucson Medical Center in addition to those from our parent company Banner Health, because these organizations share a commitment to providing high-quality care."

Along with an enhanced direct enrollment experience via Banner|Aetnas website, the plan also features:

No or low-cost visits at any of the 36 convenient MinuteClinic/HealthHUB locations in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties that offer flexible hours, and one-on-one concierge support for acute and chronic care needs.

No or low-cost on-demand, text-based primary care through 98point6, providing members with 24/7/365 access to board-certified doctors for diagnosis and treatment anywhere, anytime.

90-day refills and no-cost direct specialty drug prescription delivery through Banner Family Pharmacy.

A simplified member experience that lets consumers pay their premium at any CVS Pharmacy in Arizona and manage their account with a mobile app or online.

Banner Nurse On-Call 24/7/365 support, which allows members to consult with a registered nurse day or night.*

The enrollment period for 2022 coverage runs November 1 through January 15, 2022. To enroll, visit banneraetna.com or talk with a local insurance broker.

*While only your doctor can diagnose, prescribe or give medical advice, the Banner Nurse On-Call program can provide information on a variety of health topics.

About Banner|Aetna

Banner|Aetna is a health insurance company focusing on bettering member outcomes at a lower cost, all while improving the overall member experience for employers and consumers in Arizona. The collaboration combines Banner Healths high-quality, local providers and delivery systems with Aetnas health-plan experience, care management and health information technology. Banner|Aetna is the brand name used for products and services provided by Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company and Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc. For more information about Banner|Aetna, visit banneraetna.com.

About Banner Health

Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 30 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner  University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com.

About CVS Health

CVS Health is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and over 300,000 dedicated colleagues  including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health  whether thats managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications, or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system  and their personal health care  by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Learn more at www.cvshealth.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005193/en/

Contacts

Sarah McLeod

Activate Health

smcleod@activatehealth.com

480.352.1044
PARIS, November 01, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Second paragraph, second sentence of release should read: Those interested in participating in the Planet Watch by Enlaps project should apply online by January 15, 2022 (instead of "Those interested in participating in the Planet Watch by Enlaps project should apply online by January 15, 2021").

The updated release reads:

ENLAPS LAUNCHES PLANET WATCH _ BY ENLAPS, A GLOBAL CALL FOR PROJECTS STUDYING GLACIERS

On the occasion of the COP26, Enlaps, the France-base technology company that provides digital image solution, launches Planet Watch _ by Enlaps, a project that will enable the collaborative creation of glacier data mapping, accessible to the entire scientific community, decision makers and citizens. Glaciologists who are selected to partake in the initiative will help advance the study of glaciers across the world, by documenting and measuring the global warming impact. Planet Watch _ by Enlaps will support this research by providing ten Enlaps Tikee cameras, as well as free access to the myTikee cloud platform. The call for projects aims to raise public awareness of ecological issues, to accelerate international initiatives, and to provide scientists around the world with game-changing equipment and compelling data.

Planet Watch _ by Enlaps Global Call for Projects was announced by Heidi Sevestre (glaciologist, ICPP, AMAP) at the COP26. Those interested in participating in the Planet Watch by Enlaps project should apply online by January 15, 2022 with project proposals that are as carbon neutral as possible, and useful to the international scientific community. The jury comprises, Antoine Auberton (Enlaps CEO), Heidi Sevestre, Luc Moreau (glaciologist associated with the Edytem CNRS laboratory), Yann Arthus-Bertrand (Good Planet Foundation), and Sophie Szopa (researcher and IPCC). It will ultimately select ten projects on the basis of technical feasibility, scientific interest and the emblematic dimension of the chosen location.

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Selected researchers will have free access to multiple resources, such as a self-sufficient Tikee 3 PRO camera. Enlaps' Tikee 3 PRO solution, which is energy autonomous thanks to the integration of photovoltaic panels, facilitates research projects due to its remotely data sharing capacity. Already, Enlaps Tikee cameras monitor and analyze glaciers across the world, from Santa Isabel (Colombia), to Fellaria (Italy), Combe Maudite (France), Heinabergjokull (Iceland), and many others.

The collected data will be pooled to create an interactive smart map, updated daily. Besides, researchers will regularly share their results on the projects blog, accessible to the whole scientific community. Results will also serve citizens and decision-makers to fuel their fight against the climate crisis. All in all, this initiative will model global warmings impact on the planet, in a concrete way, and favor future disasters or possible improvements prediction.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005074/en/

Contacts

Press: Clemence de la Blanchardiere- clemence@katchreyners.com - +33631367434
Gabb will also be donating $10,000 to Single Parent Advocate Foundation to help families pay for their Thanksgiving dinners and support them through the holidays

LEHI, Utah, November 01, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gabb Wireless, the leading company in providing safe tech for kids, today announces its third annual "Gabb Days of Giving" campaign launching on November 3. During this campaign, Gabb will give away 2,500 Gabb Z2 Phones to single parents and a donation of $10,000 to Single Parent Advocate to support single parents this holiday season.

On November 3, between 10 AM - Noon MT, single parents can add a free phone to their cart and check out without paying for the device. The 2,500 Gabb Z2 Phones (a $250,000 value) will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis available at gabbwireless.com.

The Gabb Z2 Phone is the perfect first phone, with no parental controls needed. It offers unlimited talk and text to keep friends and family connected, and teaches healthy tech habits with no Internet, games or social media access. The device also includes a GPS feature for easy tracking and comes fully equipped with a 5MP front camera and 8MP back camera, Bluetooth connection for music, and more.

"At Gabb, were passionate about helping keep kids safe and connected, while making safe tech options affordable and accessible to all parents," said Nate Randle, CEO of Gabb Wireless. "Many members of our leadership team were raised in single parent households, so we understand firsthand the challenge of communicating with and protecting kids. We hope Gabb Days of Giving brings some joy and peace of mind to single parents ahead of the holiday season."

In addition to the massive phone giveaway, Gabb will also donate $10,000 to Single Parent Advocate, a nonprofit based in Dallas, Texas that reaches out to help single parents, their children and their support organizations. This donation will go directly to helping single parent families put Thanksgiving dinners on the table this holiday.

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"Single Parent Advocate and Gabb Wireless share a mission of helping better the lives of families, and we are so thrilled that they chose us as their Gabb Days of Giving partner," said Stacie Poythress (Martin), Founder and Director of Single Parent Advocate. "They have helped so many families across the U.S. safely introduce their children to tech, and now they have joined us to bring Thanksgiving and Holiday help to hundreds of single parents, children and young adults caught in a gap, while working tirelessly to achieve self-sufficiency and success. To join Gabb Wireless in supporting single families alongside Single Parent Advocate, please visit our website."

For those unable to secure one of the 2,500 free phones, the campaign will also feature a 50 percent discount on all Gabb products throughout the month of November, starting today, using promo code "HOLIDAY" on gabbwireless.com.

For more information on Gabb Wireless or the "Gabb Days of Giving" campaign, visit www.gabbwireless.com.

About Gabb Wireless

Founded in 2018, Gabb Wireless is a rapidly growing cellular network company that provides safe technology for kids. Gabbs products and services are the only safe offerings in the phones-for-kids niche, filling a clear gap in the market by targeting an underserved demographic. With a mission to solve the growing screen-time addiction among adolescents, Gabb creates the safest technology for kids. For each step of kids' growth, Gabb offers products that keep families connected, give kids freedom and provide parents peace of mind. Learn more at www.gabbwireless.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005176/en/

Contacts

Gabb Wireless

Anne Marie McDonald

annemarie.mcdonald@gabbwireless.com
Reuters Videos

The disappearance of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has shocked the world - but according to a prominent state-media journalist - shes been staying at home "freely" and will make a public appearance "soon.Former doubles world number one Peng has not been seen or heard from publicly since she said on Chinese social media on Nov. 2 that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship.But on Saturday, Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin in a tweet referring to Peng wrote: "In the past few days, she stayed in her own home freely and she didn't want to be disturbed. She will show up in public and participate in some activities soon.The Global Times is published by the official newspaper of Chinas ruling Communist Party, the People's Daily.Hu said he had confirmed through his sources that photos shared on Twitter by a journalist working for Chinese state media, purportedly showing Peng at home, depicted her "current state."He also posted a video later on Saturday that appeared to show Peng at a restaurant.Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the pictures or video independently.In a statement Women's Tennis Association chairman Steve Simon said: "While it is positive to see her, it remains unclear if she is free and able to make decisions and take actions on her own, without coercion or external interference. This video alone is insufficient. Adding, I have been clear about what needs to happen and our relationship with China is at a crossroads."Djokavic: "It's horrifying."Tennis star Novak Djokavic backed the WTAs threat to pull tournaments out of China:"The whole community, tennis community, needs to back her up and her family, make sure that she's safe and sound because if you would have tournaments on the Chinese soil without resolving this situation, it would be a little bit strange.Other top players of the sport, including Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, have tweeted #WhereIsPengShuai.And Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal in interviews expressed their concern and their hope to see her back soon.Neither former vice-premier Zhang nor the Chinese government have commented on Peng's allegation. Her social media post was quickly deleted and the topic has been blocked from discussion on China's heavily censored internet.
'Hearing about his situation right now actually gives me palpitations,' says retired master warrant officer Guevens Guimont, left, seen here in Afghanistan with interpreter Mohammed Nabi Wardak, right, who is now homeless and jobless in Athens. Wardak fled Afghanistan years ago because of death threats from the Taliban. (Submitted by Guevens Guimont - image credit)

Injured. Attack. Ambush. Suicide.

Those are just a few of the English words Mohammed Nabi Wardak learned when he arrived at Kandahar airbase in 2007 for a 20-day course, before taking up a front-line interpreter's role with the Canadian Armed Forces.

It should have frightened him. And maybe it did. But in his mind, helping those countries making up the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) fighting the Taliban meant helping the Afghanistan he wanted to see come into being.

"They gave us hope," he said. "They told [of] brightness, good future, education, technology, computers. That stuff. At that time, for the first time, I saw a computer."

Wardak, who was 18, spent the next 16 months as an interpreter with Canadian troops who were mentoring Afghan soldiers and police as part of an operational mentoring and liaison team (OMLT) in Kandahar Province.

"We were so deep in enemy territory that we could get overrun at any time," said a former combat engineer attached to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal 22nd Regiment, also known as le vingt-deuxieme or the Van Doos.

CBC News agreed to refer to him by his nickname, Franck Charly, which he was known by when he spent his third and final tour in Afghanistan. Back then, he and Wardak were stationed at a remote police substation.

"Nabi used to sleep in the same room as me every night for almost six months. He was about, what, three metres from me? So, yeah, I knew him well. He dodged bullets the same way as we did."

Submitted by Mohammed Nabi Wardak

Today, Wardak finds himself homeless, jobless, and quite often, he says, hopeless. He's been living rough in Athens since 2018, arriving as a refugee after fleeing Taliban death threats.

The Trudeau government is currently facing severe criticism for leaving behind many Afghan interpreters and others who supported Canadian military and diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan over the years in its chaotic exit this past summer, described by critics as disorganized at best and uncaring at worst.

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Retired major Peter Sullivan, a deputy commanding officer of the OMLT in 2007, says Canada could have streamlined efforts to vet people and get them on planes out of the country as a priority, and dealt with other issues later.

"That's, I understand, a very simple way of looking at it," he said, acknowledging that it's easy to judge from afar.

"But I think when the world is collapsing around you, you need simple, effective solutions. And so my belief is we, Canada, could have done a better job at that. I think some other countries did."

WATCH | The National's report on Wardak's struggle to get Ottawa's attention:

Wardak, of course, had already left Afghanistan. But his is a tale of an impenetrable bureaucracy nonetheless, and a system that he says has managed to mute his voice and render him invisible.

"It was not easy, my job. But these people which is sitting behind the desk and they haven't been in Afghanistan one minute. They don't know. They don't think about that, what feeling I have."

Death threats from the Taliban

When we met him in Athens in September, he showed us the carefully protected certificates of merit he was presented by Canadian and Afghan commanders, along with pictures of the men he had risked his life alongside, including Charly.

"Some of them, they call me brother," he said with obvious pride. "As much as they were taking care of me at that time, I protect their lives from my experience because I grew up in the war. I [knew] Afghanistan's situation.

"I was understanding who is the [Taliban], who is the farmer. Because how would [they] know that? A Canadian soldier when they arrived from Canada?"

Lily Martin/ CBC News

Wardak eventually moved on to work as a battle group interpreter with British forces in the summer of 2008.

He says when he began receiving death threats from the Taliban, he approached both British and Canadian Embassy staff in Kabul for help.

The Canadians told him he would have to make any kind of immigration or asylum claim outside of Afghanistan, he said.

When the Taliban threats grew more insistent, Wardak decided to take his chances on the smuggler's route from Iran to Turkey. He left his wife and four children behind with the hope of sending for them from either Canada or the U.K.

In 2015, he made it as far as the Turkish border before Iranian police caught him and deported him back to Afghanistan. He tried again the next year, making it to Turkey, where he spent 17 difficult months, working at one point as a shepherd.

When he contacted the Canadian Embassy in Ankara, he says he was told there were only two ways to get a visa for Canada: with the help of a sponsor or to be recommended by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The UNHCR would not be prioritizing single men.

Wardak finally made it one step further, to Greece, in 2018, where he was promptly jailed. He says he was given three choices: stay in jail, apply for asylum or be deported back to Afghanistan. He made an asylum claim.

While his case was being processed, he contacted the Canadian Embassy in Athens and says he was told he would have to take his request to a larger embassy in Rome. And so he started writing emails.

'His situation ... gives me palpitations'

When CBC News managed to track down two of the Canadian servicemen shown in Wardak's pictures, they were clearly distressed to hear of his plight.

One of them was Charly. The other was retired master warrant officer Guevens Guimont, who had looked for Wardak on a return tour to no avail.

"My God," he said. "We had many fights against the Taliban. Many confrontations. Hearing about his situation right now actually gives me palpitations.

"He [risked] his life, yes. I risked my life many times for his country. For a change in his country. He was my brother. He is my brother."

Submitted by Mohammed Nabi Wardak

Now that the three have been reconnected, Guimont and Charly are trying to help Wardak through a system he's so far failed to penetrate on his own.

"Five years here in Greece, when I will have news from somebody?" Wardak asked us back in September. "My life is past."

Since then, he's been contacted by the British Embassy in Athens, with a potential visa in the offing, although he says he's not counting on it.

"I'm the ball of the football. And on one side of the pitch there is British and Canadian. They're kicking me to each other. The other side, there is Taliban."

Simply staying in Greece, now that he has the right to do so having been recognized as a refugee, is not an option in his mind, as family reunification is notoriously difficult there. Not to mention finding work to support them and their journey.

Wardak's youngest son was just one year old when he left.

"Me and my wife, we are feeling ourselves in the middle of sea with broken ship and absolutely dark night," he said. "We are not understanding to which side we are moving."

Navigating the application process

When CBC News contacted Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to ask if they were aware of Wardak's case, the stock reply came back to say they couldn't comment for privacy reasons.

Canada has committed to resettling some 40,000 "vulnerable Afghan nationals" through two streams. The first includes individuals and their families who assisted Canada, and the second focuses on vulnerable groups outside of Afghanistan.

Although more than 9,000 applications have so far been approved in the first stream, just over 3,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada.

To be eligible for that group, Wardak would have had to be in Afghanistan on or after July 22, 2021.

Submitted by Guevens Guimont

It is not the first time he's fallen through the cracks.

In 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government announced an immigration program open to Afghan interpreters who had supported Canada's combat mission for at least 12 months between Oct. 9, 2007, and July 31, 2011.

Wardak's service didn't fit that window and he only learned of the program after it had closed.

"They did not go far enough back in that program and they should have kept it open for much longer than they did," said Wendy Noury Long, founder of Afghan Canadian Interpreters, an advocacy group working to relocate interpreters to Canada since 2017.

"Having programs open for a very short period of time does not allow everybody to be able to apply. You're dealing with Afghanistan in 2009, 2010, 2011. People did not have Facebook, people were just starting to get cellular phones."

It's a disconnect she points to today in the way IRCC handled the crisis over the summer as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. There was an emphasis on forms and process "in the middle of what was essentially a war zone," she said.

"An inability to be flexible and to understand the realities cost many, many people their chance to come to Canada in a much safer manner," she said.

For its part, IRCC insists it has mobilized its "entire global network to process visas and issue them on an urgent basis."

"We have set up a dedicated process, web form for questions and telephone line, with extended hours, to solely serve Afghan clients who are seeking information and assistance."

'I hope to see Nabi in my country'

None of this, it would seem, will be of any help to Wardak. At least not yet.

His small ray of light in all this, if there is one, lies in the knowledge that he has not been forgotten by his former brothers in arms.

That seems to mean something to him.

"If they hear my voice, they will understand what an important job I did," he said when we first met.

They do. And they want Canada to do right by him.

"We gave our words almost, you know?" said Charly. "They did their part of the job. We should do ours."

"I hope to see Nabi in my country," said Guimont. "My God, if I can receive Nabi anytime."

If it ever does happen, Wardak needn't worry about having someone to pick him up at the airport.
University of Wisconsin-Stout Veterans Club President Eric Gritzmacher believes in the power of helping each other.

Gritzmacher and other members of the club have started a clothing drive to help Afghanistan refugees restart their lives. Some 13,000 Afghan evacuees are at Fort McCoy, a western Wisconsin military base, after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

New and like-new clothing is being collected at the Memorial Student Center in bins inside the Involvement Center and Stoutfitters, the university bookstore. The bins will be up until Monday, Nov. 8. Then the clothing will be taken to the Methodist Church in Menomonie and transported to Fort McCoy.

At Fort McCoy, some of the refugees showed up with only the clothing they were wearing when they were evacuated to escape Taliban forces in August. They are awaiting resettlement in communities across the nation, according to media reports.

Items most in need are undergarments, shoes and winter clothing for men, women and children of all ages, Gritzmacher said.

If we dont help each other, we are abdicating one of the fundamental human duties of empathy and understanding and support for each other, said Gritzmacher, a junior majoring in computer science, who is originally from Belvidere, Ill. We are all in this together.

Vets Club members dedicated themselves to supporting and protecting civilians at home and abroad, and this is part of that promise, he added. The club has 42 members.

Gritzmacher, a Gunners Mate 2nd class, which is equivalent to a sergeant in other military branches, served for four years in the U.S. Navy from 2004 to 2008 with two tours in Iraq and one in Somalia.

The Wisconsin winter will be difficult for Afghanis who are used to warmer weather, making winter clothing a need for them, Gritzmacher said.

I can remember looking back and 120 to 130 degree days and coming back home in the summer and I had to wear a coat, said Gritzmacher, who is the comedy event director for Blue Devil Productions on campus.

Chris Engen, UW-Stouts military education benefits coordinator, said many of the student veterans on campus experienced or were influenced in some way by Operation Enduring Freedom, the title used to refer to the United States response to Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and subsequent operations against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

This donation drive provides an opportunity to support those who often worked with and alongside the U.S. and our international partners in Afghanistan, Engen said. Though no longer in uniform, our veterans often continue to serve their communities and our nation in other ways.

Veteran Services

Veteran Services at UW-Stout has the Veteran Mentorship Program, which matches student veterans with newer student veterans to help them set and achieve their academic and personal goals.

UW-Stout was the first UW System school to offer the comprehensive peer mentorship program. It is offered through the Mentor Collective platform. Peer-to-peer mentoring is designed to help first-year students build relationships and increase retention and graduation.

The university has a Military and Veteran Resource Center, a dedicated on-campus space for veterans, service members and their families, at 305 Bowman Hall. It serves as a centralized location for veterans to meet, study, relax or participate in veteran-specific activities. Engens office is in Bowman Hall room 107 for benefits support.

UW-Stout was named a Best for Vets College in 2020 by the Military Times and a Military Friendly school for 2021-22 by MilitaryFriendly.com. UW-Stout also moved up 18 places to No. 30 among all Midwest universities in the Best Colleges for Veterans ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

The university has a Hall of Heroes installation at the Memorial Student Center honoring students and staff who died in military service to the U.S.

UW-Stout also is part of the Northwoods Battalion Army Reserve Officers Training Corps with UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls.

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Kyle Rittenhouse trial coverage:

Normally during jury selection for a trial, one of the questions a judge asks prospective jurors is whether any of them have read or heard about a case.

Is there anyone who hasnt read or heard anything about this case?

Not a single one of the prospective jurors in the jury box raised a hand.

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with homicide and attempted homicide for the shooting deaths of Anthony Huber of Silver Lake and Joseph Rosenbaum of Kenosha, and for shooting and seriously wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz of West Allis during unrest that followed the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha Police officer in August 2020. Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty; his attorneys plan to argue he was acting in self defense.

The criminal case against Rittenhouse became highly politicized  and highly publicized  even before charges were filed, with video of the shootings shared widely on social media within hours of the trigger being pulled. Opinions on Rittenhouse and his actions  and those of the men he says he shot to protect himself  have become one of the political dividing lines cutting through American life.

In preparing for his trial, the court summoned 300 prospective jurors, expecting about 150 people to turn up for jury duty on Monday. Some of those prospective jurors were held in a separate building while about 80 prospective jurors  each identified only by number  were brought into the courtroom.

Thirty-four of those prospective jurors were initially placed in the jury box and in front of the bar, the wooden barrier that divides attorneys and court officials from the audience. The balance of prospective jurors sat in reserved seats in what is normally the audience gallery.

Putting personal feelings aside

Questioning during voir dire, the process the court uses to try to weed out those with biases that could affect their judgement, focused first on those 34, with other prospective jurors pulled from behind the bar to replace them as they were dismissed.

Schroeder told the jury that while he realized that the case was highly publicized, much of that pretrial publicity was biased. Those of us who are picked for this jury will be in a front row seat in learning what happened, the judge said.

He asked the prospective jurors if they could put aside their thoughts about what they had already heard about the case to focus on the evidence presented at trial. If you cant do that, you cant be fair and you are not in step with what the Founders expected, he said.

In the morning session, many of the prospective jurors said they could not.

I cant put aside my feelings aside, I know what I think, one woman said.

Well, you know what you think, but were talking about hearing the actual evidence, Schroeder answered. So if you heard someone testify directly to the contrary  lets say you heard four witnesses testify directly contrary to what you think  you wouldnt be able to put that aside?

No, the woman answered. She was excused.

Another man said he had been commenting online about the case since it happened, then began talking about his support for the Second Amendment. Schroeder stopped him.

Ive said it before and Im going to say it again, this is not a political trial, Schroeder said. To the extent that this trial is about the Constitution, its about the right to a fair trial.

The judge told the man that when it came to picking a jury he didnt care about his feelings about the Second Amendment or about the feelings of others that were strongly to the contrary.

Do you think there are other people here who would be fairer than you would be? Schroeder asked.

I dont know, I would hope so, answered the man who was bearded, his grey hair in a ponytail.

Do you think you are biased? the judge asked?

Yes I do, and it goes back to politics.

By the lunch break, about a dozen prospective jurors were excused because they said they could not put aside their feelings about the case.

Jury pool demographics

Prospective jurors were chosen at random from Wisconsin Department of Transportation records of those with drivers licenses or state identification cards, Clerk of Courts Rebecca Matoska-Mentink said last week. Jurors must be at least 18, an American Citizen and a Kenosha County resident.

Those prospective jurors in the courtroom Monday were largely white and appeared to be mostly middle-aged. The media is barred from identifying those serving in the jury during the trial, or those in the jury pool.

Lawyers for the state and defense had discussed using mailed questionnaires to weed out people who would have conflicts, including strong feelings of bias in the case. Schroeder decided against that, putting his faith in the traditional voir dire system.

Schroeder scheduled two days for jury selection. The trial is expected to last two to three weeks.

The judge warned the prospective jurors that because of the publicity surrounding the case there was a chance they would be sequestered, requiring them to stay together at a hotel during the trial. But the judge said he believes that possibility is very unlikely.

I will resist it in any way I can, but I cant rule it out, Schroeder said, estimating the chance of sequestration at less than 1 percent.

This story will be updated.

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But a group of 323 volunteers from 22 countries around the world, have spent the past 7 days bringing good news to the people of northern Greece.

Together they have distributed 126,207 Bibles in modern Greek. In addition each New Testament included an audio MP3 version of the Greek NT and a challenging personal testimony from a Thessalonian Greek who came to Christ after overcoming his addiction to gambling. The volunteers covered a distance of 67,947 km and visited a total of 519 villages in Northern Greece. Many of the villages were predominantly Islamic and received Turkish Bibles.

This may well prove to be the biggest evangelistic effort in Greece's illustrious history. Reaching 126,207 households with the message of the New Testament is indeed a significant achievement. Johnathan Macris, President of Hellenic Ministries, was elated at the opportunity of reaching so many people who would not ordinarily come into contact with the evangelical gospel.

"Compared to other mass evangelistic efforts we can be reasonably sure that a great percentage of those that are receiving these Bible packages make no profession of a personal relationship with Jesus and an assurance of salvation."

"As in the parable of the sower we realise that we will not achieve 100% success rate. Much of the seed will fall on hard and unresponsive ground and some will fail to take root whilst others will be choked before it can make any real progress."

Nevertheless, Macris said that his team were confident that the Word that is being spread is "alive and powerful" (Heb 4.12). "It is like a hammer that breaks the hard rock of tradition and indifference and draws people into a new spiritual dimension."

As was to be expected the response varied from enthusiastic and welcoming to indifferent, hostile and anger. Interestingly the response from the Muslim minority groups to the Turkish Bibles that were distributed was generally warm and friendly, while the Greek households were more suspicious.

A significant happening during the week was the visit of the local Bishop of Alexandroupolis to bring a message of greeting and solidarity. He received warm applause from the volunteers when he declared that "the problems of Greece are not economic but the absence of the Holy Spirit".

His support was particularly meaningful in that the Greek Orthodox Holy Synod had previously condemned the project and the Hellenic Ministries organisation as "deceitful and heretical" and had warned its faithful followers to steer clear of their activities.

Macris made a special appeal for prayer for the Greek nation and specifically that this project would be the catalyst lifting the gloom for thousands of Greeks. "The message of hope and peace and joy found in the gospels has reached into the most depressed communities in tiny villages and towns throughout Northern Greece".

The project has caused waves of interest throughout the week. Several of the teams distributing the Bible packs were detained for questioning by local police on the grounds that they were involved in "suspicious activities" or "proselytism". The police also made an appearance at the campsite where the majority of the volunteers were being housed and engaged in a short stand-off with Johnathan Macris. According to European law Greece has freedom of religion so these tactics are merely to intimidate and have no legal validity. However the amicable relationship that had been developed with the bishop greatly assisted with the early release of the detainees.

As the week wore on public awareness and curiosity intensified. Newspaper coverage reached across the border into Turkey and became a major talking point. The local TV station granted Macris as well as New York evangelist, Tom Mahairas and Greek evangelical leader, Spiro Mitakidis a 45 minute live TV interview which was re-broadcast the next morning. They were also featured on the main TV news bulletins as well being interviewed on live radio.

"This sort of interest and positive coverage of an evangelical event is unprecedented in Greece," said Macris. "You can't help but wonder if God is doing something unique and momentous. Perhaps echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah, "For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isa 43.19 (NLT)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  Senator and presidential aspirant Ronald Bato dela Rosa is planning to meet with President Rodrigo Duterte, this time to convince him to run for the Senate.

In a text message to CNN Philippines on Monday, Dela Rosa said he may talk to Duterte in the next two weeks, ahead of the November 15 deadline for substitution of candidates in the 2022 elections.

Dela Rosa, standard bearer of the ruling PDP-Laban party, said he believes Duterte would be elected Senate President if he wins a Senate seat. The lawmaker admitted this is entirely my own idea but added it's "not a remote possibility.

His winnability as a senator is very high and his being included in the PDP-Laban's Senate slate will further boost the chances of winning of the other senatoriables in our slate which would spell the difference in installing him as the Senate President, he said.

The Senate President is the presiding officer of the chamber, and is third in the line of succession.

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said he has no problem with Dela Rosa's idea.

"Any senator can become Senate President as long as he gets 13 votes," said Sotto, who is gunning for vice president with Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson as running mate.

A faction in PDP-Laban led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi earlier wanted Duterte, their chairman, to vie for the vice presidency. Duterte initially heeded this call but later dropped the plan and announced his retirement from politics. The Cusi wing ended up fielding Senator Christopher "Bong" Go as vice presidential bet and running mate of Dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa earlier met with presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte as he continues to hope she would substitute him. Cusi has said any of PDP-Laban's senatorial candidates would be willing to give way to Duterte.

Who's desperate?

Another faction in PDP-Laban led by their chairman, Senator Aquilino Koko Pimentel III, and presidential bet, Senator Manny Pacquiao, criticizes the call for Duterte to gun for a Senate slot. In a statement last week, Pimentel said it is an act of desperation."

They give the impression that they do not have strong candidates within their group and that they are all simply riding on and are totally dependent on the popularity and strength of personality of the incumbent president, Pimentel said.

In response, Dela Rosa took a swipe at Pacquiaos senatorial lineup, which, apart from former Eastern Samar Governor Lutgardo Barbo, is composed of aspirants from different political parties. Pacquiao filed his certificate of candidacy under the PROMDI party, which is allied with the Pacquiao-Pimentel wing of PDP-Laban.

Which is more desperate, the party that has its own solid Senate slate or yung partido na nanghihiram lang ng kandidato (or the party that only borrows candidates) from other parties because they cannot field their own slate? Dela Rosa said.

The Commission on Elections eyes to resolve by yearend the petition filed by the Cusi wing against the Pacquiao-Pimentel camp, thus settling the year-long feud between the two factions.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  The number of passengers arriving in the Philippines as of end-September has plunged as COVID-19 pandemic continues to hamper international travel, the Bureau of Immigration reported over the weekend.

In a statement, the agency said 893,886 international travelers entered the country from January to September, down from 3.2 million during the nine-month period last year. This represents a 72% decline.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente noted that 2.8 million of the arrivals by the end of September 2020 occurred before late March, which was when the country shut down its borders in a bid to quash the spread of the disease.

"Statistics show that since January the volume of arrivals in our international ports has been averaging at only around 90,000 to 100,000 a month so we foresee this trend to persist until the end of this year," said Morente, citing the daily cap on passenger arrivals and current travel restrictions.

Some 1.1 million travelers, meanwhile, left the country during the those nine months -- 68% less than the 3.6 million count during the same period last year. Most of them were overseas Filipino workers and foreigners returning to their home countries.

The BI likewise expressed optimism for the travel industry's rebound soon, noting efforts to relax travel restrictions as the national vaccine drive picks up its pace.

Over 27.36 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of end-October, while more than 31.955 million have received their first shot.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  The Court of Appeals (CA) has finally granted Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressas appeal to travel abroad, deeming her in-person attendance in a series of lectures in Harvard Kennedy School in Boston, Massachusetts as necessary and urgent.

The previous denial of Ressas similar Motions is inconsequential to this present Urgent Motion to Travel Abroad. Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize that the previous Motions were denied because Ressa failed to prove the necessity and urgency of her supposed travels, the latest resolution from CA read after it denied Ressas previous motions last year.

In August 2020, the appellate court denied her request to attend events in the United States such as the conferment of an award from the National Press Club and panel discussions on a documentary where she was featured.

In December 2020, the CA junked her appeal to visit her ailing mother. The decision said "the medical abstract lacks any indication that Ressa is urgently needed in the USA."

Aside from attending lectures, the Rappler CEO also indicated in her latest motion that she intends to visit her parents in Florida, which the CA found as a humanitarian reason to grant her motion.

Certainly, ones legitimate intention to be reunited with her/his parents cannot be doubted, the CA said.

Moreover, the CA also noted that Ressa was able to prove that she is not a flight risk.

While Ressas conviction charges her situation and warrants the exercise of greater caution in allowing her to leave the Philippines, her undisputed compliance with the conditions imposed by the court a quo on her previous travels shows that she is not a flight risk, the resolution read.

In granting her motion, the CA said that travel period must only be from Oct. 31 to Dec. 2 and only for the purposes Ressa mentioned. It added that Ressa shall deposit a travel cash bond amounting to 500,000.

Furthermore, the CA also requests Ressa to submit an updated itinerary, including her travel to Florida, and she shall advice the court in writing of her return to the country.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  The clinical trials of ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment is expected to start on Nov. 15, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said on Monday.

Ayun ay nakatakda, according to the trial group na siyang gagawa niyan, ay on Nov. 15 ang kanilang new date...sa trials na may tao na na magko-consume nung ivermectin, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena told CNN Philippines Newsroom Ngayon.

[Translation: The clinical trials on the use of ivermectin would be on Nov. 15, according to the group conducting the trial.]

Dela Pena said there could be results of the trials by December.

Ayan naman ay sa maraming lugar gagawin," he said. "Kaya ini-estimate nila na hindi aabutin ng kamukha dati, na estimate nila ay tatlong buwan, apat na buwan.

[Translation: That would be done in various areas. Thats why they are estimating that unlike before, it would not take three to four months.]

"Ngayon kahit end of December pwede na daw sila magkaroon ng resulta, he added.

[Translation: They could have results by the end of December.]

The DOST first announced its plan to conduct clinical trials on the use of the antiparasitic drug to treat coronavirus infection last April after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered it.

The country is currently part of an international consortium conducting clinical trials on the use of ivermectin against COVID-19, which has infected more than 240,000,000 and killed over 5 million people worldwide.

The DOST earlier said that it will also start to recruit 1,464 asymptomatic and non-severe COVID-19 patients to participate in the trials.

The Department of Health reiterated that ivermectin has no benefits against COVID-19 and may lead to even more harm.

The United States Food and Drug Administration also warned patients not to use the animal drug to treat themselves.

Even Merck, the company behind ivermectin, said there is "no scientific basis for a potential therapeutic effect against COVID-19 from pre-clinical studies; no meaningful evidence for clinical activity or clinical efficacy in patients with COVID-19 disease; and a concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies."
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  A COVID-19 monitoring group expressed its support for the further easing of restrictions in Metro Manila amid low risk of coronavirus resurgence.

OCTA Research Group fellow Guido David said there's no COVID-19 variant threatening the improvement in the pandemic situation. He added that more adults in the capital are now protected against the virus.

David noted 96% of Metro Manila's adult population received their first dose, while 80% are fully vaccinated.

"Mas bumababa ang chance na magkaroon ng resurgence dahil maraming protektado," he said.

"We support 'yung pag-relax sa Alert Level 2 para makabawi ang mga negosyo," David added.

[Translation: The chance of having a resurgence decreases because many adults are now protected. We support the relaxation to alert Level 2 for businesses to recover.]

The pandemic response task force decided to still place Metro Manila under Alert Level 3 until Nov. 14.

David said the capital region's positivity rate declined to 5% which is an "ideal" number recommended by the World Health Organization.

The positivity rate is the percentage of tested people with positive results for COVID-19.

"It is safe to reopen our businesses at this time," he said.

David said the country has "enough testing right now".

"We're seeing an actual trend na bumababa ang cases, hindi lang sa Metro Manila, pati sa iba't ibang regions sa bansa," he said.

[Translation: We're seeing an actual trend that the cases are decreasing, not only in Metro Manila, but also in various regions of the country.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  Police and drug agents seized a total of 5.3 million worth of cocaine in in the southernmost province the Philippine National Police said Monday.

The PNP said the operation in Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi also led to the arrest of the suspect identified as Basid Daud, 49. The police did not indicate the date of operation.

It added that Daud may have obtained the cocaine through smuggled drugs through the southern backdoor.

Patuloy na makikipag-ugnayan sa AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] at sa [Philippine] Coast Guard ang inyong PNP upang mapalakas ang pagbabantay sa karagatan at coastline ng ating bansa sa Tawi-Tawi at mga karatig na lugar dahil hindi natin inaalis ang posibilidad na ipinuslit papasok sa ating bansa ang mga nakumpisang cocaine na ito gamit ang southern backdoor, said PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar in a statement.

[Translation: We will continue to coordinate with the AFP and the Philippine Coast Guard to strengthen the security of our waters and the countrys coastline in Tawi-Tawi. We cannot disregard the possibility that the seized cocaine was smuggled through the southern backdoor.]

Authorities also seized an M16 riffle from Daud.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 2)  The Senate wants to pass the 5.024-trillion national budget for 2022 by the first week of December, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Monday.

Sotto also said plenary debates will start after the upper chamber resumes session on Nov. 8.

The House of Representatives transmitted the proposed budget to the Senate on Oct. 25, two days ahead of deadline.

House Bill No. 10153, or the 2022 General Appropriations Bill, was approved on final reading on Sept. 30 after Duterte certified it as urgent.

Based on the calendar for the 2022 budget from the Committee on Finance led by Senator Sonny Angara, the target date for approval on third reading is Nov. 25. This will be followed by the Bicameral Conference, and its report is scheduled to be signed on Dec. 9 before a final version of the spending bill is printed for President Rodrigo Dutertes signature.

It is considered as the biggest budget in the countrys history as it intends to fight COVID-19 and help the economy get back on track.

Chunk of the 2022 allocation will go to the Department of Education (773.6 billion) followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (686.1 billion) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (250.4 billion). The Department of Health, the lead agency in addressing the health crisis, will get 242 billion.
Bukidnon (CNN Philippines, November 1)  Military operations will be intensified to capture the widow of a top New People's Army leader killed in an encounter with troops, a ranking officer said over the weekend.

Army 4th infantry division Commander Major General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Sunday appealed to Myrna Sularte alias Maria Malaya to surrender so she will not suffer the same fate as her husband, George Madlos aka Ka Oris.

Sularte is the spokesperson of NDF-Northeast Mindanao.

Madlos was killed in Bukidnon on Saturday. The military said government troops encountered around 30 communist rebels in Barangay Dumalaguing in the town of Impasugong, Bukidnon province, but Sularte said her husband was unarmed and ambushed on his way to a medical check-up.

Authorities conducted a COVID-19 test on Madlos' remains. He will be turned over to the police if found negative.
(CNN)  When the leaders of the Group of 20 assembled for their family photo here on a blue-carpeted riser, there were a few unfamiliar faces among the most powerful people on the planet.

Standing in for the absent heads of China, Russia, Japan and Mexico were lower-level ministers dispatched in their places, a smattering of the less-well-known among some of the globe's most recognizable leaders.

In some ways, this year's in-person G-20 summit has a feeling of the world playing its second string. Several prominent leaders are remaining at home instead of traveling to the Eternal City for the yearly gathering.

Among those who didn't attend are Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, two counterparts who President Joe Biden desperately hopes to personally engage as he works to prevent already-tense relationships from deteriorating further.

The given reason for Xi and Putin's absences at the G-20 -- and a subsequent climate summit in Scotland that starts Monday -- is the ongoing Covid pandemic. Cases are spiking in Russia, and Xi hasn't left China in 21 months as the virus spread across the world. Visiting the G-20 may also have subjected Xi to his country's quarantine requirements, which would have made attending an upcoming party congress meeting difficult.

Still, the decision to forgo one of the world's foremost diplomatic events only fuels the sense that Xi and Putin have become less concerned with global cooperation as their countries draw international condemnation for cyber attacks, military aggression and human rights abuses. For leaders who have consolidated power dramatically, it was unlikely their underlings at the summits would be authorized to make important decisions alongside heads of state. Their absences disappointed Biden.

"The disappointment relates to the fact that Russia -- not only Russia but China -- basically didn't show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change. And there's a reason why people should be disappointed in that," Biden said at a press conference as the Group of 20 summit concluded in Rome.

Absence of Xi and Putin both helps and hinders Biden

White House officials insist the absence of Putin and Xi at this weekend's conference is not, in fact, a lost opportunity. Instead, they suggest the void has allowed the United States and European leaders to set the agenda and drive discussion on topics important to them, like climate and combating the global pandemic.

Yet on nearly every major issue up for discussion at the G-20 -- climate, Covid, an energy crunch, supply chain clogs, Iran's nuclear ambitions -- western nations must work with Russia and China to make any significant progress. And Biden, who has voiced a preference for in-person summits, is deprived of a critical opportunity to wield his trademark brand of personal diplomacy on some of the world's stickiest conundrums.

"I think it shows to some extent their own priorities," said Ambassador Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, of Xi and Putin's decision to participate only virtually in this weekend's G-20.

"It's only an opportunity if you translate it into reality," Haass added. "Can you get the Europeans, for example, to line up to a serious policy towards China and trade and investment or threatening them with sanctions if they use force against Taiwan? Will the Europeans reduce their dependence on Russian energy? So, we can talk in general about opportunity, but I think there's real questions about what we can translate into policy and reality."

Neither Putin and Xi are diplomatic recluses; both regularly speak with foreign counterparts, including a phone call between Biden and Xi last month and a closely watched summit with Putin and Biden in Switzerland in June.

Both were signatories to the Iran nuclear deal, which Biden is looking to restore, and both have participated in climate summits convened this year by the White House. Russia and China have also taken a lead role in communicating with the Taliban after its takeover of Afghanistan following the American withdrawal.

Yet their engagements are often selective and have not prevented them from steering their countries against the international order.

In the week preceding the G-20, Russian warships staged a mock landing in Crimea, the territory in Ukraine annexed by Moscow in 2014, and it was revealed the Russian hackers behind a successful 2020 breach of US federal agencies have in recent months tried to infiltrate US and European government networks.

China, meanwhile, has increased military overflights into Taiwan's airspace. The island nation's status and its relationship to the US -- always a fraught issue for Beijing's rulers -- are now among the thorniest points of disagreement in the increasingly tense US-China relationship.

Even without Xi at the summit, China has proved an enduring topic of conversation.

"This has been a central topic of conversation, not as some kind of block formation or new Cold War-style engagement, but rather as dealing with a very complex challenge in a clear-eyed and highly coordinated way," a senior administration official said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said that even if Xi is absent from the diplomatic gatherings, his decisions will play an important role for the future of the globe.

"I think it's ultimately going to be up to China, as now currently the world's largest emitter, to decide whether it is going to do the right and important thing for its own people, but also for everyone around the world," Blinken told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union."

Blinken added: "Beijing is going to have to decide whether it's going to live up to its responsibilities starting with its own people who are affected directly by climate change."

Sideline discussions go missing

In video remarks played at the G-20 on Saturday, both Xi and Putin raised concerns about the global vaccination effort, and each complained their countries' shots weren't being recognized by international bodies. They were expected to participate virtually in additional sessions later in the summit, but because they are not attending in person, won't have the chance to follow up on their concerns with fellow leaders.

Often, the most substantive discussions at international summits happen on the margins of the official plenary sessions, which are carefully scripted and rarely generate unexpected news.

On the sidelines of the G-20 summit in 2016, held in China, then-President Barack Obama cornered Putin and told him to "cut it out" as revelations emerged of Russia's massive cyber-intrusions ahead of that year's presidential elections.

At the G-20 two years later, Putin found himself during a leaders' dinner speaking to then-President Donald Trump without any staff or notetakers present. At the same summit, held in Buenos Aires, Trump met with Xi on the side and agreed to restart stalled trade talks.

Biden did speak briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during dinner Saturday night, according to a person familiar with the interaction who declined to go into detail.

Early in his presidency, after aides arranged virtual "visits" from world leaders to mimic the import of a White House invite, Biden complained the encounters seemed stilted and lacked the warmth of a face-to-face.

"There is no substitute, as those of you who have covered me for a while know, for a face-to-face dialogue between leaders. None," Biden said in June after concluded an in-person summit with Putin in Geneva.

Early this summer, the White House had eyed this weekend's G-20 as a potential venue for Biden's first in-person meeting with Xi since becoming President, a key opportunity to check in as tensions escalate between Washington and Beijing. In meetings and phone calls, US officials gauged Chinese interest in arranging such an encounter.

It became clear as time went on, however, that such a meeting would be unlikely. The White House has said there is still no date set for a virtual meeting between Biden and Xi, though it is expected to occur before the end of the year.

"They will be able to sit as close to face to face as technology allows to see one another and spend a significant amount of time going over the full agenda," national security adviser Jake Sullivan said ahead of Biden's departure to Europe.

Those types of encounters won't be possible in Rome, at least with Xi or Putin. Biden did have a number of informal conversations with the leaders who did decide to attend and met for more substantive talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to smooth over a row involving nuclear-powered submarines.

China remains front and center

Xi's absence hasn't meant that China has fallen off the agenda here; European leaders are watching closely as tensions escalate between Washington and Beijing, particularly over Taiwan.

In an interview with CNN this week, Taiwan's president acknowledged for the first time the presence of US troops on the island for training purposes, a major development that was not received well in Beijing. As he traveled to Rome to represent Xi at the G-20, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned the US and its partners not to interfere in Taiwan's affairs.

In their talks on Friday, Biden and Macron spent the most time behind the scenes discussing China, a senior administration official said, calling it a "three-dimensional discussion."

"Not like how are we going to get together to go contain China or not how are we going to go start a new Cold War as allies, but rather: How do we contend with the questions that China's rise poses to democracies, to allies, to market economies?" the official said, describing the two presidents' talks. "And how do we do that in a way that protects our country's interests and our values while at the same time doesn't seek confrontation or conflict?"

Asked last week if it was a mistake for Xi not to attend this year's G-20, Sullivan said he wouldn't characterize the Chinese president's decision making. But he acknowledged there was so substitute to meetings between leaders.

"In an era of intense competition between the US and China," Sullivan said, "intense diplomacy, leader level diplomacy, is vital to effectively managing this relationship."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "The absence of key world leaders hangs over Biden's first G-20."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  Celebrity couple Elisse Joson and McCoy de Leon, who developed their romantic relationship inside the Pinoy Big Brother house in 2016, revealed they are now parents to a baby girl.

The two stars shared the news during their guesting in the latest season of the reality show on Sunday. They revealed a photo of Elisse with baby Felize McKenzie.

"Kuya, kami po ni McCoy, meron po kaming isang napakaganda at napakabait na baby girl... She is our greatest blessing talaga, the 25-year-old actress said.

[Translation: Brother, McCoy and I have a beautiful and kind baby girl. She is truly our greatest blessing.]

The new parents asked "Kuya" to be the godparent of Felize since their love story began inside the PBB house.

"Alam namin na hindi expected pero itong programa ang nagtadhana sa amin patungo dito. May family na kami," McCoy said.

[Translation: We know this is unexpected but this program brought us together. We have a family now.]

Elisse and McCoy's relationship started during their stint as housemates in "Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7" back in 2016. They broke up in 2019. In June, they revealed that they reconciled before the COVID-19 pandemic affected the country in March 2020.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 31)  Greenpeace Southeast Asia and World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines call on the Philippine delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (UN COP26) to champion climate finance and accountability from developed countries.

The Philippines is among the nearly 200 countries that will attend the UN COP26 from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 in Glasgow, Scotland. The summit also comes nearly six years after the creation of the Paris Agreement, which mandates nations to curb the effects of climate change.

Both groups say the event is particularly significant for the Philippines, given that the country is among the most vulnerable nations to climate change. Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Yeb Sano says the delegation should take a stand on issues like global climate finance and carbon offsets.

"What is important as a vulnerable country is that there is progress in pledges, climate finance, carbon offsets, loss and damage. What we hope to achieve as a delegation is to see developed countries being able to ratchet up their pledges," he added.

WWF Philippines Climate Programme Head Angela Ibay said the decisions that will be made at UN COP26 will have an effect on the country's long-term plans. She hopes developed nations will announce more ambitious goals, concrete plans and pledges.

"It's very critical that we also have funding for adaptation purposes because we know we are impacted by climate change and it does cost a lot to be able to rebuild, to adapt to it," she said.

RELATED: What is COP26? How the pivotal UN conference could avert global climate 'catastrophe'

PH delegation at UN COP26

Finance Secretary and Climate Change Commission Chairman-Designate Sonny Dominguez will lead the country's delegation at COP26. He called on developed nations to deliver on their promises in the climate change fight.

"We need the Western countries to take responsibility for having contributed and continue to contribute the most to greenhouse gas emissions. They must be given the greater burden of paying for the grants, investments, and subsidies needed for the most climate-vulnerable countries to mitigate the effects of global warming," he said at an online meeting.

Dominguez will also present the Sustainable Finance Roadmap, which includes policies to help transition into a greener economy. He hopes this will serve as a blueprint on how to mainstream climate change to the financial sector.

Greenpeace SEA and WWF Philippines welcome the presence of Dominguez, saying this will be a strong signal on the country's position on climate finance. They also hope he pushes for accountability from developed countries.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddyboy Locsin will also join the delegation, along with representatives from the DOF, DFA, Environment department and Energy department. No other member of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) is part of the delegation.

Sano said there should have been at least one representative from the CCC and civil society in the delegation. He said CCC members can provide previous positions and deals the country had in past talks.

He also questioned why there were supposedly no consultations between environmental groups and the delegation. Being a former CCC Commissioner and chief negotiator in high-level climate talks, he said it's important to know the situation on the ground.

"When I was chief negotiator, we share that information with stakeholders so alam nila yung dala-dala natin na position. Ngayon, we don't even know what they are going to saybecause there were no consultations. I don't think the delegation will negotiate effectively," he said.

[Translation: When I was chief negotiator, we share that information with stakeholders so they know our position. Now, we don't even know what they are going to saybecause there were no consultations. I don't think the delegate will negotiate effectively]

However, Sano said the lean delegation may also be a result of the limitations and glaring inequalities among nations brought about by the pandemic.

PH plans to curb climate change

In April, the Philippines pledged to cut local carbon emissions by 75% by 2030. The country contributes only 0.3% to the total greenhouse gas emissions. This goal is part of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in accordance with the Paris Agreement.

Environmental groups say the conditional target (around 72%) is a tall order, but can be achieved with climate finance and the push for renewable energy. As of 2019, nearly half of the local energy supply comes from non-renewable sources like oil, coal and gas.

"It would require transformation of our energy sector, of our transport sector, of our industrial production sector as well as a clear program to protect our forests. But most of that are already in the government plans. What we do need is the climate finance and technology must be forthcoming from the industrialized countries," Sano said.

Ibay says the government can be more ambitious in its unconditional goals. She believes the country can explore the existing proposals and policies on renewable energy.

"If they're really serious about climate resiliency for the country, increasing that (unconditional goal) more provides a bigger signal of the priority of the government and the seriousness that we place on what we want to do for our NDC," she added.

Ibay says curbing climate change should be a holistic approach involving individuals, civil society, businesses and government. She hopes the leaders elected in the 2022 elections will have policies on climate change in their plans.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  The Commission on Elections has signed the 535.99-million contract with F2 Logistics, a firm tied to Davao businessman Dennis Uy, for the distribution of ballots, vote-counting machines, and other election paraphernalia for the 2022 elections.

This deal was previously opposed and questioned for conflict of interest because Uy is an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The contract was signed by Comelec Commissioner Sheriff Abas and F2 Logistics president Efren Uy on Oct. 29 and posted on the poll body's website over the weekend.

Under the 32-page agreement, F2 Logistics is in charge of forward and reverse logistics for the equipment related to the automated election system, such as vote-counting machines, transmission equipment, and other devices. The firm will also deliver the official ballots, ballot boxes, voters' lists, and other related supplies nationwide.

F2 bested LBC Express, 2Go Express, and Airspeed International in bagging the logistics deal, with the lowest offer of 535.99 million, against a maximum contract price of 1.61 billion.

Uy and Duterte

Dennis Uy is one of the biggest campaign contributors in the 2016 presidential bid of Duterte.

Uy is chairman of F2 Logistics while his wife, Cherylyn, serves as corporate treasurer. F2 Logistics is also among the subsidiaries of Uy's Udenna Corporation, based on corporate disclosures.

F2 Logistics is led by its president and CEO Efren Uy, who also sits on the board of Dennis Uy's Chelsea Logistics Holdings.

The cargo forwarder was founded in 2006, with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as one of its original incorporators, according to documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Because of Uys ties to Duterte, Abas previously asked the Comelecs Special Bids and Awards Committee to look into the ownership of F2 Logistics.

The logistics firm also served as Comelec's nationwide courier for the 2018 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, and secured two of four delivery contracts for the 2019 polls.

Senator Leila de Lima and other civic groups flagged potential conflict of interest as F2 Logistics will be given the crucial task of transporting election paraphernalia and providing warehouse services.

Gus Lagman, chairman of election watchdog National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections, said the Comelec-F2 Logistics deal sets a bad precedent due to the ties of the logistics group owner to the President.

"Isa sila sa mga major contributors sa campaign ng President, tapos ngayon makakakuha sila ng malaking kontrata. Lumalabas na parang ito kabayaran dahil nag-contribute sila sa kampanya. Hindi ito maganda," Lagman told CNN Philippines' News. PH.

[Translation: They are one of the major contributors on the campaign of the President, then now they bagged a huge contract. It seems this looks like a payment because they contributed to his campaign. This is not good.]

Lagman, a former poll commissioner, pointed out the possibility of delaying the delivery of election paraphernalia which could compromise the integrity of elections on May 9. He added this situation may happen in remote areas with poor communication.

"I'm not saying they are going to do it, but all I'm saying it's possible for a service provider to do those things. The Comelec should be watchful of the activities of their service provider," said Lagman.
Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur (CNN Philippines, November 1)  Thousands of doses of COVID-19 vaccine were destroyed after a fire hit a local government facility Sunday evening, a health official said.

The Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Government Center in Barangay Dao, Pagadian City houses the offices of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), Department of Health (DOH) Provincial Office and Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

Dr. Anatalio Cagampang Jr., chief of the IPHO and the Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center, said the vaccines include AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Sinovac and other routine vaccines for hepatitis, measles, polio among others.

Cagampang sad an investigation has yet to account for the damage.

An initial report stated that the fire began at the ground floor maintenance hall, below the IPHO.

Cagampang said smoke filled the third and fourth floors of the adjacent structure where COVID-19 patients with moderate symptoms were admitted .

Twelve patients were temporarily evacuated to a nearby ward. Officials declared a fire out at 3:10 a.m.

No one was reported hurt.

Blood supply shortage seen

Meanwhile, Zamboanga del Sur and parts of Lanao may face blood supply shortage because of the damage to the PRC office, an official said.

Dr. Reynaldo Ortiz, PRC Zamboanga del Sur-Pagadian City chairman, said the fire damaged their lobby.

"Some items were either damaged due to heat exposure especially those with plastic parts and its wirings but all in all, bulk of the machines were okay but still needs to be checked, he said.

Personnel secured blood supplies and distributed these to hospitals.

Ortiz said supply in the coming weeks will be a concern as they have to transport blood for processing.

The DOH has two blood processing centers in the Zamboanga Peninsula - in Pagadian and Zamboanga City. The other processing center outside the region is in Cagayan de Oro City.
Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez is leading the country's delegation at the COP26 in Scotland. Dominguez is also serving as the chairman designate of the climate change commission. He is expected to share a sustainable finance roadmap, with policies centered on both economics and the environment.

The country earlier promised that it will reduce greenhouse gas emission by 75% come 2030. The Philippine is part of the Climate Change Summit as it is one of the countries that signed the Paris deal back in 2015.

Just how important is COP26 for our country? Joining us is Atty. Angela Ibay, head of the climate and energy program of World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines - one of the groups working to fight climate change.
(CNN)  Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that "about 340" Americans have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the US formally exited from the country in late August.

"Since August 31, as of today, we've gotten out -- of the Americans left who said that they wanted to leave -- about 340," Blinken told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union."

"What's happened since is this: more people have come forward in two ways. There were some small number of Americans in Afghanistan who didn't want to leave who have now seen that we've successfully been able to get some of the few remaining Americans out who have now come forward and said, 'We do want to leave,' and there are a couple hundred of those who are ready to leave and we will work to get them out," Blinken said, adding that some other Americans whom the department had not previously identified as potential evacuees have also come forward asking for help to leave the country.

The comments from Blinken come two months after the US completed its military withdrawal from Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover of the country. Though the vast majority of Americans in the country were airlifted out in a frantic evacuation effort ahead of the August 31 exit deadline, some remaining citizens have left since then with the help of the State Department.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said earlier this month the department has formed a team to coordinate across government agencies and with outside groups to facilitate the departure of American citizens, legal permanent residents of the US, and Afghans.

The precariousness of the situation was underscored earlier this month after most evacuation flights scheduled to depart Afghanistan during one week were canceled abruptly, according to a State Department email sent to US citizens in the country that was reviewed by CNN. The email did not say why the flights had been canceled and told the recipients to "be ready to travel on short notice," given how quickly the situation has been evolving.

Blinken, who noted on Sunday that many of the remaining Americans in Afghanistan are still there because their "entire lives" are in the country, reiterated that the US' commitment to evacuating its citizens will go on for as long as it needs to.

"There's no deadline to this effort. We'll continue to get them out," the secretary said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Blinken: 'About 340' Americans have been evacuated from Afghanistan since US withdrawal."
(CNN)  Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who is under house arrest following a military coup on Monday, says that he will never "willingly" stand down, according to sources close to the prime minister.

Hamdok's remarks come a day after hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated across the country in opposition to the October 25 takeover, and as international condemnation of the military's actions grows.

Hamdok, who has been detained since the coup, can only be met in the presence of a military escort, said the sources, who spoke to CNN exclusively on Sunday. However, the military is allowing international and local mediators to meet with him, as pressure from the United States and other international actors ratchets up for his release.

Sources close to the prime minister and the mediation talks laid out four steps that need to be taken to reinstate order in the country and to resume negotiations on Sunday, saying that it must start with Hamdok's release and a return to the "status quo."

Since the 2019 Sudan uprising that led to the toppling of President Omar al-Bashir's three-decade rule, Sudan had been ruled by a Sovereign Council and the transitional government, a shaky alliance of military and civilian groups.

Monday's coup, led by Sudan's top general, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, followed months of rising tensions in the country. Burhan was supposed to relinquish control of the council to a civilian leader in the next few weeks. Instead, he dissolved the council, saying that he would hold elections in July 2023 and hand over power to an "independent and fair representative government" then.

"The PM concedes the situation was untenable, however the change needed to occur through a political process," one source said.

Hamdok is now calling for an overhaul of the political process, leading to a re-structuring of the sovereign council, for him to have full authority and independence in forming a cabinet of politically independent technocrats of his own choosing and to broaden political participation for greater representation, the source said.

"Without this acknowledgment and without the commitment to return to how things were, the Prime Minister will not negotiate. He refuses to stand down willingly as Prime Minister," the source said.

The source also said that the military's stance is making negotiation difficult.

"What is obstructing talks currently is that the military leadership is unified in their current course of action and in their belief that this is not a coup but a 'correction of the revolution' i.e. part of the political process," the source said.

Opposition grows

A nationwide civil disobedience campaign in Sudan on Saturday brought the country's capital to a standstill, with streets filled with demonstrators chanting anti-military slogans and waving anti-coup banners.

The protests were called by the activist coalition Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) who are demanding the restoration of the country's transitional civilian government and who called on on protesters to join a "million-man march" against the military takeover.

"We are here to tell the world that we will not accept any military interference to decide the fate of our country," one protester in Khartoum said Saturday.

Protestors also called for Burhan's resignation.

The military took violent steps to repress the demonstrations, killing at least three people and wounding at least 100 others, according to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD), which is aligned with the civil component of the now-dissolved Sovereign Council.

The CCSD said people were wounded during the protests when the military fired live bullets and used tear gas at demonstrators in several areas across the country to disperse the crowds.

Defying the military's response, demonstrators called for protests to continue on Sunday evening. And civil disobedience campaigns continue throughout the country, with many shops and banks continuing to keep their doors closed in protest of the coup.

The coup has been widely condemned by world leaders, including those from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the African Union and the United Nations, who have all urged stakeholders to return to the country's democratic transition process.

On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he applauded the "courage of so many people who peacefully protested military rule."

"The military should take heed," Guterres said in a tweet. "Time to go back to the legitimate constitutional arrangements. Reports of violence are alarming & perpetrators must be brought to justice," he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok says he'll never step down 'willingly' in the wake of coup."
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A key program of the United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County will mark its 20th anniversary Nov. 9 with a dessert social and program at Carlisle United Methodist Church.

Success By 6 is an early childhood education initiative that works to make sure children in Carlisle and Cumberland County are ready for kindergarten.

Karen Quinn, the program director, discusses its founding and purpose in this weeks five questions.

What was the catalyst for starting Success By 6?

In 1998, the United Way conducted a needs assessment that identified the lack of quality, affordable child care as an issue within our community. As a result, a Child Care Task Force was convened to analyze the current state of child care in the greater Carlisle area. The task force was made up of volunteer community members, many with current or past experience working with children. Topics for research and discussion included accessibility, affordability, quality of programs and staffing. A series of recommendations for the United Way and for the community were identified. This task force became the precursor to Success By 6. In May 2000, the task force recommended that the United Way apply to become a Success By 6 organization. In 2001, Diane Halstead was named as the first director of this new organization.

How does the program work with children and their parents?

Success By 6 works to ensure that children in Carlisle and Cumberland County are ready to succeed by the time they enter kindergarten. Success By 6 brings together early childhood educators, public school administrators and teachers, business leaders, parents and advocates to work towards this common goal. A variety of publications, an annual early learning conference, preschool scholarship funding and community outreach programs assist early childhood educators and families throughout the year.

In 2007, United Way of Carlisle & Cumberland County, was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development as a Pre-Kindergarten Scholarship Organization. This designation allows us to provide scholarship assistance to low- to middle-income families so that children can attend a high-quality preschool program. To date, Success By 6 has provided more than $1.1 million in preschool tuition assistance to families.

Success By 6 is committed to childrens readiness for school. Two literacy initiatives work to ensure that children are gaining the early literacy skills needed for a successful transition to kindergarten. Since 2006, Reach Out and Read has been a community partnership between Success By 6 and Sadler Health Center. Doctors and nurse practitioners write a prescription for reading as part of a childs well visit. Each child, birth to age five, takes home a new book to read with their family. Success By 6 provides approximately 1,000 books each year to this program. Our newest program, entitled Real Men Read, places male volunteers into preschool classrooms to read to children each month and demonstrate to them that men are good readers. Today this program has expanded to four preschool centers. Both programs promote book ownership, home libraries and reading in the home.

Our newest initiative, Play and Learn Groups, offers school readiness sessions for children who may not be enrolled in a formal preschool program. Each group runs for a total of six sessions, one hour per week. Children participate in a variety of hands-on activities focusing on critical early learning skills such as early literacy, motor skill development, counting, sorting, colors and letters. Play and Learn Groups will be held throughout the 2021-2022 school year at Amelia S. Givin Library in Mount Holly Springs and at Bosler Memorial Library in Carlisle.

How has Success By 6 evolved over the years?

Recommendations from the Child Care Task Force guided the work of Success By 6 for many years. Recommendations included: improve safety in child care settings; expand and extend child care services; support accreditation of child care centers; educate the community about the importance of child care and its costs; and, assist with professional development training. Today, many state organizations such as the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, PA Keys and the Department of Human Services ensure that child care centers are safe and working towards increased quality and provide strong academic, social and emotional programming for childrens success in school. A statewide initiative, known as the Professional Development Organization through Shippensburg University, now focuses on providing tuition free credential and credit bearing courses for early childhood educators. Strong professional development and coursework leading to a college degree will significantly enhance the quality of the child care workforce in the coming years. Success By 6 will continue to advocate for higher wages for child care workers as their educational status increases.

What are some key moments in the programs history that helped to sustain it or grow it to a different level?

Several programs stand out in our programs history. Professional development opportunities such as providing business skills training for center directors and early literacy training for child care educators gave child care programs the needed assistance to improve the quality of their work with children and staff. The Night of the Stars was an evening event that honored child care workers for their professional development accomplishments and honored child care centers for earning their Keystone Star designations. Keystone Stars is Pennsylvanias rating system to ensure a high standard of quality in early child care programs. Centers earn a Keystone Star 1 with licensing and achieve the highest quality rating at Star 4. Success By 6 also advocated that business leaders help address lack of public investment in early learning. The symposium stressed the importance of quality early education and its economic impact on the work force of tomorrow. This symposium eventually became the PA Early Learning Investment Commission.

Where do you see the program going in the future?

In 2019, Success By 6 embarked on a First 10 Schools and Community initiative in partnership with the Carlisle Area School District, South Middleton School District and the Foundation for Enhancing Communities. Early childhood educators, and public school teachers provided the foundation for a First 10 Strategic Plan. Two important goals will determine our future work: support early childhood development and learning through targeted support for families, caregivers and early childhood programs; and ensure smooth, aligned transitions into kindergarten for all children and families to promote success in kindergarten and beyond. Several initiatives are underway to meet these goals. These initiatives include our Play and Learn Groups, a parent education program entitled, Positive Solutions for Families, and the development of transition to kindergarten spaces in public libraries. Positive Solutions for Families focuses on a childs social and emotional development. Social and emotional development ensures that children have the regulatory and self-help skills to be ready for school. Over the coming months, parents will see a small section in our local public libraries as a designated space for transitioning to kindergarten. These spaces will have a variety of books and activities for children to learn about going to kindergarten.

Email Tammie at tgitt@cumberlink.com. Follow her on Twitter @TammieGitt.

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State Police at Carlisle are looking for information regarding a group of men they believe are behind multiple robberies in which pedestrians are beaten and their items taken.
Eric Sands is cautiously optimistic that the Carlisle Area School District could turn the corner on the local school bus driver shortage.

As district director of management services, Sands briefed the school board last week on efforts with the Fahrney Bus Co. to recruit and train more drivers.

I do see hope on the horizon, but its not a quick or easy solution, he said. It seems that every step is taking a little bit longer this year.

For example, drivers scheduled to take their road test last week were later advised to reschedule into this week. Also, results from mandatory drugs tests are taking four times as long to return from the lab. At least one local driver waited almost two weeks, Sands said.

Economic forces are also at play in the bus driver shortage. Driving a school bus requires a commercial drivers license that can take weeks to obtain. And people who have them can often find higher-paying work that doesnt require splitting the day for pickup and drop-off.

A bright spot has been the initiative by Gov. Tom Wolfs office and Pennsylvania departments of education and transportation to compile a list of people who have a commercial drivers license and an interest in driving a school bus.

PennDOT mailed a letter from PDE reaching out to approximately 376,000 individuals with Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDL) to help connect interested drivers with school entities. The letter included information for a survey link for individuals who had an interest in exploring employment opportunities.

PennDOT said last week that more than 1,300 individuals have expressed an interest in serving as a school bus driver through the survey. Those interested individuals will now be contacted by their local school districts to discuss next steps in licensure.

We know how challenging this year has been for our schools, communities, and parents; and we know how important it is to form partnerships and pool resources in times of crisis, said Pennsylvania Department of Education Secretary Noe Ortega. The Wolf Administration and the Pennsylvania School Bus Association stand committed to supporting our schools as they work to resolve these difficult transportation issues, and we encourage anyone interested in becoming a school bus driver to apply online.

Weve received the list and started reaching out to individuals, Sands said. Hopefully, we will be able to get a couple drivers from the list, but the list is not extensive.

Sands is starting his seventh year as the administrator in charge of overseeing the districts transportation system. This is the worst Ive seen it, he said of the shortage of school bus drivers. This has been coming. There has been a shortage in different areas of the country for the past three years. COVID has just amplified it.

The driver shortage has become its own national pandemic, Sands said. He estimated that Carlisle is short at least six to nine drivers.

We are combining some routes, he said. We are doubling routes. What used to be two routes by two drivers is now two routes by one driver, he said. They are picking up one run a bit early, dropping students off at school and then doing a second run.

Administrators in neighboring districts are encountering the same type of challenges. It is now very common for bus company executives and office staff to cover bus runs.

Email Joseph Cress at jcress@cumberlink.com.

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At a Georgia state House of Representatives hearing on prison conditions in September, a corrections officer called in to testify, interrupting his shift to tell lawmakers how dire conditions had become.

On a "good day," he told lawmakers, he had maybe six or seven officers to supervise roughly 1,200 people. He said he had recently been assigned to look after 400 prisoners by himself. There weren't enough nurses to provide medical care.

"All the officers  absolutely despise working there," said the officer, who didn't give his name for fear of retaliation.

In Texas, Lance Lowry quit after 20 years as a corrections officer to become a long-haul trucker because he couldn't bear the job any longer. Watching friends and coworkers die from COVID-19, along with dwindling support from his superiors, wore on him.

"I would have liked to stay till I was 50," said Lowry, 48. "But the pandemic changed that."

Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. But the coronavirus pandemic  and its impact on the labor market  has pushed many corrections systems into crisis. Officers are retiring and quitting in droves, while officials struggle to recruit new employees. And some prisons whose populations dropped during the pandemic have seen their numbers rise again, exacerbating the problem.

There is no one thing pushing prison employees out in high numbers now. Some are leaving for new opportunities as more places are hiring. University of Michigan economist Betsey Stevenson pointed to the increased risk of COVID-19 for people working in prisons.

"When jobs become riskier, it becomes harder to attract workers," she wrote in an email. "By failing to protect prisoners from COVID, the criminal justice system not only created an unfair risk of severe illness and death for the incarcerated, but the increased COVID risk to employees has undoubtedly contributed to staffing shortages."

Unions representing prison officers in states including Massachusetts and California and at the federal level also claim vaccine mandates will drive out unvaccinated employees and exacerbate understaffing, though it's unclear how big of an impact those rules will have.

"There are dozens of reasons to leave and very few to stay," said Brian Dawe, national director of One Voice United, a nonprofit supporting corrections officers. "Understaffing, poor pay, poor benefits, horrendous working conditions.  Officers and their families in many jurisdictions have had enough."

Employers from construction companies to restaurants are having difficulty hiring and keeping people. Nearly 3% of American workers, 4.3 million, quit their jobs in August, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But the stakes are higher in prisons, where having fewer guards means significantly more dangerous conditions for incarcerated people. And for the officers left behind, worsening shortages have made an already difficult job unbearable, many say.

In Georgia, some prisons report up to 70% vacancy rates. In Nebraska, overtime hours have quadrupled since 2010, as fewer officers are forced to work longer hours. Florida has temporarily closed three prisons out of more than 140 because of understaffing, and vacancy rates have nearly doubled there in the last year. And at federal prisons across the country, guards are picketing in front of their facilities over understaffing, while everyone from prison teachers to dentists is pulled in to cover security shifts. In recent weeks, reporters from The Marshall Project and The Associated Press have spoken with workers, officials, attorneys and people incarcerated in more than a dozen prison systems to understand the consequences of the staffing shortfalls.

The federal Bureau of Prisons says about 93% of its front-line guard positions are filled, with little more than 1,000 vacancies, though workers in many prisons say they're feeling the pinch as others are conscripted to fill in for missing officers.

Asked last week in a U.S. Senate hearing about federal prison staffing, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, "I agree this is a serious problem at the Bureau of Prisons."

Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco was working with the bureau to address staffing issues.

Inside prisons, growing shortages mean a rise in lockdowns. Restrictions that might have begun as a way to stop the spread of COVID-19 have continued because there aren't enough guards to supervise activities. Some incarcerated people say they can't take classes, participate in group therapy sessions or even work out in the recreation yard or take a shower. That can force those in general population into de facto solitary confinement, and those already in segregation into near-total lockdown.

"If we get rec once a week, that's a good week," said Anthony Haynes, who is on Texas' death row in a unit that is barely half-staffed. "We don't always get showers."

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice did not respond to Haynes' claims but acknowledged that staffing is a challenge in Texas' prisons.

"Before COVID-19, staffing was frequently impacted by economic surges and competing employment opportunities," said spokesman Robert Hurst in an email. "The pandemic has exacerbated these issues. We also recognize that the job of the correctional officer is one of the most difficult in all of state government." He added that Texas has closed six of its more than 100 facilities in the last year due to staffing problems.

Kansas has cut job training and reduced supervision for people after they're released. Two-thirds of the men in Nebraska's prisons can't see visitors on the weekends  when most families are free to travel  because of understaffing.

Dr. Homer Venters, a former chief medical officer for the jail system in New York City, inspects conditions in prisons around the country for court cases. Understaffing will lead to an increase in preventable prison deaths, he said, as the quality of care reaches new lows.

"Things are much worse behind bars now than they have been for a long time," Venters said. "There are so many staff that have left. That means that basic clinical services, like getting to scheduled appointments, just isn't happening the way it was even five years ago."

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Fredericktown Police Chief Eric Hovis talked to members at the Madison County Chamber of Commerce's October meeting about intruder training and workplace safety.

Hovis has been a police officer for 21 years. During his career, he has worked in a variety of different areas and has participated in a lot of training sessions, including becoming an instructor for active assailant training.

"What we do is, we train from the very beginning," Hovis said. "We walk through the whole scenario."

Hovis said he has attended several active shooter schools but the best one is called ALICE: Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate.

"There is a policy for everything that we have to do, but a lot of banks, schools, churches, the places we go they having nothing on active shooters," Hovis said. "They are not training their people for these types of situations. A lot of people think 'oh I know what I would do in that situation.'"

Hovis said whether you are a seasoned veteran or not, you never know how someone is going to respond to the situation, which is why you have to have the training.

"A lot of places don't have policies for any of this, they are just kind of winging it," Hovis said. "I would like to change that. To get people to think and go back and get procedures in place."

Hovis said, with ALICE, the first thing is to alert the rest of the employees or building and to inform the police.

"Rescue is not going to happen until the police are informed," Hovis said. "Nothing is going to happen until we know there is something happening."

Hovis said the training teaches you what options you have if the situation occurs. He said doing nothing is not good.

"You have to do something, whether it is call and inform, give us a description, you have to do something," Hovis said. "If a shooter walks in the door, if you have an intercom system or a way of communicating, get that to the people in the rest of the building.

"Lock down, if someone came in here now and they came in through a door and we heard shots, we are going to try and get into a room where we can secure it, lock it down. We dont teach counter(-offensive actions) unless it is the last ditch effort, but you do have to do something."

Hovis said people frequently go into fight, flight or freeze response. When the training team approaches a facility, he said, it is hands-on training and puts the employees in the scenarios.

"We have so many scenarios," Hovis said. "We get people up. We get them active and get them hands-on training. When we come to your facility, we teach your personnel how to handle things and what they would do. We put them in the moment and get them thinking."

Hovis said as part of the session, they tour the facility to check for any weaknesses.

"I get a lot of people looking at me like, 'Really, we are talking about this?', nobody wants to talk about it until it is happening," Hovis said. "There was a school shooting in Tennessee (the day before), by the way. You have to get policies and procedures and get with your people and you have to do it regularly."

Hovis said the training is free and available to anyone. If your business or organization is interested in active assailant training and assistance with creating a policy, contact the Fredericktown Police Department.

Also during the meeting, Missouri Department of Higher Education Workforce Development Employee Relations and Engagement Specialist Vickey Bonney presented Madison County with a proclamation declaring the county has attained the designation as a Certified Work Ready Community.

"As a community, taking steps to pursue the Work Ready Community Certification is about a great vision of economic strength and competitiveness," Bonney said. "Missouri launched the Certified Work Ready Community initiative in 2012 and has since engaged communities across the state to provide workers with competitive job skills and a pipeline of talent."

Bonney congratulated the room full of employers for helping Madison County attain the certification and apologized for the delay of the presentation due to COVID-19 and other issues.

"It is now time to work toward recertification, and the county is already very close," Bonney said. "If you would like to support the initiative, please either see me after the meeting today or contact the chamber board."

Victoria Kemper is a reporter for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at 573-783-3366 or at vkemper@democratnewsonline.com

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  Missouris Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday said his administration won't help enforce President Joe Bidens federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate in some limited instances.

Parson's executive order bans his administration from enforcing the mandate or penalizing noncompliance, but only when people refuse coronavirus vaccination for religious or medical reasons.

While Biden has argued that the sweeping mandates will help end the deadly pandemic, Republicans nationwide have opposed the vaccination requirements and warned that they could exacerbate supply-chain problems.

These federal mandates pose a significant risk to our state economy and workforce, and jeopardize public health by increasing vaccine hesitancy, Parson wrote in his order.

Biden is expected to release details soon about implementing the mandate. The Democrat has said companies with at least 100 employees will have to require all their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The mandate for federal contractors goes into effect in December, and it does not have a testing option.

Let me be clear, we continue to encourage all Missourians to get vaccinated, Parson said. We can support vaccination without supporting mandates. We are issuing this order to protect our system of government and the individual rights of Missourians to make their own health care decisions.

Parson said Missouri, which ranks in the bottom 10 of states based on the percentage of the total population that have completed vaccinations, has been doing fine without mandates.

Close to half of Missourians have been fully vaccinated, according to data from the state health department. Of the population eligible to be vaccinated, those at least 12 years old, the vaccination rate is closer to 58%. More than 80% of Missourians 65 and older, who are considered at high risk for COVID-19 complications, are fully vaccinated.

Other Republican governors have taken similar stands against Biden's vaccine requirement.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday directed the states executive-branch agencies not to cooperate with the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, where possible. And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Oct. 11 to bar private companies or any other entity from requiring vaccines.

Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced the state is suing the Biden administration over the vaccine mandate for federal contractors, and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Wednesday said he plans to sue, too.

Parson's executive order also directs his administration to comply with any lawsuits Schmitt files against the federal vaccine mandate.

Democratic state House Minority Leader Crystal Quade said in a statement that Parson's order is generally toothless.

The governors executive order appears carefully crafted to do absolutely nothing  except promote the attorney generals latest frivolous lawsuit at taxpayer expense, she said. "If these two put as much energy into fighting the pandemic as they do into fighting those fighting the pandemic, Missouri would be in a much stronger position.

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Every one of these people, Im sure there are lots of things I dont know about all their lives  theyre all human beings like I am and you are, and they have flaws. And thats the really good news, you know, that we can all be flawed human beings and still stand up for things, still inspire people to action, he said.

Douglas asked what the truth means to Shetterly in his work. Shetterly often presents his work at schools, and said he looks to tell stories that will appeal to and inspire people of all ages.

Shetterly referenced the ongoing nationwide debates over critical race theory in schools, and how it is important to broadcast the true history of America and the people who fought for equal rights and justice. He said this is one of the goals of his work, along with broadcasting the consequences of the climate crisis.

What [people] are talking about is its un-American to teach the real history of this country, you know, who paid the price for this, who did the work, who was exploited, what environments are exploited. And there are lots of lies and the perpetuation of the lies goes on and on, Shetterly said.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  Frances president offered Britain extra time for negotiations on Monday to try to reach a compromise on a troubling post-Brexit fishing spat, hours ahead of a threatened French blockade of British ships and trucks.

France has threatened to bar British boats from some of its ports and tighten checks on boats and trucks carrying British goods if more French vessels arent licensed to fish in U.K. waters by Tuesday. Paris has also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands, which are heavily dependent on French electricity.

The French government had said the port blockade would begin at midnight Monday if no compromise was found. But late in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said talks would continue this week and no measures would be taken until at least through Thursday.

Speaking to reporters Monday in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is attending an international climate conference, Macron said the discussions center on a proposal he made to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after they met at the G-20 meeting in Rome on Sunday.

I asked the British to come back to us tomorrow with other propositions, Macron said. We will see where we are at the end of day tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the last day to turn in your November ballot, and there are plenty of boxes to drop it off in Linn County.

As of noon Monday, 21,175 out of 95,590 registered voters had voted in the county, or 21.57%. Keep reading to find out whats in the ballot and where you can drop it off.

Measure 22-189

This is the main countywide issue in the November election. The measure calls for an increase in the four-year law enforcement levy, which funds the Linn County Sheriffs Office, Juvenile Department and District Attorneys Office.

The measure would increase voters property tax from $2.83 per $1,000 of assessed value to $2.98 per $1,000 of assessed value. This is a 15 cent increase.

Measure 22-188

Only pertaining to voters within Mill City, this measure would allow the sale and production of cannabis within city limits, and the city would collect tax revenue of 3% on all marijuana sales in town.

Measure 24-459

Only pertaining to property owners within the Stayton Rural Fire Protection District, including Lyons, this measure calls for a property tax rate of 88 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to fund fire services.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Where to vote

Its too late to mail in your ballot, but there are plenty of boxes to drop them off around town. Here is a comprehensive list of ballot boxes in Linn County to ensure that your vote is counted.

Linn County Courthouse Dropbox - 300 SW Fourth Ave.

Open 24/7, and midnight until 8 p.m. Tuesday

North Albany Shopping Center - 621 Northwest Hickory St., Albany

Open 24/7, and midnight until 8 p.m. Tuesday

Albany Public Library - 2450 14th Ave. SE, Albany

Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Millersburg City Hall - 4222 Old Salem Road NE, Millersburg

Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Lebanon Police Department Drop Box - 40 N. Second St., Lebanon

Open 24/7, and from midnight until 8 p.m. Tuesday

Lebanon Public Library - 55 Academy St., Lebanon

Open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Halsey City Hall - 100 Halsey St., Halsey

Open 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday

Linn County Sheriff - Lebanon Substation - 2590 S. Main Road, Lebanon

Open 24/7, and from midnight Tuesday until 8 p.m.

Harrisburg City Hall - 120 Smith St., Harrisburg

Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Brownsville City Hall - 255 N. Main St., Brownsville

Open 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., Tuesday

Scio City Hall - 38957 NW First Ave., Scio

Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Sweet Home Police Department Drop Box - 1950 Main St,, Sweet Home

Open 24/7, and from midnight to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Sweet Home City Hall - 3225 Main St., Sweet Home

Open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Joanna Mann covers education for Mid-Valley Media. She can be contacted at 541-812-6076 or Joanna.Mann@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter via @joanna_mann_.

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Armenia had to battle through 2020 on two fronts: the Covid-19 pandemic that effectively shut down the economy, and a brief but brutal war with neighbouring Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The country has struggled to build economic momentum and independence since breaking away from the Soviet Union in 1991, and these two events have only served to further delay Armenias prospects for economic recovery in the short to medium term.

Despite the woes besetting the country on the larger scale, Armenias telecom sector was still able to post modest gains  at least in the mobile and broadband segments. Its fixed-line penetration continues to slide downwards, only buttressed by the rollout of fibre networks which have encouraged the take up of bundled services. Even so, the fixed broadband market remains undeveloped, being somewhat hamstrung by the lack of underlying infrastructure outside the main cities.

In general, Armenias small population and low GDP per capita means that the country presents limited opportunities for growth. The one bright spot for the sector is mobile broadband, which is expected reach 130% penetration rate by 2026, at a CAGR of more than 8.6%. However, this is subject to the country managing to avoid conflict.

Key developments:

Telecom Armenia was sold by its owner VEON to Team LLC, a new business started by two former executives and co-founders of Telecom Armenias closest competitor Ucom.

Beeline contracted with Nokia to deploy the latters GPON infrastructure throughout the country.

Ucom started trialling a 1Gb/s fibre service packaged with TV and fixed-voice telephony.

This report includes the regulator's market data to Q1 2021, telcos' financial and operating data updates to June 2021, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, and other recent market developments.

Get a Full Copy of this Report

Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeComm, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeComm report:

Report title: Armenia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: September 2021

Lead Analyst: Sebastien De Rosbo

Number of pages: 129

Companies mentioned in this report: Telecom Armenia (ArmenTel, Beeline), Ucom, VivaCell-MTS

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$890

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Armenia-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
The telecommunications provider in Indonesia PT Indosat Tbk, doing business as Indosat Ooredoo, said that its revenue increased by 12% year-on-year to IDR 23 trillion in the nine months ended 30 September 2021.

Indonesian operator Indosat said in a press release that its cellular revenue rose by 10.3% YoY to IDR 18.8 trillion. EBITDA increased 22.7% YoY to reach IDR 10.4 trillion in the nine months of the year due to a combination of top-line growth and a continued focus on operational cost efficiencies, it said. These helped deliver EBITDA margin growth of 4.0 ppt YoY, to 45.1%.

According to the press release, during Q3 2021, Indosat Ooredoo announced the launch of commercial 5G services in Jakarta and Surabaya, following the first launch of 5G in Solo back in June 2021.

5G service is the next step in bringing world-class digital experiences to people in Indonesia, as aligned with Indosat Ooredoos commitment to be at the forefront of Indonesias 5G revolution, the release noted.

During the quarter Indosat Ooredoo also continued its 4G network coverage expansion across the country, bringing 4G/LTE services to 124 remote villages in Aceh, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi, said the release.

The network deployment is part of the companys commitment to supporting the Governments program to fulfill 4G coverage throughout Indonesia and deploying 4G/LTE service across 645 remote villages by 2022. In the nine months of 2021, Indosat Ooredoos total BTS reached almost 126000 with a total of more than 70000 4G BTS.

President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo, Ahmad Al-Neama, said: "We launched 5G services in more cities helping to transform Indonesia into a 5G-capable nation. And we continued to bring the very best digital technologies and products to our customers in strategic partnership with some of the worlds leading technology companies. We are fully committed to supporting the Governments agenda to turn Indonesia into a digital powerhouse in the region.
The government of Djibouti is talking up the sustained network deployments by national carrier Djibouti Telecom as it prepares to sell a 40% stake in the incumbent operator.

According to Agence Ecofin, the operator has expanded its 4G/LTE network from the countrys eponymous capital to encompass areas in all five of its interior regions, and its broadband network now extends to the Tadjourah region, including the northern road corridor connecting to Balho. The government claims this will help Djibouti Telecom to connect users of the corridor leading to Ethiopia to high speed mobile internet.

In the south of Djibouti, the operator is finalising the installation of 4G technology at its existing GSM sites in the As Eyla, Galileh, Goubetto and HolHoll regions.

In August this year, Djiboutis government set a deadline of 16th September for potential investors to express their interest in obtaining a 40% stake in Djibouti Telecom. Djibouti is one of the last markets in Africa in which the incumbent operator holds an effective monopoly over the telecoms sector, and the government has signalled that this is likely to change imminently.

A government statement read: The state of Djibouti does not consider the monopoly as an intangible dogma  In the context of a development that has been experienced by the vast majority of African and emerging countries, the company must prepare to face competition from new entrants and the liberalisation of the sector, particularly in the cell phone sector.
Airtel Networks Kenya has taken aim at regulator the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK), alleging bias in favour of Airtels rival Safaricom.

In a petition to Kenyas parliament, Airtel has accused the CAK of ignoring market dominance by Safaricom.

By the end of June Safaricom apparently claimed 64 per cent of the local market, more than double Airtels 27 per cent share. Telkom Kenya has seven percent of the market. The gap could have been smaller by now but, as readers will be aware, Airtel abandoned a planned merger with Telkom Kenya last year, citing unacceptable conditions and delays in receiving regulatory approvals.

Part of Airtels argument is that declaring one or more players dominant has already happened in a number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

It appears that in Burkina Faso Airtel and Telmob were declared dominant, while Congo Brazzaville declared MTN and Airtel dominant. In Nigeria MTN was declared dominant. In all these cases the market share of the dominant players was just under 40 percent, except for Nigeria where the share was 44 percent.

Airtel points out that Safaricom has a larger share of the Kenyan market and that declaring Safaricom dominant would be the first step towards ensuring market competitiveness.

It also insists that there has been bias in the allocation of spectrum, with Safaricom holding much more than its rivals, and wants a review (presumably downwards) of the mobile termination rate (MTR) which has apparently remained at Sh0.99 (just under one US cent) for the past six years.

How serious a declaration of dominance would be is a moot point as the CAK has, to date, shown little interest in accusing Safaricom of unfair competitive practices.
What are some of these newer cannabinoids, and what is the evidence they may help us?

Unfortunately, much of the data for these newly discovered compounds comes from animal studies, so it is going to take some time  and high-quality research  to determine if the benefits that have been found in animals will apply to humans.

CBG

CBG, or cannabigerol, is a nonintoxicating cannabinoid that is being marketed for the alleviation of anxiety, pain, infection, inflammation, nausea, and even the treatment of cancer. It has a wide variety of potential medical uses, but virtually all of the studies that have been done on it have been done in animals, so it is difficult to fully extrapolate to humans. Experiments in mice have shown that it can decrease inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease, and that it can slow the growth of colorectal cancer. In cells, it inhibits glioblastoma multiforme cells (the type of brain cancer that Sen. John McCain suffered from).
Twelve bills related to vaccinations were introduced in the ongoing special session on redistricting, but key lawmakers said they do not expect to debate the proposals before the winter regular session.

House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said Republicans want to fight the mandate but suggested it would be counterproductive to pass legislation that couldnt impact federal law. The U.S. Constitutions supremacy clause is clear that federal law overrides any conflicting state laws.

The last thing we want to do is have a knee jerk reaction on something that may sound good politically, but in substance what does it do. You havent done the people any justice by doing it that way, McCutcheon said.

Businesses with federal contracts could be placed in a uncomfortable situation if torn between conflicting state and federal mandates. Some current mandates  such as a hospital requiring doctors to get yearly flu shots  could be impacted by the proposed bills.

Republican Sen. Arthur Orr of Decatur said there will be ongoing discussions about how to craft legislation that could help the state litigation. Orr said he is hearing more and more stories of people faced with losing their jobs because they are not vaccinated.

It's been tragic, Orr said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ABBEVILLE  Police arrested a Dothan man after he allegedly shot and killed a Georgia man here Friday night.

Bruce Edward Weems, 23, was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of 45-year-old Willie James Davis of Fort Gaines, Georgia, according to an Abbeville Police Department press release.

Abbeville PD was dispatched to a reported shooting at Girard Court Apartments around 7:18 p.m. on Friday. Once on scene, officers located a male subject who had been shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead on scene by Henry County Coroner Derek Wright.

The scene was secured and information was obtained that the alleged gunman fled on foot.

The Henry County Task Force was paged out to investigate and process the scene as well as the Henry County SWAT Team and the Alabama Department of Corrections K-9 team from Ventress prison to aid in the apprehension.

After a four-hour manhunt, units tracked down and apprehended Weems, who is currently being held in the Henry County Jail with a $500,000 bond.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Sydneys international airport came alive with tears, embraces and laughter on Monday as Australia opened its border for the first time in 20 months, with some arriving travelers removing mandatory masks to see the faces of loved ones theyve been separated from for so long.

Australia and other countries in the Asia-Pacific have had some of the worlds strictest COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures and travel restrictions, but with vaccination rates rising and cases falling, many are now starting to cautiously reopen.

Some, like China and Japan, remain essentially sealed off to foreign visitors, but Thailand also started to substantially reopen Monday and many others have already started, or plan to follow suit.

Traveler Carly Boyd seized the opportunity presented by the new Australian regulations to jump on the first flight home from New York to surprise her parents, whom she hadn't seen in three years.

Just being able to come home without having to go to quarantine is huge, she told reporters at Sydneys airport, where the country's unofficial anthem I Still Call Australia Home was playing.
Vietnam Airlines to begin regular flights to US this month

A Vietnam Airlines staff checks temperature of a passenger at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Vietnam Airlines plans to operate its first regular flight to the U.S. starting at the end of this month, which will make it the first Vietnamese carrier to do so.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has deemed that Vietnam Airlines met its safety requirements to operate flights from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCMC to San Francisco International Airport in California, the carrier said in a statement.

The airline is waiting for the final permit from the Federal Aviation Administration and will start flying immediately afterward.

Vietnam Airlines and start-up carrier Bamboo Airways both have permits for charter flights to the U.S., but not regular services.

Vietnam Airlines was ordered by the Ministry of Transport in 2003 to begin direct services to the U.S. by 2005.

But concerns about profitability delayed them until now.
Citics, a Vietnamese property technology (proptech) startup, said it mobilized $1.3 million in its latest round of funding, to expand its existing business and invest in new technologies.

In a recent Series A bridge round, Citics secured $1.3 million from Ho Chi Minh City-based Vietnam Investments Group, Singapore-based Vulpes Investment Management and Hanoi-based BHS Group. Before this round, it mobilized a total $1.7 million from local and foreign investors.

Citics founder and CEO Tran Minh Long said the proptech startup would in December launch a new version of Citics Valuation to better valuate property and real estate projects.

Citics has so far this year signed eight cooperative deals with banks, lifting the total number of banking customers to 17. Bankers can check the details and preliminary value of property on Citics platform.
The airline also confirmed that local firm APG UK will be its representative in the U.K.

Bamboo Airways chairman Trinh Van Quyet said that the direct flights could commence as early as this year when the resumption of commercial flights between the two countries is allowed.

The airline said it expects to operate six round trips a week between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and London; and increase frequency based on demand.

Bamboo Airways's direct flights would help cut travel time between Vietnam and the U.K. to around 12 hours, seven hours quicker than flights that require transit.

The flights are expected to drop off and take passengers at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 2, connecting Vietnam's Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports with the U.K.'s largest airport. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will be used for flights on the Vietnam-U.K. routes, the airline said.

Nguyen Hoang Long, Vietnamese ambassador to the U.K., said opening direct flights between the two countries would boost commerce and people to people exchanges, and would be particularly beneficial for the Vietnamese community in the U.K.

APG UK, a passenger and cargo representation company, will support the airline with sales, marketing and customer support as also issues related to aviation policies and procedures.
A high vaccination rate means people in Hanoi and HCMC are returning to their daily rhythms but without dropping their guard against Covid-19.

Nguyen Thanh Tung, 27, an office worker in Ho Chi Minh Citys District 1, wraps up his day by working out at a gym near his house in District 10 before going home for dinner with his family or seeing his friends at Ho Thi Ky Night Market.

"Having snacks and bubble tea with friends was what I was longing for during the recent lockdown, and now everything has slowly resumed," he says while standing in line to buy fried chicken from a street vendor in the market, a street food haven.

Saigonese visit Ho Thi Ky Street in District 10, a popular spot among foodies with over 100 stalls, on Oct. 21, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Huynh Nhi

Around him, the parking lot is filled with hundreds of motorbikes and the sounds of honking and people talking, as they stand under fluorescent bulbs and wait to buy their favorite snacks.

"I am fully vaccinated, and so quite confident venturing out," Tung says.

He is among 5.7 million Saigonese who have been fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus and are stepping into the new normal.

As the outbreak gradually under control, high vaccination rates in cities like HCMC and Hanoi and authorities shift from a zero-virus strategy to living with the pandemic has enabled these localities to lift most restrictions and resume most activities.

This has encouraged more people to return to their daily rhythms and fill up eateries, malls, offices, airports, and public spaces once again.

Many daily activities like going to religious places, shopping and working out have also resumed.

"I am happy that I can go to the church and see my friends every day," Nguyen Thi Binh of District 3 says.

"Online church service was okay, but we all yearned for social interaction".

People, especially young ones, are thrilled to touch base with friends after months of lockdowns.

Nguyen Thuy Ly, a student in HCMCs District 10, says, "Life is almost normal now. I can have coffee or dinner with my friends at eateries instead of buying takeout".

The southern metro again allowed dine-in guests at restaurants and coffee shops starting Thursday after five months of bans.

A coffee shop on Hanoi's Ba Trieu Street is full of customers, Oct. 14, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Hanoi allowed dine-in customers, reopened parks and hotels and resumed public transportation in mid-October.

Offices have also reopened, allowing millions of vaccinated workers to return to work.

"We had employees coming to work in turns last month, but with the pandemic situation less severe in October, everyone is back and every thing is at full capacity," Truong Thi Thuy, an HR officer at a paper-producing firm in Hanois Long Bien District, said.

Le Thi Kim, a butcher at Saigon's Ban Co Market, said she was at ease with reopening her stall.

"Most people around me and I are all vaccinated, so I am not worried".

Resumption of domestic air services and interprovincial transport has also brought back an air of normalcy, with people sighing in relief at being able to go on business trips or reunite with family and friends.

Precautions still needed

With the pandemic not fully contained yet, many people understand that the virus still poses a threat and take precautions as a matter of habit now.

Tran Thi Mai, 40, of HCMC's District 3, her husband and mother are all fully vaccinated, but she still strictly complies with safety measures like avoiding crowded places since she is worried for her 10-year-old son.

"I won't feel safe until my son is fully vaccinated".

As previously reported, Vietnam now uses the Pfizer vaccine to immunize people aged 12-17.

Face masks and hand sanitizers are still ubiquitous, reminding people of the pandemic.

People are also required to scan QR codes to make health declarations before entering public places.

"Scanning QR codes is now a part of our daily life: we scan at work, in malls, in coffee shops," Nguyen Thanh Tuan, a banker in Hanois Long Bien District, says.

A person scans a QR code for medical declaration before entering a pho shop on Hanoi's Hai Ba Trung Street on Oct. 14, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

In both Hanoi and HCMC, employees at eateries must be fully vaccinated, and customers have to make a health declaration via QR code before entering.

As the country learns to live with the virus, the government is urging people to be personally responsible to ensure safety.

Besides speeding up vaccination, it is gradually lifting mandates and restrictions to reopen the economy.

Restaurants and other food and beverage establishments in Hanoi and HCMC are allowed to have dine-in customers at half their maximum capacity.

While the capital has not permitted businesses to sell alcohol, HCMC has given the green light to regular restaurants in District 7 and Thu Duc City to serve alcohol on a trial basis until Nov. 15, but requires all to close by 9 p.m.

The country is still gingerly moving toward normalcy but the pandemic remains a threat.

In recent days new clusters have been found in many parts of the country, mostly linked to people returning from HCMC and its neighboring localities after they eased restrictions in early Oct., allowing migrant workers to travel to their hometowns.

Northern localities like Hanoi and Bac Giang and Vinh Phuc provinces have also reported infections among returnees. As of Monday, the country has recorded more than 916,000 Covid cases in the current outbreak.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said Sunday: "We are worried about new outbreaks in the coming time. Localities need to remain vigilant."

In HCMC, Tung plans to eat hotpot with his friends this weekend, something they have not done since the outbreak resurfaced in late April.

He has bought some Covid test kits and will use them if he has symptoms.

"I enjoy normal life but I will not forget that the coronavirus is still here and will be here for long."
Hanoi plans to vaccinate children against Covid-19 until the first quarter of 2022, prioritizing areas with outbreaks, its Peoples Committee said Monday.

The exact date for vaccination would depend on the Ministry of Healths vaccine distribution for the capital. The goal is to vaccinate all children aged 12-17 in the city, prioritizing those aged 16-17 before moving down to other age groups.

Khong Minh Tuan, deputy director of the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC), on Monday said the city could vaccinate those aged 12 and under too if there are enough vaccine doses. Doses would be prioritized for districts with new cases, high population density, a high number of areas with crowds and traffic entrances, among other factors, he said.

The Hanoi CDC has listed around 700,000-850,000 children eligible for vaccination. If all students could study in-person at schools, they would be vaccinated at schools. Or else, they would get vaccinated at other facilities.

Vaccinating children might be more difficult than vaccinating adults as they could be scared of doctors, requiring family members to accompany them, which may lead to large crowds streaming to vaccination stations, said Tuan. As such, facilities should have enough equipment to meet every demand, and children should be prepared mentally prior to getting their shots, he added.

Children would also need to be monitored at least seven days after getting their jabs, he said.

Vietnam has approved two types of Covid-19 vaccines, one by Pfizer and the other by Moderna, to vaccinate children aged 12-17.

The country has vaccinated around 57 million adults with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot while 24.3 million have been fully vaccinated.

Children under 18 account for around 17 percent of all Covid-19 infections in Vietnam, according to data from the health ministry.
Students at the Xuan Phuong Primary School in Hanoi's Nam Tu Liem District go to school on March 2, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

Hanoi plans to let students of fifth, sixth, ninth, 10th and 12th grades in 18 outskirt towns and districts return to school starting November 8, the municipal Partys Committee said Monday.

Those in the aforementioned grades would be able to attend classes in-person if their communes or towns are deemed to have low and medium coronavirus risks, meaning having no community cases within two weeks leading up to November 8.

The 18 towns and outskirt districts are Son Tay, Ba Vi, Chuong My, Dan Phuong, Dong Anh, Gia Lam, Hoai Duc, Me Linh, My Duc, Phu Xuyen, Phuc Tho, Quoc Oai, Soc Son, Thanh Tri, Thanh Oai, Thach That, Thuong Tin and Ung Hoa.

In Vietnam, fifth graders are primary school seniors, sixth and ninth are secondary school freshmen and seniors, while 10th and 12th are high school freshmen and seniors.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training said areas with recent community transmission cases would reopen schools at a later date.

Students in downtown districts would continue to study online.

Schools must ensure social distancing and reducing the number of students in a classroom. Teachers who have yet to be fully vaccinated can only teach online classes, the department said.

In-person classes could be suspended if they're deemed unsafe or new coronavirus cases are involved, the department added.

For now, schools are requested to hold off providing lunch on-site for students. Hanoi also encourages schools with large numbers of students to combine both in-person and online classes to ensure social distancing.

Around 96 percent of teachers in Hanoi have now been vaccinated with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shots, and around 62 percent fully vaccinated. Around 79 percent of parents surveyed by the education department have also said they wanted their children to be able to study in-person.
Scotland supports Vietnam in developing renewable energy and is willing to share its wind power development experience, its first minister said.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon praised Vietnam's significant contributions to the joint international climate change response when she met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Sunday.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

Over the past 10 years, Scotland has made a successful transition to renewable energy, including generating and using wind power, said Chinh.

As Vietnam is making similar steps, the nation would like Scotland to share its experience and support in terms of investment and human resource training by granting scholarships for students or sending over experts.

Sturgeon supported the Vietnamese PMs proposal and said Scotland has many advantages, experience in developing near-shore wind power, boosting offshore wind power, and is willing to share and cooperate with Vietnam in this field.

She also wished to strengthen cooperation in training and human resource development and welcomes Vietnamese students to study and do research in Scotland.

Scotland has committed to reducing emissions to zero by 2045 and in Glasgow, where COP26 will take place, is committed to achieving that target by 2030, said Sturgeon.

She also expressed confidence that Vietnam would contribute to the overall success of the conference.

PM Chinh had left for the U.K. on Sunday as the head of a delegation comprising officials from National Assembly committees and the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, environment, and finance.

At the annual event, he will attend the opening ceremony Monday, deliver speeches and meet with foreign leaders, officials from international organizations and other important partners.

COP26 will be attended by around 30,000 delegates from all over the world, including over 100 national leaders.
Vietnam is committed to supporting global initiatives to respond to climate change at the 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference, PM Pham Minh Chinh has said.

Speaking to the Vietnamese community in the U.K., where he is visiting to attend the U.N. event in Scotland, he said climate change is a global issue and as a responsible member of the international community, Vietnam must have a strong commitment to fighting it though it still faces many difficulties itself.

He said he had met COP26 President Alok Sharma and discussed cutting emissions and told him that the transformation of energy sources in Vietnam must be appropriate for the country's situation and ensure social security for workers.

Vietnam had been involved in wars and faced energy shortages, and "how could we have developed our economy if we had not built coal-fired power plants since the hydropower capacity is limited?"

The life cycle of a coal-fired power plant is 10-20 years and when converting to a new energy source, there must be a roadmap to settle contracts with investors and employees, he said.

There are more than 100,000 employees in the coal industry.

"But it is not because of such challenges that Vietnam will not make committments to the international community or provide a roadmap toward 2050 to bring emissions to zero," Chinh said.

The PM had left for the U.K. on Sunday as the head of a delegation comprising officials from National Assembly committees and the ministries of defense, foreign affairs, environment, and finance.

At the annual event, he will attend the opening ceremony on Monday, deliver speeches and meet with foreign leaders, officials from international organizations and other important partners.

COP26 will be attended by around 30,000 delegates from all over the world, including over 100 national leaders.
A plane lands at the Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Cuong

Van Don International Airport in the northern Quang Ninh Province was awarded an international health accreditation Sunday for its safety measures against Covid-19.

It has become the sixth airport in Vietnam to receive the Airports Council Internationals accreditation, a program that supports airports around the world with introducing preventive hygiene, health and safety measures against the pandemic, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam stated.

Da Nang, Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc airports were granted the same accreditation earlier.

The ACI evaluates cleaning and disinfection procedures, physical distancing, staff protection, physical layout, passenger communication, and passenger facilities for the certification, which has a validity of 12 months.

Van Don, inaugurated in December 2018, is 50 kilometers from Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO-recognized world heritage site.

Since the pandemic broke out in January 2020, the airport has adopted a number of preventive measures by requiring all passengers to wear masks, installing a thermal sensor to check their temperature and disinfecting all airplanes.

From February 2020 to September 2021, it welcomed 232 flights carrying 46,722 passengers from different countries.

In September, Van Don airport welcomed several flights with vaccine passport holders on a trial basis, allowing hundreds of Vietnamese from the U.S., France and Japan to return to Vietnam. All passengers were fully vaccinated, in good health and had coronavirus negative results from tests done within 72 hours before their flights.

Quang Ninh is one of five localities given the green light to welcome foreign tourists starting November along with Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam and Da Nang.
ELKO  A former Great Basin College social work professor and self-described department of one, Wendy Charlebois is now a Distinguished Alumna of the University of Nevada.

The School of Social Work is proud to honor Mrs. Wendy Charlebois (MSW 97) as our Distinguished Alumna, reads an announcement posted on the schools Facebook page. Mrs. Charlebois is a retired tenured professor at Great Basin College and Program Coordinator and instructor for the 3+1 Bachelors in Social Work Program. She dedicated many years of service to providing social work education and field placement supervision to students in Elko, Ely, Winnemucca and Pahrump, and served on the Great Basin College Behavioral Health Intervention Team to assist students who faced challenges with college life.

Over the summer I got an email from the university saying that I had been voted Distinguished Alumna of 2021 for the social work department, said Charlebois. I was kind of shocked. It wasnt anything I was expecting.

UNR held a reception for those chosen from all departments on Oct. 14.

I thought it was going to be a small event, Charlebois said. Actually, it was quite a big deal. There were a lot of important Nevadans there.

There were people there that had done some incredible work all over Nevada and all over the world.

Charlebois said UNR President and former governor Brian Sandoval presented the awards.

I just want to thank you for doing so much for rural Nevada, said Sandoval as he gave Charlebois a crystal award emblazoned with a wolf for the Wolfpack.

When he started talking about all the alumni have done, I felt very proud to be among that group. He talked about how selfless the alumni are in doing volunteer work.

Although Charlebois said she is retired she still teaches courses and internship seminars through GBC and UNR and is very active in her community, especially with suicide awareness and prevention.

I do a lot of work with Zero Suicide Elko County, she said.

She has also worked with the hospital to create a scholarship in her sons name to help a social work student in their fourth year, their most costly year.

The hope is that we can begin to develop more and more social workers that will go on to work in rural Nevada, she said.

Charlebois said she originally went into social work in Germany when she and her family moved there for her husbands work. Prior to that, she was a licensed practical nurse.

They needed social workers in the military. I got a job training soldiers about dynamics of child and spouse abuse, Charlebois said.

I found my niche. It was one of the best jobs I ever had.

She was finishing her bachelors degree as she worked and raised her children.

Prior to her work at Great Basin College, she was a social worker for the Elko Dialysis Clinic, a Development Specialist for Early Intervention Services, and held various roles with the Division of Child and Family Services, the award notification continues.

Even following her retirement, Mrs. Charlebois continues to be a strong advocate for social change and support. She is a board member for Vitality Unlimited and Zero Suicide Elko County, volunteers with Friends in Service Helping, and continues to provide off-site supervision for social work interns. She has also advocated and worked with the hospital to provide training and develop protocols to better support patients with behavioral health challenges. Mrs. Charlebois embodies the qualities of a top notch social worker who has made many impacts on rural Nevada and the next generation of social workers.



Great Basin College Class of 2019:

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Oct. 28

Natasha F. Allard, 40, of Wells was arrested at 234 W. Sixth St. on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime.

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Gerardo Collazo Jr., 32, of Elko was arrested at 101 Buell St. for batter, assault and disturbing the peace. Bail: $2,635

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Chenoa Gerber, 46, of Monterey, California was arrested for fugitive felon from another state.

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Craig W. Huff, 32, of Elko was arrested at 775 W. Silver St. for battery by a prisoner. Bail: $20,000

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Samuel R. Johnny, 20, of Elko was arrested at 440 Grant Ave. on a warrant for failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime, and for contempt of court. Bail: $2,780

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Laterrial D. Jones, 33, of Folsom, California was arrested on Interstate 80 on three counts of first degree kidnapping, two counts of child abuse or neglect, and owning or possessing a gun by a prohibited person. Bail: $970,000

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Brian K. Keeling, 53, of Azalia, Oregon was arrested at Motel 6 on a warrant for fugitive felon from another state.

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Mark A. Lutz, 46, of Elko was arrested in the 300 block of Silver Street for driving under the influence. Bail: $1,140

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Leslie M. Olivas, 34, of Colorado Springs, Colorado was arrested on Interstate 80 for fugitive felon from another state.

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Serafin Perez, 42, of Elko was arrested at 775 W. Silver St. for battery by a prisoner. Bail: $20,000

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Jared B. Roberts, 39, of Spring Creek was arrested on Lamoille Highway for driving under the influence, open container of alcohol in vehicle, failure to maintain lane, operating a vehicle with expired registration or plates, and rear license plate lamp violation. Bail: $1,840

The charges above do not imply guilt. Under the law, everyone is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

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ELKO  A California man accused of shooting a woman in Utah and driving her into Elko County was booked on $970,000 bail after he was arrested Thursday by an Elko County Sheriffs detective.

Laterrial D. Jones, 33, of Folsom allegedly shot the woman in the parking lot of a Hampton Inn in Draper, Utah, around 11:30 a.m. while a baby and a child were present.

He then drove them into Nevada via Interstate 80. The vehicle was spotted driving through Elko by Nevada Highway Patrol troopers, who pulled him over near the Hunter Exit west of town.

Jones was handcuffed and detained by NHP. The woman was standing outside the vehicle when the detective arrived and confirmed her wounds.

She was transported to Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital to be treated for her injuries. A 5-week-old baby and 6-year-old child in the back seat were not hurt.

Two firearms were recovered from the vehicle, including one that contained bullets matching one recovered at the shooting scene.

Besides three kidnapping and two child endangerment charges, Jones was booked for prohibited person possessing a handgun.

Detectives said he was convicted of two prior felony offenses, one at the age of 19 and another at age 28.

This was the second kidnapping arrest of an out-of-state suspect in a little over two months.

On August 20, the Elko County Sheriffs Office received an Amber Alert that Derek M. Rowley, 33, of Portland, Oregon was wanted on a Carbon County, Utah warrant in the abduction of his son and another boy.

The vehicle was spotted on U.S. 93 near HD Summit north of Wells, and stopped with the assistance of the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Rowley was believed to have been attempting to transport the boys to Washington.

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China and nine Asian countries jointly initiated an alliance for cultural heritage conservation at the two-day Asian Dialogue for Cultural Heritage Conservation that concluded Thursday.

The alliance will be an inter-governmental platform for exchanges and dialogue on cultural heritage protection built on a voluntary and equal basis, upholding the principle of mutual respect, mutual benefit as well as a win-win outcome.

It is the common responsibility of Asian countries to conserve, carry forward and harness Asian cultural heritage as Asian countries are closely connected and share a natural bond of affinity, said Hu Heping, China's culture and tourism minister, when addressing the conference jointly hosted by China's National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Beijing municipal government.

The founding countries of the alliance include Armenia, Cambodia, Iran, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen among others.
So said Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long on the occasion of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and a working visit to the UK.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

Speaking about the significance of the visit, the ambassador said that in the context of non-traditional security issues such as pandemic and climate change being major global challenges, the visit shows the determination and efforts of the Government of Vietnam in promoting and implementing international commitments, especially on major issues, which are of special interest to the international community; and demonstrates Vietnam as an active member and responsible partner.

Attending and speaking at the Summit with the top leaders of countries and the UN is an opportunity for Vietnam to demonstrate its proactive and active role in efforts to respond to climate change; and ensure and promote the interests of developing countries. At the same time, Vietnam conveys a message to the international community about the challenges and negative impacts of climate change on Vietnam. This is also an opportunity for us to introduce and promote Vietnam's efforts in responding to climate change, as well as an opportunity for us to promote cooperation with bilateral partners, international organizations and multilateral partners; seek opportunities to receive financial and technological support, and strengthen capacity for climate change response in Vietnam.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister will meet with the Vietnamese community in the UK and Ireland, thereby demonstrating the Party and State's consistent guidelines and policies on firmly consolidating great national unity, and strongly promoting the strength of the whole nation. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will also have many meetings with large British businesses and corporations, attend a forum on the investment and business environment in Vietnam to inform about important economic policies of the UK, and strengthen trust and attract more investment capital from investors, businesses and international partners.

Talking about the cooperation between the two countries to obtain sustainable development and help Vietnam boost green growth, the ambassador said that the two countries have built a framework of Strategic Partnership, in which cooperation against climate change is a priority. The two countries have committed to working together, both bilaterally and in multilateral forums, to respond to the pressing challenges posed by climate change, through concrete actions consistent with the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. The UK is committed to providing strategic support to Vietnam on climate-resilient and low-carbon growth and accelerating the transition to renewable energy, including wind and solar power. In addition, the two sides also committed to work together to realize the transition to a low-carbon economy, cooperate on sustainable production and consumption and circular economy activities, and cooperate in science and technology and green finance.

Confirming that bilateral relations between Vietnam and the UK are at their best, the ambassador said that over the years, the Vietnam - UK Strategic Partnership continued to develop positively and achieve many important results.

The UK highly appreciated Vietnam's role and position in the region and wished to promote comprehensive bilateral relations in many fields. In September 2020, British Foreign and Development Secretary Dominic Raab visited Vietnam and the two sides issued a new Joint Statement on a Strategic Partnership (September 30, 2020) with 7 priority areas of cooperation, and the two sides affirmed that they aim to raise the relationship to a higher level in the next 10 years.

Following that, in November 2020, the British International Trade Minister visited Vietnam and issued a statement completing the negotiation of the UK-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement UKVFTA. The Agreement was signed on December 29, 2020 and took effect from May 1, 2021. Security-defense cooperation has been maintained and strengthened, especially with the visit of Defense Minister Ben Wallace to Vietnam in July 2021./.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and another was injured early Saturday after an Amtrak train hit a vehicle at a railroad crossing in the U.S. state of South Carolina, local media reported citing fire authorities.

The North Charleston Fire Department received a call just before 2:30 a.m. ET about the incident at the Remount Road railroad crossing in North Charleston, where four people were located near a heavily damaged vehicle, according to media reports. Three of them were pronounced dead on the scene and the fourth was sent to a local hospital.

The Amtrak train, which was carrying about 500 passengers at the time of the collision, made an emergency stop after it hit the vehicle, according to a statement by the fire department cited by the reports. No injuries were reported from the passengers, and damage to the train was being assessed by Amtrak.

The cause of the incident was under investigation.

An Amtrak train derailed in late September in northern Montana while en route from Chicago to Seattle, killing three people and leaving seven others hospitalized.

Editor: WXL
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Rome, Italy, Oct. 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

ROME, Oct.30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Saturday that an objective, scientific, and responsible attitude should be adopted for tracing the origins of COVID-19.

During his meeting with Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Wang said vigilance against all kinds of political hype is needed while tracing the origins of COVID-19, and all member states should be treated equally and the sovereignty of each country earnestly respected.

China is willing to discuss future cooperation with the WHO on this basis, he added.

For more than a year, Wang said, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese people have fought a people's war against the pandemic and made major strategic achievements.

He said that while handling its own affairs well, China has always upheld the concept of a community of common health for mankind and at a time when the world was in dire need of help, China overcame its own difficulties and carried out the largest emergency humanitarian operation since the founding of the People's Republic of China to help countries meet their pressing needs.

China has given full play to its advantages, demonstrated its responsibility, and made due contribution during the global fight against the pandemic, he added.

Wang said that China attaches great importance to the role of the WHO, which is the key agency for the global fight against the pandemic, stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the organization in promoting the fair distribution of vaccines, the research and development of new anti-virus drugs, and supporting African countries in their anti-pandemic fight, and has contributed positive energy to the global anti-pandemic cooperation.

Wang said that solidarity is the most powerful weapon in the fight against the pandemic, which is a major test for multilateralism.

He expressed the hope that the WHO will adhere to a scientific attitude and put people's lives and health first, maintain solidarity and cooperation, as well as oppose moves of politicization, labelling and stigmatization under the pretext of anti-pandemic fight.

Describing COVID-19 as a common enemy facing the world, Tedros said that the WHO appreciates China's adherence to the spirit of solidarity and its offer of help and support to countries during the anti-pandemic fight.

He added that the WHO also appreciates China's support for and participation in COVAX, as well as its active contribution to the equitable distribution of vaccines.

Tedros noted that the WHO has always adhered to principles, refused to succumb to external political pressure, unswervingly opposed scapegoating others and shirking responsibility, firmly resisted politicization of anti-pandemic efforts, and continues to carry out research on the origins of COVID-19 with a scientific attitude.

Editor: WXY
By Wang Xinyuan

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 30, 2021 addressed the first session of the 16th Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Summit via video link. In his speech, Xi proposed a Global Vaccine Cooperation Action Initiative, setting an example of playing a leading role in building consensus, mobilizing resources, and promoting cooperation.

The initiative includes the following aspects:

First, we need to strengthen vaccine R&D cooperation and support vaccine companies in conducting joint R&D and production with developing countries.

Second, we need to uphold equity and justice, and provide more vaccines to developing countries to meet the global vaccination target for 2022 as set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Third, we need to support the World Trade Organization (WTO) in making an early decision on waiving intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines, and encourage vaccine companies to transfer technology to developing countries.

Fourth, we need to scale up cross-border trade cooperation to ensure smooth trade in vaccines and related raw and auxiliary materials.

Fifth, we need to treat different vaccines equally and advance mutual recognition of vaccines in accordance with the WHOs Emergency Use Listing.

Sixth, we need to provide financial support for global vaccine cooperation, especially for developing countries to access vaccines.

To date, China has provided over 1.6 billion doses of vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations, and will provide over two billion doses to the world in the course of this year. China is conducting joint vaccine production with 16 countries, with an initial capacity of 700 million doses per year.

China is ready to work with all parties to enhance vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries and make positive contribution to building a global line of defense through vaccination.

Editor: GSY
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that helping developing countries to ensure green economic modernization is "part of the global rescue technology."

"This is not just a moral obligation for rich countries to help developing ones achieve green economic modernization. It is part of the global rescue technology. We can stop catastrophic climate change if everyone on whom it depends is in good faith. It is quite possible to keep global warming within the limits of no more than one and a half degrees Celsius. Climate neutrality is also real. But only on condition that the states of the world will go towards this in a coordinated and responsible manner," the President said in a column written for the Green Deal project of the Interfax-Ukraine agency and published on November 1.

The President called the Glasgow Climate Conference, which he attends, "one of the most important gatherings this year." "If the pace of climate change cannot be reduced, then after 2030 the social and economic losses will be so significant that we simply cannot even imagine it yet. No one in the world is able to close off this threat at their national borders. And no one will be able to beat the climate at the expense of politicking," he wrote.

According to him, Ukraine welcomes the Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use, initiated by the UK. "The restoration and protection of forests should be an unconditional priority. Ukraine has already begun this work, and in ten years the area of forests in our country will grow by 10 million hectares," the text says.

"Another important step that can be agreed now in Glasgow and that we support is a global initiative to reduce methane emissions. This is one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases, and there is enough scientific research to confirm this," the President wrote.

Yes, it is necessary to take into account the real economic circumstances of each country and look for such a way to achieve common goals, which will be perceived and supported by societies. But the climate cannot just wait  action is needed, Zelensky said.

The President noted that Ukraine prepares every year for more and more destructive floods, works out the necessary steps to combat desertification. "The state and business are spending more and more resources to adapt to climate change  primarily the agricultural sector, in order to ensure the food security of our society," he wrote.
Ukraine has registered 13,936 new cases of COVID-19, almost 6,000 recoveries and 298 deaths in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Health Ministry's press service said on Monday.

"Over the past day, Ukraine has recorded 13,936 new cases of COVID-19 (including 905 children and 111 medical workers), and 117,818 people have been vaccinated for COVID-19, including 89,546 who have received their first shot and 28,272 who have completed their vaccination. Also, in the past 24 hours 3,828 persons were hospitalized, 298 died, and 5,885 recovered," the ministry said on Telegram.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ukraine has seen a total of 2,936,238 cases of COVID-19, including 2,442,098 recoveries and 68,027 deaths.

To date, 10,245,775 people have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in Ukraine, including 10,245,773 who have received their first shot and 7,449,818 who have been fully vaccinated (among them two persons who received the first shot of vaccine abroad). As many as 17,695,591 shots have been administered.
Officials in the United States and Europe in recent weeks have noted a buildup of troops on the border with Ukraine following the West 2021 Russian-Belarusian military exercises, which is causing concern, the Washington Post has reported, citing its sources.

"The renewed movements of Russian forces in the area come as the Kremlin embraces a harder line on Ukraine," the Washington Post said.

It says that videos have surfaced on social media in recent days showing "Russian military trains and convoys moving large quantities of military hardware, including tanks and missiles, in southern and western Russia.

According to sources, Russian officials, starting with President Vladimir Putin, have stepped up their rhetoric in recent months, attacking Kyiv's ties to the West.

The newspaper notes that the West also draws attention to the fact that "the situation also comes as the simmering seven years and a half conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in the eastern Donbas region enters a new stage."

The Washington Post draws attention to the fact that this situation is developing against the background of aggravation of relations between Moscow and NATO after Russia suspended its mission to NATO.
The Normandy format (Ukraine, Germany, France, Russia) does not bring real outcome in the settlement of the conflict in Donbas, therefore it is important for the EU and the United States to be present in the settlement formats, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, Member of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee and Former Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius has said.

"I am not so heavily involved into those negotiations. But I was always saying that first of all it is important for the EU to be present in those formats and for the US. It is good that Germany and France took initiative to create the Normandy format but we see that it does not bring real outcome. So if to talk about how to change that format I would say that let's look for a possibility for the EU to be present and of the US," Kubilius told Interfax-Ukraine.

He said that he does not believe that real progress can be achieved in the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict with the help of the existing formats. "Unfortunately I do not see that with those formats which are established now the real progress can be achieved. To keep some kind of cold peace maybe it can help but to resolve the whole issue I do not see that it can happen because it depends solely on Kremlin. What kind of instruments we have in the West to convince Kremlin to change its behavior I do not see very clearly for time being," the MEP said.

Kubilius said that what can change Kremlin attitude to the war in Donbas  is democracy in Russia. "Some people are saying that democracy in Russia is far away and maybe it is too romantic to see. But I see from my own experience that sometimes democratic developments in this part of Europe are starting to happen in a very unexpected way. And Ukraine is really a good example of how democracy can be established in our region. After Maidan Ukraine is a good example of maturity of democracy," he said.

"Now we see that Belorussian people are starting to follow Ukrainian example with revolution of last year. Lukashenko is still keeping power but I think that this will not continue for long period of time. And then the question is how this democratic development, democratic wave will go into Russia," the MEP said.

According to him, democracy in Russia can also be a solution and answer to the war in Donbas. "That is what we need to have in mind and that is why Ukraine can be really even more proactive in a positive way in playing some kind of geopolitical role in taking care about spread of democracy around Ukraine, in the neighborhood," Kubilius said.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine denies the information spread in the media about the resumption of the buildup of the Russian armed forces near the Ukrainian border after the completion of the West 2021 Russian-Belarusian exercises.

"According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, as of November 1, 2021, an additional transfer of Russian units, weapons and military equipment to the state border with Ukraine has not been recorded," the ministry's press service said.

The ministry said the facts of the buildup of Russian troops in the Ukrainian direction, published in the media and on the Internet, are an element of special information and psychological actions and planned measures as part of the movement of troops after the completion of the exercises.

"The military intelligence of Ukraine constantly monitors the actions of the troops of the aggressor state and changes in their numbers near the state border of Ukraine," the ministry said.

As reported, The Washington Post published data on the resumption of the movement of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. The publication says that videos have recently appeared on social networks showing "Russian military trains and convoys moving large quantities of military hardware, including tanks and missiles, in southern and western Russia."

The newspaper also published statements by officials who, on condition of anonymity, reported that the movement of Russian troops was causing concern in the United States and Europe.
Ukraine trying to involve Russia in diplomatic process, rather than 'use of force'

Russia, under various pretexts, ignores Ukraine's proposed steps to peacefully resolve the situation in Donbas, Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko has said.

"Ukraine is trying to involve Russia in the diplomatic process. For seven years, residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas have already seen enough Russian military actions, grief and devastation. That is why our state constantly proposes steps to move from the place of a peaceful settlement. Russia ignores them under various pretexts," Nikolenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

He said the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry calls on Russia to finally stop thinking in terms of war.

"We expect it to fulfill in good faith the agreements of the Normandy format leaders' summit [Ukraine, Germany, France, Russia], reached in Paris in December 2019. We are talking about withdrawing forces and means from the contact line, observing the ceasefire, unblocking the operation of the entry-exit checkpoint, guaranteeing safe and reliable access of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission throughout Ukraine, including the temporarily occupied territory, and the fulfillment of other provisions of the final document," the foreign minister said.

Nikolenko said that Ukraine strives for peace, justice and respect for international law.

"We are ready for a further meeting in the Normandy format without preconditions to move on. We hope that Russia will also agree to such a meeting. However, the Ukrainian side reserves the right to respond to offensive actions, shelling, armed provocations, as provided additional measures to strengthen the ceasefire from July 22, 2020," he said.
An exclusive interview with a Member of European Parliament, Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, Member of the European Parliament Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee and Former Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius for the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency:

Text: Nataliia Pushkaruk

- Ukrainian authorities ask about the EU membership perspective more and more persistently. To your mind, whether the EU should explicitly give Ukraine such assurances that one day we will be a member of the EU? Why is it important for relations of Ukraine and the EU?

- First, of course clear perspective is very important because that is what keeps motivation for reforms on a high level. Second, Ukraine is a European country and I am absolutely sure that some time Ukraine will become a member of the EU, but the question is when. Third, EU has its own challenges and issues. First of all challenges to make reforms inside the EU which would allow to have much more effective decision-making process. That is not done and it will take some time. Now we have Future of Europe conference which is just a beginning of those discussions.

What we are discussing here is that it is better to concentrate efforts on economic integration what is a part of attempts to reach full membership but it is more rational, more effective to reach now economic integration into single market, into so called four freedoms. That is what we are talking about. That is not abandoning a full scale membership in the EU. Now it is better to look for just economic integration not looking into integration to institutions.

- You recently proposed to apply the formula of Romano Prodi, the former head of the European Commission, that the EU can offer its neighbors an intermediate status on the way to EU. What can this status provide and what will be its advantages for Ukraine?

- That is exactly what I was telling before. This intermediate status would be integration to single market which would bring majority of real benefits of full membership in the EU. According to some experts and evaluations it will take around 70% of acquis communautaire to be implemented. This is what Nordic countries did back in the very beginning of 1990ies - Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland - also Austria. At that time really they joined what is called European economic area implementing exactly 70% of acquis communautaire. That was the first step to a full membership. Some of them like Norway decided not to go for full membership.

With that intermediate status of integrating to single market Ukraine can expect a range of benefits. First of all such kind of status would bring all the economical benefits. For example for Lithuania integration into single market was very beneficial. Back in 1999 our GDP per capita level in so called purchasing power parity was reaching only 36% of the EU average. Now we are around 85%. Integration to that single market really brings very permanent and very stable growth of your economy. Second what is important for whole integration process, such kind of integration to single market could become much more clear and effective process of negotiations with the EU establishing some kind of clear system of evaluation of the process of Ukraine. That is what we see as important step forward. Because what we are worried about is that if things will stay as they are now when Ukraine is asking for member and the EU is saying "Yeah, but make reforms first and then we shall see" nothing is moving ahead. Such kind of impasse is becoming really quite dangerous because obviously psychology of people everywhere is very similar: if you do not have clear goal, target then your motivation for reforms can go very easily down.

- Did you already discuss this idea in Brussels and in Ukraine and what was the reaction from both sides?

- We are discussing those ideas both in Brussels and here in Kyiv. We see a good understanding that some things need to be done. We are permanently looking for some kind of ideas which would allow integration to go in a more smooth way. One of our ideas back from 2019 was exactly creation of so called Associated Trio. We are happy that the governments of three countries decided to do it. This is one step forward in exactly pushing forward for more ambitious EU agenda. On the EU side we have really very similar language what we are talking now which was put to for example last year European Parliament report on Eastern Partnership future policy with very clear stress on economic integration into single market. Now Eastern partnership summit is coming. We still do not know what will be in the declaration. What we see from Commission's staff documents they are more of technical nature, about investment, some kind of financial support for investment. But we are pushing that there should be also much more of some kind of geopolitical language - how to speed up integration process, how to make it more achievable. That is why once again we are coming to this economic integration to single market.

- Earlier you presented the initiative Ukraine 2027. Do these ides correspond or contradict?

- We are trying to push from different angles. Ukraine 2027 idea is very much connected with what we are trying to do with Lithuanian government because in 2027 Lithuania will be in the presidency of the EU like it is Slovenia now. From beginning of next year France will be in the presidency, then Czech Republic from the second half of next year, Sweden in 2023, Poland in 2025, we shall be in the presidency in 2027 and that will be our second time, Latvia will be in 2028. That is where me and my team are saying to Lithuanian government that it would be very important now to decide for ourselves that in 2027 priority of our presidency will be exactly trio of Eastern Partnership countries, associated countries integration towards the EU. Of course among them Ukraine is the most important, but we need to start preparation now. And we need to create what we call coalition of likeminded countries inside of the EU.

We are looking that there will be several EU member states which we expect can be sympathetic to Trio integration in the EU. France is sometimes skeptical about integration is in presidency from the beginning of next year and I think that we can also talk with them about grand narratives what Maron likes. And Ukraine is a grand narrative, success of Ukraine is really very important not only for Ukraine itself but for much larger processes even for the future of democracy in Russia. That is what we put into special report on Russia preparation of which I was leading in European parliament. So that what is connected. And even if to start integration into single market now, 2027 can be somewhere close to the finalization of that process of integration into single market.

- Are there any negotiations between Ukraine and Lithuania in this regard?

- I do not know the details but I would say that very important things were done starting from last year when so called Lublin Triangle was created. So this is a beginning of coalition of like-minded countries inside the EU together with Ukraine which can push that agenda through the EU institutions, the EU corridors much more effectively.

- Do you share the point of view that the EU doesn't have enough political will to give a membership perspective to Ukraine? And what should Ukraine do to persuade more countries in the EU support it when there will be a real chance to join organization?

- Of course we can speak about EU leadership, EU political willingness quite critically. That is what we put into the title of our paper saying that we need to talk about what they are talking in Munich security conference, about westlessness. It describes the essence, that this lack of political willingness inside the West is really quite a visible feature. I hope that it can be overcome with much stronger geopolitical political leadership and especially towards neighborhood of the EU. I am always saying, that when somebody speaks about strategic autonomy it should start to speak from strategic responsibility of the EU about the situation in the neighborhood. There are two regions - Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership - where developments are not going in such a way as we would like to see and where lack of geopolitical leadership of the EU is one of the factors that creates problems.

- Now there is a change of government in Germany. What are your expectations from position of this country, its leadership in regard of association of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova to the EU?

- We can expect that some things can be different. At least when we are talking with German Greens in European Parliament we see a lot of similar attitude towards Eastern Partnership, democracy, situation not only in Ukraine but also in Belarus and Russia. So that can be beneficial to have Germany more focused on this region with more clear understanding what is really needed. Yes, we need to work with big capitals - both Berlin and Paris in much more intensive way. We are looking how it can be done together with Ukrainians, other partners, together with what I call like-minded coalition inside of the EU. That is very much needed.

- To what extent is Russia a reason why the EU is not enough ready to welcome Ukraine as a member state?

- Of course Russia is a factor and we need to discuss that factor when we are talking about Ukraine, integration towards the EU, NATO. Here are two different points of view.

Some people in big capitals are saying: "We cannot offer Ukraine more ambitious integration agenda even towards the EU because that can provoke Putin". We are saying opposite - that if we in Europe want to have clear strategy towards Russia with very clear goal - how to assist not Putin, but how to assist Russian society with transformation of that country back to democracy then we need to understand that the example of success of Ukraine is one of the instruments which the EU has in its hands in order to assist also Russia. And success of Ukraine can be created only through integration of Ukraine closer and closer towards Europe. That is what we put in European Parliament report on the EU policy towards Russia which we recently adopted. We very clearly said that one of elements of that strategy towards Russia should be integration of Eastern partnership countries and specially of Ukraine towards the EU. That is what we believe is very important.

Also there are worries that integration towards the EU can make Putin more angry. I agree that it can make Putin more angry and I see that from recent articles of Mr. Medvedev. But that means that they are becoming afraid in Kremlin of success of Ukraine. That is really important for all of us to understand.

- To your mind is this request of Ukraine about membership reasonable at this moment? Is it really ready for a membership in terms of reforms, fulfilling of the Copenhagen criteria?

- As I said we need to rationalize the whole process since full membership in the EU also means membership in institutions like Council, Commission and so on. First of all it demands reforms in those institutions. There are member states like France who are very clearly saying that without reforms of the institutions they would not agree for inclusion any kind of new members into the EU. So then we need to be rational. That is why we put this Romano Prodi formula on the table that let's agree to go for this everything but institutions model for time being which is on the way to final goal of full membership.

Yesterday I was comparing it with what alpinists are doing when they have a plan to climb to Everest. First of all they need to reach some kind of intermediate camp. Only after that they are climbing to the peak of Everest. The same is with membership in the EU. First of all you need to climb up to some kind of intermediate camp and that could be exactly a single market. After that you can look for next possibilities. I would say that it would be more rational and more effective now to ask effective integration into single market to agree with the EU on some kind of this goal and agenda on the process, how it will be done and really go for that intermediate camp on the way to the peak of Everest.

- And as about reforms in Ukraine. Which of them are crucial at this moment?

- Always there are reforms which are needed to be done and especially with a basic criteria, so called Copenhagen criteria like democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Judicial reform as we understand now with a good progress can be good example that if really politicians in Ukraine want they can do and exactly in good agreement with Western community, with G7.

From another side I would say that keep going on even after that, be ambitious and move forward.

- How do you assess the situation with gas supplies? What can make Russia stop using gas as a weapon?

- We are concerned about that situation in particular on Ukraine and "Nord Stream 2". Also we see that Moldova is struggling. In European market situation is not very easy. And we see also that Kremlin is really using that situation for blackmail. We think that they are manipulating that situation on their own. At least if you will read a statement by Putin, Peskov you can see that they are openly using that situation in gas market as an instrument to blackmail on Nord Stream 2 demanding that Nord Stream 2 should be allowed to become operational without implementation of the EU directives which is really not very prudent language from Kremlin because this winter can be difficult and we shall see what can be done from the EU side, we shall discuss some of those issues. I initiated a special letter to Commission somewhere like month ago asking to start investigation of Gazprom efforts to manipulate the situation in the market.

But the outcome I see in such a way that Gazprom and Kremlin will lose credibility because of what kind of situation they created in all European continent with supplies of gas. The outcome will be opposite to what Kremlin is expecting. Outcome will be that politicians in Europe will be much more convinced to implement Green Deal more rapidly than it was before. Because gas is not anymore a guarantee of stability in energy markets.

- What should Ukraine do if Russia stops its gas transit through Ukraine? What guarantees Ukraine should demand from the US and Germany?

- Ukraine has legitimate right to ask for some kind of compensations or guarantees from the partners in the West who guaranteed that transit will stay and things are really not going into that direction. As I understand Ukrainian government is offering Western community some kind of possibilities to use the transit pipelines in a beneficial way. I hope that in the EU there will be good attempts to look into those proposals in a serious way. We are organizing some kind of special online discussions in the middle of November about all those issues. Again this is a possibility for Ukraine to raise a question not only about energy security but about security in general. Guarantees of security are coming with much more rapid integration towards the EU and NATO. Ukraine has a legitimate right to ask the Western community in such a situation when unfortunately with Nord Stream 2 pipeline security of Ukraine is affected in very negative way.

- The conflict in Donbas continues and there is no progress in its settlement. What do you think about position of Russia about the talks in Normandy four format? And what can give an impulse to the acceleration of negotiations?

- Unfortunately I do not see that with those formats which are established now the real progress can be achieved. To keep some kind of cold peace maybe it can help but to resolve the whole issue I do not see that it can happen because it depends solely on Kremlin. What kind of instruments we have in the West to convince Kremlin to change its behavior I do not see very clearly for time being.

Sometimes I am saying in a very simple way - what can change Kremlin attitude to the war in Donbas - is democracy in Russia. Some people are saying that democracy in Russia is far away and maybe it is too romantic to see. But I see from my own experience that sometimes democratic developments in this part of Europe are starting to happen in a very unexpected way. And Ukraine is really a good example of how democracy can be established in our region. After Maidan Ukraine is a good example of maturity of democracy. Now we see that Belorussian people are starting to follow Ukrainian example with revolution of last year. Lukashenko is still keeping power but I think that this will not continue for long period of time. And then the question is how this democratic development, democratic wave will go into Russia. That is what we are speaking a lot - about democratic developments in our report on Russia where Ukrainian example plays very important role.

Democracy in Russia can also be a solution and answer to the war in Donbas. That is what we need to have in mind and that is why Ukraine can be really even more proactive in a positive way in playing some kind of geopolitical role in taking care about spread of democracy around Ukraine, in the neighborhood.

- To your mind how should be changed the format of negotiation, what countries should join it?

- I am not so heavily involved into those negotiations. But I was always saying that first of all it is important for the EU to be present in those formats and for the US. It is good that Germany and France took initiative to create the Normandy format but we see that it does not bring real outcome. So if to talk about how to change that format I would say that let's look for a possibility for the EU to be present and of the US.

- What is you assessment of current situation in Belarus?

- Of course the situation is bad. Lukashenko is really behaving as international criminal. He started hybrid war against Lithuania, Poland and Latvia with smuggling of migrants which shows that really he is becoming totally unpredictable and that demands solutions as quick as possible.

We in European Parliament recently passed special resolution where we put emphasis on creation of special international tribunal which would investigate crimes of Lukashenko. And also we spoke about pressure including new sanctions on Kremlin because why Lukashenko is able to stay in power is simply because Putin is supporting him for time being. I seem that Putin's support can end quite soon because first of all Putin is starting to loose support of ordinary Belorussian people of Russia-Belarus relationship simply because while he is supporting toxic Lukashenko he is becoming toxic himself. That is what from geopolitical point of view I see as not beneficial even for Kremlin and Moscow. How things will go we shall see. As we understand Kremlin is planning that things can be changed through new referendum on constitution, after that Lukashenko agreed to leave power. But it is difficult to predict how things will develop.

- What is your general message to Ukrainian authorities now?

- My message would be to continue with reforms and also to continue with clear strategy of integration, using new possibilities which Ukraine took with creation of Associated Trio. And then to look to real possibilities of integration, not theoretical like to continue demanding full membership but then get in call with the same skeptical answer but to look into economic integration, into single market which is really beneficial and which is really possible to be achieved
Brookes Education Group and CIL International have launched a next-generation international school in Kyiv to fulfill a partnership agreement signed in December 2020, the press release at the website of the organization cil.brookes.org says.

Brookes CIL International School

Brookes Education Group and CIL International announce the establishment of a K-12 international school, Brookes CIL International School, in Kyiv, Ukraine, offering a premium education opportunity for more than 700 international and local students, - the message implies.

The schools noted spokesperson said that the Brookes CIL School is officially a Candidate School* for IB (International Baccalaureate) that carries out such programmes as PYP, MYP and DP. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School.

It is noted that the Brookes CIL School will open doors to its students in September 2022. It is worth mentioning that *only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org .

According to the press release, Brookes Education Group is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with CIL International in Kyiv, Ukraine, to develop a premium, next-generation, 3 to 18 years old international school which will become the newest member of Brookes Education Group.

Brookes CIL International School

Brookes CIL International School is an educational establishment centrally located in Kyiv that stands as a high-tech building with well-qualified and experienced international teachers, bringing the highest educational standards and with it, many opportunities for local and expatriate families, - assured Kevin Skeoch, the Founding Head of School and the Board Director of Brookes Education Group.

With the dream of providing a future full of possibilities for students in Kyiv, CIL International partnered with Brookes Education Group to build an establishment offering a world-class experience with new-age tools for students to excel beyond a standard education, says spokesperson for CIL International. We are rewiring learning practices to adapt to a post-Covid-19 social, political and economic climate ensuring our young future leaders are prepared for next-generation challenges. In line with our mission, through Brookes-unique opportunities, we will help students discover their passion, develop their character, and understand their connection to others and society.

Brookes Education Groups press service has also noted that the network of Brookes Education Group encompasses schools in nine countries, particularly in Canada, the USA, the UK, India, and South Korea, etc.
Egypt will hold the reopening ceremony of the ancient Avenue of the Sphinxes (Kebash Road) in Luxor on Thursday 25, November, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Thursday.
Libya's parliament speaker Aguila Saleh registered Saturday to run in next month's presidential election, joining a military strongman and the son of Moamer Kadhafi in the contest.
The buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine has left US officials perplexed, muddying the Biden administration's response.
Power shortages are turning out streetlights and shutting down factories in China. The poor in Brazil are choosing between paying for food or electricity. German corn and wheat farmers can't find fertilizer, made using natural gas. And fears are rising that Europe will have to ration electricity if it's a cold winter.

The world is gripped by an energy crunch _ a fierce squeeze on some of the key markets for natural gas, oil and other fuels that keep the global economy running and the lights and heat on in homes. Heading into winter, that has meant higher utility bills, more expensive products and growing concern about how energy-consuming Europe and China will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The biggest squeeze is on natural gas in Europe, which imports 90% of its supply _ largely from Russia _ and where prices have risen to five times what they were at the start of the year, to 95 euros from about 19 euros per megawatt hour.

It's hitting the Italian food chain hard, with methane prices expected to increase sixfold and push up the cost of drying grains. That could eventually raise the price of bread and pasta at supermarkets, but meat and dairy aisles are more vulnerable as beef and dairy farmers are forced to pay more for grain to feed their animals and pass the cost along to customers.

``From October we are starting to suffer a lot,'' said Valentino Miotto of the AIRES association that represents the grain sector.

Analysts blame a confluence of events for the gas crunch: Demand rose sharply as the economy rebounded from the pandemic, while a cold winter depleted reserves. Europe's chief supplier, Russia's Gazprom, held back extra summer supplies beyond its long-term contracts to fill reserves at home for winter. China's electricity demand has come roaring back, vacuuming up limited supplies of liquid natural gas, which moves by ship, not pipeline. There also are limited facilities to export natural gas from the United States.

Costlier natural gas has even pushed up oil prices because some power generators in Asia can switch from using gas to oil-based products. U.S. crude is over $83 per barrel, the highest in seven years, while international benchmark Brent is around $85, with oil cartel OPEC and allied countries cautious about restoring production cuts made during the pandemic.

The crunch is likely short term but it's difficult to say how long higher fossil fuel prices will last, said Claudia Kemfert, an energy economics expert at the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin.

But ``the long-term answer that has to be taken out of this is to invest in renewables and energy saving,'' she said.

The European Union's executive commission urged member nations last week to speed up approvals for renewable energy projects like wind and solar, saying the ``clean energy transition is the best insurance against price shocks in the future and needs to be accelerated.``

In the meantime, some gas-dependent European industries are throttling back production. German chemical companies BASF and SKW Piesteritz have cut output of ammonia, a key ingredient in fertilizer.

That left Hermann Greif, a farmer in the village of Pinzberg in Germany's southern Bavaria region, unexpectedly emptyhanded when he tried to order fertilizer for next year.

``There's no product, no price, not even a contract,`` he said. ``It's a situation we've never seen before.'' One thing is certain: ``If I don't give the crops the food they need, they react with lower yields. It's as simple as that.''

High energy prices already were hitting the region's farmers, who need diesel to operate machinery and heat to keep animals warm, said Greif, who grows corn to feed a bioenergy power facility that feeds emission-free energy into the power grid.

Likewise in Italy, the cost of energy to process wheat and corn is expected to go up more than 600% for the three months ending Dec. 31, according to the grain association. That includes turning wheat into flour, and corn into feed for cows and pigs.

Giampietro Scusato, an energy consultant who negotiates contracts for the AIRES association and others, expects the volatility and high prices to persist for the coming year.

High energy prices also seep into bread and pasta production through transport costs and electricity use, which could eventually affect store prices. Dairy and meat sections are especially exposed because prices are low now and farmers may be forced to pass along the higher cost of animal feed to shoppers.

People worldwide also are facing soaring utility bills this winter, including in the U.S., where officials have warned home heating prices could jump as much as 54%. Governments in Spain, France, Italy and Greece have announced measures to help low-income households, while the European Union has urged similar aid.

Much depends on the weather. Europe's gas reserves, usually replenished in summer, are at unusually low levels.

``A cold winter in both Europe and Asia would risk European storage levels dropping to zero,'' says Massimo Di Odoardo at research firm Wood Mackenzie.

That would leave Europe dependent on additional natural gas from a just-completed Russian pipeline or on Russian willingness to send more through pipelines across Ukraine. But the new Nord Stream 2 pipeline has not passed regulatory approval in Europe and may not be contributing gas until next year.

Russian suppliers' decision to sell less gas on spot markets reflects ``an intention to put pressure on the early certification of Nord Stream 2,'' said Kemfert, the energy economics expert.

In China, outages have followed high prices for coal and gas as electric companies power down amid limits in passing costs to customers or government orders to stay under emission thresholds.

Factories in Jiangsu province, northwest of Shanghai, and Zhejiang in the southeast shut down in mid-September, and dozens warned deliveries might be delayed ahead of the Christmas shopping season.

Chenchen Jewelry Factory in Dongyang, a city in Zhejiang, faced power cuts over 10 days, general manager Joanna Lan said. The factory makes hairbands, stationery and promotional gifts and exports 80% to 90% of its goods to the U.S., Europe and other markets.

Deliveries were delayed ``by at least a week,'' Lan said. ``We had to buy generators.''

The biggest city in the northeast, Shenyang, shut down streetlights and elevators and cut power to restaurants and shops a few hours a day.

China's gas imports have jumped, but surging demand in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan also helped push up global prices, said Jenny Yang, research manager for the gas, power and energy futures team for China at IHS Markit.

In Brazil, higher gas and oil prices have been compounded by the worst drought in 91 years, which has left hydropower plants unable to supply electricity and more expensive bills.

Rosa Benta, a 67-year-old from a Sao Paulo working-class neighborhood, fears she will no longer be able to provide for her unemployed children and grandkids.

``Several times, (energy company) Enel called me saying I had debt. I told them: `I'm not going to stop feeding my son to pay you,''' Benta said outside her concrete house on a steep, narrow street. ``If they want to cut the electricity, they can come.''

Benta lives on 1,400 reais (about $250) a month and says she often has to choose between buying gas for cooking or rice and beans.

``I don't know what we are going to do with our lives,'' she said.

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Success at the upcoming COP26 climate summit is "definitely harder" than the 2015 Paris talks which resulted in a landmark accord, the British minister presiding over the gathering warned Saturday.

The October 31-November 12 gathering in Glasgow is the biggest climate conference since the Paris summit and is seen as crucial in setting worldwide emission targets to slow global warming.

Alok Sharma, the British minister in charge of the talks, told the Guardian newspaper that getting nearly 200 countries to commit to the emission targets to limit global temperature rises to less than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels was a daunting task.

"What we're trying to do here in Glasgow is actually really tough," he said.

"It was brilliant what they did in Paris" but "a lot of the detailed rules were left for the future," he added.

"It's like, we've got to the end of the exam paper and the most difficult questions are left and you're running out of time

"This is definitely harder than Paris on lots of levels."

The task will be made all the more difficult as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are not attending but sending delegations.

More than 120 world leaders and around 25,000 delegates are expected in Glasgow.

The Paris accord saw 197 nations agree to limit global heating to below 2 degrees but their "nationally determined contributions" (NDCs) -- national plans drawn up to implement the deal -- have been deemed inadequate.

Strengthening those plans will be a key part of negotiations.

"What we're potentially saying to countries is that if your NDC isn't good enough, you're going to have to come back to the table," said Sharma.

He called on the world's biggest emitter China, whose fractious relationship with the West is another obstacle to agreement, to present its NDC.

"They signed up to the communique in July that we negotiated in Naples, that all the G20 would come up with enhanced NDCs before COP -- I reminded them they needed to deliver on that," he said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said Thursday that the current climate situation was "a one-way ticket for disaster" as he stressed the need to "avoid a failure" at COP26.

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Over two weeks in November, world leaders and national negotiators will meet in Scotland to discuss what to do about climate change. It's a complex process that can be hard to make sense of from the outside, but it's how international law and institutions help solve problems that no single country can fix on its own.

I worked for the United Nations for several years as a law and policy adviser and have been involved in international negotiations. Here's what's happening behind closed doors and why people are concerned that COP26 might not meet its goals.

What is COP26?

In 1992, countries agreed to an international treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which set ground rules and expectations for global cooperation on combating climate change. It was the first time the majority of nations formally recognized the need to control greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming that drives climate change.

That treaty has since been updated, including in 2015 when nations signed the Paris climate agreement. That agreement set the goal of limiting global warming to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 F), and preferably to 1.5 C (2.7 F), to avoid catastrophic climate change.

COP26 stands for the 26th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC. The "parties" are the 196 countries that ratified the treaty plus the European Union. The United Kingdom, partnering with Italy, is hosting COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, from Oct. 31 through Nov. 12, 2021, after a one-year postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why are world leaders so focused on climate change?

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report, released in August 2021, warns in its strongest terms yet that human activities have unequivocally warmed the planet, and that climate change is now widespread, rapid and intensifying.

The IPCC's scientists explain how climate change has been fueling extreme weather events and flooding, severe heat waves and droughts, loss and extinction of species, and the melting of ice sheets and rising of sea levels. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the report a "code red for humanity."

Enough greenhouse gas emissions are already in the atmosphere, and they stay there long enough, that even under the most ambitious scenario of countries quickly reducing their emissions, the world will experience rising temperatures through at least mid-century.

However, there remains a narrow window of opportunity. If countries can cut global emissions to "net zero" by 2050, that could bring warming back to under 1.5 C in the second half of the 21st century. How to get closer to that course is what leaders and negotiators are discussing.

What happens at COP26?

During the first days of the conference, around 120 heads of state, like U.S. President Joe Biden, and their representatives will gather to demonstrate their political commitment to slowing climate change.

Once the heads of state depart, country delegations, often led by ministers of environment, engage in days of negotiations, events and exchanges to adopt their positions, make new pledges and join new initiatives. These interactions are based on months of prior discussions, policy papers and proposals prepared by groups of states, U.N. staff and other experts.

Nongovernmental organizations and business leaders also attend the conference, and COP26 has a public side with sessions focused on topics such as the impact of climate change on small island states, forests or agriculture, as well as exhibitions and other events.

The meeting ends with an outcome text that all countries agree to. Guterres publicly expressed disappointment with the COP25 outcome, and there are signs of trouble heading into COP26.

What is COP26 expected to accomplish?

Countries are required under the Paris Agreement to update their national climate action plans every five years, including at COP26. This year, they're expected to have ambitious targets through 2030. These are known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs.

The Paris Agreement requires countries to report their NDCs, but it allows them leeway in determining how they reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The initial set of emission reduction targets in 2015 was far too weak to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

One key goal of COP26 is to ratchet up these targets to reach net zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century.

Another aim of COP26 is to increase climate finance to help poorer countries transition to clean energy and adapt to climate change. This is an important issue of justice for many developing countries whose people bear the largest burden from climate change but have contributed least to it. Wealthy countries promised in 2009 to contribute $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing nations, a goal that has not been reached. The U.S., U.K. and EU, among the largest historic greenhouse emitters, are increasing their financial commitments, and banks, businesses, insurers and private investors are being asked to do more.

Other objectives include phasing out coal use and generating solutions that preserve, restore or regenerate natural carbon sinks, such as forests.

Another challenge that has derailed past COPs is agreeing on implementing a carbon trading system outlined in the Paris Agreement.

Are countries on track to meet the international climate goals?

The U.N. warned in September 2021 that countries' revised targets were too weak and would leave the world on pace to warm 2.7 C (4.9 F) by the end of the century. However, governments are also facing another challenge this fall that could affect how they respond: Energy supply shortages have left Europe and China with price spikes for natural gas, coal and oil.

China - the world's largest emitter - submitted an updated NDC on Oct. 28 with little change from pledges it announced almost a year ago. Major fossil fuel producers such as Russia and Australia seem unwilling to strengthen their commitments. Saudi Arabia strengthened its targets but doesn't count exports of oil and gas, which it says it will continue producing. India - a critical player as the second-largest consumer, producer and importer of coal globally - has also not yet committed.

Other developing nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa and Mexico are important. So is Brazil, which, under Jair Bolsonaro's watch, has increased deforestation of the Amazon - the world's largest rainforest and crucial for biodiversity and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

What happens if COP26 doesn't meet its goals?

Many insiders believe that COP26 won't reach its goal of having strong enough commitments from countries to cut global greenhouse gas emissions 45% by 2030. That means the world won't be on a smooth course for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and the goal of keeping warming under 1.5 C.

But organizers maintain that keeping warming under 1.5 C is still possible. Former Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been leading the U.S. negotiations, remains hopeful that enough countries will create momentum for others to strengthen their reduction targets by 2025.

The cost of failure is astronomical. Studies have shown that the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius can mean the submersion of small island states, the death of coral reefs, extreme heat waves, flooding and wildfires, and pervasive crop failure.

That translates into many premature deaths, more mass migration, major economic losses, large swaths of unlivable land and violent conflict over resources and food - what the U.N. secretary-general has called "a hellish future."

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All international efforts must lead to the unconditional and simultaneous exit of all foreign forces from the oil-rich country without exception, Shoukry said at a meeting Saturday with United Nations Special Envoy for Libya Jan Kubis.

Kubis is on an official visit to Egypt to participate in a meeting of Libya's 5+5 commission in Cairo to discuss means of expelling the foreign forces Libya.

Shoukry stressed to Kubis that the foreign presence is a clear threat to the sovereignty of the North African country, and has a direct impact on the security of Libya's neighbouring countries and regional stability.

A UN report published in March said that the arms embargo imposed on Libya by the UN Security Council in 2011 remains "totally ineffective." Citing a Panel of Experts on Libya, the report added that civilians, including migrants and asylum seekers, continue to suffer widespread rights violations and abuses.

The arms embargo aims to stem the violence that has affected Libya since 2011 when a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

Shoukry and Kubis also stressed during today's meeting the importance of holding the Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections on time on 24 December in accordance with the political roadmap agreed upon and relevant UN resolutions, according to a statement released by the Egyptian foreign ministry.

They warned against any attempt to delay the elections, saying such a step would have negative repercussions on Libyan security and stability, prolong the country's crisis and compound division.

The long-awaited elections are supposed to help unify the country after years of conflict and division.

In recent years, Libya has been split between two rival east and west-based administrations. Last year, the two camps signed a ceasefire in Geneva; earlier this year, an interim government was established through internationally sponsored negotiations to guide the country towards the December elections. Libya's 5+5 military mission, formed in early 2020, was the agreed third track to ensure the withdrawal of all foreign fighters from Libya.

Additionally, Saturday's meeting witnessed a briefing from the UN envoy on the outcome of his recent contacts with all parties concerned with the Libyan situation.

He expressed his appreciation of Egypts efforts to support the countrys stability and support the legitimate aspirations of its people.

In recent months, Egypt hosted a host of meetings to bridge the gap between various Libyan parties and foster dialogue.

Cairo has been pushing for a political settlement in Libya for years, a complete disarming of militias, an end to foreign intervention in the country as well as a fair distribution of wealth between various regions in the country.
Nearly 400 migrants disembarked Sunday from a Turkish-flagged cargo ship that Greece allowed to dock on its territory despite charges that Turkey had violated a migrant deal.

The ship had sent a distress signal on Friday after its engines failed in international waters, according to Greek authorities who allowed it to dock at the southeastern Aegean island of Kos early on Sunday.

The Greek Coastguard said the migrants were transported to a reception center on the island while news reports said health ministry experts would quarantine them and test them for the coronavirus.

The migration ministry said nearly 400 people disembarked from the ship, with six of them detained for questioning, but did not immediately list their nationalities.

The Athens News Agency reported that the Greek migration and shipping ministers, along with the European Commission, had contacted Turkish authorities to ask them to take back the vessel, but to no avail.

"Turkey once again failed to comply with its responsibilities towards the EU," Giannis Plakiotakis, the merchant marine minister, said Saturday.

The European Union and Ankara signed a deal in March 2016 where Turkey was to sharply reduce the flow of migrants through its territory to EU countries Bulgaria and Greece in return for billions of euros in financial aid.

Both Greece and Turkey have accused the other of failing to honour the agreement sealed after more than a million migrants and asylum seekers, many from the civil war in Syria, entered the EU in 2015.

Plakiotakis said Turkey "won't accept the return of the Turkish-flagged ship that sailed off a Turkish port."

He added that the ship set sail "obviously with the knowledge of the Turkish coastguard and (Turkey) continues to have no regard for human lives."

The Greek islands of the eastern Aegean are a first EU port of call for waves of migrants and asylum seekers coming via Turkey.

On Tuesday, four migrants, two of them children, drowned after a boat sank off the island of Chios.

The vessel had set out from Turkey amid strong winds, and none of the occupants had been given a life vest by the smugglers, the Greek Coastguard said in a statem

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Global COP26 climate negotiations are the "last, best hope" to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C alive, said summit president Alok Sharma as he opened the meeting on Sunday.

The Glasgow gathering, which runs to November 12, comes as an accelerating onslaught of extreme weather events across the world underscores the devastating impacts of climate change from 150 years of burning fossil fuels.

"We know that our shared planet is changing for the worse," said Sharma at the opening ceremony.

Experts warn that only transformative action in the next ten years will help stave off far more cataclysmic impacts.

And the warming of the planet did not pause for the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused the UN meeting to be delayed by a year.

COP26 inherits its central goal from the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, which saw countries agree to cap global warming at "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels, and 1.5C if possible.

That deal left many crucial details to be worked out, while emissions reductions remain woefully insufficient to avert global warming.

In August a bombshell "code red" report from the world's top climate science body warned that Earth's average temperature will hit the 1.5C threshold around 2030, a decade earlier than projected only three years ago.

And last week a UN report said even the latest, most ambitious carbon cutting commitments would still lead to "catastrophic" warming of 2.7C.

COP26 now marks the "last, best hope to keep 1.5C in reach", said Sharma.

"If we act now and we act together we can protect our precious planet," he said.

'Investing in extinction'

Much rests on commitment from G20 leaders of richer nations -- currently meeting in Rome -- whose economies account for about 80 percent of carbon pollution.

They have collectively endorsed the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, according to a final draft summit statement obtained by AFP on Sunday.

UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa told the Glasgow opening ceremony that nations must turn away from business as usual or accept that "we are investing in our own extinction".

More than 120 heads of state and government will make the trip to Glasgow for the UN meeting, including US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron, India's Narendra Modi and Australia's Scott Morrison.

But President Xi Jinping of China, the world's largest emitter, has not left his country during the pandemic and will not be travelling to Glasgow.

Vladimir Putin of Russia, another major polluter, will also be a no-show.

As things stand "there is a serious risk that Glasgow will not deliver," warned United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in comments to the G20 on Saturday.

"Several recent climate announcements might leave the impression of a rosier picture," he said.

"Unfortunately, this is an illusion."

Nations under pressure to reboot their Covid-lashed economies continue to subsidise fossil fuels, even as they tout renewables.

With poorer nations least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions hit hardest by its impacts, inequality overshadows the negotiations.

The failure of rich countries to cough up $100 billion a year starting in 2020 to help developing nations lower emissions and adapt -- a pledge first made in 2009 -- will complicate the already fraught talks.

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President Joe Biden's new climate strategy, announced after his original plan crumbled under opposition in Congress, will represent a historic investment in clean energy technology and infrastructure if it is enacted. But it is still not likely to be enough to meet the administration's emissions reduction goals for 2030.

As director of the Fletcher School's Climate Policy Lab at Tufts University, I analyze ways governments can manage climate change.

As the new plan comes together, and the administration considers future steps, here are five types of policies that can help get the United States on track to achieve its climate targets. Together they would reassure the world that the United States can honor its climate commitments; help stave off the effects of a carbon border tax planned in Europe; and, if designed right, position U.S. workers and firms for the low-carbon economy of the 21st century.

Industrial policy

The United States' ability to compete in low-carbon and resilience technologies such as energy storage has eroded over the past two decades.

Part of the problem has been the political impasse in Washington over clean energy and climate policies. Over the past 20 years, tax credits, loan guarantees and regulations have started and stopped, depending on the political whims of whoever is in power in Congress and the White House. U.S. companies have gone bankrupt while waiting for markets to materialize.

Meanwhile, European companies, with backing from their investment and development banks, and Chinese companies have surged ahead, using their home markets to demonstrate new technologies and build industries. Wind turbines are a good example. European companies, led by Denmark's Vestas, controlled 43% of the wind turbine market globally in 2018, and China controlled 30%. By contrast, the United States accounted for only 10%.

I believe the United States as a country needs to make choices about where it has comparative advantage, and then the federal government can chart a clear course forward to develop those industries and compete in those global markets. Will it be electric vehicles? Electricity storage? Technology for adaptation such as sea wall construction, flood control or wildfire management? Independent advice could be provided to the administration and Congress, perhaps by the National Academies of Science, and then Congress could authorize an investment plan to conditionally support these industries.

Tempting as it is to support all technologies, public dollars are scarce. Companies that receive subsidies must be held accountable with performance requirements, and taxpayers should get a return when those companies succeed.

As part of industrial policy, officials also need to squarely face up to the fact that some workers, states, cities and towns with industries closely tied to fossil fuels are vulnerable in the transition to cleaner energy.

On an expert panel convened by the National Academies of Science and recent study, colleagues and I recommended that the government establish a national transition corporation to provide support and opportunities for displaced workers and affected communities. These communities will need to diversify their economies and their tax bases. Regional planning grants, loans and other investments can help them pivot their economies to industries that contribute less to climate change. Establishing a U.S. infrastructure bank or green bank to fund low-emissions and resilience projects could help finance these investments.

Equally important is investing in the workforce needed for a low-carbon economy. The government can subsidize the development of programs at colleges and universities to serve this economy and provide scholarships for students.

Fiscal tools

Other policies can help generate the revenue needed to support the transition to a clean economy.

Obviously, removing subsidies for fossil fuel industries is a crucial step forward. One analysis estimated, conservatively, that the U.S. provides about US$20 billion a year in direct subsidies to the fossil fuel industries. Estimates of indirect subsidies are much higher.

Tax reform can also help, such as replacing some individual and corporate income taxes with a carbon tax. This policy tool would tax the carbon in fuels, creating an incentive for companies and consumers to reduce use of fuels with the greatest impact on the climate. To avoid overburdening low-income households, the government could reduce income taxes on lower-income households or provide a dividend check.

Tax credits, loan guarantees, government procurement rules and investments in innovation are all useful tools and can shape markets for American companies. But these fiscal policy tools should not be permanent, and they should be phased down as technology costs come down.

Investing in markets as well as innovation

The government has the ability to both "push" and "pull" climate technologies into the marketplace. Government investments in research and human capital are "push"-type policies, because supporting research ensures that smart people will keep moving into the field.

The government can also "pull" in technologies by creating vibrant markets for them, which will provide further incentives to innovation and spur widespread deployment. Carbon taxes and emissions trading systems can create predictable markets for industry because they provide long-term market signals that let companies know what to expect for years ahead, and they at least partially account for a product's damage to the environment.

While the United States is investing in clean-energy research, development and demonstration, it has been less successful than China or Europe - both of which have emissions trading systems - in developing predictable, durable markets.

Performance standards

A tried-and-true U.S. policy tool is the use of performance standards. These standards limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per unit, such as fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for motor vehicles, energy efficiency standards for appliances and industrial equipment, and building efficiency standards at the state level. Fuel economy standards on automobiles since 1975 have saved about 2 trillion gallons of gas and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 14 gigatons, roughly three times the country's annual emissions from energy in 2020.

Performance standards give companies the flexibility to find the best way to comply, which can also fuel innovation. The Biden administration could develop new performance standards in each major emitting sector - vehicles, power plants and buildings. Federally imposed building codes, which are set at the state and local levels, would be a difficult political lift.

The laws that established the government's authority to set standards, such as the Clean Air Act and Energy Policy Act, have some ambiguities that can leave standards vulnerable to court challenge, however. Legal challenges have led to a zigzag in regulations in some sectors, most obviously the power sector.

Nature-based solutions and state legislation

A final area where policy is needed is for nature-based solutions. These might be fiscal incentives for restoring forests, which store carbon, or protecting existing lands from development, or they might be regulations.

Laws and regulations at the state level can also be enormously powerful in changing the U.S. emissions trajectory.

Biden's Plan B

The centerpiece of Biden's original climate plan was a program designed to reward and pressure utilities to shift electricity production away from fossil fuels faster. With the Senate split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin's opposition sank the plan.

The Biden administration's new Plan B has a number of heroic assumptions and relies heavily on fiscal and regulatory tools, along with lots of state-level actions.

Missing from Plan B is the emphasis on innovation and industrial policy, both of which might have a larger impact on U.S. emissions. The elephant in the room that cannot be ignored is that the United States needs a climate bill that puts its targets for reducing emissions by 2030 and 2050 into law, gives the right government agencies the authority to set policies and addresses industrial and workforce needs.

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I'm not going to contest the oft-repeated notion that democracy is the best form of government, but I am going to observe that the way democracy is being practiced in the US and Israel is testing its wisdom. In both societies, democracy has been perverted and now amounts to doing whatever it takes to stay in office or whatever is required to keep someone out of office. Lost in all of this are principles and sound policy that serve peoples needs, justice, and security.



Let me begin with a story about US politics that I love to tell:



Forty years ago, I was speaking to a member of Congress, who was a good friend, about how disturbed I was by the way his colleagues were voting to give Israel blank-check support to pursue policies that defied not only international law and human rights law, but stated US policy as well. I was acquainted with a number of these members and knew from conversations with them how deeply troubled they were by Israeli practices. Many of them would say to me "I'm really with you, but you know how it is. I'm running for reelection and can't risk taking a stand on this issue right now." (I had heard this same thing enough times that I would joke that there should be an "'I'm Really With You But...' Congressional Caucus.")



Bothered by this behavior, I asked my friend, "Where are their principles and their concern for the national interest?"



He replied, "Zogby, what you don't understand is that from the day they are elected, my colleagues' primary concern and their definition of the national interest become synonymous with their reelection."



While I might have been naive back then, as the situation has only worsened, I've wizened up. Let me be clear about the fact that there are principled members of Congress who will take risks to do what is right for the country. That, however, is not the case for the overwhelming majority. The combination of hyper-partisanship, the massive amounts of money being raised to run for Congress, and the role of "dark money" groups have so polluted the waters that our politics have become a grossly distorted caricature of democracy.

Hyper-partisanship has resulted in a paralyzed Congress that can't pass legislation to save lives from disease or guns, protect the environment, or even ensure the right to vote.



Instead of acting to defend the interests of the American public, too many members of Congress decide their votes based on what will harm their opponents, help them raise money, and appease lobbyists who can make massive expenditures either for or against their reelection efforts.



All this has been compounded by the continued appeal of former President Donald Trump. Trump's insistence that he won the 2020 election, but had it fraudulently stolen by Democrats is still believed by two-thirds of Republican voters. This has impacted our democracy in three ways. Too many Republicans are running for office with campaigns designed to win the support of the former president and his "base" by mimicking his effort to discredit any election that he or they don't win. Republicans are passing laws in states where they control the legislatures and executive branch that will establish partisan control over elections and voting. And Congress has been unable to pass laws to insure an expansion and protection of voter rights.

In short, American democracy is at risk.

Israel, which likes to call itself the "only democracy in the Middle East" is faring no better. Leave aside, for this discussion, the reality that Israel is an apartheid state in the way it maintains a harsh occupation over five million Palestinians and treats its two million Palestinian citizens as second class and unwelcome. Its functioning makes a mockery of its claim to be democratic state.



The coalition government that ousted Benjamin Netanyahu from office has been celebrated by some as a demonstration of democracy that has unified Israel's right, center, and left, and has brought together under one roof ardent Jewish nationalists and an Arab Islamic party. But it appears that the only unifying principle for this coalition is the desire to keep Netanyahu from returning to office.



Because this government is in office with the slimmest of margins, its Arab and "left" members have regularly been embarrassed by votes they have been "forced" to take in order to protect "their coalition." For example, they were required to oppose legislation cynically proposed by Netanyahu's allies that would make Arabic language study mandatory in elementary schools. They were also required to support a bill offered by one of their right-wing coalition partners to extend Israel's discriminatory "Citizenship Law." And they voted against bills put forward by their non-coalition rivals in the Arab sector that would have investigated the failure of the police to combat organized Arab crime.



Also making a mockery of this exercise in democratic coalition-building is the way that the Arab and "left" members of the government are forced to keep silent as the government continues to aggressively pursue its expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian lands, the erosion of Muslim rights at the Haram al Sharif, and its failure to act decisively to stop settler violence in the West Bank. It appears that when the only goal is to keep the coalition together to keep Netanyahu from returning, principles and good governance are cast aside.



Instead of being members of a democratic governing coalition its Arab and "left" members act more like captives of their own self-interests and the over-arching goal of "anyone but Netanyahu."



It appears that the US has bought into this same logic in the way it has bent over backwards to accommodate Netanyahu's successor, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. In order to avoid embarrassing him, the Biden administration has refrained from publicly criticizing Israeli government plans to build settlements that will dangerously further cut off Palestinian access to Jerusalem. And they have deferred delivery on a campaign promise to open the US Consulate in Jerusalem for the same reason.

And so I end where I began, with the observation that when democracy becomes doing whatever it takes to stay in office or whatever is required to keep someone out of office, what's lost are principles and sound policy that serve people's needs, justice, and security.

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Britain on Monday warned France it will take action if Paris does not withdraw "unreasonable" threats to impose trade measures in an increasingly acrimonious row over post-Brexit fishing rights.

President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that Britain must give ground in the dispute or France will trigger trade reprisals on Tuesday, saying: "The ball is in Britain's court."

But Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told Sky News on Monday that "we will use the mechanisms of our trade agreement with the EU to take action" if Macron goes ahead with his plans.

"The French have made completely unreasonable threats, including to the Channel Islands and to our fishing industry, and they need to withdraw those threats," she said.

"If somebody behaves unfairly in a trade deal you're entitled to take action against them and seek some compensatory measures.

"And that is what we will do if the French don't back down."

France is enraged that Britain and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey have not issued some French boats with licences to fish in their waters since Brexit took full effect at the start of 2021.

Paris has vowed that unless licences are approved, it will ban UK boats from unloading their catches at French ports from Tuesday and impose checks on all products brought to France from Britain.

Jersey's Minister for External Relations Ian Gorst said on Monday that his officials had followed the terms of the Brexit deal, which stipulates that boats should only be granted licences if evidence is presented that they fished in the waters before 2016.

"We've really tumbled over ourselves to be as engaging and as reasonable as possible," he told Sky News.

"And so to hear that tomorrow, the French will take countermeasures, it's extremely frustrating. I mean, it's bordering on they're just being silly."

The simmering feud over fish has already seen a British trawler detained in a French port and Paris's ambassador in London summoned to the Foreign Office for the type of dressing down usually reserved for hostile states not allies.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson complained to EU chief Ursula Von Der Leyen on Saturday that French threats over fishing were "completely unjustified" as he held out the option of invoking the Brexit dispute tool for the first time, drawing the EU itself into the row.

"If there is a (French) breach of the treaty or we think there is a breach of the treaty, then we will do what is necessary to protect British interests," he told Sky News.

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Egypt has inked seven development financing grant agreements with the US worth $125 million through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat announced on Monday.

Al-Mashat, US Ambassador to Egypt Jonathan Cohen, and Mission Director of USAID Egypt Leslie Reed witnessed the signing.

The signed agreements are expected to play a role in stimulating Egypts government efforts in developing the sectors of basic education, higher education, science and technology, agriculture, health, economic governance, trade, and investment, in addition to $5 million allocated for combating the repercussions of the pandemic, according to the minister.

The agreements allocate $17 million to the sector of basic education; $31 million to the US-Egypt Higher Education Initiative (HEI); $4 million to US-Egyptian cooperation in the sector of science and technology; $27 million to economic governance; $5 million to agriculture and rural development; and $28 million to bolstering trade and investment in Egypt.

Al-Mashat elaborated that the strategic partnership with the US integrates with the national efforts of developing various sectors to achieve social and economic development referring to the Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator that was launched by the Ministry of International Cooperation, the National Council for Women, and the World Economic Forum, which is the first unique public-private collaboration model in Africa and the Middle East that works towards taking decisive action on closing economic gender gaps.

The ministry is currently designing a new programme with USAID to ensure the economic and social empowerment of women in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in order to improve the work environment for women in the private sector, as well as expand womens financial inclusion, according to Al-Mashat.

I am pleased to announce today $125 million in economic assistance from the United States to Egypt. This is part of the US Governments $30 billion investment in Egypt over the last 40 years, which has brought clean water and wastewater services to 25 million Egyptians, eliminated polio, built 2,000 schools, and provided 4,000 university scholarships, said Cohen.

Meanwhile, USAIDs Reed stated that the seven agreements being celebrated reinforce the strategic partnership between the United States and Egypt and the tremendous impact that the joint efforts have on Egypts people, adding that she is looking forward to the successes that will be achieved through these agreements.

Egypts cooperation portfolio with the USAID since 2014 has reached about $900 million in implementing priority projects in education, higher education, governance, small- and medium-sized enterprises, tourism, agriculture, and the private sector.

The total development cooperation portfolio between Egypt and the USA since 1978 amounts to over $30 billion, covering various sectors that represent development priorities for Egypts government.

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Regional crises can be resolved by attaining stability, supporting state institutions, and strengthening armies and governments, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg on Sunday.

This came during a meeting in Glasgow on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in which El-Sisi added that regional stability requires "undermining the activities of extremist groups."

El-Sisi and Schallenberg tackled a host of regional issues, including the Palestinian cause, reviving the Peace Process, and Egypt's efforts to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza.

They also reviewed the latest on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a controversial hydropower project Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the River Nile.

El-Sisi stressed that preserving Egypt's historic rights in the Nile are a top priority, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.

"It is an existential matter that needs the efforts of the international community to reach a legally binding deal on the filling and operation of the dam in a way that preserves Egypt's water security," the president said.

The two sides tackled means of enhancing trade and economic relations in light of Egypt's efforts to improve the business climate and encourage the private sector to attract foreign direct investments, Rady said.

The Austrian chancellor expressed his appreciation of Egypt's efforts to combat irregular migration, terrorism, and extremism and to renew the religious discourse.

These efforts, Schallenberg said, consolidate Egypts "effective and influential" regional role under El-Sisi's leadership to spread the culture of tolerance, coexistence, acceptance of the other, and respect for freedom of belief, noted the presidential statement.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on developed countries on Monday to fulfill their pledge to provide $100 billion annually to developing countries to address the effects of climate change.

"We are concerned about the gap between the available funding and the actual requirements for developing countries to face climate change," the Egyptian president said in a speech delivered to the UN Climate Change Conference Summit (COP26), which is being held in Glasgow, UK.

He also expressed his concern about the obstacles facing developing countries to access the funding necessary to confront climate change.

The Egyptian president described the funding issue as the "main determinant" of developing countries' ability to achieve their climate change adaptation ambitions within the framework of preserving the Paris Climate Accords.

"Developing countries' implementation of their commitments in the face of climate change depends on the proportion of funding they receive," El-Sisi stressed.

The Egyptian president seconded United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' remarks at the COP26, which highlighted the need to allocate at least half of all public climate finance to adaptation measures.

He affirmed the need to preserve the Paris Climate Accords to ensure the bolstering of efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the negative implications of climate change.

The Paris Climate Accords  adopted at the COP21 and signed by over 190 states including Egypt  came into effect in 2016 with the aim of reducing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in this century.

"Strengthening climate action to achieve the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal has become imperative and undeferrable," El-Sisi affirmed.

Egypt aspires to host COP27

President El-Sisi also expressed Egypt's readiness to host the 27th edition of the UN Climate Conference Summit (COP27) in 2022, as the country was recently selected as a nominee to hold the event.

"We will seek during our presidency of the COP27 to enhance international climate action to achieve the goals of the Paris agreement, which will achieve the interests of the global community," El-Sisi said.

Egypt, climate change, water scarcity

In his speech, the president stressed that Egypt is implementing projects to rationalise its water usage, including lining canals and fostering integrated coastal zone management.

Egypt is one of the countries most affected by climate change, according to Mohamed Abdel-Ati, Egypt's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources minister.

Abdel-Ati has warned on more than one occasion against the negative effects of global warming on Egypt's water resources, people's access to water, and the country's efforts to achieve sustainable development.

One of the threats of global warming on Egypt is the risk of losing 12 to 15 percent of the total area of the Nile Delta - the country's most fertile soil - as a result of the expected rise in sea levels and the intrusion of saline water.

Egypt, a dry country that imports 54 percent of its virtual water, has developed a four-pronged 'National Water Resources Plan' that will run through 2037, which is based on rationalising water usage, improving water quality, providing additional water resources, and creating a climate suitable for optimal water management, the minister added.

Egypt has also drawn a strategy for its water resources until 2050 at a cost of EGP 900 billion.

Egypt: Developing renewable energy sources

The president highlighted that Egypt has taken serious steps to implement a sustainable development model centered on adaptation to climate change.

He affirmed that this model seeks to increase the percentage of government-funded green projects to 50 percent by 2025 and 100 percent by 2030.

Egypt also seeks to boost the percentage of renewable energy sources in its energy mix from the current 20 percent to 42 percent by 2035, he said.

The country also aims to rationalise energy subsidies, the president added.

According to the 'Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index for 2021', Egypt has advanced from 26th place in 2020 to the 20th among the world's top 40 markets.

Furthermore, the president said that Egypt seeks to transition to clean transportation by promoting electric modes of transportation, such as the metro, electric trains, and electric vehicles by developing the necessary infrastructures.

The country is also establishing smart and sustainable cities, he noted.

"In order to fund these projects, Egypt recently issued its first-of-its-kind green bonds at a value of $750 million," El-Sisi stated during the speech.

The Egyptian government sold green bonds with a five-year maturity in September last year, becoming the first government in the Middle East and North Africa to make such offering.

On Monday, El-Sisi highlighted that Egypt has completed the development of a national strategy for climate change until 2050, in order to place all efforts on the issue in an institutional framework.

"This strategy will open the way for Egypt to modernise its locally-based initiatives, in a way that integrates the policies, goals, and measures into the state's development efforts, and to help the country recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic," the president explained.

Fighting for Africa

In his speech, the Egyptian president called for the necessity to treat Africa in a special way within the framework of implementing the Paris Climate Accords, highlighting that the continent, which contributes the lowest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, has suffered the most negative repercussions of climate change.

"Even though the African continent is not responsible for the climate crisis, it suffers from the most negative consequences of the phenomenon - economic, social, security, and political," El-Sisi said.

The president added that Africa, however, is considered a "role model for serious climate action according to the continent's capabilities and the available funding allows."

According to the World Bank's Groundswell Africa reports that were released late in October, Africa is expected to face the hardest impacts of climate change, displacing up to 86 million Africans by 2050 in the event concrete climate and development action was not taken.

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Egypt reported 933 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the total infection tally to 331,017 since the outbreak in February 2020, reported the health ministry in its daily coronavirus update.

Fifty-nine coronavirus-related deaths were recorded on Sunday, putting the total deaths from the virus at 18,651, the ministry added.

In addition, 644 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 278,267.

Egypt has so far received 72 million coronavirus vaccine doses, 38 million of which were administered, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, higher education minister and acting health minister said on Sunday.

Egypt is expected to receive 26 million doses of the Sinovac, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the near term, he noted.

The country has thus far allocated 1,079 vaccination centres nationwide and is expected to open more.

According to health officials, around 25 million citizens have been vaccinated in Egypt.

The government has set a goal to vaccinate 40 million citizens by the end of 2021.

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Egyptian and US naval forces have conducted joint naval drills in the Red Sea, where the Egyptian frigate Alexandria and the American cruiser USS Portland participated, the Egyptian Armed Forces said in a statement.

The training involved a range of naval combat activities, with a focus on enhancing naval security in the Red Sea and assessing threats to the international flow of trade.

The drill also included training on countering atypical threats.

The Armed Forces statement said that Egypt and the US agree on the importance of maintaining maritime security and stability in the region and safeguarding the movement of global trade.

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Ethiopian forces and Tigrayan rebels fought a pitched battle for control of Kombolcha on Monday, terrified residents reported, after the rebels claimed to have taken over a second town in two days.

Reports of rebels capturing Kombolcha came a day after they claimed control of Dessie and, if confirmed, would mark a major advance by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in the nearly year-long war.

Much of northern Ethiopia is under a communications blackout, and access for journalists is restricted, making battlefield claims difficult to verify independently.

Kombolcha residents described non-stop gunfire overnight and into the early hours on Monday, with some saying they heard what sounded like an air strike on the town's outskirts around midnight.

"The night was filled with many gunshots," said Mohammed, who like other locals declined to share his last name for safety reasons.

"I heard an air strike past midnight outside Kombolcha borders," he added.

Hamdiu, a shopkeeper in Kombolcha, told AFP he too heard what sounded like an air strike around midnight.

"Huge gunshots were heard until (this) morning", he said, as the rebels battled federal troops and local militias.

But a government spokeswoman on Monday told AFP: "There were no air strikes in Kombolcha overnight."

Over the past two weeks, Ethiopia's air force has carried out a string of aerial bombardments in Tigray.

Control of the skies, along with superior manpower, is one of the few remaining areas where the government holds a military advantage over the rebels.

'Deadly siege'

Meanwhile the government Monday accused the TPLF of having "summarily executed more than 100 youth residents of Kombolcha", but provided no details about the killings.

"The international community should not turn (a) blind eye to such atrocities," it said.

The TPLF did not respond to requests for comment.

AFP was unable to reach anyone in Dessie, where heavy fighting was reported on Sunday.

Residents had earlier reported a heavy military build-up in the area, as civilians fleeing conflict-hit towns further north poured into Dessie seeking refuge.

As of September, Amhara authorities estimated that at least 233,000 people fleeing the rebel advance had found refuge in Dessie and Kombolcha.

The conflict has alarmed the international community, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for an immediate halt to military operations.

Referring to "reports of the TPLF takeover of Dessie and Kombolcha", Blinken tweeted: "Continued fighting prolongs the dire humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia."

The rebels' offensive in the towns south of Addis Ababa has fuelled speculation that the TPLF was approaching Ethiopia's capital.

But the rebels' spokesman Getachew Reda said the TPLF, which dominated national politics for three decades until 2018, had no "other motive than breaking the deadly siege" on Tigray, which is in the throes of a severe humanitarian crisis.

'Survival campaign'

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has urged Ethiopians to use "any type of weapons... to block the destructive TPLF, to overturn it and bury it".

"Dying for Ethiopia is a duty (for) all of us," he said.

The Amhara administration Sunday ordered all government institutions to suspend regular services and divert their budgets to "the survival campaign".

Elsewhere in Amhara, rebels from the Oromo Liberation Army -- who are allied with the TPLF -- announced Sunday that they had captured the town of Kemissie, south of Kombolcha and located on a major highway to Addis Ababa.

The conflict erupted last November when Abiy deployed troops in Tigray, with the operation spiralling into a prolonged war marked by massacres, mass rapes and a humanitarian crisis.

The conflict has pushed an estimated 400,000 people to the brink of famine, with Tigray under a de facto aid blockade, according to the UN.

Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019, said the operation was in response to attacks on army camps by the TPLF.

He vowed a swift victory, but by late June the rebels had regrouped and retaken most of Tigray, including the capital Mekele, and fighting spread to the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar.

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Will Spain have enough gas to heat homes this winter and at what price? Those questions are troubling Spanish authorities as a key pipeline is due to shut this weekend.

Algeria on Sunday is planning to halt shipments through the Gaz-Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline, which has been carrying almost 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year.

The pipeline, which traverses Morocco before crossing the Mediterranean at the Strait of Gibraltar, is a victim of the crisis in relations between Algeria and Morocco.

With Algeria having severed diplomatic ties with Morocco in August, a renewal of the pipeline contract that expires on Sunday is unlikely, threatening one of Spain's main sources of gas.

With technical constraints limiting alternative sources and the risk of further price increases, Spain "finds itself in a complicated situation" even if "the risk of shortages is limited," said Gonzalo Escribano, an energy expert at the Elcano think tank in Madrid.

He called the decision "bad news ... at a bad moment" for Spain, which depends on Algeria for half of its natural gas needs.

Despite a big push into wind and solar, Spain remains dependent on imported energy.

What will the impact of GME's closure be on Spain?

Spain's Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera sought to sound reassuring during a meeting in Algiers earlier this week, speaking of "arrangements taken to continue to assure, in the best way, deliveries of gas through Medgaz according to a well determined schedule".

Medgaz is a second pipeline that runs directly between Algeria and Spain under the Mediterranean.

It can carry eight bcm a year, and planned works could see its capacity reach 10.5 bcm.

Algeria also proposes increasing deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by sea.

'Theory and practice'

"On paper, it is enough to ensure the same level of deliveries. But there is theory and practice, and Spain isn't safe from bad surprises," said Thierry Bros, a specialist on the geopolitics of energy who teaches at Sciences Po university in Paris.

Work on increasing the capacity of Medgaz is expected to last into December.

"Valves need to be changed, tests conducted ... You can't rule out delays," Bros said.

But he believes the main problem to be with LNG, which is transported by special ships that keep the gas very cold so it remains condensed in liquid form.

"It could be complicated to find such ships, especially at the moment when there is strong demand for gas in Asia" and shipowners prefer the most profitable routes, Bros said.

And given that Spain has limited storage capacity but plenty of LNG gas terminals, the risk is less about a shortage than the price paid.

"The country will manage to cope" with potential supply problems, "but that will have an impact on the price", said Escribano, noting that gas transported by ship is more expensive than that by pipelines.

In recent months natural gas and LNG prices have soared as the global economy gears back up.

In addition to homes linked to the gas network for heating and cooking, Spain is also reliant on gas-fired power plants and electricity prices have already shot higher.

Soaring energy prices are weighing on Spanish consumers who have already been battered by the coronavirus pandemic, and the government has already moved to temporarily lower electricity taxes.

In one sign the situation is concerning, Spain has recently reached out to its other LNG suppliers -- the United States, Russia and Qatar -- in order to ensure deliveries, according to a source close to the discussions.

Meanwhile, local operators are also making preparations to receive additional supplies.

Enagas, which operates four LNG terminals and the national gas grid, has opened up extra slots for ships.

"We are doing everything possible to contribute to the security of gas supplies," its president, Antonio Llarden, said earlier this week.

Meanwhile the Spanish government is emphasising the preparations that are being made.

"We've increased the level of reserves" and "the capacity to receive LNG ships", Ribera said in a radio interview on Friday.

Ribera said she believes the risk of electricity blackouts this winter to be "very limited".

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Lebanon's foreign minister on Monday called for talks with Saudi Arabia to ease a spiraling diplomatic row sparked by remarks made by the Lebanese information minister on the Yemen war.

"Lebanon invites Saudi Arabia to engage in dialogue to solve all outstanding problems and not just the latest spat, so that the same crisis is not repeated every time," the minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, told AFP.

On Friday, Saudi Arabia gave Lebanon's ambassador 48 hours to leave the country, recalled its envoy from Beirut and suspended all imports from Lebanon.

The Saudi foreign ministry said the measures were taken after "insulting" remarks made by a Lebanese minister on the Yemen war, but also due to the influence of Lebanon's Iran-backed Shia movement Hezbollah.

In an interview recorded in August and aired last week, Information Minister Georges Kordahi said Iran-backed Huthi rebels were "defending themselves... against an external aggression," by a Saudi-led military coalition.

His comments sparked angry rebukes from Saudi Arabia and its allies, worsening diplomatic ties that have weakened significantly in recent years over the growing dominance of Hezbollah which is viewed by the kingdom as a terrorist group.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia said dealing with Beirut was "pointless" due to Hezbollah's dominance.

But Bou Habib told AFP on Monday that "problems between friendly and brotherly countries can only be resolved through dialogue, communication and trust, and not through imposition".

Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Hezbollah of supporting Huthi rebels that seized the Yemeni capital in 2014.

A Saudi-led military coalition that has included the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain intervened to prop up the Yemeni government in 2015.

Lebanon's foreign minister said that Hezbollah's activities in the region and beyond can not be checked by the state.

"A US-Iranian agreement or a deal between Saudi and Iran can help solve this issue but we can't resolve it by ourselves," Bou Habib said.

The diplomatic crisis with the kingdom and its allies is a fresh blow to Lebanon, a country in financial and political turmoil where a fragile government is struggling to secure international aid, namely from wealthy Arab neighbours.

Saudi Arabia is Lebanon's third largest export market, accounting for six percent of the country's exports in 2020, worth around $217 million, according to the chamber of commerce.

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Japan's ruling coalition is on track to retain power but lose seats in parliament, media predictions said after polls closed in Sunday's general election, the first major test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The 64-year-old, who took office a month ago, said the forecasts based on exit polls showed the public has "trust" in his long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito.

But as the votes were counted, analysts warned that a poor showing could raise questions within the LDP over the prime minister's popularity and leadership ability.

Public broadcaster NHK predicted the coalition would win 239-288 of the 465 seats in parliament's lower house.

TV Asahi said the coalition was expected to win 280 seats, down from its previous total of 305 -- weakening the dominance of the LDP, which has held power almost continuously since the 1950s.

"If the ruling coalition is given a majority, the government is given trust. It is a big deal," Kishida said in televised comments.

He added that he hoped to issue a fresh stimulus package by the end of the year to counter the impact of the pandemic on the world's third-largest economy.

"As far as economic measures, upon receiving the results of this election, I would like to draft them as soon as possible." He had previously said the package would be worth tens of trillions of yen.

'Economy is suffering'

Kishida was voted LDP leader after Yoshihide Suga resigned just a year into the job, partly due to public discontent over his response to the Covid-19 crisis.

He has not enjoyed a political honeymoon, however, with approval ratings around 50 percent, the lowest in two decades for a new administration in Japan.

Cases have dropped precipitously since a record wave this summer that pushed the Tokyo Olympics behind closed doors, and voters in the capital said the pandemic was a major factor in their decision.

"The economy is suffering because of the coronavirus, so I compared the politicians' responses," said Chihiro Sato, 38, a housewife and mother of a toddler.

But engineer Hiroyasu Onishi, 79, said he was more concerned by "the military threat from China".

Kishida has outlined plans to tackle inequality heightened by the pro-business policies of Suga and his predecessor Shinzo Abe.

He has vowed to distribute wealth more fairly under a so-called new capitalism, although the details remain vague.

Kishida had set a comfortable target of winning 233 lower-house seats, a simple majority including LDP and Komeito lawmakers.

The LDP previously boasted a commanding majority of 276 seats on its own.

NHK predicted the party would hang on to between 212-253 seats on Sunday, while TV Asahi said it would win 243, still a simple majority without Komeito.

'Key test' to come

In recent decades, votes against the LDP have been split between multiple major opposition parties, but this time five rival parties boosted cooperation in a bid to dent its stranglehold.

"It's a defeat for Kishida as his party loses seats, but he is still able to secure his premiership for now," Shinichi Nishikawa, a professor of political science at Meiji University in Tokyo, told AFP.

"He avoided the worst scenario in the election but he may lose his influence," Nishikawa said, adding that an upper house vote next summer will be a "key test" of Kishida's longevity as leader.

Tobias Harris, senior fellow for Asia at the Center for American Progress, said that at the lower end of the exit poll predictions, "there will be debates within the LDP about the vision for the party going forward".

"There are going to be questions about his leadership ability, his popularity", he told AFP.

As well as vowing to tackle the pandemic and working to boost the middle class, the LDP has said it will aim to increase defence spending to counter threats from China and North Korea.

But Kishida has so far distanced himself from social causes such as same-sex marriage and allowing married couples to have different surnames.

Kishida said that if his win was confirmed, he wanted to attend the COP26 summit in Glasgow as his first overseas engagement after the election.

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President Joe Biden told a UN summit on Monday that actions taken this decade to contain climate change would be decisive in preventing future generations from suffering, declaring that ``none of us can escape the worst that is yet to come if we fail to seize this moment.''

'Will we do what is necessary?' Biden asked. 'This is the decade that will determine the answer.'

The president treated the already visible crisis for the planet - flooding, volatile weather, droughts and wildfires _ as a unique opportunity to reinvent the global economy.

Standing before world leaders gathered in Scotland, he sought to portray the enormous costs of limiting carbon emissions as a chance to create jobs by transitioning to renewable energy and electric automobiles.

'We can create an environment that raises the standard of living around the world,' he said. 'This is a moral imperative, but it's also an economic imperative.'

But the magnitude of the moment is also crashing head-first into complicated global and domestic politics. Biden administration officials have scolded China for failing to commit more to curbing carbon emissions, while the president is still trying to nail down his own climate investments with Congress.

Wading back into hands-on diplomacy with allies overseas following the withdrawal of the Trump administration, Biden on the eve of his arrival at the climate summit touted 'the power of America showing up.' He arrived in Glasgow on Monday for the summit.

The summit is often billed as essential to putting the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord into action.

But Biden and his administration face obstacles in prodding the US and other nations to act fast enough on climate, abroad as at home. In the runup to the summit, the administration has tried hard to temper expectations that two weeks of talks involving more than 100 world leaders will produce major breakthroughs on cutting climate-damaging emissions.

Rather than a quick fix, 'Glasgow is the beginning of this decade race, if you will,' Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, told reporters Sunday.

As the summit opens, the United States is still struggling to get some of the world's biggest climate polluters _ China, Russia and India _ to join the US and its allies in stronger pledges to burn far less coal, gas and oil and to move to cleaner energy.

Kerry on Sunday defended the outcome of a summit of the Group of 20 leading economies that ended earlier that day in Rome. The G-20 meeting was supposed to create momentum for more climate progress in Glasgow, and leaders at the Italy summit did agree on a series of measures, including formalizing a pledge to cut off international subsidies for dirty-burning, coal-fired power plants.

Biden also lauded a separate US-European Union steel agreement as a chance to curb imports of 'dirty' Chinese steel forged by coal power. It's another step toward potentially using Western markets as leverage to persuade China, the world's top climate polluter, to ease up in its enthusiasm for coal power.

But G-20 leaders offered more vague pledges than commitments of firm action, saying they would seek carbon neutrality 'by or around mid-century.'

Major polluters including China and Russia have made clear they had no immediate intention of following the US and its European and Asian allies to zero out all fossil fuel pollution by 2050. Scientists say massive, fast cuts in fossil fuel pollution are essential to having any hope of keeping global warming at or below the limits set in the Paris climate accord.

The world currently is on track for a level of warming that would melt much of the planet's ice, raise global sea levels and greatly increase the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather, experts say.

Biden told reporters Sunday night he personally found the outcome of the Rome summit 'disappointing,' countering the positive assessments of his aides. And he put the blame on two rivals of the US.

'The disappointment relates to the fact that Russia, and ... not only Russia but China basically didn't show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate changes,' Biden said.

The Biden administration on Monday released its strategy for turning talk into reality in transforming the US into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050.

The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris agreement, lays out a United States increasingly running on wind, solar and other clean energy, Americans zipping around in electric vehicles and on mass transit, state-of-the-art technology and wide open spaces carefully preserved to soak up carbon dioxide from the air.

The Biden administration has succeeded, over 10 months of diplomacy leading up to the Glasgow summit, in helping win significant new climate pledges from allies. That includes persuading many foreign governments to set more ambitious targets for emissions cuts, promoting a global pledge to cut emissions of a potent climate harm, methane, and the promise from leading economies to end funding for coal energy abroad.

European leaders make clear they are happy to see Biden and the US back in the climate effort after his predecessor, Donald Trump, turned his back on the Paris accord and on allies in general. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen smiled at Biden throughout the announcement on Sunday's steel deal, calling him 'dear Joe.'

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Chinese President Xi Jinping is attending the Glasgow summit, although they are sending senior officials. Their refusals, and India's, to move substantially faster to cut their reliance on coal and petroleum threaten to frustrate hopes of reaching the target cuts set in the Paris climate accord.

China under Xi has firmed up commitments to cut emissions but at a slower pace than the US has encouraged.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with the president that climate change should not viewed as a rivalry between the US and China, as China, the world's second largest economy, could act on its own.

'They are a big country with a lot of resources and a lot of capabilities, and they are perfectly well capable of living up to their responsibilities,' Sullivan said. 'Nothing about the nature of the relationship between the US and China, structurally or otherwise, impedes or stands in the way of them doing their part.'

Biden comes to the international climate summit with the fate of his own climate package still uncertain in Congress. Objections from holdouts within Biden's own Democratic Party have compelled him to back away from one bill that would have prodded the United States' own move away from coal and natural gas and to cleaner energy for generating electricity.

Hundreds of billions of dollars of climate measures remain in Biden's package before Congress, however.

'The largest investment in the history of the world' on climate, Biden told reporters Sunday. 'And it's gonna pass.'

While an opening ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday formally kicked off the climate talks, the more anticipated launch comes Monday, when Biden and other leaders lay out their countries' efforts to curb emissions and deal with the mounting damage from climate change.

The US president met on the sidelines with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, with the two discussing climate change, strengthening NATO's deterrence capabilities and human rights, the White House said.

Biden will also participate in a climate event on 'action and solidarity' Monday and meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

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Bulgaria on Monday deployed 350 soldiers to the border with Turkey to help police cope with the growing influx of migrants, the defence minister announced.

"Soldiers arrived at the Bulgarian-Turkish border since today to back up the border police," Georgi Panayotov told the private bTV channel.

The 350 troops deployed with 40 units of equipment, he added.

This year has already seen more than 6,500 people cross illegally into Bulgaria, three times the numbers for the first nine months of 2020, according to the interior ministry.

The east European country sits on one of the main routes migrants use to enter the EU from the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Bulgaria is an external border for the European Union. A partly damaged barbed-wire fence runs the length of the 259-kilometre (161-mile) frontier with Turkey.

Parliament agreed in August on the dispatch of 400-700 soldiers on the borders with Greece and Turkey, mainly to help build fencing.

Bulgaria is the poorest EU member state and has never taken in large numbers of asylum-seekers, most of whom try to move on through the EU before waiting for a response from Sofia on their refugee status.

EU countries have feared an influx of people from Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control on August 15, with memories still fresh from the migrant crisis that shook Europe in 2015.

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A fire that broke out late on Sunday, and has since been extinguished, has caused damage to the headquarters of the El-Nahda Association for Scientific and Cultural Renaissance, also known as the Jesuit Culture Centre in Cairo.

The centre has reported major damage to the Studio Nasibian Theatre and parts of the fifth floor, as well as to a number of vehicles. No injuries have been reported.

Dozens of artists and cultural figures have expressed sadness over the incident, urging financial support for the prominent NGO, which has been operating since 1998.

Throughout the last two decades, the centre has supported a large number of young people with the Jesuit Cairo Film School, the Nahda Arts School of Social Theatre, the Animation School, the School of Humanities, the Jesuit Cinema Club, El-Film Magazine, the Cultural Salon, and other activities.

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Marques Armstrong had just got out of the shower one morning this fall when he heard gunshots that seemed to come from his Minneapolis backyard. After ducking, he ran upstairs to check on his wife and daughter, then looked out to see a car speed away.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo addresses the media regarding the proposed charter amendment that would replace the police department, during a new conference at St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021, in Minneapolis. [Photo: Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune via AP]

It was a depressingly routine occurrence on the city's predominantly Black north side that reaffirmed Armstrong's staunch opposition to a proposal on Tuesday's ballot to replace the city's police department  and a required minimum number of officers  with a new Department of Public Safety.

Everybody says we want the police to be held accountable and we want fair policing. No one has said we need to get rid of the police, said Armstrong, a Black activist who owns a mental health practice and a clothing store. "There needs to be a huge overhaul from the ground up, but we need some form of community safety because over here shots are ringing out day and night.

The ballot proposal that goes to voters Tuesday has roots in the abolish-the-police movement that erupted after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last year. It has drawn strong support from younger Black activists who were mobilized by Floyds death, as well as from some Black and white residents across this liberal city.

Many people of color who live in the city's highest-crime areas say they fear a steep drop in the number of police officers will leave them more vulnerable amid a dramatic spike in violent crime.

The debate over racial justice in policing that erupted after Floyd's death has brought national attention to Tuesday's vote, as well as a river of out-of-state money seeking to influence an outcome that might shape change elsewhere, too.

The campaign has been bitter. Opponents have attacked the ballot question as vague, with no concrete plan for what comes after passage. Supporters say opponents are overblowing fears about a falloff in police presence  and the prospect that the city's popular Black police chief, Medaria Arradondo, will quit if the initiative passes. Mayor Jacob Frey, who opposes the ballot question, is facing a tough reelection fight, with his two top opponents urging their supporters to leave him off their ballots in the city's ranked-choice voting system.

Arradondo, the city's first Black chief, recently urged voters to reject the proposal after previously saying that an element that would give City Council members more oversight of policing would be wholly unbearable. He has sidestepped questions about whether he would remain if it passes.

Raeisha Williams, an activist with Guns Down Love Up, said she believes the plans supporters are mainly white residents who havent experienced police misconduct or the violence that Black residents are seeing on the north side. Her brother, Tyrone, died in a shooting there in 2018.

Its like our voices are not heard  they are hijacking a movement yet again and making it their own, said Williams, who is Black.

JaNae Bates, one of the young, Black activists leading the movement to pass the ballot proposal, said her group worked hard to take all voices into account. Bates said more than 1,400 of the roughly 20,000 signatures on the petitions to get the measure on the ballot came from north side residents.

Bates said their effort to inform people about what the initiative would do involved knocking on the doors of north Minneapolis homes to hear the voices of those most affected by public safety issues.

Weve been extremely intentional because the residents of these neighborhoods are tired of accepting the status quo, both around police brutality and community violence," Bates said.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 1, 2021 - 23:04 | All, Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday tapped Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to take the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's No. 2 post of secretary general.

Kishida is set to relaunch his Cabinet after parliament convenes a special session on Nov. 10 and is expected to choose Motegi's replacement as foreign minister by then. One candidate is former education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Akira Amari assumed the role of LDP secretary general only a month ago but offered to resign following his shock defeat in a single-seat district in Sunday's general election, marking an unprecedented humiliation for a sitting LDP secretary general.

Motegi, who has been foreign minister since September 2019, said Kishida tasked him with implementing LDP reforms and drawing up a stimulus package to prop up the coronavirus-hit economy.

"I think it's important that I make sure we can honor the trust invested in us by the people," the 66-year-old told reporters after meeting with the prime minister at the LDP's headquarters in Tokyo and accepting the appointment.

The LDP will make the appointment official at a General Council meeting on Thursday, after Kishida returns from a U.N. conference on climate change in Glasgow, Scotland.

Related coverage:

Japan's Kishida to craft stimulus by mid-November after election win

FOCUS: Despite victory, PM Kishida faces challenges as next vote looms

Lawsuits filed to void Sunday's general election over vote disparity

Motegi's most senior LDP post to date has been chairman of the Policy Research Council, a role he served in twice. He is the de facto head of one of the seven major intraparty factions and backed Kishida in the LDP leadership race in September.

A graduate of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Motegi worked as a political reporter at the Yomiuri Shimbun daily and as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1993.

He was easily re-elected in his constituency in Tochigi Prefecture in the election for the 465-member lower house, in which the LDP retained a majority.

Amari lost his single-member district in Kanagawa Prefecture to Hideshi Futori of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan but managed to secure a seat through proportional representation.

The 72-year-old resigned as economic and fiscal policy minister in January 2016 amid graft allegations, but opposition lawmakers have continued to criticize him for failing to provide a proper explanation.
By Miya Tanaka, KYODO NEWS - Nov 3, 2021 - 01:34 | All, Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged at a U.N. climate summit on Tuesday up to $10 billion in funds over five years to assist Asia along the path to zero carbon emissions, using his world stage debut to show his leadership in curbing global warming.

"Japan will press onward to undertake efforts toward net zero emissions in Asia, the engine of global economic growth," Kishida said at the climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in a hastily arranged trip following the general election on Sunday.

The aid, which came on top of $60 billion in climate finance Japan has committed in June, is aimed at bringing developed countries closer to delivering on their promise to mobilize $100 billion per year in climate finance -- one of the key focuses of the ongoing U.N. climate talks, known as COP26.

More than 100 world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have gathered from Monday for the two-day leaders' session at the beginning of COP26 to provide political momentum for further actions to avoid the catastrophic impacts of global warming.

Meeting on the sidelines of the climate summit, Kishida had his first face-to-face conversation with Biden since taking office on Oct. 4 and agreed to strengthen the bilateral alliance and closely cooperate in realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific in the face of China's assertive territorial claims and military buildup.

In the address during the second day of the leaders' session, the new Japanese leader reaffirmed Tokyo's goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent by fiscal 2030 compared with fiscal 2013 levels.

Japan will "continue strenuous efforts in its challenge to meet the lofty goal of cutting its emissions by 50 percent," said Kishida, a former foreign minister.

Having come up with the more ambitious emissions cut target in the run-up to COP26, environmental experts have said Japan's standing on climate issues, which has often been poorly rated, has greatly improved.

But critics have been disturbed by what they view as Japan's insufficient efforts to phase out coal domestically. Japan, a resource-poor country, is the fifth-largest carbon dioxide emitter after China, the United States, India and Russia.

Kishida emphasized that Japan will play its part not just by cutting its own emissions but by beefing up climate finance to support developing countries in their fight against the crisis.

Developing countries are often the most vulnerable to climate change impacts such as droughts and rising sea levels despite historically contributing the least global warming-causing emissions.

Kishida also said Japan will pursue a $100 million project to develop hydrogen or ammonia-fired power generation, which are known as non-carbon emitting, and explore various technologies to realize carbon neutral cars.

In a side event hosted by Biden on infrastructure development and climate change, the Japanese leader called for international cooperation to provide "high-standard" projects and international rules-based development finance.

The United States, Japan and other like-minded countries have been seeking to counter Beijing's growing clout through an alternative to Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road Initiative.

Critics say the Chinese initiative lacks transparency, has poor environmental and labor standards, and has a record of saddling developing countries with debt.

Besides Biden, Kishida held bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the margins of the climate summit.

Tokyo views all three countries as key partners in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Kishida will be back in Japan on Wednesday, as his schedule remains tight following Sunday's House of Representatives election.

He opted not to show up in person for the Group of 20 summit that was held in Rome over the weekend, instead joining virtually.

But he seems to have decided he should at least attend COP26, even if the trip had to be short.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 1, 2021 - 22:34 | All, Japan

TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday he will draw up a stimulus package by mid-November to prop up the coronavirus-hit economy following the ruling coalition's victory in the general election. The Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller partner Komeito retained a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament, on Sunday, suggesting voters opted for stability over the opposition's promises for change. Despite losing seats and suffering a number of defeats of high-profile candidates, the LDP headed by Kishida performed better than media forecasts and secured enough seats to effectively control all standing committees and steer the legislative process. Kishida said the stimulus package, featuring financial aid for businesses and people hit hard by the pandemic, will be funded by an extra budget the government aims to pass within the year.

"We will get this to the people as quickly as possible," Kishida said at a press conference, adding he will consider resuming the "Go To Travel" campaign to boost domestic tourism.

The LDP saw its strength in the 465-seat lower house shrink from 276 to 261, while Komeito went from 29 to 32.

"It was a tough election, but the outcome shows the will of the people to task my government with shaping the future of this country," said Kishida, who became prime minister on Oct. 4.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which had criticized the government's pandemic response and vowed to reduce income disparities, also lost seats, down from 110 to 96, despite fielding unified candidates through an agreement with other groups including the Japanese Communist Party.

Meanwhile, the Japan Innovation Party, an opposition group that did not join the CDPJ-led alliance, won 41 seats, nearly quadruple the number it held prior to the election.

Parliament is set to convene a special session on Nov. 10 to confirm that Kishida will remain in power, with the Cabinet, expected to remain largely unchanged, to be launched the same day.

One face that will not be in the new lineup is Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who has been tapped for the LDP's No. 2 post of secretary general. He replaces Akira Amari, who has asked to resign following his shock loss in his single-member district in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Other big-name losers in the LDP include former economic and fiscal policy minister Nobuteru Ishihara and Kenji Wakamiya, minister in charge of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka.

The lower house has special powers not given to the upper chamber, the House of Councillors, including having the final say in electing the prime minister, passing state budgets and ratifying international treaties.

On the campaign trail, Kishida had promised to spur economic growth while redistributing the spoils to the middle class under his vision of a "new capitalism." He pointed to falling COVID-19 cases across the country and vowed to secure more hospital beds to treat patients, in preparation for a possible sixth wave of infections.

The election results, which defied media polls that predicted the LDP would lose many more seats, reduce the likelihood of Kishida joining the ranks of the "revolving door" prime ministers that Japan witnessed from 2006 to 2012.

In addition to deciding whether Kishida would gain a public mandate, the election was also seen partly as a referendum on nearly nine years of LDP-led government under Kishida's predecessors, Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga.

The CDPJ and its allies argued the government has botched the coronavirus response, and that the "Abenomics" policy mix has only served to widen income disparities by boosting corporate earnings and share prices while failing to achieve higher wages.

But the opposition's efforts to get behind the same candidates in more than 200 battleground constituencies misfired, with the JCP falling from 12 seats to 10.

"It's very unfortunate that we lost seats and I feel apologetic for that," CDPJ leader Yukio Edano told reporters on Monday. CDPJ Secretary General Tetsuro Fukuyama has expressed his intention to resign to take responsibility for the disappointing results.

Related coverage:

Japan PM Kishida faces diplomatic challenges after election win

LDP No. 2 Amari to resign from post after loss in electoral district

The CDPJ also saw a number of notable defeats in single-member districts, including heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa in Iwate Prefecture, and deputy leader Kiyomi Tsujimoto, who fell victim to the JIP's surging popularity in Osaka Prefecture and failed to even gain a seat under proportional representation.

The opposition sought to win over voters by calling for lowering the consumption tax to lessen the burden on low- and middle-income households.

They also argued for allowing married couples to take separate surnames and recognizing same-sex marriage, as well as abandoning nuclear energy in favor of renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions.

The ruling coalition, meanwhile, criticized the CDPJ and its allies for banding together despite their differing stances on foreign policy and national security, saying such discrepancies made them unfit to govern.

The CDPJ supports the Japan-U.S. alliance while the JCP calls for abolishing the 1960 security treaty between Tokyo and Washington -- a scenario that would please China, Russia and North Korea.

Kishida, a former foreign minister, said in Monday's press conference he is eager to meet with the leaders of like-minded countries including U.S. President Joe Biden, and that his government will explore ways to bolster defenses against threats including North Korean missiles.

The LDP aims to double defense spending to around 2 percent of gross domestic product and says it will consider acquiring the capability to launch strikes on enemy bases as part of efforts to boost deterrence.

"It's one of the various options we are discussing," Kishida said.

Of the lower house seats, 289 were single-member constituencies decided under a first-past-the-post system. The other 176 were filled by proportional representation, in which parties are awarded seats based on how many votes they get in 11 regional blocks.

The internal affairs ministry said 55.93 percent of eligible voters cast ballots, compared with 53.68 percent in the previous 2017 lower house election, and it was the third worst turnout for a general election in the postwar era. A record-low 1,051 candidates ran, fewer than the previous low of 1,131 in 2005.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 1, 2021 - 12:21 | All, Japan

Japan began issuing newly redesigned 500 yen ($4.4) coins for the first time in 21 years Monday, with stronger anti-counterfeit features.

The new coins do not differ substantially from the previous design but are minted in two colors and feature etchings on the inner rim as part of efforts to prevent counterfeiting.

While the Finance Ministry plans to mint 200 million of the new coins by the end of the fiscal year in March, the approximately 5 billion 500 yen coins currently in circulation will still be usable.

The government initially planned to launch the new coins in the first half of fiscal 2021. But the rollout was postponed due to delayed updates to ticket machines at train stations and automated teller machines at banks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan also plans to release new banknotes in 2024 for the first time in two decades.
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New Delhi:

Mizoram Board Class 10 HSLC Result 2020 is expected to be declared soon by the Mizoram Board of Secondary Education (MBSE). Once declared, the MBSE has made the HSLC Class 10 results available at its official website that is i.e. mbse.edu.in. In order to avoid heavy traffic on the official website, students can alternatively log on to english.newsnationtv.com/education in order to check their Mizoram Board Class 10 results 2020. As soon as the result will declared by the board, News Nation will provide the direct link and steps to check the MBSE HSLC Class 10 Result 2020 on this page. Stay tuned to get all the news and updates related to MBSE HSLC Result 2020.

MBSE HSLC Result 2019  Declaration Date:

Mizoram Board Class 10 result is expected to be declared in first week of May keeping in mind the annual academic calendar so that students can apply to higher academic programmes without any delay. In 2019, Mizoram Board MBSE HSLC Class 10 Examination was conducted between March 5 and March 25.

State Exam Name Exam Date Exam Result Date (2019) Mizoram MBSE HSSLC Board Exam March 5 - March 29 1st week of May* MBSE HSLC Board Exam Feb 28- March 15 1st week of May*

Where and How to Check MBSE 10th Result 2020?

For the convenience of the students, we have provided the key steps to download the MBSE 10th Result 2020 below:

 Visit english.newsnationtv.com/education

 Click on the link for Class 10th Result 2020

 Enter your roll number, date of birth and other such information

 Click on Submit

 Your MBSE 10th Result 2020 will appear on the screen

 Check and download your MBSE 10th Result 2020

 Take a printout of the same for future convenience

MBSE HSLC Result 2020 - Procedure for Rechecking and Re-evaluation:

Students who are not satisfied with their MBSE HSLC Result 2020, are allowed to get their answer sheets re-evaluated and/or re-checked. In order to apply for the Rechecking/Re-evaluation process, students will have to pay a nominal fee as directed by the MBSE and submit an application through their respective schools/institutions.

Mizoram HSLC Result 2020  Compartmental / Supply Exam Schedule:

In case, Mizoram Board HSLC Result 2020 bring bad results for some of the students, they will be given a second chance to improve their scores in a single or multiple subject(s). Students are advised to apply for the supplementary/improvement exam of Mizoram HSLC board 2020 by filling in the application form that will be made available on its official website.

About MBSE:

The Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE), established in 1975, is an autonomous governmental body for academic administration in Mizoram, India. It has the power to regulate, supervise and control school education in Mizoram. Its primary function is to prepare academic programmes and organise examinations, especially for state level High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC). From 2012, the board also conducts State Technical Entrance Examination (STEE) for entry into technical courses such as engineering, medicine, veterinary science, pharmacy, nursing, homoeopathy, and dentistry.
New Delhi:

Madvi Muiya alias Joga Kunjam, a top Maoist commander, carrying a cash reward of a8 lakh on his head, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday.

Dantewada SP Abhishek Pallav said, Madvi Muyya was one of the masterminds of the attack in which BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and 5 police personnel were killed. He was also one of the masterminds of Dantewada attack in which DD cameraman along with 2 security personnel had lost their lives last year. One rifle with 6 rounds has been recovered from his possession, he added.

Earlier in the day, Director General (Anti-Naxal Operations) Girdhari Nayak told PTI that the encounter ok place in the forest under the Kirandul police station area when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and District Force (DF) was on a search operation in the morning.

When the patrolling team was advancing through the forest between Perpa and Markamaris villages, around 450 km away from capital Raipur, it came under fire from a group of ultras that led to the gun battle, Girdhari Nayak added.

Indulging in details, the DG said, After the exchange of fire stopped, the body of a Naxalite, later identified as Madvi Muiya alias Joga Kunjam (29), was recovered along with a .315 bore gun.

Kunjam, who was active as a commander of military platoon-24 of Maoists, was allegedly involved in the deadly Burkapal attack on April 24, 2017 in Sukma district in which 25 security personnel lost their lives, the officer concluded.

On April 9, BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi along with four security personnel were killed in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada. The incident occurred at Shyamagiri hills when the MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area. The Maoists blew up a vehicle in the convoy with an IED and opened fire at the occupants. The MLA and four security personnel were killed in the attack.

However, within 10 days of horrific incident, security forces eliminated two Maoists allegedly involved in the attack. The killed Maoists were identified as Vargese and Linga.

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New Delhi:

Changing its stance on Masood Azhar, China on Tuesday said that vexed issue of designating Jaish-e-Mohammed chief as a global terrorist by the UN will be "properly resolved" but it did not give any timeline.

China put a technical hold in March on a fresh proposal to impose a ban on the head of Pakistan-based JeM which claimed responsibility for the deadly Pulwama terror attack. It was for the fourth time, China blocked Azhar's listing as a global terrorist by the UN.

China, which is one of the five veto-wielding members of the Security Council, blocked India's efforts in the past to list Azhar as a global terrorist, saying there is not enough evidence against him.

"Support issue of listing(of Masood Azhar), which should be resolved through political consultation within framework of 1267 Committee. We think that is also the consensus of the overwhelming majority of the members of the Council," China said in a statement.

"At present, the relevant consultations are under way in the 1267 Committee. Within the framework. And positive progress has been made. Thirdly, we believe in the joint efforts of all parties. This problem can be properly solved," it added.

He was responding to questions on the media reports that China has reportedly consented to lift its technical hold on a fresh proposal moved by France, the UK and the US to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

The US, the UK and France this time stepped up pressure on Beijing by taking the issue directly to the powerful UN Security Council (UNSC).

Though China can exercise its veto power as a permanent member of the UNSC, Beijing has staunchly opposed the issue to be taken to the apex UN body as it has to publically explain its stand on its reservations to list Azhar, whose group JeM has already been designated as terror outfit by UN, before exercising its veto.

China has accused the US of scuttling progress to resolve the issue by taking it to the UNSC and insisted that it should be resolved at the 1267 Committee whose proceedings are not publicised.

"Regarding the listing issue in the 1267 Committee, we have expressed our position many times and I just want to stress two points," Geng said answering a number of questions on Azhar's issue.

"First, we support the listing issue being settled within the 1267 committee through dialogue and consultation and I believe this is the consensus of most members. Second, the relevant consultations are going on within the committee and has achieved some progress. Third, I believe, with the joint efforts of all parties, this issue can be properly resolved," he said.

On reports that China would lift its technical hold on May 1, he said, "on the listing issue, China is still working with the relevant parties and we are in contact with all relevant parties within the 1267 Committee and I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved."

Asked about the recent visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to Beijing during which he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as well as New Delhi shared the technical evidence of JeM's involvement in the Pulwama terror attack, Geng reiterated that China is still working with the relevant parties.

"I believe with the joint efforts of all parties, this will be properly resolved," he said.

The efforts to resolve Azhar's listing issue gathered momentum last week with the visit of Imran Khan to Beijing to attend China's 2nd Belt and Road Forum (BRF) which was held here from April 25-27.

During the visit, Khan held talks with Xi, besides meeting Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Wang Qishan during which India-Pakistan tension following the Pulwama terror attack as well as listing of Azhar reportedly figured.

An official statement of China issued after Xi-Khan meeting on Sunday said the Chinese President had expressed hope that Pakistan and India can meet each other halfway and improve their relations.

Both leaders also exchanged views on the situation in South Asia.

Asked about the outcome of Khan's visit and his talks with the Chinese leaders, Geng said, "I would like to stress that Pakistan is China's 'All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partner'."

Both the countries are "Iron Brothers", he said, adding that "we firmly support each other on the issues concerning our core interests. Pakistan is always one of China's diplomatic priorities".

"No matter how the international and regional situation may evolve, we firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity, independently choosing its development path based on its own conditions, securing a sound external environment and playing a constructive role in international and regional affairs," he said.

"We commend the Pakistani government's and people's efforts in fighting terrorism and extremism and their great endeavours and sacrifices to this end," he said, lauding Pakistan's counter terrorism efforts.

"We call on the international community to fairly and justly see Pakistan's endeavours and contributions in counter terrorism and step up dialogue and cooperation with the country," he said.

China and Pakistan will continue to deepen their high level exchanges and support each other and step up strategic coordination, "make more coordinated efforts in international and regional affairs and deepen our all weather strategic cooperation," he added.

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New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a chargesheet against Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and other. According to reports, the ED has also attached his properties worth Rs 50.46 crore. Naik was creating illegal real estate assets worth crores in India and abroad, officials said.

aED files prosecution complaint against Zakir Naik and others. Total amount of Rs 193.06 crore has been identified as proceeds of crime. ED had registered a money laundering case against Naik and others on 22.12.2016,a reported ANI.

ED files prosecution complaint against Zakir Naik and others. Total amount of Rs 193.06 crore has been identified as proceeds of crime. ED had registered a money laundering case against Naik and others on 22.12.2016 (file pic) pic.twitter.com/V2x4W3zedM a ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2019

The Centre banned his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) for five years in 2016 and Naik has been under investigation since then. The controversial preacher is accused of inciting youth to take up terror activities, giving hate speeches and promoting enmity between communities.

Earlier, Special PMLA court granted bail to Abdul Sathak, an aide of Zakir Naik, arrested for allegedly helping the latter with money laundering. Judge MS Azmi granted bail to Sathak on a surety of Rs 5,00,000.

Sathak, a jeweller, was arrested last month under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

He is accused of helping against Islamic preacher by transferring "funds of dubious origin from the UAE (United Arab Emirates) to facilitate production and broadcasting of incriminating videos for spreading communal hatred and radicalisation of a particular community".

The ED has alleged that Sathak sent about Rs 50 crore to Naik, which the latter illegally routed and laundered.

Sathak was the director of Global Broadcasting Corporation FZE LLC that owned Naik's Peace TV channel, it said.

The central agency alleged that Global Broadcasting was "controlled" by Naik (who is stated to be in Malaysia now), through Sathak, his "trusted aide".

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New Delhi:

Former CIA acting director Michael Morell on Thursday asserted that Pakistan has created terrorist groups to be a tool in its struggle against India.

In a podcast discussion with Kurt Campbell and Rich Verma, Michael Morell alleged that Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Pakistan has created terrorist groups to be a tool in their struggle against India, Morell added.

It is to be noted that Campbell, the former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs and Verma, the former US Ambassador to India, now regularly host The Tealeaves Podcast of the Asia Group.

Morell further said, What they dont realise is that its impossible to keep those terrorist groups under control. And that eventually comes back to bite you. You know, I believe that Pakistan, at the end of the day, maybe the most dangerous country in the world,

He also noted that the population of this South Asian country is exploding and demographics are awful. The economys going nowhere. It simply cant provide the jobs that need to be provided for the young people who are entering the labour force. The education system is literally broken. I went to Pakistan more often than I went to any other country when I was deputy director, Morell said, referring to his impression about Pakistan when he was the deputy head in the CIA during the Obama administration.

The extremism is growing from a societal perspective. Its growing within the military. So, it is not impossible, not tomorrow, not next week, not next year, but five years from now, 10 years from now that you could have a color revolution, Arab spring style movement in the streets of Islamabad that ends up with an extremist government there with nuclear weapons. Thats what so scary, he added.

According to Morell, the then president Barack Obamas Pakistan policy in his first term was to get the Pakistanis to see their strategic environment in a real way.

They still see India and, I think, for foreseeable future, will see India as an existential threat to the state of Pakistan. Its not, its just not. India stopped focusing on Pakistan a long time ago. Theyre focusing on their economic future, the former CIA director argued.

But because the Pakistanis are so obsessed with this perceived existential threat, theyve both organised their society in order to protect themselves from that threat. So, theyve given an immense amount of power to the military, and much less power to the civilian government, he noted.

The government therefore makes choices that I dont believe, and many people dont believe are in the best long term interest of Pakistan. Pakistan has spent more money on nuclear weapons than they do in education. And they use terrorism as a tool against the Indians... and then also in Afghanistan, because they fear Indian influence in Afghanistan. So theyve created terrorist groups, right to be a tool of theirs in the struggle against India, Morell concluded.

Importantly, Morell had played a key role in the Abbottabad raid that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. Laden was mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

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New Delhi:

The Election Commission on Thursday said there was no violation of Model Code of Conduct in 'nuclear button for Diwali' remark made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an election rally.

PM Modi made the remark at an election rally in Barmer in Rajasthan on April 21 while asserting that India is no more afraid of Pakistan's nuclear threats.

"India has stopped getting scared of Pakistan's threats, I have done right, no? Else every other day they(Pakistan) used to say 'we have nuclear button'....What do we have then? Have we kept it (nuclear button) for Diwali?" the prime minister told the gathering.



Barmer district poll authorities has on Monday submitted a factual report to the poll panel after the Congress alleged that he violated the Model Code of Conduct brazenly by talking about the armed forces.

Congress had moved the Election Commission on April 22 alleging that the Prime Ministers speeches invoked the armed forces, demanding the officials to impose a campaign ban on him for some time.

This is the third straight clean chit given to PM Modi on opposition's complaint of poll code violation.

On Wednesday, the Election Commission had said that PM Modi's call to first-time voters to dedicate their votes to Pulwama martyrs was not violative of its advisory on invoking armed forces.

Addressing a rally in Ausa of Latur in Maharashtra on April 9, PM Modi had urged young voters to cast ballots in the name of heroes of the Balakot air strike.

On Tuesday, the poll panel had given clean chit to PM Modi for his speech in Wardha in which he had slammed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Wayanad and had "indicated" that the Kerala constituency had more voters from the minority community.

The PM, while addressing a rally in Wardha on April 1, had reportedly said, the opposition party was "scared" to field its leaders from constituencies where the majority dominates.

He made the remark in reference to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from a second Lok Sabha seat Wayanad in Kerala. Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi.




Kolkata:

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha candidate Adhir Chowdhury on Thursday alleged that a section of the Election Commission officials has helped the ruling Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha polls because of a secret understanding between them.

The Congress nominee from Baharampur Lok Sabha seat claimed that Special Police Observer in West Bengal Bibek Dubey is one such official.

Special Police Observer Bibek Dubey and a section of the EC have reached a secret understanding with the TMC to ensure that the Congress loses in Murshidabad district, Chowdhury told reporters here.

(West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo) Mamata Banerjee got assistance from these officials on the polling days in Murshidabad, Chowdhury told reporters here.

The former Union minister alleged that Dubey had not responded to his calls or texts when he had tried to contact him before and on the polling days.

Demanding removal of Dubey from the post, he said despite several complaints to the Commission by his party against the superintendent of police and the district magistrate, they were not replaced.

Chowdhury said he would meet Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora in New Delhi and demand the immediate removal of Dubey.

The former state Congress president also said the central forces were not properly deployed in the district and a number of polling booths were manned by state police personnel.

Murshidabad district has three LS constituencies -

Baharampur, Jangipur and Murshidabad and polling in these seats were held on April 23 and 29.
Bhopal:

A man was arrested in Bhopal on Wednesday for allegedly raping and killing a 12-year-old girl. Avinash Sahu (18) was arrested for offences of rape and murder under the IPC and under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, police said.

The girl was visiting a Jain temple with her 16-year-old aunt on Tuesday evening when Sahu, who knew the latter, took the girl away to a secluded spot when the aunt was not around, police said. He allegedly raped the girl and then crushed her head with stones.

After the girls family filed a complaint, police nabbed Sahu Wednesday.

The BJPs candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency Pragya Singh Thakur lashed out at the Congress government in the state over the incident. She also took the victims mother, who needed medical attention due to the trauma, to a hospital.

Beti (girl), we will take revenge, Thakur tweeted. Law and order situation in the state is in disarray... Kamal Nath has become the chief minister of (only) Chhindwara, she tweeted further, referring to the chief ministers Lok Sabha constituency.

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New Delhi:

Officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday morning conducted simultaneous searches at 20 locations in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, including four offices of radical outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), in connection with the murder of PMK functionary V. Ramalingam in Thanjavur in February.

Split into teams, the NIA officials carried out the raids with search warrants and with protection provided by the local police.

In a statement, the NIA said, A number of devices, including 16 mobile phones, 21 SIM cards, three laptops, nine hard discs, seven memory cards, 118 CDs/DVDs, one tab, seven diaries, two PFI banners and a DVR were seized during the raids.

Besides these, a sword, a sharp-edged knife and Rs 2 lakh cash were recovered from three different houses and around 100 incriminating documents were also seized, the NIA added.

The probe agency further said, Searches were conducted at 20 locations in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur, Trichy and Karaikal in the houses of those arrested in the case as well as the accused who are absconding and four offices of the PFI.

The case pertains to the murder of 41-year-old Ramalingam, a resident of Thiruvidimarudur in Thanjavur district, on February 5 this year. As part of a well hatched conspiracy accused persons attacked him with lethal weapons like billhook and knives causing grievous cut injuries on both of his hands, due to which he succumbed to his injuries, the statement noted.

"Thanjavur police had arrested 10 accused earlier. Six other accused are still absconding. The accused persons are active members/office bearers of PFI," the NIA concluded.

Ramalingam is said to be a worker of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). Local police had registered a case following the incident. The NIA registered the case on March 7.

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New Delhi:

At least three terrorists were killed on Friday morning in south Kashmir's Shopian district. Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Adkhara area of Imam Sahib of Shopian district this morning following information about the presence of militants. The encounter is still underway. Meanwhile internet services were suspended across south Kashmir.



On April 25, two terrorists have been neutralised in the exchange of fire with security forces in Bagender Mohalla of Bijbehara in South Kashmir's Anantnag district. The encounter broke out after forces laid cordon and search operation in the area.



The Indian Army has gunned down 41 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir since Pulwama attack which claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel, said Indian Army Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon on Wednesday. Out of those killed, 25 terrorists belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed and 13 of them were Pakistanis.

"We have targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leadership, the situation now is that no one is coming forward to take over the leadership of JeM in the valley. Even after Pakistan's best efforts, we will continue to suppress Jaish, especially after Pulwama. Operations against the terrorists will continue with full vigor and we will not let terrorism rise up," Lieutenant General Dhillon said.



On February 14, at least 42 CRPF personnel were killed and dozens of others injured in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Pulwama district.

The CRPF cavalcade that came under attack had seventy-eight vehicles and the ill-fated bus plying on the Jammu-Srinagar highway was fifth in line. Pakistan-based banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the attack.

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New Delhi:

Cyclone Fani, the most severe cyclonic storm over the east coast in nearly two decades, is due to make landfall in Odishaas Puri around 9:30 am on Friday, hours ahead of its expected time. Apart from Odisha, the storm is likely to affect other states on the east coast a West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Fani, the most severe cyclonic storm since the super cyclone of 1999 that claimed close to 10,000 lives and devastated large parts of Odisha, is expected to cross the holy town of Jagannath Puri May 3 morning, packing winds up to 175 KMPH before the landfall.

An estimated 10,000 villages and 52 towns in Odisha will be hit by the aextremely severea cyclonic storm. A total of 11.5 lakh people in Odisha were moved to safer areas.

The storm is likely to impact Odishaas coastal districts Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore. In West Bengal, it will affect districts of East and West Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogly, Jhargram besides the Kolkata city.

In Andhra Pradesh, the cyclone is likely to hit Srikakulam, Vijayanagram and Visakhapatnam districts.

Moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by squally wind already began on Thursday evening in several of districts of Odisha and the sea got increasingly rough.

In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top officials and reviewed the preparedness to tackle the situation that might arise once the cyclone makes the landfall.

When will Cyclone Fani make landfall?

Fani is likely to cross Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, south of the temple town of Puri, with maximum sustained wind speed of 170-180 kmph, according to India Meteorological Department.

Earlier, Sangram Mohapatra, Spokesperson, Odisha State Disaster Management Authority said Fani, which was earlier expected to hit Odisha at 5:30 pm Friday tomorrow, will hit the state earlier at 12 pm-2 pm.

However, PTI quoted sources saying that Fani has gathered speed and is rolling menacingly towards Odisha coast clocking 16 km per hour and is likely to make a landfall close to Gopalpur near the holy town of Puri between 8-10 AM, much before the earlier forecast of 3 pm on Friday.

Armed forces, 81 NDRF teams pre-positionedA

Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard have been put on high alert to meet any eventuality. Personnel of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire service have been deployed in vulnerable areas to assist the administration, an official said.

Over 900 cyclone shelters in coastal and southern districts have been kept ready to accomodate the evacuees. Districts like Gajapati and Rayagada, where such facilities do not exist, they will be housed in schools and anganwadi centres.

Over 4,000 specialised personnel as part of 81 NDRF teams have been pre-positioned in the coastal areas of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal which are feared to be affected while another 31 teams have been kept on standby.

The teams have been equipped with additional boats, satellite phones, medical equipment, medicines, tree cutters, pickup and common mobility vehicles, and other gadgets.

NDRF teams have doctors, paramedics, engineers, deep divers and are equipped with boats, buoys, life jackets, scuba sets and latest communication equipment like quick deployable antenna (QDA), HF/VHF sets so that communication links function even if normal communication network fails.

Leave of all doctors and health officials have been cancelled till May 15.

State police chief R P Sharma said leave of all police personnel have been cancelled.

Over 220 trains cancelled, no flights at Bhubaneswar, Kolkata airports

Rail and flight services are likely to remain acutely disrupted over the next two days, railway and aviation ministry officials said.

More than 220 trains on the Kolkata-Chennai route have been cancelled until Saturday. The trains which have been cancelled include 140 mail/express trains and 83 passenger trains. Railways has pressed into service three special trains to move people to safer places.

Aviation regulator DGCA announced that flights in and out of Bhubaneswar airport stand cancelled on Friday. Consequently, the operations of various domestic airlines have been affected.

In an advisory Thursday evening, the Director General of Civil Aviation said no flight will depart or arrive at the Kolkata airport between 9.30pm on Friday and 6pm on Saturday.

It added that the "resumption of flights" at Bhubaneswar airport and Kolkata airport "will be with positive clearance from respective air-traffic control".

"All airlines are requested to offer all assistance for rescue and relief operations in view of cyclone Fani. All relief material should be airlifted to be delivered to officially designated agencies," Prabhu tweeted, exhorting the aviation sector to rise to the occasion, an official said.

Helpline numbers

Here are the Railways and control room emergency helpline numbers:

Find below the Railway Helpline Numbers and Control Room Numbers aZi Y#FaniUpdates#CycloneFanipic.twitter.com/MCjFPcKSNG a ALL INDIA RADIO (@AkashvaniAIR)A May 2, 2019

Schools to remain closed in Odisha, West Bengal

The Odisha government has ordered closure of all educational institutions across the state from May 2. aAll educational establishments should declare holidays from May 2 till further orders. All the examinations should be rescheduled,a said the office of Special Relief Commissioner (SRC).

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has also asked schools to stay closed and locals to move to safer places as the state braces for the extremely severe cyclonic storm.

Also, an alert has been sounded in coastal East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas districts, asking tourists to leave seaside destinations and directing fishermen not to venture into the sea. A

A

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New Delhi:

China was given a set of additional evidence about Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's involvement in terrorist activities, days after it blocked a fresh proposal at the UN on March 13 to designate him as a global terrorist, diplomatic sources said Friday.

On Wednesday, the Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council declared him as a global terrorist after China removed its technical hold on a proposal moved by the UK, France and the US.

Following the UN announcement of Azhar's listing, China said it took the decision after carefully studying the "revised materials".

Sources, however, did not clarify whether the additional evidence given to China was on Azhar's involvement in terror strikes in India including the Pulwama attack, or his activities elsewhere.

There was no reference to the Pulwama attack in the UN notification banning Azhar.

France, the UK and the US had moved the fresh proposal to declare Azhar as global terrorist by the UN in the wake of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The JeM had claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, China put a technical hold on the proposal on March 13, blocking it for a fourth time to designate Azhar.

Initially, China felt it was not provided with sufficient evidence about Azhar's involvement in terror activities, sources said, adding additional evidence was given to Beijing after it put a technical hold on the proposal to list him as global terrorist.

Asked about the impact of India's strike on a JeM training camp in Balakot on February 26, sources said there was no reason to doubt it.

The diplomatic sources also said that the European Union is likely to conclude the process soon to designate Azhar as a terrorist although the UN ban on him will cover member countries of the grouping.

Germany initiated the move at the European Union, days after China blocked the proposal at the UN to ban him in March.

The UN Security Council (UNSC) designation will subject Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo.

An assets freeze under the sanctions committee requires that all states freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities.

In 2009, India first moved a proposal by itself to designate Azhar a global terrorist.

In 2016 again, India moved the proposal with the P3 -- the US, the UK and France -- in the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the Pathankot airbase in January 2016.

In 2017, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again.

However, on all occasions China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UNSC, blocked India's proposal from being adopted by the Sanctions Committee.

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New Delhi:

PepsiCo Inc said on Thursday it will withdraw its lawsuit against four Indian potato farmers accused of infringing its patent, a PepsiCo India spokesman said.



"After discussions with the government, the company has agreed to withdraw the cases against the farmers," said the spokesman.

PepsiCo in April sued four Indian farmers for cultivating a potato variety -- FC5 -- grown exclusively for its popular Lay's potato chips.

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New Delhi:

aTill death do us parta. Husband with Down Syndrome believed to be in one of the longest marriages with a woman of the same condition has tragically passed away after 25 years of wedded bliss. Paul Scharoun-DeForge 56 married to wife Kris, 59 died of complications of early-onset Alzheimeras disease last month.

The couple from Liverpool in upstate New York first met at a dance for people with disabilities during the 1980as and go on to get married despite facing multiple obstacles in their bid for happiness, with doctors even urging their respective parents to put them in an institution after they were born, Washington Post reports.

Explaining her feelings for Paul, Kris said: aI looked into his eyes and saw my future, and thatas when I proposed to himaHe said yes.a She went on to tell her sister Susan Scharoun aI like a man who is like me.a

When Kris Scharoun-DeForge spotted Paul DeForge she fell in love. While many doubted them, the couple with Down syndrome just celebrated 25 years of marriage. pic.twitter.com/WacxmSuEba a Dolan Fund (@DolanFund) August 29, 2018

According to Metro.co.uk, Paul and Kris dated for years until their engagement 1988 Kris proposed. The couple were allowed to marry in 1993 after proving to New York state officials that they were capable of consenting to the relationship. This included taking Planned Parenthood sponsored classes and sitting tests that measured their understanding of sexual knowledge, feelings and needs.

aThey are role models for everybody who wants a good relationship,a said Susan Scharoun, Kris Scharoun-DeForgeas older sister. aThey were a team: They deferred to each other and looked out for each other.a

After their marriage, Kris got a job at Pizza Hut, while Paul worked at the Arc of Onondagaas workshop(an organization to support people with disabilities) until about a year ago Paul began to show signs of dementia, a condition which affects more than half of people with Down syndrome over the age of 50.

With Paulas death last month, Kris now plans to travel to their favourite holiday spot a the Adirondack Mountains a on their wedding anniversary this August to scatter Paulas ashes.






New Delhi:

"Multiple surgical strikes" took place during the previous UPA government but unlike the BJP, we didnt use them for garnering votes, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday, terming the Bharatiya Janata Partys use of military operations to gain electoral mileage shameful and unacceptable. In an interview with The Hindustan Times, Singh said that during his government military operations were used only as strategic deterrence and not as a "vote garnering exercise".

Multiple surgical strikes took place during our tenure, too. For us, military operations were meant for strategic deterrence and giving a befitting reply to anti-India forces than to be used for vote garnering exercises. In the past 70 years, a government in power never had to hide behind the valour of our armed forces. Such attempts to politicize our forces are shameful and unacceptable, said the former prime minister, who ruled the country from 2004 to 2014.

Singh slammed the Narendra Modi government of turning a blind eye to the video warning of Jaish-e-Mohammed and solid intelligence inputs from Jammu and Kashmir police about an IED attack.

"Compromise on Indias National Security is unacceptable. 40 of our brave CRPF soldiers were martyred in the Pulwama terror attack at the most secure National Highway in the country. This is a grave intelligence and national security failure. Since then, it has come out that CRPF and BSF were requesting for airlifting the soldiers but the Modi Government refused it. Government also ignored solid intelligence inputs from J&K police about an IED attack, besides turning a blind eye to a video warning of a terrorist organization," he said during the interview.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modis allegations of soft approach against terrorists after the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, Singh said that he disagreed with the insinuation that his government was not ready military actions. He said that different geopolitical conditions require different responses and at the time, India's response was to isolate and expose Pakistan as a terror hub.

"Within 14 days of the Mumbai attack, we got China to agree to declare Hafiz Saeed as a global terrorist under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of UN. Congress-UPA ensured that a $10m bounty was placed on the head of the Mumbai attack perpetrator and the founder of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hafiz Saeed by America. Another mastermind, David Headley was convicted to 35 years of prison during UPA-Congress Govt in 2013. The UN Security Council also put top LeT members involved in Mumbai attack on sanctions lists as terrorists. This has virtually rendered LeT ineffective today," Singh said.
Gurdaspur:

Bollywood actor and BJP candidate from Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat Sunny Deol Thursday said creating employment opportunities for the youth will be his main priority. Asserting that he came to Gurdaspur to serve the people and not to return to Mumbai, Deol, whose real name is Ajay Singh Deol, also praised the tenure of late BJP MP and actor Vinod Khanna and said he will take his work forward while seeking voters' support for winning this border seat.

The most important issue (for me) is our youth. Youth is our foundation. I want creation of job opportunities for them, said Deol in his first media interaction after being named as candidate for Gurdaspur seat. He also said he wanted to work for the welfare of the farming community.

We belong to Punjab and farming is in our blood. I want to understand all their issues and do whatever is possible for their welfare, the actor said.

On Wednesday, Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar had accused Deol of having no understating of Punjab issues and asked him to share his vision for Gurdaspur constituency, telling him that "politics is a serious business and not a time pass activity".

Appreciating the work done by late BJP MP Vinod Khanna, Deol said, Vinod ji has worked here for 20 years and he worked a lot here. After him, I got a chance to work (for this constituency). I want to work the same way Khanna did. I belong to people here and I will never hurt them. I will try to meet up to their expectations".

Khanna, who was fielded by the BJP from Gurdaspur seat in 1998 for the first time, was a four-time MP. Khanna passed away in 2017.

Deol said he was happy to be announced as BJP candidate for Gurdaspur constituency. I am very happy because I have got a chance to (work for people here). Everybody knows me because of my films. People of Punjab and country love me a lot and I stay in their hearts. Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has worked very well during last five years and I want that he should win again this time, he said.

You have seen, I have worked in film industry and there also I talked less and my work spoke for me. Here I also want that my work should speak rather than I say something, said Deol.

Deol also sought to allay fears that he would return to Mumbai after elections. I have not come here to return, he said. Currently, the Gurdaspur constituency is represented by Congress MP Sunil Jakhar who won the seat in the 2017 bypoll, which was necessitated after the death of Vinod Khanna in April that year.
New Delhi:

A special CBI court on Thursday discahrged retired IPS officers DG Vanzara and NK Amin of all the charges in the Ishrat Jahan 'fake' encounter case. The court said that since the government refused to sanction their prosecution, the proceedings against them would be dropped. Under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a public servant cant be prosecuted for an act done as part of the official duty without the government's sanction.

Ishrat Jahan, along with Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed by the Gujarat Police in an alleged fake encounter on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.

The Gujarat police had claimed that they were terrorists and allegedly hatching a conspiracy to assassinate the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. The CBI didnt opposed the Gujarat governments decision to decline sanction to prosecute them. However, Ishrat Jahans mother Shamima Kauser had opposed their application to discharge them in the case.

In a submission made through her lawyer Vrinda Grover, Kauser had earlier said that their pleas seeking dropping of proceedings were untenable in law and unsustainable on facts and that the state government was not the appropriate authority to refuse sanction to prosecute the two officers.

It is a matter of record that it is the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and not the state of Gujarat, which is the appropriate sanctioning authority in the present case, she had said.

On August 7, 2018, the court had rejected the discharge applications of Vanzara and Amin, and also sought to know from the CBI whether the agency had requested the government for a sanction to prosecute them, so that the court could frame charges against them and start the trial.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Gujarat High Court had later concluded that the encounter was fake, after which the HC had transferred the case to the CBI.

In the first charge-sheet filed by the investigative agency in 2013, seven Gujarat police officers, including IPS officers PP Pandey, Vanzara and GL Singhal, were named as accused. The court had later discharged Pandey.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

As six-month-long exemptions from US sanctions to buy oil from Iran ended, India Thursday said it will deal with the issue based on three factors -- the country's energy security, commercial consideration and economic interests. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India was prepared to deal with the impact of the US decision. Last month, US President Donald Trump decided not to continue with the exemptions extended to eight countries including India to buy oil from Iran.

"There will be additional supplies from other major oil producing countries based on our robust plan drawn up by the Ministry of Petroleum," said Kumar at a media briefing. Kumar did not give a direct reply when asked whether India will now comply with the US sanctions against Iran and bring down the oil imports from the Gulf country to "zero", deviating from External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's assertion in May last year that New Delhi only recognises UN sanctions.

"Giving a direct answer will be difficult...I can only reiterate that whatever decision will be taken, it will be combination of different factors. Enerygy securuty is one of them. Commercial considerations will be number two and third will be the economic security interests," said Kumar. On May 28 last year, Swaraj had said India will continue trading with Iran despite US sanctions, asserting that it only recognises UN restrictions.

"We only recognise UN sanctions. We do not recognise any country-specific sanctions," Swaraj said. Kumar said aspects like what amount of oil will be imported by India from other countries will be handled by the relevant ministry.

Policy of importing oil from other countries will be based on the three factors. If it fits into these three factors, then a decision on importing oil will be taken, he said. In November, the US had granted a six-month waiver to India, China, Greece, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, Turkey and South Korea to continue importing oil from Iran. The temporary waiver ended on Thursday.

In May last year, the US had brought back sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal which was struck in 2015.

The US had told India and other countries to cut oil imports from the Gulf nation to "zero" by November 4 or face sanctions. However, Washington had granted a six-month waiver from sanctions to eight countries, including India. India, which is the second biggest purchaser of Iranian oil after China, had agreed to restrict its monthly purchase to 1.25 million tonne or 15 million tonne in a year (300,000 barrels per day), down from 22.6 million tonne (452,000 barrels per day) bought in the 2017-18 financial year.

The world's third biggest oil consumer, India meets more than 80 per cent of its oil needs through imports. Iran is its third largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia and meets about 10 per cent of its total needs.

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Kolkata:

One jawan on poll duty was killed and two others were injured in a gunfight at a central force base camp in West Bengals Howrah district on Thursday. Lakshmikant Barman, an Assam Rifles jawan, opened fire at his colleagues at the Bagnan base camp in Howrah. One jawan identified as Bholanath Das died in the shootout. Barman allegedly fired 18 rounds. Others injured have been identified as Anil Rajbanshi and Rantu Mani. The accused has been taken into custody. Central forces have been deployed in the region ahead of Lok Sabha polls for the Howrah constituency, which votes on May 6 in the sixth phase of elections. Results will be declared on May 23.

The shootout comes day after the Election Commission on Wednesday announce that only central security forces, not state police, will be deployed at all polling booths in West Bengal for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections on May 6 next week. Though it is still not clear if the Thursdays incident has any political reason or not.

Total of 578 companies of central forces are being deployed for 5th phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2019. 100% polling stations will be covered by central forces as static postings, said Vivek Dubey, Special Police Observer for West Bengal on Wednesday. In addition, 142 Quick Response Teams, manned by central forces, also will be ready to reach any place of incident, Dubey had added.

Bengal has witnessed several clashes during polling in last one month. The fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections was also marred by multiple incidents of clashes and violence in West Bengal, where an estimated 76.66 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in eight parliamentary constituencies on Monday. An electorate of 1,34,56,491 cast ballot to decide the fate of 68 candidates in Baharampur, Krishnagar, Ranaghat (SC), Burdwan East (SC), Burdwan-Durgapur, Asansol, Bolpur (SC) and Birbhum. Clashes broke out between supporters of rival parties in Nanoor, Rampurhat, Nalhati and Suri areas of Birbhum seat, leaving several people injured and disrupting the polling process for a quite some time.

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Washington :

A space capsule suspected to have exploded last month in an incident characterised by manufacturer SpaceX as an anomaly was in fact completely destroyed, a US Senator confirmed on Wednesday.

The most recent SpaceX anomaly caused the complete loss of the (crew) capsule, Senator Richard Shelby, chairman of a Senate committee that manages NASAs budget, said during a hearing.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told Shelby the agency, which has contracted its mission to resume carrying US astronauts to the International Space Station to Elon Musks SpaceX and Boeing, would be carrying out a joint investigation with SpaceX.

NASA and SpaceX have remained tight-lipped about what caused the serious incident during engine tests on April 25.

A leaked video posted on Twitter, later indirectly authenticated by NASA, showed an explosion.

NASA is counting on SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS, a task handled since 2011 by Russia, with first manned flight planned before the end of the year.

The capsule that exploded was to be launched by a rocket in the coming months during a full-scale test of its in-flight abort system that would allow it to return to Earth in case of an emergency.

SpaceX and NASA must now urgently work to discover the cause of the explosion as well as replace the capsule  calling into question NASAs stated goal of launching American astronauts into space from US soil by the end of 2019.

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New Delhi:

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday questioned the soundness of the designation of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist and disapproved the Narendra Modi governments claim of terming the UN action against the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief as a big success.

Owaisi further attacked the government, asking what it had compromised with China that it uplifted the technical hold on the proposal to ban Azhar.

What did you (government) compromise with China? Hafiz Saeed was blacklisted in 2008, doesnt he hold public meetings? Didnt his party contest elections? Surely Masood Azhar has been blacklisted but if you are claiming it as a big success, its not, said Owaisi.

Hailing UNs decision to declare Azhar as a global terrorist, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Wednesday called it a big success for Indias efforts to root out terrorism and proved that the country's voice can no longer be ignored on the global stage.

"It is a matter of satisfaction that a consensus has developed in the world on designating Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. Der aye, durust aye (Better late than never)," PM Modi said.

"It is a big success for India's efforts since long to root out terrorism," he said.

India's voice is being heard globally and its views can no longer be ignored. This has been proved today, the PM said.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that the Pulwama terror attack played a role in designation of Azhar as a global terrorist. It further asserted that Pakistan was making claims over the listing to divert attention from the "huge diplomatic" setback it has suffered.

The assertion came after Pakistan claimed that it agreed to Azhar's listing after all "political references", including attempts to link him to the Pulwama attack, were removed from the proposal to designate him a global terrorist.

"The designation is not based on the basis of a specific incident, but on the basis of evidence which we have shared with members of the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee, linking Azhar to several acts of terrorism," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperon Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing.

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Sacramento:

California had its slowest recorded growth rate in its history last year as the country's most populous state was hit by a slowdown in immigration and a sharp decline of births.

Estimates released on Wednesday shows that California had 39.9 million people as of January 1, adding nearly 187,000 people for a growth rate of 0.47%, the lowest since 1900, the earliest records available. And while thousands lost their homes after last year's deadly wildfire in the northern part of the state, initial estimates show most people shuffled to cities closest to the blaze.

California's population has been creeping toward 40 million people, viewed as a milestone for a state that began as a frontier outpost and now boasts the world's fifth largest economy. While the state will surely reach that peak, officials on Wednesday noted the latest estimates should temper expectations for robust growth as births decline, deaths rise and immigration slows.

"We see that as a process of maturity," said Ethan Sharygin, a demographer with the California Department of Finance.

Despite the slowdown, California remains by far the country's most populous state. Texas at No. 2 is still shy of 30 million people.

The Northern California city of Chico added more than 19,000 people for a whopping 20% increase to more than 112,000. But that was prompted by tragedy, as the nearby town of Paradise lost 83% of its population after the most destructive wildfire in state history.

"In a single word, it's been overwhelming," said Mark Orme, Chico's city manager, of the overnight population growth.

The college town, home to California State University-Chico, has been affected broadly, including increases in toilet flushes and volume of trash. Orme also said traffic collisions are up 24%. Traffic is up about 25% on average and is as high as 77% in some places, he said.

Doriane Regalia, a real estate agent with Century 21 in Chico, said all her clients lost their homes in the fire. She said for some, the idea of going back to the town is too overwhelming. "There is a lot of PTSD in people who lost everything," Regalia added.

The fire destroyed more than 14,600 housing units. But Sharygin said most of those people stayed in California. Only about 400 left the state, according to initial estimates.

"People were just reacting immediately to the loss of a home and finding a short-term solution," he said. "I don't think we can make any claims right now about what happens in the first quarter of this year." State officials said Wednesday they expected the state's birth rate to decline, but they were surprised by how much: More than 18,000 fewer births than the previous year. Tina Daley, chief of California's Demographic Research Unit, noted teen pregnancy rates are declining and, in general, people are waiting longer to have children.

What has surprised them, Sharygin said, is that fewer people are coming to California from other countries, especially neighboring Mexico, where birth rates are higher. Now, he said, more people are coming from places like China, where birth rates are lower.

The new population estimates come as the state is preparing for the 2020 national census, an important head count used to distribute federal tax dollars and decide congressional representation. State officials are concerned many Hispanics won't be counted if the Trump administration succeeds in placing a citizenship question on the census form.

State officials expect California to continue to grow, predicting the state's population could top 50 million by 2055. By 2051, officials project the state will join Japan and other European countries by having more deaths than births.

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Beijing:

The latest round of US-China trade talks may have hit an impasse, raising doubts about the chances of an early trade deal between the worlds two leading economies, Chinese official media reported on Thursday. Unlike the previous negotiations, the 10th round of high-level economic and trade talks, which concluded here on Wednesday, had fewer details about specific discussions and results, state-run Global Times reported. That left many to wonder whether the two economic powers have hit an impasse in the tough talks and whether a trade agreement that would end their year-long trade tussle is still within reach as it had appeared to be, it said.

Though there remain some sticky points and tougher obstacles as they approach the end of the extensive talks, one thing remains very clear: Both sides voiced commitment to the talks, Chinese analysts said. And some even argued that fewer details mean they are closer to a deal.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who is Beijings chief negotiator led the Chinese delegation during the China-US comprehensive economic dialogue held on Tuesday and Wednesday. He co-hosted the talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The 11th round of the talks is expected to be held next week in Washington.

The worlds two leading economies have exchanged tariffs on USD 360 billion worth of goods since President Donald Trump launched a trade war last year demanding that China should reduce the USD 375 billion trade deficit.

Trump also called for verifiable measures for protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), technology transfer and more access to American goods to Chinese markets.

He has already increased the tariffs on over USD 250 billion Chinese exports to US and threatened to extend tariffs on USD 200 billion Chinese imports to 25 percent. China too slapped reciprocal tariffs on some US exports to the country.

Trump recently hinted that Chinese President Xi Jinping could visit the US soon setting off speculation that both countries could work out a trade deal by next month.

The White House in a statement on Wednesday said that discussions remain focused toward making substantial progress on important structural issues and rebalancing the US-China trade relationship.

This is very vague and shows that some tough issues still have to be discussed, said Huo Jianguo, vice chairman of the China Society for World Trade Organisation Studies.

I think it reflects the fact that we are at the final stage of the negotiations and things are a lot more difficult at this stage, he said.

Media reports suggest that the two sides are still discussing key issues on structural issues, such as the US accusation of unfair subsidies in China, a mechanism to verify compliance and what to do with the tariffs the two have already imposed on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of each others goods.

Chinese officials argue that the compliance mechanism being insisted by US overrides the World Trade Organisation mechanism and make it redundant.

I think both sides are still eager to reach an agreement, but they also have to be more cautious because things could change, Huo said.

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Mumbai: In September, listed funds received USD362 million in inflows, led by USD295 million in ETF (exchange-traded fund) inflows. Inflows into India-focused funds totaled USD172 million, driven by USD167 million in non-ETF inflows, while inflows into GEM (global emerging market) funds totaled USD118 million, led by USD251 million in ETF inflows offset by USD133 million in nonETF outflows. Listed emerging market fund flows were mixed for all countries, according to a study by Kotak Institutional Equities.

Inflows into China totaled USD10.8 billion, followed by USD587 million and USD362 million inflows into Brazil and India, respectively. Outflows of USD516 million and USD207 million were recorded in Taiwan and Thailand, respectively. India and Taiwan both had similar patterns in total FPI (foreign portfolio investment) inactivity and EPFR (Emerging Portfolio Fund Research) activity, according to the brokerage.

China and India account for 47 percent of the average Asia ex-Japan fund's holdings. Asia ex-Japan funds upped their allocations to India to 16.3 percent in September from 15.9 percent in August, while GEM funds increased their allocations to 13.1 percent in September from 12.5 percent in August. Asia ex-Japan non-ETF allocations to India grew to 17.1 percent in September from 16.7 percent in August, while GEM non-ETF allocations to India increased to 12.6 percent from 12.2 percent in August. The KIE foreign fund-flow tracker provides a complete picture of the market flow into India by listed funds.

FPIs became net sellers, withdrawing Rs 12,278 crore In October,

ITC Profits: On all fronts, ITC posts strong quarter growth

Shares of Tesla reach record high
Kathmandu, November 1

A group of health professionals have demanded that Nepal eliminate the use of trans fat in industrial food products. They submitted a policy brief to Health Minister Birodh Khatiwada, highlighting the demand, on Monday.

The delegation of Nepal Heart Foundation also met Health Secretary Dr Roshan Pokhrel and presented the same document.

The foundation says the use of trans fat should stop as the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated trans fat-contained food consumption causes heart-related diseases.

The WHO states that by eliminating industrially-produced trans fat and replacing it with healthier oils could save 500,000 lives annually.

The delegation demanded the government take initiatives to make the public aware of the adverse impact of trans fat used in food products.

The minister and the secretary are positive about the demand, according to the foundation.
Ashim Sharma, 24, is hooked on Spotify. Ever since he first heard about it in March 2020, he asked his friends in the US to get him a premium account, and since then, he has been loving this.

I use it all day. Theres everything I want there: from podcasts to songs from my favourite artists to playlists designed to fit a mood. The sound quality is better than that of YouTube too, says Sharma.

When he got the account in 2020, Spotify did not provide services in Nepal. To listen to songs, people had to use the VPN or accounts of their friends and families abroad. But, that has changed.

Spotify, in February, entered more than 80 markets around the world including Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. This has not only helped Nepali music listeners, but also the artists, who, apart from YouTube, now have a different platform to make a side income.

Relative ease for listeners

Ever since its launch in February, Spotify has become a big hit in the country. It is easy to use, has songs from all over the world and most importantly, unlike YouTube, if you subscribe to its premium, it has songs in high-quality audio.

I was in awe when I first listened to music there. Its just too good, miles better than YouTube, says Sharma.

Julia Levander, the communications manager of Spotify for the new markets, says the company has received a warm welcome from users and creators in Nepal as creators that are active on Spotify have increased by over 10 folds in Nepal.

This is like a testament to the great desire to have a streaming platform that can channel the music culture and sounds that is coming from Nepal, she says. We here at Spotify have always been committed to connecting artists and fans and building a borderless audio ecosystem.

It is not just the young crowd that is getting hooked on Spotify. Sanjaya Bansal, 55, is also quite addicted to it. He started using it a few months ago and after using it for a while, has now bought a premium account.

The problem I had with YouTube was too many ads and I couldnt use my phone as I wished. Spotify also had ads, but once, you have the premium account, there are no ads and I can listen to songs from Kishor Kumar and Mohammad Rafi, says Bansal who says he also enjoys multiple podcasts and can also play nursery rhymes for his grandchildren.

However, there is one problem. One needs to pay for the premium account with a dollar card. Although the central bank has already allowed commercial banks in Nepal to issue dollar cards, most Nepalis do not have access to them. Many have been asking their friends and family to pay while a large part of the population has been using digital shops to pay for it.

One such account is Stream Stop that has been offering subscriptions for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify Premium and Playstation Plus. While people come to the team for its other services, it sells around 10 to 15 Spotify Premiums on a daily basis.

Having realised this, Spotify wants to make the subscription easier.

Were aware and our developers are looking at this and maybe can come up with a way people in Nepal can pay directly for the service without much hassle, says Levander.

New possibilities in the new market

Photo: Unsplash

Levander says the expansion also aims to give local artists a global stage and allow them to reach new fans. Even though the most listened-to artists in Nepal are foreign names like Arijit Singh, BTS, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and The Weekend, Nepali artists like Sajjan Raj Vaidya and Sushant KC are also made it to the list.

Ankit Shrestha, an indie Nepali artist based in the US, says that Spotify being launched in Nepal is a great thing for the industry.

I believe it might be a good opportunity for Nepali artists, says Shrestha. As of now, YouTube has been the leading platform for listeners to access music, but now, with Spotify launching, that might change as it is very easy to use the application.

He adds that if people start to use it more for audio consumption, it will be better for artists like him as they will not have to put a lot of energy into visually engaging consumers on YouTube.

As an artist, it is still easy to put up their songs on YouTube as one has the freedom to upload things themselves. For Spotify, it is different. Shrestha says that anyone can put their music on Spotify but they need to find the right distributor.

There will be some free ones who take about 15 per cent of your royalties, but you can pay a yearly fee and you get to keep the royalties, says Shrestha, adding there are a few who even help the artist with the merchandise. Need to find the right person for you.

Shrestha does say that Spotify does pay better, but it depends on where the music is being listened to from.

YouTube or Spotify pay according to where the audience is streaming from. Lets say, for example, YouTube pays 40- 50 dollars per 1,000 streams if the streams were from the US or somewhere in Europe. But, in some countries like Nepal, the same 1,000 streams will pay you 30 or 50 cents, he says, adding the cost of making music in the US or Europe is a lot more.

But, that said, he says as there are a lot of Nepalis and people of Nepali heritage living across the world, mainly in places like the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Australia. Hence, the earnings of artists might get better.

The audience is distributed globally now more than ever, so I hope that will be a good thing income-wise.
Description

The Cradle of Aviation Museum was selected to partner with the Utah Division of Arts and Museums to hold a research study evaluating the social impact museums have on their communities  and you can help.

We are looking for adults 18 and older to provide input on the study. Participants will receive FREE admission to the Museum (non-special events days) for themselves and one guest. Participants are then expected to visit the Cradle of Aviation Museum three times by April 2022. Admission is free for you and a guest in exchange for your participation in the study.

For more information and to apply, visit https://museumsocialimpact.org/apply/

Both first-time visitors and regular visitors are welcome to participate.
Description

The Nine tells the story of nine women under thirty who joined the resistance during World War II and eventually became a close-knit group of friends. They smuggled arms through Europe, harbored parachuting agents, coordinated communications between regional sectors, trekked escape routes to Spain, and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments. They were arrested by French police, interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo, subjected to a series of French prisons, and deported to Germany. Gwen Strauss shares with us the true story of her great aunt Helene Podliasky, who led this band of female resistance fighters on a daring escape from a German forced labor camp and a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII back to Paris.

All fall speakers are $8 members / $10 non-members.

To register, visit https://www.commonpointqueens.org/event/the-nine-the-true-story-of-a-band-of-women-who-survived-the-worst-of-nazi-germany/

For a full list of our Fall Virtual Cultural Arts Speakers and Events at Commonpoint Queens, visit https://www.commonpointqueens.org/cultural/

For more information, please email kstrauss@commonpointqueens.org.
Dealing with negative information about your organization in the social media age

Social media involves internet-based platforms that allow individuals to generate their own public information content, independent of traditional media where journalists generate and curate content for the public to consume. As of 2019, 44% of the worlds population had at least one active social media account, and the average user spends over two hours a day interacting with social media. In traditional media, journalists break stories, but journalistic norms also dictate that people or organizations covered in a story have a chance to respond with their reactions and version of the events.

As social medias reach and influence continue, government needs to better understand the differences between these two forms of news dissemination -- and, when appropriate, be able to react better. This is the topic of an article called Faster, Hotter and more Linked In: Managing Social Disapproval in the Social Media Era by Professors Xinran Wang, Rhonda Reger, and Michael Pfarrer in a recent issue of the academic journal Academy of Management Review.

The papers starting point is that, in contrast to a world where news dissemination was mostly controlled by journalists, the spread of social media means an increase in the velocity of news dissemination (how quickly it spreads), as well as its emotionality and its commonality (the extent to which a collective identity emerges among people who have never met).

Journalist-produced news spreads more slowly, both because journalists need time to gather responses from those being reported on and because reporting has traditionally been tied to news cycles. Traditional media is more tied to norms that temper emotionality in favor of objectivity, norms that hardly exist in social media. And the one-way nature of traditional media limited the ability of people to locate others who share their concerns, reducing the ability to create commonality.

In the social media era, the authors argue, initially dealing with negative information about your organization with proactive transparency  sharing negative news before it becomes a story -- may be a better approach than in the past. This is partly because it will be harder than in the past for the organization to prevent such a story from surfacing no matter what they do, but also because the organization has more ability to get its perspective directly out to the public, without journalist intermediaries.

They then argue that once information has come out and spread  perhaps despite proactive transparency -- it may be, counterintuitively, more effective to then react slowly and deliberately, despite the greater velocity of social media. Hyper-fast reactions are more likely to be factually incorrect and to be of a rote nature, both of which can encourage spread of negative information. On average, 350,000 tweets appear in any given minute, and the vast majority of information that begins to spread will die out on its own. Organizations should keep that in mind.

I periodically blog about academic management articles from a belief they can provide practical advice to managers. This article is an example.
(Recasts with comments from mining sector body, adds background)

By Marco Aquino

LIMA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Peru's mining firms called for government action on Monday to halt a series of protests against the sector, which most recently led to the Andean country's largest copper producer, Antamina, saying it was suspending operations.

"A growing spiral of protests is taking shape, with more violent methods," Pablo de la Flor, executive director of the National Society of Mining, Oil and Energy which represents mining firms in the country, told Reuters.

"We ask the government to respect the rule of law," he said in a phone interview.

Conflicts between local communities and mining firms in Peru, the world's second largest copper producer, have stymied the sector for years, but have come under a harsher spotlight under the new leftist government of Pedro Castillo.

Castillo came to power in July with huge support from voters in mining regions, who were attracted by his pledges to overhaul the sector and redistribute mineral wealth.

In recent months there has been a spate of protests, with communities blockading a major highway for transporting copper. On Sunday, top producer Antamina said it had suspended operations due to roadblocks.

Antamina President Victor Gobitz said on Monday he would meet with minister of energy and mines, Eduardo Gonzalez, to try to end protests that have forced the mine controlled by Glencore and BHP Billiton to suspend operations.

"We cannot accept that a minority group imposes violence and controls things via villainy," Gobitz told local radio station RPP.

Reuters was unable to contact the protesters for comment.

Antamina, located in the country's remote northern Andean mountain region, is Peru's No. 1 copper mine, producing some 396,200 tonnes last year.

Peru has seen rapid development in recent years, in part due to its vast mineral wealth. But many in rural mining communities say they have yet to see many benefits.

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Antamina transports its copper concentrates via a 300-kilometer (186-mile) pipeline, from the mine located about 4,200 meters (13,780 ft) above sea level to a port on the Pacific coast from where the mineral is exported.

Mines including Hudbay Minerals' Constancia, MMG Ltd's Las Bambas and Glencore's Antapaccay also have faced recent roadblock protests.

On Friday, the camp of a small gold producer was set on fire in another protest. (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Adam Jourdan, Paul Simao and Bill Berkrot)
Companies covered in the baby apparel market report are Carter's, Inc., The Children's Place, Inc., Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A, Hennes & Mauritz AB, Nike, Inc., Mothercare plc, Cotton On Group, Gianni Versace S.r.l., Burberry, Gerber Childrenswear LLC, Other key players profiled

Pune, India, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Fortune Business Insights, the global baby apparel market size is expected to reach USD 82.54 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period. The growing inclination towards fashionable kid clothes among modern age parents will boost the growth of the market. The market size stood at USD 62.04 billion in 2019.

The convenience of E-commerce to Boost Product Demand

The increasing accessibility to online platforms for apparel and accessories will aid the expansion of the market. Moreover, the infrastructural development and revamping of existing retail stores can have an excellent effect on the market. The increasing collaboration of major brands can foster the healthy growth of the market. For instance, in March 2019, PT Matahari Department Store Tbk announced its collaboration with OVS, one of the leading Italian clothing company which also offers baby apparel. Through this collaboration, Matahari stores will become the exclusive distributor for OVS products in Indonesia expanding its product reach. Moreover, the growing number of working women, resulting in high purchasing power can spur demand for designer clothes for toddlers, which, in turn, will boost the growth of the market. Similarly, the trend for baby photoshoots is expected to fuel demand for new age stylish baby garments, in turn, promoting market growth.





Get Sample PDF Brochure:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/baby-apparel-market-102106

The Report Lists the Companies in the Baby Clothes Market:

Carter's, Inc. (Atlanta, U.S.)

The Children's Place, Inc. (Secaucus, U.S.)

Industria de Diseno Textil, S.A (Inditex) (Arteixo, Spain)

Hennes & Mauritz AB (Stockholm, Sweden)

Nike, Inc. (Beaverton, U.S.)

Mothercare plc (Hemel Hempstead, U.K.)

Cotton On Group (Geelong, Australia)

Gianni Versace S.r.l. (Milano, Italy)

Burberry (London, U.K.)

Gerber Childrenswear LLC (Fremont, U.S.)





Story continues

Temporary Closure of Stores to Diminish Market During COVID-19



The outbreak of pandemic has led to closures of most retail stores of non-essential items, which, in turn, inhibited the growth of the market. For instance, as per Q2 2020 results of The Children's Place Inc., one of the leading childrens specialty apparel company, temporary store closures declined its overall sales revenue as The Childrens Place had to close down about 98 stores out of its 102 stores in the first half of fiscal 2020. However, the company witnessed a 118.2% increase in its digital sales in Q2 2020 owing to shifting consumer preference towards online buying. In addition, the lockdown restrictions imposed by governments can further restrict the growth of the market. Nonetheless, the increasing utilization of e-commerce will consequently uplift the growth of the market.





Key Industry Development:

July 2019: Marks and Spencer plc announced the launch of a new Dreamskin product under the Easy Dressing range for babies. Products are specially developed for sensitive baby skin.





Regional Analysis :

Increasing Middle-class Population to Back Growth in Asia Pacific

The baby clothes market in Asia Pacific is expected to hold the largest share owing to the increasing number of newborns in the region. China is expected to become one of the largest markets for baby apparel during the forecast period owing to the termination of a single child policy in China. For instance, as per the IND TEXPO 2019 presentation of Cotton Council International, apparel spending is expected to grow from 2016 to 2030 by 116% in China and by 148% in India. In addition, the increasing middle-class population coupled with the better living standard will contribute to the growth of the market. Europe is expected to rise tremendously owing to the purchasing power of working women in the region.





Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/baby-apparel-market-102106





Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Overview of the Parent/Related Markets Industry SWOT Analysis Emerging Trends Recent Industry Developments - Policies, Partnerships, New Product Launches, and Mergers & Acquisitions Qualitative Analysis (In Relation to COVID-19) Impact of COVID-19 Supply Chain Challenges Potential Opportunities due to COVID-19

Global Baby Apparel Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Type (Value) Top wear Bottom wear Others By Material (Value) Cotton Wool Others By End-user (Value) Girls Boys By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa



TOC Continued!





Speak to Our Expert:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/baby-apparel-market-102106





Have a Look at Related Research Insights:

Luxury Goods Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Luxury Wearables and apparels, Cosmetics, Travel Goods, Interior products and others), By Gender (Male, Female), By Distribution channel (Retail stores, Online) and regional forecast 2020-2027

Baby Bottle Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Plastic Baby Bottles, Stainless Steels Baby Bottles, Glass Baby Bottles and Others), By Baby Category (Infants, Toddlers), By Distribution channel (Online, Offline) and regional forecast 2020-2027

Baby Food market size, share & industry analysis, By Product (Baby Food Cereals, Baby Food Snacks, Baby Food Soup and Milk Formula, Frozen Baby Food), By Packaging (Pouches, Jars, Bottles, Others), By Baby Category (Infants, Toddlers), By Distribution channel (Shopping Malls, Supermarkets, Convenience Stores, Hyper Markets, Online Retail) and regional forecast 2020-2027





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(Bloomberg) -- Huitongda Network Co., an e-commerce platform that serves rural China, is considering delaying its planned Hong Kong initial public offering to next year, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The company, which counts Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. among its backers, filed in June for a listing that Bloomberg News earlier reported could raise as much as $1 billion. However, Beijings crackdown on businesses and the resulting volatility in stocks may prompt Huitongda to postpone the share sale, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information isnt public.

Deliberations are still ongoing and the company may opt to go ahead with the IPO this year, the people said. Representatives for Huitongda didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

If the offering is deferred, Huitongda would be the latest to join a slew of firms that have either pulled their listings or cut the size of their planned offerings in Asias financial hub since this summer. Hong Kong-traded mainland-based companies stocks are among the worlds worst performers this year, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index heading for the biggest decline since 2015 after a slump of more than 16%.

Beijings push for social stability by seeking to align companies with President Xi Jinpings vision of common prosperity has hit Chinas technology and internet sectors particularly hard. Both Alibaba and food delivery giant Meituan have been targeted by antitrust authorities for their dominance.

While some companies such as health-care startup We Doctor Holdings Ltd. have let their IPO applications lapse, many that got listed since August have seen their shares drop below their offer prices, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Story continues

Founded in late 2010, Nanjing-based Huitongda helps rural retailers with supply chain and digital technology, according to its website. Its network covers 21 provinces and over 19,000 towns and villages across China.

Alibaba invested 4.5 billion yuan ($704 million) in the company in 2018, a U.S. exchange filing shows.

China International Capital Corp., China Renaissance Holdings Ltd. and Citigroup Inc. are joint sponsors for Huitongdas IPO, a prospectus shows.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Dr. Sarkis Meterissian raises more than $307,000 in support of the McGill University Health Centres Breast Clinic

Beloved breast cancer surgeon shaves his head!

Dr. Sarkis Meterissian, surgical oncologist and the Director of the MUHC's Breast Clinic

Dr. Sarkis Meterissian, surgical oncologist and the Director of the MUHC's Breast Clinic

MONTREAL, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Surgical oncologist, Dr. Sarkis Meterissian shaved his head in support of his breast cancer patients. The emotional gesture drew cheers from patients, health care workers as well as the fundraising force of the MUHC Foundation that helped him surpass his goal. As Director of the Breast Clinic at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Dr. Meterissian was determined to ensure the Breast Clinic Wellness Program remained open and available for all MUHC breast cancer patients.



There is a very special and profound relationship that develops between a patient and their surgical oncologist. I did this for my patients: they are just so resilient and so tough in the face of adversity that its wonderful to watch. In honour of them, I shaved my head and raised money for all the services we provide for the patients.

-Dr. Sarkis Meterissian, Surgical oncologist and the Director of the MUHCs Breast Cancer Clinic

Dr. Meterissian initially pledged to raise $50,000 in association with Pink in the Citys Raise Craze. Thanks to a generous community, Dr. Meterissian increased his fundraising goal twice. The Avon Foundation for Women Canada was also committed to Dr. Meterissians cause, matching all donations up to $100,000, which brought the final tally to $307,000.

The Avon Foundation for Women Canada heard about the MUHCs Breast Clinic Wellness Program and Dr. Meterissians dedication to his breast cancer patients that we knew we had to support the cause. Everyone knows someone who has been touched by breast cancer.This program allows patients to have the support they need through their breast cancer journeys.

-Roberta Lacey, President, Avon Foundation for Women Canada

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The Breast Clinics Wellness Program was created to ensure every breast cancer patient receives the care they need during and after treatment to return to happy, healthy lives. The Wellness Program is completely donor funded and offers a variety of free resources including access to kinesiotherapists, psychologists, sex therapists, and nutritionists.

We are so lucky at the MUHC to have physicians like Dr. Meterissian, who went above and beyond to ensure the well-being of his patients. The incredible impact of his fundraising campaign will be felt for years to come and support thousands of women as they face breast cancer. Thank you to our dedicated community for supporting this important campaign.

-Julie Quenneville, President & CEO, MUHC Foundation

Dr. Meterissian shaved his head on October 20, 2021 during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in an outdoor event at the MUHC. Raise Craze is a yearly-campaign that focuses on volunteers who fundraise, then shave their heads in support of breast cancer patients. All donations from Dr. Meterissians fundraiser benefit the Breast Clinics Wellness Program at the MUHC. The $307,000 raised will fund the program for two years.

To learn more: https://muhcf.akaraisin.com/ui/raisecraze2021

Interview Opportunities:

Dr. Sarkis Meterissian, Director, MUHC Breast Clinic

Sophie Blondin, Patient Coordinator for the Breast Clinic Wellness Program

A grateful breast cancer patient

Julie Quenneville, President & CEO of the MUHC Foundation

About the McGill University Health Centre Foundation

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Foundation raises funds to support excellence in patient care, research and teaching at the McGill University Health Centre, one of the top university hospitals in Canada. Our Dream Big Campaign to change the course of lives and medicine is raising millions of dollars to solve humanitys deadliest puzzles: infectious diseases; end cancer as a life-threatening illness; fix broken hearts through innovative cardiac care; detect the silent killersovarian and endometrial cancersearly; create the best skilled health care teams in Canada; and much more. We are rallying our entire community to solve the worlds most complex health care challenges.

About Pink in the City:

Pink in the City started in 2006. Lawrence Vourtzoumis, then a young boy, decided to shave his head in support of breast cancer patients. That first event modelled that every selfless gesture of support makes a difference and has inspired numerous events over the years. The Vourtzoumis family has committed to supporting all those affected by breast cancer on their journey; the fighters, the survivors and their families.

Tarah Schwartz

Director, Communications & Marketing

McGill University Health Centre Foundation

tarah.schwartz@muhc.mcgill.ca

Kelly Albert

Communications Officer

McGill University Health Centre Foundation

kelly.albert@muhc.mcgill.ca

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2a47e8a3-eab1-4f0e-a25c-646fdc06e356




By Gabriel Araujo

SAO PAULO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian fast food chain operator BK Brasil Operacao e Assessoria a Restaurantes cancelled its agreement with private equity firm Vinci Partners to acquire Domino's Pizza Brasil, it said on Sunday, citing adverse market conditions.

BK Brasil, which owns the Burger King and Popeyes brands in Brazil, said in a securities filing that the termination agreement has set a 12-month right of first refusal for BK to match any offer by a third party in the case of a Domino's Pizza Brasil deal to sell its control.

The fast food operator also granted Domino's exclusivity for 12 months should it decide again to become master franchising, franchisor or franchisee of a pizza business, BK Brasil added. The termination of the agreement does not result in penalties of any nature, BK added.

BK Brasil had announced in mid-July a deal to acquire Domino's Pizza Brazil, in which would have made it the country's largest fast food operator. Vinci would own 16.4% of BK Brasil shares. (Reporting by Gabriel Araujo)
After a two-week excursion to Wyoming, Charles Hoskinson has begun the Cardano Africa trip with an aim to revolutionise blockchain technology in the continent.

The CEO of IOHK and Cardano founder is meeting with heads of countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Burundi, and the self-governing state of Zanzibar, where Hoskinson posted pictures of his meeting with the latters 8th president Hussein Ali Mwinyi.

And before Burundi, we had a wonderful meeting about the Blue Economy with President Hussein Ali Mwinyi in Zanzibar. pic.twitter.com/jOqUmj0VeB  Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) October 25, 2021

Along with meeting the continents top politicians, Hoskinson plans to meet with the start-ups building on the Cardano blockchain in a continent that he believes will play a big role in the global future  a sentiment he shared at the Cardano Summit 2021.

Cardanos plans in Africa has been significantly boosted by the $100m investment from EMURGO, the blockchain technology firm, as they plan to improve DeFi and provide blockchain and IT education across the continent.

Cardano has already established IT education in Ethiopia, enjoying a partnership with the government in the East African country.

Hoskinson said the investment will play a big part in the future of Cardano.

EMURGOs investments will help to shape the future of the Cardano ecosystem, growing smart contract capabilities and partnerships across the globe, he said.

Was Zanzibar targeted by Hoskinson?

There hasnt been an official explanation as to why Hoskinson has specifically chosen the countries he did to visit but the trip to Zanzibar may have extenuating circumstances.

IOHK teamed up with World Mobile Group to democratise access to digital, financial and social services in Africa in Zanzibar and Tanzania.

World Mobile Group has planted roots in Tanzania, providing solar-powered energy to an entire village of around 200 people.

While World Mobile will use Cardano to provide sustainable Internet connectivity to its users in Tanzania, IOHK will acquire a 10% equity stake in the company.
Cracker Barrel partners with eight-time GRAMMY nominated artist Tauren Wells to welcome everyone to the table

LEBANON, Tenn., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is proud to announce its third Parade appearance in the 95th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a float set to bring a sense of comfort, nostalgia and genuine care to the streets of New York City  and to homes across America. Reminding everyone that they're welcome to the table, the Cracker Barrel float will feature eight-time GRAMMY nominee and seven-time Dove Award winner Tauren Wells performing "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays," as well as classic memorabilia found in Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores to inspire warm memories of the past while making way for an even more inclusive and brighter future.

"Thanksgiving marks the start of a magical time of year where care is in the air all around us, and traditions like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade add to the joy of the season as we gather with friends and family," said Cracker Barrel Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Tate. "This holiday season  and year-round  we welcome all guests to the Cracker Barrel table to celebrate the traditions we share and those that make us unique."

The Cracker Barrel float replicates the warm experience guests have enjoyed for more than half a decade in the 660-plus stores across the country, and includes:

The iconic front porch, complete with rocking chairs;

The oil lamps we light each night to welcome in our guests;

The famous hearth where families have gathered more than 50 years;

The classic Cracker Barrel peg game; and

Five barrels, fashioned after the wooden barrels filled with soda crackers that were often in old country stores where visitors would gather 'round to chat, as a nod to the inspiration behind the Cracker Barrel name.

Thanksgiving is Cracker Barrel's busiest day of the year as guests across the country visit their local store to enjoy a homestyle Thanksgiving dinner or to pick up a fully prepared Thanksgiving Heat n' Serve family-sized feast to enjoy at home, so they can spend a hassle-free holiday with loved ones. In fact, the brand expects to serve approximately 1.7 million slices of pie this year! After more than a year of interrupted and cancelled gatherings, Cracker Barrel is excited to help guests celebrate the holiday, whether they enjoy it at Cracker Barrel or in the comfort of their own homes. All restaurants continue to follow local governing guidelines to ensure the well-being of guests and employees.

Story continues

Guests can learn more about how to celebrate Thanksgiving with Cracker Barrel this year by visiting crackerbarrel.com/Thanksgiving.

The 95th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will air nationwide on NBC-TV, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021 from 9 a.m. to Noon, in all time zones. For more information visit macys.com/parade. To follow and participate in the excitement, check out @macys on various social platforms and follow #MacysParade.

About Tauren Wells

Tauren Wells is an eight-time GRAMMY nominated artist, seven-time GMA Dove award-winner, platinum-selling, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, as well as a public speaker. With 2M monthly listeners on Spotify, 780 million total solo career global streams with over 2.4 billion audience impressions in the US, Tauren has established himself as one of the most talented and exciting young artists in the music industry today. Known for tracks like the Platinum-selling hit "Hills and Valleys," as well as the Gold-certified "Known," the six-time No. 1 hitmaker released his second full-length album Citizen of Heaven in January 2020. Over the past year, he has collaborated with GRAMMY & Oscar winner H.E.R., Gospel music's Kirk Franklin, Cece Winans, Jekalyn Carr and Donald Lawrence, country artists Jimmie Allen and Rascal Flatts, Christian artists Michael W. Smith and Toby Mac, as well as pop singer/songwriter Emily Weisband. Wells is currently selling out shows all over the country on the Citizen of Heaven Tour, with special guests Riley Clemmons and Andrew Ripp.

About the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

For more than 90 years, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season. With more than 50 million viewers nationwide, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event. Featuring Macy's signature giant character balloons, fantasy floats, marching bands, clowns, celebrity and large group performances, and the one-and-only Santa Claus, the annual spectacle continues to bring families together to create cherished holiday memories. For more information on the Macy's Parade please visit www.macys.com/parade.

About Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL) provides a caring and friendly home-away-from-home experience while offering guests quality homestyle food to enjoy in-store or to-go and unique shopping  all at a fair price. Established in 1969 in Lebanon, Tenn., Cracker Barrel and its affiliates operate more than 660 company-owned Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations in 45 states and own the breakfast and lunch focused fast-casual Maple Street Biscuit Company restaurants. For more information about the company, visit crackerbarrel.com.

Media Contact:

Cracker Barrel Media Relations

615-235-4135

media.relations@crackerbarrel.com

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store logo

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View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cracker-barrel-old-country-store-brings-care-to-homes-across-america-in-third-appearance-at-the-95th-annual-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-301412602.html

SOURCE Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.
* Turkey, U.S. have not bridged differences - analyst

* China, HK lead EM stocks decline after weak manufacturing data

* Russian manufacturing expands, Turkey's slows

* Rand slumps in holiday trade; municipal elections underway

By Susan Mathew

Nov 1 (Reuters) - Emerging market shares fell for a fifth straight session on Monday as weak factory output data from China dented sentiment, while Turkey's lira firmed after Ankara and Washington agreed to form a joint mechanism to strengthen ties.

The lira outperformed EM peers, rising 0.7% after a 7.6% drop in October on tensions with the West and monetary policy uncertainty.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held talks in "a very positive atmosphere" on the sidelines of the G20 summit, a senior Turkish official said.

Tensions between the two nations have ratcheted up over Turkey's purchase of Russian defence systems, and human rights.

Days after narrowly averting a diplomatic crisis over jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala, Biden told Erdogan his request for F-16 fighter jets had to go through a process in the United States, while Erdogan said his counterpart was "positive" towards the jet sale.

But Credit Suisse analyst Berna Bayazitoglu warned that the readout suggested the two leaders had not been able to bridge their differences during the meeting.

South Africa's rand fell 0.8% in thin holiday trade as citizens started voting on Monday in municipal elections, with the ruling African National Congress facing discontent over poor services and stark inequality.

Most other EM currencies fell as investors awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve's two-day meeting set to end on Wednesday, with the bank expected to start tapering pandemic-related stimulus.

"The (Fed) meeting this week has taper effectively priced in. Expectations are growing for some signal on rate hikes, although we think the (Fed) will still de-couple hikes from taper," Mizuho analysts said.

Story continues

MSCI's index of EM shares fell 0.4% with heavyweight China blue-chips and Hong Kong shares down 0.4% and 0.9%, respectively.

Power shortages and rising costs weighed on production in Chinese factories last month, data showed, while leisure and tourism businesses are feeling the bite of the country's zero tolerance for COVID-19.

Factory activity in most other Asian economies grew.

"Some divergence in growth trajectories between the U.S. and the rest of the world could continue to keep the USD supported on dips, especially ahead of the FOMC policy decision," Maybank strategists said.

Elsewhere, Russia's manufacturing activity expanded in October for the first time since May, while it slowed in Turkey. Russia on Sunday reported 40,993 new COVID-19 infections, its highest single-day case tally since the start of the pandemic.

Along with falling oil prices, the rouble hit over two-week lows. Russian stocks, however, snapped a four-session losing streak, lifted by a rally in financial and energy shares.

Oil giant Saudi Aramco inched lower a day after it rose 0.4% on upbeat quarterly earnings.

For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance in 2021, see http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance in 2021, see https://tmsnrt.rs/2OusNdX

For TOP NEWS across emerging markets

For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see

For TURKISH market report, see

For RUSSIAN market report, see

(Reporting by Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
Partnership with NLC Will Deliver Complementary GIS Tools to City Members

REDLANDS, Calif., November 01, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Broadband is essential for effective economic growth, education, workforce development, telehealth, and more. While access to broadband is a necessity for communities to compete in the global economy and provide equal opportunity for residents, COVID-19 has increased awareness of gaps in service, particularly for rural areas and underserved populations. Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, is joining the National League of Cities (NLC) Capstone Challenge Series to pilot geographic information system (GIS) solutions to address broadband availability.

"The Capstone Challenge was developed by NLC to showcase the power of public-private partnerships in addressing timely and critical issues facing America's cities, towns, and villages," said NLC CEO and executive director Clarence E. Anthony. "Through this challenge, NLC brought together mayors, city administrators, and departmental staff with industry leaders to create innovative solutions that work for all residents."

The pilot program will be implemented in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Purcellville, Virginia; and Butte-Silver Bow, Montana, and members will work with Esri to provide insight and feedback on their broadband challenges and create lasting solutions. In turn, Esri has agreed to work with the three NLC members to deliver relevant and repeatable GIS solutions to address broadband availability.

The Capstone Challenge Series is a pilot program that pairs NLC partners with motivated local leaders to create repeatable solutions for government needs. NLC is the voice of America's cities, towns, and villages, representing more than 2,600 municipalities across the country. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy, and drive innovative solutions.

"The recent pandemic has brought attention to a challenge that has persisted as long as many areas have gone without the necessary connections to the world enabling them to live and do business," said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. "We are happy to be able to work so closely with local jurisdictions to define approaches to closing the digital divide and deliver solutions that truly meet the needs of cities."

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Cedar Rapids, Purcellville, and Butte-Silver Bow will work to launch and test GIS solutions developed by Esri, including the following:

Equity Index ToolTo identify priority populations and gaps in broadband coverage (using key indicators like demographic data and reported broadband)

Speed Test AppTo crowdsource internet speed tests from residents (validating reported internet coverage and speeds from external data sources) to establish an authoritative dataset

Planning ToolsTo report broadband coverage statistics, understand gaps in service, and strategize service expansion

Communication ToolsTo share broadband information with internal and external stakeholders

This series of complementary solutions will help local governments, large and small, use GIS to effect better decision-making and will be available to all ArcGIS users.

To learn more about how state and local governments can use GIS to address broadband access, join the session Peer Learning: Resources for Cities from the Capstone Challenge Series at the upcoming NLC City Summit: citysummit.nlc.org/.

About the National League of Cities

The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of Americas cities, towns, and villages, representing more than 200 million people. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy, and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About Esri

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com.

Copyright  2021 Esri. All rights reserved. Esri, the Esri globe logo, ArcGIS, The Science of Where, esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products or services mentioned herein may be trademarks, service marks, or registered marks of their respective mark owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005758/en/

Contacts

Jo Ann Pruchniewski

Public Relations, Esri

Mobile: 301-693-2643

Email: jpruchniewski@esri.com
Dublin, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Power to Gas Market, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Europe power to gas market is expected to grow at a formidable rate during the forecast period

Power to gas technology is effective in managing the excess renewable energy which is converted into hydrogen. Therefore, this technology allows the potential use of hydrogen in mobility solutions and as a natural gas substitute. The technology also goes through a process of methanation, producing methane or synthetic natural gas which is used in gas grids.

The factors responsible for the growth of Europe power to gas market during the forecast year include need for integrated management of power and gas network and effective usage of renewable energy resources. In addition to this, growing requirement to reduce carbon emissions coupled with rising capacity of renewable energy are anticipated to bode well for the growth of power to gas market in the region over the coming years.



The Europe power to gas market is segmented based on technology, capacity, end user industry, region and company. Based on technology, the market can be segmented into electrolysis and methanation.

Out of which, the electrolysis segment dominated the market in terms of the largest market share until 2020 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance during the forecast years as well. This is majorly accredited to its dynamic operations and the ability to efficiently integrate electricity from varying renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.



Major players operating in the Europe power to gas market include

ITM Power

McPhy Energy SA

Siemens AG

MAN Energy Solutions

Nel ASA

Thyssenkrupp AG

Electrochaea GmbH

EXYTRON GmbH

Greenhydrogen.DK ApS

Hydrogenics Corporation

Report Scope:

Years considered for this report:

Historical Years: 2016-2019

Base Year: 2020

Estimated Year: 2021

Forecast Period: 2022-2027

Europe Power to Gas Market, By Technology

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Electrolysis

Methanation

Europe Power to Gas Market, By Capacity

Less than 100 kW

100-999 kW

1000 kW

Above

Europe Power to Gas Market, By End User Industry

Commercial

Utilities

Industrial

Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Impact of COVID-19 on Europe Power to Gas Market



4. Executive Summary



5. Voice of Customer



6. Europe Power to Gas Market Outlook



7. Germany Power to Gas Market Outlook



8. France Power to Gas Market Outlook



9. United Kingdom Power to Gas Market Outlook



10. Italy Power to Gas Market Outlook



11. Spain Power to Gas Market Outlook



12. Poland Power to Gas Market Outlook



13. Russia Power to Gas Market Outlook



14. Market Dynamics



15. Market Trends & Developments



16. Competitive Landscape



17. Strategic Recommendations

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xeq55w

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Strengthens position in industrial automation and control

ST. LOUIS, Mo., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Steven Engineering, Inc.

Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services.

Headquartered in South San Francisco, Calif., Steven Engineering provides advanced automation, motion control and pneumatic solutions to a wide range of market segments. Steven Engineering was founded in 1975 and has a total of three locations in California and Oregon. As a subsidiary of Graybar, the company will continue to operate under the Steven Engineering name with the same leadership team, employees and suppliers.

"We are excited to welcome the Steven Engineering team to Graybar," said Kathleen M. Mazzarella, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Graybar. "With its reputation for exceptional customer service and advanced technical capabilities, Steven Engineering will accelerate Graybar's growth and strengthen our position in the industrial automation business."

"Steven Engineering and Graybar share similar values and a passion for helping our employees, customers and suppliers succeed," said Bryan Wolfgram, chief executive officer of Steven Engineering. "As part of Graybar, we look forward to sustaining our positive workplace culture, while investing in growth and innovation to achieve long-term success."

Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of more than 292 North American distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of manufacturers, helping its customers power, network and secure their facilities with speed, intelligence and efficiency. For more information, visit www.graybar.com or call 1-800-GRAYBAR.

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Media Contact:

Tim Sommer

(314) 578-7672

timothy.sommer@graybar.com

Cision

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SOURCE Graybar
TORONTO, Nov. 1, 2021 /CNW/ - HARTE GOLD CORP. ("Harte Gold" or the "Company") (TSX: HRT) (OTC: HRTFF) (Frankfurt: H4O) announces a third amendment to its Forbearance Agreement with BNP Paribas ("BNPP").

Harte Gold Corp (CNW Group/Harte Gold Corp.)

The Forbearance Agreement, initially announced on July 30, 2021, and amended on September 30 and October 15, 2021, has been further amended pursuant to an Amending Agreement dated October 29, 2021, which extends the date to which BNPP has agreed, subject to certain terms and conditions, to refrain from enforcing its rights and remedies under the BNP Debt Facilities from October 29, 2021 to November 30, 2021 (the "Forbearance Period").

There can be no assurance that the Forbearance Agreement will be further extended by BNPP or, if it is extended, what the terms of such further extension will be. If the Forbearance Agreement is not extended at the end of the Forbearance Period, BNPP will have the right to demand immediate repayment of all outstanding indebtedness under the BNP Debt Facilities and to initiate steps to enforce its rights.

Pursuant to the terms of the Forbearance Agreement, the Company continued to carry out a sale and investment solicitation process ("SISP"), among other things, as part of its Strategic Review Process. The Strategic Review Process has not yet resulted in any binding offers being received by the Company. Discussions are, however, ongoing with a number of parties with respect to a potential transaction. While the Amending Agreement allows for such discussions to continue, there can be no assurance that such discussions will result in a transaction, what the value of any transaction might be, what the terms or timing of such a transaction might be or that the Company will be able to continue as a going concern.

At the time of issuing this news release, the Company does not expect that the Strategic Review Process will result in a transaction which would provide any value for holders of Harte Gold's equity securities (including securities convertible into or exercisable for equity securities). As a result of the foregoing, holders of Harte Gold's equity securities (including securities convertible into or exercisable for equity securities) are cautioned that trading in such securities is highly speculative, and that the trading prices for such securities may bear little or no relationship to the actual realization of value, if any, by holders thereof at the ultimate outcome of the Strategic Review Process. Also, there can be no assurance that the Company's common shares will continue to trade on the TSX or on any other trading platform.

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In order to preserve liquidity to support the Strategic Review Process, the Company has continued to defer the implementation of various mitigation measures that were aimed at addressing the production variance from plan experienced to date in 2021. The Company has also reduced certain sustaining and expansion capital expenditures. However, based on the Company's current cash flow forecast, the Company will require additional financing prior to the end of 2021 in order to continue operations and conclude the Strategic Review Process. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will obtain the required financing or what the terms of such financing might be.

The Company will provide updates when further disclosure is required or otherwise appropriate.

About Harte Gold Corp.

Harte Gold holds a 100% interest in the Sugar Zone mine located in White River, Canada. The Sugar Zone Mine entered commercial production in 2019. The Company has further potential through exploration at the Sugar Zone Property, which encompasses 81,287 hectares covering a significant greenstone belt. Harte Gold trades on the TSX under the symbol "HRT", on the OTC under the symbol "HRTFF" and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol "H4O".

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking information:

This news release includes "forward-looking statements", within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which are based on the opinions and estimates of management and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "budget", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. Specific forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, there being no assurance that the Forbearance Agreement will be further extended by BNPP or, if it is extended, what the terms of such further extension will be; if the Forbearance Agreement is not extended at the end of the Forbearance Period, BNPP having the right to demand immediate repayment of all outstanding indebtedness under the BNP Debt Facilities and to initiate steps to enforce its rights; the Amending Agreement allowing for discussions with a number of parties to continue; there being no assurance that such discussions will result in a transaction, what the value of any transaction might be, what the terms or timing of such a transaction might be or that the Company will be able to continue as a going concern; at the time of issuing this news release, the Company not expecting that the Strategic Review Process will result in a transaction which would provide any value for holders of Harte Gold's equity securities (including securities convertible into or exercisable for equity securities); trading in the Company's securities being highly speculative, and that the trading prices for such securities may bear little or no relationship to the actual realization of value, if any, by holders thereof at the ultimate outcome of the Strategic Review Process; there being no assurance that the Company's common shares will continue to trade on the TSX or on any other trading platform; the Company requiring additional financing prior to the end of 2021 in order to continue operations and conclude the Strategic Review Process based on the Company's current cash flow forecast; there being no assurance that the Company will obtain the required financing or what the terms of such financing might be; the Company providing updates when further disclosure is required or otherwise appropriate; and the Company having further potential through exploration at the Sugar Zone Property. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions including material estimates and assumptions related to the factors set forth below that, while considered reasonable by the Company as at the date of this press release in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Strategic Review Process failing to result in a transaction that provides value to the Company's stakeholders; the Company being unable to secure sufficient financing to complete the Strategic Review Process; the Company being unable to continue as a going concern; the risk that the Company will not have adequate sources of funding to finance the Company's operations in the near future; the risk that the Company will not be able to obtain sufficient financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, and general corporate or other purposes; the risk that the Company has insufficient assets to meet its liabilities or satisfy its creditors; the Company being able to attract and retain qualified candidates to join the Company's management team and board of directors, risks associated with the mining industry, including operational risks in exploration, development and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve estimates; the uncertainty of estimates and projections in relation to production, costs and expenses; the uncertainty surrounding the ability of the Company to obtain all permits, agreements, consents or authorizations required for its operations and activities; and health, safety and environmental risks, the risk of commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, the ability of Harte Gold to fund the capital and operating expenses necessary to achieve the business objectives of Harte Gold, the uncertainty associated with commercial negotiations and negotiating with contractors and other parties and risks associated with international business activities, as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 30, 2021, and in other filings of the Company with securities and regulatory authorities which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to the risks, uncertainties and assumptions inherent in forward-looking statements, prospective investors in securities of the Company should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors are not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or in any other documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE Harte Gold Corp.

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GLASGOW  The worlds two largest coal producers cast a big shadow on Day 2 of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) as stated commitments from India and China fell well below that of climate action needed to keep global warming in line with the Paris Agreement.

Speaking at the World Leaders Summit in Glasgow, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2070  a significant promise for one of the last remaining holdouts to set net-zero emissions goals among major economies  but the date falls two decades beyond what scientists say is necessary to avert a climate catastrophe.

"Im happy to report that a developing country like India, which is working to lift millions out of poverty and working on their ease of living, accounts for 17% of the worlds population but only 5% of the worlds carbon emissions," Modi said, adding that India is the only major economy that has delivered on the letter and spirit of the Paris Agreement.

Yahoo Finance and Yahoo News will be reporting from COP26, which is set to begin on October 31 and last until November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland. Check out the coverage here.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi presents his national statement as part of the World Leaders' Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland on November 1, 2021. (Photo by Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP)

Modis pledge marked one of the most critical moments of a day filled with promises by leaders to accelerate action to combat climate change. At the same time, his remarks pointed to growing contention between advanced nations that spew most emissions and developing countries that have been disproportionately affected by the impact of climate change.

India has long resisted calls to set more concrete targets on climate, with officials dismissing the push to net-zero as an exercise in goal post shifting.

While developed nations have yet to meet the $100 billion it vowed to contribute to help poorer countries reduce its emissions output, Modi called on nations to increase their share by calling for $1 trillion in climate financing.

Modi laid out a five-point plan that included aims to increase Indias non-fossil energy capacity to 500 Gigawatts by 2030, with half of the countrys energy requirements coming from renewables. Modi also vowed to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy to less than 45 percent in the same time span.

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Modi's plan made no reference to the future of coal in India, the worlds second largest producer and consumer behind China. Coal-fired power generation remains the single largest emitter globally, making up for 30 percent of all energy-related carbon emissions, according to data from the IEA.

As recently as last month, Indias environment minister remained defiant against criticism of the countrys coal usage, saying Indias coal consumption would increase.

We depend on coal and we would like to continue, he said.

China, for its part, has aimed to reach carbon neutrality by 2060. The country is on track to reach peak emissions by the end of this decade. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who skipped the gathering altogether, and sent in a written statement addressed to world leaders.

Xi's two-page address echoed Modis criticism of advanced nations, asserting that developed countries should not only do more themselves, but should provide support to help developing countries do better.

The climate plan unveiled by China last week remains largely unchanged from its previous declarations. While the new document makes clearer Chinas intensions to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by more than 65 percent. It also increases its share of non-fossil energy by 5 percent from its previous target, and calls for solar and wind capacity to reach 1200 GW by 2030.

Visions will come true only when we act on them, Xi's letter stated. Parties need to honor their commitments, set realistic targets and visions, and do their best according to national conditions to deliver their climate action measures.

Like India, the future of coal in China remains a big question mark, particularly with China increasing output to meet domestic demand.

At the G20 summit in Rome, leaders of the worlds 20 largest economies failed to reach an agreement to phase out domestic coal production and use, with push back from China and India.

Xis COP26 statement hinted at an additional action plan aimed at addressing emissions from coal and other high-polluting industries, but it offered no timeline.

Specific implementation for plans for key sectors such as coal, electricity, iron and steel, and cement will be rolled out, coupled with supporting measures, Xi wrote.

Successful governance relies on solid action, he said.

Akiko Fujita is an anchor and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AkikoFujita

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RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Indivior PLC (LON: INDV) announced today the presentation of data at the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare Conference (NCCHC) from a mixed methods study examining opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment barriers in the criminal justice system.1 The study entitled, Factors Impacting Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Treatment Decisions in Criminal Justice-involved Populations, demonstrated factors influencing treatment approaches including preferred treatment options, barriers to treatment, and patient concerns.1 The National Correctional Healthcare Conference takes place from October 30 to November 3, 2021.

Indivior (PRNewsfoto/Indivior)

The mixed methods study included a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published between 2016-2021 and semi-structured interviews with eight addiction medicine specialists, primary care physicians, and clinical and administrative team members working in and with Tower Health, an integrated health system in Pennsylvania. Additionally, sample data from electronic health records (EHR) of 195 patients treated with MOUD was analyzed to predict patient-related outcomes such as number of emergency department (ED) visits and clinic no-shows compared with criminal justice involved individuals and non-criminal justice involved individuals. 1

"It is estimated that nearly 20 percent of individuals sentenced to state prison report regular use of opioids,"2 said Christian Heidbreder, Chief Scientific Officer, Indivior. "Stigma and lack of resources has resulted in unequal access to treatment for people who are incarcerated. We must continue to advocate for expanded access to medication for opioid use disorder treatment in correctional settings and focus our efforts on helping people access the treatments they need to achieve and maintain recovery."

The qualitative analysis included interviews with participants to gauge their opinions regarding MOUD treatment for criminal justice-involved populations. 1 The interviews revealed that all eight addiction medicine team members favored the use of the monthly injectable version of buprenorphine for most people with OUD. Study participants also indicated patients expressed anxiety about trying a new medication and having concerns of withdrawal as a component of treatment decisions, among other factors.1

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The statistical analysis from sample electronic health records EHR data revealed that when patients were offered MOUD treatment, likelihood of ED visits or clinic no-shows were the same for criminal justice-involved patients and non-criminal justice-involved patients.1

Additionally, the data presented also showed that individuals with criminal justice-involvement face greater limitations in access to treatment than patients with no involvement in the criminal justice system.1

About the study methods

The mixed methods study included a systematic literature review, in-depth interviews with addiction medicine specialists working in and with Tower Health, an integrated health system in Pennsylvania, and analysis of a sample from the Tower Health Electronic Health Record. Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations of various factors with emergency department visits and clinic no-show rates among patients being treated with MOUD. The study explored factors influencing treatment approaches, including the use of the monthly injectable version of buprenorphine, for individuals with OUD, with a particular focus on patients with CJI.1

Study limitations included the involvement of one health system and a small number of patient health records. Additionally, criminal justice-involvement was identified through review of electronic health records (EHR) documentation which relies on providers asking about criminal justice-involvement and patient self-reports.

About Indivior

Indivior is a global pharmaceutical company working to help change patients' lives by developing medicines to treat addiction and serious mental illnesses. Our vision is that all patients around the world will have access to evidence-based treatment for the chronic conditions and co-occurring disorders of addiction. Indivior is dedicated to transforming addiction from a global human crisis to a recognized and treated chronic disease. Building on its global portfolio of opioid dependence treatments, Indivior has a pipeline of product candidates designed to both expand on its heritage in this category and potentially address other chronic conditions and cooccurring disorders of addiction, including alcohol use disorder. Headquartered in the United States in Richmond, VA, Indivior employs more than 800 individuals globally and its portfolio of products is available in over 40 countries worldwide. Visit www.indivior.com to learn more. Connect with Indivior on LinkedIn by visiting www.linkedin.com/company/indivior.

References:

Bailey K, Gusmano M, Millen W et al. (2021) Factors impacting MOUD treatment decisions in criminal justice-involved populations. SAMHSA. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in the Criminal Justice System. Brief Guidance to the States. Published March 2019. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/pep19-matbriefcjs_0.pdf

SUBLOCADE (buprenorphine extended-release) injection, for subcutaneous use (CIII)

INDICATION AND HIGHLIGHTED SAFETY INFORMATION

INDICATION

SUBLOCADE is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe opioid use disorder in patients who have initiated treatment with a transmucosal buprenorphine-containing product, followed by dose adjustment for a minimum of 7 days.

SUBLOCADE should be used as part of a complete treatment plan that includes counseling and psychosocial support.

HIGHLIGHTED SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: RISK OF SERIOUS HARM OR DEATH WITH INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION; SUBLOCADE RISK EVALUATION AND MITIGATION STRATEGY

 Serious harm or death could result if administered intravenously. SUBLOCADE forms a solid mass upon contact with body fluids and may cause occlusion, local tissue damage, and thrombo-embolic events, including life threatening pulmonary emboli, if administered intravenously.



 Because of the risk of serious harm or death that could result from intravenous self-administration, SUBLOCADE is only available through a restricted program called the SUBLOCADE REMS Program. Healthcare settings and pharmacies that order and dispense SUBLOCADE must be certified in this program and comply with the REMS requirements.





Prescription use of this product is limited under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

SUBLOCADE should not be administered to patients who have been shown to be hypersensitive to buprenorphine or any component of the ATRIGEL delivery system



WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse: SUBLOCADE contains buprenorphine, a Schedule III controlled substance that can be abused in a manner similar to other opioids. Monitor patients for conditions indicative of diversion or progression of opioid dependence and addictive behaviors.

Respiratory Depression: Life threatening respiratory depression and death have occurred in association with buprenorphine. Warn patients of the potential danger of self-administration of benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants while under treatment with SUBLOCADE.

Opioids can cause sleep-related breathing disorders e.g., central sleep apnea (CSA), sleep-related hypoxemia. Opioid use increases the risk of CSA in a dose-dependent fashion. Consider decreasing the opioid using best practices for opioid taper if CSA occurs.

Strongly consider prescribing naloxone at SUBLOCADE initiation or renewal because patients being treated for opioid use disorder have the potential for relapse, putting them at risk for opioid overdose. Educate patients and caregivers on how to recognize respiratory depression and how to treat with naloxone if prescribed.



Risk of Serious Injection Site Reactions: The most common injection site reactions are pain, erythema and pruritis with some involving abscess, ulceration, and necrosis. The likelihood of serious injection site reactions may increase with inadvertent intramuscular or intradermal administration.

Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome: Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome is an expected and treatable outcome of prolonged use of opioids during pregnancy.

Adrenal Insufficiency: If diagnosed, treat with physiologic replacement of corticosteroids, and wean patient off the opioid.

Risk of Opioid Withdrawal With Abrupt Discontinuation: If treatment with SUBLOCADE is discontinued, monitor patients for several months for withdrawal and treat appropriately.

Risk of Hepatitis, Hepatic Events: Monitor liver function tests prior to and during treatment.

Risk of Withdrawal in Patients Dependent on Full Agonist Opioids: Verify that patient is clinically stable on transmucosal buprenorphine before injecting SUBLOCADE.

Treatment of Emergent Acute Pain: Treat pain with a non-opioid analgesic whenever possible. If opioid therapy is required, monitor patients closely because higher doses may be required for analgesic effect.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

Adverse reactions commonly associated with SUBLOCADE (in 5% of subjects) were constipation, headache, nausea, injection site pruritus, vomiting, increased hepatic enzymes, fatigue, and injection site pain.

For more information about SUBLOCADE, the full Prescribing Information including BOXED WARNING, and Medication Guide, visit www.sublocade.com.

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SOURCE Indivior
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has held the Cleanliness, Health, Safety, Environment Sustainability (CHSE) Event Protocol Story (CERPEN) campaign for public and local media in Yogyakarta on October 21, 2021.

Logo (PRNewsfoto/Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy)

(left-right) MC Nia Carolin; Gading Narendra Paksi, Program Director of ArtJog; Anas Syahrul Alimi, CEO of Prambanan Jazz Festival; Hafiz Agung Rifai, Coordinator of Strategy and Promotion of Regional Events at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. (PRNewsfoto/Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy)

Yogyakarta is among the top priorities of the Ministry to socialize the CHSE protocol through CERPEN, which is designed to encourage tourism and creative industry while raising new optimism for organizing events by adopting the new normal protocol amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Here in Jogja, creative events have started to be reorganized by adhering to health protocol and new normal regulations. Thus, events can still be held adjusting to the latest situation and in accordance to the rules that have been set by the local government," said Hafiz Agung Rifai, coordinator of Regional Event Strategic and Promotion at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

The CHSE protocol provides guidance on three aspects of pre, during, and post events, which must be followed by organizers, spectators, and performers. The rules include 3M's health protocols (wearing masks, washing hands with soap, and keeping a distance).

"Our main focus is to ease the event promoters and organizers rebuild their business. From our side, the CHSE protocol has a good standard and hopefully, it can lead the way to other events. The Ministry's mission is to revive event businesses in order to boost creative economy growth impacted by the pandemic," added Hafiz.

Another goal of the CHSE event socialization initiative to various regions, is to provide CHSE guidance to regional event organizers, especially in organizing events in the new normal era.

Local Creators to Boost Innovation by Implementing the New Normal Protocols

Held in a media gathering event, the CHSE socialization also invited Yogyakarta-based professionals who work in creative to share their views and experiences in organizing events and adapting to the new normal. Attended speakers include Hafiz Agung Rifai; Anas Syahrul Alimi, CEO of Prambanan Jazz Festival, and Gading Narendra Paksi, Program Director of Artjog,

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Anas said promoters and organizers in Yogyakarta have been ready to start their business again. Since last year, they have gathered with event organizers to draft a standard operating procedure (SOP) while waiting for official health and safety protocols issued by the local government.

He hopes that he could hold "JogjaRockarta", a rock music festival, at the end of the year and all creative workers will gain more confidence to start organizing events again by complying with the CHSE protocol socialized by the Ministry.

Gading said the annual event of Artjog 2021 had been held from July 8 to August 31 by adapting to the new normal protocol such as avoiding crowds, restricting visiting hours, and attendance. He added that art exhibitions are relatively easier to adapt and innovate since it is a quiet event by nature unlike other art and cultural performances.

"The CHSE protocol is good news for event organizing business as we have an official guidance to start doing the business again," said Gading.

After Medan and Yogyakarta, the Ministry will hold CERPEN events in Semarang, Surabaya, Makassar, and Lombok, to socialize the CHSE protocol that is organized in three phases, from August to November 2021.

For more information on the CHSE campaign, please visit chse.kemenparekraf.go.id.

About the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy

Driven by a vision to make Indonesia a world-class tourism destination, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy innovates various breakthroughs to continually grow the creative industry in Indonesia.

"Kharisma Event Nusantara 2021" is one of the government's efforts to encourage the rise of the creative economy in Indonesia. This program is expected to help positively move the national economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic and provide direction for event participants on the implementation of the CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety, and Environmental Sustainability) protocol.

SOURCE Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy
ATLANTA, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Virtual Cloud Technologies, Inc.s (AVCtechnologies) (Nasdaq: AVCT), Kandy Communications business unit (Kandy), a global leader in secure and intelligent cloud communications, will demonstrate its latest innovations that enable its channel partners to offer secure digital transformation of enterprise communications and customer engagement at the Channel Partner Conference & Expo: Homecoming event being held at The Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas from November 1-4, 2021.

On display will be Kandys cloud services for Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS), and Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) with available white label options. Kandy will also be highlighting Kandy Drops - a one-click-one-call innovation for its web-based Live Support omni channel contact center. With Kandy Drops, end users simply scan a QR code, or click a link in an email to be connected directly with an agent.

Kandy offers Channel Partners tremendous opportunities to deliver high-margin solutions to enterprise customers, said Jeff Singman, SVP Sales & Marketing for Kandy. Our market-proven portfolio is designed to help our Channel Partners around the world deliver carrier-grade solutions that help partners and enterprises of all sizes with the digital transformation of their communications systems, introducing simplicity that helps boost productivity and customer engagement, while lowering the total cost of ownership.

Singman added, We are excited to be participating at Channel Partners Conference and Expo 2021:Homecoming event for the first time as Kandy Communications following our acquisition by AVCtechnologies in December 2020, as well as at the first physical Channel Partners event since the start of the pandemic.

Kandy will also be presenting its Direct Routing as a Service (DRaaS) for Microsoft Teams, and SIP Trunking as a Service (STaaS) solutions that enable service provider partners to leverage digital portals to easily migrate and provision Teams users and PSTN services.

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Visit Kandy at the Channel Partners Expo at booth #1449. You can click to schedule a time with an expert and discuss your real time communications needs.

Stay connected with Kandy Communications on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook.

About Kandy

Kandy is a cloud-based, real-time communications platform offering proprietary UCaaS, CPaaS, and CCaaS capabilities. Kandy enables service providers, enterprises, software vendors, systems integrators, partners and developers to enrich their applications and services with real-time contextual communications, providing a more engaging user experience. With Kandy, companies of all sizes and types can quickly embed real-time communications capabilities into their existing applications and business processes. For more information visit www.kandy.io.

About American Virtual Cloud Technologies, Inc.

American Virtual Cloud Technologies (Nasdaq: AVCT) is a premier global IT solutions provider offering a comprehensive bundle of services including unified cloud communications, managed services, cybersecurity, and enhanced connectivity. Our mission is to provide global technology solutions with a superior customer experience. For more information, visit www.avctechnologies.com.

AVCT Contact: info@avctechnologies.com




LIMA, Oct 21 (Reuters) - MMG Ltd's Las Bambas, one of Peru's largest copper mines, said on Thursday that it does not have any pending commitments with Andean communities that have blocked the road used by the company to transport the mineral.

Residents from the province of Cotabambas, where Las Bambas is located, have blocked the road since Monday, following failed negotiations with the country's government and with MMG, alleging the mine has failed to honor commitments.

Las Bambas and the surrounding communities agreed to several commitments by the company in order to allow the mine to operate in the area since 2016. But over time the communities have said the mine has repeatedly fallen short in honoring them.

"Las Bambas does not believe it has pending commitments ... with the province of Cotambas," Las Bambas said on Thursday in a statement.

Local residents are also demanding the presence in the area of leftist President Pedro Castillo, who won overwhelming support in Andean mining regions in Peru.

Peru is the world's second copper producer and Las Bambas is the country's fourth largest copper mine.

Las Bambas has faced significant local opposition since it started operating five years ago.

Cotabambas residents have often blocked the dirt road, known in Peru as the 'mining corridor,' used to transport the metal onto a port in protest.

Las Bambas said just this year the mining corridor has been blocked 58 days, affecting the transport of copper, supplies and of staff members.

Victor Limaypuma, the President of the local Cotabambas Defense Front, told Reuters on Thursday that it is "absolutely false" that Las Bambas has honored all its commitments with the region, although he did not specify which ones need to be addressed.

Limaypuma added that the road blockade will continue until further notice and requested the presence of Castillo in the area.

Las Bambas called on protesters in its statement to stop the blockade and engage in dialogue to avoid affecting the mine's sales, which in turn affects the amount of royalties that Las Bambas contributes to local governments.

It said Las Bambas has contributed $354 million locally since 2016 in royalties. (Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun and Marco Aquino; Editing by Sandra Maler)
The cozy merchandise is heating up the holidays while supplies last

CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Tis the season to sleigh in your best holiday wear and rock the ultimate "ugly" sweater. Fuse fashion and function with the limited-edition sweater release from Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa, a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG).

Fuse fashion and function with the limited-edition sweater release from Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa, a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc.

The festive sweater is designed with an insulated pocket and zipper to keep your thermos of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa warm and toasty all night long. With the tagline, "I'm just here for the Swiss Miss," you'll always have your priorities straight with a warm cup of Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa on hand when you need it most.

"The Swiss Miss "Ugly" Sweater is the must-have look this holiday season," said Audrey Ingersoll, Brand Director on Swiss Miss. "It is guaranteed to be a hit for the hot cocoa-obsessed at any holiday party. You won't have to think twice about finding the perfect gift to treat yourself or the hot cocoa lovers in your life."

Starting on Monday, November 1st, you can purchase the limited-edition Swiss Miss sweaters on UglyChristmasSweater.com for $44.95 each. The sweaters range in sizes from XS  3X and are available in limited quantities while supplies last.



In addition to the festive sweaters, the Swiss Miss line includes an assortment of flavorful hot cocoa, with classics like Milk Chocolate and Marshmallow, and seasonal favorites like Peppermint and Pumpkin Spice.

Visit www.swissmiss.com to learn more about the limited-edition Swiss Miss "Ugly" Holiday Sweater, as well as the full line of hot cocoa and pudding varieties. To stay up-to-date on the latest news and recipes from Swiss Miss, follow along on Facebook and ReadySetEat.com.

About Conagra Brands

Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye, Marie Callender's, Banquet, Healthy Choice, Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, and Vlasic, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Duke's, Earth Balance, Gardein, and Frontera, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

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For more information, please contact:

Caitlin Davy, Conagra Brands

(312) 549 - 5518

Caitlin.Davy@conagra.com

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SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.
IOWA CITY, Iowa and MUSCATINE, Iowa, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MidWestOne Financial Group, Inc. (MidWestOne) (NASDAQ: MOFG) and Iowa First Bancshares Corp. (IOFB) (OTC Pink: IOFB) today jointly announced the execution of a definitive merger agreement providing for the acquisition of IOFB by MidWestOne in a transaction valued at approximately $47.6 million. The combined company will have approximately $6.2 billion in total assets with over 60 banking offices throughout Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida and Colorado.



Charles Funk, Chief Executive Officer of MidWestOne, said This is a natural extension of the MidWestOne geographic footprint as we increase our market presence in Muscatine and Jefferson Counties. Both First National Banks---Muscatine and Fairfield---have been long-time pillars in their respective communities. Each has a strong deposit franchise and a long history of service in their markets. We look forward to welcoming our new customers and employees to MidWestOne.

D. Scott Ingstad, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IOFB, said This is a significant milestone for our company. It marks the culmination of our search for a like-minded partner to strengthen and secure our presence in Muscatine and Fairfield, provide additional support and resources to our organization for continued growth, and offer our valued employees a path to long-term success. Weve found that ideal partner in MidWestOne.

IOFB operates five banking offices in Iowa through its two banks, First National Bank of Muscatine and First National Bank in Fairfield. First National Bank of Muscatine was founded in 1870, and as of September 30, 2021, had approximately $361.6 million in total assets with $315.9 million in deposits, and $203.9 million in total loans, net. First National Bank in Fairfield was founded in 1865, and as of September 30, 2021, had approximately $157.6 million in total assets with $137.4 million in deposits, and $100.0 million in total loans, net.

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As of September 30, 2021, MidWestOne had total assets of approximately $5.9 billion, operating thirty-four banking offices in Iowa, twelve banking offices in Minnesota, seven banking offices in Wisconsin, two banking offices in Florida, and one banking office in Colorado.

Under terms of the definitive merger agreement, the aggregate consideration to be paid by MidWestOne for IOFB will consist of cash consideration of $47.6 million, subject to adjustment. MidWestOne expects the transaction to be approximately 14.4% accretive to its earnings per share in 2022 (excluding one-time transaction expenses) and 10.8% accretive in 2023. The transaction is expected to be approximately 0.70% dilutive to tangible book value per share at closing, which dilution is expected to be earned back in less than one year. The definitive merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies. The acquisition is expected to close during the first quarter of 2022 and is subject to approval by IOFBs shareholders and regulatory agencies, as well as other customary closing conditions.

Piper Sandler & Co. acted as financial advisor and Otteson Shapiro LLP served as legal counsel to MidWestOne. Hovde Group, LLC acted as financial advisor and Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP served as legal counsel to IOFB.

Conference Call Details

MidWestOne will host a conference call for investors related to the third quarter of 2021 earnings and the acquisition at 11:00a.m., CDT, on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. To participate, please dial 866-233-3483 at least fifteen minutes before the call start time. If you are unable to participate on the call, a replay will be available until February 1, 2022, by calling 877-344-7529 and using the replay access code of 10159709. A transcript of the call will also be available on the companys web site (www.midwestonefinancial.com) within three business days of the event.

About MidWestOne Financial Group, Inc.

MidWestOne is a financial holding company headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa. MidWestOne is the parent company of MidWestOne Bank, which operates banking offices in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, and Colorado. MidWestOne provides electronic delivery of financial services through its website, MidWestOne.bank. MidWestOne trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol MOFG.

About Iowa First Bancshares Corp.

IOFB was formed in 1984 to serve as the bank holding company for First National Bank of Muscatine and First National Bank in Fairfield. Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, IOFB provides a wide array of banking and other financial services to individuals, businesses and governmental organizations through five banking offices in Iowa.

Supplemental Information

A slide presentation including financial and transaction-related information is attached to MidWestOnes Form 8-K filing with the SEC on November 1, 2021 and also may be found at www.midwestonefinancial.com, under the tab News & Market Information and then under Presentations.

Additional Information and Where You Can Find It

IOFB will mail a proxy statement and other relevant materials to its shareholders. IOFB shareholders are advised to read, when available, the proxy statement and amendments thereto because these documents will contain important information about MidWestOne, IOFB and the proposed transaction. These documents also can be obtained free of charge from IOFB, upon written request to IOFB, c/o First National Bank of Muscatine, Attention: Chief Executive Officer, 300 East Second Street, Muscatine, Iowa 52761 or by calling 563-263-4221.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release that are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements may include information about MidWestOnes and IOFBs possible or assumed future economic performance or future results of operations, including MidWestOnes or IOFBs future revenues, income, expenses, provision for loan losses, provision for taxes, effective tax rate, earnings per share and cash flows, and MidWestOnes and IOFBs future capital expenditures and dividends, future financial condition and changes therein, including changes in MidWestOnes and IOFBs loan portfolio and allowance for loan losses, future capital structure or changes therein, as well as the plans and objectives of management for MidWestOnes and IOFBs future operations, future or proposed acquisitions, the future or expected effect of acquisitions on MidWestOnes and IOFBs operations, results of operations, financial condition, and future economic performance, statements about the benefits of the merger, and the statements of the assumptions underlying any such statement. Such statements are typically, but not exclusively, identified by the use in the statements of words or phrases such as aim, anticipate, estimate, expect, goal, guidance, intend, is anticipated, is expected, is intended, objective, plan, projected, projection, will affect, will be, will continue, will decrease, will grow, will impact, will increase, will incur, will reduce, will remain, will result, would be, variations of such words or phrases (including where the word could, may, or would is used rather than the word will in a phrase) and similar words and phrases indicating that the statement addresses some future result, occurrence, plan or objective. The forward-looking statements that MidWestOne and IOFB make are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding MidWestOnes and IOFBs businesses, the economy, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to future results and occurrences, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many possible events or factors could affect MidWestOnes or IOFBs future financial results and performance and could cause those results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the right of one or both of the parties to terminate the merger agreement, the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against MidWestOne or IOFB, delays in completing the merger, the failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals (and the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the merger) and shareholder approval or to satisfy any of the other conditions to the merger on a timely basis or at all, the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the merger are not realized when expected or at all, including as a result of the impact of, or problems arising from, the integration of the two companies or as a result of the strength of the economy and competitive factors in the areas where MidWestOne and IOFB do business, the possibility that the merger may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events, diversion of managements attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities, potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the merger and MidWestOnes ability to complete the acquisition and integration of IOFB successfully. Each of MidWestOne and IOFB disclaims any obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements included herein to reflect future events or developments. Further information on MidWestOne, and factors which could affect the forward-looking statements contained herein can be found in MidWestOnes Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 and its other filings with the SEC.

Contacts: Charles Funk Debra R. Lins MidWestOne Financial Group, Inc. First National Bank of Muscatine Chief Executive Officer President & Chief Executive Officer 319-356-5800 563-263-4221




As heads of state gather in Glasgow, Scotland for a climate summit, much of the news will focus on nations setting carbon-reduction goals for decades down the road  long after those making the promises will be out of office.

Setting ambitious long-term goals is good, but not good enough. Because more important than any promise countries make about 2050 is what they do between now and 2030. And whats most important is what they do over the next few years about the biggest problem of all: coal.

The single greatest cause of climate change is burning coal. More than any other pollutant, coal has the power to defeat us in the battle to stop temperatures from rising to catastrophic levels.

We have every reason to act with urgency. Coal pollution poisons the air we breathe and the water we drink, killing and sickening millions of people every year.

There are also good financial reasons to act. New clean power projects are now cheaper than running existing coal plants in half of the world. Wind and solar power mean cheaper electricity bills for consumers. Switching to clean energy also reduces the economic risk to industries and communities, as they face increasingly severe  and expensive  floods, fires, storms, and droughts.

Michael Bloomberg attends an intimate dinner hosted by Michael Bloomberg, Bettina Korek and Hans Ulrich Obrist as The Serpentine Gallery celebrates Frieze 2021 at Serpentine North on October 13, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies is launching a major new initiative to move the world beyond coal to clean energy. Our goal is to close a quarter of the worlds nearly 2,500 coal plants  and cancel all 500-plus proposed coal plants  by 2025.

We know that stopping every proposed coal plant may be an impossible task, but we have a track record of achieving results not imagined possible.

A decade ago, our foundation joined forces with the Sierra Club in a first-of-its-kind effort. Our goal was to retire one-third of U.S. coal plants by 2020. We met that goal six years early, so we raised it. And met it again. And raised it again. To date, we have retired two of every three U.S. coal plants, and we are on the fast track to retiring them all by the end of this decade  something that, when we started, no one believed was even in the realm of possibility.

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Four years ago, we expanded the effort to Europe, where we have helped close half of all coal plants there, and inspiring the launch of Beyond Coal campaigns in Australia, South Korea, and Japan. Now, we are expanding our work further, to an additional 25 developing countries. We will prioritize countries where coal power is threatening to grow, and we will focus on helping these countries develop clean energy that frees them from building coal plants.

If we succeed, we will reduce carbon emissions by an amount larger than the current annual emissions released by the EU. Nothing of this magnitude has ever been attempted before, but given the stakes, we cannot do less.

An elderly woman looks at the Jaenschwalde lignite coal-fired power plant, which is among the biggest single emitters of CO2 in Europe, on October 29, 2021 in Peitz, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Stopping coal should be the worlds number one climate priority. The biggest obstacle is properly aligning the economic incentives. Right now, many nations heavily subsidize fossil fuels over renewable power, which puts clean energy at a market disadvantage. We will work with government leaders and local advocates to end these subsidies and put in place policies that help spur private investment in renewables.

At the same time, while clean energy is cheaper over the long run than coal power, it can have larger upfront capital costs to build, and can be more complicated to finance and build. To address these barriers, it is critical for the U.S., Europe, and others to provide more financial support and technical assistance. But foundations can help a great deal, too.

For example, in both India and Vietnam, Bloomberg Philanthropies is teaming up with Goldman Sachs and the Asian Development Bank to reduce the costs of borrowing for companies that seek to build clean power, in partnership with each government. We aim to unlock up to $500 million in financing for clean energy projects. Our experience there will help us undertake similar projects with other nations.

Governments do not have to choose between the economy and the environment. Fighting climate change goes hand-in-hand with improving health, spurring economic growth, and raising living standards. But our success hinges largely on coal, and on what we do over the next few years. It is imperative that governments and businesses place greater urgency on the clean energy transition  and do more, faster, together.

Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and the U.N. Secretary Generals Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions.

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New Program Supports Rescue and Resettlement of Female Afghan Soldiers Who Assisted United States

TYSONS, Va., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The PenFed Foundation, a national 501(c)3 founded by PenFed Credit Union, today announced it raised over $1.7 million at its 17th Annual Night of Heroes Gala held October 28. The creation of the PenFed Foundation Afghan Rescue and Resettlement Program to support a group of female Afghan special forces soldiers who served alongside U.S. Army soldiers and risked their lives to protect U.S. troops, was announced during the event.

Left to right: Gen. John Nicholson, PenFed Foundation President; Roland Smith, Veteran Entrepreneur Champion Award honoree; John and Michelle Flynn, Corporate Hero Award honorees; Staff Sgt. Shaunterrie Bell, PenFed Foundation grant recipient; and James Schenck, PenFed Credit Union President/CEO and PenFed Foundation CEO.

"The PenFed Foundation is proud to celebrate 20 years of serving the brave men and women who serve our nation and the generosity and patriotism of our donors for supporting our military community," said PenFed Credit Union President/CEO and PenFed Foundation CEO James Schenck. "As a result of our generous donors, the PenFed Foundation is empowering military service members, veterans, and their communities with the skills and resources to realize financial stability and opportunity. We are proud to announce our new program supporting the rescue and resettlement of female Afghan soldiers who, despite enormous cultural challenges, played an essential role in supporting the United States and our military."

The highlight of the evening was the introduction of an Afghan woman hero whose work in Afghanistan centered around saving lives. The PenFed Foundation worked directly with the State Department to help her and her family obtain humanitarian visas, secure safe passage for the family out of Afghanistan, and board one of the last remaining commercial flights out of Kabul. She and her family are now successfully resettled in the U.S. and the Foundation assisted with securing housing, furniture, living essentials, and helped to register the children for school.

The PenFed Foundation is currently working with a committed sisterhood of American women soldiers and veterans from the U.S. Army Cultural Support Team (CST), who served alongside special operations forces in Afghanistan and worked around the clock to evacuate the Afghan women who fought by their sides. Thanks to the CST's tireless efforts, they were able to evacuate 30 Afghan female soldiers and their families to the United States, with several more on their way. The PenFed Foundation Afghan Rescue and Resettlement Program is giving these fearless Afghan women, and their families, the essential support they need to resettle into our communities.

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"PenFed Foundation is proud to stand by the Afghan women who stood by us when we needed them," said, PenFed Foundation President and retired U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson. "The PenFed Foundation Afghan Rescue and Resettlement Program will also support a small but mighty network of American CSTs to continue their service and missionhelping their Afghan sisters rebuild their lives in a land full of hope and opportunity."

Catherine Herridge, an award-winning CBS senior investigative correspondent and military spouse and mom, emceed the Washington Region's premier fundraising event for our nation's defenders. This is the sixth consecutive year the event raised over $1 million.

This Year's Honorees:

Veteran Entrepreneur Champion Award  Roland Smith was honored for his drive, tenacity, and passionattributes that are within all of those who have served our nation in uniform. Smith is an Army veteran known as the turnaround king of CEOs, and he's brought new life to business including Wendy's and Office Depot  all while maintaining a commitment to character and hard work.

Military Hero Award  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was honored for meeting the needs of our nation's military families and providing the help, the hope, and the honor they deserve. Former Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Secretary Jim Nicholson accepted the award on behalf of the VA.

Corporate Hero Award  John and Michelle Flynn were honored for their ongoing support and extraordinary dedication to the military community. John is the founder of the successful automated lending company, Open Lending, and Michelle is an accomplished businesswoman and avid equestrian.

The PenFed Foundation, a national 501(c)3 founded by PenFed Credit Union, was created in 2001 and, since then, has provided more than $40 million in financial support to veterans, active-duty service members, families, and caregivers. Those interested in supporting the PenFed Foundation's mission to help the military community and their support network are encouraged to visit penfedfoundation.org.

About PenFed Foundation

Founded in 2001, the PenFed Foundation is a national nonprofit organization committed to empowering military service members, veterans and their communities with the skills and resources to realize financial stability and opportunity. It provides service members, veterans, their families and support networks with the skills and resources they need to improve their lives through programs on financial education, homeownership, veteran entrepreneurship, and short-term assistance. Affiliated with PenFed Credit Union, the Foundation has the resources to effectively reach military communities across the nation, build strong partnerships, and engage a dedicated corps of volunteers in its mission. The credit union funds the Foundation's personnel and most operational costs, demonstrating its strong commitment to the programs the Foundation provides. To learn more, visit www.penfedfoundation.org .

PenFed Foundation Logo (PRNewsfoto/PenFed Foundation)

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SOURCE PenFed Foundation
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 1, 2021 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Datametrex, Group Ten Metals, Algernon Pharmaceuticals and Alianza Minerals discussing their latest press releases.

The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives.

Datametrex (TSXV:DM) (OTCQB:DTMXF) subsidiary launches in-person patient care

Datametrex subsidiary Medi-Call MD has launched in-person patient care services in Vancouver. Medi-Call is an enhanced telemedicine company providing technology-driven e-health and m-health care services. Marshall Gunter, CEO of Datametrex, spoke with Caroline Egan to discuss the news.

For the full interview with Marshall Gunter and to learn more about Datametrex's announcement, click here.

Group Ten Metals (TSXV:PGE) (OTCQB:PGEZF) announces inaugural MRE for the Stillwater West PGE-Ni-Cu-Co + Au Project

Group Ten Metals has released results from the first independent National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource estimate for its Stillwater West project in Montana. Highlights include inferred mineral resources totalling 2.4 million ounces of palladium, platinum, rhodium, and gold. Michael Rowley, Group Ten's President and CEO, sat down with Caroline Egan to discuss the results of the estimate.

For the full interview with Michael Rowley and to learn more about Group Ten Metal's announcement, click here.

Algernon Pharmaceuticals (CSE:AGN) (OTCQB:AGNPF) establishes optimum treatment period for DMT in neuron study

Algernon Pharmaceuticals has established the optimum peak stimulation period for neuron outgrowth by AP-188 (DMT) in its pre-clinical in vitro study. This current data set is from the second part of Algernon's in vitro experiment designed to focus on the duration of infusion needed to achieve maximal cortical neuron outgrowth. Chris Moreau, CEO of Algernon Pharmaceuticals spoke with Caroline Egan to discuss the news.

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For the full interview with Chris Moreau and to learn more about Algernon Pharmaceuticals' announcement, click here.

Alianza Minerals (TSXV:ANZ) (OTC:TARSF) intersects high-grade silver mineralization at the Haldane Silver Project

Alianza Minerals has reported additional results from the 2021 drilling campaign at the Haldane high-grade silver property. Drilling has focused on the West Fault Complex target where a strong vein-fault system with high-grade silver mineralization is being defined. Jason Weber, P.Geo, President and CEO of Alianza sat down with Caroline Egan to discuss the program results.

For the full interview with Jason Weber and to learn more about Alianza Mineral's latest announcement, click here.

Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald.

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The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets.

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National Non-Profit that Brings Arts to Children Hires New Leadershipto Expand Scope and Funding at a Critical Time for Education in America

Claire Breukel

Claire Breukel, newly appointed Executive Director of ProjectArt

Claire Breukel, newly appointed Executive Director of ProjectArt

New York, NY, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProjectArt, a 501c3 nonprofit founded by CNN Hero, Adarsh Alphons, with a mission to provide arts education to children and support local creatives, has just announced its latest impressive hire. Starting November 1st, Claire Breukel, an industry leader in nonprofit and art partnership strategies, will join the New York-based company as Executive Director. ProjectArt works with libraries across America to offer free art classes to thousands of children in underserved communities. With the pandemic, the need for after-school education programs sky-rocketed and ProjectArts mission and scope has grown immensely as a result. With this increased demand and changing educational environment, Claires arrival comes at an opportune moment for the necessary growth of the organization.

I founded ProjectArt 10 years ago to make sure children who did not have access to art education had a safe place to goour public librariesand be given a creative outlet through free art classes, comments ProjectArt Founder, Adarsh Alphons. Currently, 11 million American children are without supervision from 3-6 pm, 4 million do not receive arts education, and 280,000+ visual artists are currently unemployed. ProjectArt brings these worlds together, training artists as teachers to inspire and educate youths within these communities. Bringing an expert like Claire onboard solidifies our vision and allows us to dream even bigger.

South African-born Claire Breukel first came to the U.S. through the Rubell Family Collection and took the position of Executive Director at Locust Projects, a globally renowned non-profit. She has since worked in the world of the arts and sponsorships, with tenures as a Curator of PUMA.Creative, a strategist in art partnerships for the Miami Design District, city of Bal Harbour and the Miami Downtown Development Authority, where she founded two citywide programs, Art Days and Fringe Projects. She spent 10 years with The Robert S. Wennett and Mario Cader-Frech Foundation spearheading their art program YES Contemporary and has co-produced two successful auctions, including the 2013 (RED) Auction curated by Jony Ive and Marc Newson that raised 26.2 million US in the fight against AIDS, and the (RED) auction in 2018 curated by David Adjaye and Theaster Gates, both in collaboration with Sothebys and Gagosian

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So often one of the first financial cuts to be made is to arts education which we witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, in the 2021 fiscal year, New York experienced a $15 million cut from the $21.5 million budget for arts education in middle and high schoolsa roughly 70% reduction! continues ProjectArt Executive Director, Claire Breukel. ProjectArts role is ever more important to ensure the next generation has access to art and is encouraged to think expansively. It is an honor to join such a committed board of directors and national team, and I hope to bring energy, dedication, and my love for the impact of art to this role.

About ProjectArt

ProjectArt is a national nonprofit empowering youth, artists, and communities through partnerships with public libraries. Its leading out-of-school program for underserved K-12 students, and creative placemaking residency for artists both provide innovative, and effective approaches to teaching and learning through the visual arts.

Currently in nine cities across the country, our free classes, and arts education and social practice residency take place in public library spaces, with artists creating new work inspired by ProjectArts mission and the community. Simultaneously, they mentor students who do not receive adequate access to art education in their school. ProjectArt defines underserved as those lacking adequate access to art programs and cultural opportunities because of economic conditions, race or ethnic background, geography, or disability.

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CONTACT: Emma Reuland Novita Communications 7185102810 emma@novitapr.com




(Bloomberg) -- South Koreas exports posted solid gains in October, but cooling momentum in its manufacturing sector highlighted challenges to the global trade recovery from supply chain disruptions and Chinas energy shortage.

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Exports advanced 24% from a year earlier, compared with economists estimate for a 28.5% gain, according to Trade Ministry data released Monday. The value of shipments -- at $55.6 billion -- was a record for October, a statement from the ministry showed.

Trade has underpinned the Korean economy through the pandemic, helping offset weakness in domestic consumption as the nation suffered multiple waves of Covid. The resilience in exports displayed in Mondays data will solidify bets that the Bank of Korea will push ahead with another interest-rate increase at this months meeting.

Koreas trade data is closely watched as an early indicator of global demand. Mondays report showed the flow of goods around the world remains vibrant, with exports to China jumping almost 25% and sales to other key markets also registering double-digit increases. Chip exports rose by 28.8%.

A 37.8% rise in Koreas overall imports for October illustrates strong demand from firms for intermediate goods, boding well for future exports. The ministry said the performance so far puts the economy on track for a record annual export performance.

The optimism provided by the trade report was partly offset by a separate IHS Markit report that showed Koreas manufacturing purchasing mangers index dipped to 50.2 in October from 52.4 a month earlier. That marks the lowest reading in a year, and indicates the sector barely expanded from a month earlier.

October data provided proof that ongoing raw material shortages and supply chain issues began to bite in the South Korean manufacturing sector at the start of the fourth quarter of 2021, Usamah Bhatti, economist at IHS Markit, said of the PMI report. Manufacturers noted that ongoing shortages and disruptions impacted the outlook for output over the coming 12 months.

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While exports have held up so far this year, the outlook remains uncertain. A deceleration in China could ripple through other economies, while increased lead times and a shortage of key components could drag on into 2022.

Net exports added 0.8 percentage point to Koreas expansion last quarter, central bank data showed last week. However, weakness in private spending and investment held overall growth down to a below-consensus 0.3%.

Economists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and Barclays Plc, among others trimmed their 2021 outlook following the gross domestic product data. Nonetheless, they are sticking with a November rate hike call as they expect a rebound in the final three months of the year to largely make up for lost ground.

Todays trade report showed average daily shipments in October advanced 24% from a year earlier. That compares with a 27.9% rise in September.

What Bloomberg Economics Says..

Export growth should ease heading into year-end and into 2022, as the base of comparison becomes less favorable and global demand moderates.

-- Justin Jimenez, Asia economist

Read full report here.

Overall exports of petrochemicals jumped 68.5%, while general machinery rose 12.7% and mobile communication devices were up 15.5%. Shipments of cars fell 4.7%, illustrating challenges from a global shortage of chips for automobile production.

Total shipments to the U.S. were up by 22.9%, while those to Japan jumped 35.2% and to the European Union gained by 19.6%.

(Updates with PMI data.)

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- Thailand is ending quarantine for vaccinated visitors from more than 60 countries, the biggest reopening gamble in Asia and one that could mark a turning point for the revival of mass tourism during the pandemic.

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Starting Monday, fully-vaccinated travelers flying in from the U.S., China, Singapore, Japan, India and most of Europe will be able to freely tour Thailands sandy beaches, temples and tropical islands after testing negative for Covid on arrival. Inoculated visitors from countries not on the list can travel to Bangkok and 16 other regions, but they will be confined to their initial destination for the first seven days before being allowed to travel elsewhere.

Its the biggest step Thailand has taken to welcome back a slice of the nearly 40 million visitors it hosted the year before the pandemic, and is billed as a fight to win foreign tourists as countries from Australia to the U.K. also loosen Covid curbs. A successful Thai experiment could help salvage its battered economy and serve as a model for countries wary of a virus resurgence from reopenings.

Were not expecting the rooms to be full overnight, but its a great first step, said John Blanco, general manager at luxury hotel Capella Bangkok. All countries are taking the same posture -- that is, we need to learn to live with Covid. Its a general theme around the world.

Hotels in places such as the U.S., Mexico and Turkey have reported higher occupancy after easing travel restrictions, but the rush may not be as strong for Thailand given how low it sits on the Covid resilience ranking, especially for tourists who still have to quarantine on returning home.

While Thailand fumbled in its previous reopening attempts due to a virus flareup and tardy progress in its vaccinations, it has had some success with the so-called Phuket Sandbox experiment that allowed vaccinated visitors to travel to other parts of the country after a limited stay on the resort island. Almost 60,000 tourists have visited the country since the plan started in July.

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To boost the confidence of tourists and the public, Thailand is linking the reopening to a higher vaccination rate, which is a measured approach that has a lot of logic to it, according to Amar Lalvani, chairman of U.S. boutique hotel operator Standard International.

You have examples in places like Mexico and Turkey, which have been quite wide-opened and very low on restrictions, and their business is actually booming, Lalvani said. Countries in Asia, Thailand included, have prioritized public health. Now that you have that under control, youre going to feel more comfortable opening up.

The travel industry is already preparing for the Thai reopening. International carriers have scheduled more flights to the Southeast Asian nation, while hotels and beach resorts are offering bargains and the island of Phuket is hosting a New Years Eve party featuring Italian opera tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Authorities in Bangkok lifted a six-month old ban on sale of alcohol in restaurants from Monday and eased several other Covid containment measures to draw tourists to the capital city, the gateway to Thailand.

Academy award winner Russell Crowe, who was in Phuket and Bangkok for a film shoot, lauded Thailands tourism experiments and tweeted about the countrys plan to welcome back tourists.

While Chinese tourists, who made up almost a third of the total arrivals before the pandemic, will be deterred by 21-day quarantine on return home, the reopening may still draw hundreds of thousands of visitors and stave off another year of economic contraction. Thailands economy shrunk 6.1% last year, the worst performance since the Asian financial crisis in 1998.

There are also fears the wider reopening could worsen the Covid outbreak, with Thailand already reporting about 8,000 new infections a day. More than 90% of the participants in a recent survey had some concerns about the Nov. 1 move.

Still, for Thailands pandemic-hit economy and millions of people who depend on tourism for a living, its never too early for the return of tourists.

The economic sector, which is the heart and affects the people of the whole country, is important, said Sanan Angubolkul, Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Opening up the country is necessary. Because that is the way to ensure the survival of the people and the country.

(Updates with easing of alcohol sale ban in 10th paragraph.)

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., and SINGAPORE, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TurtleTree has successfully raised US$30 million in the first tranche of their Series A funding, one of the largest investment rounds to date in Asia's cell-based food sector. Rapidly gaining prominence for its novel use of cell-based technology in milk production, the biotech company has now secured fresh funding from investors worldwide, including lead investor VERSO Capital.

TurtleTree has successfully raised US$30 million in the first tranche of their Series A funding, one of the largest investment rounds to date in Asias cell-based food sector.

Expressing her gratitude for the immense support received, TurtleTree CEO, Fengru Lin, said: "We are incredibly touched by the degree of faith all our investors have placed in TurtleTree and our unique vision of food. Amplified by the relentless backing of parties like VERSO Capital, the Series A funds will allow us to scale up our processes and come a huge step closer to creating a new era of sustainable nutrition."

TurtleTree's Chief Strategy Officer, Max Rye, also echoed these sentiments, adding: "The funding received has truly opened up a new world of possibility. We can now set our sights on turning ambitions to reality, starting with our U.S.-based expansion plans and then moving on to the development and manufacture of our first consumer-ready products."

Having just launched its Sacramento R&D facility in September, TurtleTree will now use the funds to continue expanding its portfolio of sustainable, better-for-you food items. Additionally, funds will also be set aside for technology development and talent acquisition, enabling TurtleTree to grow its world-class R&D team.

Together, these initiatives will help TurtleTree scale up its research and production of the highly functional ingredients found in human milk, which offer proven benefits for immune system function, gut health, and cognitive development. One particularly exciting example of these ingredients is lactoferrin, a bioactive protein slated for launch as TurtleTree's first commercial product.

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Commenting on the bright prospects ahead, VERSO Capital's Managing Partner, Julien Machot, stated: "At VERSO, we highly value TurtleTree's unique positioning in the industry and its farsighted mission of creating a sustainable and cruelty-free food system. After developing a deep understanding of the company and its team, we are confident in TurtleTree's potential as a cell-based technology platform that will transform the food industry. VERSO Capital will share its wealth of knowledge in corporate finance and operations to help the company validate its unit economics and the overall business plan with its very first key accounts."

Following this round of funding, TurtleTree has now raised over US$40 million to date. Moving forward, the company will expand into a global biotechnology platform with a vision for transforming performance nutrition, food systems, and cellular agriculture. This will ultimately bring scalable solutions to the cell-based food industry, ensuring people everywhere will have access to the nourishing nutrients of mammalian milk in a uniquely sustainable and affordable way.

About TurtleTree

TurtleTree is a biotech company dedicated to producing a new generation of nutritionone that's better for the planet, better for the animals, and better for people everywhere. Utilizing its proprietary, cell-based technology, the company is creating better-for-you milk ingredients sustainably and affordably, with benefits that extend beyond the dining table and into the heart of humanity.

For more information, please visit TurtleTree's website and follow them on Instagram , Twitter , and LinkedIn .

About VERSO Capital

VERSO Capital is a global Merchant Banking firm founded in 1958 and headquartered in Luxembourg. The firm focuses on alternative assets, including private equity, venture capital, real estate, and proprietary capital investments. The VERSO model is built on three pillars: equity partnership, off-market transactions, and technology. In their words: "We advise, we invest, we execute."



For more information, please visit VERSO Capital's website .

Contact:

Rita Huang

Communications Lead, TurtleTree

Phone: (530) 564-2403

rita@turtletree.co

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SOURCE TurtleTree
Multiyear campaign supported by more than 110,000 donors

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland has reached its goal of raising a record $1.5 billion during its multiyear fundraising effort, Fearless Ideas: The Campaign for Maryland. This ambitious effort supports students, faculty, research, the arts and athletics.

University of Maryland, College Park Logo. (PRNewsFoto/University of Maryland)

The campaign, which reached its goal four months early, succeeded through the generosity of 117,046 donors, including 73,437 first-time donors. Among all campaign donors, 52% were Maryland alums. The University will use these funds to invest in world-renowned faculty, support capital projects, provide scholarships and co-curricular programs for students, and innovate and expand pioneering programs.

"Fearless Ideas: The Campaign for Maryland has been a campaign of ideas and promise, inclusion and opportunity," said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. "Thanks to our generous donors, we discovered new knowledge, inspired Maryland pride, turned imagination into innovation, and transformed the student experience. Together with our faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends, we proudly celebrate this extraordinary milestone at the University of Maryland. We did it together, and we are proud of all that we have achieved through Fearless Ideas."

During the campaign, which launched publicly in 2018, the university received several significant gifts toward its $1.5 billion goalincluding the historic $219.5 million Building Together: An Investment for Maryland from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. It established the Clark Challenge for the Maryland Promise Program (MPP), which with UMD provides matching support enabling donors to double their impact, and, when completed, will fund $100 million in new scholarships. MPP provides educational and financial opportunities to promising undergraduate students from Maryland and Washington, D.C., who exhibit strong academic and leadership potential.

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"We have deep appreciation for Maryland's true champions, who are transforming the lives of our students through giving," said Vice President for University Relations Brodie Remington. "This was a collective effort among the campaign co-chairs and other volunteers who worked together to engage the UMD community, alumni, parents and friends of the university. We are extremely grateful for the many donors who supported our campaign and most importantly, supported the success of our students and faculty, research and facilities."

During the campaign, donors contributed:

More than $334 million to support student initiatives, including 869 new student scholarships and nearly $2 million since the start of the pandemic for the Student Crisis Fund, which provides Maryland students with emergency financial support for housing, utilities and other necessities.

More than $335 million to support faculty, including endowed professorships, chairs and discretionary funding.

Six new facilities and a number of new capital and renovation projects, including A. James Clark Hall, the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering, the School of Public Policy building, the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center, Jones-Hill House, the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory, the Campus Pantry, the Feller Center for Advising & Career Planning, Gossett Hall and an outdoor art exhibition space named for Nancy and Chuck Clarvit.

Additionally, campaign gifts and commitments helped to more than double the university's endowment.

"As we commemorate the successful conclusion of the Fearless Ideas fundraising campaign, I am filled with gratitude," said Alma Gildenhorn, '53, campaign co-chair. "Over the last seven years, thousands of donors invested in the human potential at Maryland, because like me, they understand that education opens doors to a future filled with opportunity to strengthen and improve our world. And so, we have opened up our hearts to our students who have persevered through so much hardship and adversity. Through this harmonious effort, a vital segment of our Fearless Ideas campaign, we salute Maryland, its students and all that it is poised to achieve."

Other campaign co-chairs and honorary co-chairs were Albert Carey '74, Barry Gossett '62, William E. "Brit" Kirwan, Karen Levenson '76, Craig Thompson '92, '95, Courtney Clark Pastrick, Brendan Iribe '01 and Kevin Plank '96.

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SOURCE University of Maryland
Walden Catalyst

Walden Catalyst founders (L) Lip-Bu Tan (R) Young Sohn

Over the past 20 years, there has been a steady flight of capital away from deep tech -- those science- and tech-related breakthroughs on which world-changing businesses are built, Walden Catalyst said. The VC firm has a belief in the ability of data as the fuel and AI as the engine to transform the way people live, work and play.

Lip-Bu Tan and Young Sohn created this fund to invest in early-stage deep tech companies, specifically big data, AI, semiconductor, cloud and digital biology, managing partner of Walden Catalyst Sohn told TechCrunch.

The San Francisco-based venture capital firm announced today the closing of a $550 million fund, which was oversubscribed. The company did not disclose the names of its limited partners.

Sohn and Tan, who have proven track records across the semiconductors, cloud and electronics industries, are early investors in many tech companies, including Zoom, Inphi, Berkeley Lights, Habana and Nuvia.

Walden Catalyst is a new fund founded in early 2021, but it has a strong legacy from Walden International and Samsung Catalyst Fund, said Sohn, who previously held the position of corporate president and chief strategy officer at Samsung Electronics. Tan is also the founder and chairman of Walden International.

Walden Catalyst focuses on the U.S., Europe and Israel as it sees consistent breakthroughs from the three regions in the areas of its interest, deep tech, Sohn said. Also, its partners have deep networks in those countries, having invested in the deep tech industries over the last few decades, helping Walden find breakthrough ideas attracting top entrepreneurs, Young added.

To date, Walden Catalyst has invested in six deep tech startups -- three in the U.S., two in Israel and one in the EU, Sohn continued. Walden Catalysts portfolio companies include Speedata, MindsDB, AI21 Labs and three companies that remain in stealth mode, he mentioned. The company's initial ticket size ranges from a few million to $25 million in one round, Sohn noted.

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Data paints a picture. It tells a story that informs and enlightens, Sohn said. The amount of data in the world keeps doubling every two years, but only about 2% of all data is analyzed, so there is much more we can do to gather meaningful insights. We are excited and honored to work with the next generation of deep tech entrepreneurs across the U.S., Europe and Israel, who are seizing on the data explosion and will ultimately change the world.

The team of four additional partners -- Shankar Chandran, Roni Hefetz, Francis Ho and Andrew Kau -- has decades of experience on investments and exits in the deep tech space.

Walden Catalyst is committed to leveraging its operational and investing experience to help early-stage entrepreneurs rapidly scale and innovate as they build the next generations of businesses. The company believes that entrepreneurs are the heart of economic growth and innovation.

We look forward to partnering with the next wave of industry visionaries to help them [entrepreneurs] unlock innovation and accelerate growth. Entrepreneurs are the engine of our future, and Walden Catalyst was created to share in that journey and assist in the many amazing breakthroughs that are yet to come, Tan said.

The company has close ties to the Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), a startup competition and ecosystem for entrepreneurs addressing global challenges aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Walden Catalyst shares XTC's mission of finding the next great disruptive startups that can reach a massive scale while having a meaningful impact on the planet.
Tara Walpert Levy, a 10-year Google and YouTube veteran ad exec, is moving over to YouTube full-time in a big new role.

Walpert Levy has been named VP, Americas for YouTube, leading the teams overseeing the video giants partnerships across the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Brazil that work with creators and media partners to build their audiences and monetize content.

YouTube is the foundation of the creator economy and yet I think theres another wave of explosive growth to come, Walpert Levy told Variety.

YouTubes ad revenue is a core  and fast-growing  piece of Googles overall business. In the third quarter of 2021, YouTube generated a record $7.2 billion in advertising sales, up 43% year over year. It has more than 2 million creators who participate in the ad-revenue sharing YouTube Partner Program.

Walpert Levy replaces Kelly Merryman, former VP of content partnerships at YouTube, who left last month to join digital security provider Aura. In the new role, Walpert Levy reports directly to Robert Kyncl, YouTubes chief business officer. She officially starts in the new role Nov. 29 and will remain based in New York City.

Reporting to Walpert Levy are executives overseeing YouTube content verticals and geographic regions. Some of those executives include Jamie Byrne (senior director, creator partners), Ryan Wyatt (head of gaming), Tim Katz (head of news and sports partnerships) and Nathalia Iervolino (who oversees Latin America and Canada).

Most recently, Walpert Levy served as VP of agency and brand solutions for Google since 2017. Before that, she led ads product marketing for Google, YouTube and DoubleClick. In that role, she led the team that launched and ran YouTube Brandcast, the platforms annual upfront-style presentation for marketers and agencies, and YouTube Select (formerly known as Google Preferred), which provides access to ad inventory across top-performing global content.

Before joining Google in 2011, Walpert Levy was president of addressable TV advertising firm Visible World (now part of Comcast/NBCUniversal) and worked at McKinsey & Co. as leader of the global media and entertainment and sales and marketing practices.

Separately, last week Malik Ducard, VP of content partnerships at YouTube, left to join Pinterest as chief content officer. YouTube has commenced a search for a replacement, who will report to Walpert Levy.
In announcing how many workers had not been vaccinated, Mary Washington Healthcare stated it had about 4,200 employees. However, when the mandate was announced in July, Henry said there were about 5,000 workers.

She said on Monday that when we talk about the entire workforce, we say 5,000 because some are contracted workers, she said. They include traveling nurses who fill in on a temporary basis wherever they may be needed, as well as those who work in security, environmental services or food and nutrition.

While they all fall under the vaccine mandate, theyre technically not considered MWHC employees, she said.

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However, as hospitalsand other businesses nationwidedeal with staff shortages, some of those whove participated in MWHCs regular townhalls have asked why the health care system would fire people if the system is so overwhelmed.

At one such session in September, Dr. Mike McDermott, the chief executive officer of MWHC, said the vaccine policy is centered around safety and we will not sacrifice that safety for any reason. At that time, he estimated that those who might choose to leave represented about 1 percent of the staff.
A Fredericksburg man has been charged in connection with a shooting Sunday in a crowded Wawa parking lot in southern Stafford County, authorities said.

Dorsean Raymarcus Johnson, 34, is charged with aggravated malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. He is being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

According to Stafford Sheriffs Maj. Shawn Kimmitz, Johnson and a man he knows got into an argument shortly before 2:30 p.m. at the Wawa at 9 South Gateway Drive. Johnson is accused of pulling out a handgun and firing 11 shots at the victim as the victim tried to drive away.

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The victim was struck several times and crashed into a van on South Gateway Drive as he was fleeing, leaving his vehicle inoperable.

Kimmitz said he then ran to the nearby Panera Bread, where staff members and deputies provided first aid until medical workers arrived. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to recover from his injuries.

No bystanders were injured by any stray bullets, Kimmitz said, and the driver of the van that was struck was also not hurt. Numerous people called police to report the shooting.
There are 133 general registrars, there are 499 electoral board members, and there are more than 10,000 election officers. And now when you add in the observersthis is a massive undertaking to put on an election, he said. The election involves thousands and thousands of people across all political spectrums, and they are all dedicated, passionate people who believe in our right to vote, who believe in our form of government.

Heres a look at some of the myths the department is combating:

Myth: People are voting twice or multiple times absentee and in person.

Website fact: Both the Department of Elections and local general registrars work very hard to ensure that each ballot provided to a voter is accounted for. There is a robust system in place to ensure that voters only get to cast one ballot in each election.

Myth: Voting machines are connected to the internet and can be hacked.

Website fact: Voting machines in Virginia are prohibited from being connected to the internet. All votes in Virginia are cast on verified paper ballots.

Myth: I dont have my ID, so I cant vote.
The Tigray forces over the weekend claimed to control the key cities of Dessie and Kombolcha, though the federal government disputed it, and Legesse asserted that the Tigray forces killed more than 100 youths in Kombolcha overnight.

The United States has said it is alarmed by the reports of Tigray forces taking the cities.

The Tigray forces also told the AP they were poised to physically link up with another armed group, the Oromo Liberation Army, with which it struck an alliance earlier this year.

The fighting could reach the Oromo region that neighbors Addis Ababa. Ethnic Oromo once hailed Abiy as the countrys first Oromo prime minister, but discontent has since emerged with the jailing of outspoken Oromo leaders.

A top general with the Tigray forces, Tsadkan Gebretensae, told Tigrai TV over the weekend they were ruling out talks with the federal government.

The Tigray forces say they are pressuring Ethiopias government to lift a months-long blockade on their region of around 6 million people, with basic services cut off and humanitarian food and medical aid denied. The humanitarian crisis has spread as the fighters have moved into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions after retaking much of their region in June.
The Nebraska State Patrol says it is continuing a review of its evidence handling and storage procedures following a security breach that resulted in $1.2 million in drugs being taken from an evidence facility.

The patrol is not commenting on what specific steps it is taking, however, and has used an exemption for law enforcement agencies in the Nebraska Public Records Statutes to keep its current policy from being made available to the public.

The Journal Star requested a copy of the patrol's policy or training materials for evidence technicians in September following the arrest of Anna Idigima, a former employee accused of taking narcotics from an evidence storage facility.

State Patrol Col. John Bolduc, in an interview with the Journal Star, said Idigima abused a position of trust and was the only person who could have removed more than 150 pounds of marijuana, 19 pounds of cocaine and 10 pounds of fentanyl.

But the patrol has declined to say how the employee with 14 years of experience allegedly took the drugs from the Troop H evidence storage building in Lincoln, and has maintained its evidence-auditing and storage protocols continued to meet standards set by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

On Sept. 28, the Journal Star requested a copy of the patrols policy for handling evidence, as well as evidence audits and quarterly checks of the Troop H evidence locker dating to 2015.

The patrol provided a heavily redacted policy document  20 of 21 pages were fully blacked out  and declined to provide the annual evidence audit and quarterly checks, citing an exemption for law enforcement agencies from the public-records laws.

The newspaper appealed the decision to the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office on Oct. 4. In an Oct. 20 response, the attorney general said the denial complied with state statute.

The disposition letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Leslie Donley, said the office initially questioned whether the audits could be withheld under the exemption cited by the patrol.

Jessi Forch, an attorney at the patrol, acknowledged in a written response the evidence audits were different from the normal investigative records law enforcement agencies typically claim as an exemption, while arguing they were now related to Idigimas alleged theft from the patrols evidence facilities.

Donley said the evidence audits, which aren't created in relation to any particular case or investigation, didn't appear to fit within the exemption.

Rather, it appeared to us that annual audits of the evidence facility were conducted by the agency as a matter of routine and oversight," Donley wrote.

But a probe into the alleged theft by the Lincoln Police Department, and a claim by Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon to the attorney general's office that the audits are part of a criminal investigation, created appropriate circumstances for the patrol to withhold them under state law, Donley said.

Along with denying a request to provide the evidence audits, the patrol also declined to provide a copy of its evidence-handling policies.

The establishment and maintenance of correct in-custody property handling procedures are very important to the successful prosecution of cases in the judicial system and for safeguarding the property of innocent victims, the policys introduction states.

Along with providing specific guidelines for handling evidence and property, the policy also establishes procedures for the temporary and permanent storage, and outlines procedures for inspecting those facilities, according to an unredacted portion shared with the Journal Star.

But following the introduction, the next 20 pages provided by the patrol in response to the Journal Stars public-records request were entirely redacted.

In an explanation to the newspaper, as required by law, the patrol said the policy was deemed strategic or tactical information used in law enforcement training, one of about two dozen exemptions to the public-records statutes created by the Legislature.

The patrol previously used the same exemption in 2020 when the Journal Star requested a copy of its policies for using tear gas, foam bullets and other nonlethal munitions  something the Lincoln Police Department and Omaha Police Department make available online.

In its letter, the attorney generals office said while it didnt view the evidence handling and storage policies as tactical, it said they could be considered highly strategic as to the disposition of evidence and seized items.

The policy outlines the types of evidence storage locations, types of safes and boxes used, the duration seized items are held, procedures for storing high-value items and the methods for transporting and destroying items, the attorney generals office explained.

Lt. Cory Townsend, who oversees the patrols policy and accreditation procedures within the Professional Standards Division, told the attorney general in a statement making that information public could undermine law enforcement operations.

For example, the policy sets forth how evidence technicians handle large amounts of cash, and how deposits are made and at which bank, Townsend said, information that could be useful to individuals wishing to steal that money.

The attorney general found that argument persuasive.

Consequently, we believe that the redacted information appears to fall within the language of the exception and that the NSP has a sufficient statutory basis to continue to withhold it, Donley wrote.

John Bender, associate dean of the University of Nebraska-Lincolns College of Journalism and Mass Communications, said the arguments put forward by the patrol in withholding the audit documents and heavily redacting its policy document were plausible.

The audits may well relate to the prosecution of Anna Idigima, Bender wrote in an email. And there may be information in the policy that, if disclosed, could compromise patrol operations or officers. The example about the handling of large sums of money fits that criterion.

But Bender said it seemed excessive to redact nearly the full document: It seems hard to believe that all of it is of such strategic or tactical importance.

Unlike other states, which have limitations on which investigative records can be withheld and for what duration, or that allow requesters to challenge that a record pertains to an investigation, Nebraskas exemption for investigative records is among the most sweeping in the nation, Bender said.

The Nebraska exemption can be invoked by a wide range of state agencies beyond just the traditional law enforcement ones, and it is not limited in duration, he explained. Conceivably, the records could be sealed forever.

Cody Thomas, public relations director for the patrol, said the agency would not release any materials that may be part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged theft from its evidence locker, even as more than 60 drug cases and convictions have been dismissed by prosecutors.

NSP will not do anything that may compromise the ongoing investigation and prosecution in this case, Thomas wrote in an email. NSP works closely with county attorneys throughout the state on thousands of cases each year. We trust the judgment of the county attorneys to handle those cases.

He added the patrol is continuing an examination of its procedures and implementing changes.

As far as finding out what those changes are, the states broad exemptions from the public-records laws afforded to law enforcement agencies may keep those out of the public eye.

About the only way to test that is to sue, Bender said, and theres no guarantee youll get what you want.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS

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Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says a Czech model sentenced to more than eight years in prison for drug trafficking will be set free after a court overturned her conviction.

Tereza Hluskova was arrested in January 2018 at the airport in the eastern city of Lahore after police found nine kilograms of heroin in her suitcase as she tried to board a flight to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The 25-year-old, who claimed someone had planted the drugs in her luggage, was convicted and sentenced in March 2019 to eight years and eight months in prison for the offence.

She immediately appealed the verdict and on November 1, the ministry confirmed a statement from Hluskova's lawyer that "a court of appeals has decided to acquit the Czech national in Pakistan."

Details of the verdict have yet to be released, the ministry added.

The Czech Foreign Ministry confirmed the report, saying Hluskova's lawyer said their client will be freed "in the coming days."

"The consular department is examining the possibilities of transport," a spokeswoman for the Czech Foreign Ministry added.

Pakistan is part of the drug-smuggling routes from Afghanistan to Central Asia, Europe, and North America.

With reporting by iDnes.cz, CTK, and AFP
The Greeley that Jim and Gloria Matthews knew before the Christmas of 1984 was a family-friendly college cowtown known for the Independence Stampede: it was a place where kids could play in endless fields and bike ride on dirt roads, unaccompanied until their moms called them inside for dinner.
A murder trial was delayed until early February after a Colorado psychologist with past conduct issues appeared to amend his mental evaluation of a murder suspect less than a week before his trial was set to start.

After expert witness Dr. Scott Wylie for the defense of James Hanlon, accused of gunning down his neighbor after he was cited by the humane society for a dangerous dog, last week submitted notes that appeared to obfuscate his original evaluation, Hanlons trial was delayed to Feb. 7 on Friday afternoon.

Hanlon's trial, originally slated to begin Monday morning, was rescheduled because district judge Samuel Evig said it would be an abuse of discretion to take away the defenses main defense.

Hanlon, 56, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to first-degree murder in August 2020, a defense that typically uses expert medical testimony to claim a defendant was legally insane at the time a crime was committed.

Wylie, a medical and forensic psychologist based in Fort Collins, originally evaluated Hanlon as having a severe cognitive impairment and said he couldnt form a culpable mental state, prosecutors said, which they accepted as the basis for Hanlons insanity plea.

However, after a roughly two-hour follow-up session with Hanlon on Oct. 26, he submitted a second, handwritten summary of his evaluation that prosecutors said was riddled with redactions and used several new terms to evaluate Hanlon.

Prosecutors said that among those terms were new mentions of a fugue state, obsessive compulsive disorder, and hallucinations, adding that critical components of the report, like symptoms and diagnoses, had been scribbled out with a permanent pen.

Hes expanded one very specific ... diagnosis to four different ... diagnoses, deputy district attorney Andy Vaughn said Friday. And so far, Ive been stonewalled on his final diagnosis.

On Friday, prosecutors asked Evig to order that Wylie produce a full, unredacted report on Hanlons mental state and send that to defense attorneys so they and the court could be prepared on how attorneys would be defending Hanlon.

When Alan Davis, who represents Hanlon, reached Wylie to ask for the full report, Wylie told Davis over email that he was in court in Wyoming all day and wouldnt be able to produce the information.

Davis noted that the defense had turned everything over to prosecutors as soon as they had it, and hadnt scheduled the meeting or made the redactions at issue.

He added, however, that the defense needed an expert witness to make an effective case for Hanlon, who waived his right to a speedy trial to help resolve scheduling issues.

That prompted Evig, who said he didnt believe defense attorneys had acted in bad faith, to vacate upcoming trial dates and reschedule to Feb. 7. Before he did so, however, he aired his frustration with the timing of the summary, calling it wildly inappropriate and personally apologizing to victim Gary Dolces family, who on Friday objected to the trials latest delay.

When people talk about the inefficiencies of the judicial system, and when they talk about the problems of the judicial system, this is what theyre talking about, Evig told Dolces family on Friday. Im sorry. Im apologizing to you.

Vaughn noted that the late filing of the summary could be viewed as a strategic decision made on Hanlons behalf to distract him and his fellow prosecutors from the trial.

Ms. McKinney and I have done nothing but chase our tails since this came out, Vaughn said. There is some strategic value to that.

In 2017, Wylie was cited by the Colorado State Board of Psychologist Examiners for substandard record-keeping and for issues with conducting and interpreting tests, according to Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies records. He was also cited in 2013 for issues with "abused prescription medication."

As part of the 2017 citation, Wylie was ordered in April to begin 18 months of probation, during which he was to report to rotating practice monitors who would supervise and evaluate Wylie's work.

On Friday, however, Vaughn said Wylie had told Davis he didnt have a practice monitor, which Vaughn said raised concerns for prosecutors about whether he was licensed to practice psychology in Colorado.

When Evig asked Davis if hed known about the potential issues with Wylies license, Davis said he knew about past conduct issues, but didnt know about potential problems with his license.

Friday afternoon, Wylie was ordered by Evig to appear in court Monday morning on a subpoena filed by prosecutors after they received his second round of notes.

When he didnt show, Evig ordered him to return to court Dec. 17, this time on pending contempt of court charges to be filed by the district attorneys office.

The contempt proceedings, prosecutors said, came in lieu of a bench warrant, which Evig said couldnt be issued because the jury trial set for Monday had been vacated.

When reached via email for comment, Wylie told The Gazette that hed withdrawn from the case on Friday after misconduct on behalf of the district attorneys office.

Ongoing and highly inappropriate harassment and intimidation of me and my family by ... Vaughn and those working for him has left me with no other choice but to withdraw my testimony and resign from this case effective Oct. 29, Wylie wrote in an email.

Howard Black, spokesman for the Fourth Judicial District Attorney's office, said in a Monday statement that "Dr. Wylie is a defense endorsed expert witness who was ordered by the court to appear in person this morning, but Dr. Wylie failed to comply with that order."

On Monday, Vaughn noted to Evig that Wylie had said he was planning to withdraw his testimony and drop out of the case. Evig said that was a defense issue for attorneys to iron out with Wylie, and that Wylie was still on the hook for his court date in December.
A view of the Garden of the Gods, Kissing Camels and Pikes Peak from Mesa Road.
Colorado Politics senior political reporter

Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist.
As school board races across the state have drawn more than $1 million in spending from independent committees, El Paso County has seen tens of thousands of dollars flow into local races.

The most notable spending has come from Springs Opportunity Fund, a group with Republican ties, that state reports show has spent $57,770 of the $130,000 it raised on races in District 11, District 20 and District 49. The group has backed some candidates with conservative positions on hot-button issues such as critical race theory, a graduate-level concept that is not taught in K-12 classrooms.

Springs Opportunity Fund shares its address and registered agent with the Republican Senate Majority Fund, according to secretary of states records. The group also seems to have selected conservatives from among fields largely crowded with right-leaning candidates to support.

As an independent expenditure committee, Springs Opportunity Fund does not have to disclose its funders. The lack of reporting requirements for certain groups and committees gives rise to the phrase dark money in politics.

But conservative groups dont appear to have a monopoly on dark money. Other independent committees have weighed in as well, including T4CS for D-11, a spinoff of Together for Colorado Springs, a group with progressive ties that has supported candidates in District 11. The group had not yet filed spending reports as of Friday, so it was impossible to know how much the group had spent, but they have sent out mailers on behalf of their candidates.

Outside dark money is bad  its as simple as that, said Shelly Roehrs, spokeswoman for the League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region. When partisan influences get involved in nonpartisan races, it creates problems.

The political furor around school boards also gave rise to a parent-driven nonpartisan committee called BIG FA$HION, which is backing candidates based on their experience in education rather than on any political stance. The committees campaign, called Kids First in Academy District 20, has drawn a following of 500 parents on Facebook, co-founder Rob Rogers said. The group doesn't address critical race theory at all, an issue Rogers described as a manufactured issue because it's not part of day-to-day learning.

The group has backed Tiana Clark, Brian Coram and Jackie Lesh in the District 20 school board race because they all understand the mundane details of running schools, he said. For example, Lesh has a masters degree in special education, and Coram has a professional background in childhood counseling, he said. The group has raised $970, state spending reports show.

They are not like other candidates who wouldnt have a platform if it wasnt for the masks or manufactured CRT outrage, he said.

The group's approach has caught the attention of parents at other school districts who are interested in doing similar nonpartisan work, Rogers said.

"They are also tired of the outside influences on their local school boards," he said.

Colorado Springs-area board meetings have made local and regional headlines for their contentiousness in recent months. In August, a hotly contested resolution banning the teaching of CRT in District 49 passed by the narrowest of margins in a 3-2 vote. In October, an allegation that a District 20 staff member secured a mask to a students face with tape sparked outrage despite the fact that the accusation hasnt been confirmed. Parents and local residents showed up at a recent D-20 board meeting wearing tape on their faces and clothing in protest, and several parents spoke angrily about the allegation and about mask mandates in general.

Springs Opportunity Fund has backed candidates who are against CRT and sent out mailers calling for change in schools following poor academic performance during a school year challenged by remote learning.

Daniel Cole, owner of Cole Communications who spent the Opportunity Fund dollars, also pointed out poor academic performance, noting that D-11 ranked 159th in the state and D-49 ranked 155th out of 183 school districts.

We are supporting the only candidates in these districts who acknowledge there is a problem and are committed to doing something about it, he said.

The group backed Nicole Konz, incumbent Thomas LaValley and Aaron Salt in District 20. All three are against mask mandates. In District 49, the group supported Jamilynn DAvola, Lori Thompson and incumbent Ivy Liu. DAvola, a schoolteacher, was the lone D-49 candidate to go on record against a proposed $8.6 million tax increase to fund a pay raise for teachers and other district staff members. Liu voted in favor of the CRT ban.

Sandra Bankes, Al Loma and Lauren Nelson are the District 11 candidates backed by the Springs Opportunity Fund.

Attempts to contact most of the candidates supported by the group were unsuccessful, but Konz said she has received no direct financial support from the fund, and Bankes said she had no knowledge of it.

"I want to be clear, I don't (know) anything about what others are doing and can only speak on what I'm doing to win this election," Bankes told The Gazette in an email. "I am focused on my campaign and finding many voters who want to see a change on the D11 school board."

Cole said he did not contact candidates before spending money on their behalf, such as purchasing digital advertising. Independent expenditure committees cannot coordinate with candidates.

Cole previously worked on campaigns backing conservative city council candidates and said at that time outside campaign efforts make candidates more visible, but candidates who win always win on their own merits.

Teddy Weiss, communications director for T4CS, said his group was not acting as a counterpunch to right-leaning campaigns but rather supporting candidates that would bring competence and compassion to the positions. Together For Colorado Springs has backed progressive candidates in the past, including City Councilmembers Richard Skorman and Yolanda Avila.

In a mailer, the group backed Jennifer Williamson, Julie Ott, Chris Wallis and Shawn Gullixson. All but Williamson are incumbents.

Wallis said he spoke with Weiss about his values but did not give his permission to be included in a mailer. He was also completely against outside money in school board elections.

When we have all these outside influences dominating the conversation, its difficult to cut through the noise, he said. The other D-11 candidates in the mailer didnt respond.

The outside spending also doesnt seem to be generating much participation from the electorate. El Paso County Clerk Chuck Broerman said Thursday based on turnout trends he was expecting lower participation than 2019 and 2017, also off-year elections.

Rogers said he has seen lots of emotional exhaustion from the pandemic and the political furor while out campaigning, and that some people are choosing to tune out this election cycle.

However, he could not stand by after receiving a flyer from D-20 candidate LaValley, who promised to be a conservative voice in District 20.

Thats not the way a school board is supposed to work, he said. All school board seats are nonpartisan.

The political controversy over issues like masks are also bleeding into his students experiences, he said. He is hopeful his slate of candidates will bring the focus back to education on the D-20 board.

I think they are going to bring a calming aspect, he said.
This Place is for the Birds, a longtime birdseed and garden center, has offered a pumpkin patch for the last 25 years. There's a rich history to the property, which contains a farmhouse built in 1909. A Frenchwoman, Katie Veen, bought the place in 1935 and spent the next 55 years of her life there, before selling it to Ron Perry, who opened his bird store in the mid-90s. The two developed a close friendship until her death in 1999 at 99.
Hospitals in El Paso County and those across the state are bracing for the surge of COVID-19 patients to get worse in the coming weeks, as the county hits another high for the percentage of patients testing positive on average.

Halloween celebrations are also likely to add rapid spread of the virus in the county because numerous events are planned where partygoers will likely be "loud and drunk and spewing aerosols everywhere," said Phoebe Lostroh, who has a Ph.D. in microbiology from Harvard University and models the local spread of the virus.

"Its like people have just given up," she said.

El Paso County has seen a steady rise in hospitalized patients since July and set a new record high for the year for the percentage of people testing positive on average at 11.38 on Thursday, El Paso County Public Health spokeswoman Michelle Beyrle said. The rate of spread is also high with 2,594 new cases in the last week.

While the county did see a drop in the number of hospitalized people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from 246 to 211, it likely isn't a sign of the virus slowing down because of the other signs of spread, she said.

Lostroh also said she expected the situation would get worse, in part, because a significant portion of the population is not on board with COVID-19 precautions, such as wearing a mask.

"I think we should plan for an emergency situation where our hospitals are running out of room," she said.

She said that while 64% of the county's eligible population has been vaccinated and a large number have recovered from the virus it's not enough to slow the virus down because it is so contagious.

It's also very widespread.

Right now, about one out of every 10 people in the community could expose you to the virus, El Paso County Public Health Medical Director Robin Johnson said on Wednesday.

UCHealth is making plans for patients to be cared for in hallways, spokeswoman Cary Vogrin said. The system has also moved critical-care patients out of ICU areas, doubled up patients into single rooms and have held patients in the emergency departments or post anesthesia care unit until beds free up elsewhere.

"Its not clear that someone in a car accident is going to get the care they would have two weeks ago," Lostroh said.

However El Paso County Commission Chairman Stan VanderWerf said he had not received any requests from the hospitals for assistance to advocate the state for relief or take other measures.

"The board of commissioners will do everything we can to help the hospitals, if they ask," he said.

The state has reopened its staffing fusion center and can provide people to help with administrative tasks and medication administration, to free hospital staff up for other tasks, said Cara Welsh Colorado Hospital Association spokeswoman.

The center is filling requests for staff from Springs Ranch Memory Care Center and Crestview Assisted Living Center, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

UCHealth said last week that moving patients medically ready to convalesce outside the hospital had been a problem because of staffing shortages and capacity issues at nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.
NYC launches $157 million plan for broadband equity

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a fiber infrastructure strategy that will build publicly owned, affordable open-access broadband networks for up to 1.6 million residents in over the next 36 months.

With almost one third of New York City households lacking fixed broadband, the city is in the process of bringing affordable broadband options to a majority of the New York City Housing Authority developments. The New York City Internet Master Plan outlines how the city will affordable connectivity to a majority of NYCHA residents, with options to further scale affordable broadband to all neighborhoods citywide.

The city envisions a robust broadband system is comprised of networks of fiber, conduit or aerial pathways, fixed wireless connections, and mobile wireless connections.

Broadband isnt a luxury, its a necessity, de Blasio said. We are closing the digital divide and bringing our city into the 21st century by reaching communities most in need.

The Master Plan leverages the citys real estate assets and public rights-of-way to deploy new infrastructure. According to the plan, the city will devote $157 million to expand broadband access, primarily by working with a wide range of companies to build out commercial fiber networks to nearly every street intersection, creating an aggregation point in every neighborhood. From there fiber infrastructure network providers can extend the connection from the intersection to a pole or building and deliver service using any of a number of technologies.

The city will deliver infrastructure in two ways. Areas densely packed with underground conduits -- like Manhattan and areas of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx -- will receive underground fiber. More suburban areas, like parts of eastern Bronx, eastern Queens, southern Brooklyn and all of Staten Island, will be served with aerial solutions in which fiber is attached overhead to utility poles.

The mobile and fixed wireless equipment will be placed throughout the city in a pattern that will resemble fibers distribution. Approved telecom units will be attached to both public and private properties, such as rooftops, street lights or utility poles.

The city plans to deploy public Wi-Fi for four use cases: streets, open space, public facilities and transit. Pedestrian corridors, or zones of high commercial activity that attract large numbers of people and local businesses, will be of priority for the streets use case. While open space broadband will focus on parks, the public facilities and transit use cases will deploy access in libraries and subway stations.

New York Citys bold new approach delivers cross-sector partnerships, incorporates cutting-edge technologies, upgrades performance, and ensures affordability for residents and businesses, New York City CTO John Paul Farmer said. That is how we are transforming the broadband marketplace.
Local blood donors are needed this fall.

LifeServe Blood Center is seeking eligible blood donors to give blood at upcoming community blood drives to benefit local hospital patients. Appointments are required.

The Osage Community Blood Drive will run from noon-6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 15 at the VFW Hall, 3693 Highway 218. Those interested can schedule a blood donation appointment online at lifeservebloodcenter.org or call 800-287-4903.

According to a press release, LifeServe Blood Center is a non-profit, community based blood center that has served the needs of local hospitals and patients in the region since 1963. As one of the 15 largest blood centers in the country, LifeServe Blood Center is the sole provider of blood and blood products to more than 120 hospitals located across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

LifeServe is committed to saving lives by providing premier service to volunteer blood donors and access to a safe, quality blood supply for hospitals and patients. Donations made with LifeServe could help save a neighbor, a friend or family member or a stranger on the street.

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The state of Iowa has now been drawn into a lawsuit over the death of a Mason City man who fell out of a boat while fishing on the Winnebago River in Worth County last year.

Police said that the fishing boat in which Adam VanSyoc, 43, was riding on March 27 struck a cable under water, pushing VanSyoc into the water near the intersection of 342nd Street and Grouse Avenue. His body was found a month later near the area where he went into the water.

In December, VanSyoc's wife, Mandy, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Cerro Gordo County District Court against her husbands fishing partner and his business, nearby private property owners, and Worth County, saying all of them were responsible in part for Adams death.

In Mandy VanSyoc's petition, she alleges that Gabriel Haugland, of Clear Lake and owner of Budget Blinds, was driving a 17-foot fishing boat with a 40-horsepower engine at full throttle when he came upon two steel cables spanning the Winnebago River near Fertile. Both cables were tied to a tree on a property on the north side of the river owned by Kevin and Joanna Lien, also named as defendants in the suit, and to a tree on the south side of the river on property owned by Worth County, also a defendant. The two cables were all that remained of a pedestrian footbridge, and due to their age, descended toward the river at an angle.

According to the petition, Haugland was operating his boat at speeds in excess of 20 mph when it ran into one or both of the cables, which then struck Adam VanSyoc in the head and/or jaw, breaking the seat he was in and knocking him into the boat's motor and then into the river.

Haugland lacked the appropriate knowledge to navigate the river, did not have the necessary safety equipment -- including a throwable flotation device -- required under the law, and did not enter the river in an attempt to help VanSyoc, according to the suit.

Mandy VanSyoc further alleged that since her husband was an independent contractor with Budget Blinds and that he and Haugland were supposed to be having a business meeting during the boat ride, Budget Blinds is also liable in the suit.

As owners of the trees that secured the two ends of the cables that created a hazard on the water, the county and the Liens are also responsible, according to the petition.

All the opposing parties in the suit have denied Mandy VanSyoc's claims. In July, the Liens petitioned the court for a summary judgment - a ruling that Mandy VanSyoc's case lacked the evidence or standing to continue because the Iowa Recreational Land Use Act shields them from culpability. A hearing on the matter was held in September and on Oct. 18, Cerro Gordo District Court Judge DeDra Schroeder denied the request, noting that where the collision occurred and where land ownership in the area begins are in dispute.

Last Tuesday, Worth County and the Liens filed a cross petition against the state of Iowa, saying that as part of Iowa's admission into the United States, the state controls all navigable waterways -- and the beds that hold them -- within its borders. The state attorney general was served with the lawsuit on Friday.

Mandy VanSyoc is seeking an undisclosed amount for loss of income, damages and pain and suffering on her behalf and on behalf of the VanSyocs' four children. The case is scheduled for jury trial on June 7, 2022.

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For Iowans who prefer the tradition of heading to the polling place on Election Day to vote in person, Tuesday is your day.

To cast a ballot in the 2021 election, a prospective voter must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Iowa, at least 18 years old and registered to vote. More voter information can be found at the Iowa Secretary of States website at sos.iowa.gov/elections.

Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. An ID is required to vote.

Iowa has same-day registration. You can register to vote at the polls by providing proof of identity: an Iowa drivers license or non-operators ID, a U.S. passport, an Iowa-issued voter ID card, a U.S. military or veterans ID card, a tribal ID, ID cards with expiration dates issued by an employer, an Iowa high school or college, or an out-of-state drivers license or non-operators ID with proof of Iowa residency. Identification cards must display the voters photo and an expiration date that is unexpired (but not applicable to military/veterans ID cards). If the ID card has a current address, proof of residency documentation is not needed, according to elections officials.

A voter unable to prove his or her identity with any of those documents may have a registered voter who resides in the polling precinct attest to the persons identity if both people sign an oath. Election officials say making a false attestation to vote is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

For a provisional ballot to be counted, the voter must either provide the necessary identification at the polling place before it closes, or provide it at the Auditors Office by noon on the following Monday. If the canvass by the Board of Supervisors will be held earlier than the following Monday, the identification must be provided before the canvass.

Voters seeking their assigned polling place can check at the Secretary of States website (https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx).

Employers must allow employees two consecutive hours to vote on election day, if they do not already have two consecutive hours off during the time the polls are open.

A voter who has moved and has therefore been sent mail by the County Auditor to inquire of their proper address, AND who did not vote in the most recent general election (formerly the last two general elections), shall be marked inactive (unless they were not 18 years old at the time of the most recent general election).

An inactive voter may still vote with proper identification, and their registration will not be canceled until two more general elections pass with no voter activity.

North Iowa local elections list Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Luella Rodemeyer has withdrawn as

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Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation's (CGCCF) Nonprofit Agency Fundholders Workshop will be held 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, at the North Iowa Regional Commerce Center, located at 9 N Federal Ave, in Mason City.

Workshop presenters will discuss the benefits of establishing a nonprofit agency fund and will highlight strategies for growing the fund. A panel of representatives from local agencies which have endowment funds established with CGCCF will also be on hand to lend insight to the discussion.

Individuals and nonprofit organizations serving Cerro Gordo County, especially those interested in growing a nonprofit agency fund, are encouraged to attend.

Those interested in attending should RSVP online at www.cfneia.org/fundholdersworkshop. For more information, contact Tim Coffey, CGCCF governing committee member, at tscoffrey67@gmail.com or (319)-461-1697.

There is no cost to attend, and the event is open to the public. Lunch will be provided. The deadline to register is Friday, Nov. 5.

Abby covers education and public safety for the Globe Gazette. Follow her on Twitter at @MkayAbby. Email her at Abby.Koch@GlobeGazette.com

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Sixth- through eighth-grade students are invited to participate in Minnesota Rubber & Plastics Young Innovators Contest to win STEM supplies for their school.

The Young Innovators Contest encourages students who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to submit their creative solutions to help solve problems  including environmental sustainability, water quality, transportation efficiency and healthcare.

Todays middle school students are the next generation of engineers, scientists, analysts, and innovators, said Karthik Viswanathan, Vice President, Product Development at Minnesota Rubber & Plastics in a press release. We want to encourage students who are interested in STEM to continue to explore their passion and make a difference in the world by sharing their big ideas."

The student or team with the winning entry will visit Minnesota Rubber & Plastics state-of-the-art Innovation Center at the company's headquarters in Plymouth, Minn. in spring of 2022, where theyll experience being a engineer for a day. The winner will also receive $2,500 in STEM supplies for their school.

A committee of judges from the Minnesota Rubber & Plastics leadership team will select the winning entry based on the creativity, practicality and quality of the innovation in addition to the potential positive impact on the world.

Entries for the Young Innovators contest will be accepted online through Dec. 31. To submit entries and learn more about Minnesota Rubber & Plastics Young Innovators contest, please visit www.mnrubber.com/innovation-contest.

The winner will be announced no later than March 1, 2022.

Abby covers education and public safety for the Globe Gazette. Follow her on Twitter at @MkayAbby. Email her at Abby.Koch@GlobeGazette.com

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For the county school board, Raymond Ramsey is running unopposed in the Banister District and incumbent Calvin Bunky Doss and Jacob Hancock are on the ballot for the Callands-Gretna District. In the Dan River District, Kelly Merricks hopes to unseat incumbent Cassandra Crump.

Due COVID-19, county election officials are asking voters who are quarantining, have recently been tested but havent receive their results or have tested positive to vote curbside from their cars, Keesee said.

ID is still required, Keesee said. They will be given the ballot outside. It will allow our elected officials to put on any gear they need.

In Danville, about 40% to 45% of registered voters are expected to turn out Tuesday  as in past gubernatorial elections, said Registrar Peggy Petty. In-person early votes totaled 3,117 and 1,412 voters cast their ballots by mail ahead of Election Day this year, for a sum of 4,529 early voters, Petty said.

The city has 28,416 registered voters, Petty said.

Despite early voting having ending Saturday, citizens were still walking into the registrars offices wanting to vote early, Petty and Keesee said.
MOSCOW  The Kremlin says that Moscow remains fully committed to global efforts on controlling climate change even though Russian President Vladimir Putin won't attend the U.N. climate conference this week.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the format of the conference in Glasgow wouldnt allow the Russian president to address the gathering via video link. But he added that Putin will record a video address to be delivered to a forest and land use conference which is part of the U.N. climate conference.

Peskov told reporters Monday that Russia fully shares global climate efforts and will stick to its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The U.S. and the EU have prodded Moscow to set a more ambitious goal and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Peskov charged that Russia is already ahead of some Western European countries regarding the share of low-carbon power generation sources. The Kremlin spokesman also emphasized the need to pay special attention to the needs of developing countries while mapping global climate efforts and consider their low emissions in the past.



GLASGOW, Scotland  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opened a global climate summit saying the world is strapped to a doomsday device.
A typical day can bring in just over $2, enough for a child to buy a pair of used shoes. Okwako is proud of the two pigs he bought with his earnings. Other children said they use the money help to look after their families, regularly buying salt or soap.

We come here to make money, said 16-year-old Annet Aita, whose job is to wash the sandy soil in which gold dust is trapped, using highly toxic mercury.

But work also provides a refuge from other dangers that stalk those not in school. Aita said she felt more fortunate than some friends who got pregnancies at home.

Teacher Francis Adungosi said he now works at the mine from Monday to Monday and warned that he will need a refresher course before going back to the classroom.

As for his students, "they are traumatized. Remember they are having a lot of challenges. Some of them are pregnant. Some have already got married. Handling those children is going to be so tasking.

That's for those who go back. Many say they won't.
Langford served in the military from May 2003 to September 2019, with a tour in Iraq from May 2007 to April 2008, according to U.S. Army Reserve records. He was promoted to the rank of major in 2015, the record states.

In an interview with The Pilot on Friday, Capel, whose father helped integrate Moore County schools and was the first Black person elected to the Southern Pines Town Council, said he felt compelled to report the incident because it was a hate crime.

I never thought in a million years that Id still be fighting the same battles that my father and our ancestors fought, Mitchell Capel said.

The Capel family has ties to Fayetteville too.

Felton Capels contributions to Fayetteville State University were recognized when the newly built Felton J. Capel Arena was named in his honor in 1997.

Capel, who died at age 91 in 2018, had been a volunteer and financial supporter of the historically Black college and served as chairman and member of the FSU Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1987. He was also vice-chairman and member of the FSU Foundation Board of Directors for more than 10 years, according to a profile on the schools website.
North Carolina tax preparer sent to prison for fraud conspiracy

GREENSBORO  A North Carolina tax return preparer was sentenced to nearly two years in prison for conspiring to defraud the IRS, prosecutors said.

Court documents and statements made in court showed that from 2012 through 2017, Andrea Pasley of Durham conspired with two others to prepare fraudulent tax returns, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.

Returns prepared by the conspirators claimed false education credits or dependents or manipulated the clients income to qualify for larger earned income tax credits, the news release said. Under the scheme, some clients were charged up to $3,000 for preparing returns.

Based on an analysis of the falsely claimed education credits, the conspirators caused a tax loss of approximately $1.2 million, officials said.

The co-conspirators, Karen Jones and Audrey Odom, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the IRS and were sentenced earlier this year to 22 months and 15 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the conspiracy.
While the items might be rare, lovely or valuable, taken out of their context, they arent necessarily historically meaningful.

History in everyday items

In recent years, Poteat said, North Carolina curators have focused more on gathering items that were made or used in the state and can be directly connected with life here.

For instance, Poteat said, curators have wished their forebears had thought to stash away more artifacts and documents from the 1918 flu epidemic, which claimed the lives of nearly 14,000 North Carolinians. The first known case was in Wilmington on Sept. 19 of that year, historians say. In its collection, the Museum of History has the Red Cross head gear of Wilmington nurse Pauline Williams, along with a scarf and mask she wore, and a bottle of Vicks medicine made in the state.

We dont have as many things as we would like to tell that story in more depth, Poteat said. Thinking back to that has made us very aware of wanting to collect more and varied items for the future telling of the story of this pandemic.
A federal jury in Charlotte awarded a former top executive with Novant Health Inc. $10 million on Tuesday after he claimed in a lawsuit that he was fired from his job because he is a white male, court records show.

David Duvall, who lives in Michigan, said in his 2019 lawsuit that he lost his job as senior vice president of marketing and communication in July 2018 at Novant Health because of the companys efforts to diversify many of its top leadership positions.

The jury said that Duvall proved that his race and gender were motivating factors in Novant Healths decision to terminate him, according to the jurys verdict form. The jury also indicated that Novant Health failed to prove that it would have dismissed Duvall regardless of his race.

We are pleased that the jury agreed that Duvalls race and gender were unlawful factors in his termination  that he was fired to make room for more diverse leaders at Novant, S. Luke Largess of Charlotte, Duvalls attorney, said Tuesday night in a statement.

Duvall was a strong advocate of diversity at Novant, Largess said. We believe the punitive damages award is a message that an employer cannot terminate and replace employees in order to achieve greater diversity in the workforce.
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State Sen. Ralph Hise, a Mitchell County Republican and congressional map co-author, told reporters that he hadnt looked at partisan data to evaluate political outcomes. He said the map met other criteria by minimizing the number of counties overall that are divided between districts and the number of municipalities that are split.

Its been a tremendous feat that weve been able to accomplish, Hise said. And I think it best meets the criteria of anything submitted or considered by the committee.

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Out of the state's current 13 seats, Republicans now hold eight  two fewer following the 2018 elections, after which state judges declared the U.S. House map lines were likely excessively partisan and unconstitutional. They were redrawn, leading to election wins by Democrats Kathy Manning and Deborah Ross.

Should the proposed map get General Assembly approval, Manning's return to Congress would appear difficult. Her current district contains all of Guilford County. Senate Republicans instead want to divide Guilford into three districts, all of which would likely favor a Republican candidate. Although members of Congress only have to live in the state they want to represent, Manning's residence is drawn into the same northwestern district with veteran GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of Watauga County.
Langford served in the military from May 2003 to September 2019, with a tour in Iraq from May 2007 to April 2008, according to U.S. Army Reserve records. He was promoted to the rank of major in 2015, the record states.

In an interview with The Pilot on Friday, Capel, whose father helped integrate Moore County schools and was the first Black person elected to the Southern Pines Town Council, said he felt compelled to report the incident because it was a hate crime.

"I never thought in a million years that I'd still be fighting the same battles that my father and our ancestors fought," Mitchell Capel said.

The Capel family has ties to Fayetteville too.

Felton Capel's contributions to Fayetteville State University were recognized when the newly built Felton J. Capel Arena was named in his honor in 1997.

Capel, who died at age 91 in 2018, had been a volunteer and financial supporter of the historically Black college and served as chairman and member of the FSU Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1987. He was also vice-chairman and member of the FSU Foundation Board of Directors for more than 10 years, according to a profile on the school's website.
Calling deaths from COVID-19 almost entirely preventable, the state health department said Monday the virus was the third-leading cause of death in Montana last year.

A new report from the state Department of Public Health and Human Services indicates 2021 will be the second year in a row COVID-19 is the third-ranked cause of death, following heart disease and cancer.

The report also notes the disproportionate effect the pandemic has had on Montanas Native population. The mortality rate for Natives was four times greater than white Montanans, and Natives also died younger than non-natives. The median age of death for Natives was 68, compared to 80 among whites, according to the report.

I cant stress enough that these COVID-19 related deaths are almost entirely preventable, said acting state medical officer Dr. Maggie Cook-Shimanek in a press release Monday. Vaccination is the best protection against COVID-19 infection and at preventing severe COVID-19 outcomes, such as hospitalization and death. We continue to urge eligible Montanans who have not gotten vaccinated to get vaccinated, and for those who are eligible, to get the booster shot to ensure they have adequate protection against the virus.

Though vaccines have been available in Montana since the start of the year, the state is still seeing high numbers of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations. While the highest number of deaths documented was between October and December 2020, the report said provisional data indicates this September may reach the highs of previous months.

There were 1,258 COVID-19 deaths in 2020, according to provisional data, and there have been 842 deaths reported over the first nine months of 2021, according to the report. Another 258 deaths were reported in October, bringing the years tally to 1,110. That means this year's death tally, a year when vaccines were available, has already reached 87% of 2020's toll, prior to vaccines.

Data from the state health department shows that vaccines have been effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. From April 1 to Oct. 22, those who weren't vaccinated made up 84% of COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide and 76% of deaths.

The report also notes that death counts, especially for more recent periods, may increase as more data is collected.

The state lags the national vaccination rate, with just over half of Montanans fully vaccinated compared to 58% of the nation.

As more data becomes available, DPHHS continues to produce reports such as this to demonstrate the impact of COVID-19 in Montana, state health department Director Adam Meier said in a press release. While Montanans may not be surprised by the report's findings, it serves as a reminder about the importance of getting the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. DPHHS strongly recommends that all eligible Montanans get vaccinated against COVID-19. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to your health care provider or a pharmacist.

Vaccines are expected to be approved for those ages 5-11 this week, and the state health department has said it's pre-ordered youth-sized doses to be ready to meet demand.

As the state health department and governor have encouraged Montanans to get vaccinated, the state was also the first in the nation to pass a law banning private employers, including hospitals, from requiring employees to get vaccinated. Measures such as the use of face coverings have also largely disappeared, as Republican state lawmakers advocated for and passed laws that remove the ability to enforce public health rules meant to slow the spread of the virus.

There are two legal challenges to Montana's vaccine requirement ban working their way through the system.

According to the state report, the leading causes of death in Montana for the five years leading up to the pandemic were heart disease, which killed an average of 2,206 annually; cancer, which killed 2,088; chronic lower respiratory disease, which killed bout 720; cerebrovascular disease, which killed 433; and non-motor vehicle accidents, which killed 425.

The report also found that median age of a COVID-19 death in Montana was 78, with deaths ranging from those as young as 24 and up to 103 years old. It also found that more men have died than women, with the data collected through the end of September showing 1,191 male deaths and 909 female deaths.

Nearly 70% of deaths had one underlying health condition, with the most common being cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and respiratory diseases.

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A tentative deal struck between Deere & Co. and the United Auto Workers union offers substantial improvements over one that workers rejected before going on strike, including larger wage increases, no new tiers to retirement benefits and a signing bonus of $8,500.

The deal, which is subject to approval by union membership, suggests that John Deere backed down rather than get drawn into a protracted work stoppage with farm equipment demand at the strongest in a decade and earnings at a record.

The contract includes wage hikes of 10% in the first year of the contract and 5% in the third and fifth years, according to a published document of the deal on the union website Sunday. No one was available at John Deere to comment on the latest accord.

Deere shares jumped as much as 1.8% to $348.40 at 7:22 a.m. in pre-market trading in New York. The shares have climbed 27% this year to Fridays close.

Details of the agreement come more than two weeks after some 10,000 John Deere employees went on strike for the first time since 1986, having rejected a prior deal that called for a 5% to 6% wage increase for the first year. Shares of Deere rose each of the last two weeks, indicating shareholders continued to expect a speedy resolution to the strike.

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The workers rejection of the initial deal combined with the enormous gains made between the first and second deals, and the very real improvements that the contract will bring, all of it points to the significant consolidation and exercise of worker power, said Benjamin Sachs, a labor law professor at Harvard University.

The Deere agreement adds to evidence that U.S. workers are successfully pushing for higher compensation as the U.S. economy emerges from its pandemic-blighted slump. Businesses are increasingly on the back foot when it comes to wage negotiation because theyre struggling to hire workers and retain enough people to cope with swelling demand.

Were living in a kind of extraordinary moment of worker mobilization and militancy, Sachs said. At this particular moment in history, when workers are willing to fight theyre going to win.

There are no new tiers in the Deere deal, with everyone hired after 1997 having the same retirement options, according to the document. Deere would also contribute 5% of employees annual wages to their 401(k), and a 3% lump sum bonus would be paid in the even years of the contract based on prior-year earnings.

The post-retirement health care fund includes cash balance savings at 2.5% for the first through fourth years, 3% in years five through 14, and 4% for 15 years and above, and it includes $2,000 of seed money per year of service. There were no changes to the cost of health insurance, with employees paying no premiums or deductibles, and still having co-pays.

Michigan Democratic Congressman Andy Levin, a former union organizer and assistant AFL-CIO organizing director, said the Deere workers victory should fuel support for pro-labor legislative reforms as well as for other workers contract struggles.

These Deere workers have added a huge boost to the momentum of the broader American working class in saying that were done with this kind of ever-increasing income and wealth inequality, Levin said. Theyve won for the whole American working class.

Events surrounding the negotiation have been intense at times. Senator Bernie Sanders, a vocal proponent of labor unions, tweeted shortly after the strike started that workers who spent years with the company are now being forced off their insurance.

The company later issued a statement that it will continue providing health care for all striking union-represented production and maintenance employees.

Unity

The union reported earlier in the week that a 56-year-old employee at the Milan John Deere Parts Distribution Plant in Moline, Illinois, was fatally struck in a traffic accident while walking the picket line. Deere also won its bid for a temporary restraining order blocking thousands of union members from picketing at a plant in Davenport, Iowa, with a state trial judge saying workers conduct was unwarranted.

Deere workers succeeded not only because of their unity but also because, unlike some striking workers elsewhere, they were able to halt production at their company, said former Communications Workers of America president Larry Cohen. I dont think its all the same, but I think that this will help encourage people to organize as well as to fight for a fair share of what they produce.

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Todays Highlight in History:

On Nov. 1, 1765, the Stamp Act, passed by the British Parliament, went into effect, prompting stiff resistance from American colonists.

On Nov. 1:

In 1478, the Spanish Inquisition was established.

In 1861, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln named Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan General-in-Chief of the Union armies, succeeding Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott.

In 1936, in a speech in Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini described the alliance between his country and Nazi Germany as an axis running between Rome and Berlin.

In 1949, an Eastern Airlines DC-4 collided in midair with a Lockheed P-38 fighter plane near Washington National Airport, killing all 55 people aboard the DC-4 and seriously injuring the pilot of the P-38.

In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into Blair House in Washington, D.C., in a failed attempt to assassinate President Harry S. Truman. (One of the pair was killed, along with a White House police officer.)

In 1952, the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb, code-named Ivy Mike, at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

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In 1973, following the Saturday Night Massacre, Acting Attorney General Robert H. Bork appointed Leon Jaworski to be the new Watergate special prosecutor, succeeding Archibald Cox.

In 1989, East Germany reopened its border with Czechoslovakia, prompting tens of thousands of refugees to flee to the West.

In 1991, Clarence Thomas took his place as the newest justice on the Supreme Court.

In 1995, Bosnia peace talks opened in Dayton, Ohio, with the leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia present.

In 2003, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean stirred controversy within his party by telling the Des Moines Register he wanted to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks. (The former Vermont governor explained that he intended to encourage the return of Southern voters who had abandoned the Democrats for decades but were disaffected with the Republicans.)

In 2011, Europes days-old plan to solve its crippling debt crisis and restore faith in the global economy was thrown into chaos by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreous stunning decision to call a referendum on the countrys latest rescue package. (Papandreou dropped the referendum plan two days later.) Dorothy Rodham, 92, mother of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clintons mother-in-law, died in Washington.

In 2015, the Kansas City Royals won their first World Series crown since 1985, beating the New York Mets 7-2 in Game 5, which lasted 12 innings, ending after midnight.

In 2016, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the commander of the peacekeeping force in South Sudan after an independent investigation sharply criticized the military response to deadly attacks in July on a U.N. compound housing 27,000 displaced people. Most of an African-American church in Greenville, Mississippi, was destroyed by an arson fire; the building was spray-painted with the words Vote Trump. (A member of the church later pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.) The Chicago Cubs forced a deciding Game 7 in the World Series as they defeated the Cleveland Indians 9-3.

In 2020, two days before Election Day, the Texas Supreme Court denied a Republican-led petition to toss nearly 127,000 ballots cast at drive-thru voting places in the Houston area. (A federal judge also rejected that effort the following day.)

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I had no clue what it was, she said.

The young girl raced to a home computer to learn more about the odd winter visitor with dark grey feathers, a white outer tail, and a pink beak.

As a curious youth who loved the outdoors, Nelson had spotted a dark-eyed junco, a bird that migrates to a large portion of the country, including the lower elevations of the southern Appalachian region during the winter.

I was inspired to learn more. I guess thats when my obsession with birding actually began, she said.

Nelson purchased her first National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America  a book that has become worn and tattered from years of use. She still keeps the book with her belongings at college.

To support her interest in birds, she joined the Bristol Bird Club when she was a student at John S. Battle High School.

The youngster tried to get her family interested in the hobby, but to no avail.

My family enjoys birds, but they dont go looking for birds like I do. Birds just bring me so much joy, said the college student.
State-level vaccination successes are worth highlighting. But the duration and severity of this pandemic will not be decided within the commonwealths borders or on a list of U.S. state rankings. At all levels of government, COVID vaccine messaging must pivot away from being an arms race and toward global collaboration.

On Oct. 25, The Financial Times reported on the failures of COVAX, a global partnership designed to deliver equitable access to all countries. The Times noted that low-income countries have received 9.3 vaccines per 100 people (7.1 through COVAX), versus 155 doses in wealthier nations.

The Times piece added fuel to a recent Bloomberg Opinion editorial, warning that [t]he longer the pandemic goes on, the greater its costs and risks  including for countries that have vaccinated most of their citizens. This is about self-interest as much as benevolence.

A recent change in international travel policy serves as one example. On Monday, the Biden administration announced that beginning Nov. 8, foreign national travelers have to show proof of vaccination before boarding a plane to the U.S. The type of vaccine has to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization.
We got a preview of that economic opportunity earlier this week. On Monday, Siemens Gamesa, a global energy company, announced it would build an offshore wind turbine factory at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal  the first facility of its kind in the U.S. When fully operational, that project alone will create more than 300 family-sustaining jobs. If we change course now, that industry, and those jobs, could be lost to Maryland, New Jersey and beyond.

The economic benefits of clean energy in Virginia dont end with offshore wind. Solar development is racing across the commonwealth, spurred in part by the VCEA. In 2020 alone, Virginia saw more megawatts of solar installed than 46 other states. Each of those megawatts is an investment in our commonwealth, creating jobs in construction and maintenance, reliable income for farmers and landowners, and millions in tax revenue for rural communities like those in Southside and Southwest Virginia.
Usually, men at fifty years old are busy with works or planing life after retirement. But, Wu Songshu is studying in college at this age. He laughs and said, this is a choice that will reset his life.

In Hunan Arts and Crafts Vocational College, Wu Songshu and Wu Wei, his son, both major in interior design. In 2019, Wu Songsu was accepted into this college. Next year, they will graduate at the same time.

In 1970, Wu Songshu was born into a family of carpenter. At the age of sixteen, he became an apprentice of his carpenter Uncle. After years of practicing and studying, he had sharpened his woodworking skills of making mortise and tenon joints, and he is well-known locally.

In 2019, his son told Wu Songshu that his college was expanding its enrollment. At that time, he was operating a furniture factory named Xianghe in Yiyang. Even though the business was doing well, when he realized his limited knowledge of furniture making and design, he decided to enroll.

When he heard that the First National Vocational Student Skills Competition is hosting in Guangzhou, he joins the contest immediately. After many selection processes, he was chosen as a seeded contestant, representing Hunan in the woodworking competition. It is first time that Wu Songshu participated in a national competition.

In the First National Vocational Student Skills Competition, Wu Songshu is dong his woodwork.

In December 2020, facing the question of constructing The Canton Tower, whose height is 1.25 meter, in proper scale, Wu Songhu was well prepared and confident. Utilizing his knowledge of mortise and tenon joints, he had won a prized for excellence.

Wu Songshu was taken a photo with contestants in front of his work.

Even though Wu Wei enrolled in college before his father, he considered Wu Songshu as his paradigm in life. Wu Songshu is a hardworking man. Recently, he has been working with recognizing mortise and tenon joints as a intangible cultural heritage in public.

Wu Songshu and Wu Wei, his son, are researching aboutmortise and tenon joints.

In Wu Songshu's view, their relationship is not just a one between father and son, but also classmates. "I am good at making woodwork, but my son is better at theoretical knowledge and design. In actual practice, our skills can compensate each other. The synergy between the father and his son leads to a higher understanding of carpentry. Next year, they will graduate. In the near future, they plan to transform their house in hometown into an exhibition hall of mortise and tenon joints.

Wu Songshu and Wu Wei are measuring the length of lumber.

Author: Wang Xinfeng, Wu Baoshan

Translator: Ruan Zifeng
The authors are with Quality Milk Production Services, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The analysis of milk flow dynamics can provide valuable information for improving both milking efficiency and udder health. Among the numerous measures of milk flow, bimodality has been used extensively to assess the quality of premilking teat stimulation.

A bimodal milk flow curve takes place when an increasing milk flow rate is followed by a decreasing flow rate during the first two minutes of milking. This action is due to removal of the cisternal milk fraction before oxytocin allows the alveolar milk to reach the gland cistern.

The physiology of milk flow

Over 80% of the milk is stored in the alveolar compartment in the udder tissue. To facilitate its harvest, a reflex loop, known as the milk ejection reflex between a cows brain and the udder, must be activated.

Upon tactile stimulation, such as the suckling action from a calf, oxytocin is released from the brain, leading to ejection of milk from milk producing alveoli deep in the udder. The milk is then transported through milk ducts and accumulates in the gland and teat cistern. The speed of a suckling calf provides enough time for the signal to reach the brain, release oxytocin, and eject milk from the alveoli to replenish milk in the cistern as the calf is feeding.



When harvesting milk by machine milking, the milk ejection reflex is triggered predominantly by the tactile stimulation during udder preparation, such as forestripping and wiping of the teats. To facilitate enough time for the reflex to set in, a lag is required before the milking unit is attached. Current best practices suggest a minimum stimulation time of 10 to 20 seconds and a preparation lag time, or the time interval between first tactile stimulus and attachment of the milking unit, of 90 seconds.

Adequate stimulation is key

Recently, we showed that cows receiving a stimulation time of seven seconds were at higher risk of bimodality as compared to those that received 16 seconds of stimulation. This is consistent with work from Michigan State University showing that farms stimulating teats for a longer duration of time had a lower proportion of cows with bimodal milk let-down.

In a New York study, the investigators from Cornell University reported that the frequencies of bimodal milk flow curves in cows that received a preparation lag time of zero, 30, and 90 seconds were 21%, 14%, and 7%, respectively. Taken together, this suggests that the main risk for bimodality is inadequate stimulation and insufficient preparation lag time.

Cascading effects

Bimodal milk flow is associated with a reduction in milking efficiency and milk yield. Researchers found that cows receiving no or little stimulation before milking had more bimodality-type milking and longer milking machine on time. The negative association of bimodal milk flow with milk yield is supported by several studies.



There are also effects on teat health. Due to an inverse relationship between vacuum and milk flow, bimodality can elevate the vacuum-induced forces to the teats during the transient period of low or zero milk flow. These mechanical forces can cause congestion and edema of the teat tissue. Such tissue changes are thought to decrease the teats defense mechanisms, were associated with increased mastitis risk, and are considered to diminish animal well-being.

How to monitor milk flow

Traditionally, milk flow dynamics have been assessed with either portable or stationary electronic milk meters that measure continuous milk flow. Among the portable milk meters, the Lactocorder manufactured in Balgach, Switzerland, has gained significant popularity among veterinarians and milk quality consultants worldwide. Alternatively, instruments that record vacuum in the milking unit can also be valuable tools to indirectly assess milk flow dynamics.

Recently, we set out to investigate if the VaDia vacuum recorder (Biocontrol, Rakkestad, Norway) could serve to detect bimodality as assessed with the Lactocorder. We found satisfactory agreement between the two devices and concluded that both the Lactocorder and VaDia vacuum recorder are suitable measures to assess bimodal milk ejection in cows.

A few more considerations

There are a few points to consider when evaluating milk flow and timing of the premilking teat stimulation in a herd. Knowing the association of prestimulation and lag time with optimal milk flow, it is good to think about where in the current routine or parlor set up you expect the most challenges to an optimal milk flow.



Typically, in a parallel parlor with a territorial milking routine, the first and last cows of a territory are the most vulnerable to shortcomings in stimulation and preparation lag time. It is also important to evaluate a representative portion of the herd. Monitor both the high and low producing cows.

A physiological, uninterrupted onset of milk flow is key to efficient and gentle milking. There is a clear connection between insufficient premilking stimulation and bimodal milk flow. Accommodating the cows physiological requirements while improving parlor efficiency could be accomplished through, for example, a combination of manual and automated stimulation using inherent features such as the pulsator system.

Lastly, monitoring milk flow of a representative portion of the herd will help interpret the evaluation of the milking routine. It will also identify teat health risk factors and provide valuable information to improve milking efficiency and udder health.


Next to Mexico, the countries of Southeast Asia are quickly becoming top U.S. trading partners for dairy products and ingredients. Thats because food innovation and a commitment to health and nutrition were logical reasons that the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) looked to Southeast Asia as a region to engage as a dairy product partner. According to Vikki Nicholson-West, the organizations senior vice president of Global Ingredients Marketing, U.S. dairy has just begun to tap the potential in this region.

Twenty-three years ago, we put an office there and were exporting somewhere around $63 million a year. We were really focused on market entry and market development, she explained during the October 27 Hoards Dairyman DairyLivestream sponsored by Cargill.

Fast forward to 2015, and we shifted our marketing strategy as an organization to really building innovation with nutrition focus and that value of dairy, Nicholson-West continued. In 2020, we hit the $1 billion mark in Southeast Asia - $1.3 billion in sales.

The $1 billion mark is significant because it brings sales in that area into near alignment with U.S. dairys largest dairy export market  Mexico. As Nicholson-West describes it, this is just the beginning for this burgeoning market.

To put it in perspective, we have an 80% market share in Mexico. We only have roughly 40% market share in Southeast Asia. Theres still opportunity for growth, and the growth there since 2016 has been well over 60%, she detailed.

The marketing specialist gives some credit for the growth to the investment that U.S. dairy has made in the region in the form of USDECs first brick and mortar establishment offshore  the U.S. Center for Dairy Excellence in Singapore. Thats allowed the organization to bring in people to focus on the needs of this 13-country area and especially the regions big six  Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

To watch the recording of the October 27 DairyLivestream, go to the link above. The program recording is now also available as an audio-only podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and downloadable from the Hoards Dairyman website.

An ongoing series of events

The next broadcast of DairyLivestream will be on Wednesday, November 17 at 11 a.m. CDT. Each episode is designed for panelists to answer over 30 minutes of audience questions. If you havent joined a DairyLivestream broadcast yet, register here for free. Registering once registers you for all future events.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021

November 1, 2021
A celebration of cultures from around the world will take place during Hope Colleges IMAGES: A Reflection of Cultures showcase on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

The international showcase will feature an array of skits, dance, song and other clips of culture and language. More than 60 students from several different countries will participate.

A freewill offering will be collected during intermission for a donation to aid refugees from Afghanistan through Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates.

IMAGES: A Reflection of Cultures is sponsored by the Hope College Center for Global Engagement.

Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the colleges Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar

Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Hope is currently requiring that masks be worn by all individuals while indoors on campus unless in their living space or alone in their workspace.

The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St., between College and Columbia avenues.
Cyber security worker numbers are up but we still need more. Photo: Shutterstock

Efforts to fill Australias chronic cyber security skills gap seem to finally be paying off, with Australias cyber security workforce growing by more than 23 per cent in the last year as flexible work arrangements make cyber staff happier than ever.

There are now 134,690 cyber security workers in Australia, according to the Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2021 from industry group the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)2  up from 108,950 workers in 2020 and 107,000 in 2019.

Thats almost 26,000 more workers this year compared to last year.

Growth in the Asia-Pacific region had reduced the skills gap by 500,000 people overall, the report found  making it the only region where the gap did not increase.

The continued decline is substantial enough to offset the demand in the rest of the world and effectively pull the global gap lower than our 2020 measurement, the report says while warning that APACs declining workforce gap does not suggest a problem solved.

With a remaining gap of more than 1.42m, APAC employers are struggling to find qualified, skilled professionals.

Surging employment numbers reflected continuing growth in the global cyber security workforce  which added around 710,000 new workers (20 per cent) in the last year to number 4.19 million  yet demand was continuing to outpace supply in many countries.

It is easy to draw the conclusion that the industry is making sustained progress toward closing the skills gap, the report notes. However, a deeper dive into global trends behind the gap assessment suggests applying the brakes to that cautious optimism.

Australia, for example, still needs 25,000 more cyber security workers to close its cyber security gap, (ISC)2 said, warning that staff shortages were continuing to pose operational challenges for companies worldwide.

Respondents said staff shortages had caused a range of problems  including misconfigured systems, insufficient time for proper risk assessment and management, slow patching of critical systems, rushed deployments, oversights in process and procedures, and an inability to remain aware of all active threats.

The need for more professionals in the field has never been greater, the report notes, continuing to outpace demand and underscoring that career opportunities will only continue to grow.

Home working proved viable

Although even the breakneck growth of the past year isnt enough to close the cyber security skills gap overall, there were signs that continuing working from home (WFH) arrangements could be particularly helpful for employers struggling to source enough talent.

Fully 84 per cent of cyber security workers said they were working fully remotely or going into the office sporadically.

And while this figure was down slightly from last year, it coincided with record job-satisfaction rates of 77 per cent overall  up from 66 per cent in 2019.

That change suggests that many cyber security workers had seen the pandemics skew towards WFH arrangements as a welcome chance to redefine their working hours, reduce the mental health impact of stressful jobs, and engage with employers in a different way.

Indeed, just 15 per cent of cyber security workers said they wanted to fully return to an office  far fewer than the 24 per cent of all companies that plan to return to a conventional office environment.

Little wonder: cyber security roles seem to have proven themselves particularly well-suited to remote-working arrangements, with 43 per cent of cyber security workers able to fully carry out their job responsibilities while working remotely and one-third noting that their roles mostly dont require being onsite.

While much work needs to be done to recruit and retain more cyber security staff, the findings provide several reasons to feel good about the state of the industry, the report notes.

Much of that optimism is tied to increasing acceptance of WFH arrangements, with managers more willing to allow cyber security workers to work remotely.

Fully 41 per cent of respondents said that their managers had gained confidence in the performance of remote workers during the pandemic  with a third noting that WFH arrangements actually made it easier to recruit and retain employees.

In this light, WFH may prove to be an invaluable recruitment tool for an industry that has already tried closing the cyber skills gap through targeted recruitment, gender outreach, skills development, school-age outreach, neurodiversity engagement, career switches, and similar programs.

Where the sudden shift to working from home was a temporary necessity in 2020, in 2021 the benefits of a remote workforce have become solidified in many organisations, the report notes.

While [cyber] professionals may have been viewed as essential on-site personnel in the past, the last year has proven they can be successful working remotely.
Forsyth County had another uptick in new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, reporting 227 new cases over the weekend and one death, state officials said Monday.

Forsyth has had 51,962 cases of the virus and 564 related deaths since daily counts began in mid-March 2020.

DHHS lists COVID-19 cases and deaths on the day they are confirmed by medical providers and public health officials, so people may have been infected or may have died days or weeks before their cases were counted.

Before the delta variant became prevalent locally, Forsyth averaged 14 new cases per day over a two-week period during mid-to-late July. There were some days with no new reported cases during that period.

By contrast, as of noon Monday, Forsyth averaged 65 new cases per day over the most recent two-week period.

There have been 52 COVID-19 related deaths in October.

Septembers 53 COVID-19 deaths made it the third-deadliest month of the pandemic for Forsyth, trailing 67 deaths in February and 59 in January, before the COVID-19 vaccine became widely available.

Since early July, the vast majority of the COVID-related deaths have been among unvaccinated individuals, hospital officials say.
There are two main differences between Medicare and Medicaid. The first difference is that Medicare is managed by the federal government, while Medicaid is administrated by state governments. The second difference is that eligibility for Medicare is primarily based on age. Medicare covers all individuals age 65 and older. Eligibility for Medicaid is mainly based on income. In the state of North Carolina, individuals in a one-income household are eligible for Medicaid if they make less than $18,000 a year. If an individual is eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, it is possible to be covered by both programs. In that case, they will work together to provide you with health coverage and lower costs.
An underlying cause of death for Winston-Salem Police Sgt. Michael McDonald was COVID-19 pneumonia, according to his death certificate.

McDonald, 49, a 25-year veteran of the Winston-Salem Police Department, also died of cardiac arrest and refractory hypoxic respiratory failure, his death certificate says.

Refractory hypoxic respiratory failure is a condition where the body cannot adequately absorb oxygen or expel carbon dioxide, according to WebMD. Consequently, there will not be enough oxygen in the blood to be carried elsewhere in the body.

McDonald died Oct. 22 at Forsyth Medical Center. McDonalds funeral was held last Wednesday at Salem Funeral Home, followed by a funeral procession to Clemmons.

As of Friday in Forsyth County, there have been 563 COVID-19 deaths among Forsyth residents, state health statistics show. Statewide, 18,050 North Carolinians have died of the coronavirus since the pandemic began in 2020.

A 1990 graduate of West Forsyth High School, McDonald also served as the supervisor of the Forsyth County joint DWI task force. Police in Winston-Salem and Kernersville and Forsyth County sheriffs deputies who make DWI-related arrests are part of the Forsyth County DWI Task Force.
In fact, in a recent town council meeting the need for a deep dive audit of prior fiscal years all the way back to and including the 2016/2017 fiscal year was discussed and approved as recommended by the Town of Rural Hall Finance Director, Flinchum said.

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Flinchum said the towns finances are audited every year, but those audits only looks at a sampling of transactions from the prior fiscal year.

We look forward to partnering with the State Treasurers Office to take a deep look at the Town of Rural Halls finances and the legality of actions taken by previous elected officials, he said.

Interim Town Attorney Randolph James filed a court document Oct. 26 in Forsyth Superior Court, alleging that a six-figure settlement agreement paid to Garner was obtained illegally. He said that the settlement agreement, or severance package, should not have been approved for several reasons, including that the towns finance director never did a pre-audit to determine if the town had enough money.

He also said in the court document that the towns budget should have been amended, a move that would have required a public meeting. And according to Garners contract, the town was not obligated to pay severance if Garner resigned and then took another position.
They are older than age 26 and can no longer be on a parents health insurance.

Also, short-term health plans can be sold in North Carolina with initial plan terms up to 364 days.

Outside the open enrollment period, North Carolinians who buy health insurance from the ACA may enroll in an insurance plan only if they qualify for a special enrollment period because of life events, such as having or adopting a child, losing health coverage or moving to a different service area.

Background

When ACA health exchange plans debuted in 2014, there was concern that the initiative wouldnt be financially viable for insurers, or that insurers would come and go depending on their revenue stream.

Indeed, Aetna and UnitedHealthcare exited North Carolina at the end of 2016.

In 2017, the Trump administration drastically cut federal funding for publicizing the enrollment period. North Carolina received just $500,000 after getting $3.4 million in 2018.

But as the federal exchange proved stable, UnitedHealthcare rejoined for the 2021 enrollment year and Aetna returns this year through its parent company CVS Health.
The oldest surviving winner of the Miss America pageant, Jo-Carroll Dennison, has died at age 97.

Dennison, who held the title during World War II and broke with convention by refusing to wear a swimsuit onstage after the pageant, died at her home in California last month, according to her friend Evan Mills.

Mills, who edited Dennison's memoir and learned of her death directly from her family, said over email that the former Miss Texas could "serve as a model for young women  and men  in a world where many are tempted to bend to social expectations rather than trusting and following their own moral compass."

The Miss America Organization said it was "saddened to hear" of Dennison's death, writing on Instagram: "We thank her for her year of service and will miss her dearly."

Born in 1923 in Florence, Arizona, a young Dennison joined her parents' traveling medicine show, where she sang, dance and performed on trick horses. She went on to train as a secretary before being scouted for the Miss Tyler pageant in Tyler, Texas, where she was studying at the time.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel avoided soaring rhetoric and delved into policy.

"Theres no more time to sit back," Biden said in a more measured warning that also apologized for his predecessor's decision to temporarily pull the U.S. out of the historic 2015 Paris agreement, something he said put the country behind in its efforts. Every day we delay, the cost of inaction increases.

In a recorded welcome message, Queen Elizabeth II said she hoped the conference would be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment."

History has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope, she said in the video, which was recorded on Friday at Windsor Castle.

One of the United Nations biggest concerns is that some countries are more focused on amorphous long-term net-zero goals instead of seeking cuts this decade that could prevent temperature increases that would exceed the Paris goal.
Bryan Health has notified an unknown number of patients about a privacy breach.

According to a letter the health system sent to affected people last week, a staff member accessed information in the electronic medical records system "without a treatment purpose or other job-related reason."

Bryan said in the letter that records accessed included names and other personal information, as well as medical records, but not Social Security numbers or financial information.

It said in the letter that the breach occurred in September 2020 but was not discovered until August of this year.

"We deeply regret that this incident occurred," the letter said. "The actions were contrary to our organization's policies and are not consistent with the expectations we place on all of our staff to protect personal information."

The letter said the employee who accessed the information no longer works at Bryan.

A spokesman for Bryan said he could not comment on how many people were affected, and he offered no other details beyond what was in the letter.
Education

editor's pick alert

Watch now: With paint brushes, hammers and nail guns, Lincoln high schoolers roll up their sleeves to help others

FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star Lincoln North Star High School ninth grader Kiimoralee Ramirez paints the interior of a food pantry on Tuesday at Kingery Construction. Afterschool students from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lincoln/Lancaster County are building and installing four little free pantries with partners Kingery Construction.

Inside a garage in north Lincoln, Lincoln North Star students gathered for a lesson they don't get to learn every day.

A more hands-on lesson. A you-can-use-this-in-real-life kind of lesson. A lesson you might not always experience sitting at a desk in a classroom.

Like how when you use a caulking gun, you have to be slow and steady, explained North Star freshman Joshua Gothier. With your paintbrush, stay between the lines. And when you use a hammer, remember it's all in the elbow (keep your arm steady!). If you're punching nails into boards with a nail gun, sometimes firing at an angle works best.

LPS expands college-readiness program that saw early success at Northeast to more schools Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, a nationwide college readiness program piloted at Lincoln Northeast last year, was expanded to Mickle, Dawes and Culler middle schools and Lincoln High in 2021.

Oh, and remember to have fun.

"I would rather do this any day," said Gothier, 14, after a worker showed him how to punch nails into siding.

There was another lesson being taught, too, in that Kingery Construction Co. garage last week on Tuesday, where the piercing sounds of hammers and nail guns and the sharp smell of white paint permeated.

One about looking after each other and helping those in need.

See, the after-school students from the Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln/Lancaster County at North Star were there to actually build something -- little free pantries that will soon be stuffed with food and other needed products and set up in Lincoln neighborhoods as a saving grace to those who might just need something to fix for supper but can't afford it.

The idea to collaborate with the Boys and Girls Club students started about a year ago, said Kingery president Rod Berens. The construction company just down the street from North Star had already been working with students there. The food pantry idea seemed like a natural fit: It helps the community and gives students hands-on insight into the world of construction.

North Star grad and her Yazidi family fled ISIS. Now she's advocating for girls and education on national stage. Nibras Basitkey was among the women whose stories were featured Monday on "Today" as part of the show's coverage on International Day of the Girl -- a yearly observance that recognizes girls' rights to education and the challenges they face.

"One of the things we wanted to do was somehow get the kids involved," said Berens. "To show them 'Maybe, I like this stuff.' Maybe they didn't ever have a chance to get involved in any kind of construction or what that really meant."

So the students came last week, rolled up their sleeves and got to work on four pantries in progress. Some painted, while others hammered in nails and were shown how to safely use staple and nail guns (seemingly everyone's favorite).

"It was really fun actually getting to learn how to use the different tools," said freshman Jordan Jones, 14. "I want to do this again."

Developing career skills and engaging with the community is just part of the work the Boys and Girls Club does at North Star, said program director John Harris Jr. The after-school program based at the high school and Park Middle School often focuses on workforce development and career opportunities, goals more important than ever.

"And so this is just another way that we can engage with the community, show these kids another option after high school," Harris said. "For them to come here and be hands on with something that's going to help the community has been awesome."

Steve Joel: Extending mask mandate right move with COVID-19 shots for kids not yet cleared While Joel noted the mandate is solely the Health Department's decision, the superintendent said LPS meets weekly with Director Pat Lopez and other public health officials to discuss the community's response.

Millard Lumber in Waverly also partnered with the Boys and Girls Club, donating more than $2,500 in supplies to build the pantries, which will be installed in neighborhoods -- including near North Star and in Air Park -- sometime this fall.

Little free pantries have sprouted up in neighborhoods across the U.S. as a way to help those in need. Anyone can donate items to the pantries -- nonperishable food and hygiene and paper products. Then, people are welcome to take what they need.

"If somebody is hungry and they don't have food, now they can get food," said 16-year-old junior Rebecca Davidson.

Boys & Girls Club already has two pantries installed in Cooper Park near Seventh and D streets and American Legion Park at 26th and Randolph streets.

But it's clear there is need everywhere, Harris said.

"So to give back to people that live in this neighborhood is always a good time."

The '21st-century librarian' at Lincoln Southeast and a family's story of hope After her husband was diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease, Sara Friest became a school librarian to help support her family. Now she's being recognized for her innovative work.

Exercise looks at how LPS would react in event of disaster; and high school bowlers have alternative Pound Middle School seventh graders took part in a reunification drill last week to practice how LPS would safely transport students and reunify them with their parents in the case of a crisis.

LPS school board narrows list of superintendent search firms to two Six search firms -- all based in the Midwest -- sent proposals to the board over the past few weeks, outlining how they would conduct a search to identify candidates to succeed Steve Joel.
Part 1 of a series

RACINE  For people having mental health crises, theres often no place for them to go. Thats why, so often, they end up in jail.

According to a 2010 study by the Treatment Advocacy Center, there are as many as three seriously mentally ill people in jails and prisons for every one in a hospital.

There used to be asylums throughout the United States. In 1955, according to the TAC study, there was one psychiatric bed for every 300 Americans. In 2005, there was one psychiatric bed for every 3,000 Americans.

Theyve been removed from the American landscape without a replacement.

Racine County Insane Asylum

The location where the Racine County Insane Asylum sat  later known as the Gatliff Asylum, then the High Ridge Health Care Center of Racine County  has now become a busy thoroughfare.

The High Ridge Centre, the now-vacant mini-mall next to Home Depot along Green Bay Road, replaced the asylum after it was torn down in the late 1980s. The pond frequented by migrating geese near the corner of Green Bay Road and 21st Street, near a Culvers, is the same pond that had been outside the asylum.

The Racine County Insane Asylum started out as a poorhouse in the late 19th century. In February 1904, after the facility became an asylum, it burned down in a fire.

A nationally circulated newspaper report from the time includes the headline Mad patients out in the cold: Half-Clad Men and Women Wander About in Snow While Asylum Burns. Sixty inmates are missing. At the time, between 130 and 200 people were living there.

It was rebuilt and, in 1918, there was again an addition of a poorhouse. Later, it also housed tuberculosis patients.

By the time it was shut down for good prior to 1986, more than 200 people were reportedly living there  all were moved to the county-run Ridgewood Care Center on Wood Road, which is still open as a nursing home.

Present day

What is believed to be Wisconsins first mental hospital is still open, and remains the states largest mental health facility: the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison. According to AsylumProjects.org, it had a peak patient population of 2,528 in 1950. Today there are fewer than 300 patients at Mendota.

Most, if not all, Mendota residents were ordered there through the criminal justice system. Tamir Williams, a 33-year-old barber from Racine, was ordered there last month after being found not competent to stand trial; he allegedly admitted to having killed 21-year-old Andre Sandoval on Aug. 28 in Mount Pleasant following a fee dispute over a haircut Williams gave Sandoval.

In 2014, state legislators nearly closed Mendota  looking to move all of its inmate/patients to the 170-bed Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh  but backed off after law enforcement leaders spoke up, saying it would be too much of a burden on officers to drive suspects halfway across the state.

Now, Mendota is being expanded to accommodate a larger youth population as Wisconsins youthful-offender facilities are shut down.

Besides Winnebago and Mendota, theres the 350-bed Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston, where sexually violent men who have been convicted are held.

But in Wisconsin, thats it. The three combine to have about 780 occupied beds.

Ascension Healths Wisconsin Avenue facility, formerly known as St. Lukes, has 22 adult and 10 inpatient beds for mental illness and substance abuse  which still leaves the Racine area with only 32 inpatient beds compared to the hundreds that were available at the asylum.

Private mental health hospitals are expensive.

Many of the private mental health hospitals still in operation do not accept insurance and can cost upwards of $30,000 per month  For many low-income patients, Medicaid is the only path to mental health care, but a provision in the law prevents the federal government from paying for long-term care in an institution, NPR reported in 2017 following an interview with Dominic Sisti, director of the Scattergood Program for Applied Ethics of Behavioral Health Care at the University of Pennsylvania. As such, theres really no option for poor people with severe mental health issues.

Mental illness can also lead to poverty, and poverty can lead to mental illness. Poverty is both a cause of mental health problems and a consequence, notes a 2020 study in Glasgow, Scotland, by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Poverty in childhood and among adults can cause poor mental health through social stresses, stigma and trauma. Equally, mental health problems can lead to impoverishment through loss of employment or underemployment, or fragmentation of social relationships.

The closure of mental health facilities rather than open new ones has continued to be a trend.

Wisconsin had 558 inpatient psychiatric beds in 2010, but only had 458 in 2016, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center.

According to a 2010 TAC report: Emptying Americas mental hospitals without ensuring that the discharged patients received appropriate treatment in the community has been an egregious mistake. For the approximately half of discharged patients who have ended up homeless or in jails and prisons, it has been a personal tragedy. Although deinstitutionalization was well intentioned, the failure to provide for the treatment needs of the patients has turned this policy into one of the greatest social disasters of the 20th century. It is an ongoing disaster because states are continuing to close psychiatric hospital beds, with present administrators of state mental health programs seemingly oblivious to the problems they are causing.

My perspective, both as a historian and as a clinician, is that the question Should we bring back the asylums? is a red herring question, said Dr. Patricia DAntonio, a professor of mental health nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. Rather than talking about the system of asylums, we need to bring back services, she argued  which includes vastly increasing the number of mental health hospital beds available, but not bringing back asylums wholescale. We have lots of things we can do. The question is if we have the will to do it.

A bind we created

Since approximately 15% to 20% of U.S. inmates have mental illness, and since there are about 19,000 prisoners in Wisconsin prisons as of February 2021, that would mean that there are about 3,300 prisoners with severe mental illness in Wisconsin  outnumbering the amount of state-tracked psychiatric inpatient beds almost 6 to 1. That estimate doesnt include jail totals.

On top of that, according to the Department of Health Services, Wisconsins mental health system does not have culturally competent and translation services, which prevents many Wisconsinites from accessing services before a crisis  In the current system, people in crisis may receive treatment that does not best meet their needs, such as emergency detention, because facilities like hospital emergency rooms are not equipped to handle all crises. With better crisis community-based structure in regions, hospitals could be a last resort.

This crisis may be no better illustrated than the tragic case of Malcolm James. He was a 27-year-old Racine man who was accused of setting his own apartment on fire on May 29 during an apparent mental health crisis, was arrested, appeared suicidal in jail, was hospitalized twice and twice released from a conventional hospital, and later died while in the Racine County Jail on June 1  according to what has been released to date by the Racine County Sheriffs Office as the investigation continues to undergo review.

DHS says that Without facilities in every region of the state, many Wisconsinites cannot access services within their own communities. Facilities in all five regions of the state will support individuals within their own communities, allowing them to maintain social connections.

Right now, only two of Wisconsins five designated regions have a mental health facility. If someone were to be taken to either Mendota or Winnebago from Superior, Wisconsin, the drive would be at least five hours  thats five hours that, usually, two law enforcement officers would need to devote to driving the person to the facility, and then another five for those officers to drive back home.

Close-range, reliable crisis centers dont exist in Wisconsin, or in really any state in the country.

Other than jails, theres nowhere else to put someone  Law enforcement has almost no option  They cant drive them to the county facility, because there is no county facility, said James Schatzman, Racine Vocational Ministry executive director.  Weve put ourselves in this situation, with how we fund crime and mental health  Its put us in a bind.

Sisti in 2017 told NPR State hospitals began to realize that individuals who were there probably could do well in the community. It was well-intended, but what I believe happened over the past 50 years is that theres been such an evaporation of psychiatric therapeutic spaces that now we lack a sufficient number of psychiatric beds.

A lot of the time at jails or hospitals, someone suffering from a mental health crisis will be in and out in a matter of hours. Whatever crisis they were in may have been stabilized or passed (or maybe not), and the underlying disease remains unaddressed.

That seems to be what happened with James. He exhibited a need for mental health care, but was sent back to a jail cell.

Jails are not mental health institutions. Im sorry, theyre not, said DAntonio. Jails first priority is safety. Its not treatment. We are asking jails and prisons something to do that is absolutely contrary to their mission.

Horrors obscure benefits

Decades ago, he may have ended up in an asylum, the likes of which dont really exist anymore.

In 1887, journalist Nellie Bly faked illness to get into a mental hospital and documented filth, food that bordered on inedible, physical and mental abuse, and other atrocities. Countless others who didnt need mental health help and were not a danger to others  such as homosexuals, the homeless and those with physical disabilities  were locked up needlessly. Many were forced to undergo needless surgeries and lobotomies, or were effectively experimented on without their consent. Bly reported that staff would be indifferent to issues, often beating patients who spoke up. And patients would be given nothing to do, leading Bly to feel as if she had been sane going into the asylum but then the facility was driving her insane.

Similar issues were reported in Racine. In 1954, The Journal Times reported on complaints raised by a Racine psychiatrist who said the Racine County Insane Asylum was the equivalent of medieval dungeons. In 1971, employees at the facility went on strike, citing degrading treatment of the ill.

As word of these horrors spread, the public turned on the institutions. Rather than fix the problem, asylums were largely abandoned altogether. Nearly all of them are now shuttered and closed.

The number of people admitted to psychiatric hospitals and other residential facilities in America declined from 471,000 in 1970 to 170,000 in 2014, according to the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors.

Rather than fix the problems in asylums so they could fulfill their initial purpose  caring for those who needed it  they were shut down.

Destruction without replacement

Schatzman and Elizabeth Sinclair Hancq, director of research the Treatment Advocacy Center who has a background in medical science and public health research, said the problem really started in the 1970s. Thats when asylums really disappeared, without a replacement appearing.

Although psychiatric hospitals still exist, The Atlantic reported in 2015, the dearth of long-term care options for the mentally ill in the U.S. is acute, the researchers (from the University of Pennsylvania) say. State-run psychiatric facilities house 45,000 patients, less than a tenth of the number of patients they did in 1955. With the doubling of the U.S. population  this is a 95 percent decline  The process of de-institutonalization, or shutting the doors of psychiatric hospitals, started in the 1950s, and was expedited in the 1960s and 1970s with the passage of new healthcare laws that introduced peer-facilitated community treatment, as well as some highly publicized cases of patient abuse.

In the 1970s and 80s, we stopped funding mental health institutions, Schatzman said. All over the country, we were closing them down.

Bringing Americas mental health infrastructure up to snuff isnt a patch job. Whole new systems need to be put in place, Sinclair Hancq said.

Coming Tuesday: The path forward for treatment of the mentally ill, including an alternative model thats working in Italy.

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Dane County residents will be required to wear face coverings indoors in public for a few more weeks, after health officials on Monday extended a COVID-19 mask mandate until Nov. 27.

But Public Health Madison and Dane County said that at this point in time it does not plan to continue the mask requirement beyond that date, ending the only county mandate still in effect in the state.

This decision comes as a result of decreasing case rates, increasing vaccination rates and the expansion of eligibility for booster doses, which will only help strengthen our collective immunity, Janel Heinrich, director of the city-county health department, said in a statement. It is no coincidence that transmission is dropping; it reflects the result of intentional, effective public health interventions and another incredible effort by the people of Dane County.

The new order, like the current one set to expire Friday, requires people 2 and older to wear face coverings when in any enclosed space open to the public where other people, except for members of the persons own household or living unit, are present.

Dane County lifted its mask order in early June, when cases of COVID-19 declined dramatically after vaccines became widely available. In August, when the delta variant of the coronavirus surged, the local health department reinstated the mask requirement. Since September, the department has carved out an exemption to allow stage and musical performers to go maskless if they follow a set of criteria.

On Oct. 4, an average of 147 people were testing positive per day, the local department said. By Thursday, that dropped to 88 people per day.

However, while the countys weekly rate of new COVID-19 cases decreased from 157 per 100,000 people in late September to 113 per 100,000 as of Monday, that is considered a high level as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, the county had the lowest level of disease activity in the state last week, according to the state Department of Health Services.

The county has Wisconsins highest COVID-19 vaccination rate, with more than 85% of eligible residents having at least one dose.

The Food and Drug Administration last week authorized Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, and the CDC is expected to make its recommendation Tuesday. The state health department typically follows suit.

The city-county health department said it strongly recommends that schools continue to require masks among students, teachers and staff. One study showed that schools without mask requirements were 3.5 times more likely to have COVID outbreaks than schools with mask requirements, the department said.

Our main goal with masking guidelines continues to be protecting those most vulnerable to the virus, including unvaccinated children, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said in a statement. We know wearing masks helps keep kids from getting sick in school settings and keeps kids in school.

Dr. Jerry Halverson, chairman of the county Board of Health, said, We believe the steps we have taken as a community worked; by getting vaccinated, wearing a mask indoors, and taking as many steps as possible to protect ourselves and each other, we have made a real impact.
The Purple Heart is, of course, the well-known medal given to members of the Armed Forces injured or killed in the line of duty.

If there is a similar medal for police K-9 dogs, we are proud to say we know one pooch who is most deserving  Kenosha County Sheriffs K9 Riggs.

Before we go on praising Riggs, let us give a shoutout to all the Kenosha County deputies who responded with Riggs to the scary situation on Oct. 21 at the Benson Corners convenience store and gas station on Highway 50 in Bristol.

Called by Chicago Police, KCSD deputies located the suspect wanted in two murders in Chicago earlier that day. One of the killings was someone shot at a bus stop. The other was the victim of a carjacking that took place after the first killing.

When the suspect, 33-year-old Allen Brown of Countryside, Ill., was located by Kenosha County deputies at Benson Corners, they conducted a high-risk arrest, with guns drawn and commands to surrender loudly and clearly conveyed. When Brown took off running toward Highway 50, thats when Riggs was released. The dog took the suspect down only to have Brown, according to the account of Sheriff David Beth, shoot Riggs in the head.

Sheriffs deputies then fired on Brown, hitting him in the leg and abdomen.

Deputies secured Brown and gave immediate first aid to him until Bristol paramedics arrived to transport him to Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital.

Riggs, meanwhile, was transported to Harris Veterinary Hospital in nearby Paddock Lake. Subsequently, Salem Lakes paramedics were called to transport Riggs to a specialty veterinary clinic in Lake County, Illinois. A police radio transmission the Kenosha News heard made the message clear: Let paramedics know they are transporting a wounded police officer. Many of us shed a tear and prayed for Riggs to survive.

And while it was unfortunate that it took bullets to subdue Brown, he did survive. Sheriff Beth pointed out in a press conference that the actions of Riggs and the deputies likely kept a scary situation to turn into something more tragic. After all, Brown had been accused of killing two people already; he might have turned to carjacking again at the busy Benson Corners gas station; bystanders could have been shot (store owner Gursahib Singh said there were customers in the lot at the time of the incident); and motorists on busy Highway 50 could have been struck by gunfire had Brown engaged the deputies in a firefight, or perhaps crashed into had a high-speed chase ensued down Highway 50 or nearby Highway 45.

We dont know at this point what health challenges Riggs faces as a result of his injury, but he walked out of Veterinary Specialty Center in Buffalo Grove, Ill., on his own with his handler Deputy Terry Tifft alongside. Riggs was greeted by an honor guard of his fellow K-9 dogs from the area and their law enforcement handlers.

At a time when law enforcement is under increased scrutiny for its actions and calls for police reform ring across the nation, we need to also keep in mind that cops everyday perform difficult and dangerous duties in the name of keeping us safe. What unfolded last week in Bristol was a prime example of that valor.

Sheriff Beth indicated at a press conference on Oct. 21 that Riggs has likely seen the end of his tour of duty. To him we say Godspeed. Thanks, too, to Deputy Tifft the other deputies involved in the Benson Corners response.

Our thoughts are with Riggs for a continued speedy recovery and that may he enjoy the rest of his days in peace.

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1. Yes. Council members appear to have taken time to review each section carefully.

2. Yes. The council has set up town halls and a public hearing to inform the residents.

3. No. The council should have set up a charter review committee, including residents.

4. No. Some of the items proposed so far benefit the council more than the community.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say until after the public has had more opportunities to weigh in.

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The Badger Project has agreed to drop its lawsuit against the La Crosse Police Department after the city turned over public records regarding a former officer who resigned in lieu of termination in 2019.

The department has also agreed to pay $1,300 to The Badger Project and the Wisconsin Transparency Project to cover their legal fees within 30 days of the case being dismissed with prejudice. Dismissal with prejudice means the plaintiff cannot refile the claim again in the same court.

The Wisconsin Transparency Project, a law firm that focuses on the states open records and meetings laws, filed the lawsuit on behalf of The Badger Projects managing editor Peter Cameron.

We are glad the La Crosse Police Department immediately agreed to turn over the records, said Tom Kamenick, president of the Wisconsin Transparency Project and Camerons attorney.

In May, the La Crosse Police Department denied Camerons request, claiming internal disciplinary as the reason the records were not subject to disclosure.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Kamenick, La Crosse City Attorney Stephen Matty said that the decision to deny those records was made in error.

It is unknown why the records clerk provided such a response, as the clerk left her employment with the city several months ago, Matty said in the letter. He did not respond to a follow-up request from The Badger Project for comment.

The records requested were held in the City of La Crosse Human Resources Department, Matty said. After the initial denial and filling of the lawsuit, David Buroker, the citys deputy director of human resources, emailed Cameron and offered assistance in finding the records. Cameron told Buroker in an email its up to the courts to decide now.

We shouldnt have to file a lawsuit to get public records, Cameron said Thursday. Public records belong to the public.

The records were turned over last Wednesday to The Badger Project without redactions.

Custodians should learn two things from this case, Kamenick said. First, denials of record requests must be explained. You cannot just cite to a statute and claim it exempts the records. Second, there is no blanket exemption for investigatory or disciplinary records.

According to state law, all public records are open to public inspection unless the government agency can point to a specific exemption on the books.

I founded the Wisconsin Transparency Project to bring a new level of accountability to government agencies around the state, Kamenick said. If you break the law, you will be sued.

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin. For more visit thebadgerproject.org

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By definition, cultures differ. Wisconsinites dread ice storms. For people of Ghana, its snakes. Pizza topped the favorite food list for the Alameida family of La Crescent. For Prince Paul Konu of Ghana and his family  rice and okra.

But when cultures connect, good things happen.

John Alameida, now a retired nurse, travelled to Ghana on four medical mission trips after becoming friends with Konu through the mission program at La Crescent Evangelical Free Church (LEFC). And that relationship gave him a new perspective on spirituality.

His life helped me to grow closer to God, recalled Alameida of their 10-year friendship. Just watching how God works through his life was an inspiration to me.

Alameida went on to explain how Konus visits at church events influenced the youth group as well as his own family. Alameidas son, also a nurse, signed on for medical mission trips to the Sudan as well as Ghana.

And for Konu and his people, the relationship with LEFC has been equally rewarding. We see the love of God manifested in the church, said Konu during his recent visit. People in America care.

Konu, who pastors a church in central Ghana, founded a mission school for poverty-stricken children without access to education. Three years ago he also opened a sewing school next door to help destitute women learn a trade. And with help from a team of associates, he planted 56 churches across Ghana.

And its precisely at these junctures where his American friends connected. Earlier this year, Konus well succumbed to the African drought and dried up. People walked a mile to haul water from a polluted river. LEFC responded, raising over $8,000 for a new drilled well and bathroom facilities. The church also funded kitchen and dormitory upgrades at the schools.

When asked what that meant to the people, Konu raises his hands and smiles, They are filled with joy.

LEFC also provided sewing machines used at the sewing school. Konus eyes well up when he talks about awarding each graduate their own sewing machine. There are tears of joy, he said, as women realize they are now capable of earning a living.

Konus first connection to the La Crosse community actually came in 2011 at a church convention in Ames, Iowa. Pastor Dan Cravillion of LEFC recalled that when the question surfaced about helping missions, Konu spoke up, Just give us Bibles, he said. Cravillion thought, Ive got to meet this guy. Since then hes made the effort to come every year, said Cravillion.

Now 10 years later both the ministries and bonds of friendship have grown stronger. Konus mission school is bursting with 120 students and the sewing school has begun its third class. And both have clean water.

As for Alameida, Ive learned to love God more because Ive been privileged to work around him, he said. And those are all good things.

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The latest on U.N. climate summit COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland:

TOKYO  Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is heading to the U.N. climate summit saying his country will push strongly for emissions reductions.

Talking to reporters before leaving for Glasgow on Tuesday, he said: I hope to show to the international community Japans strong determination to achieve carbon neutrality (at home) by 2050 and realize zero emissions across Asia.

The overseas trip is Kishidas first since he took office a month ago.

Kishida is expected to outline Japans emissions reduction effort in his speech at the summit. Tokyo announced in April a target of 46% reduction by 2030 from fiscal 2013 levels to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Kishida is also expected to hold talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a few other leaders during his several-hour visit.

His trip comes just after a key parliamentary election in which his governing party and its coalition partner secured leadership.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Britain says it has gained the backing of more than 100 countries to end deforestation, which scientists say is a major driver of climate change.

The U.K. government said Monday at this year's U.N. climate conference that it has received commitments from leaders representing more than 85% of the worlds forests to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

More than $19 billion in public and private funds have been pledged toward the plan, which is backed by countries including Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Indonesia, Russia and the United States.

Forests are considered important ecosystems and an important way of absorbing carbon dioxide  the main greenhouse gas  from the atmosphere. But the value of wood as a commodity and the growing demand for agricultural and pastoral land are leading to widespread and often illegal felling of forests particularly in developing countries.

Campaign group Human Right Watch cautions that similar agreements in the past have failed to be effective.

Luciana Tellez Chavez, an environmental researcher at the group, says strengthening Indigenous peoples rights would help prevent deforestation and should be part of the agreement.



GLASGOW, Scotland  The Bezos Earth Fund pledged $2 billion Tuesday to fight climate change through landscape restoration and the transformation of agricultural systems.

Our commitment today supports a three-fold imperative  we must conserve what we have, restore what weve lost, and grow what we need in harmony with nature, the funds founder, Jeff Bezos, said in a statement.

The $2 billion pledge at COP26 is part of $10 billion that the Amazon founder committed earlier this year to spend by 2030 in an effort to battle climate change.

The Bezos Earth Fund plans to spend $1 billion mainly in the United States and Africa, planting trees to better secure eroding landscapes and restoring areas that capture high levels of carbon dioxide. The remaining $1 billion will be earmarked for transforming agricultural systems to try to increase crop yields, reduce food waste and encourage more plant-based diets.



GLASGOW, Scotland  A coalition of governments and private funders announced plans at COP26 Monday to invest $1.7 billion to aid Indigenous communities and protect biodiverse tropical forests in the next four years.

Governments from the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and 17 other private funders said the money will support activities to secure, strengthen and protect Indigenous Peoples and local communities land and resource rights, and provide other kinds of aid, including for group activities.

We call on other donors to significantly increase their support to this important agenda, the donors said in a statement. It did not specify which communities would get the funding.

A spokesperson for The Ford Foundation, one of the funders, told The Associated Press the governments are providing approximately $1 billion, while the rest will come from the philanthropies. In addition to the Ford Foundation, funders include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos Bezos Earth Fund and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloombergs Bloomberg Philanthropies.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Queen Elizabeth II has welcomed world leaders to the U.N. climate summit in a pre-recorded video message, saying the time for words has now moved to the time for action.

The 95-year-old monarch had been expected to attend the Glasgow summit, but she had to cancel the trip after doctors said she should rest and not travel. The queen recently underwent medical checks and spent the night at a London hospital -- her first hospital stay in years.

In the video message, played Monday during a welcoming reception for presidents and prime ministers, the queen said she hoped that the conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship.

History has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope, she said in the video, which was recorded on Friday at Windsor Castle.

In a tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, the queen said she was happy to welcome the delegates because the environment was a subject close to Philips heart. In a rare public display of emotion, she said she could not be more proud that Philips environmental work lives on through the work of their eldest son, Prince Charles, and his son Prince William.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Environmental activists expressed anger Monday at what they consider the slow pace of action to curb climate change.

Youth campaigners from several countries marched on the opposite bank of the River Clyde from where the U.N. climate summit was being held, holding banners with slogans such as We are watching you.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg accused world leaders and government officials inside the conference of pretending to take our future seriously.

Change is not going to come from inside, she said, adding: No more blah blah blah. No, whatever the (expletive) theyre doing inside there.

Earlier Monday, Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti made an impassioned appeal to world leaders to open your hearts to those already feeling the effects of global warming, saying that drought in her home country means many are going without food.

As I sit comfortably here in this conference center in Glasgow, over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation, she said.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted that curbing climate change must not come at a high cost to people and businesses, saying technology will provide solutions to the climate crisis.

Australia has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and at the COP26 climate conference on Monday, Morrison said by 2030 Australias emissions will be 35% below 2005 levels. That is more than Australias commitment, made in Paris six years ago, but still weaker than many other wealthy nations. The United States has committed to reductions of between 50% and 52% below 2005 levels.

Morrison said technology will have the answers to a decarbonized economy, particularly over time -- and achieve it in a way that does not deny our citizens, especially in developing economies, their livelihoods or the opportunity for a better quality of life.

The Australian leader said raising the cost of energy just impacts on those who can afford it least and said driving down the cost of technology would be key to Australia hitting its net-zero target.



GLASGOW  Indias prime minister says his country will aim to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070  two decades after the United States and at least 10 year later than China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the target Monday at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow.

Modi said the goal of reaching net zero by 2070 was one of five measures India planned to undertake to meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord.

Experts from think tanks and universities said the move is significant, considering how new the concept is to India and the nations development status. Ulka Kelkar, who directs India's climate policy analysis for the World Resource Institute, said it would be similar to the U.S. and Europe adopting net-zero goals 20 years ago.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The British government sees some cause for optimism at the COP26 talks, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the world is running out of time to defuse the doomsday device of climate change.

Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said we are seeing some positive signs so far that leaders recognize the urgency of the situation.

World leaders were given stark warnings as their summit opened Monday by Johnson, the head of the United Nations and delegates from countries threatened by sea rise or drought because of global warming.

Behind the scenes Johnson has been pressing major polluters, including India, Indonesia and Russia, to improve their carbon-cutting plans.

Blain said we expect to see countries to come forward with some more commitments during COP26. We continue to encourage that those are ambitious, measurable targets that can be delivered particularly in the next decade.



GLASGOW  President Joe Biden offered a public apology to a U.N. climate conference over his predecessor Donald Trumps move to pull the U.S. from the Paris accord.

Biden was speaking in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday where world leaders were gathering to discuss implementing the agreement to contain global warming by mid-century.

He said: I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit.

Biden has frequently criticized the past administrations approach to climate, but had not previously delivered a public apology to the world.

Biden reentered the agreement in one of his first official acts in office on Jan. 20.



GLASGOW  French President Emmanuel Macron challenged the worlds biggest emitters to immediately step up commitments to curb carbon emissions, saying doing so within the coming days is the only way to make global efforts to slow climate change credible.

Macron defended the legacy of the 2015 Paris accord, but acknowledged that countries are far from fulfilling their promises to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees since the industrial era. We know that we are not there yet, he told the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow on Monday.

The key for the next 15 days here is that the biggest emitters ... raise their ambitions, Macron said, without calling out specific countries. Its the only way to make our strategy credible ... and to make 1.5 degrees a credible figure.

Noting that indigenous people are the first victims of this climate disturbance and that nations in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean are particularly hard hit, he called on rich countries to speed up deep transformation of the way they trade and invest.

France sees itself as a guarantor of the Paris accord after hosting the historic talks but France has not fully met its own promises so far under the accord. Some activists protested Monday in Glasgow, calling on Macron to do more.



RIO DE JANEIRO  Brazil on Monday stepped up its commitment against greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to halve them by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels, while critics alleged the government is tinkering with data.

We present today a new, more ambitious climate goal, Environment Minister Joaquim Leite said at the U.N. Glasgow climate conference.

Brazil previously targeted 43% fewer emissions by 2030 versus 25 years earlier.

The announcement in Glasgow represents another effort by the Brazilian government to project itself as a responsible environmental steward in the wake of surging deforestation and fires in Brazils Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands in recent years. But critics cautioned that its shift should be viewed with skepticism.

Experts have accused Brazil of previously adjusting its emissions targets in a way that would allow it to release more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The government significantly increased the estimate for its baseline, making its target easier to accomplish.

Rodrigo Agostinho, a member of the Brazilian delegation to Glasgow, told The Associated Press that no one trusts Brazil anymore  and that wont change even with a more ambitious emissions target.



GLASGOW  President Joe Biden urged world leaders to the meet the challenge of global warming, saying there is no more time to hang back or argue amongst ourselves about the peril facing the planet.

Glasgow must be the kickoff of a decade of ambition, Biden told world leaders in remarks at Mondays COP26 summit.

Biden said within the growing catastrophe of a warming climate there was an incredible opportunity to stave off problems caused by extreme weather, diminishing resources and other disastrous impacts caused by climate change. He said the crisis also offered an opportunity to make a generational investment to grow economies around the globe.

The president also said he wants to do more to help countries around the world to address the challenges caused by climate change.

The Biden administration on Monday released its strategy for transforming the U.S. into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050. The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris accord, lays out a United States increasingly running on wind, solar and other clean energy.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Germanys outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel urged other countries to put a price on carbon emissions, which are the main cause of global warming.

Merkel  who chaired the first Conference of the Parties, or COP1, in 1995  said the world needs a comprehensive transformation of way people live and work if it wants to curb climate change.

Speaking Monday at the ceremonial opening of this years U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Merkel said she wanted to make a clear plea for the pricing of carbon emissions to help promote the most efficient ways of reaching net zero, a goal many countries are striving for by 2050.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says his government plans to increase its climate finance by 50% by 2025 as a contribution to the common pledge made by rich economies to pay developing nations to help them fight and adapt to climate change.

Developed countries have fallen short of a commitment to reach a contribution of $100 billion every year to developing nations from 2020 to 2025.

Speaking to leaders at the COP26 U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Sanchez said Monday that Spain plans to increase its contribution and reach 1.35 billion euros ($1.56 billion) in 2025 and every year after that.

Meeting the $100 billion target is going to be one of the litmus tests of COP26, Sanchez said. When it comes to regaining trust between the countries of the North and the South, Spain will do its part.



GLASGOW, Scotland  The prime minister of Barbados has told world leaders that failing to act urgently on climate change will be a death sentence for people in island nations like hers.

Mia Amor Mottley told leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow that nations facing the biggest threat from global warming fear the gathering will not achieve its goals.

She said that both ambition and, regrettably, some of the needed faces at Glasgow are not present. The leaders of China, Russia and Turkey are among those who have not come to the summit.

Mottley told leaders they must try harder, saying vulnerable countries needed trillions of dollars, not the billions so far committed, to adapt to climate change and green their economies.

She said simply put: When will leaders lead?



GLASGOW, Scotland  Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti made an impassioned appeal to world leaders to open your hearts to those already feeling the effects of global warming.

Speaking Monday at the ceremonial opening of the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Wathuti said drought in her home country means many are going without food.

As I sit comfortably here in this conference center in Glasgow, over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation, she said. In this past year, both of our rainy seasons have failed, and scientists say that it may be another 12 months before the waters return again.

Wathuti urged leaders to take the necessary action to tackle climate change.

The decisions you make here will help determine whether children will have food and water, she said.



GLASGOW, Scotland  British naturalist David Attenborough gave leaders at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow a brief lesson is the fragility of the planet and humanitys dependence on the natural world.

The 95-year-old documentary-maker, who was announced at Mondays ceremonial opening as the peoples advocate, spoke ahead of presidents and prime ministers from more than 100 countries.

Attenborough said for much of humanitys existence, the climate on Earth had swung wildly before stabilizing 10,000 years ago, allowing human civilizations to flourish.

The stability we all depend on is breaking, he said.

Attenborough said the action necessary to curb greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would prevent dangerous global warming is possible, if countries move quickly and decisively.

We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth, he said. If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to destabilize our planet. Surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Activists in costumes have posed as world leaders playing in a traditional Scottish bagpipe band on Monday as world leaders came together at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow.

The Oxfam campaigners wore kilts and said that world leaders need to come up with more action and not only hot air to tackle the climate crisis.

These leaders, instead of reducing emissions and putting the world on a safer path, they are just blowing hot air, and we have had enough of hot air and empty promises, what we are asking for is for concrete action," Oxfam Climate Policy Lead Nafkote Dabi said.

We need climate finance, poor countries need climate finance, vulnerable communities need climate finance, and they need to be serious about this, to support vulnerable countries, to adapt to the worst impact of the climate crisis.



GLASGOW, Scotland  The head of the United Nations warned leaders at the global climate summit in Glasgow that we digging our own graves by burning fossil fuels and destroying the environment.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the ceremonial opening of the two-week talks Monday that believing recent announcements by governments could turn the tide on climate change were an illusion, not least because there are serious questions many countries pledges.

As we open this much anticipated climate conference, we are still heading for climate disaster, he said.

Guterres urged major economic powers, including emerging nations like China, to go the extra mile because they contribute the lions share of global greenhouse gas emissions.

He also criticized a confusion over emissions reductions targets, and announced the creation of a new group of experts to propose clear standards for measuring commitments from businesses and other non-state actors.



MOSCOW  The Kremlin says that Moscow remains fully committed to global efforts on controlling climate change even though Russian President Vladimir Putin won't attend the U.N. climate conference this week.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the format of the conference in Glasgow wouldnt allow the Russian president to address the gathering via video link. But he added that Putin will record a video address to be delivered to a forest and land use conference which is part of the U.N. climate conference.

Peskov told reporters Monday that Russia fully shares global climate efforts and will stick to its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The U.S. and the EU have prodded Moscow to set a more ambitious goal and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Peskov charged that Russia is already ahead of some Western European countries regarding the share of low-carbon power generation sources. The Kremlin spokesman also emphasized the need to pay special attention to the needs of developing countries while mapping global climate efforts and consider their low emissions in the past.



GLASGOW, Scotland  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opened a global climate summit saying the world is strapped to a doomsday device.

Johnson likened the Earths position to that of fictional secret agent James Bond strapped to a doomsday device that will destroy the planet and trying to work out how to defuse it.

He told leaders we are in roughly the same position and that only now the ticking doomsday device is real and not a movie.

He was kicking off the world leaders summit portion of a U.N. climate conference aimed at getting an agreement to curb carbon emissions fast enough to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) below pre-industrial levels.

Britains leader struck a gloomy note on the eve of the conference after Group of 20 leaders made only modest climate commitments at their summit in Rome.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Two employees of a Native American addiction and counseling center, including its executive director, have been sentenced to prison on charges of embezzling more than $777,000 in federal funds.

Federal officials in Wisconsin say Fredericka DeCoteau, 63, of Cloquet, Minnesota, was sentenced Friday to 2 years in prison and Edith Schmuck, 77, of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in prison.

They were charged with theft of federal program funds. U.S. District Judge William M. Conley ordered DeCoteau and Schmuck to jointly pay back restitution of $777,283.

DeCoteau and Schmuck worked at Ain Dah Ing, which has operated as a non-profit halfway house in Spooner since 1971. DeCoteau was the executive director from 2002 to 2017. Schmuck was the bookkeeper from 1990 to 2017.

The center offers mental health and alcohol and substance abuse services to Native Americans from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin tribes. Its funding came from a federal commercial contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The complaint said DeCoteau and Schmuck paid themselves unauthorized bonuses via payroll checks that were signed using a rubber signature stamp of the centers treasurer. The judge said they lost most of the money at local American Indian casinos.

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The latest on U.N. climate summit COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland:

TOKYO  Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is heading to the U.N. climate summit saying his country will push strongly for emissions reductions.

Talking to reporters before leaving for Glasgow on Tuesday, he said: I hope to show to the international community Japans strong determination to achieve carbon neutrality (at home) by 2050 and realize zero emissions across Asia.

The overseas trip is Kishidas first since he took office a month ago.

Kishida is expected to outline Japans emissions reduction effort in his speech at the summit. Tokyo announced in April a target of 46% reduction by 2030 from fiscal 2013 levels to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Kishida is also expected to hold talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a few other leaders during his several-hour visit.

His trip comes just after a key parliamentary election in which his governing party and its coalition partner secured leadership.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Britain says it has gained the backing of more than 100 countries to end deforestation, which scientists say is a major driver of climate change.

The U.K. government said Monday at this year's U.N. climate conference that it has received commitments from leaders representing more than 85% of the worlds forests to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

More than $19 billion in public and private funds have been pledged toward the plan, which is backed by countries including Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Indonesia, Russia and the United States.

Forests are considered important ecosystems and an important way of absorbing carbon dioxide  the main greenhouse gas  from the atmosphere. But the value of wood as a commodity and the growing demand for agricultural and pastoral land are leading to widespread and often illegal felling of forests particularly in developing countries.

Campaign group Human Right Watch cautions that similar agreements in the past have failed to be effective.

Luciana Tellez Chavez, an environmental researcher at the group, says strengthening Indigenous peoples rights would help prevent deforestation and should be part of the agreement.



GLASGOW, Scotland  The Bezos Earth Fund pledged $2 billion Tuesday to fight climate change through landscape restoration and the transformation of agricultural systems.

Our commitment today supports a three-fold imperative  we must conserve what we have, restore what weve lost, and grow what we need in harmony with nature, the funds founder, Jeff Bezos, said in a statement.

The $2 billion pledge at COP26 is part of $10 billion that the Amazon founder committed earlier this year to spend by 2030 in an effort to battle climate change.

The Bezos Earth Fund plans to spend $1 billion mainly in the United States and Africa, planting trees to better secure eroding landscapes and restoring areas that capture high levels of carbon dioxide. The remaining $1 billion will be earmarked for transforming agricultural systems to try to increase crop yields, reduce food waste and encourage more plant-based diets.



GLASGOW, Scotland  A coalition of governments and private funders announced plans at COP26 Monday to invest $1.7 billion to aid Indigenous communities and protect biodiverse tropical forests in the next four years.

Governments from the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and 17 other private funders said the money will support activities to secure, strengthen and protect Indigenous Peoples and local communities land and resource rights, and provide other kinds of aid, including for group activities.

We call on other donors to significantly increase their support to this important agenda, the donors said in a statement. It did not specify which communities would get the funding.

A spokesperson for The Ford Foundation, one of the funders, told The Associated Press the governments are providing approximately $1 billion, while the rest will come from the philanthropies. In addition to the Ford Foundation, funders include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos Bezos Earth Fund and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloombergs Bloomberg Philanthropies.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Queen Elizabeth II has welcomed world leaders to the U.N. climate summit in a pre-recorded video message, saying the time for words has now moved to the time for action.

The 95-year-old monarch had been expected to attend the Glasgow summit, but she had to cancel the trip after doctors said she should rest and not travel. The queen recently underwent medical checks and spent the night at a London hospital -- her first hospital stay in years.

In the video message, played Monday during a welcoming reception for presidents and prime ministers, the queen said she hoped that the conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship.

History has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope, she said in the video, which was recorded on Friday at Windsor Castle.

In a tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, the queen said she was happy to welcome the delegates because the environment was a subject close to Philips heart. In a rare public display of emotion, she said she could not be more proud that Philips environmental work lives on through the work of their eldest son, Prince Charles, and his son Prince William.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Environmental activists expressed anger Monday at what they consider the slow pace of action to curb climate change.

Youth campaigners from several countries marched on the opposite bank of the River Clyde from where the U.N. climate summit was being held, holding banners with slogans such as We are watching you.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg accused world leaders and government officials inside the conference of pretending to take our future seriously.

Change is not going to come from inside, she said, adding: No more blah blah blah. No, whatever the (expletive) theyre doing inside there.

Earlier Monday, Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti made an impassioned appeal to world leaders to open your hearts to those already feeling the effects of global warming, saying that drought in her home country means many are going without food.

As I sit comfortably here in this conference center in Glasgow, over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation, she said.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted that curbing climate change must not come at a high cost to people and businesses, saying technology will provide solutions to the climate crisis.

Australia has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and at the COP26 climate conference on Monday, Morrison said by 2030 Australias emissions will be 35% below 2005 levels. That is more than Australias commitment, made in Paris six years ago, but still weaker than many other wealthy nations. The United States has committed to reductions of between 50% and 52% below 2005 levels.

Morrison said technology will have the answers to a decarbonized economy, particularly over time -- and achieve it in a way that does not deny our citizens, especially in developing economies, their livelihoods or the opportunity for a better quality of life.

The Australian leader said raising the cost of energy just impacts on those who can afford it least and said driving down the cost of technology would be key to Australia hitting its net-zero target.



GLASGOW  Indias prime minister says his country will aim to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070  two decades after the United States and at least 10 year later than China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the target Monday at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow.

Modi said the goal of reaching net zero by 2070 was one of five measures India planned to undertake to meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord.

Experts from think tanks and universities said the move is significant, considering how new the concept is to India and the nations development status. Ulka Kelkar, who directs India's climate policy analysis for the World Resource Institute, said it would be similar to the U.S. and Europe adopting net-zero goals 20 years ago.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The British government sees some cause for optimism at the COP26 talks, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the world is running out of time to defuse the doomsday device of climate change.

Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said we are seeing some positive signs so far that leaders recognize the urgency of the situation.

World leaders were given stark warnings as their summit opened Monday by Johnson, the head of the United Nations and delegates from countries threatened by sea rise or drought because of global warming.

Behind the scenes Johnson has been pressing major polluters, including India, Indonesia and Russia, to improve their carbon-cutting plans.

Blain said we expect to see countries to come forward with some more commitments during COP26. We continue to encourage that those are ambitious, measurable targets that can be delivered particularly in the next decade.



GLASGOW  President Joe Biden offered a public apology to a U.N. climate conference over his predecessor Donald Trumps move to pull the U.S. from the Paris accord.

Biden was speaking in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday where world leaders were gathering to discuss implementing the agreement to contain global warming by mid-century.

He said: I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit.

Biden has frequently criticized the past administrations approach to climate, but had not previously delivered a public apology to the world.

Biden reentered the agreement in one of his first official acts in office on Jan. 20.



GLASGOW  French President Emmanuel Macron challenged the worlds biggest emitters to immediately step up commitments to curb carbon emissions, saying doing so within the coming days is the only way to make global efforts to slow climate change credible.

Macron defended the legacy of the 2015 Paris accord, but acknowledged that countries are far from fulfilling their promises to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees since the industrial era. We know that we are not there yet, he told the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow on Monday.

The key for the next 15 days here is that the biggest emitters ... raise their ambitions, Macron said, without calling out specific countries. Its the only way to make our strategy credible ... and to make 1.5 degrees a credible figure.

Noting that indigenous people are the first victims of this climate disturbance and that nations in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean are particularly hard hit, he called on rich countries to speed up deep transformation of the way they trade and invest.

France sees itself as a guarantor of the Paris accord after hosting the historic talks but France has not fully met its own promises so far under the accord. Some activists protested Monday in Glasgow, calling on Macron to do more.



RIO DE JANEIRO  Brazil on Monday stepped up its commitment against greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to halve them by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels, while critics alleged the government is tinkering with data.

We present today a new, more ambitious climate goal, Environment Minister Joaquim Leite said at the U.N. Glasgow climate conference.

Brazil previously targeted 43% fewer emissions by 2030 versus 25 years earlier.

The announcement in Glasgow represents another effort by the Brazilian government to project itself as a responsible environmental steward in the wake of surging deforestation and fires in Brazils Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands in recent years. But critics cautioned that its shift should be viewed with skepticism.

Experts have accused Brazil of previously adjusting its emissions targets in a way that would allow it to release more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The government significantly increased the estimate for its baseline, making its target easier to accomplish.

Rodrigo Agostinho, a member of the Brazilian delegation to Glasgow, told The Associated Press that no one trusts Brazil anymore  and that wont change even with a more ambitious emissions target.



GLASGOW  President Joe Biden urged world leaders to the meet the challenge of global warming, saying there is no more time to hang back or argue amongst ourselves about the peril facing the planet.

Glasgow must be the kickoff of a decade of ambition, Biden told world leaders in remarks at Mondays COP26 summit.

Biden said within the growing catastrophe of a warming climate there was an incredible opportunity to stave off problems caused by extreme weather, diminishing resources and other disastrous impacts caused by climate change. He said the crisis also offered an opportunity to make a generational investment to grow economies around the globe.

The president also said he wants to do more to help countries around the world to address the challenges caused by climate change.

The Biden administration on Monday released its strategy for transforming the U.S. into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050. The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris accord, lays out a United States increasingly running on wind, solar and other clean energy.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Germanys outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel urged other countries to put a price on carbon emissions, which are the main cause of global warming.

Merkel  who chaired the first Conference of the Parties, or COP1, in 1995  said the world needs a comprehensive transformation of way people live and work if it wants to curb climate change.

Speaking Monday at the ceremonial opening of this years U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Merkel said she wanted to make a clear plea for the pricing of carbon emissions to help promote the most efficient ways of reaching net zero, a goal many countries are striving for by 2050.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says his government plans to increase its climate finance by 50% by 2025 as a contribution to the common pledge made by rich economies to pay developing nations to help them fight and adapt to climate change.

Developed countries have fallen short of a commitment to reach a contribution of $100 billion every year to developing nations from 2020 to 2025.

Speaking to leaders at the COP26 U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Sanchez said Monday that Spain plans to increase its contribution and reach 1.35 billion euros ($1.56 billion) in 2025 and every year after that.

Meeting the $100 billion target is going to be one of the litmus tests of COP26, Sanchez said. When it comes to regaining trust between the countries of the North and the South, Spain will do its part.



GLASGOW, Scotland  The prime minister of Barbados has told world leaders that failing to act urgently on climate change will be a death sentence for people in island nations like hers.

Mia Amor Mottley told leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow that nations facing the biggest threat from global warming fear the gathering will not achieve its goals.

She said that both ambition and, regrettably, some of the needed faces at Glasgow are not present. The leaders of China, Russia and Turkey are among those who have not come to the summit.

Mottley told leaders they must try harder, saying vulnerable countries needed trillions of dollars, not the billions so far committed, to adapt to climate change and green their economies.

She said simply put: When will leaders lead?



GLASGOW, Scotland  Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti made an impassioned appeal to world leaders to open your hearts to those already feeling the effects of global warming.

Speaking Monday at the ceremonial opening of the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Wathuti said drought in her home country means many are going without food.

As I sit comfortably here in this conference center in Glasgow, over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation, she said. In this past year, both of our rainy seasons have failed, and scientists say that it may be another 12 months before the waters return again.

Wathuti urged leaders to take the necessary action to tackle climate change.

The decisions you make here will help determine whether children will have food and water, she said.



GLASGOW, Scotland  British naturalist David Attenborough gave leaders at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow a brief lesson is the fragility of the planet and humanitys dependence on the natural world.

The 95-year-old documentary-maker, who was announced at Mondays ceremonial opening as the peoples advocate, spoke ahead of presidents and prime ministers from more than 100 countries.

Attenborough said for much of humanitys existence, the climate on Earth had swung wildly before stabilizing 10,000 years ago, allowing human civilizations to flourish.

The stability we all depend on is breaking, he said.

Attenborough said the action necessary to curb greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would prevent dangerous global warming is possible, if countries move quickly and decisively.

We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth, he said. If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to destabilize our planet. Surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it.



GLASGOW, Scotland  Activists in costumes have posed as world leaders playing in a traditional Scottish bagpipe band on Monday as world leaders came together at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow.

The Oxfam campaigners wore kilts and said that world leaders need to come up with more action and not only hot air to tackle the climate crisis.

These leaders, instead of reducing emissions and putting the world on a safer path, they are just blowing hot air, and we have had enough of hot air and empty promises, what we are asking for is for concrete action," Oxfam Climate Policy Lead Nafkote Dabi said.

We need climate finance, poor countries need climate finance, vulnerable communities need climate finance, and they need to be serious about this, to support vulnerable countries, to adapt to the worst impact of the climate crisis.



GLASGOW, Scotland  The head of the United Nations warned leaders at the global climate summit in Glasgow that we digging our own graves by burning fossil fuels and destroying the environment.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the ceremonial opening of the two-week talks Monday that believing recent announcements by governments could turn the tide on climate change were an illusion, not least because there are serious questions many countries pledges.

As we open this much anticipated climate conference, we are still heading for climate disaster, he said.

Guterres urged major economic powers, including emerging nations like China, to go the extra mile because they contribute the lions share of global greenhouse gas emissions.

He also criticized a confusion over emissions reductions targets, and announced the creation of a new group of experts to propose clear standards for measuring commitments from businesses and other non-state actors.



MOSCOW  The Kremlin says that Moscow remains fully committed to global efforts on controlling climate change even though Russian President Vladimir Putin won't attend the U.N. climate conference this week.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the format of the conference in Glasgow wouldnt allow the Russian president to address the gathering via video link. But he added that Putin will record a video address to be delivered to a forest and land use conference which is part of the U.N. climate conference.

Peskov told reporters Monday that Russia fully shares global climate efforts and will stick to its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The U.S. and the EU have prodded Moscow to set a more ambitious goal and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Peskov charged that Russia is already ahead of some Western European countries regarding the share of low-carbon power generation sources. The Kremlin spokesman also emphasized the need to pay special attention to the needs of developing countries while mapping global climate efforts and consider their low emissions in the past.



GLASGOW, Scotland  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opened a global climate summit saying the world is strapped to a doomsday device.

Johnson likened the Earths position to that of fictional secret agent James Bond strapped to a doomsday device that will destroy the planet and trying to work out how to defuse it.

He told leaders we are in roughly the same position and that only now the ticking doomsday device is real and not a movie.

He was kicking off the world leaders summit portion of a U.N. climate conference aimed at getting an agreement to curb carbon emissions fast enough to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) below pre-industrial levels.

Britains leader struck a gloomy note on the eve of the conference after Group of 20 leaders made only modest climate commitments at their summit in Rome.
Lancaster County's Jonathan Groff will be among the original cast members of the 2006 Broadway rock musical "Spring Awakening" to appear in a 15th anniversary reunion concert this month in New York, to benefit the Actor's Fund.

The concert, which reunites Groff with Lea Michele, John Gallagher Jr. and other members of the cast of the Tony Award-winning coming-of-age musical, is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, at the Imperial Theater, 249 W. 45th St. in Manhattan.

Tickets, which the Actors Fund website says are now sold out, ranged from $50 to $5,000.

The Actor's Fund, the beneficiary of the one-night-only event, offers support to professionals in need in the performing arts. The nonprofit provides services including financial assistance, affordable housing, senior care and more.

For Groff, 36, a film, TV and stage actor who will appear in "The Matrix Resurrections" film sequel set to premiere next month, "Spring Awakening" marked his Broadway break. He played the lead role of Melchior Gabor in the musical, for which he earned his first Tony nomination.

The musical, based on the 1891 play "Spring Awakening" by Frank Wedekind, tells the story of teenagers in Germany who are learning about and exploring their sexuality while the adults in their lives fail to offer them support and information.

The show, with music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Steven Sater, won eight Tony Awards  including best musical  and a Grammy Award for the cast album.

Groff moved to New York after graduating from Conestoga Valley High School and after appearing in many local theater productions and a professional tour of the musical "The Sound of Music." He won the lead role in "Spring Awakening" after appearing as a understudy in the Broadway show "In My Life."

Groff, who grew up in Ronks and owns a home in the Christiana area, also played King George III in the live and filmed versions of the Broadway musical "Hamilton," for which he earned Tony and Emmy nominations and shared the cast album Grammy Award.

He voiced Kristoff in Disney's wildly popular "Frozen" films, had a recurring role on Fox's "Glee" and played starring roles on HBO's "Looking' and on "Mindhunter" on Netflix.
In an unusual arrangement, the state Senate Republican Campaign Committee has been paying its new chairman, Sen. David Argall, $1,000 a month, according to campaign finance reports.

Argall, installed this year by Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman as chairman for the 2021-22 campaign cycle, is the first senator holding this post to collect a paycheck since at least 2000, state records show. He referred questions to Corman, who, as the Senates presiding officer and top Republican, is the campaign committees overall chairman.

Corman said one of his goals when taking over the SRCC was to professionalize all aspects of the operation. In a statement to The Caucus, Corman, R-Centre County, wrote As such, I asked Senator Argall to serve as the cycle chair for 2021-22. I tasked Senator Argall with many new duties, including recruiting candidates, and hosting and attending fundraising events across the Commonwealth for our members and for the SRCC.

The payments to Argall, R-Schuylkill, are a stipend, Corman said. While intended to help cover travel and other expenses, Argall will report the payments on his Statement of Financial Disclosure, where state ethics law requires public officials to report outside income, Corman wrote. Argalls annual Senate salary is $90,000.

"It's untoward and unjustifiable," said Eric Epstein, co-founder of Rock the Capital, a nonprofit government watchdog group and a longtime critic of lawmakers' pay and perks. Epstein, a Democratic candidate for Controller in Dauphin County in next weeks election, said, The appearance is awful.

Corman credited Argall with leading SRCC to one of its best fundraising years.

During the first five months of 2021, which is the most recent data available, the SRCC collected almost $1.1 million, the best five-month start to a campaign cycle since 2005, when it took in almost $1.2 million.

The committee raised $641,000 during the same period in the term of his predecessor, Sen. Camera Bartolotta, a Western Pennsylvania Republican. The two chairmen before her, former senators Guy Reschenthaler and Scott Wagner, raised $357,000 and $262,000, respectively, during their first five months.

Hes led our committee and positioned us well for 2022 and we believed that a stipend to help cover the cost of the job (including travel and other expenses) was warranted, Corman wrote.

Key player in key year

Pennsylvania has an open seat for governor and U.S. Senate next year. Corman has said he is considering running for governor and last month made a pitch for his potential candidacy to some of the states Republican members of Congress at a breakfast meeting in Washington D.C.

The campaign committees run by each party caucus coordinate fundraising and campaign activities to maintain  or, in Democrats case, to obtain  control of their respective chambers. They collect contributions from big-dollar donors and members in safe seats, and focus that money on vulnerable members or races where they believe they can flip seats held by the opposing party.

The work allows cycle chairmen and chairwomen to develop relationships with their parties top donors, and to ingratiate themselves with their own caucus members by helping them hold or win seats. That  not a steady paycheck  is usually the reason lawmakers covet the job.

And it has paid off for them.

Wagner chaired the SRCC in the 2015-16 cycle, then won his partys nomination for governor in 2018. Reschenthaler moved from SRCC chairman to a congressional seat in 2018. Political hands have mentioned Bartolotta as a potential statewide GOP candidate in the 2022 cycle.

Republicans maintained control of the Senate during their tenures, and none of the committee chairs in the cycles before Argall took over was paid by the SRCC.

The SRCC paid Argall $3,000 in March, $1,000 in April and another $1,000 in May, the most recent month for which the committee's campaign finance records are available. During that same period, Argalls own PAC, Volunteers for Argall, donated $15,000 to the SRCC, including a $10,000 check on April 30, the same date as the SRCCs second payment to him.

Follow The Caucus on Twitter @CaucusPA. Brad Bumsted is @BEBumsted, and Mike Wereschagin is @Wrschgn.
Millions of Americans were angry after then-President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

They rallied online and in person, from Peach Bottom to Washington, D.C., shouting claims that the election was stolen over the six weeks between Election Day and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Charles Bausman, whose historic Lancaster Township barn was used for an August 2020 rally of white nationalists, was one of those Americans.

What sets apart Bausman, who moved to Lancaster in 2018, is his role as the creator and editor of a pro-Putin propaganda blog, Russia Insider, and his connections in white nationalist and antisemitic circles, both locally and globally.

[Whos Charles Bausman? A closer look at the pro-Putin blogger who moved to Lancaster]

After 12 months of researching and reporting on Bausman, getting a sense for his motivations is difficult. He comes across as a well-to-do, educated father to two young daughters. His voice and vocabulary reflect his educational background at the elite Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

He doesnt hide his love for Russia or the Russian Orthodox Church, and he insists hes just a businessman running a small publishing enterprise. He denies any ties to Russias government.

But his main news site, Russia Insider, serves that countrys political interests, experts say. From its start in 2014, it was aimed at delivering pro-Russia coverage to western audiences, starting with its defense of Russias 2014 seizure of Crimea from Ukraine. Articles -- some of which were penned by the same men who formed the National Justice Party at Bausmans barn last year -- argued that Americas leaders were blinded by hatred of the Russian government to the point they were misleading Americans about what the two nations have in common.

According to a January 2018 essay by Anton Shekhotsov, a European scholar of the far right, Russia Insider was always targeted at American readers. The sites embrace of antisemitism and celebration of Trump was useful for Moscows covert influence in the U.S. The more extreme the growing American far-right scene is, the more it contributes to the already troubling polarization of the American society. A 2018 U.S. State Department report on rising antisemitism in Russia described Bausmans Russia Insider as being linked to pro-government oligarchs.

Organized on Facebook

A private Facebook group set up in the fall of 2020 became a rallying point for Lancaster County voters convinced that the presidential election was stolen from Trump and angry that GOP elected officials in Harrisburg and Washington werent doing enough to block Biden from taking office.

Group members traded links to pro-Trump news articles, shared conspiracy theories about election fraud and planned rallies to push for investigations and to decertify Bidens win in Pennsylvania.

One of the most active participants was Bausman, who posted 285 times between Nov. 25 and Jan. 6, often about protests and rallies at the state and national capitals. He coordinated schedules with other members and live-streamed video from protests. A Trump tweet in December encouraging his followers to come to Washington on Jan. 6 to protest Bidens certification prompted this Dec. 20 Bausman post: This is the big one, start talking to everyone you can, convince them that they should go to D.C.  . The future of the country depends on it. Good people will respond and do the right thing. You know they will.

By the time Bausman joined the Lancaster, PA for Free and Fair Elections Facebook group in late Nov., hed already traveled to Washington for the Nov. 14 Million MAGA March. A video captured in Washington the next day shows Bausman talking with Scott Presler, a Trump supporter who made his name leading anti-Muslim protests before turning to spreading false claims about last years election.

[A group of notorious white nationalists met secretly in historic Lancaster County barn last year. Why here?]

In his first days in the group, Bausman cheered state Sen. Doug Mastriano and the hearing he and other Republican legislators held in Gettysburg where a number of false claims about Pennsylvanias election were showcased. On Dec. 2, Bausman pointed the groups attention toward state Rep. Bryan Cutler, the Lancaster County Republican who just months earlier was elected speaker of Pennsylvanias House of Representatives.

Cutlers voice  carries a lot of weight. Perhaps we should put some pressure on them? Bausman wrote.

I am working on a call to action, wrote Tabitha Valleau, a group member who helped found Free PA, a group born in opposition to Gov. Tom Wolfs pandemic restrictions.

That call to action was for a Saturday, Dec. 5, protest outside Cutlers home in the southern Lancaster County community of Peach Bottom. About three dozen protesters gathered, including Samuel Lazar, of Ephrata, and Sandy Weyer, of Mechanicsburg, who later were arrested for their actions at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Bausman attended the Peach Bottom rally, as well as a pro-Trump rally in Harrisburg featuring Nick Fuentes, a leader in a movement of young, male white supremacists.

Great speech on Saturday in Harrisburg by Nick Fuentes of the America First movement, Bausman wrote in the Facebook group. "He really hammers PA Republicans for being weak and defeatist. He explains why they are basically traitors. He says they are destroying their careers. He's right.

Battleground before Jan. 6

As Trump and his backers tried to undermine Bidens victory, pressure grew on elected Republican officials in battleground states like Pennsylvania to to help the defeated president.

Bausman closely tracked planning for the Jan. 6 gathering in Washington.

On Dec. 21, he shared with the group a link to a fundraising site to support the Stop the Steal event. On Dec. 23, he posted an all caps message celebrating an announcement that the Proud Boys would provide security.

The group gained new allies.

Two protests held on Dec. 30  one outside Cutlers district office in Quarryville and the other outside his home -- saw the arrival of Frank Scavo, a Lackawanna County Republican who lost his Old Forge School Board seat over his repeated anti-Muslim statements and who eventually pleaded guilty to entering the Capitol illegally on Jan. 6.

[More than 100 pro-Trump protesters gather outside Pa. House Speaker Cutler's home, office]

With Scavo was Sean Moon, the leader of the Rod of Iron church in Wayne County, famous for incorporating AR-15 semiautomatic rifles in its services. Moon is one of the sons of the late Korea-born Rev. Sun Myung Moon, who led the Unification Church and its extensive efforts to influence conservative politics in the United States for decades before his 2012 death. Moon was accompanied by his brother, Justin, who is the owner of Kahr Arms, a maker of guns based in Pike County. [Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties are all in northeastern Pennsylvania.]

With the Jan. 6 certification of Bidens victory by Congress fast approaching, Bausman and the Facebook groups members planned one more rally outside Cutlers home.

On Jan. 2, Bausman wrote that a fellow member of the Facebook group had spoken with Cutler about blocking Bidens victory. Cutler explained it was out of the Legislatures hands. He is mistaken and intentionally folding, and we have to change his mind, Bausman wrote. Our country is at stake!

The next day, before gathering again outside Cutlers home, Moon and members of his congregation gathered at Bausmans property in Lancaster Township for a church service. God, Moon preached, let us rely on you in the moment of great testing and tribulation. Let us remember that you have a purpose for us through this test.

The protest later that day, under gray skies and a light rain, featured more praying by Moon and speeches by numerous attendees decrying Cutlers inaction. The crowd, again, included Scavo, Weyer and dozens more, including Keyla Salas-Arraya, a leader of FreePAs Lancaster chapter.

[How we confirmed a barn in Lancaster County was used for a 2020 white nationalist rally]

January 6 and after

Bausman illegally entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He can be seen in two videos shot by other rioters. In them, he is wearing a red Trump hat and holding his phone up to capture his own photos or video.

Bausmans presence in the Capitol was first reported in September by researchers at the Southern Poverty Law Center. In an Oct. 19 conversation with LNP|LancasterOnline, Bausman did not deny that he entered the Capitol, but he defended his actions by saying he was acting as a journalist covering the scene.

He said he cooperated with a Russian TV news program on a 45-minute documentary about the insurrection in the days after Jan. 6. That program was posted to YouTube on Jan. 16, and in it Bausman is shown inside and outside his Lancaster home. Some of the videos of the insurrection shown in the program appear to have been taken by Bausman when he was inside the Capitol.

When asked, however, Bausman did not provide evidence to back up his claim that he was working as a reporter that day.

Bausman said he and his family left the United States sometime in the middle of January. He insisted he was asked to work with the Russian journalists in Moscow on the documentary, and that he and his family had already been planning a return trip.

But he conceded his actions on Jan. 6 could have put him in jeopardy.

One of my considerations was  Am I going to get arrested now? Is my wife going to get arrested? Is she going to be charged with being a Russian spy?, he said. All these thoughts crossed my mind, and I thought it would be better if we get over there (Russia) sooner.

In his most recent conversation with LNP|LancasterOnline, Bausman wanted to make clear why he felt it was important to talk to the media about Jan. 6. He said that he feels the prosecutions against those who were there is a politicized miscarriage of justice and that the civil liberties of the 600-plus people arrested so far are being violated.

Bausman said he had only planned to stay in Russia for a few weeks, but he's remained there because he feared that his actions on Jan. 6, along with his ties to Russia and connections to white-nationalist groups, could lead the FBI to charge him with a crime or put him in a situation similar to that of Maria Butina, who was accused of being a Russian agent.

He told LNP|LancasterOnline that he was in touch with the FBI in October and was told he had nothing to worry about. But he declined to provide evidence that the conversation occurred by sending screenshots of his phones call records or email messages.

[Lancaster County residents were in Washington on Wednesday: Whats going to happen today is going to be historic]
Polls are scheduled to open at 7 a.m. for Tuesdays general election, with voters set to decide a long list of races, from city, township and borough leaders to school board seats, countywide row officers and four seats on Pennsylvanias three highest courts.

County election officials said they dont know if full results will be available Tuesday after polls close at 8 p.m. Thats in part because of the large number of mail-in ballots requested by county voters.

More than 31,500 of the countys nearly 345,000 registered voters applied to vote by mail; as of Monday afternoon 73% of requested mail ballots -- or 23,397 -- had been returned. As voters have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to return mail ballots, the county is likely to exceed the 73.4% of requested mail-in ballots -- or 18,400 -- that were returned for the May primary election, according to Christ Miller, the countys chief elections clerk.

A team of 18 volunteers, in addition to Board of Elections employees, will begin pre-canvassing ballots at 7 a.m. Tuesday to prepare them to be tallied after the polls close. Miller said her team plans to count mail ballots through at least 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The total volume of mail votes and speed of counting will determine whether they will count late into the night or return Wednesday to finish, Miller said.

Everybodys just anxious to get started (Tuesday), Miller added. Were jittery and just want to get started now.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. The Election Day forecast is cloudy and chilly, with a high around 50 degrees and a chance of afternoon rain.

Voters who received a mail ballot must deliver their ballot in-person to the countys drop box at 150 N. Queen Street in Lancaster by 8 p.m., or surrender their incomplete ballot at their home precinct. If a voter misplaced a requested mail ballot, the voter can request a provisional ballot at their regular polling place.

Big races

The most expensive municipal race in county history will be decided in Tuesdays election. Manheim Township candidates have raised more than $130,000 and spent more than $83,000 as of Oct. 18 to try to determine which party will control the five-member board of commissioners.

The eight candidates in the commissioners race are competing for four seats on the board  three four-year spots and one two-year seat. Democrats took over the board in 2019, after decades of Republican leadership.

On the final full day of campaigning, Manheim Township candidates from both sides touted their efforts to reach voters directly.

We had a positive, great message, said Donna DiMeo, an accountant and incumbent Republican commissioner seeking a two-year term. We all feel great.

Ryan Dodson, a Democrat and small business owner seeking that same two-year seat, said he is cautiously optimistic about the race.

I hope people come out and vote, Dodson said. I want to win and continue to make changes in the township.

On Monday, a few Democratic candidates said they planned some last-minute canvassing in the township. Republicans said they were not doing any campaigning Monday night.

Four statewide judicial races appear at the top of Tuesdays ballot. In the state Supreme Court race, Republican candidate Kevin Brobson spent more than $3 million, and Democrat Maria McLaughlin spent $2 million, in hopes of securing their spot on the states highest court, the Associated Press reported last week.

Brobson, a Commonwealth Court judge, and two other GOP statewide judicial candidates stopped in Lancaster on Monday to visit the Republican Committee of Lancaster County.

A few of the statewide GOP judicial are visiting @LancasterCoGOP as part of a last swing around the state. We certainly feel the wind is at our back and thats palpable to us, and thats also a feeling weve gotten all over the state, Commonwealth Court Judge Drew Crompton said pic.twitter.com/KuH5sOKqFw  Gillian McGoldrick (@gill_mcgoldrick) November 1, 2021

Waiting game for write-ins

Voters should not expect to know the results in a number of write-in campaigns in the county until Friday at the earliest, Miller said Monday. Write-in votes can only be processed by one employee at a time, she said, because there is only one computer programmed to collect those votes.

Write-in votes require extra care, as the county must track incorrectly spelled candidate names and then give the write-in candidates the opportunity to petition to collect those as part of their final vote.

We have to go through those one by one, Miller said. Its going to be Friday into early next week until we know where those races are at.

The Penn Manor school board and Colerain Township supervisors races are among the local contests where write-in candidates have mounted challenges to candidates who are listed on the ballot.
Lebanon City Police have charged a teenager with shooting and killing a 16-year-old boy last week.

16-year-old Jaedyn Gaines, of Lebanon city, is charged with homicide and conspiracy to commit homicide in a fatal shooting last week, according to Lebanon City Police. Other charges for Gaines are pending.

At around 3:30 p.m. Oct. 27, police were called to North 6th Street for a crash involving a 16-year-old boy who had crashed his vehicle into parked vehicles. He was found with a gunshot wound to his chest. Another person fled the vehicle following the crash, police say. The driver was pronounced dead at a local medical facility.

Police say Gaines and another suspect planned to rob the 16-year-old driver and one other following a meeting to purchase marijuana. Gaines took marijuana from a passenger in the vehicle as an argument broke out between the driver and the unidentified suspect, according to the report.

Gaines then shot the 16-year-old driver during the argument and the unidentified suspect fled the scene, according to police. The driver then collided with parked vehicles before his vehicle overturned near Arnold Street.

The 16-year-old who died has not yet been identified by police. Preliminary results from an autopsy of the Lebanon city boy that was killed in the shooting suggest that he died from a gunshot wound to his chest, but the Lebanon County Coroners office said final results might not be available for at least a month.

Police are still searching for the other person Gaines was with, but have not released details. A previous release said the police were searching for two males in their late teens and early 20s.

Gaines was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Verna and is in Lebanon County Correctional Facility after being denied bail.

An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call the Lebanon City Police Department at (717) 274-2054 or Crime Stoppers at (717) 270-9800.
Anyone who pays close attention to teams of horses working a field probably knows that Belgians are the most popular draft horses in Lancaster County. What you may not know is that the number of Belgian breeders in the county has doubled or tripled in the past two decades, thus ensuring that the breed will remain supreme for many years to come.

That's one fact you will learn by reading "Working Horses of Lancaster County,'' a new book by Beth Oberholtzer and John Herr. They have published a unique book about the draft and carriage horses used in the Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities.

The book is engagingly written by Oberholtzer, a local book designer and author, and vibrantly illustrated by Herr, a local photographer and violinist. Atglen publisher Schiffer, as usual, has produced a splendid coffee table book at a reasonable price.

The book is divided into sections according to breeds, leading with the most popular Belgians among draft horses and the most popular standardbreds among carriage horses.

Oberholtzer obviously loves horses  she says so both in so many words and more subtly. She writes about them and their owners as friends  to each other and to her and to Herr. This is an intimate book about some of the 20,000-plus horses that live in Lancaster County.

Here are some of the things you will learn by perusing this book:

 Mules actually are the dominant type of working animal among Amish farmers. They are as popular as all breeds of draft horses combined. Mules are smart, hard workers and not so stubborn as some people believe. The mule combines the patience, sure-footedness and endurance of a donkey,'' Oberholtzer writes, "with the vigor and strength of the horse.''

Smarter, livelier draft horses move to the center of a team of multiple horses, with the driver holding the reins on two while the others follow their lead. Sometimes lead horses falter and are removed from the central position until they regain their confidence.

 When carriage horses grow older and lose their vigor, they are often called "pappy horses, for being more appropriate for older men to drive because they won't make trouble.

 Horses sleep only three hours a day, usually taking "cat naps'' rather than dozing off for longer periods.

Sprinkled within the narrative are some eye-catching side stories:

 Why do the Amish drive from the right rather than the left of a carriage? When Pennsylvania established its turnpike from Lancaster to Philadelphia in 1792, the government mandated that travel would be on the right side of the road. Carriage drivers sat on the right so they could keep their buggies out of the ditch. They still sit on the right, while car drivers moved over to the left.

 Artist Jamie Wyeth's wife, Phyllis, came to an Old Order Mennonite farmer looking for a team of smaller draft horses that would be easy to handle. She purchased a prized pair of Haflingers, named Jeff and Josie, but returned them because Jeff was too "feisty.''

Oberholtzer and Herr also have self-published a new paperback, "Mares & Foals of Lancaster County,'' in both English and Pennsylvania Dutch.

Their collaboration goes back farther. Four years ago, they produced "Plain Meetinghouses,'' a photographic exploration of Old Order Mennonite meetinghouses in Lancaster County.

 Jack Brubaker, retired from the LNP staff, writes The Scribbler" column every Sunday. He welcomes comments and contributions at scribblerlnp@gmail.com.
Thank you, President Joe Biden.

Thank you for closing federal lands to new oil and gas drilling, for not approving new pipelines and for slowing the export of natural gas and oil from the United States! Thank you for policies that have closed coal mines and coal-fired power plants.

And OPEC thanks you for all the new oil its member countries are selling! Rather than dollars flowing to U.S. companies and employees, more oil is being purchased from Middle East countries that would likely cut us off entirely in a war situation.

Saudi Arabia was selling oil at $40 per barrel last year that now sells at $80 per barrel for the same product. At 1.2 million barrels per day, thats about $50 million dollars per day in new profit for them. And thank taxpayers for shouldering the higher cost of natural gas and oil for their cars and their houses.

Global warming advocates thank President Biden for imposing the new policies and restrictions! Now our competitors can export oil and natural gas to us without those burdensome U.S. regulations on clear air and clean water. We pay twice as much for the product and global pollution increases!

And thank you, President Biden, for driving the United States toward more electric vehicles! An all-EV fleet potentially requires double the number of fossil fuel power plants to charge our cars. No gasoline equals more electricity! You could charge only when the sun shines or the wind blows, but that requires vast amounts of U.S. land for all that renewable infrastructure.

Dont forget: To fill up your EV, it takes at least 20 minutes. Use that extra 15 minutes to thank President Biden.

David Williams

Warwick Township
The October 2021 issue of the Latin American Regional Report: Mexico starts by delving into two long-running public security issues in Mexico: migration and violence caused by drug trafficking organisations (DTOs).

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On 28 October, Mexicos Presidentbrushed off concerns regarding the negative environmental implications of his controversial electricity reform.

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On 28 October, coca growers in Colombias Norte de Santander department released 180 soldiers that they had held captive for two days in protest at the militarys coca eradication operations.

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On 28 October the local press reported that, the presidential candidate for opposition alliance Alianza por el Pueblo, told the head of the Organization of American States (OAS) electoral observation mission (OAS-EOM),, that democracy was being threatened by the ruling Partido Nacional (PN).

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Because of the COVID-19 health crisis, many American parents are having a difficult time balancing the needs of their children and work responsibilities.

That is because many childcare centers in the United States have closed. The ones that remain open have limited spaces for additional children.

Media reports say the problem is a national crisis. The Associated Press (AP) notes that President Joe Biden is trying to include a burst of spending on children in the $1.9 trillion spending bill being considered by the U.S. Congress.

The Biden administration has said it does not want parents to spend more than seven percent of their income on childcare costs. The administration also wants pre-school for very young children to be available to every family.

Betsey Stevenson is an economist at the University of Michigan. She said a change in the availability of childcare will make a difference in the U.S. economy for many years. She said it will do this by influencing who returns to work, what types of jobs parents take and the career path they are able to follow.

One of those parents is Bryan Kang of Los Angeles. He used to work as a therapist, teaching people how to physically recover from injuries or sickness.

When he and his wife had a baby in July, he found that childcare centers were full. Without someone to take care of the baby, he could no longer leave home for work. He needed a job he could do from home.

His new job permits him to teach at home using his computer, but he earns less money than before. Even if he had found a place for his baby, it would have been too costly. So for him to work from home was a better choice.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has called the childcare business broken, because it is too costly for parents. But workers who take care of children also are not paid very much.

Right now, many childcare workers are looking for new jobs. Some workers are now earning two times their former pay at new workplaces. The people who own childcare businesses cannot pay enough to replace them.

Amy McCoy owns a childcare business called Forever Young Daycare near Seattle, Washington. She is getting tired of doing several jobs because some of her employees stopped working.

Nobody wants to work for what I can afford to pay right now, McCoy said. She thinks parents will have to face higher costs so she can raise the pay for new workers.

The U.S. Treasury Department reported in September that many childcare workers are poor, earning less than $25,000 a year. At the same time, childcare businesses do not make much money for their owners.

Briana McFadden used to run a childcare business in Washington. She closed it last month after 12 years. She thinks she would have stayed open if she got money from the government.

It really wasnt worth it to continue, she said. She plans to start a new business  a small store.

Biden is still trying to find support for the spending bill from U.S. lawmakers. And it is not clear if his plan to support children and families will be included in the final spending bill.

Donald Schneider is an economics expert who once worked for the U.S. Congress. He said he thinks the help for children and childcare will cost about $465 billion over 10 years if it is approved.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

What should the U.S. do about the cost of childcare? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

burst  n. a short period of producing or doing something that begins suddenly

type n. a particular kind or group of things or people

career n. a job or profession that someone has for a long time

therapist  n. a person trained in methods of treating illnesses especially without the use of drugs or surgery

afford  v. to be able to pay for something
The east African country of Somalia is slowly leaving behind years of war and Islamic extremism.

The arts community is just now beginning to find its voice in society  a victim among many of those difficult years.

In Mogadishu, the capital, a 21-year-old female painter continues to face a lot of criticism and opposition.

Sana Ashraf Sharif Muhsin lives and works in the remains of her uncles building. It was partially destroyed during Mogadishus years of war. Despite her surroundings, and other difficulties, such as finding paints and other tools, she is content.

I love my work and believe that I can contribute to the rebuilding and pacifying of my country, she said.

Sana is just one of two female artists in the country known to Abdi Mohamed Shuayb, a professor of arts at Somali National University.

Shuayb said Sana is unusual because her artworks capture contemporary life in a positive way and seek to build reconciliation, he said, calling her a national hero.

Sana is also an engineering student. She began to draw at the age of 8, following her uncle, Abdikarim Osman Addow, a well-known artist.

She would draw on the walls of the house, drawing my vision of the world, Sana said, laughing.

She received art lessons and put together a book of drawings of common objects, such as a shoe or a container of water.

But as her work brought her more attention over the years, problems followed.

Some Muslims believe that Islam bars all representations of people. Others believe a woman should not have a profession.

I fear for myself sometimes, she said, and recalled a problem she faced during a recent art show at the City University of Mogadishu.

A male student began shouting This is wrong! and university officials tried to calm him, explaining that art is an important part of the world.

Many people in Somalia dont understand the arts, Sana said. At art shows, she tries to make people understand that art is useful and a weapon that can be used for many things.

A teacher once demanded she prove her skill by asking questions and requiring answers in the form of a drawing, she said.

Everything thats made is first drawn, Sana said. Our paintings talk to the people.

Her work at times explores current issues in Somalia. It includes a painting of a soldier looking at the ruins of the countrys first parliament building. It shows the political conflict between the federal government and opposition, she said, as national elections are delayed.

Another painting examines abuses against young women. And another shows a woman in a dress popular in Somalia years before another form of Islam took hold. After that, women were urged to wear the hijab, a head covering.

Sana tries to make her work beautiful because she believes her people need beauty.

We have passed through 30 years of destruction, and the people only see bad things, having in their mind blood and destruction and explosions, she said.

Sana said she hopes to show her artwork more widely, beyond Somalia and neighboring Kenya.

Sana named several Somali artists whose work she admires, but they are all men.

Im Susan Shand.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

__________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

uncle  n. the brother of your father or mother or the husband of your aunt

contribute  v. to help to cause something to happen

pacify  v. to cause (someone who is angry or upset) to become calm or quiet

contemporary  adj. happening or beginning now or in recent times

reconciliation  n. the act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement

draw  v. to make a picture by using writing tools on a surface

vision  n. something that you imagine : a picture that you see in your mind

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page.
Astronomers say they have found evidence for the first time of a planet orbiting a star outside our Milky Way galaxy.

The evidence was observed by a telescope operated by the American space agency NASA. It is called the Chandra X-ray Observatory. NASA says the orbiting observatory is the worlds most powerful X-ray telescope.

NASA recently announced that the observatory might have discovered a new planet in the galaxy known as Messier 51 or M51. The galaxy is popularly known as the Whirlpool galaxy. The research recently appeared in the publication Nature Astronomy.

The possible planet is considered an exoplanet. These are planets that orbit a star outside of our own solar system.

NASA says that so far, more than 4,500 exoplanets have been discovered and are considered confirmed. Thousands of other candidate exoplanets have been detected, but require additional study.

But all of these have been observed in the Milky Way galaxy. And NASA says almost all of them are less than about 3,000 light-years from Earth. Scientists estimate that an exoplanet in the M51 galaxy would be much farther, about 28 million light-years away.

Exoplanets are hard for telescopes to identify. This is because the bright light of the stars they orbit can hide them. The identification process involves searching for drops in the light levels of stars. Such drops could be caused by a planet passing in front of a star.

This method has been used in past observations by NASA telescopes to confirm the presence of planets crossing in front of stars. These movements -- of planets partly blocking light from stars -- are called transits.

NASAs latest finding is based on a transit detected by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. But unlike other NASA telescopes which search for drops in observable light, Chandra is designed to detect X-rays.

The observatory searched for drops in the brightness of X-rays received from X-ray bright binaries, NASA said in a statement. These binaries are defined as bright systems that usually contain a neutron star or black hole pulling in gas from a closely orbiting star. A neutron star is the unimaginably dense result of a supergiant star that has collapsed on itself.

The researchers said the activity of binaries causes the material near the neutron star or black hole to become superheated and glow in X-rays. However, the area producing the X-rays is small. It is so small that a planet passing in front of it could block most or all the X-rays, they added.

This method could permit exoplanets to be detected at much greater distances than other light-searching systems that depend on optical telescopes, the NASA statement said.

Rosanne Di Stefano is an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She said in a statement that the research team is seeking to open up a whole new arena for finding other worlds by searching for planet candidates at X-ray wavelengths.

Such methods could be used in the future to discover other new planets in distant galaxies, Di Stefano added.

The researchers say more data will be needed to confirm the observation as an actual extragalactic exoplanet. They say one problem is that the planet candidate has a large orbit. This means it is not expected to pass in front of its binary partner for at least 70 years, blocking any confirmation attempts anytime soon.

However, one co-writer of the study said the team is very confident with its findings. We know we are making an exciting and bold claim, so we expect that other astronomers will look at it very carefully, said Julia Berndtsson of Princeton University in New Jersey. She added: We think we have a strong argument, and this process is how science works.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from NASA and Nature Astronomy. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

Quiz - NASA Shares First Evidence of Planet Outside Our Galaxy Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

___________________________________________

Words in This Story

detect  v. to discover or notice something

glow  v. to produce a soft, warm light

optical adj. relating to or using light, especially light that can be seen with the human eye

arena  n. a place of scene of activity, debate or conflict

confident  adj. sure about your ability to do things well

bold  adj. not afraid of taking risks


An increase in the number of people in China infected with bird flu this year is raising concern among experts. They say an earlier bird flu strain appears to have changed and may be more infectious to people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says China has reported 21 human infections with the H5N6 strain of bird flu in 2021. That compares with only five reported cases last year.

The numbers are much lower than the hundreds infected with H7N9 in 2017. But the infections are serious, with many severely ill and at least six dead.

"The increase in human cases in China this year is of concern. It's a virus that causes high mortality," said Thijs Kuiken. He teaches at the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The WHO said in a statement earlier this month that most of those infected with the H5N6 virus had come into contact with poultry. The WHO noted that there are no confirmed cases of human-to-human virus spread.

The statement added that further investigation was "urgently" required to understand the risk and the increase in human infections.

While human H5N6 cases have been reported, no outbreaks of H5N6 have been reported in poultry in China since February 2020.

China is the world's biggest poultry producer and top producer of ducks. These animals act as carriers for many flu viruses.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could not be reached for comment on the rise in H5N6 human cases. But a study published on its website in September said the increasing spread of H5N6 is a serious threat to the poultry industry and human health."

Bird flu viruses continuously spread in domestic and wild birds, but rarely infect people. However, the increase in changes of the viruses is a major concern. Experts worry that a variant  or new version -- of the virus that spreads easily between people could cause a pandemic.

The largest number of H5N6 infections have been in Chinas southwestern Sichuan province. Cases have also been reported in neighboring Chongqing and Guangxi, as well as Guangdong, Anhui and Hunan.

At least 10 cases were caused by viruses very similar to the H5N8 virus that struck poultry farms across Europe last winter and killed wild birds in China. That suggests the latest H5N6 infections in China may be a new variant.

Thijs Kuiken said, "It could be that this variant is a little more infectious (to people)...or there could be more of this virus in poultry at the moment and that's why more people are getting infected."

Four of the people who developed the virus in Sichuan raised poultry at home and had been in contact with dead birds, according to a September report by China's CDC. Another had bought a duck from a live poultry market a week before developing signs of illness.

Filip Claes is with the Food and Agriculture Organization. He said China vaccinates poultry against bird flu. But he said the vaccine used last year may only partly protect against new viruses. He added that the vaccine may prevent large outbreaks, but still permit the virus to keep spreading.

Chinas Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Backyard farms in China are common, and many people still buy live chickens at markets.

In September, officials in Guilin city in the Guangxi area said trading of live poultry in 13 city markets had been suspended and that all trade would end within a year.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Dominique Patton reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

__________________________________________

Words in This Story

strain  n. a group of closely related living things that look similar but possess one or more unique characteristics

poultry  n. birds such as chickens and ducks that are raised on farms for their eggs or meat

outbreak  n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease

domestic  adj. living with or under the care of human beings

province  n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into

backyard  n. an area in back of a house
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Deirdre Smith, 56, fell in love with the small town of Elkin along the Yadkin River in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She discovered it while hiking on North Carolinas Mountains-to-Sea Trail in 2018. Earlier this year she packed up her home in Massachusetts and moved there.



Elkin grabbed my heart, and I knew its where I wanted to be, says Smith.



Her experience exemplifies one reason that North Carolinas trails are so importantthey contribute to local economies, particularly in rural areas, by creating places where people want to live, work and visit. A state study found that every dollar spent on trail construction generates $1.72 annually for local business and sales-tax revenue.



Trails promote livability, says Lisa Riegel, AARP North Carolinas advocacy director. Older adults who outlive their ability to drive can still walk or bike on trails to the ice cream store or to the doctors office.



They arent just natural surface paths through the woods, Riegel notes; trails include waterways for paddling, bike and equestrian corridors, and paved greenways through urban areas that are accessible to those of all ages.



They also make it easy for people to incorporate exercise into their daily routine. In some parts of North Carolina, trail use increased more than 300 percent over the past year as residents looked for safe places to be outside in nature, according to the Great Trails State Coalition.



Funding for pathways



AARP North Carolina is part of the coalition, an organization created this year to advocate for more funding and support for trails. It already has persuaded the General Assembly to designate 2023 as the Year of the Trail and to consider more funding for pathways and walkability.



The 202123 state House and Senate budget proposals include millions of dollars for all types of trails and for improved accessibility at state, county and local parks.



We dont know what the final amount will be, but because the coalition was successful in getting proposed funding into the budget, we expect to see increased support for our trails, Riegel says.



AARP also supports trails through its annual Community Challenge grants, which fund quick-action projects to help make communities more livable for people of all ages.



This year, four of the seven winning North Carolina projects focus on walkability.





Raleigh will install benches, trash receptacles, a bike rack and a large sunshade structure to make an area more accessible to pedestrians and bikers.

The Main to Main Trail will create materials to promote the trail systems within the dozens of North Carolina cities and towns designated by the state as Main Street Communities. The materials will support tourism and economic development.

Brand the Moth and ArtWalks CLT in Charlotte will create a mural as part of a new digital, GPS-activated tour of 15 public art and historical sites along Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

Hendersonville will pay for creative street and crosswalk murals to delineate the pedestrian connection between two commercial areas, the Main Street and Seventh Avenue districts. Jamie Carpenter, downtown manager for Hendersonville, says marking the walkway is important because pedestrians otherwise might take a route that goes through a dangerous five-way intersection. Now we can tell people to turn onto Fifth and follow the painted path.

All the AARP Community Challenge grant projects are expected to be completed this month.



To learn more, visit https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/.



Michelle Crouch is a writer living in Charlotte.



For More on Livable Communities
Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot, but many are watching his trial as the latest referendum on race and the American legal system, in part because the protesters were on the streets to decry police violence against Black people.

Rittenhouses attorney got a prospective juror dropped after she said she would find Rittenhouse guilty of all charges just because he was carrying an assault-style weapon. I dont think a weapon like that should belong to the general public, the woman said.

Two prospective jurors said they would be nervous about serving, though the judge assured them precautions would be taken to keep them safe.

My fear is walking out of any of the days of court and just wondering what were walking out to," said one. "What are our cars going to look like when were going out them? Are they going to be slashed? Are they going to be damaged? Am I going to be able to get home safe?

The other said she did not want to serve on the Rittenhouse jury because either way this goes youre going to have half the country upset with you and they react poorly. She said: I dont want people to come after in their haze of craze.
Attorneys for both sides urged the judge to send questionnaires to the people summoned as potential jurors to detect bias and speed the process. Schroeder, 75, the longest-serving circuit court judge in Wisconsin, denied the request.

The judge said he disliked questionnaires in general because he was afraid most people won't fill them out or that it would tip them off that they may be on the Rittenhouse case, increasing the chances they would discuss it with friends and family.

Schroeder said each side will be allowed to strike seven people to reach a total of 20 jurors. The judge hasn't specified how many of those would be alternates.

Hanrahan, who presided over hundreds of jury trials, said he rarely allowed questionnaires and he doesn't think their absence in this case will mean much. It's always difficult seating a jury in a high-profile case, particularly now with 24-hour news catering to one viewpoint or another, Hanrahan said.

Hanrahan said the process could be done in a day if the judge is aggressive in limiting questions attorneys can ask.

"As a judge I would be asking (potential jurors) to make that commitment to set aside what they believe the facts to be and set aside what they believe the law to be," Hanrahan said. "To essentially be a tabula rasa, a blank slate."
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He really gave selflessly of his time, his talents, his energy, his humility, his humor  especially to young people, Scharrer said. He was always about helping people learn and providing that wisdom and guidance.

Johnson was not only the first leader of the Community Restorative Court, but also the very first staff member. For a while, he was the only paid person on staff, working out of a small office with volunteers and consultants. He built up the court from nothing.

A unique program focused on second chances, the court serves 17- to 25-year-olds who would be charged with misdemeanors. If they take accountability for their actions and complete a process focused on restoration and repairing community harm, the young people can leave the program with a clean record. The process can include writing letters of apology, community service, restitution, drug treatment and counseling.

Scharrer, who was part of the working group that helped design and launch the court in 2014, said the program was the first of its kind in the state. Geske said Johnson created a national model for restorative court that she talks about around the country. Johnson retired in late 2020.

Ive never met anybody as gifted as he was doing this work, Geske said. He really did a lot of good in his lifetime.
As the preschoolers arrived on a recent day, they could head to an outside table to rub a crayon over a piece of paper that was on top of a leaf, allowing the pattern of the leaf to show. The projects on the investigation table rotate depending on what the class is learning about that week.

Erickson said it made sense to turn some climate exhibit space, which drew few walk-in visitors, and gift shop space into a site for the preschool.

The space was just sitting there and sucking up energy, Erickson said. When people come to visit us, they arent spending much time in the building. They are going out onto the land ... and thats what we really want them to do.

Codie Heidemanns 5-year-old son, Ezra, attends the preschool, and she hopes her younger children will one day, too. Heidemann, who lives in Oregon and is homeschooling, did not plan to send him to the preschool.

I drive from Oregon to Monona to give my (child) this opportunity because it is so important to us as a family, instilling a love of nature in our kids, she said. I thought, Playing outside the whole time he is there is well worth it.

She said Ezra loves the play space, especially the slide and mud kitchen.
A proposal to place a statue of the late Vel Phillips, Wisconsins first woman and first African American elected to statewide office, on the Capitol grounds has been approved.

The state Capitol and Executive Residence Board (SCERB), which is in charge of decorations at the Capitol, voted unanimously Monday to erect a statue of Phillips at the South Hamilton Street entrance to the Capitol, up the street from the Dane County Courthouse. Officials said when completed, it will be the first statue in the nation on a state Capitols grounds honoring an African American woman.

This has been a historic day for all of us  shed be proud and she would be warmed by your words, Phillips son Mike Phillips said during a press conference following Mondays vote. My mom certainly has done a lot of firsts and we know that, but this is a moment to look forward to some of the firsts we can anticipate. This monument should be for those folks going forward.

Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the UW-Madison School of Law in 1951. She was the first African American, as well as the first woman, to serve on the Milwaukee City Council and to become a Wisconsin judge. Phillips was also a leader in the civil rights movement and, in 1978, she was elected the states first female and first non-white secretary of state.
The durum market continued to hang on to some pretty strong prices and seemed to be in a holding pattern at the end of October.

Producer prices across the region were ranging from $15.75-$16, according to Jim Peterson, market director for the North Dakota Wheat Commission.

Looking back from where weve been, back on Sept. 8, the Minneapolis Durum Index reached a high of $17 and we quickly sold off to the lower $13 range on the index, he said. As of Oct. 22, we were back up to $15.50, so weve recovered some.

The question going forward now is a matter of who might blink first, he continued. Buyers, domestically, certainly have some coverage, but theyre going to need to come in and buy some more before the end of the year or certainly right after the first of the year. Are producers going to sell at these levels or feel comfortable holding out for further price gains? Typically, the month of November is kind of when the market reaches a fall peak and then either holds steady or trails off through the winter.

Peterson referred to this year as an anomaly just with how tight supplies are in the U.S. and Canada, so typical trends may not mean as much. In 2007-08, a similar tight period when prices were in the double-digits, prices continued to rally into the early part of the next year, but then the world situation was also much tighter.

I think the big unknown is how much higher are domestic mills willing to press this market to get some coverage, he said. I think producers have pretty good staying power. Theyve had a number of other crops to market and have had some government payments, so theyre certainly not at a need to sell from a cash standpoint, but obviously, they dont want to miss the opportunity at these levels either.

Looking north at Canada, prices there are 20 to as much as 50 cents a bushel higher than in the U.S. right now. The current estimate for the Canadian crop is 130 million bushels (MB), but theres a lot of speculation that it may be smaller than that. Updated Canadian production numbers wont come out until December.

Certainly theres a lot of fundamental support under the market just based on sheer supply availability, he said.

The next big factor is demand and that raises the topic of values and, right now, prices in the U.S. and Canada are still at a notable premium to world values, although they have narrowed somewhat with world values increasing a little.

In terms of nearby demand, Peterson pointed out that importers are pulling out available supplies from Mexico and Kazakhstan and are hopeful for a good Australian harvest, which will take place over the next month to fill some nearby needs.

But weve got a long way to go until we get to 2022 replenishment supplies early next summer. Odds are larger import countries are going to have to come to the U.S. or Canadian market at some point going forward. However, the volume will probably be somewhat limited, he said.

According to the recent International Grains Council (IGC) estimates, the world durum crop is currently pegged at 1.2 billion bushels. Thats down 5 percent from last year. Production increases in the European Union accounted for a 294 MB crop this year compared to a 264 MB crop a year ago.

That gives them the luxury to not need as many imports and theyre also being a bit more aggressive on exports into North Africa, he said. The crux of the contraction took place in the U.S. and Canada.

Looking at world trade projections, the IGC is looking at about a 20 percent cut in trade to about 265 MB vs. 330 MB a year ago. Canadian potential exports are projected down 40 percent, as is the U.S. The IGC had increases to Mexico, the EU, and Kazakhstan. Even so, the current projection for world trade would be the lowest in close to 20 years.

On a positive note, the most recent estimate from the IGC was for slightly higher import needs into Algeria, which is still down from a year ago but nonetheless a little more import needs than what was thought just a couple months ago, Peterson said.

Going forward, how much more strength our market can maintain is if world values continue to close the gap on U.S. and Canadian prices making it more attractive for importers to look to the U.S. or Canada, he added.

As to be expected with U.S. durum prices as much as $2 to even $3 above the world market, the current export pace for the U.S. is very slow. Currently, the U.S. has 3.7 MB in sales on the books. That compared to 20 MB at this time last year. The U.S. has sales on the books to four markets at this time including Italy, Japan, Guatemala and Panama.

Obviously, export trade is not going to drive the market this year until world prices start to improve, he said.

Looking at domestic food use, USDA is currently projecting a 7 percent cut in U.S. domestic durum grind. Part of that is due to some mills and pasta companies blending in some spring wheat, depending on the product. Even though spring wheat is at some very strong prices, its still cheaper than durum values.

Well see if that holds, he said. Pasta consumption is still very strong, although it is down from the records set in 2020 with the lockdowns related to the pandemic. We have a very good quality crop and hopefully pasta consumption remains strong.

Looking at 2022, Peterson anticipates U.S. desert durum plantings to be higher. Last year, producers planted 80,000 acres in Arizona and California. With typical yields at 100 bushels per acre, thats about 8 MB in production.

Depending on water restrictions in the area or quota limits due to the drought and a dry down in some of the reservoirs, that may curtail plantings a little, but I dont think its out of the question that they could be looking at 15 million bushels of production next year, maybe even higher, he said. But those supplies wont be available until early June.

Desert durum producers are expected to start planting the end of the month and continue into January with harvest next summer.

Producers will continue to sit and watch the market and see what transpires. But prices seem to be holding steady with where theyve been over the past few weeks, he concluded.

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BOISE, Idaho  An Idaho company that successfully brought genetically modified potatoes to the market announced an agreement Thursday to help a California-based plant breeding company grow strawberries they say will stay fresh longer and have a longer growing season.

J.R. Simplot Company and Plant Sciences Inc., both privately-held companies, said they expect to launch the first commercially available, gene-edited strawberries within a few years.

U.S. growers produced $2.2 billion in strawberries in 2020, mostly in California, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But consumers discarded an estimated 35% of the crop due to spoilage. Simplot and Plant Sciences officials said genetically modified strawberries will help reduce waste, and make them available to consumers much of the year.

The strawberries will contain genes from only strawberries, selecting desirable traits that have been cultivated over decades to combine them through gene editing.

Its the same technology were working on with potatoes, said Doug Cole, director of Marketing and Biotech Affairs at Simplot. We have the opportunity to do that with this technology.

There is no evidence that genetically modified organisms, known as GMOs, are unsafe to eat, but changing the genetic code of foods presents an ethical issue for some. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration signed off on Simplots genetically-modified potatoes as safe to eat, with over 1.1 billion pounds (500,000 million kilograms) now sold in some 40 states and 4,000 supermarkets and 9,000 restaurants.

Cole said the company submitted information to the Agriculture Department that determined gene editing replicates a natural process and doesnt need regulatory approval before the strawberries are brought to the market.

Steve Nelson, president and chief executive officer of Plant Sciences Inc., said the company over the last 35 years has developed five distinct breeding populations of strawberries that do best in various growing areas and climate types.

They possess complex genomes that contribute to long and complex breeding cycles, Nelson said. Youve got to look at large populations of seedlings on an annual basis to make progress with traditional plant breeding.

Gene editing could speed that up. Nelson said the goal of the partnership with Simplot is to improve the horticultural performance of strawberries, enhance pest and disease tolerance and resistance.

He said for growers, who can spend $35,000 an acre to plant strawberries and another $35,000 per acre to harvest them, gene-edited strawberries could reduce the risk of a crop failure.

Simplot, a multinational agribusiness company with headquarters in Boise, Idaho, in 2018 acquired gene editing licensing rights in an agreement with Corteva Agriscience and the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, developers of a gene-editing technology called CRISPR-Cas9. Simplot was the first agricultural company to receive such a license.

The technology allows scientists to make precise changes to the genome of living organisms and has wide-ranging applications for improving plant food production and quality. Its been likened to using a search-and-replace function while editing a written document.

The gene editing technology is called CRISPR-Cas9, the first part an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats. The technology speeds up the traditional process of breeding generation after generation of plants to get a certain desirable trait, saving years in developing new varieties that are as safe as traditionally developed varieties, scientists say.

Craig Richael, director of research and development at Simplot, said the strawberry genetic code has been mapped, but its not clear what traits are associated with all the various parts of the code. He said the company is working with parts of the code that are known, raising genetically modified strawberries at a Simplot greenhouse.

Plant Sciences Inc., headquartered in Watsonville, California, and its affiliates have proprietary rights for more than 50 strawberry and raspberry varieties. The company supplies plants to growers in more than 50 countries.

Simplot and Plant Sciences will make money by selling the genetically modified strawberry plants to growers, who pay a royalty for the rights to grow and sell the strawberries. Terms of the deal werent released.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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As campaign season approaches, more than $1.6 million has already been hauled in by candidates for statewide office in Idaho, including nearly $600,000 to Gov. Brad Littles campaign and more than $430,000 between three Republican candidates for lieutenant governor.

Idahos primary election will take place May 17, 2022, and the general election will be held on Nov. 8, 2022. The deadline for candidates to file for statewide office is March 11.

Many candidates have already announced their intentions to run for office, while some have not publicly announced but have started to fundraise or appointed a treasurer for a campaign. Candidates wont be on the ballot unless they officially file for office in 2022.

According to Idaho law, candidates are responsible for declaring donations of $1,000 or more within 48 hours to the Idaho Secretary of States office. In January, those candidates will begin filing monthly reports for all donations of any amount. If a candidate declared earlier than 2021, such as Luke Malek, who announced he was running for lieutenant governor in November 2020, monthly reports are required for 2021.

The Idaho Capital Sun has compiled all 48-hour donations declared by candidates for statewide offices into searchable tables sorted by the date of the donation. These tables will be updated regularly throughout the 2022 election.

Idaho governor outraising opponents 5 to 1

Gov. Brad Little is raising the most money out of all candidates by far, with $591,250 in donations as of Oct. 27 and more than six months to go before the Idaho Republican primary.

Little has not publicly announced his intention to run for re-election in 2022.

Little has reported 192 donations in excess of $1,000, the majority of which are from Idaho individuals and business entities, with 48 donors from outside of the state, including Arizona, Utah and Washington, D.C. Notable contributions include $5,000 from real estate developer Tommy Ahlquist and $10,000 each from Melaleuca Chief Executive Officer Frank VanderSloot and his wife, Belinda. Many of Littles contributions are from businesses and lobbying groups, including Union Pacific Railroad, Idaho Forest Group, Idaho Association of Realtors, Clearwater Paper and Simplot.

Should he choose to run, one of Littles opponents in the primary will be Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who has raised $104,500 so far, with all but two contributions coming from Idaho donors. McGeachins total includes $10,000 transferred from her previous campaign for lieutenant governor. Most of the contributions to her campaign are from individuals, including Rep. Dorothy Moon, R-Stanley, Southwest District Health board member Viki Purdy, and Kootenai County GOP Chairman Brent Regan, who is also a member of the Idaho Freedom Foundations board of directors.

Ed Humphreys, who is also running as a Republican, has raised $155,020, mainly from Treasure Valley-area donors. That total includes $10,000 from Humphreys own funds.

Ammon Bundy, who has announced he is running as a Republican, has six donations amounting to $6,000. Steven Bradshaw, a Bonner County commissioner who announced his candidacy for governor as a Republican at the end of July, has raised $5,050, including $2,050 from his own funds.

Other Republican candidates, including Lisa Marie, Cody Usabel and Jeff Cotton havent reported any contributions.

Only one potential Democratic candidate in the race for governor has raised funds so far. Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad, who recently told the Sandpoint Reader he is exploring the possibility of a formal campaign, has raised a little over $15,000, including $5,000 from his own pocket. Democratic candidate Melissa Sue Robinson has not reported any contributions.

Unaffiliated candidates John Dionne and Robert Dempsey have also not reported any contributions, nor have Constitution Party candidates Pro-Life and Chantyrose Davison.

Heavy fundraising underway for Idaho lieutenant governor

Three Republicans are vying for the lieutenant governors seat, all with ties to the Idaho Legislature. Former Rep. Luke Malek, who represented the Coeur dAlene area from 2012 to 2018, declared his candidacy for the office in November 2020, and has raised $177,823 in the months since. That figure includes a $20,000 loan from Malek himself.

His supporters include former state Sen. Jeff Siddoway, of Terreton, as well as former Sen. John Goedde, who represented the Coeur dAlene area and served as chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Former Rep. Maxine Bell, who represented the Jerome area in the Idaho Legislature, has also donated to Maleks campaign.

Malek also has significant support from firefighters across Idaho, such as the Pocatello Firefighters Political Action Committee, Northern Lakes Professional Firefighters and Middleton Firefighters Political Action Committee.

Rep. Priscilla Giddings, R-White Bird, who announced she would run for lieutenant governor in May, has raised $116,785 so far. Among her sizable contributions is $5,000 from Doyle Beck, a board member for the Idaho Freedom Foundation, and $5,000 from Kootenai County GOP Chairman Brent Regan, who is also a member of the Idaho Freedom Foundations board of directors.

Speaker of the House Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, announced his bid for lieutenant governor in May as well and has raised $138,856 so far, including $2,500 of his own funds. Bedkes list of contributions includes funding from several legislators, including:

Rep. Joe Palmer, R-Meridian

House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star

Rep. Rod Furniss, R-Rigby

Sen. Van Burtenshaw, R-Terreton

Rep. Jason Monks, R-Meridian

Rep. Julie Yamamoto, R-Caldwell

Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley

Former Sens. Jeff Siddoway of Terreton and Brent Hill of Rexburg have also contributed to Bedkes campaign, along with $5,000 each from real estate developer Tommy Ahlquist and his wife, Shanna.

Terri Pickens Manweiler, a Boise attorney who is the only Democrat in the race so far for lieutenant governor, has raised $43,500 since her announcement in August, including $5,000 of her own funds. Other significant contributions include $2,500 from Fred Cornforth, chairman of the Idaho Democratic Party, and $5,000 from A.J. Balukoff, a former Democratic candidate for governor, as well as $5,000 from his wife, Susie.

One candidate actively fundraising for Idaho attorney general

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden has not announced if he will run for re-election in 2020, so there are only two official Republican candidates in the race  Dennis Colton Boyles, an attorney in Sandpoint, who recently represented Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin in a lawsuit over public records, and Arthur Macomber, a Coeur dAlene attorney who recently appeared with McGeachin at an event in Ammon, Idaho, to respond to press coverage of the public records dispute.

Two days after the event in Ammon, Macomber reported a $1,000 donation from McGeachins campaign.

Macomber has reported $82,874 in donations, with more than $49,000 of that sum from his own funds. His support also includes $2,000 from Doyle Beck, a board member for the Idaho Freedom Foundation, and $5,000 from Kootenai County GOP Chairman Brent Regan, who is also a member of the Idaho Freedom Foundations board of directors.

Boyles has not reported any contributions.

Idaho secretary of state fundraising is neck and neck

Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane and Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur dAlene, are Republican candidates for secretary of state and have raised nearly the same amount of money for their campaigns  about $44,000. Chad Houck, who is Idahos deputy secretary of state, also announced his candidacy for the position as a Republican, but has so far only reported a loan from his own funds of $5,000.

Secretary of State Lawerence Denney has not announced if he will run for re-election.

Among those supporting McGrane are Rep. Megan Blanksma, R-Hammett, Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, former Sen. Jeff Siddoway, of Terreton, and former Sen. John Goedde, who represented the Coeur dAlene area and served as chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

Souza has received support from Siddoway as well and has received $5,000 from Kootenai County GOP Chairman Brent Regan, who is also a member of the Idaho Freedom Foundations board of directors.

One candidate receiving majority of support in Idaho superintendent race

Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra has not announced if she will run for re-election in 2022, but she has raised $7,500 since June. That amount pales in comparison to one of her Republican opponents, former president of the Idaho State Board of Education Debbie Critchfield, who has raised $95,500 since she announced her campaign in May.

Her supporters include several current and former legislators, including Rep. Julie Yamamoto, R-Caldwell, Rep. Julie VanOrden, R-Pingree, Rep. Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, and former Rep. Reed DeMordaunt, who represented the Eagle area and served as chairman of the House Education Committee.

Branden Durst, who is a former Democratic legislator running as a Republican for the office, has raised $6,500 so far, including a $1,000 donation from Kootenai County GOP Chairman Brent Regan, who is also a member of the Idaho Freedom Foundations board of directors.

Idaho state controller running unopposed

Brandon Woolf, who has been Idahos state controller since 2012, is running unopposed so far for re-election to the post. He has raised $11,500 from business entities, including Simplot, Idaho Power and the Idaho Association of General Contractors.

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In Dr. David Petermans 40 years as a pediatrician in Idaho, he has never seen so many children younger than 12 coming in with anxiety. And the anxiety isnt just the fear for myself, said Peterman, the CEO of Primary Health Medical Group. Its the fear for those around them  that is, If my dad goes to work, will he be OK? If my mom goes to the grocery store, is she going to get sick? During the coronavirus pandemic, the answer to those questions has not been a sure thing.

Kids in Idaho and across the country are experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, and suicidal ideations and attempts, experts say. Some are continuing to struggle with a lack of consistency. Others remain in isolation, and many are grieving the loss of a primary caregiver or a loved one. Its a problem so severe that the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Childrens Hospital Association last week declared an emergency in childrens mental health.

The groups urged policymakers to increase federal funding for mental health providers, improve telemedicine and take steps to reduce the risk of suicide among children, among other recommendations. In Idaho, school districts are making some changes to help students who are struggling, and are working to give children the tools they need to handle difficult situations. There might still be obstacles, such as a lack of resources causing long waits to see mental health providers, but school counselors are optimistic that things are headed in the right direction  especially with students back in classrooms and not learning remotely. I think weve come a long way, said Jason Shanks, a counselor at Riverside Elementary School in the Boise School District. During the pandemic (last year) we were dealing with very different things than were dealing with now.

Need to talk? National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline: Call 800-273-8255 or text 208-398-4357

WHAT NATIONAL DATA SHOW ON SUICIDE

A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a significant increase in the number of children ages 12 to 17 who went to the emergency room for suspected suicide attempts during the pandemic. The study looked at the period from February to March of this year and found that those visits were about 51% higher among girls ages 12 to 17 than at the same time in 2019. Among boys ages 12 to 17, the number was up only slightly, about 3.7%. We see kids who are really struggling, who are wondering if life is worth it, or who are trying to end their lives at a higher rate than we did before the pandemic, said Paula Griffith, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with St. Lukes Magic Valley. And those rates were already high. Idaho is regularly near the top of state rankings in terms of its suicide rate, Griffith said. Even before the pandemic, the suicide rates for those age 10 to 24 were increasing nationally. Between 2007 and 2018, the rates among that age group went up by more than 50%, according to a study in National Vital Statistics Reports.

FEAR, ISOLATION, LOSS OF LOVED ONES

At different stages of the pandemic, kids in Idaho have had different experiences, doctors and school counselors said. When the pandemic first started, little was known about the coronavirus and COVID-19, aside from its potential to be very serious. Thats frightening to children, Peterman said. And particularly if youre younger, and you cant have a full understanding, then its not unusual for a younger child to turn to a parent and say, Am I safe? he said. Are you, mom or dad, going to be OK? As the pandemic continued, children then had to worry about the virus affecting the older, more vulnerable adults they loved. For many, that became an unfortunate reality. Children lost parents, grandparents and other relatives. According to a study published by the medical journal Pediatrics, more than 140,000 U.S. children have lost a parent or caregiver during the pandemic. In Idaho, nearly 500 children have. On top of that, many children were learning virtually for months  largely in isolation  making it difficult for them to get social interaction and also making it hard for school counselors to connect. All of us began to see a huge increase in mental health problems of children at all ages, Peterman said. Corrie Anderson, a school counselor at Sherman Elementary School and the elementary counselor coordinator in the Nampa School District, said there has been so much shift and change over the past year-and-a-half. Just not knowing, not being able to control the uncontrollable variables, she said. Are we on campus? Are we not on campus? Are we wearing masks? Are we not wearing masks? So thats been challenging for some of our kids  just the unknown piece of that.

WHATS THE IMPACT OF BEING BACK AT SCHOOL?

Being back on campus and following a more consistent schedule has been really helpful for kids, Anderson said. They have been able to socialize, get back to some sense of normalcy and start to make up some of what they missed when learning virtually. Being in person also means school counselors can get a better assessment of children, she said. But even though most children are back in school full time, things havent exactly returned to normal. For those children who were anxious before, being back at school as the virus continues to be a crisis in Idaho can make them anxious and frightened, Peterman said. A number of children have had to work through certain issues just to get them comfortable in the classroom, he said. We have a handful of students that are still kind of wary of getting into large groups, Shanks said. You see the anxiety just in their eyes. Some students who learned primarily online over the past year could be experiencing anxiety over in-person learning and social interactions. Kids with learning disabilities or special needs also might have fallen more behind and now may be experiencing stress over needing to make up what they missed. Its a mixed bag, and it depends on, in some ways, what they were struggling with before, Griffith said. If youre a kid with social anxiety, going to school is really hard. And if youre a kid who has depression thats worsened by social isolation, going back to school is really nice. Children also are dealing with anxiety over the uncontrollable variables, including the big question of when the pandemic will end, Anderson said. Theyre experiencing fear over having to go back into isolation, concerns over loss of income or housing, and grief over the loss of loved ones. There also are mixed messages. Rules over masks and COVID-19 mitigation measures vary across school districts in the Treasure Valley and are constantly changing. All of that creates insecurity, Peterman said. Its not the masks. Its not the separations. Its not the rules themselves that cause anxiety, he said. Its when theyre changing or theyre getting mixed messages. Thats when children are anxious. I cant emphasize enough the importance  of consistency. Children respond to that and need that.

LACK OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS

Idaho already struggled with a lack of mental health resources for children before the pandemic. So to begin with, were at a disadvantage in the sense that we dont have an adequate number of counselors, social workers and particularly child psychiatrists in Idaho, Peterman said. So you begin with not having enough of whats really very, very important to address mental health problems with children. A limited number of resources means children could have to wait weeks or months to see a provider. Shanks said that from what hes seen, there has been a longer wait at more agencies. He said its really hard to get in anywhere right now, and noted that for many places, it was that way before COVID-19. Normally, summer is a quieter time in child psychiatry, Griffith said. She didnt see that lull this year. It was just as busy as other times in the year, she said, and I think part of that has to do with the unpredictability of the things ... we count on to help pace us through life. Griffith said she thinks shes booked a couple of months out for her next new evaluation. Her clinic also has a crisis process in place that helps triage patient referrals, she said. We try and walk the fine line between everyone appropriately waiting their turn, but also helping the people who are in the most need, she said.

MORE RESOURCES IN SCHOOLS

School districts across the Treasure Valley have been working to get more mental health resources for students. In Nampa, Anderson said shes been spending more time in the classroom on coping mechanisms to help with strong emotions. This year, shes supplementing her program in K-5 classrooms with one called The Zones of Regulation. That program helps kids with emotional regulation and finding tools they can use, she said. When shes meeting kids in small groups, she said she also focuses a little more on coping, communication of feelings and relationship building with peers. We lost some time with socialization, she said. Kids are very resilient and they bounce back and normally they do just fine. But theres the pocket of kids who still need support. For elementary students in the Boise School District, Shanks said they are now teaching Sources of Strength. That program, a youth suicide prevention project, teaches students how to find and rely on strengths within themselves, he said. The West Ada School District is also working on expanding its social-emotional learning programs in middle and high schools by using some federal COVID-19 funds. Those programs were already in place at the elementary level, said Jeanne Buschine, the districts supervisor of counseling. The district piloted a program in middle schools last year and has since expanded that, she said. At the high school level, the district is piloting a program this year at a few schools, but one of the biggest challenges is finding the time to reach the students, she said. Those programs teach skills on how to self-regulate, manage stress, solve problems, ask for help and express their feelings, she said. Buschine said West Ada is also participating in a few surveys that will give the district a better idea of how many students are struggling and what they are dealing with. Next semester, the district is planning to bring in some school counseling interns from universities in the area to a few high schools to pilot some group counseling programs. If those work well, the district plans to expand them next year, Buschine said. Our whole intervention is designed around keeping kids from having to leave class and to have skills right there with them on how to calm down (and) how to manage their stress, Buschine said. Districts are also working to create or expand agreements with different agencies to bring mental health providers into schools to work with students. Those programs give kids the chance to meet with someone on a regular basis during school time  eliminating some of the barriers they might face to access those services after school.

IS IT GETTING BETTER?

School counselors said they think being back in school and having a more normal routine is helping kids. Isolation and a lack of a consistency were really difficult for everyone, not only children. I do think that its getting better, Anderson said. I think that having consistency and stability helps ease a lot of that anxiety for our kids, knowing what to expect. Experts also said they believe the stigma associated with mental health and seeking care has improved. Buschine said the pandemic has helped to normalize that people do experience these challenges. I feel like as a culture, were having more conversations around it, partially because its blossoming even more as a problem, Griffith said. And so I feel like I see less stigma from the people that come into my office, internalized stigma about seeking mental health treatment generally. Over and over again, school counselors, teachers and doctors have said that children are resilient. And treatment works for those who access services. With children, if its diagnosed, its treatable, Peterman said. But there has been a lot of trauma the past year and a half. How many of these children have had a parent or grandparent, a cousin, an uncle, who have died from COVID? Peterman said. And so that doesnt just go away. Griffith also emphasized what an important role parents and adults can play in how children have responded and continue to respond to the pandemic. I think that sometimes adults underestimate childrens ability, and perceptiveness to recognize the bigger conversations going on, and to take on whatever perspective the big people in their life that they love, and trust, have, she said.  ... So we have the chance to help help them survive and do well. Griffith said the most important thing, to get started, is for children to talk to a trusted adult in their life, whether thats a school counselor, a family member, a friend or a doctor.

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Sun Valley got the kind of publicity it did not want when the novel coronavirus began shutting down businesses and schools in March 2020.

Its high COVID rate per capita made it the hot spot of the nation, with at least 27 percent of Ketchum residents testing positive for antibodies from the virus, likely introduced by ski visitors and Blaine County residents who had traveled elsewhere.

But by August 2021 Sun Valley was making headlines for another reason: It had gone from a COVID hotspot to one of the nations leaders in the race to get vaccinated.

By early August, more than 87 percent of Blaine County residents ages 12 and older had received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to Idaho Health and Welfare. And 80 percent of the countys 20,000-plus residents were fully vaccinatedwell above the state average which at the time was under 50 percent.

Today, 95 percent of eligible Blaine County residents are vaccinated, according to Idaho Health and Welfare. But that number may be misleading as it counts some second homeowners in Sun Valley and Ketchum.

Everyone knew someone who had had COVID and so they were eager to do what they had to do to keep themselves and others safe, said Mike McKenna, director of The Chamber of Hailey and the Wood River Valley.

The Wood River Valley has not come through the Delta variant surge unscathed. Its risk level is critical, according to health district data from Sept. 19-Oct. 2. The county averaged nine new cases a day that week. And, after months of going without a COVID-related death, it saw four this past monthone as young as 40. Three individuals were unvaccinated; the latest, a woman in her 80s, was vaccinated but had underlying health conditions.

But, for a town that swelled with tourists and second homeowners during summer and early fall, it has done remarkably well, said Brianna Bodily, public information officer for SCPHD.

Blaine County has a small population, but viral diseases can spread more quickly there than we see in most rural areas, she said. This is because so much of the countys population is focused from Sun Valley down to Bellevue. Tourism increases that population density substantially every summer and ski season and, with the influx of visitors, comes a higher chance of someone traveling while contagious. Finally, with a slightly older demographic, this county potentially has a greater number of immune systems that are compromised by disease, medication, or age, putting them at greater risk of infection when they are exposed to disease.

Even with all of these unique factors exposing Blaine County to a higher likelihood of disease spread, data from the end of summer and early fall shows case numbers in residents of Blaine County continue to trend much lower than counties of similar size, she said.

The vaccine protected a high percentage of residents, even as the virus was still able to spread quickly among visitors and residents who were not vaccinated, she added.

When the pandemic made Sun Valley a COVID hot spot, residents worried whether anyone would ever come back to Sun Valley. They need not have worried. With a month of the pandemic, Californians began purchasing homes so their children would be able to attend in-person school when school resumed. Adults in their 20s and 30s moved back in with Mom and Dad. And second homeowners came because they could hike in Sun Valley whereas they would have been quarantined at their primary homes.

The worry about tourists bringing the virus has run up against a strong desire to keep businesses open. And the community has largely accepted sciences determination that vaccines and masks are the way to do that, said McKenna.

That said, recent decisions to reinstate indoor masks mandates indoors by county commissioners and the cities of Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey and Bellevue have created some confusion, he said.

We get tourists who call us and want to make sure masks mandates are in place, and we get calls from those who say they wont come if they have to wear masks, he said. The mask requirement can be especially confusing for tourists who come from other parts of Idaho like Twin Falls where there is no mask mandate.

WOOD RIVER HOSPITAL FACED ITS CRISIS STANDARDS OF CARE DILEMMA AT ONSET

Angela Brady teared up every time she heard the howls of Wood River Valley residents who came out of their homes to howl in appreciation of their health care workers every night in the early weeks of the pandemic. As the nurse manager at St. Lukes Wood River, she knew enough to be scared when the novel coronavirus began making inroads. And, she said, the howling gave her permission to let loose and cry because she was tired and scared.

One of the first cases of COVID in Idaho was diagnosed in the Wood River Valley in mid-March 2020, and dozens more soon followed, prompting Sun Valley Resort to shut down ski operations a month ahead of schedule and schools to close abruptly as Idahos governor ordered the valleys residents to stay home.

Brady and her husband Randy Hallemergency manager specialist for St. Lukes Wood River, Jerome and Twin Falls hospitalssent their daughter to stay with relatives so they could focus on learning about medications and oxygen delivery systems theyd never used before.

Two emergency physicians became sick, one describing the illness as a whisper that slowly turned into a scream, suffocating him and leaving his chest and back aching with each breath. Co-workers quarantined because of possible exposure, worrying about their own mortality as they waited a week for their test results.

Emotions ran high because we knew so little, said Brady. Our staff was getting sick and exposed. We were trying to figure out when we should quarantine, and we were having to bring in doctors and nurses from elsewhere. We were scared.

A week after the first known patient with COVID came through the doors, the hospital closed all but the emergency department to heal its depleted staff. A few days later, two Blaine County residents were among the first in the state to die of the virus.

Firefighters like Lara McLean transported patients to hospitals in Twin Falls and Boise in ambulances that had plastic duct-taped between drivers and patients. The thud of the rotors of St. Lukes Air Ambulance became a constant reminder that the valley was in a grip of a crisis.

Even lab technicians and x-ray staff were getting sick, Brady recalled. It was eerie to see the hospital empty. It felt like we were at warit was eerie and scary.

By the summer of 2020, Blaine County was recovering while the virus was running roughshod across other parts of Idaho. Brady and her husband had avoided becoming sick by wearing personal protective equipment, avoiding going out in the community and eating only take-out when they patronized restaurants.

Hope arrived with a St. Lukes air transport that delivered the first batch of Moderna vaccines to the Wood River Valley in late December. Brady got the first of her two doses two weeks later. Other Wood River Valley residents went into panic mode, many traveling to Boise, Twin Falls, Jerome and Burley to get vaccines because there was such a long wait in the valley.

When infections spiked with the Delta variant this fall, St. Lukes Wood River was not forced to adopt crisis standards of care as did other hospitals. But staff were busier than ever, accepting patients from St. Lukes Magic Valley to give that hospital some breathing room.

For several weeks we had at best one or two rooms open, said Brady. Ive never seen the department that full. Sick patients, for sure.

The hospital has operated as if its on a battlefield, canceling non-emergency surgeries to allow room for the other patients crowding into the hospital. Nurses have worked together in teams to take care of multiple patients. And Wood River has sent staff to other hospitals, as well.

My team is incredibly fatigued. Emotionally and physically, this last surge took it out of them, said Brady Weve experienced the same level of intensity as we did at the beginning back in March 2020. But this time around were more prepared. We have a plan. Were proactive and it feels a little safer. Were also grateful we live here. We as a community learned our lesson 18 months ago and we dont want to be there again.

AS IF SOMEONE FLIPPED A LIGHT SWITCH

The vaccine that gave Brady so much hope also gave many Wood River Valley residents a new lease on life. This past May it was as if someone had flipped a light switch as the valley once again swelled with dinner parties and childrens summer camps.

The Sun Valley Writers Conference resumed with vaccine and other precautions in place. The Sun Valley Wellness Festival and Conference, Rebeccas Private Idaho and Sun Valley Music Festival returned, and The Argyros Center for Performing Arts rolled out a robust calendar, even as it required guests to be masked and vaccinated or have a negative COVID test.

Ketchums Community Library also has remained open by reinstituting a mask mandate as the Delta variant began circulating and requiring proof of vaccination when it had to bring its popular lecture series inside from outdoors. Self-checkout and return stations that were installed just before the pandemic helped provide contactless service, and the library still offers curbside book pickups for those who remain reluctant to go inside.

Students in Blaine County Schools went back to class in masks this fall, despite the efforts of a few protestors who ended a school board meeting before it started when they refused to mask up.

With masks, only a student or teacher with COVID needs to quarantine, said Superintendent James Foudy. If students were not masked anyone coming in contact with an infected person would have to quarantine at least seven days and eight staff members would be pulled from their regular duties to do contact tracing.

This past week nine students of 3,316 students and three of 523 staff were out with COVID. Forty-one students and zero teachers were in quarantine because of close contact with someone with COVID while unmasked.

Whether youre for it or opposed to it, the mask mandate has worked, said Board President Keith Roark said, noting that some other Idaho schools have closed for days at a time because of a high percentage of staff and students with COVID. Were averaging 94 percent attendance, and 94 percent attendance is phenomenal when you realize that a year ago we were in a hybrid program.

Additionally, the school district requires new hires to be vaccinated or have a medical or religious exemption, and the board considered but did not vote on a policy this week that would require all staff to be vaccinated.

NOT EVERYONE IS HAPPY WITH COVID PRECAUTIONS

There has been some pushback.

Leslie Manookian was among a handful of Wood River Valley residents who filed a lawsuit against the City of Hailey in late September, alleging that the city violated federal law by mandating masks.

No government official has the right to deprive citizens of the right to breathe, she said.

Phil Raney runs Hyperbarics of Sun Valley, which has used pressurized oxygen to treat post- and active-COVID patients with respiratory issues. But he doesnt believe masks protect people from the aerosolized virus which, he claims, goes through masks like moths go through a chain-link fence.

If we require everyone to wear a mask because we believe they can spread COVID, we have to believe every mask is a biohazard with active virus on it, he said. If its suspected to be contaminated, it has to be disposed of as a biohazard. To say we can put it in our pocket or our pursethen were just spreading the virus around.

Hailey Mayor Martha Burke stands by her councils decision to require masks indoors until her city moves out of the critical risk level.

Its commonsense, she said. Yes, you will always have a little resistance. But if you know what works, why not do it?

The push to get the community vaccinated has likely been the countys greatest protective measure against further disease spread, along with asking residents to mask, social distance and restrict the number of people at gatherings when necessary, said Bodily.

When residents get on board, all of these efforts can go a long way in preventing the spread of disease. Adherence hasnt been 100 percent in Blaine County, but we have seen greater participation than many other Idaho counties and it has helped protect many people from this relentless spread of disease, she said.

The county continues to try to push the vaccination rate even higher. Its created public service announcements featuring a cowboy, construction worker, Mom and her daughter, religious leader and health care worker explaining that confronting COVID is not a political but a public health issue. And mobile vaccines have traveled between the YMCA in Ketchum and Carey, making it easy for someone to walk up and get a vaccine.

The vaccination rate is extremely high in places like Sun Valley where the average age is 71those people are more vulnerable, which probably drives them to be vaccinated. And theyre probably more in touch with their health care providers, said Blaine County Commissioner Jacob Greenberg. But, as we move from north to south, the vaccination rate slides. Theres a hesitancy there I dont know if we can overcome. But weve got to do a better job of reaching those who remain unvaccinated in our own community, either because theyre hesitant or havent gotten around to it.

Greenberg noted that valley residents are wary about workers from other counties driving in each day who may be bringing the virus with them because theyre not vaccinated.

I think we will see more and more nonprofits and businesses require proof of vaccination before someone enters the premises, he said. If they make that decision, Im going to do what I can to make sure theyre backed up by the government because I think we will see more and more variants.

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To the Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Eric Phillips for the Iriswood Board of Supervisors seat.

My Name is Tim Nuckles, and although I live in the Ridgeway district, I can recommend Eric without hesitation because I serve as his pastor.

Eric Phillips is a passionate, committed and dedicated man.

First, Phillips is passionate: Eric is passionate about Henry County and the direction in which we are going. He is passionate about creating jobs and opportunities for growth, and tackling the real issues that face real people. He is passionate about making Henry County the best place to live for all our residents.

Phillips is also committed: Phillips is a committed member of Mercy Crossing Church. He is committed to his family. Eric is committed to our community.

Above all, Phillips is dedicated: The traits of dedication and hard work have made Eric a successful businessman. When he started his business just a few years ago, success wasnt given to him; rather, it took hard work, dedication, long hours and diligence. With determination and dedication, Eric went for it, and now his business is creating jobs in our community.
On the one hand, If Garland does nothing to hold the coup plotters accountable, it will irrevocably shred the DOJs credibility, erase the rule of law, sanction the use of violence, and give MAGAts the green light for the final conflagration in 2024. Schiff, in a recent podcast, worries about that: I think theres a real desire on the part of the attorney general not to look backward  I disagree with (that) most vehemently.

For instance, federal law  18 U.S.C. 371  says its a crime to defraud the federal government. And its clear, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling in 1925, that obstructing a free election and the ritual counting of electors, falls well within that language. The court ruled that its a federal crime to interfere with or obstruct one of (the) lawful governmental functions by deceit, craft or trickery, or at least by means that are dishonest.

Theres also abundant language in 18 U.S.C. 2384 to indict former President Donald Trump and his plotters for seditious conspiracy. Heck, there are grounds to federally prosecute Trump for pressuring Georgias top election official to commit fraud by reversing Joe Bidens statewide win. Lest we forget, Trump was caught in a phone recording saying: I have to find 12,000 votesSo what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes.
Vijay Balasubramanian. Credit: University of Pennsylvania

A study published in PLOS Computational Biology describes a new model for how the olfactory system discerns unique odors. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that a simplified, statistics-based model can explain how individual odors can be perceived as more or less similar from others depending on the context. This model provides a starting point for generating new hypotheses and conducting experiments that can help researchers better understand the olfactory system, a complex, crucial part of the brain.

The sense of smell, while crucial for things like taste and hazard avoidance, is not as well studied as other senses. Study co-author Vijay Balasubramanian, a theoretical physicist with an interest in how living systems process information, says that olfaction is a prime example of a complex information-processing system found in nature, as there are far more types of volatile moleculeson the scale of tens or hundreds of thousandsthan there are receptor types in the nose to detect them, on the scale of tens to hundreds depending on the species.

"Every molecule can bind to many receptors, and every receptor can bind to many molecules, so you get this combinatorial mishmash, with the nose encoding smells in a way that involves many receptor types to collectively tell you what a smell is," says Balasubramanian. "And because there are many fewer receptor types than molecular species, you basically have to compress a very high dimensional olfactory space into a much lower dimensional space of neural responses."

Previous experiments have found that context plays a key role in navigating this high-dimensional space, with context referring to specific outcomes, locations, behaviors, or activities, such as smelling a batch of cookies baking and then eating one shortly thereafter. "If you experience odors in a similar context, even if they were initially rather different in the responses they evoked in the nose, they begin to be represented by similar neural responses so they become the same in your head," Balasubramanian says.

But theories and models that describe how odor perception can change depending on context have been challenging to develop because incorporating the complexities of the brain is difficult. In this study, Balasubramanian, Gaia Tavoni, a former postdoc in Penn's Computational Neuroscience Initiative and now an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and David E. Chen Kersen, an M.D.-Ph.D. student at Penn, tried a simpler approach that incorporated unstructured, random feedback between the central brain and the olfactory bulb.

"Imagine that each context provides some sort of random pattern of feedback, and then these random patterns are fed forward into the central brain. We asked ourselves if the statistics of randomness could produce the kinds of convergence and divergence in neural representation of odors that are seen experimentally," Balasubramanian says.

To encapsulate as much complexity in their model as possible, the researchers combined two approaches. One is more typical of work in physics and involves breaking down a system into only its essential features in order to do calculations and understand key principles. The other is more aligned with methods from biology and incorporates as many known inputs as possible, which here included data on brain anatomy and physiology, neuron ion channel dynamics, electron micrographs, and the detailed 3D geometry of the olfactory bulb.

"There was this lovely interplay, with the theory guiding the mechanistic model and the mechanistic model developing the theory. This was a very nice example of different approaches coming together: The classic, detailed mechanistic model versus a principles-based, equations-based model, and both were interacting," says Balasubramanian.

The researchers found that their simplified model could be used to reproduce the same types of results seen in olfaction experiments. It's something that Balasubramanian did not expect to see, as he thought that such a complex process would require "learning and plasticity" in order to adapt and change neural synapses to modify the brain's representation of smells. "We may have found a general strategy of using certain kinds of randomized signals to entrain those effects," he says about their results. "It doesn't have to be just olfaction; it can be elsewhere, too."

In the future, the researchers hope to connect the results of their statistical model to experimental results. One specific area of interest is how increased cortical excitability, which occurs in certain neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, impacts how different odors are perceived. In addition, having these types of models and theories could also help researchers gain a better understanding of smell impairment after COVID-19.

"Good theories and models open up new avenues of research, and it's much easier to explore at the beginning in silico," says Balasubramanian.

Explore further Scientists provide new insight on how the nose adapts to smells

More information: Gaia Tavoni et al, Cortical feedback and gating in odor discrimination and generalization, PLOS Computational Biology (2021). Journal information: PLoS Computational Biology Gaia Tavoni et al, Cortical feedback and gating in odor discrimination and generalization,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009479
Children wait before receiving a shot of the Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine at a Krang Thnong health center outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Cambodia on Monday began vaccinating 5-year-old children against the coronavirus as its leader announced the official reopening of the country, including the phased reentry of tourists. Credit: AP Photo/Heng Sinith

Cambodia on Monday began vaccinating 5-year-old children against the coronavirus as its leader announced the start of the country's reopening, including the phased reentry of foreign tourists.

Speaking on state television, Prime Minister Hun Sen said 5-year-olds are being vaccinated to boost their immunity before they start attending school, which begins at age 6.

More than 85% of Cambodia's almost 17 million people have received at least one COVID-19 shot since vaccinations began in February. China's Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines account for most inoculations.

Vaccinations for 2 million children age 6 to 11 began Sept. 17 and are nearly complete. There are about 300,000 5-year-old children and they will be given Sinovac.

Hun Sen also noted the start of the reopening of the country on Monday with restrictions totally lifted on domestic tourism, schools and other sectors. He said most Cambodians are now vaccinated and have an understanding of the virus and how to stay safe.

The government announced plans last week to reopen the country in several stages to fully vaccinated foreign tourists starting Nov. 30.

The program will allow those visitors to skip quarantine if they stay at least five days in designated areas, the Tourism Ministry announced.

A young girl, center, receives a shot of the Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine at a Krang Thnong health center outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Cambodia on Monday began vaccinating 5-year-old children against the coronavirus as its leader announced the official reopening of the country, including the phased reentry of tourists. Credit: AP Photo/Heng Sinith

A young girl, center, receives a shot of the Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine at a Krang Thnong health center outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Cambodia on Monday began vaccinating 5-year-old children against the coronavirus as its leader announced the official reopening of the country, including the phased reentry of tourists. Credit: AP Photo/Heng Sinith

A young girl receives a shot of the Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine at a Krang Thnong health center outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Cambodia on Monday began vaccinating 5-year-old children against the coronavirus as its leader announced the official reopening of the country, including the phased reentry of tourists. Credit: AP Photo/Heng Sinith

A young girl receives a shot of the Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine at a Krang Thnong health center outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Cambodia on Monday began vaccinating 5-year-old children against the coronavirus as its leader announced the official reopening of the country, including the phased reentry of tourists. Credit: AP Photo/Heng Sinith

The first such areas are two seaside provinces, Sihanoukville and Koh Kong, on the Gulf of Thailand.

On arrival, visitors must show proof they have been vaccinated and take a rapid results test for COVID-19. They can proceed without quarantine if the results are negative.

Siem Reap province, home to the famous Angkor temples, is to be added to the quarantine-free province list in January.

Cambodia's Health Ministry on Monday reported 91 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths, bringing the country's totals since the pandemic began to 118,613 cases and 2,794 deaths.

Explore further Thai campaign to vaccinate schoolchildren makes progress

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Swollen gums, rotten teeth, patients in excruciating pain, children afraid to smile.

This is what Roslyn Kellum and her colleagues see when they crisscross the United States in a trailer van to provide much needed oral care to tens of thousands of patients who cannot afford to go to the dentist.

"They choose between getting their teeth treated or paying the bills, or gas in the tank, or food on the table, or paying rent," Kellum, dental director at Mission of Mercy, a Christian charity providing free medical and dental care to low-income Americans in several US states, told AFP.

"So they choose to put gas in the tank or food on the table and neglect their teeth."

Health care advocates had been hoping that President Joe Biden's huge social spending plan would finally reverse a decades-old situation where dental benefits were excluded from the national health insurance plan for millions of American seniors.

But faced with resistance from both Republicans and members of his own Democratic Party, Biden had to significantly pare back his plan and oral care has been left out of the latest $1.75 trillion blueprint.

Historically, dental care has been separate from general health care in the United States, and when Medicare, the national health insurance program for the elderly and the disabled, was established in 1965, dental benefits were left out.

"Keeping teeth in your mouth as you grow old should not be a luxury in this country," Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders fumed recently.

But for many Americans it is.

Maria Hernandez, 53, an in-home care provider in Washington, does not have dental insurance and cannot afford to pay out of pocket.

Earlier this week she went to get her teeth examined and treated at a free clinic run by Bread for the City, a charity that provides food and medical care to underserved communities in the US capital.

But Hernandez told of her friend, also uninsured but unaware of the clinic, who was in so much pain from an aching tooth that she tried to extract it at home herself.

"I think it's really bad. A lot of people southside, they cannot pay, because, you know, dental care is really, really expensive," Hernandez, a heavy-set woman with grey hair, told AFP, referring to an underprivileged area of Washington.

"We are low-income, we can't pay."

'Heartbreaking'

Twenty-four million American seniors, or nearly half of those enrolled in Medicare, don't have any dental coverage, according to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit focused on health policy.

Private insurance plans can be costly. And paying for dental services out of pocket is infamously expensive in the United States, where a routine check-up can cost several hundred dollars, while more serious work such as fillings or root canal treatment can run in the thousands.

Nearly half of all Medicare recipients did not visit a dentist over the past year, the Kaiser study found.

The rate is even higher for minorities68 percent for African Americans and 61 percent for Hispanicsanother sign of racial inequalities plaguing the US health care system that were highlighted by the COVID pandemic.

Meanwhile, Medicaid, the nation's health insurance program for low-income people, offers spotty dental coverage, with many states not providing dental benefits and only 43 percent of dentists accepting Medicaid.

"Without a doubt, the number one reason why people don't get dental care is cost," said Mary Nordridge, Director of Dental Research at NYU Langone Health.

Besides physical pain, discomfort, and the increased risk of broader health problems stemming from oral disease, having rotting or missing teeth takes a heavy psychological toll on people, with children afraid to speak up in class and adults unable to find jobs, especially in the service industry.

"When people get dentures, the pride they feel when they can smile, it's justit's heartbreaking," said Randi Abramson, chief medical officer at Bread for the City.

"People are amazed that they feel more confident, they can smile again. And it makes a huge difference in someone's life."

Biden's proposal to include dental treatment in Medicare was opposed by the powerful American Dental Association, which said benefits should be targeted specifically at the poorest Medicare recipients.

But advocates like Kellum, the dental director at Mission of Mercy, insists that oral care should be guaranteed to all Americans and hopes that some dental benefits will make their way back into the final version of Biden's plan.

"It's horrible, it's terrible. It's not right having patients suffer," Kellum said.

Explore further Oral health needs among youth with a history of foster care

 2021 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Emergency room nurse Grace Politis was catching up on paperwork during her shift when she suddenly realized her head hurt badly. Then she blacked out.

"Later on, I found out I was hit in the head twice with a fire extinguisher by a patient," said Politis, who works at Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, Mass.

A disturbed man awaiting psychiatric evaluation had fractured Politis' skull, causing her head to bleed in two places and crushing one of her fingers.

Workplace violence in health care facilities has been shockingly high for years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that a health care worker is five times more likely to suffer violence and injury on the job than workers overall.

Now, the stress of the pandemic has made an already dangerous situation even worse.

Nurses providing care for COVID-19 patients are more than twice as likely to be physically attacked or verbally abused at work than those who care for other patients, according to a study from workplace violence researcher Jane Lipscomb that was recently published in the journal Workplace Health & Safety.

"Given how politicized the whole issue of vaccines and masking has become, I would think that we're actually going to see an increase in violence, rather than any kind of decrease," Lipscomb said in a HealthDay Now interview.

The threat of violence and abuse from patients and their families has gotten so bad that CoxHealth hospitals in Springfield, Mo., have started handing out panic buttons to staff and placing guard dogs in risky areas, Natalie Higgins, an emergency room nurse with CoxHealth, told HealthDay Now.

"When I first started, you would see it every once in a while. It wasn't a huge ordeal. But now it's every day," Higgins said.

"The verbal attacks are every day when we're at triage. We have a visitor policy, and people don't appreciate the visitor policy and so they lash out at us, like it's our decision. Or our patients are frustrated with wait times," Higgins said. "The physical isn't as common, thankfully, but it's still happening too often."

Pandemic is making matters worse in ERs

The pandemic already has placed incredible strains on health care staff, as hospitals run near capacity during COVID surges. Worker burnout continues to threaten staffing levels at hospitals.

"Before everything happened, we always chipped in to do what we could do, but now you have to do X, Y and Z because we just don't have the people to do it," Higgins said. "It's stretching us thinner, and it's getting tougher and tougher to go to work every day."

Politis added, "A lot of times, what really, really counts is the co-workers that you have and the environment that you make it. As rough as a shift may be, if you have those co-workers that you can count on to make you laugh for even a split second, it makes it worth it."

Now, the aggressive nature of some COVID-19 patients and their families are adding yet another strain to the burden on health care workers during the pandemic.

"I've seen patients who have COVID that become very confused and try to get out of bed, or become verbally abusive, or just aggravated," Politis said.

"I've also seen young healthy adults become very, very angry and upset just for the pure fact that they have COVID, and of course the doctors and the nurses who tell them the result of what we're doing, we are kind of the ones that take the brunt of everything and all of the aggression," Politis added.

Hospitals now are taking extra steps like panic buttons to help workers feel safer on the job. When someone presses their panic button, it notifies every staff member where the incident is occurring, Higgins said.

"They page it overhead, so everyone knows what's happening so we can all work together and keep our staff member safe," Higgins said.

"We now have a guard dog at each hospital. That helps with de-escalating patients," Higgins added. "We take de-escalation classes every year. That sort of helps us with the verbal and if we do have to take a patient down, how we do it as a team."

Hospitals can contribute by creating a safer environment for their employees, Lipscomb said. They can install glass or plexiglass partitions that provide protection from patients, and choose waiting room furniture that can't easily be used as a weapon.

Creating a safer work environment

"It's much easier to take care of the environment as opposed to changing patient and worker behavior, so that's the place to start," Lipscomb said.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been working on standards for workplace violence, but their progress has lagged for years, Lipscomb said. Legislation that would require them to move quickly has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, but hasn't been introduced in the Senate.

In the meantime, nurses like Politis and Higgins will be left wondering why they should remain at a job that places them at risk.

Higgins went into emergency nursing with dreams of helping people survive terrible trauma.

"You don't think about, am I going to get assaulted verbally today? Am I going to get assaulted physically? Do I have enough staff? What if I do push my button? Are there people who are going to be able to make it to me in time?" Higgins said.

"I anticipated some of it, especially with psychiatric patients, because a lot of the time they are under the influence," Higgins added. "But seeing what I've seen, I would have never expected to go to work and think, man, am I go home to my family tonight? That's been a real eye-opener for me, the last four years."

It's particularly heartbreaking for Politis, who hasn't been able to work in the ER since she was assaulted.

"Putting blue scrubs back on for the first time after the attack, I went through a wave of emotions I never thought I would go throughjust putting on my work clothes I used to do without any issue," Politis said. "I haven't been back to the emergency room. Every time I think about it, I get anxious, I get fearful."

"That hurts because I always thought I was an emergency room [nurse] through and through," Politis continued. "I love the emergency room. There's nothing like it. It's my flow, but unfortunately I don't think that I might be able to ever go back, just because of what happened."

Explore further Emergency physician residents and health care workers at high risk of physical or verbal assault, new analysis shows

Copyright  2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A new type of magnetic brain stimulation brought rapid remission to almost 80% of participants with severe depression in a study conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The treatment, known as Stanford accelerated intelligent neuromodulation therapy (SAINT) or simply Stanford neuromodulation therapy, is an intensive, individualized form of transcranial magnetic stimulation. In the study, remission typically occurred within days and lasted months. The only side effects were temporary fatigue and headaches.

"It works well, it works quickly and it's noninvasive," said Nolan Williams, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. "It could be a game changer." Williams is the senior author of the study, which was published Oct. 29 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Twenty-nine people with treatment-resistant depression participated in the study: About half received SAINT, and the rest underwent a placebo procedure that mimicked the real treatment. After five days of treatment, 78.6% of the participants in the treatment group were no longer depressed, according to several standard methods of evaluation. "It's quite a dramatic effect, and it's quite sustained," said Alan Schatzberg, MD, the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, who was a co-author of the study.

A lifetime of depression

Tommy Van Brocklin, 60, has suffered from depression since he was 15. "In 1975, they didn't have the medication and understanding they do now," he said. "I was told I wasn't trying hard enough."

"I've functioned all these years, but it's been very difficult at times," the civil engineer added. Talk therapy helped "for about half a day after an appointment." When selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors became available in the 1990s, he started on paroxetine, commonly sold under the brand name Paxil.

"It worked like a miracle drug," he said, but after 10 or 15 years it started to lose its effect. After 25 years, it stopped working entirely. He tried other medications, but none helped; one even made him suicidal.

His sister, who lives near Stanford, connected him with the researchers studying SAINT. He flew from his home in Memphis, Tennessee, and underwent the treatment in September. He felt nothing the first day; on day two, he began feeling emotional"I felt the struggle of what I'd been through all these years."

"The next day, all of a sudden, it broke through," he said. "I felt so much better, and it's stuck with me."

Specialized magnetic stimulation

The transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration requires six weeks of once-daily sessions. Only about half of patients who undergo the treatment improve, and only about a third experience remission from depression.

SAINT advances that treatment by targeting the magnetic pulses according to each patient's neurocircuitry and providing a greater number of pulses at a faster pace.

In the study, the researchers first used MRI to locate the best location to target within each participant's dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which regulates executive functions, such as problem solving and inhibiting unwanted responses. They applied the stimulation in a subregion that has the strongest relationship with the subgenual cingulate, a part of the brain that is overactive in people experiencing depression. The transcranial magnetic stimulation strengthens the connection between the two regions, facilitating dorsolateral prefrontal cortex control of the activity in the subgenual cingulate.

The researchers also used 1,800 pulses per session instead of 600. (The larger amount has been used safely in other forms of brain stimulation for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.) And instead of providing one treatment a day, they gave participants 10 10-minute treatments, with 50-minute breaks in between.

For the control group, the researchers disguised the treatment with a magnetic coil that mimicked the experience of the magnetic pulse; both the control and active treatment groups wore noise-canceling earphones and received a topical ointment to dull sensation. Neither the researcher administering the procedure nor the participant knew whether the participant was receiving real treatment.

A hard-to-treat group

The trial participants ranged in age from 22 to 80; on average, they had suffered depression for nine years. They had tried medications, but either they had had no effect or they had stopped working. During the trial, participants who were on medication maintained their regular dosage; participants who weren't taking medications did not start any.

Within four weeks after treatment, 12 of the 14 participants who had received the treatment improved, and 11 of them met FDA criteria for remission. In contrast, only two of the 15 participants who had received the placebo met the criteria for remission.

Because the study participants typically felt better within days of starting SAINT, the researchers are hoping it can be used to quickly treat patients who are at a crisis point. Patients who start taking medication for depression typically don't experience any reduction of symptoms for a month.

"We want to get this into emergency departments and psychiatric wards where we can treat people who are in a psychiatric emergency," Williams said. "The period right after hospitalization is when there's the highest risk of suicide."

Van Brocklin said that since he returned home following treatment, he's made some radical changes. "I have a really strong desire to get my life together," he said.

"I don't procrastinate anymore," he added. "I'm sleeping better. I completely quit alcohol. I'm walking my dog and playing the guitar again, for nothing more than the sheer joy of it."

Most importantly, he said, "I'm remaining positive and being respectful of others. These are big changes in my life."

Explore further Researchers devise treatment that relieved depression in 90% of participants in small study

More information: Eleanor J. Cole et al, Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT): A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial, American Journal of Psychiatry (2021). Journal information: American Journal of Psychiatry Eleanor J. Cole et al, Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT): A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial,(2021). DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.20101429
Graduate students in the same PhD program participated in an fMRI experiment viewing the faces of four of their classmates and the faces of four visually familiarized strangers. Hyperalignment and between-subject linear classifiers revealed that visual information was shared across the brains of the participants for both personally and visually familiar identities. Social information was shared across brains only for personally familiar faces within brain areas involved in social cognition. Credit: Matteo Visconti di Oleggio Castello et al.

The ability to recognize familiar faces is fundamental to social interaction. This process provides visual information and activates social and personal knowledge about a person who is familiar. But how the brain processes this information across participants has long been a question. Distinct information about familiar faces is encoded in a neural code that is shared across brains, according to a new Dartmouth study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Within visual processing areas, we found that information about personally familiar and visually familiar faces is shared across the brains of people who have the same friends and acquaintances," says first author Matteo Visconti di Oleggio Castello, Guarini '18, who conducted this research as a graduate student in psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth and is now a neuroscience post-doctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. "The surprising part of our findings was that the shared information about personally familiar faces also extends to areas that are non-visual and important for social processing, suggesting that there is shared social information across brains."

For the study, the research team applied a method called hyperalignment, which creates a common representational space for understanding how brain activity is similar between participants. The team used data obtained from three fMRI tasks with 14 graduate students who had known each other for at least two years. In two of the tasks, participants were presented with images of four other personally familiar graduate students and four other visually familiar persons, who were previously unknown. In the third task, participants watched parts of The Grand Budapest Hotel. The movie data, which is publicly available, was used to apply hyperalignment and align participants' brain responses into a common representational space. This allowed the researchers to use machine learning classifiers to predict what stimuli a participant was looking at based on the brain activity of the other participants.

The results showed that the identity of visually familiar and personally familiar faces was decoded with accuracy across the brain in areas that are mostly involved in visual processing of faces. Outside of the visual areas however, there was not a lot of decoding. For visually familiar identities, participants only knew what the stimuli looked like; they did not know who these people were or have any other information about them.

The analysis revealed shared information about personally familiar identities (top) in areas involved in social cognition, such as the dorso-medial prefrontal cortex, the precuneus, the insula, and the temporo-parietal junction. Shared information about visually familiar identities was present only in areas involved in visual processing of faces, such as the occipital face area and the fusiform face area. Credit: Matteo Visconti di Oleggio Castello et al.

In decoding personally familiar identities, the findings demonstrated that there was much more shared information across the brains of the participants. There was high decoding accuracy in four other areas outside of the visual system: the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, which is known to be involved in social processing (processing other people's intentions and traits); the precuneus, an area which has been shown to be more active when processing personally familiar faces; the insula, which is known to be involved in emotional processing; and the temporal parietal junction, which plays an important role in social cognition and in representing the mental states of others (also known as the "theory of the mind").

"This shared conceptual space for the personal knowledge of others allows us to communicate with people that we know in common," says senior author Maria (Ida) Gobbini, a research associate professor in the Cognitive Science Program at Dartmouth and associate professor in the department of experimental, diagnostic and specialty medicine at the University of Bologna.

Past research by the team using fMRI experiments found that these "theory of mind" areas in the brain are activated when a person sees someone personally familiar. "When we see someone we know, we activate immediately who that person is," says Gobbini. "This is what allows us to interact in the most appropriate way with someone who is familiar." For example, how you interact with a friend or family member may be quite different from the way you interact with a colleague or boss.

"It would have been quite possible that everybody has their own private code for what people are like but this is not the case," says co-author James Haxby, professor of psychological and brain sciences at Dartmouth. "Our research shows that processing familiar faces really has to do with general knowledge about people."

Explore further Brain learns to recognize familiar faces regardless of where they are in the visual field

More information: Shared neural codes for visual and semantic information about familiar faces in a common representational space, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Shared neural codes for visual and semantic information about familiar faces in a common representational space,(2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110474118
(HealthDay)The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the emergency use of a smaller dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, paving the way for 28 million kids across the country to get their shots.

These youngest Americans can now receive one-third of the adult dose, with two injections given three weeks apart. If the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signs off on the approval after its advisory panel meets Tuesday, young children could start getting shots as early as Wednesday.

"As a mother and a physician, I know that parents, caregivers, school staff and children have been waiting for today's authorization. Vaccinating younger children against COVID-19 will bring us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy," Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in an agency statement announcing the approval. "Our comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the data pertaining to the vaccine's safety and effectiveness should help assure parents and guardians that this vaccine meets our high standards."

"We are confident in the safety, effectiveness and manufacturing data behind this authorization. As part of our commitment to transparency around our decision-making, which included our public advisory committee meeting earlier this week, we have posted documents today supporting our decision and additional information detailing our evaluation of the data will be posted soon. We hope this information helps build [the] confidence of parents who are deciding whether to have their children vaccinated," Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the same statement.

Infectious disease experts welcomed the approval.

"It's an incredibly important tool in the return to normalcy," Dr. Larry Corey, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and a leader of the COVID-19 Prevention Network, told the New York Times. "To be able to know that your child is protected and not going to get severely ill by going to school is an incredible psychological relief."

Earlier in the week, the FDA's vaccine advisory panel voted to recommend the approval. The vote was nearly unanimous at 17-0, with one abstention.

Despite the vote count, some panel members noted at the time that they struggled with the decision.

"This is a much tougher one, I think, than we had expected coming into it," panel member Dr. Eric Rubin, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, said during the meeting, NBC News reported. "The data show that the vaccine works and it's pretty safe ... [yet] we're worried about a side effect that we can't measure yet," he said, referring to a heart condition called myocarditis that has cropped up in rare cases in some younger recipients of COVID vaccines.

Another panel member questioned whether the vaccinations were needed at all for these youngest Americans.

"It just seems to me that in some ways, we're vaccinating children to protect the adults, and it should be the other way around," committee member Dr. James Hildreth, president and CEO of Meharry Medical College in Tennessee, told NBC. "I do believe that children at highest risk do need to be vaccinated. But vaccinating all of the children ... that seems a bit ... much for me."

Panel member Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine researcher at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said, "It's always nerve-racking, I think, when you're asked to make a decision for millions of children based on studies of only a few thousand children."

But he stressed that the potential threat from a pediatric infection with COVID-19 is real.

"The question is, when do you know enough?" Offit added. "And I think we certainly know that there are many children between 5 and 11 years of age who are susceptible to this disease who could very well be sick and are hospitalized or die from it."

Panel member Dr. Amanda Cohn, chief medical officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saw the decision similarly.

"When I look at this question, it is pretty clear to me that the benefits do outweigh the risk, when I hear about children who are being put in the ICU, who are having long-term outcomes after their COVID, and children are dying," Cohn said. "We vaccinate routinely against a couple of vaccine-preventable diseases for which far fewer deaths and hospitalizations and ICU admissions occur."

In fact, more than 1.9 million children aged 5 to 11 have tested positive for the coronavirus over the course of the pandemic, and more than 8,400 have been hospitalized, said Dr. Fiona Havers, a medical officer with the CDC, NBC News reported. And when hospitalized with COVID-19, children are more likely to be admitted to the intensive care and more likely to need a ventilator than children hospitalized with the flu are, she added.

Children who contract COVID-19 are also at risk for a rare inflammatory condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). As of Oct. 4, more than 5,200 children of all ages have developed MIS-C, and 46 have died, Havers said, adding that the condition was most common in younger children.

Two doses of the Pfizer vaccine is nearly 91% effective in preventing symptomatic illness in young children and brings no unexpected safety issues, according to a study posted last Friday by the FDA.

"Overall, it is very promising news that the FDA has decided to approve the vaccine, allowing parents to collectively breathe a sigh of relief. The bottom line is that they can now extend this much needed protection to their children and families as a whole," said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Now, the Biden administration's plans to roll out the vaccine through pediatricians' offices, community clinics and pharmacies will begin, as U.S. health officials hope to reassure hesitant parents that the jab will protect their kids from COVID-19.

The White House has decided that pediatric COVID-19 shots will be delivered in settings that parents know and trust, rather than mass vaccination sites.

More than 25,000 pediatric and family doctor clinics will provide vaccinations to children, along with tens of thousands of pharmacies, children's hospitals and community health centers, according to the White House plan.

"Our planning efforts mean that we will be ready to begin getting shots in arms in the days following a final CDC recommendation," a White House statement on the plan said.

The federal government has already bought enough vaccine to fully cover all 28 million American kids aged 5 to 11, and it will be distributed in smaller packages of about 100 doses each, to make things more manageable for doctors' offices and community health centers, the White House added.

And there will be takers for the pediatric version of the vaccine: Two-thirds of U.S. parents of kids aged 5 to 11 plan to get their children vaccinated once the shots are approved, according to a recent poll by the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project.

Explore further COVID-19 vaccination plan for kids 5 to 11

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Fig. 1: Manhattan plots from acute myeloid leukemia meta-analysis of 4 genome-wide association studies. For each GWAS, association tests were performed for all AML cases and cytogenetically normal AML assuming an additive genetic model, with nominally significant principal components included in the analysis as covariates. Association summary statistics were combined for variants common to all four GWAS, in fixed effects models using PLINK. Manhattan plots show negative log10 (fixed effects meta P values, Y axis) for all AML (a) and cytogenetically normal AML (b) over 22 autosomal chromosomes. Risk loci are annotated with chromosome position and local gene. All statistical tests were two-sided and no adjustments were made for multiple comparisons. The horizontal red line denotes the threshold for statistical significance in a genome-wide association study (P

Researchers have discovered that there is a genetic susceptibility to developing acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells.

The condition can, at times, occur in relatives and is caused by single inherited gene mutations, although such families are rare. The genetic risk has not been understood by scientists, until now.

The Newcastle University-led study, published in Nature Communications, has proven that variation in certain genes plays a part in determining risk of developing familial acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Genetic variants

Experts compared the DNA sequence from over 4,000 AML patients with DNA from over 10,000 healthy individuals. They found two genes with variations in their genetic sequences that are strongly associated with the development of AML.

Professor James Allan, from Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, who led the international study, said: "This is the first study to show that common genetic variants determine the risk of developing AML and it is the first step in explaining why some people get this disease and others do not.

"One of the genetic variants we found is located in a part of the genome that controls immunity and demonstrates that our own immune system plays an important role in detecting and eliminating AML cells.

"The body's immune system is known to play an essential part in protecting against numerous other cancers, but our study shows that immunity is very important in protecting against AML."

There are approximately 2,700 new diagnoses of AML each year in the UK and it is one of the deadliest forms of leukemia. Adults and children can get the illness, but it is most often diagnosed in older people.

AML can run in families but is extremely rare and does not make a major contribution to disease burden at the population level. Rather, most people who develop the condition have no family history of the illness.

Professor Allan said: "We need to do more research in this area to find out further what is happening. The two gene variants we have identified have a small effect on risk on their own. We need to increase the size of the study by adding more cases and controls in order to establish more variants that affect risk of AML. Once we have found more variants it will be much easier to predict who will develop AML and who will not."

Explore further Study identifies 11 candidate genetic variants for Alzheimer's disease

More information: Wei-Yu Lin et al, Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for acute myeloid leukemia, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Wei-Yu Lin et al, Genome-wide association study identifies susceptibility loci for acute myeloid leukemia,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26551-x
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Google and the Russian search engine Yandex are not necessarily reliable sources of health-related information. Often the small text snippets that appear as previews of search results contain inaccurate or insufficient information. Information on home remedies and so-called alternative treatments is particularly problematic, according to researchers from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany and the Ural Federal University in Russia. The scientists are therefore advocating for clearer warnings about possible health risks.

As a starting point, the German-Russian team used an archive of around 1.5 billion queries submitted to Yandexthe most popular search engine Russia. Using medical terms from ICD-10the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseasesand Wikidata as the respective knowledge base, the scientists identified 1.2 million queries that contain symptoms, diseases and so-called alternative treatment options. In those queries, people searched for around 4,400 different diseases and symptoms and 1,000 medicinally used plants or other home remedies.

"Usually people were looking for information about private, everyday matters like pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. In general, treatments for acne or cellulite were more popular than treatment options for cancer," says Alexander Bondarenko, a computer scientist and part of the team at MLU. Most queries that were typed as questions fell into one of two categories: either people wanted to know whether a particular remedy was helpful for treating a specific disease, or they were looking for specific instructions on how to use a certain remedy to treat a disease. "The latter assumes that people already believe that the remedy does work, even though most of the time there's absolutely no evidence," explains Dr. Pavel Braslavski, a senior researcher and lecturer at the Ural Federal University.

Next, the team checked how Yandex and Google responded to the 30 most frequently asked questions. The first ten result snippets for each question were analyzed. Snippets are short segments of text that a search engine displays as a preview of search results. The team examined the accuracy of the snippets' answers and also whether they contained warnings about possible health risks. A search of the medical study databases "Cochrane", "PubMed" and "BioMed Explorer" was carried out by the team's medical professional for all the diseases and proposed remedies.

Yandex falsely stated 44 per cent of the time that a specific remedy worked against a certain disease, although there was no scientific evidence to support this. For Google, this occurred in about a third of all cases. Moreover, the team found warnings about potentially toxic substances in only 13 (Yandex) and 10 per cent (Google) of the cases, respectively.

"The information given in the snippets tends to confirm existing bias or misbeliefs and far too rarely provides adequate warnings about possible health-risks," says Bondarenko. According to him, this is particularly problematic since previous studies have shown that people have the tendency to believe in the healing powers of certain remedies, although more often than not there is no scientific evidence for them. The researchers therefore argue that search engine results for medical questions should come with clearer warnings about possible health risks.

The research was published in Proceedings of the 30th ACM International Conference on Information & Knowledge Management.

Explore further Russian search engine alerts Google to possible data problem

More information: Alexander Bondarenko et al, Misbeliefs and Biases in Health-Related Searches, Proceedings of the 30th ACM International Conference on Information & Knowledge Management (2021). Alexander Bondarenko et al, Misbeliefs and Biases in Health-Related Searches,(2021). DOI: 10.1145/3459637.3482141

Provided by Martin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

It was New Year's Eve. Devin Lyall sat in the back bedroom of her drug dealer's house.

Her thin fingers fumbled with the syringe. Her fingers weren't the only frail thing about herin the past few months she had lost about 40 pounds, leaving her practically skin and bones.

She was using Opana, a strong narcotic, melting the small, circular pills into a liquid that she could inject.

As the dregs of 2012 trickled into the New Year, Lyall didn't have much hope. It was as if her life was ticking away as quickly as the seconds remaining before midnight.

She was shaking, chills running through her body, yet she was so hot she felt like she was on fire. She kept injecting, hoping it was the relief her body needed.

She woke up later, lying in a hospital bed. Her mother and father stood over her. She wasn't sure when or how she had gotten there.

Lyall had overdosed.

The drug dealer had called her mother, who rushed her to Wilkes Medical Center. They made it in time for doctors to give Lyall the reversal drug naloxone, saving her life.

"I remember in that moment feeling very helpless, but relieved," Lyall said. "I was so glad that I wasn't in that house anymore and that maybe I had an opportunity to do something different. It was the first time in a long time that I thought maybe I can get help."

She began the new year in the ICU for seven days, a regular room for 10 more, and detox for 14 after that.

The anti-overdose drug

Naloxone blocks the nervous system's opiate receptors. It is most commonly used for drug overdosesNarcan is a well-known brand name.

In August, Pfizer halted production of its single-dose injectable naloxone due to a manufacturing issue. This naloxone is used by many grassroots harm reduction coalitions across the state.

Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta, drug and infectious disease scientist at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and others estimate the naloxone interruption could result in about 1 million fewer doses, which could lead to as many as 18,000 avoidable overdose deaths.

In 2012, the year Devin overdosed, naloxone and overdose kits weren't common in clinics, harm reduction coalitions, or other local organizations. Hardly any individual had them on hand. In a way, Devin was fortunate. She had a dealer who called her mother, and her mother responded. Many who overdosed at the time weren't as lucky.

Now, naloxone is more accessibleon pharmacy shelves, part of local syringe exchange programs, and often in first responders' hands. This access is crucial, especially as opioid overdose deaths rose to an all-time high in North Carolina in 2020.

The change is largely a result of North Carolina's 2016 naloxone standing order, which allows pharmacists to dispense naloxone to those who need it and for community distribution. But addiction recovery experts say the standing order is not doing enough to blunt the rapid rise of opioid addiction.

"There's a third tier of programs around the state that rely on other programs to purchase naloxone for them," Dasgupta says. "So, these are sponsored programs, programs run by people of color serving people of color, and they are ones that don't have the official paperwork to buy and purchase naloxonebut have the really critical infrastructure to get it to where it needs to go."

Getting naloxone to these local harm reduction groups is critical, because this is often where active userswho are most at riskgo for naloxone.

The standing order only covers distributionnot purchasing. Pharmaceutical companies producing naloxone require a prescription. This is where the nuances of the North Carolina order stand in the way of getting naloxone to the organizations where it is most effective.

"The standing order, it's kind of a sham," Dasgupta says. "Our legislature came up with a piecemeal, almost useless version of a law that created this standing order, then feel like they've done something and wash their hands of it. What would have really helped is for these smaller programs to be able to order naloxone directly from pharmaceutical distributors."

With rising overdoses, a flawed standing order, and a shortage of Pfizer naloxone, North Carolina faces what could be a nightmare.

People die without naloxone

Louise Vincent is the executive director of the N.C. Urban Survivors Union, a grassroots Greensboro group working to support and assure safety for opioid users in the community through syringe exchanges and by providing naloxone.

"If I didn't have naloxone I couldn't go to work'" Vincent says. "I could not look someone in the face and tell them I don't have naloxone and send them to diebecause you're literally sending someone off to die if you don't have it."

This reality landed on national consultant Robert Suarez's doorstep at Urban Survivors just a few weeks ago. A young woman ran into the center screaming. Her friend was overdosing in her car right outside. Suarez grabbed two bottles of naloxone, ran outside, opened the passenger side door, climbed on top of the overdosing man, and administered the lifesaving drug.

After he injected the naloxone, Suarez said he gave him mouth-to-mouth during the four minutes it took the naloxone to work.

"Four minutes is an eternity when someone isn't breathing on their own," Suarez says.

A month into Pfizer's naloxone shortage, the Urban Survivor's Union supplies remain sufficientfor now.

But the fear of coming up short is pervasive.

"I'm acutely aware that there's a shortage, and I want to be mindful," Vincent says. "I cannot run out. I will not run out. Bottom line is I won't run out. There's expired naloxone that I've already figured out how to access. We're pretty scrappy people, I'm going to find it."

Alternate sources

Another way harm reduction groups are coping with this shortage is by getting naloxone from larger organizations across the state with the ability to purchase from other pharmaceutical distributors.

One of these groups helping provide naloxone is Project Lazarus in Wilkes County. They have a medical director able to order the drug.

"We've worked with what stock we have, and every time we have looked at getting naloxone it wasn't just for ourselves," says Fred Brason, executive director and founder. "I've given Louise Vincent naloxone, I've given it to Twin Cities Harm Reduction."

Brason explains that studies show that people who go to a pharmacy for naloxone are usually family members or friends of users, rather than the users themselves.

"Within the harm reduction circle there is a huge concernthere never has been the full access that is necessary to make the difference naloxone can," Brason says. "Any reduction from what was already not sufficient is going to create major problems."

A waitress saves a life

Tracy Coins, a waitress in Greensboro, relies on the Urban Survivors Union for naloxone.

"The circle of people that I travel in wouldn't go anywhere else but Urban Survivors," Coins says. "They don't want to walk into places like CVS or Walgreens because those people are so judgmental."

In August, Coins saved someone overdosing right in front of her with the naloxone she had on hand.

She was with a group of people at a friend's house, and they were all doing heroin. Suddenly, one man curled up, his body as tense as a rubber band stretched to its limits, his arms and legs locked up. Coins looked around the room and realized that no one had any idea how to help.

"I carry naloxone with me all the time if I can," she said. "The only place I get it is through Urban Survivors."

Coins gave him naloxone and mouth-to-mouth until he came to.

Local harm reduction agencies acknowledge that there are people who are going to use drugs. By providing naloxone, and hosting syringe exchanges, they give these people the option to have a safer experience.

From addict to recovery

After Lyall's near-fatal New Year's Eve, she got clean. She gradually got her life backher house, her kids, and she reconnected with her family.

Today, she is the founder and executive director of Wilkes Recovery Revolution.

Wilkes Recovery focuses on helping people overcome addiction, and is a harm reduction centerworking to assure users are safe, distributing Nnaloxone, and trying to decrease stigma.

"Syringe exchange programs are truly the people that are boots on the ground," Lyall says. "We're the ones intersecting with people who use drugs and serving them on a daily basis, yet we are the last to get naloxone, when I think it should probably the other way around, So, if there's a shortage, then we're definitely hurting at the grassroots level, as a syringe exchange."

Pfizer expects its naloxone shortage to continue through February 2022, leaving harm reduction groups to continue relying on sources whose naloxone supplies are diminishing.

Lyall says she had a wonderful life before her addiction. A supportive, upper middle-class upbringing. A good job and a family of her own.

When she slipped down some icy stairs at a ski resort, shattering her ankle, she had no idea that the pain medicine she would be prescribed would be the start to a crippling addiction.

Now, Lyall reflects on pulling herself out of the depth of her addiction, how difficult this was, and how lucky she was to get naloxone in time to save her life.

At Wilkes Recovery Center, she wants to give people this same chance.

"When I moved back home, my mission was to give other people the opportunities that I had," she says. "I understand that I was a privileged person and that not everybody gets those same options and opportunities and that I was very lucky to have."

Explore further Naloxone access doesn't make heroin seem less risky

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Digital self-help psychosocial support by mobile phones and adapted to the person by data technique, alleviates traumas of refugees and contributes to enhanced socio-economic resilience. The therapy is more effective than livelihood support. Ph.D. candidate Selam Kidane studied hundreds of cases of Eritrean and Ugandan refugees in these countries and the results after treatment by an online program called Trust (Trauma Recovery Understanding Self-Help Therapy), which she developed.

The study finds that the treatment TRUST, designed as a low-cost self-help intervention, has significant impact on socio-economic resilience. It has more effect than social protection support in the form of cash transfers, in-kind support or livelihood support. The background to the study was the observation that Eritrean refugees take very high risks, often life threatening, during their search for a safe haven. High levels of traumatic stress can be a factor that influences refugee decision-making and causes people to become oversensitive to the presence of risk and danger and respond with exaggerated response.

Unavailability of health workers

The therapy took into account the nature of the context and utilizing the available communication channelssuch as the mobile phones, that were in high use and trusted. The utilization of these communication channels was intended to overcome the unavailability of mental health workers to provide support. Based on techniques from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), TRUST was designed with the objective of offering self-help support.

For refugees in highly traumatized populations, residing in settings where there are limited, if any, resources, this treatment is highly effective and can be used in remote settings with little cost.

Explore further Pandemic exposed major problems for resource availability and mental health wellbeing for refugees

More information: Trauma, Collective Trauma and Refugee Trajectories in the Digital Era. Trauma, Collective Trauma and Refugee Trajectories in the Digital Era. www.africanbookscollective.com  s-in-the-digital-era
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As the COVID-19 pandemic underpins a rise in mental health problems globally, experts are raising a red flag on 'starkly lower' government funding for research and delivery of effective eating disorder interventions, particularly among children and young adults.

Compared to mental disorders of comparable or clinical impairment, government funding for eating disorders is historically "starkly lower," the international experts say in a new article in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.

For example, research funding in Australia equates to $1.10 per individual with an eating disorder (ED) compared to $32.62 and $67.36 per person with autism or schizophrenia.

The COVID 19 pandemic has generated a marked increase in presentations of both new and relapsing eating disorders, and in the level of acuity and severity of these presentations.

"Rising service demand among young people during the pandemic needs to be matched by research to evaluate innovative interventions and to track the long-term course of EDs, which commonly last more than 10 years, and which require age-based interventions Flinders University Associate Professor of Psychiatry Stephen Allison .

Under-resourcing research and the rollout of evidence-based eating disorder interventions compared to other mental disorders will substantially impact on future treatment options for children, young people and adults with ED, the article says.

With more than 80% of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa commencing in youth, the optimal age for early intervention is in the first three years from the median age for onset of 16 years old, research shows.

UK research from the "First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for EDs' service model for young people aged 16-25 is evaluating eating disorder presentations during the pandemic in light of mental health pressure from social isolation from lockdown, increased screen time and excessive social media use, and parental stress.

King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience Professor Ulrike Schmidt says one more issue to be investigated would be the compounding effect on EDs with regular pandemic public health messages about avoiding obesity during lockdown.

"While the pandemic sheds light on the acute needs of young people with EDs, we need commensurate funding to cope with rising demand and to support delivery of expanded services," Professor Schmidt says, citing the UK's flagship eating disorders program which will track ED conditions' illness and recovery trajectories to inform personalized prevention and early intervention for young people.

"We know that it's crucial to adapt and evaluate appropriate treatments to cope with rising demand," says another author on the ANZJP article, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Psychology Tracey Wade,

Professor Wade, who is research director of South Australia's Statewide Eating Disorders Service, says several government, philanthropic and community groups are working hard to meet rising demandsparticularly during the pandemic period.

"Setting a youth-focused research agenda for eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital to gear up for enough face-to-face, online and other interventions to manage this ongoing issue," says Professor Wade, a director of the Blackbird Initiative and Orama Institute for Mental Health and Well-Being at Flinders University.

Explore further Anorexia spiked during the pandemic as adolescents felt the impact of COVID restrictions

More information: Stephen Allison et al, Setting a youth-focused research agenda for eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (2021). Stephen Allison et al, Setting a youth-focused research agenda for eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic,(2021). DOI: 10.1177/00048674211054743
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

On October 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency authorization for a child-size dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for use in kids ages five to 11. Some 28 million children could be eligible by early November for the two-shot regimen administered three weeks apart.

Daniel Rauch, a professor of pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine and chief of pediatric hospital medicine at Tufts Medical Center, spoke with Tufts Now about how vaccines get developed for children and why he will recommend this one.

Tufts Now: We've had COVID-19 vaccines approved for adults for almost a year. How is the testing of vaccines different for children? Why has it taken longer to approve children's vaccines?

Daniel Rauch: Kids are not simply small adults. We can see that with this disease because we know that kids react differently to COVID-19 than adults do. So it's not surprising that we're being careful about vaccine development for kids, as opposed to just saying the adult vaccine is good for everybody.

Probably the most important reason to take more time is that any long-term side effect that you're worried about is going to be potentially longer in a kid, because they have more of their life ahead of them. So not only do you want to pay special attention to safety, but the duration of time you may want to watch is longer.

Another problem in pediatric trials is getting consent and getting kids enrolled. Parents are always a little bit more hesitant to sign their kids up for things than they are to participate themselves. So getting the number of kids to even equal the number of people who participate in the adult trials is a challenge.

How are dosages determined for different groups of children?

There's some estimating involvedby age and weight, by immune response, by what they're seeing in adults, and by how other vaccines have performedto get a dose that works. Then you have to test it to make sure that you get what you think is a good response. We can measure antibody production and see if the response at a given dose is equal to what we're seeing in adults, but ultimately you only know if a vaccine works if it prevents disease. You have to give the vaccine to a lot of people who might be exposed to the virus.

So how is the Pfizer vaccine for ages 5 to 11 different from the version for teens and adults?

It's the same technology; it's a different dose. The Pfizer data being submitted used a third of the dose for the 5 to 11 age group as they are using for everyone 12 and above.

Are there any side effects people are looking for?

Based on our experience with the vaccine already, I think the one that's most concerned people is the cardiac side effects. Fortunately, the incidence of that seems to be around one in 10,000 for young adult males. Hearing that there may be risk to the heart is scary, although all the people who were affected have recovered and the younger age group will be receiving a much smaller dose.

They didn't see cardiac side effects in the trial data Pfizer brought to the FDA this week, so that is good. But there weren't 10,000 kids in the trial, so that means a one-in-10,000 incidence wasn't likely to be picked up. And that's why after every vaccine is approved, they have post-approval surveillance, and there are mechanisms that the government puts into place to find these rare events.

What should people know about the development of this vaccine?

People should know that this vaccine went through the same development and testing process as all prior vaccines. The only thing missing is the long-term follow-up. We now have that for the adult vaccines, which is why they have full approval now, instead of emergency approval. We'll get there for kids. But the data that's been made public is extremely reassuring that the same rigorous process has been gone through. For people who are of the opinion that this is experimental, they've never done this before: None of that is true. It's the same rigor.

Children seem to be less likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19 than adults. Why is it still important for them to get vaccinated?

There are two reasons. One is your kid is probably going to be fine, but they may not be. Although COVID-19 infection is much better tolerated by children, we do see very sick kids. There have been deaths. And we don't know much about long COVID in kids. We know the teens and young adults who've gotten heart problems from the vaccine got better very quickly. We know that there are some kids who get heart problems from the disease that seem to have long-term effects. So why would you take that chance, if we had something that could protect them?

The other part of it is that we're members of society. We owe each other certain obligations, and part of that is to protect each other. So even if my kid is fine, and they get the disease and they're fine, I don't want them spreading it to anybody else. And I expect that other people will get immunized to protect my kids.

Pertussis, for example, is a nasty disease to get, but adults do fine with it. When babies get it, they can die. When you bring a newborn home, you make sure that all the rest of the providers are up to date on their pertussis vaccine. And we don't blink it at that. I'm not sure why the public debate has changed in this case.

What are you hearing from parents? Are people eager to have a vaccine available for their kids?

It really runs the spectrum, and you get a good feel for whether the parents themselves have been vaccinated.

The people who have been vaccinated and are looking to get their kids back in activities are looking for the vaccine, because they want that extra level of protection. Parents who've had bad experiences with the disease themselves or have people in their household who are at high risk for the diseasemulti-generational households with grandparents or somebody who's immunocompromisedare looking for that protection.

And then we see the other side: Parents who haven't gotten themselves vaccinated and they don't want it for their kids.

As a pediatrician, how do you talk to parents who are hesitant about the COVID vaccine?

We try to find out the reason for their hesitancy. A fair number of parents have unfortunately been tainted by the hoax connecting the measles vaccine and autism. There's no scientific evidence for that whatsoever, but unfortunately it poisoned the perception of vaccines for a whole generation of people and caused people to become vaccine-hesitant and avoid things which are for their benefit. And some people have experiences like a cousin, an uncle, someone in the family, got sick after getting a vaccine.

We just try to educate them, explain to them what the mechanism is and what the safety profile is. And I throw in at the end that I got every vaccine available for my children.

Do you have young kids? Are you planning to get them vaccinated when COVID-19 vaccines are approved for their age group?

My children are now adults. But they both got the vaccine as soon as it was possible. My daughter is a high school teacher and she's very much looking forward to getting kids vaccinated. She wants to see their faces in school. Being in-person with a mask is better than virtual, but there's no question it inhibits the learning environment. Getting kids vaccinated is only going to help it be better.

Thankfully, my daughter is young and healthy. But there are other teachers who are elderly or have other risk factors for getting severe disease. And, as a parent, I don't think I could live with myself if I knew that my child was a vector spreading illness and it got someone else seriously sick.

Explore further COVID-19 vaccination plan for kids 5 to 11
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New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, shows that use of platelet inhibitors could be associated with a reduction in the occurrence of digital ulcers, painful sores on the extremities that can progress to gangrene, in people with systemic sclerosis.

Scleroderma, also called systemic sclerosis, is a relatively rare autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body including but not limited to the skin, lungs, vasculature, kidneys, intestines and other organs of the body. The immune system causes inflammation which can lead to scarring, known as fibrosis, in involved parts of the body causing dysfunction. Digital ulcers affect half of people with systemic sclerosis (SSc). If the ulcers lack proper blood flow, the involved digits can become gangrenous, and patients may require amputation. Because platelets are activated in SSc, it has been suspected that platelet inhibitors may play a therapeutic role in managing digital ulcers. Researchers developed and validated a prediction model for digital ulcers in patients with SSc, with use of platelet inhibitors as one possible predictive factor.

"In recent years, there has been significant progress in the treatment of digital ulcers. However, the complete prevention and healing of digital ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis remains a big challenge in clinical practice," says Alexandru Garaiman, a doctoral student in Clinical Science at the Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland, and the study's co-author. "A plethora of vasoactive and cardiovascular medications, including platelet inhibitors, are used in SSc patients in routine practice. We wanted to evaluate if this medication, together with known clinical and laboratory parameters, might predict the occurrence of digital ulcers in these patients."

Researchers used prospectively collected data from the EUSTAR registry for the study. Patients included fulfilled the 2013 ACR/EULAR SSc classification criteria, and data on the presence of digital ulcers and platelet inhibitor use was included in the analysis. Data taken from the last patient follow-up visit was split into two cohorts: A derivation model for patients recorded before Jan. 1, 2017 and a validation model for patients recorded after that date.

Out of 3,710 patients, 486 had current digital ulcers at baseline and 150 were exposed to platelet inhibitors. Participants were 14.6% male with a median age of 57, and 67.8% had limited cutaneous SSc with a median disease duration of almost 9 years. At follow-up visits about a year later, 487 patients had current digital ulcers and 90 remained exposed to platelet inhibitors. The investigators looked at a wide variety of factors that might positively or negatively predict digital ulcers in SSc patients, including smoking, sex, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and use of a variety of medications. Through their model, the investigators confirmed that for patients with SSc, exposure to platelet inhibitors predicted a lower likelihood of developing digital ulcers at their follow-up visit.

"This data may assist rheumatologists in decision making regarding the use of platelet inhibitors in SSc patients with digital ulcers," says Garaiman. "Importantly, what we have learned from our prognostic prediction model should be confirmed with a randomized clinical trial before any new treatment recommendations are made. If the therapeutic effect of platelet inhibitors can be confirmed, this would mean we have another treatment option for SSc patients with digital ulcers, and one that is readily available in most countries at a low price."

Explore further Hyperbaric oxygen Tx beneficial for systemic sclerosis ulcers

More information: Alexandru Garaiman et al, Prediction of Digital Ulcers in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis Based on the Use of Platelet Inhibitors and Other Parameters  A EUSTAR Study on Derivation and Validation of a Clinical Prediction Model [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatology (2021). Available at Alexandru Garaiman et al, Prediction of Digital Ulcers in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis Based on the Use of Platelet Inhibitors and Other Parameters  A EUSTAR Study on Derivation and Validation of a Clinical Prediction Model [abstract].(2021). Available at acrabstracts.org/abstract/pred  ical-prediction-mod/
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The generation of chimeric RNAs had been identified as an exclusive feature of cancer cells, with chimeric RNAs being recognized as biomarkers and drug targets for different cancers. Recent studies, however, revealed the presence of chimeric RNAs in normal cells. At present, the functional and evolutionary significance of chimeric RNAs are not well understood. Researchers from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University in Israel have now proposed a hypothesis to explain the evolutionary and functional significance of chimeric RNAs in human cells. According to this hypothesis, chimeric RNAs are important drivers of phenotypic diversity in human cells.

In a new paper published in the journal Trends in Genetics, Dr. Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern and her postdoctoral student Dr. Sumit Mukherjee explained how the appearance of chimeric RNAs could shape the evolution of cancer cells. Furthermore, they demonstrated how chimeric RNAs could act as functional precursors of a gene and contribute to the origin of new genes and functional evolution during generation of new species.

In another paper recently published by the same team in the journal Cancers, the researchers demonstrated how the appearance of chimeric RNAs cells could provide functional benefit for the adaptive evolution of cancer cells. Cancer progression can be explained by a two-phase evolutionary model whereby Phase I encompasses the evolution of cancer cells from normal cells, leading to the formation of tumors (i.e., macro-evolution), while in Phase II, evolution within tumors or heterogeneity (i.e., micro-evolution) occurs. This publication provided detailed insight into how chimeric RNAs could contribute to both phases of cancer evolution.

In addition, in 2012, the Dr. Frenkel-Morgenstern group identified a new class of chimeric RNA named sense-antisense (SAS) chimeras. These SAS chimeras are produced upon the joining of exons/introns from both sense and antisense transcripts of the same gene. However, their expression in human cells and their potential function, not yet known. In a recent paper published in NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics, they found SAS chimeras are prevalently expressed in both normal and cancer cells. Further, structural analysis of these SAS chimeras revealed that they could generate double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) structures and possibly play a role in regulating gene expression. Their study also identified five SAS chimeras within RNA-seq data of PCAWG (ICGC/TCGA) breast cancer samples and the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line, which were absent in healthy breast tissue and the MCF12A normal breast cell line. These findings suggest that the generation of various SAS chimeras could depend on cancer-related stresses unique to the individual and which are important for cancer evolution.

"Cancer heterogeneity is important because it provides cancer cells with the fitness to adapt to multiple stress conditions. Chimeric RNAs specific to a cancer sample are essential for cancer heterogeneity and also promote drug-resistant cancer evolution. This is also a potentially important reason for the failure of current cancer therapies. Consequently, the identification and characterization of cryptic hidden reservoirs of chimeric RNAs in cancer transcriptomes could reveal novel targets in designing personalized treatment of cancers," says Dr. Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern, of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University, who led these studies.

The researchers plan to develop a liquid biopsy-based platform and determine whether this approach can accurately identify chimeric RNAs from patients' cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and cell-free RNA (cfRNA). This would facilitate tracking the origin of certain chimeric RNAs during different phases of cancer treatment, which will help in the design of personalized medicine.

These studies were partially supported by a Kamin grant from the Israel Innovation Authority and a PBC fellowship for outstanding postdoctoral researchers (to Dr. Sumit Mukherjee, who is the first author on the three papers described) from the Israel Council for Higher Education.

Explore further Researchers broaden the catalog of biological chimeras for the study of the genome

More information: Sumit Mukherjee et al, Evolutionary impact of chimeric RNAs on generating phenotypic plasticity in human cells, Trends in Genetics (2021). Sumit Mukherjee et al, Evolutionary impact of chimeric RNAs on generating phenotypic plasticity in human cells,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.08.015 Sumit Mukherjee et al, Emerging Role of Chimeric RNAs in Cell Plasticity and Adaptive Evolution of Cancer Cells, Cancers (2021). DOI: 10.3390/cancers13174328 Sumit Mukherjee et al, Computational analysis of sense-antisense chimeric transcripts reveals their potential regulatory features and the landscape of expression in human cells, NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics (2021). DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqab074 Journal information: Trends in Genetics
Dr. Ravindra Kolhe. Credit: Michael Holahan, Augusta University

With mask wearing and social distancing on the decline and the cold and flu season upon us, researchers have developed a viral panel that enables the simultaneous testing for SARS-CoV-2 along with numerous common respiratory viruses, that tells us whether other viruses also are at play in patients hard hit by COVID.

This new genetic epidemiology tool that provides detailed genetic information about the viruses present when packaged with a molecular immunology model called Nextstrain also enables researchers to assess the novel viral variants that are circulating in a state or nation and patterns for their spread with the goal of helping predict and mitigate future outbreaks, says Dr. Ravindra Kolhe, director of the Georgia Esoteric and Molecular Laboratory, or GEM Lab, at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

Deficits in SARS-CoV-2 monitoring and keeping tabs on other co-circulating respiratory viruses have been public health challenges during the pandemic, Kolhe and his colleagues report in the journal Viruses.

Coinfection is a reality, Kolhe says with these respiratory viruses that we unwittingly transmit through the air when we cough, sneeze, even talk, particularly when we are in close quarters for long periods like hospitals, nursing homes, schools and potentially even our workplace.

Another reality is that coinfections can have the compounding effect of worsening symptoms and outcomes, much as we have all heard that co-morbid conditions like diabetes and hypertension can do, he says.

Particularly when patients are not doing well, looking for other respiratory viruses with the new panel could help provide insight on why and possibly new directions on how to help, he says. The more expansive panel is more expensive than straight COVID testing, which will remain the frontline test in this pandemic, Kolhe predicts.

While the cold and flu season were essentially a wash last year because of COVID precautions like mask wearingin fact the coinfection rate in the group they studied was under 1%he and others are concerned the cold and flu season now upon us will be very different even with vaccination initiatives for both COVID and the flu.

"We are concerned that because most of us are no longer wearing masks or social distancing and have mostly resumed our normal schedules that one consequence will be more coinfections," Kolhe says. "We feel this is a good tool to have ready when the flu and cold season hit."

Working with the San Diego-based biotech firm Illumina, the researchers developed a 41-virus panel that includes four common human coronaviruses that have been causing colds in people for years as well as SARS-CoV-2, and other players like RSV, respiratory syncytial virus, which also causes a typically mild cold, and more than a dozen influenza viruses.

They looked at 483 patient samples, mostly taken by nasopharyngeal swab, as well as a dozen saliva samples, that had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 from across the state of Georgia between June 2020 and the end of December.

Standard SARS-CoV-2 testing uses polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, which can tell you if the virus is present, but the technique they are using for the panel actually sequences the viral genome enabling detection of variants, like the potential more deadly Delta variant, that have made headlines in recent months.

It also details changes in the larger, conserved region of the virus that occur essentially every time it multiplies, which indicates it has found a host organism, like a human. While those small changes in the conserved region of the virus don't impact clinical outcome, they do provide a sort of genomic stamp of where the virus came from, Kolhe says, as he watches their interactive visualization of an individual in Augusta with 10 distinct but benign changes in the conserved region, changes that show up next in about 100 infected people in Savannah.

"There is no molecular coincidence that the exact same sequence is going to show up in Savannah," he says. "This is a way to identify the starting point, watch how people's movement actually moves the virus with them and which counties are going to be affected."

The unique molecular signature also is a way to know which cases are not connected. One of the questions he wants to answer is when this iteration of the virus infects another person does it experience more of these changes.

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19isolated from a patient, emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab. Credit: NIAID-RML

The interactive visualization model they use to watch viral spread play out can also track the movement of variants, like Delta, that do have direct clinical consequences like degree of contagiousness and resulting sickness.

Kolhe notes that some of the human movement may happen before the individual realizes he is positive.

Knowing precisely which viruses are present is important because, while there is some commonality among the respiratory viruses, the treatments tend to be different, but there is not much crossover data on how much to date, Kolhe says. As examples, what happens if a patient with COVID-19 who is coinfected with a flu virus, gets treated with monoclonal antibodies, manmade antibodies that target the virus, or corticosteroids that help reduce the hyper-immune response that can destroy the lungs in a process called a cytokine storm. There is some evidence that monoclonal antibodies and corticosteroids may also be effective for some flu but many questions remain, like what happens when the monoclonal antibodies are made specifically for the COVID virus. There is some evidence that vaccines for flu and COVID don't appear to have an overlap in protection.

Respiratory viruses are known to be present in pairs, for example the common rhinovirus in conjunction with another cause of the common cold, including some other common coronaviruses, can heighten related misery like a runny nose, headache and cough, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Also, while you can be tested for the virus responsible for your flu, many times patients are not tested and SARS-CoV-2along with what appears to be one of the mildest cold and flu seasons since current data reporting systems were initiated in 1997has further decreased the chance of that happening in recent times, Kolhe says.

Stanford University reported in late March 2020 that about 1 in 5 people with COVID-19 were also infected with other respiratory viruses and that 1 in 10 people with symptoms of respiratory illness diagnosed with a common respiratory virus also were co-infected with the COVID-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2. Coinfections bacteria and fungi also occur.

While a lot has been learned about SARS-CoV-2 in the past nearly two years, there is insufficient documentation of the variations in the genome of the virus, some of which contribute to how the virus acts, and little insight on other viruses coinfecting people, Kolhe says.

The new study shows that genomic epidemiology is essential in predicting disease transmission and patterns of transmission, including the potential to recognize a likely resurgence, the investigators write.

Their findings included identifying which version of the virus was most prevalent early in the pandemic in Georgia: The clade for pangolin lineage B.

Co-authors on the study include flu expert Dr. Ted Ross, director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and professor of infectious diseases at the University of Georgia, and Dr. Justin Bahl, an associate professor in the center with expertise in disease ecology, modeling and infectious diseases and virology. Ross is leading one of the new Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers, a National Institutes of Health-funded initiative to develop a single dose vaccine that can protect against multiple strains of the flu virus.

Respiratory viruses can be spread by touch, like shaking hands or touching a surface where the virus is present then touching your nose, mouth or eyes, the CDC says. Both the cold and flu viruses are essentially always present but the fall and winter are generally considered flu season and late August through early Spring is the prime time for colds, the CDC says. And, those with underlying health conditions, who are older or pregnant are considered at higher risk for serious illness and complications from both COVID-19 and the flu.

Nextstrain is routinely used by the CDC to better predict what the flu viruses will look like in an upcoming season, so the vaccines can better target them, and likely areas of major impact.

The panel Kolhe and his colleagues developed already is available to other researchers through Illumina. The process of validation of the panel's efficacy also is available.

Explore further Nasal microbiota holds clues to who will develop symptoms from SARS-CoV-2

More information: Nikhil S. Sahajpal et al, High-Throughput Next-Generation Sequencing Respiratory Viral Panel: A Diagnostic and Epidemiologic Tool for SARS-CoV-2 and Other Viruses, Viruses (2021). Nikhil S. Sahajpal et al, High-Throughput Next-Generation Sequencing Respiratory Viral Panel: A Diagnostic and Epidemiologic Tool for SARS-CoV-2 and Other Viruses,(2021). DOI: 10.3390/v13102063
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Germany's COVID-19 incidence rate surged to over 150 for the first time since May on Monday, prompting concerns of a rampant fourth wave as the country wrestles with a change of government.

The number of new infections per 100,000 people over the past seven days reached 154.8, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) health agencyup from 110.1 a week ago.

Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday called for swift measures to tackle the "very worrying" trend, stressing that Germany could not afford to wait until a new government is in place.

The country recorded 9,658 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours on Monday and 23 deaths, according to the RKI.

Merkel is due to step down as German leader after 16 years in power after an election in September narrowly won by the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD).

The SPD is currently in talks with two other parties and aiming to form a ruling coalition by early December, leaving the country in a kind of political limbo as it confronts the surge in new cases.

Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, the likely next chancellor, said Sunday that Germany must do what was necessary "to ensure that we keep the pandemic under control".

But he also said that in a country where a large number of people have been vaccinated, it is no longer possible to respond with strict measures such as lockdowns.

Vaccine hesitancy

Germany has also so far ruled out compulsory vaccinations, instead focusing on encouraging as many people as possible to get the jab voluntarily.

But its vaccination campaign has ground to a halt with just 66.7 percent of the population fully inoculated.

In a Forsa survey carried out for the health ministry and published Thursday, 65 percent of unvaccinated respondents declared there was "no way" they would take a COVID jab and 23 percent were "reluctant".

At the same time, health professionals have reported a new influx of infected people into hospital, mostly unvaccinated.

Hospitalisations due to COVID have increased by 40 percent in the past week, according to the German Hospital Society, with intensive care admissions up by 15 percent.

Merkel on Sunday admitted being "very saddened" that as many as three million Germans aged over 60 have still not had the jab.

She also told the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper that increasing hospital admissions "worry me a lot" and "should worry all of us", saying that "a certain recklessness" had taken hold in Germany.

Care home outbreaks

The country has also seen a resurgence of outbreaks in care homes, including a home in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state where 66 of the 83 residents were infected and 14 died.

Only six percent of the residents were not vaccinated, but around one in three of the staff had not received the jab.

A similar case was reported in Norderstedt, near Hamburg, where 68 out of 76 residents in a care home came down with the virus.

Outgoing Health Minister Jens Spahn has called for a meeting between the government and the leaders of Germany's 16 states to devise a common policy to encourage those already vaccinated to get booster jabs.

Merkel on Sunday also stressed her support for boosters, saying Germany "must do something" to ensure they are widely available.

A spokeswoman for the chancellor on Monday said the government was "ready for talks" with the regional leaders.

Under Germany's federal system, each state can ultimately decide its own COVID-19 response, a system that has previously slowed down pandemic planning and led to a patchwork of different approaches.

As has often been the case during the pandemic, the highest incidence rates are currently seen in the former communist East Germany, such as in Thuringia (314.9) and Saxony (291.6).

Explore further Merkel sounds alarm at COVID resurgence in Germany

 2021 AFP
A shopkeeper waits for business in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, Sunday April 10, 2019. The island nation of Tonga has reported its first-ever case of COVID-19, Friday Oct. 29, 2021 after a traveler from New Zealand tested positive. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Baker, File

Tonga's main island will go into lockdown for a week after the South Pacific nation reported its first case of the coronavirus, the government said Monday.

The far-flung archipelago identified its first virus case last week, after a traveler arriving from New Zealand tested positive and isolated at a quarantine hotel.

Tonga's Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa said the lockdown would begin just after midnight on Tuesday and apply only to the island of Tongatapu, where a majority of the population live.

The nation's Cabinet ordered the move to "ensure the safety and health of our people," news website Matangi Tonga reported.

The lockdown will mean schools, bars and restaurants will be closed, and nighttime curfews imposed. People will be required to isolate at home unless they are buying groceries or medicine, getting medical help, or accessing banking services.

News of the case has prompted hundreds of Tongans to line up at vaccination sites around the country. About 31% of Tongans are fully vaccinated and 48% have had at least one dose, according to research group Our World in Data.

The infected traveler was among 215 passengers who arrived on a flight from Christchurch on Wednesday.

A man prepares to drive his car Nuku'alofa, Tonga, Sunday April 7, 2019. The island nation of Tonga has reported its first-ever case of COVID-19, Friday Oct. 29, 2021 after a traveler from New Zealand tested positive. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Baker, File

Young men play a game of rugby at sunset in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. The island nation of Tonga has reported its first-ever case of COVID-19, Friday Oct. 29, 2021 after a traveler from New Zealand tested positive. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Baker, File

A pig wonders around a house in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, Sunday April 7, 2019. The island nation of Tonga has reported its first-ever case of COVID-19, Friday Oct. 29, 2021 after a traveler from New Zealand tested positive. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Baker,File

Christchurch had been free from the virus for months until last week, when several community cases were reported.

New Zealand health officials said the traveler to Tonga was fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and had returned a negative test before leaving for Tonga.

Tonga is among the few remaining nations in the world that have avoided outbreaks of the virus due to its isolation.

The nearby nation of Fiji avoided significant outbreaks until April, when the delta variant ripped through the island chain, infecting more than 50,000 people and killing at least 673.

Tonga's frontline workersincluding health staff, police officers and airport staffwho were on duty when the plane arrived had also been put into quarantine.

Located northeast of New Zealand, Tonga is home to about 106,000 people.

Explore further Tonga reports its first COVID-19 case from plane traveler

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Rice University engineers are leading the development of a web server to help researchers identify drugs to treat COVID-19. Their use of an ensemble of conformations allows researchers to account for protein flexibility in molecular docking studies. Credit: Mauricio Rigo / Rice University

Rice University researchers have introduced an online portal to help researchers screen COVID-19 drug candidates that might attack specific proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Lydia Kavraki, a computer scientist at the George R. Brown School of Engineering, and her colleagues at the University of Houston, the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Federal University of Ceara, Brazil, have posted a "user-friendly" web server offering scientists the chance to screen their drug candidates virtually in relation to known protein binding pockets on the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Better yet, the program incorporates what they say is an often-overlooked factor in computational models of these pockets: Their flexibility.

The project, detailed in an open-access paper in Computers in Biology and Medicine, incorporates models of three drug targetsmain protease (Mpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and Papain-like protease (PLpro)for ensemble docking through DINC-COVID.

The ensemble docking approach allows researchers to screen candidate ligands (reactive molecules) against different conformations of SARS-CoV-2 proteins and their binding pockets. DINC-COVID then scores the ligands' success at binding.

DINC stands for "Docking INCrementally," a protocol developed by Kavraki's lab in 2013 to speed protein-peptide docking simulations that help researchers design drugs, vaccines and other processes involving large ligands. An upgraded version led by Kavraki and Dinler Antunes, then a postdoctoral researcher in her lab and now an assistant professor at the University of Houston, appeared in 2017.

The new iteration relies on the "impressive number" of SARS-CoV-2 protein structures that have been resolved so far. Understanding these structures allows researchers to find binding partners that could, ideally, deactivate the virus.

The study also offers a literal twist, best represented by the main protease, a docking site on the virus that has been the focus of much attention over the past 18 months. Researchers have found the Mpro site can substantially distort its shape in response to binding, allowing it to accommodate a diverse set of potential ligands.

That malleability makes Mpro and other sites hard to simulate, with a much higher computational cost, said Rice postdoctoral researcher and co-author Mauricio Rigo. "Unlike other servers, the proteins we are making available aren't static; they're not a single conformation," he said. "We use states to reflect the dynamics of this protein in a physiological environment."

The team used several programs to narrow the ensembles from the 100,000 possible conformations generated by a molecular dynamics simulation, for instance, to a set of representative conformations. That lets the researchers decouple ensemble generation from docking within DINC-COVID, saving hours or days on complicated calculations.

"We believe this was the right way to go," Rigo said. "Our tests of the algorithm gave us a good match with experimental results."

Along with Mpro, the team modeled ensembles of catalytic binding sites on PLpro and RdRp. For Mpro, they modeled its catalytic and allosteric binding sites, for a total of 12 ensembles.

A Rice University web server can help researchers identify potential drugs to treat COVID-19. In the physiological environment, a protein is not a static entity, but can move and adopt an ensemble of conformations. In this illustration, the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 is represented in green and multiple conformations are represented in light gray. Credit: Mauricio Rigo / Rice University

"We chose them because these can be targeted by different drugs," said Sarah Hall-Swan, a Rice graduate student and co-lead author of the paper. "When you're trying to find a drug to inhibit a virus, you're going to look for the protein parts that are important for that virus to function and try to inhibit them."

The lab is working to expand the number of ensembles available in DINC-COVID.

"We are very pleased with the response of the community to our work," Kavraki said. "DINC-COVID has already been used by about 500 researchers in 16 different countries, while our earlier web server DINC has been accessed by 11,000 users. We hope DINC-COVID will help shed light on the complex mechanisms of infection by SARS-CoV-2."

Didier Devaurs, a former Rice postdoctoral researcher and now a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, is co-lead author of the paper. Geancarlo Zanatta, an associate professor of physics at the Federal University of Ceara, is a corresponding author. Kavraki is the Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science, a professor of bioengineering, mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering and director of the Ken Kennedy Institute.

More information: Sarah Hall-Swan et al, DINC-COVID: A webserver for ensemble docking with flexible SARS-CoV-2 proteins, Computers in Biology and Medicine (2021). Sarah Hall-Swan et al, DINC-COVID: A webserver for ensemble docking with flexible SARS-CoV-2 proteins,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104943
BUSIA, Uganda (AP)  Dressed in his school uniform, Mathias Okwako jumped into the mud and started his daily search for gold, a commodity that may be closer to his grasp than another precious asset: an education.

His rural school in Uganda sits idle just across the road from the swamp where he and scores of children now work as informal miners. Weeds grow in some classrooms, where window frames have been looted for firewood. Another school nearby is renting out rooms to tenants.

Ugandas schools have been fully or partially shut for more than 77 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the longest disruption anywhere in the world, according to figures from the U.N. cultural agency.

And unlike many parts of the globe, where lessons moved online, most public schools, which serve the vast majority of children in this East African country, were unable to offer virtual schooling.

In the void left, some students got married. Some are dealing with unwanted pregnancies. Others, like 17-year-old Okwako, found jobs.

The pandemic has manufactured outcasts, a lost generation of learners now in a battle of how to fit in, said Moses Mangeni, an official with the local government in Busia, where Okwako lives.

Efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 have disrupted the lives of children in every corner of the globe, squeezing their parents, complicating their care, and often removing their safety nets. Perhaps most crucially, it has thrown their schooling into chaos.

The result is the biggest global education emergency of our time, according to the aid group Save the Children, which last month identified 48 countries, including Uganda, whose school systems are at extreme or high risk of collapse. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa, a region long marked by high dropout rates and a shortage of qualified teachers.

Some other parts of the world that saw protracted closures also struggled to teach students. Mexico, where internet connectivity is low in many places, opted for educational programming via television. Ultimately, the pandemic was devastating for children in Mexico, which saw millions leave school as well as increases in child homicides, teen pregnancies and domestic violence.

In Iraq, remote learning was similarly limited and unequal, according to the World Bank.

Some wealthier countries fared better. In Kuwait, because most public schools weren't equipped to go online when the virus first struck, all schooling was suspended for seven months in 2020. But then the oil-rich Gulf Arab sheikhdom poured $212 million into an e-learning platform, and all schools went online. The rollout is considered a success.

But in Uganda there is no success to speak of.

The country first shut down its schools in March 2020, shortly after the first coronavirus case was confirmed on the African continent. Some classes were reopened to students in February, but a total lockdown was imposed again in June as the country faced its first major surge. It is now the only country in Africa where schools remain closed  though President Yoweri Museveni announced last week that they would reopen in January.

That comes as virus cases have tapered off in recent months, with the country now recording an average of 70 new infections each day and a couple of deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. So far, Uganda has fully vaccinated about 700,000 of its 44 million people.

First lady Janet Museveni, who is the country's education minister, has rejected criticism that the government isn't doing enough to teach kids. In a speech in October, she asked why our children cannot be safe at home. What happened to the family?

The problem, some Ugandans say, is that the government hasnt found a successful way to keep up learning during lockdown. A suggested national program to broadcast lessons via free radio sets didnt materialize, and in rural areas many children dont have learning materials of any kind.

As elsewhere, schools typically also provide a refuge to vulnerable children: They may be fed there or receive their routine childhood vaccinations or have access to other services not easily available at home.

But in Ugandas poorest homes, children are now often left to their own devices, without the private tutoring or Zoom lessons that wealthy families can afford.

In Busia, even before the pandemic, the sight of kids peddling goods in the streets wasn't uncommon. Things have only become worse.

Many children who spoke to The Associated Press expressed hopelessness amid the protracted lockdown.

Okwako, who said he was wearing his school uniform while searching for gold because he had nothing else to put on, sought work out of boredom but regrets that the tiring days leave him little energy to study on his own.

No time (for) reading books, he said. If you try to open a book, you just go asleep, and sleep up to tomorrow.

At the informal gold mine, students toil alongside adults, including some of their teachers, under the scorching sun. Witnesses said the risks and frustrations of the precarious work have led to fistfights, and some children have broken limbs while digging.

A typical day can bring in just over $2, enough for a child to buy a pair of used shoes. Okwako is proud of the two pigs he bought with his earnings. Other children said they use the money help to look after their families, regularly buying salt or soap.

We come here to make money, said 16-year-old Annet Aita, whose job is to wash the sandy soil in which gold dust is trapped, using highly toxic mercury.

But work also provides a refuge from other dangers that stalk those not in school. Aita said she felt more fortunate than some friends who got pregnancies at home.

Teacher Francis Adungosi said he now works at the mine from Monday to Monday and warned that he will need a refresher course before going back to the classroom.

As for his students, "they are traumatized. Remember they are having a lot of challenges. Some of them are pregnant. Some have already got married. Handling those children is going to be so tasking.

That's for those who go back. Many say they won't.

Some of the children now say, we dont recall what we read, so why should we go back? said Gilbert Mugalanzi, of the group Somero Uganda, which carried out a survey in November to assess how the pandemic was affecting schoolchildren in parts of Busia.

At Okwako's Mawero Primary School, teacher Emmy Odillo said he expects a small fraction of the 400 students to return next year.

Others have similarly low expectations.

Bosco Masaba, the director of studies at Busia Central Primary School, the private school nearby that has been converted into rentals, said he regularly sees some students in the streets selling tomatoes or eggs. He heard that some girls became domestic workers across the border in Kenya.

Some, they have lost hope completely, Masaba said.



Christopher Sherman in Mexico City, Zeina Karam in Beirut, and Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
" " The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. That means overturning a Supreme Court decision is very difficult, but it can happen. Public Domain

The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. Its decisions set precedents that all other courts then follow, and no lower court can ever supersede a Supreme Court decision. In fact, not even Congress or the president can change, reject or ignore a Supreme Court decision.

American law operates under the doctrine of stare decisis, which means that prior decisions should be maintained  even if the current court would otherwise rule differently  and that lower courts must abide by the prior decisions of higher courts. The idea is based on a belief that government needs to be relatively stable and predictable.

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This means that overturning a Supreme Court decision is very difficult. But there are two ways it can happen:

States can amend the Constitution itself. This requires approval by three-quarters of the state legislatures  no easy feat. However, it has happened several times.

The Supreme Court can overturn its past decisions. This happens when a different case involving the same constitutional issue as an earlier case is reviewed by the Court and seen in a new light, typically because of changing social and political situations.

It isn't easy to do, but we've compiled a list of 12 Supreme Court cases that were overturned, many leaving a permanent mark on American history.
Vaccine Locations

Walmart Pharmacy in the Morganton Heights Shopping Center is offering the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Visit walmart.com/covidvaccine or call 828-433-8086. People are asked to bring their insurance card if they have it, but the vaccine is free.

CVS Pharmacies in Rutherford College (call 828-874-2119) or Morganton (call 828-437-3141) or visit cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine.

Ingles Pharmacy at the store on Carbon City Road in Morganton. Visit ingles-markets.com/pharmacy/pg1/pharmacy-sub/vaccinations.

Appalachian Medical Health and Wellness PLLC at 306A S. Main St. in Drexel has doses of the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines available when supplies allows. Call 828-544-5317 to schedule an appointment.

Morganton Drug. Visit morgantondrug.com or call 828-433-6353.

Table Rock Pharmacy. Visit tablerockrx.com to make an appointment. Those who do not have access to the internet can call 828-438-9355. Walk-ins also are being accepted.

East Burke Pharmacy. Visit bit.ly/3bPi4cf.

Walgreens. Visit walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19 to make an appointment. Walk-ins will not be accepted.

Burke Primary Care in Morganton  Call 828-437-4211.

Cannon Pharmacy in Morganton  Call 828-433-5120.

Rock Drug Store in Valdese  Call 828-879-9812.

Drexel Discount Drug in Drexel  Call 828-433-6777.

Good Samaritan Clinic in Morganton  Call 828-212-4185.

High Country Community Health-East Burke in Connelly Springs  Call 828-874-2061.

High Country Community Health-Burke in Morganton  Call 828-608-0800.

Morganton Drug Inc. in Morganton  Call 828-433-6353.

Bio Medical Applications of North Carolina Inc. BMA of Burke County for clients only.

Mountain View Pediatrics' Morganton office at 100 Medical Heights Drive is offering Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines for anyone who is eligible. Make an appointment by calling 828-433-7821.
 Clayton Zachariah Stamey, 32, of 721 Griffin Ave. N.W., in Valdese, was charged with misdemeanor communicating threats and violating a domestic violence protection order. He was transported to the Burke County Jail and placed under a $1,500 secured bond.

 Dustin Ray Yates, 20, of 8805 Spring Meadow Drive, in Hickory, was charged with misdemeanor assault by pointing a gun. He was granted a custody release.

 Walter Christopher Johnson, 32, of 104 Parkview Place, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was transported to the Burke County Jail and placed under a 48-hour hold.

 Jesse Carroll South, 30, of 290 Abee St., in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor driving while impaired and possess or consume an alcoholic beverage in the passenger area of a vehicle. He was granted a custody release.

 Matthew Brian ORourke, 33, of 106 Quail Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was transported to the Burke County Jail and placed under a 48-hour hold. His court date was set for Dec. 9.

 Daniel Damon McElveen, 48, of 206 Harry Drive, in Morganton, was charged with misdemeanor assault on a female. He was cited and released. His court date was set for Oct. 28.
He said with cases declining, people are eating at restaurants and going to concerts and ballgames and traveling again. And most people are back at work, although many are doing it in a different way or at a different job, he said.

Theres significant burnout among health care workers, which is causing a strain, Cooper said. The best way to help them is to get vaccinated, as a vast majority of the sickest COVID patients continue to be unvaccinated people.

Cooper added that children as young as 5 years old will soon be able to be vaccinated. Once the vaccines for children are authorized, the state will make sure vaccines are available throughout, including at pediatricians offices.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said an independent advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended the use of Pfizers vaccine in children 5 to 11 years old. Now, the FDA and CDC will complete a thorough review of this process to make sure that the vaccines are safe and effective for children, she aid.
There are more than 57,000 registered voters in Burke County, but so far fewer than 5,000 have rocked the vote in the 2021 municipal election.

Debbie Mace, director of elections for Burke County, said approximately 494 voters turned out for the last day of early voting Saturday.

That brought the total number of voters in this election so far up to approximately 4,369, Mace said. State elections records on Monday showed there were 57,615 registered voters in Burke County, so about 7.58% of registered voters in the county have cast their ballot.

Its not the slowest weve ever had, but its not the biggest either on that type of election, Mace said.

In the 2020 general election, 77% of Burke County voters turned up to vote, state elections records showed.

Tuesday will be the last chance residents get to vote in the municipal elections. Polls will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m., and voters must go to their assigned precinct. Voters can find their assigned precinct on the North Carolina Board of Elections website at https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLKup/.
Officer earns wings2nd Lt. Allen Gregory, son of Mrs. Irene Watts of Route 8 in Morganton has been awarded his silver wings at Webb Air Force Base in Texas, upon graduating from U.S. Air Force pilots training. Following specialized aircrew training at other bases, Gregory will return to Webb for duty as an instructor pilot. He will be assigned to a unit of the Air Training Command, which provides flying, technical and basic military training for US Air Force personnel.

Gregory was commissioned in 1970 upon graduation from officers training school.

Among us Morgantonians: J. Gordon QueenWe note the red roof on the Colonels Pantry as the Kentucky Fried Chicken place has been finished, and the Colonels Pantry will be ready soon.

The plant is growing, said a man pointing to the Highlander Plant off Interstate 40 at the Jamestown Road intersection the other day. Yes, Highlander is one of our best plants.

So many new streets have been opened here in the past few years, it is hard even for an old timer to keep up with them all.

We note that Fleming Drive is being widened at several points along the thoroughfare. It will be wonderful when the drive is widened all the way.
Brian Doherty is stepping down as Butte-Silver Bows fire chief later this month and taking a job at NorthWestern Energy, ending a 24-year career with the department he calls a family.

Doherty, who became chief early this year when Jeff Miller retired, says it was the right time for both my family and I to make this change in our lives. Doherty and his wife Stacey have five grown children.

Words alone cannot express how much of an honor it has been for me to be a public servant and to have been able to serve this city and the community that I grew up in for the past 24 years in that capacity, Doherty said in a letter to Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher and the Council of Commissioners.

It is very difficult to describe the feeling of leaving my family of 24 years as I have thoroughly enjoyed my career within the fire service, he wrote. I truly believe that what made me who I am today is the people here in this department.

His last day is Nov. 26.

Gallagher said he is promoting Fire Marshal Zach Osborne, who is also currently assistant fire chief, to chief and will ask commissioners to sign off on the move.

Doherty graduated from Butte Central High School in 1993 and joined the fire department in 1998. He was the countys fire marshal from 2015 until early this year, when he became chief. He will soon join NorthWestern Energys gas transmission division.

Gallagher said Monday he was thankful for Dohertys leadership and service to the department and even though his time as chief and director of fire services was short, he was a great mentor to Osborne.

Miller became chief in 2004 and when he retired on Dec. 31, more than 20 people applied for the job. The Butte-Silver Bow Fire Commission narrowed the list to three finalists before recommending Doherty. The other finalists were Osborne and firefighter Kelly Lee.

Gallagher said he has conferred with the Fire Commission and its members agree that Osborne should become the next chief and director of fire services.

Zach was a close second to Brian in our interview process last January and February and has all of the qualifications that are needed to lead the fire services in B-SB, Gallagher said. We are very fortunate to have qualified talented leaders in the B-SB Fire Department and I have no doubt that Zach will be a great director of B-SB Fire Services.

As fire marshal, Osborne is the chief investigator of fires who determines their causes and origins, a job that will often keep him at fire scenes long after most firefighters have left. He also inspects buildings for fire safety, among other duties. He became a firefighter in 2008.

Doherty said no fire department can succeed by itself and he could not overstate the support shown by its personnel, the chief executives office, commissioners, the fire commission and the citizens of Butte, even during difficult economic times.

As my career with the Butte Fire Department comes to an end, I leave with the confidence that the Department will continue to be led by dedicated, motivated and professional leaders, he said in his letter.

I believe there is always a benefit when fresh ideas and perspectives are brought to the table in any organization and feel the next individual who steps into the Director of Fire Services role will be able to build upon our achievements.

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Pvt. Joseph J. Boyer died in Italy in May 1944. The U.S. Army infantryman was killed in action by a mortar round. He received his Purple Heart posthumously.

The Salt Lake City native was 22 years old. Survivors included three brothers and three sisters.

One of the brothers, Pfc. Fred G. Boyer, received his Purple Heart from a frightening wound suffered nearly a year later in Germany.

Fred G. Boyer had joined the war effort in April 1944. In January 1945 he was deployed to Europe in the wake of the surprise counterattack in Belgium by Germany. That desperately bloody clash came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge.

Fred G. Boyer had trained to work in artillery. But after arriving in Europe in the aftermath of the Battle of the Bulge, the Army brass said they needed infantrymen. He was handed an M1 carbine.

Years later, the spectacles routinely worn by Fred G. Boyer covered the scar between his eyes. And he didnt disclose much to his children, including Fred J. Boyer, about his experiences during World War II.

Justifiably feared

The German 88, developed as an anti-aircraft artillery gun, became an effective weapon against Allied tanks. It was justifiably feared by Allied airmen, tankers and foot soldiers because of its accuracy, lethality and versatility, reported the Warfare History Network.

On April 4, 1945, shrapnel from a German 88 round pierced the skin between Fred G. Boyers eyes and penetrated his skull and sinuses. He lost his vision.

At the time, the American position was being overrun by Germans.

One of his buddies grabbed him and said, Were going to run, OK,

Fred? recounted son Fred J. Boyer. This guy basically saved his life and they got him to an aid station.

Later, during a medevac flight to London, Fred G. Boyer met a soldier who had been shot in the mouth with a German Luger. The man had taken the pistol as a battle souvenir and angry Germans who captured him decided to use the Luger for his execution. They left him for dead. Miraculously, his wounds were not lethal.

For several weeks Fred G. Boyer remained blind. He and others wondered whether the blindness would be permanent. He sneezed once and a piece of shrapnel emerged.

His vision returned but he sometimes suffered from awful headaches. He received a Purple Heart while hospitalized in England.

Fred G. Boyer had met Anaconda native Jeanne Podobnik when she was in nursing school in Salt Lake City. They married in 1941. After the war the couple moved to Anaconda, where Fred G. Boyer worked as a sales manager for Anaconda Motors. Jeanne worked as a nurse in Anaconda and Galen.

The artistic Boyer

Fred J. Boyer joined the world in 1947, one of eight children born to his parents.

His family recognized early on that the youthful Boyer demonstrated artistic potential. He sold his first painting while still in elementary school. He inherited a great aunts art supplies.

Boyer and other young men in Anaconda finished high school during the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War. Eight men from the Smelter City died in Vietnam.

Boyer joined the U.S. Army National Guard in 1965 even before graduating from Anaconda Central High School. His initial training prepared him to be a combat engineer, a high-risk military specialty during the Vietnam War.

But then the training focus switched to armored cavalry. Boyer went from gunner to tank commander.

His unit never deployed overseas.

U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Mike Mansfield of Montana was an early opponent of further U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson knew about Mansfields opposition.

As reported by The New York Times, Johnson decided during the Vietnam War to add to active duty troops with a draft rather than relying on large numbers of soldiers from the National Guard or Reserves. The National Guard was sometimes called out to respond domestically to protests tied to the war and to civil rights struggles.

Boyer left the National Guard in 1971, discharging as a staff sergeant.

Jumping fires

As it turned out, Boyer, now 74, has faced more hazards during his life through embracing varied escapades than by commanding an M48 or M60 tank.

Like many natives of southwestern Montana with an outdoors bent, Boyer nonchalantly recounts deeds of daring that would, for the average person, fill a year of nights with wondering (as described by poet Denise Levertov).

He battled wildfires for the Forest Service. He staffed a fire lookout on Cable Mountain near Georgetown Lake.

He became a smokejumper, a job he held for two summers.

Boyer believes he jumped on roughly two dozen fires. He managed to escape injury.

We also jumped a number of rescues, he said.

Boyer was poised to jump in August 1975 when Hank Williams Jr. fell roughly 500 feet on Ajax Peak in Beaverhead County. Williams, who suffered grievous injuries to his head and face, was airlifted to a hospital in Missoula and the jump was no longer necessary.

He helped cut trail to facilitate the rescue of a hiker from Colorado who became deathly ill while following an unmaintained Emerine Trail near the Skalkaho Highway.

Boyer worked too as a hunting guide in Alaska. Massive brown bears were among the prey he sought for clients.

Down the chute

He experienced perilous moments closer to home too.

One day he and Bill Knott traveled west of Anaconda to hunt for mountain goats.

We were sitting on Notch Peak and it was a cold but beautiful day, Boyer said.

The men spotted 16 mountain goats and Boyer shot a billy that was below them. Unfortunately, the goat slid down an avalanche chute. Boyer and Knott guessed that the goat carcass would hang up in the snow somewhere and decided to descend the snowy, icy and rocky chute to retrieve the goat  not realizing it had fallen to the ground below.

We got about 500 feet from the bottom and Bill fell, Boyer said. Luckily, he caught a rock and stopped. I asked him, How long can you hang on? And he said, Forever, if I have to.

Knott had dislocated his left shoulder and blood was seeping from one leg.

It looked like somebody had taken a dip out of his leg with an ice cream scoop, Boyer said.

Ultimately, the men decided the safest route out was up. Boyer had a climbing rope and the two ascended about 1,500 feet to return to the top.

The only reason he got out of there was because he was a tough son of a bitch, Boyer said. I thought he was going to die in there.

Once Knott finally made it to the hospital it turned out he had a cracked pelvis, three broken ribs and other injuries.

Boyer also tackled pursuits considered less hazardous. He worked for a time at the Anaconda Co. smelter. He taught art education in the public schools after graduating from Montana State University in 1972 with the necessary credentials. He became a father. His son, Joe, runs

Boyer Landscape & Nursery.

In 1983, Boyer braved becoming a full-time artist, working primarily as a sculptor. Today, his bronze wildlife and western sculptures are known and celebrated worldwide.

Boyer works out of his studio in the former Montana Hotel on Main Street in Anaconda, a city with a storied tradition of military service.

He said the National Guard helped him learn discipline and nurtured the development of other life skills.

I wish that every kid in the United States had to put in some kind of service, Boyer said, like military service or the Peace Corps.

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As police misbehavior goes, it was a small thing.

No one was killed, or shot, or even arrested. But in a sense, that gives it all the more impact. Shorn of the distracting emotionalism of bloodshed or false arrest, last weeks video recording of an incident between a subway rider and two New York City police officers provides a clear and unmistakable view of the high-handed arrogance that too often masquerades as policing.

It seems 27-year-old Andrew Gilbert approached the unmasked officers, one male, one female, and asked them to put on facial coverings. This would be in compliance with rules set down by both the transit authority and the police department. Gilbert says the male officer played dumb, claiming he could not hear through Gilberts mask.

When he got tired of that game  and this is where the bystander video picks up the story  the officer took hold of the unresisting Gilbert and manhandled him off the subway platform, pushing him through an emergency exit held open by his partner. Gilbert can be heard demanding their badge numbers, but at this writing, neither officer has been identified.

Again, its a small thing. But it speaks to large concerns, to the conviction that too many officers, protected by our deferential admiration, cosseted by union rules that make it very nearly impossible to get fired, consider themselves not servants of the law, but the law itself and the law entire, above the rules, beyond accountability and answerable to no one.

Consider that Police Commissioner Dermot Shea pronounced the behavior of the two cops absolutely inexcusable and called for them to be disciplined, but added that he wouldnt expect them to be fired, suspended or placed on modified duty. So apparently theyll get off with a good, stern talking to.

And yes, some will say Gilbert should have expected what he got. Everybody knows you dont question a cop. But that attitude is part of the problem. If youre not causing a disturbance, posing a threat or hindering him in the performance of his duties, why, exactly, cant you question a cop? Especially when said cop is flouting rules everyone else is supposed to obey? Is he not a public servant? Are we not the public?

But then, power unrestrained serves only itself.

The police are esteemed  rightly  for being first responders, for running toward danger. But that is not, and cannot be, a get-out-of-accountability-free card. Wed demand answers from the janitor or short-order cook who behaved as if rules were for other people. Why is it so hard to hold to the same standard men and women in whom we vest such sweeping authority?

Understand: That cops behavior is not a one-off. Rather, its just the latest example of a very specific kind of arrogance, part of a throughline linking every cop who thinks the law serves him instead of the other way around. It takes in the cops who arrested, interfered with and roughed up journalists during Black Lives Matter protests. It takes in the ones who shoved a 75- year-old man to the ground in Buffalo, causing him to suffer a head injury. It takes in all the cops refusing to comply with mask or vaccine mandates around the country. And it certainly takes in former cop Derek Chauvin smirking at the camera  smirking!  as he slowly ground the life out of George Floyd.

Maybe you think thats an awful lot to lay on a cop who only kicked a guy out of a subway station. And youd be right. His misbehavior was, indeed, a small thing.

This time.
The chase continued in Americana Park neighborhood near 65th Street. "We made multiple laps in the area until intentional vehicle contact was made near the intersection of Western and 65th when the vehicle again swerved toward a deputies (sic) fully marked Scott County cruiser," according to the affidavit.

The Tahoe tried to hit a cruiser again near Division and North Harrison Street

"The SUV then took off through a yard and drove head-on into a deputies (sic) vehicle while he was sitting inside causing catastrophic damage to the deputies (sic) cruiser." the affidavit says.

The report does not say if the officer was injured. The Scott County Sheriff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

About a quarter of a mile later, Hearn fled on foot and Iowa State Patrol, Davenport Police and Scott County Sheriff deputies gave chase.

Hearn went into a house in the 6300 block of Western, where he was taken into custody without incident.

He was taken to Genesis East for treatment of injuries from the crash. After release, he was taken to Scott County Jail.

Hearn is on parole until Aug. 17, 2023, for a drug conviction stemming from a 2016 arrest.
Jinks made multiple racist comments after Minneapolis police killed Floyd, a Black man whose death became a rallying point for protests nationally, including calling the victim just another thug and saying he pretty much got what he deserved, the complaint said.

The court found that after Jinks saw a new automobile purchased by the only Black employee in the probate office, he remarked: I seen that car. I can't even  I'm the judge and I can't even afford a Mercedes. What you doing, selling drugs?

Jinks also improperly tried to help a woman get an early release from a prison sentence imposed in a neighboring county, the court found.

Jinks denied the allegations, and his lawyer released a statement to media outlets saying his remarks were taken completely out of context and viewed in a way to make Jinks look as bad as possible. The ruling can be appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court.

Located east of Birmingham, Talladega County has about 80,000 residents. Jinks' duties under state law included supervising elections in the county, and he also handled probate matters including wills. Probate judges under state law are not required to be attorneys.

Jinks was elected to the Talladega County Commission in 1986 and worked six years on the staff of former Rep. Bob Riley, who later served two terms as Alabama governor.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Gov. Tom Wolf's administration told more than 70,000 state employees on Monday that it is offering five days of paid leave for getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year, quickly drawing opposition from the state treasurer over the potential cost.

The administration told employees that five days of verification leave can be used between Dec. 20 and March 31. Employees who dont use the days by then will be paid for them and an employee who has verified their fully vaccinated status to the administration will automatically receive the days, it said.

This leave will help incentivize the vaccinations that protect commonwealth employees and the Pennsylvanians we serve, the administration told employees. Its one more way we can show our gratitude to employees who step up to help us protect our communities and bring this pandemic to an end.

The administration already offers employees a paid day off to get vaccinated.

Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, called on Wolf, a Democrat, to abandon the plan. Her office said the cost to taxpayers for paying employees who do not use the days could amount to more than $100 million.
Ryan Busse, a former firearms industry executive who is now a senior adviser at the gun-safety organization Giffords, which was founded by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in an assassination attempt in 2011, said he's worried that Rittenhouse will become some heroic martyr.

Im worried about empowering more actors like him who think its glamorous to go kill somebody with a rifle, Busse said.

Rittenhouse made the 20-mile (32-kilometer) trip from his home in Antioch, Illinois, north to Kenosha as the city was in the throes of several nights of chaotic demonstrations after an officer shot Jacob Blake in the back following a domestic disturbance. At least one call had gone out on social media for armed citizens to respond, though Rittenhouse's attorneys say that wasn't what brought Rittenhouse to the city.

Videos taken that night show him with a first-aid kit at his side, along with his rifle, bragging about his medical abilities. Video also shows police appearing to welcome Rittenhouse and other armed citizens, including handing them bottles of water.
Students from Capt. H.B. Price Elementary School are dropped off at their bus stop on Dairy Road in Mangilao on Aug. 13, 2021.
Johannesburgs City Power has threatened legal action against Eskom over its power purchase agreement with Kelvin power station for extra capacity to offset two stages of load-shedding, the Sunday Times reported.

If approved by Eskom, the deal will allow the City of Gold to spare residents from Stage 1 and Stage 2 load-shedding, and reduce the impact of higher levels of rotational power cuts.

According to the report, City Power has expressed its disappointment at Eskom for overlooking its efforts and contribution to alleviate the constraints on the national grid.

Nancy Maluleke, the acting CEO at City Power, said that Eskoms failure to provide City of Johannesburg customers with any form of load-shedding exemption amounts to the unfair and unequal treatment of the Citys customers.

Maluleke communicated this in a letter to Eskom general manager Des Govender.

The letter comes after the two power companies released a joint statement on Monday, 25 October saying that City Power would follow Eskoms instruction to implement load-shedding on the residents of Johannesburg.

The statement also indicated that teams from Eskom and City Power first had to look into the technical aspects of the power station and verify whether Kelvin could add extra capacity to the national grid.

The teams will also explore technical possibilities that may see City of Johannesburg partially or fully shielded from load-shedding in the future, the statement said.

Sikonathi Mantshantsha, the spokesperson for Eskom, said that the teams had met on Monday to conduct the technical assessment.

He said that the privately-owned Kelvin power station did not have the technical information that was requested by Eskom, so the technical assessment could not take place.

City Power had initially told its customers on Sunday, 24 October, that they would be exempt from stage 1 and stage 2 load-shedding scheduled for the following week.

It explained that this was due to a power purchase agreement with Kelvin power station that would provide the utility with 220MW of extra capacity.

We therefore believe that with this extra capacity, we will be able to cushion the residents of the City from the inconvenience of load-shedding Stage 1 and Stage 2, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena had said.

According to City Power, it had previously sent a request to Eskom asking to be excluded from the earlier stages of load-shedding but received no response.

After the retraction of its promise, Johannesburg residents lashed out at City Power.

Some speculated that the move to shield Johannesburg residents from load-shedding was nothing more than a politicking ploy ahead of the local government elections.

However, Mangena said this was not the case.

Whether there are elections or not, the fact is that load-shedding is an undesirable situation that is unfairly imposed on the City of Johannesburg residents who made an effort to find and fund alternatives to Eskom, and rightfully should be excluded from load-shedding, he said.

Now read: Eskom bills explained
Troubled state-owned airline South African Airways (SAA) must sell its low-cost airline Mango to a private buyer, the companys business rescue plan has proposed.

This comes after the SAA Group informed Mangos business rescue practitioner, Sipho Sono, that the low-cost airline would no longer form part of its group.

Having established that Mango will not form part of the SAA Group, the business rescue practitioner has determined that for Mango to be rescued and for it to remain sustainable into the future, the company requires an investor that would fund ongoing operations beyond the restructuring of the company, Sono stated.

It is accordingly envisaged in this BR plan that an investor that will acquire all of the shares in the company will be required.

However, for the plan to succeed, the Department of Public Enterprises must immediately pay the remaining R719 million earmarked for Mango as part of a larger rescue package approved by parliament to complete the business rescue of the SAA Group.

So far, the department has only paid R100 million to Mango, and this amount has been used primarily for paying salaries.

The airline has been waiting months for the remaining payment, forcing its operations to a grinding halt in July.

Meanwhile, its sole shareholder relaunched flights for a new SAA in September, seemingly securing all the money it needs to resume operations.

That came after the government brokered a deal to see private consortium Takatso get a 51% shareholding in the SAA Group.

Notably, one of the members of Takatso is Global Aviation, which owns a major competitor to Mango  the recently launched low-cost airline Lift.

Mangos profitability took a hammering due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its accompanying lockdown regulations, which severely restricted travel by plane for many months.

The business rescue plan states that Mangos financial issues were exacerbated by the inability of SAA to fund the company during its own business rescue process.

Before the pandemic hit, the company reported an operating profit of R977.51 million for the year ended 2019. That was slashed by more than half to R462.82 million in the next year.

In the 2021 financial year, the company made an operating loss of R157.14 million.

While Mango attempted to operate on a limited flight schedule with only two aircraft, it was later forced to stop operations completely.

It currently owes R2.85 billion to its creditors. These include aeroplane maintenance companies Lufthansa Technik and South African Airways Technical, Macquarie, the Lanseria airport, the Air Traffic Navigation Services, and the Airports Company of South Africa, among others.

If the government pays Mangos promised R719 million bailout, its creditors will receive 5.23 cents for every rand owed.

Mangos staff, who received only half their salaries in October, will be paid their full wages.

Mango also owes R183 million to ticketholders who could not use their flights due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and Mangos flight groundings.

The business rescue plan provides for vouchers that can be used as credit for booking flights between 2 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

Those who would prefer not to take up the voucher offer can opt to become a creditor, which will mean they will also receive 5.23 cents for every rand they paid on a ticket.

The business rescue plan has proposed that Mango resume operations as soon as possible in the interim, ideally by December 2021, to ensure that it preserves its route rights and licences which may be critical for the investor and to take advantage of the higher December demand.

In the event that it is not possible to resume operations, it may be more prudent to rather concentrate on the investor process and in that event contemplate a possible mothballing of operations until the investor has come on board, Sono said.

The plan proposes resuming operations with three aircraft and an additional plane subject to a wet lease arrangement based on the availability of suitable aircraft in the short term and financial resources available to Mango for repair and maintenance of the planes.

Mango is in possession of several route rights and would like to fly the routes as soon as possible to preserve and develop these routes, Sono said.

One of these is the popular direct route from OR Tambo International to Zanzibar Airport.

This will require Mango to procure additional aircraft, which is hoped to be done shortly after the conclusion of a transaction with an investor.
For most of us, Thanksgiving is a time to gather in celebration of family, friends, and bounty  and, of course, eat a lot of amazing dishes we crave during the holidays!

Food is my favorite way to experience and connect with people of the world, so weve added a pre-colonial dish to our traditional Thanksgiving menu to celebrate Indigenous people.

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Winter squash, beans, and corn, grown together and known as The Three Sisters, are three main agricultural crops favored by North Americas Native people.

The Indigenous people of North America were some of the first environmentalists developing sustainable food systems and organic farming methods. By adding seasonal and locally grown vegetables from our farmers, like squash, sweet potatoes, and other root vegetables, you are supporting a more sustainable local food system right here in our community.

Saturday, Nov. 20, and Tuesday, Nov. 23 are the perfect markets to shop and stock up.

Novembers Harvest of the Month veggie highlights one of The Three Sisters: winter squash.

Long before contact with Europeans, Native Americans were cultivating varieties of our favorite fall symbol. The different members of the Cucurbita family (squash, pumpkins, and gourds) became a mainstay for early colonists as both a food and medicine.

The terms winter and summer squash originate from a time when seasons were more crucial to survival. Winter squash is harvested during the fall when their rind hardens and can be stored until spring, lasting through the critical cold months.

Although now available year-round, to me there is nothing more satisfying than a hot winter squash dish, like curry-spiced butternut squash soup, on a cold night.

Our Harvest of the Month fruit is the persimmon, which means its once again my annual opportunity to try and convert the haters.

Listen, I wasnt a persimmon believer either until I started working for the Napa Farmers Market, so I understand where folks are coming from.

The Fuyu persimmons you will find at our market are crisp and packed with sweet and satisfying fall flavor and can be eaten just like an apple. My theory is that people may have tried an acorn-shaped Hachiya, which is better for baking and once ripe has a squishy texture that may be off-putting. If youre not a fan yet, give Fuyus a chance!

This month St. Helena Hospital Foundation Mobile Health Program will be at the market Tuesday, Nov. 2 and 16 with have free flu and COVID vaccines  including booster shots. We hope as many folks as possible get vaccinated, especially before the holidays.

See you at the market!

Three Sisters Succotash

Serves 4

This recipe is adapted from EatFresh.org, an online recipe and nutrition resource developed for CalFresh eligible individuals and families, and an excellent tool for anyone interested in eating healthier on a budget.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion finely diced

1 teaspoon salt

 red bell pepper finely diced, divided

 Jalapeno pepper seeded and minced (optional)

6 cloves garlic minced

1  teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 butternut squash small, cut into  inch cubes

2 cups corn

2 cups pinto beans drained and rinsed if canned

2 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium

Black pepper to taste

 cup cilantro finely chopped

Lime wedges

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Cook, stirring, until nicely golden.

Add half the bell pepper, chile, garlic, paprika and cumin. Stir and cook for two to three minutes, or until fragrant. Add beans, corn, squash, and stock. Bring to a boil.

Lower heat, cover, and simmer just until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid. Continue cooking for five to ten minutes to cook off the liquid and caramelize the vegetables.

Season with black pepper. Sprinkle with cilantro and the remaining, uncooked bell pepper. Serve with corn tortillas, whole-wheat pita or cornbread, along with lime wedges.
Sustainable, is the new sexy when it comes to the wine industry, with Certified Organic, B Corporation, and Biodynamic, acting as designer labels for vintners creations.

For Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery in St. Helena, this go-for-the-green mentality encouraged the company to invest a whole bunch of time, energy and money to pursue all of these certifications, including biodynamic Demeter, credentials.

The goals of all of them are great, but there's not a lot of overlap, said Spottswoodes winemaker and vineyard manager, Aron Weinkauf.

Spottswoode earned its organic certification in 1992, acting as an early adopter alongside one other vineyard in Napa Valley. Weinkaufs predecessor and his crew then started farming biodynamically loosely in 2008, and after Weinkauf joined in 2015, the winery ultimately got its Demeter certification in 2020. The company is also certified with the local program Napa Green, and is currently pursuing a TRUE zero waste designation.

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But as a lesser-known certification program compared to the others, the idea of biodynamic agriculture is not well understood.

In the case of Weinkauf and Spottswoode, he said that day-to-day operations did not differ much between organic and biodynamic farming.

Within the Demeter certification, in order to be certified you have to have your organic certification already, so I kind of look at that as that does a whole lot of the footwork already, said Weinkauf. And then on top of that, it's kind of just a mental shift  It doesn't need to radically change what somebody who's already farming organically does.

The Demeter certification goes all the way back to 1924 Germany, and stems from the ideas of philosopher and researcher Rudolf Steiner. In an effort to paint farms as living, breathing ecosystems rather than factories, Steiner gave a series of lectures on biodynamic agriculture, and within five years, the first Demeter co-op had over 1,000 member farms.

But we are in 2021 California, not post-WW I Germany, and according to Weinkauf, Steiner never intended for his lectures to be taken as gospel.

The roots of some of Steiners prescriptions are pretty out there on many levels, and they absolutely were one man's suggestions on how to address the failing conventional farming practices of the time, he said.

As a result, some of these ideologies have been compromised.

What Steiner wanted was sustainability within a single farm and really nurturing that ecosystem in a single farm, which is not as practical nowadays, said Weinkauf.

While Spottswoode has a well onsite and installed a solar array in 2007, a fully closed, self-sustaining ecosystem isnt feasible.

Instead, Demeter-certified wineries and vineyards have other requirements to achieve a more modernized version of Steiners teachings. Hand-harvesting is preferred -- even better if you follow the biodynamic farming calendar for harvest dates -- grape pomace must be composted, imported yeast is forbidden, and acid and sugar levels must be left untouched, to name a few.

Here in California, there are 18 certified biodynamic wine businesses, two of which are in Napa Valley. Alongside Spottswoode, the Smith-Anderson Wine Group is certifie. However, due to its philosophical nature, the way that biodynamics actually comes to fruition in the vineyard is on a case-by-case basis, and the Demeter certification team assesses applications as such.

"Basically, biodynamics is nothing more than the use of experiences that farmers have made for thousands of years," said Alois Lageder representatives. "As people of the 21st century, we have often forgotten how to intuitively grasp the interrelationships of nature. Whereas a farmer used to keep hens, pigs and cows on his farm and cultivate cereals, vegetables and perhaps wine, today this farm economy has given way to large monocultures."

Spottswoode tends to agree with this logic.

People ask me what biodynamics is, and I kind of look at it like modern science was very bottom-up oriented and they tried to tease out singular variables and try to analyze them in isolation, and because of that modern science struggles within larger ecosystems where there are almost infinite variables, said Weinkauf.

The cool thing for me about biodynamics is it's to me much more top-down oriented, where it's looking at big pictures, looking at whole systems and trying to make general prescriptions.

Weinkauf says that he sees a disconnect in generational farming practices, and believes that the Demeter philosophy lends itself to some of these traditions. Rather than trying to curate a highly-specialized and unnatural environment for their vines, Spottswoode tries to study the estate and its needs without intervening too much.

It's still farming, he said. You still have to roll with the punches, you still get a ton of variability from Mother Nature, and you still struggle with the same bugs and mildew and floods -- They don't just disappear.

Weinkauf deems himself a firm believer in all of these different sustainability certifications (hence the reason Spottswoode has acquired nearly all of them) but is, in particular, a fan of the revamped Napa Green project for its multi-faceted approach.

The new Napa Green is really one of the more dynamic, holistic certifications that are out there, he said.

It's always funny  You go to school to be a winemaker, we have zero business management practices, but at the same time, I definitely always knew this was part of it, [and] I think it's good for people to speak up and try to be proactive, especially when we're talking about ecosystem health.

You can reach Sam Jones at 707-256-2221 and sjones@napanews.com.

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When FBI agents swooped down on the state Capitol three-plus decades ago to cap an undercover sting delving into pay-to-play corruption, Assemblyman John Vasconcellos was incensed about the invasion of my house.

Vasconcellos, who died in 2014, wasnt a target of the investigation, nor should he have been. But his my house reaction to the Shrimpgate investigation revealed a common mindset of veteran politicians. After years in office, they tend to view their positions as personal possessions, rather than as temporary opportunities to serve their constituents.

That possessive attitude sometimes manifests itself in corruption. Legislators and other politicians make decisions with immense financial consequences and some rationalize that they are entitled to shares of the bounty.

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Campaign contributions are a semi-legal way for those who benefit from political decisions to express their gratitude, but they can backfire legally if there is some overt quid pro quo. During the Shrimpgate investigation, Capitol politicians were ensnared for demanding both campaign money and personal payoffs from undercover FBI agents seeking legislation to benefit a fictitious shrimp processing company.

So-called behested payments are another. Interest groups curry favor by making contributions to politicians favorite charities that sometimes employ the politicians relatives, as CalMatters writer Laurel Rosenhall has detailed. There are limits on direct campaign contributions, but none on behested payments. Belatedly, the Fair Political Practices Commission is promulgating new disclosure rules.

The federal indictment of Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas alleges another wrinkle in the corruption game. Ridley-Thomas, who has jumped from office to office for the last three decades, is accused of helping a University of Southern California administrator obtain hefty county contracts in return for getting his son, Sebastian, a no-cost graduate degree and a full-time faculty position.

The elder Ridley-Thomas was a county supervisor when the alleged transaction took place. His son is a former state legislator who resigned in the midst of a sexual harassment investigation.

California has seen something of a corruption surge in recent years. One former Los Angeles City Council member is already serving a federal prison term for corruption and another is awaiting trial.

Indictments of officials and political players in the small communities on the periphery of Los Angeles are so common that they scarcely raise an eyebrow. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon calls his Los Angeles County district a corridor of corruption.

The Shrimpgate scandal fueled a successful drive to place term limits on state legislators, in theory discouraging perpetual political careers that breed arrogance and corruption. However, there have been several corruption cases since, including a state senator convicted of involvement in an international gun-running scheme.

That legislator, Leland Yee, represented San Francisco, which is experiencing another corruption scandal.

Mohammed Nuru, the citys former public works director is, as the San Francisco Chronicle summarizes, at the center of a widespread federal corruption case that has linked city officials, contractors, nonprofit groups and others in a web of alleged bribery and fraud. The former public works director was arrested in January 2020 for allegedly attempting to bribe an airport commissioner. His case is still pending in federal court.

Its not uncommon for members of the public to declare that all politicians are crooks. They arent. Most are sincere and honest, whether or not one agrees with their actions.

However, there is corruption and it flourishes most often when there is no meaningful political competition, when politicians believe that they own their positions and are entitled to pieces of the action, and when the watchdogs are not watching closely enough.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.

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Looking for another spot to add to your bucket list? Try Juneau, Alaska. Just north of the Alexander Archipelago and situated along the state's southwest coast, Juneau has a lot to offer, and it doesn't take a weeklong expedition to experience it.

Alaska usually lands on peoples' bucket lists because of the untouched, wild nature of the region.

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Right away, the natural beauty and landscapes overwhelm. The pure, clean air and gorgeous landscapes in every direction would be enough reason to visit. But there's so much more to Juneau's appeal, and for a destination that seems like it requires expedition-like time and preparation, Juneau is small enough to be enjoyed over a weekend.

Top tourist destinations around Juneau include the 1,800-foot Mount Roberts, reachable by a tram that leaves from the edge of town. Hiking trails abound, and whale-watching is always a popular tourist draw. The 13.6-mile-long Mendenhall Glacier, a must-see, is just 13 miles outside of town.

"Town" is roughly six blocks wide and 12 blocks long. Boxed in by the sea and Mount Roberts, the long downtown parallels the coastline and includes city buildings and residences in addition to the shops, restaurants, and sightseeing.

Hop on the Juneau Seawalk on the south end of town and follow it past restaurants and shops to a relatively new plaza on the north side, honoring the original trade of the city, whaling. The life-size whale jumping from the water is a sight to see, but the plaza is also a local gathering place that showcases the mountains enclosing the town and the water running through it.

To learn about Juneau and Alaskan history, make it a point to stop in one of the eye-opening local museums. Juneau holds a lot of fascinating history as the first and only Alaska state capital, and it offers rich Native American history that can't be found anywhere else. The State Capitol, the Alaska State Museum, and the Juneau-Douglas City Museum are options for a historic dive.

One of the primary missions of the award-winning Alaska State Museum is to preserve Alaska Native artifacts and objects of daily life. The most recent exhibition, "The Spirit Wraps Around You," showcases the gorgeous and elaborate textiles of the Alaska native people.

The Juneau-Douglas City Museum, built on the same site where Alaska officially became a state, offers walking day tours of the State Capitol and Juneau and gives detailed historical information.

The food scene is shockingly good. The locals are moving away from catering to the cruise ship day-trippers, and instead, they've leaned into artisan, farm-to-table, and local resource-rich fare.

SALT is Juneau's finest restaurant for fresh Alaskan cuisine, including fresh Alaskan seafood, butcher cut steaks, and local produce. Michelin-star-trained Chef Lionel Uddipa's menu highlights Alaskan flavors but represents regions from all over the world.

Start with Champagne and Brie Fondue with green apples and Kalamata olive croutons. Follow it with wild Alaskan King salmon with ginger, coconut broth, seaweed, and ginger citrus over rice. For wine pairing, this is the place for international choices. Finish with a dessert of flourless chocolate torte with wild strawberries and cream.

Advertised as "The Best Legs in Town," Tracy's Crab Shack is is no longer a shack, but they haven't lost the relaxed, laidback vibe of one. Lots of outdoor seating, a long bar with award-winning Alaskan craft beers and toe-tapping music that will lift anyone's mood show there's a reason this dining establishment is first-come, first-served. Visitors dine on delights such as a large king crab bucket served with hot melted butter and garlic rolls and Tracy's award-winning crab bisque. The waiting line is long, which is always a good indicator of a great place.

Alaska Probiotics is not a restaurant, but it is a must-stop at some point in your journey. As you're sightseeing around town, grab a Rosemary Tangerine Hibiscus, one of the shop's Alaskan infused kombuchas, to sip on. When the air is fresh and crisp, and the scene is natural and relaxing, these organic, fair-trade, and sustainably sourced teas and herbs high in antioxidants and beneficial phytochemicals give a delightful, healthy pickup. The bonusthe glass bottle with "Alaska Probiotics" is yours to keep.

At the Rookery Cafe, the warmth and the aroma of freshly ground coffee hit you right away when you enter, and you immediately get why this is the most popular coffee shop and restaurant in historic downtown Juneau.

The Rookery is open all day and serves up everything from artisan pastries to wild salmon cured in-house. They make almost everything from scratch home-baked bread, ground burger, and pickles cured on-site. You could eat every meal here and still experience a wide range of cuisine.

Hangar on the Wharf overlooks the surrounding mountains and the Gastineau Channel and serves dishes like Alaskan halibut chowder and wasabi salmon burger. The main draw is that you can stroll in here at any time of day and get a seat overlooking the water through its wall of windows, or, if you're lucky, you can snag a seat outdoors to experience all the sights and sounds of the harbor.

The piece de resistance (for the adventurous) is an out-of-this-world, exhilarating flight over the glaciers in a tiny seaplane.

It is not for the faint of heart, flying hundreds of feet above the glaciers in a tiny plane that seems to be 100 years old, but drifting over glaciers while flying so close to craggy cliffsides that you feel you could touch them is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Book through Keli's Concierge in the lobby of the Four Points Sheraton. They seem to have their finger on the pulse of Juneau's activities. On the day we arrived, we stopped by to gather information on available excursions, and a group had just canceled their trip on one of the seaplane tours over the glaciers. Within an hour, we were in a group van on our way to the sea.

Taking off from the water of the Gastineau Channel is the first thrill of the trip. The next is the sheer amount of nature viewing you can do while traveling to the edge of the 1,500 square miles of Juneau Icefield.

Juneau Icefield is North America's largest mass of moving ice, and you will also see Taku Glacier, the deepest glacier in the world. A seaplane or helicopter excursion over the glaciers is an unforgettable, surreal experience. Wildlife like eagles, bear, and moose roam below, while waterfalls, forests, and rivers spread in front of you like a scene in a nature documentary. The small planes might be noisy, but you'll feel like you are floating in the clouds.

When to Go

Although it is the state capital, Juneau is only accessible by air or water. That alone gives an idea of what makes Juneau such a fantastic place to visit. It was almost an island unto itself for over a century, which helped it develop a distinct culture that still exists today.

If warmish weather is the goal, it is best to go in the summertime. But if you're looking for a more tranquil trip, it is best to go in the off-season when the cruise industry has wound down. Today, cruise ships dock in Juneau most of the summer (although they were prohibited from doing so in 2021 and only began doing so again recently), giving the port town an economic boost that hopefully holds through to the next tourist season.

Cruise ships come with downsides: crowded shops and restaurants, a shortage of good lodging options, and degradation of the environment. The cruise ship industry has slowed, but it's worth a schedule check to plan your trip during a less touristy time if you're looking for a quiet getaway.

Where to Stay

Four Points by Sheraton is on the waterfront and has all the amenities you would expect, plus the concierge who knows everything. Rooms at the Four Points by Sheraton are comfortable and spacious, and the staff is accommodating. From $218 per night.

The Nook Airbnb  If an Airbnb studio works for you, this one has an unbelievable price and location. The only problem might be finding it available on your travel dates. From $115 per night.
Members of the public can now help teach an artificial intelligence algorithm to recognize scientific features in images taken by NASAs Perseverance rover, NASA announced.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, has enormous potential to change the way NASAs spacecraft study the universe. But because all machine learning algorithms require training from humans, a recent project asks members of the public to label features of scientific interest in imagery taken by NASAs Perseverance Mars rover.

Called AI4Mars, the project is the continuation of one launched last year that relied on imagery from NASAs Curiosity rover. Participants in the earlier stage of that project labeled nearly half a million images, using a tool to outline features like sand and rock that rover drivers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory typically watch out for when planning routes on the Red Planet. The end result was an algorithm, called SPOC (Soil Property and Object Classification), that could identify these features correctly nearly 98% of the time.

SPOC is still in development, and researchers hope it can someday be sent to Mars aboard a future spacecraft that could perform even more autonomous driving than Perseverances AutoNav technology allows.

Images from Perseverance will further improve SPOC by expanding the kinds of identifying labels that can be applied to features on the Martian surface. AI4Mars now provides labels to identify more refined details, allowing people to choose options like float rocks (islands of rocks) or nodules (BB-size balls, often formed by water, of minerals that have been cemented together).

The goal is to hone an algorithm that could help a future rover pick out needles from the haystack of data sent from Mars. Equipped with 19 cameras, Perseverance sends anywhere from dozens to hundreds of images to Earth each day for scientists and engineers to comb through for specific geological features. But time is tight: After those images travel millions of miles from Mars to Earth, the team members have a matter of hours to develop the next set of instructions, based on what they see in those images, to send to Perseverance.

Especially during this developmental stage, SPOC requires lots of validation from scientists to ensure its labeling accurately. But even when it improves, the algorithm is not intended to replace more complex analyses by human scientists.

AI researchers can train their Earth-bound algorithms on tens of thousands of images of, say, houses, flowers, or kittens. But no such data archive existed for the Martian surface before the AI4Mars project. The team would be content with 20,000 or so images in their repository, each with a variety of features labeled.

Before the algorithm ever makes it to space, it could be used to scan NASAs vast public archive of Mars data, allowing researchers to find surface features in those images more easily.

A key objective for Perseverances mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planets geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASAs Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
Armenian Foreign Minister and Otto Luchterhandt discuss Nagorno-Karabakh settlement

Armenian contract soldier dies amid violation of rules for handling weapons

Man, 29, jumps from Yerevan bridge

Armenia MFA confirms PM Pashinyan's readiness to meet with Azerbaijans Aliyev on December 15

Quake shakes coast of Vanuatu

State minister: Nationwide quarantine, specific restrictions planned to be imposed in Karabakh

Artsakh President convenes National Security Service consultation

Opposition MP: Armenia FM stated that Turkey has proposed new precondition: corridor

Armenia military expert: US Embassy warns its citizens to avoid Karahunj-Davit Bek, Kapan-Chakaten road sections

Armenia opposition MP: Air carrier operating flights from Syunik Province cannot have any security guarantees

Singapore is good example for Armenia, says President Sarkissian

Iran seizes foreign ship in Persian Gulf

2 Azerbaijanis injured in anti-tank mine explosion at Karabakh conflict zone

US, Turkey presidential advisors discuss situation in South Caucasus

Synopsys boss pays tribute to Armenian Genocide victims

Russia peacekeepers escort 15 convoys to, from Artsakh in one week

Catholicos Karekin II to Patriarch Kirill: We appreciate your warm attitude towards Armenian Church, people

China fines Alibaba for violating antitrust law

36 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh

UK Premier Johnson considering boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

Artsakh President visits Askeran city, meets with regional capitals youth

President to Russia Patriarch: Armenian people highly value your efforts aimed at achieving peace in our region

870 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

8 injured in tragic accident on Yerevan-Gyumri motorway are discharged from hospital

China, Russia, US agree to promote political dialogue on Iran

Azerbaijan mother, son commit suicide on same day

One pedestrian dies on the spot, other hospitalized after hit by car in Armenia village area

US beauty consultant is accused of killing woman by injecting silicone into her butt

Brazil Amazon deforestation reaches highest level in 15 years

Newspaper: Armenia soldiers are prohibited from filming episodes from their service, posting them on internet

Newspaper: Armenia opposition is forming large-scale resistance network

Armenia President visits National University of Singapore

Gia, wanted by French law-enforcement authorities, found at Armenia's Bagratashen checkpoint

Leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia agree to meet in Brussels

European Council: Pashinyan and Aliyev agreed to establish direct communication line at level of defense ministers

Armenia's Representative to OSCE speaks about Azerbaijan's recent attack at Permanent Council's session

Armenia serviceman Meruzhan Harutyunyan, killed in Syunik Province, was buried at Yerablur Military Pantheon

Armenian News-NEWS.am's special report: Drive from Kapan to Tchakatashen is 150 km instead of previous 8 km

3 Armenian servicemen killed during Nov. 16 Azerbaijani attack posthumously awarded presidential medals

Left-wing trade unions hold protest against Turkey's Erdogan in Izmir

Armenia FM presents situation following Azerbaijani attack during meeting with Lithuanian Seimas Vice-President

Armenia delegation covers Azerbaijan's Nov. 16 attack during online meeting of CSTO PA Permanent Commissions

Armenia PM receives delegation led by Vice President of Lithuanian Seimas

Lavrov, Cavusoglu discuss bilateral ties and regional issues

Karabakh: Azerbaijani side, in Shushi, transfers bodies of 3 Armenian soldiers killed on Nov. 16

NEWS.am daily digest: 19.11.21

Armenian Embassy in Russia: Armenia citizens - mother and child - evacuated from Afghanistan

Georgia refuses to be a part of '3+3' format with regard to South Caucasus

The occupied Hadrut of our days (PHOTOS)

Arabologist: Photo of map of Turkic world shown by Erdogan and Bahceli is simply a gift for Armenian diplomacy

Situation is tense in Armenia's Kasakh, residents protesting against acting village head (LIVE)

Opposition With Honor legislature faction MP: No one knows if Armenia petitioned to Russia for military assistance

Armenia opposition MP: There is a threat that Baku will always get what it wants through use of force

Lavrov is certain that the Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan summit will take place

Ann Linde: OSCE working very closely with Russia to resolve Karabakh conflict

Karabakh FM congratulates newly appointed Abkhazia counterpart

Dollar relatively stable in Armenia

Armenia parliament majority members do not deny possibility of exchange of territories with Azerbaijan

Armenia ruling party MP: Public and competent authorities need to know circumstances behind captures of soldiers

Armenia ruling party MP assures that situation on the border is currently stable

Armenia ruling party MP: Confidentiality of process of preparing for demarcation is strictly necessary

Armenia PM: Citizens of EEU countries will be able to receive loans in all territories of member states

Armenian serviceman, 19, dies in Georgia's Akhalkalaki

Armenia legislature majority faction lawmaker: Russia military intervention is not end in itself

High commissioner: Diaspora is considering ways to help hundreds of Ethiopia Armenians

Opposition With Honor parliament faction: Armenia authorities trying to push territorial losses issue to backburner

Legislature majority faction MP: Armenia authorities do not make any demands on Russia

Opposition Armenia Faction in parliament: Authorities are unable to distinguish between priority and secondary issues

3 more die of coronavirus in Artsakh

Bruno Retailleau: France must support Armenia more firmly against aggressions by Azerbaijan

Armenia parliament majority faction: Border delimitation preparation process will start from point zero

PM: Armenia exports to other EEU countries increased by 27.8%

Armenias Pashinyan: Azerbaijan provocations are aimed at disrupting arrangements reached by trilateral statements

California Armenian couple accused of fraud flee leaving their 3 children behind

799 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Katherine Clark: Azerbaijan must acknowledge and respect Armenian sovereignty

Eurasian Intergovernmental Council enlarged meeting underway in Yerevan

Russia peacekeepers patrol along Karabakh border delimitation line

MOD: According to current data Armenia has 6 military casualties as result of Tuesdays attack by Azerbaijan

Turkish Islamic preachers organization denies reports of his death

Newspaper: What happened to missing Armenia soldiers during recent hostilities?

Armenia MOD dismisses reports about not allowing officers with higher rank than major to go up to combat positions

US virtually completes development of new tactical nuclear gravity bomb B61-12

Newspaper: Officers with higher rank than major not allowed to combat positions during recent hostilities in Syunik

Opposition MP: Granting corridor to Azerbaijan through Syunik Province will be gravest crime against Armenia

US Department of State representative says why Azerbaijan is not invited to Summit for Democracy

Armenian human rights activists to submit letters to ECHR regarding soldiers captured and considered missing

Armenia FM stresses importance of addressable response to Azerbaijan's actions during talk with Greek counterpart

Ex-ruling party official: Armenia authorities found reason for MOD's resignation after his visit to Karabakh

Republican Party of Armenia spokesperson: Nikol Pashinyan gave a confessional testimony in parliament yesterday

Armenia President talks about states' collective responsibility at Bloomberg New Economy Forum

Turkish website reports poisoning of Fetullah Gulen

Armenia FM holds phone talks with Cypriot counterpart, presents situation created after Azerbaijani attack

Mirzoyan, Zas discuss CSTO's possible actions to stabilize situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border, if necessary

Mothers of deceased servicemen demand Armenia PM's resignation

Azerbaijani Armed Forces open fire at tractor in Armenia's Verin Shorzha village

Putin: Events unfolding on Armenia-Azerbaijan border attest to fact that situation has not calmed down in the region

Lithuania supports Armenia's territorial integrity

NEWS.am daily digest: 18.11.21

Ex-ruling party official: Incumbent authorities created deliberately organized chaos in Armenia
The newly elected Council of Elders of Gyumri, Armenia, on Monday electedwith 24 votes in favor and 8 againstVardges Samsonyan, who was nominated by the Balasanyan Bloc, as mayor of the city.

The former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the Zartonk (Awakening) National Christian Party, and the Country to Live party voted against his candidacy, whereas solely the ruling Civil Contract Party (CCP) and the "Balasanyan Bloc" voted for him.

Only Samsonyan was nominated to this office.

As a result of the local elections on October 17, the Gyumri city government was formed by the Balasanyan Bloc, the CCP, the RPA, the Zartonk, and the Country to Live parties.

But none of these political forces could form the citys government on their own, as the number of votes they received in the elections were not enough to get more than half of the 33 seats in the Gyumri municipal council to single-handedly administer over the city. This means that the city government in Gyumri had to be formed on the basis of a coalition.

Subsequently, the Balasanyan Bloc and the CCP had signed a memorandum according to which, the Balasanyan Blocs candidate, Vardges Samsonyan, was to become the new mayor of Gyumri, while the deputy mayors were be from the CCP.
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents the daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 01.11.21:

Murder with a firearm took place in Yerevan Monday, shamshyan.com reported.

At around 2:10am, the police received a call from a hospital informing that a man who was already dead had been brought to this medical center.

The police found out that the deceased was Yerevan resident Khachatur Sahakyan, 41.

It turned out that at around 1:30am on the same day, an argument had taken place during which a yet unidentified person had fired at Sahakyan with a gun, as a result of which this man had died on the way to the hospital.

A criminal case has been filed on this incident.

The debates on the 2022 draft budget of Armenia were held Monday at the joint meeting of the National Assembly standing committees.

The first meeting is discussing the budget revenues and expenditures for emergencies, Police, and the National Security Service (NSS). Their financial part was presented by Minister of Finance Tigran Khachatryan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke about the regional developments related to the "3 + 3" platform.

The Turkish president noted that work is underway to create a platform, with the participation of six countries in the regionTurkey, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Russiawhich will bring peace to the Caucasus, Haberler reported.

"However, Georgia has a negative attitude towards this platform. But if everyone approves of this, the region will become a pool of peace. Well, [Azerbaijani president Ilham] Aliyev held discussions with Armenia and proposed peace. And we, as Turkey, will present relations with Armenia very clearly and openly. Of course, another course of relations between Georgia and Russia will make our job easier," Erdogan said.

Specialists from the humanitarian response center of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) provided targeted humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and large families in the capital Stepanakert.

A charity organization provided this assistance.

Residents are provided also with basic necessities: shoes and clothes, washing powder, food heaters, kitchen appliances, food, bedding, personal hygiene items, and toys.

Since November 2020, more than 6,700 IDPs in Nagorno-Karabakh have received humanitarian and medical assistance from peacekeepers.

As of Monday morning, 1,071 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 309,397 in the country.

Also, 51 more deaths from COVID-19 were registered, making the respective total 6,379 cases.

Meanwhile, new anti-Covid regulations came into force in Armenia.

According to the amendment that has been made to an order by the minister of healthand in order to reduce the risk of spreading the coronaviruswearing face masks also in open public areas has become mandatory in Armenia as of Monday.

But there are certain exceptions to this rule.

In addition, if those employees who have been vaccinated with the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine violate the vaccination period between the first and second doses, they must submit a negative PCR test result to their employers.

The newly elected Council of Elders of Gyumri, Armenia, on Monday electedwith 24 votes in favor and 8 againstVardges Samsonyan, who was nominated by the Balasanyan Bloc, as mayor of the city.

The former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), the Zartonk (Awakening) National Christian Party, and the Country to Live party voted against his candidacy, whereas solely the ruling Civil Contract Party (CCP) and the "Balasanyan Bloc" voted for him.

As a result of the local elections on October 17, the Gyumri city government was formed by the Balasanyan Bloc, the CCP, the RPA, the Zartonk, and the Country to Live parties.
The Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia today examined the motion of the Ministry of Justice to subject Judge Zaruhi Nakhshkaryan of the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction to disciplinary liability.

A motion was filed to subject Judge Nakhshkaryan to disciplinary liability for not self-recusing under the case of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans daughter Shushan Pashinyan vs Narek Samsonyan.

Assistant to the Minister of Justice Gagik Harutyunyan declared that the judge violated the rules of conduct of a judge, adding that the judge showed a biased approach towards the plaintiffs representative and that, in this case, the judge was supposed to self-recuse.

As for Nakhshkaryans attorney Ruben Melikyan, he petitioned to dismiss the proceedings of the case to subject the judge to disciplinary liability and insisted that ex-justice minister Rustam Badasyan took part in launching disciplinary proceedings after the judge rejected Badasyans statement of claim with regard to a personal matter. According to Melikyan, Badasyan had a biased approach towards the judge.

The Supreme Judicial Council postponed the court session to give the representatives of the Ministry of Justice the chance to become familiar with the motion. The next court hearing will take place on November 4 at 4 p.m.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan today had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov.

As reported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, the interlocutors touched upon the Armenian-Russian bilateral and multilateral cooperation and the issues on the international and regional agendas.

The foreign ministers discussed a broad range of issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Minister Mirzoyan reaffirmed Armenias willingness to continue the activities within the scope and under the mandate of the Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group in order to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the known principles and elements.

The parties attached importance to addressing the humanitarian issues that emerged after the 44-day war. Mirzoyan stressed the need for the unconditional return of Armenian prisoners of war and other persons held in Azerbaijan, as well as the preservation of the Armenian religious, historical and cultural heritage in the territories that are currently under Azerbaijani control.

The foreign ministers also touched upon the course of implementation of the statements signed on November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021 and the implementation of the commitments assumed under those statements.
After the July 11, 2021, demonstrations that rocked many cities in Cuba when hundreds of citizens took to the streets demanding food, medicines, and freedom, the song Patria y Vida became a battle cry and a YouTube sensation.

A play on the Cuban revolutionary phrase Patria o Muerte (Fatherland or Death), the hip-hop song asked for a change of regime in the island and was heard from Miami to Havana. It was recorded by well-known artists residing both on and off the island, who were members of the repartero movementurban Black musicians who were raised in the poorest neighborhoods of Havana. The music video for Patria y Vida has received more than 8 million views on YouTube.

Michael Levine, a doctoral candidate of music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, wondered how the video spread so widely and reached many of his Afro-Cuban friends on the island since they did not have the means to access the internet. Black Cubans have less access to remittances or hard currency than their white fellow compatriots.

His tale of the role that reparteros played in distributing the video inside Cuba was one of the presentations during the first panel, Post- Cultural Politics, during the fourth New Directions in Cuban Studies Conference last weekhosted by the University of Miami Libraries Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC).

The three-day conference was held virtually and drew more than 50 presenters in partnership with Harvard Universitys Cuba Studies Program.

We are thrilled to welcome a broad range of experts who will discuss topics relevant to the island nation and its exile community, Charles Chuck Eckman, dean of University Libraries, said during his opening remarks.

Elizabeth Liz Cerejido, CHC director and Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair, also welcomed the participants.

Since 2014, the CHC has hosted this biannual program conceived as a platform for critical thinking and the presentation of innovative scholarship in which students, junior scholars, and established academics learn from one another, she said.

When he noticed that the song Patria y Vida had penetrated Cuban society, Levine said that he wondered how the song went viral since it would never be played on state owned TV or radio.

He found out that for reparteros, piracy operates an alternative source of power from the official means of distribution, he said. The piracy underground network known as el paquete, a one-terabyte collection of digital media content downloaded weekly from satellite dishes and placed on portable USB drives, is distributed by local sellers who charge the equivalent of $2 a week for the media content. The paquete does not need internet connections to access.

Other matrixes further curate packages for individuals, he said. For music lovers, the paqueteros deliver a customized el paquete that includes movies, video games, and soap operas. It can also include the work of local musicians. For instance, it can contain music from local reggaetoneros who otherwise would not have access to state-controlled television or radio where reggaeton is still perceived as controversial, according to Levine.

Young Cubans also use a platform called Zapya to exchange music, videos, and texts through Bluetooth connections, he noted. Easy sharing of music among young Cubans allowed Patria y Vida to become viral in Cuba, Levine added.

Nadia Nava Contreras, a project researcher and doctoral candidate at the University of Helsinki, presented her paper, Asi Esta Cuba Hoy: YouTubers, the Commodification of Urban Narratives and the Quest for Virtual Agency in Havana.

She gave an overview of the growing number of young Cubans who have taken to YouTube to create videos that show the day-to-day lives of regular Cubans.

The YouTubers in Cuba must secure someone outside the island to set up and manage their accounts because of U.S. embargo restrictions, she said.

Some of them derive revenue from their videos, although they may also hold traditional jobs, said Nava Contreras.

The researcher was attracted to the YouTubers who called themselves Cubanos de a pie, or ordinary Cubans, a definition that branded them as common people but also promoted the image of an ambulatory storyteller.

Although most YouTubers stayed away from the political sphere, they did delve into the societal issues affecting Cubans. YouTuber Pedrito el paquetero walked the streets and interviewed passers-by asking them questions like: What do you think of the U.S.? and Are you happy in Cuba? Nava Contreras reported.

YouTuber Anita rose to fame by visiting a supermarket and walking the viewers through every aisle.

The Cuban YouTuber world was shaken after the July 11 demonstrations, when YouTuber Dina Stars, who had been critical of the government, was arrested while giving a live television interview to a Spanish network, according to Nava Contreras.

She was eventually freed but her arrest was a blow to YouTubers trust in the advantages of their social media presence, she said.
Australians flock home as quarantine ends

Passengers hug and kiss at Sydney's international airport to celebrate the return of quarantine-free travel to Australia. Photo: AP

Australia eased its international border restrictions on Monday for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing some of its vaccinated public to travel freely and many families to reunite, sparking emotional embraces at Sydney's airport.



After 18 months of some of the world's strictest coronavirus border policies, millions of Australians are now free to travel without a permit or the need to quarantine on arrival in the country.



While travel is initially limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families, it sets in motion a plan to reopen the country to international tourists and workers to reinvigorate a fatigued nation.



Passengers on the first flights from Singapore and Los Angeles arrived in Sydney early in the morning, many greeted by tearful friends and relatives they had not seen for several months. Travellers were also welcomed by airline staff holding banners and were gifted Australian wildflowers and chocolate biscuits.



"Little bit scary and exciting, I've come home to see my mum 'cause she's not well," said Ethan Carter after landing on a Qantas Airways flight from Los Angeles.



"So it's all anxious and excitement and I love her heaps and I can't wait to see her," he said, adding that he had been out of the country for two years.



In one of the world's toughest responses to the coronavirus pandemic, Australia slammed its international border shut 18 months ago, barring foreign tourists and banning citizens from either exiting or arriving unless granted an exemption.



The strict travel rules effectively prohibited many Australians from attending significant events, including weddings and funerals, as well as preventing people from seeing family and friends.



The relaxation of travel rules in Victoria and New South Wales states and the Australian Capital Territory comes as much of Australia switches from a Covid-zero pandemic management strategy towards living with the virus through extensive vaccinations.



The change in travel rules, however, is not uniform across the country, with states and territories having differing vaccination rates and health policies.



Western Australia, which takes in one of the world's biggest iron ore precincts, remains largely cut off from the rest of the country  and the world as the state tries to protect its virus-free status. (Reuters)
Investment follows creation of exclusive strategic partnership to create new offerings for real estate owners and occupiers

CHICAGO -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK), a leading global real estate services firm (the Company), today announced the firm made a strategic investment of $150 million on October 20 in WeWork (NYSE: WE), one of the leading global flexible space providers. As part of its strategic investment, Cushman & Wakefields Chief Investment Officer & EVP of Strategic Planning, Nathaniel Robinson, will serve as an Observer to WeWorks Board of Directors.

The two companies recently announced an exclusive strategic partnership intended to provide clients with best-in-class office operations by combining WeWorks proprietary hospitality and technology-enabled services with Cushman & Wakefields industry leading asset and facilities management services. In the time since that announcement, the firms have reported a positive reception from major institutional real estate owners and Fortune 500 occupiers, leading to early pilot program opportunities.

The partnership will also help grow WeWorks new landlord and tenant-focused offerings through two initiatives. The first initiative will focus on helping building owners and corporate occupiers improve the daily user experience through use of WeWorks proprietary software that will integrate traditional building features like access control and reservation systems with onsite hospitality and amenity programming. The same technology will also provide access to critical asset usage data, guiding capital investments to support leasing, tenant or employee retention, operational efficiency, ESG/energy goals and, ultimately, return on investment.

The second initiative will allow owners to create new revenue streams by operating flexible workspace centers within their portfolio. Over time, as those tenants grow out of the flex space, Cushman & Wakefields leasing and project management teams will be able to convert tenants into more traditional office space, within the same building.

Corporate occupiers have also been very focused on managing the employee experience as workers return to the office. While Cushman & Wakefield has served the tech industry for years, where facilities management has regularly been positioned as a critical link to managing employee engagement, the new partnership with WeWork now creates similar opportunities with Fortune 500 occupiers across all sectors.

WeWork is recognized as an innovator in our industry because they have demonstrated their ability to build a tenant experience that people are drawn to, and theyve been a pioneer in using technology to efficiently manage that experience and the office space around it, said Brett White, Executive Chairman & CEO of Cushman & Wakefield. Through this partnership, Cushman & Wakefield will scale WeWorks technology offerings around tenant experience beyond their own branded spaces into the rest of the office market, giving our clients access to leading data and insights that drive optimal workplace experience and return on investment.

More than ever, property owners are looking for a competitive advantage to drive tenant demand for their offices. Meanwhile, todays office worker has elevated expectations for a workplace experience that is convenient and customizable, while allowing them to build community with other workers. Even in the early days of this partnership, were seeing many opportunities to scale the WeWork experience much like we scale our traditional building management services, said Marla Maloney, President of Asset Services at Cushman & Wakefield.

"Cushman & Wakefield is our strategic partner as we expand our ability to provide tenants and landlords with the technology and hospitality expertise to power flexible space solutions within their own portfolios. As flexibility has become a priority for real estate decision makers around the world, we are excited to bring the WeWork product to Cushman & Wakefields extensive network, said Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of WeWork.

About Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global real estate services firm that delivers exceptional value for real estate occupiers and owners. Cushman & Wakefield is among the largest real estate services firms with approximately 50,000 employees in over 400 offices and 60 countries. In 2020, the firm had revenue of $7.8 billion across core services of property, facilities and project management, leasing, capital markets, valuation and other services. To learn more, visit www.cushmanwakefield.com or follow @CushWake on Twitter.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements that reflect the Companys current views with respect to, among other things, future events, results and financial performance, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts, and you can often identify these forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking words such as outlook, believes, expects, potential, continues, may, will, should, could, seeks, approximately, predicts, intends, plans, estimates, anticipates, target, projects, forecasts, shall, contemplates or the negative version of those words or other comparable words. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release are based upon the Companys historical performance and on its current plans, estimates and expectations in light of information currently available to us. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be regarded as a representation by us, that the future plans, estimates or expectations contemplated by us will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, the effects of the strategic investment on the Companys operations, financial results, financial condition, business, prospects, growth strategy and liquidity. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described above can be found in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement except as required by law, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211029005272/en/

CONTACT:

Media Contact

Cushman & Wakefield:

Aixa Velez

aixa.velez@cushwake.com
Note: 2021 data is as of Oct. 28; Data: Colorado secretary of state and Denver Elections Division; Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios

The 2021 election appears poised to rank among the lowest-turnout odd-year contests in the past decade, an Axios Denver analysis of preliminary data finds.

Driving the news: The latest numbers available put statewide voter turnout at 15%  just more than 620,000 voters.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

In Denver, turnout is behind pace at 11%, or roughly 54,000 ballots.

Why it matters: Up and down the ballot, Colorado voters are being asked to weigh in on key policy questions on the direction of state spending, local school board races and tax rates.

The low turnout also places greater weight in the hands of those who are voting and their political bent.

The big picture: Most off-year elections see less voter interest.

In the past decade, state turnout reached 40% only once, compared with even-year elections that see upwards of 80% of voters cast ballots, our analysis shows.

But early voting this year is even slower than normal. Ballot returns would need to more than double by Tuesday to reach par at the state and city levels.

Between the lines: Republican voters are returning ballots at a faster pace, which boosts hope among conservatives for more wins on key statewide ballot questions and school board races.

The breakdown through Thursday shows GOP turnout at 19%, compared with 16% for Democrats and 12% for unaffiliated voters.

In the past two odd-year elections, Republicans exceeded other voters by significant margins.

Zoom in: Despite the dismal ballot returns at the state level, a handful of local contests are generating interest in certain counties.

Mesa County  where fiery school board races and local ballot questions are drawing attention  posted 21% turnout so far, leading the state among the 11 largest counties.

The same dynamic is driving voter action in Douglas and Larimer counties, each of which registered 19% turnout.

Of note: Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold reports statewide turnout among only active voters  not all registered voters  which is why the state's turnout appears higher than our analysis.

Story continues

What to watch: The outcome of the elections at the state and local levels will depend on whether a flood of ballots arrives ahead of the 7pm Tuesday deadline.

In low-information contests, it's not uncommon for voters to procrastinate on returning their ballots.

Voters can register and cast ballots in-person on Election Day, and no massive lines are expected. Only a fraction  1,600 voters  cast ballots in-person so far this year.

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JStone / Shutterstock.com

After 25 seasons in syndication, Judge Judy Sheindlin left CBS for Amazons IMDb TV. Her move to streaming is a big deal  and its attached to many dollar signs. So is her new series debut, Judy Justice, premiering on IMDb TV Nov. 1.

See: 25 Things You Should Never Do With Your Money

Find Out: The Average Social Security Check the Year You Were Born

As the star of Judge Judy, Sheindlin earned $47 million per year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In a recent interview with the publication, she hinted Amazon would be paying her just as much  or even more  for her new show.

Clearly, Sheindlin is paid extremely well, and shes also doled out plenty of money advice to both plaintiffs and defendants in her courtroom. You mightve thought you were watching Judge Judy for the drama, but youve likely learned plenty of money moves from the sharp-witted judge.

In honor of the premiere of Judy Justice, heres a look at some of the top financial lessons you can learn from Sheindlin both in the courtroom and her personal life.

Read: Judge Judy and 9 of the Richest TV Hosts of All Time

See: 20 Richest Women in America Right Now

Know Your Worth

Tensions with CBS were partially to blame for her move to Amazon, Sheindlin revealed in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. CBS bought out her ownership of Judge Judy reruns to keep her from selling them to other networks, which didnt sit well with the sharp-tongued host.

Specifically, Sheindlin sold the rights to her library of Judge Judy episodes for an estimated $100 million in 2017, according to Forbes. In total, Celebrity Net Worth cites her net worth at $440 million.

Dont Overpay

Considering the size of her fortune, Sheindlin definitely knows how to manage her money. For example, she scored a 9,719-square-foot mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, for $9 million in 2018  a sharp discount from its list price of $12.5 million in 2017 and $15.8 million in 2012, according to Realtor.com.

Story continues

Find Out: Celebrities Who Are Richer Than You Think

Learn: Whoopi Goldberg and 14 More of the Wealthiest People on TV

Never Co-Sign on a Loan

Something she dealt with a lot on Judge Judy, Sheindlin disapproves of co-signing on loans.

For example, in one episode she said Ive got a message for all you single people out there, in the audience, so listen to me very carefully  Aside from no joint bank accounts, no joint credit cards, no joint Visas until youre married, take this home with you: NEVER co-sign on anybodys behalf for anything, and I mean NOT EVER, according to IMDb.

Further reinforcing this idea, in 2015, she ruled in favor of a father who served as a co-signer on his daughters boyfriends car loan. When he failed to make his car payments, the boyfriend tried to pass the nearly $5,000 debt onto the man. Instead, he received sharp words from Sheindlin and lost the case.

See: The Biggest Money Mistakes Women Make in Relationships

Read: Money Questions To Ask Your Partner

Dont Sign a Lease Unless You Can Afford the Full Rent

Another savvy piece of advice doled out by the judge is that roommates shouldnt sign a lease on an apartment with a higher monthly rent than either could pay on their own. While pooling funds to get a nicer place together than they could afford individually might seem like a savvy idea, Sheindlin had good point.

Then you wouldnt have two people who are homeless, with their credit in the toilet, she said, according to IMDb. Then they could part ways without all that fuss and aggravation.

A Gift Isnt a Loan

Sheindlin has also ruled on plenty of cases regarding financial gifts that later turn into a loan.

Do you know when a gift becomes a loan? When the relationship is over, she said, according to IMDb.

Check Out: 6 Rude Money Questions You Should Never Ask (or Answer)

Learn: Someone Owe You Money? How To Get It Back Without Ruining the Relationship

Clearly, she doesnt care for this change of heart, which also wont hold up in a courtroom. The lesson learned here is gifts and loans are not interchangeable.

If you loan someone money, they need to sign a formal contract that covers the terms of repayment. Otherwise, you have no legal grounds to collect your money.

Dont Loan Money to Loved Ones

Many of Judge Judys cases involve loans, which inevitably are not repaid. Since the situation between the family members or former friends got so bad that they had to go to  television  court to resolve it, consider this a red flag.

Advice: How To Say No to Friends or Family Who Want To Borrow Money

When possible, its best to avoid lending money to loved ones. It might initially seem harsh, but this can actually preserve your relationship with the other person, as things tend to go south when loans are not repaid in a timely manner.

Stay tuned for even more savvy money tips from Judy Justice.

More From GOBankingRates

Last updated: Nov. 1, 2021

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Financial Lessons From Judge Judy
Amazon on Monday announced plans to launch prototype satellites for its proposed satellite broadband network.

Why it matters: The plans bring Amazon one step closer to building a satellite constellation to provide internet connectivity around the world, rivaling the SpaceX's Starlink service.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

Driving the news: Amazon sought permission from the Federal Communications Commission to launch, deploy and operate two prototype satellites for its Project Kuiper constellation.

The prototypes will be used to test the technology Amazon wants to use in its final satellite design, the company said.

Amazon reached an agreement with ABL Space Systems to launch the satellites using its RS1 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida by the end of 2022.

ABL is preparing for its first RS1 launch before the end of the year from Kodiak Island, Alaska, with its launch period ending Dec. 15, according to a Space News report.

What they're saying: "There is no substitute for on-orbit testing, and we expect to learn a lot given the complexity and risk of operating in such a challenging environment," Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper, said in a statement.

Yes, but: Amazon is behind SpaceX in deployment, with Starlink satellites already providing internet service to customers.

The big picture: Amazon and SpaceX have sparred before the FCC, which gives regulatory approval for communications networks, as they seek to carve out positions for their competing satellite internet infrastructure systems.

More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
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A new study from Motivosity, the modern employee engagement software platform, revealed that Americans may be quitting their jobs in droves, but most actually love their jobs  and for surprising reasons. When survey respondents shared those reasons, 75% said they love their job because it gives them enough time to do what they love outside of work, not because of the work itself.

See: Women Are Choosing Careers in STEM When Returning to the Workforce During Post-Pandemic Great Reevaluation

Find: 15 Mortgage Questions to Ask Your Lender

The key takeaway, according to Motivosity founder and CEO Scott Johnson? Having time outside of work to do the things you love is just as important as loving what you do. Work and life blend together, and if you dont love one, it makes it harder to love the other.

Other reasons people love their jobs included:

Clients and co-workers they interact with (44%)

Ability to maintain a good work/life balance (39%)

Roles and responsibilities (39%)

The industry they work in (34%)

Their manager or boss (30%)

See: 42% of Gen Z Prioritize Work-Life Balance Over Other Job Perks, Survey Says

Find: Heres How Long You Should Stay at Your First Job

With the realization that so many people put their co-workers and clients at the top of their list when it comes to enjoying work, the pandemic created new and unique challenges with employee engagement and retention.

Johnson told GOBankingRates, When people stepped away from their normal work environments, especially with COVID, they started asking why they were working and what they were working for. The titles, vacation time and social interaction that mattered before really didnt make a difference now that they were working from their home offices.

What really matters to employees, now, is work/life balance and an actual affinity for the work theyre doing.

See: 20 Best and Worst Jobs for Work-Life Balance

Find: Latest Job Perk  Firms Adopt Automatic Retirement Savings Plans to Attract More Workers

Story continues

Gender Gap in Job Satisfaction

It was surprising, in this era of The Great Resignation, with quit rates hovering near  or exceeding  all-time highs, that 69% of employees said they love their current job, and 41% even called it their dream job.

However, a gender gap exists in this important workplace metric of job satisfaction. Only 59% of women said they enjoy what they do for a living, while 82% of the men polled said the same. More than half (52%) of men also said they were working in their dream job, compared to just 31% of women.

If this sounds all too familiar to you, Erica Newell, Motivosity vice president of customer success, suggests its time to start going after your dreams. Start. Now, she emphasized. Whether your dream is to be an executive at a Fortune 500 or to have your own business, make decisions now that will help you be the happiest and most fulfilled in your career. After all, isnt that really what success is all about? Be intentional about learning opportunities, take on more responsibility in your current role and push yourself to be better than you were yesterday.

See: 10 Steps to Help Get Your Career Back on Track

Find: 15 Signs Its Time to Ask for a Raise  and How to Do It

In a Labor Shortage, Job Burnout Becomes a Real Fear

Even those who are happiest in their jobs right now worry about getting burnt out. Fifty-five percent of women polled and 72% of men said they feared burn-out for a variety of reasons. Top concerns included:

Increasing workloads (45%)

Stressors unique to a particular industry (40%)

Lack of work-life balance (37%)

To avoid this contingency and potentially losing what was once a good thing, Newell advised, Individuals should set reasonable boundaries and companies should respect them. Set boundaries for yourself within your work life. If your manager doesnt support you, its unlikely that will ever be your dream job.

See: Why Employers Need to Adapt to Employees Post-Pandemic

Find: 5 Alternatives to Quitting in the Post-Pandemic Great Resignation

Johnson suggested asking for consistent and frequent one-on-one time with your supervisor to halt problems before they start. These frequent check-ins build the employee/manager relationship and give both managers and employees an opportunity to improve communication and productivity, he said, adding that these meetings can help prevent burn out and unite the entire team.

Seeing that 44% of employees love their job because of the people they work with, this culture of teamwork can be crucial to career longevity and a long-term commitment to the company you work for. The companies that are retaining people and seeing positive engagement are the ones who are putting connecting their employees first, Johnson said. Life is too short to not love what you do all day.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: American Employees Put Work-Life Balance Over Job Satisfaction, Survey Shows
By Aidan Lewis

CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudan's military leadership could face isolation at home and abroad if it tries to tighten its grip after seizing power in the face of opposition from a sophisticated protest movement and from Western states that had invested in a democratic transition, analysts and diplomats say.

Lacking a political base inside Sudan and with uncertain prospects of support from Gulf states and Egypt, the military has begun to draw on loyalists from the regime of former leader Omar al-Bashir, toppled in 2019 after a popular uprising.

The coup on Oct. 25 drew swift condemnation from Western countries including the United States, which had been working closely with the dissolved transitional government to stabilise Sudan after decades of isolation under Bashir.

The general who led the takeover, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, promised to name a government but has yet to do so as mediation efforts involving Sudanese political figures and the United Nations continue against a backdrop of strikes and protests.

Mediation has focused on finding a way for ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to form a new cabinet of technocrats. Hamdok, an economist, is respected by pro-democracy protesters and was permitted to return home under guard a day after the coup.

But Hamdok resisted pressure to dissolve his government before the coup, and since the takeover has indicated he will not negotiate on a future government unless the army commits to fully restoring the military-civilian power sharing system put in place after Bashir fell.

"Burhan doesn't have a clean path to form a government in the way that he wanted," said one diplomatic source.

Meanwhile, the military has been appointing figures associated with the Bashir era to positions in the state media and foreign ministry, and moving to take control of key institutions including the judiciary, said activists, analysts and diplomats.

'ALTERNATIVE FACTS'

If the military rejects compromise, it could run the country on cash flows from gold sales and try create "alternative facts" through its control of state media and through social media campaigns, said Suliman Baldo of The Sentry, an investigative and policy group based in Washington DC.

Story continues

But it will have to contend with a savvy and resilient pro-democracy street movement that has mobilized repeatedly since start of the uprising against Bashir nearly three years ago.

The protest movement has the stamina to wear down the military through scheduled rounds of disobedience and more mass marches, said Mohamed Alasbat, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), the main activist coalition.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on Oct. 21, four days before the coup, to protest against the prospect of a military takeover, and similar numbers returned on Saturday.

A campaign of civil disobedience by a wide range of civilian groups as well as protests and security measures to counter them have brought Khartoum to a near standstill over the past week.

Neighbourhood committees organised Saturday's demonstrations in greater Khartoum despite an almost total blackout on mobile phone and internet coverage and the closure of strategic sites, bridges and roads by security forces. Activists handed out printed fliers and went door to door to drum up support.

The protest movement "will end up by eroding whatever system he (Burhan) is trying to put in place. This is the real risk for him and that's why I think he will try to target it very aggressively," said Baldo.

Foreign states may balk at the unrest this could trigger, and Washington will want to prevent any cross-border spillover, including to conflict-torn Ethiopia, he added. The military takeover has created uncertainty around a partial peace deal that transitional authorities had signed with Sudanese rebel groups last year, with two major armed groups in Darfur and the south rejecting the coup.

AID WITHHELD

The United States has tried to exert pressure by saying it will withhold $700 million in economic assistance and that Sudan will be unable to secure tens of billions of dollars in debt relief as long as the military pursues unilateral control. The World Bank, a key source of development financing whose president visited Khartoum one month ago, has also suspended disbursements.

Internal splits within Sudan's sprawling military apparatus, which developed its commercial interests under Bashir and includes the powerful, paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, are another risk for the army leadership.

In an indication of possible confusion over its strategy, the former head of Bashir's ruling party was freed from jail on Sunday only to be rearrested on Monday.

Burhan and his backers "don't have the capacity or the cohesion among themselves to be able to mount the sort of intensive crackdown that could make it work," said Alex de Waal, a Sudan expert and head of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University.

Regional powers such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt were no friends of Bashir's Islamist government. They would appear to have little to gain by backing military rule in Sudan, de Waal said.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE "don't have deep enough pockets to bail Sudan out of the hole that it's in, so the real leverage lies with the U.S. and the World bank and others. And the U.S. and Western governments having taken a strong stand, Burhan doesn't have much to play with."

(Additional reporting by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Peter Graff)
By Aradhana Aravindan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Few are left to inoculate in wealthy Singapore after a vigorous campaign achieved a level of coverage envied by many nations battling the coronavirus pandemic, but a record surge in deaths and infections gives warning of risks that may still lie ahead.

Despite mask mandates, strict social curbs and COVID-19 booster doses available for over a month, infections in the Asian city-state's latest outbreak, driven by the Delta variant, took the death toll to 280, up from 55 early in September.

"Singapore may potentially experience two to three epidemic waves as measures are increasingly relaxed," said Alex Cook, a disease modelling expert at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

"Until then, deaths will probably continue to rise, unless many of the residual unvaccinated elders can be vaccinated or more get their booster shot."

Cook expects the current wave to subside as the population builds up immunity, with most infections mild enough for recovery at home.

Singapore is one of several so-called COVID-zero countries that enforced some of the world's strictest measures to hold infections and deaths far below the tallies elsewhere.

That was part of a strategy of waiting until a vast majority of its 5.5 million citizens had been vaccinated before gradually easing curbs and resuming more economic activity.

Now it is slowly re-opening its borders, expanding quarantine-free travel https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/singapore-pm-says-covid-19-new-normal-could-take-up-6-months-2021-10-09 to nearly a dozen countries. Australia and New Zealand have begun a similar transition, while China has yet to move ahead.

But the question authorities face is how to avert surges among older people and those with weak immune systems, particularly after the fast-spreading Delta, which arrived in Singapore this year, became the most dominant strain globally.

"If I were a policymaker in Australia, New Zealand or China, I'd be studying what has happened in Singapore," Cook said.

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Although 84% of Singapore residents have been fully vaccinated, most with doses from Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna, the vaccines may not protect some of the most vulnerable.

Fully vaccinated people made up about 30% of deaths over the last month, most older than 60 with underlying medical woes, in line with studies https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-doctors-find-severe-covid-19-breakthrough-cases-mostly-older-sicker-2021-08-20 showing that vaccines offer less protection to the old and very ill.

But Singapore's rolling seven-day average of 1.77 daily deaths per million people outstrips regional peers such as Japan with 0.14, South Korea with 0.28, and Australia with 0.58, the website Our World in Data shows.

It trails the U.S. figure of 4.96, and Britain's 1.92.

Yet cumulative deaths as a share of population still rate among the world's lowest, at 47.5 per million. That compares with figures of 2,825.7 in Brazil and 2,202.4 in the United States.

DELTA CHANGED EVERYTHING

Following an easing of curbs in August, Singapore's latest wave has led to daily infections this week of nearly 4,000, or nearly three times higher than last year's peak.

During most of the pandemic, the tough curbs held down infections, but their effectiveness against Delta seems to be waning, experts have said, though the high vaccination rate means nearly all cases are asymptomatic or mild.

"Most of our deaths come from the very small percentage of unvaccinated people," said Dale Fisher, an expert on infectious diseases at the National University Hospital.

"The reality is that as COVID becomes endemic more and more people will get COVID."

Singapore will extend some of its social-distancing curbs for about a month to ease pressure on the healthcare system, authorities said this week.

Now, with barely anyone older than 12 left to vaccinate, they are focusing on booster doses. More than 600,000 individuals have received one, as authorities target those older than 30, beyond the elderly and healthcare workers.

Measures just short of mandatory vaccinations, such as barring dining out and entry to shopping malls for the unvaccinated, helped push the number of those getting their first dose to 17,000 last week, up 54% from a week before.

"I do not think that easing of restrictions is going to have any impact on the case numbers," said Paul Tambyah, president of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

"The key remains to reach the remaining unvaccinated seniors and protect the vulnerable."

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Clarence Fernandez)
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Ten people were killed in an attack in northern Burkina Faso on Monday morning, and four others were missing, a government source and a security source said.

Unidentified armed men attacked the group of civilians as they were driving their carts to market in the town of Markoye, in Burkina Faso's Sahel reserve, the sources said.

The area, which borders Mali and Niger, is overrun by Islamist militants who wage frequent attacks despite the presence of a regional counter-terrorism force and French troops.

Burkina Faso on Monday marked the 61st anniversary of its army with a ceremony focused on the fight against terrorism.

"We will get through it together, or not at all," said President Roch Kabore in remarks to journalists.

Islamist attacks have surged across Africa's Sahel region, killing thousands and driving millions from their homes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. More than 1.3 million Burkinabe have been displaced by the violence in the last two years, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Five police officers were killed on Sunday in another attack in the north of the country, and about 15 attackers were killed in the ensuing fight, the security ministry said.

The state news agency also reported that two women and a baby were killed on Sunday when their cart hit an improvised land mine in the department of Ouindigui.

(Reporting by Thiam Ndiaga; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Peter Graff)
French President Emmanuel Macron. Milos Bicanski/Getty Images

Australia scrapped a $66 billion French submarine deal in September in favor of a US-UK deal.

Emmanuel Macron said Sunday he knew Australian PM Scott Morrison lied to him about the deal.

Morrison denied lying, and his deputy said Macron was overreacting.

Australia said French President Emmanuel Macron was overreacting about its scrapped submarine deal with France, saying: "We didn't deface the Eiffel Tower."

Relations between France and Australia blew up in September after Australia announced that it had signed a submarine deal with the US and UK, despite being preiovusly committed to a $50 billion submarine partnership with a French defense contractor.

Paris received only a few hours' notice, according to The New York Times, and, as a result, Paris recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the US.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, called the abandonment of the France-Australia deal "a stab in the back."

Speaking to a reporter at the G20 summit in Rome on Sunday, Macron said he knew that Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him about the deal.

"I don't think, I know," he told the Sydney Morning Herald reporter Bevan Shields.

Morrison denied lying to Macron and Barnaby Joyce, Australia's deputy prime minister, said Sunday that Macron was overreacting.

"We didn't steal an island, we didn't deface the Eiffel Tower, it was a contract," Joyce said, the Associated Press reported.

President Joe Biden expressed sympathy for Macron during a meeting in Rome on Friday, telling the French president that the US had been "clumsy" in its handling of the new submarine deal.

Macron, Morrison, and Biden will next cross paths at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow which began on Sunday.

The submarine deal between Australia, the UK, and the US - known as AUKUS - is an attempt to balance the threat posed by China.

Story continues

Biden said on September 15 that the partnership would ensure "peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term."

However, Zhao Lijian, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said the following day that the partnership "seriously undermined regional peace and stability, intensified the arms race, and undermined international nonproliferation efforts."

Read the original article on Business Insider
GLASGOW, Scotland  President Biden apologized to the world in a Monday speech at the United Nations Climate Change Conference for his predecessor's decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord.

I guess I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit, Biden said.

The world, the president asserted, had entered a "decisive decade" that will determine how extensive the damage from rising global temperatures will be.

"It's simple," Biden said, "Will we act? Will we do what is necessary? Will we seize the enormous opportunity before us, or will we condemn future generations to suffering?"

Related: Yahoo News' 'Climate Crisis Podcast' >>>

Biden, who has made limiting global warming a central focus of his administration, noted that "climate change is already ravaging the world. It's not hypothetical," while alluding to the billions of dollars in damages that extreme weather events and extensive wildfires have cost the U.S. this year alone.

"In the past few months the United States has experienced all of this, and every region of the world can tell a similar story," he said.

Biden spoke with other world leaders at a convention hall in downtown Glasgow where roughly 20,000 delegates  a mix of scientists, activists, governmental employees, heads of state and members of the media  waited in line for hours to pass through security checkpoints.

President Biden at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday. (Adrian Dennis/Pool via Reuters)

A goal of the president's speech was to restore the U.S. as a leader on climate change. His address was a marked contrast to the near-total silence from former President Donald Trump on the subject of climate change, and he portrayed the daunting transition away from a fossil fuel economy as an opportunity for America and the world.

Story continues

"We are standing at an inflection point in world history. We have the ability to invest in ourselves and build an equitable clean energy future," Biden said.

The White House laid the groundwork for Biden's address to have added impact with the release on Monday morning of two frameworks for future American climate action: "Presidents Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience" (PREPARE) and "The Long-Term Strategy of the United States: Pathways to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050."

PREPARE is a guide to how the Biden administration hopes to deploy $3 billion per year in aid to developing nations to help them prepare for and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, heat waves and more frequent and severe hurricanes. Providing that funding is a key inducement to get developing nations such as India and Indonesia to commit at the conference (also known as COP26) to more ambitious actions to limit their future greenhouse gas emissions and address problems such as deforestation.

The Long-Term Strategy is a 60-page overview of how the U.S. could conceivably meet its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Convincing other nations that America is actually going to fulfill its promised emissions cuts is another crucial element of extracting more ambitious pledges from other large emitters, especially rivals like China. The U.S. is the world's largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases.

Biden after his speech to the conference on Monday. (Evan Vucci/Pool via AP)

The only problem with the Biden administration's approach is that other countries are aware that the U.S. has two political parties and one of them won't necessarily pursue the Democrats' chosen path. The Long-Term Strategy is full of charts showing emissions plummeting, but also full of aspirational sentences such as this: "Investment in clean energy generation must continue through mid-century as overall electricity generation increases to meet demand growth from other sectors."

For any U.S. policy to continue through midcentury, it would have to survive through likely periods of Republican rule. The modest pledge of $3 billion in climate aid also depends on congressional approval, which could be affected by the 2022 midterm elections, in which the Republicans have a strong possibility of taking over at least one of the two chambers of Congress.

The Biden administration is trying to show the world that the U.S. is doing everything it can to limit climate change right now. On Monday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm were scheduled to travel to New York City to roll out a $127 million investment in transitioning to clean trucks. Every little bit helps to reduce emissions, but it is another matter whether China and India will be convinced to make significant policy changes on the basis of such limited and potentially temporary programs.

Shortly before Biden spoke, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry and White House national climate adviser Gina McCarthy spoke at the opening of the U.S. Center, the American pavilion in the conference hall. All three stressed that the Biden administration is working in lockstep to make good on the president's pledge to make the U.S. carbon-neutral by 2050 and to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.

Yet Kerry also sounded a note of caution about what the U.S. government would be able to do on its own.

Biden with U.S. climate envoy John Kerry at the Glasgow conference. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

No government in the world has enough money to fuel this transition" to a clean energy economy, Kerry said while appealing to the private sector to do its part.

Outside the convention venue, Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg arrived at a protest aboard a ship owned by the environmental organization Greenpeace to make her case that that the worlds leaders had failed younger generations.

'Betrayal.' That's how young people around the world are describing our governments' failure to cut carbon emissions. And it's no surprise," Thunberg and other youth climate activists said in a petition meant to pressure world leaders to action.

In his words at COP26, Biden sounded sympathetic to Thunberg's concerns. Speaking of the lack of leadership on climate change that defined the previous administration, he said, "I know it hasn't been the case, and that's why my administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words."

Pledging to "do more to help countries around the world, especially developing countries," transition to economies that use renewable energy, Biden said the U.S. has "an obligation to help" and vowed to quadruple climate financing in the coming years. Yet he also admitted that the world's wealthiest nations have yet to make good on past pledges to help the poorer ones make the transition to renewables.

"Right now we're still falling short. There's no more time to hang back or sit on the fence or argue amongst ourselves," Biden said.

"This is the challenge of our collective lifetimes, the existential threat to human existence as we know it," he added. "And every day we delay, the cost of inaction increases. So let this be the moment that we answer history's call in Glasgow."

Global temperatures are on the rise and have been for decades, step inside the data and see the magnitude of climate change.

For more Immersive stories click here.

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Read more from Yahoo News:
A memorial of flowers and candles is pictured in Westlake Park to honor the two victims hit by a car during a recent protest, including Summer Taylor, who died yesterday, and Diaz Love, who is in serious condition in the hospital, on July 5, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. A driver struck the protesters on Interstate 5 in Seattle. Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images

Since George Floyd's murder, at least three protesters have died in car-ramming incidents.

Less than half of the car-ramming incidents examined by the Boston Globe resulted in charges.

Several states have recently considered bills that protect drivers who hit or kill protesters.

Since the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, at least 139 drivers have rammed their vehicles into protests, resulting in hundreds of injuries and three deaths, according to a Boston Globe investigation of research data and local news coverage on the trend.

Most individuals behind the wheel of these incidents have gone largely unpunished: 65 of the 139 incidents analyzed by the Globe resulted in charges, and only four drivers were convicted of a felony.

More than a dozen states have recently considered bills protecting drivers that hit or kill protesters since the trend has escalated, the Globe reported.

"They pick and choose who the law protects," Thomas Ryan Knight told the Globe. Knight was at a Black Lives Matter protest in Oklahoma six days after Floyd's death when he was struck by a pickup truck and paralyzed, according to the Tulsa World.

"I just don't want what happened to me to happen to anybody else, regardless of what they believe in," Knight told the Globe.

Since the incident, Oklahoma passed a law penalizing protesters who block public roadways and protecting drivers who are "fleeing from a riot" and unwittingly hit or kill a protester with their car, so long as they have "reasonable belief" they are in danger.

Read the original article on Business Insider
ANGUILLARA VENETA, Italy (AP)  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was both cheered and jeered as he arrived Monday in a small northern Italian town to receive an honorary citizenship and to visit the hometown of one of his ancestors.

Protesters in Anguillara Veneta, a town of 4,200 near Padua, chanted No Bolsonaro! and held signs saying Bolsonaro Out, Justice for the Amazon and No citizenship for dictators. In contrast, jubilant supporters elsewhere wrapped themselves in Brazilian flags and held yellow and green balloons.

Anguillara Venetas right-wing mayor, Alessandra Buoso, defended the decision to grant Bolsonaro citizenship and blasted vandals who spray-painted Fora Bolsonaro (Bolsonaro Out) on the town's city hall last week.

In a Facebook post, Buoso said the city councils decision to grant Bolsonaro the honor was not a vote on his politics but a recognition of all the Italians who had emigrated to Brazil. But she said she was assuming the costs of the visit, given the debate it had generated.

Antonio Spada, a city councilor, said he had opposed the decision to grant him citizenship even though he said Bolsonaro had every right to visit. Anguillara Veneta was home to the president's great-grandfather, Vittorio Bolzonaro.

But we are opposed, and we do not consider the act of granting him honorary citizenship is appropriate, because an honorary citizenship means using him as a model and an example for the entire community, he said.

Maris Silva Cabral, a Brazilian living in Italy who came out to support the president, praised Bolsonaro's dedication to his country.

He does not put his personal opinion first, he wants to do everything he can for the very best future for Brazil, she said.

Bolsonaro was in Italy to participate in the Group of 20 summit of the world's biggest economies, which wrapped up Sunday in Rome. He has been criticized for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his Amazon policies.

___

Winfield reported from Rome.
Kansas Rep. Aaron Coleman, 21, was charged Monday morning with misdemeanor domestic battery.

Though little information was immediately available through court and police records, a family members interview with media and scanner traffic from the night of the arrest offer some additional details into what led up to the accusation against the freshman lawmaker.

Coleman  a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat with a history of alleged abusive behavior  was arrested Saturday night by Overland Park police.

Police have not said where the incident Saturday occurred. Scanner traffic captured by Broadcastify.com, however, showed at about 7:45 p.m., dispatchers said they got a call of a verbal at an address listed in public records as belonging to Colemans grandmother.

Dispatchers described the call as a verbal between the person who called 911 and an unknown subject. The caller, they said, stated his phone was stolen and he got it back. The caller also advised there was a domestic dispute.

Colemans grandmother, Marsha Tomberlin, who is also listed as his treasurer, told The Topeka Capital-Journal that she witnessed Coleman and a male relative argue over religious beliefs before Coleman claimed the family member took his phone.

When reached by phone Monday, Tomberlin told The Star she was busy and could not talk at that moment.

Tomberlin told the Capital-Journal that Coleman was the one who called 911 and that the relative did not want to press charges, the newspaper reported.

It was an incident and the newspaper blew it up, Tomberlin told the Capital-Journal. He and (the family member) got in an argument  thats it.

What could lawmakers do about Rep. Aaron Coleman after his arrest? Here are the options

In a complaint filed Monday against Coleman, the assistant district attorney stated the victim in the case is either someone Coleman has dated, a relative or a household member. Further details of the allegations were not immediately detailed in provided court records.

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Overland Park police took Coleman into custody at 8:15 p.m. Saturday. He was booked at 12:45 a.m. Sunday into the Johnson County jail, where he remained early Monday afternoon, according to jail records.

Coleman on Monday was charged with the misdemeanor in Johnson County District Court for allegedly unlawfully, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily harm or physical contact Saturday with a person in a rude, insulting, or angry manner, court records show.

Colemans arraignment is set for 2:30 p.m. Monday. David Bell, one of Colemans attorneys, declined to comment prior to the court hearing.

The criminal charge adds to a history of alleged abusive and inappropriate behavior by Coleman. An ex-girlfriend has previously accused Coleman of choking and slapping her, and he has previously acknowledged the use of revenge porn as a middle school student.

In the wake of his weekend arrest, House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat, called on Coleman to resign and other legislators also said he was unfit to serve and should step down. Coleman has brushed aside past resignation calls, however, even as he previously apologized and promised to do better.

A special legislative committee that investigated Coleman in January found that he had engaged in abusive behavior toward women, but issued only an informal letter of warning that advised him to get a mentor, in part because legislators said the alleged conduct happened prior to his election in November 2020.

It isnt clear whether the Legislature will again investigate Coleman. To trigger an investigation, a lawmaker must file a formal complaint.
We're one day away from the Nov. 2 election  and if you're in need of a refresher on what's on the ballot, we've got a quick roundup to get you up to speed. Let's start with a key race:

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Philadelphia district attorney: Krasner vs. Peruto

Democrat Larry Krasner, the incumbent, is known for his progressive agenda. In his first term, he overturned wrongful convictions, dropped an increasing number of cases involving small drug offenses and reduced the city's prison population by 40%.

He's been criticized for not eliminating cash bail and not doing enough to reform juvenile incarceration. Some also claim his policies aren't helping Philadelphia's gun violence problem, calling for a stricter stance on crime.

Republican Charles "Chuck" Peruto is a criminal defense attorney who was a registered Democrat before challenging Krasner.

He garnered national attention over his unconventional campaign website featuring non-traditional campaign policies and a section about the story of a 26-year-old woman found dead in his bathtub.

Of note: He supports the Black Lives Matter movement and decriminalizing most marijuana offenses.

Now, let's get into the ballot questions:

Marijuana legalization

What you'll see: "Shall The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to call upon the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Governor to pass legislation that would decriminalize, regulate, and tax the use, and sale to adults aged 21 years or older, of cannabis for non-medical purposes?"

Translation: You're telling the Pennsylvania General Assembly that you either do or do not support the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older.

If you vote yes, this would not immediately change anything regarding the sale and use of marijuana in the state. Rather, it sends a message to lawmakers about Philadelphia's stance on the issue.

Managing city-owned vehicles

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What you'll see: "Shall The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to establish and define the functions of a Department of Fleet Services, headed by a Commissioner, to manage all City-owned motor vehicles and City programs concerning alternative vehicle fuel initiatives?"

Translation: If you vote yes, you're telling the city to make the Office of Fleet Management a permanent department.

Former Mayor Ed Rendell created this office in 1993 to centralize city vehicle management across all departments. Back then, it was so bad, the city didn't even know how many vehicles it owned.

No "Rule of Two"

What you'll see: "Shall The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to revise provisions related to the civil service system, to allow the Personnel Director to determine the number of people on an eligible list from which a hiring or promotion decision may be made, and to determine the number of times a person may be passed over and remain eligible on such a list, all based on the position and the needs of the civil service program?"

Translation: Should Philadelphia's personnel director be allowed to decide how many applicants a city department may choose when filling job openings?

Currently, there's a "rule of two" when hiring for most city jobs, which requires managers to choose between the two candidates with the highest scores on a civil service assessment.

Critics of this rule say it limits diversity in the workforce.

Earmarked money for affordable housing

What you'll see: "Shall The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to provide for a mandatory annual appropriation for the Housing Trust Fund?"

Translation: If approved, $25 million of the general fund would be guaranteed to the city's Housing Trust Fund, which works to create more affordable and accessible housing and provide rent subsidies/mortgage assistance.

Of note: There's an exemption that allows the finance director to override the mandate in times of a recession or similar emergency.

Go deeper: The Philadelphia Citizen created a guide all about the judicial races Tuesday.

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By Jorge Vega and Fabian Cambero

ATACAMA DESERT, Chile (Reuters) - In Chile's dry Atacama desert, stargazers are scanning the clear night skies to detect the existence of life on other planets and study so-called 'dark energy,' a mysterious cosmic force thought to be driving the accelerating expansion of the universe.

Central to the race to peer into distant worlds is the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), a $1.8 billion complex being built at the Las Campanas observatory and which will have a resolution 10 times higher than the Hubble space telescope.

The telescope, expected to begin operation by the end of the decade, will compete with the European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope - located further north in the same desert - as well as the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) being built in Hawaii.

"This new generation of giant telescopes is aimed precisely at detecting life on other planets and to determine the origin of dark energy," said Leopoldo Infante, director of the Las Campanas observatory.

"It's a race by these three groups for who makes it first and who makes the first discovery."

Infante said the new giant telescope would be able to detect organic molecules in the atmosphere of distant planets.

"That is the expectation," he said. "And whoever detects life on another planet will win the Nobel Prize, I assure you."

The other prize is studying dark energy - separate from the similarly enigmatic dark matter - which is considered to be a property of space and is driving the universe's accelerated expansion. It makes up a huge amount of the universe, but remains mostly an unsolved mystery.

"There is an energy that is causing the universe to expand, but also to accelerate that expansion," said Infante, adding scientists knew that this energy must exist, though they did not understand its origin.

"So this telescope is designed to be able to study precisely what is called the dark energy of the universe, to be able to understand physically what that energy is and where that energy comes from."

(Reporting by Jorge Vega and Fabian Cambero; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Richard Chang)
By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - China and Russia are pushing the U.N. Security Council to ease sanctions on North Korea by reviving a 2019 attempt to remove a ban on Pyongyang's exports of statues, seafood and textiles and expanding it to include lifting a refined petroleum imports cap.

In a reworked draft resolution, seen by Reuters on Monday, China and Russia want the 15-member council to remove those sanctions "with the intent of enhancing the livelihood of the civilian population" in the isolated Asian state.

North Korea has been subject to U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The draft resolution also includes other measures first proposed by Russia and China nearly two years ago, including lifting a ban on North Koreans working abroad and exempting inter-Korean rail and road cooperation projects from sanctions.

Several U.N. diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the refreshed draft resolution would find little support. In 2019 Russia and China held two informal rounds of talks on the draft resolution, but never formally tabled it for a vote.

Diplomats said on Monday that China and Russia have not yet scheduled any talks on their new draft resolution. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.

The U.N. missions of Russia and China did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new text, which diplomats said was circulated to council members on Friday.

"It has been always China's will that we should also address the humanitarian dimension caused by the sanctions imposed by the Security Council," China's U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun told reporters last month, adding again that the 2019 draft resolution "remains on the table."

'DIFFICULT SITUATION'

A spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations declined to comment on private council discussions, but added that all U.N. members should be focused on addressing those who are violating the sanctions already in place.

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"The Security Council has repeatedly affirmed that it is prepared to modify, suspend, or lift the measures as may be needed in light of the DPRK's compliance," the spokesperson said. "Yet the DPRK has taken no steps to comply with the Security Council's demands regarding its prohibited nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

North Korea is formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The U.N. Security Council does already allow for humanitarian exemptions. A U.N. rights investigator last month called for sanctions to be eased as North Korea's most vulnerable risk starvation after it slipped deeper into isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sanctions on industries that Russia and China have proposed lifting previously earned North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars. They were put in place in 2016 and 2017 to try to cut off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

North Korea continued developing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs during the first half of 2021 in violation of U.N. sanctions and despite the country's worsening economic situation, U.N. sanctions monitors reported in August.

The country has long suffered from food insecurity, with observers saying that mismanagement of the economy is exacerbated by sanctions and now the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted unprecedented border lockdowns there.

The new draft resolution would have the council acknowledge "the difficult situation of economy and livelihood of the DPRK in recent years, underscoring the necessity to respect the legitimate security concerns of the DPRK, and ensure the welfare, inherent dignity, and rights of people in the DPRK."

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Peter Cooney and Richard Pullin)
By David Stanway

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Ambitious pledges from China's leaders to cut emissions have put its giant, carbon-intensive state corporations under pressure to respond, but they are at risk of falling short amid confused policy signals and other constraints.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping said last September that the world's biggest source of greenhouse gases would slash emissions to "net zero" by 2060, attention turned to China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

China has already submitted updated climate targets to the United Nations as a new round of climate change talks gets under way in Glasgow. The next challenge is working out how to implement them.

However, the struggles facing China's giant firms will make it harder for Beijing to offer stronger pledges and smooth the way for a more ambitious programme of global emissions cuts - especially as it negotiates its way through crippling power shortages.

"State firms are busy drafting their plans and trying to set their targets, and some of them are already creating more detailed planning for the transition," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), which tracks the environmental and climate records of big corporations in China.

"How to ensure that they can fulfil other demanding targets while in the meantime achieving climate targets needs a real solid transitioning strategy, and so far there are still major gaps," Ma added.

IPE has assessed 58 listed units of Chinese state-owned enterprises from sectors such as steel, petrochemicals, electric power and aviation, covering more than 1 billion tonnes of annual emissions.

The study found that although they are generally ahead of their private sector counterparts, some are lagging, and on indices such as energy efficiency, sectors like steel are still behind global rivals, Ma said.

Of the 58, 91% have disclosed climate and emissions data in their official reports. More than half have taken action to reduce emissions, but only 16% so far have announced targets.

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Meanwhile, just six have issued formal "climate declarations", including giant power generators like Huaneng, Huadian and Datang, all of which have vowed to bring emissions to a peak by 2025, earlier than the national 2030 goal.

Three others - Baowu Iron and Steel, China's biggest steelmaker - as well as the two biggest oil and gas suppliers PetroChina and Sinopec - have all promised to hit "net zero" around 2050, a decade earlier than the national target.

According to IPE data, Sinopec scores highest among Chinese SOEs when it comes to data disclosure, targets and specific actions relating to climate change, and ranks 35th globally, behind the likes of Dell and Apple.

In a report published last month, IPE said the average score in the Greater China region is significantly lower than the rest of the world.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

SOEs play a big role in China's top-down political system, and Xi's pledge last year to neutralise a 10 billion-tonne annual carbon footprint prompted associations from a wide range of high-emitting industries to draw up roadmaps.

But they are also compelled to meet other "social responsibilities", including the guarantee of energy and raw material supplies, as well as wider goals such as employment and social stability.

Crippling power shortages in recent weeks are seen as a sign that in a crisis, Chinese firms will quickly return to fossil fuels because the system gives them no other option.

Some critics - including policy researchers at state think tanks - say China's targets have not put enough pressure on big firms, with coal consumption only set to fall in 2026 and local authorities still allowing coal power capacity to increase.

China's structural reliance on coal - caused in part by an inflexible power market and pricing system - also makes it difficult for enterprises to source renewable power.

Many enterprises have no choice but to buy electricity from state coal-fired power plants, with local governments seeking to protect jobs and economic interests.

"There's always been an incentive for provinces to build within the province and trade amongst themselves, when really what they should be doing is making use of the transmission lines," said Matt Gray, analyst with climate think tank TransitionZero.

Though steel firms, for example, have been encouraged to switch from blast furnaces to cleaner electric arc furnace technology in order to slash pollution, they are still forced to rely on coal-fired electricity.

Solar and wind power lost because of a lack of grid access also remains a bigger problem than regulators admit, according to a report by environmental inspectors this year.

"If we really want renewables to really function, we need a lot more support - the whole (electric power) system needs to be transformed," Ma said.

(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by William Mallard and Gerry Doyle)
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will address the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow on Monday in the form of a written statement, according to an official schedule.

Xi's statement will be uploaded to the official conference website following addresses by world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and President Emmanuel Macron of France.

According to the list of speakers released by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Xi is the only leader to address the "First Part of the High-Level Segment for Heads of State and Government" in a written statement.

China is the world's biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, making it a key player at COP26, the latest round of talks aimed at strengthening the fight against global warming, which got underway on Sunday.

However, Xi, who has not left China since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, had not been expected https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/xis-not-there-cop26-hopes-dim-chinese-leaders-likely-absence-2021-10-26 to attend the conference in person.

In updated pledges, China confirmed to the United Nations last week that it would bring its emissions to a peak before 2030 and cut them to "net zero" by 2060. It also promised to raise total wind and solar power generation capacity to 1,200 gigawatts by 2030 in order to reach its goals.

However, climate watchers were hoping for new pledges to cap energy consumption and an earlier start to reducing the use of coal, currently scheduled to begin in 2026.

(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
China's Xi Jinping will only address the COP26 summit with a written statement, Reuters reported.

China's lack of engagement comes despite its large contribution to global emissions.

China contributes some 28% of carbon emissions and consumes more coal than any other nation.

China's Xi Jinping plans to contribute only a written note to the landmark COP26 climate change summit in Scotland, a gesture which further illustrates China's isolation from global action on emissions.

Xi was one of several world leaders, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to refuse to attend the Glasgow summit of world leaders this week.

Reuters reported Monday that Xi will interact with the summit only via a written note published on the COP26 website.

China's foreign ministry had said Xi - who has not left China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic last year - would participate via video link, the Guardian reported.

The downgrade appears to have come as a result of an intentional move to limit the impact of nations whose leaders do not come.

A source in the UK organizing team told The Times of London that only leaders who attended the conference in person would be able to address the conference.

Insider contacted Downing Street to confirm the report.

Prospects for a breakthrough at COP26 depended partly on the outcome of talks at the G20 summit in Rome, where world leaders hoped to secure an agreement on phasing out coal consumption.

But no such agreement was reached, and China - which contributes around 28% of carbon emissions and consumes more coal than any other country - was among the countries to resist making binding new contributions, The New York Times reported.

Some participants were downbeat about the prospects of a breakthrough in Glasgow.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hosting the summit, held a downbeat press conference Sunday where he put the chances of success in talks at "six out of 10."

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The UK wants countries to announce detailed plans to cut carbon emissions in half by as early as 2030, but very few countries have indicated that they will do so.

Boris Johnson said the G20 talks left countries with a "huge way to go" at COP26.

US President Joe Biden was highly critical of countries including China for their unwillingness to engage in the talks, Politico reported.

"With regard to the disappointment, the disappointment relates to the fact that  not only Russia but China basically didn't show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change," Biden said after the G20 summit.

"And there's a reason why people should be disappointed in that. I found it disappointing myself."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: "I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Rows of empty plastic chairs on a wooden floor. georgeclerk/Getty Images

Four conservative school board candidates in a Colorado district have raised more than $300,000.

All of the candidates running in Douglas County's election on Tuesday are running to unseat incumbents.

The eye-popping donation totals reflect the contentious election in an area won by Trump in 2020.

A conservative quartet of school board candidates in a Colorado district has raised more than $300,000 ahead of a hotly contested election on Tuesday.

With four school board director seats up for grabs in Douglas County just south of Denver - an area that Donald Trump won by more than seven points over Joe Biden in 2020 - the four conservative candidates have raised nearly $200,000 more than their opposition, according to Colorado campaign financing reports.

According to the campaign financing reports, Mike Peterson pulled in the largest contributions with $99,543.58 raised, followed by Becky Meyers, Christy Williams, and Kaylee Winegar at over $77,000 each.

None of the right-leaning candidates are board members, while two of the other four candidates are incumbents, NBC News reported.

Big donors to Peterson's campaign include R. Stanton Dodge, the chief legal officer for sports betting company DraftKings, and a Colorado real estate executive, Eric Garrett.

The fundraising totals dwarf the contributions raised the last time eight candidates ran for school board in the county in 2017, when the 8 candidates across both slates raised just over $231,000 combined, according to state election data.

Tuesday's election comes on the heels of a heated school board meeting last week that saw one parent accuse the board of being "possessed with the spirit of tyranny" for enacting COVID-19 safety policies.

The supposed teaching of "critical race theory" was also one point of contention during the meeting.

A national group supporting the conservative slate of candidates, the 1776 Project PAC, states on its website that it actively opposes the teaching of "critical race theory" in class.

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Earlier last week, a federal judge sided with the district to continue to enforce mask mandates in schools, according to local news station CBS4 last week.

Tuesday's election comes during a time of increased tension at meetings across the country, as the once-mundane community events have turned into battlegrounds where social and cultural wars are fought.

Read the original article on Insider
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's energy minister was unable to participate in the United Nation's COP26 summit https://www.reuters.com/business/cop in Glasgow on Monday because the transportation offered to her was not accessible by wheelchair, she said in a TV interview.

Karine Elharrar told Israel's Channel 12 she could not reach the conference grounds because the only options to get there from the gathering area were to walk or board a shuttle that was not suited for a wheelchair.

"I came to COP26 to meet my counterparts in the world and advance our joint struggle against the climate crisis," Elharrar wrote on Twitter. "It's sad that the United Nations, which promotes accessibility for people with disabilities, in 2021 doesn't worry about accessibility at its own events."

She said she hoped a solution would be found by Tuesday.

Israel's foreign minister called out the conference organizers, saying: "It is impossible to worry about the future, the climate and about people if we do not first take care of human beings, accessibility and disabilities."

The British ambassador to Israel, Neil Wigan, apologized for the mishap.

"I am disturbed to hear that Karine Elharrar was unable to attend meetings at COP26. I apologise deeply and sincerely to the minister. We want a COP Summit that is welcoming and inclusive to everyone," Wigan said on Twitter.

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by David Holmes)
Joe Biden

When Joe Biden took to the stage in Glasgow to deliver his speech to COP26, he made sure to underline one thing.

Just as he did at his news conference last night in Rome at the G20, he wanted to set out his green credentials; American leadership on climate change.

He can point to a gargantuan spending bill about to go before Congress, which has an eye-watering $555bn (400bn) for clean energy credits and incentives. It will be the biggest investment in US history to tackle global warming.

But, but, but - this legislation hasn't yet been passed because he's not sure he's got the votes.

One of the most significant proposals - a programme that would reward power companies for moving away from fossil fuels and penalise those who don't - was nixed by a Democratic senator from West Virginia coal country, Joe Manchin.

The failure to make progress on this legislation has been frustrating as hell for the White House, who wanted to have the measures passed before Air Force One arrived in Italy.

It doesn't exactly give the president added leverage over his counterparts. How much moral force is there in saying "look what I would do, if I only had the votes..?"

There was something else in the Rome news conference which made my internal ironymeter hit 10, and it perfectly encapsulates the drag imposed on the US president's green ambitions.

Whilst attempting to show his leadership on climate, Biden was at the same time trying to persuade the OPEC oil producers to increase production, so as to keep petrol prices down for US consumers.

Drivers are up in arms that they're having to pay over $3 a gallon. Perhaps Biden should organise for them to visit a few British petrol stations to make Americans thank their lucky stars.

The car is still king in the US

The US is a country where there is an obsession about weather - and it gets a huge amount of it - tornadoes, polar vortexes, hurricanes, eviscerating heatwaves and on and on.

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But that is not matched by a similar interest in climate - even though the country has been experiencing the worst wildfires in history, flood- inducing hurricane seasons, freezing temperatures in Texas and on and on.

But this is where I want to widen the lens.

What President Biden is contending with has its own variation for any number of world leaders who were in Rome and will be heading to Glasgow.

There are parliaments, national assemblies and senates which won't back what their prime minister or president might want. There are electorates who might just punish the politician who pushes for measures that might threaten their jobs, or increase fuel prices.

In the language that came out of the final communique from the G20 there was plenty of recognition of the urgency of keeping climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius; of being "net-zero" by 2050. But the concrete measures to accompany the noble rhetoric? Well they were harder to find in the final document.

Maybe Glasgow will see the world's leaders stop behaving like politicians and embrace every measure that the climate activists are demanding. But for better or worse, they will be thinking about how easy the measures will be to sell, whether their country is being put at a competitive disadvantage, whether by adopting radical measures they are opting for self-extinction.

A real projection of US power rolled past me in Rome as Joe Biden's motorcade - complete with 85 vehicles - made its way to St Peter's Square.

The US is still the most powerful country in the world - and the US president its most powerful man.

But for all that might, he hasn't been able to strongarm one recalcitrant senator from West Virginia. And there'll be a lot weaker leaders than him in Glasgow over the next two weeks.

Follow Jon on Twitter

More on climate summit top strapline

The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.
Advocates hold sign in support of illegal immigrants at Sen. Schumer's office on Long Island

Immigration advocates hold a sign at a press conference outside Sen. Chuck Schumer's office on May 27 in Melville, New York. The rally was held by Make the Road New York, to demand a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Credit - Raychel BrightmanNewsday RM/Getty Images

As Democrats inch closer to finalizing their large social policy bill that includes targeted benefits for middle- and working-class families, 3- and 4-year-olds, and older Americans, another population is poised to receive a windfall: undocumented immigrants.

At least $100 billion of the Build Back Better Acts budget will go to immigration-related issues, including expanding legal representation for immigrants and bolstering the asylum system, according to a White House plan. But an even bigger potential boon is buried in the fine print: the bill could provide temporary protections and a work permita program known as paroleto as many as seven million undocumented immigrants, and an expedited pathway to green cards, through visa recapture, for as many as two million more. The bill could also restore families access to the Child Tax Credit (CTC), providing roughly a million undocumented children with support.

While these three programsparole, visa recapture, and the restoration of the CTC for undocumented kidsremain in current drafts of the bill, their ultimate fate remains unclear. Whether they become law depends on the Senate Parliamentarians deliberations, the Democrats ongoing negotiations, and a final vote.

The Democrats original proposal included a much more ambitious pathway to citizenship. But if whats left in drafts of the whittled-down bill passes, undocumented immigrants will still have reason to celebrate, immigrant advocates say. Its certainly different from what the President originally proposed, says Kerri Talbot, deputy director of the Immigration Hub, an immigrant advocacy organization. But I think itd be a huge step forward and a major breakthrough to allow seven million people to work and live in the U.S.

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A reprieve for seven million

Some 7,081,000 undocumented people who have lived in the U.S. since at least January 1, 2011 would be eligible for the parole program as its currently outlined in the Build Back Better Act, according to the Center American Progress (CAP), a progressive policy institute. Thats a large slice of the roughly 10.5 million undocumented people who are currently living in the U.S. Getting just over seven million people legal status, the vast majority of whom have never had [a legal] statusI mean, that is an incredibly big deal, says Philip Wolgin, managing director of immigration policy at CAP.

The parole program still faces an administrative hurdle: because Democrats are passing the Build Back Better Act through a budget process known as reconciliation, the Senate Parliamentarian must determine whether parole can remain in the final bill according to Senate rules.

While parole is not a pathway to citizenship, advocates note, its a crucial first step. Immigrants on parole would enjoy protection from deportation and, on a case-by-case basis, a work permit. Parole works in much the same way as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Obama-era executive action program that provides protections for some two million people brought to the U.S. as children. But unlike DACA, which has been challenged repeatedly in court, the parole program would pass as a provision of legislationmaking it much less vulnerable legally, says Talbot.

Read more: In Transformational Immigration Shift, Biden Administration Wants to Target Employers, Not Undocumented Workers

DACA was key in providing evidence that granting a work permit and protection from deportation has a positive effect, Wolgin says. When you give people a work permit theyre able to get better jobs, theyre able to get higher paying jobs, support their families, their communities, he says. We would expect similar results [from parole].

A major reduction in visa wait times

In the current House version of the bill, Democrats have included a provision allowing immigrants to access green cards that have gone unused, usually because of bureaucratic delays, dating as far back as 1992. Depending on how the program is implemented, more than 2.2 million visas could be recaptured in order to reduce backlogs and wait times by as much as 20 years, according to calculations by David Bier, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. For someone at the back of the line, Bier says, this would be a monumental difference.

This provision faces the same hurdle as the parole program: it must pass muster with the Senate Parliamentarian. Experts disagree on its prospects. Talbot says we can definitely get to a yes with the Parliamentarian, but Bier remains skeptical. Other attempts to include green cards in reconciliation have failed.

Support for a million more kids

Before 2017, all children with parents who met income requirements, regardless of citizenship, were eligible for the CTC. Parents could declare dependents using either a childs Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number. The Trump Administration changed the rule, explicitly excluding some one million children without a Social Security Numbers from pandemic-related CTC support. The provision in the current bill would restore the pre-Trump criteria.

Read more: Paid Family Leave Just Got Cut From the Democrats Spending Bill. What Gives?

We are encouraged to see the Build Back Better Act framework restore equitable access to this critical economic support for families, regardless of immigration status, says Avideh Moussavian, director of federal advocacy at the National Immigration Law Center, a national immigrant advocacy organization, in a statement to TIME.

Whether this restoration remains in the bills final text will again depend on the Senate parliamentarians ruling and on-going negotiations among Democrats.

If all of these three provisions become law, they would transformational for millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. While immigrant advocates say its not enough to declare victory  they would likely continue to pressure the administration to create a direct pathway to citizenship  incremental provisions such as these are crucial. You do things piecemeal, you fix one part, you fix another part, and then when the sky doesnt fall, says Wolgin, that helps to build the case then for the broader legalization.
Oxygen

The brutal murder of a nine-year-old girl in 1959 has finally been solved, marking an end to one of Washington states oldest cold cases. Candice Candy Rogers disappeared while selling Camp Fire Mints  a fundraiser for the Camp Fire Girls, a Girl Scout-like organization  in her Spokane neighborhood on March 6, 1959, according to a press release issued by the Spokane City Police Department. Searchers found boxes of mints strewn along the street; it was the only indication of which direction s
By Eva Mathews and Sarah Berman

(Reuters) -A battle for control of Rogers Communication Inc's (RCI) board wrapped up in a Canadian court on Monday as lawyers for former chairman Edward Rogers said he had the authority to appoint a new board without an in-person shareholder meeting, while company lawyers argued due processes were not followed.

RCI, Canada's largest wireless carrier, is embroiled in a boardroom battle after a feud in the founding family erupted into the open, weighing on the stock and raising doubts about the fate of a multibillion-dollar takeover.

The judge has set Nov. 5 to decide on the validity of the new board.

The dispute was triggered after Edward Rogers, son of late founder Ted Rogers, tried to remove Chief Executive Joe Natale in September, saying he had lost confidence in the CEO's ability to lead the merged entity after the planned C$20 billion ($16.1 billion) takeover of Shaw Communications goes through.

That put Edward Rogers at odds with his mother and two sisters, who backed Natale, and resulted in his removal as the company chair. Edward Rogers used his position as chair of the family-owned Rogers Control Trust, the entity that owns the majority of voting shares in the company, to name a new board, which recognized him as chairman.

He then approached the court in British Columbia, where the company is incorporated, to legitimize the new board.

RCI lawyer David Conklin told British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick that the late founder foresaw a stalemate between the family trust and the board of directors, and specifically requested a public meeting to resolve it.

Conklin argued the former chair did not give shareholders an opportunity to respond to his plan to remove and appoint new board members, violating the company's own governance practices.

Lawyer Ken McEwan, arguing for Edward Rogers, said the former chair required the majority of shareholder votes to reconstitute the company's board of directors. As chairman of the family trust, he controlled 97.5% of the voting shares, giving him the authority to act, McEwan added.

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Judge Fitzpatrick questioned McEwan about whether a meeting should have taken place before Edward Rogers could act on behalf of the family trust. McEwan said Edward Rogers had sufficient shareholders such that a meeting was not necessary.

Stephen Schachter, a lawyer representing RCI, said company rules require an in-person meeting to dismiss board members and refill their seats.

Schachter said Edward "cannot thumb his nose" at due process.

The family row playing out in public is a rare occurrence in Canada and has caught analysts and investors by surprise. The boardroom drama in the middle of Rogers' biggest takeover is a distraction, analysts have warned. Shaw last week reiterated its support for the deal.

Shaw stock closed on Monday at C$35.47, compared with Rogers' offer price of C$40.50, which is a sign that some market players have doubts about the success of the deal.

"Shaw shareholders could get cold feet and pull out of the deal," said Keith Snyder, an analyst at CFRA Research. If it pulls out, he added, that would give competitors like BCE Inc or Telus Corp a chance to make a bid for the company.

Matthew Dolgin, an analyst at Morningstar, believes a resolution cannot be expected soon. The events have weighed on Rogers' stock, which is down 1.4% this year, compared with a 17.9% rally in BCE and a 12.67% gain in Telus.

"Normally we'd more readily dismiss the actions and desires of an ousted chairman, but the complexity of the firm's family control makes it anything but cut-and-dried," Dolgin said.

($1 = 1.2392 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru and Sarah Berman in Vancouver; Writing by Denny Thomas; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Stephen Coates)
Dumbledore had his flaws. Warner Bros.

Albus Dumbledore is painted as a powerful hero in "Harry Potter," but he has some deep-rooted flaws.

The Hogwarts headmaster kept secrets from Harry that ultimately led him into grave danger.

Instead of asking for help from the skilled wizards around him, Dumbledore just did what he wanted.

Professor Albus Dumbledore is hailed as the most brilliant wizard of all time and the only man Lord Voldemort was scared of. But he's no hero in the "Harry Potter" series.

In fact, he mostly just led Harry into danger on far more occasions than necessary.

On the path to defeating Voldemort, Dumbledore consistently mistreated the people closest to him by selfishly keeping them in the dark.

From the very beginning, Dumbledore sent Harry off to fight while holding back crucial information

Dumbledore put Harry in danger in his first year at Hogwarts. Warner Bros.

In his first year at Hogwarts, 11-year-old Harry does the unthinkable and goes up against Lord Voldemort alone.

But even after this dangerous, traumatic experience, he defends Dumbledore to his friends by saying the headmaster just wanted to give him "a chance" to do it on his own.

As Harry is literally lying in the hospital wing after this horrible encounter, he asks Dumbledore about his scar and his connection to Voldemort. But instead of explaining as much as he could, Dumbledore tells him he's too young to know those answers yet.

He was apparently old enough to face grave danger and the most powerful dark wizard but too young to know the truth about his own history.

Later in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," withholding that information about Harry's connection to Voldemort came at the heavy price of Sirius Black's life.

If Harry knew how Voldemort could manipulate his mind, he wouldn't have fallen for the trap and rushed to the Department of Mysteries thinking he was going to save his godfather.

Dumbledore explicitly knew this was a possibility, but he decided not to tell Harry. He calls his close-lipped approach "an old man's mistake" and explains that he was distant because he thought Voldemort might use Harry "as a means to spy" on him.

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Dumbledore also knew about the prophecy that Professor Trelawney foretold long before Harry ever came to Hogwarts. He knew that in order to kill Voldemort, Harry likely had to die as well.

From the very first time Harry asked questions about his scar until Sirius' death, Dumbledore concealed all of this crucial information.

Dumbledore was more interested in achieving his grand plans than communicating with the people around him

Dumbledore used Snape to bring about his goals. Warner Bros.

From the outset, Dumbledore acted like a man who was dealing with chess pieces rather than human lives. But the unilateral decisions he made affected everyone around him.

Even with the most talented and skilled witches in the Order of the Phoenix at his disposal, Dumbledore rarely seemed to involve anyone else in his grand plans. These people were ready to lay down their lives at his command, but Dumbledore gave them only enough information to make their next assigned move on his board.

The headmaster could have told the order about Voldemort's Horcruxes. But instead, he vaguely tells Remus Lupin, "Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him," once again putting all the responsibility and pressure on a teenage boy.

Before his death, Dumbledore believed Draco Malfoy was tasked with his murder, but he didn't try to stop his advances all year, putting students' lives in danger. Then he went about planning his own demise with little regard for Harry, Severus Snape, or the students at Hogwarts.

He essentially guilts Snape into killing him, and to top it off, he puts Harry under a freezing charm nearby, effectively forcing him to watch powerlessly with no explanation.

Harry later learns that Snape actually called Dumbledore out for his less-than-transparent methods before his death.

Snape tells Dumbledore, "I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter."

And Snape had little to show for the years of risking his life and bowing to Dumbledore's whims - aside from landing the long-coveted role of defense against the dark arts professor.

Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth perhaps puts it best when he tells Harry about Albus' long history with secrecy.

"My brother Albus wanted a lot of things, and people had a habit of getting hurt while he was carrying out his grand plans."

Dumbledore might have been a great wizard, but his hunger for power and control kept him from being truly good

Power was Dumbledore's greatest vice. Warner Bros.

At the end of the series, Dumbledore admits to Harry that power is his ultimate weakness.

He was always conscious of it, and he feared that power had the potential to corrupt him beyond help. That's why he never accepted the Ministry of Magic position even after it was offered several times.

Although it's refreshing that he realized his shortcomings, he never quite grasped their impact. He had his eyes fixed on a goal and destroyed many lives in pursuit of it.

Harry was a loyal soldier; he was "Dumbledore's man through and through," and the headmaster took advantage of that.

Dumbledore knew that nothing bound the soul more surely than love - a lesson he sought to teach Harry throughout his life - and so he used Harry's love for him as a weapon just as he used Snape's love for Lily to persuade him to do his bidding.

Some might argue that Dumbledore was doing what had to be done to defeat Voldemort - he was doing what any good (and ultimately successful) general of war would do. But he constantly crossed the line between a stoic general and a scheming conspirator by never giving his followers enough information to make a free choice.

He gave everyone only enough to get them to do what he wanted.

Read the original article on Insider
Donna Brazile breaks down Tuesdays biggest races that will have implications for Black America. The stakes are also high in elections where Black candidates arent on the ballot.

New York City is on the threshold of getting its second Black mayor in history and Black candidates are waging strong campaigns in other elections around the country being held Tuesday.

The stakes are high for African Americans in elections where Black candidates arent on the ballot as well. This is particularly true where Republican candidates backed by defeated former President Donald Trump are playing the race card in an effort to get elected by trying to scare White voters, as is happening in the Virginia governors race.

New York Mayoral Candidates Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa (Photo: Getty Images)

The Black candidate heavily favored to be elected mayor of New York City is Democrat Eric Adams. Hes the Brooklyn borough president, a former state senator and a former police captain. Adams is a moderate and a pragmatist, with a strong record of accomplishment in government. Hes heavily favored to defeat Republican Curtis Sliwa, who has absurdly claimed that systemic racism isnt an issue in the New York City Police Department and Fire Department.

Sliwas remark prompted Adams to call the White candidate a racist and a Mini-Me of Donald Trump. Sliwa, who founded the Guardian Angels subway patrol group decades ago, is now a 67-year-old right-wing radio host. He denies the racism charge.

The tight contest for Virginia governor Tuesday is drawing the most national attention. There is no Black candidate in the election, in which Trump-endorsed Republican Glenn Youngkin is making education his biggest issue in his race against former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin and Democrat candidate Terry McAuliffe with Vice President Kamala Harris. (Photo: Getty Images)

Youngkin sounds like Chicken Little warning that the sky is falling when he rings alarm bells about the alleged dangers of critical race theory being taught in schools, even though the theory about systemic racism isnt taught in Virginia schools.

The Republican candidate is running a TV ad demonizing the work of Toni Morrison, the brilliant Black author of the book Beloved, which won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1988. The book is about slavery and it paints an explicit and realistic picture of the immoral institution.

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The Youngkin ad features a White mother complaining about how her son was assigned the book in school, falsely making it sound like a porn novel. What the ad doesnt reveal is that the mother is conservative activist Laura Murphy, that her son Blake was assigned to read Beloved when he was a senior in a high school 10 years ago, and that Blake is now a 27-year-old lawyer working for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The hysteria over critical race theory is also playing a role in school board elections around the country Tuesday. We need to support candidates who are not part of the campaign to whitewash Americas history of slavery and racism.

A Washington Post poll published Friday found that 86% of Black voters in Virginia are supporting McAuliffe, who was an outstanding governor, and only 7% favor Youngkin. Black voters arent stupid. We know whos on our side.

Virginia will also have its first woman of color as lieutenant governor regardless of who wins in Tuesdays elections: Black Democrat Hala Ayala, an Afro-Latina, or Republican Winsome Sears.

Virginia lieutenant governor candidates, Democrat Hala Ayala (left), an Afro-Latina, or Republican Winsome Sears. (Photo: Getty Images)

The only other governors race on the ballot Tuesday is in New Jersey. Democratic Governor Phil Murphy has earned another term with his excellent performance. He has a big lead in the polls over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, but the lead in opinion polls means nothing if voters dont cast ballots for Murphy.

There are Black mayoral candidates on the ballot Tuesday in other big cities besides New York. These include Atlanta (Felicia A. Moore and former Mayor Kasim Reed); Columbia, S.C. (Tameka Devine); Buffalo, N.Y. (Byron Brown, India Walton): Jersey City, N.J. (Lewis Spears); Cleveland, Ohio (Justin Bibb); Cincinnati, Ohio (David Mann); Harrisburg, Pa., (Wanda Williams); St Paul Minn. (Melvin Carter, Miki Frost, Dora Jones-Robinson); and Durham, N.C. (Elaine ONeal), along with others. In the small city of Helena, Mont., where less than 1% of the population is Black, Mayor Wilmot Collins is up for re-election.

Atlanta mayoral candidates Felicia A. Moore and former Mayor Kasim Reed. (Photo: Fox 5 Atlanta; Getty Images)

In Florida, 11 candidates are competing Tuesday in a Democratic primary and two are competing in a Republican primary for a U.S. House seat covering the Fort Lauderdale area left vacant by the death of Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings in April, one of the most prominent Black members of Congress. The general election in the heavily Democratic district with a large Black population will take place on Jan. 11, 2022.

In the Cleveland, Ohio area two Black candidates  Democrat Shontel Brown and Republican Laverne Gore  are running Tuesday to succeed former U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge, who resigned from her House seat after she was confirmed as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden administration earlier this year.

Remember, politics isnt a spectator sport. Candidates who will do good things for the Black community and the larger community need your vote to get elected. So if you have an election in your area and arent among the millions of Americans who voted early its important that you cast your ballot Tuesday.

Donna Brazile Headshot thegrio.com

Donna Brazile is an ABC News Contributor, veteran political strategist, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and the King Endowed Chair in Public Policy at Howard University. She previously served as interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and of the DNCs Voting Rights Institute. She managed the Gore campaign in 2000 and has lectured at more than 225 colleges and universities on race, diversity, women, leadership and restoring civility in politics. Brazile is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House. @DonnaBrazile

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Elon Musk, the richest man on the planet, said he would sell $6 billion worth of Tesla stock to solve world hunger  if the United Nations World Food Program can explain how it would spend it.

See: Perspective  What Elon Musk Could Buy With His Billions, From Sports Teams to Countries

Find: Should You Refinance Now With the Low Mortgage Rates?

David Beasley, executive director of the WFP, said in an interview with CNN last week that billionaires need to step up now, on a one-time basis. Beasley specifically cited the worlds two richest people, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, saying, $6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we dont reach them. Its not complicated.

Beasley had already called out Musk earlier last month on Twitter, saying:

Congratulations to @elonmusk for passing up @JeffBezos as the worlds richest person  worth a whopping $221B! Elon, to celebrate Im offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity: help us save 42M people from starvation for just $6.6B!! Offer expires SOON.. and lives do too.

See: Global Catastrophes Jeff Bezos Could Fix and Still Be the Richest Man in the World

Find: Nearly 40% of Americas Wealthiest Billionaires Give Relatively Nothing to Charity

On Oct. 30, Dr. Eli David, co-founder of Deep Instinct and DeepCube, retweeted a CNN headline meme referencing Beasleys comments. Musk replied:

If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it. But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent.

Replying in the same thread, Beasley tweeted, Weve never said $6B would solve world hunger. This is a one-time donation to save 42 million lives during this unprecedented hunger crisis.

See: Musk Tweets Against Billionaire Tax as Means to Pay for Reconciliation Bill  Legitimate or Self-Serving?

Find: OECD Warns Against Ending Stimulus Despite Its Impact On Inflation

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Musks net worth stands at $311 billion, up from $292 billion last week, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Last week, his net worth also jumped $25 billion following the announcement that Hertz had purchased 100,000 Teslas. Teslas stock soared, which made the company hit the $1 trillion market cap. Now, some experts see the electric vehicle companys valuation continuing to balloon and the stock continuing to rise.

In a report released last week, the WFP said that the combined shocks of drought, conflict, COVID-19 and economic crisis have left more than half the population of Afghanistan facing a record level of acute hunger.

Hunger is rising and children are dying, Beasley said in the report. We cant feed people on promises  funding commitments must turn into hard cash, and the international community must come together to address this crisis, which is fast spinning out of control.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Elon Musk Will Sell $6 Billion Worth of Tesla Stock to Solve World Hunger if UN Can Explain How Itll Spend It
Nov. 1The federal Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $2 million to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to help identify sources of lead in drinking water at schools and child-care facilities.

The grant from EPA brings TCEQ's funding for the program to $5.3 million.

"Protecting children's health is one of the most important aspects of EPA's mission, and we could not fulfill this mission without the instrumental partnerships with our states and tribes," said David Gray, acting regional administrator. "As part of Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and Children's Health Month, EPA is excited to announce the WIIN grants to help reduce lead in school drinking waters and protect children where they learn and play."

The TCEQ funding is part of $26 million for the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act for states, territories, and tribes to test for lead in schools and child-care facilities.

The grants support EPA's action plan for reducing lead in school drinking water  Training, Testing, and Taking Action.

The toolkit helps prepare schools, child-care facilities, and states to build a voluntary implementation program to reduce lead levels in drinking water.

Children are more vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure than adults. Even low levels have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and impaired formation and function of blood cells.

Lead in drinking water is one of the primary ways children can be exposed to lead.

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Barclays Julian Finney/Getty Images

Barclays CEO Jes Staley is out after an investigation into his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The bank said Monday it was recently made aware of the preliminary conclusions of a regulatory investigation into the way Staley characterized his relationship with Epstein. "In view of those conclusions," Barclays said Staley will step down as group chief executive.

"It should be noted that the investigation makes no findings that Mr. Staley saw, or was aware of, any of Mr. Epstein's alleged crimes, which was the central question underpinning Barclays' support for Mr. Staley following the arrest of Mr. Epstein in the summer of 2019," Barclays said.

Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. British regulators' investigation into Staley was revealed in February 2020, with Barclays saying at the time he "developed a professional relationship with Mr. Epstein" earlier in his career but told the board he didn't have contact with him since becoming CEO in 2015. Staley said last year his relationship Epstein began in 2000 but "tapered off quite significantly" after his time at JP Morgan.

"Obviously I thought I knew him well and I didn't," Staley said, per BBC News. "For sure, with hindsight with what we know now, I deeply regret having any relationship with Jeffrey."

According to The Wall Street Journal, investigators examined visits by Staley to Epstein's private island as part of the probe.

While further information about the conclusions of the investigation wasn't provided, investment and markets analyst Susannah Streeter told CNN that "it appears regulators believe there was a distinct lack of transparency over this relationship," adding the board is looking "to distance Barclays from what could be a long drawn out process." Barclays said Staley is planning to contest the findings of the investigation.

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ANKARA (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan cancelled plans to attend the global climate conference in Glasgow on Monday because Britain failed to meet Turkey's demands on security arrangements, Turkish media quoted him as saying.

Heads of state and government from around the world are attending the COP26 summit Good omens hard to find as global climate conference begins, regarded as critical to averting the most disastrous effects of climate change.

Erdogan had been expected to join them in Scotland after attending the G20 summit in Rome at the weekend, but instead landed back in Turkey shortly after midnight on Monday.

Turkish media quoted him as telling reporters on his plane home that Ankara had made demands regarding security protocol standards for the summit in Britain which were not satisfied.

"When our demands were not met we decided not to go to Glasgow," Erdogan was quoted as saying. He said that the protocol standards Ankara sought were those always implemented on his international trips.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially said the problem had been resolved, Erdogan said. "But at the last moment he got back to us and said that the Scottish side was causing difficulties," Turkish media quoted him as saying.

Erdogan said he subsequently learnt that the measures Turkey had sought were granted as an exception to another country, which he did not name. He said this was unacceptable. "We are obliged to protect the dignity of our nation," he said.

A spokesman for Johnson said he would not get into the security arrangements for individuals.

When asked what it meant for the prime minister's hopes to get agreement on coal, the spokesman added: "We would've been pleased to see Erdogan attend in person. The prime minister will continue to seek to convince the Turkish government to do more and will do that at official level as well."

VEHICLES, DEMANDS

A spokesperson for the British government's COP26 office declined to comment on security matters. Scotland police said they do not comment on VIP security.

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A senior Turkish official earlier told Reuters that British authorities had not met Turkey's requests over security.

"The president took such a decision because our demands regarding the number of vehicles for security and some other security-related demands were not fully met," the official said.

Erdogan had previously said he would meet U.S. President Joe Biden https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/biden-meets-erdogan-amid-tension-over-defence-human-rights-2021-10-31 in Glasgow, but they met in Rome on Sunday.

Last month, Turkey's parliament ratified https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/turkey-ratifies-paris-climate-agreement-last-g20-country-do-so-2021-10-06 the 2015 Paris climate agreement, becoming the last G20 country to do so.

Ankara had held off ratification for years, saying Turkey should not be classed as a developed country with reduced access to funding to support emissions cuts under the accord. It also said Turkey is historically responsible for a very small share of carbon emissions.

Erdogan said last week Turkey had signed a memorandum of understanding https://www.reuters.com/article/climate-change-turkey-idAFL8N2RN3Z1 under which it will get loans worth $3.2 billion to help it meet clean energy goals set out in the Paris accord.

Other absentees from the Glasgow meeting include Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country is by far the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, one of the world's top three oil producers.

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun in Ankara with additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper in Glasgow Writing by Daren ButlerEditing by Dominic Evans, Barbara Lewis, Mark Heinrich and Andrew Heavens)
By Jessica DiNapoli

(Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc has come up with a new offering that allows investors to bet on special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), its latest attempt to capitalize on the dealmaking trend, people familiar with the matter said.

The product is structured as a two-year bond that pays interest and gives investors exposure to SPACs without owning them, the sources said. It could appeal to institutional investors who want regular income through a portfolio of many SPACs, the sources added.

One of the sources, however, said Goldman Sachs has so far only arranged a handful of these products, referred to as "SPAC-linked structured notes."

Goldman does not charge a management fee for the offering. The bank makes money by providing investors financing to participate in the product and by keeping some of the returns on the SPAC stocks for itself, depending on how well they perform, the sources said.

Investors also receive a payout based on the SPAC stocks' performance at the end of the two years, the sources said. If they are willing to take on more risk to juice their returns, they can also borrow from Goldman to add leverage to the offering, but have to pay the bank back for any losses, the sources said.

Goldman Sachs declined to comment on the details of the product.

The boom in the SPAC market, whose size has reached $137.4 billion last month from $13.6 billion two years ago, has already been a boon for Goldman Sachs' investment banking business. The bank said in April that financing SPAC deals  though a small part of its overall business  helped boost revenue and that advising SPACs on acquisitions would be a "tailwind" for earnings in the future.

The new SPAC product is being offered by a desk in Goldman Sachs' global markets division, which is the sales and trading arm of the bank, rather than investment banking, the sources said.

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Investors are allowed to bet on the shares of SPACs where Goldman Sachs bankers had a deal role, the sources added. SPACs sponsored by Goldman Sachs are excluded.

Investors have some protection against losses. SPAC stocks can be redeemed for their initial public offering value when shareholders vote on their mergers, and investors can provide instructions to Goldman Sachs to carry out such redemptions, according to the sources.

'DOCTOR SELLING DONUTS'

Mike Stegemoller, a banking and finance professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas who has studied SPACs, said that Goldman Sachs' role as both adviser and financier of SPAC deals and seller of this new product poses a conflict, even if different parts of the bank are involved.

This is because SPACs cannot complete their mergers with companies if too many investors redeem their shares, bleeding them dry on cash they need to pay for their deal. By offering redemptions of SPAC shares as a safety net for its investor clients, Goldman Sachs is relying on a practice that is a thorn in the side of some of its investment banking clients  SPACs and the companies that do deals with them.

"It's like a doctor selling donuts in the office," Stegemoller said.

To be sure, many investors already exercise their right to redeem their SPAC shares, and Goldman Sachs' new product will not change that. Reuters could not establish whether Goldman Sachs has informed its SPAC clients about the new product and what their reaction would be.

Goldman declined to comment on the conflict.

Goldman Sachs' new product has already irked some hedge fund managers who hoped they would not be competing for investors with a top Wall Street bank.

"If you're an investment bank underwriting a SPAC IPO, and advising on a business combination, it can be perceived as effectively working against clients and potential clients if you are soliciting investors to redeem SPACs," said Julian Klymochko, founder and CEO at Accelerate Financial Technologies Inc, which manages an exchange traded fund that invests in SPACs.

(Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Editing by Greg Roumeliotis and Andrea Ricci)
By Alexandra Ulmer and Luc Cohen

(Reuters) - Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman accused of laundering money on behalf of Venezuela's government, is expected to plead not guilty in U.S. court on Monday in an alleged bribery case that pits Washington against President Nicolas Maduro's socialist administration.

The case has prompted strong condemnation from Maduro, strained relations between Venezuela and the United States, and disrupted nascent talks between Venezuela's government and the opposition. Here are some details:

WHAT ARE THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CASE?

When a Cape Verde court ruled in September that Saab's extradition to the United States could proceed, Venezuela named him as a member of the government's delegation to the Norway-mediated negotiations with the South American country's political opposition, which were underway in Mexico.

Hours after Saab was extradited on Oct. 16, the government said it would suspend the talks.

The negotiations came as a nearly three-year push to oust Maduro by opposition leader Juan Guaido - recognized by dozens of countries as Venezuela's rightful president - lost steam.

Maduro has called Guaido a U.S. puppet. His allies see Saab's extradition as a sign that Washington - despite publicly backing the negotiations as a peaceful path to resolving Venezuela's crisis - is continuing its push for regime change.

The United States says its judicial and diplomatic systems operate independently. The opposition has urged Maduro to resume the talks.

WHAT ARE PROSECUTORS' ACCUSATIONS AGAINST HIM?

U.S. prosecutors have charged Saab, 49, with siphoning around $350 million out of Venezuela through the United States as part of a bribery scheme linked to Venezuela's state-controlled exchange rate.

The Department of Justice alleges that between at least 2011 and 2015, Saab and an associate laundered money through a scheme involving building low-income housing in Venezuela.

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They are accused of submitting "false and fraudulent" documents for items that were never imported. By bribing Venezuelan government officials, they secured payment in U.S. dollars at a favorable rate via the government-controlled currency exchange rate, according to the 2019 indictment.

WHAT DOES HIS DEFENSE SAY?

Saab's U.S. defense attorneys have called the housing corruption charges a "cryptically alleged scheme" and said their client denied the allegations.

"Mr. Saab denies this scheme and all allegations of the indictment concerning it or any conspiracy, bribery, or money laundering of any kind," Saab's attorneys wrote in a Jan. 21 court filing.

His lawyers have said Saab was a Venezuelan diplomat and thus entitled to immunity. Court records show that Venezuela's foreign ministry named Saab a special envoy in April 2018, and tasked him with a mission to seek aid from Iran in 2020.

WHY IS THIS CASE SO HIGH-PROFILE?

The Treasury Department sanctioned Saab in 2019, alleging he bribed Maduro's relatives to win no-bid, overvalued contracts to import food for a government-run handout program as hunger surged in Venezuela.

In the last couple years, Saab emerged as a key broker in helping Caracas bypass U.S. sanctions in order to import goods, including Iranian gasoline to help resolve a fuels shortage.

"When things got tough, Mr. Alex Saab was one of the few who said he was willing," Socialist Party Vice President Diosdado Cabello said in October.

Saab's arrest was celebrated by Venezuela's opposition, which is hoping he cooperates with investigators and sheds light on what they say has been widespread graft in the oil-rich nation, as well as details about how the Maduro government obtains the resources to remain in power despite economic pressure.

The United States has labeled Maduro an illegitimate dictator and has sanctioned the OPEC nation's state oil company in a bid to pressure him to step down. Several top Venezuelan officials, including Maduro himself, face U.S. drug trafficking charges. Maduro has denied and ridiculed the allegations.

The dramatic nature of Saab's arrest has also drawn attention. Saab was detained in Cape Verde on a U.S. warrant in mid-2020 while his plane was refueling en route to Iran. He was extradited to Florida in October. Saab's family says he has been "kidnapped."

WHAT'S NEXT IN THE COURT CASE?

Saab will not bow down to the United States, said his Caracas-based wife Camila Fabri, an Italian national. Fabri is under investigation by Italy's Guardia di Finanza for possible money laundering linked to Saab, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

Fabri could not immediately be reached for comment.

Estimating a precise time frame for a trial is difficult, said Stef Cassella, a former federal prosecutor.

"Unless there's an early guilty plea, which would be surprising, I wouldn't expect much to happen for several months," he said.

(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Dan Flynn, Noeleen Walder and Daniel Wallis)
By Elizabeth Culliford

(Reuters) -Facebook said on Monday that last month it removed a troll farm with more than 1,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts which it was said was run by the Nicaraguan government and the country's ruling party, the Sandinista National Liberation Front.

The social media company said the troll farm - a coordinated effort to manipulate public discourse using fake accounts - was intended to amplify pro-government and anti-opposition content. It said it had been active on its platforms since 2018 and was primarily operated by staff of TELCOR, Nicaragua's telecoms watchdog, working from the postal service headquarters in capital Managua.

The Supreme Court, which has been an Ortega ally, and the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute also ran smaller clusters of fake accounts, Facebook said.

The Supreme Court and the office of Nicaragua's Vice President Rosario Murillo, the spokeswoman for President Daniel Ortega and his government, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment about the report.

"This was one of the most cross-government troll operations we've disrupted to date, with multiple state entities participating in this activity at once," Facebook's investigators said in their report.

Facebook said it had this year taken down other government-linked networks from Ethiopia, Uganda https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-uganda-election-facebook/facebook-takes-down-ugandan-pro-museveni-accounts-ahead-of-election-idUSKBN29G1H9, Sudan https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/facebook-shuts-fake-accounts-sudan-fight-public-opinion-rages-online-2021-10-19, Thailand and Azerbaijan for breaking its rules against so-called coordinated inauthentic behavior, calling this "an especially troubling trend."

The company, which last week announced https://www.reuters.com/technology/facebooks-zuckerberg-kicks-off-its-virtual-reality-event-with-metaverse-vision-2021-10-28 it would start trading as Meta Platforms Inc on Dec. 1, has been under scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators over potential harms linked to its platform, particularly after former employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents.

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Nicaragua will hold https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/nicaraguas-ortega-seen-tightening-grip-election-that-critics-call-sham-2021-11-01 its presidential election on Sunday, which Washington has denounced as a sham organized by an increasingly authoritarian Ortega.

Facebook said the operation ran a network of blogs, websites and social media assets across TikTok, Twitter, YouTube and Telegram.

A spokesperson for Alphabet Inc's Google, which owns YouTube, said the company had terminated 82 YouTube channels and three blogs as part of its ongoing investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to Nicaragua.

"These channels had fewer than 1,500 subscribers in total and primarily uploaded spammy content in Spanish about gaming and sports. A small subset uploaded content supportive of President Ortega and the Sandinista party and criticizing the U.S. This campaign was consistent with similar findings reported by Facebook," they said.

The other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Facebook said the activity began in April 2018, as student-led protests against the government broke out. It said the network created fake accounts to discredit the protesters, including through posing as students and through attempting coordinated reporting of critics' accounts. From late 2019, Facebook said it increasingly focused on posting and amplifying pro-government content.

Facebook said it removed 937 Facebook accounts, 140 pages, 24 groups and 363 Instagram accounts as part of the Nicaraguan network.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford in New York; Additional reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez in Mexico City and Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that he wants Facebook to cater more toward young people, but several teens Insider spoke with said they don't want to join the platform. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Teens are using Facebook less than they used to.

Mark Zuckerberg announced in an earnings call that he wants the platform to focus on young users.

Insider spoke with several teens who said there's nothing that Facebook can do to entice them.

Facebook was once a hub for young people, but that's changed in the last decade, according to numerous studies - and despite the company's efforts, four teens interviewed by Insider said they're not interested in joining the platform.

Back in 2012, 94% of teens had a Facebook account, a Pew Research survey of 12- to 17-year-olds found. Almost 10 years later, only 27% of adolescents say they're on the platform, according to a 2021 survey of 10,000 teenagers conducted by Piper Sandler.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg aspires to end the youth exodus from his company's flagship platform, saying on a Q3 earnings conference call on Monday that he wants Facebook to make "serving young adults the north star."

But with its current user base, that won't be so easy. Facebook predicts teen users of its flagship app to plummet by 45% over the next two years, adding to a 13% drop since 2019, according to data obtained by The Verge. That data was found in part through internal documents leaked by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen to the SEC and earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.

"Our products are still widely used by teens, but we face tough competition from the likes of Snapchat and TikTok," Joe Osborne, a spokesperson for Facebook, told the Verge when they asked about the internal documents referenced above. "All social media companies want teens to use their services. We are no different."

Several Zoomers, many of whom said they used Facebook-owned Instagram but not Facebook's flagship platform, told Insider there's nothing the company could do to get them to sign up.

Some teens cite older users and criticism of Zuckerberg as reasons for rejecting Facebook

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Mark Zuckerberg. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images

Insider spoke to several teens who gave a variety of reasons for spurning Facebook, including Zuckerberg's history and the platform's increasingly older demographic.

Trey Blevins, a 19-year-old from Grand Rapids, Michigan, said he preferred other social media platforms like Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Facebook has owned Instagram since it purchased the app for $1 billion in 2012. The image-sharing platform is very popular among youth, with 81% of the 1,000 teens surveyed in the Piper Sandler survey reporting that they used Instagram.

"I get enough horrible political takes and mental/emotional exhaustion from Instagram and Twitter," he said.

Blevins added that he thinks Zuckerberg's decision-making is unethical, despite Zuckerberg's own influence at Instagram.

Blevins appeared to be referencing how Zuckerberg and the company have frequently faced backlash for their role in political conflicts and dramas, like in 2020 when Zuckerberg chose to leave up Facebook posts by former President Donald Trump that appeared to threaten protesters.

Other platforms are beating Facebook when it comes to teens

Zuckerberg said on the earnings call that rivalries between Facebook and other apps have grown fiercer over the last few years, with TikTok being "one of the most effective competitors we've ever faced." In the same Piper Sandler report that found only 27% of teens said they used Facebook, 73% of them said they were on TikTok.

Alexis, a 14-year-old from Northern Virginia, told Insider over email she doesn't use Facebook "because it's for old people" and that she prefers TikTok and Instagram because that's where she meets her friends and learns about viral trends. She added that TikTok, in particular, is "great for making funny videos."

"My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents all use Facebook," she said. "I've always seen it as a place for older people and I don't want to see my feed full of their business, neighborhood rants, and memes they think are funny."

Jayden, a 16-year-old from London who said he only used Instagram and Snapchat, told Insider he doesn't "understand the purpose" of Facebook in the first place. The content on Facebook is "too random," Simpson said.

Megan Baron, a 19-year-old from Ohio who uses Reddit, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube, cited privacy concerns as one of the reasons she does not use Facebook, adding that the platform "seems so toxic." There have been multiple instances when Facebook users' private personal data was stolen or leaked, most famously in 2018, when the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica mined 50 million users' data. In April of this year, a hacker posted purported personal information for over 500 million Facebook users on an online forum.

Karin von Abrams, a principal analyst at the market research company eMarketer - which is now an Insider company called Insider Intelligence - told the Independent in 2018 that young users were fleeing the platform because they wanted "something beyond utility" and fresher "features and functions" that newer platforms like Instagram and Snapchat offer.

Teens say they're not sure what Facebook could do to attract them

The teens interviewed by Insider said they had no idea what Facebook could add to its platform to beat other social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok and make them want to join the website.

"I have no idea what Facebook would have to do to make me use it," Baron told Insider over Twitter. "It just seems like such a boomer social network."

"Honestly I don't think anything," the 19-year-old Blevins said of what Facebook could do to coax him into signing up. "I know they've introduced stories and stuff, the typical way most social media platforms rip off their competitors, but there's nothing on Facebook that really appeals to me that the other apps don't already have."

"There are too many better alternatives for me to use FB," Jayden said.

Alexis put it simply: "As long as older people are on there, I am not using Facebook."

Read the original article on Insider
SVEN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and accused accomplice to wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was never offered a plea deal related to her sex-trafficking case, prosecutors said on Monday.

Maxwell, 59, appeared in Manhattan federal court for a lengthy hearing that addressed issues over witness testimony and proposed exhibits ahead of her trial date later this monthincluding the Little Black Book of famous names and addresses that Epsteins former butler claimed he snatched from the financiers Palm Beach lair.

When U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan asked Maxwell whether the government and her lawyer were correct in stating a plea bargain wasnt offered to her, she confirmed before softly adding, I have not committed any crime. One of Maxwells attorneys, Bobbi Sternheim, also indicated the defense never asked for a deal.

Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Names Powerful Men in Alleged Sex Ring

Meanwhile, Sternheim raised concerns over Maxwells treatment by guards at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and by U.S. Marshals who brought the former socialite to the federal courthouse. According to Sternheim, jailers woke Maxwell up at 3:45 a.m. to get to court around 5:30 a.m. despite her hearing being scheduled for 11 a.m.

Sternheim said Maxwell was placed in a cold cell and given little food and no utensils. When Maxwell began nodding off, a guard poked her to stay awake even though she was the only inmate in the cell, the lawyer continued.

And, Sternheim said, because of Maxwells shackles on her ankles, she had to get on her hands and knees just to climb in the van transporting her to court.

These conditions are just terrible, Sternheim told Nathan.

In response, Nathan asked assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe to inquire as to whether Maxwell is receiving differential treatment compared to other inmates awaiting trial.

Just before the hearing began, Maxwell was escorted into court with a handcuffs chain wrapped around her navy jumpsuit. One of her sisters, who declined to comment, was seated in the gallery and waved to her. (Maxwell has twin sisters, Isabel and Christine, but its unclear who was present on Monday. Isabel previously showed up to court this year in a black beret, and the person in the gallery this time wore a red one.)

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Watch: Judge sets rules for trial of Epstein associate

When Nathan ruled against Maxwells motion to bar the words victim and minor victim at trial and instead refer to all persons by their individual names, Maxwells sister visibly shook her head in response.

Nathan also granted the governments motion to permit witnesses and non-testifying witnesses to be referred to in court by pseudonyms or first name onlya practice thats consistent with the Crime Victims Rights Act related to victims of childhood sexual abuse. There is a need here to prevent any undue harassment  by the press and third parties, Nathan said.

In another blow to Maxwells legal team, Nathan granted the prosecutions request to ban evidence about the 2005 Florida investigation of Epstein not resulting in charges against Maxwell, and Epsteins infamous non-prosecution agreement, which shielded any of his alleged accomplices. Nathan said the court would not hear defense evidence that goes to the thoroughness of the governments investigationor whether the government improperly charged Maxwell in the aftermath of Epsteins suicide in August 2019to avoid a trial within a trial.

Jeffrey Epstein Friend Ghislaine Maxwell Has More Skeletons in Her Family Closet Than a House of Horrors

But Nathan did rule that certain evidence from the prosecutionincluding emails that allegedly show Maxwell setting up dates between men and adult womenare inadmissible and irrelevant to the case. Moe argued the emails showed Maxwell was offering up women based on physical description and not in a matchmaking capacity and mirrored how Maxwell allegedly served up minor victims to Epstein.

One other sore point for the prosecution could be Epsteins Rolodex of high-powered people and victims and their families. Because the address book was dated around 2005 and surfaced four years later when Epsteins former butler Alfredo Rodriguez tried to sell it to victims lawyers, it may fall outside the scope of Maxwells alleged conspiracy. The British heiress and oceans advocate is charged with grooming and trafficking four minor victims from a time period spanning 1994 to 1997 and 2001 to 2004.

In a motion filed last week, Maxwells lawyers argued the document, filed as Exhibit 52, has no identified author, date of creation, or custodian. They added, As produced, the document appears to be a compilation of material that was copied from more than one source, arranged, and paginated after the fact. (On Monday, Nathan asked prosecutors to brief the court on the address book in a filing due Nov. 11.)

A second motion from Maxwells attorneys relates to statements from alleged co-conspirators in the case, though the identity of these individuals isnt known.

Defense lawyers indicated that the government identified three purported co-conspirators for purposes of trial but failed to disclose which co-conspirator statements it intends to introduce. None of the identified purported co-conspirators are available to testify at trial, Maxwells filing added. Jeffrey Epstein is dead, and neither [of the co-conspirators] have been granted immunity for their trial testimony. Accordingly, Ms. Maxwell cannot cross-examine any identified co-conspirator about whether he or she made any yet-to-be attributed statement.

In a recent letter to the defense, prosecutors said they will likely call a witness who was employed by Epstein who will testify about her role in scheduling sexualized massages for Jeffrey Epstein with underage girls.

Watch: Prince Andrew 'unequivocally' denies sex abuse

On Monday, Nathan ordered the government to reveal to the defense which co-conspirator statements it plans to introduce to jurors. Defense lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca argued that any statements that were made after 2004 in Maxwells alleged sex-trafficking conspiracy would be hearsay and inadmissible, while Moe said the statements will illustrate how the trafficking scheme operated even if outside the timeframe of the charges.

Maxwells team is also seeking to exclude evidence related to a woman referred to as Minor Victim 3. The indictment against Maxwell states that she groomed this woman for Epstein when Minor Victim 3 was a teenager in London from 1994 to 1995.

In a filing last week, Maxwells lawyers argued Minor Victim 3 was above the legal age of consent in the U.K.which is 16 years oldwhen the alleged sex acts occurred.

Another lawyer for Maxwell, Christian Everdell, told Judge Nathan on Monday that the unidentified victim was of legal age in every jurisdiction where the alleged abuse took place and argued that Maxwell wouldnt be charged solely based on the womans accusations.

It seems like the government is trying to take an episode of legal conduct and make it sound salacious for the jury, Everdell fumed.

Nathan asked prosecutors to address this concern in a future filing.

Minor Victim 3 will describe unwanted conduct in a way that closely mirrors what happened to other victims, Moe said, adding that the woman would be able to speak to Maxwells knowledge of Epsteins preference for young girls.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Jim Wigginton and Thomas Noonan III were preparing to do a tandem jump from 41,000 feet over Memphis, Tennessee, on Oct. 16 when Noonans foot got stuck as they headed out of the plane.

The pair, along with two solo jumpers, an oxygen manager, a videographer, a jumpmaster, and the pilot, were about to attempt to break the Guinness world record for highest tandem skydive.

The first two guys exited, Wigginton, 72, of Belleville, Michigan said of the solo jumpers. Between Tom and myself and the gear we wore, we were about 500 pounds. We had to use our arms and scoot our legs to move. At 41,000 feet, what would be comparatively easy on the ground is really difficult in the air. We got about halfway, and he was struggling. I made it to the door. I was hanging out the door.

Before the pair got to jump, the oxygen system that is required to use at that altitude malfunctioned, and suddenly everyone began to experience hypoxia, which means that there wasnt enough oxygen present.

Noonan lost consciousness, one of the crew members began shaking, the videographer kept going in and out of consciousness and Wigginton, who was holding hundreds of pounds of weight with Noonan strapped to his back, also went unconscious briefly.

Most of the crew came out of hypoxia or regained consciousness, but not Noonan. He and Wigginton were pulled back into the plane and CPR was performed on Noonan until the plane could land. But shortly after landing, Noonan, 47, of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. His cause of death has not yet been determined.

We have done a number of high-altitude jumps, but things change substantially the higher you go, said Wigginton. So what you would do at 30,000 feet is not what you would do at 35, and 35 is not what you would do at 40. And 41,000 feet is sort of the limit physiologically of what you could do without wearing a pressurized suit. So we were already tempting pressure.

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xxx , Tom Noonan III, Jim Wigginton and xxx take a photo before preparing to do a tandem skydive at a 41,000 feet altitude.

The day of the jump

Wigginton said he and Noonan were aware that this would be a complicated and dangerous jump, but that didnt mean that it was impossible. The average altitude that an airliner flies is 45,000 feet. Wigginton said the jump can be possible depending on logistics, like controlling oxygen and temperature, choosing who sits where on the plane and how long you pre-breathe with the oxygen tanks.

Australia: Man planks for over 9 hours with chronic pain to break Guinness World record

Nation: Skydiving incident kills recent high school graduate and her instructor, Georgia sheriff says

A week prior to the jump, the crew did a test run at 28,000 feet to see how the masks and hoses fit and whether they worked. They did another test run at 15,000 feet on Oct. 15.

The next morning was a great morning, said Wigginton.

Julie Watkins, 58, Noonans fiancee, waited at the drop zone for them to return. We got there about 3 in the morning, got our gear ready, got suited up and we were out breathing oxygen a little after 5," she said.

First, the team had to get clearance from air traffic control to avoid any situations with commercial planes. The goal was to have the plane take off right before sunrise, so that by the time it reached 41,000 feet, the sun would be up and the team could jump.

But things didnt go as planned. And if Noonans foot hadnt gotten stuck, Wigginton would have jumped with Noonan unconscious on his back. And the automatic activation device set to deploy the shared parachute at 4,000 feet may not have worked because of the weight on Wiggintons back.

Wigginton and Noonan have done many jumps together, breaking records around the world. And they were close friends, so Wiggintons mindset has changed following the accident.

Im not sure if Ill ever skydive again, Wigginton said. The pair originally had a plan to go to Nepal to try another world record for the highest landing.

Waiting at the drop zone

Watkins feels the same way. She and Noonan were in a relationship for almost 10 years, with their anniversary coming up in December. They met through a mutual friend at another drop zone, and several months later, they connected on Facebook. He showed up at her door one day, and they had been connected through love and travel ever since. She was able to skydive with Noonan twice, and she was always present at the drop zone when Noonan came down from the sky.

Tom Noonan III and Julie Watkins have been in a relationship for almost 10 years.

When Watkins was on her way to the drop zone Oct. 16, Noonan sent a photo of himself in the plane with his gear on, and Watkins replied, "Good luck with your jump."

"He replied, 'You are the love of my life,' " and she said she replied, " 'You are my greatest love of my life,' and that Id see him in a bit.

She said she saw him suited up and they blew each other kisses before he took off. But when he came back, she saw him breathless, and watched as they tried to bring him back to life.

A pillar of the skydiving community

Noonan trained tandem skydiving instructors, and Wigginton said he was known as a "legend" with "high energy" in the skydiving community. He had completed over 10,000 jumps in about 25 years. And skydivers all over the world have had an interaction with Noonan.

He worked at United Parachute Technologies, where he was the Tandem Program director. He conducted classes at his office in Florida, and he also traveled to teach. One of his teaching travel destinations was in Arizona, where he would assist in training the military.

He just had good input, and he was just a good communicator, Watkins said. He just could get things across to people and people would listen.

His main focus was to ensure that people learned how to be safe in the sky, Watkins said. Noonan loved getting positive feedback after training people because it made him feel accomplished and successful knowing hed passed on his knowledge to others.

One of Noonans favorite places to skydive was at Mount Everest in the Himalayas in Nepal, so there are unsolidified plans for several people to travel to the country and skydive together in his honor. Some of his ashes will also be released at a drop zone in DeLand, Florida, Watkins said.

Its a tradition within the skydive community to get as many of your friends as you can to take some of the ashes and do a skydive with as many people as you can, Watkins said. One person carries the ashes, which will be our elderly friend that we became friends with, Bill.  Theyre going to go up in the skydive, and hell release the ashes once they reach altitude and open up canopy. And the ashes just kind of flicker away.

Wigginton has done many adventures, like skydiving from high altitudes, diving to the deepest parts of the ocean and climbing a million stairs. All of these efforts  which later resulted in records  were all in honor of his wife, Nancy Wigginton, who died of thyroid cancer in 2013. He donates funds and raises money for Michigan Medicines Rogel Cancer Center. But skydiving isnt in the plans anymore.

Skydiving wasnt the only thing I was doing for her, Wigginton said. I have a project to climb the tallest building in every state. Obviously, COVID shut that down for a while. Another project was to climb every peak in Colorado over 14,000 feet. Theres 53 of those and Ive done 16 of those. And Ive done 22 states. Theres always stuff to do.

Contact staff writer Chanel Stitt on Twitter: @ByChanelStitt. Become a subscriber or gift a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Florida man dies after skydiving attempt, mourned by Michigan partner
Crew are seen disembarking at Sydney's International Airport as early morning flights arrived from Los Angeles, Japan and Singapore on Monday. Fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in New South Wales from 1 November are no longer required to enter mandatory hotel quarantine, following the easing of state and federal COVID-19 border rules. (PHOTO: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  Fully vaccinated Singaporeans can enter Australia from 21 November with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying he was slinging its doors open to the city-state, although quarantine requirements would depend on individual Australian states.

Morrison and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong finalised the deal on Sunday (31 October) at the G20 summit, Australian media outlet The Age reported late on Sunday.

Under Singapore's vaccinated travel lane (VTL) system, visitors from Australia can visit the Republic without quarantine starting from 8 November.

On Sunday, fully vaccinated New Zealanders could travel to Australia without quarantine if they go to New South Wales; it will be up to the Australian states to decide whether to require or waive quarantine.

The Age quoted Morrison as saying on Sunday, "This means within weeks, Australia will be welcoming tourists from two of our top 10 travel destinations."

This is the billion-dollar boost that Australias tourism industry has been waiting for. Step by step, everything that we know and love about Australia is inching back to normal, Morrison reportedly added.

There were 417,000 visitors from Singapore to Australia in 2019, with more than half travelling for leisure, The Age reported.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Gadsden-Etowah Habitat for Humanity is taking applications until Nov. 15.

Gadsden-Etowah Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications until Nov. 15, according to a press release.

Any qualified persons or families are encouraged to apply, the release said, but in order to quality, certain criteria must be met.

One, a person and/or family must be living in substandard or poverty housing (which includes inadequate heating or plumbing, unsafe structural issues, roof or floors beyond economical repair, overcrowding such as three people per bedroom and unhealthy conditions or inoperable kitchens or bathrooms).

The second qualification, according to the release, is that a person or family must have a gross annual income between $19,050 and $47,625 with a family of four or less.

For those with families of five or more people, a higher income amount is allotted; a family of five can earn up to $49,905, for example.

Third, the person or family must be willing to work with Habitat for Humanity, the release said. That means putting in 300 hours of "sweat equity" by helping build houses; attending 12 budget meetings and partnership classes on budgeting, credit and home and lawn maintenance; doing office work; and helping with mailings, fundraising and other Habitat for Humanity projects.

Also, a $600 down payment and the first year's insurance premium must be paid.

Finally, the person or family must have been a resident in Etowah County for at least one year.

Applications are available at the Gadsden-Etowah Habitat for Humanity's office at 3722 Bland St. in Rainbow City (behind the library), by calling 256-543-1898 or by emailing info@gadsdenhabitat.com.

For more information, visit the Gadsden-Etowah Habitat for Humanity website at www.gadsdenhabitat.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Applications for Gadsden-Etowah Habitat for Humanity open until Nov. 15
By Elizabeth Piper and William James

GLASGOW (Reuters) - A crucial U.N. conference https://www.reuters.com/business/cop heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions.

World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday.

The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.

The G20 is responsible for around 80% of global greenhouse gases and a similar proportion of carbon dioxide https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/cop26-what-would-success-look-like-climate-summit-2021-10-31, the gas produced by burning fossil fuels that is the main cause of the rise in global temperatures which are triggering an increasing intensity of heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms.

"The animals are disappearing, the rivers are dying and our plants don't flower like they did before. The Earth is speaking. She tells us that we have no more time," Txai Surui, a 24-year-old indigenous youth leader from the Amazon rain forest, told the opening ceremony in Glasgow.

Delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, COP26 aims to keep alive a target of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/paris-glasgow-cutting-through-climate-jargon-2021-10-27.

To do that, it needs to secure more ambitious pledges https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/cop26-what-would-success-look-like-climate-summit-2021-10-31 to reduce emissions, lock in billions in climate financing https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/climate-finance-could-make-or-break-cop26-summit-heres-why-2021-11-01 for developing countries, and finish the rules for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement, which was signed by nearly 200 countries.

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The pledges made so far would allow the planet's average surface temperature to rise 2.7C this century, which the United Nations says would supercharge the destruction that climate change is already causing.

More than 100 global leaders late on Monday pledged to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by the end of the decade, underpinned by $19 billion in public and private funds to invest in protecting and restoring forests.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reminded delegates that the six hottest years on record have occurred since 2015.

Other speakers, including activists from the poorer countries hardest hit by climate change, had a defiant message.

"Pacific youth have rallied behind the cry 'We are not drowning, we are fighting'," said Brianna Fruean from the Polynesian island state of Samoa, which is at risk from rising sea levels. "This is our warrior cry to the world."

In 2009, the developed countries most responsible for global warming pledged to provide $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing nations deal with its consequences.

The commitment has still not been met, generating mistrust and a reluctance among some developing nations to accelerate their emissions reductions.

Leaders of countries such as Kenya, Bangladesh, Barbados and Malawi called rich nations to task for failing to deliver.

"The money pledge to least developed nations by developed nations ... is not a donation, but a cleaning fee," Malawi's President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera said.

"Neither Africa in general, nor Malawi in particular, will take 'no' for an answer. Not any more."

President Xi Jinping of China, by far the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, said in a written statement that developed countries should not only do more but also support developing countries to do better.

BIG HITTERS STAY HOME

Xi's absence, along with that of Russia's Vladimir Putin, president of one of the world's top three oil producers together with the United States and Saudi Arabia, may hinder progress.

Activist Greta Thunberg appealed to her millions of supporters to sign an open letter accusing leaders of betrayal.

"This is not a drill. It's code red for the Earth," it read.

"Millions will suffer as our planet is devastated -- a terrifying future that will be created, or avoided, by the decisions you make. You have the power to decide."

Meanwhile, India and Brazil, two of the largest polluters, both used the platform to provide new emission cutting pledges.

"We will act responsibly and search for real solutions for an urgent transition," Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has presided over more than two years of deforestation, said.

Brazil said it would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, compared with a previous pledge of 43% in that period.

However, the cuts are calculated against emissions levels in 2005, a baseline which was retroactively revised last year, making it easier for Brazil's targets to be met.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi set 2070 as a target for India to reach net-zero carbon emissions, much later than those set by other polluters and twenty years beyond the U.N.'s global recommendation.

The G20 failed to commit to the 2050 target to halt net carbon emissions, undermining one of COP26's main aims, at a weekend meeting in Rome.

Instead, they only recognised "the key relevance" of doing so "by or around mid-century", and set no timetable for phasing out domestic coal power, a major cause of carbon emissions.

The commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies "over the medium term" echoed wording they used as long ago as 2009.

'CALAMITOUS THREATS'

Discord among some of the world's biggest emitters about how to cut back on coal, oil and gas will make progress difficult in Glasgow, as will the rich world's failure to stick to promises.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley compared the vast sums pumped into the global economy by rich countries' central banks in recent years with those spent on climate help.

"Can there be peace and prosperity if one-third of the world lives in prosperity and two-thirds lives under seas and face calamitous threats to our wellbeing?" she said.

Developed nations confirmed last week they would be three years late in meeting the $100 billion climate finance pledge - which many poor countries and activists say is insufficient anyway.

U.S. President Joe Biden said the rich must do more, admitting that "right now we're falling short," while French President Emmanuel Macron also called on all developed countries to deliver their fair share of funding.

Biden announced in September that the U.S. would double its climate finance to $11.4 billion per year, but several climate thinktanks and activists say this still falls far short of what its contribution should be.

World leaders wrapped up the first day of COP26 at a reception hosted by Prince Charles and other members of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth, who has been advised by her doctors to rest, sent a video message.

(Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Katy Daigle and Mark John; Writing by Gavin Jones and Kevin Liffey; Editing by Barbara Lewis and Alexander Smith)
New Jersey voters will decide Tuesday whether to make Governor Phil Murphy the first incumbent Democrat to be re-elected since 1977.

The Garden State is reliably blue in presidential and U.S. Senate elections, but its off-year state office election gubernatorial cycle led to GOP victories in 1994 and 2009, the years after Democrats took control of the White House.

Murphy is squaring off against former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, a moderate Republican who easily won the party's nomination in June by defeating opponents more closely aligned with former President Trump. Ciattarelli has been running for governor for nearly two years and has barnstormed the state in the home stretch, holding dozens of retail-style events.

Election Day 2021: Virginia governor's race in spotlight as voters across U.S. head to the polls

New Jersey has 1 million more registered Democrats than Republicans, giving Murphy a statistical edge. Recent polling from Monmouth University showed Murphy up 11 points among registered voters and a Stockton University poll had the governor up 9 points among likely voters.

Phil Murphy, Jack Ciattarelli / Credit: Yana Paskova/Getty Images, Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Ciattarelli and his allies insist the race is closer than those polls show and believe there is a strong chance for a major upset on Tuesday. If he pulls off the monumental upset, it could create a template for Republicans in bluer states during the 2022 midterm elections.

Murphy has focused on his first term accomplishments out on the campaign trail. He highlights raising the minimum wage, enacting a tax on wealthy New Jerseyans, expanding paid family leave benefits, increasing funding for public schools and providing more access to pre-k.

"I think back to the day that I put my hand on the Bible four years ago. We had underperformed, we had lagged, we underachieved, we let our people down constantly," Murphy told supporters in Elizabeth on Sunday. "I'm here to tell you those days are over."

For Ciattarelli, the focus has largely been on taxes, especially New Jersey's high property taxes. Recent polls from Monmouth University and Stockton University showed taxes have taken over as the number one issue for voters.

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"This is the guy who said to the highest-taxed people in the nation, 'if taxes are your issue, we're probably not your state,'" Ciattarelli told a crowd in Edison on Thursday. "He's out of touch. I'm main street, he's Wall Street. I'm an MBA/CPA, he's an investment banker. I'm you, he's somebody else. He roots for the Red Sox, let's send him back to Massachusetts."

Painting Murphy as an outsider has resonated with some of Ciattarelli's supporters, who say the governor is out of touch with voters on economic and pandemic related issues.

"(Murphy's) not a Jersey boy. He doesn't know the nuances," said Jerome Sisolak, a retired police officer from Edison. "We're going to put this to bed and send him back where he belongs."

The pandemic is also a top issue for voters and Murphy insists that he is best fit to lead the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ciattarelli has hammered Murphy over nursing home deaths in the early days of the pandemic, while Murphy has focused on Ciattarelli's opposition to vaccine and mask mandates.

"He puts his finger in the air and sees which way the political winds are blowing before he utters anything about vaccinations or masking," Murphy told a crowd at Rutgers University on Thursday at an event with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Ciattarelli, who is vaccinated and has urged people to get vaccinated, has said he believes getting the vaccine is about personal choice. A Stockton University poll from late September found 58% of likely voters supported New Jersey's student mask mandate and 56% backed a requirement for businesses with more than 100 employees to require vaccination or weekly testing.

"I strongly encourage people to get vaccinated. Do I believe that the government has a right to tell people they have to be vaccinated for COVID-19? I don't," Ciattarelli told reporters after casting his ballot on Friday.

Education has been an important issue, but has not dominated the race like it has in Virginia. Ciattarelli has spoken about parents who have concerns about school curriculum, figuring out a new formula for school funding to lower property taxes and said at the first debate that "certain subject matter" for kindergarten through eighth grade students is "best left for the kitchen table."

Murphy has touted increased funding for schools and has tied schools to the pandemic by focusing on issues like the student mask mandate.

Paul Chopra, a student at Rutgers, said Thursday that he wasn't sure how he was going to vote when he showed up at Murphy's rally with Sanders. He thought Murphy handled the pandemic well, but liked Ciattarelli's place in the moderate lane of the Republican Party. But on Sunday, he told CBS News that he's casting his ballot for Murphy.

"Much of his agenda, such as the minimum wage, has played a big role," Chopra said about how he reached his decision. "I think (raising the minimum wage) was a common sense thing to do."

This has been the first year with early in-person voting after Murphy signed a law earlier this year allowing for nine days of early voting for general elections. According to the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, 170,000 people have voted early in-person as of Saturday and 451,000 people have voted by mail as of Friday. Democrats have cast 59% of total votes so far.

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)  Hundreds of revelers clad in white and clutching candles crowded into the main cemetery at Haitis capital on Monday to pay their respects to the dead during an annual Vodou festival.

Many in the crowd surrounded the tomb of the first person buried in the Port-au-Prince cemetery, believing it contains the guardian of the dead, known in Haitian Vodou as Baron Samedi.

Im going to continue believing in Baron Samedi. He is my leader because this country has no leader, said Emmanuel Jean-Pierre, a Vodou priest who walked several hours to reach the cemetery because he could not afford public transportation.

The celebration comes at a time of deepening misery and violence for Haiti, which is struggling to recover from the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck southwest Haiti in mid-August and killed more than 2,200 people. The country also is facing a severe fuel shortage, a rise in the cost of basic goods and a spike in gang-related kidnappings. Officials announced on Monday that a university professor who was recently abducted had been killed and U.S. and Haitian authorities are trying to recover 17 members of a U.S. religious organization who were kidnapped more than two weeks ago in an unrelated case.

Revelers offered candles and money to a Vodou priest dressed in black and wearing a white hat who stood upon the tomb as he carved a cross into the candles with his fingernail and murmured something under his breath before giving them back.

One man standing near the priest whispered, If you get me a job this year, next year Ill bring you more.

Nearby, people filled wooden bowls with plantains, fish, bread, avocados and anything else they thought their dead relatives or friends might appreciate. They also poured black coffee into the ground as an offering.

Some even requested that the deceased share upcoming winning lottery numbers in their sleep. Others carried jugs of a moonshine rum known as cleren with hot peppers marinating inside.

Vodou is an official and widely practiced religion in Haiti, where it is practiced widely in the country of more than 11 million people. It was born in the 16th century when slaves from West Africa who were forced to practice Catholicism combined the saints with spirits in African religions.
If you want to know who really controls Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust (ASX:CQR), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership.

Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust has a market capitalization of AU$2.4b, so we would expect some institutional investors to have noticed the stock. In the chart below, we can see that institutional investors have bought into the company. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust.

See our latest analysis for Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

We can see that Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 9.0% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 7.5% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 6.4% by the third-largest shareholder.

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Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our information suggests that Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust insiders own under 1% of the company. It is a pretty big company, so it would be possible for board members to own a meaningful interest in the company, without owning much of a proportional interest. In this case, they own around AU$4.5m worth of shares (at current prices). It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with a 36% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Charter Hall Retail Real Estate Investment Trust (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) you should know about.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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.
By Budi Satriawan

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Researchers in Indonesia have found a way to fight disease-bearing mosquitoes by breeding a species of the insect which carries a kind of bacteria that prevents viruses like dengue from growing inside them.

Wolbachia is a common bacteria that occurs naturally in 60% of insect species, including some mosquitoes, fruit flies, moths, dragonflies and butterflies. It is not, however, found in dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, according to non-profit World Mosquito Program (WMP), which initiated the research.

"In principle we are breeding the 'good' mosquitoes," said Purwanti, a WMP community cadre. "The mosquitoes carrying dengue will mate with mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia, which will produce Wolbachia mosquitoes - the 'good' mosquitoes. So even if they bite people, it won't affect them".

Since 2017, a joint study conducted by WMP at Australia's Monash University and Indonesia's Gadjah Mada University has been releasing lab-bred Wolbachia mosquitoes across a few dengue fever 'red zones' in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.

The trial results, published by the New England Journal of Medicine in June, showed that deploying mosquitoes with Wolbachia reduced dengue cases by as much as 77% and hospitalisations by up to 86%.

"We're confident in this technology, particularly for areas where the Aedes aegypti mosquito is the most responsible (infection) factor," WMP lead researcher Adi Utarini, who has been working on Indonesia's Eliminate Dengue Program since 2011, told Reuters.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), global dengue infections have risen rapidly in recent decades, with about half of the world's population now at risk. An estimated 100-400 million infections are reported every year.

"All three of my children have been infected with dengue and hospitalised ... It's always on my mind, thinking about how to keep my village healthy and clean," said 62-year-old Sri Purwaningsih, whose family volunteered for the WMP programme.

(This story corrects paragraph 3 to show that Purwanti is a WMP community cadre, not a researcher)

(Reporting by Budi Satriawan; Writing by James Pearson; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
MELBOURNE, Australia  Boeing has delivered the first of four KC-46A tankers to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, marking the programs first delivery to a customer outside the United States.

The aircraft, carrying the serial number 14-3611 and using the callsign REACH 46, made the trans-Pacific flight after departing Boeings facilities in Seattle, Washington, on Thursday afternoon local time, arriving at Miho Air Base in Japan on Friday morning local time, according to data from flight-tracking website ADS-B Exchange.

Japans acquisition of KC-46A tankers marks a significant milestone for both the program and U.S.-Japan cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and plays a critical role in the security alliance between both countries, said Will Shaffer, president of Boeing Japan.

Shaffer added that the KC-46 will also be able to support Japans humanitarian and disaster relief efforts due to its ability to carry cargo and passengers.

Japan received the U.S. State Departments approval to acquire four KC-46s in September 2016. The U.S. Air Force and the JASDF awarded Boeing a Foreign Military Sale contract for this first tanker in December 2017, and exercised an option for a second in December 2018.

The options for the third and fourth JASDF KC-46As were exercised in October 2020 under a $342 million contract.

Japan will form a new squadron for its KC-46As at Miho Air Base to operate alongside its existing tanker fleet comprised of four KC-767 and two KC-130H tankers that are assigned to 404 Hikotai at Komaki. The new tankers will help refuel the JASDFs fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35A and F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, Mitsubishi F-15 and F-2 fighters, and Bell-Boeing MV-22 Osprey tilt rotors.
Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Jen Psaki, Joe Bidens White House press secretary, said on Sunday she had tested positive for Covid-19.

Related: Joe Biden dismisses bad polling and says domestic agenda set to pass

Psaki, 42, did not travel with Biden to Rome for this weeks G20 summit. The president is also due to travel to Glasgow for the Cop26 climate talks. Biden has been accompanied in Europe by his principal deputy press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre.

News of a positive test for such a close aide to the president came a little over a year after an outbreak at the White House reached the then president, Donald Trump, who fell seriously ill and was forced to spend time in hospital.

In a statement, Psaki said she last saw the 78-year-old Biden on Tuesday, when we sat outside more than 6ft apart and wore masks.

Biden tested negative for Covid-19 on Saturday, Reuters quoted a person familiar with the matter as saying.

Psaki said she stayed in the US due to a family emergency, which was members of my household testing positive for Covid-19. She has two children.

Since then, Psaki continued, I have quarantined and tested negative via PCR for Covid on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. However, today I tested positive for Covid.

While I have not had close contact in person with the president or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday and tested negative for four days after that last contact, I am disclosing todays positive test out of an abundance of transparency.

Psaki also said that thanks to the vaccine I have only experienced mild symptoms, which has enabled me to continue working from home.

I will plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the 10-day quarantine following a negative rapid test, which is an additional White House requirement beyond [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance, taken out an abundance of caution.

White House staff and others traveling with the president began undergoing daily tests for Covid-19 before departing Washington and are all fully vaccinated. Many officials have also received booster shots, due to the close-quarters environment and frequent travel associated with their work.

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Biden got his Covid-19 booster on 27 September, shortly after federal regulators approved the third dose for many Americans.

On Sunday Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist and senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, responded to the news that Psaki had worn a mask around Biden by tweeting: Good to still mask up, even if vaxxed.

Related: Pro-vaccine Fox News host receives support from CNN anchor over death threats

According to Johns Hopkins University, the US has recorded nearly 46m cases of Covid-19 and more than 745,000 deaths. Resistance to vaccination mandates remains a concern, particularly among Republican voters, though case numbers are slowing.

On Sunday, the CDC said the US had administered 422,070,099 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, up from 420,657,683 doses on Saturday. The agency said 221,520,153 people had received at least one dose, while 192,453,500 people were fully vaccinated.

The CDC tally includes two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine. About 18.6 million people have received a booster dose.

Full approval for children aged five to 11 to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is expected as soon as this week.
Kansas City police have identified the person fatally shot the night of Halloween in the Blue Hills neighborhood as 15-year-old Kamari Bridges.

Officers responded to the sound of gunshots at about 8:15 p.m. Sunday in the area of East 54th Street and Prospect Avenue, Officer Donna Drake, a Kansas City police spokeswoman, said in an email. Police found a teenager inside a vehicle suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds one block to the west.

No suspect information was immediately available.

The latest killing marks the 130th homicide this year in Kansas City, according to data maintained by The Star. By this time last year  the deadliest year on record  the city had suffered 160 homicides.

Police are asking anyone with information of the killing to call the homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.
MISSION, Kan. (AP)  A freshman Kansas lawmaker who has acknowledged past abuses against girls and young women was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation Monday after he was charged with domestic battery in a disturbance involving his brother at his grandfather's home.

Magistrate Judge James Phelan said Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City could be freed on a personal recognizance bond, without putting up a deposit or collateral. The hearing was held via Zoom and Coleman didnt appear because he is receiving medical care. No information was provided about his health status and Colemans attorney, David Bell, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking details.

Overland Park police arrested the 21-year-old Saturday evening.

Bell entered a plea of not guilty. He said the allegations involved two family members at the home of Coleman's grandfather, Ronald Tomberlin.

Tomberlin and Coleman's brother, both spoke on the call and said they weren't afraid of the lawmaker.

Judge, I have spoken to his mother and we are going to seek help for Mr. Coleman to help him with some of the issues that he is facing," Bell said.

Phelan set his next court appearance for Dec. 22 and gave Coleman 21 days to undergo a mental health evaluation and follow the recommendations of a mental health specialist.

Colemans grandmother, Marsha Tomberlin, told The Topeka Capital-Journal that the dispute was over religious beliefs. She said Coleman also accused his brother of stealing his phone to call the police. No further details were provided.

The Associated Press filed records requests for the probable cause affidavit, but it wasn't immediately available. The police incident report provided no details about what the dispute was over and the grandmother's phone number wasn't listed.

It wasnt immediately clear what consequences Coleman might face in the House.

Given what little we know about the situation, I am concerned for everyone involved, Speaker of the House, Ron Ryckman said in a weekend statement. I know that law enforcement will thoroughly investigate and assess the situation so that we can take appropriate action.

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House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer issued a statement urging Coleman to resign and calling his arrest extremely disturbing."

After he was elected last year, Coleman received a written reprimand from a legislative committee about his conduct before taking office. The House committees investigation of Coleman followed accusations of abusive behavior toward girls and young women. He acknowledged some of the behavior on social media and said he had been a troubled teenager.

Earlier this month, Coleman was also banned from the Kansas Department of Labors offices because the agencys director said Coleman had tried to improperly gain entry to the departments main office through a secured employee entry and berated a security officer.

At that time, Coleman said he was trying to help constituents deal with the states unemployment system.

Coleman tweeted before his arrest Saturday that he had been isolated from other students while in grade schools, leaving him traumatized as well as several years behind in my social skills."

This deficiency," he wrote, makes it difficult to express to the world the love that I hold in my tender heart. It makes it even harder to form and maintain meaningful relationships, including romantic relationships."

He didn't immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

___

Andy Tsubasa Field in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report.
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Kate Middleton is all smiles in her $445 Ganni Quilted Tech Fabric Vest (Photos via Ganni & Getty Images)

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Keeping up with Kate: Climate change edition.

This week, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in Scotland alongside other world leaders for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26.

Kicking off their visit in Glasgow with a meeting with young Scouts, Kate is the joint president of The Scout Association together with the Duke of Kent, the mother-of-three was all smiles in a $445 quilted khaki vest from the Danish fashion brand Ganni.

Ganni Quilted Tech Fabric Vest (Photo via Ganni)

$445 at Ganni

Part of the brand's Let's Go Outside capsule collection, the khaki-green vest uses a quilted tech fabric made with 100 per cent recycled polyester, keeping in line with the week's climate action theme.

The Duchess paired her quilted vest with a black turtleneck sweater, skinny black trousers, and a pair of See By Chloe Mozart boots she's worn several times before.

The Duchess of Cambridge is beaming on day two of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

The couple's trip to Scotland comes weeks after they hosted the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, which honours activists from around the world for their contributions to the environment.

To take home your very own Kate Middleton-inspired quilted vest for winter, shop our picks below.

Barbour Betty Quilted Vest (Photo via Nordstrom)

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The Daily Beast

The View/ABCWhen Meghan McCain returned to The View from maternity leave at the beginning of 2021, her co-host openly admitted on-air: I did not miss you. Zero. Those feelings dont seem to have changed now that McCain has been off the show for several months.On Friday, The View welcomed back another former conservative co-host, Abby Huntsman, who also happens to be close friends with McCain. Almost immediately, Behar asked her: Did you miss us? And how does it feel to be back here?Huntsman,
Text messages reportedly between Kim Seon-ho and his former girlfriend appear to show that he did not force an abortion on her. (Photo by The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images)

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha star Kim Seon-ho was recently embroiled in an abortion scandal and became a victim of cancel culture, but his image has been rehabilitated to a degree amid new revelations about his relationship with his former girlfriend, who had accused him of forcing her to get an abortion after she became pregnant. The rising 35-year-old actor has even been greenlit to begin filming for the movie Sad Tropics.

Kim had released a statement of apology on 20 October for hurting his ex with what he called his thoughtless and inconsiderate actions.

In the past week, however, private messages reportedly between Kim and his ex-girlfriend Choi Young-ah were released by celebrity news site Dispatch, which appeared to portray Kims character in a more positive light than Choi had painted it.

The screenshots from messaging app Kakao were reportedly shared with Dispatch by acquaintances of Choi.

Despite Chois claim that Kim had given her a "trashy" response regarding her pregnancy, the truth was apparently far from this. In the revealed text messages, Kim reassured her, saying:

Im sorry I cant be there for you right now.

Lets carefully think this through.

Lets inform our parents of the pregnancy.

Whatever happens, Ill take full responsibility.

Dont worry, go home and get some rest.

Choi was also the first to suggest abortion, which Kim seemed to be not keen on, with the reply, Lets think about this. Kim also said that they should get married, and confessed that he had never loved anyone like he loved her.

Following the controversy, the actor had been removed from ads and shows, including variety show 2 Days & 1 Night, and upcoming films Dog Days and 2 OClock Date.

But after the Dispatch report appeared to improve Kim's image, he has been reinstated by some advertisers, including face mask brand Miima and Canon Korea. He was also confirmed to star in an upcoming film Sad Tropics, which will also mark his silver screen debut.

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Regarding his participation in Sad Tropics, which will begin shooting this December, Kim said, I am grateful for the opportunity, and will do my best to film for the movie.

Sad Tropics is about a man, born to a Korean father and Filipino mother, who dreams of becoming a boxer. Raised in the Philippines, he travels to South Korea to find his father who had abandoned him.

Get more TV and movie news from Yahoo Life on our Entertainment page.
John Gallagher Jr., Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff from

Fall might be in full swing, but its time for Spring Awakening once again.

The original cast of the Tony Award-winning musical, including Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, Skylar Astin and John Gallagher Jr., are reuniting for a one-night anniversary concert 15 years after the show first hit Broadway.

Benefitting the Actors Fund, the concert is set for Nov. 15 at New Yorks Imperial Theatre, where the cast and crew will breathe new life into the musical about a group of angsty German teens navigating the joys and pains of their burgeoning sexuality.

Featuring songs like The Bitch of Living and My Junk, the coming-of-age musical, with music from Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater, won eight Tony Awards during its original run. It has since spawned many productions, including a reimagined revival in 2015 that featured many deaf actors using ASL.

The cast of

Joining Michele, who appeared in the production shortly before her breakout role on Glee, are Groff, Astin, Gallagher, Lilli Cooper, Christine Estabrook, Gideon Glick, Brian Charles Johnson, Lauren Pritchard, Stephen Spinella, Phoebe Strole, Jonathan B. Wright, Remy Zaken, Gerard Canonico, Jennifer Damiano, Robert Hager and Krysta Rodriguez. Michael Mayer, who helmed the original production, will direct.

Michele is perhaps the most notable addition to the upcoming performance. Shes skipped out on other recent cast reunions amid the fallout from her alleged past mean-spirited behavior on the set of Glee.

But she appears to be fully on board for the special event, writing on Instagram on Monday: [Im] SO thrilled to finally announce.. That the original cast of SPRING AWAKENING will be reuniting for an incredible one night concert event benefitting @theactorsfund. 

From left, Michele, Groff and Gallagher pose for a photograph outside the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in New York, Dec. 1, 2006. (Photo: TINA FINEBERG/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The chance to reunite our remarkable cast 15 years after their first Broadway performance of Steven Sater, Duncan Sheik, and Michael Mayers gorgeous show, is a beautiful and thrilling idea, original producers Tom Hulce and Ira Pittleman told Deadline in a joint statement. I think all of us are looking forward to revisiting our younger selves, even for just one night, and we are truly grateful to Jonathan Groff, Lauren Pritchard and the entire cast for reaching out and making this all come together.

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Various members of the cast have stayed close since the show ended. Michele and Groff in particular have continued to work together throughout the years and regularly share photos of each other on social media.

Some of the cast members reunited in 2018 to help a group of students who survived the Parkland, Florida, school shooting to rehearse ahead of their staging of the musical.

Tickets for the special event, which range from $50 to $5,000, can be purchased here.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
ATLANTA (AP)  If A.J. Minter could do it all over, he wouldve powered the ball to the catchers mitt instead of trying to aim it with Martin Maldonado at the plate and the bases loaded in the fifth inning.

Minter could tell the light-hitting Houston catcher was trying to work a walk.

Thats obviously the one thing I would take back, Minter said. And then a shot to, a flare shot, to score two runs, just like that.

Minter, the Braves stingy relief pitcher, coughed up three runs and blew a one-run lead in the Astros 9-5 victory over Atlanta in Game 5 early Monday. That flare was a bloop single by Marwin Gonzalez, the next batter, that plated two runs and broke a 5-all tie.

Im not worried about it, Minter said. Ive been pitching good and feeling good, and Im still feeling good. Ill be ready to go Game 6.

Minter began Sunday 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two World Series games. He was 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 13 relief appearances and one start in his postseason career.

Minter is a tough man, Astros manager Dusty Baker said. Hes had our number pretty good this series. Im just glad that Maldy got the walk and glad that Marwin, that was a big hit. That was a real big hit. You cant let (Minter) get too far ahead of you because this guy has a lot of weapons to work with.

Minter took the loss after allowing three runs and three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in one inning.

STILL CONFIDENT

Braves center fielder Adam Duvall, who hit a first-inning grand slam to put Atlanta up early, isnt concerned about his teams collective confidence.

The Braves havent suffered consecutive losses in 24 games, a span that dates to Sept. 23-24 at Arizona and San Diego.

Weve learned to turn the page, and weve learned to celebrate the win or go over the loss and figure out what we need to do better and then turn the page and come back, Duvall said. Its a quick turnaround, and we play a lot of games. Youve got to be shortminded and be able to forget when you need to forget. Just turn the page and play your best ball tomorrow.

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MAD DOG IN THE MOOD

Hall of Famer Greg Maddux threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Sunday nights Game 5 of the World Series.

Maddux, wearing his Braves No. 31 jersey, tipped his cap in response to an ovation from fans as he walked onto the field. Fittingly, he threw the pitch to Eddie Perez, who was often his designated catcher.

After that, he had a little fun on Twitter.

 First #WorldSeries pitch since 99Little bit less pressure this time, Maddux wrote before tweeting directly to Perez that he appreciated him reaching out to catch the high first pitch.  @Eperez1212 thanks for catching it a lot of my catchers might have missed that. 

Perez, also a former Braves coach, now is a special adviser for player development for the team.

Maddux won four consecutive Cy Young Awards for the Chicago Cubs and the Braves, including in 1995 when he posted a remarkable 19-2 record with a 1.63 ERA for Atlantas 1995 World Series champion team.

It was a rare Atlanta appearance for Mad Dog Maddux. The 55-year-old Maddux is the pitching coach for UNLV.

BREGMAN MOVES DOWN

Houston manager Dusty Baker moved third baseman Alex Bregman down in his batting order.

Entering Game 5, Bregman had only one hit in 14 World Series at-bats (.071) with no homers and one RBI. He was hitting seventh. He was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in Saturdays nights 3-2 loss while hitting third in Game 4. He went 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI in Game 5.

Baker said he hoped to move Bregman back up in a lineup with the designated hitter returning to Houston for Game 6.

NO LONGER PERFECT AT HOME

The Braves entered Game 5 trying to extend one of their most impressive home postseason performances in team history.

Atlanta was 7-0 at home in the postseason, including wins in Games 3 and 4. It marked their second-longest home winning streak in the postseason, and the longest in one postseason. They won eight consecutive home postseason games from Oct. 7, 1995, to Oct. 9, 1996.

Overall, the Braves had won 12 of their last 13 home games before Game 5.

The Astros are 5-2 at home this postseason.

ALVAREZ SORE

Left fielder Yordan Alvarez, who crashed into the wall trying to catch Jorge Solers go-ahead homer in the seventh inning of Game 4, was sore but able to start. The AL Championship Series MVP is hitting .063 after going 0 for 5 in Game 5.

Baker said he initially feared Alvarez hurt his shoulder reaching for the ball when he hit the fence.

He banged his knee on the fence because he had paint or something that came off on his knee, Baker said.

REMEMBERING 95  SORT OF

Braves closer Will Smith, a native of Newnan, Georgia, said he cherishes memories of watching Atlanta games with his father. But the memories of the Braves 1995 World Series title are faint. Smith was only 6 and on vacation in Panama City, Florida, with his family when the Braves beat the Indians in the World Series.

I just remember my dad being super excited when Marquis Grissom caught the last out, Smith said. I knew they won, but I was still too young to remember much.

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AP Sports Writer George Henry contributed to this report.

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ATLANTA (AP)  Martin Maldonado, a veteran catcher known for his defense, provided a surprise contribution at the plate to help the Houston Astros stay alive in the World Series.

Maldonado, Houston's No. 8 hitter, was creative as he drove in three runs in the Astros' 9-5 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 5.

He is the first player in history to drive in runs with a hit, walk and sacrifice fly in a postseason game.

Its like whatever way you bring a run, especially in the playoff, is huge, Maldonado said. You get good at-bats, whatever the situation dictates. You try to work through it. I was really hopeful to help the team win whatever way we can do it.

Maldonado also is the first Astros catcher to drive in three runs in a postseason game.

The bases-loaded walk from A.J. Minter in the fifth drew the most attention, including from teammate Carlos Correa.

Did you guys notice how close he was to the plate on the bat against Minter? Correa asked reporters following the game. You guys notice? That was sick.

Minter also noticed.

Obviously with Maldonado, I could tell he was going up there trying to work a walk, Minter said. For me, it was just I tried to aim the ball instead of just driving it to the mitt. Thats obviously the one thing I would take back.

To describe Maldonados big game as unexpected would be an understatement. He had never driven in more than one run in any of his previous 41 career postseason games. He had hit only .157 in the postseason.

Astros manager Dusty Baker described Maldonado's hitting as real important to the game.

The fact that he was battling and not looking at the scoreboard, you can get down looking up there, said Baker, referring to Maldonado's modest batting totals.

Maldonado, 35, hit only .172 in the regular season and is a career .212 hitter in 11 seasons with Milwaukee, the Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City, Chicago Cubs and two stints with Houston.

Maldonado had only one hit Sunday night but played a key role in the Astros' offensive resurgence. Houston carried a .206 batting average for the World Series before breaking out with 12 hits. The Astros scored a combined two runs in losing Games 3 and 4.

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Maldonado's three RBIs led the Astros and helped push the series back to Houston. The Braves lead the series, 3-2.

Maldonado's first contribution came in the second inning. His fly ball to deep center field drove in Kyle Tucker from third base. His two-out single to left field off Drew Smyly in the seventh gave Houston an 8-5 lead.

The Astros have success when Maldonado produces at the plate. In his four seasons with the team, Houston is 16-4 when he drives in two or more runs.

Maldonado is expected to carry the full load at catcher after backup Jason Castro was placed on the COVID-19 related injured list before Game 4 on Saturday.

Castro was replaced by Garrett Stubbs. Unlike a player replaced due to injury, Castro is eligible to return if he is cleared.

Castro was 0 for 2 in Game 1 against Atlanta and 0 for 1 in Game 2.

Due to his defensive strength, Maldonado was starting even before the loss of Castro. Maldonado was named a Gold Glove finalist on Thursday. He led the American League by throwing out 18 of 47 runners attempting to steal a base.

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BAMAKO (Reuters) - Security forces in Mali have freed three Chinese nationals abducted from a construction site in the north of the country in July, the presidency said on Monday.

On July 17, the three Chinese nationals from the COVEC construction company were seized by unknown gunmen alongside two Mauritanians with ATTM, a road-building company, 55 km (34 miles) from the town of Kwala.

"While saluting the courage of the three former hostages, the president ... also congratulated the various armed forces for their professionalism," Mali's presidency said in a statement on Facebook.

Kidnapping has been a lucrative source of cash for Islamist groups in West Africa's Sahel region, where they are waging an expanding insurgency against national armies, French forces and U.N. peacekeepers.

Earlier this month, a Colombian nun was freed after being kidnapped by Islamist militants near the Burkina Faso border in 2017.

(Reporting by Cheick Diouara; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney)
There is still a ways to go, but Robert Byrnes has been heartened by signs that more New Yorkers are getting back to the office after the coronavirus pandemic.

"The subway train was absolutely packed this morning," he said. "I'm back to waiting in lines at lunchtime."

Still, Byrnes, who heads the East Midtown Partnership, a trade group whose offices are near Grand Central Station, estimated that only about one third of the neighborhood's workforce has come back to their cubicles.

"Quick meal-type restaurants are still suffering a severe financial impact," he said. "It's slowly getting better."

Other benchmarks corroborate Byrnes's sense of the lag in New York office employees' return to in-person workdays.

In May, 62 percent of large employers surveyed by the Partnership for New York City estimated that their workers would be back in the office by September.

But in August, only 41 percent gave that same timeframe.

Building security company Kastle estimates that New York's buildings are currently at 32 percent of their normal levels, putting it behind the 37 percent average of the nation's 10 largest cities.

The upshot is that around 30 percent of the stores near Grand Central remain vacant, according to a report published in early October from the Real Estate Board of New York.

The casualties include some longtime institutions, such as the Marriott hotel on Lexington Avenue, which opened in 1924.

- Lasting change? -

Other New York neighborhoods hit hard by lockdowns to combat Covid-19 are coming back more quickly. The catch is they tend not to rely on office workers.

This includes Times Square, which has seen more tourists of late as Broadway theaters have reopened.

Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, said the neighborhood now sees about 225,000 people a day, up from 145,000 a day in May.

The hotel occupancy rate of the quarter stood at 82.5 on October 9th, Harris said.

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"With 12 more Broadway shows opening up in the next couple of months, with the return of international visitors in November and the office workers going to return a little bit more in 2022, we're very optimistic about the way Times Square has been recovering," he said.

But a recent report from commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield paints a mixed picture about Manhattan.

Overall, new office leasing in the famous New York City borough rose in August and September to levels not seen since the start of the pandemic. Despite that, Manhattan's vacancy rate reached a record 19 percent due to the arrival of additional properties on the market, the Cushman report said.

Rent for newly available office real estate is down about five percent below the levels from a year ago.

Byrnes is among those who think the New York real estate market has experienced lasting change. He questions whether some of the open space may be converted to residential use.

"It'll never be like it was before the pandemic," he said, adding that a minority of companies have permanently shuttered their offices in favor of remote work.

Sam Stovall of CFRA Research has shifted his office to his home in Pennsylvania.

Stovall's firm has shut its 40-person office in southern Manhattan, while keeping a headquarters in the state of Maryland and another office in Malaysia.

"Our management felt that we were equally, if not more productive by eliminating commutes on a daily basis," Stovall said. "They can save money on real estate."

Stovall still sees his colleagues on Zoom calls, but says he misses regular business lunches and the chance to go out for drinks on Friday nights.

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In a surprising move, federal prosecutors in Miami have agreed to dismiss almost all of the lengthy indictment against Alex Saab, a businessman close to Venezuelas president who is accused of laundering $350 million in Venezuelan government funds, including wire transfers into South Floridas banking system. It was done as part of a secret deal made with the Republic of Cape Verde to gain his extradition to the United States, according to court papers filed Monday.

Saab, however, still faces up to 20 years in prison on the lone remaining money-laundering charge involving a scheme prosecutors say ripped off money from a Venezuelan housing program that was supposed to benefit the poor in the economically depressed country.

The other seven money-laundering counts in Saabs indictment, each also carrying up to 20 years in prison, were dismissed by U.S. District Judge Robert Scola as part of the deal with Cape Verde, an island nation off the west coast of Africa where Saab had been arrested more than a year ago.

Federal prosecutors said in a court filing that Cape Verde authorities agreed to extradite Saab last month only if they could be assured that he would serve no more than 20 years in prison for his money-laundering offense  the maximum allowed under that countrys similar laws.

On September 7, 2020, during the extradition process, the United States sent an assurance through diplomatic channels to the Republic of Cabo Verde that the United States will not prosecute or punish defendant Alex Nain Saab Moran for more than a single count of the indictment, in order to comply with Cabo Verdean law regarding the maximum term of imprisonment, federal prosecutors Kurt Lunkenheimer and Alexander Kramer wrote in the motion to dismiss seven of the eight money-laundering charges in the indictment.

Saab, a Colombian businessman close to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty Monday to the sole money-laundering conspiracy charge accusing him of siphoning $350 million from the Venezuelan government by bribing officials to secure building supply contracts for low-income housing.

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Saab, 49, was recently ordered detained by a federal magistrate judge but he can seek his release at a later date. Federal prosecutors told Magistrate Judge John J. OSullivan that they will ask that he be detained before his money-laundering trial because they consider him a flight risk.

Prosecutors noted that Saab fought his extradition from Cape Verde to Miami, where he was brought in mid-October, for more than 400 days.

Saab was carrying a Venezuelan passport when he was arrested last year in Cape Verde en route to Iran on what he called a humanitarian and medical mission. He claimed to be a Venezuelan diplomat who was immune from prosecution as he fought his extradition before the Cape Verde court, but to no avail.

While being held in Cape Verde, he also tried to get his money-laundering indictment dismissed in Miami, claiming immunity. After losing, he appealed in a matter that is still pending before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

Now in custody at the Federal Detention Center in Miami, Saab is the latest suspect to be charged in connection with a series of corruption and money-laundering cases filed in the United States that accuse dozens of current and former Venezuelan officials, business people and lawyers of stealing billions of dollars from Venezuelas government and its state-run oil company, PDVSA.

Saab was charged along with Colombian national Alvaro Pulido Vargas, 55, a fugitive who still faces the original eight-count money-laundering indictment in Miami federal court.

The pair are accused of paying off Venezuelan government officials to obtain contracts to supply building materials for low-income housing projects between November 2011 and September 2015, according to the indictment filed in 2019.

Saab and Pulido paid bribes to obtain improper business advantages from Venezuelan government officials, the indictment said. In turn, the two men were paid in U.S. dollars from the Venezuelan governments foreign-currency exchange system based on false and fraudulent invoices and documents for goods that were never imported into Venezuela, the indictment said.

Saab and Pulido are accused of conspiring with others to launder the proceeds of the illegal bribery scheme from Venezuelan bank accounts into the U.S. financial system, including South Florida, where co-conspirators held meetings to carry out the illicit plot, federal prosecutors said. Prosecutors are seeking to confiscate $350 million of Saabs assets, and have already seized about $12 million from his U.S. bank accounts.
WASHINGTON  Some of the military's highest-profile bases in 2020 had the greatest number of suicides, a troubling trend for the Pentagon as it contends with a growing number of troops dying not in combat but in their own homes and barracks.

The Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune and the Army's Fort Bragg, both in North Carolina, saw 21 troops die by suicide in 2020, according to Pentagon data obtained by USA TODAY. Fort Carson in Colorado had 18 such deaths in 2020. The Pentagon, in a document attached to the suicide figures, cautioned against ranking them by risk, noting that the populations of the installations vary by size: Lejeune has more than 38,000 troops. Bragg has 50,000 and Fort Carson has more than 25,000 soldiers, according to the Army.

Smaller installations also appeared on the list. Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, with 13,470 airmen and soldiers, had 12 suicides in 2020.

The Pentagon does not identify bases with fewer than 10 suicides to avoid identifying individual people.

Cars enter the main gate Friday at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C. Ten Marines with the Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, from Camp Lejeune were killed Thursday by a roadside bomb outside Fallujah, Iraq. Gerry Broome | Associated Press

The suicide figures have sparked concern on Capitol Hill. Rep. Jackie Speier, the California Democrat who chairs the personnel subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee, won approval in annual defense authorization legislation to create an independent panel to review suicide prevention programs at military installations.

Every loss of one of our brave service members or members of our military families is a tragedy that demands the attention of leaders, and especially so at the nine bases that saw double-digit deaths by suicide in 2020, Speier said. I expect base commanders to take action to improve suicide prevention efforts. I am especially concerned to see that Joint Base Langley-Eustis had as many suicides as much larger installations."

Some of the bases with the highest suicide rates also have high rates of sexual assault, Speier said. That connection underscores the need to address poor leadership, she said.

Sexual assault: Former Fort Bragg master sgt. faces sexual assault, revenge porn charges

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From left, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduce the Vanessa Guillen Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act on June 23, 2021.

In September, the Pentagon released data showing 580 troops died by suicide in 2020, compared with 504 in 2019, an increase of 15%. The report noted that the suicide rate among active-duty troops had increased from 20.3 per 100,000 in 2015 to 28.7 per 100,000 in 2020. The rate of suicide since 2018 had remained stable, however.

After adjusting for age and sex, the suicide rate for active, Reserve and the National Guard troops was comparable with that of the U.S. population in 2019, the last year for which there is similar data.

Young enlisted male troops have a higher risk of suicide, according to the report. They make up a large portion of the troops stationed at Lejeune, Bragg and Carson.

This year, the Army has seen an increase in suicide. Overall, suicide among active-duty soldiers jumped to 104 for the first six months of 2021 compared with 78 for the same period last year. For all active-duty troops, the number of suicides for the first half of 2021 was 174, compared with 171 last year.

A particular area of concern is U.S. Army Alaska, USA TODAY has found. There were at least six deaths by suicide among the 11,500 soldiers there. Their deaths came despite an effort that spent more than $200 million in recent years to combat suicide in Alaska.

What's being done to battle military suicides

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, during a visit to troops in Alaska in July, made a point of addressing suicide among soldiers. Mental health, he said, should receive the same attention as physical maladies.

"I'm mindful of the stress that they're often under and I'm deeply concerned about the suicide rates, not only here but across the force," Austin said. "As you've heard me say before, one loss by suicide is too many, and while we're working hard on this problem, we have a lot more to do. And I believe that has  it has to start with removing the stigma attached to mental health issues."

At Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Air Force and Army installations that merged in 2010 to form a single post, Task Force True North was recently created to address suicide, Air Force Col. Gregory Beaulieu, commander for the joint base, said in a statement Sunday. The program will embed 16 mental health providers with units across the base.

Losing a single JBLE airman or soldier to suicide is one too many, yet the heartbreaking reality is that service members continue to take their own lives on our watch," Beaulieu said. "Here at JBLE, were focused on encouraging our airmen and soldiers to ask for help before they escalate to complete hopelessness."

The Army has launched several initiatives to prevent suicide, including financial literacy instruction, marriage retreats and programs for single soldiers, said Lt. Col. Gabriel Ramirez, a Pentagon spokesman. Financial struggles and relationship problems have been found to contribute to some deaths by suicide.

"Suicide is a complex phenomenon, with numerous factors and environmental conditions that contribute to increased depression and other behavioral issues that influence an individuals decision to harm themselves," Ramirez said. "Significant factors are the absence of a sense of connectedness and a persons inability to cope with life stressors."

The Marine Corps' first symposium for suicide prevention was held on the East Coast this year, giving Camp Lejeune personnel the first chance to attend. The Marines also expanded instruction on preventing substance abuse at the base, citing misuse of alcohol as a risk factor.

If you are a service member or veteran in crisis or having thoughts of suicide (or know someone who is), call the Military Crisis Line/Veterans Crisis Line for confidential support 24 hours a day: 1-800-273-8255 and press 1; text 838255; or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Military suicide worst at Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, Fort Carson
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Comedian Chris Rock has an old joke about how bad Bill Gates would feel if he woke up one day with Oprah's money. The point was that "rich" is a subjective term. The same holds true if you make a lot of money in America -- where you live has a lot to do with whether you can think of yourself as truly wealthy.

Find Out: Just How Rich Are Elon Musk, Donald Trump and These Other Big Names?

Be Aware: $1M Is No Longer the Standard Nest Egg - Here's How Much Most Americans Think You Actually Need To Retire

To get an idea of what it means to be rich in America, GOBankingRates used IRS data to conduct a study of the top incomes as they break down by state. It lays out what income level is needed to place you in the top 5% and the top 1% of incomes within your state.

Check out how much money you need to be "rich" in your state.

Last updated: Sept. 3, 2021



RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images

50. Wyoming

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $675,561

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $194,473

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $2,245,174

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $188,693

Learn More: How Long $1 Million in Savings Will Last in Every State

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49. Vermont

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $406,076

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $188,144

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,002,454

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $226,489

Check Out: Best Places To Live On a $50,000 Salary in Every State

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48. Alaska

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $410,354

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $210,294

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $936,890

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $238,671

Important: Almost Every State Is In Debt Thanks to COVID-19 -- What Now?

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47. North Dakota

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $464,179

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $203,849

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,173,821

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $250,253

Read Next: The Richest Celebrity From Every State

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46. South Dakota

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $494,910

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $185,567

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,414,152

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $285,414

Time To Move? The Richest Small Town in Every State

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45. Delaware

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $436,983

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $202,834

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,095,713

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $326,408

Learn More: Surprising Ways Gen Z and Millennials Are Worlds Apart Financially

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44. Montana

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $417,789

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $179,579

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,078,275

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $352,036

Exclusive: Americans' Savings Drop to Lowest Point in Years

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43. Rhode Island

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $456,877

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $201,027

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,187,791

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $371,024

Whoa: 9 Successful Money-Making 'Schemes' That Are Actually Legal

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42. Maine

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $369,120

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $177,784

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $870,414

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $461,534

Rich vs. Wealthy: What's the Difference Between the Two?

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41. New Hampshire

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $547,212

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $232,884

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,460,801

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $486,812

Read: 20 Hobbies of the Rich Only They Can Afford

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40. Hawaii

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $393,244

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $194,185

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $929,822

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $486,885

Find Out: 31 Dumb Things That Are Keeping You From Being Wealthy

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39. West Virginia

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $296,752

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $156,296

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $667,368

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $536,706

Learn More: Here's Exactly How Much Savings You Need To Retire In Your State

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38. Idaho

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $429,389

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $180,694

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,138,855

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $542,846

Read: 17 Biggest Budgeting Mistakes You're Making

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37. Nebraska

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $437,912

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $189,432

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,147,617

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $618,967

Helpful: 19 Effective Ways To Tackle Your Budget

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36. New Mexico

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $347,186

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $169,544

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $837,388

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $652,973

Check Out: Best Cities To Retire on a Budget of $1,500 a Month

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35. Mississippi

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $316,218

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $154,076

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $759,755

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $856,502

Read: Tips To Keep Your Finances in Order Without Sacrificing What You Want

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34. Arkansas

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $460,231

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $167,995

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,378,629

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $862,972

Related: 17 Dumb Home-Buying Mistakes That Hurt Your Wallet

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33. Kansas

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $480,214

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $195,014

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,314,656

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $916,179

Try: 50 Easy Things You Should Do To Save Money

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32. Utah

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $517,405

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $198,875

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,461,523

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $929,210

Stop Now: 50 Terrible Ways To Try and Save Money

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31. Iowa

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $399,217

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $184,729

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $998,306

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,002,590

Find Out: Things To Cut Out Right Now To Save Money During the Health Crisis

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30. Nevada

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $653,809

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $187,250

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $2,184,285

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,021,773

Options: 16 Ways To Save Money on Food

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29. Oklahoma

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $423,236

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $180,281

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,109,039

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,141,290

Read: 25 Tips for Saving Money With Your Spouse

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28. Connecticut

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $916,467

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $284,571

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $2,840,261

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,214,099

Helpful: 16 Effective Ways To Trick Yourself Into Saving Money

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27. Kentucky

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $392,940

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $168,243

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,047,733

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,326,353

Good To Know: 16 Splurges That Save You Money in the Long Run

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26. Louisiana

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $421,111

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $182,159

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,095,274

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,373,267

Keep Reading: 25 Ways To Save 20% More of Your Paycheck Without Even Trying

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25. Oregon

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $469,205

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $208,235

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,193,735

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,375,913

Try: Cutting Out These 25 Expenses Will Save You $16,142.08 a Year

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24. Alabama

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $391,345

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $176,514

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $999,352

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,434,586

Read: 20 Hobbies of the Rich Only They Can Afford

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23. South Carolina

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $417,071

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $184,484

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,064,627

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,576,731

See: Do You Think the Minimum Wage Should Be $15? Take Our Poll

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22. Minnesota

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $529,895

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $222,531

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,405,745

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,909,454

See: 42 Easy Ways To Save For Retirement

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21. Colorado

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $601,099

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $241,394

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,645,616

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,921,517

Take Action: Do These 13 Things To Boost Your Retirement Savings Now

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20. Missouri

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $457,214

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $184,534

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,264,240

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,939,775

Are High-Yield Savings Accounts Worth It? Here's Everything You Need To Know

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19. Wisconsin

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $447,181

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $186,922

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,203,326

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $1,973,354

Learn: What Is a Savings Bond and How Does It Work?

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18. Maryland

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $535,350

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $242,113

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,368,091

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $2,095,881

Avoid: 35 Retirement Planning Mistakes That Waste Your Money

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17. Tennessee

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $478,462

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $184,116

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,346,134

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $2,120,576

Read: 19 Things You'll Need To Sacrifice Now for a Healthy Retirement

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16. Indiana

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $396,034

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $176,199

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,017,307

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $2,162,591

Check Out: Here's How To Retire Early and Quit the Daily Grind

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15. Arizona

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $474,189

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $198,158

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,268,048

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $2,176,148

Start Cutting Costs: How To Save Money on All Your Monthly Expenses and Bills

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14. Massachusetts

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $842,977

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $287,128

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $2,539,953

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $2,380,834

More Tips: 20 Ways To Save Money Fast

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13. Washington

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $654,926

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $258,985

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,801,457

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $2,542,112

Read: Why It's Harder To Save For Retirement Today Than 50 Years Ago

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12. Virginia

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $547,782

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $246,917

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,412,355

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $2,770,602

See: 10 Signs You're Not Saving Enough for Retirement

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11. New Jersey

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $694,357

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $282,184

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,855,914

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $3,055,574

Watch Out: 15 Retirement Mistakes and Why They'll Shrink Your Nest Egg

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10. Georgia

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $510,511

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $205,702

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,386,410

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $3,180,691

Read More: Is Now a Good Time To Raid Your 401(k)?

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9. North Carolina

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $460,030

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $199,164

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,188,279

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $3,227,607

Find Out: What Social Security Will Look Like in 2035

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8. Michigan

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $465,295

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $190,597

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,281,016

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $3,286,929

Take a Look: 20 Geeky Collectibles That Could Make You Millions

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7. Ohio

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $420,927

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $180,485

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,100,839

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $3,871,661

Read: 10 Simple Habits of Money-Smart Individuals

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6. Illinois

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $631,236

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $228,565

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,842,478

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $4,196,255

Take a Look: These Once-Hot Housing Markets Are Cooling Off

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5. Pennsylvania

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $509,902

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $209,157

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,372,479

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $4,296,323

Discover: Most Affordable Places To Retire Near You

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4. New York

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $844,193

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $242,506

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $2,739,623

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $6,805,717

Read: How To Protect Your Retirement Savings During the Pandemic

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3. Florida

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $682,615

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $203,827

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $2,190,557

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $7,140,788

Read: How Much It Cost To Retire in the Year You Were Born

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2. Texas

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $585,405

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $216,799

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,681,737

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $8,751,910

Check Out: 100 Ways To Make Your Money Last Until You're 100

Ron_Thomas / Getty Images

1. California

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $758,257

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $266,020

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $2,238,758

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $12,715,259

Learn: How One Man Saved $1 Million in 5 Years

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United States

Average adjusted gross income of the top 5%: $591,187

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 5%: $219,840

Average adjusted gross income of the top 1%: $1,697,006

The minimum you need to make to be in the top 1%: $545,978

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John Csiszar contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed IRS data for the 2018 tax year to find (1) the average adjusted gross income of the top 5% of filers, (2) the adjusted gross income cutoff for the top 5% of filers, (3) the average adjusted gross income of the top 1% of filers, and (4) the adjusted gross income cutoff for the top 1% of filers. All data were collected on and up to date as of Feb. 16, 2021.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Heres How Much You Need To Earn To Be Rich in Every State
By Aditi Shah

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Starlink, the satellite internet division of billionaire Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX, registered its business in India on Monday, company documents filed with the government showed, as it gears up to launch internet services in the country.

Having a local unit, Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited, will allow the company to apply for licenses which it needs from the government before it can provide broadband and other satellite-based communication services.

"Pleased to share that SpaceX now has a 100% owned subsidiary in India," country director for Starlink in India, Sanjay Bhargava, said in a LinkedIn post.

"We can now start applying for licenses, open bank accounts, etc," said Bhargava, who according to his LinkedIn profile joined the company only in October.

Starlink is one of a growing number of companies launching small satellites as part of a low-Earth orbiting network to provide low-latency broadband internet services around the world, with a particular focus on remote areas that terrestrial internet infrastructure struggles to reach.

Its competitors include Amazon.com's Kuiper and OneWeb which is co-owned by the British government and India's Bharti Enterprises.

In India, Starlink plans to "carry on the business of telecommunication services" including satellite broadband internet services, content storage and streaming, multi-media communication, among others, according to the company filing.

It will also deal in devices such as satellite phones, network equipment, wired and wireless communication devices, as well as data transmission and reception equipment, it said.

Starlink separately said it will focus on "catalyzing rural development" in India through its broadband services, according to a company presentation shared by Bhargava on LinkedIn over the weekend.

Once it is allowed to provide services, Starlink will, in the first phase, give 100 devices for free to schools in Delhi and nearby rural districts. It will then target 12 rural districts across India.

The company aims to have 200,000 Starlink devices in India by December 2022, 80% of which will be in rural districts, it said in the presentation. Starlink has already received over 5,000 pre-orders for its devices in India.

(Reporting by Aditi Shah; Editing by Keith Weir)
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP)  The leader of North Macedonias conservative opposition is calling for an early parliamentary election after scoring a sweeping victory in municipal polls that prompted the center-left prime minister to announce his resignation.

Hristijan Mickoski, who heads the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, told supporters early Monday that the governing Social Democrats had lost legitimacy and should call a snap election.

Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev announced his resignation as prime minister late Sunday after his party lost municipal races in the capital Skopje and other cities.

Danela Arsovska, a conservative-backed lawyer and economist, is set to become the first female mayor of Skopje.

Official results are expected later Monday.

Zaev, who will also step down as party leader, favors talks to form a new government within the existing parliamentary mandate.

The 47-year-old Zaev said he would remain in office for a short time while the political negotiations were in progress.

The pro-Western Social Democrats won a narrow parliamentary election victory last year, forming a government with a multi-party coalition.

The next parliamentary election is not officially due until 2024.
By Daina Beth Solomon and Matt Spetalnick

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega runs for a fourth consecutive term on Sunday in an election seen in Washington as a sham that looks certain to cement his hold on power and deepen the struggling Central American country's international isolation.

The Biden administration is preparing to ramp up sanctions https://www.reuters.com/world/exclusive-us-preparing-new-sanctions-response-nicaraguas-nov-7-election-2021-10-29 to protest the one-sided vote, but it must tread carefully to avoid encouraging economic migration or a destabilizing upheaval in the second-poorest country in the Americas.

The increasingly authoritarian stance of Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla who helped topple the U.S.-backed Somoza dictatorship in 1979, has upset Washington and its allies, which see him in the same camp as the leaders of Venezuela, Cuba and Russia.

Since the last election in 2016, Ortega has abolished presidential term limits, expanded his family's business empire https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nicaragua-politics-ortega-specialrepo-idUSKBN2831DD and piled pressure on independent media. In recent months he has jailed opposition contenders, activists, journalists and business leaders. Other critics have gone into exile https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/lost-hope-ortegas-crackdown-nicaragua-stirs-fast-growing-exodus-2021-09-02.

"Another autocracy taking root at our doorstep is the last thing we need in this hemisphere right now," a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.

The United States has imposed sanctions https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-blacklists-four-nicaraguans-including-ortegas-daughter-2021-06-09 and travel bans on Nicaraguan officials, including Ortega's relatives, while working to root out corruption and poor governance in nearby Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Washington is also reviewing Nicaragua's participation in a Central American free trade agreement (CAFTA-DR) that gives preferential treatment to exports to the United States, and has stopped "trade capacity building" activities seen as benefiting Ortega's government, said a senior U.S. State Department official.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, of organizing a "sham election" in an effort to establish an "authoritarian dynasty," a rebuke echoed by his European Union counterpart.

Ortega, the longest-serving leader in the Americas, said in June that sanctions would not deter him and his government was upholding the law by arresting people conspiring against him.

He accused Washington in July of trying to undermine the elections and of seeking to "sow terrorism again" in Nicaragua.

Murillo, the spokeswoman for Ortega and his government, did not reply to a request for comment.

Suspending Nicaragua, which sends about half its exports to the United States, from the CAFTA-DR trade pact would be legally complicated and could worsen the country's humanitarian plight, potentially spurring more people to leave for the United States.

Nicaragua's economy contracted more than 3% in both 2018 and 2019, and nearly 2% in 2020.

REGION DIVIDED

Given splits in the region over how to address the situation, analysts doubt whether President Joe Biden can convince many other countries to take action.

Seven nations - including Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala and Honduras - abstained from voting in October on an Organization of American States (OAS) resolution expressing alarm at the Ortega administration's attempts to undermine the election.

One U.S. official said Nicaragua's neighbors may need to "step up to the plate" to help isolate Ortega.

The prospect of Russia expanding its influence in Latin America beyond Cuba and Venezuela also worries Washington.

Nicaragua could offer Moscow a "low cost, high reward" opportunity if it throws Ortega a "lifeline," said Jason Marczak, a senior director at the Atlantic Council think tank.

Ortega recently showed off his ties to Russia in a televised speech surrounded by several dozen buses from the Russian government sent to bolster Nicaragua's public transport.

John Bolton, while national security advisor for then-President Donald Trump in 2018, lumped Nicaragua in with Cuba and Venezuela as a leftist "troika of tyranny" in the Americas.

Since then Ortega's political crackdown has only intensified. Between May and September alone, his disapproval rating rose from 46% to 69%, a CID Gallup poll showed.

Facebook on Monday said https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/facebook-says-it-removed-troll-farm-run-by-nicaraguan-government-2021-11-01 it has removed more than 1,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts that were part of a troll farm that it said was run by the Nicaraguan government. It said the network was active since 2018 and promoted pro-government content and negative commentary about the opposition.

The government did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Ortega has also blocked journalists - including Nicaraguans - from entering the country.

After the election, analysts say global attention may shift to pressuring Ortega to release political prisoners and end the crackdown on dissent that began with a response to street protests in 2018 and has left at least 300 people dead.

Ortega, some U.S. officials and analysts say, may use detainees as bargaining chips in an attempt to stave off further sanctions.

For now, many Nicaraguans say they will feel powerless on election day. The several candidates who made it onto the ballot are largely unknown, and critics call them Ortega loyalists.

"They appear in front of the camera, and everyone says, 'Who is that?'" said Edgar Parrales, a former Nicaragua ambassador at the OAS.

Sherly, 25, who said her mother has been in jail for over a year for protesting against Ortega, plans to stay home.

"I'm not participating in this electoral circus," she said.

(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Daina Beth Solomon and Jake Kincaid in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Culliford in New York; Editing by Dave Graham and Daniel Wallis)
The day after he was elected to serve in the Kansas House, Aaron Coleman, an admitted abuser who once threatened to shoot a high school student, tweeted that he would call a hit out on his fellow Democrat, Gov. Laura Kelly.

We on the editorial board said that he should not be seated, as did many survivors of the kind of sexual harassment and violence that Coleman has been accused of since middle school.

But those who could have stopped him did not: I havent received a request to unseat him, but I think in a democracy we have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of our elections, House Speaker Ron Ryckman told The Star Editorial Board at the time. Id be leery of an attempt to override the vote of the people.

And Coleman himself? He tweeted this in response, a year ago this week: Really, at this point, nobody can really stop me.

So far, hes been proven right, mostly because no one with the power to stop him has even tried.

On Monday, he was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery, reportedly after after a verbal dispute with a family member.

Whatever the particulars of his behavior on Saturday, this situation has been frightening for such a long time that in a sense, it does not qualify as news at all: Eight times since August of last year, weve asked first voters and then lawmakers to keep Colemans accusers safe.

Hold this young man accountable, we begged. Get him the help he so obviously needs.

Well, the Wyandotte County Democrats didnt see why they should do that. Such good positions on climate change and health care, they said, as if that were the point.

Voters waved him on in, and then Republican House leadership overruled the House Democrats, who wanted to at least impose some structure on his promises to do better.

Since all of his abusive behavior happened before he took office, GOP House leaders said last year, well, nothing could be done.

That wasnt even true: How is continuing to threaten the governor not abusive? A look at his social media shows that that was not one incident, but part of a pattern. But for whatever reason, they decided that a letter asking him to shape up ought to do the trick.

Story continues

You are not going to believe this, but it did not. Earlier this month, he was banned from the Kansas Department of Labor after a tirade there.

Lawmakers concerned with politics, not mental health

This last Saturday, the same day he was arrested, he was tweeting all manner of sad and scary stuff, and reached out by phone and text to one current and one former female lawmaker. One said he wasnt really making sense, and both said he made them uncomfortable.

Im scared for people exposed to his anger, said Jennifer Day, the former lawmaker, who said that after she urged a potential political rival not to respond to his accusations on Twitter, he messaged her to say they should meet for coffee. Day resigned in June because she was moving out of her district.

One of my greatest regrets in life, Coleman tweeted, at 2:25 a.m. on Saturday, is that after being abused and locked in a closet for four years at #Turner elementary school, and isolated in solitary confinement from the other students, I am now traumatized as well as several years behind in my social skills. This deficiency makes it difficult to express to the world the love that I hold in my tender heart. It makes it even harder to form and maintain meaningful relationships, including romantic relationships.

Not funny: We tell kids that if one of their classmates seems off to them, they should say something. Just like you do, elected leaders?

As Coleman himself makes clear, he urgently needs an intervention. Yet we should be most afraid for Colemans victims, past, present and potential.

And its frightening to think that these are the folks who decide on funding mental health services for the rest of us.

According to Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican, the pressing mental health concern of the moment is the threat that students who hear any unhappy truth about American history in class  critical race theory, she calls it  will ruin their self-esteem.

Yet to Kansas Republicans, there was perfect sanity in Friday and Saturdays testimony on COVID-19 masks. Hour after hour, speakers compared the horror of being asked to put a piece of paper over our faces out of concern for others to slavery, and to the extermination of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust.

Rep. Brenda Landwehr, of Wichita, said mask mandates are racism against the modern-day Jew, which is anyone who disagrees.

We keep pointing out how offensive that is, and that it keeps happening suggests that the intent is to offend.

Its also a hysterical response to the imaginary threats posed by teaching a more balanced view of history, and of public health measures in response to a pandemic. While the non-imaginary threat posed by Coleman is ignored, and GOP Sen. Gene Suellentrop is allowed to behave as though evading police while speeding drunk in the wrong direction never even happened.

If/when something worse happens, where either of these lawmakers is concerned, let no one say, If only I had known.
GLASGOW, Scotland  More than 120 world leaders are expected to speak Monday on the first day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, an event that has been billed as the last, best hope to keep global temperatures in check and avert the dire consequences of global warming.

Its one minute to midnight, and we need to act now, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell the delegates, according to prepared remarks shared with journalists. We have to move from talk and debate and discussion to concerted, real-world action on coal, cars, cash and trees. Not more hopes and targets and aspirations, valuable though they are, but clear commitments and concrete timetables for change.

But at the G-20 meeting that wrapped up on Sunday in Rome, the worlds leading economic powers failed to enact the kinds of sweeping new pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions that will be needed at Glasgow in order to keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius in the coming decades. The leaders did agree to stop funding the construction of coal-fired power plants in developing nations.

While I welcome the #G20s recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled  but at least they are not buried, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter. Onwards to #COP26 in Glasgow.

Still, the leaders at the G-20 released a statement at the conclusion of their meeting declaring their intention to stand by the commitments already made in 2015 under the Paris Agreement.

Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, greets Palestines Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh at the U.N. climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday. (Christopher Furlong/AFP via Getty Images)

We remain committed to the Paris Agreement goal to hold the global average temperature increase well below 2C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, the statement read.

While Glasgow will attract an impressive roster of world leaders, one notable absence is that of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will simply address the conference with a written statement. China, of course, is by far the leading emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, and has so far refused to bolster its emissions targets despite the fact that the U.N.s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that current pledges have the world on course for 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming.

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At the G-20, President Biden singled out China and Russia as not doing enough on climate change.

The disappointment relates to the fact that Russia and  China basically didnt show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change, he told reporters.

Biden, who has pledged to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, will address the delegates Monday afternoon. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the conference.

The conference kicks off in a year that has seen a dizzying number of extreme weather events that scientists have linked to climate change. Over the weekend, heavy rains hit Scotland, the host country for the climate conference, disrupting rail service, knocking down trees and flooding towns. Inundating rains flooded the Italian island of Sicily late last week, and videos of the flooding were just the latest examples of how extreme rainfall can quickly overwhelm urban infrastructure.

If Glasgow fails, the whole thing fails, Johnson told reporters in Rome, saying the commitments made this year by the G-20 nations were drops in a rapidly warming ocean.

Global temperatures are on the rise and have been for decades, step inside the data and see the magnitude of climate change.

For more Immersive stories click here.

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Read more from Yahoo News:
Groups mobilizing Latino voters want election officials in Berks County, Pennsylvania, to provide lists of people who were sent instructions in Spanish with the wrong date to hand in mail-in ballots.

Diana Robinson, civic engagement director for Make the Road Pennsylvania, said the group has been scrambling to contact people who may have received the Spanish-language instructions that say the deadline to return ballots is Nov. 18  more than two weeks after the Tuesday (Nov. 2) election, which is also the deadline for sending mail-in votes.

As of Monday, Robinsons group had contacted 1,100 people who were determined to have received the incorrect information, she said. The instructions accompanied 17,000 mail-in ballots.

We have been texting and calling people to give them the right information. Weve been knocking on doors in Berks County about this erroneous information, Robinson said.

Other groups also were scurrying to inform voters, also using social media and gatherings with members and the community and holding a news conference. The county sent a follow-up letter.

The error was discovered Oct. 20 by poll workers, according to The Reading Eagle. The county also sent out a letter on Oct. 28 to 800 poll workers that also had the election date wrong, Nov. 3 instead of Nov. 2., the newspaper reported.

The error is magnified by problems the groups encountered in 2020, including long lines at polls in heavy Latino areas, lack of translators at polls and on voter hotlines, and an apparent inability of poll workers to deal with Spanish-language surnames, Robinson said.

She said the ACLU of Pennsylvania has asked the county solicitor for a list of voters affected by the error. Also, the group has sent a letter to Berks County commissioners to make public its plan for contacting the voters.

County officials have said the error was unintentional, explaining in a statement last week that the election date was not updated after they copied and pasted Spanish language instructions for a May 18 election.

Story continues

Although the incorrect date went out with all 17,000 mail-in ballots, the county said of those, 2,800 were with a bilingual ballot sent to precincts federally designated as bilingual, the county said.

The county felt it was important to send a letter recognizing the error and emphasizing the correct date to ALL 17,000 voters who received the incorrect instructions, regardless of their primary language of the type of ballot they received. That letter was sent out last week," county officials said.

The county said it was working with the Daniel Torres Hispanic Center, the Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, the Berks County Latino Chamber of Commerce and radio stations to get out the correct election date.

Nonetheless, what happened is indicative of the regard the county has for community members who are not English proficient, Robinson said. The instructions in English, on the flip side of the instructions, had the correct date.

Why was the English side correct and the Spanish not? Robinson asked. The Latino community feels like an afterthought.

The Latino population in Pennsylvania grew to 1.05 million people, according to the U.S. Census. Berks County saw the second-highest growth rate in the state of Latinos or Hispanics, with the number rising to 99,550 over the past decade.

Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
A banned Pakistani Islamist party on Monday called off a march to the capital and ended its occupation of a major highway after reaching a deal with the government, following more than a week of clashes that left seven policemen dead.

The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was protesting over the detention of its leader, arrested in April when the group was outlawed by authorities, and was demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador from Pakistan.

The group has been behind major anti-France protests that earlier this year led to the French embassy issuing a warning for all its citizens to leave the country.

Several thousand supporters had begun a stop-start march from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital Islamabad, reaching about one third of the way.

"We have called off our march to Islamabad after reaching an agreement with the government," Sajjad Saifi, a spokesman for the TLP, told AFP.

"Our supporters have moved to the nearby park and until 50 percent of terms are fulfilled we will stay here," Saifi added.

At least seven policemen were killed and several injured in the latest clashes. The TLP said 14 of its supporters were killed and scores injured.

The government said TLP supporters had shot dead police.

As the demonstrators marched from their eastern stronghold of Lahore, several Pakistani cities faced gridlock, with some train services suspended.

The government has refused to comment on the details of the talks, which were held over the weekend.

Local media reported that the government has agreed to lift a ban on the party and not to create legal hurdles in the release of the TLP leader Saad Rizvi.

In return, the TLP has given up the demand for the French ambassador's expulsion.

Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, a prominent Pakistani cleric who facilitated talks between the two sides, told protesters that the ban on the party would soon be lifted.

The TLP has waged an anti-France campaign since President Emmanuel Macron defended the right of a satirical magazine to republish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed -- an act deemed blasphemous by many Muslims.

Six police officers were killed in April when the TLP staged days of rallies that paralysed roads.

sjd-zz/axn
The Workers' Party Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC Raeesah Khan speaking in Parliament on 1 November 2021. (Screenshot: Ministry of Communications and Information/YouTube)

SINGAPORE  Sengkang Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan admitted in Parliament that she did not accompany an alleged rape victim to the police station as previously stated in the House and made a tearful apology on Monday (1 November).

Raeesah also told fellow MPs that the anecdote of the survivor's experience was shared by the latter in a support group for women, which the Workers' Party (WP) MP was a part of. She revealed that she herself was a victim of sexual assault when she was 18 studying abroad.

That assault has traumatised me till this day. The fear and shame accompanying sexual assault is extreme and long lasting, as it has been, and still is for me. Unlike the survivor whose anecdote I shared in this House, I did not have the courage to report my own assault, the MP said.

Raeesah said that she had disregarded the principle of consent in discussions on survivors consent and sexual assault.

I should not have shared the survivor's anecdote without her consent, nor should I have said that I accompanied her to the police station when I had not. It was wrong of me to do so. To survivors of sexual violence, I hope that this does not deter you from reporting your assaults."

During an August parliamentary debate on empowering women, Raeesah had said that she accompanied a 25-year-old woman to make a police report three years ago. However, the woman came out of the police station crying and alleged that officers had made comments about her dressing, and the fact that she was drinking, according to Raeesah.

Last month, Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam asked Raeesah in Parliament to provide more information to assist police investigations, such as the police station, the month the report was filed and other details. The WP MP declined to elaborate, citing the need to protect the alleged victim's identity.

In response, Shanmugam said that police would interview Raeesah.

The police later said Raeesah had yet to turn up for an interview despite two requests by the agency to provide case details.

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Raeesah on Monday apologised to the Singapore Police Force, the survivor whose quote she had used in the House, her constituents, and the WP, its members and volunteers. She then paused before breaking down and apologised to her parents and family.

Indranees response

In response, the Leader of the House Indranee Rajah said she was very sorry to hear that Raeesah was a victim of sexual assault and hoped that she would have the courage to overcome the trauma and emerge stronger.

Nonetheless, Indranee said she had to seek some clarifications from Raeesah.

The WP MP replied to Indranee that she was not truthful in her original statement delivered in Parliament in August, and in her replies to Minister of State at Home Affairs Desmond Tans questions then and Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam two months later about her claims.

Indranee said that as a result of Raeesahs claims, there was a cloud hanging over the police and it was unfair to them as they had to do investigations and spend a lot of time and resources to deal with the matter.

Most of all, and this really is the most distressing part, what has happened does a great disservice to the survivors of sexual assault and rape victims. And the reason is this, because it's hard enough for such women who are victims to tell their stories, Indranee said.

Indranee then filed a complaint on the matter to be heard before a parliamentary Committee of Privileges.

Therefore, given what we have heard today, I really have no choice but to raise a complaint under Section 107B of the Standing Orders for breach of privilege suddenly arising based on firstly the disclosure by the Member that she has not been truthful, has lied to Parliament, not once, not twice, but three times and also because she has been unable to substantiate allegations that have been made.

As Indranee is a member of the Committee of Privileges and that she is a complainant in this case, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office said she would wish to recuse herself from the Committee. In addition, she sought on behalf of Shanmugam to be recused from the Committee as well, as his ministry is involved.

Speaker of the House Tan Chuan-Jin then said the matter will be referred to the Committee.

Related stories

Raeesah Khan shouldnt have shared untruths in Parliament: Pritam Singh

Raeesah Khan yet to turn up for interview over alleged rape case: Police

Police to interview Raeesah Khan over alleged rape victim's claims: Shanmugam

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Philadelphia is poised to become the first big city in the nation to ban police officers from making low-level traffic stops after Mayor Jim Kenney signs an executive order this week adopting a so-called Driving Equality law.

Kenneys office said in a statement hes expected to sign the order Wednesday.

The law, which passed the Philadelphia City Council by a 14-2 vote last month, aims to end stops for violations like broken tail lights and expired inspection stickers  and echoes a similar measure enacted in Virginia in the aftermath of George Floyds murder.

Critics have long argued that police use such infractions to target people of color, and theyve come under scrutiny in recent years after high-profile police killings of people like Walter Scott in South Carolina and Daunte Wright in Minnesota.

The council member behind the law, Isaiah Thomas, said in a statement that the measure was necessary to end traffic stops that promote discrimination rather than public safety.

With this vote, I breathe a sigh of relief that my sons and my friends children will grow up in a city where being pulled over is not a rite of passage but a measure of the safety of your driving and vehicle, regardless of the skin color of the driver, he said.

According to data provided to NBC News by Thomas office, 72 percent of Black Philadelphia residents were pulled over by police during a recent 12-month period. Nearly all of those stops were for code violations that didnt warrant a ticket, Thomas' office said, and guns or illegal drugs were found in less than one percent of the stops.

The new measure, which gives the police department 120 days to train officers before taking effect, turns what had been considered primary violations into secondary ones. In a statement, the department likened it to a seat belt infraction.

Essentially, this means that the officer must witness another more high-level safety violation to make a stop and can then only cite the individual or the seatbelt violation during these stops, the department said. Officers do not use the seatbelt violation as the primary reason for the stop.

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The statement lauded the legislation  and the process of crafting it  saying the department truly appreciates the willingness of the councilman and his team to collaborate with PPD and to design this path forward.

The law, the department noted, will allow officers to enforce infractions in a way that reduces racial inequalities, heals police-community relations and allows us to protect public safety while simultaneously safeguarding the constitutional rights of our community.

In a statement to NBC News, Philadelphia police union president John McNesby slammed the law as terrible and called it an all-out effort by local politicians to claim a win on police reform.

We simply ask the public to follow all local laws which are written to keep everyone safe, he said.
MANILA (Reuters) -Netflix Inc has removed two episodes of spy drama "Pine Gap" from its streaming service in the Philippines, after the Southeast Asian country rejected scenes involving a map used by China to assert its claims to the South China Sea.

The Philippines on Monday asked Netflix to remove certain episodes of the six-part Australian series, saying the map depicted on the show was a violation of its sovereignty.

The second and third episodes of the show were no longer available in the Philippines by late Monday, with Netflix announcing on its platform that those episodes had been "removed by government demand". It did not elaborate.

Netflix did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

China lays claim to most of the South China Sea waters within the so-called nine-dash line, a U-shaped feature used on Chinese maps. Parts of the resource-rich waters are also contested by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

After a thorough review, the Philippines' movie classification board has ruled that certain episodes of Pine Gap were "unfit for public exhibition", the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

Earlier this year Netflix removed "Pine Gap" from its services in Vietnam https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnam-orders-netflix-remove-australian-spy-show-over-south-china-sea-map-2021-07-02 following a similar complaint from the country's broadcast authorities.

The Philippine films board, acting on the DFA's complaint, handed down its ruling on Sept. 28. It was not clear why the decision was only made public now.

The board, according to the DFA, noted that the appearance of the map was "no accident as it was consciously designed and calculated to specifically convey a message that China's nine-dash line legitimately exists".

The board believes that "such portrayal is a crafty attempt to perpetuate and memorialize in the consciousness of the present generation of viewers and the generations to come the illegal nine-dash line", the DFA said.

(Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Oct. 31ATLAS  A Frackville man crashed a car through the front wall of an addiction treatment center before fleeing the scene on foot overnight Saturday, according to Mount Carmel Township Police.

Patrolman Brandon Toter said Francis Kehler IV was driving a Dodge Charger south on Route 61 when his vehicle crossed into the northbound lane and clipped the rear-end of an oncoming pickup truck.

The collision, which occurred about 5:20 a.m., caused the truck to spin out. While the vehicle sustained severe damage, the driver wasn't injured, Toter said.

Kehler's vehicle, which was a rental, continued off the highway and crashed into AppleGate Recovery Clinic. The property owner who lives on site was in the second floor of the adjacent unit and was not injured, Toter said.

Charges are pending against Kehler for the crash, Toter said. Online arrest records show Kehler is 24 years old and is wanted on outstanding warrants in Northumberland and Schuylkill counties.

Patrolman Tyler Herbster of Mount Carmel Borough Police assisted in the investigation. Multiple area fire companies responded to the incident. Toter said a damage assessment to the building is pending.
LONDON  Facing diminished hopes ahead of what many see as world leaders last chance to combat the climate crisis, Britains Prince Charles on Monday called for a "warlike" effort as he opened a key United Nations climate summit.

The heir to the throne helped kick off the nearly two-week COP26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. President Joe Biden arrived Monday and joined representatives of more than 100 nations to hash out new targets to reduce emissions and put off the effects of climate change.

"We need a vast military-style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector," Charles, 72, said. "With trillions at its disposal."

"We have to put ourselves on what might be called a warlike footing, he said.

Charles, long a passionate environmentalist, has in the past described the summit as a "last chance saloon."

The summit, which was delayed by a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will be a family affair for the royals. In addition to his wife, Camilla, Charles will also be joined at the conference by his older son and daughter-in-law, Prince William and Kate. Queen Elizabeth II was originally scheduled to attend but canceled her appearance on the advice of doctors. Instead, she will deliver a recorded video address.

Existing national climate pledges have put the world on track for a global temperature rise by the end of the century of 2.7 degrees Celsius, rather than the 1.5-degree target set forth under the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to a report released last week by the U.N. Environment Programme.

Biden, who has made addressing climate change a priority, arrived at the summit after spending the weekend in Rome at the G-20 summit of leading rich and developing nations. He will be joined by 12 Cabinet members and senior administration officials.

Theres a lingering question however, of how much Biden will be able to deliver in terms of climate commitments. Although he has announced his $1.75 trillion climate and social spending plan, he has yet to get it passed. His framework will put the United States on course to meet its emissions reduction targets, according to the White House.

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There were also several notable leaders missing at the Glasgow summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro are not expected to attend. On Sunday, Biden pointed to Russia and Chinas absence at the G-20 as the reason that the Rome meetings climate commitments didnt go far enough.

Ahead of the opening ceremony, journalists and other conference attendees posted photos on social media of long lines to get in.

Image: Britain's Prince Charles visits Gloucester (Jacob King / Pool via Reuters)

Other world leaders at the summit included German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with climate change activist and former Vice President Al Gore. After multiple calls for royal highnesses, your excellencies, lords, ladies and gentlemen to take their seats, the opening ceremony got underway.

"If we don't get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at the opening, after comparing the task for COP26 attendees to James Bond saving the world.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, included in the lineup of opening speakers, warned that without action, "we are digging our own graves."

Famed British naturalist David Attenborough similarly appealed to world leaders to work together to set urgent and aggressive targets to reduce emissions and chip away at the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which hit a new record high level last year.

"If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to destabilize the planet, then surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it," Attenborough said.

He added that young people, who have been instrumental in demanding climate action from their governments, should have hope that their calls for change can produce meaningful results at the climate summit.

"In my lifetime, Ive witnessed a terrible decline," he said. "In yours, you could and should witness a wonderful recovery."

Charles meanwhile, called for financial investment into fighting climate change, saying the effort will take "trillions, not billions of dollars."

"My plea today is for countries to come together to create the environment that enables every sector of industry to take the action required," he said.

Charles also spoke at the start of the COP21 climate conference, held in Paris in 2015.

"They view this opportunity, they view this subject matter, as absolutely crucial," royal commentator Daisy McAndrew said of the British royals.

"This is an issue that the whole royal family  the queen, Prince Philip, when he was alive, Prince Charles, Prince William  they all feel genuinely very, very strongly about it, and feel that as members of the royal family, its a safe area for them to talk overtly about, without running the risk of being seen to be party political."

Last month, Charles said he understood the frustration of young climate activists that not enough was being done.

"People should really notice how despairing so many young people are," he said in an interview with the BBC.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison (40) during pre-game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in August 2021. Jim Dedmon/USA Today Sports via Reuters

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison was struck by a stray bullet on Sunday.

He was at a gathering in Cleveland when he was struck by the bullet.

The team said he sustained a non-life-threatening injury to his left calf.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison was injured on Sunday when he was struck by a stray bullet at a gathering in Cleveland, the team said on Monday.

The Baltimore Ravens said the bullet struck Harrison's left calf and that he sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

"Malik, who received medical care at a local hospital, has been in touch with our team doctors and will return to Baltimore today," the team said.

Harrison, who is from Columbus, Ohio, was a third-round pick for the Ravens in 2020 and had started the first five games of the current season.

He was in Cleveland while the Ravens had a bye week.

Cleveland's News 5 reported that the shooting happened outside the restaurant Sausalito, and bullets also appeared to shatter the glass storefront of a nearby Dunkin' Donuts.

It's unclear if anyone else was injured.

Read the original article on Insider
Mailers attacking Democrat Terry McAuliffe for being on the side of abusive police officers are popping up in Virginia voters mailboxes, urging support for third-party hopeful Princess Blanding  and highlighting a fierce battle for Black votes in the final days of the tight governors race.

In interviews with POLITICO, more than a dozen top Democrats involved in the Virginia campaign  from strategists on the ground to House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.)  expressed concern that Black support for McAuliffe is weaker and less enthusiastic than it could be in a razor-thin race in a blue-trending state. Against that backdrop, McAuliffe and Black Democratic surrogates are racing across Virginia before Tuesdays election to drive up Black turnout and support.

It appears Republicans are trying to take advantage. The anti-McAuliffe mailers  featuring an image of a Black mans face, pushed into the pavement  are paid for by Our First Principles Fund, a nonprofit group whose only previous known spending came during the fight for the Virginia GOPs gubernatorial nomination, when the group spent six figures attacking one of eventual nominee Glenn Youngkins primary opponents. The group  one of several on both sides trying to dampen base enthusiasm for the other party  did not respond to a request for comment.

The focus on Black voters in the final stretch of the campaign illustrates the critical role theyll play on Tuesday. Not only did McAuliffe win a prior term as governor with the overwhelming support of Black voters, especially Black women, every national election since then has proved how critical they are to Democratic chances of victory in close races. While some involved in Virginia have taken heart in a late upswing in energy, others stressed that Black voters are exhausted from the fight against Donald Trump and frustrated with a lack of progress in Washington.

We have seen an uptick in the last couple of weeks, but Ive had some concerns about what has felt like a real lag among Black voters in Virginia, said Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, which invested $1.6 million into turning out voters of color through field operations and digital ads. People are still struggling with all kinds of things right now  burying family members because of Covid, getting back to work, getting back to school. It shouldnt come as a surprise, but its still anxiety-producing that theres this feeling that people arent paying attention, arent as engaged as wed hope.

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David Aldridge, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Progressive Values, an umbrella organization that coordinates field efforts across several progressive groups, described the survey responses they collect from knocking on doors of likely Democratic voters. When you look at them in aggregate, you see some softness among communities of color, especially with Black women, he said.

Thats a data point that makes us very concerned, he added.

The Working Families Party honed in on activating Black women in Virginia, but the level of enthusiasm is at a level that gives us great pause, great concern, said Delvone Michael, senior political strategist for the group.

On a scale from one to 10, Im a 12, in terms of fear around whether Black voters turnout for Democrats, Michael added.

That anxiety was on display this weekend, when Clyburn, a close ally of President Joe Bidens who stumped for McAuliffe in Hampton Roads, acknowledged that he had concerns about a lack of enthusiasm within the Democratic base  thats why Im going, he said in an interview before his trip.

Clyburn added that he expects McAuliffe to get the lion's share of the African American vote. My problem is, what will that vote be? Will it be big enough of a vote  to be determinative?

Thats very much an open question, given the spate of recent public polling showing McAuliffe and Youngkin locked in a tight race. McAuliffe, too, is weighed down by Bidens deteriorating favorability ratings in the state and nationally. Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020.

An early-voting analysis by TargetSmart, a Democratic data firm, has given Democrats some hope by noting Black voter turnout exceeding its 2017 levels, though not quite matching their 2020, presidential-year performance. However, comparing 2021 participation to 2017 is a flawed exercise, as the Virginia legislature vastly expanded their early voting access in 2020.

And as polls tighten, Black turnout will be a deciding factor in Tuesdays result. Terrance Woodbury, a pollster who measures Black voting behavior, pointed to Black voters growing dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party  and Youngkins heavy-handed appeals to race in his campaigns message on education  as possible deterrents to participation for Black voters.

If that is successful, if [Youngkin]s able to cut away at the margins of white voters that Joe Biden was able to win, then it's gonna make Terry McAuliffe even more dependent on Black voters, Woodbury said.

Prioritizing Black voters can be seen plainly in who is coming to Virginia for McAuliffe before Election Day  and where theyre going.

Former President Barack Obama rallied in Richmond, where Black residents make up nearly half the citys population, and then cut a direct-to-camera plea thats airing on TV stations across the state. McAuliffe appeared with Georgia voting rights activist Stacey Abrams several times, including multiple visits to Black churches together. Vice President Kamala Harris called the Virginia race a very, very important election in Norfolk  where she appeared alongside Grammy-winning artist Pharrell Williams last week  and recorded a video distributed to 300 Black churches in Hampton Roads. DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms have shown up, too.

McAuliffes campaign also noted that it has invested resources into digital and radio ads targeting Black voters. The former governor has also hosted campaign events at Black churches since January, seeking to build up his support.

I don't think that the base, whether you're talking about Black voters, or whether you're talking about workers across Virginia, or progressives in general, need any more energy to see what Glenn Younkin has said and what Terry McAuliffe has done, said Virginia state Del. Jeff Bourne, a Democrat.

In June, McAuliffe handily bettered a primary field that included three Black candidates, including two Black women, a lingering issue that some Democrats raised as a potential reason for dampened enthusiasm among a collection of progressives and Black voters. State Sen. Jennifer McClellan and former state Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy have both since campaigned with McAuliffe, making the case that if elected, McAuliffe would prioritize issues important to Black Virginians. The former governor has tallied nearly 90 percent support among likely Black voters in the last four statewide polls of the race.

Youd be dishonest not to say that seeing two Black women come in second and third in the primary didnt cause a hangover, said Marques Jones, chair of the Henrico County Democratic Party. But Ive seen, as weve gotten through the summer, folks have come back to the table. The rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated [and] I think Black folks are going to be out.

Those worried about soft support among Black voters identified several challenges, including Democrats failure to push through key campaign promises, particularly on voting rights.

With young voters of color, you cant just say, were Democrats, show up, when youre not fulfilling or doing anything you said youd do to earn their votes, said Michael, the Working Families Party strategist, who singled out voting rights as an area of major concern.

Still others identified voter fatigue following the Donald Trump era. Jarvis Houston, director of organizing and political operations at Sister District, a progressive group focused on flipping state legislative seats, said hes talked with Black voters who said we can sit back now that Trump is out of office.

People are starting to pay more attention now, especially in the last week and especially to the possibility that we may lose Virginia, which would have a domino effect on the 2022 midterms, Houston added.

That rippling effect on the midterms also raises concerns among Democratic activists, focused on mobilizing voters of color, that the party isnt treating them with the same attention and resources as non-white voters, even as they remain a core part of the coalition.

We were raising red flags around support level and enthusiasm this summer, said Shropshire, the BlackPAC director. But theres this sense with Black voters, this continuing characterization as just turnout voters, that you can wait until the last minute to talk to them.

The idea that we can wait until the last three weeks, dump a bunch of money and surrogates on them to get them to show up, is a relic of some other political era, she continued. The kinds of engagement, the kinds of resources that needed to move shouldve happened months ago.

Meanwhile, as McAuliffe and Youngkin saturated the airwaves in their campaigns' final weeks, radio ads with the same message as the pro-Blanding mailers aired in a handful of Virginia markets, according to her campaign. Blanding, a Black woman whose brother was killed by a Richmond police officer in 2018, is running on a platform largely focused on overhauling Virginias criminal justice system.

Notably, the Blanding campaign didnt run the ads itself  in fact, Blanding wasnt aware of their existence until Blanding herself started receiving angry calls from voters. (One of the mailers listed her phone number.)

It appears that their goal is to call themselves trying to help us so that it will shave away votes from Terry, Blanding said. The reality is that we're earning  not taking  votes from both Democrats and Republicans.

A Washington Post-Schar School poll released last week found that 3 percent of Black likely voters, and 1 percent of likely voters overall, say they plan to support Blanding.
With the Virginia gubernatorial race just a day away, prominent Virginian political commentator Larry Sabatos Crystal Ball is changing its rating for the contest from Leans Democratic to Leans Republican.

Our sense is that the race has been moving toward [Republican nominee Glenn] Youngkin, in large part because of the political environment. [Democratic nominee Terry] McAuliffes Trump-centric campaign also just doesnt seem as potent in a non-federal race with the former president no longer in the White House, write Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman at the site.

The rating change comes amidst a flurry of good polling news for Youngkin, who now holds leads in the RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight averages.

While Kondik and Coleman observe that McAuliffes efforts to tie Younkin inextricably to former president Donald Trump have largely fallen upon deaf ears, the Democrat has decided to rely on that message for his closing argument, dismissing his opponent as Glenn Trumpkin on Monday.

On the other hand, Youngkin has been less focused on McAuliffe and larger national forces than he has discrete issues important to Virginian voters: namely, education, crime, and taxes.

As Kondik and Coleman put it, Youngkin has the enthusiasm, the environment, the history, and perhaps even the issues (given his focus on education and its increasing salience in polling). McAuliffe has the states Democratic lean in his favor.

The post notifying the public of the ratings change also notes that because of changes to Virginia law, mail-in and early ballots will be tabulated more quickly than in 2020, so instead of the Republicans jumping out to an early lead, Democrats are likely to. Then it will be a question of whether Youngkin catches up to and passes McAuliffe, and there may be late drama depending on the rhythm of the vote count.

More from National Review
Shame. Illustrated | iStock

What's wrong with feeling bad once in awhile?

Plenty, if you're asking America's conservatives. As they tell it, the crusade against critical race theory (CRT) in the country's schools is really a fight for the self-esteem of the country's youth. Take a few examples from the last week: In Texas, a lawmaker is investigating school districts for possibly owning books that "contain material that might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex." In Virginia, the governor's race has in its final days centered around a former student  now a Republican lawyer  whose in-class reading of Toni Morrison's Beloved in 2013 gave him nightmares. And in Kansas, a state legislative committee on mental health baselessly speculated that feelings "of shame, depression, and anxiety" among teens might be linked to classroom lessons about the history of racism in the United States.

"What happens to children and teens when they are classified as oppressors and others are classified as victims?" Kansas Rep. Kristey Williams (R) asked in written testimony to her colleagues. "Do we fan the flames of self-loathing for some and encourage feelings of victimhood in others? What happened to love conquers all?"

I don't want to make too much light of these critiques  mental health is health, and adolescence can be a fraught and fragile time for many. Still, it is striking to see conservatives put such an emphasis on the importance of emotions as they criticize CRT. This is, after all, the same crowd that has spent decades mocking participation trophies, and whose thinkers often like to tell us, aggressively, that "facts don't care about your feelings."

Still, since it keeps coming up, this seems like a good moment to speak in defense of shame.

We've become used to thinking about shame as bad, even toxic. Taken to excess, that can be true. But shame can also be useful. Some researchers argue that shame evolved to help humans learn to live better together  that it's a "neurocognitive architecture" that helps us refrain from taking actions that can harm the group, and to limit how much others learn about and spread details of your bad behavior.

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"The function of shame is to prevent us from damaging our social relationships, or to motivate us to repair them," Daniel Sznycer of the Center for Evolutionary Psychology said in 2016.

Thought about this way, shame isn't just an after-the-fact reaction to one's own wrongdoing, but is forward-looking as well, an instinct that helps us avoid damaging both our communities and our standing within them. When racism enters the picture, it becomes obvious that the shame instinct is one we cultivate and shape: Behavior  like using racial slurs  that might have been widely acceptable 70 years ago is now considered pretty much off-limits, both because we collectively care more about the harm it will cause the victims of those slurs and also, obviously, because we individually don't want the opprobrium such actions will bring. To the extent that reading Beloved causes feelings of shame or discomfort, that can be a good thing if it helps train us to avoid doing terrible, racist things in the future.

Shame, when understood correctly and done right, guides us to be decent to each other  or at least to be seen as decent, which functionally can be the same thing.

Admittedly, it doesn't feel so good. And it's not always done right. In an era of constantly evolving mores on race and sexuality, where the possibility of stumbling into shame seems ever more likely, it can even be wearying for some folks. Perhaps it goes without saying, but wallowing in shame to the exclusion of all other emotions  even about our national history  probably isn't helpful for anybody.

If unleavened shame is sometimes a problem, so is unfettered pride unanchored by some sense of humility and an understanding of the tragic, horrific dimensions of our country and its history. Conservative critics of CRT will allow that America has sometimes been "imperfect" or "flawed," but mostly they tend to prefer an almost pure utopianism in their telling of the national story. "To be an American means something noble and good," President Trump's "1776 Commission" declared last January, just a couple of weeks after an insurrection that should have suggested those words aren't always or automatically true. So despite what conservatives are saying, a little shame can probably be healthy. These days, we might even need a bit more of it.

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SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Alibaba Group's annual 'Singles Day' shopping spree is set for its most sober tone ever this year, as the retail giant preaches sustainability rather than hyping the usual sales boom amid calls by Beijing to promote "common prosperity".

In 2020, Alibaba expanded what it calls the world's biggest online shopping festival from a one-day November 11 event into a 11-day extravaganza, with celebrity performances and a sales metric ticking over live on a scoreboard that ended with the news that it had racked up $74 billion in orders, or 'gross merchandise value' (GMV), flashing big and bright.

This time around, the event comes at a time of much more stringent regulatory scrutiny for China's biggest companies - including Alibaba - and the call to promote "common prosperity" and curb excess echoing around boardrooms. In 2021, Alibaba is formally promoting "sustainable development" and "inclusiveness".

While livestreaming stars and deep discounts will still play a big role in this year's festivities, the company said its priorities this year were encouraging "eco-friendly consumption" and "supporting vulnerable populations".

"We have been shifting our focus from pure GMV growth to sustainable growth," its Chief Marketing Officer Chris Tung told reporters last week. He did not directly answer when asked whether Alibaba planned to flash the final GMV figure this year.

The environment has changed dramatically for China's big e-commerce platforms - especially Alibaba and its founder Jack Ma - as the Chinese government under President Xi Jinping targets what were seen as excesses and abuses in the country's vast and free-wheeling "platform economy".

Last week, Chinese regulators said they had told e-commerce sites to curb spam in the run-up to Singles' Day. They also drafted a list of responsibilities it said it expected platform companies to uphold, the latest in a spate of regulatory admonitions.

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Amid the new regulatory intensity, Alibaba has responded.

In September, it said it will invest 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) by 2025 in support of "common prosperity", while in October it launched a version of its Taobao e-commerce platform tailored for senior citizens.

For this year's Singles day, it also said it would be developing with partners new products with lower carbon footprints and pledged to make charitable donations alongside some purchases.

In response to Reuters questions for this article, it said "11.11 (Singles Day) is a powerful and influential platform that we will fully leverage to advocate and drive our ESG (environmental, social and governance) initiatives this year."

The South China Morning Post newspaper, owned by Alibaba, last week cited unnamed company officials as saying Singles' Day would not focus on the "typical showcase of sales, marketing and consumption" in a report on a European "study tour" by Jack Ma to pursue his "passion for technology in agriculture".

Still, the event is expected to generate a sales bonanza for merchants as Chinese shoppers hunt for deals amid slowing economic growth. Alibaba said a record 290,000 brands would be participating and its Tmall marketplace would offer more than 14 million deals.

($1 = 6.4033 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Josh Horwitz and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Additional reporting by Sophie Yu in Beijing; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
Coloradans age 18 and younger are now eligible to receive three free mental health counseling sessions through the I Matter program, an effort from the state to respond to its worsening youth mental health crisis.

The program was announced Wednesday morning by Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet and representatives of the Colorado Department of Human Services. The program stems from House Bill 21-1258, which was signed in June and charged the Office of Behavioral Health with creating a temporary youth mental health program.

Primavera said that when she and Gov. Jared Polis were drafting their plans to recover from COVID-19, they heard the need for bold, urgent actions to address the mental health of Colorado students, saying we know we can and we must do more.

By making counseling sessions free and accessible, the 'I Matter' platform will empower young people and their families to take charge of their mental wellness, said Primavera. Our youth have weathered the storm with grace, strength, courage and compassion and it's imperative that we give them the support that they deserve at this time.

Colorado officials are saying this statewide program is the first of its kind to offer mental health services to youth so broadly.

Michaelson Jenet, who helped draft the bill, said youth in the state had been struggling long before COVID-19 and that the pandemic exacerbated the mental health struggles many were facing.

This program, which officially started Wednesday, is designed to catch children who have long struggled with mental health or behavioral issues and those who may have been introduced to them over the past 18 months.

Through June of next year, Colorados youth can go online to the programs website, IMatterColorado.org, fill out a survey assessing their risk for mental health struggles and be connected with a counselor in a matter of minutes.

As of the programs launch, 32 providers across the state had signed on to provide care, many of whom can provide telehealth services, making it more accessible to all students.

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This is revolutionary, said Michaelson Jenet. It does not matter if you have insurance access, it does not matter if you have money. It matters if you can get to a phone or computer.

More: How to stay positive amid colder days, longer nights

Services provided in the program are confidential, though children can provide their parents' contact information when registering. Parents can also use the program on behalf of children to assess their needs and get connected with resources. After completing the survey, which asks about behavioral symptoms of mental health struggles and social determinants of health, users are shown 45-minute time slots they are able to register for.

It is clear that this program launches not a moment too soon for our youth, said Michelle Barnes, the executive director of the Department of Human Services. Suicide has been a leading cause of death for young people for several years. And we've seen troubling rates of depression, anxiety (and) substance use.

In May, Childrens Hospital Colorado declared a state of emergency regarding pediatric mental health.

Jena Hausmann, CEO of Childrens Hospital Colorado, said at the time that pediatric emergency departments and inpatient units were overrun with kids attempting suicide and suffering from other forms of major mental health illness.

With the goal of reaching the most children and trusted adults who can refer children to the program, Colorado will begin to market it on social media like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Michaelson Jenet said that by the time the program is set to end in June 2022, she hopes to have served 1.5 million youth in Colorado.

I'm really hopeful that the I Matter program will provide a lifeline to those who have never had an opportunity to take advantage of care, regardless of their insurance or financial status, she said.

If your child, or another child in your life, is in crisis and needs immediate help, call 1-844-493-8255 to reach Colorado Crisis Services and be connected to a trained counselor at any time of day. Kids and parents alike can also reach out to the Safe2Tell Colorado hotline at 877-542-7233 to anonymously report threats of self-harm or suicide.

More: CDC adds mental health disorders to list of conditions linked to higher risk of severe COVID-19. Here's why.

Molly Bohannon covers education for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @molboha or contact her at mbohannon@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado giving kids free counseling sessions as mental health worsens
CAIRO (AP)  Tribal protesters on Monday lifted their weekslong blockade on Sudans main seaport and oil pipelines, and reopened roads linking the port to the rest of the country, a tribal leader said, following a deal with the military to remove the barricades for one month.

The development comes a week after the military dissolved the transitional government in a widely condemned coup in Sudan that threatens to further derail the country's already fragile transition after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

Pro-democracy activists have accused the military of engineering the port blockade and another pro-military protest outside the presidential place in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to deflect from their military takeover of the country.

Kamal Sayed, secretary general of the Baja tribal council, told The Associated Press the tribal leaders have reached a deal with the military to lift the blockade of the Red Sea port and oil pipelines, and reopen roads in the eastern city of Port Sudan for one month, to allow the formation of a new government.

The council represents six nomadic tribes that live in northeastern Sudan where the port is located. They have held street protests in Port Sudan for the past two months, setting up barricades and staying out on the streets to block the port, a lifeline for the country, oil pipelines and major roads.

The tribal protesters demand the military fully dissolve the transitional government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, whom the army put under house arrest following the coup. They also demand that a peace deal struck last year with a rebel alliance in the east be renegotiated.

The generals have denied accusations of engineering the port blockade, saying that the protesters demands in Port Sudan and in Khartoum are legitimate and should be negotiated politically.

In the weeks before the coup, Hamdok's government and the U.N. had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate the reopening of the port and the key roads.

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Sayed, the tribal official, said the makeshift barricades at the ports terminals and the main highway liking Port Sudan to Khartoum was removed on Monday morning. He said the barricades would be reinstated if their demands are not met.

The blockade has caused food and fuel shortages across Sudan, with the government warning last month the country was running out of essential goods, including medicines, food and wheat.

Meanwhile in Khartoum, a semblance of normalcy has returned, with several roads and bridges reopened after weeklong tensions and protests against the militarys takeover.

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said that movement in and around Khartoum has improved since Saturday, but that military checkpoints remain in place in several areas. Protesters have continued to set up makeshift barricades in some neighborhoods around Khartoum.

Simon Manley, Britain's ambassador to the U.N. mission in Geneva, said that some 50 countries have requested an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council on the Sudanese militarys takeover. The actions of the Sudanese military are a betrayal of the revolution, the transition & the hopes of the Sudanese people, Manley tweeted.

Also Monday, security forces rearrested the country's former foreign minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, hours after his release from a Khartoum prison, local media reported.

Ghandour was first arrested in June last year as part of efforts to dismantle al-Bashirs Islamist regime. He was released late Sunday along with other former officials and al-Bashir allies, according to the Sudan Tribune news website.

No reason was given as to why Ghandour was rearrested. He had headed al-Bashirs now-dissolved political party and his release  which was also not explained  had stirred up controversy and anger among the pro-democracy movement.

Sudan's military rulers also dismissed the countrys acting chief prosecutor, Mubarak Mahmoud Othman, late on Sunday, according to the state-run Sudan TV. The report offered no details.

Meanwhile, the U.N. envoy for Sudan, Volker Perthes, said mediation efforts were ongoing in Khartoum by a host of actors to find a way out of the crisis. Since last week, U.N. representatives have shuttled between the military and pro-democracy leaders.

Theres a lot of shuttling, Perthes told U.N. correspondents in New York in a virtual press conference from the Sudanese capital.

Hamdok remains under house arrest but is allowed to meet with foreign envoys. Perthes met with Hamdok on Sunday. The U.N. envoy did not elaborate on Hamdok's circumstances  or expand on any demands or conditions by coup leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan.

Perthes said both Hamdok and Burhan are interested ... in mediation and have accepted a wise persons committee to shuttle between them and develop ideas. He also said that at demonstrations, Hamdok has become very much a symbol" of civilian leadership of Sudan's revolution, pointing to more images of the prime minister than previously seen.

I think by having him resume his offices, the situation would de-escalate much, and it would be much, much easier to discuss all the outstanding, controversial issues, Perthes said.

Everybody wants to find a way out, he also said, adding that there are hopes that contours of a package" for negotiations could emerge in the next few days.

___

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Protest Held Outside Supreme Court Against Texas Abortion Law

An activist speaks outside the Supreme Court in protest against the new Texas abortion law on Sept. 2 Credit - Drew AngererGetty Images

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in two cases about the controversial Texas law that has banned most abortions in the state. The eventual verdict could have extraordinary implications for abortion access, as well as a slew of other rights, nationwide.

The dispute over the Texas law is the first of two major abortion cases to come before the high court this term. The second is scheduled for Dec. 1, when the justices will hear arguments about a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeksa direct challenge to the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade.

This term marks the first time that all three of former President Donald Trumps nomineesJustices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrettwill hear an abortion case from the bench, which is now tilted 6-3 toward conservatives.

In the Texas case, the Supreme Court is reviewing two suits challenging the law: one brought by the federal government, and one brought by a group of abortion providers and advocates. But the justices will not directly consider the constitutionality of the law, known as Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), which prohibits abortion after roughly six weeks into a pregnancy. Rather, they will consider two procedural questions about whether Texas can use SB 8s unique structure, which puts private citizens rather than state officials in charge of enforcing the law, to avoid federal court review.

These seemingly wonky questions could have far-reaching effects on the U.S. judicial system. Legal scholars warn that if the justices side with Texas, states would suddenly be free to pass a raft of other laws restricting other constitutional rights, like gun ownership or same-sex marriage.

Read more: The Supreme Courts Texas Abortion Case Could Give States More Power Than Ever

On Oct. 22, the Supreme Court agreed to take up the Texas cases on an extremely expedited basis and deferred the question of whether to block the law until after oral arguments. That decision allowed the law to remain in place, meaning that most abortions in Texas remain banned for now. Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented from that decision, saying that she would have blocked the law while the challenge continued.

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Women seeking abortion care in Texas are entitled to relief from this Court now, she wrote. Because of the Courts failure to act today, that relief, if it comes, will be too late for many.

A complex and novel enforcement mechanism

Texas passed SB 8 near the end of its legislative session last spring. When it took effect Sept. 1, it became the most restrictive abortion law in the nation. It makes no exceptions for rape or incest, and bans abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detecteda point about four weeks after conception, which is before many women know they are pregnant. Abortion clinics estimate the law would have stopped 85 to 90% of the abortions that took place in the state before it went into effect.

The law is before the Supreme Court because of its unique enforcement mechanism. Typically, to challenge a laws constitutionality, a plaintiff files suit, naming government officials as the defendants. But the Texas law was specifically written to make that kind of challenge difficult. Thats because the law bars state officials from enforcing it, and instead empowers private citizens to sue anyone who performs an abortion beyond its limit, as well as anyone who aids and abets someone in obtaining an abortion.

Patients themselves cant be sued, but doctors, clinic staffers, counselors, clergy, family members, people who help pay for the procedure or those who drive someone to get it are all fair game. The law also incentivizes lawsuits by saying that plaintiffs dont have to live in Texas or have any connection to an abortion to sue, and they are entitled to at least $10,000 plus their legal fees if they win. Clinics and other defendants can be sued multiple times over the same abortion, and even if they win, they are not entitled to legal fees.

That enforcement framework is the focus of both Nov. 1 cases before the Supreme Court. In the case brought by the Department of Justice, the justices will consider whether the federal government can sue in federal court to obtain injunctive or declaratory relief against the state, state court judges, state court clerks, other state officials, or all private parties to prohibit SB 8 from being enforced. In the case brought by abortion providers and advocates, the court will consider whether a state can insulate from federal-court review a law that prohibits the exercise of a constitutional right by delegating to the general public the authority to enforce that prohibition through civil actions.

Whats happened so far

Last summer, abortion providers sued a collection of state judges, clerks, regulatory officials and an anti-abortion activist who they said were involved in enforcing the law. But when they asked the Supreme Court to intervene and block the law before it took effect in September, the high court refused in a divisive 5-4 vote. The conservative majority cited complex and novel procedural questions. It was not clear, the majority found, that the providers were suing the correct people. (Chief Justice Roberts joined the three liberal justices in dissent.)

Read more: Inside The Small Group of Doctors Who Risked Everything to Provide Abortions in Texas

The Department of Justice then sued Texas in a separate challenge to SB 8. On Oct. 6, District Judge Robert Pitman ruled in favor of the federal government, blocking the law. Some abortion clinics began providing abortions past six weeks once this happenedbut it was a short-lived development. Just 48 hours later, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of Pitmans ruling, which put the law back into effect. The Justice Department then ask the Supreme Court to lift the stay. Meanwhile, the abortion providers filed another request that the Supreme Court hear their case quickly before the lower courts weigh in.

Texas has argued that neither lawsuit is the proper avenue to challenge the law. The Constitution does not guarantee pre-enforcement review of state (or federal) laws in federal court, Ken Paxton, the states attorney general, wrote in his brief before the Supreme Court. Instead, Paxton said the only right way to challenge the law is for someone to take the risk of violating it, get sued, and then challenge the laws constitutionality during their defense.

Jonathan Mitchell, a lawyer who helped design the law, also filed a brief arguing that SB 8s unique enforcement mechanism bars the Department of Justice from challenging the constitutionality of the law at all. The constitutionality of the statute must be determined in the lawsuits between private parties, not in a preemptive lawsuit brought against the sovereign government, which is not enforcing the statute but merely allowing its courts to hear lawsuits arising under the disputed statutory enactment, he wrote in a brief before the high court.

Extraordinary stakes for U.S. judicial system

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Texasdeciding, in effect, that a law written to include this unique enforcement mechanism bars the federal government or others affected from interveningit would reshape the entire U.S. judicial system. Legal scholars have warned that allowing private citizens to enforce laws through the threat of litigation could be used to ban an array of constitutional rights, from abortion to gun ownership to same-sex marriage.

Florida has already introduced a bill in its state legislature that mimics Texass SB 8 with regard to abortion, and other conservative states have said they are looking to follow the model as well.

Read more: The Fate of Roe v. Wade May Rest on This Womans Shoulders

Advocacy groups from across the ideological spectrum have filed amicus briefs warning of this issue and urging the Supreme Court to strike down what they argue is a blatant attempt to avoid judicial review. A brief filed by the gun rights group Firearms Policy Coalition, for example, says the case is important not because of its specific subject matter of abortion, but instead for Texass cavalier and contemptuous mechanism for shielding from review potential violations of constitutional rights.

Brian H. Fletcher, the Justice Departments acting solicitor general, argued that a ruling upholding Texas law would create a world in which any court precedent or previous law could be circumvented by a state that wants to do so. Texas insists that the Court must tolerate the States brazen attack on the supremacy of federal law because S.B. 8s unprecedented structure leaves the federal Judiciary powerless to intervene, he wrote in the Justice Departments brief. If Texas is right, no decision of this Court is safe.

Whats going on in Texas for now

The law will remains in effect unless and until the justices decide to halt it after Mondays oral arguments. Since early September, Texans have flooded abortion clinics in surrounding states in search of care, and clinics in the state are struggling to keep their doors open.

Clinics in Texas have seen this happen before. When the state passed a law placing major restrictions on abortion in 2013, roughly half of the states clinics closed. Even after the Supreme Court struck down that law in 2016, few clinics ever reopened.

The legal limbo is excruciating for both patients and our clinic staff. Lack of access to safe abortion care is harming our families and communities and will have lasting effects on Texas for decades to come, Amy Hagstrom Miller, president and CEO of Whole Womans Health, said in a statement when the Supreme Court scheduled this hearing without blocking the law in the meantime. Weve had to turn hundreds of patients away since this ban took effect, and this ruling means well have to keep denying patients the abortion care that they need and deserve.
The Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments concerning a Texas law that has banned most abortions in the state.

The Texas law known as S.B. 8 would ban most abortions at about six weeks, when a fetal heartbeat may be detected. The justices are hearing arguments in two cases over whether abortion providers or the Justice Department can mount federal court challenges to the law.

ABORTION BACKERS AT SUPREME COURT ARE AIMING FOR ROE V. WADE 'PART 2' IN TEXAS, STEPHEN MILLER WARNS

Pro-choice demonstrators rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 1, 2021, in Washington, D.C. On Monday, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a challenge to the controversial Texas abortion law which bans abortions after six weeks. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The issue being argued is who can be sued  including state judges and court clerks, who would oversee any litigation. In the initial lawsuits, the abortion clinics had sued those judicial officials, since state executive officers would not have that authority to enforce S.B. 8.

That "gateway" issue will be key for the state and federal courts poised to continue hearing the case in coming months. The state has argued judicial officers are not responsible for enforcing the abortion restriction and cant be sued.

In neither case is the right to an abortion directly at issue, but the motivation for lawsuits filed by abortion providers and the Justice Department is that the Texas law conflicts with landmark Supreme Court rulings that prevent a state from banning abortion early in pregnancy.

In the first case, attorney Marc Hearron, representing a coalition of abortion providers, called the Texas law a "roadmap" for any state to oppose federal lawsuits with which it disagreed  since it puts enforcement of law in private hands, not state officials themselves. He argued that providers have the legal right to sue Texas officials, state judges and clerks.

Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone, arguing in defense of the law, said it was not "appropriate" to sue judicial officers.

"The attorney general simply doesn't have any control of the procession of S.B. 8 lawsuits in any way," he said.

Pro-choice demonstrators outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

In the second case, concerning the Biden administration's lawsuit against the Texas law, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who was confirmed by the Senate last week, argued the law is "an attack on the authority of this court to say what the law is."

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Prelogar said federal jurisdiction is appropriate and the state of Texas itself  not private citizens  are ultimately liable for its unconstitutionality.

A key precedent here is Ex parte Young  where the Supreme Court in 1908 permitted lawsuits in federal courts for injunctions to block allegedly unconstitutional state action  specifically allowing suits against state officials, in lieu of states themselves, for violations of federal law. Stone argued Ex parte Young does not provide a way for federal court intervention, at least until state courts first get a say.

But Prelogar called the law an attack on federal law and the Supreme Court, and said states cannot "flout" immediate federal judicial review.

"Texas designed S.B. 8 to thwart the supremacy of federal law in open defiance of our constitutional structure," she said. "States are free to ask this court to reconsider its constitutional precedents, but they are not free to place themselves above this court, nullify the Courts decisions in their borders, and block the judicial review necessary to vindicate federal rights."

Justice Elena Kagan sarcastically called the state legislators who wrote the law "some geniuses" who intended to chill abortion and bypass the legal concept that "states are not to nullify federal constitutional rights'' such as Roe v. Wade.

Protesters on both sides of the abortion issue gathered outside the Supreme Court during the oral arguments.

On Dec. 1, the justices will hear a separate challenge to the decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in a case over Mississippis ban on abortion after 15 weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered New York's top court to reconsider its ruling against a coalition of charities that challenged the state's mandate that employers cover abortions in their employee health insurance plans.

The Supreme Court declined to take the case of the Diocese of Albany v. Emami in light of a major ruling it handed down earlier this year siding with a Catholic charity in Philadelphia that declined to screen same-sex couples as foster parents.

The high court ruled in that case, Fulton v. Philadelphia, that the city's refusal to contract with the charity due to the agency's same-sex couple policy violated the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

TEXAS ABORTION LAW: SUPREME COURT HEARS ORAL ARGUMENTS

In the New York case, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany argues that the states abortion insurance mandate for employers, approved in 2017, violates its First Amendment rights.

The Supreme Court on Monday vacated a state court ruling upholding the rule and ordered a rehearing of the case for further consideration.

"We are gratified and grateful that the Supreme Court has recognized the serious constitutional concerns over New York States heavy-handed abortion mandate on religious employers," Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger said in a statement.

"We are confident that now that the Court has ordered the case remanded for reconsideration in light of last years Fulton v. Philadelphia decision, the unconstitutional regulatory action taken by New York State will ultimately be completely overturned as incompatible with our countrys First Amendment guarantee of religious liberty," Scharfenberger added.

"Were grateful that the Supreme Court has taken action in our case and hopeful that, this time around, the New York Court of Appeals will preserve our ability to serve and encourage our neighbors," Mother Miriam of the Sisterhood of Saint Mary said in a statement.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have taken up the case for argument.
A pro-choice rally outside the Supreme Court, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The Supreme Court seems open to allowing abortion providers challenge Texas' restrictive law.

So far, the abortion ban has withstood legal challenges because of its unique enforcement mechanism.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh said "there's a loophole that's been exploited here."

A majority of the Supreme Court justices on Monday seemed open to letting abortion providers challenge a highly controversial Texas law that restricts abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

The justices heard nearly three hours of arguments in two separate challenges to the Texas law, brought by abortion providers and the Biden administration's Department of Justice, respectively. The groups claim the law directly violates a women's constitutional right to an abortion established nearly 50 years ago in the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade.

But the justices are not reviewing abortion rights in either case. Instead, they're considering the law's unique enforcement mechanism, which has been designed to avoid judicial review.

The law has so far withstood legal challenges because it is enforced by private citizens, not public officials. That means an ordinary person can sue anyone who "aids and abets" someone getting an abortion in Texas beyond the six-week mark of pregnancy. Successful plaintiffs may be rewarded with at least $10,000, in addition to legal fees.

The court will examine technical questions of whether abortion providers and the DOJ can sue in federal court to block the Texas law.

Abortion providers criticized the Texas law's design, saying that letting it stand could create an opening for states to pass laws that restrict other rights in the future.

"The issues before this court are far more sweeping," Marc Hearron, a lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights representing abortion providers, said on Monday. "To allow the Texas scheme to stand would provide a roadmap for other states to abrogate any decision of this court with which they disagree. At issue here is nothing less than the supremacy of federal law."

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'There's a loophole that's been exploited'

US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar also elevated that point in her arguments, urging the high court to consider the "startling implications" of Texas' position.

If Texas can hand off its enforcement authority to the general public, then "no constitutional right is safe," Prelogar told the court. "No constitutional decision from this court is safe. That would be an intolerable state of affairs and it cannot be the law," she added.

The court's three liberal justices appeared to embrace the argument, with Justice Elena Kagan saying states could "nullify the law" the Supreme Court has laid down.

"You're open for business," Kagan told Texas' solicitor general, Judd Stone. "There is nothing the Supreme Court can do about it. Guns, same-sex marriage, religious rights, whatever you don't like, go ahead."

Stone disagreed, responding that "the state of Texas has not nullified anything."

Some conservatives on the bench, including former President Donald Trump's appointees Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, also seemed skeptical of the law's design.

"It could be free speech rights. It could be free exercise of religion rights. It could be Second Amendment rights if this position is accepted here," Kavanaugh said.

"There's a loophole that's been exploited here or used here" and the question is should the court "close that loophole," he added.

Chief Justice John Roberts also pressed Stone on the matter with a hypothetical scenario, in which successful legal challenges would win a million dollars rather than $10,000.

"It's not a question of the federal courts being more open. It's a question of anybody having the capacity or ability to go to the federal court because nobody is going to risk violating the statute because they'll be subject to suit for a million dollars," Roberts said.

In the federal government's case, however, the conservative justices questioned the DOJ's standing, with Kavanaugh calling its lawsuit against Texas "irregular and unusual."

Although it's unclear when the justices will hand down their decision in the cases, the arguments on Monday raised the possibility of some of the court's conservatives siding with abortion providers.

The six-week abortion ban

Since the law took effect on September 1, abortion access has been effectively limited in Texas - the second largest state in the US. The law has forced patients to travel out of state to seek abortions past six weeks of pregnancy.

Proponents of the law say that abortions are prohibited once fetal cardiac activity can be detected. But it has no exceptions for cases of rape or incest and bans abortions at a time before many people know they are pregnant.

The arguments on Monday come two months after the Supreme Court allowed the law to take effect. In a narrow 5-4 vote on September 2, the court's majority rejected an emergency request from abortion providers to block the law, writing that the decision was technical and not based on the law's constitutionality.

Roberts, a conservative, joined the court's three liberals in dissent.

"The statutory scheme before the court is not only unusual, but unprecedented," he wrote at the time. "The legislature has imposed a prohibition on abortions after roughly six weeks, and then essentially delegated enforcement of that prohibition to the populace at large. The desired consequence appears to be to insulate the state from responsibility for implementing and enforcing the regulatory regime."

The high court's decision last month to consider both challenges from abortion providers and the DOJ marked a new development in the legal battle.

Separately, the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of abortion as it relates to a Mississippi law, which bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Arguments on that case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, are slated for December 1.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Tonga's main island will go into lockdown for a week after the South Pacific nation reported its first case of the coronavirus, the government said Monday.

The far-flung archipelago identified its first virus case last week, after a traveler arriving from New Zealand tested positive and isolated at a quarantine hotel.

Tongas Prime Minister Pohiva Tuionetoa said the lockdown would begin just after midnight on Tuesday and apply only to the island of Tongatapu, where a majority of the population live.

The nations Cabinet ordered the move to ensure the safety and health of our people, news website Matangi Tonga reported.

Video: New Zealand coronavirus outbreak spreads to South Island

The lockdown will mean schools, bars and restaurants will be closed, and nighttime curfews imposed. People will be required to isolate at home unless they are buying groceries or medicine, getting medical help, or accessing banking services.

News of the case has prompted hundreds of Tongans to line up at vaccination sites around the country. About 31% of Tongans are fully vaccinated and 48% have had at least one dose, according to research group Our World in Data.

The infected traveler was among 215 passengers who arrived on a flight from Christchurch on Wednesday.

Christchurch had been free from the virus for months until last week, when several community cases were reported.

New Zealand health officials said the traveler to Tonga was fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and had returned a negative test before leaving for Tonga.

Tonga is among the few remaining nations in the world that have avoided outbreaks of the virus due to its isolation.

The nearby nation of Fiji avoided significant outbreaks until April, when the delta variant ripped through the island chain, infecting more than 50,000 people and killing at least 673.

Tonga's frontline workers  including health staff, police officers and airport staff  who were on duty when the plane arrived had also been put into quarantine.

Located northeast of New Zealand, Tonga is home to about 106,000 people.
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A tribal group announced on Monday it would temporarily lift a six-week blockade on Sudan's main seaport, a week after the military took power in a coup.

Opponents of last week's military takeover had accused the army of engineering the blockade of Port Sudan to put pressure on civilian leaders and ultimately justify plans to end civilian rule. The army has denied being behind the blockade and declined to get involved, saying it was based on legitimate demands.

Barricades at the port and on the main road to Khartoum were being lifted from Monday morning for a month, said Abdallah Abushar, secretary for the High Beja Council, which imposed the blockade in September.

Members of the Beja tribal group had shut the Red Sea port in September, calling for a range of demands including the replacement of the civilian-led government.

The Port Sudan blockade, which shut down Red Sea terminals and the main road linking to the capital, had resulted in wheat and fuel shortages and the re-routing of shipments through Egypt.

The group had demanded the civilian government be replaced with technocrats, and that parts of an October 2020 peace agreement with rebel groups across Sudan be renegotiated.

Last week, Sudan's military took power in a coup, detaining civilian officials and politicians, and promising to establish a new government of technocrats. The coup has been met with opposition and street demonstrations over the last week.

Abushar said the blockade was being lifted to allow for the establishment of the new government, but would be re-instated in one month until the rest of the Beja demands are met.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Peter Graff)
Wine can be a magical cooking ingredient: Even just a splash or two can be the key to great soup recipes, sauces, and noodle bowls for dinner. And rice wine is no exception! It's great for tenderizing meat, deglazing a pan, and flavoring dishes like sushi and sashimi. But if you don't have any on hand, not to worry: There are a bunch of rice wine substitutes you can try.

First things first: What exactly is rice wine? While many other wines are made from fermented grapes, rice wine is a bit differentit's made from rice! Mijiu, which is clear Chinese rice wine, is made by fermenting glutinous rice. Through this process, the starches are transformed into sugars, which are then turned into wine, making it alcoholic. Rice wine is often used in cooking as part of a homemade marinade or to add flavor to a finished dish. It's a staple in many Asian cuisines.



Photo credit: Getty Images

There are various kinds of rice wine, each with their own unique flavorand many are good for both drinking and cooking. One common kind is Shaoxing wine (also spelled Shaohsing), which comes from the city of Shaoxing in the Zhejiang province of China; it's light brown in appearance (it's a variety of huangjiu, Chinese "yellow wine"). Mirin, a Japanese rice wine, is another popular kindit's light in color and slightly sweet (sweeter than sake). Cheongju, a clear Korean rice wine, is another choice.



If your recipe calls for rice wine and you don't have any in your pantry, try one of the rice wine substitutes belowjust keep in mind that each one will have a slightly different flavor.



Dry Sherry

Dry sherry can be a good substitute for rice wine in a recipe. Sherry, which comes from southern Spain, is a fortified wine, meaning it has spirits added to it, giving it a higher alcohol content than average wines. Be sure to use dry sherry, not cream sherry, which is sweet.



Sake

This Japanese alcoholic drink is made by a multi-step fermentation processand it can work as a rice wine substitute (some sources call sake a rice wine, though it's actually brewed more like a beer). It's great for marinades and sauces.



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Dry White Wine

A regular dry white wine for cooking is definitely not the same as a traditional Shaoxing wine, but it could add a nice subtle alcoholic flavor to a dishit will work as a rice wine substitute in a pinch. Just be sure to use a dry white wine and not a sweet one.



Gin

Since gin is vaguely similar in flavor to some rice wines, it can be used as a substitute in certain recipes. Just keep in mind that gin has a higher alcohol content, so you'll want to use only a fraction of it compared to what you'd use of the rice wine.



Other Rice Wines



If your recipe calls for Shaoxing rice wine but you don't have any, think about using another kind of rice wine. Mirin is a good sub: It's a Japanese rice wine that's made from fermenting steamed glutinous rice, mixing it with a rice liquor and allowing the fermentation process to take place. This rice wine has a slightly lower alcohol content than sake and, depending on how long it has been fermented, can have a strong flavor. Mirin is sweeter than Shaoxing rice wine, tooso you may want to adjust the sugar level in your dish.



White Grape Juice

While it certainly doesn't have the depth of flavor of traditional rice wines, white grape juice can add acidity and fruit flavor to a dish in the same way that a rice wine like Shaoxing wine might. Bonus: It's a good option for anyone looking for a non-alcoholic substitute. Try a splash in a thickened stew, soup, or sauteed meat dish.
A look at the shareholders of NWF Group plc (LON:NWF) can tell us which group is most powerful. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned.

NWF Group is a smaller company with a market capitalization of UK107m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about NWF Group.

See our latest analysis for NWF Group

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About NWF Group?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

We can see that NWF Group does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of NWF Group, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. NWF Group is not owned by hedge funds. The company's largest shareholder is Festa lifeyrissjour, with ownership of 4.8%. The second and third largest shareholders are Lifeyrissjos Vestmannaeyja and Sameinadi lifeyrissjodurinn, with an equal amount of shares to their name at 4.8%. In addition, we found that Richard Whiting, the CEO has 0.8% of the shares allocated to their name.

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After doing some more digging, we found that the top 20 have the combined ownership of 51% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.

Insider Ownership Of NWF Group

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

We can see that insiders own shares in NWF Group plc. In their own names, insiders own UK1.6m worth of stock in the UK107m company. It is good to see some investment by insiders, but I usually like to see higher insider holdings. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public holds a 35% stake in NWF Group. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand NWF Group better, we need to consider many other factors.

Many find it useful to take an in depth look at how a company has performed in the past. You can access this detailed graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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.
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The United States and human rights groups on Monday condemned the conviction of a Cambodian teenager who was sentenced to eight months in prison over messages he shared on Facebook and Telegram insulting ruling party officials.

The sentencing comes amid a broad crackdown in Cambodia on the opposition, civil society and the media that began in the run-up to a 2018 election.

Sovann Chhay, 16, who rights group say has autism spectrum disorder and is the son of a detained political opposition member and an activist, was sentenced to eight months on Monday, of which he will serve four months and 15 days in prison with the remainder of the sentence suspended.

The U.S. ambassador to Cambodia Patrick Murphy criticized the court's decision.

"I am saddened to hear the Phnom Penh Municipal Court today sentenced a child to prison time for what appears to be politically motivated charges. How does jailing the teenage son of a opposition figure demonstrate respect for human rights?" Murphy said in a tweet.

Plang Sophal, deputy prosecutor and spokesman at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, declined to comment on the case.

The boy was due to be released from prison this month but will remain under probation for two additional years, during which time he will be required to appear before the court whenever summoned; inform the court if he changes address; and obtain permission to leave the country, among other conditions, local rights group Licadho said.

"The conviction against 16-year-old, autistic Sovann Chhay is outrageous and unacceptable on so many levels and signifies a new low in Prime Minister Hun Sen's witch hunt against his political opponents," said Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.

(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will fly back to London from Glasgow rather than taking the train, Downing Street said Monday hours after he chided world leaders for not doing more on climate change.

Aviation -- especially the private kind -- is a bete noire of the environmental lobby as it emits vastly more carbon per passenger than other forms of transport.

Hundreds of campaigners attending the COP26 conference in Scotland's biggest city have come up from London by train, although the main line to Glasgow was hit by lengthy storm-related delays Sunday.

Johnson flew in to COP26 late Sunday from Rome, where he was attending a weekend G20 summit, aboard a chartered Airbus plane painted in a patriotic UK livery.

He will use the same jet to return to London on Tuesday, his office said, after opening a two-day COP26 summit by warning that future generations "will not forgive us" if leaders fail to act.

"It's important that the prime minister is able to move around the country and we face significant time constraints," Johnson's spokesman told reporters in Glasgow.

London is 60-90 minutes from Glasgow by plane on average, while the train journey can take more than five hours.

"The fuel we are using is sustainable and the emissions are offset as well," the spokesman stressed.

He added that under Johnson's leadership, Britain was "leading the way on efforts to get to net zero".

Other leaders have echoed Johnson's demands for climate change action but also face criticism for their own transportation choices.

US President Joe Biden's convoy in Rome numbered more than 80 vehicles, led by his bomb-proof car "The Beast", which is not known for its fuel efficiency.

Many of those cars as well as those of other delegations sat idling their engines outside the G20 summit venue as the leaders deliberated inside.

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, noted that Johnson's government had last week cut taxes on domestic flights, attracting scorn from campaigners on the eve of COP26.

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"Boris Johnson is right to warn that the world is 'one minute to midnight' when it comes to climate change," he told AFP.

"Which is why it would have been nice to see him model some low-carbon behaviour by getting the train to Glasgow rather than flying by jet to and from London.

"Maybe if the UK government used taxes on domestic flights to improve its rail infrastructure, low-carbon forms of transportation would be easier, cheaper and more widely used."

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Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a decent share price growth in the teens level on the NYSE over the last few months. With many analysts covering the mid-cap stock, we may expect any price-sensitive announcements have already been factored into the stocks share price. However, could the stock still be trading at a relatively cheap price? Lets examine Asbury Automotive Groups valuation and outlook in more detail to determine if theres still a bargain opportunity.

View our latest analysis for Asbury Automotive Group

What's the opportunity in Asbury Automotive Group?

The share price seems sensible at the moment according to my price multiple model, where I compare the company's price-to-earnings ratio to the industry average. In this instance, Ive used the price-to-earnings (PE) ratio given that there is not enough information to reliably forecast the stocks cash flows. I find that Asbury Automotive Groups ratio of 7.87x is trading slightly below its industry peers ratio of 10.13x, which means if you buy Asbury Automotive Group today, youd be paying a decent price for it. And if you believe that Asbury Automotive Group should be trading at this level in the long run, then theres not much of an upside to gain over and above other industry peers. So, is there another chance to buy low in the future? Given that Asbury Automotive Groups share is fairly volatile (i.e. its price movements are magnified relative to the rest of the market) this could mean the price can sink lower, giving us an opportunity to buy later on. This is based on its high beta, which is a good indicator for share price volatility.

What does the future of Asbury Automotive Group look like?

Future outlook is an important aspect when youre looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Although value investors would argue that its the intrinsic value relative to the price that matter the most, a more compelling investment thesis would be high growth potential at a cheap price. With profit expected to grow by 40% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Asbury Automotive Group. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

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What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? It seems like the market has already priced in ABGs positive outlook, with shares trading around industry price multiples. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the track record of its management team. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at ABG? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuate below the industry PE ratio?

Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping an eye on ABG, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around industry price multiples. However, the positive outlook is encouraging for ABG, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

In light of this, if you'd like to do more analysis on the company, it's vital to be informed of the risks involved. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Asbury Automotive Group you should know about.

If you are no longer interested in Asbury Automotive Group, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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.
At a Georgia state House of Representatives hearing on prison conditions in September, a corrections officer called in to testify, interrupting his shift to tell lawmakers how dire conditions had become.

On a good day, he told lawmakers, he had maybe six or seven officers to supervise roughly 1,200 people. He said he had recently been assigned to look after 400 prisoners by himself. There werent enough nurses to provide medical care.

All the officers  absolutely despise working there, said the officer, who didnt give his name for fear of retaliation.

In Texas, Lance Lowry quit after 20 years as a corrections officer to become a long-haul trucker because he couldnt bear the job any longer. Watching friends and coworkers die from COVID-19, along with dwindling support from his superiors, wore on him.

I would have liked to stay till I was 50, said Lowry, 48. but the pandemic changed that.

Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. But the coronavirus pandemic  and its impact on the labor market  has pushed many corrections systems into crisis. Officers are retiring and quitting in droves, while officials struggle to recruit new employees. And some prisons whose prisioner populations dropped during the pandemic have seen their numbers rise again, exacerbating the problem.

___

This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Marshall Project exploring the state of the U.S. prison system in the coronavirus pandemic. Tom Meagher of The Marshall Project and Michael Balsamo of The Associated Press also contributed reporting.

___

There is no one thing pushing prison employees out in high numbers now. Some are leaving for new opportunities as more places are hiring. University of Michigan economist Betsey Stevenson pointed to the increased risk of COVID-19 for people working in prisons.

When jobs become riskier, it becomes harder to attract workers, she wrote in an email. By failing to protect prisoners from COVID, the criminal justice system not only created an unfair risk of severe illness and death for the incarcerated, but the increased COVID risk to employees has undoubtedly contributed to staffing shortages.

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Unions representing prison officers in states including Massachusetts and California and at the federal level also claim vaccine mandates will drive out unvaccinated employees and exacerbate understaffing, though its unclear how big of an impact those rules will have.

There are dozens of reasons to leave and very few to stay, said Brian Dawe, national director of One Voice United, a nonprofit supporting corrections officers. Understaffing, poor pay, poor benefits, horrendous working conditions.  Officers and their families in many jurisdictions have had enough.

Employers from construction companies to restaurants are having difficulty hiring and keeping people. Nearly 3% of American workers, 4.3 million, quit their jobs in August, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But the stakes are higher in prisons, where having fewer guards means significantly more dangerous conditions for incarcerated people. And for the officers left behind, worsening shortages have made an already difficult job unbearable, many say.

In Georgia, some prisons report up to 70% vacancy rates. In Nebraska, overtime hours have quadrupled since 2010, as fewer officers are forced to work longer hours. Florida has temporarily closed three prisons out of more than 140 facilities because of understaffing, and vacancy rates have nearly doubled there in the last year. And at federal prisons across the country, guards are picketing in front of their facilities over understaffing, while everyone from prison teachers to dentists is pulled in to cover security shifts.

In recent weeks, reporters from The Marshall Project and The Associated Press have spoken with workers, officials, attorneys and people incarcerated in more than a dozen prison systems to understand the consequences of the staffing shortfalls.

The federal Bureau of Prisons says about 93% of its front-line guard positions are filled, with little more than 1,000 vacancies, though workers in many prisons say theyre feeling the pinch as others are conscripted to fill in for missing officers.

Asked last week in a U.S. Senate hearing about federal prison staffing, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, I agree this is a serious problem at the Bureau of Prisons.

Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco was working with the bureau to address staffing issues.

In Kansas, state Department of Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda testified before the legislature that the problems now are unlike any hes seen in his career. Kansas has more than 400 unfilled jobs for uniformed officers, a number he expects to grow in the coming months as workers are lured by other employers that pay better.

Quitting can have a snowball effect, said Doug Koebernick, inspector general of the Nebraska correctional system. People leave, then that creates more overtime and stress and more vacancies, he said. Its like this spiral. Many corrections officers said they were forced to work more overtime as fewer people showed up for shifts. In Texas, guards have worked as much as 16-hour days.

Inside prisons, growing shortages mean a rise in lockdowns. Restrictions that might have begun as a way to stop the spread of COVID-19 have continued because there arent enough guards to supervise activities. Some incarcerated people say they cant take classes, participate in group therapy sessions or even work out in the recreation yard or take a shower. That can force those in general population into de facto solitary confinement, and those already in segregation into near-total lockdown.

If we get rec once a week, thats a good week, said Anthony Haynes, who is on Texas' death row in a unit that is barely half-staffed. We dont always get showers.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice did not respond to Haynes claims but acknowledged that staffing is a challenge in Texas prisons.

Before COVID-19, staffing was frequently impacted by economic surges and competing employment opportunities, said spokesman Robert Hurst in an email. The pandemic has exacerbated these issues. We also recognize that the job of the correctional officer is one of the most difficult in all of state government. He added that Texas has closed six of its more than 100 facilities in the last year due to staffing problems.

Kansas has cut job training and reduced supervision for people after theyre released. Two-thirds of the men in Nebraskas prisons cant see visitors on the weekends  when most families are free to travel  because of understaffing.

The constant isolation takes a toll. As of October, we have not had yard for two weeks, wrote one man at Illinois Pontiac Correctional Center, where officials report 35% of corrections officer jobs are vacant. (His testimony was compiled by lawyers suing the state prison system over a dearth of mental health care.) I feel very overwhelmed  I cant talk about my problems to anyone. I pace back and forth and talk to myself because theres nothing else to do.

Mental health care is dwindling, prisoners and lawyers argue, as people in prison grow more desperate. In Illinois, canceled one-on-one therapy means what little counseling is available happens briefly through a cell door, in full earshot of the rest of the tier, said attorney Alan Mills of the Uptown Peoples Law Center, which has sued the state corrections department over inadequate mental and physical health care, due in large part to a lack of qualified staff.

A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Corrections said that Pontiac continues to provide out-of-cell programming and one-on-one counseling. While staffing challenges have had an impact on scheduling, the department is committed to delivering the highest quality mental and medical health care as possible, said Lindsey Hess in an email.

Officials from corrections departments in Georgia and Washington, where the governor halted the transfer of people from county jails to prisons for two weeks due to staffing changes, did not respond to requests for comment.

Dr. Homer Venters, a former chief medical officer for the jail system in New York City, inspects conditions in prisons around the country for court cases. Understaffing will lead to an increase in preventable prison deaths, he said, as the quality of care reaches new lows.

Things are much worse behind bars now than they have been for a long time, Venters said. There are so many staff that have left. That means that basic clinical services, like getting to scheduled appointments, just isn't happening the way it was even five years ago.

Violence is also on the rise in some prisons. The Southern Center for Human Rights recently sued the Georgia Department of Corrections over lockdowns and dangerous conditions: There were 48 suspected homicides in the states prisons between January 2020 and August 2021 and 38 suicides. (In 2017, in comparison, there were eight homicides.) Hundreds of people incarcerated at three state prisons rioted last summer, after being locked in their cells for weeks and monitored by as few as six guards at a time.

In July, the state had a 56% annual turnover rate for corrections officers, and 40% of those jobs were vacant, according to department documents. The U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation into the corrections department in September, citing understaffing as a primary concern.

Meanwhile, corrections departments say they are trying harder than ever to recruit new staff. Theyve boosted social media posts and in-person job fairs. In Indiana, they raised the starting pay for corrections officers a dollar to to $19 an hour. Others are giving perks like hiring bonuses, better pay at critical units, earlier pay raises or, in Kansas, extra time off for current employees who refer new hires.

But some hurriedly hired cadets might not last long.

Brandon Robert Graham started training at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary in Washington in August 2020 and within two weeks was on the tier. They were in such a hiring crisis that I was a rapid hire, he said. At first, he was excited about the salary and great benefits compared with other jobs in the area. But as more entry-level jobs opened up, he started looking elsewhere.

I was on night shift. I never got to see my fiancee, he said. I did so much overtime that I thought I was getting sick from the stress.

He left in July to look for a new job.
The US Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, on Monday hears challenges to a Texas law that drastically limits access to abortion and which has sparked a fierce legal and political battle.

At 10:00 am (1400 GMT), the nine-member court will listen to two hours of arguments by parties in a closely watched case over the law, which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and makes no exceptions for rape or incest -- the strictest regulation of its kind in the country.

The Supreme Court was asked by abortion providers to block the law when it took effect on September 1, but the court declined to do so citing "procedural issues."

Texas, the country's second-largest state, is now being sued by Democratic President Joe Biden's Justice Department and a coalition of abortion providers, who say the restrictions enacted are "plainly unconstitutional."

Biden was among those who criticized the court for failing to tackle a law that "blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade," the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling enshrining a woman's legal right to an abortion.

Laws restricting abortion have been passed in other Republican-led states but were struck down by the courts because they violated previous Supreme Court rulings that guaranteed the right to an abortion until the fetus is viable outside the womb, which is typically around 22 to 24 weeks.

Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB8) bans abortions after a heartbeat can be detected in the womb, which is normally around six weeks -- before many women even know they are pregnant.

The so-called "Texas Heartbeat Act" differs from other efforts in that it insulates the state by giving members of the public the right to sue doctors who perform abortions, or anyone who helps facilitate them, once a heartbeat is detected.

They can be rewarded with $10,000 for initiating cases that land in court, prompting criticism that the state is encouraging people to take the law into their own hands.

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"The most pernicious thing about the Texas law is it sort of creates a vigilante system, where people get rewards," Biden said at the White House in September, adding the measure "sounds ridiculous, almost un-American."

- 'Why are they making me keep it?' -

On the ground, clinics in Texas -- fearful of potentially ruinous lawsuits -- closed their doors, and the number of abortions in the state fell to 2,100 in September from 4,300 a year earlier, according to a University of Texas study.

Planned Parenthood, one of the largest providers of women's health care in the nation, sent a 30-page legal brief to the court containing testimony from women and doctors affected by the Texas law.

One patient, identified as I.O., was 12 years old.

"The mother said they could not travel out of State -- they had barely made it to the Texas health center," the brief said.

The 12-year-old was quoted as saying, "Mom, it was an accident. Why are they making me keep it?"

- 'Is there a fifth vote?' -

The Supreme Court could make a decision at any time after oral arguments but is widely expected to rule before hearing another abortion case on December 1.

In that case, the court will hear a challenge to a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks.

At least four justices appear ready to block the Texas law: the three liberals on the court and Chief Justice John Roberts, who expressed concerns about SB8 when it previously appeared before the court.

"Now the question is, 'Is there a fifth vote?'" Steve Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas, asked on a podcast.

chp/cl-sst/to/oho
An off-duty police officer in Puyallup, Washington was shot in the abdomen and suffered "very serious" injuries as he tried to stop a burglary in progress while on a morning jog Sunday, Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engle said.

"This was a very close call, a very close call, and were very fortunate that the officers out of surgery," Engle said at the scene. "Hes got a road ahead of him, but as of right now, hes expected to survive."

The officer, who works for the nearby Federal Way Police Department, saw two men trying to pull the front door off a Jennings Equipment store around 7 a.m.

TEXAS OFFICER SHOT IN BACK DURING AMBUSH ATTACK NEEDS TRANSPLANT, BULLETS DAMAGED KIDNEYS, FIANCE SAYS

The men had some sort of "verbal confrontation" with the officer then shot him as they fled the scene.

"He was doing nothing that any other officer wouldnt have done," Engle said. "Our officers, whether theyre in their uniforms or not, theyre always on duty and they always do the right thing."

The two suspects are described as Hispanic men wearing all black with their faces covered.

One of them drove a four-door light-colored Chevy pickup with dark wheels and a tailgate that was either down or missing. The other suspect drove a black pickup.

The Puyallup Police Department is asking anyone who may have seen the suspects or who has surveillance footage from that area to call its tip line at 253-770-3343.
(Photo: Sean Rayford via Getty Images)

The Washington Post has refused to print former President Donald Trumps full response to the in-depth U.S. Capitol riot investigation it published last week, citing a series of unrelated, inflammatory claims from him.

The decision follows major backlash against The Wall Street Journal last week after it published a letter to the editor from Trump that was packed with falsehoods and yet was presented without being challenged by the newspaper.

The Post noted that Trumps spokesperson Taylor Budowich provided a lengthy written response to its investigative stories that included series of unrelated, inflammatory claims that The Post is not publishing in full.

The newspaper instead quoted only sections of the response.

Video: Biden apologizes for Trump's pulling U.S. out of climate accord

Among other things, the Posts three-part series examined law enforcements failure to heed warnings of the violence that erupted at the Capitol after a pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6. It also exposed how Trumps inaction that day and his repeated falsehoods about his 2020 election loss helped incite the violence  and continues to undermine democratic institutions.

It also exposed extensive, coordinated plotting by Trumps close allies to overturn the presidential election while they were holed up in a war room at the Willard Hotel in downtown Washington.

One of the plotters, conservative attorney John Eastman, blamed then-Vice President Mike Pence for the violence of Jan. 6 because he refused to try to block certification of Joe Bidens Electoral College victory. Incredibly, Eastman did so in an angry email to Pences aide as the two men were hunkered down, hiding from the mob at the Capitol who were calling for Pences hanging.

The Post, which interviewed 230 people for its series, provided Trump a list of 37 findings reported as part of its investigation.

Budowich wrote that Trump greatly objected to all of them, the newspaper reported.

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Trump also dismissed the stories as fake news and falsely cast people who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 as agitators not associated with President Trump, the Post noted.

In addition, the statement repeated Trumps false claim that the 2020 election was rigged and called leftist journalists and the Fake News the greatest threat to America, according to the paper.

See The Washington Posts full statement on Trumps response here.

Also on HuffPost

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
The Insider Monkey team has completed processing the quarterly 13F filings for the June quarter submitted by the hedge funds and other money managers included in our extensive database. Most hedge fund investors experienced strong gains on the back of a strong market performance, which certainly propelled them to adjust their equity holdings so as to maintain the desired risk profile. As a result, the relevancy of these public filings and their content is indisputable, as they may reveal numerous high-potential stocks. The following article will discuss the smart money sentiment towards Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C).

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) shareholders have witnessed a decrease in activity from the world's largest hedge funds of late. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) was in 87 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of June. The all time high for this statistic is 121. Our calculations also showed that C isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds (click for Q2 rankings).

To most stock holders, hedge funds are viewed as slow, outdated financial tools of yesteryear. While there are over 8000 funds trading at present, We choose to focus on the elite of this group, about 850 funds. These investment experts administer the lion's share of all hedge funds' total asset base, and by observing their best investments, Insider Monkey has discovered a few investment strategies that have historically beaten Mr. Market. Insider Monkey's flagship short hedge fund strategy exceeded the S&P 500 short ETFs by around 20 percentage points a year since its inception in March 2017. Also, our monthly newsletter's portfolio of long stock picks returned 185.4% since March 2017 (through August 2021) and beat the S&P 500 Index by more than 79 percentage points. You can download a sample issue of this newsletter on our website.

John Overdeck of Two Sigma

John Overdeck of Two Sigma Advisors

At Insider Monkey, we scour multiple sources to uncover the next great investment idea. For example, the demand for helium is soaring and there is a helium supply shortage, so we are checking out stock pitches like this emerging helium stock. We go through lists like the 10 best EV stocks to pick the next Tesla that will deliver a 10x return. Even though we recommend positions in only a tiny fraction of the companies we analyze, we check out as many stocks as we can. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. You can subscribe to our free daily newsletter on our homepage. Keeping this in mind we're going to take a gander at the latest hedge fund action regarding Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C).

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Do Hedge Funds Think C Is A Good Stock To Buy Now?

At Q2's end, a total of 87 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of -3% from the previous quarter. By comparison, 96 hedge funds held shares or bullish call options in C a year ago. So, let's find out which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves.

The largest stake in Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) was held by ValueAct Capital, which reported holding $1467.8 million worth of stock at the end of June. It was followed by Eagle Capital Management with a $1451.6 million position. Other investors bullish on the company included Pzena Investment Management, Citadel Investment Group, and Two Sigma Advisors. In terms of the portfolio weights assigned to each position ValueAct Capital allocated the biggest weight to Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C), around 17.55% of its 13F portfolio. Kahn Brothers is also relatively very bullish on the stock, earmarking 8.48 percent of its 13F equity portfolio to C.

Due to the fact that Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) has witnessed falling interest from the aggregate hedge fund industry, it's safe to say that there lies a certain "tier" of funds that slashed their positions entirely last quarter. Intriguingly, Stanley Druckenmiller's Duquesne Capital sold off the largest position of the 750 funds followed by Insider Monkey, valued at close to $154.6 million in stock. Richard Oldfield's fund, Oldfield Partners, also dumped its stock, about $113.3 million worth. These bearish behaviors are important to note, as aggregate hedge fund interest was cut by 3 funds last quarter.

Let's now review hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C). These stocks are Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP), Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY), Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE), Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD), The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), and Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN). This group of stocks' market values are closest to C's market value.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position UNP,69,5034926,-6 RY,18,905415,0 SE,104,12209916,6 NEE,59,2686533,-4 BUD,18,1234449,0 BA,59,1368946,0 AMGN,53,1651799,6 Average,54.3,3584569,0.3 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 54.3 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $3585 million. That figure was $6155 million in C's case. Sea Limited (NYSE:SE) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) is the least popular one with only 18 bullish hedge fund positions. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) is not the most popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still above average. Our overall hedge fund sentiment score for C is 63.7. Stocks with higher number of hedge fund positions relative to other stocks as well as relative to their historical range receive a higher sentiment score. This is a slightly positive signal but we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed that top 5 most popular stocks among hedge funds returned 95.8% in 2019 and 2020, and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by 40 percentage points. These stocks gained 26.3% in 2021 through October 29th and beat the market again by 2.3 percentage points. Unfortunately C wasn't nearly as popular as these 5 stocks and hedge funds that were betting on C were disappointed as the stock returned -0.8% since the end of June (through 10/29) and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out the top 5 most popular stocks among hedge funds as many of these stocks already outperformed the market since 2019.

Get real-time email alerts: Follow Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C)

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Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/Photos Getty Images

Climate-related warfare is a near-term realitynot some far-off boogeymanaccording to leading defense thinkers and military strategists. They are still talking about the importance of fighting climate change, but theyre also making plans to fight other human beings because of climate change.

So, where will these climate-related battles take place?

Some people argue they already have, with controversial academic reports claiming recent conflicts were directly spurred by the effects of climate change. Other military advisers and strategists have identified specific new wars that could erupt in Asia, Africa, or the Arctic.

The Atlantic Council, an American think tank, suggested in March that as Russia and China look to new shipping routes through previously frozen, impassable waters around Greenland, Iceland and the Arctic Circle, there could be a new era of great power competition in the region.

Britain and the U.S. have responded to a huge increase in Russian and Chinese activity in the area with a beefed up military and naval presence. An American aircraft carrier recently ventured into the Arctic Circle for the first time since the end of the Cold War.

Inside the Wests Plans for Arctic War Against Russia

Matthew Rendall, a lecturer at the University of Nottingham whose research focuses on climate change and international relations, argues that it is more likely that less stable, more disaster-prone places like Syria or Somalia will become the climate battlefields. They are already hot. Most of them are also a lot poorer. As a result, theyre more likely to suffer acute resource shortages, mass migration of refugees, and political instability.

Moreover, Rendall said, China and Russia have nuclear weapons. They may quarrel over the Arctic, but they are unlikely to fight World War III over itthat would just be too costly.

According to a recent article published by the political risk analysis firm Global Risk Insights, there may already be reasons to think violence in Somalia is linked to climate change. Millions of Somali people have begun to face food insecurity after almost continuous dry spells since the 2011 East Africa drought. While studies of past conflicts have not conclusively linked these effects to the increased presence of the jihadist group al-Shabaab, the article argues that jihadists benefit from climate-induced livelihood loss and food insecurity, and as the climate worsens, they can use offers of things like food and protection to recruit the vulnerable. 

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The Pentagon is making nearly identical observations as Global Risk Insights, without directly naming the potential combatants. As climate changes, according to the U.S. Department of Defenses plan which was first published in September and then publicized earlier this month, there may be commensurate alterations in local and regional politics to mitigate food and water shortages. These political adjustments could result in increased physical and cyber terrorist attacks from unknown third parties.

The Pentagons new Climate Adaptation Plan is illustrated with a photo of two awestruck soldiers standing in Californias Mojave desert, silhouetted against a giant, all-consuming sun on the horizon. The image undeniably evoked the mushroom clouds U.S. military photographers captured in the Southwestern desert three-quarters of a century ago. The suns usefulbut increasingly oppressiveenergy is now at the forefront of the Pentagons thinking just as atomic energy animated the American militarism of a bygone era.

In 2015, a research team led by Colin P. Kelley, a researcher at Columbia University, produced a well-publicized study concluding that the now decade-long civil war in Syria was worsened by climate change-related heatwaves and drought and the subsequent fights over resources, which stirred up the unrest put down so brutally by President Bashar al-Assad.

Olaf Corry, University of Leeds professor of global security challenges, told The Daily Beast that while climate change will certainly have a huge impact on security, the conflict in Syria is a bad example, because he sees major weaknesses in the research linking that conflict to climate issues. Among other factors, he said, The droughts were in the wrong place to correlate with the places the unrest broke out that were the trigger for the Assad crackdown.

We dont want to let those responsible for starting wars erroneously point to climate and thereby get off the hook, Corry explained.

It may be that we should focus less on conflicts over resources, and more on what happens when theres simply less land due to rising sea levels. Shafqat Munir, head of the Bangladesh Center for Terrorism Research reminded the attendees of the Seoul Defense Dialogue last month that his country is expected to rapidly lose about 14 percent of its total landmass. From a terrorism researchers standpoint, he said, As you can imagine ladies and gentlemen, it is going to be a very grave disaster.

For instance, the Rangpur district of Bangladesh has been transformed by recent floods, experiencing its worst flooding in 60 years last year. That same district has also experienced an apparent rise in conflict between Hindus and Muslims. Over the past few weeks in the Rangpur district, Islamist groups have reportedly committed arson attacks against dozens of Hindus during the Durga Puja Hindu festival. A clear link between climate and this violence hasnt been established, but the changing climate is on the minds of ordinary citizens in Bangladesh according to Munir. From my perch in Dhaka, Bangladesh, climate change is not a theory because we live it every moment, he told the Seoul Defense Dialogue.

It was the first time the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an international meeting of military minds from Southeast Asian countries, South Korea, and some of their Western allies, had ever dedicated an entire panel to the topic of climate.

If we fail to lower emissions very soon, militaries should be planning for profound insecurity and more military missions later in this century, or possibly sooner if we hit certain tipping points, said Sharon Burke, president of the defense research firm Ecospherics, and a former assistant secretary of defense under President Obama.

Overwhelmingly, the focus of the conversations at the Seoul Defense Dialogue was not where these new conflicts would take place, but rather, strategies for engaging in warfare under hotter, stormier, less predictable conditions. Bangladeshi peacekeeping forces in Mali, where Bangladesh has been operating since 2014, have encountered increasingly inhospitable temperatures. But more to the point, according to Munir, theyve had communications equipment fail due to the heat.

The shift I see happening among [U.S.] defense policymakers, said Jeff Colgan, a professor of political science at Brown University, and director of the Climate Solutions Lab, is that they are starting to see climate change not just as a threat multiplier (the Pentagons favorite phrase) or as a single issue, but as altering the whole strategic landscape that the United States faces.

As John Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate, tweeted shortly after the election of Joe Biden, America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as the urgent national security threat it is.

Even COVID Lockdowns Couldnt Stop Greenhouse Gases From Hitting New Record

Corry, the University of Leeds professor, said Kerrys tweet was an example of climate securitizationwhich he defined as making something understood through the lens of security. Corry questioned this approach, asking Why is it national security and not human security or an ecological security crisis?

The military strategies being generated to confront these new issues focus on adapting to the new challenges, not massively reducing their own carbon footprints. The Pentagons climate change plan does talk about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but mitigation is third on the plans list of guiding terms, after adaptation and resilience.

The Department of Defense consumes up to 80 percent of the U.S. federal governments energy, according to a 2019 report by The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. That same report also notes that the U.S. militarys 2017 greenhouse gas emissionsabout 59 million metric tonsexceed those of the entire country of Sweden.

If the rich countriesthe chief causers of global warmingstart pouring money into their national security apparatus instead of decarbonization and helping vulnerable countries adapt, it will add insult to injury, Corry said.

Perhaps its time U.S. military leaders, in particular, spent less time planning for new climate-related warfare and more time figuring out how they can stop making it more likely.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A decade after post-election violence tore Ivory Coast apart, Mamadou Coulibaly has rebuilt his life by focusing on survivors like himself. His organization compiled the names and stories of thousands of citizens caught up in the 2010-11 conflict, which ended in the defeat and extradition of a disgraced former president.

Since then, the West African country has stabilized. Thousands of victims were compensated under a government that enacted political reforms and honored the victims of the bloodshed. The Ivoirian economy improved as cocoa sales boomed.

Now the former president, Laurent Gbagbo, is back.

And that has survivors like Mr. Coulibaly, who runs the National Federation of Victims of the Crisis in Cote dIvoire, or Fenavipelci, reflecting on how much work is left to be done.

For Mr. Coulibaly, true peace can only be achieved when political leaders like Mr. Gbagbo publicly take responsibility for their actions and apologize to victims like him.

I prefer the truth be told about who did what, Mr. Coulibaly says. We could do a public plea for mercy in front of Ivoirians or between ourselves. And then well forgive one another.

So far, that hasnt happened. And Mr. Gbagbo recently set up a new political party, suggesting hes planning a comeback.

In 2010, Mr. Gbagbo had refused to step down after losing an election. He declared himself president, triggering a constitutional crisis and a conflict between his supporters and those of his opponent, Alassane Ouattara, that divided the country along ethnic and religious lines. Mr. Gbagbo is from the countrys south; Mr. Ouattarra is a northerner with roots in neighboring Burkina Faso.

At least 3,000 people were killed in the war that ended with Mr. Gbagbos defeat in April 2011 and his transfer to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

So when he landed in Abidjan, the Ivoirian capital, in July, to the cheers of his supporters, he had been out of the country for almost a decade. He was the first former head of state to be put on trial at the International Criminal Court, which acquitted him in April for crimes against humanity; he had won an earlier case in 2019 that went to an appeal.

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In Abobo, the neighborhood in Abidjan where Mr. Coulibaly lived, the conflict was devastating. Both pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara forces carried out mass executions, torture, and sexual abuse. He had to flee.

For someone like me who had a family to pass through that kind of situation, we began asking ourselves if we shall get out of this bad situation, Mr. Coulibaly says. Its God that wanted us to be alive.

Truth and reconciliation program

After Mr. Ouattara took power, he got to work on building peace. A truth and reconciliation program, known as CDVR, was formed in 2014, along with a state-sponsored program for inter-tribal dialogue.

President Ouattara also announced initial funding for reparations. Of a list of more than 700,000 people who applied for the money, the government approved around one-third. Eligible families received about $1,800 for every relative who died, and those who suffered injuries received $260. Nearly 5,000 people have actually received money, according to Mr. Coulibaly. But its unclear whether the reparations fund will be replenished so that others can be paid.

Critics say the reparation and justice process is one-sided. Despite recommendations from the CDVR, most of President Ouattaras associates were spared jail sentences.

The consensus is that the president couldnt risk putting his own associates on trial and have their atrocities revealed.

Although the government approved for reparations to be extended to 317,000 victims, analysts say that process, too, has been flawed with many victims omitted.

The reparations process was a mess, says Kouame Remi Oussou, a sociology professor at the Alassane Ouattara University, a public university named after the current president. It was corrupt and perceived to favor one tribe. If you wanted to get compensation as a victim, you had to pay the people in charge. Its difficult to reconcile in this type of condition.

Grassroots reconciliation

Feeling that justice was only half done, Mr. Coulibaly has continued his work. Survivors in his network have tried to find common ground, share their pain, and advocate for more government action, including a formal, public apology. Theyve tried to make peace, he says, by reconciling tribal and political differences on a personal level.

The parties that people supported, as well as the tribes they came from, determined whether they would live or die during the war, he says. Those tensions sometimes play out today in daily life.

People have accepted their fates, Mr. Coulibaly says. I try to sensitize them on the need to return to their normal lives as before.

Saye Awa, the manager at Fenavipelci, says members regularly go door to door, preaching reconciliation and peace in order to avoid another conflict. When possible, they bring disputing members of different tribes and parties together to talk and settle quarrels.

While government efforts to achieve peace and justice have been criticized, a more practical peace, analysts say, could emerge from the informal one-on-one meetings that Mr. Coulibaly and others like him have facilitated.

Still, despite criticism, President Ouattaras government has been largely willing to settle the score with his rivals. Many of Mr. Gbagbos associates who were accused of ordering the killings during the war have been freed prematurely.

In 2017 Mr. Gbagbos wife was acquitted of crimes against humanity by local courts, and Ivory Coast has refused to transfer her to the ICC to face war crime charges.

Two years later, Mr. Ouattara invited his former rival to return after his first acquittal by the international court.

I am happy to see you, President Ouattara said after the two finally met and hugged in July. The past events have been painful. Too many died and we must try to put that behind us.

Ivoirian courts sentenced Mr. Gbagbo in absentia to 20 years in jail for stealing state funds during the crisis. In theory, he faces arrest and imprisonment for this conviction.

For his part, Mr. Coulibaly welcomed the reunion of the two former foes, saying it could mean a wider peace for Ivory Coast. I am happy to see them reconcile, he says.

While he knows some victims will resist, hes convinced that putting Mr. Gbagbo on trial at home would only cause more fighting as the former president still has a large following.

We dare to believe that the truth will come out one day so that everyone will know their responsibilities. ... If we were to point fingers, everyone would be implicated, he adds, referring to the accusations against Mr. Ouattaras forces.

Mr. Gbagbo has said he would meet with victims of the conflict he incited but didnt say when.

Still, many questioned his return and asked what the 2010-11 war meant as videos circulated on social media of the two men hugging.

In July, Issiaka Diaby, the leader of another survivors association, joined protests in Abidjan to call for the arrest of the former president on his return.

Laurent Gbagbo, for some victims communities, is like a wolf that has been chased away from the sheepfold and is now coming back, Mr. Diaby told RFI, the French broadcaster.

Eyeing the next election

While the calls for Mr. Gbagbos arrest were loudest with his return in July, they have since quietened. Its unclear if the government either wants to jail Mr. Gbagbo or arrange a pardon.

In October, the former president formed a new political party, and hes likely to either run or play kingmaker in elections due in 2025.

Some analysts say the apparent detente between Mr. Ouattara and Mr. Gbagbo belies bad blood that could plunge the country into another crisis if nationwide reconciliation isnt addressed more seriously.

You may feel like nothing is going on, Professor Oussou says. But one morning, everything goes poof! Its a fragile peace.

That shaky peace was tested in 2020 after Mr. Ouattara won a controversial third term. He had promised not to run in 2016 when a new constitution was adopted. But last year, the countrys constitutional council ruled that the new reforms reset Mr. Ouattaras terms and allowed him to contest. Riots broke out in protest, leaving 85 dead. Professor Oussou warns the same could happen in 2025.

In the meantime, Mr. Coulibaly says victims expect public apologies from both leaders and an official commemoration of the 2010-11 killings. All the high authorities are responsible for what happened to Ivory Coast, he says. We are all responsible. Let us just forgive one another and move on.

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Wolves condemned Everton to a third successive Premier League defeat as Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez scored in a 2-1 win at Molineux on Monday.

Bruno Lage's side took control in the first half thanks to Kilman's first ever Wolves goal and a clinical finish from Jimenez.

Alex Iwobi reduced the deficit in the second half, but Wolves held on to extend their unbeaten run to five league games.

With four wins in that impressive streak, Wolves have climbed to seventh, while Everton dropped down in 10th.

"For now I don't care about the table. I want the points. I think the winter will be hard for us, we will have to work. To win the most points we need to win this kind of game," Lage said.

After Everton's dismal 5-2 home loss to Watford in their previous match, this was another setback for Rafael Benitez's spluttering team.

Everton have won just one of their last six league games to shatter the optimism created by their four-match unbeaten start to Benitez's first season in charge.

"When you lose games you have to be disappointed. We were too worried about making mistakes but in the second half we saw the character we have," Benitez said.

"We have to learn from it. When we have all the players available we will be much better."

Wolves made a flying start and Ruben Neves saw his shot from the edge of the area superbly saved by Jordan Pickford.

Pickford made another excellent stop to tip over Francisco Trincao's rocket moments later.

Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan had the ball in the net when the South Korean finished off Jimenez's pass, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR check.

The hosts' incessant pressure was rewarded in the 28th minute.

Kilman jumped between flat-footed Everton centre-backs Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane and netted with a powerful header from Rayan Ait-Nouri's corner.

Four minutes later, Everton shot themselves in the foot again when Godfrey's woeful backpass was intercepted by Jimenez, who streaked clear before clipping a composed finish over the on-rushing Pickford.

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It was the Mexican striker's second goal this season as he continues his return from the fractured skull he suffered at Arsenal last season.

Everton's struggles were encapsulated by the anonymous Richarlison, who had returned to their Premier League starting line-up for the first time since September 13.

A mistake from Wolves keeper Jose Sa gifted Richarlison a golden opportunity to give Everton a lifeline, but the Brazilian stumbled just yards from goal, allowing Conor Coady to make a last-ditch block.

Jimenez headed against the post from Nelson Semedo's cross, before Iwobi pulled one back for Everton in the 66th minute with a fierce finish after Godfrey's shot was blocked into his path.

In a tense finale, Everton finally found their stride, but Sa preserved Wolves' victory with a fine save from Anthony Gordon's header.

smg/pb
A Texas woman has been arrested and charged after she allegedly pointed a loaded gun at a 7 year old on Halloween.

Authorities were called to a Buda, Texas, neighborhood at 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 31 after reports of an aggravated assault, the Hays County Sheriffs Office said in a statement.

Deputies say Monica Ann Bradford, 35, yelled at kids while they trick-or-treated outside her home.

She then left her home with a loaded gun, and pointed it at a 7 year old who was walking in front of Bradfords residence, officers say.

Bradford was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a second-degree felony, the statement said. Her bail bond was set at $10,000.

Buda is located 15 miles southwest of Austin.

11-year-old trick-or-treater crossing road dies when car hits him, Atlanta police say

20-year-old killed, 9 injured after man opens fire at Halloween party, Texas police say

Convicted sex offender greets trick-or-treaters naked and invites them in, Utah cops say
KOLKATA, India, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's young generation should come up with new ideas and solutions to address the future concerns of the United Nations. "We are often told to think global and act locally. In many ways we can reverse that. If you think locally of changes that you can bring to your family, homes, schools, communities, these can be elevated to a global level through the United Nations," said Mr Ramu Damodaran, a United Nations veteran who has worked in various UN departments for the past 25 years. Mr Damodaran was addressing school students across India via online session of Muskaan to observe the 76th United Nations Day, observed each year on 24th October. The event was organized by non-profit organisation Education for All Trust in association with Prabha Khaitan Foundation of Kolkata, India, and supported by Shree Cement. Muskaan is a pan-India initiative to promote skill development among children.

Mr Ramu Damodaran, a UN veteran, interacted with students and teachers via virtual session of Muskaan on the eve of United Nations Day. The event was organised by Education for All Trust in association with Prabha Khaitan Foundation, Kolkata, India, and supported by Shree Cement.

Alluded to some of the key ideas that would define the United Nations in the next 25 years, Damodaran said there would be a need for global governance in areas of global public good like health, sustainable development beyond 2030, artificial intelligence, use of digital technology, peaceful use of outer space, creation of emergency platforms and so on.

"It is appropriate that the country that brought `Surya Namaskar' (sun salutation) to the world should lead the global initiative on solar energy working with the United Nations. India is now going to ask the United Nations for observer status so that countries can pool in their intellectual and entrepreneurial abilities to harvest solar energy and also create bilateral platforms blending creative solutions with financial mechanisms," he said.

Referring to the UN Security Council, Mr Damodaran said to the young audience, "India will certainly become a permanent member of the United Nations and this will happen in your lifetime and the Security Council will be enriched by it."

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Mr Ramu Damodaran joined the United Nations Department of Global Communications in 1996. His responsibilities included relationships with civil society, the creative community and celebrity advocates, publications (as Chief Editor of the UN Chronicle), the Dag Hammarskjold Library and the United Nations Academic Impact. He has also been the Secretary of the United Nations General Assembly's Committee on Information since 2011.

(PRNewsfoto/Prabha Khaitan Foundation)

Cision

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SOURCE Prabha Khaitan Foundation
More of the worlds economy is moving online, and that is underscored by the long list of recent fundings and acquisitions in the digital ID authentication and anti-money laundering (AML) space, including Oktas $6.5 billion acquisition of Auth0. Today, another startup announced it has raised capital: end-to-end due diligence platform First AML.

Blackbird Ventures (which is also one of First AMLs users) and Headline led a $21 million (about $29.2 million NZD) Series B in the New Zealand-based company, with participation from returning investors Bedrock Capital, Icehouse Ventures and Pushpay founder Eliot Crowther. This brings First AMLs total raised to about $30.1 million USD (about $42 million USD).

Founded in 2017, First AML entered Australia this year and will use part of its Series B to expand into international markets, starting with the United Kingdom. It is also looking at Singapore and the United States. The company also plans to double its employee count from 90 to 180.

One of the main ways First AML is different from other digital ID authentication startups (like Jumio, Onfido or ForgeRock, to name a few) is that instead of individual end users, it focuses on complex entities and transactions, which may mean performing due diligence on multiple organizations and people at a time. Unlike many other authentication and KYC (know your customer) startups, its main clients arent banks. Its clients include other types of financial service providers, accountants, law firms and real estate agencies.

We havent focused on working with banks because there are a lot of medium-sized enterprises in the economy that also need to comply with AML rules, co-founder and chief executive officer Milan Cooper told TechCrunch. Many people focus on banks because those are the big guys, but the smaller law firms and investment firms, they need to comply as well. What weve found is that they dont have the resources to invest in internal teams to set up a really sophisticated compliance process.

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First AMLs founding team, which also includes Bion Behdin and Chris Caigou, wanted to launch the startup because two of them (Cooper and Caigou) were former corporate bankers and saw the pain of AML onboarding firsthand context and how it would slow down transactions, Cooper said.

For example, compliance teams needed to contact multiple stakeholders for documentation, and often had to follow up because the wrong paperwork was sent. The KYC process is so cumbersome and it was not a good customer experience trying to onboard, so we saw an opportunity to streamline it and remove friction.

The companys proprietary platform seeks to automate as much of the compliance process as possible, such as ID verification (including biometric identification for remote verifications) and visual tools that help clients understand company ownership structures.

An example of First AML's user interface

An example of First AML's user interface. Image Credits: First AML

We take on the full KYC process end to end, and importantly, we do it for complex customer entities like companies and trusts. This is where many of our competitors dont offer a full end-to-end solution, said Cooper. They might offer a solution for identity verification of a single person, whereas we are taking that whole process off their hands, which includes digging through the layers of a complex entity to understand who the beneficial owners are and coordinating the data collection process from multiple beneficial owners.

For example, law firms that need to comply with AML regulations use First AML to conduct KYC on potential clients, which may include companies with multiple shareholders, directors and subsidiaries, which all need to be checked. Meanwhile, investment firms turn to the platform to onboard new investors, including trust structures and other types of complex entities.

Many of First AMLs clients previously relied on manual email and paper-based processes that often required people to send notarized copies of documents like passports or utility bills. First AMLs platform starts by analyzing an entitys structure. Then it pulls data from public sources and obtains information from non-public sources.

Essentially we figure out whats going on in these complex entity structures, which are very prevalent in financial and other sectors, and then the platform facilitates data collection from multiple stakeholders within that complex entity, including biometric ID verification, and uploaded documents, Cooper explained.

First AML is also building a database, which currently has more than 350,000 verified entities. If an entity onboards through its platform and is involved in other compliance procedures, First AML can get their consent to retrieve their previous verifications. This means they dont need to go through the full AML process every time they do a transaction. Its a key differentiator for us and a key competitive advantage that will really speed up the way KYC happens in the future, Cooper said.

Cooper said the recent publication of the Pandora Papers, an investigative report that revealed the hidden offshore accounts of 35 former and current world leaders, has increased concerns about AML compliance.

Our take is that there is still a lot of shady transactions going on in the global economy and the Pandora Papers have revealed that there is a lot of money going around and tax evasion occurring. For us, this is a signal to governments that AML laws are needed in many countries," he said. "Australia is still behind some of the rest of the world in terms of introducing AML rules into new sectors like legal accounting and real estate. The U.S. is another example where its the financial sector thats captured, but non-financial sectors are not. It puts more pressure on lawmakers to clamp down on these illegal activities."

In a statement about the investment, Blackbird Ventures partner Samantha Wong said, We heavily rely on First AML. This is what is special about this dealhow intimately connected we are to the customer pain point, our love for the product roadmap and the network effects that emerge as their business model goes global.
However, the uses of the spare land intended for agriculture raised questions from some of the members on the commission.

During his presentation, Shimp said he hoped to use the spare land for a small Christmas tree farm that could be used by his family for years to come.

I think that the statement of intent, whenever you read it, that it does fit this because it does give adjoining residential and agricultural uses, Commissioner Mary Kathryn Allen said about the request to rezone to Service Enterprise. I think what some of us are queasy about is what is left in the proffers.

According to the application submitted by Rockfish Apartments LLC, certain proffers were given for the use of the land, but they did not strike out every potential use. Proffers given eliminated the opportunity for a farm winery, farm brewery, and restaurants, among several other things.

One item that still was listed among possible uses was a Category 2 special event, which allows anywhere from 500 to 10,000 people on the property for an event if approved for a temporary event permit.
Consider that Police Commissioner Dermot Shea pronounced the behavior of the two cops absolutely inexcusable and called for them to be disciplined, but added that he wouldnt expect them to be fired, suspended or placed on modified duty. So apparently theyll get off with a good, stern talking to.

And yes, some will say Gilbert should have expected what he got. Everybody knows you dont question a cop. But that attitude is part of the problem. If youre not causing a disturbance, posing a threat or hindering him in the performance of his duties, why, exactly, cant you question a cop? Especially when said cop is flouting rules everyone else is supposed to obey? Is he not a public servant? Are we not the public?

But then, power unrestrained serves only itself.

The police are esteemed  rightly  for being first responders, for running toward danger. But that is not, and cannot be, a get-out-of-accountability-free card. Wed demand answers from the janitor or short-order cook who behaved as if rules were for other people. Why is it so hard to hold to the same standard men and women in whom we vest such sweeping authority?
Japan looks to let foreigners visit the country for short business trips, study abroad and technical training in an easing of its strict coronavirus-related entry rules, Nikkei has learned.

Tourists are not included in this round. The government is expected to announce the policy changes as early as this week, with implementation to begin this month.

With new COVID-19 cases down substantially from record levels over the summer, Japan aims to gradually loosen a de facto entry ban on foreigners that has become a source of growing frustration among businesses. Top corporate lobby Keidanren has been among the advocates of a more flexible approach.

The quarantine requirement for short-term business travelers will be cut to as little as three days for vaccinated visitors, from 10 days now. Companies and organizations receiving foreign nationals will be required to monitor their activities.

The shorter quarantine requirement will also apply to Japanese nationals returning from business trips abroad.

Japan clamped down on immigration in January, responding to the emergence of more-contagious coronavirus variants. Only foreigners with "exceptional circumstances," such as those with reentry permits and the spouses and children of Japanese nationals, have been allowed into the country.

As of Oct. 1, about 370,000 foreigners had been unable to come to Japan because of strict border controls, about 70% of whom are technical interns and foreign students. The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors -- which are struggling with labor shortages -- and schools that now cannot accept foreign students have called for allowing new arrivals.

The eased rules will apply to new visitors. Companies, schools or other receiving organizations will need to report on their infection control measures to a relevant government agency.
Because of the pandemic, we were giving it a shot and we had noticed that we werent sending out a lot of overdue notices, any kind of bulk amounts of reminders for people to bring things back. They just bring their items back without any kind of financial incentive, Reed said. The community really takes ownership in their library. You dont have to put those stipulations in place for people to do the right thing.

Probably about six months ago, we started to have more in depth conversations about making it a permanent thing. Libraries are very community-oriented institutions that are supposed to be inclusive, not exclusive. We thought about, what are some things we can be doing to really show that? Why are we continuing to do something this way, just because weve always done it this way?

Though fines are not assessed for late materials, being a responsible library user is still encouraged.

When patrons sign up for a library card, the application says they will adhere to library policies, which include returning items on time.

If someone destroys an item or loses it and cant find it in a timely manner, we try to work with people there, Reed said.
More than 10 workers and family members gathered outside the John Deere Seeding Plant in Moline waving blue and white UAW signs at passing cars with vigor

Picketers were reenergized Saturday morning, reminiscent of the first days of the strike, after hearing they might return to work soon.

Deere & Co. and the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America reached a tentative agreement, according to a press release from the UAW and a post on Deere's corporate page on Saturday.

Wearing lighter jackets in the midday warmth, workers said they are more confident this contract will include the demands they struck over.

"We are always hopeful," one worker said. "We are getting real tired of waiting around."

UAW workers remain on strike through the ratification process.

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Workers overwhelmingly voted down the initial tentative agreement on Oct. 10, citing insufficient wage increase and declining retirement benefits.
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But that may change. The U.S. Senate recently advanced a proposal to allow funding for regular government services, and the House of Representatives will consider a similar measure.

So some county officials are waiting and watching. Time is on their side  counties, cities and states have until Dec. 31, 2024, to obligate their American Rescue Plan funds. They have until the end of 2026 to actually spend the money.

One of the things we preach to our folks is that were not in a rush, we have time, said Cannon, of the county officials group.

Right now, the money can be used for four general purposes:

* Responding to a public health emergency and the negative impacts of COVID-19, such as providing grants to impacted businesses.

* Maintaining government services impacted by a reduction in tax revenue caused by the pandemic. While there werent losses in property taxes, some counties saw a drop in lodging taxes, according to Cannon, when people stopped booking hotel and motel stays.
A Missouri Highway Patrol trooper conducts a traffic stop along Interstate 70 in St. Louis in 2017. Photo: Whitney Curtis/The Washington Post via Getty Images

A recently published New York Times investigation offers a wide-ranging look at how routine traffic stops by police for minor violations  frequently driven by the demand for ticket revenue  often escalate into fatal encounters for U.S. motorists and passengers.

The months-long investigation found that, during traffic stops over the last five years, police killed more than 400 people who were not wielding a gun or a knife, or under pursuit for a violent crime  a rate of more than one a week. Black drivers were overrepresented in the deaths, the Times said. Officers consistently avoided criminal liability for using deadly force: In all the deaths, only five officers were ultimately convicted of wrongdoing. Over three quarters of the motorists police killed were trying to flee; policing experts say that when this happens, the correct tactic is to let them drive away.

Thanks to police culture and training, many officers have been conditioned to believe  wrongly  that traffic stops are high-risk, the report explains. (Research has indicated that the chances of a police officer being killed during a traffic stop are actually less than 1 in 3.6 million.) The high-risk mindset leads to overreaction and hyper-violence against people who are not a threat. All [officers have] heard are horror stories about what could happen, Sarah Mooney, assistant police chief in West Palm Beach, told the Times. It is very difficult to try to train that out of somebody.

Furthermore, the Times visual investigation team analyzed footage of 120 fatal traffic stops and discovered a pattern: In dozens of incidents, officers made tactical mistakes that put themselves in positions of danger  walking into the path of a car, reaching into a window, jumping onto a moving vehicle  then used lethal force to defend against that danger.

The investigation also highlights how police departments efforts to conduct traffic stops and write tickets serves the purpose of raising revenue:

A hidden scaffolding of financial incentives underpins the policing of motorists in the United States, encouraging some communities to essentially repurpose armed officers as revenue agents searching for infractions largely unrelated to public safety. As a result, driving is one of the most common daily routines during which people have been shot, Tased, beaten, or arrested after minor offenses.

The Times also notes that the federal government effectively subsidizes some of these ticket-writing efforts. Some $600 million in federal grants are awarded to states each year to improve road safety, and at least 20 states have used the number of traffic stops per hour to judge police performance and have cited those metrics when applying for the grants.

In addition to unnecessary traffic stops, research consistently shows there are racial disparities in who is stopped; a 2020 study found that Black drivers were 20 percent more likely to be pulled over than white drivers.

The Times also examined what justifications police cited in the deaths; the most common  used in about 250 of the reviewed cases  was that the driver used the vehicle as a weapon. For instance:

Minutes after sheriffs deputies near San Leandro, Calif., killed a shoplifting suspect and injured a passenger in an S.U.V. in early 2019, an officer asked what weapons they had been armed with. A vehicle, one deputy replied. And a lawyer for a sheriffs deputy who shot a driver in Wichita, Kan., in late 2019 said the motorist had used a 4,500-pound vehicle as a weapon.



Black motorists were overrepresented.

In many of these vehicle as a weapon cases, the Times found that police officers that put themselves in harms way. Often, the drivers were trying to get away from officers, edging around them, not toward them, the footage shows, and the officers werent in the path of the vehicle when they fired, according to the investigation.
Adds Leading Brand of Premium Soaps, Lotions, and Home Goods To Family of Brands

Michel Design Works

Michel Design Works Shown with some of Stonewall Kitchen's Home Goods Brands

Michel Design Works Shown with some of Stonewall Kitchen's Home Goods Brands

York, Maine, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Award-winning specialty food and home goods producer Stonewall Kitchen announced today its acquisition of Michel Design Works, based in Katonah, New York. Michel Design Works is a comprehensive lifestyle brand specializing in bath and body products, as well as fragrances, home decor and gifts.

Co-Founders Deborah and Bruce Michel launched Michel Design Works in 1987 selling paper gifts, such as books, journals and stationery. Over time they transitioned into other household items, including soaps, lotions, candles, home accents and kitchen accessories, among others. The company is recognized for its distinctive packaging, which was inspired by Deborahs love of historic French and English art. Michel Design Works sources from the top soap makers and fragrance houses around the globe to produce their high-quality soaps, and their botanical designs are now showcased throughout their home decor line. Last month, Michel Design Works was ranked by GiftBEAT Magazine as the #1 brand of Personal Care Products for customers in the gift channel, an award the company has won on multiple occasions.

We are thrilled to welcome Michel Design Works to our growing family of specialty brands, said John Stiker, Chief Executive Officer at Stonewall Kitchen. Quality and creativity are at the forefront of everything they do, and their extensive product offering within the home goods space perfectly complements our brands and core values. They are a tremendous addition to the curated collection of brands that were bringing together for our customers and guests!

Added founders Deborah and Bruce Michel, Michel Design Works started over thirty years ago with just the two of us, and the dynamic combination of talented employees and loyal customers have together built a strong, recognizable brand. Were so happy to have found the perfect steward for the brand going forward in Stonewall Kitchen. Their commitment to exceptional quality, brand building and company culture left us confident in knowing that they would continue to nurture and grow the business and team that we have created and care so deeply about.

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We are proud to join the Stonewall Kitchen team as the newest member of their Family of Brands, said Stuart Teller, Chief Executive Officer at Michel Design Works. Our dedication to product innovation and customer service has resulted in tremendous growth over the last ten years, and it has been exciting to watch our retail partner stores grow alongside us. Partnering with Stonewall Kitchen, with their resources and expertise in the industry, will lead to even more opportunities to introduce our great products to new consumers across the country, and to launch more new and exciting products under the Michel Design Works brand.

Concluded Stiker, Adding Michel Design Works to our family further solidifies our expansion in the home goods side of the business, and serves as the perfect next step after the Village Candle business we added in 2020 and the two food brands we acquired earlier this year. It also continues to expand our national and international reach with our customers, as the brand is sold in many countries around the world. We look forward to welcoming Stu and the team to the family, and helping them to grow and expand the Michel Design Works brand!

Michel Design Works marks Stonewall Kitchens third acquisition of 2021 and seventh acquisition overall. It acquired the Urban Accents brand of spice mixes, seasonings, sauces, and gifts in early March of 2021 and the Vermont Coffee Company brand of high quality, non-GMO, certified organic coffee in late March 2021.

G2 Capital Advisors served as exclusive buy-side advisor to Stonewall Kitchen on the transaction.

About Stonewall Kitchen

Stonewall Kitchen is a leading specialty food and home goods producer headquartered in York, Maine. Founded in 1991 by partners Jonathan King and Jim Stott, the two established the Stonewall Kitchen brand by selling jams and jellies at local farmers markets with a flavorful line of distinctive and high quality products. Over time, they expanded the brand to include sauces, condiments, crackers and baking mixes, always focusing on innovative product development, beautiful packaging, and exceptional guest service. Today, Stonewall Kitchen is the premier specialty food and home goods platform in North America, home to a family of premium quality brands including the flagship Stonewall Kitchen brand; the Michel Design Works brand of gift, home and lifestyle products, including bath & body, home fragrance, kitchen, tabletop and home decor, the Vermont Coffee Company brand of high quality, non-GMO, certified organic coffee; the Urban Accents brand of globally-inspired spice mixes, seasonings, and sauces; the Village Candle brand of fragranced candles, gifts and accessories; the Tillen Farms brand of pickled vegetables and cocktail cherries; the Napa Valley Naturals brand of olive oils, culinary oils, balsamic vinegars and wine vinegars; the Montebello brand of artisan organic pasta imported from Italy; the Vermont Village brand of organic apple sauce and apple cider vinegars; and the Legal Sea Foods brand of restaurant-quality seafood sauces and condiments. The company boasts more than 8,500 wholesale accounts nationwide and internationally; a thriving catalog and online division; a cooking school and cafe in York, Maine; and eleven retail Company Stores throughout New England. As winners of 30 prestigious awards from the Specialty Food Association and the recipient of the coveted Outstanding Product Line Honors three times, Stonewall Kitchen is proud to be one of the most awarded specialty food companies in the country.

For more information about Stonewall Kitchen, please visit: www.stonewallkitchen.com

For more information about Michel Design Works, please visit: www.micheldesignworks.com

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CONTACT: Matthew Robertson Stonewall Kitchen, LLC. (207) 351-2713 mrobertson@stonewallkitchen.com




Kristina Nilsson and Elin Lundgren

Kristina Nilsson and Elin Lundgren

Kristina Nilsson and Elin Lundgren

STOCKHOLM, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two Swedish MPs, together with two Swedish MEPs, wrote a letter to their Prime Minister, Stefan Lofven, on 28 October to urge him to initiate the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats, suggested by the World Dog Alliance (WDA).

The letter was led by Kristina Nilsson and Elin Lundgren from Swedish Social Democratic Party. MEPs Jessica Stegrud and Charlie Weimers also demonstrated their support. "The trade and consumption of dog and cat meat is an outdated and inhumane practice, as well as an urgent food safety issue. The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us those zoonotic diseases can have global consequences, yet the trade and consumption of dog and cat meat continues  Sweden should send a clear global signal that the dog and cat meat industry must be stopped immediately," the four lawmakers stated in the letter.

More than 100 lawmakers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Norway have expressed their support on the International Agreement and urged their governments to initiate. On 7 February 2020, 30 bipartisan Congressmen wrote to then U.S. President Donald Trump. Around one month later, 67 cross-party UK MPs wrote to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Later in the year, 34 Japanese lawmakers wrote to then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. On 18 June 2021, four Norwegian MPs wrote to then Prime Minister Erna Solberg. It is time for Sweden to show their commitment and cement itself as an animal-friendly country.

The International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats was introduced by WDA's Founder Genlin, a successful businessman who is dedicated to saving dogs from human consumption. He is committed to donate 90% of his wealth to dogs and cats worldwide. This International Agreement aims to set up an international norm that dog and cat meat consumption is never accepted in the civilized world. All contracting parties are committed to implement domestic legislations against the barbaric practice. In 2019, the WDA proposed the International Agreement with the goal to eradicate all theft, abuse, slaughter, trade and consumption in the dog and cat meat industry; to solidify dogs' and cats' status as humans' companions, friends, family members and service animals; and to define humans' moral responsibility toward them. In Asia, over 30 million dogs are served on the dining table every year, 70% of which are stolen pets. The International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats tackles not only the issue of what people should and should not eat, but also the bigger moral catastrophe beneath it.

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Jason Pang

info@wdalliance.org

Related Images













Image 1: Kristina Nilsson and Elin Lundgren









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Well have a recording unit, or microphone, 30 feet up in a tree to record all the turkey gobbles in the area, Gulsby said. Well have about 90 devices across the state, so the artificial intelligence will allow us to go through more data.

Knowing when the turkeys are gobbling tells us the timing of their reproductive activities, Gulsby said.

During this research project Gulsby will be looking at where the birds are more abundant and where they are less abundant, how population differs from one property to another, and the characteristics of each property.

He will also determine the timing of turkey gobbling and how its influenced by hunting pressure, determine the proportion of male turkeys capable of fertilizing clutches of eggs, and monitor success and failure rates of nests.

While monitoring turkey nests, Gulsby will be researching the cause of nest failure and the survival rate of young turkeys and will test for diseases.

Its important that any hunted species is hunted sustainably, Gulsby said. The best thing hunters can do is get involved with conservation organizations like Alabama Wildlife Federation and Turkeys for Tomorrow because they fund the research thats needed to ensure the populations are sustainable in the future.
Staff Writer

Brad Hundt came to the Observer-Reporter in 1998 after stints at newspapers in Georgia and Michigan. He serves as editorial page editor, and has covered the arts and entertainment and worked as a municipal beat reporter.
Investigation of Deadly Trench Collapse finds Colorado Company Exposed Workers to Excavation Hazards

OSHA cites Dunaway Excavating Inc. for four violations and proposes $208K in penalties.

A deadly trench collapse in Johnstown, Colorado on April 16, 2021 led to a federal workplace safety investigation. It concluded that a Strasburg excavation contractor failed to take required safety precautions that might have prevented the death of a 50-year-old worker.

OSHA determined that Dunaway Excavating Inc. allowed employees to work in a 16-foot deep trench amid accumulating water and without any protection. Inspectors responded to the collapse after one of two workers in the trench became stuck in mud under water.

According to a press release, Dunaway Excavating was cited for two willful serious violations for failing to protect workers from accumulating water, not using protective systems, such as a trench box. Additionally, the company was cited for failing to ensure workers had a secure way to exit the trench safely. The company faces $208,543 in proposed penalties. OSHA has placed Dunaway Excavating in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

The threat of trench collapses makes excavation work among the most dangerous jobs in the construction industry, said OSHA Area Director Amanda Kupper in Denver. This workers life and familys grief could have been spared if required precautions had been taken.

In 2019, trench collapses caused 24 deaths in the construction industry, according to the most recent data from Bureau of Labor Statistics. OSHAs national emphasis program on trenching and excavations encourages employers to develop and implement safety procedures and train their workers on recognizing potentially hazardous situations. Learn more about trenching and excavation safety here.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director or contest the findings before the independent OSHRC.
The refusal of OPEC+ to increase crude oil production is affecting America's working class, President Biden said at a news conference following the G20 meeting in Rome.

"I do think that the idea that Russia and Saudi Arabia and other major producers are not going to pump more oil so people can have gasoline to get to and from work, for example, is not, is not, right," Biden said as quoted by Russian TASS.

"It [OPEC+'s decision to keep a lid on output increases] has profound impact on working class families just to get back and forth to work," the U.S. President added, as quoted by NPR.

The comments made by the U.S. President were later the same day echoed more bluntly by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who directly blamed the OPEC cartel for keeping prices high.

"Gas prices, of course, are based on a global oil market. That oil market is controlled by a cartel. That cartel is Opec," Granholm told NBC's Meet the Press. "So that cartel has more say about what is going on."

At the same time, Granholm noted that the oil industry could not "flip a switch" for production as it recovers from the effects of the pandemic and this, too, contributed to higher prices resulting from the tight supply.

Even if factors influencing gas prices at the pump in the United States may be outside the country, the effects of price movements are already costing Biden approval among voters. According to NPR, his rating is well below 50 percent, with 70 percent of Americans believing the country is not going in the right direction.

Also at the news conference, the U.S. President said he was confident the country could meet his administration's goal of emission cuts, which is 50 percent from 2005 by 2030. Yet, the president acknowledged that the renewable shift cannot happen overnight.

"On the surface, it seems like an irony," Biden said, referring to his call on OPEC+ to add more oil production while heading for COP26 to discuss the reduction of global emissions. "But the truth of the matter is ... everyone knows that idea that we're going to be able to move to renewable energy overnight ... it's just not rational."

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Its ramping up to be a very cold winter as China, Europe, and India face a huge energy crunch in the coming months. As the worlds energy usage bounces back to pre-pandemic levels, supply chains have simply been unable to keep up with the demand. Now, at the very same moment that COP26 is taking place in Scotland to charter a course toward global decarbonization, China is turning to coal, India -- already reliant on the dirtiest fossil fuel for 70% of its energy mix -- is in grave danger of running out of coal entirely, and the European Unions reliance on fossil fuels has been thrown into stark relief as energy prices soar.

The continuance of global supply chain woes is just one part of the story, however. According to a recent report from Reuters, drought could inadvertently be to blame for at least part of the supply crunch. China has the largest hydroelectric power capacity in the world, and relies on the sector for nearly 10% of the nations energy mix. As temperatures rise and rainfall patterns change, however, this could spell major trouble for hydroelectric projects around the world.

This year, climate-driven droughts have triggered the biggest disruptions in hydropower generation in decades in places like the western United States and Brazil, Reuters reported in August. China is still recovering from the effects of last year's severe drought on hydro production in Yunnan province in the southwestern part of the country. Now, that loss of hydropower production in China is hitting global supply chains, as China looks to other energy sources to fill the gap, thereby further squeezing global supplies of coal, oil, and natural gas.

Related: China Releases Fuel From Reserve To Stop Price Spike

One country, however, is poised to win big from the current supply squeeze. As Europe, China, and India -- some of the worlds biggest economies -- grow desperate, Russia seems to be deliberately sitting on natural gas supplies for its own geopolitical gain. It is believed that Russia is using its natural gas supply as a weapon in order to make Europe submit to the Kremlins desires. The primary motivator is more than likely the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The $11 billion pipeline connecting Russia and Germany by way of the Baltic Sea has already been completed but has yet to be brought online due to concern that the move would give Russia too much influence over the European Union. Now, Russia seems to be wielding some of that power in order to strong-arm the opening of the pipeline -- which would, of course, only make that power greater.

"I think we are getting close to that line if Russia indeed has the gas to supply and it chooses not to, and it will only do so if Europe accedes to other demands that are completely unrelated," Amos Hochstein, Biden's adviser, was quoted by Reuters. "There is no doubt in my mind, and the (International Energy Agency) has itself validated, that the only supplier that can really make a big difference for European energy security at the moment for this winter is Russia," he continued. Russian President Vladmir Putin has denied allegations that Russia is purposefully withholding energy supplies.

Moscow is poised to reap huge benefits both strategically and financially from Asia as well as Europe this winter. China and India, too, are looking to Russian imports to keep the lights on. Both countries have already experienced blackouts due to this years supply crunch. According to reporting from Al Jazeera, Beijing is expected to buy 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russias Gazprom this year via the China-Russia east route pipeline. This marks a two-fold increase from last year. India, too, recently inked a deal with Russia for an annual sale of 40 million tonnes of coking coal.

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

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Following several days of declines, natural gas prices at the key European and UK hubs surged again on Monday, after gas flows on the Yamal-Europe pipeline from Russia reversed the direction eastward instead of westward through Germany.

Grid operator Gascade said, as quoted by Bloomberg, that flows of natural gas at the Mallnow entry point in Germany of the Yamal-Europe pipeline had dropped to zero on Saturday. The pipeline was instead sending gas eastfrom Germany to Poland.

This caught traders and analysts by surprise on Monday, especially after Russia signaled last week that its gas giant Gazprom would start filling its storage sites in Europe in a few days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Gazproms CEO Alexei Miller on Wednesday that as soon as the Russian gas giant completes filling Russias underground storage by or on November 8, I would like you to start consistent and planned work on increasing the amount of gas in your underground depots in Europe  in Austria and Germany, per the English translation on the Kremlin website.

In addition, this will create a favourable situation, at any rate, a better situation in the European energy market in general, Putin said.

The comments were interpreted by the market as a promise from Putin that Europe would soon see the gas crunch alleviated, and natural gas prices plunged at the end of last week. Related: Oil, Gas Rally Lifts Chevrons Quarterly Profit To 8-Year-High

At the start of this week, however, the market continues to be sensitive to signs of how soon Russian supply could be increased. The reversal of the natural gas flows from Germany eastwards instead of westwards sent Europes gas prices rallying again.

The drop in Mallnow flows is unexpected, the entry capacity into Mallnow was booked at 324 GWh/d (gigawatt hours/day) for November in line with October, so the market expectation was rather to see flows close to October level, Refinitiv analysts wrote on Monday, as carried by Reuters.

As Europe enters the heating season with natural gas inventories at the lowest level in a decade, policymakers, consumers, and industries are left at the mercy of the weather, hoping for a mild winter to avoid further tightening of the already tight European gas market.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Saudi state energy giant Aramco booked a net profit of $30.4 billion for the third quarter of the year, up by 158 percent from the third quarter of 2020 on substantially higher crude oil prices.

The worlds biggest crude oil company also said it had generated 131 percent higher free cash flow during the reporting period, at $28.7 billion. Cash flow from operating activities reached $36.3 billion.

The companys chief executive, Amin Nasser, attributed the strong quarterly result to the rebound in economic activity globally, which caused a surge in energy demand. Nasser noted Saudi Aramcos position as a low-cost producer as a contributing factor for its third-quarter performance as well.

Some headwinds still exist for the global economy, partly due to supply chain bottlenecks, but we are optimistic that energy demand will remain healthy for the foreseeable future, Amin Nasser also said.

Looking ahead, we are maintaining our strategy to invest for the long term, and we will build on our track record of low-cost and low-carbon intensity performance to advance our recently announced ambition to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions across our wholly-owned operated assets by 2050.

According to one analyst from Arqaam Securities, the strong result came mostly from the robust performance of Aramcos upstream business, Reuters reported. The report also cited another analyst, who said the strong financial results could lead to a special dividend as a reward for shareholders at the end of the year.

The Saudi state oil giant is currently the second most valuable company in the world, after Apple and before Alphabet. The strong third-quarter results come after a string of identically robust reports from Big Oil majors, all of which have enjoyed the effects of surging crude oil and natural gas prices on their balance sheets.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Irans Navy thwarted on Monday an attempted pirate attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden south of Yemen, before the vessel entered the Bab el Mandeb strait connecting the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, Iranian media report.

The Navy fired warning shots and repelled pirates who had tried to attack an Iranian oil tanker with four boats, the Navy of the Islamic Republic said in a statement carried by Iranian Press TV.

Iran has been expanding its Navy presence in the Gulf of Aden since 2008 to protect its tankers from pirates. Somali pirates have been active in areas close to the Horn of Africa, which is separated by the Arabian Peninsula by the Bab el Mandeb strait.

Mondays incident reported by Iranian media is the second such attempted pirate attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the past few weeks.

In the middle of October, the Iranian Navy foiled another attempted pirate attack on an Iranian oil vessel in the Gulf of Aden. Pirates on five speedboats tried to attack the tanker but were repelled by fire from the Iranian Navy, which was protecting the tanker, state media reported at the time.

According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB), During the first three months of 2021, there was only one incident of reported piracy around Somalia. A bulk carrier reported a skiff with armed persons and a ladder approaching it while underway in the Gulf of Aden. The onboard armed security team fired warning shots resulting in the skiff moving away.

IMBs latest global piracy report from last month, with figures updated through the first nine months of 2021, showed 97 incidents of piracy and armed robbery for the first nine months of 2021  the lowest level of reported incidents since 1994. In 2021, IMBs Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) reported 85 vessels boarded, nine attempted attacks, two vessels fired upon and one vessel hijacked.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Iraq is in discussions to sign energy deals with Saudi Arabia worth tens of billions of U.S. dollars, according to Iraqs oil minister.

OPECs second-largest producer, Iraq, and OPECs top producer Saudi Arabia are discussing contracts in the energy, water desalination, and petrochemical sectors, Iraqi daily Al-Sabah quoted Iraqs Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar Ismail as saying on Monday.

Iraq is in talks with Saudi oil giant Aramco about a potential partnership to explore and develop natural gas fields in the western desert in Iraq, according to the Iraqi minister.

Despite holding huge oil and gas reserves, Iraq has struggled to develop them and is not self-sufficient in energy and electricity supply.

Iraq has been suffering from power outages and disruptions due to a lack of investment in its transmission grids. Iraq also relies on electricity and natural gas imports from neighboring Iran for its power supply and has received waivers from the United States to continue importing electricity from Iran despite the American sanctions against Tehran.

Iraq also plans contracts with Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power aimed at building water desalination plants and solar parks in the country, according to the Al-Sabah daily. In addition, OPECs number one and number two are also negotiating the start of joint projects in the petrochemicals sector, the Iraqi minister was quoted as saying.

A few weeks ago, supermajor TotalEnergies signed agreements with Iraqs authorities to invest in the countrys energy sector over the next years.

TotalEnergies said it would invest in installations to recover gas that is being flared on three oil fields and as such, supply gas to 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of power generation capacity in a first phase, growing to 3 GW in a second phase. The French supermajor will also develop 1 GWac of solar electricity generation capacity to supply the Basra regional grid. These two projects, plus a large-scale seawater treatment unit to increase water injection capacities in southern Iraq fields without increasing water withdrawals, represent a total investment of approximately $10 billion, TotalEnergies said.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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BHP, the worlds largest miner, has seen its plan to divest thermal coal assets stalled amid the recent rally in coal prices in the global energy crunch, sources with knowledge of the matter have told Bloomberg.

BHP said last year that it would look to exit thermal coal projects following investor pressure to prepare for a world of declining thermal coal demand and the drive for decarbonization.

The miner said it would look to divest thermal coal, used to generate electricity, and focus more on retaining assets of coking coal, or metallurgical coal, used for steelmaking.

BHPs thermal coal assets of New South Wales Energy Coal and Cerrejon have further upside potential to be unlocked through productivity and growth, but are unlikely to compete for capital within BHP, chief executive Mike Henry said on an earnings call in August 2020.

A year later, as the rally in natural gas prices spurred another rally in coal and oil, the plan to exit thermal coal could now be in doubt, since coal assets have become more valuable amid record-high prices.

In June, BHP agreed to sell to Glencore its 33.3 percent interest in Cerrejon, a non-operated energy coal joint venture in Colombia, for $294 million in cash.

However, the process of selling the Mt Arthur coal mine operation in New South Wales, Australia, has stalled because the value of the asset is now higher, according to Bloombergs sources. In addition, investor pressure to sell this thermal coal asset has decreased, the sources say.

Earlier this year, BHP said it was offloading its oil and gas assets in an all-stock merger of its petroleum division with Woodside, which will create one of the worlds top ten independent energy companies by production. The expanded Woodside would be owned 52 percent by existing Woodside shareholders and 48 percent by existing BHP shareholders.

The combined company will have a high margin oil portfolio, long life LNG assets and the financial resilience to help supply the energy needed for global growth and development over the energy transition, BHP said in August.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Ryan, the companys chief executive, said the complex is aimed mostly at employees starting at $16 to $21 an hour who would like to work at Streck and live nearby but cant afford the areas housing.

Streck will own the property, estimated at $15 million, so it will have flexibility in how it will structure the subsidy.

George Achola of Omaha-based Burlington Capital, which develops and maintains apartments across the country, believes that the project is the first of a kind in Nebraska.

Burlington is the developer of the The Nest  the name of the planned apartments, which winks to the wise owl mascot pictured on Streck facilities.

Its an idea of the future, said Achola, who also serves on the boards of key public and nonprofit housing organizations, including the Nebraska Investment Financing Authority and Habitat for Humanity.

He said government housing entities such as the Financing Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development dont have the capacity to provide the amount of affordable housing thats in demand locally.

By government standards, people are housing burdened if they pay more than 30% of their income for their rent or mortgage and other housing-related expenses.
Nebraskas coronavirus cases and hospitalizations were up again last week, indicating that the delta surge that began over the summer has not yet lost its sting.

The state reported 5,316 new cases for the week ending Friday, up from 3,100 the previous week, according to a World-Herald analysis of federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

However, the data picture is less than crystal clear: Roughly 600 of the new cases appear to have occurred the previous week, but the reporting of them was delayed. Even adjusting for that reporting discrepancy, Nebraskas case growth appears to be among the top five among the states as new cases nationwide continue to fall.

If the increase holds, it will interrupt a slow, four-week-long decline in cases.

One clearer sign that cases are rising: Hospitalizations also ticked up last week, from an average of 369 a day to 375. New daily admissions were up more sharply, from 41 a day to 50.

CDC data indicated that 402 Nebraskans were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Friday. That was up from the 379 coronavirus patients listed as hospitalized on the states hospital capacity dashboard Tuesday. The figure still was short of the recent peak of 448 hospitalized on Sept. 20.
Laura Marlane, executive director of Omaha Public Library, said in a recent interview that early discussions about the central library explored the possibility of putting an addition on the Do Space building. But, she said, talks moved to constructing a new building when it was determined an addition wouldnt be large enough.

As far as I know, thats the plan, but I dont know what other conversations have been had, Marlane said.

Rebecca Stavick, the CEO of Community Information Trust, the nonprofit that oversees Do Space, referred questions on Do Spaces potential involvement to Heritage President Rachel Jacobson.

Jacobson said options are still being explored and stressed that the final plan wont be completed without input from stakeholders and the community.

Were looking at a lot of different options, and the project keeps evolving, Jacobson said. We have so many partners to bring to the table, and we want to make sure the stakeholders are all brought in, and were listening to their feedback.

Stakeholders could include the city, the Omaha Public Library, the Omaha Public Library Foundation, Heritage Services, Community Information Trust, Do Space and others.
The most successful service has been the Navy, which says that only 1% of the force is unvaccinated as of last week  or about 3,500 sailors. The Air Force and Space Force was second, with 3.6% unvaccinated, followed by the Army and Marine Corps at about 7%.

Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, told The Associated Press that even before the shots were mandated, some warships were seeing vaccination rates of 98%-99%.

We feel like weve been leading the way across the services, he said. Weve been promoting the vaccines since we started vaccinating last December, January timeframe. For those who dont want the vaccine, well deal with those on an individual basis as those challenges come up, he said.

Marine Col. Speros Koumparakis, commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, said that the number of Marines who have requested exemptions at the base is fewer than two dozen, and most of those are seeking religious exemptions.

He said chaplains and pastors have been made available to discuss the religious issues, and he does the initial review of any request. But ultimately, decisions may be made by personnel leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The nearly 350,000 Navy sailors and more than 179,000 Marines must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 28, and the reserves by Dec. 28. The Army, the militarys largest service at nearly 490,000, has given active duty soldiers until Dec. 15 to be fully vaccinated. Army National Guard and Reserve have until June 30, 2022. There are a total of almost 800,000 Guard and Reserve troops, with the Army accounting for more than 520,000 of them.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Cicchini said Schroeder traditionally gives brief speeches about the history of trials to impress upon jurors the importance of their task. On Monday, he referenced the fall of Rome when explaining the system's evolution.

When Rome fell, the world changed dramatically, the judge said, before launching into more history about how cases were decided more than 2,000 years ago. He spoke of priests blessing trials in which defendants had to place their hands on burning coals or in boiling water  if they didnt come out too badly, that was a sign from God of their innocence.

Schroeder also cautioned that media coverage of the case may have misled potential jurors.

This case has become very political, he said. "It was involved in the politics of the last election year. ... You could go out now and read things from all across the political spectrum about this case, most of which is written by people who know nothing. I dont mean that that they are know-nothings. I mean that they dont know what youre going to know: those of you who are selected for this jury, who are going to hear for yourselves the real evidence in this case.



This story has been corrected to add the missing word You've to judge's quote on movie Psycho.
There is often problematic baggage that comes with traditional short-term mission trips. Here are ways to make sure your trips are having the intended effect.

Short-term trips have gotten a bit of a bad rap in recent years. With the publishing of books like When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, the church in North America was awakened to the reality that some trips can be ineffective or even harmful to ministries that receive short-term teams. For example:

 Churches spend huge amounts of money on short-term trips, amounts that could easily fund the workers and ministries they are going to help.

 Short-term team members often make cultural mistakes that set back the work of long-term missionaries.

 In an effort to make their trip feel like its worth it, trip participants may make paternalistic choices that fail to affirm the dignity of the people they are trying to reach.

 Churches sometimes carry out short-term trips as a way to check the box for missions engagement.

These are serious issues to consider and can be great reasons for a church to reassess their vision for short-term trips. Some churches may even decide to cut them out altogether, but I think there is hope for redeeming short-term trips. By reworking the training, implementation and follow-up of our short-term trips, we can redeem an existing structure that holds a special place in the hearts of many churchgoers. Here are a few ways short-term trips can be effective:



1. They can be an incredible blessing to the Sent-One.

2. When a Sent-One sees short-term trips as a part of their vision (beyond just getting more supporters), they can effectively use them to increase their ministry impact.

3. They can broaden the perspective of short-term trip participants.

Here are some ideas for avoiding the mistakes that are common to short-term trips and helping redeem short-term trips to be more effective.

Consider Dropping Mission From Your Trip Titles

Using mission in your trip title is not wrong; in fact, its an accurate description considering your people will be crossing cultures to engage in the mission of spreading the gospel. But inherent in the term mission is a paternalistic, do something mindset. The nationals we intend to love and serve may view being the object of a mission project as an indication that they are somehow inferior to the people coming to work with them. Communicating a sense of superiority, even unintentionally, wipes away the dignity and value of the nationals in the culture you are going to serve. North Americans generally think highly of our culture and our standing in the world, and while we hope our team members would never directly insult someone elses culture, national pride is so built into our identity as Americans that it is bound to come out in cross-cultural settings. This subtle superiority is often expressed when we point out materialistic needs that are not being met or get frustrated by the lack of urgency or timeliness we encounter in other cultures.

The North American worldview, while containing some great biblical values, often produces judgmentalism and a sense of moral superiority. We are often guilty of elevating Western cultural values from preferences to universal standards, and our time-oriented culture, task-driven view of success and direct communication style are certain to clash with the more people-oriented culture, people-driven view of success and indirect communication style that is characteristic of most cultures we will minister to during short-term trips.

Alongside these cultural differences, short-term teams will often encounter standards of living that are different from what they are accustomed to. Its natural for short-term trip goers to assume that what people need most is material, but if we were to ask the people were working among, they may tell us something very different. As Corbett and Fikkert point out, while many missions endeavors focus on addressing a lack of material needs, the brokenness we face in the world is much more complex.

It is a brokenness with God, self, others and creation that primarily needs to be addressed, and that brokenness is universal. We experienced that same brokenness before God redeemed us, and it was only Christnot our nationality or our cultural heritagethat made that redemption possible. Once we realize that the people we are working among have the same needs and desires we do, well stop viewing short-term trips as projects to be completed and begin viewing them as opportunities to participate in Gods work of reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor. 5:1820).

Describing short-term trips as mission trips isnt wrong, but if your church views these trips primarily as projects to be completed, consider dropping mission from your trip titles as a way to redeem the short-term work your church is engaging in.

Categorize Your Trips

If you dont call your short-term trips mission trips, then what do you call them? Instead of just calling your trips short-term, consider categorizing them by their purpose so your people know exactly what the nature of each trip will be. Here are four I would recommend:



1. Exposure Trips

2. Goer-Care Trips

3. Specialized Trips

4. Evangelism Trips

Short-Term Exposure Trips

These trips are open to anyone in your church. They are primarily for the goer, not for the advancement of a particular mission or project. These trips are not mission trips in the traditional sense; their main goal is to expose church members to what is happening around the world and give them a vision and desire for being more involved in local and/or global missions efforts. Our church members need exposure to the nations, and dedicating certain trips solely for the purpose of providing exposure allows our people to experience cross-cultural ministry without laying an unnecessary burden on our overseas workers. At Cornerstone we believe these exposure trips are a key part of cultivating awareness in our church and leading our people to become globally-minded Christians, and we hope to see 50% of our members go on one of these trips over the next 10 years.

Sent-One Care Trips

As Ive talked to sent-ones, the trips that theyve loved and been helped by the most are often those where a church sends over one of their close friends or a key member of the church, not as much to join in the mission, but simply to be a friend, to observe their life and to love on them. These trips often involve: going out to eat with sent-ones; seeing the places where they live, work and play; watching their kids so they can go on a date; listening to their needs as an individual, as a married couple, as parents and as sent-ones; meeting some of the people they are ministering to; and just being present in their culture. These trips not only serve as an encouragement to the sent-ones, but they also help the trip participants better represent the long-term workers back in their home church. For all these reasons and more, this type of trip is often one of the most effective ways to use a short-term team.

Specialized Trips

This third type of trip is for those who have gone on an exposure trip, asked great questions of the long-term goers and the nationals, and discovered a direct need that they could help meet. Perhaps they have the skills to assist with pastor training, agricultural training, medical training, business consulting, micro-finance, etc. These people have seen the location, the partner and the people. They have asked the nationals and the long-term sent-ones about the needs in their area and have a particular skill or passion that will help meet them. They may not feel led to live in that location long term, but they have a strong desire to be a part of the ministry there.

At Cornerstone we call these people shareholders. They have gone on a trip to one of our focus areas, caught a particular passion for the work there and decided to take some personal ownership and make an investment in that location. Serving as a shareholder might involve: joining the board of the organization they are partnering with; taking regular trips to use their expertise to meet a need of the people; advocating for the work in that location to other church members and/or financially investing in the work of the organization or partner.

One example of a shareholder from our church is Marlin Rice, who started an agricultural work in Zambia. He holds a Ph.D. in entomology and has extensive experience working in the agriculture business, and his work has literally changed the landscape of northern Zambia. Marlin regularly goes to Zambia to hold agricultural trainings with villages and with groups of pastors and leaders in the community. He teaches how to use fertilizer, hybridize seeds and plant with proper spacing, depth and landscaping.

Marlin has also taught them the value of planting on flat ground, since traditional African farming involves planting on ridges, a practice that generally doesnt produce a great yield. Traveling around Northern Zambia, you can literally see a change in the landscape as more and more Zambians have adopted this method of farming. If you stop and ask these farmers where they learned this method, they will often trace back to Marlins training. Marlin didnt have to live in Zambia to make this difference. In fact it may have been a waste of his time to do so. Marlin has had an incredible impact in Zambia by making regular, strategic visits, and his efforts have been a blessing to the Zambian church and its witness to the world. By showing them how to sow seed in the ground, he is helping provide for their work of sowing the seeds of the gospel in the unbelieving world around them.

Not everyone is a Marlin Rice. We dont have hundreds of people at our church who can do the type of work Marlin does in Zambia. But when we strategically send our people on short-term trips, we regularly get one or two people who come back excited to become a shareholder in the overseas partnership. Offering specialized short-term trips is a great way to give your church members a vision for how they can meaningfully and personally invest in the people and organizations you partner with.

Evangelism Trips

There are many places in the world where the cultural differences are too great for a short-term trip member to effectively share the gospel with the people there. It takes long-term workers years to learn the nuances of sharing their faith with the people they are trying to reach. As missions leaders we need to ask our sent-ones whether they think team members will be able to cross the cultural distance and share the gospel effectively on a short-term trip. Listen to your sent-ones and do not force short-term evangelistic trips on them if they dont believe they will be effective in their setting. Consider exposure trips or sent-one care trips for these partners.

There are, however, many places in the world where evangelistic trips can be very effective. Working in countries with a similar culture to ours, in university settings and in areas where the people already speak English are all great options for evangelistic trips. Our church regularly sends students on evangelistic summer trips, and they always come back with a greater desire to see their campus reached for Christ and a greater heart for internationals in our city.



These trips can be particularly effective when they are part of the long-term vision and missions strategy of your church. I spent a few years overseas in East Asia, and during my time there we hosted over 100 people on short-term evangelistic trips. The East Asian students on campus spoke English quite well, so it gave the American students from my sending church the opportunity to share the gospel in English and have great conversations with those who did not know Christ.

Over the course of those two years, those 100 students were able to share the gospel with over 5,000 people. There is no chance my wife and I could have shared the gospel with that many students on our own in that same amount of time. We were able to filter through those 5,000 students and follow up with the ones who were really interested in the gospel or who had committed their lives to Christ. We had further gospel conversations with those who wanted to learn more, and we discipled new believers and were able to equip them to begin starting churches. Our ministry in East Asia would have been much less effective without the support we received through these short-term trips.

For more on this topic and others, visit TheUpstreamCollective.org/join.

Read more from Mike Ironside 

This article originally appeared on TheUpstreamCollective.org and is reposted here by permission.
Juan Crespi---The Forgotten School

by Lorri Ungaretti

Were you an elementary student at Juan Crespi Home School or a student at Lincoln High with classes at Crespi? If so, I'd love to hear from you. It is very difficult to get any historical information on this school.

Juan Crespi Home School was built at 2105 - 24th Avenue, on the southwest corner of Quintara Street. Plans for the school were controversial. According to the San Francisco Call-Bulletin in May 1948, four homes were condemned so that a new elementary school (originally called "the Sunset Reservoir home school unit") could be built. This was a compromise; the school district originally wanted to condemn twenty-six homes on 24th Avenue.

The school opened on September 5, 1951, as one of several "home schools" in the Sunset. (Noriega Home School was one of this group.) The construction of home schools---most offering classes in kindergarten through grade four---was probably a response to the birth explosion we now call the Baby Boom years. Many Sunset children in the 1950s could just walk a few blocks to school. I, for example, lived on 22nd Avenue, between Quintara and Rivera. The 2-1/2 block walk to Crespi was easy for me, and I did it alone starting in kindergarten.

The early years at Crespi were uneven. Frances Blum Field, who graduated from Lincoln High in 1963, remembers that in 1951, Crespi did not have a kindergarten, so she had to travel from her home, on 20th Avenue between Pacheco and Quintara, down to Jefferson Elementary School at 19th and Irving. She started first grade at Crespi, which she attended through third grade, then returned to Jefferson for the remaining elementary grades.

"I have two great memories of Crespi," says Frances. "It had pressed cork flooring with radiant heating on the floor." She also recalls the janitor. "His name was Scotty Drummond and he always wore a dark-colored uniform. The kids adored him. He had whitish hair, dancing eyes, and a Scottish brogue."

I began kindergarten at Crespi later, in fall 1957. A friendly policeman walked us across 24th Avenue from the east to the west side. Each grade level had one classroom, except first grade, which had two. Some former students might remember Miss (Mrs.?) Fitzgerald or Miss Gough for first grade, Mrs. Behrens for second grade, Mrs. Kelleher for third grade, and Miss Joan Brehm for fourth grade.

In the small playground, which seemed large to us, we played kickball, dodgeball, jacks (on the concrete riser surrounding the flagpole), and hopscotch. We also played on the swings, turning bar, and metal jungle gym. The playground equipment is long gone. The yard is now cluttered with temporary buildings.

Crespi was connected to Parkside School on 25th Avenue between Ulloa and Vicente. We had the same principals---Miss Wisecarver, Miss Grosso, Mr. Rodman---and most of us went on to Parkside for fifth and sixth grades. Other students, depending on where they lived, went to Jefferson for the final grades of elementary school.

In June 1962 or 1963, Crespi closed, due to low enrollment. Actually, the school didn't close completely; it was taken over by Lincoln High School, which needed classroom space. David Whitehead (a 1964 Lincoln High grad) remembers heading across the street from Lincoln for a class at Crespi when he learned that President Kennedy had been shot.

I started at Lincoln in fall 1967 and was amazed when my tenth grade geometry class was in my third grade classroom! We all laughed at how low the chalkboards were. We almost kneeled on the floor to get water from a drinking fountain. Lincoln girls couldn't fix their hair in front of the bathroom mirrors, which stood about waist high. And the toilets! They were so tiny and so close to the floor that they looked like toys.

It is difficult to gather any history about the school. The San Francisco Public Library has no record of Crespi, although the photo archives do have one picture of it. The school district turned over its files to the San Francisco History Center at the main library, but the files do not mention Crespi. An employee of the San Francisco Bureau of Architecture believes that an outside architect designed the building in the late 1940s. (I'd love to know who!) The Bureau's only record of the school is exterior painting and door replacement completed in 1962, but the actual records for this job were turned over to the school district years ago. After this article was published in the Lincoln Log (the high school's alumni newsletter), I heard from someone who attended Lincoln as late as 1980 and had classes in Crespi, so the building was part of the high school longer than it had been an elementary school!

The Juan Crespi Home School building still stands and is used for state and district programs. The address has been changed to accommodate two entrances on Quintara: One can enter the San Francisco School Health Programs Department at 1515 Quintara or enter the California Children's Services Medical Therapy Unit and the San Francisco Unified School District Therapy Unit at 1595 Quintara.

For a short time, this building served as an intimate gathering place during an era when the Sunset was full of young children. And for just as long (maybe longer), it was an extension to Lincoln High School. While Juan Crespi Home School is lost to San Francisco city records, it remains in the memories of those who went there.

Please let me know if you have historical information or stories to tell about Crespi. You can reach me at lorri@outsidelands.org.

Contribute your own stories about your neighborhood!
The Republican Party suffers from a cancer of lies, Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Sunday, offering an explanation of his decision not to run for re-election to Congress.

Kinzinger, one of the 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, said Friday that he would not seek a seventh term.

You can fight to try to tell the truth, you can fight against the cancer in the Republican Party of lies of conspiracy, of dishonesty, Kinzinger said on ABCs This Week.

I havent seen any momentum in the party move away from lies and toward truth, he said.

Defying members of his own political party, Kinzinger volunteered to sit on the congressional committee that is investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riot. He and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming are the only Republicans on the committee.

Its not on Liz Cheney and I to save the Republican Party, he said on This Week.

Its on the 190 Republicans who havent said a dang word about it, and they put their head in the sand and hope somebody else comes along and does something.

He disputed the suggestion that his decision to leave Congress was a win for the former president.

The Republican establishment now ... have held onto Donald Trump, Kinzinger said. They have continued to breathe life into him, and so actually, its not handing a win as much to Donald Trump as it is to the cancerous kind of lies and conspiracy that form the mainstream argument of the Republican Party.

In announcing his decision, Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, said it did not signal his departure from politics.

In order to break the narrative, I cannot focus on both a reelection to Congress and a broader fight nationwide, he said in a video he posted on Twitter. I want to make it clear, this isnt the end of my political future, but the beginning.

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Lee Newspapers will be carrying a live blog of events in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial online as they unfold. The first day of what may become a weekslong trial kicks off with jury selection on Monday morning, Nov. 1.

Lee Newspapers/Kenosha News reporter Deneen Smith is reporting from inside the Kenosha County Courthouse, with reporting on this page augmented by remote staff.

More coverage:

8 p.m. The jury has been seated in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.

Word came at 7 p.m. Monday that the jury had been decided upon after juror interviews took place throughout the day at the Kenosha County Courthouse, starting at 9:30 a.m.

Twenty people were selected to hear the case. Of the juror pool, 19 are white and 11 are women. The trial is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m. Tuesday with opening arguments.

You are in the command seat, Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder told the jurors. You are going to know more about this case than anyone in the world.

The case is predicted to run as long as three weeks.

6:05 p.m.: Potential juror, a University of Wisconsin-Parkside student, says he was acquainted with Anthony Huber, one of the men Kyle Rittenhouse killed.

"I dont think it was right for two innocent people to die that night," the student said. "I believe the people were not out to kill him (Rittenhouse). I believe they might have been out to strip his firearm ... Honestly I dont believe he (Rittenhouse) had a reason to come here. I dont believe we needed his help like that  because that led to the death of two innocent people."

The student was excused.

5:51 p.m.: Another potential juror removed, making a total of 30 no longer in the running.

4 p.m.: Judge Schroeder reassures potential jurors of the safety of serving. "Ive never had a juror threatened, Ive never had a juror bothered in any way. I have never been bothered," he tells them.

3:55 p.m.: During questioning, prospective jurors talk about their fear of being involved in the case. "I didnt even drive a car here today because I didnt want to see anyone to see my car," one woman said.

"I really want to serve on a jury. I really do not want to serve on this jury" another person says. "I figure whichever way this goes you are going to have people across the country who are going to be upset ... Whatever the verdict is there is going to be half the population that is up in arms about it, and we have seen what happens ... here in Kenosha."

3:10 p.m.: Defense then asks about views on AR-15s like the gun Rittenhouse carried that night. "Yes, I do have a problem with it," one woman says, saying she does not think "a weapon like that" should be legal.

3:00 p.m.: Judge Schroeder cuts off a question from Defense Attorney Corey Chirafisi. Chirafisi had asked "How many people on the panel are angry about what happened, the whole riots thing why we are here?" Schroeder jumped in, saying "No, no, no, we're not here for riots."

Moments later, one woman said her 19-year-old son went to protests despite her objections. Also, said she also bought a gun for the first time because of the unrest. "My neighbor said my United States of America flag should not be up for whatever reason. I left it up and I got a gun," she said.

2:47 p.m.: Session resumes with defense being able to ask questions of potential jurors.

2:19 p.m.: Binger asks if any of the prospective jurors donated money to the Rittenhouse defense or bail funds. No hands. Asks if any close friends or family donated. No hands.

1:50 p.m.: A potential juror, an older woman, becomes emotional when talking about her granddaughter going to protests after the shootings, and said she does not think she can be unbiased. She is excused. Tom Binger asks people if they took safety measures  armed themselves  during unrest, and about half a dozen say yes. Some said they went and stayed elsewhere. One said did neighborhood watch. One woman said she bought a gun.

Binger asks about familiarity with firearms and a large number of jurors raise their hands. More than a half dozen raise hands when asked about hunting.

A potential juror said she would not want to go home to her husband if the case were decided in the direction that he would not like.

1:30 p.m.: Prosecutors begin questioning potential jurors.

As WPR's Corrine Hess reported on Twitter: "Jury selection in #rittenhouse case continues this afternoon. Assistant DA Thomas Binger is asking people if they took part in protests, counter protests or if they felt the need to arm themselves following the events of Aug. 2020. Many hands went up."

Lunch break until 1:15 p.m.: Potential jurors are taking a pizza lunch. During the break, Judge Schroeder ordered potential jurors to NOT discuss the case.

More than 10 potential jurors have been dismissed in about a two-hour period for reasons varying from no longer living in Kenosha County, to one man who brought up the Second Amendment and "politics," to several others who also said they don't believe they'll be able to silence their preconceived notions of the case, to one who is leaving the country to go to Poland on Friday, to another for her strongly held religious beliefs who said "For religious reasons I really think thou shall not kill, I dont know what else to say."

Per pool reports, the vast majority of potential jurors are white. "Of the 70 or so potential jurors in the courtroom for Kyle Rittenhouse trial, there are 3 Black women, one Hispanic man, rest mostly an older, white group," tweeted one Wisconsin courts reporter.

10:58 a.m.: Prospective jurors now hearing the list of witnesses who may be called in the case to see if they have any connection; this is always done in jury trials here. Kenosha County is small enough that people often have an acquaintance with witnesses.

If there is a connection, they are asked if the connection would influence their judgement on the case.

Three people have so far said they know people on the witness list through family or work.

10:17 a.m.: Judge asks "Is there anyone who hasn't read or heard anything about this case?" Not a single person raises their hand.

9:57 a.m.: One potential juror has already been excused. She told the judge she recently moved to Chicago and is no longer a Kenosha County resident, and thus wouldn't even be eligible to be a juror in a Kenosha County case.

9:48 a.m.: Judge says he can't rule out ordering jurors to be sequestered, but says there's "less than 1 percent chance" that'll happen. "I will resist it any way I can, but I can't rule it out."

9:40 a.m.: Getting started again with about 80 prospective jurors in the room as Judge Schroeder explains voir dire, the process of questioning prospective jurors to try to weed out those who may have a bias in the case  a tougher task than usual in the Rittenhouse case.

9:32 a.m.: Things come to a bit of a halt as the court considers bringing even more prospective jurors to the courtroom. Kenosha County already called 300 prospective jurors for the case. About 70 are now in the courtroom for the beginning of jury selection.

Just before 9:30 a.m.: With all the prospective jurors now in the room, Rittenhouse and his defense team  led by Attorney Mark Richards of Racine  enter the courtroom.

9:18 a.m.: The start of jury selection in the Rittenhouse trial begins like most trials in Judge Bruce Schroeder's courtroom, with the judge asking "Jeopardy!"-style questions with the prospective jurors as they pass time waiting for things to get started.

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As part of the activities marking 125th anniversary celebrations in Ghana, Standard Chartered is organising a Digital Banking, Innovation and Fintech Festival to be held on 3rd and 4th November, 2021 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra under the theme Shaping the next phase of Ghanas Financial Technology Landscape for the 21st Century.





This high-level event will bring together local and international players in the Fintech ecosystem, seasoned experts and practicing Fintech innovators to engage and share insights on how to adopt, leverage and scale digitisation, innovation and technology within the financial sector.



His Excellency the Vice President of Ghana, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will give a keynote address on the opening day outlining among other things, the governments plan to continue setting Ghana apart as the true digital hub of Africa with a robust digitised financial technology ecosystem.



This event is part of Standard Chartereds activities to mark its 125th anniversary celebrations in Ghana and an apt platform to showcase Ghanas digital infrastructure and the great strides the country has made in its national digitalisation journey.



The hybrid mode event will be held over two days - 3rd and 4th November,2021  and will see other notable leaders of industry attend including; Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta - Minister of Finance, Ghana, Hon. Ursula Owusu Ekuful - Minister of Communication & Digitalisation, Ghana, Dr. Ernest Addison  Governor, Bank of Ghana, Sunil Kaushal  CEO, Africa & Middle East, Standard Chartered PLC, Alex Manson  Member, SC Ventures and many more.



In addition, a great line up of insightful panel sessions is planned over the two days.



The sessions will explore the impact and opportunities of the increasingly robust and digitized financial ecosystem and the lessons we can learn from Ghanas digitization journey so far. Participants will also discuss how financial sustainability, innovation and technology can maximise participation in addition to how to best leverage digital banking, tokenization and trust corridors to lift African trade flows.



The Digital Banking, Innovation and Fintech Festival has been organised in collaboration with the Central Bank of Ghana (BoG), SC Ventures and Enterprise Singapore.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Featured Video
The Makers Electronics Company Ltd. has won the Promising Company of the year award at the 2021 Ghana Business Awards held at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra on Friday, October 29, 2021.



The Makers Electronics deals in the sale of electronics and home appliances and offers services to Ghanaians from all walks of life.

The company, which is about a year old, beat competition from four other companies in that category. This years awards, which shortlisted over a hundred and twenty companies and individuals, is the 4th edition of the awards scheme.



The nominees were shortlisted out of the 385 companies and individuals that submitted their nominations to be considered for the awards.



In the end, seventy individuals and organizations were recognized for their excellent performances and impact within the business space and on the Ghanaian economy.



In barely a year of its operations, The Makers Electronics has five branches, three in the Greater Accra Region, and two in Kumasi and Takoradi respectively.



The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Stephen Essoun, told B&FT that although the company started amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it braved the odds to stay afloat.



I give thanks to God for such wonderful recognition. Gaining such recognition from this prestigious organisation feels like Heaven on Earth. Sincerely, we started operating at a time Covid had taken over the activities of the world. My wife, Mrs. Akua Saah Essoun, and I did not give up. We decided to grow the company irrespective of the world challenge and under a space of one year, we have been able to solve the home appliances and consumer electronics needs of the good people of Ghana as well as reducing the unemployment rate in the country.



Mr. Essoun said the company is committed to expanding its branch network whiles offering competitive prices and discounts to customers.



I see this award as a challenge to do more by opening more branches to continue to reduce unemployment, as well as helping solve the home appliances and consumer electronics needs of the good people of Ghana. Currently operating in Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi, we hope to extend our branches to every corner of the country. Its our fervent hope that Ghanaians will continue to patronize our wide range of products, with undoubtedly the highest discount ever (up to 67%). We decided to give this discount because we want to make our products easily affordable by all.



I want to use this medium to inform Ghanaians about our Black Friday promotion starting November 26 to 5th December 2021. All our products will be sold at factory prices.



The awards, which was organised by Globe Productions in partnership with the Institute of Directors (IoD), Nobel International Business School (NiBS), Ipag Business School, Swiss Business School, and the Lincoln University with support from the Graphic Communications Group Limited and Media General, sought to promote business excellence nationally and internationally, as well as provide an unparalleled opportunity for networking among industry players.



Members of the awarding board included award-winning Broadcast Journalist Kwame Sefa Kayi, former Chairperson of the Convention Peoples Party, Samia Nkrumah, and Kwesi Abease, former CEO of the African Business Roundtable/GIPC.

The others were Prof. Akilagkpa Sawyerr, former Council of State Chairman and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and Prof. Kwaku Atuahene-Gima, Founder, President & Executive Dean and Distinguished Professor of Innovation Management and Marketing at the Nobel International Business School, NIBS.



The 4th Ghana Business Awards recognized and rewarded excellence across all sectors of industry in Ghana, and provided the platform for individuals and companies that played significant roles in the growth and development of the business sector.



It also promoted open dialogue between relevant stakeholders in public and private sectors on adopting the right strategies to stimulate post-Covid-19 economic recovery and ensure a future of hope and shared prosperity for all Ghanaians.

Themed The Digital Economy, Making More Winners, with a team of technical expertise (Awarding Board) and independent consultants, the award categories were modeled to recognise important commercial and industrial players that contribute significantly to the economy.



Mr. Latif Abubakar, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organisers of the awards, Globe Productions, said the awards are a benchmark of excellence.



He explained that the benchmarks for shortlisted nominees performance were based on key performance indicators (KPIs) in the standards of excellence, including information technology and competitive pricing.



Business summit



This years awards was preceded by a business summit, and an exhibition in the morning, which was climaxed with the awards night and dinner.

In attendance were the Canadian and Spanish High Commissioners to Ghana, Kathleen Csaba, and Mr. Javier Gutierrez, the South African High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E. Grace Mason, and the President of Ghana Journalists Association, Affail Monney.



There was also an address by Ms. Stephanie Hutchison, the US Embassy Economic Chief.

Source: Hi-Lynks Communication Ltd









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Featured Video
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the host of the COP26 summit that opened on Sunday, said the pledge from world leaders after two days of talks in Rome was "not enough", and warned of the dire consequences for the planet.



"If Glasgow fails, the whole thing fails," he told reporters, saying the G20commitments were "drops in a rapidly warming ocean".



UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he left Rome "with my hopes unfulfilled -- but at least they are not buried".



The G20 nations between them emit nearly 80 percent of carbon emissions, and a firm commitment on action was viewed as vital for the success of the UN's COP26.



US President Joe Biden said the summit made "tangible" progress on many issues but said he found it "disappointing" that Russia and China, whose leaders attended only via videolink, did not offer stronger climate pledges.



He vowed to "continue to focus on what China is not doing, what Russia is not doing, and what Saudi Arabia is not doing."





In a final communique, the G20 reaffirmed its support for the goals in the landmark 2015 Paris climate accords, to keep "the global average temperature increase well below 2 degrees and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels".



They said this would require "meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries, taking into account different approaches", while they also promised measures against coal use.



But experts say meeting the 1.5 degree target means slashing global emissions nearly in half by 2030 and to "net-zero" by 2050 -- and the G20 set no firm date, speaking only of reaching the goal of net zero "by or around mid century".



Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who hosted the G20 talks, said he was "proud of these results, but we must remember that it's only the start".



Eyes now turn to Glasgow, where more than 120 heads of state and government, including Biden, India's Narendra Modi and Australia's Scott Morrison, were heading from Rome.



Lacking ambition



The G20 leaders did agree to end funding for new unabated coal plants abroad -- those whose emissions have not gone through any filtering process -- by the end of 2021.



But environmental campaign group Greenpeace slammed the final statement as "weak, lacking both ambition and vision", saying G20 leaders "failed to meet the moment".



"If the G20 was a dress rehearsal for COP26, then world leaders fluffed their lines," said Executive Director Jennifer Morgan.



Friederike Roder, senior director at anti-poverty group Global Citizen, told AFP the summit had produced "half-measures rather than concrete actions".



Only Gambia on track to meet its Paris Agreement goal: Climate Action Tracker





European leaders pointed out that given the fundamental divisions among the world's most advanced nations, a joint commitment to what was the most ambitious Paris goal was a step forward.



"I hear all the very alarmed talk on these subjects. I'm myself worried and we are fully mobilised," said French President Emmanuel Macron.



"But I would like us to take a step back and look at the situation where we were four years ago", when former US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out of the treaty.



Draghi said that the needle had moved markedly even in the past few days, including by China -- by far the world's biggest carbon polluter.



Beijing plans to make its economy carbon neutral before 2060, but has resisted pressure to offer nearer-term goals.



'Dream big'



Earlier on Sunday, Draghi, Britain's Prince Charles and Pope Francis had all called on leaders to think big.



Calling climate change "the defining challenge of our times", Draghi warned: "Either we act now... or we delay acting, pay a much higher price later, and risk failing."



Pope Francis, who is outspoken on the issue and received several G20 leaders at the Vatican this weekend, said: "This is a moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities... The time to act, and to act together, is now!"

Source: AFP









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Featured Video
The shock announcement follows months of sliding popularity for the prime minister as he struggled to keep the countrys economy on track amid the pandemics headwinds and talks over possible accession to the European Unionall but stalled.



I take the responsibility for the results of these elections. I resign as prime minister, Zaev said during a press conference.



I have brought freedom and democracy, and democracy means taking responsibility, he said.



The premier offered few details or a timeline of when he would resigna move that must be approved by parliament. Zaev said he also opposed a new round of elections following his resignation.



The main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, which scored big wins in the weekends elections, including in the capital Skopje, appeared to call for a new round of parliamentary polls after the announcement.



The government has been de-legitimized and that is the new reality that will be manifested in the parliament over time. However, its best if this happens through early parliamentary elections, said opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski.



Zaev was elected prime minister in 2017 after 10 years of right-wing rule led by strongman Nikola Gruevski whose government was shaken by a huge wiretapping scandal revealed by Zaev himself.



In 2018, Zaev struck a tough deal with Athens to add the geographical qualifier North to the countrys official name in order to distinguish it from the Greek province of Macedonia.



The name change was a precondition to paving the way for possible EU membership.



However, the country has since faced threats from Bulgaria to block the beginning of talks due to a separate spatwith Sofia disputing the origin of the Macedonian language, calling it a Bulgarian dialect.



Both countries also lay claim to certain historical events and figures, mainly from the Ottoman era.



Zaev had pledged to make progress on the EU accession talks after the country officially became a candidate for membership but has had little to show for it in recent months.



North Macedonia held parliamentary elections in 2020 that saw Zaevs Social Democrats return to power, after his party narrowly won a victory over right-wing rivals.



His governing coalition, a tie-up with the largest party representing the ethnic Albanian minority, continues to hold a wafer-thin majority in the parliament.



Zaev hails from the eastern city of Strumica, where his family is one of the countrys top producers of ajvara red pepper relish beloved in the Balkans.



He entered politics in 2003, eventually becoming a three-term mayor of his hometown and then leader of the Social Democrats in 2013.

Source: France 24









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei has donated computers and accessories to Mangoase Methodist School in her constituency.



This was promised by the hardworking MP who has vowed to make education propriety in her area.



The MP made the donation to the school during a successful Town Hall Meeting over the weekend.



Chiefs, traditional elders, and teachers of the school were all grateful to their MP, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei for the gesture.



They, however, pledged their support for the MP in her quest to bring more developmental projects to the constituency.



Mangoase youth lauds Nana Ama Dokua



The Youth in the community has also lauded the MP for her frequent visit to the community and support.



According to them, the MP despite her busy schedule has always responded to their needs when called upon.



Unlike other MPs who donate cutlasses to their communities, we have an MP who is keener on education in our community, the leader of the youth said during the Town Hall Meeting









Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A 39-year-old man, Mr Kyei Baffour, who posed as a lawyer, has been arrested and charged with deceiving a public officer.



The suspect was nabbed while representing his client in a murder case at the Nyinahin District Court in the Ashanti Region on the orders of magistrate Vera Victoria Akonu.



The magistrate intimated that her checks at the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and General Legal Council (GLC) revealed that the suspect was not called to the Bar.



The suspect, who had numerous cases before her court, admitted to not being a lawyer even though he has some background knowledge in law after pursuing a professional legal course in California, USA.



He asserted that he passed the law entrance examination in Ghana but discontinued the programme due to personal reasons.



The suspect has been detained for further investigations.



The police says he will be put before the Circuit Court at Nkawie soon.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
One of the beneficiaries of the Nation Builders Corp (NABCo) has expressed frustration as to the way forward after the expiration of the programme on Sunday, October 31.



The programme was introduced in May, 2018 by the government as a stop-gap measure to solve the graduate unemployment conundrum in the country.



Contracts for the beneficiaries were to take three years with an assurance by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to make the programme permanent.



However, some organisations are yet to take a decision on the beneficiaries.



The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), for instance, has asked all NABCo trainees to proceed on two-week leave from Monday, November 1 in order to plan and strategize on retaining trainees for the services of the Authority.



Speaking on anonymity on TV3s New Day on Monday, November 1, a beneficiary with the Educate Ghana module said he has been asked to continue teaching despite the expiration of the programme.



He told host Berla Mundi how he was prevailed upon by the Kumasi-based demonstration school to stay on for sometime for a firm decision from the secretariat.He said not only him, but the head of the school also is confused.



I am just confused, he blurted out, complaining he does not know where his payment for the rest of the time will come from.



Clearly, there is no payment of any fund or school fees at the primary school.



Knee jerk approach



On the promised continuation of the programme by President Akufo-Addo during the electioneering period in 2020, the University of Cape Coast (UCC) graduate said there was no planned approach to that promise.



Career pathway was a knee jerk approach, he said.



It was because of elections.



But also speaking on the programme, labour expert Benjamin Arthur commended the programme and said there will definitely be a transition in the coming days.



Citing the GSA case, he said: If you understand employment language, it tells you that something is cooking.





















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Featured Video
The police have confirmed the death of at least 17 people in a road crash on Monday (1 November) in the Ashanti Region.



The head-on collision involves a Kumasi-bound articulator vehicle which veered off its lane and a sprinter bus, the Offinso police confirmed to Asaase News.



The police said the deceased comprise 14 females and three males while 15 others sustained injuries and are being treated at a health facility.



DSP Edmund Nyamekye, the head of police MTTD at Offinso told Asaase Newss Karen Dodoo Antwi that the incident happened at dawn.



How it happened



The accident involves a sprinter bus with registration number GT 6075-15 and an articulator truck, GS 4339-17. The sprinter bus was loaded with passengers heading towards the Savannah Region and then the articulated vehicle was coming from Techiman towards Kumasi.



So, when they got to the Abofour Forest, the articulated truck veered off its lane into the lane of the sprinter bus and there was a head on collision, so far we have registered 17 deaths.



He said investigations have started into the crash.

Source: asaaseradio.com









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An emotional scene played out at Sydney airport on Monday, November 1, as Australias international border reopened after almost 600 days and loved ones were able to reunite



On March 20 last year, Australia introduced some of the worlds toughest border restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Almost all travel to the island continent halted, prompting critics to dub the country a "hermit state". For the last 19 months, Australians have been banned from travelling overseas without permission.



Families were split across continents, and tens of thousands of nationals were stranded overseas.



The few who did gain permission to enter were forced to spend thousands of dollars and agree to spend 14 days locked in a hotel room.



Those conditions have now been dropped for the countrys two largest cities  Sydney and Melbourne  which will now allow vaccinated Australians to come and go without quarantine of any kind.



Tim Turner, who had not seen his son for more than a year, said it was "pretty brilliant" that they were now able to reunite.



Arriving in Sydney was "beautiful, beautiful", he told reporters at the airport.



Julie Choo, who flew back from the UK to visit her sick mother in hospital, said she was trying not to cry as the plane touched down.



She said: "I just cant wait to touch my mothers hand when I see her. I cant wait to hold her. Its going to be very emotional."













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Ghana Police Service appears to be leaving no stone unturned in its quest to arrest the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis Xavier Sosu to face the law.



Information gathered by DGN Online indicates that some police personnel surrounded the Believers Church at Ritz Junction in Madina where the MP was said to be worshipping.



The move is believed to have the controversial MP apprehended in connection with the October 25, 2021 demonstration that he led in his constituency against bad roads, after which he was nearly arrested.



The youth reportedly blocked roads, burnt vehicle tyres and caused destruction over what they believe could push for the reshape of their roads.



Police made an attempt to arrest him but the MP resisted with the help of some of the youth and escaped.



After he managed to escape, Sosu petitioned Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin to cite ACP Isaac Kojo Asante, Accra Regional Operations Commander and ACP Eric Winful, the Adenta/Abokobi Divisional Commander of Police for contempt of Parliament.



Reacting to the second attempt by the police to arrest the Madina MP, MP for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George through his Facebook timeline questioned why the Ghana Police Service is disregarding a directive from the Rt. Honourable Speaker of Parliament on the intention to arrest the MP for Madina.



Who are the Police Officers at the Church premises at Ritz Junction in Madina seeking to arrest the MP? Is the IGP aware of this order and what it means in the face of Mr. Speakers directives?



He stated that they can assure the IGP and the Police Officers involved that the full might of Parliaments Privileges Committee would be brought to bear on their actions if they want a show down.



Enough of the disrespect for Parliament. The Constitution is clear on the processes to arrest a sitting Member of Parliament. We would respond in full measure and drastically! That is a promise, he boasted.





Source: Daily Guide









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Featured Video
Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has jabbed the main opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, accusing them of being good at propaganda.



He avers that it is only hard facts and data that can counter their efforts, adding that these figures are available thanks to the governing New Patriotic Partys record in development which is way ahead of the NDC.



Our record will always be superior to the record of the NDC. The NDC is very good at propaganda. They are specialized in that, but the only way to counter the propaganda is with facts and data. They are very afraid of facts and data.



Bawumia was speaking on Sunday, October 31, 2021, at the end of a three-day orientation programme held for newly-appointed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, MMDCEs, in Accra.



He added that with the development efforts that the government was undertaking nationwide, it was the responsibility of MMDCEs to disseminate information to the local levels where they are the political heads.



By so doing, they will scuttle the robust propaganda machinery of the NDC and also put the NPP in good stead to win the 2024 General Elections.



This coming election in 2024 is going to be fought at the local level, it is not going to be fought in Accra, so you know the projects, the NDC cannot sit in Accra and lie about projects when you in your regions and districts can tell the people what we have done.



When you do that, they can go and check and the NDC cannot come back with propaganda. We have to be proactive and tell the people, Bawumia added.



This is not the first time the Veep is taking potshots at the NDC, he serially accused the party of incompetence prior to becoming Vice-President and has also been highly critical of then-President John Dramani Mahama.













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Featured Video
The Speaker of Parliament has refused a Police request to release the Madina MP, Francis Xavier Sosu, for interrogation.

In a letter from Parliament to the police, it said the Madina MP will be engaged in legislative proceedings.



The letter signed by the Deputy Director of Legal Services of Parliament said, I am directed by the Rt. Hon. Speaker to inform you that proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the 1st Session of the 8th Parliament commenced on Tuesday 26th October 2021, and having regard to the limitations of articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, he is unable to release the Member of Parliament as requested in your letter.



The Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament further directs that I refer you to the provisions of article 122 of the 1992 Constitution and to inform you that on Wednesday the 27th October, 2021 he referred to the Privileges Committee of Parliament, allegations of breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt by ACP Isaac Kojo Asante and ACP Eric Winful of the Accra Regional Police Command and the Adenta Divisional Command respectively, the letter added.



Mr. Sosu is a person of interest for police after he led a protest against bad roads in his constituency.

In the protest, some of the protestors blocked roads and burnt tyres and allegedly destroyed some property.



Police have insisted that these amounted to criminal activity and have tried to invite the MP to assist with investigations.



Mr. Sosu said some police officers tried to arrest him during the protest. Police were also reported to have tried to arrest Mr. Sosu while he was at Church on Sunday though the Police administration has denied the reports.



Though protestors had blocked roads during the protest, Mr. Sosu said there was no basis for any arrest because he had followed due process in organising the protest.



After the first attempt to arrest him, Mr. Sosu filed a formal complaint in Parliament accusing two police commanding officers of contempt of Parliament. The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, referred the complaint against the two police personnel to the Privileges Committee of Parliament.



The officers cited in Mr. Sosus complaint were ACP Isaac Kojo Asante, the Greater Accra Regional Operations Commander, and ACP Eric Winful, the Adentan Divisional Commander.

Source: classfmonline.com









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Featured Video
The police administration has served notice that it will use every legal means to interrogate the MP for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, after the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, refused to release him to assist in investigations.



The police are after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker over his alleged involvement in a protest in his constituency which led to an unlawful road blockade and destruction of public property.



The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Ghana Police Service wrote to the Speaker on Wednesday (27 October 2021) requesting the release of the MP.



However, in a response, issued through the deputy director of legal services, Nana Tawiah Okyir, the Speaker said: I am directed by the Rt Hon Speaker to inform you that proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the 1st Session of the 8th Parliament commenced on Tuesday 26 October 2021 and having regard to the limitations of Articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, he is unable to release the Member of Parliament as requested in your letter.



Matter of privileges committee



The Speaker said he had already referred the case to the privileges committee of Parliament to probe breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt by ACP Isaac Kojo Asante and ACP Eric Winful of the Accra Regional Police Command and the Adenta Divisional Command respectively.



In a statement on Sunday (31 October), the police said: The MP, Francis-Xavier Sosu, was invited on the day of the protest to assist the police for his alleged involvement in the unlawful blockade of a road and the destruction of public property but he declined the invitation.



He declined further invitations, citing parliamentary privilege.



Three other persons have been interrogated on this matter and we shall continue to use every legal means to interrogate all other suspects including the Honourable MP for Madina, the statement added.



Denial of arrest



The police also denied going to the MPs church to effect his arrest on Sunday.



Stories circulating that some police personnel had been dispatched to arrest the MP at a church today Sunday (31 October 2021) are untrue, said the statement, signed by ACP Kwesi Ofori on behalf of the Police Service.



Any plain-clothed police personnel found on the premises of the church may have been there for intelligence purposes and not to effect an arrest.







Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Police has provided clarifications on why some officers were deployed to the church premises of the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu.



Some police personnel reportedly surrounded the Believers House Prayer Ministry at Ritz Junction in Madina where the MP was said to be worshipping.



It is believed they were there to effect the MP's arrest following his involvement in a chaotic protest in his constituency on Monday, October 25, 2021 where roads were blocked and the MP angrily drove off through the crowd.



Reports indicate two Police officers on the scene to restore calm and some constituents narrowly escaped fatal injuries when the MP's vehicle sped off.



However, the MP is said to have escaped the arrest at his church.



But speaking in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', the Public Affairs Director of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Kwesi Ofori refuted claims that the personnel were at the church to arrest the MP.



According to him, it was a tactical operation to tell the MP that they are keeping taps on him.



"The Police, as a foremost law enforcement agency in this regard, put up a tactical plan to wherever he is. It is in respect of this that they chanced upon him at the church. He was in the church; we could have arrested him looking at the Police officers who were around but it was a tactical ops to tell him that [1] we know where he is at that moment and that he cannot even run away from the law. It was a signal sent under this tactical ops scheme and one thing we would like to say is that his refusal to appear before the Police has been well-taken note of," he cleared the air.



He further debunked claims that the personnel stormed the church premises resulting in a state of disorder.



'" . . we know it's a faith-based movement. We don't want to do anything that might impede the church's activities."





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Ghana Police Service has called on Madina MP, Francis-Xavier Sosu to honourably present himself for interrogation.



Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu has refused to appear before the Police following his involvement in a protest at Madina where two officers and some residents narrowly survived being run over by the MP's vehicle.



The protesters are said to have unlawfully blocked the roads at Madina causing chaos with the MP ordering his driver to dangerously speed through a crowd.



The MP's driver - a Police officer - has been interdicted by the Police.



The Police is said to have written to the Speaker of Parliament to direct the MP to avail himself for investigations.



Speaker's Reply



The Speaker of Parliament, in a letter from Parliament to the Police, has refused their request to release Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu citing a standing order of the Legislative House.



The letter signed by the Deputy Director of Legal Services of Parliament said; I am directed by the Rt. Hon. Speaker to inform you that proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the 1st Session of the 8th Parliament commenced on Tuesday 26th October 2021, and having regard to the limitations of articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, he is unable to release the Member of Parliament as requested in your letter.



The Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament further directs that I refer you to the provisions of article 122 of the 1992 Constitution and to inform you that on Wednesday the 27th October, 2021 he referred to the Privileges Committee of Parliament, allegations of breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt by ACP Isaac Kojo Asante and ACP Eric Winful of the Accra Regional Police Command and the Adenta Divisional Command respectively, the letter added.



Police Claps Back



In an interview on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo'', Public Affairs Director of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Kwesi Ofori says the Police will utilize all legal means to summon the MP for interrogation.



But, to him, ''as an honourable Member of Parliament, he (Francis-Xavier Sosu) should honourably avail himself to Police authority to question him on the issue because the Public Order law enjoins him to do that''.



" . . if he doesn't come, we have several options. Even what the Hon. Speaker wrote citing some clauses, the Police is likely to go to the Apex Court to seek interpretation to guide our future security operations of the kind. We can also go to court to present him with summons and if he refuses to come and the court issues bench warrant", then they will take him, he asserted.





ACP Kwesi Ofori assured the MP that, "nobody will do anything bad to him but just submit yourself to the law'', stressing ''you are making laws for Ghanaians'' and they expect that he (Madina MP) obeys the law.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Afigya Kwabre North Member of Parliament (MP), Collins Adomako-Mensah, has questioned the freedom of MPs from Police arrests or to honour Police invite when cited for civil/criminal charges.



Discussing his colleague MP for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu's refusal to appear for Police interrogation following his involvement in a violent protest at Madina on Monday, October 25, 2021, Hon. Collins Adomako-Mensah shared dissenting views on the issue.



The MP has refused to avail himself to assist the Police in their investigations and as a result, the Police has made a request through the Speaker for Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu to release him, but the Speaker has also turned down the request.



A letter signed by the Deputy Director of Legal Services of Parliament on behalf of the Speaker read; I am directed by the Rt. Hon. Speaker to inform you that proceedings of the 3rd Meeting of the 1st Session of the 8th Parliament commenced on Tuesday 26th October 2021, and having regard to the limitations of articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, he is unable to release the Member of Parliament as requested in your letter.



The Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament further directs that I refer you to the provisions of article 122 of the 1992 Constitution and to inform you that on Wednesday the 27th October 2021 he referred to the Privileges Committee of Parliament, allegations of breach of parliamentary privilege and contempt by ACP Isaac Kojo Asante and ACP Eric Winful of the Accra Regional Police Command and the Adenta Divisional Command respectively.



But the Afigya Kwabre North MP disagrees with the immunity clause in favour of MPs.



Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', he asked; ''Is our immunity unfettered?''



He believed Articles 117 and 118 which form the basis for the Speaker's refusal to release the Madina MP and MP's behaviour must be subjected to legal interpretations.



"Do you arrest me because the law says whilst on my way to Parliament, I cannot be arrested?... Even if we feel we can't get understanding on the interpretation of it, then let's go to the Supreme Court, and that is why the Supreme Court is there to explain it for us to know our boundaries as Members of Parliament; at what point does our immunity trickle in," he said.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Lawyers of National chairman of the National Democratic Congress Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo are subjecting Chief Inspector Bernard Berko, the investigator in the case in which the NDC chairman is standing trial over a leaked audiotape to further scrutiny.



The focus of Lawyer Tony Lithurs cross-examination of the prosecutions third witness who is the investigator is about why Kweku Boahen was charged. Tony Lithur is also seeking an answer to why Alfred Ogbamey and Haruna Iddrisu, the minority leader were not invited when they were at that meeting.



Responding to questions under cross-examination, the investigator said, those people did not say anything incriminating that warranted them to be invited.



He also told the court that, though the accused persons did not corporate to give information when invited to the police CID Headquarters, he found no need to call persons he heard on the tape like Alfred Ogbamey and the Minority leader to serve material as witnesses.



My Lord, I said, I didnt hear the voice of A2 (Kweku Boahen) on the tape but not only him. I also did not hear the voice of others who were at the meeting. My lord A2 himself stated that he was part of the said meeting and that he agreed with whatever A1 (Ofosu-Ampofo) said or he was in support the witness said.



Ofosu-Ampofo and Deputy National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, Kwaku Boahen have both been charged.



Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo has been charged with one count of conspiracy to cause harm and two counts of assault against a public officer while on the other hand, Mr. Boahen is facing one count of conspiracy to cause harm.



More to come







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A budding Nigerian actress identified as Esther Ifeoma Nwachukwu has set tongues wagging with rage after she was heard spewing nonsense on social media.



A video making rounds on social media captured the actress saying she would love to have steaming s*x with her biological father but the love she has for her mother is stopping her.



Esther claims the pain her mother might deal with if she finds out her daughter slept with her husband stops her every time she has the urge to do that despicable act.



If not for the love i have for my mother and i dont want my mother to die, who is my father wey i no fir Knack? she quizzed in the trending video.



The confidence the actress used in saying the above made some social media users take to her comment section to drum sense into her thick skull but she paid deaf ears to their talks.



Watch the video below.













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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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" " Why is the Republican Party also known as the GOP? Postmodern Studio/Shutterstock

In 1884, newspaper printer T.B. Dowden ran out of space at the end of an article for the Cincinnati Gazette about Republican politician James Gillespie Blaine, who had just been nominated for the U.S. presidency. Dowden's copy ended with the phrase "Grand Old Party," and up against a deadline and a line count, he had to get creative to make the copy fit.

And so, the next morning, the front page of the Cincinnati Gazette read "The Hon. James G. Blaine will address the meeting on 'the achievements of the Gop.'" Dowden is credited as the first person to use "GOP" in print.

The story of the first use of the now-ubiquitous acronym is a neat part of the Republican Party's history, but it's hardly the whole story. "GOP" stands for Grand Old Party, but why?

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The Democratic-Republican Party

For that we have to talk about the history of the two main political parties' origins. Democrats and Republicans were both born from the Democratic-Republican Party (also known as Jeffersonian Republicans), which was founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the 1790s. The party favored political equality, expansionism and the philosophy of republicanism, which holds liberty, individual rights and the power of the people as central values.

The Democratic-Republican Party eventually broke into factions during the 1824 presidential election. Splintering was only a matter of time as four Democratic-Republicans sought the presidency, including Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, William H. Crawford and Henry Clay. No candidate won the electoral vote, and the House of Representatives held a contingent election to choose the president. Adams eventually won.

Eventually, the Democratic Party took its name in 1844 and the Republican Party took its name in 1854, uniting former Whigs (those who favored higher tariffs, distributing land revenues to states, and passing economic relief legislation), like-minded Democrats and abolitionists.

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Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854

This fusion of ideologies in the newly formed Republican Party was, ironically, primarily driven by a Democratic-supported effort. Namely, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, a piece of legislation that allowed slavery to expand into western territories. After it passed, a period of violent anti- and pro- slavery confrontations arose known as Bleeding Kansas  an antecedent to the Civil War.

The debate over slavery intensified over the next several years as a young Abraham Lincoln was beginning to get his political footing. Lincoln vehemently opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act and would steadily bring his anti-slavery rhetoric into his political speeches in ensuing years. By 1860, Lincoln won the Republican Party's presidential nomination and soon the presidency. Then in 1861, seven states declared secession, with four more states joining the Confederacy several months later. You know the rest. The Civil War ended in 1865 when Confederate generals surrendered.

But back to the GOP. A few years earlier in 1859, Kentucky's Democratic Governor Beriah Magoffin  a staunch neutralist during the Civil War  harkened back to his party's Democratic-Republic Party origins in his inaugural address by saying, "The Grand Old Party has never changed its name, its purposes or its principles, nor has it ever broken its pledges."

And in 1858, a Democratic newspaper in New Haven, Connecticut, also alluded to the Grand Old Party in reference to Democrats, publishing the phrase "this Grand Old Party is divided and in danger of defeat."

But by the 1870s, the moniker had become solidified to the Republican Party. Politicians and newspapers began referring to the Republican Party as the Grand Old Party and the gallant old party  a salute to its role in preserving the Union during the Civil War.

Now That's Interesting Many individuals opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act because of the human rights issue of slavery, but the truth is that a number of politicians at the time were primarily concerned with the expansion of slavery into western territories because it would grant slaveholding states too much power in the Senate and Electoral College.
" " Shoppers are required to wear masks at Dan Baileys Fly Shop in Livingston, Montana, and at many other stores across the U.S. William Campbell/Getty Images

When COVID-19 began to spread through the United States, Mel Rolleri, a supervisor at The Pantry, a gourmet grocery store in Fairfield, Connecticut, quickly instated a mask-wearing policy for employees and customers. The 6,000-square-foot (557-square-meter) store was deemed an essential business that has remained open throughout the pandemic.

At first, Rolleri politely let customers know they would have to wear a mask when they shopped. She placed signs on the doors instructing people how to properly wear them. Eventually, the door sign was simplified: No Mask, No Entry.

"There has not been a problem lately with people pushing back," Rolleri says. "But in the beginning, I had to hire a security guard." She says she has had shoppers scream, swear and spit at her, and even call her a fascist and Nazi.

The first incident was memorable. Rolleri says when she approached a shopper asking her to wear a mask, the woman told her couldn't for health reasons. So Rolleri says she offered to shop for her and take her groceries out. By then The Pantry had launched a significant curbside service in response to the pandemic.

Instead of agreeing, the woman moved toward Rolleri and screamed, then refused to leave the store when asked. Finally, Rolleri says she pulled out her phone to call the police, and the woman left the store. Rolleri followed her out just to be sure. "If I'd thought clearer, I would have filmed the whole thing."

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How Much Can Employees Really Do?

And even though Rolleri says administering her store's mask-wearing policy and other restrictions doesn't bother her, in some cases, employees are not as mature  or as confident  as she is. In Pennsylvania, for example, a 17-year-old employee at Sesame Place children's theme park was punched in the face twice for reminding two guests for a second time to wear their facemasks. The teen required surgery to repair his injuries. Videos of many incidents have been gone viral, including a tirade of a woman at Trader Joe's in California and a man spewing hate at employees at Walmart in Alaska.

So how much can employees really do to deal with this growing issue of anti-maskers that are violating, not just store policies, but in some cases, city and state health mandates?

Mask regulations vary by city, county and state, despite the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's assessment that says "wearing masks can help communities slow the spread of COVID-10 when worn consistently and correctly by a majority of people in public settings and when masks are used along with other preventative measures" like handwashing and social distancing. As of Sept. 3, 34 states and the District of Columbia now mandate face-coverings in public.

Retail stores, including big chains like Walmart, Target and Whole Foods, have their own policies and are responsible for enforcing them. That often means it's up to their employees. For example, Whole Foods Market has required all in-store team members to wear masks since April 13, a Whole Foods Market representative confirmed via email. The grocery store now requires its customers to wear masks as well.

Likewise, Target has developed a specific mask-wearing policy and has a dedicated page on the company's website that details its response to the coronavirus.

"If guests don't want to wear a mask, we'll encourage them to use one of Target's many no-contact fulfillment options, including Drive Up, Target.com or Shipt," a Target spokersperson said via an email statement. In addition to signage and overhead announcements, Target and Whole Foods have both placed team members at the front of the stores to monitor entering shoppers for compliance. Walmart has a similar policy.

" " Customer wearing masks shop at a Walmart supermarket in Houston, Texas. Walmart requires both employees and customers to wear masks. China News Service/Getty Images

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Do Police Help With Mask Enforcement?

But how much can those front-line employees really do to enforce the company policies? Not much it seems, especially in states like Georgia, where the governor refuses to enact mask mandates. Even when they call on the police for help. Rolleri knows from experience. "A mandate is not a law," she says.

Rolleri's correct that mandates are not laws. Mandates are issued by government agencies, like the health department. But just like laws, their powers are derived from the legislature, meaning they can be enforced, it just depends on whether they are enforced.

Rolleri learned early on that she couldn't specifically force a person to wear a mask in her store. The only thing she could do was refuse a person service for any reason other than discrimination, and that includes refusing to wear a mask.

But after the visceral encounter with the woman who called her a fascist, Rolleri called the police non-emergency number, and the officer told her next time to call 911, because the cops could arrest a customer who refused to leave for trespassing or causing a disturbance. But they couldn't do anything to a customer for refusing to wear a mask.

Other states seem to be taking a different approach. Colorado, for instance, established mask enforcement teams after it saw cases of COVID-19 increase in late July. According to reporting from Vox, the team had issued more than 800 mask-related warnings by the end of July.

In some cases, though, the pushback on mask mandates is coming from within the police departments. Take Lang Holland, who is Marshall, Arkansas' chief of police. Holland called Governor Asa Hutchinson's mask mandate "a very large overreach of powers," in a press release. Other police chiefs and sheriffs in that state contend they simply don't have the manpower to handle mask-wearing enforcement.

In Northern York County, Pennsylvania, Dave Lash, the regional police chief, called the state's mask-wearing order "volatile" and stressed the importance of focusing on "bigger crime problems and issues," as reported by York Dispatch.

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Why Are Masks So Polarizing?

Even with specific policies clearly laid out, non-mask wearers have made various claims about why they don't have to wear them. Viral videos have shown every excuse from health risks to religious freedom. Both have been debunked.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton told "Good Morning America," that if you are in good health, are able to yell and be outside without oxygen, you can safely wear a mask. A doctor in England even ran 22 miles (35 kilometers) while wearing a three-layered cloth mask to prove that doing so does not affect oxygen levels.

And as far as the religious exemption excuse, that is supposedly based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination for a variety of reasons, one of which is religion. However, the Act does not provide an exemption to wearing a mask during a pandemic.

In mid-August, the Journal of American Medicine published a paper suggesting states enact mask laws because laws "can be powerful tools for encouraging health behaviors." It went on to suggest Congress could attach federal funds to the laws, similar to drunk driving laws. That, combined with a well-funded health education campaign could significantly increase mask use, the paper says.

Now That's Crazy A video went viral earlier of a maskless woman named Lenka Koloma in a California grocery store claiming she was with a group called the Freedom to Breathe Agency (FTBA). Koloma informs a young employee (who says she's only following procedure) that she personally can be sued for her store's mask policy. Obviously, the FTBA does not exist.
Dramatic changes in Antarcticas ice have become synonymous with the climate crisis. Over the last 40 years, satellites have observed huge iceberg calving events, change in the flow of glaciers and regions of rapidly thinning ice, all of which improves our understanding of how the ice sheet contribution to sea-level rise has changed and provides essential evidence of the impact of climate change. Credit: A. Hogg

Nine fast-flowing glaciers in West Antarctica have been named after locations of important climate treaties, conferences and reports. One of the glaciers is now called Glasgow Glacier to mark the city hosting the COP26 climate change conference. All the glaciers are in the Getz region, which, using data from satellites, was found recently to have lost more than 300 gigatonnes of ice over the last 25 years.

Glasgow in the UK is currently welcoming more than 100 world leaders to COP26, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of Parties. The conference marks a key moment in human history for our response to climate change.

Requested by scientists from the University of Leeds, the new names were approved by the UK Antarctic Place-names Committee, and will be added to the British Antarctic Territory Gazetteer for use on all maps, charts and future publications.

Researchers at Leeds' School of Earth and Environment discovered that between 1994 and 2018, all the glaciers in the Getz region acceleratedon average, by almost 25%, with three glaciers accelerating by over 40%. They revealed that 315 gigatonnes of ice has been lost from the Getz region over the last 25 years, adding 0.9 mm to global mean sea level; the equivalent of 126 million Olympic swimming pools of water.

The scientists included data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission and ESA's CryoSat mission in their research, which will also help determine if these glaciers could collapse in the next few decades and how this would affect future global sea-level rise.

Ph.D. researcher Heather Selley from the University of Leeds requested that the nine unnamed Getz glaciers in her study be named after the locations of major climate treaties, conferences and reports.

Ms Selley said, "We wanted to permanently mark the outstanding effort the scientific community has put into measuring the present-day impact of climate change, and its predicted future evolution. Our study was the first to show that glaciers in this remote region of Antarctica were speeding up.

Nine fast-flowing glaciers in West Antarctica have been named after locations of important climate treaties, conferences and reports. Credit: University of Leeds/ESA/MEaSUREs version 1, 201617 (multimission data), NASA/REMA, PGC/IBCSO, GEBCO

"The glaciers are named in chronological order, with Geneva Glacier marking the first ever climate summit in 1979 on the west of the Getz study region and Glasgow Glacier marking the upcoming COP26 on the east."

Dramatic changes in Antarctica's ice have become synonymous with the climate crisis. Over the last 40 years, satellites have observed huge iceberg calving events, change in the flow of glaciers and regions of rapidly thinning ice, all of which improves our understanding of how the ice sheet contribution to sea-level rise has changed and provides essential evidence of the impact of climate change.

Anna Hogg, Associate Professor in Leeds' School of Earth and Environment, said, "The climate crisis effects all of us, whether through flooding of our homes, increased storm frequency, reduced crop harvests, or the loss of habitats and biodiversity in the natural environment, with some communities impacted much more than others.

"Whilst these new glacier names celebrate the knowledge gained through scientific collaboration and the action taken through policy, it's clear now that much more must be done. I am inspired by the school climate strikes which remind all of us that we are only temporary gate holders and have a responsibility to protect planet Earth for the next generation. There is no doubt that there is a need for urgent action, we have great hope in the power of international collaboration which can enable significant progress to be made at COP26."

ESA's Mark Drinkwater noted, "Indeed, it is fitting that these glaciers in West Antarctica now carry names directly linked to climate research and climate policy-making.

"Satellite observations over the last 30 years or so have been crucial to measuring, understanding and publicizing the dramatic changes taking place in the remote polar regions. ESA's CryoSat and the EC's Copernicus Sentinel-1, which ESA developed and operates, are key to the findings about ice loss from Getz. Fortunately, we have other new polar-orbiting monitoring satellites in the pipeline that will ensure global attention remains focused on the climate change impact on these iconic glaciers in the coming decades."

Newly named glaciers

The Geneva Glacier flows at the western end of the Getz Ice Shelf and was named after the world's first climate conference in 1979.

The Rio Glacier lies further east and commemorates the first Earth Summit in 1992 where the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was opened for signatures along with its sisters the Rio convention, the UN convention on biological diversity and the UN convention to combat desertification.

The Berlin Glacier flows further east and is named after the first Conference of Parties (COP) in 1995, which assessed the progress of dealing with climate change. It marked the uniting of the world to tackle climate change and the agreement on a mandate for future negotiations.

Still further east lies the Kyoto Glacier commemorating the formal adoption of the Kyoto Protocol at COP3 in 1997, which legally bound developed countries to emission reduction targets.

The Bali Glacier marks the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forth assessment report in 2007. Around this time, climate science entered into the popular consciousness. At COP13, parties agreed on the Bali road map, which charted the way towards post-2012 outcome with a working group on long-term cooperative action under the convention.

The Stockholm Glacier honors the IPCC fifth assessment report approval session in 2014. This report represents the biggest ever coming together of scientists at the time.

The Paris Glacier memorializes the agreement of a legally binding treaty in 2015 that aimed to limit global warming to well below 2C, preferably below 1.5C, compared to pre-industrial levels. It was adopted by 196 parties.

The Incheon Glacier marks the meeting of the IPCC to consider the special report of global warming of 1.5C in 2015. This marked the first time the three different IPCC working groups worked together to produce a report in an interdisciplinary manner.

The Glasgow Glacier marks COP26 being held in Glasgow, Scotland, UK in October 2021. The main aims of which are to secure global net zero emissions by the middle of the century, keep the goal 1.5C within reach, adapt to protect communities and natural habitats, mobilize climate finance, work together to finalize the Paris Rulebook and accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis.

Explore further ESA astronaut joins glacier expedition in Alps
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In the last few years, a class of materials called antiferroelectrics has been increasingly studied for its potential applications in modern computer memory devices. Research has shown that antiferroelectric-based memories might have greater energy efficiency and faster read and write speeds than conventional memories, among other appealing attributes. Further, the same compounds that can exhibit antiferroelectric behavior are already integrated into existing semiconductor chip manufacturing processes.

Now, a team led by Georgia Tech researchers has discovered unexpectedly familiar behavior in the antiferroelectric material known as zirconium dioxide, or zirconia. They show that as the microstructure of the material is reduced in size, it behaves similarly to much better understood materials known as ferroelectrics. The findings were recently published in the journal Advanced Electronic Materials.

Miniaturization of circuits has played a key role in improving memory performance over the last fifty years. Knowing how the properties of an antiferroelectric change with shrinking size should enable the design of more effective memory components.

The researchers also note that the findings should have implications in many other areas besides memory.

"Antiferroelectrics have a range of unique properties like high reliability, high voltage endurance, and broad operating temperatures that makes them useful in a wealth of different devices, including high-energy-density capacitors, transducers, and electro-optics circuits." said Nazanin Bassiri-Gharb, coauthor of the paper and professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. "But size scaling effects had gone largely under the radar for a long time."

"You can design your device and make it smaller knowing exactly how the material is going to perform," said Asif Khan, coauthor of the paper and assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. "From our standpoint, it opens really a new field of research."

Lasting Fields

The defining feature of an antiferroelectric material is the peculiar way it responds to an external electric field. This response combines features of non-ferroelectric and ferroelectric materials, which have been much more intensively studied in physics and materials science.

For ferroelectrics, exposure to an external electric field of sufficient strength makes the material become strongly polarized, which is a state where the material exhibits its own internal electric field. Even when the external electric field is removed, this polarization persists, similar to how an iron nail can become permanently magnetized.

The behavior of a ferroelectric material also depends on its size. As a sample of material is made thinner, a stronger electric field is required to create a permanent polarization, in accordance with a precise and predictable law called the JanovecKayDunn (JKD) law.

By contrast, application of an external electric field to an antiferroelectric does not cause the material to become polarizedat first. However, as the strength of the external field is increased, an antiferroelectric material eventually switches to a ferroelectric phase, where polarization abruptly sets in. The electric field needed to switch the antiferroelectric to a ferroelectric phase is called the critical field.

Size Scaling

In the new work, the researchers discovered that zirconia antiferroelectrics also obey something like a JKD law. However, unlike for ferroelectrics, the microstructure of the material plays a key role. The strength of the critical field scales in the JKD pattern specifically with respect to the size of structures known as crystallites within the material. For a smaller crystallite size, it takes a stronger critical field to switch an antiferroelectric material into its ferroelectric phase, even if the thinness of the sample remains the same.

"There had not been a predictive law that dictates how the switching voltage will change as one miniaturizes these antiferroelectric oxide devices," said Khan. "We've found a new twist on an old law."

Formerly, thin antiferroelectrics had been difficult to produce in comparable sizes as ferroelectrics, the researchers said. Nujhat Tasneem, the doctoral student leading the research, spent "day and night" in the lab according to Khan to process and produce leakage-free antiferroelectric zirconium oxide films of single nanometers in size. The next step, according to Khan, is for researchers to figure out exactly how to control the crystallite size, thereby tailoring the properties of the material for its use in circuits.

The researcher also collaborated with researchers from the Charles University in Czech Republic and the Universidad Andres Bello in Chile for X-ray diffraction characterization and first-principles based calculations, respectively.

"It was truly a collaborative effort, spanning multiple continents," said Tasneem.

The results should also speak to fundamental physics questions, according to Bassiri-Gharb. In recent years, something of a mystery has arisen in the study of antiferroelectrics, with the way that microscopic crystalline structures cause a macroscopic polarization being called into question.

"Finding two very different types of materialsferroelectric and antiferroelectrics with different atomic structuresto follow similar behaviors and laws is particularly exciting," said Bassiri-Gharb. "It opens doors for searching for more similarities and transferring more of our knowledge across the fields."

Explore further Physicists engineer new property out of 'white' graphene

More information: DOI: 202100485 Nujhat Tasneem et al, A JanovecKayDunnLike Behavior at Thickness Scaling in UltraThin Antiferroelectric ZrO 2 Films, Advanced Electronic Materials (2021). DOI: 202100485 Nujhat Tasneem et al, A JanovecKayDunnLike Behavior at Thickness Scaling in UltraThin Antiferroelectric ZrOFilms,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/aelm.202100485
Researchers on a wild wheat relatives foraging trip in the central Zagros mountains in western Iran. Credit: Ali Mehrabi

Genetic detective work has uncovered an obscure ancestor of modern bread wheat, in a finding similar to uncovering a famous long-lost relative through DNA analysis in humans.

In a study which appears in Nature Biotechnology researchers sequenced the DNA from 242 unique accessions of Aegilops tauschii gathered over decades from across its native rangefrom Turkey to Central Asia.

Population genome analysis led by Dr. Kumar Gaurav from the John Innes Centre revealed the existence of a distinct lineage of Aegilops tauschii restricted to present day Georgia, in the Caucuses regionsome 500 kilometers from the Fertile Crescent where wheat was first cultivatedan area stretching across modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.

First author of the study in Nature Biotechnology, Dr. Kumar Gaurav said, "The discovery of this previously unknown contribution to the bread wheat genome is akin to discovering the introgression of Neanderthal DNA into the out of Africa human genome,"

"It is most likely to have occurred though a hybridization outside the Fertile Crescent. This group of Georgian accessions form a distinct lineage that contributed to the wheat genome by leaving a footprint in the DNA."

The discovery comes via a major international collaboration to improve crops by exploring useful genetic diversity in Aegilops tauschii, a wild relative of bread wheat. The Open Wild Wheat Consortium brought together 38 research groups and researchers from 17 countries.

Further research by Dr. Jesse Poland's group at Kansas State University was published in a companion paper in Communications Biology and shows that the ancestral Aegilops tauschii DNA found in modern bread wheat includes the gene that gives superior strength and elasticity to dough.

Dr. Poland said, "We were amazed to discover that this lineage has provided the best-known gene for superior dough quality."

The researchers speculate that the newly discovered lineage may have been more geographically widespread in the past, and that it may have become separated as a refugium population during the last ice-age.

Reflecting on all that has come together to make this work possible, Dr. Brande Wulff, corresponding author of the study, remarked, "Fifty or sixty years ago at a time when we barely understood DNA, my scientific forebears were traversing the Zagros mountains in the middle east and Syria and Iraq. They were collecting seeds, perhaps having an inkling that one day these could be used for improving wheat. Now we are so close to unlocking that potential, and for me that is extraordinarily exciting."

"Population genomic analysis of Aegilops tauschii identifies targets for bread wheat improvement" appears in Nature Biotechnology

Deciphering Wheat's Complex Genome

Modern "hexaploid" wheat, is a complex genetic combination of different grasses with a huge genetic code, split into A, B and D sub-genomes. Hexaploid wheat accounts for 95 percent of all cultivated wheat. Hexaploid means that the DNA contains six sets of chromosomesthree pairs of each.

Through a combination of natural hybridizations and human cultivation, Aegilops tauschii provided the D-genome to modern wheat. The D-genome added the properties for making dough, and enabled bread wheat to flourish in different climates and soils.

The origin of modern hexaploid bread wheat has long been the subject of intense scrutiny with archeological and genetic evidence suggesting that the first wheat was cultivated 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent.

Domestication, while increasing yield and increasing agronomic performance, came at the cost of a pronounced genetic bottleneck eroding genetic diversity for protective traits to be found in Aegilops tauschii such as disease resistance and heat tolerance.

Analysis performed by Dr. Gaurav and the research team revealed that just 25% of the genetic diversity present in Aegilops tauschii made it into hexaploid wheat. To explore this diversity in the wild gene pool, they used a technique called association mapping to discover new candidate genes for disease and pest resistance, yield and environmental resilience.

Dr. Sanu Arora, who had earlier led a study to clone disease resistance genes from Aegilops tauschii said, "Previously we were restricted to exploring a very small subset of the genome for disease resistance, but in the current study, we have generated data and techniques to undertake an unbiased exploration of the species diversity".

Further experiments demonstrated the transfer of candidate genes for a subset of these traits into wheat using genetic transformation and conventional crossingfacilitated by a library of synthetic wheatsspecially bred material which incorporates Aegilops tauschii genomes.

This publicly available library of synthetic wheats captures 70 percent of the diversity present across all three known Aegilops tauschii lineages, enabling researchers to assess traits rapidly in a background of hexaploid wheats.

"Our study provides an end-to-end pipeline for rapid and systematic exploration of the Aegilops tauschii gene pool for improving modern bread wheat." says Dr. Wulff.

"High molecular weight glutenin gene diversity in Aegilops tauschii demonstrates unique origin of superior wheat quality", appears in Communications Biology.

Explore further Genome of wheat ancestor sequenced

More information: Alison Bentley, Population genomic analysis of Aegilops tauschii identifies targets for bread wheat improvement, Nature Biotechnology (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41587-021-01058-4 Journal information: Communications Biology , Nature Biotechnology Alison Bentley, Population genomic analysis of Aegilops tauschii identifies targets for bread wheat improvement,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-021-01058-4
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Higher education in the United States spans five orders of magnitude, from the tiny institutions like the 26-person Deep Springs College in the high desert of eastern California to behemoths, like Arizona State University's city-sized 130,000. A new study by Santa Fe Institute researchers examines how scale affects factors like tuition, research production, and teaching salaries. The research, published this week in PLOS ONE, is the first to systematically look at interconnected scaling effects in U.S. higher education.

"The power of the paper is quantifying [scaling effects], and putting it into... a serious scientific framework," says Geoffrey West, a theoretical physicist, former president of SFI, and SFI's Distinguished Shannan Professor of Complexity.

West and co-author Chris Kempes, a professor at SFI, have previously examined how scaling laws dictate tree height, animal sleep, bacteria, and even cities. Scaling effects govern all aspects of organisms (and organism-like entities such as cities) from their metabolism and growth to their longevity. Large mammals, for example, use energy more efficiently than their smaller counterparts because the vascular system scales sublinearly: the bigger they are, the less the infrastructure to circulate blood costs.

To tackle the question of scaling in higher education, the SFI team, which included Ryan Taylor and Xiaofan Liang, two undergraduates and co-first authors, divided institutions into categories, such as for-profit colleges, community colleges, private research universities, and public research universities. They found that institutions were optimized for their function. For instance, in accordance with their goal to offer an affordable education to students, community colleges were very efficient; as they grew in size, tuition decreased and faculty salaries grew less. The largest community colleges spent less than half as much per student as the smallest ones did.

On the other hand, as prestigious research universities grew in size, tuition increased, faculty salaries increased, while research production dramatically increased. Kempes, who co-led the project with former SFI postdoctoral fellow Marion Dumas, noted that this superlinear growth"everything is getting bigger, better, faster" was similar to the way cities follow scaling laws.

"Community colleges, in particular, are much more like organisms," says West. "They emphasize efficiency, and they deliver on that and they're mean and lean, and big universities are rich and fat and getting fatter."

Critically, this efficiency doesn't seem to come at any cost to completion ratesby that measure students are still graduating at the same rate, even though they're saving money. Using data from mid-career salaries of graduates from 1984 to 2014, the researchers were also able to compare the return on investment for institutions. Again, community colleges punched above their weight, competing with more expensive schools in terms of how tuition grows compared with graduate salaries as schools become larger.

Why exactly institutions of higher education follow the trends they do is still not clear. One mechanism, West suggests, is that institutions are trying to optimize education and research. Some schools also choose specifically to stay at a certain size. In future work, Kempes hopes to separate a genuine scaling effect of size and category from a strategy.

While the current paper does not address policy implications, the authors note that it suggests institution success should be measured relative to scale. An institution that seems to underperform might in fact be overperforming for its sizenot unlike a mammal, or a city.

More information: Ryan C. Taylor et al, Systematic shifts in scaling behavior based on organizational strategy in universities, PLOS ONE (2021). Journal information: PLoS ONE Ryan C. Taylor et al, Systematic shifts in scaling behavior based on organizational strategy in universities,(2021). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254582
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy theorists have exploited the conditional nature of science and questioned the trustworthiness and motives of federal agencies and officials to depict scientists and health authorities as malign actors.

In a commentary published today in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, science communication scholar Kathleen Hall Jamieson analyzes the ways in which conspiracists do this and proposes steps health authorities, journalists, and scientists can take to minimize the likelihood that their work will be used to fuel new conspiracy theories.

Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and a professor of communication at Penn's Annenberg School for Communication, argues that "by exploiting the provisional nature of scientific knowledge, its inevitable updating and the realities of scientific funding structures, conspiracists eroded the trust of some susceptible individuals in the recommendations of public health authorities about lifesaving behaviors including mask wearing and vaccination. Their success in doing so made community immunity, and with it an end to the pandemic, more elusive."

Explore further Belief in conspiracy theories is a barrier to controlling spread of COVID-19
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Despite recent reports of government decisions to shutter coal-fired power plants in Canada, the United States and the European Union, coal remains the source of almost 40 percent of the world's electricity. In the past two decades, the capacity for coal-powered electricity has doubled to about 2,050 gigawatts, with another 247 gigawatts in planning or under development in China alone.

President Xi Jinping said in late September that China would stop building coal-burning power plants overseas, but China, India, South Africa and Turkey remain large consumers of thermal coal, the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions. To meet the 1.5 C limit on global warming, thermal coal use would need to drop by about 80 percent by 2030.

With the United Nations-led climate talks in Glasgow (COP26) here, there's a way for governments to work with industry. One paragraph in the Paris Agreement lays the groundwork for an international emissions-trading system that could bring an end to the production of coal-fired electricity.

How would it work?

Emissions-trading mechanisms have gained popularity since they were established in 1997 in the Kyoto Protocol. They give incentives to participants to find innovative ways reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and offer the option to trade excess carbon with other countries.

The success of international carbon trading has been mixed due to issues such as oversupply and a lack of accounting rules. The Paris Agreement seems to have a solution for this problem, as countries agreed to reduce their national emissions by setting climate targets, known as Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement says that countries can use "internationally transferred mitigation outcomes" (ITMOs)traded emission reductions generated by one partytowards the nationally determined contributions of the acquiring party. This means two countries could collaborate to reduce global carbon emissions and meet their NDCs.

For example, countries A and B could create an agreement that makes it easier for country A to switch from coal-powered electricity to the cleaner sources that are produced by country B. Not only does country A reduce its emissions, allowing it to meet its NDCs, but the agreement also leaves country A with ITMOs to sell, which country B could then purchase.

Could Canada benefit?

Canada aims to reduce its emissions to 40 percent, relative to 2005 levels, by 2030. Based on the 2020 National Inventory Report, however, Canada will miss its mark.

Canada's oil and gas sectors would have to drastically reduce their emissions for the country to have any chance of meeting its NDC targets. Given Canada's ambitious commitments, the use of ITMOs gives Canada a viable opportunity to achieve its targets through international co-operation.

For instance, natural gas consumption continues to grow in emerging economies. China, for example, has committed to increasing its natural gas consumption by 15 percent in 2030 and switching to gas in industry and buildings. China currently relies on imports to cover about half of its domestic consumption. Given its recent energy crisis, China is set to become even more reliant on external sources of energy including natural gas to meet its basic energy needs.

Natural gas production in Canada will increase around 20 percent over the next 20 years, while domestic consumption is predicted to decline. This leaves opportunity for considerable growth in liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.

A bilateral agreement between China and Canada, for example, could allow Canada to export LNG to China to displace coal use. This would allow China to achieve its NDC targets.

Writing the rule book

The rules are still a work in progress. The rule book for emission reductions is expected to be completed at the UN-led climate talks in Glasgow in November.

In the meantime, pilot projects and other initiativesin a variety of industries, from waste management to transportationhave emerged worldwide to show how an ITMO transfer would function in practice. For example, the Canada-Chile Program provides technical innovation to reduce emissions in the waste management sector and a system for tracking, monitoring and reporting emission reductions.

Many questions regarding the benefits of the transfer of carbon reductions remain, including whether governments should support transfers between companies.

The rules should guarantee "environmental integrity." This means that any ITMO exchange should make sure there have been environmental gainsthat the reduction in greenhouse gases would not have occurred without the transactionand that it does not lead to more greenhouse gas emissions.

The accounting and quality of emissions, how they are transferred and the lasting mitigation effects may help address environmental integrity. The rule book writers must also define how emissions are reported and create transparent registries to make sure emissions reductions are not counted twice.

Some see Article 6.2 as a way to fail, as it has good ideas but unclear rules. There should be clear incentives for countries to set ambitious targets without compromising competitiveness.

What are the next steps?

The negotiations at COP26 will be critical for governments to revise and co-operate to work towards their targets. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report calls for urgent global climate action, and ITMOs provide a promising opportunity that allows countries to collaborate to achieve their climate targets.

Industry and government must partner to create models that incentivize the creation of carbon trading mechanisms to transfer ITMOs, while also creating economic and environmental benefits. Corsia, a market mechanism developed by the UN International Civil Aviation Organization, is leading the way. It seeks to make all growth in international flights after 2020 carbon neutral. Up to today, Corsia has 81 participant countries that account for 75 percent of emissions in the international aviation industry.

For Canada, where 2030 climate targets are rapidly approaching, it is essential for the government to leverage ITMOs to work together with industries and collaborate on solutions that support a future transition with cleaner energies. Setting short-term and long-term goals that include the transfer of ITMOs particularly in the oil and gas industry and to collaborate on solutions that support a future transition with cleaner energies will be vital for Canada to achieve its climate goals.

Explore further China doubles down on coal plants abroad despite carbon pledge at home

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The GLaWAC RAP crew have laid over 5,000 sand bags to protect sites of cultural significance at Round Head in the Gippsland Lakes. The addition of 10,000 seedlings planted into the terraces will help to stabilise the dunes from further erosion. Credit: GLaWAC

Gunaikurnai are the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters of Eastern Victoria, an area that spans approximately 1.33 million hectares stretching from Warragul to Orbost, from the coast to the high country.

Five clans make up Gunaikurnai; Brayakaulung, Brataualung, Brabralung, Krauatungalung and Tatungalung. In 2010, they became one of the first Traditional Owner groups in Victoria to develop a Recognition and Settlement Agreement with the State of Victoria.

The Gunaikurnai Whole-of-Country Plan sets out the aspirations for protecting, healing and managing Country to support a healthy, happy mobnow and well into the future.

With the current focus on global and national goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during COP26, Gunaikurnai land management practices like cultural fire and forest management, give us the opportunity to link in with these emissions reduction ambitions.

The carbon future

The University of Melbourne's School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences has been exploring ideas for collaboration with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) on forest and land management, including carbon projects.

The aim is to help reduce future climate change, while also contributing to the economic and social wellbeing of the community.

Here in Australia, strengthened climate change policies as well as increasing government and industry commitments to emissions reduction targets of net-zero by 2050 means there are opportunities to invest in the land sector.

This investment would aim to reduce emissions and sequester carbon while also supporting economic and cultural development in Indigenous communities.

As Victoria commits to climate goals and to genuine reconciliation with Traditional Owners, investment in the land sector will play an important role in supporting community aspirations.

Land sector carbon projects are those that contribute to the reduction of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions via (1) carbon sequestration such as increasing vegetation in the landscape or (2) emissions avoidance such as avoided deforestation.

These projects can generate carbon credits (ACCUs) through changing land management practices. ACCUs are traded in carbon markets and purchased by government, corporations or individuals to drive climate action.

The GLaWAC Fire Crew work to put the right fire on the right Country at the right time; in this instance at the Knob Reserve, a traditional meeting site for the five clans of the Gunaikurnai. Credit: GLaWAC

These markets already provide benefits for farmers and land managers across Australia by diversifying revenue and increasing the ecological health of their land. Traditional Owners in northern Australia have benefitted from carbon projects that change burning practices in savannah woodlands.

But the 'carbon' component of these projects is only part of the story.

Projects that enhance carbon in the landscape can also improve biodiversity, habitats and waterways and support more resilient communities by providing income through working on Country and practicing culture.

Country and self determination

Increasingly, government policy is supporting carbon farming projects that also align with Traditional Owner aspirations for Country and self-determination. The Aboriginal Carbon Foundation (AbCF) promotes investment in carbon farming projects that delivers value for Indigenous communities.

The AbCF's Core-Benefits Verification Framework uses Indigenous expertise and local knowledge to define and measure the social, cultural, environmental and economic outcomes from carbon credits.

Indigenous communities receive greater value for these verified carbon credits from buyers who wish to ethically align their purchases with Reconciliation Action Plans, Corporate Social Responsibility, the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and Australia's Closing the Gap objectives.

Gunaikurnai land management practices support integrative ecosystem health along with community resilience and wellbeing. So, projects accredited by Gunaikurnai could similarly incorporate these social, cultural and environmental core benefits.

Carbon opportunities on-country

The On-Country carbon investment opportunities identified for Gunaikurnai fall into six broad areas.

The first is revegetation carbon farming which focuses on managing land to expand and increase carbon in vegetation. As the vegetation grows, carbon is drawn from the atmosphere and stored in plants and soils.

Secondly, seed supply is a major constraint on natural regeneration and environmental plantings so seed collection for revegetation projects is a key objective. Gunaikurnai can meet this need to increase seed supply by using Traditional knowledge and On-Country seed collection.

The GLaWAC NRM Crew work with partners at Greening Australia and Parks Victoria to protect the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frogs at Macleod Morass. Credit: Greening Australia

Thirdly, there's cultural burningthis practice can restore Traditional Lore and culture to the landscape and mitigate wildfire risk, enhance biodiversity, stimulate native seed production and increase resilience to intense wildfires.

Fourthly, there needs to be active forest management. This includes prescribed fire, cultural burns and silvicultural practices to increase forest health, recovery and resilience.

The outcomes can include reduced wildfire risk, increased carbon storage, structural diversity and water yield, and generate habitat diversity and increased biodiversity. It can also provide timber and biomass opportunities for local industries.

Fifth, biomass based industries use organic materials (often considered waste) as feedstock for new industries. These can contribute to climate change goals by replacing fossil fuels to generate heat, electricity or transport fuels or other value-add by-products.

Biomass can come from clearing of invasive species, forest thinning, timber salvaging and waste from native nursery production.

And finally, there's blue carbon which focuses on the increased carbon in coastal ecosystems, seagrasses, salt marshes and mangroves. This investment can support Gunaikurnai aspirations for managing coastal lands and water.

Some of these opportunities can be realized more quickly than others.

Revegetation projects can be put forward for ACCUs under the Emissions Reduction Fund and associated voluntary markets, while government programs like Bushbank are available for immediate investment.

Traditional owner voices

More research and information is needed to develop some of the other options. For example, there has to be a better understanding of the effects of cultural burning on carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions in southern Australian forests, as well as on the carbon benefits of active forest management.

Central to realizing these opportunities is to develop the 'measures of success' framework that can guide the outcomes that the Gunaikurnai community want to see from carbon investment. This can then be used to develop a Gunaikurnai Carbon Credit.

In designing climate policy and carbon markets, it's vital that Traditional Owner voices are central in any discussions and that their rights and cultural obligations are acknowledged and respected.

As the carbon farming industry continues to grow, we all need to consult, collaborate and establish relationships of trust with Traditional Owners built on respect for Indigenous knowledge and expertise to provide benefits for people and the environment.

Explore further Indigenous territories fight climate change
A system of lattice fermions described by the Hamiltonian (14). The time-dependent part of the Hamiltonian, Ht, acts only on the two middle sites of the lattice. Credit: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.104.L030202

Absolute zerothe most appropriate temperature for both quantum experiments and quantum computingmakes it easier to describe a system by relying on a set of fundamental propositions. One of them, the quantum adiabatic theorem, ensures simpler dynamics of quantum systems if external parameters change smoothly enough. Since absolute zero is physically unreachable, broadening the range of theoretical research tools for finite temperatures is a highly topical issue. A team of Russian physicists has made an important step forward in this direction by proving the adiabatic theorem at a finite temperature and identifying quantitative conditions for adiabatic dynamics. Their findings will be of high interest for developers of next-generation quantum devices that require fine-tuning of the properties of quantum superpositions involving hundreds or thousands of elements. This research was published in Physical Review A.

Quantum effects can help design ultra-fast computers, ultra-precise measurement instruments, and totally secure communications which often require quite special environments to operate properly. The most comfortable temperature for quantum experiments is absolute zero, or -273.15 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the quantum superposition principle which allows for some inconceivable things, like the famous Schrodinger's cat that can be dead and alive at the same time, can work to the full extent of its power. In addition, absolute zero makes the theoretical description of quantum processes a bit easier, providing physicists and engineers with rigorous propositions that help predict the outcomes of quantum experiments and design quantum devices.

"The Third Law of Thermodynamics states that absolute zero is unattainable and is just a useful abstraction. In real life, temperatures are always finite and capable of destroying the underlying fragile quantum superpositions, so controlling the fine processes at a finite temperature is the key objective of quantum technologies," says Oleg Lychkovskiy, a Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics and a senior research scientist at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), and Steklov Mathematical Institute of RAS.

A quantum system's state is defined by a complex mathematical object, the so called density operator. If the system's external control parameters, such as electric or magnetic fields, change with time, the operator evolves too. The complexity of this evolution that lies at the core of the enormous potential of a quantum computer is way beyond the capabilities of modern supercomputers, even for systems containing only hundreds of qubits. Yet, we should learn to "tame" this complexity to be able to create new-generation quantum computers and other quantum devices. A fairly simple idea relying on adiabatic evolution, one of the fundamental concepts in physics, is that the quantum state could be made somewhat more predictable by varying external parameters in a smooth manner.

The adiabatic theorema fundamental achievement of quantum mechanicswas first formulated by Max Born and Vladimir Fock at the dawn of quantum mechanics. The theorem ensures that the evolving quantum state always remains close the so-called instantaneous eigenstate if external parameters change slowly enough. In a sense, adiabatic evolution is something like taking a class of first-graders on a tour of a museum: you should lead your class carefully and without haste to make sure that by the end of the tour no one's missing and all the exhibits are intact.

Although the adiabatic theorem has been refined and improved since Born and Fock's time, its major limitation was that it worked only for the so called pure states but not all quantum states. This means that it could be applied to systems at absolute zero only but never at finite temperatures. In our museum example, the tour could go off without a hitch only if the class consisted of well-behaved straight-A pupils, which is hardly possible in real life. Just as there can be no class without naughty kids, there can be no strictly zero temperature.

Researchers from Skoltech, Steklov Mathematical Institute of RAS and MIPT extended the adiabatic theorem to finite-temperature systems and obtained quantitative conditions that ensure adiabaticity of evolution with a given accuracy. For the sake of illustration, the team applied those conditions to several modeled systems and discovered that in some, the adiabatic dynamics was even more stable at a finite temperature than at absolute zero.

The team's findings contribute to the collection of theoretical research tools used by quantum scientists and engineers. There is a fairly broad diversity of adiabatic protocols for preparing quantum states with specified properties.

"The adiabatic quantum computer based entirely on the adiabatic theorem is perhaps the most popular example. D-Wave Systems Inc. in Canada is currently working on this kind of devices. Also, adiabatic preparation of quantum states is an initial or auxiliary step in other quantum designs, as well as simulations and measurements. Our findings will help select the optimal operating modes for adiabatic protocols, while taking into account that quantum devices operate at finite temperatures," Lychkovskiy concludes.

Explore further Team creates new method to control quantum systems

More information: Nikolai Il'in et al, Adiabatic theorem for closed quantum systems initialized at finite temperature, Physical Review A (2021). Journal information: Physical Review A Nikolai Il'in et al, Adiabatic theorem for closed quantum systems initialized at finite temperature,(2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.104.L030202
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

As leaders at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, thrash out how to rein in catastrophic levels of global warming, one of the most important deals is taking place on the sidelines.

The Global Methane Pledgea collective commitment to cut emissions of the potent greenhouse gas 30% by 2030is signed by more than 80 countries so far, representing more than two-thirds of the global economy. It's perhaps the biggest single thing governments can do to keep alive the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

Methane traps more than 80 times the heat that the same amount of carbon dioxide does in its first two decades in the atmosphere. But it degrades rapidly, meaning that action taken now can have an almost-immediate cooling effect on the Earth's temperature.

The pledge, put forward by the U.S. and the European Union, targets a 30% reduction relative to 2020 levels. President Joe Biden is expected to mention the pledge Monday when he speaks before other heads of state at the COP26 summit. Fulfilling that goal could shave 0.2C off global warming by mid-century. That may sound small, but it could make a huge difference in the severity and frequency of extreme weather events.

Methane, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, accounts for about a quarter of all the heat trapped in the atmosphere since the preindustrial era. That makes reducing its emission an essential component of energy sector decarbonization.

Atmospheric levels of methane have risen 150% during the past two centuries. By comparison, global CO2 levels have risen about 50% in the same period. The pace of increase for methane has quickened in the past 50 years, with the oil and gas industry making the biggest contributions.

"Greenhouse gas measurements are like skidding into a car crash: the disaster gets closer and closer but you can't stop it," said Euan Nisbet, a professor of earth sciences at the Royal Holloway University in the U.K. "Especially worrying is the extreme growth of methane - the strongest growth in the measurement record."

Dozens of key countries and regions signed the pledge, yet many of the top emitters haven't. The U.S. and the EU represent the two largest consumers of natural gas, so any efforts they make to curb leaks domestically and within their supply chains can have a huge knock-on effect.

The EU is set to propose legislation this year that likely will address methane emissions generated by suppliers. It estimates that only a quarter of those are released within the bloc's borders. The U.S. is working on regulations that will levy a methane fee on oil and gas producers of as much as $1,500 per ton.

But holdouts include China, Russia and India, which combined generate about a third of methane emissions. Russia has shown some interest in a global effort to address the methane issue, according to the U.S., and it emphasized that the new Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany will be one of the cleanest ever.

Committing to a noble goal is one thing, but sticking to it is another, especially when methane is notoriously difficult to detect and measure. In recent years, satellite imagery has become a key pillar in detecting large-scale expulsions from pipes, landfills and storage stations. Super-emitting events were identified in Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan and Australiacountries that haven't signed the pledge.

Still, those mega-releases only account for about 10% to 15% of the methane pollution from the fossil-fuel industry, according to geoanalytics firm Kayrros SAS. Satellites are less adept at capturing smaller leaks due to the higher resolutions required, and it's harder for them to detect emissions on windy days. There also are significant gaps in the data for equatorial regions, where cloud cover is higher. In Russia, there are voids during the winter, when days are shorter, and close to the North Pole, where light reflection from snow can obscure the imagery, BloombergNEF said.

That should change by 2030. A new class of satellites is planned for launch to expand coverage and improve precision in measuring emissions.

Methane also can be spotted at ground level by an industry-standard infrared camera. It's found continuous leaks from facilities across the continent, such as in Romania and the U.K., but cannot reliably calculate the amount expelled into the skies.

Methane is one of the easiest and cheapest climate problems to solve since fixing leaks doesn't require huge advances in technology. It's also a gas that can be captured or stored undergroundand sold as the primary component of natural gas, which has soared in price in recent months.

One key finding of the IPCC's landmark report in August was that humans already have pumped enough greenhouse gasses into the air to warm the planet by about 1.5 C, even though the observed warming is about 1.1 C. That's because fine-particulate pollution released by the burning of fossil fuels is actually having a cooling effect. Thus, phasing out the use of coal, oil and gas could have a short-term warming effectsomething that cutting methane can mitigate if reductions are made simultaneously.

Unlike COP21 in Paris in 2015, world leaders aren't meeting at COP26 in Glasgow to sign a major accord. Instead, they're trying to ensure that the agreement signed in Paris is put into practice, setting the world on course to limit global warming ideally below 1.5 C. That's why the headline-grabbing outcomes from Glasgow likely will be unflashy compacts such as the Global Methane Pledge.

Explore further Methane plume above New Mexico gas wells spotted from space

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
An Indian laborer smiles as she takes a break from loading coal into a truck in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Every day, Raju gets on his bicycle and unwillingly pedals the world a tiny bit closer to climate catastrophe.

Every day, he straps half a dozen sacks of coal pilfered from minesup to 200 kilograms, or 440 poundsto the reinforced metal frame of his bike. Driving mostly at night to avoid the police and the heat, he transports the coal 16 kilometers (10 miles) to traders who pay him $2.

Thousands of others do the same.

This has been Raju's life since he arrived in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state in 2016; annual floods in his home region have decimated traditional farm jobs. Coal is all he has.

This is what the United Nations climate change conference in Scotland, known as COP26, is up against.

Earth desperately needs people to stop burning coal, the biggest single source of greenhouse gases, to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate changeincluding the intense flooding that has cost agricultural jobs in India. But people rely on coal. It is the world's biggest source of fuel for electric power and so many, desperate like Raju, depend on it for their very lives.

"The poor have nothing but sorrow ... but so many people, they've been saved by coal," Raju said.

Mining is in progress at an open-cast mine near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Alok Sharma, the United Kingdom's president-designate of the conference, said in May that he hoped the conference would mark the moment where coal is left "in the past where it belongs."

While that may be possible for some developed nations, it is not so simple for developing countries.

They argue they should be allowed the "carbon space" to grow as developed nations have, by burning cheap fuels like coal, which is used in industrial processes such as steelmaking along with electric power generation. On average, the typical American uses 12 times more electricity than the typical Indian. There are over 27 million people in India who don't have electricity at all.

Power demand in India is expected to grow faster than anywhere in the world over the next two decades as the economy grows and ever more extreme heat increases demand for air conditioning that so much the rest of the world takes for granted.

A woman is silhouetted as she carries a basket of coal scavenged from a mine near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Meeting that demand will not fall to people like Raju, but to Coal India, already the world's largest miner, which aims to increase production to over 1 billion tons a year by 2024.

D.D. Ramanandan, the secretary at the Centre of Indian Trade Unions in Ranchi said that conversations of moving beyond coal were only taking place in Paris, Glasgow or New Delhi. They had hardly begun in India's coal belt. "Coal has continued for 100 years. Workers believe it will continue to do so," he said.

The consequences will be felt both globally and locally. Unless the world drastically cuts greenhouse gas emissions the planet will suffer even more extreme heat waves, erratic rainfall and destructive storms in coming years, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

And a 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change.

Indian laborers load coal into a truck in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

But there are roughly 300,000 people working directly with government-owned coal mines, earning fixed salaries and benefits. And there are nearly 4 million people in India whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly linked to coal, said Sandeep Pai, who studies energy security and climate change at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

India's coal belt is dotted by industries that need the fuel, like steel and brick making. The Indian railways, country's largest employers, earns half their revenue by transporting coal, allowing it to subsidize passenger travel.

"Coal is an ecosystem," Pai said.

For people like Naresh Chauhan, 50 and his wife Rina Devi, 45, India's economic slowdown resulting from the pandemic has intensified their dependence on coal.

The two have lived in a village at the edge of the Jharia coalfield in Dhanbad all their lives. Accidental fires, some of which have been blazing for decades, have charred the ground and left it spongey. Smoke hisses from cracks in the surface near their hut. Fatal sinkholes are common.

A young woman holds a torch in her mouth as she collects coal from a mine near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

The couple earn $3 a day selling four baskets of scavenged coal to traders.

Families who've lived amid coal mines for generations rarely own any land they can farm and have nowhere else to go. Naresh hopes that his son would learn to drive so that he, at least, could get away. But even that may not be enough. There's less work for the city's existing taxi drivers. Wedding parties, who in the past reserved cars to ferry guests, have shrunk. Fewer travelers come to the city than before.

"There is just coal, stone and fire. Nothing else here."

That could mean even harder times for the people in Dhanbad as the world eventually does turn away from coal. Pai says this is already happening as renewable energy gets cheaper and coal becomes less and less profitable.

India and other countries with coal-dependent regions have to diversify their economies and retrain workers, he saidboth to protect the livelihoods of workers and to help speed the transition away from coal by offering new opportunities.

A truck loaded with coal drives past a stationary freight train carrying coal at Chainpur village near Hazaribagh, in eastern state of Jharkhand, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

A man climbs a steep ridge with a basket of coal scavenged from a mine near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

A boy stands next to small pile of coal burning after scavenging from an open-cast mine near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Light trails are left by passing traffic as they drive past the statue of an unknown coal miner in the middle of a square in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Laborers load coal onto trucks for transportation near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Smoke hisses from the cracks in the ground as a villager holds his child in front of houses damaged due to subsidence near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

A young woman carries a basket of coal scavenged from a mine near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Members of coal workers' community fetch drinking water from a pipe at a coal depot near an open-caste mine in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

A washerman uses coal to heat up iron in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Naresh Chauhan, 50, his wife Rina Devi, 45 fill sacks with coal in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. The two have lived in a village at the edge of the Jharia coalfield in Dhanbad all their lives. The couple earn $3 a day selling four baskets of scavenged coal to traders. For people like Chauhan and Devi, India's economic slowdown resulting from the pandemic has intensified their dependence on coal. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Restaurants along a food street use coal hearths in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Flames rise out of the fissures in the ground above coal mines in the village of Liloripathra near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

A laborer poses for a photograph while taking a break from loading coal into a truck in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand stateamong the poorest in India and the state with the nation's largest coal reservesis also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Murti Devi, who scavenges coal for living, prepares a hearth fueled by coal at a village near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. The 32-year-old single mother of four lost the job she had all her life when the mine she worked for closed four years ago. Nothing came of the resettlement plans promised by the coal company so she, like so many others, turned to scavenging coal. On good days, she'll make a dollar. On other days, she relies on neighbors for help. "If there is coal, then we live. If there isn't any coal, then we don't live," she said. Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri

Otherwise, more will end up like Murti Devi. The 32-year-old single mother of four lost the job she had all her life when the mine she worked for closed four years ago. Nothing came of the resettlement plans promised by the coal company so she, like so many others, turned to scavenging coal. On good days, she'll make a dollar. On other days, she relies on neighbors for help.

"If there is coal, then we live. If there isn't any coal, then we don't live," she said.

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 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Average longitudinal magnetic field variation of HD 144941 from measurements of the whole spectrum. Credit: Przybilla et al., 2021.

Astronomers from Austria and Northern Ireland have inspected a peculiar extreme helium supergiant star known as HD 144941. Results of the new study, published October 21 on the arXiv pre-print server, indicate that HD 144941 is the most extreme helium-strong star so far detected.

The so-called extreme helium (EHe) stars are a very rare class of low-mass hydrogen-decient stars. Studies show that they are supergiant stars almost devoid of hydrogen and are assumed to be the product of the mergers of helium-core and carbon-oxygen core white dwarfs.

At a distance of some 5,100 light years, HD 144941 is an EHe star initially detected about a half-century ago. The object has a radius of some 3.8 solar radii and is about eight times more massive than the sun. The star has a rotational period of 13.9 days and its effective temperature is estimated to be 22,000 K.

Previous observations of HD 144941 have shown its peculiarity among the known EHe stars. It was found that this star has a comparatively high gravity, an unusually high hydrogen abundance of about 5 percent, and a metallicity of 1.6 dex below solar. The measured chemical abundances are not showing the products of any nuclear reactions other than hydrogen burning. However, yet, HD 144941 appears to showcase properties much closer to those of the EHe stars than to those of any other helium-rich stars.

So a team of astronomers led by Norbert Przybilla of the University of Innsbruck, Austria, further investigated the true nature of HD 144941. Their study is based mainly on the data acquired with FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) low-resolution spectropolarimeter attached to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) Unit Telescope 1 (UT1) at Cerro Paranal, Chile.

"We discuss the first spectropolarimetric observations of the star and perform a quantitative spectral reanalysis, which show that HD 144941 is indeed a very dierent type of star than supposed to date," the researchers wrote in the paper.

The observations of HD 144941 detected a strong longitudinal magnetic eld with surface-averaged longitudinal eld strengths at a level of 9 kG. The study also identified Zeeman splitting of spectral lines to a eld strength of at least 15 kG. This, according to the authors of the research, explains the recent nding of surface spots of this star.

The metal abundances obtained for HD 144941 turned out to be about a factor four higher than in previous determinations, but they are still rather lowabout a factor of 10 sub-solar in absolute number.

According to the study, carbon abundance is in contrast to the typical EHe stars where the carbon number fraction is of the order of 1 percent (about 50 times solar). Nitrogen was found to be slightly enriched relative to carbon and oxygen. When it comes to some alpha-elements like neon or sulfur, they appear to be overabundant with respect to iron.

The astronomers suggest that taking into account all the new results, HD 144941 is a helium-stron stara main-sequence B star in which atmospheric hydrogen and metals have been substantially depleted by a fractionated stellar wind.

"The canonical mechanism for producing the helium enrichment of the atmospheric layers of He-strong stars via a weak, fractionated stellar wind in the presence of a magnetic field could indeed lead to the observed pattern in absolute numbers," they explained.

The researchers noted that HD144941 appears to be the most extreme member of the class of helium-strong stars. They added that this star is unique with regard to helium content in the visible hemisphere, with almost all of the atmospheric hydrogen substituted by helium.

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More information: N. Przybilla, L. Fossati, C.S. Jeffery, HD144941: The most extreme helium-strong star. arXiv:2110.11267v1 [astro-ph.SR], N. Przybilla, L. Fossati, C.S. Jeffery, HD144941: The most extreme helium-strong star. arXiv:2110.11267v1 [astro-ph.SR], arxiv.org/abs/2110.11267

 2021 Science X Network
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the world's third-biggest emitter will zero out pollution by 2070, the boldest statement of intent at the opening of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

The country will increase its non-fossil fuel power capacity to 500 gigawatts by the end of the decade, he said, raising the country's goal from 450GW. He said half of India's electricity will come from renewable sources by 2030.

Modi also committed to increasing India's 2030 carbon intensity goalmeasured as carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product from 35% to 45%. It will also strive to produce half of its electricity using renewable energy and cut carbon-dioxide emissions 1 billion tons from business as usual by 2030.

However, the Indian leader reiterated that rich countries have to ramp up their contributions to help less developed nations decarbonize. "It is India's expectation that the world's developed nations make $1 trillion available as climate finance as soon as possible," Modi said. "Justice would demand that those nations that have not kept their climate commitments should be pressured."

India's new targets don't mean its absolute emissions will decline by the end of this decade. The goals, if met, would nonetheless help the world stem global warming compared to the current trajectory.

One of COP26 President Alok Sharma's hopes for the Glasgow summit was to eke out enough commitments from countries to keep the Paris Agreement's stretch goal of global limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels within reach.

Modi's announcement is a win because it's consistent with what scientists agree is needed to meet that target. To keep temperatures from rising more than 1.5 Celsius, the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects that the world has to reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by about mid-century and then hit net zero across all greenhouse gases by 2070.

"India's pledges are significantly more ambitious than its current NDC," said Ulka Kelkar of the World Resources Institute India, referring to commitments under the Paris accord known as Nationally Determined Contributions. "These will take the country on a low-carbon development pathway and give strong signals to every sector of industry and society."

2021 Bloomberg L.P. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
GPS observation sites, like the one pictured here, were used to gather data from the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that occurred in 2008 at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in western China. Credit: Z. Shen

With an area of 2.5 million square kilometers and an altitude that can exceed 4,500 meters, the Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest plateau on Earth. Although its formation over the past 65 million years is broadly attributed to a collision between the tectonic plates of India and Asia, the details of its genesis and ongoing evolution remain hotly debated.

One central question is whether the plateau's deformation mechanism is broad and fluidlike or narrow and blocklike. Deformation is governed in part by the physical structure of the lithosphere in the region. One proposed model, the "jelly sandwich," suggests a relatively weak lower crust surrounded by a stronger upper crust above and a strong upper mantle below. A competing model, the "creme brulee," argues for a strong, but brittle, upper crust, with a softer lower crust and upper mantle below.

Wang et al. attempt to distinguish between the available models in a new study by using an expansive new data set resulting from the 2008 magnitude 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, which occurred at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in western China. They present data consisting of 86 time series of displacements derived from GPS measurement stations. Some individual data series begin several days after the earthquake and extend for more than nine years.

The authors use these data to constrain a finite element model spanning the eastern Tibetan Plateau and encompassing the crust and upper mantle. In the region to the northwest of the earthquake, they find the steady state viscosity of the upper mantle to be more than twice that of the lower crust, in line with the expectations of the jelly sandwich model. The viscosity of the lower crust, however, is not as low as some models have implied, suggesting that deformation of Tibet may not be driven by injection of material into the lower crust but instead by stressing of the entire lithosphere.

During the seismic event, this viscosity differential expanded by an order of magnitude, illustrating the nonlinear forces at play. The model also attributes different bulk viscosities to other regions proximal to the earthquake, indicative of the complex geologic nature of this unique plateau.

More information: Min Wang et al, Postseismic Deformation of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake Illuminates Lithospheric Rheological Structure and Dynamics of Eastern Tibet, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth (2021). Journal information: Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth Min Wang et al, Postseismic Deformation of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake Illuminates Lithospheric Rheological Structure and Dynamics of Eastern Tibet,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021JB022399

This story is republished courtesy of Eos, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.
"We are all Whalers: The Plight of Whales and our Responsibility," Michael J. Moore. Credit: Univ. of Chicago Press

A new book by Michael Moore, veterinarian, and marine scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), examines the plight and future of the North Atlantic right whale, one of the most critically endangered species on the planet, and draws on Moore's 40 years of fieldwork to offer possible solutions. "We Are All Whalers: The Plight of Whales and our Responsibility" is a reminder that we can all share in the salvation of these imperiled animals. The image most people have of whalers includes harpoons and intentional trauma, yet eating commercially caught seafood leads to whales' entanglement and slow death in rope and nets, and the global shipping routes that bring us readily available goods often lead to death by collision. All of us are whalers, Moore contends, but we do not have to be.

Recently released North Atlantic right whale population numbers offer a grim update: there are approximately 336 animals left on the planet, down from approximately 356 just a year earlier. Deaths continue to outpace births and crucial efforts by the scientific community, fishing industry, and policy makers are needed to develop the most effective and viable solutions to ensure their long-term survival.

According to Moore, "Over the past millennium, the North Atlantic right whale has only just avoided extinction, first from deliberate hunting, and now inadvertently from fish harvesters and mariners. We have reached a critical tipping point: the right whale species cannot continue to withstand the mortality and morbidity it suffers from fishing-gear entanglement and vessel collision."

Moore's training as a veterinarian and experience as a whale trauma specialist provides a uniqueand heartbreakingfront row seat to the injuries inflicted onto the whales when entanglement or ship strikes occur. "We must also consider what each individual is going through as it struggles with persistent rope entanglement," Moore shares. "It is a slow, painful death."

In addition to increased mortality, there is sub lethal trauma that these animals are facing as it relates to their ability to get pregnant and raise calves. If the entangling gear doesn't kill them, it inhibits them to some degree and affects their feeding capacity. Drag from rope and traps drains them of energy to the point where they're less able to get pregnant, which is critical to help the species recover. There are currently less than 100 breeding females remaining.

Climate change-driven ocean instability has also contributed to the problem. Warming waters are changing where and when right whales are found in their search for zooplankton. These changing environmental conditions are essentially invalidating existing planning and protections of vessel strike and entanglement hot spots, as management changes have not been able to keep up with the whales' new routines. According to Moore, "We need a broader, more generic approach to minimize the risk of trauma to whales and such an approach will succeed only if there is a broad-based consumer demand for commodities and seafood that are transported and procured in a manner that allows whales such as the North Atlantic right whale to swim free and prosper."

WHOI researchers among others from the U.S and Canada are collaborating on reliable and affordable technologies including Ropeless fishing technology the ability to retrieve gear without a persistent line from the surface to the bottom as a possible solution that could be both safe for the North Atlantic right whale and viable for the Atlantic fishing industry. Passive acoustic technologies can detect whales underwater in near real-time, transmitting data via satellite which is then reviewed by an analyst and posted on a publicly accessible website. Right whale speed rules are also in place along the east coast migratory routes from the Southeast through the mid-Atlantic and up into New England including Cape Cod Bay.

Moira Brown, a senior scientist at Canadian Whale Institute says Moore's book is "a truly compelling, captivating, and in places heart-wrenching story of one scientist's journey caring for a highly endangered species. The very predicament of North Atlantic right whales is our fault, and their recovery is also our responsibility, as we are all consumers and hence all culpable in the environmental costs of fish products and goods and services transported at sea. Coexistence with whales is possible, and Moore's book lays the foundation."

"To solve the problem, we need to have the understanding, commitment, and optimism to carry through with what must be doneby fundamentally changing fishing and shipping practices, but in ways that are sensitive to the lives of the humans that work in vessels at sea and harvest seafood. Both industries have already borne substantial costs in the name of right whale conservation, with inadequate results. The challenge is to find solutions that are sustainable, both for whales and for humans dependent on these marine industries," added Moore.

We Are All Whalers leaves readers with this weighty thought: "What if we lose the North Atlantic right whale species? It would be another nail in the coffin of the human species. If we continue to destroy biodiversity, what kind of a world will be left for us to survive in? It is an ethical, moral, and practical necessity that humans stop destroying and overexploiting the diverse resources of the globe. If we do not, we will lose a species that is an icon, just like the lobster, snow crab, and cod. Their loss would doubtless have unintended consequences of which we are unaware. It's up to all of us to decide if we care about sustaining a diverse and healthy planet."

Explore further Endangered whale population sinks close to 20-year low
Credit: C. King/[1]/[2], Public domain

An underwater mountain in the Pacific that is taller than the highest peak in Southern California has been named in honor of Walter Munk, the late UC San Diego oceanographer whose grand insights led many scientists to call him the "Einstein of the oceans."

The 12,477-foot seamount was picked up on sonar by the UCSD research ship Sally Ride two years ago as it cruised 1,100 miles west-southwest of Hawaii, not long after Munk died at the age of 101.

Sonar revealed that geophysicist David Sandwell, one of Munk's colleagues, had discovered a massive guyot, a sub-sea mountain with a flat top.

The mountain was in water more than 3 miles deep, and its top was more than 4,000 feet below the surface, in darkness. It has a diameter of roughly 22 milesthe distance between San Diego and Solana Beach. The highest peak in Southern California is San Gorgonio Mountain at 11,499 feet.

"It was so huge," said Sandwell, a researcher at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "We wanted to name it after Walter because we loved him."

The International Hydrographic Organization approved the name earlier this year. UCSD just made the announcement, timing it to Munk's birthday about a week ago.

Munk was one of the most esteemed oceanographers of the 20th century, based on work he did at Scripps Oceanography. Scripps became his home shortly before the start of World War II, when he was a graduate student.

He began performing research on behalf of the Navy and soon developed far better ways to forecast surf conditions. Munk's research helped Allied forces fine tune their landing at Normandy for the D-Day invasion, saving lives. His wavecasting and weather research also helped captains guide their ships more safely in the open ocean.

After the war, Munk helped create and lead a series of deep-sea expeditions that profoundly changed how scientists think about everything from oceanic currents to the composition of the seafloor to the presence of marine life miles below the surface. That made him one of the leaders of the so-called golden era of ocean exploration in the 1950s and '60s.

Munk built upon that work throughout his life and expanded into areas like climate change.

Much of his work involved a combination of logic and chancewhich also was involved in Sandwell's discovery of the seamount.

Satellite imagery of the surface of the Pacific suggested that there might be sub-sea mountains in a specific area of the Pacific. Sandwell persuaded the leaders of the R/V Sally Ride to briefly visit that area in 2019 as the ship was sailing between Hawaii and Guam.

The side trip and additional research revealed that the mountain exists on an area of crust that is at least 117 million years old. Over the years, the crust sank as it shifted away from heat sources, causing the seamount to progressively slip beneath the ocean's surface,

"There wasn't much time to do this research, but we (Scripps) nailed it," said Bruce Applegate, who oversees the university's fleet of research vessels.

"The slopes of the mountain don't appear to have the same vertical relief of Mount Whitney. But the mountain is majestic."

2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
View over the pristine high Alps from Sonnblick Observatory. Credit: ZAMG-SBO/GernotWeyss

A team of researchers have found nanoplastics at the pristine high-altitude Sonnblick Observatory in the Alps. This is the first time that nanoplastics have been found in this area. The researchers were originally looking for certain organic particles, but found nanoplastics by chance, discovering a new analysis method for detecting nanoplastics in the process. The research is published today in Environmental Pollution.

The researchers were looking for organic particles by taking samples of snow or ice, evaporating them, and then burning the residue to detect and analyze the vapors. "Our detection method is a bit like a mechanical nose. And unexpectedly, it smelled burning plastics in our snow samples," lead researcher Dusan Materic explains. The detector found the smell of several types of plastic, mostly polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Shocked and surprised

The detected plastic particles turned out to be less than 200 nm in size, about one hundredth the width of a human hair. That is significantly smaller than plastic particles detected in previous studies. "With this detection method, we are the first group to quantify nanoplastics in the environment," says Materic. "Since the high Alps are a very remote and pristine area, we were quite shocked and surprised to find such a high concentration of nanoplastics there." The results suggest that in addition to microplastics, there might be as much nanoplastics present in these remote places.

Sonnblick Observatory in the Austrian Alps. Credit: ZAMG-SBO/GernotWeyss

Transported by air

"We were quite gripped by these findings," Materic continues. "It's highly unlikely that these nanoplastics originated from local pristine Alpine areas. So where did they come from? We completely turned around our research project to study this further." The researchers found a striking correlation between high concentrations of nanoplastics and winds coming from the direction of major European cities, most notably Frankfurt and the industrial Ruhr area in Germany, but also the Netherlands, Paris, and even London.

"Advanced modeling supported the idea that nanoplastics are indeed transported by air from these urban places," says Materic. "That's potentially alarming, because that could mean that there are hotspots of nanoplastics in our cities, and indeed in the very air we're breathing. We are currently studying this in more detail." Since working on the current publication, Materic has already received an additional grant of 50,000 Euros from NWO, the national research council of the Netherlands, to study the size distribution of nanoplastics in indoor, urban and rural air.

Explore further Effects of nanoplastics on Canadian and Guadeloupean oysters

More information: Nanoplastics transport to the remote, high-altitude Alps, Dusan Materic, Elke Ludewig, Dominik Brunner, Thomas Rockmann and Rupert Holzinger, Environmental Pollution, 1 November 2021. Journal information: Environmental Pollution Nanoplastics transport to the remote, high-altitude Alps, Dusan Materic, Elke Ludewig, Dominik Brunner, Thomas Rockmann and Rupert Holzinger,, 1 November 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117697
Simulations of what the CubIXSS imaging spectrometer will see during one minute of a solar flare (top) and over one hour from an active region. At the top of the detector, four images of the Sun are taken through different filters that block different X-ray wavelengths (colors). At the bottom of the detector, the entire X-ray spectrum from each point on the Sun spreads out sideways, allowing a detailed measurement of the temperature and composition of plasma at each point in the corona. (The solar images are rotated so the solar north pole points to the right.). Credit: SwRI

NASA has selected the CubeSat Imaging X-Ray Solar Spectrometer (CubIXSS), led by Southwest Research Institute, to measure the elemental composition of hot, multimillion-degree plasmas in the Sun's coronaits outermost atmosphere. The nanosatellite is expected to be launched in 2024 as a secondary payload on another satellite launch. CubIXSS will determine the origins of hot plasmahighly ionized gasin solar flares and active regions.

Concentrations of strong and complicated magnetic fields at the surface of the Sun are called "active regions." These regions frequently spawn strong solar activity including explosive "solar storms" such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

"A solar flare happens because the magnetic field in that active region has become so twisted and tangled that it basically 'snaps' back into a less tangled shape," said SwRI Principal Scientist Dr. Amir Caspi, the mission's leader. "That snap releases a lot of energy, which we see as a solar flare."

The solar flare heats the Sun's plasma in that region to heat up to tens of millions of degrees Celsius. That is considerably hotter than the rest of the Sun's corona, which typically ranges from 1 to a few million degrees, and much hotter than the Sun's surface, which is only about 6000 degrees.

"One of the interesting things we don't really know is how much plasma in solar flares is heated directly in the corona, and how much is heated in the Sun's lower atmosphere and then transported up to the corona," Caspi said. "CubIXSS will measure the X-rays that come from these phenomena, to allow us to unravel this mystery."

The layout of the SwRI-designed CubeSat Imaging X-Ray Solar Spectrometer (CubIXSS), which has been selected by NASA as an upcoming space mission. CubIXSS will measure the abundances of elements in the Sun's corona to determine the origins of hot plasma in solar flares and active regions. Credit: SwRI

A standard CubeSat is a 10-centimeter cube with a one-liter volume, referred to as "1U." CubIXSS takes up six of these units, or 6U, about the size of a shoebox or two loaves of bread. It will carry multiple spectrometers to measure different wavelengths, or "colors," of X-rays from the Sun, including a new kind of X-ray imaging spectrometer to determine the amounts of certain key elements in the Sun's corona, which will in turn allow Caspi to identify where that plasma was heated.

"Some elemental speciescertain ionscan only exist in a specific range of temperatures, so seeing which elements are more prevalent helps us to create a temperature map," Caspi said. "Previous observations have shown a higher proportion of certain elements in the corona than other regions of the Sun. By measuring the abundances of these elements at each temperature, we'll be able to tell where the heated plasma came from."

CubIXSS will be the first device of its kind to routinely measure certain wavelengths of solar X-ray emissions, which not only help to determine the abundances of solar elements but also have a direct impact on the Earth. X-rays from the Sun can contribute to expansion of Earth's upper atmosphere, which can cause increased drag on satellites in low orbits and alter their trajectories. They also cause changes in Earth's ionosphere, a charged region in the upper atmosphere, that can affect radio communications.

"Even though it might seem like what we're doing is very academic, studying the Sun is very important for people living on Earth. It drives almost everything that happens on our planet," Caspi said. "CMEs and solar flares can impact satellites and radio frequencies, disrupting communications both on Earth and to satellites in space. Understanding how these things happen is very important to understanding why they happen, which will help us predict these 'space weather' events and mitigate their effects."

Work is set to begin on CubIXSS in late 2021, with a projected launch date of late 2024. CubIXSS includes major instrument contributions from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder. SwRI is also partnering with the Naval Research Laboratory, Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, the Polish Academy of Sciences Space Research Centre, and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory for critical science support.

Explore further Exploring eruptions from the Sun

More information: Mission details: Mission details: www.swri.org/heliophysics
This figure shows that the search space size of the index selection problem causes a combinatorial explosion, where any K elements are selected from M elements and assigned log2(Q) bits of information. Even for a simple case like (M, K, Q) = (16, 8, 64), there are about 6.94 * 10173 candidates, which is very hard to solve. Credit: Yokohama National University

A proposed method of profoundly enhancing the energy efficiency of wireless networks unfortunately also suffers from being amongst computationally complex problems to solve. But a computer scientist has for the first time demonstrated that the quantum search algorithm can solve this problem faster than a classical computer.

A novel wireless communications technique that turns the on-off status of parts of the telecommunications medium itselfsuch as antennas and subcarrierscould deliver super-charged energy efficiency gains, but its optimization suffers from being a problem that counts among computationally hard class of problems to solve. However, a Yokohama National University computer scientist has for the first time demonstrated that the quantum search algorithm can solve this problem faster than a classical computer in terms of query complexity.

The paper describing his findings appeared in the journal IEEE Access on August 9.

The arrival of 5G wireless networks offers a great boost to bandwidth and higher data rates, and potentially enables a wide range of new mobile data applications such as self-driving cars and the internet of things (IoT). At the same time, this explosion in traffic necessitates an enhancement of techniques for improving the efficiency of use of the radio spectrum carrier of all this information and of the energy required to power the system.

One innovative method for improving energy efficiency and that has been attracting a great deal of attention in wireless communications circles in recent years is what is known as index modulation.

The technique's name echoes the terms frequency modulation (FM) or amplitude modulation (AM) used to describe how information such as voices or music was transmitted through space via radio waves for much of the 20th Century. At the sending end, either the frequency or the amplitude of the 'carrier' radio wave was instantaneously modified ('modulated') by the transmitter so as to impress information on that wave, similar to how telegraph operators in the 19th Century impressed information in the form of Morse code upon an electric current running through telegraph wires. At the receiving end, the decoding, or 'demodulation' of that carrier wave extracted the information embedded in its form, producing sounds that could then be heard by human ears. A third way to modulate a carrier wave beyond altering a radio wave's frequency or amplitude is by altering its phase.

Index modulation (IM) offers a fourth way, or one could say fourth dimension, of impressing information, but this time via exploitation of the on or off status of its indices. The word index in this case is simply a catch-all term for the infrastructural and operational building blocks of the communications system, such as the transmission antennas, subcarriers, time slots, radio frequency mirrors, LEDs, and even relays and spreading codes. By switching these various elements on or off, this potentially adds another layer of information to transmission, this time in the form of binary digits or bits.

And by turning parts of the system off even as they are conveying information, the sparseness of the transmitted sequence of symbols simplifies the calculation complexity. This also substantially reduces the energy required for a given amount of data that is transferred.

"It's a very elegant concept, using the activation pattern of the building blocks of the communications system itself to impart information, and leading to a reduction in the complexity of the hardware," said Associate Professor Naoki Ishikawa, the author of the paper.

But this radical improvement comes with an additionaland substantialchallenge.

IM requires optimization to determine which indices should be used and when in order to convey this binary information, and this particular type of optimization happens to be computationally very difficult.

"This optimization problem is what computational complexity theorists term 'NP-hard', one of the very hard classes of problem there is. It leads to what we call a combinatorial explosion," he added. "So I've named this monster of a mathematical challenge the 'index selection problem'."

To address the index selection problem, Ishikawa used an algorithm for quantum computing called Grover Adaptive Search (GAS), also known as the quantum search algorithm. Quantum computing may one day offer the ability to perform a number of types of computations much faster than classical computers.

In the paper, Ishikawa demonstrated for the first time that in principle GAS can solve the index selection problem faster than a classical computer in terms of query complexity.

"This shows that index modulation is compatible with quantum computers because it represents information on and off, resulting in binary variables typically used in quantum computation," he said.

Use of GAS to solve the index modulation problem still remains something of a proof of concept, as fault-tolerant, large-scale quantum computers are years away from being realized. There remain many challenges for industrial applications of existing quantum computers due to their non-negligible noise drowning out many signals. In addition, GAS can provide a quadratic speedup, but the problem of exponential complexity is still unresolved and requires long-term study.

Quadratic speedup occurs when a quantum computer solves a problem through N queries where a classical computer would need to take, for example, N * N = N2 queries. Exponential speedup occurs where a quantum computer solves a problem through N queries where a classical computer would take 2N queries. So if N is a large value, then the difference in terms of query complexity would become larger too.

Nevertheless, the demonstration of quantum speedup achieved by GAS has the potential to solve many other problems in society, not just the index selection problem.

Explore further Running quantum software on a classical computer

More information: Naoki Ishikawa, Quantum Speedup for Index Modulation, IEEE Access (2021). Naoki Ishikawa, Quantum Speedup for Index Modulation,(2021). DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3103207

Provided by Yokohama National University
The Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon is a threatened species. Credit: Carson Jeffres UCD

In drought years and when marine heat waves warm the Pacific Ocean, late-migrating juvenile spring-run Chinook salmon of California's Central Valley are the ultimate survivors. They are among the few salmon that survive in those difficult years and return to spawning rivers to keep their populations alive, according to a study published October 28 in Nature Climate Change.

The trouble is that this late-migrating behavior hangs on only in a few rivers where water temperatures remain cool enough for the fish to survive the summer. Today, this habitat is primarily found above barrier dams. Those fish that spend a year in their home streams as juveniles leave in the fall. They arrive in the ocean larger and more likely to survive their one to three years at sea.

Researchers led by first author Flora Cordoleani, associate project scientist with the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz and NOAA Fisheries, based their findings on an analysis of the ear bones of salmon, called otoliths. These bones incorporate the distinctive isotope ratios of different Central Valley Rivers and the ocean as they grow sequential layers.

The team used otolith data from returning (that is, successful) adult spring-run Chinook salmon to reconstruct their juvenile outgoing migration patterns and growth rates, focusing on two tributaries of the Sacramento River without dams that begin beneath Lassen Peak, north of Sacramento. Late-migrating juveniles from Mill Creek and Deer Creek returned from the ocean at much higher rates than more abundant juveniles that leave for the ocean earlier in the spring.

The different timing characteristics of the fish are referred to as "life-history strategies." Those with a late-migrating life history strategy represented only about 10 percent of outgoing juveniles sampled in fish monitoring traps. However, they were about 60 percent of the returning adult fish across all years, and more than 96 percent of adults from two of the driest years.

"Some years the late migrants were the only life-history strategy that was successful," Cordoleani said. "Those fish can make it through the difficult drought conditions on the landscape because they come from the few remaining rivers with accessible high-elevation habitats where water is cool enough through the summer."

The late-migrating juvenile spring-run Chinook salmon are crucial to the survival of the population in drought years. Credit: Jeremy Notch, UCSC

Recovery strategies

The finding underscores the importance of providing secure cool-water habitat for fish so they can survive difficult conditions during drought and ocean warming, said senior author Rachel Johnson, a research scientist with NOAA Fisheries and UC Davis. "Most salmon blocked from their historical habitats appear to migrate just too early and perish once they encounter the warmer water temperatures during droughts," she said.

Coauthor Corey Phillis at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California said, "It appears the late-migrating life history has evolved as an insurance policy against the unfavorable spring river conditions that occur during droughts."

The study also projected how Central Valley river temperatures would rise with climate change, leaving only a few higher-elevation rivers cool enough to still sustain salmon. Many of those areas are above existing dams without fish passage.

NOAA Fisheries has outlined reintroduction of salmon to cold-water rivers above dams as a critical recovery strategy for endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook. The reintroduction of threatened spring-run Chinook salmon to the San Joaquin River watershed has taken hold. Offspring of reintroduced spring-run Chinook salmon are now returning from the ocean. NOAA Fisheries is also advancing the reintroduction of spring-run Chinook to the upper Yuba River upstream of Englebright Dam.

The study found that temperatures would remain cool enough for salmon to survive in the north Yuba River as the climate changes.

This photo of an otolith (salmon ear bone) shows the visible growth rings. Researchers analyzed isotope ratios in the growth rings to reconstruct migration patterns and growth rates. Credit: George Whitman UCD

"We need to reconnect salmon to their historical habitats so they can draw from their own climate-adapted bag of tricks to persist in a warming world," Johnson said.

By growing for a year in their home river, the later-migrating fish head for the ocean bigger than the others and in cooler temperatures. That way, more survive and return to rivers to spawn when marine heatwaves warm the ocean and depress salmon survival. A Marine Heatwave Tracker developed by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center shows that heatwaves have become an increasing presence in the Pacific Ocean in the last decade.

Heatwaves reduce survival

A large heatwave currently stretching across the Pacific off Northern California and Oregon, as shown by the tracker, may affect salmon survival. Warmer ocean waters are generally less productive, reducing salmon survival and depressing returns to rivers.

The researchers highlighted the importance of protecting varied life histories that may help a species survive climate change. This is particularly true in California, which is at the southern end of the range of many salmon and at the edge of conditions where they can survive.

"The rarest behaviors observed today may be the most important in our future climate," said coauthor Anna Sturrock of the University of Essex.

In conclusion, the authors wrote, "We show for the first time that the late-migrating strategy is the life-support for these populations during the current period of extreme warming. As environmental conditions continue to shift rapidly with climate change, maximizing habitat options across the landscape to enhance adaptive capacity and support climate-resilient behaviors may be crucial to prevent extinction."

Explore further Salmon decline impacted by 'squeeze' of combined river and sea stressors

More information: F. Cordoleani et al, Threatened salmon rely on a rare life history strategy in a warming landscape, Nature Climate Change (2021). Journal information: Nature Climate Change F. Cordoleani et al, Threatened salmon rely on a rare life history strategy in a warming landscape,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41558-021-01186-4
A new study shows the average annual temperature on the south-facing surfaces at low tide was 1.6C higher than those facing north. Credit: University of Plymouth

A temperature increase of around 1.5Cjust under the maximum target agreed at the COP23 Paris meeting in 2017can have a marked impact on algae and animal species living on UK coastlines, new research has found.

The study, by ecologists at the University of Plymouth, examined how increases in rock surface temperature were affecting the quantity and behavior of species commonly found on the shorelines of Devon and Cornwall.

It focused on two sites on the region's north coast (at Bude and Croyde) and two on the south coast (Bantham and South Milton Sands), all of which have deep gullies with both north-facing and south-facing surfaces.

Their findings showed the average annual temperature on the south-facing surfaces at low tide was 1.6C higher than those facing north and that temperature extremes (i.e. > 30C) were six-fold more frequent on south-facing aspects.

Across the four sites, these differences had a significant effect on species abundance with 45 different species found on north-facing sites during the summer of 2018 compared to 30 on south-facing ones.

In winter, the figures were 42 and 24 respectively, while some speciesincluding the red seaweed Plumaria plumosa and sea cauliflower (Leathesia marina)  were restricted to north-facing surfaces.

The different temperatures also had an impact on species' breeding patterns with five times more dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) eggs found on north-facing surfaces than south-facing ones.

And while limpet reproduction generally occurred earlier on south-facing surfaces, these key grazers also exhibited greater levels of stress.

The research, published in Marine Environmental Research, is the first to explore the association between temperature and site geography on species abundance, physiology and reproductive behavior in coastal areas.

Its authors say it provides evidence of how temperature variation at local scales can affect species while also offering an insight as to how future changes in global temperatures might have a negative impact over the coming decades.

The research was led by Dr. Axelle Amstutz as part of her Ph.D., working alongside Associate Professor of Marine Ecology Dr. Louise Firth, Professor of Marine Zoology John Spicer, and Associate Professor in Plant-Animal Interactions Dr. Mick Hanley.

Dr. Hanley, the study's senior author, says that "we have all heard for some time about the importance of limiting average global temperature increases to 1.5C, and it will undoubtedly be one of the key topics discussed at the forthcoming COP26 conference. This study shows the impact even that kind of increase could have on important species that contribute to the health and biodiversity of our planet. As such, it does add to overwhelming evidence of the threats posed by human-induced climate change."

"However, more than that, it shows how the pressure on different species can change even within individual locations. For example, we recorded a temperature of 42.5C on a south-facing surface at Croyde at the same time as 22.5C was measured on the opposite north-facing side. We believe this shows such sites can be used as a 'natural laboratory' to inform and predict how species and habitats might respond to climate change over the coming decades."

More information: A. Amstutz et al, Facing up to climate change: Community composition varies with aspect and surface temperature in the rocky intertidal, Marine Environmental Research (2021). A. Amstutz et al, Facing up to climate change: Community composition varies with aspect and surface temperature in the rocky intertidal,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105482
Detail images of fossils from the Ordovician Period outcrop on Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada. Credit: Andre Desrochers, University of Ottawa

We all know that the dinosaurs died in a mass extinction. But did you know that there were other mass extinctions? There are five most significant mass extinctions, known as the "big five," where at least three-quarters of all species in existence across the entire Earth faced extinction during a particular geological period of time. With current trends of global warming and climate change, many researchers now believe we may be in a sixth.

Discovering the root cause of Earth's mass extinctions has long been a hot topic for scientists, as understanding the environmental conditions that led to the elimination of the majority of species in the past could potentially help prevent a similar event from occurring in the future.

A team of scientists from Syracuse University's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Riverside, Universite Bourgogne Franche-Comte, the University of New Mexico, the University of Ottawa, the University of Science and Technology of China and Stanford University recently co-authored a paper exploring the Late Ordovician mass extinction (LOME), which is the first, or oldest of the "big five (~445 million years ago)." Around 85% of marine species, most of which lived in shallow oceans near continents, disappeared during that time.

Lead author Alexandre Pohl, from UC Riverside (now a postdoctoral research fellow at Universite Bourgogne Franche-Comte in Dijon, France) and his co-authors investigated the ocean environment before, during, and after the extinction in order to determine how the event was brewed and triggered. The results from their study will be published in the journal Nature Geoscience on Nov. 1.

To paint a picture of the oceanic ecosystem during the Ordovician Period, mass extinction expert Seth Finnegan, associate professor at UC Berkeley, says that seas were full of biodiversity. Oceans contained some of the first reefs made by animals, but lacked an abundance of vertebrates.

"If you had gone snorkeling in an Ordovician sea you would have seen some familiar groups like clams and snails and sponges, but also many other groups that are now very reduced in diversity or entirely extinct like trilobites, brachiopods and crinoids" says Finnegan.

Detail images of fossils from the Ordovician Period outcrop on Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada. (Photo credit: Andre Desrochers, University of Ottawa). Credit: Andre Desrochers, University of Ottawa

Unlike with rapid mass extinctions, like the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event where dinosaurs and other species died off suddenly some 65.5 million years ago, Finnegan says LOME played out over a substantial period of time, with estimates between less than half a million to almost two million years.

One of the major debates surrounding LOME is whether lack of oxygen in seawater caused that period's mass extinction. To investigate this question, the team integrated geochemical testing with numerical simulations and computer modeling.

Zunli Lu, professor of Earth and environmental sciences at Syracuse University, and his students took measurements of iodine concentration in carbonate rocks from that period, contributing important findings about oxygen levels at various ocean depths. The concentration of the element iodine in carbonate rocks serves as an indicator for changes in oceanic oxygen level in Earth's history.

Their data, combined with computer modeling simulations, suggested that there was no evidence of anoxiaor lack of oxygenstrengthening during the extinction event in the shallow ocean animal habitat where most organisms lived, meaning that climate cooling that occurred during the Late Ordovician period combined with additional factors likely was responsible for LOME.

On the other hand, there is evidence that anoxia in deep oceans expanded during that same time, a mystery that cannot be explained by the classic model of ocean oxygen, climate modeling expert Alexandre Pohl says.

"Upper-ocean oxygenation in response to cooling was anticipated, because atmospheric oxygen preferentially dissolves in cold waters," Pohl says. "However, we were surprised to see expanded anoxia in the lower ocean since anoxia in Earth's history is generally associated with volcanism-induced global warming."

Detail images of fossils from the Ordovician Period outcrop on Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada. Credit: Andre Desrochers, University of Ottawa

They attribute the deep-sea anoxia to the circulation of seawater through global oceans. Pohl says that a key point to keep in mind is that ocean circulation is a very important component of the climatic system.

He was part of a team led by senior modeler Andy Ridgwell, professor at UC Riverside, whose computer modeling results show that climate cooling likely altered ocean circulation pattern, halting the flow of oxygen-rich water in shallow seas to the deeper ocean.

According to Lu, recognizing that climate cooling can also lead to lower oxygen levels in some parts of the ocean is a key takeaway from their study.

"For decades, the prevailing school of thoughts in our field is that global warming causes the oceans to lose oxygen and thus impact marine habitability, potentially destabilizing the entire ecosystem," Lu says. "In recent years, mounting evidence point to several episodes in Earth's history when oxygen levels also dropped in cooling climates."

While the causes of Late Ordovician extinction have not been fully agreed upon, nor will they for some time, the team's study rules out changes in oxygenation as a single explanation for this extinction and adds new data favoring temperature change being the killing mechanism for LOME.

Pohl is hopeful that as better climate data and more sophisticated numerical models become available, they will be able to offer a more robust representation of the factors that may have led to the Late Ordovician mass extinction.

Explore further Scientists find widespread ocean anoxia as cause for past mass extinction

More information: Alexandre Pohl, Vertical decoupling in Late Ordovician anoxia due to reorganization of ocean circulation, Nature Geoscience (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41561-021-00843-9 Journal information: Nature Geoscience Alexandre Pohl, Vertical decoupling in Late Ordovician anoxia due to reorganization of ocean circulation,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-021-00843-9
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Women are less likely than men to ask for more time to complete projects with adjustable deadlines at work or school, new research finds.

Compared to men, women were more concerned that they would be burdening others by asking for an extension, and that they would be seen as incompetent, the study showed.

Prior research has shown that women feel more time stress than men do, and feeling uncomfortable about asking for more time to complete projects may be one important reason why, said Grant Donnelly, co-author of the study and assistant professor of marketing at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.

"Women understandably feel like they have too many things to do and not enough time to do them. We found that not asking for more time to complete tasks undermines women's well-being and also their performance," Donnelly said.

"But we also found a possible solution: Women were as likely to ask for deadline extensions as men when organizations had formal policies on making deadline extension requests."

Donnelly conducted the research with Ashley Whillans, Jaewon Yoon and Aurora Turek of the Harvard Business School. It was published today (Nov. 1, 2021) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research involved nine studies with more than 5,000 participants, including online panels of working adults and undergraduate students.

Donnelly said that for him, one of the most compelling of the nine studies was one conducted in his own class.

He assigned a discussion paper that was worth 20% of the grade to 103 students in an undergraduate business course. All students were given one week to submit the paper, but were told they could email Donnelly to request an extension without penalty.

Male students were more than twice as likely as female students to request an extension for the assignment (15% of female vs. 36% of male students).

Not asking for an extension could hurt students, the findings showed. A teaching assistant who rated the papers gave better scores to those who had asked for an extension. (The assistant did not know who wrote the papers and whether they asked for extensions, or the purpose of the study.)

"What we found is that when students requested an extension, they made good use of that time and performed better on the task," he said. "Women may hurt themselves by not requesting additional time."

Several other of the nine studies by the researchers involving working adults showed that women's focus on other people and their needs played a big role in why they were uncomfortable asking for deadline extensions.

In these studies, participants imagined they were assigned to submit a proposal for an upcoming event that was due the next day, but needed more time. In the scenario, they could ask for an extension from their supervisor.

Participants were asked a variety of questions about how asking for an extension might affect themselves and their team, and how it might affect how they were viewed by others.

Results showed that women believed they would be seen as less competent if they asked for an extension. But that wasn't the main reason that women were reluctant to request more time.

"It was their concern about burdening their team and manager with more work that most strongly predicted women's discomfort with asking for more time on adjustable deadlines," Donnelly said.

"Perceived burden and emotions like shame, embarrassment and guilt explained why women experienced more discomfort with asking for extensions than men did."

And these feelings have real-life implications. Consistent with prior research, women in this study reported feeling more time-pressed and experienced more burnout than men.

But the good news from the findings is that organizations can level the playing fieldresulting in women and men asking for more time on projects at nearly the same rateby creating a formal way to request deadline extensions.

In one study, the researchers analyzed data from an online university that had a formal policy for extension requestsall students were entitled to four 24-hour extensions per semester, which could be requested using an online form.

In this case, women were as likely to submit at least one request during the semester studied as were men (24% of women vs. 25% of men). That finding was replicated in another of the nine studies.

Donnelly said he believes companies and other organizations should create formal avenues for requesting deadline extensions.

"It's a structural issue. When organizations have formal policies about deadlines, it creates the opportunity for men and women to have equal experiences for requesting additional time," he said.

"And we found evidence that allowing deadline extensions, when possible, can result in better work. That's helpful for employers and employees."

Explore further College men more likely to seek grade changes than college women
More than 120 heads of state and government are expected in Glasgow for the climate summit.

More than 120 world leaders meet in Glasgow on Monday in a "last, best hope" to tackle the climate crisis and avert a looming global disaster.

"It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was due to tell them, according to extracts from his speech.

"If we don't get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow."

Observers had hoped a weekend meeting in Rome of leaders of the G20 nations, which between them emit nearly 80 percent of global carbon emissions, would give a strong impetus to the Glasgow COP26 summit, which was postponed for a year due to the pandemic.

The G20 major economies committed on Sunday to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levelsthe most ambitious target of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement.

They also agreed to end funding for new unabated coal plants abroadthose whose emissions have not gone through any filtering processby the end of 2021.

But this did not convince NGOs, the British prime minister or the United Nations.

"While I welcome the G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilledbut at least they are not buried," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Twitter.

Map showing CO2 emissions per capita per country, according to the Global Carbon Atlas.

'Going to be very difficult'

"We've inched forward (at the G20). We've put ourselves in a reasonable position for COP in Glasgow but it's going to be very difficult in the next few days," Johnson said Sunday, before warning: "If Glasgow fails, then the whole thing fails."

The Glasgow gathering, which runs until November 12, comes as an accelerating onslaught of extreme weather events across the world underscores the devastating impacts of climate change from 150 years of burning fossil fuels.

The current commitments of the signatories of the Paris agreementif they were followedwould still lead to a "catastrophic" warming of 2.7 Celsius, according to the UN.

COP26 marks the "last, best hope to keep 1.5C in reach", summit president Alok Sharma said as he opened the meeting on Sunday.

"If we act now and we act together, we can protect our precious planet," he said.

Climate advocacy groups expressed disappointment at the statement released at the end of the G20 summit.

"These so-called leaders need to do better. They have another shot at this: starting tomorrow," said Namrata Chowdhary from the NGO 350.org.

China, by far the world's biggest carbon polluter, has just submitted to the UN its revised climate plan, which repeats a long-standing goal of peaking emissions by 2030.

Eyes on India

While China, by far the world's biggest carbon polluter, has just submitted to the UN its revised climate plan, which repeats a long-standing goal of peaking emissions by 2030, India is now at the centre of expectations.

India has yet to submit a revised "nationally determined contribution" but if Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces new efforts to curb emissions in his speech Monday, it could put more pressure on China and others, said Alden Meyer, a senior associate at climate and energy think tank E3G.

"If he feels confident enough that there's going to be financing and technology assistance from Europe, the US, Japan and others, he might signal that India is willing to update its NDC," Meyer said.

Another pressing issue is the failure of rich countries to cough up $100 billion a year starting in 2020 to help developing nations lower emissions and adapta pledge first made in 2009.

This goal has been postponed to 2023, exacerbating the crisis of confidence between the North, responsible for global warming, and the South, which is the victim of its effects.

"Climate finance is not charity. It is a question of justice," stressed Lia Nicholson, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States vulnerable to climate change, also denouncing the refusal of large economies to abandon coal.

Forecasts by the UN climate experts panel (IPCC) that the threshold of a 1.5 Celsius increase could be reached 10 years earlier than expected, around 2030, are "terrifying" she said, particularly for those on the front line of the climate crisis who are already suffering the consequences in a world that has heated up by about 1.1 degrees Celsius.

Despite everything, it seems that some are not afraid, or worse, that they are indifferent, she said.

Greta Thunberg and other young activists are urging global leaders to take urgent action to tackle the climate crisis.

'Not next year. Now'

Her words are likely to find an echo in the speeches from African and Pacific leaders on Monday and Tuesday.

While the Chinese and Russian presidents are not expected in person, dozens of other heads of state and government from US President Joe Biden to EU leaders and Australia's Scott Morrison are making the trip to Glasgow.

Their words and actions will be closely scrutinised, in particular by the young activists who travelled to Scotland despite the obstacles due to the pandemic.

"As citizens across the planet, we urge you to face up to the climate emergency," they said in an open letter from several of them, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who arrived Sunday by train.

"Not next year. Not next month. Now."

Explore further G20 disappoints on key climate target as eyes turn to Glasgow

 2021 AFP
US President Joe Biden said the climate fight also offers economic opportunity.

World leaders must act to "save humanity", UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Monday as they met for the historic COP26 climate summit that observers said got under way with more talk than action.

More than 120 heads of state and government are gathering in Glasgow for a two-day summit at the start of the UN's COP26 conference, which organisers say is crucial for charting humanity's path away from catastrophic global warming.

"It's one minute to midnight... and we need to act now," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said to start proceedings on an at-times chaotic opening day.

However, Monday's most hotly anticipated address, from India's Narendra Modi, tempered the hype somewhat: the third largest emitter will only achieve net-zero by 2070.

COP26 is being billed as vital for the continued viability of the Paris Agreement, which countries signed in 2015 by promising to limit global temperature rises to "well below" two degrees Celsius, and to work for a safer 1.5C cap.

With a little over 1C of warming since the Industrial Revolution, Earth is being battered by ever more extreme heatwaves, flooding and tropical storms supercharged by rising seas.

US President Joe Biden, addressing delegates, said that the current age of climate disaster was "an inflection point in world history".

'We are digging our own graves,' Guterres warned.

Pressure is on governments to redouble their emissions-cutting commitments to bring them in line with the Paris goals, and to stump up long-promised cash to help developing nations green their grids and protect themselves against future disasters.

"It's time to say: enough," Guterres said.

"Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves."

'We are watching'

Thousands of delegates queued around the block to get into the summit on Monday, negotiating airport-style security in the locked-down city centre.

On nearby streets, protesters began lively demonstrations to keep up the pressure.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was among dozens of protesters who gathered in a park across the river from the conference centre carrying banners with slogans like "We are watching".

Change in annual temperatures compared to pre-industrial levels according to 6 datasets.

They then marched across to directly opposite the venue chanting "We are unstoppable, another world is possible!"

Johnson warned of the "uncontainable" public anger if the conference fell flat.

If the leaders "fluff our lines or miss our cue", generations as-yet unborn "will not forgive us", the prime minister said.

Biden apologised for his predecessor Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris deal, noting that one of his first actions on taking office this January had been to re-enter the accord.

Observers however were unimpressed with Monday's announcements.

"More is needed to turn words into action," said Thomas Damassa, Oxfam America's associate director for Climate Change.

"The US must work with other countries to secure a strong outcome that ratchets up emission reductions by major economies."

Greta Thunberg joined activists in Glasgow outside the COP meeting.

No Xi, Putin

The G20 including China, India and Western nations committed on Sunday to the Paris goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C.

They also agreed to end funding for new coal plants abroad without carbon capturing technology by the end of 2021.

But the precise pathway to 1.5C was left largely undefined and campaigners expressed disappointment with the group, which collectively emits nearly 80 percent of global carbon emissions.

Preparations for the high-level summit had been damped by a number of high-profile no-shows.

Neither Chinese President Xi Jinpingwho has not left his country during the Covid-19 pandemicnor Russia's Vladimir Putin will be in Glasgow.

And Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who last week drew ire from campaigners for his country's "net-zero" plan, doubled down on a decarbonisation vision heavily reliant on future innovation.

"Technology will have the answers to a decarbonised economy, particularly over time," he said.

Current emissions targets too high to curb global warming.

Net-zero 2070

Most nations have already submitted their renewed emissions cutting plansknown as "nationally determined contributions", or NDCsin advance of COP26.

But even these current commitmentsif followedwould still lead to a "catastrophic" warming of 2.7C, says the UN.

China, by far the world's biggest carbon polluter, has just submitted to the UN its revised climate plan, which repeats a long-standing goal of peaking emissions by 2030.

US-China tensions were simmering on Monday after Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan labelled Beijing among the "significant outliers".

China "will not be represented at leader level at COP26 and... has an obligation to step up to greater ambition as we go forward", Sullivan added.

India meanwhile has yet to submit a revised NDC, a requirement under the Paris deal.

China, by far the world's biggest carbon polluter, has just submitted to the UN its revised climate plan, which repeats a long-standing goal of peaking emissions by 2030.

Modi said that his country would achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, and that 50 percent of its energy would come from renewable sources by 2030.

Another pressing issue is the failure of rich countries to deliver $100 billion annually to help climate-vulnerable nations adapt to climate change.

The goalmeant to be delivered last yearhas been postponed to 2023, exacerbating tensions between richer nations, responsible for global warming, and those poorer countries that are the victims of its effects.

 2021 AFP
The Warren County Board of Supervisors will take part in a new statewide initiative next week urging residents to turn their exterior lights green in honor of servicemen and women on and around Veterans Day.

The Board of Supervisors is asking residents to participate in Operation Green Light, an effort to show support for veterans of all military conflicts and raise awareness about the challenges faced by many veterans.

A proclamation was adopted at Octobers Board of Supervisors meeting.

For this year, there is a special effort to recognize the veterans of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a Warren County news release. In addition to showing veterans that they are supported, the campaign seeks to help educate the public about the challenges faced by many veterans and the resources that are available at the county, state and federal level to assist veterans and their families.

The Board of Supervisors encourages homeowners, businesses and governments to light up their homes, buildings, courthouses, and bridges with green light bulbs in support of Americas veterans the week of Nov. 7, the release states.

Veterans Day is Nov. 11.

Operation Green Light is a collaboration between counties in the state and the New York State Association of Counties, the New York State County Executives Association and the New York State County Veterans Service Officers Association.

Operation Green Light is a visual acknowledgement of appreciation, support and gratitude for our servicemen and women who have transitioned into veteran status, said Denise DiResta, Warren County director of Veterans Services. It lets them know that their community is here to assist in that transition to civilian life with open arms and help them succeed.

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Bezaire had originally been adamant that he would remain on council after his arrest, even in statements from his attorney during court proceedings.

At this time I need to devote my full time and energy into my family, as they need me, and my family will always come first, his letter of resignation continued. I have made it clear on numerous occasions, actions have consequences, and it is best for me to not only attend to my childrens needs, but to set an example for them when handling adversity by doing the right thing. This experience allows me to provide to them important life lessons; in humility, accountability, sobriety, and most of all allows me to display my unconditional love for them.

In the letter, he thanked supporters and asked for privacy.

As I transition back into private life, I ask for privacy so that I can focus all of my energy on my family and their needs, it continued. To those of you who voted for me and put your trust in me, I offer my most sincere thanks and apologies for letting you down. For those who have wanted to see me step down and have called me unfit for my position, I hope this announcement can bring you closure. For those who have stood by my side through all of this and continue to offer their support, I offer my eternal gratitude.

Contact Bill Barlow: 609-272-7290 bbarlow@pressofac.com Twitter @jerseynews_bill

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The original plan was to open the religious retreat for one final summer in 2021, but in February, the order said that would not happen. The COVID-19 pandemic meant the retreat remained closed for 2020 and 2021.

The order held a closing ceremony marking the end of the buildings service. It had hosted thousands of people, both nuns and laypeople.

The heartbreaking and difficult decision to close the facility was the result of comprehensive planning that clearly identified the need for the divestment of this property. Given its beachfront location and our congregational commitment to care for Earth, our desire is to return this land to nature rather than use it for further development, read a statement at the time.

Along with the lighthouse, technically just over the border in Lower Township, and the historic St. Peters By the Sea Episcopal Church at the other end of Harvard Avenue, St. Marys has been a Cape May Point landmark for generations.

Although the nuns have operated it for more than a century, they did not build the sprawling building. The building was originally constructed in 1889.
Glen Chabotar, who was walking the Boardwalk with Joan, believed that vaccine hesitancy was being driven by politics.

Amber Anthony, of Brigantine, said she had not had the vaccine and did not want to give it to her 11-year-old son.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

However, Anthony did say she thought the vaccines may be good, because of positive comments made about the shots by former President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is saying he recommends it for people to get it, Anthony said. He didnt say for kids though. I didnt hear him say he recommends it for kids.

Im hoping that its good, that something good is in there, but me personally I will never get it, or my kid, Anthony added.

She said that her other son, who is an adult and a serviceman in the U.S. Armed Forces, did receive the shot because of the militarys vaccine mandate.

The majority of American parents with 5- to 11-year-old children are expressing some vaccine hesitancy. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll, the plurality of those interviewed, at one-third of respondents, said that they would wait and see.
Murphy was questioned about the relatively low turnout for in-person early voting, and whether it was worth the cost to the state  which was in the tens of millions of dollars.

The governor responded that he was satisfied with the turnout, saying that New Jersey voters were still developing muscle memory for the process.

Weve never done this before, so we always knew this was going to be the beginning of a journey, Murphy said. This is absolutely the right step to take, and Im incredibly happy weve taken it.

Murphy also noted that much of the costs associated with in-person voting were one-time and fixed that the state would be able to amortize over time.

He also noted that between early in-person voting and vote-by-mail, there were about 700,000 early votes cast in New Jersey, something he called a big step in the right direction in terms of democracy.

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Way said the success of the early-in-person voting program should be gauged by how it empowers voters.

Success is really affording voters all options to participate in democracy, Way said.
These are not major changes to Facebooks algorithms. They are nowhere near the kind of solutions that Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen proposed to congressional lawmakers on Oct. 5. Those included tweaking U.S. free speech laws so they dont protect social media companies as much as they do. The panels changes are piddling compared to what the European Union is planning with its Digital Services Act, which could force Facebook to change its all-important recommendation algorithms and share more data with regulators and researchers.

But those bigger fixes are still months, more likely years, away. For instance, there is disagreement among lawmakers and even between tech companies on how to reform Americas free speech laws. And Europes reforms still need to be ratified and voted on by EU member states, who are being lobbied hard by Facebook.

While lawmakers and regulators are gearing up to swing at Facebook with a big hammer, its small advisory panel  made up of lawyers, academics and a former prime minister of Denmark  is already quietly chipping away at the edges. And its doing so regularly, every quarter.

Heres how it works:
November 1, 2021 in OS X Development (E)

[prMac.com] Hengchun, Taiwan - Ohanaware Co., Ltd. is very proud to announce the immediate release of Aqua Swatch 2.0, a major update to their popular system color and icon swatch application for Apple's Aqua user interface. Aqua Swatch makes it easy to view system colors and their variations, allowing developers to pick the most appropriate colors for user interface elements in their Mac applications.



Aqua Swatch contains a swatch for NSVisualEffectView's materials, which helps to preview and compare the materials against Apple's own applications. System icons are also listed in Aqua Swatch, aiding developers to view and choose from a variety of artwork that's consistent across different OS versions. Aqua Swatch was built with Xojo in conjunction with the Ohanaware App Kit, and wrapped with App Wrapper 4.



Aqua Swatch 2.0 adds the following new features:

* A wealth of undocumented NSImages

* Many classic icons that are still available in current OSes

* A collection of folder icons

* Many different volume icons, including memory cards, optical disks and so on

* Available system cursors

* System type face API and their results, helping to choose which NSFont API to use

* Vibrancy Playground, to experiment with different icons, colors, size and materials

* Refined UI, with a search button right in the toolbar

* Unified search system, searches colors, materials, icons and labels without choosing the type first

* Color Info panel, shows RGB values and NSColor withSystemEffect results

* Icon Info panel, shows available image sizes and themes for system icons



System Requirements:

* macOS 10.11 El Capitan thru macOS 12 Monterey

* 4GB of RAM

* 30MB of disk space



Pricing and Availability:

Aqua Swatch is available today from the Mac App Store. Aqua Swatch is freeware.

Since 2006, Joy Sha & Sam Rowlands have been building top ten, award winning apps. Their most notable applications include Funtastic Photos, which set the benchmark for modern photo editing. HDRtist & HDRtist Pro which has over 100,000 users world wide. App Wrapper, which is the #1 third party product to help developers prepare their apps for the App Store. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2006-2021 Ohanaware Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac OS X and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.

###
It was mentioned by both political campaigns and the presidential campaign last year, in some instances very, very imprudently, he said.

The judge said Rittenhouses constitutional right to a fair trial, not the Second Amendment right to bear arms, will come into play, and I dont want it to get sidetracked into other issues.

One of the jurors is a gun-owning woman with a high school education who said she was so afraid during the protests that she pulled her cars to the back of her house and made sure her doors were locked. She said she went downtown in the aftermath and cried.

Another woman chosen is a special education teacher who expressed anxiety about being on the jury: "I figure either way this goes youre going to have half the country upset with you and they react poorly.

Another juror said he owns a gun and has it for home defense."

One juror is a pharmacist who said that she was robbed at gunpoint in 2012 but that it would have no effect on her ability to weigh the evidence in this case.
Americans love turkey so much we buy over 40 million for Thanksgiving every year. This means that one out of every three American households serves a beautifully roasted whole turkey, most likely with all the fixings, proving that the nearly 80-year-old iconic Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving feast image, Freedom From Want, still resonates today.

Here are 10 practical tips to ensure your turkey not only looks as pretty as a picture, but tastes amazing, too.

1. Choose the best bird

Whether you plan to purchase a fresh or frozen turkey breast or an organic heritage bird, it helps to plan in advance. Keep in mind your budget and guest list. Many organic and heritage breed turkey farms require orders well in advance. As a general rule, based on a whole turkey, estimate purchasing one pound of uncooked turkey per person; that will give you enough for the meal, plus leftovers the following day.

2. Menu matters

A great number of recipes including this weeks provided by White Oak Pastures and the USDAs recommend roasting a turkey at 325F. Will the oven accommodate the turkey and the other desired side dishes for the menu? Do they all bake at the same temperature as the turkey? Perhaps the sides can bake at a higher temperature while the turkey rests? Or maybe this year consider smoking or deep-frying the bird to make room in the oven. It helps to keep your oven capacity in mind when choosing the rest of the menu.

3. Pan Perfect

Once you've purchased the bird you want to roast, make sure you have a roasting pan large enough to hold the turkey and then some. The pan should have enough space around the sides to allow heat to circulate around the bird so that it doesnt steam. A roasting rack is ideal to lift the turkey off from the bottom of the pan, but aromatic vegetables, such as quartered onions, carrots and celery, do the trick as well, and they will season the drippings for the gravy.

4. Dont forget the other supplies

To truly know when the turkey is done, the best tool is an accurate thermometer. The pop-up thermometer included with some store-bought birds are not 100% reliable. An instant-read thermometer is recommended to easily test both the breast and thigh temperatures. A programmable digital probe thermometer is another excellent option. Additional wares to have at the ready are an extra-large cutting board, sharp carving knife and serving platter.

5. Thaw the bird well in advance

Give yourself plenty of time to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator. Never defrost it at room temperature; the safest method is in the refrigerator. Allow yourself 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds of frozen turkey. Remember, once thawed, it can remain in the refrigerator 2 more days. So, for the average 16 pound frozen turkey, begin the thawing process the Friday before Thanksgiving. Place it in its roasting pan on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to ensure water nor juices drip onto food below.

6. Prep school

Getting the bird ready to roast can be a time-consuming process. Consider prepping the turkey first thing in the morning. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkeys cavity and pat the inside and outside well with paper towels. It is unnecessary to rinse the turkey, and the USDA does not recommend it as the process can easily spread bacteria in and around the sink.

Place the turkey, breast side up, on its rack or over vegetables in a large roasting pan. To flavor pan juices, fill the cavity with herbs and more aromatics or halves of lemon. For a nice appearance, tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string; tuck the wingtips under the turkeys back so they say in place and dont overbrown in the oven. If you plan to fill the cavity with a bread or rice stuffing, do so just before roasting. Wrap the turkey well in plastic wrap and refrigerate until later.

7. Trim off some time

Take the turkey out of the refrigerator an hour before you plan to roast. Remove the plastic wrap to allow the skin to dry out a touch which helps it become crisp while it bakes. If youd like, brush the turkey with oil or melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. This step will take the chill off the turkey and reduce the roasting time.

8. Keep tabs on temperature

The USDA recommends roasting a turkey at 325F or above, as lower oven temperatures can promote bacteria growth. Roasting time will vary depending on ones oven or the cooking method, the size of the turkey, the depth and color of the roasting pan and whether the turkey is stuffed. Plan on 12 to 15 minutes per pound of turkey. Start checking for doneness 30 minutes before the recipe suggests.

9. Is it done?

Check for doneness by inserting the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone or pockets of fat as both will render higher temperatures than the meat.

To keep the turkeys juices intact, try to avoid poking the bird too frequently or cutting into the thigh to see if its done. If the breast is becoming too dark towards the end of roasting, place a foil tent loosely on top to protect it. Remove the turkey from the oven once the thighs internal temperature reaches 160F. A turkeys stuffing must reach 165F.

10. Let it rest

Once the turkey is out of the oven, transfer the turkey to a large carving board or platter. Allow it to rest 20 to 30 minutes. The internal temperature will rise 5 degrees thanks to the turkeys residual heat, and the juices will be reabsorbed and distributed throughout the entire bird. This is the perfect time to prepare the gravy.

Once you carve into the turkey, if the meat near the thigh or breastbone has a rosy tinge, it is likely from nitrates in the birds feed or water supply, or oven gases may react chemically with the meat turning it pink. If the internal temperature registers safe and juices run clear, the meat is perfectly safe to eat. If the meat has a raw, gelatinous appearance, then it is underdone, and requires additional roasting.

Bonus Tips: Its always easiest to remove any leftover meat from the bones while it is still warm or at room temperature. If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, turkey and the trimmings can keep three to four days in the refrigerator. Make sure they are reheated to 165F. And dont discard the carcass. Cover it with cold water, heat to boiling, then simmer for several hours. Strain it to create a rich turkey broth incorporating any small bits of turkey meat that may remain for any favorite fall soup.

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"I hope that he would be proud of the way that we're using the inheritance from him to start the scholarship," he said.

Applications for the scholarship are open through Feb. 15, and recipients will be announced in May.

To qualify, the applicant must be an immigrant or refugee, or the child of at least one immigrant or refugee. Applicants must show financial need and merit through community, work, school or personal activities. People of any citizenship or documentation status are eligible to apply.

The scholarship is open to anyone who is either currently in post-secondary education or is planning to enroll, no matter their age, said Quad Cities Community Foundation Grantmaking Specialist Kathleen Badejo. This education includes community college, college or university, and trade school.

"It's really open to anyone, no matter their age," Badejo said.

+7 Quad Cities Community Foundation awards $566,000 in grants The Quad Cities Community Foundation gave grants to 32 area organizations.

Students won't need to reapply for the scholarship each year, and the only requirement to keep receiving the funds is a minimum 2.0 GPA.
The opportunity to allow the general public a glimpse of the world inside a correctional facility was highly unusual. And in an even greater departure, three of the performers sat for a live panel immediately after the show to answer questions about gender-based violence, a topic that disproportionately affects the female prison population.

It does look like Logan has joined us, moderator and event producer Alexis Mansfield said happily after a brief delay getting the connection.

And then the panelists took over, sitting shoulder to shoulder in a nondescript institutional room and explaining the lasting impact domestic violence has had on those incarcerated at Logan and offering opinions on proposed reforms to laws and policies to address it.

They had a chance to say loving hellos to formerly incarcerated women, now dear friends. They thanked family members watching at home.

It is amazing to see you guys come across in the comments. ... Jada, I see you, said a smiling Ray, as she acknowledged her 21-year-old daughter, who was watching in her South Side home and smiled when she heard her name.

Connecting virtually with loved ones and friends, however, was only half the story for the panelists, who also said they felt they were being heard for the first time.
Bystander video captured Rosenbaum chasing Rittenhouse but not the actual shooting. Video showed Huber swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse before he was shot. Grosskreutz had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse and was shot.

Prosecutors and the defense will be sifting the jury pool in hopes of seating panelists friendly to their view of the case  or at least keeping off the jury anyone who's not.

William Hanrahan, who spent 19 years as a prosecutor and was a Wisconsin circuit judge for 13, said the attorneys will also be trying to influence potential jurors.

What each side is going to do is attempt to prejudice the jury right out of the chute, to strategically plant seeds to subtly set forth their positions, Hanrahan said. For a seasoned judge, its going to be a challenge here because some lawyers are really good and able to slowly introduce their case in the form of questions to the potential jurors."

Attorneys for both sides urged the judge to send questionnaires to the people summoned as potential jurors to detect bias and speed the process. Schroeder, 75, the longest-serving circuit court judge in Wisconsin, denied the request.
Several grants to help student learning are scheduled for a vote during the Rapid City Area Schools Board of Education meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the City Hall Council Chambers, along with resolutions to close Grandview Elementary School temporarily due to COVID-19 cases, and for the RCAS Board of Education to leave the Associated School Boards of South Dakota.

The districts Medical Cannabis Administration Plan, already presented and voted on at previous meetings, will also be up for a vote.

The grants to be voted on include Rapid City Public School Foundation Grants for Supporting Life Skills Vision Impairments/Blind Students for $700, Growing Beyond Earth for $1,737, Caught Ya! Student Incentive Program for $1,000, and Geometry in Construction for $6,000.

A resolution to approve collaboration with Black Hills State University on a Federal Upward Bound grant is also on the agenda. According to a report on the RCAS website, such grants typically serve 60 students beginning in the 9th grade and continuing through the first year of college. The report continues, Most students must be low income and prospective first-generation college students.

The requested amount is $260,000 annually for the next five years, with no local match required.

Also on the agenda is a resolution to leave the Associated School Boards of South Dakota. The resolution says the Associated School Boards of South Dakota failed to publicly denounce the National School Boards Associations letter to the President of the United States and says the subject of the aforementioned letter does not hold true to the values of the current Rapid City Area School District Board of Education.

In the letter, the National School Boards Association reports a number of threats and acts of violence against school board members and other educators across the country as it requests federal assistance. The letter can be found at https://tinyurl.com/schoolboardsletter.

Wade Pogany, executive director for the Associated School Boards of South Dakota, said in a telephone interview that the Associated School Boards does not agree with the letter, including its call for federal law enforcement assistance.

What the National School Boards has done is a mistake, Pogany said. We were not consulted. We were not aware of this letter until it was sent out.

Pogany said the Associated School Boards of South Dakota is working with the National School Boards Association so that this doesnt happen again. He also said that regarding any threats, or any disorderly conduct, we have encouraged local school boards to work with local law enforcement.

Pogany noted that the Associated School Boards of South Dakota offers a host of services to local school boards, including more than 400 sample policies, advocacy for school boards and legal services.

We are continuously putting together new policies, he added, citing a recent policy involving medical cannabis as an example. Pogany also mentioned free and fee-based webinar and training sessions for school board members.

The RCAS Board of Education is also scheduled to consider a resolution to temporarily close Grandview Elementary School due to a communicable disease outbreak of COVID-19.

The resolution, crafted by board member Amy Policky, notes that Grandview Elementary School has seen an increase in Covid cases among 9.5% of staff and students. It notes, too, that the Emergency Closure of Schools policy EBCE does not allow for a closure of school due to a pandemic until a separate policy can be passed by the board.

Staff and students at Grandview Elementary School have been working remotely since Thursday due to staffing shortages stemming from the outbreak. Policky said she plans to keep the resolution despite the current closure of the school to in-person attendance.

I will leave the resolution on the agenda so that I can speak about and clarify the understanding of the emergency closure policy, and other policies dealing with health situations, within the schools, Policky said on Monday.

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More than 100 plungers jumped into an outdoor pool on a 52-degree, windy day Saturday, all sharing a reason to freeze.

Multiple local groups and individuals made the leap as part of the fundraiser for Special Olympics South Dakota.

The organizations, along with Law Enforcement Torch Run, raised over $65,000 for more than 2,700 Special Olympics South Dakota athletes.

"We raise money so that athletes can be supported and can compete," said Dave Stratton, assistant director with Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Groups had to raise a minimum of $100 to participate and plunge into the icy waters. Organizations that raised money for the plunge ranged from Pioneer Bank, which raised the most money in the area, to the Rapid City Free Masons.

 Contact Siandhara Bonnet at siandhara.bonnet@rapidcityjournal.com 

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Who has the best places to work in the Richmond region?

The Richmond Times-Dispatch is searching to find the best employers in the region for its ninth annual Top Workplaces program.

The newspaper again has partnered with Energage to determine the regions best places to work based on employee survey feedback.

The research firm has conducted these types of surveys in 59 markets across the country, surveying more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year.

The Times-Dispatchs annual employer recognition program is accepting nominations. Any Richmond-area organization  business, nonprofit or government  with 35 or more employees is eligible.

Nominations may be made at www.Richmond.com/Top-Workplaces or (804) 977-9367. The deadline is Nov. 19.

Anyone can nominate a business. There is no charge to participate.

Eighty-one companies in the Richmond region were recognized this year as Top Workplaces businesses. In May, the coveted top rankings of first-, second- and third-place in each of four size categories  mega, large, midsize and small  went to 12 businesses.
Irving said that during her first four years in office, the Richmond Sheriffs Office has received $4 million in federal, state and private grants to introduce new re-entry programs, add training and recruitment initiatives, increase neighborhood outreach efforts, and purchase safety equipment.

Her opponent, Dickinson, said hed hire someone else to run the day-to-day operations of the jail.

Meanwhile, Dickinson plans to focus his attention to restoring law and order, which he said the city lacks, especially after last summers civil unrest. His platform appears to be a referendum on Mayor Levar Stoney and the citys response to the protests.

I see my role as sheriff as being the CEO of criminal justice in the city of Richmond and using that role to push back against the mayor, Dickinson said.

Dickinson wants to deputize residents to clean up their neighborhoods and take care of criminals, he said in a recent interview. He didnt elaborate on what sort of powers or training the group would have, but said hed welcome anyone, especially those with firearms training. The Richmond Rangers, he said hed call them.
A University of Richmond student has been charged with rape, according to Virginia court records. Kyle Kressler was arrested on Oct. 25 and has been charged with rape, strangulation and malicious wounding.

According to the UR crime log, the incident took place on the evening of Oct. 23 at Gray Court, a coed upper-class dormitory on campus, and was reported an hour later.

A University of Richmond police spokesperson declined to comment on Kresslers arrest, and a spokesperson for the city of Richmond police department referred a reporters request to the university.

University police notified faculty, staff and students Oct. 24, announcing that a sexual assault had taken place and that the people involved knew one another, reported URs student newspaper, The Collegian.

The university identified the victim as a female but did not say if she is a student.

After appearing in court on Oct. 26, Kressler received bail. His lawyer, William Dinkin, did not respond to a request for comment.
Hanovers board will vote on its proposed policies at next weeks meeting, but board policy allows for only one hour of public comment time during board meetings. Speakers have three minutes each to address the board. As of Monday, there were 43 people signed up to speak next week, including some from the Oct. 12 School Board meeting who did not get to address the board then.

Based on the volume of interest to participate in the public comment segment on Nov. 9, it is likely that all interested speakers would not be accommodated, according to an email sent out Monday morning by Hanover School Board Clerk Kate Brown.

The meeting will also be livestreamed.

Those who wish to request to speak Thursday are asked to submit their name and magisterial district to sbpubliccomment@hcps.us or to call Board Clerk Kate Brown at (804) 365-4502. The deadline to submit a request is 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

After this deadline, attendees can sign up at the meeting on Thursday. This is a separate sign-up list from Nov. 9.
***

Frosty Owen had always wanted to learn to sew.

But being a guy, that was not something that was encouraged or promoted when I was growing up, he said.

Now 61 and having survived a cancer diagnosis a few years ago, Owen has come to the realization that life is short.

Do the things you want to do, he said.

When he saw Swerlings post on Nextdoor, he was thrilled. He messaged Swerling and told her of his interest, and she encouraged him to attend the first meeting. He was energized to learn to sew from someone with Hollywood experience. He showed up 20 minutes early  and sat in his car.

I was really nervous, he said. He was a guy in what surely would be a room full of women, but he also worried that everyone else would be an accomplished sewist. He was afraid hed feel way out of place. Id never even threaded a needle.

But he also knew if he went home without going in, he would regret it.
The AWCC has witnessed such cooperation. Early on, Ferraro said, a half-inch of rain could fall and the river would become quite muddy where many harmful practices were happening upstream. However, the U.S. Forest Service and private landowners have incorporated better practices into their land management and now, when it rains, Ferraro observed the water will be muddy for a few hours but then quickly returns to clear.

He waved a hand around at the native plants growing along the river bank on the hatchery property. Ferraro said, Were practicing what we preach. Known as riparian buffers, such plant zones create a buffer to prevent or slow pollutants entering a stream from runoff, control erosion and provide habitat and nutrition.

They also noted that some local governments along the Clinch have worked hard to improve conditions along their stretches of the river. Ferraro said some mussel species exist only near Cedar Bluff and that communitys leaders have taken proactive steps to protect them.

Humans want to do the right thing, said Lane. They just dont always have the information, he added, noting that current lifestyles often disconnect people from the world around them.
Youngkin has appeared to avoid linkage to Trump late in the campaign, hoping to retain the former presidents Virginia base while courting suburban swing voters by emphasizing hot-button education issues and his own proposals for lower taxes.

McAuliffe is touting his efforts as governor to diversify the economy and invest in education. He also has repeatedly tried to pin Youngkin to Trump.

The former president issued a statement Monday morning in which he tied himself to Youngkin and once again urged his supporters to turn out for the GOP nominee.

The Fake News media, together with some of the perverts doing ads ad nauseam on primarily Fox (Fox shouldnt take those ads!), are trying to create an impression that Glenn Youngkin and I are at odds and dont like each other, Trump said.

Importantly, this is not true, we get along very well together and strongly believe in many of the same policies. Especially when it comes to the important subject of education.

Trump again made unfounded charges about Virginias electoral process.
Doctor expresses concern

about vaccine protesters

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

No one likes to be told what to do. With four years at West Point followed by 20 years in the regular Army, I became accustomed to taking orders. That doesnt mean I liked them. Nonetheless, following orders was essential for the successful prosecution of our military missions, whether training for combat, actual engagement with hostile forces or treating casualties.

We didn't always understand the nuances of every order, but we followed them for the common good.

Now we suffer through a deadly pandemic. The greatest minds in public health, medicine and pharmacology have devised brilliant yet sometimes drastic measures to get us safely through this and save lives. The public has been asked to cooperate  wearing masks, keeping social distance, obtaining vaccinations. Yet a large percentage of our American populace resists, and the pandemic continues.
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The case that may have prompted Disneyland's actions involved one person whose illness was discovered in the nearby city of Hangzhou and had visited the theme park on Saturday, local media reported.

For hours on Sunday night, tens of thousands of families and visitors were stuck in the park as they waited for a negative test result that would allow them to leave.

The city announced Monday morning that all 33,863 people who had been at the park over the weekend had tested negative for COVID-19. They will be asked to get tested again and their health will be monitored.

One Disney fan, who gave her family name as Chen, said she was inside the park when she heard an announcement at 5 p.m. that everyone must get tested.

No one complained, and everyone behaved really well, Chen said. She said she holds an annual membership and visits the park at least once a month. She is waiting at a hotel for her second COVID-19 test before she can go back to Beijing.

Shanghai Disneyland is just the latest example of how far Chinese authorities will go to stop the spread of the virus.
So is critical race theory in public schools, but that hasnt stopped red state politicians from using the term to condemn just about any discussion of the nations fraught history with race and racism as unacceptably divisive.

What are embattled Democrats to do? First they need to recognize that there is a battle going on, whether they want to fight it at this time or not.

But Im not surprised to hear sounds of disappointment, confusion and simple exhaustion coming from many Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents. They dont have candidate Trump to kick around anymore  and unify them in their opposition.

For all the tense and passionate debates that have surrounded Bidens agenda, how many Americans of either party know whats in the legislation? As Democrats should have learned from their prolonged battle to pass the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, all the benefits of BBB have been poll-tested as popular among voters. But first, they have to know thats whats in the bill.

You have to say this for Trump  and I dont say much for him  the man is an expert salesman. In civilian and political life he knows how to boil complex issues down into simple slogans that kick up your pulse rate, one way or another.
 "Bloody Lucre: Carceral Labor and Prison Profit" | Main | "Sentencing Guidelines Abstention" 

November 1, 2021

Some notable dissents and a statement together with SCOTUS criminal justice cert denials

The merits cases scheduled to be argued before the Supreme Court this week on topics like abortion and gun rights are rightly getting a lot of attention. But the week has started with this order list in which Court has 5+ pages listing cases on which certiorari has been denied. In three cases involving criminal-law related issues, some Justices penned statements concerning these denials. Via How Appealing, here are the basics with links:

In Simmons v. United States, No. 20-1704, Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a statement, in which Justice Elena Kagan joined, respecting the denial of certiorari. In Coonce v. United States, No. 197862, Justice Sotomayor issued a dissent, in which Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Kagan joined, from the denial of certiorari. And in American Civil Liberties Union v. United States, No. 201499, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch issued a dissent, in which Justice Sotomayor joined, from the denial of certiorari.

The lengthiest and most notable of these separate opinions is in the Coonce case, where Justice Sotomayor starts her 11-page dissent this way:

Petitioner Wesley Paul Coonce, Jr., was convicted in federal court of murder. Facing the death penalty, he argued that his execution would violate the Eighth Amendment because he has an intellectual disability. See Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U. S. 304 (2002). The District Court denied Coonces Atkins claim without a hearing, the jury sentenced him to death, and the Eighth Circuit affirmed. In denying Coonce relief without a hearing, the courts relied on the definition of intellectual disability by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), which then required that an impairment manifest before age 18. It is undisputed that Coonces impairments fully manifested at age 20. After Coonce petitioned for certiorari, the AAIDD changed its definition to include impairments that, like Coonces, manifested before age 22. The Government urges us to grant certiorari, vacate the judgment below, and remand (GVR), conceding that it is reasonably probable that the Eighth Circuit would reach a different result on reconsideration given the significant shift in the definition that formed the basis of its opinion. Instead, the Court denies certiorari. Because Coonce is entitled to a hearing on his Atkins claim, and because our precedents counsel in favor of a GVR, I respectfully dissent.

One of many notable aspects of this case is highlighted by this observation in the dissent:

In light of the above, the material change in the AAIDDs leading definition of intellectual disability plainly warrants a GVR. To my knowledge, the Court has never before denied a GVR in a capital case where both parties have requested it, let alone where a new development has cast the decision below into such doubt.

I believe the defendant in this case will still be able to bring a 2255 motion, so the Justices voting to deny cert may be content to have these "execution competency" issues addressed in that setting. But Justice Sotomayor closes her dissent explaining why that seems to her insufficient:

I can only hope that the lower courts on collateral review will give Coonce the consideration that the Constitution demands. But this Court, too, has an obligation to protect our Constitutions mandates. It falls short of fulfilling that obligation today. The Court should have allowed the Eighth Circuit to reconsider Coonces compelling claim of intellectual disability, as both he and the Government requested. I respectfully dissent.

November 1, 2021 at 09:59 AM | Permalink

Comments

Footnote of sorts, SCOTUS recognizes U.S.'s admission of error in one case. The brief supplies the details ..

"now acknowledges that a veterinarian who personally injects a drug into an animal under her direct care in the course of her professional practice, without first issuing a written or oral order, has not engaged in misbranding under the FDCA."

https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/rojas-v-united-states/

Posted by: Joe | Nov 1, 2021 9:20:22 PM

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SINGAPORE  An Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) scientist who flashed at two women in a condominium and lay on another woman's bed naked was sentenced to 10 weeks' jail and a fine of $1,600 on Monday (1 November).

Xie Danpeng, 31, was then banned from entering the condominium, but he trespassed into its premises to take a pair of shoes. He used the pair of shoes as an excuse to return to the condominium later on.

The Chinese national had earlier pleaded guilty to a count of trespass, dishonest misappropriation of property, and two counts of sexual exposure. Another two charges of a similar nature were considered for his sentencing. The victims cannot be named as their identities are under a gag order.

Exposed his private parts

On 12 April last year, a 37-year-old woman was returning to her unit in the condominium after hanging laundry when she saw Xie standing in the common area. Xie had his penis exposed over the top of his shorts and was masturbating.

The woman filmed Xie with her phone, but Xie continued the act while staring at the woman.

The alarmed woman then fled to her unit and showed her employer the video. The employer called the police.

At around the same time, another woman, 26, was in her unit when she saw Xie masturbating. Xie also made eye contact with this woman. The woman hurriedly called out to her boyfriend, and the man ran out to the balcony to ask Xie what he was doing.

Xie fled to his unit, but the boyfriend later confronted him and reported the incident to the condominium's management. Xie was arrested but was released on bail.

After Xie was arrested, he was evicted from his unit and banned from entering the condominium from 14 April last year.

He tried to enter the premises a day later and the police were called in. He was then warned not to enter the area without permission. Xie was supposed to liaise with his landlord if he wanted to collect his belongings.

Story continues

Returned to the condo

On 19 April last year however, Xie returned to the condominium via an unlocked door leading to the rubbish collection area. He took a pair of shoes that was placed on a shoe rack outside the 26-year-old woman's unit.

He left the condominium and returned some half an hour later and told the 26-year-old woman that he was returning the shoes. The woman saw Xie at her front door when he dropped the shoes off.

The chairman of the Owner's Committee at the condominium lodged a police report in relation to the 19 April incident.

On 12 June last year, Xie trespassed into a 32-year-old woman's room. Court documents did not state where this woman lived, but that she and Xie were acquainted.

At about 11am, the woman returned to her room after breakfast and saw Xie lying naked on her bed. Before the incident, Xie had been walking around her unit wearing transparent underwear.

Separately, Xie stole a bicycle from outside Alexandra Retail Centre on 10 April last year. The bicycle was worth $600 and CCTV footage captured Xie riding away with it. The bicycle was not recovered.

Xie's lawyer, Chung Ting Fai, said his client suffered from exhibitionistic disorder, which contributed to his offending behaviour. Xie also has adjustment disorder with depressed mood.

According to the lawyer, Xie is still with A*Star and has been given a reduced workload. Before the lockdown, Xie had no problems at work, and his performance did not deteriorate while he was working from home.

An A*Star spokesperson said that Xie had been suspended since July this year. He added the company has commenced an internal disciplinary process against Xie, which will take into account his sentence.

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In the span of a few years, the component of cannabis called CBD (cannabidiol) went from being a relatively obscure molecule to a health care fad that has swept the world, spawning billions in sales, millions of users, CBD workout clothing, pillowcases, hamburgers, ice cream  you name it.

The concerns of such a rapid adoption are that enthusiasm might be soaring high above the actual science, and that there are safety issues, such as drug interactions, that are given short shrift in the enthusiasm to treat chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, and many of the other conditions that CBD is believed to help alleviate.

Cannabis, however, consists of about 600 molecules, some 140 of which are called cannabinoids because they work on our bodys endocannabinoid system  a vast system of chemical messengers and receptors that help control many of our most critical bodily systems such as appetite, inflammation, temperature, emotional processing, memory, and learning.

It was only a matter of time until new cannabinoids were discovered and commercialized.

What are some of these newer cannabinoids, and what is the evidence they may help us?

Unfortunately, much of the data for these newly discovered compounds comes from animal studies, so it is going to take some time  and high-quality research  to determine if the benefits that have been found in animals will apply to humans.

CBG

CBG, or cannabigerol, is a nonintoxicating cannabinoid that is being marketed for the alleviation of anxiety, pain, infection, inflammation, nausea, and even the treatment of cancer. It has a wide variety of potential medical uses, but virtually all of the studies that have been done on it have been done in animals, so it is difficult to fully extrapolate to humans. Experiments in mice have shown that it can decrease inflammation associated with inflammatory bowel disease, and that it can slow the growth of colorectal cancer. In cells, it inhibits glioblastoma multiforme cells (the type of brain cancer that Sen. John McCain suffered from).

CBG has also been shown to act as an antimicrobial against many agents, including the difficult-to-treat MRSA bug that causes so many hospital-acquired infections. Additionally, CBG is an appetite stimulant, and it may help treat bladder contractions. Currently, one main danger in its use lies in the lack of regulation and standardization that accompanies the entire supplement industry in this country, so it isnt always guaranteed that you are getting what you think you are getting  and this is true for all of the substances discussed in this post.

THCV

THCV, or tetrahydrocannabivarin, is potentially exciting because it may support efforts to treat our obesity and diabetes epidemics. There is robust animal data that it lowers fasting insulin levels, facilitates weight loss, and improves glycemic control. In a 2016 study published in Diabetes Care, THCV was shown to significantly improve fasting glucose, pancreatic beta cell function (the cells that make insulin and that ultimately fail in diabetes), as well as several other hormones associated with diabetes. In both animals and humans, it has been well tolerated without significant side effects. In places like Israel, where the study of cannabinoids is far more advanced than the United States, strains with high levels of cannabinoids such as THCV (and low levels of THC) are being cultivated so that they can be studied.

CBN

The cannabinoid CBN, or cannabinol, is present in trace amounts in the cannabis plant, but is mainly a byproduct of the degradation of THC. Marijuana that has been sitting around for too long has a reputation for becoming sleepy old marijuana  purportedly because of higher CBN concentrations in it, though there are other plausible explanations for this phenomenon.

CBN is widely marketed for its sedative and sleep-inducing qualities, but if you review the literature, it is interesting to note that there is virtually no scientific evidence that CBN makes you sleepy, except for one study of rats that were already on barbiturates and slept longer when CBN was added. This isnt to say that CBN doesnt make people sleepy  as many people claim  just that it hasnt been scientifically established yet.

Usually with claims about cannabinoids, there is some evidence, at least in animal studies, to back them. CBN does, however, have potential (though only in animal studies so far) to act as an appetite stimulant and an anti-inflammatory agent  both extremely important medical uses, if they pan out in humans. One recent study from Israel in humans demonstrated that strains of cannabis higher in CBN were associated with better symptom control of ADHD. We need more human studies before marketing claims about the benefits of CBN are supported by science.

Delta-8-THC

Delta-8-THC is found in trace quantities in cannabis, but can be distilled and synthesized from hemp. It is increasingly being marketed as medical marijuana with less of the high and less of the anxiety that can come with this high. Unlike the other compounds discussed here, Delta-8-THC is an intoxicating cannabinoid, but it has only a fraction of the high that THC causes  and much less of the accompanying anxiety and paranoia. It can alleviate many of the same symptoms that cannabis can, making it a potentially attractive medicine for people who want little to do with the high of cannabis. It is thought to be especially helpful for nausea and appetite stimulation.

There is some evidence (albeit from a very small study of 10 children) that suggests delta-8-THC may be an effective option to prevent vomiting during chemotherapy treatments for cancer. While the claims for delta-8 are intriguing, there is a lack of good human studies to substantiate its efficacy or safety, so we need to take the marketing claims with a grain of salt.

Renewed interest in cannabis research

As acceptance of medical cannabis is growing  currently, 94% of Americans support legal access to medical cannabis  the one thing that virtually everyone agrees on is the need for further research into cannabis and cannabinoids: their benefits, their harms, and the ways we can develop and safely use them to improve human health. We are in the midst of an incredibly exciting time, with new discoveries occurring daily in cannabinoid science, and I am eager to see what the future holds.

However, just as weve learned from our experiences with CBD, we need to be patient and filter our enthusiasm through the calm lens of science. Most of all, we need to be smart consumers who can find the true benefits amidst the complexity of political agendas and marketing claims that seem to accompany all things related to cannabis.

(Peter Grinspoon, M.D., is a contributor to Harvard Health Publications.)

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By the end of July, only 17 Nebraskans who had received the COVID-19 vaccine had died of the disease. At the same time, anywhere from 90-95% of people who were in hospitals fighting the disease were unvaccinated.

Though vaccines continue to provide strong protection against the disease, especially against serious cases, more and more vaccinated people are winding up in hospitals and more are dying.

Lancaster County has had 23 COVID-19 deaths this month, and 12 of those people have been vaccinated. In Douglas County, about one-third of the people who have died this month have been either partially or fully vaccinated.

While it does report the vaccination status of people who die of COVID-19, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department does not report the number of overall infections in vaccinated people nor whether those in the hospital have been vaccinated or not.

However, Bryan Health reports daily on the vaccination status of its hospital patients, and the numbers show that the percentage of vaccinated people occupying beds at its two Lincoln hospital campuses is increasing.

As of Wednesday, the most recent data available, 23 of 63 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were vaccinated, which amounts to about 37%. That's down slightly from a week ago, when 40% of COVID patients hospitalized at Bryan were vaccinated.

Those numbers are part of a growing trend as the calendar prepares to turn to November.

On Sept. 30, only 12% of hospitalized COVID patients at Bryan were vaccinated. A week later, it climbed to 23%, and within two weeks, it had reached 41%.

Dr. John Trapp, chief medical officer at Bryan Medical Center, said the increase in hospitalizations of those with COVID vaccinations is driven mostly by older patients, those 65 and older, and people with serious health issues, such as a compromised immune system.

"I really believe you're seeing waning efficacy of the vaccine," he said.

Trapp pointed out that since older people were among the first to get the vaccines, they are now well past the six-month threshold at which booster shots are recommended for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The Pfizer booster shots have been available for more than a month, while the Moderna boosters became available last week.

He said that the trend Bryan is seeing now with increased infections in vaccinated people is similar to what other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Israel, have seen.

Studies have shown that the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine drops from more than 90% initially to around 50% after 5-6 months. The Moderna vaccine appears to perform slightly better, with its efficacy dropping to about 65% after six months.

A booster shot is recommended after two months for those who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Both Trapp and Dr. James Lawler, a co-executive director of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security, pointed out that it is still predominantly people over age 65 and those with serious health conditions who have especially troubling vaccine breakthrough cases.

That's borne out in the numbers from Bryan, which show that as of Wednesday there were only two vaccinated patients in intensive care  both over the age of 75  and none on ventilators. Among the 12 vaccinated people who have died from COVID-19 this month in Lancaster County, all but one were older than 70.

While Lawler said it's likely that those over age 65 are seeing some decreased effectiveness of their vaccines, he also pointed out that because that age group is so highly vaccinated, it becomes more and more likely that cases will be in vaccinated people. In Lancaster County, for instance, more than 90% of all residents over the age of 65 are fully vaccinated.

Even with the increase in hospitalizations among vaccinated people, Lawler said he's still confident the vaccines are doing their job in preventing serious disease.

Since 75% of Lancaster County adults are vaccinated, he said you'd expect three times as many vaccinated people hospitalized if the vaccines were ineffective. Instead, the percentages are almost the reverse of that.

Vaccination continues to have "a dramatically significant impact in reducing hospitalization and death in our community," Lawler said.

But getting a booster shot is important, especially for those over 65 and anyone with serious health issues, and it will help to reduce hospitalizations among vaccinated people, Trapp said.

"If you're eligible for the booster, get the booster."

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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SIOUX CITY -- By voting to approve its consent agenda Monday, the Sioux City Council awarded a contract to a Hartington, Nebraska, painting contractor to sandblast, paint and caulk Leif Erikson pool.

Invitations to bid were sent to 10 vendors able to provide general contracting services in addition to being posted on the city's website. Three bids were received for the project, according to city documents.

Miller Painting, Inc. submitted the low bid of $81,842.

Before the vote, Councilman Pete Groetken asked Sioux City Parks and Recreation Director Matt Salvatore whether the pool is continuing to settle.

"We survey it every spring and fall. There's been almost no movement over the last three years," Salvatore said

The project will be funded through the city's FY 2022 Capital Improvement Program.

City staff have planned for the eventual replacement of Leif Erikson with a splash pad and the construction of a proposed regional aquatic center in Morningside east of the IBP Ice Center, which would replace the Lewis pool. An $8.5 million request for the project in the 2025-26 fiscal year is part of the city's five-year capital improvements budget.

In January, Mayor Bob Scott suggested staff consider placing the regional aquatic center in the vicinity of Northern Valley Crossing, a prime site for retail and commercial development on the southeast corner of Floyd Boulevard, rather than in Morningside.

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SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Council will be asked Monday to award a contract to a Hartington, Nebraska, painting contractor to sandblast, paint and caulk Leif Erikson pool.

Invitations to bid were sent to 10 vendors able to provide general contracting services in addition to being posted on the city's website. Three bids were received for the project, according to city documents.

Miller Painting, Inc. submitted the low bid of $81,842.

If approved by the council, the project will be funded through the city's FY 2022 Capital Improvement Program.

In spite of previous concerns that Leif Erikson pool was sinking, John Byrnes, the city's recreation supervisor, told The Journal in August that the pool hasn't moved in the last three years.

"As far as the maintenance goes, sure, it's an older pool, but it is holding up," he said.

City staff have planned for the eventual replacement of Leif Erikson with a splash pad and the construction of a proposed regional aquatic center in Morningside east of IBP Ice Center, which would replace Lewis. A $8.5 million request for the project in the 2025-26 fiscal year is part of the city's five-year capital improvements budget.

In January, Mayor Bob Scott suggested staff consider placing the regional aquatic center in the vicinity of Northern Valley Crossing, a prime site for retail and commercial development on the southeast corner of Floyd Boulevard, rather than in Morningside.

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  In a markedly more humble tone for a U.S. leader, President Joe Biden acknowledged at a U.N. summit Monday that the United States and other energy-gulping developed nations bear much of the responsibility for climate change, and said actions taken this decade to contain global warming will be decisive in preventing future generations from suffering.

"None of us can escape the worst that is yet to come if we fail to seize this moment, Biden declared.

The president treated the already visible crisis for the planet  flooding, volatile weather, droughts and wildfires  as a unique opportunity to reinvent the global economy. Standing before world leaders gathered in Scotland, he sought to portray the enormous costs of limiting emissions from coal, oil and natural gas as a chance to create jobs by transitioning to renewable energy and electric automobiles.

Yet he also apologized for former President Donald Trump's decision to leave the Paris Agreement and the role the U.S. and other wealthy countries played in contributing to climate change.

Those of us who are responsible for much of the deforestation and all of the problems we have so far, Biden said, have "overwhelming obligations to the poorer nations that account for few of the emissions yet are paying a price as the planet has grown hotter.

As for Trump's action, Biden said: I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit.

His words, in seemingly impromptu comments, appeared a break from past comments of many U.S. leaders, who either made little mention of U.S. responsibility for the warming earth or  as Biden himself did on the eve of the climate summit  blamed China as the world's current biggest emitter of climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes.

Over history, scientists say, its the United States that has pumped out the most climate-damaging pollution of any nation, as coal, diesel and gasoline powered the United States and other developed nations to wealth.

Biden, who briefly closed his eyes at one point during the speeches, used the summit to announce he planned to work with the U.S. Congress to provide $3 billion annually to help poorer countries and communities cope with climate damage, as developing nations increasingly are demanding of established, wealthier economies.

At Glasgow, the magnitude of the moment is crashing head-first into complicated global and domestic politics. The Biden administration is exhorting other nations to make big, fast emissions cuts to stave off the worst scenarios of global warming. But the president is simultaneously fighting to nail down his own climate investments with Congress that would keep the U.S. on track with Biden's own pledges.

Well demonstrate to the world the United States is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example, Biden said. I know it hasnt been the case, and thats why my administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words.

The summit is often billed as essential to putting into action the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, which Biden rejoined after becoming president this year. The Trump administration largely withdrew from hands-on diplomacy. Part of Biden's efforts at the climate summit and the gathering of the Group of 20 nations in Rome last weekend was to reestablish the U.S. as a partner.

But Biden and his administration face obstacles in prodding the U.S. and other nations to act fast enough on climate, abroad as at home. In the runup to the climate summit, the administration has tried hard to temper expectations that two weeks of talks involving more than 100 world leaders will produce major breakthroughs.

Rather than a quick fix, Glasgow is the beginning of this decade race, if you will, Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, told reporters Sunday.

As the summit opened, the U.S. was still struggling to get some of the world's biggest climate polluters  China, Russia and India  to make stronger pledges to burn far less coal, gas and oil and to move to cleaner energy. China under President Xi Jinping has made firmer commitments to cut back on coal power and make other cuts, but not at the pace that the United States and its allies are asking.

Scientists say massive, fast cuts in fossil fuel pollution over the next several years are essential to having any hope of keeping global warming at or below the limits set in the Paris climate accord.

Trump before his presidency famously accused China of manufacturing climate change, and Trump's administration invariably pointed to China as the top climate offender in justifying its rollbacks of U.S. climate measures.

Biden, too, said he was disappointed that the Group of 20 summit in Rome before the Glasgow gathering failed to nail down stronger promises on climate.

Russia and China basically didn't show up at the Rome meeting with new climate commitments, Biden told reporters Sunday night. Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor China's Xi attended the G-20 and climate summits. Xi sent a senior official, his climate envoy, to the Glasgow summit.

The Biden administration on Monday also released its strategy for transforming the U.S. into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050.

The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris agreement, would increasingly run the world's largest economy on wind, solar and other clean energy. More Americans would zip around in electric vehicles and on mass transit. And state-of-the-art technology and wide open spaces carefully preserved could soak up carbon dioxide from the air.

As with much of Biden's climate promises, fulfillment of the long-term strategy depends in part on lawmakers and American voters, both blocs that are now sharply divided.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with the president that climate change should not viewed as a rivalry between the U.S. and China, as China, the worlds second largest economy, could act on its own.

Nothing about the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and China, structurally or otherwise, impedes or stands in the way of them doing their part," Sullivan said.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Kyle Rittenhouse, the aspiring police officer who gunned down three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a protest against racism and police brutality, is white. So were those he shot. But for many, his trial next week will be watched closely as the latest referendum on race and the American legal system.
One rural Nebraska county is giving a generous thank you to employees who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic: bonuses of up to $10,000 each, using federal coronavirus recovery funds.

The bonuses, which were approved in August, were described as hazard pay for the 50 or so employees of Morrill County in the Nebraska Panhandle.

Using the money for premium pay is allowed under the American Rescue Plan Act that was passed in March, according to officials with the Nebraska Association of County Officials and the Morrill County attorney.

Morrill County is slated to receive about $902,000 from the federal program. It used the first half of the allotment, which arrived this spring, for the bonuses.

Officials there maintain that the courthouse in Bridgeport was one of the only ones in the state to remain open throughout the pandemic, which began in March 2020, and the bonuses were warranted.

There were a lot of things you couldnt use it for, said Jeff Metz of Angora, chairman of the three-member Morrill County Board. We ran across that one of the allowable expenses was hazard pay. We felt that fit with what we were trying to do.

It sent a nice message to the employees, Metz added.

A couple of Morrill County residents had mixed views.

Holy cow, said former Bridgeport Mayor Jack Berg, who had not heard about the bonuses. Later, he called back to say it was probably justified.

Ill take a check for 10 grand, said Josh Schwartzkopf, who runs a tire store in Bridgeport.

But county employees likely deserved a bonus more than the people sitting on their butts collecting my (tax) money, Schwartzkopf said in reference to people collecting enhanced unemployment benefits.

Most of the states 93 counties are still pondering how to use their slice of the roughly $376 million in American Rescue Plan funds earmarked for counties, said Jon Cannon, executive director of the Nebraska Association of County Officials.

Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy counties have created committees or task forces to help decide how to allocate their funds. Officials in Dakota, Saunders and Nuckolls counties said theyre still pondering what to do.

The state recently held a public hearing to solicit ideas on how to spend the $1 billion it expects to receive, and Gov. Pete Ricketts says hell introduce a proposal in January on how to spend it.

Most of the county officials interviewed expressed frustration that the federal funds cant be used, under current guidelines, for normal county expenses, such as maintaining roads, replacing bridges or buying equipment.

But that may change. The U.S. Senate recently advanced a proposal to allow funding for regular government services, and the House of Representatives will consider a similar measure.

So some county officials are waiting and watching. Time is on their side  counties, cities and states have until Dec. 31, 2024, to obligate their American Rescue Plan funds. They have until the end of 2026 to actually spend the money.

One of the things we preach to our folks is that were not in a rush, we have time, said Cannon, of the county officials group.

Right now, the money can be used for four general purposes:

* Responding to a public health emergency and the negative impacts of COVID-19, such as providing grants to impacted businesses.

* Maintaining government services impacted by a reduction in tax revenue caused by the pandemic. While there werent losses in property taxes, some counties saw a drop in lodging taxes, according to Cannon, when people stopped booking hotel and motel stays.

* Water, sewer or broadband infrastructure. Cannon said that right now, counties might be able to use funds for box culverts if the projects qualify under federal Clean Water Act guidelines, but cant use the money for bridge replacement. Several rural counties are interested in using funds for expanding broadband services, he said, but the state has devoted $40 million over the next two years to that effort, so there are questions about how the county funds might fit in.

* Premium pay for essential employees, such as the bonuses given in Morrill County. Elected county officials are not eligible for the bonuses because their pay is set by statute.

Cannon said he expects several counties to provide at least some bonuses for county employees. But other county officials were less sure of that idea.

Bill Conley, chief financial officer for Sarpy County, said he didnt think employee bonuses were under consideration there because the county has fielded plenty of proposals for really worthwhile, one-time projects.

Sarpy County set up a webpage and is soliciting ideas for how to spend the money. Conley said the county has already spent about $300,000 of its $36 million allotment for emergency housing assistance and food and clothing for the needy.

Saunders County Clerk Patti Lindgren said her office employees probably deserved a bonus because, during September 2020, they all worked in isolation in their third-floor office after one worker tested positive. The office was closed to the public except via telephone calls or drop boxes, she said, but employees continued to do their work by entering through a separate entrance and at different times to avoid exposing others. Lindgren said she came in at night to work after other staff had left.

But when asked if she supported hazard pay for county workers, Lindgren said she wasnt so sure.

Im a little old-fashioned, she said. You do what you gotta do.

Dakota County Board member Bob Giese said his board is in no hurry to make a decision, given the far-off deadline. And Nuckolls County Clerk Carrie Miller said board members in her rural county are eyeing federal funds to improve internet service, but theyre a long way from making a decision.

Morrill County appears to be one of the few counties to have decided how to spend its initial allocation so far.

Board member Josh Schmidt of Bridgeport said he supported the hazard pay idea to recognize what the employees and their families went through to keep it as close to business as usual as we could.

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After a year of falsehoods surrounding the 2020 presidential election, Republican-led ballot reviews and new voting rules passed by GOP lawmakers, election officials are hoping a smooth election on Tuesday will demonstrate that the system works.

The off-year elections feature local contests for mayor, city council and school board in communities across the country. Voters in some states will be deciding statewide ballot initiatives. And New Jersey and Virginia will elect governors.

There is an opportunity here to show the world and to show America that democracy is going to keep going, and election officials will keep doing their job despite all the rhetoric, said Jennifer Morrell, a former elections clerk in Utah and Colorado who now advises election offices on security and other issues.

Heres a look at some of the major election and voting issues heading into Tuesday:

HAS ANYTHING CHANGED SINCE 2020?

The pandemic triggered unprecedented challenges for election officials last year. Some states implemented emergency changes to help make mail voting easier for people wary of crowded polling places. Some of these pandemic-related changes have been made permanent, while others have expired.

In Virginia, voters must now remember to add a witness signature to their mail ballots  a requirement that was waived last year. Election officials there say they are seeing some ballots arriving without the witness signature and are reaching out to voters to provide information on how it can be fixed so these ballots will count.

WHAT ABOUT NEW VOTING RESTRICTIONS?

Several states controlled politically by Republicans passed laws this year that tighten voting rules and add new hurdles for mail ballots. Republican lawmakers said the changes were needed to improve security and boost public confidence after the 2020 election. Some of these changes will not take effect until later elections, but new rules are in place in Florida, Georgia and Iowa. In Florida and Georgia, ID requirements have been added for mail voting. In Iowa, voters have fewer days and locations to vote early in person and less time to request and return mail ballots. The states second largest county reported last week that more than 250 people were denied mail ballots under a new deadline requiring they be requested at least 15 days before an election  instead of the previous 11 days.

WHAT OTHER CHALLENGES ARE FACING VOTERS?

In Louisiana, election officials are still dealing with the destruction of Hurricane Ida, which forced officials to push back the election to Nov. 13. Thousands of voters will be casting ballots at different polling locations. Some voting sites have been set up in tents because there are few buildings in the immediate area that were not damaged from the Aug. 29 storm. Officials are using mail, advertising and signs to notify voters of the polling place changes.

WHAT OTHER CHALLENGES ARE FACING ELECTION OFFICIALS?

Election officials are facing a level of distrust from a segment of the public who believe the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, despite no evidence of widespread fraud. As a result of these false claims, election officials have been targeted with a flood of threats and harassment related to their job. At a U.S. Senate hearing last week, election officials from both parties described receiving death threats and urged Congress to pass legislation boosting protections for election workers.

I never once thought when I started in elections that I would have to teach de-escalation tactics to our workers, but thats sort of where we are at right now, Natalie Adona, assistant clerk-recorder for Californias Nevada County said during a discussion last week hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center.

WHAT ARE ELECTION OFFICIALS DOING ABOUT MISINFORMATION?

One change election officials have made is boosting their voter education and outreach efforts, to answer questions from skeptics and reassure others that elections remain fair and secure: Sunlight and transparency are our friends, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said. Last week, a group of local election officials in Florida issued a statement warning of the dangers of misinformation and disinformation sowing discord and undermining faith in U.S. elections. The group called on voters to dedicate themselves to learning about the many safeguards already in place that guarantee the accuracy of Floridas elections.

Some officials are even using the questions from voters as an opportunity to recruit workers. I say, Come on in, come work for us,' said George Stern, clerk-recorder for Colorados Jefferson County. When you actually see the checks in the process, you start to say, Oh, OK, thats right, they are verifying the signature on every ballot so someone couldnt mail in 20,000 ballots from a foreign country.'

IS MAIL VOTING LESS SECURE THAN VOTING IN PERSON?

Numerous safeguards are in place to ensure that people casting mail ballots are who they say they are and only vote once. Voter fraud does happen, but it is exceedingly rare amid the tens of millions of ballots cast in federal elections every two years.

Election officials say the relentless attacks on mail voting and unsubstantiated claims of fraud over the last few years have taken a toll. It became a bit of a tsunami of disinformation that was really designed to cast doubt on the process, said Amber McReynolds, former Denver elections clerk who now leads the National Vote at Home Institute. That is a direct attack on our democracy and our voting process, and it certainly makes it difficult for election officials to do their jobs. But more importantly, it deteriorates peoples trust in the process.

Peipert reported from Golden, Colorado. Associated Press writer Ryan J. Foley in Iowa City, Iowa, and Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Kyle Rittenhouse trial coverage:

The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse opened Monday with the challenging task of seating jurors who hadn't already made up their minds about the young aspiring police officer who shot two people to death and wounded a third during a night of anti-racism protests in Kenosha last year.

The jury that is ultimately selected in the politically charged case will have to decide whether Rittenhouse acted in self-defense, as his lawyers claim, or was engaged in vigilantism when he opened fire with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle.

By late afternoon, at least 28 of the 150 or so prospective jurors summoned had been dismissed, about a dozen of them because they had strong opinions about the case or doubts they could be fair. Some also expressed fear about serving on the jury because of public anger but were not immediately let go.

Rittenhouse was 17 when he traveled to Kenosha from his home in Illinois, just across the Wisconsin state line, during unrest that broke out in August 2020 after a white Kenosha police officer shot and wounded Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back. Rittenhouse said he went there to protect property after two previous nights marked by arson, gunfire and the ransacking of businesses.

The now-18-year-old Rittenhouse faces life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge against him, first-degree homicide.

As jury selection got underway, Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder stressed repeatedly that jurors must decide the case solely on what they hear in the courtroom, and cautioned: This is not a political trial.

It was mentioned by both political campaigns and the presidential campaign last year, in some instances very, very imprudently," he said.

The judge said Rittenhouse's constitutional right to a fair trial, not the Second Amendment right to bear arms, will come into play, and "I dont want it to get sidetracked into other issues.

Among those dismissed by the judge were a man who said he was at the site of the protests when all that happened and a woman who said she knew one of the potential witnesses in the case well and would probably give more weight to that person's testimony.

Another woman who said she watched a livestream video of what happened was dismissed because she wasnt sure if she could put aside what she saw. One person was dropped from the case after she said she believes in the Biblical injunction Thou shall not kill even in cases of self-defense. A man who said he had been commenting consistently on news feeds and Facebook was also excused.

A man said his son is friends with the person who bought the gun that Rittenhouse later used in the shooting. He was not immediately dismissed by the judge.

Under questioning by prosecutor Thomas Binger, some prospective jurors said they left town during the unrest. Others took precautions by moving vehicles or boarding up businesses. One said she got a gun to protect herself and her family.

After all of that  neighbors yelling that I shouldnt have my flag hanging, my United States of America flag should not be up for whatever reason  I left it up and I got a gun, the woman said.

One woman told Binger she feared there would be friction in her marriage if she came to a verdict that went against her husbands opinion. The judge put her questioning aside for the time being without dismissing her.

The prosecutor also moved to dismiss a woman who said that she has a biracial granddaughter who participated in some of the protests and that she could not be impartial. Rittenhouses attorneys had no objection.

Binger asked if any of the jurors had donated money to support Rittenhouse, or if they knew anyone who did. None said so.

Rittenhouse has been painted by supporters on the right as a patriot who took a stand against lawlessness by demonstrators and exercised his Second Amendment gun rights. Others see him as a vigilante and police wannabe who never should have been armed in Kenosha in the first place.

Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot, but many are watching his trial as the latest referendum on race and the American legal system, in part because the protesters were on the streets to decry police violence against Black people.

Rittenhouses attorney got a prospective juror dropped after she said she would find Rittenhouse guilty of all charges just because he was carrying an assault-style weapon. I dont think a weapon like that should belong to the general public, the woman said.

Two prospective jurors said they would be nervous about serving, though the judge assured them precautions would be taken to keep them safe.

My fear is walking out of any of the days of court and just wondering what were walking out to," said one. "What are our cars going to look like when were going out them? Are they going to be slashed? Are they going to be damaged? Am I going to be able to get home safe?

The other said she did not want to serve on the Rittenhouse jury because either way this goes youre going to have half the country upset with you and they react poorly. She said: I dont want people to come after in their haze of craze.

The start of jury selection was briefly delayed in the morning for unexplained reasons. During the delay, the judge played a mock game of Jeopardy! with prospective jurors in the courtroom, something he sometimes does as attorneys get organized.

Schroeder told the potential jurors he would select 20 of them  12 jurors and eight alternates  to hear the case, which is expected to last about two weeks. He said he will almost certainly not sequester the jury.

Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, after Rosenbaum chased Rittenhouse across a parking lot and threw a plastic bag at him shortly before midnight on Aug. 25. Moments later, as Rittenhouse was running down a street, he shot and killed Anthony Huber, 26, a protester from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, a protester from West Allis, Wisconsin.

Bystander video captured Rosenbaum chasing Rittenhouse but not the actual shooting. Video showed Huber swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse before he was shot. Grosskreutz had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse faces two homicide counts and one of attempted homicide, along with charges of reckless endangering and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Sydneys international airport came alive with tears, embraces and laughter on Monday as Australia opened its border for the first time in 20 months, with some arriving travelers removing mandatory masks to see the faces of loved ones theyve been separated from for so long.

Australia and other countries in the Asia-Pacific have had some of the worlds strictest COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures and travel restrictions, but with vaccination rates rising and cases falling, many are now starting to cautiously reopen.

Some, like China and Japan, remain essentially sealed off to foreign visitors, but Thailand also started to substantially reopen Monday and many others have already started, or plan to follow suit.

Traveler Carly Boyd seized the opportunity presented by the new Australian regulations to jump on the first flight home from New York to surprise her parents, whom she hadn't seen in three years.

Just being able to come home without having to go to quarantine is huge, she told reporters at Sydneys airport, where the country's unofficial anthem I Still Call Australia Home was playing.

Theres a lot of people on that flight who have loved ones who are about to die or have people who died this week, so for them to be able to get off the plane and go see them straight away is pretty amazing.

In Thailand, a country where tourism accounted for some 20% of the economy before the pandemic, the lockdown has caused massive job losses and hardship, and the government hopes the return of foreign visitors will provide a much-needed boost.

Still, only a few months removed from a surge fueled by the delta variant of the virus that saw deaths rise dramatically, many Thais remain worried that an influx of outsiders could trigger new outbreaks.

Bangkok taxi driver Issarapong Paingam lost his mother to COVID-19 during the recent surge, and said it would make more sense to him for the government to focus its attention fully on reopening domestically before introducing foreign travelers into the mix.

The government has not yet told the public what they would do if an outbreak takes place again, the 34-year-old said. "I dont understand why they dont let people in the country live normally as a trial to see the trend (of COVID-19 cases) before welcoming tourists.

Thailand has allowed residents to travel during the pandemic, but mandated a strict two-week quarantine in specially designated hotels for people entering the country.

Foreign arrivals plummeted from 40 million in 2019 to 6.69 million in 2020  almost all in the first three months before the pandemic restrictions were introduced  to fewer than 100,000 so far in 2021.

Monday's reopening builds on a pilot scheme launched in July on the resort island of Phuket, which allowed fully vaccinated travelers from selected countries to spend their quarantine moving around the island instead of in a hotel room.

Starting Monday, if travelers are fully vaccinated and from one of 63 countries and territories deemed low risk  which some cynical Thais have noted seem to be based more on spending power than coronavirus infections  they are exempt from quarantine. They need to spend one night at a designated hotel and can't check out until they have a negative COVID-19 test, but then are free to travel.

Travelers from countries not on the preferred list or those who are unvaccinated are still subject to various quarantine rules.

Restrictions are also being relaxed in the destination areas, including widespread reopening of businesses and other facilities such as department stores, spas, tattoo shops, schools and sporting events.

With the combination of strict screening of visitors and higher vaccination rates in Thailand, Supat Hasuwannakit, president of Thailands Rural Doctor Society, said he is not concerned about foreign tourists sparking a new surge in cases.

But he said he does worry about the planned reopening of bars and clubs in December, noting that recent domestic outbreaks came after the government allowed people to gather for activities such as religious services and weddings.

Once people start to gather, eat and drink, it has a high possibility to create a new outbreak, he said. Most bars and nightclubs are indoors with bad airflow, so it is easy for COVID-19 to spread once they reopen.

Rules requiring masks and distancing remain in place, much like other countries in the region that have begun reopening.

In India, which saw a peak of 400,000 daily cases in April and May, officials have been warning that people need to continue following such restrictions to avoid causing super spreader events during the holiday season as the country gradually reopens.

India began granting tourist visas on Oct. 15 for fully vaccinated people arriving on charter flights, and will extend them to tourists on commercial flights starting Nov. 15.

Neighboring Sri Lanka has already started to allow fully vaccinated travelers without quarantines, and partially or non-vaccinated people with some restrictions. South Korea, which on Monday began to allow larger social gatherings and lifted operating-hour restrictions on restaurants, has a similar scheme.

Vietnam is still closed but plans to open the popular resort island of Phu Quoc to fully vaccinated vacationers by the end of the month, and neighboring Cambodia, which on Monday lifted restrictions on domestic travel, has a similar plan to open two seaside provinces to international travelers. Malaysia intends to open its northern resort island of Langkawi on Nov. 15 to fully vaccinated tourists.

Australia is betting that vaccination rates are now high enough to mitigate the danger of allowing international travel.

Initially only Australian permanent residents and citizens will be free to enter the country. Fully vaccinated foreigners traveling on skilled worker and student visas will be given priority over international tourists.

But the government expects Australia will welcome international tourists back to some degree before the year ends.

Already, Australia announced Monday that vaccinated tourists from Singapore  which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world  will be welcome from Nov. 21 under a bilateral agreement.

The new freedoms also mean that fully vaccinated Australian permanent residents and citizens can leave the country for any reason without asking the government for an exemption from a travel ban that has trapped most at home since March 25, 2020.

Sydney was the first Australian airport to announce it would reopen Monday because New South Wales was the first state where 80% of the population aged 16 and older has been fully vaccinated. Melbourne and the national capital, Canberra, also opened on Monday after Victoria state and the Australian Capital Territory achieved the vaccination benchmark.

Even though Australians are now free to travel overseas, four Australian states and a territory are still maintaining pandemic restrictions on crossing state lines.

Australian Ethen Carter, who landed at Sydney's airport from Los Angeles on Monday, expressed his frustration at having to apply for permission to visit his dying mother in Western Australia state.

He pleaded through the media to Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan, who has said the state border will not open this year, to let him in.

Mark, think of the people that are suffering, like, mentally to see their family. Thats also a health issue," Carter said. "And we know weve got to protect peoples lives, but youve got to bring families together again, you have to.

McGowan said his government would consider allowing Carter to enter the state if he applies for an exemption.

These situations are very sad and very difficult and weve seen much of this over the course of the last two years, McGowan said.

 Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press journalists Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok and Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
TOKYO (AP)  Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says Japan should revitalize its economy through new capitalism." Many in this avidly capitalist country are puzzled over exactly what he has in mind.

Kishida has said he believes a more equal distribution of wealth is needed to prevent the worlds third largest economy from sinking into stagnation. That sounds dramatic, but analysts say he doesnt stand for drastic change.

The conservative, pro-U.S. and pro-business Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan almost continuously since World War II, won a better-than-expected 261 seats Sunday in the lower house of Parliament, comfortably exceeding the 233 seats needed and giving Kishida a mandate, at least for now.

With this definite support from the people, I will dedicate myself to working on policies and parliamentary efforts, said Kishida, chosen as head of the governing party just a month earlier.

The Liberal Democrats prevailed over weaker opposition parties despite widespread unhappiness, until a recent drop in cases, with the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic, perennial corruption scandals and a failure to deliver on promises for sweeping reforms intended to drive much faster growth.

Kishida appears unlikely to stray far from the pro-market policies of the past decade. Under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who stayed in office from late 2012-mid-2020, the economy limped along with massive help from the central bank's ultra-cheap credit and government spending. Abe's successor, Yoshihide Suga, stuck with that Abenomics" program.

Now, Japanese are waiting to see what Kishidanomics" will bring.

Kishidanomics remains a complete mystery to me, said Kinuko Kuwabara, a free-lancer in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.

What people really want tackled are coronavirus pandemic measures and corruption in high places, she said.

Maybe Kishida himself isnt sure what he plans to do, said Hideo Kumano, executive chief economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute.

All we have are slogans. Its unclear how much you can really believe them and how they can be realized.

Topping Kishidas to-do list is another big dose of government spending to help Japan recover from the COVID-19 shock. The economy grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.9% in the April-June quarter, a tepid pace considering the severity of the pandemic downturn in 2020.

When taking office, Kishida said he believed raising the tax on capital gains would help to rebalance an economy that is growing increasingly unequal. Although the disparity of wealth is greater statistically in the U.S. than in Japan, Americans have access to more generous social welfare programs, according to OECD data. That means poverty is a growing problem in Japan, especially among single mothers struggling to make a living wage.

Kishida backtracked from talk of raising taxes after a few days of stock market sell-offs, saying a higher capital gains tax  which would help redress Japan's highly regressive tax regime  would have to wait until the economy was growing at a much stronger pace.

He now says he hopes to drive growth by slashing corporate taxes  which Abe also did  in the classic trickle down" strategy of encouraging companies to raise wages.

That approach has fallen flat, however, as companies hoarded their earnings. Instead, a growing share of workers are employed part-time or on contracts that don't provide full benefits. The tax system, meanwhile, penalizes families with two full-time incomes.

In the era of rapid growth that followed World War II, workers were promised jobs for life. With lifetime employment a vanishing dream, people need to freely job-hop and find new opportunities and skills.

Economists say that apart from boosting wages to encourage consumer spending, what Japan really needs for sustainable growth is deregulation and a freer labor market. That's daunting and politically risky because such changes require reforms that would shake up vested interests, angering the constituencies, such as farmers and big businesses, that have helped keep the Liberal Democrats in power for so long.

The current system protects and rewards old-guard under-performing companies while failing to drive innovation.

None of this was headline news in the run-up to Sundays election, when opposition parties campaigned on promises of cash handouts and lowering taxes. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, promised more spending in coronavirus research, carbon neutrality, hydrogen energy and efforts to restart nuclear plants  not better social safety nets and redistributing wealth.

We dont know for sure what he plans to do, but we know his approach will not be that different from Abenomics,  said Hideaki Tanaka, a professor of public policy at Meiji University in Tokyo.

What we have is a to-do list. Without a real analysis of why Japan isnt growing and lacks innovation, and a real diagnosis of whats behind this sickness, there can be no cure, he said.



Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
ROME (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stuck to rival positions Sunday in their countries' post-Brexit dispute over fishing in the English Channel, with France maintaining its threat to impose sanctions starting Tuesday that could include a blockade of British boats.

The two leaders held a 30-minute meeting on Sunday morning while attending the Group of 20 nations summit in Rome, and each addressed the escalating tensions over the granting of fishing licenses as they held separate news conferences at the end of the meeting.

I dont want any escalation, but we must take things seriously," Macron said "My wish is not to go toward retaliation measures...Its rather to find an agreement."

France has threatened to bar British boats from some of its ports and tighten checks on boats and trucks carrying U.K. goods if more French vessels aren't licensed to fish in U.K. waters by Tuesday. Paris has also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands  British Crown dependencies that lie off the coast of France and are heavily dependent on French electricity.

Macron said he invited Johnson to work on a methodology for granting more fishing licenses to French ships.

The ball is now in their court. If the British dont do any significant move, (retaliation) measures starting from Nov. 2 will need to be implemented, the French president said. "I would deplore it. But what we cannot do is not respond and not defend our fishermen.

Fishing is a tiny industry economically, but one that looms large symbolically for maritime nations like Britain and France. Britains exit from the economic rules of the 27-nation European Union at the start of the year means the U.K. now controls who fishes in its waters.

Paris claims some vessels have been denied permits to fish in waters where they have long sailed. Britain says it has granted 98% of applications from EU vessels, and now the dispute comes down to just a few dozen French boats with insufficient paperwork.

Johnson, speaking at the same time as Macron on Sunday, said the U.K.s position is unchanged."

I must say I was puzzled to read a letter from the French prime minister explicitly asking for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU," the prime minister said. I just have to say to everybody that I dont believe that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the U.K.'s withdrawal deal and post-Brexit trade agreement with the EU.

Both sides accuse the other of breaching the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Britain says it is actively considering launching dispute settlement proceedings, a formal legal process in the deal, if France does not drop its threats.

A top French top official said Johnson and Macron agreed during their meeting Sunday that there was a need to talk to each other in a situation of important tensions. He said actions need to be taken as soon as possible to get to a de-escalation.

The French official, speaking anonymously in accordance with the presidencys customary practices, said France and Britain would have talks in the coming hours and days on practical details, with the aim to ease tensions and stabilize the situation.

Britain, however, denied the leaders had agreed to take steps to deescalate the spat, saying it was entirely up to France to calm the waters.

The U.K. government said in a statement that during the meeting, Johnson reiterated his deep concern over Frances rhetoric and expressed his hope that the French government would de-escalate.

Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said it will be for the French to decide whether they want to step away from the threats they have made in recent days."

Both in our rhetoric and our actions we have not in any way sought to escalate this," Blain said. ".The de-escalation would have to come from the French side.

But France's Minister for European Affairs Clement Beaune on Sunday accused Britain of targeting" France in a political choice" and said Britain had breached the terms of the Brexit deal.

For the EU as a whole, around 90% of the expected licenses have been granted, but all the missing ones are French, he tweeted.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Dear Prudence is online weekly to chat live with readers. Heres an edited transcript of this weeks chat.

Jenee Desmond-Harris: Its the day after Halloween, and I hope your sugar hangover isnt too bad. If it is, this is the place to complain about that and anything else you may have going on. Lets get started.

Q. Tired, obviously: Every time I see my mother-in-law, she tells me I look tired. Every. Time. Weve known each other for a decade, so I would think shed understand by now that this is just, you know, how I look. Ive tried everything: laughing it off, ignoring it, attempting elaborate under-eye concealer hacks gleaned from YouTube beauty influencers, talking to my husband about how it makes me feelthat is, terrible. (His response is always that she didnt mean anything by it and I shouldnt take it personally.)

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I havent spoken to my mother-in-law about it because she and I are not particularly close, she can be sensitive to even the gentlest pushback, and because I realize that ultimately this is not a big deal. I am not a vain person and have never been a beauty, but I do put an effort into my appearance. How should I respond the next time she says it?

A: You know, Im not a vain person but I do put an effort into my appearance so it really makes me feel terrible to hear that, especially because Im not actually tired.

If she continues, its time for your husband to step up and ask her to stop. Sure, shes sensitive to pushback, but youre sensitive to being told you look like hell every time you see her, and your feelings matter too! Asking her to keep this observation as a private thought is not a big ask at all, and neither is asking your husband to have one slightly uncomfortable conversation to protect his wifes feelings.

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How to Get Advice From Prudie:

 Send questions for publication here. (Questions may be edited.)

 Join the live chat Mondays at noon. Submit your questions and comments here before or during the discussion.

Q. Desires to be a dad: My husband and I had been planning on becoming parents for years. We wanted to use the same donated eggs, each of our sperm, and a surrogate to have our children. A biological connection was important to my husband because he lost most of his family hideously young in a fire. We got far enough along that we had his batch of embryos ready and a surrogate lined up, and then he died in a car crash.

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My entire world came crashing down. For months and months and months, it was like I was sleepwalking through life. Somehow I came out the other side, but I have no desire to date again.

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I still want to be a dad. Legally, the embryos are mine. I am more than comfortably wealthy and I have spoken to several of my lady colleagues who have done the purposefully single-mother route. I understand the hardships and the high hopes. I still want to hold my child in my arms and see my husbands smile again.

What is holding me back is the disapproval of my family. They have always been loving and supportive to me, so I was taken aback by their venom. They say a child deserves two parents and I am selfish to bring one into the world alone. A baby isnt a Band-Aid for my grief. I cant bring my husband back by having his baby and not my own.

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My sister bluntly told me I have no idea what I am in for and she has enough on her plate, so I should not expect she will be babysitting. She is going through her second divorce after her remarriage failed and her kids are acting out. Both their father and stepfather werent the greatest. I have been the most consistent male presence in their lives since our father died. I told my sister I wouldnt ask her to lift a finger, but she was a sorry, selfish mess and probably has screwed over her kids for life. I couldnt do any worse by myself.

So we arent speaking. Our mother and other siblings are in a tizzy. I still regularly see my sisters kids but they have picked up on the family tension. I want to continue with having a child but it is like stones in the shoes. My family has been supportive of me my entire life: being gay, choosing a risky profession, and moving across country to be with my then boyfriend (future husband) of six months. It scares me to think of them not being there if I have my child. It scares me to think of not having one at all. Help, please.

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A: Do it! Have a child! You really want this, and your familys disapproval shouldnt stop you. I can imagine you having a lot of regret if you decide to hold off to avoid your mother and siblings judgment (while theyve all had the opportunity to have their own kids!). But its hard for me to imagine that youll regret having a child once he or she is actually here in the flesh.

That doesnt mean it will be easy or that you should do it without a lot of serious planning. Your family is right to be worried that this is a lot for one person to take on. But you said youre pretty wealthy, which is great. Having enough resources to pay for help will make this a lot easier. Talk some more to those single mom friends about what they needed in terms of nannies and other child care and how much it cost. Make a budget for that. And then work on setting up the support you might not be getting from your own family, in the form of a community for you and your baby made up of people who get it and support you. I say might not because Im 95 percent sure theyll come around the minute the baby actually exists and want to be in its life. But even if they do, you should make sure you have contact with a group of single parents by choice, who will know exactly what youre going through and wont judge you.

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With these things in place, I suspect your biggest challenge will be not saying I told you so when your mom and siblings ask to babysit.

Q. Compassion and estrangement: I realized in the last year that the relationship with my parents is no longer bearable, and have made the difficult decision to cut off all contact. They are obsessive people with stalkerlike tendencies, such as showing up unexpectedly at my workplace and my friends homes when they cant get in touch with me for as much as two days in a row (my dad texts daily and calls multiple times a week). As a result, Ive needed to take some drastic measures such as moving homes and cities without telling them, changing my number, and vanishing from social media as much as possible. The last channel of contact we have between us is the email address I am preparing to delete in the next few days.

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My question is: Do I send a final email to my dad explaining my decision and why? I have tried to talk to him multiple times about how unhappy I am with our relationship. He stood by and did nothing while my mom violently abused me for years, and in fact used to put me in scenarios as an adult where he would claim it was just me and him meeting up, then bring my mom along as a surprise. He only stopped doing this after an occasion when the police got involved because I tried to walk away and she responded by assaulting me, causing several passersby to phone the police. I did not press charges because my dad begged me not to ruin my moms life and to have some compassion for her precarious mental health. I asked when he would have compassion for me, citing the PTSD diagnosis I have been given as a direct result of my moms abuse, but he acted as though I was exaggerating my pain for attention.

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In spite of this, I do love him. I wish I could save him from my abusive mom but cannot persuade him to leave. I will miss him badly once going no-contact, even if Im looking forward to the relief and sense of peace I think is possible when Im no longer hearing regular updates about my moms abuse (he uses me like a therapist). I already have a dozen emails from him asking why he cant get through to my number, which so far Ive ignored. I wonder if sending a really long, detailed email will make me feel better in some way, especially if I delete my account after so I cannot see a doubtless maddening reply. On the other hand, sending an email like this seems wildly cruel and I can just picture how devastated he would be reading some of the things I want to say to him.

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Then again  is it more cruel to have this man feel as though his only daughter has vanished without a word to him? Please can you advise me on how to manage this as compassionately as possible, while still saving myself from this agonizing relationship?

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A: Nothing youve said here is cruel. It sounds like your dad spent many years prioritizing your abusive mother over you. Thats cruel, even if hes a victim too. You shouldnt let the fear of hurting his feelings stop you from letting him know that you no longer want to be in contact and why. So send that final emailwhich, by the way, can include the fact that you love him and wish he would have agreed to have a relationship with you without setting you up to be around your mother. The letter youve written here is actually a great first draft. Youll feel better getting everything off your chest and knowing that he knows exactly how you feel and why, and youll save yourself from this harassment. I guarantee youll be relieved.

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Q. Not your babysitter: My family (husband, 14-year-old-son, and myself) are hosting a Halloween party next weekend. We dont know many people in our area, but thought it would be nice to get to know the parents of some of the other kids our son hangs out with. So we invited the whole familyteens and their parents. This was made very clear on the invitations and in conversation.

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However, several parents have RSVPd that theyll be dropping their teen off and picking them up later! I guess I should have known better. Any suggestions? To make matters more complicated, we were planning on serving alcohol for the adults (and have nonalcoholic beverages for the teens) in addition to snacks, etc. What should I do?

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A: Halloween was yesterday, so this response is late, but my general advice in this case would be to just pivot to hosting a mostly teen party. I think the fact that parents were actually invited probably didnt click because, although your idea was nice, its somewhat unusual to attend a gathering at the home of someone you havent met before.

You did say severalnot allparents RSVPd no. Hopefully this meant you still had a small group of adults hang out. This kind of setting actually lends itself to getting to know one another much better than a larger party would. And if the kids were allowed to do whatever 14-year-olds do (I cant imagine it requires all that much supervision) while you enjoyed the grown-ups who were there, I hope you accomplished your goal of making these new connections.

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Q. Re: Tired, obviously: I think you are looking at this all wrongMIL is volunteering to help you out! Tell her, Oh, thanks for noticing, I have been doing a lot lately, and schedule her for babysitting/bringing dinner/cleaning your house while you take a spa day, stat.

A: Ha! Very clever. I support this.

Q. Re: Desires to be a dad: The letter writer is also going to need to apologize to his sister for the pretty cruel things he said to her about her family. Even though he was provoked, his words were a low blow.

A: Yes, hopefully they can both offer apologies.

Discuss this column on our Facebook page!

Classic Prudie

I recently learned that my husband gambled himself into $20,000 of debt. Ive known him to dabble in betting on sports here and there, but otherwise this came as a complete shock to meit feels very out of character. After much discussion, we decided to work on our marriage while he repays his debt. He promised me he would not gamble again, even if he felt like he was in control, and to never lie to me again (he lied in an attempt to cover up the debt when I first discovered it). Last night I stumbled upon informationI really wasnt snooping, it found methat he made a bet last week. I asked him about it, and at first he tried to cover it up, but ultimately he confessed. I asked him to leave our home while I try to figure out what to do next. He is begging for forgiveness and claims he doesnt have a gambling problem. Im not sure what to think.
Remember that incident in Texas close to the end of the presidential campaign in 2020 when aggressive supporters of then-President Donald Trump appeared to try to run a Biden campaign bus off the road? Trump loved the shocking images that came out that day, and cheered his supporters. I LOVE TEXAS! Trump wrote on Twitter as he retweeted a video of the incident. Another group of people who seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing was the police in the Central Texas city of San Marcos, which refused repeated requests to escort the bus, according to court documents.

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An amended lawsuit filed over the incident that took place in late October 2020, when polls suggested there was a tight race between Biden and Trump in Texas, includes transcriptions of 911 calls that show how police in the city repeatedly refused to provide an escort for the bus. Instead of helping the people on the bus who felt threatened, the lawsuit claims, San Marcos police officers privately laughed and joked about the victims and their distress, including by calling them tards, making fun of a campaign staffers hard breathing, and retorting they should just drive defensively or leave the train.

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The bus was traveling to San Marcos for an event that the Democratic campaign ended up canceling amid concerns over safety as what was known as a Trump Train surrounded the bus. Even though police departments in other Texas cities had escorted the bus under similar circumstances, San Marcos refused to do the same. No, were not going to do it, Matthew Daenzer, a San Marcos police corporal on duty the day of the incident, told a 911 dispatcher. We will close patrol that, but were not going to escort a bus. When the dispatcher told a bus passenger that there would be no escort but to call back if he felt threatened, the Biden staffer seemingly couldnt believe what he was hearing. Are you kidding me, maam? the staffer said. Theyve threatened my life on multiple occasions with vehicular collision.

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It wasnt just people on the bus asking for help, witnesses also called police to warn there was reckless driving going on. Despite these multiple calls for help from Plaintiffs and others, for the roughly 30 minutes it took to drive through San Marcos on the main highway that runs through it, there were no officers from San Marcos or any other police cars in sightnot on the I-35 exit or entrance ramps, nor on either side of the highway, according to the filing. The plaintiffs accuse the citys law enforcement officers of violating the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 because they were aware of acts of violent political intimidation and did nothing to stop them.
The Washington Post published a bombshell report that takes a deep dive into the events before, during, and after Jan. 6 that provides a massively detailed look at the Capitol riot. And while there is lots of new information that the team of 75 reporters uncovered in interviews with more than 230 people, thousands of pages of documents, and hundreds of videos and recordings, one thing that immediately stands out is just how many warnings were ignored. The red flags were everywhere, writes the Washington Post in the first of the three-part series.

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In the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, the FBI and other agencies received lots of incredibly detailed tips about how the planned rally by supporters of then-President Donald Trump could turn violent. But they were repeatedly ignored. One particularly galling example came on Dec. 20, when the FBI got a tip that Trump supporters were discussing how to get guns into Washington so they could overrun police and arrest members of Congress. The tipster was incredibly specific, mentioning how those who were planning to be violent thought they had orders from the president and in one instance even mentioned Sen. Mitt Romney as a possible target. Days later, the FBI decided no further investigation was warranted.

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That was hardly the first time the FBI had gotten word that violence was being planned. A few days earlier, the FBI had received a tip that protesters were planning violence against law enforcement officers. Please be in DC, armed, on the 6th, read an online post that was part of an FBI memo. You might have to kill the palace guards. Are you okay with [that]? read one comment.

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It wasnt just about one mistake but rather a series of errors. The paralysis that led to one of the biggest security failures in the nations history was driven by unique breakdowns inside each law enforcement agency and was exacerbated by the patchwork nature of security across a city where responsibilities are split between local and federal authorities, details the Post. The Capitol Police, for example, knew all about the threatening social media posts but was hampered by poor communication and planning. Despite all the warnings, with days to go before Jan. 6 top officials still largely believed the biggest threat involved potential for fights between pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrators.

While the attack unfolded, the president essentially became a mere bystander, the Post writes. As he watched the attack unfold, Trump resisted acting as he seemed to have no interest in either coordinating any kind of response to the violence nor tell his supporters to leave the Capitol. He was enamored with [how] all these people are coming to fight for me, a senior Republican close to Trump said. I dont think he appreciated what was going on. It took Trump 187 minutes before he finally listened to several Republican lawmakers and advisers and told supporters to go home.

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The Post gave Trump a chance to respond to the findings but declined to publish the former presidents entire response because it was filled with unrelated, inflammatory claims. Responding to the investigation, Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said the former president greatly objected to the investigations findings, characterizing them as fake news. The response also repeated Trumps false claims that the election was rigged. The medias obsession with the January 6th protest is a blatant attempt to overshadow a simple fact: there is no greater threat to America than leftist journalists and the Fake News, which has avoided a careful examination of the fraudulent 2020 election, reads the response.
Oklahoma put John Marion Grant to death last week, resuming executions after a six-year hiatus. Grant had been sentenced for the killing of a cafeteria worker in 1998 at the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy, Oklahoma, where he was serving a 130-year sentence for numerous armed robberies. A horrible crime with a gruesome aftermath.

Grants execution was horribly botched. It was anything but the antiseptic, hospital-like procedure that lethal injection is sometimes imagined to be. His is the latest in a long string of lethal injections gone wrong and yet another reminder that what was once thought to be this countrys most humane execution method is now its most problematic.

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Lethal injection was first seriously considered as a method of execution by the state of New York in the late 19th century. After a series of badly botched hangings, the state created a commission and charged it to find a better alternative.

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The so-called Gerry Commission ultimately chose the electric chair to replace hanging, in no small part because the medical community took an unwavering stance against lethal injection. As the sociologist Richard Moran notes, doctors did not want the syringe, which was associated with the alleviation of humane suffering, to become an instrument of death.

But by the second half of the 20th century, things had changed.

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In 1977, Oklahoma became the first death penalty state to adopt lethal injection. Its proponents in the state Legislature argued that it had two clear advantages. First, it was much cheaper than electrocution, lethal gas, hanging, or shooting. Second, they contended that it would be much more humane.

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Because no other country had ever used this execution method, they had no evidence on which to base any claim about safety. Nonetheless, they declared that death could be accomplished with no struggle, no stench, no pain. Execution with no struggle, no stench, no pain was hardly what the witnesses to Grants execution saw in Oklahoma on Thursday.

One witness, a reporter for the Associated Press, Sean Murphy, said that soon after the first drug, midazolam, was administered, Grant began convulsing. He convulsed, by Murphys count, two dozen times before he vomited, with the vomit covering his face and running down his neck. Murphy said he had witnessed 14 executions and this is the first one in which the inmate vomited.

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After members of the execution team entered the execution chamber to wipe Grants face, he continued to have what Murphy called full-body and involuntary convulsions. Grant ultimately did die, soon after the second and third drugs in Oklahomas protocolvecuronium bromide, a paralytic, and potassium chloride to stop the heartwere administered.

Given the states recent track record, it is not surprising that Oklahoma botched Grants execution.

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In 2014, the state put Clayton Lockett to death in what would turn out to be one of this countrys most ghastly and notorious botched executions. As Lockett laid strapped to a gurney, execution team members tried repeatedly to find a usable vein, poking him over and over in his arms and legs before finally doing a cut down procedure to expose a vein in his groin. But even then, they failed to get things right. Instead of going into his vein, the lethal drugs went into the muscles.

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Lockett writhed in pain for more than 40 minutes before he died.

In 2015, Oklahoma used the wrong drug, potassium acetatenot potassium chlorideto stop the heart of Charles Warner. As that drug was being administered, Warner called out, My body is on fire. In another 2015 case, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin had to call off Richard Glossips execution at the last minute because of concerns that the state was about to repeat the mistake it made in putting Warner to death.

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Difficulties with lethal injection are not just Oklahomas problem. They are a national problem. And of all of Americas execution technologies, lethal injection has the most dismal track record.

Between 1890 and 2010, the United States put 8,776 people to death by hanging, electrocution, gassing, shooting and lethal injection. Precisely 276 (3.15 percent) of those executions were botched. And, of all of the technologies used during that period, lethal injection was the most problematic, with 7.1 percent having been botched.

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Although less gruesome and dramatic than botched hangings, gassings, or electrocutions, lethal injection has had grotesque mishaps. It is not uncommon for executioners, as in the Lockett case, to have trouble establishing a line to deliver the lethal drugs, or for drug dosages to be insufficient, or for there to be problems, as in the Warner case, with the drugs used in lethal injections.

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In the last decade, these problems intensified, as pharmaceutical companies tried to prevent their drugs from being used in executions. This left states scrambling to find substitutes or to just improvise. Some even procured drugs to use in executions through illegal channels. The last decade also saw the unravelling of the original lethal injection paradigm and its once standard three drug-protocolsodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride.

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In fact, by the end of 2012, no states employed that drug combination. By the end of 2020, states had tried at least 10 other drugs or drug combinations in their executions. Some drugs were used multiple times, while others were used just once and then discarded.

Such experimentation has exacted a heavy toll on those put to death by lethal injection. In September 2020, a National Public Radio investigation found signs of pulmonary edemafluid filling the lungsin 84 percent of the 216 post-lethal injection autopsies it reviewed. Some autopsies found that inmates lungs filled while they continued to breathe, which would cause them to feel as if they were drowning and suffocating.

Research I and my collaborators recently completed shows that, during the past decade, lethal injections problems mounted. Executioners botched a larger percentage (8.4 percent) of lethal injections than in earlier periods of its use. When midazolam is used, as it is in Oklahomas current protocol, that rate skyrockets to 22.4 percent.

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After Grants execution, Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Scott Crow claimed that it was completed without complication and indicated that there were no plans to change anything in the executions the state is planning to carry out over the next several months.

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But the Grant fiasco demonstrates that going full speed ahead with Oklahomas plan will do nothing to ensure that forthcoming executions will not be botched. They should be halted so that no one else suffers Grants fate.

What happened to John Marion Grant is just the latest evidence that this nations experiment with lethal injection has failed. And it shows yet again why Americas death penalty should be endednot just because the state should not be killing its own citizens, but because it has found no method to carry out death sentences in a manner consistent with Constitutions ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
When the Supreme Court hears oral arguments this week in the most significant gun case in more than a decade, the court will be presented with two very different versions of the past. Paul Clement, arguing for the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association against a New York law that restricts the ability to carry concealed handguns in public, claims that something called peaceable armed travel has always existed and is protected by the Second Amendment. New York, by contrast, argues that the right to carry arms in public, particularly in populous areas, has been subject to robust regulation for most of the last seven centuries. In particular, New York claims that history offers clear evidence that the right to carry arms in public was predicated on demonstrating a specified threat. Which version of history will prevail in court?

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Much will depend on the willingness of the courts newest originalist judges to follow the evidence to conclusions that are not popular among the base of the Republican Party. If originalists are sincere in their claims that their method is neutral, New York may prevail. If originalism is little more than a smoke screen for judges to further their ideological and policy preferences, then the law at issue will likely fall.

The idea that Shakespeares England was filled with gun-toting Britons seems absurd, but this is precisely what Clement and the amicus briefs supporting his argument claim. According to the gun rights account, peaceable armed travel was perfectly legal in England and only aggressive actions with weapons that specifically provoked a terror were unlawful. When I sketched the outlines of this argument to a group of distinguished British historians in Oxford several years ago, the reactions ranged from disbelief to consternation. The British historians simply could not fathom how American advocatesand some American judgescould have gotten English history so wrong.

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If one looks closely at the arguments Clement and his allies make in their briefs, it is easy to see how the gun rights version of the past has produced a fun house mirror version of history that borders on the surreal.

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First, Clement derides New York for relying for its own originalist case on sources such as the writings of Michael Dalton, an author he dismisses as a lesser-known figure, largely unknown to the nations Founders. Although Clement may not be familiar with Daltons work, the writers popular guide to the law, The Country Justice, was one of the most influential legal books on either side of the Atlantic in the 18th century. It occupied a prominent place in the library of judges, lawyers, and educated citizens. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams each owned a copy, and their legal writings are littered with citations to Dalton who, together with Blackstone, was one of the most frequently cited legal texts in Anglo-American law at the time.

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It is easy to see why Clement would wish to erase Dalton from the historical record, since Daltons discussion of the common laws limits on armed travel in publicparticularly in populous areasblows a musket-size hole in Clements ahistorical arguments. But wishful thinking cant erase the past.

Clement, for his part, cites John Adams defense of the British troops indicted during the Boston Massacre trial, but conveniently ignores the multiple references to Daltons work in the notes Adams prepared for his defense. In that portion of the brief, he does correctly note that Adams reminded the jury that English law recognized that individuals could arm themselves to put down riots. What Clement neglects to point out is that this was one of the exceptions to the general prohibition on traveling armed in public. Thus, in Clements bizarro, backward version of history, the exception to the rule does not prove the rule; it simply takes the place of the rule. This is not originalism. It is historical fantasy.

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In part, Clements errors are a direct result of his tendency to read legal texts from the past with the tools of the modern lawyer, instead of the tools of a founding-era lawyer or judge. This problem appears time and again in Clements brief and the other gun rights briefs. Such an approach is a type of faux historicism in which todays ideas are projected backward in time and founding-era texts are read as if they were drafted by the NRAs legislative action committee, not the historical Founders of our constitutional tradition.

A good example of this problem is the interpretation of the term offensively armed. Clement and the other pro-gun amicus briefs treat this as if it was meant to articulate a modern psychological understanding of criminal intent. Unfortunately for Clement, this modern view only emerged in the 19th century, long after the adoption of the Second Amendment. At the time of the Second Amendment, the term offensively armed referred to carrying a particular type of weapon, primarily guns and knives. Defensive arms, by contrast, were a different category entirely, which included shields and armor.

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It is true that, living in an agrarian society on the edge of the British Empire, Americans were not only better armed than their English brethren, but there were many more situations where armed travel did not pose a threat to the peace. Building on a brief by a group of Professors of Second Amendment Law, Clement notes that many of the nations Founders carried guns in public. Context, though, is essential to understanding gun culture in this period of American history. The fact that Patrick Henry or Thomas Jefferson, slave-owning members of Virginias natural aristocracy, carried guns when walking on their ample lands or carried weapons when they hunted or picked off vermin tells us little about the regulation of arms or carry practices outside of rural Virginia, where settlements were scattered across the landscape and population density was low. Moreover, Jefferson, Clement neglects to mention, locked up his firearms securely when he traveled to town.

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Clement also dismisses the entire history of gun regulation after the Civil War, including the era of Reconstruction, the period most relevant to understanding how Second Amendment protections apply to state laws. He casts aside the dozens of laws regulating arms enacted by Republicans to protect recently freed slaves and their allies as a motley collection of state cases, territorial laws, and city ordinances. Dismissing ordinances that were enacted in federal territories that were obliged to comply with the Second Amendment, even before the enactment of the 14th Amendment, makes little constitutional sense.

Disregarding the dozens of local ordinances enacted in this period is even more problematic because this body of laws shows that the New York statute at issue before the Supreme Court was neither a historical outlier nor an artifact of 20th century anti-immigrant zeal; it was among the most common types of arms regulation in America after the Civil War. In many parts of the nation, a majority of Americans were living under a gun regulatory framework that included permit requirements. Prosecution of violators of the postwar laws limiting armed carry in public were common. Thousands of cases were prosecuted under these laws. If District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago, the two landmark Supreme Court cases on guns, stand for anything, it is the proposition that laws that are deeply rooted in historical tradition are presumptively lawful. Apparently, Clement believes this part of Heller and McDonald doesnt apply to his clients.

Originalism has gained a strong presence on the Supreme Court. Originalists insist that the theory can be applied in a neutral manner. The New York gun case offers a textbook case to test that claim. If the court strikes down a law that has been on the books for more than a century and is the foundation for most modern gun regulation, even though this law is clearly rooted in our history and tradition, it will do more to undermine the legitimacy of originalism than anything its most vociferous critics have done in the past 30 years.
For two months, it appeared as if the Supreme Court was divided 54 on S.B. 8, the Texas law that lets bounty hunters collect $10,000 from anyone who performs or abets an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. During oral arguments over the law on Monday, however, a different split emerged. Three justices obviously loathe the measure as a cynical nullification of a genuine constitutional right. Three justices seem to think it cleverly games an unjust system by elevating state sovereignty over made-up liberties. And three justices are freaked out by S.B. 8 but arent quite sure what to do about it. These three justicesJohn Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrettwill ultimately decide the laws fate.

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But heres the kicker: It might not even matter what the Supreme Court does in this case as far as abortion rights are concerned. In exactly one month, the justices will hear a more important case, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, that gives them an opportunity to overrule Roe v. Wade. And if Roe goes, Texas will simply ban abortion outright, obviating the need for the convoluted workaround at the center of todays oral arguments. For the three justices who are torn over S.B. 8, the solution may be simple: Affirm the federal judiciarys supremacy over states that undermine their authority, then hand those states the power to ban abortion whenever, wherever, and however they please.

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S.B. 8 is no regular abortion ban. Thats by design. A typical ban would allow state officials to shut down abortion clinics and penalize anyone who provides the procedure (or undergoes it). But for nearly 50 years, federal courts have blocked officials from outlawing abortion due to Roe, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and other Supreme Court decisions protecting the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy before viability (around 24 weeks). With S.B. 8, Texas Republican lawmakers tried to get around this roadblock by empowering private citizens to sue abortion providers, as well as anyone who aids or abets them, in state court. They argue that federal courts cant stop individuals from filing these suits, or prevent state courts from hearing them and awarding damages. (Winners get $10,000 per abortion plus attorneys fees.)

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The law has spawned two different federal lawsuits. The first, filed by abortion providers, sued the judges and clerks in Texas state court who would preside over the lawsuits. The second, filed by the Justice Department, sued Texas itself, including anyone carrying out S.B. 8s commands on behalf of the state. (Only the United States government gets to sue states directly.) On Sept. 1, the day the law took effect, the Supreme Court declined to block S.B. 8, turning away the providers suit by a 54 vote. The five ultraconservative justices complained that complex and novel antecedent procedural questions prevented them from acting; Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberals in dissent. After weeks of public outcry over this abuse of the courts shadow docket, the justices abruptly scheduled both cases for oral argument on Monday. It seemed that Kavanaugh or Barrett had reassessed their earlier blase attitude toward S.B. 8 and potentially recognized the law for what it is: an affront not just to abortion access, but to their own authority.

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That presumption was borne out on Monday over and over again as Kavanaugh and Barrett, joined by Roberts, expressed skepticism, bordering on hostility, toward Texas chicanery. Right out of the gate, Barrett debunked one of the states biggest lies: that S.B. 8 complies with the Constitution because defendants can cite Roe as a defense to any lawsuit. In fact, she pointed out, the statute prohibits defendants from raising the full constitutional holding of abortion precedentsmeaning, in her words, that the full constitutional defense cannot be asserted. (Her question was so good that Justice Sam Alito, an avid proponent of S.B. 8, felt obliged to step in and contradict her, the first of much mansplaining throughout the day.)

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Later, Roberts asked Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone if federal courts could review S.B. 8s bounty if it were not $10,000 but a million dollars. (Its notable that Roberts used the term bounty, which is accurate but rather loaded; Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the only other justice who used it on Monday.) Stone fought the question, provoking uncharacteristic annoyance from Roberts. My question, the chief justice deadpanned, is what we call a hypothetical.

More importantly, Roberts cut through Stones nonsensical claim that abortion providers who oppose S.B. 8 can just violate it and see what happens next. Roberts point was that the mere existence of the ban creates a chilling effect on a constitutional right, and that chill justifies federal court intervention. When Stone resisted the conclusion that a million-dollar bounty would chill abortions, Roberts sounded stupefied: Youre saying that somebody is going to undertake that activity even though theyre going to be subject to suit for a million dollars repetitively because it doesnt exercise a chilling effect?

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But the most important questions of the day came from Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who sounded genuinely unsettled by Texas scheme. A turning point came when Kavanaugh asked Stone about an amicus brief filed by the Firearms Policy Coalition, which opposes S.B. 8 on the grounds that blue states can deploy the same strategy against gun rights. This will easily become the model for suppression of other constitutional rights, Kavanaugh said, quoting from the brief, with Second Amendment rights being the most likely targets.

And it could be free speech rights, he continued. It could be free exercise.  It could be Second Amendment rights if this position is accepted here. The theory of the amicus brief is that it can be easily replicated in other states that disfavor other constitutional rights. Your response?

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Throughout the day, Kagan sounded increasingly incredulous of the arguments that Texas put forth.

After some equivocal yammering, Stone admitted that, yes, the Texas model could be used to snuff out other rights. He added that Congress could, in theory, stop states from nullifying those rights, but Kavanaugh retorted that it would be quite difficult to get legislation through Congress. Justice Elena Kagan chimed in to back up her frequent sparring partner: Isnt the point of a right that you dont have to ask Congress? Isnt the point of a right that it doesnt really matter what Congress thinks or what the majority of the American people think as to that right?

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Speaking of Kagan: Throughout the day, she sounded increasingly incredulous of the arguments that Texas put forth. As she summarized Stones position: After all these many years, some geniuses came up with a way to evade the commands of that decision, as well as the broader principle that states are not to nullify federal constitutional rights, and to say, Oh, weve never seen this before, so we cant do anything about itI guess I just dont understand the argument. And later: If thats right, and we say that, we would live in a very different world from the world we live in today. Essentially, we would be inviting states, all of them, with respect to their un-preferred constitutional rights, to try to nullify the law that this court has laid down as to the content of those rights. I mean, that was something that until this law came along no state dreamed of doing.

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Incredible question from Justice Kagan that gets to the heart of the matter: Some geniuses came up with a way to evade  the principle that states are not to nullify federal constitutional rights? pic.twitter.com/Tol8WjwaXV  Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) November 1, 2021

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Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas did not seem perturbed by this future at all. To the contrary, they may welcome it as a corrective to (what they view as) the federal judiciarys excessive intrusions into state law. But Kavanaugh, Barrett, and Roberts were worried, and they are right to be. The lawyers defending S.B. 8most notably its architect, Jonathan Mitchellhave evinced contempt bordering on disgust for the Supreme Courts authority. In one of his briefs, Mitchell declared that states have every prerogative to adopt interpretations of the Constitution that differ from the Supreme Courts. Roberts quoted this line during arguments to Stone, who declined to defend it.

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With S.B 8, Mitchell may have overplayed his hand: By crafting a law that openly defies Supreme Court precedent, he backed Roberts, Kavanaugh, and Barrett into a corner that they resent. Luckily for these justices, they dont have to choose between their courts supremacy over constitutional questions and their own distaste for the right to abortion: They can rule against S.B. 8 now and end Roe v. Wade next month.

Previously, the big stumbling block for the conservative justices was the question of whom to sue; in their shadow docket decision, the justices sounded uncertain about whether abortion providers can sue state judges and clerks to halt S.B. 8 in its tracks. Under a doctrine known as Ex parte Young, plaintiffs can sue government officials tasked with enforcing a law, though its unclear whether judges qualify. On Monday, Kavanaugh seemed to propose a compromise: close the loophole that Texas has exploited by allowing providers to sue clerks but not judges. The case would then go back down to the district court, who could bar Texas clerks from docketing S.B. 8 cases, thereby defanging the law. As a result, the Justice Departments lawsuit would become irrelevant, because abortion providers could protect their own interests in federal court.

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The best part of this compromise, to the conservatives, is that it could become irrelevant to abortion within months. On Dec. 1, the court will hear arguments in Dobbs, which asks them to overrule Roe v. Wade. If the majority accepts this invitation, Texas wont need to worry about S.B. 8 anymore; it has already passed a trigger law that will automatically ban abortion if Roe falls. At the same time, blue states will not be able to deploy S.B. 8style schemes against disfavored rights like the Second Amendment. We may remember S.B. 8 not as the start of a new era in state supremacy over constitutional rights, but as a last gasp of defiance before the Supreme Court plunged us into a post-Roe world.
This article originally appeared in Issues in Science and Technology.

In January 2021, President Biden appointed sociologist Alondra Nelson, a leading scholar of science, technology, medicine, and social inequality, to be the first deputy director for science and society in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Issues in Science and Technology editor William Kearney recently spoke with her about her role in bringing social science expertise to federal science and technology policy and the Biden administrations goal to make that policy fair and equitable for all members of society.

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William Kearney: You were writing a book about OSTP before your appointment there, and youve followed the ways its role in federal science policy has fluctuated over the decades. President Biden immediately heightened its role, however, when he elevated his science adviser, the OSTP director, to his cabinet. What is the significance of that move?

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Alondra Nelson: I started doing the research for the book because I found it such a fascinating office for somebody who is a student of science policy. In the 1970s, the OSTP was originally imagined to be a small shop, but whats happened over the intervening decades is that science and technology now sit in the center of every policy and social issue. And so it only makes sensewhen I track evolution of this work with my academics hat onthat at this moment it would be a Cabinet-level office.

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In answering your question, it is also important to think about the current context. Every president faces profound challenges and a unique set of historical circumstances when they come into office. For President Biden, this was a once-in-a-century pandemic combined with a climate emergencyall in the context of a growing awareness of injustice and inequity in American society, and globally. Every dimension of national and international policy, from health and education, to security, to social welfare, and everything in between, has something to do with science and technology. Theres no way to tackle the major challenges and opportunities we face without engaging science and technology. From that perspective, and given the presidents commitment to having a government that is evidence-based and informed by science, it follows that this would be a cabinet-level position. I think that the fulfillment of the aspirations and values of the Biden-Harris administration are manifest in the elevation of OSTPs directorship to the cabinet.

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OSTP is still a small shop compared to big agencies, so how do you coordinate science policy across the entire federal government so that it aligns with President Bidens goals and vision? Is that the job of OSTP?

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Strategy and coordination are part of OSTPs founding mission. We work in parallel with, and administer, the National Science and Technology Councilabout which I think not enough is known by the publicto coordinate interagency alignment with the administrations priorities. NSTC was established in 1993, and there is now a nearly 30-year infrastructure for doing exactly the kind of interagency work you suggest. NSTC is doing work on critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, scientific integrity, STEM equity, algorithmic accountability, and many of the other big issues we face. There are interagency folks at the table, sitting with OSTP colleagues, working to create strategy and policy.

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On the eve of his inauguration, President-elect Biden wrote a public letter to Eric Lander, who he had nominated as OSTP director, tasking him with answering five big strategic science and technology policy questions. Among them was, How can we guarantee that the fruits of science and technology are fully shared across all of America and among all Americans? How are you trying to answer that question? What would success look like?

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The question President Biden posed to Director Lander in that letter suggests what is distinctive about this OSTPand what I find really exciting about it. The question is the foundation of the Science and Society Division, which is a new division that I have the privilege of leading. Every day we are working with public servants, researchers and scientists, policymakers across government, and sectors of the American public to answer this question.

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The goal is to build a science policy that intentionally and explicitly includes the perspectives of the American public, including seeing science and technology through the eyes of folks who are marginalized or vulnerable. This approach to policy views innovation as something that has been extraordinary and offered great progress and promise to some people, but has also sometimes come at the cost of harm and damage to other communities. And in this moment in which there is diminished trust in institutions and diminished trust in science, it means bringing S&T policy development out of the shadows. A phrase I often use is showing our work. For the government, that means being more transparent about the past, about what were doing in the present, and about our goals for the future. What youve been hearing in the language of the administration is an explicit effort to situate science and technology policy with democratic values, including inclusion, accountability, justice, and integrity. The challenge is to drive, design, and implement policy with those values always in mind.

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What would success look like? A STEM workforce that really looks like all of us, that reflects all of us, in the classroom and in the boardroom. Empowering new communities to be at the table of S&T policy. I think success looks like a public that feels that it can be engaged in the work of government; a lot of work we are doing in OSTP is conducting listening sessions and using other ways of engaging the public to help us think about the work we do. Success also includes a new set of rules of the road, such as an approach to innovation that is rooted in inclusion and scientific integrity. It means having a sense of responsibility to have aspirations, safeguards, and values in place that can help ensure that folks are not abused or discriminated against as new S&T comes onlineto ensure, per President Bidens question, that it really benefits all people.

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You said theres a need to be transparent about the past. What do you mean by that?

The Biden-Harris administration has set out to pursue racial and economic justice in every facet of our work and to address head-on disparities and inequities that exist because of things that have happened in the past and continue to happen in the present. Disparities in medicine, health, and access to education didnt just appear overnight; they congealed over time, one generation after the next, one injustice on top of another. Even those of us who might consider ourselves technophiles and science optimists grew up hearing stories of tragedies, and indeed horrors, in the past. The story that we hear most about is the Tuskegee syphilis experiments, which I often remind people was a project of the U.S. Public Health Service, not just something that just sort of emerged or was in the private sector. That was 40 years of government research.

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We need to say that we know science and technology has not equally benefited all people. We stipulate that at the beginning. As I said before, in a context of low trust in government and institutions, its incumbent upon government, in a very profound way, to be forthright. If we are really going to be in service to the American public, we need to have some difficult conversations. I think from honest accounting we can move into truly innovative and mutually beneficial S&T policy and outcomes.

A couple of examples are the listening sessions, which I mentioned earlier, hosted by the Scientific Integrity Task Force. The task force was established through a memorandum from President Biden and was asked to recommend policies and practices that can prevent political interference in federal science, with the aim of restoring trust in government. Part of the work of the task force has been an accounting of lapses in scientific integrity as a necessary part of the process of suggesting a way forward. A second example is the Equitable Data Working Group that I co-chair. This was established on the first day of the administration through an executive order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. This group is attempting to identify and fill in demographic data gaps to help answer the question of whether or not government is doing its work equitably. We need to be honest that in many instances we couldnt answer that question in the past because we didnt have the data we need to do so.

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Almost 20 years ago you co-edited a book, Technicolor, that challenged some common assumptions about the relationship between race and technology. What misconceptions persist about the so-called digital divide?

Ive been thinking about these issues for a long time. Technicolor was framed around early conceptions of the digital divide. A stereotype had emerged, a kind of false narrative about technological evolution, that held that progress had been forged largely by white scientists and technologists, white innovators, and white inventors, and that the other side of the coin was that people of color were somehow less capable when it came to technology. I think now we are a little more aware as a society that that framing is incorrect; there is a rich history of Black and brown scientists, inventors, and innovators whove achieved critical breakthroughs, often against incredible odds. In that early work, we were trying to surface some of that history and explore the idea that the digital divide, at its worst, can become this kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, a kind of fiction that people of color cant keep pace in a high-tech world. We shouldnt accept the notion that working-class people, or people who havent had certain kinds of educational benefits, are less competent, less interested, less passionate about, and less innovative in science and technology. Weve got to think in different ways about the digital divide.

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In this moment whats true and important about the digital divide is the extent to which it offers us a prism for understanding infrastructure inequality in the United States. Certainly, COVID-19 shined a light on a range of disparities, including the inability of many to get online to work remotely or to give kids access to schooling. Ive been proud of what the administration has done to measure those disparities and to also try to address them. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which advises the president on telecom issues, published this incredible mapping tool where you can actually see the places and populations with more reliable or less reliable broadband coverage. The Biden-Harris administration is planning to invest $65 billion to connect Americans to highspeed internet.

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How do we change the thinking about where innovation comes from?

We know from the organizational behavior literature that it is diversity broadlynot just racial and ethnic diversity, but broad diversity of perspective and experiencethat is one of the most significant drivers of innovation. When we are setting the conditions for innovation in science and technology policy, it is a shame if we are not also leveraging this one demonstrated driver of innovation. We need to get more people involved in the work of doing science and technology policy and, of course, science and technology research and development itself. The United States is this great lab of innovation, and we should be able to turn that innovation into products and practices that not only take on hard problems like climate change and pandemics but are also more equitable.

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Do you see social science becoming a bigger part of the policymaking toolkit?

I certainly hope so. This in part is why I am at OSTP. To go back to our earlier conversation, many of the tools that we need for robust governmenttools for understanding the lived experiences of the American public; for assessing the equitable, successful delivery of government services, for identifying demographic trends in economy, labor, and STEM professions; for applied data science across pressing policy areascome from social science. How do we assess whether or not programs are serving intended communities? Is this federal program serving hard-hit communities in low-lying lands that are more likely to be exposed to climate change? That, and many others, are empirical questions that can be answered when we apply social science concepts to qualitative and quantitative data. The answers we generate can then inform policy.

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I think that as government becomes more analytical, it is very important to have social scientists at the table. One of the most important reasons is because we think about answering questions with different kinds of data, produced using both quantitative and qualitative methods. And as much as the technical analysis matters, policymaking is always going to involve that social piece, that human piece, that historical piece. I hope a new way of thinking about not just S&T policymaking but policymaking more generally can be found in social science, which helps us see tensions in society, map them, reconcile them, and understand them, and recommend changes more conducive to equitable experiences and outcomes among all members of society. I believe as a scholar and researcher, and as a policymaker, that social science evidence, at its best, really can point us to better policy solutions.

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How do you communicate to the public the urgency of climate change or other pressing issues in the midst of a still overwhelming pandemic?

One of the lessons of COVID-19 is that, in some way, we all became social scientists. It is this moment, I think, in which all of us had to come to terms with the profound complexity of the challenges that we face right now, and in the coming years. There were times in the pandemic when all of us became armchair epidemiologists, making risk assessment calculations for our families, for our neighborhoods, for our workplaces and schools.

At the same time, the science and technology around the pandemic was extraordinary: We decoded the genome of the virus in a month or so, we had a vaccine in less than a year. Yet we realize we have not conquered it. It has not been for lack of science and technology that we have not conquered it, but because of the environment in which that science and technology emergedthese are profound social questions. And when it comes to climate change, were living in a time where the impact is acute, its urgent and existential. I want to believe that all of us in the American public are learning to face up to the complexities of climate change, and the pandemic may have primed how we think about it. I hope that presents some opportunities for courageous possibilities for both domestic and international climate change policy and for pandemic preparedness.

Is there anything else you would like readers to know about President Bidens science policy priorities?

I would like your readers to know that the federal R&D budget for the 2023 fiscal year not only puts a priority on cutting-edge science and technology, but it also puts a priority on innovation for equity. Were proposing a new kind of social compact for S&T policy, in which it is pursued in the context of the social ecosystem it sits in, with a greater awareness of whom its supposed to benefitand how.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
For the past few weeks, as Facebook has dominated the news, theres been this question: Wheres Mark? As in, Mark Zuckerberg. The founder and CEO of Facebook. Last week, we found out: Hes been in the metaverse.

At the end of a monthlong news cycle that has included a whistleblower named Frances Haugen, her cache of secret documents, and hours of testimony on the floor of the Senate, Mark Zuckerberg released a video about his companys future. That future apparently includes a new nameMeta, as youve probably heard by nowand a utopian vision of virtual reality for everyone. What it does not include is a vigorous investigation into the many ways Facebook has harmed its users.

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I think its a giant public relations mistake to hide from this, says Steven Levy. Levy has what he calls a Ph.D. in Facebook. Hes written a book about the company. Hes interviewed both Zuckerberg and his No. 2, Sheryl Sandberg. Like a lot of observers, Levy has given the companys response here a big thumbs down.

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But whats shocked him most about the way Zuckerberg and Sandberg have approached this scandal is that he thought theyd learned by now. Levy had a front-row seat during the companys last big crisis, when Cambridge Analytica was able to use the site to mine for user data in a bid to elect Donald Trump. For five days, Mark and Sheryl went to a bunker and didnt even talk to their own employees, Levy says. They told me that was a mistake, that they should have been more upfront.

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Now, Levy says, the bunker mentality is back. The day that Frances appeared on 60 Minutes, something that Mark knew was going to happen, he posted a video of him and his wife sailing on the bay. Levy says. Mark Zuckerberg cant escape to the metaverse forever. On Mondays episode of What Next, I spoke with Levy about why. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Mary Harris: Can you lay out what are, in your opinion, the biggest revelations from this cache of documents leaked by Frances Haugen?

Steven Levy: Theres a lot of details that stand out and are kind of shocking, like anger rates so much higher as a signal to boost the distribution of a post than anything thats benign or likable. But ultimately, its many of the things that people were thinking: Facebook poisons the conversation, it divides us, etc., etc. It makes teenage girls feel bad. People get bullied. We all were writing about that. And the people in Congress were complaining about it. The regulatory agencies were complaining about it. But this is overwhelming proof of how deeply Facebook knew this internally and didnt take the aggressive steps it needed to take to minimize the damage it causes. To me, thats the big thing. Its not so much a scoop that totally changes the way we see Facebook. It is just kind of worse than we thought. And Facebook should have done more. And there were these groups of people, hundreds of people, doing research at Facebook who were super concerned about this and kept pushing Facebook to be more aggressive in the actions it took.

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Including Frances Haugn.

Yeah. Im not saying it didnt do anything. Generally what happened was a study came up saying, Were failing here, and we should do X, Y, and Z, and Facebook might do X or Y, or they might try something else, but it turned out to be not enough.

Some of them werent due to nefarious motivations. They were because the way Facebook is structured, its much easier to kill an innovation that protects people than it is to institute it. Because if you want to make a change in the news feed, many, many groups are involved, and all of those groups get to weigh in. If someones really against it, that improvement probably will get nixed.

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Part of why I wanted to talk to you is that your book really centers Mark Zuckerberg as the personality behind a lot of Facebooks business decisions. I wonder how you see that play out in these documents that youve been poring over.

Mark has ultimate control over Facebook. He literally controls 56 percent of the voting stock. He cant be fired. He doesnt make every decision on Facebook, but people think of him when they make decisions.

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Like, what would Mark do?

It very much is Marks company. Even on content decisions, sometimes hes the last person to sign off. If people cant agree on how to handle a hot potato in terms of content like, for instance, whether Donald Trump should be suspended or banned, that goes up to Mark.

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Mark is super engaged. And hes a stubborn fellow. This was one thing I learned about him from talking to him so muchhell dig his heels in. Sometimes when the evidence is overwhelming, hell give up this stance. He wont flip on a dime like Steve Jobs would. Steve Jobs would be adamant about a subject, but as soon as he saw it was a convincing argument the other way, he would act like he was on the other side all along. Bang.

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Mark isnt that way. It takes a lot to make him change his mind, but he can change his mind. Hes a very data-driven person. But the data, which enforces him, is that Facebook is still making money hand over fist. Lets not forget that.

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Yeah, the company is still profitable, and you can have a big media problem. But if Wall Street still loves you or your board still loves you, I dont know if it matters.

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And Mark makes sure the board loves him because hes gotten rid of all of the people on the board who have been questioning him.

A lot of people, including you, characterize Mark Zuckerbergs approach to the work he does as this move fast and break things approach, which I think is true in some ways. But it feels to me like its combined with this caution when it comes to Facebooks bottom line. Youve told this story about how Zuckerberg didnt want to include a like button on Facebook originally because he thought it would drive down engagement. And its kind of a back and forth. Im wondering if you think that nuance is important and how you would describe it?

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I think it is important. So move fast and break things, originally, its a technical term. Mark, as a child of the web, understood in a way that established companies like Microsoft did not that if your system literally breaks, goes down, you could make a fix, and its like, hey, no harm, because you can have the fix up within an hour. As opposed to, if youre using Microsoft Word and theres a bug, to get that not only fixed but out to update the program and millions of computers, thats a long, more serious process. So it used to be a badge of honor among Facebook engineers to do something on the edge to break the program.

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Because youre always updating.

Yeah. And thats characterized the move to introduce new products. It became a metaphor. But when it interferes with the companys main drive to grow, thats when things get slowed down.

I pointed out when Facebook did this oversight board, it took three years from the idea to the point where there was a board and they were making decisions. So in that case, Facebook moved really, really slow because this wasnt something that was going to increase the number of users on Facebook.

Hmm. And do you see in these documents how move fast and break things, its kind of the growth mindset that is more important than that?

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Sure. You see this in action in these documents about how Facebook, to this day, despite the billions of dollars it makes in profits, has not invested in having people moderate the content as thoroughly in foreign languages as it does in North America.

In Myanmar, for instance, years ago, in the early part of the 2010s, the system was being used to foment riots and attack political opponents with misinformation. And Facebook was told about this and did almost nothing.

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Thats totally a growth thing. It wants to be everywhere, but it doesnt want to spend the money to make it safe everywhere.

I want to talk about this internal dissent that youve found as youve looked through the Facebook documents. You focused on badge posts. Can you explain what a badge post is for someone whos outside of Facebook culture?

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Just like in any organization, when people leave, quite often theyll write an email to the staff saying, Im off to my next adventure. Great working with you. At Facebook, theyre called badge posts because theres a custom of taking a picture of the badge you hand in when you leave. The badge that you swipe when you go into the building.

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These badge posts that I was writing about they all universally say, I love the people I work with. As an employer, Facebook can be great, but they point out to different degrees that they came to feel that Facebook was not good for the world, and they felt that the decisions made to improve it werent aggressive enough. They were quite often tainted by political considerations. A number of badge posts point that out.

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Its funny because the main question Ive had looking at the coverage over the past few weeks of Facebook is, gosh, I wonder what its like to work at Facebook right now, where every day if you look at the newspaper, your employer is splashed all over the front page. Did these posts give you any insight into that?

Its clear that if you work at Facebook, youre much less likely, say, to wear company swag when you go out with your family.

The thing that struck me looking at your reporting about these Facebook employees and their posts when they leave is the Facebook response to Frances Haugen has been, Well, oh, youre just looking at a small slice of our research and its biased and this is one person. But then you look at these badge posts and you realize, first of all, there are so many more people out there who have something to say who worked at Facebook and are just saying it internally. Theyre not doing what Frances Haugen did. But then also theres this nuance to it where the employees clearly appreciate Facebook and think of it not as an all-encompassing bad. There was a reason they went to go work there. And so to not see those people and their nuanced reactions feels like a real miss to me on the companys part.

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Definitely, these are people who wanted to save Facebook. A lot of people told me that they got burned out and they were too tired to keep fighting.

One released his badge post as a video. This was engineer Max Wang, and it was a long video, first of all, and he was like, Im doing this because I want you to see my face, and I think were failing and weve enshrined that failure in our policies, which is pretty damning.

These badge posts prove that the system isnt working. If it was working, these people would be saying, Hey, press, youre using these things wrong. Congress, dont look at it this way. Instead, theyre saying not only is the harm there, but we were hoping that Facebook would aggressively address it and take measures to minimize the harm. And those measures arent being taken to the degree that they have to be taken.

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Youve taken issue with this comparison that a lot of lawmakers and pundits have made where theyve said this is Facebooks Big Tobacco moment, and Im hoping you can just tease out why you think that analogy doesnt work here.

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Well, I dont see any good that comes from tobacco. Its a chemical that poisons your body and can kill you. Facebook is different. Billions of people use it for a reason. Most people use it, get some value out of it. But there are way too many cases where Facebook does harm and that has to be addressed. But again, its not at the level that everything in Facebook is wrong and if you wipe Facebook off the Earth, we would necessarily be better off.

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You mentioned how former employees talked about how theyd seen people connect using Facebook in ways that were really positive for them. Its not all bad in the way that tobacco was. But its kind of interesting to play with the tobacco analogy because you can also look at it as how Facebook is responding in this moment.

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In terms of what Facebook the company could do to rehabilitate itself and change itself, I went back to the 1982 Tylenol poisonings.

The company immediately took 30 million bottles of Tylenol off the shelves. They stopped selling Tylenol, and they paid the families of the victims, even though they could have argued that it wasnt us; the drugstore was responsible. They didnt do that. No questions asked. They paid them. Their people talked to them personally. The chairman and CEO went out there to 60 Minutes, Nightline, other places, and said what he personally was doing.

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I dont see Facebook as doing anything like that. No ones considering putting a halt to anything.

Thats the difference. Because within a year, the Tylenol sales were as strong as they ever were. Its still one of the most popular analgesics in America. Im not saying that Facebook necessarily should be shut down. But compare the public reaction: Theyre attacking a whistleblower. Theyre making implications about publications like mine. Mark and Sheryl are nowhere. Mark wrote one blog post about this whole thing of the whistleblower a few weeks ago. It seems to me that the two of them should be everywhere talking about how concerned they are about the harm that the company does, as shown in these documents. And even though its a small percentage of people possibly affected by thisthey could arguetheyre going to do everything they can and make a bigger effort to change that, even if it does mean slowing down growth. Or maybe, having people spend less time on Facebook.

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But no ones talking about slowing down growth. Youve interviewed both of them. It sounds like youre frustrated. You must have tried to interview them again in this moment.

Yeah, I did try to interview Mark again in the last couple of weeks. Its funny, as soon as I mentioned one thing I wanted to talk about was the moral aspect of what he was doing that sort of shut down negotiations right away. He wants to talk about the metaverse, but the subject cant be changed so easily.

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Spain sixth deadliest country for taking selfies



One person dies every week in Spain while taking a dangerous selfie

In the generation of the selfie, there is hardly a person left on the planet who hasnt taken a photo of themselves to document their travels or moments of importance. But the trend is leading to deadly consequences, according to a new study published by the iO Foundation, which has found that Spain is among the countries in the world that has registered the most deaths from taking precarious selfies.

Between January and July of 2021, 31 people have died while posing in dangerous places for a selfie, which translates to one death every week. Indeed, since the beginning of 2008, 379 people have lost their lives. Spain now ranks as sixth in the world, alongside Australia, for the country in which most people die while taking selfies. The top spots for deadly snaps are held by India, the United States and Russia.

Two of the most infamous cases occurred in India. The first was a man who was recording an oncoming train, but failed to jump out of the way on time before it hit him. The other tragedy occurred when a 35-year-old man tried to take a selfie at Gokak Falls, when he tripped and fell from a height of around 50 metres.

In Spain, several high-profile cases have also been recorded. Recently, a 26-year-old Ukrainian girl fell from a castle in Benidorm while trying to take a photo with a friend, while back in 2016, another young woman died in the Los Hocinos area of Cuenca while posing for a selfie.

The study has listed the 10 most deadly places in the world for taking selfies, so travellers know to beware when trying to take the perfect holiday snap.

Niagara Falls, on the border between the US and Canada

Glen Canyon, United States

Charco de Burro, Colombia

Playa de Penha, Brazil

Catarata de Miango, Kenia

The Urals, Russia

Taj Mahal, India

Doodhpathri, India

Isla Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia

Langkawi Archipelago, Malaysia

Image: Archive
In 2020, global insured losses from natural catastrophes amounted to $81 billion.

News: Receive favorite authors articles by email. Try the new feature and turn on the subscription.

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While insurance companies calculate all types of risks in their risk management models, including a major regional pandemic, a global pandemic like Covid-19 is uninsurable. The world has to look for solutions other than insurance.

The pandemic has affected us, but we cannot forget about climate change, Nima Motazed, managing director and head of Swiss Re Slovakia, told The Slovak Spectator. Mitigating it is a common effort of all of us  governments, the public sector, the private sector, and individuals.

The Slovak Spectator spoke with Motazed about the pandemic and the challenges it has posed to the insurance sector, big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The managing director also discussed the anniversary Swiss Re will mark in Slovakia.



The Slovak Spectator (TSS): What impact has the Covid19 pandemic had on the development of the insurance and reinsurance market in the world?

Nima Motazed (NM): From the operations point of view, we have seen a huge shift to digitalisation accelerated by the pandemic. Every single industry had to take a very close look at how to serve customers better and more flexibly in purely virtual times, how to reflect their needs immediately and present solutions ahead of time.

From the expert angle, all risk management models in the insurance industry are dealing with a major pandemic. Every insurance company has tried to reckon with the pandemic in its models in the past because you cant afford to be unprepared if something like this happens. What the insurance sector did not consider and what happened was that the economy started to shut down, massively and quickly. So, we have seen disruptions in businesses and the cancellations of events and activities.

In terms of financial impact, our 2020 annual results reported $3.9 billion in losses from the Covid-19 pandemic and $1.7 billion due to a higher frequency of natural catastrophe events. We have implemented a very cautious approach and made reserves related to the pandemic. We also had to act quickly. Reinsurance is the last line of rescue, the last layer that absorbs financial shock.



TSS: How has the pandemic affected the operation of your company here in Slovakia?

NM: We are a risk managing company, so we have this risk managing approach in the way we operate; business continuity planning is something we have a very strong focus on. Several years before the pandemic, we implemented the Own the Way You Work model, which empowered our employees to choose how and where they worked, so they are used to working from home. Our robust IT systems allowed us to switch our operations to the virtual space within 24 hours. I can remember that day in March 2020 very well.

Related article
https://sputniknews.com/20211031/i-know-it-frances-macron-100-sure-australian-pm-lied-about-submarine-deal-1090374479.html

I Know It: Frances Macron 100% Sure Australian PM Lied About Submarine Deal

I Know It: Frances Macron 100% Sure Australian PM Lied About Submarine Deal

It comes after US President Joe Biden shockingly admitted he had no clue the AUKUS pact would upset Macron that much, being convinced that the French leader... 31.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-31T23:27+0000

2021-10-31T23:27+0000

2021-10-31T23:37+0000

aukus

united kingdom

emmanuel macron

military & intelligence

us

australia

scott morrison

nuclear submarines

aukus

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Frances Emmanuel Macron has accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of consciously lying over ditching a multi-billion-dollar contract for French submarines and opting instead for a new contract with the US and the UK.It turned out Morrison had been involved in secret talks with Western allies about purchasing their nuclear submarines.At the same time, he noted that France had respect and friendship for Australia.On Thursday, Macron and Morrison held their first phone conversation since the diplomatic spat broke out, in which the French leader once again noted that Canberras decision had undermined trust between the two nations.Morrison, however, claimed he did not lie and actually told Macron back in June that the French-supplied submarine wouldnt meet Australias needs.Ironically, it turns out the United States was sure (or at least hoped) France knew what was going on.Though Biden noted France was still an an extremely valued partner, the submarine drama may further drive Macrons ambitions for a more autonomous Europe regarding military and defense policy.The idea is not new but was first voiced by Macron in 2018, when he pushed for a "true, European army" as the then-US president Donald Trump had triggered a lot of anxiety within the EU by insisting on the NATO guideline that all member states contribute 2% of their GDP to defense. After the AUKUS pact hit headlines worldwide this September, Macron again called on European states to defend their independence from the US.

https://sputniknews.com/20211022/aukus-will-australias-fault-lines-with-asean-limit-us-ambitions-to-contain-china-in-indo-pacific-1090028248.html

Nonyank A lifetime politician Biden and as dumb and clueless today as when he began. 6

Sim Nyla Biden, do not takes Asian region into your war... 4

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united kingdom, emmanuel macron, military & intelligence, us, australia, scott morrison, nuclear submarines, aukus
https://sputniknews.com/20211031/japans-ruling-coalition-gets-293-seats-in-lower-house-1090374774.html

Japans Ruling Coalition Gets 293 Seats in Lower House

Japans Ruling Coalition Gets 293 Seats in Lower House

Japans Ruling Coalition Gets 293 Seats in Lower House

2021-10-31T23:12+0000

2021-10-31T23:12+0000

2021-10-31T23:12+0000

new komeito party

asia & pacific

japan

elections

japanese liberal democratic party

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Polling stations opened in Japan at 07:00 local time on Sunday (22:00 GMT on Saturday ) and eligible voters were able to cast their ballots until 20:00 local time on Sunday (11:00 GMT). The vote count was broadcast by NHK and wrapped up at around 05:00 local time on Monday (20:00 GMT on Sunday).The ruling coalition secured 293 out of the total 465 seats (289 single-member districts and 176 elected under proportional representation). LDP got 261 seats, while Komeito won 32 seats. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which is the countrys main opposition force, got 96 seats in the lower house.A total of 1,051 candidates from nine parties competed for the parliamentary seats. Japans ruling coalition had 305 seats in the lower house before Sundays general election.The turnout at the election was 55.93 percent, according to preliminary estimates.

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new komeito party, asia & pacific, japan, elections, japanese liberal democratic party
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/30-of-americans-68-of-republicans-say-2020-elections-were-stolen-from-donald-trump-shows-survey-1090382922.html

30% of Americans, 68% of Republicans Say 2020 Elections Were Stolen From Donald Trump Shows Survey

30% of Americans, 68% of Republicans Say 2020 Elections Were Stolen From Donald Trump Shows Survey

Around three in ten Americans surveyed, or 31 percent, believe the November 2020 elections were stolen from Donald Trump, a poll by the nonpartisan Public... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T08:35+0000

2021-11-01T08:35+0000

2021-11-02T04:36+0000

joe biden

donald trump

us

republicans

us capitol

qanon

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Around three in ten Americans surveyed, or 31 percent, believe the November 2020 elections were stolen from Donald Trump, a poll by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute shows. This figure includes over two-thirds of Republicans, or 68 percent. The findings are seen as appearing to correlate with respondents' preferred news sources, as 82 percent of those who place their trust in Fox News more than any other media outlet, shared the stance that the 2020 election had been "stolen" or "rigged", as the ex-POTUS himself has repeatedly stressed. Among respondents who showed trust in right-wing outlets like One America Network and Newsmax, 97 percent agreed with this view, also supported by 26 percent of independents and just 6 percent of Democrats. As to the correlation with religious beliefs, according to the PRRI study, a majority of white evangelicals, 60 percent, also believe Trump was denied his rightful triumph in the re-election bid. The results of the 2020 US presidential election were decried as fraudulent by former President Donald Trump, who refused to concede to Democrat Joe Biden, and Republicans in several states are still trying to verify the claims of widespread voting irregularities. However, they have fallen short of finding solid proof to back the accusations.Furthermore, almost one-third of Republicans are of the opinion that violence may be needed to solve America's plethora of problems, as almost one in five, or 18 percent, of overall respondents agreed with the statement: "Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country".This figure included 30 percent of Republicans, 11 percent of Democrats, and 17 percent of independents. White evangelicals were also the religious group most likely to think that "true American patriots might have to resort to violence in order to save our country", with 26 percent saying they agree. PRRI's 12th annual American Values Survey (AVS), released Monday, was carried out between 16 and 29 September via online interviews with a random sample of 2,508 adults residing in all 50 US states. The survey results shed light on Americans' attitudes toward a variety of issues seen as increasingly dividing the nation and believed to impact the 2022 midterm elections. The survey also underscored the impact of media on trends in partisan and religious affiliation. Robert Jones, CEO and founder of PRRI, believes that the results illustrate the "significant and rapidly increasing polarisation in the United States".The results of the poll were published as more than 650 people have been arrested so far in connection with the January 6th storming of the US Capitol  an event that Democrats have persisted in blaming Donald Trump for. The Dems have insisted his claims of voter fraud incited the so-called insurrection which had interrupted the electoral count certifying Joe Biden's victory in the November 2020 presidential elections. Trump himself denied culpability in the incident that left five people, including a Capitol police officer, dead. Although Trump underscored he was among the first to condemn the actions of the mob, dissatisfied with the election results, Democrats controlling the House impeached the then president on the grounds of these claims, but Trump managed to dodge conviction during the trial in the GOP-dominated Senate. The House of Representatives narrowly voted to create a Select Committee to investigate the January 6th Capitol riot on 30 June. Earlier this month, the White House blocked Trump's request to withhold documents about the January 6th unrest. The decision authorises the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to hand over documents requested by the US House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack. Trump subsequently sued the House panel for its inquiry, describing it as illegal while charging the panel's requests for documents from the Executive Branch as "unprecedented in their breadth and scope and untethered from any legitimate legislative purpose".

Max75 It wasn't stolen in the sense that former President Trump did not get enough popular votes to get the required number of electoral votes for a second term. It was stolen in the sense that the Democrats in collusion with mainstream media outlets waged a 4 years campaign of sedition against the President with their hearings and publication of bogus accusations against the former President. 2

Thomas Turk So what bad did Hitler do.? Explain, 1

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https://sputniknews.com/20211101/australias-sydney-receives-first-intl-flight-in-nearly-600-days-airline-says-1090380539.html

Australias Sydney Receives First Intl Flight in Nearly 600 Days, Airline Says

Australias Sydney Receives First Intl Flight in Nearly 600 Days, Airline Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The first international flight arrived at the Sydney airport after almost 600 days of COVID-19 related restrictions, the Australian airlines... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T06:29+0000

2021-11-01T06:29+0000

2021-11-01T06:29+0000

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The Australian authorities allowed fully COVID-19 vaccinated citizens and unvaccinated children under 12 to fly abroad starting Monday.Later in the day, Qantas will conduct a flight from Sydney to London through Darwin. The international flights of the airlines will now connect Sydney, London, and Los Angeles, but in the next weeks, some other destinations will also be available, according to Qantas.All the passengers must be fully COVID-19 vaccinated, however, some can be exempt, especially children. The first flights are available for citizens, permanent residents, and their close relatives, the company specified.In March 2020, the Australian government closed the state borders and banned citizens from leaving the country without a special permit.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211101/back-to-1692-the-last-charged-salem-witch-to-be-exonerated-from-300-year-old-trials-1090376993.html

Back to 1692: the Last Convicted Salem Witch to Be Exonerated From 300-Year-Old Trials

Back to 1692: the Last Convicted Salem Witch to Be Exonerated From 300-Year-Old Trials

Back to 1692: The Last Charged Salem Witch To Be Exonerated From 300-Year-Old Trials

2021-11-01T02:10+0000

2021-11-01T02:10+0000

2021-11-01T02:11+0000

viral

massachusetts

us senator

witch hunt

acquittal

us

witchcraft

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The legislation of Senator Diana DiZoglio to acquit Elizabeth Johnson will be soon be delivered to the Senate and House of Representatives, where the bill is expected to be unanimously passed, according to the blog Witches of Massachusetts Bay.The senator introduced the legislation in late August. According to her, she was inspired by the work done by eighth-grade students from North Andover. They have found and examined every detail about Johnson and proposed a strategy to officially vindicate her.In 1692, a massive "witch hunt" began in Salem and neighboring towns. At the time, hundreds of people were accused of witchcraft, 19 of whom were hanged, while another girl was stoned to death. Over the next 329 years, many of them were acquitted, including the mother of Elizabeth Johnson.In 1693, 22-year-old Johnson was sentenced to death, but she avoided execution. When the scale of the unjust trial of the "witches" became known, the then-governor of Massachusetts overturned the death sentence, but the charges remained.DiZoglio said that she doesn't know why Johnson still hasn't been acquitted. It is believed that there was no one who could act on her behalf, as she was not married and had no children.If the bill is accepted, Johnson's name would be included in the 1957 law that contains a list of names of those wrongly convicted in 1692-1693. Elizabeth Johnson would be the last Salem witch to be acquitted.

vot tak I'm sure the murdered woman deserves recognition about the crime committed against her, but what about current victims of the right wing extremist freakshow. Such as Assange. His persecution is a right wing freakshow no different than the subhuman freaks murdering women for witchcraft. Why not work to stop the israeloamerican murder of Assange and the many other political prisoners this zionist/nazi freakshow called america is persecuting? 4

Nevi'im The Law and administrators of the Law in Salem in 1693 would have been vastly different in culture, science and law than 2021! The US in 2021 has just the same evil packaged differently by probably similar people? 3

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https://sputniknews.com/20211101/barclays-shares-plunge-after-ceo-resigns-over-probe-into-links-with-pedophile-epstein--1090385766.html

Barclays Shares Plunge After CEO Resigns Over Probe Into Links With Paedophile Epstein

Barclays Shares Plunge After CEO Resigns Over Probe Into Links With Paedophile Epstein

UK regulators opened a probe into the relationship between Jes Staley and the disgraced late tycoon Jeffrey Epstein - a key client of JPMorgans private bank... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T10:38+0000

2021-11-01T10:38+0000

2021-11-01T12:12+0000

barclays bank plc

jeffrey epstein

jp morgan

jpmorgan chase

ftse 100

news

us

uk

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Shares in Barclays dropped 2.7% in early deals on Monday as investors reacted to news that the banks chief executive Jes Staley was resigning over a probe by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) into his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.The British bank found itself joining other top fallers on the FTSE 100 index of blue-chip shares.The agreement with the outgoing chief executive came after the release of preliminary conclusions in the investigation that the FCA carried out jointly with the Prudential Regulation Authority into Staleys characterisation to Barclays of his relationship with the late Mr Jeffrey Epstein and the subsequent description of that relationship in Barclays response to the FCA, the bank said in a statement on Monday. The bank added:The bank said the investigation did not reveal any proof that Staley saw, or was aware of any of the disgraced tycoons alleged crimes. Barclays refrained from further comment on the preliminary conclusions, acknowledging that the regulatory process still has to run its full course. In an internal memo to Barclays staff, quoted by The Guardian, Jes Staley said: As subject to regulatory approval, taking over as chief executive with immediate effect is C.S. Venkatakrishnan (known as Venkat), the banks global head of markets who worked at JP Morgan Chase from 1994, prior to joining Barclays in 2016. Epstein LinksIt emerged back in February 2020 that an inquiry had been launched into Staleys characterisation of his dealings with Epstein. Barclays revealed the existence of the probe in a statement to the stock exchange, saying the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), part of the Bank of England that oversees banks, had launched the inquiry in December, centering on emails exchanged between the banker and the business tycoon. Those messages were handed to UK regulators by JPMorgan Chase.Staley, who joined Barclays in 2015, said he had developed a relationship with Epstein, a JP Morgan client, in 2000, when he was hired to lead the private bank at JP Morgan which deals with wealthy customers. Convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein had been arrested for sex trafficking and sexually abusing more than 200 women, including minors, and was awaiting trial when he died in his cell in August 2019.In February 2020, Staley apologised for the relationship with Epstein. Staley added that the investigation is focused on my transparency and openness with the bank regarding my relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. I feel very comfortable, that, going all the way back to 2015, I have been very transparent. He added: Staley is reported to have maintained communication with the billionaire for seven years after he was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008. Staleys final encounter with Epstein is said to have been on the the financier's private Caribbean island in 2015, shortly the banker took over as Barclays chief executive in December. A Barclays spokesman said the bank, which had seen the email exchanges sent to the UK regulators, had been aware of the relationship with Epstein before Staleys appointment in October 2015. The board stated at the time it believed Staley had been sufficiently transparent with the company as regards the nature and extent of his relationship with Mr. Epstein.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211101/biden-apologizes-for-coming-late-to-his-own-presser-at-g20-because-he-was-playing-with-elevators-1090377298.html

Biden Apologizes for Coming Late to His Own Presser at G20 Because He Was 'Playing With Elevators'

Biden Apologizes for Coming Late to His Own Presser at G20 Because He Was 'Playing With Elevators'

Biden attended the annual G20 summit held in Rome, Italy this weekend. At a press conference, the president discussed issues such as climate change, global... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T02:39+0000

2021-11-01T02:39+0000

2021-11-01T02:39+0000

joe biden

press conference

g20

viral

elevators

un

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At the conclusion of a two-day meeting with G20 leaders in Rome, US President Joe Biden apologized for being late to his press conference before flying to a UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.His press conference, in turn, lasted just over 20 minutes, including answers to journalists' questions.Fox News calculated that on average, Biden has been 22.4 minutes late for his publicly announced events from June 1 to the second week of October. He has been known to keep his audiences waiting for up to an hour. During the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, the president was on average 34 minutes late for his appearances.Biden will travel from Rome to Scotland for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change's 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26).

TruePatriot JObama got away from his handlers, eh? And was finally found pushing elevator buttons running up and down and squealing "wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee". LOL, what an embarrasing fool and dotard he is. 1

vot tak A neocon psywar non news article from a writer who specializes in promoting neocon psywar on sputnik. Thumbs down. 0

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https://sputniknews.com/20211101/biden-putin-reaffirming-gorbachev-reagan-formula-will-benefit-next-npt-conference--un-1090399510.html

Biden, Putin Reaffirming Gorbachev-Reagan Formula Will Benefit Next NPT Conference  UN

Biden, Putin Reaffirming Gorbachev-Reagan Formula Will Benefit Next NPT Conference  UN

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden reaffirming a commitment to the Gorbachev-Reagan formula that a nuclear war cannot be won and... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T19:35+0000

2021-11-01T19:35+0000

2021-11-02T04:43+0000

mikhail gorbachev

ronald reagan

joe biden

vladimir putin

meeting

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UN Under-Secretary-General of Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu has stressed it is a positive development that Russia and the United States have returned to regular strategic stability dialogues."While, you know, the discussions must be definitely quite difficult, they seem to be very genuinely and sincerely engaged in very substantive discussions. That's very good", she stated. The landmark summit in Geneva on 16 June marked the first Putin-Biden meeting, with the two presidents considering it productive. They agreed to launch consultations on strategic stability, and adopted a joint statement reaffirming the commitment to the 1985 formula by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.President-designate of the 2020 Review Conference for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), Gustavo Zlauvinen, said in a letter in July that the tenth session was rescheduled and will be held in January 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.The NPT Review Conference is the main event in the field of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and takes place every five years.

ema.ruv Gli U.S.A., la N.A.T.O., il Regno Unito, Japan, Europa, Canada, Islanda, Australia, NON SONO MAI STATI AFFIDABILI E NON LO SONO ORA .....!!!!! 0

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mikhail gorbachev, ronald reagan, joe biden, vladimir putin, meeting
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/cultural-monument-or-traffic-hindrance-nazi-shipwreck-from-wwii-divides-norway-1090381485.html

Cultural Monument or Traffic Hindrance? Nazi Shipwreck From WWII Divides Norway

Cultural Monument or Traffic Hindrance? Nazi Shipwreck From WWII Divides Norway

The floating fish factory Hamburg, which sank in 1941 and is today hindering port development, is seen as one the oldest war wrecks in northern Norway and a... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

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scandinavia

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The German steamship Hamburg that sank off the coast of Svolvr in northern Norway has became the focal point of a vivid conservation debate. The harbour authorities and the business community want it removed, but face strong opposition from archaeologists and divers.The 9,000 tonne steamship sank during Operation Claymore, otherwise known as the Lofoten Raid in 1941, and rests at depths between 5 to 25 metres. In good weather, parts of the wreck are visible from the surface.Its accessibility, and the history behind it, make the wreck a favourite spot for divers. However, business circles would like to have it removed in accordance with plans to expand the quay, as it makes both development and entry complicated. Furthermore, given the fact the ship is over 100 years old, it is automatically a protected cultural monument, adding yet another layer to the heated debate, national broadcaster NRK reported.Ole Osland, port manager in Vagan municipality, argued that the Hamburg poses a risk for larger ships going in and out, and questioned its historic importance, given the fact that the vessel was not a warship, but produced fish oil.I understand the importance of preserving cultural monuments, but how much cultural value is there in an old boat that produced fish? Osland asked rhetorically.Tor-Kristian Storvik, an archaeologist at Nordland County Municipality, argued that it is important to protect the ship, which is one of the oldest war wrecks in northern Norway.It is one of the few physical traces of the first Lofoten raid, or Operation Claymore. Which was one of the first coordinated operations between the Norwegians and allies, Storvik argued. Marine archaeologist Stephen Wickler of the Troms University Museum concurred the wreck has a great cultural and historical value.On 4 March, 1941, about 550 British and 52 Norwegian commandos went ashore on Austvagy in the Lofoten archipelago and attacked, among other things, plants and herring oil factories in Svolvr, Stamsund, Henningsvr and Brettesnes, as well as German and German-controlled ships, including the Hamburg. It was subsequently sunk by the Germans themselves so that the British would not get hold of it. The Germans retaliated by burning down houses, taking hostages and sending them to concentration camps.

keyboardcosmetics Nazis? You mean National Socialists, Commie! BTW The British occupation was illegal and the German Occupying Forces never carried out reprisals or deportations. You are confusing the Reich with BOLSHEVIK Russia... your allies. 0

Brit26 Dynamite it and drag out the pieces for scrap. 0

2

norway

scandinavia

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Igor Kuznetsov

news, europe, world war ii, norway, scandinavia
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/ethiopian-government-says-tplf-killed-over-100-young-residents-of-seized-city-1090390244.html

Ethiopian Government Says TPLF Killed Over 100 Young Residents of Seized City

Ethiopian Government Says TPLF Killed Over 100 Young Residents of Seized City

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Ethiopian government said on Monday that rebels from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) killed more than 100 young people... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T12:06+0000

2021-11-01T12:06+0000

2021-11-01T12:06+0000

ethiopia

africa

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"The terrorist group TPLF has summarily executed more than 100 youth residents of Kombolcha in areas it has infiltrated. The international community should not turn blind eye to such atrocities," Ethiopia's government communication service said on Twitter.The north of the African country has been engulfed by an internal conflict for almost a year. In November 2020, the authorities blamed the TPLF dominating the political landscape of Ethiopia for almost three decades for attacking a military base. The government forces launched a counter-operation, supported by neighboring Eritrea.In spring 2021, Ethiopia announced the withdrawal of Eritrean troops from the Tigray region. In June, the rebels seized the administrative centre of Tigray, Mekelle, prompting the government to declare a ceasefire. However, the insurgents later said that they stepped up offensive and established control of a major part of the south of Tigray.

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ethiopia, africa
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/ex-afghan-special-forces-troops-intelligence-officers-reportedly-joining-daesh-to-fight-taliban-1090388728.html

Ex-Afghan Special Forces Troops, Intelligence Officers Reportedly Joining Daesh to Fight Taliban

Ex-Afghan Special Forces Troops, Intelligence Officers Reportedly Joining Daesh to Fight Taliban

The US-backed government of Afghanistan and its American-trained security forces collapsed after Taliban fighters entered Kabul on 15 August. The debacle... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T11:47+0000

2021-11-01T11:47+0000

2021-11-01T11:56+0000

united states

afghanistan

isis-k

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A small but growing number of former Afghan special forces and intelligence personnel have been joining Daesh-K, the ISIS* offshoot fighting for control of Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing Taliban* leaders, former Afghan security officials and people who know the defectors.If there were a resistance, they would have jointed the resistance. For the time being, [Daesh-K] is the only other armed group, Rahmatullah Nabil, former chief of Afghanistans National Directorate of Security, told WSJ. He added that for many, joining Daesh became very attractive after they were left behind by the United States.The papers sources warned that the US-trained special forces troops and spies could provide Daesh-K with critical expertise in intelligence-gathering and warfighting capabilities, thus strengthening its operations against the Taliban. The report warned that hundreds of thousands of Afghan National Army soldiers, intelligence service members, police and special forces unit troops havent been paid for months, and could become fodder for recruitment by the terrorists.Among the defectors are members of the elite special forces  who were shuttled in and out of hotspots throughout much of the conflict to fight Taliban insurgents as regular army formations proved themselves ineffective. Many of these troops have training from the US Navy SEALS and Green Berets.The Taliban has long accused the US of providing support for the Taliban, and has alleged the Daesh-K is the creation of Afghanistans intelligence services and their US allies. Washington and Kabul have vigorously denied these allegations.Ahmad Yasir, a senior official at the Talibans political office in Qatar, told US media last month that there was no doubt that the malicious hand of the US was behind the ISIS attack that rocked a Shiite mosque in Kunduz on 8 October, in which at least 55 people were killed and hundreds more were left injured. Daesh-K also claimed responsibility for the 26 August Kabul airport attack, in which over 180 people, including 13 US troops, were killed. The US responded with airstrikes against what the Pentagon initially claimed were high-value terrorist targets. The military later admitted that ten civilians, including seven children and aid workers, were killed in the attacks.Last month, Taliban social media spokesman Qari Saeed Khosty told Newsweek that the group would not cooperate with the US against Daesh, since the US has helped the terrorist group flourish.The 300,000-troop-strong Afghan Security Forces disintegrated in mid-August after the Taliban entered Kabul, almost without firing a shot, as members of the government, including former president Ashraf Ghani, fled the country, allegedly with millions of dollars in cash. The US spent $88 billion arming and training the Afghan military over the past twenty years.* Terrorist groups outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputniknews.com/20211007/cia-reportedly-airlifted-commandos-suspected-of-execution-style-killings-of-civilians-out-of-kabul-1089738036.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211006/us-watchdog-to-examine-allegations-ashraf-ghani-took-millions-of-dollar-from-afghanistan-1089719574.html

vot tak Gee, what a surprise. Those israeloamerican assets that were used to train daesh terrorists are now joining up with their trainees. 5

Barros US, always a backstabbing leader that want to rob the others. 3

5

afghanistan

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united states, afghanistan, isis-k
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/exiled-aides-of-fugitive-president-ashraf-ghani-slam-indian-govt-want-to-return-to-afghanistan-1090381228.html

Exiled Aides of Fugitive President Ashraf Ghani Slam Indian Govt, Want to Return to Afghanistan

Exiled Aides of Fugitive President Ashraf Ghani Slam Indian Govt, Want to Return to Afghanistan

The Taliban has urged New Delhi to resume commercial flight operations between Afghanistan and India. They have also said those with proper travel documents... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T11:41+0000

2021-11-01T11:41+0000

2021-11-01T11:41+0000

afghanistan

narendra modi

ashraf ghani

afghanistan

india

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A former adviser to runaway Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has called upon Sikhs and Hindus, who come from Afghanistan but who have fled to India, to return to their native land. Sandpal Singh Khalsa, an Afghan Sikh, has said that the members of the Hindu and Sikh communities need to take care of their business interests that have been left unattended since they flew to New Delhi after the Taliban took over their country in August. Khalsa on Sunday addressed a meeting held at a gurdwara (Sikh temple) in New Delhi, during which he called on members of the Hindu and Sikh communities in Delhi to consider returning to their homeland.His call was backed by Narender Singh Khalsa, a former Afghan Sikh politician who was part of Ghani's administration, and Manjit Singh Lamba, a former deputy linked to the Minority Development Council of the country.At the moment, more than 200 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus remain in Afghanistan, down from several thousands in the early Nineties before the Taliban first came to power in 1996. Decades of religious persecution by Islamist hardliners has driven most of these communities from the country. Most of the Afghan Sikhs and Hindus still there are spice traders or grocers.Sandpal Singh Khalsa and nearly 70 other members of the Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities were evacuated by the Narendra Modi-led Indian government in two separate flights on 22 and 24 August earlier this year.Khalsa's proposal to return, however, met with opposition at Sunday's meeting in Delhi. Around 50 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus who were at the meeting objected to the idea of returning to Afghanistan and warned of unforeseen incidents that may occur in the central Asian nation.Ghanis Aides Irked Over Visa Delays Singh disclosed that those who took part in Sunday's meeting were particularly critical of Prime Minister Modis government. They were annoyed by the delay in evacuating the Afghan Sikhs and Hindus who seek to travel to India, despite their repeated appeals over the past few weeks.As opposed to the members of Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities who want to return to Afghanistan, the ones who have been left behind in Kabul are appealing to the Indian government to grant them sanctuary. Singh, a former adviser of Ghani, was also particularly scathing at Sunday's meeting about the Indian governments policy towards the stranded Afghan Sikhs and Hindus, questioning why they were not being allowed to travel to India. He said that they werent expecting any financial assistance from the Indian government and were just waiting for visa clearance.These Sikhs and Hindus might consider returning to Afghanistan once the situation has stabilised. But for now, their safe evacuation to India remains a priority for us, underlined Singh.India's Home Ministry on 25 August invalidated all the Indian visas held by Afghan passport holders and called upon those wanting to travel to India to apply online.Singh also pointed out that even though the Taliban has so far not harmed any Afghan Sikh or Hindu, the Islamist groups resurgence has emboldened radicals in the country.Some of the Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have claimed that people have just walked into our religious places and warned us to leave," he said. "These people are not affiliated with the Taliban, even though they claim to be from the new government. That is a big security issue for our brothers who have been left behind, Singh pointed out. At a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on 17 August, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the safe evacuation of Indian-origin communities from Afghanistan was a priority for his government.Safety, security and early return" of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan, as well as "travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit India" also featured in the meeting between Indias envoy to Qatar Deepak Mittal, and the head of the Talibans political office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, on 31 August.

https://sputniknews.com/20211027/afghanistans-remaining-hindus-and-sikhs-accuse-india-of-stalling-their-visa-applications-1090244740.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211005/unidentified-gunmen-storm-sikh-shrine-in-kabul-taliban-denies-responsibility-1089686081.html

afghanistan

india

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Dhairya Maheshwari

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narendra modi, ashraf ghani, afghanistan, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/global-minimum-tax-will-help-govts-in-raising-revenues-for-social-welfare-indian-prof-says-1090396404.html

Global Minimum Tax Will Help Govts in Raising Revenues for Social Welfare, Indian Prof Says

Global Minimum Tax Will Help Govts in Raising Revenues for Social Welfare, Indian Prof Says

G-20 nations have met in Rome to discuss global economies' challenges under the new circumstance that emerged due to COVID-19. Climate change, Supply Chain... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T19:02+0000

2021-11-01T19:02+0000

2021-11-01T19:02+0000

malaysia

trade

glasgow

climate change

tax evasion

narendra modi

us

china

g20

italy

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Leaders of the worlds 20 biggest economies, formally known as G-20, have endorsed a global minimum tax of 15% on multinational companies to avoid incurring revenues losses. US President Joe Biden termed it as more than tax deal and said "its diplomacy reshaping our global economy and delivering for our people."The tax rules are expected to come into force in 2023. The tax rules, formally signed by 136 countries, are expected to make it harder for multinational corporations  including giants like Google, Amazon, Facebook, or Microsoft  to avoid taxation by establishing offices in low-tax jurisdictions or tax haven countries. The G-20, or the group of twenties, is made up of 19 countries, including the US, the UK, Russia, China, Brazil, and the European Union. It accounts for over two-thirds of the global economy and 80% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. A 17 page Rome declaration was released on Sunday, detailing steps to overcome challenges like supply chain resilience and climate change. Sputnik has spoken with Prof Ashwani Mahajan, the co-convener of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an affiliate of Narendra Modi's BJP and premiere influential economic group on the concluded G-20 Summit in Rome.Sputnik: Global leaders endorse Minimum Global Tax on Businesses. How will it impact the Indian economy?Ashwani Mahajan: In the last two years, there has been a kind of competitive tax regime among countries to attract investments and boost their businesses. There had not been any global consensus on the minimum tax rates on corporates operating in different countries. That had started impacting the revenues of the government world over, including the US. The Trump administration had also reduced the tax rates, and that was their ideological plank to reduce the taxes in the US even then. So in India, the government had also been engaged in a competitive tax regime to save its skins because if we do not reduce taxes while others are reduced, all the investment will go to them. So, having a global consensus or at least consensus amongst the economies those which matter is a good move. I hope other countries will also follow. This step would bring an end to the competitive tax regime.There is a second issue involved in this. Multi-national companies are having their businesses world-over; they tend to avoid taxes by their book transfers, which has also impacted government revenues. With globalisation gaining ground, this source of revenues has become important for any country. New business models [used mainly by e-commerce companies] have also been developed wherein companies have been increasing their market volume and incurring losses. These companies have been incurring losses by selling products at less than the procurement price. They are saying that since they are not earning profits, they are not supposed to pay any tax, which is happening everywhere. Therefore this is the right time to redesign the tax regime so that corporates cannot fool the governments and get away without paying any tax. It would help the governments to avoid any competitive war with respect to taxation. Taxation should not be the tool or arm to attract investments. Because when you indulge in tax war, you are doing it at the cost of the welfare of the people. I think the global minimum tax will help governments in raising revenues for welfare and developmental activities.Sputnik: Will the global minimum tax put pressure on India's ability to attract investments as most foreign direct investment comes from low tax countries or tax havens?Mahajan: I don't think so. Because investments from these tax haven countries or low tax regime countries have not proved beneficial for India, we have lost a lot in tax revenues. Suppose we look at recent cases whereby the Indian government has to amend the law concerning tax claims on capital gains in the past because these tax haven countries were used as a route to avoid taxes in India. These kinds of FDI have been harming us more than anything else. The government of India has been rewriting its double taxation avoidance treaty with most of these low-income tax regime countries or tax havens to avoid these kinds of losses in revenues. India has rewritten its double taxation avoidance agreements with Mauritius and others. Ultimately, the Indian government needs resources for the development and social welfare as expectations of the people at large world over are increasing. Therefore we have to create structures whereby these corporates are not able to avoid taxes. What you see in the past, companies are becoming richer and poor people are becoming poorer. That has to come to an end.Sputnik: US President Joe Biden convened a meeting on Sunday to sort out the issues related to the global supply chain. How much is it important for India?Mahajan: During COVID, major economies have learned various lessons, and one lesson that India and the globe have learned is that it is not good to depend on one country or a set of countries for a supply chain. Indian industries are suffering because of scarcity of semiconductors. This is happening because India is dependent on China or a group of countries for intermediate goods or raw materials. It is said that the COVID has disrupted the businesses. But, these supplier countries may be playing games since India has been taking steps to become the world's manufacturing hub of the world so these countries may be intentionally trying to stop the supply of intermediaries or raw materials. Therefore, what we need are more trusted, more resilient, and more transparent global value chains. Therefore, this move to bring consensus among economies is significant for India. Because manufacturing has to shift more equally amongst the countries, economies with a competitive edge will benefit. India has a competitive advantage in terms of labour wages, brains, and various other ways. The world is changing, and new opportunities are coming up as the trust in China is declining very fast. Therefore, if you see the global mood, China is also losing ground in infrastructure development in third countries under its Belt and Road Initiatives or even in terms of investment. People are now trying to shift away from China. So, a new scenario of the global supply chain will emerge. India will have to act more positively and more proactively in this direction.Sputnik: World leaders acknowledged there would need to be "meaningful and effective actions" to mitigate temperature rises in a written agreement released Sunday but did not commit to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by a set date. What would you say about the deadlock?Mahajan: There is a change in the mindset of the governments across the world. Over the years, especially under Narendra Modi's regime, the Government of India has changed its approach altogether. India is becoming the initiators of the debate on emission reduction, and we have offered more than what we had been offering earlier at Kyoto or any other summit. Now, India has started saying that we will become an equal partner in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.So, India wants two things: one, developed countries should also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The developed world is talking about financing the reduction in the emissions in developing countries, but they are not saying anything to reduce their domestic emissions. They are not ready to change from coal-based systems to more renewable energies. This approach is not good. Secondly, the developed world should come forward and offer $500 billion or $1000 Billion to developing countries to come out of this menace. There should be more transfer of technologies to developing or under-developed countries. Why should they be sitting on the technologies when humanities itself is vanishing? Developed countries should also finance new needs or the growing needs of the developing countries to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. India has not only been playing a very positive role in the last few climate meetings, but it is also has its working on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Despite losing the political capital, the Narendra Modi government is not making petrol and diesel cheaper for consumers. That is also helping India reduce the emission by a shift to more electric vehicles.

https://sputniknews.com/20211029/india-seeks-early-solution-to-chip-shortage-at-g-20-summit-as-crisis-reaches-unprecedented-level-1090315437.html

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malaysia, trade, glasgow, climate change, tax evasion, narendra modi, us, china, g20, italy, rome, g20 summit, tax avoidance, paris climate deal, eu, india, uk, cop26
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/happiest-place-on-earth-34000-patrons-of-shanghai-disneyland-locked-inside-over-one-covid-case-1090396674.html

Happiest Place on Earth? 34,000 Patrons of Shanghai Disneyland Locked Inside Over One Covid Case

Happiest Place on Earth? 34,000 Patrons of Shanghai Disneyland Locked Inside Over One Covid Case

The Peoples Republic has implemented some of the most stringent anti-coronavirus measures in the world, sticking to a Covid-zero strategy which includes... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T16:32+0000

2021-11-01T16:32+0000

2021-11-01T16:32+0000

china

disney

coronavirus

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Tens of thousands of Shanghai Disneyland patrons and employees were temporarily locked inside the Magic Kingdom on Sunday after single patron tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to her home city of Hangzhou after visiting the theme park.Health authorities and police descended on the theme park, with nearly 34,000 patrons trapped inside until they submitted express Covid tests. Indoor venues were closed, and new visitors were turned away at entrances. Authorities also shut down a subway line connecting the park to the rest of the city, and deployed over 200 buses to the theme park to take patrons and employees home for mandatory self-isolation.In accordance with stringent Chinese guidelines, patrons and workers were required to take a second Covid test Monday.Guidelines were also issued for those who visited the park between Saturday and Sunday to stay home for at least two days, and keep an eye on their health situation for the next twelve days.The theme park, co-owned by Chinese construction company Shanghai Shendi and the Walt Disney Company, has been shuttered until at least Tuesday. We will notify guests as soon as we have a confirmed date to resume operations, Disney said in a statement.The Covid scare coincided with the theme parks Halloween carnival.Chinas Covid StrategyChina reported 92 new coronavirus cases on Monday  a high for a nation that has typically reported cases in the low double digits since August.Over one-and-a-half years after the pandemic first began in Wuhan, China continues to have some of the strictest measures in the world in place to combat the virus. This includes putting residential complexes, districts, or even entire cities on lockdown at the drop of a hat after small numbers of cases are reported (up to six million residents of the country are currently locked down), and measures to discourage travel  both inside the country and internationally.China has distributed over 2.2 billion coronavirus vaccines, enough for as much as 80 percent of the country population, and vaccines have been mandated for children as young as three years old in some provinces.Chinas coronavirus vaccines are produced by Sinovac and Sinopharm. Both are inactivated jabs made from viral particles produced in a lab, and injected to activate an immune response and the production of antibodies.Chinas coronavirus response has been praised by proponents of mass vaccination campaigns and a zero-tolerance approach to the virus, but criticized by others for their authoritarianism amid suggestions from medical experts that humanity will have to learn to live with the virus, and that it will eventually infect everyone, mutate to become less lethal and turn into an endemic. China has dismissed these criticisms, pointing to its successes in keeping death rates low, and suggesting that their zero-Covid strategy is the only way to end the pandemic.

Rokenbok I think other countries would follow Chinas lead, with accurate PCR rapid testing and a vaccine of dead or weakened COVID which is a traditional vaccine as opposed to an unpredictable experiment mRNA jab that causes horrible side effects. If the west started using these traditional vaccines and rapid PCR tests without jacking up the cycles, people would have been more trusting. 4

vot tak The Chinese don't mess around with this israeloamerican bio attack 2

3

china

disney

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Ilya Tsukanov

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china, disney, coronavirus
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/indian-health-minister-reviews-dengue-crisis-in-delhi-as-cases-surge-1090390944.html

Indian Health Minister Reviews Dengue Crisis in Delhi as Cases Surge

Indian Health Minister Reviews Dengue Crisis in Delhi as Cases Surge

Out of the total number of dengue cases reported this year, 1,196 have been recorded in October alone. So far six people have died which is the highest number... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T15:44+0000

2021-11-01T15:44+0000

2021-11-01T15:44+0000

delhi

healthcare

dengue fever

india

health

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Amid a rising number of dengue cases, Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday directed the federal health secretary to identify and send a team of experts to states and union territories with high active dengue cases. In a bid to review the public health measures undertaken for controlling and managing the dengue, the minister chaired a high-level meeting with the Delhi government. He assured the central governments full support to the Delhi government.Meanwhile, Mandaviya also emphasised that many poor people are affected by dengue who are weakened due to low platelet count. He also directed authorities to ramp up testing so that all cases are reported and treated properly. As many of the hospitals in Delhi are over-burdened with dengue cases, the federal minister asked Delhi government officials to look into the possibility of repurposing COVID beds to treat dengue. Meanwhile, the Delhi government has declared dengue a notified disease which will enhance reporting and monitoring of the disease. As per Delhi's civic body report released on Monday, 531 new dengue cases have been reported in the last week in Delhi and till now six deaths have been reported this year. India's national capital city has reported 1,537 cases of dengue this year.

https://sputniknews.com/20211021/dengue-fever-engulfs-delhi-with-surge-in-cases-among-children-1090092732.html

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delhi, healthcare, dengue fever, india, health
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/lavrov-believes-kiev-trying-to-trigger-response-from-donbass-militia-get-russia-involved-1090385070.html

Lavrov Believes Kiev Trying to Trigger Response From Donbass Militia, Get Russia Involved

Lavrov Believes Kiev Trying to Trigger Response From Donbass Militia, Get Russia Involved

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed to an escalation of tensions in Ukraine's east and expressed the belief that Kiev is acting... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T09:56+0000

2021-11-01T09:56+0000

2021-11-01T09:56+0000

europe

ukraine

donbass

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"The escalation is quite obvious. There are attempts to create a provocative situation, to cause some kind of response from the militia and probably to get Russia involved in some kind of use of force," Lavrov said on air of Russia-24 broadcaster.Last week, Ukraine's general staff said that the Ukrainian military used the Bayraktar combat drone for the first time in Donbas. Deploying combat aircraft and remotely-piloted drones along the entire line of contact is prohibited by the Minsk agreements.In April 2014, the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, which declared independence after the coup d'etat in Kiev in February 2014. The issue of resolving the situation in Donbass is being discussed, among other things, during the meetings of the Minsk contact group, which since September 2014 has already adopted three documents regulating steps to de-escalate the conflict.

FeEisi Russia can allocate $10million in defensive weapons to Donbass. These defensive weapons can be DJI drones or powerful military drones. Other defensive weapons are ATGMs. Russia can also supply patrol boats to Donbass. 3

TruePatriot Yes indeed. A page right out of the zio-West's playbook. 3

2

ukraine

donbass

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europe, ukraine, donbass
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/lindsey-graham-urged-police-to-shoot-rioters-who-breached-the-capitol-on-january-6-reports-claim-1090398710.html

Lindsey Graham Urged Police to Shoot Rioters Who Breached Capitol on January 6, Reports Claim

Lindsey Graham Urged Police to Shoot Rioters Who Breached Capitol on January 6, Reports Claim

US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) urged law enforcement officials to fire on rioters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, a new report details. 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T18:58+0000

2021-11-01T18:58+0000

2021-11-01T20:44+0000

lindsey graham

donald trump

us

white house

washington dc

insurrection

politics

us capitol police (uscp)

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Graham, a Republican legislator representing South Carolina, reportedly implored former US Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael C. Stenger to take action against the demonstrators in order to regain control during and after the attack on Capitol Hill.What are you doing? Take back the Senate! Youve got guns. Use them, Graham told Capitol police, according to an extensive report from The Washington Post published on Sunday.Graham was allegedly "irate" that senators were forced to leave their chambers during the storming of the Capitol.The Republican legislator is said to have also called Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump, multiple times in an effort to make suggestions and stop the riot.You need to get these people out of here. This thing is going south, Graham urged on the phone.This is not good. Youre going to have to tell these people to stand down. Stand down.In previous critiques to the Capitol police, Graham raged on January 7 that anyone in charge of defending the Capitol failed in their duties. If they had been in the military, he said, theyd been relieved of command, and most likely court-martialed."People coming through the windows had backpacks, as big as my desk on the Senate. They should have been challenged, warning shots should have been fired and lethal force should have been used once theyd penetrated the seat of government. Those backpacks could have had bombs, chemical agents, weapons. We dodged a major bullet yesterday."Trump lashed out against on-and-off ally Graham in September as "unwilling to fight for the presidency of the United States," after reports that Graham was "unpersuaded" by Trumps claims of fraud in the 2020 election.Graham, however, said he hoped for a potential 2024 presidential run by Trump."I don't think Trump is listening," Graham said at the Michigan Republican Party's leadership conference at the end of September. "He might be. I hope President Trump runs again.Trumps role in the incident is under investigation by a congressional probe, as the former president intends to assert executive privilege into the January 6 insurrection.

Alel thats the main eproblem in jewmerica ..homosexuasl ..in hight places in the US gobermemt .is a disgrace..amd see why thwy SHOULD NOT BE ..RE ELECTED..Osorry SELECTED 4

anne00marie Only problem was most of them were working for the FBI. 4

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lindsey graham, donald trump, us, white house, washington dc, insurrection, politics, us capitol police (uscp)
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/mamata-is-the-vaccine-for-bjp-virus-trinamool-politician-ahead-of-local-polls-in-indias-tripura--1090379128.html

Mamata is the Vaccine for 'BJP Virus': Trinamool Politician Ahead of Local Polls in India's Tripura

Mamata is the Vaccine for 'BJP Virus': Trinamool Politician Ahead of Local Polls in India's Tripura

Mamata Banerjee, the State Chief of West Bengal state, is a staunch opponent of the Narendra Modi-led government. Both the leaders had challenged each other in... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T08:31+0000

2021-11-01T08:31+0000

2021-11-01T08:31+0000

bharatiya janata party (bjp)

india

west bengal

mamata banerjee

india

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A politician from India's West Bengal has described the State Chief and Trinamool Congress party head Mamata Banerjee as the "vaccine" for Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP is more dangerous virus than the coronavirus, Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said.BJP virus has only one medicine and vaccine, that is Mamata Banerjee. Like Covid-19 double doses, you (people) need to give double doses (votes), one in civic polls in November and another during Assembly polls in 2023, the TMC general secretary stressed.He was addressing the public on Sunday in the northeastern State of Tripura, where civic elections are scheduled to take place on 25 November.In September, TMC formally announced plans to expand its base in Tripura and stated that it would participate in all the elections against the state's ruling party, BJP.On Sunday, two BJP politicians  Ashish Das, a legislator from Tripura, and Rajib Banerjee, a membr of the BJP national body, joined TMC.Accusing Tripura's ruling BJP of hooliganism and corruption, the TMC politician Banerjee said Mamata was tested and proven to be the lone successful contender against the BJP across India and asked the people to vote in favour of the TMC in the civic polls and the 2023 Assembly polls.

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bharatiya janata party (bjp), india, west bengal, mamata banerjee, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/putin-warned-biden-against-deploying-military-bases-in-central-asia-lavrov-says-1090385624.html

Putin Warned Biden Against Deploying Military Bases in Central Asia, Lavrov Says

Putin Warned Biden Against Deploying Military Bases in Central Asia, Lavrov Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) -Russian President Vladimir Putin warned US President Joe Biden at their summit in Geneva in June against attempts to deploy military bases in... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T10:08+0000

2021-11-01T10:08+0000

2021-11-01T10:08+0000

sergei lavrov

news

asia & pacific

russia

afghanistan

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"We foresaw what would happen. The president told Biden when they met in Geneva in June: 'We firmly oppose ... your attempt to agree with the Central Asian countries on the deployment of military infrastructure on their territory in order to deliver the so-called over-the-horizon strikes on the territory of Afghanistan if necessary'," Lavrov told Russia-24 TV channel.The United States made similar offers not only to Afghanistan's Central Asian neighbours, the Russian top diplomat added.According to Lavrov, Western countries have also been putting pressure on Afghanistan's neighbours to accept Afghan refugees, but the Central Asian countries are ready to set up refugee centres only with guarantees that they will be taken away later."Refugees are the second aspect that is being considered more seriously now. Firstly, many of them just rushed into Central Asia themselves, different nations treat them differently, as they keep trying to protect their countries from this flow in every possible way. But, for example, in Uzbekistan, special facilities were allocated [to refugees] right next to the airport, from where they are sent to other states and not allowed to cross into other parts of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In my opinion, our Tajik neighbours are following the same path," Lavrov told Russia-24 TV channel."They are under pressure to accept refugees. They want to form reception centres with clear guarantees that these refugees will be taken away after some time," Lavrov added.

FeEisi The refugees should not go to Central Asia but to mama Merkel. 2

Preterist-ADSeventy What if some of the Afghan refugees are members of Bidens Taliban? MarxistBiden left the Taliban with $83 billion in U.S. weapons and equipment, 1

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sergei lavrov, news, asia & pacific, russia, afghanistan
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/qatar-wont-look-for-alternatives-to-us-predator-drones-despite-frustrating-sale-delays-1090381045.html

Qatar Wont Look for Alternatives to US Predator Drones Despite Frustrating Sale Delays - Source

Qatar Wont Look for Alternatives to US Predator Drones Despite Frustrating Sale Delays - Source

Qatar has been one of Americas major allies in the Middle East. The country has hosted the US air base Al Udeid for years and since 2003, it has contributed... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T06:50+0000

2021-11-01T06:50+0000

2021-11-01T06:55+0000

us

middle east

qatar

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Doha has been "extremely frustrated" with the US dragging its feet on the sale of MQ-9B Predator drones to Qatar, a source in the Gulf familiar with the discussions told Sputnik.Qatar requested that the US provide it with four armed drones a year ago. The Pentagon was reportedly pushing for the deal to go through, and Doha was prepared to fork out half a billion dollars for that delivery. The State Department, however, has been slow-walking the request without providing any details.The issue is likely to top the agenda of Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who is expected in Washington as early as next month.Throughout the years, Qatar has been accused of supporting rebels and extremists on a number of occasions. It backed the Muslim Brotherhood*, which has been outlawed by many regional and international players. It has been supporting the military group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and it has been maintaining ties with extremists such as the Taliban* in Afghanistan and Daesh*.Although Doha has repeatedly rejected these accusations, in 2017 the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia severed their diplomatic ties with the gas-rich nation, claiming they couldn't cope with the support it gave to extremists that have destabilised the region.The ties between the nations have recently been mended, but the US State Department is still "hesitating", as to whether the deal should be actually carried out, says the source.Eyeing Alternatives?The US government has allowed only a few nations to purchase their armed drones, including the UK, Australia, France, Germany and Taiwan. More recently, it has also given permission to the UAE, as part of its 2020 normalisation deal with Israel.Doha has not been given that greenlight yet, and the source says that the move is sending a clear message to Qatar and other countries across the Middle East that they should be "vigilant" and that their own provisions might be under question.If that is the case, Qatar might want to eye other weapons providers, including China and Russia, with which relations have improved in the past several years.However, the official is certain that Doha will not dare take such a step, as the move would be viewed as "hostile" by Washington, and as something that might eventually backfire.This is the reason why Doha might want to opt for a wait-and-see policy and hope that the US will release the drones. The only question is what interests will prevail in Washington: those of the Pentagon or the State Department. The answer might be revealed during Al Thani's official visit later this year.*A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

Hess Shameful. The Gulf Arabs are experts in Western entertainment (sport clubs, Golf courses and horses), but can't make anything to call their their own. 0

Dang! Gotta call BS on this one!! Qatar will UNDOUBTEDLY go with buying drones from its long time BFF and Muslim Brotherhood cosponsor Turkey while still hoping to get USA drones, which I predict the USA will in the end indeed sell to Qatar since the USA also fully supports the Muslim Brotherhood, especially across North Africa!! 0

2

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Elizabeth Blade

Elizabeth Blade

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Elizabeth Blade

us, middle east, qatar
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/six-russian-helicopter-gunships-jet-reportedly-spotted-at-airbase-in-northern-syria-1090394654.html

Six Russian Helicopter Gunships, Jet Reportedly Spotted at Airbase in Northern Syria

Six Russian Helicopter Gunships, Jet Reportedly Spotted at Airbase in Northern Syria

Turkey has reportedly concentrated troops along the Syrian-Turkish frontier, with sources telling Syrian media last week that Ankara was planning an operation... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T15:07+0000

2021-11-01T15:07+0000

2021-11-01T16:25+0000

russian aerospace forces

turkey

syria

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Military Observer, a Telegram channel tracking global military operations, has published a satellite photo allegedly showing Russian helicopter gunships and a fighter jet at an airbase in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli. The jet is believed to be an Su-34 or Su-35 fighter.Earlier, the channel published photos of an Mi-8AMTSh and a Ka-52 Alligator helicopter gunship, as well as a Su-35S fighter and a Su-34 figher-bomber operating in the area.Last week, Dmitry Polyansky, Russias deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, warned that there was a danger of an escalation in the Syrian conflict.The diplomats remarks come amid worrying reports about the situation on the Syrian-Turkish border. Last week, sources told the semi-official Syrian Arab News Agency that Ankara had deployed hundreds of troops in areas under their control. Also last week, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that Turkey was planning an offensive in the country to clear two-thirds of the frontier with Syria of Kurdish militias  with these plans reportedly including the seizure of areas south of the city of Kobani to unite territories under Turkeys control to the west and east of the Euphrates River.Last Thursday, a Syrian opposition source told Sputnik that the Turkish military was planning to conduct two operations in Syria and that armed formations allied to Ankara had been put on full alert. The source said the operations would target areas northwest of Idlib and northeast Syria in an operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The source warned that the operations could start at any time but most likely after the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden. That meeting took place Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome.Turkey conducted three military operations in northern Syria between 2016-2019, invading the country on the pretext of targeting both Daesh (ISIS)* terrorists and Kurdish militants. In recent weeks, Erdogan warned that Turkey could launch a new military campaign, citing an increase in Kurdish attacks on Turkish troops. Last Tuesday, Turkeys Parliament ratified a motion to extend authorisation to launch cross-border anti-terrorist operations in Syria and northern Iraq until 2023.Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Russia and the United States of failing to live up to their responsibilities to Turkey in Syria. Cavosoglu accused the US of supplying weapons to Kurdish terrorists and warned that Ankara would do everything necessary to clear this area of terrorists for the sake of our safety.

https://sputniknews.com/20211030/damascus-slams-turkish-parliaments-decision-to-extend-military-presence-in-syria-iraq-1090346693.html

Ladyshadow Turkey should rethink their approach; Russia isn't going to let you carry out your warped plans. 18

Alba1970 Russia is sending Turkey a discreet message to forget about attacking Northern Syria 14

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Ilya Tsukanov

Ilya Tsukanov

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Ilya Tsukanov

russian aerospace forces, turkey, syria
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/state-government-in-indias-uttar-pradesh-ramps-up-surveillance-as-new-zika-virus-cases-surface-1090390674.html

State Government in Indias Uttar Pradesh Ramps Up Surveillance As New Zika Virus Cases Surface

State Government in Indias Uttar Pradesh Ramps Up Surveillance As New Zika Virus Cases Surface

The healthcare system in India's Uttar Pradesh was in a state of emergency a couple of months ago when a mystery fever, later identified as dengue, killed... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T15:43+0000

2021-11-01T15:43+0000

2021-11-01T15:43+0000

health

health

bharatiya janata party (bjp)

india

health

uttar pradesh

health

yogi adityanath

india

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103436/57/1034365721_0:303:3500:2272_1920x0_80_0_0_66e0ab0500ccac99396f03cce7ec7ad9.jpg

The state government in India's Uttar Pradesh on Monday said it has stepped up surveillance after 10 cases of Zika virus were confirmed in Kanpur district, roughly in the centre of the state.According to an official release, the government has been conducting tests on an industrial scale since the first case of the Zika virus in the state was confirmed in October. So far, a total of 645 samples have been sent to the King George's Medical University (KGMU) in the state's capital city, Lucknow. Of these, 253 were from patients who had displayed symptoms of the fever and 103 were from pregnant women.Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that spreads through the bite of infected mosquitoes.To counter the Zika virus, Uttar Pradesh's state chief Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that the health department must ensure strict surveillance to check the spread of the virus and undertake frequent and extensive door-to-door sanitisation and insecticide spraying to prevent mosquito breeding.He also stressed the need for public awareness about preventive measures and encouraging people to keep themselves clean.The state health department has been carrying out mass sanitisation, state-wide surveillance drives, spraying anti-larva chemicals and cleanliness drives, the statement stated. Health workers have been paying door-to-door visits to identify patients with viral fever, vector-borne diseases and other symptoms.Under the drive, so far more than 39,800 households have been visited and more than 161,535 people have been made aware of the required preventive measures.

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uttar pradesh

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health, health, bharatiya janata party (bjp), india, health, uttar pradesh, health, yogi adityanath, india
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/trump-claims-nearly-12-million-immigrants-may-have-come-to-us-illegally-over-past-year-1090392798.html

Trump Claims Nearly 12 Million Immigrants May Have Come to US Illegally Over Past Year

Trump Claims Nearly 12 Million Immigrants May Have Come to US Illegally Over Past Year

Last month, US Customs and Border Patrol announced that its agents had stopped over 192,000 migrants in September, with the total number of encounters for... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T13:32+0000

2021-11-01T13:32+0000

2021-11-01T16:26+0000

donald trump

united states

migrant crisis

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Former President Donald Trump has claimed that the number of illegal immigrants who crossed the southern border into the US over the past year could be close to 12 million.Trump did not elaborate on where he got the x7 figure and was not pressed by his interviewer to clarify.Trump characterised the latest migrant caravan currently making its way through Mexico from that countrys border with Guatemala as the biggest anyones ever seen, and complained that his signature border wall with Mexico wouldve stopped them if construction had not been halted by the Biden administration in January.These are rough people. They were going through the Mexican police, who are tough  theyre tough police, they were lined up, they thought they could stop em. You look at that front few lines of the people there on this caravannow theyre talking about one caravan  120,000 people are going to be formed, thats like an army. If you look at that front line they look like they belong in the NFL. In fact they should be signed, some of them for the NFL, Trump joked.The former president also accused migrants of bringing drugs into the country. We had fentanyl down to the lowest number since its founding, because fentanyl if you look, its worse than anything. Much of its made in China and I had [Chinese President Xi Jinping] just about stopped. I said were not doing any business if youre gonna  all of the sudden theyre making fentanyl like crazy, theyre sending it through the border. The numbers on fentanyl have gone up ten-fold. I had it  not stopped but I had it almost stopped. When we wouldve had the wall completed and a couple of other things I wouldve had it down to almost nothing, Trump claimed.Last month, the CBP reported that fentanyl seizures on the southern border had shot up by thousands of percentage points over the past decade, from just two pounds between 2012-2013 to over 7,200 pounds in the first eight months of 2021.Trump went on to suggest that some of the migrants were bringing very contagious diseases, many different diseases, not just Covid, quipping that Covid is peanuts compared to some of these diseases.In mid-October, Customs and Border Patrol reported that agents encountered 192,000 migrants during September, with total encounters topping 1.7 million for the fiscal year. About 61 percent of those encountered were immediately expelled back into Mexico or their nation of origin, with others temporarily detained, and smaller numbers, including families and children, allowed into the country after promising to appear at immigration hearings at a later date, or provided temporary housing. In mid-October, US media reported on leaked CBP documents which appeared to show that over 160,000 immigrants had been released into the US since March, over half of them on notices to report to immigration authorities.The Biden administration has been blamed by US conservatives and the leaders of Mexico and Central America for the current crisis at the border. In January, the president revoked nearly a dozen hardline Trump immigration policies, including the former presidents signature border wall and the Remain in Mexico programme offering incentives for potential migrants not to come to the United States. Other decisions, including promises to restore and expand the US asylum system, and to potentially provide a path to citizenship to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants already living in the US, have prompted hundreds of thousands of people from Mexico and Central America to make the perilous journey north to try to make it into the US.

https://sputniknews.com/20210927/us-drug-enforcement-administration-warns-of-fake-prescription-pills-with-fentanyl-meth-1089457043.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211029/us-considering-450000-payments-to-migrants-impacted-by-trump-border-policy---reports-1090295734.html

Nonyank Because his fence blew down, fell down or washed away or most of them tried to worlk in his properties but his paychecks kept bouncing! 1

IronForge He didn't build that Wall. No Crying in Golf. 1

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https://sputniknews.com/20211101/turkey-may-start-military-operation-in-northern-syria-on-tuesday-source-claims-1090395082.html

Turkey May Start Military Operation in Northern Syria on Tuesday, Source Claims

Turkey May Start Military Operation in Northern Syria on Tuesday, Source Claims

ANTAKYA (Sputnik) - Turkey and armed groups loyal to Ankara may start a military operation against the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance in... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T15:47+0000

2021-11-01T15:47+0000

2021-11-01T15:47+0000

news

turkey

syria

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"Turkey intends to launch a military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) tomorrow, Tuesday, and instructed opposition groups to prepare for the operation," the source said, adding that the operation will start from several directions, namely Azaz and Tell Abyad.Last week, the Turkish parliament ratified a motion to extend the authorisation for cross-border "counterterrorism" operations in Syria and northern Iraq for two more years. Syria condemned the decision "in the strongest possible terms".Turkey conducted three major military operations in northern Syria between 2016 and 2019 on the pretext of fighting Daesh* and Kurdish formations.Ankara considers the SDF, which mainly consist of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Group (YPG) fighters, a terrorist group linked to Kurdish separatist group Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), inside Turkey. *Daesh (IS/ISIS/ISIL) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.

NthrnNYker59 Evidentially, and per another Sputnik article --- Russia is ready to cut them down if need be. 6

Ahson Lets hope Russia and Iran beat these hated muzlim Al-Qaeda turks to a pulp. 2

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news, turkey, syria
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/turkey-us-defence-ministries-to-discuss-f-35-issue-in-washington-reports-say-1090384708.html

Turkey, US Defence Ministries to Discuss F-35 Issue in Washington, Reports Say

Turkey, US Defence Ministries to Discuss F-35 Issue in Washington, Reports Say

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Delegations of Turkish and US defence ministries plan to hold a meeting in Washington to discuss issues related to purchasing of F-35... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T09:37+0000

2021-11-01T09:37+0000

2021-11-01T09:49+0000

news

us

turkey

f-35

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According to NTV, the delegations will hold a meeting during the next few months. The sides met last week in Ankara to resolve problems related to F-35s and discuss financial issues.In October, Ankara said that the US offered Turkey to purchase F-16 jets after it was excluded from the F-35 supply programme. Ankara's removal from the programme came after it had bought Russia's S-400 air defence systems. In 2019, the White House issued a statement, saying that "The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities."The US also said that by accepting the S-400, Turkey "undermined the commitments all NATO allies had made to each other to move away from Russian systems."

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news, us, turkey, f-35
https://sputniknews.com/20211101/we-have-no-authority-texas-tells-supreme-court-doj-abortion-clinics-cant-sue-them-over-new-law-1090399850.html

'We Have No Authority': Texas Tells Supreme Court DOJ, Abortion Clinics Can't Sue Them Over New Law

'We Have No Authority': Texas Tells Supreme Court DOJ, Abortion Clinics Can't Sue Them Over New Law

The high court heard two related arguments on Monday about whether the state of Texas can use private citizens to enforce its extremely restrictive... 01.11.2021, Sputnik International

2021-11-01T20:29+0000

2021-11-01T20:29+0000

2021-11-01T20:26+0000

supreme court

us

texas

abortion

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The two hour-long arguments before the nine Supreme Court justices both concern the same topic but from different perspectives. One, Whole Womans Health vs. Jackson, brought by abortion providers in Texas, concerns whether a state can insulate from federal court review a law that prohibits the exercise of a constitutional right by delegating to the general public the authority to enforce that prohibition through civil actions.The other, United States vs. Texas, is a challenge to the law by the US Department of Justice and seeks to answer whether the federal government may bring suit in federal court and obtain injunctive or declaratory relief against the state, state court judges, state court clerks, other state officials or all private parties to prohibit SB 8 from being enforced.Texas Law Bans Majority of AbortionsSigned into law in April by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, SB 8 does something many laws have sought to do, but does it in a completely new way.Those electrical signals are detectable as early as five or six weeks after conception, at a point that many women are not even aware they are pregnant. According to Planned Parenthood, approximately 85% to 90% of people who get abortions in Texas do so after 6 weeks of pregnancy.The Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas at Austin on Friday published data from the first month of the ban, which took effect on September 1. Their data found that just 2,164 abortions were performed in Texas between then and October 1. Compared to the previous month, August 2021, that was a 60% drop from 5,377; compared to the September 2020, which had 4,313 abortions, it was a 49.8% drop.Heartbeat bills are nothing new: 14 other states have passed such laws in the last three years, with federal courts striking down or suspending all of them as violations of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling, which established the legal right to an abortion and laid out a framework for its regulation, including that abortions could not be restricted during the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.The most recent to be blocked was Oklahomas, which was set to take effect on Monday before the Oklahoma Supreme Court suspended it last week, pending the results of ongoing litigation.Law Designed to Frustrate Legal ChallengesHowever, Texas SB 8 isnt enforced in the traditional way laws are - in fact, the state is legally barred from doing so. Instead, it provides for third-parties to sue for damages those who aid and abet an abortion. The vaguely-worded law could open up a wide array of people for lawsuits, including doctors and staff at abortion clinics, but also, for example, someone who drives the abortion recipient to the clinic, all of whom can be hit with $10,000 fines under SB 8.The issues before this court are far more sweeping than just the Texas law itself, Marc Hearron, a lawyer with the Center for Reproductive Rights, told the justices. Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone, who defended the state against the abortion providers challenge, said both they and the DOJ had sued the wrong people, as Ken Paxton, the states attorney general, no longer had the power to stop private citizens from filing lawsuits under the law. Instead, he argued they should wait for someone to actually sue an abortion clinic in a state court and use that suit to adjudicate whether SB 8 is a valid law.Justice Elena Kagan, one of three liberals on the high court and a strong critic of SB 8, pressed Stone on why Paxton could no longer halt the actions of litigious, anti-abortion Texans.If every private citizen here has been deputized by the state to enforce this law for the bounty, then why wouldnt an injunction against the AG bar those citizens from going into court? she asked.Battle Over Abortion Heats UpExactly one month after hearing the two cases on SB 8, the US Supreme Court will hear another case concerning a Mississippi anti-abortion law that could prove even more consequential.Dobbs vs. Jackson Womens Health Organization will see the court weigh not just the Roe case, but also a later case that upheld Roes reasoning: Planned Parenthood vs. Casey (1992). The 2018 Mississippi law bans abortions after 15 weeks, and abortion advocates fear that because the high courts conservative majority allowed Texas SB 8 to take effect, it may use the Dobbs case to strike down the right to an abortion entirely.However, Democrats have also attempted to fight back by pushing a federal bill that would codify Roe v. Wade into US law. The Womens Health Protection Act passed the Democrat-dominated House in September, but is unlikely to get through the Senate, where Republicans can use the filibuster to block it from ever coming to a vote.

TruePatriot If they enacted the law (which they did) they can be sued over the law, despite the specifics in the law. 1

NthrnNYker59 "at a point that many women are not even aware they are pregnant." --- Well, that's an insignificant issue easily resolved --- with a $2.99 pregnancy test kit ---- use one every month, no issues. 1

5

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texas

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supreme court, us, texas, abortion
The governor said UNL has invited "much more controversial speakers" to campus and urged Chancellor Ronnie Green "to step in and define policies to end this kind of discrimination and to send a message that all viewpoints, including Christian values, are welcome."

Pillen said UNL must change its policy if the allegation made by Ratio Christi is true.

"If any students or student groups didn't have the opportunity to access University Program Council funds because of religious discrimination, that is unacceptable," he said.

After declining to comment earlier this week, UNL reiterated "all viewpoints are welcome," and said it has a variety of speakers on its campus "from across the ideological, religious and political spectrum."

There are several sources of funds the University Program Council uses to pay for those speakers, said Deb Fiddelke, UNL's chief communications officer.

The Fund Allocation Committee, which denied Ratio Christi's application, is a student-led process that oversees a $10,000 Event Fund, part of the $270,000 managed by the University Program Council to bring events to UNL.
A Scottsbluff man died of injuries he suffered in a house fire Saturday.

The man, Gregory Burkman, 58, has been identified as the man who died in a fire that occurred early Saturday afternoon in the 300 block of E. 18th Street. Initial information released to the Star-Herald identified the man as being 63 years old, but those details were updated Monday.

In a press release Sunday, Scottsbluff Police Sgt. Dominick Peterson said Burkman had suffered severe burns over the majority of his body, and officers responding to the fire found him unresponsive, but breathing, Scottsbluff Fire Capt. Dan Hubbs told the Star-Herald Saturday that ambulance personnel initially transported the man to Regional West Medical Center, but due to the severity of his injuries, he was transported to the Greeley Burn Center in Greeley, Colorado.

Hubbs said the fire is believed to have originated in the garage. The fire was mostly contained to the garage and kitchen, causing an estimated $70,000 in damage. Scottsbluff Fire Chief Tom Schingle said the cause of the fire remained under investigation Monday, but it has been determined to have been accidental in nature.
The grand jury that indicted Durst kept meeting and hearing witnesses even after State Police Investigator Joseph Becerra filed a criminal complaint in a town court in Lewisboro, New York, on Oct. 19 charging Durst with second-degree murder.

Kathie Durst was 29 and in her final months of medical school when she was last seen. She and Robert Durst, who was 38 at the time, had been married nearly nine years and were living in South Salem, a community in Lewisboro. Her body was never found. At the request of her family, she was declared legally dead in 2017.

Robert Durst's family owns more than 16 million square feet of real estate in New York and Philadelphia, including a 10% stake in One World Trade Center, the Manhattan skyscraper formerly known as the Freedom Tower. Family members bought out Robert Durst's stake in the business for $65 million in 2006.

In the 2015 HBO documentary "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst," Durst appeared to admit killing people and admitted he made up details about what happened the night she disappeared because he was "hoping that would just make everything go away."
Although unhappy with poor services in the Kempton Park area where he lives, Justin Mosuthwane said he was determined to cast his ballot despite expressions of apathy toward the vote by others.

I know there are people who have decided not to vote, but because of the history of our country it is hard to forget how hard we have fought for our right to vote," said Mosuthwane.

Blacks were not allowed to vote under the apartheid regime.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa cast his vote in the township of Soweto in Johannesburg and emphasized the nation's progress since overthrowing apartheid.

As a country, we have to be very proud that our democracy is growing and becoming more entrenched, he said.

But his ANC party, which has been in power since 1994, has been criticized for not doing enough at a local level to improve the lives of millions of poor South Africans. The country has had an unreliable electricity grid for years and faces inadequate housing and sanitation despite being Africa's most developed economy.

Johannesburg resident Rachel van Zyl said she'll use her vote to speak out.
Current Affairs

A woman who arrived in Turks and Caicos Islands from Dominican Republic with fake COVID-19 documents has been charged.



A police pres statement said that on Friday, October 22nd, 2021, Juana Venura Cruz, 52, had a fraudulent TCI Travel Authorization form and a fake Dominican Republic vaccination card.



She was arrested, taken into custody, and formally charged with forgery on Tuesday, October 26th, 2021.



Cruz appeared before Chief Magistrate Mr. Jolyon Hatmin on Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 and was represented by attorney Ashwood "Nash" Forbes.



The matter was adjourned.






It's a commonly accepted tenet in business that times of change spur innovation. Covid was no exception. Its restrictions on travel and limitations on gatherings forced us to rethink how we share Tablas Creek with our customers and how we work together as a team. Now, eighteen months later, though it's not like Covid is entirely in the rear-view mirror, I feel like we've settled into another equilibrium that includes a renewed flow of visitors to our tasting room. Larger events are restarting, albeit often at reduced capacity and with new restrictions to limit the risks to their attendees. And wineries, for all our fears as we entered the pandemic, have thrived. One of the revelations from the preliminary results released from the annual Silicon Valley Bank survey of Wine Industry Conditions was that nearly a third of wineries surveyed are projecting their best year ever, financially, in 2021:

I've spent a lot of time thinking in recent days about how much we learned over the last eighteen months. I thought I'd share my principal take-home lessons here.

Safety and a great customer experience aren't mutually exclusive. When we reopened our tasting room in May of 2020, we chose to open outside-only. In order to maintain distancing, we gave each group their own table, for a full two hours. To keep the number of times we had to be in the customers' space modest, we moved to serving wines in flights of three. We restricted the maximum group size to six. To make it reasonable given the larger physical space, we reduced the maximum number of tables that any one of our tasting room hosts had to cover to three at a time. All of these changes resulted in a more relaxed experience, with better time to connect to the person pouring the wines, and the opportunity to compare and contrast the wines in each flight. It's probably unsurprising that we saw our average sale per customer and the percentage of customers who signed up for the wine club rise 30%-50%. At first, I attributed this to goodwill from guests grateful for a safe, appealing experience in a time when so many of those were unavailable. But even as things have reopened, that increase has held up. I just think that the experience we're offering now is a superior one to the tasting experience we offered before Covid. That's why when we reopened our indoor tasting room, we tried to apply these lessons to create a similarly appealing customer experience.

When we reopened our tasting room in May of 2020, we chose to open outside-only. In order to maintain distancing, we gave each group their own table, for a full two hours. To keep the number of times we had to be in the customers' space modest, we moved to serving wines in flights of three. We restricted the maximum group size to six. To make it reasonable given the larger physical space, we reduced the maximum number of tables that any one of our tasting room hosts had to cover to three at a time. All of these changes resulted in a more relaxed experience, with better time to connect to the person pouring the wines, and the opportunity to compare and contrast the wines in each flight. It's probably unsurprising that we saw our average sale per customer and the percentage of customers who signed up for the wine club rise 30%-50%. At first, I attributed this to goodwill from guests grateful for a safe, appealing experience in a time when so many of those were unavailable. But even as things have reopened, that increase has held up. I just think that the experience we're offering now is a superior one to the tasting experience we offered before Covid. That's why when we reopened our indoor tasting room, we tried to apply these lessons to create a similarly appealing customer experience. A great tasting experience means controlling your flow of customers. Equally important, I think, to the changes we made once customers got here was the implementation of reservations. At the outset, we didn't have a choice. We had twelve tables. If we hadn't required reservations, we would have had lines of dozens of people on weekends. We couldn't have kept people distanced. We couldn't have kept people cool while they were waiting. It would have been miserable, and frustrating, and unsafe. But we also realized that knowing how many people would be coming allowed us to always be appropriately staffed. It meant that our guests never had to wait, and that their tastings were never interrupted by us making room for another group that would then be at a different stage of the tasting, interrupting the logical flow of information. And we found that people redistributed themselves more evenly across more times and more days, instead of 40% of our weekly traffic arriving between 1pm and 4pm on Saturdays, as often happened pre-Covid. We learned that people who see that Saturday reservations are full will often make reservations on Friday, or Sunday, or earlier in the day. This is why even when we added capacity on our patios and reopened indoors, we kept tasting by appointment, with the option of accepting walk-in customers if we have space and staff to take care of them. That seems to me to be the best of both worlds.

Equally important, I think, to the changes we made once customers got here was the implementation of reservations. At the outset, we didn't have a choice. We had twelve tables. If we hadn't required reservations, we would have had lines of dozens of people on weekends. We couldn't have kept people distanced. We couldn't have kept people cool while they were waiting. It would have been miserable, and frustrating, and unsafe. But we also realized that knowing how many people would be coming allowed us to always be appropriately staffed. It meant that our guests never had to wait, and that their tastings were never interrupted by us making room for another group that would then be at a different stage of the tasting, interrupting the logical flow of information. And we found that people redistributed themselves more evenly across more times and more days, instead of 40% of our weekly traffic arriving between 1pm and 4pm on Saturdays, as often happened pre-Covid. We learned that people who see that Saturday reservations are full will often make reservations on Friday, or Sunday, or earlier in the day. This is why even when we added capacity on our patios and reopened indoors, we kept tasting by appointment, with the option of accepting walk-in customers if we have space and staff to take care of them. That seems to me to be the best of both worlds. It's powerful to bring your marketing to where the people are. Before Covid, one thing that most winery marketing had in common was that it required customers to come to where the winery or winery representative was physically located. Whether that was a visit to the tasting room, going to a wine dinner, or stopping by a table at a retail tasting or a festival where a winery was pouring, we required customers to come to us. By contrast, most of the things we started doing during the first shutdown, from virtual tastings to live broadcasts to on-demand video, had in common that they could be accessed and participated in equally independent of location. Think how powerful (and how much more scalable) options like this are. Pre-Covid, even our local customers werent making weekly trips to visit us. What's more, the majority of our current customers and an even larger share of our potential customers don't live an easy drive from Paso Robles. In the periodic surveys we have done to former wine club members, we regularly saw responses that they weren't able to take advantage of the events we offered because of their distance from Paso Robles. We think of limitations like that as constant, but they're really not. We weren't utilizing the tools we had to offer opportunities to learn about and become more connected to what we're doing. And those tools, from Zoom to Instagram and Facebook Live, are much more robust now than they were before the pandemic.

Before Covid, one thing that most winery marketing had in common was that it required customers to come to where the winery or winery representative was physically located. Whether that was a visit to the tasting room, going to a wine dinner, or stopping by a table at a retail tasting or a festival where a winery was pouring, we required customers to come to us. By contrast, most of the things we started doing during the first shutdown, from virtual tastings to live broadcasts to on-demand video, had in common that they could be accessed and participated in equally independent of location. Think how powerful (and how much more scalable) options like this are. Pre-Covid, even our local customers werent making weekly trips to visit us. What's more, the majority of our current customers and an even larger share of our potential customers don't live an easy drive from Paso Robles. In the periodic surveys we have done to former wine club members, we regularly saw responses that they weren't able to take advantage of the events we offered because of their distance from Paso Robles. We think of limitations like that as constant, but they're really not. We weren't utilizing the tools we had to offer opportunities to learn about and become more connected to what we're doing. And those tools, from Zoom to Instagram and Facebook Live, are much more robust now than they were before the pandemic. Technology is often a great alternative to travel. Over recent weeks, I've been enjoying getting back out in the California market, visiting restaurants and wine shops and spending in-person time with the distributor reps and Vineyard Brands managers who represent us in the wholesale marketplace. In two weeks I'll host my first Covid-era wine dinner, at Mama Shelter in Hollywood. That should be great fun. Those sorts of experiences are hard to replicate using virtual tools. Other sorts of experiences, however, are at least as effective over Zoom or its equivalent. If I never have to go to another in-person board meeting, that would be fine with me. Spending several hours driving to and from a central location for a meeting of an hour or two is inefficient to start with. Add to that the restrictions that this places on who can attend and from where, and the challenges of integrating people who can't make it via polycom phone... no thanks. Give me a Zoom meeting I can do from my office any day. Similarly, those distributor sales meeting presentations, where you have 15 minutes in front of an often-distracted sales force, and you're the 11th of 15 suppliers they're hearing from that day? And you have to travel to wherever they are to do this? Zoom is 95% of the experience at a tiny fraction of the cost, time, and carbon footprint of attending in person. For the companies and reps too, think of the efficiencies. Instead of having to coordinate 80 people's travel from all over the state, rent a hotel ballroom and arrange for AV, losing a full day of sales because of travel, and likely paying for hotels for the farthest-flung reps, a company can knock out the meeting in the time it takes to meet, then have the reps out in the market for the rest of the day. It's a win-win. What's more, identifying areas like this where there are viable alternatives to travel, particularly air travel, is going to have to be a priority as we all try to lower the carbon footprint of our business activities.

Over recent weeks, I've been enjoying getting back out in the California market, visiting restaurants and wine shops and spending in-person time with the distributor reps and Vineyard Brands managers who represent us in the wholesale marketplace. In two weeks I'll host my first Covid-era wine dinner, at Mama Shelter in Hollywood. That should be great fun. Those sorts of experiences are hard to replicate using virtual tools. Other sorts of experiences, however, are at least as effective over Zoom or its equivalent. If I never have to go to another in-person board meeting, that would be fine with me. Spending several hours driving to and from a central location for a meeting of an hour or two is inefficient to start with. Add to that the restrictions that this places on who can attend and from where, and the challenges of integrating people who can't make it via polycom phone... no thanks. Give me a Zoom meeting I can do from my office any day. Similarly, those distributor sales meeting presentations, where you have 15 minutes in front of an often-distracted sales force, and you're the 11th of 15 suppliers they're hearing from that day? And you have to travel to wherever they are to do this? Zoom is 95% of the experience at a tiny fraction of the cost, time, and carbon footprint of attending in person. For the companies and reps too, think of the efficiencies. Instead of having to coordinate 80 people's travel from all over the state, rent a hotel ballroom and arrange for AV, losing a full day of sales because of travel, and likely paying for hotels for the farthest-flung reps, a company can knock out the meeting in the time it takes to meet, then have the reps out in the market for the rest of the day. It's a win-win. What's more, identifying areas like this where there are viable alternatives to travel, particularly air travel, is going to have to be a priority as we all try to lower the carbon footprint of our business activities. Having multiple ways to experience an event pays off. Just because people can start traveling again doesn't mean that all your customers will be able to come to you on your schedule, or that you should discard the virtual and on-demand pieces you've added over the last year. Our VINsider pickup party is a good example. We have about 8,000 VINsider Wine Club members. Twice a year, for nearly two decades, we have closed our tasting room on a Sunday just after wine club shipments have been sent out and invited any club members to join us. Once there, they get to taste the new wines, see and hear about what we've been working on, and enjoy some unhurried time with our team. Those events are great, and have attracted some 400 people to most recent sessions. But... 400 people (typically more like 200 couples) represents less than 3% of our members. And that was pre-Covid! During Covid, when we couldn't host gatherings, we pivoted to hosting a virtual tasting, where members could join me, Neil, and Chef Jeff Scott live on Facebook and YouTube to learn about the wines and our ongoing projects. The last two shipments, we worked with Master the World to give people the option of ordering tasting kits of 187ml bottles to accompany these tastings. And there's nothing about this that conflicts with an in-person event. This fall, when we resumed hosting an in-person pickup party, we still got about 500 people to join us live for our virtual tasting. Because the discussion gets archived, people who couldn't make it can still participate; the archives have received another 1,000 or so views. Finally, for four weeks after shipments went out, we gave members the option of tasting the wines in their most recent shipment if they visited the tasting room. We had another several hundred members take advantage of that. So instead of touching 2-3% of our membership after a shipment, we were able to interact with more than 2000: 350 members in person plus 500 members live virtual plus 1000 members archived virtual plus 600 or so members who came to the tasting room in those four weeks. I don't think it's a coincidence that our wine club cancellation rates over the last 18 months have been the lowest in our history.

Just because people can start traveling again doesn't mean that all your customers will be able to come to you on your schedule, or that you should discard the virtual and on-demand pieces you've added over the last year. Our VINsider pickup party is a good example. We have about 8,000 VINsider Wine Club members. Twice a year, for nearly two decades, we have closed our tasting room on a Sunday just after wine club shipments have been sent out and invited any club members to join us. Once there, they get to taste the new wines, see and hear about what we've been working on, and enjoy some unhurried time with our team. Those events are great, and have attracted some 400 people to most recent sessions. But... 400 people (typically more like 200 couples) represents less than 3% of our members. And that was pre-Covid! During Covid, when we couldn't host gatherings, we pivoted to hosting a virtual tasting, where members could join me, Neil, and Chef Jeff Scott live on Facebook and YouTube to learn about the wines and our ongoing projects. The last two shipments, we worked with Master the World to give people the option of ordering tasting kits of 187ml bottles to accompany these tastings. And there's nothing about this that conflicts with an in-person event. This fall, when we resumed hosting an in-person pickup party, we still got about 500 people to join us live for our virtual tasting. Because the discussion gets archived, people who couldn't make it can still participate; the archives have received another 1,000 or so views. Finally, for four weeks after shipments went out, we gave members the option of tasting the wines in their most recent shipment if they visited the tasting room. We had another several hundred members take advantage of that. So instead of touching 2-3% of our membership after a shipment, we were able to interact with more than 2000: 350 members in person plus 500 members live virtual plus 1000 members archived virtual plus 600 or so members who came to the tasting room in those four weeks. I don't think it's a coincidence that our wine club cancellation rates over the last 18 months have been the lowest in our history. It's a big risk relying on just one or two sales channels. The pandemic produced unprecedented changes in the types of outlets in which wine was sold. Restaurants closed around the country, and when they reopened were often restricted to outdoor service or limited capacity either by mandate or by staffing challenges. Tasting rooms had to close for a stretch too. Many larger retailers saw increases in business, while smaller retailers often struggled unless they had built up a robust mailing list and e-commerce capability. And wineries had the challenge and the opportunity of an unprecedented surge in requests for shipped orders. By the end of 2020, it was clear that two sorts of wineries really struggled: those who were relying on foot traffic but had never translated that traffic into an effective mailing list or wine club strategy, and those who didn't have a robust direct sales business but instead traditionally focused on sales to restaurants and independent retail. I'm guessing that most of the 10% of wineries in the "Most Difficult Year in Our History" and "One of the Most Challenging" categories in the chart at the beginning of this piece fell into one of those two camps. And we saw challenges too from losing so much restaurant business and having to close our tasting room for more than four months. I've long been a believer in having wine available in different channels, because I'm convinced that each plays a role in reaching different customers and increases our chance of developing new fans. And that diversity proved to be a huge driver in our success over the last year and a half. Though we're a small player, we already had limited relationships in a couple of larger retail chains like Whole Foods and Total Wine, and were able to shift some of the wine we'd otherwise have intended for restaurants to the grateful retail outlets that were seeing a surge in business last spring. Although our tasting room was closed, we were able to work with our wine club and mailing list to offer out these wines to our fans, and with the shipping house we've worked with to handle the increases in volume. And now that restaurants are back up and going, we're poised to have our best sales year ever this year.

The pandemic produced unprecedented changes in the types of outlets in which wine was sold. Restaurants closed around the country, and when they reopened were often restricted to outdoor service or limited capacity either by mandate or by staffing challenges. Tasting rooms had to close for a stretch too. Many larger retailers saw increases in business, while smaller retailers often struggled unless they had built up a robust mailing list and e-commerce capability. And wineries had the challenge and the opportunity of an unprecedented surge in requests for shipped orders. By the end of 2020, it was clear that two sorts of wineries really struggled: those who were relying on foot traffic but had never translated that traffic into an effective mailing list or wine club strategy, and those who didn't have a robust direct sales business but instead traditionally focused on sales to restaurants and independent retail. I'm guessing that most of the 10% of wineries in the "Most Difficult Year in Our History" and "One of the Most Challenging" categories in the chart at the beginning of this piece fell into one of those two camps. And we saw challenges too from losing so much restaurant business and having to close our tasting room for more than four months. I've long been a believer in having wine available in different channels, because I'm convinced that each plays a role in reaching different customers and increases our chance of developing new fans. And that diversity proved to be a huge driver in our success over the last year and a half. Though we're a small player, we already had limited relationships in a couple of larger retail chains like Whole Foods and Total Wine, and were able to shift some of the wine we'd otherwise have intended for restaurants to the grateful retail outlets that were seeing a surge in business last spring. Although our tasting room was closed, we were able to work with our wine club and mailing list to offer out these wines to our fans, and with the shipping house we've worked with to handle the increases in volume. And now that restaurants are back up and going, we're poised to have our best sales year ever this year. It's all about connecting. I am sure that over the last year, many more people have seen the inside of my office, my back yard, or my living room than ever before. There is an intimacy to these sorts of virtual meeting platforms that so many of us experienced for the first time during the pandemic. These tools help address one of the areas where winery marketing is often weakest: establishing meaningful connections between the winery and the customer. You might buy a wine off a shelf at a retailer, or a list at a restaurant, whose connection to the winemaker or winery proprietor is third-hand at best: the winery sells the wine to a distributor, its national sales manager tells the story to the distributor sales team, a sales rep shares the wine with the buyer for that restaurant and retailer, and only then does the customer see it. These live virtual tools cut out all the layers between the producer and the customer, allow for direct interactions in ways that would previously have been rare, and give the customer a chance to really get to know the people behind the wines they love. That's a dream scenario for a business. The fact that it took a pandemic for us to learn to use these tools is a source of some embarrassment to me. But much better late than never.

Last July, roughly three months into the pandemic, I took a crack at predicting which of the Covid-inspired changes to the wine business were likely to endure and which to fade away as businesses were allowed to reopen. Rereading that list, I feel pretty good about my predictions at the time. But what I don't think I could have predicted was the extent to which I'd feel like we were a better business as we emerge from this pandemic than we were entering it. From the Silicon Valley Bank survey, it doesn't seem like we're the only ones. I'm proud that we've been able to do this while keeping our team and our customers safe, taking care of the vineyard and the wines during two different (and as far as we can tell, outstanding) vintages, and continuing our commitment to be on the leading edge of responsible farming, resource use reduction, and farmworker equity.

It seems like one last thing I've learned is to expect that my desk will look like the below photo fairly often in the future. I can live with that.
Monday, November 1, 2021

Following up on my previous post, Federal Judge Rules That Vermont Law School Can Cover Underground Railroad Murals Despite Artist's Objection:

Marc James Leger, Sam Kerson Lawyers Will Appeal Court Decision:

The World Socialist Web Site today published an article I wrote for them to help raise public awareness of a court decision that would allow the Vermont Law School to effectively destroy two murals by Sam Kerson that commemorate the Underground Railroad. Even if at this stage the immediate decision only allows the school to cover the works, it sets a dangerous precedent under VARA that allows a group of race representatives and their supporters to destroy art that represents the history of slavery and abolition because it was not made by a black artist.

World Socialist Web Site: Artist Sam Kerson Will Continue to Fight Vermont Law School Effort to Cover Up Murals Commemorating Abolition of Slavery, by Marc James Leger:

On October 20, a judge with the U.S. District Court for the State of Vermont ruled that the Vermont Law School can go forward with its plan to conceal two murals painted by the artist Sam Kerson in 1993-94. Titled The Underground Railroad, Vermont and the Fugitive Slave, the work is comprised of two 8 x 24 panels. The first depicts the enslavement of Africans, a slave market, forced toil and a raucous scene of slave rebellion. The second mural depicts the abolitionists Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, as well as South Royalton residents sheltering refugees as they make their way to the Canadian border. Some people, possibly Quakers, help escaped slaves mount a white horse, a symbol of peace, in front of the Vermont legislature. The murals commemorate the efforts of black and white Americans in the United States and Vermont to achieve freedom and justice.

Located in the Chase Community Center of the Vermont Law School in South Royalton, the works have been the target of student complaints over the years. Criticisms that have taken place in the context of the George Floyd protests, however, and after national debates over the fate of the Victor Arnautoff murals in the George Washington High School in San Francisco, have caused the school administration to seek to hide the murals permanently. Although black as well as white students have objected to the removal of the murals, the school has joined the wave of woke iconoclasm that has overtaken the country, from the Chicago Monuments Project, where statues of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are being considered for removal, to the recent decision to remove a statue of Thomas Jefferson from New York City Hall.

In an effort to save his murals from destruction, Kerson challenged the schools decision with a lawsuit based of the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA). The 1990 law allows artists to protect their work from any intentional distortion, mutilation, or other modification of that work which would be prejudicial to his or her honor or reputation. The recent decision by judge Geoffrey W. Crawford finds that the schools plan to permanently cover over the murals does not infringe on the artists moral rights. Since VARA does not prohibit the permanent concealment of a work of art, the judge has ruled that the schools proposal can be compared to a museum placing a work of art in storage. Leading to this decision, however, the artist provided evidence by art conservationists that covering them will likely cause damage over time, a process of degradation that is not covered by VARA. ...

By preventing Kersons murals from being seen, the VLS is sending the message that there is something objectionable about them. By also accepting that damage could be caused to them, the school is also indicating that they could care less about their preservation. For these reasons the artist and his lawyers have decided to take an appeal to a second circuit court. Kersons lawyers, Steven Hyman and Richard Rubin, have stated: VARA was intended to preserve our cultural history and protect the honor and reputation of the artists who contribute so much to that history. The Law Schools unyielding intent to entomb these mural  acknowledged to be of recognized stature  behind a wall so that they can never be viewed again is clearly both an affront to Mr. Kersons honor and reputation, and to the values intended to be preserved by the Visual Arts Rights Act. The phrase recognized stature is significant here because it indicates that the school and its legal representatives acknowledge that the value and merit of the works is not disputed.

We are faced with a contradiction: a valued work of art is to be hidden from view. And how is this contradiction explained? One needs a more inclusive understanding of what is happening today to appreciate that the myths of race essentialism are covering over class contradictions that are neither acknowledge or even perceived. What is it that some students have objected to? According to court documents, the work has been denounced for cartoonish, almost animalistic depictions of enslaved African people. These depictions were said by the Associate Dean for student affairs and diversity, Shirley Jefferson, to have created an intolerable atmosphere. However, until the George Floyd protests, there were not enough complaints to present a resolution to remove the murals.

In this case, as in so many other instances of racialist indignation, the feelings of some students, inflamed by current trends to cancel anything that a few deem suspect, is corroborated by administrators who prefer to expediently manage a situation than assess the merits and consequences of decisions made in the name of minority constituencies. It should be obvious to anyone who has given the briefest glance at the murals that the work is fanciful and colorful, while it simultaneously elicits strong feelings about the suffering of tens of millions of slaves. What is also apparent is that all of the figures are somewhat cartoonish.

Known for his engagement with progressive causes, with murals painted for the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and graphic works on themes like nuclear catastrophe, the death penalty and the war on Palestinians, Kerson is an original and assertive stylist who has worked in various art forms, including painting, sculpture, theatre and video. But no research or thoughtful consideration for the opinions of others are to be expected from university students, it would seem, who offer only an incriminating response.

Wherever representations of race are involved, self-appointed representatives of racial groups take it upon themselves to intervene in public space in the interest of individual, group and community empowerment. Since many in academia and the activist milieu have adopted postmodernisms replacement of universalism with questions of difference, political commitments have become relativized according to the prerogatives of identity. In the context of woke cancelations, progressives are expected to think of themselves as allies rather than citizens, let alone comrades. There is less concern shown for whether or not a work of art or someones career is being destroyed than there is for the pretense that such activism is challenging the norms of privilege.

The trouble with todays anti-racists is that they substitute discussions of social inequality with accusations of institutional racism and demands for symbolic reparation. ... The notion that tearing down works by progressive artists will bring about social justice would be laughable if only the demand for whites and members of other so-called privileged groups to step aside and center black lives did not come with bullying tactics and McCarthy-like managerial punishments. In Vermont, high school principal Tiffany Riley was fired for stating on her personal Facebook that she did not think people should have to choose between the black race and the human race. When consulted on the Kerson case, Senator Bernie Sanders deferred to the decisions of the VLS administration and to the phenomenon of Black Lives Matter.

If the answer is because black lives matter, what then is the question? With some luck, an incident like this can lead to reflection and deliberation, but with so many national conversations being started on so many fronts, it is necessary to abstract from particulars and make some generalizations about what is happening. And for this to be done with any degree of justice, postmodern nihilism, race reductionism and political relativism will not do. The working class must stand firm and support artists like Sam Kerson and composer Bright Sheng in their struggles against this destructive trend of social opportunism.

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2021/11/artist-to-appeal-federal-district-courts-decision-allowing-vermont-law-school-to-cover-underground-r.html
The new XGIMI Elfin smart projector has been launched in India, adding to the companys product portfolio in the country. The device comes after the launch of the companys Aura 4K laser TV a few weeks ago. The Elfin smart projector comes with special eye protection features and offers longer battery life, with a premium price tag. Heres everything you need to know about the Elfin smart projector that was recently launched in the country. The device is priced at 79,999, according to the listing on the companys website, as well as Amazon.

The XGIMI Elfin smart projector comes with a compact, portable build and the company says that the device comes with support for a 200-inch display (at 1080p) with up to 800 ANSI lumens. The device weighs 1.98 pounds (or around 900 grams) and is 1.97 inches tall. The projector comes with support for HDR 10+ content and 3D content, and has Chromecast support built-in. The company also says that the XGIMI Elfin smart projector has a 1.2:1 throw ratio which ideal for offices and gyms. The throw ratio is the distance between a projector lens and the screen and reveals what image size can be projected from a specific distance, so with a throw ratio of 1.5, the throw distance must be 1.5 feet for every 1 foot of image width.

Also read: Looking for a smartphone? Check Mobile Finder here.

The XGIMI Elfin smart projector comes with support for HDMI 2 support, dual-band Wi-Fi, one USB 2 port and Bluetooth 5. On the audio front, the XGIMI Elfin smart projector comes with a headphone jack while also sporting 3W audio speakers that offer Doly Audio support -- the sound system is tuned by Harman Kardon. The projector also boasts support for taking voice commands with the Google Assistant that is built-in. The Elfin smart projector runs on Android TV 10 and comes with the Google Play Store, so uses can download Disney+Hotstar, Netflix, Prime Video among 5,000 other compatible apps.

The XGIMI Elfin smart projector also supports a built-in game mode that boosts performance by reducing latency and ensuring a high refresh rate. The display itself comes with safety features like reduced Blue Light exposure, which studies say can inhibit the secretion of melatonin and have an adverse impact on sleep. The XGIMI Elfin smart projector lamp is also rated up to 30,000 hours, which should ensure longevity.
It's all about true wireless stereo earbuds for most people these days. But if you want a real party atmosphere, speakers are the way to go. And if you're looking for something you can carry around, you could check out the new Huawei Sound Joy.

Yesterday, Huawei quietly unveiled the new Sound Joy on its website. This is a portable speaker with a cylindrical shape and is expected to be launched in Europe soon. It comes with a full-frequency speaker and tweeter system co-engineered by Devialet. The speaker has a special carbon-fibre diaphragm help deliver bass frequencies as low as 10Hz.

On top of that, the Sound Joy is capable of belting out loud volumes of up to 79 dBa. Despite all that power, it has an 8800mAh battery that can deliver music playback of up to 26 hours. Other features include one-touch transfer, IP67 water resistance, Shake Stereo Link Up, voice assistance, and Huawei Watch Control.

The Huawei Sound Joy is expected to retail for 149 Euros (~RM714). We're not sure when it will come to Malaysia, but would you buy one if it launches here? What do you look for in portable speakers? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned to TechNave for more updates about it.
A woman walks below a Google sign on the campus in Mountain View, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2019. Lawmakers are getting creative as they introduce a slew of bills intended to take Big Tech down a peg and the proposed legislation targeting personal data collected from young people could hit the bottom line of the social media companies. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

Break up Big Tech? How about shrinking the tech companies' shield against liability in cases where the content they push to users causes harm? Or creating a new regulator to strictly oversee the industry?

Those ideas have captured official attention in the U.S., Europe, U.K. and Australia as controversy has enveloped Facebookwhich on Thursday renamed itself MetaGoogle, Amazon and other giants. Revelations of deep-seated problems surfaced by former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen, buttressed by a trove of internal company documents, have lent momentum to legislative and regulatory efforts.

But while regulators are still considering major moves such as breaking up some companies or limiting their acquisitions, the most realistic changes may be more tangible and less grandly ambitious. And also the kind of thing people might actually see popping up in their social feeds.

So lawmakers are getting creative as they introduce a slew of bills intended to take Big Tech down a peg. One bill proposes an "eraser button" that would let parents instantly delete all personal information collected from their children or teens. Another proposal bans specific features for kids under 16, such as video auto-play, push alerts, "like" buttons and follower counts. Also being floated is a prohibition against collecting personal data from anyone aged 13 to 15 without their consent. And a new digital "bill of rights" for minors that would similarly limit gathering of personal data from teens.

For online users of all ages, personal data is paramount. It's at the heart of the social platforms' lucrative business model: harvesting data from their users and using it to sell personalized ads intended to pinpoint specific consumer groups. Data is the financial lifeblood for a social network giant valued at $1 trillion like Facebook. Er, Meta. Advertising sales drive nearly all its revenue, which reached about $86 billion last year.

The thumbs up Like logo is shown on a sign at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on April 14, 2020. Lawmakers are getting creative as they introduce a slew of bills intended to take Big Tech down a peg and the proposed legislation targeting personal data collected from young people could hit the bottom line of the social media companies. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

That means the proposed legislation targeting personal data collected from young people could hit the bottom line of the social media companies. On Tuesday, executives of YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat offered endorsements in principle during a congressional hearing on child safety, but wouldn't commit to support already proposed legislation. Instead, they offered boilerplate Washington lobbyist-speak, saying they look forward to working with Congress on the matter. Translation: They want to influence the proposals.

Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., proposed the two bills that address protection of kids online. They say they're hearing more and more stories of teens overdosing on opioids obtained online or who died by suicide when their depression or self-hatred was magnified by social media

Among all of Haugen's numerous condemnations of Facebook, her disclosure of internal company research showing that use of the Instagram photo-sharing app appeared to harm some teens appears to have resonated most with the public.

When it comes to kids, Republican and Democratic lawmakershopelessly divided over perceived political bias and hate speech in social mediaare in solid agreement that something m.ust be done, and quickly. "One thing that unites Democrats and Republicans is 'Won't someone please think of the children,'" said Gautam Hans, a technology lawyer and free-speech expert and professor at Vanderbilt University. "It's very sellable on a bipartisan basis."

In the U.K., efforts toward tougher rules to protect social media users, especially younger ones, are farther along. Members of the U.K. Parliament asked Haugen for guidance on how to improve the British online safety legislation. She appeared in London before a parliamentary committee on Monday, warning members that time is running out to regulate social media companies that use artificial intelligence to push "engaging" content to users.

A sign at an Amazon Fulfillment Center is seen in North Las Vegas on March 31, 2021. Lawmakers are getting creative as they introduce a slew of bills intended to take Big Tech down a peg and the proposed legislation targeting personal data collected from young people could hit the bottom line of the social media companies. Credit: AP Photo/John Locher, File

European Union privacy and competition regulators have been far more aggressive than their U.S. counterparts in bridling the tech giants. They have levied multibillion-dollar fines on some of the companies and adopted sweeping new rules in recent years. The U.K. established a new regulator for Facebook and Google this spring.

U.S. regulators only kicked into gear in 2019, when the Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook $5 billion, and YouTube $170 million in separate cases for alleged privacy violations. Late last year, the U.S. Justice Department and a number of states filed landmark antitrust suits against Google over market dominance in online search. The FTC and several states brought a parallel antitrust action against Facebook accusing it of abusing its market power to crush smaller competitors.

Beyond the child protection measures, U.S. legislators from both parties have floated a vast number of proposals designed to crack down on social media; target anti-competitive practices by Big Tech companies, possibly ordering breakups; and to get at the algorithms the tech platforms deploy to determine what shows up on users' feeds.

All these proposals face a heavy lift toward final enactment.

The Justice Against Malicious Algorithms Act, for instance, was introduced by senior House Democrats roughly a week after Haugen testified as to how social media algorithms push extreme content to users and inflame anger to boost user "engagement." The bill would hold social media companies responsible by removing their shield against liability, known as Section 230, for tailored recommendations to users deemed to cause harm.

Seen on the screen of a device in Sausalito, Calif., Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces their new name, Meta, during a virtual event on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Lawmakers are getting creative as they introduce a slew of bills intended to take Big Tech down a peg and the proposed legislation targeting personal data collected from young people could hit the bottom line of the social media companies. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File

Some experts who support stricter regulation of social media say the legislation could have unintended consequences. It doesn't make clear enough which specific algorithmic behaviors would lead to loss of the liability protection, they suggest, making it hard to see how it would work in practice and leading to wide disagreement over what it might actually do.

For instance, Paul Barrett, deputy director of New York University's Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, calls the bill "very sweeping" in ways its authors may not understand, and suggests it could shred the liability shield almost entirely. But Jared Schroeder, a First Amendment scholar at Southern Methodist University, said that while "there's a noble purpose" behind the bill, constitutional free-speech guarantees would likely stymie any attempt to sue social-media platforms.

A spokesperson for Meta, which owns the Facebook service, declined to comment Friday on legislative proposals. In a statement, the company said it has long advocated for updated regulations, but provided no specifics.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergmake that, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberghas suggested changes that would only give internet platforms legal protection if they can prove that their systems for identifying illegal content are up to snuff. That requirement, however, might be more difficult for smaller tech companies and startups to meet, leading critics to charge that it would ultimately work in Facebook's favor.

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This story was originally published on Oct. 31, 2021. It was updated on Nov. 2, 2021 to make clear that Paul Barrett, who teaches a seminar in law, economics and journalism at New York University, holds the title of deputy director of NYU's Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.

Explore further Facebook grilled by UK lawmakers making online safety rules

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A Boeing 777X airplane takes off on its inaugural flight on January 25, 2020.

Emirates Airline will hold talks with US aviation giant Boeing over the delayed 777X "before and during" this month's Dubai Air Show, the company's chief executive said on Monday.

The airline has repeatedly complained about the delivery of the long-haul jet, whose launch has been set back by a series of safety and technical problems.

"There will be a discussion before and during the air show," Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum told a news conference when asked about talks with Boeing.

Emirates announced an order of 150 777Xs at the 2013 Dubai Air Show and later revised the deal. In May, Emirates president Tim Clark was quoted as saying he feared a delay until 2025.

According to Bloomberg News, Emirates has also raised the prospect of swapping some of its commitments for the smaller Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and has voiced concerns about the new plane's performance in desert conditions.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Ahmed also said there were "positive" signs in the economic recovery and return of demand, especially as the end-of-year holidays approach.

"We see growth as excellent," he said.

More than 80,000 visitors are expected at the November 14-18 Dubai Air Show, which will be held with mandatory masks and social distancing, officials said.

Explore further French PM oversees major Airbus deal signed in Dubai

 2021 AFP
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Facebook has dominated news headlines over the past weeks, after former employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked thousands of internal company documents to a consortium of news organizations, now referred to as the "Facebook Papers," followed by an announcement on Thursday that Facebook is changing its name to Meta.

The name change, a move Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg hopes will help rebrand the company and reposition it as a "metaverse" player, comes after the disclosure of the Facebook Papers to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by Haugen's legal counsel. They resulted in an avalanche of stories shedding light on the inner workings of the tech giant on a range of issues, including suppressing deceptive content, tracking harms exacerbated by its platforms, ignoring employee warnings and exposing international communities to dangerous content.

Kirsten Martin, the William P. and Hazel B. White Center Professor of Technology Ethics at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business and director of the University's Technology Ethics Center, says, "One person who benefits from the rebranding and corporate name change is Zuckerberg."

"It's dystopian," she said. "If we don't trust Facebook executives in the real world, why would we in the virtual world? If they cannot get a handle on the content on Facebook where the app was used to recommend an insurrection, how will those same executives get a handle on content in the virtual space they are proposing?"

Martin and her colleague, Elizabeth M. Renieris, associate professor of the practice and founding director of the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab, emphasize that almost none of the Facebook leaks reveal anything surprising to academics, researchers and civil society organizations that have been working on these issues for decades, though more is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

With respect to Facebook-amplified "lawful but awful" content, Renieris says many of the company's failures, especially in regard to content moderation decisions, come down to scale and having too much to police in too many countries.

"Insufficient cultural, linguistic, contextual or other expertise results in an overreliance on AI and other technologies," she said. "Is this a question of being too big to fail or just too big? Do we have to fix Facebook or break it up?

"Interestingly, the scale of the Facebook Papers is also overwhelming and suffers from its own problems of scale. There is much more than journalists can reasonably sort through. This could lead to more confusion and paralysis, especially on the part of lawmakers. There is no clear path to regulation. We may actually be further away from a solution."

Martin, who wrote a case on the ethics of Facebook's content moderation algorithm, agrees what's new now is having such a huge volume of raw data available for scrutiny.

"People are talking about breaking Facebook up or fixing what they currently do," Martin said. "What's odd is that Facebook's answer is, 'No, we want to grow and take on the metaverse.'"

Martin says there needs to be more whistleblower protections or professionalization of Facebook's engineers so they have an obligation to report what they are finding.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Microsoft launched a training program for community college students on Thursday in an effort to fill 250,000 cybersecurity jobs by 2025.

The company will make its cybersecurity curriculum available for free to all public community colleges across the country and offer 25,000 scholarships. It will also train faculty at 150 community colleges through a grant and partnership with the National Cybersecurity Training and Education Center at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham.

Many data breaches companies and organizations have suffered "could have been prevented or substantially mitigated ... if they had applied cybersecurity best practices," Brad Smith, president and vice chair of Microsoft, said in a news conference. But one of the biggest problems is that institutions "don't have the people they need to fill the jobs they've created."

For every two people in America who work in cybersecurity, there is a third position that is unfilled, according to CyberSeek, which collects data on cybersecurity employment. With 464,000 cybersecurity jobs open nationally, Microsoft's goal is to help fill half those positions with this campaign.

It adds to a growing list of investments the company has made to combat cybersecurity threats. In August, the company said it would invest $20 billion over the next five years to add further protection for its customers. And the company will invest $150 million to help government agencies boost protections for the public as part of a White House campaign to partner with the private sector to improve cybersecurity.

Smith said the average cybersecurity professional earns a salary of $105,800. He said this campaign is not only an opportunity to get more people into these high-paying jobs but also a way to make the profession more diverse. More than 80% of cybersecurity professionals are white, and 80% are male, but 40% of community college students are Black or Hispanic, and 57% of students are women, Smith said.

The initiative comes just days after Microsoft flagged that Russian-backed hackers have been targeting government and corporate computer networks since the summer. The company said these hackers are the same actors that in 2020 targeted customers of SolarWinds, a Texas-based IT company, which led to significant federal government data breaches.

In March, Microsoft suffered a cyberattack of its own when Chinese hackers breached the company's Exchange email server. Unlike the SolarWinds hack, which primarily affected large companies and organizations, small and medium-sized businesses were most significantly affected by the breach.

"We'll probably ... never get to the point where we have enough workers in the field" given how fast technology is changing, said Kathi Hiyane-Brown, president of Whatcom Community College, in the news conference. She said that's what makes cybersecurity training for new and existing workers so important. "It is an occupation or career that really promotes lifelong learning."

Explore further Microsoft fixes cloud platform vulnerability after warning

2021 The Seattle Times.

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This mobile phone app screen shot shows the logo for Dogecoin, in New York, Tuesday, April 20, 2021. The recent trading frenzy over a digital token called Shiba Inucommonly billed as a "meme" or joke coinhas vaulted the canine-themed cryptocurrency into the top ten most valuable digital assets by market value, hitting $40 billion and surpassing its cousin and apparent inspiration, Dogecoin. Credit: AP Photo/Richard Drew

Cryptocurrency has officially gone to the dogs.

The recent trading frenzy over a digital token called Shiba Inucommonly billed as a "meme" or joke coinhas vaulted the canine-themed cryptocurrency into the top ten most valuable digital assets by market value, hitting $40 billion and surpassing its cousin and apparent inspiration, Dogecoin.

Shiba was up another 10% at midday on Monday and has doubled in value in the past week. Most of that gain came in a flurry of trading last Wednesday, when it gained a whopping 66%.

Even with its recent meteoric riseit's up about 900% in the past montheach Shiba coin costs just a tiny fraction of one cent. If you bought $1,000 worth of Shiba in late September, your 20 million coins would now be worth around $9,000.

Like most cryptocurrencies, Shiba is not commonly used for commercial transactions and is considered by most experts and investors to be a high-risk, speculative bet due to the broader volatility of the crypto market. Experts warn that investors need to be cautious about putting money into something with anonymous leadership that appears to have little functional use.

Lee Reiners, an outspoken crypto skeptic, teaches fintech and cryptocurrency courses at Duke University School of Law. Reiners said he's not surprised by Shiba's recent spike.

"This is what happens when you have massive speculation in assets with no intrinsic value," Reiners said.

Investors might be thinking this story sounds familiar. Bitcoin has doubled in value twice this yearwith a rapid plunge in betweenand now sells for more than $60,000 per coin. Among stocks, GameStop had a surge that rivals Shiba's, rocketing from about $17 per share in early January to $483 later that month. Lately, it's consistently traded around $180.

While Shiba is the current white-hot cryptocurrency, you can't trade it through more traditional brokersyet. A petition with more than 450,000 signatures on Change.org is pushing for the mobile trading app Robinhood to start allowing Shiba trades. Robinhood currently allows trading of Dogecoin and other cryptocurrencies. Its CEO Vladimir Tenev told investors last week that the company would "carefully evaluate whether we can add new coins in a way that's safe for customers and in line with regulatory requirements."

Stronger regulation of the crypto markets seems inevitable, but it's unclear when it might happen. The chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, said in August that the world of crypto doesn't have enough investor protection and compared it to "the Wild West."

Whether that lack of regulation is driving the recent spikes in Shiba and other digital assets is not clear. What seems apparent though, is that retail investorsthe little guysare leading the way.

Kyle Waters, a research analyst at the blockchain data and analytics firm Coin Metrics, said the median trade size of Shiba on that busy Wednesday was $115. That's "highly suggestive" that the typical Shiba trader on Coinbase is a small retail trader, Water said.

Shiba's rise is similar to Dogecoin's ascent in the spring, when it caught fire and rose jumped from around 5 cents to 57 cents between April 7 and May 7.

Like many other crypto currencies, Shiba is shrouded in mystery. According to its white paperor "Woof Paper," in this casethe token was started in 2020 by an anonymous person or group named "Ryoshi." The paper, which describes how Shiba and its progeny works, is also peppered with soaring-but-vague platitudes about community, freedom, revolution and destroying traditional paradigms.

A person with limited background knowledge of technology and blockchain vernacular would be hard pressed to decipher much of the technical wording in the white paper.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
FUEL FOR THE CAUSE: Fired workers at United Metro Energy Corp., John Catsimatidiss oil-distribution company, and supporters, including Demos Demopoulos, the secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 553, center, protested in front of the billionaires Third Ave. offices Oct. 19, on the six-month anniversary of a strike at the companys Brooklyn terminal. Local 553 is seeking a first contract with United Metro on behalf of the workers.
In response to a request from Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, the Agricultural and Food Policy Center, AFPC, at the Department of Agricultural Economics in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has completed an extensive report on the U.S. cattle market, including information on supply chain disruptions.

The 180-plus page book, titled The U.S. Beef Supply Chain: Issues and Challenges can be viewed on the AFPC website at https://afpc.tamu.edu. It is the result of proceedings from an AFPC-hosted workshop on cattle markets held June 3-4 in Kansas City, Missouri.

The book puts into context a variety of disruptions in the cattle market, including the 2019 fire that took the nations second-largest beef packing plant offline for four months, and the COVID-19 pandemics effect on packing plants and significant disruption of beef supply chains.

This is the product of a collaboration between the AFPC and the Office of the Chief Economist at the USDA, said Bart Fischer, co-director of AFPC and one of the books editors. The work originated from a request by the bipartisan leadership of the Committee on Agriculture in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 116th Congress.
For those who see this as a far-fetched idea, she points out that programs such as this are now underway and being done successfully and profitably in other countries, primarily France and Japan. In France, since 2017, families have been able to pay a small monthly fee to La Poste  about 20 euros or $24  to have home check-ins for an older relative, she writes. Japan launched a similar postal program through a public-private partnership in 2017 to underwrite paid, monthly, half-hour visits (a friendly chat and health check) with members of the aging at-home population.

Postal workers are already on virtually every block of America six days a week, she says, and many are well-known and beloved by the residents they serve. They could be retrained to do home visits of older homebound Americans, something that was suggested by the postal agencys inspector general a decade ago.

Tens of millions of older Americans  the old old  are not so sick that they need a hospital but are unable to live safely at home without help, she writes. Patients with early dementia fending for themselves at great risk. People who need help preparing medicine or meals can be missing both. ... Why not instead redeploy some of the U.S. Postal Services vast supply of human resources to deliver a service our aging population  and our country  desperately needs? she pleads.
In terms of funding, it doesnt impact A&M or universities on the whole as much as the city in terms of the funding availability that comes down from the federal government, Halle-Schramm said. We have partnered with A&M throughout this process to work with them to get the word out about the census and been very collaborative both ways.

In 2010, the Census Bureau reported 93,857 residents living in College Station, a number that increased to 120,511 in 2020. During the 2020 spring semester, Texas A&M reported 64,961 students were enrolled at the time or more than half the population in College Station. The city originally estimated there would be 123,306 people counted for the census, Halle-Schramm said.

We definitely had a challenge trying to do direct messaging to students, Halle-Schramm said. We really had to pivot right around the same time everybody got sent home to get the message out that students should count themselves where they lived the vast majority of the year, which for A&M students is College Station, and not wherever they went back home to whether it was a different state or town.
Funding available from USDA to protect groundwater

LINCOLN  The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has funding available to assist landowners in source water protection priority areas to install conservation practices. Interested landowners have until Nov. 19 to apply.

John Wilson, acting state conservationist for NRCS in Nebraska said, Since nearly all Nebraskans get their drinking water from groundwater, its important we work together to help protect this resource from contamination.

Agricultural land located in the source water protection priority areas (see map) may be eligible to receive financial assistance.

Nebraska NRCS is now accepting applications for source water protection funding. Approved applicants can receive funding to install conservation practices used to address water quality that include: Nutrient management, irrigation water management, cover crops and conversion of flood to pivot or subsurface drip irrigation systems.

NRCS field office staff can determine if applicants are eligible for source water protection priority area financial assistance.
Since 1963, The Arc of Central Nebraska has hosted its annual Honey Sunday event to raise funds to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in the Hall and Howard county areas.

Honey Sunday is an event born in Grand Island as a way to raise money for a teachers salary. The event has since grown to a nationwide event identifying The Arc and Honey Sunday together.

On Saturday, Nov. 6, and Sunday, Nov. 7, the Arc will again be selling honey, asking citizens to continue to offer their support.

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The Arc of Central Nebraska, and other area groups will selling honey at several retail locations in Grand Island including the Tattered Book, Kens Appliance, Hy-Vee Gas station, Tractor Supply, Ace Hardware and both Super Saver locations. Honey will be on sale ($6 a bottle) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

If you are in Central City, stop by the Central City Mall from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday or pick up honey at the Merrick Community Foundation office through Nov. 15.
Central Valley Ag delivers value to member-owners in the form of $16 million of equity payments

YORK  Central Valley Ag continues to give back to member-owners, demonstrating the cooperative spirit. Recently, CVAs Board of Directors approved the distribution of year-earned and age-based equity payments to its member-owners totaling almost $16 million.

A payment of $9.5 million is being made to member-owners based on their business with the cooperative in 2007 and 2008. Additionally, approximately $6.5 million of age-based equity and retirements is being distributed to members that were age 65 or older as of Dec. 31, 2020.

I am proud of CVAs performance, and our ability to return equity to our patrons, said Carl Dickinson, CEO of Central Valley Ag. It is exciting that your cooperative is in a position to not only add value through the products and services we provide, but to also return cash to the membership.

Many people dont fully understand or appreciate the cooperative structure according to Brandi Miller, CEO of the Kansas Co-op Council. When a co-op is profitable, dollars are returned back to owners in two ways, the first is through cash patronage. This is a direct return back to producers based on the amount of business they have done with the co-op.
Psychic Medium Kristi Pederson visited Grand Islands A Higher Plane Saturday for a discussion and for signings of her new book, Between Earth & Heaven, A Beginners Guide to Living a Spiritual Life.

Pederson also did psychic readings as part of A Higher Planes Psychic Saturday event.

The book provides an overview of different healing modalities and aims to help people better understand the spiritualist world, Pederson said.

What Im finding is, the veil is thinning between this world and the next world, and more and more people are having paranormal experiences she said. They might be seeing a deceased loved one or having a premonition about something, or just be drawn to crystals or to essential oils, or reiki, and they dont know where to go.

A medium is someone who can talk to those who have crossed over, Pederson explained, and a psychic is someone who can read someones energy, and predict into the future for them and talk to their spirit guides.

Every medium is a psychic, but not every psychic is a medium, she said. Some people are psychic and can read peoples energies, but they cant talk to deceased loved ones.
One near-term event that might affect Democrats' talks is Tuesday's Virginia gubernatorial election.

Should Republican Glenn Youngkin defeat Democratic former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in the blue-leaning state, it could worry Democrats about their hold on swing-area suburbs enough to quickly settle their differences faster. Or it might make some of them less willing to back the larger package.

MODERATES SAY PROGRESSIVES DOING DAMAGE

Biden held a private pep rally with House Democrats Thursday at the Capitol, pleading, I need you to help me" on both bills. At the same meeting, Pelosi, D-Calif., said she wanted the House to approve the infrastructure measure, saying, We must succeed today. Their remarks were described by a person familiar with the meeting who insisted on anonymity.

But the week ended with Democratic negotiations still underway. The infrastructure vote never occurred as progressives insisted on first seeing a complete, final text of the social and environment measure.

In a town that watches carefully how leaders expend their political capital, moderates said the day dealt a blow to Biden, Pelosi and the party. Biden's approval in polls has sagged recently, and rank-and-file intransigence would only hurt further, they said.
KLONDIKE  A 61-year-old man was found dead inside his vehicle from apparent gunshot wounds along Route 3 in Klondike, according a news release from Illinois State Police.

Stanley Mech, of Cairo, has been identified as the victim.

The time and date of the incident has not been released at this time. Additional information, including the circumstances surrounding Mechs death, was not immediately available.

The Alexander County Sheriffs Department requested ISP's Division of Criminal Investigation to investigate the homicide at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30.

When contacted Monday for further information, ISP in Zone 7 said they did not have any updates that they could release at this time.

An investigation into Mechs death is ongoing.

Anyone who may have information in reference to this incident should contact the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation at 618-542-2171 extension 1207.

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale continues to wait on more than $2.5 million in innovation funds  money Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised the university almost two years ago.

In a Feb. 12, 2020 announcement, the state said it was awarding $500 million in total to 15 institutions across the state  including SIU  to fund and expand the Illinois Innovation Network.

The network is a collection of public universities and community colleges that work together for innovation, research and education.

At SIU, the project was to fund the establishment of what the university calls iFERM, a program to promote innovation in food, entrepreneurship, research and manufacturing. SIU planned to use the money and locally raised matching funds to build-out facilities of a new iFERM Hub on McLafferty Road.

Problem is, the promised funds have yet to be allocated by the states Capital Development Board  at least to SIU.

SIU economic development administrators said some of the projects around the state received funding shortly after the governors announcement. SIU Vice Chancellor for Research Gary Kinsel said he believes a second round of money was also released, but projects at some schools  SIU and Northern Illinois University, for example  are still waiting.

Initially we were told that projects that were shovel ready would be some of the first ones funded because we already had things in place. That truly has not been the case, explained Lynn Lindberg, interim director of SIUs Office of Innovation and Economic Development. We came back from the initial announcement, just riding high, waiting for our $2.5 million in the first tranche of what we believed would be $5 million. We still have not seen the first $2.5 million nor even heard when it might be released.

She said in the meantime, the university has raised other funds for the project, but many aspects of the project is waiting for the state allocation.

There still is a big part of the building that is waiting for what was originally promised so that we can complete construction. We just cant really move forward without the funds, Kinsel said.

Lindberg explained that university officials at all levels have reached out to governors office, without much luck. Area legislators are stepping up their efforts to help.

Im taking a more aggressive approach with the Capital Development Board, to find out the whys of the delay and the when of the funding, Illinois Sen. Dale Fowler, R-Harrisburg, said. This is important not only to the project but to the economic vitality of the entire region.

John Charles, executive director for governmental and public affairs for the Southern Illinois University system, said the funding was part of a six-year capital plan. He said he has heard that the money  or at least some if it  may soon be on the way.

Obviously, you cant fund every project immediately and we do know that this is on the list to be funded," he said. My understanding that there is going to be a letting of funds late in the fall, so we are very hopeful the iFERM is going to receive dollars in that.

Charles said he did not know if the allocation would be for the initial $2.5 million, or all of the promised funds.

We obviously have communicated to the state that we would like all of it, he said.

In the meantime, SIU officials wait with anticipation.

The entire facility is designed to be integrated around some key concepts and without the funding, we are going to have holes in those areas until the funding arrives, Kinsel said. Thats the frustration as we look at the big picture.

Gov. Pritzkers office did not respond to The Southerns request for information about the allocation or a reason for the funding delay.

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The Regional Medical Center and its six primary care practices ended the budget year with $34 million less in cash due to lower volumes and higher expenses caused in part by the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 hit the hospital in many different forms both from an inpatient census, outpatient census, outpatient revenue, the emergency department and also surgery, RMC President and CEO David Southerland said.

All those areas throughout the course of 2021 with COVID-19 were impacted because of a loss of volume, he said.

According to the cash flow statement for the RMC and the Edisto Regional Health Services (its six primary care practices), RMC had $53 million in cash and cash equivalents in September 2020.

At the end of September 2021, which is also the end of the hospital's fiscal year, the hospital had $18.9 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Fundamentally, almost each month out of the year we spent more cash than we collected, RMC Chief Financial Officer Amy Crouch said in answer to trustee Dr. Mohammad S. Nassri's question about the reason for the loss.

But Crouch says things are looking better.

We are trending back upwards in October, Crouch said. It looks as though we have hit our valley and are trending back up towards our peak.

Trustee Betty Henderson requested the hospital itemize its losses for COVID so when federal money comes down for assistance, the hospital will know the exact extent of losses.

Southerland said he has submitted the hospital's itemized capital budget and operational funding request to the S.C. House Ways and Means Committee. He said it is on the committee's agenda.

For 2020-2021, RMC and its six primary care practices were $8.7 million in the red.

If not for the $13.9 million in COVID relief, the hospital system would have seen a loss of $23.6 million for the year.

Operating revenues for the hospital system for the year were down about $6.2 million from budget while operating expenses for the year were about $13.2 million over budget.

In 2019-2020, the hospital system ended up the year $7.7 million in the red.

Looking at the month of September 2021 alone, the hospital system had a total loss of $1.86 million. Inpatient revenues were about $2.7 million over budget due to large pharmacy charges, but outpatient revenues were about $6.7 below budget.

Crouch said outpatient revenues were below budget because the hospital postponed elective surgery cases and there were lower-than-expected charges in doctor office practice visits for September.

Total operating expenses were above budget for the month by about $2 million, primarily due to higher expenses in salaries, wages, benefits and contract labor.

Crouch also said supply expenses were about $1.2 million over budget for the month.

Professional expenses were also about $312,000 above budget for the month due to expenses involved in the hospital's current ambulatory surgery center litigation. RMC is challenging plans for a private surgery center across the road from the hospital.

Crouch said the hospital remains in compliance with all its bank debt covenants. The hospital has 116 days cash on hand compared to the minimum required of 100 days.

RMC Vice President Physician Practice Operations Sabrina Robinson reported that for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the hospitals six primary care practices saw visits down about 9,237.

That was due to the fact that the hospital had budgeted visits for two very highly productive providers who have since left the hospital's system.

The practices were $717,000 below budget, with one of six practices having met budget for the year.

For the 2020-2021 fiscal year, Express Care saw visits 5,385 below budget and overall Express Care revenues were about $405,000 below budget for the year.

Even so, "We are showing a trajectory that is positive for the beginning of the fiscal year," Robinson said.

Nassri told trustees that he took a family member to Express Care twice over the past month and was impressed by the center.

The place is clean, orderly and quiet and very efficient, Nassri said. We were very pleased with the service.

In other business:

 Trustees elected board officers for 2022. The Rev. Dr. Caesar Richburg was named chair; John Shuler, vice chair; Sonja Ehrhardt, secretary; Samantha Farlow-Moyd, at-large; and Boyd McLeod, at-large. Dr. Yvonne Johnson was initially nominated for an at-large position but decided to withdraw her name from the nomination in favor of Farlow-Moyd.

 RMC Advisor Terry Litchfield told trustees the hospital's Trustee Development Committee held a successful new board member orientation earlier in October.

 It was announced that influenza vaccines are available at the hospital for employees and for patients at discharge.

 Trustees went into closed session to receive the president's report, a community works update, a report from the quality care oversight committee, ERHS Board update, a Certificate of Need update, a revenue cycle update, materials management update, provider relief funding and Medicare accelerated funding update and a monthly report from the hospital's Chief Nursing Officer.

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Sen. Hassan, Physicians and Exchange Navigators Advise NH Residents on How to Get Covered and Save

Concord, NH --The New Hampshire Medical Society, Covering New Hampshire and Protect Our Care NH offered an overview of open enrollment on Monday to help Granite Staters renew or change their Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual health coverage on the Exchange for the coming year. Open enrollment for 2022, which starts Monday, November 1, 2021, and ends on Saturday, January 15, 2022, is a time when the uninsured and those who currently have coverage on the Exchange can renew or select a new coverage plan.

New this year is lower costs. When health insurance shoppers enter the Exchange, they will find the coverage is more affordable and accessible, thanks to increased subsidies for coverage within the American Rescue Plan. Under the new law, four in five customers will be able to find health coverage for $10 or less per month.

State health care leaders and Sen. Maggie Hassan joined a news conference call on Monday to kick off open enrollment and to get the word out that these plans will cost less than in previous years.

We cut the overall cost to families by as much as half, said Hassan, adding that provisions in President Joe Bidens Build Back Better Plan now before Congress would extend these subsidies. If price is a major consideration, you should not let what the price was from a year ago be a determinant.

New Hampshire physician Dr. Marie-Elizabeth Ramas, a member of the Endowment for Health Board of Directors, also joined the call, highlighting the connection between affordable coverage and health outcomes.

We are still in the midst of dealing with the Covid crisis and we will be living with Covid for a long time, said Ramas. We want to make sure we stay covered so if a family member gets sick, we have means to care for them.

Because of provisions in the American Rescue Plan, Granite Staters who in the past may not have been eligible for subsidies are now among those eligible for premium tax credits. The Build Back Better Act, which is still being debated in Congress, could extend the subsidies and ensure that health insurance stays affordable in 2023 and beyond. But even without any new legislative action, most of the ARPs subsidy enhancements will remain in place for 2022.

About Open Enrollment

For those enrolling between December 16, 2021 - January 15, 2022, coverage would begin February 1, 2022. During open enrollment, NH residents can call 1-800-318-2596 or log onto healthcare.gov for help on enrollment and to calculate applicable tax credits. Local insurance agents, assistants and NH navigators are available to help New Hampshire residents review which insurance plan may best fit their needs. Granite Staters can find local help by visiting https://localhelp.HealthCare.gov.

For those who currently have coverage through the Exchange and do not choose a plan for 2022 by the end of open enrollment, they will be re-enrolled into the same or similar plan. But, if you are considering changing insurance plans, be sure to see that your current healthcare provider (doctors and specialists) are in-network and that your prescription drugs will continue to be covered.

This year people seeking help enrolling can again access help from Navigators. Elias Ashooh, the project director for Health Market Connect, which oversees the New Hampshire navigator program, said there are 10 Navigators that will be available to assist in-person or online people shopping for a plan. These Navigators can also provide assistance for people who are not proficient English language speakers, offering help in Spanish, French, Hindi, Nepalese and more. Navigators can also help you select the plan that best fits, as well as ensuring your preferred doctors are within the network of your selected plan, said Ashooh.

The Need for Coverage

The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of accessible and affordable health insurance coverage, said Hassan, which is why there is a focus this year on getting the uninsured the coverage they need.

We want to make sure more people get covered, said Hassan. For those who arent covered, enrolling will provide the peace of mind that comes with coverage.

Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Senator Hassan has worked across the aisle to get results for Granite Staters. She is the second woman in American history to be elected both Governor and United States Senator, along with fellow New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen. As a member of the Senate Health, Labor, Education, and Pension Committee and the Finance Committee, Senator Hassan is focused on expanding access to quality, affordable health care and lowering health care costs, particularly the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs.

Health coverage is not just important for adults, but for children as well, said Dr. Steven Chapman, president of the NH Pediatric Society and director of the Boyle Community Pediatrics Program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, on Mondays call.

When kids and families have health insurance, they are able to come to us and work through these issues as they are just getting started, said Chapman. No one plans on a broken leg or unexpected illness. It can happen to anyone. Families and kids who have health insurance are better prepared to receive the care they need.

Consumers can apply for health coverage by going to HealthCare.gov or CuidadoDeSalud.gov for enrollment offered in Spanish.

You can also find local help through Navigators, Certified Application Counselors, insurance agents and brokers. To find 24/7 help, go to HealthCare.Gov or call the call center at 1-800-318-2596, which offers assistance in more than 230 languages.

TTY: 1-855-889-4325
RIVERTON  A Wyoming District Court Judge has denied special bond provisions to allow an accused animal abuser to go to a rodeo.

Charged with three counts of felony cruelty to animals, Cole Littlewhiteman, 35, of Pavillion, could face up to six years in prison and $15,000 in fines if convicted.

He was charged on Aug. 13, under a court affidavit alleging that he had kicked, tased and beaten a horse even while the horse lay helpless on the ground. He pleaded not guilty on Aug. 31.

Littlewhiteman also was bonded out of jail by another man soon after his arrest.

The second man, of South Dakota, posted a $20,000 bond to free Littlewhiteman.

The defendant applied on Sept. 20 for a modification of his bond, so that he could attend a rodeo on Sept. 24 in Casper.

Littlewhiteman had been forbidden in the original bond order from having possession, contact, with, care of, or control over any animal.

The Fremont County Attorneys Office objected to the rodeo request.

Wyoming District Court Judge Marv Tyler noted in a Sept. 22 filing that on Sept. 20 he reviewed and considered the request, but given current bond and release conditions regarding the defendant being prohibited from certain activities involving animals, the modification was respectfully denied.

Littlewhitemans charging documents state that he was arrested by the Fremont County Sheriffs Office after videos surfaced depicting him tasing, stomping, kicking, punching, and chain-whipping a horse. The documents written July 30 by sheriffs Lt. John Zerga.

Law enforcement received 14 video clips of varying length, showing what Zerga would later write was torture and torment of the horse in an aggressive manner, causing undue suffering.

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GILLETTE  The executive committee of the Campbell County Republican Party Central Committee is concerned that the Wyoming GOP is intentionally trying to keep women out of politics.

The committee sent a letter last month to the state Republican Party executive committee, criticizing it for not doing anything about a Park County precinct committeeman who used vulgar language toward a state senator last month and pointing out that it was quick to censure a Republican woman last fall.

No mention was made of the letter at last weeks meeting of the executive committee, said Campbell County state committeewoman Heidi Gross.

It does surprise me that absolutely nothing was said about it, she said. Campbell County is the third largest county in the state. When our party sends a letter  they should at least acknowledge they received it.

The letter calls out the Wyoming GOP for being inconsistent when it comes to disciplining elected officials.

We are concerned the Wyoming Republican Partys misogynistic actions are calculated to keep women out of Wyoming politics, the letter reads.

In September, Troy Bray, a precinct committeeman from Park County wrote an email to Sen. Tara Nethercott. He referenced her handling of a bill that died in the last legislative session that would have prohibited the state from requiring COVID-19 vaccines. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 4-1 against the bill in March. Nethercott, a Cheyenne Republican and lawyer, is the chairwoman of the committee.

In the email, Bray wrote:

I would just like to express to you how I feel about your handling of the bill that would already have negated Bidens dictatorial actions for Wyomings citizens. You have never been my favorite person, but you have made a lasting enemy of me with these actions. Your shortsightedness and ignorance are astounding, and only your moral turpitude can compete with them as your defining character feature.

If I were as despicable a person as you, I would kill myself to rid the world of myself. You sicken me. Thank you for ensuring that the people of Wyoming are subjected to tyranny once again. F*** YOU C***. 

Since that time, the state GOP has not taken any disciplinary action against Bray.

The silence on the word choices, and the demeaning nature of the communications is deafening, and it shows the Wyoming Republican Partys attitude toward women, the letter reads.

The official response of the state GOP has been that the matter is a local matter, and should be handled by the local party.

Earlier this month, the Park County Republican Party addressed Brays email in an executive session, after which Bray said he still held his position, the Cody Enterprise reported.

The local GOP contrasted that with JoAnn True, a Natrona County state committee woman who was censured by the state GOP for her involvement with a political action committee committed to electing female candidates from both major parties.

True founded the Cowgirl Run Fund with the goal of increasing the number of women in elected seats, regardless of their political affiliation. The fund also backed numerous women for nonpartisan positions in municipal and county government in the 2020 election.

Gross said she was very surprised that the state GOP didnt censure Bray, especially since it was so quick to censure True. She said the party has a double standard, and is very biased in its responses.

Unfortunately I think our (state) Republican Party has become selective in the things they address, she said. If your comments fit their narrative, thats fine, and if it doesnt  youre called a RINO.

We would urge the Wyoming Republican Party State Central Committee to do the right thing and 1) encourage women at all levels to participate in the political process, 2) stand up for elected women who are verbally abused, and 3) make it clear that asking for someone to commit suicide and calling them F****** C***, is unacceptable and will be dealt with in the harshest possible manner, the letter reads.

Words matter, Gross said, and they have even more weight when coming from elected officials. Brays words, as well as the state partys inaction, will make men and women think twice about getting involved in politics.

Itll discourage good people from running for public office, and I think that would be a real shame, she said.

The letter was signed by the Campbell County GOP executive committee, which includes chair Heather Herr, vice-chair Sam Clikeman, Gross, state committeeman Tom Lubnau, Charlene Camblin and Alison Gee.

The letter demonstrates a shift in the philosophy of the local GOP central committee.

In October 2020, in light of the state GOP censuring True, a resolution condemning the state partys actions failed on a 13-33 vote.

The resolution cited the Wyoming Republican Partys platform on freedom of speech, which is ones freedom to express his or her beliefs, ideas and opinions without fear of retaliation, censorship or legal sanction by government.

Camblin called it extremely wrong, and her husband Doug worried that the same thing could happen to someone in Campbell County.

The makeup of the central committee in October 2020 was very different from what it is now.

The state party has every right to express their disapproval of actions of someone in the party, said Barb Luthy, who was the party secretary at the time.

Then-state committeewoman Janet Mader said she attended the meeting where True was censured, and while she doesnt agree with the way this process went down, True is supposed to represent the Republican Party.

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Coyotes and golden eagles may help keep infectious diseases like brucellosis from spreading, a recently published study has found, raising questions about the advisability of predator control and the use of lead bullets.

Brucellosis can be spread from infected cow elk when their aborted birthing materials are touched by cattle. Brucellosis infection in livestock leads to mandatory quarantine and testing that is expensive for ranchers.

Scavengers and predators that find and consume an infected elks afterbirth appear to lessen the chances for the disease, caused by bacteria, from infecting other animals  including livestock, dogs, elk, bison and even humans.

Our research indicates scavengers  particularly coyotes, eagles, and foxes  are important species on the landscape for removing brucellosis transmission risk, especially on private rangelands, ecologist Kimberly Szcodronski and research biologist Paul Cross of the U.S. Geological Survey write in their study, published Oct. 14 in the journal Ecosphere.

Ravens, crows and magpies were some of the first species to show up at the test sites, possibly alerting other scavengers.

That was another thing that caught our attention is the role avian scavengers played, Szcodronski said, especially when compared to other studies conducted in Wyoming.

All told, 15 different species visited  including black bears and wolves, skunks and pine martens  for the free USGS meal.

It was just surprising how quickly the remains were removed by scavengers, Szcodronski said.

Removal of the test material was often consumed within 16 days. Depending on the conditions, brucellosis can persist in infected birthing material on the landscape for several weeks to months.

Consumption was more likely in grasslands as opposed to forest and sagebrush lands, possibly because the fetuses were easier for scavengers to see and smell.

The main takeaway is that scavengers can potentially reduce the risk and potential spread of brucellosis between elk and livestock, Szcodronski said.

Scavengers

Erik Molvar, of the conservation group Western Watersheds Project, said the study emphasizes the need for robust populations of native predators. A similar claim has been repeatedly echoed by wolf advocates as Montana legislators and the states wildlife agency have loosened restrictions on wolf hunting and trapping.

Molvar said Montana and other western states need to get more comfortable with allowing nature to do its job rather than targeting predators and scavengers as nuisance species.

A little humility about coexisting with nature would come in handy, he said.

Coyotes can be shot year-round in Montana and are sometimes targeted by ranchers and the U.S. Department of Agricultures Wildlife Services to reduce depredation on livestock, especially sheep.

While acknowledging the role of scavengers in a healthy ecosystem, Gail Keirn, legislative and public affairs specialist for the USDA-APHIS-WS National Wildlife Research Center in Colorado, said her agency attempts to focus on specific animals causing damage in very limited areas.

Paradox

The study highlights paradoxes for ranchers and wildlife agencies. Should ranchers reduce predator control efforts on lands near infected elk populations to lessen the likelihood of brucellosis transmission to their cattle?

The study pointed out: there was a high probability (88%) that ranches with active scavenger reduction have slower removal time of abortion materials, potentially exposing those ranches to higher spillover risk given the same background rate of brucellosis prevalence in elk.

Recognizing the fallout such findings may trigger, the researchers acknowledged the complications.

We recognize that although mammalian scavengers can help reduce disease transmission risk, there is a balance for ranchers to consider between the costs of negative impacts to livestock operations from mammalian scavengers and the benefits they provide in removing abortion materials from rangelands, the researchers wrote. Studies suggest that livestock losses to predators appear to be relatively low on a landscape scale, but losses are not uniform spatially and small losses can represent a significant burden to ranchers which may lead to more aggressive scavenger removal actions.

On the other hand, public Forest Service lands although allowing hunting still saw high scavenger removal rates of the test material, Szcodronski noted. That could be due to their abundance on public lands or it may be that the landscapes are so large and connected, she speculated.

The study also highlights another issue: Should hunters be required to use only copper bullets to reduce lead poisoning in golden eagles? Golden eagle populations have declined across the West with studies pointing toward lead poisoning as a major cause, in addition to the birds colliding with human-made objects like wind turbines and power lines.

Lead poisoning is prevalent in golden eagles in southwest Montana with lead being detected in the blood of 97% of wild-caught eagles in southwest Montana, with 45% of those showing acute lead levels, the scientists noted. Much of this lead poisoning likely comes from hunter-killed carcasses and from recreational shooting of ground squirrels, coyotes, and other unregulated species. These studies highlight the potential importance of carcass removal programs and using more wildlife-friendly non-lead ammunition for hunting and demonstrate the role state game agencies, conservation groups, and the hunting public can play in reducing the amount of lead available to scavengers on the landscape while educating others on the potentially harmful effects of lead-based ammunition.

Area

The study was conducted at 264 sites in southwest Montana in 2017 and 2018. The research required Szcodronski to study more than a quarter-million photos.

The analysis used disease-free cattle fetuses placed across different landscape types  grasslands, sagebrush and forest  to document which scavengers may arrive at an abortion event and how quickly they would find the material. Remote cameras were set up to document what animals visited. VHF radio transmitters were installed in a portion of the fetuses, collected from a slaughter house, to track how far away the material was moved.

The 13 study sites were spread across private lands in the Madison, Paradise, Gallatin and Ruby valleys as well as public lands in the Gravelly Range and Tobacco Root Mountains in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and in the Custer Gallatin National Forest near Yellowstone National Park.

These regions are part of Montanas Designated Surveillance Areas for brucellosis in elk, where the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks works to prevent transmission from elk to cattle and monitors infection rates. Under the agencys brucellosis management program, tools such as hazing, fencing and lethal removal are used to keep elk and cattle separated, especially during the spring when elk give birth.

Disease

Brucellosis, which infects an estimated 20% of elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, can cause pregnant elk, bison and cattle to abort. About 60% of Yellowstone National Park adult female bison have been exposed to brucellosis, one reason the state of Montana has fought to keep the animals from migrating into the state in winter. Livestock in the DSA are monitored and vaccinated against brucellosis.

February through July is the window for elk abortions, with most incidents concentrated from March through May.

Infected birthing material is the main way brucellosis is spread, as animals come into contact with tainted fetuses. The study documented deer, bison, pronghorns and cattle touching the uninfected test fetuses. At least 142 elk visited the aborted fetuses, including two cases where 20 elk showed up within one hour.

Concentrations of elk, such as at winter feedgrounds in Wyoming, can raise the risk of disease transmission. But studies in Wyoming have also shown that these large gatherings of elk can attract scavengers to clean up aborted fetuses, helping to explain why brucellosis infection rates are now about the same in fed versus free-roaming elk, the study noted.

A separate 2009 study found that 70% of elk fetuses were removed by scavengers within 24 hours from Wyoming state feedgrounds, while 38% were removed within 24 hours from neighboring winter range locations where elk were not fed.

A similar study near Yellowstone in 2012 estimated the mean removal rate of (bison) fetuses was 18 days.

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JACKSON  For the second time in four years, a nighttime auto wreck in Grand Teton National Park has claimed the lives of a handful of bison at once.

Both of the collisions likely involved speed  the nighttime limit is 45 mph  and both occurred in the Elk Ranch Flats area of the park, where bison are routinely congregated in big numbers alongside the highway.

The recent fatal accident occurred at 10:45 p.m. on Oct. 19, when an out-of-county Wyoming resident was headed southbound down Highway 26/89/191 in a Ford F-350.

The bison herd was thought to be crossing the road, and the driver caught the tail end of it, Teton Park spokesman C.J. Adams told the Jackson Hole Daily.

The Fords original collision killed or severely injured four bison. A fifth bison was later hit and killed. A semi-truck driver headed northbound veered into the southbound lane because the broken-down F-350 was in his lane.

Law enforcement rangers who investigated the wreck believed that speed was a factor in the F-350 striking the herd.

A citation was issued for expired registration, Adams said. Even though speed was suspected as a factor, law enforcement officers determined they didnt have sufficient evidence to pursue that.

I know we think of bison as these large animals, he added. But at night, its really dark in the park and bison are kind of darkly colored, so they can be hard to see. Thats why its important to go 45 miles per hour. You can save a life, and that life might even be your own when it comes to hitting bison.

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THE murder toll continues to rise following the shooting deaths of three men in separate incidents between Thursday evening and yesterday morning.

The killings took place in Laventille, San Juan and Freeport.

Two of the victims have been identified as Aaron Thomas and Nathaniel Phillip, while the victim in the Freeport incident remained unidentified up to yesterday evening.
Low- to middle-income Arizona homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage bills can now get help after an infusion of $197 million in new federal pandemic relief funding to the states Homeowner Assistance Fund.

The funding is for Arizona homeowners who experienced financial hardship, such as loss of income or increased health-care costs, related to the COVID-19 pandemic after Jan. 21, 2020, according to the Arizona Department of Housing.

The assistance is intended to prevent foreclosure, but recipients can also use the money to help with household expenses like utility, insurance and association bills.

Eligibility is limited to homeowners whose gross annual household income is 150% or less of the areas median income, and it is only available for an applicants primary residence.

Income limits for Pima County residents range from $72,094 for a single homeowner to $102,938 for a four-member household.

An income eligibility calculator by county and other program information are available on the Housing Departments website at haf.azhousing.gov.
Occasionally, a true story teaches us valuable lessons. Such is the case with a teenager living on the streets of San Diego. At the time, she was an aspiring musician.

After refusing the sexual advances of her boss, she was fired and did not receive her final paycheck. Unable to pay the rent, she was evicted and forced to live in her car. Now, she was only concerned with food, water, safety and shelter. Then the car she lived in was stolen, and all seemed lost.

She noticed a small coffee shop with a going out of business sign in the window. She approached the owner and offered to sing once a week at the coffee shop, try to draw a few new customers in, and they could share in the profits.

At first only a few people showed up to the coffee shop, but every week the crowd of regulars grew. Soon, people stood outside in the rain just to hear her sing. One of them worked at a radio station and played a bootleg recording of her song on the air. Listeners began requesting the song, and soon it climbed into the top 20 music charts.
It seems like every time a Tucsonan looks to the skies, there is something exciting to see.

The first drops of the summer monsoon splashing against your face. Every manner of bird migrating through Southern Arizona on their way to warmer climates. Meteor showers streaking across the horizon, offering a glimpse as to whats beyond our place in the universe.

For many Tucsonans, it is the sound of the United States Air Force Thunderbirds moving in formation above the city that puts their eyes toward the skies.

That last one only happens about once a year, during the Thunder and Lightning Over Arizona air show and open house, set to take place this Saturday, Nov. 6, and Sunday, Nov. 7, on and in the skies above Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

A long-standing tradition, Davis-Monthan has been officially holding the open house and aviation displays for the public since 1960, according George Tinseth, official historian for the base.

The show presents an opportunity for both the Air Force and Tucson residents alike, says Maj. Charles Cole, director of this years activities.

Events like Davis-Monthans air show and open house give our community a chance to see the U.S. Air Forces, and really the whole Department of Defenses, capabilities first-hand and to meet the service members who live and serve in this community, Cole said via email. We open our gates to the public to inspire the next generation Airmen by showing them what airpower looks like and to strengthen relationships with our neighbors across Southern Arizona.

More than 100 unique aircraft, static displays and performers will be on hand for this years event, the largest and most diverse selection of aircraft in the history of Davis-Monthan air shows, Cole said.

Aircraft will run the gamut from World War II-era warbirds to the state-of-the-art F-35 Lightning II fifth generation fighter.

Were really excited to show visitors how our nations airpower has evolved over the years, Cole said.

Performers include famed pilot Kirby Chambliss, an Arizona resident known for his aerobatics, the U.S. Navy Parachute Team, known affectionately as the Leap Frogs and Old Number 30, a C-47 that operated from several U.S. and British airbases in North Africa, Sicily and Italy during World War II.

Among the aircraft that will be on display on the ground: the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper, a twin-engine UH-72 Lakota helicopter and B-1 Lancer, a heavy bomber used by the Air Force.

Cole said picking a fan favorite is not easy.

While our service members and families at Davis-Monthan may be partial to the A-10 Thunderbolt II and Desert Lightning Team Combat Search and Rescue demonstrations, as they are executed by Airmen assigned to our base, Cole said. Its hard to deny the popularity of the Air Forces premier air demonstration squadron, the Thunderbirds. Their performances are executed with the precision and professionalism that embodies our services culture.

Besides, he said, seeing the red, white and blue of their F-16s crisscross the sky at high speeds and in close proximity is a sight to see.

Among those attending the air show this year will be 12-year-old Aleq Maldonado, whose family is coming up from Nogales to watch all of the aircraft in action.

Aleq and his family make the trip to Davis-Monthan one to two times a week. During the pandemic, Aleq took up plane spotting as a hobby, in part because of his visit to the base during the 2019 air show.

Aleq had already developed a strong interest in military aviation through social media platforms like YouTube when they toured the different aircraft that the 2019 show had on display.

Every plane we looked at, he would say, this is this type of plane. It was flown in this war, Aleqs mother, Blanca Rico said. We were all amazed.

From that visit on, Aleq was hooked. He eventually purchased camera equipment and, with his family, sought out areas around the outskirts of Davis-Monthan where he could take photos of the A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and and other jet aircraft. His favorite spot is just south of the bases main gate at South Wilmot and East Valencia roads.

When they take off, you can catch them perfectly right there, Aleq said.

My husband and I have three younger daughters, Blanca Rico said. We get super excited for Aleq and start screaming our heads off when the jets fly by. We yell, Get the shot! We are his cheerleaders.

Blanca is so proud of her sons abilities, she created an Instagram account, instagram.com/south.westaviation for him so that he could show off his talents.

We see the photos he takes and are like, Wow, she said. I have trouble taking photos of my dogs.

Aleq is looking forward to returning to the air show this weekend, this time with camera in hand.

A lot of the lineup are aircraft that I havent seen before, he said. I am super stoked.

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But perhaps unconvinced that argument is going to fly, the attorney general is telling the justices that no one ever told lawmakers they couldnt approve disparate issues that way. He wants them to let these provisions take effect with an admonition not to do it again.

He is not alone. In a separate legal brief, House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Senate President Karen Fann and Gov. Doug Ducey say that if the justices conclude they broke the law, they should nonetheless let this budget stand, let all the disparate provisions take effect, and tell the lawmakers what they need to do  in the future  to comply.

The legislature stands ready to implement diligently the judiciarys constructions of what the Arizona Constitution means, wrote attorney Thomas Basile on behalf of Bowers, Fann and Ducey. But it is entitled to fair notice of, and an opportunity to institute, such new doctrinal developments.

That presumes, however, the justices believe that lawmakers didnt know  and shouldnt be expected to know  what the framers of the Arizona Constitution meant when they spelled out in 1912 that every legislative act shall embrace but one subject and that subject shall be expressed in the title.
Officials said the money will be required to keep up with the need for assistance in the coming months; the city alone is spending over a million dollars a week to meet the current demand.

If we keep going at this pace, which we do anticipate that we will maintain at this pace, well definitely need some more money, said Terry Galligan, the deputy director of Tucsons Housing and Community Development Department. It would be welcomed to receive that; it would be a great thing.

Galligan said those who are still being financially impacted by the pandemic include parents who cannot access sufficient child care options, as well as residents who have had their work hours cut since the delta variant began to take hold in the area.

The plan for the extra money goes beyond COVID-19 relief, however. Romero said the city will also use the money to expand long-term access to affordable housing throughout our community.

A large portion of the city and countys second round of ERA funding still remains. It totaled about $33 million when it was enacted in March, and whats left will be used to provide assistance in the near-term.
KINGSLAND, Ga. (AP)  A federal agency has yet again pushed back a final decision on whether to allow the construction of a launchpad for commercial rockets in coastal Georgia.

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to release its decision on Spaceport Camden by Dec. 15 rather than this Wednesday, agency spokesman Steve Kulm said. An agency statement cited a delay caused by ongoing consultation efforts. The final determination was originally expected at the end of July but now has been delayed at least three times.

Camden County, in the southeast corner of Georgia, wants to build the nation's 13th licensed commercial spaceport and has spent nearly 10 years and $10 million pursuing that goal. The FAA in June issued an environmental impact study that concluded building the spaceport would be its preferred alternative.
Aug. 31  At a news conference the day before he visited Kenosha, President Donald Trump is asked if he condemned Rittenhouses actions. He says: You saw the same tape as I saw. And he was trying to get away from them, I guess; it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him. And it was something that were looking at right now and its under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been  I  he probably would have been killed.
GILROY, Calif. (AP)  A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with a fatal shooting at a city councilmembers Northern California home, where one person died and three other people were injured, authorities said Sunday.

Benjamin David Calderon was taken into custody Saturday afternoon by a SWAT team after the late-night shooting in the city of Gilroy, officials said in a Facebook post. Police were called after violence broke out during a large outdoor party at the home of Gilroy City Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of San Francisco.

At least one suspect fired a gun, authorities said. It was not immediately clear if Calderon had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

One male was pronounced dead of his gunshot wounds at the scene and three others were injured. Two of them were believed to have life-threatening wounds, but there was no update on their conditions Sunday afternoon. The victims ages range from 17 to 19 years, authorities said.
Five years ago: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the commander of the peacekeeping force in South Sudan after an independent investigation sharply criticized the military response to deadly attacks in July on a U.N. compound housing 27,000 displaced people. Most of an African-American church in Greenville, Mississippi, was destroyed by an arson fire; the building was spray-painted with the words Vote Trump. (A member of the church later pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.) The Chicago Cubs forced a deciding Game 7 in the World Series as they defeated the Cleveland Indians 9-3.

One year ago: Two days before Election Day, the Texas Supreme Court denied a Republican-led petition to toss nearly 127,000 ballots cast at drive-thru voting places in the Houston area. (A federal judge also rejected that effort the following day.)

Todays Birthdays: World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player is 86. Country singer Bill Anderson is 84. Actor Barbara Bosson is 82. Actor Robert Foxworth is 80. Country singer-humorist Kinky Friedman is 77. Actor Jeannie Berlin is 72. Music producer David Foster is 72. Actor Belita Moreno is 72. Country singer-songwriter-producer Keith Stegall is 67. Country singer Lyle Lovett is 64. Actor Rachel Ticotin is 63. Apple CEO Tim Cook is 61. Actor Helene Udy is 60. Pop singer-musician Mags Furuholmen (a-ha) 59. Rock singer Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 59. Rock musician Rick Allen (Def Leppard) is 58. Country singer Big Kenny Alphin (Big and Rich) is 58. Singer Sophie B. Hawkins is 57. Rapper Willie D (Geto Boys) is 55. Country musician Dale Wallace (Emerson Drive) is 52. Actor Toni Collette is 49. Actor-talk show host Jenny McCarthy is 49. Actor David Berman is 48. Actor Aishwarya Rai (ash-WAHR-ee-ah reye) is 48. Rock singer Bo Bice is 46. Actor Matt Jones is 40. Actor Natalia Tena is 37. Actor Penn Badgley is 35. Actor Max Burkholder is 24. Actor-musician Alex Wolff is 24.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Last month, Russia suspended its mission at NATO and ordered the closure of the alliance's office in Moscow after NATO had withdrawn the accreditation of eight Russian officials to its Brussels headquarters, saying it believed they had been secretly working for Russian intelligence.

Moscow has repeatedly voiced concerns over the deployment of NATO forces near Russian borders, describing it as a threat to its security. Russia and the alliance also have continuously accused each other of dangerous and provocative maneuvers at sea and in the air.

In June, Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender to drive it away from Black Sea waters near the Crimean city of Sevastopol. Britain denied that account, insisted its ship wasnt fired upon and said it was sailing in Ukrainian waters.

Like most of the world, Britain recognizes Crimea as part of Ukraine despite the peninsulas 2014 annexation by Russia.

In the aftermath of the incident, Moscow warned that it is prepared to target intruding warships if they fail to heed warnings.

We must further improve our air and space defense system as leading powers have been developing prospective high-speed strike weapons," Putin said. It's also warranted by the military-political situation, including increasingly intensive flights by NATO aircraft near Russia and the appearance of the alliance's warships armed with guided missiles in the Baltic and Black Seas.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Fishing is a tiny industry economically, but one that looms large symbolically for maritime nations like Britain and France. Britains exit from the economic rules of the 27-nation European Union at the start of the year means the U.K. now controls who fishes in its waters.

Paris claims some vessels have been denied permits to fish in waters where they have long sailed. Britain says it has granted 98% of applications from EU vessels, and now the dispute comes down to just a few dozen French boats with insufficient paperwork.

Johnson, speaking at the same time as Macron on Sunday, said the U.K.s position is unchanged."

I must say I was puzzled to read a letter from the French prime minister explicitly asking for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU," the prime minister said. I just have to say to everybody that I dont believe that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the U.K.'s withdrawal deal and post-Brexit trade agreement with the EU.

Both sides accuse the other of breaching the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Britain says it is actively considering launching dispute settlement proceedings, a formal legal process in the deal, if France does not drop its threats.
OPINION: "The catch is, these fines could be applied to something as small as hanging a flyer or notice in the wrong spot, which has nothing to do with a workplaces actual labor conditions. Even worse, the budget bill even includes fines that could be levied against directors or officers of a company personally," according to four chambers of commerce in Arizona.
Broken Arrow Public Schools communications department is launching anonymous surveys Monday to help assess if and how the districts employees, families and community members are receiving relevant information regarding BAPS.

The surveys will close at 5 p.m. on Nov. 19.

OSSBA letter: On Oct. 25, 17 Republican state representatives sent a letter to the Oklahoma State School Board Association, asking that it take steps to rescind a request from its national counterpart for federal assistance.

In September, the National School Board Association asked the federal government to help it deal with increased threats and acts of intimidation and violence directed at school board members and school district employees across the country, including sending threatening letters and emails and meeting attendees yelling Nazi salutes.

The NSBA letter specifically referred to some of the actions taken against school board members and employees as the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes, prompting objections from the legislators.
But the political repercussions were farthest reaching in Virginia, where McAuliffe again offered the message he's repeated throughout the campaign  that his opponent will bring former President Donald Trump's divisive style of politics to an increasingly blue state.

Im closing my campaign with you in Richmond, McAuliffe said during his own swing through the state capital. He is closing his campaign with Donald Trump. Really?

That was a reference to the former president holding a Virginia tele-rally Monday night  though Youngkin himself didn't participate.

Tomorrow Id like to ask everyone to get out and vote for Glenn Youngkin. Hes a fantastic guy, Trump told an invited group of supporters by phone. The future of this commonwealth  this great, great commonwealth  is on the ballot tomorrow.
Correction: This story originally misspelled the name of the requesting lawmaker. The story has been corrected.

Oklahoma lawmakers are looking into the results of a 2018 law change that limited how pain patients may receive opioid prescriptions from their providers.

Rep. John Talley, R-Stillwater, requested the interim study regarding the effects of the rapid reduction of opioid prescribing on pain treatments for Oklahomans. The meeting will be streamed online at https://okhouse.gov/Video.

A few years back, we had a knee jerk reaction to (reports of) overdoses, and it was very easy to blame everything on the overdoses to opioids, Talley said in an interview Friday. So we cut off a lot of the good, positive effects of opioids that a lot of people need to function.

Several patients living with chronic pain have been invited to present their stories, as well, before the House Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances Committee. Other presenters include Dr. Steven Drabek, a family medicine and palliative care specialist in Oklahoma City; Haskell County Sheriff Tim Turner; and Tamera Stewart, advocate and pain sufferer.
Three in four Tulsa County residents ages 12 and older have at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine, with Tulsa County being one of six counties in Oklahoma to be above the 70% threshold.

Statewide, 70%  or 2.329 million  Oklahomans ages 12 and older are at least partially vaccinated compared to 77.7% across the U.S., according to the states latest weekly epidemiology report. Oklahoma has 59.1%  or 1.965 million  of its eligible population fully vaccinated, with the U.S. at 67.2%.

The highest vaccination rate in the state is Oklahoma County at 81.3%, while Tulsa County is at 75.8%. The other four above 70% are Caddo (76.8%), Canadian (71.6%), Comanche (75.8%) and Noble (75.4%).

Dr. Dale Bratzler, University of Oklahomas chief COVID officer, said the downturn in COVID cases and hospitalizations after two months are following model projections that take into account vaccinated and natural immunity. But Oklahoma still has more work to do encouraging more vaccinations to create better overall population immunity.
Vietnam's low-cost airline Vietjet has signed a US$400-million agreement with British firm Rolls-Royce for aircraft engines and engine servicing for its wide-body fleet, the carrier said in a statement.

The signing ceremony took place on Sunday in the presence of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is in Glasgow, Scotland, for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and a working visit, the airline said the same day in a press release.

Ewen McDonald, Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospaces chief customer officer, said his firm was very excited that Vietjet had had chosen the Trent 700 engine to support its fleet development.

The Trent 700 engine, which has logged more than 60 million hours in service since its launch in 1995, has the lowest lifetime fuel burn on its aircraft type, McDonald said.

He also emphasized that Rolls-Royces TotalCare service will help Vietjet maximize the value of its engine assets and increase time-on-wing performance.

We look forward to working with Vietjet as they expand their geographical footprint, McDonald added.

Vietjet managing director Dinh Viet Phuong expressed his belief that Trent 700 engines will bring a technology breakthrough to the budget airline's fleet, helping improve flight range and quality, while boosting its aircrafts technical reliability and operational efficiency.

The engines are also expected to make our fleet more synchronous, Phuong said.

The Vietjet executive hoped the bilateral partnership will contribute to promoting trade between Vietnam and the UK, generating more jobs for people and businesses of both countries.

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Educational authorities of some provinces in Vietnam's Central Highlands are having second thoughts about offline learning following school closures upon spotting locally-transmitted COVID-19 infections over the weekend.

Pham Dang Khoa, director of the Department of Education and Training in Dak Lak Province, said on Sunday some areas had switched from face-to-face to online learning due to the detection of more COVID-19 cases among students.

In Ea Kar District, Nguyen Viet Xuan Elementary School recorded a total of six positive samples via real-time RT-PCR tests on the weekend, prompting authorities to close the venue and transform it into a quarantine center for 106 direct contacts.

Ea Kar officials confirmed another six community cases at three other schools and isolated over 100 people having been exposed to COVID-19 patients.

A rapid test found three students and a teacher positive for the coronavirus in another district of Dak Lak.

Local health workers are conducting contact tracing and designating quarantine for close contacts.

Dak Lak recorded 112 new cases on Sunday, raising the caseload to 4,005 patients, according to the Ministry of Healths data.

Meanwhile, the neighboring province of Dak Nong just shut down a school in Gia Nghia City due to the presence of local infections.

Amidst the increasing number of patients in the community, the provincial education authorities will delay offline schooling in the epidemic-hit city until further notice, while resuming face-to-face learning in safer locales.

Dak Nong announced eight new cases on Monday morning, including a patient who had previously visited the countrys largest epicenter, Ho Chi Minh City.

In response to the situation, the central government has issued Directive 18 and assigned local authorities to draft guidelines on 'adaptive and flexible' teaching and learning strategies, soliciting comment from relevant agencies.

According to an unofficial scheme, students in 'green zones' would attend schools in person while 'orange zones' allow offline schooling for only first and 12th graders.

'Red zones' stick to the online mode.

Vietnam has found 921,122 infections in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave erupted in April, with 820,344 recoveries and 22,083 fatalities, leading to school closures nationwide.

The national government has relaxed pandemic control curbs over the past few weeks as transmissions have slowed down, due in part to larger vaccine coverage.

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The Ministry of Health documented 5,598 more coronavirus cases in Vietnam on Monday, together with 1,731 recoveries and 48 fatalities.

The latest cases, including three imported and 5,595 local transmissions, were logged in 49 provinces and cities, the health ministry said, adding that 2,321 patients were detected in the community.

Ho Chi Minh City recorded 927 of the domestically-infected cases, Binh Duong Province 682, Dong Nai Province 657, Kien Giang Province 469, Bac Lieu Province 382, An Giang Province 215, Soc Trang Province 194, Binh Thuan Province 167, Dak Lak Province 164, Tien Giang Province 163, Tay Ninh Province 157, Can Tho City 149, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 109, Long An Province 100, Ha Giang Province 98, Hanoi 57, Khanh Hoa Province 21, and Quang Nam 14.

Vietnam had confirmed 5,504 locally-acquired infections on Sunday.

The nation has reported 921,881 community transmissions in 62 out of its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave emerged on April 27, 819,248 of them having recovered from the respiratory disease.

Ho Chi Minh City is most affected with 433,069 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 233,740, Dong Nai Province with 66,436, Long An Province with 34,874, Tien Giang Province with 16,807, Dong Thap Province with 9,850, Khanh Hoa Province with 9,015, Da Nang with 4,971, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 4,801, and Hanoi with 4,692.

Vietnam found only 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in total in the previous three waves.

The health ministry announced 1,731 recoveries on Monday, bringing the total to 822,065.

The toll has jumped to 22,131 deaths after the ministry recorded 48 fatalities on the same day, including 25 in Ho Chi Minh City and 11 in Binh Duong Province.

Vietnam has detected 926,720 infections since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it early last year.

Health workers have administered nearly 82 million vaccine doses, including 553,475 shots on Sunday, since vaccination was rolled out on March 8.

More than 24.5 million people have been fully inoculated.

Health authorities target to inoculate 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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Serious congestion occurred at the entrance of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, home to popular tourist destination Dat Lat City, over the weekend due to a surge in the number of arrivals from Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities.

A lot of people from Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau came to Lam Dong between Friday and Sunday, resulting in congestion at the COVID-19 checkpoint at the Chuoi Pass.

The checkpoint was often packed with people scrambling to file health declarations.

Arrivals file health declarations at a COVID-19 checkpoint at the entrance of Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, October 31, 2021. Photo: Phuc Quan / Tuoi Tre

Statistics from the management board showed that a total of 4,417 vehicles with 6,216 people arrived in the province on Friday.

Among them, there were 2,459 automobiles, about 1.5 times higher than regular days.

On Saturday and Sunday, approximately 4,000 vehicles carrying 5,000 people came to the locality daily.

Arrivals file health declarations at a COVID-19 checkpoint at the entrance of Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, October 31, 2021. Photo: Phuc Quan / Tuoi Tre

Everyone complied with pandemic prevention and control regulations, said Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Chi, head of the checkpoint.

However, it was difficult to make sure that people kept a safe distance from one another as the facility was always crowded.

As part of the pandemic response measures, all arrivals to Lam Dong Province are required to file health declarations at the COVID-19 checkpoint at the Chuoi Pass.

Vehicles line up in front of a COVID-19 checkpoint at the entrance of Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, October 31, 2021. Photo: Phuc Quan / Tuoi Tre

Those coming from high-risk localities must also present a 'vaccine green pass' and test negative for the novel coronavirus within 72 hours before their arrival.

Lam Dong has documented over 500 local infections since the fourth outbreak hit the country on April 27.

The province has so far vaccinated over 80 percent of its adult population with at least one dose.

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Staff members at a medical center in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, injected disabled children from 12 to 17 years old with the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday.

The vaccination session, carried out by the center in collaboration with various child protection and vocational training facilities, began at around 8:00 am on Sunday.

The task of administering the vaccines faced unique challenges as many of the 130 participating children with disabilities cried and behaved in a hostile manner.

Among those children were the 16-year-old child of K.H., a 60-year-old resident of District 3, whose wife had passed away.

H. sends his child, who has a mental disability, to a child protection center at a monthly cost of VND2 million (US$87), while he works as a day laborer to make ends meet.

Im very worried about him, said H., adding that he had to tie his child behind his back to transport him to the inoculation venue on Sunday morning.

Im old and weak and I dont know who will take care of him if something bad happens to me.

Having him vaccinated makes me feel a little more secure. 

A health worker explains the COVID-19 vaccination procedure to a child with disabilities at the medical center in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

H.T., a 50-year-old resident of the same district, also took her child, who is 16 years old with disabilities and developmental issues that cause his body to gradually atrophy, rendering him immobile, to the medical center in District 3 on Sunday morning.

All of my family members have been vaccinated against COVID-19, except him, so were very afraid of transmitting the virus to him after every outdoor trip, T. said.

Im less worried now that he had an injection.

Ho Chi Minh City authorities began administering COVID-19 vaccine to students aged 12 to 17 last Wednesday.

The municipal administration will organize more COVID-19 inoculation sessions for children with disabilities attending child protection and vocational training centers in the next few days.

Ho Chi Minh City has been the biggest epicenter in the country since the fourth outbreak began on April 27, with over 432,000 local cases and around 16,500 deaths.

The city of about nine million people had administered over 13.2 million vaccine doses as of Sunday afternoon, with more than 5.7 million people fully inoculated.

Children and their parents wait for a COVID-19 vaccination session at the medical center in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

Bien Thuy (left), a health worker, waits with family members of a child with disabilities during a COVID-19 vaccination session at the medical center in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

A health worker talks with family members of a child with disabilities during a COVID-19 vaccination session at the medical center in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

H.N. holds a COVID-19 vaccination certificate following an inoculation session in her mothers company at the medical center in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

Children wait for a COVID-19 vaccination session at the medical center in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre

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Authorities in the southern Vietnamese province of Binh Duong began providing COVID-19 vaccine to approximately 180,000 residents under 18 years old on Sunday.

During the vaccination drive, about 180,000 children aged 12 to 17 in the province are expected to be inoculated against COVID-19.

Health authorities will first administer around 58,500 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to local high school students.

The Binh Duong Department of Health previously planned on vaccinating children against the disease in August.

A number of children did receive their first dose as part of this plan before it was suspended following a decision by the Ministry of Health.

Only high school students in the districts of northern Binh Duong are allowed to go back to school from November 1, according to the provincial Department of Education and Training.

Students wait for their turn to receive COVID-19 vaccination at an inoculation site in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, October 31, 2021. Photo: B.Son / Tuoi Tre

Others are expected to continue remote learning until late November or early December, depending on the vaccination progress.

With more than 233,000 local infections, Binh Duong has been the second-largest epicenter in Vietnam since the fourth wave started on April 27.

As of Sunday, the southern province had administered more than 3.9 million vaccine doses, the provincial health department reported.

Nearly 1.6 million out of over 2.4 million people in the locality have been fully vaccinated.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health issued a guideline on COVID-19 vaccination for children on October 14.

Ho Chi Minh City was the first locality in the country to initiate such a vaccination campaign on October 27.

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Officials in Ly Son Island District in Vietnams central Quang Ngai Province announced on Sunday evening the detection of its first-ever COVID-19 case in the community, a 14-year-old student who had come into direct contact with a returnee from Ho Chi Minh City.

The patient, who is a ninth grader, made interaction with the infected returnee on October 16, who had been confirmed to contract COVID-19 while in quarantine at home.

Sixty-six other people also interacted in person with that returnee.

Authorities of Ly Son Island District have locked down Tay Village in An Hai Commune, where the ninth grader lives, to facilitate contact tracing while requesting people to follow social distancing guidelines by the Ministry of Health.

Elementary, middle, and high schools have switched to remote learning while kindergartens have been suspended.

Functional forces require people coming from Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities to Ly Son to undergo medical isolation in mainland Quang Ngai before boarding high-speed boats to the island, instead of simply presenting a negative COVID-19 test certificate issued within less than 72 hours.

Ly Son is a famous tourist island located 15 nautical miles (28 kilometers) offshore Quang Ngai.

For the past two years, the islands tourism, which spearheads the local economy, has stalled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the fourth outbreak erupted in Vietnam on April 27 and has caused a total of 916,286 cases nationwide, including 820,334 recoveries and 22,083 deaths, Ly Son has closed completely to visitors from outside Quang Ngai.

From June 26 to now, Quang Ngai has recorded 1,609 local COVID-19 cases and is classified as a medium-risk locality, according to criteria set out by the Ministry of Health, news site VnExpress reported.

Ly Son Island was considered a safe zone in the province before the detection of its first-ever infection.

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Many young people took to the streets in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday evening for the Halloween celebration, not forgetting to ensure safety measures as COVID-19 risk lingers.

Their favorite destination was undoubtedly Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in Central Business District 1.

In colorful and spooky costumes and accessories, they could be seen from the beginning of sunset all the way through until twilight.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has just subsided in the southern metropolis, teenagers, kids and their parents made sure to take safety precautions, with face masks being a must.

In that context, this years celebration was less vibrant than previous editions.

Quang Anh, 8, poses for a photo in a Halloween costume with his parents on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

The municipal administration has just eased COVID-19 curbs so I want my children to have fun while complying with healthcare recommendations and taking pandemic prevention measures, said Bao Chung, a resident of Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City.

My family had our vehicle kept at a parking lot to go with the children for a walk and slowly watch the city at night.

Since erupting in Vietnam in late April, the fourth coronavirus wave has caused over 432,000 infections and around 16,500 deaths in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Health reported on Sunday.

Nationwide, a total of 916,286 cases, including 820,334 recoveries and 22,083 deaths, have been recorded.

Ho Chi Minh City saw its daily new cases and fatalities drop to 1,041 and 21 on Sunday compared to 4,134 and 122 a month ago, according to the ministrys data.

A woman and her children go for a walk in Halloween costumes on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

Anh Duc goes for a walk in a Halloween outfit with his grandfather on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

Huynh Thao and her children pose for a photo in Halloween costumes on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

Hua Manh Hung, 19, poses for a photo in a samurai costume on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

Bao Chung (right) and her family members go for a walk in Halloween costumes in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

My, 6, poses for a photo in a Halloween costume with her mother on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

Bao Thanh (left) and his friend don costumes inspired by Japanese animation characters on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

A foreign kid goes for a walk in a Halloween costume with her father on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, October 31, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre

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If Vigil had a submarine with a killer onboard, The North Water raises the stakes with a whaling ship in the Arctic with a psychopath.

The star of this 5 part UK drama is the backdrop. Producers journeyed north as far as 81 degrees for the realism of pack ice sequences -said to be the furthest point north any television drama has ever been filmed.

The boat is the Volunteer, an English whaling ship that sets sail in 1859 under the watch of Captain Arthur Brownlee (Stephen Graham). Young surgeon Patrick Sumner (Jack OConnell) may be running from incidents in colonial India, but he is determined to make a fresh start amongst the rowdy crew.

And what burly blokes they are, none bigger than the gruff harpoonist Henry Drax (Colin Farrell), who loves a drink and catch of the day, when he isnt getting into fisticuffs in a local pub. Theres plenty of that here in between the booze, sea shanties and jigs. Theres also the boorish first mate Cavendish (Sam Spruell) whom, along with Drax, is part of a master plan by Cpt. Brownlee.

But by episode two a crime takes place which threatens to thwart said plan and puts the medical skills of Mr. Sumner, to the test. Meanwhile he is dealing with a few demons from the past that have followed him all the way to the ice floes.

The scenery is quite fascinating to behold and, while it isnt a National Geographic documentary, you can only marvel at what conditions they endured just for the shots.

Being a whaling saga there are some necessarily-barbaric scenes, first involving helpless seals as prey, and then the whales shown no mercy from this old fashioned industry (at least it isnt as unbalanced as modern whaling ships). Producers spare you the critical moment of death, but last minute cutaways with the accompanying sound of a dull thud, leaves little to the imagination.

Jack OConnell makes for a conflicted moral compass in this bastion of men, while Colin Farrell snarls from behind his scruffy beard. Many of the scenes below deck are dimly lit (do editors in dark edit suites forget we are often watching TV screens in daylight?) which is quite frustrating.

Director and writer Andrew Haigh adopts a slow burn approach to his tale, although unlike Moby Dick, it isnt weeks at sea waiting for action. The pace picks up in episode two when it shifts into whodunnit mode.

Theres no escaping an abundance of alpha males in a Victorian catch-and-kill. But its authentically reproduced and the isolation of the men will be a test of character.

The North Water screens Tuesday at Foxtel on Demand / Binge
Tyler, TX (75702)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 61F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 61F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Photo credit: AleksandarGeorgiev - Getty Images

I would like to apologize to the people of Russia on behalf of two generations of Catholic schoolchildren. Day after day, year after year, we were told to pray for the people held under the rule of the atheistic Communists in the Soviet Union. There was a brief break in the action in October of 1962, when we prayed instead that we would not have Soviet ICBMs landing on our heads before lunch, but we were back at it as soon as the missiles in Cuba were on their way back to their atheistic Communist masters. Evidently, even though it took several decades, apparently, our prayers were answered. With a fcking vengeance. From meduza.io:

On Friday, October 29, a Moscow court sentenced blogger Ruslan Bobiev and his girlfriend, model Anastasia Chistova, to 10 months in prison for offending religious sentiment. The couple was convicted over a photo they posed for, pantomiming oral sex against the backdrop of St. Basils Cathedral. According to Holod Media, these are the first ever prison terms handed down in Russia for offending religious sentiment. Bobiev posted the supposedly offending photograph on his Instagram and TikTok accounts on September 29. In the photo, Chistova is wearing a jacket with the word Police across the back. The blogger captioned the photo, The Labor Code is not the Criminal [Code], you can break it.

The Russian Orthodox Church has been a formidable ally to Vladimir Putins development of his authoritarian Russian kleptocracy. The relationship has not always been a smooth one, but both sides certainly have benefitted from it. From The New York Times:

Indeed, the ties between the Kremlin and the Moscow Patriarchate are as old as Russia itself. Throughout its history, the Russian Orthodox Church was subservient to the state and an unshakable supporter of autocracy. Starting in the 16th century, the church provided Moscows rulers with a political theology of Manifest Destiny, asserting that Moscow had become the Second Jerusalem and the Third Rome (after Rome and Constantinople).

Story continues

This is what we prayed for.

The emergence of the atheist Soviet state in 1922 dealt a severe blow to the church. The state confiscated most ecclesiastical property, and few seminaries survived. The KGB infiltrated the priesthood, informing on clergy and promoting Soviet interests abroad.



This is what we prayed against. And this is what we got for it.

During Russias brief experiment with democracy in the 1990s, the church rebounded from the decades of suppression. But under Mr. Putin, the state has co-opted and subsumed the church. The Kremlin has relied on the Orthodox Church as the main unifying force in the country and provides it with generous financial support. In return, the church has been the key promoter of a Russian world concept that casts the Kremlin as a defender of Russians outside Russia. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has gone so far as to call the Putin era a miracle of God.



Alsothe bombs never fell on our heads. Jesus Christ clearly was on our mainline. Sorry, Russia.



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DGAP-News: ABOUT YOU Holding SE / Key word(s): Miscellaneous



The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

ABOUT YOU continues its expansion in Southern Europe, celebrating market launches in Italy, Greece, and Portugal As one of the fastest-growing fashion platforms, ABOUT YOU continues to drive its remarkable growth and international expansion forward. The online fashion shop is now operating in three further Southern European markets, as it launched in Italy, Greece, and most recently Portugal in September and October of this year. Each of these market launches was accompanied by large-scale Big Bang campaigns and spectacular launch events attended by more than 1,300 well-known influencers, celebrities, industry experts, and journalists.



Hamburg, 01 November 2021 - ABOUT YOU, Europe's digital fashion destination for discovering outfits, brands, and trends, carries on with its international expansion: The fashion online shop has launched in three more markets and is now available in Italy, Greece, and Portugal in addition to its existing shops in Spain and France, which had the launch campaigns earlier this year. With its proven data- and technology-driven concept, ABOUT YOU has a large and ever-growing presence in 26 European markets. "We are very happy about the successful launches in Italy, Greece, and Portugal, and to further expand our international footprint in Southern Europe. We have not only proven that we are capable of conducting multiple large-scale launch campaigns with spectacular Big Bang events simultaneously but also how effective our go-to-market playbook is for our continued expansion", says Tarek Muller, co-founder and co-CEO of ABOUT YOU. As per ABOUT YOU's go-to-market playbook, the company executes its market launch in a three-phase cross-media campaign. In the one-week teaser phase, the claim "Who the f*** is ABOUT YOU?" initially generates curiosity across all media channels, before revealing what ABOUT YOU is. The Big Bang reveal is celebrated with a spectacular launch event, including numerous out-of-home, TV, radio, and online media commercials. The third and final phase of the market launch campaign has the goal of raising brand awareness with a diverse range of content and exclusive discounts. Using this approach, ABOUT YOU has achieved massively successful launches, with app downloads leaping up to 1st rank in the Apple App Store on the day of the Big Bang. More than 1.4 million users in Italy and over 500,000 in Greece and Portugal have visited the fashion online shop on the first day. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the latest expansions mark the first time that Big Bang events could be hosted in strict compliance with the respective local regulations. The three exclusive launch events were held in exceptional venues in Milan, Athens, and Lisbon: at Milan's most famous swimming pool, the Bagni Misteriosi, in the atmospheric off-site location Pygros Melissourgou in Athens and the former restaurante Bica do Sapato on the beach of Lisbon, where leading influencers, local celebrities, industry experts, and journalists celebrated the market entry of the fashion online shop. ABOUT YOU's corporate identity was reflected in all of these venues. The more than 1,300 guests were greeted upon arrival on an innovative, personalised "step&repeat" red carpet bearing the names of the invitees in the brand's design. Further highlights included the personalised entertainment experiences using an innovative bluetooth low energy-technology, large-scale animations with campaign films, live concerts, as well as DJs for the Big Bang party. Among the 650 guests in Milan were internationally renowned celebrities such as jewelry designer Valentina Ferragni, influencer Francesca Ferragni, designer and actor Mariano Di Vaio, model Elisabeth Canalis, musician Amedo Prezios,i and many more Italian stars. And in Athens, more than 200 top celebrities, influencers, and artists the likes of singer Eleni Foureira, model Ismini Papavlasopoulou, TV personality and model Iliana Papageorgiou, the actresses Evgenia Samara and Athina Oikonomakou and journalist Evridiki Valavani celebrated the launch of the fashion online shop. The fitting finale to the three launch events was the Big Bang in Lisbon last Monday, with more than 450 guests including Portuguese celebrities such as actress and model Rita Pereira, actresses Kelly Bailey and Sofia Ribeiro, singers Gisela Joao and Mickael Carreira, and many more. With its unique concept, ABOUT YOU now digitizes the traditional shopping stroll in three further Southern European markets, offering its customers an extensive range of more than 100,000 products from over 1,000 brands, as well as free shipping and -returns within 100 days. Download high-resolution pictures of the launch events can be downloaded here. Further information:

www.aboutyou.it

www.aboutyou.gr

www.aboutyou.pt

ABOUT YOU

ABOUT YOU digitises the classic shopping stroll by creating a personalised shopping experience on the smartphone. At ABOUT YOU, the focus is on the customers, who are supported in expressing themselves individually through fashion. On the website aboutyou.com and the multi-award winning ABOUT YOU app, customers find versatile inspiration and more than 400,000 items from over 2,000 brands. With more than 30 million unique monthly active users, ABOUT YOU is one of the largest fashion and lifestyle platforms in Europe. It is currently active in 26 European markets. With the ABOUT YOU Commerce Suite, the fashion tech company also offers its own e-commerce infrastructure as a licensed product. The shares of ABOUT YOU are listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and were admitted to the SDAX(R) index in September 2021.

Media Contacts

Ann-Christine Klesper | Corporate Communications

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01.11.2021 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

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By Andrea Shalal

DUBLIN (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she expected U.S. tech giants to broadly support the reallocation of taxing rights agreed to by nearly 140 countries as part of a broader deal on global taxes, saying the impact on U.S. companies should be minor.

Yellen told Reuters on Sunday the support of the big global players should help foster bipartisan support among U.S. lawmakers for what is known as Pillar 1 of the tax deal negotiated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies (G20) this weekend backed the overall OECD deal, which also calls for implementation of a global minimum corporate tax of 15% by 2023.

Yellen said the minimum tax part of the deal would provide welcome certainty for large internet companies like Alphabet Inc's Google, Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc, by eliminating the complicated web of digital services taxes they face in many countries, and could help boost support for the broader deal.

U.S. lawmakers are expected to approve the global minimum tax part of the deal as part of a broad, Democratic-only spending bill winding its way through Congress, Treasury officials said.

The second component on the reallocation of taxes is still being finalized but will require separate passage.

It has already drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers and some non-digital companies, but Yellen said she believed Congress would eventually "come around," especially given the support of big companies.

Senior Senate Republicans have argued that the approach agreed to in principle by the OECD would require a new international tax treaty, which would need Senate ratification by a two-thirds majority.

"I think theyre going to be telling members of Congress that they like this agreement and they can live with it," Yellen said of the tech companies. "When you have businesses supportive, rather than lobbying against something, I think that will be helpful."

Story continues

Initial calculations by the Treasury Department showed little harm to U.S.-based multinational corporations, even if some of their taxed profits were allocated elsewhere since they would be eligible for other tax credits.

"Weve done some calculations that suggest the impact is small," she said in an interview en route to Dublin from the G20 meetings in Rome. "In the end, it depends on exactly where the revenue ends up coming from."

Yellen arrived late on Sunday in Ireland, a low-tax country that overcame domestic reservations to back the global mininum tax deal - a move that will require it to raise its current rate to 15% from 12.5%.

Yellen said she was confident the Irish economy would weather the change, given its well-educated workforce and positive business environment, plus Ireland's status as the only English-speaking country in the European Union.

"Theres real economic activity that goes on in Ireland. Its not just a tax haven," she said. "I think Ireland will still be in a very favorable position."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Nicholas Julia Wins Event #54: $2,500 Nine-Game Mix 6-Handed ($168,608)

November 01 2021 Douglas Chase

The 2021 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas has crowned a new mixed game champion as Nicholas Julia prevailed in a field of 319 entries in Event #54: $2,500 Nine-Game Mix 6-Handed. He overcame Kristan Lord in heads-up to claim the biggest slice of the $709,775 prize pool and boosted his bankroll with the top prize of $168,608. Runner-up Lord earned a consolation prize of $104,210 and missed out on a maiden WSOP gold bracelet of his own.

Among the returning 17 players were several former WSOP bracelet winners and three of them made it to the seven-handed unofficial final table. As a matter of fact, two were knocked out in the same hand in what became one of the pivotal hands on the final day. Eventual champion Julia sent Kenny Hsiung and Robert Mizrachi to the rail to form the official final table.

Justin Liberto missed out on a second bracelet and finished in third place while other notables on the final day included actor James Woods, Mike Matusow, Bradley Ruben, Marco Johnson, 2005 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Hachem, and John Racener.

Final Table Result Event #54: $2,500 Nine-Game Mix 6-Handed

Place Winner Country Prize (in USD) 1 Nicholas Julia United States $168,608 2 Kristan Lord United States $104,210 3 Justin Liberto United States $69,341 4 Aditya Prasetyo United States $47,164 5 Robert McLaughlin United States $32,808 6 Robert Mizrachi United States $23,352

Final Table Action

Robert Mizrachi fell in sixth place.

When the unofficial final table of this six-handed event began, nobody could have seen how the first two eliminations were to have come. In what may turn out to be one of the most unique hands of the entire WSOP, let alone at a WSOP final table, both Kenny Hsiung (7th Place; $17,017) and Robert Mizrachi (6th Place; $23,352) were eliminated.

The action was picked up with three players involved on a flop of {4-Hearts}{7-Diamonds}{5-Clubs} and Hsiung who led out with a bet of about half of his remaining chips. Next, Mizrachi raised all-in for the rest of his stack. Julia, re-raised all-in, and Hsiung snap-called.

All of the hands were turned face-up and it was an incredible analytical sight as Hsuing held {4-Diamonds}{4-Clubs} for a flopped bottom set, Mizrachi and his {7-Spades}{7-Clubs} for a flopped top set, and Julia was in the lead with the {8-Clubs}{6-Clubs} and a flopped nut straight.

The dealer dealt out the turn card {10-Clubs} and nothing changed. The river card was a {a-Spades} and that sealed the deal for the winner Julia.

It was not until two levels later that the next player was eliminated. Robert McLaughlin (5th Place; $32,808) found himself on the unfortunate end of a blind versus blind confrontation holding pocket nines versus the pocket kings held by his opponent, Kristan Lord. The kings held and McLaughlin exited the tournament.

Next to go was Aditya Prasetyo (4th Place; $47,164). Prasetyo got caught up in the whirlwind of a run by Nicholas Julia, whose nines full of kings on sixth street in Stud Hi-Lo put an end to Prasetyos tournament run.

Justin Liberto came unstuck in third place

Justin Liberto (3rd Place; $69,341) had been up and down in chips and was attempting to run a short-stack back up in a hand of Limit 2-7 triple draw versus Lord but the eventual runner-up got the best of him. It was the eight-six low held by Lord that pipped Liberto's eight-seven.

Kristan Lord (2nd Place; $104,210) and Nicholas Julia (1st Place; $168,608) began heads-up play with Julia ahead with more than two to one in chips. Although he came quite close, in the end, the night belonged to Julia.

He played well and he ran even better. Nicholas Julia entered the day as the chip leader and he left it the same way with his incredible performance, which netted him a coveted WSOP gold bracelet and $168,608 in first-place prize.

When asked how he felt after winning his first WSOP gold bracelet, Nicholas Julia responded with, Great! Amazing! Everybodys sweating; the wife, Suzanne. All these guys from Arizona. You know, everyone? I literally have a hundred people texting me were having a great time!.

As far as key hands that got him here, most would expect the double-elimination at the final table to be the answer, but Julia got into a hand early in Day 2 versus Greg Mueller that resulted in him claiming the chip leader position and never looking back from that point forward.

When questioned about whether or not he plays poker for a living, he laughed out loud before explaining how he plays for fun and has no plans to play any more WSOP tournaments in this series. He is taking his one oclock flight back home to Arizona on Saturday and plans on celebrating his win by spending time with his wife and kids.
Veterans enrolled at the University of North Georgia (UNG) will be treated to a free breakfast and a resource fair, among other events, as part of Veterans Appreciation Week. UNG's Nighthawk Engagement and Student Transitions (NEST) office is hosting the activities from Nov. 8-12, and a full list of events is available on UNG's Veterans Appreciation Week webpage.

A veterans' appreciation breakfast is set for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 9 on all five campuses. This tabling event will offer information on UNG's services for veterans and military-connected students, as well as a free breakfast while supplies last. The breakfast is in the lobby on the Blue Ridge and Cumming campuses, the Hoag Patio in Dahlonega, Student Center Patio in Gainesville, and Student Resource Center Atrium in Oconee.

"We want to let the UNG community know what resources we provide to veterans and how they can help veterans who are family, friends and co-workers," Christy Orr, assistant director of NEST, said.

A career readiness workshop will be held at noon Nov. 10 via Zoom to help veterans showcase their military achievements and skills on their resumes.

The veterans resource fair is set for 11 a.m. Nov. 11 in front of the Student Center on the Gainesville Campus as UNG departments and community organizations share information on their services.
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Joe Biden has given a pledge that if the US returns to the Iran nuclear agreement, it will only subsequently leave if Tehran clearly breaks the terms of the deal, writes The Guardian. Thus, the US president made the commitment, which addresses one of Irans key negotiating demands.

A joint statement issued with Germany, France and the UK followed a meeting on the margins of the G20 in Rome attended by Biden, Germanys Angela Merkel, Frances Emmanuel Macron and Britains Boris Johnson. The key paragraph of a lengthy statement read: We welcome President Bidens clearly demonstrated commitment to return the US to full compliance with the JCPOA [joint comprehensive plan of action] and to stay in full compliance, so long as Iran does the same.

According to Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian ambassador to multilateral bodies in Vienna, the work to restore the deal has been completed by almost 90%, there are still political moments related to the obligations of the United States and how Washington will comply with them in the future.

Throughout the talks Iran has been seeking an undertaking from western countries, ideally legally underpinned, that if Iran returns to the deal, future US administrations will not repeat the walkout of the previous president, Donald Trump, which was accompanied by the imposition of tighter economic sanctions on Irans financial institutions and political bodies. However, the Biden pledge, underwritten by the main three European powers, may be a sign that the US wants to create a more positive atmosphere before the resumption of the Vienna talks which will happen at some point in November.

There have already been six rounds of talks, but they broke off in June to allow the new Iranian government, led by the president, Ebrahim Raisi, to review its negotiating strategy.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said on Sunday that the United States was absolutely in lock step with Britain, Germany and France on getting Iran back into a nuclear deal. It really depends on whether Iran is serious about doing that, Blinken said of rejoining the nuclear talks. All of our countries, working by the way with Russia and China, believe strongly that that would be the best path forward. But we do not yet know whether Iran is willing to come back to engage in a meaningful way. We are looking together at all of the options necessary to deal with this problem."

The shift in the US tone comes a week after a cyber-attack disabled Irans petrol stations. This attack attributed by Brig Gen Gholamreza Jalali, the head of Irans civil defence organisation, to Israel and the US.

The west has become increasingly concerned that Irans delay is a subterfuge, and that Tehran has been using the pause to strengthen its stockpile of uranium, weaken the UN nuclear inspections process and become more familiar with the use of advanced centrifuges that can produce highly enriched uranium. The Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said in an interview published at the weekend that there was no need for the negotiation and the simplest solution was for Biden to issue an executive order saying he was returning to the nuclear deal and lifting sanctions. Amir-Abdollahian said his administration was embracing a balanced foreign policy, a phrase implying that Iran is going to deprioritise relations with the west.
Exactly a year ago, on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan's Patriotic War began. On that day, Armenia's occupying forces subjected the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan along the front line and the adjacent populated areas in Azerbaijan to intensive fire with the use of large-calibre weapons, artillery and mortars. Baku decided to launch a counter-offensive operation to ensure the safety of the civilian population. Vestnik Kavkaza offers its readers to follow the events of the 44 days of Azerbaijan's Patriotic War as they were covered a year ago.

On the thirty-sixth day of the war, November 1, Armenia continued shelling the front-line and border settlements of Azerbaijan. Tehran revealed the essence of the "Iranian settlement plan", which requires the mandatory withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces from Azerbaijan. Footage of the elimination of the reinforcements of the invaders with ammunition was published.

The invaders of Karabakh and Zangezur rejected the demand of Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Azerbaijani soil. The Armenian opposition began to demand that Yerevan cut ties with Moscow. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense revealed fake news about the downed Azerbaijani helicopters.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev drew attention to the fact that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had already admitted the defeat of the Armenian occupation forces, stressing that the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the Azerbaijani regions should be completed as soon as possible. The invaders reported that 100 thousand people have left the occupation zone since the end of September - twice as many as lived there before. The invaders began to abandon their weapons on the battlefield even in the border areas.



In the evening, world famous photographer Reza Deghati shared photos of the Khudaferin Bridges on his official Instagram. At the same time, footage of the liquidation of the Armenian MLRS "Grad", which fired at Azerbaijani positions in the Zangilan region, as well as the invaders' manpower, was published.

The Russian Embassy in Armenia has denied fake news about the death of Russian border guards.



Late in the evening, footage of the use of the Azerbaijani liberation army Su-25 for bombing the positions of the occupiers near Khojavend was published.



Thus, on the thirty-sixth day of the war, the occupying forces of Armenia weakened attacks on the civilian Azerbaijani population - the active advance of the liberation army of Azerbaijan to the north, to Lachin, Shusha and Khojavend, forced them to transfer part of the troops from the fortified Aghdam region to the west. At the same time, the war was already de facto lost by Armenia.
The National Resistance Front as an opposition force to the Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) that seized power in Afghanistan is gearing up to resume its fight against the radicals, spokesman for the resistance groups, ex-Deputy Governor of the Northern Afghan Province of Panjshir Kabir Wasiq told TASS on Monday.

"The Taliban militants are, indeed, controlling government institutions in Panjshir and the provinces roads. However, units of resistance fighters are being set up in high-mountainous terrain and other separate districts of the Panjshir Gorge, and they will soon resume fighting against Taliban terrorist groups," the spokesman said.

The Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) launched a large-scale offensive to seize control of Afghanistan after the United States declared its intention in the spring of this year to withdraw its troops from the country.
Turkey will conduct anti-terror cross-border operations 'whenever necessary," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"There is no stepping back from it," he said in response to a question on a return flight from the G20 Leaders' Summit held in Rome, Italy.

He called on NATO ally U.S. that it "should not support terrorist organizations," Anadolu Agency reported.

On his meeting with US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20, Erdogan said they discussed the procurement of F-16 fighter jets.

"I didn't witness any negative approach," he said of the meeting held on Sunday, adding that he hopes to conclude the "sensitive issue."
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has changed the date for a large rally in central Tbilisi this week to protest the results of the recent municipal elections.

The rally will be held on November 6 instead of the initially stated November 7, given that on the same date in 2007, a series of anti UNM-government protests took place across Georgia and ended with protesters being dispersed by police with tear gas and water cannon.

A total of 508 people were hospitalized as a result of riot police dispersing thousands of protesters in various parts of the capital of Tbilisi.

The same day, riot police raided Tbilisi-based Imedi TV while the news program was live on air.

Police officers in masks and carrying assault rifles were seen sealing off the office, Agenda.ge reported.

The UNM and other parties claim that the municipal election results were fabricated by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

They have announced rallies in the cities of Batumi, Kutaisi, and Zugdidi starting tomorrow, in addition to a large demonstration in Tbilisi on Saturday.
In accordance with the decision of the Interdepartmental Commission on Preventing the Emergence and Spread of Coronavirus Infection in Kazakhstan dated September 21, 2021, regular flights between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will be resumed, according to Kazinform.

According to the information, starting from November 7, 2021, Air Astana plans to start operating flights on the Almaty-Baku route with a frequency of two flights a week on Thursdays and Sundays on an Embraer 190-2.

"A further increase in flights to Azerbaijan will depend on the epidemiological situation, decisions of the Interdepartmental Commission and decisions of the relevant state bodies of Azerbaijan," the press service of the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan said.

The Committee stressed that the flights will be operated in strict compliance with sanitary and epidemiological requirements and in accordance with the published schedule on the airlines' website.
The situation in hospitals for COVID-2019 patients in Russia remains no simple, with medics displaying true heroism, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"It goes without saying that the situation is no simple. Most hospital beds are occupied, and the situation shows no signs of easing for the time being. The pressure on our medics is extraordinary. They display true heroism," Peskov said, when asked for a comment on the conditions in which medical personnel involved in anti-COVID efforts had to work with.

Peskov recalled that for medics employed in the "red zones" there existed a system of financial incentives and other support measures.

"It is pretty clear that the physical and emotional pressure on them is extraordinary," he added.

Asked if some more measures were being considered to encourage medical personnel to join the anti-pandemic efforts Peskov said this question should be addressed to the government anti-coronavirus task force.
Moscow expects to continue contacts with Washington on cybersecurity, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"We have already said that in the follow-up of the Geneva spirit, a whole series of Russian-American consultations on cybersecurity has been held. Naturally, these contacts are being held in the closed format. This is not the sphere where publicity helps achieve the results that Moscow and Washington would like to see. We expect these contacts to continue," the Russian presidential spokesman said.

U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said at a briefing for foreign journalists in mid-October in response to a question by a TASS correspondent that the United States had handed over to Russia specific information with regard to ransomware gangs which, according to Washington, operated from Russian territory and was now expecting further steps from Moscow.

A high-ranking representative of the U.S. administration earlier said that Russia had already made certain steps in response to US signals concerning the ransomware gangs allegedly acting from its territory and the U.S. expected this process to continue.
The leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front, which opposes the Taliban (banned in Russia), Ahmad Massoud is currently in Tajikistan, Spokesman, Deputy Government of the province of Panjshir Kabir Wasik said on Monday.

"Ahmad Massoud is currently in Tajikistan, but sometimes he visits Afghanistan to meet with resistance units in the countrys regions," TASS cited Wasik as saying..

According to the spokesman, the resistance fronts leader is trying to seek the support of various states in countering the Taliban. "Massoud strives to convince the regions countries and the entire global community to fight the Taliban. He travels to different states in order to draw attention [to the National Resistance Front] and gain support," the spokesman for the Afghan resistance front said.

Deputy Governor of Panjshir pointed out that the national resistance maintained good relations with Tajikistan, which "had been providing substantial assistance to the Afghan people in the fight against the Taliban."
The acting Taliban defence minister in the interim Afghanistan administration, Mullah Muhammad Yaqub, said he has taken direct charge of security for the multi-billion dollar TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India) gas pipeline project.

Yaqub, the son of the Taliban's founding leader, Mullah Omar, made the comment following a meeting with Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, who arrived in Kabul in the morning for talks on the project and bilateral relations with Afghanistan.

I am directly responsible for and overseeing the security of the TAPI project. We will not hesitate to make any sacrifices for the implementation of this national project, Yaqoob tweeted after meeting with Turkmenistans top diplomat at the presidential palace in the capital.

During the meeting, both sides discussed bolstering relations, economic, trade, security, and humanitarian assistance, said Zabihullah Mujahed, the Taliban spokesperson and deputy minister for information and culture.

The mega project, which connects energy-rich Central Asia with energy-starved South Asia via Afghanistan, was envisioned in the 1990s and practical work on it began in 2015.

In line with this $10 billion project, up to 33 billion cubic meters of gas would be carried from the Galkynysh gas field in Turkmenistan to the town of Fazilka in Indian Punjab via the 1,814-kilometer pipeline passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tens of thousands of travellers are expected to arrive in Thailand as the country reopens to tourists after 18 months of Covid-19 restrictions.

Vaccinated tourists from more than 60 "low-risk" nations are allowed to enter the country and avoid hotel quarantine.

Tourist numbers are forecast to jump to as much as 15 million next year, bringing in more than $30bn.

However, much of country still faces restrictions, with only around 42% of the population fully-vaccinated.

Thailand is still registering almost 10,000 Covid infections a day, BBC reported.

The coronavirus pandemic hammered Thailand's economy, which would previously attract 40m tourists a year. Last year, tourist arrivals were down more than 80%.

Airports serving Bangkok and Phuket are among those opening to countries including UK, China, Japan, the US and most of Europe.

The Thai government predicts revenues to rebound to their pre-pandemic levels by 2023, although many industry experts say China's ongoing border closures will hamper the sector's recovery.
The USS Mount Whitney flagship command ship went to the Black Sea for joint operations with NATO, the U.S. Sixth Fleet stated on its Twitter page on Monday.

"The Sixth Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney has begun its northbound transit to the Black Sea to operate with our NATO allies and partners in the region," the statement reads.

Earlier, the Sixth Fleet reported about the U.S. plans to send a command ship with officers of the fleet headquarters and the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO on board into the Black Sea. The date of the departure has not been specified.

In this regard, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on the sidelines of the G20 summit, stated that the demonstration of the US Navy flag did not contribute to the global stability.
The Vehicles Importers Vietnam Association (VIVA) has submitted a written proposal to the Ministry of Finance regarding a 50% cut in car registration fees.

According to the proposal, 11 car manufacturers including Audi, Aston Martin, Bentley, Maserati, Jaguar Land Rover, Jeep, Porsche, Subaru, Volkswagen, Volvo and Ferrari said that it was unfair for them if the policy on a 50% reduction in registration fees is only applied for locally assembled cars.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and prolonged social distancing, auto importers and distributors in Vietnam have had to suspend operations and have suffered a negative impact as they are completely dependent on import activities.

Restrictions amid the Covid pandemic in Vietnam are being applied to all automobile businesses, so we suggest that the registration free reduction should be applied to both locally assembled and imported cars," the petition said.

The Vietnamese auto market has been strongly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Auto sales have declined for many months. Thats why many auto manufacturers and assemblers have asked the Government to re-apply a 50% cut on the car registration fee.

In August, the importer and distributor of Audi cars in Vietnam made a similar proposal. In May, the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) also proposed reducing registration fees by 50% for newly registered cars.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has asked the Ministry of Finance to join agencies, associations and business communities to consider the proposal and have solutions to remove difficulties for the domestic automobile manufacturing and assembling industry.

In 2020, the Vietnamese Government cut registration fees by 50% for domestically assembled cars. This policy proved contributed significantly to stimulating market demand in the second half of the year.

According to data from the General Department of Taxation, this policy, which was effective by December 31, 2020, helped double the sales of domestically assembled cars in December 2020 compared to December 2019. Also, budget revenue from the sales of domestically manufactured and assembled cars increased by 47.1% year on year, equivalent to 11,200 billion VND.

Phuc Vinh

Vietnam auto industry: turning risk into opportunity The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) said the fourth outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic that began in late April 2021 has forced many automobile manufacturers to reduce capacity or even suspend production.
Unlike conventional fund models, artificial intelligence-powered investment funds apply technology to process data, thereby automatically recommending effective investment strategies.

Nguyen Minh Quy talks about how AI technology is applied in risk analysis and assessment.

In recent years, Vietnam has been one of the countries with strong economic growth, even under the impact of Covid-19. In the first nine months of 2021, total foreign investment (FDI) poured into Vietnam reached more than 22 billion USD, up 4.4% over the same period last year. Total mobilized capital for the economy in this period was 292.1 trillion VND, up 12% year on year.

The investment market in Vietnam has become more attractive in the eyes of domestic and international investors. However, technology application in investment activities in Vietnam is still at a very early stage. In that context, Novaon Capital - a new investment fund model applying technology has appeared in the domestic market.

Unlike traditional investment funds, the technology investment fund model will use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze financial statements, based on important indicators such as P/E, ROE, profit margin... This is the way that artificial intelligence is being applied to predict the development trend of enterprises, and point out the advantages and risks of financial investment.

Nguyen Minh Quy, Chairman of Novaon Capital, said each financial statement of enterprises has about 10 important indicators. This also means that, with a large number of businesses listed on the stock exchange, there are thousands of important data that must be updated immediately. This is where artificial intelligence can play its role in information processing. Artificial intelligence will gather and analyze large amounts of data with greater accuracy than any expert.

He also said that AI can effectively assist humans in making investment decisions, even investing on behalf of people in some fast-changing market situations, on a very large scale with high precision. Novaon Capital has grown more than 87% in the past 12 months. This is a practical result showing that using AI to replace humans in investment activities can bring good results.

Jacques Morisset, Chief Economist and Manager of the Macroeconomic, Trade and Investment Program of the World Bank in Vietnam, has said that It is very important to strengthen the innovation capacity of enterprises through the acquisition of new technologies.

In the process of digital transformation, Vietnam will need two groups of businesses: big pioneers and startups. Therefore, Vietnam needs to invest more, and support and create incentives for banks and financial markets to invest in startups and digital talent.

Trong Dat
Attendance at COP26 has been a good opportunity for Vietnam to express its views on climate change, and to affirm its determination to contribute responsibly to global efforts.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh left Hanoi on October 31 for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), and for visits to the UK and France from October 31-November 5, at the invitation of his British and French counterparts Boris Johnson and Jean Castex.

Professor Pham Quang Minh, an international relations expert, shared his observations about the trip with VietNamNet.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh left Hanoi on October 31 for the COP26, and for visits to the UK and France from October 31-November 5. Photo: VGP

What do you think about Vietnam's participation in COP26?

COP26 is a major international event of special interest to the international community amid climate change having an increasingly serious impact on a global scale, which requires countries around the world to take urgent and strong action.

I think that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs ongoing trip affirms Vietnam's determination to contribute responsibly to global efforts, specifically responding to climate change, reducing emissions, and transitioning to a green economy.

This is also a good opportunity to express Vietnams viewpoints on climate change because Vietnam is one of the five countries most affected by climate change. COP26 is the most important global forum on a non-traditional security threat.

Attending the conference, we will make the world understand Vietnam's policies and commitments in the effort to cooperate with other countries to respond to climate change.

COP26 will be attended by over 120 heads of state, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and leaders of many international organizations and international financial institutions, multinational corporations and international non-governmental organizations, with a total of about 30,000 participants.

Thus, the Vietnamese leader will have many bilateral meetings on the sidelines to strengthen cooperation with partners.

Along with attending COP26, the Prime Minister will pay official visits to the UK and France. What are your expectations about these visits?

The UK and France both have strategic partnerships with Vietnam. They are also the two leading European countries that have a long relationship with our country. The two sides will not only have the opportunity to look back on the achievements on the past journey, but also work together towards a future of strong development.

In particular, the UK has expressed its wish of strengthening ties with Southeast Asia in the context that it has left the European Union through Vietnam. The UK has joined the Southeast Asian Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation since 2012.

The UK appointed a part-time Ambassador to ASEAN in 2015, a full-time Ambassador and established a delegation to ASEAN in November 2019. ASEAN - UK trade turnover reached 47.18 billion USD/year on average and the UK is the 8th largest investor of ASEAN. It applied to become a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in June 2020, an observer of ADMM+, and it was approved to be a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in August 2021.

On September 16, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden held an online press conference to announce the establishment of the trilateral security pact (AUKUS).

This pact aims to strengthen each country's capacity and ensure security and defense interests, including maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Therefore, the UKs presence in this region in the near future is very important.

London also wanted to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTTP). Becoming a member of the CPTTP will help boost this country's trade with the bloc, and help complement the free trade agreements the UK has signed with Japan, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Vietnam after leaving the EU.

It can be said that there is still a lot of room for comprehensive cooperation in politics, economy, and security issues between Vietnam and the UK.

For relations with France, I learned that before the official visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery told the local media that this visit demonstrates the role and position of the bilateral and regional systems on both sides.

France is going to welcome Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-ranking delegation of Vietnam with the highest protocol of reception. Many important projects are expected to be signed between the two countries during this visit.

France is Vietnam's fifth largest European trading partner. As of July 2021, France ranked third among European countries (after the Netherlands and the UK) and 16th among 140 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 605 projects, totaling 3.6 billion USD in registered capital.

France is the leading European bilateral ODA donor for Vietnam and Vietnam ranked second among the countries receiving French ODA in Asia.

In terms of national security and defense, France was the first Western country to have a Defense Attache in Vietnam (1991). Cooperation in this field is growing. In 2018, the two countries signed the Amended Agreement on Cooperation in Defense and the Joint Vision Statement on Defense Cooperation for the 2018-2028 period.

Bilateral cooperation in the fields of health, culture and tourism, education, science and technology, and others have all developed strongly.

France and Vietnam have a solid basis for believing in a bright future relationship, emphasizing efficiency and substance.

Finally, Vietnam has just gone through a prolonged period of social distancing and is trying to recover its economy after the Covid-19 pandemic. I think another focus of the Prime Minister's visit this time is to convey the message: Vietnam is returning to the new normal.

Vietnam has recognized the vaccine passports of 72 countries. The country and Southeast Asia are gradually opening up cautiously and safely. Vaccine diplomacy is also a key because we still need a large source of vaccines to immunize over 70% of the population to achieve herd immunity.

Thai An
Its necessary to think about who should get a booster shot first.

Luu

Who should be given priority for vaccinations?

Localities should learn a lesson from the current vaccination campaign in which every city and province applies its own principles about priority orders for vaccinations.

When HCM City reported an increasingly high mortality rate day after day when the outbreak reached its peak, the municipal authorities found that the elderly and people with underlying health conditions were the most vulnerable and they needed to be given an injection as soon as possible.

Hanoi at first did not include the elderly and people with underlying health conditions among the groups of people to have priority for vaccinations. But it later changed its policy.

Thanks to this, Hanoi has had a low mortality rate, while HCM City has recently overcome the darkest days of the pandemic peak.

I believe that problems could arise from the short supply of vaccines.

On October 16, I hailed a Grab car, the service which has resumed after many months of interruption because of lockdown. I asked the driver if he had been vaccinated. He answered that he got vaccinated in the ward where he lives.

Couldnt you get vaccinated earlier as a taxi driver? I asked. And he replied that all of his co-workers were vaccinated in the localities where they live. As a result, some of his co-workers left Hanoi and could not get vaccinated. Now they find it very difficult to return to Hanoi after the lockdown was lifted and go back to work.

I believe that taxi drivers, like shippers, should have been prioritized to get vaccinations early so that they can return to work immediately when a lockdown is lifted.

Drivers, including long-distance bus drivers, should be considered as the frontline working force, because they, though working for private companies, play an important role in circulating goods.

It was a problem that a big city like Hanoi, when implementing Directive 16, only allowed 200 taxis to operate and carry patients to hospitals. Elderly people were hesitant to hail taxis to get vaccinated because they were unsure about their safety.

Local authorities need to be far-sighted

Economic recovery and establishment of new normal will face hindrances if localities continue to be slow and inconsistent in applying the instructions of the central government.

If bus drivers cannot get vaccinated early, they will have to wait. They will be able to return 14 days after getting the second shot. Therefore, its necessary to take the initiative in vaccinating the contingent of drivers to ensure the usual activities of cities.

What will happen if cities allow taxis to resume operation, but drivers have not been vaccinated?

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said at the conference reviewing the work of ensuring safe traffic in the first nine months of the year held on October 15 that, at some moments, anti-pandemic measures taken by localities affected the circulation of goods.

Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho said the ministry has released a document, temporarily guiding transportation activities in five fields. The Government has recently issued Resolution 128, stipulating measures to adapt safely, flexibly and effectively to the pandemic. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has also released Decision 4800 on temporary guidance on medical work to implement Resolution 128.

Based on Resolution 128 and Decision 4800, we have checked, updated, and promulgated new regulations that replace the old documents to make new regulations to suit the Governments instructions. These documents will lay a foundation for provinces and the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to implement necessary measures, he said.

As for Hanoi, an important traffic hub, MOT will have a working session with the citys Peoples Committee to come to agreement on transportation activities resumption based on Resolution 128 and Decision 4800.

According to the Transport Department under MOT, as of October 14, 36 local transport departments had submitted reports on inter-provincial passenger bus service resumption and some localities were still having problems checking vaccinated drivers and officers.

As such, many localities were passive because they did not pay attention to vaccinating drivers to prepare for the post-Directive 15 and 16 period.

Of course, not all localities had the problem. Tran Son Tung, General Director of Son Tung Passenger Transport in Binh Dinh, said thanks to the provinces policy, bus drivers have been vaccinated. His company with nearly 100 long-distance buses can run once social distancing is removed.

The requirements for passenger bus service are strict, different in different localities, which makes it difficult to go from one province to another. Some localities stopped applying Directives 15, 16 and 19 to pursue Resolution 128, while others were still considering, and one province even sealed off the doors of all vehicles going through the locality.

Economic recovery and establishment of new normal will face hindrances if localities continue to be slow and inconsistent in applying the instructions of the central government.

People will be fined if they dont observe regulations. Will localities leaders be fined if they disobey the central governments instructions?

Quoc Phong

Vaccine coverage changes views on pandemic prevention and control HCM City has given 12 million vaccination shots so far since the first shot in March. This has allowed the city to control the outbreak and reduce the mortality rate.
After two delays, Vietnam's NanoDragon satellite will be put on the launch pad for the third time by the end of this week.

Vietnam's NanoDragon satellite. Photo: Trong Dat

According to the official announcement of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the new launch schedule of NanoDragon will be between 7:48-7:59 on November 7, at Uchinoura launch site (Kyushu Island, Japan).

The NanoDragon, a nano-layer cubesat satellite which weighs 3.8 kilograms, was developed by the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.

The developers expect the satellite will function well monitoring marine vehicles with an automatic identification system and will send data back to the ground.

Vietnam should view aerospace as one of the five spaces it must master to be capable of safeguarding the national interests. Aerospace technologies require big resources, from capital to human resources and time, to ensure sustainable development.

NanoDragon is the result of a project to design, manufacture, launch and test operation of a nano-sized microsatellite under the national space science and technology program in the 2016-2020 period.

The government has recently approved a strategy for the development and application of aerospace science and technology to 2030 with an aim to expand the use of these technologies, master the design and manufacturing technologies of earth observation satellites, and support start-ups in the field.

This will be the third time the satellite will be put on the launch pad. This time, NanoDragon will still be sent to space by Epsilon No. 5 rocket along with eight other satellites.

The plan to launch the NanoDragon satellite was scheduled for October 1 and October 7, 2021, but it was postponed due to technical reasons.

Trong Dat
If Apple opens an Apple Store in Vietnam, many experts believe that the chosen location must be very convenient and in an area with luxury goods.

Inside the only Apple Store in Thailand. (Photo: Hai Dang)

In the last two years, Apple has increased its presence in Vietnam through many forms. They have expanded cooperation with retailers to raise the number of authorized stores, and with distributors to expand the product range. In addition, new Apple products have been officially offered for sale in Vietnam earlier than before.

Doan Van Hieu Em, CEO of Mobile World Joint Stock Company, predicted that in the next two years, Vietnam can be classified in the group of countries at level 2 (out of 3 levels) of Apple. Other retailers agreed with this view.

Apple has opened about 500 Apple Store stores globally, including 271 in the US, about 50 in China (including Hong Kong, Macau), and other countries. In Southeast Asia, it has two stores in Singapore, and one in Thailand. All Apple Store stores globally are outstanding architectural works, attracting iFans to visit and shop.

If it opens an Apple Store in Vietnam, all experts said that this group would choose a prime location in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.

Tran Manh Hiep, co-founder of the tinhte.vn forum, said that the first Apple store in Vietnam could be located in Ho Chi Minh City for its large number of Apple fans.

Tuan Hung, a senior reporter in the field of IT, agreed with Hiep, saying that Apple would open the first Apple Store in Ho Chi Minh City, and then Hanoi.

Mai Trieu Nguyen, owner of Mai Nguyen system, said that Apple would choose a location that is near stores of Louis Vuitton, Hermes, ... for examples the places around the HCM City Opera House, the streets of Dong Khoi, Le Loi, Nguyen Hue in HCM City and the areas around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

Nguyen Duy Tin, head of technology news division of Zing News, said: "In Vietnam, Apple can keep an eye on prime locations in Ho Chi Minh City such as Vincom Center Dong Khoi, New World (current Starbucks store) or Vincom Ba Trieu (Hanoi)".

Regarding design, Le Hoang Tuan, sub-editor of GenK site, said that Apple would still be loyal to the minimalist style, bright space, using a lot of glass, according to Apple's standards. However, it will have a local imprint.

Although IT experts expect that Apple will open an Apple Store in Vietnam soon, they said that it will be at least another two years.

Hai Dang
Hanoi will offer free travel for all passengers on its first metro line Cat Linh  Ha Dong during the first 15 days after the line is put into operation, according to Director of the citys Department of Transport Vu Van Vien.

Hanoi is fully prepared for the conditional takeover of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line.

Hanoi will offer free travel for all passengers on its first metro line Cat Linh  Ha Dong during the first 15 days after the line is put into operation, according to Director of the citys Department of Transport Vu Van Vien.

Vien said as soon as it receives the handover of the metro line from the Ministry of Transport, his department will put it into service.

Hanoi has been fully prepared for the conditional takeover to operate the project in the first phase and the first phase means a year, he said.

The city has been cooperating with the Ministry of Transport to provide all necessary conditions for the operation of the project for months.

The quality assessment results of the metro line were approved by the State Council for Acceptance of Construction Projects on October 29. It is the final step for the project to begin commercial operation.

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The metro line, which runs from Cat Linh in Ba Dinh district to Ha Dong district, has total investment of approximately 886 million USD.



The line, which runs from Cat Linh in Ba Dinh district to Ha Dong district, has total investment of approximately 886 million USD, funded by Chinese ODA.

It has an elevated line of more than 13 km with 12 stations and 13 trains. Each train, whose designed speed is 80 km per hour, has four carriages capable of carrying over 900 passengers.

The trial run was completed in December 2020, with more than 70,000 km of tests on thousands of trips, enabling the system to operate commercially.

Started in 2011, the project has suffered numerous setbacks and delays.

The Hanoi Peoples Committee has announced the price of the tickets for the Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro, with the lowest one being 8,000 VND (0.35 USD) for a trip and 30,000 VND for a day pass.

A monthly pass for a common passenger is priced at 200,000 VND./.

Source: VNA
The Khmer people have a lengthy history. As a result of these deeply rooted rituals and ideas, even if traditional festivals have moved to many different locales, they have not lost touch with their original awareness.

With a total population of 1.3 million, the Khmer are primarily found in the country's southwest regions and Ho Chi Minh city.

In 1997, there were 3,882 Khmer residents in Ho Chi Minh City; by 2015, the population had risen to 25,000, despite the fact that they were dispersed around the city but largely concentrated in one location near the Nhieu Loc and Thi Nghe waterways, Chantarangay Pagoda in Ward 7, District 3 and Pothivong Pagoda in Ward 10, Tan Binh district.

The pagodas and monks play a significant role in many Khmer festivals since they are the focus of community activities and the repository of Khmer culture. The following are world-renowned celebrations:

Numerous festivals are celebrated by Cambodians, and pagodas and monks play a prominent part because they serve as the hub of community life and the repository of Khmer culture. Among the most well-known celebrations are:

1. Meak Bochia Ceremony (Promulgating the Teachings of the Buddha)

2. Ban Chol Chnam Thmay Event (the traditional New Year holiday, the main festival of the year for the Khmer people)

3. Bochia Visac Ceremonies (Buddha day)

4. Ban Chol Vossa Festival, which marks the beginning of summer

5. A ritual for honoring grandparents, known as Dolta, is performed at the Dolta ceremony

6. Ban Chenh Vossa Festival, which marks the end of summer

7. Kathanh Tean Baptism Ceremony

8. Ok Om Bok ceremony (the Moon Offering ceremony).

There are two major Khmer beliefs  worshiping Neak Ta, the god of protection, and Arak, the god of rebirth (ie the god of the family). Other gods include Sun God, Moon God, and the worship of ancestors.

When there is a festival, whether great or small, the temple monks and ceremony leaders must strictly carry out eight rituals.

Cultural and creative activities of Khmer people in Ho Chi Minh City are discussed after festivals and beliefs. Dances like Rom Vong, Lam Luu, Saravan, and Seydam drum dances are examples of folkloric styles that follow different time signatures.

There are also musical instruments to accompany the dances, such as the Pheng pinpet percussion set (i.e. the five-tone orchestra), the Ronek ek musical instrument (with 21 separate bamboo sticks), the Ronek Thung musical instrument (with 16 wooden sticks), the Ronek musical instrument. dek (with 21 iron bars), the Cuong thum and Cuong Tuot musical instruments

The Khmer people, a long-lived ethnic group in the Southern region, have rituals and beliefs that derived from old working life that have become profoundly ingrained in their culture. Regardless of how far the times have traveled, they are still connected to the original consciousness.

Two temples in Ward 7, District 3, and Ward 10, Tan Binh, are the main hubs for Khmer festival events in Ho Chi Minh City.

Hong Nhung

Sen Dolta Festival: Khmer grateful to their benefactors Sen Dolta is one of the rituals that shows the Khmers deep gratitude to ancestors, grandparents and parents, praying for dead people and asking good luck for living people.
A Texas couple hopes to brew happiness and inclusivity along with coffee beans in a new shop in downtown Waco.

Amy and Mark Sauer plan on Nov. 13 to open a franchise of Bitty & Beaus, an expanding company that employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Sauers moved this summer from Chicago to Dallas and have been working to renovate a space in the Stones Throw warehouse development at 110 Franklin Ave., between Mamaka Bowls and Teriyaki Park. With two daughters as Baylor alumni, Amy Sauer said she has always loved Waco and is happy to move here soon.

Bitty & Beaus is aimed to be more of an experience rather than just a place to grab a cup of coffee, she said.

If you are on your way to work and in a rush, please just go to Starbucks, she said. But if you have time and want to come in and meet amazing people who happen to have disabilities, then you should come into our coffee shop.

This will be the 10th location for Bitty & Beaus, which started in 2016 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founders Amy and Ben Wright describe their company as a human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop. The name and the inspiration for the company came from their two children, who have Down syndrome.
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The coronavirus epidemic has already claimed the lives of more than 5 million people. Covid-19, which initially emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan about two years ago, continues to be a top cause of mortality around the globe over two years after its discovery.

More than 740,000 reported fatalities in the United States since the outbreak began in 2000.

According to statistics from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus was responsible for more than five million reported fatalities throughout the globe as of Monday.

A loss of this magnitude would result in the extinction of practically the entire population of Melbourne, Australia, or the majority of the people of Singapore.

Experts believe that the five million figure is an underestimate.

As a result, many countries, like India and African nations, cannot adequately document the number of individuals who have died as a result of Covid-19; experts have questioned the accuracy of statistics from other countries, such as Russia.

According to Adam Kucharski, an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine who mathematically analyzes infectious disease outbreaks, "all of these estimates still rely on data being available, or someone going and collecting it. Before antibodies and local memories wane." Adam Kucharski is an infectious disease outbreak expert who works at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

"There will have been countless local catastrophes that went unreported throughout the world," says the author.

Denis Nash, an epidemiologist at the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, believes that the true number of persons who died as a result of Covid-19 is likely to be underestimated by "a multiple of two to ten."

Despite the fast spread of the Delta strain since then, the rate of verified fatalities seems to have slowed significantly since the globe hit four million in early July  an indication that the widespread use of vaccinations, at least in some areas of the world, maybe having an effect.

One million people died in nine months, three and a half more in three and a half more months to reach two million, three more months to reach three million, and roughly two and a half more months to achieve more than four million.

The United States outperforms all other nations in terms of confirmed fatalities, with more than 745,000 verified deaths in total.

Following the United States, the countries with the greatest recorded death tolls are, in descending order, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Russia.

Globally reported mortality increased during the previous two weeks after declining for most of September and the first half of October. However, with an average of more than 7,000 deaths per day, the rate is still about 3,000 lower than it was at its high in August, according to official data.

A study on pandemic conditions released by the World Health Organization last week confirmed a rise in fatalities in Europe and Southeast Asia. At the same time, a decrease was seen in portions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

According to Dr. Nash, the mortality rate seems to be lowering "in regions throughout the globe where we are doing a good job of recording fatalities, which also happen to be placed in the world that have the greatest access to vaccinations." Dr. Nash's findings were published in the journal Science.

Nevertheless, "I suppose there may be certain areas where the fatality rate is increasing, but we aren't quantifying them," he stated.

The 20 nations that have reported the highest number of reported fatalities per capita in recent weeks are primarily located in Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. The vast majority of them have only vaccinated less than half of their respective populations.

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in Europe, even though three-quarters of the adult population in the European Union has received a complete vaccination.

These vaccination rates have plummeted in countries such as Bulgaria and Romania. They are much lower in countries that are not members of the EU, such as Armenia.

Even when vaccinations were more readily accessible, there was still a coverage gap.

According to a survey published in September by the European Council on Foreign Relations on views of the epidemic, the discrepancy seemed to be driven mostly by disinformation, mistrust, and skepticism among the general public.

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) said that vaccine hesitancy is a big concern in the Caribbean. Many of the countries in the region also experience uneven distribution of doses and logistical challenges.

Officials from the World Health Organization have urged affluent countries to send more immunizations to poorer countries.

They and others have criticized vaccine stockpiling and most booster shot programs, even though most of the globe has yet to get immunized.

According to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford, around 76 percent of all vaccinations have been delivered in high- and upper-middle-income countries throughout the world.

Only 0.6 percent of doses have been provided in low- and middle-income nations thus far.

Dr. Nash expressed optimism that the increased availability of vaccinations and other pharmacological therapies, such as an antiviral tablet developed by Merck, will ultimately help to bring the virus under control.

Dr. Kucharski said that it would be a long time before the exact number of those who died would be revealed.

According to him, "people need to be informed that it may take years to fully comprehend the consequences of Covid-19."

Global COVID-19 death toll surpasses 5 million | DW News
Following the devastating damage which a tornado inflicted upon the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundations (BAHF) long-serving Douglas C-54E Skymaster Spirit of Freedom in Walterboro, South Carolina during April, 2020, one could be forgiven for wondering whether the organization could rebound from such a body blow. But such thoughts surely underestimated the drive of those involved, determination which mirrors the spirit of the aircrews whom they celebrate for their bravery and sacrifice in saving West Berlin from starvation under the 11 month Soviet blockade of 1948/49 While their original C-54/R5D (seen above) might well have suffered mortal wounds in the storm, the volunteers at the BAHF have worked hard to resurrect the Spirit of Freedom in a new airframe, this being C-54D 43-17228. Interestingly, unlike their original Skymaster which served out the bulk of its military career with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (as R5D-4 BuNo.90414), the BAHFs new charge actually has a substantial Berlin Airlift pedigree. Indeed 43-17228 made numerous resupply missions into the beleaguered city from its various home bases in West Germany between October 1948 and the end of the crisis in May, 1949. The aircraft has an interesting history, as you will see below C-54D-15 43-17228: Manufactured by Douglas Aircraft in Chicago Illinois and delivered to the USAAF on 6 September, 1945. Sep 1945  To 1103rd AAF Base Unit (Caribbean Division, Air Transport Command), Morrison AAF, FL

May 1946  To 1377th AAF Base Unit (Atlantic Division, ATC), Westover AAF, MA

Jun 1948  To 520th Air Transport Group (ATC). Westover AFB, MA

Oct 1948  To 61st Troop Carrier (Heavy) Group (Military Air Transport Service), Rhein Main AB, West Germany (deployments to Kelly AFB, TX and Westover AFB)

Jul 1949  To 513th Troop Carrier (H) Group (MATS), Rhein Main AB (deployments to Celle AB West Germany and Westover AFB)

Sep 1949  To 62nd Troop Carrier (H) Group (MATS), McChord AFB, WA (deployment to Kelly AFB)

Feb 1951  To 8th Troop Carrier (H) Squadron (MATS), McChord AFB

Jun 1951  To 14th, Troop Carrier (H) Squadron (MATS), McChord AFB

Oct 1951  To 61st Troop Carrier (H) Group (Far East Air Forces), Asbiya AB Japan

Jul 1952  To 1600th Air Transport (Medium) Group (MATS), Westover AFB (deployments to Lajes AB Azores)

Apr 1953  To 42nd Air Transport (M) Squadron (MATS), Andrews AFB, MD

Jan 1954  To 41st Air Transport (M) Squadron (MATS), Charleston AFB, SC (deployment to Wheelus AB Libya)

Sep 1954  To 33rd Air Transport (M) Squadron (MA TS), McCbord AFB

May 1955  To 57th Air Transport (M) Squadron (MATS), Kelly AFB

Nov 1956  To 1700th Air Transport (M) Group (MATS), Kelly AFB (deployment to Lajes AB)

Feb 1957  To 328th Fighter Group (Air Defense Command), Richards-Gebaur AFB, MO

Nov 1959  To 29th Air Division (ADC), Malmstrom AFB, MT

Feb 1961  To 4642nd Support Squadron (ADC), Malmstrom AFB

Jun 1961  To 328th Fighter Wing (ADC), Richards-Gebaur AFB

Jul 1962  To 4614th, Consolidated Maintenance Squadron (ADC), Peterson AFB, CO

Apr 1963  To 4600th Consolidated Maintenance Squadron (ADC), Peterson AFB

Aug 1965  To Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ

Jul 1967  Dropped from inventory by transfer to US Army, Kwajalein Missile Range, Marshall Islands

Jan 1978  To Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ

Dec 1978  To EMI Services Inc with new c/r N9015Q

Apr 1982  To ARDCO Inc keeping c/r N9015Q

Jun 1983  Certificate of airworthiness for N9015Q (C54-D, 43-17228) issued

by 1992  Operated as fire service #152

Jan 2000  To Ardco Inc, Tucson, AZ keeping c/r N9015Q

Oct 2008  To Air Elite Corp, Benbrook, TX keeping c/r N9015Q

Oct 2011  To Florida Air Transport, Opa Locka, FL keeping c/r N9015Q

Oct 2012  To Jet One Express Inc, Davie, FL keeping c/r N9015Q

May 2014  To Island Air Transport Llc, Middletown, DE keeping c/r N9015Q

Aug 2020  To Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation (purchase agreement signing)

Jan 2021  To Berlin Airlift Historial Foundation, Farmingdale, NJ keeping c/r N9015Q

In a recent conversation with the BAHFs Kevin Kearney, we asked him for details about their recent efforts. The decision to replace our original C-54E (44-9144) was not an easy one. We had several experts out to South Carolina to evaluate the damage and recieved quotes from $200-300K for just the sheet metal work; that didnt include the additional expenses for the workers, such as a shelter, which would have to be built on site and accomodations, etc. We estimated that the cost would be well into the 400s when all was said and done. Plus, we were given a timeline of 2-3 years This was unacceptable. We quickly realized that going ahead to repair the Spirit would practically, if not actually, bankrupt us. So, even though we had 26 years of our lives invested in 44-9144, the decision was inevitable. With the tough decision regarding 44-9144s made, the BAHF had to find a suitable replacement  not an easy task in todays world with just a handful of economically viable airframes available. Thankfully, they were able to work out a deal for the acquisition of 43-17228 with Loren Lynn Florey at Island Air Transport, negotiations which they successfully concluded in August, 2020. Their new charge was located at New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport in Florida, where it had resided since 2014, albeit in a dormant state for much of the time. With the acquisition of 43-17228 came the inevitable frenetic endeavor to get her flying again. Quite a few of the undamaged components from 44-9144 ended up moving to the new airframe as part of this effort, including a lot of cockpit components, the propellers and even one of the horizontal stabilizers. During this process, the BAHF received considerable support from Gary Norvilles American Aero Services, which is located at New Smyrna Beach. They had permission to use the ramp outside the warbird shop to work on the C-54, not to mention free access to a considerable array of tools, which made the process much easier to handle. After considerable hard work, the team had their new C-54 taxiing again by January this year.

The aircraft made her first test flight under BAHF ownership on April 24th. With the C-54 now deemed ready, the team flew her up the east coast on the following day to join her predecessor in Walterboro, South Carolina. Here, volunteers began transferring some of the old Spirit of Freedoms interior displays and fittings to the new airframe. We are planning to not only put some of the same exhibits in but, using our experience with the old one, we are working on new improved ones in order to tell the story of the airlift, Kearney explained.

The flight to Walterboro was technically only a ferry-flight, however, since there was still a fair amount of paperwork required for the FAA to officially provide the BAHF with a permanent letter of authorization to fly the aircraft. This was, of course, due to the serious, pandemic-related backlog at the FAA, which is understandable given all that we have been through since March, 2020. None-the-less, the delay was especially frustrating to many, as the team had hoped to stop in at Reading, Pennsylvania (where their C-97 is currently grounded) during the first weekend in June. This would have enabled them take part in the Mid-Atlantic Air Museums WWII Weekend on their way out to Mena, Arkansas for the airframes repaint at Crider Aircraft Painting (with paint donated by Akzo-Nobel).

While the delays were certainly an unfortunate stumbling block, it did allow the team to perform more work on the aircraft while she remained in Walterboro. They were finally able to leave for Arkansas in mid-August, stopping in at Greene County Airport in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania where the aircraft took part in her first official air show with the BAHF over the weekend of August 20th/21st. The aircraft was on static display for much of the weekend, but took part in a plane pull and also performed a Candy Drop (emulating the famous dropping of candy to children in West Berlin which Gail Halvorsen initiated during the Berlin Airlift). On September 9th, the C-54 finally flew to Mena, Arkansas for her long-awaited repaint into BAHF colors, emerging from the paint booth with her new livery on October 20th.

Not wanting to waste the precious remaining days in the air show season, the newly-rechristened Spirit of Freedom flew to Sparta, Tennessee to take part in the Upper Cumberland Air Fair, which was a magnificent success. While they had hoped to appear at another aviation event in Shannon, Virginia this past weekend, that didnt work out unfortunately, but they do plan on taking part in the Warbirds Over Monroe Air Show in Monroe, North Carolina this coming weekend of November 6th/7th so plan to be there if you can!

Regarding what the future holds for 44-9144, Kearney noted: As of right now, the old airplane will be stripped of useable parts (We were lucky that the engines and propellers were not damaged). Some airframe parts and some parts that are surplus to our needs will probably make their way across the Atlantic to help our friends in England who are restoring the old Atlantic Warbirds C-54 . The remaining fuselages fate is uncertain at this time. There is talk that the airport would like to keep it on site as a concession or a meeting room for the CAP or something. None of that is firm. There is still a chance it could be scrapped, though that is on the bottom of our list of options. We havent really approached that yet, because our concentration has been on getting back in business with the new C-54.

Kearney then turned to the future, noting: Our focus now that the C-54 is operational again is turned back to our one-of-a-kind Boeing C-97. There are no other C-97s left that can be flown and we are in the process of acquiring spares for ours. We have already removed our failed #2 engine which failed between Reading and Hagerstown in 2019. There will need to be a big fundraising campaign to make this happen. The cost of this deal, as with anything in aviation, is high. We feel that we HAVE to pursue the airworthy C-97 to the end, so we are going ahead with it, but we will need the publics support. Without it, the program will wither on the vine.

Kearney continued his discussion regarding the BAHFs plans: We are also looking for a permanent home for these airplanes and the myriad of spares we possess. We have parts littered up and down the East Coast from upstate New York to Florida and all points in between. Even just some ramp space and a place to put a few containers would be better than the nomadic life were living now.

Many thanks indeed to Kevin Kearney for sharing some of the details regarding the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundations tireless efforts to celebrate the brave air crews from the Berlin Airlift. It is a noble mission, and one which has clearly engaged much passion and dedication from both the public and the organizations volunteers. Despite their intense efforts, this endeavor could not continue without significant help from public support, so if you can please do contribute below to help keep the Spirit of Freedom alive
M&A

Jacobs' push for more 'productization' moves ahead via BlackLynx acquisition

Jacobs has been an aggressive acquirer over recent years to reinvent itself as a major government and critical infrastructure technology provider without necessarily writing off all of its engineering-and-construction heritage.

But once in a while every company needs to press the pause button and take a fresh look at where it is and what it wants to become. Jacobs did exactly that at around the midpoint of last year to take a step back and review itself, the companys cyber and intelligence business leader told me Monday.

The challenge we had was we didnt have it all put in one cohesive unit, said Caesar Nieves, a Jacobs senior vice president and general manager. Youve got to be together to play together, to talk together, to act like each other so you dont feel like a distant cousin somewhere else.

Jacobs reorganized itself into a structure more centered around the end market versus the technology capability, Nieves said. That led Jacobs to its acquisition late last year of The Buffalo Group for more of a footing across the intelligence community.

Which now brings Jacobs to its latest purchase announced Monday of BlackLynx, a maker of software for helping national security agencies manage their hybrid cloud computing environments and data collection functions. Terms were not disclosed.

By adding BlackLynx, Jacobs says it now is positioned at 14 out of 18 agencies in the intelligence community -- a number that is triple what it was before Jacobs started to recast itself. The acquisition of KeyW Corp. certainly accelerated that market share.

Nieves touted BlackLynxs products as being both accredited and deployed into customer agencies overall IT environments, plus the softwares availability under a subscription-based as-a-service model.

Regarding Jacobs own approach for productization, Nieves described that as the company figuring out how to sell and resell the software licenses across the customer landscape. Sometimes that means agencies may only want a portion of what is being offered, such as the services component.

But are agencies going full-speed ahead in adopting that purchasing model?

Theyre there and they want more of it. I say that because technology is evolving faster than procurements can keep up, Nieves said. This productization as-a-service model that were looking at for some unique software products will allow our customers to say Were getting this service, whatevers on the back end of it.

Guggenheim Securities is serving as exclusive financial adviser to Jacobs. Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Johnson LLP is serving as legal counsel to Jacobs.

Raymond James is serving as exclusive financial adviser to BlackLynx. Cooley LLP is serving as legal counsel to BlackLynx.
M&A

Terran Orbital is the latest 'Space SPAC' & has backers

We readily admit to losing count of all the so-called Space SPACs that have hit the market in the past two years with seemingly one direct listing following the next.

A shortlist of those space companies that have gone public through mergers with those blank-check special purpose acquisition companies includes Astra, AST SpaceMobile, Blacksky, Momentus, Redwire and Rocket Lab. Those having SPAC deals in place include Planet Labs, Satellogic and Virgin Orbit.

Enter into the mix Terran Orbital, a small satellite maker that announced Friday its transaction to go public in next years first quarter by merging with Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp.

But what catches our eye in that merger agreement is not just Terran Orbital, but also some of the investment firms backing the company.

Here is an overview of Terran itself and two in particular of those helping take it to the public markets.

Terran Orbital

By merging with Tailwind Two, Terran Orbital is getting an initial $470 million cash infusion from the SPAC and other investors to further expand manufacturing capacity and move forward on delivering satellite imagery as-a-service to customers.

Terran Orbital would use its own earth observation constellation to roll out that delivery model, which would be based on subscriptions and centrally-hosted by the company in an approach not unlike cloud computing.

Government customers of Terran Orbital include NASA, the Defense Department and agencies in the intelligence community. The investor presentation on Terran Orbitals plan-of-attack for that market and overall strategy indicates they begin with research agreements, then move into an initial phase and finally at multi-year subscriptions for recurring revenue.

Slide five of that presentation and page three of the transcript here also detail Terran Orbitals executive team led by co-founder and CEO Marc Bell, plus their government backgrounds.

Terran Orbital posted $25 million in revenue last year and is forecasting $35 million in sales this year. The company expects 2023 to be its first year of positive adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) and 2026 to be a year of $2.6 billion in revenue.

If all goes according to plan, Terran Orbital will fetch an equity valuation of $1.8 billion. The stock will list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "LLAP."

AE Industrial Partners

Perhaps more widely known for acquisitions, this investment firm also helped take space infrastructure company Redwire to the public markets in September through a SPAC merger. AE Industrial Partners remains a significant shareholder in Redwire.

For Terran Orbital, AE Industrial is one of several participants in a $50 million a private investment in public equity round to back that company. PIPE rounds are for institutional or accredited investors to buy stock in public companies below market price.

Terran Orbital will have links to other parts of the AE Industrial network after the SPAC merger completes, whereby it will enter into commercial partnerships with Redwire and BigBear.ai to work on artificial intelligence and space solutions.

Redwire was unveiled to the market in Summer 2020 after a series of acquisitions and went on to make more, while BigBear.ai launched in February to further commercialize its AI and machine learning offerings to help customers achieve what the company terms decision dominance.

Worth noting is that BigBear.ai also has gone down the SPAC route to become a publicly-traded company. That merger with GigCapital4 is slated to close in this quarter.

Lockheed Martin

Through its venture capital fund, the worlds largest defense company first financially backed Terran Orbital in 2017 to expand upon their then-two year partnership that included collaboration on Defense Department and NASA programs.

One year after that first backing, Lockheed Martin Ventures boosted its investment in Terran Orbital through a Series B funding round that also brought new investors into the fold.

For Terran Orbitals SPAC chapter, Lockheed will be one of the PIPE round participants and hence continue that partnership. Terran Orbital could also have access to $125 million in debt commitments from Lockheed and private equity firm Francisco Partners depending on certain conditions.

Lockheed Martin Ventures looks for companies whose technologies and business models present disruption not just to the markets they participate in, but also perhaps to Lockheed itself.

How has this particular find played out for Lockheed so far?

Lockheed has adopted our small sat architecture as their small sat architecture, Terran Orbital Chief Revenue Officer Marco Villa said in the investor presentation Friday. I mean it literally: we are their small sat offering to the global market.

Terran Orbitals other SPAC backers

Beach Point Capital was one of those new investors that contributed to Terran Orbitals Series B funding round in 2018 and is one of the participants in the $50 million PIPE round.

Terran Orbitals other PIPE backers to help take it public are Daniel Staton and Fuel Venture Capital, both from the world of private equity.

Advisers

Jefferies is serving as sole placement agent on the PIPE and exclusive capital markets adviser to Tailwind Two. Goldman Sachs is serving as financial adviser to Tailwind Two. Houlihan Lokey provided additional financial advice to Tailwind Two.

Jefferies is serving as exclusive financial adviser and capital markets adviser to Terran Orbital. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal counsel to Tailwind Two. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is acting as legal counsel to Terran Orbital.
WATERLOO  Soon, there will be more help for those dealing with mental illness and substance abuse in the Cedar Valley.

Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center in Waterloo announced recently it was awarded a two-year, $1.7 million grant that will run through September 2023. A total of $825 million was distributed to 231 community mental health centers nationwide through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration via congressional appropriation.

The grant is the largest Black Hawk-Grundy has ever asked for and received, said Alyssa Fruchtenicht, manager of behavioral health services. It will be used to hire more people and expand programming for those dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues.

Over the course of this two years, we expect well over 400 patients to be able to be impacted by this program, she said. So were really excited about it.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of adults with symptoms of anxiety or depression in the U.S. increased from 36.4% to 41.5% between August 2020 and February 2021. Those reporting an unmet mental health care need jumped from 9.2% to 11.7%.

The center, in operation since 1950 and now a part of UnityPoint Health, will use the grant to hire two new community support specialists and a registered nurse, expand its roster of patients without insurance, increase school-based mental health therapy, add an extra day of operation for its peer support services at the Mental Health Recovery Center in downtown Waterloo, and more.

We know the needs are high  weve seen a lot of people increasingly access mental health services, Fruchtenicht said. The need for our services has never felt greater.

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MOLINE, Ill.  Union workers at Deere & Co. would get wage increases of 10% in the first year and 5% each in the third and fifth years under a tentative contract reached between the farm-equipment maker and the United Auto Workers union.

The workers would get 3% lump sums in the second, fourth and sixth years of the deal. They would also get a ratification bonus of $8,500 and no changes in the cost of their health insurance, according to a summary of the agreement posted Sunday on the union website.

The company and the UAW reached a tentative agreement Saturday that would cover more than 10,000 workers at 12 Deere locations in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas. However, a strike that began Oct. 14 will continue while workers review the terms of the deal ahead of a ratification vote.

Union members previously rejected a proposed contract that included immediate 5% raises for some workers and 6% for others, and 3% raises in 2023 and 2025.

The Moline, Illinois-based company reported $4.7 billion in net income for the first nine months of its fiscal year, more than double the $2 billion of the same period a year earlier.

A labor shortage affecting many industries also gave workers more leverage to demand better pay and benefits.

The new tentative agreement offers improved wages and benefits from the initial agreement, which was overwhelmingly voted down on Oct. 10.

Wages

Workers would receive an immediate 10% increase in wages in the first year and an additional 5% in the third and fifth years, according to the contract summary.

For example, a pay level four non-CIPP employee with an hourly wage of about $25.73 would increase to $28.30 after ratification of the agreement. From that wage, the employees hourly pay would increase by $5.09 over the course of the next six years.

In comparison, in the voted-down agreement, the level four non-CIPP employee would have received a total hourly wage increase of $1.31 at the end of the six years, about a 5% increase.

On the off years, the second, fourth, and six years, workers would get 3% lump sum payments. Upon ratification of the contract, workers would receive a $8,500 bonus.

The proposed cost of living adjustment would protect against inflation and adjust every three months with inflation. The first adjustment would be effective in December.

Health care

There would be no changes in the cost of health insurance under the new agreement. Workers would pay $0 in premiums, have no deductibles or coinsurance, and no changes in co-pays.

Union members would receive two weeks of fully-paid parental leave. The insurance would also cover autism care and vision costs, including exams, frames, and lenses.

New hires would receive health care coverage after 30 days of employment on the first of the following month.

Retirement

Current and future union workers would be able to choose between the traditional plus and choice plus retirement plans.

Both plans offer a defined benefits pension, an increased multiplier for monthly pension for each year of service and all employees would fully own their pension after three years of service. The retirement bonus for both plans would total $37,500 for 10-24 years of service and $50,000 for 25 years or more.

The traditional plus plans post-retirement health care fund offers a cash balance savings at 2.5% for one to four years, 3% for five to 14 years, and 4% to 15 years and over. There will also be $2,000 worth of seed money per year of service.

The choice plus plan is offered to all post-1997 employees. It includes a dollar for dollar 401(k) match up to 6% for 2022, then $0.70-$1 match for each year after. The specific match amount would be determined based on company profits. The company also will contribute 5% of employees annual wages to their 401(k).

In comparison, the last agreement stated that those hired before 1997 have a full pension and health care plan when they retire. Those who joined the company after 1997 have a smaller pension and a 401(k), but no health care. Under the original proposed contract that was voted down, those hired on or after Nov. 1 would only have a 401(k).

Those hired before 1997 still have greater benefits than the ones proposed in the most recent tentative agreement.

Voting

Ratification voting will take place in-person from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the National Cattle Congress grounds, according to a Local 838 Facebook post.

Strike duties will be suspended for the duration of the voting window, but will resume after 2 p.m. until ballots are counted for all 11 locals. If the contract is ratified, the strike will end with the notification of results.

Courier reporter Jeff Reinitz contributed to this story.

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DES MOINES  A shortage of willing workers was an issue before COVID-19 reached Iowa. The pandemic, business leaders say, exacerbated the issues.

Policy changes to unemployment benefits have not yet boosted workforce numbers in Iowa, and businesses continue to search for workers.

The federal government made an additional $300 per month in unemployment benefits available to ease the financial pain of workers displaced during the pandemic. Some states, including Iowa, moved quickly to eliminate those extra benefits, saying people were choosing to collect unemployment checks rather than return to work.

But since those states stopped the aid, the workforce shortage remains. The 25 states that maintained the extra federal benefits until the program expired in September saw better workforce growth than the states that ended the benefits early, according to an analysis of state-by-state data by The Associated Press.

Policymakers were pinning too many hopes on ending unemployment insurance as a labor market boost, Fiona Greig, managing director of the JPMorgan Chase Institute, which used JPMorgan bank account data to study the issue, told The Associated Press. The work disincentive effects were clearly small.

In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds cut off the extra benefits effective June 12.

Now that our businesses and schools have reopened, these payments are discouraging people from returning to work, Reynolds said at the time.

But there has not been a significant increase in the states workforce or a dent in the worker shortage.

Since June, Iowas labor force participation rate has remained essentially flat: It was 66.6% in June and 66.8% in September, according to state data.

Only 6,500 more people were working in Iowa in September than in June, according to state data. Thats less than one-half of 1% of the total state workforce of nearly 1.6 million.

The states unemployment rate  4.0%  also was the same in September as it was in June, according to state data.

And the number of unemployed Iowans in September (66,100) was virtually identical to what it was in June (66,600).

Reynolds spokesman said the decision to cut off extra federal unemployment benefits was one element in the governors effort to address the workforce shortage. The spokesman also noted the number of working Iowans has increased two of the past three months, the number of Iowans seeking employment through state workforce development offices has increased 190%, and that the state is seeing some of the lowest number of initial unemployment claims in 20 years.

Iowas workforce shortage is a complex issue and the governor is focused on developing and implementing comprehensive strategies to resolve it. Ending (extra federal unemployment) enhancements was just one way to encourage individuals to return to the workforce in the near term, Reynolds spokesman Alex Murphy said in an email. The bigger opportunity is transforming the unemployment process to a re-employment system which is already underway at (Iowa Workforce Development).

Murphy is referring to recently announced changes to Iowas unemployment process, including requirements that Iowans receiving unemployment benefits conduct more work searches and work 1-on-1 with a state official to find a job.

These types of solutions will help meet our goal of more Iowans working, Murphy said. We want to be sure no Iowan who is receiving unemployment benefits unnecessarily remains on the sidelines. We cant sustain our highly touted economic recovery based on temporary enhancements.

Whether those changes are more effective than previous moves remains to be seen. Meantime, employers across Iowa continue to deal with a shortage of willing workers.

Iowa is in the midst of the most acute workforce shortage in a generation, said Joe Murphy, executive director of the Iowa Business Council, an organization made up of CEOs and top executives from the 22 largest employers in Iowa. While this has been a concern for businesses for years, the pandemic has pushed this to crisis levels in many industries.

At the root of this situation is Iowas lack of population growth. We need to recruit more people to Iowa from high-cost states, retain more of our graduates, and work with our federal delegation to pass comprehensive immigration reform, Murphy said.

Ron Corbett, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliances vice president of Economic Development and a former Cedar Rapids mayor and candidate for governor, also said Iowas stagnant population growth is an issue, forcing companies to get creative in order to attract workers.

Companies are trying to take remote work concepts and utilize people from outside the area, Corbett said.

As workers have found working from home frees up time to spend on other priorities, employers have often began to shift to some form of remote work permanently, or at least a hybrid between a physical and remote work environment, Corbett said. This expands the laborshed to all corners of the U.S. and even beyond the countrys borders.

But in Cedar Rapids, an industrial city with many manufacturing jobs, not all employers have the option to offer remote work, Corbett said. People who work in restaurants or as nurses, for instance, have to be physically present to work.

As another incentive, Corbett said, more companies than not are now paying well above $15  turning what once seemed like a long-shot dream among Democratic officeholders into reality as employers compete for workers.

Corbett pointed to UnityPoint Health boosting the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and Mercy Medical Center & MercyCare Community Physicians following suit soon after with a minimum wage hike to $15.25 an hour in December 2020.

Now that most businesses have pushed up wages to compete, those pay bumps dont give a competitive advantage, Corbett said.

Employers might then turn to other incentives such as signing or referral bonuses. Corbett said he has seen bonuses totaling $2,500 from area companies, which then might encourage workers to tell their friends and acquaintances about the perks.

Marion Economic Development Corporation President Nick Glew said the organization put out a survey to its business partners last week to identify common skill gaps in applicants.

Our idea was, are there any consistent shortcomings as far as training is concerned? Glew said. Could we partner with Kirkwood and leverage ARPA dollars to help upskill the workforce?

But Glew said the responses he has been hearing arent about training.

The responses have been, We just cant get bodies to walk through the door for these jobs, Glew said.

Glew thinks part of the reason for workforce shortages has to do with baby boomers retiring due to the pandemic.

I think theres a fair amount of that population that worked before the pandemic, but they could have retired before, he said. But the pandemic happened and they just didnt come back. And thats a large portion of the labor force. We knew these challenges would come, but it just came faster than we expected.

As companies navigate what returning to work looks like, employees want policies that promote flexibility, said Tom Banta, vice president of the Iowa City Area Development Group. Wage increases are also part of the discussion.

On the lower end of that hourly scale, those rates have gone up 30 to 40 percent in some cases, if not higher, Banta said. Theres certainly wage increases as one solution to this.

Banta said ICAD primaryly works with interstate commerce companies, and the conversation has largely focused on retention.

Companies such as CRST and the University of Iowa are working to engage employees who might be looking at other opportunities, Banta said. Retention is increasingly more important.

Target has focused on retention, offering flexibility and more hours to employees. The company also announced an initiative to offer workers free undergraduate and associate degree programs.

Josh Schamberger, president of Think Iowa City, said his son started working at Target in June. He worked part-time over the summer and now weekends during the school year, and has received two retention bonuses and an increase in pay during that time.

Schamberger said his organization has tried to be incredibly flexible with what employees need.

Banta said the goal is to have approaches that are proactive.

Im optimistic that were going to find our path forward, but its likely not going to be any one item, Banta said. Its going to be a combination of a number of different things, and were going to be learning as we go.

While some experts say early retirements have contributed to the nations labor shortage, not all employers in Iowa are seeing that.

At UnityPoint Health-Waterloo, there wasnt a rash of early retirements, said spokesperson Carson Tigges, noting it was about the same as in years past.

There may be a narrative that individuals who are close to retirement are choosing to accelerate that and leave health care due to the pandemic, but we dont have any data that supports that, Tigges said.

Teachers and school district staff also arent leaving en masse. Cedar Falls Community School District spokesperson Janelle Darst said the district has not seen a change in the number of early retirements, while Waverly-Shell Rock Superintendent Ed Klamfoth said he has seen no change in the early retirement rate.

At long-term care facilities, which bore the early brunt of the pandemic, early retirements dont seem to factor in. That was true even for the larger facilities like Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls, according to spokesperson Linda Bowman.

At NewAldaya Lifescapes in Cedar Falls, CEO Millisa Tierney said there were a few planned retirements since the pandemics start in March 2020, but she hasnt seen any increased early retirements at this time. But she would not be surprised if more employees began considering that option.

Nonetheless, finding employees to replace those leaving is still something NewAldaya struggles with.

The increasing challenges of workforce shortage, as we move from pandemic to endemic, further burdens our team members and the organization, Tierney said.

Cedar Falls Utilities also had not noticed a rising number of early retirements, according to CFU spokesperson Mollie Strouse.

Reporters Gage Miskimen, Marissa Payne, Amie Rivers, Izabela Zaluska contributed to this story.

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Things should be looking up for Democrats. Americans are flush with spending money. (They added at least $2.5 trillion to household savings during the pandemic.) Unemployment is back under 5%. As for stocks, the S&P 500 is up more than 30% from what it was before the pandemic.

Most every item on the Democrats social wish list polls quite well.

Nevertheless, Democrats are deeply worried about the governors race in Democratic-leaning Virginia and their ability to hold onto their bare majorities in the House and Senate. The reason is not honest disagreements over legislation. Its a small group on the left intent on slime-attacking Democratic moderates and scaring voters with their radical visions.

The bizarre part is that the lefties in the House number only about 17. Meanwhile, there are about 130 crazies in the Republican House caucus  crazy defined by their January vote to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Yet the right-wing media has succeeded in portraying the Democratic fringe as the partys leadership. This couldnt have been done without the help of the supposedly liberal media, always ready to quote, profile and invite on camera the most strident voices in the left. Were looking at you, MSNBC and The New York Times, whose journalists inhabit the same elite urban circles as the attention freaks.

The partys real political magicians get scant coverage. Abby Finkenauer managed to win a formerly Republican district in Northeast Iowa only to lose it in 2020 amid radical chatter about defunding police. Republicans were able to flip 15 hard-won Democratic seats, even as Democrat Joe Biden beat former President Donald Trump by 7 million popular votes.

Fox News and Newsmax will always find some obscure professor with a pointedly offensive critique of America to showcase as emblematic of Democratic thinking. Democrats cant control that. But they can impose penalties for their politicians who are too dense or dont care about messaging that scares the public.

Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represent districts so safe that Steve Bannon could win them if he had a D after his name. They do politically dumb things like attaching the term people of color to issues having nearly nothing to do with race, thereby confusing white voters who might want what theyre proposing, like universal pre-K.

As for people of color, most arent subscribing to the radical agenda, witnessed in the recent mayoral primary in New York City. Former police official Eric Adams won handily over the ultra-woke Maya Wiley, whom Ocasio-Cortez enthusiastically endorsed.

Guess what. Blacks and Latinos want public safety, especially at a time of rising crime. They also tend to be more socially conservative than white liberals, particularly members of the white liberal gentry.

Thats a big reason, Democratic political analyst David Shor says, for Democrats having lost about 2% of support among African Americans. Hispanic support dropped by 8% to 9%.

Some of it was all that socialism talk by the radicals. Cubans, Colombians and Venezuelans dont care for socialism. But there was more.

The (strikingly large) decline in Hispanic support for Democrats, Shor says, was pretty broad. This isnt just about Cubans in south Florida. It happened in New York and California and Arizona and Texas.

Democrats can hope that Trump continues to favor candidates seriously accused of domestic violence. The estranged wife of Sean Parnell, one of Trumps endorsements, has two protection-from-abuse orders issued against him. Parnell is now running for the Senate in Pennsylvania.

Democratic voters really have to think strategically. That might include raising primary challenges to candidates more interested in their Twitter following than securing real power in Washington. The very democracy could depend on them.

Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com.

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Update

I grew up without computers, let alone social media. I learned to use a mainframe computer while I was a university student; and I used my first personal computer when I started a full-time job. Over the next few years, I became something of an expert, even teaching computing to biology students. So, I kept up to date for the first 30 years of my life.However, the world has changed just as much during the subsequent 30 years, in a way that has at least partly passed me by.* Yes, that is right  I do not have a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account, and my mobile phone does little more than receive phone calls. I have, however, run two blogs (including this one), if that counts for anything.The point here is that I do like to think about where things are heading, even if I do not necessarily like to follow along. One thing I sometimes contemplate is the application of modern technology to the wine industry. So, the future of wine production and sales is of interest.However, the title of this post is somewhat of a pun, because what I am talking about in this particular case is (the future of) Wine Futures  the idea of paying for your wine now, after the grapes have been crushed, but before the wine has been matured and bottled, and then taking delivery of your possession at some time in the future. How will this century-old idea change in the modern world?The idea of Futures is very straightforward. The winery gets its money up front, so that it can spend the money on finishing the current vintage, and starting the next one. This is quite an appealing idea if you happen to be in the agriculture business, with new expenses throughout the year but income only once per year. In return, the customer gets to pay the current price, rather than the future price, as the latter is expected to be much higher. This is quite an appealing idea if you happen to be the one forking out the money, where it is often difficult to balance income with expenditure. So, both parties avoid the use of banks (and bankers) in the transaction!So, why aren't there more Futures markets in the wine industry? The most famous (and oldest) is thesystem in Bordeaux, although we are told that the system is increasingly used for wines from other regions, notably Burgundy, California, the Rhone Valley, Italy and Port ( Wine futures and en primeur ). I dont know about increasing, because it has been tried in some other places without much success. However, given the limited quantities of some burgundies on release, for example, buying them via wine futures is sometimes the only route to ownership. So, the idea is clearly here to stay.Mind you, pay now / receive later does notbenefit the buyer. The How (and why) to buy wine futures ) notes an example of each possible outcome  some parts of the 2000 Bordeaux vintage are now valued at double or triple their release prices, while the all-time high en primeur prices of the 2010 Bordeaux vintage have not held up at all (current wines are now available for well below their release prices).What has all of this got to do with the? Well, the latter is simply an electronic ledger, in which all changes can be made only in public (in computer terms, it is a distributed ledger). This is clearly a potential tool for Futures, which require both a certificate of authenticity and a certificate of ownership (of the wine). Indeed, the same thing can be said of all fine wine sales, especially on the secondary market. Fine wine is said to currently be a hot investment ; and a standardized way of demonstrating authenticity and ownership clearly has a role to play. The blockchain seems to be a good candidate.The blockchain was invented as part of the development of the first successful cryptocurrency ( Bitcoin ). However, its application extends far beyond cryptocurrencies, irrespective of your attitude towards such non-government coinage . An electronic ledger can be used anywhere that a ledger is required. For example, it can also be used for contracts, in which case a trustee is not needed (and it is thus called a smart contract), as well as supply-chain management, anti-counterfeiting, etc. These days, companies offering blockchain services are proliferating.An important distinction is that a cryptocurrency is a Fungible Token, which means that one coin can be exchanged for any other coin of the same type  each entry in the ledger refers to one of a large set of interchangeable items. A Non Fungible Token (NFT), on the other hand, is absolutely unique  each entry in the ledger refers to one thing and one thing only (ie. the tokens are non-interchangeable). NFTs are therefore what we are interested in for investments (whether it be in art, or land, or wine), or any other sort of financial service.So, using NFTS on a blockchain would be one way to bring the Futures (en primeur) system into the 21st century.But who would be using it? Given that the Futures approach is not usually used by ordinary wine drinkers, the potential market is presumably investors, and the rich in general, as well as the wine trade, in the broadest sense. In this regard, it is important to note that an electronic ledger details the entire history of the NFT in a verified and public manner; and it can contain whatever information is desired, in this case including, but not limited to, things like grape provenance and wine storage conditions.There is at least one old-style example of using the Futures approach for individual wines for the general public, as well as the trade. Way back in 1977, the Saltram winery (in the Barossa Valley, Australia) decided not to fund the 1978 vintage, due to a fruit surplus. The winemaker at the time, Peter Lehmann, then literally became legendary, by deciding that this was no way to treat the grape-growers, all of whom he knew personally. So, he took out a bank loan, assembled the necessary equipment, and built a small winery to process their grapes. The first wine, in 1980, was called The Futures , because it was marketed on a pay now and pick it up after two years in the cellar arrangement, which was literally the only way it could ever work. When the money started coming in, naturally Peter made sure to pay the growers first. The high quality of this wine, incidentally, marked the beginning of the current resurgence of the Barossa Valley as a premier wine-making district.So, there are good precedents here. The way to find out how this works in the 21st century, of course, is to try it, by releasing some wine using NFTs. It should therefore come as no surprise that this is, indeed, happening. A short while ago, a PR release appeared noting that the entire Neldner Road (Barossa Valley) 2021 vintage wines are to be sold by NFTs ( Neldner Road winemaker Dave Powells vintage of the century to be sold by NFT ). You can read a bit about the wines on the OpeanSea NFT website. This seems to be a world first; and I will be interested to see how it goes.Mind you, this is not going to be cheap. Dave Powell, the winemaker, used to run Torbreck wines, and their prices were way out of my league. The current Powell & Son (now Neldner Road) wines are not much better, at $US 100-500 per bottle. If you want to buy the entire 2021 vintage, which you technically can do by purchasing a single NFT (rather than a set of NFTs), you will thus need the upper side of $US 9 million. [: you can now read more here: Aussie winemaker pivots from China to crypto ] [Later update: other wine NFTs have started appearing; Luxury vintage wine barrel to be sold as NFT Finally, what are the currently known downsides of an NFT? The main criticism has been the energy cost of the computing needed for validating blockchain transactions, so that they have a high carbon footprint. This is not a trivial issue, if the blockchain is to be a widespread part of the future.I wrote this post at least partly to prove to myself that I am not such an old fuddy-duddy as I sometimes think.* I am currently trying to set up a new iPad Mini, which is now such an automated process that it is impossible to sort it out the problem, when things are not happening the way the description says they should. I cannot set it up from my old iPad, because I was never given the option, and the messages say that I cannot restore from the old iCloud backup, nor update the iOS wirelessly. I am seriously considering putting the thing back in its box, and continuing to use the old one until it collapses completely. Thanks Apple!
World Nuclear Performance Report 2021 COP26 Edition

Download the report

Download previous editions: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2019 Asia Edition, 2018, 2017, 2016

Director General's Preface

This is a special edition of the World Nuclear Performance Report, released for COP26, taking place in Glasgow between 31 October - 12 November 2021. In the run-up to COP26 we saw growing political commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of this century. Anything less will mean failing to meet the goals set in the Paris Agreement.

New analysis in this edition shows that since 1970 nuclear reactors have avoided the emission of 72 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, compared to the emissions that would have arisen had coal-fired generation been used instead.

The UK COP Presidency has led the global call for an end to coal-fired generation, and this commitment should apply to all fossil-fuelled generation.

Soaring fuel costs and geopolitical scarcity are having devastating consequences for domestic, business and industry users alike, consequences that are particularly hard when many countries are trying to rebuild their economies after the COVID pandemic.

While gas may be not as polluting as coal, it is still a large source of carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Only a fully decarbonized electricity generation mix, supplied by nuclear energy working together with hydropower and other renewables, will set the world on a fast track to net zero.

The IPCC recently published the first part of its Sixth Assessment Report. This report confirmed what we have known for many years - global greenhouse gas emissions need to fall fast if we are to have any chance of limiting the effects of climate change to manageable levels.

More than half of the reactors permanently shut down in the last few years have done so not because of technical limitations, but because of political phase-out policies or the failure of markets to adequately recognize the value of on-demand, low-carbon, reliable nuclear power. This is a loss of low-carbon generation that the world can ill-afford to squander.

At the end of 2020 there were 441 operable nuclear reactors, with a combined capacity of 392 GWe. In total, nuclear reactors generated 2553 TWh of electricity worldwide in 2020, helping to avoid the emission of two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, which would have been produced if that electricity had been generated from coal-fired power plants.

Despite some reactors curtailing generation to account for reduced demand or to offer load-following services, the global capacity factor in 2020 was still high at 80.3%, down from 83.1% in 2019, but maintaining the high performance seen over the last 20 years.

The total capacity of operable nuclear power plants has remained almost unchanged for the last three years. In 2020, five new reactors started up, but this was countered by the closure of six reactors. Between 2018 and 2020 there have been 26 reactors permanently shut down with a total capacity of 20.8 GWe, compared to 20 new reactors starting up, with a total capacity of 21.3 GWe.

It is vital that the contribution made by nuclear generation increases to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels. In addition to its enormous contribution to low carbon electricity generation, nuclear energy can also produce low-carbon heat, which offers enormous opportunities to decarbonize other hard-to-abate sectors of the economy, such as hydrogen production, heating and cooling of buildings, industrial processes, fresh water production, transport and shipping. The operation of the existing nuclear fleet must be extended as long as feasible, and the pace and scale of new nuclear construction must increase.

Sama Bilbao y Leon

Director General

World Nuclear Association

29 October 2021

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Live results for Virginia are on this page. Use the links below for other Election Day results.

Virginia

There are races for elected statewide offices and for the House of Delegates, the Virginia State House. By winning the governorship or taking control of the House of Delegates, Republicans can break the Democratic state government trifecta. The Virginia State Senate will next be contested in 2023.

Polls close at 7:00 PM ET.

Governor

Virginia is the only state not allowing governors to serve consecutive terms. Democrat Terry McAuliffe is looking to reclaim the office he held from 2014-2018. Businessman Glenn Youngkin is the Republican nominee.

This will be the most closely-watched race in the country Tuesday. Whether or not it is actually the case, the outcome will be seen by many as a litmus test for Democratic prospects in 2022. If Youngkin prevails, it would mark a sharp reversal from Joe Biden's 10-point win here just last November. Additionally, Republicans have not won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009.

McAuliffe has led for most of the campaign. However, the race has tightened considerably in recent weeks, with education emerging as the dominant issue. In the days leading up to the election, Youngkin edged ever-so-slightly ahead in both the FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics polling averages. On Monday, Sabato's Crystal Ball moved the race from Lean Democratic to Lean Republican. Cook Political ($) and Inside Elections have it as a toss-up.

Also working against McAuliffe is history: In modern times, aside from 2013, the party controlling the White House has lost the Virginia governorship. There is also a third party candidate, Princess Blanding, campaigning on racial justice. While she's not likely to see more than 1-2% support, those votes are more likely to come from those who might otherwise have supported McAuliffe.

Lieutenant Governor

Unlike the top job, the lieutenant governor can seek reelection. However, incumbent Justin Fairfax (D) unsuccessfully ran for governor. The Democratic nominee is Delegate Hala Ayala, while the Republican nominee is former Delegate Winsome Sears. The winner will be the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor of Virginia.

In an era where ticket splitting has become increasingly rare, the results here will likely track fairly closely to those of the governor's race. However, in a very close election, as both these are shaping up to be, a small difference could lead to a split result. The last time this happened in Virginia was in 2005, when now Sen. Tim Kaine (D) was elected governor, while voters chose Bill Bolling (R) as lieutenant.

Attorney General

Incumbent Democratic Mark Herring (D) is seeking a third term against Republican Delegate Jason Miyares. In 2017, Herring was reelected with 53% of the vote, closely mirroring the 54% received by Democrat Ralph Northam at the top of the ticket.

Perhaps owing to incumbency, Herring has generally seen modestly higher support in polls that sample all three of these statewide races. (See, for example, this Suffolk University poll). However, this race has also tightened in recent weeks and could go either way.

House of Delegates

Democrats took control of the Virginia House of Delegates in the 2019 elections for the first time in over 20 years. The party holds a 55-45 edge. Republicans need to gain six seats to take back control. A gain of five would result in an evenly split House.

Chaz Nuttycombe, founder of CNalysis, a site that forecasts state legislative elections, rates the battle for control a toss-up. From his final forecast: "We have Republicans as the slight favorites to earn a net gain of 7 seats in the House of Delegates. That being said, many of these were tough calls, and that figure could reasonably be smaller than expected. Regardless, a GOP net gain is expected."

In terms of what to keep an eye on, Nuttycombe sees the 13 districts listed below as the most competitive. The seven in the first row are Democratic-held seats slightly favored to flip.

Rating Incumbent Party Districts Tilt Republican Democratic 10, 12, 28, 73, 75, 83, 85 Tilt Democratic Democratic 72 Tilt Republican Republican 66 Lean Democratic Democratic 21, 40 ,68 Lean Republican Republican 27

Select 'Change Race' to see live results for a specific district.
These enhanced subsidies will be in place through 2022. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), told reporters on a Nov. 1 call that, under the terms of the proposed Build Back Better social spending framework, this added financial assistance would remain in place through 2025.

More plans with lower premiums

According to CMS most consumers will have four or more health plan choices for 2022. In all but 2 percent of counties across the country, there will be more than one available plan. That's down from 4 percent of counties in 2021.

Four out of 5 health coverage shoppers will be able to find a plan for under $10 a month, and a single person earning up to just over $50,000 a year will, on average, save $240 a month in premiums, according to CMS.

More than 12.2 million Americans currently get their health insurance through the federal and state marketplaces.

More time to sign up

Though open enrollment ends Jan. 15 for consumers who get their coverage through the federal marketplace, in order for your coverage to take effect at the beginning of 2022 you'll need to sign up by Dec. 15.

There are three new state marketplaces. Kentucky, Maine and New Mexico join 14 other states and the District of Columbia with marketplaces of their own. In those states, consumers sign up for insurance through those local exchanges instead of the federal marketplace. You can still go to healthcare.gov to find your state's online exchange, and consumers in the new states should have received letters informing them of the change.

Six states and the District of Columbia have set their enrollment deadlines later than the extended federal cutoff: Massachusetts, Jan. 23; California, D.C., New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, Jan. 31.

Most eligible for ACA subsidies

The vast majority of consumers who apply for coverage through the ACA are eligible for federal subsidies to help defray the cost of their monthly premiums.

The ACA provides two types of financial assistance: tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies. Eligibility is based on income, and historically more than 80 percent of people who get their insurance through the marketplaces are eligible for subsidies.

For 2022, you are likely eligible for a tax credit for premiums if your annual income falls within these ranges: $12,880 to $51,520 for an individual and $26,500 to $106,00 for a family of four. You can also qualify for a cost-sharing subsidy depending on your income and what level plan you select. Marketplace plans come in four tiers  bronze, silver, gold and platinum  with the bronze tier having the lowest premiums but the highest cost-sharing for care, and the platinum tier having the highest premiums but the lowest cost-sharing.

Healthcare.gov has a calculator to help you figure out if you qualify for a tax credit and/or cost-sharing subsidy and the amount you may qualify for.

More help available

Brooks-LaSure says full funding for navigators, trained individuals who provide free assistance in picking an ACA plan, has been restored, so consumers should find it easier to get help selecting and enrolling in a plan than in recent years.

More than 5,500 assisters, including trained navigators, application counselors and others, as well as over 48,000 agents and brokers, will be available.

CMS has also relaunched its Champions for Coverage program, which includes more than 2,100 local organizations that will provide outreach and education about the marketplace and how consumers can enroll in coverage.

The ACA hotline (800-318-2596) is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Consumers can also find local help through the healthcare.gov website.

Dena Bunis covers Medicare, health care, health policy and Congress. She also writes the Medicare Made Easy column for the AARP Bulletin. An award-winning journalist, Bunis spent decades working for metropolitan daily newspapers, including as Washington bureau chief for the Orange County Register and as a health policy and workplace writer for Newsday.


Annual Report

Perth, Nov 1, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - BPH Energy Limited ( ASX:BPH ) investee Advent Energy's PEP 11 Gas and proposed carbon storage project at Baleen (Seablue1 well) offshore Newcastle NSW has potential national significance. It addresses both forecast gas shortages and the objective of Net Zero Emissions. Advent has committed all gas from the project to Australia domestic supply.Advent is a strong supporter of plans for Net Zero by 2050 and sees the company playing a direct role in achieving that target, especially for New South Wales.The NSW Business Chamber 2019 report "Running On Empty "confirmed :-NSW imports 98 % its gas requirements from other states ,a constrained national gas market will see further price rises for every household and business in NSW and inaction on gas and energy security are now holding the future of businesses in NSW to ransom, threatening employment losses and reduced investment. In NSW an est. 300,000 jobs rely on gas supply with gas supplying around 1.3 million households and 33,000 businesses. NSW's manufacturing sector, which is approximately 84% of the state's Industrial gas load adds $33 billion in industry value. Without addressing NSW's looming gas shortfall these could be at risk.The latest gas report from the ACCC has revealed that a supply shortfall in Australia's east coast gas market is increasingly likely and indicates a finely balanced supply outlook for 2022. However, as AEMO (Australian Energy Market Operator) has indicated in its 2021 Gas Statement of Opportunities (GSOO), Victorian gas fields are rapidly depleting. AEMO is forecasting an overall decline in Victoria's production of 43 per cent between 2021 to 2025.The NSW Government 'Future of Gas Statement' released in 2021 recognizes that as part of the energy transition, gas from a mix of sources will play a role in supporting access to affordable energy and business growth within NSW and notes the east coast gas market could face a supply shortage as early as 2023.The PEP11 gas project offshore Newcastle, if successful, could play a key role in meeting that supply shortfall. The gas price spikes and shortages in the east Australian gas market occur when there is high demand during the Australian winter. This period coincides with summer demand in the northern hemisphere also spiking driven by increased power needs related to summer heatwaves. The converse applies in the northern winter.To view the full Annual Report, please visit:About BPH Energy Limited

BPH Energy Limited (ASX:BPH) is an Australian Securities Exchange listed company developing biomedical research and technologies within Australian Universities and Hospital Institutes.

The company provides early stage funding, project management and commercialisation strategies for a direct collaboration, a spin out company or to secure a license.

BPH provides funding for commercial strategies for proof of concept, research and product development, whilst the institutional partner provides infrastructure and the core scientific expertise.

BPH currently partners with several academic institutions including The Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research and Swinburne University of Technology (SUT).
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Malibu, CA, Nov 1, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - In this segment of The Ellis Martin Report, we visit with David Cole, the President and CEO of EMX Royalty Corp ( NYSE:EMX ) ( CVE:EMX ), with an update on the company's projects in Turkey, Chile, Serbia and Nevada. Mr. Cole discusses recent royalty acquisitions from SSR Mining as well as a review of current and pending cashflow with an outlook toward 2022.EMX has now received the first of many, royalty payments from the Caserones copper-molybdenum mine in Chile.To view the interview, please visit:About EMX Royalty Corp

EMX Royalty Corp (NYSE:EMX) (CVE:EMX) (FRA:6E9) is a precious and base metals royalty company. EMX's investors are provided with discovery, development, and commodity price optionality, while limiting exposure to the risks inherent to operating companies. The Company's common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the NYSE American Exchange under the symbol EMX.
Americans have increasingly began to embrace Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a tradition that honors an ancient approach to death.

Dia de los Muertos is observed every Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.

Jorge Garcia, senior program manager at El Centro de la Raza at the University of New Mexico, said roots of the practice can be traced to the Aztec civilizations deep spiritual beliefs about life, death and the afterlife. He said they believed those who died were allowed to return to the living world for one night each year. Dia de los Muertos marks that return.

Garcia, who is from Mexico, said the Aztecs did not fear death or see it as a tragedy.

They (Aztecs) believed that this life is temporary and youre just moving through it to get to the next plane, Garcia said. Death, for them, wasnt the end. They did not believe that these people were actually gone. They had just moved on.

As society has changed, Garcia said, so has the way people celebrate the tradition. What began as an Aztec ceremony welcoming the dead back from Mictlan, the underworld, has evolved into families visiting their deceased loved ones at cemeteries and most recently to ofrendas, or offerings, also known as altars, inside homes, schools and businesses and at community events.

The celebration is widespread in Mexico, the former location of the Aztec empire, and as the Mexican people have migrated to the United States, they have brought the tradition with them, especially to the Southwest, Garcia said.

Many of the altars seen today share similar elements. Photos of lost loved ones are the main feature, but skeletons are a prominent theme. Garcia said the skeletons are not morbid, but instead are a symbol of transformation.

The marigold is another image associated with Dia de los Muertos altars. It is believed the flowers vibrant colors and powerful scent will lure and welcome the spirits, who are surrounded by beautiful flowers in the afterlife, Garcia said.

Other popular items that adorn the ofrendas are pan de muerto (bread of the dead), a glass of water, dishes of food, fruit, alcoholic beverages and candles.

Many altars also feature dogs.

The Aztec believed we should be good friends with dogs, he said. They believed it was the dog who carries you through the levels of Mictlan after death to your final destination.

While the purpose of the celebration is clear, the meaning of it is determined by the practitioner.

Ignacio Pardo began setting up an ofrenda 11 years ago as a way to reconnect with his culture and preserve the memories of relatives who have passed away.

I first started because I would see my cousin from Mexico doing it, he said. But my family here didnt do it. Over the years, Ive gotten into it more and more.

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Pardo puts up a large, seven-level altar outside, usually near the entrance of his home, to welcome his loved ones and light the way as they return to this world. Each level of the altar has a different meaning. He uses the top level to represent his religious and spiritual beliefs. On the second level, he places water and a mirror so the returning loved ones can hydrate themselves and see their reflection as they return.

The third level always contains salt for purification. The pan de muerto goes on the fourth level, followed by the favorite food and drinks of loved ones on the fifth level. Photos are dispersed throughout the altar, but the sixth level is the main section for them.

The pictures he includes are usually of family members and friends who have passed that year. But there are some constants.

I always feature my great-grandma and great-grandpa, who I never met, he said. The altar is the only way I know them.

Finally, the seventh level is the pathway leading to the altar, a place the dead will kneel, confess their sins and ask for forgiveness.

Terry Vargas started her altar to help process the death of her loved ones. She first encountered the practice in 1995 at an elementary school event for her son, Lawrence Charles Vargas, who was 5 at the time. That same night, she got a call that her abuelita, or grandma, had passed away. Having just attended the event, she said, it was so much easier to explain to her son about the womans passing. It inspired her to begin practicing the tradition as a way to make sense of the loss that death brings.

Her first ofrenda was just a candle and some photos. It grew every year, but she could never have imagined how important that practice would become.

In 2008, her son was killed in Downtown Albuquerque, shot in the back after trying to break up a fight. Vargas and her husband, Lawrence, started the charity Lawrence Charles Vargas Shoes-for-Kids & Acts of Compassion as a way to honor their son. It was the annual altar, though, that helped her channel her grief.

Its a celebration of life, she said. Its the belief that our loved ones, who lived on this earth and loved, live on with the people who love them.

She erects it in the front room of the West Side home, with a photo of her son as the centerpiece. There are skeleton figurines, a small dog, a small plate of uncooked pinto beans and a cigar box full of photos and memorial cards for friends and relatives who have passed.

Monica Thompson, a Roswell native, started an altar about two years ago as she began to explore her spirituality. She first experienced Dia del los Muertos in the 1990s during an extended stay in Mexico.

I was taught death is sad, she said. When I was in Mexico, we went to the graves and we shared food and drink. It really shifted my mind and view of death. There is not a distinction between our world and the next. Its a continuation.

Thompson keeps her altar simple, with a few photos, incense, a crystal and a cow skull with the saying Go behind me, Satan to ward against unwanted energy.

Some have lobbed criticisms in response to the growing popularity of celebration, saying it has become commercialized and misunderstood. Garcia said that can happen when something becomes mainstream.

Its great that the tradition is expanding but sad people dont always understand the meaning, he said. But anything that can help people feel connected and a sense of pride in their culture, even if its watered down, is a good thing.
As Albuquerque inches forward with a proposed Gateway Center for the homeless, it might be helpful for city leaders to emulate a multi-faceted resource center already in place aimed at a different clientele: The Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center.

The Family Advocacy Center brings resources together to help victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in one building. Multiple agencies such as the Domestic Violence Resource Center, New Mexico Legal Aid, Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico, Albuquerque Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Para Los Ninos coexist in the building on Silver SW. The Albuquerque Police Department also has an office in the building, filling out the array of services for clients.

Its no easy feat to have multiple organizations work side by side, day-in and day-out  they have their own priorities and rules, and are often competing for government and/or nonprofit dollars. But somehow FAC has made this work for 15 years.

An assault victim can go there for the exam and collection of evidence and also speak with a police investigator. SANE performs medical/forensic evaluations and provides support for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Para Los Ninos, part of the University of New Mexico Health System, provides evaluation, treatment and follow-up care for children and adolescents. Showers are available, as well as clean clothing that includes business attire. Survivors can pick up food and toiletries from the pantry. Advocates from the Domestic Violence Resource Center can help victims file restraining orders, while Legal Aid workers can help victims with legal matters. There are offices for the various agencies offering services, along with exam rooms, waiting rooms, supply rooms, play rooms and rooms set aside for counseling and interviewing.

We try to anticipate every need a victim might have, Bev McMillan, who manages the FAC, told the Journal. We can also help with temporary housing.

The center accepts walk-ins Monday through Friday during normal business hours; appointments and after-hours help are available as well.

Having an array of services available under one roof is similar to the citys goal of providing wraparound services at a one-stop shop for the homeless at the former Lovelace hospital at 5400 Gibson SE.

The citys purchase of the 572,000-square-foot building for $15 million was the largest investment in homelessness in the citys history, and it needs to be followed up with a services hub capable of tackling the homeless crisis in meaningful ways beyond offering emergency overnight shelter.

The current plan awaiting zoning approval is to begin sheltering up to 100 individuals and 25 families by this winter. FAC is a blueprint for coordination and cooperation  one city leaders could learn from while piecing together the Gateway Center services hub and operations plan. Theres no need to re-invent the wheel when one is already working well in Albuquerque.

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.
From mid-January to mid-March of 2021, many more New Mexicans than ever before watched our legislative hearings, assisted by the ease of participating online and by the COVID concerns that kept many at home. We participated in hopes of getting solutions to issues that we cared about passed into law. For me, it was bills to address climate change; for others, it was help for the homeless or disaster funding, or literacy or LGBTQ rights and more. But, what we saw were hearings dragged out by questions from opposing legislators (and) designed to delay, followed by more delays and filibusters when the few bills that survived came up for a vote on the House or Senate floors. And then, on March 20, the 60-day session expired, with many dozens of bills that so many cared deeply about left to die as the clock ran out. Behind those bills there were hundreds more bottled up in committee, starved by the lack of time to hear them.

This is what passes for standard practice in the New Mexico Legislature and it is long past time to fix it. New Mexico has the only unsalaried state legislature left in the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and its sessions are also some of the shortest. It was designed that way in the 1912 state Constitution for the benefit of the wealthy ranchers and landowners that ran the state. That, along with the short 30- and 60-day sessions, kept law-making power in the hands of those who did not need a salary, but could afford to travel to Santa Fe once a year to complete their business.

It is long past time that this system was changed, as every other state has done. New Mexico faces big issues and needs a modern legislature with better representation from its diverse cultures and communities, not weighted toward those who can afford to serve without a salary. Yes, many good legislators also hold down jobs, from which they need to request time off to serve. But why should we force them into that? We need to step up and pay the legislators we elect to represent us. A salaried legislature would attract a more diverse and representative set of elected officials because more could afford to serve. And they would pass better laws to benefit New Mexicans of all income levels and communities. They could also afford to stay in session for longer, perhaps 60 and 90 days, to get through the logjam of bills that die every year. We get the legislature we pay for. If we the people dont pay for it, someone else does, and their interests may not be our interests. Lets support a bill to set salaries for our legislators and join the 21st century.
APPLAUSE

William P. Lang is the recipient of Leadership New Mexicos Distinguished Leadership Award. Lang is publisher, president and CEO of the Albuquerque Publishing Company, which publishes the Albuquerque Journal, and president and CEO of Starline Printing. He served on the board of directors of First National Bank of Santa Fe, and is currently a trustee for the University of New Mexico Foundation and a board member of the Albuquerque Community Foundation. He is also co-founder of The Cinco Amigos, a group of five car enthusiasts who created and administer the Cinco Amigos Now and Forever Fund to improve the lives of Albuquerque citizens and public officials. He is also a supporter of Bosque School and Manzano Day School.

Laura Conniff is the recipient of Leadership New Mexicos Distinguished Alumnus Award. Conniff is an associated broker at Steinborn & Associates Real Estate, and co-owner of Leveldale Farms in Illinois and Conniff F Cross Farm in Las Cruces. She is a graduate of New Mexico State University and has served on the schools board of regents. Conniff is a director of 1st National Bank of Artesia and of Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas  El Paso Branch. She was a founding member of the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico and served as a board member of that organization for three years. She has served on boards for such other organizations as Western Bank and the New Mexico State University Presidents Association. She previously served as president of the New Mexico State University Foundation and Mil Gracias Society of New Mexico State University. She has served as co-chairman of the NMSU Aggies are Tough Enough to Wear Pink organization, which raises awareness and funds on behalf of Cowboys for Cancer Research. Her other philanthropic causes include Mesilla Valley Hospice, Borderplex Alliance, Kappa Kappa Gamma, the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and the Las Cruces Junior League.

Craig Allen, a longtime employee of the U.S. Geological Survey stationed at Bandelier National Monument, has received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor in the Department of the Interior. Allen was recognized for more than 35 years of federal service, sharing his expertise as a world-renowned authority on forest and landscape ecology. He established and led the Jemez Mountains Field Station, now called the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, that continues to generate ecological data. His documentation of the Valles Calderas unique landscape was crucial to establishing the area as a National Preserve in 2000. Bandelier is one of the most active and progressive resource-oriented units in the entire national park system. Allen retired this year, but continues to work as a volunteer at Bandelier.

Cynthia Rooney, chancellor of the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos, has received the Institutional Leadership Award from the International Economic Development Council. Since 2000, Rooney has been a part of the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos community as a faculty member, department chair, dean of instruction, and now chancellor and professor of business. She was nominated by the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce and Los Alamos MainStreet for her work supporting economic development in the region. In 2020, thanks to Rooneys commitment to advancing career pathways for underserved youth, the Department of Education awarded UNM-Los Alamos over $2.8 million in funding under the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program.

The Santa Fe Community Foundation has announced its Pinon Award recipients for 2021. Each of the recipients received a $4,000 unrestricted grant with underwriting support from Enterprise Bank & Trust. Awards and receipients are:

Courageous Innovation Award: Sky Mountain Wild Horse Sanctuary. This award honors an organization that uses a bold approach to solve a persistent problem in the community. Sky Mountain Wild Horse Sanctuary works to create healthy ecosystems for wild horses and to give sanctuary to vulnerable mustangs where they live free.

Quiet Inspiration Award: Communities In Schools of New Mexico. This award honors an organization that works quietly and respectfully among a wide range of people in the community. Communities In Schools mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and succeed in life.

Tried & True Award: School for Advanced Research. This award honors an organization known for consistent, high-quality programming, despite changes in the external environment. Established more than 100 years ago, the mission of the School for Advanced Research is to further creative thought and innovative work in the social sciences, humanities and Native American arts.

Visionary Award: Hermits Peak Watershed Alliance. This award honors an organization that can anticipate the unmet needs of future generations and has the stamina to achieve success. The Hermits Peak Watershed Alliance works to protect and restore the ecological and cultural heritage of watersheds in the Hermits Peak region through ecological restoration, environmental education and community action.

New Mexico Society of Certified Public Accountants has announced recipients of its awards as part of its 27th Annual Pride in the Profession awards program. Awards and recipients are:
Some dates are easy to remember. A graduation year. The year you got married. The year your first child was born.

Others are more difficult. I cant seem to recall when I first wrote this column. For my purpose in this column, a long time will suffice.

Some of you know me. Some may think they know me from reading this column for so many years. I will rely on both of these groups. I have a problem and need help.

I am not angry. I need to know why. What is wrong with me? Everyone seems to be angry with the tax law as it stands, or proposals they have heard about, or both.

Long ago, I heard a joke. What is the difference between Congress and kindergarten? Pause  adult supervision.

Unfortunately, this is no longer a joke. The body as a whole seems to be defined by ignorance. We are all ignorant of some things. Thus, its not so bad just to be ignorant. The other stuff is worrisome.

To explain the behavior we see, I had to find traits of a 2-year-old. The 5-year-old traits were too mature. Dont believe me?

Traits of a member of Congress: (1) selfish; (2) struggles taking turns; (3) not sensitive to the feelings of others; (4) spends much time in fantasy; (5) feisty behavior; (6) will resist your requests.

The bad news is  are you kidding? Did you not read the traits? The good news is  these traits tend to lead to inaction. So, bad tax ideas never get legs.

But lets temper that good news. Why cant we have ideas that lead to a good tax system? There are, I believe, several impediments.

Jimmy Breslin wrote a book about the 1962 New York Mets called Cant Anybody Here Play This Game? In 1962, there were members of Congress who could play the tax game. They understood the law.

Wilbur Tidal Basin Mills chaired the House Ways and Means Committee in 1962. Russell Long joined the Senate Finance Committee in 1966. Both understood the tax laws. Mills helped President Johnson (yes, Johnson) balance (yes, balance) the federal budget.

Long explained constituent views of tax policy as Dont tax you, dont tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree.

Longs quote is why we are all so angry. Republicans wont roll back tax cuts to constituent groups. Democrats cannot get traction to roll back cuts to state and local tax deductions (the SALT deduction).

From Longs quote, the you is angry, the me is angry. And no one can find the fellow behind the tree to pin this all on.

I am not angry. Only because I have come to see the whole mess as satire. And to understand politics has always been satire. From Dante to Shakespeare to Swift, writing about the absurdity of politics is nothing new.

So, calm down, folks. Its a mess, but its always been a mess! As Russell Long pointed out, people have always complained that they are the ones shouldering the tax burden.

The Mills-Long years were ones where great tax minds ran the Congress. However, they were not pretty times.

Medgar Evers was assassinated in 1963. John Kennedy in the same year. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy both in 1968, the same year we elected two crooks to run the White House. Crooked VP Agnew was forced out of office before crooked President Nixon.

Tax laws get better and they get worse. Just as we ended the decade of the 1960s by putting a man on the moon and watching the once-hapless Mets win the Series as the Amazing Mets.

Ive spent a career lifetime negotiating the tax laws. I wish I could tell you they were once great, and that they would return to that greatness.

As a tax writer, I can only repeat the words from a Stevie Nicks song. Id like to leave you with something warm, but never have I been a blue calm sea, I have always been a storm.

Waiting for a great tax law? The last words from Stevies song? And not all the prayers in the world could save us. Just dont be angry about it.

James R. Hamill is the Director of Tax Practice at Reynolds, Hix & Co. in Albuquerque. He can be reached at jimhamill@rhcocpa.com.
FARMINGTON  A new exhibition at the Farmington Museum at Gateway Park will mark the 100th anniversary of an event that changed the character of Farmington, transforming it from a small, agricultural community into a regional energy center.

Built by Gas: 100 Years of Commercial Gas in the San Juan Basin will open Nov. 12. The exhibition will cover the drilling of the first commercial natural gas well in the San Juan Basin on Oct. 21, 1921, just 1 mile south of Aztec adjacent to the current path of U.S. Highway 550 and how the energy industry has shaped development in the Four Corners region since then.

The exhibition was initially set to open Oct. 23, but officials said it was being pushed back due to unforeseen circumstances.

Museum director Bart Wilsey told the Farmington Daily Times that the drilling of that gas well sparked the first of many energy booms in San Juan County, one that also included oil production. He said oil wells drilled near Shiprock and Hogback in the 1920s produced such high-grade oil that it could be used as fuel for cars without being refined.

You could just burn it right in engines, he said. That was the first time that happened.

The discovery of oil and gas in San Juan County a century ago gave the Four Corners its start in energy production. But Wilsey noted it wasnt until a second boom came along after World War II that Farmington really began to experience serious economic change.

We talk about how the second boom is what kicked it all off, he said of the exhibition.

Wilsey explained that it was the construction of a natural gas pipeline by the El Paso Gas Company in 1951 that allowed gas from the San Juan Basin to be sold to customers in California. That prompted major growth in San Juan County as Farmingtons population skyrocketed from 3,500 people in 1950 to almost 24,000 by 1960.

Thats when things really took off, he said.

Wilsey said seven new schools were built in the city over those 10 years, but that construction frenzy still didnt provide enough classroom space to accommodate all the children whose families had moved to the area.

They had to have classes in shifts, he said. Some kids went to school in the morning, some in the afternoon. It was a crazy, crazy time in Farmingtons history. Thats when all the big oil and gas companies started looking at the basin as a potential business (location), and it just kept booming.

Wilsey declined to offer many specifics about the exhibition itself, noting museum officials hoped to keep its particulars under wraps until visitors have a chance to see it for themselves. He did say it will have a timeline built into the floor for visitors to follow, and there will be a 1940s-era recreated gas station. He also said it will feature some interactive computer elements.

Wilsey said there is no end date for the exhibition. Plans call for it to remain on display for at least two years. He said it will lead into the development of an even longer-term exhibition that focuses on Farmingtons history and the impact of energy development on the city.

The two really developed hand in hand, he said.

The public will be welcome to attend the opening reception. Admission to the exhibition and reception are free.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas  An East Texas man has been charged with murder after authorities say he stabbed his 53-year-old father several times and slashed his throat.

The Nacogdoches County Sheriffs Office said Sunday that Blake Foxworth, 30, had been charged with murder after George Foxworth died Friday at a hospital.

The sheriffs office said that on Thursday, Blake Foxworth had called 911 to say he had stabbed his father during an argument. When deputies arrived at the Nacogdoches home the two shared, they found the father on the couch and covered in blood.

He was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Tyler.

The sheriffs office said that Blake Foxworth was arrested Thursday at a neighbors home and was booked into jail on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities said that after his fathers death, investigators obtained a murder warrant for Blake Foxworth and served it to him in jail.

He remained in jail Sunday on bond totaling over $1 million.
What must it be like when anger turns to rage, then to violence.

But not with a slap, a punch, a push, a kick. Not with fists or knives or a gun, but with hands firmly around the neck, squeezing tighter and tighter.

You struggle to breathe, to stay alert, to stay alive.

Panic shoots through you, paralyzes you. You cannot scream. Blood flow through your carotid arteries slows, ceases. With no oxygen reaching your brain, you black out quickly  in about 6.8 seconds.

Death can occur within 62 to 152 seconds.

There may be no outward signs of the damage he has done. If you dont die then, you worry no one will believe it was as bad as it was. You may not believe it yourself.

But it is that bad.

If you dont die then, you are 750% more likely to be killed later by your abuser. If he has access to firearms, then 1,100% more likely.

Gail Starr ticks off the shocking statistics as she sounds the alarm about strangulation and its implications. All domestic violence is bad, and as a nurse with Albuquerque Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, or SANE, Starr has seen plenty of that.

Strangulation ratchets up the risk level significantly. Yet it doesnt receive the public attention it should.

It needs to be known by everyone that strangulation is a serious thing that should not be blown off, said Starr, who is also clinical coordinator at SANE in Downtown Albuquerque. Its a huge red flag. Its a strangler telling you, I can kill you and I will kill you.'

Stalking is also a red flag, she added.

I met Starr recently on my tour of the Family Advocacy Center, a one-stop location for agencies, including SANE, dedicated to aiding victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Two days before my visit, news had broken that the death of Gabby Petito, a young Florida woman whose fatal cross-country trip with her fiance became a national obsession, was ruled a homicide by strangulation.

The high-profile tragedy generated public discourse on domestic violence, and Starr said she hopes it can now be a catalyst for talking about strangulation and its deadly implications.

She is convinced that if law enforcement, the courts, advocates, medical personnel and survivors see strangulation as a key risk factor for homicide  including mass shootings, child abuse resulting in death and police killings  lives might be saved.

It could help how we identify cases with the potential to become lethal and how we handle them, she said.

More than one in four women who identified themselves as being in abusive relationships said they had experienced non-fatal strangulation, according to a study published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Starrs own statistical analysis of the domestic violence patients she sees puts that number locally much higher at 44%.

Yet it wasnt until 2018 that New Mexico classified strangulation as a serious violent crime. Before then, a defendant who strangled another could be charged with a felony if charged at all, but that charge could and often was reduced to a misdemeanor if a jury was not convinced that the persons hands can be deadly weapons or that strangling causes real harm.

New Mexico was the 46th state to make strangulation a felony offense. Ohio remains the only state where strangulation is a misdemeanor. In South Carolina, strangulation is part of other felony offenses but is not a stand-alone felony.

Strangulation gets short shrift in part because it does not always produce visible signs of assault and can be hard to prove, Starr said.

When I do trainings, I talk about how the stereotypes of scratches and bruises arent always the case and that only about a third of the cases show any external injury at all, she said.

With no obvious signs of trauma, police, jurors and the victims themselves can miss the significance of strangulation. That, she said, can lead to deadly consequences.

Compression of the carotid arteries, the major vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the brain, can create potentially lethal blood clots. The trachea can be torn. Both can kill hours or even days after the strangulation.

Even more deadly is strangulation as a significant predictor of future lethal violence.

The most dangerous domestic violence offenders strangle their victims. The most violent rapists strangle their victims. We used to think all abusers were equal. They are not, said Casey Gwinn, president of Alliance for HOPE International and co-founder of Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, from which many of the statistics Starr refers to derive. So when you hear He choked me, now we know you are on the edge of a homicide.

Perhaps the most crucial people to educate about strangulation are the victims themselves.

I had a patient who told me she couldnt tell police about her abuser because he would kill her, Starr said. And I told her, Honey, youre going to be killed even if you dont report him.'

What must it be like when anger turns to rage, then to violence, his hands firmly around the neck. You look into his eyes, the person you used to love, maybe still love, and what you see scares you. Your eyes show your fear, your terror, and you know he sees that, wants that.

And you know, you have to know now, that the next thing you need to look at is your way out.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com, Facebook or @jolinegkg on Twitter.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are using limes for a lot more than spritzing up gin and tonics.

The lab has applied for a patent on a new method of extracting rare-earth metals from coal ash using water, carbon dioxide, high pressure and citric acid from limes.

The process, if widely developed, would serve two purposes, said Guangping Xu, a senior technical staff member at Sandia whose research led to the pending patent.

First, its a new way to clean up the residue left from burning coal, which is plentiful. Xu said there is estimated to be 3 billion tons of coal ash spread across the country, and the U.S. will produce about 100 million additional tons of it a year. Secondly, the extraction of rare-earth metals, or elements, is a national security issue because the vast majority of those valuable metals used in America are imported from China.

Xu said those 17 elements  which include cerium, promethium and thulium  are needed for their magnetic, conductive and florescent properties. They are used in making anything from electronics and communication equipment to wind turbines, he said. A Sandia document on the patent application said in 2019 the country imported about $160 million of those metals.

They make a lot of the products you buy and depend on everyday better, said Mark Rigali, a principal member of technical staff at Sandia involved in the research. Better colors in your LED TV, and they have a large variety of military applications in many weapons systems, so they are very important to national security.

Sandia scientists have been working on the project for about two years, and the lab applied last year for the patent that is still pending. The research was funded in part through the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program.

Xu said if the research results ultimately lead to a product, he envisions a receptacle of sorts where coal can be loaded and mixed with water and citric acid. Then, when carbon dioxide and high pressure are added, the ingredients mix together and form a slurry, from which the heavy metals can be extracted.

The process leads to cleaner coal, either before combustion or after, Xu said. He said similar methods that exist today to extract the elements from coal ash use industrial solvents that become hazardous waste, as opposed to their method that uses an environmentally benign acid found in limes. Its also believed that the Sandia method will be more efficient at separating and removing the metals, Xu said.

That, the researchers said, allows the coal industry to recoup some of its cost for remediation.

You need a way to clean your coal ash, Xu said. With our method, you can clean your coal ash and at the same time be mining rare-earth metals.

Even though the country is trying to transition away from coal power to more renewable sources of energy, Xu said that coal will still be a source of electricity on the countrys power grids for years to come.

Even though we want to transition to clean energy, its not very easy, he said. You still need a lot of energy and renewables are only a small part. You still need electricity from other sources, he said. Our process makes coal cleaner.
BERNALILLO  Officials in a New Mexico town deny wrongdoing in the installation of a hidden surveillance camera in a police office used by a now-former sergeant who says her expectation of privacy was violated.

An attorney for the former Bernalillo Police Department sergeant, Monica Torres, has formally notified the town that Torres intends to file a lawsuit alleging violation of a New Mexico law requiring consent from at least one person in a recording, KRQE-TV reported.

Video obtained by KRQE showed a town worker installing the video camera in an air conditioning vent under the direction of Police Chief Broderick Sharp and a police lieutenant when Torres was on vacation in November 2020.

I freaked out, Torres recalled to KRQE about when an office visitor spotted the camera a week or two later. I had changed (clothes) numerous times in there,

KRQE reported that it obtained records of a New Mexico State Police investigation prompted by a complaint from Torres.

Video from the hidden camera showed a male sergeant shutting the door to change clothes inside the office, KRQE reported.

The State Police investigation ended by concluding that no crime had been found. The matter was submitted to the District Attorneys Office of the 13th Judicial District for review. That office said a special prosecutor would decide whether to file charges.

Bernalillo officials said in a statement that the town stands by its policies and would like to state that nothing improper was identified on our end.

Sharp declined to discuss the hidden camera with KRQE because it involved pending litigation, but he told state police agents that the installation of the camera didnt violate any rules.

I know for a fact it wasnt illegal, it wasnt unethical, it wasnt immoral, and these guys all have the (town) policy, Sharp told investigators.

While the office was generally used only by one shift sergeant at a time, Sharp emphasized to state police agents that the office was shared. Its not a private office.

Sharp told agents that he specifically requested placement of a camera with audio in the office because hed heard there had been problems of theft and fighting in the office.

Torres was fired by Bernalillo after the camera incident over allegedly failing to search a suspect and mischarging that person.

She denies the allegations and is now a Torrance County deputy.
KENOSHA, Wis.  A jury was selected in a single day Monday for the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the young, aspiring police officer who shot three people while they were out on the streets of Kenosha during a protest against racial injustice last year.

Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday morning.

The jury in the politically charged case must decide whether Rittenhouse acted in self-defense, as his lawyers claim, or was engaged in vigilantism when the 17-year-old opened fire with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle in August 2020, killing two men and wounding a third.

In an all-day session that ran well past dark, 20 people  12 jurors and eight alternates  were selected. The judge said he would decide at the end of the trial which ones are alternates and which ones will deliberate. The 20 consist of 11 women and nine men.

Jurors were not asked to identify their race during the selection process, and the court did not immediately provide a racial breakdown of the group.

The seating of a jury moved along rapidly, given the sharp polarization caused by the shootings. About a dozen prospective jurors were dismissed because they had strong opinions about the case or doubts they could be fair.

Rittenhouse had traveled to Kenosha from his home in Illinois during unrest that broke out after a white Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back. Rittenhouse said he went there to protect property after two previous nights marked by arson, gunfire and the ransacking of businesses.

The now-18-year-old Rittenhouse faces life in prison if convicted of first-degree homicide, the most serious charge against him.

Rittenhouse has been painted by supporters on the right  including foes of the Black Lives Matter movement  as a patriot who took a stand against lawlessness by demonstrators and exercised his Second Amendment gun rights. Others see him as a vigilante and police wannabe.

He is white, as were those he shot, but many activists see an undercurrent of race in the case, in part because the protesters were on the streets to decry police violence against Black people.

As jury selection got underway, Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder stressed repeatedly that jurors must decide the case solely on what they hear in the courtroom, and cautioned: This is not a political trial.

It was mentioned by both political campaigns and the presidential campaign last year, in some instances very, very imprudently, he said.

The judge said Rittenhouses constitutional right to a fair trial, not the Second Amendment right to bear arms, will come into play, and I dont want it to get sidetracked into other issues.

One of the jurors is a gun-owning woman with a high school education who said she was so afraid during the protests that she pulled her cars to the back of her house and made sure her doors were locked. She said she went downtown in the aftermath and cried.

Another woman chosen is a special education teacher who expressed anxiety about being on the jury: I figure either way this goes youre going to have half the country upset with you and they react poorly.

Another juror said he owns a gun and has it for home defense.

One juror is a pharmacist who said that she was robbed at gunpoint in 2012 but that it would have no effect on her ability to weigh the evidence in this case.

Among those dismissed were a man who said he was at the site of the protests when all that happened and a woman who said she watched a livestream video of the events and wasnt sure if she could put aside what she saw.

One person was dropped from the case after she said she believes in the Biblical injunction Thou shall not kill even in cases of self-defense.

Prosecutor Thomas Binger also moved to dismiss a woman who said that she has a biracial granddaughter who participated in some of the protests and that she could not be impartial. Rittenhouses attorneys had no objection.

Rittenhouses attorney got a prospective juror dropped after she said she would find Rittenhouse guilty of all charges just because he was carrying an assault-style weapon. I dont think a weapon like that should belong to the general public, the woman said.

The start of jury selection was briefly delayed in the morning for unexplained reasons. During the delay, the judge played a mock game of Jeopardy! with prospective jurors in the courtroom, something he sometimes does as attorneys get organized.

Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, after Rosenbaum chased Rittenhouse across a parking lot and threw a plastic bag at him shortly before midnight on Aug. 25. Moments later, as Rittenhouse was running down a street, he shot and killed Anthony Huber, 26, a protester from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, a demonstrator from West Allis, Wisconsin.

Bystander video captured Rosenbaum chasing Rittenhouse but not the actual shooting. Video showed Huber swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse before he was shot. Grosskreutz had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse faces two homicide counts and one of attempted homicide, along with charges of reckless endangering and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

___ Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin, Forliti from Minneapolis. Associated Press writer Tammy Webber contributed from Fenton, Michigan.

___

Find APs full coverage on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
At a Georgia state House of Representatives hearing on prison conditions in September, a corrections officer called in to testify, interrupting his shift to tell lawmakers how dire conditions had become.

On a good day, he told lawmakers, he had maybe six or seven officers to supervise roughly 1,200 people. He said he had recently been assigned to look after 400 prisoners by himself. There werent enough nurses to provide medical care.

All the officers  absolutely despise working there, said the officer, who didnt give his name for fear of retaliation.

In Texas, Lance Lowry quit after 20 years as a corrections officer to become a long-haul trucker because he couldnt bear the job any longer. Watching friends and coworkers die from COVID-19, along with dwindling support from his superiors, wore on him.

I would have liked to stay till I was 50, said Lowry, 48. But the pandemic changed that.

Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. But the coronavirus pandemic  and its impact on the labor market  has pushed many corrections systems into crisis. Officers are retiring and quitting in droves, while officials struggle to recruit new employees. And some prisons whose populations dropped during the pandemic have seen their numbers rise again, exacerbating the problem.

___

This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Marshall Project exploring the state of the U.S. prison system in the coronavirus pandemic. Tom Meagher of The Marshall Project and Michael Balsamo of The Associated Press also contributed reporting.

___

There is no one thing pushing prison employees out in high numbers now. Some are leaving for new opportunities as more places are hiring. University of Michigan economist Betsey Stevenson pointed to the increased risk of COVID-19 for people working in prisons.

When jobs become riskier, it becomes harder to attract workers, she wrote in an email. By failing to protect prisoners from COVID, the criminal justice system not only created an unfair risk of severe illness and death for the incarcerated, but the increased COVID risk to employees has undoubtedly contributed to staffing shortages.

Unions representing prison officers in states including Massachusetts and California and at the federal level also claim vaccine mandates will drive out unvaccinated employees and exacerbate understaffing, though its unclear how big of an impact those rules will have.

There are dozens of reasons to leave and very few to stay, said Brian Dawe, national director of One Voice United, a nonprofit supporting corrections officers. Understaffing, poor pay, poor benefits, horrendous working conditions.  Officers and their families in many jurisdictions have had enough.

Employers from construction companies to restaurants are having difficulty hiring and keeping people. Nearly 3% of American workers, 4.3 million, quit their jobs in August, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But the stakes are higher in prisons, where having fewer guards means significantly more dangerous conditions for incarcerated people. And for the officers left behind, worsening shortages have made an already difficult job unbearable, many say.

In Georgia, some prisons report up to 70% vacancy rates. In Nebraska, overtime hours have quadrupled since 2010, as fewer officers are forced to work longer hours. Florida has temporarily closed three prisons out of more than 140 because of understaffing, and vacancy rates have nearly doubled there in the last year. And at federal prisons across the country, guards are picketing in front of their facilities over understaffing, while everyone from prison teachers to dentists is pulled in to cover security shifts. In recent weeks, reporters from The Marshall Project and The Associated Press have spoken with workers, officials, attorneys and people incarcerated in more than a dozen prison systems to understand the consequences of the staffing shortfalls.

The federal Bureau of Prisons says about 93% of its front-line guard positions are filled, with little more than 1,000 vacancies, though workers in many prisons say theyre feeling the pinch as others are conscripted to fill in for missing officers.

Asked last week in a U.S. Senate hearing about federal prison staffing, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, I agree this is a serious problem at the Bureau of Prisons.

Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco was working with the bureau to address staffing issues.

Inside prisons, growing shortages mean a rise in lockdowns. Restrictions that might have begun as a way to stop the spread of COVID-19 have continued because there arent enough guards to supervise activities. Some incarcerated people say they cant take classes, participate in group therapy sessions or even work out in the recreation yard or take a shower. That can force those in general population into de facto solitary confinement, and those already in segregation into near-total lockdown.

If we get rec once a week, thats a good week, said Anthony Haynes, who is on Texas death row in a unit that is barely half-staffed. We dont always get showers.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice did not respond to Haynes claims but acknowledged that staffing is a challenge in Texas prisons.

Before COVID-19, staffing was frequently impacted by economic surges and competing employment opportunities, said spokesman Robert Hurst in an email. The pandemic has exacerbated these issues. We also recognize that the job of the correctional officer is one of the most difficult in all of state government. He added that Texas has closed six of its more than 100 facilities in the last year due to staffing problems.

Kansas has cut job training and reduced supervision for people after theyre released. Two-thirds of the men in Nebraskas prisons cant see visitors on the weekends  when most families are free to travel  because of understaffing.

Dr. Homer Venters, a former chief medical officer for the jail system in New York City, inspects conditions in prisons around the country for court cases. Understaffing will lead to an increase in preventable prison deaths, he said, as the quality of care reaches new lows.

Things are much worse behind bars now than they have been for a long time, Venters said. There are so many staff that have left. That means that basic clinical services, like getting to scheduled appointments, just isnt happening the way it was even five years ago.
RICHMOND, Va.  As he explains it, part of why Glenn Youngkin decided to run for Virginia governor was a feeling that the states beaten and battered Republican Party could do so much better.

Thats a polite way to put it. Since Virginia went blue for Barack Obama in 2008, Republicans have been on a downhill slide, the pace of which quickened during President Donald Trumps administration. The GOP, which hasnt won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009, saw its legislative majority melt away.

That long losing streak, and the unusually high hopes surrounding Youngkin, has made his race against Democrat Terry McAuliffe a high-stakes moment for the GOP. Some view it as the last chance to regain a foothold in an increasingly diverse and liberal state, before the party loses a generation of voters and a Southern battleground slips firmly into Democrats column.

This is the year a Republicans got to win that race, said Patrick McSweeney, a former chair of the Republican Party of Virginia.

The troubles that have sunk Republicans here are familiar well beyond Virginia. In recent years, either the partys hard-line base has backed candidates that dont appeal to the moderate suburbs or mainstream candidates have bowed to far-right positions. The party has also struggled to gain support from nonwhite voters.

But this year, the party nominated a racially and geographically diverse statewide ticket, and Republicans from all factions of the party appear to have rallied around Youngkin, a political newcomer whos proved to be a strong campaigner with appeal well beyond the far-right. Youngkin also appears to be benefiting as voters sour on a Democrat-controlled Washington. Polls suggest the contest, which will likely be the states most expensive governors race ever, is a dead heat.

Former Republican state Sen. John Watkins, who spent 34 years in the General Assembly, said he sees Youngkin as a marked improvement over the far right candidates the party nominated in some recent years.

Watkins said he expects Youngkin will be far more competitive than one of those candidates, conservative provocateur Corey Stewart, who lost a 2018 U.S. Senate race against Tim Kaine by 16 percentage points. Stewart, a onetime state chair of Trumps presidential campaign, ran as an immigration hard-liner and outspoken advocate of Confederate imagery, lobbed sharp personal attacks against Kaine and ended up shunned by some fellow GOP congressional candidates.

Youngkin won his partys nomination in May after campaigning as a conservative Christian outsider and making election integrity a top issue, allowing him to appeal to Trump voters who believed the former presidents lie that the 2020 election was stolen. He then mostly pivoted to other issues, promising to cut taxes and support law enforcement, and seizing on conservatives frustrations with schools over pandemic policies and race and diversity education.

His advertising has sought to portray him as an affable, suburban dad, and hes kept his distance from Trump, who has endorsed him.

That hasnt kept McAuliffe, who was in office from 2014 to 2018, from trying to make the case that Youngkin is an extremist who would roll back Democrats list of legislative accomplishments.

From the day he got into this race, Glenn Youngkin has run a campaign of hatred, division and fear, McAuliffe said at a rally Friday.

In just two years in full control of state government, Democrats have instituted transformative public policy changes: reforming the criminal justice system, loosening abortion restrictions, expanding voting access, legalizing marijuana and ending the death penalty.

Also on the ballot this year are races for attorney general and lieutenant governor, plus all 100 seats in the House of Delegates, where Democrats have a 55-45 majority. The Democrat-controlled Senate is not up this year.

For Democrats, everything is on the line, said Democratic Party chair Susan Swecker.

Swecker argued that Democrats are better aligned with Virginias electorate, which has grown more suburban, more educated and more racially diverse. Republicans have moved too far to the right, she said, opposing abortion rights, voting rights and making Virginia welcoming and open to all.

Youre playing in the corners, and that is not where the people of Virginia are, she said.

Even if Youngkin turns out to be a pitch-perfect candidate, Republicans face demographic challenges. The partys strongholds in the rural southern and western parts of the state are losing population. And while the state is growing more racially diverse, the Virginia GOP remains overwhelmingly white. In 2020, roughly 87% of all Trump voters in Virginia were white, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate.

Youngkin discussed the partys recent losing record in an interview with The Associated Press when asked what led him to politics after retiring from a lucrative career in private equity.

He said he didnt like the direction Virginia was heading under one-party control and saw this year as an opportunity for the GOP to offer a real challenge.

You know the stats. I mean, we havent won a statewide election since Bob McDonnell, he said, a reference to the 2009 governors race.

One illustration of how Democrats and Republicans have fared in Virginia in recent years is the parties headquarters.

The Democrats office is located in a stylish downtown Richmond office building, close to the state Capitol.

The Republicans, meanwhile, have set up shop in a modest building about a mile away on the fringe of downtown, sandwiched between a deli and a hair salon.

The last four years have been particularly demoralizing, said Shaun Kenney, a former executive director of the party.

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel disputed any notion that the state party isnt in fighting shape. She said the national party has been investing in the state, with 100 paid staff on the ground and 13 offices opened for the election. But she acknowledged that a victory Tuesday would give state Republicans a big boost.

Paul Goldman, a former state Democratic Party chair, said the election will offer insight on how blue Virginias electorate really is. If McAuliffe is able to overcome a fresh candidate with unlimited money, then either Republicans are going to have to change their game or they will only win when the public is really sour on the Democrats, he said.

McSweeney agreed that his party would have a tough road ahead if Youngkin doesnt pull off a victory on Tuesday.

If Glenn cant win, then its going to be very difficult to win in the future for a number of reasons. But principally because people are not going to be as interested in throwing their resources and energy and time into it, he said.

___

Associated Press writer Steve Peoples contributed to this report.
DENVER  Three police officers and two paramedics indicted on manslaughter and other charges in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain in Colorado appeared in court Monday for the first time since being charged.

Officers Randy Roedema, Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt and fire department paramedic Jeremy Cooper and fire Lt. Peter Cichuniec each took turns standing before Judge Priscilla Loew with their lawyers in a courtroom in Brighton. As McClains mother, Sheneen McClain, watched from the gallery with her lawyers, each waived a reading of the charges and penalties they face. None were asked to speak.

Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, died after being put into a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative in the Denver suburb of Aurora. He never regained consciousness and was later declared brain dead at a hospital.

His death received renewed attention amid a national outcry against racial injustice last year.

Family and friends described McClain, a massage therapist, as a gentle and kind introvert who volunteered to play his violin to comfort cats at an animal shelter. His pleading words to police captured on body camera video, including Im just different, have become well known and invoked by those protesting his death.

While the former district attorney said he could not file charges because an autopsy could not determine how McClain died, the officers and paramedics were indicted by a grand jury this summer over a year after Gov. Jared Polis ordered Attorney General Phil Weiser to open a criminal investigation into the case.

Loew granted permission for lawyers to file motions about the grand jury process before the defendants next court date on Jan. 7, when they are scheduled to enter pleas to the charges. The lawyers did not explain what issues they planned to raise but one of Sheneen McClains lawyer, Qusair Mohamedbhai, said he expected them to ask Loew to review the grand jury transcript and make sure jurors found probable cause for the charges.

Sheneen McClain said being in court was difficult but it was something she had to do as part of the process of getting justice for her son. She said the defendants did not look at her in court and called them cowards.

Cichuniec requested and was granted permission by the judge to be able to travel though the reason was not discussed. Sheneen McClain said he wanted be able to visit family, a request she opposed as a victim in the case.

Elijah didnt get to go home. Every request that Elijah made that made sense, they refused, she said.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  John A. Garcia, a business leader with a background in city and state government, joined Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration Monday as secretary of the General Services Department.

His appointment requires Senate confirmation, but he can begin work right away.

Garcia, 63, joins the Cabinet of Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, after working as executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico.

He also has a deep background in government, having served as secretary of tourism and, later, economic development under then-Republican Gov. Gary Johnson. He also led economic development efforts under former Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, a Republican, and at the University of New Mexico.

Garcia, who has a twin brother, Jim, also has worked in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

In a written statement, Garcia said that he will be committed to providing good customer service to other state agencies and employees.

The General Services Department oversees state purchasing, state buildings and the state vehicle fleet.

My experience in the public and private sectors will serve as the foundation for my leadership at GSD, Garcia said.

The previous secretary, Ken Ortiz, retired at the end of June.

Lujan Grishams Cabinet has faced significant turnover since she took office Jan. 1, 2019. Twelve of 23 Cabinet secretaries have changed during her tenure.

In a written statement, she said she is confident Garcia is the right person to lead the General Services Department, which she called the backbone of state government.
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Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Siobhan Donaghy will reunite for a 2022 music festival in London while Don Henley and bandmates have mapped out European tour dates.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - Sugababes are returning to the stage as London pop music festival Mighty Hoopla's first 2022 headliner.

The trio recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their debut album "One Touch" and will hit the stage on 4 June 2022 for a rare performance at the event in Brockwell Park.

"Mighty Hoopla proudly presents the return of @Sugababes," tweeted organisers in an announcement.

"Don't miss your original babes, the incredible @Mutyabuena21, @keisha_buchanan and @siobhandonaghy joining us on Saturday 4th June for their London festival exclusive."

Sugababes added, "We are so excited to headline Mighty Hoopla festival next summer. We can't wait to see you all there!"

It marks Sugababes' first headline performance in eight years; they last hit the stage together in support of their 2013 single "Flatline", released under the moniker Mutya Keisha Siobhan.

Mighty Hoopla will run across 3 and 4 June, with more acts to be added to the line-up in due course.

Meanwhile, Eagles have announced a string of European tour dates for 2022 as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations.

The rockers will play six shows across the U.K., Ireland and Europe next June (22), kicking off in Arnhem in the Netherlands on 17 June, before they hit stadiums in Liverpool, Edinburgh and Dublin

They'll wrap the trek with a massive outdoor show at American Express presents BST Hyde Park in London, featuring support from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, with more acts to be confirmed.

Elton John, Pearl Jam, and Duran Duran are among the stars set to perform at BST Hyde Park 2022, while Adele has also announced her long-awaited live return with a pair of outdoor shows.

Tickets for the Hyde Park show go on sale at 9 am BST next Friday (05Nov21).
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The television personality is having a new addition to her growing family with husband Spencer Matthews, a year after the couple welcomed their second child together.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - Irish model and TV presenter Vogue Williams is expecting her third child with husband Spencer Matthews.

The stars, who wed in June 2018, are already parents to three-year-old son Theodore and daughter Gigi, who was born a year ago.

The new baby is expected in the spring (22).

"Baby number three on the way!!!" Vogue said during a new Hello! interview. "This has been a lot harder to hide third time around, I feel like I've had a bump since the first month."

Spencer shared a photo of the pair and added, "WE'RE HAVING A THIRD BABY!!! If you'd have told me a few years ago that by the age of 33 I'd have three beautiful children with the woman of my dreams I WOULD have believed you because that was always the plan..."

The pregnant star plans to continue working during her pregnancy, "I'll probably keep working up until the baby arrives. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I wasn't working."

When she was back to work after giving birth last year, she brought her baby to work, "I'm not quite ready to leave Gigi for the day and I'm still feeding her so it's a little easier to take her with me for now."

She also weighed in on the downside of welcoming a child amid pandemic, "The only bad thing I would say is not being able to go and see family because my sister hasn't met her and neither has my brother.
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The stars of Marvel's new superhero movie have teamed up to host holiday parties for their castmates and co-workers while they were filming the blockbuster in the Canary Islands.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - The all-star cast of Marvel's "Eternals" bonded by celebrating Halloween and Christmas together before COVID shut the set down in 2020.

Angelina Jolie hosted a Halloween party and castmate Salma Hayek got everyone in the Christmas spirit while they were all shooting in the Canary Islands between 2019 and 2020.

"It was a pre-COVID celebration. It was really fun," Lia McHugh tells Variety, revealing she dressed up as an angel for the Halloween party, Gemma Chan doubled up as Uma Thurman's "Pulp Fiction" character, and Richard Madden went as a skeleton, while Lauren Ridloff and Brian Tyree Henry won best costume prizes for their "Midsommar" looks, and hostess Angelina came dressed as a giraffe.

Salma then hosted the cast and crew for a festive get-together, which featured an artisans bazaar set up by her and Jolie, where everyone could buy some Christmas gifts.

"We were so busy nobody could go shopping so we got local artists to bring their things and sell homemade things and handmade things. It was so lovely. They were there the whole day," Salma says.

The stars recently reunited at the movie premiere in Los Angeles but, unfortunately, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, and Lauren Ridloff as well as director Chloe Zhao needed to enter quarantine afterwards due to Covid-19 exposure.

Jolie quickly bounced back as she attended red carpet at another screening in London. She was joined by her children and daughter Shiloh stole attention as she stepped out in an altered version of the black-and-white Dior dress her mum wore for a "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" press conference in 2019.
Celebrity

The former drug kingpin, who was portrayed by Cam'ron in 2002's film 'Paid in Full', was killed in a drive-by shooting on a Harlem street on Sunday morning, October 31.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - Notorious drug lord Alpo Martinez has died. The former drug kingpin-turned-federal witness was killed in a drive-by shooting in New York City on early Sunday morning, October 31, police sources said. He was 55.

Alpo was behind the wheel of a Dodge Ram on Frederick Douglass Blvd. near W. 152nd St. when the shooter opened fire on his truck. Several gunshots exploded through his driver's side window just after 3:20 A.M.

He was shot multiple times in his arm and once in his chest, according to NY Daily News. He reportedly also had a graze wound on the left side of his chin. When police found him in his truck, he was allegedly gasping for air. He was rushed to Harlem Hospital, but couldn't be saved.

Alpo's truck rear-ended another motorist, who reportedly told police he heard the shots but didn't see what happened. The drug lord's Dodge Ram then crashed into three parked cars by W. 147th St.

Alpo's death sparked joy among the family of Rich Porter, his business partner and best friend whom he shot to death in 1990. "We waited for a long time for this day to come and we are happy. That's why we're out here celebrating, drinking champagne," said a 37-year-old niece of Rich who gave her name only as Lorell while pouring drink into a fancy glass. "Everybody's reaction right now is celebrating. It's a celebration for Harlem, period. Not even my family."

A group of six people, believed to be Alpo's relatives, showed up at the scene after the shooting. "No, God, why!" a woman in the group said as she collapsed onto the hood of a car and wept. A man in the group also yelled, "You mother**kers happy now?"

Alpo, who was portrayed by Cam'ron in 2002's film "Paid in Full", admitted in 1990 that he shot his friend Rich because he suspected him of cutting in on drug deals. He was charged for 14 counts of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison. He was released in 2015 after testifying against his associates and had since been living under a witness protection program.
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The death of the rising comedy star, also known as 'The Queen of Brooklyn', is mourned by her cousin and her fans, with many sending their prayers to the late comedian's son and family.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - Social media users are mourning the death of Nenobia Washington a.k.a. "The Queen of Brooklyn". The meme queen has passed away, with a person named Dupree Frederick, who claims to be the comedian's cousin, confirming the sad news.

"This is A Sad Sad Day I can't believe I'm writing R.I.P to My fam/ Lil Cuzzin/Lil sis Zenobia R.I.P," Frederick wrote on Facebook, sharing pictures of the comedy queen. "You Will be Truly missed May God bless your soul."

He followed it up by reposting a video of Nenobia from last year where she was seen going off on ISIS and asking them to stay away from America. "R.I.Paradise To My Lil Cuz / Sis The Queen of Brooklyn You will Always be missed This is F**kin me up right Now Love You Fam and my God Bless Your Soul Zenobia," he further expressed his grief.

Rap Alert also shared the news of Nenobia's untimely death on Sunday, October 31. "Nenobia AKA The Queen of Brooklyn/BK Tidal Wave's sister list confirmed tome that she passed away," so it posted on its official Twitter account.

No cause of death is given as of press time, but according to several tweets, the rising comedy star was missing since Saturday, October 30 before her family confirmed her death on Sunday. "Bktidlwve pprently went missing yesterdy, nd now her fmily hs reported tht she hs pssed wy. RIP the queen of brooklyn mn, she ws n icon," red  tweet. "Its not even confirmed bktidlwve/nenobie pss nd yll lredy mking rip posts bout her impct nd s**t for interctions, girl shut the hell up," nother ccount wrote.

Fans have since taken to the blue bird app to mourn the death of Nenobia, who left behind a son. "Plese tell me this news bout Bktidlwve isn't true," one fan tweeted. Another tweet red, "Rest in pece bktidlwve I'm sorry for her fm she ws  lovely womn."

"Our herts re with BKTIDALWAVE nd her fmily tody," Tidl tweeted from their officil ccount. Meanwhile, another person refused to believe the news until Nenobia's family releases an official statement. "People rguing nd creting fke ccounts nd plying with whether or not bktidlwve is ded, sincerely f**k y'll ply too f**king much I'll wit for something officil cuz nobody knows wht they're tlking bout," the said fan wrote.

Nenobia was featured on Paper magazine in early 2020 after she helped make Doja Cat's song "Cyber Sex" more popular by sharing videos of her dancing to the song.
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The 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star was held at gunpoint during a home invasion at her Encino Hills house while her husband P.K. Kemsley was in London for a business trip.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - Dorit Kemsley has broken her silence in the wake of the robbery at her Encino Hills house. "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star took to her Instagram account to share how she's coping with the terrifying accident.

"As you all know by now, I have been through a terrifying ordeal, one that no parent or person should ever have to experience," Dorit wrote in a Notes app which screenshot via Instagram on Saturday, October 30.

The reality TV star went on to say, "I've received so many messages of love and support and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's truly overwhelming." She added that her kids, Jagger (7) and Phoenix (5), "are unaware of what happened, they slept through it and I thank God for keeping my kids and myself from being physically harmed."

"My family now needs to start the healing process," the Bravo star added. "I have thrown myself straight back into work as I want our family to return to normality as soon as possible."

The Connecticut native fashion designer continued, "With the love and support of my husband, my incredible, family, friends, fans and followers, I am confident this is the right thing to do whilst I independently work through the trauma. I'm so grateful to the LAPD for their care and attention. Thank you again for all of your support. Much love, Dorit."

Meanwhile, in the caption, the Quinnipiac University alum wrote, "More than anything, I'm feeling blessed that my kids and family are safe. Truly grateful for the messages of love and support from you all who have reached out."

As for Dorit's husband P.K. Kemsley, he penned on Instagram a day prior, "I would like to thank you all for your kind words of support. Dorit and myself have been overwhelmed by the show of love." P.K., who returned to the U.S. after hearing the news, added, "We can't respond to every message ( I can't even respond to all the texts and what's apps). So I wanted to tell you all that we are doing OK."

Dorit was held at gunpoint during a home invasion on Wednesday night. Two of the three male suspects allegedly walked into Dorit's bedroom while she was sleeping, prompting her to wake up. "Don't hurt my babies. Don't kill me, I'm a mother," she reportedly begged the intruders, but one of the men apparently responded, "Kill her."

The robbers allegedly ransacked the house for 20 minutes and made off with all of her jewelery, handbags and $100,000 worth of her valuables. Thankfully, Dorit and her children were not harmed.
https://www.beyonce.com/Instagram Music

During his acceptance speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the hip-hop mogul also gives a shout-out to his other colleague, Kareem 'Biggs' Burke.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - Jay-Z wanted Dame Dash to know that he really appreciates the latter's contribution to Roc-A-Fella. Despite their legal dispute, the "Empire State of Mind" hitmaker set aside time to thank the record executive for his good work.

Jay-Z gave a shout-out to Dame during his acceptance speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night, October 30. "We was like we gonna create our own company, you know?" he first said. "That's Hip Hop. And we created this company called Roc-A-Fella Records."

"Shout out to Dame [Dash]; I know we don't see eye to eye, but I can never erase your accomplishments, and I appreciate you and thank you for that," the husband of Beyonce Knowles added. "And shout out to [Kareem 'Biggs' Burke], he's one of the most honorable people I've ever met. We created something that will probably never be duplicated."

This arrived after Jay-Z filed a lawsuit against Dame in June. The MC accused his former pal of attempting to mint and sell his "Reasonable Doubt" album as a non-fungible token (NFT). In the document, it was stated, "Dash is frantically scouting for another venue to make the sale... The sale of this irreplaceable asset must be stopped before it is too late, and Dash must be held accountable for his theft."

In the following month, Dame fired back at Jay-Z by filing a countersuit in New York's Manhattan Supreme Court. He accused the rapper of illegally transferring the digital rights to his 1996 classic from their shared Roc-A-Fella Records to his own company, S. Carter Enterprises LLC. Dame is now seeking a minimum of $1 million in damages over unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty, replevin and conversion.

When speaking about his legal dispute with Jay-Z, Dame explained that the entire situation is "corny." He further told HipHopDX, "If there's an issue, just call me. Why do I have to hear it? Why do I have to get sued? Biggs, Jay, call me and tell me what the play is but if you swing on me, I'm going to have to swing back. And when I say that, I'm saying now that I'm looking under the hood, it looks crazy, but I just do believe that I don't need all of this."
TV

The trailer for the sophomore season of the Netflix fantasy drama opens with Henry Cavill's Geralt walking through a lake with a monster flying over him.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - Netflix has finally unleashed the official trailer for season 2 of "The Witcher". In addition to Henry Cavill, the sophomore season of the beloved fantasy drama will see the return of other stars, including Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, Joey Batey and Royce Pierreson.

The trailer opens with Henry's Geralt walking through a lake with a monster flying over him. "Something has changed, Geralt. The world's acting strange these days," Kristofer Hivju's boar-man named Nivellen narrates the beginning of the trailer.

"The North and South [are] at war. Monsters roaming when they should be hibernating. Maybe it's the end of days," Nivellen adds. However, Geralt isn't really convinced as he responds, "I've lived through three supposed 'end of days.' It's all horses**t."

Due to coronavirus pandemic that delayed production, the sophomore season of the action-packed series arrives two years after the first season. However, fans of the show shall be glad as Netflix has already renewed it for a third season.

Recently, Henry discussed how the relationship between his own character and Ciri will develop in the second season. "For me, it was important that Geralt let go of his reluctance about his Child of Surprise this season. He has decided to take this particular path, so he will do it to the best of his ability," Henry told Sci-Fi & Fantasy collector's magazine.

Freya, who portrays Ciri, adds, "When she sees him, it's just that sense of relief-here, potentially is her future-and I think there's an idea of 'hopefully, I've found my protector,' someone who could potentially guide her in being able to defend herself in that world."

Eight-part season 2 of "The Witcher", which is based of Andrzej Sapkowski's "Witcher" books, will arrive on Netflix on December 17. Season 2 will also feature some new faces, including "Bridgerton" star Adjoa Andoh and "Killing Eve" star Kim Bodnia.
Pandora Cinema Movie

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the trippy film's release, Richard Kelly reveals he owes a big debt of gratitude to 'Inception' writer/director Christopher Nolan for raving about the movie.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - "Donnie Darko" writer/director Richard Kelly was sure the cult hit would end up on video store sale shelves after a disastrous debut at America's Sundance Film Festival in 2001.

Marking the release's 20th anniversary, the filmmaker revealed he owes a big debt of gratitude to "Inception" writer/director Christopher Nolan, who was one of the first names to rave about the trippy time-travelling movie, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the troubled title character.

"[The] Sundance Film Festival [premiere] was a rough ride. No one wanted to buy it ([film], no one wanted to distribute it. The financier didn't understand the movie, and we were scared it was going to go in the straight-to-DVD wastebasket. We got into cinemas by the skin of our teeth," Kelly tells NME.com.

Nolan's breakout film, "Memento", had premiered at the same festival in January 2001 and months later, when it became a hit for distributor Newmarket Films, he urged company bosses to pick up "Donnie Darko" as well.

"It's a huge, important gift whenever you have the support of your fellow filmmakers," says Richard, who also thanked Drew Barrymore for appearing in the film and helping him get it made.

"[Barrymore] was essential to the financing element. Her star power helped raise the $4.5 million budget."

However, the film boasts a famous scene, in which part of a plane falls on the Darko home, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in September 2001 meant no one was flocking to cinemas to see a movie with that storyline.

"Donnie Darko" went on to become a hit through DVD and TV airings over the years and did well in Europe too. Now Kelly, who hasn't released a film in 12 years, is teasing that he may be revisiting the project.

"Hopefully we'll have something to show people soon that will really blow everybody's minds. I hope to expand this universe," he adds.

A poorly received 2009 sequel, "S. Darko", which focused on Donnie's little sister Samantha, was not written or directed by Kelly.
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That isn't the only costume that Cardi has prepared for Halloween as the 29-year-old raptress posts a slew of pictures of her serving looks as Morticia Addams.

Nov 1, 2021

AceShowbiz - It's double trouble! Cardi B and Kulture Kiari joined forces for this year's Halloween. On Sunday, October 31, the "WAP" raptress took to her Instagram account to share some pictures of her and her daughter donning identical wicked witch costumes.

In the photos, the "Up" musician donned a plunging velvet dress which was designed by Garo Sparo. The outfit featured pretty details around the front part. Her adorable 3-year-old daughter also wore an identical costume.

They completed their costumes with long capes and signature pointy hats and broomsticks. The mother-daughter duo also sported similar dark makeup looks. "WE PUT A SPELL ON YOU AND NOW YOU'RE OURS. Thank [sic] @garosparo for our dresses," so the wife of Offset wrote in the caption.

Offset sent loves to his wife and daughter in the comment section. Meanwhile, British makeup icon Pat McGrath also commented, "BEEYONDDDDD!" Tiny (Tameka Cottle) also wrote, "That baby so pretty."

That wasn't the only costume that Cardi had prepared for Halloween. The 29-year-old posted a slew of pictures of her serving looks as Morticia Addams. Her outfit, which was designed by Natalia Fedner, was a sheer, web-like black number while her thong was visible.

In addition to the spectacular dress, Cardi completed her transformation as the matriarch of the infamous Addams family with an on-point makeup which included a blood-red lip, smoky eyes and slicked-down black hair. Adding the macabre nature of the costume, the mom of one posed with herses.

Chloe Bailey loved it, praising Cardi, "WOW BEAUTIFUL WOW." Another follower wrote, "You went crazy." One person added, "Omg you killed this."
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That aside, the 22-year-old femcee receives love for her Halloween post, in which she dresses up as Mariah Carey and Naomi Campbell as she recreates their iconic looks.

Nov 2, 2021

AceShowbiz - Latto (Mulatto) has so much to say to haters who mocked her appearance. The 22-year-old femcee launched a Twitter ran to clap back at those people for calling her "ugly".

While the raptress quickly deleted her angry tweets, she wasn't quick enough that people had a change to take screenshots of them. "N***s be on Twitter calling me ugly but asking if they can eat my p***y from the back in real life.. aww," so she tweeted.

She went to say, "Yo UGLY A** could never get near me anyways I sit on the same rich smooth long pretty d**k every night tf." In another post, she added, "All that Twitter hate be cap af I get soooo much love in real life n***as is ROCKInG shows ON GOD."

The "Big Energy" artist continued, "y'all got the white women 'Big Latto' jokes tho them be funny." The Ohio native also took time to defend her rap skills as she retweeted a snippet of her recently released "L.A. Leakers Freestyle" track. "N***as still saying I 'can't rap' after this & XXL."

Fans came into her defense after learning of her deleted tweets. "She get so much uncalled for hate! For nothing! She's super unproblematic! Leave her alone!!!!!!" one fan demanded. Another person noted, "She haven't been bothering nobody."

"Now who done called this Chile ugly! She is Beautiful & can RAP RAP," another user commented. However, one person insinuated that Latto should have ignored the hate comments, saying, "Some people really get 1000 compliments a day and never reply to them but respond to negativity."

That aside, Latto received love for her Halloween post, in which she dressed up as Mariah Carey and Naomi Campbell as she recreated their looks. The "B***h From Da Souf" raptress also channeled her inner Faith Evans as she paid homage to her and Notorious B.I.G.'s cover for Vibe magazine.
CHICO, Calif. - Halloween festivities were in full swing this weekend in Downtown Chico.

Action News Now spoke with Chico State students that were excited to see a return to more normal Halloween events.

It was very welcoming for sure because everyone was just happy to be out because last year we weren't able to, said Chico State student Angelina Espino.

Espino spent the weekend showing her friends from San Diego how Downtown Chico does Halloween.

"Chicoween as everyone refers to it, but it wasn't as crazy as the other years, Espino told Action News Now.

Still, the Chico Police Department was prepared for a busy weekend with extra police patrolling under their Halloween Operations Plan. They had marked patrol units, foot patrol and unmarked patrol units in service.

"I saw people getting pulled over all day long, said Espino. But I think that's a great thing though because it keeps our community safe."

The City of Chico had a Glass Free Zone ordinance in place for the weekend, meaning zero tolerance for open containers, minors in possession of alcohol and driving under the influence.

"It made me feel safer out too because I kept hearing how it could be dangerous during Chicoween, so seeing the police out helped me, said a freshman at Chico State, Hailey Maguire.

For freshmen like Maguire, it meant a lot to be celebrating with friends this weekend.

"It was kind of surreal sometimes because it was oh like last year we were all closed in, and we didn't know each other then, said a freshman at Chico State, Gabrielle Planells. "I am grateful to be out with them and feel safe around them. I love you guys!"

Chico Police Department made a total of 19 alcohol-related arrests between Friday night and Sunday morning. It encourages everyone to drive slowly tonight and be aware of trick-or-treaters.

Police will continue their Halloween Operations Plan through Monday morning.
As world leaders and policymakers prepare to gather in Glasgow for COP26, CNN will bring full coverage of the crucial summit across its platforms.

From Monday November 1st, as COP26 gets under way, Christiane Amanpour and Wolf Blitzer will anchor shows live from Scotland during the opening days of the summit.

CNNs chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, will be joined on the ground by Phil Black and Max Foster to tackle the stories emerging from in and around the conference. Kaitlan Collins and Phil Mattingly will also report from the summit during the visit of U.S. President Joe Biden.

Throughout COP26, CNN will draw on its international correspondents to bring key stories relating to climate and sustainability from around the world, exploring issues from drought and food insecurity, through to energy, biodiversity, plastic pollution, tourism and transport.

Reports from locations including China, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Colombia, Senegal, and the United States, will give audiences a broad picture of the many challenges mankind is facing, as well as some of the ways climate and environment related issues are being tackled.

CNN Digital will have complete coverage, analysis and special features in the lead up to and throughout COP26.

On Wednesday November 10th, midway through the summits second week, CNN will run Call to Earth Day, a day of action dedicated to conservation, environmentalism, and sustainability.

With a combination of TV, digital and social media-based coverage, alongside a series of unique live events, Call to Earth Day will see CNN partner with schools, individuals, and organizations across the world to champion those who are making a difference and inspiring positive change, raise awareness of environmental issues, and engage with conservation education.
Shouneel Charles has joined Outbrain as the Managing Director for India.

Before joining Outbrain, Charles was associated with Times Network for more than four years. He joined Times in 2017 as Senior VP-Digital and was elevated in 2019 as EVP & Business Head - Times Network Digital. He was responsible for leading the digital mandate, driving revenue, business strategy and digital growth and transformation of the television broadcast network.

A seasoned digital and media professional, Charles brings over 2 decades of experience in setting up digital ecosystems, digital news publishing models, profitable internet and mobile based businesses.

His previous stints include NDTV Convergence, Yahoo, Turner Broadcasting System, Star TV & American Express.
Wondrlab has helped craft a creative campaign that perfectly showcases the core philosophy of Stellar World School. The campaign flawlessly encompasses the well-rounded, learner-centric, and transformational education that Stellar takes towards preparing students for life through four ad films. The proposed IB school is all set to launch 3 campuses in Bandra(w), Andheri(w) and Goregaon(w) in Mumbai.

Expounding on the philosophy of Stellar World Schools belief that it is important to prepare students for a well-rounded life beyond academics as they face the world, Wondrlab has launched a thought-provoking four-film brand campaign that aligns perfectly with it. The brand films will have students of the proposed IB school surprising everyone with their knowledge of Life Literacies. The advertisements go on to reveal how Life Literacy skills at school empower students to become curious, resilient and global citizens. The prowess arms them to adapt and unearth the opportunities that lay for them in this ever-evolving world.

Wondrlab's Co-founder Amit Akali said: We are always look for chances that break the set protocol and bring in change that upgrades the lives of people, and Stellar World School is such a brand. Creating the philosophy of Life Literacy changes the dynamics of education and prepares kids to tackle real life situations. These ad films are encouraging, driving the message home while also establishing the impact of Life Literacy skills in the lives of children.

Stellar World School's Chairman Jesus Lall: We at Stellar World School believe that learning should go beyond academics. After 15 years of schooling, students shouldnt just be textbook literate. They should also be literate in world matters such as environment, about empathy and compassion, and in everyday skills such as accounts, taxes, law, arts, and nutritional wisdom. This philosophy was brought to life beautifully with our campaign in association with Wondrlab. The four-film campaign shows how Life Literate learners are ready for the future, and we are delighted with the results. We look forward to more such thought-provoking and creative campaigns with Wondrlab.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 01.11.2021 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), was in Geneva today. Alongside UN Geneva's Director-General Tatiana Valovaya and the Geneva authorities, he inaugurated Building H, the new extension of the Palais des Nations. Later in the day, Mr Cassis kicked off the Geneva Peace Week, an event that brings together many international cooperation actors working to promote peace and conflict prevention.

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis inaugurated the new extension of the Palais des Nations today, together with the Director-General of UN Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya and the Geneva authorities. The new Building H, which incorporates a number of Swiss made technological innovations, meets very high environmental norms and features modular workspaces. "When we laid the building's cornerstone in 2016, our aim was to provide a suitable setting for sustainable and forward-looking multilateral diplomacy. And we have succeeded," said Mr Cassis, delighted. He also took this visit as an opportunity to engage in bilateral discussions with Ms Valovaya, which focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on International Geneva, the 20th anniversary of Switzerland's UN membership in 2022, and Switzerland's support for UN Geneva's strategic heritage plan.

Geneva, a centre of innovation in diplomacy

Cassis then opened the proceedings of the Geneva Peace Week, also alongside Tatiana Valovaya. In his speech, he welcomed the opportunities created by digitalisation: "Technological innovation can play an important role in preventing and resolving conflicts. Digital tools help, for example, to anticipate the causes of war, to document violations of international humanitarian law, and to find missing persons." Cassis highlighted the innovative solutions provided by Geneva-based organisations, such as the cybermediation tools developed by Swisspeace, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, DiploFoundation, and the United Nations. Geneva hosts a great number of organisations committed to peace and facilitates cooperation with academia and the private sector. As such, the city serves as a location particularly conducive to promoting innovation in diplomacy. "Switzerland is seeking a 202324 seat on the Security Council, and this spirit of dialogue and innovation is an example of what the country wants to contribute there," said Mr Cassis.

The eighth edition of the Geneva Peace Week is focusing on four themes: the transformation of conflicts caused by climate change; inclusion and the fight against inequalities as instruments of peace; responding better to security risks; and using new technologies to promote peace.

Common commitment to International Geneva

Switzerland has an overriding interest in preserving and further strengthening Geneva as a centre for global governance. Switzerland's Federal Administration is pursuing this objective by working hand in hand with the cantonal and communal authorities. In order to coordinate this effort, Cassis met this morning with those responsible for this dossier at the local level  Geneva State Councillor Nathalie Fontanet and Administrative City Councillor of Geneva Sami Kanaan.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html




ID2020 has published a ten-point mission statement, which includes: "We believe that individuals must have control over their own digital identities, including how personal data is collected, used, and shared.

There is admittedly at this stage no mention here of vaccine status as an integral part of this new ID and GAVI is not named as an original participant although it is named in the article as a participant in an ID 2020 project taking place in Bangladesh in 2019. Naturally UN Sustainable Development Goal is affiliated to Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation . Again according to Wiki:

In May 2016, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the inaugural ID2020 summit brought together over 400 people to discuss how to provide digital identity to all, a defined Sustainable Development Goal including to 1.5bn people living without any form of recognized identificationExperts in blockchain and other cryptographic technology joined with representatives of technical standards bodies to identify how technology and other private sector expertise could achieve the goal

Of course, there was never any democratic stimulus for these initiatives: they started with corporate interests lobbying and infiltrating global and governmental institutions. According to a 2020 Wiki addition

I am returning to my article published exactly two years ago on Nov 1, 2019 in which I described some of the malevolent forces at play in global politics and predicted that the arrival of the new decade would be calamitous: I looked at the Global Health Security Agenda launched by Obama and then homed in on vaccine ID looking at the so-called ID 2020 Alliance (which brought together the vaccine industry cartel GAVI, with Microsoft and the Rockefeller Foundation (supposing these were ever entirely separate entities), and the European Commission roadmap - then just published - which aimed amid zero publicity to have vaccine ID passports in place for the Union by 2022 (although there is no description of any mechanism that would enable this project).

This latter assurance does not seem remotely credible, not least because we have seen all too swiftly how vaccine ID eliminates personal privacy and autonomy in one fell swoop, but it can also be tied to personal financial credit and face recognition technology . A vaccination ID scheme involving ID 2020 Alliance rolled out in Bangladesh in 2019 already included luciferase fingerprinting. Moderna have also been collaborating with DARPA on hydrogel nano-chip for incorporation in its Covid vaccine by late 2021. Meanwhile, Microsoft are working on a cryptocurrency system using body activity data for ID complete with a name of the beast serial number. It is idle for those who devise these more and more invasive tracking systems or for the UN to pretend that they are concerned for individual human autonomy, except to defeat it.

When I wrote about this two years ago we knew nothing about Wuhan or Event 201 (Global Pandemic Exercise) which took place on 18 October 2019 in New York, a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University (Center for Health Security), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Economic Forum a deadly coronavirus spread from pig farms in South America, wittily taking place simultaneously with the opening of the World Military Games in Wuhan. Should anyone think to detect a benign intent behind 201 they perhaps need to consider the souvenir coronavirus plush pillows discovered by Kim Rossi in video footage - while presenting catastrophe for global citizen the Center for Health Security were thinking cute mementos of the historic occasion. Equally I did not know about the veiled but manic conversation of Tony Fauci and Rick Bright at the Milken Institute on 29 October 2019 about events which might revolutionise medicine by facilitating the arrival of a whole new class of untested products, but it was all on its way. And there was that name ID 2020.

The ID2020 Alliance: The Global Totalitarian Project Hiding Behind The Vaccine Drive

These days history happens by stealth: the big shifts in power are often only incidentally reported in our mainstream news-media and can be hard to detect even by experienced watchers. Until a year ago almost no one had heard of the Global Health Security Agenda, although the project started in 2014 under the Obama administration and has already destabilised nations: something which is neither conjecture or conspiracy theory but easily established from public documents [1, 2] . Late last year I highlighted a column in electronic BMJ by J Stephen Morrison senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of its Global Health Policy Center" [3]:

The term "smart power" was new to me when I encountered it recently in a British Medical Journal blog as part of the new-speak vocabulary of J Stephen Morrison 'senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of its Global Health Policy Center". Morrison's article is interesting both because it discloses explicitly how 9/11 was made an opportunity to draw health into the global security agenda of the United States while failing to understand how such a move might result in the shattering of "consensus" and the post war "Western post-war liberal order": "smart power" even if it is smart is not "liberal" and will not lead to consensus. But it also spells out that the global vaccine program has become a covert instrument of US power. If Morrison by any chance laments the passing of the centre-left government in Italy, then perhaps the White House putting Italy and its health minister, Beatrice Lorenzin, in charge of global vaccine strategy was an error.

Morrison thinks it is a paradox but it is scarcely so if a government is seen to pursue coercive health measures over its citizens at the behest of a foreign power - even those who favor vaccination could be concerned at the state's new found powers over their bodies (which might also be indefinitely extended). If that was not so smart a political move perhaps the technology is not so smart either - as I remarked to Steven Salzberg a few years ago: "The unwelcome news is that the cruise missiles and drone helicopters of the war on disease often hit the wrong target, and the more cruise missiles and drone helicopters you unleash the greater the risk".

Frankly, no one knows what they are going to be injected with next. Smart bombs become too easily the agents of international chaos and mistrust: just so the smart bombs of the war on disease, both for what they can do to your body and what they can do to the political landscape, including destabilizing friendly governments. Smart power is also duplicitous: Italy is just the surrogate of the US. Why could the citizens of the world not have it directly from the mouth of Obama saying3 in effect your bodies are not your own and we inject into them what we like?.

But the heat was turned up again at the beginning of 2019 when the World Health Organization declared the vaccine hesitant to be a threat to world health [2], and the Global health terror over measles was launched despite inadequate evidence either for the spread, or the casualties[1,4-6]. Also, of course, pinned to the tails of the largely artificial measles scare, was the demand for compliance with a host of other products to combat other diseases. Implausibly, health officials continue to stick to the baseless proposition that a two-month old infant can benefit from unlimited barrage of biological products without risk of harm, and never seem to have heard of the concept of over-medication [7].

And just in the last weeks, without publicity, the European Commission have published a document designed to lead to a vaccine ID being attached to the European passport by 2022 [8]. What is perhaps most alarming about this is that none of it has come into place with any democratic mandate at all: Obamas manoeuvres were entirely executive, no one elected the European Commission and there has been no popular demand for such measures, in Italy one government was voted out having brought in mandates in the preceding months and another voted in committed to repealing them, and reneged on its promise. Where did it come from? Meanwhile, everywhere citizens who speak out are loaded with hatred and abuse by the mainstream media: journalists who were not there, do not know what happened, and do not know or apparently care about the complexity of the scientific literature.

But now from behind the scenes a consortium has emerged: the ID2020 Alliance with founder members Accenture, GAVI, Microsoft, the Rockefeller Foundation and IDEO.org [9], formed in 2017 with the apparent object of tagging every global citizen by the year 2030 [10]. GAVI in turn is in partnership with every vaccine manufacturer, and plainly global vaccination is at the heart of this agenda: it was also in 2017 the director of GAVI, Seth Berkley, who called for anti-vaxxers to be excluded from social media - which meant in ad hominem terms anyone who was critical of the vaccine program in any respect. Berkley, it may be remembered was nominated by the Mail on Sunday as the fattest charity fat cat of them all while GAVIs activities are heavily bank-rolled by the British government [12]. Whatever these people are doing it is well outside the scrutiny of the global public, and not all necessarily for their benefit.

There must also be a shiver at the inclusion of the Rockefeller Foundation. As recorded in Wiki [13]:

Beginning in 1930 the Rockefeller Foundation provided financial support to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics, which later inspired and conducted eugenics experiments in the Third Reich.

The Rockefeller Foundation funded Nazi racial studies even after it was clear that this research was being used to rationalize the demonizing of Jews and other groups. Up until 1939 the Rockefeller Foundation was funding research used to support Nazi racial science studies at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Heredity, and Eugenics (KWIA.) Reports submitted to Rockefeller did not hide what these studies were being used to justify, but Rockefeller continued the funding and refrained from criticizing this research so closely derived from Nazi ideology. The Rockefeller Foundation did not alert "the world to the nature of German science and the racist folly" that German anthropology promulgated, and Rockefeller funded, for years after the passage of the 1935 Nuremberg racial laws.

We may also recall (again from Wiki) the involvement in the Third Reich of another great American company, IBM:

As the Nazi war machine occupied successive nations of Europe, capitulation was followed by a census of the population of each subjugated nation, with an eye to the identification and isolation of Jews and Romani. These census operations were intimately intertwined with technology and cards supplied by IBM's German and new Polish subsidiaries, which were awarded specific sales territories in Poland by decision of the New York office following Germany's successful Blitzkrieg invasion.[2]:193 Data generated by means of counting and alphabetization equipment supplied by IBM through its German and other national subsidiaries was instrumental in the efforts of the German government to concentrate and ultimately destroy ethnic Jewish populations across Europe.[2]:198 Black reports that every Nazi concentration camp maintained its own Hollerith-Abteilung (Hollerith Department), assigned with keeping tabs on inmates through use of IBM's punchcard technology.[2]:351 In his book, Black charges that "without IBM's machinery, continuing upkeep and service, as well as the supply of punch cards, whether located on-site or off-site, Hitler's camps could have never managed the numbers they did."

Perhaps, late in 1929 (though it was a bad time) few could have quite imagined the dark misadventure on which the planet was embarked. Here we are 90 years on and we have to be alert.

[1] John Stone, 'Information and Misinformation: the Global Health Security Agenda', 5 March 2019, https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l981/rr

[2] Childrens Health Defense Team, 'Vaccine Mandates for Everyone - A Globally Coordinated Agenda', https://childrenshealthdefense.org/child-health-topics/health-freedom/vaccine-mandates-for-everyone-everywhere-a-globally-coordinated-agenda/

[3] John Stone, 'Smart Power: Reasons for Disaffection in Italy, and the Destruction of the Post-War Liberal Order', AoA 10 December 2019, https://www.ageofautism.com/2018/12/smart-power-reasons-for-disaffection-in-italy-and-the-destruction-of-the-post-war-liberal-order.html

[4] John Stone, 'Re Measles cases rise by 300% globally in the first few months of 2019 - how long is a piece of string' 17 April 2019, https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l1810/rr

[5] John Stone, 'Re Measles cases rise by 300% globally in the first few months of 2019, 23 April 2019, https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l1810/rr-3

[6] John Stone, 'Re: Philippines measles outbreak is deadliest yet as vaccine scepticism spurs disease comeback',26 February 2019, https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l739/rr-0

[7] John Stone,AoA Written evidence to House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry into Antimicrobial Resistance, http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/health-and-social-care-committee/antimicrobial-resistance/written/86156.pdf

[8] European Commission, 'ROADMAP FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION BASED ON THE COMMISSION COMMUNICATION AND THE COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON STRENGTHENING COOPERATION AGAINST VACCINE PREVENTABLE DISEASES', https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/vaccination/docs/2019-2022_roadmap_en.pdf

[9] https://id2020.org/alliance

[10] https://www.windowscentral. com/microsoft-universal- digital-identification-and-you

[11]https://www.gavi.org/about/ partners/industrialised- country-vaccine-industry/

[12] Ian Birrell, 'The fattest charity fat cat of them all: Foreign aid boss who has made MILLION out the 1.5billion handed to his charity by British taxpayers', 31 December 2016, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4078904/amp/The-fattest-charity-fat-cat-Foreign-aid-boss-MILLIONS-1-5billion-handed-charity-British-taxpayers.html

[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_Foundation

[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_and_the_Holocaust
Every emergency preparedness kit is just as different as the family who compiles it, says Red Cross regional communications manager Drew Brown, based in Peoria, Illinois.

There are, of course, the basics that every kit requires, and then you tailor it to your family including the four-legged members, she said.

When it comes to disasters, this time of year, she encourages people to think about fire prevention as the weather changes and temperatures fall. The American Red Cross of Illinois is called upon most often to assist in house fires, she said. She recommends making a plan of what to do in case of fire as well as ensuring your home has working smoke detectors.

The American Red Cross of Illinois serves more than 12 million people in 88 counties across Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, Brown said. Last year for example, it helped 9,135 people affected by 1,832 local disasters.

Red Cross information is among the resources Derrick Appell, board president of Altona, a Knox County village in western Illinois, uses to compile tips about emergency preparedness to post on his villages website every September during National Disaster Preparedness Month.

His community also takes other actions to be prepared, including applying for and winning a USDA Rural Development community facility grant of $18,300. It is helping the community get an emergency siren so warnings can be heard in all parts of the town. Altona also got two handheld radios to improve communication.

For Molly Hammond, the memory of an F3 tornado striking the village of Gifford in 2013 remains fresh in her mind. Her parents lived there at that time. It influences the Illinois acting state director of USDAs Rural Development when her agency helps communities navigate preparedness and recovery from disasters.
The conditions for the soybean market are similar to that of the corn market, but the dynamics are slightly different than corn. One similarity is on the production side where there will be a record U.S. soybean crop, and the second-highest U.S. corn crop, based on the USDA numbers from October.

We will set a new total production number for soybeans this year. If the numbers are right, this will be a record soybean crop year, but not by a lot, said Frayne Olson, grain marketing economist at North Dakota State University. Thats going to be hard for a lot of North Dakota farmers to wrap their minds around because we didnt have as good a soybean year as we were hoping because of the drought. But when you look at the national numbers, that eastern Corn Belt had some good yields.

Also very similar is that some of the risk premium that was in the marketplace for this unknown yield  what is this yield going to do  is starting to come out of the market. The market is getting a better read on what U.S. soybean yields are going to be, as well as the number of total bushels.

Were going to have a good year. But how quickly are we using these up? Given the very high soybean oil prices and very good, strong soybean meal prices, the domestic crushing industry is going to have a good year again, Olson said. Profit margins for domestic soybean crushers are really strong right now and theyre expected to stay strong.

Right now, based on what we know today, domestic crushers are going to have a good year. (The crushing industry) doesnt grow very rapidly, but its been chugging along every year and we keep adding more plants, which is a good thing, at least from a farmer's perspective, he added.
On Oct. 8, the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) issued a release confirming the detection of a herd infected with bovine tuberculosis (TB) in Blaine County. The confirmation came after extensive testing by MDOL and USDA livestock officials.

Bovine TB is a slow-progressing bacterial disease. Incubation of the disease can range from months to years and cattle often do not show any outward clinical signs. When symptoms do emerge, they are often discreet and present much like any other bovine respiratory illness. Bovine TB is transferred through close, nose-to-nose transmission. It can cross the species barrier and be transferred to humans with the main vector of such a transaction being raw, unpasteurized milk.

Due to its zoonotic potential, bovine TB is a disease that is regulated by the federal government. Although the disease was once more common in U.S. cattle herds, proper tracking and management has reduced its impact and now only about a dozen cattle herds in the country are diagnosed with bovine TB each year.

The current confirmed TB-positive herd is Montanas first in decades. The initial infected cow was detected at a processing plant in Minnesota during a standard post-mortem meat inspection, which every beef carcass is required to go through. During the inspection, officials closely examine the carcass looking for any abnormalities. The whole purpose of the inspection is to ensure only the safest, most quality meat is allowed into the food system.

As part of that post-mortem inspection, inspectors at the slaughter plant found an animal with lesions that were abnormal and looked like they could have been caused by TB, said Dr. Marty Zaluski, Montana State Veterinarian.
Charles Krause, a Minnesota dairy farmer, has put time into being a voice about sustainability practices at an international level.
One of the four owners of the Club West Golf Course said he and his partners will seek talks
Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. (1918-2008)

For even the most devoted Wokesters in America todaywhether true believers or camp followersall know America is in a realm beyond words. It resembles the type of heightened exhilaration before one hits the ground in the instant agony of sure death. A Thelma and Louise moment.

At such a time, and before our nation hits the ground, we may want to re-visit a complicated writer, loyal Russian, and American visitor for almost twenty yearsAlexandr Solzhenitsyn.

This is a man who loved his country but not his countrys tyranny. This is a man who embraced socialism and communism with his great mind and then turned on those ideologies once he saw them in practice. Stalin had him arrested and sent to labor camps in 1945. The Soviet Union exiled him for his writing and publishing, and he eventually ended up in Montpelier, Vermont. Solzhenitsyn was a complex, perhaps tortured soul. He tried his best to explain how both Russian and America got it wrong.

And so, what he had to say about American society in a 1978 commencement speech at Harvard University is worth noting.

Solzhenitsyn gave the country a good dressing down. America lacks civic courage. Americas foreign policy reflects weakness, cowardice, and a lack of manliness. Americans have become materialistic, irreligious, place man at the center of the universe, and have the hubris to think that the Western social construct should be exported worldwide.

Solzhenitsyn considered the American mass media to be nothing but a superficial purveyor of misinformation under the guise of freedom of the press. There is no such thing in America, he said; it is really freedom from a deep investigation. The reporting in America is superficial and hastily contrived. It creates mass prejudices, blindness, and self-delusion.

He said that America has lost its Christian heritage and has become soullessits form of rational humanism emancipates people from their moral core and creates a type of poverty of the spirit that allows evil ideologies to enter the society and take hold. He saw the signs all around. There is a decline in the arts in America. There are no statesmen of quality in America. When the delusional and unrestrained dont get what they want they loot and burn. We might add mob action for todays activistseven at weddings and in restrooms. Only a crowbar of horrific events can break open the minds of the deludeda Thelma and Louise moment or moments that will destroy all.

Solzhenitsyn would not recommend our society to the world.

This speech, remember, was given in 1978. He was living in Vermont with his three sons and second wife. Before he went back to live in Russia, he had educated his children at MIT and Harvard. In his memoir of that time, Between Two Millstones, Book 2, Solzhenitsyn admitted he admired the concepts he allowed himself to experience in America although he kept mostly to himself. He admired the local nature of things here. He liked the idea of our Rule of Law and our fierce protection of Liberty. He liked the New England sense of self-restraint.

Solzhenitsyn warned that if we continued our moral decline and allowed socialism to replace our free-enterprise system that Socialism of any type leads to a total destruction of the human spirit, and to a leveling of mankind into death. He warned us that the path we are on will lead toa realm beyond words. His colleague, Igor Shafarevich, put it this way: Socialisms goal is to abolish private property, the family as the organic structure of society, and all religion.

America is in the car at the edge of the cliff. The car is running. Will we gun the engine and fly off the edge to sure demise? Are there enough Americans with moral courage to take the keys away? Are there enough politicians to say no to both the bills now before Congress that are intended to destroy our society, the harm of which cannot be reversed? Has any religious leader the faintest remembrance of our deeply rooted moral heritage that places God at the center of mans responsibility and is ever vigilant lest the old deluder lead us astray?

Solzhenitsyns warnings to America were not well-received. His criticism of America was, in part, that we did not understand or respect Mother Russia. In fact, Solzhenitsyn did not understand America completely, either. His view that the 18th-century Enlightenment separated America from God is not accurate. The Constitution of 1787 rejected theocracy but acknowledged the importance of religion in the social structure by leaving religious matters, including the establishment of state churches, to each state. The Founders never intended a wall of separation between individuals and God. What has separated Americans from God is materialism and relativism. Solzhenitsyn was right about that.

Alexis de Tocqueville, 1831, says it succinctly: Liberty regards religion...as the divine source of its claims. It considers religion the safeguard of morality, and morality as the best security of law, and the surest pledge of the duration of freedom. Tocqueville also thought the invention of the township as another layer of local control one of the great gifts to the art of statecraft.

Perhaps the civic courage we need now is best represented not by politicians and statesmen, but by ordinary American parents, trying to save their children in whose DNA lies the best American traits of strength and morals. They will turn off the engine of our self-inflicted inclination toward cultural suicide and wrap a firm but loving arm around Thelma and Louise until they regain their senses.

We do thank this great man, however, for pointing out how we got to the edge of the cliff in the first place. What, one wonders, would he say about America in 2021?

M.E. Boyds Apples of GoldVoices From the Past that Speak to Us Now is available at www.amazon.com using the title and subtitle.

Image: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in 1974 by Verhoeff, Bert / Anefo. No copyright.

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Before parents consent to vaccinate their children against COVID, basic medical ethics requires that they be informed of how safe the vaccine is. Yet in a shocking on-video admission, Dr. Eric Ruben, an advisory committee member to the FDA, said this about the COVID vaccine in children five to eleven during an official FDA hearing: Were never going to learn about how safe the vaccine is until we start giving it. Thats just the way it goes.

No, Dr. Ruben, that isnt the way it goes. American children are not experimental subjects. You could and should have demanded more safety studies.

Despite the admitted lack of safety data, the FDA expert advisory committee went on to vote 170 for emergency-use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA itself codified their recommendation on Friday. This is a scandal.

The FDAs fundamental medical mission is a simple one. Its job is to make sure that our drugs, biologics, and medical devices are free of impurities; that they are safe; and that they have a positive clinical benefit. Given that the FDA is a public- health agency, and especially given the White Houses appetite for vaccine mandates, we depend more than ever on the FDA remaining independent and scientifically objective and on its advisory committee strictly adhering to its clinical and scientific responsibilities. Under the still commissioner-less Biden FDA, they arent, and this isnt the only example.

One of the problems is how the FDA advisory panels are composed. To serve as an outside expert at the FDA, the person selected cannot have even the appearance of an outside conflict of interest. Those conflicts obviously include having been employed by a pharmaceutical company whose drugs are under review.

Also excluded are scientists who have ever received funding from any pharmaceutical company in the form of research grants or speaking fees. Since publish or perish research is a core component of academic tenure, and research is very expensive, scientists may find themselves in a position of needing funding from private sources at some point, including Big Pharma.

Moreover, prohibitions on speaking fees preclude most top experts from FDA advisory committees because they are precisely the ones most in demand for talks at conferences. Consequently, the people serving on FDA committees are sometimes not the most well-informed individuals when it comes to knowing or even understanding the complex fundamentals of FDA regulatory affairs or the FDAs mission.

As a former FDA medical officer/senior medical analyst on the FDAs Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology, I recall that my FDA colleagues and I were more than a little puzzled to hear FDA advisory members asking elementary questions already answered at length during advisory committee meetings. It made us realize that they didnt fully understand the material placed before them.

Dr. Rubins comment during Tuesdays official FDA panel makes me realize that, despite his Harvard and New England Journal of Medicine chief-editor pedigree and acumen, he does not understand the FDAs fundamental safety mission. Neither does the rest of the advisory committee, which may have just followed Dr. Rubins lead because of his auspicious titles.

The fact remains that Americas young children are not drug-safety research volunteers, and the panels failure to address comprehensively safety concerns will only undermine its goal of mass vaccination of kids and getting their anti-vaccine or vaccine-hesitant parents vaccinated too. Because the Biden administration is fond of using the FDA as cover for its medical mandates, it is all the more important that the FDA produce comprehensive and conclusive safety data for public review before approving the vaccineseven if its for emergency-use authorization (EUA).

Image: Vaccinating a child by the CDC. Unsplash license.

The FDAs mandated drug-safety testing requirements have been around since 1938. Before that, the only requirement as of 1899 was that the list of ingredients on a medical container accurately reflects the containers contents. It wasnt until 1962 that the FDA added its mandate requiring a beneficial effect or efficacy.

A central question that the FDA seems to have ignored is whether giving emergency vaccinations to children five to eleven years old is needed at all, given that it is well-established that children are at low risk for serious COVID complications, especially with the dominant variant. What must also be considered is the availability of therapeutics with known safety records, along with mask-wearing and social distancing as alternate protective measures.

As is already known, the FDA still hasnt gotten around to releasing its medical-officer report detailing the FDAs comprehensive findings on safety from its August 23 2021 approval of the Pfizer vaccine. Despite that, this FDA advisory committee is comfortable recommending that parents administer that same biotechnological to Americas children without transparency on its safety. It breaks all FDA norms and practices to leap into this so blindly, especially when we are talking about children.

Emergency approval for young children is identical to the emergency approval of COVID vaccines for adults in 2020. We are no longer deeply embedded in the throes of the pandemic. Its unclear why we now need emergency measures in the form of FDA EUAs for such young children, with the exception, conceivably, of the most vulnerable children.

Leaving aside the bioethics argument and question of using our children as test subjects, whatever happened to following the science? What about the physicians centuries-old sacrosanct vow of doing no harm? What about the safety findings in adults the FDA seems intent on keeping under wraps?

As someone who has committed the past two decades of his life to drug epidemiology and drug safety, and who served as an advisor to the former FDA commissioner on the same topics, I rely on the FDAs objective historical standard requiring that drugs must be comprehensively tested for safety before it will recommend them.

The FDAs lack of drug-safety transparency is disappointing, as is the FDA panels abandonment of basic safety standards that have served us well for nearly a century.

With Bidens FDA and its experts like these, it sounds as if drug safety simply isnt a priority.

Dr. David Gortler is a pharmacologist, a pharmacist, and an FDA and healthcare policy scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. He was a professor of pharmacology and biotechnology at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he also served as a faculty member at the Yale Center for Bioethics. He was an FDA medical officer who was later appointed by the White House to serve on the FDAs Senior Executive Leadership Team as senior advisor to the FDA Commissioner for drug safety, drug epidemiology, FDA science policy, and FDA regulatory affairs.

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Thirty years ago, I was hiking alone on a section of the Appalachian Trail known as "Rocky Top" when I encountered two stocky young men. The thought occurred to me that they could easily kill me, toss my body in the brush, and get away scot-free.

Whether the thought occurred to either of them, I will never know. I passed them by with a brief nod and moved on quickly to the turn-off leading to my parked car. But I remained troubled, and remain so today, by the fact that I had been so completely at risk. I had been spared, but why? There was no practical reason why the young men shouldn't have dispatched me with a rock, stolen my wallet, and sailed me off the ledge. What restrained them?

Was it just the fear of getting caught? Or that I might be carrying a weapon, or might yell loudly enough to attract help? Or is there actually a moral boundary not to be crossed  a line that most humans have hardwired into our brains or that we have been taught? Was I just lucky that day to encounter decent chaps who would never hurt a fly, to say nothing of another human?

As the decades passed, I thought back to that meeting, wondering if the result would have been different had it taken place years later. Ten, twenty, thirty years later, has that moral inhibition dwindled to the point that the stronger group would think nothing of attacking the lone hiker? If I met such a pair today, alone and considerably less fleet of foot as I am, would I escape unharmed?

In many situations, I believe I would not. Not in the Walmart parking lot, with a handgun pointed at my head, demanding my wallet. Not as an innocent bystander caught in the middle of a convenience store robbery. Not with my car broken down in the worst sections of many of our cities. There are situations, and places, where the inhibition against violence  something that moral philosophers from Aristotle to Hume to Deirdre McCloskey have all considered  has mostly disappeared. The only question in many of these situations is, "Will I get caught?" And even that does not seem to restrain many of today's killers.

Whoever murdered Gabby Petito is one of those killers. That person crossed the line that most of us observe automatically. We do not commit murder because murder is abominable. We do not engage in robbery, rape, arson, and dozens of other crimes because these crimes are despicable. Even when no one is looking, we do not steal. And though adultery is more common than it once was, we still know that it is wrong. Having been taught moral values when we were young, we carry these inhibitions with us throughout our lives.

Unfortunately, there are millions in whom this knowledge has not been instilled and who would engage in any sort of criminal activity with no remorse. There is a class of individuals who have no respect for human life or human suffering. They only respect force, and if the police response is not strong or quick enough (as is the case 36.4% of the time, even in response to violent crimes), the weak are on their own.

What prevents most of us from acting in this way? It's not the police or the fear of getting caught. It's the inner voice  the result of early moral training  telling us that criminal behavior is unthinkable. That training took place mostly in the family, and that, all too often, is where it is not taking place today.

On the surface, this may be because family life is dysfunctional among some groups. Among blacks, just 43.3% of children live with two parents. Among Hispanics, the figure is 67.9%, among whites 78.6%, and among Asians 89% (2020 Census figures). But one must dig deeper: why is traditional family life less common among some groups? There is undoubtedly some truth to the familiar explanation that government welfare policies have shaped family life by stipulating single parents as a criterion for aid, but then one must ask: why were these policies allowed to be written in this way? What is the underlying factor beneath the decline?

Alasdair MacIntyre identified that factor as the general acceptance of moral relativism emerging out of Enlightenment rationalism. As MacIntyre put it, if all traditions possess equal merit, then "there could be no good reason to give one's allegiance to the standpoint of any one tradition rather than to that of any other" (Whose Justice? Which Rationality? p. 366). That being the case, there could be no obvious basis for prioritizing one moral good over any other. Or, to go one step farther, there would be no compelling reason for regarding any particular action as morally superior to any other.

Among millions of Americans, the gang sayings "BTK" (born to kill), OFFO (outlaws forever, forever outlaws), and "La Vida Loca" (the crazy life) seem more reasonable than Judeo-Christian values. Even those who do not actually embrace these gangster codes exhibit a confused and relativistic inclination. One has only to study the lyrics of popular rap "artists" like The Notorious B.I.G. ("Juicy"), DaBaby ("Whole Lotta Money"), and hundreds of others to realize that a large segment of American society, black and white, is aligned with a culture that glorifies violence, promiscuity, prostitution, and drugs and dismisses any kind of moral uplift. Who is to say that the nihilistic "values" of rap are not equal or superior to traditional Judeo-Christian values?

We are.

We reject relativism and nihilism. We believe in self-restraint, goodness, and decency, and we don't hesitate to say traditional moral values are superior to anything one might hear in rap music or, for that matter, in most popular culture.

In the absence of traditional inhibitions, society is reduced to brute force. In that world, the ruthless and the strong steal, kill, and assault with no compunction, and the police can do little about it, especially since they are stretched thin and do not have the support of many misguided persons. There are not enough police to prevent the criminal actions of millions once the Pandora's box of moral decline has been opened. Only the widespread teaching of traditional values can do that. Those who have been taught an unambiguous code of ethics as children are less likely to harm others or to engage in actions like brazen shoplifting.

A civilization should be judged not just by its wealth and power, but by the protections it affords the weak  its children, the disabled, and the elderly. On that score, America is becoming less civilized. Child abuse is rampant, and attacks on the disabled and elderly are a daily occurrence. Teaching traditional values in our homes and schools won't solve the problem entirely, but it would be a good first step.

When I encountered those two young men on the Appalachian Trail, there was nothing but their upbringing and values to stop them from harming me. I was entirely on my own, just as Americans today are increasingly on their own. There is nothing to prevent another person from harming us except the values that person has learned throughout life. We live in a violent and callous time and place. All we can do is take precautions, defend ourselves, and surround ourselves with those who share our traditional beliefs.

Jeffrey Folks is the author of many books and articles on American culture including Heartland of the Imagination (2011).

Image via Pxhere.

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Bidens weekend in Rome took on an increasingly surreal quality as the weekend progressed. The weirdness started on Saturday when he arrived with an 85-car entourage to attend a G20 summit that was purportedly focused on climate change (or, more likely, focused on using climate change to increase political power), followed by Bidens marginalized status for the group photo op. By Sunday, Biden missed an important photo op, claimed he was playing elevator games, used a reference to Mussolini while in Rome, may have been a COVID carrier when he met with the Pope and had an ugly rumor following him.

After almost vanishing from Saturdays photo op, Biden vanished entirely from Sundays photo op at Romes famous Trevi fountain. There they all were, tossing coins in the fountain to placate pagan gods (and hoping that Gaia heard their pleas regarding climate change) but, unlike yesterday, when a Wheres Waldo style search eventually located Biden, this time he was nowhere to be seen:

G20 leaders did the Trevi Fountain coin toss this morning in Rome (Biden didnt participate) pic.twitter.com/Sp9nz4GNd6  Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) October 31, 2021

The White House offered no excuse (so far as I know) for Bidens absence.

So, he missed a photo op. Thats a whatever, right? Maybe, but how do we explain the other strange stuff?

Theres the footage of Biden introducing Secretary of State Blinken. The first thing youll notice is Bidens barely-there delivery, as if hes someone who doesnt speak English and is reading the words phonetically. But what really caught everyones attention was that reference to getting the trains to run on time.

Its probable that few in Italy have forgotten that the excuse given for voting for the totalitarian Benito Mussolini was the claim that at least he made the trains run on time. Admittedly, Joe was a toddler when Mussolini was executed, but youd think hed still know about that line:

At what point do you pull him out..???..!!! pic.twitter.com/2W9Fo1RatV  Thomas OConnor  Born '62  Only LEGAL VOTES (@TheyCallMeTomO1) October 31, 2021

So, Biden got a little confused and said something a little tactless. Thats not so bad, is it? Well, maybe not...but what about the elevator games?

President Biden apologized for being late to his press conference in Rome at the conclusion of a two-day meeting with G20 leaders before heading to a United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. I apologize to keep you waiting, said Biden, who showed up more than 20 minutes late. We were playing with elevators. Long story, anyway.

"We were, uh, playing with elevators. Long story," Biden says after wandering in late to his own press conference. pic.twitter.com/F85ty3qMdN  Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) October 31, 2021

My kids played with elevator buttons when they were little. Im not sure I want to hear that from the American president (*). Then, as he has many times before during White House press conferences, Biden spoke his instructions aloud, again raising the question of who is pulling his strings, while clutching his little note cards.

Meanwhile, Jen Psaki, whos been fully vaccinated, announced on Sunday that she has COVID and is quarantining. Internet sleuths figured out an interesting chronology.

Psaki last spoke to Biden on Tuesday and then went into quarantine on Wednesday. On Friday, Biden, sans mask, met with the Pope. That seems a bit reckless, doesnt it? Biden is alleged to have tested negative for COVID but, if he was in contact with a carrier...? Simply by virtue of their age, both Biden and the Pope are in a high-risk category for COVID.

And lastly, according to one Nevada Republican politico, theres an unkind rumor making the rounds in Rome:

The word around Rome is that Bidens meeting with the Pope was unusually long because Biden had a bit of an bathroom accident at the Vatican & it had to be addressed prior to him leaving.



I know we joke often about this, but this is the actual rumor going around Rome now.  Amy Tarkanian (@MrsT106) October 30, 2021

Theres no reason whatsoever to believe that this rumor is true. However, the reality of Bidens presidency (*) is that its not a completely nonsensical rumor on its face. After all, it aligns well with the obvious fact that Biden no longer seems in full possession of his senses.

And thats the story of Bidens surreal weekend in Rome.

(For this post, my pronouns are I really miss Trump, and The Second Amendment ensures the peoples right to keep and bear arms. What are your pronouns?)

Image: Biden speaks after the G20 summit (edited in befunky). YouTube screen grab.

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White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who's been at the forefront of the 'get vaxxed for COVID' stance of the Biden White House, and even helped make a video targeting America's unvaxxed youth last August, alongside a son-of-Pajama-Boy-type Tik-Tok "influencer," has claimed to be fully vaxxed ... and still has caught COVID.

According to the Guardian:

Jen Psaki, Joe Bidens White House press secretary, said on Sunday she had tested positive for Covid-19. Psaki, 42, did not travel with Biden to Rome for this weeks G20 summit. The president is also due to travel to Glasgow for the Cop26 climate talks. Biden has been accompanied in Europe by his principal deputy press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. News of a positive test for such a close aide to the president came a little over a year after an outbreak at the White House reached the then president, Donald Trump, who fell seriously ill and was forced to spend time in hospital. In a statement, Psaki said she last saw the 78-year-old Biden on Tuesday, when we sat outside more than 6ft apart and wore masks.

Which is kind of ironic, because, well, remember this?

The White House is enlisting Gen-Z influencers to promote vaccinations and its amazing pic.twitter.com/afrFw9MrWq  Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) August 9, 2021





Seems the White House panacea for ending the pandemic, a one-size-fits-all vaccine mandate, isn't working quite as well as advertised. In fact, the more such high-profile people catch COVID after being fully vaccinated, the weaker the argument looks.

Two problems stand out: One, the vaxx isn't all that good, and two, the White House can't seem to tell the truth.

Most of us have already known that the vaccine isn't all that effective. It's been reported that fully vaccinated Gen. Colin Powell (who had significant co-morbidities) died of COVID recently, despite all the vaccination he had for his protection.

It's also likely that at least some of the fleeing Democrats of the Texas state legislature, who turned their flight into a COVID super-spreader event, were vaccinated as well, which is what they all claimed. It didn't stop the super-spreading, which apparently hit staff members of U.S. Congress as they made the rounds in Washington and some went on vacation to Portugal.

Now there's fully vaxxed Psaki who has come down herself with COVID.

It's actually enough of them coming down with it that it raises questions about why the unvaxxed are being blamed for all the COVID that's obviously still going around. Apparently, it's pretty much all kinds of people getting it. My little niece who's now employed as a physician at Stanford University's medical school hospital, says she's certainly seeing COVID breakthrough cases across the board, from all of three recommended vaccines, and not just the Johnson & Johnson.

Yet the Biden administration, instead of facing facts, is still doubling down on the importance of getting the vax -- despite the examples all around showing that it doesn't exactly protect. Psaki in her statement said that her symptoms were mild, which could be true, and leftist pundits will thank the vaccine for that as their argument. But what could also be true is that she's aged 42 and in apparently good health with no obesity factor, which could be the main reason her symptoms were mild.

Sunday I tested positive for #COVID19, announces @PressSec. pic.twitter.com/l3OCLiDM9N

 Steve Herman (@W7VOA) October 31, 2021

Bottom line, the vaccine is low or possibly no protection, so why is the Biden administration trying to shove it on everyone -- to the point of demanding that people lose jobs if they resist? The Biden administration has ordered most branches of the federal government to get vaxxed or else and has even extended that order to federal contractors, such as Los Alamos nuclear scientists who literally work out of their homes and aren't in contact with other employees. Is it worth it to fire such people over a vax that doesn't really work so they can take their skills to the Chinese? Only to the Biden administration. I wrote about that idiocy here.

Two, the Bidenites are always having trouble telling the truth.

It's not just that they won't admit the superiority of natural immunity (which as studies show, works better than vaccines) or the good work that early treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin regimens can bring in curing patients and killing off COVID that way. It's that they seem to be lying about the circumstances of even the White House COVID cases.

Psaki claims that she last met Joe Biden on Tuesday ahead of his trip to Europe, and tested negative on that day. She also met with White House staffers on Wednesday and again tested negative.

Could she have been asymptomatic but contagious? It's known that the very early stages of COVID can be contagious before symptoms develop. Could her test have been faulty or never have happened? Don't put it past them. And what about her mask claim? Masks in the Biden administration are for servants, we rarely see bigshots such as Psaki wearing masks except for camera shots. One wonders. Recall that Biden was seen a few days earlier coughing into his hand and then shaking hands with other people with it, so who knows what the story is.

Did Biden cough in his hand and then proceed to shake hands with people? pic.twitter.com/NxjYka2eKt  The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 25, 2021

Maybe Biden gave it to Psaki and now is off to super-spread the global warming event in Scotland, the maskless G-20 event in Italy, and maybe the maskless meeting with the pope. Time will tell in a few days if such things come to pass.

What we know now is that the Biden administration's argument for getting the vax and coercive steps if one doesn't is getting pretty tattered. Maybe they can get serious about looking at the range of accommodations and solutions instead of constantly touting the vax as the answer to ending COVID.

Image: Twitter screen shot

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Ibram X. Kendi (born Ibram Henry Rogers) has made a name for himself as an anti-racist activist, which is an Orwellian way of saying that his entire career is based upon arguing that America is a systemically racist country and that all White Americans are complicit. However, in a tweet that he swiftly deleted, Kendi effectively acknowledged that power in America lies with racial minorities, not with Whites. Oh, and hes a transphobe.

Kendis breakout best-seller, How To Be An Antiracist, is on every Critical Race Theory reading list, whether in Americas K-12 schools, its colleges (some of which have made it mandatory), its corporations, or the American military. In 2019, Kendi wrote an essay for The Atlantic claiming, as all race hustlers do, that Americas real founding was 1619 when the British brought slaves to Americas shores:

Her name was Angela, one of the first known Africans in British North America. His name was John, the first known antiblack racist in colonial America. In 1619, this black woman and white manwhat they embodyarrived months apart in 12-year-old Virginia, the first of the 13 British colonies that became the United States. Angela was the original embodiment of enslavement, of survival, of the 400-year African American struggle to survive, to be free of racism. John was the original embodiment of elite white male power, of the democracy of racists, of its 400-year struggle to survive, to be free of anti-racism.

And there you have the whole systemic racism theory in full. Of course, even ardent leftists, if honest, concede that this is all an ahistorical lie.

But we shouldnt expect more from Kendi, for hes not the brightest bulb in the box. Watch him struggle to explain what constitutes racism. Its embarrassing but also really funny:

In which academic discipline is this circular, naive, deer-caught-in-the-headlights response to a basic and urgent question considered insightful or excellent?



A national culture exempting this (which, sadly, is typical of him) from judgment is unintentionally racist itself. pic.twitter.com/n493NpjFmx  John McWhorter (@JohnHMcWhorter) June 1, 2021

Of course, Kendi could have stood there picking his nose and he would have been feted because hes saying what leftists long to hear. Dividing America along racial lines is the perfect way to break this country and lead it into the glorious new morning of socialism.

Still, the intellectual deficit is Kendis Achilles heel. It explains why he tweeted (and then deleted) a message that undercuts everything hes been hustling:

Wow! America must be really racist if the only way Whites can get into college is if they pass as minorities. Oh, wait! Never mind....

That was bad enough but, when people started calling Kendi out on the true import of that now-deleted tweet, he pulled the race card, which is only the only card in his deck:

Kendis tortured logic reminds me of Tweedledees and Tweedledums logic in Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carrolls sequel to Alice in Wonderland:

I know what youre thinking about, said Tweedledum; but it isnt so, nohow. Contrariwise, continued Tweedledee, if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isnt, it aint. Thats logic.

Yes, indeed, Prof. Kendi. Thats logic.

Kendi may have a bigger problem than just picking fights with people smarter and better informed than he is. It turns out that Kendi doesnt admire so-called transgender people:

In a video posted on Twitter Ibram X. Kendi, the man celebrated by the left for his efforts to insert Critical Race Theory in the nations schools, said it was horrifying when his daughter announced she wanted to be a boy. Even talking about gender, you know, I think it was last week my daughter came home and said she wanted to be a boy, Kendi said in a video that includes his name on the screen. You know, which was horrifying for my wife to hear, myself to hear. And so of course, you know, were like, okay, what affirmative messages about girlhood, you know, can we be teaching her to protect her from whatever shes hearing in our home or even outside of our home that would make her want to be a boy, he continued.

I agree with Kendi on this one but hes going to discover that, when you pick fights with the activist alphabet people, youre going to lose. Expect Kendis groveling apology any day now. After all, hes got to sell his upcoming book, How to Raise an Anti-Racist. I expect a new chapter about How to be a Transophile.

Heres an idea for Xendi: Celebrate the fact that youre in America, not Africa, and that, by virtue of your skin color, even the fact that youre incredibly ill-informed and really not very bright hasnt stopped you from reaching the pinnacle of woke society.

(For this post, my pronouns are Judge me by the content of my character, not the color of my skin, and Leftists always eat their own. What are your pronouns?)

Image: Ibram X. Kendi by Montclair Film. CC BY 2.0.

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One more thing, none of them want to pay taxes again ever. Thats Bruce Willis negotiating his terms to save the planet from an asteroid in Armageddon, a movie that made a ton of money, all of which was taxable.



Although the main reason to enact a tax is to raise revenue for operating the government, not all taxes are levied for that purpose. For instance, sin taxes are levied to change bad behavior and poll taxes were levied to disenfranchise black folks. One progressive purpose of taxation is wealth redistribution, (progressives seem to think wealth was unfairly divvied up long ago, rather than being created and added to with each new day.)

If not flat-out unfair, almost all our taxes contain at least an element of unfairness. But is there any underlying principle of fairness involved in the taxes levied strictly to raise revenue? In other words, why do we tax what we tax?

To answer that, we must first be clear about what we tax. The two main categories of what we tax are assets, i.e. wealth, and what lets call transfers, (not to be confused with the transfer tax, which is essentially a processing fee).

Asset taxes include property and real estate taxes, and they pose a problem for fairness. Consider two houses sitting side by side. The owners of these two houses both use the same roads, sewers, police, and other public amenities and services. But one of the houses is taxed considerably more than the other. Why? Its because the government assessed it as being worth more. But so what if it is worth more, both houses may cost the government the same. Indeed, the less-valued house may cost the government more.

Whereas state and local governments rely on asset taxes, the federal government gets most of its revenue from transfer taxes, which are collected when wealth passes between parties. These include wages, interest, estates, gifts, dividends, etc. The big transfer taxes for the feds are income and payroll taxes, which usually account for around 85 percent of all federal revenue.

The problem with transfer taxes is that government taxes on both the front end and the back end; i.e. when wealth is received and when its passed on to someone else. So with every transfer, the government skims off a little (or a lot). The faster money circulates the more money transfer taxes rake in. If money circulated fast enough, transfer taxes could confiscate all of it.

So, you get taxed when you receive money, when you spend it, and then when you leave it to your heirs or give it away. And on top of that, youll get taxed every year on your major assets, and for as long as you own them, even if they sit unused, even if all you do is occasionally look at them, like works of art.

If Congress wanted to stir up another revolution, it would levy an asset tax on ones net worth, including bank accounts. That was Liz Warrens brilliant idea in her failed campaign for president. However, the billionaires tax may not be as unpopular as Liz, as Ron Wyden, her colleague from Oregon, has been pushing for a tax to capture unrealized capital gains, a tax on potential income.

Some of the more unfair taxes involve double taxation, such as the tax on dividends. Dividends are paid out of company profits, which are already hit by corporate taxes. The tax on dividends is doubly irksome because if dividends werent doubly taxed, corporations might be more inclined to pay them.

Estates and gifts are also doubly taxed. But what are we taxing here? Estates and gifts dont involve the creation of wealth nor do they incur any cost to the government. They merely concern the transfer of ownership from one party to another; a change in titling. How can the government justify getting a cut?

How fair is it that you can leave your estate tax-free to certain government-approved entities (e.g. charities and colleges), but cannot leave your estate tax-free to your family and loved ones? If a man cant hand off his fortune to his family, havent we taken away one of the main motivators for taking risks and starting up a business? We would do well to remember that as recently as 2001 the exclusionary amount on estates was a mere $675,000 and the top rate was 55 percent.

Such depredations have spawned an entire industry devoted to sheltering income, wealth, and estates from taxes. But this cant be healthy; investment choices should be made on factors other than their tax ramifications.

Surely the fairest tax is one where everyone pays the same. Its called capitation (the head tax) and is provided for by Article I, Section 9, Clause 4 of the Constitution. But, if capitation were the sole source of revenue to the federal government, it would amount to $19,848 for every man, woman, and child in these United States. Thats the 2020 total federal outlays of $6.55 trillion divided by 330 million residents. Just to settle their 2020 tax bill to the central government, a family of four would have had to pay the feds about $79,393. Since few could pay it, as a major source of revenue capitation is a nonstarter.

But capitation is fair. And capitation illustrates a salient point when contrasted with our other taxes: Only the government can charge folks based on what they can afford to pay. The government certainly doesnt allow private enterprises to charge folks different prices; a billionaire pays the same for a gallon of milk as does a pauper. But if you were getting your milk from the government, theyd need to know your income before knowing how much to charge you.

The biggest source of revenue to the federal government is the Individual Income Tax. Democrats endlessly squawk about the need for the wealthy to pay their fair share of this tax. But the bottom 50 percent of tax filers account for about 3 percent of income tax revenue, while the top 5 percent of filers have paid close to 60 percent. The bottom quintile actually has a negative effective income tax rate, while the top 1 percent has paid close to 40 percent of total income tax revenue. How fair is that?

Well, its not fair. But its inescapable. The rich pay more taxes because theyre the ones with the money. There is no higher principle of fairness involved in setting tax policy and tax rates; the government needs your money and has the power to grab it. The only principle involved is that the beast must be fed. The beast is Congress and it is insatiable.

Upper-bracket taxpayers shouldnt obsess about the unfairness in our tax codes. (Fairness is not for this world.) Taxpayers hit by the top tax rate should just be thankful it isnt 91 percent, as it was as recently as 1963.

What all taxpayers should be just as concerned about as taxes is Congresss spending. Because the less Congress spends, the less it needs our money. Congresss infernal spending has spawned a fiscal Armageddon not even Bruce Willis can save us from. Congresss out-of-control spending is why so many things are taxed, its why we have so many types of taxes, and its why fairness is a luxury Congress just cant afford right now.

Congress has succeeded in creating a tax system that Americans both despise and fear. For when IRS agents enforce the tax code, an average taxpayer can easily be deemed a criminal. Congress might keep that in mind the next time they need the expertise of a crew of real criminals to save the planet from an asteroid.

Graphic credit: 401K 2012 CC BY-SA 2.0 license

Jon N. Hall of ULTRACON OPINION is a programmer from Kansas City.

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We just learned that the Mexican government offered visas to some in the latest caravan.

This is the story:

A massive caravan of thousands of migrants has rejected an offer of humanitarian visas for some of the travelers, and is continuing with its journey to the United States border.

The Mexican National Institute of Migration said in a statement that it offered humanitarian visas to women and children in the caravan, but said it was rejected by leaders of the caravan, which set off from southern Mexico last week. One of the leaders told Reuters that they were distrustful of the authorities who they said had broken promises to them in the past -- and that the deal involved them reporting to government shelters and possibly being moves across states.

This is crazy and confirms why President Trump was right about "Remain in Mexico." As everybody knows, none of these "caravanistas" wants to stay in Mexico. They want to come to the U.S. The beauty of the Trump policy is that it kept them in their home country because going to Mexico wouldn't do a thing for them. Again, they want to come to the U.S., not Mexico.

Wonder how the Mexicans are going to react to this? They try to help and get rejected. Maybe they will finally shut down the Mexico-Guatemala border and end it all. On the other hand, maybe the criminal elements won't let the government do that because this whole "caravan business" has been so profitable.

What a mess and further evidence that Trump's policies were working and Biden's are not.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: Screen shot from NBC News Now, via YouTube

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Former Governor Terry McAuliffe of Virginia has only himself to blame for the loss of his polling lead over Glenn Youngkin in his race to return to the governors mansion. In a state that has turned solidly blue and gave a 10-point margin to Biden, running against a political novice like Youngkin should have been a cakewalk. And the polls showed McAuliffe in the lead until he stupidly implied that parents should have no say in their childrens education in the final campaign debate.

Instead of clarifying and walking back his statement, he foolishly claimed that he was taken out of context. Even CNN could see that he had stepped in it:

Since then, as if in a panic, the campaign has done little but demonize Youngkin as a Trump-embracing near Nazi, which is a stretch for the mild-mannered executive who has kept Trump away from his own campaign events.

The attempt at a false flag neo-Nazi tiki torch-carriers embrace of Youngkin late last week was quickly exposed as a put-up job, with many if not all of the actors involved being Democrat activists. The scandal-ridden Lincoln Project alleged a Republican outfit that now works to elect Democrats, claimed responsibility, perhaps to shield McAuliffe and self-identified Democrats from responsibility.

Similarly, non-official entities have been putting out increasingly desperate ads that keep repeating the theme that voters should be scared of Youngkin because hes a Nazi or something.

If you were trying to turn off swing voters and drive them to vote GOP this is the ad you would make. https://t.co/4YmNXdvKfC  Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) October 30, 2021

When McAuliffe appeared on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd yesterday, you could see the fear in his eyes:

YouTube screengrab

Todd never raised the tiki torch hoax, following the rest of the propaganda media in pretending it didnt happen, a sure sign that they knew the dirty trick was a disaster. But toward the end to the 7+ minute interview, McAuliffe reverted to form, blaming parents who show up at school board meetings for the problems in education: Our school boards were finethese people started showing up creating such a ruckus

The entire MTP interview is embedded below, and the Youngkin campaign found no fewer than 15 lies in it:

From the Youngkin campaign:

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(Image source from: Twitter.com/JanaSenaParty)

Vizag Steel Plant Privatization: Pawan Kalyan Issues A Deadline:- The agitation of Vizag Steel Plant Privatization reached new heights after Pawan Kalyan joined the protests yesterday. Janasena followers and supporters reached Vizag in huge numbers. During his speech, Pawan Kalyan imposed a deadline of one week for the government of Andhra Pradesh. He slammed the government for ignoring Vizag Steel Plant and warned that he would intensify the protests if the government stays away from responding on the issue. He said that the Vizag Steel Plant was formed after years of efforts made and several sacrifices. He said that YSRCP has 151 legislators and 22 MPs but they are unable to protest against the issue.

"The government of Andhra Pradesh had expressed their dissatisfaction against several issues in the past. But they are tight-lipped about Vizag Steel Plant Privatization. Why are the leaders of the ruling party not staging protest against Vizag Steel Plant Privatization? I have fought against the Dredging Corporation of India (DCA) after which the process came to a halt. Our MPs never uttered a word during the state's bifurcation and they are standing dumb now too. Our people are not united as the people of Telangana are. They have fought for their rights because of which the separate state of Telangana was formed. YSRCP government announced liquor prohibition but it never happened at all. Several new brands are introduced. There are no jobs for the youngsters of state. Andhra Pradesh is in huge financial crunch. Vizag Steel Plant is the respect of the people of Andhra Pradesh and we will not let it to get privatized" told Pawan Kalyan during his speech.

(Video Source: TV9 Telugu Live)
Your guide to the summer treasures of the North of Boston and Merrimack Valley regions

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To curb down the security negatives Google has always been surrounded by, the company is celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month. During the awareness month, Google is highlighting the efforts it is taking to protect and secure user data and privacy.

Google Fi calls have already received the end-to-end encryption for Android phones. Now, the company is rolling out its best security features for more users.

Notably, according to a report by Android Central, Google Photos Locked Folder and Google One VPN services will be accessible by more users across the globe.

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Google Photos Locked Folder will also soon arrive for iOS users

Talking about the Google Photos Locked Folder, the company says that the feature, which was previously exclusive for Pixel owners, will soon be available for the best Android smartphones.

For those who arent aware, the Google Photos Locked Folder feature lets you protect your sensitive images behind a password-protected wall. These images wont show up in your image gallery.

The Locked Folder feature is one of the multiple Pixel features Google announced, earlier this month that will be made available for more devices.

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Well, the good news is that Google will roll out the Locked Folder feature for not only more Android users, but for iOS device owners as well. The feature is speculated to be available on more Android and iOS devices in 2022.

Google One VPN services will be available in 10 more countries

Additionally, the Google One VPN service is also arriving in more countries. As of now, the VPN services were only available in select countries, including the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and the UK.

Fast forward to now, Google is planning to bring the VPN services to 10 additional countries. These countries include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

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This would allow users in these regions to protect their browsing activity. However, there is a catch though. This VPN facility will be available only for users with the 2TB plan.

So, if you are a free plan user, you wont be getting your hands on this service. For 2TB plan users, it will be a handy perk added to their subscription plan.

Moreover, the company has also highlighted some of the Pixel-exclusive security features. The Security Hub feature, found on the Pixel 6, the HTTPS-First Mode on the Chrome browser for a secure connection. It also highlighted the URL check feature in Google Messages or safer browsing.
The global smartphone market witnessed a double-digit annual growth rate in the first half of 2021. But an unprecedented semiconductor chip shortage means the industry can no longer hold on to that growth rate. According to research firm IDC, smartphone shipments declined 6.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) in Q3 2021. Thats a steep decline when you consider an already slugging performance last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm estimates a total of 331.2 million smartphone units to have shipped globally during the past quarter.

The supply chain and component shortage issues have finally caught up to the smartphone market, which until now seemed almost immune to this issue despite its adverse impact on many other adjacent industries, said Nabila Popal, a research director at IDC. Research firm Canalys had also estimated an identical decline in smartphone shipments last month, blaming chip shortages for it.

IDC says smartphone vendors are also facing other manufacturing and logistical challenges due to stricter rules in place to control the spread of the coronavirus. The firm doesnt expect these issues to ease off until well into next year, so we might be in for bigger slowdowns in the coming times.

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Region-wise breakdown of the decline in smartphone shipments during Q3 2021 also reveals a few interesting details. Markets like the US, Western Europe, and China are given more priority by vendors, so these regions witnessed a smaller decline. IDC is estimating a 0.2 percent, 4.6 percent, and 4.4 percent YoY decline in shipments in these three markets respectively.

Meanwhile, in markets like Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan and China), the YoY declines were much more pronounced at 23.2 percent and 11.6 percent respectively.

Samsung suffered the biggest decline in Q3 2021

Samsung was the biggest smartphone vendor in the world during Q3 2021, shipping 69 million units globally. However, it also suffered the biggest YoY decline in shipments (14.2 percent) this past quarter. The company had reportedly shipped a whopping 80.4 million smartphones during the same period last year.

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Apple, which launched the iPhone 13 series in mid-September, registered an impressive 20.8 percent YoY growth in shipments during the period between July to September 2021. This allowed the Cupertino giant to leapfrog Xiaomi into the second spot. The Chinese firm witnessed a 4.6 percent YoY decline in shipments during the third quarter. It had reportedly posted high double-digit growth over the previous four quarters.

Oppo and Vivo make up the top five smartphone vendors in Q3 2021. The two firms saw their shipments grow 8.6 percent and 5.8 percent YoY respectively this past quarter. You can check out all the latest numbers in the table (and graph) below.
Google has launched a new promo video for the Pixel 6 series. This Pixel 6 ad focuses on the Night Sight feature, and is kind of spooky. Google called it Nightmare on Night Sight: #TeamPixel Goes Ghost Hunting With Pixel 6.

Googles spooky new Pixel 6 ad shows off Night Sight

This ad is obviously Halloween-themed, considering its spooky theme and title. So, whats it about? Its about #TeamPixel photographers, Alex and Nick, who venture into Bodie, California, at night.

This town was all the rage in the 1800s. Why? Well, it was a gold rush town, basically. Gold was discovered there, and many people rushed to it, to try and claim their piece, and become rich in the process.

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Now, Bodie is abandoned. Nobody lives there, and its quite spooky at night, to say the least. It does make for a really nice place to test out cameras, though, especially at night.

Alex and Nick didnt venture into this ghost town alone, though. They had a tour guide called Hillary, who claims to have had an interaction with a ghost.

The two photographers managed to capture some really nice images in this ghost town

The two photographers captured some really nice images while they were there, and also experienced something very strange. In a building where an alleged ghost was spotted, some purple camera flare appeared on the image.

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Alex was particularly scared, as hes really afraid of ghosts. He said that he doesnt think thats a lens flare, which makes the whole experience that much more creepy.

In any case, this ad has a duration of around two and a half minutes, and it does share quite a few nice images for you to check out. Not only will you see this ghost town photographed inside and out, but the two photographers also took some selfies. On top of that, youll be able to check out the night sky as well.

Google will likely keep pushing out Pixel 6 ads, though dont expect them to be released that frequently, at least not on YouTube.
Earbuds manufacturer Nothing has been around for around a year now. The companys struggles with shipments and meeting the demand are well known in the industry. Addressing some of these concerns, Nothing founder Carl Pei alleged that a major incumbent is attacking the manufacturers supply chain.

I wont lie and say its all been easy. Weve juggled building a 158 person team, creating the brand, launching a first product, while making sure we have the rocket fuel ($74M+ in funding) to do all that, Pei said on a Nothing Community post (via).

Im proud we did all this in the midst of a pandemic with large parts of the team unable to collaborate in person, and in the midst of global supply chain disruptions. To add to the fun, weve also had a major incumbent attacking us in the supply chain trying to block our access to key components. We should take that as a sign of respect.

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Carl Pei also compared the orders of its ear (1) TWS earbuds to the original Apple iPod

Despite the allegations, Pei didnt detail the incumbent hindering its progress in the industry. The lack of details is quite uncharacteristic given the kind of allegations leveled by the company chief.

In other news, Pei thanked the Nothing employees for securing more than 320,000 orders of its earbuds. He said that only 180,000 units of the earbuds had shipped so far, clarifying that supply is still in the process of catching up to demand. He hoped to push orders beyond 600,000 while comparing it to the original Apple iPod, which sold roughly 400,000 units.

Theres a lot that couldve been done better. But had we known about todays outcome a year ago, I believe we would have all gladly gone for it, Pei noted towards the end of the post.

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For those unaware, Pei co-founded OnePlus with Pete Lau, while also serving as the CEO for a while. Nothing came into existence shortly after Carl Pei left OnePlus. At the time, the new venture was termed as a London based consumer technology company.

While weve only seen the companys ear (1) wireless earbuds so far, theres also speculation of a Nothing smartphone. The manufacturer could leverage its recently signed partnership with Qualcomm towards this venture.
Android 12 is already available for the Pixel devices, whereas other brands are either kicking off their Android 12 beta programs or already on different beta stages of it.

Samsung recently started with its One UI 4 Android 12 beta program for its latest premium flagships, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 devices.

The company is already done with the Android 12 One UI 4 beta program for the Galaxy S21 series last week. Now, it is time for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 to taste the Android 12 experience.

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Notably, the beta program is currently live for users in the US. According to the latest report by 9To5Google, the One UI 4 Android 12 beta program for both devices is live via the Samsung Members app under the Benefits section.

The Android 12 One UI 4 beta build available for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 carries the same version as the one live for the Samsung Galaxy S21 series.

It comes with all the Android 12 goodies, such as the Material You theme, and Dynamic Color support. Along with, Android 12s finalized AOSP codebase and all the latest OS features.

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The update is live in the US following the earlier releases in South Korea and India

Well, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 US users arent the first ones to experience the new operating system from Google. The Android 12 One UI 4 beta program is already live for users in South Korea and India.

Moreover, the beta update is live for users owning the unlocked variants of the device. There are some possibilities that some carrier models may also be eligible.

One UI 4, apart from the general Android 12s theming engine and features, doesnt bring a big change in the overall aesthetics on the visual level.

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Folks at 9To5Google were able to get the beta downloaded on their unlocked Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, the installation process did take some extra time. This was due to Samsungs opposition to Androids Seamless Updates feature.

If you into interested in Android 12L enhancements, sadly, there is no sign of Android 12L with this update. Keeping our fingers crossed, they are supposed to arrive very soon.

Also, not to forget, the beta One UI 4 Android 12 update is also live for the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in the US. So, if you own any of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 or Galaxy Z Fold 3 units in the US, you are in for a treat. You can grab the beta update from the Samsung Members app.
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Bin collectors and street cleaners have walked out on strike as Glasgow hosts world leaders for the Cop26 summit, amid a row between a union and the city council.

GMB members walked out at one minute past midnight on Monday following the collapse of last-ditch talks between the union and Glasgow City Council on Sunday evening.

More than 100 world leaders are expected to arrive in Glasgow on Monday as the first day of the two-day world leaders summit takes place at the Cop26 UN climate conference.

The planned strike action was previously called off on Friday after a new pay offer from council umbrella body Cosla, and the GMB said it would suspend the strike for two weeks to consult with members.

NEW: GMB met with @GlasgowCC tonight in good faith, offering a clear set of proposals to reset industrial relations and avoid strikes. Regrettably, the council rejected these proposals and strike action across the cleansing service will go ahead.https://t.co/vNRJMO9tTM  GMB Scotland (@GMBScotOrg) October 31, 2021

However, following talks on Sunday, the GMB said strike action would go ahead.

GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour said: We met the council in good faith, offering a clear set of proposals to reset industrial relations and avoid strikes. The council rejected these proposals.

She added: Regrettably, the council refused this massive opportunity to move forward, and strike action across the cleansing service will now begin, during which time our members will be balloted on the Cosla pay offer.

The union said workers will take strike action throughout the first full week of the Cop26 summit.

The GMB was calling for a 2,000 pay rise and previously turned down an offer of an 850-a-year increase for staff earning up to 25,000.

The Cosla proposal tabled on Friday is for a one-year, 5.89% increase for the lowest paid council staff, as part of a 1,062 rise for all staff earning below 25,000.

The Scottish Government gave 30 million to support the offer.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said on Monday: The agreement struck at national level gave two weeks to consider the pay offer and so there is no reason for this strike to go ahead at this time. It is very disappointing the GMB has opted for this course of action.

We have already agreed their request for time to meet with their members. And, while we remain available to meet with them at any time, we are unable to deliver their request for a pay increase.

That is part of a national negotiation and a new deal was tabled by Cosla last week.

It appeared that GMB, along with the other unions, had agreed to suspend the strike until national consultation was complete and it is very disappointing they have reneged on that agreement and have not given us the required 14 days notice after they publicly announced the suspension on Friday.

Asked about the strike, Scotlands Transport and Net Zero Secretary, Michael Matheson, said: It is disappointing, although the Scottish Government was not party to what is a national negotiation between local authorities and Cosla.

My understanding was last Friday that the three unions  Unite, Unison and GMB  agreed to withdraw their industrial action in order to consider the offer that has been made by Cosla, which was assisted by additional funding from the Scottish Government.

The GMB locally have entered into a dispute now with Glasgow City Council which I understand is not to do with the actual package itself but its the process around being able to engage with their members and discuss that with them.

Mr Matheson told the BBC Good Morning Scotland programme: I understand that discussions were taking place last night and the Scottish Government would certainly want to continue to encourage both Cosla, Glasgow City Council and the GMB to continue to discuss this issue to try and find a quick resolution to what I believe is a process issue rather than issue around the deal that was proposed.
An armed forces veteran has made buddy boxes to help Afghan refugees learn English in schools.

Mark Hill, 52, a veteran and entrepreneur from Catterick, North Yorkshire, said when he heard the news of the evacuation flights to the UK, he wanted to help young Afghans entering the UK school system feel welcome.

The digital Afghan Buddy Box is a free digital resource created and designed in Microsoft PowerPoint and made available online for teachers to use in their classes.

It makes use of text, pictures and audio to translate Dari and Pashto to English, and is being used in more than 50 schools, including internationally.

Version Two of Afghan Buddy Box will be out soon covering more topics #lessons#AfghanBuddyBox is a #FREE school resource & is designed to be an icebreaker supporting #Afghan children, teachers & their peers in a #FUN & educational way. Get your copy E: AfghanBuddyBox@mail.com pic.twitter.com/98CU5w3lEi  Mark Hill MBE (Army Veteran) (@MarkHillMBE) October 21, 2021

Ive now got (Afghan) Buddy Box in a couple of areas in Germany and in France, Mr Hill told the PA news agency.

If you are coming out of Afghanistan regardless of where you settle around the world, you still speak your native language.

One teacher in Selby, North Yorkshire, got back to me and said, it was just a picture to see this young boys face when he heard his own accent, his own language.

The only thing I had to work on was the host nations language, but this text to speech technology Ive got, its so good.

This makes everything worth it, an email received from a teacher: I teach Y6 and have 1 Afghan boy recently join my class. I have been forwarded a copy of your #AfghanBuddyBox resources and the look on this child's face when he heard his language was amazing! #communication pic.twitter.com/rQBHsaaYBo  Mark Hill MBE (Army Veteran) (@MarkHillMBE) October 15, 2021

Mr Hills Buddy Box idea first came about in 2018 when he visited a school in North Yorkshire and met four children, three of them Syrian refugees and one Iraqi.

He spoke to the children in Arabic and noticed that instantly the kids had beaming smiles.

Initially Buddy Box started off as a physical carboard box that was filled with around 60 Arabic/English flashcards.

Original Buddy Box in 2018 (Mark Hill/PA)

The name came from UK schools buddy programmes, where new students are often buddied up with another pupil who helps them to settle in.

The Afghan Buddy Box covers days of the week, numbers, colours, fruits and vegetables, school items, time, and more.

Mr Hill said the feedback had been amazing, adding: If you have a simple, basic language to communicate with others in their language, it really goes a long way.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the new global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% is unlikely to be changed.

Ms Yellen arrived in Dublin for a bilateral meeting with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe on Monday, to discuss progress on the newly agreed OECD worldwide tax rate.

She denied that Ireland, which had long defended its 12.5% corporate tax rate, had been cajoled into signing up to the agreement.

Ireland is understood to have objected successfully to a provision in the deal that would set the tax at least at 15%, amid fears it could rise further.

It was a great privilege to welcome @SecYellen to the Department today. Ireland and the US continue to have a very close relationship with deep cultural and economic ties. pic.twitter.com/x61ls1trii  Paschal Donohoe (@Paschald) November 1, 2021

Ms Yellen appeared to rule out any further hikes in future.

Speaking from Government Buildings, she said: I think we have agreed that 15% is the global minimum tax.

Now, of course, individual countries may choose themselves to establish a higher tax, but I expect many countries to adopt the 15% tax.

I dont think that theres broad agreement on that.

It works for many countries and I dont think that thats something that is going to be reconsidered as a global minimum.

The European Commission is to develop proposals on implementing the new tax rate in the coming weeks, Minister Donohoe said.

Mr Donohoe, who also serves as president of the Eurogroup of finance ministers, declined to comment on rumours that pillar one of the agreement could fail to pass through the US congress.

But he said efforts at EU level should encourage the US to play its part.

He said: In order for us to reinforce the efforts that were all making, we all know that we need to move together.

This is why in the coming weeks and months, you will see the commission begin to develop its proposal to do this.

And we in turn would hope that will enable Secretary Yellen to be able to point to the progress that is happening, and the fact that the friends and partners of the United States of America are playing our part in implementing this change

We have absolute confidence in the work that is under way now, with respect to this historic change in America

But this is a global change, in order everybody to have confidence that its going to happen, we all need to play our part.

Ms Yellen also denied that the United States had cajoled Ireland into dropping its 12.5% corporate tax rate for the new global minimum of 15%.

She said: Well, I really personally wouldnt use the word cajole.

I think weve had very productive meetings in which we have tried to understand the viewpoint of Ireland about these tax negotiations and its needs in terms of being able to sign on to this.

Also, Minister Donohoe has been terrific in trying to understand the US perspective. I think weve had very productive exchange of views over the last several months.

She added: Ireland, perhaps once upon a time, the low tax rate was important in attracting countries to Ireland.

But our strong view is that Ireland has tremendous advantages as a country with an educated workforce and an excellent business environment and that that will continue to serve Irelands economic interests.

Im delighted to be in Ireland, my first visit here as Treasury Secretary. This is a special visit for me, highlighting the strong bond our two countries share. I thank @Paschald for his warm welcome on my first stop in Dublin, and for a constructive meeting this morning. pic.twitter.com/CYNK0o57L6  Secretary Janet Yellen (@SecYellen) November 1, 2021

Ms Yellen said the OECD agreement was vital to ensure corporations pay their fair share of tax around the world.

Weve had a so called race to the bottom in terms of corporate taxation, and no country has really won that race she said.

Weve all been forced to compete with one another and lower tax rates.

And the only way to really end that, and to put in a system that promotes all countries interests.

Its not some countries against other countries.

Its that all of us need to agree that we need to establish at least a minimum level of global taxation, so that corporations here in Ireland and the United States and around the world are bearing their fair share of the tax burden.

And its not all falling on workers or leading to a situation in which were unable to invest in our economies and our people.

Its a Beautiful Day. pic.twitter.com/m4PI4EOujR  Secretary Janet Yellen (@SecYellen) November 1, 2021

The agreement is set to cost the Irish exchequer around two billion a year in lost revenue, but Mr Donohoe has insisted the decision is in the countrys long-term economic interest.

He said: This is about the Government making the choice that it is in our long term economic interest, that were in an agreement that stabilises global tax policy, and beings predictability to a topic that has been uncertain and volatile in recent years.

In that environment, Im absolutely confident that our country will be competitive, will keep, will retain, will attract jobs.

But we will do so from a strengthened position of legitimacy inside a global architecture, that is looking to respond back to issues that citizens in Ireland and America and all over the world expect to see change on.

Ms Yellen also met U2 frontman Bono on her visit to Dublin, tweeting a photo of the two of them with the caption: Its a beautiful day.
A true price for carbon would remove a big reason for travellers to fly from London to Amsterdam  or other routes with good alternatives, the boss of Eurostar has said.

Jacques Damas said that there is no point to fly between the two cities, but that airlines were able to undercut rail because they faced lower costs and did not have to pay for the cost of the carbon they emit.

By encouraging travellers to take the train instead of flying it could cut global emissions, the boss told the PA news agency on the eve of a UN climate change conference in Glasgow.

The cost of carbon is hugely different around the world, from one dollar per tonne in Ukraine to 130 in Sweden, and many countries have no carbon pricing at all.

Experts claim the real social cost of carbon is closer to 500 per tonne, Mr Damas said.

At this kind of price it could add around 36 to the price of a flight between London and Amsterdam  which emits around 73 kilograms, according to airline KLM.

One day the journey might be possible with no carbon emissions, but truly sustainable air travel is decades away, Mr Damas said.

Until then the best way to encourage people to choose sustainable travel is to put a fair price on carbon.

But to leave customers less out of pocket as they switch to trains, rail also needs to be made more affordable, the chief executive said.

Every time one of Mr Damass trains goes from the UK to France it has to pay 16 to the company that operates the Channel Tunnel.

He said that 60% of the Eurostars costs comes simply from paying to use railway lines in the countries it operated in. If these charges were reduced the savings could be passed on to customers.

So while airlines can sell journeys from London to Amsterdam for as little as 23, the cheapest Eurostar fare to Amsterdam is 50.

The cost of rail does not reflect the social benefit which this mode of transport gives to citizens. It is not to tax airlines, but to say lets pay for the carbon you use, he said.

We have to lower the price, he said.

Then without wondering which should I choose the price will lead you to choose (the train), he said.

Railway tracks can last for centuries, so the countries that build them should expect to be paid back over a much longer time, the boss added.

At the moment a government often wants a new railway to be paid off within a couple of decades, but the cost to the train operators, and therefore customers, could be reduced if this payback time was extended.

Mr Damas also called for timetables to be better organised to shave time off the journey, and energy networks to wean off coal and gas so that electric trains are even less carbon intensive.
Nicola Sturgeon has pledged a 1 million fund to help developing countries deal with loss and damage from climate change, such as floods and wildfires.

The First Minister will make the announcement at a meeting in Cop26s Green Zone on Monday.

The money will come from the Scottish Governments 6 million-a-year Climate Justice Fund, helping communities repair from and build resilience against climate-related events.

Ms Sturgeon is due to speak at a meeting of the Global Citizens Assembly on Monday.

The First Minister will speak at the Cop26 Green Zone (Jane Barlow/PA)

The First Minister will say: Through our work on climate justice, Scotland continues to proudly support nations which  despite having done the least to cause climate change  are already suffering its impact.

We dont have the resources of other western governments, but we can lead by example.

And so Im pleased to announce that not only are we doubling our climate justice fund to 24 million  were also entering into a partnership with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund to support communities and address loss and damage, supported by this 1 million investment.

I hope this will galvanise other organisations to support the partnership  and show world leaders that where small nations lead they can follow, by making similarly ambitious commitments during Cop26.
(Reuters) - American Airlines Inc said it canceled 262 additional flights on Monday, pushing the total number of cancellations since Friday to 2,211, as it grapples with staffing shortages and unfavorable weather.

The U.S. carrier said Monday's cancellations were about 5% of its total flights planned, as of 7.30 am ET.

Severe winds at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas have reduced American's arrival capacity by more than half, with the inclement weather also impacting the airline's staffing, American had said over the weekend.

The company, however, hoped some of that impact could be mitigated with nearly 1,800 flight attendants returning from leave starting Monday.

"We expect considerable improvement beginning today with some residual impact from the weekend," company spokeswoman Sarah Jantz said in a statement.

Unions representing American Airlines pilots and flight attendants did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Staffing shortages have hit American Airlines, Southwest Airlines Co and Spirit Airlines Inc in particular, as they ramp up flights ahead of the holiday season but face problems finding enough pilots and flight attendants.

(Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Arpan Varghese)
Halyna Hutchins's final words on the set of Rust have been revealed.

The Los Angeles Times has new details of the frenzy on the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Oct. 21 after Alec Baldwin shot the cinematographer while rehearsing with what he thought was a "cold" gun.

Alec Baldwin shot Halyna Hutchins on Oct. 21 while rehearsing with what he thought was a "cold" gun. (Screenshot: Halyna Hutchins via Instagram)

"So, I guess I'm gonna take this out, pull it, and go, 'Bang!'" Baldwin reportedly said, putting his hand on the Colt .45 revolver that sat in a holster and practicing his cross-draw. There were 16 crew members in the wooden church set of the low-budget film  none of them had on any protective gear, like noise-canceling headphones or safety goggles, for scenes involving guns.

The "cold" gun, which was not supposed to have a projectile, actually had a live round. As it fired, someone screamed, Hutchins  who was hit first  fell to the ground immediately followed by director Joel Souza.

"What the f*** just happened?" Baldwin asked as the bullet reverberated through the church. It was a phrase he said over and over as the tragic scene played out, the report notes.

Hutchins fell into the arms of the head electrician, Serge Svetnoy. Blood was pouring from her chest, as she had entry and exit wounds, and crew members tried to stop the bleeding. Souza, who was behind her, was holding his shoulder because the bullet that passed through Hutchinss body lodged into his.

"What the f*** was that? That burns!" Souza screamed.

A medic, Cherlyn Schaefer, was called, while a boom operator helping Hutchins looked into her eyes and said, "Oh, that was no good."

Hutchins replied, "No. That was no good. That was no good at all."

Baldwin, a producer on the film in addition to starring in it, put down the gun on a church pew as he looked in horror at his two bleeding colleagues and repeated his, "What the f*** just happened?"

"Let's clear everyone who doesn't need to be here out of here," assistant director David Halls said.

Mamie Mitchell, the film's script supervisor, ran out and called 911.

Hutchins died hours later after being airlifted to the hospital. She left behind a husband, Matthew, and son. Souza was treated at a hospital and released a day later.

Fourteen Rust crew members were interviewed for the L.A. Times story and painted the picture of a chaotic set. There were reportedly three gun discharges prior to the fatal shooting. The inexperience of the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, had been an issue. And the camera crew had been feuding with production managers over their accommodations, working conditions, safety and being paid with six members of the camera team walking out the day of filming.

For the gun discharges, one was Baldwins stunt double accidentally firing a blank after being told that his gun was "cold." Another was a young woman from the props department who "actually shot herself in the foot" with a blank. It's unclear what the third one was.

There were also complaints about Gutierrez-Reed, who was head armorer for only one other film, with one, made Oct. 8, saying she needed "handholding."

Lane Luper, the A-camera first assistant, said the issues with the camera crew were ongoing  and Hutchins was aware of them. Luper said Hutchins treated the crew to sushi a week before, on Oct. 15, and told them their lodging issue had been resolved by her forfeiting a day's rental of a technocrane, which would have gotten aerial shots.

However, the night before the shooting, five members of the camera crew sent letters of complaint to producers ahead of walking out.

Jonas Huerta, a digital utility technician, wrote in an email the night before Hutchins's death: "I also feel anxious on set, Ive seen firsthand our [assistant director Halls] rush to get shots and he skips over important protocols. He often rushes to shoot, I've had more than a few occasions where I have been close to the weapons being fired with no regards to my hearing. Sometimes he rushes so quickly that props [department] hasn't even had the chance to bring earplugs and he rolls and the actors fire anyway."

The report also detailed how Baldwin practiced his gun work to make it realistic. A few days before the shooting, he practiced a walk-through of his scene in the church and fired blanks.

The day of the shooting, the crew was prepping for the scene when Baldwin returned from lunch. Property master Sarah Zachry retrieved the gun from a locked prop vehicle and gave it to Gutierrez-Reed who brought it into the church set and did a safety check with it in front of Halls. Halls thought he saw three rounds inside the gun but admitted he didn't thoroughly check, before taking the gun. (It was previously revealed that while the guns were locked up during lunch, the ammunition wasn't. It all sat out on a cart unsecured. Gutierrez Reed told authorities she had no idea how live ammo got on the set.)

There were no stand-ins on set, so Halls ran through Baldwin's blocking himself. According to the L.A. Times, he pulled the gun three times while doing so, but did not pull the trigger. Baldwin, of course, did pull the trigger once the gun was passed to him with the guidance that it was "cold."

It's also noted that the bullet that struck Hutchins and Souza first barely missed a B-Cam operator named Russell.

After the shooting, as Baldwin waited to be interviewed by police at the ranch, he reportedly said, "I've never been handed a live weapon  ever."

Over the weekend, Baldwin  who left New Mexico for Vermont as the investigation plays out  told reporters, "There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode."

He noted Hutchins was his friend and said, "We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened."

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said they are trying to determine who brought live ammunition to the set and loaded it in the gun. They say no one has been ruled out amid the investigation.

A Change.org petition to ban the use of real firearms on the set, started by director Bandar Albuliwi, has nearly 95,000 signatures.

Meanwhile, Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey weighed in on the gun safety on sets issue.

"There's a safety protocol, and if it's followed, it can be safe on set," the Dallas Buyers Club star said. "When any firearm is handed from one person to another, when it gets on set, there's a means of communication... The organization is incredible. And they missed protocol. Somewhere. I don't know if they were in a rush."

While making a point that he wasn't criticizing Baldwin, McConaughey said he "personally would try to always take even more steps" as an actor using a gun, including checking it himself.

"You hear 'cold'  now I want a visual," he said, explaining his own set checklist. "If you and I are in a scene together, I need to give you visual. If it's a six-shooter, do you see light through all six holes? Let me look you in the eye, you confirm, and you yell it out, 'cold.' You can't over-confirm it."
The Biden administration is recommending cryptocurrency companies that issue stablecoins be regulated as banks, according to a long-awaited report spearheaded by the Treasury Department.

The Presidents Working Group on Financial Markets on Monday recommended that Congress take action as soon as possible to come up with a new framework to regulate stablecoin issuers, tailored according to the amount of risk they pose to users and the financial system.

Stablecoins are digital currencies with values tied to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar, or short-term securities, and are used by traders to get in and out of trades. Increasingly, theyre being used for lending or borrowing in other digital assets on cryptocurrency exchanges.

The recommendations are intended to curtail risks posed to the financial system, regulators worry. The presidential group urged Congress to mandate that stablecoin issuers become banks subject to oversight by the Federal Reserve and the Comptroller of the Currency.

In a statement, Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey said "While Congress works on thoughtful legislation, I hope the administration will resist the urge to stretch existing laws in an effort to expand its regulatory authority."

In the midst of an unfolding debate about how the federal government should regulate the booming cryptocurrency industry, the Pennsylvania Republican added that "digital assets have the potential to be as revolutionary as the internet. Its important lawmakers and regulators alike work to continue Americas longstanding tradition of fostering technological innovationnot stifling it.

Becoming a bank could include obtaining a national charter, state charter or thrifts  all of which are subject to banking regulations and have a layer of federal oversight and underscores that stablecoins may only be issued by an insured depository institution.

The thinking on using these rules is that a bank deposit product  like a stablecoin  offers the promise of redemption  that you expect to get your money back when you ask for it.

The FDIC may insure stablecoins, but not all stablecoin users or activities would necessarily be insured. The report notes if the stablecoin issuer deposits fiat currency reserves at an FDIC-insured bank that meets all the requirements for deposit insurance coverage, the deposit would be insured to each stablecoin holder individually for up to $250,000.

Without required coverage, the deposit at the bank would be insured only to the stablecoin issuer itself, regulators suggest.

Issuers will be required to meet capital and liquidity requirements. The level of risk posed to users or the financial system by each stablecoin issuer may determine the level of oversight and capital requirements required.

The largest, systemic stablecoin issuers will also be required to come up with a resolution plan  known in the banking industry as living wills  so that in the event of failure, the firm knows how to wind down its operations without injuring the financial system.

The problem with stablecoins

Novi logo displayed on a phone screen, representation of cryptocurrencies and Facebook company logo displayed on a laptop screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on October 21, 2021. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Now a rapidly growing market that sits at over $130 billion worldwide, officials are worried about runs on stablecoins, even as some market participants have argued that scenario does not pose a major risk.

Issuers hold massive amounts of commercial paper or other short-term securities like Treasuries or certificates of deposit (CDs); if investors choose to pull their money out suddenly if cryptocurrencies plunge, that could lead to losses for investors, or potential runs on the financial system.

The PWG recommends the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), a regulatory group created after the financial crisis to monitor risks banks and financial firms pose to the overall economy and financial system, and consider steps to address risks of stablecoins. That includes designating certain stablecoin activities as systemically important, or putting issuers on a watch list for engaging in activities that are likely to become systemically important.

Its how the stablecoin is being used, not the individual issuer itself that would trigger oversight from FSOC. Treasury is leaving it up to the FSOC to identify what would trigger the threshold to become systemically important, for instance a certain amount of transaction volume.

The Digital Chamber of Commerce  one of the crypto industrys biggest lobbying groups  told Yahoo Finance last week that stablecoins dont pose a systemic risk to the financial system. The group argues that U.S.-based stablecoin issuers unlike banks  are not leveraged, and largely hold reserves in cash.

Right now, the organization doesnt think any U.S.-based stablecoin issuer has reached a significant size that would warrant extra oversight.

The administration also recommends digital wallets  such as Meta Platform/Facebooks (FB) Novi, which is still in development  be subject to oversight. That includes restricting digital wallet companies from lending stablecoins, and requiring them to meet capital requirements.

The report says Congress should consider limits on use of users transaction data and limiting digital wallets relationships with major companies  inline with banking laws that prohibit major corporations like Walmart (WMT) from also housing a bank. The risk is that competitors could be disadvantaged or certain partners may receive special treatment, distorting the allocation of credit in the economy.

According to officials, Congress should also provide the regulator of a stablecoin issuer with the authority to require any company thats critical to the functioning of the stablecoin to also take measures to guard against risks they may pose to the financial system.

Since stablecoins are evolving quickly, officials note legislation should offer flexibility to adapt.

Agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will retain existing authorities to oversee stablecoins, but will not be given new authorities. As Congressional action is awaited, the agencies will act within their existing authorities to oversee stablecoins.

But a stablecoin could be classified as a security or a commodity giving the SEC and CFTC jurisdiction, according to the PWG guidelines. SEC Chair Gary Gensler has likened stablecoins to poker chips used at casinos and said they should be classified as securities.

The various financial regulatory agencies are working together to guard against the risk that stablecoins oversight could fall through the cracks, or be subjected to inter-agency turf wars.

Meanwhile, the SEC and CFTC are actively considering regulation for cryptocurrency exchanges. The trading platforms and decentralized finance depend on stablecoins to facilitate borrowing, lending, and trading.

The report adds the Department of Justice could consider applying the Glass-Steagall Act to certain stablecoin arrangements, which requires that a banks trading operations be separated from bank deposits, and that trading cannot put bank deposits at risk.

Still, the Digital Chamber of Commerce opposes mandating stablecoin issuers get national bank charters and classifying stablecoins as securities. The Chamber recommended that stablecoins be regulated as digital payment systems and not investments or a security, since they settle transactions instantaneously using blockchain technology.

The next step is having discussions with Congress over these recommendations. In the coming days and weeks, the Treasury will be engaging with partners on Capitol Hill.

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As heads of state gather in Glasgow, Scotland for a climate summit, much of the news will focus on nations setting carbon-reduction goals for decades down the road  long after those making the promises will be out of office.

Setting ambitious long-term goals is good, but not good enough. Because more important than any promise countries make about 2050 is what they do between now and 2030. And whats most important is what they do over the next few years about the biggest problem of all: coal.

The single greatest cause of climate change is burning coal. More than any other pollutant, coal has the power to defeat us in the battle to stop temperatures from rising to catastrophic levels.

We have every reason to act with urgency. Coal pollution poisons the air we breathe and the water we drink, killing and sickening millions of people every year.

There are also good financial reasons to act. New clean power projects are now cheaper than running existing coal plants in half of the world. Wind and solar power mean cheaper electricity bills for consumers. Switching to clean energy also reduces the economic risk to industries and communities, as they face increasingly severe  and expensive  floods, fires, storms, and droughts.

Michael Bloomberg attends an intimate dinner hosted by Michael Bloomberg, Bettina Korek and Hans Ulrich Obrist as The Serpentine Gallery celebrates Frieze 2021 at Serpentine North on October 13, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies is launching a major new initiative to move the world beyond coal to clean energy. Our goal is to close a quarter of the worlds nearly 2,500 coal plants  and cancel all 500-plus proposed coal plants  by 2025.

We know that stopping every proposed coal plant may be an impossible task, but we have a track record of achieving results not imagined possible.

A decade ago, our foundation joined forces with the Sierra Club in a first-of-its-kind effort. Our goal was to retire one-third of U.S. coal plants by 2020. We met that goal six years early, so we raised it. And met it again. And raised it again. To date, we have retired two of every three U.S. coal plants, and we are on the fast track to retiring them all by the end of this decade  something that, when we started, no one believed was even in the realm of possibility.

Four years ago, we expanded the effort to Europe, where we have helped close half of all coal plants there, and inspiring the launch of Beyond Coal campaigns in Australia, South Korea, and Japan. Now, we are expanding our work further, to an additional 25 developing countries. We will prioritize countries where coal power is threatening to grow, and we will focus on helping these countries develop clean energy that frees them from building coal plants.

If we succeed, we will reduce carbon emissions by an amount larger than the current annual emissions released by the EU. Nothing of this magnitude has ever been attempted before, but given the stakes, we cannot do less.

An elderly woman looks at the Jaenschwalde lignite coal-fired power plant, which is among the biggest single emitters of CO2 in Europe, on October 29, 2021 in Peitz, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Stopping coal should be the worlds number one climate priority. The biggest obstacle is properly aligning the economic incentives. Right now, many nations heavily subsidize fossil fuels over renewable power, which puts clean energy at a market disadvantage. We will work with government leaders and local advocates to end these subsidies and put in place policies that help spur private investment in renewables.

At the same time, while clean energy is cheaper over the long run than coal power, it can have larger upfront capital costs to build, and can be more complicated to finance and build. To address these barriers, it is critical for the U.S., Europe, and others to provide more financial support and technical assistance. But foundations can help a great deal, too.

For example, in both India and Vietnam, Bloomberg Philanthropies is teaming up with Goldman Sachs and the Asian Development Bank to reduce the costs of borrowing for companies that seek to build clean power, in partnership with each government. We aim to unlock up to $500 million in financing for clean energy projects. Our experience there will help us undertake similar projects with other nations.

Governments do not have to choose between the economy and the environment. Fighting climate change goes hand-in-hand with improving health, spurring economic growth, and raising living standards. But our success hinges largely on coal, and on what we do over the next few years. It is imperative that governments and businesses place greater urgency on the clean energy transition  and do more, faster, together.

Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and the U.N. Secretary Generals Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions.

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Almost one-third of Republicans say they think violence may be necessary to solve the problems facing the United States, according to a new national survey by the nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute. The finding is part of PRRIs 12th annual American Values Survey released Monday which, among other things, highlights the continued impact of the same falsehoods and conspiracy theories that fueled the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol nearly one year later.

The survey was conducted between Sept. 16 and Sept. 29 through online interviews with a random sample of 2,508 adults living in all 50 states. Nearly one in five, or 18 percent, of overall respondents said they agreed with the statement: Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country, including 30 percent of Republicans, 11 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of independents.

It is an alarming finding, said Robert Jones, CEO and founder of PRRI. Ive been doing this a while, for decades, and its not the kind of finding that as a sociologist, a public opinion pollster, that youre used to seeing.

Overall, the responses to this question illustrate the significant and rapidly increasing polarization in the United States, he said.

Protesters at the state Capitol building in Frankfort, Ky., in January 2021, during a nationwide protest called by far-right groups supporting Donald Trumps claims of election fraud. (Jeff Dean/AFP via Getty Images)

Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism, said that its extremely disturbing that nearly a third of the Republicans measured in this poll are getting comfortable with the idea of political violence. And, he said, the much smaller percentages of Democrats and independents who expressed support for this idea are also enough to be concerning.

Jones said the substantial showing of support for political violence among Republicans is a direct result of former President Trump calling into question the election, pointing to another stark finding from the PRRI poll: More than two-thirds of Republicans, or 68 percent, continue to believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, compared to 26 percent of independents and just 6 percent of Democrats.

According to the survey, Americans who believe Trump won the 2020 election are roughly four times as likely than those who dont to agree that violence may be necessary to save our country, by a measure of 39 percent to 10 percent. Since he lost the election a year ago, Trump has spread false conspiracy theories claiming that the election was rigged and that President Bidens win was illegitimate.

The findings also seem to demonstrate a clear correlation between peoples views and their preferred news sources. Among Republicans who trust Fox News above other outlets, 82 percent said they believe the election was stolen from Trump. Ninety-seven percent of those who rely mostly on far-right news sources like Newsmax and One America News (OAN) said the same, compared to less than half, 44 percent, of Republicans who trust mainstream news outlets.

A large chunk of the Republican Party has been essentially radicalized, said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Beirich said she thinks a lot of responsibility lies with Republican leadership for failing to push back on the former presidents election fraud claims and efforts to downplay the violence of Jan. 6.

A protester reaches for his rifle while walking past the state capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in Salem, Ore. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

She noted that the few Republicans who have spoken out against these harmful narratives, like Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who serves as vice chair of the House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6, have faced political backlash.

Its very sad, actually, and very dangerous, said Beirich. She suggested that conservative media figures might be more effective at dispelling conspiracy theories and denouncing violence; she said religious leaders could also serve that role, noting the large presence of evangelical Christians within the GOP. According to the PRRI study, a majority of white evangelicals, 60 percent, said they believe the election was stolen from Trump. White evangelicals were also the religious group most likely to think that true American patriots might have to resort to violence in order to save our country, with 26 percent saying they agree.

Pitcavage, a historian and authority on extremism in the United States, explained that political violence in America has traditionally come from the fringes of society. But, he said, the more society becomes polarized the more there is a chance that political violence will not only come from extremists, but will come from really angry, agitated people in the mainstream as well.

Pitcavage pointed to the more than 650 people whove been arrested so far in relation to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol as an example of this.

About a quarter of them have previous ties to known extremist groups or movements, from the militia movement to White supremacists, to conspiracy theorists, said Pitcavage. The bulk of them did not.

The nightmare scenario is that this polarization will continue and there will be more and more instances where there could be mob violence or other types of violence ranging from volatile lone wolves acting out to people actually organizing and committing terrorist acts, Pitcavage said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray. (Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images)

In response to a request for comment on the findings of the latest PRRI survey, a spokesperson for the FBI referred Yahoo News to previous congressional testimony by FBI officials addressing domestic extremism.

In testimony given last month before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, FBI Director Christopher Wray said that since spring of 2020, the FBI has more than doubled its number of domestic terrorism investigations, to about 2,700 open cases.

To meet that evolving threat, the FBI has surged resources to our domestic terrorism investigations in the last year, increasing personnel by 260 personnel, Wray told senators at the time.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security similarly pointed to previous comments made by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about domestic terrorism. The spokesperson further cited a number of actions DHS has taken during the Biden presidency to address this threat, including the February designation of domestic violent extremism as a National Priority Area for the first time in FEMA grant programs; the creation in May of a new Center for Prevention Programs and Partnership to improve the agencys capacity to prevent terrorist violence; and the issuing of National Terrorism Advisory System bulletins in January, May and August of this year that highlighted the threat of domestic violent extremists.

Jones noted that, in addition to the most recent September survey, PRRI asked the same question about political violence on three earlier polls conducted this year in March, June, and August. He and his colleagues expected to see greater support for political violence in the heat of the moment, right after Jan. 6, but they predicted that people would back away from those views over the course of the year.

Instead, the responses have remained fairly consistent since March, when 15 percent of respondents agreed that true American patriots may have to resort to violence, including 28 percent of Republicans, 13 percent of Independents and 7 percent of Democrats.

As we've gotten some distance [from Jan. 6], one might hope cooler heads would prevail, but we really havent seen that, said Jones. If anything, it looks like people are doubling down and views are getting kind of locked in.

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By Jeff Mason and Philip Pullella

ROME (Reuters) - An emotional U.S. President Joe Biden, who has come away from his visit with papal backing in his conflict with conservative U.S. bishops, on Sunday praised Pope Francis for being "everything I learned about Catholicism."

Biden, the second Catholic president in U.S. history, choked up as he spoke about his late son Beau and his own feelings about the pope and Catholicism at a final news conference in Rome at the end of the G20 summit of leaders of the world's richest nations.

"This is a man who has great empathy. A man who understands that part of his Christianity is to reach out," Biden said. "He is a really, truly genuine decent man."

Conservative U.S. bishops want to deny Biden the right to receive communion, the central sacrament of the faith, because of Biden's support for abortion rights.

The same bishops, some of whom supported Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, have clashed with the pope on issues including climate change, the death penalty and nuclear weapons.

Biden has said he personally opposes abortion but, as an elected official, cannot impose his views on others.

"He is everything I learned about Catholicism from the time I was a kid going from grade school through high school," Biden said.

In an apparent reference to the pope's critics, Biden said "I have great respect for people who have other religious views but he's just a fine, decent, honourable man, and we keep in touch."

After he met the pope on Friday, Biden said the pontiff had told him he is a "good Catholic" who can receive the sacrament.

Biden did just that when he went to Mass the next evening at St. Patrick's, the English-language church of the American Catholic community in Rome.

Biden spoke in response to a reporter who asked how he felt about the pope's backing and whether it meant the communion debate should be put to rest.

He answered by heaping praise on the pope as someone "looking to establish peace and decency and honour, not just in the Catholic church but just generically."

Biden choked up as he recalled how when Francis visited the United States in 2015, while Biden was vice president, the pontiff took time to console the extended Biden family over the death of Biden's son Beau earlier that year at the age of 46.

"He didn't just generically talk about it (Beau's death from brain cancer), he knew about it. He knew what he did, he knew who he was, he knew where he went to school, he knew what a man he was," Biden said.

"It had such a cathartic impact on his (Beau's) children, and my wife, our family, it meant a great deal," Biden said.

(Fixes quote in paragraphs 1 and 7 (learned not admire)

(Writing by Philip Pullella; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Giles Elgood)
ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan cancelled plans to attend the global climate conference in Glasgow on Monday because Britain failed to meet Turkey's demands on security arrangements, Turkish media quoted him as saying.

Heads of state and government from around the world are attending the COP26 summit Good omens hard to find as global climate conference begins, regarded as critical to averting the most disastrous effects of climate change.

Erdogan had been expected to join them in Scotland after attending the G20 summit in Rome at the weekend, but instead landed back in Turkey shortly after midnight on Monday.

Turkish media quoted him as telling reporters on his plane home that Ankara had made demands regarding security protocol standards for the summit in Britain which were not satisfied.

"When our demands were not met we decided not to go to Glasgow," Erdogan was quoted as saying. He said that the protocol standards Ankara sought were those always implemented on his international trips.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially said the problem had been resolved, Erdogan said. "But at the last moment he got back to us and said that the Scottish side was causing difficulties," Turkish media quoted him as saying.

Erdogan said he subsequently learnt that the measures Turkey had sought were granted as an exception to another country, which he did not name. He said this was unacceptable. "We are obliged to protect the dignity of our nation," he said.

A spokesperson for the British government's COP26 office declined to comment on security matters. Scotland police declined to provide an immediate comment.

A senior Turkish official earlier told Reuters that British authorities had not met Turkey's requests over security.

"The president took such a decision because our demands regarding the number of vehicles for security and some other security-related demands were not fully met," the official said.

Erdogan had previously said he would meet U.S. President Joe Biden https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/biden-meets-erdogan-amid-tension-over-defence-human-rights-2021-10-31 in Glasgow, but they met in Rome on Sunday.

Last month, Turkey's parliament ratified https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/turkey-ratifies-paris-climate-agreement-last-g20-country-do-so-2021-10-06 the 2015 Paris climate agreement, becoming the last G20 country to do so.

Ankara had held off ratification for years, saying Turkey should not be classed as a developed country with reduced access to funding to support emissions cuts under the accord. It also said Turkey is historically responsible for a very small share of carbon emissions.

Erdogan said last week Turkey had signed a memorandum of understanding https://www.reuters.com/article/climate-change-turkey-idAFL8N2RN3Z1 under which it will get loans worth $3.2 billion to help it meet clean energy goals set out in the Paris accord.

Other absentees from the Glasgow meeting include Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country is by far the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, one of the world's top three oil producers.

Xi will address the conference on Monday via a written statement, according to an official schedule. Putin has dropped plans to participate in any talks live by video link, the Kremlin said.

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun in Ankara with additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper in Glasgow; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Dominic Evans, Barbara Lewis and Mark Heinrich)
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - Angela Harrelson points toward a blue angel painted on the pavement, marking the spot where a Minneapolis police officer murdered her nephew George Floyd and ignited a national police reform movement.

"If a mental health worker or a social worker had been with the police the day my nephew died right here, he might very well still be alive today," Harrelson said. "I don't want to abolish the police, but we need to do something different."

On Tuesday, Minneapolis voters get to decide just how different their city's approach to policing should be. A ballot question asks residents whether they want to replace the police department with a new department of public safety, in the first big electoral test of reform efforts sparked by Floyd's May 2020 killing.

But even after the outrage over his death and the tense protests that followed, the progressive city is deeply divided over the future of its law enforcement. The split illustrates the tricky calculus around overhauling policing in major U.S. cities, as residents fear for their safety amid crime spikes and Democratic politicians worry about Republicans weaponizing the issue in next year's congressional elections.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo opposes the measure. Mayor Jacob Frey, who is seeking reelection on Tuesday, is also against it. Neither responded to requests for comment from Reuters.

Conversations with dozens of voters cutting across racial and socio-economic lines in Minneapolis in recent days revealed a range of views. Nearly all expressed confusion over what exactly would happen if the proposal is approved.

That is in large part because the particulars of the new public safety department would only be hashed out by the mayor and city council in the months after the vote.

Frank McCrary III canvasses to encourage voters ahead of the November 2nd vote on the future of the police department in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., October 28, 2021. Picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Nicole Neri

Opponents say the measure would make good on the city council's threat in the days after Floyd's death to "defund the police." They say Minneapolis, with a population of about 430,000 people, needs more officers, not fewer, as it grapples with a crime wave.

Supporters insist police would remain on their jobs, though perhaps in smaller numbers. They say the change would mean approaching safety in a holistic manner, including addressing the root causes of crime before it takes place.

If approved, the department of public safety would create a larger agency that would include police officers as well as mental health professionals, housing and addiction experts, and people trained in de-escalating conflict to respond to 911 calls where an armed officer may not always be needed.

The new department would answer not just to the mayor but also the city's 13 council members, which supporters say would give residents more influence in how policing is carried out.

"What police have been doing for decades does not work," said the Reverend JaNae Bates, with the Yes4Minneapolis campaign that supports creating the new safety department. "We want the city to have the nimbleness to match its safety needs with the resources available."

Homicides in Minneapolis were up more than 17% through the end of September, compared to the same period in 2020. Robberies and aggravated assaults also have increased.

More than 200 police officers have left the force since Floyd's murder. Police who remain have in many ways stopped engaging with the community, for fear of being involved in another flashpoint case, a recent Reuters investigation found.

North Minneapolis, a poorer area where more Black residents live, has seen the brunt of the violence. Nearly half of all murders in the city have taken place in Precinct 4, where residents complain of nights filled with shootings, carjackings and out-of-control petty crime.

"This entire thing is a white, progressive movement, man," said Teto Wilson, a Black barber shop owner in north Minneapolis, referring to efforts to replace the police department. "They're trying to turn us into some damn big experiment."

Like other residents on the north side who spoke with Reuters, Wilson said police reform is needed desperately - but within the current structure. He said those living with daily violence don't have the luxury to try drastic new approaches.

In the Folwell neighborhood north of Wilson's barber shop, Anna Gerdeen, who is white and described herself as a progressive director of a community not-for-profit, said she might normally support more radical policing reforms. But not now, while she and her 11-year-old son feel under siege inside their own home. She will vote against the creation of a new department.

"My neighbor's house got hit with bullets a couple months ago. I can't let my son play outside in the yard anymore," Gerdeen said. "As a mother, I just can't risk any more chaos."

A Yes on 2 yard sign stands in a front yard ahead of the November 2nd vote on the future of the police department in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., October 28, 2021. Picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Nicole Neri

Supporters of creating a new public safety department say such violence makes clear the need for a new strategy. They say advocates have tried for decades to get reforms passed to make policing more equitable and to bring more safety to poorer neighborhoods but have repeatedly failed.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a progressive Democrat, oversaw the prosecution of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who pinned Floyd's neck to the ground for more than nine minutes with his knee. Ellison said now is the time for true change.

"If we're saying that George Floyd could be murdered on the streets of this town ... and we're not willing to take any institutional change to address that, to me that's sad, and it's a little scary," said Ellison, who lives in Minneapolis. "My hope is that we actually respond to what's happening here, in a way designed to prevent it from happening again."

Back on the street where Floyd was killed in south Minneapolis, Bridgette Stewart and other members of a community watch group had just returned from the scene of a drive-by shooting where three people were injured last Tuesday. The group, Agape Movement, was there to act as a bridge between family of the victims, community members and law enforcement, to ensure nothing escalated into more violence.

That is the type of work Stewart said needs to happen on a citywide scale, and that she said could only happen if the new public safety department is approved.

"This is our vision, that we can all work together for public safety," she said. "Because if we all can't get along and get this work done, we're going to be stuck right where we're at - in a living hell."
GLASGOW, Scotland  More than 120 world leaders are expected to speak Monday on the first day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, an event that has been billed as the last, best hope to keep global temperatures in check and avert the dire consequences of global warming.

Its one minute to midnight, and we need to act now, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell the delegates, according to prepared remarks shared with journalists. We have to move from talk and debate and discussion to concerted, real-world action on coal, cars, cash and trees. Not more hopes and targets and aspirations, valuable though they are, but clear commitments and concrete timetables for change.

But at the G-20 meeting that wrapped up on Sunday in Rome, the worlds leading economic powers failed to enact the kinds of sweeping new pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions that will be needed at Glasgow in order to keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius in the coming decades. The leaders did agree to stop funding the construction of coal-fired power plants in developing nations.

While I welcome the #G20s recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled  but at least they are not buried, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter. Onwards to #COP26 in Glasgow.

Still, the leaders at the G-20 released a statement at the conclusion of their meeting declaring their intention to stand by the commitments already made in 2015 under the Paris Agreement.

Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, greets Palestines Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh at the U.N. climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday. (Christopher Furlong/AFP via Getty Images)

We remain committed to the Paris Agreement goal to hold the global average temperature increase well below 2C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, the statement read.

While Glasgow will attract an impressive roster of world leaders, one notable absence is that of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will simply address the conference with a written statement. China, of course, is by far the leading emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, and has so far refused to bolster its emissions targets despite the fact that the U.N.s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that current pledges have the world on course for 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming.

At the G-20, President Biden singled out China and Russia as not doing enough on climate change.

The disappointment relates to the fact that Russia and  China basically didnt show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change, he told reporters.

Biden, who has pledged to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, will address the delegates Monday afternoon. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the conference.

The conference kicks off in a year that has seen a dizzying number of extreme weather events that scientists have linked to climate change. Over the weekend, heavy rains hit Scotland, the host country for the climate conference, disrupting rail service, knocking down trees and flooding towns. Inundating rains flooded the Italian island of Sicily late last week, and videos of the flooding were just the latest examples of how extreme rainfall can quickly overwhelm urban infrastructure.

If Glasgow fails, the whole thing fails, Johnson told reporters in Rome, saying the commitments made this year by the G-20 nations were drops in a rapidly warming ocean.

Global temperatures are on the rise and have been for decades, step inside the data and see the magnitude of climate change.

For more Immersive stories click here.

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YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The 2022 government budget envisages a 22% increase of the National Security Services budget.

Its been proposed to parliament to allocate 42 billion 669 million drams by the state budget draft to the National Security Service for 2022, which is 22,85% more than the 2021 approved budget, finance minister Tigran Khachatryan said at a joint meeting of the parliamentary committees on defense and security affairs and financial-credit and budgetary affairs.

Khachatryan said that the NSS received 34 billion 733 million drams funding in 2021.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a phone conversation with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the MFA Armenia.

The Ministers discussed issues related to the implementation of the agreements reached by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia on November 9, 2020 and January 11, 2021, taking into account that soon it will be a year since the signing of the November trilateral document on full ceasefire. Special attention was paid to the solution of urgent humanitarian issues - return of detainees, provision of maps of minefields, preservation of cultural and religious heritage.

The two FMs exchanged approaches on easing tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, unblocking all transport and economic ties in the South Caucasus, and creating a favorable atmosphere for regional cooperation.

The importance of continuing the efforts aimed at the political-diplomatic settlement of the border incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan was emphasized. The sides touched upon the current aspects of the Armenian-Russian cooperation, taking into account the forthcoming bilateral contacts at different levels. The Foreign Ministers of the two countries noted the progressive development of the allied cooperation. They also discussed various international and regional issues.
YEREVAN, 1 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. American businessman Elon Musk has become the first person in history whose net worth according to Forbes exceeded 300 billion dollars, ARMENPRESS reports ''RIA Novosti'' agency informed, noting that according to Forbes, Musk's net worth currently is $ 302.4 billion.

Musk's net worth has grown as Tesla shares have risen. Prior to that, Musk's net worth was $ 257.6 billion. According to Forbes, this is the highest figure since 1982.



Earlier, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos topped the Forbes list with $212 billion.
The arrest of a member of Mizoram polices India Reserve Battalion, Laldintluanga Ralte, has added to the tension

Mizo students now threatening to stop all vehicular movement from Assam if the Mizo policeman is not released by the Assam police. (File photo: Twitter)

Guwahati: The two-month-long relative peace on the restive Assam-Mizoram border was broken again with a high-intensity bomb blast at a border outpost, resulting in the arrest of a Mizoram policeman on Saturday by the Assam police from the area with cordex wire that was used to trigger the blast remotely.

The arrest of a member of Mizoram polices India Reserve Battalion, Laldintluanga Ralte, 23, a resident of Bairabi in Mizorams Kolasib, has added to the tension between the two states with Mizo students now threatening to stop all vehicular movement from Assam if the Mizo policeman is not released by the Assam police.

The Assam police said: After midnight, at about 1.45 am, it was reported that there was a high explosive blast using a detonating cord near Baicherra BOP under Ramnathpur PS, in which some Mizo miscreants were suspected to have been involved.

In this connection, Laldintluanga Ralte was arrested and sent to judicial custody, Hailakandi SP Gaurav Upadhyay told reporters, adding that the police is investigating the matter.

Mizoram officials, however, said that Laldintluanga Ralte, of the First India Reserve Battalion, was picked up while he was on duty at Zophai in the border district of Kolasib. He was taken to the Ramnathpur police station before being shifted to the Barak Valley town of Hailakandi. The officer-in-charge of Bairabi police station in Mizoram told reporters that the constable had been booked under Sections 447 (trespass) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

It is significant that in the last flareup in the border row on July 26, six Assam Police personnel were killed and over 50 others injured. The Assam police had alleged people from the Mizoram side threw stones and attacked them. The Mizoram government, on the other hand, said the state police responded only after the Assam police officers forcibly crossed a post manned by CRPF personnel.

The arrest of the police constable on Saturday for the bomb blast has irked Mizo student leaders. The Bairabi branch of student outfit Mizo Zirlai Pawl issued a warning that if the arrested man was not released by 4 pm on Sunday, they will stop all vehicles from Assam from entering Zophai in Bairabi.

Another incident of Friday in which a resident of Mizoram was killed after being allegedly robbed of Rs 1 lakh by some non-tribal criminals has also added to the fresh tension in the area.

Three districts of the Barak Valley region in Assam -- Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar -- share a 165-km border with Mizoram. There are ongoing border disputes between the two states at five locations.
Earlier on Sunday, Tikait also warned that the Centre they will set tents at police stations and District Magistrate's offices

New Delhi: Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday said that farmers will strengthen the agitation from November 27 at protest sites by reaching Delhi borders with tractors.

"Central Government has time till November 26, after that, from November 27 farmers from villages will reach Delhi borders from all around with tractors and strengthen the agitation at protest sites. #FarmersProtest," Tikait said in a tweet.

Earlier on Sunday, Tikait also warned that the Centre saying that if the administration pulls down farmers' tents at protest sites, they will set tents at police stations and District Magistrate's offices.

"We have come to know that the administration is trying to pull down the tents here with the help of JCB. If they do that, the farmers will set up their tents at Police stations, DM offices," Tikait told ANI.

Delhi Police on Thursday night started removing barricades placed at the Tikri and Ghazipur borders where farmers were protesting against the Centre's three farm laws.

The stretch was shut for over 11 months ever since the farmers' agitation started and commuters have been citing inconvenience during their travelling.

Farmers have been protesting at different sites since November 26 last year against the three enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Farmer leaders and the Centre have held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains.
Last month, Hungary and Serbia had agreed with India to mutually recognise COVID-19 vaccination certificates

Earlier today, the Australian government gave recognition to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine for traveller's vaccination status in the country. (AFP Photo)

New Delhi: Five more countries including Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius and Mongolia have decided to recognise India's COVID-19 vaccination certificate, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

"Mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates continues! Five more countries recognise India's vaccination certificate, including Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, State of Palestine, Mauritius and Mongolia," MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

During a Special Briefing on Friday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said India has proposed a mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certification at the G20 Summit.

"The issue of vaccination certification was, I think discussed especially with the EU representatives," he said.

Earlier today, the Australian government gave recognition to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine for traveller's vaccination status in the country.

Recognition of Covaxin, along with the previously announced recognition of Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of India, as well as other countries where these vaccines have been widely deployed, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia, the statement from Australia's Department of Health informed.

Last month, Hungary and Serbia had agreed with India to mutually recognise COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
India urged the developed nations to reduce their 'luxurious and energy-intensive lifestyles'

New Delhi: As global leaders at the G-20 summit pledged to phase out coal power as soon possible and take meaningful and effective action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, India urged the developed nations to reduce their luxurious and energy-intensive lifestyles so that the developing countries get the margin to meet their required targets for climate goals.

Speaking after the summit ended, Indias sherpa Piyush Goyal said the G-20 summit had delivered a strong message as energy and climate was clearly the centrestage of discussions. He said India and several other developing countries had pushed for safeguarding the interests of the developing world. We were also joined by developed countries to increase the ambition from current levels of commitment, said Mr Goyal at the end of the summit, where recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, in terms of economy, health, employment, education, tourism and climate action, was also discussed.

The G-20 leaders committed to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, though the climate activists said the summit was a missed opportunity and had left a huge amount of work to be done at the COP26 UN climate summit that began in Glasgow on Sunday.

We remain committed to the Paris Agreement goal to hold the global average temperature increase well below 2C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, also as a means to enable the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. We recognise that the impacts of climate change at 1.5C are much lower than at 2C. Keeping 1.5C within reach will require meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries, taking into account different approaches, through the development of clear national pathways that align long-term ambition with short- and medium-term goals, and with international cooperation and support, including finance and technology, sustainable and responsible consumption and production as critical enablers, in the context of sustainable development. We look forward to a successful COP26, the G-20 joint declaration said.

The leaders, whose nations between them emit nearly 80 per cent carbon emissions, also promised action on coal, but failed to set a clear target on another key goal, to reach net zero emissions. We are proud of these results but we must remember that its only the start, said Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the host of the talks. Earlier, the COP26 climate talks opened in Scotland with a warning by summit president Alok Sharma that they were the last, best hope to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The leaders of the worlds biggest economies have agreed to end public financing for coal-fired power generation abroad, but set no target for phasing out coal domestically as they wrapped up a two-day summit that laid the groundwork for the UN climate conference in Glasgow. The final G-20 communique said the leaders made a compromise commitment to reach carbon neutrality by or around mid-century.

The G-20 countries represent more than three-quarters of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions. Summit host Italy had been looking for solid targets on how to reduce emissions while helping poor countries deal with the impact of rising temperatures. Without those targets, momentum could be lost for the larger annual talks that officially opened Sunday in Glasgow, where countries worldwide will be represented, including poor ones vulnerable to rising seas, desertification and other effects. The communique said the G-20 reaffirmed past commitments by rich countries to mobilise $100 billion annually to help poorer countries cope with climate change, and committed to scaling up financing for helping them adapt.

On the health front, the leaders in their joint declaration said they would help advance toward the global goals of vaccinating at least 40 per cent of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70 per cent by mid-2022, as recommended by the World Health Organisation, and will take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries and remove relevant supply and financing constraints.

The G-20 leaders declaration added: We look forward to meeting again in Indonesia in 2022, in India in 2023 and in Brazil in 2024.

Mr Goyal said the leaders adopted the Rome Declaration which gives a strong message under the health section where the countries have agreed that Covid-19 immunisation is a global public good. The leaders agreed to strengthen WHO to enable it to proceed with Covid vaccine approvals. We got into text which confirms the developed world has acknowledged they have not done enough in terms of meeting their commitments and that they will have to move forward in providing finance, technology and enablers to make the transition to a clean energy world, said Mr Goyal.

He added that agriculture, livelihoods of the small and marginal farmers were also the focus of discussion for India and the G-20 has identified sustainable and responsible consumption, and production along with provision of finance and technology, as critical enablers to achieving climate goals. India has made it clear it needs to be part of the groups like Nuclear Suppliers Group in order to get access to clean energy options.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis mantra of sustainable lifestyles finds resonance in the Rome Declaration on sustainable consumption and responsible production patterns in line with SDG-12. A lot of the agenda of developing countries in which India has been taking a leadership role for has been brought into the text of the Rome Declaration. Clean energy and innovation will play an important role in the years to come. Energy security and stability of energy markets have also been recognised by the G-20 leaders. We have discussed and decided on global net zero. We have to work on technological solutions and more innovations before we decide on the year of achieving the target. For the first time, the agenda on sustainable urban planning has also been brought into the declaration. We need to bring back economic activity on tourism. We all have agreed to work towards a common framework for accepting each others vaccine certificates. We have agreed to extend the debt service suspension initiative so that low-income countries are not burdened with debt repayment at this critical time. We discussed gender-based violence and increasing womens participation in the workforce. We also denounced the uneven distribution of unpaid care and domestic work, Mr Goyal said, while briefing the media in Rome after the summit.

We have also agreed to extend the debt service suspension initiative so that low-income countries are not burdened with debt repayment at this critical time, said Mr Goyal.
The meeting will include districts with less than 50 per cent coverage of the first dose and low coverage of the second dose

New Delhi: After attending the G-20 summit in Rome and COP26 in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a review meeting with the districts which have low Covid-19 vaccination coverage at 12 noon on Wednesday, November 3, via video conferencing. The meeting will include districts with less than 50 per cent coverage of the first dose and low coverage of the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccines.

The PM will interact with the district magistrates of over 40 districts in Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and other states with districts that have low vaccination coverage. The chief ministers of these states will also be present.

India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 106.14 crores. Of the total of 1,06,14,40,335 vaccine doses administered to the eligible beneficiaries, 68,04,806 doses have been administered in the last 24 hours.

While a daily average of 78.69 lakh doses were given in September, the figures have gone down to about 56.50 lakh doses a day in October.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray too has expressed concern over the slow pace of vaccinations. He, however, said the availability of vaccine doses was not an issue but people were hesitant to take the jabs, and they should now come forward.

Highlighting the need to accelerate the pace and coverage of vaccination, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya had recently said there were more than 10.34 crore people across India who havent taken the second dose of the vaccine after the expiry of the prescribed interval.

Of the 112 crore Covid vaccine doses provided by the Centre, the health ministry said over 13 crore balance and unutilised vaccine doses were still available with the states and UTs for inoculation. In the new phase of universalisation of the Covid vaccination drive, the Union government procures and supplies free of cost 75 per cent of vaccines being produced by vaccine manufacturers in India to the states/UTs for inoculation.

The Narendra Modi government is now planning to start a door-to-door vaccination campaign against Covid-19. The month-long campaign is likely to begin on Tuesday. Mr Mandaviya recently said the Har Ghar Dastak campaign will be launched in the poorly performing districts to enthuse and motivate people towards full vaccination against the deadly infection.

It is learnt that 48 districts in 13 states with Covid vaccine first dose coverage ranging from 16.1-49.9 per cent will be targeted in the first leg of the door-to-door vaccination campaign. Many of these districts are in the Northeast.

Nagalands Kiphire district has clocked a first dose coverage of about 16 per cent against the national average of over 77 per cent. The maximum number of such districts are in Jharkhand, where 10 of 24 districts figure in the low-coverage list. The principal factor among the laggard states is their remoteness rather than any vaccine hesitancy.

The list also includes Haryanas Nuh, which is just about 200 km from the national capital, and has a substantial Muslim population. Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu, where the first dose coverage stands at about 43 per cent, is also in the list.

On the spread of the Covid-19 infection, as many as 12,830 people tested positive in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 3,42,73,300. Active cases have now declined to 1,59,272, the lowest in 247 days.

The death toll has jumped to 4,58,186, with 446 fresh fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. Of these, 358 were reported from Kerala and 26 from Maharashtra. Out of the total deaths reported so far in the country, 1,40,196 are from Maharashtra, 38,071 from Karnataka, 36,097 from Tamil Nadu, 31,514 from Kerala, 25,091 from Delhi, 22,900 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,126 from West Bengal.

The daily rise in new Covid-19 infections has been below 20,000 for 23 straight days and less than 50,000 for 126 consecutive days. The active cases comprise 0.46 per cent of total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate stands at 98.20 per cent.

A decline of 2,283 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 3,36,55,842, while the case fatality rate is 1.34 per cent. The daily positivity rate recorded at 1.13 per cent has been less than two per cent for the last 27 days. The weekly positivity rate at 1.18 per cent too has been below two per cent for the last 37 days.
This was announced by her MP nephew Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday at a TMC rally in Agartala

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister and Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who toured Assembly election-bound Goa last week, will visit another poll-bound state, Tripura, in December to expand her partys network there to challenge the BJP.

This was announced by her MP nephew Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday at a TMC rally in Agartala that was allowed by the Tripura high court on Saturday night after rejecting the Biplab Deb governments objections.

He said: Ms Banerjee will come here in December this year. She will also address a rally at Vivekananda Ground then. I will also be there. Tripura needs only one vaccine which is called Mamata Banerjee. Yesterday we won in court. Now we will also win the vote. I will camp here for a year upto February in 2023 to ensure the end of the BJPs rule. Biplab Deb is a big flop.

Mr Banerjees rally became a hit as Surma (Dhalai) MLA Ashish Das, who had quit the BJP and shaved his head for atonement in Kolkata before Durga Puja, joined the TMC in his presence.

Mr Das said: The BJP made a lot of promises while coming to power in Tripura in 2018. But the promises remained unfulfilled. The present BJP has only one per cent of the old guard while the rest is from other parties who are looting the state. I protested against it, but in vain. This autocratic government must go from power in 2023.

Elated over his induction into the TMC, Mr Banerjee claimed: What happened today is Khuti Puja. What will happen in the February of 2023 is the immersion of the BJP. Many MLAs are in touch with me. If I press the switch once, 15 of them will jump to our side at a time. But we do not want to follow the steps of the BJP. We will come here in power with a mandate.

The BJP received yet another blow as TMC turncoat Rajib Banerjee made a ghar wapsi at the same event. He had got a promotion in the BJP just weeks before when he was given a berth in the partys national executive committee. The former minister had joined the BJP in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah at his New Delhi residence just nine months ago.

He said: I was misled earlier. That is why I made a mistake then. I repent for it. I have rectified myself. There is no harm in admitting my own fault. Mr Banerjee tried to convince me of my fault. Had I realised it, I would have been in a better position to serve the people now.

Mr Banerjees return to the TMC, however, instantly triggered a backlash as three-time party MP from Serampore Kalyan Banerjee called him top to bottom corrupt.
COVID-19 vaccines are approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration after an assessment and approval process

World Health Organisation has sought additional clarifications from Bharat Biotech, which manufactures Covaxin and a decision on emergency use authorisation is expected early next month. (Bloomberg)

Canberra: Australian government on Monday gave recognition to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status in the country.

"Today, the Therapeutic Goods Administration determined that Covaxin (manufactured by BharatBiotech) vaccine would be 'recognised' for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status," Australia's High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell informed in a tweet.

"Importantly, recognition of Covaxin, along with the previously announced recognition of Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca India, means many citizens, as well as other countries, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia," the High Commissioner added in the tweet.

COVID-19 vaccines are approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) after an assessment and approval process.

"In recent weeks, the TGA has obtained additional information demonstrating these vaccines provide protection and potentially reduce the likelihood that an incoming traveller would transmit COVID-19 infection to others while in Australia or become acutely unwell due to COVID-19," a statement from Australia's Department of Health informed.

Recognition of Covaxin, along with the previously announced recognition of Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of India, as well as other countries where these vaccines have been widely deployed, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia, the statement said.

"This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia," the statement added.

From 1 November 2021, vaccinated Australians and permanent residents aged 12 and over may depart Australia without the need to seek a travel exemption, the Australian Health Department said.

The UN health body -- World Health Organisation -- has sought additional clarifications from Bharat Biotech, which manufactures Covaxin and a decision on emergency use authorisation is expected early next month.

WHO giving approval for Emergency Use Authorisation for India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' would facilitate the process of assisting other countries, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Saturday addressing a media briefing on the first day of G20 summit in Rome.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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EV

Internally, multiple automakers oppose the $4,500 additional federal tax incentive for electric vehicles built by unionized factories. Tesla has been very vocal about it and was joined by a dozen foreign automakers urging the two senates from California to oppose any rules that do not treat Californias auto workers as equal to every other American auto worker."Automakers in other states manufacturing cars in non-unionized factories may ask their senates and representatives the same thing. The Republican governors of 11 states sent a letter to Congress stating that such a measure would be discriminatory against workers that decided not to unionize. And this is a crucial point to consider.Unionizing is voluntary. If workers decided not to join a union, that decision should not become a competitive hindrance against them. If the vehicles they produce do not sell well due to fewer incentives, their jobs are at stake. The $4,500 tax incentive may make unionizing mandatory, and recent UAW corruption scandals do not help. At the same time, unorganized workers have less bargain power to demand better working conditions. That puts them between a rock and a hard place.However, the main issue with the plan may come from abroad. Offering a tax credit for cars made exclusively in the U.S. will lead to international questioning about the legislation, which will undoubtedly be framed as protectionist. According to Reuters , Canada and Mexico have already said that the $4,500tax incentive may hurt the USMCA (Unites States-Mexico-Canada) trade pact.Expect disputes to hit the WTO (World Trade Organization) coming from other countries, especially South Korea and Germany. China may eventually join them if Chinese companies decide to sell their EVs in the U.S. as well. In short, Biden might be able to approve the tax incentive connected to unions, but it could cause more problems than it is designed to solve.
The sick and twisted "66th" birthday party ?? not to mention their carbon footprint ????

Do as I say, not as I do!https://t.co/dBGixi6rhY



Guests were reportedly helicoptered from Bill Gates's megayacht, Lana, to the secluded, picturesque cove in Fethiye, Turkey, on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/dstHVDX14p  O'Haley (@LG_HALEY) October 31, 2021

Gates closed Sea Me Beach in Turkey and met with Bezos, who was also vacationing in theAegean. Bezos, first flew on the 107meter yacht "Lana", which was rented by Bill Gates for 1 million 800 thousand euros a week. OMG and tell us about pandemics and global crisis !!!!!!!!!!  Valia Traka (@TrakaValia) October 30, 2021

Last week, Gates and Bezos closed the Sea Me Beach in Fethiye, in the Aegean Sea, Turkey, so they could hold a private birthday celebratory dinner with close friends. The two billionaires, currently ranked at number two and four in the world (Bezos and Gates, respectively), met up at sea, local publication Sabah notes.Bezos has been cruising on his own yacht, which had docked in Govoka. The publication doesnt name the vessel, but several media outlets are already pointing out that it must be The Flying Fox , the $400 million vessel that holds the title of biggest charter megayacht in the world right now. He's been linked to The Flying Fox since it was delivered in 2019 by Azimut-Benetti, but it will probably not be for much longer. He's having another, more expensive, and twice more impressive superyacht built  this time, a sail-assisted superyacht, the mysterious Y721 from Oceanco As per the publication, Bezos flew by private helicopter and boarded LANA , which Gates is currently renting for $2 million a week. They hung out for a short while, and then were flown by helicopter to land, together with some 50 other guests, where they spent four hours at the dinner party.Private superyachts and private helicopter rides are not that uncommon for celebrities, let alone for people as rich as these two. The reason this friendly meeting is making headlines is that both Gates and Bezos, but particularly the former, are passionate and outspoken climate change activists.This get-together came with a massive carbon footprint: 215 pounds / 97.5 kg of carbon dioxide for Bezos round trip by helicopter, and 19 tons of carbon dioxide per day for each superyacht, according to the Daily Mail . Take these numbers with a grain of salt, but theyre indicative of the kind of footprint this intimate birthday party must have had. This, coming from the guys who are reportedly giving away millions to non-profits that strive to fight climate change , feels hypocritical  and many Twitter users are quick to point it out.Then again, chances are neither Gates, nor Bezos is spending too much time online these days to read criticism of their massive carbon footprint.
Theottles creation video is entertaining as usual. Seeing how this guy works makes us ashamed of the few basic stuff we can do with Photoshop. Yet, he did things differently with this unibody pickup truck.Instead of using a donor vehicle to give the Jogger derivative a different appearance  like he used an Aston Martin DBX to conceive the Mercedes-AMG SL Shooting Brake Theottle did everything just by manipulating the images he had. Watching the video will allow you to see him create the truck bed, the cabin, the tailgate, and many other aspects of the Jogger pickup truck. He also extends the rear overhang to conceive a usable truck bed.The Ford Maverick will soon have more competitors. GM is developing a new Chevrolet Montana that will be made in Sao Caetano do Sul, Brazil, and probably in the U.S. as well. With the success the Ford unibody pickup truck is presenting, we doubt that GM would not want a slice of that market. Exporting the new Montana from Brazil to the U.S. does not look feasible, especially considering it will be an affordable vehicle in the American market. Stellantis already has a vehicle that could face the Maverick , the Fiat Toro. Also called RAM 1000, it could prove popular in the U.S. The Dacia Jogger pickup truck might be more interesting than the vehicle Renault sells in Latin America. The Duster Oroch never sold that well, but it is still produced in Brazil with the appearance of the first-generation Duster.
The new bill is meant to curb street racing, not protect the sleep of NY state residents, as its name might suggest. And it appears that legislators have decided that loud exhausts equal street racing. Now, you should also know that the state of New York did have a loud exhaust fine before this moment, but it stood at $150. So, the fine was bumped by $850, which is a significant hike.According to SEMA, the new fine in the state of New York is the biggest in the U.S. after exceeding the $500 fine (per violation) in Colorado. Back when the bill was proposed , motorcycle exhausts and mufflers would have to not exceed 95 decibels, while car mufflers and exhaust systems would not be allowed to exceed 60 decibels without getting fined.Another important change brought by the bill is the possibility of removing the license of a workshop if that service operator is caught installing excessively-loud exhaust systems or mufflers to vehicles.The license removal procedure for a workshop would function on a three-strike basis, but it should make many technicians think twice before agreeing to de-cat or fit a straight pipe system to a vehicle upon a customer's request.Mind you, for a driver or a rider to get a fine for having an exhaust that is too loud, it should have to be inspected with a decibel reader. Because of the high number of complaints on the matter of street racing in the five boroughs, other actions have been proposed to "pump the brakes on street racing." New York has had an increase in street racing during the pandemic, as the NY Times reported.One of the other proposed actions involved fitted noise-detecting tools to identify and track loud cars as they drive by those devices. Think of them like red-light cameras or speed cameras, but fitted with decibel meters instead.If you ask us, linking a decibel meter to a camera and issuing fines without an additional check could be a problem, because it would make it difficult to identify where the loud noise comes from. The best way is an in-person check with a decibel meter.Other legislators proposed fitting nighttime speed cameras on streets where street racing is believed to happen, as the Gothamist reports. That proposal might curb street racing, as it would involve issuing fines to those who drive at high speed on public roads.However, we think that each of these issues has a law against it, and all that it takes to curb anything against that law is a complaint and an employee of the state to check if the law is obeyed and fine those who do not obey it.Other states and individual cities have found diverse ways to curb street racing, including closing streets to ensure a safe perimeter for those interested in drifting or drag racing. The safest thing to do if you desire to drift or to drag race is to do it on the track.It might cost more than doing something illegal and not getting caught, but it is cheaper when compared to getting caught or, worse, crashing your vehicle while street racing or drifting. The legal consequences of those actions outweigh the cost of renting a car for a track day or going to the drag strip with your daily.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA

According to the), the recall population is estimated at 5,601 vehicles in North America, with an unknown defect rate. This includes the 2010-2015 458 Italia, 2012-2015 458 Spider, 2014-2015 458 Speciale , 2015 458 Speciale Aperta, and 2016-2019 488 GTB and 488 Spider.All of them might leak brake fluid, which would lead to partial or total loss of braking capability. Needless to say that if the brakes fail, then there is an increased risk of an accident.An official document released by the safety agency states that Ferrari and Bosch, which is the supplier of the brake booster/pump assembly, are still collaborating to determine the root cause of the problem.Due to the nature of the defect, drivers will, however, become aware of the issue via a dashboard warning light when the quantity of the brake fluid will drop to less than 50%. If this happens, then they should pull off to the road as soon as it is safe to do so, and then contact Ferrari Roadside Assistance and get towed to the nearest authorized Ferrari dealer, the NHTSA reveals.Owners of the affected 458 and 488 mid-engine supercars should hear from the automaker around the Winter Holidays. Notification letters are expected to be mailed on December 21, and by then, hopefully, Ferrari will have come up with a fix. In the meantime, concerned owners with questions on the topic can reach out to the Ferrari Customer Service at 1-201-816-2668 using the recall number 78. At the same time, they can also get in touch with the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.
For those of you who were not aware of the whole tariff issue, the EU and the U.S. were in a rough spot that started off in 2018 with steel and aluminum tariffs. The latter was imposed by former President Donald Trump, and Harley-Davidson , along with bourbon manufacturers from Kentucky, was among those affected by the tariffs.The new agreement, signed today, involves dropping retail tariffs that were meant to be applied on high-profile American industries starting December 2021. As the U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo explained, the EU will maintain 232 tariffs, but the deal allows limited volumes of European steel and aluminum to enter the U.S. without any additional tariffs.In return, those high-profile American industries, such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Kentucky bourbon, and other goods, will be exempt from the 50-percent increase in tariffs upon their import to the European Union. Harley-Davidson 's CEO, Jochen Zeitz, stated that the deal is a big win for the company, as well as its customers, stakeholders, employees, and dealers in Europe.Zeitz also noted that the agreement was an important course correction in the trade relations between the European Union and the United States of America.In other words, Harley-Davidson will continue to be able to sell its motorcycles in the EU at the same price as before, even after December 2021. Before this agreement was made, the American brand risked missing out on sales in the EU, as the tariffs would have raised prices by at least 50 percent, if we were to judge by the proposed taxes. This was not the first time when Harley-Davidson is caught between the EU and the U.S. on trade issues. The Milwaukee-based company attempted to stop the tariffs proposed for this year through legal action, but it looks like that will not be necessary anymore, now that the U.S. and the EU have this new agreement.
Its not uncommon for the human brain to find connections between the concepts it knows and the things it sees. In fact, we humans even have a term for the brain's tendency of finding familiar shapes and patterns where there are none and, to a greater extent, make otherwise extreme connections.Maybe its because of this habit, known as pareidolia , that the image of the killer bee is the first thing that popped into our heads once weve laid eyes on the modified Harley-Davidson V-Rod we have here, hence the nickname we gave it. Thanks to the careful use of custom body parts and different paints spread on various body elements, the thing looks ready to strike fast and flee, looking all angry in the process.The muscle V-Rods are, as most of you already know by now, one of the favorite canvases for incredible projects for the shops residing over in Europe. For one reason or another, it seems these garages have taken the American muscle bike to heart, and some of them spare no expense in coming up with designs that should, at least in theory, survive for decades more. And were not even one bit sorry, given how Harley stopped making these amazing machines altogether back in 2017.The project that brought the said killer bees to mind is the work of a Netherlands-based customizer who goes by the name Dave Willems . Its one of those many V-Rod-based builds that flood the streets of the Old Continent but, unlike most of the others, this one seems somehow easier to remember once the initial shock of seeing it passes.For the task at hand, the customizer used a wealth of custom bits and an innovative paint scheme. The Dutch slapped onto the Harley in-house brewed parts like the front wheel, swingarm, triple tree, and the air ride suspension that underpins the two-wheeler.The thing rides on Metzeler tires, with the rear one resting under a Jack Lomax fender. The engine that spins them is the stock one, modified only with the addition of a Speed Demon exhaust system, and stopping power comes from Galfer disc brakes.Once the build was completed, the entire contraption was all powder coated in shades of black, orange, and brown that shine away from front to rear.As usual, when it comes to European shops, we are not being told how much the motorcycle cost to put together.
The Lockheed XF-90 was a technological marvel in its day. It was the first American fighter jet to use afterburners for both of its twin engines and the first Lockheed aircraft ever to break the sound barrier. Pilots and engineers alike praised the jet for its remarkably sturdy airframe. Even so, this wasn't enough to make the fighter viable in an upcoming conflict.With the War in Korea looming on the horizon, the contract for a long-range penetration fighter and bomber escort was instead given to the McDonnel XF 88 Voodoo. That plane would go on to be re-named the F-101 Voodoo while in production.With the contract lost and two prototypes now sitting retired, the time had come for the XF-90s to assume their new roles: serving as airframes that would test how much stress a fighter jet could endure before destruction.The first airframe, serial number 46-0687, was tested to its breaking point at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio. Its sister plane, serial no 46-0688, was transported to an explosive date with destiny.The late '40s and early '50s saw the dawn of the nuclear era. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki proved how devastating of a weapon the Americans had at their disposal. But in the early days of the nuclear age, more testing was needed to understand the sheer magnitude of the destruction now possible with just one bomb.And so, the remaining XF-90 airframe was transported to a then top-secret testing facility within the 1,350 square miles Nevada National Security Site famous for its atomic bomb tests. Here, nuclear tests could be conducted with little to no chance of collateral damage to civilian infrastructure or meddling by Soviet spies.The XF-90 was stationed in an area of the test site called Frenchman Flat, a dry lakebed within the test site that served as the perfect mock-airstrip for the test the military had planned. In 1952, the airframe endured a brutal onslaught of three separate nuclear blasts similar in size to those seen in the last days of World War Two, if not even larger.By the end of testing, little remained of the stricken fighter. But amazingly. the aircraft was not vaporized and reduced to atoms after three consecutive nukes to the face. The remains of the once-proud fighter jet lay on the grounds of Frenchman Flat. In staunch defiance of a test program that essentially saw the plane given its last rights.The wreck was so mangled by the explosion that it takes getting over some tricks of the eye to identify it as the mangled remains of an American fighter jet. The plane was destined to spend the next 50 years getting acclimated to the heat and the sands of the Nevada desert.The US Air Force largely ignored the presence of the remains of the second XF-90 until 2003, when it was finally moved from its resting place in Frenchman Flat. The plane was then transferred to the grounds of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Also, the sight of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Here, the aircraft's remains were decontaminated of radiation, and each rivet was removed to purge them of radioactive sand. Its frail wings were removed entirely. Today, the remains of the XF-90 have a permanent display among other famous exhibits of the Cold War.At this exhibit, museum-goers get to marvel at firsthand proof of what can happen when an aircraft is subjected to the most powerful explosions known to man. What's especially notable about the exhibit is that even after three atomic tests and five decades in the desert sun, the bulletproof front windscreen hadn't melted or shattered into thousands of pieces. The XF-90 was praised in its day for its durability, and it sure does show here.
IIHS

NHTSA

Just a decade ago, the average automotive enthusiast didn't really give Hyundai too much attention. Their products were a bit drab, a bit slow, and often underwhelming. Today, they're proving to be one of the most innovative and advancing automakers around In 2016, they agreed to ensure that almost every vehicle they sold by September of 2022 would be fitted with automated emergency braking. Theand theboth had a large hand in the movement. Other automakers supported it too.Hyundai, however, put their money where their mouth was. They've already reached the goal nearly a year ahead of schedule. Chief safety officer at Hyundai, Brian Latouf, had this to say.Hyundais safety-first philosophy has contributed to our recent product increase with AEB/FCAA and two additional safety technologies now standard on 98% of our lineup of cars and SUVs, AEB is an exciting technology since it not only protects vehicle occupants but vulnerable road users as well. This accomplishment highlights our devotion to vehicle safety and the industrys ability to work together and advance motor vehicle safety voluntarily.Hyundai features tons of advanced safety equipment on their vehicles today besides just AEB. That includes forward collision-avoidance assist, lane-keeping assist, and a driver attention warning. Those are all standard features across the entire lineup.Drivers can also get adaptive cruise control among a host of optional extras. One feature warns rear-seat passengers when a car is oncoming so that they won't open their door into traffic. Another displays a live feed of the person's blind spot in the gauge cluster when a turn signal is activated.Clearly, Hyundai has come a long way . We can't wait to see what's next for the Korean auto manufacturer.
The Royal Huisman Dutch shipbuilder was proud to introduce the Phi concept last year as a 192-foot (58.5 meters) yacht below 500 GT, making it the longest motor yacht in this category. With naval architecture by Van Oossanen Naval Architects, and an interior design (which is still kept a secret) by London-based studio Lawson Robb, Phi was created according to the specifications of its future owner.Inspired by the Golden Ratio, this vessels design avoided the typical wedding cake look and went for a sleek silhouette. This particular hull design also increases fuel efficiency , since trying to burn as little fuel as possible is, in the builders opinion, the best solution at the moment, until the day renewables will be the reliable mainstream.Two of Phis most impressive features are its infinity wine-cellar (which has yet to be revealed) and an innovative, sustainable pool. It uses much less freshwater than standard swimming pools and doesnt need a separate dump tank because it can turn into a sealed tank itself, where the water can be treated and healed overnight.The majestic Phi is also joined by a shadow yacht, Phi Phantom, built by Alia Yachts. This 118-foot (36 meters) support vessel will carry a remarkable range of toys. Some of these are two tenders, a 26-foot (8 meters) sailing boat, several jet skis, motorbikes, a car, and surplus fuel for the main ship. Apart from these water toys, the Phi Phantom will also provide extra storage and refrigeration for extended voyages at sea.The beautiful Phi has left the shipyards new facility in Vollenhove and has kicked off sea trials in Amsterdam before being handed over to its owner.
The downside of owning a big car collection is that you need more space when thinking about adding new models, especially when you have a passion for SLR McLarens.Manny Khoshbin just took it to his social media to announce that hes selling his Rolls-Royce Phantom. The eBay selling page claims the model is a one of a kind with a unique color scheme, white on white.The photos only confirm what Khoshbin says about the luxury car: flawless showroom condition. From what we know, the famous car collector rarely actually drives all the vehicles he owns, and he barely does a few thousand miles with one car. According to the page, when it comes to mileage, it only has 5400 miles on the clock, and it comes with full factory warranty, which will last you two more years, until December 28, 2023.The Phantom Drophead comes with a 6.75-liter V12 engine, which, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, puts out 454 horsepower (460 ps) and 531 lb-ft (720 Nm) of torque. The luxurious convertible reaches a top speed of 155 mph (249 kph) and has an acceleration from zero to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in 5.8 seconds.Manny Khoshbins one-of-a-kind model could be yours if you have $445,000 in your bank account But, according to the selling page, he might take it if you make him an offer he cant refuse.As he departs with his Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead, the question arises: is the famous car collector looking for yet another SLR McLaren? He recently just purchased his 9th model and he definitely expressed his interest in buying a new one soon. But I guess well just have to wait and see.
AMG

The reason is the rear windscreen, which could fly away as it may not have been properly bonded to the tailgate during assembly. The safety agency says that drivers could hear wind noises coming from the rear before the glass detaches and becomes a road hazard.Technicians will replace the rear window on the affected vehicles free of charge. The recall includes 23 units of the 2021 GLE 350, GLE 580, GLS 450, GLS 580,GLE 53, AMG GLE 63 S, and AMG GLS 63 S. All work will be performed free of charge, and owners are expected to be mailed on or before December 21. Dealers were already notified a few days ago.This isnt the only recall affecting the GLE and GLS, because a second one conducted by the car manufacturer and safety agency concerns the 2020 GLS 450, GLS 580, GLE 350, GLE 450, AMG C 63, and 2021 AMG GLE 53. The reason behind this safety campaign is rather peculiar, because these vehicles, 27 of them to be more precise, have incorrectly assembled seats. These do not secure occupants and might increase the risk of injury in the event of an accident.Mercedes says that authorized dealers will inspect all seats in the affected vehicles and rework them if necessary. Since these rides, as well as the ones in the previous recall, are still covered by the factory warranty, the automaker will not reimburse owners who have already fixed theirs. Those whose names are written on the dotted line should be contacted by the car manufacturer on or before December 17.
As things stand now, the Artemis I mission is scheduled to take off In February 2022. It will be a dry run, carrying no humans (only a dummy astronaut called Campos will be on board) and meant to validate the systems of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule that will eventually take humans up there. Artemis II is to follow sometime in 2023, this time with astronauts on board. The crew will not attempt a Moon landing, but will circle the celestial body and head back to Earth, validating life support systems and such.It is this mission that will be thoroughly documented by lightweight audiovisual hardware supplied by one of the worlds favorite makers of incredible documentaries, National Geographic . The American space agency announced over the weekend it signed a non-reimbursable (no-exchange-of-funds) Space Act Agreement with National Geographic for this to happen.The deal includes not only the yet unspecified hardware to fly on Artemis II, but also a coordinated effort from the company to use its entire might, meaning magazines, social and digital content, and television programming, to spread the Artemis message out there, so get ready for a flood of related content coming our way soon.Returning humans to the Moon with Artemis II will inspire the next generation of explorers, said in a statement Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.This time, we are bringing partners and technologies that will create additional opportunities for the world to share in the experience along with our astronauts.
NHTSA

The safety campaign comprises many models, such as the 2021 A8 and S8, 2022 A3 Sedan, A4 Sedan, A5 Sportback, S3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, SQ7, Q8, SQ8, RS Q8, RS 6 Avant , and e-tron GT. Cars made after October 16, 2021, are not affected, as they have received a new software version.On paper, it sounds like Audi is calling back at least a few hundred thousand vehicles , but the truth is that only 2,857 units will have to be driven back to the dealers, and only 10% of them are estimated to have the defect. Speaking of which, this is blamed on a software glitch that causes a delay in the activation of the reversing camera, as certain running processes can hinder each other.As you can assume, the problem, due to which the said cars fail to comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requirements for rear visibility, is easily fixable. In fact, subsequent to scheduling an appointment with an authorized dealer, technicians will update the infotainment unit parameters, free of charge, after inspection.Before being able to reach out to their local Audi dealer, owners will have to wait for the recall to start. The official date is yet unknown, but it could happen around or after the Winter Holidays, considering that both owners and dealers are expected to be informed of the matter on or before December 17. The official Audi recall number is 91CR, and they can be contacted at 1-800-253-2834. Thecan be reached at 1-888-327-4236.
The British Royal Family might have a long history with Bentley state limousines, but they surely love Jaguars as well.Although Queen Elizabeth has seen behind the wheel of several cars during her long reign, her favorite seems to be the Land Rover Defender. She has a particular liking for this model, but, when its unavailable, she has a backup car, a Jaguar X-Type Estate . It was said that she only drove it for seven years before departing with the model in 2016, but it looks like she still owns one.In the new pictures of Queen Elizabeth driving, Her Majesty shows up wearing sunglasses and a headscarf like she usually does. But she looked happy and healthy, leaving the rear entrance of Windsor Castle behind the wheel of the Jaguar, driving all by herself.From 2004 to 2009, the X-Type Estate wasnt among the most desirable models the brand ever built. But who would have thought this would be one of Queen Elizabeth IIs go-to vehicles?It came with two fuel options, gasoline, and diesel. The biggest engine, though, was on gasoline. It was a 3.0-liter V6 engine, which could be the option Queen Elizabeth went for. Mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, the power unit puts out 231 horsepower. Its not the fastest car out there, but it does reach 144 mph (232 kph), with an acceleration from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in 7.8 seconds.Among other Jaguars the British Royal Family has used over the years are a Jaguar MK VII Saloon, a Daimler V8 Super LWB, and a Jaguar XJ-SC V12 Cabriolet, which Princess Diana owned.Since the 95-year-old British Head of State has been ordered to take it slow and rest, she did give up riding for the time being, and also took a two-week break from her royal duties. But she shifted to a little bit more horsepower when driving the Jaguar around Windsor Castle. And she looks as healthy as always.
Rolls-Royce has a strong connection with the U.S. Navy, given the fact that 95% of its surface fleet is equipped with the companys propulsion systems. More than that, Rolls-Royce supports more than 70 other navies around the world, with controllable-pitch propellers, fixed-pitch propellers, and waterjets. The brands shock-rated propeller systems have proved to be reliable and efficient for a wide variety of Navy ships.The Navys Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program continues to develop, which also leads to a higher demand for spare parts and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services. For example, ships in the Freedom-class are equipped with four Rolls-Royce waterjets manufactured at the companys Walpole campus. The new facility that has been added will also allow MRO operations to be conducted at the same campus.Unfolding over 25,000 square feet (more than 2,300 square meters), the new facility at the Naval Defense campus will be dedicated to manufacturing, plus repair and test operations, with high-tech capabilities. The result of an $11 million investment, this new center is meant to modernize the companys naval operations in Walpole.Earlier this year, Rolls-Royce launched another state-of-the-art testing facility near the Purdue University campus in Indianapolis. This is where a Hypersonics Ground Test Center (HGTC) was inaugurated to advance High-Mach aviation propulsion systems development.With the U.S. Department of Defense showing an increased interest in developing hypersonic capabilities, testing facilities also need to raise the challenge because this type of flight requires unique testing conditions due to extreme temperatures and pressure levels.After decades of collaboration with the U.S. Army, these new Rolls-Royce cutting-edge facilities will take aircraft development and propulsion systems for ships to the next level.
EV

The all-electric four-door is quicker than an impressive lineup of gasoline-powered supercars, including the Bugatti Chiron, McLaren 765LT, and the Porsche 911 Turbo S. The fact that it's also faster than the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, a drag-spec production car, is even more intriguing.But as incredible as the Model S Plaid is when pitted against other production models at the drag strip, the truth is it doesn't have what it takes to go against full-fledged dragsters. And that's perfectly fine since it wasn't designed to win drag racing events.In today's electric vs. gasoline battle, a slightly modified Tesla Model S Plaid takes on a beefed-up, 1980s Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Known as "Black Blur," this drag-spec hi-riser is quite famous in grudge racing circles.Don't let the massive, gold-painted wheels fool you. This fourth-gen Monte Carlo hides a turbocharged V8 under the hood. Running on 30 PSI of boost, in cranks out well above 1,000 horsepower and runs quarter- and 1/8-mile sprints like it's nobody's business. Recent victims include tuned Porsche 911s and a pack of Dodge Challenger Demons and Hellcats The Model S Plaid lining up against this 1980s monster isn't exactly stock either, but we don't know what sort of extras it hides under the skin. But on top of that chameleon wrap and the parachute attached to the rear end, it rides on drag-spec wheels, so it should be quicker than its factory siblings even if the drivetrain is unaltered.Whatever the case, it's not quick enough to outrun "Black Blur" in this race. Not only is the Monte Carlo off to a great start thanks to a near-perfect reaction time, but the's instant torque isn't enough to reduce the gap toward the finish line. Being a grudge race, there's no timing, but I'm pretty sure the Monte Carlo covered the distance in about eight seconds. The Plaid seems to be almost a full second slower to the trap.Check it out in the video below. The action starts at the six-minute mark and you get two angles. There's a third angle from the starting line in the second video.
EV

The first is that Tesla does not use its charging standard in Europe. The company adopts CCS2 connectors there, which other EVs also use. That prevents owners of EVs from different brands from needing adapters to use Superchargers.The second is that Europe has way fewer Tesla vehicles than the U.S. Evaluating how things go on a small scale can help solve them before expanding the idea to Supercharging stations with more demand. That's a clear concern for the company: it said it will be closely monitoring each site for congestion and listening to customers about their experiences.The list of Supercharging stations confirms that. Tesla opened the Apeldoorn Oost, Breukelen, Duiven, Eemnes, Hengelo, Meerkerk, Naarden, Sassenheim, Tilburg, and Zwolle stations to EVs from other manufacturers. As the map shows, most of them are not that close to major cities such as Amsterdam and have high evaluation scores, according to Google Maps. The high scores show these are locations less prone to present problems.The pilot program is limited to people resident in the Netherlands, which means tourists and visitors will not be able to charge their EVs from other brands in these stations.Theusers willing to use Tesla Superchargers will have to download the app, create an account, pick the option Charge Your Non-Tesla, add a payment method, select a stall, and click on Start Charging. This is the first point in which Tesla expects people to notice the difference between having a Tesla and an EV from another brand: the process to Supercharge a Tesla is seamless.Another differentiation Tesla plans to offer its customers is lower prices for charging: the same ones they face nowadays. The explanation is simple: Tesla will charge more from non-Tesla owners.People who have Teslas and EVs from other brands will be able to charge their other EVs in Superchargers with the same Tesla account. Idle fees will also apply to non-Tesla EVs so that they will not occupy a stall without adequately using it. That may catch some of these customers off guard.If Tesla manages to avoid getting Superchargers so crowded that it will hurt the experience its regular customers have, sharing the network may be a great way to present the advantages of its products. It may also be an issue if Tesla customers are not that friendly to these new users or decide to share their problems with Tesla cars. Whatever the result is, Tesla will not reveal it to the press: well have to wait for tweets from users and Elon Musk to discover how things are going. Well follow that anyway: it will be interesting to watch.
ICE

For an UAS to be able to operate not occasionally, but year-round, in places like Alaska, it needs to incorporate a thermal solution that would allow it to withstand those icy temperatures, without limiting its performance. This is why the Norwegian company UBIQ Aerospace has developed the D-solution. This autonomous, electrothermal system is specifically adapted for the size, weight and power of small, tactical unmanned aircraft. Traditionally, drones were meant to operate in warm climates, and their features arent compatible with standard anti-icing or de-icing equipment. This led to limitations when it came to UAS operations in harsh environments, with predominant atmospheric icing. By integrating UBIQs modern technology with Insitus drone, the Integrator will become the first tactical UAS that can operate routinely in the Arctic and High North. Insitu , a Boeing subsidiary, had already designed the Integrator as one of the most versatile drones out there. Measuring a little over eight feet (2.5 meters) in length and boasting a high payload capacity (40 lbs/18 kg), this UAS enables easy payload swap between missions. Moreover, depending on the payload, it can offer more than 24 hours of endurance.Another advantage of this flexible UAS is that it can be operated from any remote land- or water-based location because it doesnt require special infrastructure. It can take off and land in any conditions, and it can be easily transported via cargo vehicles, helicopters, or ships.According to UBIQ and Insitu, the newly-equipped Integrator will support NATO customers with operations in the Arctic. The project kicks off this month with an in-depth study of the Integrator UAS to fully adapt the ice protection system to its specifications.
kWh

California-based marine technology startup Boundary Layer Technologies recently presented a new design for an electric ferry based on the companys proprietary hydrofoil and podded propulsion systems. Named Electra, the ferry promises a range of up to 100 nautical miles and a cruise speed of 40 knots.This proprietary technology used by BLT is way more efficient than the one used in standard electric ferries, because it reduces hydrodynamic drag, making the vessel faster and increasing its range. In fact, the company claims the 100 NM range makes it possible for Electra to service close to half of all the ferry routes in the Greek region, for instance.As for the charging time of the battery, the company claims a full charge can be achieved in under three hours.Boundary Layer Technologies CEO Ed Kearney explains that by reducing the drag of Electra by a factor of two, the powering requirements are also halved, which increases the speed and range of what an electric ferry can do and opens the door to the electrification of the majority of ferry routes across the world.We dont have all the specs of the ferry right now, but we do know that Electra boasts a 9000battery capacity and can take aboard 150 passengers. The vessels battery electric propulsion also makes the ferry significantly quieter, reducing cabin noise by up to 20 dB compared with conventional ferries.In addition to speed, increased battery life, and reduced noise, Electra also helps operators cut costs by up to 35 percent compared to using fossil fuel burning fast ferry alternatives.BLT has already developed the hydrofoil and control systems for the Electra and expects to have the first ferries in operation by the first quarter of 2024. The Electra will operate in the U.S., Mediterranean, and Scandinavia.
John Kerry has made one special ask of world leaders since he became President Biden's climate envoy in January: help me consign coal to history. As the UN climate summit convenes in Glasgow, Scotland, all signs suggest they won't deliver.

Driving the news: The COP26 summit is a proving ground of sorts for Kerry's style of personal diplomacy, which helped him broker the 2015 Paris climate accord. The challenge is having it pay off in a world rife with multilateralism, and with the U.S. leadership role in question.

Kerry has billed Glasgow as the world's "last, best chance" for averting potentially catastrophic effects from global warming.

At the same time, he's been working to lower expectations. As recently as last Thursday, Kerry acknowledged there will be a gap after Glasgow between where the world needs to be on emissions and where it is.

He's also started to look past COP26, emphasizing that this needs to be a "decisive decade" and "decade of action."

The U.S. and other countries secured some commitments on coal use at the G20 summit on Sunday, but this fell short of what Kerry had been fighting for.

Efforts to curb coal usage in his own country have been hampered by the resistance of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who used to be governor of a coal state.

Between the lines: Any shortfall isn't for lack of effort.

Kerry has mimicked his time as the most-traveled secretary of State in history, maintaining a frenetic schedule.

He's visited at least 15 countries since January, some more than once, with a single-minded focus that other U.S. foreign policy officials can't afford.

Unlike his time heading the State Department, he largely flies commercial, toting his own bag into the passenger cabin.

In every meeting with his foreign counterparts, Kerry has sought five commitments, State Department officials tell Axios:

1. Reduce emissions

2. Phase out coal use by a specific date

3. Increase financing to help developing nations adapt to climate change

4. Join a new Global Methane Pledge

5. Strengthen emissions targets after COP26

Between the lines: Kerry arrives in Scotland with Biden's domestic climate agenda hanging in the balance  weakening U.S. credibility.

If Democrats fail to pass a robust climate bill, Kerry told the AP in September, "it would be like President Trump pulling out of the Paris agreement, again."

Americas domestic political situation, with the likelihood of a Republican takeover of at least one chamber of Congress in 2022, has other countries greeting his big asks with caution.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has described climate change as an "existential threat," and China as "the biggest geopolitical test of the 21st century."

That dual framework has created massive headaches for Kerry in his push to secure climate commitments from the world's largest carbon emitter.

The big picture: As a 77-year-old former Cabinet officer, senator and presidential candidate, Kerry's familiar with the often frustrating nature of securing multinational agreements.
Snow bird is a term used to describe people who visit Arizona months at a time to get out of the cold. Last year, Canadian travel to Arizona was down due to the pandemic and COVID travel restrictions.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High around 60F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Some passing clouds. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some passing clouds. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable.
Siemens Energy's HVDC transmission system will bring green energy from Sunrise Wind to the mainland, powering nearly 600,000 homes in New York state.
Brian Smith served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and retired as an assistant chief with the California Highway Patrol. He resides in Bakersfield. If you have a personal Cop Tale to share, please contact Smith at bmsmith778@gmail.com.
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Brenda Ruth Street Mitchell, age 71, of the Peapatch area of Jewell Ridge, VA, went home to be with our Lord and Savior on Friday, November 19, 2021 at home on Peapatch surrounded by her loving family. She was born and raised in Whitewood, VA and was a daughter of the late Arthur Street and 
The Maker of Monsters: Shore Acres on South Oregon Coast in Video, Photos

Published 10/31/21 at 5:56 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Coos Bay, Oregon)  The sheer drama of one Oregon coast spot can be downright shudder-inducing. In more ways than one.(Photo courtesy Manuela Durson - see Manuela Durson Fine Arts for more)

Coos Bay's Shore Acres cliffs are the ultimate wild ride spectacle for winter wave action, with monsters that tower some 200 feet above the watchers at times. There, a variety of shoreline geographic factors go into compressing incoming waves and transforming them into gargantuans, making for the most amazing of photos along the Oregon coast. See Why Shore Acres Waves Are So Big.

Video, too, shows some heart-stopping action. One minute there's a simple set of breakers pummeling the seascape. The next, there's a shower of ocean water as a giant explosion of white fills the scene.

On the cliffs themselves, you can actually feel the rumble of their power. The land beneath you shakes a little bit.

Really, catching this south Oregon coast hotspot in an off moment, when it's calm and almost placid: that's almost the unusual find here.

Steven Michael Smith is a Coos Bay-area photographer and videographer who has captured a ton of wowing images of the spot, and many are used by the area's travel bureau, Oregon's Adventure Coast: Coos Bay, Charleston, North Bend. Some of his are featured here in this photo essay.

Photo courtesy Brent Lerwill

According to Smith, the record-holder for highest wave happened on March 16 at approximate 320 feet. Last season's wild ride of major tides resulted in many well over 200 feet.

Smith teams up with other photographers to estimate the height of these waves. He sometimes receives photos from others, asking if he'll estimate how tall the watery explosions are.



Courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast / Steve Michael Smith

He explained more on this process to Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

The height is determined by the comparison of the cliff, Smith said. The cliffs at Shore Acres are on average 75 feet.



Courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast

Then, photographers in the area use a variety of comparisons, utilizing photos of the spot. In the computer, you have to superimpose / stack the images over each other for comparison. Sometimes you have to zoom one photo out or inward to get the dimensions of the cliffs to be the same.

To find out which wave is higher than another, it is quite simple, Smith said. We lay one photo on top the other, fade one out by 40%, line up the cliff and either increase or decrease the faded image in order to match up the point on the cliff. Then it is easy to determine which one is taller.



Courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast / Steven Michael Smith

For example, Smith talked about one photo they used for comparison.

If you move the wave to the same horizontal distance as the cliff, there is about an increase of 50 feet in wave size, he said. If you take the cliff and stack it, you get approx 150 feet: compare that to the wave height, come up with an average, and add 50 feet.

It is not an exact science. He calls it a guessing game to some degree. But it is possible to estimate wave height based on how high the cliffs are and then eyeballing the tip of the wave above it.

However, the highest wave may not be the most dramatic for some very simple reasons of physics. It's a bit of a surprise.

The images that I post show the wave not quite at its highest point, Smith said. The wave is still dramatically moving up to show the action. The wave will still rise a good 20-30 feet before gravity pulls it back down. There is less action in the wave when it is stopped by gravity.

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After almost two months of close calls and hard-fought recovery, the boss is coming back to town, and his friends and neighbors are ready to welcome him home.

Joe Oates, the charismatic character behind the fan-favorite Boss Burger food truck, has been completing rehabilitation after surviving complications from a COVID-19 infection and is headed back to Nederland this week.

Oates and his lifeline over the past few months, Mary Fuller, are still planning exactly what time hell arrive home on Nov. 4, but the hundreds of people that have been following his recovery since August already have been clamoring for information on how they can give him a welcoming parade on his route home.

Im not really sure what to think about it, thats what you do for heroes and veterans who have died, Oates said. But people keep telling me that they think of me that way.

He said it's been overwhelming to see the outpouring of well wishes and prayers from customers, friends and even people he hasnt met rush in with each update Fuller posts to social media.

Others established a bank account for him and the Boss Burger crew at Neches Credit Union so supporters could send donations to make sure Oates and his family were taken care of.

Oates and members of his crew first caught COVID-19 in late July  most likely while catering a wedding where other people also traced their infections.

Related: Boss Burger founder's family ask for prayers during COVID recovery

But where others eventually recovered after days of severe fevers and breathing issues, Oates pre-existing respiratory condition meant his oxygen levels dropped to dangerous levels and his breathing became labored.

It just happened so quickly, and I couldnt breath, Oates said. I knew I had to get tested.

After several tests and limited treatment at a Southeast Texas hospital, Oates ended up suffering from a heart attack and a possible stroke before being taken to St. Lukes Hospital in Houston and placed on a ventilator.

Oates only has vague memories and dreams from this period, which he said he was thankful for in some ways, given some of the close calls doctors told him that he had. But Fuller kept concerned loved ones updated through the ups and downs of his recovery.

Oates was able to wake up from a medically-induced coma around the middle of September and slowly regained his strength before being transfered in the beginning of October to a rehabilitation facility.

Even after the ventilator was removed and his oxygen levels began to increase, Oates had a long road ahead to begin to reverse what COVID-19 had caused.

Each new day brought another milestone  progressing from being barely able to move in his bed to finally being able to walk short distances with the help of a walker.

I cried when I stood up for the first time, Oates said. I didnt think I could get here three weeks ago. Im just so excited I stand up and walk a bit.

The whole experience has given him a new perspective on life, he said, and made him value the simple privileges of health and independence that can be easily taken for granted.

Now, hes focusing on finally returning home to see friends and family and  most importantly  pet the dogs hes missed so much.

In the weeks ahead, he and Fuller plan to train the next crew that will be manning the new-and-improved Boss Burger trailer opening in Orange, but he still plans to take things slow.

Related: Nederland council vote could end four-decade food truck ban

The struggles and the success of coming back from the brink gave Oates a new appreciation for life, which is why he promised Fuller that they were going to take more time away from the business and enjoy their time together.

There are still some parts of his journey that Oates is still processing, like what led up to his ordeal and how to prevent it in the future.

He said that he likely will get vaccinated in the future to make sure he never has to relive the experience of his last few months, but he still believes that vaccination should be a choice that each person makes for themselves.

He blames the politicization of COVID-19 and vaccines for turning people against the idea of protecting themselves. In fact, he said before his experience, there likely wasnt anything someone previously could have said to him that would have convinced him to take a shot.

Now, he still doesnt have any plans to force his opinion on others, but he will be more than willing to explain what he went through if someone asks him about the potential risks involved with catching COVID-19.

I would ask them to consider what could happen, even with just the recovery alone, he said. Having to eat mushy food for months and not moving, learning to walk again and not being able to brush your teeth or comb your hair  all these things we take for granted. Its not worth going through.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
Austin and homeless encampments have been considered hand-in-hand issues the last couple of years given the municipalitys efforts to get rid of tent cities that serve as a place to rest for the homeless population. But now, Last Week Tonights John Oliver is making sure that his viewers know just how controlling Austin is in its portrayal of the homeless.

For the fourth consecutive year, homelessness is increasing nationwide, the late-night TV host said during Sunday nights episode. A study claims that there are roughly half a million homeless Americans. While thats a scary fact to come face-to-face with on Halloween night, Oliver argues that its not an accurate figure given that its based on a count during a single, random night of the year. Only individuals found and surveyed in shelters and on the streets are included in the count, meaning that there are individuals who may make it a point not to be found and counted, increasing the actual figure.

Oliver, however, says the problems surrounding the issue dont stop there. In addition to the reporting likely being less than accurate, the HBO pundit says the way conservative media outlets, such as Fox News, frame the issue only makes it worse.

As an example, Oliver featured a few different Fox News clips in which the TV station shows concerned residents discussing the citys tent cities. One man is even concerned enough to carry around a machete should there be any pushback.

Eric Liebowitz /HBO

Oliver clarifies that the citys response to the homeless population is in spite of Austin being a blue dot in a red state. Thats no matter, as a Vice clip shows a woman being very clear about how the homelessness issue has impacted her liberal way of seeing the world.

Once youre in the middle of it, you change your mind of how you approach the situation. But as your safety declines, so does your compassion, the woman says. Every time I have to pick up human sh-t, my liberalness just got lowered one more notch.

After laughing at the womans honesty, Oliver points out that such headlines are intentional, using a few news stories from Los Angeles media scene as examples. Lets be honest though: human feces and poop go a long way in grabbing a readers attention when you throw them in with homeless encampment or tent city in a headline, no matter the location.

Oliver is straightforward in saying that the media coverage caters to how the presence of homeless people and issues impact residents in homes  usually in relation to crime and cleanliness  rather than homeless people themselves, adding that the demonization of the population is worse for people of color, the LGBTQ community, those struggling through or coming out of substance abuse or mental health issues, and families fighting homelessness together.

The host doesnt dwell on Austin past the beginning of the segment, but the points he makes about other cities are applicable to how Texas capitol has tackled homelessness in previous years. While increasing affordable housing is always a buzzy solution, a point that Oliver brings up through examples in California and Frisco in North Texas, Austin residents opted to pass its own Proposition B in May, making it a criminal offense to sit, lie down, or camp in public areas. It also prohibits solicitation of money at specific hours and locations.

Maybe Austin residents arent as woke as they claim to be after all.

You can watch the full segment below:
While last-minute Halloween revelers scurry into the nearest Spirit store or scavenge through their closet junk to transform themselves into kitty cats, Natasha Gonzales' family is ready with head-turning costumes created for each member of the squad, from the tiniest Tinker Bell to mom and dad.

"Halloween is like our Christmas," the San Antonio mom says.

Pulling off detailed looks is a tradition that's more than a decade in the making. Gonzales says she started dressing up with her husband Albert Gonzales when they were dating. Soon, the kids got in on the action. They've been inspired by the Wizard of Oz, Forrest Gump, and more. Over the last two years, the family of five has dressed up as the cast from Beetlejuice and the Addam's Family. This year, they're Peter Pan characters.

The costume-building goes far beyond the realm of Party City. The couple and their kids, Jaiden Rangel, Dean Gonzales, and Elora Gonzales start planning a year in advance. Most of their costumes are DIY creations. If not, the family buys from Goodwill, thrift stores, or local costume shops to complete their looks. She estimates the totals for all five costumes to range from $200 to $300.

The fun doesn't stop there. The family taps Jessica Belin Photography to pull their finished look together with a photoshoot. Even that is a production. Last year, they used the Denman Estate as a spooky backdrop and rented a peacock chair as a throne for Morticia. The smoky effect isn't a post-production edit. Natasha Gonazales say they brought smoke bombs to set the scene.

The mom says her family works on their costumes up until the day of the shoot, which usually takes place in late September or early October.

Courtesy, Jessica Belin Photography

"We're always adding a little pieces or making sure we have the makeup right," she says. "It gets really chaotic in our house."

The family reupped their Beetlejuice costume this year on social media for a chance to win tickets to Beetlejuice on Broadway in New York City.

The Peter Pan-themed ensembles for 2021 corresponded with a surprise family trip to Disney World. Once the kids were all dressed up, mom and dad presented them with a Disney-esque script telling them they were heading to the Magic Kingdom.

Natasha Gonzales says the family wore their costumes to the park. Actually, they wore them to the airport, too.

"Honestly, we weren't going to, but my daughter is 4 and she's like, 'I want to dress like Tinker Bell to the airport,' and I was like, 'Well, you can't go alone like that, so let's just all do it.'"

Talk about squad ghouls.
A third longtime Catholic priest in the Diocese of Beaumont has died this month, underscoring the fleeting nature of an entire era of clergy members.

The Diocese of Beaumont on Wednesday announced the death of Rev. Monsignor James Vanderholt. He was 88.

No funeral arrangements have been announced.

The diocese on Thursday celebrated a Mass of Christian Burial for the Rev. Monsignor Kenneth R. Greig at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Groves. Greig was 80 years old.

Both Greig and Vanderholt were retired from the diocese.

And last week, the diocese celebrated a Mass of Christian Burial for the Rev. Monsignor William Manger, who until his death was pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church in Beaumont.

Related: Beaumont loses first priest ordained by local Diocese

Bishop David Toups noted in a statement provided to The Enterprise that many older priests in the Diocese of Beaumont have died recently.

"We have lost a number of our older priests in the past months. Men who served Southeast Texas for over five decades will certainly be missed, but at the same time we rejoice for them as they receive their heavenly reward," Toups said.

"At the same time, we have been blessed with a number of younger priests coming to our area to assist us with our needs at this time. In addition, we have nine men studying for the priesthood for our diocese, so we are certainly working very hard on long-term sustainability of our parishes and community. As I always say, it is the Lords church, and he will provide for her needs. We just have to do our part," he said.

James Frederick Vanderholt was born Sept. 4, 1932, to Charles and Helen Vanderholt  one of three sons. He attended St. Anne Elementary and High Schools, graduating in 1949.

After his high school graduation he entered St. Mary Seminary in La Porte to study for the priesthood. He was ordained by Bishop Wendelin J. Nold on May 25, 1957.

Throughout his priesthood Father Vanderholt ministered to parishes and in education and pursued a ministry in communications and his avocation in Texas Catholic history and research, according to the dioscesan website.

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"Father Vanderholt loved education, whether it was teaching or learning. He taught at several Catholic high schools and was the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Beaumont Diocese from 1967 to 1975. In addition, he served as Chairman of Education for the Texas Catholic Conference," the diocese reported on its website.

Vanderholt also guided seminarians on their journey into the priesthood, serving as rector of Assumption Seminary in San Antonio from 1975 to 1981 and on the "Spiritual Formation Team" at St. Joseph Seminary in Covington, Louisiana, from August 2002 until July 2005.

At the college level, Vanderholt taught class at Dominican College in Houston, Incarnate Word University in San Antonio and Lamar University in Beaumont and Port Arthur. He continued his own education by earning a bachelors degree from Lamar University, four masters degrees and a Doctorate of Ministry in 1987 from the San Francisco Theological Seminary.

The diocesan website reported that Vanderholt's favorite pastime was Texas Catholic history, sitting in archives to research a myriad of connections to Texas priests and the Catholic history of Southeast Texas.

He wrote more than 300 biographies of priests, histories of the seminary in La Porte, San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, the Diocese of Austin and the Catholic Church in Spanish East Texas. He was co-author of The Diocese of Beaumonts history, contributed to the history on Assumption Seminary and wrote the chapter on "The Ethnic Story in the Centennial History of Port Arthur 1898-1998." He also contributed entries for the six-volume Handbook of Texas that was put out by the Texas State Historical Society.

Related: Father Manger lived life of service

The position he held the longest was Director of Communications for the Beaumont Diocese. Through the Communications Ministry, he was executive editor of the East Texas Catholic newspaper. As executive editor he wrote columns called "ETCetera" and "Notes from the Neches."

He also hosted the television show "Catholic Church Today" from 1982 to 1994 and the "Catholic Times" radio show in 1984. He stepped down as diocese communications director in 2003 and continued writing his column. .

Vanderholt never lost sight that he was at heart a parish priest. His first assignment was to Annunciation Parish in Houston from 1957 to 1963 where he also served as chaplain of Harris County Jail and Psychiatric Ward, chaplain to Memorial Hospital and Medical Arts Hospital. He worked with Preston Street AA and was religion teacher at Incarnate Word Academy.

He served assignments at St. Patrick in Galveston; St. Anthony, Beaumont; Our Lady of the Assumption, Beaumont; and St. Pius X, Beaumont.

Vanderholt was at St. Anne in Beaumont and teaching at Monsignor Kelly High School when the Diocese of Beaumont formed in 1966. He also ministered at St. Mark the Evangelist, Silsbee; Infant Jesus, Lumberton; St. Mary, Port Arthur; St. Paul, Sabine Pass; St. Charles Borromeo, Nederland; St. Joseph, Port Arthur; St. Joseph the Worker, Dayton; St. Anne, Eastgate; St. Francis of Assisi, Orange; and St. James, Port Arthur.

Dan Wallach is a freelance writer.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Ethiopias prime minister has called on citizens to redouble their efforts to combat the rival Tigray forces who claim to have seized key cities on a major highway leading to the capital, while a new wave of detentions of ethnic Tigrayans has begun.

A move on the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa is a new phase in the war that has killed thousands of people since fighting broke out a year ago between Ethiopian and allied forces and Tigray ones who long dominated the national government before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in 2018.

The prime ministers spokeswoman, Billene Seyoum, told The Associated Press on Monday that Abiy is where he's meant to be, leading the country's front and center."

Abiy said Sunday said that federal troops are fighting on four fronts against the Tigray forces and we should know that our enemys main strength is our weakness and unpreparedness. Amid calls on social media for attacks against ethnic Tigrayans, he said we should closely follow those who work for the enemy and live amongst us."

A new roundup of Tigrayans was seen in the capital on Monday. Government spokesman Legesse Tulu said "those who believe the government is now weakening and (Tigray forces are) coming should be careful. Some even went to nightclubs to celebrate. The government is taking actions against those.

The Tigray forces over the weekend claimed to control the key cities of Dessie and Kombolcha, though the federal government disputed it, and Legesse asserted that the Tigray forces killed more than 100 youths in Kombolcha overnight.

The United States has said it is alarmed by the reports of Tigray forces taking the cities.

The Tigray forces also told the AP they were poised to physically link up with another armed group, the Oromo Liberation Army, with which it struck an alliance earlier this year.

The fighting could reach the Oromo region that neighbors Addis Ababa. Ethnic Oromo once hailed Abiy as the countrys first Oromo prime minister, but discontent has since emerged with the jailing of outspoken Oromo leaders.

A top general with the Tigray forces, Tsadkan Gebretensae, told Tigrai TV over the weekend they were ruling out talks with the federal government.

The Tigray forces say they are pressuring Ethiopias government to lift a months-long blockade on their region of around 6 million people, with basic services cut off and humanitarian food and medical aid denied. The humanitarian crisis has spread as the fighters have moved into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions after retaking much of their region in June.

In Addis Ababa, there was low-level concern. It is unthinkable that they will come to Addis. It will never happen, said resident Hamelmal Alemu, who believed the Tigray forces would be defeated before then.

Even if they come here, they wont kill all the people, because otherwise they wont have anyone to govern, said another resident, Desta Tadesse.

A third resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern about retaliation, worried that state media were not fully reporting events. He said he was Amhara and he believed that if the Tigray forces come, they will kill him.

The government of Amhara on Sunday ordered government institutions to stop regular activities and join the war effort.
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Sonja Drimmer, University of Massachusetts Amherst

(THE CONVERSATION) People tend to rejoice in the disclosure of a secret.

Or, at the very least, media outlets have come to realize that news of mysteries solved and hidden treasures revealed generate traffic and clicks.

So Im never surprised when I see AI-assisted revelations about famous masters works of art go viral.

Over the past year alone, Ive come across articles highlighting how artificial intelligence recovered a secret painting of a lost lover of Italian painter Modigliani, brought to life a hidden Picasso nude, resurrected Austrian painter Gustav Klimts destroyed works and restored portions of Rembrandts 1642 painting The Night Watch.The list goes on.

As an art historian, Ive become increasingly concerned about the coverage and circulation of these projects.

They have not, in actuality, revealed one secret or solved a single mystery.

What they have done is generate feel-good stories about AI.

Are we actually learning anything new?

Take the reports about the Modigliani and Picasso paintings.

These were projects executed by the same company, Oxia Palus, which was founded not by art historians but by doctoral students in machine learning.

In both cases, Oxia Palus relied upon traditional X-rays, X-ray fluorescence and infrared imaging that had already been carried out and publishedyears prior  work that had revealed preliminary paintings beneath the visible layer on the artists canvases.

The company edited these X-rays and reconstituted them as new works of art by applying a technique called neural style transfer. This is a sophisticated-sounding term for a program that breaks works of art down into extremely small units, extrapolates a style from them and then promises to recreate images of other content in that same style.

Essentially, Oxia Palus stitches new works out of what the machine can learn from the existing X-ray images and other paintings by the same artist.

But outside of flexing the prowess of AI, is there any value  artistically, historically  to what the company is doing?

These recreations dont teach us anything we didnt know about the artists and their methods.

Artists paint over their works all the time. Its so common that art historians and conservators have a word for it: pentimento. None of these earlier compositions was an Easter egg deposited in the painting for later researchers to discover. The original X-ray images were certainly valuable in that they offered insights into artists working methods.

But to me, what these programs are doing isnt exactly newsworthy from the perspective of art history.

The humanities on life support

So when I do see these reproductions attracting media attention, it strikes me as soft diplomacy for AI, showcasing a cultured application of the technology at a time when skepticism of its deceptions, biases and abuses is on the rise.

When AI gets attention for recovering lost works of art, it makes the technology sound a lot less scary than when it garners headlines for creating deep fakes that falsify politicians speech or for using facial recognition for authoritarian surveillance.

These studies and projects also seem to promote the idea that computer scientists are more adept at historical research than art historians.

For years, university humanities departments have been gradually squeezed of funding, with more money funneled into the sciences. With their claims to objectivity and empirically provable results, the sciences tend to command greater respect from funding bodies and the public, which offers an incentive to scholars in the humanities to adopt computational methods.

Art historian Claire Bishop criticized this development, noting that when computer science becomes integrated in the humanities, [t]heoretical problems are steamrollered flat by the weight of data, which generates deeply simplistic results.

At their core, art historians study the ways in which art can offer insights into how people once saw the world. They explore how works of art shaped the worlds in which they were made and would go on to influence future generations.

A computer algorithm cannot perform these functions.

However, some scholars and institutions have allowed themselves to be subsumed by the sciences, adopting their methods and partnering with them in sponsored projects.

Literary critic Barbara Herrnstein Smith has warned about ceding too much ground to the sciences. In her view, the sciences and the humanities are not the polar opposites they are often publicly portrayed to be. But this portrayal has been to the benefit of the sciences, prized for their supposed clarity and utility over the humanities alleged obscurity and uselessness. At the same time, she has suggested that hybrid fields of study that fuse the arts with the sciences may lead to breakthroughs that wouldnt have been possible had each existed as a siloed discipline.

Im skeptical. Not because I doubt the utility of expanding and diversifying our toolbox; to be sure, some scholars working in the digital humanities have taken up computational methods with subtlety and historical awareness to add nuance to or overturn entrenched narratives.

But my lingering suspicion emerges from an awareness of how public support for the sciences and disparagement of the humanities means that, in the endeavor to gain funding and acceptance, the humanities will lose what makes them vital. The fields sensitivity to historical particularity and cultural difference makes the application of the same code to widely diverse artifacts utterly illogical.

How absurd to think that black-and-white photographs from 100 years ago would produce colors in the same way that digital photographs do now. And yet, this is exactly what AI-assisted colorization does.

That particular example might sound like a small qualm, sure. But this effort to bring events back to life routinely mistakes representations for reality. Adding color does not show things as they were but recreates what is already a recreation  a photograph  in our own image, now with computer sciences seal of approval.

Art as a toy in the sandbox of scientists

Near the conclusion of a recent paper devoted to the use of AI to disentangle X-ray images of Jan and Hubert van Eycks Ghent Altarpiece, the mathematicians and engineers who authored it refer to their method as relying upon choosing the best of all possible worlds (borrowing Voltaires words) by taking the first output of two separate runs, differing only in the ordering of the inputs.

Perhaps if they had familiarized themselves with the humanities more they would know how satirically those words were meant when Voltaire used them to mock a philosopher who believed that rampant suffering and injustice were all part of Gods plan  that the world as it was represented the best we could hope for.

Maybe this gotcha is cheap. But it illustrates the problem of art and history becoming toys in the sandboxes of scientists with no training in the humanities.

[Over 115,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

If nothing else, my hope is that journalists and critics who report on these developments will cast a more skeptical eye on them and alter their framing.

In my view, rather than lionizing these studies as heroic achievements, those responsible for conveying their results to the public should see them as opportunities to question what the computational sciences are doing when they appropriate the study of art. And they should ask whether any of this is for the good of anyone or anything but AI, its most zealous proponents and those who profit from it.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/how-ai-is-hijacking-art-history-170691.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP)  Fall enrollment at Indiana's public colleges has declined again statewide, with only Indiana and Purdue universities flagship campuses and some Ivy Tech Community College sites reporting gains.

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education said the overall 2.6% drop in degree-seeking students this fall at public universities brings Indiana's five-year loss to 10.4%, down from 267,598 students in fall 2016 to 239,799 this year, The Journal Gazette reported.
Police have arrested a man accused of killing another man in a car at a Beaumont traffic light.

Rickey James Johnson, 26 of Beaumont, was taken to the Jefferson County Correctional Facility after speaking with investigators, the Beaumont Police Department said in a news release.

Police received a report of shots fired just after 1:30 a.m. Sunday on South 11th Street at College Street.

The officers found a 2008 blue Honda CRV at 1055 Interstate 10 South and learned two people had been shot.

Korey Green, 23 of Beaumont, was in the passenger seat and died on the scene. The driver, a 23-year-old Beaumont woman was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said Green and the woman had left the parking lot near the Paradise Hookah Lounge and stopped at the traffic signal located at College St at South 11th St. A man, who is believed to be Johnson, approached the vehicle and began firing at the victims. The woman was able to flee the area and stop for help at 1055 Interstate 10 South.

Investigators were able to take statements and get a warrant for Johnson for the murder of Korey Green, according to Beaumont PD. The victims and the suspect were involved in an on-going disturbance.

Those who have information about this crime may contact the Beaumont Police Department at 409-832-1234 or if you wish to remain anonymous, contact Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers at 409-833-TIPS or down load the P3 TIPS app to submit your tip with your smartphone.

All tips submitted to Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers must remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
Dreamstime / Dreamstime/TNS

A Port Arthur woman was left at the Medical Center of Southeast Texas in the early-morning hours Saturday after being shot multiple times by a suspect who police said fled the scene.

Officers responded to the hospital at approximately 3:40 am in reference to a woman with multiple gunshot wounds. According to PAPD, the woman had been driving with her ex-boyfriend, when an argument ensued.
SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP)  Police officials in a Central Texas city refused to provide an escort for a Joe Biden campaign bus when it was surrounded by supporters of then-President Donald Trump on an interstate, an amended lawsuit filed over the 2020 encounter alleges.

The updated lawsuit, filed Friday, included transcribed 911 audio recordings, The Texas Tribune reported. The suit alleges that law enforcement officers in San Marcos privately laughed and joked about the victims and their distress" in the audio recordings.

The city of San Marcos didn't return a request for comment from the newspaper. A spokesperson previously has said that the city and the San Marcos Police Department would not comment because of the pending litigation.

Videos shared on social media from Oct. 30, 2020, show a group of cars and pickup trucks  many adorned with large Trump flags  riding alongside the campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin. The Trump Train at times boxed in the bus. At one point, one of the pickups collided with an SUV behind the bus.

The Biden bus was traveling to San Marcos for a political event that Democrats ended up canceling. Neither Biden nor his running mate, then-Sen. Kamala Harris, were aboard. Then-President Donald Trump criticized the FBI at the time after the agency said it was investigating.

According to the transcriptions, when the Biden bus entered San Marcos jurisdiction, a New Braunfels 911 dispatcher tried to get San Marcos police to take over the escort that New Braunfels had provided along Interstate 35. A police corporal told a San Marcos dispatcher we're not going to escort a bus, according to the documents.

The dispatcher told one bus passenger to call back if the caller felt threatened.

Are you kidding me, maam? the caller replied. Theyve cut in on me multiple times. Theyve threatened my life on multiple occasions with vehicular collision.

According to the documents, Chase Stapp, the public safety director, later texted to police that from what I can gather, the Biden bus never even exited I-35 thanks to the Trump escort. Police in later emails called it a debacle and prepared for a political fire storm."

A report of the incident four days later cited staffing issues, lack of time to plan, and lack of knowledge of the route as reasons police did not provide an escort.

However, Lisa Prewitt, a former San Marcos City Council member who was a candidate for the county commission at the time, told the Tribune that she notified local law enforcement 24 hours before the event and mentioned safety concerns.

The lawsuit alleges that police and the city violated an 1871 law that's often called the Ku Klux Klan Act, originally designed to stop political violence against Black people. It seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Lamar State College Orange officially opened its new Gatemouth Plaza - named in honor of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, one of Orange's most heralded citizens and a Grammy winning music legend - Thursday with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Bobby Brown, Gatemouth's brother, and others joined LSCO President Tom Johnson in cutting the ribbon and celebrating the opening of the site that offers a traffic-free campus thoroughfare for students and staff. Carl Parker, the former state senator who helped establish Lamar State College campuses in Orange and Port Arthur in 1969, also was in attendance.

Johnson noted that the Brown family lived just blocks north on Fourth Street, where the plaza begins. He said naming the plaza after Gatemouth was their way "to honor one of Orange's most heralded citizens who was part of the rich fabric of contributions of the African American community to the city of Orange."

The plaza represents not only "a gateway to the campus, but a gateway to the future" for LSCO students, Johnson said.

kbrent@beaumontenterprise.com
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Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has a plan for our lives; these plans arent meant to harm you but to give hope and allow you to prosper. Gods plan for Sabina Wurmbrand was to spread the word of His love, even if it meant persecution. Sabina Oster-Wurmbrand suffered immensely for her faith, but she never faltered. Sabina: Tortured for Christ, the Nazi Years tells the story of Sabina and Richard Wurmbrand. The Wurmbrands were a married couple who spoke of Gods love during Nazi and communist oppression and served time in prison. Released a day after the National Day of Prayer, the film shows how the Wurmbrands gave up their safety and comfort in exchange for a life that counts for eternity. The film will only be in theatres from November 8-10, 2021.

On July 13, 1913, Sabina Oster was born in Czernowitz, a city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire that became a part of Romania after WWI and eventually became part of Ukraine. Sabina was born into a Jewish family, and Czernowitz was the hub of culture and education for the Jewish faith. In 1936, when she was 23, Sabina married Richard Wurmbrand. The couple converted to Christianity while vacationing in Romania, eventually joining the Anglican Mission Church when they returned from vacation. During the Nazi occupation of Romania in WWII, Sabinas parents, sisters, and brother died in Nazi concentration camps. However, Sabina didnt let her tragic losses hold back her faith. She and her husband spent years rescuing Jewish children from ghettos and taught in bomb shelters.

Sabina and Richard knew they could face persecution for spreading the word of God, but they did it anyway. They started an underground ministry for the enslaved Jewish and the invading Russian soldiers. In 1946, Sabina organized Christian camps for Romanias religious leaders of all denominations and held street gatherings of up to 5,000 people. These street gatherings started Voice of the Martyrs, an organization founded by Sabina and Richard. In 1948, Richard was arrested and spent 14 years in communist prisons. During Richards time in prison, Sabina continued her mission of spreading Gods Word, even though she struggled with her and her sons survival. Sabina was eventually arrested and spent three years in prison, leaving her son to live on the streets.

After her release from prison, Sabina spent several years under house arrest. Communist leaders offered her freedom if she divorced her husband and renounced her faith, but she refused. They also told her that Richard died in prison, but Sabina kept hope alive and knew she would see her husband again someday. In 1964, Richard was released from jail and spread Gods Word amid threats that he shouldnt preach.

Not many women have had their faith tested like Sabina Wurmbrand. She lost her family, spent time in prison, and endured many struggles, but she didnt give up. Sabina: Tortured for Christ, the Nazi Years tells the story of how Gods love can transform anyone into a missionary for His Word. This film shows that your faith will get you through any storm; all you have to do is believe. The film will only be in theatres for three days, starting on November 8, 2021 and ending on November 10, 2021. Click here to find out more about the film and get your tickets.
A student receives a COVID-19 vaccine at the Motijheel Ideal School and College center in Dhaka, Nov. 1, 2021.

Bangladesh on Monday began mass vaccinations of students ages 12 to 17, with a target of delivering Pfizer shots furnished by COVAX to 10 million teenagers nationwide.

But the requirement to store the Pfizer vaccine at sub-freezing temperatures may hamper the campaign in rural areas, authorities said.

Seven more centers in Dhaka will be added in the drive for mass vaccination of students on Tuesday. We have issued an official order to set up 10 booths in each of the schools, Md. Shahedul Khabir Chowdhury, administrative director of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education, told BenarNews.

Education Minister Dipu Moni and Health Minister Zahid Maleque, joined by U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller, kicked off the inoculation drive at Motijheel Ideal School and College in the capital city.

Two Bangladesh ninth-graders  Tahsan Hossain and Mehjabin Toma  received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech which has been approved by the World Health Organization for use by children, according to officials.

I was a bit scared at first, but now there is no problem. I think students my age should be vaccinated without fear, Tahsan told BenarNews.

Mehjabin echoed Tahsan.

It was easy to register through the website and I am glad to become the first one to receive this shot, Mehjabin said.

Mofazzal Hossain, the schools assistant head master, said 2,000 students were vaccinated between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Additionally, 1,074 students attending the Government SK Girls High School in Manikganj also received vaccinations.

Centers have been set up in eight schools in Dhaka with an initial target of vaccinating 5,000 students daily in each center. In the first phase, the government is aiming at inoculating 3 million students, Health Minister Zahid said.

Students who are going to appear for the Secondary School Certificate examination in November will get priority in this inoculation drive, Dipu said, referring to the exam students take before they move on to higher secondary school.

Full-scale academic activities will resume soon after the successful completion of vaccination of all students across the country, she said.

Bangladesh postponed all in-school activities in March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemics first infections. Limited in-person classes resumed in September.

Commendable step

The chairman of the Health and Hope Hospital in Dhaka welcomed the drive.

It is a commendable step, M.H. Choudhury Lelin told BenarNews.

In addition to children, people who are at risk of death should also be vaccinated. At the same time, there is a need to develop techniques for vaccinating [students in] schools in remote areas.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the Pfizer vaccine is shipped at a temperature between minus-60 and minus-80 degrees centigrade (minus-76 and minus-112 degrees Fahrenheit).

Pfizer vaccine is mostly used for children in many countries, but the temperature at which it is needed to be stored is a concern. It will be difficult to carry, store and administer Pfizer vaccine in the cities outside Dhaka, he said.

So along with Pfizer, alternatives should be thought about.

Children younger than 12 would not receive vaccinations until the World Health Organization (WHO) approves it, according to Zahid.

So far, we have received 9.6 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Of this, 1.4 million doses have been administered and the remaining 8.2 million doses will be given to the students, he said.

WHO has said it will provide Pfizer and Moderna vaccines through its COVAX initiative to vaccinate children at the district and sub-district levels, the minister said, adding about 30 million doses would be needed.

This number includes jabs for the 10 million students between the age of 12 and 17, and for younger children once WHO approves shots for them.

Nearly 61 million vaccine doses have been administered in Bangladesh and 20.6 million people or 12.5 percent of the 170 million population, have been fully vaccinated.

Bangladesh has recorded more than 1.6 million infections and more than 27,800 deaths including just two in the previous 24 hours, the fewest in about 18 months, according to health officials.

Globally, COVID-19-related deaths topped 5 million Monday, according to disease experts at the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Indonesia approves Sinovac for 6- to 11-year-olds

Elsewhere in Asia, Indonesia approved emergency use of Chinas Sinovac vaccine for children ages 6 to 11.

The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) chief Penny Lukito said the Chinese vaccine is safe for children, based on the result of clinical trials, but did not say when the shots would be given.

So, the immunogenicity shows a fairly high percentage, 96.5 percent, she said, referring to the measure of immune responses the vaccine generates.

This is the first vaccine registered at BPOM for children 6 to 11 years old and hopefully it wont be long before many more vaccines will be registered for children so that more will be vaccinated, Penny said, adding that more safety data is needed from Sinovac on giving the jab to children younger than 6.

Indonesia has targeted vaccinating 70 percent of the population, or 208 million people to reach herd immunity.

So far, 120 million people have received the first dose of vaccination including 74 million who are fully vaccinated and 1.1 million who have received booster doses.
Updated at 5:40 p.m. ET on 2021-11-01

Malaysia is urging the new ASEAN chair to retain the blocs current envoy to Myanmar, after Phnom Penh indicated that it wanted to appoint someone else as the emissary to deal with the post-coup Burmese humanitarian crisis.

Cambodia last week took over from Brunei as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the blocs summit, which ASEAN had barred Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from attending because he refused to give the envoy access to all Burmese parties.

On Monday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said he hoped the current ASEAN envoy to Myanmar, Erywan Yusof, would be reappointed.

If you ask me, I would prefer we stick to the same envoy. After all, Erywan is the special envoy of the ASEAN chair, Saifuddin told reporters in Putrajaya.

For the sake of continuity, let him remain [as envoy].

Erywan, he said, could keep the momentum going on some of the groundwork he had already laid to deal with the crisis caused by the Feb. 1 military coup in Myanmar.

Malaysia had already requested Cambodia to call a meeting of senior ASEAN officials to discuss next steps vis-a-vis Myanmar and put the issue of the special envoy high on the agenda.

However, Cambodias foreign minister told Reuters news agency last week that as the new chair, the country would appoint a new ASEAN envoy to Myanmar to start work early next year.

Erywan, who is second foreign minister of Brunei, was appointed in August, after months-long, fractious negotiations among the blocs members and with Myanmars military government.

Having settled on Erywan, Myanmars junta went back on its word and did not allow him to meet with all parties concerned, including senior officials from the National League for Democracy, the party that won last years general election and whose leaders were thrown in jail after the coup.

In April, Min Aung Hlaing had agreed to allow such a meeting as part of a five-point consensus that he and other ASEAN leaders had reached during an emergency meeting in Jakarta.

The coup leader also reneged on a promise to end violence. As of Monday, around 1,230 people  mostly pro-democracy protesters  have been killed by Burmese security forces since Feb. 1.

This backtracking led ASEAN to take the unprecedented move of shutting Min Aung Hlaing out of last weeks summit.

On Monday, United States President Joe Biden and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Jokowi Widodo said the Burmese military needs to stop violence, release all political prisoners, and work toward a swift return to democracy.

The two leaders had a bilateral meeting in Glasgow on the sidelines of the COP26 climate summit.

President Biden expressed support for ASEANs efforts to hold the Burmese military accountable to the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, a statement from the White House said about the leaders meeting.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony of the Project for Flood Protection, donated by Japan, in Phnom Penh, March 4, 2019. [Reuters]

Criticism of ASEANs Myanmar envoy

Not everyone may agree with Malaysias foreign minister that the envoy to Myanmar should remain the same.

Some Southeast Asian analysts have faulted Erywans stewardship of ASEANs response to the Myanmar crisis.

Because Erywan is from undemocratic Brunei, he should not have been named envoy to a country where the military toppled a democratically elected government, analysts said.

On the other hand, Cambodia is a one-party state  some call it a dictatorship  with a poor human rights record, leaving some other analysts to ask whether its envoy to Myanmar would do any better than Erywan.

Additionally, few can forget that Cambodia was accused in 2012 of siding with China and preventing ASEAN from reaching an agreement on the South China Sea. It was the first time in the blocs 45-year history that ASEAN failed to issue a joint statement.

As with Cambodia, China has close ties to Myanmar and vast investments in the country, and has refrained from being overly critical of the military coup.

On the face of it, though, Cambodias Prime Minister Hun Sen wants to keep ASEAN pressure going on Myanmar. He had stern words for the Burmese junta last week before being handed the ASEANs chairmans ceremonial gavel from Brunei.

ASEAN, Hun Sen said, had not expelled Myanmar from its summit, but Naypyidaws junta had abandoned its right, according to Reuters.

Now we are in the situation of ASEAN minus one. It is not because of ASEAN, but because of Myanmar, said the strongman who has ruled Cambodia since 1985.

Cambodian Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn backed his prime minister, saying on the sidelines of the summit that Myanmar was on the brink of civil war.

While we all respect the principle of non-interference into domestic affairs of member states, the situation in Myanmar continues to be a subject of grave concern, Sokhonn told Reuters.

He was referring to a core ASEAN principle which, critics have long said, allows the bloc to turn a blind eye to abuses committed by its member-states.

Malaysian academic Md. Mahbubul Haque is not so sure about Cambodias intent or abilities.

The human rights and internal issue in Cambodia is same as in Myanmar  for sure they wont take concrete action towards Myanmar, the senior lecturer in international studies at University Sultan Zainal Abidin, told BenarNews.

So now, other ASEAN countries need to take action and solve the issues in Myanmar.
A satellite image taken Nov. 1 shows ships close to Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea where the Philippines has protested the presence of Chinese vessels.

Commercial satellite imagery suggests that Chinese vessels are returning in increasing numbers to Whitsun Reef where hundreds of its ships gathered earlier this year, prompting a diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Manila.

Planet Labs images from Monday and preceding days show dozens of ships near the reef in the northern part of the Union Banks in the disputed South China Sea. Manila calls the reef Julian Felipe and said it is within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but China and Vietnam have separate claims to it.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) based in Washington said in a recent report that the number of vessels visible in satellite imagery near Whitsun Reef "has been rising over the past three months, and that most of them are Chinese.

These numbers include some Vietnamese coastguard and fishing boats, but the vast majority are Chinese fishing vessels 50 meters or more in length. This easily distinguishes them from their smaller Vietnamese counterparts, it said.

AMTI, which follows the ships movements closely, also said they appear to belong to Chinas growing maritime militia since they show no evidence of fishing.

About 40 ships were spotted in August in the northern half of Union Banks, which includes Whitsun Reef, but the number had increased to more than 150 in mid-October.

The latest imagery also appeared to show the larger type of vessels that are recognizable as Chinese, AMTI told BenarNews, suggesting that the ships have remained in the area and some had even moved closer to Whitsun Reef.

March standoff

Philippine officials did not immediately comment on the development.

Whitsun Reef is 175 nautical miles west Palawan Island in the Philippines and 638 nautical miles from Chinas Hainan Island.

Manila protested in March when its military reported hundreds of Chinese ships were mooring at Whitsun Reef.

On March 22, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest demanding that China withdraw its maritime militia vessels from what it the West Philippine Sea, Manilas name for its claimed territories within the South China Sea.

China denied the reports, saying its fishing ships were seeking shelter from rough weather conditions.

The standoff continued well into April with the Philippines lodging more diplomatic protests against Chinese incursions into its EEZ. By the end of May, 100 diplomatic notes had been filed.

The number of Chinese ships reduced substantially afterward, but Philippine media reported that in mid-June, it increased again to more than 200 in the Union Banks including Whitsun Reef.

China claims historical rights to most of the South China Sea despite protests from neighboring countries.

Beijing has deployed Peoples Armed Forces Maritime Militia ships in disputed waters. These are ostensibly fishing ships, although they do not engage in fishing but instead fly the flag for Beijing in disputed waters without an overt display of military force that would draw international condemnation.

Several countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Australia spoke in support of the Philippines in the Whitsun incident.

A satellite image taken Oct. 30 shows dredging work at Pearson Reef in the Spratly islands. (Planet Labs Inc.)

Construction continues

In another development, Vietnam appears to be continuing construction work on Pearson Reef in the Spratly Islands.

Vietnam has occupied the reef since 1978 and has reclaimed about six acres of land there.

RFA was the first media outlet to report on new construction and land-filling activities on Pearson Reef on Oct. 20, based on satellite imagery obtained that day.

Planet Labs imagery taken on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31 show additional developments, with what appears to be dredging work leaving a long tail of turbulence and sediment at the southern tip of the reef.

Most of the landfill on Pearson was done before 2014 but there seems to be renewed efforts to strengthen the reclaimed reef.

Vietnam is clearly dredging a deeper channel to allow easier access to its facility, said Greg Poling, AMTIs director.

Vietnam has done this at most of its larger facilities now, he said.

Vietnam has 49 or 51 outposts spread across 27 features, AMTI said, adding that there is evidence of reclamation at 10 of the features totalling more than 120 acres of new land by 2016.

Vietnamese experts said their country carries out works to prevent erosion and landslides to protect the features but not to expand or change the structures of islands under its control.
Thailands largest opposition party is calling for amending a strict anti-royal defamation law, making it the kingdoms first mainstream political party to do so, after months of popular anti-government demonstrations voicing that demand and dozens of related arrests.

Meanwhile, activists submitted a petition on Monday to the Prime Ministers Office, with 28,000 signatures, urging the laws abolition and an end to the prosecution of pro-democracy demonstrators.

Chaikasem Nitisiri, chief of the political strategy committee at the Pheu Thai Party, said it was ready to take the demands of the young protesters to Parliament.

The trouble with excessive enforcement of laws to curb different political thoughts  be they Section 112 (Lese-Majeste), Section 116 (sedition), the Computer Crimes Act or emergency decree  all of these have made people wonder whether the rule of law was being respected and whether officials were abusing their power and contradicting the virtue of laws and human rights, Chaikasem said in a statement issued late Sunday.

Pheu Thai Party, as the biggest party, is ready to bring the demand to the parliament in order to check the conduct of judicial officials, from the police to the attorney general, courts and the corrections department, to ensure that they live up to the spirit of the laws, and to investigate the governments orders, as well as to rectify laws and regulations deemed unfair.

Chaikasem did not say when the party would introduce the youths demand for debate in the Thai legislature. Before Pheu Thais statement, only the now-banned Move Forward Party had made a similar proposal  to amend the royal defamation law  which the parliament in June rejected as unconstitutional, according to Thai PBS World.

Pheu Thai is the largest party in parliaments lower house, with 134 of 500 seats. Until now, it had taken a non-committal position on issues to do with the monarchy, including Lese-Majeste, the royal defamation law framed under Section 112 of Thailands Criminal Code.

Now, the party has changed tack possibly because of the upcoming general elections, said Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.

I think it may be to attract more [of the] younger voters, who had before moved to Future Forward, Kurlantzick told BenarNews, referring to the disbanded party that is now called Move Forward.

There are probably some in Pheu Thai who believe also this is the right step at this point. But while I think its a landmark in Thai politics, I dont think any of these are likely to go ahead, given the power of the military and monarchy.

Will fight hard mentally and physically

Pheu Thais statement came after some 3,000 protesters took to the streets of Bangkok on Sunday demanding the abolition of Lese-Majeste, which carries a maximum prison term of 15 years for speech or actions perceived as insults or sleights against any member of the monarchy.

[A]mend the Criminal Code in order to abolish its Section 112, Panusaya Sithijirawattankul, a Thammasat University student who is also a key protest leader, said during the demonstration.

We will fight hard mentally and physically to gather signatures of the people to propose an amendment and to bail out political fighters for true democracy.

In Bangkok on Monday, Panusaya and Amnesty International submitted the petition to the office of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

Since last November, when the former army chief and ex-junta leader vowed to enforce all pertaining laws, including Lese-Mejeste, against protesters, at least 154 people have been charged with royal defamation, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, an NGO.

Since mid-2020, young protesters have held numerous rallies calling for Prayuths resignation, a rewriting of the constitution and reform of the monarchy. According to Amnesty International, at least 1,634 people  257 of whom under 18  were prosecuted for their participation in pro-democracy rallies.

Prayuth, who took power after leading a 2014 military coup to overthrow the civilian government of Yingluck Shinawatra, was elected prime minister by parliament following the 2019 general election despite allegations it was rigged to keep the junta in power.
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WILLIAMSTOWN  Jenny Gersten, who helmed the Williamstown Theatre Festival from 2011 to 2014, once again is stepping into the role of artistic director on an interim basis.

Gersten, the first woman to hold the job of artistic director at Williamstown, left the festival in 2014 to take on the role of executive director of the Friends of the High Line in New York City. She also served as associate producer of the festival from 1996 to 2004.

Gersten was succeeded in September 2014 by Mandy Greenfield, who, according to a statement released by the WTF board of trustees, resigned in late October.

As we take this next step toward the future of the Festival, we want to thank Mandy Greenfield for all of the work and support during her time here; and we wish her the best of luck on her next artistic journey, Jeffrey Johnson, chairman of the WTF board of trustees, said in a statement. With Mandys resignation, the board is thrilled to welcome Jenny Gersten back to the Festival community. She has a track record of success with the Festival and close relationships with all of our stakeholders.

After eight years away, she also brings new, dynamic ideas to our organization. This balance will help us remain focused on our mission to be a generative force in American theater by concentrating on new work and reimagined revivals, robust training for emerging theater professionals and engaging a diverse community onstage, offstage and in the audience.

While Gersten will oversee the 2022 theater season, she will remain producer at New York City Center, and also is a line producer of Beetlejuice, which opened on Broadway in April 2019 and is scheduled to reopen in April 2022.

The opportunity to come back to Williamstown is a genuine honor and, I believe, the right challenge for me at this time in my career, Gersten said in the release. This is such a meaningful opportunity to address some of valuable and honest feedback already received from the Festivals staff, artists, and the broader Williamstown community, and to continue to listen and absorb. I look forward to being part of the ongoing evolution at Williamstown Theatre Festival, and working with the board, staff and community to imagine a paradigm shift which fosters values to make the theatre a thriving home for artists and audiences for many years to come.

In the statement, Johnson did not elaborate on the reason for Greenfields resignation, the first mention of her leaving the festival. Greenfields resignation follows a season in which a sound crew walked off the set of Row as staff and interns decried working conditions and treatment. In September, a Los Angeles Times article reported that 75 WTF alumni had, in an eight-page letter, alleged a pattern of dangerous working conditions, toxic working conditions and demanded changes to the treatment of its young arts workers.

Gerstens interim role, according to the release, will allow the trustees to execute a thorough nationwide search for a permanent artistic director. Details about the 2022 season will be announced during the first quarter of 2022.

We have full confidence that Jennys interim role will help us further our future vision for the Festival and immediately expand on our success. She shares our collective drive and unwavering mission to create equitable and inclusive opportunities for aspiring theater professionals, bring award-winning and thought-provoking works to the stage and grow our program for the years ahead, Johnson said.
Kevin Bartini (left) and David Rice, old friends from Lee, will launch an ongoing perhaps never-ending  Berkshire Mountain Comedy Arts Festival beginning on Saturday, Nov. 6, in their home town.
Mexico has identified more than 50 different moles, but a mole is really whatever you want your sauce to be. Of course, this traditional Mole Poblano, above, is the most well-known variety, and so it's a perfect representation of Mexico's culinary tradition.
Investigations editor

Larry Parnass joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Magazine and with the Reuters news service.
A memorial appeared Saturday outside Bux Vintage on Spring Street in Williamstown for Paula R. Buxbaum, 58, of North Adams, who was remembered as a creative, warmhearted community touchstone who devoted much of her life to supporting youths through various initiatives.
Jamelle Bouie: Why I ask more of America than we can get
The letter John penned to the Church at Sardis, in Revelation 3:1-6, addressed the Body of Believers who lived in Sardis at that time. But the message was far from exclusive. Christs warnings to the seven churches were meant to impart a universal exhortation to the Church at largethrough every age.

What Is the Church at Sardis?

The Book of Revelation addresses seven letters to seven churches in Asia Minor. Each letter, as proclaimed by Jesus and recorded by John the Apostle, declares the triumphs and failings of the recipient churches and warns each congregation to repent, explains Delores Smyth in What Do the 7 Churches in Revelation Represent?

The Church at Sardis, along with the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, may have been selected to receive Johns letters because of their geographical location. Each of the seven churches was situated along an established trade route that connected the most populated regions of the province. The letters would have spread like wildfire to every church in the province along that route until all Believers gained access.

Sardiss history was a fitting backdrop for the specific warning Christ issued in their letter. About 1200 years before Jesus came, Sardis took its place as the prominent capital of the Lydian kingdom. The citizens of Sardis enjoyed safety and prosperity beyond measure. Located at the foot of Mount Tmolus, the city was well fortified, and the bounty of the Practolus River provided them with fresh water and gold.

Sardiss natural resources gained them a high level of respect from all the provinces in the area. With the mountains as their shield and their wealth protected atop a fortified hill, surrounded by steep cliffs, the city was called, Sardis, the Impregnable.

But Sardiss pride and overconfidence in their resources would soon take its toll. Believing their city to be impregnable the guards became careless in their duties. Even after a surprise attack by the Persians in 549 BC nearly destroyed the city, Sardiss military didnt perceive the need for vigilance or reinforcement. Years later they were attacked by the Greeks, who used the very same tactics employed during the Persian invasion.

After an earthquake devastated Sardis in 17 A.D. the city was only partially rebuilt. At the time Johns letter was penned, around 53 A.D., Sardiss resources and reputation were rapidly declining. But Sardiss leaders refused to accept the signs of death all around them. Instead, they clung to the citys historical triumphs and insisted that Sardis would once again rise to its former glory. In blissful ignorance, they refused to acknowledge the degrading effects of their own indulgence and neglect and continued to prop up their decaying city with tales from past victories.

The Church at Sardis would have known their citys history. Therefore, Christs letter had deep personal relevance to them, as well as spiritual importance. Sardis means those escaping or that which remains. After reading Johns letter, the Believers at Sardis were left with a choice. They could follow the way of their citys history, tradition, and cultureor the church could follow the way of the Lord.

What Was Jesus's Message to the Church at Sardis?

The message Jesus gives to the church in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) is a sobering one. He knows their works intimately, but He is also aware of the facade they display to the world. The two realities are diametrically opposite.

The Sardinian Believers had effectively built a winning brand for themselves in their community. By all appearances, the church in Sardis was a vibrant, effective powerhouse. But inside they were lifeless.

Jesus issues a strong warning to the dying church. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you (Revelation 3:2-3).

But not all the Believers in Sardis were spiritual zombies. After His pronouncement to the wayward church, Jesus addresses a handful of people in the congregation who had chosen not to follow the example of their deceived brothers and sister in the Lord. He commends the faithful few for not having soiled their clothes, in the filth of hypocrisy. Jesus bestows upon these devoted individuals the honor to walk with Him, dressed in white.

Finally, Jesus offers a glimmer of hope to the church in Sardis, and its packaged in a promise. To any who were willing to awaken to His truth, stop living the lie, and repentJesus promises victory. Their soiled garments will be made white, and their names will be written in the book of life to be acknowledged before God and the angels.

Why Is Spiritual Deadness Such a Horrid Condition in the Church?

When Christ, in the form of the Holy Spirit, comes to live inside the heart of each Believer, a supernatural metamorphosis occurs. Through Adams sin, all humanity inherited spiritual death, but Jesus is our way, truth, and life. Our life is in Him, and His life shines through us. The same resurrection power that brought Jesus back to life is the power that fuels the Christian life. His Church is a collective reflection of the divine light and life of Jesus.

When a church attempts to operate from any other power source than Christ, that church can officially be identified as dead. The problem with a deceased church is that it rarely recognizes the condition. A dead church will often continue to function in its own power, programs, and pomp and attribute the momentum to Christcelebrating every temporal victory as if it had eternal merit.

Like the story of Samson in the Old Testament, a dead church may not have the discernment to recognize when the Lord has departed. This makes the dead church not only ineffective but dangerous. When the world sees a dead church parading about as if it were alive in Christ, Satan gains an upper hand in his schemes to malign the image of God and keep the lost world in bondage.

5 Signs from Sardis That Your Church May Be Dying

Is your church more concerned with boosting its own image than Gods? " I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead (Revelation 3:1). When a church becomes hyper concerned with brand, growth, numbers, and programs, thats a sign of spiritual illness. Scripture is clear that the Churchs PR role belongs to Jesus, alone. He is the one in charge of building the church, and only He can legitimately add to its numbers those who are being saved (Matthew 16:18, Acts 2:47). A glowing reputation and a full house are worthless if they are only the toe-tags of a dead church.

Does your church leave Christs agenda unfinished to pursue their own? I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God (Revelation 3:2). Gods appointed mission for the church is a continuation of Christs earthly ministry. Scripture is clear that the churchs God-given and Holy-Spirit fueled purpose is to equip, encourage, strengthen, and train the Saints to take the Gospel of Christ to the world (Eph. 4:11-12Matt. 28:19-20, Matt. 5:13-14). Many churches can become so distracted by financial concerns, outreach schemes, and cultural relevance that their human efforts undermine the purity of Christs mission. Christ has already provided all the Church needs to fulfill our mission. Our labor is only effective for the Kingdom of God when we are working Christs plan, in the flow of His Spirit, for Gods glory.

Are the messages from the pulpit human-centered or truth-centered? Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast (Revelation 3:3). Scripture tells us there will come a time when people are no longer able to tolerate the teaching of sound doctrine. (2 Timothy 4:3) In an effort to reach the masses with the Gospel, many modern churches have compromised sound doctrine for humanistic teachings that wont offend. Instead of preaching the Word of God that has the power to transform lives, these pastors have settled for a watered-down version of the message that promotes tolerance and trivializes hard truths. If a church is not willing to hold fast to Gods Word, guard it, and faithfully preach it, in season and out of seasonthat church is dying or dead.

Does your church encourage repentance?  and repent Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes (Revelation 3:3b, 4). Repentance has been a foundational doctrine preached since the early days of the Church. But lately, Satan has been hard at work to veil the truth about the deadly nature of sin, and he is busy warping the truth about the essential doctrine of repentance. Before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples, This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:47). If the truth about sin and repentance is never discussed within your church Body, that is a sure sign that the Holy Spirit is not actively at work among the congregants. For more information about repentance check out this article by Kristi Woods.

Are your church gatherings marked by an atmosphere of spiritual lethargy? Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die (Revelation 3:2). If you and most of the members of your church feel like youre just going through the motions on Sunday morning, you probably are. Not every church gathering will be filled with excitement, but when the Body of Christ has the opportunity to come together for corporate prayer and worshipthe presence of Christ should be sensed and experienced as a source of life and light.

Scripture repeatedly uses the analogy of spiritual sleepiness to expose the pitfalls of complacency and alert us to the fact that our time on earth is drawing to an end. Now, more than ever, we need to be alert and actively cooperating with Jesus so that He can strengthen our faith (Hebrews 12:2). If your church acts more as a sleep aid than a light sourcethats a sign the church needs to be revived. And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11).

Photo credit: GettyImages/Darwin Brandis

Annette Marie Griffin is an award-winning author and speaker who has managed and directed childrens and youth programs for more than 20 years. Her debut childrens book, What Is A Family? released through Familius Publishing in 2020. Annette has also written curriculum for character growth and development of elementary-age children and has developed parent training seminars to benefit the community. Her passion is to help wanderers find home. She and her husband have five childrenthree who have already flown the coop and two adopted teens still roosting at homeplus two adorable grands who add immeasurable joy and laughter to the whole flock.
LEWISTON - On Sunday, October 31, 2021, the Lewiston Police Department, the Clarkston Police Department, the Quad Cities Drug Task Force and Idaho County Sheriff's Office partnered together to arrest 56-year-old California resident Richard Ross on two counts of homicide in relation to two cases being investigated jointly in Idaho and Leiwston Police.

The Idaho County Sheriff's Office and Lewiston Police have been working together investigating two homicides that occurred on September 30 and October 1 in Grangeville and Lewiston involving a mother and son.

On September 30, 2021, a homicide occurred in Idaho County. Deputies responded to a residence on Cove Road, just outside of Grangeville where inside they found the body of 76-year-old Edwina "Eddy" Devin. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death to be homicidal violence.

Then, in the early morning hours of October 1, 2021, the Lewiston Police responded to a vehicle fire on Nez Perce Drive, where a 2007 GMC pickup was discovered to be fully engulfed in flames. After the fire was extinguished, a body was discovered inside the pickup. The body was later identified as Michael Devin.

The victims in the two cases have been confirmed as mother and son.

After further investigation, Ross was taken into custody without incident around 6:30pm Sunday night at the Motel 6 located on Bridge Street in Clarkston.

Ross was transported to the Asotin County Jail, where he is being held on $1 million dollar bond.
Senate Bill 601, Restrict school face mask mandates and more: Passed 19 to 15 in the Senate

To require public schools that impose epidemic-related face mask mandates on students to grant waivers; ban districts from requiring school board meeting attendees to wear a face mask or get a COVID test; prohibit schools from requiring asymptomatic students to get a COVID test, and more.

 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

Senate Bill 600, Prohibit schools requiring students get emergency-use COVID vaccine: Passed 19 to 15 in the Senate

To prohibit public or private schools from mandating student get a vaccine authorized solely for emergency use (meaning the COVID vaccines available when the bill was introduced). Also, to ban different requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated students including separated seating, facemask requirements and more.

 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

Senate Bill 602, Ban certain state face mask mandates in schools: Passed 19 to 15 in the Senate

To prohibit the state health department from issuing an order that requires schoolchildren who are asymptomatic for COVID-19 to wear a face mask, receive an experimental drug vaccination (meaning one for COVID), or get tested for COVID-19. This would apply to attending school, riding the bus, or participating in on- or off-campus extracurriculars. This would also apply to adults attending school board meetings.

 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

House Bill 4485, Keep cigar tax cap: Passed 28 to 6 in the Senate

To repeal the Oct. 1, 2021 sunset on a law that caps the 32% tobacco tax imposed on cigars at 50 cents per cigar. In other words, if the bill becomes law the 50 cent cap would remain in effect.

 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

House Bill 5267, Exempt feminine hygiene products from sales tax: Passed 32 to 2 in the Senate

To exempt feminine hygiene products from sales tax.

 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

Senate Bill 562, Grant brownfield subsidy to particular developer: Passed 29 to 5 in the Senate

To amend the definition of brownfield subsidies in a way that would allow a certain developer to collect these taxpayer-funded benefits on a particular venture.

 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

House Bill 4066, Preempt local knife restrictions: Passed 25 to 11 in the Senate

To preempt local governments from enacting any ordinance, rule, or tax relating to the transportation, possession, carrying, sale, transfer, purchase, gift, devise, licensing, registration, or use of a knife or knife making components that is more restrictive than state law. Also, to preempt local rules or ordinances relating to the manufacture of a knife that are more restrictive than those relating to the manufacture of any other commercial goods.

 33 Sen. Rick Outman R - Six Lakes Y

 35 Sen. Curt VanderWall R - Ludington Y

House Bill 4281, Let more local governments impose extra property tax for police: Passed 95 to 11 in the House

To revise population thresholds in a law that permits certain communities to levy property taxes for public safety services, so as to allow Romulus to impose this type of tax. The bill would also let governments in Berkley, Harper Woods and the city of Saginaw impose these levies

 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y

 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Grant Y

 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton N

House Bill 4722, Ban disparate regulations on Airbnb-type rentals: Passed 55 to 48 in the House

To allow local governments to restrict a person from doing Airbnb-type short term rentals on more than two properties within their jurisdiction, and to limit the total number of short term rentals to 30% of the local rental market. With some narrow exceptions locals could not enforce zoning restrictions that restrict short term rentals. Locals could adopt regulations on noise, advertising, traffic, nuisances, dwelling capacity, inspections, fees and taxes otherwise permitted by law.

 97 Rep. Jason Wentworth R - Clare Y

 100 Rep. Scott VanSingel R - Grant Y

 102 Rep. Michele Hoitenga R - Manton Y

SOURCE: MichiganVotes.org, a free, nonpartisan website created by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, providing concise, nonpartisan, plain-English descriptions of every bill and vote in the Michigan House and Senate. Permission to reprint this legislative summary in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that www.MichiganVotes.org is properly cited.

Y = Yes, N = No, X = Not Voting
To enhance the management and governance capabilities of the state and its health facilities

The Government of India, the Government of Meghalaya and the World Bank recently signed a $40 million health project for the state of Meghalaya. The project will improve the quality of health services and strengthen the states capacity to handle future health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project will enhance the management and governance capabilities of the state and its health facilities; expand the design and coverage of the states health insurance program; improve the quality of health services through certification and better human resource systems, and enable efficient access to medicines and diagnostics.

All 11 districts of the state will benefit from the project. It will also benefit health sector staff at the primary and secondary levels by strengthening their planning and management capabilities and building their clinical skills. The project will enable women to better utilise healthcare services at the community level.

The agreement was signed by Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of India; Ramkumar S, Joint Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare on behalf of the Government of Meghalaya; and Junaid Ahmad, Country Director, India on behalf of the World Bank.

The project will move towards a performance-based financing system where Internal Performance Agreements (IPAs) between the DoHFW and its subsidiaries would foster more accountability at all levels. This is expected to go a long way in improving the management of the system to deliver quality health services. The project will also focus on promoting synergy between various schemes and augmenting the capacity of the state insurance agency.
Saint-Gobain India, a part of the French multinational firm, is a leader in providing glass and glass solutions. But, it is also active in other high-performing sectors that include Performance Plastics (PPL) in Life Sciences. From being leading producers of Performance Plastics to association with pharmaceutical companies for providing medical equipment, to even foraying into the electric vehicles segment in India, the PPL- Life Sciences have been aiming for strong growth. During an interaction with BioSpectrum, Ritesh Patterson, General Manager, Performance Plastics, Saint-Gobain India, Bengaluru shares his insights about the company's strategies in the biopharma and medical industries. Edited excerpts;

What are the major contributions at Saint-Gobain India towards the growth of the life sciences industry?

Life sciences industry in India has built strong capabilities across parts of the value chain to emerge as a big export hub for production of generic drugs and vaccines. In manufacturing, India continues to have the largest number of United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved plants outside the USA along with a large number of contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs).

Saint-Gobain Life Sciences division has a product portfolio of tubing, single use bags, assemblies, filters and connectors used by pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical customers for manufacturing life-saving drugs like vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, injections, eye drops etc. Our products play a vital functional role in transfer of these drugs from production to finish and final fill vials and ampoules ensuring sterility and high yields of their end products.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is expanding its product range towards development of oncology and hormonal products requiring products providing inertness towards harsher chemicals. Saint-Gobain Life Sciences India has a local manufacturing setup for Platinum cured Silicon and Thermoplastic polymer tubing at Bangalore delivering a comprehensive range of products for these diverse requirements of inertness. Our local manufacturing presence ensures customised tubing, shorter lead times for product development and commercial supplies for our customers. In addition, biopharma and pharma customers need validation data to assess the fitness of a given product for their manufacturing processes and risk assessments for submission to regulatory agencies. Our material formulation competencies and validation studies provide them support to meet these stringent regulatory standards of agencies like USFDA, European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) or European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

The Medical Component division under Life Sciences has a specialised portfolio of precision injection molded parts, small diameter precision tubing and other sub-components of medical devices which are used in various surgery and diagnostic equipment.

What are your latest innovations in this space?

Research and Innovation are at the heart of Saint-Gobains strategy. The Groups research focuses both on breakthrough innovations and on continuously improving its products, processes and services in a spirit of openness and attentiveness to customer needs.

Single-use systems (SUSs) are becoming increasingly common in bioprocessing operations because of their low capital requirements and validation costs. As this trend continues to develop, pharmaceutical manufacturers are asking SUS manufacturers to provide assurance that their products comply with current good manufacturing practices (CGMPs) and do not alter drug products by exceeding established operating ranges.

Our competency in material formulations and developing conceptual design for single use manifold and assemblies helps our customers to eliminate manual connection leading to faster batch turnaround times, yield improvements and minimise risk of contamination. In addition, our enhanced level of tubing validation certification offers a higher level of quality assurance in single-use fluid handling components. Saint-Gobain validates the fluid path of the tubing and single use manifold to meet the USP & ISO standard industry requirements.

Strategically designed cell culture, processing and preservation systems will pave the way for the next generation of potent cell-based cancer therapies and vaccines. Our Life Sciences business unit produces a variety of disposable products for these promising new therapies, including cell culture and processing bags to emerge as a preferred partner for these evolving requirements of the Life Sciences sector.

Did the pandemic bring in a change in business perspective towards the life sciences sector?

COVID-19 has been a disruptor for all business sectors and that applies to the life sciences sector too. The expected lead times for development of vaccines and drugs have been drastically reduced through excellent collaboration between different stakeholders. The agility required to crash these developmental lead times has forced manufacturers and suppliers to collaborate closely for an efficient supply chain for drug manufacturing.

The significant take away from this crisis is that local manufacturing of consumables for pharma, biopharma and medical industries has gained impetus. Saint-Gobain Life Sciences with its strong local manufacturing footprint in India combined with application expertise and material formulation competencies was able to support these emerging requirements of shorter lead time requirements of product development and commercial supplies. Our local presence enabled strong collaboration with all COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers in India during the pandemic and helped us establish our products for their production lines, ensuring timely supplies to meet their tight production schedules.

Another emerging requirement in all business sectors including Life Sciences is usage of digital platforms to create awareness of products and services, technical and commercial engagements through knowledge sharing has gained traction. Saint-Gobain Life Sciences too is undertaking initiatives for deployment of multiple digital touchpoints to facilitate a seamless customer experience in their various interactions with us.

How was the company's performance in the last fiscal and what are your projections for FY 2021-22?

We have had a strong growth in the last fiscal year driven by a surge in demand from both domestic and export customers. Considering the current demand scenario in the Life Sciences market on both domestic and export front we would expect a strong result for FY 2021-22. We are currently at 100 per cent capacity utilisation and are in the process of significant capacity and capabilities enhancement both globally and in India which should help us gain market share and service these strong growth of life sciences customers.

What are your investment plans for the Indian life sciences market?

Saint-Gobain Life Sciences manufacturing setup in India currently has two dedicated class 7 cleanrooms to manufacture silicone tubing, thermoplastic elastomers tubing and silicone molded parts. We have investment plans to expand our capacity for both silicone and thermoplastic elastomers tubing by putting additional extrusion lines for servicing domestic and export requirements.

We have an ongoing investment in our Bangalore plant to produce single use bags and assemblies for our biopharma and pharma customers from the second half of 2022. In addition, we would be investing in state-of-the-art silicone molding presses to enhance our capabilities to produce molded parts for biopharma and medical industries.

Are you planning any new launches for 2022?

Saint-Gobain Life Sciences has augmented its product portfolio through recent acquisitions of Netherland based company, Equflow B.V and a French company, MS Technique & Transluminal.

Equflow is producer of Flowmeters, a product used in precise measuring flow of liquid that meet the strict requirements and comply with USP Class VI high quality standards. These products complement our bioprocess solution portfolio and there are potential applications across our Fluid Transfer and Medical businesses.

MS Technique & Transluminal have competency in high-precision thermoplastic extrusion and design expertise for minimally invasive catheter solutions with a strong focus into the cardiovascular market and it provides us a unique opportunity to cater to the emerging needs of domestic catheter manufacturers and assemblers.

Both these product lines would be formally available in the Life Sciences product portfolio to service customer requirements in FY2022.

Sanjiv Das

(sanjiv.das@mmactiv.com)
Aida Merlano Rebolledo became a Colombian senator in 2019, but she landed in prison several months later for voter fraud and corruption. Her sentence was for 15 years, but she only stayed in the slammer for two weeks thanks to her distracting daughter. According to prosecutors, 21-year-old Aida Victoria Merlano Manzanero kept guards occupied while her mother climbed out of the third-floor window of her dentist's office. She was on trial last week.

It was not long before prosecutors turned their attention to Aida Victoria, and the dentist, Javier Cely Barajas, as potential accomplices. In February 2020, Colombian authorities officially charged the two as being "instrumental" in the escape.

As she awaited her trial, Aida Victoria posted numerous photos and videos of herself with luxury cars, riding a pink inflatable swan, and promoting sex toys to her 2.5 million Instagram followers.

Aida Victoria and Cely Barajas both pleaded innocent when their trial began on Tuesday this week. Both could face long prison sentences if found guilty.

The prosecutor alleged that when Merlano Rebolledo left prison the day of the escape she didn't have the tools she needed to break out of the dentist's office, according to local media. Aida Victoria was at the dental office that day and "facilitated" the escape and gave her mother a cell phone, prosecutors said.
Many former national Afghan forces who are now being hunted by the Taliban after their US military backers withdrew from the country in August are turning to the Islamic State for protection, a new investigative Wall Street Journal report finds.

Also among those joining the ranks of ISIS in Afghanistan, or ISIS-K, are members of Afghanistan's US-trained intelligence service. "The number of defectors joining the terrorist group is relatively small, but growing, according to people who know these men, to former Afghan security officials and to the Taliban," The Wall Street Journal writes.

Though this is said to be happening in small numbers, and is described as a move out of desperation, it could be a huge boon to ISIS-K's capabilities, given US-trained intelligence members bring their expertise and capabilities with them to the terrorist group. Critics of the Biden's administration's Afghan exit fiasco have long warned that "left behind" US assets would be swooped up by terror groups.

Image: the former Afghanistan National Army Special Forces (ANASF)

According to WSJ, "Importantly, these new recruits bring to Islamic State critical expertise in intelligence-gathering and warfare techniques, potentially strengthening the extremist organizations ability to contest Taliban supremacy."

As evidence the report cites "An Afghan national army officer who commanded the militarys weapons and ammunition depot in Gardez, the capital of southeastern Paktia province, joined the extremist groups regional affiliate, Islamic State-Khorasan Province, and was killed a week ago in a clash with Taliban fighters, according to a former Afghan official who knew him."

"The former official said several other men he knew, all members of the former Afghan republics intelligence and military, also joined Islamic State after the Taliban searched their homes and demanded that they present themselves to the countrys new authorities," continues the report.

Alarmingly among those defecting to ISIS ranks amid fears they'll be killed by the Taliban are elite special forces members. In some cases these Afghan special forces would have received training considered as elite as anyone can get, given their instructors at one point would have been US Navy SEALS or Green Berets. WSJ cites instances of this as follows: "A resident of Qarabagh district just north of Kabul said his cousin, a former senior member of Afghanistans special forces, disappeared in September and was now part of an Islamic State cell."

The report explains how literally hundreds of thousands of Afghan national troops, intelligence officers, and police haven't been paid for months since the collapse of the US-backed Kabul government - and at the same time they're too afraid to show up to work, or identify themselves as part of the former government. At a moment the Taliban is trying to stamp out its ISIS-K rival, these disaffected and unemployed US-trained personnel are fodder for Islamic State recruitment.

Hunted by the Taliban and lacking income, members of Afghanistans disbanded security forces are enlisting in ISIS, the only resistance movement fighting the new rulers - not unlike Iraqs disbanded security forces when the US put their enemies in charge. https://t.co/Hb9KZUmlmx  Joshua Landis (@joshua_landis) October 31, 2021

And then there's this interesting widespread believe mentioned in the WSJ report:

The Taliban have long alleged that Islamic State-Khorasan Province was a creation of Afghanistans intelligence service and the U.S. that aimed to sow division within the Islamist insurgency, a claim denied by Washington and by Kabuls former government.

Notably there's the recent historical example of how the resistance was formed in Iraq after the 2003 US invasion. With Saddam Hussein toppled, hundreds of thousands of newly unemployed former Iraqi soldiers and police joined radical groups to wage a deadly insurgency.

Already a number of major suicide and car bomb attacks have killed dozens in a few major cities, including Kabul - most of which have been blamed on ISIS-K. Washington officials have at various times suggested the possibility that the Pentagon might in some instances assist in anti-ISIS operations (for example with air support) - but so far the Biden administration has resisted putting such an obviously controversial plan in motion, given it would mean working directly with the Taliban.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday turned away healthcare workers seeking a religious exemption to Maine's COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the latest battle over vaccination to reach the justices.

The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, rejected a request made by nine unnamed plaintiffs who identified themselves as healthcare workers who object to receiving the shots on religious grounds. The court previously rejected challenges to vaccine mandates in New York and Indiana, though those cases did not involve religious objections.

The justices were divided, with three conservative members saying they would have granted the request.

In Maine, "healthcare workers who have served on the front line of a pandemic for the last 18 months are now being fired and their practices shuttered," conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a dissenting opinion. He was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito.
We are wearily accustomed to political corruption in Los Angeles. Seldom does a week go by without some new scandalous revelation or criminal indictment involving a city councilman or some other scrounger at the local public trough. Right on schedule recently came the news that Mark Ridley-Thomas, a career politician currently serving on the L.A. city council, was indicted for bribery for alleged acts he committed while sitting on the L.A. County board of supervisors. One of his council colleagues, Jose Huizar, is already under indictment for bribery, and he has adopted the brazen defense that the $1.5 million in gifts he received from real estate developers doing business in Los Angeles were not really bribes. (Good luck with that. These gifts included private jet travel, casino gambling, and liaisons with prostitutes.)

Granted, when measured for municipal corruption, Los Angeles cannot yet compete with Chicago, where it is practiced with a great and longstanding pride. But a new controversy in L.A., in which local pols not only plan to enrich a friend (and by extension themselves) but do so at the expense of their foes, looks to be a corruption two-fer even the crooks in Chicago can envy.

Last week in this space, I wrote about the vaccine mandates being imposed in some states and cities and how they were being resisted in some quarters, notably by police officers and firefighters. In Los Angeles, for example, a minority but nonetheless significant number of members of both the police and fire departments have declined to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. The city has offered an alternative in the form of twice-weekly testing, which sounds reasonable until you learn the details of the arrangement.

The city has awarded a $3 million contract for COVID-19 testing to a company called Bluestone, which is partly owned by Pedram Salimpour, a Los Angeles doctor. By the most remarkable of coincidences, he also sits on the commission that oversees the citys fire and police pension plan. And, by another of the most unlikely of coincidences, Salimpour is one of those deep-pocket players who donate lavishly to Democratic candidates, including former city councilman Mitch Englander, who earlier this year was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison, and the above-mentioned Mark Ridley-Thomas, who may soon be Englanders cell mate.

After entertaining no competing bids, the city council awarded Bluestone the contract for the twice-weekly testing to be required of city employees who decline to be vaccinated. Employees will be dunned $65 per test, or $520 every month, to be extracted from their paychecks. Only tests from Salimpours company will be accepted, this despite the presence of several lower-cost testing services available in the L.A. area.

The city said in a statement that [Bluestone] was the only company that was able to offer the variety of needed services at a competitive rate.

Uh huh.

And it gets worse (or better, from Dr. Salimpours perspective). If the stream of testing customers falls below 1,000 per month next January, the city is obliged to pay Bluestone a software maintenance fee of $125,000 per month. That must be some really sophisticated software, Doctor Salimpour.

So the pols in L.A. have devised a scheme to take money from the pockets of cops and firefighters (on whom, as I wrote last week, they look with contempt) and funnel it to a political ally, who will in turn recycle it in the form of campaign contributions to those very same pols, or at least those not in prison.

Beat that one, Chicago!
Former President Donald Trump said during a recent interview that Israel "literally owned Congress" and "rightfully" so.



"You know, the biggest change I've seen in Congress is-- Israel literally owned congress, you understand that?" Trump told 570 KVI's Ari Hoffman, who could be seen nodding in agreement.



"Ten years ago, 15 years ago and it was so powerful, it was so powerful and today it's almost the opposite," he continued. "You have between AOC and Omar -- and these people that hate Israel, they hate it with a passion -- they're controlling congress and Israel is not a force in congress anymore."



"I mean it's just amazing, I've never seen such a change and we're not talking about over a very long period of time but I think you know exactly what I what I'm saying they had such power Israel had such power and rightfully over congress and now it doesn't," Trump said. "It's incredible, actually."



WATCH:





[Embed starts 10:26]



Though "the Squad" managed to stop an additional $1 billion to Israel in a short-term government funding bill on Sept 14, less than 10 days later the billion dollar giveaway to Israel was brought to the House floor as a standalone bill and passed 420 to 9, with AOC changing her vote from "no" to "present" and then crying on the House floor.





THREAD: By a vote of 420 to 9, the House of Representatives approved $1 billion in supplemental funding for Israels #IronDome missile defense system.



AIPAC appreciates the Democratic and Republican leadership for ensuring passage of this critical funding. pic.twitter.com/MZH8OM2Nss  AIPAC - Text IRON DOME to 73075 (@AIPAC) September 23, 2021

NOW - Tears on the House floor: AOC appears to be crying as the House passed a $1 billion funding for Israel's Iron Dome. She voted no, then switched her vote to present last minute.pic.twitter.com/jjq3kw7R4v  Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 23, 2021



While he was still president, Trump repeatedly stated that Israel -- not oil -- was the "one reason" the US must remain in the Middle East.





[Embed starts 47:02]



During a rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Sept 8, 2020 Trump said: "The fact is, we don't have to be in the Middle East, other than we want to protect Israel. We've been very good to Israel. Other than that, we don't have to be in the Middle East. You know there was a time we needed desperately oil, we don't need that anymore."



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St. Matthews Anglican Cathedral will be hosting a special ceremony on All Souls Day Tuesday to honour parish community members who died over the last two years.

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St. Matthews Anglican Cathedral will be hosting a special ceremony on All Souls Day Tuesday to honour parish community members who died over the last two years.

All Souls Day takes place each year in one form or another, said St. Matthews Dean Don Bernhardt, but the parish was unable to host a ceremony in 2020 due to COVID-19 public health restrictions. On Tuesday, the parish community is invited to gather for a memorial celebration at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral to commemorate the lives of those who have died in 2020 and 2021.

"This is a community coming together to celebrate all of our souls," Bernhardt said. "We need to come together and recognize that this loss is important and it hurt us."

St. Matthews has an established tradition of celebrating All Souls Day, he said, but the service has been transformed by COVID-19. The pandemic has inspired them to create a more deliberate service that helps the parish family come together and grieve.

All Souls Day at St. Matthews will be reminiscent of a funeral, and Bernhardt will be using the funeral office. The service will reflect what a typical All Souls Day represents, but at the same time, COVID-19 has created a need to emphasize that the last two years have been a time of loss, grief and isolation.

"It is the funeral that has been lacking and we will do the funeral. We will do the thing that we couldnt do," Bernhardt said. "This is for our parish family."

Proof of double vaccination and masks will be required during the service.

Bernhardt said funerals and remembrances of life rituals play an important role in the grieving process. Many parishes across Brandon, Manitoba and the world have seen members die over the last two years, and it was not always possible to properly celebrate their lives.

"We need the support of each other. We need to be able to say, this person was important and their loss hurts us. But yet, we will move forward," Bernhardt said. "We still take the time to celebrate who they were and who they are."

At last count, Bernhardt had 18 names from the parish who will be honoured on All Souls Day, some of whom were longstanding "lights of the parish family," while others were with the community for a short time. In all cases, they were a part of the St. Matthews family and always will be, Bernhardt said.

COVID-19 has been a challenging time, Bernhardt said. Preventing the spread of the virus transformed how funerals were organized, and in some cases outright prevented end-of-life celebrations.

"We thought that this year because we can now begin to gather in better numbers than we could, we needed to celebrate two years worth of people because  for a lot of these folks, they didnt have any funeral at all because we couldnt meet or they could only have five people or 10 people," Bernhardt said.

Funerals are always a difficult day, he said, but in the past, people had the comfort of a recognizable path  the death, working through the grief and the trauma, the funeral taking place right away and then you can begin moving forward.

While there have been times where families were distanced at the time of death preventing an immediate funeral, COVID is different as it was a time people were craving to come together but were unable to. Others faced planning services that limited guest numbers to five or 10 people, leaving family members out.

While necessary, Bernhardt said, public health measures created funerals that did not feel right due to these exclusions, adding to the grief many were experiencing.

He noted there is an additional difficulty this year on All Souls Day because many people have been working through their grief process. People never truly move on from the death of a loved one, but they can travel a path of healing where they can accept a new reality with a loved one no longer in their lives.

All Souls Day can be a reminder of this loss and become a blow to the grief process.

"Im hoping that we can recognize that this will potentially mean there will be work for us to do afterwards in making sure we are checking in on each other to make sure we are OK. To make sure that those who had a death that happened 18 months ago are still in a good place compared to where they were 18 months ago and this hasnt caused them too much pain," Bernhardt said. "We have trauma and grief mixed in a way that weve not seen before."

Bernhardt said the All Souls Day service will serve to start a conversation regarding how funeral services will take place in the future because the pandemic has shown that celebrations of life can be postponed to take place at a time that allows more guests to gather and mourn.

"There will be a new way of having to look at how we deal with death, how we deal with grief, how we deal with the interim space of when the person passes away and when we come together to celebrate the passage of their life," Bernhardt said. "They recognize that it is important to come together to celebrate and to cry, to mourn and remember  Im thankful that were finally able to gather in numbers that will make this possible."

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
The Progressive Conservative leadership race yielded surprising results, said Brandon University political scientist Kelly Saunders, given how close the final tallies were for each candidate.

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The Progressive Conservative leadership race yielded surprising results, said Brandon University political scientist Kelly Saunders, given how close the final tallies were for each candidate.

Heather Stefanson received 8,405 votes, defeating rival Shelly Glover, who garnered 8,042 votes.

The Tuxedo MLA, a former cabinet minister and deputy premier, was selected to lead the PCs by party members in a mail-in vote.

As of Sunday night, Glover had not conceded the leadership race and may yet challenge the result.

"There were a number of quite troubling allegations just about the fairness of the process," Saunders said. "Certainly, the closeness of the votes might have lent some credence to some of those concerns."

Saunders said a close majority does lend credence to concerns regarding ballots not being sent out to members in advance of the vote, ballots being missing or ballots being received too late to mail back in time for Saturdays vote. She added she has also heard concerns regional voter drop boxes scattered across the province did not exist or required people to drive many kilometres to visit.

Given the seriousness of these allegations and concerns, she said, it is understandable Glover has not yet conceded the leadership race.

The controversy surrounding the leadership race colours the naming of the provinces first woman premier, she said, because the outcome needs to be seen as legitimate in the eyes of party members and the eyes of Manitobans.

"This is more than just the new leader of a party, obviously  this is a vote for our new premier," Saunders said. "In order for that outcome to be seen as legitimate the process has to be seen as legitimate  if the process is seen as questionable or dubious in some aspects, then there is going to be some question marks hanging over the premier-elect Stefansons head, and that is unfortunate because this is such a historic moment."

Having the first female premier is a cause for celebration in terms of gender equity, equality and seeing more diverse faces in politics, she said, making the occasion an important one for the province. Unfortunately, these important milestones and markers will likely be overshadowed by the questions of legitimacy.

Saunders added Stefansons first days as premier will be further complicated because she remains the leader of the same caucus and cabinet that remained silent during former premier Brian Pallisters decisions regarding the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his "disturbing" comments regarding Indigenous issues including residential schools and Reconciliation.

"These are the same people that threw the support behind Stefanson in a very public way," Saunders said.

She is now leading a party that in the view of many Manitobans is still a continuation of Pallisters cabinet and caucus. Stefanson will need to try to separate herself, the cabinet and caucus from his legacy  a challenging task to overcome.

Saunders added these necessities will be further fuelled because of the ideological and urban-rural divide facing the PCs, which has been exacerbated by the leadership race.

Glover had significant support from those in the party who are right of centre and/or rural and the divisions have been intensified by the closeness of the race.

Stefanson will now need to bring the party on her side to support her leadership.

"She has a number of really key challenges ahead of her, and its not going to be an easy path forward," Saunders said.

Social scientists often talk about the "glass cliff" when they look at women in leadership positions, whether it is in politics or other sectors. The idea is centred on a political party, government or any organization that is suffering in the polls or potentially recovering from a crisis trying to shake things up by bringing in a woman to rebrand.

However, that woman is often given a herculean task to rebuild a suffering organization or is not provided with the resources or tools needed to create systemic change.

"Shes almost set up to fail, and then when she does shes pushed over the edge of the cliff and everyone says, well, thats what happens when you put a woman in charge  shes doomed to fail," Saunders said. "It really does cast a pall over other women wanting to follow in those footsteps and really breaking through that glass ceiling because theyre not given the same equal opportunities to succeed when theyre in those positions as leadership."

She hopes Stefanson will be allowed to prove herself as a successful and capable leader, but going into the role with the questions surrounding her path to victory is a troubling way to begin a new premiership.

It remains an exciting time for the province because there are two years before the next election  a long stretch in political time.

The PC Party is beginning to rebound, rising about six points in popular support across the province based on polls, Saunders said, although they are still significantly behind the NDP.

The party is in a good position with 20,000 new members brought in as a result of the leadership vote. Saunders said if they can hold onto these people in terms of volunteers and fundraising, it puts the party in a better position heading into the next election.

Saunders noted as an urbanite and woman leader, Stefanson might be able to close the PC gap with urban and woman voters over the next two years.

"Theres always a honeymoon period when a new leader is elected," Saunders said. "If theyre able to see a bump in the polls as a result of a new shiny face on the party and a different face on the party in the form of a woman and they can hold to that or at least use that momentum to lead them into the next election, the party is in a better position certainly more than it was six months ago."

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
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Manitobas first female premier and first female Progressive Conservative leader will be Heather Stefanson.

The former minister of justice, health, families, deputy premier and Tuxedo MLA was selected to lead the Progressive Conservative party by grassroots party members in a mail-in vote.

Stefanson garnered a slim majority in votes, 8,405, to rival Shelly Glovers 8,042.

She promised a more conciliatory tone from the Tory government, which sank in opinion polls under former premier Brian Pallister before he stepped down in September.

"I heard loud and clear that (Manitobans) want to see us take a much more collaborative approach when it comes to working with other levels of government and with stakeholders in our community," Stefanson said in her victory speech.

While the party immediately recognized Stefansons win, Glover said she would hold back until she could analyze the results.

"I really cant concede until I do the homework," said Glover, who hugged Stefanson immediately after the results. She would not say when she would make a decision.

Early on after Pallister announced his retirement at the Dome Building in Brandon in August, Stefanson established herself as the establishment candidate after securing endorsements from most of her caucus colleagues.

That support included Brandons three provincial Tory representatives  Brandon East MLA Len Isleifson, Brandon West MLA Reg Helwer and Spruce Woods MLA Cliff Cullen.

"Its always exciting when you win an election," Isleifson told the Sun by phone from Winnipeg after the results were announced.

"With the increase in memberships and the members of the party, it gives us an optimistic future, thats for sure."

Isleifson said Manitobans will be getting a leader who listens, cares and wants to know whats going on so that the province and its municipalities can build a better place to live.

"I think theyre really getting someone who is looking forward to making things better in Manitoba and doing it as a team," he said.

During her campaign, Stefanson was hesitant to directly criticize Pallisters actions, but pitched a more conciliatory way of running the province.

Over this summer, Pallister was roundly criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, making comments about colonization that upset Indigenous leaders and for appointing a new minister of Indigenous reconciliation who downplayed the harms of residential schools in his first media availability after taking over the portfolio from Agassiz MLA Eileen Clarke, who resigned over what Pallister had said and his leadership style.

Stefanson received criticism of her own during the pandemics fourth wave, when Manitobas intensive care units became so full that patients had to be transferred to other provinces and not everyone came back.

Asked by the Sun during her campaign what people in Westman were most concerned with, Stefanson said multiple times that shed heard from business owners that they were having a hard time finding workers to fill vacant positions.

She said she was interested in enacting some small tweaks to the provinces provincial nominee immigration plan to bring in additional workers from outside the province.

One note that Stefanson and Glover  a former federal cabinet minister under Stephen Harper  differed on was on vaccine policy.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Heather Stefanson works her way to the podium after being announced as the winner of the Progressive Conservative leadership race in Winnipeg on Saturday.

Glover expressed frustration in an interview with the Sun last week that her belief that workers who arent comfortable with taking the COVID-19 vaccine should be accommodated under public health orders has led some to brand her as an anti-vaxxer, despite being fully vaccinated herself and believing in the science behind the vaccines.

Stefanson, by comparison, has offered support for the provinces current approach to vaccine mandates where front-line workers who interact with the public must either be fully immunized against COVID-19 or be tested for the virus through antibody tests three times a week.

Master of ceremonies George Orle described it as a momentous occasion, but also touched on elements of discord.

He said there were "quite a few demonstrators out front" of the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg, where the event was held, though he said they were yelling at each other and eventually ran out of steam.

Orly said that you wouldnt see any singing or balloons flying around like other leadership races because it was a working occasion for the party and its members.

Interim Premier Kelvin Goertzen, who has led the party and the province during the leadership race, was introduced as a guest speaker before the announcement of results to loud applause from the party faithful.

"We are ecstatic for what our future holds," he said before thanking volunteers and staff for their hard work throughout the race. "We all know how difficult it is to be involved in any election and a leadership election is itself unique. But both candidates and their teams have worked hard connecting with Manitobans and our members. The democratic system does not happen by default, it happens because people answer the call, they give up their time, they give up their resources and they get involved."

Goertzen also emphasized that progress in Manitoba can only happen by continued collaboration with First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples and their leaders. He also spoke positively of his interactions with Manitobas mayors during his short term, including Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest.

"I have not spoken about our political opponents because tonight is not about them or what they do as a government or what they might plan to do as an opposition," Goertzen said. "It really isnt about them. The future of Manitoba and all of its promise does not land of the hands of the NDP or the Liberals tonight, it rests in your hands. Tonight you will elect the first female premier in the history of Manitoba."

Despite this historic first for the party and the province and Goertzen calling for party members to leave the event united, problems with the race threaten to overshadow the end result.

In the week leading up to Saturdays vote count, Glover, former leadership candidate Shannon Martin and former PC cabinet minister Len Derkach were among voices calling for an extension to the voting process after reports of hundreds to thousands of ballots not reaching party members at the same time.

Both party brass and Stefanson have downplayed the issue.

In a statement sent to the Sun on Friday, a party spokesperson wrote that additional steps had been taken to ensure that all members received their ballots in time to mail them back and that polling stations had been set up in Brandon, Dauphin, Carman, Oakbank, Gimli and Winnipeg to give members one final chance to vote.

However, in an interview with the Sun on Thursday, Derkach said that the polling stations were being set up in locations that were difficult to reach for members in rural communities and that they were being set up during the workday when it was hard for members to make the trip to vote.

For her part, Stefanson said that every leadership race has challenges, and her campaign was focused on making sure her supporters had their votes in.

Fifteen minutes before the results were announced, Orle said he wanted to dispel claims that members had been disenfranchised and that the campaign was poorly organized.

He said when the leadership campaign started, the party had approximately 5,500. Within three weeks, the party had more than 25,000 members.

"We didnt take these and stick them in a bag," he said of the applications. "Every one of these had to be placed in our database. We worked overtime, we hired additional staff and we inputted every one of these memberships. Now you remember, when you input, you are only able to input what you have. We did not have the resources to second guess or to go through these memberships, we got them into our database in time."

Then, he said, the party hired a distribution company to take the data and determine that they had the right addresses through Canada Post information. Envelopes addressed to each member contained a second pre-paid envelope containing a ballot and a PIN were sent out.

Through this process, according to Orle, the party had a 96 per cent success rate in getting these out.

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Heather Stefanson (left) hugs rival Shelly Glover after the results were announced on Saturday.

"The problem is that we are in a time of COVID and it has restrictions that are placed upon people," Orle said. "We didnt start getting the return-to-sender envelopes until almost a week after wed sent them out, and they came in without any ability to address how quickly we were able to get them or where we got them from."

Only recently, the party received an envelope marked undeliverable from its first batch that were mailed out. Lost ballots like this had to be manually checked with the campaign and Orle said every single undeliverable ballot went out again.

He also denied claims of ballots going missing or not being distributed, saying a security firm was hired to make sure ballots received got where they needed to be.

Additionally, he said work was done to make sure every member who had reported not receiving their ballot had the non-receipt of their ballots by the party confirmed and more than 1,000 ballots went out again after this on top of the polling places that were set up on the campaigns last day.

"Thats not being disorganized," Orle said.

However, Orle later admitted that not all people entitled to ballots received them because they didnt end up in the partys database.

"No system is perfect, but ours was very far away from inept or disorganized and that there was no one who was deliberately disenfranchised through this process," he said.

Asked if he was concerned that some might not find the results of the race legitimate, Isleifson wasnt worried.

"With over 16,000 ballots being returned, yeah its unfortunate that things happened and some got missed, I think it evens out on both sides of the campaign," he said. "I think if, for example, there were 100 more ballots out there, it could have easily gone 50-50, so I dont think it would have (changed) the outcome of the leadership race."

In the comments of the YouTube livestream of the event, a couple of viewers expressed frustration that their preferred candidate, Ken Lee, was not approved by the party to be on the final ballot.

Frustration over the pandemic also boiled over at points. "Go get your sixth booster Karl," one user wrote, to which another replied "go take more horse dewormer Chad."

Apart from the leadership race, the Progressive Conservatives are currently facing sagging poll numbers after 19 months of managing the COVID-19 pandemic and bringing in controversial policies like the now-dead Bill 64, which would have eliminated the provinces elected school boards and reshaped the education system.

The new leader has approximately two years to reverse their partys fortunes as the Manitoba NDP look to take advantage of the situation and return to power after losing the 2016 provincial election.

Beyond the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the leader will also have to tackle labour issues with the University of Manitobas faculty threatening to strike and the Pallister-era public sector wage freeze getting reinstated by a federal court.

On climate change, the new leader will need to decide how to proceed after a federal court ruled against Manitobas challenge to the federal governments carbon tax backstop.

Earlier this week, Stefanson indicated that she would not seek to appeal the result and instead seek a more collaborative solution with the federal government.

Helwer, who endorsed Stefanson, declined to comment, writing in an email to the Sun "I think it is the premier-elects day, so I will leave the comments to her."

The Sun requested to speak with the premier-designate, but a spokesperson said it would have to wait until Stefansons next media availability, which would likely be early in the upcoming week.

While Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont congratulated Stefanson on becoming the first female premier, he pointed out that the Liberals first had a female leader 35 years ago and have had several over the years.

"While having a woman Premier is historic for Manitoba, we have seen no indication of any meaningful change in direction from a party that voted in total lockstep with the former Premier," Lamont wrote in a statement.

"Our health-care system and our public finances are in a shambles, the PCs burned bridges with Indigenous people, and every single PC MLA was a cheerleader for Bill 64, which would have ruined our public school system. Under Brian Pallister, the PCs drove our province into a ditch, to routine standing ovations from Heather Stefanson and the rest of the PC caucus. They have a lot to answer for, and its clear theyre not willing to accept responsibility for everything theyve bungled over the last six years."

 cslark@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
WINNIPEG - The losing candidate in the race for the leadership of Manitoba's governing Progressive Conservatives is challenging the results, calling for a redo of the vote and pushing to delay the swearing-in of the winner as premier.

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Shelly Glover answers a question during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday March 23, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

WINNIPEG - The losing candidate in the race for the leadership of Manitoba's governing Progressive Conservatives is challenging the results, calling for a redo of the vote and pushing to delay the swearing-in of the winner as premier.

Shelly Glover, a former MP, came up short with 49 per cent of the ballot count on Saturday in the race to replace former premier Brian Pallister, who stepped down in September. Glover's lawyer has written to Manitoba's lieutenant-governor and has said legal action is coming.

"From the information given to me, there would appear to be substantial irregularities affecting the result, in the counting of votes," lawyer Dave Hill wrote in a one-page letter Monday to Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon.

"As a result, I will shortly be seeking an order of the Court of Queen's Bench declaring that the election results are invalid and requiring a new vote. I would respectfully request that you defer the swearing-in of a new premier of Manitoba until the court has ruled on this matter."

Hill and Glover declined interviews. Hill said he would have more to say once documents are filed with the court. Heather Stefanson is to be sworn-in Tuesday afternoon.

Glover's campaign had complained throughout the leadership run that many party members did not receive their ballots in time to mail them back before Saturday's count. The final result gave Stefanson a win by a margin of 363 votes  51 per cent of the more than 16,000 ballots cast.

Party officials said some ballots that were mailed to members were returned by Canada Post as undeliverable and, in the final days, the party set up mobile locations in several communities where ballots could be picked up and dropped off.

George Orle, head of the Tory leadership election committee, told the weekend convention that a greater percentage of members voted this time around than in the last race in 2006.

"The party announced the results of the count this weekend and has nothing new to add at this time," Tory spokesman Keith Stewart wrote in an email.

The lieutenant-governor is unlikely to agree to Glover's request, said a longtime political analyst.

"The lieutenant-governor should really not allow herself to be dragged into this fight within the party because it's not part of her defined role under our constitutional order," said Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

"She's to have a conversation and gather information and decide that Heather Stefanson ... commands majority support in the legislature, and there's no reason to question why that would be the case. Stefanson had the overwhelming backing of cabinet and caucus."

A court challenge is also unlikely to succeed, Thomas said, because courts generally allow political parties to settle disputes internally.

"I think they'll dodge the question, too, and say ... this isn't covered by any constitutional convention. This is a matter within the control of the party."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2021
MONTREAL - Officials in Quebec's capital held ceremonies and urged residents to come together on Sunday to honour the victims and survivors of a deadly sword attack that unfolded one year ago.

Police cars block the Saint-Louis Street near the Chateau Frontenac, early Sunday, November 1, 2020 in Quebec City. Quebec City is commemorating the victims and survivors of a fatal sword attack that left two dead and others injured on last year's Halloween night. Hairdresser Suzanne Clermont, 61, and 56-year-old museum employee Francois Duchesne died in the Halloween-night attack that also left five others injured after a man dressed in a medieval costume and wielding a Japanese-style sword went on a rampage in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

MONTREAL - Officials in Quebec's capital held ceremonies and urged residents to come together on Sunday to honour the victims and survivors of a deadly sword attack that unfolded one year ago.

The Halloween night attack that shook the province played out in Quebec City's historic streets when a man dressed in a medieval costume and wielding a Japanese-style sword allegedly went on a rampage.

"After the shock, pain, sadness and anger of the past year, we will come together to make more sense of our lives and our city," Quebec's outgoing mayor Regis Labeaume said in a statement. "We will remember this sad moment, and above all, we will honor the memory of our fellow citizens."

Hairdresser Suzanne Clermont, 61, and 56-year-old museum employee Francois Duchesne died in the night attack that also left five others injured.

A ceremony took place Sunday afternoon at three different locations in a bustling sector of Old Quebec where the rampage unfolded.

Labeaume spoke at one of those ceremonies, addressing mourners in front of city hall. He also led a minute of silence honouring Clermont and Duchesne, saying he hoped to bring some sense to people whose lives were affected by the tragedy.

Duchesne's former employer, the Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec, also issued a tribute via social media on Sunday.

The museum said it has developed a series of activities to connect art and well-being as part of their "The art of being human" program, noting the move was made partially in tribute to the former employee.

"The whole program invites participants to reconnect with their emotions, in all kindness," the statement reads.

A temporary commemorative plaque will be set up in front of city hall in memory of Clermont and Duchesne. The city said it will install a permanent one next year in the centre of Old Quebec.

Premier Francois Legault issued a tweet saying Quebec went through a tragedy on that day and sending love and thoughts to all of those affected.

"A man savagely attacked passersby trying to enjoy their evening in Old Quebec," Legault wrote. "Today, the two victims are remembered."

Carl Girouard of Ste-Therese, Que., was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder after the attack. He is currently awaiting trial.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2021.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  In a markedly more humble tone for a U.S. leader, President Joe Biden acknowledged at a U.N. summit Monday that the United States and other energy-gulping developed nations bear much of the responsibility for climate change, and said actions taken this decade to contain global warming will be decisive in preventing future generations from suffering.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference at the La Nuvola conference center for the G20 summit in Rome, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. Leaders of the world's biggest economies made a compromise commitment Sunday to reach carbon neutrality "by or around mid-century" as they wrapped up a two-day summit that was laying the groundwork for the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  In a markedly more humble tone for a U.S. leader, President Joe Biden acknowledged at a U.N. summit Monday that the United States and other energy-gulping developed nations bear much of the responsibility for climate change, and said actions taken this decade to contain global warming will be decisive in preventing future generations from suffering.

"None of us can escape the worst that is yet to come if we fail to seize this moment, Biden declared.

The president treated the already visible crisis for the planet  flooding, volatile weather, droughts and wildfires  as a unique opportunity to reinvent the global economy. Standing before world leaders gathered in Scotland, he sought to portray the enormous costs of limiting emissions from coal, oil and natural gas as a chance to create jobs by transitioning to renewable energy and electric automobiles.

Yet he also apologized for former President Donald Trump's decision to leave the Paris Agreement and the role the U.S. and other wealthy countries played in contributing to climate change.

Those of us who are responsible for much of the deforestation and all of the problems we have so far, Biden said, have "overwhelming obligations to the poorer nations that account for few of the emissions yet are paying a price as the planet has grown hotter.

U.S. President Joe Biden salutes as he boards Air Force One after attending the G20 summit in Rome, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. U.S. President Joe Biden will now head to the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, which gathers leaders from around the world to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

As for Trump's action, Biden said: I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit.

His words, in seemingly impromptu comments, appeared a break from past comments of many U.S. leaders, who either made little mention of U.S. responsibility for the warming earth or  as Biden himself did on the eve of the climate summit  blamed China as the world's current biggest emitter of climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes.

Over history, scientists say, its the United States that has pumped out the most climate-damaging pollution of any nation, as coal, diesel and gasoline powered the United States and other developed nations to wealth.

President Joe Biden arrives at Edinburgh Airport to attend the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The President is greeted by T.H. Philip Reeker, Charge d'affaires, Embassy of the United States to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Councilor Frank Ross, Right Honorable Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh and Nicholas Jarrold, Special Representative of the Foreign Secretary. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Biden, who briefly closed his eyes at one point during the speeches, used the summit to announce he planned to work with the U.S. Congress to provide $3 billion annually to help poorer countries and communities cope with climate damage, as developing nations increasingly are demanding of established, wealthier economies.

At Glasgow, the magnitude of the moment is crashing head-first into complicated global and domestic politics. The Biden administration is exhorting other nations to make big, fast emissions cuts to stave off the worst scenarios of global warming. But the president is simultaneously fighting to nail down his own climate investments with Congress that would keep the U.S. on track with Biden's own pledges.

Well demonstrate to the world the United States is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example, Biden said. I know it hasnt been the case, and thats why my administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words.

President Joe Biden attends the opening session of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

The summit is often billed as essential to putting into action the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, which Biden rejoined after becoming president this year. The Trump administration largely withdrew from hands-on diplomacy. Part of Biden's efforts at the climate summit and the gathering of the Group of 20 nations in Rome last weekend was to reestablish the U.S. as a partner.

But Biden and his administration face obstacles in prodding the U.S. and other nations to act fast enough on climate, abroad as at home. In the runup to the climate summit, the administration has tried hard to temper expectations that two weeks of talks involving more than 100 world leaders will produce major breakthroughs.

Rather than a quick fix, Glasgow is the beginning of this decade race, if you will, Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, told reporters Sunday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, greets U.S. President Joe Biden , at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (Christopher Furlong/Pool via AP)

As the summit opened, the U.S. was still struggling to get some of the world's biggest climate polluters  China, Russia and India  to make stronger pledges to burn far less coal, gas and oil and to move to cleaner energy. China under President Xi Jinping has made firmer commitments to cut back on coal power and make other cuts, but not at the pace that the United States and its allies are asking.

Scientists say massive, fast cuts in fossil fuel pollution over the next several years are essential to having any hope of keeping global warming at or below the limits set in the Paris climate accord.

Trump before his presidency famously accused China of manufacturing climate change, and Trump's administration invariably pointed to China as the top climate offender in justifying its rollbacks of U.S. climate measures.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (Yves Herman/Pool via AP)

Biden, too, said he was disappointed that the Group of 20 summit in Rome before the Glasgow gathering failed to nail down stronger promises on climate.

Russia and China basically didn't show up at the Rome meeting with new climate commitments, Biden told reporters Sunday night. Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor China's Xi attended the G-20 and climate summits. Xi sent a senior official, his climate envoy, to the Glasgow summit.

The Biden administration on Monday also released its strategy for transforming the U.S. into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050.

The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris agreement, would increasingly run the world's largest economy on wind, solar and other clean energy. More Americans would zip around in electric vehicles and on mass transit. And state-of-the-art technology and wide open spaces carefully preserved could soak up carbon dioxide from the air.

As with much of Biden's climate promises, fulfillment of the long-term strategy depends in part on lawmakers and American voters, both blocs that are now sharply divided.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with the president that climate change should not viewed as a rivalry between the U.S. and China, as China, the worlds second largest economy, could act on its own.

Nothing about the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and China, structurally or otherwise, impedes or stands in the way of them doing their part," Sullivan said.
The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein has felled another executive.

Jes Staley quit as chief executive officer of Barclays because of controversy over his relationship with the late disgraced financier. Its a sudden end to a six-year stint in which professional success has been tainted by personal misjudgments.

Barclays boss Jes Staley announced his resignation. Credit:AP

This year has already seen Leon Black, co-founder of the private-equity group Apollo Global Management, step down over ties to Epstein, the alleged paedophile and sex trafficker.

The question that hangs over Staley is one of honesty. British regulators launched an investigation in late 2019 into how Staley had described his relationship with Epstein to the Barclays board and how the board in turn characterised that to regulators.
A coronial inquest into the death of a refugee who set himself alight on Nauru more than five years ago found the level of care at the local hospital was worse than that of remote Australian facilities.

Omid Masoumali, 24, doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire in April 2016. He was evacuated to the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital 31 hours later, and died the next day.

Omid Masoumali died after setting himself on fire at the Nauru detention centre in 2016. Credit:AAP/Supplied

Queensland Coroner Terry Ryan delivered his findings into Mr Masoumalis death on Monday.

He was highly critical of the health services available to refugees on Nauru, believing the incident could potentially have been avoided and Mr Masoumalis life could have been saved.
The man who breached Queensland border rules, sparking a south-east Queensland coronavirus scare, has been fined more than $4000 after police managed to interview him in his Gold Coast COVID-ward.

Duran Raman returned to Queensland from Melbourne on October 10 and spent days infectious in the community, before feeling unwell enough to seek medical treatment and be admitted to hospital.

The ride-share drivers symptoms became so severe he was on oxygen in the intensive care unit of the Gold Coast University Hospital, and contact tracers trying to track his movements in the previous days struggled to communicate with him.

At one stage he tried to leave the secure pandemic ward of the hospital, sparking fresh concerns, however authorities say he did not make it out of the ward before he was directed back to his room.
Forget the Birdcage. For Melbourne Cup 2021, its all about the owners enclosure and whos standing in it at 3pm when the start gun fires on The Race That Stops a Nation. With COVID-19 travel restrictions and state government rules capping numbers at Flemington at 10,000 out of a capacity of 100,000-plus, its the racehorse owners who are the days biggest winners, even if they lose on the track: each Melbourne Cup runner is permitted to have 10 owners in attendance in the prized purple zone which contains all the VRC member facilities. The question is, which owners will make the most of the access?

It could be a case of twice-lucky for Crown Casino developer Lloyd Williams who is part of a syndicate which won last years Melbourne Cup with Twilight Payment. This year, Twilight Payment in back racing from barrier two alongside the syndicates other runner, the UK-born nag Pondus racing out of barrier one. The syndicate for both horses includes the estate of the late tour promoter Michael Gudinski, Jayco caravan magnate Gerry Ryan and property flogger Mark Wizel. Wizel and Ryan are expected at the track, but Williams has been a no show for the past five years, opting instead to watch the big race at his Macedon Lodge about an hour north of Melbourne. Ryan will be trackside but its likely he wont know where to look given he also owns Grand Promenade, trained by Ciaron Maher and will be ridden by three-time Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy. Triple the fun.

Owner Lloyd Williams holds up the Melbourne Cup after his horse Almandin stormed to victory in 2016. Credit:Getty

OTHER RUNNERS

But the Williams and Ryan crew isnt the only group of owners with multiple runners in the big race. Real estate investment firm MaxCap group founder Brae Sokolski and Resimax property developer Ozzie Kheir will also be trackside barracking for the Peter Moody-trained Incentivise and Verry Elleegant trained by Chris Waller. The racing partners had a Caulfield Cup win with Incentivise and last years Cox Plate with the multimillion-dollar British import Sir Dragonet who broke down and was euthanised ahead of this years Caulfield Cup. Meanwhile, retailer and Magic Millions owner Gerry Harvey doesnt have a runner in this years race but can still lay claim to the action. The Westbury Stud owner bred Miami Bound who has drawn barrier 17 and is trained and owned by trainer Danny OBrien and others. Patrick Moloney will be riding the mare.
Victoria recorded 989 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths as thousands of people returned to Flemington Racecourse for the first Melbourne Cup with crowds since the pandemic began.

As racing fans flocked to the track in Melbournes inner-west, the states daily coronavirus fell below the 1000 mark for the first time in more than a month. Tuesdays case tally was 482 fewer than the 1471 cases recorded on Monday.

Diana Chan, Crystal Kimber, Bruce Keebaugh, Montana Cox and Christian Petracca start celebrating early. Credit:Joe Armao

It was the first time since September 29 daily coronavirus cases had dropped below 1000.

The Cup crowd was capped at 10,000 spectators as part of the state governments vaccinated economy trial. Victoria Racing Club members will take 70 per cent of the tickets, with the rest going to horse owners, corporate sponsors, trainers and the public.
I share peoples frustration about the lockdowns and uncertainty weve endured under the state of emergency. The state of emergency will expire in December, because in March I said I would no longer support further extensions and we that needed pandemic-specific legislation. While the opposition and some commentators are exploiting the publics fear and frustration, I am working in the public interest. I am carefully scrutinising the bill and consulting experts such as the Centre for Public Integrity and the Human Rights Legal Centre. Victorias state of emergency laws are set to expire. Credit:Luis Ascui Victoria is poised to lead the country in replacing state of emergency powers with rules that vastly increase transparency and accountability. Other states are just continually extending their state of emergency month by month. I have concerns about some elements of the bill. The independent pandemic management advisory committee must have proper powers and resources. The health advice must be made public in a timely fashion. The circumstances where large penalties can be imposed need to be clarified, and I would welcome further parliamentary scrutiny.

I voted for the state of emergency on the condition that it had an end date and would be replaced by pandemic-specific legislation that would ensure transparency and accountability. Loading This could be the fairest, most transparent legislation of its type in Australia. All states and territories, except NSW, have declared a state of emergency, giving governments and health officials broad powers to limit individual rights and freedoms to protect public health. They are all in place today and without parliamentary oversight or public protest are constantly extended. The bill, which I have been negotiating and advocating for, responds to pandemics  not fires, floods or other emergencies. Just pandemics. And who knows what those pandemics will be in the future.

Compared to a state of emergency, the pandemic legislation provides for a greater separation of power and transparency. It compels full publication of the Chief Health Officers advice as well as any reasons for the orders and human rights assessments. It buttresses parliamentary oversight via the Scrutiny of the Acts and Regulations Committee, provides for an independent advisory committee, and allows Parliament to disallow health orders in certain circumstances. Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. Credit:Paul Jeffers We will be able to see how the government is assessing and seeking to balance the physical health, mental health, and economic needs. If we didnt have laws of this type, then there would be no way to curtail the spread of deadly disease. Many more Victorians would die.

Under this bill, only the Premier can declare a pandemic and only in response to the CHOs advice. The Premier has no other role. Talk about a grab for power! Loading All the CHOs advice must be published as an exercise in transparency. Only the Health Minister can make orders under the legislation. If the Health Ministers orders differ from the CHOs advice, the Minister must publish reasons why. At last, we shall all be able to see, in real time, all the advice behind public health decisions.
Last months Supreme Court trial over the alleged murder of Yamatji mother, sister and daughter JC by a WA Police officer in 2019 was historic: the last police officer in Western Australia charged with the murder of an Aboriginal person was in 1926 and related to the Forrest River massacre.

The officer who faced trial in the WA Supreme Court cannot be named. The court issued a suppression order on his identity.

The WA Police officer (blurred), charged with murder over the death of JC (inset). Credit:Nine News Perth/Supplied

This same court also issued a suppression order over the name of the Kalgoorlie man who killed young Elijah Doughty in 2016 and received a road traffic conviction. There were no Aboriginal people on that jury and there were none in the murder trial of the officer who killed JC.

Twenty years ago, I studied the killings of Aboriginal people in WA by non-Aboriginals, observing a pattern of discrimination where appropriate charges were not laid, or if they were laid the accused was found not guilty of murder notwithstanding clear evidence of the crime.
WA Police spent Monday searching for a Year 8 Willetton Senior High School student who fled school grounds after allegedly stabbing a female teacher.

A police spokesperson said the 14-year-old girl was found in the Willetton area before 8pm and more details would be released on Tuesday.

St John Ambulance was called to the school about 11.10am after a female teacher, aged in her 50s, was stabbed.

The woman, who works as a Year 8 co-ordinator at the public co-education school, suffered a non-life threatening injury and was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital where she remained in a stable condition Monday afternoon.
Australias dispute with France escalated dramatically on the last day of the G20 in Rome, when French President Emmanuel Macron accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of having lied about the scrapped submarines deal between the two countries.

It follows US President Joe Biden days earlier describing Australias handling of the matter as clumsy.

Its been an unfortunate few days in diplomacy for Australia at the G20, where leaders from the worlds largest economies failed to reach agreement on net zero by 2050 ahead of the Glasgow climate summit.

Today on Please Explain, political and international editor Peter Hartcher joins Bianca Hall to discuss the outcomes of the G20 summit in Rome, and Australias diplomatic stumbles along the way.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has hit back in his extraordinary row with President Emmanuel Macron over claims that he lied about a $90 billion submarine contract, citing secret text messages as proof that he gave the French leader fair warning the deal would be dumped.

One day after Mr Macron accused him on camera of lying about the deal, Mr Morrison revealed more details about their private talks to justify the way he cancelled the contract and formed a submarine alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media in Glasgow about the row over the cancelled submarine deal with France. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But Mr Morrison admitted that he did not tell Mr Macron he was negotiating the US and UK deal, saying this was too confidential to disclose, although he told the French President in June that Australia was looking at alternatives.

Asked whether Mr Macron deserved more than 48 hours notice of the pivotal decision given he leads a NATO power and is a longstanding Australian ally, Mr Morrison said that he had to keep the US and UK alliance confidential.
The public hearings running this week are part of an inquiry called Operation Watts into allegations of corrupt conduct involving Victorian public officers, including members of parliament.

The investigation is run jointly by the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and the Victorian Ombudsman and its remit includes allegations of branch stacking in the Victorian Labor Party, as first revealed in an investigation by The Age and 60 Minutes last year.

Branch stacking is an organised method of accumulating internal power in a party by recruiting, and usually paying the fees for, new members.

But its much more pointed than just that. The real question is whether public officers, including Victorian members of parliament, are engaging in corrupt conduct by directing ministerial or electorate office staff to perform partypolitical work when they should instead be doing ministerial or electorate work.

It will also look at whether public money given by the Victorian government as grants to community associations, has been redirected and misused to fund partypolitical activities, or for any other improper purposes. It will ask if ministers or others involved in granting the funds have dishonestly performed their functions or knowingly or recklessly breached public trust.

The inquiry will look into whether any public officer, their families or their associates, received a personal benefit from these things, and looks at what systems and controls are in place to monitor these money flows.

The hearing is expected to go for at least four weeks. Its overseen by IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich, QC, and run by counsel assisting Chris Carr, SC.
Glasgow: The Queen has delivered an emotionally charged and highly political call to arms to world leaders on climate change, invoking her own mortality to send a warning about the need to protect future generations.

In a pre-recorded speech to the COP26 climate summit, the 95-year-old monarch said politicians had an obligation to think beyond their own immediate priorities.

The Queen, on screen, delivers her video message to attendees of an evening reception to mark the opening day of the COP26 summit. Credit:Getty

It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit  written in history books yet to be printed  will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations, she said.

That you left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire, and a plan to address the impact of climate change; and to recognise that the time for words has now moved to the time for action.
Glasgow: Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has told Scott Morrison that coal has no place in this centurys economy during a meeting at climate talks in Glasgow, and that Pacific island nations expect more from the Australian government on climate.

Morrison announced at the COP26 talks in Glasgow that Australia would commit an additional $500 million to developing nations in the region to tackle climate change, on top of the $1.5 billion announced in December 2020.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Prime Minister of Fiji Frank Bainimarama after a roundtable meeting with Pacific leaders at COP26 in Glasgow. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

This doubles our previous five-year commitment of $1 billion between 2015 and 2020, said Mr Morrison.

But in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Bainimarama said Pacific island nations needed to see a plan on how Australia would not only reduce its emission to net zero by 2050, but how it would halve its emissions by 2030.
have been badly hit in October owing to the ongoing shortage of semiconductors globally. Industry executives said while there is no certainty how long the shortage will last, they are much better prepared to handle production, taking steps like reducing chips in cars.

The countrys largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Friday reported around 33 per cent decline in sales at 1,08,991 units in October. The company had sold 1,63,656 units in October last year.

The carmaker said that, according to current estimates, total vehicle production (in volume) across both its facilities in Haryana next month could be around 85 per cent.

This is much higher than 40 per cent and 60 per cent in September and October, respectively.

The carmaker had over 2 lakh pending orders before the end of October 2021, and that number could increase substantially following Diwali.

While shortage of electronic components continued to affect the production of vehicles during the month, the company took all possible measures to minimise the impact.

Accordingly, it sold more vehicles than the sales volume expected at the start of the month, Maruti said.

chips are used in a variety of functions, which play a critical part in the production of internal combustion engines. Besides, they are an integral part of all kinds of sensors and controls in any vehicle.

At present, these shortages have forced several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to slow down production, thus, further extending the waiting periods of popular, feature-rich and high-end models.

Sales of mini cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, fell 23 per cent to 21,831 units as compared to 28,462 in the same month last year.

Similarly, sales of Maruti cars in the compact segment, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire, slumped 49 per cent to 48,690 units against 95,067 cars in October last year.

Hyundai, the second largest carmaker, reported a 37 per cent decline in total sales at 43,556 units in October. The company had sold 68,835 units in the same month last year.

Domestic sales were down 34 per cent to 37,021 units against 56,605 units in October 2020, the company added.

Global supply constraints have adversely affected vehicle production, the company said.

Industry executives and analysts tracking the sector said shortage of chips will keep on impacting the automobile industry for some time.

We started to see bookings build up and this month is looking better than last month. However, this is not good enough and we need to increase production even further, said PB Balaji, CFO of Tata Motors. He added that the company is trying to reduce usage of semiconductors in its vehicles.

The Mumbai-based firm reported a 30 per cent growth in domestic sales at 52,132 units in October 2021. The company had sold 67,829 units in the same month last year.

Channel checks by brokerage firms showed that order bookings are extremely strong for passenger vehicles with a waiting period of up to six months for top-selling models.

Dealers expect a subdued festive season, owing to supply constraints. Dealer inventory levels are low at one-two weeks. Assuming that supply issues will persist, dealers may run out of stock by October-end for passenger vehicles, analysts at Emkay Global Financial Services said.




Leading carmakers and witnessed a double-digit drop in sales in October on account of the global semiconductor shortage impacting production.

Kia India, Honda Cars and MG Motor also saw a fall in dispatches last month as compared with October 2020.

However, like Tata Motors, Mahindra, Nissan and Skoda managed to post positive numbers last month despite the supply chain challenges.

The country's largest carmaker India (MSI) said its domestic sales slipped 32 per cent to 1,17,013 units last month as against 1,72,862 units in October 2020.

"While the shortage of electronic components continued to affect the production of vehicles during the month, the company took all possible measures to minimise the impact. Accordingly, the company sold more vehicles than the sales volume expected at the start of the month," the auto major stated.

Sales of mini cars, comprising Alto and S-Presso, fell 23 per cent to 21,831 units as compared to 28,462 in the same month last year.

Similarly, sales of compact segment, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire, slumped 49 per cent to 48,690 units as against 95,067 cars in October last year.

Utility vehicle sales, including Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga, however rose 7 per cent to 27,081 units as compared to 25,396 earlier.

Rival Motor India reported a 35 per cent decline in domestic sales last month at 37,021 units. It had dispatched 56,605 units to dealers in October 2020.

The global semiconductor supply constraint continues to be a challenge, resulting in lower production across the industry, the company noted.

Kia India witnessed a 22 per cent year-on-year decline in wholesales at 16,331 units last month, while Honda Cars saw its domestic dispatches go down by 25 per cent to 8,108 units.

"While the situation still remains dynamic due to the ongoing supply side challenges, the company is making all possible efforts to maintain a steady delivery pace and catering to the market demand effectively," Honda Cars India Senior Vice-President and Director (Marketing and Sales) Rajesh Goel said.

Similarly, MG Motor India reported a 24 per cent dip in retail sales at 2,863 units in October amid production challenges due to the semiconductor shortage.

Homegrown auto major Mahindra & Mahindra said its passenger vehicle sales in the domestic market stood at 20,130 units, up 8 per cent from 18,622 units in the year-ago period.

"Demand for vehicles across our product portfolio remains robust. We have received an unprecedented response for XUV700 and as per our commitment, we have commenced deliveries of the petrol variant to customers," Mahindra & Mahindra CEO Automotive Division, Veejay Nakra said.

The supply chain issues around semiconductor related parts continues to be dynamic as the company focuses on managing the situation in the short term, he added.

Similarly, Tata Motors reported a 44 per cent jump in passenger vehicle dispatches in the domestic market at 33,925 units in October as compared to 23,617 units in the same month last year.

Nissan India said its domestic wholesales rose over three-fold to 3,913 units in October, while Skoda reported an over two-fold jump in sales in India at 3,065 units in October 2021, riding on the back of its newly launched mid-size SUV Kushaq.

In the two-wheeler segment, TVS Motor Company reported sales of 2,58,777 units in the domestic market last month, as against 3,01,380 units in October 2020.

"With pandemic restrictions easing and the festive season soon approaching, we expect the retails to improve significantly in the coming months," it stated.

Similarly, Suzuki Motorcycle India said its domestic sales declined to 56,785 units in October from 67,225 earlier.

Bajaj Auto reported a 22 per cent drop in total domestic sales at 2,18,565 units last month as against 2,81,160 units in October 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.)
said on Monday that it has been empanelled by the (RBI) to act as an agency bank to facilitate transactions related to government businesses.

The RBI's decision will help in contributing to nation-building, its MD and CEO Chandra Sekhar Ghosh said.

The announcement comes months after a RBI guideline that authorised scheduled private sector banks as agency banks of the regulator for the conduct of government business.

With this, joins ranks with a few other scheduled private sector banks to be empanelled as agency banks of the RBI, the bank said in a statement.

As an agency bank, Bandhan Bank will be able to handle transactions related to collection of state taxes, and revenue receipts such as GST and VAT, collection of stamp duty, and pension payments on behalf of central and state governments, it added.

The bank's extensive branch network will help it discharge its duties effectively by bringing governments and citizens closer to each other, it said.

"Since its launch six years ago, Bandhan Bank has been dedicated towards bringing millions of Indians into the fold of formal financial services and catalysing the creation of sustainable livelihoods," Ghosh said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cars India Ltd (HCIL) on Monday reported a 25 per cent year-on-year dip in domestic sales at 8,108 units for October.

The company had sold 10,836 units in the domestic market during October 2020, HCIL said in a statement.

Exports stood at 1,747 units last month as compared to 84 units in October 2020, it added.

"In terms of demand, the festive buying kept pace with last year and continues to show good momentum. Our factory despatches during October 2021 increased by 20 per cent as compared to September 2021, and we were able to wholesale our entire factory stock of the month," Cars India Senior Vice-President and Director (Marketing and Sales) Rajesh Goel said.

While the situation still remains dynamic due to the ongoing supply-side challenges, the company is making all possible efforts to maintain a steady delivery pace and cater to the market demand effectively, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Post handing over of Air India to the Tatas, government officials will be free to book their travel with any airline that offers them the best price.

And, the Centre will not have a tie up with any carrier, department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said.

The government is not mandating travel by any particular airline, going forward, after handing over Air India because there wont be any state-owned airline, he said.

The department of expenditure (DoE) will soon issue instructions to government departments for official travel as this needs to be done before handing over Air India to the new buyer, he said.

The government plans to hand over Air India to Tata Sons by December-end. Tata Sons-backed special purpose vehicle (SPV) Talace has won the bid to buy out the government's shareholding in Air India. Talace had placed a bid to acquire Air India for Rs 18,000 crore, which involved retaining debt of Rs 15,300 crore of the national carrier, and a cash component of Rs 2,700 crore. Travel by Air India was mandated because the government was trying to secure a certain amount of revenue for the airline. Thats not going to happen now.

Government officials had to seek permission from higher ups to travel by other airlines in case tickets were cheaper there than what was offered by Air India. They could also take other airlines if the national carriers flights were not operating on the routes concerned.

For leave travel concession benefits that central government staff are entitled to, the DoE will work out a policy, Pandey said. The Centre had asked all ministries and departments to clear dues of Air India immediately.

The airline will also stop extending credit facilities for purchase of air tickets to government employees. All tickets will have to be purchased in cash, the directive said.
A section of employees went on strike at the on Monday over issues of reduced salary and its irregular disbursement, sources said.

chairperson and managing director Ajay Singh had told PTI last month that employees are being paid their full salaries on time and all issues related to their pays have been resolved.

On September 3 also some employees, who work at the airline's security department, had gone on strike over the same issues. They returned to work later during the day following talks with the airline's management.

On Monday, employees, most of whom work at the aircraft maintenance department, went on strike outside Terminal 3 of the Delhi airport, the sources said.

The employees displayed banners having slogans such as "pay our deferred salary", "normalise our salary" and "no pay, no work", they said.

Asked about the latest strike, a spokesperson said, "The issue with a few employees at the has been resolved and they have returned back to work."



"SpiceJet's flight operations remain normal," the spokesperson added.

SpiceJet reported a net loss of Rs 934.8 crore and Rs 998.3 crore in 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. It had reported a net loss of Rs 729 crore for the quarter ending June 2021 as its flight operations were affected due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On issues concerning salary payment, SpiceJet CMD had last month told PTI: "All salary issues have been resolved. Salaries are being paid on time and in full."



"You know, this issue, the media has been raising occasionally but every airline around the world has been challenged on salaries, on payments and so on. And all these issues have always been settled by negotiations," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The has told to give away 60% stake plus operating control in India's largest oil and gas producing fields of Mumbai High and Bassein to foreign companies, according to an October 28 letter to the state-owned company.

Amar Nath, additional secretary (exploration) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, wrote a 3-page letter to Chairman and Managing Director Subhash Kumar, saying productivity of the Mumbai High and Bassein & Satellite (B&S) offshore assets under state-owned firm was low and international partners should be invited and given 60 per cent participating interest (PI) and operatorship.

This is the second time since April that Nath, who is part of the management as the longest-serving government nominee director on its board and often considered a potential candidate to replace Kumar next year, has written an official letter, painting a poor picture of the company's performance.

According to the October 28 letter, reviewed by PTI, he said the redevelopment projects will raise recovery of the mature and continuously declining Mumbai High field from 28 per cent to 32 per cent, "which is quite low".

"The field has substantial potential to contribute to domestic production," he said adding the infrastructure such as pipelines and platforms on the fields are "ageing and leaking and need replacement/revamping".

"The ONGC will, however, find this challenging as its improvement/development projects have lagged behind schedule. Procedural aspects and other constraints will not encourage ONGC to take quick decisions," he said.

The company "should bring a joint venture partner of international experience and farm out 60% PI and operatorship of the field," he wrote.

While projects on B&S Assets, which encompasses Bassin field--the largest gas producing field in India, envisage raising recovery factor to 70% from the current low of 45%, "ONGC can plan for a substantial increase from this field" and "can provide an entry point to international players to India to invest in gas and energy infrastructure," he wrote.

"ONGC should plan to invite experienced international partners and give 60% PI and operatorship," he added.

Mumbai High, which was discovered in 1974, and B&S, which was put into production in 1988, are Oil and Natural Gas Corporation's (ONGC) mainstay assets, contributing two-thirds of its current oil and gas production. Without these assets, the company will be left with only smaller fields.

Nath also reiterated his earlier demand for ONGC to "divest its drilling and well services arms" to become asset lite and increase capital efficiency.

However, such a move would entail ONGC having to pay GST every time it would hire a rig or any other service from the hived off unit.

Nath had on April 1 written to Kumar to sell stake in producing oil fields such as to Ratna R-Series to private firms, get foreign partners in KG basin gas fields, monetise existing infrastructure, and hive off drilling and other services into a separate firm to raise production.

He gave a seven-point action plan, 'ONGC Way Forward' to Kumar, who had taken over as the head of the company on that day.

The action plan, reviewed by PTI, called on ONGC to consider the sale of stakes in maturing fields such as Panna-Mukta and Ratna and R-Series in western offshore and onshore fields like Gandhar in Gujarat to private firms while divesting/privatising 'non-performing' marginal fields.

It wanted ONGC to bring in global players in gas-rich block KG-DWN-98/2 where output is slated to rise sharply by next year, and the recently brought into production Ashokenagar block in West Bengal. Also identified for the purpose is the Deendayal block in the KG basin which the firm had bought from Gujarat government firm GSPC a couple of years back.

It also wants the company to explore creating separate entities for drilling, well services, logging, workover services and data processing entities.

The two letters by Nath are the third attempt by the oil ministry to get ONGC to privatise its oil and gas fields under the Modi government.

In October 2017, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, the ministry's technical arm, had identified 15 producing fields with a collective reserve of 791.2 million tonnes of crude oil and 333.46 billion cubic meters of gas, for handing over to private firms in the hope that they would improve upon the baseline estimate and its extraction.

A year later, as many as 149 small and marginal fields of ONGC were identified for private and foreign on the grounds that the state-owned firm should focus only on big ones.

The first plan couldn't go through because of strong opposition from ONGC, sources aware of the matter said.

The second plan went up to the Cabinet, which on February 19, 2019, decided to bid out 64 marginal fields of ONGC. But, that tender got a tepid response, they said adding that ONGC was allowed to retain 49 fields on the condition that their performance will be strictly monitored for three years.

Nath in both April 1 and October 28 letters stated that two years have elapsed since the Cabinet decision but ONGC is yet to initiate the process for partnerships.

ONGC produced 20.2 million tonnes of crude oil in the fiscal year ending March 31 (2020-21), down from 20.6 million tonnes in the previous year and 21.1 million tonnes in 2018-19.

It produced 21.87 bcm of gas in 2020-21, down from 23.74 bcm in the previous year and 24.67 bcm in 2018-19.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said 78 per cent of India's eligible population has been administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine while 38 per cent have received both the shots.

Describing it as an extraordinary feat, he said India is rapidly progressing on the path to defeating the virus.

According to Union health ministry data updated on Monday at 7 am, the total Covid vaccine doses administered in the country has exceeded 106.31 crore.

"An extraordinary feat of an extraordinary nation! India has administered 1st COVID-19 vaccine dose to 78 per cent of the eligible population and 2nd dose to 38 per cent of the eligible people. Congratulations to all as we rapidly progress on our path to defeat the virus!" Mandaviya tweeted.

India's COVID-19 case tally increased by 12,514 in a day to reach 3,42,85,814 on Monday, while 251 more fatalities during the same period pushed the death toll to 4,58,437.

(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 Asian Institute of Development (AITD), a non-profit organisation, has been given the IIPA Award for Excellence in Public Services.

The award ceremony, held at the Indian Institute of Public Administration in New Delhi, was presided over by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, said a press release.

AITD is a centre for research, studies and professional training in the areas of and logistics with a focus on human resource development, poverty alleviation and regional cooperation, the statement said.
On the coastline near India's southern tip, workers toil on a pier carrying a conveyor belt that cuts a mile into the Indian Ocean where the azure waters are deep enough for ships to berth and unload huge cargoes of coal.

The belt will carry millions of tonnes of coal each year to a giant power plant several kilometres inland that will burn the fuel for at least 30 years to generate power for the more than 70 million people that live in India's Tamil Nadu state.

The Udangudi plant is one of nearly 200 coal-fired power stations under construction in Asia, including 95 in China, 28 in India and 23 in Indonesia, according to data from U.S. nonprofit Global Energy Monitor (GEM).

This new fleet will produce planet-warming emissions for decades and is a measure of the challenge world leaders face when they meet for climate talks in Glasgow, where they hope to sound the death knell for coal as a source of power.

Coal use is one of the many issues dividing industrialised and developing countries as they seek to tackle climate change.

Many industrialised countries have been shutting down coal plants for years to reduce emissions. The United States alone has retired 301 plants since 2000.

But in Asia, home to 60% of the world's population and about half of global manufacturing, coal's use is growing rather than shrinking as rapidly developing countries seek to meet booming demand for power.

More than 90% of the 195 coal plants being built around the world are in Asia, according to data from GEM.

Tamil Nadu is India's second-most industrialised state and is one of the country's top renewable energy producers. But it is also building the most coal-fired plants in the country.

"We cannot depend on just solar and wind," a senior official at Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corp told Reuters.

"You can have the cake of coal and an icing of solar," he said, declining to be named as he was not authorised to speak to media.

HOOKED ON COAL

Despite dramatic jumps in renewable energy output, the global economy remains hooked on coal for electricity. In Asia, coal's share of the generation mix is twice the global average - especially in surging economies such as India.

In 2020, more than 35% of the world's power came from coal, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy. Roughly 25% came from natural gas, 16% from hydro dams, 10% from nuclear and 12% from renewables like solar and wind.

This year, coal demand is set for a new record, driving prices to all-time highs and contributing to a worldwide scramble for fuel.

Record coal demand is contributing to a rapid rise in emissions in 2021 after a fall last year, when restrictions on movement for billions of people to slow the pandemic caused fuel use to plummet.

While some of the new coal plants under construction will replace older, more polluting stations, together they will add to total emissions.

"The completion of the capacity that is already under construction in these countries will drive up coal demand and emissions," said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clear Air.

The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the new plants alone will be close to 28 billion tonnes over their 30-year lifespans, according to GEM.

That's not far off the 32 billion tonnes of total worldwide CO2 emissions from all sources in 2020, according to BP, highlighting how tough it will be for leaders gathering in Glasgow - including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi - to make meaningful progress on climate change.

India's Environment Secretary Rameshwar Prasad Gupta told Reuters in a recent interview that India was on track to reach its target of cutting back the country's carbon footprint, and with that coal, too, would fall - but it cannot be abolished.

"Look, every country has its strengths. We have coal, we have to depend on it," Gupta said.

"Our position is once you take up targets of reducing carbon intensity, that will have impact ... Leave it to us whether we do it in coal, or somewhere else."

Anil Swarup, a former Coal Secretary, took the same line in an interview. "Renewable energy expansion is critical, but coal will remain India's main energy source for the next 15 years at least, and production needs to be ramped up to address our energy needs," he said.

CHINA CRUNCH

Across India, 281 coal plants are operating and beyond the 28 being built another 23 are in pre-construction phases, GEM data show.

These numbers are dwarfed by China, the top global coal miner, consumer and emitter, whose leader, President Xi Jinping, is not expected to attend COP26. More than 1,000 coal plants are in operation, almost 240 planned or already under construction.

Together, coal plants in the world's second-largest economy will emit 170 billion tonnes of carbon in their lifetime - more than all global CO2 emissions between 2016 and 2020, BP data show.

Despite also boasting the world's largest renewables capacity, China is now suffering a major energy crunch and has urged coal miners to raise output.

That's likely to boost coal consumption in the near term, even though China plans to reduce coal use from 2026.

Even so, total global coal consumption looks set to rise, driven by accelerating use in South and Southeast Asia, where projects under construction will raise coal-burning capacity by 17% and 26% respectively.

AFTERLIFE

Even in economies committed to slashing emissions, coal's grip remains strong.

Japan, with its nuclear power industry in crisis since the Fukushima disaster, has turned to coal to fill the gap and is building seven large new coal-fired power stations.

Leading generator JERA plans to add clean-burning ammonia to be used with coal to help meet its target to be carbon neutral by 2050, and potentially keep old units operating longer.

On a bay near Nagoya, JERA's 30-year-old, 4,100 megawatt Hekinan station - once Asia's largest - supplies electricity to the likes of auto giant Toyota Motor Corp.

Like many power plants, Hekinan's boilers rely on fuel from top exporters such as Australia, where coal is both a vital source of revenue - $18 billion in the current financial year - and a bone of contention with allies urging ambitious emissions cuts. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australian-pm-refuses-commit-phasing-out-fossil-fuels-2021-09-26

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is set to attend the Glasgow talks. But resources minister Keith Pitt has said there would be demand for coal for decades and made it clear the country would not be swayed by pressure from banks, regulators and investors to hobble the industry.

"While the market exists, Australia will look to fill it," Pitt said.

($1 = 1.3398 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan in Udangudi, Aaron Sheldrick and Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo, and Melanie Burton In Melbourne; Additional reporting by Sanjeev Miglani in New Delhi; Editing by Gavin Maguire, Simon Webb and Kenneth Maxwell)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Prime Minister on Monday gave a five-pronged target for India and finally committed to a Net Zero emission target by 2070, joining the likes of the US, the UK and China.

I am giving a panchamrit  five targets that India is committing to join the global fight for  by 2030. Our non-fossil capacity will touch 500 Gw and 50 per cent of our energy needs will come from sources. From now to 2030, the projected will reduce by 1 billion tonnes and our overall carbon intensity of the economy will see a 45 per cent reduction.

In line with expectations from the UK and the US, he said India would be a Net Zero economy by 2070.

Net Zero is achieved when the amount of greenhouse gas produced is offset by the amount removed from the atmosphere. This entails no future investment in coal or fossil fuels and greening several industries and economies.

Modi also upped the target of the country to 500 Gw by 2030. It was 450 Gw earlier. Indias current RE capacity stands at 175 Gw.

Today Indias installed renewable capacity is fourth in the world. In the last seven years, our non-fossil fuel energy has seen 25 per cent growth and the share of green energy in the mix reached 40 per cent, Modi said, adding that Indias transporter, Indian Railways, had declared a Net Zero target year of 2030.

This entails 60 million tonnes of emission reduction every year. Another 40 million tonne emissions reduction will come from our LED programme, Modi said.

He spoke of several other initiatives of India, including the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and said India had joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

He asked the developed world to increase financing to meet the enhanced targets that India had declared.

India has raised its ambition in setting its targets. They also need to raise ambitions in climate finance and tech transfer. The world cannot achieve newer targets with old goals of climate finance, Modi said.





India is the only country to fulfil commitments made in Paris. India is putting at the centre of its policies, Modi said.

"Whole world thinks is only one economy which has worked Paris agreement on letter and spirit and it is India," said the PM.

The US has declared Net zero by 2050, same as the UK. China has net zero target year 2060.

India has been long pressed by global leaders to declare a net zero target. From the US, John Kerry, special Presidential envoy for climate change, has long pressed India to declare a headline Net Zero target. On his last visit to India, Kerry termed India a red-hot investment destination for the solar sector, saying the country has set an example for developing nations by reaching 100 Gw of capacity.

Speaking at the same event, Joe Biden, the US President said his government has proposed to quadruple the climate financing by the US by 2024 for adaptation efforts. He said the country will try to meet the $100 billion annual financing target of developed world to developing countries.

A day before, Bhupendra Yadav, union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said developed countries have not only failed to meet the $100 billion goal per year of support to developing countries.

Delivering the statement on behalf of the BASIC group of countries, comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China at the UN Conference underway at Glasgow, Yadav said, "In a context where developing countries, including BASIC countries, have massively stepped up their climate actions since 2009, it is unacceptable that there is still no matching ambition from developed countries on the enabling means of implementation on climate finance support."
India on Monday reported a net reduction of 455 in active cases to take its count to 158,817. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 0.87 per cent (one in 115). The country is thirteenth among the most affected countries by active cases. On Sunday, it added 12,514 cases to take its total caseload to 34,285,814 from 34,273,300  an increase of 0.1%. And, with 251 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 458,437, or 1.34 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 1,277,542 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Sunday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 1,063,124,205.

The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 33,668,560 or 98.2 per cent of total caseload  with 12,718 new cured cases being reported on Monday.

Now the thirteenth-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases and recoveries, India has added 96,040 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 0.87% of all active cases globally (one in every 115 active cases), and 9.15% of all deaths (one in every 11 deaths).

India has so far administered 1,063,124,205 vaccine doses. That is 3100.76 per cent of its total caseload, and 76.09 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (135603489), Maharashtra (102839714), West Bengal (81867185), Gujarat (74263364), and Madhya Pradesh (73326231).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (1164051), Gujarat (1162683), Delhi (1149857), Jammu and Kashmir (1125044), and Uttarakhand (1060864).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 49 days.

The count of active cases across India on Monday saw a net reduction of 455, compared with 2,283 on Sunday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Kerala (561), Odisha (484), Tripura (17), Jammu and Kashmir (16), and Sikkim (12).

With 12,718 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 98.2%, while fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.34%.

The Indian states and UTs with the worst case fatality rates at present are Punjab (2.75%), Uttarakhand (2.15%), and Nagaland (2.15%). The rate in as many as 13 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 12,969  251 deaths and 12,718 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 1.93%.

Indias 5-day moving average of daily rate of addition to total cases stands at 0.1%.

Indias doubling time for total cases stands at 1898.7 days, and for deaths at 1265.6 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (7167), Maharashtra (1172), Tamil Nadu (1009), West Bengal (914), and Odisha (488).

India on Sunday conducted 881,379 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 609,201,294. The test positivity rate recorded was 1.4%.

Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR)  percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases  are Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.75%), Kerala (13.16%), Goa (12.15%), Sikkim (12.07%), and Maharashtra (10.56%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are Kerala (11%), Sikkim (5.4%), Manipur (3.73%), Ladakh (2.84%), and Mizoram (2.78%).

Among states and UTs with more than 10 million population, five that have carried out the highest number of tests (per million population) are Delhi (1569389), J&K (1185181), Kerala (1057516), Karnataka (751388), and Telangana (699743).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6611078), Kerala (4968657), Karnataka (2988333), Tamil Nadu (2702623), and Andhra Pradesh (2066450).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 1172 new cases to take its tally to 6611078.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 7167 cases to take its tally to 4968657.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 292 cases to take its tally to 2988333.

Tamil Nadu has added 1009 cases to take its tally to 2702623.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 385 to 2066450.

Uttar Pradesh has added 6 cases to take its tally to 1710158.

Delhi has added 45 cases to take its tally to 1439870.
A special court on Monday awarded death sentence to four of the nine people convicted in the 2013 serial blasts that left six dead here at the venue of an election rally addressed by Narendra Modi, who was then the Gujarat chief minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

Special judge Gurvinder Singh Mehrotra, who had on October 27 pronounced the nine guilty, also sentenced two other accused to life imprisonment, besides awarding 10 years rigorous imprisonment to as many and seven years in jail to another convict.

According to Special Public Prosecutor Lalan Prasad Singh, who argued on behalf of the NIA, capital punishment has been awarded to Haider Ali, Noman Ansari, Mohd Mujibullah Ansari and Imtiyaz Alam.

The court took a grim view of the series of explosions which were aimed at causing heavy casualties at a gathering of innocent people, Singh told reporters outside the court.

Two others Umar Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureishi had confessed to their involvement during trial. The court, considering their confession, did not award death sentence to them but only sentenced them for life, he added.

Notably, five of the convicts Haider Ali, Mohd Mujibullah Ansari, Imtiyaz Alam, Umar Siddiqui and Azharuddin Ansari were awarded life imprisonment by the court three years ago in connection with the serial blasts that had rocked the international pilgrim city of Bodh Gaya three months prior to the explosions at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.

Singh said of the remaining three convicts, Ahmed Husain and Mohd Firoz Aslam have been awarded 10 years' rigorous imprisonment, while Iftikhar Alam got seven years in jail.

The had filed charge-sheets against altogether 11 people in connection with the Patna blasts that took place on October 27, 2013 when Modi then the chief minister of Gujarat was addressing his maiden public meeting in Bihar.

One of them was a minor and his matter was referred to the juvenile justice board. Another person was acquitted by the court for want of evidence.

A series of low-intensity blasts and the resultant stampede had left six people dead and scores others injured.

No terrorist outfit had claimed responsibility for it but it was suspected that banned outfits SIMI and Indian Mujahideen were behind the incident.

The NIA argued its case forcefully and cogently. Besides statements of witnesses, electronic evidence was placed on record. It was established that the convicts were involved in the conspiracy which was hatched in Raipur followed by preparing of explosives in Ranchi, Singh added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's southern state is considering restarting a shelved 1.6 gigawatts (GW) coal-fired power project in Uppur, two state government officials said, as its debt-ridden utility seeks to expand its coal fleet to address rising power demand.

The state, India's second most-industrialized, epitomises the country's approach to balancing energy security and tackling climate change as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to head to Glasgow for the U.N. COP26 summit may build more as they generate the cheapest power, despite calls to deter use of the dirty fuel.

The project was shelved in March after the Green Tribunal temporarily suspended an environmental permit granted to the project, citing concerns from local farmers and fishermen over land acquisition, the height of a bridge carrying effluents and the coal being used.

After the order, the Generation and Distribution Corp Ltd (TANGEDCO) had decided to shift the project to Udangudi, about 200 kilometres away from Uppur, where a 1.3 GW coal-fired plant is already being built.

However, the new state government, which came into office in May, is now working on restarting the power plant in Uppur. More than 30% of the work is complete and at least 10 billion rupees ($134 million) has already been invested, two officials from project operator, Generation and Distribution Corp Ltd's (TANGEDCO), told Reuters.

"The previous (shifting) decision was taken in haste. So much money has been invested. We are now trying to complete all formalities and restart the project," one of the officials said. The declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media on the issue.

While Tamil Nadu is among India's top renewable energy producers, it is also constructing the most number of coal-fired plants nationwide, according to London-based environmental think tank Carbon Tracker.

"New coal projects are also essential because many of our power plants are old, and need to be phased out in a few years," said one of the TANGEDCO officials.

Unlike many parts of Europe or the Americas, India does not have access to cheap domestic gas, which can be used to generate reliable electricity supplies when renewable energy generation drops after sunset or when wind power output goes down.

'FAIR COMPENSATION' The officials said TANGEDCO has allayed fishermen's concerns at the Uppur plant by offering to increase the height of a bridge carrying effluents, so that fishing boats can pass under it, and is working on fixing land acquisition issues.

Local administrative officials in Uppur have already begun compensating residents for taking over their land for the project. Reuters reviewed three such notices.

P Thivakaran, a local political leader who has organised protests against the power plant, said the project affected the flow of water into reservoirs, adding that livelihoods of hundreds of area residents were at stake as adequate compensation was not given.

"We understand electricity is important, but those affected need to be compensated fairly," he said. The project could displace 300-400 families in the region, locals say.

The officials expect the first of the two units of the Uppur project to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026, while the first unit at Udangudi is estimated to be ready by 2024. Both plants will meet 70% of their coal needs through imports.

Indonesia, Australia and South Africa are the biggest suppliers of coal to the world's second largest importer.

($1 = 74.7650 Indian rupees)

(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.)
Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh was arrested by the (ED) late Monday night after over 12 hours of questioning in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged extortion racket in the state police establishment, officials said.

They said Deshmukh, 71, has been arrested as per the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

They claimed the senior NCP leader was evasive during questioning and the agency will seek his custody after they produce him before a local court here on Tuesday.

The politician arrived at the ED office in the Ballard Estate area of south Mumbai around 11:40 AM accompanied by his lawyer and his associates and was soon after put under grilling sessions with some breaks in between, sources said.

Deshmukh appeared before the agency after the last week refused to quash these summons. He had skipped at least five such ED notices.

The against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI booked him in a corruption case related to allegations of at least Rs 100 crore bribery made by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
Prime Minister on Monday met his British counterpart on the sidelines of the COP26 climate summit here and the two leaders discussed cooperation in areas like green hydrogen, renewables and clean technology, economy and defence.

This was the first in-person meeting between Modi and Johnson following the British Prime Minister's twice cancelled visit to India earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The interaction, soon after the opening ceremony of the World Leaders' Summit at COP26, was scheduled to focus on the UK-India climate partnership as well as a review of the 2030 Roadmap for stronger UK-India strategic ties signed by the two leaders during a virtual summit in May this year.

"Marching ahead on Roadmap 2030. PM @narendramodi met UK PM @BorisJohnson in Glasgow today. Congratulated him for successfully organising @COP26. Discussed cooperation in areas like green hydrogen, renewables & clean tech. Also exchanged views on economy, defence, P2P ties, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted soon after the meeting.

According to official sources, the relatively short interaction focussed on exchanging views and taking stock of the bilateral relationship. The issue of security and counter-terrorism, with a likely focus on separatist Khalistani activities in the UK, are likely to have featured during the discussions.

Prime Minister Modi is expected to have reiterated his invitation for Johnson to visit India.

"Both governments remain committed to the implementation of the Roadmap, within prescribed timelines. Accordingly, we are looking to launch negotiations in November 2021 for an Interim Agreement to be signed in March 2022 and eventually a comprehensive agreement, if all goes according to schedule, by November 2022, India's High Commissioner to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, said ahead of the prime ministerial talks.

The Modi-Johnson meet, dubbed an important bilateral of the UK leg of Modi's European tour, was followed by a leader-level COP26 event entitled Action and Solidarity: The Critical Decade, for which the UK had extended a special invitation for Modi to deliver an address on the subject of "adaptation".

(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 Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) launched jointly by the UK and Indian government in September this year to support climate and green energy projects in India will have leading Indian and global business groups as founding members.

CFLI India members include Tata Sons, GIC Private Limited, Goldman Sachs, HDFC Bank, HSBC, Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Macquarie Group and State Bank of India.

The UK and Indian governments in September launched a Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) India partnership, which aims to mobilise private capital into sustainable infrastructure here. These investments will support Indias target of 450 Gw renewable energy by 2030.

Under CFLI, a group of leading financial instruments would mobilise private capital into sustainable infrastructure in India, including clean energy like wind and solar power and other green technologies. It is chaired by Michael Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions.

In a statement, CFLI said, the India chapter will seek to accelerate financing for opportunities in enabling infrastructure for renewables; water and waste infrastructure for a circular economy; electric mobility and charging infrastructure; and innovations for decarbonizing several industrial sectors.

N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, said the group will look forward to driving this initiative forward alongside other leading global financial institutions and corporates. "We will work towards advancing the public-private collaboration that is vital to strengthening enabling policy environments for unlocking private capital and moving towards net-zero goals," he said.

CFLI India is the first in a series of country pilots formed by the CFLI. In its statement, it said, the CFLI members can help fill the BloombergNEF-estimated $649 billion financing gap across the power sector for India to reach its 450GW renewable energy target.

Led by Bloomberg, CFLI India is co-chaired by Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Group, and N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons. It is also supported by the UK and Indian Governments, the City of London Corporation and the Global Infrastructure Facility.

CFLI was formed in 2018 by Mike Bloomberg at the request of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to lead a private sector initiative to support a global mobilization of private finance in response to the challenge of

CFLI is responsible for $6.2 trillion in assets and aims to create "investment-friendly business environments and robust pipelines of bankable sustainable infrastructure opportunities in emerging markets," the statement said.
IT services major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is expanding its partnership with Celcom Axiata Berhad (Celcom), a leading telecommunications provider in Malaysia, to transform the latters core business support systems (BSS) using HOBS and TwinX hosted on Microsoft Azure.

With the new core platforms transformation project, will enable Celcom to further enhance its digital and platform positioning through advanced digital capabilities like AI/ML-driven business simulations, an enterprise product catalogue, and partner ecosystem enablement.

Afizulazha Abdullah, chief operations officer (Technology), Celcom Axiata Berhad, said, Celcom continues its modernization journey by transforming our business operations by incorporating new technology to deliver awesome experiences to our customers. This includes enhancing Celcoms data analytics abilities, reducing time to market, ensuring seamless customer experiences across all Celcom touchpoints

To address the rapid and dynamic market growth, TCS will help Celcom adopt and integrate a microservices-enabled modular digital BSS core based on cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, business intelligence, machine learning and cloud technologies. This also enables Celcom to have access to real-time data and customer insights, enhancing business simulations for improved revenue, costs, and optimized operations.

By reimagining the concept-to-market value chain to create customer specific digital products and rapidly launch them in the market, TCS is accelerating Celcoms transformation into a leading digital platform company, said Kamal Bhadada, business group head, Communications, Media, and Information Services, TCS. The combinatorial capabilities of TCS HOBS and TCS TwinX will provide Celcom with real time product and pricing strategy guidance, collaborative ideation and experimentation, single touch federation, and enable competitive differentiation.

TCS HOBS is a plug and play digital business platform for subscription, device, and data management, offered in a software as a service (SaaS) model. Building on future-proof, microservices-based catalogue-driven architecture, TCS HOBS enables companies to leverage partner ecosystems and venture into B2B2X models.
India collected Rs 1.30 trillion as in October: the fourth month straight that revenue was more than a trillion rupees and prompting the government to say economic recovery is stable. More on that story in our top headlines.



collection in October up 24% at Rs 1.3 trillion, second highest ever



Goods and services tax (GST) collected in October rose to Rs 1.3 trillion, which is 24 per cent higher than in the same period a year ago, and 36 per cent more than the collection in the pre-Covid year of 2019-20.

This is the second highest collection since the introduction of new indirect regime in 2017. All time high collection figure was over Rs 1.40 trillion in April this year.

The finance ministry expects the positive trend to continue and that the second half of the year will post higher revenues. It said the constant rise in collection the past five months indicates the economy is recovering faster. Read more

sales skid on supply chain woes; Tata Motors, M&M buck trend





Leading carmakers Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai witnessed a double-digit drop in sales in October on account of the global semiconductor shortage impacting production.

Kia India, Honda Cars and MG Motor also saw a fall in dispatches last month as compared with October 2020.

However, companies like Tata Motors, Mahindra, Nissan and Skoda managed to post positive numbers last month despite the supply chain challenges. Read more



Beauty startup Nykaa's attracts bids of nearly $33 billion





TPG-backed Indian fashion e-commerce platform Nykaa's initial public offering drew bids worth $32.55 billion as it was oversubscribed by nearly 82 times on Monday, signalling strong investor demand for the latest startup in the country to pursue a domestic stock listing.

FSN E-Commerce Ventures, the company which owns the brand, priced the 53.52 billion rupee at a range of 1,085 rupees to 1,125 rupees per share, giving it a valuation of as much as $7.11 billion. Read more



Govt asks ONGC to give 60% stake in two oil fields to foreign firms





The petroleum ministry has told ONGC to give away 60% stake plus operating control in India's largest oil and gas producing fields of Mumbai High and Bassein to foreign companies, according to an October 28 letter to the state-owned company. Read

more



Steel firms hike prices by up to Rs 3,500 a tonne as input cost bites





Steel companies have raised prices by Rs 2,000-Rs 3,500 a tonne this month on the back of input cost pressure.

After a reprieve between July and September, domestic steel prices started rising in October with an increase of Rs 1,200-1,500 a tonne in the first week for hot rolled coil (HRC), a benchmark for flat steel. Long steel prices rose by about Rs 3,000 a tonne.The major reason for the increase is a surge in input cost. Read more
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has reiterated that its intent to track the first originator of messages of intermediaries will not break or weaken encryption.

This was clarified in the frequently asked questions (FAQs) released by Minister of State for MeitY Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday. The document explained the nuances of the due diligence to be followed by intermediaries as part of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

In a question on detection of the first originator of the message in the messaging platforms compromising end-to-end encryption, MeitY has clarified that it is to obtain the registration details of the first Indian originator of the message.

The electronic replica of the message will be shared by the requesting agency along with a lawful order. A typical principle of detection is based on the hash value of the unencrypted message, wherein identical messages will result into a common hash (message digest) irrespective of the encryption used by a messaging platform. How this hash will be generated or stored needs to be decided by the concerned SSMI (significant intermediary), and SSMI are free to come up with alternative technological solutions to implement this rule, the FAQs say.

The FAQs have been prepared in response to general queries received by MeitY, and are limited to Part II of these Rules, which are to be administered by MeitY.

Chandrasekhar said India was one of the foremost countries to harness the power of technology for primarily three objectives  transforming lives of people, creating and expanding economic opportunities by expanding digital economy, and developing capabilities in strategic areas.

This FAQs, consisting of 28 questions, attempt to respond to queries on these rules in a simple and easily understandable manner for a common user and also for intermediaries.

An intermediary with over 5 million registered users in India would be considered an SSMI, according to the rules, which were notified in February and went into force in May.

Expanding on the definition of a intermediary, as defined in the original rules, the FAQs said this includes those who facilitate "socialisation/social networking, including the ability of a user to increase their reach and following, within the platform via specific features like follow/subscribe etc," "offer opportunity to interact with unknown persons or users," and have the "ability of enabling virality of content by facilitation of sharing. Virality, in this context, means the tendency of any content to be circulated rapidly and widely from one internet user to another".
The Rajasthan Police on Sunday arrested Pratip Chaudhuri, former State Bank of India chairman, in Delhi in connection with an alleged loan scam. Hes been sent to judicial custody for 14 days for an alleged sale of a non-performing asset (NPA)Hotel Gaudavanto Alchemist ARC at a low value.

The arrest was made on the basis of a protest petition filed by former directors of Hotel Gaudavan before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Jaisalmer.

State Bank of India and Alchemist Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) have maintained that a fair and transparent process was followed by the bank for assigning the non-performing asset (NPA) or the on March 20, 2014.

The petition was accepted, and non-bailable warrants were issued against Chaudhuri and Alok Dhir, promoter of the ARC, without issuing any summons or notice, alleged Manish Nihalani, chief operating officer, Alchemist ARC.

Industry lobby Indian Banks' Association (IBA) is in the process of taking up the matter with the Union ministry and Rajasthan government for prompt resolution.

Sunil Mehta, chief executive, IBA, said the lending and sale of assets are financial decisions and that these are executed by adhering to strict due diligence norms. Such arrests are a grave matter and the association will raise the issue with the Department of Financial Services and Rajasthan government, he said.





The management committee of IBA will also seek redressal, Mehta added.

SBI, in a statement, said the Garh Rajwada hotel project in Jaisalmer was financed by it in 2007. With the key promoter passing away in April 2010, the account slipped into in June that year.

After recovery attempts failed, the dues were assigned to an asset reconstruction company (ARC) for recovery in March 2014 as per a laid down process. The borrower was also subjected to an insolvency process by the ARC and the assets were acquired by an NBFC in December 2017.

Chaudhuri retired from the bank in September 2013 and subsequently joined Alchemist ARC.

As recovery efforts failed, approvals for sale to ARC were taken in January 2014. The assignment to ARC was completed in March 2014.

It transpires now that the borrower had initially filed an FIR with the State Police against the sale of asset to ARC.

said aggrieved against the negative closure report filed by police authorities, the borrower had filed a protest petition. was not made a party to this case. All directors of that ARC including Chaudhuri, who joined it in October 2014, have been named in the alleged scam.

ARC has alleged that the defaulting borrowers are trying to frustrate the recovery process that has been initiated by the lenders and Alchemist ARC. Instead of repaying their dues, defaulting borrowers, Harender Singh Rathore and Lokendra Rathore, are harassing and maligning the image of Alchemist ARCs directors, Nihalani alleged.

The ARC is examining all legal remedies, Nihalani said when asked if Alok Dhir would appear before the authorities.
chief executive Jes Staley is to step down following a probe by British regulators into his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, ending a controversial six year reign at the lender marked by his successful backing of its investment bank against an activist investor.

Staley will be replaced as CEO by the bank's head of global markets C.S. Venkatakrishnan, who on Monday pledged to continue his predecessor's strategy.

said it was made aware on Friday evening of the preliminary conclusions from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulatory Authority's investigation into Staley's characterisation to of his relationship with Epstein and the subsequent description of that relationship in Barclays' response to the regulator.

"In view of those conclusions, and Mr Staley's intention to contest them, the Board and Mr Staley have agreed that he will step down from his role as Group Chief Executive and as a director of Barclays," the bank said.

"It should be noted that the investigation makes no findings that Mr Staley saw, or was aware of, any of Mr Epstein's alleged crimes, which was the central question underpinning Barclays' support for Mr Staley following the arrest of Mr Epstein in the summer of 2019."

Barclays shares fell 2% following the announcement.

Barclays said last year that Britain's financial regulators were probing links between Staley and Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking offences. Staley has previously said his relationship with Epstein, which he now regrets, ended in late 2015.

The FCA and PRA said in a statement they could not comment further on the Epstein investigation.

Staley told staff in an internal memo seen by Reuters that he did not want his 'personal response' to the investigations to be a distraction.

"Although I will not be with you for the next chapter of Barclays' story, know that I will be cheering your success from the sidelines," he said.

In a separate internal memo also seen by Reuters, Venkatakrishnan, known as Venkat, told staff the strategy put in place by Staley at Barclays was the "right one", although he added that he would announce changes to the organisation of the corporate and investment bank in the coming days.

regulators launched their investigations into links between Staley and Epstein after JPMorgan provided them with emails the two exchanged when Staley was the head of JPMorgan's private bank, the Financial Times reported last year.

The bank's share price has fallen 9% since Staley became CEO in December 2015.

Barclays fought off a campaign launched by activist investor Edward Bramson in 2018 to have Staley removed. Bramson sold his stake earlier this year.

Britain's financial regulators and Barclays fined Staley a combined 1.1 million pounds ($1.50 million) in 2018 after he tried to identify a whistleblower who sent letters criticising a Barclays employee.

(Reporting by Rachel Armstrong, Carolyn Cohn and Lawrence White; editing by Louise Heavens, Kirsten Donovan)

(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.)
Developed nations have not only failed to meet the USD 100 billion goal per year of support to developing nations since 2009 but also continue to present it as the ceiling of their ambition all the way to 2025, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said at the climate conference COP 26 here.

Yadav, who is representing India at the UN Conference, made the statement on behalf of the BASIC group of countries - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - at the opening plenary session of the Conference of Parties (COP 26), which began on Sunday.

"Delivered the BASIC statement at opening plenary of COP26 underlining that developed nations have not only failed to meet the USD 100 billion goal per year of support to developing nations since 2009 but also continue to present it as ceiling of their ambition all the way to 2025," Yadav tweeted.

"In a context where developing countries, including BASIC countries, have massively stepped up their climate actions since 2009, it is unacceptable that there is still no matching ambition from developed countries on the enabling means of implementation on support," he said.

The minister reached Glasgow on October 29 to attend the COP 26 to the United Nations Framework Convention on (UNFCCC), which is being presided over by the UK and will end on November 12.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also attending the crucial conference, will be addressing leaders from nearly 200 countries on November 1 and 2.

At the plenary on Sunday, the environment minister also highlighted that even though COP 26 has been delayed by a year, parties have already commenced implementation of their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and therefore, it is crucial that the Paris Agreement Rulebook is concluded at COP 26.

"In doing so, full effect must be given to implementation of the principles of equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and, recognition of the very different national circumstances of parties," he said in a statement.

Yadav underlined that developing countries must be accorded time, policy space and support to transition towards a low emissions future.

The minister mentioned that COP 26 must aim for higher global ambition on and adaptation as well, along with recognition of parties' differing historical responsibilities and the developmental challenges faced by developing countries, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the statement, Yadav recalled the bottom-up nature of the Paris Agreement and the freedom of parties to determine their NDCs and progressively update them based on the outcomes of the global stocktake cycle and call of science.

With regard to the long-term temperature goal, he affirmed that the latest available science makes it clear that all parties need to immediately contribute their fair share, and achieving this would require developed countries to rapidly reduce their emissions and dramatically scale-up their financial support to developing countries.

He added that COP 26 needs to be remembered as the COP where a step-change in financial support for developing countries from developed countries was initiated.

Yadav said that finance, technology development and transfer and capacity-building are critical enablers of climate actions in developing countries.

"Decisions particularly on and Article 6 can significantly help enhance climate ambition. A market mechanism that facilitates private sector engagement in carbon markets could help further raise climate ambition, in addition to what is being achieved under the NDCs," he said in the statement.

Yadav also highlighted that the success of multilateralism lies in transparent, inclusive, party-driven and consensus-based nature of the UNFCCC process and the group expects that all agenda items shall proceed in an inclusive and balanced manner, and the outcome should reflect the views of all parties.

On behalf of the BASIC group, he reaffirmed full commitment to fighting and work constructively and progressively with the presidency and all other parties in ensuring that a successful outcome is reached at COP 26.

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British Prime Minister opened the global climate summit on Monday, saying the world is strapped to a doomsday device. Johnson likened an ever-warming Earths position to that of fictional secret agent James Bond  strapped to a bomb that will destroy the planet and trying to work out how to defuse it.

We are in roughly the same position my fellow global leaders as James Bond today except that the tragedy is this is not a movie the doomsday device is real... its one minute to midnight to prevent climate catastrophe.

The threat is triggered by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, and he pointed out that it all started in Glasgow with James Watt's steam engine powered by coal.

He was kicking off the world leaders summit portion of a UN climate conference, which is aimed at getting agreement to curb carbon emissions fast enough to keep to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) below pre-industrial levels.

The world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit). Current projections based on planned emissions cuts over the next decade are for it to hit 2.7C (4.9F) by the year 2100. Johnson told the summit that humanity had run down the clock when it comes to climate change, and the time for action is now. He pointed out that the more than 130 world leaders who gathered had an average age of over 60, while the generations most harmed by arent yet born. Britains leader struck a gloomy note on the eve of the conference, after leaders from the Group of 20 major economies made only modest climate commitments at their summit in Rome this weekend.

MACRON SPEAK

French President Emmanuel Macron chided other nations for forgetting the values of ambition, solidarity and trust that helped drive the Paris Agreement in 2015, as he demanded greater ambition from the richest countries and biggest polluters.

Those countries responsible for the most greenhouse-gas emissions must scale up in their efforts over the next two weeks, Macron said, arguing thats the only way for us to give credibility back to our strategy and be able to keep warming below targets. Macron also insisted that rich countries that have lagged behind in contributing their share toward a $100 billion-per-year climate finance commitment for developing nations must immediately step up. The richest countries must set an example and speed up this financing, he said, without naming any nations. I would like to appeal to those countries that are not contributing what they should today to meet their responsibilities between now and the end of so that we can fulfill this obligation that we undertook in Paris.

Trudeau announces cap on emissions

Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would immediately put a cap on emissions from the oil and gas industry, confirming a pre-election pledge made in September. Thats no small task for a major oil and gas producing country, he said.

UN CHIEF

The COP26 climate summit must act to save humanity and protect the planet, UN chief Antonio Guterres said, warning that currently we are digging our own graves".

Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves.
President said the US is ready to be a leader again in the fight against climate change, addressing a United Nations conference in Glasgow, Scotland, despite discord at home over his ambition to steer billions of taxpayer dollars toward renewable energy.

The Biden administration will demonstrate to the world the United States is not only back at the table, hopefully leading by the power of our example, the president said Monday in a speech to the summit. I know it hasnt been the case and thats why my administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words. Theres no more time to hang back or sit on a fence or argue amongst ourselves, he added. This is the challenge of our collective lifetimes.

Biden wants $3 billion of US climate finance for adaptation

Biden proposed that the US government spend $3 billion a year to help vulnerable nations adapt to rising seas, droughts and other consequences of

Brazil details fresh plan to reduce carbon emissions

Brazil set out a new plan to cut emissions, even as climate-skeptic President Jair Bolsonaro stayed away from the summit. Environment Minister Joaquim Leite said the country will aim for carbon neutrality by 2050.

Today we present a new, more ambitious climate target, going from 43% to 50% by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050, he said in a statement online.

In a short statement sent in remotely, Bolsonaro said only that he had authorized his minister to announce the new target.

Erdogan skips summit in security dispute

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has cancelled plans to attend the COP26 climate conference after Britain failed to meet Ankara's demands on security arrangements, two Turkish officials told Reuters on Monday. Erdogan returned to Turkey from a G20 summit in Rome instead of travelling to the climate summit in Glasgow, the state-owned Anadolu agency said. The Turkish presidency gave no reason for his unscheduled return.

Supply chains need $100 trn to hit target

Global supply chains will need an estimated $100 trillion in investment to achieve the planets goal of net-zero carbon emissions over the next three decades, according to new research by HSBC Holdings and BCG that pins as much as half of that price tag on small- to medium-size businesses.
on Monday began welcoming individual tourists for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.

Authorities hope that opening the country's gates to solo travellers will breathe new life into the struggling tourism industry. Before the pandemic, the Christmas season saw hundreds of thousands of people visit Bethlehem, believed to be birthplace of Jesus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

had planned to reopen to tourists last spring but delayed the move amid a spike in cases driven by the highly contagious delta variant. has since rolled out a booster campaign in which nearly half the population has received a third vaccine dose, driving cases back down.

Travelers must show proof of vaccination, a booster shot, or recovery from within the last six months. Authorities recognise most vaccines, but those vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik must undergo a serological test upon arrival.

Travellers must also present a negative test before boarding their flights and take another one upon arrival.

Throughout the pandemic, Israel has allowed some foreigners to visit, including people with close relatives in the country and people coming for work or study. It began allowing organised tour groups in September.

(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.)
dropped on Monday as China's release of gasoline and diesel reserves eased concerns over tight global supply, while investors cashed in ahead of a Nov. 4 meeting of major crude producers that could increase future production targets.

Brent crude futures dropped 46 cents, or 0.6%, to $83.26 a barrel by 0746 GMT, after gaining 6 cents on Friday.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures slid 64 cents, or 0.8%, to $82.93, having risen 76 cents on Friday.

The drops came after China said in a rare official statement that it had released reserves of the two fuels to increase market supply and support price stability in some regions.

"Behind the selling was China's release of fuels reserves, which reflected Beijing's intention to stabilise oil prices, just like coal prices," said Chiyoki Chen, chief analyst at Sunward Trading.

"Also, investors took profits ahead of an OPEC+ meeting," Chen said.

All eyes are on the Nov. 4 meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and their allies, together called OPEC+, with analysts expecting them to stick to a plan to add 400,000 barrels per day of supply in December.

Money managers cut their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in the week to Oct. 26, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said on Friday.

rallied to multi-year highs last week, helped by the decision by OPEC+ to maintain its planned output increase rather than raising it on global supply concerns.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday urged major G20 energy producing countries with spare capacity to boost production to ensure a stronger global economic recovery as part of a broad effort to pressure OPEC+ to increase oil supply.

But Iraq's state oil marketing company, SOMO, said on Saturday Iraq sees no need to take any decision to increase its production capabilities beyond what has already been planned for countries.

Kuwait supports the plan to increase global oil supply which has been already agreed by OPEC+, the Gulf nation's oil minister Mohammad Abdulatif al-Fares said on Monday, according to state news agency KUNA.

"Investors will likely resume buying after confirming the OPEC+ decision on Thursday," said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, general manager of research at Nissan Securities.

A Reuters poll showed that are expected to hold near $80 as the year ends, as tight supplies and higher gas bills encourage a switch to crude for use as a power generation fuel.

Spurred by rising oil prices, U.S. energy firms added oil and natural gas rigs for a 15th month in a row in October, taking them to the highest since April 2020, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said on Friday.

Exxon and Chevron are looking to add drilling rigs in the Permian shale basin after sharply cutting crews and output in the region last year, the companies said Friday.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Richard Pullin and Kenneth Maxwell)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister on Monday arrived at the Scottish Exhibition Centre to attend the opening ceremony of the COP26 climate summit where he would deliver a national statement alongside other world leaders.

Modi, who arrived in Glasgow on Sunday night from Rome, was received by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres upon his arrival at the summit venue.

Prime Minister Modi was then seen interacting animatedly with Johnson and Guterres.

"Together for our planet! PM @narendramodi received by UK PM @BorisJohnson and UN Secretary General @antonioguterres as he arrives at the Scottish Exhibition Centre to attend the World Leaders Summit of @COP26, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

During the high-profile segment of the World Leaders' Summit, Prime Minister Modi will be presenting the formal position on India's climate action agenda and lay out the best practices and achievements in the sector at the COP26 summit.

At the end of day one of the World Leaders' Summit on Monday, Modi will join more than 120 Heads of Government and Heads of State at a special VVIP reception at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions.

The reception will also involve members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and wife Camilla and Prince William and wife Kate Middleton. Queen Elizabeth II was due to attend this special reception but pulled out last week after a medical advice against travel.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister has opened a global climate summit, saying the world is strapped to a doomsday device."



Johnson likened the Earth's position to that of fictional secret agent James Bond strapped to a bomb that will destroy the planet and trying to work out how to defuse it.

He told leaders Monday that we are in roughly the same position only now the ticking doomsday device is real and not fiction.

He was kicking off the world leaders' summit portion of a UN climate conference, which is aimed at getting agreement to curb carbon emissions fast enough to keep to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) below pre-industrial levels.

Britain's leader struck a gloomy note on the eve of the conference, after Group of 20 leaders made only modest climate commitments at their summit in Rome.

(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.)
China's growing military muscle and its drive to end America predominance in the Asia-Pacific is rattling the US defense establishment.

American officials see trouble quickly accumulating on multiple fronts Beijing's expanding nuclear arsenal, its advances in space, cyber and missile technologies, and threats to Taiwan.

The pace at which China is moving is stunning, says Gen. John Hyten, the No. 2-ranking US military officer, who previously commanded US nuclear forces and oversaw Air Force space operations.

At stake is a potential shift in the global balance of power that has favored the for decades. A realignment more favorable to China does not pose a direct threat to the but could complicate U.S. alliances in Asia.

New signs of how the intends to deal with the China challenge may emerge in coming weeks from Biden administration policy reviews on nuclear weapons, global troop basing and overall defense strategy.

For now, officials marvel at how Beijing is marshaling the resources, technology and political will to make rapid gains so rapid that the Biden administration is attempting to reorient all aspects of U.S. foreign and defense policy.

The latest example of surprising speed was China's test of a hypersonic weapon capable of partially orbiting Earth before reentering the atmosphere and gliding on a maneuverable path to its target.

The weapon system's design is meant to evade U.S. missile defenses, and although Beijing insisted it was testing a reusable space vehicle, not a missile, the test appeared to have startled U.S. officials.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the test was very close to being a Sputnik moment, akin to the 1957 launching by the Soviet Union of the world's first space satellite, which caught the world by surprise and fed fears the had fallen behind technologically. What followed was a nuclear arms and space race that ultimately bankrupted the Soviet Union.

Milley and other U.S. officials have declined to discuss details of the Chinese test, saying they are secret. He called it very concerning for the United States but added that problems posed by China's military modernization run far deeper.

That's just one weapon system, he said in a Bloomberg Television interview. "The Chinese military capabilities are much greater than that. They're expanding rapidly in space, in cyber and then in the traditional domains of land, sea and air.

On the nuclear front, private satellite imagery in recent months has revealed large additions of launch silos that suggest the possibility that China plans to increase its fleet of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, says China appears to have about 250 ICBM silos under construction, which he says is more than 10 times the number in operation today. The U.S. military, by comparison, has 400 active ICBM silos and 50 in reserve.

officials and defense hawks on Capitol Hill point to China's modernization as a key justification for rebuilding the U.S. nuclear arsenal, a project expected to cost more than $1 billion over 30 years, including sustainment costs.

Fiona Cunningham, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania and a specialist in Chinese military strategy, says a key driver of Beijing's nuclear push is its concerns about U.S. intentions.

I don't think China's nuclear modernization is giving it a capability to pre-emptively strike the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and that was a really important generator of competition during the Cold War, Cunningham said in an online forum sponsored by Georgetown University.

But what it does do is to limit the effectiveness of U.S. attempts to pre-emptively strike the Chinese arsenal.

Some analysts fear Washington will worry its way into an arms race with Beijing, frustrated at being unable to draw the Chinese into security talks.

Congress also is increasingly focused on China and supports a spending boost for space and cyber operations and hypersonic technologies.

There is a push, for example, to put money in the next defense budget to arm guided-missile submarines with hypersonic weapons, a plan initiated by the Trump administration.

For decades, the United States tracked China's increased defense investment and worried that Beijing was aiming to become a global power. But for at least the last 20 years, Washington was focused more on countering al-Qaida and other terrorist threats in Iraq and Afghanistan.

That began to change during the Trump administration, which in 2018 formally elevated China to the top of the list of defense priorities, along with Russia, replacing terrorism as the No. 1 threat.

For now, Russia remains a bigger strategic threat to the United States because its nuclear arsenal far outnumbers China's. But Milley and others say Beijing is a bigger long-term worry because its economic strength far exceeds that of Russia, and it is rapidly pouring resources into military modernization.

At the current pace of China's military investment and achievement, Beijing will surpass Russia and the United States in overall military power in coming years if we don't do something to change it, said Hyten, who is retiring in November after two years as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It will happen.

The Biden administration says it is determined to compete effectively with China, banking on a network of allies in Asia and beyond that are a potential source of strength that Beijing cannot match.

That was central to the reasoning behind a Biden decision to share highly sensitive nuclear propulsion technologies with Australia, enabling it to acquire a fleet of conventionally armed submarines to counter China.

Although this was a boost for Australia, it was a devastating blow to Washington's oldest ally, France, which saw its $66 billion submarine sale to Australia scuttled in the process.

Taiwan is another big worry. Senior U.S. military officers have been warning this year that China is probably accelerating its timetable for capturing control of Taiwan, the island democracy widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic U.S.-China war.

The United States has long pledged to help Taiwan defend itself, but it has deliberately left unclear how far it would go in response to a Chinese attack. President Joe Biden appeared to abandon that ambiguity when he said Oct. 21 that America would come to Taiwan's defense if it were attacked by China.

We have a commitment to do that," Biden said. The White House later said he was not changing U.S. policy, which does not support Taiwanese independence but is committed to providing defensive arms.

(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.)
Capital Small Finance Bank has filed preliminary papers with capital regulator to mop up funds through an initial share sale.

The initial public offering (IPO) consists of fresh issuance of equity shares worth Rs 450 crore and an offer for sale of up to 38.40 lakh equity shares, according to draft red herring prospectus (DRHP).

The OFS will see the sale of up to 3.37 lakh equity shares by PI Ventures LLP, up to 6.04 lakh equity shares by Amicus Capital Private Equity I LLP, up to 70,178 equity shares by Amicus Capital Partners India Fund I, up to 8.37 lakh equity shares by Oman India Joint Investment Fund II and up to 19.91 lakh equity shares by other shareholders.

The small finance bank (SFB) proposes to utilise net proceed from the fresh issue towards augmentation of the bank's Tier-I capital base to meet the future capital requirements.

Capital Small Finance Bank was granted Scheduled Status by the Reserve Bank of India in February 2017.

The total business of the bank has crossed Rs 8,588 crore with over 7.66 lakh accounts. The bank has 80 per cent of its business in rural and semi-urban areas, with priority sector lending of 80.81 per cent of the Adjusted Net Bank Credit as of March 31, 2020.

The lender is extending loans primarily to small borrowers. As of March 31, 2020, 59.46 per cent of the total advances were up to the ticket size of Rs 25 lakh.

At present, the bank has a presence in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan along with the Union Territory of Chandigarh with a total of 159 branches.

Edelweiss Financial Services Limited, Axis Capital Limited and SBI Capital Limited are the book running lead managers to the issue.

(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 Rs 5,300-crore initial public offering (IPO) of FSN E-Commerce Ventures, which operates Nykaa, saw strong investor interest and was subscribed 82.4 times on Monday, the concluding day of the issue.

It received 2.16 billion bids for the 21.2 million shares, excluding the anchor portion, that were on offer. The institutional investor portion was subscribed 92 times, the wealthy investor portion 112.5 times, the retail investor portion 12.3 times, and the portion reserved for employees by 1.8 times.

This is the second biggest since that of food delivery start-up Zomatos, the first by an Indian unicorn. Zomato drew bids worth Rs 2 trillion and it was subscribed more than 38 times.

Last week, the company allotted shares worth Rs 2,396 crore to a bunch of large foreign as well as domestic funds. The anchor investors submitted bids worth over Rs 95,000 crore and demand was 40 times more than shares on offer. The anchor investors included the Canada pension fund, BlackRock, and Fidelity, among others.

FSN E-Commerce Ventures had set a price band of Rs 1,085-1,125 apiece for its IPO, which comprised a fresh issue of Rs 630 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of Rs 4,722 crore.

The company plans to utilise the proceeds of the fresh issue for improving its brand visibility and awareness, debt repayment, and setting up retail stores and warehouses.
The are likely to start trade on a positive note given the supportive global cues. At 08:10 AM, the SGX Nifty was up 65 poitns at 17,780, meanwhile, here are the top stocks to focus in trade today:



Earnings Today: Aban Offshore, Aditya Birla Capital, AllCargo Logistics, Bajaj Consumer Care, Bayer Cropscience, Carborundum Universal, Chambal Fertilisers, D-Link India, HDFC, Ind-Swift Labs, IRCTC, Patel Engineering, Phoenix Mills, Relaxo Footwear, Rolta India, Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), Sun Pharma Advanced Research, Tata Motors, Tree House Education, Venkys (India) and Whirlpool are some of the prominent companies scheduled to announce September quarter results today.

Reliance: The much-awaited and Google smartphone - JioPhone Next will be out this Diwali, for a price at Rs 6,499. The 4G-enabled phone will be available on an upfront payment of Rs 1,999 and equated monthly instalments (EMIs) of Rs 300-600 over the next 18-24 months. READ MORE



Group to acquire a significant minority stake in Cleartrip, an online travel aggregator (OTA) and part of the Flipkart Group. Cleartrip will also serve as Adani Groups OTA partner. READ MORE The $4.1 billion Godrej Group, spanning from soaps and home appliances to real estate, is headed for a split between the brothers, sources aware of the matter said, citing external advice the family has sought for an amicable division of the 124-year-old conglomerate. READ MORE After adjusting for exceptional items and one-off gain on the account of sale of animal health established market undertaking, Cadila Healthcare Ltd's (Zydus Cadila)'s PAT for quarter ended September 30, 2021 stood at Rs 597 crore, up 6 per cent on a YoY basis. READ MORE Dr.Reddys: The pharma major is in discussions with the Indian healthcare regulator on using Sputnik as a booster shot to be taken six months after any vaccine regime. READ MOREReported two-fold increase in its consolidated net profit at Rs 204.24 crore for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021. READ MORE Posted 5-fold YoY jump in consolidated net profit at Rs 4,615 crore for the July-September quarter, as against Rs 838 crore on a low-base effect. READ MORE Reported a loss of Rs 3,008.6 crore in Q2FY22 on huge provisions of over Rs 4,600 crore for the bad loans and restructured advances. READ MORE Reported 3.7 per cent YoY dip in its consolidated net profit to Rs 339 crore for the September 2021 quarter. Total revenue, however, increased 12 per cent YoY to Rs 2,237 crore. READ MORE Posted a 56 per cent YoY increase in consolidated PAT at Rs 185.25 crore as against Rs 118.45 crore. Revenue from operations grew 7 per cent YoY to Rs 788.84 crore with domestic business net sales clocking in a 9 per cent growth. READ MORE Will seek time till December 31 for conducting its AGM amid the pendency of a petition filed by its largest shareholder Yes Bank before the NCLT. READ MORE Reported 19.63 per cent YoY rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 62.64 crore for the quarter ended September, helped by an increase in revenue.

SAIL: Q2FY22 net jumps multi-fold to Rs 5,795 crore as against Rs 660.20 crore in Q2FY21. Revenue soars 58.5 per cent to Rs 26,828 crore from Rs 16,925 crore.

Equitas Small Finance Bank: Q2FY22 net fell 60 per cent to Rs 41.20 crore from Rs 103 crore in a year ago period.
Union Minister who has previously served as Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, on Saturday asserted that there has been almost no investment in the petroleum sector for almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic which led to the increase in

Speaking to the media in Kanpur, BJP Uttar Pradesh's election in charge said, "India imports around 80 per cent petroleum products. There has been no investment in the petroleum sector for past two years due to COVID-19 pandemic which caused increase in "

He further said, "the cost of imports has also been increased, so the Government of India is trying to bring more plans for the use of renewable energy."

As per official data, Petrol prices in Delhi stand at Rs 109.69 per litre (up by Rs 0.35) and diesel prices are Rs 98.42 per litre (up by Rs 0.35) today.

Meanwhile, petrol and diesel prices in Mumbai stand at Rs 115.50 and Rs 106.62 respectively, while petrol and diesel prices in Kolkata are Rs 110.15 and Rs 101.56 respectively.

In Chennai, petrol prices are Rs 106.35 and diesel prices are Rs 102.59 on Monday.

Apart from talking about fuel prices, the minister also asserted that there is no shortage of Diammonium phosphate (DAP) and other fertilisers in Uttar Pradesh.

"There's no shortage of DAP (di-ammonium phosphate), the situation had arisen temporarily. Yesterday I spoke with Chemicals and Fertilizers Min Mansukh Mandaviya," said Pradhan.

The developments in the state come ahead of Assembly polls due to be held early next year.

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Among key corporate results, HDFC, Tata Motors and IRCTC among others will release their September 2021 quarter earnings today, 1 November 2021.

Auto stocks will be in focus as auto companies will start announcing monthly sales numbers for October starting from 1 November 2021.

Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) will be in focus. Jio and Google announced that JioPhone Next, the made-for-India smartphone jointly designed by the two companies, will be available in stores from Diwali. It will be available in stores from Diwali with an entry price of only Rs 1,999 and the rest paid via easy EMI over 18/24 months.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories reported 30% rise in consolidated profit after tax to Rs 992 crore on a 18% rise in revenue to Rs 5763 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

UPL reported 36% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 633 crore on a 18% rise in revenue to Rs 10567 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

Indian Oil Corporation reported standalone net profit of Rs 6360.50 crore in Q2FY 22 as compared to net profit of Rs 6227.31 crore in Q2 FY21. Total income rose to Rs 1,71,204.49 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 1,17,286.41 crore in Q2 FY21.

Shree Cement reported consolidated net profit of Rs 563.94 crore in Q2 FY22 as compared with net profit of Rs 527.87 crore in Q2 FY21. Total income rose to Rs 3526.95 crore from Rs 3364.84 crore.

Monte Cello BV (MCBV), a 100% subsidiary of Vedanta, has entered into a Term sheet agreement to divest Copper Mines of Tasmania (CMT) by way of an Option Agreement with New Century Resources. MCBV is 100% owner of the Mt Lyell Copper Mine in Australia, a small copper asset which has been on care and maintenance for the last 5 years and not strategic for Vedanta with it's size and country presence.

Adani Enterprises (AEL) has signed Share Subscription Agreement and Shareholders' Agreement with Cleartrip Private Limited (CPL) and also Shareholders' Agreement with existing Shareholder of CPL namely Flipkart Marketplace Private Limited for the purpose of acquiring significant minority stake in CPL. As a part of the investment, CPL will also serve as the company and its group entities' online travel aggregator partner.

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Bajaj Auto's total auto sales in October 2021 stood at 4,39,615 units, down by 14% from 5,12,038 units sold in October 2020.

On a sequential basis, the total auto sales are higher by 9.3% as compared with 402,021 units sold in September 2021.

The company's total domestic sales contracted by 22% to 2,18,565 units, export sales fell by 4% to 2,21,050 units in October 2021 as compared with the same period last year.

The company's total 2-wheeler sales declined by 17% YoY to 3,91,303 units during the month of October 2021. Total commercial vehicle (CV) sales, however, recorded a growth of 16% year on year to 48,312 units in October 2021.

Bajaj Auto is the world's third largest manufacturer of motorcycles and the largest manufacturer of three wheelers. It has its manufacturing facilities located at Chakan near Pune, Waluj near Aurangabad, and at Pantnagar in Uttarakhand.

The company's consolidated net profit jumped 70.84% to Rs 2,039.86 crore on a 22.44% surge in total revenue from operations to Rs 8,762.18 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

Shares of Bajaj Auto were trading 0.24% lower at Rs 3,701.40

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The domestic equity benchmarks traded with decent gains in early trade, amid some buying in index pivotals. Metals, IT, bank and financial shares edged higher.

At 09:21 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 439.17 points or 0.74% to 59,746.10. The Nifty 50 index added 140.90 points or 0.80% to 17,812.55.

The key equity indices witnessed some bargain buying after declining by over 3% in the past three sessions. The selling pressure in the benchmark indices rose amid indications of major central banks that they would begin draining liquidity from the system soon.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index gained 0.78% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.93%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1653 shares rose and 623 shares fell. A total of 117 shares were unchanged.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Reliance Industries (RIL) rose 0.62% to Rs 2,551.90. Jio and Google announced that JioPhone Next, the made-for-India smartphone jointly designed by the two companies, will be available in stores from Diwali. It will be available in stores from Diwali with an entry price of only Rs 1,999 and the rest paid via easy EMI over 18/24 months.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories added 0.51% to Rs 4,683.15. The drug maker reported 30% rise in consolidated profit after tax to Rs 992 crore on a 18% rise in revenue to Rs 5763 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

UPL fell 1.97% to Rs 725.65. The agrochemicals manufacturer reported 36% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 633 crore on a 18% rise in revenue to Rs 10567 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

Indian Oil Corporation advanced 1.84% to Rs 130.30. The PSU OMC reported standalone net profit of Rs 6360.50 crore in Q2FY 22 as compared to net profit of Rs 6227.31 crore in Q2 FY21. Total income rose to Rs 1,71,204.49 crore in Q2 FY22 from Rs 1,17,286.41 crore in Q2 FY21.

Shree Cement gained 2.21% to Rs 29,267.50. The cement maker reported consolidated net profit of Rs 563.94 crore in Q2 FY22 as compared with net profit of Rs 527.87 crore in Q2 FY21. Total income rose to Rs 3526.95 crore from Rs 3364.84 crore.

Global Markets:

Asian stocks are trading mixed on Monday as investors reacted to economic data that showed a mixed picture of Chinese manufacturing activity in October.

China's official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index for October came in at 49.2 over the weekend, below the 50 level separating expansion from contraction. It represented the second straight month of shrinking manufacturing activity in the country, following September's official manufacturing PMI reading of 49.6.

However, a private survey released Monday showed Chinese manufacturing activity growth in October expanding with the Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI coming in at 50.6.

Wall Street capped a choppy day of trading Friday with modest gains for stocks, nudging the major indexes to more all-time highs.

Investors will be monitoring the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting Tuesday and Wednesday. The central bank is widely expected to announce that it will begin to unwind its $120 billion in monthly bond purchases and end the program entirely by the middle of next year.

Meanwhile, leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies (G-20) endorsed on Saturday a global minimum tax aimed at stopping big business from hiding profits in tax havens, and also agreed to get more Covid vaccines to poorer nations. G-20 leaders broadly backed calls to extend debt relief for impoverished countries and pledged to vaccinate 70% of the world's population against Covid-19 by mid-2022.

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The Mainland China share market closed mixed on Monday, 01 November 2021, as investors risk sentiments turned subdued after fresh batch of economic data painted a mixed picture of domestic manufacturing and service activity. Also weighing down sentiments was fears of tighter travel restrictions in coming weeks ahead of the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush after recent COVID-19 outbreaks in the country.

At closing bell, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index declined marginal 0.08%, or 2.86 points, to 3,544.48. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, gained 0.49%, or 11.75 points, to 2,411.78. The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 0.37%, or 18.09 points, to 4,890.68.

China's official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index for October came in at 49.2 over the weekend, below the 50 level separating expansion from contraction. It represented the second straight month of shrinking manufacturing activity in the country, following September's official manufacturing PMI reading of 49.6. However, a private survey released Monday showed Chinese manufacturing activity growth in October expanding with the Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI coming in at 50.6.

Activity in China's services sector grew at a slower pace in October as the country combats small-scale COVID-19 outbreaks hitting mainly the north. The non-manufacturing PMI could drop much further in November, as Beijing may significantly tighten travel restrictions in coming weeks, in order to contain the current wave ahead of the upcoming Spring Festival travel rush.

Shares of realty firms declined, as a recent planned pilot real-estate tax scheme dented risk appetite in the sector.

Shares of defense related companies advanced as tensions around Taiwan issues intensified.

U. S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi locked horns over Taiwan on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit on Sunday, trading warnings against moves that could further escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

CURRENCY NEWS: China's yuan was little changed against the U. S. dollar on Monday as softer mid-point fixing by central bank and ahead of the U. S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting.. Prior to the market opening, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) set the midpoint CNY=PBOC at 6.4192 per dollar, 285 pips or 0.44% weaker than the previous fix of 6.3907. In the spot market, onshore yuan CNY=CFXS was changing hands at 6.4043 at midday, 3 pips firmer than the previous late session close.

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Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) rose 2.02% to Rs 2,901.35 after the company's standalone net profit jumped 31.91% to Rs 3,780.50 crore on a 4.20% rise in total income to Rs 12,226.39 crore in Q2 September 2021 over Q2 September 2020.

Profit before tax for the quarter ended 30 September 2021 stood at Rs 4,671 crore as compared to Rs 3,532 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, representing a growth of 32% Y-o-Y (year-on-year). After providing Rs 891 crore for tax, the reported profit after tax stood at Rs 3,780 crore.

During the quarter ended 30 September 2021, HDFC assigned loans amounting to Rs 7,132 crore as against Rs 3,026 crore in Q2 FY21 to HDFC Bank. Loans sold in the preceding 12 months amounted to Rs 27,199 crore as against Rs 14,138 crore during the previous year. As at 30 September 2021, the outstanding amount in respect of individual loans sold was at Rs 76,366 crore. HDFC continued to service these loans. The growth in the individual loan book, after adding back loans sold in the preceding 12 months was 23%. The growth in the total loan book after adding back loans sold was 15%.

The collection efficiency for individual loans on a cumulative basis improved to over 98% during the quarter ended 30 September 2021. As per regulatory norms, the gross non-performing loans as at 30 September 2021 stood at Rs 10,341 crore, which is equivalent to 2% of the loan portfolio. As per regulatory norms, the corporation is required to carry a total provision of Rs 6,605 crore. Of this, Rs 2,844 crore was towards provisioning for standard assets and Rs 3,761 crore is towards non-performing assets. The provisions as at 30 September 2021 stood at Rs 13,340 crore. The provisions carried as a percentage of the Exposure at Default (EAD) was equivalent to 2.56%.

During the half-year ended 30 September 2021, individual approvals and disbursements grew by 67% and 80% respectively as compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. The demand for home loans continued to remain strong. Growth in home loans was seen in both - the affordable housing segment as well as in high end properties. The increasing sales momentum and new project launches augured well for the housing sector. Individual disbursements in the month of October 2021 were the highest ever in a non-quarter end month. 89% of new loan applications were received through digital channels.

During the six months ended 30 September 2021, the average size of individual loans stood at Rs 31.9 lakh while for the quarter ended 30 September 2021, the average loan size was worth Rs 32.7 lakh. On 30 September 2021, the assets under management (AuM) stood at Rs 5,97,339 crore as against Rs 5,40,270 crore in the previous year, recording a growth of 10.56% Y-o-Y. As at 30 September 2021, individual loans comprised of 78% of the Assets Under Management (AuM). On an AUM basis, the growth in the individual loan book was at 16% while growth in the total loan book on an AUM basis was 11%.

The Net Interest Income (NII) for the half year ended 30 September 2021 stood at Rs 8,255 crore as compared to Rs 7,039 crore in the previous year, representing a growth of 17% Y-o-Y. Inclusive of income from assigned loans, the NII for the half-year ended 30 September 2021 stood at Rs 8,650 crore compared to Rs 7,381 crore in the previous year, registering a growth of 17% Y-o-Y.

The spread on loans over the cost of borrowings for the half ended 30 September 2021 was at 2.29%. The spread on the individual loan book was 1.93% and on the non-individual book was 3.37%. The reported Net Interest Margin (NIM) stood at 3.6%.

As per the company's media release, all investments in the corporation's subsidiary and associate companies were carried at cost and not at fair value. Accordingly, as at 30 September 2021, the unaccounted gains on listed investments in subsidiary and associate companies amounted to Rs 2,75,917 crore.

For the half-year ended 30 September 2021, the cost to income ratio stood at 8.2% compared to 8.5% in the previous year. As at 30 September 2021, the corporation's capital adequacy ratio stood at 22.4%, of which Tier I capital was 21.6% and Tier II capital was 0.8%. As per regulatory norms, the minimum requirement for the capital adequacy ratio and Tier I capital is 15% and 10% respectively.

Meanwhile, as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions get eased, all offices of the corporation have opened for business and continue to follow the necessary hygiene protocols and safety precautions. The corporation had organised various vaccination camps for the staff and their family members. The key risks to business remains another wave of infections and variants of the virus.

As at 30 September 2021, loans restructured under the RBI's Resolution Framework for COVID-19 Related Stress (OTR 1 & 2) was equivalent to 1.4% of the loan book on comparison to 0.9% of the loan book as at 30 June 2021. Of the loans restructured, 63% are individual loans and 37% are non-individual loans. Of the total restructured loans, 35% is in respect of just one account. As at 30 September 2021, loans disbursed under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme stood at Rs 1,738 crore. Cumulative COVID-19 provision as at 30 September 2021 was Rs 1,304 crore. The corporation stood comfortable on liquidity, HDFC stated.

HDFC is engaged in financing by way of loans for the purchase or construction of residential houses, commercial real estate and certain other purposes, in India. HDFC's distribution network spans 616 outlets which include 202 offices of HDFC's distribution company, HDFC Sales (HSPL). HDFC covers additional locations through its outreach programmes. Distribution channels form an integral part of the distribution network with home loans being distributed through HSPL, HDFC Bank and third party direct selling associates. The corporation also has online digital platforms for loans and deposits. To cater to non-resident Indians, HDFC has offices in London, Dubai and Singapore and service associates in the Middle East.

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SGX Nifty:

Trading of Nifty 50 index futures on the Singapore stock exchange indicates that the Nifty could rise 29 points at the opening bell.

Among key corporate results, HDFC, Tata Motors and IRCTC among others will release their September 2021 quarter earnings today, 1 November 2021.

Auto stocks will be in focus as auto companies will start announcing monthly sales numbers for October starting from 1 November 2021.

On the macro front, Markit Manufacturing PMI for October will be declared today, 1 November 2021.

Global markets:

Overseas, Asian stocks are trading mixed on Monday as investors reacted to economic data that showed a mixed picture of Chinese manufacturing activity in October.

China's official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index for October came in at 49.2 over the weekend, below the 50 level separating expansion from contraction. It represented the second straight month of shrinking manufacturing activity in the country, following September's official manufacturing PMI reading of 49.6.

However, a private survey released Monday showed Chinese manufacturing activity growth in October expanding with the Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI coming in at 50.6.

Wall Street capped a choppy day of trading Friday with modest gains for stocks, nudging the major indexes to more all-time highs.

Investors will be monitoring the Federal Reserve's two-day meeting Tuesday and Wednesday. The central bank is widely expected to announce that it will begin to unwind its $120 billion in monthly bond purchases and end the program entirely by the middle of next year.

Meanwhile, leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies (G-20) endorsed on Saturday a global minimum tax aimed at stopping big business from hiding profits in tax havens, and also agreed to get more Covid vaccines to poorer nations. G-20 leaders broadly backed calls to extend debt relief for impoverished countries and pledged to vaccinate 70% of the world's population against Covid-19 by mid-2022.

Domestic markets:

Back home, the domestic equity market tumbled on Friday, extending losses for the third trading session. The S&P BSE Sensex slumped 677.77 points or 1.13% to 59,306.93. The Nifty 50 index fell 185.60 points or 1.04% to 17,671.65.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 5,142.63 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net buyers to the tune of Rs 4,342.51 crore in the Indian equity market on 29 October, provisional data showed.

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RattanIndia backed Revolt Motors welcomed the Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy 2021 announced by the state. As per the policy, Odisha state government will pay Rs. 5,000 per bike as direct incentive to the EV bike customers in Odisha.

Also, the Registration Charges and Road Tax has been waived for electric bikes registered in the state. These incentives are over and above the FAME II incentives of Rs. 15,000 per KWh for EV manufacturers recently announced by the Central Government which amounts to Rs. 48,000 per bike for Revolt. Combining the two incentives it would mean incentives of atleast Rs. 53,000 per bike sold by Revolt in Odisha.

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Jio Platforms (Jio), a majority-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, along with Google announced the release of JioPhone Next, designed jointly by the two companies, to be available in stores from Diwali (i.e. Thursday, 4 November 2021).

As per the company's press statement, JioPhone Next be the most affordable smartphone with an entry price of Rs 1,999 and while the rest is to be paid via easy EMI over 18 to 24 months. JioPhone Next will be available across the country at Reliance Retail's (RRVL) network of JioMart Digital retail locations. JioMart Digital's network of more than 30,000 retail partners to make it geographically accessible to everyone in India and provide the JioPhone Next with paperless digital financing option.

RRVL is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries and the holding company of all the retail companies within the group. RRVL reported a consolidated turnover of Rs 1,57,629 crore (i.e. $21.6 billion) and net profit of Rs 5,481 crore (i.e. $750 million) for the year ended 31 March 2021.

Mukesh D Ambani, the chairman and managing director (MD) of Reliance Industries, said: "I am delighted that Google and Jio teams have succeeded in bringing this breakthrough device to Indian consumers in time for the festival season, inspite of the current global supply chain challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I have always been a firm believer in the power of the Digital Revolution to enrich, enable and empower the lives of 1.35 billion Indians. We have done it in the past with connectivity. Now we are enabling it again with a smartphone device."

On a consolidated basis, Reliance Industries (RIL) reported 46% increase in net profit to Rs 15,479 crore on 50.7% rise in net sales to Rs 1,67,611 crore in Q2 September 2021 over Q2 September 2020.

Shares of Reliance Industries (RIL) declined 2.38% to close at Rs 2,537.60 on Friday, 29 October 2021. RIL is the largest private sector corporation in India. Its activities span hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and digital services.

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The offer received bids for 5.12 crore shares as against 53,86,500 shares on offer.

The initial public offer (IPO) of Sigachi Industries received bids for 5,12,75,610 shares as against 53,86,500 shares on offer on Monday (1 November 2021), according to stock exchange data at 17:00 IST. The issue was subscribed 9.52 times.

The issue opened for bidding on Monday (1 November 2021) and it will close on Wednesday (3 November 2021). The price band of the IPO is fixed at Rs 161-163 per share. An investor can bid for a minimum of 90 equity shares and in multiples thereof.

The offer comprises fresh issue of 76,95,000 equity shares aggregating up to Rs 125.43 crore at upper price band of Rs 163 and Rs 123.89 crore at lower price band of Rs 161.

Ahead of the IPO, Sigachi Industries on 29 October 2021 finalized allocation of 23,08,500 equity shares to anchor investors at an allocation price of Rs 163 per share, aggregating to Rs 37,62,85,500.

The company proposes to utilize the net proceeds from the issue towards funding capital expenditure for expansion of production capacity for microcrystalline cellulose at Dahej (Gujarat) amounting to Rs 28.16 crore, for the expansion of production capacity for microcrystalline cellulose at Jhagadia (Gujarat) worth Rs 29.24 crore, to manufacture Croscarmellose Sodium, a modified cellulose used as excipient at Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh amounting Rs 32.30 crore and balance for general corporate purposes.

Sigachi Industries, incorporated in 1989, started its journey manufacturing chlorinated paraffin and hydrochloric acid in its manufacturing unit situated at Hyderabad. The company diversified its product portfolio in 1990 to manufacture microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). MCC is widely used as an excipient for finished dosages in the pharmaceutical industry. The inert non-reactive, free flowing and versatile nature of MCC has varied applications in the pharmaceutical, food, nutraceuticals, and the cosmetic industries.

The company manufactures MCC of various grades ranging from 15 microns to 250 microns. The major grades of MCC manufactured and marketed by the company are branded as HiCel and AceCel. These products are distinguished with the help of different drying techniques employed by the company during the manufacturing process. HiCel is a spray dried product and is considered premium in quality due to the physical properties of the product such as particle size, density, flow, tableting properties, etc. AceCel on the other hand is manufactured through bulk drying process. It also manufactures various grades of this product in combination with various chemicals like colloidal silicon dioxide, carboxy cellulose sodium, mannitol etc. to cater to the growing market of the co-processed excipients.

The company reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 8.99 crore and total income of Rs 54.95 crore as on 30 June 2021.

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Prashant Kishor, a successful poll strategist, recently warned the that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was there for the long term and could ignore this fact only at his own peril. Even if they throw away (sic) Modi, (the) is not going anywhere. You will have to fight it out for many decades, he said. The sting in the tail was reserved for Rahul Gandhi, He probably thinks that it is just a matter of time, when people will throw him (Modi) away (sic). That is not happening.

The singling out of for gratuitous advice appears particularly malevolent. Irrespective of his partys electoral fortunes, has remained undeniably the most trenchant critics of Prime Minister Modis politics of exclusion. Since he leaves no opportunity to take the and its ideology head on, the reasons for Kishors malicious remarks must lie elsewhere.

Kishors turnaround from a political wannabe wanting to enter the till July this year, to someone intent on breaking it, calls for some explanation. Goa, where he made this statement is also the state where Kishor facilitated defections from the Former Congress chief minister of Goa, Luizinho Falerio who recently joined the Trinamul Congress (TMC) revealed that it was Kishore and his consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC) that facilitated his entry into the and that no one from the had approached him. He then joined the TMS with nine other Congress leaders.

Besides Goa, Kishor is also trying to pave the way for the TMCs entry in the north-eastern states of Meghalaya and Tripura along similar lines. In Meghalaya, he tried, but failed to get former Congress Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma, along with a dozen others, to defect to the In Tripura, the ruling state government tried to block a similar operation by confining 23 members of Kishors firm IPAC to their hotel rooms in Agartala under the guise of Covid protocol in July-end.

Now Kishor's consultancy firm in tandem with Sushmita Dev, a Congress-defector to the TMC, is trying to forge an alliance in Tripura with another former Congressman, Pradyot Kishore Debbarma of the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance.

Kishors moves against the Congress seem to have been triggered by his failure to secure a high-level lateral entry into the party. In return, he promised to unify the Opposition against the BJP and electoral success to a party that has not had many victories since 2014.

He laid out six conditions for the Gandhi family in a powerpoint presentation made in July. First, that he be allowed to create a parallel party structure from block level upwards. Second, those so inducted be fielded as candidates for at least one election  from Panchayat to Lok Sabha -- within six years of joining. Third, that he be in-charge of the Central Election Committee of the party (where he would control candidate selection). Fourth, that while Rahul Gandhi would strengthen the party ideologically, Kishor would look after the organisation. Fifth, that he be allowed to set up a school for training party cadres (a proposal he had made to candidate Narendra Modi in 2013 also). And, lastly, that he be the partys emissary to forge Opposition Unity.

Unfortunately several things went wrong for him. The Opposition appeared to coalesce without his intervention when 19 Opposition parties attended a virtual meeting called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the third week of August. They seemed to agree that they could pose a credible challenge to the BJP only if they came together for the 2024 general election. The meeting was attended among others by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (Trinamul Congress), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray(Shiv Sena), Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party), Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), Tejaswi Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Sitaram Yechury (Communist Party of India  Marxist), D Raja (Communist Party of India), Mehbooba Mufti (Peoples Democratic Party) and Farooq Abdullah (national Conference). The convening capacity of Kishor across Opposition parties seemed to be quite unnecessary.

Kishors proposal was nonetheless shared by the Gandhis with some senior leaders of the party. They favoured his induction but his conditions for virtual takeover of the party were not acceptable. The inflated role he proposed was acerbically compared by some Congressmen to the takeover of India by the East India Company with the local satraps reduced to ceremonial roles.

Kishor's wooing of the Congress led him to neglect an alternative route to entering national politics through Mamata Banerjees help whom he had assisted in winning the West Bengal elections. Banerjees largesse meanwhile was distributed to others. Now with the Congress shutting its doors on him, he is probably trying to woo her back by engineering by engineering defections from the Congress to the TMC.

Kishor, meanwhile, has been dubbed as the BJPs Trojan horse by some Congressmen. They cite Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar who publicly admitted that Kishor was inducted into his party at the behest of Amit Shah of BJP. For his role in the JD (U)s campaign in the 2015 state assembly election, he was rewarded by being appointed National Vice President of the JD (U). Kumar even described him as the future only to eventually boot him out for his extravagant statements ignoring party organisation and structure.

Kishor may be forgiven for developing political ambitions because of the spectacular electoral victories he has organised for others. He perhaps believes that he understands politics better than others. Of all parties Congress had the greatest potential and national structure to catapult him as a national leader. It still commands at least 20 percent of the popular vote and is also here to stay for some time. Now he has turned to the TMC. Chances are that the politically wily Mamata Banerjee will make full use of the poll strategist and yet one day he may be forced to ask himself, How did this happen to me?
has cancelled about 1,600 flights over the past three days, citing blustery conditions in Texas and a shortage of flight attendants.

The disruptions were similar in their initial cause and size to problems suffered in early October by Southwest Airlines, and they raised ominous questions about whether major airlines are prepared for the busy upcoming holiday travel period.

By midday Sunday, American had cancelled more than 700 flights almost 30 per cent of its schedule for the day after scrapping nearly 900 flights on Friday and Saturday, according to tracking service FlightAware.

American's troubles began late in the week, when high winds at times shut down flights and prevented the airline from using all runways at its busiest hub, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

That made it difficult for American to get crews in position for upcoming flights, and the cancellations and delays grew worse through Saturday and Sunday.

To make sure we are taking care of our customers and providing scheduling certainty for our crews, we have adjusted our operation for the last few days this month by proactively cancelling some flights, David Seymour, the airline's chief operating officer, said in a note to employees on Saturday.

Seymour said American was able to put most of the stranded travellers on other flights the same day.

Earlier in October, Southwest cancelled well over 2,000 flights after disruptions that started with weather problems in Florida and were compounded by staffing shortages.

Airlines were barred from laying off workers during the pandemic as a condition of billions in federal pandemic relief, but that didn't stop them from persuading thousands of employees to accept cash incentives and quit voluntarily.

American, Southwest and are now hiring employees to replace some of those who left in 2020.

Seymour said American is staffing up, with nearly 1,800 flight attendants returning to their jobs starting Sunday and on December 1, and at least 600 new hires on board by the end of the year. He said the airline is stepping up hiring for other jobs including pilots and reservations agents in time for the holidays.

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President told a UN summit on Monday that actions taken this decade to contain would be decisive in preventing future generations from suffering, declaring that none of us can escape the worst that is yet to come if we fail to seize this moment. Will we do what is necessary? Biden asked.

This is the decade that will determine the answer. The president treated the already visible crisis for the planet  flooding, volatile weather, droughts and wildfires  as a unique opportunity to reinvent the global economy.

Standing before world leaders gathered in Scotland, he sought to portray the enormous costs of limiting carbon emissions as a chance to create jobs by transitioning to renewable energy and electric automobiles.

We can create an environment that raises the standard of living around the world, he said.

This is a moral imperative, but it's also an economic imperative. But the magnitude of the moment is also crashing head-first into complicated global and domestic politics.

Biden administration officials have scolded China for failing to commit more to curbing carbon emissions, while the president is still trying to nail down his own climate investments with Congress.

Wading back into hands-on diplomacy with allies overseas following the withdrawal of the Trump administration, Biden on the eve of his arrival at the climate summit touted the power of America showing up." He arrived in Glasgow on Monday for the summit.

The summit is often billed as essential to putting the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord into action.

But Biden and his administration face obstacles in prodding the US and other nations to act fast enough on climate, abroad as at home.

In the runup to the summit, the administration has tried hard to temper expectations that two weeks of talks involving more than 100 world leaders will produce major breakthroughs on cutting climate-damaging emissions.

Rather than a quick fix, Glasgow is the beginning of this decade race, if you will, Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, told reporters Sunday.

As the summit opens, the United States is still struggling to get some of the world's biggest climate polluters  China, Russia and India  to join the US and its allies in stronger pledges to burn far less coal, gas and oil and to move to cleaner energy.

Kerry on Sunday defended the outcome of a summit of the Group of 20 leading economies that ended earlier that day in Rome.

The G-20 meeting was supposed to create momentum for more climate progress in Glasgow, and leaders at the Italy summit did agree on a series of measures, including formalising a pledge to cut off international subsidies for dirty-burning, coal-fired power plants.

Biden also lauded a separate US-European Union steel agreement as a chance to curb imports of dirty Chinese steel forged by coal power.

It's another step toward potentially using Western markets as leverage to persuade China, the world's top climate polluter, to ease up in its enthusiasm for coal power.

But G-20 leaders offered more vague pledges than commitments of firm action, saying they would seek carbon neutrality by or around mid-century. Major polluters including China and Russia have made clear they had no immediate intention of following the US and its European and Asian allies to zero out all fossil fuel pollution by 2050.

Scientists say massive, fast cuts in fossil fuel pollution are essential to having any hope of keeping at or below the limits set in the Paris climate accord.

The world currently is on track for a level of warming that would melt much of the planet's ice, raise global sea levels and greatly increase the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather, experts say.

Biden told reporters Sunday night he personally found the outcome of the Rome summit disappointing, countering the positive assessments of his aides. And he put the blame on two rivals of the US.

The disappointment relates to the fact that Russia, and ... not only Russia but China basically didn't show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate changes," Biden said.

The Biden administration on Monday released its strategy for turning talk into reality in transforming the US into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050.

The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris agreement, lays out a United States increasingly running on wind, solar and other clean energy, Americans zipping around in electric vehicles and on mass transit, state-of-the-art technology and wide open spaces carefully preserved to soak up carbon dioxide from the air.

The Biden administration has succeeded, over 10 months of diplomacy leading up to the Glasgow summit, in helping win significant new climate pledges from allies. That includes persuading many foreign governments to set more ambitious targets for emissions cuts, promoting a global pledge to cut emissions of a potent climate harm, methane, and the promise from leading economies to end funding for coal energy abroad.

European leaders make clear they are happy to see Biden and the U.S. back in the climate effort after his predecessor, Donald Trump, turned his back on the Paris accord and on allies in general.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen smiled at Biden throughout the announcement on Sunday's steel deal, calling him dear Joe. Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Chinese President Xi Jinping is attending the Glasgow summit, although they are sending senior officials.

Their refusals, and India's, to move substantially faster to cut their reliance on coal and petroleum threaten to frustrate hopes of reaching the target cuts set in the Paris climate accord.

China under Xi has firmed up commitments to cut emissions but at a slower pace than the US has encouraged.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters travelling with the president that should not viewed as a rivalry between the US and China, as China, the world's second largest economy, could act on its own.

They are a big country with a lot of resources and a lot of capabilities, and they are perfectly well capable of living up to their responsibilities, Sullivan said.

Nothing about the nature of the relationship between the US and China, structurally or otherwise, impedes or stands in the way of them doing their part. Biden comes to the international climate summit with the fate of his own climate package still uncertain in Congress. Objections from holdouts within Biden's own Democratic Party have compelled him to back away from one bill that would have prodded the United States' own move away from coal and natural gas and to cleaner energy for generating electricity.

Hundreds of billions of dollars of climate measures remain in Biden's package before Congress, however.

The largest investment in the history of the world on climate, Biden told reporters Sunday. And it's gonna pass. While an opening ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday formally kicked off the climate talks, the more anticipated launch comes Monday, when Biden and other leaders lay out their countries' efforts to curb emissions and deal with the mounting damage from

The US president met on the sidelines with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, with the two discussing climate change, strengthening NATO's deterrence capabilities and human rights, the White House said.

Biden will also participate in a climate event on action and solidarity Monday and meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

(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.)
US President told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday that their countries must better manage disagreements after the partnership between allies was tested by Turkey's threat to no longer recognize the American envoy and its purchase of a Russian missile defense system.

We're planning to have a good conversation, Biden said as the leaders appeared in front of journalists before nearly an hour of closed-door talks. The president did not answer questions about whether Turkey had grown too close to Russia or about human rights.

In the meeting, Biden reaffirmed Turkey's importance as a ally as well as its defense partnership with the US, but raised with Erdogan concerns about possession of the Russian S-400 missile system, the White House said in a statement afterward.

The Turkish president has said he's open to buying a second Russian missile system, despite the controversy generated by the 2017 deal to acquire the Russian-made system.

Turkey's role as a ally has come under sharp scrutiny in recent weeks.

Erdogan at an October 23 rally said 10 foreign ambassadors who called for the release of a jailed philanthropist should be declared persona non grata.

The envoys, including the US, French and German representatives, had previously issued a statement seeking to resolve the case of Osman Kavala, a businessman and philanthropist held in prison since 2017 despite not having been convicted of a crime.

Erdogan did not follow through on the threat, but it reflected the rising tensions with the US.

I cannot honestly say that there is a healthy process in Turkish-American relations, state-run Anadolu news agency quoted Erdogan as saying in September.

Erdogan's office said in a statement that the meeting was held in a positive atmosphere in which the leaders expressed a desire to further strengthen and improve Turkey-US relations and agreed to establish a common mechanism accordingly.

The statement also said there was satisfaction with the mutual steps taken on climate change.

Turkey was kicked out of a US program to buy F-35 combat planes and defense officials were sanctioned after it bought the Russian-made S-400 system. The US strongly objects to the use of Russian systems within the NATO alliance and says it poses a threat to the F-35s.

Turkey maintains that the S-400s could be used independently without being integrated into NATO systems and therefore pose no risk.

Turkey is also interested in purchasing American-made F-16 fighter aircraft, but Biden was very clear with Erdogan that there is a process such sales must go through, a senior Biden administration official told reporters after the meeting, which took place as world leaders are in Rome for the Group of 20 nations summit. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private talks.

Erdogan had previously said that his government is seeking to recover a USD 1.4 billion payment that the country made before it was expelled from the F-35 program and that the United States has proposed selling F-16 fighter jets to Turkey to make up for the payment.

In comments to reporters after the meeting, Erdogan spoke optimistically about reaching an agreement with the US on F-16 sales.

Our defense ministers are talking, Erdogan said.

I saw Mr. Biden's positive approach.

The White House statement said Biden and Erdogan also discussed the political process in Syria, humanitarian assistance for Afghans, elections in Libya, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and diplomatic efforts in the South Caucasus.

And Biden raised concerns about human rights and the rule of law in Turkey, and called for the countries to cooperate more and handle disagreements effectively," the White House said.

Biden and Erdogan last met in June at a NATO summit where they discussed the possibility that Turkey could secure and operate the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

But those plans evaporated as the Taliban swiftly took control of Afghanistan amid the US military departure.

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Prime Minister on Monday asserted that India is the only country that is delivering in "letter and spirit" the commitments on tackling under the



India will meet a target of net zero emissions by 2070, Prime Minister has told the COP26 global climate summit.

Representing India at the High-Level Segment for Heads of States and Government' at the UN COP26 underway at Glasgow, UK, Prime Minister Modi said that India is working very hard on tackling related issues.

Calling for lifestyle changes, Modi said that environmentally conscious lifestyle choices can go a long way in tackling He urged to make 'Lifestyle for Environment' a global mission.

The Prime Minister reiterated that developed nations must fulfill the promised $1 trillion as climate finance, saying this should be tracked the same way as climate mitigation.

"India expects developed countries to make $1 trillion available as climate finance as soon as possible. As we track the progress of climate mitigation, we must also track climate finance. Justice would truly be served if pressure is put on those countries that have not lived up to their climate finance commitments, Modi said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome along with other world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit

As the G-20 Summit in Rome came to a close on Sunday, the leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies said they are looking forward to meeting again in Indonesia in 2022 and in India in 2023, while New Delhi asserted that it will continue to represent the voice of the developing world and protect the interests of humanity.

In its Rome declaration, the G-20 leaders also said they look ahead to Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics 2022, as opportunities for competition for athletes from around the world, which serves as a symbol of humanity's resilience.

"We thank the organizations and the G20 Engagement Groups for their valuable inputs and policy recommendations. We thank Italy for its Presidency, for successfully hosting the Global Health Summit, co-Chaired with the European Commission, and the Rome Leaders' Summit, and for its contribution to the G20 process, and we look forward to meeting again in Indonesia in 2022, in India in 2023 and in Brazil in 2024," the declaration stated.

Briefing reporters, India's Sherpa to the Piyush Goyal said India will continue to represent the voice of the developing world and protecting the interests of humanity.

There had been a swap between India and Indonesia for hosting G20 with Indonesia now hosting it in 2022 and India in 2023.

The G20 is a leading global forum that brings together the world's major economies. Its members account for more than 80 per cent of the global GDP, 75 per cent of global trade and 60 per cent of the population of the planet.

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is "making progress" in its fight against COVID-19 but there could be potential surprises like those being faced by some European countries, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

It would take a few months, but will eventually reopen safely like Italy, which has one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe at more than 72 per cent fully vaccinated, Lee said while speaking to the media at the end of the G20 Summit in Rome on Sunday.

The country, which had two strict lockdowns previously, has relaxed most of its COVID-19 rules, including the wearing of masks outdoors.

But Lee warned about potential surprises, pointing out that cases in Europe are rising, especially in the Western Europe, and authorities there are monitoring the situation.

"It may happen to us too, but we take it one step at a time," the Channel News Asia quoted Lee in a report from Rome.

"So far it has taken us a while, it has been very wearing on our people because each time we think we have arrived, something new turns up and you have to carry on a little bit longer," said the Prime Minister.

"But we are making progress and I think we have confidence we will get there."



Lee also made a comparison of the COVID-19 situation between Singapore and Italy, whose population is 11 times bigger.

To date, Italy has recorded about 4.7 million cases and 132,000 deaths from COVID-19. Comparing this on a same scale in Singapore, Lee pointed out that it is about 11,000 to 12,000 deaths.

Separately, Singapore reported 3,163 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Sunday, including 414 from dormitories for migrant workers, and 13 deaths from complications due to the virus.

The fatalities were aged between 57 and 89. All of them had various underlying medical conditions, except for two unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals who had no known medical conditions.

This brings Singapore's death toll from the to 407.

Four are imported cases, the Ministry of Health said in its daily update.

As of Saturday, Singapore has reported a total of 198,374 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

(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 territorial ambitions of China and Pakistan require the Indian armed forces to remain alert and deployed along disputed borders and coastal areas round the year, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) said on Sunday.

The CDS stated this while delivering the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture at All India Radio.

"The quintessential visionary that Sardar Patel was, he had assertively voiced the need of an independent Tibet as a buffer state between India and China, as can be found in his correspondence with the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru," he said.

Rawat said history is witness to the fact that whenever a country neglects its armed forces, the external powers are quick to exploit it.

In the 1950s, India overlooked this important lesson of history and allowed the security apparatus to drift and the Chinese shook the country up in 1962, Rawat said.

"We had to relearn this lesson through an ignominious experience. Post-1962, we have had several skirmishes against the Chinese -- at Nathu La in Sikkim in 1967, at Wangdung in 1986, at Doklam in 2017 and the recent skirmishes in the eastern Ladakh," he noted.

The outcomes have made it clear that the Indian armed forces are alert and determined to defend territory, he said.

This, he said, has helped the Chinese and our leaders to pursue agreements for maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and several other confidence-building measures to improve relations.

"Territorial ambitions of China and Pakistan require India's armed forces to remain alert and deployed along disputed borders and also along the coastal regions round the year," he asserted.

The current border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted in May last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas of eastern Ladakh and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, India and China completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area in August and in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February.

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector.

Rawat, in his speech, also recalled the role of the Indian armed forces in controlling the post-partition violence in India.

"No one had fathomed that the scale of mayhem due to the communal frenzy that was unleashed due to the partition of our nation.

"Large scale violence between people who once lived as one community resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent lives in 1947," he said.

The police force was limited in numbers, not fully trained or equipped, and was suffering from the trauma of communal fighting, he mentioned.

"The communal frenzy of that time was beyond the control of the police. The armed forces were then called in to control the furious rioting and enforce civil order," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Mumbai- region will be renamed as 'Kittur region' as there is no point in retaining the old name when border disputes often emerge, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Monday.

"We have recently renamed Hyderabad- region as Kalyana Karnataka. We have now decided to rename Mumbai-Karnataka region as 'Kittur Karnataka' in the coming days," the Chief Minister announced during the Karnataka Rajyotsava, which is celebrated to commemorate the formation of Karnataka state 65 years ago.

The Chief Minister was apparently referring to the repeated claims made by politicians demanding the merger of Belagavi district and a few border regions of Karnataka with owing to the presence of substantial Marathi speaking population.

He also said that a decision to this effect will be taken in the upcoming cabinet meeting.

Explaining the reason behind naming the cluster of districts in North Karnataka as Kittur-Karnataka region, Bommai said, "After the unification of Karnataka, our border disputes started and it has been settled but yet we hear the quarrels taking place.

Is there any meaning to still call it Mumbai-Karnataka region when so many things are happening? What is the point in calling it Mumbai-Karnataka?"



He argued that the changes in the region should have happened in 1956 when the State Reorganisation Act came into effect.

Stating that mere renaming is not sufficient until the standard of living of the people in that region improves and development takes place, Bommai said the regional imbalance and disparities should also go and all the regions should grow together.

The Chief Minister said his government is making efforts in to end regional disparity with a vow not to leave any region in the state underdeveloped.

"We are also committed to prepare an action plan for the development of 'Kittur Karnataka region'," Bommai said.

He also told the gathering that the funds for the Kalyana Karnataka region bordering Telangana will be doubled in the next budget and Rs 3,000 crore will be allocated for the purpose.

Speaking about the Kannada Rajyotsava, Bommai said the COVID-19 situation compelled the government to organise the event in a restricted way but the pandemic could not reduce the government's respect and love for Kannada.

Bommai claimed that the 21st century is about the importance, objectives, and self-esteem of Kannada.

Going into the history of Kannada and Kannadigas, the Chief Minister said, there were Kannadiga rulers who ruled the neighbouring states such as Kadamba, Chalukya, and Vijayanagara empire.

Bommai said Kannada displayed its unique internal strength to survive even in the face of onslaught by foreign invaders.

"Even when rulers from other regions took reins here, Kannada managed to save itself. The language withstood the attacks of foreign forces and is standing firm. It was possible because it has got its own internal strength, which we should never forget. No force can ever destroy Kannada," the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said the government has given utmost importance to Kannada making the language compulsory in the higher education under the new National Education Policy.

He also said that his government has made efforts to teach engineering in Kannada medium.

Bommai emphasised that his government wants that the Kannadigas should get up to 75 per cent jobs in jobs in government, private and semi-government industries in Karnataka.

Earlier, the Chief Minister offered his obeisance to Bhuvaneshwari Devi, the mother Goddess of Karnataka and hoisted the Kannada flag along with the national tricolour at the Kanteerava Stadium.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government on Monday said the new IT rules are consistent with the right to and expression guaranteed by the Constitution, and do not place additional obligations on users.

Releasing a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) around the intermediary guidelines, IT ministry said the rules have a clear focus on protecting online privacy of individuals, and that even with regard to identification of the first originator of messages, safeguards are in place to ensure that privacy of users is not violated.

Overall, the FAQs seek to address queries that internet and social media users may have about scope of the new rules, major changes it brings over past provisions, how the rules enhance safety of women and children, and due diligence to be done by an intermediary, among others.

In one of the questions, the ministry said the rules do not infringe on right to free speech and expression.

"The new IT rules, 2021 have been framed consistent with these rights. The rules place no additional obligations on users and do not contain any sort of penalties applicable on users," it said.

Further, the ministry said the rules define 'social media intermediary' as an intermediary which primarily or solely enables online interaction between two or more users and allows them to "create, upload, share, disseminate, modify or access information using its services".

Typically, any intermediary whose primary purpose is enabling commercial or business-oriented transactions, providing access to internet or search-engine services, e-mail service or online storage service, etc. will not qualify as a social media intermediary, the ministry said in the 20-page document.

To qualify as a social media intermediary, enabling of online interactions should be the primary or sole purpose of the intermediary, it explained.

"Therefore, typically, an entity which has some other primary purpose, but only incidentally enables online interactions, may not be considered as a social media intermediary," it said.

The scope of enabling online interactions would extend to facilitating "socialisation/social networking, including the ability of users to increase their reach and following, within the platform via specific features like follow/subscribe etc.".

According to the ministry, offering opportunity to interact with unknown persons or users, and ability of enabling virality of content by facilitation of sharing would also amount to enabling online interaction, it said.

Separately, the ministry will come out with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) around the IT rules and intermediary norms that would contain details of the appropriate agencies who will have the authority to issue takedown notices to platforms.

The IT Rules, 2021 are meant to benefit general users, who are using any intermediary platform, it said, adding that the norms provide for increased safety of netizens and ensure accountability of platforms by way of a robust grievance redressal mechanism.

"The rules, by providing these reasonable mechanisms and remedies, strive to ensure that social media platforms remain a safe space for all users, free from cyber threats, harassment and unlawful content," it said.

As per IT rules, the chief compliance officer and the nodal contact person cannot be the same person whereas the roles of the nodal contact person and the resident grievance officer may be performed by the same person.

"However, keeping in view the functional requirements of the nodal contact person and the resident grievance officer, it is desirable that SSMI (Significant Social Media Intermediary) appoints separate persons for the two roles," it said.

A parent SSMI can appoint common officers across its products/services. But the contact details to approach these officers are required to be clearly mentioned on each of those product and service platforms separately.

To a question on whether detection of first originator of the message could compromise end-to-end encryption, the ministry clarified that the intent of the rule is not to break or weaken the encryption but merely to obtain the registration details of the first Indian originator of the message.

A typical principle of detection is based on the 'hash value' of the unencrypted message, wherein identical messages will result into a common hash irrespective of the encryption used by a messaging platform.

"How this hash will be generated or stored needs to be decided by the concerned SSMI, and SSMI are free to come up with alternative technological solutions to implement this rule," it said.

It is pertinent to mention here that India enforced new IT intermediary rules earlier this year, aiming to bring greater accountability for big tech companies, including Twitter and Facebook.

The rules require social media platforms to remove any content flagged by authorities within 36 hours and set up a robust complaint redressal mechanism with an officer being based in the country. Social media companies are required to take down posts depicting nudity or morphed photos within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.

Significant social media companies -- those with over 50 lakh users -- also have to publish a monthly compliance report disclosing details of complaints received and action taken as also details of contents removed proactively.

"Internet for all of the good things represents the ability to deliver good governance, ability for last person in democracy to reach out to government.

"... but it also represents significant growth in things we refer to as user harm and criminality and so policy making has to address, grow the good, and address the bad in a manner that is transparent and effective," Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said while releasing the FAQs.

As the cyberspace is evolving, so is the nature of "good and bad" on cyberspace. The government's policy making is aimed at ensuring that interest of users are protected by way of greater accountability of platforms, he said.

"Internet must always remain open... openness means it is bereft from not just state and government influence but is also free from dominant big tech influence and one of ways to normalise that is to create among bigger platforms a culture of rules-based accountability to their users," he said.

He also said that the biggest stakeholders of internet are millions of Indians who are using it and nearly 80 crore Indians are online.

"We appreciate the government's efforts in bringing more clarity on the 2021 IT rules. We look forward to studying the FAQs" a Meta spokesperson said. Facebook recently rebranded itself as Meta.

When contacted, Google said the company is reviewing the FAQs document.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI/ India PR Distribution): Pooja Advani's day begins with her checking up on her guests. Then comes the bitter-sweet bit - check-ins and checkouts. Waving goodbye to those who've come to become friends, and saying hello to new and enthusiastic wet noses and wagging tails.

Now would probably be a good time to mention that Advani is the founder of (https://www.doggiiedogworld.com) Doggiie Dog World - a luxurious pet wellness centre in Andheri, Mumbai, that offers a range of services, tailor-made keeping in mind each pet's mental and physical health.

Advani is one of the few people who can proudly say that she is living her childhood dream. "I dreamt of living in a house full of animals. And that's exactly what I'm doing now," says the canine behaviourist. Her establishment is comprised of a three-story bungalow, along with a compound that is spread across 2,500 square feet. "We have a boarding facility for pets, but along with that we feed a bunch of what we call "visiting strays" around us"

But how did Advani manage to realise her dream?

"It took more than a while for the pieces to fall into place, but when they did, it seemed almost serendipitous," says Advani.

Advani was a BMM student, who decided to foray into jewellery designing, but despite having a successful career, she would somehow always feel like she was meant to do something more. "So, I did what most people do when they can't narrow down on the next step concerning their career - I decided to do my MBA," she laughs. But she had a few months to kill before she shifted to Australia to pursue the course, which is when she chanced upon a pet care course in Singapore, and after a gentle nudge or two from her mother, she decided to give it a go. "Caring for animals had after all been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. I would always bring home puppies and kittens that were injured, and needed love and care," she explains.

And before Advani knew it, the six-week-long course had suddenly turned into four years, and Advani had worked tirelessly in the field to become a certified groomer, canine behaviourist, trainer, hydrotherapist for small animals, and an animal communicator.

While practising in Singapore, Advani had already started working towards DDW, she wanted to use all the international experience she had garnered, to bring about change, closer to home.

"My vision was to create a safe space where pet parents could leave their 'kids' for day-care or longer boarding. Having worked in the field for a considerable amount of time, I knew I was equipped to provide for pets, which most pet parents found reassuring," she explains.

Pet care and the pandemic

Advani describes the pandemic as the most challenging time she has had to wade through professionally. With misinformation about animals being carriers of the virus, more animals were being abandoned than ever before. "I would get over 50 calls every day, and would have to counsel panic-stricken people who weren't sure about what to do," she recalls.

And it wasn't just abandoned animals that needed help, "there were pet parents who were affected by the virus, had to be hospitalised, and didn't know what to do with their pets. We also had pets in our boarding whose pet parents were stuck in different cities, and some in different countries. That's when we at DDW stepped up to help in whatever way we could. Being able to board their pets with us, the pet parents were able to focus on their health without worrying about their furry babies," she explains.

While talking about the kind of care DDW provided animals during the pandemic, Advani says "Animals have a sixth sense; they know when something isn't right. We made sure the dogs were given mental and physical exercises to help them destress."

Advani also stresses just how important it is for pet parents to help their pets transition gradually, now that things are slowly getting back to normal.

There was a surge of pet adoptions during the pandemic, but these "pandemic pets" are used to having their parents around all day and are at high risk of experiencing severe separation anxiety when they have to go back to work.

"Start slow," advises Advani. Start by staying away from your pet for five minutes, once they get used to it, gradually increase the time interval. "Normalcy also means that noise levels will increase, as will the traffic on the streets, which can scare pets who aren't used to this," she adds.

In such situations, she suggests you take baby steps with your pet. Linger at the main door for a few minutes, a couple of times a day. Once your pet is comfortable with that, you can walk with them for a couple of metres, and keep increasing the duration of the walk as and when you see the pet feeling comfortable. "The key is to not force your pet to do something they're not comfortable with. It is a lot of work, but that's a responsibility you take on when adopting a pet. The one thing that I tell people looking to adopt is 'Go ahead if you're ready to be a toddler's parent for close to 15 years,'" she signs off.

This story is provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/India PR Distribution)

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 1 (ANI/NewsVoir): As the pandemic-induced lockdowns gradually ease up, people are still hesitant to use public transport as their preferred mode of commute.

According to (https://www.financialexpress.com/auto/industry/personal-mobility-public-transport-urban-india-yougov-study-coronavirus-car-sales/2340934) YouGov's International Automotive Report 2021, the intent to use public transport is one of the lowest among urban Indians across the globe, with nearly half (49%) saying they will use public transport less in the future. The demand for personal mobility has increased manifold, and it is estimated to encourage the general public to purchase more two-wheelers.

The increased number of two-wheeler riders combined with the high road accident statistic of India, signals towards a budding safety risk. Keeping this new increased risk in mind, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company has collaborated with Vega Helmets to provide a personal accidental policy on every online purchase of Vega Helmet to increase road safety awareness and inculcate the habit of protection.

The tie-up aims to give the customer dual safety and protection, through the helmet and the personal accident insurance cover. The personal accident insurance cover, provides the benefit of Accidental death with Sum insured of one Lakh INR, and the cover is applicable on a worldwide basis.

On the collaboration, Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard, said, "In today's world of innumerable uncertainties, an insurance cover has assumed far greater significance than ever before. A personal accident cover embodies this exact sentiment and provides the insured and their loved ones a financial security blanket in the event of an untoward incident. Additionally, ICICI Lombard has always been a stout supporter of road safety and has undertaken several activities under our 'Ride to Safety' initiative which aims at creating awareness about safety rules. Taking the spirit ahead, this tie-up takes us one step closer to ensuring an individual's personal security."

On the collaboration, Girdhari Chandak, MD, Vega Helmets further added, "Vega has been the preferred choice for numerous bikers and two-wheeler riders, providing them safety and quality for over three decades. We are glad that through our tie-up with ICICI Lombard General Insurance, we are able to protect both the riders' physical and financial well-being and provide them with a holistic and well-rounded bundle of protection."

ICICI Lombard has always endeavoured to go beyond its business focus and contribute to all stakeholders' wellbeing, including the community at large. The Ride to Safety campaign by ICICI Lombard is a nationwide initiative to create an action-oriented road safety program, especially among children and parents.

Since 2016, over 700 road safety workshops have been held in the metros and other major cities across India, spreading awareness among 200,000+ children and their parents. Further, over 130,000 children and their parents have received ISI-marked child-specific helmets, as part of the exercise. The recent launch of a road-safety anthem further strengthens the initiative's resolve and enables it to resonate with the masses in a unique and heartfelt manner.

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd.

We are one of the leading private sector non-life insurers in India. We offer our customers a comprehensive and well-diversified range of products, including motor, health, crop, fire, personal accident, marine, engineering and liability insurance, through multiple distribution channels.

More details are available at (https://www.icicilombard.com)

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New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI/SRV): The flexible workspace sector has reached a tipping point. Following many years of continuous growth, global demand for temporary offices, meeting rooms and co-working areas is set to explode.

Premisin operates from seven centres in Raipur, spread over 50,000 square feet with 800+ seats and more than 100+ clients.

The larger part of revenues come from the managed office solution since every Premisin centre, on average, has two to three anchor clients occupying 75% of the space. The company always believe that demand drives all. Premisin with its existing centres in prime locations and with growing demand has a plan to expand its centres to 4 more locations with a total area of 1,45,000 sq. ft and 2200+ seats.

Premisin is promoted by Sjain Ventures Limited, which is recently valued at 135 CR. Planning of starting a coworking space has never been easy but since it is a very attractive proposition from several aspects such as flexibility, freedom of choice and minimal investment. In the three years since its inception, Premisin has always been the leader of the change in the way people have seen and come to view the workspace. Being new in the coworking & workspace industry, it has never been a cakewalk for Premisin. For director Divya Jain, the aim of a flexible workspace is to build a strong community of entrepreneurs, freelancers and startups. Premisin, since its inception always believes in 'We work together to build a better community'.

Divya Jain, Director of Premisin, said, "Everything we do from the design or customization of our buildings to the services we provide is based on how we can create the best collaborative environment for the community. When you have people from almost every industry working together in one facility, the experience and skills you have access to is unrivalled. Our community teams focus on this aspect of our business so each member feels inspired and excited about how we can help them grow their business."

Coworking and flexible workspace is collaborative and flexible by nature and has observed many new trends and unique practices over the years. Due to aggressive competition and ever-increasing demand, several leading players have donned their brainstorming caps in order to maintain market relevance and further retain clients with value-added benefits.

Premisin believes strongly and holistically that co-working is the future of work and the team supports it in every way. Today, coworking and workspace are not only relevant for small businesses and freelancers, but also for big corporations and any team seeking more agile workspaces. Premisin is offering its managed/serviced office solutions to numerous clients, including a few big market players who are looking to set up their base in Chhattisgarh. The primary focus is to provide the community with end-to-end solutions and even go the extra mile by scouting innovations.

Speaking about the business model, Divya Jain says Premisin charges range from about Rs 4,000 per workstation to Rs 3,00,000 for an office space per month. Present across Chhattisgarh, the company at present has a total of 6000+ seats, 50+ cabins, and 8 luxury office spaces.

Premisin has more than 100+ clients, including Urban Company, Zomato Private Limited, Reliance Home Finance, We Expo India, Aeroaeon Avionics, Phone Pe, Uber India Systems, IREP India, Aramex, Byju's, Aarohan Aavishkar Group, Quess Corp, Go Digit, and Brightpath Associates LLC to name a few.

Speaking about future plans, Divya Jain says the company is looking to expand its geographical presence and services in other Tier II and III cities. Additionally, This year, to pump up the growth, Premisin plans to open a flexible workspace franchise. This will be initially launched in Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg / Bhilai as a Location of Interest. Further, this will be replicated in other cities like Nagpur, Jabalpur, Pune, Mumbai, Ranchi & Bhuwneshwar.

Premisin Plan to franchise in partnership with large landlords, premium builders, diversified business groups & wealthy HNIs. The company says, if it's a developing commercial property on their own or one that is already complete, the landlords/owners know that keeping their property full of tenants has a major impact on their business. However, if the companies are looking for ways to avoid vacancies, it's time to think outside of the box. More and more commercial property owners recognize that integrating a co-working space into their facility is a great way to enhance their property. Therefore, Premisin has designed a franchise investment model to increase the revenue.

Divya Jain concluded by saying, "It is this sense of community that has driven the demand for Premisin spaces among startups, freelancers, small companies and entrepreneurs across the globe. There is enough demand, the team at Premisin want to increase the market size by creating awareness about co-working spaces and ensuring that every operator has a profitable run. Our holistic approach differentiates us."

The biggest benefit through the franchise model is that the Premisin coworking and workspace adds to the client's commercial development by filling a space with their franchise investment instead of searching for other businesses for that particular space. Premisin comes with a host of benefits for the clients by giving them a professional place to go to work each day. Even better, as a franchisee, you will have Team Premisin's full support in terms of complete Interior Planning / Drawing & Execution Plan - MEP, Network Drawing, Fire Exit Plan, Sitting Layout, BOQ, Marketing & Branding, Listing of Space, Consultancy, Center Manager, Technology, App - Andriod + iOS and assistance when opening for business, and finding clients.

At the end of the day, putting Premisin in an available space with the company's development keeps costs down and adds multiple streams of revenue to the commercial property resulting in a win-win situation.

To know more, visit - (https://www.premisin.com)

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New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Tod) Wolters Kluwer India and the Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs (DSPRUD) announced the launch of the 6th Edition of the acclaimed manual Standard Treatment Guidelines: A Manual for Medical Therapeutics, authored by Dr Sangeeta Sharma and Dr GR Sethi.

The book was formally launched by Prof (Dr) Sunil Kumar, Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, in an event organized by DSPRUD at the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) auditorium.

Dr Uhjin Kim, Regional Advisor, Essential Drugs & Medicines (EDM) & Health System Development (HSD), World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO) also presided over the book release ceremony among other dignitaries Dr Nutan Mundeja, DGHS, Government of Delhi, Dr. Atul Kochhar, CEO, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), Dr JN Srivastava, Quality Advisor, National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) and Dr Ram Chander, Director LHMC.

Standard Treatment Guidelines is a ready reckoner clinical support manual that covers more than 330 priority diseases in 11 specialties, focusing on clinical manifestations, therapeutic advances, patient management and patient education. The manual helps busy clinicians make informed, effective patient management decisions at different levels of healthcare, from primary health care to tertiary care health centres.

The manual has been developed with the contribution of large number of experts and reviewers. It provides reader-friendly, up-to-date, and evidence-based expert information at the point of care including stepwise pharmacological as well as non-pharmacological management according to the level of healthcare setting, along with goals of treatment and criteria for assessment of response to therapy, step-up as well as step-down, referral criteria and follow-up.

Addressing the audience, Prof (Dr) Sunil Kumar, Director General of Health Services, said, "Improving quality of care is essential to improve of quality of life for citizens. Evidence-based and updated clinical guidelines play a very important role in helping clinicians make efficient and accurate decisions. I commend the authors and Wolters Kluwer for publishing the latest edition of Standard Treatment Guidelines."

Dr Sangeeta Sharma, Professor & Head, Department of Neuropsychopharmacology at the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS) and President (Honorary), Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs (DSPRUD) said, "Poor quality of care is a bigger barrier to reducing mortality than insufficient access since 60% deaths occur from treatable conditions that are not addressed correctly. In the absence of authentic practice guidelines clinicians may get muddled and steer them towards irrational/inappropriate prescribing. This is where Standard Treatment Guidelines helps because it is a time-tested tool to improve healthcare quality and patient safety that provides clear, evidence-based guidelines in the Indian context."

Ruchi Tushir, Vice President & General Manager for Global Growth Markets, Wolters Kluwer India, said, "At Wolters Kluwer, providing trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions to clinicians, researchers and students is a priority for us. These solutions, whether digital or print, drive effective decision-making and consistent outcomes across the continuum of care. The 6th Edition of the Standard Treatment Guidelines is a pioneering work which is widely accepted by readers, as reflected by its adoption by several Indian State Governments, practicing clinicians and students. Developing these guidelines, and updating them meticulously and regularly, was an exceptionally challenging task requiring diverse skills ranging from the critical appraisal of scientific evidence to the management of decision making and the presentation of complex information in easily understandable forms. I would like to thank the authors for their commitment and hard work, and the Indian healthcare community for the warm reception."

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New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI/ATK): Recruitment Mantra, a leading recruitment firm announced its educational Brand Management Academy, an online platform for teaching holistic brand management.

The academy will offer courses in Brand Management, Advertising Management and Market Research.

The curriculum of the academy is designed by veteran (https://www.myhireindia.com) specialist Arghya Srakar, Founder & CEO, who launched the platform to provide students with insightful knowledge and professional training about the increasing trends in the branding and communication sector.

The course is designed for easy comprehension of individuals from different streams like sales, marketing, branding and advertising. It will specially help entrepreneurs who are keen on building their own brands.

Speaking about the initiative, Arghya Sarkar, Founder & CEO, said "The advent of digitisation and increasing demand for branding and Public Relations has forced brands to adapt to this ongoing digital landscape. Catering to the same, we offer courses to provide specialised training programs and impart practical knowledge about the field of branding and advertising. Students can enroll themselves to gain immense industry knowledge and in enhancing their overall marketing understanding, application and processes. Entrepreneurs (budding as well as seasoned) will learn to build a strong brand from scratch using the right blend of marketing mix appealing to their audiences."

While branding is an integral part of businesses, it is still not given much attention in countries like India. Therefore, the academy is focused on holistic development of students to channelise their interest and shape their future.

The courses are likely to benefit anyone in business or in academics who is exposed to the course. With a world class faculty of experienced professionals, the courses will further be aided with comprehensive reading material and training programs.

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New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI/India PR Distribution): The United States will authorise entry into its territory to travelers vaccinated against Covid-19 from the European Union and the United Kingdom from "early November".

The easing of restrictions has been welcomed by everyone from all over the world. Many travelers who needed to travel to US for personal and family situations can now finally travel to visit their family and friends. The decision, which will allow family meetings and reunions and that many Internet users demanded under the slogan #LoveIsNotTourism, has also delighted the travel and tourism industry.

Having a good Visitor Health insurance for your US visit ensures a stress-free experience during your travel and stay. Without visitor health insurance, many visitors end up paying thousands of dollars for doctor bills and hospitalization costs out of their own pocket.

If you are planning to visit your family and friends in US after easing of restrictions, Visitor Guard offers comprehensive (https://www.visitorguard.com/health-insurance) visitor health insurance plans that will help protect you from costly health expenses during your stay. There are a wide variety of travel insurance/visitor health insurance plans available to choose from. These travel insurance plans can cover medical coverage for as little as 5 days to 364 days or more and includes coverage for hospitalization, doctor visits, prescriptions and more.

"Travel insurance to USA is really a must. Healthcare is extremely expensive in many countries such as the US, where simply not having travel medical insurance for USA would be disastrous. Medical insurance for travelers can be quite a relief that comes in handy when in a foreign country, especially during any major unforeseen mishap or illness," says Chiranth Nataraj, CEO of Visitor Guard.

Visitor Insurance is beneficial, especially if you suddenly find yourself needing to get treated for an ailment or illness that occurs while you are travelling. Visitor Insurance can help provide some of the much-needed financial aid when you least expect it.

Visitor Insurance Plans provided by Visitor Guard can cover a wide variety of medical expenses including Hospital and doctor expenses for illness and injury, Cost of Prescription drugs, Dental emergencies, Emergency medical evacuations, and an acute onset of pre-existing conditions. The plans provided by Visitor Guard have a Global Network and a 24*7 Customer Support that provides round-the-clock customer assistance.

The team at Visitor Guard helps you finding the right fit for each traveler's insurance needs. Many comprehensive visitor insurance plans offer direct, cashless payments to providers in United Healthcare & First Health Networks, within all states and regions in the US.

"We provide customized insurance solutions specific to your travel schedule and needs, as well as provide you with advice on travel security and health concerns overseas. Our aim is to make your travel and stay as stress-free as possible," says Chiranth Nataraj.

Visitor Guard provides customized, individual plans that are priced economically. They have one of the widest spectrums of various comprehensive and affordable universal plans for visitor health insurance for visitors to the USA.

Visitor Guard's visitor insurance provides you with coverage plans in case of any unfortunate occurrence such as any new injuries, illnesses, or acute onset of pre-existing conditions that require treatment during your trip. The plans offered are economical and cover a wide variety of travel and medical related issues. For more details on the various plans offered, you can visit their website (https://www.visitorguard.com).

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The 26th UN Conference of the Parties, better known as COP26, began in the United Kingdom yesterday. Hosted in Glasgow, the summit will conclude on 12th November. Now, before we get into the details, let's clear something up: what exactly is a These conferences are organised under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC, an international treaty agreed to in 1992. It came into force in 1994. is a summit where the 197 signatories to the UNFCCC come together to decide how to implement the treaty. At present, the signatories include 196 countries and the EU. Now, let's talk about the latest summit. Several leaders have described COP26 as a "make or break" deal for the planet.

And, its stated goals back up such a description. COP26 will seek to finalise the Paris Rulebook, the rules needed to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate. As such, the delegates will try to find a solution regarding carbon markets. The aim being to create a robust system of carbon credits that supports the transition to net zero. Countries are also being asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 emission-reduction targets that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century. The crucial context here is that the Paris Agreements central aim is to keep global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. So, now that we know what COP26 is all about, the question that arises is, what is India's agenda at the summit? INDIA'S AGENDA  Push for 450-Gw RE capacity by 2030  May not commit to phasing out coal  Ask for $100 billion in climate funding per year  Pitch for reopening of carbon credits market  Urge Global North to set up Loss & Damage Compensation Mechanism Most of the discussions ahead of the summit have revolved around getting all countries to commit to a net-zero target by a specific year. However, India has reportedly rejected calls to announce a net-zero carbon emissions target. Keep in mind that Indias per capita carbon emissions per year is 1.96 tonne, while it is 8.4 tonnes for China, 18.6 tonnes for the US, and 7.16 tonnes for the European Union, against a world average of 6.64 tonne. Also, a recent report by the Natural Resources Defense Council said that India was largely on track to meet, and even exceed, its Paris Agreement targets. Even so, India will face considerable pressure from various quarters at the summit. Which brings us to our next question. What are the challenges that India will face at COP26? According to Laveesh Bhandari, Senior Fellow, CSEP, the main challenges for India will be the pressure to declare net-zero date and reduce the use of coal. While it remains to be seen whether India will succeed in its objectives or not, the one clear thing is that its actions will have a considerable impact on the success of the summit. In the end, hopefully, all the countries concerned will remember what's truly important: that COP26 would probably be the last opportunity to contain global warming within agreed upon limits.
Economists and markets have welcomed the reappointment of former IAS officer as the Governor. He is the first RBI chief to get an extension since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government came to power in 2014. His predecessor Urjit Patel resigned before the end of his term amid differences with the government. And before him, incumbent Raghuram Rajan was not given an extension. If he completes his full six years in office, Das will become the longest-serving in more than six decades. Whats more, in what is seen as a vote of confidence in him, the government broke away from the norm of extending the governors term by two years and went ahead with the maximum three years permitted.

And, his extension was announced nearly two months before his current term would end. Das has been praised for maintaining a stable relationship with the government and his extension ensures the continuity of monetary policy. Under Das, the central bank has cut the repo rate  from 6.25% in February to 4% in October 2021  and embarked on a liquidity infusion plan. In its October monetary policy, the RBI stopped further liquidity infusion and announced variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auctions to suck out excess liquidity. As the RBI starts to wind back its loose monetary policy, stability in its top leadership is seen as critical. When Das took over in 2018, Indias foreign exchange reserves were $455 billion. With aggressive accumulation, he took it to $641 billion. He oversaw the bailout of YES Bank and the merger of Lakshmi Vilas Bank with DBS. He also played a key role in ensuring that the governments borrowing programme during the pandemic went smoothly without much disruption to markets. According to CARE Ratings Chief Economist Madan Sabnavis:

Extension to Das a very good idea

Timing of announcement eliminates guesswork

It dispels notion of disagreements between RBI and govt

RBI played critical role during pandemic, ensured liquidity

Govt borrowing programme didnt face hurdles

Restructuring of loans, moratorium helped banks with asset quality

Continuity of Governor good for markets

Das reiterated calibrated approach to unwind liquidity
Equities trading may remain thin this week as investors eye a holiday-truncated week. Besides, the last leg of earnings, largely packed with mid and smallcap names, could also keep subdued at benchmark level.

Last week, benchmark Sensex fell 2.4 per cent while the Nifty50 slipped 1.9 per cent. In the broader markets, the mid- and small-cap indices dropped 1 per cent each as foreign institutional investors sold their shares amid valuation concerns.

Three global brokerages -- Morgan Stanley, Nomura, and UBS  have downgraded Indian citing rich valuations while Chris Wood of Jefferies has said the sharp rally has brought his overweight stance on India under threat.

Given this, may try to stabilize this week and prepare for Muhurat Trading on the occasion of Diwali.

A special, one-hour Muhurat Trading session will be organized on Thursday, November 4 while markets will remain shut on Friday, November 5 on the occasion of Diwali Balipratipada.

Meanwhile, during the early part of the week, corporate earnings, IPOs, and economic data will keep investors busy.

The last leg of September quarter results will see companies like Bharti Airtel, SBI, HDFC, IRCTC, Tata Motors and HPCL announcing their September quarter results this week.

Separately, on the economic front, investors will track Manufacturing PMI for October and IIP data for September due to be released later today. Additionally, auto firms will also begin announcing their monthly sales figures for October today onwards.

The Services PMI for October, on the other hand, will be declared on Wednesday, Nov 3.

In the primary market, initial share sale of Policybazaar.com will open today while Nykaas IPO will enter last day and Fino Payment Banks offer will enter its second day.



Globally, investors will track the US Federal Reserves 2-day monetary policy meeting, slated on November 2 nd and 3 rd , for cues on when the central bank plans to hike rates.

flow around Covid-19, oil and energy prices, rupee and dollar movement, and bond yields will be some of the other factors driving the markets.
Equity reversed their 3-day losing streak on the back of a strong buying in IT and select financial shares in the last hour of trade. That apart, green shoots of economic recovery further bolstered sentiment on the Street.

Goods and services tax (GST) collected in October, for instance, rose to Rs 1.3 trillion, which is 24 per cent higher than a year ago, and 36 per cent more than the collection in the pre-Covid year of 2019-20.

This is the second highest collection since the introduction of a new indirect regime in 2017. All time high collection figure was over Rs 1.40 trillion in April this year.

Separately, India's manufacturing activity continued to improve in October with the IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index climbing to 55.9, up from 53.7 in September and 52.3 in August. The upturn was sharp and the fastest in seven months. Similarly, factory output increased at a sharp pace that was the strongest since March.

Against this backdrop, the BSE Sensex reclaimed the 60,000-mark, and surged to a high of 60,220 during the day, before settling with a gain of 831 points at 60,138. The NSE Nifty, on the other hand, touched a high of 17,954, and ended 258 points higher at 17,930.

Among the Sensex 30 pack, IndusInd Bank zoomed 7.5 per cent to Rs 1,225 while Bharti Airtel finished with a solid gain of 4 per cent a day ahead of its Q2 results tomorrow. HCL Technologies, Tata Steel, Tech Mahindra , Dr.Reddy's, SBI, Kotak Bank and TCS were some of the other major gainers.

On the downside, Bajaj Finserv and Mahindra & Mahindra were the prominent losers, down around 1.5 per cent each.

Meanwhile, in the broader markets, the BSE Midcap index surged 1.8 per cent, while the Smallcap index moved up 1.1 per cent.

Among sectors, the BSE Realty index soared 3.7 per cent, while the Telecom and Metal indices surged around 3.5 per cent each. The IT index was up 2.3 per cent, and the Bankex jumped 1.8 per cent.

Even the Auto index gained over 1 per cent despite auto companies reporting mixed monthly sales figures for October. While Tata Motors said its total wholesales increased by 30 per cent YoY, Maruti Suzuki India reported a 24 per cent decline.

On the earnings front, shares of HDFC ended nearly 2 per cent higher after the country's largest mortgage lender reported a 32 per cent rise in standalone net profit to Rs 3,780 crore for the second quarter ended September 30. Its total income during the period rose to Rs 12,226.39 crore.

IRCTC, on the other hand, closed with gains of 1.6 per cent after the govt-owned entity reported a near five-fold increase in net profit to Rs 154.83 crores in the second quarter of financial year 2021-22. This was on the back of higher profit under ticketing revenue that touched Rs 220.34 crore in the period under review from Rs 61.34 crore in the same period a year ago.

Now, coming to result reactions for companies, whose numbers were released post market hours on Friday and over the weekend. First among them is Steel Authority of India. Shares of the company surged 13 per cent to Rs 130.35 on the BSE in Monday's intra-day trade after the company reported best-ever quarterly standalone profit after tax of Rs 4,304 crore for Q2FY22. It had posted Rs 393 crore net profit in the year-ago quarter. The shares ended 9 per cent higher on the BSE.

On the flipside, shares of Bandhan Bank dipped 7 per cent to Rs 272.55 on the BSE in today's intra-day trade after the bank reported net loss of Rs 3,009 crore in Q2FY22 on huge provisions of over Rs 4,600 crore for the bad loans and restructured advances. It had posted a net profit of Rs 920 crore in Q2FY21. The shares, however, trimmed losses and closed with a loss of around 1 per cent.

Now, let's take a look at the primary market action of the day. The three-day issue of Nykaa closed with an impressive oversubscription of over 80 times today. Fino Payments Bank, on the other hand, ended Day 2 of share sale with near 100 per cent subscription.

Meanwhile, among the three IPOs that opened today, Policybazaar's issue crossed the half-way mark by close while that of Sigachi Industries and SJS Engineering were subscribed over 9x and 30 per cent, respectively.

As regards Tuesday, market participants will track whether or not the momentum built during the later half of today's session will be sustained at the bourses. That apart, Bharti Airtel, Dabur, Godrej Properties, and HPCL are some of the prominent companies set to report their Q2 results tomorrow.

Globally, the US Federal Reserve will begin its two-day monetary policy meeting late on Tuesday with an outcome due on Wednesday.
Customer loyalty is a common idea in the business world because it brings constant profit and might even lead to a growth of brand awareness. To explain it as simply as possible, this idea refers to those customers that are faithful, which means that they return over and over again to buy products or make use of the provided services. No matter what is your industry, you should take care of building a network of loyal customers. Why and how to do it? Keep reading to find the answers.

Why is it crucial?

As you might expect, customer loyalty is vital for any business. Especially if you operate online and a website is an integral part of your income. A loyal customer is a person who always comes back for another product or to use your services. They bring a profit with them, and keeping such a customer is usually cheaper than acquiring new customers. However, its worth remembering that no one will be loyal to you if you are not loyal to them. There are rules to create a lasting bond with customers that every business should follow, at least partially.

There are different types of loyal customers because they might be devoted to your brand for different reasons. Usually, experts group them into six categories:

 Happy - customers that stay loyal because they are satisfied with the products or services offered.

 Loyal to the price - they stay with you as long as you offer the lowest prices.

 Loyalty program - customers interested in your loyalty program and not services or offers.

 Loyal because of convenience - your company might be helpful, friendly, easy to communicate, which makes all those customers loyal.

 Interested in freebies - if you offer something for free, it might attract loyal customers to you.

 Truly loyal - they make a purchase, use services and advocate for the company.

Every customer that was once loyal might quickly turn to your competitors. Its enough that they were offered a better price, bonuses or anything that once used to keep them with you. Thats why its important to keep their devotion as long as possible by thought-through actions.

How to take care of customer loyalty?

The crucial thing is that every entrepreneur understands who is the most important side in this relation. Its, unfortunately, not your business but a customer. They have funds that they might exchange for something that you have to offer, so make sure that they feel sure and safe to spend their money.

There are various ways to encourage potential customers to come back for your offer. One of the most popular options is to give them a reward of some kind for their loyalty. It might be a discount for the next purchase or something that suits better to your business. A good example of customer rewards are reload bonuses in online casinos for regular players. Those sites, such as VegasSlotsOnline, are secure so that they immediately evoke trust. Clear rules, safety measures plainly explained encourage new players who, after becoming regular ones, gain mentioned bonuses - in result, turning into loyal customers.

Some kind of relationship based on loyalty might be created through other actions as well. In the majority of cases, its important to create an offer in such a way that a potential customer clearly sees the advantages and disadvantages. Of course, with the emphasis on good aspects. Consumers should feel that they are the party that gains more, which makes them more willing to buy a product or service.

Among the most common activities to keep loyal customers devoted to the company are monitoring and creating a database, making improvements and analyzing the current situation. It allows quick reactions, amendments meant to keep the customers with the company as well as creating new offers to stay interested in the audience. There are numerous strategies and techniques a business might use to increase profit from the loyalty of the customers.

Customer loyalty is, no doubt, extremely important. No one says its easy to build a business from scratch, interest consumers, and then keep their loyalty alive. However, it goes without saying, such actions are the source of profit much needed in every industry.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome on the sidelines of the G-20 Leaders Summit on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on the United States to pursue a real one-China policy during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the G-20 summit on Sunday, noting that the bilateral relations would be damaged if Taiwan issues are mishandled, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

If handled improperly, matters related to Taiwan, which is the most sensitive issue between the two countries, can cause subversive and overall damage to bilateral ties, the top diplomat said. He also said that China urges the U.S. to fulfill its commitments to China faithfully rather than treacherously and to truly implement the one-China policy and put it into action, instead of saying one thing and doing the opposite.

Wang made the remarks as he met Blinken in Rome, their second in-person meeting this year after the two countries held their first high-level face-to-face meeting in March in Anchorage, Alaska, at an event that was characterized by tense exchanges.

The Chinese foreign ministry has urged the U.S. to stop playing the Taiwan card, following Blinkens statement last week that called on all United Nations member states to support Taiwans participation in the U.N. system, including the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Health Organization.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Taiwans participation in international organizations must be handled in accordance with the One China principle, which does not allow unilateral challenge or distortion by the U.S.

Prior to his meeting with Blinken, Wang on Friday warned countries including the U.S. against their claims of supporting Taiwans participation in the U.N. system and in the international community, saying the practice violates their political commitments when they established diplomatic relations with China and damages the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter.

They could not stop the one-China principle 50 years ago, and they are even less likely to succeed today in the 21st century. Should they insist on going down the wrong path, they must pay the price, he said.

During his meeting with Blinken on Sunday, Wang said that bilateral relations in the past few years have suffered an all-round impact due to the wrong China policy pursued by the United States and that the U.S. has wantonly interfered in Chinas internal affairs.

Beijing has been urging the U.S. to use caution on matters related to Taiwan, which has been included in the detailed ground rules China laid out in late July for engagement with the Biden administration on bilateral issues.

In September, the foreign ministry warned the United States against recognizing a change of the name of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington to the Taiwan Representative Office. Last month, a Ministry of National Defense spokesperson urged the U.S. to stop any form of official exchange or military contact with Taiwan following a U.S. statement that said the Pentagon will help Taiwan maintain its defensive capabilities.

Wang said Sunday that the U.S. claim that Chinas change of the status quo was the cause for the tension across the Taiwan Straits was misleading, saying that the situation has arisen as the Taiwan authorities have repeatedly tried to break through the one-China framework, and criticizing the U.S. for its connivance and support for Taiwan independence forces.

For his part, Blinken was quoted in the Chinese foreign ministrys statement as reiterating that the U.S. will continue to adhere to the one-China policy and saying the country is willing to maintain communication with China, manage differences responsibly, and avoid confrontation or crisis.

A readout issued by the U.S. Department of State said Blinken has underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between the two countries. The statement said Blinken also raised concerns about a range of PRC actions that undermine the international rules-based order and that run counter to our values and interests and those of our allies and partners, including issues related to Taiwan.

The two senior officials also discussed issues including climate change, energy supply, the situation on the Korean peninsula, Myanmar and Afghanistan, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)

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St. Johnsbury, VT (05819)

Today

Some lingering evening flurries or snow showers. Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. Low 24F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some lingering evening flurries or snow showers. Evening clouds will give way to clearing overnight. Low 24F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Cedar Point town manager David Rief said Wednesday hes pleased family and friends of late owner Drew Lutheran are about 60% finished cleaning up properties at 1121 and 1127 Highway 24 in town. (Brad Rich photo)
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Photo: Contributed

Are you fearful of what your retirement will look like?

If so, youre not alone. Many Canadians are fearful of what their retirement will look like because there is so much unknown of what it will look like.

Some of the biggest retirement mistakes are caused by a simple lack of communication and planning. Whether you are currently retired or still a few years out from that magic date, take a few minutes to read over the most common mistakes and see if any of them sound familiar to you:

Only one spouse is handling the finances - Its very important that both partners actively participate in financial matters. If only one spouse handles everything and they become ill or pass away, it can be an tough shock to the surviving partner in an already difficult time.

You assume that your estate will be simple  Every couple needs to have a will, power of attorney and a representative agreement no matter how straightforward you feel your affairs are. Just because you are married, it doesnt mean your spouse can automatically make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to.

Also, think very carefully about who you appoint as your executor. While many people assign an adult child to this role, you need to carefully evaluate if they are actually up to this task  and you also need to ask them if they want to take it on.

You have never really talked about your expectations for retirement  While youre busy working and raising a family, life seems to fly by and you probably dont have enough free time to worry about how youre going to fill it. When you retire, you may find out you have a lot more time on your hands and you may see your spouse a lot more than you are used to.

Its important to sit down with your partner and find out what each of you envisions for your retirement  you may have very different ideas of what it will look like and a discussion of what you foresee can go a long way in understanding and adapting to each others ideas.

Is your portfolio able to support an emergency?  Although you may be able to survive comfortably on your retirement savings, pension and government benefits, you need to evaluate how your portfolio will fare if an emergency strikes.

An illness, major home repair or other financial emergency should be considered up front and you need to have a plan in place to fund these unexpected costs. Ideally, an emergency fund in a TFSA or Non-Registered investment account should be earmarked for the unforeseen emergency which will give you a great deal of peace of mind.

Many couples have no financial or retirement plan  A properly structured financial plan will include all of the above items plus many more. Ideally this plan will be created at an early age and you will adjust and adapt it as you get closer to retirement.

However, no matter what age or stage you are at, if you dont already have a plan in place its better late than never. Your retirement plan should have realistic estimates of how much money you will need in retirement and aside from what many people think, you will often need more income per year, not less to reach your retirement goals.

Retirement planning is an evolving process and one that requires regular checkups and adjustments to keep on track. While certainly significant ones, the above mistakes I outlined are only some of the many pitfalls that can have significant impact on your retirement and financial future.

If you havent done so already, speak to a certified financial planning professional to make sure your retirement is on the right path.
Photo: The Canadian Press

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson opened a global climate summit Monday, saying the world is strapped to a doomsday device.

Johnson likened an ever-warming Earths position to that of fictional secret agent James Bond  strapped to a bomb that will destroy the planet and trying to work out how to defuse it.

He told leaders that we are in roughly the same position  only now the ticking doomsday device is not fiction. The threat is climate change, triggered by the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, and he pointed out that it all started in Glasgow with James Watt's steam engine powered by coal.

He was kicking off the world leaders' summit portion of a U.N. climate conference, which is aimed at getting agreement to curb carbon emissions fast enough to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) below pre-industrial levels. The world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit). Current projections based on planned emissions cuts over the next decade are for it to hit 2.7C (4.9F) by the year 2100.

Johnson told the summit that humanity had run down the clock when it comes to climate change, and the time for action is now. He pointed out that the more than 130 world leaders who gathered had an average age of over 60, while the generations most harmed by climate change aren't yet born.

Johnson called for the end of coal-fired power plants and gasoline-powered cars along with a huge influx of cash from rich nations to poor to help them switch to greener economies and adapt to the worsening climate impacts.

Britains leader struck a gloomy note on the eve of the conference, after leaders from the Group of 20 major economies made only modest climate commitments at their summit in Rome this weekend.

And that mood got only darker when United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres followed him.

We are digging our own graves, Guterres said. Our planet is changing before our eyes  from the ocean depths to mountaintops, from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events.

Britain's Prince Charles told the world leaders they need to save our precious planet and that the eyes and hopes of the world are upon you.

After Johnson, Guterres, Prince Charles and an impassioned 95-year-old Sir David Attenborough, scores of other leaders will traipse to the podium Monday and Tuesday at crucial international climate talks in Scotland and talk about what their country is going to do about the threat of global warming. From U.S. President Joe Biden to Seychelles President Wavel John Charles Ramkalawan, they are expected to say how their nation will do its utmost, challenge colleagues to do more and generally turn up the rhetoric.

The biggest names, including Indias Narendra Modi, Frances Emmanuel Macron and Ibrahim Solih, president of hard hit Maldives, will take the stage Monday.

And then the leaders will leave.

The idea is that they will do the big political give-and-take, setting out broad outlines of agreement, and then have other government officials hammer out the nagging but crucial details. Thats what worked to make the historic 2015 Paris climate deal a success, former U.N. Climate Secretary Christiana Figueres told The Associated Press.

For heads of state, it is actually a much better use of their strategic thinking, Figueres said.

In Paris, the two signature goals  the 1.5-degree Celsius limit and net zero carbon emissions by 2050  were created by this leaders-first process, Figueres said. In the unsuccessful 2009 Copenhagen meeting the leaders swooped in at the end.

Thousands lined up in a chilly wind in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday to get through a bottleneck at the entrance to the venue. But what will be noticeable are a handful of major absences at the summit known as COP26.

Xi Jinping, president of top carbon-polluting nation China, wont be in Glasgow. Figueres said his absence isnt that big a deal because he isn't leaving the country during the pandemic and his climate envoy is a veteran negotiator.

Biden, however, has chided China and Russia for their less than ambitious efforts to curb emissions and blamed them for a disappointing G-20 statement on climate change.

Perhaps more troublesome for the U.N. summit is the absence of several small nations from the Pacific islands that couldnt make it because of COVID-19 restrictions and logistics. Thats a big problem because their voices relay urgency, Figueres said.

In addition, the heads of several major emerging economies beyond China are also skipping the summit, including those from Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa. That leaves Indias Modi the only leader present from the so-called BRICS nations, which account for more than 40% of global emissions.

Kevin Conrad, a negotiator from Papua New Guinea who also chairs the Coalition for Rainforest Nations, said hes watching the big carbon-polluting nations. I think its really important for the United States and China to show leadership as the two largest emitters. If both of them can show it can be done, I think they give hope to the rest of the world, he said.

The amount of energy unleashed by such warming would melt much of the planets ice, raise global sea levels and greatly increase the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather, experts say.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the memory of Lytton, B.C., on Monday as he called for global action in the fight against climate change and formally committed to a cap on emissions produced by Canadas oil and gas sector.

The prime minister was speaking at the 26th meeting of the Council of Parties to the UN climate convention, known as COP26, where more than 120 world leaders have gathered for two days to assess global efforts to address what many see as an existential problem.

It was in that context that Trudeau referenced the record-setting temperatures that set the stage for the devastating wildfire that swept through the village of Lytton in June, destroying much of the community.

What happened in Lytton can and has and will happen anywhere, Trudeau told the assembled leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. How many more signs do we need? This is our time to step up  and step up together.

Trudeau went on to formally launch his governments latest effort to reduce Canadas greenhouse gas emissions by committing to a cap on emissions from the countrys oil and gas sector.

Such a cap had been promised in the Liberals recent election platform, with plans to force emissions down until they hit net zero in 2050. A lack of regulations for the sector has long been a sore spot between environmental groups and Ottawa.

Well cap oil and gas sector emissions today and ensure they decrease tomorrow at a pace and scale needed to reach net zero by 2050, Trudeau told the leaders.

Thats no small task for a major oil and gas producing country. Its a big step thats absolutely necessary.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was expected to send a letter to the governments new net-zero advisory body to start the process later on Monday.

Trudeau arrived at COP from the G20 leaders' summit in Rome, where leaders agreed that global warming had to be limited to 1.5 C by the end of this century. However, they failed to agree on specific actions to make that happen.

While Trudeau promised to cap oil and gas sector emissions, Canada will not be increasing its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions further than what was announced earlier this year.

In July, Canada formally submitted its new target, which aims to have 40 to 45 per cent fewer emissions than in 2005 by 2030, to the UN. The previous target was a 30 per cent reduction in emissions from 2005 by 2030.

The prime minister said Sunday that while there is always a lot of attention on the setting of targets, not enough attention goes to meeting them. He said Canada is now focused on implementing the policies needed to meet its existing targets.

To that end, he used his address on Monday to list the actions his government has taken to make good on its promises, including putting a price on carbon.

He also noted that Canada has committed $5.3 billion to help low and middle-income nations with their emissions-reduction and mitigation efforts, with up to $1 billion of that funding will be dedicated to helping countries transition away from coal.
Photo: Jon Manchester

A former Richmond investment adviser has been fined $50,000 and banned for four years for misconduct, according to the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.

Following a disciplinary hearing in August in Vancouver, the IIROC announced earlier this month that the hearing panel found Alberto Storelli was liable of compensating clients, providing an unauthorized account statement to clients, making misrepresentations to IIROC enforcement staff and failing to co-operate during the regulatory bodys investigation.

The IIROC enforcement counsel argued the clients were vulnerable as some were senior citizens, and others had a familial or friendship connection with Storelli, according to the decision.

At the time of the violations, Storelli was a registered representative with the Richmond branch of Global Maxfin Capital Inc, an IIROC-regulated firm.

The sanctions follow allegations that from Sept. 2014 to Dec. 2017 Storelli paid financial compensation clients without the knowledge or approval of Global Maxfin  including payments to clients who made complaints  and, on or around June 2015, provided clients an unauthorized account statement about the value of a private company.

Whether or not the account statement was false, this is a serious offence because it deceives both the client and the Dealer Member, the decision reads.

The allegations also include that, between January 2017 and January 2018, Storelli made misrepresentations to IIROC enforcement staff during their investigation  relating to past dealings with clients prior to working at Global Maxfin  and, between February 2018 and March 2018, failed to co-operate with enforcement staff.

The decision notes Storelli did not respond to the allegations against him or appear at any prehearing conferences.

The panel noted Storelli is dealing with a medical condition, according to the document, and it had adjourned the matter several times and offered to provide accommodations.

As he did not provide evidence that he was unable to or incapable of proceeding with a hearing, the panel proceeded with the hearing, which was done in his absence.

He had no previous disciplinary history.

The IIROC launched an investigation into Storelli in January 2017. Storelli also resigned in that year and has not been registered with the IIROC since.

Storelli was fined $50,000 and prohibited from approval for work in the investment industry in any capacity for four years. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in costs to the IIROC.
Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers a short speech at at the 26th meeting of the Council of Parties to the UN climate convention, known as COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The chief executive of a Calgary-based energy company says a federally imposed cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector is reckless and dangerous.

At the UN climate conference in Scotland on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally committed to imposing emissions caps on Canada's oil and gas industry.

The government's new net-zero advisory body will be tasked with helping craft targets for the oil and gas cap.

But Grant Fagerheim, CEO of Whitecap Resources Inc., says he worries the government is setting unrealistic targets.

Fagerheim says the oil and gas sector is making progress reducing emissions, but reaching net-zero is going to take decades.

He says if the government hobbles the industry with unrealistic caps, Canadians will be faced with higher energy prices in years to come.
Photo: The Canadian Press A woman holds two cellphones in this photo illustration, Monday March 29, 2021 in Chelsea, Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A pair of public interest advocacy groups have asked the federal telecommunications regulator to delay a public hearing into Rogers Communications Inc.'s deal to buy Shaw Communications Inc.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the National Pensioners Federation said in a letter Monday that the CRTC should postpone the Nov. 22 start of hearings because the boardroom infighting at Rogers has made it unclear who is in control of the company.

The two groups say that since the directors of the company are in doubt, it's unclear whether any submissions made in the name of Rogers continue to be supported by the board, and whether comments made by directors at the hearing will be supported by the company.

"[We] are concerned that the commission will not be able to conduct the hearing in a manner that is fair to all parties and protects the public interest until and unless the confusion surrounding the effective control of Rogers is adequately resolved."

The advocacy groups say that while delaying the hearings would negatively affect Rogers, the potential harm of going ahead with the hearings without certainty as to who is in charge risks greater harm to the public interest.

"Given the significant uncertainty that exists today regarding the corporate control of Rogers, proceeding with the hearing would cause prejudice to the public, the CRTC and to interveners."

The letter comes on the first day of hearings as Edward Rogers, son of late Rogers founder Ted Rogers, tries to have a B.C. court declare legitimate the board he formed after he was ousted as chair last month.

He claims that he has the power to fire and appoint board members because he is chair of the Rogers Control Trust.

However, his mother Loretta Rogers, sisters Melinda Rogers-Hixon and Martha Rogers and their associates say Edward Rogers' board is illegitimate and the only valid board is the one that existed prior to his changes.

Shaw declined to comment on the request by the advocacy groups, while Rogers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Along with the CRTC, the $26-billion deal including debt is also being reviewed by the Competition Bureau of Canada and the federal department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development.
Polls will open in less than 24 hours across Georgia for this year's general and special election, One of the most-watched races is the one for mayor of Atlanta.
Travel to Croatia during Covid-19: What you need to know before you go
November 1, 2021 Ongoing global monitoring for respiratory viruses with pandemic potential has recently identified three new human infections with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus (or A(H5N6) bird flu) in China. Reported influenza A(H5N6) virus infections during 2021 have doubled the number of such cases detected since this virus was first found in people in 2014, raising concerns about the risk of additional human zoonotic infections and the pandemic potential of this virus. In coordination with the World Health Organization Global Influenza Program, CDC and global partners reviewed laboratory and epidemiologic data for influenza A(H5N6) viruses as well as existing H5 candidate vaccine viruses (CVVs) to assess their relatedness to current influenza A(H5N6) viruses during September 2021. Based on current antigenic, genetic and epidemiologic data, it was determined that previously recommended H5 CVVs are still expected to offer protection against influenza A(H5N6) viruses should vaccination be needed.

CDC takes routine public health preparedness measures whenever a virus with zoonotic or pandemic potential is identified. This includes conducting a risk assessment and, as appropriate, preparing CVVs that could be used to rapidly make vaccines if needed. CDC conducted a formal risk assessment of highly pathogenic influenza A(H5N6) viruses in April 2016 and determined that these viruses posed a moderate risk in terms of their potential to cause a pandemic as well as the potential to cause moderate public health impact if they were to spread person-to-person. Since the first identification of human infections with influenza A(H5N6) viruses in 2014, multiple H5 CVVs have been developed to cover different antigenic groups of these viruses. A new risk assessment of influenza A(H5N6) is currently underway. Analysis of influenza A(H5N6) viruses also shows that these viruses remain susceptible to influenza antiviral medications, such as the neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir, zanamivir, peramivir) and polymerase acidic (PA) protein inhibitor (baloxavir), meaning that treatment options would be available.

Since 2014 when the first influenza A(H5N6) infection in a person was detected in China, 51 such infections have been reported, including 25 during 2021, as of October 29, 2021. Twenty-four of the 25 cases identified in 2021 were detected in China and one was detected in Lao PDR. The case in Lao PDR was the first human infection with influenza A(H5N6) reportedexternal icon outside of China.

Most of the cases of influenza A(H5N6) reported in China during 2021 have had exposure to birds prior to illness onset. The three newest infections occurred in adults who, as of October 29, 2021, were reportedly hospitalized or in critical condition. There have been seven deaths (all in China) from influenza A(H5N6) this year. As of October 29, 2021, of the 51 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with influenza A(H5N6) virus reported to the World Health Organization since 2014, 25 infections resulted in death.

Avian influenza is a disease caused by infection with type A bird flu viruses. These viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. Bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with these viruses do occur. This is concerning because of the possibility that bird flu viruses could change and gain the ability to spread easily between people, with the potential to cause a flu pandemic; therefore, continued monitoring for human infections of bird flu and person-to-person spread is extremely important for public health.

Infected birds shed flu virus in their saliva, mucous and feces. Human infections with bird flu viruses can happen when enough virus gets into a persons eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled. Influenza A(H5N6) was first detected in poultry in 2013 and has continued to spread among wild bird and poultry in many countries around the world. While rare human infections with this and other bird flu viruses have occurred most often after unprotected contact with infected birds or contaminated environments, some infections have been identified where direct contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces was not known to have occurred.

These infections serve as a reminder of the importance of following CDCs recommended prevention measures for people to take when around birds, especially when traveling to countries where bird flu is endemic in poultry and underscore the importance of ongoing pandemic preparedness measures.

CDC is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide updates as needed. The risk to the U.S. public from these viruses is currently considered to be low, but each case of human infection with a bird flu virus should be fully investigated to be sure that such viruses are not spreading person-to-person and to limit further exposure of humans to infected animals or environments. More information on bird flu can be found here.
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A pumpkin: this unusual object was chosen for its multiple textures by CEA engineers and researchers to make the first images with the world's most powerful 11.7 T human whole-body MRI of the Iseult project, installed at NeuroSpin at CEA-Paris-Saclay.

With a resolution of 400 microns in three dimensions, the images of the cucurbit prefigure the prowess that the scientific and technical teams of the CEA and their partners will be able to achieve in order to probe the human brain, for the benefit of fundamental research, cognitive sciences and in understanding brain pathologies. These first acquisitions validate the entire process that has made it possible, thanks to multiple technological breakthroughs, to transform an "outstanding" magnet into an MRI machine.

 The development of the Iseult project magnet has been an exceptional human, technological and industrial adventure. To see it come to fruition with the achievement of the magnet nominal field strength - 11.7 T - followed by these first high-resolution images, which are so promising, is a real source of pride for all of us  enthuses Anne-Isabelle Etienvre, director of CEA-Irfu.

These images are the culmination of 20 years of research that have enabled us to apply innovative technological developments made for CERN to medical research. This achievement is also the fruit of a Franco-German cooperation initiated in 2006, which involved academic partners, the University of Freiburg, and industrial partners, Bruker Biospin, Alstom, now part of General Electric, Guerbet and Siemens Healthineers. Siemens Healthineers has installed the MAGNETOM 11.7 T imaging equipment that has enabled the acquisition of these first images.

With our 7 Tesla scanner MAGNETOM Terra firmly established for clinical use and our recent introduction of 0.55 Tesla High-V MRI, it is exciting to me to keep pushing the envelope even further. I am very happy that our joint team effort pays off now. We cant wait to see what exciting new insights imaging at 11.7T will bring and to continue our long-standing innovation track at ultra-high-field, says Arthur Kaindl, Head of MRI at Siemens Healthineers.

Nevertheless, several optimizations still need to be carried out to obtain images of a quality approaching a resolution of 100 to 200 microns at 11.7 T. Before the Iseult MRI is fully commissioned and the first in vivo images are acquired on a human subject, the teams will be working in the coming months on the final verifications of the imaging equipment and the first tests of the radiofrequency coil developed specifically for the Iseult project. In 2022, the European Aroma project will be further deployed to develop a methodology for the optimal operation of this MRI. Finally, once the health authorities have given their approval, the new MRI will be used to conduct research with the help of volunteers.

For Stanislas Dehaene, director of NeuroSpin, the neuroimaging platform at CEA-Paris-Saclay,  Thanks to this extraordinary MRI, our researchers are looking forward to studying the anatomical and structural organization of the brain in greater detail. This work will undoubtedly lead to major clinical applications .

An extraordinary magnet at the heart of the MRI from the Iseult project

132 tons, 5 m in length, 5 m in external diameter and 90 cm in internal diameter (to allow the passage of a whole human body): these are the extraordinary dimensions of the magnet of the Iseult project, which reaches a nominal magnetic field of 11.7 teslas, much more powerful than that of standard hospital MRIs (typically 1.5 or 3 T). To achieve this field, the magnet is powered by a current of 1,500 amps. The conductor coils are permanently cooled by helium in a superfluid state at 1.8 Kelvin (-271.35C). The magnetic field of 11.7 T is a world record in the field of MRI for such a volume, and an absolute record with this type of superconductor material.

This magnet was designed by a CEA team that had already designed Tokamak magnets and the magnets for the CERN detectors that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson. Its manufacture began in 2010 in the Alstom - now GE - plant in Belfort and will take six years. Nearly four years of installation and fine-tuning work to achieve the required field homogeneity will then have been necessary before it is ready for operational use in 2021.




Chino, CA (91710)

Today

Some sun in the morning with increasing clouds during the afternoon. High 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Strong Santa Ana winds possible. Low around 55F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
The story is being told that CHI Memorial Hospital posted a list of open positions before purging about 100 employees who balked at taking the COVID vaccine. These employees, all good ones at their jobs, will be fired first thing tomorrow for non-compliance to a very unpopular mandate by a very unpopular president. Thats one thing  but to post the open positions, as the nonvaxxers are still working, is colder than this weekends rains, brother.

Chattanoogas biggest hospital, Erlanger, got in on the bitterness Thursday by removing the immensely popular Chris Young as the hospitals Chief of Staff in a move that magnifies Erlangers overall dysfunction.

Young, elected by the medical staff, purportedly embarrassed the hospital in a PBS Frontline special, whereas many who saw it thought it instead reflected Dr. Youngs 30-year love for the hospital and its people.

Several states are actively defying the presidential mandate that many believe will cripple the nation instead of helping in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Mandates will cripple other key industries as well. The Tennessee legislature is currently drawing up anti-mandate legislation and, as Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama believes, the courts will decide mandates are not legal.

Already it is being assailed as an attack on hospital workers and, with nursing shortages now critical and nationwide, this business of hospitals shooting their wounded makes absolutely no sense. Memorial and Erlanger have made this Halloween Weekend a human resources nightmare when, as history will soon prove, neither event needed to happen.

Both Erlanger and Memorial are understaffed, which brings up an anonymous Letter from a Nurse the boards of both medical providers should not only read, but investigate and correct.

* * *

A BRUTALLY HONEST LETTER FROM A NURSE

Imagine this. You walk onto the floor, and you have 25 patients. 25 humans you are responsible for, 25 humans you will have to know everything about. When they eat, if they eat, how much they pee, what color it is, when their last bowel movement was, what color, shape, and consistency it was, what their labs look like, their cognitive status, if they have wounds, what meds are due, what are their vitals.

You get to the floor and get report on these 25 people. All not well, some with orders that need completing. One has bladder scans every 6 hours and has to be cathed if they are over a certain limit, one is on an IV infusion every 6 hours and frequent monitoring. 5 are aggressive and need to be kept away from others. At least one had a fall requiring neuro checks every hour, one is dying with no family at their side.

Then imagine being short staffed.

Then imagine the family calling wanting a check up on their family members and complaining when you cant get on the phone right now.

Imagine that you are in the middle of cleaning up a patient, alone, when the family calls and can't stop to take the call but will call them as soon as you're done.

Imagine your manager reprimanding you for not taking the call as the family is angry and complaining.

Then imagine 6 of those 25 calling out for pain meds every 2 hours. Some of it is pain seeking, some of it is actual pain from the cancer. Then the one that is dying needs pain meds for comfort every hour and just wants someone at their bedside. Oh, and don't forget the high fall-risk patients that you have circled around your station so you can keep an eye on them.

Then imagine doing everything you can for all these humans you are responsible for and getting cursed out, talked down to, criticized for not being fast enough asked Where were you? told Ive been on the light for 20 minutes?!

Now imagine also not having an enough Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) -- the backbone of the skilled nursing system! So now, with all of that, you also trying to help respond to call lights, bathroom calls, changing patients, turning patients every 2 hours, getting water, getting snacks, emptying catheters, measuring intake and output, bathing, and more changing.

Imagine a patient getting upset because you didn't bring them coffee and snacks quick enough and giving meds for comfort to your dying patient.

And now you have a new admit coming to the floor with a wound vac, needing pain meds that you don't have. Another human, another life, to take care of.

Now imagine administration always complaining you never do enough, dressings arent changed on time, tubing isnt labeled correctly, rooms are messy. Charting isn't done, write ups are threatened.

This is nursing ... today.

This is why we are burned out.

This is why we are short staffed.

This is why nurses and CNAs are leaving the profession.

(Signed anonymously)

* * *

royexum@aol.com
The Rev. Dr. Gordon Clifton Goodgame, Sr., who was a popular minister at First-Centenary United Methodist in the 1980s, has died at age 87.

He passed away on Wednesday at Mission Hospital in Waynesville, N.C., surrounded by his family.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Dianne (Fraser), three children Gordon C. Goodgame, Jr., Gregory C Goodgame (Kay Stakely), and Cathey Goodgame; and grandchildren Gordon III, Fraser, Oliver, Mae and Nicholas.

A member of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church, Dr.

Goodgame served as executive director of the SEJ Administrative Council and Lake Junaluska Assembly from 1994 to 2000.

As a resident of Lake Junaluska, he was a regular participant in the life of First UMC, active in the Waynesville Rotary Club with 17 years of perfect attendance, served as a director and chair of Development and Public Relations on the Givens Board, chaired the county Alzheimers Walk for three years, and worked in support of this cause continuously. He chaired the Lake Junaluska Flea Market in 2005 and 2006, worked with the allocation committee of the United Way, and was a consistent supporter of many local charities and foundations.

Funeral arrangements are by Wells Funeral Home of Waynesville. Arrangements will be announced later.
The redistricting of District 1 and 2 should be titled, Saving Commissioner Chip Baker.

First, I wish to thank the Hamilton County Commissioners and Chairwoman Sabrena Smedley on their redistricting effort, which is no small matter. Smedley will make a super-fine mayor for Hamilton County, as the Chattanoogan poll has demonstrated. I base this upon her in depth operational experience, with the added bonus of a fiscal conservative voting record that kept over 40 million or so in the hands of businesses and residents. The Wamp kids will have to wait.

Whether we agree or not, I do appreciate what the elected do.

Redistricting has long been one of those processes where there are elected benefactors, others that are slighted, and some communities are silenced through redistricting. The latter is called voter suppression. Perhaps if county redistricting arrives at a place where everyone is equally unhappy, then job well done.

Yall, redistricting is the publics business, and the public is allowed to convey concerns by all means available to them, write, email, and speak at meetings, it is our right as citizens.

Aside from the constitutional aspects of political speech, I feel that the famous Horton said it best, A person is a person no matter how small. In other words, a commissioners voice is no more important than a citizens voice. Citizen voices can move mountains as a collective, and as long as elected folks are genuine in their motives and actions, it all works very well.

So, this is my best attempt to voice concerns about the proposed 11-district commission plan. I believe that,

There is no real basis for drastic redistricting, especially to expand the commission from 9 to 11 districts, and create two new districts.

Merging Mowbray Mountain with Signal Mountain for a new District 2, and dumping Red Bank and North Chattanooga from District 2 is all for the benefit of one man, Commissioner Baker. More about this.

I have read that the current basis for redistricting to an 11-member commission is that Hamilton County has increased in population. These population numbers are published often to justify an 11-district commission.

Population, Census, April 1, 2020 366,207

Population, Census, April 1, 2010 336,463

Granted, Hamilton County has experienced a recent COVID boom with an influx of folks fleeing liberal states, and relocating to conservative states where commerce and low taxes flourish. Another draw is for retirees, no state income tax in the great state of Tennessee. Yall, Tennessee is not only stunningly beautiful, but our politics have made the state a commerce success. Our state legislature does a great job. There are numerous articles and maps on the great COVID relocation from liberal states, such as California, New York, Illinois and other liberal states.

I say to our new neighbors, welcome yall to stunningly beautiful Southeast Tennessee, low taxes, and wonderful conservative policies that brought you here.

Another source indicates that Hamilton County is growing in population by less than one percent, which is consistent with an historic trend, but may not fully capture the COVID flight from liberal states. This source lists a few thousand more. Census is not perfect.

Year Population Growth Rate

2020 371,315 0.95%

2019 367,804 0.96%

2018 364,293 0.90%

2017 361,032 0.91%

Hamilton Countys population increased by almost 40,000 from 2010 through 2020. That would be less than 4,000 new residents per each commissioner, assuming equal population density. Some areas grew more than others, and this is where the GIS technical experts are working with the commission. The commissioners are dealing with many constraints in population density and Tennessee Code Annotated, yikes I say.

What about the cost of adding two more county commissioners in the 11-district proposal? How much is it going to cost to add two new county commissioners, and eventually upon state law revision, two new school board members? The commissioners are compensated at $24,500 per year. The chairman is paid an extra $5,000 and the vice chairman an extra $2,500. The commissioners also receive health insurance, retirement benefits, and other perks. So, if the taxpayers must fund two additional commissioners, and potentially two more school board members, upon revisions to state law, the cost should be provided to the taxpayers. A rough guess is the cost of two new county commissioners, and two new school board members to be at around $200,000 a year, including all taxpayer funded benefits. I have not put a pencil to the pad to be exact, and assumed benefits were about 38 percent of the salary, plus travel, and so on.

Given the fact that the income per capita in Hamilton County is reported to be only $36,000 a year, spending and taxation by government matters.

The population increase of 40,000 or so is a weak basis for the drastic redistricting contained in the proposed 11-district plan. It is a reasonable argument for modest revisions in areas that have increased in population density.

Yall, divide the county nine ways, and move forward, as many commissions before have. Stop growing the elected class, and creating a new expense for taxpayers.

My second concern.

District 1 has always been comprised of Mowbray Mountain and Soddy Daisy, as we are one community. It is where Mowbray residents send their children to school, shop, attend church, and meet friends at Wimpies. Mowbray Mountain children have always attended Soddy Daisy Schools, since the Mowbray Elementary was decommissioned in the 1980s. There are no schools on Mowbray Mountain. District 1 is represented by Commissioner Randy Fairbanks and school board member Rhonda Thurman.

District 2 includes Signal Mountain, a corridor to Red Bank, and part of North Chattanooga for as long as I can remember. It has never been a problem before. Signal Mountain residents have huge connectivity to Red Bank. District 2 is represented by Commissioner Chip Baker and school board member Marco Perez, both residents of Signal Mountain.

The 11-commission district proposal creates a division line between Soddy Daisy and Mowbray Mountain, and places Mowbray in District 2 with Signal Mountain. Lets keep in mind the children on Mowbray attend Soddy Daisy schools. Mowbray Mountain will be represented by Signal Mountain under the proposed plan.

Why is that a problem?

Signal Mountain has a population of an estimated 8,720 per sources including census. I have found sources for Mowbray that cite a population of around 1,800. If Mowbray Mountain is hijacked from District 1 to District 2 in the 11-district proposal, we will always have Signal Mountain elected representation. The move by Commissioner Baker to take Mowbray Mountain, and dump his District 2 sections of Red Bank and North Chattanooga is obviously about getting re-elected. No surprise there.

The sad part is Mowbray Mountain voted in majority with Soddy Daisy to have representation in their community. With the voting population and majority on Signal Mountain, Mowbray Mountain will get whatever Signal Mountain elects for the next 10 years. That is a given.

The children on Mowbray Mountain attend Soddy Daisy schools, not Signal Mountain, and will not be served by a school board member on Signal Mountain. This is highly objectionable for the children that reside on Mowbray.

The redistricting of Mowbray Mountain to District 2 is all about tossing some Mowbray Republicans to one commissioner, at the expense of an entire community. Elected representation on Signal Mountain for Mowbray is an absurd idea, even to help one commissioner get re-elected.

I am certain that the residents and voters on Mowbray Mountain are not aware of what is occurring in the saving Commissioner Baker redistricting plan. The rush to pass this 11-district mistake is totally unacceptable, as there are real problems in the plan that we the people are certain to be stuck with for 10 years.

The will of one elected person has created this problem.

Please commissioners, dont rush to vote on Tuesday, please defer. It is too important. Ten years is a long time for the voters on Mowbray Mountain to be stuck with a plan to get one person on Signal Mountain elected.

Please dont be shy John and Jane Q Public, speak up. This plan is your representation plan for the next 10 years.

April Eidson
On September 20, 2021, I wrote an article under the Happenings column titled Leo Frank  Atlantas Murder Victim.

Since I started submitting this and many other historical accounts dealing with persons, places, and events in the South over the past few years I have been surprised by the number of e-mails that I have received from readers with comments about the content of the writings.

Research today is often accomplished by the use of the Internet and social media.

If it is a topic that I have some personal knowledge or obtained through surviving witnesses, I will often supplement the content of the prior data with my own thoughts.

Sometimes due to the age of the subject my articles will follow a particular path which I have tried to review, revise and not just cut and paste what a prior writer has stated outside any legal documents.

To this extent, I have and hopefully always will welcome countervailing versions in an effort to write the truth (or at least present both sides of disputed history) in the tradition of well-known journalist and commentator Paul Harvey to tell the other side of the story.

In that vein, on Thursday, October 14, 2021, I received in the mail a copy of a 531- page paperback novel titled The Secret Relationship between Blacks and Jews  The Leo Frank Case-The Lynching of a Guilty Man. It is Volume 3 of multiple works that are strongly criticized by many scholars as being antisemitic and misinterpreting the historical record.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) (formerly the Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith) was founded in 1913 and is an international Jewish non-governmental organization that was created after the verdict in the Leo Frank murder case.

The book was written by the Nation of Islam and supposedly was sent to me by a descendant of the murder victim, 13-year-old Mary Phagan.

Although the sender clearly used their name and even included their mailing address, I see no reason to reveal their identity in this article although in this era of no secrecy over the world wide web I will leave that disclosure to the curious few who desire to seek that information.

Obviously, the version in this book of the historical case involves a different interpretation of the facts and identify of the alleged murderer presented in the Leo Frank case. It also is contrary to my initial articles final remarks by others. Included in the voluminous treatise are examples of specific articles in national and Georgia newspapers that clearly show an elaborate and expensive campaign to create the sympathetic image that Leo Frank was wrongly convicted and executed by a mob.

Pro and con documents address the numerous appeals through various trial and appellate courts that finally decided the legal issues that were addressed by the Georgia and U.S. Supreme Courts. The Nation of Islam book presents alleged multiple factual accounts of unethical conduct, bribery of witnesses and conflicts of interest that tarnish the very fiber of the legal justice system that existed in America at that time. Yellow journalism was committed without any restraint on both sides of the questions of guilt or innocent issue of the accused.

Paul Harvey would address this other side of the story, and I am trying to do so likewise with the intent of presenting a complete picture. The unpleasant subjects of anti-Semitism, the tragic conflicts between all races and the divisions in our country (and the world) unfortunately have existed for thousands of years and remain in place today.

The book I received that was authored by the Nation of Islam in 2016 contains over 1,200 selective footnotes, quotations and both legal and newspaper sources since the death of Leo Frank by a lynch mob after he was involuntarily removed from the state prison in Milledgeville. He was transported to the hometown of the victim, Mary Phagan, in Marietta and his hanging took place at Freys Gin on August 17, 1915.

It boldly asserts that anti-Semitism was never raised in the trial court by either side but the attack on the state's main witness, a black employee, Jim Conley, at Leo Franks place of employment at the National Pencil Company, as manager was prevalent throughout as an anti-black defense.

However, after the verdict of guilt and the sentence of death was rendered by the Court it was asserted and shown that a national anti-Semitism defense campaign was started by Jewish leaders in the news media, religious, merchandising, financial, and advertising industries that would continue until the post-humous pardon of Frank in 1986 by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles that continues to the present.

On June 15, 1915, Georgia Governor John Marshall Slaton had commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment. This would result in the killing of any political ambitions by Slaton and it is also claimed that he and his family were run out of Georgia under the protection of the National Guard for his own safety. They would relocate to San Francisco, California, where they would reside for several years prior to returning to Atlanta to resume a law practice with Franks main criminal defense attorney, Luther Rosser.

I included a chapter about the Frank case in my latest trivia book in 2021, Tri-State Reflections, which is a small historical compilation of people, places and events in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.

In an effort to include an equal number of articles from each of the three states I selected the Leo Frank case and erroneously assumed that the facts and issues in a 1913 case (108 years ago) had already been presented, argued and decided in both legal and non-legal circles.

As a result, I gave an abbreviated and one-sided account of another Trial of the Century which unfortunately included many actions by the participants and media that are no longer accepted today under due process of law and other violations of our Constitution.

For this reason, I am writing this follow-up article to attempt to present both sides of the Frank case.

Prior to a 1986 pardon a failed 1982-1983 campaign highlighted by the revelation of an 83-year-old white male, Alonzo Mann, created the incentive to bring the Frank case out of the dusty pages of history to the public and news media. Mann, through his attorney, John Jay Hooker, Jr. of Nashville, Tennessee claimed that on the date of Mary Phagans murder he was a 13-year-old office boy at the scene of the crime and that he had seen fellow employee and the key prosecution witness James Conley, carrying the victims body to the basement of the National Pencil Company near the first-floor stairway. He also claimed that Conley threatened his life if he ever disclosed what he had seen on the date of the crimes.

After 69 years of silence, Mann came forward with his story and guided by Hooker made his revelation which included the 1986 effort to convince the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles to take corrective action on the verdict of Leo Frank.

Although initially unsuccessful in 1983, Manns claimed story created a national publicity campaign and with the help of a trio of Nashville Tennessean reporters wrote a lengthy expose in its Sunday, March 7, 1982, edition and raised the question of whether Leo Frank had become a Jewish martyr or was still the rapist and murderer of the 13-year-old girl victim.

With the help of the Anti-Defamation League and pro-Frank articles that had been previously featured in the New York Times (NYT) in 1913-1915 the Middle Tennessee newspaper, the NYT, amongst others, and Hooker gave the tragic story a new life of its own in history.

This led to the 1986 pardon which did not exonerate Frank of the crime but allegedly was based on the unlawful abduction and the public hanging of Frank by a group of avengers under the name of Knights of Mary Phagan.

The Nation of Islam book claims that this title was created by the NYT in a single reference, but which was also allegedly communicated to a national readership by other self-interested authors.

Manns story was repeated in an affidavit, deposition led by the questioning and inadmissible answers of his attorney, John J. Hooker, and a publicity tour.

Like todays beneficiaries in the news media frenzy in any sensational historical event John Jay Hooker in the Islam book is also cited as revealing that the reporters of the Tennessean story were recipients of a book and movie deal executed by the two main Tennesseans journalists.

As expected, the Leo Frank  Mary Phagan event has been dramatized in many books, state, television and even a Public Broadcast System (PBS) documentary.

The history of any subject, good or bad, should be preserved as part of the freedom under the First Amendment that we enjoy as Americans.

The decision whether a fair verdict and result was rendered in the Leo Frank case or whether it has been politicized is left to the readers who review any of my writings or included sources.

Perhaps Paul Harvey would approve of this second article. I sincerely hope that my effort to adhere to his earlier efforts to present both sides in a public forum have now been followed!

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
Police were called to Puckett's at 2 West Aquarium Way where a man walked out on his tab. While en route, police were notified that the manager was following the man. Police found the man at the Hampton Inn. The general manager said they needed the man to pay his tab and that he needed to be trespassed. Police gave the man a ride back to Puckett's where he paid his tab. He was told that he is trespassed from Puckett's and is no longer allowed back on their property.

* * *

A man on East 35th Street told police someone stole the Tennessee license tag off of his 1988 Chevrolet. The tag has been entered in NCIC.

* * *

The operations manager of MHC Carrier Transicold at 3301 Cummings Road told police someone in a black 4-door car cut the chain securing the gate on the east side of the property, entered through that gate, and drove to the south side near a Ford truck. The employee said they then cut off and stole the catalytic converter of the truck and exited the lot through the same gate. He showed police video of the car movement on the property. The vehicle stopped on the opposite side of the truck from the cameras which blocked its view of the people who committed the theft. There is no suspect information.

* * *

An employee who works for CARTA said "Pastor Mike" was riding one of her buses and was being rude to the driver. Both the driver and "Pastor Mike" were gone upon police arrival, but the employee said she just wanted police to be aware of the situation.

* * *

An officer responded to a wellness check of a person on South Holtzclaw Avenue. The man was walking and then got down on all fours. The officer asked the man if he was okay and he replied that he was sick. The officer asked if he needed an ambulance and he said that he did not. He said he was going to go lie down. The officer confirmed he did not have any warrants. The man left on foot.

* * *

An unknown caller said a Ford Edge had been sitting at 203 North Lovell Ave. for several weeks. Police ran the vehicle and it did not come back as stolen. The vehicle is parked on the right side of the street and there is no "no parking" signs. At this time, nothing further is needed.

* * *

The manager of the FedEx warehouse at 1344 East 42nd St. said a temporary employee was upset about an incorrect amount on her paycheck. The manager told her that they do not handle pay and that another department does and she could contact the department and they would handle it. She was upset that the pay was not immediate and would take some time to fix, and she threw various boxes on the ground. The manager explained to police that there was no property damage, but she is concerned that the woman would return and wanted to document the event according to their policy.

* * *

An employee at Subway at 6429 Lee Hwy. told police that a customer was causing a disorder. The employee said he made a new sandwich and gave it to the man and he left the Subway.

* * *

Police were called to Mapco at 2727 Rossville Blvd. where a woman was seen lying on the sidewalk. The white female, who was wearing a blue sweatshirt and camo pants, appeared asleep and awoke immediately upon police contact. The female had slightly constricted eyes but appeared cognitively aware and okay. The woman said that she was okay, but refused to answer any further questions and denied to be medically assessed. She maintained that she was simply sleeping and sometimes suffers from narcolepsy. After a moment, the female asked if she was under arrest, to which police answered no. The female immediately walked away from the scene, leaving her backpack and bicycle behind. Due to the female appearing okay medically and having no apparent charges, no further police action was taken.

* * *

A woman told police over the phone that she was at the corner of Market Street and Main Street with her friend. She said there was a CARTA bus #21 who was turning from West Main Street left onto North Market Street. She said the bus almost hit her and her friend to the point they had to run out of the way. She said the bus never stopped. She said she would like this documented because she will be calling CARTA in the morning.

* * *

An officer was called to assist a citizen at 6510 Bonny Oaks Dr. Police saw the man walking in the roadway during rainy conditions. Police verified his identity and offered him a ride home. Police transported the man to Hemingway Drive without incident.

* * *

A man on Blackford Street said a woman was over and had taken his keys. Police made contact with the woman who gave police the keys and then police returned them to the man.

* * *

Police were called to Taylor Street to do a well-being check on a man. Police knocked on the door and identified themselves, but no response was heard or movement detected within the home beyond several pets. No exigent circumstances existed to enter the premise, so police were unable to make contact with the man.

* * *

A woman on Ray Jo Circle called police to say she received her 2022 registration renewal decal about two weeks ago and put it up. She says that she cannot locate it now and needs a report in order to get a replacement.

* * *

A man on Cheswick Road called police and said he has video of two people checking the door handles of his vehicles. The officer asked the man to email the videos to be forwarded to Auto Crimes.

* * *

A man on Union Avenue said someone stole his truck during the night. He said the keys were left in the ignition when he went to bed. The vehicle, a white GMC, was entered into NCIC. There is no suspect information.

* * *

A man with Runner's Market in Knoxville told police on the phone that someone had made counterfeit checks using his company's information, routing and account numbers to cash three checks in Chattanooga at First Horizon Bank. He said $4,938.05 was cashed at the 701 Market St. branch, $4,936.15 at the 3604 Tennessee Ave. branch and $5,952.67 at the 2001 E. 23rd St. branch. He said he has copies of the checks that he will be sending to the officer by email. He says he does not have time stamps to indicate what time the checks were cashed. He says the person then went to Nashville and cashed counterfeit checks there as well. The man says that First Horizon has credited the money back into his account, thus making the bank the victim. Somehow, the person was able to transfer money from the company's saving account to the checking account in order to cash the checks. He says he does not know how this was accomplished. The officer received the email and forwarded it to the Fraud Department.

* * *

An employee with Ulta Beauty at 366 Northgate Mall Dr. told police a black female entered the store twice and selected and removed six hair grooming irons. She told police the six irons totaled $949. A suspect picture is included in the report.

* * *

An officer responded to a vehicle recovered stolen at a residence on Alabama Ave. The vehicle was located in an alley between Alabama and St. Elmo Avenue (5500 block). It was unoccupied and had heavy front end damage. The dash had been taken apart. There is no suspect information available at this time.

* * *

A woman on South Hickory Street called police and said she had received a phone call from a person claiming to be Deputy Brandon Conley with the sheriff's office, badge #9736. The caller knew her full name and her address and that she is a realtor. The caller said she was assigned to jury duty in August and failed to show. He told her that she needs to go to the courthouse, see him and take care of the no show charges. The woman said she had a friend check and was told that badge numbers do not go that high. She says she wanted a report on file of this incident.
A teen charged in the murder last Monday of Alfred Pitmon Sr. on 7th Avenue told police he returned to the scene to look for a lost cellphone and found the victim dead. Marvin Menifee Jr., 19, denied he was the person who shot the victim.

Police answered a shooting call and found the deceased victim at the residence. Police said witnesses saw Menifee at the back of the residence with five other males in dark clothing.

Police said they recovered the missing cellphone in the back yard, along with video footage of Menifee and four other males walking toward the residence prior to Mr.

Pitmon being killed.

On Friday, police located Menifee and took him to the Police Service Center for an interview. Police said Menifee told them he was at the residence with four other males and wished to get marijuana. He told police Mr. Pitmon gave him the marijuana.

He told police he knew the other persons were planning on robbing the victim, and that he heard four gunshots and knew Mr. Pitmon had been shot.

He told police he fled the residence with the other four males and that they met back up in the East Lake Courts. He said he returned to the residence with two of the other males to retrieve a phone one of them had dropped.

He told police he did not find the dropped phone, but did see the deceased victim. Menifee was arrested and booked shortly after the interview took place.

Menifee is charged with first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery.
Virnig Manufacturing, Inc. officials announced Monday the company will establish new operations in Pikeville.

Headquartered in Rice, Mn., the family-owned company will invest $11.6 million as it expands its Midwest operations to Tennessee. The expansion will create 74 new jobs in Bledsoe County, helping the company meet its growing product demands outside its current Midwest territory.

Virnig Manufacturings 62,000-square-foot facility, located at 403 Allen P. Deakins Road in Pikeville, will allow the company to fabricate, weld, paint, assemble and ship products to its customers.

Established in 1989, Virnig Manufacturing has served its clients through the engineering and manufacturing of skid steer attachments. Today, with roughly 180 full-time employees, the companys product lines support many industries including construction, landscaping, forestry and agriculture.

In the last five years, TNECD has supported 85 economic development projects in Southeast Tennessee resulting in roughly 11,000 job commitments and approximately $3.4 billion in capital investment.

I greatly appreciate Virnig Manufacturing for selecting Pikeville as the site for its newest manufacturing operations," said Governor Bill Lee. "Job creation in rural Tennessee is a top priority for our state, and these jobs will positively impact the Pikeville community for years to come"

Virnig Manufacturings investment in Pikeville is not only a win for the community, but also for our state as it will further expand our advanced manufacturing footprint in Southeast Tennessee," said Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe. "We thank Virnig for its commitment to create jobs in Bledsoe County, a Tier 4, at-risk community, and congratulate Pikeville on landing this project.

We are excited for our first expansion outside of Minnesota and are grateful to partner with the state of Tennessee and Bledsoe County," said Dean Virnig, president, Virnig Manufacturing, Inc. "We cannot thank the community of Pikeville enough for the warm welcome and support you have given us throughout this project. Being family-owned and operated, our values lead us, and we are glad to be joining a place where we feel those values are reflected. Thank you for the opportunity to join your community!

It is a pleasure to welcome the Virnig family to Pikeville," said Bledsoe County Mayor Gregg Ridley. "This is an opportunity for our citizens to attain superior local employment from a well-established and nationally respected manufacturer. Virnig is a family-owned and operated manufacturing company that is a perfect fit for Bledsoe Countys exceptional workforce. I look forward to a lengthy and prosperous relationship with the Virnig family.

We are very excited to have Virnig Manufacturing coming to Pikeville/Bledsoe County and bringing jobs to our community," said Pikeville Mayor Philip Cagle. "We appreciate the help from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development in helping Virnig locate in Pikeville. We have met with the owners on several occasions and believe they will be a great asset to our community. We again want to welcome Virnig to our community.

TVA and Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative congratulate Virnig Manufacturing on its decision to expand operations in Bledsoe County," said John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development. "Helping to support companies, like Virnig Manufacturing create new job opportunities and investment in the Valley is fundamental to TVAs mission of service. We are proud to partner with Bledsoe County Government, City of Pikeville Government and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to further that mission and celebrate this announcement together.

I am pleased Virnig Manufacturing has chosen Pikeville to expand its business and locate a new facility," said Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Chairman Paul Bailey (R-Sparta). "Their expansion to Bledsoe County is a testament to our strong local economy. I congratulate Virnig Manufacturing on their expansion and appreciate the work of state and local officials who helped secure this investment.

This is great news for Pikeville," said Rep. Ron Travis (R-Dayton). "I appreciate Virnig Manufacturing for making this strong investment in our community with the creation of these 74 new jobs. This commitment demonstrates that Bledsoe County is well-positioned for future economic growth, and I look forward to continuing to work with our local leaders to create more opportunities for our citizens.
In episode 10 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 3, Kenny and Armando do last-minute planning for their wedding, Steven proposes to Alina on a boat with an original song, and Sumits parents freak Jenny out with sutra neti. Meanwhile, Biniyam is caught having house parties in Ethiopia while Ariela takes Avi in for his surgery. Here is the recap of the October 31st episode, Stop the Excuses, available on TLC and discovery+.

Ariela Weinberg on 90 Day Fiance The Other Way Season 3 | TLC

Steven and Alina

On 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, Steven is finally ready to follow through on his promise to delete his social media accounts. He hands his phone over to Alina, where she finds that hes been talking to his female friends inappropriately. Shes shocked to find out that Steven has been showering and sleeping over at these girls houses and even calling each other pet names. Shes tired of excuses and wants to see change, or she wants to leave him.

After deleting his social media, Steven takes her out to ice cream and gives her a present he packed for her. Its her own Book of Mormon, with a sentimental letter inside. After things are looking better between them, Steven decides its time to propose. He rents a keyboard piano and a boat for a ride on the coast of Turkey. There, he performs Alina an original love song to her next to a waterfall. He asks her to marry him, and she says yes.

Armando and Kenny

Its weeks before Kenny and Armandos big day, and theyve picked a venue in wine country. The 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way fan-favorite couple meets with their wedding planners, Hugo and Carlos, to iron out the details. Kenny requests to have the wedding ceremony at sunset, but the wedding planners explain how it wont work with the midnight curfew.

After, the two argue about how Armando sided with the wedding planners so quickly. Thats when Armando reveals that hes received a text from his family, hinting that his father has decided not to attend the wedding. Armando decides to call up his father directly to ask him if hes going to attend. Armando SR said he feels uncomfortable coming to his sons wedding, not even the ceremony. A tearful Armando says he will cut his father from life if he doesnt come to the wedding.

Ariela and Biniyam

Its the day of Avis hernia surgery in New Jersey. After five hours, Avi is out of surgery, and Ariela can finally relax. She discusses how Biniyam and her relationship has been strained since coming to the United States. She thinks that moving to Kenya would fix their relationship by removing distractions.

Later in the episode, Ariela finds photos that Biniyam took while shes away. Since Arielas iCloud account is connected to Biniyams, she saw pictures of new people coming into her house without her knowledge. She confronts him about having parties in her home in Ethiopia and inviting random girls. She tells him that shes not coming back to Ethiopia because of what he did.

Ariela explains that Biniyams sister, Wish, told her that he was out with other women and that some were sleeping over at their home. She gives him an ultimatum: either move to Kenya, or they break up. She tells him, This is your last fing chance.

Victor and Ellie

Ellie and Victor decide to stay for a few days in their home in Providencia, which was destroyed by a category five hurricane. There is plenty of damage, so theyre trying to get it fixed up before they can stay long-term. Ellie and Victors communication is becoming an issue as stress causes them to be irritable with each other.

Ellie is frustrated that Victor is lashing out, despite her supporting him. She confronts him. Victor explains that hes been dealing with a lot with the devastation of the hurricane.

Jenny and Sumit

Its the first morning of Sumits parents visit after theyve decided to move in with Jenny and Sumit. Jenny has been up all night with a stomach bug. Despite Jenny being sick, Sumits mother, Sahna, decides to wake up Jenny to continue her lessons.

After attempting to do the yoga poses with Sumits parents, Jenny watches in disgust as Sahna puts mustard oil in her nose and begins to do sutra neti on her nasal passage. The Indian cleansing technique is used to remove dust and mucus from the nasal cavity with the help of a wet string being flossed through the nose and throat openings. Even though Jenny is trying to win over Sumits parents, sutra neti is one thing she refuses to try.

Evelin and Corey

After talking to a therapist last week, Corey has been giving Evelin space for a few days. Evelin asks Corey out for dinner, where they discuss the possibility of giving their relationship a second chance. Corey asks Evelin if he can move back into their home. She agrees but with conditions. He can stay in the spare room, they can have a few movie nights, and he has to pay half of the rent.

Corey re-proposes to Evelin in the upcoming episode, but shes scared of getting her heartbroken again. Will the couple work through their trust issues and get back on track to getting married?

Nearly halfway through season 3 and the couples arent any closer to getting married. Will any of these couples survive and make it to the altar? 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way fans will have to watch to find out what will happen with these couples.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: The Main Reason Armando Doesnt Want to Live in the U.S. With Kenny
Flee is a masterwork of human storytelling. A movie will come along every now and then that reminds us why we love cinema. It has the potential to make you laugh, cry, and sit at the edge of your seat. Flee makes you feel all of those emotions and more. Its uniquely and unapologetically authentic in how it approaches an important LGBTQ narrative about the true meaning of home.

Flee tells a pivotal story

Amin | Neon

Flee is an animated documentary, which places it in a specific niche. Amin has finally approached a time in his life where he feels comfortable enough to tell his story. Hes on the verge of marrying the love of his life, which compelled him to fully open up about his journeys to his friend that have led him to where he is today.

Amins currently 36 years old and a successful academic in his career. He arrived in Denmark as a gay, unaccompanied minor from Afghanistan. Amins story explores his intersectionality and how it has impacted his past, present, and how it will impact his future.

Non-linear storytelling emphasizes the past, the present, and hopes for the future

Amin | Neon

Flee begins in the present as Amin prepares to tell his story. The rest of the movie is told in a non-linear fashion. It jumps back and forth, which provides a stark contrast between the past and the present. Flee shows how far Amin has come, but also how the scars of his past have affected his relationships, friendships, and his state of mind over the years.

Flee is a carefully-constructed documentary, but it avoids talking heads. The animated format allows the story to come to life visually for the audience. Each location he flees to includes new roadblocks and dangers. However, the themes of family, survival, home, and identity are at the forefront and are constantly intertwined.

However, its more than a narrative. Flee is an examination of the light and dark sides of humanity. Human kindness is rare but is extraordinary when it comes along. It shapes Amins journey just as much as the darkness, but its the light that Amin holds close to his heart.

Flee is the best film of the year

Amin | Neon

Many LGBTQ film narratives can, unfortunately, turn into trauma porn. Flee tells a tragic reality for many LGBTQ folks, but without dipping into exploitation. Flee is just as much a celebration of identity and love. Its so dynamically told, it brings on a rush of emotion.

The animation is gorgeous. Color and shape are used to play with the idea of memory. Its occasionally playful, as the handsome men in media wink at Amin. This is a subtle, yet spot-on visual trick that successfully communicates how it feels to be a gay youth figuring things out. Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen has created a stellar flow that allows the animation and the story to elevate one another.

Flee is monumentally moving and triumphantly genuine. Its so honestly human in how it tells Amins story. It will make you cry tears of sadness and joy over the course of its 90-minute runtime. Flee is the best, most powerful film of the year.

RELATED: Spencer Star Kristen Stewart Satisfyingly Slams Critics of LGBTQ Representation in Movies
Dinner in a flash is doable with these winning dishes from celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis. Not only are they quick, but the Food Network star assures theyre also healthy and delicious options your whole family will enjoy.

Giada De Laurentiis in a 2018 appearance on Today | Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

De Laurentiis satisfying, flavorful Antipasti Caprese Salad

This salad option for dinner may seem on the light side, but its teeming with cubed fresh mozzarella, sliced salami, olives, and tomatoes. Not to mention bursting with flavor. De Laurentiis calls for a quick dressing using lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper flakes. After that, all of the ingredients are tossed along with some fresh basil for a colorful and tasty weeknight feast.

Reviewers praised the chefs quick and easy salad. One home cook noted they paired it with bbq ribeye for an awesome meal. Another fan added, Love this salad. Made this today for a picnic and it was perfect. Loved the simple lemon vinaigrette. Fresh and full of flavor. Will make this often.

This version of Giada De Laurentiis Antipasto Salad includes small pasta

The chefs easy spin on classic Chicken Cordon Bleu

This dish has its roots in France, but De Laurentiis puts her own Italian twist on it with the inclusion of mascarpone cheese. And its infinitely quicker than the original, as her lifestyle and food blog Giadzy notes: Theres no rolling, breading, or fuss required in this chicken cordon bleu! It couldnt be easier, and better yet  its all in one pan. Dinner in 15, sorted!

Calling for just six ingredients, all youll need to make these filling bundles is the previously mentioned mascarpone cheese, as well as mustard, olive oil, chicken breasts, black forest ham, and swiss cheese. The chicken is seasoned with salt and pepper and then sauteed in oil on each side until golden brown. Lay a slice of cheese and then two slices of ham on each cutlet. The mascarpone cheese and mustard are whisked together and a teaspoonful is placed on top of the ham on the chicken. One more swiss cheese slice on each and then its off to the broiler for a couple of minutes.

This method of preparing De Laurentiis Chicken Cordon Bleu isnt just faster; it also promises a crispy finish thanks to the broiling portion of the recipe.

De Laurentiis Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

The Everyday Italian stars quick Chicken Cacciatore is a working persons rescue on a weeknight, as she noted on Giadzy.

Chicken cacciatore is one of those hearty dishes that appeals to both kids and adults alike, and now thanks to the Instant Pot its also an easy weeknight go-to, De Laurentiis writes. I used mushrooms and bell peppers, which is how the dish is traditionally served in Italy, but if you dont have them in the fridge, do as the hunters would have  cacciatore is Italian for hunter, after-all  and toss in some olives, capers or celery instead. Serve over cheesy polenta or with a side of crusty bread, add a salad, and youre all set in about 30 minutes.

The use of the electric pressure cooker gets this meal done quickly. Chicken thighs are dredged in seasoned flour and sauteed in the pot. The chicken is set aside and then a sauce is made in the pressure cooker on the Saute setting, with tomato paste, mushrooms, peppers, oregano, wine, tomato sauce, and a portion of Parmesan cheese rind (optional). Finally, the chicken is placed in the cooker on top of the vegetables and cooked on high pressure for about 10 minutes.

Find out for yourself how quick meets healthy and hearty in these done-in-30 meals from Giada De Laurentiis.

RELATED: The Secret Sauce to Giada De Laurentiis Espresso Brownies Is in its Decadent Glaze
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been together for five years, which means they have celebrated many holidays together. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex first celebrated Halloween as a pair, the occasion was remarkable in that it also coincided with a turning point in their relationship.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry celebrated Halloween together in 2016

Meghan and Harry began dating in the summer of 2016. Around this time, their relationship was still under wrap from the public. They were also living in two countries: Meghan was working in Canada, while Harry was living in the United Kingdom. However, for Halloween, they decided to attend a Halloween bash together in Toronto.

The book Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand described this special occasion.

The evening of October 29, with Harry in town, the couple decided to go to a big costume party being thrown at Soho House in Toronto, the book read. Harry and Meghan both had on Venetian-style masks, hiding their true identities to other partygoers. Surrounded by the establishments exclusive clientele and confident due to a rule that discouraged patrons from surreptitiously snapping pictures with their phones, Harry and Meghan felt at ease.

The author also went on to share that Harrys cousin, Prince Eugenie, and her now-husband, Jack Brooksbank, were at the party as well.

On that late October night in Toronto, Harry was happy, and so was Meghan, Finding Freedom said.

The Sussexess relationship changed after receiving a phone call

RELATED: Prince Harry Was Reportedly Warned That Meghan Markle Would Ruin [His] Life

According to Finding Freedom, Meghan and Harrys relationship would soon change. On the night of the party, the couple received a phone call from one of Harrys aides at Kensington Palace. Reportedly, the press had found out about their relationship, and a newspaper would soon publish a story about it.

An aide suggested that Harry find a discreet place to stay when the story comes out, so the couple decided to spend the night at Jessica and Ben Mulroneys house (Jessica and Meghan are close friends).

Sure enough, the couple quickly became a hot topic as words got out all over the world about their relationship. Meghan and Harry soon became one of the most famous couples around.

Meghan Markle had a difficult time with the press

RELATED: Meghan Markles Introduction to the Royal Family Was Affected by How Jaded Prince Harry Was, Author Says

Although Meghan was an actor before meeting Harry, she did not receive as much mainstream attention as she did after starting a relationship with the royal. Meghan has shared that this was a difficult adjustment for her, especially when she was dealing with unproven rumors about her in the media.

I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair, she said in the 2019 documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.

She added, If I do something wrong, [Ill] be the first person one to go, Oh my gosh, Im so sorry, I would never do that. But when people are saying things that are just untrue, and theyre being told theyre untrue, but theyre still allowed to still say them, I dont know anybody in the world that would feel like thats okay.

In the infamous 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan also said the distress from dealing with the press and with royal life led her to have depression.

In 2020, Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals and moved to California. The couple is now living a more private life with their two children.
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin is the seventh horror franchise installment and a full reboot. Toby is the demon encountered over the course of the previous movies, but Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin introduces a new demon named Asmodeus. However, this demon is based on a real, albeit obscure one. The Paranormal Activity franchise may be reborn, but only time will tell if Asmodeus will return as the series antagonist.

[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin.]

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin introduces a high-level demon in Asmodeus

Emily Bader | Paramount Players

The seventh Paranormal Activity follows Margot (Emily Bader) as she seeks to make a documentary about tracking down her family roots in an Amish community. However, she discovers a mysterious church hidden deep in the forest with imagery of an entity called Asmodeus. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin includes some quick surface-level details about the demon, but it doesnt go very deep.

Asmodeus is one of the seven princes of hell. Hes supposed to be incredibly talented at employing his wickedness. Asmodeus is the prince of lust and he will pursue anybody as a victim.

The prince of lusts true form is a monstrous creature with three heads resembling a sheep, a bull, and a man. The human head may sound the most innocent, but it has pointed ears, a hooked nose, sharp teeth, and can breathe fire.

What is Asmodeus origin?

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin has received a brand-new trailer and poster ahead of its exclusive streaming debut on Paramount+ on October 29, 2021. https://t.co/kf8bqKT2IK pic.twitter.com/rK5WQPDrEX  IGN (@IGN) October 6, 2021

Many demonology stories have been lost to time. However, Asmodeus has a few different interpretations. Some depictions say that he was one of the fallen angels alongside Lucifer. Asmodeus married Lilith, which makes both of them tempters. Together, they procreate evil demons to wreak havoc upon the world.

The demon seeks to drive newly married men mad and leads them to cheat on their wives. Scholars often refer to him as being partly responsible for the Seven Cardinal Sins that are in place to ruin human souls.

Asmodeus story crosses with King Solomon in one iteration. Hes able to control the demon with a magic ring that an angel gifted to him. Asmodeus ultimately tricks Solomon to take off the ring that gives him protection and launches him over 1,000 miles away. He takes Solomons place and rules Israel for years until the king returns.

How the demons personality aligns with Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin doesnt give much background on Asmodeus. Grace finds markings in the ominous church that mention the demons name. The Amish community has the goal of keeping Asmodeus under control. By containing him in a womans body, he isnt able to be unleashed upon the world. However, Grace isnt willing to go down so easily.

Asmodeus champions lust. Graces mother having sex with an outsider is the only real indicator of lust in the movie. The community looked down on such sexual practices, which would have historically been blamed on Asmodeus. This essentially dooms the bloodline, as Margot discovers that shes next in line to inherit the demon. However, instead of Asmodeus seeking out such a person like in the mythology, their bodies are given as sacrifices to the demon to protect the world from its horrors.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin takes Asmodeus in their own direction. It pulls a couple of elements from the demons origins, although its clear that they just didnt want to have a made-up demon this time around. However, Asmodeus has so many iterations, its not too surprising to see the movie take its own direction. Nevertheless, Asmodeus still has a mythology that roots back across various religions over a large period of time. He certainly isnt one to mess around with.

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin is streaming now on Paramount+.

RELATED: Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin Movie Trailer Teases New Demon Asmodeus
HBOs Succession Season 3 is underway, and Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is more ruthless than ever before. Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) threw his father and the entire Waystar RoyCo under the bus on live television. In episode 1 of the new season, Kendall stood by what he said and picked up new key players to back him. However, Logan was heartless before that Succession Season 2 finale episode. How similar is Cox to the billionaire character he portrays?

Succession Season 3: Brian Cox | Macall B. Polay/HBO

Succession: Brian Cox and Logan Roy have similar roots

Brian Cox is relatively close to the same age as Logan Roy in Succession. Cox was born in 1946, while Roy was born in 1938  both in Dundee, Scotland. Cox is the youngest of five children, born to a working-class family. The character he plays grew up in poverty and built his company, Waystar Royco, from the ground up. Both men lost their fathers at a young age. Coxs three older sisters raised him. However, in Succession, Logan Roys mother sent him to Quebec, Canada, to be raised by his Uncle Noah (who beat him as a child). Logan had a sister, Rose, who died, but viewers do not know how she died. He also has a brother, Ewan (James Cromwell), who he viciously fights with in Succession. Quite the opposite, Cox remains very close to his three sisters.

Succession: Brian Cox and Logan Roy net worth compared

Although Brian Cox and the character he portrays in Succession are wealthy and self-made, Logan Roy is significantly richer. Brian Coxs net worth from his successful acting career is roughly $9 to $15 million. However, as the owner of Waystar RoyCo, Logan Roys net worth is in the billions.

Brian Cox and Sarah Snook | Hunter Graeme/HBO

RELATED: Succession Season 3: Roman and Gerris Sexual Tension; Could it Become More?

Since many Succession fans and critics suggest that Rupert Murdoch is the inspiration behind Logan Roy, its easy to surmise Logans net worth based on Murdochs. In 2019, before selling 21st Century Fox to Disney, Murdochs net worth was roughly $19 billion. Although viewers do not know precisely how much Logan Roy is worth, the guesses are approximately $15-20 billion. In conclusion, Roy is significantly more wealthy than the actor who portrays him.

Cox and Roys personalities compared

In an interview in Italy, while filming Succession Season 3, Brian Cox revealed some similarities to the character he portrays. Cox explained to Vulture that he doesnt live in character, but the long hours of filming do take a toll on him.

I like to make the effort to sightsee with his family while in Italy. But I end up getting bad-tempered because Ive got this Sword of Damocles hanging over my head: the show.

Then he said something that viewers could see coming out of Logan Roys mouth.

Im a little bit tired of it all, he told the outlet while waving his hand at the gorgeous view. Ive loved it, but its just gone on a bit too long. Im dying for a change of view. Just to see something other than these  cypress trees all over the place.

Some viewers might imagine that he spoke that sentiment like a genuine millionaire or billionaire. Others might understand how he was sick of Italy, despite the Tuscan countryside many working-class Americans might never see in their lifetime. Whether fans found his comment Roy-like or not, Coxs recent book delivers many more similarities to the character he portrays.

Succession: Brian Cox | Macall B. Polay/HBO

Brian Coxs memoir feels a lot like Logan Roy in Succession

In Coxs memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, he tells the story of how he came from a working-class family and became a critically acclaimed actor. However, according to The Big Issue, he also delivers numerous digs to his co-stars in the industry.

I find his work meretricious, Cox wrote about Quentin Tarantino. Its all surface. Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance. I walked out of Pulp FictionThat said, if the phone rang, Id do it.

Brian Cox certainly has his moments where he sounds a lot like the character he portrays in Succession.

Succession Season 3 drops Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and HBO Max.
BASF is reorganizing its global research activities. In the course of the second quarter of 2022, they will be bundled in a central research unit based in Ludwigshafen. Detlef Kratz (59), President, will lead the new central division, which will have around 3,500 employees. Kratz currently heads BASFs Process Research & Chemical Engineering division in Ludwigshafen. At the same time, around 1,800 researchers will move to operating divisions  and thus work even more closely with the business units. This will further strengthen the customer focus of research and development. Details on the future global structure of BASFs research will be announced by the company at a later date.

Jianfeng Jeffrey Lou (53), President, Advanced Materials & Systems Research, BASF Advanced Chemicals Co., Ltd., Shanghai, will take over as Head of Greater China, BASF (China) Company Ltd., Shanghai, on January 1, 2022.

Stephan Kothrade (54), President, Greater China, BASF (China) Company Ltd, Shanghai, will take over as Head of the Intermediates division, Ludwigshafen, Germany, on the same date. The current head of the division, Andrea Frenzel (51), President, will take a sabbatical at her own request.
Martin Haase will take over as Managing Director of Triplan GmbH on November 1. He succeeds Peter Stromberger, who is leaving the company after 20 years.

"With Martin Haase, an experienced and internationally oriented process engineer and sales expert joins the board of management of TTP Group", emphasizes Andreas Bonhoff, CEO of TTP Group. "His expertise regarding business development, transformation management and business process optimization, are an excellent starting point for further growth of Triplan."

Martin Haase, who holds a degree in engineering with a specialization in process engineering, previously spent 7 years as sales manager for Germany and Switzerland at VTU Engineering Deutschland GmbH, where he was responsible for building up the customer network. In 2018, he moved to Exyte Central Europe GmbH, where he served as Head of Sales Life Sciences & Chemicals and, in addition to customer development, implemented the structure development of sales processes, sales controlling and risk approval systems. Most recently, he led Aquen Solution GmbH as Managing Director for 2 years.

"After 2 years in the technology industry, I am happy to move back into the engineering business, where I have been for almost 10 years", says Martin Haase.

He sees his task at Triplan in stable growth as well as the expansion of projects with Triplan as an EPCM partner, "without neglecting the site engineering business". In particular, he said, he also wants to strengthen the number of highly qualified project engineers for EPCM projects.

"The first steps in our development will be to increase our activities with our existing customers", Haase said. "This will allow us to offer our customers an expanded range of services, from project management to on-site support activities."
Hamamatsus product range for optical analytics comprises not only small components like highly sensitive photomultipliers and photodiodes. Our mini-spectrometers are well introduced in the market and cover a large spectral range. A new model was designed especially for Raman measurements. But still for some uses Mini is still too big, therefore Hamamatsu developed our brand new micro-spectrometer- a fingertip sized, ultra-compact spectrometer head integrating MEMS and image sensors technologies - for use in hand-held measurement instruments.

For special applications Hamamatsu provides dedicated measurement systems like our new Quantaurus-QY+ for absolute quantum yield measurements in the VIS and NIR region. The Quantaurus-Tau measures fluorescence and phosphorescence lifetimes of physical and biological samples with single photon counting sensitivity. An NIR version was developed for investigations of solar cells in the NIR spectral region. These spectrometers, although compact comprise all necessary components incl. light source, sample chamber, detector and all necessary optical components. They also are supplied with dedicated software which not only controls hardware and measurement setup but also offers a range of analysis functions.

For ultrafast measurements our streak cameras offer the highest time resolution coupled with the possibility to measure the whole spectral range at the same time.
Memorial service for Kevin Hair, 65, of Chickasha, OK will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, November 13, 2021 at the Southern Oaks Church of Christ in Chickasha. Floyd Kevin Hair was a well loved father, son and brother. He was such a good brother-in-law that he just had to be called "brother." 
Biden takes communion in Rome after saying Pope Francis called him a good Catholic

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President Joe Biden received communion at St. Patricks Church in Rome a day after he said Pope Francis called him a good Catholic amid the ongoing debate over whether pro-abortion Catholic politicians should be given the sacrament.

Biden attended the mass on Saturday evening at the church in Rome, where he was taking part in a summit of the G20 worlds richest nations. He sat in the back of the church with his wife, Jill, and received communion, Reuters reported.

Pope Francis is also the bishop of Rome, so Biden went to mass and received communion in his archdiocese, the newswire said, noting that the president regularly attends mass and receives communion in Washington.

Biden, the first Roman Catholic to serve as president of the United States since John F. Kennedy, has clashed with Catholic Church leadership in the U.S. over his steadfast support of abortion.

After Bidens meeting with the pontiff on Friday, a reporter asked if the issue of abortion came up during the conversation. While Biden insisted that the topic did not come up, he said, We just talked about the fact that he was happy I was a good Catholic and I should keep receiving communion.

Concerns about Biden receiving communion date back to his 2020 presidential campaign when a priest in South Carolina denied him communion because of his support for a policy that directly contradicts Catholic Church teaching.

Biden has said while he is personally opposed to abortion, he cannot impose his views on others as an elected official.

Supporters of denying communion to Biden and other pro-abortion Catholic politicians point to the Catholic Churchs Code of Canon Law, which states that those obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion as the justification for their position. They also cite a 2004 letter from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would later become Pope Benedict XVI, to two high-ranking officials in the U.S. Catholic Church, noting that the Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin.

Last month, when Pope Francis was asked about the U.S. communion debate, he called abortion, even soon after conception, murder, but added, Communion is not a prize for the perfect  Communion is a gift, the presence of Jesus and his Church, according to the newswire.

At its General Assembly meeting earlier this year, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to move ahead with the drafting of a document clarifying the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church. Initially characterized as a rebuke to pro-abortion Catholic politicians, the USCCB emphasized that the question of whether or not to deny any individual or groups Holy Communion was not on the ballot.

According to a question-and-answer document about the vote published by the USCCB, The document being drafted is not meant to be disciplinary in nature, nor is it targeted at any one individual or class of persons. It will include a section on the Churchs teaching on the responsibility of every Catholic, including bishops, to live in accordance with the truth, goodness and beauty of the Eucharist we celebrate.
Secular human rights group condemns Algeria's imprisonment of Christian convert

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Human rights group Amnesty International has condemned the conviction and sentencing of an Algerian Christian convert, drawing attention to the deteriorating religious freedom conditions in the north African country, especially for its small Christian minority.

Algerias law regulating non-Muslim worship, under which the convert, identified as Foudhil Bahloul, has been convicted, is discriminatory and he must be released, the group said in a statement.

Bahloul was arrested on April 17 after a raid on his house and charged with illegal donations and collecting donations or accepting gifts without a license from the authorized departments, according to International Christian Concern, which noted that the Christian convert also faces additional charges under a 2006 ordinance regulating non-Muslim worship, specifically targeting him as a Christian for distributing Bibles.

In July, a court in Ain Defla, a city west of the capital Algiers, sentenced Bahloul to six months imprisonment and a fine of $730 (100,000 Algerian dinars). The verdict mentioned that Foudhil Bahloul spread poisonous ideas to the unemployed youth, and that he destabilized their faith in Islam by distributing books, Amnesty said.

He shouldnt have been tried in the first place, said Amna Guellali, the groups deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.

This discriminatory law is being used as a weapon to repress those who do not follow Islam in an assault against their fundamental freedoms, Guellali added. Instead of targeting non-Islamic believers, Algeria authorities must work on protecting the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief  which includes the freedom to manifest that belief.

The U.S. State Department estimates that no more than one in 200 Algerians is Christian. Over 99% of the population is Muslim, the vast majority is Sunni.

The country's Ministry of Religious Affairs hires and trains Muslim imams even though Algeria technically is not a religious state. And the government only engages in activities consistent with Islamic values.

While Muslims may convert to other faiths, Algerian law forbids trying to lead them away from Islam. Anyone who incites, constrains, or utilizes means of seduction intending to convert a Muslim to another religion; or by using to this end establishments of teaching, education, health, social, culture, training  or any financial means faces a maximum of $8,500 in fines and five years imprisonment, according to the relevant statute.

Last November, voters, in a low turnout, approved a new Constitution changing religious freedoms.

The former provision said: Freedom of conscience and freedom of opinion shall be inviolable. Freedom of worship shall be guaranteed in compliance with the law. The section now reads: The freedom of opinion is inviolable. The freedom to exercise worship is guaranteed if it is exercised in accordance with the law. The state ensures the protection of places of worship from any political or ideological influence.
University grants Christian group official status amid lawsuit alleging discrimination

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The University of Houston-Clear Lake has granted a Christian student organization full recognition as a campus student group after a legal challenge was filed claiming that the school discriminated by excluding the group as a registered student organization.

The conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom has claimed victory after the Christian student group Ratio Christi sued the university over claims that its official status as a student group was denied for unlawful reasons. However, the school rejects the claim that it ever denied the student group official status.

In a statement, ADF reported that the university quickly gave Ratio Christi the recognized status after the legal complaint was filed against school officials last Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Ratio Christi received the good news they deserveas a result of our lawsuit, the University of Houston-Clear Lake has now fully recognized the Christian student organization as a registered club on campus, granting them equal treatment among their peer groups, said ADF Legal Counsel Caleb Dalton.

We commend the university and its general counsel for taking quick action to correct this injustice. Now, the university must do the next right thing and rescind the unconstitutional policies that are still in place that were used to exclude Ratio Christi because it requires its leaders to agree with its values and mission.

The university denies it ever discriminated against Ratio Christi and argues that the lawsuit was filed while the school was still processing the groups paperwork.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake has approved Ratio Christi as a registered student organization, said University spokesperson Shawn Lindsey in a statement to The Washington Times.

This is not the reversal of a prior decision. The application was never denied and was still in process when the lawsuit was filed.

When a student group lacks registered student organization status, it cannot reserve on-campus spaces, invite speakers for events or use funds reserved by the university for student groups.

UHCLs refusal to grant Ratio Christi RSO status violates Plaintiffs free exercise, expressive association, free speech, and equal protection rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the complaint states.

The First Amendment protects the right of all student organizations to associate around shared beliefs. The fact that UHCL disregards that right when it comes to Ratio Christi is particularly egregious because UHCL has treated Ratio Christi differently because of its religious beliefs.

The complaint further claimed that the university was using its anti-discrimination policy to bar Ratio Christi from receiving RSO status, namely Ratio Christis rules that restrict its leadership to Christians.

The legal filing alleged that the universitys anti-discrimination policies allowed non-religious student organizations to limit their leadership positions and membership to students who agree with their mission but would not let religious student groups do the same.

Under the RSO Policies, RSOs cannot discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, veteran status, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity and gender expression  that is, unless the organization is the Vietnamese Student Association, International Student Advisory Board, Student Veterans Association, a sorority, or sport club team, the complaint reads.

In 2019, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs settled with its Ratio Christi chapter after initially barring the group from becoming an official student club.

The settlement included the University of Colorado granting Ratio Christi registered status upon resubmitting paperwork, paying $20,574 in damages and revising the schools Club & Organization Handbook to include a provision explaining that all student clubs can require leaders to adhere to a particular set of beliefs.

In July, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the University of Iowa discriminated against InterVarsity Christian Fellowship by deregistering the club as an official student group.
US State Dept. condemns Burmese military over burning of 100 homes, churches in retaliatory attack

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The U.S. State Department released a statement Sunday condemning the "gross violations of human rights" after Burmese security forces fired heavy artillery into a town in the predominantly Christian Chin state, setting at least 100 homes and two churches on fire. The attack was in retaliation after a Chin militia shot and killed a Burmese soldier who was breaking into houses and looting properties, according to a report.

In its statement, the State Department said the Burmese military must be held accountable:

The United States is gravely concerned by reports of gross violations of human rights that Burmese security forces have perpetuated in Chin State, including reports that forces have set fire to and destroyed more than 100 residences as well as Christian churches. We condemn such brutal actions by the Burmese regime against people, their homes, and places of worship, which lays bare the regimes complete disregard for the lives and welfare of the people of Burma. These abhorrent attacks underscore the urgent need for the international community to hold the Burmese military accountable and take action to prevent gross violations and abuses of human rights, including by preventing the transfer of arms to the military. We are also deeply concerned over the Burmese security forces intensification of military operations in various parts of the country, including in Chin State and the Sagaing Region. We call on the regime to immediately cease the violence, release all those unjustly detained, and restore Burmas path to inclusive democracy. We will continue to promote accountability for the horrific violence that has been and continues to be perpetrated by the regime against the people of Burma. We will continue to support the people of Burma and all those working toward a restoration of Burmas democratic path and a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Nearly 10,000 residents of the town of Thantlang fled the area as the fire raged on, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported.

The Southeast Asian countrys military, locally known as Tatmadaw, started attacking Friday morning after the militia, Chinland Defense Force, killed a Tatmadaw soldier while he was looting properties.

The presence of the Buddhist nationalist military makes civilians and militias in conflict-ridden states nervous. The military has been accused of vandalizing places of worship and civilians homes, raping girls and women, abducting civilians to be used for forced labor and shooting civilians to death.

ICC quoted the India-based Chin Human Rights Organization as saying that several religious buildings, including Church on the Rock, Presbyterian Church, and a building attached to the Thantlang Baptist Church, the largest congregation in town, have also caught fire.

The first rockets to be fired into the town landed at the entrances to the Thantlang Baptist Church, ICC said.

Earlier this month, the military, which staged a coup on Feb. 1, attacked Rialti village near the Chin states capital of Hakha, Radio Free Asia reported at the time.

We see this as a war crime because wherever they go, they focus on wherever there are large numbers of people  its a deliberate violation of religious freedom, Salai Za Op Lin, CHROs deputy executive director, said at the time.

Op Lin noted that other Christian communities in Chin state had also been targeted since the military coup in February. Now that the military has started a real operation in Chin state, we can expect a lot of such abuses and acts, and we urge the international community to keep a close eye on this.

Last month, a beloved youth pastor, Cung Biak Hum of Thantlang Centennial Baptist Church, was shot dead as he tried to help one of his congregants save their burning home after it was set ablaze by the military during an attack on civilians in Chin state.

Information on his Facebook page showed that he was married with two sons and was pursuing a master's of divinity degree at MIT Yangon.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Tom Andrews, highlighted the pastors murder in a tweet at the time, calling on the international community to pay closer attention to the living hell civilians have been experiencing there since a Feb. 1 coup brought back full military rule following years of quasi-democracy.

Myanmars ethnic minorities, including Christians, live in the various conflict zones across the countrys borders with Thailand, China and India. Hundreds of thousands of civilians, many of them Christians, have been displaced due to the escalation of conflicts in the zones since the coup.

Militias in those areas have been morally supporting pro-democracy protesters since the coup, which has led to the use of heavy weapons by the Burmese army. Thousands of civilians in the conflict zones have sought shelter in churches when their villages are under attack.

Christians make up just over 7% of the majority-Buddhist nation. Formerly known as Burma, the country is home to the worlds longest Civil War, which began in 1948. Myanmar is ranked No. 18 on Open Doors USAs 2021 World Watch List of 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. The persecution level in Myanmar is very high due to Buddhist nationalism. Burma is recognized by the U.S. State Department as a "country of particular concern" for egregious violations of religious liberty.

The military is notorious for its relations with the ultranationalist ultra-Buddhist group the Ma Ba Tha, ICCs Southeast Asia Regional Manager, Gina Goh, said in a statement earlier this year. The military together with Ma Ba Tha has targeted the Muslims in the country, but they also go after Christians. Once they get a hold of the power, they might resort to things they were doing before they passed the power to the civilian government. They kill. They rape minority Christians.
More Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee members resign  new leadership announced

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Another member of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee has resigned and new leadership has been appointed after committee members voted to waive attorney-client privilege as part of an investigation into the leadership's handling of sexual abuse claims against autonomous churches.

On Thursday  weeks after the SBC Executive Committee voted 44-31 to allow Guidepost Solutions to review privileged communications between committee members, staff and lawyers  the committee held a closed, special meeting of the trustees to update legal, audit and personnel matters, Rolland Slade, chairman of SBC Executive Committee and pastor of Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, California, announced.

In a statement to reporters following the meeting, Slade announced the results of the executive session.

As the EC moves forward, we will be without another member, James Freeman, as he has submitted his resignation, Slade said. We want to thank him and the other members who have resigned over the past month for their service to Southern Baptists. In light of previous officer resignations and the openings created, Archie Mason and Andrew Hunt now will chair the Convention Finances & Stewardship and Convention Missions & Ministry committees, respectively. Both of these gentlemen are godly pastors and will represent Southern Baptists well in their new roles."

The meeting was held just days before Ronnie Floyd  who resigned as head of the committee in October  and Executive Vice President Greg Addison are scheduled to leave their posts on Oct. 31, Baptist Press reported.

In his statement, Slade thanked Floyd for his work at the Executive Committee, applauding his "tremendous ministry to Southern Baptists for years."

Today the SBC Executive Committee held its final meeting with current EC President Ronnie Floyd. On behalf of the members of the committee, I would like to thank President Floyd for his work at the EC. Hes had a tremendous ministry to Southern Baptists for years. We know he loves the Southern Baptist Convention, and we wish him well in the future  wherever God may lead him to serve.

Floyd had been among those opposed to waiving attorney-client privilege, warning that doing so could open the SBC to lawsuits and financial ruin. In announcing his resignation, Floyd specifically cited the committee's decision to waive privilege as the key reason for his departure. At least 14 trustees have also since resigned.

Guenther, Jordan and Price, the longtime legal counsel for the convention, also informed the board on Oct. 11 of their resignation over the trustees' decision to waive attorney-client privilege. The group had represented the EC since 1966.



Regarding legal representation, Slade announced Thursday that the Executive Committee has finalized a limited scope arrangement with Guenther, Jordan and Price while we conduct our search for new legal counsel.

More details will be released in the coming days regarding the search, but we are grateful for the continued partnership we have with Jim Guenther  our Convention attorney of 56 years, he said.

Slade added that the Executive Committee has also secured the services with the national law firm, Bradley, to specifically assist in the legal aspects related to the ongoing independent third-party investigation by Guidepost Solutions.

Please continue to pray for the members of the SBC Executive Committee, the staff, and all involved in these important matters, Slade concluded.

On Wednesday, a copy of the resignation letter from Rod D. Martin, a prominent member of the Executive Committee, was made available to The Christian Post. In it, Martin said the committees decision to deliberately ... breach its legal and fiduciary duties poses an unacceptable risk to those entities which they and I serve. The reason for his resignation, he explained, was because of the legal threat this action posed to others to whom he owes a fiduciary responsibility.

Though stressing he supports the third-party investigation into the SBC prompted by a 2019 report from the Houston Chronicle that documented hundreds of alleged abuse cases in Southern Baptist churches over decades, Martin condemned the specific course chosen.

The SBC is in grave danger, he warned. We will have to do Herculean things to save it. And we must: we educate a third of the seminary students in America and field the largest missionary force in the world. We cannot allow this enormous force for good to be destroyed, whether by vile, wicked sex abusers whove violated the ultimate trust, or by foolish, self-serving leaders whove exposed the church to needless danger. We can punish the guilty while saving our churches and our Convention. We must.
Ninth Circuit revives church's lawsuit against law requiring healthcare plans cover abortion

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A federal appeals court has concluded that a church in Washington state has the right to sue over a state law requiring health insurers to cover abortions, partially overturning a lower court decision dismissing the case.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a unanimous decision last Thursday reviving the Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland's lawsuit against Gov. Jay Inslee and Washington Insurance Commissioner Myron Kreidler over a healthcare law known as Senate Bill 6219.

All three judges were appointed by former President George W. Bush.

The panel opinion concluded that Cedar Park plausibly alleged that the law forced the church's health insurer to stop "offering a plan with abortion coverage restrictions." The ruling argued that "Cedar Park could not procure comparable replacement coverage.

The states argument that Cedar Park did not suffer an injury because SB 6219 did not prevent Kaiser Permanente from continuing to offer a plan that restricted abortion coverage fails because Kaiser Permanente reasonably understood the plain language of SB 6219 as precluding such restrictions, and it acted accordingly when it removed the restrictions from Cedar Parks health plan, the panel ruled.

Although the state argues that Cedar Park did not suffer an injury caused by SB 6219 because other health insurers offered plans that would meet Cedar Parks requirements, this argument also fails given that Kaiser Permanente dropped Cedar Parks abortion coverage restrictions due to SB 6219, and there is no evidence in the record clearly demonstrating that Cedar Park could obtain acceptable coverage at the time it filed its complaint.

The panel did not fully overturn the lower court decision, agreeing with the district court by rejecting the churchs equal protection claim for lack of standing." The judges ruled that the complaint does not plausibly allege that Cedar Park suffered a denial of equal treatment due to SB 6219s interaction with Washingtons conscience objection statute.

 such differential treatment does not constitute discrimination because the providers are not similarly situated to religious organizations, continued the judges.

This is because the providers are in the business of providing health services, while religious organizations merely purchase health coverage.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal nonprofit helping to represent the church, celebrated the ruling. The group noted that the litigation will continue at the district court level.

No church should be forced to cover abortions, and certainly not a church like Cedar Park that dedicates its ministry to protecting and celebrating life, said ADF Legal Counsel Elissa Graves in a statement.

We are pleased the 9th Circuit rightly recognized the harm that Washington state has inflicted on Cedar Park Church in subjecting it to this unprecedented mandate.

In March 2018, Inslee signed SB 6219 into law requiring healthcare plans covering maternity care to cover abortions.

Also called the Reproductive Parity Act, the law stated that if a health plan issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2019, provides coverage for maternity care or services, the health plan must also provide a covered person with substantially equivalent coverage to permit the abortion of a pregnancy.

"Neither a woman's income level nor her type of insurance should prevent her from having access to a full range of reproductive health care, including contraception and abortion services," the law reads.

"Restrictions on abortion coverage interfere with a woman's personal, private pregnancy decision making, with his or her health and well-being, and with his or her constitutionally protected right to safe and legal medical abortion care."

The church filed its complaint in federal court in March 2019. This May, Judge Benjamin Settle, a George W. Bush appointee, dismissed the church's lawsuit. He ruled that "Cedar Park has chosen to maintain a business relationship with a company that fails to provide a service meeting Cedar Parks preference despite the potential availability of suitable alternatives."
Loudoun County investigating sexual assaults of middle school boys by male student: sheriff's office

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Another series of sexual assaults have been reported in Loudoun County Public Schools as the Virginia school district continues to face scrutiny over its handling of two sexual assaults committed by a trans-identified male.

The Loudoun County Sheriffs Office released a statement Thursday announcing that it was investigating reports of multiple sexual assaults at Harmony Middle School earlier in the week. The sexual assaults involved a male student touching students inappropriately over their clothing.

At the end of the school day on October 27, the LCSO School Resource Office learned from school staff that earlier in the day a male student was inappropriately touched over his clothing by another male student in a hallway. At this time detectives have determined there are additional male students who were inappropriately touched by the same juvenile. Those incidents had not been previously reported to school officials or law enforcement.

Harmony Middle School Principal Eric Stewart emailed parents about the incidents on Thursday, after word of the sexual assaults began to spread on social media. Harmonys administration is reviewing the alleged incident with school staff and our school resource officer, he said. Because this involves possible disciplinary consequences, I cannot go into details.

Parents at an Harmony Middle School received this note today my sources indicate there has been another alleged assault in LCPS. pic.twitter.com/zbwUIkm6Lm  Chrissy Clark (@chrissyclark_) October 28, 2021

I wanted you to know that something out of the ordinary happened at school yesterday, that the administration is aware of it, and that we are taking all the proper steps following such an incident. The safety and security of our students and staff is the top priority of Loudoun County Public Schools, Stewart added.

The reports of sexual assaults at Harmony Middle School come as Loudoun County Public Schools continues to face criticism over its handling of two other sexual assaults that occurred at two separate high schools in the district at the hands of the same trans-identified male. The first sexual assault occurred on May 28 in a girls bathroom at Stone Bridge High School as the district was considering a policy that would allow trans-identified students to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity as opposed to their biological sex.

At an impassioned June 22 school board meeting, where parents showed up to protest the proposed policy, Superintendent of Schools Scott Ziegler insisted that no sexual assaults had taken place in any of the districts bathrooms. The school board approved the policy on Aug. 10, and eight weeks later, the perpetrator of the May 28 assault sexually assaulted another girl at Broad Run High School.

After learning this, the father of the first victim came forward and spoke to The Daily Wire, which published a report detailing both assaults. Parents descended on the two most recent Loudoun County School Board meetings, calling for Ziegler and the school board to be held accountable and accusing the district of hiding evidence from every parent in LCPS about a heinous sexual assault of a student that occurred in a bathroom so as not to derail the implementation of the transgender bathroom policy.

Subsequent reporting from news outlet WTOP revealed that Ziegler informed the school board of the sexual assault at Stone Bridge High School on the day it occurred. He sent an email to members of the board, telling them that a female student alleged that a male student sexually assaulted her in the restroom.

Ziegler did not, however, communicate this information to parents. Instead, Stone Bridge High School Principal Tim Flynn sent parents an email focusing on an altercation that took place between the sexual assault victims father and school officials without mentioning the sexual assault: There was an incident in the main office area today that required the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office to dispatch deputies to Stone Bridge. The incident was confined to the main office and the entrance area to the school.

During an appearance on Fox Newss Life, Liberty and Levin on Sunday, Virginias Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin expressed support for a full investigation of the Loudoun County School Board, the Loudoun County School Superintendent and the commonwealth attorney there. He cited the school boards gross negligence as a justification for his demand that its members resign.

It reached an escalated acute level when they in fact secretly moved  the young man who has  now been found to have sexually assaulted a young woman in a bathroom. And while he was being investigated and prosecuted, they moved him quietly into another school and hid it from parents and from the public, Youngkin added.

Following backlash from parents, Ziegler apologized over the districts handling of the sexual assaults, delivering a message to the victims families: My heart aches for you and I am sorry that we failed to provide the safe, welcoming and affirming environment that we aspire to provide. We acknowledge and share in your pain and we will continue to offer support to help your families through this trauma.

Last week, the perpetrator of the sexual assaults was charged with forced sodomy and forced fellatio in connection to the sexual assault at Stone Bridge High School. He is due back in court on Nov. 15 for a hearing related to the second sexual assault.
Nuns ask Supreme Court to stop New York's abortion healthcare mandate

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A group of nuns and other religious organizations in New York are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case against a 2017 state mandate requiring employers to cover abortions in their employee healthcare plans.

Led by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, a coalition of religious organizations filed an appeal Friday asking the nations high court to hear the case of Diocese of Albany v. Lacewell.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and the law firm Jones Day represent the plaintiffs, which include several Catholic dioceses, local branches of Catholic Charities, individual Catholic churches, Catholic and Anglican nuns and faith-based corporations.

The plaintiffs believe that New Yorks abortion mandate violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because it imposes severe burdens on their religious exercise, including a steadfast opposition to abortion.

In a 2017 regulation, the New York State Department of Financial Services mandated that employers fund abortions through their employee health insurance plans, the petition to the Supreme Court explained. This regulatory command exempts religious entities whose purpose is to inculcate religious values and who employ and serve primarily coreligionists. But religious organizations must cover abortions if they have a broader religious mission (such as service to the poor) or if they employ or serve people regardless of their faith.

For example, Catholic Charities, which serves the poor regardless of if they are Catholic, is required to fund abortions through its employee health insurance plan despite its connection to the Catholic Church, which is well-known for its opposition to abortion.

Even with the limited exemptions provided to certain religious employers, the regulation mandates that group and blanket insurance policies that provide hospital, surgical, or medical expense coverage  shall not exclude coverage for medically necessary abortions. Medically necessary abortions are not explicitly defined in the regulation, but the petition contends that the phrase refers to abortions in cases of rape, incest, or fetal malformation.

The petitioners initially sought relief from the abortion mandate in state court, but the state judicial system upheld the regulation. They are now seeking relief from the Supreme Court. The high court consists of six Republican-appointed justices and three justices appointed by Democratic presidents.

Our faith tells us that every life is precious from the moment of conception until natural death, said Mother Miriam, of the Sisterhood of Saint Mary, the oldest Anglican religious order in the U.S. New York has told us that if we want to hold our beliefs about the sanctity of life, we have to stop serving Non-Anglicans. We cannot compromise on our religious beliefs, or in our service to people of all faiths or no faith at all. Thats why we need relief from the Supreme Court.

According to Becket Senior Counsel Lori Windham, New York instituted its abortion mandate when nuns with the Little Sisters of the Poor were already two Supreme Court victories into their battle against the contraceptive mandate.

Now theyve won for a third time, sending the clear message that the government cant make nuns do its dirty work, Windham said. New Yorks failure to learn from the Little Sisters saga that you cant make nuns pay for abortions is beyond reason. The Court needs to step in and teach New York that lesson.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 last summer that a Trump administration rule broadening religious exemptions to the Obamacare mandate requiring employers to include contraceptive coverage in their employees healthcare plans did not violate the Constitution.

In 2016, the Supreme Court vacated lower court rulings against the Little Sisters of the Poor back to the lower courts, a decision that resulted in the case once again making its way up to the Supreme Court.

Attorneys for the petitioners argue that the Supreme Courts previous rulings in favor of the Little Sisters of the Poor have set a precedent that will require the justices to strike down New Yorks abortion mandate. They warned that failure to do so would have adverse impacts on their clients ability to do business in accordance with their faith.

The consequences could hardly be more severe, should this Court not intervene, the petition argued. New York churches and religious ministries will be forced to cooperate in what they consider to be grave evil  or stop operating. Before that happens, the Court should at least consider whether the Constitution allows it.

It is hard to imagine a more critical legal question for Petitioners than whether New York can force them to cover abortions in their employee health plans, the petition continues. And although the impact on religious adherents in New York alone would support review, the importance of this issue travels well beyond New Yorks borders  this case presents critical questions about a fundamental constitutional right.
Supreme Court vacates decision against religious groups fighting NY abortion coverage mandate

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The U.S. Supreme Court has vacated a lower court ruling against multiple religious employers seeking an exemption to a 2017 New York regulation requiring employers to provide healthcare plans that include coverage of medically necessary abortions.

In an order released Monday morning, the nations high court vacated a lower court ruling in the case of Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, et al. v. Emani, Shiri, et al., remanding the case back to the New York Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court cited its unanimous July decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia to justify the order. In that case, the high court ruled that Philadelphia officials could not exclude a Catholic charity from its foster program because the organization refused to place children with same-sex couples for religious reasons.

Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch voted to hear the charities appeal rather than send the case back to the lower courts.

Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, a legal nonprofit that represents the diocese, said in a statement that he is thankful for the order.

New York clearly learned nothing from the federal governments own attempts to force nuns to pay for contraceptives and is now needlessly threatening charities because they believe in the dignity and humanity of every human person, stated Baxter.

We are thankful that the Supreme Court wont allow the New York Court of Appeals bad ruling to be the last word on the right of religious ministries to serve New Yorkers of all faiths.

A group of religious organizations and orders, including multiple Roman Catholic dioceses, Catholic Charities, an Anglican order of nuns and multiple Protestant churches filed lawsuits against New York over its abortion coverage mandate.

We believe that every person is made in the image of God, said Mother Miriam of the Sisterhood of Saint Mary, the oldest Anglican religious order founded in America. Thats why we believe in the sanctity of human life, and why we seek to serve those of all faiths  or no faith at all  in our community. Were grateful that the Supreme Court has taken action in our case and hopeful that, this time around, the New York Court of Appeals will preserve our ability to serve and encourage our neighbors.

The New York Codes, Rules and Regulations, Title 11, Section 52.16 (o) prohibits healthcare policies from limiting what it describes as medically necessary abortions.

No policy delivered or issued for delivery in this State that provides hospital, surgical, or medical expense coverage shall limit or exclude coverage for abortions that are medically necessary, the section reads.

Coverage for in-network abortions that are medically necessary shall not be subject to copayments, or coinsurance, or annual deductibles, unless the policy is a high deductible health plan  in which case coverage for medically necessary abortions may be subject to the plans annual deductible.

The New York mandate allows for a religious exemption, provided that the insurer for the religious employer obtains an annual certification confirming their status and that the insurer issues a rider for coverage of medically necessary abortions.

In section 52.2 of the New York Codes, a religious employer is defined as an entity that engages in the inculcation of religious values, primarily employs persons who share the religious tenets of the entity, serves primarily persons who share the religious tenets of the entity and is a nonprofit organization.

The plaintiffs contend that New York holds too narrow of a definition on what constitutes a religious employer and unlawfully restricts who can receive an exemption.

But religious organizations that have a broader purpose, such as serving the poor, or that employ or serve members of other faiths or no faith, must cover abortions in their health plans, stated the plaintiffs petition to the Supreme Court filed in April.

The U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled in favor of Christian-owned businesses and religious groups that sued for an exemption to an Obamacare mandate that required employers to provide health plans that cover birth control.
Vaccinated White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirms she has COVID-19

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Four days after learning that members of her household tested positive for COVID-19, fully vaccinated White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki revealed that she tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday as doctors say its unlikely President Joe Biden has been infected.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Psaki stressed that she opted not to travel with Biden Thursday to attend two major summits with world leaders in Rome and Scotland while she was still testing negative for the virus.

She noted that she has not had close contact with the president or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday. She said the last time she saw Biden in person, they were outdoors, wore masks and were more than six feet apart.

Today, I tested positive for COVID. While I have not had close contact in person with the President or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday  and tested negative for four days after that last contact  I am disclosing todays positive test out of an abundance of transparency, she wrote. I last saw the President on Tuesday, when we sat outside more than six-feet apart, and wore masks.

Psaki, 42, noted that because she is fully vaccinated, her symptoms have been mild.

Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms which has enabled me to continue working from home. I will plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the ten day quarantine following a negative rapid test, which is an additional White House requirement, beyond CDC guidance, taken out of an abundance of caution, she added.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday morning that the 78-year-old fully-vaccinated Biden tested negative for COVID-19 as part of a requirement to enter the United Kingdom. He is expected to participate in the United Nations Climate Summit, known as COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, which kicked off Sunday.

Biden also received his booster shot on Sept. 27 for the two-dose Pfizer vaccine he received in December and January.

Asked about the situation, physicians told CNN on Sunday that it was unlikely that Psaki infected the president.

Based on the timeline of Ms. Psakis testing negative for multiple days following her last encounter with President Biden (which was also outside and masked, therefore very low risk in and of itself), it is virtually impossible for her to somehow have infected the President, Dr. Leana Wen, former Planned Parenthood president and former Baltimore City health commissioner, told the network.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University, also stated that the likelihood of Biden getting infected by Psaki was low since the last contact between the two was outdoors and other precautions were taken.

Transmission outside is much less likely than transmission inside. Also, she and the President were both wearing masks. That would further reduce the likelihood of transmission, Reiner stated. Also, remember, the president had been boosted. Recent data from Pfizer shows the third dose, what we had been calling the booster, restores that vaccines efficacy to about 95%. So I am sure the President also will be fine.
Montana gov. demands Biden halt Afghan resettlement in his state after evacuee is charged with rape

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Montana's governor has called for a halt in the resettlement of refugees from Afghanistan after an evacuee was charged with rape.

In a letter sent to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Gov. Greg Gianforte said that while he welcomes evacuees fleeing the Taliban to the state, he had grave concerns about the vetting process.

The system requires a careful, immediate reevaluation, wrote Gianforte. As governor, the safety, security, and wellbeing of Montanans is my top priority. Tragic events over the last few weeks, including one in Montana, have brought to the front issues with your vetting system, he added.

Gianforte was referring to the recent arrest of 19-year-old Zabihullah Mohmand, who was charged with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman. According to court documents, the victim called 911 early on the morning of Oct. 17 to report that she had been raped.

For his part, Mohmand claimed the sex was consensual.

NBC Montana reported last week that Mohmand was an Afghan evacuee resettled in Missoula as part of the federal governments resettlement program.

Gianforte told Biden that he wanted a halt to the resettlement program until certain issues were resolved, specifically an explanation on how the federal government vetted Mohmand, details on reforms that will be made to the vetting system, a commitment by the federal government to cover all costs tied to Mohmands prosecution, imprisonment and possible deportation.

Montana's governor is not the only elected official in Montana demanding answers from the Biden administration. Last week, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., wrote a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas asking for detailed information about the justification for why Mohmand received humanitarian parole status.

Specifically, Daines asked, Did Mr. Mohmand work with U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan or any other government entity? He went on to condemn the administrations generic statements concerning the sexual assault in Missoula as deeply insufficient.

In a statement obtained by the Montana-based news outlet KULR, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said: Before individuals are permitted to enter the United States, they are subject to rigorous, multi-layered screening and vetting processes that involve biometric and biographic screenings conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, FBI, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and additional Intelligence Community partners.

Mohmand is not the only Afghan refugee to face criminal charges for actions they took after arriving in the U.S. Last month, a grand jury charged two Afghan men with crimes while residing at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. The unrelated cases involved 20-year-old Bahrullah Noori, who's facing charges for attempting to have sex with a minor and three counts of engaging in a sex act with a minor, all by force. The other case involves 32-year-old Mohammad Haroon Imaad, who's facing charges of strangling and suffocating his wife.

Noori and Imaad were charged previously in complaints filed in U.S. District Court, explained a U.S. Department of Justice press release on Sept. 22. If convicted, Noori faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years and a maximum of life in federal prison on the charges alleging use of force, and a maximum penalty of 15 years on the other two charges. Imaad faces a maximum penalty of 10 years.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that more than 700 Afghans who were flown to the U.S. had left their temporary housing on U.S. bases before completing their resettlement process. U.S. officials said that those departures involved Afghans who had been screened for any security issues and many were believed to already have family in the area.

Other concerns that have been raised involve child brides evacuated out of Afghanistan who were brought to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and transit sites overseas. Last month, a State Department document showed that it sought urgent guidance from other agencies on what to do because child marriage is illegal in the U.S. and some girls said they had been raped.
Youngkin pulls ahead of McAuliffe in Virginia governors race: polls

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Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin is gaining momentum over his Democratic opponent, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, in the upcoming gubernatorial election, according to recent polling data.

Voters in Virginia will go to the polls on Tuesday to determine their next governor, with the gubernatorial race becoming a national story as political observers see the results as an early predictor of next years midterm elections.

According to the polling website FiveThirtyEight, as of Monday morning, Youngkin had a slight lead over McAuliffe, averaging 47.7% over his Democrat opponents 46.7%. This 1% edge is of recent vintage, as FiveThirtyEight reported that, back in early August, McAuliffe had the lead with 50.1% versus Youngkins 42.2%.

According to an average of polls aggregated by RealClearPolitics, Youngkin leads with 48.4% support, compared to McAuliffes 46.8%.

As with FiveThirtyEight, the RCP polling average had previously shown McAuliffe with a considerable lead over Youngkin, with the Democrat candidate having a 5% edge over Yougkin by the end of September (48.3% versus 43.3%). A Youngkin victory would represent a significant swing for Virginia, which gave President Joe Biden a 10% margin of victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman of the University of Virginia Center for Politics wrote in a commentary published Oct. 14 that they believed Youngkin was able to pace with McAuliffe because of some of the advantages that Democrats enjoyed in Virginia during Donald Trumps presidency.

Though the McAuliffe campaign has worked relentlessly to tie Youngkin to Trump, an unpopular figure in the Commonwealth who has endorsed Youngkin several times, President Bidens weakened approval ratings weigh on Democrats, wrote Kondik and Coleman.

Congressional Democrats lack of action on big-item legislation, specifically on infrastructure and social spending, also seems to be dampening enthusiasm among their rank-and-file voters.

The Virginia gubernatorial race has garnered nationwide attention, with former president Donald Trump publicly endorsing Youngkin, while Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Barack Obama campaigned on behalf of McAuliffe.

While Democrats have tried to portray Youngkin as an extremist due to his ties to Trump, McAuliffe has taken flack for remarks at a gubernatorial debate stating that he was not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions. McAuliffe maintained that I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.

McAuliffes comments came as outraged parents have descended on school board meetings to condemn the inclusion of sexually explicit material in school libraries. The debate about the role of parents in education has only intensified after the U.S. Department of Justice sent out a memo asking federal law enforcement agencies to work with local leaders to facilitate the discussion of strategies for addressing threats against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.

The DOJ memo was written in response to a letter from the National School Boards Association warning that threats and acts of violence against school board members and school officials have become more prevalent and suggesting that expressing concern over controversial curriculum amounted to domestic terrorism.

The issue of education has continued to loom large over the election, as reporting about two sexual assaults in Loudoun County at two separate high schools at the hands of the same trans-identified male has led to allegations of a cover-up on the part of local officials. The first sexual assault occurred as the district was considering a policy that would allow trans-identified students to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity as opposed to their biological sex and the second assault occurred after the policy was enacted.

The gubernatorial race is not the only election taking place in Virginia on Tuesday. Virginians will also select a lieutenant governor, an attorney general and a member of the House of Delegates. While fewer polls have been taken of the other two statewide races, most polls show Democrat Hala Ayala narrowly leading Republican Winsome Sears in the lieutenant gubernatorial race and Democrat incumbent Attorney General Mark Herring narrowly leading his Republican challenger Jason Miyares.

A poll from Roanoke College conducted from Oct. 14 to Oct. 28 shows Ayala leading Sears, 46% to 44% and Herring leading Miyares 46% to 45%. In a poll taken by The Washington Post from Oct. 20-26, Ayala leads Sears 50% to 46% among likely voters while Herring leads Miyares 50% to 44%. The Washington Post poll found Bidens approval rating underwater by 7 points, while a Fox News poll finding a significant lead for Youngkin measured the presidents approval rating at 43%, with a disapproval rating of 56%.

Republicans are working to take back the House of Delegates after losing control of the chamber in 2019. Elections Daily, which keeps track of all 100 seats on the ballot, sees Democrats favored in 48 seats, Republicans favored in 43 seats and neither side favored in nine toss-up races.
Kidnapped American pastor freed in Haiti as gang holds 17 missionaries hostage

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Jean Pierre Ferrer Michel, a 79-year-old American pastor who was kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang two weeks before 17 mostly American missionaries were abducted by the group earlier this month, has been freed after $550,000 was reportedly paid for his release.

Michels release was announced in a video posted on Facebook by his daughter on Tuesday.

The pastor, who is a founding member of Jesus Center in Delmas 29, Haiti, was kidnapped from the church by heavily armed individuals dressed in different uniforms of the National Police of Haiti at about 8 a.m. on Oct. 3, Haiti Libre reported. Two other church members, Isabelle Devendegis and Norman Weiner, were also taken.

While the gang released the female congregant, Michel and Weiner were held hostage even though they reportedly paid a ransom. The Miami Herald reported Tuesday that relatives of Michel and the two congregants initially paid $300,000 to secure their release. Delex Etienne, a communications consultant in Haiti, said in a statement on Twitter that an additional $250,000 was paid on Monday for Michel and Weiner's release.

Michels family did not immediately respond to a request for an interview when contacted by The Christian Post on Wednesday, but his daughter thanked supporters on Facebook who helped bring awareness to his abduction after the kidnapping of the missionaries appeared to get all the media attention.

They dont talk about it, like they are talking about the case of the group of 17. But this man is an American citizen, too, a family friend told the Miami Herald prior to Michels release. Its not the same attention that the 17 people who they abducted in Croix-des-Bouquets are getting.

While Michel is now free, the missionaries remain in captivity pending payment of a $17 million ransom. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told the Miami Herald on Tuesday that President Joe Biden continues to be briefed daily about the kidnapping of the 16 Americans and a Canadian citizen who work for Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries. Biden is reportedly particularly concerned about the five children in the group, the youngest of which is only 8 months old.

I personally give an update on this issue every single day to the president, who is taking a deep interest in making sure we get every single one of those people home safely, Sullivan said.

Shortly after the kidnapping of the missionaries on Oct. 16, he said, three FBI agents were deployed to Haiti. Since then, Sullivan said the United States has sent a significant number of law enforcement specialists and hostage recovery specialists to work closely with the ministry, the families and the Haitian government to try to coordinate and organize a recovery.

We are looking at every possible option for how to go about doing that, he explained. I will be sensitive to what obviously is a delicate situation, not say more here, other than we have put the assets and resources in place that we believe can help bring this to a successful conclusion.

As they wait for a peaceful resolution of the hostage situation, Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement to CP that they would dedicate Wednesday as another special day for prayer and fasting.

We invite believers from around the world to join us. We again request ongoing prayer for those being held, government officials who are assisting, and the kidnappers themselves, the ministry said Tuesday.

Recent media attention has focused on the kidnapping of our workers and loved ones, but a civil society group reports that 600 kidnappings in Haiti were recorded from January to September 2021, compared with 231 over the same period last year. While fasting and praying, we encourage you to remember others who are being held hostage as well as those recovering from the experience of being kidnapped, the group said.

Since the kidnapping of the missionaries, Haitians have taken to the streets to demand their release. Schools and most businesses were closed for several days in Port-au-Prince last week, according to The Haitian Times, following a call for a general strike to protest kidnappings and widespread insecurity, which followed the assassination of the countrys late President Jovenel Moise in July.

In their statement Tuesday, the international charity also defended their decision to have missionaries working in dangerous places like Haiti.

Occasionally we are asked why our workers were in Haiti. Why travel to dangerous places? Why not let these countries take care of their own issues? These are good questions which deserve an answer, the group said.

We live in a very broken world. A world of broken relationships, broken trust, and broken political systems. It is a world of loneliness, fear, and violence. And Jesus came, not just so men could go to Heaven when they die, but also to show the kind of a world God intends right here on Earth, they continued.

We go to places like Haiti because we have found Jesus and His teachings to be the answer for our own lives and we want others to enjoy the joy, peace, and redemption we have experienced in the kingdom of God, they added.  Haitians live under constant fear. They have no way to escape. For many, every trip to the market is overshadowed by the continual threat of violence. As we continue to pray earnestly for our American staff, we also encourage fervent prayer for the Haitian people.

As negotiations for the missionaries' release continue between the gang and officials in the troubled Caribbean nation and the U.S., a recent video of Wilson Joseph, leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, showed the crime boss wasn't pleased with the pace of negotiations.

I swear by thunder that if I dont get what Im asking for, I will put a bullet in the heads of these Americans, Joseph threatened last Thursday, according to a translation cited by Bloomberg Quicktake.

Joseph further threatened Haitis Prime Minister Ariel Henry, as well as the chief of Haitis National Police, Leon Charles. Bloomberg noted that Josephs speech was made in front of open coffins that apparently held several members of his gang who were recently killed.

You guys make me cry. I cry water. But Im going to make you guys cry blood, he said.
Woman sues Alabama church group for allegedly enabling 'predator disguised as a pastor'

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An Alabama-based evangelical church group has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a Florida woman in which she accused them of knowingly enabling a man she described as a predator disguised as a pastor to serve as the head of a new church.

In a lawsuit filed against Newsound Church in Palm Beach County, Florida, and the Association of Related Churches, a church planting organization headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, a woman listed as Jane Doe in the suit accused the organization of appointing Joshua Mauney to lead the church despite knowing about his history of abuse, according to AL.com.

Doe alleged that Mauney forcefully penetrated her on 12 occasions from 2019 to 2020 when she worked as his assistant. She also claimed that Mauney forced her to engage in other sex acts and leveraged her dependence on her job for financial stability to make it harder for her to leave. Doe is seeking damages, maintaining that the organization bears responsibility for Mauneys misconduct as well as negligence.

The complaint also mentions Does efforts to reach out to Dino Rizzo, ARC executive director and co-founder, to report the abuse. She was instructed to contact Rizzo when informing the church of Mauneys inappropriate behavior.

Mr. Rizzo represented to (Doe) that he wanted to help but instead started interrogating Doe on who was aware of the abuse by Mauney, the lawsuit stated. Mr. Rizzo asked her if she wanted to be devious and make the church close down. She replied no.

According to the lawsuit, Rizzo told Doe that she must contact him before telling anyone else about what happened to her.

In response, Newsound Church filed court documents denying Does accusations of sexual abuse and pushed back on her claim that the ARC was responsible for Mauney being placed at the church.

In a statement emailed to The Christian Post on Thursday, ARC spokesperson Lawrence Swicegood denounced any illegal, immoral, improper, or unethical conduct or actions opposed to biblical teachings.

Unfortunately, over the years, a small number of pastors have disregarded biblical guidance and instructions. Ultimately, the wrong personal choices they made and the resulting consequences are theirs and theirs alone, stated the ARC.

While their failures greatly sadden us, ARC will continue its mission to help launch, connect and equip thousands of pastors who greatly value and benefit from the support of a church planting organization like ARC.

While they would not comment on the specifics of the case due to ongoing litigation, ARC did state that they have no legal, governmental or corporate oversight or control over any of the churches associated with us.

Doe rejected the premise that ARC does not have oversight over its churches, noting that its affiliate churches have overseers appointed by the organization. The overseers for Newsound Church informed the congregation in a letter that an investigation concluded that Mauney compromised his integrity and his position by engaging in an inappropriate relationship and that they had requested and received his resignation.

Doe received $21,000 in severance pay and $5,000 to cover the costs of therapy. She was also asked to sign a document acknowledging that she could face a lawsuit if she spoke out about the accusations. The lawsuit claims that ARC and the church paid Mauney $70,000.

Doe is not the only person accusing ARC of failing to act when one of their pastors was accused of sexual misconduct. In late September, a woman named Laura Ashley Eagan sued Rizzo, accusing him of failing to intervene when she told him that Jason Delgado, the former senior pastor of Vibrant Church of Columbus, Mississippi, sexually assaulted her.

The Eagan lawsuit argued that Rizzo was partly responsible for the assault because Vibrant Church was connected to the ARC network of churches and that he had a responsibility to intervene.

Eagan also claims in her lawsuit that church officials were aware of Delgados alleged sexual predation as early as 2016 but that they did nothing to stop him.
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If Attorney General Merrick Garland learned anything from his House grilling last week, you wouldn't know it by the encore. Six days after he bombed in front of the lower chamber, embarrassing himself and calling the integrity of his entire department into question, Garland didn't seem eager to change people's first impressions.

His second trip to the hot seat was equally disastrous in the Senate, where anyone watching would almost certainly agree with Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.): "Thank God you're not on the Supreme Court!"

Amazingly, the firestorm leading up to Garland's Senate testimony didn't do much to chasten him. If anything, America's top law enforcer seemed even more dug in on the memo that should have cost him his job. In response to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who argued that the anti-parent missive "looks like something that would come out of a communist country," Garland only doubled down on the DOJ's attack. "I don't believe it's reasonable to read this memorandum as chilling anyone's rights about the threats of violence and it expressly recognizes the constitutional right to make arguments about your children's education."

The only thing we are concerned about, Garland went on unconvincingly, "is violence and threats of violence against school officials, school teachers, school staff. We did not sic the FBI on parents," he argued. (Well, not yet anyway.) Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), seizing on the magnitude of the order, fired back, "You're the attorney general of the United States. This was not a tweet you sent. This is a memo to the Federal Bureau of Investigation saying go investigate parents as domestic terrorists." And, as Cotton revealed on "Washington Watch," that directive wasn't just limited to the FBI  but the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, the Criminal Division, and even the National Security Division, which, as he pointed out, are attorneys who are supposed to be handling "counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism matters."

"Why in the world would lawyers who spend their time trying to stop jihadists from attacking America or trying to track down Chinese spies be pursuing parents at school boards?" he asked indignantly. Making matters worse, Garland refused to disavow the memo  even after the organization that triggered it, the National School Board Association, did. "I assume you're going to revoke your extremely divisive memo that you said was instigated because of that letter," Grassley said to Garland. "That's a question." The attorney general hedged, arguing that he didn't use the NSBA's language in his order. "So you're going to keep your memo going anyway?" Grassley pushed. "Is that what you're telling me?"

Like most of the senators' questions, Garland never gave a straight answer. When the Iowa senator asked if he'd even considered the "chilling effect" that unleashing the FBI on local parents might have, the attorney general testily replied that the GOP wasn't giving a "reasonable" representation of his memo. "Let the record reflect the attorney general refused to answer the question," the Republican finished.

If this wasn't a "chilling" act, Cotton said later on radio, then what is? "We received from [internal Justice] sources a memorandum with a spreadsheet full of federal crimes that parents might commit at school board meetings  not state crimes, not disorderly conduct, not criminal threats, but federal crimes ... And it specifically references  not meetings, not consultations, not coordination  but federal investigation and prosecution.



And it attached to it, a spreadsheet listing in detail 13 federal criminal statutes that might be used to target these parents," he explained. "One of those statutes that Merrick Garland mentioned himself ... says 'the use of telecommunications devices to annoy the recipient.' Think about that. If a parent or parental group posts on Facebook or other social media that they're dissatisfied with school board members and the school board members find that annoying, Merrick Garland might sic the U.S. attorney on them." We need to get to the bottom of this, he insisted, and fast.

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is already on it, demanding written answers to the questions that Garland ignored. Questions like  who was consulted? Which White House staff was involved? And, how did the FBI respond, Blackburn wanted to know, when they should be "cracking down on Chinese espionage and [stopping] the caravans at our southern border." Just as mind-boggling, Blackburn explained on "Washington Watch," is Garland's insistence that there's "no place for violence" in this country. Fine, she said, everyone can agree with that. But how does he square that with what's happening on our city streets?

"With an open southern border, we are seeing record amounts of fentanyl and heroin and meth coming onto our nation's street. Why is the FBI not spending their time going after these cartels? Why are they not going after gang members who will actually murder people ... or go around stealing and destroying property? We would like to see the FBI put some attention on that." She mentioned the mass exodus from cities like Portland and Seattle because of the record crime. Where is the attorney general's concern for that?

Instead, Democrats are upset that he hasn't done more to crack down on the January 6 rioters. And yet, when a senator pressed the attorney general about the violence of Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and all of the rioters from 2020, Garland shrugged. "That was under the previous administration," he said. Well, so was January 6. What's the difference? The difference is that this isn't a DOJ that's interested in equal justice for all. It's a highly-politicized, hyper-partisan weapon that the president is using to punish opponents.

Garland, and the Biden administration in general, need to heed the Republicans' advice to stop the bleeding. "I suggest that you quickly change your course," Grassley admonished, "because you're losing credibility with the American people." And I pray that's not the only thing they could lose, come next November.

Originally published at the Family Research Council.
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Former President Obama made a terrible mistake when he spoke in Virginia, We don't have time to be wasted on these phony trumped-up culture wars, this fake outrage, the right-wing media pedals to juice their ratings.

Mr. Obama, the culture wars are anything but trumped-up, the outrage is quite real, and this is hardly a right-wing publicity stunt to generate ratings. Quite the contrary.

The parents of Virginia, the people of Virginia, and the nation are saying enough is enough. You do not mess with their children.

They are saying enough is enough with the cultural brainwashing of their children. Enough is enough with the rewriting of history. Enough is enough with making every issue into a matter of race. And, above all, enough is enough with endangering their children through a radical transgender agenda.

In his speech on behalf of gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, Obama said, Instead of stoking anger aimed at school boards and administrators, who are just trying to keep our kids safe we should be making it easier for teachers and schools to give our kids the world-class education they deserve, and to do so safely while they are in the classroom.

Mr. Obama, was the Loudoun County, Va., school board just trying to keep [the] kids safe when they hid the fact that a girl had been raped in the girls' restroom by a boy?

And was it their zeal to keep the kids safe that moved them to allow males to use the girls bathroom based solely on the boys preference? Really?

Mr. Obama, while I differed deeply with many of your policies and found your leadership to be very divisive, there is one thing I never questioned: your devotion to your family. It was clear that you loved your wife and your daughters. And it was clear you were very protective of the girls you and the First Lady were raising.

How is it, then, that you can brand the outrage of the father of a raped daughter fake? Especially when the school board lied to his face and when other parents attending did not believe his story. How could you do that, sir?

In the words of one frustrated Virginia father, That is the most tone-deaf statement I have ever heard. First and foremost, everything that has come up with the cover-up in Loudoun County has to do with a sexual assault on girls. To say that this is trumped-up as a political thing is laughable.

And its not just the parents who are fed up. Students are saying enough is enough as well. Is their outrage fake as well?

As reported by TheDaily Wire, Students in Loudoun County, Virginia, walked out of school on Tuesday to protest how the public school system handled multiple recent sexual assault accusations in support of the accusers.

The cat is now out of the bag, as the boy accused of rape has now been convicted. And make no mistake about it: this rape was made possible by the very culture wars that you, Mr. Obama, downplay and deny.

Will you look this girl in the eyes and tell her shes getting all worked up over nothing? That it is no big deal for a guy to have access to the expected privacy of a girls bathroom? That her dad should not be so upset when her rape is categorically denied in public?

But it gets worse.

A confidential email from Scott Ziegler, the superintendent for Loudoun County Public Schools, dating to May 28, 2021, and addressed to the school board, said this: The purpose of this email is to provide you with information regarding an incident that occurred at Stone Bridge HS. This afternoon a female student alleged that a male student sexually assaulted her in the restroom.

Yet when questioned about this at a school board meeting on June 22 by Scott Smith, the girls father, Ziegler responded that to his knowledge we dont have any record of assaults occurring in our restrooms.

What? No record? Mr. Ziegler, barely three weeks earlier, you emailed the board about the very incident in question. How could you say this?

No wonder Smith went apoplectic and had to be dragged out of the meeting (although, to be sure, he acknowledges that he got out of control).

And yet, in todays upside-down America, rather than our federal government focusing on the unsafe environment being created by these radical leftist policies, the focus was put on the parents. Call in the FBI! Investigate them as domestic terrorists! (For more on this, see my article, When Parents Became the Enemy.)

For good reason TheBabylon Bee, the popular Christian satire website, let the sarcasm fly, writing: You should be ashamed of yourself young lady, said the first black, foreign-born US President while winking at a fawning journalist. Instead of stoking anger aimed at school boards and administrators, you should be making it easier for teachers and schools to give kids the world-class indoctrination they deserve.

The victim of egregious sexual assault was saddened to realize her actions of being raped by a skirt-wearing male student in a gender-fluid bathroom caused so much pain and inconvenience for school administrators, school boards, and politicians.

Well-said, Babylon Bee.

Over on the PJ Media site, Stephen Kruiser reported that the school boards of Ohio and Missouri have withdrawn from the National School Boards Association. The parents are pushing back, and Kruiser is right to suggest that it is not just Republican parents who are upset. Nor is it only Republican parents who take issue with Terry McAuliffes statement that, I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach?

For many years now, I have been saying that the Left will overplay its hand, resulting in a cultural pushback. Be assured that the pushback is very real  not trumped up, not fake, and not the creation of Right-wing news. Let the parents lead the way!
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This Monday, when the Texas Heartbeat Bill is argued at the Supreme Court there will be a special kind of anticipation for those who wrote this law and, by doing so, made great, personal sacrifices. Texas Representative and Students for Life of America alumni, Briscoe Cain, is a part of this small but extremely courageous camp.

As an author of one of the most controversial abortion bills to date, the Texas Heartbeat Bill, Cain now faces over 10 different lawsuits for his involvement with the bill, and he has no regrets. His story is a powerful reminder of the determination of the pro-life movement and the potential in all of our students to push back and beat abortion.

A native-born Texan, Cain first became involved with Students for Life of America in 2010 while in law school as a member of Law Students for Life, a branch of SFLA. He had already created the first pro-life law students' organization in Texas when he heard about SFLA. Wanting to be a part of something bigger, Cain converted his group into an SFLA chapter. His involvement with pro-life activism did not stop when he graduated from school. Instead, as for Cain and many others, SFLA was a diving board into the movement.

As an attorney, one of Cains most notable pro-life contributions was a dark discovery about Texas medical schools. In 2015, Cain started an investigation into the medical schools, issuing public information requests that would reveal four different Texan medical schools were using tax dollars to buy aborted fetal tissue. Through this investigation, Cain would also find that Planned Parenthood had broken the law by selling these body parts for profit. Due to Cains work, Planned Parenthood may be prosecuted for its actions. This is an important step in exposing more of the abortion industrys dirty, violent deeds.

After being elected to the Texas House of Representatives, Cain began the process of eradicating abortion via legislation. In early March of 2021, Cain sent the groundbreaking Heartbeat Bill to the Texas House Public Health Committee after authoring it with Representatives Shelby Slawson, Will Metcalf, and Candy Noble. The bill prohibits abortions after the detection of a prenatal heartbeat, and, after going into effect on September 1st, it has blocked about 85-90% of Texan abortions. With such an effect, the Texas Heartbeat Bill has caused nationwide controversy. Now, Cain is receiving serious backlash for his service to the pro-life movement.

On September 24th, when walking into a church to speak on a panel concerning election integrity, Cain was served with 13 lawsuits. The plaintiffs of these lawsuits include the Lilith Fund, the Frontera Fund, the West Fund, Clinic Access Support Network, Fund Texas Choice, North Texas Equal Access Fund, Bridge Collective, The Afiya Center, Allison Van Stein and Michelle Tuegel (two abortion rights attorneys), Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi (an abortionist), Monica Faulkner (a social worker) and a Jane Doe. Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas has also intervened in the cases.

These lawsuits ended up in seven different courts; yet, six out of the seven judges are Democrats who are likely to side with the interests of the abortion industry. Several of the judges also have a history of pro-abortion rulings under their belt, including Judge Karin Crump who had issued an order temporarily enjoining a pro-life group from enforcing the Heartbeat Bill in September.

While Cain expects his legal battles over the Heartbeat Bill to be arduous, he was actually excited when he was served. When you take flack like that, Cain told SFLA, it means you hit the target. With thirteen lawsuits aimed at him, he certainly hit a bullseye with the Texas Heartbeat Bill. Cain continued with encouragement for the youth who are watching him be bullied by the abortion industry:

All SFLA students and young pro-lifers must remain steadfast and devoted to the cause. Take challenges as progress, and dont stop fighting even after you leave your student organizations. This is a fight which needs to be fought until its won.

Cains positive outlook on these lawsuits speaks highly of his dedication and true understanding of the Pro-life movement. Too many politicians are complacent in their positions, preferring to sail the calm waters of neutrality instead of weathering the storm as they take a stand.

However, the abortion issue has no neutral position. Either one fights for the lives of the preborn or they sit silent, watching others kill the vulnerable. Saying nothing about an injustice merely allows it to continue and is a condemnable case of inaction. Those in political power who could make a change but remain indifferent for the sake of personal comfort are better known by the name of coward.

Cain is committed to the high road. As he faces these 13 different lawsuits against him, he needs support from the pro-life community in order to continue in his work and win these battles.

But the best support Cain can get is prayers for the judges and contributions to his legal defense fund. Briscoe Cain is fighting a battle for the preborn that is resulting in actual lives rescued from abortion violence, serving as a reminder that engaging in the pro-life movement in college is so much more than an extracurricular; it can be a crucial formation for the actions that will shape ones whole career and adult life.
Albemarle Corporation ALB will release third-quarter 2021 results after the closing bell on Nov 3. The company is likely to have benefited from higher lithium volumes and prices and its cost-reduction actions in the quarter. However, its Bromine Specialties unit is expected to have faced headwinds from input cost inflation and supply-chain issues.

The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the trailing four quarters. In this timeframe, it delivered an earnings surprise of 22%, on average. It posted an earnings surprise of 7.2% in the last reported quarter.

Albemarles shares have rallied 158.7% over a year compared with a 24.1% rise of the industry it belongs to.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research



Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Zacks Model

Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Albemarle this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earning beat.

Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP for Albemarle is +8.73%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the third quarter is currently pegged at 75 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Albemarle currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

What do the Estimates Say?

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues for Albemarle for the to-be-reported quarter stands at $776 million, reflecting an increase of around 3.9% from the year-ago quarter.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for net sales for the Lithium unit stands at $338 million, indicating a 27% year-over-year rise. The same for the Bromine Specialties segment for the third quarter is pegged at $239 million, reflecting an 0.8% increase on a year-over-year basis.



The Zacks Consensus Estimate for net sales for the Catalysts segment is pinned at $191 million, indicating a decline of 3.5% year over year.

Some Factors to Watch For

Albemarle is likely to have benefited from higher volumes in its lithium business in the third quarter on continued recovery in global economic activities. Healthy customer orders and plant productivity improvements are like to have supported volumes. Higher lithium prices due to tighter market conditions are also expected to have aided its performance.

Benefits of the companys cost-saving and productivity initiatives are also expected to get reflected in the quarter to be reported. The company remains on track with its cost-saving program which is expected to deliver run rate savings of more than $120 million by the end of 2021. Its cost actions are expected to have supported margins in the third quarter.

Its Catalysts unit is also likely to have witnessed improved performance in the quarter to be reported on an improvement in transportation fuel demand globally. However, the results in the Bromine Specialties unit are likely to have been impacted by higher raw material costs as well as logistics and supply-chain disruptions.

Stocks That Warrant a Look

Here are some companies in the basic materials space you may want to consider as our model shows they too have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

The Chemours Company CC, scheduled to release earnings on Nov 4, has an Earnings ESP of +1.26% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Franco-Nevada Corporation FNV, scheduled to release earnings on Nov 3, has an Earnings ESP of +0.38% and carries a Zacks Rank #3.

Olympic Steel, Inc. ZEUS, scheduled to release earnings on Nov 4, has an Earnings ESP of +7.08% and carries a Zacks Rank #3.

Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America

A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.

The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?

Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.

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Albemarle Corporation (ALB): Free Stock Analysis Report



FrancoNevada Corporation (FNV): Free Stock Analysis Report



Olympic Steel, Inc. (ZEUS): Free Stock Analysis Report



The Chemours Company (CC): Free Stock Analysis Report



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American Airlines canceled more than 1,300 flights this weekend, citing bad weather and staffing issues, the latest service disruption to hit the skies as travel ramps back up.

More than 800 flights were canceled Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, nearly 30 percent of the airline's total scheduled departures. A day earlier, more than 540 flights were canceled.

In a Saturday letter to employees, American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said that "these few days to close out October will be challenging."

Two days of severe winds in Dallas-Fort Worth last week reduced arrival capacity by more than half, driving a large number of cancellations at DFW, Seymour wrote.

"With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences," he wrote in the letter. "To make sure we are taking care of our customers and providing scheduling certainty for our crews, we have adjusted our operation for the last few days this month by proactively canceling some flights."

Earlier this month, Southwest Airlines faced multiple days of service disruptions. More than 2,000 flights were canceled, which the airline blamed on weather and air traffic control issues. As passengers look to schedule more trips 20 months into the pandemic, experts have warned that the choppy return to air travel may signal a messy holiday season ahead. Meanwhile, airlines are also preparing for a rush of passengers once the United States reopens its borders, starting Nov. 8, to vaccinated travelers from countries that have been subject to a travel ban.

There is a tight labor market affecting all economic sectors, said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at Teal Group, but he noted that the "difference with airlines however is that a record drop in demand has been followed by a record recovery."

"That's a recipe for trouble," Aboulafia said in an email to The Post. "Hopefully, it will be resolved by the holidays, but I'm sure there will be more disruptions ahead."

A spokesman for the union representing American Airlines pilots said Sunday that "management is delivering more trick than treat today."

"Management is failing at the most fundamental part of running an airline. Connecting crews to the airplane," Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, said in an emailed statement, adding: "Mother nature generates a storm and then management fails to connect crews creating more storms days after."

In the Saturday memo, Seymour said the airline planned to staff up in the coming months, with nearly 1,800 flight attendants returning from various leaves starting Monday and more returning Dec 1. The airline also said it plans to have more than 600 new flight attendant hires start by the end of December.

The airline also said most customers affected by the recent cancellations were rebooked.
We expect Steven Madden, Ltd. SHOO to report year-over-year increases in its top and the bottom line when it releases third-quarter 2021 earnings on Nov 3, before market open. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarterly earnings has been revised a penny upward in the past seven days to 78 cents. This consensus mark suggests a significant improvement from 39 cents earned in the year-earlier quarter. The consensus estimate of $528.2 million for quarterly revenues suggests growth of about 52% from the prior-year quarters tally.

A glance at this fashion-forward footwear, apparel and accessories dealers performance in the trailing four quarters shows that it has an earnings surprise of 56.2%, on average.

Steven Maddens third-quarter results are likely to reflect a sturdy e-commerce business and brand strength. Solid gains from increased investment in digital marketing and robust online capabilities, such as try before you buy have been contributing to its performance for a while.

The company has ramped up digital marketing spend, improved data science capabilities, rolled out buy online, pick-up in store across its entire U.S. full-price retail outlets plus introduced advanced delivery and return options.

Additionally, the company is gaining from its smart buyouts. Management remains optimistic about the European joint venture and the buyout of BB Dakota. Overall, Steven Madden is focused on creating a trend-right merchandise assortment, deepening relations with customers via marketing, digital solution enhancement, and inventory and expense control efficiency.

The aforesaid tailwinds might boost the companys quarterly results. On its last earnings call, management had anticipated revenues and earnings per share to grow in mid-single digits on a percentage basis in the quarter under review from the levels reported in 2019.

On the flip side, Steven Madden has been witnessing continued supply-chain disruptions. Also, higher freight expenses remain a drag.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

Our proven model doesnt conclusively predict an earnings beat for Steven Madden this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But thats not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Although Steven Madden currently has a Zacks Rank #1, its Earnings ESP of -1.29% makes surprise prediction difficult.

Stocks With Favorable Combinations

Here are a few companies worth considering as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this season:

PVH Corp. PVH has an Earnings ESP of +4.84% and a Zacks Rank of 1, currently. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Hanesbrands HBI has an Earnings ESP of +1.06% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present.

Gildan Activewear GIL has an Earnings ESP of +7.14% and a Zacks Rank of 3, presently.

Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America

A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.

The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?

Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



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Wall Street had a fabulous October, more than offsetting Septembers market turmoil. The three major stock indexes  the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite  rallied 5.8%, 6.9% and 7.3%, respectively. In September, these three indexes plummeted 4.3%, 4.8% and 5.3%, respectively.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite recorded the best month since November 2020 while the Dow registered the best month since March 2021. In contrast, in September, both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite recorded the worst monthly decline since March 2020 while the Dow registered its worst-monthly performance since October 2020.

The October performances of U.S. stock markets were more appreciable since the month is historically known for its volatile trading pattern. The momentum is likely to continue as we are entering the holiday sales season of 2021.

Near-Term Catalysts

First, a strong reduction of news cases of the Delta variant will pave the way for strong holiday sales. On Oct 28, the FDA approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. PFE and BioNTech SE BNTX for children of age 5 to 11. More than 28 million U.S. kids will now get the vaccine.

Holiday retail sales are likely to climb this year as projected by various major market researchers like Deloitte, Mastercard SpendingPulse, Bain and KPMG. Notably, consumer spending accounts for nearly 70% of U.S. GDP.

Second, on Oct 28, President Joe Biden announced that he has reached a deal with Senate Democrats on the outlines of a $1.75 trillion social spending and climate bill. He appealed to House Democrats to vote for the stalled $1 trillion infrastructure bill that already passed the Senate.

Third, U.S. consumers have regained confidence in economy. The Conference Board reported that the U.S. consumer confidence index climbed to 113.8 in October from 109.8 in September, beating the consensus estimate of 107.5. The index rebounded after three consecutive months of decline.

More importantly, the expectations sub-index (consumers outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions for the next 6 months) improved to 91.3 in October from 86.7 in September.

Fourth, the struggling U.S. labor market is gradually returning to normalcy. The weekly jobless claims stayed at the low-end of the pandemic era over the last three months. Initial jobless claims fell below 300,000 in the last three reported weeks. This is the best level since Mar 14, 2020, just before the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.

Fifth, a series of economic data for September that was released in October, reaffirmed the solid fundamentals of the U.S. economy. U.S. manufacturing and services PMIs, retail sales, durable goods orders exceeded the consensus estimates.

Sixth, on Oct 29, the initial estimation of the Atlanta Fed forecast that the U.S. economy is expected grow 6.6% in fourth-quarter 2021 after rising 2% in the third quarter. The U.S. GDP grew 6.4% and 6.7%, in the first and second quarters of this year, respectively. Moreover, robust U.S. corporate earnings in the first, second and third quarters bolstered market participants confidence in U.S. equities.

Our Top Picks

At this stage, we have narrowed down our search to six large-cap (market capital > $10 billion) momentum stocks that have strong upside left for the rest of 2021. These stocks have seen positive earnings estimate revisions within the last 7 days, indicating that the market is expecting these companies to do good business this year. Each of our picks carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and has a Momentum Score of A. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The chart below shows the price performance of our six picks in the past month.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Blackstone Group Inc. BX remains well-poised to benefit from its fund-raising ability, revenue mix and inorganic expansion strategies. To provide ESG-focused investment opportunities, it inked a deal to acquire Sphera, while the buyout of DCI will further enhance its digital capabilities.

The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 63% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings improved 5.9% over the last 7 days.

Celanese Corp. CE remains focused on executing its productivity programs that include the implementation of a number of cost reduction capital projects. Cost savings through productivity actions and operational improvement are likely to support the companys bottom line in 2021.

The acquisitions of SO.F.TER., Nilit and Omni Plastics are also expected to drive results in its Engineered Materials unit this year. The Santoprene buyout also boosts its engineered solutions business. Celanese is poised to gain from expansion in emerging regions. Its efforts to lower debt also bode well.

The company has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings improved 4.5% over the last 7 days.

Continental Resources Inc. CLR explores, develops and produces crude oil and natural gas primarily in the north, south, and east regions of the United States. It sells crude oil and natural gas production to energy marketing companies, crude oil refining companies, and natural gas gathering and processing companies.

Continental Resources has a premier position in the Bakken area. Moreover, operations in the SCOOP and STACK plays of Oklahoma generate huge profits for the company. Its bottom line for this year is supported by increased production volumes and higher realizations of commodity prices.

The company has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 3% over the last 7 days.

Xilinx Inc. XLNX designs and develops programmable devices and associated technologies worldwide. The growing demand for its 16-nanometer UltraScale+ family and Zynq platform will likely remain the major growth drivers. Moreover, a ramp-up in 5G rollout across multiple regions remains a catalyst.

Strong momentum for the Vitis software development platform should act as a tailwind. Additionally, the Solarflare acquisition would bring in incremental revenues in the subsequent quarters. The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 32.8% for the current year (ending March 2022). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 10.2% over the last 7 days.

Bunge Ltd. BG operates as an agribusiness and food company worldwide. It operates in five segments: Agribusiness, Edible Oil Products, Milling Products, Sugar and Bioenergy, and Fertilizer. Bunge processes, produces, moves, distributes and markets food on five continents.

The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 25.7% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 17.3% over the last 7 days.

Genuine Parts Co. GPC has completed significant strategic buyouts to improve product offerings and expand its geographical footprint. The acquisition of PartsPoint and Alliance Automotive Group and the possession of full ownership in Inenco have bolstered its growth.

Other strategic bolt-on acquisitions including Winparts, Rare Spares and PARts DB are also expected to enhance the firm's capabilities. Genuine Parts growing omnichannel capabilities and efforts to strengthen retail positioning through enhanced merchandising and inventories bodes well.

The company has an expected earnings growth rate of 26.6% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings improved 0.6% over the last 7 days.

Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America

A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.

The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?

Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



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In the latest trading session, Veeva Systems (VEEV) closed at $314.81, marking a -0.69% move from the previous day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.18%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the provider of cloud-based software services for the life sciences industry had gained 10.35% over the past month. This has outpaced the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 5.57% and the S&P 500's gain of 5.68% in that time.

VEEV will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect VEEV to post earnings of $0.88 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 12.82%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $465.31 million, up 23.25% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $3.57 per share and revenue of $1.83 billion, which would represent changes of +21.43% and +25.19%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for VEEV. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.07% higher. VEEV currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that VEEV has a Forward P/E ratio of 88.71 right now. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 78.51.

Investors should also note that VEEV has a PEG ratio of 4.87 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. The Internet - Software industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 4.39 as of yesterday's close.

The Internet - Software industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 169, which puts it in the bottom 34% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.

Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep America

A massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. Its bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.

The only question is Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?

Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today its free. Discover 7 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Veeva Systems Inc. (VEEV): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
When Barbara Brown Gathers first learned about the Access Delayed quilting project it was February 2020 and she felt she simply didnt have enough time to participate.

Then the pandemic hit.

The Access Delayed: African-American Suffragists Courageous Influence on the 19th Amendment, exhibition, curated by Tomasita Louviere-Ligons and Sharon Mooney, came to Houston as part of the International Quilt Festival at the George R. Brown Convention Center from Oct. 25 through Oct. 31. The quilts in the exhibition featured African American women who played important roles in winning the right to vote  from Sojourner Truth to Stacy Abrams.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

The quilts in the exhibit were created by African American quilters from across Texas, Ohio and Florida.

Mooney said that around the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment she and Louviere-Ligons kept seeing exhibits about suffragettes, but none of them focused on African Americans. Working with history professors, they put together a list of African-American suffragettes and looked for quilters who could quickly produce the quality of quilts they wanted.

It got its first virtual showing in February, sponsored by Texas Folk Life in Austin. The Houston Festival was be the first time the quilts were shown live.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

When Gathers was first invited to contribute, she was interested, but declined, saying she didnt have time. Once she got home and the pandemic hit, she started having Zoom conversations with the organizers.

I listened to the other ladies who are really proficient quilters talk about their projects, Gathers said.

Gathers quilt, Fearless, tells the story of Maggie Lena Walker and Gathers great-grandmother, Eliza Cowen.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

Gathers now lives in Palm Bay, Florida, but she spent more than 30 years teaching quilting to inner city middle schoolers in New York where they made quilts for the homeless. She now creates pictorial or abstract quilts that are based on stories from American history. She is also a genealogist, author and audiobook narrator, all of which inspired her Access Delayed quilt.

Gathers recently published a novel, The Secrets of Hattie Brown, about her grandmother who died in 1931 in North Carolina. Shed spent more than 30 years researching Hatties life and the life of Hatties mother, Eliza Cowen.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

Cowen was a midwife and a member of Maggie Lena Walkers Secret Order of Saint Luke. It sparked Gathers to learn more about Walker. She first learned that the Secret Order of Saint Luke was an African American benevolent organization that helped the sick and elderly in Richmond. Walker joined when she was 14.

Walker, who was born to enslaved parents, became one of the foremost female business leaders in the United States. In 1903, she became the first woman to charter a bank. She encouraged African Americans to found their own institutions and take control of their economic power. Walker was a civil rights activist who organized the first Richmond branch of the NAACP, led a city-wide boycott against segregated streetcars and promoted womens suffrage and voter registration drives.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

The bottom half of Gathers quilt features photos of Walker and Cowen with a winding road between them. The Wizard of Oz with its Yellow Brick Road was published contemporaneously with the lives of Cowen and Walker.

I created a yellow brick road showing the footprints of Maggie Walker leading the way for my great grandmother, Gathers said. I put Maggies steps first and then showed my great grandmother joining the walk so that their footsteps are in sync.

She used fabric paint for the road and then at the end of the road she put the Adinkra symbol from Ghana, which symbolizes fearlessness.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

Both of these ladies bravely faced many challenges and setbacks in order to achieve greatness, Gathers wrote in her artist statement about the quilt.

Gathers, who has traveled to Africa many times, cut up clothing and textiles from Africa that she has worn and used them to create the patterns of the quilt.

I named my quilt Fearless, Gathers said. Both of these women had to have fear because they lived in a climate that was very fearful for people of color. They had to confront their fears to become fearless and fight for the things they cared about, the things they believed in and the things they were willing to die for.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

Selected other quilts included:

The Laws by Sharon Mooney that reproduce not only voting laws from 1864 forward, but a copy of one of the literacy tests that African Americans were made to pass before they could vote.

Aint I a Woman by Mooney features Sojourner Truth and the famous speech she made at the 1851 Womens Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, considered by many to be the most famous abolitionist and womens rights speeches in American history.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

Mary Ann Shadd Cary by Deborah A. Moore Harris features the anti-slavery activist and journalist who wrote It is better to wear out than to rust out.

Texas Queens by Laura Cashmore pays homage to the African American women from Texas who fought for the right to vote and the social and civic clubs to which they belonged.

Good Trouble by Rhonda Masters which features Stacy Abrams of Georgia who fought against voter suppression in her state and helped to elect Joe Biden.

Courtesy of International Quilt Show

Access Delayed was one of 26 special exhibits from around the world at the International Quilt Show. This years show debuted a judged show in which a total of $52,750 in cash prizes were given. The Best of Show award went to Sachiko Chiba of Japan for her 80 by 80-inch quilt Rondo. One of the six Master awards went to a quilt focusing on African American women earning the right to voteSharing the Moment by Hollis Chatelain.
Jane and David Silvernail surround themselves with stuff. Janes workspace is full of what many people would consider junk but is just art that hasnt found a place yet. David surrounds himself with the tools of his artistic trade, -- carving  and both find tranquility in the process.

The couple will present Eclectic Interpretations, opening 7 to 10 p.m., Nov. 6, at The Art Studio, Inc.

Jane creates assemblages from found objects, and David is a woodcarver. David said Jane has always had a knack for putting things in just the right place, whether it is decorating their Lumberton home or in her artwork.

I enjoy the designing part of it and the juxtaposition of pieces, Jane said. I work on multiple pieces at once because of the drying time and the design time, because if I'm not happy with something, I'll put it aside and come back to it. It could be as little as three days or as much as months.

David used to assemble model ships, but they were large, and the couple didn't have place for them. So, he needed a new hobby. He visited a local woodcarving club in 1998 and was hooked. His work certainly reflects the shows title, with a variety of subjects from animals to people, and even robots.

As well as wood, David has several book nooks, where he creates sculptures out of books. One piece, made from four books, is a representation of Petra in Jordan  an ancient city carved into desert cliffs. David has aphantasia, a condition where he cannot picture objects in his mind, so he works from a variety of images, chipping away until it feels right. Woodcarving is meditative and is his tranquilizer, he said.

When youve got something that sharp in your hands, you tend to pay attention, he said.

Before he retired, David owned a business that sold point-of-sale items such as cash registers, scales and restaurant systems. Jane is a retired medical secretary and started collaging when she discovered a website that featured altered trading cards.

They would have different challenges, she said. Mostly women would join and then wed send them all to each other or to one person who would send them back.

Jane has collected cards from people all over the world, including Singapore. But after a while, she wanted to move from pasted paper and card stock to items with a heavier substrate. She began to hunt for interesting objects.

(I look) everywhere, Jane said, nodding toward David. I robbed his workshop. I pick up things off the street. People collect for me at garage sales and flea markets  anything thats rusted and broken.

As well as artist Joseph Cornell, Jane cites Frenchman Gerard Cambon, a self-taught artist whom she discovered on Pinterest, as inspiration.

For someone who confesses to be too impatient to paint (she studied art at McNeese University), Janes process is detailed. She said she drags everything out of the myriad boxes that populate her studio and starts placing things together. If it doesnt work, she takes it all apart and starts again.

Sometimes it just comes together so easily, and I just love it, she said. I mostly do it for my enjoyment. I'm glad that other people like it, but I really enjoy it. Its relaxation for me.

Once the design is established, Jane deconstructs it and starts the finished assemblage.

Of course, when I deconstruct it, not all of it gets back where its supposed to be, so it can change, she said.

Jane challenges herself to use metal, wood and glass in each piece and she said David is her carpenter.

He does the screwing and the hammering and cutting, she said. He's my hammer.

Janes ethic is wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic that is an acceptance of transience and imperfection, she said.

It's like appreciating something that is imperfect and aging, so that's what I strive for, she said. I had a lady at a show once that said that she could tell that I had gone through a lot of trouble to, you know, put this little screw in there and my pieces were definitely not just thrown together. And I just love to hear someone who appreciates it.

Davids aesthetic is slightly less philosophical.

I just do what I want to do, he said. It's nice when people like it, but I generally don't do it with other people in mind, I just do things I want to do.

Eclectic Interpretations is on display through Nov. 24. The Art Studio, Inc. is located at 720 Franklin in downtown Beaumont. For more, visit www.artstudio.org.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Two separate shootings in downtown Orlando during Halloween revelries wounded seven people.

The first shooting happened Sunday night, near Lake Eola, a popular gathering spot in downtown Orlando where condominium and apartment buildings share streets with office buildings. Three people suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to Orlando television station WFTV.

The second shooting took place about two and a half hours later on a major street that runs through downtown Orlando. Four victims were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

In other parts of Florida, a shooting stemming from an argument during a Halloween party at a rental house in the Jacksonville area Sunday night injured three people, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Those three people also had non-life-threatening injuries, Jacksonville TV station WTLV reported.
A woman caught smuggling cocaine did not want to provide information to law enforcement about her recruiter out of fear, according to an arrest affidavit.

Felicia Aguilar was arrested on the charge of import and conspire to import the cocaine.

Aguilar arrived in a motor vehicle at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge on Oct. 29. She stated to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers that she was returning from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico to her residence in Laredo. CBP officers referred her to secondary inspection.

At secondary, CBP officers said that an X-ray inspection of the vehicle revealed anomalies within the center console floor panel of the vehicle. CBP officers then discovered a non-factory compartment in the center console and extracted 10 bundles.

The bundles contained 26.80 pounds of cocaine worth about $364,800. CBP officers also discovered an aftermarket GPS tracking device concealed in the dashboard of the vehicle, according to court documents. Homeland Security Investigations responded to investigate the alleged smuggling attempt. Aguilar allegedly agreed to provide a post-arrest statement without an attorney present.

She stated she went to visit family in Nuevo Laredo at about 10:30 a.m. Aguilar added that during her visit, her cousin borrowed the car for about an hour to go to a store. The vehicle then remained in her possession the remainder of her stay in Nuevo Laredo, she told special agents.

Aguilar said her sister is the registered owner of the vehicle, but she added she is using it while making payments to her sister to purchase it, according to court documents.

Aguilar was asked who recruited her to smuggle the cocaine into the United States and how much she was being paid. Aguilar expressed concern and fear about providing that information and refused to do so, the affidavit states.
BAGHDAD (AP)  In Baghdads Green Valley primary school, children wearing face masks waited in long lines early Monday to pass through a specially constructed disinfection tunnel before entering their classrooms.

A mist of disinfectant was sprayed as each child passed through. On the other end, deputy school principal Hind Ibraheem waited, handing out squirts of hand sanitizer to each student.

I dont know how I will maintain social distancing," she sighed. There are 1,300 students in this school, with only 30 classrooms!

Across Iraq, students returned to classrooms Monday for the first time in a year and a half following the prolonged closure caused by the coronavirus pandemic  a closure that compares only to the times of war and turmoil.

The pandemic break with in-person schooling in Iraq has been among the longest in the world, affecting some 11 million students nationwide. Iraqs Ministry of Education provided learning in the interim through an online platform, but the focus has mostly been on students in higher grades taking their final exams.

According to the World Bank, learning levels in Iraq  a country ravaged by decades of conflict and government negligence  are among the lowest in the Middle East and North Africa and are likely to decline even further because of the impact the pandemic.

With schools closed over 75% of the time since February 2020 and opportunities for remote learning limited and unequal, the World Bank warned in a report last month that students in Iraq are facing more than a lost year of learning.

Online teaching in Iraq faced many challenges, including poor internet connection, prevailing and often daily power outages, and many families' dire economic conditions.

Haider Farouk Abdel Qader, a spokesman for Iraqs Ministry of Education, said the government decided to reopen public schools after infection levels dropped following the arrival of vaccines. Iraqis have to resume their lives, and part of life is education, he said. Private schools reopened last month.

Iraq has registered just over 2 million infections and 23,170 deaths so far during the pandemic. Lately, the numbers of new infections have slowed down, with an average of 1,000 to 1,500 a day  down from a record average of over 12,000 in July.

The academic year starting Monday will include four days of in-school attendance a week  with one day left for remote learning  and measures such as obligatory vaccination or weekly PCR tests for teachers, mandatory face masks and social distancing measures.

But Iraqs public schools are chronically underfunded and overcrowded, making them ill-equipped to properly enforce safety measures. Abdel Qader said schools were given the option to run multiple shifts.

At the Wadi al-Akhdar, or Green Valley, school in the impoverished Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, the words SMILE TO LIFE were painted in bright colors on a wall at the end of a school corridor.

But there were few smiles as dozens of students waited outside classrooms and in the school's back yard, only to be told they have to go home because there wasn't room for them.

Well try to move them to another day, deputy principal Ibraheem said, adding that the school is building eight new classrooms to expand capacity.

Its not enough, but Allah Kareem, she said, Arabic for God is gracious, or God will provide.

Still, many parents were relieved to see their children back in school.

Firas Abu Mohammed, who was buying stationary for his four kids at a market on Baghdad's famous Mutanabbi Street, said that being in classrooms was much better than online learning.

Im optimistic," he said. I hope to get rid of this damn pandemic.
Carlos Correa, A.J. Hinch spotted eating together in Houston The Tigers and A.J. Hinch have started their sales pitch on Carlos Correa right here in Houston.

2 Houston spots make Esquire's list of best new restaurants A pair of Bayou City tasting menu spots made the grade on the magazine's annual list of top new...
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  American whiskey producers raised a glass to celebrate a trans-Atlantic agreement to end retaliatory tariffs that sank their sales in Europe. Now comes the challenge of rebuilding brands that were stymied in those ultra-competitive markets during the lengthy trade dispute.

Tasked with ramping up distribution networks in some their industry's largest overseas markets, producers of bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey also have to overcome problems in the global supply chain from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But whiskey producers sounded optimistic Monday about reviving growth strategies for European markets after the U.S. and European Union announced a weekend agreement to settle their diplomatic rift over Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs. American whiskey became collateral damage when the EU slapped a retaliatory tariff on those spirits in mid-2018.

This is an amazing reprieve -- nothing but happiness and jubilation, Amir Peay, owner of the Lexington, Kentucky-based James E. Pepper Distillery, said. "There are some obstacles and problems that we will need to deal with, as will everybody. But thats business.

There's plenty of lost market share to make up in the EU.

American whiskey exports to the EU plunged by 37%, from $702 million to $440 million, from 2018 to 2020, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

For Kentucky bourbon producers, sales to the EU plummeted by nearly 50% in 2020 alone, the Kentucky Distillers' Association said. The EU accounted for 56% of all Kentucky whiskey exports in 2017  the year before the tariffs hit  but its share shrank to about 40% by 2020.

In touting the agreement by President Joe Biden's administration to settle the trade dispute, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said this deal is good for Kentuckys workers and the iconic Kentucky bourbon industry."

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday that Raimondo went to bat for the state, pointing to their multiple conversations about how hard the EU tariff was hitting Kentucky's distilling sector.

The EU targeted American whiskey and other U.S. products in response to then-President Donald Trumps decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum.

Tariffs amount to a tax, which producers could either absorb in reduced profits, or pass along to customers through higher prices  and risk losing market share in competitive markets.

With the trade barrier coming down, Catoctin Creek Distillery in Virginia is looking to start reshipping its rye whiskey to EU markets, said Scott Harris, the distillery's co-founder and general manager.

We have a chance to go over to Europe now and compete fairly and bring our products back in at competitive prices," he said. This is what we've been waiting for the whole time.

But it could take a few years to regain the lost European business, Harris said.

Distillers will have to decide how much of their finite whiskey supplies will ship to Europe. They can't simply crank up production for immediate inventory bumps. Most bourbons typically age four to eight years before reaching market, getting their flavor and golden brown color during aging.

That patience will be necessary for American distillers in winning back space on EU liquor shelves, Peay said. His Kentucky distillerys signature bourbon and rye brand is James E. Pepper 1776.

Its not easy to repair the damage thats been done, he said, adding recovery will be complicated further by supply chain woes brought on by the pandemic. And there's still a lingering United Kingdom tariff on American whiskey owing to a separate trade dispute.

Nonetheless, he predicted a European comeback for U.S. spirits in the next few years, adding, we are going to start seeing some serious mojo come back into Europe from the American whiskey space.
PHOENIX (AP)  Former Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said Monday he was questioned by investigators from Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich's office about the 2020 election.

The questioning of Fontes, a Democrat who oversaw mail-in balloting last year but lost his own re-election bid, suggests Brnovich is pressing ahead with his pledge to review the findings of the state Senate Republicans' partisan review of the 2020 election. That review, led and almost entirely funded by supporters of former President Donald Trump, confirmed President Joe Biden's victory in Maricopa County but spread falsehoods about alleged malfeasance.

Brnovich is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate but could be weighed down by sharp criticism from Trump, who retains considerable sway with the GOP base. Trump repeatedly attacked Brnovich earlier this year as lackluster, claiming the attorney general wasn't doing enough to advance the false claim that Trump's loss in Arizona was the result of fraud.

Fontes, who is running in a contested Democratic primary for secretary of state, said he spoke for about an hour Monday morning with two special agents from Brnovich's office. He said the discussion was professional and collegial, but he said the agents did not seem to know much about election systems.

If they were trying to build an actual case, they wouldve been prepared before they asked me any questions, Fontes told The Associated Press. This is nothing more than political box-checking and an abuse of power by a desperate Republican Senate nominee.

Fontes said the agents asked about the archiving of data to the server but did not disclose other specific lines of inquiry.

Brnovich's office declined to comment.

While Biden and Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly won at the top of the ticket in Maricopa County, Democrats did not fare well in down-ticket races, including Fontes' bid for re-election. The Republican who beat him, Stephen Richer, has repeatedly defended the 2020 election.

Brnovich said last month that he would look into the findings of Cyber Ninjas, which led the Senate Republicans' review of the 2020 election. While it confirmed that Biden won in Maricopa County, it also spun falsehoods about deleted data, double voting and other malfeasance in a report that ignored basic facts about how elections are run

I will take all necessary actions that are supported by the evidence and where I have legal authority," Brnovich said at the time. "Arizonans deserve to have their votes accurately counted and protected.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  A ballot drive was launched Monday to sidestep Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's planned veto of Republican-proposed legislation that would authorize a school voucher-style system in Michigan.

Let MI Kids Learn needs to gather about 340,000 valid voter signatures to send each of two initiatives to the GOP-led Legislature. Lawmakers then could enact the measures into law despite the Democratic governor's opposition.

The proposals would let Michigan students attend private schools and pay other educational expenses with scholarship accounts funded by people and corporations that would get equivalent income tax credits for their donations.

This exciting legislation gives new opportunities to learn to children and new choices to tens of thousands of Michigan parents, Fred Wszolek, spokesman for the ballot committee, said in a statement. He noted Whitmer's pending veto of similar bills that cleared the House and Senate last week.

We're just as determined to veto Whitmer's veto with our petition, said Wszolek, who is involved with other GOP-supported ballot drives to impose tougher voting rules and require legislative approval to extend emergency pandemic orders beyond 28 days.

Democrats and other critics said the voucher initiatives are unconstitutional. Michigan has what is considered to be the countrys strictest constitutional ban on providing public assistance to nonpublic schools.

Michigan voters have resoundingly opposed attempts by mega-donors like Betsy DeVos to enact voucher schemes in our state. We value our neighborhood public schools and know that funneling money to private schools does nothing to provide equal opportunity for Michigan students," said Paula Herbart, president of the Michigan Education Association, a teachers union.

Under the plan, K-12 students would be eligible for scholarships if their family income is no more than double the cutoff to receive free or reduced-priced lunch  $98,050 for a family of four now  or if they have a disability or are in foster care.

Students attending private schools could get up to 90% of Michigan's minimum base per-pupil funding, which equates to $7,830 this year. Those in households with incomes at 100% to 200% of the free and reduced-lunch program threshold would receive less on a sliding scale.

Children enrolled in public schools could get a maximum of $500, or $1,100 if they are disabled.

The funds could pay for school-related expenses such as tuition, fees and tutoring. State tax revenue would be cut by as much as $500 million in the first year and up to $1 billion in the fifth year, and public schools would see a drop in funding depending on how many kids switch to private schools.

Let MI Kids Learn will begin circulating petitions after the Board of State Canvassers approves their form and a 100-word summary for each proposal.

___

Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
Markus Schreiber/AP

BERLIN (AP)  Berlin's police chief apologized on Monday for an incident in which officers were pictured practicing push-ups on a part of the German capital's memorial to the 6 million Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust.

Pictures published by Berlin's B.Z. tabloid showed uniformed policemen leaning on one of the slabs that makes up the Holocaust memorial to practice push-ups. The newspaper said they were stills from a video apparently taken by the officers themselves on a cellphone during a holiday weekend in May when they were deployed to the area because of demonstrations.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  The Chesapeake Bay Foundation announced a new president and chief executive officer on Monday.

Hilary Harp Falk, who has served as the National Wildlife Federation's chief program officer, will start as the foundation's new chief on Jan. 3.

Falk, who lives in Annapolis, Maryland, will replace William Baker, who has been president and CEO of the foundation since 1981 and is retiring.

Today, we stand at a crossroads for Bay restoration," Falk said in a statement. Finishing the work of Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint by 2025 and leaving a restored Bay to our children and grandchildren is possible. But it is not certain. I am humbled and honored to now be charged with leading this prestigious institution.

At the National Wildlife Federation, Falk led and integrated all national and regional programs while serving as strategic advisor to the CEO. Before that, Falk held the position of NWF vice president for regional conservation, where she was responsible for leading the organizations seven regional offices.

She also served as NWFs regional executive director for the mid-Atlantic and director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, creating a coalition of more than 200 advocacy organizations to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay.
CLEVELAND (AP)  Cleveland's police department plans to rescind its policy requiring officers to notify crime victims before sending low-level, non-violent offenders to a county diversion program.

A department spokeswoman said the change would be made as early as this week. It comes after some officials and mental health advocates said the department was unnecessarily applying a 2017 victims-rights law which was preventing people from getting the treatment they need and putting victims in a position to decide the fate of someones treatment.

The policy was instituted by Police Chief Calvin Williams about two weeks ago, cleveland.com reported. It was based on the Marsys Law, which expanded victims rights to include notifications about suspects criminal cases.

City officials had defended the policy last week, but decided late Friday to make the change. They noted that no one had been denied access to the diversion center.

Clevelands mayoral candidates, City Council President Kevin Kelley and nonprofit executive Justin Bibb, had said they would eliminate the notification policy after taking office.
Charlie Neibergall/AP

MOLINE, Ill. (AP)  Union workers at Deere & Co. would get wage increases of 10% in the first year and 5% each in the third and fifth years under a tentative contract reached between the farm-equipment maker and the United Auto Workers union.

The workers would get 3% lump sums in the second, fourth and sixth years of the deal. They would also get a ratification bonus of $8,500 and no changes in the cost of their health insurance, according to a summary of the agreement posted Sunday on the union website.
Union leaders representing thousands of workers employed at Dow, DuPont, Corteva and International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) locations from the United States and around the globe took part in an annual meeting this week in San Antonio, Texas, to discuss common issues, devise strategies and pledge unity.

The workers of Dow, DuPont, Corteva and IFF continue to experience many challenges following the split of DowDuPont and the ongoing pandemic. The unionized sites of each of these companies around the globe will be working together to ensure the members best interests are represented, said Kent Holsing, chairperson of the Dow DuPont North American Labor Council and president of United Steelworkers Local 12075 in Midland.

Even though the pandemic is impacting employees, corporations dont stop making decisions and acting in the best interest of their shareholders. Some of these decisions are not in the best interest of their employees," Holsing continued. We speak not only for the unionized employees of Dow, DuPont, Corteva and IFF, but also for non-union employees who dont have that voice. Workers from around the world are rightfully concerned about their future. With the changes we are all encountering, what will the future hold for us?

The union leaders shared collective bargaining data, identified mutual obstacles and determined potential solutions over a three-day period.

The council discussed the difficulties that employees at Dow, DuPont, Corteva and IFF experience, including Dows plan to affect retirement security, short staffing, excessive overtime and increased workplace fatigue, concern over proper training, and workplace/community safety.

Discussion also included several current and upcoming contract negotiations, the future of company-union relations, and organizing.

The labor leaders indicated that they strengthened their unions international connections.

Rachelle Schikorra, Director, Corporate Communications of Public Affairs at Dow, sent the following statement to the Daily News:

"Dows number one priority is ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of all our stakeholders, including our people and our communities. As we approach negotiations with our bargained-for employees at our Michigan Operations, Dow looks forward to open dialogue in the appropriate forum to discuss any concerns. We value input and feedback from employees at all times. This was evident during the comprehensive approach we used to modernize our Total Rewards offerings, including our retirement savings plans, when we based our decisions on employee feedback and market data.

"Dows goals include remaining competitive in a very challenging industry around the globe and offering our people a comprehensive reward and benefits package that enhances their and their families' well-being."

Representatives from the following unions participated in the annual meeting: United Steelworkers (USW); International Union of Operating Engineers; Texas City Metal Trades; International Chemical Workers Union Council/United Food & Commercial Workers; National Conference of Firemen & Oilers; Ampthill Rayon Workers Incorporated (ARWI); Dow Chemical European Employee Forum; Dow Chemical-Stade Works Council (Germany); UNITE the Union (United Kingdom); Global Union Federation IndustriALL (Geneva, Switzerland); and Union of Workers and Employees Petrochemicals States-SOEPU (Argentina).
CAIRO (AP)  Egypts chief prosecutor has ordered the detention of three hotel workers pending an investigation into the food poisoning suffered by about 50 foreign tourists at a hotel in a popular Red Sea resort.

Public Prosecutor Hamada el-Sawy said in a statement late Sunday that the workers, including the hotels top chef, face accusations of endangering the guests lives. The workers denied the accusations, the prosecutors statement said.

The sickened tourists include 14 Estonians, 29 Russians and four from the Czech Republic. They were hospitalized after they had dinner over the weekend in the resort city of Hurghada, the statement said. Many have been discharged from hospital after their condition improved, it said.

Tourism authorities have ordered the closure of the hotel, suspended its director and revoked his work license.

Russias TASS news agency quoted the Russian Consul General in Hurghada, Viktor Voropayev, as saying that the tourists have been accommodated at other hotels. Russia is a major source of foreign tourists visiting Egypt.

The health condition of all the patients is satisfactory, stable and not life-threatening, Voropayev was quoted as saying.

Egypts state-run Al-Ahram daily quoted Sayed Saber, the owner of the AMC Royal Hotel, as saying that many guests fell ill after dinner on Saturday. He said there were around 600 tourists in the hotel, including 400 from Russia and Belarus.

The incident comes as Egypt struggles to revive its vital tourism industry, which was badly hit by the turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising, and more recently by the coronavirus pandemic.

The government has kept looser virus-related restrictions at the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh to try to attract foreign visitors.

Government efforts received a boost in August when Moscow allowed the resumption of flights between Russia and the Red Sea resorts for the first time since a bomb by the local Islamic State affiliate brought down a Russian flight over Sinai in 2015, killing all 224 people on board.
VICTOR, N.Y. (AP)  A former Republican lawmaker who resigned from a leadership post in the New York state Assembly after a drunken-driving arrest pleaded guilty on Monday to driving while ability impaired.

Brian M. Kolb made the plea in Victor Town Court in Ontario County. WHEC reported that he waived his right to appeal.

Authorities said Kolb was behind the wheel when his state-issued sport utility vehicle slid off a driveway and down an embankment near his home in Victor on New Year's Eve, 2019.

The accident occurred just a week after he wrote a newspaper column warning citizens against getting behind the wheel drunk.

A breath test showed Kolb had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.16%  double the legal limit of 0.08% for driving  according to a court filing by an Ontario County sheriffs deputy.

Although initially blaming the crash on his wife, Kolb admitted to drinking four or five cocktails at a restaurant earlier in the evening, according to court papers.

Four days after the crash, Kolb stepped down from his position as the leader of the Assembly's Republican minority and announced he was not running for reelection in November 2020.

While Kolb pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired, the special prosecutor in the case told WHEC he had to drop the more serious charge of driving while intoxicated, because proper protocols with the breathalyzer test were not followed.
BERLIN (AP)  A man in Germany faces a murder investigation after he apparently deliberately drove into a group of schoolchildren, killing an eight-year-old girl and seriously injuring two other girls, authorities said Monday.

Friday's incident outside a day care center in Witzenhausen, near the central city of Kassel, was initially thought to be an accident. But police and prosecutors said Monday that a witness account and an expert evaluation now lead them to suspect that the 30-year-old local man actively steered the car into the children.
NEW YORK (AP)  Accusers in the upcoming trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell on charges she recruited teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse can testify using pseudonyms or first names to protect their privacy, a judge ruled Monday.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan came after Maxwell was brought into a Manhattan courtroom in shackles for a final pretrial hearing. Nathan made a series of evidentiary rulings to define how the highly anticipated trial starting later this month will unfold.

At the end of a nearly four-hour proceeding, a prosecutor said no plea talks had occurred prior to trial. Defense lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said there was no reason for them because her client has committed no crime.

Maxwell echoed her lawyer's words, saying aloud: I have not committed a crime.

Saying she will renew a bail application that has been rejected multiple times, Sternheim complained that the 59-year-old Maxwell was being treated so harshly that she had to get on her hands and knees to climb into the van that brought her to the courthouse because she was shackled at the ankles and waist with her hands handcuffed in front of her.

Then, she was dropped off around 5:30 a.m., more than five hours before the start of the hearing and put alone in a cold holding cell, the lawyer said. When Maxwell fell asleep, she was poked to be woken up, Sternheim told the judge.

Sternheim has repeatedly complained that Maxwell is awakened when she sleeps by guards at a federal lockup in Brooklyn who shine a light into her cell every 15 minutes to check on her.

Nathan said she was allowing pseudonyms for several witnesses who are expected to provide explicit and highly sensitive testimony at the trial. Steps to withhold witnesses identities in open court are needed to protect alleged victims from potential harassment from the media and others, the judge said.

She noted similar precautions were taken for the accusers at the trial of Keith Raniere, a self-help guru convicted in 2019 of sexually exploiting followers at his NXIVM compound in upstate New York. And she said the anonymity will encourage other victims to come forward.

Nathan also rejected a defense bid to bar the government from referring to the accusers as victims or minor victims, calling it unnecessary and impractical. And she also set limits on defense efforts to portray the Maxwell investigation as hasty and politically motivated, saying exploring such accusations would only confuse the jury.

The trial should focus on the evidence or lack of evidence and the credibility or lack of credibility of the witnesses, she said.

Defense lawyers seemed on the verge of a major victory when the judge questioned the testimony of one of four women expected to testify about sex abuse on the grounds that she was not underage by law in the jurisdictions where she maintained she was sexually abused by Epstein at age 17. The judge asked lawyers to submit arguments on the issue, but seemed inclined to let the testimony occur.

Prospective jurors will begin filling out questionnaires later this week and oral questioning of them will start in mid-November. Opening statements are scheduled for Nov. 29

Maxwell has been jailed since her arrest in July 2020, when she pleaded not guilty to charges that she recruited teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse and sometimes joined in the abuse.

Epstein died at a Manhattan lockup in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide.

Prosecutors filed arguments last week claiming the defense sought to create a side show with extraneous subjects.

The judge largely agreed, ruling that defense lawyers won't be allowed to question witnesses about why law enforcement pursued the case it did, how it chose what subpoenas to issue and why it decided to charge Maxwell and not others.
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP)  A jury was selected in a single day Monday for the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the young, aspiring police officer who shot three people while they were out on the streets of Kenosha during a protest against racial injustice last year.

Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday morning.

The jury in the politically charged case must decide whether Rittenhouse acted in self-defense, as his lawyers claim, or was engaged in vigilantism when the 17-year-old opened fire with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle in August 2020, killing two men and wounding a third.

In an all-day session that ran well past dark, 20 people  12 jurors and eight alternates  were selected. The judge said he would decide at the end of the trial which ones are alternates and which ones will deliberate. The 20 consist of 11 women and nine men.

Jurors were not asked to identify their race during the selection process, and the court did not immediately provide a racial breakdown of the group.

The seating of a jury moved along rapidly, given the sharp polarization caused by the shootings. About a dozen prospective jurors were dismissed because they had strong opinions about the case or doubts they could be fair.

Rittenhouse had traveled to Kenosha from his home in Illinois during unrest that broke out after a white Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back. Rittenhouse said he went there to protect property after two previous nights marked by arson, gunfire and the ransacking of businesses.

The now-18-year-old Rittenhouse faces life in prison if convicted of first-degree homicide, the most serious charge against him.

Rittenhouse has been painted by supporters on the right  including foes of the Black Lives Matter movement  as a patriot who took a stand against lawlessness by demonstrators and exercised his Second Amendment gun rights. Others see him as a vigilante and police wannabe.

He is white, as were those he shot, but many activists see an undercurrent of race in the case, in part because the protesters were on the streets to decry police violence against Black people.

As jury selection got underway, Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder stressed repeatedly that jurors must decide the case solely on what they hear in the courtroom, and cautioned: This is not a political trial.

It was mentioned by both political campaigns and the presidential campaign last year, in some instances very, very imprudently, he said.

The judge said Rittenhouses constitutional right to a fair trial, not the Second Amendment right to bear arms, will come into play, and I dont want it to get sidetracked into other issues.

One of the jurors is a gun-owning woman with a high school education who said she was so afraid during the protests that she pulled her cars to the back of her house and made sure her doors were locked. She said she went downtown in the aftermath and cried.

Another woman chosen is a special education teacher who expressed anxiety about being on the jury: "I figure either way this goes youre going to have half the country upset with you and they react poorly.

Another juror said he owns a gun and has it for home defense."

One juror is a pharmacist who said that she was robbed at gunpoint in 2012 but that it would have no effect on her ability to weigh the evidence in this case.

Among those dismissed were a man who said he was at the site of the protests when all that happened and a woman who said she watched a livestream video of the events and wasnt sure if she could put aside what she saw.

One person was dropped from the case after she said she believes in the Biblical injunction Thou shall not kill even in cases of self-defense.

Prosecutor Thomas Binger also moved to dismiss a woman who said that she has a biracial granddaughter who participated in some of the protests and that she could not be impartial. Rittenhouses attorneys had no objection.

Rittenhouses attorney got a prospective juror dropped after she said she would find Rittenhouse guilty of all charges just because he was carrying an assault-style weapon. I dont think a weapon like that should belong to the general public, the woman said.

The start of jury selection was briefly delayed in the morning for unexplained reasons. During the delay, the judge played a mock game of Jeopardy! with prospective jurors in the courtroom, something he sometimes does as attorneys get organized.

Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, after Rosenbaum chased Rittenhouse across a parking lot and threw a plastic bag at him shortly before midnight on Aug. 25. Moments later, as Rittenhouse was running down a street, he shot and killed Anthony Huber, 26, a protester from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, a demonstrator from West Allis, Wisconsin.

Bystander video captured Rosenbaum chasing Rittenhouse but not the actual shooting. Video showed Huber swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse before he was shot. Grosskreutz had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse faces two homicide counts and one of attempted homicide, along with charges of reckless endangering and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

___ Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin, Forliti from Minneapolis. Associated Press writer Tammy Webber contributed from Fenton, Michigan.

___

Find APs full coverage on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
MONROE, La. (AP)  Louisiana Tech University is has launched an initiative to help students look more polished as they set out in search of a job.

A new career closet will provide students with a full outfit each academic year, body imaging and a resume headshot, KNOE-TV reported. Using 3D body imaging, students can pick which outfit looks best on them, and they can receive an individual style consultation from a fashion merchandising student.
AROCUTIN, Mexico (AP)  The famed Day of the Dead ceremonies around Mexico's Lake Patzcuaro were once again thronged with visitors on Monday, economic relief for a tourist-dependent region that suffered from last year's pandemic shutdown of the observance.

In the lakeside city of Patzcuaro itself, tourists were treated to a parade, theater and music performances.

Come and visit us, Patzcuaro welcomes you with open arms, said Julio Arreola, mayor of the city in the western state of Michoacan that is famed for its colonial-era plazas and architecture.

But in some smaller villages around the lakeshore, residents tried to preserve the authentic, non-tourist flavor of traditions passed down for hundreds of years.

While kids in Mexico City donned Halloween-style costumes based on the Netflix series Squid Game, people in the village of Arocutin were more concerned with the flower arrangements and candles meant to guide the spirits of the dead home.

Residents of Arocutin started hanging up traditional garlands of marigold flowers early morning Sunday to adorn the entrance of the small local cemetery.

Arocutin remains a holdout: It is the only town in the region where the cemetery lies in the churchyard, and where all the tombs are dug directly into the earth, surrounded by a simple ring of stones, rather than the more elaborate cement and brick vaults used elsewhere.

Its all about preserving tradition as much as we can, said Alma Ascencio, the representative for local artisans. Tourism has distorted everything. This is a celebration, sure, but a religious one, so there is no music or much alcohol. It is very private, a completely different thing.

While the island of Janitzio in Lake Patzcuaro is the site best known for colorful Day of the Dead celebrations, the tiny island remains remains closed to visitors to avoid crowding.

That raised concerns that tourists might flock to smaller villages nearby.

Those concerns may be overstated. The only American in Arocutin Monday was Georgia Conti. A retired healthcare manager, she decided to move to Arocutin precisely because of its beauty and traditions, and she now lives here with her dog.

When she was building her house with her late husband, they found bones that were believed to be those of a soldier killed in 1915 during the Mexican Revolution.

Some tourists do come around here, but here is a different world. I really respect their traditions, said Conti. Villagers are really welcoming and told me I could lay my mothers ashes here, next to the unknown soldier. I will probably be buried here when I die.

The Day of the Dead originated in Indigenous cultures and has been celebrated for thousands of years, but tourists started arriving in Arocutin only in 2002. Residents are open to sharing their costumes, but resistant to changing them in any way.

We dont celebrate Halloween here. We are not American, we celebrate our dead. Our culture is rich enough here in Michoacan and Mexico, Ascencio said while preparing marigold garlands.

Preparations for the Day of the Dead start on the 31st with residents adorning the tombs with marigold arches and candles.

That is the night Mexicans celebrate their deceased children, while the night from the 1st to the 2nd is dedicated to the adult dead.

Arocutin is one of the few communities where a church bell rings to call the souls and guide them back to the land of the living, to prevent them from getting lost. Each community has a different sound. This is also one of the few communities where people stay up all night, offering food and presents to the deceased.

We coexist with our dead. We bring them all the things they liked when they were alive. Sometimes it is a beer, or a tequila with a cigarette, said Alma Ascencio.

Elizabeth Ascencio lost her newborn 20 years ago and every year comes to adorn the small stone tomb with marigold petals to guarantee his return for the night.

This is a special day, a beautiful day, said Elizabeth Ascencio. We try very hard to welcome our dead.

Every year,the town erects a big decorated arch at the entrance to the cemetery. To many, this is the door through which the dead enter.

According to tradition, the only force that allows residents to lift the tree trunks that form the arch are the souls of the children who respond to the sound of the bells and come to help.

Bunches of Mexican marigolds adorn another monumental wooden arch that lies on the floor of another small cemetery not far from Arocutin. A group of residents patiently tie the flowers to the tree trunks, while others rest or enjoy a taco under the sun. The villagers decorate the arches, then lift them into place.

Cecilio Sanchez, a construction worker and a resident of the neighboring town of San Francisco Uricho, learned how to make the flower arch from his elders.

But for all of us, our arch is much more beautiful than the one in Arocutin, Sanchez said.

Maria Ermenegildo, 69, is a traditional embroidery artisan who has lived in Arocutin her entire life.

Weve always done it this way, said Ermenegildo, while finishing the last marigold garlands ahead of the big night. No other village can decorate and celebrate the way we do. We feel very proud every time tourists tell us how beautiful everything is.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  The family of a northern New Mexico man killed in September has asked the state Attorney Generals Office to take over the case, saying they have concerns that the shooter is receiving preferential treatment because he is related to two judges from the area.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that David Griego called 911 after he shot John Serna, 66, and reported he had done so in self-defense. The 70-year-old Griego said during the emergency call that Serna was about to attack him and that he had done so several times in the past.

Griego stayed on the line with an emergency operator and applied pressure to a gunshot wound on Sernas chest until help arrived.

No charges have been filed, and attempts to reach Griego for comment were unsuccessful.

We are wanting the process to be a little bit more timely, Sernas daughter, Sahra Martinez, said in a phone interview. Were wanting a closer look and for more attention to be focused on this so we can get some answers.

Todd Coberly, the familys attorney, recently wrote to the Attorney Generals Office, questioning the claim of self-defense and detailing a loss of confidence in 4th Judicial District Attorney Thomas Clayton.

Griego is the uncle of Judges Abigail Aragon and Michael Aragon, siblings who serve on the district court in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The court's executive officer Brenden Murphy declined on behalf of both judges to comment.

Coberly wrote that Sernas family is concerned Griego is being given preferential treatment given his relationship to the Aragons.

The Attorney General's Office said it was aware of Coberlys request but that a district attorney's office normally would have to decline to prosecute to clear the way for the attorney general to take over.

Clayton, the district attorney whose territory encompasses Mora, San Miguel and Guadalupe counties, said in a phone interview that Griegos relationship to the judges has no bearing on the case and that the investigation into Sernas death is ongoing.

Many factors come into play as to what charges will be filed, Clayton said. Sometimes it takes a period of time.

Griego told the 911 operator he fired three shots at Serna but said he believed only one of the bullets had struck him, in the chest.

Coberly said initial information from the state Office of the Medical Investigator revealed Griego also suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

Court records confirm the two men  who were neighbors in a small Mora County settlement called Ledoux  had been feuding for decades. Records also show the Aragons recently recused themselves from a lawsuit involving Griego.
THE DALLES, Ore. (AP)  The city of The Dalles, Oregon, has filed suit in an effort to keep Google's water use a secret.

The move comes ahead of a key City Council vote on a $28.5 million water pact between the city and the tech giant.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the city is seeking to overturn a ruling earlier from Wasco Countys district attorney, who found Googles water use is a public record and ordered The Dalles to provide that information to the news organization.

The city sued Friday, asking a judge to intervene.

Google is contemplating two new server farms on the site of a former aluminum smelter in The Dalles, where it already has an enormous campus of data centers on its property along the Columbia River.

Google says it needs more water to cool its data centers, but neither the company nor the city will say how much more  only that The Dalles cant meet Googles needs without expanding its water system. The deal calls for Google to pay for the upgrade.

The proposed water pact has attracted scrutiny and skepticism in The Dalles, a riverfront city of about 15,000 approximately 80 miles east of Portland.

Residents and nearby farmers are concerned about the citys water long-term water supply amid an ongoing drought. They complain they dont know enough about Googles actual water use.

The city is now going to court to keep that information under wraps, arguing its a Google trade secret exempt from disclosure under Oregon law.
GILLETT, Pa. (AP)  An 11-year-old boy was stabbed to death during a scuffle with a 9-year-old boy over a toy in northern Pennsylvania over the weekend, authorities said.

State police in Bradford County said the boys were playing with foam-based toys shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday at a Ridgebury Township residence when a tug of war" ensued over a foam-based gun.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Authorities say a man holding two bloody knives was shot after he moved toward police in Los Angeles and he was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Los Angeles Police Officer Drake Madison says authorities responded to a 911 call at around 5 pm Sunday of a man with a knife in the Van Nuys area.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP)  A man and a woman were found shot to death in separate incidents within 24 hours in a North Carolina city, police said.

Fayetteville police said in a news release that one of the shootings occurred on Sunday afternoon as families were preparing for Halloween in a neighborhood.
NEW YORK (AP)  Robert Durst was indicted Monday for murder in the death of his first wife, Kathie Durst, whose disappearance nearly four decades ago has long shadowed the incarcerated millionaire, contributing to his increasingly bizarre and violent behavior and leading to an infamous on-camera confession.

A grand jury in the New York City suburbs returned the second-degree murder indictment just weeks after an investigator in the case filed a criminal complaint in town court charging the 78-year-old real estate heir with murder, Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah said.

Durst is serving a life sentence in California for killing a confidante who helped him cover up Kathie Durst's slaying. Durst was hospitalized on a ventilator with COVID-19 after his Oct. 14 sentencing in the Los Angeles case and was transferred last week to a state prison hospital. His medical condition was not released but a mug shot showed no sign of a ventilator.

Rocah said a warrant has been issued for Durst's arrest in the New York case.

When Kathleen Durst disappeared on January 31, 1982, her family and friends were left with pain, anguish and questions that have contributed to their unfaltering pursuit of justice for the last 39 years, Rocah said in a statement announcing the indictment.

Rocah said her office reinvigorated its investigation into Robert Durst when she took office in January, launching a cold case unit and dedicating necessary skill and resources. She decided to take the case to a grand jury in early October. Rocah said Durst's indictment is a "huge step forward in the pursuit of justice for Kathie Durst, her family and victims of domestic violence everywhere.

Asked by a reporter if he had any reaction to the indictment, Durst lawyer Chip Lewis replied in an email: Fake news! Asked in a subsequent email if he'll be representing Durst in the New York case and whether there are concerns about moving him to New York, given his health issues, Lewis responded, Not sure he will make it. But if he does, Ill let you know.

A lawyer for Kathie Durst's family said they were still processing the news of the indictment and would speak more about the matter in the coming days.

Kathie Dursts 1982 disappearance garnered renewed public interest after HBO aired a documentary in 2015 in which the eccentric Durst appeared to admit killing people, stepping off camera and muttering to himself on a live microphone: Killed them all, of course.

The grand jury that indicted Durst kept meeting and hearing witnesses even after State Police Investigator Joseph Becerra filed a criminal complaint in a town court in Lewisboro, New York, on Oct. 19 charging Durst with second-degree murder. He had never previously been charged in her disappearance.

Such filings are often seen as a first step in the criminal process because, in New York, all felony cases require a grand jury indictment to proceed to trial unless a defendant waives that requirement.

Kathie Durst was 29 and in her final months of medical school when she was last seen. She and Robert Durst, who was 38 at the time, had been married nearly nine years and were living in South Salem, a community in Lewisboro. Her body was never found. Robert Durst divorced her in 1990 citing abandonment. At the request of her family, she was declared legally dead in 2017.

Robert Durst's behavior became increasingly erratic as investigators made several attempts over the years to close the case. In 1999, authorities searched a lake and the couples home but turned up little evidence, with Becerra equating the search to a a needle in a haystack.

In December 2000, Durst shot and killed his best friend, Susan Berman, as she was preparing to tell police about her involvement in Kathie Dursts death. She had told friends she provided a phony alibi for him after his wife vanished, prosecutors said.

Durst was convicted in September of killing Berman. Afterward, Los Angeles prosecutor John Lewin described him as a narcissistic psychopath, saying Durst killed his wife and then he had to keep killing to cover it up.

After Bermans death, Durst went into hiding, disguising himself as a mute woman living in a cheap apartment in Galveston, Texas. There, he killed a neighbor, chopped up his body and tossed it out to sea. Durst claimed self-defense  that he and Black were struggling for control of a gun  and was acquitted. He was convicted of destroying evidence for discarding the body parts.

Durst was also sentenced in 2016 to over seven years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal weapons charge stemming from a 2015 arrest in New Orleans.

Robert Dursts family owns more than 16 million square feet of real estate in New York and Philadelphia, including a 10% stake in One World Trade Center, the Manhattan skyscraper formerly known as the Freedom Tower. Family members bought out Robert Dursts stake in the business for $65 million in 2006.

In the 2015 HBO documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, Durst appeared to admit killing people and admitted he made up details about what happened the night she disappeared because he was hoping that would just make everything go away.

Durst, who has numerous medical issues, sat in a wheelchair for much of the California trial and sentencing hearing. He read his lawyers questions from a tablet giving live transcriptions because he struggles with hearing.

Durst, testifying in the Los Angeles trial in August, denied killing Kathie Durst. After her medical school called to report that she hadnt been going to class, he said he figured she was out someplace having fun and suggested that perhaps drug use was to blame.

It hadnt occurred to me that anything had happened to her, Durst said, speaking slowly in a strained, raspy voice. It was more like: What had Kathie done to Kathie?

___

Associated Press writer Brian Melley in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

___

Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  A declining number of employees at the State Crime Lab in Bismarck has limited what evidence can be processed for law enforcement agencies, according to the attorney general.

Eight of 23 lab employees have left in the last two years, including five in 2021, because theyve been offered higher salaries elsewhere, according to Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal over whether the public should have access to opinions of the secretive court that reviews bulk email collection, warrantless internet searches and other government surveillance programs.

The justices turned away the appeal filed by civil liberties and media rights groups arguing that the public has a constitutional right to see significant opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. They also argued that federal courts, not the executive branch, should decide when opinions that potentially affect the privacy of millions of Americans should be made public.

Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Sonia Sotomayor said they would have heard the case. Gorsuch wrote that the case presents questions about the right of public access to ... judicial proceedings of grave national importance."

If these matters are not worthy of our time, he wrote, "what is?"

The Biden administration had opposed high-court review, arguing that not even the Supreme Court has the authority to review the case under federal law. In addition, the administration said much of the material sought in this case already has been made public through requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was established in 1978 to receive applications from the FBI to eavesdrop on people it suspects of being agents of a foreign power, such as potential spies or terrorists. After Sept. 11, 2001, Congress expanded the courts role to consider broad surveillance programs.

In recent decisions, judges ruled that opinions sought by the groups couldnt be made public, even in censored form, and that they didnt even have the authority to consider releasing the opinions.

Legislation adopted in 2015 includes a provision that requires the government to consider releasing significant FISA court opinions. But the law doesnt apply to opinions written before it was enacted and leaves the review process entirely to the executive branch.

The appeal was filed by Theodore Olson, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and Yale Law Schools Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic. Olson is on the Knight institutes board and was the Bush administrations top Supreme Court lawyer as the FISA courts role was expanded after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Today in History

Today is Monday, Nov. 1, the 305th day of 2021. There are 60 days left in the year.

Todays Highlight in History:

On Nov. 1, 1765, the Stamp Act, passed by the British Parliament, went into effect, prompting stiff resistance from American colonists.

On this date:

In 1478, the Spanish Inquisition was established.

In 1861, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln named Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan General-in-Chief of the Union armies, succeeding Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott.

In 1936, in a speech in Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini described the alliance between his country and Nazi Germany as an axis running between Rome and Berlin.

In 1949, an Eastern Airlines DC-4 collided in midair with a Lockheed P-38 fighter plane near Washington National Airport, killing all 55 people aboard the DC-4 and seriously injuring the pilot of the P-38.

In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into Blair House in Washington, D.C., in a failed attempt to assassinate President Harry S. Truman. (One of the pair was killed, along with a White House police officer.)

In 1952, the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb, code-named Ivy Mike, at Enewetak (en-ih-WEE-tahk) Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

In 1973, following the Saturday Night Massacre, Acting Attorney General Robert H. Bork appointed Leon Jaworski to be the new Watergate special prosecutor, succeeding Archibald Cox.

In 1989, East Germany reopened its border with Czechoslovakia, prompting tens of thousands of refugees to flee to the West.

In 1991, Clarence Thomas took his place as the newest justice on the Supreme Court.

In 1995, Bosnia peace talks opened in Dayton, Ohio, with the leaders of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia present.

In 2003, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean stirred controversy within his party by telling the Des Moines (duh-MOYN) Register he wanted to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks. (The former Vermont governor explained that he intended to encourage the return of Southern voters who had abandoned the Democrats for decades but were disaffected with the Republicans.)

In 2015, the Kansas City Royals won their first World Series crown since 1985, beating the New York Mets 7-2 in Game 5, which lasted 12 innings, ending after midnight.

Ten years ago: Europes days-old plan to solve its crippling debt crisis and restore faith in the global economy was thrown into chaos by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreous stunning decision to call a referendum on the countrys latest rescue package. (Papandreou dropped the referendum plan two days later.) Dorothy Rodham, 92, mother of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clintons mother-in-law, died in Washington.

Five years ago: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the commander of the peacekeeping force in South Sudan after an independent investigation sharply criticized the military response to deadly attacks in July on a U.N. compound housing 27,000 displaced people. Most of an African-American church in Greenville, Mississippi, was destroyed by an arson fire; the building was spray-painted with the words Vote Trump. (A member of the church later pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.) The Chicago Cubs forced a deciding Game 7 in the World Series as they defeated the Cleveland Indians 9-3.

One year ago: Two days before Election Day, the Texas Supreme Court denied a Republican-led petition to toss nearly 127,000 ballots cast at drive-thru voting places in the Houston area. (A federal judge also rejected that effort the following day.)

Todays Birthdays: World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player is 86. Country singer Bill Anderson is 84. Actor Barbara Bosson is 82. Actor Robert Foxworth is 80. Country singer-humorist Kinky Friedman is 77. Actor Jeannie Berlin is 72. Music producer David Foster is 72. Actor Belita Moreno is 72. Country singer-songwriter-producer Keith Stegall is 67. Country singer Lyle Lovett is 64. Actor Rachel Ticotin is 63. Apple CEO Tim Cook is 61. Actor Helene Udy is 60. Pop singer-musician Mags Furuholmen (a-ha) 59. Rock singer Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 59. Rock musician Rick Allen (Def Leppard) is 58. Country singer Big Kenny Alphin (Big and Rich) is 58. Singer Sophie B. Hawkins is 57. Rapper Willie D (Geto Boys) is 55. Country musician Dale Wallace (Emerson Drive) is 52. Actor Toni Collette is 49. Actor-talk show host Jenny McCarthy is 49. Actor David Berman is 48. Actor Aishwarya Rai (ash-WAHR-ee-ah reye) is 48. Rock singer Bo Bice is 46. Actor Matt Jones is 40. Actor Natalia Tena is 37. Actor Penn Badgley is 35. Actor Max Burkholder is 24. Actor-musician Alex Wolff is 24.
Madison, Wis. (AP)  The head of Wisconsin's elections commission on Monday rejected a call for her resignation from the Republican Assembly Speaker and said her critics were engaging in political attacks.

Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe called recent criticism of her handling of the 2020 election partisan politics at its worst" after Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos called for her to step down last week, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.
Jess Elizarraras, MySA

A Republican-led effort to end election audits in Texas and the U.S. are turning heads in San Antonio.

If you've driven down anyone of Central San Antonio's main highways, you're bound to see one of three billboards sponsored by Republicans for Voting Rights. The group operating under Defending Democracy Together is calling on state lawmakers to "reject frivolous audits of the 2020 election results," according to its website.
In 1918, a girl named Bernadine Cox sent a postcard to her brother, then serving in France. She wrote, "Don't suppose we'll have much Halloween here on account of the epidemic and suppose you have enough Halloween every day on No Man's Land for every person." It was a reminder of the dire circumstances that came at the end of the war: the second wave of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic was hitting major U.S. cities, while service members were hunkered down in trenches across the Western front, facing illness and death.

When World War I broke out, candy had no real connection to the spooky season, which instead focused on macabre imagery, parades, parties and Halloween night pranks. It was more about "tricks," than "trick or treating." However, within a generation, Halloween would become a candy season and the roots of Americans' love of manufactured candy trace back to WWI itself.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Americans developed a reputation for a sweet tooth. Home cooks across the country prepared caramel recipes. Most towns had a corner store at which penny candy or a confection made in-house might be purchased. By the early years of the 20th century, industry transformed the manufacturing of food products, and names like Hershey, Necco and Mars, among thousands of other confectioners, became household names.

Many candies were initially marketed as being healthful. The burgeoning field of nutritional science was beginning to unpack the importance of calories and vitamins. Because of the need to mobilize the country to prepare for war, the U.S. government was paying special attention to perceived nutritional deficits among young men and candy offered a ready solution.

When the United States joined World War I in April 1917, officials thought that the additional calories in sugar might help soldiers go the extra mile. Service members were issued, gifted and could purchase candy. Talk of candy was common in correspondence between families at home and troops in Europe. "You spoke of sending me some homemade candy," wrote one U.S. soldier to his girlfriend on Oct. 26, 1917. "Now kiddo, candy is my middle name and I can eat all of it I get."

Mixed candies, chocolate candies, chewing gum, licorices and gum drops, all made in the United States, found their way into thankful U.S. doughboy hands. Some of these gifted treats were homemade. Meanwhile, for friends or family who didn't feel comfortable creating candies in their kitchens but still wanted to send sweet care packages, manufacturers were there to meet the need.

Well-known manufacturers of the day produced a range of goods that could be purchased or donated in support of the troops. Individually wrapped bars, like New York-based Auerbach, might be mixed with marshmallow or nougat and could be purchased for five or 10 cents. Other companies like Lovell & Covel sold or donated chocolates in 20-pound blocks to be divided and individually wrapped on military posts. Whitman's even sold a "Service Chocolates" package that included popular, pocket-size books to satiate both the belly and the brain.

In 1917, the Pennsylvania-based Goldenberg Candy Company created Peanut Chews specifically intended for the U.S. military. The candy was a sweet, easily traveling, high-protein treat that was thought to increase energy. The Clark Bar, also launched in 1917, fed popular appeal with its peanut butter and taffy core. The U.S. government even purchased an entire year's production of Necco Wafers for military use.

Quickly mobilizing in 1917, the YMCA agreed to operate canteens and post exchanges for the U.S. military. Shipping goods from the United States or purchasing from French purveyors was steep in cost, so from April to December of 1918 the Y began a broad manufacturing program in Europe. According to the National War Work Council, 16 chocolate and candy factories were created in Europe, with a monthly capacity of 20 million tablets or bars, to help satiate the sweet tooth of the American doughboys. The United States imported to Europe some 23,787,700 pounds of sugar for the manufacture of chocolates, chocolate cream bars, chocolate nut rolls, caramels and others treats.

The calorie content and caffeine in chocolate candies boosted energy and morale. After an Army Quartermaster Corps decree in December 1918, the military began issuing a half pound of candy every 10 days to soldiers serving overseas. During the first month of the ration system, it took 3,495,000 pounds of candy to provide each soldier overseas with the allotted portion.

Time overseas also exposed Americans for the first time to European confections. Chocolate was introduced in France over a century before the Revolutionary War and by 1917, not only France, but Belgium and Switzerland had developed signature and exquisite chocolates. Confection and praline were available in and around European towns and U.S. doughboys could even purchase French Poulain Chocolates at YMCA huts. One French volunteer, Emile Palisoul, observed the many American boys who came as customers were "regular candy & chocolate fiends."

When candy was hard to come by, industrious service members responded. A mess sergeant journeyed into the village of Verdun to procure more from local purveyors and a secretary of the 308th Field Artillery, which took part in St. Mihiel drives, found a "first class candy maker" among the ranks.

The troops consumed copious amounts of sweets throughout the war and would later bring home their newly acquired affection for candy. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers now accustomed to eating thousands of pounds of candy per month, it's no surprise that this led to a boom in the candy industry in the United States.

With industries retooling in the post-war period and an increased demand to satiate veterans' sweet tooth during Prohibition, it was a boom time for confection creation. Some estimate that over 30,000 different types of candy were manufactured in the following decade. In 1920 alone, Russel Stover, Fox Cross Candy (Charleston Chew) and Leaf (Whoppers, Jolly Rancher, Payday) were all founded. Some of the companies were founded by veterans - many who had seen unimaginable horror - who were now able to create the sweet side of life.

Candy manufacturers no longer had the U.S. government to buy up huge amounts of candy for the troops, but consumers eagerly bought their own in the booming 1920s. Some of the most beloved items of the modern-day Halloween season - Mars Bar, Oh Henry and Baby Ruth, to name a few - were created shortly after the Great War during a time when the world was recovering from a different pandemic. In the 1930s, the children of WWI-era sweethearts would popularize "trick or treating" in the United States as we know it today. That's no trick, just the treat of learning history.
ERIN SCHAFF, STF / NYT

On Oct. 31, The Washington Post published a three-part investigation that found that law enforcement officials failed to heed mounting red flags that there would be violence when Congress formalized the electoral college vote on Jan. 6. The project documented the consequences of President Donald Trump's inaction during the Capitol siege and examined how his false claims of election fraud helped incite the attack and, in the ensuing months, fostered a deep distrust of the voting process across the country.

The Post investigation was based on interviews with 230 people and thousands of pages of court documents and internal law enforcement reports, along with hundreds of videos, photographs and audio recordings.
MEGA/GC Images

When Sen. Ted Cruz flew to Cancun during Texas' devastating winter storm earlier this year, he probably didn't predict the viral moment would become a Halloween costume come fall.

The Republican leader was heavily criticized in February after he was seen catching a flight to Mexico as his home state suffered days of large-scale power outages. Blackouts left more then 4.5 million homes and businesses without power, and caused hundreds of deaths in the Lone Star state. Cruz was mocked for leaving the state in the middle of an emergency, and months later, many of the junior senator's critics continued to play off the incident by donning an assortment of "Fled Cruz" outfits in honor of the Halloween weekend.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday grilled attorneys for abortion providers, the federal government and Texas over the states near-total abortion ban  and possibly hinted at support for allowing at least one legal challenge to the law to stand.

The majority of justices pushed back on the enforcement mechanism that has allowed the law to skirt judicial review so far but seemed skeptical of the federal governments claims that it had a right to sue the state over the law.

The Supreme Court heard hearings over Texas abortion law, also known as Senate Bill 8, as part of two lawsuits  one lodged by abortion providers and the other by the U.S. Department of Justice. Both focused on procedural technicalities surrounding the law and the suits challenging it, not on abortion rights nor the constitutionality of the law itself.

Those questions centered on whether Texas enforcement strategy for the law is allowable  which empowers private citizens to sue those who perform or help someone get an abortion disallowed by the law  and whether the United States has the right to sue Texas over the statute.

Notably, conservative Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh seemed to push back on Texas unique enforcement mechanism. Their line of questioning and comments suggested they might side with abortion providers in condemning the loophole that the law exploits to thwart judicial review. Kavanaugh and Barrett, along with three other conservative justices, voted against temporarily blocking the law on Sept. 1, when the law took effect.

Texas law, which blocks abortions at about six weeks into a pregnancy, skirts constitutional precedent by forbidding state officials from enforcing it and instead relying on private citizens to sue those in violation. Typically, in suits aiming to overturn laws considered unconstitutional, courts dont block the laws themselves  they block their enforcement. This is the reason opponents have struggled to name the right defendants to block the law.

Much of the discussion Monday centered around how that enforcement mechanism could be replicated to cast a chilling effect other rights protected by the Constitution: not just abortion rights, but also gun ownership, freedom of the press and same-sex marriage.

It remains to see how the justices will vote. A decision is unlikely to come the same day as the hearing but could be made soon.

The three liberal justices on the Supreme Court and conservative Chief Justice John Roberts voted in favor of temporarily blocking the law in September. If Barrett and Kavanaugh side with them now, it would likely put enough votes in place to temporarily block the laws enforcement.

However, even if the law is eventually overturned, abortion advocates fear that the right to an abortion is in even greater jeopardy. On Dec. 1, the Supreme Court is set to take up another high-profile abortion case: Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. Many expect that abortion rights could be taken up as part of that case and fear that Roe v. Wade  which, along with subsequent rulings, affirms a persons right to an abortion before fetal viability  could be overruled.

Under SB 8, people or groups successfully sued can face penalties of at least $10,000. Its a restrictive law that, if upheld, ends abortion access for millions across the state.

The law has effectively stopped most abortions in the state. All Texas abortion providers have had to shutter the bulk of the procedures they previously offered, with some ceasing to offer any abortions, even ones allowed under SB 8.

Since then, people seeking abortions have sought services in other states, forming backlogs of Texas patients desperate for the procedure.

This is a developing story; check back for details.

Read more coverage about the states near-total abortion ban here:
Cryptocurrency miners are eyeing the lone star state and its low-cost energy as a means for growing the industry, but Texas fragile power grid might buckle under the pressure.

Cryptocurrency is decentralized, encrypted, digital money, explains Josh Rhodes, a research associate at the Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas at Austin who has been a consultant for bitcoin mining companies throughout the state. Cryptocurrency is typically created through a process called mining, which involves computers solving ever increasingly complex math problems. Whatever bit of the problem is solved, some of the cryptocurrency is made, Rhodes explains.

This process consumes a lot of energy, about 3.25 kilowatts per miner, Rhodes explains, or roughly the amount a home air conditioner consumes. Current mines in the state are eating up hundreds of megawatts, but expansion plans will push that figure into the thousands soon, Rhodes says. Cryptocurrency transactions also use a lot of energy, with the average financial exchange consuming more than 1,700 kWh of electricity, almost twice the monthly amount used by the average U.S. home.

China, formerly the country with the largest bitcoin mining industry, recently banned cryptocurrency mining and transactions, driving bitcoiners to Texas. The majority of cryptocurrency mining was happening in China because they have some pretty cheap electricity over there Rhodes says, adding it was likely banned because the country did not want to cede control of any of its economy. Because Texas has some of the lowest cost electricity in the world, it looks pretty attractive to bitcoin miners or cryptocurrency miners.

The state also has an abundance of energy. It is a top producer of wind power in the country and has a surplus of cheap solar energy.

Texas leaders have also been vocal advocates for cryptocurrency. In June, Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Its happening! Texas will be the crypto leader, after H-E-B announced it would set up cryptocurrency kiosks in some stores. During a Texas Blockchain Summit earlier this month, Sen. Ted Cruz said bitcoin mining could play a significant role [in] strengthening and hardening the resilience of the grid. Texas suffered outages during a February winter storm in which its power grid failed to meet increased demand, leaving more than 4.5 million homes and businesses without power and hundreds dead.

Because of the ability of bitcoin mining to turn on or off instantaneously, if you have a moment where you have a power shortage or a power crisis, whether its a freeze or some other natural disaster where power generation capacity goes down," Senator Cruz said at the conference. "That creates the capacity to instantaneously shift that energy to put it back on the grid.

Some experts aren't so sure. "There is merit to the idea that more flexible demand makes it easier to balance the ups and downs of supply when wind and solar vary, or when coal and gas and nuclear plants fail, Daniel Cohan, associate professor of environmental engineering at Rice University, told the Dallas Morning News earlier this month. "But just adding brand new demand to the grid isnt helpful, or doesnt fix the shortfalls.

Alex de Vries, founder of the website Digiconomist which analyzes the impacts of cryptocurrencies, similarly opined that the energy required for bitcoin mining could create problems for the state's energy infrastructure when he spoke with the Austin American-Statesman. "This is a massive risk when you look at the Texas grid, which is already quite weak," Vires said. "You can't blame bitcoin miners solely for that but they're definitely going to be contributing."

Though it may be risky, Cruz's goal is possible, Rhodes says, but its complicated. More demand on the grid could mean less energy to go around for everyone. However, the more demand thats on the grid should spur more investment in more power plants, Rhodes says. If this new load added to the system results in us building more power plants those power plants would be available to serve other loads like peoples homes.

Rhodes also found that the bitcoin miners would need to be willing to reduce their operations when electricity demands rise in the state. Otherwise, it could impact the stability of the grid in a negative way. If new power plants are not built because of the mines, then market fundamentals would say the price of the electricity would go up, he says.

Some industry experts have expressed environmental concerns because of the the likely higher carbon dioxide output with the use of so much electricity, which is mostly generated by coal. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who announced his company's move to the state earlier this month, said in May he would no longer accept bitcoin as a form of payment for its vehicles because of the digital currency's environmental impact. He has since walked back on that statement and even had his company invest in bitcoin.

When it comes to reducing environmental impacts, Rhodes says flexibility is key. An increased demand could incentivize new wind and solar, which he adds are some of the cheapest forms of energy to build, to be developed in the state to match new demand and offset carbon emissions.

Texas' system must match supply in demand in real time, which has typically been done by turning up power plants when demand increases, Rhodes explains. "We typically cant ramp things like wind or solar," he says. "The flexibility allows us to still match supply and demand but not have to have so much firm capacity, or the ability to ramp things up and down like our thermal fleet by gas and coal."

When asked if he sees a potential ban happening in the state like Chinas, Rhodes says hes not sure the state government would have the authority to achieve so and that would instead need to be done at the federal level. Some electrical systems around the country could make it harder for mines to connect to the system and use electricity, he adds. Thats one way that you can functionally, I guess, stop it.

Still, Rhodes sees the popularity of cryptocurrency in the state continuing to grow. I do think more cryptocurrency, more bitcoin mining, is coming to Texas because theres just a lot of interest in it, he says. I think theres a lot coming.
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Data analysis in Power BI: This learning path teaches how to use Power BI to perform data analytical functions. It covers identifying outliers in data, performing time-series analysis, using advanced analytic features, and working with AI visuals. It consists of two modules that take an hour and 52 minutes to complete.

Manage workspaces and datasets in Power BI: This learning path covers creating workspaces in the Power BI service. It teaches how to deploy Power BI artifacts and share them with users, how to connect Power BI reports to on-premises data sources, configure automatic refresh for Power BI datasets, and apply row-level security to restrict users to the data that applies to them. It consists of three modules that take an hour and 10 minutes to complete.

Microsoft also provides a paid, four-day, instructor-led training course for the certification via its learning partners. The course covers the methods and best practices for modeling, visualizing, and analyzing data with Power BI. It teaches how to access and process data from a range of data sources, including both relational databases and nonrelational data stores. It also covers how to implement security standards and policies, and how to manage and deploy reports and dashboards for sharing and content distribution. The price varies by country and learning partner.

Numerous practice tests and training resources are also available for the exam, including:

Taking the Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI exam

The Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI exam is offered via Pearson VUE and costs $165 in the US (the price varies based on the country in which the exam is proctored). For a limited time, Microsoft is offering discounted certification to qualifying individuals who have been laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To be eligible for the discount, individuals must schedule their exam before Dec. 30, 2021, and have until Dec. 31, 2021, to complete the exam.

The exam measures the candidate's ability to perform technical tasks, including:

Prepare data (20%-25%)

Model data (25%-30%)

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Analyze data (10%-15%)

Deploy and maintain deliverables (10%-15%)

Microsoft offers a thorough breakdown of the skills measured within each task.
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A strong theme that emerged from the entries to the Rathbones Covid-19 Response Award at the 2021 Charity Awards was co-production: designing and implementing services in collaboration with people who have lived experience of the cause. Its a theme that has become more prevalent in Charity Awards applications in recent years, but it was heartening to note how many charities ensured that this crucial part of the process was maintained despite the urgency of their pandemic response.

Charity Finance and our overall Charity Awards partner Rathbone Investment Management were keen to find out more about what co-production really means in terms of services, and also how it pertains to fundraising, so we invited some Awards applicants to join an online discussion.

Turn2Us

One charity that is committed to co-production in both its services and its fundraising is Turn2Us, a charity that tackles financial exclusion. Turn2Us has published a Co-production and Involvement Framework which sets out its approach; defining what co-production means in the organisation, explaining its purpose and outlining the principles which underpin it.

Chief executive Thomas Lawson says the starting point is accepting that service-users are the experts of their own situation, and genuine co-production requires charity representatives to sublimate our ego and be in service to the needs of users.

Before you take any practical steps to achieve co-production, there has to be complete dedication to be in service. I think there is a problem with charity  its paternalistic, its benevolent, its wise, white and wealthy. We get to feel good about ourselves by supporting someone who needed us. Yet the person who had those needs is the expert of their own situation.

Lawson says the best example of co-production that he has been involved in was at Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) in the mid-1990s, when the charity was run by mainly gay men who were being personally affected by HIV/Aids. We were living with, dying from and being bereaved by HIV, so we were designing the best possible services for ourselves. We didnt call it co-production at the time but looking back, that feels like full co-production to me. I think most charities still have a long way to go until they are where THT was in the 80s and 90s.

He says Turn2Us only began doing real co-production a couple of years ago. It had done bits of consultation before, like many organisations, but not full co-production. We did have a co-production officer in place who was building a co-production strategy across the organisation with our co-production partners  people with lived experience of financial exclusion. So, we had left the foothills but by no means had we begun to scale the heights of co-production when Covid hit.

During the first lockdown in 2020, the numbers of searches on the charitys online benefits calculator surged from its normal level of around 5,000 a day to 50,000, while calls to the helpline also spiked. The information that was gleaned from these interactions helped Turn2Us to design and launch a new individual grants programme that had lower thresholds than usual, because the charity knew that people needed the money urgently.

Lawson says Turn2Us is very careful about the language it uses in its fundraising. We dont really use the word poverty because in poverty theres this idea that poor people have created their own dynamic, whereas poverty is actually a system of financial exclusion.

Oxford Hospitals Charity

Choosing appropriate language is also important to Oxford Hospitals Charity (OHC), one of around 250 NHS charities across the UK, which raises funds and delivers services for 13,000 staff and thousands of patients at four hospitals in Oxfordshire. When the pandemic struck, OHC switched overnight into an emergency response organisation.

Communications director Sarah Vaccari says that most of the charitys staff have lived experience of the hospitals services as well as detailed knowledge of the workings of the hospitals, which helped them to respond intuitively. But their efforts were also helped by the early decision that they should join the daily NHS Trust emergency planning and communications meetings. This meant that we were totally plugged in, we knew exactly which areas were facing the most pressure, and which needed the most help, she says. Hazel Murray, head of programme, adds that the team continually sought staff and patient feedback.

The OHC team were determined not to be drawn into using herofication in its communications with the public, including in the fundraising for its Covid appeal which raised around 800,000 plus about 1m in gifts in kind. Vaccari explains: Particularly at the start of the pandemic, there was a lot of talk about NHS heroes and angels, but if you talk to staff in hospitals most of them dont like that. They are professionals. So, we didnt go down the road of Support our NHS heroes. Its easy to go for the quick buck by using language that is maybe a bit tabloid, but we tried hard not to.

Touchstone

The use of language was also raised by Arfan Hanif, chief executive at Touchstone, the Yorkshire mental health charity which was recognised in the Charity Awards for its Touchstone Loves Food programme which used food deliveries as a Trojan horse to reach people suffering from mental ill health during lockdowns.

Co-production is embedded into our business, he says. We employ a co-production staff team who are part of the Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service, and we have service user consultants who are paid. And our current chief executive, ie me, is born of lived experience  I am a survivor of the mental health system and am currently a mental health service user. We have many staff who have that lived experience, and thats where our strength comes from as an organisation.

Hanif insists that employee representation is key to achieving genuine co-production. We employ around 250 staff across 30 different mental health services, and around 40% of them come from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, because it is important that we represent the community that we serve. Around 20% of our staff are also LGBT, including half of our senior management team. Were very proud of that as an organisation. Touchstone also works with local prisons to provide employment and volunteering opportunities for ex-prisoners.

However, Hanif professes that he is not a fan of co-production, as it is language that comes from the system.

When I came to Touchstone many years ago as an employee, in the interview they asked me whats your understanding of co-production? I didnt really know. Language like co-production and equalities and inclusion is the language of the system, not my language or the language of my communities.

All We Can

All We Can, formerly the Methodist Relief and Development Fund, made a decision about six years ago to become more of an enabler to its partner organisations. For more than 80 years, All We Can has raised money from churches and individuals and spent it through partners on the ground in six countries: Cameroon, India, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Malawi. But in 2013-14, according to programmes director Angela Zamaere Smith, the charity went on a journey of introspection where it examined the impact of its work and invited comments from partner organisations.

From this we realised that while wed done a lot of good in the world, the way we were providing support was really quite restrictive. Our partners told us that we would go into communities with our own agenda, wanting to support, say, agriculture or health programmes or water, and that this restricted how they were able to respond.

We made a decision then that we would become more of an enabler  a catalyst for development, a critical friend of our partners, and we would provide capacity development support as well as grant funding. In that way, we would put our local partners and their communities at the heart of their own transformation and make them drivers of their own development agendas. Our partners would go out into communities, identify the issues they were facing, co-design solutions, and then request the support they need from us based on their strategies and annual plans.

When Covid struck, All We Can had already been working in this way for around six years, which meant it was able to respond flexibly and encourage partners to consider how best they might repurpose their project plans and grant monies. Obviously they were also assured of full cost recovery to support salaries and PPE (personal protective equipment) to keep staff and communities safe in their interactions. This released partners to focus on finding and implementing solutions, instead of worrying about and pursuing money.

All We Can has an emergency response group which brings people together from across the organisation in a crisis to examine the programme needs, the state of current finances and whether an appeal should be launched. When Covid hit, the group instigated regular meetings, initially twice-weekly, to scan the ever-changing landscape, review partner requests and consider how to spend any additional monies raised. In the end, the charity launched an appeal in April 2020, which Zamaere Smith admits was a bit later than most charities. We decided to take two weeks to give our partners the opportunity to go into their communities and find out exactly how Covid was impacting them and their livelihoods, she says. We were then able to launch an appeal that had a lot more clarity, and I think that was appreciated. The campaign raised just under 500,000 and All We Can also allowed partners to repurpose almost all of their existing annual grants to Covid response.

Giving up power

Zamaere Smith says that in the INGO sector there is much talk now of shifting power.

We have to let go of power, to trust that communities know what they need, that they have the solutions. It can be hard, especially when we have governance that demands and expects certain things in return for the money we give. But we all need to recognise that community members are going through their own journeys; we are outsiders and we will always be outsiders. We will join them for part of the journey but we will leave at some point, and coming in partway through someones journey and telling them you need to do this or that, is just really wrong.

Lawson contends that many professionals feel anxiety and fear about sharing power; that if they cede power and control to others, they will lose their own agency. It takes a bit of a mindshift to understand that sharing power makes power grow and reproduce, not diminish, he says. But I just dont think weve got the legitimacy to do the work unless were doing this. The reason I have an income is because there are people in the UK who dont have enough money to live on. I have a profound personal, moral obligation to improve the work we do and the only way to do that is through legitimate shifting, sharing, delegating power.

Hanif goes even further. If youre in power, you should be abdicating your power, because youve had it for too long. Its not a sharing game; if you can share power then its still your power and you are deciding what to do with it. I come from a group that doesnt have that type of power. Communities have a different definition of power and its not the power that the system traditionally has defined for itself.

Top tips

Lawsons first piece of advice to charities is to take your time and tread carefully with your co-production partners.

Take time, create genuinely safe spaces, socially contract with one another, get to know each other. Name and be explicit about the power dynamics that are in the room and talk about what they mean and how they make people feel, to build psychological safety.

He also warns against editing peoples stories and emphasises the importance of equipping people to manage the risks they may face in getting involved in this way.

Also vital, he says, is paying people for their time and expertise.

Lastly, he advises interrogating hard your own and others data so that you can blend this with the rich qualitative research gained from lived expertise and derive actionable insights.

Hanif adds that a charitys co-production strategy must be aligned with its overall objectives, and the organisation must be prepared to invest in it.

Evaluating impact

So, how can an organisation tell if doing co-production is having a positive impact on its work? All We Can uses an outcome harvesting approach, says Zamaere Smith, where we look at changes that have happened and then try to look back at attribution. How did that change happen? What do you attribute it to? Out of that were starting to learn some really important lessons.

Hanif concludes that if your organisation is doing co-production properly, its service delivery outcomes cant fail to improve. But he adds that one of the most important metrics for measuring co-production is employment within the charity. Theres no equity without representation. I know our co-production policies work because our employment is representative. We have service users who become peers then become volunteers and then become members of staff.

I was a service user at Touchstone nine years ago, sitting in their reception, shaking. Nine years later, Im their chief executive. Thats co-production in a nutshell.

With thanks to Rathbones for its support with this feature
In April, several months before a Facebook employee named Frances Haugen became the most famous whistleblower in the companys history, The Guardians Julia Carrie Wong published a series of damning stories about Facebook. Wongs pieces described how Facebook ignored the spread of disinformation and harassment in countries such as Azerbaijan and Honduras, where authoritarian leaders artificially inflated their popularity ahead of elections and journalists were targeted by bot accounts. Wongs source was Sophie Zhang, a former data analyst at Facebook, whom shed met a few years prior. Zhang trusted her with a trove of documents extensively detailing the companys misdeedsFacebook papers that were well ahead of Haugens, though they didnt land with nearly as much impact.

Now, with press coverage swirling around Haugen, Zhang has been drafted as a secondary character in anothers story. What distinguishes the two whistleblowers reflects complicated truths about what catches the publics attention, the effects of strategic PR, and the extent of journalisms value in holding the powerful to account. I dont want to say that the rest of the press had a responsibility to pay more attention to Sophie Zhang, Wong told me, reflecting on the response to her reporting. But its kind of obvious that the playing field was not level. I mean, hats off to Frances and her teamthey are doing a great job of creating as much impact as possible. Its certainly not a traditional journalistic route.

Haugenwho first leaked documents to Jeff Horwitz, a tech-industry reporter for the Wall Street Journal, and then revealed her identity on 60 Minuteswas supported by sophisticated PR, with Bill Burton, a former aide to Barack Obama, serving as her publicist, and Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit, providing legal representation. I think that a big part of why Frances Haugens revelations have landed so strongly is because theyve been thoughtful about creating as big of a media moment as possible, with a press team that is smart and calculated, Wong said. After an initial rolloutthe Journal published eleven articlesHaugen expanded access to her files to a selected consortium of eighteen news outlets, which scrambled to produce coverage. (Members have reflected on the strangeness of working, however tangentially, with competitors, as Ben Smith wrote for the New York Times, which was part of the collaborative.)

Not incidentally: Haugen is white, well-spoken, and comfortable with a bright spotlight. Zhang is none of those things. Sophie was never going to be that kind of figurehead, Wong said; Zhang struck her as cautious, judicious. Born to parents who immigrated to the United States from China, Zhang is trans and describes herself as an introvert. Im not photogenic, or poised with confidence, or comfortable with attention, Zhang told me. I had zero PR preparation and did everything myself, which in retrospect was perhaps not so smart. But I strive for nuance and fairness, and I hope that is enough for people to take these problems seriously.

Zhang never wanted to become a whistleblower to the press. From the very start, I escalated things within the company first, she explained. While working for a data team tasked with finding and removing fake engagement, she uncovered several incidents involving politicians using loopholes and phony accounts to manipulate the public. She alerted Facebook management, pressing for the problem to be addressed. I talked to everyone up to and including the company vice president, but it didnt work, Zhang said. I tried to fix things on my own within the company. But no one really cared.

At that point, Zhang was in touch with Wong but not quite ready to go public. She planned to leave Facebook after the 2020 election; Wong said shed wait. Then, that August, Zhang was fired for poor performanceshe was told that she had spent more time on her investigations than her formal duties. The day before her departure, in a final attempt to put internal pressure on the company, she wrote an eight-thousand word memo detailing her findings, including how Facebook took significantly longer to address problems in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mexico compared with the US. Facebook did what it could to erase the memo from viewinternally, and by complaining to the hosting server of Zhangs personal website, where shed posted a copy; the host took the post down. When everything else had failed, I called Julia, Zhang said.

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In the months that followed, Zhang provided Wong with evidence of what shed uncovered, which The Guardian published as five articles: one explaining how Juan Orlando Hernandez, the president of Honduras, used thousands of fake accounts to amplify his far-right agenda and boost his popularity; another revealing how Azerbaijans autocratic party uses Facebook to harass journalists and stifle dissent; a third about a member of parliament in Indias Bharatiya Janata Party running a coordinated network of fake accounts; another about a political consultancy in the US deceiving voters; and a final piece detailing how Facebook prioritized its resources on the West.

The Guardian stories received some attention, but they did not create a media firestorm of the kind that resulted from Haugens leaks. Wong wondered if the early focus on Instagram and teen girls mental health was somehow a better draw. Its a palatable, relatable, bipartisan issue that US senators are happy to address and the public is quick to feel strongly about, she told me. And even as Haugen coverage has expanded to include reporting on Facebooks global threat to democracy, much of the focus has remained in the domestic sphere. One of the WSJ pieces was this incredible story about the failure to address human trafficking and harm and violence around the worldbut thats not the story that got the congressional hearing, Wong said. She added: Its not only Facebook that is focused on wealthy, Western, English speaking countries and their issues. Its also the US media, US politicians, and the US public that are complicit.

Folding Zhang, now an advocate for big tech regulation, into the Haugen story has a downside. A false narrative gets created where the press makes it seem like more and more whistleblowers are coming out of the woods, Wong told me. That hasnt actually happened yet. And Facebook has so much PR muscle and lobbying muscle that its going to do everything possible to paint the press as being inaccurate and overstating everything. The role of the press has been challenged by this saga; a savvy whistleblower proved to be a perfect source by handing down a packaged story, where a leaker cooperating with an investigative reporter fell short. But its important to remember: the job of journalism is often to listen to those who dont readily volunteer themselves. They are voices that have to be cultivated, and may have immensely valuable things to say.

ICYMI: What Its Like to Report on Facebook

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Paroma Soni is a CJR fellow.
As we enter a vital week, three political stories are driving much of the US news agenda. On the international stage, President Biden and other world leaders convened for a G20 meeting in Italy ahead of the crucial COP26 climate summit in Scotland, which formally opened yesterday. Nationally, the precise fate of President Bidens Build Back Better agenda remains unresolved: before heading to Europe, the president outlined a compromise package of ambitious social policies and climate spending; Democratic leaders were hoping to hold a vote on the package and a bipartisan infrastructure bill tomorrow, but negotiations are ongoing, and the timetable could easily slip. And tomorrow brings important mayoral and other local elections across the country. New Jersey and Virginia are holding gubernatorial elections, the latter of whichbetween the former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe and his Republican challenger Glenn Youngkinhas excited national media attention to a particularly heightened extent.

The levels at which these stories are playing outlocal, national, and internationalare, of course, nested within one another: Virginia is part of the United States, which is part of the world. Approaching a given news storya local election, saywith this in mind should lead us to the understanding that while certain aspects might be specific to a given city or state, theyre all playing out within a broader national context that is in turn playing out within a broader international context, with the different levels connected by links than run outward from the local level and vice versa. COP26, for example, is an international story that will have profound national and local ramifications; as Andrew McCormick wrote recently for Covering Climate Now, a climate-reporting initiative led by CJR and The Nation, international summits dont typically make local headlines, but COP26 is so important to the future of the planet that journalists everywhere, in newsrooms large and small, should be covering its effect on their community. This is as true in Virginiaa coastal state with an important agricultural sectoras anywhere else. That makes Virginias gubernatorial election a climate story, among other things. In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Cale Jaffe, an environmental lawyer who has served on climate commissions under both McAuliffe and his successor as governor, Ralph Northam, pointed out that Virginia recently passed one of the most sweeping climate laws in the nation, and that Youngkin has opposed it. Climate change, Jaffe wrote, is on the ballot in Virginia this year.

New from CJR: A tale of two Facebook leaks

Some coverage, particularly in local outlets, has reflected this; while moderating a debate in late September, Chuck Todd asked McAuliffe and Youngkin about climate mitigation spending. Generally, though, the climate crisis has been glaringly absent from coverage of the race, especially at the national level, with legions of journalists and pundits instead glomming onto national culture war themesaround critical race theory (right-wingers claim this is being taught in schools, which it isnt), Toni Morrisons Beloved (Youngkins campaign ran an ad in which a conservative activist claimed the book gave her son nightmares after he read it at school), and trans rightsand the national electoral implications of the result in Virginia, with both eyes fixed on next years midterms, and at least one already on 2024. (Youngkin, we have repeatedly been told, is walking a Trump tightrope, which sounds more like an ill-fated eighties circus venture than the stuff of serious political analysis, but we are where we are.) The best of this coverage has elucidated what local dynamics in Virginia can tell us about the toxicity of national American politics. The worst of it has uncritically amplified Youngkins dog whistles.

If the absence of the climate story from the national conversation around Virginias election shows that journalists often neglect the links between the local and the international levels, we can also see here how local and international stories get forced through national prisms that can be limiting. The latest coverage of Bidens agenda, for instance, has often stressed that its quick passage matters in the context both of COP26 and the Virginia race. The former point is clearly of substantive importance: a concrete commitment to fight climate change at home is crucial to bolstering Bidens moral authority on the world stage. The latter pointthat national Democrats getting something done would bolster McAuliffes electoral prospectsmight also be of substantive importance, but the path to that conclusion is less certain: if Democrats fail to pass Bidens agenda by tomorrow and that materially contributes to a McAuliffe loss, then some Democrats might fear a midterm defeat and row back their support for ambitious spending, including on climate change; this all might foreshadow Republican control of Congress after the midterms, which would clearly have enormous consequences for US climate policy.

These stakes, ultimately, are convoluted, and Ive not seen any coverage that really tries to elucidate them. The shallow language of political wins and defeats is far more common: Biden getting his agenda passed would be Good For Biden and Good For McAuliffe; Republicans winning the midterms would be Bad For Biden and Bad For Democrats, and thats about as deep as things often get. The stakes for the planet have been much clearer in the early COP coverage Ive seen, and much of that coverage has made appropriate links with national- and, sometimes, local-level action. But we should be clear that such links run in the other direction, too. The interconnectedness of the biggest stories we face is not purely a top-down dynamic. Acknowledging this will not, in and of itself, ensure a focus on whats important; plenty of trivial things are interconnected, too. But a wide perspective is usually a good start.

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At the debate moderated by Todd, McAuliffe said, during an exchange about education, that I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach. The context for the remark (then-Governor McAuliffe vetoing a bill that would have forced schools to warn parents about books containing sexually explicit material) was quickly lost as Youngkins campaignand right-wing mediagleefully seized on it, and many mainstream commentators have talked a lot about the remark, too, casting it as a defining gaffe or blunder of the campaign. Nine days after that debate, WAVY, a local TV station, sat down separately with McAuliffe and Youngkin and asked the latter if he thinks mankind is responsible for climate change. I dont know whats responsible for climate change, in all candor, Youngkin replied. Im a pretty smart guy but Im not that smart. This occasioned no comparable national-level attention. This morning, I searched Google News for McAuliffes parents remark and found nineteen pages of results. When I searched for Youngkins climate remark, seven came up. Results, not pages.

Below, more on Virginia, Build Back Better, and COP26:



A programming note, and an invitation: Next week, Ill be writing this newsletter from inside COP26, reporting and commenting on the media stories surrounding both the conference and the climate crisis itself. If you or your news organization is at COP, Id love to hear about your coverage, or to just say hi; Im especially interested in hearing from journalists who are covering the conference in an innovative way, and from those representing outlets outside the US. If you arent at COP, Id love to hear your thoughts on the coverage of the conference as it unfolds. You can reach me at [email protected].



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: When bullish finance stories are not exactly what they appear

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
MEXICO CITYAt least one person was killed and over a dozen were injured when a pipeline of state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) exploded in the central Mexican state of Puebla after it was breached by suspected fuel thieves, authorities said on Sunday.

Alerted to a gas leak, the Puebla state government said it had averted a higher death toll by evacuating residents from the site in the San Pablo Xochimehuacan municipality before three explosions occurred, wrecking between 30 and 50 homes.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Twitter one person had so far died and 15 more were injured in the overnight blast, and that some 1,400 rescue workers had been mobilized.

In a news conference hosted by Pueblas government, officials said that within a radius of 1 kilometer of the site, some 2,000 people were evacuated, and that the blaze was under control. Five of the injured were in a serious condition, they said.

The blast is the latest deadly incident to affect Pemexs infrastructure, and follows a fire on one of the companys oil platforms in August that killed at least five people.

Pueblas governor, Miguel Barbosa, said the incident was sparked by a gas leak caused by an illegal fuel tap.

Thanks to the speedy evacuations, a tragedy of enormous proportions had been prevented, he added.

Barbosa said rescue workers were checking to see if bodies were buried under houses destroyed by the blasts, but noted there were no reports of missing people.

Fuel theft has led to a series of accidents in Mexico. Well over 100 people died due to an explosion triggered by an illegal pipeline tap in the neighboring state of Hidalgo in 2019.
A Kansas City jury decided in favor of the insurer in the nations first jury trail of a lawsuit that sought coverage for business-interruption losses caused by the coronavirus.

The jury for the U.S. District Court for Western Missouri on Thursday returned a verdict in favor of Cincinnati Insurance Co. in a lawsuit filed by K.C. Hopps. The chain of nine bars, restaurants, catering services and event spaces had argued coverage was owed for lost income because SARS-CoV-2 had caused a direct physical loss or damage.

We thank the jury for their time and attention through the trial, Cincinnati said in a statement on Friday. We are pleased that they unanimously agreed with us that our commercial property insurance policy does not provide coverage for these Covid-19 losses.

U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough was one of the few federal judges who allowed COVID-19 business-interruption claims to proceed to trial, after ruling that the policy could be interpreted to provide coverage. In 90% of the cases decided in federal court so far, district court judges granted insurers dismissal or summary judgment motions.

The 6th and 11th and 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled in favor of insurers in COVID-19 business-interruption lawsuits.

Plaintiffs attorneys lauded the victory when Bough on Aug. 12 denied Cincinnatis motion to dismiss K.C. Hopps lawsuit. But attorneys for the restaurant chain were disappointed when Bough denied their motion on Oct. 22 to prohibit Cincinnati from telling the jury that exclusions in the policy do not apply to the business-interruption claims.

K.C. Hopps on Oct. 23 filed a motion seeking an order regarding the courts policy interpretation and to revise proposed jury instructions, stating that Bough had ruled previously that the exclusions do not apply.

Plaintiff reasonably took the courts statement that the exclusions do not apply to mean that they were inapplicable as a matter of law, the motion says.

The complaint filed by K.C. Hopps states that the nine businesses within the chain were expecting to earn $17 million in 2020, but government closure orders had drastically reduced revenues. The plaintiff presented evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can linger on surfaces and spread through ventilation systems, meeting the definition of a direct physical loss.

One other COVID-19 business-interruption lawsuit has gone to trial, but that case was decided from the bench. New Orleans Parish Judge Paulette R. Irons ruled on Feb. 10 in favor of Lloyds of London in a lawsuit filed by Cajun Conti, which owns a restaurant in the New Orleans French Quarter.

About the photo: Barleys Brewhouse in Shawnee, Kansas, shown here, is one in a group of nine restaurants and other businesses that have filed suit seeking coverage from Cincinnati Insurance Co.
CHESTERFIELD, S.C. (AP)  A South Carolina lawyer involved in a half-dozen state police investigations has been cagey about his assets and should have to hand over control of his money to independent representatives so that he does not engage in further fraud, an attorney told a judge Friday.

Attorneys in three different civil cases have said they fear Alex Murdaugh is trying to hide millions of dollars they could possibly collect in their lawsuits. They said he could shift money between unknown accounts and potentially sell off property and a boat after he turned all his affairs over to his surviving son, Buster Murdaugh.

Murdaughs actions since he was sued over a fatal 2019 boat crash clearly show an intent to secret away assets, attorney Mark Tinsley told Circuit Judge Daniel Hall in a Chesterfield County courthouse Friday afternoon. Tinsley represents the family of Mallory Beach, the teen killed in the crash.

Tinsley also said claims by Murdaughs lawyers that he is broke dont ring true.

If they dont have any money, what would be the harm of enjoining him from spending it? Tinsley said. Hes living pretty well for someone with no assets. He has a crisis manager.

The lawyers said Alex Murdaugh could be hiding inheritance from the deaths of his wife and son in an unsolved shooting at the familys home in June or from his fathers death from natural causes a few days later.

They also said because Murdaugh has been part of a legal empire in tiny Hampton County, South Carolina, he could have other money coming in from any number of sources.

Murdaughs father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all elected prosecutors in the area. The familys law firm, located in the most impressive building in town after the courthouse, has won multimillion-dollar verdicts over the past century.

John Tiller, an attorney for both Alex Murdaugh and Buster Murdaugh, said the plaintiffs lawyers had no legal basis to prevent the Murdaugh family from handling their own money.

They are long in facts and innuendo but they are short on the law, Tiller said, who argued that any claims would likely be covered by insurance.

Alex Murdaughs attorneys have not responded to the request to have two lawyers review and catalog all of Murdaughs assets, bank accounts, insurance policies and expenditures and approve his spending.

Its not like were taking his property. Were preserving his property. Tinsley said.

The judge said he expects to issue a ruling next week.

Two of the lawsuits involve a fatal February 2019 boat crash where Murdaughs son  since killed  was charged after investigators said Paul Murdaugh was driving drunk and recklessly. They were filed by the family of victim Mallory Beach and a man on the boat who said the Murdaugh family tried to pin him as the boats driver.

The third lawsuit asking for control of Murdaughs money was filed by the family of Murdaughs late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield. She died after a fall in the familys home in 2018.

Murdaugh has been charged with pocketing nearly $3 million worth of insurance settlements that was supposed to go to Satterfields estate.

At his bond hearing, prosecutors detailed how Murdaugh allegedly stole the money by diverting it to his accounts. They said he then paid off a $100,000 credit card bill, transferred more than $300,000 to his father and $735,000 to himself.

The lawsuits noted well over half the settlement money remained unaccounted for in the prosecutions presentation.

Murdaugh, 53, was first arrested Sept. 16 and was accused of trying to arrange his own death so Buster Murdaugh could collect a $10 million life insurance policy. That same day, the father signed a power of attorney for all his affairs over to his son, according to court records.

The motions in the three lawsuits include several documents: a photo of Buster Murdaugh that lawyers said was taken in October at a Las Vegas casino; a nearly $1 million mortgage that a property owner paid off to Alex Murdaugh; an online listing asking $114,000 for Murdaughs boat; and a nearly two-year-old unpaid tax bill that could lead to the auction of Murdaughs beach home on Edisto Island.

In addition to the investigations into the stolen insurance money and the insurance fraud, state police continue to investigate the shooting deaths, millions of dollars missing from Murdaughs former law firm that was founded by his great-grandfather, a 2015 hit-and-run death and whether Murdaugh and his family obstructed the investigation into the boat crash.

Murdaugh insists he had nothing to do with the June deaths of his wife, Maggie, 52, and their son Paul, 22. Murdaugh said he returned to their rural Colleton County home to find them shot to death. Tight-lipped state police have neither named any suspects nor ruled anyone out.

Murdaugh remains in jail without bond on the charges he stole money from his late housekeepers estate. A judge handling the Murdaugh criminal cases last week asked for a report on his mental state before considering whether to set bond.

About the photo: Alex Murdaugh listens to prosecutors outline their case against him during a bond hearing in the Richland Judicial Center in Columbia, S.C., Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. A judge in South Carolina denied bond for Murdaugh on the second set of charges he has faced since finding his wife and son dead last June. (AP Photo/Lewis M. Levine, Pool)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Dozens of scientists, environmental groups, elected officials and agency heads met online Oct. 26 to talk about recent changes to a still controversial plan to govern Lake Okeechobee releases.

Paul Gray, Audubon Floridas director of science, offered a cautionary tale about becoming strictly wedded to policies that dont necessarily make ecological sense.

He recalled a time when lake levels were sufficient so there was zero chance of having inadequate water supply stores, yet because of rigid policy dictates, the Caloosahatchee had been cut off from all water. Gray challenged the then-managers. I could see they were very uncomfortable, but they wanted to follow their policies. His takeaway: Rationing natural systems could get policy makers into trouble in the future.

Army Corps officers started off the meeting by taming expectations, saying a lake release schedule cant solve all of South Floridas mounting water issues.

Theres only so much an operation schedule can do, said Col. James Booth. Ultimately the continued projects we put in the ground are going to meet a lot of expectations in South Florida. But a change to the schedule can make major improvements even if it doesnt get everything we want immediately.

The Army Corps calls the group the Project Development Team, or PDT, and its purpose is to act as a sounding board for Army Corps modelers, planners and decision-makers.

Team members include elected state, local or tribal government leaders, or someone acting on their behalf.

Called the Lake Okeechobee System Operation Manual, or LOSOM, the proposed regulations are expected to govern lake releases until at least 2030.

Eve Samples, Friends of the Everglades executive director, thanked the Corps for delivering a plan less out of balance, compared to the one that spawned disastrous algal blooms in 2018, but she said two things give her nonprofit pause: Were not sure how much a lake recovery mode might increase discharges east and west, and in whats called a conservation mode, she said, We would urge you to send water south in every subzone even when managers are dealing with a shortage.

The Army Corps has spent the past several weeks optimizing the LOSOM plan to address concerns over everything from too much water flowing to the Caloosahatchee River during heavy rain events to holding Lake Okeechobee at levels that will further damage the lakes ecology.

Excess releases to the Caloosahatchee River during the summer will throw off the delicate brackish balance needed to maintain the rivers estuary and will send Lake Okeechobee water to Southwest Florida when blue-green algae blooms are most likely to occur.

Lake levels are currently regulated by the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule, or LORS, which was adopted by the Army Corps in 2008.

LORS typically keeps the surface levels of Lake Okeechobee between 12.5 and 15.5 feet above sea level to provide flood protection and water supply for agriculture, urban areas and natural systems like lakes and rivers.

LOSOM will allow lake levels to get to 17 feet, and many critics say that will further damage the lakes ecology by killing submerged aquatic vegetation.

Nyla Pipes of the nonprofit One Florida Foundation called the meeting incredibly dense. Her main concern: Stakeholders werent given enough time to understand and evaluate some 240,000 model runs to go through and try to make sense of, she said. Im really overwhelmed and I know Im not the only one.

Her recommendation: Tapping the brakes.

The Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers were connected to Lake Okeechobee to drain the Everglades for farming and development.

The Caloosahatchee needs water from the big lake during the dry season to help balance its delicate estuary. People on the St. Lucie side say they dont need or want discharges.

Too much water released during the summer rainy season presents several problems for the Caloosahatchee.

Heavy flows can cause salinity levels to plummet and occur most often during the summer rainy season.

Before the meeting, Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani said the LOSOM plan will deliver a disproportionate amount of harm to the Southwest Florida coast.

I cant get excited about any of the tweaks Ive seen coming from the plan and as long as theres going to be more water discharged to the estuary in the wet season, then its never going to be a balanced plan, Cassani said. It has to (perform better) than what theyre proposing now to be a balanced and equitable plan.

Cassani said the extra water that will come down the Caloosahatchee River under LOSOM should instead go south and into Everglades National Park and Florida Bay.

There needs to be some infrastructure modifications, but I dont see that as a limiting factor, Cassani said.

The final decision for the optimized lake schedule will be released to the public on Nov. 2.

From there the Army Corps will develop whats called an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, in order to assess environmental and ecological impacts to the historic Everglades system.

The draft EIS will be released in April with a finalized version coming in August.

A final record of decision is expected in December of 2022, which is when LOSOM will be implemented.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Avis "Darlene" Searan, age 75, formerly of California, passed away at Restwell Home Plus in Oskaloosa, KS, on Tuesday, November 16, 2021. She was born the daughter of Leo Abraham and Avis Amelia (Gabbert) Searan in Claremore, OK, on June 25, 1946. Darlene loved watching baseball, especially,
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At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a majority of workers stayed home, rendering physical office spaces useless, at least temporarily. Now that employees are returning to in-person work, what does the current commercial real estate market look like? And what does the future of office space
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  The Bangsamoro Transition Authority has called on religious leaders to help promote vaccine acceptance as the COVID-19 inoculation rate in the region remains low.

Interior and Local Government Minister Naguib G. Sinarimbo of the Bangsamoro region said they are working with the religious sector, as well as the United Nations Children's Fund, as they are the "most effective" in communicating with Filipinos about the importance of receiving the shots.

"May radio spots, programs at tina-tap na rin natin 'yung mga mosque, religious sites para magbigay ng adbokasiya ang mga religious leaders natin para ma-encourage ang mga tao na magpabakuna," he said during a virtual briefing on Monday.

"Inaasahan natin na mag-improve ang acceptance rate sa mga community natin dahil sa programang ito," Sinarimbo added.

[Translation: We have radio spots, programs, and we are also tapping mosques, religious sites where religious leaders could encourage people to get vaccinated. With these programs, we expect the acceptance rate in communities to improve.]

The official stressed that the vaccination rate is particularly low in island municipalities, particularly Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, and Basilan.

"Mahirap abutin lalo na ang mga community na ito [These communities are hard to reach]," he said.

Sinarimbo said the regional government has provided more sea ambulances for the vaccination drive to reach remote areas.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1)  With more healthcare workers leaving their jobs, some private hospitals have resorted to training midwives, nursing attendants, and other health personnel to augment manpower, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines said Monday.

"That is our big problem. Right now, what we are doing, the hospitals now are looking for replacements for our registered nurses," PHAPi president Jose de Grano told CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday.

"We are training under board nurses, we are training midwives, we are training nursing attendants so we will be able to augment the healthcare workers in our private hospitals," he added.

De Grano said around 5% to 10% of health workers from their group have already filed their resignation to look for better opportunities.

"Most of them are still employed. Sasabihin nila, 'we are going to resign,' so they will have to fulfill 30 days' notice. But if the time comes na dumating na ang tickets nila then they will have to go and we have no way of stopping them," he added.

[Translation: Most of them are still employed right now. They will say, We are going to resign, so they will have to full their 30 days' notice. But when their plane tickets eventually come, they will have to go and we have no way of stopping them.]

De Grano said that while some hospitals are offering sign-on bonuses and other incentives to prospective employees, others are trying their best to convince their current staff to stay for the meantime. He acknowledged that local hospitals simply can't match the offer of some foreign institutions.

Meanwhile, De Grano noted that some hospitals in Iloilo, General Santos City, Cagayan Valley, and the National Capital Region have signified their intention to break ties with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. over its failure to settle their unpaid claims.

He said PhilHealth still owes private hospitals around 20 billion as of August.

"Kahit na lets say that they are saying that they paid already 10 billion, nasaan na ang mga payments na ito? [where are these payments?]," De Grano said.

Some hospitals said they will announce their plans for 2022 by mid-November, having given PhilHealth an ultimatum to resolve the issue by end of October, he added.

RELATED: Hospitals forced to downsize over unsettled 6-B PhilHealth debt
The Coastal Point is a local newspaper published each Friday and distributed in the Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, Ocean View, Millville, Dagsboro, Frankford, Selbyville, Millsboro, Long Neck and Georgetown, Delaware areas.
Click on the link "CLICK HERE" below. This will redirect you to a login page. If you have already registered please log in, otherwise you will need to create an online account to proceed.

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At Step 3: Login using your Name exactly as it appears on your mailing label and the account number needs to be input without the leading zeros.
Penn State is home to over 1,000 clubs and organizations  some are in the limelight more than others.

One group that remains rather hidden from others is the furry community: a fandom where members create an animal character for themselves.

The furry community has an online presence and is known for its interest in anthropomorphic animals. Art, friendship and inclusivity are the elements that have allowed this subculture to expand.

Despite the popularity and growing furry community on campus, a furry named Cameron said furries maintain their identities and keep their community hidden to protect themselves from potential backlash from other students.

I believe the furry subculture is misunderstood due to stereotypes and preconceived notions brought on by outdated media, Cameron (senior-security and risk analysis) said. Furries in 2021 come from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences and are a group of awesome people. If people got to know that, I believe it would open people up to the idea of accepting furries.

The success of this club can be attributed to its secrecy, Cameron said, as the furry fandom tries to keep its community as hate-free as possible.

Hate is certainly a factor of why the community is secret. Not everyone is open to the idea of furries, and the risk of losing future prospects because of which can be off-putting, Cameron said. I believe the anonymity of the furry community is a factor in why it is thriving at Penn State.

Jack is another member of Penn States own furry community. As a furry, Jack (junior-engineering) said he has heard incorrect assumptions about this community.

The best way to describe the community is a friendly get together of people who are very commonly interested in one thing, which is anthropomorphic animals, Jack said. The best way to describe it is to compare it with anime. There's usually a hangout of people who just like anime. It's kind of the same thing, but instead of anime, it's furries.

Each furry has a different story of how they found out about the community, but the strong interest toward anthropomorphic animals from a young age is something many Penn State furries said they have in common.

One student, Ezu, said she always drew animals and any sort of non-human creatures.

Growing up, I read many books that were focused around animals, like Warrior Cats. It's just been an instinct of attachment, Ezu (sophomore-digital arts) said. I never really identified as a furry or felt connected to the term, but I would always draw anthropomorphic animals.

Ezu said a signature element of the community is the choice of the animal characters. She said in the furry community, this is known as a fursona, the anthropomorphic animal of ones choosing with certain characteristics.

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+2 Penn State student behind @randompeopleofpsu talks TikTok fame, future From his sixth floor window in Beaver Hall, Alex Berger crafted 20 brief storylines in the f

It's like whenever you relate to a fictional character, and then you kind of wonder why and then you realize that there's a lot of things that you and this character share in terms of gifts and flaws, Ezu said. It's an exact replica of yourself in addition [to] the thing you want to be or rather be.

This subculture has roots that go back for years, as community members mentioned that they have strong bonds with past and present furries at Penn State.

Tazu, a freshman member of the furry community, said alumni of the community on campus still keep in touch.

We have one [alum who] graduated in the 90s  furries started in the 70s and 80s, Tazu (freshman-aerospace engineering) said.

Despite the success of shows and movies featuring anthropomorphic animals, such as BoJack Horseman, Beastars and Zootopia, Tazu said the furry community still remains misunderstood by a large number of people.

Its all about how normalized something is, Tazu said. Being a fan of Star Wars is normalized, but being a furry is not.

Acceptance and low tolerance for hatred could be considered their motto, as student Daz said the furry community is positive and accepting of sexualities and gender identities.

Daz (senior-industrial engineering) described it as another comfort space where everyone can be themselves.

The furry community is open to all ages, demographics and identities, Daz said. That is why many people from the LGBTQ community will come to the furry fandom because they know they will be accepted for who they are.

With all of the positivity this group shares with its members and the world, Ezu said its difficult to understand how other Penn State furries have been discouraged to join the community. Ezu said being part of this community in Penn State made her embrace this part of her.

It took me to actually be friends with a couple of furries to realize that the way I connected with these creatures and animals was not accidental, it was like a part of me, Ezu said.

Ezu said she was scared of being made fun of and didnt want others to assume things about her.

But looking at it, I'm part of this big community on campus that helped me realize that it was natural once I talked to more community members, Ezu said. With my fursona, I can understand other people, and I can understand myself more.

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The State College Police Department asked for the publics assistance Monday in identifying the operator or owner of a vehicle spotted in the area where the Fullington bus station armed robbery occurred Sunday.

According to Lt. Chad Hamilton, the suspect was driving a Volkswagen Passat.

On Sunday, Penn State reported a dangerous person at 152 N. Atherton St.  the Greyhound bus station  via a University Park Alert.

The suspect is allegedly a Black male in his 30s to 40s between 6 foot and 6-foot-1. Additionally, he is allegedly approximately 230 pounds, has a salt and pepper beard and was wearing a black disposable face mask, according to the SCPD.

He was last seen "wearing a black hoodie with the hood up and zipped to the chin and white lettering on the front," the SCPD said. He was allegedly wearing black pants, and the whites of the suspect's eyes were "jaundiced."

Hamilton said the SCPD received roughly 16 calls after Penn State sent out the alert.

The department responded to each call but found no articulable evidence to connect any events to the armed robbery, Hamilton said.

After the University Park Alert told individuals to seek shelter, secure doors, be silent and be still, Hamilton said the SCPD believes it caused mass hysteria.

Penn States alert was a bit premature, Hamilton said in a police briefing. The community was not at risk.

Hamilton said while it was good the university sent out the alert, the wording was a bit vague.

A large number of calls reporting suspicious activity came from The Maxxen and Cedarbrook at the Canyon after the robbery, the SCPD said, but police found nothing to connect the events.

The SCPD encouraged anyone with information on the suspect to call the department at 814-234-7150 or send an anonymous tip through its website.

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Bellefonte cyclist remains in critical condition after being struck by vehicle A 21-year-old from Bellefonte is still in critical condition after he was struck by a vehicl
U.S. Senator Bob Casey, a democrat from Pennsylvania, issued a statement Monday in opposition to Milo Yiannopoulos Pray the Gay Away event scheduled for Wednesday sponsored by Uncensored America, a Penn State student organization.

In his statement, Casey condemned the event for its anti-LGTBQ message.

Every student deserves a safe environment to learn, and this event is antithetical to Penn State and our Commonwealths values," Casey said in a statement. "To the LGBTQ community at Penn State: I stand with you, and I will continue to fight in Congress for you and your rights.

Student groups across campus plan to host events adjacent to Yiannopoulos event in protest, such as the "Love is Louder" event hosted by the Jeffrey A. Conrad Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity and a protest hosted by Penn State Students Against Sexist Violence.

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Penn State expands coronavirus vaccine mandate to two additional commonwealth campuses Penn State expanded its coronavirus vaccine mandate to two additional campuses, Berks and Sc
A casual observer of politics might see Tuesdays statewide ballot as much ado about nothing, a zero-sum game. Those of us who spend our days and happy hours gossiping about politics, however, beg to differ.
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The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Janet May True, 82, from Covington, IN, a former Danville resident went to be with the Lord at 9:45 P. M. Thursday November 18, 2021 at the home of her daughter in Champaign. She was born December 17, 1938 at Los Angles, CA the daughter of Jack and Vera Mary (Branch) Guyer. She was a homemak
India extends ban on international flights until November 30

The Indian civil aviation regulator has extended international flight ban until November 30, even as the curb is not applicable to cargo flights and those approved by the regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The validity of Indian visas or stipulated period of stay for foreign nationals who have been stranded in India due to the pandemic had been extended till October 31. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@ANI

All scheduled international flights to and from India were banned from March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic. The flight ban has been extended towards the end of every month since then by the regulator. However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has signed bilateral air bubble agreements with several countries, Khaleej Times reported.

India has formed air bubble pacts with around 25 countries, including the US, the UK, the UAE, Kenya, Bhutan and France.

Rules stipulate that those special international flights can be operated by their airlines following an air bubble pact between two countries, irrespective of the travel ban, which initially came into place on March 22, 2020.

Direct connectivity has finally resumed between India and Canada after almost five months from September 27.

The US will reopen to air passengers who have received COVID-19 vaccines from China, India, among other countries, from November 8.

Earlier, the US eased its travel advisory for India on August 16, 2021, lowering it to level 2, which is considered as safe, following significant improvement in the South Asian country's Covid-19 situation.

The UK had moved India from its "red" to "amber" travel list from August 8 onwards.

The validity of Indian visas or stipulated period of stay for foreign nationals who have been stranded in India due to the pandemic had been extended till October 31.
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This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-10-19, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
Funeral service for Otis C. Harrison, Jr., 47, formerly of Oakwood, passed away November 6, 2021 in Cypress, CA. Viewing will be on, Monday, November 22 at Emanuel Funeral Home of Palestine from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funeral will be held on Tuesday, November 23, at True Vine DOXA Center, Fairfie
It's video game week at One Cracked Fact, and we're giving away a $100 gift card. Whichever digital gaming store you wantyou pick! Subscribe to win, if you haven't already.

In 2003, the most anticipated upcoming video game was Half-Life 2. It would come out the following year and be considered one of the best games ever, and now, almost 20 years later, it appears ... well, maybe even better in hindsight than it did at the time.

But while still in 2003, developer Valve had some problems. A hacker got into their system, downloaded the entire unfinished game's source code, and released it online. With a little tinkering on the source code, players were now able to run Half-Life 2, sort of. But the bigger deal was that the public got a glimpse at the game's state and realized development was like a year behind schedule.

So, big embarrassment for Valve, who now admitted the game wouldn't be ready by the promised release date. They tried to find who was responsible for the leak, and they put the FBI on the case, but the investigation went nowhere. Then the hacker went and emailed Valve director Gabe Newell personally.

The hacker was a German 20-year-old named Axel Gembe, though in the email, he just identified himself as "Da Guy." He was a fan, he said in the message, and he'd never intended to hurt the company. In fact, now that he'd proven his tech prowess, maybe Valve would realize they could use a guy like him. Gembe was perhaps influenced by all those (often exaggerated) stories of criminals who get hired as experts by big businesses or the police.
Possibly realizing that this dry theory was unlikely to land him a cover story in Ye Olde Farmers Almanack, Halley punched it up by speculating that the inside of each sphere could be lined with a luminous material similar to the surface of the Sun, allowing whole civilizations to flourish deep within the Earth. His reasoning for this was that God probably needed the extra room to store as many people as possible, since we ourselves, in cities where we are pressed for room, commonly build many stories, one over the other, and thereby accommodate a much greater multitude of Inhabitants.

Rick Manning Ugh, you know Sphere 2's hammering on the ceiling with a broom every time we have a party.

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Halleys nested spheres theory failed to attract any support, and he quickly dropped the idea. And that was in the 1600s, when bathing was considered an interesting theory and women were technically classified as a type of shellfish. By the time the 1800s rolled around, the Hollow Earth theory was entirely forgotten except as a ludicrous joke. But the steady march of progress hadnt counted on one thing: America! In Ohio, a War of 1812 veteran named John Cleves Symmes Jr. came across the idea and was instantly convinced of its accuracy. Symmes spent years refining his own version of the theory, deciding that giant holes at the north and south poles would allow access to the nested worlds hidden within.

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In 1818, every university and politician in America received a copy of Symmes manifesto, which opened: I declare that the Earth is hollow and habitable within; containing a number of solid concentric spheres, one within the other, and that it is open at the poles twelve or 16 degrees . I pledge my life in support of this trust and am ready to explore the hollow, if the world will support and aid me in my undertaking." As evidence, he attached a doctors letter certifying him as sane. Which sounds pretty solid to us!
A jury has been seated in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot three people during a protest against racial injustice on the streets of Kenosha last year
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And Still I Rise features work from seven distinct series created between 2001 to 2021, each focusing on a particular book or archival material. Beginning with Kahlon's early incursion into the 19th century British tome Cassells Illustrated History of India, one of the artists first series to incorporate cut-out book pages, Kahlon unearths connections between past atrocities and present trauma. For this series, exaggerated body parts and grotesque figures are painted in a bright but cloying palette over the book pages. The compositions highlight the violence overlooked within this account of Indias colonial history, which for many South Asians continues to reverberate today. In her most recent project, Enter My Burning House, Kahlon memorializes victims from the 2012 mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The seven portraits are painted atop unbound book pages from Madison Grants The Passing of the Great Race, a 1916 treatise which espoused theories of race purity and influenced the restrictive U.S. immigration laws of the 1920s. In pairing the portraits of the murdered with this specific text, the artist explicitly connects U.S. immigration history with the ongoing violence against communities of color. For each of the series included in the exhibition, Kahlon seeks to restore the humanity of those who have been targeted for exclusion, even destruction.

Cassell's Illustrated History of India Kahlons series Cassells Illustrated History of India derives its title from the 19th century encyclopedic tome of the same name. Cassells Illustrated History of India was one of a series of books published by Cassell & Co in England, famous for its educational books and periodicals. The original book, printed in two leather-bound volumes, consisted of 1200 pages and included 600 illustrations. It is considered a valuable cultural artifact documenting the colonial history of India. The artist purchased a first-edition copy at Sothebys in 2001 for $400. As of one of Kahlons first projects to deconstruct the book form, as both a physical object and as a conceptual inquiry, the series explores the cultural, social, and political implications of recording the history of India through the colonizer perspective. Kahlon purposefully unbound the pages and detailed her responses to the books content in the form of drawing and painting directly on the dislocated sheets. The pages become the back-drop for the artists introduction of maimed bodies, bandaged heads, and exaggerated reproductive organs. Painted in a bold palette of pinks, blues, and browns, the grotesque body and its constituent parts make visible the violence and trauma unacknowledged in the book pages. Kahlons imagery correlates the social and political processes recorded in the book with the consumptive and productive functions of the body. Urination, defecation, lactation, eating and drinking and isolation of the respective body parts come to symbolize the physical reverberations within the body of the colonized. At once beautiful and horrific, the painted imagery seduces the viewer even as an alternative and haunting narrative unfolds.

Did You Kiss the Dead Body? Did You Kiss the Dead Body? is taken from the last line of Harold Pinters poem Death. Pinter read the poem during his 2005 Nobel Prize acceptance speecha speech marked by deep criticism of American foreign policy. Did You Kiss the Dead Body? grows out of the artists decade long inquiry into the social implications of autopsy reports and death certificates emerging from U.S. military bases and prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan. These reports were first made public on the ACLUs website in 2004 under the Freedom of Information Act. For Kahlon, a key question was, How do the lives of the men in these documents come to be remembered and brought into our shared history? Contained within the descriptions of anonymous Iraqi and Afghan male prisoners who have died in U.S. custody is evidence of the abuse of power that transpired during the American occupations. The reports employ a rational scientific language cataloging the internal and external details of the mens bodies while attempting to determine a cause of death, which ranges from natural to undetermined to homicide. Kahlon overlays European anatomical drawings providing a second and simultaneous view of the internal and external body. The dialectical exchange between image and text prompts an even more visceral response to the reports. Yet beyond the graphic nature of the drawings and the source material, Kahlon creates an opening for conversations about accountability, remembrance, humanity, and loss.

Die Volker der Erde (People of the Earth) Die Volker der Erde (People of the Earth) refers to a 1902 German anthropology book written by Dr. Kurt Lampert. The book embraces a deeply Eurocentric and colonial worldview characteristic for its time. The illustrations included in the two volumes were staged based on constructions of the savage, consigning the subjects within a representation that is simultaneously racially prejudiced and dehumanizing. Purchased from an antiquarian bookseller in Vienna during an artist residency, Kahlon approached the original pages as a space for talking backto the book, to the author, to the discipline of anthropology, and to the representational violence of European colonial projects. The cumulative project now exceeds 300 drawings.

Do You Know Our Names? Do You Know Our Names? is a response to the central role played by ethnographic photography within colonial projects. The artists twenty years of study and engagement with the visual legacies of colonialism all come to bear in this series. Appropriating photographic reproductions found in the German anthropology book Die Volker der Erde (People of the Earth), Kahlon enlarged the images into new reproductions, which she then uniquely reworked. The series echoes the hand-coloring done by many 19th century photographers who sought to heighten the fidelity of their images. For Kahlon, the goal is to radically alter the image through painting. Transformed by contemporary clothing, fashionable hairstyles and makeup, the portraits achieve a type of rehabilitation of each womans humanity, individuality and beauty, making a shift from anonymous anthropological subject into a modern individual commanding the viewers attention.

Peoples of Afghanistan Peoples of Afghanistan, the artists first video work, incorporates high-resolution thermal imagery of a bombing in Afghanistan with still-photographs of Afghan men compiled during a 1960s Russian anthropological survey. The video footage was anonymously published on the internet in 2002 of an American AC-130 Specter Gunship attack, while the anthropometric survey of Afghanistan was used as the basis for the book, Physical Anthropology of Afghanistan, published by Harvards Peabody Museum in 1970 as part of a Russian translation series. The anthropologic survey included a collection of data relating to hair color, skin color, size of skull and other body-based measurements. With the recent end to the U.S. war in Afghanistan, this video gains new resonance. As archival materials, both sources denote the representational and physical violence wrought on the people of Afghanistan through U.S. and Russian occupations. Yet Kahlons layered imagery is also a potent reminderall casualties of war seek remembrance.

We've Come A Long Way to be Together Weve Come a Long Way to be Together is a series of portraits of travelers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East painted atop unbound pages from Wilfred Thesigers famous travel narrative, Arabian Sands. Thesiger was an English explorer and travel writer (1910 -2003). Published in 1959, Arabian Sands recounts the writers foot and camel travels through the Empty Quarter of Arabia, (Rub'Al Khali) between 1945-1950. Extremely popular in its time, Arabian Sands is considered a classic of travel writing. Thesigers photographic archive, with over 38,000 negatives and 71 personal albums of photographs, was donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England. The museums website describes Thesiger as probably the greatest traveler of the twentieth century, and one of its greatest explorers. Kahlons portraits atop the deconstructed book intentionally disrupt conventional ways of seeing. Through visual code-switching, the artist substitutes the iconographies of travel and tourism, typically associated with European subjectivities, with painted figures of non-Europeans. Kahlon overtly questions how we perceive ideas of travel and migration. Who is the traveler or tourist? Who is the migrant? Weve Come a Long Way to be Together underscores the highly ideological and polemical representations associated with refugees and migration contrasted against European exploration and tourism. While one is romanticized, the other is pathologized and feared.
MIDDLETOWN U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Gov. Ned Lamont, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, and Alphabet/Google Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat met with educational leaders and students at Middlesex Community College Friday to announce the full integration of Google Career Certificates for community college students.

Connecticut is now the first state in the nation to offer the full suite of Google certificates across its state colleges and universities system. The program is also available to all career and technical education high schools.

After a tour of campus, Cardona, Lamont, Blumenthal, Murphy and Porat joined Connecticut State Colleges and Universities President Terrence Cheng and three local students for a panel discussion about what the announcement means for the state.

This is about Connecticut residents having access to education to build a nice life for their families, Cardona said.

The setting of the event was special for the education secretary. He said the first college course he ever took was at MxCC, and that these new programs should provide even more opportunities for those entering college.

It opened the doors of college for the Cardona family, he said. This is so students like me can see that they can succeed in college.

He added that the countrys education system needs to evolve quicker to prepare students for the evolving workforce, and that, as the first state to offer all of Googles certificate courses, Connecticut is leading the way in that evolution.

Porat touched on that as well, saying that digital skills training is extremely important today. We saw that very clearly during the pandemic, he said.

She said that upwards of 10 million jobs are available to people with digital skills training, and these Google courses offer that training. Course subjects include data analytics, IT support, project management, and UX design.

Thats what were excited about, Porat said. Its a door-opener.

Cheng said that he and the rest of the CSCU community are really proud to be the first university system to offer the full suite of Google certificate programs, and that preparing students for such jobs is a primary reason for choosing to offer them.

That allows us to immediately meet the needs of the workforce, Cheng said.

He credited Lamont for making it happen. For his part, the governor said it was necessary to make sure Connecticut does not fall behind in the tech-dominant future.

Were doing everything we can to compete in the 21st century, Lamont said.

Offering these courses to community college and high school students helps to level the playing field when it comes to education and career opportunities, the governor added.

Some students are already taking advantage of these courses. Ahmad Salaam, of Cromwell, is studying computer and information technology at MxCC. He said he was already interested in technology, and these programs are a great way for him learn all aspects of his chosen field.

Its a really, really great course, Salaam said. Im interested in IT, but this program allows me to explore.

The full suite will be available to students in the spring, Cheng said. Registration is not yet open, but will be in the near future. For information, visit ct.edu/google.

Outside of Chapman Hall, where the panel discussion was held, dozens of members of the 4Cs, SEIU 1973, which represents higher education employees in the state, and individuals from other supporting unions, gathered to continue the protest against the consolidation of community colleges.

Following the event, Murphy met with the protesters to hear their concerns. The group said it hopes to meet with Lamont as well in the near future.
Hospital beds are full with patients but the staff available to care for them is shrinking, and health care systems say they are paying bonuses and finding creative ways to fill empty positions, particularly in nursing.

While some Connecticut hospitals have let staff go due the workers unvaccinated status, health care officials here say the nationwide labor shortage has hit their industry harder.

The issue is prompting review of recruitment, training options, professional development, compensation and more, officials said.

This year, particularly, all positions I would say have become more challenging and some difficult, said Melissa Turner, senior vice president for human resources for Yale New Haven Health.

With a very, very large volume of open positions to fill, its difficult to find the candidates that we desire, Turner said. The job is more taxing than it has ever been  The job market in general has become a challenge.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

And after 20 months of caring for COVID patients, and with more inpatients now because of delayed procedures, many nurses, respiratory therapists and others are leaving their positions, officials said.

Patients are sicker than they have formerly been when they arrive at our doors, Turner said. All our COVID numbers are down but we have very high volumes, particularly in our EDs referring to emergency departments.

The pandemic also has given people second thoughts about their work-life balance, she said. People are thinking about their lives in a different way now.

Cathy Frierson, chief human resources officer for Nuvance Health, said in an email, The national labor shortage has had a profound impact across the healthcare industry.

Effectively managing staffing challenges and retaining talent has been a top priority at Nuvance Health, Frierson said. We are proactively implementing strategies to ensure we have the resources necessary to care for our patients and the communities we serve.

Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

Nuvance Health includes Norwalk, Danbury, New Milford and Sharon hospitals, as well as three hospitals in New York state.

What is happening in the industry right now in health care, we are seeing a reset in the labor market, said Amanda Richards, who joined Hartford HealthCare as its first chief nursing officer in January.

Hartford HealthCare includes St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport, MidState Medical Center in Meriden and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

While the employees who have been terminated from health care systems for their refusal to get vaccinated have made headlines, that is a small part of the problem, the health care officials said.

At Yale New Haven, 68 unvaccinated employees across 56 different positions had been let go as of Tuesday out of more than 28,000 employees.

At Hartford HealthCare, 109 employees were let go out of 33,000 employees and staffs of partner organizations, according to spokeswoman Rebecca Stewart.

Both health care systems said the workers could return if they were to get vaccinations.

Dr. Ajay Kumar, chief clinical officer, said 99.8 percent of Hartford HealthCares more than 26,500 employees and 2,200 doctors and nurse practitioners who are not employees but are affiliated with the system have been vaccinated.

Hiring and training

On the other hand, Hartford HealthCare has hired more than 300 registered nurses in the last few months alone, Stewart said, and Yale New Haven Health has hired 1,200.

Im very pleased that we have all these nurses in the pipeline, most of whom will graduate in May and some in December, Richards said.

Charlotte Hungerford Hospital / Contributed photo

Connecticut is doing better than the nationwide average in available nurses, according to Nurse Journal, which counts 12.06 nurses per 1,000 people across the country. Connecticut is 15th of the 50 states and District of Columbia, with 14.75 per 1,000.

Across the nation, everybody is suffering from a nursing shortage, said Beth Beckman, chief nursing executive for Yale New Haven Health.

This one feels a little different in the sense that the pandemic has certainly had a toll on peoples appetite for whats occurred, she said.

Many nurses have chosen jobs with a Monday-to-Friday schedule and not so much wear and tear. Theres been a migration of nurses certainly to traveler jobs, in which they are hired for a short duration, often for higher pay, Beckman said.

Beckman said Yale New Haven is fortunate in having a very tenured staff and a very loyal staff, people who have been here 30-40 years and have stayed with us through the pandemic.

She said nurses also were willing to move from one hospital to others that were overrun by surge. There was such a spirit of generosity around that, she said.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

Turner said the health system also responded to the limitations nursing students faced during COVID in not being able to train with patients. Much of the teaching was conducted with simulators. We said in the summer of 2020, we have to do something differently, Beckman said.

Yale New Haven worked with the nursing schools in the state and the Connecticut Hospital Association to create a bridge to professional practice. They went to the nursing schools and said, anybody who is a senior student is welcome to join us and well find a spot for you.

The students were trained in COVID safety protocols and worked alongside professional nurses, who served as preceptors, for 60 hours.

We taught them how to don and doff. We made sure they were N95 [mask] fit-tested. The only thing missing from this was they didnt pass medications, Beckman said.

Most of the students worked in the most urgent areas: critical care, emergency medicine, medical surgical units and the operating rooms.

The preceptors couldnt have been more thrilled with the opportunity and the students were grateful for the experience, Beckman said.

Richards said Hartford HealthCare developed pretty robust transition strategies for the nurses it has hired, to allow them the opportunities to practice in specialty areas. Were quite unique where we have the full continuum of care, including seven hospitals, at-home care, skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities and its medical group.

A new graduate nurse residency program helps the transition to professional nursing, assigning a nurse as a supportive mentor to take care of new nurses emotional needs, she said.

Were focusing on the professional development of our nurses, Richards said, including offering assistance for advanced courses. How do we continue to grow them professionally? The focus of the work were doing is to elevate their professional practice.

For nurses, its not a job, its actually a call, Richards said. Our role is to support that growth and development.

She said the pandemic has helped nurses to be recognized for their critical role. It really has been nurses on the front line of care, she said. Its redefining the way we deliver care in the future.

Hartford HealthCare partners with 15 nursing schools. As they are equipping the nurses, we have a role to play with their clinical placements, Richards said.

Compensation

Hartford HealthCare also has created a task force to streamline its recruitment process, to shorten the time it takes from recruitment to starting on the job.

Both health care systems have given bonuses to employees for the additional pressure the pandemic brought. Stewart said every Hartford HealthCare employee received a $1,000 bonus last week and will receive a second one, a success share before the holidays. A tuition-reimbursement program also has been implemented.

Yale New Haven handed out 5 percent bonuses in May 2020, though its annual performance incentives were 1 percent rather than the usual 2 percent because of the financial losses the health system suffered.

Bridgeport Hospital / Contributed

We are aware of current compensation trends and we are in step with those trends, Turner said. There might be incentives for people that are responding to surge, patient care surges. We compensate well for people who are picking up shifts.

She said the health systems leaders showed their appreciation in other ways, including a week of gratitude in May, in which managers spent two hours every day for a week walking rounds with their staff and really walked in their shoes for two hours.

It was tremendously successful, Turner said. People felt heard and seen  and it is a program we are committed to continuing.

Since March 2020, the administration also has held regular town hall meetings, talking about the state of the health system.  They appreciate that level of transparency, she said.

Yale New Havens system includes Yale New Haven, Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence and Memorial and Westerly, R.I., hospitals.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
SOIUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  Former South Dakota Gov. Frank Farrar, whose uncanny rise to politics as a young man quickly morphed into a career as a banker and philanthropist, died Sunday. He was 92.

Gov. Kristi Noem, who confirmed his death as while as officials from the South Dakota Hall of Fame, ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of Farrar.

Frank was an incredible leader for our state and a mentor to me over these past years, as well, Noem said. His heart for people and his enthusiasm for public service have been an inspiration.

Known as the boy wonder who was the youngest person ever elected state attorney general, Farrar became the state's 24th governor in 1968. Farrar ran unopposed for the Republican nomination and easily won the general election.

But his political fame was short-lived. He had the distinction of being the last elected incumbent governor to lose reelection when, in 1970, he lost his bid for a second term to Democrat Dick Kneip, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported.

It was the only election I lost in my life, he said in a 2014. interview You usually beat yourself rather than get beat by someone else.

Born in Britton, South Dakota on April 2, 1929, Farrar served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and retired from the Army Reserve as a captain. After earning his law degree from the University of South Dakota in 1953, Farrar worked as an agent for the Internal Revenue Service. He later became a judge in Marshall County and also served as a states attorney.

In 1962, Farrar won the attorney generals race, taking office at the age of 33. Six years later he took over as governor amid the snowiest winter in South Dakota history, where some portions of the state saw more than 100 inches of snow. The federal government airlifted supplies into the state, including snow removal equipment, to help state crews open roads to beleaguered towns.

Farrar left politics and focused on banking and philanthropy. He was recognized was his work for many not-for-profit organizations including the March of Dimes, Boy Scouts and South Dakota Community Foundation. He was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2006.

Frank Farrars philanthropy has positively impacted many organizations, including the Hall of Fame, said Hall of Fame CEO Greta Chapman. "And, like many others, we will be forever grateful to Frank Farrar. We are honored to be able to preserve and share his legacy for future generations.

At 65, after being told he had terminal cancer, Farrar began competing in triathlons and Ironman competitions, which he credited for his longevity and to helping him beat cancer.

Farrar was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia, whom he married in 1953 while stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia. She died in 2015. The two had five children.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  A series of explosions, apparently caused by an illegal tap on a natural gas line, rocked the central Mexico city of Puebla before dawn Sunday, killing at least one person, injuring 11 and damaging dozens of homes, authorities said.

Puebla state Gov. Miguel Barbosa said an emergency call warning of a gas smell and cloud in the area gave officials about 80 minutes to evacuate some 2,000 people living as far as a kilometer (about s half mile) from the leak before the first of three explosions, which came shortly before 3 a.m.

If there had not been an evacuation and there had not been coordination, there would have been a tragedy of great proportions," the governor said.

Officials said at least 54 homes were destroyed or damaged in the San Pablo Xochimehuacan district of Puebla, a city of 1.7 million people. At least two of the injured were in critical condition with severe burns.

When I heard the chaos, the screaming of the people, thats when we realized that the smoke from the gas was coming ... and we didnt have time to take out documents or animals or anything, one resident told The Associated Press shortly after being told his home was completely destroyed.

Fires burned in the rubble into the evening, when a heavy rain finally doused the flames. Shortly before 7 p.m., authorities announced that workers from Mexico's state oil company had succeeded in closing off the leaking gas.

Officials briefly evacuated 37 patients from a nearby hospital, but it was back in service hours later after suffering only minor damage, such as broken windows.

The governor said rescue teams with dogs were searching for more possible victims, though there were no reports of missing people.

Javier Gonzalez of the government's Petroleos Mexicanos company said the tap apparently was installed on a property where officials found a tanker truck and 25 gas cylinders. Across the street is a gas distribution company.

Officials said 1,400 soldiers, National Guard troops, police, firefighters and rescue personnel were working in the area following the explosions. An additional 870 soldiers were on their way from the Valley of Mexico with tools, machinery and excavators and four search dogs, officials said.

The governor vowed to get to the bottom of who was responsible for the explosion.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador offered condolences to victims of the blast. Early in his administration, he crusaded against thieves who tap into gas and gasoline lines  even shutting down major fuel ducts to get rid of thieves.

But official reports indicate that as recently as March, Mexico was losing an average of 4,000 barrels a day of gasoline and diesel to to such taps, which are sometimes guarded by local communities who see them as a resource.

An illegal tap of a gasoline line caused an explosion that killed at least 134 people in the town of Tlahuelilpan, north of Mexico City, in 2019. Townspeople had gathered in a field to fill containers with gasoline leaking from the line.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court is declining to wade into a case involving transgender rights and leaving in place a lower court decision against a Catholic hospital that wouldn't allow a transgender man to have a hysterectomy there.

The high court turned away the case Monday without comment, as is typical. Three conservative justices  Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch  said they would have heard the case.
During February 2022s Foundation Dinner, NASCUS President and CEO, Lucy Ito, will receive the Herb Wegner Memorial Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. Ahead of the event, we take a brief look at her legacy and impact.

Dedicated, influential [] exceptional. So begins the nomination packet for Lucys Outstanding Individual Achievement award. The scale of support for Lucys recognition equaled only by the scale of her achievements over 30+ years serving the credit union movement.

Joining the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) in 1989, Lucy led development projects across the world. During her 15 years at WOCCU, Lucys work influenced and improved the financial lives of people across Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. Of particular note was her partnership with the government of Uzbekistan, through which she laid the groundwork to introduce the former Soviet republics first credit unions.

Lucys commitment to the credit union mission and deep-rooted collaborative spirit reaped further rewards when she moved to the California and Nevada Credit Union League in 2004.
Department of Justice

Over the past several months, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and federal regulators have hit two national banks with complaints alleging fair lending violations. The banks are alleged to have engaged in redlining practices with the effect of discouraging prospective applicants in majority-Black and Hispanic areas from seeking and obtaining mortgage loans.

In the most recent complaint, the DOJ along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) alleged Trustmark National Bank (Trustmark) engaged in redlining practices in the Memphis Statistical Area. The complaint alleged Trustmark located and maintained almost all its branch locations and mortgage loan officers in majority-white areas and lacked adequate fair-lending policies and internal controls to detect fair lending violations. As a result of these practices, the Federal government asserted Trustmarks lending policies discouraged loan applications and loan-making. The factual allegations of the complaint are as follows:


Mongabay

October 6, 2021





Brazils highest court has upheld a ban on missionaries entering reserves that are home to isolated and recently contacted Indigenous people during the pandemic.

The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Indigenous organizations against a law passed in July 2020 that allowed missionaries to remain inside these reserves despite the pandemic, in violation of Brazils official policy in place since 1987.

According to Indigenous organizations, its crucial to reaffirm the non-contact policy under the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro that has pushed to integrate Indigenous people into society, and has been cozy with the evangelical movement.

Besides the risk of disease spread, the presence of missionaries in these reserves undermines traditional cultures and social cohesion, and compels these nomadic communities to settle down, making the land more vulnerable to invasions by illegal ranchers and loggers, activists say.

Brazils highest court has upheld a ban on missionary activity inside reserves that are home to isolated or recently contacted Indigenous people, in a bid to protect the communities against COVID-19.

Although the countrys official indigenist policy toward these groups since 1987 has been to not engage in any contact, regardless of whether theres a pandemic, a federal law passed in July 2020 allows religious missionaries to remain inside these reserves. This triggered a lawsuit by Indigenous and political organizations, which the Supreme Federal Court (STF) has now ruled in favor of.

The 2020 law attempted to legitimize something that is already forbidden, said Carolina Ribeiro Santana, a lawyer for the Observatory for the Human Rights of Isolated and Recently Contacted Indigenous Peoples (OPI), one of the co-authors of the lawsuit. As we are under an anti-Indigenous government, it is important to have a decision which reassures the Indigenous policy.

OPI authored the lawsuit along with the Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib)  the countrys largest Indigenous organization  and the Workers Party (PT). Justice Luis Roberto Barroso issued the courts ruling on Sept. 24.

Last year, the court had already forbidden the entry of outsiders into these areas while hearing another case where Indigenous organizations urged the federal government to implement measures, including imposing sanitary barriers, to protect the Indigenous population from COVID-19. In the current situation, where there is an ongoing pandemic, the peoples in isolation and recent contact are the most exposed to the risk of contagion and extinction, Barroso said in that earlier ruling.

But threats against uncontacted Indigenous groups have escalated under the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, who has called for Indigenous people to be integrated into society. Bolsonaros hostility toward Indigenous people is no secret; last year, in his weekly live transmission on social media, he declared that, more and more, the Indigenous is a human being just like us.

At the same time, Bolsonaro is hugely popular with Brazils evangelicals, who are credited with helping him win the 2018 election. (His middle name translates to Messiah.) Once in office, he appointed evangelical leaders to key posts in his administration, including Ricardo Lopes Dias, who, until November 2020, headed the department responsible for protecting isolated and recently contacted communities at Funai, the Indigenous affairs agency. Dias was a pastor with the New Tribes Mission, an evangelical group notorious for reportedly spreading disease among the Zoe people living in northern Para state. More than a third of the Zoe population subsequently died. Another top official, Damares Alves, the minister for women, family and human rights, is also reportedly linked to missionary groups, according to BBC News Brasil.

These people choose isolation, anthropologist Aparecida Vilaca, from the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told Mongabay in a phone interview. What the state has to do is to not let anyone get in.

One of the reasons for this isolation, according to Indigenous organizations, is precisely the trauma of almost being exterminated by the diseases brought by non-Indigenous people, like influenza, measles and malaria; Indigenous people, especially isolated ones, dont have immunity to many of these pathogens.

But the threat of disease isnt the only one introduced by missionaries, even to non-isolated groups. According to lawyer Eliesio Marubo, from Vale do Javari reserve in northern Amazonas state, missionaries undermine the social cohesion of the community by favoring the leaders who support them.

The culture of our people is also weakened because certain practices are forbidden [by the missionaries], like traditional medicine, Eliesio Marubo said. The relationship with the territory also changes. Before, we used to move around a lot, but the missionaries want us to stay in one place only.

Vale do Javari is home to the largest number of isolated Indigenous people in the world: 10 out of the 28 confirmed groups of isolated people in Brazil. The reserve is also home to non-isolated Indigenous groups, like the Marubo.

It is a cultural destruction, anthropologist Aparecida Vilaca said of the missions presence in Indigenous reserves. Vilaca witnessed the effects of missionary groups on an Indigenous community in Rondonia, also in the Amazon region. They do a very deep process of humiliation of the traditional practices, by saying their dances and beliefs are things of the devil, she said.

According to Vilaca, these changes in the traditional way of life make the Indigenous people more vulnerable to several economic interests. The missionaries lead to the settling of all the community in the same place, releasing land to farmers and loggers. We cant forget that these lands are very coveted, she said.

Vilaca said the desire to convert Indigenous groups started with the colonization of Brazil, by the Catholic Church, and is now led by evangelical groups, some of which have deep pockets.

Rejection of consentement thesis

As the lawyer for Univaja, the Union of Indigenous People of Vale do Javari, Eliesio Marubo went to court last year against Andrew Tonkin, a U.S. evangelical Baptist missionary who was planning to travel to the reserve amid the pandemic to contact isolated Indigenous groups.

Missionaries have been harassing us for 60 years, he said. They have helicopters, airplanes and they fly from here to the United States.

Besides granting Univajas request to ban Tonkins entry, a federal court also ordered the expulsion of missionaries still inside the territory. Despite the victory, the missionaries are still lurking, Eliesio Marubo said. They remain on the borders of the reserve, trying to co-opt people, he told Mongabay over the phone.

In a setback for the Indigenous groups, Justice Barroso denied their request to remove the missionaries already inside the reserves. Besides creating a risk of contagion, Barroso said  since evicting them could require third parties to enter such areas  it was not clear that isolated groups had not consented to their presence.

How can you give consent for something that you have no idea what it is? To people who dont even speak their language? Vilaca said. She added that missionaries use several strategies to win over the isolated people. They offer axes, knives, and other benefits to those who join them.

In their argument to the STF, the Indigenous groups noted that the way isolated communities express their will is different from the rest of society. Our society gives prevalence to speech, to writing, and these people are talking to us in a different way. When they run away or attack an approaching person, it is a way of saying no, Santana said.

Barrosos ruling is a precautionary measure, meaning the case will be subject to trial in the STF plenary. In a statement, the office of Brazils attorney general said it had been notified of the decision but will only manifest in the court. Funai didnt reply to requests for comment.

Related listening from Mongabays podcast: A discussion of the key role Indigenous peoples play in biodiversity conservation, listen here:

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/brazil-court-emphasizes-ban-on-missionaries-trying-to-contact-isolated-indigenous/
JEREMY SHARON

Jerusalem PostOCTOBER 31, 2021A court in Guatemala has approved the extradition to the US of two senior leaders of the Lev Tahor ultra-Orthodox cult  brothers Yaakov Weingarten and Shmuel Shmiel Weingarten  where they face child exploitation offenses.The Third Criminal Sentencing Court in Guatemala authorized the extradition of the two men on Thursday and Friday, after they were charged in April this year by the US attorney for the Southern District of New York for the kidnap of a 14-year old girl and for smuggling her across the US-Mexico border to reunite her with her adult husband.According to media in Guatemala where the Lev Tahor cult is currently located, the court has verified that there are currently no legal proceedings against the Weingarten brothers and that the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry is therefore authorized to begin extradition proceedings.It was reported the brothers intend to appeal the decision, with an attorney for the two describing the legal process against them as persecution.There have, however, been numerous charges and allegations against members of the cult for kidnapping, forced underage marriage, and various forms of child abuse.Yaakov Weingarten was arrested in March this year during a police raid on the Lev Tahor compound, while Yoel and Shmuel Weingarten were arrested in a separate raid in April, all due to the charges against them in the Southern District of New York.The extradition case against Yoel Weingarten has yet to be brought to court since the US authorities have reportedly not yet sent the relevant documents to their Guatemalan counterparts.The cult has recently tried to move to Iran on several occasions to avoid its legal problems tied up in its child abuse and other criminal activities, but have been unsuccessful so far.Relatives in Israel of children in the group have lobbied Israeli authorities to help prevent the group reaching Iran, where it would be harder to extract children from the cult.The group numbers some 250 people, around 100 are adults and 150 are children, many of whom are Israeli citizens.Last week, The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli State Attorneys Office is yet to request an Interpol arrest warrant for Elazar Rumpler who was indicted in Israel for child abuse and put on trial, but who managed to flee the country and return to Guatemala.Rumpler was indicted for the severe physical and mental abuse of children under his care as a principal in a school in Canada where the cult resided for several years before moving to Guatemala in 2014 to avoid legal problems.
Reva Mae Love, age 75, of Dalton, Georgia passed away on Thursday, November 18, 2021. She was born on September 10, 1946. She is preceded in death by parents, Herbert and Lela "Grant" Lawson; brother, Charles Lawson. She is survived by her husband, Bubba (Harold) Love of Dalton; son, Brian F
Emma J is an opinion columnist for the Daily Emerald. She is a first year student studying journalism and creative writing. She can form an opinion on anything, but most passionately discusses queer and womens issues.

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Jason Martin Moore, 40, of Ashland Ky, died Saturday November 13th, 2021 at Kings Daughters Medical Center in Ashland Ky. Jason was born September 4th, 1981 in Ashland KY. A son of the late Jarome "Marty" and Donna Roe Moore. He is preceded in death in addition to his parents by his grandmot
Poppy is The Daily Independents Pet of the Week. Poppy is a 6-month-old Pit Bull who is very spunky, according to owner Tiffany Butler-White. She loves to dig holes in the yard, she loves to eat, and she thinks that belly rubs are the greatest thing since sliced bread, Butler-White said. Poppy was one of hundreds of entries into the newspapers Facebook contest in September. SUBMITTED PHOTO
Guy Hands, one of our most remarkable businessmen and philanthropists, has just brought out his memoirs  and been highly complimentary about me in them. Unfortunately, I think he's got the wrong man.

To explain: the journalist Charlotte Edwardes has produced a fascinating interview with this titan of the private equity industry about his life and career, which reported how, in the 1980s, 'at one house party he found siblings Dominic and Nigella Lawson: Nigella was catty when he couldn't express himself well, but Dominic was 'unfailingly kind'.'

This struck me as odd. My sister is not that sort of person, and 'unfailingly kind' is, alas, something I have never been.

Remarkable businessman and philanthropist Guy Hands has recently brought out his memoirs titled Dealmaker: Lessons From A Life In Private Equity

Could it have, in reality, been the other way around? I asked my sister, who said she had no recollection of meeting Guy Hands, at any time or place.

So I looked up the full account of this alleged encounter in the memoir itself (Dealmaker: Lessons From A Life In Private Equity).

The passage referring to my alleged 'unfailing kindness' and my sister being 'somewhat cutting' begins: 'Rich Tories would sponsor weekends away for aspiring student politicians.

'One I remember vividly was held in a beautiful country house just outside Oxford. There were about 30 of us there, including the son and daughter of the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson . . . the assembled company seemed interested only in discussing politics past and how to win future elections.'

In 2015 Professor Adam Zeman spoke to the BBC about aphantasia and suggested that only around 2 per cent of the population completely lacked a visual imagination

Amazed

Odder still. Unlike Hands himself (who had been President of the Oxford University Conservative Association) I was never involved in politics as a young man, and never joined the Conservative Party.

As for my sister, not only has she never been remotely interested in 'politics and how to win elections', if she did ever decide to join a political party, it would definitely not be the Conservatives.

So this is an elaborate case of false memory. But there was a clue to this confusion elsewhere in the interview with the Channel Islands resident multi-billionaire. Edwardes reveals that Hands 'has a condition called aphantasia . . . he is unable to form a mental image of [his wife] Julia, but knows she has blonde hair and blue eyes'.

Now I understand  and only too well. I have the same condition, if it can be called that.

The name aphantasia was given by the cognitive neurologist Adam Zeman to describe those people who have no 'mind's eye'  that is, they can form no visual images.

This is no disability, and I did not think there was anything odd about my own lack of mental images until Professor Zeman spoke to the BBC about this in 2015, and suggested that only around 2 per cent of the population completely lacked a visual imagination.

Dominic Lawson with his sister Nigella, who Guy Hands in his new memoirs claimed he met in the 1980s despite neither sibling being able to recall the encounter

Indeed, I had always been amazed by my wife saying that she could carry an image of me (and, indeed, many other people) in her mind, retrievable at any time.

By contrast, I can retain no images of her, or our children, when I am apart from them; but, like Guy Hands, I can describe my wife's appearance in words; that she has auburn hair and grey-green eyes.

Dr Zeman  coincidentally a schoolfriend of mine  became interested in this when he had a patient who suddenly lost the ability to visualise.

This happened after the man had undergone an operation on a coronary artery: the abrupt loss of visual imagination greatly upset the patient, who complained to Dr Zeman about it.

But for those of us who never had it in the first place, there is no moment of distress. We know no other way of being.

If there is a social disadvantage, it lies in something which Dr Zeman has uncovered in his subsequent investigations: aphantasia is associated with a very weak autobiographical memory.

And mine is appalling, embarrassingly so. When I asked Adam why this should be, he said that visual images are a great help in recalling our life's experiences.

A stark description of this was given by Blake Ross, an American software engineer who developed the Mozilla Firefox internet browser.

After reading an account of Zeman's discoveries, Ross said it explained a lot to him: 'Strangely, I feel relief. It is vindication in some lifelong battle against an enemy I could never find.

'I've always felt an incomprehensible combination of stupid-smart . . . What was it like growing up in Miami? I don't know. What did you do today? I don't know.'

This may be an extreme case, but I identify with it. I have almost no childhood memories; and I, too, struggle to remember, if asked, what I did over the past 24 hours.

But I can replay symphonies in my 'mind's ear', and have a good recall of things like historical dates and telephone numbers. Chess games, too.

Vivid

And there are some advantages, even. Because I don't have mental images even while dreaming (some with aphantasia do), I am not plagued by vivid nightmares.

Also, I would be one of the last people to suffer any form of post-traumatic stress disorder, as this condition typically involves an excruciatingly realistic recall of horrible personal experiences, with images that can't be erased.

So, for example, I was once involved in a head-on car crash. It was unpleasant at the time, obviously, but after it happened, it was . . . over. I suffered no shock at all.

This form of resilience is some sort of compensation for the social awkwardness that I feel when a friend tells me about something we (apparently) did together in the past, and I have no recollection whatsoever. Let alone whether he is accurate in his own recall.

That was my initial anxiety when reading Guy Hands' flattering account of my non-existent encounter with him all those years ago. In general, it is easier to say, 'Oh yes, I remember it well'. Even when you have no idea.

Here's how Boris could give the French a shock

Not for the first time, the French government has threatened to cut our electricity supply as part of its campaign to force the UK to accede to its demands over fishing rights in British waters.

Last week its minister for European affairs, Clement Beaune, declared: 'We defend our interests nicely, diplomatically, but when that doesn't work we take measures. The Channel Islands, the UK, are dependent on us for their energy supply.'

This is a minatory reference to the fact that we get electricity from the 'interconnector' running along the bottom of the English Channel.

Last week the French minister for European affairs, Clement Beaune (pictured), said: 'We defend our interests nicely, diplomatically, but when that doesn't work we take measures'

Yet EDF (Electricite de France) also owns and runs all Britain's eight nuclear power stations  and is set to build a new one, Sizewell C in Suffolk.

There has been increasing concern in the British government at the fact that China has a 20 per cent equity stake in that particular project  and a larger, 33.5 per cent stake in another proposed reactor, at Hinkley Point.

These arrangements were put in place when David Cameron's government was making nice with Beijing, but the mood has changed, and Whitehall is trying to find a way to get China to divest.

A project design for the new Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk which EDF (Electricite de France) is set to build

But say what you like about the Communist regime of Xi Jinping, it never threatened to cut our electricity supply.

The government of Emmanuel Macron has, repeatedly. And yet it is proposed that the same state, via EDF, should be rewarded with the contracts to build our next generation of nuclear power stations.

I don't know what Boris Johnson said to Macron when they met at the G20 summit in Rome on Sunday; but I trust it included a warning that, if Paris does cut our electricity supply as a political weapon, then this arrangement with EDF would no longer be acceptable and, as a last resort, we would re-nationalise our nuclear power programme.
Many Labour MPs are passionate advocates of the legalisation of cannabis. None more so than Jeremy Corbyn, the previous Labour leader, who is a long-standing supporter of the reform of drug laws.

Yet, for the second time in two years, his son Tommy's cannabis business has gone up in smoke.

Paperwork filed at Companies House shows that The Hemp Cafe Ltd has been struck off the register of companies.

Tommy set up the company immediately after the failure of his National Hemp Service Ltd (NHS) in 2019.

He runs a shop in North London and a mail-order business selling products containing a legal cannabis-derived substance called CBD, such as oil capsules and CBD-infused sweets.

But The Hemp Cafe Ltd was struck off the companies' register on October 19 and formally dissolved last week on October 26. Such action is often taken if directors fail to file paperwork on time.

Tommy (left) set up the company immediately after the failure of his National Hemp Service Ltd (NHS) in 2019

The closure of a second company linked to his cannabis business will cause further embarrassment for his father, Jeremy.

The first business went under with debts of 100,000 in 2019, not long after the then Labour leader declared that his most trusted adviser on business policy was his son, Tommy.

Witchell wasn't wise to whine

Veteran BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell's outburst over Buckingham Palace not being transparent about the Queen's recent admission to hospital continues to divide opinion.

In a podcast, the TV comedian Frank Skinner said: 'Witchell did a TV rant about the Palace not keeping him informed about the Queen's health.

Witchell's got friends in high places. Or he thought he had. Turns out they're slightly lower places than he thought

I thought, 'Mind your own business, Witchell!'. The whole subtext was 'She'd be nothing without me . . . I discovered her, and now she's turned against me!'

No, it's the Queen. Witchell's got friends in high places. Or he thought he had.

Turns out they're slightly lower places than he thought.

Vicar's daughter Theresa May has joined the board of the Westminster Abbey Institute, which helps to 'revitalise moral and spiritual values in public life'.

It is unpaid work. Not that she needs any extra cash.

May has coined 1.5 million in speaking engagement fees since she was toppled as prime minister in July 2019.

After Blairite ex-minister Lord Adonis blamed Brexit for raw sewage being pumped into rivers, environment minister Lord Goldsmith branded him 'fundamentally dishonest', adding: 'Sewage has been pumped into waters for decades  including on his watch.'

Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne has been doing his bit to save fuel  and it hasn't ended well.

Despite wind and rain, he decided to cycle to an evening meeting in his New Forest West constituency.

After slogging up a long hill, he was enjoying the descent on the other side when he was dazzled by the headlights of an oncoming car.

He recalls: 'I slipped into the rough edge of the road, went head over heels, gashed my leg through waterproofs and trousers and ended up so heavily bruised that I've been limping ever since.'

Comfy, safe gas-guzzlers from now on, Sir Des.

Won't anyone be Keir's friend

Opinion polls continue to show that Boris is comfortably ahead of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in the personal approval stakes.

Now I hear that when Starmer invited Labour MPs to his office for a social chat and photograph together, as part of his attempts to improve his relations with the parliamentary party, only 20 turned up.

If he can't convince his backbenchers, what hope the public?

If he can't convince his backbenchers, what hope the public? He is also struggling in his own back yard

He is also struggling in his own back yard.

Lorna Russell, the deputy mayor in his local Camden Council, has defected to the Green Party.

She said: 'Nationally, I am concerned that the [Labour] Party lacks a coherent vision for the future.' In other words, she blames Starmer.
Director Rebecca Hall recently revealed how her family's own complex biracial history inspired her directorial debut, Passing, about two light-skinned Black women who 'pass' as white.

However, the film has an even more deeply personal resonance with the life of author Nella Larsen, who wrote the 1929 novel of the same name which the film is based on.

The adaptation, which won rave reviews at Sundance Film festival and will be released next month on Netflix, tells the story of two mixed race women living in 1920s New York - one of whom is 'passing' as white.

Born to a biracial father and white mother, who was widowed and remarried to a white man when Nella was two, it was informed by the author's life in a 'painful netherworld' as the 'resented stepchild, and the darker-skinned daughter' according to one critic.

This experience 'informed her fiction about women too dark to be white and too light to be black, women living between black and white, and culturally at home nowhere.'

Former nurse Nella was the first African-American woman to graduate from library school and to receive the Guggenheim Fellowship for creative writing, while modern day academics hail her a 'queer figure' in the movement for the exploration of sexuality in her novels.

After the initial release of the book, Nella received critical acclaim, if not financial success, but would only write two novels before a messy divorce and plagiarism accusations drove her from the literary world.

Branded the 'mystery woman' of the Harlem Renaissance movement, it wasn't until the late 20th century, when themes of racial and sexual identity became of greater interest to academics that a revival of interest in her work began.

Nella Larsen is the author of Passing who wrote two books before leaving the literary world after a divorce and accusations of plagiarism. She is pictured in 1928, a year before writing her acclaimed novel Passing

Born in 1891 Chicago, in a poor district known as the The Levee, Nella was the daughter of Marie Hansen, a white Danish immigrant and Peter Walker, a mixed race man from a Danish colony in the Caribbean.

After her father died at the age of two, Marie remarried white Danish immigrant Peter Larsen with whom she had another daughter, Anna Elizabeth.

The only non-white member of her family, Nella moved to a mostly white area inhabited by German and Scandinavian immigrants.

'As a member of a white immigrant family, she had no entree into the world of the blues or of the black church', esteemed American novelist and critic Darryl Pinckney wrote for The Nation in 2006.

Nella is pictured in 1928 receiving the Harmon Award for her first book Quicksand. The semi-autobiographical book follows educated mixed-race protagonist, Helga Crane who is the daughter of a Danish mother and West Indian father who struggles to find her identity in the 1920s

'If she could never be white like her mother and sister, neither could she ever be black in quite the same way that Langston Hughes and his characters were black. Hers was a netherworld, unrecognisable historically and too painful to dredge up.'

In 1907, Nella moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Fisk University, a historically black institution founded six months after the end of the Civil War in 1865.

After a year in Nashville, Nella travelled to Denmark where she spent three years living with relatives and attending courses from the University of Copenhagen.

Eventually returning to the US, she settled in New York, where she graduated Lincoln Hospital's nursing programme before moving to Alabama to train and back to the city.

In May 1919, Nella married Dr. Elmer Samuel Imes, the second African American to earn a Ph.D. in physics and the first in the 20th century who became the chairman of the Physics Department at Fisk University.

The couple moved from New Jersey to Harlem, where they quickly became part of the professional and cultural society known as the 'Harlem Renaissance' - who sparked a revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature and politics in 1920s and 1930s.

Nella moved to Harlem with her husband in 1919 and quickly became part of the professional and cultural society known as the 'Harlem Renaissance'

Their friends included artists and intellectuals such as American poet Langston Hughes and American sociologist and civil rights activist William Edward Burghardt Du Bois.

It is thought that her close friendship with Carl Van Vechten, a writer and photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance, brought her to social prominence.

The pair were close friends, with Carl encouraging Nella to write further about black culture and Nella dedicating Passing to Carl and his wife while basing the character of Mr. Wentworth on the photographer.

From 1922 to 1926, Larsen served as a librarian at the New York Public Library before beginning her literary career in 1928 with her first novel Quicksand.

Netflix's highly anticipated new movie: How Passing will be adapted for the small screen Like the book, Netflix's adaptation will centres on the friendship of Irene and Clare, two light-skin Black women who both 'pass' - intentionally and unintentionally - as white in 1920s New York. The pair reconnect in a chance encounter at a whites-only hotel during the Harlem Renaissance. It is Irene's first attempt at passing, while Clare has done it for her entire life, even marrying a white racist who is unaware of his own wife's heritage. Ruth Negga as Clare in Netflix's adaptation of Passing It will star Tessa Thompson as Irene and Ruth Negga as Clare. Other cast members include: Alexander Skarsgard as Clare's husband John; Andre Holland as Irene's husband Brian and Bill Camp as Hugh Wentworth. The film adaptation was directed by Rebecca Hall and received rave reviews after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Rights to the production were purchased by Netflix in February in a in a $15m deal The film will be released globally on the streaming service on November 10th. Advertisement

The semi-autobiographical book follows educated mixed-race protagonist, Helga Crane who is the daughter of a Danish mother and West Indian father who struggles to find her identity in the 1920s.

The book received critical acclaim the 1928 Harmon prize, which awarded accolades to African-American artists. However the novel gained little financial success.

In 1929, Passing was published following the reunion of two childhood friends - Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield - whose lives have gone in dramatically different directions.

Despite growing up together, one of the women is 'passing' for white and living in Manhattan with her wealthy white husband, while other lives with in Harlem with her black doctor husband.

Pinckney claims that her childhood had influenced the book: 'Larsen's upbringing as the resented stepchild, the darker-skinned daughter whose existence perhaps burdened her otherwise loving mother would inform her fiction about women too dark to be white and too light to be black, women living between black and white, and culturally at home nowhere', he wrote.

While the novel isn't based on a true story, critics believe book draws on real experiences the author witnessed throughout her life, including a high profile divorce case of the 1920s.

In 1924, Rhinelander v. Rhinelander played out the divorce of American socialite, a member of the wealthy Rhinelander family Leonard 'Kip' Rhinelander and Alice Jones, a biracial working class woman.

Leonard sued his wife for annulment on the grounds that she'd hidden her heritage and intentionally deceived him into believing she was white.

Similarly, in the novel, Clare marries John Bellew, a wealthy white man who is not aware of her true racial identity.

Octavio R. Gonzalez, an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Wellesley College and an expert on the Harlem Renaissance, suggested that the book features themes of sexuality, hailing Nella one of the 'queer figures' of the movement.

In an interview with Time magazine, Gonzalez described Passing as a novel that exhibits 'same-sex desire between the two female protagonists'.

With her second novel in press and no other upcoming projects, Nella went back to work full time as a librarian before publishing a short story titled 'Sanctuary' in 1930.

However the author became embroiled in an ugly plagiarism controversy, accused of stealing the work of British writer Sheila Kaye-Smith.

Kaye-Smith's Mrs. Adis follows a poor woman who hides a young stranger who begs her for protection after being caught poaching on the nearby estate and accidentally killed a local gamekeeper.

After discovering her late son was a childhood friend of the man, she takes him in and protects him - even after it's revealed that he was the man who killed her child.

In Larsen's Sanctuary, a poor black woman helps a black thief who accidentally killed a man while attempting to steal tires from a factory and refuses to give him up, even after discovering he killed her son.

At the time of her death in 1964 aged 72, Nella's novels were regarded as 'trivial, misguided and poorly written'

Nella denied plagiarising the works, claiming she had heard the story through friends many years ago, and while her editors eventually exonerated her of wrongdoing - she was never published again.

Three years later, she and her husband divorced after years of strain on their marriage - with some academics claiming Elmer had an affair in the early 1920s.

Soon after their divorce a novel about a love triangle, using white characters, was rejected by publishers and Nella withdrew from Harlem Renaissance friends like Van Vechten.

After their divorce in 1933, Nella lived on generous alimony payments until Elmer's death in 1941 when she returned to work as hospital administrator in New York and lived in a small apartment on Second Avenue.

At the time of her death in 1964 aged 72, Nella's novels were regarded as 'trivial, misguided and poorly written'. She was childless and estranged from her half sister who denied knowing she existed after inheriting the $35,000 of savings she left her behind.

In 1980, Mary Helen Washington published an article in Ms Magazine dubbing the author the 'mystery woman of the Harlem Renaissance' and calling her works 'for the most part unknown, unread and dismissed - both by black critics and their white counterparts'.

In George Hutchinson's 2006 book, In Search of Nella Larsen: A Biography of the Colour Line, he writes: Larsen herself no doubt felt like a shadow through much of her life. She did not long inhabit the sort of place in which she could feel at home.

'Nella Larsen did not write a string of significant novels, or found an institution, or lead a movement.

'She seems to have had little interest in leaving a legacy. She lived a life that should never have been, one that many seem to think could not have been.'
Its being called The Great Resignation: the trend for employees quitting their jobs voluntarily as working life returns to something approaching normal after the pandemic.

The trend, which has taken economists by surprise, has already turned the labour market upside down in the US with 4.3 million Americans, or 2.9 per cent of the entire workforce, quitting their jobs in August.

But how do you whether you should join the masses or how to time when is best to leave a role?

FEMAIL spoke with Tony Gregg, chief executive at Anthony Gregg Partnerships, a high end recruitment search business placing senior and board level roles across the UK and Europe.

He revealed the five questions to ask yourself before quitting your job - and how to make your current role work better for you.

FEMAIL spoke with Tony Gregg, chief executive at Anthony Gregg Partnerships, who revealed the five questions you should ask yourself before quitting your job (pictured: stock image)

1. Have your life goals changed?

Tony explained that if you are considering leaving work, you should take a step back and reassess where you feel your career is.

He questioned whether the last 18-months have changed your attitude towards your work/life balance.

The recruitment expert said: 'Perhaps the pandemic has focused your mind on whats important to you and your family?

'Maybe the opportunity to put the kids to bed every night is something you no longer want to miss out on?'

He continued: 'A job that requires you to commute long distances and work long hours in an office environment may no longer fit with the kind of lifestyle you wish to lead.

'If thats the case then a move to a job that offers a better work life balance may be the right choice for you.'

2. Is your employer being inflexible?

The recruitment expert said it was also worth questioning how flexible your employer had been during the Covid-19 crisis, and whether they could be flexible in the future.

He explained: 'Related to this is the question of how understanding your employer is regarding your desire to work more flexibly?'

Tony suggested re-evaluating your working schedule since the pandemic, explaining: 'Dont just assume that because you were expected to be in the office five days a week pre-pandemic that is still the case now.

'Many employers are offering greater flexibility over home working with a balance of three days in the office and two days working from home increasingly common.

'If this kind of arrangement would suit you, then dont be afraid to ask for it.

'If your employer refuses and insists on five days a week in the office then perhaps its time to find a more flexible employer.'

However Tony said it 'cut both ways' and that those who wanted to be in the office more could seek out a workplace which allowed them to ditch remote working.

He explained: 'If youre the kind of person who likes being in an office environment but whose employer has gone to 100 per cent remote working then that could equally be your cue to look for a new role.'

Meanwhile Tony said it could be worth compromising if you are comfortable at work.

He explained: 'Finally, be prepared to meet your employer in the middle. Being in the office is important for building team unity and culture.

'It also makes you visible to senior management which in turn can open up new career development opportunities.

'Before you hand in your notice, try to work with your employer to find a balance that works for you both.'

3. Are you no longer challenged in your role?

The recruitment expert also suggested looking at opportunities for growth at work, explaining: 'A classic sign that its time for a change is when a role no longer challenges you.

'If youre working eight hour days but can do the job in three it might feel satisfying in the short term but its not benefiting your long-term career profession.

'We only develop as people when we are stretching the limits of our abilities.

4. Are your career progression opportunities blocked? Tony revealed if you're considering leaving your company because you feel blocked in your career, it could be the perfect time to quit. He said: 'You may be in a role you are largely happy with but find that opportunities to progress within the organisation are blocked. 'Perhaps there are roles further up the hierarchy you feel would be a good fit but the present incumbents show no sign of moving. 'If this is the case it might be time for a change of organisation. 'But before you do so make sure youve got all the information you need to make that decision.' He advised being unafraid to open up to other seniors at work, adding: 'Discuss your feelings with managers you trust and make sure your perception of the situation matches the reality. 'You may discover a position is soon to become available that could be the perfect fit. 'You may even find your employer creates a new role just so they can hold onto a valued employee.' Advertisement

'If you find yourself going through the motions in a role then professionally you are standing still.'

However if you are 'going through the motions', Tony said you shouldn't make any rash decisions.

He explained: 'If you find yourself in this position dont hand in your notice immediately.

'Use your spare time to think about what you want to achieve next in your career.

'Research the recruiters who can help you achieve that, develop your network of contacts and apply for new roles.

'Only once you have a clear plan for what comes next should you take the leap.'

5. Is your current job helping achieve your career ambitions?

When making a decision about your job, Tony revealed it is important to look ahead at where you would like your career to go.

He explained: 'If the answer to this question is no then its probably time for a move.

'Even if youre happy in your current role, its vital to keep questioning whether its helping you achieve your longer-term goals.

'I always suggest people think where they want to be in 10 years time and then work backwards to map out what would need to happen to reach that place.'

And rather than stick with one company, he advised being unafraid to try different organisations and roles.

He explained: 'Its never a bad thing to get experience within a range of organisations.

'You may even find you return to your current employer at some point in the future in a far more senior role because of the experiences you acquired elsewhere.

'Whenever youre considering a career change one final piece of advice is to take your time. Make sure you have a plan in place before you hand in your notice.

'We wouldnt pack the car, dog and kids and then decide where we want to go on holiday. But this is exactly what many of us do with our careers.'

Tony suggested blocking out time during your week to consider where you would like your career to go.

He said: 'Its not always easy to create time to think about your future career, but if you can spend a few hours each week working on your professional and personal development it will put you in a strong position to make clear, effective decisions.

'And once youve decided to accept a new role, never go back on your decision.

'Employers often make attractive looking counter-offers but once youve signalled your intention to leave the trust in the relationship has broken.

'The vast majority of people who do a U-turn end up leaving the business within a year because that bond is impossible to repair.'
A celebrity chef has revealed the biggest mistakes when it comes to making the perfect scrambled eggs - and one might surprise you.

Dan Churchill says the most common errors are having the pan too hot and cooking eggs until they are fully done on the stovetop, leaving them chewy and dry because they continue cooking from residual heat.

Contrary to popular belief, the host of the Epic Table podcast also says you should avoid over-stirring eggs if you want to create 'beautifully soft layers'.

Instead, he recommends sliding the spatula towards you and tilting the pan back to allow wet eggs to fall onto the cooked surface.

Scroll down for video

Celebrity chef Dan Churchill (pictured) has revealed the biggest mistakes when it comes to making the perfect scrambled eggs - and one might surprise you

The host of the Epic Table podcast (pictured) says the most common stuff ups are having the pan too hot and over-stirring the eggs

This tip contradicts advice from top chef Robbie Bell who recently claimed the secret to a perfect scramble is to constantly stir the mixture.

Mr Bell, who worked under culinary genius Heston Blumenthal, says the trick is to keep your eyes on the eggs at all times and continue stirring until soft, silky curds have formed.

But one thing the chefs can both agree on is the optimum temperature.

Rather than pouring eggs onto a sizzling hot pan, Mr Churchill recommends keeping it on a medium heat so you can control cooking them evenly.

'Remember once you take it off the heat the eggs are still cooking with their residual heat,' he wrote on Instagram.

Tips for making the perfect scrambled eggs 1. Avoid having the pan too hot - keep to a medium heat instead. 2. Avoid over-stirring - slide spatula towards you and tilt pan backwards allowing wet eggs to fall onto cooked. 3. Avoid cooking eggs to perfection on pan - remember they will continue to cook with residual heat. Dan Churchill's 'perfect' scrambled eggs Source: Dan Churchill via Instagram Advertisement

'Slightly undercook them so by the time you serve and take to the table they are soft and layered as opposed to dry and overcooked!'

A video of his tips, which has racked up almost 2,000 likes since it was uploaded online on Sunday, sparked delighted responses from amateur cooks.

'Great tricks, learned something new today!' one man replied.

'Literally picture perfect eggs,' said a second, while a third added: 'Love how you make cooking eggs look so much fun!'
Princess Mako's new husband Komuri Kei has failed his New York State bar exam, with the results released days after the couple married.

Mako, 30, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of reigning Emperor Naruhito, tied the knot with university sweetheart Kei Komuro, a commoner, in Tokyo last week after an eight-year engagement.

The couple are planning to move into an apartment together in Tokyo before moving to the U.S. and living in New York City where Komuro works as a lawyer at the New-Jersey based law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP.

Mako declined the offer of 140million yen (890,000) payment to which she was entitled for leaving the imperial family, palace officials said, and is expected to find a job in New York.

Komuro phoned lawyer Okuno Yoshihiko, the head of a firm in Japan where Komuro once worked, to tell him he failed the New York State Bar Association exam on Saturday, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Princess Mako's new husband Komuri Kei, 30, has failed his New York State bar exam, with the results released days after the couple married

Komuro took the exam earlier this summer, with the exam results were posted on the website of the New York State Board of Law Examiners on Friday. His name was not amoung the successful candidates.

According to the broadcaster, Komuro ha said he plans to continue studying and will retake the exams in February.

Meanwhile Mako has said she will continue to support her husband's studies.

Polls show that up to 80 per cent of Japanese oppose the marriage that took place with none of the usual pomp and ceremony in a register office in Tokyo.

Mako, 30, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of reigning Emperor Naruhito, tied the knot with university sweetheart Kei Komuro, a commoner, in Tokyo last week after an eight-year engagement

Komuro was raised by his widowed mother, Kayo. His father died when he was still in elementary school. His jobs in Japan included working in a bank and a French restaurant.

He met Mako in 2013 when they were both studying at the International Christian University outside Tokyo.

His proposal propelled him to the front page of Japanese newspapers - his only previous claim to fame had come from being named Prince of the Sea to lead a tourism campaign in the coastal town of Fujisawa.

The couple, both now 30, got 'unofficially engaged' in 2017, and planned to tie the knot in November 2018.

Initially the news was greeted with delight in Japan, but then a scandal grew up when it was discovered that Kayo had not repaid a 4million yen ($35,000) loan from a former fiance, partly to pay her son's tuition.

Komuro pictured during his childhood. The 30-year-old left Japan for New York in 2017 to study law

Komuro was raised by his widowed mother, Kayo. His father died when he was still in elementary school. He is pictured above age nine with his late dad

His only previous claim to fame had come from being named Prince of the Sea to lead a tourism campaign in the coastal town of Fujisawa. He is pictured wearing the Prince of the Sea sash in 2010

That led critics to suggest Komuro was only marrying the princess for money or fame.

Komuro issued a 24-page explanation about the money - claiming it was a gift not a loan. That made him even more unpopular.

Eventually he said he would repay it, although it is not known whether the money has been returned.

In an online poll just five per cent of respondents in Japan said they would congratulate the couple or celebrate, with an overwhelming 91 per cent saying they wouldn't.

But despite the turmoil Kei and Mako's love endured. Last year the now ex-princess begged the Japanese public to support her decision.

'We are irreplaceable to each other - someone to rely on during both happy and unhappy times,' she said, announcing the wedding would go ahead.

'So a marriage is a necessary choice for us to live while cherishing and protecting our feelings.'

Komuro (pictured above in Yokohama in 2017) and Princess Mako, both now 30, got 'unofficially engaged' in 2017, four years after they met at university

Komuro is pictured at an amusement park with friends in 2009. Prior to moving to New York, he worked in a bank and at a French restaurant in Japan

News of the couple's engagement was initially greeted with delight in Japan, until it emerged that his mother was 4million yen ($35,000) in debt. Pictured: Komuro in 2012

On Tuesday, her words were nearly identical. 'For me, Kei is irreplaceable,' she said. 'Marriage was a necessary choice for us.'

In prepared remarks, she also said: 'I acknowledge that there are various opinions about our marriage. I feel very sorry for the people to whom we gave trouble.

'I'm grateful for the people who have been quietly concerned about us, or those who continued supporting us without being confused by baseless information.'

She said incorrect reporting on her new husband had caused her 'great fear, stress and sadness.'

'The flow of arbitrary criticism of Kei's actions, as well as one-sided speculation that ignored my feelings, made falsehoods somehow seem like reality and turn into an unprovoked story that spread,' she added.

Komuro has not lived in Japan for three years.

Soon after the marriage was postponed, he moved to New York, studying law at Fordham University in the Bronx and then landing a job clerking at Lowenstein Sandler in Manhattan, counseling companies and investors on venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions.

Komuro has not lived in Japan for three years and only returned in September to prepare for his wedding ceremony. But his trip home only drew more negative publicity after he arrived at Narita Airport sporting a ponytail, a hairstyle that is deemed disrespectful

He was also criticized for wearing a pin-striped suit when visiting his future in-laws in 2017 (left). He wore pinstripes again during his marriage ceremony (pictured) on Tuesday

He had become so disillusioned with his homeland that he didn't return once to see his fiancee until going back in September to prepare for his wedding.

And his trip inevitably brought more bad publicity. Conservatives were shocked that he arrived at Narita Airport sporting a ponytail - which he cut off before getting married.

They deemed his hairstyle 'disrespectful' and piled on the scorn when they noted that he visited his future in-laws wearing a pin-striped suit rather than one in a solid color. He got married in pinstripes as well.

He was also criticized for his body language - his foes say he keeps his hands in his pockets too much.

But despite the negative feeling towards Komuro, the Japan Times called him 'a polite and upstanding man.'

On the day of his marriage, he was announced as winner of the New York State Bar Association's annual student writing competition for a piece on 'compliance problems in website accessibility and implications for entrepreneurs.'

His prize was a check for $2,000, which won't go far toward the $1.35million Mako agreed to give up under pressure from an unsympathetic Japanese public. That amount has been paid to the two princesses who have previously left the royal family.

High profile: Princess Mako of Japan, right, donned a traditional Junihitoe as she took part in a procession through Tokyo's Imperial Palace to mark her uncle's formal ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019

Princess Mako of Akishin is seen left before her graduation ceremony at the International Christian University on March 26, 2014 in Mitaka, Tokyo, where she met her husband. The marriage means she will be stripped of her royal title and will not be able to return to the family even if the union ends in divorce

Only male members of the Japanese imperial family are allowed to marry 'commoners, so Mako's decision to marry for love means a whole slew of new things for her.

For a start, she is no longer considered a princess - even if the marriage ends in divorce she can never return to the family.

For the first time in her life she has a surname and will be known just as Mako Komuro.

She will also have to apply for a passport - royals don't need them - so she can move Stateside.

She can no longer live in the Imperial Palace. And any sons the couple have will not be in the line of succession for the male-only emperorship.

And that is a potential problem in Japan where there are now only three people allowed by the Imperial Household Law to succeed 61-year-old Emperor Naruhito - and one of those, his uncle Masohito, is 85.

At the press conference, the couple read out prepared statements in which they apologized for any distress their marriage has caused - but defended their decision to go ahead with the ceremony

There were also no official portraits, like these ones taken of then-Crown Prince Prince Naruhito and his wife Crown Princess Masako with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko after their wedding at the Imperial Palace June 9, 1993 in Tokyo

The other two are Nauruhito's 55-year-old brother Akishino - Mako's father - and Mako's brother Hisahito, 15.

The couple blame the negative publicity focused on Mako for the decline in her health.

The Imperial Household Agency said earlier this year that she is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by the public pressure.

And that could only have been made worst by the protestors who gathered in a Tokyo park holding signs opposing the marriage.
Suits star Rick Hoffman has shared a playful throwback photograph of himself with Meghan Markle enjoying a glass of wine in a post captioned, 'the good ol' days.'

In the unseen snap shared to his Instagram, the Duchess of Sussex, 40, who played the paralegal-turned-lawyer Rachel Zane, can be seen sitting at a table and laughing alongside her co-star (who plays sarcastic lawyer Louis Litt) as they have a drink on a night out with friends.

The giggling royal, who can be seen wearing a black roll neck and dainty gold bangle, clutches a glass of wine and holds her hand to hear head while Rick, dressed in a black leather jacket and cap, holds up his drink and poses for the camera.

The US drama, which ran for nine seasons until 2019, focuses on the story of college dropout Mike Ross (Patrick J Adams) who ends up working with high-flying New York lawyer Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht).

Suits star Rick Hoffman has shared a playful throwback photograph to Instagram which shows himself with Meghan Markle enjoying a glass of wine (pictured)

Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt and Meghan Markle playing Rachel Zane in episode 'Hitting Home' of Suits (pictured)

A caption alongside the unseen photograph read: 'Good ol' days' (pictured)

When Meghan left the show, writers had Rachel and her husband Mike Ross move to Seattle to start their own law offices, but her character's memory was still alive and well in the finale - even if she wasn't in it.

During a scene with her character's father, Robert Zane (Wendell Pierce), a photo of him with his TV daughter was visible on his desk.

The writers also couldn't resist referencing the royal family with a subtle nod to Markle's husband, Prince Harry.

'You're not the prince of England,' Harvey told Louis Ritt towards the end of the episode.

When Meghan left the show, writers had Rachel and her husband Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) move to Seattle to start their own law offices (pictured, together in Suits)

The series concluded with Harvey and his now-wife Donna (Sarah Rafferty) planning to leave New York to work with Mike and Rachel in Seattle.

However, Rick and Patricks friendship with the Duchess of Sussex has lasted past the show, as they were both guests at Prince Harry and Meghans wedding at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 19 May 2018.

Despite this, Rick was forced to explain his 'unimpressed' facial expression during the ceremony.

He revealed why he looked so uncomfortable as he shared his somewhat smelly experience at the star-studded nuptials on Instagram.

The Postal star looked grumpy throughout the ceremony, but it wasn't boredom that caused the cringing look - but someone's bad breath.

Rick took to Instagram following the royal event, and broke the reception protocol banning phones, to share with fans exactly why his meme-worthy face happened.

Rick Hoffman arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on May 19 2018

The New York native titled his video 'Royal Wedding Face #Brushyourteeth' as he explained what happened.

Rick told his fans: 'So to answer any questions about the weird face that was made at the wedding, imagine sitting next to people to your right - not knowing which person it was - that has halitosis'.

'Um. Hence the face. That is apparently all over the place. So it's as simple as that, Charlie. Love you guys. Yah. Halitosis. Disgusting.'

Other cast members who attended the royal wedding included Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres and Abigail Spencer.

The Suits cohort were all seated near each other inside the church for the lavish ceremony.

Meghan's on-screen husband Patrick donned a classic suit, while his Pretty Little Liars star wife opted for an embellished bell-sleeved cream dress.
A mum who was conned into transferring 6,000 to an online suitor through Match.com has shared her heartbreak after discovering it was a fake profile.

Maria Beckwith, 47, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, matched with 'David Mills' on the site in January, and quickly became attached through their romantic daily text and call exchanges.

But when her elusive sweetheart claimed that he had been involved in a work incident overseas getting him into legal trouble, she feared that they may never be able to meet in person.

Over the course of several weeks, the alleged Canadian citizen who claimed he lived in London, suggested she take out loans, borrow from friends and transfer any money to help him so they could be together.

Vulnerable and desperate to meet him, Maria obliged, sending a total of 6,000 before she uncovered that she had been the victim of a romance scam, with the Canadian embassy confirming he was not even a 'real person'.

Maria Beckwith, 47, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was conned into transferring 6,000 to an online lover through Match.com

Maria matched with 'David Mills' on the site in January, and quickly became attached through their romantic daily text and call exchanges. Pictured, a photo sent to Maria of 'David Mills'

A doctored paycheck sent to Maria by 'David Mills' (pictured)

'It started off well, he seemed really genuine but later on it became fishy when he was asking me for money,' Maria explained.

'But I didn't realise then that it was a scam because we had already built a rapport in the beginning.

'We would text every single day, every night he would video call me before bed and we would speak for hours.

'He showed me pictures of himself and his daughter and I showed him pictures with my children.

When Maria's (pictured) elusive sweetheart claimed that he had been involved in a work incident overseas getting him into legal trouble, she feared that they may never be able to meet in person

Over the course of several weeks, 'David Mills' - an alleged Canadian citizen who claimed he lived in London - suggested Maria (pictured) take out loans, borrow from friends and transfer any money to help him so they could be together

Maria was vulnerable and desperate to meet 'David Mills' and so sent a total of 6,000 before she uncovered that she had been the victim of a romance scam. Pictured, messages sent to Maria by 'David Mills'

'What I know now is those photos were all fake, they were all photoshopped and he used special equipment to doctor someone else's face onto his while we were on video calls.

'When I realised I had been scammed it was heartbreaking because I lost the money, I lost friends I borrowed money from and I lost the person I thought I was falling in love with.'

After matching on the site in January 2021, Maria, a mature student studying English Language, and the scammer began speaking daily and exchanging photos via Skype and Whatsapp.

Posing as David, he told Maria he was a Canadian citizen living in London and working as a building contractor.

The Canadian embassy confirmed to Maria that 'David Mills' was not even a 'real person'

Maria explained how all the photos 'David Mills' sent over were fake and that they were all photoshopped. Pictures sent to Maria of 'David Mills'

Maria says their initial plans to meet in person were foiled when 'David' said he had to travel to South Africa for work. Pictured, messages sent to Maria by 'David Mills' requesting money

But Maria says their initial plans to meet in person were foiled when 'David' said he had to travel to South Africa for work.

The web of lies continued when he claimed there had been an incident at work which would be blamed on him and he was being kept in Welkom, South Africa facing legal issues.

She said: 'I took pity on him. I asked for his real name and date of birth because I thought the Canadian embassy could help him if he gave me his details, I could go to them on his behalf.

'But when I gave his details to the embassies in Canada or South Africa they told me there was nobody by that name.

'He showed me a pay check for $800,000 and told me that when he had finished this project we could achieve all of our dreams together.

'He told me he would buy us a house in the countryside and that we would pay back everything I had borrowed with interest.

'The penny still didn't drop when he said he wasn't coming home.

The 47-year-old (pictured) said 'David Mills' used special equipment to doctor someone else's face onto his while they were on video calls

Maria (pictured) is unable to retrieve the money through her bank, as she transferred the funds willingly

'I called the Canadian embassy and they told me that I had been the victim of a romance scam, they told me that there was nobody with those details and that it was made up.'

Now, Maria is unable to retrieve the money through her bank, as she transferred the funds willingly.

The police put the mum-of-three in touch with Action Fraud UK, an agency which supports victims of romance scams, but they have warned that it is extremely difficult to find the scammers - who use sophisticated technology to take advantage of their victims.

Maria said: 'I have lost so much and it has really knocked my confidence and affected my ability to trust people.

'I just want to warn other women out there to be careful and never to trust someone until you really know them.'
Former princess Tessy of Luxembourg held a very modern family celebration for her newborn son's christening over the weekend - inviting her ex-husband Prince Louis and his new partner to the celebration.

The ex royal, 35, shared the news on Instagram over the weekend, posting a snap as she posed alongside her husband Frank Floessel as well as her ex-husband Prince Louis of Luxembourg, 34, and his new partner Parisian lawyer Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue.

Posting the photograph, in which the divorced couple were also joined by their sons Prince Gabriel of Nassau, 14, and Prince Noah of Nassau, 12, Tessy wrote: 'Beautiful Family celebration. Celebration life, love and family.'

Tessy, who split from Prince Louis in 2016, married financier and CEO Frank in a lowkey ceremony earlier this summer before the two welcomed their first child Theodor in August.

Meanwhile Prince Louis announced his engagement to Parisian lawyer Scarlett-Lauren in April.



Former princess Tessy of Luxembourg held a very modern family celebration for her newborn son's christening over the weekend - inviting her ex-husband Prince Louis and his new partner to the celebration (pictured left to right, Prince Gabriel, Frank Foessel, baby Theodor, Former princess Tessy of Luxembourg, Prince Louis, Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue; Prince Noah).

Tessy, who split from Prince Louis in 2016, married financier and CEO Frank in a lowkey ceremony earlier this summer before the two welcomed their first child Theodor in August

Posting the photographs online today, Tessy wrote: 'My beautiful Theodor, welcome in the Christian Community my angel. Be blessed, happy and always enjoy good health.

'Mama, Papa, your brothers Gabriel, Noah, and your sister Julia love you very much!

'Along with your 6 godparents, and Konstantin - we will always be there for you to guide you in good and bad times.'

She continued: 'A special Thanks to Aumonier Wenner for his beautiful mass and for the angel music and to all the children for their prayers and intentions for Theodor.'



Tessy became a princess in 2006 when she married Prince Louis, six months after Tessy gave birth aged 19, to their first child

Tessy gave birth to her third son, and first with new husband Frank, earlier this summer and has been happily sharing updates on social media with royal fans.

In a gushing post shared in July, Tessy revealed she had married her partner Frank in a low key ceremony in Switzerland.

The simple ceremony was a different occasion than her first wedding to Prince Louis in 2006, which took place in a modest country church, six months after giving birth to their first child, Prince Gabriel.

Tessy announced her pregnancy by sharing a snap on Instagram cuddling up with Frank, while the businessman's hands gently rested on the mother-of-two's growing baby bump.

Tessy married hunky Swiss businessman Frank Floessel in a low-key ceremony in Zurich this summer (pictured, Tessy with her two sons Prince Gabriel of Nassau, 14, and Prince Noah of Nassau, 12, alongside her new husband and stepdaughter Julia)

Entrepreneur Frank got his master's degree in ETH Zurich and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently CEO and president of CBA Finance.

The former royal appears to have known Frank for several years, having written about his work on her blog in September 2018.

He has also acted as a trustee for the organisation Professors Without Borders, which Tessy co-founded in 2016.

In 2019, Tessy told Hello magazine that it 'took a long time' after her divorce, when she was stripped of her royal titles, explaining: 'After every relationship it takes a while to heal when the heart has been broken. It has been really, really wonderful for me to realise that I am able to trust and love again. It's nice to see that life goes on.'

The Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg has announced in April that Prince Louis, 34, is engaged to Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue. Pictured, the happy couple showing off Scarlett's engagement ring

Tessy went on to reveal how she is 'very happy' that her ex-husband Prince Louis maintains a close bond with their sons, despite the fact they can't see each other during quarantine.

She said her son's 'love and trust' with their father had 'become stronger' because of the separation during the pandemic.

Tessy has previously told how her family 'suffered greatly' when she became a princess in 2006 after marrying Prince Louis, whom she met in 2004.

Speaking on Sky News special report The Meghan Effect, Tessy explained: 'My little cousin needed to change schools twice. My twin brother was incredibly bullied at work  he still is today.

'My sister, my parents suffered, my oldest brother doesn't talk to me anymore because of that, because it was too much for him to handle.

'That was when I married in, and when I got divorced, oh my gosh the same.'

Former princess Tessy announced she was expecting her first child with her hunky Swiss businessman boyfriend in February

Born a commoner, Tessy joined the Luxembourg Army in 2002 at the age of 18, rising to the rank of corporal. Two years later, when she was one of a handful of female UN peacekeepers in Kosovo, she met Prince Louis, who was visiting the army.

His family only became aware of their love affair when Tessy fell pregnant and gave birth aged 19, and unmarried, in September 2005, providing Grand Duke Henri with his first grandson.

It infuriated the royal family, and Prince Louis renounced any claim to the title of Grand Duke due to the constitutional crisis they had created by having a child out of wedlock.

When Tessy married Prince Louis in September 2006, six months after giving birth, in a modest country church wedding, the Grand Duke stripped her of any claim to his title.

The couple's fairytale marriage broke down in 2016, and they were granted a decree nisi in February 2017.

Frank was first pictured on a family hike with the proud mother and her two boys last year, with Tessy captioning the photos 'Family is all that matters' with two love heart emojis

A judge ruled that Prince Louis should pay 4,000 for each child, per year, the equivalent of 75-a-week, after finding that Luxembourg's royal family could not be expected to cover the costs of the Prince's break-up.

Shortly after Tessy announced she was expecting, the Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg announced Prince Louis' engagement to Parisian lawyer Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue.

In April, the official Royal Family Instagram account shared three new photographs to celebrate the happy news, with the newly-engaged couple opting for a relaxed-look in knitwear as Prince Louis, 34, holds Scarlett-Lauren's left hand, which features a gold engagement ring.

Scarlett-Lauren first made her first public appearance at the side of Prince Louis - the third son of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess - during an award show one year ago.
Charles Spencer has revealed how a 'tornado' tore through his estate of Althorp House, leaving devastation in its wake.

Earl Spencer, 56, shared a glimpse of the carnage at Althorp House in Northampton, where he grew up with the late Princess Diana, posting a clip to his Twitter page.

He commented: 'Weve just had a tornado rip through the Park at Althorp House  - dozens of trees badly hit, and an iron lantern torn from the side of one of the lodges. Luckily, no animals hurt.'

His comments come after storms lashed the UK causing - with 'extreme' downpours with more than a foot of rain falling in certain areas just 36 hours - blocking roads, disrupting trains and flooding homes and buildings.

Charles Spencer, 56, has revealed how a 'tornado' tore through his estate of Althorp House, leaving devastation in its wake (pictured, Earl Spencer at Althorp)

The Earl described a tornado ripping through the Park at Althorp House  and uprooting dozens of trees' (pictured left and right)

The estate, which has been the Spencer family seat since 1508 usually welcomes visitors to its grounds, but has been closed for parts of the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But Earl Spencer has been keeping fans interested by sharing glimpses of the home and its grounds on social media.

Earl Spencer married Canadian-born Karen Villeneuve at the Spencer's Northamptonshire estate in 2011 after separating from second wife Caroline Freud in 2007. He was married to first wife Victoria Lockwood from 1989 to 1997.

Charles, the only surviving son of Frances Shand Kydd and John Spencer, is custodian of Althorp.

The estate, which has been the Spencer family seat since 1508 usually welcomes visitors to its grounds, but has been closed for parts of the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic (pictured)

Extreme UK weather: Britain has been battered by storms and TWISTERS this year The spinning fingers of cloud are caused by the collision of warm and cool air currents moving in different directions  and they can reach 300mph. Earlier this summer, twisters were spotted on Teesside as Britain prepared to be battered by storms over the weekend. Turbulent weather spawned 'mini-tornadoes' in the North East, including in Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham. Meanwhile a Wizard of Oz style 'tornado' hit Barking and Dagenham in East London and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage. Footage shared online captured collapsed garden walls, bricks strewn across driveways and fallen tree branches scattered across the road on Friday. Pictures also show cars stuck in flash floods across the borough. Advertisement

His and Diana's older brother, John Spencer, died within ten hours of his birth on 12 January 1960.

Charles has been married three times, firstly to Victoria Lockwood, with whom he has Lady Kitty Spencer, 30, twins Lady Eliza Spencer and Lady Amelia Spencer, 28 and Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, 26.

He also has Edmund Spencer, 17, and Lady Lara Spencer, 15, from second wife Caroline Freud, who was previously married to PR guru Matthew Freud.

With Karen he has one daughter, Charlotte Diana Spencer, eight.

His video comes after spells of sustained rainfall fell over the weekend, with a yellow warning issued for heavy rain to spread across South East Wales before clearing to the east through Friday, the Met Office said.

There were also yellow weather warnings in place for parts of Yorkshire, County Durham and Northumberland  and Wales also has the same warning for rain across most of the country.

The rain has raised fears of travel delays and communities becoming cut off amid the 'persistent and heavy downpours', the Met Office said. It also warned of power cuts as well as properties being flooded.

'These are exceptional rainfall totals for even the wettest part of the UK, which is Cumbria on average, and for the wettest part of the year,' Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said in a forecast video.

The rain lashing the UK is due to a stream of warm moist air that has moved up from the tropics. Up to ten inches (250mm) was expected to fall in Cumbria  almost twice as much as in a typical October.

A major incident was declared in a town in Scotland over the weekend with police evacuating homeowners from more than 500 properties over fears they could flood. An emergency centre in the Scottish Borders town of Hawick (pictured) has been opened for evacuees and the local primary school shut as residents brace for the deluge

A broken down car in floodwater near Derwentwater in Cumbria over the weekend as the Lake District was hit by heavy rain

Ben Lukey, flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: 'A slow-moving band of heavy and persistent rain could bring surface water and river flooding and disruption to travel, to communities in Cumbria and parts of the north of England from today (Wednesday) through to Friday and Saturday.

'Working with our partners in local resilience forums, Environment Agency teams have been out on the ground clearing waste grilles and screens, and stand ready to operate flood defences if needed.

'They are also ready to support local authorities in their response to surface water flooding. We are urging residents and visitors, especially holidaymakers in the Lake District, to stay alert and check their flood risk by signing up for free flood warnings on the Gov.uk website and via @EnvAgency on Twitter, which offer the latest updates.'
It was criticised for its 'outdated' and 'stereotypical' portrayal of French people following its debut season - but Emily in Paris star Lily Collins has insisted that the second series of the Netflix show will focus on diversity and inclusion.

The British-American actress, 32, who stars as Emily and is also a producer on the new series, said she listened to viewers' 'concerns and dislikes' about the 2020 drama and focused on addressing them.

In an interview with Elle UK, for its December issue, Lily said: 'For me as Emily, but also as a producer on [the show], after season one, hearing people's thoughts, concerns, questions, likes, dislikes, just feelings about it, there were certain things that spoke to the time that we're living in and what is right, and moral and correct and should be done.

'And I really wanted diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera to be something that we really put our focus on, in a lot of ways.

It was criticised for its 'outdated' and 'stereotypical' portrayal of French people following its debut season - but Emily in Paris star Lily Collins (pictured) has insisted that the second series of the Netflix show will focus on diversity and inclusion

The British-American actress, 32, who stars as Emily (pictured left) and is also a producer on the new series, said she listened to viewers' 'concerns and dislikes' about the 2020 drama and focused on addressing them

'Hiring new people in front of the camera, also giving new storylines to different characters, which was really important,' she concluded, reported The Guardian.

Following its debut last year, the binge-worthy Netflix series came under fire from critics for its 'outdated and stereotypical' portrayal of French people.

The series follows Emily, played by Lily, who has moved from Chicago to take on a new job with a marketing firm in the French capital, where she's met with a frosty response from Parisians who show no patience for the bubbly American.

Playing on outdated stereotypes about the French, the characters are portrayed as uncivil and unfriendly, and at times aggressive towards the foreigner, who doesn't speak a word of the nation's language.

Following its debut last year, the binge-worthy Netflix series (pictured, season two) came under fire from critics for its 'outdated and stereotypical' portrayal of French people

The series (pictured is series two) follows Emily, played by Lily, who has moved from Chicago to take on a new job with a marketing firm in the French capital, where she's met with a frosty response from Parisians who show no patience for the bubbly American

Many took to Twitter after watching it to complain that Emily in Paris was portraying all French people as rude, unfaithful types who take pride in being unpleasant and inappropriate.

After the criticism, Lily admitted to Vogue Arabia that while it was 'disheartening' to read the negative press surrounding the series, she also sees it as a positive as it gives her the ability to improve in the future.

She said: 'As disheartening as it sometimes is to read these things, it's also a gift; you're being allowed to improve.'

Playing on outdated stereotypes about the French, the characters are portrayed as uncivil and unfriendly, and at times aggressive towards the foreigner, who doesn't speak a word of the nation's language

Lily told the publication that if the show is commissioned for another series she would 'evolve the narrative', while adding that the producers: 'Championed my opinions and opened me up to an experience that was so rewarding and empowering.'

The second season follows the fallout of Emily hooking up with her French chef neighbour Gabriel (played by Lucas Bravo), who is still possibly dating Emily's friend Camille (Camille Razat).

Some viewers compared this to Sex and the City's Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) hooking up with the married Mr. Big, particularly since both shows were created by Darren Star.

The second series of Emily in Paris is scheduled for release in December.
A beautiful baby girl was born with a unique condition that has caused dark spots all over her body.

Quality analyst Toneka Rogers Robinson, 32, from Dallas, Texas, and her husband, entrepreneur Justin, 34, met in high school and had been together for 17 years before the birth of their baby girl Jireh.

During her pregnancy, Toneka kept regular appointments with her doctor and carried out several tests to ensure that everything went smoothly.

Toneka Rogers Robinson, 32, from Dallas, Texas, and her husband, Justin, 34, welcomed a baby girl named Jireh in June 2021

Jireh was born in June 2021, a happy and healthy baby, but the couple were initially concerned  because their little was born with dark spots all over her skin.

Their doctors quickly reassured Toneka and Justin that the marks were only superficial and that Jireh was perfectly healthy.

Jireh was diagnosed with Congenital Melanocytic Nevus (CMN)  visible pigmented (melanocytic) proliferations in the skin that are present at birth.

The parents were concerned when they noticed that their newborn had dark spots all over her skin

The condition is not hereditary, and is caused by faulty development of pigment cells in the first trimester of pregnancy. This condition occurs in around one per cent of infants worldwide. There is an increased risk of Melanoma with this condition.

Toneka and Justin began sharing photos of their daughter on Instagram to keep family up to date, but Jirehs unique appearance garnered attention  and her Instagram account now has more than 11,900 followers.

The couple loves being able to show the world their beautiful child and are excited that Jireh will grow up in a world that is becoming more accepting of differences.

'Justin and I are high school sweethearts. We dated for nine years and had our eight-year wedding anniversary in February,' said Toneka.

'After attending college and working in separate states, we married and settled in Dallas in 2013.'

However, they were relieved when doctors told them that the marks were only superficial and that she was, in fact, perfectly healthy

Jireh was diagnosed with Congenital Melanocytic Nevus (CMN)  visible pigmented proliferations in the skin that are present at birth

But unfortunately, in 2019, they faced severe heartbreak when they lost their newborn daughter, Justice.

'In 2019, we became pregnant with our first child, Justice. She was born early at 28 weeks, but her prognosis was excellent, and she was expected to make a full recovery.

'We lost her unexpectedly at four weeks old.

Toneka and Justin want their daughter to embrace her differences and hope that 'her confidence will be able to withstand ignorance'

'Five months later, we learned that we were pregnant with Jireh.

'While still mourning, we began the process of a high-risk pregnancy. I had numerous appointments and tests to ensure the safety of this pregnancy.

'Jireh was born at 38 weeks and two days, via a planned cesarean.

'My husband saw her first due to the surgery screen being pulled up. His first words were, "Whats that on her face?"

'My heart dropped when he said that, due to the loss we had just experienced, but once my doctor said it was just pigmentation marks and she wasnt in pain, my heart relaxed.

'The moment he said it was just skin pigmentation, nothing else mattered. It meant that my baby wasnt in danger of dying, I couldnt fathom losing another daughter.

'The moment my husband laid her on me, all was right with the world.

'Jireh is perfectly healthy, and all her tests have come back normal.'

Toneka and Justin plan to continue showing Jireh that her skin is beautiful, and they are happy to see that other people think so too.

'I dont worry as much as I would have if she was growing up when we did. I personally cannot remember any classmates with noticeable skin conditions. Ive connected with several parents of children with similar conditions and learned about their experiences. I feel like she will will not feel alone,' Toneka said.

'CMS is just a condition. It doesnt define Jireh or make her less than anyone without it,' said Toneka

'Todays generation is all about inclusion and embracing differences. There are so many stars, like Winnie Harlow and Seal, whose skin looks different. Theyre still accepted for their talents.

'Im sure she will receive some less than favorable comments, but her confidence will be able to withstand ignorance.

'I call her beautiful, because she is. I love her skin and I let her know that every day. I will teach her that nobodys opinion of her matters except her own. Confidence is key'

'Most adults tend to ask about her skin if they are curious, and we dont mind educating them.

'I have had one neighbors kid say that she looked yucky, but I didnt react to his comment, and talked with his mom about it later.

'CMS is just a condition. It doesnt define Jireh or make her less than anyone without it.

'My hopes for her are endless. I pray that we can be the best parents to her and grant her hearts desires.

'I talk to her about it. I treat her like any other child, because she is any other child.

'I call her beautiful, because she is. I love her skin and I let her know that every day.

'I will teach her that nobodys opinion of her matters except her own. Confidence is key.

'My parents instilled in me that I was beautiful  we plan to do the same for her.'
A woman who took a herbal supplement so she can breast feed her fiance has said she feels 'sexier with her milk back' - but insisted critics are wrong to claim they are sexualising 'breastfeeding'.

Lana Michaels, who is originally from Edinburgh but now lives in Spain with her partner, Shawn, appeared on This Morning today to discuss her decision to start lactating and breastfeeding her fiance twice a week.

The mother-of-two recalled how she originally wanted to lactate again to feel 'sexier and more womanly' and thought Shawn 'suckling her 34D breasts would help'.

The couple, who appeared on Channel 4 documentary Breastfeeding My Boyfriend last week, said they felt a 'really cool connection' from the act and that it felt 'completely natural and normal'.

But co-presenter Holly Willoughby explained that critics have suggested the pair are sexualising breastfeeding, and even Shawn's parents are thought to not be wholly supportive of it.

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Lana Michaels, who is originally from Edinburgh but now lives in Spain with her partner, Shawn (pictured together), appeared on This Morning today to discuss her decision to start lactating and breastfeeding her fiance twice a week

Lana and her partner Shawn breastfeeding while appearing on Channel 4 documentary Breastfeeding My Boyfriend

Recalling how she met Shawn on a vegan dating app, Lana said: 'It was so special. I travelled on a plane to meet him for the first time and I wouldn't usually do that.'

Speaking about her decision to take herbal milk supplements, Lana said: 'I just wanted to get my milk back because I'd always felt sexier and more womanly with my milk, and I thought Shawn suckling it would help.'

Shawn said: 'When we started, it felt a bit different. Obviously it's not something everybody does. Because we're really openminded we just tried it and it felt normal and really natural and the bonding connection you get from it is amazing.

Holly suggested critics were annoyed with the duo for sexualising breastfeeding, however.

Lana was quick to reply, saying: 'I know where they are coming from but I think it doesn't sexualize breastfeeding because in general breasts have always been sexualised.

The mother-of-two (pictured right with her partner) recalled how she originally wanted to lactate again to feel 'sexier and more womanly' and thought Shawn 'suckling her 34D breasts would help'

The couple (pictured), who appeared on Channel 4 documentary Breastfeeding My Boyfriend last week, said they felt a 'really cool connection' from the act and that it felt 'completely natural and normal'

'That's why we cover them up most the time, so they always have been. [And] breastfeeding in public is much more accepted now than it was before.'

Lana said her family is 'really accepting of it and they support it', while Shawn admitted his family is 'getting there'.

'They're getting there, the idea needs to mature, and I think interviews like this are going to help us normalise the situation,' he said.

Lana said shes had positive reactions since the documentary aired, saying: A lot of people have said they wish they could be more open. They find it difficult to speak about this want to do it.

Lana, who breastfed her eldest son, 11, for eight months and daughter, seven, for two years, said she has gone up from a 34C to a 34D since breastfeeding her fiance (pictured)

Lots of women contacted us to see how we get the process going. They realise it is something they want to do too.

Co-presenter Philip Schofield asked the couple if they used Lanas breastmilk for cornflakes or in the coffee, to which Shawn replied: It just goes straight into my mouth.

Three days after taking the health supplement, the first drop of milk appeared for Lana - with Shawn then latching on to help get the liquid flowing. The couple have previously praised their breastfeeding habit for its nutritious value.

'I breastfed my children and I really missed breastfeeding and the feeling of it,' she explained, speaking to The Sun. 'I don't want to have another baby and my children are way too old to feed now but I liked the idea of breastfeeding with Shawn.'

Lana (pictured) and Shawn first played around with the idea after a foursome with another couple

The experimental pair, who first played around with the idea after a foursome with another couple, also claimed it builds up positive 'physical energy' between them before things get steamy in the bedroom.

Lana, who breastfed her eldest son, 11, for eight months and daughter, seven, for two years, said she has gone up from a 34C to a 34D since breastfeeding her fiance.

The couple, who have sex five times a week, went on to explain how they have an open relationship and 'like trying new things' when it comes to the bedroom.

'I'd been sucking from another woman when I started feeling milk in my mouth,' explained Shaun. 'That burned up the sexual idea of breast milk connected with sex and it went from there.'

Lana (pictured) claimed it builds up positive 'physical energy' between them before things get steamy in the bedroom

The couple enjoy roleplaying including playing 'daddy and a girl' (pictured)

Lana said breastfeeding not only makes her chest 'fuller and bigger' but also helps her to feel 'sexier and more womanly' when they are filled with milk.

But for Shawn, he finds the process 'relaxing' and said it's perfect when he 'craves' any form of physical connection.

The couple, who insisted they 'get really good comments' about their breastfeeding habits, said they are not 'weird' for enjoying adult breastfeeding - with Shawn adding he 'doesn't care if it is not normal' because it makes them happy.

He added: 'I think breastfeeding as adults is still seen as a taboo as we suppose adults should not be doing that. They think perhaps it is not necessary, but the milk is really nutritious and it's made for us. I really like Lana's milk.'
A California woman has revealed how she developed a strong New Zealand accent after a car accident left her in a coma for two weeks - despite having never even been there.

Summer Diaz, 24, from Los Angeles, was hit by an SUV while crossing the street on November 25 last year, which caused her to develop foreign accent syndrome, a rare condition in which damage to the brain makes someone speak differently.

'I don't remember anything about that day. I came home from my job working with children who have autism. I didn't have a parking space at my apartment, so I had parked elsewhere and was walking across the street,' she told Jam Press.

Side effect: Summer Diaz, 24, developed foreign accent syndrome (FAS) after a car accident left her in a coma for two weeks last November

Trauma: Summer was crossing the street when she was hit by an SUV and rushed to the nearest hospital with a broken pelvis, a broken shoulder, and a brain injury

'I don't know what happened, but, apparently, I was halfway across the crosswalk and I was hit by the SUV.'

The driver called for help and Summer was rushed to the nearest hospital, where they discovered she had suffered a host of injuries, including a broken pelvis, a broken shoulder, and a brain injury.

She spent two weeks in an induced coma, and because the accident occurred during the pandemic, her family and boyfriend weren't even able to visit regularly.

Summer recalled feeling disoriented and confused when she finally woke up in the hospital.

'I could hear people saying, "You're at the hospital, Summer,"' she said. 'They asked me to say the alphabet and I knew quite a bit of sign language, so I signed it. I could not speak vocally when I woke up.

Looking back: Summer (pictured in 2019) wasn't able to speak vocally when she first woke up from her coma

Not the same: When Summer (pictured in 2018) started talking again, she noticed changes to the way she was speaking, but she initially thought they were due to her being intubated

'I was able to do the whole thing and the staff actually asked my parents if I was deaf because of the sign language. My parents said no, but I did know how to sign from taking classes in university.'

As Summer slowly started talking again, she noticed changes to the way she was speaking, but she initially thought they were due to her being intubated while she was in a coma.

'I pulled out my tubes when I woke up causing some damage. Due to this I also have a condition called dysphagia, making swallowing difficult,' she explained. 'I remember trying to speak to people and my voice sounded different.

'Then my boyfriend got special permission to visit me, and he has an accent as he is from England. He was talking to me and I felt like I was enunciating quite a bit and that it sounded different, but he said he couldn't quite hear it.

'Then I went to rehab and my voice started to get a bit better. I was working with speech therapists, but I was still speaking quite slowly, so it was hard to hear anything. As my voice got stronger people started to hear the accent more.'

Support system: Summer's British boyfriend sent her text messages while she was in the hospital during the pandemic

Exchanges: Summer was able to reach out to her friends via text message after she got her cellphone back

Strange occurrence: Summer chatted with her friends about her changing accents, which varied throughout her recovery

Summer's new accent eventually became so strong that people would question where she was from because she didn't have an American one.

'My nurses would come in and say, "Where are you from?" and wouldn't believe me when I said, "I'm from here,"' she said. 'I would explain I was born here but they would say, "But you have an accent." I had to explain that it wasn't my accent, and I just started doing it.'

Throughout her recovery, Summer has gone through a range of accents, with some lasting just a few hours and others staying for months.

'I had a very British accent, close to my boyfriend's for a while. I had a French one at one point and briefly, I was Russian. At the minute, it's settled on an Australian or New Zealand accent.'

Summer has never even been to Australia or New Zealand, but people frequently assume she was born or grew up there.

Rehabilitation: After spending around a month in the hospital and in rehab, Summer was well enough to return home

Inspiring: She was also able to go back to college to finish the four classes required to complete her degree in psychology. She graduated in August

Doctor's appointment: An MRI officially diagnosed Summer with FAS on August 9

'I went back to the fire station to meet the people who brought me to the hospital the other day and give them cake,' she said.

'I saw the fire chief and I could tell on the phone he had an accent, but when I met him, he said, "Is that an Australian or New Zealand accent?" I explained it was New Zealand, but he asked where I was from, and I had to say I'm from here and he laughed.

'One thing that was hard for me was figuring out how to answer back when people ask about the accent,' she added. 'Do I go with where they think I am from or tell them the truth and get into talking about a whole incident with a stranger?'

There isn't much treatment for FAS available, but it may eventually go away on its own. Summer actually loves having a new accent, and she is happy to wait and see what happens.

'If I get hit by a car but get to the keep the accent, I'm OK with that - that's the best part. That's fun,' she said. 'I was always texting my friends telling them I really want to keep it because I really like accents.'

After spending around a month in the hospital and in rehab, Summer was well enough to return home.

Diagnosis: FAS is a rare condition in which damage to the brain makes patients speak with an accent that is different than their natural speaking style

Aftermath: In addition to her new accent, Summer is unable to work long hours or stand on her feet for long periods of time. She relies on a wheelchair and a cane

Lesson: 'I almost died so I try to enjoy the things I want to enjoy and be kind to others,' she said. 'I appreciate art and books more and enjoy the company of my loved ones more'

She was also able to go back to college to finish the four classes required to complete her degree in psychology while continuing with her outpatient treatment.

This allowed her to access the university library to research more about her condition, which helped her officially get a diagnosis with an MRI on August 9, 2021.

Now, almost a year on from the accident, Summer's accent is still far from what it was like before and her traumatic brain injury has caused a permanent disability.

'I'm exhausted often. I am left with a lifelong disability. I cannot work long hours at work, my stamina is poor, and I cannot do simple everyday activities,' she said.

'I rely on a cane when my leg aches and a wheelchair for long distances or for areas where I would have to be standing for a long period of time.

'I have a caregiver that helps me with my regular household chores and meal prepping. Every task requires energy, and if I am too exhausted, I cannot perform some tasks later on in the day or the next day.

What is Foreign Accent Syndrome? Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is a rare disorder in which patients speak with an accent that is different than their natural speaking style. It is usually the result of a head or brain injury, with strokes being the most common cause. FAS can also occur after trauma to the brain, bleeding in the brain, a brain tumor, or multiple sclerosis. It has only been recorded 100 times since its discovery in 1907. It causes suffers to pronounce vowels in different manners, move their tongue and jaw differently while speaking to produce a different sound, and even substitute words for others they may not normally use. FAS can last months or years, or sometimes it may even be permanent. Advertisement

'Certain things will improve over time, but other things will remain the same.'

As well as the physical side of her injury, the accent has had an impact on her work caring for children with autism.

'I often pronounce my name as sum-mah and sometimes they hear it as so-mah,' she explained. 'I have had kids be confused if my accent switches the next day, so much to the point where they have asked where the other Summer went as they don't quite understand my condition.

'Learning how to navigate with a disability in the workplace has been a bit tricky for me,' she added. 'While this has had many downsides, it has caused my health to be more of a priority to me.

'I almost died so I try to enjoy the things I want to enjoy and be kind to others. I appreciate art and books more and enjoy the company of my loved ones more.

'I see the accent and what happened as something that will always be a conversation starter and a story to tell.'
A Utah homeowner was shocked to discover extensive blood stains hidden under the carpet in their new house  and called the police in to investigate.

The anonymous homeowner shared their unsettling discovery on TikTok (@house.ofthe.rising.sun), revealing what they found while doing renovations on their newly-purchased 110-year-old property in Salt Lake City.

Pulling up the old carpeting, they showed off extensive blood stains on the underside of the carpet and a police officer who came to check it out.

Surprise! A Utah homeowner was shocked to discover extensive blood stains hidden under the carpet in their new house  and called the police in to investigate

Viral: The anonymous homeowner shared their unsettling discovery on TikTok

Yikes! Two days into renovating a new house, they pulled up dark green carpet to find lots of old blood stains underneath

'At first we weren't sure what it was. But the more we found, the more obvious it was blood. Like an alarming amount of blood,' they said

The TikToker share the first video of the home, built in 1911, on October 22, excitedly showing off the purchase.

They said it had 'incredible bones' and 'unique features' as they embarked on a renovation job.

But the cleanup turned troubling two days in when they tire up the dark green carpeting.

'There was a surprise waiting for us,' they said. 'We stumbled upon some suspicious stains under the carpet.

'At first we weren't sure what it was. But the more we found, the more obvious it was blood. Like an alarming amount of blood.'

Uh-oh: Video shows several patches of dried blood under the carpet, hinting at a pretty serious injury

911: They called police, who agreed that it looked like blood but didn't know if belonged to a human or an animal

Law enforcement is checking 'for any cases linked to the house' but 'didn't seem to be very interested'

Video shows several patches of dried blood under the carpet, hinting at a pretty serious injury.

They dutifully called the police, who are on the case.

'The police confirmed that it looked like blood, but said they couldn't be sure if it was human or animal without testing it,' the said.

'The officer said she would check for any cases linked to the house before testing anything,' they told a commenter, but also added that law enforcement 'didn't seem to be very interested.'

'The cops didn't do tests or take samples. They did say it was most likely blood, but that they don't do those types of testing unless they have strong suspicion of foul play.'

Odd: In a follow-up video, the owner also showed off some other strange in the house, like finger painting on the walls in the basement

A prank... or something sinister? They are reminiscent to ancient drawings on cave walls

Even if the police aren't terribly interested, TikTokers are  with one of the videos racking up 5.3 million views

Even if the police aren't terribly interested, TikTokers are  with one of the videos racking up 5.3 million views.

Commenters are also invested in what happened, and some have cracked jokes about the source of the stain.

'Guys don't worry, the last woman there just had a really bad period flow,' wrote one.

'Sorry that was me, I spilled my Diva Cup,' joked another.

'It's an old house, lil murder here and there is normal,' quipped a third.

'You either had a wino or Ted Bundy living there,' asserted yet another.

In a follow-up video, the owner also showed off some other strange in the house, like finger painting on the walls in the basement, reminiscent to ancient drawings on cave walls.
A shortage of male university students is causing men to develop so-called 'Golden Penis Syndrome' where they see themselves as a prize to be won by female suitors.

The term, coined by students at Sarah Lawrence College, New York, and popularised by American journalist Jon Birger, is applied to heterosexual men who have an inflated ego due to the amount of interest shown in them by their female peers.

Men believe this interest is the result of their innate desirability, leading to an augmented sense of self and a tendency to become 'accidental Casanovas' with bad habits like cheating, 'ghosting' and stringing women along in casual flings.

They might also have poor social and sexual skills because they do not need to better themselves in order to secure dates with their accomplished female peers.

But in reality, this heightened level of interest is largely down to a lack of viable alternatives for women wanting to settle down.

In the UK, 57 per cent of all higher education students are female. The proportion is higher in the US, where women account for 59.5 per cent of all college students.

This imbalance continues into the workplace, where there are more women with college or university degrees than men.

Coined by students at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where only a quarter of the student population is male, 'golden penis syndrome' applies to male students who consider themselves to be prize - purely because there is a 'man deficit' among the student population. Stock image

Relationship therapist Charisse Cooke told FEMAIL: 'Golden Penis Syndrome speaks of the delusional belief that you are unusually and uniquely gifted as a man, sexually or otherwise, and are above established norms of good manners, respect and dating etiquette.

'It can result in overly-grandiose behaviour and self-reverence and an inflated sense of power over the opposite sex. Women can be baffled by these men, but intrigued and lured in due to the man's self-belief and seeming promise.

'However, the women are left disappointed and furious when discarded after cursory or non-existent date experiences and underwhelming sexual performances.

'Often the only single member of the group, after a period of time their reputation becomes a mixture of Peter Pan to pitied and accidental Casanova.'

Birger, an award-winning journalist, toured US colleges for his book Date-onomics, discovering that universities with a female-heavy population bred men who were 'truly believed they had the golden penis'.

How Date-onomics exposed 'golden penis syndrome' in US colleges across the country One of the ways I investigated this topic in my first book Date-onomics was by using US college campuses as case studies. I compared the dating cultures at colleges that are disproportionately male (CalTech, Georgia Tech, University of Colorado, etc.) to schools that are disproportionately female (New York University, Boston University, Sarah Lawrence College, etc.). To get a sense of how students characterise dating at their schools, I used the College Prowler college guide and its sister site Niche.com, which are both written by current and former students at the schools being reviewed. Here's how College Prowler described dating at Sarah Lawrence College, which has a 75:25 ratio  or 3 women for every 1 guy: 'The girls complain about loneliness, the guys get more than they can handle (and don't complain about it), and mindless, one-night stands are rampant.' By comparison, here's how College Prowler described dating at CalTech, which is 60% male: 'Students here tend not to date but have relationships. Breakups are rare, and many couples get married after CalTech.' While working on Date-onomics, I visited both CalTech and Sarah Lawrence and arranged interviews with students. My trip to CalTech happened to be a week after Valentine's Day, and I asked one of the guys I interviewed what Valentine's Day was like at CalTech. He got very excited and explained to me that his dorm, Lloyd House, had a longstanding Valentine's Day tradition. 'What is it?' I asked him. He said that all the men make handcrafted Valentines for the women  and then wake up at the crack of dawn on Valentine's Day morning to cook the women pancakes. The stories I heard at Sarah Lawrence were less cute. A freshman woman told me she had given up any hope of finding a boyfriend, explaining that straight Sarah Lawrence men have no interest in relationships. 'Why would they?' she told me. 'It's like they have their own free harem. One of my friends was dumped by a guy after they'd been hooking up for less than a week. When he broke up with her, the guy actually used the word 'market'  like the 'market' for him was just too good.' Something else I learned from my Sarah Lawrence interviews was this term you're writing about  'Golden Cock Syndrome' or 'Golden Penis Syndrome' (I heard both)  was part of the campus vernacular. In fact, I think the Sarah Lawrence students coined it. The Sarah Lawrence kids described Golden Penis Syndrome as this phenomenon of guys allowing their over-the-top success with women to go to their heads. The men at Sarah Lawrence seemed to think it was all about them, not the ratio. They thought they were special and deserving of all the attention they were getting from women. They truly believed they had the golden penis. Advertisement

The term was first coined at Sarah Lawrence College where only a quarter of the student population is male.

But the problem is present in the UK, too.

'Golden Penis Syndrome definitely exists in the UK because I've interviewed plenty of UK women who shared horror stories of average guys who treat them like garbage simply because the men had options,' explained Jon, a former Fortune Magazine writer turned dating expert who is the author of the new book MAKE YOUR MOVE.

'We're seeing generation of young men who think they're Adam Driver or Michael B. Jordan. Of course, it's not about them. It's the ratio.'

In his book, Birger makes the case that 'hookup culture' among students 'trickles down into post-college dating' and that 'lopsided ratios have been a driving force behind both the rise of the hookup culture and the declining marriage rates among the university educated.

'Of course, university sex ratios wouldn't matter so much if we were all more open-minded about whom we date and eventually marry (which I think we should be).

'But at the same time university sex ratios have been skewing female, there's been a simultaneous increase in what academics call 'assortative mating'. That's a fancy way of saying that college grads only want to date and marry other grads.

'There's been a ton of scholarly research on how sex ratios affect culture, and what it shows is that the dating culture tends to be more monogamous when men are in oversupply.

'But when men are in undersupply, the dating culture becomes less monogamous  men are more likely to treat women as sex objects and treat relationships as disposable.'

He says the shift in attitude may be subconscious for men, adding it's 'human nature' to get carried away after receiving excessive attention.

'If a guy is getting a lot of attention from women, he's going to think he's deserving of all that attention. It's human nature. When women get a lot of attention from men, some women think they're special too.'

He also believes that this phenomenon is prevalent in workplaces with a higher female to male ratio.

'Because of the way the math works, Golden Penis Syndrome probably affects men in their 30s and 40s more than those in their 20s. At least the heterosexual ones. Imagine you have a dating pool that starts out with 40 women and 30 men, which is a 4:3 ratio.

'Once half of the women get married  once 20 of the women get married to 20 of the men  the dating pool among the remaining singles becomes 20 women and 10 men  a 2:1 ratio. This is why we all know so many fabulous women in their 30s and 40s who cannot seem to find a decent guy.'

He says that older women seeking a husband should avoid men who have never married into their late 30s and 40s who have high-paid - even dubbing some of them 'unmarriageable'.

'I dont assume everyone wants to get married or should get married', he said. 'But if I were a heterosexual woman who was looking to get married, I would be wary of guys who have remained never-married into their late thirties and 40s.

'Especially the better looking ones with good jobs. These men are having too much fun playing the field. And the longer they stay single, the less interested they are in getting married or settling down with one woman. Id go so far to call a lot of them unmarriageable.

'Its one reason why, in Make Your Move, I encourage 30-something women to consider dipping down age-wise. It may sound counter-intuitive, but I actually think the younger guys are more commitment-minded than a lot of the older ones. '

Jon said that while men can develop 'Golden Penis Syndrome', it can be something outgrown in later life.

He also shared his advice to young students who could be wary of dating men with an over-inflated ego.

'One of the solutions to the college gender gap that I write about in MAKE YOUR MOVE is encouraging women to be assertive and to make the first move with the men of their choice. Fact is, men like women who like them. Also, a man is much less likely to take advantage of a woman who puts herself out there and says "Hey, I really like you, I feel really comfortable around you, so I was wondering if you'd go out on a date with me on Friday?"

'When it comes to dating, the more you put yourself out there, the more you'll get back. '
Oprah has kicked off the festive season with a budget-friendly bang after unveiling a very thrifty version of her annual Favorite Things list - in which she also promoted her close friend Meghan Markle's woke coffee brand.

This year's gift guide, which typically includes an array of lavish offerings, has been filled with many more low-cost items, with the billionaire TV mogul including more than three dozens suggestions that cost under $50.

In total, the 2021 Favorite Things list features 111 gift ideas, which range from a $2,295 at home work-out machine to a $12 eyeshadow palette; the guide will appear in the Winter 2021 issue of O Quarterly and is now live on OprahDaily.com.

According to Oprah, many of the items have been selected from either small businesses, companies owned by people of color, or women-owned brands - one of which includes Clevr Blends, an ethical superfood coffee company backed by the Duchess of Sussex, which the billionaire TV mogul promoted on Instagram in December last year.

The TV host included products from instant oat milk latte brand Clevr Blends in this year's Christmas guide, in which she gushed over the 'woman-led' brand - which she was introduced to by her 'neighbor Meghan', who invested an unspecified amount in the company in 2020.

Oprah has shared her favorite items from 2021, and they are shockingly cheap. The thrifty list contains 43 items under $50

One of the brands featured in Oprah's gift guide is Clevr Blends, the ethical coffee company that her friend Meghan Markle invested in last year

Oprah and Meghan are understood to have struck up a close friendship - which helped to land the TV mogul her sensational sit-down interview with the Sussexes earlier this year

Oprah happily shared the products on her Instagram account, which had more than 19 million subscribers at the time, in a post that was estimated to be worth a staggering $1 million in free publicity.

Now Oprah, 67, has offered Meghan's coffee company yet another promotion by including its instant lattes in her list of Favorite Things from 2021.

'My neighbor Meghan (yes, that one) introduced me to this woman-led wellness brand,' she said in the list.

The Crayon Case eyeshadow palette is only $12 and is a perfect gift for someone young and fun

'Not a day goes by without me sipping on the golden latte from this kit, which also comes with chai latte mix and a little frother.

'You can add the mixes to smoothies for a flavor boost, too.'

The listing on Oprah's website also included a link to the Clevr Blends website, where customers can purchase the brand's $74 SuperLatte Starter Kit at a discount of 20 per cent if they use the code 'Oprah'.

According to the TV mogul, her picks for this year's gift guide were chosen to bring 'surprises' and 'delights' to shoppers and their recipients, which Oprah noted are all the more necessary after the past 12 months.

'After this past year, I think we all deserve some surprises and delights for the holiday season,' she said.

'Thats why we worked hard to find these truly incredible items.'

The talk-show host added, 'Youre bound to find something for everyone on your list. Just dont forget to treat yourself!'

This year, Oprah decided to make the list pretty thrifty, with 43 of the items being under $50.

The cheapest thing that she chose is a $12 eyeshadow palette made by The Crayon Case.

'Have someone young and fun on your list? These cute travel-size eyeshadow palettes may be just the thing,' Oprah wrote about the product.

'They look like little notebooks, and inside lies an adventurous assortment of hues to play with  all for just $12.'

The second lowest item that she picked is a $17 puzzle, which depicts African American artist Faith Ringgolds painting of powerful women like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks holding a sunflower quilt.

The second lowest item that she picked is a $17 puzzle, which depicts African American artist Faith Ringgolds painting

The 67-year-old also recommended the Philips One Rechargeable Toothbrush by Sonicare, which is only $24

The 67-year-old also recommended the Philips One Rechargeable Toothbrush by Sonicare, which is only $24.

'Sometimes something practical is the perfect present," Oprah said.

'Ive long been a Sonicare user, and Im excited about this travel-friendly version, complete with a sleek case.

'The rechargeable smart brush uses micro-vibrations to ensure a complete clean, and it has a two-minute timer, so brushing isnt cut short.'

Other low items include a $30 vest to keep you warm in the winter, a $30 hat that has a flashlight built into it, and $27 reading glasses.

Other low items include a $30 vest to keep you warm in the winter, a $30 hat that has a flashlight built into it, and $27 reading glasses

The 32 Degrees Womens Lightweight Recycled Poly-Fill Packable Vests is 'perfect for layering on those chilly but not freezing-cold days (and for coverage of the tush)'

Another affordable item on Oprah's list is the Rounds Skin Tone Crayons made by All of Us Crayons, which is a great gift for your younger family members

The 32 Degrees Womens Lightweight Recycled Poly-Fill Packable Vests is 'perfect for layering on those chilly but not freezing-cold days (and for coverage of the tush).'

Oprah added, 'This water-repellent vest, complete with detachable hood, comes in a range of wonderful colors. Insulated with non-bulky recycled polyester, it can be condensed in a packable pouch for travel'

Another affordable item on Oprah's list is the Rounds Skin Tone Crayons made by All of Us Crayons, which is a great gift for your younger family members.

As for the most pricey item on the list, Oprah recommended Hydrow's The Live Outdoor Reality Rower at home work-out machine, which costs $2,295

'These are extra special because they were created with inclusivity in mind,' said Oprah.

'When Sabine Josephs daughter asked her to draw a picture of her grandmother, Joseph couldnt find a crayon that matched her beautiful brown skin.

'So she created these eight to represent the beauty of all skin tones. Now, thats the kind of initiative I can get behind.'

As for the most pricey item on the list, Oprah recommended Hydrow's The Live Outdoor Reality Rower at home work-out machine, which costs $2,295.

'Home workouts are still where its at, and this rowing machine is a great, low-impact way to sweat,' she explained.

'Join a live class using the 22" touch screen, or follow along to one of over 2,000 full-body on-demand workouts.'

'When youre done, the rower stores upright, so it takes up minimal space.'

The star did include a few other expensive picks for the home section  including the Blueair HealthProtect 7470i, which is designed to purify the air in your house

For the kitchen, Oprah suggested the Material Kitchen Knife Trio and Stand for $195, and the GreenPan Reserve Ceramic Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set for $400, among others

Although the list is relatively cheap this year, the star did include some expensive picks for the home section  including the Blueair HealthProtect 7470i, which is designed to purify the air in your house.

'These days, were all washing our hands and wiping down surfaces a bit more often. Now you can clean the air in your home, too.'

'Ideal for medium-size rooms, this little air purifier filters air particles, removes pollutants like dust, and deals with household odors.'

For the kitchen, Oprah suggested the Material Kitchen Knife Trio and Stand for $195, the GreenPan Reserve Ceramic Nonstick 10-Piece Cookware Set for $400, and the Philips Pasta Maker Plus for $300, among others.
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine increases a person's risk of developing rare blood clots, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, compared data from the general population before the pandemic to data gathered from reported vaccine side-effects suffered by Americans.

They found that a person who received the vaccine was 3.5 times as likely to develop brain blood clots as an average person before the pandemic.

Blood clotting, and specifically cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a well known side-effect of the J&J vaccine, and the discovery of this risk was the reason usage of the vaccine was paused in April.

However, the team insists the risk is rare and that the findings must be looked at in the context of the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing severe cases COVID-19.

Researchers found that recipients of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (pictured) were 3.5 times as likely to develop CVST - a potentially deadly blood clotting condition - than the average person

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a rare but potentially deadly condition that restricts the brains ability to drain blood and could cause a stroke

Researchers, who published their findings in JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday, gathered data from Olmstead, County, Minnesota - a county of around 158,000 people 90 miles southeast of Minneapolis - from 2001 to 2015.

They then used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to find diagnoses of blood clots in people who received the J&J vaccine between the jab's approval date at the end of February 2021 to May 7.

During the 14-year period, there were 39 Olmstead residents who developed CVST - a rare, potentially deadly, blood clotting condition that can form in a person's brain.

Of that group, 29 had a risk factor within the 92 days proceeding development of the blood clot, such as infection, active cancer, or oral contraceptives for women.

Adjusted for population, there were 2.46 cases of CVST out of every 100,000 person-years of the residents of Olmstead County developed blood clotting during that period.

COVID VACCINES AND BLOOD CLOTS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW The CDC and the FDA recommended that rollout of the J&J vaccine be paused in April after multiple reports of rare, but serious, blood clots. Nine people between the ages of 18 and 59 had developed cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) by April 13. CVST is a rare type of blood clot that blocks the brain's sinus channels of draining blood, which can cause hemorrhages. One of the nine patients died and two are in critical condition. With more than seven million people who had gotten the vaccine by that point, this means just 0.00012% developed CVST. That is less that the five out of one million people - 0.0005% - who develop the condition in the general population. The pause was lifted on April 23 after the CDC determined the risk was extremely low. Advertisement

Around 8.7 million doses of the J&J vaccine had been administered in the U.S. between February and May.

They found 46 reports of CVST to VAERS after receiving the J&J vaccine, though eight were removed from the pool for either being duplicate reports or not being professionally diagnosed.

In total, 38 cases tied to the J&J vaccine were detected - with over 70 percent being among women.

When adjusted for population, there were 8.65 cases out of every 100,000 person-years among people who received the vaccine - a rate 3.5 times higher than the general population.

They also found that vaccine recipients are at most risk of developing the condition within the first 15 days after receiving the jab.

Women are also at most risk between ages 30 to 64.

Researchers note that the risk is rare, and that the small risk of the vaccine is worth the potential benefits of avoiding complications from COVID-19.

While this study does give the level of increased risk from receiving the J&J vaccine, that existence of the risk itself has been known for some time.

On April 13, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) paused its authorization of the Covid vaccine after six women were found to have developed blood clotting after receiving the shot.

All had pre-existing conditions that put them at an increased risk of developing the clots.

Ten days later, on April 23, usage of the vaccine was resumed, though the label was advised with a warning to women under the age of 50 about the blood clotting.

The J&J vaccine is the least popular of the three Covid jabs available in America, though its one-shot nature has increased its potential to be used internationally in areas with less resources available to give a jab twice.

As of Monday morning, 15.6 million doses of the jab have been administered, CDC data show.

The clotting, CVST, is rare but potentially dangerous.

Blood clots will form within the veins in the outer layers of the brain, and it can block the blood from draining from the brain to the heart.

In the worst cases, it can cause a person to suffer a stroke, that could lead to death.
The cigarette boom seen in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have ended over this summer, a new report finds.

Data released by Altria Group, the largest cigarette company in the U.S. - which accounts for half of sales in the nation - shows that Quarter 3 sales fell by 6.5 percent in 2021 when compared to the same period last year.

It marks the potential end of a spike in sales for the cigarette industry after 2020 saw purchases rise for the first year in nearly two decades with years of legislation and public campaigns to reduce smoking worldwide largely successful.

Altria reports that there were more than $7 billion worth of cigarette sales in Q3 of 2020, compared to only $6.7 billion during the same part of 2021.

Cigarette sales decreased by 6.5% in Q3 2021 when compared to the same period in 2020, falling from 7.1 billion in sales last year to 6.7 billion this year

The number of cigarettes bought by wholesalers and retailers went from 202.9 billion in 2019 to 203.7 billion in 2020, a rise of 0.4 percent, the FTC reports

Experts told the Wall Street Journal that smokers having more free income in 2020 -because the pandemic prevented them on spending money on other things - led to them smoking more, by themselves at home, increasing sales last year.

Sales of cigarettes have consistently decreased for decades, and the last time there was a single year-over-year increase was in 2004.

In 2020, throughout the entire year, sales increased by 0.4 percent over 2019, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission released last week.

Another potential reason reported for the increased cigarette sales is a decline in access to vape and e-cigarette products due to increasing regulations.

The Food and Drug Administration could potentially ban some vaping products in the near future as well - which could push more users towards cigarettes.

Research has found that the increase in cigarette sales last year was not due to an increase in the amount of smokers, but instead an increase in how much existing customers smoked.

A team from Massachusetts General Hospital found that smokers who were more stressed due to the pandemic turned more to cigarettes.

Some who feared that lung damage from the virus did drop the habit, though, or at least smoke less often.

Altria also told the Journal that is is believed some spent stimulus or unemployment money on cigarettes, as there was little else to do with the funds for some.

'They're out and about more, and they're using their discretionary income on other things,' Billy Gifford, an executive at Altria, told The Journal.

The phenomena of increased cigarette sales was a U.S. exclusive event though, with other nations not witnessing similar bumps.

Officials and advocacy groups in the United States - and across the world - have been working to decrease the level of tobacco use for decades.

Experts found that there was not an increase in smokers in 2020, just those who smoke started purchasing more cigarettes. This is believed to be because of stress caused by the pandemic and more free income to spend

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the U.S., and that 16 million Americans are living with at least one smoking related disease.

Smoking can significantly increase a person's chance at developing lung cancer, heart disease, asthma, or a variety of other conditions.

An estimated 34 million Americans - around 10 percent of the population - smoke cigarettes.

The last time sales increased was in 2004, when the industry sold $361.3 billion worth of cigarettes, compared to $360.5 billion in 2003.
Public health officials are attempting to track down Americans who've contracted syphilis to get them treated as cases rise exponentially in the U.S.

The number of adults who have tested positive for the sexually transmitted disease (STD) has risen 74 percent over the last five years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If left undiagnosed and untreated, syphilis can have serious health consequences, especially among pregnant women.

Syphilis cases among newborns, known as congenital syphilis, have nearly quadrupled over the past five years, which can be fatal.

Now communicable disease specialists are trying to find those who have tested positive so they can be treated before they - or their children - fall severely ill or die, according to ProPublica and NPR.

Public health officials are trying to track down patients who have tested positive for syphilis so they can be treated with cases have been on the rise with 129,813 infections reported in 2019, a 74% spike since 2015 (above)

If left undiagnosed and untreated, syphilis can lead to more severe issues with the heart, brain and nerves than lesions (above) including paralysis and blindness

Among those looking for patients is Mai Yang, a communicable disease specialist with the Fresno County Department of Public Health in California, reported ProPublica and NPR.

News organizations joined her as she tracked down a 27-year-old pregnant woman named Angelica.

She had visited a community clinic, where she had tested positive for syphilis in June.

Syphilis is one of the most commonly reported STDs and it is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.

It usually starts with small, painless sores, similar to ulcers, on genitals or in the mouth.

In the early stages, patients can receive an injection of Benzathine penicillin G. This will not undo the internal damage but will eliminate the infection.

Without treatment it can progress to more severe issues with the heart, brain and nerves including paralysis, blindness and even death.

WHAT IS SYPHILIS, WHAT ARE ITS SYMPTOMS AND HOW IS IT TREATED? What is it? A chronic bacterial disease, syphilis can be contracted by other means but is typically a sexually-transmitted disease. In very rare cases, it can be spread through prolonged kissing, as well as the more common routes of transmission: vaginal, anal and oral sex. It comes from the bacteria Treponema pallidum. What are the symptoms? Sufferers develop sores, though these can often go ignored. The infection develops in stages. Stage one: Small, painless sores (like ulcers) on genitals or in the mouth

Appear within 10-90 days after exposure

They disappear within six weeks, and do not leave a scar, before developing to stage two Stage two: Rosy rash on the palms of the hand and soles of the feet

Moist warts in the groin

White patches inside the mouth

Swollen glands

Fever

Weight loss

This all fades away without treatment before developing into stage three Latent syphilis: Dormant, no symptoms Stage three: Without treatment it can progress to more severe issues with the heart, brain and nerves

Paralysis

Blindness

Dementia

Deafness

Impotence

Death How is it treated? In the early stages, patients can receive an injection of Benzathine penicillin G. This will not undo the internal damage but will eliminate the infection. For those with latent syphilis - and are unsure how long they had it - doctors recommend having three doses of the penicillin injection, seven days apart from each other. Advertisement

Cases have been rising with 129,813 reported in 2019, according to the CDC - more than double the amount of cases recorded in 2015.

Over the same four-year period, there was a four-fold increase in the number of babies born with syphilis at 1,870 with 128 of them dying.

Yang told ProPublica and NPR that if Angelica was treated with three weekly shots of penicillin at least a month before giving birth, she would be cured and her baby would be born without symptoms.

If she wasn't treated, there was a 40 percent risk of her baby dying.

ProPublica and NPR report that after a few phone calls, Yang tracked down Angelica to a homeless encampment in Huron, California.

Yang told her the results of her blood test and asked if she had received prenatal care.

Angelica told her that she has been referred to an OB-GYN in Hanford - 30 miles away - but she didn't have any transportation to get there.

'Right now you still feel healthy, but this bacteria is still in your body,' Yang told the mother-to-be, according to ProPublica and NPR.

'You need to get the infection treated to prevent further health complications to yourself and your baby.'

Yang made Angelica promise that she would go to the community health clinic across the street that afternoon for treatment.

In 1999, the CDC released a report stating the U.S. had a chance to 'eliminate' syphilis with 80 percent of counties reporting no cases.

'Eliminating syphilis would reduce the likelihood of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and improve reproductive health by preventing spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, and developmental disabilities caused by congenital syphilis,' the authors wrote.

'In addition, syphilis elimination would help to rebuild the capacity of communities to control infectious diseases and reduce racial disparities.'

But then, in 2000, cases began slowly rising and really took off in 2013.

Although gay and bisexual men make up the majority of syphilis cases, heterosexual women have also been seeing an increase in cases.

According to the CDC, rates of syphilis among women have risen 178.6 percent between 2015 and 2019.

The report also found that the rate of congenital syphilis was 48.5 cases per 100,000 live births in 2019, which has been rising every year since 2013.

The rate represents a 41.4 percent increase from 2018 and 291.1 percent increase from 2015.

This increase also led to a rise in syphilitic stillbirths increased, from 79 in 2018 to 94 in and 2019 syphilis-related infant deaths from 15 to 34 deaths.

The CDC notes that key to decreasing congenital syphilis rates is an increase in prenatal care in underserved communities as well as timely testing.

However, trying to get the funding to vanquish the disease has been challenging.

In 1999, the CDC it would need between $35 million and $39 million to eliminate syphilis in five years.

But the agency only received half of that sum, Jo Valentine, former program coordinator of the CDC's Syphilis Elimination Effort, told ProPublica and NPR.

In 2019, 1,870 babies were born with syphilis, quadruple the number since 2015, and 128 of them dying

Halfway into the 2000s, at 2006, cases of syphilis had risen from 0.4 per 100.000 to 2.2 per 100,000.

So, instead, the CDC just focused on preventing congenital syphilis instead of cases among women.

According to ProPublica and NPR, Yang called the clinic and asked if Angelica had shown up, but she did not.

In mid-August, Yang found her living in the shed of a small home just a few blocks away from the encampment and finally convinced her to go to the clinic for treatment.

Despite Yang previously being told that walk-ins were acceptable, a receptionist said they were too busy to treat Angelica and she would have to come back.

Yang urged Angelica to return on her own to get treated for the condition.

However, she has been back to visit Angelica multiple times - six in total - and has not been able to find her again.
What has happened to us is home-grown, institutionalised female genital mutilation,' says Mary Lodato, 63, a mother of three and a university researcher, from Kettering in Northamptonshire.

'It has been a systemic failure in health and care and it was totally avoidable.'

What Mary is referring to are complications due to implanted surgical mesh, designed to treat post-childbirth pelvic damage in women, which has left thousands effectively crippled as the material disintegrated inside their bodies, and sheared into the tissue, causing a range of devastating symptoms including pain, difficulty walking and sexual dysfunction.

An eight-year Good Health campaign to get official recognition of the problem led to the establishment of a government inquiry under the leadership of former Conservative health minister Baroness Julia Cumberlege.

What has happened to us is home-grown, institutionalised female genital mutilation,' says Mary Lodato, 63, a mother of three and a university researcher, from Kettering in Northamptonshire

Although the inquiry report was published in July 2020, some of its key recommendations have still not been implemented, leaving thousands of women suffering and not getting the help they need.

Seven specialist NHS mesh removal clinics were meant to open in April this year in London, Cambridge, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leicester.

These were to be staffed with multidisciplinary teams  with specialist surgeons, physicians, imaging specialists, nurses, pain specialists, physiotherapists, and clinical psychologists  to cover the management of all pelvic mesh complications.

But the affected women claim a shortage of specialists has meant that only two are functioning  at University College London Hospital and Southmead Hospital in Bristol (which was not on the original list).

They also say that it's extremely difficult to get a referral to one of these new centres and even if they do, waiting times can stretch into years.

'To the doctors who originally treated us, these operations weren't anything major  but to us it was a catastrophically painful loss of work, family life and intimacy,' says Mary.

What Mary is referring to are complications due to implanted surgical mesh, designed to treat post-childbirth pelvic damage in women, which has left thousands effectively crippled as the material disintegrated inside their bodies, and sheared into the tissue, causing a range of devastating symptoms including pain, difficulty walking and sexual dysfunction

'Getting any help at all has been a terrible, terrible battle, and it's not just the medical profession who were at fault, it's the Government as well, which has done nothing.'

Mary's story is one familiar to almost 10,000 women who have joined an anti-mesh group called Sling the Mesh, and a number of other support organisations.

She developed minor incontinence following the births of her son and two daughters (now aged 44, 41 and 35). In 2006, when she was 47, Mary was referred for an operation to insert a mesh product called TVT (transvaginal tape), a form of plastic not unlike the string bags used to package oranges and other produce.

TVT is designed to be stitched to the abdominal wall and act as a kind of sling to support the bladder and alleviate incontinence.

While many women have benefited, in thousands of cases the plastic disintegrated in patients' bodies. Baroness Cumberlege's report found that the mesh was inadequately tested, its use inadequately regulated and the surgeons using it often inadequately trained.

Mary says: 'If I'd known what this mesh was I would never have gone through with having it, but the operation was sold to me as if it was nothing and had a 95 to 99 per cent success rate. It was fine at first but after about five years I was in agonising pain.

'In April 2017 my daughter sent me an article from the Daily Mail talking about the mesh and said, 'Isn't that what you had?'.

'It suddenly dawned on me, that's why I couldn't participate in anything with the family. I have five grandchildren but I couldn't get involved with them. I was constantly tired and had terrible grating pains in the groin so I couldn't walk. It was getting to a point where I didn't want to live any more.'

She adds: 'I saw lots of GPs and was constantly asking them if my problems were anything to do with the TVT and they kept saying they weren't.

'I insisted on being referred to a gynaecologist in 2017 after I read the article. Initially he said it wasn't the TVT. But then when he examined me he exclaimed, 'Oh my God, I can feel it'.

'I lost my husband to myeloma in 2017; he was only 52,' says Sonia Browne, 55, a senior bank executive from Romford, East London, who has four daughters. Her problems started in 2007, when the mesh was inserted, and gradually got worse. 'I was so often in bed so ill, and in so much pain that my youngest daughter thought I was going to go the same way as her father

'But he said there was nothing he could do. It was beyond his expertise and so he referred me to his superior. But when I saw the second gynaecologist in December 2017, his attitude was 'don't believe everything you read in the newspapers, what do you want me to do?'

'By then I had read about the Sling the Mesh group and I wanted to be referred to a specialist urogynaecologist who knows how to surgically remove the mesh when it has broken up and is embedded in soft tissue.

'But my GP wouldn't refer me; we pretty much had a stand-up row. She said the mesh should stay in the body and is not meant to come out regardless of what it was doing. It was such a battle. I was constantly dismissed and told it was depression and all in my mind.'

In December 2017, Mary booked a private consultation with Sohier Elneil, a consultant urogynaecological surgeon at University College London Hospital (UCLH), who is leading one of the only functioning mesh clinics in the country  London Complex Mesh Centre.

'They were so sympathetic and supportive,' says Mary. 'They agreed to take me on as an NHS patient and said they would write to my GP. I felt so relieved someone had listened to me at last. I went back to the GP and told her.

'Soon after that there was a BBC Panorama programme about the mesh and when I went back to see my GP, she apologised. She said she had seen the documentary and understood.

'From that point on she was very supportive. At last I was on the right path. I had a long way to go, including surgery, but it was a start.'

Since then, thanks to the team at UCLH, Mary has had three complex operations to remove as much of the mesh as possible.

She is still in permanent pain but can now walk for up to 40 minutes, which she regards as a breakthrough. 'I can live with this level of pain,' she says. 'I couldn't live with the pain I was in before.'

Many other patients tell similar stories of how they were saved by the UCLH team.

'I lost my husband to myeloma in 2017; he was only 52,' says Sonia Browne, 55, a senior bank executive from Romford, East London, who has four daughters. Her problems started in 2007, when the mesh was inserted, and gradually got worse.

'I was so often in bed so ill, and in so much pain that my youngest daughter thought I was going to go the same way as her father.

'When I was examined at UCLH, I was asked how I managed to walk with so much mesh damage.

'I had seen dozens of doctors since having the mesh put in. But it was the first time one had listened to me and understood. It was all I could do not to cry.

'I had the mesh removed in July this year. It had moved into my nerves, vagina, tendons and muscles. They had to reconstruct my vagina and I was in the operating theatre for four hours.

'I'm nowhere near how I was before the mesh, but I'm 100 per cent better than I was. I have a three-year-old grandson and I was just able to walk him to the park, which I couldn't before the op.'

June Faircloth is another one of the lucky ones treated at UCLH. The 50-year-old mother-of-two and former civil servant from Clacton, Essex, had the mesh implanted almost 14 years ago

The London Complex Mesh Centre represents a personal triumph for Ms Elneil, who learnt many of her surgical skills repairing injuries sustained after childbirth among teenage mothers in Africa.

She has been trying to raise awareness of the mesh problems since she saw her first patient crippled by the material in 2007.

'For a long time I thought I was seeing all the women damaged by this material so was getting a skewed idea of the scale of the problem,' she says. 'Eventually it became apparent that was not the case. By 2018 at UCLH we were getting a flood of 30 or 40 patients referred to us every month.

'While UCLH itself has been supportive I became a pariah among some doctors for raising concern about this material, and I still am, but if no one in the medical profession had said: 'Women are telling the truth, they're suffering and we need to support them,' it would have been much more difficult for them to get the Cumberlege review and NHS England to come in.'

June Faircloth is another one of the lucky ones treated at UCLH. The 50-year-old mother-of-two and former civil servant from Clacton, Essex, had the mesh implanted almost 14 years ago.

She was actually a patient representative on the NHS 'Pelvic Floor Oversight Group' (PFOG) but was disillusioned to learn from the Cumberlege report that while this was started in August 2019, it actually continued the 'work of previously established stakeholder groups' looking at the mesh.

'They had this group for 12 years,' says June. 'It has been given different names so it didn't look as if it had been going on as long as it had. In fact, they knew these problems had been going on for years.

'We were told at one of the recent working group meetings that they knew in 2007 that one in ten mesh patients would suffer complications,' she recalls.

'That's really high  I would never have had it if I had known that. We now know from studies that it's about three or four in ten who have problems. We think there has been at least 250,000 NHS procedures in total since the 1990s so we are looking at a minimum 25,000 women with complications.'

Meanwhile, there is continuing dismay that the Cumberlege recommendations have not been implemented.

'The report said that the tragic and frequently harrowing stories we heard from women who have suffered mesh complications would leave a lasting impression on me and my team, and that is so true,' Baroness Cumberlege told Good Health.

'Although the review finished more than a year ago we still hear from women in desperate situations, suffering terrible pain, unable to work, unable even to look after their own children, and with no idea where to turn for help. This is quite simply a tragedy. All the more so because it was avoidable.'

She adds: 'One of our nine major recommendations was that specialist mesh removal centres be set up by the NHS so that women could access the care and support they need. Not just surgical care, but physiotherapy, mental health support, pain management and more. I've been encouraged to see NHS England respond by planning to set up eight such centres.'

A spokesman for NHS England told Good Health: 'All seven [sic] specialist centres are open, appropriately staffed and treating patients. The NHS is also introducing training and guidance for primary care teams in order to facilitate referrals and help ensure people get the care they need.'

However, Baroness Cumberlege believes the centres are nowhere near open: 'I am due to meet senior NHS England officials soon and will be seeking an update on progress. It is vital that these specialist centres are all open, fully functioning and accessible to the women who need help.

'They need to provide consistently high standards of care across all eight of them. We can't have mesh removal centres which lack the right expertise and understanding, or are not properly resourced, or deliver poor outcomes. Women simply won't trust those centres.

'It's vital, too, that these centres don't repeat the mistakes of the past. They need to track the outcomes of removal surgery, not just whether the removal operation itself was successful but also each woman's experience post-surgery. Patient-reported outcomes and experiences must be the cornerstone of effective outcome measurement.

'Surgeons who operate also need to agree the safest and most effective ways of carrying out mesh removal. It can be complicated and I know there isn't a consensus yet on how best to go about it, for example, whether full or partial removal is best for the woman, and what constitutes full removal.

'These aspects are confusing and worrying for women  it is incumbent on surgeons and the wider teams in these specialist centres to reach that consensus so that women have a clear understanding of what is involved.'

Kath Sansom, 54, from Cambridgeshire, set up Sling the Mesh after she failed to get answers when she suffered her own mesh-related injuries, and still experiences chronic pain. Her group now has 9,100 members.

'Some of these women have suffered terrible, life-changing injuries at the hands of surgeons who are now being identified as prospective mesh centre leads and supposed to be the experts to fix them  yet as far as we know, most have not received additional expertise or training,' she says.

'Last May we were promised a meeting with the NHS to talk about what it was that women wanted from the mesh centres, yet that has never happened.

'Our concern is surgeons don't have the micro-surgical expertise to extract tiny fragments of this plastic causing damage to nerves and chronic excruciating pain and infection.

'We still have a long way to go to properly help the thousands of women damaged by this stuff.'

For decades there have been concerns about Britain's weak regulatory approval mechanism for surgical devices including defective artificial hip joints and breast implants.

Following one of the recommendations in the Cumberlege report, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has just embarked on a ten-week public consultation to give people a say in the establishment of a new regulatory framework to improve the way devices are assessed before being put on the market, and post-market surveillance to monitor emerging problems.

There is currently a 'pause' on the use of surgical mesh but it is still being promoted elsewhere in the world. Apart from the difficulty of getting the mesh removal centres up and running it seems the campaigners' battle to prevent its use is far from over.
In March last year, Edward Bramson, boss of the activist investor Sherborne, called on Barclays to sack Jes Staley after news that the Financial Conduct Authority was investigating the chief executives ties to the convicted paedophile, the late Jeffrey Epstein.

The US activist investor argued that re-appointing Staley at the May annual meeting was ill-advised because of the harm being done to the banks reputation, already reeling from Staleys peculiar attempts at unmasking a whistleblower for which he was fined 642,000 and cost him a clawed back 500,000 bonus.

Bramson was right in his judgement. Indeed, I agreed with him, writing here at the time, that Staleys link to Epstein was just one bizarre incident too many and that, however brilliant he may be as a banker, his presence was undermining the Barclays brand.

Exit: Barclays boss Jes Staley (pictured) has stepped down amid mounting concern over the extent of his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein

While Bramsons criticism had perhaps more to do with his own attempt to force Barclays to change its business model  he has since sold his stake  he was ahead of the pack in claiming that Staley was a liability the bank could ill-afford.

It was also clear at the time that chairman Nigel Higgins needed to get a grip, and assert his authority by announcing that Staley would step down at some future date with a succession plan being put in place pronto.

But Higgins and the Barclays board ducked the issue and put their heads in the sand, hoping, no doubt, that the report would be buried. Only last month Staley himself told an interviewer that he would be around for a couple more years.

Until Friday that is. Quite what happened at Barclays Canary Wharf tower on Friday night when the board received the report is anyones guess. Clearly there was enough meat for them to sharpen their knives and demand Staleys head.

Barclays is saying nothing, other than it is disappointed at the outcome of the report.

Nor do we have a clue what is in the FCAs interim report  and it maybe months before we do because Staley has said he will contest the findings, so expect some messy court cases.

However, from what can be established, the FCAs findings have not claimed in any way that Staley saw, or knew about, Epsteins sex trafficking crimes.

Yet the FCAs investigators, it would seem, may have found enough buried in the cache of Staleys emails to show that his relationship with Epstein was not as he claimed.

And that appears to be the heart of the matter. Has Staley been economical with the truth about his relations with Epstein?

Who knows. But it is being suggested there is evidence which contradicts what Staley had previously told Barclays about his role in Epsteins affairs while acting as his private banker for many years. If that is the case, then the all elusive trust between Staley and the board has been broken, giving directors the reason to demand he quit.

The two first worked together in a professional relationship in 2000, when Staley became head of JP Morgans private bank where Epstein was a client.

Then, in 2008, Epstein was charged with sex crimes and pleaded guilty to soliciting a prostitute.

By 2009, compliance officers at JP Morgan had recommended the bank cut ties with Epstein because of the unacceptable risks being done to its reputation. Yet he remained a client until 2013.

Staley, who joined Barclays in 2015, has made no secret about seeing Epstein socially for many years after his conviction.

He joined him at his New York mansion in 2011  along with many other US bigwigs, including Microsofts co-founder, Bill Gates, whose own relations with Epstein are set to be disclosed in the divorce courts  and continued visiting him at his Caribbean retreat, just months before joining Barclays.

Where now for Barclays ? Its testimony to Staleys strategy of focusing on retail and investment banking that his successor is CS Venkatakrishnan  known as Venkat  who previously ran Barclays global markets trading division.

He also leaves on something of a high, with the latest results for the last nine months showing a 15 per cent rise in tangible equity on the back of the post-pandemic capital markets boom.

But the shares at 200.85p still trade at a discount to book value while shareholders havent done so well, earning a return of less than 3 per cent during Staleys six years which have been so clouded by his personal issues.

Staleys departure may be overdue but by finally asking him to leave, Barclays has hopefully made itself stronger.
Pension schemes 'still have much work to do' in adapting to the risks and investment opportunities of climate change, warns an industry watchdog as the COP26 UN summit kicks off in Glasgow.

The Pensions Regulator believes too few schemes give enough consideration to the issue, meaning investment performance - and ultimately the financial results for retirement savers - could suffer.

Its progress report comes as an influential campaign group claims the investments of UK pension schemes enable the release of 330million tonnes of carbon every year - more than the country's entire carbon footprint.

Going green: There may be opportunities to access new markets and technologies in the transition to a low-carbon economy, says the regulator

'If the UK pensions industry was a country, it would find itself in the top 20 carbon emitters globally,' according to Make My Money Matter, which was founded by celebrity film director Richard Curtis and ex-Bank of England governor Mark Carney.

The group recently called out 71 of the UK's top 100 final salary pension schemes for failing to make 'robust' commitments to fight the climate emergency, in an attempt to ramp up pressure on them ahead of the COP26 UN summit which runs until 12 November 2021.

Pension industry bodies responded to the Pension Regulator and Make My Money Matter by explaining the progress schemes and providers are making in considering climate change in investment decisions - find out what they are doing below.

The regulator's report says that pension schemes could see a positive impact from considering climate change, including on expected returns for savers and the capacity to reduce risk.

It adds that there may be opportunities to access new markets and technologies in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The Pensions Regulator found:

What are defined contribution and final salary pensions? Defined contribution pensions take contributions from both employer and employee and invest them to provide a pot of money at retirement. Unless you work in the public sector, they have now mostly replaced more generous gold-plated defined benefit - or final salary - pensions, which provide a guaranteed income after retirement until you die. Defined contribution pensions are stingier and savers bear the investment risk, rather than employers.

- Some 43 per cent of defined contribution pension schemes took account of climate change in their investment strategies when surveyed in 2020 - double the percentage the previous year.

And 95 per cent of all defined contribution savers were in a scheme that does consider the issue.

'This is because the vast majority of members are in master trusts, and 94 per cent of master trusts took account of climate change, compared with 70 per cent per cent of large schemes, 49 per cent of medium schemes and 8 per cent of small and micro schemes used for automatic enrolment,' says the report.

- Some 49 per cent of all defined benefit pension schemes have allocated time or resources to assessing financial risks and opportunities associated with climate change.

'This increased with scheme size, 19 per cent of micro, 36 per cent of small, 54 per cent of medium and 70 per cent of large schemes,' it says.

The Pensions Regulator admits that a current lack of relevant data could be a barrier to schemes adapting to climate change.

Chief executive Charles Counsell says: 'The pension industry still has much work to do to build resilience and assess climate-related risks and opportunities.

'A rapidly warming world brings the risk of more frequent fires, floods or extreme weather  potentially causing the loss of physical assets and supply chain disruption.'

He believes that unless the risks are managed properly they could affect scheme funding, and the employers who sponsor them, and leave some savers facing a poorer retirement.

Meanwhile, Make My Money Matter's latest report, compiled by sustainability research firm Route2, estimates that UK pension schemes invest 112billion into fossil fuels, or 60 for every 1,000 invested.

The research used as its starting point an Office for National Statistics estimate of the UK pensions industry as worth 2.7trillion.

Source: Make My Money Matter

Route2 omitted derivatives, cash, cash equivalents and other unclassified assets from its calculations, but included public equity, private equity, government bonds, corporate bonds, and other debt, so it analysed assets under management of 1.9trillion.

To assess both emissions and fossil fuel investments, it used 'bottom up' data such as from default pension funds, and combined it with 'top down' data from sources like the ONS and MSCI ACWI index.

Full details of how it analysed pension industry investments are here.

What does the pension industry say?

'It is positive that the Pensions Regulator recognises the rapid progress pension schemes have made in taking climate change into consideration in their investment decisions,' says Nigel Peaple, director of policy and advocacy at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association.

'Indeed, as many as 95 per cent of members belonged to schemes where this was the case when the survey was conducted in 2020.

'Given the pace of progress, almost a year on from when TPR conducted its survey, we are confident that many more schemes now have embedded climate change considerations into their decision making.'

Peaple says the legal requirements in the UK are world-leading, and the Government was the first to apply the internationally mandated Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures requirements to pension schemes.

What does responsible investing jargon mean? Two thirds of savers want to invest responsibly but are baffled by jargon: How to tell ESG from SRI and impact investing... and spot greenwashing here.

He went on: 'The pensions sector is united in its desire to tackle climate change and wants the Government to accelerate its climate roadmap to ensure companies, asset managers and service providers catch-up with the expectations on pension schemes.

'Doing so will ensure that schemes have more accurate and meaningful data on which to base their strategies and commitments.'

Peaple notes that the Pensions Regulator has acknowledged there are still barriers for pensions schemes - including a lack of quality data on which to base decisions - and says the PLSA has identified solutions to some of the issues.

Ben Wilson, Director of Corporate Affairs and Climate Change at the Association of British Insurers, says: 'The power of the insurance and long-term savings sector to reduce emissions and help meet net zero by 2050 is huge.

'While great progress has been made this year, which the Prudential Regulation Authority has described as a "step change", our sector knows it must do more to reduce carbon emissions.

'Our Climate Change Roadmap sets out new short and medium-term milestones ahead of fully decarbonizing activity by 2050.

'The insurance and long-term savings sector has committed to supporting customers to make sustainable choices by making it easier for customers to make green decisions about their pension savings and to reach a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

'For the insurance and long-term savings sector to make net zero commitments, it will be important to provide clarity over the UK economys pathway to net zero and reliable datasets to measure progress, so investment decisions can be made with confidence.'
Titanic manufacturer Harland & Wolff has said it is in 'several negotiations' with clients looking to build renewables infrastructure at its yards.

The contracts, worth between 30million and 200million, are 'complex and multi-year' and are expected to be 'key' in boosting revenues in the years ahead as the UK strives towards decarbonisation, the company said on Monday.

Aside from its historic pedigree, Harland & Wolff's shipyard has been used more recently to build offshore wind turbines, while its giant Samson and Goliath cranes are considered Belfast landmarks.

Samson and Goliath, the twin shipbuilding cranes at Harland & Wollf shipyard in Belfast

'Project developers have now become conscious of the lack of fabrication capacity across the UK and are making efforts to book capacity', it said as it unveiled its unaudited annual results.

The marine engineering company, which was bought for 6million by Infrastrata two years ago after collapsing into administration following the bankruptcy of its former Norwegian owner, also confirmed it is going ahead with its plans to increase the UKs gas storage capacity.

Amid the growing concerns about the UK's gas supplies, its Islandmagee underground gas storage plant off the coast of Northern Ireland was given the green light earlier this month.

Harland & Wolff now expects to receive a full marine licence within the next two weeks and could eventually hold over 25 per cent of the UK's storage capacity.

In the future, the facility could instead be used for the storage of hydrogen.

'As the UK economy progressively transitions from natural gas to hydrogen, large scale hydrogen storage will be critical for the success of this transition,' it said.

'The Company believes that lessons have to be learned from the failure to check natural gas price volatility and one of the widely recognised mechanisms to mitigate against such price and supply volatility is to have adequate domestic storage capacity,' it added.

Harland & Wolff also confirmed it is making 'good progress' on work to manufacture eight wind turbine jackets on an offshore wind farm project in Scotland.

It comes as the company increased revenues seven-fold to 10.2million in the year to the end of July, from 1.5million the year before.

But pre-tax losses widened to 16.6million in the year to the end of July, from 10.4million in the previous year, reflecting 'an increase in the number of personnel and overall overheads'.

Harland & Wolff's shipyard has been used more recently to build offshore wind turbines

Chief executive John Wood said the company's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation are set to turn positive again next year.

'In order to establish our credibility within the industry, it has been essential to bring the yards back into full operation only after completing all the necessary upgrades to meet best of class technical and operational standards. I am delighted that we have now achieved that,' he said.

'Whilst the increased level of spending in the short-term hurts cashflows, and we are very mindful of that, it is, however, absolutely necessary that we invest in the business now in order to reap its benefits in the months and years to come.

He added: 'With a footprint of over 250 acres, we are now the largest business dedicated to the marine construction and fabrication industry in the UK.

'With our investments in people and systems across the Group, we are in our best ever position to bid for and consummate larger long-term contracts as we strive to enhance shareholder value.

'We estimate that at circa 80 per cent utilisation of the facilities, Harland & Wolff is capable of generating revenues of c500m per annum. Whilst we have a lot of work to do to get to that level, the business is now starting to move in that direction with momentum being built across all our five markets.'

Harland & Wolff shares rose 1 per cent to 26.77p in morning trading on Monday.
LV has been accused of being economical with the truth after its website continued to claim there are no incentives for executives from a planned sale to private equity.

Chairman Alan Cook last week told MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Committee on Mutuals there would undoubtedly be a long-term financial incentive for the insurers chief executive Mark Hartigan if he is kept on after the deal.

But yesterday, a Frequently Asked Questions article on the LV website about the proposed takeover by US private equity firm Bain Capital still said executive directors have no incentive scheme associated with this transaction.

TV times: LV adverts have been a familiar sight on British television screens over recent years

It is true that no formal incentive scheme is in place but bosses are still likely to reap large rewards.

There is no mention in the FAQs about any potential benefits for Hartigan, a former Army colonel who was paid 1.2million last year but could net a substantial pay rise under private equity ownership.

MPs were also told 205,000-a-year Cook may stay as chairman under Bains ownership and benefit from an improved pay package.

Labour MP and former Commons public accounts committee chairman Dame Margaret Hodge yesterday said: The question everybody needs to ask is why those people at the top are being somewhat economical with the truth.

If there is any way in which the chief executive will personally gain from this takeover, that needs to be totally transparent and everybody needs to be aware of it  whether its an instant gain or bonus down the line. Anything less is unacceptable behaviour.

Gareth Thomas, chairman of the APPG on Mutuals, said it was shocking LVs management were not being straight with members who will vote on the deal.

He said: Under pressure, Alan Cook finally admitted on Friday that he and the chief executive of LV [Hartigan] will benefit hugely. Pretending otherwise to force through the sale and keep lining their own pockets means the leadership are again playing fast and loose with their own members.

An LV spokesman said last night that the website was correct as future pay for Hartigan and Cook was hypothetical.

Hartigan, 58, joined LV in January 2020 and soon hired advisers to find a buyer for Britains second-biggest mutual, which dates back to 1843 and was known as Liverpool Victoria.

LV chairman Alan Cook (right) told MPs there would 'undoubtedly' be a 'long-term financial incentive' for the insurer's chief exec Mark Hartigan (left) if he is kept on after the deal

He was at Zurich Insurance Group for more than a decade, where he held roles including being head of operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Before entering finance, he was commander of First Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, leading a deployment in Iraq in 2005.

His predecessor as commanding officer, Colonel Tim Collins said: He was a really nice, well-spoken, public school-educated English bloke. He disappeared into finance in his early 40s and probably realised he had a talent.

Hartigan lives in a 1.4million home near Bath and has been active in the community, running a bar at a fundraising event organised by his wife for their villages 14th century church.

Cook, 67, who was made a CBE in 2006, has held a variety of roles and is known by supporters as Mr Fixit, who rids organisations of inefficiencies.

As managing director of the Post Office between 2006 and 2010, he oversaw the continued prosecution of sub-postmasters accused of theft.

Thirty-nine were found guilty, but it was later revealed there had been a fault with the Post Offices Horizon computer accounting system, leading to a judge overturning the verdicts and describing the saga as one of the greatest miscarriages of justice.

Between 2011 and 2014 Cook was non-executive chairman of roads body the Highways Agency  now known as National Highways  when large-scale expansion of killer smart motorways was taking place.

In a report from 2011, Cook described creating the roads, where the hard-shoulder becomes a permanent live lane and which have been criticised after a spate of deaths, as sweating the asset.

LV insisted the proposed 530million sale to Bain would preserve jobs and ensure it delivered growth for its members investments.

A spokesman said: There have been no firm decisions regarding the role of the chief executive or the terms of any contract until the outcome of the transaction.

Given the opportunity and long-term future for LV under Bain Capitals ownership, the present chief executive would like to be included in the exciting journey ahead.
The new boss of Barclays heaped praise on Jes Staley as he vowed to press on with the strategy started by his 'manager, mentor and friend'.

CS Venkatakrishnan told shell-shocked staff in an email that he would 'continue our existing plans to transform our organisation and build on our financial prowess'.

The message to 84,000 Barclays bankers around the world followed the sudden exit of Staley over his links with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Shock appointment: New Barclays boss CS Venkatakrishnan (pictured) - who is known as Venkat - vowed to press on with the strategy started by his 'mentor and friend' Jes Staley

'Jes has been my manager, mentor and friend for many years,' Venkatakrishnan said in the memo.

'He became chief executive of Barclays in one of our darkest hours and devised and implemented a successful recovery strategy of outstanding vision.'

The new Barclays boss  his full name is Coimbatore Sundararajan Venkatakrishnan but he is known as Venkat  takes the reins on a package worth up to 9million a year.

In a clear signal he plans to emulate Staley's commitment to the investment banking arm, his message went on: 'The strategy we have in place is the right one, and we will continue our existing plans to transform our organisation and build on our financial prowess. I know that with continued focus on delivery the best is yet to come.'

Soon after joining Barclays from JP Morgan in 2015, Staley returned to his former bank to poach Venkat along with Australian Paul Compton.

Staley described them as 'two of the best bankers I know' and last year both were promoted to senior roles in Barclays' investment bank as the board tested their mettle while trying to decide who would eventually take the top job.

Those succession plans were put on fast-forward yesterday as the City was left stunned by Staley's departure.

One senior analyst said: 'I wouldn't have been surprised if Barclays had announced Staley's departure next year, but we weren't expecting it so soon.'

Even Barclays itself was left in the lurch by the Financial Conduct Authority's report into Staley's links to Epstein.

As recently as Friday afternoon, it had been planning for Staley to represent the bank at this week's Cop26 climate talks.

And the bank could not yet confirm whether or not Indian-born Venkat, who holds US nationality and is based in New York, would even move to the UK as he takes the reins as Barclays boss.

A respected City insider said: 'I don't see how you can have the chief executive of a British bank who's not based in Britain.'

Barclays said Venkat had been its 'preferred candidate' for over a year having been promoted to head of global markets.

Joseph Dickerson, at Jefferies, said: 'Venkat's appointment creates continuity in the strategy. He's well-respected and investors generally like him.'

Venkat will be paid slightly more than his predecessor  his base wage will be 2.7million, compared with Staley's 2.4million, so his maximum bonuses will be proportionally larger. Staley said he plans to contest the FCA's findings.

The report will not be published until the process is complete.
The new pension Royal Mail is proposing to start in 2022 will affect me as I've worked there for a number of years and I'm now in my thirties.

Royal Mail will be the first in this country to move to a 'collective defined contribution' pension plan if it happens, though the system has been used in the Netherlands.

I have read up on CDC pensions, as pensions are something that interest me, which leaves me leaning towards the view of them being poor compared with our current plan.

Retirement planning: Will the Royal Mail's new collective pension benefit me?

Also, I believe they very much favour the older working generation (those looking to retire within 10 years), leaving my age group (those with 25-plus years to work) worse off.

From what I have read, we will struggle to recoup what people such as me have paid into the plan, and also it's unpredictable in regards to potential returns.

Another concern is the fact Royal Mail is investing in high risk assets with the 'pot' which I understand will be 100 per cent in equities.

Currently the maximum we can pay in as employees is 6 per cent of salary, unless we top up with voluntary contributions, and Royal Mail inputs 9 per cent which I'm more than happy with.

Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below

With the new CDC scheme, Royal Mail is trying to make it look more attractive by saying it is upping its input to 13.6 per cent on people paying 6 per cent.

It says that on the death of an employee/ex employee their spouse will continue to receive their benefits out of the CDC pot at the expense of current Royal Mail employees.

My personal pension pot is now worth roughly 50,000.

My question is, would I be better opting out of the CDC plan and joining another pension provider where I can transfer the pot I've built up already, but which Royal Mail only contributes 3 per cent of salary to?

I can then choose how much investment risk I want throughout my working life and I will know I've got my own personal pot come retirement.

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK STEVE YOUR PENSION QUESTION

Steve Webb replies: As you know, the Royal Mail is leading the way with a type of pension arrangement which is quite common elsewhere in the world but new for the UK.

But other employers are known to be looking closely at this model so it is something which could be of relevance well beyond the Royal Mail.

The background is that until now there have been two main types of pensions.

The first is the traditional 'defined benefit' arrangement where the amount you get is guaranteed and simply depends on how much you earned and how long you worked.

As long as your employer doesn't go bust, you should get a pension in line with the rules of the scheme.

The other main type of pension is 'defined contribution' or 'pot of money' where you and your employer are paying money into a pot which is invested up to your retirement.

Crucially, you have your own ring-fenced pot which is separate to the pot of any other of your colleagues.

The only thing which is 'defined' in advance is the amount being paid in. The pension you eventually get depends on how well the money is invested, what has happened to annuity rates and so forth.

How will new 'collective' pensions work? Royal Mail plans to pioneer a scheme that shares risks but slashes income if things go wrong. Read a This is Money guide here.

For a member, a DB pension is very attractive.

The member simply pays in at the required rate and the cost of meeting the promised pension is then under-written by the employer.

If investments under-perform or members live longer than expected, all these additional costs have to be financed by the employer.

For this reason, many firms  including the Royal Mail  have decided that they can no longer offer this type of provision.

With an individual DC pension pot, by contrast, there are several drawbacks.

You cannot know how big your event pension pot will be, nor how much pension it will buy in retirement if you chose to buy an annuity.

Alternatively, if you decide to put your pot into a drawdown account in retirement, you are then subject to all the risks outlined above, and you also have to manage the funds over an uncertain life span.

Against this backdrop many firms no longer want to offer DB schemes, but many members may feel that they have to take too much risk with an individual DC scheme.

The Royal Mail and the Communications Workers Union have worked together to come up with a compromise known as 'Collective DC' or CDC for short.

You mention the Netherlands which is indeed one country which has had collective pension arrangements for many years, but what the Royal Mail is proposing is quite different.

In brief, the employer and employee will each contribute a set amount to the pension scheme.

Although the payout is not guaranteed, there is a target pension which you should hope to get. If things turn out badly  for example if the investment returns seriously under-perform  then benefits can be scaled back.

But the 'pain' is felt by all members  whilst future pensions may be reduced, those in retirement could see their annual increases scaled back, for example  in order to get the scheme back on track.

In some of these 'collective' pension schemes there have been concerns that older members have been favoured over younger ones.

But a lot depends on the design of the scheme, and the trustees who oversee the scheme have a duty to be fair to all members. This is why, if the fund doesn't perform well, both pensioners and workers would share the pain.

Opinions vary considerably on the merits of CDC schemes of this sort. A member would probably generally prefer a DB scheme but that may not be on offer.

Compared with an individual DC scheme where all the risk is on the individual, a 'collective' DC scheme may offer greater predictability.

One important advantage is that in a CDC scheme your pension lasts as long as you do  the scheme deals with the issue of your uncertain life expectancy by 'pooling' the risk of you outliving your money across all scheme members.

You ask whether you should opt out of this arrangement and instead choose one with another provider where the employer will only pay in 3 per cent.

Whilst I cannot give you financial advice, I would simply point out that you would have to do very well in a scheme where the employer only pays in 3 per cent of salary to get a better result than in a scheme (like the CDC scheme) where the employer is paying in over 13 per cent.

It remains to be seen if CDC schemes will take off in the UK as they have done in a number of other countries, but they may offer a valuable 'third way' of providing pensions which is affordable to the employer but still valuable to the member.
Mahmoud Sanoussi was just 15 when he and 13 other Lebanese-Australian teenagers committed a series of pack rapes in 2000

A member of the notorious Skaf gang of pack rapists has admitted driving a tip truck with cannabis and ice in his system, two decades after his horrific teenage crimes.

Mahmoud Sanoussi told police he smoked cannabis every night when he was pulled over while speeding and overtaking another truck in Sydney's inner south.

Sanoussi was just 15 when he and at least 13 other Lebanese-Australian youths committed a series of pack rapes in south-western Sydney in 2000.

He was released in 2009 and has been back to prison several times for drug related offences and crimes of violence.

Sanoussi faced court on Monday almost a month after another rape gang member, 38-year-old Mohammed Skaf, was released on parole after serving 21 years in jail.

Skaf's older brother Bilal is still behind bars for his leading role in the rapes which a New South Wales District Court judge described in 2002 as 'worse than murder'.

Nine offenders were jailed over four attacks on six victims aged 16 to 18 committed in the weeks leading up to the Sydney Olympic Games.

Sannousi was among a group of males including Mohammed Skaf who lured an 18-year-old woman to Bankstown train station on August 30, 2000.

A member of the notorious Skaf gang of pack rapists has admitted driving a tip truck with cannabis and ice in his system, two decades after his horrific crimes. Mahmoud Sanoussi told police he smoked cannabis every night when he was pulled over in Sydney's inner south

Mahmoud Sanoussi was released in 2009 and has been back to prison several times for drug related offences and crimes of violence. He is pictured outside Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Monday with lawyer Eidan Havas

The woman was then raped 25 times at three locations by 14 attackers including Sanoussi and his older brother Mohamed before being sprayed with an industrial hose.

She was asked if 'Leb c*** tasted better than Aussie c***' and told by Mohammed Skaf 'I'm going to f*** you Leb-style' in an ordeal that lasted six hours.

The State Parole Authority described the 'horrendous' assaults committed upon the woman that night as 'violent, degrading and disgusting'.

Sanoussi was sentenced to 11 years and three months in jail with a non-parole period of six and a half years.

He began his sentence at Kariong Kariong Juvenile Justice Centre on the NSW Central Coast before being transferred to an adult jail.

Released on parole in 2009, he was sent back to prison in 2010 for drug crimes.

Sanoussi was imprisoned again for bashing a cleaner at a smash repair business at Revesby in Sydney's south-west in September 2013.

He and two other men pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily and to intimidating a policeman who came to the victim's aid.

Sannousi was among a group of males including Mohammed Skaf who lured an 18-year-old woman to Bankstown train station on August 30, 2000. The woman was the raped 25 times at three locations by 14 attackers including Sanoussi and his brother Mohamed

Sanoussi faced court on Monday almost a month after another rape gang member, 38-year-old Mohammed Skaf (right), was released on parole after serving 21 years in jail. Skaf's older brother Bilal (left) is still behind bars for his leading role in the rapes

A magistrate called the unprovoked attacks 'cowardly and despicable' as he sentenced Sanoussi to 18 months' jail in Bankstown Local Court.

Another judge heard in 2013 that Sanoussi and two of his brothers had links to the Brothers 4 Life crime gang, which had been meeting at the family home.

Sanoussi, from Greenacre, was arrested again after being stopped while driving a white Hino tipper about 7.45am on July 3 at Mascot.

The 36-year-old had been clocked at 105km/h in an 80km/h zone on Southern Cross Drive and was not displaying his P plates.

A roadside test which produced a positive result for methylamphetamine (ice) and cannabis was confirmed at Mascot police station with a further saliva swab.

When asked about his drug use Sanoussi told officers, '[I] smoke weed every night', according to a statement of facts tendered to Downing Centre Local Court.

Sanoussi pleaded guilty to driving with a prohibited drug in his system and was fined for speeding and not displaying his P plates.

Mohammed Skaf was released on October 6 under strict conditions including 24-hour electronic monitoring. He is pictured walking out of Sydney's Long Bay jail

Sanoussi's brother Mohamed was 16 at the time of the rapes and following an appeal against the severity of his original 21-year sentence was jailed for 16 years with a non-parole period of 10 years. He is pictured left in a teenage mugshot and right when released in October 2013

He was already the subject of a 16-month conditional release order imposed at Goulburn Local Court in December last year for driving while suspended.

His lawyer, Eidan Havas, said Sanoussi intended undergoing a traffic offenders program.

Skaf gang rapes were 'worse than murder' Bilal Skaf led a gang of more than a dozen young Lebanese Australians who committed four pack rapes on six teenagers in late 2000. Among the gang members was Bilal's younger brother Mohammed. One of the victims, an 18-year-old woman, was raped 25 times by 14 gang members over six hours in an attack coordinated by mobile phone. She was then dumped at a train station after being hosed down. During her ordeal the woman was called an 'Aussie pig', told she was going to be raped 'Leb-style' and asked if 'Leb c*** tasted better than Aussie c***'. Judge Michael Finnane compared the Skaf gang's depravity to outrages committed by invading armies in times of war and said their crimes were 'worse than murder'. 'These were not random attacks and, in my view, they were aimed at creating terror in the community,' Judge Finnane said. 'It seemed clear to me that these men were sending out a message to the community in Sydney. Skaf and the members of this gang clearly wanted public recognition for what they had done.' None of the rapists expressed any remorse for their crimes at their trials. Only Bilal Skaf is still in jail for the attacks. Some of the rapists have never been identified and police fear there were more victims who did not come forward. Advertisement

Sanoussi, who is facing further charges of driving while suspended and driving without a seat belt, has been out of custody since 2015.

In 2017 he faced court charged with being armed with a knife with intent to commit an indictable offence, and committing an assault with the knife.

Those charges, to which he pleaded not guilty, related to an assault at Zetland, in Sydney's inner-city, in April the previous year.

At the time his lawyer told Downing Centre Local Court: 'He has been rehabilitated. This is just an allegation.'

Sanoussi was convicted of the assault in June 2017 when he was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond, while the knife charge was withdrawn.

He will be sentenced at Bankstown Local Court for driving with drugs in his system later this month.

Sanoussi's brother Mohamed was 16 at the time of the Skaf gang rapes and following an appeal against the severity of his original 21-year sentence was jailed for 16 years with a non-parole period of 10 years.

The District Court heard Mohamed had told one of his victim's during an attack, 'It's my right'.

He was released in 2013 on strict parole conditions including that he not have any contact with the now defunct Brothers 4 Life.

Mohammed Skaf was released on October 6 under strict conditions including 24-hour electronic monitoring.

His non-parole period on 16 years, 11 months and 30 days expired on January 1, 2018, more than three and a half years ago.

His maximum sentence does not expire until January 1, 2024 but due to Covid-19 restrictions he had been unable to complete pre-release external leave programs.

If Skaf served his full term in prison authorities would have had no control over his reintegration back into the community when he finally got out.

A decision was therefore made to grant him parole so he could be closely supervised while living in his family's Greenacre home.

Mohammed Skaf's release left his 40-year-old brother Bilal as the only Skaf gang rapist still in jail for their original crimes. He will be eligible for parole in 2033.

Mohamed Ghanem, 38, was released in 2015 after serving 14 years and jailed for a minimum four years in 2019 for the commercial supply of ice.
A quick-witted teenager prevented an attempted armed robbery at a service station by convincing him to try another business.

Sophie had only just begun her shift at the St Peters petrol station in Adelaide when a man entered and begun perusing the aisles on Saturday morning.

He approached the 18-year-old cashier and demanded she give him money from the till, warning he was armed with a gun.

Adelaide woman Sophie had only just begun her shift at the St Peters convenience store when a man approached her and demanded $500, adding he was armed with a gun (pictured)

'He said "can I have $500, I'm broke. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not going to touch you, I have a gun in my bag",' Sophie told 7News.

'I was in shock but I said "could you just go to the petrol station up the road", I said please, I begged him.'

In CCTV footage of the hold up, Sophie appears calm and collected as she asks the would-be robber to take his business elsewhere.

'He wasn't aggressive or anything and he left,' the brave teen recalled.

Sophie said while negotiating with the man she was sure not to make any sudden movements in case the man actually had a gun.

The 18-year-old locked the doors of the service station as soon as he left and called the police who arrived in minutes and set up cordons around the area.

The man walked casually out of the petrol station and was last seen heading south, with police sniffer dogs unable to track his scent.

He has been described as a 25 to 30-year-old Caucasian with brown hair and a goatee and wearing a red plaid lumberjack-style shirt, dark pants, black fingerless gloves, and a backpack.

A spokesperson from SA Police said following investigations and information from the public, police last night arrested an 18-year-old North Adelaide man.

He was charged with aggravated robbery and bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on January 5.
President Joe Biden was almost an hour late for a G20 press conference Sunday and blamed the delay on playing with elevators  just months after he was nearly two hours late for a NATO presser.

As he strode to the podium at the end of his second day at the G20 Leaders' Summit in Rome, Biden smiled to the crowd and apologized for his tardiness.

Ladies and gentleman, I apologize for keeping you waiting, he told reporters. We were playing with elevators. Long story.

The world leader has developed a reputation for being behind schedule.

President Joe Biden was nearly an hour late for a G20 press conference Sunday and blamed the delay on playing with elevators'

Biden began a June press conference during a NATO summit in Brussels more than two hours after it was scheduled to start.

He acknowledged his tardiness but didnt explain it.

Folks I know it's after 9:30 pm and I'm still at NATO, he told reporters. You're all excited about that I know.

The NATO plenary session earlier in the day ran over an hour late and his meeting with the Turkish president went long.

Bidens trouble with timekeeping has caught the attention of numerous news outlets.

He was an average of 22 minutes late for public events scheduled from June 1 through mid-October, Fox News reported.

Biden seems to have trouble with timekeeping. He began a June press conference during a NATO summit in Brussels more than two hours after it was scheduled to start

On occasions, he was more than an hour behind schedule, according to the outlet.

During Sundays 26-minute press conference, Biden expressed regret that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping didn't attend the Rome gathering in person - after some climate activists called the G20 commitments on climate change underwhelming.

'The disappointment relates to the fact that Russia and... China, basically didn't show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change,' Biden said. 'And there's a reason why people should be disappointed in that.

'I found it disappointing myself.'

Biden was an average of 22 minutes late for public events scheduled from June 1 through mid-October, Fox News reported

During Sundays 26-minute press conference, Biden expressed regret that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping didn't attend the Rome gathering in person -

He also expressed optimism that the two pieces of his agenda - stuck in Congress thanks to his own party - would make it into law.

'I believe we will pass my Build Back Better plan and I believe we will pass the infrastructure bill,' Biden said.

'But we'll see. We'll see,' he continued.

Twitter users had fun with Biden's Twitter excuse, joking that his 'elevator does not make it to the top floor'

'You know, you've all believed it wouldn't happen from the very beginning of the moment I announced it, and you always seem amazed when it's alive again,' he told the reporters in the room. '

Twitter users had a field day with his elevator excuse, with one quipping: You'd think someone in his 800 person entourage could figure out an European lift.

Added @FrankScheidell: His mommy let him push all the buttons.
Australians can swab themselves for Covid-19 in the comfort of their homes (stock image)

Australians can swab themselves for Covid-19 in the comfort of their homes with self-testing kits available in supermarkets this week.

The rapid antigen tests take about 20 minutes to provide a result but are not as accurate as traditional PCR tests.

Nine types of self-tests have been approved by Australia's drug regulator including nasal swabs and saliva tests.

Woolworths will be selling a nasal swab test in all its stores in New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria from Wednesday, a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

Stores in Queensland and Tasmania will follow later in the month.

A pack of five will cost $50 while a pack of two costs $30.

But the supermarket has warned that due to a supply shortage, customers will be limited to a maximum of 10 self-test kits.

Woolworths supermarkets commercial director James Hepworth told Daily Mail Australia: 'We've been using rapid antigen tests for a couple of months now to help detect and prevent Covid transmission in our distribution centres.

'With the approval from the TGA, we're glad to now offer at-home kits for our customers to buy.

'As self-test kits are new to Australia, we will see short supply available in store initially. We do expect supply to improve by mid-November at which time more test kits will be available in stores.'

The rapid antigen tests (pictured) provide a much quicker way to test for Covid than traditional PCR tests

Customers can get the swabs delivered for free from Woolworths' online health retailer HealthyLife.

Coles has confirmed it will also sell the Hough Pharma Covid Antigen Nasal Test in selected stores - but has not announced when sales will start.

Anyone who tests positive will be expected to get a PCR test from an official testing centre to confirm their illness.

Home tests - which have been used overseas for the past year - have been approved for use in all states and territories except South Australia and Western Australia.

The rapid antigen tests are less accurate than the PCR tests, with some experts warning about false results.

Last November Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk claimed he tested positive twice and then negative twice all on the same day.

'Was tested for Covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive,' Musk wrote.

'Same machine, same test, same nurse. Rapid antigen test from BD,' he said in a tweet, referring to Becton Dickinson and Co's rapid antigen test.

When asked by a Twitter user if he showed any symptoms, Musk said he had symptoms of a 'typical cold'.

'Nothing unusual so far,' Musk added.
More than 400 unarmed Americans were killed during traffic stops in the last five years - a troubling statistic made worse by allegations that many of these police interactions occurred in municipalities that rely on ticket revenue and court fees to maintain their governmental operations.

Many of the traffic stops involved common - minor infractions such as having a broken taillight or running a red light - and none of the drivers or passengers who died were armed or under pursuit for violent crimes, New York Times investigators revealed.

The investigation also found that, in most cases, the officers involved in the fatal traffic stops responded with aggression to disobedience, with a majority of the cops claiming they feared for their lives.

More than 400 Americans were killed during traffic stops in the last five years, a recent investigation has revealed (Picture: Bodycam footage from the June 2020 traffic stop that resulted in the death of Rayshard Brooks)

In most cases, the officers involved in the fatal traffic stops responded with aggression to disobedience. A majority of them said they feared for their lives (Pictured: Bodycam footage from the April 2021 traffic stop where Daunte Wright was killed)

Traffic stops are the most common police encounters with civilians. Ten officers have been killed this year during these interactions (Pictured: The traffic stop in which Chicago Officer Ella Finch was shot and killed)

Prosecutors have also often failed to bring criminal charges for the killings of the unarmed motorists because they were 'legally justifiable'.

According to the newspaper, only five officers have been convicted in the 400 killings that were studied. However, local governments have paid at least $125million to resolve approximately 40 wrongful-death lawsuits.

A majority of the cities that rely on revenue from traffic stops are located in the Midwest and South, which is also where the a large portion of the fatal incidents took place, the investigation revealed.

The below mentioned cases are just a few of several detailed in the investigation into officer-involved killings during traffic stops of unarmed motoris.

In one instance earlier this year, on April 11, Daunte Wright, 20, was shot after being stopped in Minnesota for an air freshener hanging in his rearview mirror and expired license tags.

Former Brooklyn Center police Officer Kim Potter, who is on trial in Hennepin County on first- and second-degree manslaughter charges in Wright's death, said she meant to use a Taser instead of a handgun when she fatally shot the black motorist.

Potter actually fired a gun at Wright and the bullet hit him in the chest. She has since claimed she grabbed the wrong weapon - her gun was holstered on her right side, while the taser was on her left.

The officer, who is white, was initially charged with second-degree manslaughter, which requires a finding that she acted with 'culpable negligence' in Wright's death.

On April 11, Daunte Wright, 20, (left) was shot after being stopped in Minnesota for an air freshener hanging in his rearview mirror and expired license tags. Officer Kim Potter (right), who is standing trial in Hennepin County on first- and second-degree manslaughter charges in Wright's death, said she meant to use a Taser instead of a handgun when she fatally shot the black motorist

Prosecutors later added a first-degree manslaughter count against Potter, alleging she recklessly handled a firearm and endangered Wright's safety when death or great bodily harm was reasonably foreseeable.

In allowing the first-degree manslaughter charge, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu said last Wednesday that she only had to view the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution and make a finding of 'probable cause,' meaning it was more probable than not that a crime was committed.

She noted the state will have a much higher burden of proving the crime beyond a reasonable doubt during a trial.

First-degree manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 15 years while second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, though Minnesota sentencing guidelines call for much less.

Jenoah Donald (pictured), who had autism and battled drug addiction, was shot in his head during a traffic stop in February 2021

In February, three sheriff's deputies in Clark County, Washington stopped Jenoah Donald, a 30-year-old mechanic who had autism and battled drug addiction, for a broken taillight.

Donald reportedly had tools sprawled out on the front passenger seat, which worried the officers.

'That right there can hurt someone,' Deputy Holly Troupe told investigators.

She also claimed that Donald made several concerning remarks that prompted her to say: 'You need to chill out!'

A fellow deputy, Sean Boyle, punched Donald in the face in an effort to force him out of the vehicle.

Troupe grabbed the 30-year-old below the jaw in an act she referred to as 'apin compliance'.

Donald, using one hand, managed to start his vehicle and clutched Deputy Boyle's vest with his other.

Boyle, allegedly fearing for his life, then shot Donald in the head.

'I was convinced, 'This is how you are going to die,' he told investigators.

The prosecutors ruled that Boyle, who had served two decades on the force, fired his weapon 'in good faith'.

Bodycam footage (above) showed the moments leading up to Rayshard Brooks' death. Brooks ran away and was shot twice by Rolfe when he turned to fire the Taser in Rolfe's direction

Brooks was pronounced dead in a nearby hospital soon after. An autopsy found he was shot twice in the back

Officer Garrett Rolfe, a six-year police veteran, was hit with 11 charges in connection with Brooks' death, including murder. The Atlanta Civil Service Board has since announced its decision to reverse the termination of Rofle's employment

Atlanta Officer Garrett Rolfe, 27, shot Rayshard Brooks, also 27, fatally twice in the back as he ran from cops outside a Wendy's in June 2020.

Rolfe and Officer Devin Brosnan, 26, were called to a Wendy's drive-thru by customers who said Brooks was asleep at the wheel of his car.

When Brooks failed a sobriety test and the officers tried to arrest him, a scuffle broke out and Brooks grabbed one of the officer's Tasers and ran off.

He was shot twice by Rolfe, with the officer claiming Brooks turned to fire the Taser in his direction.

Brooks was pronounced dead in a nearby hospital soon after. An autopsy found he was shot twice in the back.

Rolfe (right), a six-year police veteran, was hit with 11 charges in connection with Brooks' (left) death, including murder. No date has yet been given for Rolfe's murder trial, as the case is currently embroiled in a legal limbo

Rolfe was fired five days later, but The Atlanta Civil Service Board reversed the decision in May, saying the Atlanta cop was 'not afforded his right to due process'.

Instead, Rolfe was put on administrative leave because the terms of his bond mean he is banned from possessing a firearm or being around other police officers.

Rolfe, a six-year police veteran, was hit with 11 charges in connection with Brooks' death, including murder.

Rolfe and his legal team have repeatedly challenged the investigation into Brooks' death, including lodging the appeal over his firing, filing a lawsuit against the mayor and police chief and calling for the first district attorney who was prosecuting his case to be removed.

No date has yet been given for Rolfe's murder trial, as the case is currently embroiled in a legal limbo.

In May 2019, a sheriff's deputy in Hamilton County, Tennessee stopped Tyler Hays, 29, for having tinted windows

Hays (pictured), reportedly had drugs in the car at the time of the stop. He attempted to run away and was fatally shot in the back

In May 2019, a sheriff's deputy in Hamilton County, Tennessee stopped Tyler Hays, 29, for having tinted windows.

Hays, who reportedly had drugs in the car, attempted to run away when he was fatally shot in the back.

His mother, Deborah Lilly, acknowledge her son's criminal actions, but argues he didn't deserve to die.

'I don't have my head buried in the sand,' she told the newspaper.

'I am just saying he did not deserve to get shot in the back.'

In the three months following Hays' death, the deputy involved in the incident allegedly shot at two other unarmed drivers, injuring one.

The Hays family has since filed a wrongful death suit against the officer, FOX 17 reported.

Meanwhile, some experts argue that police need to be wary when approaching civilians during traffic stops because they don't know who or what is inside a vehicle.

Officer Ella Finch was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Chicago's south side in August 2021 (Pictured: Bodycam footage from the stop)

Officer Finch (pictured) had pulled over a vehicle for an expired registration. A passenger in the car reportedly shot her

One example, as outlined in the newspaper's investigation, is the fatal shooting of Chicago Officer Ella Finch, 29.

Finch was shot and killed during a traffic stop on the city's south side in August 2021.

She had pulled over a vehicle for an expired registration. A passenger in the car reportedly shot her.

Finch's partner, Carlos Yanez, 39, sustained three gunshot wounds during the encounter: One went through his eye, one lodged in the back of the head and one struck his shoulder. He faces a 'potentially lifelong disability' from the shootout.

Emonte Morgan, 21, and his brother Eric, 22, were arrested and charged for French's death.

Emonte was charged with first-degree murder of a police officer, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

Eric was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and obstruction of justice.

Emonte Morgan (left), 21, and his brother Eric (right), 22, were arrested and charged for French's death. Emonte was charged with first-degree murder of a police officer, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Eric was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and obstruction of justice.

Traffic stops are the most common police encounters with civilians. Ten officers have been killed this year during these interactions.

Of the roughly 280 officers killed while on duty since late 2016, approximately 60 were killed by motorists who had been pulled over. 170 others were said to have died in accidents that took place on the job.

In response, police departments have increasingly started instructing cops to let suspected lawbreakers flee to avoid the risks associated with potential confrontation or high-speed chases,

'You have the guy's car license plate and you know where he lives,' Scott Bieber, the chief of police in Walla Walla, Washington, explained.

'You go get him in 45 minutes at his house and add a charge of eluding.'
Loud-mouthed anti-vaxxers gatecrashed a Greek Orthodox church during a service to commemorate a sacred national holiday.

Service-goers had been celebrating Oxi Day when anti-vaxxers began heckling attendees at St Nicholas Church, in Darwin, on Sunday.

Oxi Day is a Greek public holiday that translates to 'Freedom Day'. It marks the moment the country was dragged into World War Two.

Prime minister Ionnas Metaxas refused the demands made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to allow German, Italian and Japanese soldiers onto the island in 1940.

A war of words erupted during the service at St Nicholas Church, in Darwin, on Sunday

Startled service-goers filmed the moment anti-vaxxers compared the World War Two conflict to vaccine mandates.

'I'm going to ask this question,' one woman said.

'If you can stand up here and make a speech and say you can respect these people that died for us because we were defending our land that people were invading, what are we expected to do when people are trying to invade our bodies in order for us to have those same freedoms?'

The anti-vaxxers singled out Darwin lord mayor Kon Vatskalis and opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro who were also attending the service.

One woman was seen approaching Mr Vatskalis from behind before shouting in his ear.

'Do you know what you are commemorating today?' she yells.

Mr Vatskalis is seen trying to calm the woman down before he walks away. She follows him and continues to shout in Greek.

Mr Vatskalis later described the incident as 'embarrassing and disturbing'.

'I am still steadfast about the vaccination and still call people to get vaccinated,' he told NT News.

'The way people behaved was very threatening  it was a Greek National Day, not a rally.'

Service-goers were celebrating Oxi Day before they were interrupted at St Nicholas Church in Darwin on Sunday

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner earlier this month introduced widespread vaccination mandates for workers across a number of industries

A service-goer, who wished to remain anonymous, said the anti-vaxxers began heckling during the service before tensions escalated.

'During the laying of the wreath ceremony people were heckling from behind and once it was over, they [verbally] attacked Kon and Lia,' she said.

'It was like they were on a warpath.'

A NT Police spokesperson said officers had attended the church following reports of an altercation.

'Police spoke to a group of people at the church who advised the situation had calmed down and a police presence wasn't required,' the spokesperson said.

'Police waited at the church while the group dispersed. There are no reports of any physical injuries.'

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner earlier this month introduced widespread vaccination mandates for workers across a number of industries.

Employees impacted include teachers people who work in customer service roles such as retail, finance, hospitality, vets, gyms, and beauty salons, and health care workers, child care workers, and those who care for the vulnerable.

Mr Gunner said workers subject to the policy need to have received both doses by December 24 or would face a $5000 fine or be barred from their workplaces.
Ibram X. Kendi posted and then deleted a tweet promoting an article which stated that white college applicants pretend to be non-white in order to gain acceptance

Ibram X. Kendi posted and then deleted a tweet promoting an article which stated that white college applicants pretend to be non-white in order to gain acceptance - which his critics claim contradicts his own theories about white supremacy and privilege.

The controversial anti-racism author and Boston University professor tweeted a link to an article from The Hill.

More than a third of White students lied about their race on college applications, and about half of these applicants lied about being Native American, Kendi tweeted.

More than three-fourths of these students who lied about their race were accepted.

The Hill story cited a survey by Intelligent which found that 34 percent of white students falsely claimed they were a racial minority.

Most of those students - 81 percent - said they lied in order to improve their chances of getting accepted while half of them said they did so in order to qualify for minority-focused financial aid.

Nearly half - 48 percent - wrote on their application that they were Native American while 13 percent said they were Hispanic. One in ten wrote that they were black.

More than a third of White students lied about their race on college applications, and about half of these applicants lied about being Native American, Kendi tweeted. More than three-fourths of these students who lied about their race were accepted.

Nine percent said they were Asian or Pacific Islander.

Kendi is the director of Boston Universitys Center for Antiracist Research. He is also the author of the three bestselling books, including How to Be an Antiracist, which became more popular in the wake of last years police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

He was also named by TIME magazine as one of the most influential people in the world.

Born Ibram Henry Rogers, Kendi changed his middle name to Xolani, which means 'Peace' in Zulu, and his surname from Rogers to Kendi when he got married after choosing the new name together. Kendi means 'loved one' in Meru.

His area of expertise, anti-racism, has been mentioned in the same breath as critical race theory, which critics say is being taught to children to indoctrinate them about the evils of being white.

Who is Ibram X. Kendi? Ibram X. Kendi is a professor of history and the director and founder of Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research. He author of three number 1 New York Times bestsellers and this month was named to Time100 list of most influential people in the world. He describes himself on his website as a hardcore antiracist and softcore vegan and married his wife, Dr. Sadiqa Kendi, a pediatric emergency physician, in 2013. Kendi changed his middle name to Xolani, which means 'Peace' in Zulu, and his surname from Rogers to Kendi when he got married after choosing the new name together. Kendi means 'loved one' in Meru. Al Sharpton said of Kendi: 'It is no surprise that Kendi has emerged as one of the most important scholars of his generation, accurately interpreting the civil rights gains and losses across the many years. But Kendi doesnt simply engage in the paralysis of analysis, as Martin Luther King Jr. once observed. 'He provides concrete and actionable steps and recommendations that we can all take to wipe out the vestiges of racism and bigotry and strive to beto use the term Kendi popularized in 2019antiracist.' In 2018, Kendi was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer but is now cancer-free following treatment. Advertisement

Those against critical race theory have argued it reduces people to the categories of 'privileged' or 'oppressed' based on their skin color.

Supporters, however, say the theory is vital to eliminating racism because it examines the ways in which race influence American politics, culture and the law.

Last year, Kendi sparked controversy after saying Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett was a racist white colonizer for adopting two black children from Haiti and using them as props.

On Twitter, Kendis critics said that his deleting of the tweets was an admission that his philosophy is false and that this country does not oppress non-whites.

Jack Posobiec tweeted: Ibram X. Kendi accidentally admits minority applicants have a better chance of getting into college, deletes tweet.

Posobiec said Kendi deleted it after realizing he just debunked his lifes work in one tweet.

When Posobiec bragged on Twitter that he 'broke' Kendi, the author accused him of employing a racist trope.

'Jack couldn't deny his lies so this is how he responded. And his broke reference has a long history within racist structures,' Kendi wrote.

'White enslavers boasted of *breaking* Black people (when they did not *break* Black people).

'The resistance never stopped then and it wont stop today.'

Journalist Andy Ngo tweeted: 'Celebrity critical race academic Ibram Kendi tweeted out a story about how white university applicants identified as people of color for better treatment.

'He deleted the tweet after realizing it didnt advance his argument of systemic white privilege.'

Another Twitter user said: 'Ibram X. Kendi deleted this tweet about college admission when people noted it undermines his entire life's work of claiming America is rife with white supremacy.'

Cathy Young tweeted: 'LOL not a good day to be Ibram X Kendi.'

'So please tell me some more about that big, bad, evil bogeyman of "white privilege," Ibram X. Kendi,' tweeted Paul Schlienz.

Last year, Kendi tweeted that Justice Amy Coney Barrett (right) is a 'white colonizer' because she adopted two black children from Haiti

Barrett, a devout Catholic, has seven children - five biological and two adopted. Her youngest child also has Down Syndrome

Some White colonizers adopted Black children, Kendi wrote on Twitter. They civilized these savage children in the superior ways of White people, while using them as props in their lifelong pictures of denial, while cutting the biological parents of these children out of the picture of humanity.

Thomas Lawrence commented: 'Ibram x Kendi suddenly realizes that non-whites have a whole lot of privilege these days.'

'Interestingly, the tweet backfired, as the study undermines his theory,' Ismael Hernandez tweeted.

'If white students are provileged for being white there will be no need for claiming minority status.

'There must be some privilege in claiming minority status...'
Former Afghan interpreters for the British military fleeing the Taliban are facing sinister questioning by Pakistani intelligence officers about their work after slipping across the border.

Translators say officers of the Inter-Service Intelligence, which has close links with the Taliban, have told the UK they must have access to the interpreters before exit visas are issued.

Britain has promised those who qualify for sanctuary and were left behind when the RAF evacuation ended two months ago that they will be helped to come to the UK if they make it to a neighbouring country such as Tajikistan or Pakistan.

Sharif Karimi, 31, who was held by Taliban gunmen in a tiny box for four days, pictured here with his wife and children after being flown to the UK to start a new life

Interpreters and others who qualify under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy have so far escaped, mostly with their families, into Pakistan, with some illegally crossing the border.

They are the focus of the ISI, Pakistans premier intelligence agency, which was operating in Kabul within 24 hours of the Taliban taking the Afghan capital.

Campaigners for translators called the questioning extremely sinister, fearing information could be passed back to the Taliban and used in the hunt for those who stood shoulder to shoulder with UK troops in Helmand.

Rafi Hottak, a former supervisor for translators, said: It is both worrying and disturbing that an intelligence service with links to the Taliban is given access to those who risked their lives for Britain.

'There is no doubt that the type of information they are seeking could be of considerable use to the Taliban in the search for families who are still in hiding and facing the threat of revenge.

One former senior translator, Sharif Karimi, who was quizzed, said: It was intimidating. I was told it was something that I had to do or I would not have been allowed to leave with my family.

The 31-year-old, who had been held by Taliban gunmen in a tiny box for four days after they marched into Kabul, claimed intelligence officers asked why his captors had not killed him.

They wanted to know details of my work, where I had been based, who I had met, of my family and where they lived, he said.

They wanted to know why I had not been killed by the Taliban.

Then they wanted to know about my father, if any of us had worked for the old Afghan government, about my finances and other personal questions. We had to do it but every question you feared there was a trap being set.

Sharif was speaking for the first time about his kidnap ordeal from a quarantine hotel after being flown to the UK with his wife and four children. He also told how the Taliban had held him in a small box room that was about one metre wide and one metre high.

Later he discovered this was where weapons were kept by guards at Finlands embassy which was abandoned when the Taliban swept into Kabul.

I thought I was going to die. They kept shouting that I had been an infidel spy, that I was Sharif, an interpreter for the British, but I denied it. I knew I was talking to save my life, he added.

Sharif Karimi claimed Pakistani intelligence officers asked why his Taliban captors had not killed him.

Sharif worked for three years for the UK forces and at one stage looked after a team of 120 British Army interpreters.

He was freed after his family discovered where he was being held and agreed to pay a ransom of over 20,000.

Sharifs story has been highlighted by this newspapers award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign.

At first he was turned down for sanctuary because he had been dismissed but won approval to relocate in August following the personal intervention of Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

Last night Sharif said: To be safe in Britain and to begin a new life where my children can go to school will be a dream  one that days ago I feared would never come true because I did not know if I was going to live.

I am very grateful to British diplomats and to the Daily Mail campaign for never giving up on me when the future was dark. It has helped to save me and my family.

Another former interpreter said his ISI questioning had focused on how and where he had slipped into Pakistan. He was also asked who he knew in Pakistan and who had sheltered him.

The interpreter did not have a Pakistan visa but did qualify to come to the UK with his family. Pakistan officials stress it is their duty to question anyone entering the country illegally.
Daniel Andrews will be able to lock down Victorians at the drop of a hat under 'extreme and dangerous' new laws.

The premier is giving himself the power to declare a pandemic for an unlimited period of time even if there are no cases of a virus.

The chilling move means if a new variant of Covid arises, the State Government could issue pandemic orders 'by decree' to confine Victorians in their homes once again.

Victorians can be locked down for an unlimited period of time even if there are no cases of a virus under Daniel Andrews' (pictured) sweeping new pandemic laws

The health minister will have the power to make 'any order' he deems 'reasonably necessary' including lockdowns, vaccine mandates and enforced mask-wearing.

Lawyers have even raised fears the Government will use the law to target people for their 'political beliefs' in a repressive clampdown more familiar to communist North Korea or China than Australia.

Victorians can also face huge fines of up to $90,870 for breaking the rules by taking off their masks or leaving home for a non-authorised reason, while businesses can be fined up to $454,350 for serious breaches.

The new laws are expected to pass the state Parliament later this month despite fierce opposition.

On Friday more than 20 top barristers penned an open letter warning the laws give Mr Andrews 'a blank cheque to rule by decree'.

The lawyers said this new reality will kick in as soon as the laws are passed.

'Given the low threshold for the making of this declaration and the fact that Covid-19 is unlikely to be going away any time soon, we can expect a pandemic declaration to be in force for the foreseeable future,' the lawyers wrote.

Businesses can be fined up to $454,350 for serious breaches of health rules. Pictured: Bar staff at Melbourne's Public House Bar earlier this month

'The overriding concern is that the bill, if passed, may allow the Victorian government effectively to rule the state of Victoria by decree for the foreseeable future, without proper parliamentary oversight or the usual checks and balances on executive power.'

The Opposition has labelled the laws an 'assault on democracy' and branded Mr Andrews a 'dictator' - but they are very likely to pass with the help of three crossbench politicians who made a deal with the Labor Government.

So what will life look like for Victorians under the new laws?

Huge fines and jail

The new laws state a person can be fined up to $21,909 for breaching a pandemic order.

This could include not wearing a mask, breaking a movement limit, attending an illegal protest or a gathering, refusing to get tested or failing to show ID.

Businesses can be fined up to $109,044 for breaking rules which may include failing to make sure customers check-in or show proof of vaccine status.

The new law will allow the health minister to make 'any order' he deems 'reasonably necessary' including lockdowns, vaccine mandates and enforced mask-wearing. Pictured: Melbourne in lockdown earlier this month

In addition, there is a new aggravated offence for breaches that 'cause a serious risk to the health of another individual'.

These can be punished with a $90,870 fine and two years in jail. An example given in the bill is someone going to work when they are infectious and should be isolating.

Businesses can also be guilty of an aggravated offence, with a maximum fine of $454,350 if, for example, they refuse to obey a lockdown and encourage customers to also flout the rules.

What are the fines in Daniel Andrews' new law? $21,909: This fine is for breaching a pandemic order such as not wearing a mask, breaking a movement limit, attending an illegal protest or a gathering, refusing to get tested or failing to show ID. $90,870: This fine is for an aggravated offence for breaches that 'cause a serious risk to the health of another individual' such as going to work when infectious. $109,044: This fine is for businesses breaking rules which may include failing to make sure customers check-in or show proof of vaccine status. $454,350: This fine is for an 'aggravated' offence by a business such as encouraging customers to flout lockdown rules . Advertisement

Power to the premier

Under the new laws the premier would be able to declare a pandemic for three months an unlimited number of times.

The current state of emergency laws require a parliamentary vote to extend them every 12 months - but the new laws have no time limit.

The health minister will be able to sign off on public health orders instead of the Chief Health Officer, a role currently held by Brett Sutton.

This gives the health minister the power to enforce lockdowns, shut down businesses, restrict movement, require masks, ban public gatherings, and enforce quarantine and isolation - powers currently held by the unelected CHO.

These powers can be implemented regardless of the number of disease cases or severity.

The bill will also extend the mandatory payment for hotel quarantine beyond 31 December.

Vaccine mandates and lockdowns for anti-vaxxers

The bill states that a pandemic order such as a lockdown or a vaccine mandate 'may apply to, differentiate between or vary in its application to persons or classes of person'.

This allows the Government to select who it wants to apply the order to, including people who have been at a certain event, who live in a certain area or who have a certain type of job.

The Government can discriminate based on 'presence in a pandemic management area; participation at an event; an activity they have undertaken; their characteristics, attributes or circumstances,' the bill says.

It also allows the Government to lockdown unvaccinated people only.

Under the new laws the premier would be able to shut down businesses, restrict movement and ban public gatherings even if there were no disease cases in Victoria. Pictured: A protester is arrested by police at a protest in St Kilda earlier this month

The bill says the Government can discriminate based on attributes defined in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 which include race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status and political views.

The group of lawyers against the bill warned a future health minister could target people based on their 'political beliefs or activities that involve questioning or opposing the government public health measures.'

But Health Minister Martin Foley said those factors would not be taken into account.

'Any suggestion that those other considerations of the public health processes, that is just really mischief making. These are recommendations that come forward on clinical and epidemiological grounds. Not those kinds of characteristics,' he said.

Professor Brett Sutton said attributes and characteristics could refer to 'intimate partners having the opportunity to see other individuals... people normally resident in regional Victoria... children under 16 years of age because they haven't had a vaccination opportunity... vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals in a vaccinated economy.

'You need the agility to spread to those characteristics and attributes that might exclude someone from a public health order and that might be directed at someone,' he said.

Victorian Liberal MP crashes car while drink driving One of Daniel Andrews' biggest critics - Liberal MP Tim Smith - has resigned from shadow cabinet after drink driving. Shocking photos have emerged of the former Shadow Attorney-General's wrecked car after he ploughed his car into another vehicle and a fence while driving three times over the legal drinking limit. The Liberal MP resigned from his senior post with the Victorian state opposition on Sunday, marking a major setback in his party's fight to seize power from the Andrews' government. The Liberal MP's white Jaguar was left crumpled after it collided with a fence and another car on Power Street in Hawthorn According to Victoria Police, Mr Smith's vehicle collided with another before smashing into a fence on Power Street in Hawthorn, in Melbourne's inner east, about 8.55pm on Saturday. Witnesses say the 38-year-old was 'acting erratically' in the moments after the crash as he desperately tried to reverse out of the fence. Photos taken by at the scene show the front of Mr Smith's white Jaguar embedded inside the metal panel, as debris collected when the car mounted the kerb laid strewn across the pavement. Another image taken a short time later shows the crumpled car being towed away on the back of a truck, its bonnet completely crushed during the crash. Mr Smith was taken to the police station where he blew a 0.131 alcohol reading - far higher than the 0.05 legal limit. Photos have emerged of Shadow Attorney-General Tim Smith's car embedded in a metal fence after he crashed in Melbourne's inner east on Saturday night while drink driving Advertisement

Tiered fines system

In a small win for disadvantaged people, the bill will allow disadvantaged people to apply for a 'concessional' fine.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam negotiated this in discussions with the Government.

She said: 'I'm pleased that the Greens have been able to make sure these new laws have more transparency and are fairer for all Victorians, especially those facing disadvantage.'

Barista Maelys is seen at work at Cafe Chez Mademoiselle in Prahran, Melbourne, last week

Make health advice public

The Victorian Government has faced constant criticism for not releasing the health advice that its lockdown decisions are based on.

The bill will require the publication of the reasons for the Chief Health Officer recommending a pandemic order.

It will also establish an Independent Pandemic Management Advisory Committee to scrutinise Government decisions and health advice.

Under the new laws the premier would be able to declare a pandemic for an unlimited time, with an extension required every three months. Pictured: Victoria Police earlier this month

QR safeguards

The new laws will ensure stronger safeguards to stop unlawful access to QR code check-in or contact tracing data, with a new offence in place.

It means police can only get hold of the data if there is an 'imminent threat' to someone's life.

Officers must acquire a Supreme Court order to access the data.

This comes after it was revealed in June that police failed three times to get access to QR code data.

Reaction to the law

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said he would throw out the laws if he won the November 2022 election.

'I've never seen such an attack on Australian democracy as rules like this' where 'one man can rule by decree,' he said.

The existing power of Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton (left) to make special public health orders would be passed over to health minister Martin Foley (right) under the new laws

The Opposition will propose a 60 per cent majority in both houses of parliament be required before a pandemic or an extended state of emergency can be declared.

Under the proposed alternative, the state of emergency powers and the need for them would have to be re-examined and voted on every 30 days.

But Greens leader Samantha Ratnam backs the laws because she says they are better than the current state of emergency powers.

'I'm pleased that the Greens have been able to make sure these new laws have more transparency and are fairer for all Victorians, especially those facing disadvantage,' she said.
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe has been branded a hypocrite for praising his state's public education system despite sending four of his five children to private high schools.

'We have a great school system in Virginia. Dorothy and I have raised our five children,' McAuliffe declared on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday

One of McAuliffe's sons went to Gonzaga College High School, in Washington D.C. where tuition costs around $25,000 a year.

Three other children attended The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia where fees are almost double at $45,650 per year for high school. His youngest child currently attends a public school in Langley, Virginia.

'Rules for thee but not for me applies to SO MUCH', one user on Twitter wrote, pointing out the hypocrisy.

Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe spoke about the Virginia school system on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd on Sunday. 'We have a great school system in Virginia', he said

Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe runs down the street handing out candy while taking part in the 65th annual Halloween Parade

Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe takes part in the 65th annual Halloween Parade in Leesburg, Virginia. The Virginia gubernatorial election, pitts McAuliffe against Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin

Education in the state has become a flashpoint in the runup to Tuesday's election between McAuliffe and his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin, who has been surging in the polls despite big-name backing for the Democrat in a state Joe Biden easily won.

McAuliffe and Youngkin have feuded over how much influence parental involvement should have in curriculum development, with the Democrat saying he believes such decisions should be left to educators rather than parents.

Youngkin has accused the school system of teaching Critical Race Theory to children.

Last month, McAuliffe said publicly he would not 'let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions.'

The Virginia gubernatorial election, pitting McAuliffe against Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin, is November 2. Also picturesd are Democratic candidate for Attorney General Mark Herring, left, and Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor Hala Ayala, right

Democratic candidate McAuliffe said at a gubernatorial event on September 29: 'I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach'

'I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,' McAuliffe said on September 29 at a gubernatorial debate.

But his position irked many on social media, who noted the hypocrisy in McAuliffe's comments compared to his actions.

'Terry McAuliffe exclusively attended private schools. He sent his kids to private schools. I'm glad his family had those opportunities. But why does he fight against school choice for others?' asked Corey A. DeAngelis.

'Why did he say great schools and we raised them here insinuating he knows first hand? That is the deceit people ignore from this guy and the tow the line media not stating such 'facts,' asked another commenter online.

'Terry McAuliffe typical Dem hypocrite. Promote failing education for others. You all send your children to private schools. School choice for everyone @GlennYoungkin unless our educational system is improved,' tweeted Anna.

'He is a hypocrite. Just like all dems. What's good for thee.' wrote another user.

His position irked many on social media noting the hypocrisy in McAuliffe's comments compared to his actions when it came to the schooling of his own children

During his final term as governor of Virginia in 2016, McAuliffe vetoed three bills that would have expanded school choice in the Commonwealth.

He claimed allowing parents to take education dollars allocated for their children to the best possible school for them would send 'the wrong signal' about public education.

At the time, it gave the impression that although he had the means to send his own children to the best schools money can buy, he didn't want less privileged Virginia families to have the same opportunity.

Education in the state has become a flash point in the runup to the election with McAuliffe and his Republican opponent Glenn Youngkin disagreeing over parental involvement in shaping the curriculum

Former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and his wife Dorothy wave to supporters at a Canvass Launch rally on Sunday in Manassas, Virginia

Terry McAuliffe and his wife Dorothy have five children: Dori, Jack, Mary, Sally and Peter. All the children went to private schools except Mary who attended public school in Virginia

Earlier in September, McAuliffe said at the State of the State that critical race theory is not being taught in Virginia schools and that it is a 'made up' plan to 'divide people' and that it 'really bothered' him.

'Let's just be clear: We don't teach critical race theory. This is a made-up - this is a Trump-Betsy DeVos-Glenn Youngkin plan to divide people.'

When the politician was asked to define critical race theory in an interview, McAuliffe said: 'It doesn't matter, it's not taught here in Virginia.'

'We should not be dividing people in schools,' he explained.

The Democrat slammed his Republican counterpart by saying: 'Glenn Youngkin uses education to divide Virginia,' he said at a rally. 'He wants to bring his personal culture wars into our classrooms.'
Cleo Smith vanished during a camping trip near Carnarvon in north-west Western Australia on October 16

Cleo Smith's mum has made another gut-wrenching plea for her four-year-old daughter to be returned home safely as she told of the heartbreak of spending Halloween without her daughter.

Ellie Smith on Sunday night called for help finding her 'shining bright light' - 16 days after the little girl vanished from her family's tent near Carnarvon during a camping trip on October 16.

As children across Australia dressed up to go trick or treating, Ms Smith told how her daughter 'loves dressing up - whether it be a princess or doctor'.

Cleo's disappearance has sparked a national police operation - with detectives on Sunday door-knocking houses near her hometown as they search for clues.

'Every day is getting harder without my shining bright light,' Ms Smith wrote on Instagram.

'Today she has missed Halloween with her family - her cousins, aunties, uncles, nannas and pop but most of all her parents and baby sister.

'She needs us and we need her.'

Ellie Smith pictured centre with her daughter Cleo left. In an Instagram post on Halloween, Ms Smith told how her daughter 'loves dressing up - whether it be a princess or doctor'

Ellie Smith on Sunday called for help finding her 'shining bright light' and urged anyone who had any information to call police

Door-knocking expedition in Cleo's hometown Detectives attached to the mammoth police operation dedicated to Cleo's disappearance spent Sunday door-knocking homes five kilometres from the youngster's hometown of Carnarvon as the search enters its third week. Queensland couple Rob and Kira Prince were camping at the Blowholes at the time and have described their stay which they'll never forget 'for all the wrong reasons.' The couple are travelling around the country in a campervan with their five children, which they're documenting on the Our Aussie Adventure Facebook page. The family uploaded photos of their time at Quobba Blow Holes and shared a police flyer regarding Cleo's disappearance. 'This camp was beautiful with both rugged cliff faces with powerful waves and lagoon like beaches and the blowholes were absolutely incredible,' the family posted on Sunday. 'Unfortunately our stay here was scarred by the disappearance of Cleo Smith from a tent less than 100m from our site.' 'With four-year-olds of our own this was truly terrifying and heartbreaking. It is a day we will never forget - for all the wrong reasons. 'While we physically moved on from here once the campground closed, emotionally we are very much still there longing for a positive outcome for Cleo and her family.' Advertisement

The mother urged anyone who had seen someone acting suspicious or had information about her daughter's disappearance to call police.

She ended the post by sharing the phone number for Crime Stoppers Australia - 1800 333 000.

Ms Smith's post came as a family-of-seven who were camping close to the tent Cleo vanished from broke their silence about their 'scarred' and heartbreaking stay at the site.

Queensland couple Rob and Kira Prince were camping at the Blowholes at the time and have spoken of a trip they'll never forget 'for all the wrong reasons'.

The couple are travelling around the country in a campervan with their five children, which they're documenting on the Our Aussie Adventure Facebook page.

The family uploaded photos of their time at Quobba Blow Holes and shared a police flyer regarding Cleo's disappearance.

'This camp was beautiful with both rugged cliff faces, with powerful waves and lagoon-like beaches and the blowholes were absolutely incredible,' the family posted on Sunday.

The desperate search for missing youngster Cleo Smith (pictured) has entered its third week

'Unfortunately our stay here was scarred by the disappearance of Cleo Smith from a tent less than 100m from our site.

'With four-year-olds of our own this was truly terrifying and heartbreaking. It is a day we will never forget - for all the wrong reasons.

'While we physically moved on from here once the campground closed, emotionally we are very much still there longing for a positive outcome for Cleo and her family.'

The Prince family were camping less than 100m metres away from where little Cleo disappeared at the Blowholes campsite on October 16. Pictured are the family during their stay at the site

Detectives spent Sunday door-knocking homes in the North Plantations, five kilometres from Cleo's hometown of Carnarvon

The family told The West Australian they've spoken to police 'a number of times'.

Detectives door-knocked a number of homes along the North West Coastal Highway in the North Plantations, 5km from Cleo's hometown, on Sunday.

The reason for the visits hasn't been made public.

Cleo's mother and stepfather Jake Gliddon have been ruled out by police of having have had any involvement in the girl's disappearance.

The Prince family said their time camping at The Blowholes was 'scarred' by the disappearance of Cleo Smith from a tent less than 100 metres away

Little Cleo Smith has been missing for two weeks, having last been seen at the Blowholes campground near Carnarvon in WA

Earlier on Sunday, the owner of a shack which captured the voice of Cleo on its CCTV system opened up about the 'panicked' moments after the little girl vanished.

Dave Sadecky, handed over the crucial CCTV of little Cleo to police which placed her at the campsite on the night before she vanished.

The motion sensitive camera is installed inside their beach shack which was just 20 metres away from the family tent and takes a wide-angled photo of everyone who enters or leaves it.

The camera captures audio and images from inside a painted wooden box with a glass front and would not appear obvious to those passing by.

Dave Sadecky, who owns a nearby shack at the campsite, captured the voice of Cleo on his shack's CCTV system, and handed it over to police

When Mr Sadecky and his wife learnt of the news surrounding the four-year-old, they immediately jumped on their quad bikes to join the search.

'I didn't know the ins and outs of what was going on but everyone was panicked,' Mr Sadecky told The West Australian.

'People dropped everything and came to help  they were everywhere on Saturday like ants  it's not a normal sight.'

The couple ended up scouring the area for 10 hours on the day Cleo was last seen.

The four-year-old had woken up at 1.30am on the Saturday to ask her mother Ellie for a sip of water but when her parents woke again at about 6am, Cleo was gone

Detectives found the zip on the tent Cleo was sleeping in had been opened and was too high for the little girl to reach

She had woken up at 1.30am on the Saturday to ask her mother Ellie for a sip of water but when her parents woke again at about 6am, Cleo was gone.

'Everyone was emotional, people were clearly stressed and anxious but wanted to help. We've never had anything like this happen before. We're there every other weekend, we're kicking ourselves we weren't there that night,' Mr Sadecky said.

He said the campsite would now be 'tainted' from what happened, a local at Blowholes himself.
An anti-vax policeman has slammed his colleagues as the 'private army of a madman' in an unhinged speech to protesters.

Craig Backman, a recently-resigned Victoria Police senior constable, addressed thousands of demonstrators outside Victorian Parliament on Saturday.

The protest opposed various Daniel Andrews policies including vaccine mandates and a proposed new state of emergency powers.

Laws being debated in parliament would give the premier the ability to declare a pandemic, even with no infections, and impose lockdowns and other restrictions.

Those who gathered to listen to Mr Backman held placards reading 'the truth will set us free' and 'stop Dan's dangerous new legislation'.

'What many have yet to grasp is that those who seek to harm them are in that building,' Mr Backman began while gesturing to the parliament building.

An ex-cop (pictured) has slammed his former colleagues as the 'private army of a madman' while fronting crowds protesting vaccine mandates and new emergency laws

In a rabble-rousing speech laden with discredited propaganda, Mr Backman explained he was a 'proud senior constable' who served for 30 years in Victoria Police.

'I just want to say to every one of you here, who can obviously see the bigger picture of what's going on here, this is not just about a jab or no jab,' he said.

The ex-cop thanked demonstrators for remaining strong despite 'ridicule' from the media and the government.

He appeared to grow emotional as he told demonstrators they were all 'saints at heart' that wanted to help their community.

'The louder you speak, the more often you speak, they will start to get it,' he said.

Craig Backman (pictured) thanked the crowds of protestors for remaining strong despite 'ridicule' from the media and the government

Mr Backman then turned to stone-faced officers and urged them to get behind the 'cause' claiming they were 'trapped by a pay-check' and 'following unjust orders'.

'Now I will challenge every one of my former colleagues and I speak to you directly, do you know that this is nonsense? Do you know that the last two years have been nonsense?' he questioned.

'You haven't even been able to show loyalty to your co-workers, some of which have been in the force for 30 years, who Daniel Andrews has thrown out.'

The ex-cop urged police to start talking to one another and 'realising the bigger picture' as the crowd started to chant 'stand with us'.

Their chanting later turned to outraged calls for Mr Andrews to resign.

'Sack Dan Andrews. Sack Dan Andrews,' they shouted.

Mr Backman posted the details for the protest in Melbourne's CBD to his personal Facebook

The former cop told protestors they were in a unique position to create history while a 'dictatorship is trying to be ushered into Victoria'.

'The world is watching and they're watching for good reason. They're watching because what's happening here is absolutely ridiculous,' he claimed.

The former constable finished by telling officers they had to decide whether to continue to be 'the private army of a madman' or 'the people's protectors'.

Mr Backman later took to Facebook to thank those who attended the protests.

'Thank you all for such support of me. It gives me the strength to push on,' he captioned a live-stream of the demonstrations.

'Stick together and look after each other and never get sucked into hate and division. Remember, hate doesnt eliminate hate, only love can do that.'

Mr Backman captioned this image posted to Facebook on Sunday: 'My former colleagues, I love you, but please consider the mindset below. Be better than this. YOU ARE better than this. The people deserve better than this.'

On Monday, Mr Backman refuted claims he was only speaking out against vaccine mandates and the new emergency laws because he had been stood down from the force

On Monday, the ex-cop refuted claims he was only speaking out against vaccine mandates and the new emergency laws because he had been stood down.

'This is absolutely not the case,' he wrote alongside a photo of his resignation letter.

'I have serious concerns with the organisation's role in what I believe is breaching of the human rights of Victorian citizens and now even the removal of their rights moving forward,' the letter reads.

'With the state government planning on implementing a 'two tier' society with some citizens having rights removed completely, I believe the state government is willfully and purposefully creating a 'sub-human' class and I am bitterly disappointed that Victoria Police appear to be instrumental in its creation.

'This in combination with the silencing, by force, any dissenting voices, I believe, is the opposite of democracy.

'These fantastic people are being asked to, what I believe, are some pretty horrible things that I just cannot be party to or associated with.'

Mr Backman's Facebook profile is loaded with dangerous anti-vaccine propaganda and Covid conspiracy theories.

Thousands of demonstrators waved placards calling for the state leader's resignation as they marched towards Parliament House in east Melbourne (pictured)

Many of the protestors who marched in Melbourne on Saturday called for Daniel Andrews to resign over the introduction of vaccine mandates and new state emergency laws

Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators waved placards calling for the state leader's resignation as they marched towards Parliament House in Melbourne.

On Thursday, the Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 passed Victorian Parliament's lower house, making it a step closer to reality.

Under the new law, the health minister, rather than the chief health officer, will be given 'broad powers' to introduce public health measures such as lockdowns, mask mandates and quarantine requirements.

A similar process is in place in NSW and New Zealand, where the health minister is directly accountable to parliament.

An independent oversight committee will be established to review the public orders and their impact on human rights.

On Thursday, the Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 passed Victorian Parliament's lower house, making it a step closer to reality

An independent oversight committee will be established to review the public orders and their impact on human rights (pictured, crowds of protestors in Melbourne on Saturday)

The laws also introduce safeguards around protecting contact tracing and QR code information, while an aggravated offence will be created for people or businesses who 'intentionally or recklessly breach' the rules.

The bill is expected to pass the lower house but in the upper house it will require the backing of three of the 11 cross-benchers.

If passed, pandemic-specific laws will replace the current state of emergency, which expires on December 15.

Vaccinations have also been mandated for all retail workers with Mr Andrews telling staff they will need to have received at least one dose by Friday.

Thousands of workers from all types of retailers have been affected, including staff at florists, fashion outlets, furniture retailers, stationery stores, technology vendors.
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The owners of the British trawler seized by France during the escalating row over-fishing licences will have to pay bail of more than 125,000 before she is allowed to return the UK, it emerged today.

Details of the sum, which follows the Scottish skipper of the Cornelis Gert Jan being told that he faces a fine of more than 70,000 if convicted following a criminal trial next year, comes after Emmanuel Macron warned Boris Johnson that France will retaliate unless Britain backs down in the fishing row.

It also comes at the French pledge to step up similar measures from this Tuesday, in retaliation for Britain not providing enough licences for their boats to fish in UK waters following Brexit.

On Monday, a spokesman for the Seine-Maritime prefecture confirmed that the Cornelis would remain in the Normandy port of Le Havre unless her crew paid 'a 150,000 euros deposit'  the equivalent of more than 125,000.

The spokesman added: 'The boat will not be allowed to leave until that sum is paid.'

It far outweighs anything the boat might have earned during what started off as a five-day trip to France to fish for scallops.

A spokesman confirmed that the Cornelis would remain in the Normandy port of Le Havre unless her crew paid 'a 150 ,000 euros deposit'  the equivalent of more than 125,000

The boat was detained by gendarmes last Wednesday, and escorted to the quayside at Le Havre, where they have remained ever since. Pictured: Crew onboard the Cornelis Gert Jan

The owners of the British trawler will have to pay bail of more than 125,000 before she is allowed to return the UK. Pictured: A man who is believed to be a member of the crew inside the Cornelis Gert Jan

Details of the sum come after Emmanuel Macron warned Boris Johnson that France will retaliate unless Britain backs down in the fishing row

The boat was detained by gendarmes last Wednesday, and escorted to the quayside at Le Havre, where they have remained ever since.

Their skipper, who has not been formally named, has been charged with 'acts of unauthorised sea fishing in French maritime salt waters by a third-party vessel to the European Union'.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the growing diplomatic row at the G20 in Rome at the weekend.

Mr Johnson said he had been 'puzzled' to read a letter from Paris to the EU apparently asking 'for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU'.

Referring directly to Brexit, the Prime Minister said: 'I don't believe that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and that's probably all I'll say about that.'

In turn, Mr Macron said: 'I don't want escalation. We need to be serious. I don't want to have to use retaliation measures because that wouldn't help our fishermen.'

Andrew Brown, director of Scottish firm MacDuff Shellfish, which own the Cornelis, said she was being used as a 'pawn' by the French, and that she had not acted illegally.

Mr Brown said last week: 'We are looking to the UK government to defend the rights of the UK fishing fleet and ensure that the fishing rights provided under the Brexit fishing agreement are fully respected by the EU.'

On Monday morning, the Cornelis was still moored in Le Havre, with her crew of eight on board.

The boat had headed out from Shoreham, Sussex, early last Tuesday morning.

Her seizure is the latest move by France in an ongoing row with the UK over who has rights to fishing grounds in the Channel now Britain has left the EU.

Clement Beaune, France's Europe minister, has said 'we need to speak the language of force' to Britain because it is 'the only thing this government understands'.

He was immediately accused of 'sabre rattling' by British critics, as was Annick Girardin, the Maritime Minister in Paris, who said: 'It's not war, but it is a fight.'

Further retaliatory measures by the French could include a blockade at major ports such as Calais, to keep British seafood imports out.

Yesterday the French president insisted that unless the UK shifted, reprisals will happen within days, saying 'the ball is in Britain's court'.

The combative stance came at a press conference at the end of the G20 summit in Rome - after Mr Johnson told his own briefing for journalists that the UK 'position is unchanged'.

At a G20 press conference, Mr Johnson said: 'On fish, I've got to tell you the position is unchanged. And I'll just say this, for the record. I must say I was puzzled to read a letter from the French Prime Minister explicitly asking for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU.

'I just have to say to everybody I don't believe that that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Trade and Cooperation agreement, and that's probably all I'll say about that one.'

But Mr Macron said: 'The ball is in Britain's court... 'If the British make no movement, the measures of November 2 will have to be put in place.'

In a day of extraordinary briefing, French sources initially claimed that Mr Johnson and Mr Macron had reached a deal on de-escalation during 30 minutes of talks.

There were no officials or cameras present as the pair tried to reach an understanding one-on-one.

That version was rejected by Mr Johnson, who stressed that he viewed Mr Macron as a 'friend' but they had a 'wide-ranging and frank' discussion. 'On fish I have got to tell you the position is unchanged,' he said.

Earlier the PM's spokesman said it is a matter for France to decide whether to back off the threats.

'We certainly stand ready to respond should they proceed with breaking the Brexit agreement,' the spokesman said.

G20 leaders visited the landmark in Rome and wave to the cameras on the final day of the G20 gathering

The leaders seemed to be in a jovial mood as the two-day summit wraps up in Rome - with the action moving to Glasgow for COP26

French officials have warned they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country with British goods from Tuesday unless more licences are granted for their small boats to fish in British.

Other threats have included a 'go-slow' at customs and even increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey.

A French aide told Reuters after thee talks: 'The goal for both the president and the prime minister was to work towards de-escalation.'

French sources told AFP the two sides agreed 'operational measures' to take the heat out of the row in the coming days.

Earlier, they locked eyes as they visited the famous Trevi Fountain with other leaders attending the G20 summit in Rome.

And Mr Macron appeared to shunt Mr Johnson out of the way to get next to Italian host Mario Draghi for photos.

Mr Macron's attack dog, Europe minister Clement Beaune, stoked the row again this morning saying Britain was not acting like a 'friend, ally and responsible partner'

Mr Macron and Mr Johnson kept each other close as they braced for difficult talks on fishing

France 'demands 125,000 for release of British-registered fishing trawler' French courts have demanded a 125,000 'ransom' for the release of the British fishing trawler impounded in the Le Havre port, it emerged last night. Scottish-registered the Cornelis Gert Jan is accused of not having a valid licence to fish in French waters. Its unnamed skipper - believed to be an Irish national - has been charged with 'acts of unauthorised sea fishing in French maritime salt waters' and ordered to appear in court next August. Advertisement

Downing Street said Mr Johnson had raised the 'unhelpful' rhetoric from France during the showdown.

Asked if there were any specific measure agreed to deescalate the fishing row, the PM's spokesman said: 'No. The deescalation as I say would need to come from the French side.'

Pushed on why the French side were claiming that specific measures had been agreed, the spokesman said: 'You would have to ask the French government our position has not changed.'

He added: 'We stand ready to grant further licences as we have done throughout if the requisite evidence is provided.'

On whether the November 2 deadline was now gone, the spokesman said it was 'entirely a matter for the French government'.

The spokesman insisted that Mr Johnson had never sought to 'escalate tensions'. 'We are simply continuing to enforce the law as set out in the Brexit deal.'

The spokesman said: 'It will be for the French to decide whether they want to step away from the threats they have made over recent days of course we would welcome that.'

Mr Macron's attack dog, Europe minister Clement Beaune, stoked the row again this morning saying Britain was not acting like a 'friend, ally and responsible partner'.

However, the UK government has insisted licences are being granted where boats can provide evidence they fished in waters before Brexit, with ministers adamant they will not back down.

Mr Johnson last night warned the EU not to side with France, while Brexit minister Lord Frost threatened to take legal action.

Mr Beaune tweeted in response to Lord Frost: 'After 10 months, when such a significant amount of licences, targeting one country, is missing, it's not a technical issue, it's a political choice and a breach of the TCA.

'A friend, ally and responsible partner should stand by its world and comply with legal commitments.'

He said the retaliation measures threatened from November 2 were 'proportionate'.

'It's positive to read that the UK cares about the TCA; France and the EU expect its full respect and implementation, regarding fishing rights, the Northern Ireland protocol and all other - agreed and ratified - matters,' he said.

Downing Street has stressed that the pair are 'friends' - but behind the scenes anger is mounting about the grandstanding behaviour from France, with Mr Macron facing a presidential election in the spring.

One senior UK official said: 'The French have made their position abundantly clear. They are not interested in a positive and constructive relationship, but only in trying to show that Brexit was a mistake.'

Another added: 'From explicit warnings about stopping energy supply to Jersey to public threats about imposing customs controls unless we comply with their demands, this has been a concerted effort to undermine and now breach the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.'

Emmanuel Macron and Mr Johnson fist bumped despite gearing up for a potential showdown over fisheries

France has threatened border and port sanctions, including increased checks on British vessels, a 'go-slow' at customs and increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey, unless more fishing licences are issued by the UK for small French boats by Tuesday. Pictured: French fisherman in the fishing town of Port En Bessin

French courts have demanded a 125,000 'ransom' for the release of the British fishing trawler impounded in the Le Havre port

Lord Frost yesterday blasted a 'pattern' of threats made by France to Britain and said the UK Government is 'actively considering' starting legal proceedings against the country.

In a series of tweets, the Conservative peer rallied against comments made by French prime minister Jean Castex in a letter to Ms Von Der Leyen, that the UK should be shown 'it causes more damage to leave the EU than to stay in'.

Lord Frost said: 'To see it expressed in this way is clearly very troubling and very problematic in the current context when we are trying to solve many highly sensitive issues, including on the Northern Ireland Protocol.'
A notorious New York City drug kingpin, immortalized in film and in songs by the likes of Jay Z and 50 Cent after going into witness protection for snitching on his partners, was executed in a drive-by shooting Sunday morning.

Alberto 'Alpo' Martinez, 55, was found dead in his 2017 Dodge Ram on the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 147 Street in Harlem, police said.

Martinez, who has lived under witness protection for testifying against drug dealers, was identified under the name he used in witness protection - Abraham Rodriguez. Authorities said he had been living in Lewiston, Maine.

He was found at 3:24 am with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, authorities told DailyMail.com. Photos of his truck showed at least five bullet holes in the window. EMS took him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

No arrests have been made in the shooting and police are still investigating.

Alberto 'Alpo' Martinez, 55, was a notorious drug kingpin who ran of ring from New York to Washington DC in the 1980s dealing cocaine and crack

Martinez was found dead in his 2017 Dodge Ram (pictured above) in a drive-by shooting Sunday morning with at least five gunshot wounds to his torso

Martinez was found with ID using the name Abraham Rodriguez. He'd been out of prison since 2015 and living under witness protection

The shooting took place on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and West 147 Street in Harlem

Police have yet to make any arrests in the shooting

A police source, who told the New York Post Martinez's license plates were from Texas, said Martinez was asking for trouble the second he returned to his old Harlem Haunts.

'You were in the witness protection program because you testified against other drug dealers,' he said. 'You'd make a lot of enemies who have a score to settle. When you return to the same area, word will get out very fast. He's back in the zone.'

Martinez ran a drug ring that spanned from New York to Washington dealing cocaine and crack in the 1980s.

After his 1991 arrest, he would eventually confess to 14 murders before becoming a government witness.

Martinez had been living under witness protection after being released from prison in 2015. He was serving a 35-year sentence at ADX Florence, a federal supermax prison in Colorado.

Martinez had been living under witness protection after being released from prison in 2015

A Jay-Z produced film called Paid in Full was made in which rapper/actor Cam'Ron portrayed Martinez

Martinez was also immortalized in songs by Jay Z, as well as fellow New York-based rappers Nas and 50 Cent

Martinez has had a minor influence on pop culture, immortalized by rapper and actor Cam'ron's portrayal of him in the 2002 Jay Z-produced movie Paid in Full.

Jay Z, Nas and 50 Cent have all written songs referencing Martinez.

The family of Rich Porter celebrated the news Sunday. Porter was Martinez's business partner who the kingpin gunned down in 1990.

'We waited for a long time for this day to come and we are happy. That's why we're out here celebrating, drinking champagne,' a 37-year-old niece of Porter's who gave her name only as Lorell told the New York Daily News as she poured herself more bubbly into a fancy glass.

'Everybody's reaction right now is celebrating. It's a celebration for Harlem, period.'
Notorious climate activists have burned an Australian flag on the steps of the Victorian Parliament and declared Australia a 'climate pariah'.

The 'rebels' demanded more action from the government, private enterprise, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison as the COP26 Summit in Glasgow approaches.

As one of the Extinction Rebellion activists waved the scorched national flag, another made an impassioned speech outside the government building.

Other protests were launched in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Canberra ahead of the climate change conference which is being attended by Mr Morrison.

Extinction Rebellion protestors have burnt an Australian flag during a protest outside the Victorian Parliament on Monday (pictured)

The 'rebels' called for more action from the government, private enterprise and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as the COP26 Summit kicks off in Glasgow (pictured)

The stoney-faced protestors protested on the steps of the Victorian Parliament (pictured)

Britain is hosting the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12.

The conference will aim to bring countries together to work towards the goals of the Paris Agreement of 2015 and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Extinction Rebellion members recently launched a new website dedicated to providing an 'alternative view' to coverage of the COP26 Summit.

COP26.tv states its mission is to 'explain why reaching net-zero carbon by 2050 is too late and to listen to voices from the "global south"'.

The global environmental movement declares climate action is needed by 2030.

A video on the site features a call to arms from environmental campaigner George Monbiot who warns the earth faces the possible collapse of our life systems.

Mr Monbiot said people around the world were gathering in large numbers to urge world leaders to do more to combat the climate crisis.

'Time is running out. It is time for us to push our governments to do the right thing. It's not too late. We still have the capacity to do it,' the campaigner urged.

In Sydney, activist Larissa Payne - wearing a colourful headpiece made of flowers - stood at the top of a tall ladder on Macquarie Street outside the Opera House (pictured)

Police officers were forced to coax the protestor down from the ladder which hung a sign reading: 'COP26: Decolonise to survive' (pictured)

In Sydney, activist Larissa Payne - wearing a colourful headpiece made of flowers - stood at the top of a tall ladder on Macquarie Street outside the Opera House.

Police officers were forced to coax the protestor down from the ladder which hung a sign reading: 'COP26: Decolonise to survive'.

At one point the lone activist lit a bright orange flare and waved it above her head.

In Brisbane, four Extinction Rebellion protestors were arrested after they padlocked themselves to a kayak on the William Jolly Bridge near the city's CBD on Monday.

The climate activists parked a ute across two lanes at the intersection of the bridge and Coronation Drive causing delays for motorists trying to enter the city.

The protestors locked their arms into metal pipes attached to the kayak and were eventually removed by police, the Courier Mail reported.

One of the four who claimed to be an environmental scientist said the group was protesting Australia's net-zero target.

At one point the lone activist lit a bright orange flare and waved it above her head (pictured)

The activist was protesting the Australian government's inaction on climate change as the COP26 Summit kicks off in Glasgow (pictured, Ms Payne being spoken to by police)

Seven protestors from the same organisation glued themselves to a bridge in Melbourne's CBD.

The 'rebels' disrupted peak-hour traffic on the Princes Bridge near Flinders Street Station last Wednesday, as dozens of demonstrators held signs and chanted.

A rope was hung across the road with placards that symbolised 'human life is hanging by a thread' as members of the public asked attendees to move.

The week before, eight Extinction Rebellion activists were arrested in Adelaide after glueing their feet or chaining themselves to buildings in the city's CBD.

On Sunday - the eve of the COP26 Summit - global warming protestors in Canberra set up tents on the grass outside Parliament House.

As one of the Extinction Rebellion protestors waved the soon-to-be scorched national flag another made an impassioned speech outside the government building (pictured)

The group recently launched a new website dedicated to providing followers an 'alternative view' to coverage of the COP26 Summit currently being held in Glasgow
ICAC Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl (pictured) has repeatedly reprimanded the former NSW Premier during a corruption hearing

The feisty corruption commissioner demanding straight answers from Gladys Berejiklian is a former Supreme Court judge who blazed a trail for women in law.

ICAC Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl has repeatedly reprimanded the former NSW Premier during a hearing into her secret relationship with disgraced ex-MP Daryl Maguire.

On Friday Ms McColl slammed Ms Berejikilan for giving unclear and longwinded answers to questions, a habit she perfected in her daily Covid-19 press conferences.

'Could I ask you to answer the question and not make speeches,' Ms McColl said.

The former premier continued to give long answers and no-nonsense Ms McColl again interrupted to say: 'Ms Berejiklian, I do not think you are heeding the message I just communicated to you.'

On one occasion, a visibly irritated Ms McColl was heard sighing.

The former judge also scolded the ex-premier on Monday for failing to give simple answers on at least five occasions.

'Ms Berejiklian, it would be better than if you answer the question rather than looking around corners,' she said.

Ruth McColl starred on the front cover of the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend magazine in 1984 for an article about women in law

Ms McColl was appointed ICAC Assistant Commissioner last year to preside over the inquiry into disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire, her latest employment in a long and illustrious career.

After graduating from the University of Sydney in the early 1970s, Ms McColl worked for the NSW Crown Solicitor's Office.

She was admitted to the NSW bar in 1980 and four years later starred on the front cover of the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Weekend magazine for an article about women in law.

Ms McColl was counsel assisting the Coroner in the inquest into the Thredbo landslide which killed 18 people in 1997.

Two years later she became the first woman to serve as President of the NSW Bar Association.

Ms McColl was made a Supreme Court judge and then a judge at the NSW Court of Appeal in 2003, before retiring in 2019.

Ms McColl (bottom right during the ICAC hearing) was counsel assisting the Coroner in the inquest into the Thredbo landslide which killed 18 people in 1997

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian encouraged or allowed corrupt conduct by her secret ex-boyfriend and former Wagga Wagga MP Mr Maguire between 2012 and 2018.

It is also probing her role in multi-million dollar government grants to a gun club and conservatorium of music in his electorate.

Ms Berejiklian insists she has done nothing wrong and has 'always acted with integrity'.

On Monday the inquiry focussed on SMS messages she received from Mr Maguire in July 2018, demanding she get a second phone and download a Chinese messaging app.

Four days after Mr Maguire called Ms Berejiklian fretting that the ICAC had tapped his phone, he texted the then-Premier inviting her to download the encrypted messaging platform WeChat.

'I'm chatting with my friends on WeChat now http://www.wechat.com,' Mr Maguire texted her.

'OK I will try, what about WhatsApp, that is easy as well. I will do it tomorrow because I don't know my password for apps,' Ms Berejiklian replied.

Mr Maguire then said: 'You need to get a private phone.'

Ms Berejiklian told the ICAC that she did not have a second phone, and never sought to get one.
A Florida man was filmed as he lay on the floor in a Costco for eight minutes in protest after he was told to put on a face mask, as a pair of local sheriffs ask the maskless man to get off the floor and leave the premises.

'All I want to do is buy this stuff and leave but the government is telling me that I can't unless I wear a mask.

'What I want to know is what you want me to do?' the man asks one of the officers, who is wearing a face mask during the exchange, video of which ended roughly a minute into the episode.

The incident occurred back on December 20, 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic hysteria in a Costco located in Lantana, Florida.

The video of the man, who was not publicly identified, began making viral rounds on Saturday, when a Twitter user posted a TikTok of the bizarre incident, which had over 884,000 views, 8,000 likes and nearly 3,000 combined retweets as of Sunday night.

'He said he would sue Costco and the police if they touched him,' the original filmer, who asked to remain anonymous, told Newsflare.

'He was shopping without a mask I assume he put one on to enter and then took it off while inside but I dont about that. He got up because the officer allowed him to pay for his stuff and leave, so he got up and paid for his stuff at the self check out then the officer escorted him out.'

A Florida man,pictured, was filmed as on the floor in a Costco for eight minutes in protest after he was told to put on a face mask, as a pair of sheriffs ask the him to get off the floor and leave

'All I want to do is buy this stuff and leave but the government is telling me that I can't unless I wear a mask,' the man told one of the responding officer's, pictured

The incident occurred back on December 20, 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic hysteria in a Costco located in Lantana, Florida

The video of the man, who was not publicly identified, began making viral rounds on Saturday, when a Twitter user posted a TikTok of the incident, which had over 884k views as of Sunday

Pictured: the Costco location in Lantana, Florida where the bizarre viral incident took place

'Outside the manager was arguing with an officer that they should have not let him pay for his stuff' the person behind the camera added.

Costco has become a common site for mask mandate battles between store workers and customers, with another viral incident occurring at a separate location in July of that year.

A woman dubbed 'Costco Karen' sat on the floor of the superstore, refusing to move while declaring 'I have constitutional rights!' after she was similarly asked to put on a face mask.

Shocking video of the confrontation, believed to have unfolded at the returns desk of a Costco in Hillsboro, Oregon, shows an employee asking an older woman to wear a mask in the store to follow its coronavirus policy.

The woman had a face mask dangling from one ear but refused to put it on completely to cover her mouth.

A woman has been dubbed 'Costco Karen' (right) after she was filmed throwing a furious tantrum in the superstore after she was asked to wear a face mask and refused to. Costco has a store policy mandating all employees and customers wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19

The clip shows an employee ask the woman to put on a face mask to follow store policy but she became angry and said, 'I will not' and sat on the ground refusing to leave until she was helped

'I am an American. I have constitutional rights!' she says angrily before the camera cuts off

Costco's policy mandating customers wear masks from back in May 2020. A year later, Cosco, Walmart and Trader Joe's would life the mask mandates for customers who were vaccinated

'You just have to tell me that you have one. Well, then you have to wear it. You have to wear your mask in public. This is private property,' the female employee said in the video posted back on June 30, 2020.

'I am not a member of Costco,' the woman is heard snapping back.

'Want me to get that taken care of for you? Well, then youre going to have to put your mask on,' the employee says.

'I will not,' the woman says curtly, adding the mask requirement is 'your problem'.

'Well then come back another time,' the employee says.

'I want to speak to your boss,' the outraged woman replies.

The reason why no newer viral videos of supermarket mask meltdowns since then likely has to do with the fact that in May 2021, Costco, along with Walmart and Trader Joe's announced that customers who've had their COVID vaccine no longer need to wear a mask while shopping - unless local laws say otherwise.

All three grocery giants made the announcements on May 14, 2021.

A Costco store in Washington DC. The wholesaler has lifted its rule on masks, with vaccinated shoppers allowed to peruse its aisles bare-faced

A Walmart customer in Derry, New Hampshire in November 2020. The store has announced it was lifting its rule saying customers must wear masks while shopping

A Trader Joe's shopper in New York in August 2020. TJ's has also lifted its mask rule - although customers must still cover up in individual states or counties with ongoing mask mandates

An announcement on Trader Joe's website said: 'We encourage customers to follow the guidance of health officials, including, as appropriate, CDC guidelines that advise customers who are fully vaccinated are not required to wear masks while shopping.'

Both Costco and Trader Joe's said they would not require proof of vaccination, but employees at the grocery chain will still need to cover their faces.

Workers still need to answer 'yes' to a vaccination question in a daily health assessment in order to go maskless, the company said in a memo to employees posted on its corporate website.

'Integrity is one of our core values, and we trust that associates will respect that principle when answering,' the Walmart memo states. To get the bonus, workers will have to show their original vaccination certificate.

Walmart was one of the first retailers to mandate masks last July. Its move to allow vaccinated shoppers and workers to not wear masks could lead other chains to follow suit.
Students who had their final months of school ruined by Covid-19 lockdowns have hit back with the perfect revenge as soon as restrictions eased.

Two Melbourne VCE school leavers have become an overnight internet sensation after posting a series of hilarious TikTok videos impersonating Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and his NSW counterpart Gladys Berejiklian before her recent resignation.

The two leaders have dominated national headlines in recent months with daily press conferences after plunging their respective states into months of stay-at home orders due to the current Delta outbreak.

The students jumped at the first chance to make fun of Mr Andrews and his former interstate rival just days after Melburnians emerged from their sixth lockdown in 19 months by taking Halloween costumes to a new level.

The students' videos dressed up as Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews (right) for Halloween

The first viral video, which has had more than a million views, shows the pair strutting their moves for the camera to Melbourne post-lockdown anthem 'Get on the Beers'.

The Mashd N Kutcher hit song featuring memorable one liners from Mr Andrews at daily Covid briefings took the internet and Australian iTunes charts by storm early on in pandemic in 2020.

The clip also shows the Victorian premier taking a few swipes at his interstate rival in a cheeky tribute to state leaders' public potshots at each other during the pandemic.

'Notice us daddy Dan,' the clip captioned.

One of the TikTok video shows the state leaders aka VCE students twerking for the cameras

In another video the pair recreate Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow's handshake from their VMA performance of 'Void' before twerking.

A third hilarious video shows the pair lip-syncing to rapper Nicki Minaj's hit 'I'm Legit'.

'DAN PLEASE! We love you,' the clip is captioned.

The pair went to extensive effort to recreate Mr Andrews' and Ms Berejiklian's looks in the videos, complete with NSW Health and Victoria Health logos taped to their backs.

Unable to get a NorthFace jacket that has become Mr Andrews' wardrobe staple, the pair stuck on a handwritten logo to a black suit jacket.

The students have been inundated with online praise for their creativity with hundreds of likes, shares and comments.

The girls' impersonations of the Victorian and former NSW leaders (pictured) have gone viral

'AMAZING! With those iconic walls of our plague times,' one viewer posted.

Another added: 'This is top Covid-tier humour.'

Hundreds hailed their dress-ups as the best Halloween costumes ever.

'This is the best I've seen,' one viewer commented.

Another quipped: 'Someone lend a a real NorthFace.'
Former ministers should be hit in the pocket if they break lobbying rules, Whitehalls anti-sleaze watchdog has recommended.

A report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life today calls for an overhaul of conduct systems in the wake of the Greensill scandal.

Former prime minister David Cameron escaped punishment despite privately lobbying ministers in efforts to secure access to an emergency coronavirus loan scheme for Greensill Capital before its collapse.

He did not face retribution  but he would under the recommended changes.

Under the current rules, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments bans former ministers or civil servants from lobbying government for two years.

Parliament's standards commissioner found Tory MP Owen Paterson guilty of breaching lobbying rules last week and suspended him for 30 days

But it cannot force them to accept this, nor sanction those who ignore its ruling.

For current ministers, the prime minister decides whether members of the government should be investigated for breaching the ministerial code, as well as whether they should resign.

But the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Lord Evans of Weardale, said the system is no longer satisfactory.

He has called for the Government to be given a more thorough and rigorous compliance function.

It comes as the Government faces calls to overhaul Parliaments anti-sleaze watchdog itself after it found Tory MP Owen Paterson guilty of breaching lobbying rules.

The former environment minister is facing a 30-day suspension from the Commons and could lose his seat.

The report comes after former Prime Minister David Cameron escaped punishment for lobbying on behalf of Greensill Capital to secure a coronavirus rescue loan

Mr Paterson has maintained his innocence and claimed the biased way the inquiry was carried out was a major factor in the suicide of his wife Rose last year.

Allies of Mr Paterson could table an amendment to a motion on Wednesday to reduce his suspension.

The report states that politicians who breach the ministerial code should face a range of sanctions including apologies, fines and resignations.

And it said there should be a five-year ban on ex-ministers and officials who had a particularly senior role working for lobbying firms.

The change would allow the prime ministers ethics adviser and other watchdogs to dock part of the pensions and severance pay of former ministers and top civil servants if they are found to be in breach of the rules.

The report also found that the public believe that politicians are not held to account for poor ethical standards.

Former prime minister Sir John Major, who set up the standards committee after his premiership was rocked by sleaze scandals, has backed the recommendations. Labour has also supported them.

A Government source last night said Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg understood the arguments made for reform.
A local councillor in one of Australia's richest areas has vowed to fight plans to build new homes in her 'already-congested' municipality.

Woollahra Council, in Sydney's ritzy eastern suburbs, last week voted to sign up to a state government housings target to increase the area's number of homes by 2026.

The plan seeks to build 500 homes within the council, which includes Bellevue Hill, Darling Point, Double Bay, Edgecliff, Watsons Bay, Woollahra, Paddington, Point Piper, Rose Bay, and Vaucluse, within the next five years.

But the proposal is staunchly opposed by several councillors, including Luise Elsing from Residents First, who argues the area's infrastructure cannot support more residents.

Woollahra Councillor Luise Elsing (pictured) has vowed to fight a plan to build 500 new homes in her LGA over the next five years

The group is campaigning against the decision to boost Woollahra Council's population, arguing its plush suburbs are 'full'.

'A cursory examination of the [area] would reveal that roads are congested... parking is impossible, air quality is dangerous and public school places are not available,' Cr Elsing told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Cr Elsing said sewage and stormwater systems were also 'literally imploding', with incidents of wastewater overflowing becoming more common.

She argued the area could not house more residents unless major new infrastructure was constructed.

However, Liberal Party mayor Susan Wynne said the plan would allow the council to be in control of its growth, rather than putting it in the hands of developers.

She argued implementing the housing strategy may pave the way for the council to seek grants from the state government to upgrade infrastructure.

Alternatively, rejecting the target would result in the overdevelopment of Woollahra, Ms Wynne said.

Woollahra is one of the wealthiest areas in Australia, boasting hundreds of cliff-top mansions that overlook the nation's east coast

But Cr Elsing said the council recently approved least 889 new homes, meaning it had already surpassed its targets.

'Woollahra targets are low compared to other LGAs because Woollahra is already heavily densified, located on a peninsula with very little access to new infrastructure, public open space and recreational facilities,' she said.

Bruce Bland, vice president of the Rose Bay Residents Association, said the state government had not built new infrastructure for the past 30 years.

'It is common knowledge that Woollahra residents believe that Woollahra is full and dont want any further increase in development unless it is accompanied by appropriate infrastructure,' he said in an email to councillors.

Woollahra, which is one of the most densely populated councils in Sydney, boasts hundreds of multi-million dollar clifftop mansions that overlook Australia's east coast.

Cr Elsing said the LGA would need major infrastructure upgrades before it could accommodate more people, because it is already congested. Pictured: residents line up outside a Woollahra coffee shop in July

As Sydney's population grew, councils sought to address demand by introducing housing targets to boost the number of new homes across the city.

The measure has sparked controversy, with some residents seizing on the Covid-19 crisis last year to call for targets to be lowered.

Meanwhile, other councils agreed to take on more homes by 2026, with 1350 set to be built in Waverley Council and 15,000 in the City of Sydney.

On Sydney's lower north shore, Mosman Council will absorb 250 to 300 homes over the next five years, while Hunters Hill will build 150 to 200.
Almost half of ministerial cars still guzzle petrol and diesel despite the Governments pledge to make its vehicles green.

As the Cop26 climate summit begins, the Daily Mail can reveal that 14 cars used by ministers run on diesel and 29 on petrol  44 per cent of the total.

Just 28 are fully electric and a further 26 are petrol hybrids, out of 97 ministerial cars, figures released under Freedom of Information laws show.

In July, the Government said it was committed to making its entire car and van fleet fully zero emission at the tailpipe by the end of 2027.

Out of 97 ministerial cars, just 28 are fully electric and a further 26 are petrol hybrids, figures released under Freedom of Information laws show

And in 2017, then prime minister Theresa May said the Government car service was working to remove diesel vehicles from its fleet.

The Liberal Democrats, who obtained the data, accused ministers of dragging their feet on replacing the cars.

The partys transport spokesman Sarah Olney said: The Government must lead by example. If this government cannot manage the simple task of making their cars all ultra-low emission in four years then how can we expect them to be a world leader in tackling climate change?

It is shameful, incompetent and a dismal failure.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: More than half of government... vehicles are already hybrid or electric, and were well on track to meet our pledge of electrifying the entire fleet of cars and vans by 2027.

Separate figures show four in 10 of the brand new Jaguar Land Rover cars bought for use by the Foreign Office since the start of last year have had conventional petrol or diesel engines.

The data, obtained by the Labour Party, shows 44 of the 53 cars bought since January 2020 are petrol, diesel or hybrid - and just nine are battery electric vehicles.

Labours shadow Foreign Office minister Catherine West said: COP26 is our chance to set an example for the world on progress to Net Zero, and showcase the fantastic new electric cars being built in the UK to help us achieve that goal.

But instead, we have yet another example of the government making one rule for everyone else and another for themselves.

And this isnt just about hypocrisy and high emissions, its also a waste of money. Why are they spending more than 40,000 a pop on 44 brand new cars which their own decarbonising transport strategy says they will have to take out of service within six years.
Brussels has destroyed cross-community consent with its overly strict enforcement of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Lord Frost claimed.

The Brexit chief said the protocol is beginning to damage the Good Friday Agreement despite being designed to protect it.

In a Policy Exchange think-tank paper published today, he accused the EU of behaving without regard to the huge political, economic and identity sensitivities involved in the country.

Last month the UK and the EU put forward proposals to address the dispute over the Protocol, which was negotiated by Lord Frost

The protocol was negotiated to avoid a hard border by keeping Northern Ireland in the EUs single market.

But unionists want it scrapped due to the trade barriers it has created on products crossing the Irish Sea.

Lord Frost said the operation of the Protocol has begun to damage the thing it was designed to protect - the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.

The insistence of the EU on treating these arrangements as like any other part of its customs and single market rules, without regard to the huge political, economic, and identity sensitivities involved, has destroyed cross-community consent well before the four-year mark, he wrote.

We also have the lived experience of aspects that are simply unsustainable in the long-term for any Government responsible for the lives of its citizens - like having to negotiate with a third party about the distribution of medicines within the NHS.

The Brexit chief said the protocol is beginning to damage the Good Friday Agreement despite being designed to protect it

That is why we must return to the Protocol and deliver a more robust, and more balanced, outcome than we could in 2019. I hope the EU will in the end join us in that.

Last month the UK and the EU put forward proposals to address the dispute over the Protocol, which was negotiated by Lord Frost.

The Policy Exchange paper - The Northern Ireland Protocol: The Origins of the Current Crisis, by Roderick Crawford - provides a chronology of Brexit negotiations and what went wrong in 2017.

It argues that commitments, particularly on the Irish border, in the 2017 joint report were a diplomatic triumph for Ireland and the (European) Commission but failing to secure adequate reciprocal concessions was a staggering failure for the UK.

Mr Crawford says the joint report - and what it committed the UK to - led to a flawed February 2018 draft withdrawal agreement and the subsequent November 2018 Withdrawal Agreement.

The paper says that led to the fall of Theresa Mays government in 2019 and tied the hands of the new Government led by Boris Johnson that year as it renegotiated the terms of Brexit.
Doctors last night described plans for airport-style arrival lounges to be set up at hospitals to ease the ambulance crisis as insane.

Some London hospitals are trialling the lounges as a place for ambulances to drop off patients waiting to be admitted into A&E as an alternative to keeping them stuck in the back of the vehicle.

In recent weeks, severely ill patients have been forced to wait in the vehicles for up to 12 hours outside overwhelmed A&Es.

Ambulances are supposed to hand patients over to the hospital within 15 minutes of arriving  but 35,000 patients waited for more than an hour in September.

In recent weeks, severely ill patients have been forced to wait in the vehicles for up to 12 hours outside overwhelmed A&Es (pictured: St. Thomas Hospital in London)

This has led to concerns that patients are coming to harm, with the queues linked to two deaths last week.

NHS bosses have now ordered hospitals to eliminate ambulance queues and to stop using the vehicles as emergency department cubicles.

In response, some A&Es in London are trialling the arrival lounges in unused parts of hospitals, freeing up ambulances to respond to other 999 calls.

But doctors said the plans are insanity.

Doctors last night described plans for airport-style arrival lounges to be set up at hospitals to ease the ambulance crisis as insane (pictured: Luton Airport)

Last night Dr Susan Crossland, of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: What is being proposed is effectively an ambulance in a room and is therefore moving the problem rather than tackling it.

'Quite where the additional staff will come from, given the already massive pressures being faced by staff in ambulance services and hospitals, remains to be seen.

Dr Linda Dykes, an A&E consultant, said the plans were beyond stupidity and verging on insanity, adding: Expanding emergency departments without a magic staff tree will result in dead patients.

Health chiefs last night urged people to go online and use the 111 service if they need care instead of rushing to A&E units.
Scott Morrison was left hanging by world leaders while trying to mingle at the G20 Summit.

The prime minister appeared to receive more cold shoulders than handshakes during the seemingly awkward encounters at the summit in Rome.

Mr Morrison and other world leaders had gathered on a podium as they waited for a group photo to be taken.

World leaders chatted among each other with Mr Morrison seen bouncing between the groups and struggling to grab their attention.

He was seen patting Rwanda president Paul Kagame on the back but failed to grab his attention as Mr Kagame continued to shake hands with South Korean president Moon Jae-In.

Scott Morrison was left hanging by world leaders after he struggled to shake their hands at the G20 Summit (pictured, Scott Morrison with Rwandan president Paul Kagame and South Korean president Moon Jae-In)

The warm conversation between US president Joe Biden and French President Emanuel Macron was far from the icy and awkward handshake Mr Morrison shared with Mr Macron

Mr Morrison stood on his own and awkwardly folded his face mask in his hands as he looked around the room.

Across the podium, US president Joe Biden and French president Emmanuel Macron appeared to be all smiles as they chatted with each other.

The warm conversation was far from the icy and awkward handshake Mr Morrison shared with Mr Macron.

The leaders met briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit, just two days after a first phone call since Australia opted for nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the US and Britain in the AUKUS pact.

Mr Morrison told reporters he only briefly bumped into the French leader and 'said g'day' and that he hoped they could speak more later.

Diplomatic tensions between France and Australia have escalated since Australia pulled out of a $90 billion deal with France to manufacture its next generation of submarines.

Hours after the pair shared the awkward exchange at the Summit, the French President made his feelings known about Mr Morrison during a fiery exchange with Australian journalists.

'We will see what he will deliver,' Mr Macron told reporters on Sunday.

'I have a lot of respect for your country, a lot of respect and friendship for your people. I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistent with this value.

The French president was asked if the Australian prime minister had lied.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrives at the G20 summit of world leaders to discuss climate change, Covid-19 and the post-pandemic global recovery at the La Nuvola center G20 Summit, Rome, Italy

'I don't think, I know,' Mr Macron replied before cutting off further questions.

Mr Morrison has since shut down the claims at a press conference.

'No,' he replied when asked if he had lied to President Macron.

He added decisions he makes are in Australia's best interests.

'I will always stand up for Australia's interests,' Mr Morrison reiterated.

'I don't resile from it for one second. These decisions are difficult. Of course it has caused disappointment and it has caused an impact on the relationship with France.'

He added he had previously explained Mr Macron 'very clearly' a few months ago the submarines ordered from France were 'not going to meet Australia's interests'.

It is not the first time Mr Morrison has been left on his own with the prime minister cutting a lonely figure at the G7 Summit in France in 2019.

Invited by French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Morrison was left to stare at his phone as then-US president Donald Trump mingled with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Footage showed the leaders socialising while a glum-looking Mr Morrison stood alone in the background, despite his wife Jenny being present.
The Taliban has shown its support for anti-climate change efforts, calling for international aid to help complete environmental projects in Afghanistan.

Citing a need to protect the countrys fragile climate, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said tremendous work was needed to help Afghanistan become greener.

The Taliban regime, which came into force in August, will not be represented at Cop26 as it is yet to be recognised internationally.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said tremendous work was needed to help Afghanistan become greener

But Mr Shaheen said that environmental projects which had been approved for United Nations funding under the former Afghan government must fully resume work.

And he stressed that the Taliban  which formerly targeted international contractors  was committed to ensuring their safety.

Mr Shaheen said: Afghanistan has a fragile climate. There is need for tremendous work.

Some climate change projects which have already been approved and were funded by Green Climate Fund, UNDP, Afghan Aid, should fully resume work.

Relief agencies have warned that a drought in Afghanistan, which UN scientists say has been worsened by climate change, could force 22 million into 'acute food insecurity'.

But the work of international agencies has been disrupted by the change in regime, and international donors are reluctant to work with the Islamist former insurgents.

Mr Shaheen stressed, however, that the Taliban - who had previously targeted international contractors - would be be able to ensure the security of teams working in the projects.

Writing on Twitter, he said: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed to providing security and a safe environment for the work of NGOs and charity organisations.

Mr Shaheen made his call as the Talibans shadowy supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada made his first public appearance since 2016.
The past seven years have been the hottest on record  and the rate at which sea levels are rising is accelerating, UN experts warn.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said 2021 was likely to be the fifth, sixth or seventh hottest in records dating to 1850.

The average global temperature from 2002 to 2021 was 1.01C above pre-industrial levels, the scientists said, while 2021 itself has averaged 1.09C higher.

In its State of the Climate report, the WMO said sea level rise has increased from an average of 2.1mm a year between 1993-2000 to 4.4mm between 2013-2021, mostly due to the faster loss of ice from glaciers and ice sheets.

People enjoy the hot weather on Brighton beach on July 18, the warmest day of the year with temperatures soaring above 31C across England and Wales

Secretary general Petteri Taalas said extreme events were 'the new normal', with mounting evidence of human-induced climate change.

At the current rate of increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, temperatures by the end of the century would be far in excess of the Paris goals, he said.

'Cop26 is a make-or-break opportunity to put us back on track.'

UK chief scientist Sir Patrick Vallance added his voice to calls for action, warning: 'The commitment of leaders to implement changes to limit warming to 1.5C at Cop26 will be essential to protect all of us and the planet.

He added: 'This report hammers home the message that climate change is real and present: the seas are rising, glaciers are melting, and floods and wildfires are more frequent.

'Across the world, these changes are already affecting our transport, healthcare and food systems.'

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres called for the Cop26 talks, where leaders are under pressure to keep the 1.5C temperature limit within reach with more action on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, to be a 'turning point for people and planet'.

Communities and natural systems around the world were being devastated, he warned, as he urged leaders to act.

'The door is open; the solutions are there. Cop26 must be a turning point. We must act now - with ambition and solidarity - to safeguard our future and save humanity,' he said.

Professor Stephen Belcher, Met Office chief scientist, said the global temperature in 2021 was higher than average, despite the slight, short-term natural cooling cycle associated with La Nina.

'This year's provisional figure shows that the temperature trend remains upward.

'The fact that the 20-year average has reached more than 1.0C above pre-industrial levels will focus the minds of delegates at Cop26 aspiring to keep global temperature rise to within the limits agreed in Paris six years ago,' he said.
Thousands of children will be told to wear masks when they return to school after half-term.

Schools in the East of England will be urged to reimpose the measure on top of mass testing to halt an increase in coronavirus cases in the region, it emerged yesterday.

Targeted local action will affect more than 1.5million people living in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Suffolk.

The plans include asking secondary schools to make masks compulsory in communal areas, as well as the return of routine onsite rapid testing for pupils.

A girl wears a face mask while at work in the library at Willows High School, Cardiff in March

The measures  which will be in place for at least five weeks  were announced by the Health Security Agency, the organisation which has replaced Public Health England.

Extra vaccination and testing teams will also be deployed to the East of England to try and tackle the spread of the virus.

Similar restrictions could be rolled out across other parts of the country this winter if they also see a spike in cases.

Average daily cases and hospital admissions in the East have doubled over the past six weeks.

Just one in five 12 to 15-year-olds in England have had a jab in the month since the NHS started its rollout in schools

This has been driven by high rates among schoolchildren, which experts have blamed on the slow vaccine rollout to youngsters.

Just one in five 12 to 15-year-olds in England have had a jab in the month since the NHS started its rollout in schools.

And last week one in ten secondary schoolchildren in England had Covid, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Health teams are preparing to visit more than 800 schools across the country this week to offer more children the jab.

Pupils are also being urged to get vaccinated at walk-in centres.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: The vaccines are safe and will help keep children in the classroom.
Families planning autumn and winter trips to America were dealt a blow yesterday as it emerged unvaccinated children will have to take three Covid tests.

It means testing bills could add at least 70 per child to the cost of a transatlantic trip when the US reopens to British tourists next Monday.

The change in border rules has prompted a surge in demand and the cost of flights.

But in updated travel guidance, Washington stated that unjabbed under-18s will have to take a post-arrival test between days three and five.

Families planning autumn and winter trips to America were dealt a blow yesterday as it emerged unvaccinated children will have to take three Covid tests

It is understood this can be a rapid antigen test, which can cost only 8 in America but could be as much as 30 if shops are out of stock of cheaper ones.

This is in addition to the pre-departure test in the UK which must be taken by all travellers within three days of flying to America.

This can also be a rapid test but must be supervised by a clinician in person or via an online video call, making it around 40.

UK rules mean another test must be taken by day two on arrival back home.

This can be an unsupervised rapid lateral flow test typically costing 20 to 25.

It applies to children aged five to 17 and adults. Vaccines in the UK are only being offered to children aged 12 to 17.

The US is allowing in adults only if they are fully vaccinated.

Despite the rules, airlines are gearing up for their busiest day of transatlantic flying since America banned British tourists in March 2020.

It means testing bills could add at least 70 per child to the cost of a transatlantic trip when the US reopens to British tourists next Monday

The demand is pushing up the cost of flights. Those with British Airways from Heathrow to JFK in New York are 350 on November 7 but 1,319 the next day.

Virgin Atlantic flights soar from 584 to 1,215 for the same days.

In better news, the last seven countries remaining on the foreign travel red list were removed early today.

It means that, for the first time since February, Britons can go anywhere in the world without facing 11 nights of hotel quarantine on their return.
Brussels has accused the UK of seeking a 'path of confrontation' over Northern Ireland and fishing rights in the post-Brexit era.

Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic yesterday urged the UK's Brexit chief Lord Frost to reconsider the EU's proposals to reduce checks on British goods entering Northern Ireland.

'I am increasingly concerned that the UK Government will refuse to engage with this and embark on a path of confrontation,' he said.

Lord Frost meanwhile has claimed the EU has 'destroyed cross-community consent' with its overly strict enforcement of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which he believes is beginning to damage the Good Friday Agreement.

Such accusations come at the start of a week of fresh negotiations, culminating in a meeting between Sefcovic and Frost on Friday.

It comes as Emmanuel Macron announced France will introduce border and port blocks on British ships from Tuesday unless Boris Johnson is prepared to stand down in their bitter row over post-Brexit fishing.

Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic urged the UK's Brext chief Lord Frost to reconsider the EU's proposals to reduce checks on British goods entering Northern Ireland

Last month the UK and the EU put forward proposals to address the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was negotiated by Lord Frost. Frost has since accused the EU of 'destroying cross-community consent' by harshly enforcing the protocol

The Northern Ireland protocol was negotiated to avoid a hard border by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market.

But unionists want it scrapped due to the trade barriers it has created on products crossing the Irish Sea.

Sefcovic, the EU's lead negotiator, said that talks over the protocol are at risk because the EU will only compromise its position so far.

He said: 'With the EU's package of enhanced opportunities from this October, we have gone the extra mile. But we have our limits, too, as we must protect the integrity of the EU's Single Market and the interest of the 27 member states.'

Meanwhile, Lord Frost said in a Policy Exchange think-tank paper published over the weekend that Brussels is behaving 'without regard to the huge political, economic and identity sensitivities' involved in Northern Ireland.

He declared the EU's operation of the Protocol 'has begun to damage the thing it was designed to protect - the Belfast Good Friday Agreement'.

'The insistence of the EU on treating these arrangements as like any other part of its customs and single market rules, without regard to the huge political, economic, and identity sensitivities involved, has destroyed cross-community consent well before the four-year mark,' he wrote.

'We also have the lived experience of aspects that are simply unsustainable in the long-term for any Government responsible for the lives of its citizens - like having to negotiate with a third party about the distribution of medicines within the NHS.

'That is why we must return to the Protocol and deliver a more robust, and more balanced, outcome than we could in 2019. I hope the EU will in the end join us in that.'

The Brexit chief said the protocol is beginning to damage the Good Friday Agreement despite being designed to protect it

The accusation from the EU comes as Emmanuel Macron announced France will introduce border and port blocks on British ships from Tuesday unless Boris Johnson is prepared to stand down in their bitter row over post-Brexit fishing.

Last month the UK and the EU put forward proposals to address the dispute over the Protocol, which was negotiated by Lord Frost.

The Policy Exchange paper - The Northern Ireland Protocol: The Origins of the Current Crisis, by Roderick Crawford - provides a chronology of Brexit negotiations and what went wrong in 2017.

It argues that commitments, particularly on the Irish border, in the 2017 joint report were 'a diplomatic triumph for Ireland and the (European) Commission' but 'failing to secure adequate reciprocal concessions was a staggering failure for the UK'.

Mr Crawford says the joint report - and what it committed the UK to - led to a flawed February 2018 draft withdrawal agreement and the subsequent November 2018 Withdrawal Agreement.

The paper says that led to the fall of Theresa May's government in 2019 and 'tied the hands' of the new Government led by Boris Johnson that year as it renegotiated the terms of Brexit.
A Sydney businessman is accused of texting an alleged drug kingpin known as 'Australia's Pablo Escobar' on the fake encrypted messaging app Anom while trying to smuggle 27kg of cocaine into the country.

One-time Rio Tinto mining executive Bennet Schwartz was arrested at his home in Rose Bay, in the city's eastern suburbs, on Friday and charged over a drug importation scheme allegedly involving Mostafa Baluch.

Baluch triggered an international manhunt when he cut his ankle monitoring bracelet off and disappeared from his Bayview home last Monday evening in an attempt to avoid a potential life prison sentence.

Detectives allege Schwartz is not cooperating and refuses to give up the location of his alleged co-conspirator, but further investigation revealed the pair allegedly messaged each other using encrypted phones in April.

Bennet Schwartz (left) used to be a mining executive at Rio Tinto. He was arrested in his Rose Bay home on Friday

Pictured:Texts allegedly exchanged between Baluch and Schwartz on encrypted messaging app Anom in April

The Federal Police will allege in court that Baluch and Schwartz exchanged a series of messages using the supposedly encrypted app AN0M.

AN0M was famously concocted by the Federal Police and the FBI to ensnare international crime syndicates until authorities revealed it was an elaborate con at the centre of a police sting.

Authorities could read every single message sent by users of the app.

Prosecutors will allege Baluch sent Schwartz a series of photos before the disgraced businessman replied: 'What's that?'

The 33-year-old fugitive said: 'Not a bad concealment. Thoughts?'

'So 8 units fit? What's it meant to be? TV mounting unit?' Schwartz allegedly asked.

'Not sure, but fits 8 @ 23kg lol,' Baluch wrote.

The following day, Baluch allegedly said: 'Hi bro we have three parcels ready. One with 4 one 6 and one eight...so that's four kilos from Greece correct.'

Mostafa Baluch allegedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled for parts unknown from his home on Sydney's northern beaches just days after he was granted bail

Police will also allege that the pair dined together at restaurant Lucky & Pep's in Newport, Sydney's northern beaches just hours before Baluch disappeared, according to Nine News.

'(Schwartz) has been questioned, he's provided no information as to Baluch's location at this point in time,' Superintendent Matthew Parsons told reporters on Friday.

An investigation began into Baluch early 2020 when three separate consignments containing four, nine and 14 kilograms of cocaine concealed in packages of modelling clay were seized by Border Force.

In Parramatta Local Court on Saturday, police accused Schwartz of using a fake name to track 62 consignments, six of which contained 14kg of cocaine, 8.2kg of heroin and 48.6kg of methamphetamine.

Officer also found three encrypted phones during a search of his home.

Pictured: Bennet Schwartz being arrested outside his Rose Bay home. He is accused of smuggling drugs into the country

Drugs were allegedly hidden in a number of packages of modelling clay (pictured) before they were intercepted by border forces

While Schwartz told police he had an insider who worked with Australian border forces, Supt Parsons confirmed there was no insider.

Instead, the 34-year-old used commercial parcel-tracking apps to keep tabs on alleged drug shipments, police claim.

Schwartz did not apply for bail and is due to face Central Local Court again on December 22.

Baluch was arrested in June and hit with a string of charges, including three counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, for his alleged involvement in the syndicate shipping drugs in air cargo.

He was also charged with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug over a separate alleged 900-kilogram shipment of cocaine from Ecuador.

Baluch pictured outside his home in Mona Vale on Monday hours before the international drug lord disappeared - with authorities fearing he's left NSW on a plane

The last sighting of Baluch shows CCTV footage of him flying down Pittwater Road near Bayview in his black Range Rover at around 10:30pm that evening

At about 10.40pm last Monday, four days after he was granted bail, the 33-year-old cut his court-ordered ankle bracelet off and threw it out the window of a car.

Police believe he was hiding in the back seat of a black Range Rover heading east on the M4 at Concord at about 2.30am on Tuesday.

On Thursday, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller confirmed the luxury vehicle was in police custody.

'We have seized the black Range Rover for examination, we will look at the GPS, and other data and cameras around our state,' he told Sydney radio 2GB.

'There was intelligence that perhaps he had flown out of Bankstown but that doesnt appear to be correct, there is also intelligence he is travelling south towards Victoria so we have police on high alert'.

The commissioner urged community to keep an eye out for the fugitive and said authorities were working on two to three different leads.
This is the shocking moment gangs of youths fired explosives at passers-by as Halloween celebrations in the capital descended into chaos.

Terrified members of the public and motorists were left watching in horror as a group of thugs pelted fireworks across a high street in Stamford Hill, north London, at around 10.30pm last night.

Elsewhere scores of people were seen running for cover as fireworks were also blasted along a street in Woolwich, south east London.

The scenes come more than a year after Police Federation chair John Apter called for an urgent review into the sale of fireworks amid a spate of attacks across the UK.

The gang fired explosives at pedestrian on a hight street in Stamford Hill, north London, last night

Terrified pedestrians and motorists were left watching in horror as the thugs pelted the rockets across the street

During one clip, drivers were seen carefully manoeuvring their cars along the road as explosives were launched down a busy street in Stamford Hill.

Meanwhile another clip showed police officers running after groups of people and trying to control the crowds as rockets were fired at cars and pedestrians in Woolwich - leaving the area shrouded in smoke.

MailOnline has contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment.

The scenes come nearly a year after animal carers had to barricade themselves inside the RSPCA Harmsworth Animal Hospital in Finsbury Park, North London, after a gang pelted fireworks across the street.

Police also came under attack as they battled to protect staff and animals at the centre after the youths lined the entrance to the hospital with bins last year.

In November last year footage also showed two groups of youths shooting fireworks at each other on a street in Stamford Hill as members of the public ran for cover.

Elsewhere in Hackney a firework was launched in the street outside a Sainsbury's as a group of youths fled before police arrived.

Meanwhile in Smethwick, Birmingham, thugs targeted police with a stream of fireworks forcing the officers to flee as the dangerous pyrotechnics exploded around them.

Police officers chased after groups of people after fireworks were launched in Woolwich, south east London

Officers tried to control the crowds after the rockets were launched at cars and pedestrians

Following the spate of attacks last year, John Apter, the National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, called for an urgent review of the current legislation.

He said: 'The dangerous, irresponsible and unlawful use of fireworks we have seen can no longer be ignored.

'We have witnessed numerous pitched battles in the streets with fireworks being used as a weapon of choice and fired indiscriminately at police officers

'This is not just a 'bit of fun', it is a serious issue which can, and does, lead to people being badly injured.

'The current legislation is clearly not fit for purpose, and there must be a comprehensive and urgent review which should include the availability of over the counter fireworks.

'This violent behaviour towards emergency service workers, who are doing their jobs and helping people in need, is totally unacceptable.

'There must be harsher punishments to send a clear and unequivocal message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.'
Shocking photos have emerged of Shadow Attorney-General Tim Smith's wrecked car after he ploughed his car into another vehicle and a fence while driving three times over the legal drinking limit.

Tim Smith (pictured) announced on Sunday that he left his senior post with the Victorian state opposition because he made a 'serious error in judgement'

The Liberal MP resigned from his senior post with the Victorian state opposition on Sunday, marking a major setback in his party's fight to seize power from the Andrews' government.

According to Victoria Police, Mr Smith's vehicle collided with another before smashing into a fence on Power Street in Hawthorn, in Melbourne's inner east, about 8.55pm on Saturday.

Witnesses say the 38-year-old was 'acting erratically' in the moments after the crash as he desperately tried to reverse out of the fence.

Photos taken by at the scene show the front of Mr Smith's white Jaguar embedded inside the metal panel, as debris collected when the car mounted the kerb laid strewn across the pavement.

Another image taken a short time later shows the crumpled car being towed away on the back of a truck, its bonnet completely crushed during the crash.

One resident was watching television with his family when they heard a loud bang outside.

Photos have emerged of Shadow Attorney-General Tim Smith's car embedded in a metal fence after he crashed in Melbourne's inner east on Saturday night while drink driving

'We looked out the window and saw a jaguar had crashed into the fence across the road,' the man, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia.

'It was really loud. The car seemed to go into the house at speed, so we are happy no one got hurt.'

The neighbour said the MP appeared frenetic as he tried to move his car back onto the road.

'He kept getting in and out of the car to try and reverse and the wheels were spinning,' he said.

'He did that four or five times, and there was smoke filling the air. He was acting quite erratically.

'My wife called the emergency services and they turned up pretty quickly, and other neighbours came out of their houses to have a look at what was going on.

'We didn't know who he was at the time until the next day when a journalist asked us about him.'

The Liberal MP's white Jaguar was left crumpled after it collided with a fence and another car on Power Street in Hawthorn

Mr Smith was taken to the police station where he blew a 0.131 alcohol reading - far higher than the 0.05 legal limit.

Announcing his resignation, the Liberal MP said he made a 'serious error in judgement'.

'After dinner with friends I believed I was under the legal limit to drive home,' the member for Kew said in a statement.

'This was not the case.

'I was breath-tested and returned a positive reading.'

No one was injured, but the resigning shadow attorney-general was fined and had his licence suspended for 12 months.

MP Tim Smith (pictured left) was taken to the police station where he blew a 0.131 alcohol reading - two times higher than the legal limit

'I apologise to my constituents, my colleagues, my family and the people of Victoria who expect their elected representatives to uphold the highest standards of behaviour,' he added.

'Today I tendered my resignation from the Shadow Cabinet to the leader of the opposition, which he has accepted.'

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said he was 'bitterly disappointed' in Mr Smith and will talk to him about his future.

Mr Smith has helped lead the charge against Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' proposed state of emergency law, accusing the labor leader of being a 'dictator'.

In a heated debated about the state's controversial vaccine mandates in parliament on Wednesday, Mr Smith said: 'This is nonsensical, it's an abuse of power.

'It's a disgraceful mistreatment of our democratic traditions giving the dictator dictatorial powers and you think that's great.

'You think it's absolutely fantastic giving the dictator the ability to rule by decree,' he said in reference to Daniel Andrews.

The Victorian Labor Government introduced the Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 in the state Parliament on Tuesday in the hope of passing it into law next month.

The new law, which the premier hopes to pass soon despite fierce opposition, states a person can be fined up to $21,909 for breaching a pandemic order.

MP Tim Smith has been a vocal critic of the Victorian labor government. Pictured: Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday

This could include not wearing a mask, breaking a movement limit, attending an illegal protest or a gathering, refusing to get tested or failing to show ID.

Businesses can be fined up to $109,044 for breaking rules which may include failing to make sure customers check-in or show proof of vaccine status.

In June, Mr Smith accused Mr Andrews' government of trying to scare people to avoid criticism for not getting on top of the latest Covid outbreak and lifting the state's fourth lockdown.

'The acting premier's deliberately provocative and hysterical language is attempting to terrify the public,' he said.

'He should be trying to reassure the public. Victorians will now be locked down for 173 days in our 4th lockdown. Why does this only happen in Victoria?

'The language from the state government in the last 24 hours should have attempted to reassure the public. Unfortunately the state govt has deliberately done the opposite.'

Mr Smith was promoted to the position of shadow attorney-general in September after Matthew Guy took over the leadership of the opposition party in a spill.

Before that, he was shadow planning minister.
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Halloween revellers across the UK showed off their spooky streaks on Sunday as they hit the nation's pubs and clubs in style.

Ghoulish face paint, blood red lips and vampire teeth were still the order of the day as partygoers defied the bad weather for some light-hearted fun and frills.

Thousands of young people made up for lost time after many celebrations were cancelled last year due to the Covid pandemic. The UK entered a second lockdown on November 5, 2020, but swathes of towns and cities were already in Tier 2 restrictions - curtailing the chances for nights out.

Come rain or shine: Brave revellers in Leeds hit the city again on Sunday night to enjoy the Halloween celebrations in the wet

Bags of fun: Leeds ladies and men use supermarket plastic bags to shield their hair and make-up from Sunday's conditions

Thousands of Portsmouth University students hit the bars and clubs in Portsmouth, Hampshire along Guildhall Walk dressed up for Halloween on Sunday night

Terrible wet and windy conditions in Leeds meant it enjoyed the wettest Halloween last night but revellers braved conditions

The most popular venue was the Astoria Nightclub and adjoining Mr Miyagi's bar which sold over 2000 tickets for Sunday

In London, this young woman dressed up in scarlet with a devilish tiara to match as she hit the streets for Halloween

Meanwhile, this man sported a terrifying red tracksuit inspired by Netflix's hit Korean TV series Squid Game

It wasn't all demons and gore, as this traveller on the tube showed off his angel wings for the camera

In London, partygoers donned science fiction-inspired costumes as the walked underneath hundreds of Chinese red lamps

In London, young people wore all sorts of bombastic outfits - many of them inspired by science fiction and hit shows such as Netflix's current ratings winner Squid Game.

It wasn't all demons and gore either, as some let their angelic side shine through - including a traveller on the tube wearing bold angel wings.

Others let their creativity flow free with costumes only loosely based on Halloween, with bunny rabbits and bridezillas happily joining the throngs of partygoers.

A few brave revellers in Leeds - including a girl dressed as a giant pumpkin - managed another night of partying on Halloween

Elsewhere in Leeds, the party spirit broke out in the street with this can-can dancing witch and her equally happy sidekick

This group of revellers all wore matching fishnet tights in a leggy display as they partied in Leeds city centre for Halloween

In Leeds, no amount of hellish bad weather was going to put off hundreds of university students who crowded the city's bars in fancy dress.

Steampunk boots and corsets was a popular combination of the night along with leopard print leotards and other outfits perfect for the dance floor.

And while some remembered to take their umbrellas out with them, others made do by hiding from the rain under carrier bags!

While some students remembered to take their umbrellas out with them, others made do by hiding from the rain under carrier bags!

'What's the big idea': This devil gal and her pals made sure they were on fine form partying in Leeds for Halloween

'Sisters of mercy': This group of young men dressed up as cheeky nuns as they celebrated Halloween in Leeds

'Dressed for a wedding or a funeral?': These two girls in Leeds wore cinched corsets in contrasting black and white as they partied in Leeds

Thousands of people hit the bars and clubs in Portsmouth, Hampshire along Guildhall Walk with many dressed up for Halloween on Saturday night.

The most popular venue was the Astoria Nightclub and adjoining Mr Miyagi's bar which had over 2000 people pack them out, including Love Island star Demi Jones and her pals.

There were many police patrolling the street with long queues to get into the venues, with people behaving themselves.

The most popular drink at the Astoria is Redbull Vodka, five pallets of Red Bull were delivered for the weekend, a whopping 17280 cans and hundreds of bottles of Vodka for Halloween.

The Astoria and Mr Miyagi's bar had Drug Detection dogs, checking customers as they entered

In Portsmouth, thousands of University students hit the bars and clubs, including these two girls dressed as a punk bunny and devil treading along Guildhall Walk

In Portsmouth, the most popular venue was the Astoria Nightclub and adjoining Mr Miyagi's bar which sold over 2000 tickets for the night

Students in Portsmouth took umbrellas out with them to shield from the rain, while wearing zany outfits for Halloween

In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, thousands of spookily-clad spectators turned out for the city's three-day Halloween festival.

It culminated in a spectacular finale on Sunday, with drummers reminiscent of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz giving a banging encore perfomance to end the party.

Other showed off their creative instincts by dressing as Native American chieftans and even a family of skeleton pirates.

Chief Danny McFeeley in full costume enjoying the final night of the three-day Halloween festival in Londonderry

The Margey family from Letterkenny, County Donegal, dressed as skeletal pirates for the Halloween festival in Londonderry
The company that creates the Oxford English Dictionary has chosen 'vax' as its word of the year.

Oxford Languages said vax had 'injected itself into the bloodstream of the English language' during the pandemic.

With shots of Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna making their way into arms across the country, the use of the word 'vax' was up 72 times compared to September last year.

The company that creates the Oxford English Dictionary has chosen 'vax' as its word of the year (stock image)

The word 'vax' had also been broadened into a wider range of contexts such as 'anti-vax', 'anti-vaxxers', 'fully vaxxed' and 'vax cards', it was reported in the Guardian.

The word of the year is based on usage evidence drawn from Oxfords continually updated corpus of more than 14.5 billion words, gathered from news sources across the English-speaking world.

Oxford Languages said the trend had been seen in other languages, including 'vacina' in Portugal and the French 'vaccin'.

The word of the year is based on usage evidence drawn from Oxfords continually updated corpus of more than 14.5 billion words, gathered from news sources across the English-speaking world (stock image)

Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Languages, said: 'When reviewing the language evidence, vax stood out as an obvious choice.

'The words dramatic spike in usage caught our attention first.

'Then we ran the analysis and a story started to emerge, revealing how vax sat at the centre of our preoccupations this year.'

The use of the word 'vaccine' can be dated back to the end of the eighteenth century when an English physician named Edward Jenner found cowpox could be used as a vaccine against smallpox.
The unvaccinated Uber driver who sparked a Covid-19 scare in Queensland has been fined.

Duran Raman, 36, remains in Gold Coast University Hospital, more than a week after the infected rideshare driver was rushed to hospital in a 'deteriorating' condition.

He's been issued with a $4,135 fine for a border breach after being interviewed by Queensland police in hospital, the state's police deputy commissioner Steven Gollschewski confirmed on Monday.

'Our investigation into the man referred to as the Uber driver has now concluded,' he told reporters.

Duran Raman (pictured) has been slapped with a $4,125 fine by Queensland Police

'We have interviewed Mr Raman and he has been issued with a $4,135 one the spot fine for a border breach, which brings to a conclusion our activities into that person.

'I understand he remains in hospital and unable to comment on when he may be released.'

The Broadbeach rideshare driver arrived in Queensland on October 10 following a trip to Melbourne but was believed to have been infectious several days prior.

He then tested positive for coronavirus at Robina Hospital on the Gold Coast several days later, bringing an end to the state's 15-day Covid-free streak.

He allegedly checked out of the hospital before the results came back and had to be tracked down at his home by police and health authorities when he could not be contacted.

Police arrived at the Island Beach Resort, where he lives alone, and he was taken to Gold Coast University by an ambulance and placed on oxygen.

Health authorities said the exercise enthusiast, who was 'so sick he can barely speak', has lived in the Island Beach Resort in Broadbeach for about 12 months and was out and about around the Gold Coast for 10 days while infectious.

Adding to the difficulty of their task, Raman - who was unvaccinated and shared anti-vax videos over his social media accounts - allegedly did not use Queensland's QR check-in system for over a month, according to health officials.

Sources alleged the infected patient has verbally abused nurses caring for him at Gold Coast University Hospital (pictured)

Raman allegedly tried to flee hospital quarantine several days after he was admitted, despite needing a constant supply of oxygen.

Queensland Health assured last week the incident had 'no risk to the public or staff' and that Mr Raman didn't leave the Covid ward.

'He is in the ward at the moment and he hasn't left the ward,' deputy chief health officer Peter Aitken told reporters.

'There is no risk to the public, other patients or staff and the situation is under control.'

A police investigation into the alleged attempted escape closed without any charges being laid.

Hospital sources alleged last week Raman has been an uncooperative patient who verbally abused nurses and called them c**ts.

They also claimed he insisted he 'doesn't really have' Covid-19 and claimed the virus wasn't real, as several hospital sources shared more details about his alleged attempted escape.

Queensland recorded no new local cases on Monday as the state's fully vaccinated rate grew to 63.87 per cent.
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Eighteen New York City fire companies out of 300 were out of service on Monday as a result of the vaccine mandate that came into effect and forced supervisors to send home unvaccinated firefighters while thousands of NYPD cops filed for exemptions to keep their jobs without having to get the shots.

The FDNY will not confirm how many unvaccinated firefighters were told to go home in total, but at least one crew of eight from FDNY Engine 243 in Brooklyn along with a female firefighter from Engine 38 in the Bronx and a firefighter from Engine 15 in the Lower East Side were among them.

A crew of 12 from Ladder 29 in Mott Haven in the Bronx were also sent home, three firefighters from Engine 219 near the Barclay's Center and two from Ladder 105 - which shares the same fire house - were sent home after showing up to report for duty.

'I know that it is preventing us getting to calls and medical calls in a timely fashion and its wearing on the guys. Theyre not allowed in the firehouse. They were ready to respond, and unfortunately they werent allowed to get on the rigs.

'Its going to prevent New Yorkers from getting the help they need,' one fully vaccinated firefighter from Engine 219 in Brooklyn told DailyMail.com.

Another ten units were down in Williamsburg, East New York, Brownsville, Sunset Park and Flatbush. Twenty-six companies across all five boroughs went down yesterday but appeared to have been staffed again with volunteers on Monday.

So far, 2,300 firefighters have called out sick; fire chiefs said the majority of them are unvaccinated and are claiming sick pay to avoid missing out on their pay entirely by not getting the vaccine.

Vincent Variale, President of the New York Uniformed EMS Officers Union, told DailyMail.com: 'It didnt have to be this way at all but de Blasio chose a path of fear and intimidation, a path that put the public in danger.'

The union believes the vaccine is safe but does not think it should be mandated.

Variale said: 'Even if its one person out of a job its not right. These people were there throughout the pandemic. They saved lives. They are heroes who put their lives at risk - to throw them out of work because they have a fear or an objection to being vaccinated is just wrong.

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Twelve firefighters from Ladder 29 in Mott Haven, in the Bronx, were sent home on Monday after reporting for duty unvaccinated

Five firefighters from Engine 219 next to the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn were sent home on Monday because they showed up to work unvaccinated. A fully vaccinated firefighter who was there told DailyMail.com the situation is 'wearing on the guys'

Nine firefighters from Engine 243 in Bath Beach, Brooklyn, showed up to work on Monday but all were sent home because they are unvaccinated. Now, the firehouse is closed, according to the union

A firefighter from E15 on the Lower East Side (left) thought he had been granted a religious exemption but showed up for work on Monday and was sent home. A female firefighter from Engine 38 in the Bronx (right) was sent home after showing up unvaccinated

FDNY Engine 55 in lower Manhattan was one of the firehouses that union bosses say were down this weekend due to staff shortages. 2,300 firefighters have called out sick in New York City to avoid having to report that they are unvaccinated and lose their pay. In total, more than 3,000 firefighters remain unvaccinated and as of today, cannot work

Firefighter equipment lies discarded at the Ladder Company 11 on the Lower East Side on Monday as staffing shortages left the FDNY scrambling

Firefighter equipment hangs at Engine Company 28 / Ladder Company 11, Lower East Side, where an engine is out of service due to vaccine mandate related reduced manpower. Manhattan, New York. November 01 2021

Firefighters are seen outside of Ladder 18 / Engine 15, 25 Pitt Street, where a ladder is out of service due to vaccine mandate related reduced manpower. Captain Charles Saladis told DailyMail.com that he was down several firefighters because of the sick-outs, and that the firefighters want to be given the choice to either get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID testing

At a press conference on Monday morning, FDNY-Uniformed Fire Officers Association President James McCarthy and Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro said the shortages would lead to 'dozens' of firehouses closing today

The NYPD remains well staffed; only 34 uniformed officers have chosen not unpaid leave instead of getting the vaccine.

More than 5,000 who are unvaccinated are filing medical or religious exemptions, under the encouragement of the Commissioner, which allows them to keep their jobs without getting the shots.

FDNY VACCINE MANDATE SHORTAGES ON MONDAY OUT OF SERVICE COMPANIES Engine 243, Bath Beach, Brooklyn Engine 211, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn Engine 226, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Engine 228, Sunset Park, Brooklyn Engine 231, Brownsville, Brooklyn Engine 279, Red Hook, Brooklyn Engine 283, Brownsville, Brooklyn Ladder 174, East Flatbush, Brooklyn Ladder 109, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Ladder 104, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Ladder 103, New Lots, Brooklyn UNVACCINATED STAFF SENT HOME Engine 15, Lower East Side, Manhattan Engine 38, the Bronx Ladder 29, Mott Haven, Bronx Engine 219, Barclay's Center, Brooklyn Advertisement

They are allowed to work while those exemptions are reviewed - extending the deadline until a decision is made.

Firefighters across the city were reluctant to speak to the press under orders from the Uniformed Firefighters Association, which warned 'dozens' of units would be down but would not give a firm list.

At a press conference on Monday morning, the union's president Andrew Ansbro warned the shortages would result in slower response times, though it's unclear how the shortages played out in real time on Monday.

'Every time any single company is out of service, the response time in that area is affected.

'If this company was out of service and one of you were to drop of a heart attack right now, if they were in service, theyd be here in a minute. If they were out of service, another firehouse in the area has to get here.

'Your response time to your heart attack is affected by this company being out of service.

'Our system is a web where were constantly picking up slack for other companies, based on their responses.'

Fire captains told DailyMail.com on Monday that they are hopeful tomorrow's city elections will yield new officials who will quickly reverse the mandates and allow them to 'get on with their jobs'.

FDNY Commissioner Dan Nigro admitted at a briefing with de Blasio that 18 units were down on Monday, and many more were understaffed.

But de Blasio, whose term ends on December 31, claimed the unions were lying to 'make people worried' and that while there are shortages, they aren't a catastrophic.

In the last 48 hours there's been a lot of misinformation out there, a lot of reports fire houses closed when they weren't, a lot of hearsay honestly.

'The factual answer is going to come from City Hall. There's a lot of rumor mill and in fact it's being done by certain unions to try and make people worried,' he said.

Captain Charles Saladis of Ladder 18 in Manhattan's Lower East Side told DailyMail.com on Monday that both he and his colleagues from Ladder 11 were short staffed.

'Hopefully it will end soon - we want to be back in service. I don't think it's great for us or the public.'

He said his unit preferred when they could choose either to be vaccinated or test weekly for COVID.

'We love our jobs, we just want to do them. Just last month, we were such heroes and so essential to the city,' he said, referring to the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

'That's New York... what have you done for me lately?' he said.

Just last month, we were such heroes and so essential to the city Captain Charles Saladis, Ladder 18 in Manhattan's Lower East Side

Others showed up for work but were sent home, including one female firefighter from the Bronx's Engine 38, and an entire crew from Engine 243 in Brooklyn.

One firefighter from Engine 15 in the Lower East Side showed up thinking he had been granted a religious exemption, only to be told it hadn't come through and he now won't be paid.

Last week, five police unions warned that the city was 'completely unprepared' for the shortage of 5,500 cops.

De Blasio is doubling down on the mandate, telling firefighters and cops they've had long enough to consider being vaccinated.

A firefighter loads oxygen canisters outside of Ladder 18 / Engine 15, 25 Pitt Street, where a ladder is out of service due to vaccine mandate related reduced manpower. Manhattan, New York. November 01 2021

Fire vehicles outside of Ladder 18 / Engine 15, 25 Pitt Street, where a ladder is out of service due to vaccine mandate related reduced manpower

'It's been quite clear this was the direction we were going in and it's the right thing to do. I would argue people had plenty of evidence to make a decision on.

Just last month, we were such heroes and so essential to the city...hopefully it will end soon - we want to be back in service. I don't think it's great for us or the public Captain Charles Saladis of Ladder 18 on Manhattan's Lower East Side

'Protect their careers doing incredible work - it's time for people to come in and get vaccinated.

'It's time to get back to work,' he said at his briefing on Monday.

Earlier this weekend, FDNY Commissioner Nigro lambasted those who had called out sick to avoid missing out on pay.

'Irresponsible bogus sick leave by some of our members is creating a danger for New Yorkers and their fellow Firefighters.

'They need to return to work or risk the consequences of their actions.'

The firefighters and cops say they were not given enough time to make 'life and career changing decision'.

De Blasio told them on October 20 that they would lose pay starting November 1. FDNY union bosses on Monday morning said that some firefighters had chosen to retire early rather than be forced into getting the shot.

'This is the moment we've been waiting for. We're not clear how many fire companies will be closed today, we expect dozens.

A group of sanitation workers protest outside a Department of Sanitation building on Monday as the mandate took hold. More than 1,500 remained unvaccinated on Monday

The sanitation workers are responsible for keeping the city's streets clean and removing trash. 1,500 are now out of work as a result of the vaccine mandate

'We're here today because of a mandate that was put on members with nine days to make a life changing decision,' Uniformed Firefighters Associations Andrew Ansbro said at a press conference on Monday morning.

Outgoing NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday morning, as his deadline took hold, that police and fire unions were lying about the shortages to 'make people worried'

As of Monday morning 91% of the city's 325,000 employees were vaccinated, leaving around 29,000 unvaccinated.

Many have filed for exemptions, according to de Blasio and fire and police chiefs.

But those who are refusing out of choice say they feel like they're being treated coldly by the city they have worked for decades to protect.

'Heroes last year, fired this year, ' was how one union referred to the mandate on Monday.

Among them are 5,500 NYPD officers, 3,560 firefighters and EMTs, and 1,620 workers from the Department of Sanitation, whose absence on the city's increasingly violent streets will be felt most sorely.

There are growing fears over how those shortages will play out in 911 response times, officer man-power, EMT and ambulance capabilities and street cleaning.

On Friday, five police unions signed a sweeping call for de Blasio to quickly implement emergency measures to try to fill the shortages and offset potential chaos.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Congress member for the borough's of Brooklyn and Staten Island said accused the Mayor's Office of misleading the public by saying that no 'firehouses' were closed while failing to add that 'many are operating at half capacity due to offline companies.'

'With less than 48 hours until Mayor de Blasio's arbitrary vaccination deadline for city workers - and following a state judge's refusal to pause the deadline despite the mandate's chaotic rollout - police union leaders are warning New Yorkers that the NYPD brass is completely unprepared for the staffing shortage that will result from the mandate's haphazard implementation,' the joint letter said.

Pat Lynch, President of the Police Benevolent Association in New York City, said: 'NYC cannot afford to have a police department that is weak, disorganized and totally dominated by the irrational whims of City Hall. Unfortunately that's what the NYPD has become.

'Now cops and New Yorkers are all wondering: what exactly will happen when the vaccine deadline strikes?'

Sergeant Juan C. Swystun, a fire chief in Queens, issued this call over the weekend looking for volunteers to plug staffing gaps

On Sunday, he claimed the number of workers who have yet to show proof of vaccination is inflated because their exemption requests are still being processed.

'The vast majority of City workers, 91%, stepped up to put the health and safety of their city first and got vaccinated,' de Blasio tweeted.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Congress member for the borough's of Brooklyn and Staten Island said accused the Mayor's Office of misleading the public by saying that no 'firehouses' were closed while failing to add that 'many are operating at half capacity due to offline companies.'

The fire department has said it was prepared to close up to 20% of its fire companies and have 20% fewer ambulances in service while also changing schedules, canceling vacations and turning to outside EMS providers to make up for expected staffing shortages.

On Sunday, a message was sent through email as nearly 350 potential volunteer firefighters were tagged.

'Good morning all,' the email read. 'We need to start identifying members of the service who are active volunteer firemen in both Long Island and Upstate counties in anticipation of the impending shortage for the FDNY due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

'On a voluntary only basis operations is looking to have qualified members on standby to backfill firehouses if necessary.

Thousands of city workers, mostly firefighters, gathered outside Gracie Mansion as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's vaccine mandate looms just one day ahead of the deadline

Hundreds of New York City's firefighters protested De Blasio's vaccine mandate on Friday by taking sick leave

Firefighters rallied outside Mayor Bill de Blasio's residence Gracie Mansion on Thursday to protest his Covid-19 vaccine mandate for all city workers

COVID deaths in New York City are down across the board. On average, one unvaccinated person a week dies from COVID and the numbers are even less citywide and among the vaccinated

More than 86 percent of the adult population of New York City has had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine

De Blasio said the sanitation department will move to 12-hour shifts, as opposed to the usual 8-hour shifts, and begin working Sundays to ensure trash doesn't pile up.

Vaccination rates for the city's fire and sanitation departments jumped significantly on Friday as workers rushed to meet the deadline for the mandate and an extra incentive: Workers who got a shot by Friday will receive $500.

Last week, hundreds of city workers took to the streets to protest. A rally was held outsider of the mayor's official residence at Gracie Mansion.

In protest of the mandate hundreds of New York City firefighters took sick leave on Friday instead of complying with De Blasio's deadline for all city workers to be vaccinated or be placed on unpaid leave.

Announcing the mandate, Mayor de Blasio issued an ultimatum requiring workers to get at least one COVID shot by 9am Monday morning or be furloughed and be sent home.

Meanwhile, nationwide Covid-related infections and fatalities in the US have dropped to the lowest levels recorded since April 2021.

About 191million Americans have been fully vaccinated - nearly 58 percent of the population

On September 1 America was averaging 49.9 cases per 100,000 but as of Wednesday, this figure has dropped to 21.2 cases per 100,000.
Gladys Berejiklian struck a sombre farewell note as she addressed the people of NSW after wrapping up her grilling in front of the corruption watchdog on Monday.

The former NSW Premier said the past month has been 'extremely difficult' for her - but that everything she did was in the public interest.

'I just want to say to everybody it's been my honour and privilege to serve you in my role in public life.

'What's occurred to me is a difficult situation but I know many people do it tough in the community.

An emotional Gladys Berejiklian struck a sombre farewell note as she spoke to the media after wrapping up her evidence at ICAC

'I intend to get on with my life and I just want to thank everybody for my support every day I've dealt with the public.

'Its been my honour and privilege to serve the community.'

The corruption inquiry into Gladys Berejiklian's secret love affair with Daryl Maguire wrapped up after briefly moving behind closed doors for a period following a fiery morning where the former Premier was grilled over texts from the disgraced Liberal MP.

Ms Berejiklian barely gave an inch defending herself on the second day of her evidence to the ICAC inquiry in Sydney on Monday.

Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian walks to speak to the media as she departs the Independent Commission Against Corruption on November 1, 2021 in Sydney

At the centre of the evidence heard on Tuesday were SMS messages she received from Mr Maguire in July 2018, demanding she get a second phone and download a Chinese messaging app.

In July 2018, four days after Mr Maguire called Ms Berejiklian fretting that the ICAC had tapped his phone, he texted the then-Premier inviting her to download the encrypted messaging platform WeChat.

'I'm chatting with my friends on WeChat now http://www.wechat.com,' Mr Maguire texted her.

'OK I will try, what about WhatsApp, that is easy as well. I will do it tomorrow because I don't know my password for apps,' Ms Berejiklian replied.

Mr Maguire then said: 'You need to get a private phone.'

Gladys was grilled over text messages between the pair where Daryl Maguire insisted she buy a new phone

Ms Berejiklian told the ICAC that she did not have a second phone, and never sought to get one.

'Many of my colleagues had two phones, one private, one business but because I was so busy and was so stressed, I always kept one phone throughout my entire career, I never had to (get a second phone),' she said.

'Many people did and many used to suggest that to me, outside of Mr Maguire, but I never chose to do that.'

Mr Robertson said Mr Maguire sent a further message to her saying: 'They can read texts but not the little green men. It leaves no trace.'

'Do you know what Mr Maguire was referring to by the little green men,' he asks Ms Berejiklian.

'No idea,' she replied.

'Could be a reference to the WeChat icon which is a green icon?' Mr Robertson said.

'It could have been, I've never used that, so I don't know,' she replied.

Gladys Berejiklian's final statement after finishing her evidence at corruption inquiry Every decision I made, in terms of the public office I held, was in the best interests of the community and the public. I stand by that today stronger than ever, and I just want to say to everybody that it's been my honour and privilege to serve you in my role in public life. And of course, again, every decision I took was in the public's best interest. I don't want to say too much more than that at this stage, just to say, obviously, what's occurred to me is a difficult situation but I know many people do it tough in the community. And now I intend to get on with my life and I just, again, want to thank everybody for their support. But my position hasn't changed. Every day that I've dealt with the public, every day that I've made decisions has been in their best interests: of the public, of the government, of the community. It's been my honour and privilege to serve the community in that way. Obviously, I've had to fulfil my obligations to the integrity agency and I do so respectfully, it's their job to look at these matters. But as far as I'm concerned, I've always put the public first. That's always been the case and it remains the case. And again, thank you very much everybody. I can't really say any more than that. Thank you. Advertisement

Ms Berejiklian gave evidence that she was on leave when she discovered the nature of the evidence given by Mr Maguire to a previous ICAC hearing on July 13 2018.

'I wasn't sure what was happening that day. He told me that he hadn't been involved in any wrongdoing but I could only go by the information conveyed to me by my staff member,' she said.

Mr Maguire 'told me he had not been involved in any wrongdoing, and my staff member conveyed to me that it was a very bad look, that he had been caught up in some people who had likely been, had done some wrongdoing,' she said.

'So there were still investigations as opposed to findings.'

Mr Robertson asked 'Is this at least right, it was apparent to you on or soon after the 13 July 2018 that Mr Maguire was closely associating himself with people who in all likelihood were doing things improperly?'

'That was a concern that he had been. Obviously, that's what the evidence showed, he had been associating himself, whether or not he knew what they were up to is another matter but certainly, that was the concern, that he had been caught up with people who were accused of doing wrong things, and that was a major concern,' Ms Berejiklian replied.

'But that was your understanding of the position, is this right, when Mr Maguire's evidence of the 13th of July 2018 came to your notice, namely that amongst other things Mr Maguire was closely associating himself with people who in all likelihood were doing things improperly,' said Mr Robertson.

'Yes, that was my concern,' she replied.

'You are concerned that he was directly involved with those individuals and with people with respect of whom there were shadows cast, is that right,' asked Mr Robertson.

'Concerned that he was definitely in their orbit. To what extent I didn't know, but at that time, there was, as should be the case, concern,' Ms Berejiklian replied.

'I was absolutely overwhelmed at the shock and grief of what had transpired,' in ICAC that day, she added. 'I can't express what a shock it was to the system.'

She said she spent the days afterwards thinking deeply about what she'd heard.

'I didn't suspect that he'd done anything horrendously wrong.'

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (top right) is being questioned by counsel assisting ICAC Scott Robertson (top left) and commissioner Ruth McColl (bottom right)

Ms Berejiklain said she completely rejected the proposition that her secret relationship with Mr Maguire affected the way she carried out her public duties.

'That was always separate to my public responsibility ... I stand by that ever so strongly,' Ms Berejiklian said.

The former premier recalled a conversation with her chief of staff Sarah Cruickshank on July 13, 2018, where she told her about her close personal relationship with Mr Maguire.

'(Ms Cruickshank) said, you know, stop having anything more to do with (Mr Maguire). And I did not take that bit of advice, obviously,' Ms Berejiklian told the ICAC.

Gladys faces killer question about how she could sack Daryl but not think something was wrong - as she repeatedly says 'she didn't know' 'To what extent I didn't know' 'I didn't know the extent of it' 'I don't know what I would have reported' 'I don't know what I would have said to this body' 'I certainly did not know of anything' 'I had no knowledge of that' 'I didn't know the extent of what was transpiring' 'I didn't know anything which would add to what this commission was looking at' 'I didn't know what else was part of that' 'I didn't know any details. I didn't know anything' Advertisement

July 13, 2018 was when Mr Maguire appeared before a previous ICAC inquiry.

ICAC commissioner Ruth McColl put it to Ms Berejiklian that she 'must have realised on 13 July, or soon thereafter, as you had more and more of those conversations with Ms Cruickshank, that the fact of your then relationship with Mr Maguire would have been explosive?'

'Absolutely,' Ms Berejiklian replied. 'That would have happened irrespective of the longevity or anything like that.

'That was already going to be the case, because I'd told (Ms Cruikshank) about the closeness of the relationship.'

Ms McColl asked: 'If it was an historic relationship which had preceded the time you were premier, that also preceded the time Ms Cruickshank was your chief of staff, did it not?'

'Yes,' replied Ms Berejiklian.

'And did you not have a discussion with Ms Cruickshank about whether or not there was anything in relation to the period that you had been premier that you needed to disclose having regard to that relationship,' said Ms McColl.

'I can't remember the exact - all the details of our conversation. But I made it known that I was close to him, it was off-again, on-again, and I tried to convey as much as I could ... That was what I remember telling her.'

Later, Hugh White, the barrister acting for Ms Cruickshank said to Ms Berejiklian: 'I suggest to you that you're not being honest,' about her recollection of a July 2018 conversation with about the duration of her relationship with Mr Maguire.

Ms Berejiklian said she can only recound her own memory of the conversation with Ms Cruickshank and 'I appreciate that she had a different recollection'.

Ms Cruickshank told the ICAC that Ms Berejiklian made it clear to her that the relationship ended before January 2017 when she became premier.

Ms Berejiklian's relationship with Mr Maguire continued far beyond that and she does not recall saying that her former chief of staff that it was in the past.

She previously told ICAC that she did not cut off contact with Mr Maguire until September 2020.

Ms Berejiklian said as premier she was extremely busy. 'And I remember two things. I obviously divulged my closeness to Mr Maguire. And, secondly, my strong, strong view that I had nothing to report.'

Mr Robertson put it to Ms Berejiklian that she 'would have to accept that the question of whether the relationship was ongoing or historical, in the sense of being before you were premier, was apt to have a very significant impact on the level of political - to use the commissioner's terms - 'explosiveness' of any information about your relationship. You'd agree with that, wouldn't you?'

'No, I don't accept that,' the former premier replied. 'The whole debate during these hearings, Mr Robertson, has been for the significance of the relationship and what I felt about it. And I don't think those matters would have made a difference.'

Earlier, Ms Berejiklian said 'I knew in my heart that I had never, ever, ever done anything wrong.

'In fact, anyone who has worked with me or knows me knows I'm not capable of that. Absolutely. But if I had any suspicion whatsoever that I knew anything or suspected anything (about Mr Maguire), of course I would not have hesitated (to tell ICAC about it), she said.

As proceedings opened, the former NSW premier tried to turn the tables on Scott Robertson, the counsel assisting the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Monday morning, but Ms Berejiklian was quickly scolded by Ms McColl for 'looking around corners'.

'But you are suggesting that I assumed any wrongdoing on (Mr Maguire's) part,' said Ms Berejiklian.

'I didn't use the word wrongdoing,' said Mr Robertson.

'But you are trying to, you're asking me to answer a question which would assume that I presumed or had any knowledge of wrongdoing and the straight answer is I had no assumption, no knowledge that there was any wrongdoing involved,' she said.

'Ms Berejiklian, it would be better than if you answer the question rather than looking around corners,' said Ms McColl.

Transcript of phone call between Gladys Berejiklian and her then lover Daryl Maguire, which was intercepted by the Independent Commission Against Corruption

The transcript of an intercepted phone call on July 5, 2018 recorded Mr Maguire telling Ms Berejiklian that he had been summonsed as a witness to a previous inquiry.

When Mr Maguire starts to explain the details, saying 'I think that Hawatt was to benefit from the skullduggery he was getting up to', she interrupts him, saying 'Don't, don't talk ... I don't, I don't want to know any of that stuff.'

Earlier, Ms Berejiklian told ICAC counsel Mr Robertson of Mr Maguire: 'I pressed him a number of times and he said he'd done nothing wrong.'

She also said she took Mr Maguire 'at this word'.

Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured left) arrives at the Independent Commission Against Corruption on November 1 with one of her barristers, Sophie Callan (pictured right)

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured left) arrives at the ICAC on November 1, in Sydney, Australia. One of her barristers, Sophie Callan, is pictured on the right

Mr Robertson pressed Ms Berejiklian on whether she had any suspicions about Mr Maguire at this point in time.

In a tapped phone call from 2017, Mr Maguire told her he believed he might be able to secure a $1.5 million payment in relation to a land deal around the Badgerys Creek airport site in western Sydney.

'I didn't believe it would eventuate. I don't even think I was paying attention,' Ms Berejiklian said.

She said she had 'no appreciation or understanding of what he was up to' and just because Mr Maguire said certain things to her didn't mean she 'absorbed' it.

'Whether or not I listened or cared is another matter,' she said. 'I did not assume any wrongdoing.'

Ms Berejiklian added that 'My radar didn't go up.'

Gladys Berejiklian is seen on Sydney's north shore before her ICAC hearing on Monday

In a phone tap played to the ICAC, Ms Berejiklian told Mr Maguire she had secured $170 million for Wagga Wagga Base Hospital 'in five minutes' and said the then state Treasurer and now Premier Dominic Perrottet did what she asked him to.

Channel Seven's Sunrise program asked Mr Perrottet about that this morning.

'Your predecessor Gladys Berejiklian of course has given evidence at the ICAC inquiry. In exchange between her and Daryl Maguire she said, 'Dom does whatever I tell him to.' Were those comments a surprise to you,' asked host Natalie Barr.

'Not at all. Gladys and I have a great relationship. As Premier and treasurer you work very closely together,' Mr Perrottet said.

He said he didn't want to 'give a running commentary on the ICAC' but 'the strange thing ... was that the funding had been in the budget the year before'.

'So we have got a significant investment in healthcare facilities right across the state, Wagga Wagga is an important hospital the NSW government has been investing in.'
Queensland's healthcare workers who refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19 will be suspended this week with full pay, officials have announced.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said on Monday 4,000 workers across the state had yet to receive both vaccine doses and would be stood down with immediate effect.

Anyone working in the state's healthcare system must have received their first dose by September 30 and be fully immunised by the end of October.

Ms D'Ath said those unvaccinated workers will be ordered to explain why they are not yet double-jabbed and then be suspended with paid leave.

It's not known as yet how long they will be paid for before the funds are stopped.

Pictured: A Covid vaccination is administered in Queensland. Healthcare workers who refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19 will be suspended this week with full pay

'There are 7,000 health workers who have not come forward saying they are vaccinated, but 3,000 of those are on [long service or maternity] leave,' she said.

'There are 4,000 who have not been vaccinated and will be given their show cause and will be suspended with full pay.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Health to ask how long the suspension with pay will last for unvaccinated workers.

About one tenth of the state's healthcare workforce has not received both Covid vaccine doses.

'There will be some disruptions, but we are managing those disruptions we have been planning for this,' Ms D'Ath said.

However she said she was confident the healthcare system of 110,000 workers could cope without three per cent of the workforce.

'We expected this,' she said.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said unvaccinated workers will be ordered to explain why they are not yet double-jabbed and then be suspended with paid leave

About 90 per cent of the state's healthcare workforce is double vaccinated. Pictured are two Queensland health workers at the Gold Coast University Hospital

'I have every confidence that these numbers will continue to grow each day, just as we saw when we mandated vaccinations with our aged care workers.'

More than 92 per cent of state health workers have had at least one vaccine dose, but Ms D'Ath said the Australian Immunisation Register showed that coverage was closer to 95 per cent.

She said all aged care workers in state facilities have had one dose and 96.3 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Queensland recorded no local new cases of Covid-19 and one new case on hotel quarantine on Monday.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Queensland Health for further comment.
Radio personality Lauren Phillips has been asked to apologise to the mother of a murdered child after she made a sick on-air joke about her horrific murder.

Aspiring dancer Rachel Barber was just 15 when Caroline Reed Robertson strangled her to death with a telephone cord in a plot to steal her identity in 1999.

Last week, Phillips told listeners on Melbournes KIIS 101.1 she had used a podcast discussing Rachel's tragic murder to cheer herself up.

Rachel Barber, a 15-year-old dance student, was murdered by strangulation in Melbourne in 1999

Lauren Phillips used the horrific murder of a Melbourne child as part of an on-air skit

Caroline Reed Robertson was 19 years old when she murdered Rachel Barber, pictured here after her arrest

Phillips cackled with laughter in the segment, which was later posted on the radio station's own social media platforms.

The 34-year old explained she had just had an argument with her boyfriend when she decided to listen to the true crime podcast.

Phillips, who is described as a 'genuine and relatable Melburnian' on the KIIS 101.1 website, said she chose the podcast to clear her mind and 'try and fix (her) mood'.

The podcast, which was not named but found to be part of the CASEFILE series, clearly outlines the episode to be about a murdered teenager from Melbournes inner-city suburb of Richmond.

Phillips is seen laughing as a section of the podcast was played describing how Reed Robertson cruelly slaughtered Rachel before placing her body in a bag.

Her co-host Jason 'Jase' Hawkins could be seen smiling uncomfortably as Phillips continued in hysterics.

'Am I a psychopath?' Phillips chuckled to Hawkins, who suggested she needed a welfare check.

In response, Channel 9 newsman Clint Stanaway - who walked the beat as a crime reporter for years before moving onto sport - told the show Phillips was indeed in need of help.

Lauren Phillips upset the friends and family of murder victim Rachel Barber with an insensitive segment on Melbourne radio

Clint Stanaway (left) was once a Melbourne crime reporter before moving onto the news desk to read the sport. He is pictured with Channel 9's Alicia Loxley

The murder of Rachel Barber will never be forgotten in Melbourne.

Caroline Reed Robertson (middle) walked from jail 16 years after strangling a 15-year-old girl to death in a plot to steal her identity

Rachel's mother Elizabeth Barber told Daily Mail Australia she had been alerted to the vile discussion by her daughter's then boyfriend, who was left distraught after hearing it.

'For Rachels peers and family nothing less than an explanation and an apology on air will be sufficient so they can learn from their mistakes,' Ms Barber said.

The long suffering mum had called-up the radio station on Monday, but was not able to go to air.

Instead, the show's executive producer claimed she had given the all-clear for the discussion because they all believed the clearly labelled true crime podcast had been fictional.

'They said they were not aware Rachel was a real person or her murder was a local case. And she explained how dreadful they feel about it and have taken it off TikTok and any other live footage,' Ms Barber said.

She described Phillips' behaviour as 'reprehensible'.

'I said Lauren should apologise on air out of respect, so that maybe another occurrence of a similar situation does not arise again,' Ms Barber said.

A spokeswoman for KISS 101.1 told Daily Mail Australia on Monday night it had been in contact with the Barber family and 'have apologised profusely'.

'Neither Lauren or Jase were aware that the audio they were discussing related to a real murder,' the spokeswoman said.

'It was never KIIS 101.1s intention to be disrespectful or cause any distress and as soon as we were made aware that the audio wasnt a fictional story, we deleted any audio references on our social media platforms.'

Daily Mail Australia has confirmed the station did pull the offensive video of the discussion from social media, which was aptly titled 'Am I a psychopath'.

Rachel's boyfriend at the time she was murdered, Manni Carella, took to social media to express his disgust at Phillips.

'I am actually really shocked and FKN ANGRY by what I heard this morning on the radio (which I must add driving on the freeway, almost lost control of my car by the shock) by Jase and Lauren on 101.1 KIIS FM!!!,' he wrote.

'THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!!!!! HOW ON EARTH WOULD YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY????????? THINK BEFORE YOU DO STUPID JOKES LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!'

Rachel Barber was a beloved daughter and just starting out in life when she was murdered

Rachel's disappearance was big news in Melbourne as detectives hoped to find her alive

Manni Carella is pictured behind Rachel in one of her last photographs before she was murdered

Rachel Barber was a talented dancer when her life was snuffed out by a crazed wanna-be

Ms Barber told Daily Mail Australia the cruel discussion could not have come at a worse time, with the disappearance of Cleo Smith making national news.

'I have found the last two weeks difficult with Cleo Smith missing. It is so sad and brings back memories. I hope their ending is a better story,' she said.

It is understood the radio station was bombarded with complaints, but the social media posts were only pulled down on Monday after being contacted directly by Ms Barber.

'This was so reprehensible not to have done their research. Tardy and inconsiderate. Rachels friends who have contacted me and her sisters were disgusted by the appearance of hilarity on her face,' she said.

'Accountability is important. Compassion is too. The executive producer apologised on the phone this morning but that is not the same. Rachels peers and family need to hear an apology online.'

In 2000, Reed Robertson, then 19, was jailed for 20 years after pleading guilty to the murder of Rachel, with a non-parole period of 14 and a half years.

She would be released from jail in 2015 with the forgiveness of Ms Barber's parents.

Rachel Barber had been a talented dancer and was adored by all who knew her

The murder of Rachel Barber will forever present a stain on Melbourne

It was a case so twisted that it inspired a star-studded 2009 Australian film, 'I Am You' (also known as 'In Her Skin'), starring Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto, Sam Neill and Rebecca Gibney.

Robertson was the victim's former babysitter, a trusted family friend and neighbour, who lured the teen to her death by manipulating her trust.

No one realised that she was plotting to kill her beautiful neighbour and assume her identity for a new start.

Robertson's diary entries were used by police as evidence in the trial.

'How to change in nine weeks' was written by Robertson on the front of her journal; the pages inside detail her sick plans.

They revealed the disturbed woman's terrifying obsession with the beautiful dancer as she plotted to kill and 'disfigure' the teen.

The journal and emotional letters to her father also exposed the intense self-loathing Robertson felt, which fed her to assume the identity of Rachel, a pretty, talented, well-liked dance student.

The Supreme Court heard that Reed Robertson had convinced herself that after killing Rachel she could in some way assume her identity.

As Rachel's devastated family desperately searched for their daughter, Reed Robertson wrapped the body in two rugs and took a taxi to her father's Kilmore farm, telling the driver she was moving a statue.

Rachel's body was buried in a shallow hole, bizarrely positioned next to the grave of the murderer's pet.

Not long after, Reed Robertson was arrested by police. She confessed to the murder and 12 days later Rachel's body was found - the cable used to kill her still tightened around her neck.

Lauren Phillips has offended the family of slain Melbourne teen Rachel Barber
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin celebrated Halloween with their six children on Sunday posing in fun costumes

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Alec Baldwin's wife Hilaria has come under scrutiny for posting a fun Halloween photo on Instagram celebrating the holiday with their six children days after Halyna Hutchin's death on the Rust movie set.

She faced social media backlash following the post on Sunday where she described how 'intense' parenting has been while coping with the very public situation surrounding the tragedy involving her husband.

She was criticised as 'inappropriate and tasteless' for posting the holiday snaps while Halyna Hutchin's nine-year-old son would face his first Halloween without his mother.

'Parenting through this has been an intense experience, to say the least,' Hilaria, 37, wrote on Instagram Sunday.

'Today, we rallied to give them a holiday. Last min costumesa little hodge-podgebut they were so happy and that warmed my mama heart.'

The Baldwins have been under intense scrutiny ever since Alec, 63, fired the gun that killed Hutchins, a cinematographer, on the set of his movie 'Rust' on October 21.

The couple's fun-loving family photos were released hours after a new report revealed that there had been at least three other accidental gun discharges on the set before Hutchins was killed.

Alec Baldwin, 63, and his wife, Hilaria, 37, celebrated Halloween with their six children on Sunday days after Halyna Hutchin's death on the Rust movie set

Hilaria - seen wearing matching costumes with her daughters Carmen (right) and Maria (left) - shared the photos to Instagram

Her caption described how 'intense' parenting her children has been while coping with the tragedy, writing: 'Parenting through this has been an intense experience, to say the least. Today, we rallied to give them a holiday'

However, Hilaria faced social media backlash and was criticised as 'inappropriate and tasteless' for posting the fun holiday snaps while Halyna Hutchin's nine-year-old son would face his first Halloween without his mother

Hilaria posted the collection of photos to her Instagram feed on Sunday touting their family's holiday festivities - despite the negative response she received online Saturday after interrupting her husband several times during a press conference.

The photos show Alec dressed up as a creature from the popular children's book Where the Wild Things Are.

Hilaria is seen sporting an apparent spider witch costume that matched her daughters Carmen, 8, and Maria Lucia Victoria, 8 months.

The couple also posed Maria and her older brother, Eduardo, 1, in matching brightly-colored workout clothes.

Their three older sons, Rafael, 6, Leonardo, 5, and Romeo, 3, also wore fun costumes although it was not immediately clear what the boys were dressed up as.

The actor and his wife faced backlash on Twitter as one user, Leigh Daly, wrote: '@AlecBaldwin did your wife actually post Halloween photos on Instagram!! So inappropriate and so not a good look!'

Another social media user pointed out that Halynas young son, Andros, would still be in mourning for his mother, saying: 'The Baldwin kids should absolutely enjoy Halloween. This year, though, #hilariabaldwin should have kept their festivities (and herself) off social media. Halynas son didnt get to enjoy this holiday. Celebrate without posting, Hillary. Its literally the least you could do.'

However, several celebrities commented on the post, expressing their love for the Baldwins and offering support during what Hilaria has described as an 'intense' time.

'Lord!!! I cannot even imagine the chaos! But you two are doing a good job. Giving them a great childhood,' wrote actor Leslie Jordan.

'Oh I love everything about this!!!!' said journalist Joelle Garguilo.

'Stay strong' echoed actor and professional chef David Burtka.

'Sending you big hugs. They are so lucky to have you,' Mary Orton Scudellari, entrepreneur, investor and self-proclaimed style enthusiast, added.

The couple posed Maria and her older brother, Eduardo, 1, in matching brightly-colored workout clothes

Maria is seen wearing what appears to be a spider witch costume

Alec (pictured with his wife and kids) dressed up as a creature from the popular children's book Where the Wild Things Are

Meanwhile, an investigative report published Sunday morning in the Los Angeles Times revealed three accidental weapons discharges that took place prior to Hutchins' death.

One involved Alec's stunt double accidentally firing a blank after being told the gun was 'cold'.

In another instance, a props department worker 'actually shot herself in the foot' with a blank.

The Times interviewed several crew members during their investigation.

One alleged that there were several 'red flags' throughout the production, citing the fact that there was not an on-site medic present during pre-production.

'Somebody dropped a countersink bit and it stabbed me in the hand. I had to take care of it myself and I'm still healing from it,' a production worker shared.

Another claimed that production leaders were more concerned with their budget than the safety on set.

'It always felt like the budget was more important than crew members,' Lane Luper, the A-camera first assistant, told the newspaper Saturday.

'Every thing was about the schedule and the budget.'

An investigative report published Sunday morning revealed three accidental weapons discharges that took place on the Rust set (pictured) prior to Hutchins' death

One involved Alec's stunt double accidentally firing a blank after being told the gun was 'cold'. In another instance, a props department worker 'actually shot herself in the foot' with a blank

Halyna Hutchins (pictured) died on October 21 after Alec Baldwin pointed and fired a Colt pistol at her during a scene

Luper, along with several unnamed crew, also claimed that officials did not send out safety bulletins with call sheets once filming began.

Despite the alleged lack of safety concern amongst production leaders, the crew claims Alec prioritized the well-being of his fellow cast and crew.

'Alec was pretty concerned about safety on set,' a camera technician said.

'He wanted to know where I would be standing when he drew his gun,' echoed another crew member.

'I told him I was going to be standing in a different place, and he said, 'Good.'

Hutchins died on October 21 after Alec pointed and fired a Colt pistol at her during a scene.

Alec was handling the vintage gun on the set of Rust in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when it accidentally discharged  killing the mom-of-one and wounding director Joel Souza.

A day after the accident, Hilaria was seen leaving the family's Greenwich Village home.

'I didn't know where I was going, I just drove,' she said. 'I just drove around and around and around with my kids.'

She settled for Manchester, Vermont, to escape from the media scrutiny. Her husband eventually joined her there.

Alec has remained silent about the situation since issuing a public statement the day after Hutchins' death in which he indicated that he was cooperating with authorities and offered his condolences to her family.

His silence was also reflected in his social media accounts, until Saturday when he appeared to return to some of his typical online behaviors.

He complimented actor and comedian Mario Cantone's Halloween costume and retweeted a post about the importance of teachers and educators.

Alec also issued political commentary, responding to a tweet by Kurt Anderson asking his followers for examples of other 'once-great American institutions misleadingly operating under their old names?'

He replied: 'The federal government.'

Alec returned to his typical social media behaviors on Saturday after remaining silent online since the day after Hutchins' death

Alec was with Hilaria, who appeared to be filming the interaction, when the couple pulled over to talk to photographers in Manchester, Vermont.

The couple spoke for roughly four minutes. He said: 'A woman died. She was my friend.'

'The day I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner with Joel, the director,' he said. 'We were a very, very well oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.'

Hilaria, who appeared to want to say something to her husband, walked toward him as he talked to reporters, prompting an annoyed Alec to tell her: 'Excuse me.'

Alec told photographers he had been 'ordered' by the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office 'not to talk about the investigation,' but is 'eagerly awaiting for the sheriff's department' to release their findings.

The actor, who was visibly tense during his exchange with reporters, then asked: 'What other questions do you have other than that?'

He also claimed he 'talks to the cops every day' following the death of the 42-year-old filmmaker.

Alec (right) and his wife, Hilaria, spoke to reporters about the incident for the first time Saturday during an impromptu roadside press conference (pictured)

Hilaria then enters the frame and stands next to her husband while apparently filming the assembled crew of reporters and photographers with her mobile phone.

A reporter then begins to ask Alec whether he met with the family of the late cinematographer, but he forgets Hutchins' name and fumbles the question, prompting both Alec and Hilaria to express their annoyance.

'Her name is Halyna,' Hilaria barked in response.

'If you're spending this much time waiting for us, you should know her name,' Hilaria tells the reporter.

Alec also appeared to grow annoyed at the reporter, asking in astonishment: 'You don't know her name? Come on. Halyna Hutchins.'

Alec then continued: 'I met with her husband, Matthew, and her son. Yeah, that's right.'

When asked how the meeting went, Alec replied: 'I wouldn't know how to characterize it.'

Alec then said that they were 'mortified' though before he could finish his sentence, Hilaria interjects.

'You guys, you guys, you know what? No details,' Hilaria said.

Alec once again appeared agitated at his wife, telling her: 'Do me a favor? I'm going to answer the question.'

Hilaria has been branded a desperate attention-seeker by social media users after she interrupted Alec several times during the interview

Alec claimed Hutchins' death was 'one in a trillion' before saying 'probably billions' of gunshots have gone off 'without incident' on filmsets in America without 'incident'

When the reporter tells Alec that he believed Hutchins' widower was 'very upset,' the actor replied: 'The guy is overwhelmed with grief.'

Alec continues: 'There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode. This is a one in a trillion event.'

'We're very worried about his family and his kid. As I said, we're eagerly awaiting for the sheriff's department to tell us their investigation has yielded.'

Alec, still exasperated, then asks the press corps: 'What else do you have?'

He addressed several questions about firearms on sets and whether or not Rust would continue production, which he indicated did not appear to be the case.

When asked why he and his family chose to decamp to Vermont, Hilaria once again interjected, saying: 'It's private.'

Alec then reached his hand toward his wife's right shoulder as if to gesture to her that he will be the one doing the talking.

He tells the reporters: 'That's personal. That's private.'

When the reporters have no other questions, Alec then pleaded with them for some privacy.

'My kids are in the car crying,' the 30 Rock star said, prompting Hilaria to add: 'Because you guys are following them and they know.'

Alec then continued: 'As a courtesy to you, I came out [to talk to you]. I'm not allowed to comment on the investigation.

He concluded his remarks by saying: 'My point is that - I'm just asking you...we sat down as a courtesy to talk to you, now, please, would you stop following us and leave us alone?'

'Just go home,' Hilaria added.

'We gave you everything we could possibly give you,' Alec says before walking toward his car.

Hilaria then leaves, walking behind her husband while asking the reporters: 'Now turn it off.'

Hilaria Baldwin made an emotional post on Instagram, showing her hand intertwined with husband Alec Baldwins and says she has fears he will develop PTSD after he accidentally shot dead cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of 'Rust'

Twitter users were unsympathetic to Hilaria, saying she's 'desperate for attention' and needs to stop 'parading her whole family to Starbucks, etc. 'if' she wants some privacy'

Hilaria had also shared a heartfelt post on Instagram: 'I love you and I'm here,' she captioned a picture of her and her husband's intertwined hands.

Her apparent attempt at eliciting sympathy backfired online, with numerous social media users calling her out for attention-seeking.

'This scene with Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin (aka 100% not-Spanish Hillary from Boston who is still using a fake accent) is nuts,' tweeted @blanket1734.

'He's trying to deal with the paps and his wife keeps jumping in, trying to butt in and FILMING because she's that desperate for attention.'

Added @LexieNorcross: 'Watching Alec basically tell Hilaria to go away is amazing.

'The chick needs to learn how to use door dash or Instacart and stop parading her whole family to Starbucks, etc. 'if' she wants some privacy - she wants attention it seems like.'

User @rdcarrington said there were 'two narcissists' in the picture.

'She has to involve herself to get some of that attention,' they tweeted.

Meanwhile, on Friday night, the couple was photographed eating multiple plates of food at the venue in Manchester, Vermont, after it was closed-off to members of the public.

Hilaria was seen comforting her grieving husband, Alec, at a private bar in Manchester, Vermont on Friday night

The two were seen sharing an intimate kiss as the embattled actor faces a criminal investigation into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film 'Rust'

The couple spent the night on Friday eating, chatting and drinking alone in the bar after spending the day shopping

Hilaria was seen talking on the phone while her husband perused the menu

At one point, the embattled actor appeared distraught - holding his head in his hands

Alec, who overcame alcoholism in 1985 and has been teetotal ever since, was drinking a nonalcoholic IPA beer, while Hilaria ordered a wine. She was seen talking on the phone while her husband perused the menu.

Hilaria hugged and kissed Alec, who at one point clutched the side of his head with one of his hands, and appeared deep in thought while staring down from his bar stool.

The actor is facing a criminal investigation for the fatal shooting of Hutchins.

According to a call sheet obtained by DailyMail.com, Alec was taking part in a mock gunfight inside the church building on the Bonanza Ranch film set when Hutchins was hit.

Co-stars Jensen Ackles, Swen Temmel and Travis Hammer were also in the scene  numbered 121 - alongside Alec's stunt double Blake Teixeira and stunt coordinator Allan Graf.

Production notes show the Colt pistol was one of several weapons on set at the time but the only one used in 121 and the preceding 118.

The armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, said 'wasn't sure if I was ready' in an interview prior to filming.

She also admitted in the podcast interview that she found loading blanks into a gun to be 'the scariest' thing because she did not know how to do it and had sought help from her father, legendary gunsmith Thell Reed, to get over the fear.

First assistant director Dave Halls had grabbed the gun from the cart and brought it inside to Alec, unaware that it was loaded with live rounds.

'Cold gun!' shouted Halls before handing the gun to Alec, using the phrase to signal to cast and crew that the gun was safe to fire for the scene, the warrant said.

Alec and Hutchins (circled) are pictured together on the set of Rust, in an image that she uploaded to Instagram two days before

Hutchins was behind the camera while the scene was being filmed on October 21

The crew on Alec's movie set were already concerned about gun safety before he accidentally shot and killed Hutchins.

The warrant indicated that a single bullet struck Hutchins in the chest, and then struck director Joel Souza in the shoulder as he was standing behind her, injuring him, suggesting the bullet traveled all the way through Hutchins' body.

Unionized workers had walked off the set hours before the fatal shooting, after they complained about long hours, shoddy conditions and another safety incident days earlier involving 'two misfires' of a prop weapon.

Alec has since told reporters he doesn't think production will resume.
The FDA announced it will delay its decision on whether children ages 12 to 17 should receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to determine if the shot increases the risk of a rare side effect that impacts kids' hearts, the agency said Sunday.

The announcement comes just three days after the FDA authorized Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children between ages five and 11.

Moderna, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was told the federal agency would need until at least January 2022 before the FDA can finish its review, according to the Washington Post.

The company also added that it will delay its request for FDA authorization of its COVID vaccine for children 6 to 11 years old, the paper reported.

The agency informed Moderna on Friday night that it would require the extra time to further examine ongoing and emerging data - from international sources - on the risks of myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle that in rare cases occurs after vaccination.

The announcement comes after several countries, from Nordic nations to Japan, voiced concerns that the Moderna vaccine increased the risk of myocarditis in men ages 18 to 30.

The FDA informed Moderna Friday that it would need more time to examine data on the risks of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that in rare cases occurs after vaccination

The biotechnology company specifically said that it would need until at least January 2022 before the FDA can finish their review of the Moderna application for children aged 12 to 17

Pictured: Illustration comparing a normal heart and another with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that in rare cases occurs after vaccination

Meanwhile, the Moderna delays come just after the FDA authorized Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, pictured, for children between ages five and 11 on Friday

And in Sweden and Finland, health officials there have recommended against the use of the Moderna shot for men younger than 30, the outlet reports.

In June, Moderna requested the FDA to authorize its vaccine for adolescents, with the shot having been approved previously for people 18 and older.

The proposed vaccine treatment protocol for teens would be the same as that for adults, with two 100-microgram shots received 28-days apart.

Moderna's proposed vaccination for children 6 to 11 years old that is now on hold would have been for them to receive two half-dose shots of 50 micrograms, the Post reported.

In its statement, Moderna said 'the safety of vaccine recipients is of paramount importance' and that it's working closely with the FDA.

Pictured: Lydia Melo, 7, is inoculated with one of two reduced doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a trial at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, September 2021

Pfizer released data showing its vaccine is 91% effective against infection after 16 cases of Covid were reported in the placebo group compared to three that received two kid-size doses

The Moderna delays come just after the agency's advisory committee recommended emergency use of the vaccine be expanded to young children.

About 28 million American kids will be eligible to receive the two-dose vaccine, which is one-third the dose given to people aged 12 and older, and is administered 21 days apart.

The final step will be a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory panel next week, meaning the first children may be dosed starting Wednesday.

Parents have been split 50/50 over vaccinating children because kids rarely get severely ill and make up less than 0.1 percent of all Covid deaths in the US.

There have been fewer than 600 deaths among children since the pandemic began, with just 94 occurring among the aged 5-11 group

Weekly COVID-19 cases among children have declined from a peak of 243,000 in early September to 117,000 currently

Because of the low risk of severe illness, more than one-third of parents with children in the 5-11 age range are not planning to get their kids vaccinated against Covid

Last week, the Biden administration released its plans for vaccinating children over the next few months.

Child-size vials that can be kept in refrigerators along with smaller needles necessary for injecting young kids will be sent to providers across the country.

Youngsters will be able to get the shot at their pediatrician's offices or local pharmacies, and potentially even their schools rather than mass immunization sites.

And children's hospitals will set up clinics on nights and weekends so mothers and fathers can vaccinate their kids after they get off of work.

As of Friday, the federal government has purchased 110 million doses of the Pfizer pediatric shot and 15 million doses are ready to be shipped as soon as the vaccine is authorized, reported the New York Times.
The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse got under way in Wisconsin on Monday with the challenging task of seating jurors who hadn't already made up their minds about the young aspiring police officer who shot two people to death and wounded a third during a Black Lives Matter protest in Wisconsin last year.

Rittenhouse was 17 when he made the short trip from his home in Illinois, just across the Wisconsin state line, during unrest that broke out in August 2020 after a white Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake, a black man.

Rittenhouse, now 18, faces life in prison if convicted of first-degree homicide, one of several charges against him. His lawyers have argued he fired in self-defense.

More than a dozen and a half potential jurors were excused from the trial, mostly for a self-reported bias as the judge lamented the impact of politics on the case.

Kyle Rittenhouse walks into court for the start of jury selection on the first day of his trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Monday

Rittenhouse, left, speaks with Corey Chirafisi, one of his attorneys, during jury selection. Rittenhouse is accused of killing two people and wounding a third

On August 25, 2020 Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum (left) and Anthony Huber (right)

Judge Bruce Schroeder stressed repeatedly that jurors must decide the case solely on what they hear in the courtroom, and cautioned: 'This is not a political trial.'

'It was mentioned by both political campaigns and the presidential campaign last year, in some instances very, very imprudently,' he said.

And he said there has been inaccurate information written by people who 'dont know what youre going to know. Those of you who are selected for this jury, who are going to hear for yourselves the real evidence in this case.'

The judge said Rittenhouse's constitutional right to a fair trial, not the Second Amendment right to bear arms, will come into play, and 'I dont want it to get sidetracked into other issues.'

Still, many jurors said they had already made up their minds, and at least 19 had been dismissed by the lunch break for a variety of reasons. Among them were a man who said he was at the site of the protests when 'all that happened' and a woman who said she knew one of the potential witnesses in the case well and would probably weigh that person's testimony more than that of others.

Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder complained about the impact of politics on the Rittenhouse case

From left, Rittenhouse's mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, left, listens as the charges against her son are read at the start of jury selection in Kenosha

Another woman who said she watched a livestream video of what happened was dismissed because she wasnt sure if she could put aside what she saw. One person was dropped from the case after she said she was bound by the Biblical injunction 'Thou shall not kill,' even in cases of self-defense.

Another woman was dismissed after saying she was mad about the unrest in the city. A man who said he had 'been commenting consistently on news feeds and Facebook' was also excused.

A man who said his son is friends with the man who bought the gun that Rittenhouse went on to use in the shooting, was not immediately dismissed by the judge.

'This case has become very political. It was involved in the politics of the last election year,' Schroeder said, criticizing the campaigns of both major parties for weighing in on the case.

Days after the shootings then-President Donald Trump suggested Rittenhouse had acted in self-defense, while Joe Biden, then Trump's challenger and now president, had accused Trump of stoking violence with his rhetoric.

Rittenhouse (pictured) was 17 when he killed Rosenbaum and Huber at riots sparked by the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin during August 2020

Schroeder, who faced heavy media criticism last week for ruling that the three men shot by Rittenhouse could be labeled 'looters' and 'arsonists' if there was sufficient evidence while banning the word 'victim' to describe them, took aim at the media in his comments to potential jurors about avoiding bias.

'We don't want to fall into the trap that many in the media have,' Schroeder said. 'I want this case to reflect the greatness of Kenosha and the fairness of Kenosha and don't want it to get sidetracked into other issues.'

Schroeder told attorneys he thinks picking the jury from 150 prospective jurors could be accomplished in a day.

Jury selection got off to a slow start. During the unexplained delay, the judge played a mock game of Jeopardy! with prospective jurors in the courtroom, something he sometimes does as attorneys get organized.

Rittenhouse (pictured in his booking photo, aged 17) faces homicide and attempted homicide charges

This prompted many negative comments on a Facebook livestream of the trial, with many saying it was inappropriate.

Schroeder told the potential jurors he would select 20 of them to hear the case, which is expected to last about two weeks. Ultimately, 12 will deliberate, and the rest will be dismissed as alternates. He said he will almost certainly not sequester the jury.

Attorneys for both sides had urged the judge to send questionnaires to the people summoned as potential jurors to detect bias and speed the process. Schroeder, the longest-serving circuit court judge in Wisconsin, denied the request.

The judge said he disliked questionnaires in general because he was afraid most people wont fill them out or that it would tip them off that they may be on the Rittenhouse case, increasing the chances they would discuss it with friends and family.

The case has been polarizing, with Rittenhouse painted by his conservative supporters as a patriot exercising his self-defense and Second Amendment gun rights.

Others see him as a vigilante and police wannabe who never should have been armed in Kenosha in the first place. Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot, but many are watching his trial as the latest referendum on race and the American legal system.

Rittenhouse's high-profile homicide trial is expected to last about two weeks

Defense Attorney Mark Richards looks around the courtroom at the start of jury selection

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, left, Judge Schroeder, center and Defense Attorney Richards hold a sidebar conference during a break in jury selection on the first day of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial in Kenosha

Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle after Rosenbaum chased Rittenhouse across a parking lot and threw a plastic bag at him shortly before midnight on August 25.

Moments later, as Rittenhouse was running down a street, he shot and killed Anthony Huber, 26, a protester from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, a protester from West Allis, Wisconsin.

Bystander video captured Rosenbaum chasing Rittenhouse but not the actual shooting. Video showed Huber swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse before he was shot. Grosskreutz had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse and was shot.

Rittenhouse faces two homicide counts, one of attempted homicide and two of recklessly endangering safety for firing his weapon near others. He is also charged with possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
President Joe Biden once again seemed to rely on a cheat sheet of 'pre-approved' reporters as he held a press conference at the conclusion of the G20 summit in Rome on Sunday.

Biden spoke with various world leaders about climate change goals ahead of the COP26 summit United Nations Climate Change conference to be held this week in Glasgow, Scotland.

As he opened up the floor to questions, at the start of the the press conference, the president seemed to be using a pre-ordained list of correspondents to call on.

'And now I'm happy to take some questions. And I'm told I should start with AP, Zeke Miller,' Biden said.

President Biden was given a reporter list to call upon during Sunday's presser

US President Joe Biden addresses a press conference at the end of the G20 of World Leaders Summit on Sunday in Rome

On occasion, Biden has snapped at journalists who have shouted questions out of turn or yelled them over the hubbub of the press pack. One such incident happened after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland

It is not the first time that Biden has had a hand-picked list of reporters to draw from.

In June, a similar technique was used while he was in Geneva during a visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

'I'll take your questions, and as usual, folks, they gave me a list of the people I'm going to call on,' Biden explained to the press.

And in August , following the the Kabul terror attacks in Afghanistan that led to the the death of more than a dozen servicemen, the order of journalists allowed to ask questions of the president was hand selected.

'Ladies and gentlemen, they gave me a list here. The first person I was instructed to call on was Kelly O'Donnell from NBC,' Biden said.

The preferred pecking order for the administration seems to be The Associated Press, The Washington Post, NBC News, Reuters and Bloomberg News.

On occasion, Biden has snapped at journalists who have shouted questions out of turn or yelled them over the hubbub of the press pack.

It's not the first time such a technique has been employed by White House staff Associated Press, Washington Post, NBC News, Reuters, and Bloomberg News usually are chosen first

White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said it is to ensure that reporters from wires, print and broadcast networks all get a fair chance to ask questions
After at times seeming shell-shocked by five-and-a-half gruelling hours of questions at ICAC on Friday, Gladys Berejiklian came out fighting and feisty on Monday.

It was going to be her last chance to have her say at the corruption inquiry, and she was going to make her views heard loud and clear.

But Ms Berejiklian's answers weren't always clear.

She said 'I don't know' or 'I didn't know' dozens of times as she frustrated ICAC counsel Scott Robertson's efforts to get definitive responses from her.

Ms Berejiklian also answered with multiple variations of having 'no knowledge' of wrongdoing by disgraced former Liberal MP for Wagga Wagga Daryl Maguire, who was her secret boyfriend at the time.

She said she didn't think she had any information that could have benefited the inquiry.

And she didn't report any suspicions because she had no suspicions to report, the inquiry heard.

Though Mr Maguire had told her about his dealings with some developers, Ms Berejiklian said she didn't know them and wasn't even given their last names.

'Clearly this body had all that knowledge and information,' she said of the ICAC.

'There was nothing that I could recall; nothing I retained. I'm not sure what I would have reported.'

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian (front) is seen leaving after her appearance at ICAC concludes

The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating the conduct of Ms Berejiklian concerning $35 million in state government grants issued to the Australian Clay Target Association and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music when she was NSW Treasurer and Premier.

Both organisations are based in Wagga Wagga, the electorate Mr Maguire once represented.

Before she appeared on Friday, Ms Berejiklian's legal team had tried the day to have evidence from Mr Maguire heard in private.

Barrister Sophie Callan said she had 'personal privacy concerns of the highest order' for Ms Berejiklian.

Ms Callan said no public service would be served by 'plumbing the depths' and wanted to prevent any 'humiliation and harm' to her client.

Scott Robertson, counsel assisting ICAC, called for the application to be refused. 'A public inquiry is to be held in public,' he said, adding that having a private session would risk it 'becoming a public inquiry in name only'.

ICAC Assistant Commissioner Ruth McColl, SC, who is presiding over the inquiry, ruled against the last ditch application.

Daryl Maguire (pictured) gave evidence to ICAC on Thursday about he and Gladys Berejiklian planning to get married and have a baby

It was soon clear why the former premier was so keen for the evidence to be heard in private - it was revealed that Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire had discussed getting married and having a child together.

An extraordinary tapped phone call was tendered into evidence of Ms Berejiklian telling Mr Maguire 'I'll throw money at Wagga, don't you worry about that'.

Ms Berejiklian was referring to her plans for the Wagga Wagga by-election, which was caused by Mr Maguire resigning after his evidence at an earlier corruption inquiry.

Her choice of words was unfortunate. 'Don't you worry about that' was a favourite of one of Australia's most controversial politicians, the late Queensland premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen. He used it when he wanted to stop journalists asking tough questions.

On Friday, after looking stressed as she arrived at the ICAC, Ms Berejiklian was blasted for 'making speeches' rather than directly answering what she was asked.

She gave lengthy answers to questions about her relationship with Mr Maguire from Mr Robertson.

In a savage put-down Ms McColl told the veteran politician: 'Could I ask you to answer the question and not make speeches?'

Ms Berejiklian - who made numerous long speeches in press conferences while managing the Covid-19 pandemic - continued to give long answers and Ms McColl said: 'Ms Berejiklian, I do not think you are heeding the message I just communicated to you.'

ICAC assisting counsel Scott Robertson arrives at the Independent Commission Against Corruption hearing in Sydney on Monday, November 1, 2021

Mr Robertson also questioned the former premier's tendency to long windedness, asking 'Are you having some difficulty with my questions?'

If Friday shocked Ms Berejiklian, after having the weekend away from ICAC, she returned defensive, defiant and perhaps a little frustrating on Monday.

There were amusing interludes, such as when Mr Robertson asked her 'Do you know what Mr Maguire was referring to by the little green men?'

'No idea,' she replied.

'Could be a reference to the WeChat icon which is a green icon?' Mr Robertson said.

'It could have been, I've never used that, so I don't know,' Ms Berejiklian said.

But lighter moments were few and far between. Mostly, no quarter was given on either side.

Gladys Berejiklian (front) and Daryl Maguire (behind) when they were in a secret relationship

Ms Berejiklian answered with variations of 'I don't know' or 'I didn't know' dozens of times as she frustrated Mr Robertson's efforts to get definitive answers from her.

As it all wrapped up before lunch, everyone looked relieved, and then Ms Berejiklian had the final word - for the moment - to the waiting media outside the ICAC building.

She struck a sombre farewell note, saying the past month has been 'extremely difficult' for her - but that everything she did was in the public interest.

'I just want to say to everybody it's been my honour and privilege to serve you in my role in public life ...

'I intend to get on with my life and I just want to thank everybody for my support every day I've dealt with the public.'

We will soon know if the ICAC inquiry outcome allows her to get on with her life in the manner she hopes to.
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American Airlines continued its Halloween horror of a weekend by cancelling more than 360 flights early Monday morning, following more than 1,700 cancellations since Friday as experts warn of looming chaos ahead of the holiday season.

Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded over a four-day period that saw 10 percent of the airline's flights affected.

The airline has blamed weather control issues, such as strong winds that battered its Dallas hub earlier this weekend, and ongoing staff shortages due to layoffs made when travel cratered at the start of the COVID outbreak.

Airlines made staff cuts and furloughed thousands of workers in the early stages of the pandemic. They have also found that the process of rehiring those same workers or replacing those who opted for early retirement have been more complicated than anticipated.

American is the latest airline to show signs of struggling to adjust to the surge in renewed demand for travel in the post-lockdown era. In August, Spirit Airlines cancelled more than 2,800 flights over an 11-day stretch. Last month, Southwest cancelled more than 1,800 flights over the course of a weekend and delayed hundreds more.

Peter Vlitas, the executive vice president of the global airlines relation division of Internova Travel Group, told DailyMail.com: 'With travel rebounding at a much faster pace than expected, the entire industry is facing service shortages, not only in staffing but also in material goods required to meet the increasing demand.

'Now combine that with Mother Nature, and what you have is the perfect storm.

'What we are seeing is a combination that results in service disruptions: crew shortage, weather and limited equipment combined with unexpected demand.'

The extreme weather in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex last week - where wind gusts reached 50mph and forced the closure of airport runways, caused cancellations and delays - triggered a domino effect that left airline crew in the wrong places, according to American Airlines.

Angry passengers shared a snap of an AA line at Dallas Fort Worth Sunday after fresh cancellations

Lines snaked around the Texas airport's terminal as more than 800 flights - almost half of the airline's planned schedule, were nixed, bringing the total axed over the weekend to more than 1,600

One passenger vowed to never fly American Airlines again after two of her flights were either cancelled or delayed on her way home

Data from the monitoring site FlightAware shows that American Airlines cancelled nearly 370 flights on Monday (left). Most of those were affecting its largest hub, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (right)

'Our staffing begins to run tight, as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences,' Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said in a memo to his employees. News of the memo was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Seymour told his employees that the airline plans to hire more pilots, flight attendants and support staff in the coming weeks.

American Airlines president says company won't budge on pilots' demand for 'alternative' to vaccine mandate Robert Isom, the president of American Airlines, told the Miami Herald last month that the company wouldn't agree to the pilots' union request for 'alternatives' to the vaccine mandate The cancellations of some 2,000 flights by American Airlines over a four-day period starting on Friday was attributed by some to an unannounced work stoppage due to alleged opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. A spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, Captain Dennis Tajer, blamed management for the cancellations, though in a statement to DailyMail.com, he did not respond when asked about whether pilots and other employees were unhappy with the vaccine mandate and if that factored into the staff shortages. 'As we look at management's tracked reasons for cancellations, it confirms that there was a weather event but then, as has been during the summer, management failed to connect pilots and flight attendants to the airplanes many days after the storm passes,' Tajer told DailyMail.com. 'Mother nature generates a storm and management's failure to properly schedule creates storms days after.' Tajer added: 'The mark of a great airline is not performing well on clear days, it's how it recovers after the weather disrupts operations. 'For much too long, management is failing to meet the fundamentals of airline operations and they aren't showing any interest in joining us to find solutions. Last month, American Airlines executives said they would begin checking all employees' proof of vaccination beginning on November 24. Robert Isom, the president of American Airlines, told the Miami Herald last month that the company wouldn't agree to the pilots' union request for 'alternatives' to the vaccine mandate. The pilots union urged the company to ditch the vaccine mandate in favor of a weekly testing regime. It also asked management to allow those who have already been infected with COVID-19 to skip the vaccine. But Isom refused, saying that the airline's vaccine requirement falls in line with President Joe Biden's executive order requiring government contractors to have all their employees fully vaccinated by December 8. 'Our team members need to be vaccinated,' Isom said. 'It's really important for our business, for our company, to get the pandemic under control. 'We want every one of our team members to be vaccinated and, equally important, we want every one of our team members to have a job and continue to work at American.' In September, Allied Pilots Association, the union representing 13,800 American Airlines pilots, called on its membership to stage 'informational picketing.' According to the union, management 'repeatedly demonstrated its inability to run a reliable airline.' The union blasted management for the high number of pilot reassignments as well as failing to provide adequate food and accommodation for pilots. Advertisement

The airline expects some 1,800 flight attendants to return from leave starting Monday. It also hopes to hire an additional 600 flight attendants by the end of the year.

American is also planning to hire 4,000 support staff by the end of December, according to Seymour.

The airline additionally wants to hire some 2,500 more pilots, but the pilots union said doing so quickly won't be easy due to a lack of instructors and flight simulators. The extremely tight labor market also means that American will have to compete for support staff workers by offering higher wages, making a rapid staffing even more difficult.

'We continue to staff up across our entire operation and we will see more of our team returning in the coming months,' Seymour said in the letter.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the union representing American Airlines flight attendants, released a statement to DailyMail.com on Monday which read: 'Flight Attendant staffing at American remains strained and reflects what is happening across the industry as we continue to deal with pandemic-related issues.

'Flight Attendant schedules are being disrupted to protect the operation to help our customers make it to their destinations.'

In total, nearly 2,000 flights have been axed by the airline since Friday with up to 1,000 delays and 500 cancellations potentially looming, according to FlightAware.

On Sunday alone, more than 850 flights - or 16 percent of that day's fleet total - were cancelled while 365 trips were delayed.

Prior to that, 543 flights were cancelled on Saturday while 400 were delayed, and on Friday, 343 cancellations happened.

'With additional weather throughout the system, our staffing begins to run tight as crew members end up out of their regular flight sequences,' American Airlines said in a statement to CNN.

Despite continuing issues throughout the weekend, an spokesman for the airline said they are expected to be resolved on Monday.

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted early on Monday morning that his 7 a.m. flight to Orlando from Washington, D.C., had been cancelled.

Rubio was scheduled to give remarks to NatCon 2, a conference hosted by the Edmund Burke Foundation, which is held from October 31 until November 2.

The senator tweeted: 'My 7am flight to Orlando on @AmericanAir to speak at @NatConTalk is cancelled.

'And they automatically rebooked me on a flight that doesnt even leave Miami until AFTER my flight from Orlando to Washington.

'Its just going to be one of those days.'

One of the main causes of the cancellations and delays over the course of the weekend has largely been attributed to the weather conditions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The area has seen two days of strong winds leaving passengers stranded at the one of American Airlines' biggest hubs, Dallas Fort Wort International Airport.

Wind conditions, which are currently at 9mph, were said to have strong gusts earlier in the weekend with a recorded high of 60mph on Friday.

That has caused a knock-on effect where staff stuck on earlier delayed or canceled flights have gone over the number of hours they can work, lowering the number of people now available to cover later flights.

Others are also no longer at the airports they're supposed to be working on due to earlier cancellations and delays.

'The fact that there is inadequate staffing to cover the operation as it is currently structured is not the fault of Flight Attendants,' a union for US flight attendants said in a statement to its members on Saturday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A host of angry passengers took to social media over Halloween weekend to vent about the cancellations and delays.

Will Tyler wrote that he waited days to get a response from the airline about refunds for cancelled and 'ridiculously rebooked flights.'

A traveler named Tracy posted a screenshot on Sunday of a message indicating her rescheduled flight after her initial booking from Reno to Dallas was cancelled.

Matt Swanson, a traveler who was flying from New York's LaGuardia Airport, posted images to his Twitter account.

'@AmericanAir We get it's a hard day for you. What are you doing to get this 3 HOUR rebooking desk line moving located at LGA near gate 31?' he tweeted.

Carlos Porrata posted a screen shot indicating that his American Airlines flight on Saturday was cancelled

Eric Hardt posted this image from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. He called American Airlines 'completely incompetent' because 'they are stranding thousands of passengers due to a "labor shortage".' He added: 'They shouldn't sell tickets when they don't have staff for planes. I have had two flights cancelled. Waited 3 hours for no help. And I have Gold status.'

Senator Marco Rubio, the Republican from Florida, tweeted early on Monday morning that his 7am flight to Orlando from Washington, DC, was cancelled. Rubio had been scheduled to give remarks to NatCon 2, a conference hosted by the Edmund Burke Foundation, which was being held from October 31 until November 2

Another American Airlines customer took to Twitter and blasted the company for having 'preemptively cancelled flights knowing that you wouldn't have the staff to handle it'

Will Tyler wrote that he waited days to get a response from the airline about refunds for cancelled and 'ridiculously rebooked flights'

A traveler named Tracy posted a screenshot on Sunday of a message indicating her rescheduled flight after her initial booking from Reno to Dallas was cancelled.

Jason Cooper tweeted that he was 'stuck in Charlotte, North Carolina' because 'American Airlines forgot to schedule pilots to fly their planes today!'

Matt Swanson, a traveler who was flying from New York's LaGuardia Airport, posted these images to his Twitter account. '@AmericanAir We get it's a hard day for you. What are you doing to get this 3 HOUR rebooking desk line moving located at LGA near gate 31?' he tweeted. 'There are literally hundreds of passengers in this line with TWO agents. This is inhumane. What are you doing to fix this?'

'There are literally hundreds of passengers in this line with TWO agents. This is inhumane. What are you doing to fix this?'

Jason Cooper tweeted that he was 'stuck in Charlotte, North Carolina' because 'American Airlines forgot to schedule pilots to fly their planes today!'

Eric Hardt posted an image from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

He called American Airlines 'completely incompetent' because 'they are stranding thousands of passengers due to a "labor shortage."'

Angry passengers took to Twitter over the delays and cancellations during the course of the weekend

He added: 'They shouldn't sell tickets when they don't have staff for planes. I have had two flights cancelled. Waited 3 hours for no help. And I have Gold status.'

'NEVER FLYING @AmericanAir AGAIN after a cancellation now the flight the next day is DELAYED I just wanna get home,' @EdenVerity posted on Twitter along with a screenshot of her Snapchat post showing that she was flying out of DFW Airport.

'Thanks for canceling our 1pm flight at 7:45am. Really looking forward to spending 13 hours in the car with my family!', @carsmely commented.

'I will make sure that my family & friends never fly with you again. What you did to us and the hundreds other customers waiting for cancelled flights at DFW is unacceptable. The lowest standards of customer service in the flying industry! #aa', @madelamo commented with pictures of the long lines at DFW.

Other commenters attributed the airlines' delays and cancellations to the COVID vaccine mandate that forced company workers to quit or be terminated for not complying.

'If @AmericanAir can't staff their flights, they shouldn't sell seats on those flights! AA received $7.5 billion of taxpayer money for COVID, they posted big profits, and then cancelled 1,600 flights over 3 days??? #congressionalinvesitgatilon,' @richardbarney tweeted.

On October 21, the CEOs of American and Southwest Airlines said that they did not plan to terminate unvaccinated workers if they applied for an exemption.

The order for airline workers to be vaccinated came after the Biden administration's announcement of the mandate for federal contractors including AA.

American Airlines, who set the mandate for November 24, said that workers must apply for the medical or religious exemption from the vaccine if they wanted to continue working for the company.

American Airlines saw over 800 flights cancelled on its Sunday schedule due to two days of strong winds in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and staff shortages

American Airlines has said that they will continue hiring for new positions towards the end of the year due to the high anticipation of holiday travel.

The airline previously saw a string of cancellations over the course of last weekend due to a system outage from their regional partner SkyWest.

Over a thousand flights were cancelled between American Airlines as well as United, Delta and Alaska.

The outage had left passengers stranded at various airports, either from cancellations or delays, and grounded planes as well as flight crews.

'Airlines found they overcompensated in terms of the cut they made to their fleets, to their payroll counts,' said Vik Krishnan, an aviation consultant at McKinsey & Co.

'You cant fly planes, if you dont have people to unload the bags that are on them, or people to check you in, or people to help you board an airplane safely.'
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has warmly welcomed outgoing Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young to her new role as governor of Queensland in a gushing speech.

Dr Young will take up residence in Brisbane's Government House as the 27th governor of the state following a formal ceremony on the lawn of Parliament House on Monday afternoon.

She wore a lilac business suit with pearls at the formal ceremony, while Ms Palaszczuk favoured a flowing, ankle-length dress and a hairstyle with more volume than usual.

The new role of Governor ends her 16 years as the state's top doctor, including an at times controversial last 18 months during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Young's appointment follows a challenging stint as Queensland's top doctor navigating the state through a pandemic.

You are 'Our Excellency' Annastacia Palaszczuk, welcoming Dr Jeannette Young on Monday

She has successfully managed to keep the state Covid-free, however, has come under fire for deeming the AstraZeneca vaccine unsuitable for younger Queenslanders, in comments that were later claimed to have created vaccine hesitancy in the state.

'I don't want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got Covid, probably wouldn't die,' she famously said.

Australian health authorities had at the time restricted the vaccine's use for those aged under 50 after it was linked to extremely rare blood clots.

Her comments were in line with the advice from ATAGI and there was no serious outbreak of Covid in Queensland at the time.

More recently Dr Young had repeatedly predicted that 'every Queenslander' will get the virus once the state's borders had reopened.

While most saw the strategy as designed to lift Queensland's lagging vaccination rate, many saw it as channelling fear.

Dr Jeannette Young will take up residence in Brisbane's Government House from this evening as the 27th governor of the state after 16 years as the state's chief health officer

Ms Palaszczuk wore a flowing, ankle-length dress and a hairstyle with more volume than usual at the official swearing-in ceremony

'We are all of us going to end up being infected with Covid, every single person in Queensland,' Dr Young said on October 15.

'But if youve been vaccinated its highly unlikely you will be sick, and definitely very unlikely that you will end up in hospital or the ICU.'

Dr Young will now oversee a fulltime staff of 45 and an annual revenue of about $7.2 million while living at Fernberg, the well-appointed 14-hectare estate in Brisbane's upmarket Paddington, where Government house sits.

Running of the estate, including contracted services, household costs and cars cost taxpayers $1.88million in the 2020-2021 financial year, though travels costs were avoided during to the pandemic.

While the governor's salary is not published in the office's annual report, it was known outgoing governor Paul De Jersey earnt close to $500,000 a year, reflecting his former salary as Chief Justice of Queensland.

Dr Young earned $595,000 in the 2020-2021 financial year as chief health officer so her salary as governor is likely to be similar.

Mr De Jersey left the governor's mansion in a blue Rolls-Royce on Monday.

Dr Young will now oversee a fulltime staff of 45 and an annual revenue of about $7.2 million while living at Fernberg, the well-appointed 14-hectare estate in Brisbane's upmarket Paddington (pictured)

Ms Palaszczuk paid warm tribute to Dr Young in a speech following the formal swearing in

Ms Palaszczuk paid warm tribute to Dr Young in a speech following the formal swearing in, saying she had halved smoking in the state, boosted immunisation rates and reduced obesity in the community.

'We will never know to the number of lives that you have saved,' Ms Palaszczuk said of Dr Young.

'From a population of five million, only seven people lost their lives, this is a world-leading result,' she said, referring to the pandemic.

'You have stood beside me, I know you will stand beside Queensland because you are not just Your Excellency, as far as people of Queensland are concerned, you are Our Excellency.'

In announcing the appointment in June, Ms Palaszczuk said 'there is no-one more deserving of the title "Her Excellency",' praising Dr Young's 'exemplary' work during the pandemic.

In return, Dr Young had thanks the premier 'for her leadership and support, and this tremendous honour'.

Dr Young said she would travel widely in the role and vowed to visit every public hospital in the state during her tenure.

She said she would promote literacy, particularly in Indigenous communities, and encourage a 'healthy and active' community.
Police investigating the disappearance of Cleo Smith have pleaded for dash cam and CCTV footage within a 1000km radius of where the pre-schooler vanished at a remote campsite in Western Australia.

Detectives said they are particularly interested in video recordings between 6pm on Friday October 15 and 6pm on Sunday October 17 at a list of specific locations, suggesting they may be closing in on the brazen child predator.

Investigators are seeking footage from motel check in, service stations, fast food outlets, truck stops, free camping areas, children's clothing stores, pharmacies and camping stores.

The selective list appears to indicate that police may be narrowing in on the suspect who is believed to have snatched the four-year-old from the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon , in the northwest of the state on October 16.



Police investigating the disappearance of Cleo Smith (pictured) have pleaded for dash cam and CCTV footage within a 1000km radius of where the pre-schooler vanished at a remote campsite in Western Australia

WA police are specifically interested in children clothing stores, camping shops, among other locations

'Detectives continue to seek dashcam, CCTV or any other footage within a 1000KM radius of the campsite near Carnarvon but only as far south as Lancelin,' WA police said in a social media alert.

'It doesn't matter how insignificant you think it might be.'

Investigators last week undertook the mammoth task of scouring nearby roads and highways in areas surrounding the Blowholes campsite, trawling through rubbish bins in search of degraded clues.

They also door-knocked homes near the child's family house in Carnarvon, to determine if neighbours had seen anything suspicious in the prior days and weeks.

Investigators last week undertook the mammoth task of scouring the roads and highways in areas surrounding the Blowholes campsite, trawling through rubbish bins for clues. Pictured: A forensic police officer

Pictured: Police are seen examining rubbish left near the Blowholes campsite in remote WA

Pictured: The forensic officers are seen wearing full protective gear include gas masks

The development comes as a family-of-seven who were camping less than 100 metres from where Cleo was abducted, have broken their silence about their 'scarred' and heartbreaking stay at the site.

It has been 16 days since the little girl was kidnapped while she was sleeping beside her parents and younger sister in their family tent during the early hours of the morning.

Detectives attached to the massive police operation dedicated to Cleo's disappearance spent Sunday door-knocking homes 5km from the youngster's hometown of Carnarvon as the search enters its third week.

Queensland couple Rob and Kira Prince were camping at the Blowholes at the time and have described their stay which they'll never forget 'for all the wrong reasons.'

The desperate search for missing youngster Cleo Smith (pictured) has entered its third week

The couple are travelling around the country in a campervan with their five children, which they're documenting on the Our Aussie Adventure Facebook page.

The family uploaded photos of their time at Quobba Blow Holes and shared a police flyer regarding Cleo's disappearance.

'This camp was beautiful with both rugged cliff faces with powerful waves and lagoon like beaches and the blowholes were absolutely incredible,' the family posted on Sunday.

'Unfortunately our stay here was scarred by the disappearance of Cleo Smith from a tent less than 100m from our site.'

'With four-year-olds of our own this was truly terrifying and heartbreaking. It is a day we will never forget - for all the wrong reasons.

'While we physically moved on from here once the campground closed, emotionally we are very much still there longing for a positive outcome for Cleo and her family.'

The Prince family were camping less than 100m metres away from where little Cleo disappeared at the Blowholes campsite on October 16. Pictured are the family during their stay at the site

Detectives spent Sunday door-knocking homes in the North Plantations, five kilometres from Cleo's hometown of Carnarvon

Halloween plea: 'She loved dressing up as a princess or a doctor' Cleo Smith's mum has made another gut-wrenching plea for her four-year-old daughter to be returned home safely as she told of the heartbreak of spending Halloween without her daughter. Ellie Smith on Sunday night called for help finding her 'shining bright light' - 16 days after the little girl vanished from her family's tent near Carnarvon during a camping trip on October 16. As children across Australia dressed up to go trick or treating, Ms Smith told how her daughter 'loves dressing up - whether it be a princess or doctor'. Cleo's disappearance has sparked a national police operation - with detectives on Sunday door-knocking houses near her hometown as they search for clues. 'Every day is getting harder without my shining bright light,' Ms Smith wrote on Instagram. 'Today she has missed Halloween with her family - her cousins, aunties, uncles, nannas and pop but most of all her parents and baby sister. 'She needs us and we need her.' Ellie Smith on Sunday called for help finding her 'shining bright light' and urged anyone who had any information to call police Advertisement

The family told The West Australian they've spoken to police 'a number of times.'

Detectives door-knocked a number of homes along the North West Coastal Highway in the North Plantations, 5km from Cleo's hometown on Sunday.

The reason for the visits hasn't been made public, Nine News reported.

It comes as Cleo's frantic mum issued yet another public appeal on social media for her daughter to come home.

'My kind hearted baby girl mummy wants you home,' Ellie Smith wrote in an Instagram story on Sunday.

Ms Smith also posted a missing persons image of Cleo urging anyone with information to contact police.

She and Cleo's stepfather Jake Gliddon have been ruled out by police of having have had any involvement in the girl's disappearance.

The Prince family said their time camping at The Blowholes was 'scarred' by the disappearance of Cleo Smith from a tent less than 100 metres away

Little Cleo Smith has been missing for two weeks, having last been seen at the Blowholes campground near Carnarvon in WA

Earlier on Sunday, the owner of a shack which captured the voice of Cleo on its CCTV system has opened up about the 'panicked' moments after the little girl vanished.

Dave Sadecky, handed over the crucial CCTV of little Cleo to police which placed her at the campsite on the night before she vanished.

The motion sensitive camera is installed inside their beach shack which was just 20 metres away from the family tent and takes a wide-angled photo of everyone who enters or leaves it.

The camera captures audio and images from inside a painted wooden box with a glass front and would not appear obvious to those passing by.

Dave Sadecky, who owns a nearby shack at the campsite, captured the voice of Cleo on his shack's CCTV system, and handed it over to police

When Mr Sadecky and his wife learnt of the news surrounding the four-year-old, they immediately jumped on their quad bikes to join the search.

'I didn't know the ins and outs of what was going on but everyone was panicked,' Mr Sadecky told The West Australian.

'People dropped everything and came to help  they were everywhere on Saturday like ants  it's not a normal sight.'

The couple ended up scouring the area for 10 hours on the day Cleo was last seen.

She had woken up at 1.30am on the Saturday to ask her mother Ellie for a sip of water but when her parents woke again at about 6am, Cleo was gone.

The four-year-old had woken up at 1.30am on the Saturday to ask her mother Ellie for a sip of water but when her parents woke again at about 6am, Cleo was gone

Detectives found the zip on the tent Cleo was sleeping in had been opened and was too high for the little girl to reach

'Everyone was emotional, people were clearly stressed and anxious but wanted to help. We've never had anything like this happen before. We're there every other weekend, we're kicking ourselves we weren't there that night,' Mr Sadecky said.

He said the campsite would now be 'tainted' from what happened, a local at Blowholes himself.

He added there was a tight-knit community in the area and that often people would leave their doors unlocked.

Meanwhile, a close family friend of Cleo's mother Ellie Smith and stepdad Jake Gliddon said detectives are not wanting to give them any 'false hope'.

'There's nothing worse than saying, ''We're going to find her'', or, ''We think we've got the person'', and then they don't have the person or they don't find her,' the friend told the West.

Cleo is seen with her mother Ellie Smith. A $1million reward is on offer to anybody with information into her disappearance

'Police aren't going to give you false hope and that's what we said from day one.'

The family friend had been at the campsite at the time Cleo went missing and helped scour the area in search of the four-year-old.

He said her distraught parents have also had to deal with online trolls who pointed the finger at them in the days following their daughter's disappearance.

Police have ruled out both Ms Smith and Mr Gliddon as suspects and Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting they had anything to do with her disappearance.

'I know it's affecting them. Fingers crossed they aren't looking at it too much,' the friend said.

It comes after it was revealed detectives in the 100-strong taskforce had responded to 200 potential sightings of Cleo in the two weeks since she disappeared.

It comes after it was revealed detectives in the 100-strong taskforce had responded to 200 potential sightings of Cleo in the two weeks since she disappeared.

'Unfortunately all of those have proved unfruitful,' Detective Superintendent Rob Wilde said.

'That's been national as well, other policing jurisdictions have helped us and followed those leads through for us, so we're very grateful for that.'

While none of the leads have been accurate yet, he is still calling on the public to continue searching for Cleo and reporting any potentially useful information.
A conservative Victorian politician has compared Premier Dan Andrews to Adolf Hitler over his Covid state of emergency powers.

Liberal MP Bernie Finn earned the ire of party leader Matthew Guy over the inflammatory comparison and was told to 'get on with his job'.

On Sunday, Mr Finn posted and then quickly deleted an image to social media which depicted Mr Andrews as Hitler, who is responsible for the murder of six million Jewish people during the Holocaust.

'The Despot tells us we'll be free  then rushes into parliament a Bill giving himself total control over almost everything,' Mr Finn wrote in the caption.

'Victorians' freedom has not been under this sort of threat since World War II.' he said.

'It's time for us all to fight again!'

The offensive post by Mr Finn which was quickly removed within hours on Sunday (pictured)

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews (pictured) is pushing through amendments to the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008

Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, said comparing Mr Andrews to the mass-murdering dictator was 'indecent and repulsive', and accused the Liberal MP of 'weaponsing the Holocaust'.

Mr Finn is no stranger to outrageous posts, having previously 'joked' about Chinese rockets finding their way to a particular cross-bench colleague and media personalities.

He has also parroted conspiracy theories in support of former US president Donald Trump including that he was incorrectly removed from the White House.

His posts have even raised eyebrows with fellow Liberal MPs who have said he should be reigned in before bringing the party into disrepute.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Guy said he had not seen the post but someone had described it to him.

'It sounds, from what I'd heard, quite ridiculous,' Mr Guy said.

'All MPs need to focus on their jobs,' he said

He added 'bad behaviour' would not be tolerated by the public or within his party.

Previously has has threatened to 'expel' any MPs who were misbehaving on social media.

Conservative MP Bernie Finn (pictured) is known for inflammatory posts including pro-Trump conspiracy theories

Melbourne endured the world's longest lockdown in 2020 and 2021 with the public health orders being enforced by police who frequently clashed with protesters (pictured, a vaccine mandate protest in Melbourne on October 30)

The controversy is the second in a matter of days for the Liberal Party after shadow attorney-general Tim Smith got behind the wheel while drunk over the weekend and crashed his car into house.

He has stepped down from the front bench over the incident, however, further measures are likely with Mr Guy saying he would have more to say over the next week.

And just last month an embarrassing clip of an internal Liberal party room meeting was leaked which revealed a heated and debate over gay conversion laws peppered with offensive language.

Mr Guy's patience over the continued distractions is appearing to wear thin, warning MPs they need to concentrate providing a viable alternative to the Andrews government.

'It is a gift to be elected as a member of parliament, it's not a right, it's an absolute privilege,' Mr Guy said.

'This obviously is not a good circumstance. No one can pretend otherwise, but there's a lot of Victorians who are hurting,' he said.

'They want an opposition that is focused. It's about time the state received that alternative, and it's about time they received it without any level of interruption from poor behaviour.'
A South Australian teenager endured 18 foster and residential placements before taking his own life with authorities responsible for 'critical failures' in his care, an inquest has been told.

Zhane Chilcott, 13, was under the guardianship of the state at the time of his death in a residential care facility in Adelaide in 2016.

Opening the inquest on Monday, counsel assisting Sally Giles said the boy had been in some type of care or foster home since he was about 12 months old.

She said his short life was marked by significant placement instability leading to minimal opportunity to develop meaningful and secure relationships with the adults who cared for him.

Ms Giles said the 13-year-old had also suffered from a myriad of behavioural issues in care and at school, sparked by significant traumas and a lack of help at critical moments in his life.

'This inquest will scrutinise Zhane's experiences under the guardianship of the minister and what were significant deficiencies in the level of care and support provided to Zhane by the departments responsible,' she said.

Zhane Chilcott, 13, (pictured) was under the guardianship of the state at the time of his death in a residential care facility in Adelaide in 2016

The 13-year-old had also suffered from a myriad of behavioural issues in care and at school, sparked by significant traumas and a lack of help at critical moments in his life

The inquest was told that between 2005 and 2011, Families SA conducted only six home visits to check on the boy's care.

His early school years were marked by sporadic attendance and behavioural issues with the boy excluded at one stage for kicking a principal.

At a later time, he was placed with an experienced foster carer in SA's mid-north where he was said to have flourished, had begun to attend school regularly and had been nominated for a leadership role.

But when the carer said he could not continue to look after the boy without an increase in funds, authorities had refused to provide extra money.

Ms Giles said that resulted in him being placed in a residential facility at a greater cost over a three-month period than what the carer had asked for over a full year.

She said a large number of people had been involved in Zhane's care often making less than appropriate or desirable decisions.

Zhane had been in some type of care or foster home since he was about 12 months old

The inquest was told that between 2005 and 2011, Families SA conducted only six home visits to check on the boy's care

However, she said the focus of the inquest would be on systemic failures highlighted by his case.

'This inquest will focus on some critical failures in Zhane's care,' Ms Giles said.

'The department charged with protecting Zhane failed to have adequate oversight of him or to appropriately take action when concerns were raised.'

The inquiry is continuing.

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A teacher has been rushed to hospital after being stabbed multiple times by a student at a top public school in Perth.

Emergency services were called to Willetton Senior High School just after 11am on Monday morning after reports the female teacher, aged in her 50s, had sustained stab wounds.

The teacher was stabbed in front of horrified pupils, with the incident taking place outside of the classroom before the attacker fled.

The woman was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital with non life-threatening injuries and is in a stable condition.

Emergency services were called to Willetton Senior High School just after 11am on Monday morning after reports the teacher, aged in her 50s, had sustained stab wounds

Willetton Senior High School, one of Perth's top public institutions, is in lockdown as police try to hunt the student down.

'Police are continuing their inquiries and are attempting to locate the student who has left the school grounds,' a spokeswoman said.
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Mayhem at London's Euston Station continued today after a single tree fell and damaged overhead wires causing travel chaos for delegates trying to reach the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan's Pendolino climate train left London Euston on time this morning but other delegates were forced to fly to Glasgow and passengers spent the night on the floor after heavy winds brought a tree down on top of overhead lines.

Delays continued this morning after the single tree fell between between Rugby and Milton Keynes on the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail said its teams spent the night on site near Long Buckby in Northamptonshire.

One journalist travelling to the COP26 climate summit was quoted almost 1,000 for a taxi between Edinburgh and Glasgow after battling train cancellations.

Another CEO delegate, who took to a plane to reach the climate change summit, said the irony of having to choose the cabon-heavy option after extreme weather affected the trains 'was not lost' on him.

Meanwhile, Mr Khan wrote on Twitter: 'Delighted to lead a delegation of mayors from across the globe from London to Glasgow on our special electric Pendolino climate train. Per capita passenger emissions are estimated to be seven times lower than flying.'

Delays continued this morning even after engineers worked overnight to repair the damaged wires after Network Rail admitted 'extreme weather' had 'got the better of us'. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson arrived at Glasgow International Airport at 11.30pm last night after flying straight from the G20 summit in Rome, Italy.

The chaos didn't stop with Britain's rail network, as thousands of attendees battled against lengthy immovable queues through security to get into the summit this morning.

One bystander joked the conference would be a disaster because no one would be there until the second day.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan stands next to the electric Pendolino climate train. Per capita passenger emissions are estimated to be seven times lower than flying,' he claimed

Services were halted on Sunday and engineers battled overnight to repair the damage after storms led to chaos on the network. Some passengers were forced to sleep in the station amid the delays

Passengers were left looking in despair at departure boards revealing trains were facing major delays even at 5.31am

Passengers sat on the floor as time ticked by without trains running out of London's Euston station at 5.30am this morning

The latest statement on the Avanti West Coast website revealed yesterday's tickets would still be valid for travel Monday

One passenger posted an image to Facebook with the caption 'we have a problem'. The photograph showed crowds outside Euston Station this morning

London Mayor Sadiq Khan took the train from London's Euston to Glasgow on Monday morning

Mr Khan opted to wait for train travel to resume this morning rather than flying to the Glasgow summit. He wrote on Twitter: 'Delighted to lead a delegation of mayors from across the globe from London to Glasgow on our special electric Pendolino climate train. Per capita passenger emissions are estimated to be seven times lower than flying'

Mr Khan is pictured with the mayors of some of the world's biggest cities as they prepared to board a train to Glasgow

The damaged overheard lines have now been repaired and trains are running in and out of London's Euston station, but the delays have continued. The backlog means services that do leave the station are crowded, with reservations mostly unavailable.

A spokesman said: 'All repairs were successfully completed overnight and all the infrastructure is fixed and raring to go. Services have already resumed out of Euston this morning but there will be some residual disruption and passengers should check operators websites for more specific information on their chosen services.'

The railway company last night said it was 'truly sorry' for the disruption, caused by damage in the Rugby area, which came at the worst possible time for people trying to reach the COP26 summit venue ahead of its opening today.

Sky's Samantha Washington was quoted 870 for a taxi from Edinburgh to Glasgow as she tried to get to the climate summit, according to Politico.eu. Other passengers spent the night in hotels or lay on the station floor as they waited for services to resume.

One woman said she had to pay a 110 taxi fare to get home after she struggled to get trains out of London heading in the right direction.

David Johnson, CEO of the Margaret Pyke Trust, which tackles climate change through family planning, said he was on his train from London Euston to Glasgow for half an hour yesterday before he was told it was cancelled.

After booking a flight to Glasgow, he said: 'The irony of the climate impacting the trains, meaning a flight to the climate change conference is the only way to get there today, is not lost on me.'

Fahad Ajlan, a policy advisor in Saudi Arabia, told MailOnline he had to book a hotel last night when he couldn't get his 10.45am train from London Euston yesterday.

He said: 'I am heading to COP26. I had a train leaving yesterday at 10.45am but unfortunately after boarding we were asked to come off and then had to wait for a few hours. At 3pm I decided I had enough of waiting and got a hotel.'

It came as parts of the UK may saw tornadoes, the Met Office said, after strong winds and rain battered the country. Gusts of over 80mph were recorded with reports of wind damage which caused major delays to travel out of London.

Passengers shared their woes online as one said they managed to get a crowded train on another service. Another said they were forced to stay another night in London

When the trains were cancelled one woman paid 110 to get a taxi home from Bicester Village. Another social media user said their son was refused entry on a train because of overcrowding

Another Twitter user was more than 12 hours late for his nephew's graduation after the trains were cancelled

Network Rail last night admitted the 'extreme weather' had 'got the better of us' as they told stranded passengers at London Euston, the worst-hit station, to give up, go home and hope the situation improves overnight

The damaged lines have now been repaired and trains are running in and out of the station, but there are still delays. Pictured, passengers waiting for their trains last night

Many of the passengers were hoping to travel to Glasgow for the Cop26 climate summit, but have been left stuck in London Euston

Journalists and academics were among the thwarted passengers who took to Twitter to complain. Some pointed out signage at Euston that trumpeted the rail network's green credentials - saying 'Thank you for travelling to COP by train.'

National Rail's live departure and arrivals board showed delays to more than 20 trains, including those travelling to Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Crewe and Northampton.

Avanti West Coast confirmed it was 'unable to run any services into and out of London Euston' and 'strongly advised' customers not to travel.

Climate change scientist Simon Lewis, from University College London, who was on the 11am service from London to Edinburgh for COP26, said he had been stuck since 11:45am as a result of the weather disruption.

He wrote on Twitter: 'My train to Glasgow #COP26, via Edinburgh to avoid the crowds, now stationary due to gale force winds and severe rainfall causing a tree to fall on the line'

The scientist later added: 'This train ride is certainly Halloween themed, it's a true horror show. Four hours late and no buffet since about 2pm.'

A spokesman for Network Rail, Chris Halpin, said last night: 'I'm afraid there are still major delays on the West Coast main line and the advice once again is to not travel this evening.

'That's because the diversionary route by Northampton that we had been able to run trains is now not viable.

'We had problems on the West Coast main line at Long Buckby this afternoon because overhead lined were damaged by trees that had come down in the very wet and windy weather that we had overnight.

'We had been running a diversionary route that got a limited number of services back up and running again but that now is closed and blocked because of problems with the overhead electric lines there.

'Our engineers are working as fast as they possibly can to try and get routes back up and running again so we can get people on the move but our advice to people this evening is not to travel.'

A statement from the rail company added: 'We're advising passengers seeking to get from London to Glasgow to travel [on Monday]. This is due to the impact of heavy rain has had on the railway today.

'All line north have been affected at times including the West Coast main line, which remains impassable due to damaged overhead electric wires.

'We are truly sorry for this. We exist to get people and good swiftly from A to B. But today's extreme weather got the better of us.'

Hundreds of passengers hoping to travel to Glasgow for the Cop26 climate summit by train have been left waiting inside London's Euston station (pictured above)

A passenger reacts whilst waiting in Euston Station after trains were cancelled ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference

Pictures on social media have shown a packed London Euston station after a tree falling caused damage to overhead lines, suspending all trains

Hundreds of passengers await news on when trains will be up and running again. All passengers have been advised not to travel today

Delegates, campaigners and journalists travelling by train to the Glasgow climate conference fell victim to a weather chaos today after a fallen tree on a railway line. Pictured: London Euston is exit only due to overcrowding and suspended services

A Reuters reporter on a cancelled train service said several passengers at London Euston (pictured) had changed their travel plans and were booking flights to Glasgow where the United Nations COP26 climate conference kicks off on Sunday

Climate change scientist Simon Lewis, from University College London, said he has been stuck since 11:45am while David Johnson, who is attending Cop26 as chief executive of the Margaret Pyke Trust, said he was left sitting on his train from London Euston to Glasgow for more than half an hour before being told to get off

Elsewhere another commuter described how their train was en route to Glasgow only to return to Euston after issues on the line.

Just before 2pm yesterday, an announcement in the station revealed all train services had been suspended and the concourse was 'exit only' due to overcrowding.

Pictures on social media showed the concourse packed with stricken travellers, many of whom were hoping to travel north for the climate conference which began on Sunday.

Others reported being stuck on slow moving or stationary trains - some for more than three hours - while others were forced to book domestic flights to reach the summit.

Wind damage was reported in multiple areas of the UK on Sunday with the Met Office unable to rule out whether any tornadoes have taken place.

Yellow warnings for wind and rain are in place over large parts of the west and elsewhere, and more are likely.

Meteorologist Tom Morgan said: 'We've got a deep Atlantic area of low pressure that's bringing a very heavy band of rain and squalling winds across the whole of the country, but particularly in the south of England,' he said.

'We've seen some very strong gusts of wind on the south coast... and a few reports of damage from the winds.

'It's not out of the question that there will have been some localised, brief funnel clouds or tornadoes.

'In the last couple of days we have seen some reports and seen some photos of funnel clouds and water spouts, which are similar to tornadoes.'

He added that wind speeds of 87mph were recorded at an exposed location on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, and there were gusts of 60mph across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Sussex.

Passengers sit and wait for news after their trains are cancelled and they are left stranded at London's Euston Station

Hundreds of passengers are left stranded at London's Euston Station tonight as torrential rain and gale force winds batter the country

Stranded passengers looked at the arrivals and departures boards after they were told their trains had been delayed or cancelled

Tonight National Rail's live departure and arrivals board showed delays to more than 20 trains, including those travelling to Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lyme Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Crewe and Northampton

Hundreds of passengers continue to wait in Euston Station after trains were cancelled ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference

A police officer gives information to passengers waiting in Euston Station after trains were cancelled ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference

Hundreds of passengers are left waiting outside London's Euston station after extreme weather caused train cancellations

Pictured: Vehicles travel through standing water during heavy rain in Bromsgrove, in the West Midlands, this morning

Waves crashing by the Porthcawl lighthouse in south Wales on Sunday as strong winds and heavy rain batters the UK

A car submerged under water at Furnace Grange Road, Wolverhampton, after heavy rains hit the area on Sunday

Vehicles travel through standing water during heavy rain in Bromsgrove, West Midlands, amid weather warnings for rainfall

Boris reads the riot act to world leaders ahead of COP26 summit Boris Johnson warned world leaders their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow' as he read them the riot act ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The Prime Minister said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and that the action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'. Speaking at the G20 summit in Rome, he said that only 12 of the club's members have committed to reaching a target of net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. Dramatically raising the stakes, he said that if the forthcoming gathering in Glasgow fails to secure a major breakthrough 'then the whole thing fails'. Mr Johnson said world leaders must now flesh out the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, warning that failing to do so will leave 'the world's only viable mechanism for dealing with climate change... holed beneath the water line'. The premier escalated his rhetoric amid fears the summit in Glasgow could become a flop as he agreed the G20 pledge to achieve carbon neutrality 'by or around mid-century' is too vague. When asked about the goal during a press conference Mr Johnson said: 'I agree, and that is a function really of the gap between some colleagues and others. 'Some countries, as you know, have made commitments to 2060 rather than to 2050. What they've said is 2060 or earlier, and what we want to do is bring those commitments earlier.' Advertisement

One resident in Amesbury, Wiltshire, thought they had witnessed a 'hurricane' hit the area after spotting bins flying and trees breaking due to the powerful winds.

Infectious disease ecologist Dr Emma Gillingham tweeted: 'Did a hurricane just hit Amesbury, Wiltshire? Incredible wind suddenly from nowhere, trees breaking, wheelie bins flying and all calm again now.'

However, the Met Office said it believed the 'hurricane' was in fact a 'squall', the name for a 'sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes'.

Northamptonshire Police said they had received a high number of calls relating to the weather conditions and that trees had fallen on scores of roads in the county.

Reverend Richard Coles, vicar of Finedon, took to social media after a blustery close call.

He tweeted: 'We were just praying for the COP26 conference in church when we were hit by what I can only describe as a tornado, which took out a number of trees including this pre Conquest yew.'

South Western Railway has also apologised to customers after trees blocked part of the network, saying there may be cancellations, delays and alterations to services.

It comes as three people are feared to have drowned and another is fighting for their life after they were swept off their paddleboards when a sudden storm turned a flooded river into a torrent on Saturday night.

The three, part of an organised outing, had been in the water only minutes when they were hit by a deluge of rushing water as they paddled near a weir on the swollen river in Pembrokeshire.

They were swept from their boards and seen 'in distress' in the River Cleddau, near the town centre of Haverfordwest.

Steven Keats, meteorologist, said conditions would begin 'going downhill' on Sunday.

Strong gusts coming from the west will brought a 'wild start' to the day, with potential for further disruption and wet weather going into the first week of November, according to the Met Office.

The yellow weather warning is also in place for Glasgow, where the global Cop26 climate conference begins today.

Broken trees and a bin blown across a residential street in Amesbury, Wiltshire, as strong winds and heavy rain batter the UK

He added: 'Further West heavy rain will be picking up and there'll be some heavy rain coming in from the Atlantic.

'That will dominate the weather into tomorrow.

'Heavy rain will push across into...western parts of England and Wales and be accompanied by some pretty strong and gusty winds.'

He continued: 'Given the fact that trees are in full leaf and the ground is pretty saturated in many areas, you could get one or trees coming down.

'It's going to be very unsettled.'

Mr Keats said declining temperatures throughout next week would bring a 'seasonal' feel and that weather would remain 'unsettled', though risks of 'hefty downpours' remained.

'The most disruptive potential from the weather will be in the next 24 to 36 hours', he said.

The extreme weather comes as the PM warned world leaders their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow' as he read them the riot act ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

The Prime Minister said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and that the action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.

Speaking at the G20 summit in Rome, he said that only 12 of the club's members have committed to reaching a target of net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

Dramatically raising the stakes, he said that if the forthcoming gathering in Glasgow fails to secure a major breakthrough 'then the whole thing fails'.

Mr Johnson said world leaders must now flesh out the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, warning that failing to do so will leave 'the world's only viable mechanism for dealing with climate change... holed beneath the water line'.

The premier escalated his rhetoric amid fears the summit in Glasgow could become a flop as he agreed the G20 pledge to achieve carbon neutrality 'by or around mid-century' is too vague.

When asked about the goal during a press conference Mr Johnson said: 'I agree, and that is a function really of the gap between some colleagues and others.

'Some countries, as you know, have made commitments to 2060 rather than to 2050. What they've said is 2060 or earlier, and what we want to do is bring those commitments earlier.'

The PM has been trying to use the Rome summit of powerful nations including China and Russia to build momentum ahead of COP26, which formally got underway this afternoon and will see world leaders meet for talks tomorrow.

But although the communique from the G20 backed urgent action, it gave more wriggle-room for emissions to continue, with an original goal of '2050' replaced by looser language.
An elderly man going to visit his daughter in regional New South Wales for the first time since Covid lockdown restrictions eased has tragically died in a horror car crash.

The 76-year-old was behind the wheel when his vehicle collided with a truck on Bells Line of Road at Mount Tomah in Blue Mountains at about 10:30am on Monday.

He died at the scene and three others had to be taken to hospital as the major road was blocked off in both directions for hours causing traffic chaos on the busy route.

An elderly man going to visit his daughter in regional New South Wales for the first time since Covid lockdown restrictions eased has tragically died in a horror car crash (pictured)

Emergency crews rushed to the grisly scene to find the truck overturned laying across the road blocking both lanes.

Three rescue helicopters were called in to take seriously injured motorists to hospital.

The elderly man's passenger and the 61-year-old truck driver were both taken to hospital and are now in a stable condition.

The truck driver's daughter also had to be transported to hospital but was not airlifted.

It is understood the man who died in the horror smash was travelling from Metropolitan Sydney to visit his daughter in Orange in the Central Tablelands for the first time since the city's regional travel ban was eased on Monday.

The 76-year-old was behind the wheel when his vehicle collided with a truck on Bells Line of Road at Mount Tomah in Blue Mountains at about 10:30am on Monday

NSW Police Chief Inspector Garry Sims said the tragic death is a grim reminder to be careful on our roads as regional travel resumes.

'I'd like to remind and urge people with restrictions coming off in the metropolitan area at the moment, people are starting to drive long distances,' Inspector Sims said.

'Please drive to the conditions, monitor fatigue and get to your destination safely.'

A NSW Ambulance spokesperson told 7NEWS it was a chaotic scene when they first arrived with the truck splayed out across the busy road on it's side.

'This is a tragic accident and NSW Ambulance extends their condolences to the members of the family of the man who was killed in that accident today,' the spokesperson said.
Barclays boss Jes Staley has quit after the bank's board said it was 'disappointed' with the outcome of a report into his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The bank said it was made aware last Friday evening of the preliminary conclusions from the Financial Conduct Authority's investigation, but did not go into details.

The American banker intends to contest the findings. He is reportedly 'shell-shocked, angry and upset' at the preliminary conclusion of the report.

Barclays meanwhile pointed out that the probe makes no findings that he saw, or was aware of, any of Epstein's alleged crimes.

It is understood the early draft of the report suggests the father-of-two, who grew up near the US city of Philadelphia, played down his role in Epstein's affairs while acting as his private banker in a previous job.

According to the BBC, at the heart of his departure is the 'perceived inconsistency' between his account to his own board of his relationship with Epstein and evidence seen by the regulators.

He had denied reports as recently as last month that he could leave by the end of 2021 - telling the Evening Standard that he would be staying for another two years.

The Barclays share price fell by around 3 per cent on the news in early trading this morning, although a weaker pound helped lift the exporter-heavy FTSE 100 index.

Barclays said last year that UK financial regulators were probing links between Mr Staley and Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking offences.

Mr Staley has previously said his relationship with Epstein - who was also friends with Prince Andrew - ended in late 2015, and that he regretted his relationship with him.

The 64-year-old, who is married to interior designer Debbie, was replaced today by the bank's head of global markets CS Venkatakrishnan, known as 'Venkat'.

Barclays said Mr Staley was entitled to 12 months' notice and will therefore continue to receive his current fixed annual pay of 2.4million in cash and Barclays shares, a pension allowance of 120,000 and other benefits until October 31, 2022.

Jes Staley and his wife Debbie Staley are pictured together in New York in March 2017

Jes Staley (left) at Jeffrey Epstein's mansion in New York in 2011. Pictured (from left): Mr Staley; former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers; Epstein; Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder; and Boris Nikolic, who was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's science adviser

The Chelsea home belonging to Barclays boss Jes Staley who has now quit the company

Investment banker who turned around Barclays and made JP Morgan LGBT-friendly...but played down connection to paedophile billionaire client: Who is Jes Staley? Born in Boston in 1956, Jes Staley moved frequently with his father, Paul, a plant manager for Procter & Gamble, his mother and three siblings. His father later became CEO of PQ Corporation, a chemicals business based outside Philadelphia, where Mr Staley grew up. After graduating with a degree in economics from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1979, he joined banking giants JPMorgan on a training program in New York. He later moved to Brazil to help set up its investment banking venture in South America, where he met his future wife Debbie - just days after arriving. He returned to New York in 1989 and quickly shot up the ladder at JPMorgan. In 1990 he was asked by then-CEO Sandy Warner to manage the group's private banking division. In 2001, he was promoted to CEO of JPMorgan Asset Management and ran the division until 2009. After 34 years with JPMorgan, he left for BlueMountain Capital Management, now Assured Investment Management, in 2013, before joining Barclays in 2015. He is also credited as a key supporter of the LGBT community within the US banking sector, having been inspired by the work of his younger brother Peter, who was diagnosed with AIDS-Related Complex (ARC) in 1985. Peter founded Act Up, a New Yorkbased AIDS activist group, and would go on to serve as a member of president Bill Clinton's National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development. Mr Staley meanwhile was recognised for his contributions in making JP Morgan an LGBT-friendly company, having been a key figure in the building up of JP Morgan Pride. Though working in the UK as CEO of Barclays, Mr Staley is reported to maintain at least two residences in the US. He is said to own a property in New York's famous Park Avenue - where even the cheapest of properties will set buyers back 1million and luxury apartments regularly sell for more than 15million. Mr Staley, who has two daughters, is also said to own a property in Southampton, US, which is part of the exclusive Long Island coastal area known as the Hamptons. Mr Staley meanwhile is said to be a fan of the baseball team the Boston Red Sox, owing to his roots in the city, and a supporter of the US Democrat party. According to reports in the Guardian he held fundraisers at his plush New York apartment a short distance from the Guggenheim museum. A keen sailor, Mr Staley owns a hand-built 90ft yacht, Bequia, named after the Caribbean island where he spent his honeymoon with his wife - whose family were the founders of Brazilian data firm Aceco. She and her brother Jorge Nitzan sold most of their stake to private equity giant KKR in 2014  pocketing 124million and 62million respectively, according to the Wall Street Journal. Aceco went on to suffer disastrously when the Brazilian economy nose-dived a year later. KKR launched a legal battle against Nitzan and fellow sellers in an effort to get its money back, claiming they were victims of a fraud. There is no suggestion Staley was involved in this but KKR was said to be angry because it claims he vouched for Nitzan in a conversation with two of its co-investors. Meanwhile, Nitzan has called the accusations of fraud 'baseless', claiming that Aceco was instead damaged by the worst recession in the nation's history. As of May 2017, Staley was backing his brother-in-law Jorge in the dispute. In turn, KKR stopped inviting Barclays to participate in its deal making. He had embarked on a 'professional relationship' with Epstein in 2000, when Mr Staley became head of JPMorgan's private bank, of which Epstein was a client. Mr Epstein had been charged with sex crimes and pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution. A report by the New York Times in 2019 revealed how compliance officers at JPMorgan Chase conducted a sweep of their wealthy clients in 2009. According to the report, the compliance officers recommended that the bank cut its ties with Epstein because his accounts posed 'unacceptable legal and reputational risks'. However he remained a JPMorgan client until 2013. Mr Staley also admitted he maintained contact with Epstein, who died in a New York prison cell in 2019, for seven years after his conviction. Staley said his last contact with Epstein was in fall 2015, when he and his wife sailed to Epstein's private island for lunch. That trip occurred shortly before he joined Barclays. He said he had no contact with Epstein once he joined the bank in December 2015. Barclays say that a recent probe by the Financial Conduct Authority into Mr Staley's links to Epstein makes no findings that he saw, or was aware of, any of Epstein's alleged crimes. Speaking in February last year, Mr Staley said: 'For sure, with hindsight with what we know now, I deeply regret having any relationship with Jeffrey.' Advertisement

Mr Staley was born in Boston in 1956. He is one of four children who moved frequently with their father, Paul, a plant manager for Procter & Gamble.

His father later became CEO of PQ Corporation, a chemicals business based outside Philadelphia, where Mr Staley grew up.

After graduating with a degree in economics from Bowdoin College in Maine in 1979, he joined banking giants JPMorgan on a training program in New York.

He later moved to Brazil to help set up its investment banking venture in South America, where he met his future wife Debbie - just days after arriving.

He returned to New York in 1989 and quickly shot up the ladder at JPMorgan. In 1990 he was asked by then-CEO Sandy Warner to manage the group's private banking division.

In 2001, he was promoted to CEO of JPMorgan Asset Management and ran the division until 2009.

After 34 years with JPMorgan, he left for BlueMountain Capital Management, now Assured Investment Management, in 2013, before joining Barclays in 2015.

He is also credited as a key supporter of the LGBT community within the US banking sector, having been inspired by the work of his younger brother Peter, who was diagnosed with AIDS-Related Complex (ARC) in 1985.

Peter founded Act Up, a New Yorkbased AIDS activist group, and would go on to serve as a member of president Bill Clinton's National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development.

Mr Staley meanwhile was recognised for his contributions in making JP Morgan an LGBT-friendly company, having been a key figure in the building up of JP Morgan Pride.

Though working in the UK as CEO of Barclays, Mr Staley is reported to maintain at least two residences in the US.

He is said to own a property in New York's famous Park Avenue - where even the cheapest of properties will set buyers back 1million and luxury apartments regularly sell for more than 15million.

The top penthouse at 432 Park Avenue - a 1,396-foot-tall residential sky scraper overlooking Central Park - was sold to Saudi retail magnate Fawaz Alhokair for 65million in 2016.

Mr Staley, who has two daughters, Alexa, a physicist, and Sophia, believed to be a legal professional, is also said to own a property in Southampton, US, which is part of the exclusive Long Island coastal area known as the Hamptons. Beachfront property prices there can top 65million.

Mr Staley meanwhile is said to be a fan of the baseball team the Boston Red Sox, owing to his roots in the city, and a supporter of the US Democrat party.

According to reports in the Guardian, he has held fundraisers for the party at his plush New York apartment, said to be a short distance from the Guggenheim museum.

A keen sailor, Mr Staley also owns a hand-built 90ft yacht, Bequia, named after the Caribbean island where he spent his honeymoon with his wife - whose family were the founders of Brazilian data firm Aceco.

She and her brother Jorge Nitzan sold most of their stake to private equity giant KKR in 2014  pocketing 124million and 62million respectively, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Aceco went on to suffer disastrously when the Brazilian economy nose-dived a year later. KKR launched a legal battle against Nitzan and fellow sellers in an effort to get its money back, claiming they were victims of a fraud.

There was no suggestion Mr Staley was involved in this but KKR was said to be angry, claiming the banker had vouched for Nitzan in a conversation with two of its co-investors. Nitzan, meanwhile, has called the accusations of fraud 'baseless', claiming that Aceco was instead damaged by the worst recession in the nation's history

In May 2017, Staley was backing his brother-in-law Jorge in the dispute. In turn, KKR stopped inviting Barclays to participate in its deal making.

Meanwhile, Mr Staley's relationship with Epstein has been under the microscope since revelations about the financier's sex trafficking came to light.

Mr Staley embarked on a 'professional relationship' with Epstein in 2000, when he became head of JPMorgan's private bank, of which Epstein was a client.

Mr Epstein had been charged with sex crimes and pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution.

A report by the New York Times in 2019 revealed how compliance officers at JPMorgan Chase conducted a sweep of their wealthy clients in 2009.

According to the report, the compliance officers recommended that the bank cut its ties with Epstein because his accounts posed 'unacceptable legal and reputational risks'.

However he remained a JPMorgan client until 2013.

Mr Staley also admitted he maintained contact with Epstein, who died in a New York prison cell in 2019, for seven years after his 2008 conviction.

Staley said his last contact with Epstein was in fall 2015, when he and his wife sailed to Epstein's private island for lunch. That trip occurred shortly before he joined Barclays. He said he had no contact with Epstein once he joined the bank in December 2015.

Barclays say the Financial Conduct Authority's probe into Mr Staley's links to Epstein makes no findings that he saw, or was aware of, any of Epstein's alleged crimes.

Speaking in February last year, Mr Staley said: 'For sure, with hindsight with what we know now, I deeply regret having any relationship with Jeffrey.'

Mr Staley's successor, Mr Venkatakrishnan, had been global markets chief and bank co-president since October 2020, and prior to that was group chief risk officer from 2016 to 2020.

Before joining Barclays in 2016, Mr Venkatakrishnan worked at JP Morgan Chase from 1994 in various senior roles across asset management, investment banking and risk.

Mr Staley is married to interior designer Debbie (above, together in New York in October 2013)

Mr Staley, who has two daughters, Alexa, a physicist, and Sophia, believed to be a legal professional, is also said to own a property in Southampton, US, which is part of the exclusive Long Island coastal area known as the Hamptons. Beachfront property prices there can top 65million.

Staley owns a yacht, Bequia, named after the Caribbean island where he spent his honeymoon

In his new role, Mr Venkatakrishnan will receive fixed annual pay of 2.7million - delivered 50 per cent in cash, paid monthly, and 50 per cent delivered in Barclays shares.

The shares will be delivered quarterly and will be subject to a holding period with restrictions lifting over five years.

Mr Venkatakrishnan will also receive a cash payment in lieu of pension of 135,000 per annum, along with medical cover and life assurance.

A Barclays spokesman said today: 'Barclays and Mr Jes Staley, group chief executive, were made aware on Friday evening of the preliminary conclusions from the FCA and the PRA (Prudential Regulation Authority) of their investigation into Mr Staley's characterisation to Barclays of his relationship with the late Mr Jeffrey Epstein and the subsequent description of that relationship in Barclays' response to the FCA.

'In view of those conclusions, and Mr Staley's intention to contest them, the Board and Mr Staley have agreed that he will step down from his role as Group Chief Executive and as a director of Barclays.

'It should be noted that the investigation makes no findings that Mr Staley saw, or was aware of, any of Mr Epstein's alleged crimes, which was the central question underpinning Barclays' support for Mr Staley following the arrest of Mr Epstein in the summer of 2019.

'The board is disappointed at this outcome. Mr Staley has run the Barclays Group successfully since December 2015 with real commitment and skill.

'Supported by the senior team which he largely helped build and on whom the Barclays Group will be relying for the future, Mr Staley clarified the Barclays Group's strategy, transformed its operations and materially improved its results.'

A wealthy financier, Epstein was found dead in a New York prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on allegations that he trafficked girls as young as 14 for sex.

Mr Staley was replaced by head of global markets CS Venkatakrishnan, known as 'Venkat'

Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said today: 'The repercussions from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal stretch far and wide, and now Barclays finds itself at the centre of the storm.

'For the chief executive, Jes Staley to step down following an investigation by city regulators into his into his dealings with Epstein, it's clear the conclusions of the probe are critical.

'While the probe did not centre on Mr Staley's role at Barclays but what he disclosed about his previous position at JP Morgan, what was under question was how he characterised his former relationship with the disgraced financier.

She added: 'Sudden change at the top is always unsettling, and the departure of Mr Staley who propelled its successful investment banking expansion strategy may be particularly unnerving for investors, with shares falling 3 per cent in early trading.

'However, continuity will be provided to some extent by CS Venkatakrishnan, head of global markets, who will take over as chief executive.'

An FCA and PRA spokesperson said: 'The FCA and PRA do not comment on ongoing investigations or regulatory proceedings beyond confirming the regulatory actions as detailed in the firm's announcement.'
Fully-vaccinated travellers from Singapore will be able to fly to Australia for holidays without having to undergo dreaded hotel quarantine from November 21.

The southeast Asian nation is the first country aside from New Zealand permitted to travel Down Under without the harsh restrictions since border closures were imposed due to the Covid crisis in March, 2020.

Traveller from the financial hub will over need to show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure to avoid the mandatory 14 days in isolation.

The travel bubble will work both ways, with Australian travellers also welcomed back into Singapore.

Scott Morrison, who made the announcement on Monday as double-dossed Australians no longer need to apply for exemption to travel overseas, said 'step by step, everything that we know and love about Australia is inching back to normal.'

Fully vaccinated travellers from Singapore will be able to fly to Australia for holidays without having to undergo dreaded hotel quarantine from November 21. Pictured: Family members embrace at Sydney Airport on November 1, 2021

DETAILS OF THE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENT: *Singaporeans must depart from Singapore to be considered eligible. *There is no requirement to have spent 14 days in Singapore prior to travel *There is no requirement for quarantine upon arrival to Australia as long as travellers are fully vaccinated and can present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure. *Arrangements will commence from November 21 with Singaporean travellers only able to fly into New South Wales and Victoria. Advertisement

The agreement was finalised in Rome at the G20 Leaders' Summit following talks between Mr Morrison and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.

'Australia is slinging its doors open to fully vaccinated Singaporean travellers in November,' the prime minister said.

'This is another significant milestone in our step by step approach to safely reopening to the world that we outlined in the National Plan.'

The announcement comes after double-dosed Kiwi travellers were welcomed back to Australia last month after the Trans-Tasman travel bubble was suspended numerous times following outbreaks of the Delta strain on either side of the ditch.

'This means within weeks Australia will be welcoming tourists from two of our top ten travel destinations,' Mr Morrison said.

'This is the billion dollar boost that Australia's tourism industry has been waiting for.

'Step by step, everything that we know and love about Australia is inching back to normal.'

As part of the arrangement any Singaporean citizen who is double-jabbed and can present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure will be allowed to entry Australia without the mandatory 14 isolation period.

But travellers must fly into New South Wales or Victoria.

Scott Morrison announced the agreement in Rome at the G20 Leaders' Summit, following talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong (pictured together in 2019)

From 21 November, quarantine-free travel arrangements will be available for fully vaccinated Singaporeans travelling from Singapore who present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure

Fully-vaccinated Australians can also travel to Singapore under the same arrangement with international travel finally reinstated on Monday, meaning it is no longer necessary to to apply for an exemption to leave the country.

'Many Australians live and work in Singapore and vice versa. The strong exchanges over many decades have been to the benefit of both our nations,' Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Marise Payne said.

'It attests to the strength of our friendship and the effective management of Covid in each of our countries that we have been able to agree this early step in the reopening of normal travel.

'As we continue with our shared regional recovery from the pandemic, the resumption of travel between Singapore and Australia will provide great opportunities to move forward.'

'Step by step, everything that we know and love about Australia is inching back to normal,' Scott Morison said. Pictured: Sydney Airport on November 1, 2021

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan said described the reopening to Singapore as Australia's 'tourism comeback'.

'Australia remains a popular, world-leading destination and this is just the start of our international tourism comeback,' Minister Tehan said.

'Australia's tourism operators and the sector's 660,000 workers will welcome back with open arms visitors from Singapore.

'Quarantine-free arrivals demonstrate the success of our National Plan and the strength of our recovery.'
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Salisbury train crash: What we know so far TRAIN 1 STOPS IN TUNNEL AT 18.38pm The 17.08pm Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads run by Great Western Railway comes to a halt as it enters the Fisherton Tunnel in Salisbury at around 18.38pm on Sunday. Dozens of people are trapped inside for seven minutes before the second crash. Passengers described feeling a 'jolt' as the train stopped in the tunnel and early reports based on survivors said the train struck something like a rock or a branch and derailed. But British Transport Police has said it is yet to find evidence of this amid suggestions it was only derailed when struck seven minutes later. TRAIN 2 HITS TRAIN 1 AT 18.45pm The 17.20pm London Waterloo to Honiton in Devon run by South West Rail is due at Salisbury Station at 18.47pm. At 18.45pm it hits the sider back and of GWR service that had derailed at speed, forcing it off the track as well. Investigators are looking into why the signalling in the area failed to stop it after the first train derailed. Were you on either of the trains involved? Email tips@dailymail.com or martin.robinson@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

The driver of the packed train that slammed into a stationary locomotive is in hospital with 'life changing injuries' today as British Transport Police also revealed there is 'nothing to suggest' debris on the line caused the Salisbury tunnel tragedy.

BTP has said a senior detective is now leading the investigation into the the horror smash that caused carnage inside the smoke-filled carriages last night and left 17 people hurt, including several with broken bones. Around 70 more people, including a baby, needed rescuing.

Passengers fearing they were about to die had called loved ones to say goodbye as investigators probe how a busy locomotive was a 'sitting duck' for seven minutes before a second high-speed service careered into it when signals failed to turn red.

Passengers on a Great Western Railways service from Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads were thrown around their pitch-black carriages after their train 'jolted' to a halt in the 1857-built Fisherton Tunnel in Salisbury, sending it off the rails as it entered the 430-yard underpass at around 6.38pm last night.

Around 50 people were stranded on the derailed train for seven minutes before a South Western Railway service from London to Honiton with around 50 more people on board ploughed into the stationary train at around 6.45pm.

Passengers on the first train described feeling a 'jolt' and 'bump' before the train stopped and early reports in the aftermath of the incident said that the first train was derailed after striking debris on the track after heavy rain and strong winds swept across the country yesterday. One woman on the train said a rumour amongst passengers was that the first train could have been thrown from the track after hitting part of a fallen tree or a piece of stone from the tunnel.

But BTP today said that they have not yet found evidence of this, raising serious questions about how and why the GWR train was stationary at the time of the crash.

A senior railway engineer also told MailOnline today that a 'major flaw' with signals meant they failed to automatically turn red and allowed the second high-speed inter-city SWR service to smash into the derailed train leaving at least 17 people injured.

The driver of one of the trains, containing many teenagers and families returning home after half term, was trapped in his cab while others on board broke noses and feet as well as suffering severe cuts and bruises. But remarkably no one was killed.

One teenager on the second train travelling from London to Devon grabbed his phone and filmed inside one carriage that was tipping over and said: 'F*** me. We are literally on our side' before zooming in on an injured man and saying: 'That guy's face is mashed'.

Another survivor declared: 'It was really scary, lots of people started taking videos saying 'mum and dad, I love you', scared they were going to die'.

Those on board the trains described a huge bang like a 'bomb going off' when the collision happened, followed by flying glass, sparks from the grinding metal and even tables flying across the carriages. Firefighters and paramedics rescued around 120 people, including a three-week-old baby.

Callum Stedman, 16, said passengers thought they would die as smoked filled the carriages of the second train and feared it was a 'terror attack'. Some called their loved ones to say goodbye.

He told The Sun: 'We felt a jolt and everything went black. We all landed on each other and the train was at 45 degrees on its side.

'Lights started coming on from people's phones and we started looking around, you see people with broken noses and black eyes and blood dripping. It was just really scary, the smoke was the worst part because you thought it was going to catch fire and you would die'.

He added: 'Outside the door there was a big fireball and there was smoke and then there was lots of smoke and lots of fuel and that's when everyone started panicking. There were a lot of people crying and some people were kicking in the windows because they were stressed'.

Abigail Taylor was on the first train and said that it was in the tunnel for around five minutes before it was struck by the second train.

She added: 'We stopped in the tunnel and then the train just jolted several times and it was clear something wasn't right, it was almost like turbulence on a plane but worse. People were saying there was a tree that had fallen, which was why we had derailed, and something happened to the signals, which was why we got hit by another train. But I don't know if that was accurate or not. It was a miracle no one was killed'.

The Salisbury train crash has led to 108 services being cancelled today alone with the line serving the West Country and routes from the south coast to Wales disrupted until Thursday night at the earliest.

BTP Detective Chief Inspector Paul Langley said: 'This will no doubt have been an incredibly frightening experience for all those involved and our thoughts are with them and their families today.

'Specialist officers and detectives remain on scene in Salisbury and we are working closely alongside the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and the Office of Rail and Road to establish exactly how these two trains came to collide.

'We are keeping an open mind but at this early stage there has been nothing to suggest the train struck an object or that there was any significant delay between the trains colliding and then one derailing'.

As passengers caught up in the chaos said they were lucky to be alive, it also emerged:

A senior Network Rail engineer told MailOnline that an 'automatic obstruction warning' failed to happen when the first train derailed - this would have triggered a red light on all signals and stopped any train entering that same mile-long stretch. Instead the second train heading to Salisbury station smashed into the first train without being able to stop;

The incident came just five months after Network Rail refurbished switches and crossings as well as steelwork repairs, strengthening and painting work at Fisherton Tunnel, approaching Salisbury Station, where the crash took place last night;

Today the Office for Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigations Branch were photographing the rails at the entrance to the tunnel, which is shut until at least Thursday night;

108 services via Salisbury cancelled today as tunnel linking London and the West Country remains closed with services from Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour or Brighton disrupted as well as routes between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids;

An injured man on one of the trains caught up in the horror smash in Salisbury last night (left). People were laying on the floor of one of the carriages (right) with cuts, suspected fractures and broken noses with some calling loved ones fearing they would die

The scene at the Fisherton Tunnel in Salisbury today where the railway line remains closed for investigations after two trains collided

The scene this morning as two trains collided in Fisherton Tunnel as more than a dozen people were sent to hospital but none were critically injured

In the aftermath of the crash, the South West Railway train (left) is seen with its cab mangled after hitting the back of the stationary GWR service, which had previously partially derailed in a tunnel close to Salisbury station

Officials from the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) inspect the rails at the point at the entrance to the tunnel where the first train is believed to have derailed

The SWR service, being referred to as 'Train 2', appears to be the most badly damaged of the two trains with carriages leaning at 45 degrees

The GWR train on the left derailed at around 6.38pm last night and around seven minutes later the SWR train on the right of the picture slammed into it after signalling failed to kick in

Experts were taking photos and films at the crash scene as it appears the first train was derailed by debris on the rails and then signalling problems led to the second train piling into it

Experts look at the rails under the second train that careered into the first train after dark last night

108 trains per day being cancelled until at least Friday morning after derailment tunnel is shut People using one of the country's main railway route to the south-west and south coast will face at least four days of chaos. 108 train services via Salisbury were cancelled today after last night's derailment and crash. Disruption following a train crash in Salisbury which left several people injured will continue for several days. National Rail Enquiries said most of the lines serving the Wiltshire city are blocked and 'will remain closed until at least the end of the day on Thursday'. This is affecting Great Western Railway (GWR) services on the route linking Cardiff and Bristol with Portsmouth and Brighton. Several South Western Railway (SWR) routes are also affected, such as London Waterloo-Exeter, Bristol-Salisbury and Southampton-Salisbury. Passengers are urged not to travel on the affected parts of the network. Advertisement

Downing Street said the Prime Minister's thoughts were with those injured in the Salisbury train crash but the Government was investing to ensure the railway network remained 'one of the safest in the world'.

A No 10 spokesman said: 'The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) have been deployed to the site and are conducting forensic investigations, obviously the Prime Minister's thoughts remain with those who were affected by the incident.

'It would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this time while the RAIB are working to investigate what happened.'

The spokesman added: 'I think it's important that we let the RAIB investigate this thoroughly, but more generally in terms of safety standards on the network it's obviously a top priority for this Government, which is why we have allocated 40 billion worth of spending to ensure that the railways continue to be one of the safest in the world.'

Royal Navy sailor Morgan Harris, who was travelling from London Waterloo back to his base in Yeovil, said he was thrown from his seat due to the impact of the huge crash. The 20-year-old Able Seaman said: 'It was all going along normally then, all of a sudden, there was this massive bang and all of the lights went out. There was sparks and flames from where we had come off the track, and there was a load of ash coming from outside. Our train was on its side... I was thrown out of my seat and banged against the table.'

'It sounded like a bomb going off' Witnesses described hearing a massive bang 'like a bomb going off' as two trains collided in the tunnel near Salisbury last night. A local resident living near the tunnels said she was out with her children celebrating hallowe'en when they heard the noise of the train crash which she liked to thunder or a bomb going off.. Tamar Vellacott told reporters that she was out with her children and mother celebrating hallowe'en at the time of the crash. 'It was a noise we've never heard before, my young ones started panicking thinking it was a bomb and we said maybe a lorry had crashed on the London Road and not to panic,' said the 25-year-old. 'There was no screeching like brakes, just a long rumbling sound like thunder. It did spook us though, so we decided to get in our car and drive home. Three police cars passed us at speed.' Peter Golden, 52, from Laverstock, Wiltshire, said the collision 'sounded like something big collapsing - the sound of things falling into each other'. 'With the windy day we've had I first thought it was a big gust of wind that has knocked something heavy over. 'It wasn't till the helicopter arrived on station over the tunnel that I realised what I had heard. 'The first helicopter arrived on station and started hovering about 30 to 40 mins after the collision. 'There were lots of sirens and emergency vehicles on London Road. 'Emergency vehicles were coming from the west and east - presumably Andover - as well as Salisbury.' Advertisement

Passenger Dimitri Popa, from Romania, was travelling on the train from London to Sherborne when the terrifying crash occurred.

The 17 year old said: 'It all happened so fast... I was just sitting in the first carriage and there was a huge crash. Then I saw the flames and got pretty scared, and all the lights went out. The carriage was 45 degrees to the right. We didn't know where we were or anything... we were all just so shocked.'

A young woman living in one of the houses closest to Fisherton Tunnel, where the crash occurred and the two trains remain, has told of her horror as she watched girls as young as 15 suffered from broken bones. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'There were two girls I saw sitting just across the bridge. I saw them from one of the bedroom windows in my house.

'They were wrapped in silver blankets and everything. They were sat on the bank across from our house and one of the girls looked like she had broken her foot. 'The other girl was breathing into a bag because she was so terrified and shocked.

'They were only teenagers... I would guess they were around 15 years old. There were a lot of young people on the train. 'We also saw people bringing big equipment to cut open the metal of the train, because there were so many people trapped in there.'

Speaking to MailOnline on condition of anonymity, a senior Network Rail engineer claimed that when the GWR train collided with an object and derailed, there should be an 'automatic obstruction warning' to stop any train entering that same mile-long stretch.

'There has been a major flaw within the signalling system within Network Rail. The system says that the line is not safe for the passage of another train because there is an obstruction on the line,' they said, adding: 'According to my system, the signalling system was aware seven minutes before impact. It should've automatically stopped the train. It should've automatically set all signals to red. If the driver didn't see the signal, the system should've made the train stop.'

The whistleblower added: 'I've realised for a number of years there has been numerous failures within [Network Rail]' and said they had feared an incident like this would happen 'for the past two years'.

17 people were injured including one of the drivers, who was cut free having suffered a suspected broken ankle. A 'small number' of people were taken to hospital, while the 'walking wounded' were cared for at a nearby church where local people offered support in the form of blankets, food, drinks and first aid.

Officials declared it a 'critical' incident as observers claimed it was a miracle nobody was killed.

A major rail accident investigation is underway and experts will look at why signals that should have turned red to stop the approaching train well in advance seemingly suffered a 'major' flaw and let the second train through, MailOnline has been told. It is also possible that the derailed train my have knocked out the signalling in the area when it derailed.

Witnesses told of hearing a sound 'like a bomb going off' as the crash, one of the most serious in recent years on the UK rail network, unfolded. One woman who was on board told of her terror as she was thrown around the crashing train.

Angela Mattingly, who was on the SWR train, said: 'Everything went black and there were red flashes and everything.

'There was suddenly a lot of jostling, possessions being thrown around and I think a few people went forward and hit their heads. You just don't know for a couple of seconds what's happening. People started to panic but nobody was seriously injured'.

Lucy Gregory told the BBC: 'We were just pulling into Salisbury station and the train felt a bit juddery. I'd just stood up and put my coat on and my phone in my pocket when there was this massive impact and I fell across the table. The table came off the wall and I ended up underneath another table. They smashed the windows and we got out of the window. It was really scary.'

Last night a British Transport Police officer said the driver and a small number of people had been taken to hospital.

Speaking to Sky News, Inspector Mullah Hoque said they would remain on scene throughout the night to establish what happened.

He said: 'Most of these people are walking wounded, however a small number, including the driver, have been taken to a hospital where their injuries are being assessed.'

Andy Cole, assistant chief fire officer for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue service, said they had rescued approximately 100 people from the train carriages and confirmed there had been no fatalities.

Tamar Vellacott said she was walking outside with her young children, mother and partner on Jewell Close, Bishopdown, around a kilometre from the scene.

'It was a noise we've never heard before... my young ones started panicking thinking it was a bomb and we said maybe a lorry had crashed on the London Road and not to panic,' the 25-year-old said.

'There was no screeching like brakes, just a long rumbling sound like thunder hitting the railway line.'

Images taken from on board the derailed SWR train showed it at a 45-degree angle in the tunnel after the collision

Emergency crews rushed to the scene at Fisherton Tunnel between Andover and Salisbury following the collision at around 6.45pm yesterday evening. The SWR train from London to Devon is seen on an angle after colliding with a stopped GWR service

The entrance to Fisherton Tunnel near Salisbury. The rear carriage of a GWR train from Portsmouth to Bristol derailed after most of the train had entered the tunnel on the track that emerges from the left of this image. The SWR train then collided with it having approached the tunnel from the track that runs under the road this image is taken from. The rear of the GWR train was shunted into the tunnel wall at the left of the entrance, while the SWR train derailed more fully and crossed on to the right-side of the tunnel on a 45-degree angle

The drama unfolded in Fisherton Tunnel, a major junction joining two lines as they approach Salisbury from the south and from the east.

Firstly the 17:08 Great Western Rail service from Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads, which entered the junction from the south, hit an object the tunnel  possibly material that fell from the tunnel roof, sources said  and the rear carriage derailed. The train had been due into Salisbury at 6:28pm but bad weather was causing delays across the rail network.

Seven minutes later at around 6.45pm, the 17:20 South West Rail train from London Waterloo to Honiton in Devon, which was due into Salisbury at 6.47pm, sped into the junction from the east. For some reason signals had not alerted the driver of the obstruction  or had failed to stop his train if he missed the red lights.

The SWR train smashed into the stationary GWR service in the tunnel, derailed itself and skidded along the inside of the tunnel at 45-degrees, apparently being held up by the tunnel wall. Its driver was trapped in his mangled cab and needed to be cut free by emergency workers. Only the last carriage remained upright.

Tamar Vellacott told reporters that she was walking with her young children around half a mile from the scene when they heard the crash.

'It was a noise we've never heard before, my young ones started panicking thinking it was a bomb and we said maybe a lorry had crashed on the London Road and not to panic,' said the 25-year-old.

'There was no screeching like brakes, just a long rumbling sound like thunder. It did spook us though, so we decided to get in our car and drive home. Three police cars passed us at speed.'

The engineer added that the incident would not have been avoidable if the oncoming train was too close to the derailed GWR, but given the seven-minute warning this could not have been the case.

'There has been a major flaw within the signalling system within Network Rail.'

Peter Golden, 52, from Laverstock, Wiltshire, said: 'There is a deep cutting leading to a tunnel on the approach to Salisbury Station from the east and it looks like the collision is there.

'It sounded like something big collapsing - the sound of things falling into each other.

'With the windy day we've had I first thought it was a big gust of wind that has knocked something heavy over.

'It wasn't till the helicopter arrived on station over the tunnel that I realised what I had heard.

'The first helicopter arrived on station and started hovering about 30 to 40 mins after the collision.

'On station means it arrives and hovers or circles - so to assist with eyes and lightning.

'There were lots of sirens and emergency vehicles on London Road.

'Emergency vehicles were coming from the west and east - presumably Andover - as well as Salisbury.

'Friends nearer have mentioned passengers being guided up to the ambulances on London Road, so walking which is good.'

The incident is being investigated by the Office for Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigations Branch.

Martin Frobisher, group safety and engineering director, technical authority, at Network Rail, said he does not know exactly what happened in the Salisbury train collision on Sunday evening.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: 'We're hugely relieved that nobody was seriously injured, but the passengers must have had a really scary experience, and we're very sorry for that.

'We're obviously starting now a very detailed and forensic investigation into what happened.

'The Rail Accident Investigation Branch are on site and they're incredibly thorough in the work that they do.

'And that'll help us learn from this, and that's why these events are very rare, because we follow it up very, very carefully, and make sure that we do everything possible to prevent it for the future.'

Mr Frobisher said it is 'far too early to speculate', adding that there is 'a lot of contradictory information' in the early stages of an investigation.

Claire Mann, managing director of South Western Railway, said it is 'too early to speculate' about a collision between two trains in a tunnel near Salisbury.

She told Good Morning Britain: 'Our focus at the moment is with the customers and colleagues that have been affected by this and obviously working with the emergency services to understand exactly what happened.

'Speculation is really not appropriate at this time. We really need to wait for the investigation to take its course and then we'll know exactly what happened.

'But I would like to say a big thank you to the emergency services who were really swift in response last night, and we moved people from the train quite quickly.'

Emergency services said they would remain at the scene of the collision through the night and it would be days before services could resume

A fleet of ambulances waiting at the scene of the collision. Most of those injured were described as 'walking wounded' however a 'small number' including one driver were take to hospital for checks

Around 50 firefighters as well as Wiltshire Police and ambulance attended the scene

Firefighters take cutting equipment towards the scene of the train crash in Salisbury last night. The driver of the London to Honiton service needed freeing from his mangled cab

Police set up road blocks around the site of the crash. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said investigations into the crash would be undertaken in order to help prevent similar 'serious' incidents in future

Locals who live around a mile away described hearing a massive bang 'like a bomb going off' as the trains collided

Signalling for the area has been wiped out, with South Western Railway warning that all lines running through Salisbury and Andover are currently blocked while an investigation takes place.

Dozens of emergency workers, including 50 firefighters, raced to the scene of the crash.

Footage showed shocked survivors being led from the derailed trains along the tracks, with firefighters and rail staff lighting their way with torches.

Crash survivor Corinna Anderson told the BBC she saw a newborn baby being rescued from the GWR train that had derailed first.

She told the BBC: 'I did hear and see that on the Temple Meads train there was a three-week-old baby that was rescued off the train by the fire service and thankfully she is doing ok.

'As I climbed off my train I saw the fireman cradling the baby in his arms and then I saw the mother get given the baby and they were escorted away for medical attention.'

British Transport Police said a casualty centre has been set up at St Mark's Church in the city.

The reverend of the church said 120 train passengers were taken to the site, with some 'visibly shaken' and injured.

Reverend Andy Bousfield was 'just settling down for a quiet evening' when he heard police cars and a helicopter, and later got a call from an officer asking if he could open up the church.

He said: 'I was settling down for a quiet evening and the phone rang about the same time as I heard police cars go past and a helicopter overhead.

'It was a police officer phoning to say he was outside the church and asking if they could use it.. I said 'I can be there in five minutes'.

'Within 10 minutes people started coming in.

'The first people seemed to be absolutely fine, there were a few with injuries, some of them were shaken and just wanted somewhere to sit down.

'We just popped the kettle on and in fact some of the neighbours popped around with biscuits and milk* It's a real pulling together.

'We've had a lot of calls from members of the church asking if they can help.

'There was about 100, 120 people.. it was a lot of cups of tea.

'It was quite nice that the community came together at the last minute for an emergency.'

Firefighters and police officers are seen standing with South Western Railway staff on a bridge overlooking the section of railway where the derailment occurred

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch tonight said it had deployed inspectors to the site of a collision for a preliminary examination of the scene

An Office of Rail and Road spokesperson added: 'We're supporting Network Rail and the train operators, plus RAIB and the British Transport Police, with respect to the collision between two trains near Salisbury Tunnel Junction and liaising with emergency services responding to the incident'

Andy Cole (left) from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue speaks to the media near the scene of a crash involving two trains near the Fisherton Tunnel between Andover and Salisbury in Wiltshire

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said investigations into the crash would be undertaken in order to help prevent similar 'serious' incidents in future.

'My thoughts go out to those affected by the serious rail incident near Salisbury,' Mr Shapps tweeted.

Transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris added: 'I am aware of a rail incident that took place near Salisbury.

'Emergency Services are on the scene and I am in close communication with Network Rail & operators.

'Our thoughts are with those affected by this serious incident.'

Transport Salaried Staffs Association general secretary Manuel Cortes said: 'We will have to await further details, but this is a very sobering reminder about why safety on our railways is always paramount.

'The thoughts of our entire union are with the loved ones of everyone caught up in what may well turn out to be a tragic event.

'No doubt that over the coming days and weeks we will find out why this accident happened. A full investigation will now need to follow.'

The British Transport Police issued a statement and said officers would remain on scene throughout the night.

'We were called to Fisherton Tunnel in Salisbury at 6.46pm tonight following reports of a train derailment which involved two passenger trains colliding.

'Officers are continuing to respond to the incident alongside our emergency service colleagues and the line is expected to be shut for some time.

'Thankfully there have been no fatalities however a number of people have been injured and a casualty centre has been opened at a nearby church.

'Most of these people are walking wounded however a small number, including the driver, have been taken to hospital where their injuries are being assessed.

'A major incident has been declared and this has been a large scale, multi-agency response working closely alongside our colleagues in Wiltshire.

'We will remain on scene throughout the night working to establish the full circumstances of how this incident came to happen.'

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch tonight said it had deployed inspectors to the site of a collision for a preliminary examination of the scene.

An Office of Rail and Road spokesperson added: 'We're supporting Network Rail and the train operators, plus RAIB and the British Transport Police, with respect to the collision between two trains near Salisbury Tunnel Junction and liaising with emergency services responding to the incident.'

A Network Rail spokesperson said: 'At around 7pm this evening, the rear carriage of the 1708 Great Western Railway service from Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads derailed after striking an object on its approach to Salisbury station.

'The derailment knocked out all of the signalling in the area. Subsequently, the 1720 South Western Railway service from London Waterloo to Honiton then collided with the Bristol train.

'There are reports of injuries and the emergency services are on site along with railway first responders.'

Disruption to services in the area was expected to last for days.

MailOnline have approached British Transport Police and Network Rail for comment on the whistleblower's claims.
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Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron had a frosty standoff in Glasgow this morning as the PM welcomed the French President to the COP26 climate change summit amid a furious Anglo-French row over fishing rights.

Mr Johnson greeted Mr Macron with an awkward elbow bump as the pair then patted each other on the arm before the latter spoke to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

The trio posed side-by-side on stage for an official photograph before Mr Macron then turned his back on the PM as he made conversation with Mr Guterres.

Mr Johnson stepped closer to try to join the chat and Mr Macron then crossed his arms as the exchange between the three men continued before he then left the stage.

The interaction between Mr Johnson and Mr Macron was noticeably more strained and serious than when the PM greeted other world leaders this morning.

Mr Macron's arrival at the summit came after Liz Truss delivered a stinging rebuke to him as she demanded he 'stop threatening' Britain over the bitter fishing licences dispute.

The Foreign Secretary rejected the deadline set by the French President of tomorrow for more small boats to be granted licences to work in UK waters.

Instead she insisted that it is Paris that is facing time pressure as the Government is prepared to launch action over breaches of the post-Brexit trade agreement.

Ms Truss also risked inflaming the dispute as she suggested Mr Macron is attacking the UK in the hope it helps his re-election chances next year.

French officials have warned they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country with British goods from tomorrow unless more licences are granted for their small boats to fish in British waters.

Other threats have included a 'go-slow' at customs and even increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey. However, the number of boats being given permits has been creeping up, with the UK stressing that those who can prove a history of fishing in waters before Brexit will be allowed to continue.

Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron had a frosty standoff in Glasgow this morning as the PM welcomed the French President to the COP26 climate change summit amid a furious Anglo-French row over fishing rights

Mr Johnson greeted Mr Macron with an awkward elbow bump as the pair then patted each other on the arm before the latter then spoke to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres

The trio posed side-by-side on stage for an official photograph before Mr Macron then turned his back on the PM as he made conversation with Mr Guterres

Mr Johnson stepped closer to try to join the chat and Mr Macron crossed his arms as the exchange continued before he then left the stage

The interaction between Mr Johnson and Mr Macron was noticeably more strained and serious than when the PM greeted other world leaders this morning

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (pictured at COP today) rejected the deadline set by the French president of tomorrow for more small boats to be granted licences for UK waters

There are fears the fishing row could overshadow the COP26 summit in Glasgow. Mr Johnson is pictured this morning welcoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

The Cornelis Gert Jan, a British trawler, was seized by French authorities last week at the port in Le Havre

Asked about whether France and the UK had come to an agreement, Ms Truss told Sky News: 'The deal hasn't been done, the French have made completely unreasonable threats, including to the Channel Islands and to our fishing industry and they need to withdraw those threats, or else we will use the mechanisms of our trade agreement with the EU to take action.'

She said the action would take the form of using the dispute resolution mechanism under the post-Brexit trade deal to seek 'compensatory measures'.

'That is what we will do if the French don't back down,' she added.

'Stop threatening UK fishing vessels, stop threatening the Channel ports and accept we are entirely within our rights to allocate the fishing licences in line with the trade agreement.'

She said she would 'absolutely' take legal action in the coming days if France does not back down on threats, saying: 'This issue needs to be resolved in the next 48 hours.'

She added: 'We're not simply going to roll over in the face of these threats.'

Ms Truss said Mr Macron might be making 'unreasonable threats' because of the looming election.

'You might say there's a French election coming up,' she said.

In a day of extraordinary briefing as Mr Macron and Boris Johnson attended the G20 summit in Rome, the French premier insisted that the 'ball is in Britain's court' and reprisals are set to go ahead.

In a day of extraordinary briefing, Paris initially claimed that Mr Johnson and Mr Macron had reached a deal on de-escalation during 30 minutes of talks on the margins.

There were no officials or cameras present as the pair tried to reach an understanding one-on-one.

But that version was rejected by Mr Johnson, who stressed that he viewed Mr Macron as a 'friend' but they had a 'wide-ranging and frank' discussion. 'On fish I have got to tell you the position is unchanged,' he said.

Mr Johnson said he was 'puzzled' by a letter from French prime minister Jean Castex to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, in which according to some translations Mr Castex said the UK should be shown 'it causes more damage to leave the EU than to stay in'.

At a G20 press conference, Mr Johnson said: 'On fish, I've got to tell you the position is unchanged. And I'll just say this, for the record. I must say I was puzzled to read a letter from the French Prime Minister explicitly asking for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU.

'I just have to say to everybody I don't believe that that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Trade and Cooperation agreement, and that's probably all I'll say about that one.'

But Mr Macron said: 'The ball is in Britain's court... 'If the British make no movement, the measures of November 2 will have to be put in place.'

Earlier the PM's spokesman said it was a matter for France to decide whether to back off the threats.

'We certainly stand ready to respond should they proceed with breaking the Brexit agreement,' the spokesman said.

A French aide told Reuters after thee talks: 'The goal for both the president and the prime minister was to work towards de-escalation.'

French sources told AFP the two sides agreed 'operational measures' to take the heat out of the row in the coming days.
A two-year-old girl has died in Russia from 'alcohol poisoning', one of hundreds of similar deaths in the country this year.

Taxi driver Andrey Metkin, 38, found both his toddler daughter Anna, 2, and partner Olga Charonova, 43, passed out at home in Noginsk, Moscow, when he returned from a night shift.

Police probed whether fake vodka was involved as they kept investigations open and started a criminal case to determine if there was parental 'negligence'.

Russian toddler Anna, 2, (pictured) was rushed to hospital in Noginsk, Moscow, but later died in the intensive care unit from 'alcohol poisoning'

Her taxi driver father Andrey Metkin, 38, (left) found Anna and his partner Olga Charonova, 43, (right) passed out at home when he returned from a night shift

Anna's mother Olga survived but told police six days later she had no recollection of the events that led to the poisoning

So far this year 774 people have died from alcohol poisoning in Russia, with 66 of them happening in October.

Anna's father came home from his night shift expecting his daughter to 'run into his arms' as usual.

Mr Metkin said: 'When I came back they were lying on the bed unconscious.

'I immediately called an ambulance and they were taken away.

'I had never noticed her drinking before.

'I don't understand how it happened.'

The toddler was rushed to hospital in Noginsk but later died in the intensive care unit.

Anna's father said he expected his daughter to 'run into his arms' as usual but called the police when he could wake her

The two-year-old girl was from Noginsk, Moscow, in western Russia. Her death is one of hundreds of alcohol poisoning deaths this year in the country

Anna's father Andrey said he had never seen his daughter drinking before and said 'I don't understand how it happened'

Police have kept their investigations open and started a criminal case to determine if there was parental 'negligence'

Her mother survived but told police six days later she had no recollection of the events that led to the poisoning.

The girl's death follows a spate of fatalities in Russia from fake vodka containing methanol in the past month.

Bottles of a cheap alcohol beverage 'Red Berry', with around 14 per cent alcohol content, were found in their home.

Police testing was underway to assess the source of the poisoning and whether it was from fake alcohol.

It comes after five young children were orphaned after their parents both died after drinking bootleg vodka, a counterfeit alcohol containing highly toxic methanol, in Orsk, southwest Russia.
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Organisers of the Cop26 climate change conference came under fire today after urging delegates who have travelled to Glasgow to tune into the online feed because of a 'high level of attendance' at the venue.

Thousands of attendees found themselves waiting well over 90 minutes outside this morning in a 9C (48F) chill and windy conditions - with complaints that meetings were missed and anger at the shambolic organisation.

Delegates waited in front of the Scottish Event Campus where thousands of officers were in place and erected a ring of steel as representatives of 200 nations gather to thrash out a deal to try to limit global warming to 1.5C.

Those attending  many of whom have flown in from around the world on planes - have already needed to go through a detailed accreditation process, including getting an official letter stating they are registered and using an app to verify their visual ID. They must also present evidence of a negative Covid lateral flow test from today.

But those arriving at the SEC today were confronted with enormous queues at various layers of security  starting with the gates checking letters, then security screening, and then to pick up accreditation passes in person.

There was a particular bottleneck at security, as delegates who had picked up accreditation yesterday were forced to wait in huge lines along with new arrivals.

Amid mounting anger at the delays, a COP26 spokesman tweeted shortly before 2pm: 'There is currently a high level of attendance at the COP26 venue. In order to comply with COVID-19 measures, we encourage you to only visit the Blue Zone for as long as necessary and consider making use of the COP Platform where possible.'

One Twitter user replied: 'You could've done this over a Zoom call.' A second said: 'People fly thousands of miles, then you ask them to attend online?' And a third added: 'How could you have foreseen high levels of attendance?'

The 'Blue Zone', where the majority of discussions are taking place, is an area of the venue managed by the United Nations were 30,000 delegates, journalists and heads of state are holding talks, exhibits and events.

The queues meant social distancing was almost impossible as the crowd shuffled towards the entrance turnstiles, with Tereze Koubkova of the Czech Republic delegation saying: 'We are lucky - at least it's not raining.'

One negotiator said the queues reminded them of similar issues at the 2009 Copenhagen conference, telling Politico: 'This has an effect on the mood. Some are starting to talk about the conference that shall not be named.'

The news website also reported that a helpline set up for disabled delegates was not responding to messages.

One adviser to Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who is commuting from Edinburgh each day after affordable hotel accommodation in Glasgow ran out, told Politico: 'Why on earth was this venue selected if they knew it could not handle the crowd?'

It comes after rail chaos forced COP26 delegates off trains and onto planes yesterday after strong winds caused trees to fall on tracks leading up to Glasgow. Thousands of passengers were left stranded at London's Euston station for most of yesterday afternoon after dozens of services were cancelled.

The chaos started at midday when tree branches fell on the West Coast Main Line, the main route to Glasgow from London Euston, between Milton Keynes and Rugby in Buckinghamshire. Branches then fell across the tracks on the East Coast Main Line in three places near Tallington, just north of Peterborough, at around 1pm.

The city has also suffered from overflowing bins in recent weeks  with bin collectors and street cleaners walking out on strike in Glasgow today amid a row between the GMB union and city council. It comes as climate activists plotted chaos and Greta Thunberg said sometimes you have to 'p*** people off' to protect the environment.

Yesterday, Swedish activist Miss Thunberg voiced support for the tactics of road-blocking group Insulate Britain as demonstrators from various organisations headed to Scotland amid a 100million policing operation.

The Queen has recorded a video message on Friday that will be played to world leaders today. She had been due to attend the conference where she had hoped to deliver an in-person speech and to host a reception.

But the 95-year-old was forced to drop out last week after royal doctors said that she should only take part in 'light, desk-based' duties for at least a fortnight due to concerns about her health after an overnight hospital stay.

Among the first protests in Glasgow this morning was a group of Oxfam activists wearing 'big heads' of world leaders dressed in kilts and holding bagpipes at Royal Exchange Square.

Hundreds of delegates and media queuing to get in to the conference area at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow today

A message on a screen at the Cop26 climate change conference urging delegates who have travelled to Glasgow to tune into the online feed because of a 'high level of attendance' at the venue

Masses of people queue as they arrive for the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow this morning

The queue to get into the COP26 site in Glasgow this morning as large numbers of people wait to get through security

Huge numbers of people queue to get into the climate change summit in Glasgow this morning

Delegates queue for the UN climate summit in Glasgow which is gathering leaders from around the world

Oxfam activists with 'big heads' of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, France's President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping in Glasgow this morning

Environmental campaigners of Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel in Glasgow today

Eco campaigners with 'big heads' of key world leaders, including Joe Biden and Boris Johnson, dressed in kilts and with bagpipes gather at Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow today

Activists with big heads of Joe Biden and Boris Johnson demonstrate in Glasgow this morning

Oxfam activists remove their 'big heads' following their protest stunt at Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow today

The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior makes its way up the River Clyde, near Greenock in Scotland, carrying four young climate activists today

Glasgow has also suffered from overflowing bins in recent weeks  with bin collectors and street cleaners walking out

Bin collectors and street cleaners have walked out on strike today as Glasgow hosts world leaders for the Cop26 summit

Those represented were Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping.

An average of 10,000 officers from Police Scotland and forces around Britain will be on duty every day for three weeks during the conference, with the UK Government picking up the bill.

'Who's going to tell him?': Twitter users poke fun at CNN news veteran Wolf Blitzer for tweeting he's reporting on COP26 from Edinburgh... by pointing out the summit is in GLASGOW CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer was lampooned today for 'going to the wrong city' after he said he was reporting from Edinburgh on the COP26 Glasgow conference. The 73-year-old veteran broadcaster tweeted a photograph of himself in a studio in front of Edinburgh Castle, 50 miles away from where the event is taking place. But Twitter users told the American journalist that he was 'in the wrong city', with one saying: 'If you're in Edinburgh you're in the wrong place fella.' Another said: 'Yeah, that's just down the road from Glasgow. Why not pop over to Loch Ness at lunchtime for a spot of monster hunting?' Advertisement

Among those queuing up outside today was i political commentator Paul Waugh who said it was 'an international embarrassment', adding: 'Utter chaos at security for COP26. It's not as if they couldn't plan for this is it?'

LBC Westminster correspondent Ben Kentish added: 'Security now trying to stop people taking photos of the massive, barely moving queues. Total chaos.' He added that the ban was apparently on 'United Nations orders'.

And ITV royal editor Chris Ship tweeted: 'It's entirely possibly that the accreditation queue for COP26 will take longer than the train journey to Scotland.'

Sun political editor Harry Cole added: 'Security heavies trying to stop domestic and international journalists photographing or filming COP26 queues. Really bad look.'

Downing Street refused to apologise for the lengthy queues faced by some delegates and visitors. Officials said the Government was working with the UN and operational staff.

Asked if the chaotic scenes were embarrassing for the UK, a No 10 spokesman said: 'The security arrangements and accreditation for Cop are mandated by the UN and managed in partnership between the UN and Cop26 operational staff.

'You will be aware that there are thousands of delegates arriving on site each day and we are working closely with our partners like the UN FCC to minimise wait times as much as possible during busy times whilst we ensure we keep safe entry for those who wish to access the site.'

Asked if the UK would apologise, the spokesman said: 'We are working closely with the UN and Cop operational staff.'

It comes after Miss Thunberg, 18, who began the school strike climate change protests, was asked on the Andrew Marr Show whether 'blocking roads' was justified.

She said: 'As long as no-one gets hurt... then I think sometimes you need to anger some people. Like, for instance, the school strike movement would never have become so big if there wasn't friction, if some people didn't get p***** off.'

In Glasgow, a ring of steel is being erected around the conference site on the north bank of the River Clyde as security forces brace for threats to the heads of state in attendance and potential disruption from climate change protesters.

And police will even deploy specially trained officers equipped with high-tech devices that can bring down rogue drones using electromagnetic pulses.

Police expect to make 300 arrests a day but sources warned if the number gets much higher, custody suites will be overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, a report found last month almost half of Scotland's police officers have experienced high levels of fatigue in the previous fortnight, which does not bode well for a three-week conference during which many will have to work 12-hour shifts.

Delegates queue as they arrive for the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow this morning

Police officers patrol a roadblock at the entrance to the Clydeside Express in Glasgow today

A motorcade (left) with a police escort travels along Kingsway in Glasgow this morning

People arrive for the COP26 summit in Glasgow today after police formed a ring of steel

Police officers stand guard at a roadbloack at an entrance to the Clydeside Express today

Police officers hold back cars as a convoy makes its way onto the Clydeside Express today

Scotland's lawyers have also vowed to boycott weekend custody courts amid an ongoing row over legal aid cuts. This means the justice system could be plunged into chaos by the sheer number of people arrested at the event.

US President Joe Biden is among more than 100 world leaders expected to attend the event.

The summit will also feature a climate rally in Glasgow that could be attended by more than 150,000 people.

Tens of thousands of delegates from 193 member states and four observer states will attend the summit, with the SEC conference venue designated a 'blue zone'  meaning it will be policed by the UN, with Scottish police only allowed to enter if there is a threat to life.

Police officers watch from a footbridge above Kingsway in the centre of Glasgow this morning

Police on a bridge above Kingsway in the centre of Glasgow at the start of COP26 this morning

Climate activist Greta Thunberg is interviewed on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show yesterday

Climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives at Glasgow Central train station on Saturday

Miss Thunberg voiced support for the tactics of road-blocking group Insulate Britain. The activists are seen bringing traffic to a standstill on Bishopsgate in the City of London last week

Miss Thunberg said she speaks to activists in countries like China where they do not have the same rights, and added: 'It makes you just feel so grateful that we are actually able to protest and that just puts more responsibility on us who actually have the right to protest, to use that right.'

She also attacked Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget and said policies such as cuts to air passenger duty show 'climate action is not really [Britain's] priority'.

Asked about Mr Sunak's policy in the Budget of cutting air passenger duty by 50 per cent on internal flights, Miss Thunberg added: 'When you see a pattern of these policies, that all the time are avoiding taking real action, then I think you can draw conclusions from that pattern. That climate action is not really our main priority right now.'

She criticised China for being 'out of touch' on the climate crisis but warned there will always be other countries to blame for not doing enough and urged the world to work together.

Hypocrite airways? Jeff Bezos's 48m Gulf Stream leads parade of 400 private jets into COP26 including Prince Albert of Monaco, scores of royals and dozens of 'green' CEOs- as huge traffic jam forces empty planes to fly 30 miles to park

MailOnline watched as plane after plane of dignitaries landed in Glasgow and Edinburgh for COP26 meeting

Prince Albert of Monaco was among those choosing to fly private - according to an analysis of flight records

Bank of America, which in PR documents boasts of its 'commitment to sustainability', owned two of the jets

Prince Charles is among those travelling by non-commercial plane from G20 in Rome, MailOnline can reveal

Boris Johnson is kicking off COP26 summit today exhorting world leaders to back up their talk with action

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' 48million Gulf Stream has led a 400-strong parade of private jets into COP25 including Prince Albert of Monaco, scores of royals and dozens of 'green' CEOs - as an extraordinary traffic jam forced empty planes to fly 30 miles to find space to park.

Some environmental activists at the COP26 climate conference will be urging others to cut down on air travel and eat less meat, but apparently it is fine for billionaires to fly in on their own planes on routes already served by commercial airlines.

Meanwhile, as the super rich were whisked away into waiting limos, hundreds of less fortunate delegates were left unable to get to Glasgow after brutal storms crippled rail links, forcing some to sleep on the floor of Euston station in London.

On Sunday, MailOnline observed at least 52 private jets landing at Glasgow - while estimates put the total number flying in for the conference at 400. Conservative estimates suggest the fleet jets arriving for COP26 will blast out 13,000tonnes of carbon dioxide in total - equivalent to the amount consumed by more than 1,600 Britons in a year.

Prince Charles is among those travelling by non-commercial plane from the G20 in Rome - MailOnline can reveal - although a source said he would have 'only agreed to travel' after checking the aircraft was using sustainable fuel.

As Boris Johnson today welcomed world leaders to Scotland and urged them to back up their talk with action, some found their own way of rising to the challenge, with Prince Albert of Monaco appearing to be among those choosing to fly private - according to an analysis of flight records by MailOnline.

Bank of America, which in PR documents boasts of its 'commitment to sustainability', was the registered owner of two private jets arriving in Scotland. They are far more polluting than commercial planes, cars or trains, with the typical one belching out two tonnes of carbon dioxide every hour.

Mr Bezos - who regularly lectures the world on climate change - arrived in Glasgow fresh from celebrating Microsoft founder Bill Gates' 66th birthday on a 2million-a-week superyacht off the coast of Turkey in an event that generated fresh claims of hypocrisy. He reached the boat by helicopter, according to reports.

Joe Biden touched down in Edinburgh today while Germany's Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron of France arrived at Glasgow. President Biden alone will generate an estimated 2.2million pounds of carbon to reach the summit, thanks to a fleet of four planes, the Marine One helicopter and an enormous motorcade including The Beast and numerous SUVs.

Today, Boris Johnson warned it is a 'minute to midnight' to stop a climate disaster. Among developments -

One of the biggest security operations ever mounted in Britain got underway amid warnings that climate protesters plan serious disruption;

A report by the UN's weather agency warned that sea levels were now rising twice as fast as in the 1990s;

The PM told French president Emmanuel Macron to drop threats to penalise Britain, as environmentalists warned a growing spat over fishing rights risked overshadowing the climate summit;

Ministers are closing in on a deal to end deforestation by paying poorer countries not to fell trees;

Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, warned that the Pacific archipelago could disappear underwater unless the Glasgow summit achieves its aims;

Climate poster girl Greta Thunberg backed direct action groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, saying it was necessary to 'anger some people' to get the message through;

Xi Jinping will not even give 'virtual' speech after snub and Turkish President stays away.

Amazon airways: Jeff Bezos' Gulfstream private jet - which reportedly cost him 48million - arrives at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow

Mr Bezos met Prince Charles this week to discuss climate change. He tweeted: 'The Prince of Wales has been involved in fighting climate change and protecting our beautiful world far longer than most. We had a chance to discuss these important issues on the eve of #COP26  looking for solutions to heal our world, and how the @BezosEarthFund can help'

Joe Biden lands at Edinburgh Airport on Air Force One this morning. He will generate an estimated 2.2 million pounds of carbon during his trip to Europe

Air Force One landed in Edinburgh, while other international delegations arrived at Glasgow and Prestwick instead

His huge presidential motorcade is pictured driving near Livingston as it makes its way from Edinburgh to Glasgow today

Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron leaving their government jets at Glasgow Airport this morning

Other private jets blasted in to Scotland from destinations including Stockholm, Rome, London and Brussels - which are all served by regular commercial routes. The majority of the planes were hired from rental firms, making it difficult to work out who was on board.

There was so much air traffic that some jets dropped off VIPs at Glasgow Airport and then flew 30 miles to nearby Prestwick due to a shortage of parking. Some also landed in Edinburgh, before presumably travelling by land.

Boris Johnson flew in from Rome on his Union flag-embossed Airbus A321, but was stuck circling Glasgow for more than 20 minutes because of the number of jets arriving.

He was behind the President of South Korea, who also flew in from Rome, where a G20 conference took place over the weekend.

Yesterday, MailOnline watched from beside the runway as plane after plane carrying leaders, dignitaries, security personnel landed at Glasgow before being ferried away by lines of SUV's and private limousines.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was among the first to arrive in a delegation of 100 people on a Biman Airways jet from Dhaka.

A Dassault Falcon 8X belonging to the Monaco royal family arrives in Edinburgh early this morning

Lots of the jets arriving for COP26 yesterday were rented from private firms, making it hard to find out who was on board. Pictured is a Bombardier Challenger 605 operated by Malta-based Vista Jet

A Dassault Falcon 7X belonging to the government of Namibia arrives at Edinburgh Airport before the COP26 conference

Another Dassault Falcon 7X - which is registered in Nice, France - touches down at Edinburgh Airport yesterday

This plane - a Dassault Falcon 7X with the callsign RA-09007 - belongs to the 'special flight squadron' of Russian airline Rossiya

A Cessna 560XL Citation Excel XLS+ belonging to private jet operator Air Service Liege arrives at Edinburgh Airport

A Bombardier Global Express owned by Executive Jet Management arrives in Edinburgh. Many of the jets are rented, making it difficult to find who was using them

A Hawker Beechcraft 400XP owned by Smart Jet, an operator based in Warsaw, Poland, arrives at Edinburgh Airport

This plane - tail number SE-RIL - is a Cessna 560XLS Citation Excel run by a jet rental company based in Sweden. It is seen arriving in Edinburgh

A chartered Boeing 737 belonging to the Abu Dhabi Royal Family spotted landing at Glasgow Airport yesterday afternoon

President Buhari of Nigeria is greeted by supporters at he gets off his Nigerian Air Force jet at Glasgow prior to COP26

'Guess the rules don't apply to them': Outrage as climate warriors Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos celebrate Microsoft co-founder's birthday on a $2M-a-week yacht off Turkey where Amazon boss flew in on helicopter Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos were slammed as hypocrites for lecturing the world on the need to combat climate change by reducing carbon footprint while at the same time reportedly vacationing on superyachts off the coast of Turkey. Multi-billionaire and Microsoft founder Gates celebrated his 66th birthday in Turkey in the company of fellow tycoon and Amazon founder Bezos on Friday. Bezos was among the 50 guests invited to Gates' private party beside the Mediterranean. It's not clear whether any of Gates' family helped him celebrate at his exclusive bash. According to reports, Bezos traveled to Gates' superyacht by helicopter. The Blue Origin founder is said to have made the 120-mile round trip journey by chopper from Govoka to the resort town of Fethiye. The jet fuel used to power helicopters emits 21.095 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon burned. Since helicopters use up approximately 10.75 miles per gallon, Bezos' helicopter emitted some 215 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Both Bezos and Gates are reportedly staying on superyachts - each of which emits 7,020 tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 19 tons per day. Social media users reacted with fury, noting that Bezos and Gates were contradicting their own statements about the need to tackle climate change. 'The sick and twisted for a '66th' birthday party,' tweeted one Twitter user, who accused them of having a 'do as I say not as I do' attitude. Another Twitter user commented: 'The horrendous energy waster Bill Gates makes his contribution to CO2 reduction for his 66th birthday by having his fat body transported by his own yacht and then by helicopter to a certain place.' 'Guess the rules don't apply to them?' according to Rose Y. RD Carrington commented: 'More from people who will be bashing the rest of us again next week about - climate change.' Another Twitter user wrote: 'These are the people putting us in our place and lecturing us about about the so called 'climate crisis'.' A Twitter user with the handle 'LynnT' commented in response to the reports of the Bezos-Gates meeting: 'But climate change y'all.' Another Twitter user wondered whether Bezos and Gates had 'no climate change fear?' Advertisement

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, call sign BBC2012, had been specially commissioned to fly the Premier and her entourage to Scotland for the global gathering.

The plane burns around 5400litres of fuel an hour meaning it needed more than 64,000litres to land it at Glasgow Airport during the near-12 hour trip.

Waiting for her were scores of supporters who waved the country's flag and unfurled banners welcoming her.

She was soon followed shortly afterwards by the President of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Ghazouani whose delegation of 10 people flew in from Nouakchott on a Boeing 737 Max 8, call sign MRT001.

Egypt President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi landed on another Boeing and was surrounded by security guards as he was driven away through the rain.

Other planes from countries not normally served by Glasgow arrived from Ukraine, Pakistan, Armenia, South Korea, Australia, India, Rwanda, Republic of Congo, Angola and Palestine.

Cyprus landed an Airbus A319 landed at Glasgow Airport from Larnaca and it later shifted to the city's second airport at Prestwick.

Adding to the massive fuel consumption on Monday will be Estonia, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Jordan, Ghana, Croatia who are all due to land jets at Glasgow Airport.

A German Air Force jet will also land at Glasgow Airport today.

The Japanese Air Force One, Air India One and Israeli Wing of Zion are also expected to arrive carrying their leaders for the summit.

President Joe Biden alone will generate an estimated 2.2million pounds of carbon to reach the summit.

The gigantic carbon footprint comprises 2.16 million pounds of carbon dioxide generated by the four large planes that make up his airborne entourage on the trip to Italy and Scotland, where the president will speak at the COP26 summit on change in Glasgow, with the remainder emitted by Biden's cars.

His fleet is comprised of the heavily modified Boeing 747 he travels on, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, an identical decoy, and two huge C-17 Globemaster planes to carry his battalion of cars and helicopters.

One airport source told MailOnline: 'It doesn't make sense to have all these extra planes landing in Scotland. They are only adding to the problem by flying all these planes in when it's quite easy to stay home and chat.

'We have all learned about Zoom calls and how efficient they are and can stop the need for people to travel. I don't get why all these planes have to fly these leaders and their people in.

'They could have just as well held video conferences and invited everybody, politicians and public, to join in. The sight of these planes landing is a very negative image against their messages against climate change.'

But today, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss insisted it was not possible to hold such a major conference over a video call.

She told BBC Breakfast: 'I think everyone who's ever done a Zoom call knows that they are quite useful for some things but when you really get into crunch negotiations and want to look somebody in the eye and talk to them face to face you do need to meet in person.

'World leaders are going to have to make some tough decisions and commit to things they didn't necessarily want to when they arrived at the conference and that's why it's really important to have people face to face to allow these negotiations to take place.'

Matt Finch, of the Transport and Environment campaign group, told the Sunday Record: 'The average private jet, and we are not talking Air Force One, emits two tons of CO2 for every hour in flight.

'It can't be stressed enough how bad private jets are for the environment, it is the worst way to travel by miles. Our research has found that most journeys could easily be completed on scheduled flights.'

MailOnline has contacted Bank of America for comment.

A Bombardier CRJ-200 from Montreal lands at Edinburgh Airport yesterday prior to the climate conference in Glasgow

This Brazilian-built Embraer ERJ-135BJ Legacy 600 belonging to the Serbian government touched down in the Scottish capital yesterday

A Beech B200 Super King Air operated by 2 Excel Aviation arriving at Edinburgh Airport yesterday afternoon

A fleet of SUVs wait at Glasgow Airport to pick up delegates and take them to the climate conference

Far away from the world of the super-rich, hundreds of people - including some COP26 - were stuck at Euston after brutal weather crippled rail links

COP out? Desperate Boris welcomes leaders to Glasgow summit warning it is a 'minute to midnight' to stop climate disaster - but Xi Jinping will not even give 'virtual' speech after snub and Turkish President stays away

By James Tapsfield, Political Editor for MailOnline

Boris Johnson is kicking off the COP26 summit today exhorting world leaders to back up their climate change talk with action - warning it is 'one minute to midnight'.

The PM has been welcoming foreign premiers to the gathering in Glasgow as he desperately tries to get momentum - after securing only lukewarm commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

However, hopes for the UN event have suffered more blows, as it emerged that China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech, instead only submitting a written statement.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also announced he will not be coming, despite attending the G20. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, both in charge of big polluters, have declined to attend.

Meanwhile, the organisation of the conference has come under fire after thousands of delegates were forced to wait hours to get through shambolic security systems this morning.

In a speech later, Mr Johnson will pledge to put another billion pounds into green finance, as long as the UK economy performs as expected.

The PM will repeat that he wants global leaders to unveil steps on 'coal, cars, cash and trees' - the things he believes will make the most different in limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Mr Johnson is individually welcoming around 120 leaders to the summit - which will last a fortnight.

He set the tone as the G20 wrapped up last night by reading the riot act to his fell, saying their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow'.

The PM said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.

Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen bumped elbows as she arrived at the COP26 summit venue this morning

US President Joe Biden is pictured smiling upon arrival at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow this morning

Prince Charles is pictured in discussion with billionaire Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez in Scotland on Monday morning

French president Emmanuel Macron gestures to the Prime Minister as they chat with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today

Mr Johnson and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres chatted to Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir as she made her appearance at the venue in Glasgow

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (right) and Boris Johnson (left) welcomed Palestine's Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh as he arrived at COP26 today

Mr Johnson greets Comoros' President Azali Assoumani, left, and St Lucia's Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre, right

What are the key aims at COP26? Secure commitments on cutting emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as close to 2050 as possible.

Keep alive hopes of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Phase out unabated coal power stations, drum up investment in renewable energy.

Strike deals on reducing deforestation.

Rack up $100billion in climate finance pledges.

Finalise rules to implement the Paris Agreement. Advertisement

In a round of interviews this morning, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK is 'putting a lot of pressure' on Mr Putin and President Xi regardless of their absence.

She told BBC Breakfast: 'Both of those leaders are sending senior delegations to Glasgow so there will be representation in person here in Glasgow.

'The Prime Minister has spoken to both Vladimir Putin and President Xi, we're putting a lot of pressure on those countries.

'Because in order to tackle climate change it needs to be global action and those countries are high emitters of carbon dioxide.'

Ms Truss also defended the huge carbon toll of world leaders - including US president Joe Biden - flying to Glasgow to talk in person.

'I think everybody who has ever done a Zoom call knows that they are quite useful for some things but when you really get into crunch negotiations, when you want to look somebody in the eye and talk to them face-to-face you do need to meet in person, and this is really critical,' she said.

'World leaders are going to have to make some tough decisions about what's going on in their own countries, they're going to have to commit to things they didn't necessarily want to when they arrived at the conference and that's why it's really important that we do have people face-to-face.'

However, the praise of face-to-face engagement rang a little hollow for many attempting to get into the summit veune this morning.

Delegates have already needed to go through a detailed accreditation process, including getting an official letter stating they are registered and using an app to verify their visual ID.

They must also present evidence of a negative Covid lateral flow test taken today.

But those arriving at the SEC today were confronted with enormous queues at various layers of security  starting with the gates checking letters, then security screening, and then to pick up accreditation passes in person.

There was a particular bottleneck at security, as delegates who had collected accreditation yesterday were forced to wait in huge lines along with new arrivals.

Many found themselves held up for well over 90 minutes  with complaints that meetings were being missed and anger at the shambolic organisation.

Mr Johnson greets Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during arrivals at the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow,

Mr Johnson welcomes Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Jansa at the COP26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

The PM has been welcoming foreign premiers to the gathering in Glasgow alongside the UN Secretary General as he desperately tries to get momentum - after securing only lukewarm commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend

Boris Johnson will warn world leaders that humanity has 'run down the clock' on climate change and must get serious about action in his speech to the COP26 summit

It comes on top of travel chaos yesterday with trains cancelled from London due to Halloween storms. Meanwhile, Glasgow is embarrassingly in the throes of a bin collection strike and there are reports of a surge in the rat population.

Mr Johnson is expected to say later: 'Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change.

'It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now.

'If we don't get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow.'

He will add: 'We have to move from talk and debate and discussion to concerted, real-world action on coal, cars, cash and trees.

'Not more hopes and targets and aspirations, valuable though they are, but clear commitments and concrete timetables for change.

'We need to get real about climate change and the world needs to know when that's going to happen.'

The PM will be backed by Prince Charles, who will also speak at the opening, telling leaders: 'We have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing.'

He will go on to urge nations to systematically engage with business to solve the climate problems we face, adding: 'We need a vast military-style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector, with trillions at its disposal.'

Many leaders were travelling from the G20 summit in Rome. These countries are responsible for an estimated 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Johnson had hoped for a 'G20 bounce' as a stepping stone to a deal in Glasgow.

But leaders rejected his call to commit to going carbon neutral by 2050. A bid to ban the construction of new coal-fired power stations was also blocked.

Speaking at the G20 summit in Rome, the PM said that only 12 of the club's members have committed to reaching a target of net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

Dramatically raising the stakes, he said that if the forthcoming gathering in Glasgow fails to secure a major breakthrough 'then the whole thing fails'.

Mr Johnson said world leaders must now flesh out the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, warning that failing to do so will leave 'the world's only viable mechanism for dealing with climate change... holed beneath the water line'.

The president of the United States Joe Biden arrives at Edinburgh Airport on Air Force One ahead of the climate change summit

The premier escalated his rhetoric amid fears the summit in Glasgow will be a flop after the G20 watered down its Net Zero ambition to 'by or around mid-century'.

The PM has been trying to use the Rome summit of powerful nations including China and Russia to build momentum ahead of COP26, which formally got underway this afternoon and will see world leaders meet for talks tomorrow.

But although the communique from the G20 backed urgent action, it gave more wriggle-room for emissions to continue, with an original goal of '2050' replaced by looser language.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the G20 summit had not gone far enough in advancing climate goals but he still believed in the leaders heading to Scotland.

'While I welcome the G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled  but at least they are not buried,' he said.

More than 120 leaders are expected to attend today's summit in Glasgow, which kicks off a fortnight of intense negotiations designed to secure a global deal on cutting emissions.

Mr Biden and Indian PM Narendra Modi are among the major figures due to take part.

But, in a sign of the global divisions on the issue, the leaders of several major polluting nations have turned down invitations.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday publicly rejected Mr Johnson's bid to get the entire world to commit to becoming 'carbon neutral' by 2050.

Mr Johnson has already admitted that he was stonewalled by China's Xi Jinping in a call when he suggested the giant economy should aim for carbon output to peak by 2025 instead of 2030.

Speaking at the G20 summit, Mr Lavrov said Moscow was targeting a 2060 date, adding: 'No one has proved to us that 2050 is something we must all subscribe to.'

China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, is also resisting pressure to go carbon neutral before 2060, with president Xi rebutting a personal plea from Mr Johnson last week.

And a hoped-for deal to phase out the construction of new coal-fired power stations by 2030 fell apart. Major coal users including China, India, Australia and Russia are said to have blocked the deal.

Asked about the chances of success at Cop26 last night, the PM said: 'I think it's sort of six out of ten. It's a bit of nip and tuck and touch and go. We could do it or we could fail by the middle of November.'

Delegates queue to get into the summit in Glasgow today. Storms caused travel chaos for thousands yesterday

The summit was again blighted by organisational chaos as world leaders arrived, with huge queues for delegates to get in

Meanwhile, the start of COP26 has been disrupted by storms in the UK that have blocked train services north from London - leaving thousands of delegates unable to make it to Glasgow.

In interviews over the weekend, COP26 President Alok Sharma dampened hopes of a significant breakthrough at the summit by saying it is going to be 'really, really tough' for world leaders to strike a deal.

Mr Sharma said there are now two weeks to get an agreement 'over the line' as thousands of delegates from across the globe arrive in Glasgow for the gathering.

The UN summit is aiming to persuade countries around the world to agree action to restrict global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.

Mr Sharma has urged world leaders to 'leave the ghosts of the past' behind them as he said 'they have to deliver' on the promises they have made to cut harmful emissions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Xi are both snubbing the COP26 summit by not attending in person - although they will contribute virtually.

Addressing reporters in Rome this afternoon, Mr Johnson said that after 'hundreds of summits, speeches, press conferences' the promises made by world leaders are 'starting to sound, frankly, hollow'.

He said: 'The science is clear that we need to act now to halve emissions by 2030 and keep 1.5 degrees within reach.

'There are no compelling excuses for our procrastination. Not only have we acknowledged the problem we are already seeing first hand the devastation climate change causes, from heat waves and droughts to wild fires and hurricanes.

'Unlike many other global challenges, the solution to climate change is clear, it lies in consigning dirty fossil fuels like coal to history, ditching gas guzzling modes of transport and recognising the role that nature plays in preserving life on this planet.

'And harnessing the power of nature through renewable energy rather than orchestrating its destruction.

'If we don't act now, the Paris Agreement will be looked at in the future not as the moment that humanity opened its eyes to the problem but the moment we flinched and turned away.'

Mr Johnson listed a number of promises made by nations to address climate change but said none of them went far enough.

'These commitments, welcome as they are, are drops in a rapidly warming ocean when we consider the challenge we have all admitted is ahead of us,' he said.

Delegates, campaigners and journalists travelling by train to the Glasgow climate conference fell victim to a weather chaos today after a fallen tree on a railway line. Pictured: London Euston is exit only due to overcrowding and suspended services

'Just 12 G20 members have committed to reach net zero by 2050 or earlier. Barely half of us have submitted improved plans for how we will cut carbon emissions since the Paris summit in 2015.

'We have also failed to meet our commitments to provide $100billion a year to support development countries to grow in a clean and sustainable way.

'The UN says emissions will rise by 15 per cent by 2030 and they need to halve by then. The countries most responsible for historic and present day emissions are not yet doing their fair share of the work.

'If we are going to prevent COP26 from being a failure then that must change. And I must be clear that if Glasgow fails then the whole thing fails.

'The Paris Agreement will have crumpled at the first reckoning. The world's only viable mechanism for dealing with climate change will be holed beneath the water line.'

Leaders at the G20 agreed on carbon neutrality 'by or around mid-century' as the conference came to a close just ahead of COP.

Politicians attending the event in Rome also pledged to end public financing for coal-fired power generation abroad.

But they set no target for phasing out domestic coal.

According to the final communique from the summit, the G20 reaffirmed past commitments by rich countries to provide 100 billion US dollars annually to help poorer countries cope with climate change.

Leaders agreed to 'put an end to the provision of international public finance for new unabated coal power generation abroad by the end of 2021'.

G20 leaders said they will 'accelerate our actions across mitigation, adaptation and finance, acknowledging the key relevance of achieving global net zero greenhouse gas emissions or carbon neutrality by or around mid-century'.

Downing Street said COP26 will be one of the biggest events the UK has ever hosted, with 25,000 delegates expected from 196 countries and the European Union.

Ministers, climate negotiators, civil society and business leaders are set to take part in talks and debates over the course of the two-week conference.

Mr Johnson said last week it will be 'touch and go' if the gathering will be a success having previously been bullish on the chances of a breakthrough.

He replied: 'As you said in your introduction, my job is effectively to act as shepherd in chief. This is on leaders.

'It was leaders who made the commitment in Paris. It is leaders of the biggest economies meeting now at the G20 and they need to come forward and collectively we need to agree how we are going to address this gap.'

Mr Sharma said he expected COP26 to be 'in many ways tougher than Paris' because the 2015 pact was a 'framework agreement' and 'some of the most difficult rules are still outstanding after six years'.

'That makes it really challenging and, of course, we know that the geopolitics is more difficult than it was at the time of Paris,' he said.

He said: 'We need as many people as possible to agree go to net zero so that they are not producing too much carbon dioxide by the middle of the century.

'Now, I think it can be done. It's going to be very, very tough, this summit.

'And I'm very worried, because it might go wrong and we might not get the agreements that we need. It's touch and go.'

Mr Johnson said in comments released last night that he hopes world leaders will arrive in Glasgow ready to agree 'decisive action'.

He said: 'Cop26 will be the world's moment of truth. The question everyone is asking is whether we seize this moment or let it slip away.

'I hope world leaders will hear them and come to Glasgow ready to answer them with decisive action.

'Together, we can mark the beginning of the end of climate change  and end the uncertainty once and for all.'

It was claimed earlier this month that Mr Sharma was angry at Mr Johnson for building up expectations ahead of the summit amid Cabinet fears it will be a 'damp squib'.

Mr Sharma was said to be 'raging' at the PM for 'ramping up' hopes of a breakthrough in Glasgow.

Some ministers believe the Government's messaging ahead of the summit has been too bullish and is 'completely out of control'. Allies of Mr Sharma denied that he was angry with the PM.

The Cop26 summit is a successor to the 2015 Paris Summit, when leaders agreed to limit the global increase in temperatures to below 1.5 degrees centigrade by the end of the century.

Last month, Mr Johnson published a controversial 1trillion plan to meet the 'net zero' commitments, including a ban on gas boilers and a switch to electric vehicles.

But yesterday he said 'barely half' of G20 countries have so far said how they will meet the commitment they made in Paris in 2015. The summit is due to last for a fortnight, with world leaders attending for the first two days.

What a load of hot air! Joe Biden is blasted for making 10,000 mile return trip that'll generate 2.2 MILLION pounds of carbon to attend CLIMATE CHANGE summit in Scotland after president was snapped in gas-guzzling 85-car motorcade in Rome

By Ronny Reyes for Dailymail.com

President Joe Biden will generate an estimated 2.2 million pounds of carbon during his trip to Europe to speak on the perils of climate change.

The gigantic carbon footprint is comprised of 2.16 million pounds of carbon dioxide generated by the four large planes that comprise his airborne entourage on the trip to Italy and Scotland, where the president will speak at the COP26 summit on change in Glasgow, with the remainder emitted by Biden's cars.

His fleet is comprised of the heavily modified Boeing 747 he travels on, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, an identical decoy, and two huge C-17 Globemaster planes to carry his battalion of cars and helicopters.

Those jets each belch out an average of 54 pounds of carbon per mile flown. An average American would generate 0.365 pounds of carbon for if they flew a similar distance - just under 10,000 miles - on a regular scheduled flight.

Biden's Cadillac 'Beast,' a 20,000 pound armored limousine that only gets around 8 mpg, was surrounded by dozens of slow moving cars as he pulled into the courtyard of the Vatican for his meeting with Pope Francis on Friday. It generates an estimated 8.75 pounds of carbon per mile driven - 10 times more than the average car, with two Beasts - the official vehicle and a decoy - forming part of his entourage.

The motorcade was 85-cars long, due to Italian COVID-19 rules, which only allow three non-cohabiting people - including the driver - per vehicle. As well as the Beast, it was comprised of gas-guzzling Chevrolet Suburban SUVs, and famously thirsty Alfa Romeo cars driven by Italian police. It would have generated around 73.5 pounds of carbon per mile driven.

The trip from Villa Taverna to Vatican City is 4.34 miles long, meaning the total amount of carbon generated by the Beast and its entourage was 373 pounds for that short visit to see Pope Francis where, ironically, the president and leader of the Catholic Church discussed climate change. Biden has been criticized for the largesse on social media, although the White House insists there is no other alternative to ensure the president is safe from any potential threat while traveling,

President Joe Biden used a massive 85-car motorcade to wind through the streets of Rome on Friday for his meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican

The motorcade was centered around The Beast, the president's armored limousine that gets as much as 8 mpg, but was also comprised of gas guzzling Chevy Suburban SUVs and Alfa Romeo police cars

Biden arrived in Rome, accompanied with wife Jill Biden, on Thursday aboard Air Force One, with the jet generating an estimated 54,000 pounds of carbon during the 10,000-mile long weekend trip

President Biden and the first lady are snapped boarding Marine One at Joint Base Andrews on Thursday

After Biden arrived in Rome on Thursday aboard Air Force One, his team arrived in Scotland on Friday, and separate military jets were used to haul in The Beast and the president's Marine One helicopter, along with scores of security personnel.

The Beast and Air Force One have long been criticised by some Americans of not being 'green enough,' with the later costing more than $200,000 an hour to operate, Business Insider reported.

The Air Force One jets, which went into service in 1990, are due to be replaced by two greener new replacements in 2024, but they'll still represent an extremely environmentally-unfriendly means of travel.

The Beast itself weighs around 20,000 pounds, sports a 5-litre diesel engine and gets about 8 mpg.

The Beast, pictured, above, runs on a 5-litre diesel engine and gets about 8 mpg

It costs more than $200,000 an hour to fly and operate Air Force One

The president made use of the Marine One helicopter on his trip to Europe

A Boeing C-17A Globemaster III based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Orange County, New York, with number 60005 at Glasgow Airport this week. The aircraft was carrying a helicopter which will be called Marine One when used by the President

Many were quick to point out the hypocrisy as Biden, a vocal advocate for preventing climate change, touts such a gas-guzzling entourage of vehicles during a trip primarily scheduled for a climate chance conference.

'Climate change and worries while jetting setting around the globe. Carbon footprint, you say! Hypocrite,' wrote a Twitter user with the handle name Yellowstoneave.

Another Twitter user with name Snowwhite wrote, 'Joe Biden arrives at the Vatican City on Airforce One followed by gas guzzling Chevrolets & outriders. What climate change emergency?'

A Twitter user with the handle Hil..n also called Biden a hypocrite.

'Jump on ur helicopter then onto ur jumbo jet and lecture us about climate change.'

Many were quick to criticize the presidents use of a motorcade and Air Force One ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference

Biden has fled tanking approval ratings at home and partisan in-fighting over his $1.75trillon spending bill to travel to Rome, where he is set to meet with leaders from the G20 group of wealthy nations for a two-day summit.

It is the first face-to-face summit of the G20 since COVID struck, and Biden will be hoping to use it to repair his international reputation following his chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that frustrated his allies and drew unfavorable comparisons with predecessor Donald Trump.

It also comes just two days ahead of the start of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow that will be hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Making Covid vaccines compulsory for NHS staff should be delayed until the spring because of the 'very, very' difficult winter ahead, a health chief said today.

Ministers have just finished a consultation on whether doctors and nurses should be forced to get their jabs, with staff refuse potentially facing the sack.

Last week Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted he was 'leaning towards' the 'no jab, no job' policy in England, where 100,000 staff are still yet to get their first dose.

But today Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said any deadline should be delayed until April next year so that there are enough workers for winter.

Unions fear hospitals could be left even shorter staffed between January and March  their most difficult time of year  if the plans are brought in.

Mr Hopson also said NHS staff deserved the same 'five-month' run up to jabs being made compulsory as those working in the social care sector.

Ministers announced in June care home workers would need to be fully vaccinated or potentially lose their jobs, but gave them until November 11 to get jabbed.

Care worker Louise Akester, 36, from Hull, said today she was resigned to losing her job this week because she was not prepared to get the vaccine.

And Mr Hopson said in Cornwall some homes are already having to draft in nurses from nearby hospitals because of the staffing shortages.

Some 100,000 NHS workers are yet to get at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, figures show. The above graph shows the percentage that have got their first dose (blue line) and the percentage that have got both doses (orange line)

Covid vaccines are set to be compulsory for social care workers from next week. Pictured above is care home worker Louise Akester, 36, from Hull, who has said she is prepared to lose her job instead of getting the vaccine

Ms Akester has worked in the care sector for 14 years so far. She said she is sad to need to say goodbye to all the residents in the home where she works

Ministers are yet to announce plans to make Covid vaccines compulsory for all NHS workers, unlike those in social care.

But it is increasingly likely that they will become a requirement of employment. The consultation also considered making flu jabs compulsory.

Mr Hopson didn't reject the proposed 'no jab, no job' policy, which would see bosses try to redeploy staff before firing them.

Care home worker, 36, would rather lose job than get Covid vaccine A care home worker has said she would rather lose her job than get the Covid vaccine. Louise Akester, 36, from Hull, has worked in the sector for almost a decade and a half. She currently gets tested for the virus three times a week and wears PPE in the home. But from next week she will be unable to work in the sector, when vaccines become compulsory for staff. She told HullLive: 'I genuinely love my job with all my heart, I only earn minimum wage so believe me it isnt the money keeping me there. 'But November 5 will be one of the hardest days of my life when I have to say my goodbyes to all my lovely residents. 'When I have to leave that building at the end of my final shift knowing that I can no longer return as an employee, all because apparently now Im not good enough to protect them due to refusing the vaccines. 'This choice should be my basic human right. I do not deserve to be punished for saying "no".' Ms Akester said she didn't want to get the Covid vaccine until more was known about the 'potential long-term side effects'. Rigorous scientific studies have found the three jabs in use in the UK  Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca  are safe and slash someone's risk of hospitalisation and death if they catch the virus. They were first rolled out in clinical trials more than a year ago. More than nine in ten adults  or over 45million people  have got at least one dose. Advertisement

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We know  and the chief medical officer has said this really clearly  that weve got a very, very difficult winter coming up and we know the NHS is going to be absolutely at full stretch.

'So, it makes sense to set the deadline once that winter period has passed.

'We know that January, February, often early March is very busy, so thats why were saying today that we think an April 2022 deadline is a sensible time.'

Mr Hopson added: 'If we lose very large numbers of staff over the winter period, then our ability to provide care is also compromised.'

There were almost 100,000 vacancies in England's NHS between April and June last year, official figures show.

And care homes were also short of almost 112,000 workers, with bosses warning the 'no jab, no job' policy would exacerbate the crisis.

Addressing the issue in social care, he added: 'In June, the Government announced it was going to be moving towards mandating staff vaccination, and the deadline they said was mid-November, so there was a five-month run-up.

'And what were saying in the NHS is we need that length of run-up as well.

'You just need to look at the problems that social care providers are currently reporting and saying: "look, we are really, really struggling at the moment in terms of staff potentially leaving just at the point when we need them".

'And indeed some NHS staff are now having to help out, for example in Cornwall, are having to go and help out in the social care sector to ensure that we can discharge people from hospital.'

The vast majority of NHS workers in England  90 per cent or 1.3million people  have already got both doses of the Covid vaccine figures show.

But there are 105,000  including nurses and administrative staff  who are still yet to turn up for their first dose.

Less than 10,000 workers got their first jab in the week to October 24, the latest available, despite mounting pressure to get vaccinated.

Women and people from black communities are the least likely NHS staff to have got the Covid vaccine, Mr Hopson said.

He added that trust leaders were having 'supportive, encouraging' conversations with vaccine-hesitant staff to drive up take-up.

He said: 'One of the things were saying today is please can we ensure that we dont have to quick a deadline so that we can carry on that process and, crucially, we can get through winter.'

In the care sector  where two vaccines will be part of working in homes from next week  some 40,000 employees are yet to get jabbed.

Care home worker Ms Akester has said she is aware her shift on Saturday  before the vaccination deadline comes in  may be her last at Alderson House in Hull.

Ms Akester, who has worked in the sector for 14 years, claimed she was refusing to get the vaccine until 'we know more about the potential long-term side effects'.

She claimed it was 'unfair' that employees would be required to get both doses while for visitors and residents it is not essential.

Ms Akester, who has worked at the home for three years, told HullLive: 'When I have to leave that building at the end of my final shift knowing that I can no longer return as an employee, all because apparently now Im not good enough to protect them due to refusing the vaccines.

'This choice should be my basic human right. I do not deserve to be punished for saying "no".'

She added: 'I genuinely love my job with all my heart, I only earn minimum wage so believe me it isnt the money keeping me there.

'But November 5 will be one of the hardest days of my life when I have to say my goodbyes to all my lovely residents.'

Ms Akester has been getting tested for Covid three times a week, which is currently required for unvaccinated staff working in care homes.

Mr Javid last week revealed he was leaning towards making being double-jabbed compulsory for all NHS workers.

He told Sky News: 'Theres around 100,000 that are not (vaccinated in the NHS) at this point but what we saw with the care sector is that when we announced the policy then we saw many more people come forward and do the right thing and get vaccinated.'

A consultation on whether Covid and flu vaccines should be compulsory for NHS workers was completed on October 22.

Department of Health sources said its results would be published in 'due course'.
Shanghai Disneyland has gone into lockdown because of a single Covid case, shutting its gates as authorities carry out tests on tens of thousands of guests.

Frantic contact tracing blighted the theme park's Halloween fireworks last night as health officials in protective suits swabbed families under the watchful eye of the police manning the entrances and exits.

The Chinese Communist Party is operating a strict 'zero Covid' strategy and hopes to eradicate the virus before it hosts the Winter Olympics in February.

Disneyland and its adjacent shopping mecca, Disneytown, are to remain under strict lockdown rules until at least Tuesday as the authorities seek to stamp out the virus.

The panic was sparked when a woman who visited the park tested positive for the disease after returning home to the nearby city of Hangzou on Saturday.

Now more than 33,000 guests at the resort require testing before they can leave.

Frantic contact tracing blighted the theme park's Halloween fireworks last night as health officials in protective suits carried out tests under the watchful eye of the police manning the entrances and exits

Health officials in full PPE carry out tests on families at Disneyland Shanghai on Sunday night

Beijing's uncompromising policy, which has kept the country's borders sealed since March 2020, means that reported cases remain relatively low, with 4,636 deaths and 97,243 infections since the pandemic began.

But the cost to freedom is great, with around six million people under lockdown orders - mostly in the north of the country.

For hours on Sunday night, tens of thousands of families and visitors were stuck in Disneyland as they waited for a negative test result that would allow them to leave.

One Disney superfan, who gave her last name as Chen, said that she was inside the park when she heard the announcement to get tested at 5pm, but had taken it all in stride.

'No one complained, and everyone behaved really well,' she said. Chen said she holds an annual membership and visits the park at least once a month.

She is waiting at a hotel for her second Covid test result before she is allowed to leave and go back to Beijing.

The city announced Monday morning that all 33,863 people who had been at the park over the weekend had tested negative for Covid.

They will be asked to get tested again in the next two weeks and monitor their health.

Shanghai Disneyland is just the latest example of how far Chinese authorities will go to stop the spread of the virus.

Last Thursday, Beijing Railway authorities notified health authorities in Jinan to stop a train that was travelling from Shanghai to Beijing because one passenger was a close contact of someone who had tested positive for Covid.

The empty Disneytown on Monday after the resorts shut its gates on Sunday

Policemen stand watch as people are tested by health workers during the Disneyland fireworks

A worker wearing a face mask and gloves walks part temperature screening tents at the resort on Monday

The deserted Disney Resort subway station in Shanghai on Monday morning

Jinan health authorities then sent health care workers, transportation workers and police rushing to the station to quarantine the passengers and disinfect the train.

They sent 212 people into centralised quarantine, including the close contact.

There were 92 new cases reported on Monday - the highest since mid-September.

Beijing is due to host the Winter Olympics in under 100 days, and authorities have said eradicating the virus is their biggest challenge in the run-up.

About six million people are under lockdown orders, mostly in northern parts of China.

Mi Feng, spokesperson for the National Health Commission, said at a press conference Saturday that authorities would continue to "strictly prohibit people in locked-down communities from leaving their homes".

Beijing introduced new curbs on Saturday, including closing all cinemas in one western district.
NHS-run Covid testing sites are to close from 6pm as of today after officials claimed not enough people were coming forward for swabs in the evening.

The 37billion Test and Trace scheme has instructed all local and regional facilities in England to scale back their opening hours and shut early.

Bosses at the new health agency responsible for the programme claimed the decision was taken because 'demand for tests reduces significantly' at night.

But MPs said working Britons found evening tests convenient, while a SAGE expert questioned the timing of the move, with cases high heading into winter.

Most NHS walk-in and drive-through sites were open from 8am to 8pm every day, for people with symptoms or close contacts of a confirmed case.

There are around 500 NHS testing sites across the whole of the UK.

The scale-down comes after a Commons inquiry found Test and Trace had been an 'eyewatering' waste of public cash that failed in all of its main objectives.

NHS-run Covid testing sites are to close at 6pm from today after officials claimed not enough people were coming forward for swabs in the evening

The UK Health Security Agency, which is now responsible for the scheme, said in a statement: 'All Service Management Providers have been informed of the decision to change future operating hours at Regional and Local test sites in England to 8am until 6pm from Nov 1 as demand for tests reduces significantly after this time.'

It added: 'We have built flexibility and scale into our services so that we can adjust quickly to changing circumstances during the pandemic and we will continue to do this.'

Tory MP Greg Clark, chairman of the Commons science and technology committee, said scaling back the extortionate programme was correct.

But he told The Telegraph: 'If you're going to have testing at all, surely it needs to be available when people want to be tested, including after they have finished work.'

Walk-in centres for booster jabs from today Covid booster jabs will be available at walk-in clinics from today in a push to speed up the sluggish rollout of top-up doses before the winter. Eligible patients will now be able to turn up for their injection instead of having to book an appointment, NHS chiefs announced last night. All over-50s can get a booster from six months after their second jab but they have previously had to wait for an invitation from their GP in order to arrange an appointment. However, from today hundreds of walk-in sites across the country will offer boosters without the need to reserve a slot. Individuals are advised to use the NHS online walk-in finder to check where their nearest centre is. NHS England said almost everyone lives within ten miles of a fixed vaccination site. Officials hope the move will drastically improve the slow take-up of the booster jabs to prevent the need for further lockdown restrictions. Latest data shows that nearly six million eligible adults in England are yet to have their third dose. This weekend Boris Johnson warned that those who have been double-jabbed should not be over-confident about their level of immunity. The Prime Minister warned they risk becoming seriously ill if they do not get their booster jab and that people dont quite realise the first two jabs start to wane. Advertisement

'Tests need to be available when people need them, not for the convenience of the service offering them.'

Professor John Edmunds, a member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, also agreed that the 'enormously expensive' scheme should be scaled back.

He told the newspaper: 'However, we currently have record high levels of prevalence, so now might not be the best time to start to limit the availability of tests.'

Across the UK, there are 40,000 new Covid infections every day  double the amount this time last year heading into winter.

The move comes after the devastating public accounts committee report last week.

It said that the scheme had been a waste of money because it failed to break chains of Covid transmission, prevent lockdowns or enable people to return to a more normal way of life.

The programme, previously led by former TalkTalk boss Baroness Harding, also had 'muddled' objectives, the Public Accounts Committee said.

Its 37billion budget  equal to nearly a fifth of the entire health service's budget  was used to hire more than 2,000 consultants on daily rates of 1,000 per day, on average.

The programme was championed by former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson famously described it as 'world-beating'.

Meanwhile, Covid booster jabs will be available at walk-in clinics from today in a push to speed up the sluggish rollout of top-up doses before the winter.

Eligible patients will now be able to turn up for their injection instead of having to book an appointment, NHS chiefs announced last night.

All over-50s can get a booster from six months after their second jab but they have previously had to wait for an invitation from their GP in order to arrange an appointment.

However, from today hundreds of walk-in sites across the country will offer boosters without the need to reserve a slot.

Individuals are advised to use the NHS online walk-in finder to check where their nearest centre is.

NHS England said almost everyone lives within ten miles of a fixed vaccination site.

Officials hope the move will drastically improve the slow take-up of the booster jabs to prevent the need for further lockdown restrictions.

Latest data shows that nearly six million eligible adults in England are yet to have their third dose.

This weekend Boris Johnson warned that those who have been double-jabbed should not be over-confident about their level of immunity.

The Prime Minister warned they risk becoming seriously ill if they do not get their booster jab and that people dont quite realise the first two jabs start to wane.
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President Biden touched down in Scotland on Monday morning before promptly climbing into his huge motorcade to travel to a climate summit where he plans to tout American leadership on tackling carbon emissions.

After making the short hop from Rome in Air Force One - a modified 747 - his gas-guzzling convoy of more than 20 vehicles will raise fresh criticisms of hypocrisy.

At the G20 in Rome he used an 85-vehicle convoy, including vans for officials, secret service and journalists, as well as ambulances and communications systems.

He was greeted warmly by Boris Johnson, British prime minister, and U.S. Secretary General Antonio Guterres when he arrived at the conference center. The leaders swapped elbow bumps and warm smiles.

Earlier officials said Biden would urge other nations to do more in a speech on Monday.

Officials did not name names as they previewed his remarks, but the presidents of key polluters Russia and China are not attending the talks and India has said it will not be changing its reliance on coal any time soon.

Biden will today release a detailed plan to half carbon emissions by the end of the decade, compared with 2005 levels.

And he plans to launch a scheme to raise $3 billion a year to help developing countries adapt to climate change.

His national security adviser used the proposals to throw down a challenge to other nations.

'So the US is stepping up to do its part key,' said Jake Sullivan aboard Air Force One en route to Edinburgh.

'US allies Japan, Korea, the European Union, Canada, others are stepping up to do their part.

'And now the question is: Will some of the remaining countries step up to do theirs?'

President Biden's motorcade burned through the Central Belt of Scotland from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow on Monday

It comprised more than 20 vehicles - plus police outriders - but was modest compared with the 85 vehicles he used in Rome

Biden's six-day trip to Europe will release an estimated two million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

President Biden touched down at Edinburgh Airport on Monday morning ahead of arriving at the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, after making the short hop from Rome, Italy

Air Force landed in Scotland on Monday morning. Biden has been criticized for the amount of carbon emitted by his fleet of aircraft and cars during his Europe trip

Environmental campaigners with 'big heads' of key world leaders, including Biden, dressed in kilts gathered in Glasgow, marking the start of the Cop26 summit in the city on Monday

Biden arrived from a G20 summit in Rome where he touted the power of America 'showing up.'

'What we've seen again here in Rome is what I think is the power of America showing up and working with our allies and partners to make progress in issues that matter to all of us,' he said, adding that allies wanted 'American leadership' to get things done.

He claimed other leaders sought him out as he fended off a question about whether he could provide leadership amid falling poll numbers at home.

'The United States of America is the most critical part of this entire agenda, and we did it,' Biden said.

However, skeptics say few concrete measures were agreed on how to keep the world to temperature rises of less than 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels - a target set at the Paris climate summit in 2015.

And Biden lost key clean energy pledges from his Build Back Better agenda in recent weeks as the price for winning over opponents in his own party to its huge $3.5 trillion cost.

The Supreme Court could yet strip his administration of more powers to limit emissions.

Then there is the awkward matter of his travel arrangements.

His trip to Europe is estimated to release 2.2 million pounds of carbon.

The gigantic carbon footprint is comprised of 2.16 million pounds of carbon dioxide generated by the four large planes that comprise his airborne entourage on the trip to Italy and Scotland, where the president will speak at the COP26 summit on change in Glasgow, with the remainder emitted by Biden's cars.

His fleet is comprised of the heavily modified Boeing 747 he travels on, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, an identical decoy, and two huge C-17 Globemaster planes to carry his battalion of cars and helicopters.

But expect to hear more about American leadership, Biden's climate adviser Gina McCarthy told reporters.

'This is a message you're going to see from the president over the next two days and from dozens of cabinet officials who will be in Glasgow over the next two weeks: the United States is back at the table, we're back, hoping to rally the world to tackle the climate crisis,' he said.

She said the U.S. would release a plan to show it can half U.S. carbon emissions by 2023 from 2005 levels en route to its net-zero target by 2050.

Biden addressed a press conference at the end of the G20 summit in Rome. He talked about climate change and his domestic legislative agenda but things took a deeply personal turn when he was asked about his meeting with the pope on Friday

US President Joe Biden speaks at the beginning of a meeting about the global supply chain, during the G20 Summit at the Roma Convention Center

'It illustrates how, within three decades, the U.S. can meet our global climate commitments by decarbonizing the power sector, electrifying transportation and buildings, transforming industry, reducing non-CO2 emissions, and reinvigorating our natural lands," she said.

Special climate envoy John Kerry also pushed back on criticism that COP 26 was getting off to a lackluster start, with only modest action on the 1.5C target in Rome.

He said nations representing 65 percent of the world's GDP were committed to the effort.

'Obviously, if you have 65% in, you got 35% out, and that's the challenge coming out of Glasgow,' he said.

'Can those countries step up? How fast will they step up? What will they pledge to do over the course of the next years?'

Summit host Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, lambasted G20 leaders on Sunday, saying only 12 of 20 had promised concrete action on hitting net zero emissions by 2050.

'Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change,' he is expected to say during Monday's opening session, according to speech excerpts released by his office.

'It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now.'
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Boris Johnson has told world leaders at the start of the COP26 summit that they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'.

The Prime Minister compared the situation facing the globe to the climax of a James Bond film where the hero has to thwart plans to blow up the planet.

But Mr Johnson said 'this is not a movie' and the 'doomsday device is real' as he urged his counterparts to do more to reduce harmful emissions.

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'.

He said the world has 'long since run the clock down on climate change' and there is now just 'one minute to midnight', with action required immediately to prevent a global disaster.

The PM used his speech at the opening of the summit as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm climate commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

However, hopes for the UN event have suffered fresh setbacks, after it emerged that China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech, instead only submitting a written statement.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced he will not be coming, despite attending the G20. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, both in charge of big polluters, have declined to attend.

Meanwhile, the organisation of the conference has come under fire after thousands of delegates were forced to wait hours to get through shambolic security systems this morning.

Mr Johnson pledged in his lunchtime speech to put another billion pounds into green finance - as long as the UK economy performs as expected in the coming years.

The PM repeated he wants global leaders to unveil steps on 'coal, cars, cash and trees' - the things he believes will make the most different in limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Mr Johnson had set the tone as the G20 wrapped up last night by reading the riot act to his fellow world leaders, saying their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow'.

The PM said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.

Boris Johnson has told world leaders at the start of the COP26 summit that they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'. Mr Johnson is pictured welcoming Joe Biden to the summit today

World leaders including the outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel convened in the main summit hall at lunchtime to hear Mr Johnson deliver the opening address

Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland, was among those leaders in the audience listening to the Prime Minister

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are pictured arriving for the Cop26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

Prince Charles is pictured in discussion with billionaire Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez in Scotland on Monday morning

French president Emmanuel Macron gestures to the Prime Minister as they chat on Monday morning as the climate change summit kicks off

Mr Johnson (left) and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (right) greet India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26

Mr Johnson and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres chatted to Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir as she made her appearance at the venue in Glasgow

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (right) and Boris Johnson (left) welcomed Palestine's Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh as he arrived at COP26 today

Mr Johnson greets Comoros' President Azali Assoumani, left, and St Lucia's Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre, right

What are the key aims at COP26? Secure commitments on cutting emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as close to 2050 as possible.

Keep alive hopes of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Phase out unabated coal power stations, drum up investment in renewable energy.

Strike deals on reducing deforestation.

Rack up $100billion in climate finance pledges.

Finalise rules to implement the Paris Agreement. Advertisement

COP26 delegates forced to FLY to Glasgow after a SINGLE fallen tree causes travel chaos at London Euston Mayhem at London's Euston Station continued today after a single tree fell and damaged overhead wires causing travel chaos for delegates trying to reach the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow. London Mayor Sadiq Khan's Pendolino climate train left London Euston on time this morning but other delegates were forced to fly to Glasgow and passengers spent the night on the floor after heavy winds brought a tree down on top of overhead lines. Delays continued this morning after the single tree fell between between Rugby and Milton Keynes on the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail said its teams spent the night on site near Long Buckby in Northamptonshire. One journalist travelling to the COP26 climate summit was quoted almost 1,000 for a taxi between Edinburgh and Glasgow after battling train cancellations. Another CEO delegate, who took to a plane to reach the climate change summit, said the irony of having to choose the carbon-heavy option after extreme weather affected the trains 'was not lost' on him. Meanwhile, Mr Khan wrote on Twitter: 'Delighted to lead a delegation of mayors from across the globe from London to Glasgow on our special electric Pendolino climate train. Per capita passenger emissions are estimated to be seven times lower than flying.' Delays continued this morning even after engineers worked overnight to repair the damaged wires and Network Rail last night admitted 'extreme weather' had 'got the better of us'. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson arrived at Glasgow International Airport at 11.30pm last night after flying straight from the G20 summit in Rome, Italy. And the chaos didn't stop with Britain's rail network, as thousands of attendees battled against lengthy immovable queues through security this morning. One bystander joked the conference would be a disaster because no one would be there until the second day. Advertisement

Mr Johnson's warnings came as:

One of the biggest security operations ever mounted in Britain got underway in Glasgow, amid warnings that climate protesters plan serious disruption;

A report by the UN's weather agency warned that sea levels were now rising twice as fast as in the 1990s;

The PM told French president Emmanuel Macron to drop threats to penalise Britain, as environmentalists warned a growing spat over fishing rights risked overshadowing the climate summit;

Ministers are closing in on a deal to end deforestation by paying poorer countries not to fell trees;

Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, warned that the Pacific archipelago could disappear underwater unless the Glasgow summit achieves its aims;

Climate poster girl Greta Thunberg backed direct action groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, saying it was necessary to 'anger some people' to get the message through.

Mr Johnson welcomed world leaders to Scotland by telling them that the country's most famous fictional son is James Bond.

The PM said the fictional hero 'generally comes to the climax of his highly lucrative films strapped to a doomsday device, desperately trying to work out which coloured wire to pull to turn it off while a red digital clock ticks down remorselessly to a detonation that will end human life as we know it'.

Addressing the packed summit hall, he said: 'And we are in roughly the same position, my fellow global leaders, as James Bond today. Except that the tragedy is this is not a movie and the doomsday device is real.

'And the clock is ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and turbines and furnaces and engines with which we are pumping carbon into the air faster and faster, record outputs quilting the Earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO2, raising the temperature of the pkanet with a speed and an abruptness that is entirely man made.

'We know what the scientists tell us and we have learned not to ignore them. Two degrees more and we jeopardise the food supply for hundreds of millions of people as crops wither, locusts swarm.

'Three degrees and you can add more wildfires and cyclones, twice as many, five times as many droughts and 36 times as many heat waves.

'Four degrees and we say goodbye to whole cities - Miami, Alexandria, Shanghai - all lost beneath the waves.

'And the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets and he higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act because humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It is one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now.'

Mr Johnson said that the current crop of world leaders will be judged harshly by future generations if they fail to agree a deal to restrict global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.

He said: 'If we fail they will not forgive us. They will know that Glasgow was the historic turning point when history failed to turn.

'They will judge us with bitterness and with a resentment that eclipses any of the climate activists of today. And they will be right.'

Mr Johnson closed his speech by telling his counterparts that they have a 'duty' to work together to make COP26 the moment when they begin to finally 'defuse the bomb' of climate change.

He said: 'We may not feel much like James Bond, not all of us necessarily look like James Bond, but we have the opportunity and we have the duty to make this summit the moment when humanity finally began, and I stress began, to defuse that bomb and to make this the moment when we began irrefutably to turn the tide and to begin the fight back against climate change.'

UN chief accuses countries of treating nature 'like a toilet' and warns mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves' The UN secretary-general accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet' today as he warned of a looming 'climate catastrophe'. Antonio Guterres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves'. The startling comparison came in a speech opening the COP26 session for world leaders. Mr Guterres said the world's 'addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink'. He told the opening plenary of the conference in Glasgow: 'We face a stark choice: either we stop it  or it stops us. 'It's time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. 'Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves. ' Advertisement

Hopes of the summit delivering a major breakthrough have been hit hard by the absence of President Xi and President Putin.

In a round of interviews this morning, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK is 'putting a lot of pressure' on the two leaders regardless of their decision not to attend.

She told BBC Breakfast: 'Both of those leaders are sending senior delegations to Glasgow so there will be representation in person here in Glasgow.

'The Prime Minister has spoken to both Vladimir Putin and President Xi, we're putting a lot of pressure on those countries.

'Because in order to tackle climate change it needs to be global action and those countries are high emitters of carbon dioxide.'

Ms Truss also defended the huge carbon toll of world leaders - including US president Joe Biden - flying to Glasgow to talk in person.

'I think everybody who has ever done a Zoom call knows that they are quite useful for some things but when you really get into crunch negotiations, when you want to look somebody in the eye and talk to them face-to-face you do need to meet in person, and this is really critical,' she said.

'World leaders are going to have to make some tough decisions about what's going on in their own countries, they're going to have to commit to things they didn't necessarily want to when they arrived at the conference and that's why it's really important that we do have people face-to-face.'

However, the praise of face-to-face engagement rang a little hollow for many attempting to get into the summit veune this morning.

Delegates have already needed to go through a detailed accreditation process, including getting an official letter stating they are registered and using an app to verify their visual ID.

They must also present evidence of a negative Covid lateral flow test taken today.

Mr Johnson greets Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during arrivals at the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow,

Mr Johnson welcomes Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Jansa at the COP26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

The PM has been welcoming foreign premiers to the gathering in Glasgow alongside the UN Secretary General as he desperately tries to get momentum - after securing only lukewarm commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend

Boris Johnson greets Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari as they arrive for day two of COP26 at SECC in Glasgow this morning

Boris Johnson will warn world leaders that humanity has 'run down the clock' on climate change and must get serious about action in his speech to the COP26 summit

Hypocrite airways? Jeff Bezos's 48m Gulf Stream leads parade of 400 private jets into COP26 Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' 48million Gulf Stream has led a 400-strong parade of private jets into COP25 including Prince Albert of Monaco, scores of royals and dozens of 'green' CEOs - as an extraordinary traffic jam forced empty planes to fly 30 miles to find space to park. Some environmental activists at the COP26 climate conference will be urging others to cut down on air travel and eat less meat, but apparently it is fine for billionaires to fly in on their own planes on routes already served by commercial airlines. Meanwhile, as the super rich were whisked away into waiting limos, hundreds of less fortunate delegates were left unable to get to Glasgow after brutal storms crippled rail links, forcing travellers to sleep on the floor of Euston station in London. On Sunday, MailOnline observed at least 52 private jets landing at Glasgow - while estimates put the total number flying in for the conference at 400. Conservative predictions suggest the fleet of private jets arriving for COP26 will blast out 13,000tonnes of carbon dioxide in total - equivalent to the amount consumed by more than 1,600 Britons in a year. Prince Charles was among those travelling by non-commercial plane from the G20 in Rome, MailOnline can reveal. A Clarence House spokesman said: 'His Royal Highness has personally campaigned for a shift towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel and would only undertake travel to Rome when it was agreed that sustainable fuel would be used in the plane.' The spokesman said that sustainable fuel would also be used 'wherever possible... from now on'. As Boris Johnson used his opening address to compare world leaders to James Bond trying to diffuse a 'doomsday device' some found their own way of rising to the challenge, with Prince Albert of Monaco appearing to be among those choosing to fly private - according to an analysis of flight records by MailOnline. Advertisement

But those arriving at the SEC today were confronted with enormous queues at various layers of security  starting with the gates checking letters, then security screening, and then to pick up accreditation passes in person.

There was a particular bottleneck at security, as delegates who had collected accreditation yesterday were forced to wait in huge lines along with new arrivals.

Many found themselves held up for well over 90 minutes  with complaints that meetings were being missed and anger at the shambolic organisation.

It comes on top of travel chaos yesterday with trains cancelled from London due to Halloween storms. Meanwhile, Glasgow is embarrassingly in the throes of a bin collection strike and there are reports of a surge in the rat population.

Mr Johnson is expected to say later: 'Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change.

'It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now.

'If we don't get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow.'

He will add: 'We have to move from talk and debate and discussion to concerted, real-world action on coal, cars, cash and trees.

'Not more hopes and targets and aspirations, valuable though they are, but clear commitments and concrete timetables for change.

'We need to get real about climate change and the world needs to know when that's going to happen.'

The PM will be backed by Prince Charles, who will also speak at the opening, telling leaders: 'We have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing.'

He will go on to urge nations to systematically engage with business to solve the climate problems we face, adding: 'We need a vast military-style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector, with trillions at its disposal.'

Many leaders were travelling from the G20 summit in Rome. These countries are responsible for an estimated 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Johnson had hoped for a 'G20 bounce' as a stepping stone to a deal in Glasgow.

But leaders rejected his call to commit to going carbon neutral by 2050. A bid to ban the construction of new coal-fired power stations was also blocked.

Speaking at the G20 summit in Rome, the PM said that only 12 of the club's members have committed to reaching a target of net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

Dramatically raising the stakes, he said that if the forthcoming gathering in Glasgow fails to secure a major breakthrough 'then the whole thing fails'.

Mr Johnson said world leaders must now flesh out the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, warning that failing to do so will leave 'the world's only viable mechanism for dealing with climate change... holed beneath the water line'.

The president of the United States Joe Biden arrives at Edinburgh Airport on Air Force One ahead of the climate change summit

President Joe Biden waves as he gets off his plane on a cold day at Edinburgh Airport, before he heads to Glasgow for the summit

His huge presidential motorcade is pictured driving near Livingston as it makes its way from Edinburgh to Glasgow today

President Joe Biden's car, commonly known as 'the Beast', drives along the M8 motorway near Salsburgh on its way to the summit

A huge helicopter today shadowed the presidential motorcade on the way to Glasgow on Monday morning

Glasgow Airport arrivals for the COP26 sees the Germans onboard an Airbus with Chancellor Angela Merkel taking the lead

The German delegation leaves Glasgow airport on Monday morning in a motorcade lead by police and a Range Rover

A huge Boeing 777 brings the Indian Delegation to Scotland's Glasgow Airport as day two of the UN conference gets underway

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in arrives for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on Monday morning

The premier escalated his rhetoric amid fears the summit in Glasgow will be a flop after the G20 watered down its Net Zero ambition to 'by or around mid-century'.

The PM has been trying to use the Rome summit of powerful nations including China and Russia to build momentum ahead of COP26, which formally got underway this afternoon and will see world leaders meet for talks tomorrow.

But although the communique from the G20 backed urgent action, it gave more wriggle-room for emissions to continue, with an original goal of '2050' replaced by looser language.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the G20 summit had not gone far enough in advancing climate goals but he still believed in the leaders heading to Scotland.

'While I welcome the G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled  but at least they are not buried,' he said.

More than 120 leaders are expected to attend today's summit in Glasgow, which kicks off a fortnight of intense negotiations designed to secure a global deal on cutting emissions.

Mr Biden and Indian PM Narendra Modi are among the major figures due to take part.

But, in a sign of the global divisions on the issue, the leaders of several major polluting nations have turned down invitations.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday publicly rejected Mr Johnson's bid to get the entire world to commit to becoming 'carbon neutral' by 2050.

Mr Johnson has already admitted that he was stonewalled by China's Xi Jinping in a call when he suggested the giant economy should aim for carbon output to peak by 2025 instead of 2030.

Speaking at the G20 summit, Mr Lavrov said Moscow was targeting a 2060 date, adding: 'No one has proved to us that 2050 is something we must all subscribe to.'

China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, is also resisting pressure to go carbon neutral before 2060, with president Xi rebutting a personal plea from Mr Johnson last week.

And a hoped-for deal to phase out the construction of new coal-fired power stations by 2030 fell apart. Major coal users including China, India, Australia and Russia are said to have blocked the deal.

Asked about the chances of success at Cop26 last night, the PM said: 'I think it's sort of six out of ten. It's a bit of nip and tuck and touch and go. We could do it or we could fail by the middle of November.'

Delegates queue to get into the summit in Glasgow today. Storms caused travel chaos for thousands yesterday

The summit was again blighted by organisational chaos as world leaders arrived, with huge queues for delegates to get in

Meanwhile, the start of COP26 has been disrupted by storms in the UK that have blocked train services north from London - leaving thousands of delegates unable to make it to Glasgow.

In interviews over the weekend, COP26 President Alok Sharma dampened hopes of a significant breakthrough at the summit by saying it is going to be 'really, really tough' for world leaders to strike a deal.

Mr Sharma said there are now two weeks to get an agreement 'over the line' as thousands of delegates from across the globe arrive in Glasgow for the gathering.

The UN summit is aiming to persuade countries around the world to agree action to restrict global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.

Mr Sharma has urged world leaders to 'leave the ghosts of the past' behind them as he said 'they have to deliver' on the promises they have made to cut harmful emissions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Xi are both snubbing the COP26 summit by not attending in person - although they will contribute virtually.

Addressing reporters in Rome this afternoon, Mr Johnson said that after 'hundreds of summits, speeches, press conferences' the promises made by world leaders are 'starting to sound, frankly, hollow'.

He said: 'The science is clear that we need to act now to halve emissions by 2030 and keep 1.5 degrees within reach.

'There are no compelling excuses for our procrastination. Not only have we acknowledged the problem we are already seeing first hand the devastation climate change causes, from heat waves and droughts to wild fires and hurricanes.

'Unlike many other global challenges, the solution to climate change is clear, it lies in consigning dirty fossil fuels like coal to history, ditching gas guzzling modes of transport and recognising the role that nature plays in preserving life on this planet.

'And harnessing the power of nature through renewable energy rather than orchestrating its destruction.

'If we don't act now, the Paris Agreement will be looked at in the future not as the moment that humanity opened its eyes to the problem but the moment we flinched and turned away.'

Mr Johnson listed a number of promises made by nations to address climate change but said none of them went far enough.

'These commitments, welcome as they are, are drops in a rapidly warming ocean when we consider the challenge we have all admitted is ahead of us,' he said.

Delegates, campaigners and journalists travelling by train to the Glasgow climate conference fell victim to a weather chaos today after a fallen tree on a railway line. Pictured: London Euston is exit only due to overcrowding and suspended services

'Just 12 G20 members have committed to reach net zero by 2050 or earlier. Barely half of us have submitted improved plans for how we will cut carbon emissions since the Paris summit in 2015.

'We have also failed to meet our commitments to provide $100billion a year to support development countries to grow in a clean and sustainable way.

'The UN says emissions will rise by 15 per cent by 2030 and they need to halve by then. The countries most responsible for historic and present day emissions are not yet doing their fair share of the work.

'If we are going to prevent COP26 from being a failure then that must change. And I must be clear that if Glasgow fails then the whole thing fails.

'The Paris Agreement will have crumpled at the first reckoning. The world's only viable mechanism for dealing with climate change will be holed beneath the water line.'

Leaders at the G20 agreed on carbon neutrality 'by or around mid-century' as the conference came to a close just ahead of COP.

Politicians attending the event in Rome also pledged to end public financing for coal-fired power generation abroad.

But they set no target for phasing out domestic coal.

According to the final communique from the summit, the G20 reaffirmed past commitments by rich countries to provide 100 billion US dollars annually to help poorer countries cope with climate change.

Leaders agreed to 'put an end to the provision of international public finance for new unabated coal power generation abroad by the end of 2021'.

G20 leaders said they will 'accelerate our actions across mitigation, adaptation and finance, acknowledging the key relevance of achieving global net zero greenhouse gas emissions or carbon neutrality by or around mid-century'.

Downing Street said COP26 will be one of the biggest events the UK has ever hosted, with 25,000 delegates expected from 196 countries and the European Union.

Ministers, climate negotiators, civil society and business leaders are set to take part in talks and debates over the course of the two-week conference.

Mr Johnson said last week it will be 'touch and go' if the gathering will be a success having previously been bullish on the chances of a breakthrough.

He replied: 'As you said in your introduction, my job is effectively to act as shepherd in chief. This is on leaders.

'It was leaders who made the commitment in Paris. It is leaders of the biggest economies meeting now at the G20 and they need to come forward and collectively we need to agree how we are going to address this gap.'

Mr Sharma said he expected COP26 to be 'in many ways tougher than Paris' because the 2015 pact was a 'framework agreement' and 'some of the most difficult rules are still outstanding after six years'.

'That makes it really challenging and, of course, we know that the geopolitics is more difficult than it was at the time of Paris,' he said.

He said: 'We need as many people as possible to agree go to net zero so that they are not producing too much carbon dioxide by the middle of the century.

'Now, I think it can be done. It's going to be very, very tough, this summit.

'And I'm very worried, because it might go wrong and we might not get the agreements that we need. It's touch and go.'

Mr Johnson said in comments released last night that he hopes world leaders will arrive in Glasgow ready to agree 'decisive action'.

He said: 'Cop26 will be the world's moment of truth. The question everyone is asking is whether we seize this moment or let it slip away.

'I hope world leaders will hear them and come to Glasgow ready to answer them with decisive action.

'Together, we can mark the beginning of the end of climate change  and end the uncertainty once and for all.'

It was claimed earlier this month that Mr Sharma was angry at Mr Johnson for building up expectations ahead of the summit amid Cabinet fears it will be a 'damp squib'.

Mr Sharma was said to be 'raging' at the PM for 'ramping up' hopes of a breakthrough in Glasgow.

Some ministers believe the Government's messaging ahead of the summit has been too bullish and is 'completely out of control'. Allies of Mr Sharma denied that he was angry with the PM.

The Cop26 summit is a successor to the 2015 Paris Summit, when leaders agreed to limit the global increase in temperatures to below 1.5 degrees centigrade by the end of the century.

Last month, Mr Johnson published a controversial 1trillion plan to meet the 'net zero' commitments, including a ban on gas boilers and a switch to electric vehicles.

But yesterday he said 'barely half' of G20 countries have so far said how they will meet the commitment they made in Paris in 2015. The summit is due to last for a fortnight, with world leaders attending for the first two days.
A knifeman who was dressed as the Joker when he injured 17 people in a Halloween rampage onboard a Tokyo commuter train has told police he 'adores' the Batman villain and carried out the attack because of problems at work and with his friends.

Kyota Hattori, 24, stabbed 10 people and poured what is believed to have been oil around the train carriage before setting it on fire, causing panic among passengers who had initially thought it was a Halloween stunt.

It was also reported hydrochloric acid was thrown during the attack, which occurred on the Keio express line bound for Shinjuku, the world's busiest rail station.

Hattori told police that he had chosen the crowded train for the knife and arson attack where 'people couldn't run away', Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

Hattori, who was seen sitting on the train after the attack in a Joker outfit smoking a cigarette and holding a knife, told detectives he was failing at work and he had troubled relationships with friends.

The Tokyo Fire Department said in all 17 passengers were injured, including three seriously, in the Halloween attack.

Not all of them were stabbed and most of the injuries were not serious, officials added. Hattori later told police he regrets not having been able to kill people as he had planned.

A 72-year-old man from Tokyo was unconscious and in critical condition after being stabbed in the chest with an 11-inch-long knife, according to media.

The attacker was arrested on the spot and is now being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder.

His motive was not immediately known but Kyodo reported that the suspect had told investigators he 'wanted to kill people and be given the death penalty', and that he'd had a desire for the death penalty since around June. He also told them he had spread lighter fluid in the train.

Nippon Television reported that the suspect told police he used an earlier train stabbing case as an example.

Kyota Hattori, 24, was seen smoking a cigarette and reportedly holding a knife in his right hand after the attack on the train



























### pic.twitter.com/fdlLN9nj1Z   (@takahashi9811) October 31, 2021

Footage has emerged on social media of the attacker dressed as the joker (pictured) being arrested

Many passengers escaped through train windows (pictured) after the doors failed to open immediately when it stopped

Rescue workers (pictured) at the scene in Japan after a man dressed as the joker stabbed passengers

Police escort rescue staff (pictured) through the station

Firefighters leave the station (pictured) after a man dressed as the joker set fire to a train carriage in the wake of stabbing 10 people

Pictured: Smoke could be seen billowing from one of the carriages where it a fire was started

NHK said witnesses told police that the attacker was wearing a bright outfit - a green shirt, a blue suit and a purple coat which resembled that of the Joker from the Batman comics.

Tokyo police officials said the attack happened inside the Keio train near the Kokuryo station.

The attacker carried out the act without showing any emotion, a female passenger said.

'He held a knife and started spreading liquid,' she said.

'He was committing this act without showing any emotion, just mechanically. I think that brought fear to everyone.'

Television footage showed a number of firefighters, police officials and paramedics rescuing the passengers, many of whom escaped through train windows.

In one video, passengers were running from another car, where flames were gushing.

Fire crews and police are seen gathered outside the station

A police official claimed Hattori sprayed acid into the eyes of a 72-year-old male passenger before stabbing him in the chest with a knife, reports Japan News. The knife reportedly pierced the man's lung and he is currently in critical condition.

Afterwards, Hattori allegedly moved to another carriage where he spread the lighter fluid and seats alight, causing many to suffer minor injuries - mainly from smoke inhalation.

NHK also said the suspect, after stabbing passengers, poured a liquid resembling oil and set fire, which partially burned seats.

Shunsuke Kimura, who filmed the video, told NHK that he saw passengers desperately running and while he was trying to figure out what happened, he heard an explosive noise and saw smoke wafting.

He also jumped from a window but fell on the platform and hurt his shoulder.

'Train doors were closed and we had no idea what was happening, and we jumped from the windows,' Kimura said. 'It was horrifying.'

Hattori told police that he had chosen an express train to carry out the attack as it runs for a longer amount of times between stops, reports Japan Times.

'I messed up at work around June and wasn't getting along with friends,' Hattori told the police. 'I wanted to die. I thought that if I killed two or more people, I would get the death penalty. It didn't matter who they were.'

The suspect also said he had been inspired by a recent knife attack where a 36-year-old man stabbed 10 passengers on a Odakyu Electric Railway commuter train on the day before the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony in August.

Hattori reportedly told police he used lighter fluid in his attack because the cooking oil used in the Odakyu attack did not ignite.

'Looking at the Odakyu Line train case in August, I targeted an express train which would have more passengers and used cigarette lighter fluid,' Hattori told police, reports Japan News.

'I noticed that cooking oil doesn't burn well, so I used lighter fluid that I put in a 2-liter plastic bottle,' he said, adding that after the fire started, he tried to make it more fierce by spraying the flame with an aerosol can.

Firefighters explain the situation at Kokuryo Station on the Keio Line in the city of Chofu

An injured person (pictured) is carried from the scene by rescuers

The scene at the Tokyo train station from the air (pictured)

One video uploaded on Twitter showed a steady stream of people running away from a train car where, seconds later, a blaze lit up.

Another video showed passengers rushing to squeeze out of the train's windows and onto the platform where the train had made an emergency stop at Kokuryo Station, western Tokyo.

Passengers were seen climbing out of the windows because the doors had failed to immediately open when the train stopped, as they could be heard screaming with one person shouting 'Run away!'

Firefighters were able to put out the fire after 30 minutes and police officers were seen entering the train car where the suspect was seated smoking a cigarette. He reportedly did not resist arrest.

'I thought it was a Halloween stunt,' one witness told the Yomiuri newspaper, recalling the moment he saw other passengers running in a panic towards his train car.

'Then, I saw a man walking this way, slowly waving a long knife.'

The witness, who had been yards away from Hattori said he initially thought the knife was covered with fake blood as a 'Halloween prank', before realising it was real.

Firefighters (pictured) were seen at the station to put out the fire which spread through the carriage

Emergency services gather outside the station to help the injured

Firefighters were seen outside the station after the mass stabbing in Tokyo

One passenger, a 72-year-old man, lost consciousness after being stabbed, according to Kyodo News.

A male passenger said: 'I heard a loud bang and saw flames and smoke in the back. Everyone was panicking,'

The incident was posted on social media by witnesses and footage on the television showed firefighters, police officials and paramedics rescuing passengers.

Police later found a knife, several plastic bottles which may have contained the lighter fluid and an aerosol can in a train carriage.

Police and firefighters (pictured) at the scene

An aerial shot shows a huge amount of emergency services in the area

Employees walk from the station after the incident and a police officer is seen standing nearby

Police officers walk into the station after the attack which saw passengers escape from train windows

A view of the station after the knife, acid and arson attack in Japan

Officers at a cordon tape in the station following the arrest of the attacker

Many passengers escaped through train windows after the doors failed to open immediately when it stopped.

Officers were seen entering the train where the suspect sat and did not resist arrest.

The motive for the attack was not immediately known but it happened on a train bound for Shinjuku in central Tokyo, made up of 10 carriages.

It is the second attack involving a knife on a Tokyo train in two months.

In August, the day before the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony, a 36-year-old man stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo in a random burst of violence.

The suspect later told police that he wanted to attack women who looked happy.

While shooting deaths are rare in Japan, the country has had a series of high-profile knife killings in recent years.

The attacker was dressed as the joker (pictured in the 2019 film)

In 2019, a man carrying two knives attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo, killing two people and injuring 17 before killing himself.

In 2018, a man killed a passenger and injuring two others in a knife attack on a bullet train.

And in 2016, a former employee at a home for the disabled killed 19 people and injured more than 20.
A spike in children needing skin grafts for horrific burns has led to doctors warning against a Squid Game-inspired trend on TikTok.

The second challenge in the hugely popular Netflix programme sees contestants attempt to snap the edges of a honeycomb biscuit off until just a shape in the middle is left. Those who fail are executed.

Now the viral 'honeycomb challenge' sees fans make the sweet treats from scratch at home, which involves melting down sugar at 150C to create the gooey mixture, which sticks to skin like glue.

Specialist burns units across the country have been hit with a spate of children aged between 11 and 15 suffering serious injuries since the show's release.

The British Burn Association (BBA) posted an image of a burnt hand on Twitter, writing: 'Burns services are seeing a spike in burn injuries following #squidgame and social media #honeycomb trend. Many are requiring surgery to treat.'

BBA Deputy Chair Professor Kayvan Shokrollahi is concerned the increasing number of children injured after copying the trend could be the 'tip of the iceberg'.

Specialist burns units across the country have been hit with a spate of children aged between 11 and 15 suffering serious injuries since the show's release. The British Burn Association posted this image online, warning of the dangerous trend

Pictured: Squid Game protagonist Seong Gi-hun attempts to remove the umbrella shape from a honeycomb biscuit

Dalgona, a South Korean sweet featured as one of the lethal challenges in the Netflix TV series Squid Game has become a global craze

Boy, 14, suffers horrific third-degree burns after attempting Squid Game honeycomb challenge A teenage boy has suffered horrific third-degree burns on his leg after attempting a TikTok challenge inspired by hit Netflix show Squid Game . Aiden Higgie, 14, was bored during lockdown in Sydney earlier this month when he decided to try the honeycomb challenge, which features in the Korean TV show. The challenge involves making a thin sheet of honeycomb then carving out a shape using a pin without breaking it. Like teens across the world, Aiden tried to make honeycomb using a recipe he found on TikTok combining water, bicarb soda, and sugar in a plastic cup. But as he melted the mixture in a non-microwave safe cup, it exploded - sending the molten sugar streaming down his legs. 'It boiled up to a ridiculous temperature, and when he took the cup out it exploded in his hand,' his mother Helen told the Daily Telegraph . 'It has burnt his hand, and because it was sugar and plastic melted together, it has run down his leg from his knee down to his shin and it stuck and kept on burning and burning and burning. 'It was like toffee and burnt right through to the nerves.' Aiden suffered first degree burns to his hand and deep burns and nerve damage to his leg, which were so severe doctors feared he would need a skin graft. Advertisement

He said: 'The problem is that the boiling point of sugar is over 150 degrees and any spillage or contact of the syrup with skin causes much deeper burns which is compounded by the fact that it sticks to the skin.

'It is also concerning that the age range of patients admitted recently is 11 to 15 and a number have needed skin grafts.

'Our general advice is to put in place general common sense measures well-known by chefs when cooking candy or jam, including use of oven mitts when cooking or transferring any sugar syrup mixture, and of course adult supervision of cooking in a suitable environment.

'The basic principles of first aid for scalds is immediate cool running water for 20 minutes (avoid ice), wrap the affected area loosely in cling film and seek medical attention.

'Over the last few days, at least five patients have been seen with these injuries in the burn units of Trustees of the British Burn Association, and there are likely to be others.

'Furthermore, only a proportion of injuries are likely to reach a burns unit, so we are concerned that this may be the tip of an iceberg.'

Lead Nurse for the London and South East Burns Network Nicole Lee also urged viewers of the hit programme to be careful if they copy the trend.

She is burns matron at the specialist Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex, which has treated one patient as a result of the trend so far.

Nicole wrote on Twitter: 'Following a spike of honeycomb related burn injuries seen across the UK burn services following Squid Game honeycomb, please be careful.'

She posted a TikTok video showing herself mixing sugar and bicarbonate of soda before pretending to spill the hot frying pan on her hand.

To treat the mock injury, she suggests cooling the burn wound under cool running water for 20 minutes before removing all jewellery and seeking medical advice.

Nora Nugent, consultant plastic surgeon and burns lead at the Queen Victoria Hospital, said: 'Squid Game's 'honeycomb challenge' has become a dangerous viral trend, resulting in children and adults sustaining burns when tipping out or handling the honeycomb, some of which require specialist surgery.

Aiden Higgie, 14, suffered serious burns to his hand and legs (pictured) while melting sugar to take part in the challenge

The challenge involves carving a shape out of homemade honeycomb without breaking it

'With sugar needing to be heated to somewhere between 121 and 130C to produce honeycomb, contact with the skin at that temperature can cause a serious burn injury.

'If anything hot makes contact with the skin you should cool the area immediately for 20 minutes with cool running water, call for help if the burn requires medical attention, and loosely cover with cling film whilst transferring to a hospital or GP.

'Most importantly, please don't let your children or teenagers to make honeycomb unsupervised - you knowing this basic burns first aid can be crucial if they do get injured.'

Google searches for 'honeycomb recipe' have rocketed in the UK since the show released last month.
A host of The Project has warned Emmanuel Macron to 'back off' and 'be careful' after attacking Scott Morrison at the G20 Summit over the scrapped submarine deal.

The French president went on a fiery rant against the Aussie leader calling him a 'liar' after the prime minister torpedoed a deal which would have seen the European powerhouse pocket $90billion.

But commentator Steve Price told the Channel Ten panel the Frenchmen should ease-up on his criticism of Australia given thousands of diggers lost their lives defending France during the First and Second World Wars.

'Emmanuel Macron needs to be careful, given what Australia has done for France in two world wars, there is a lot of Australian blood on the Western Front,' Price said.

'I think I would just urge him to back off a bit.'

HOW MANY AUSTRALIANS GAVE THEIR LIVES DEFENDING FRANCE? WORLD WAR I More than 295,000 Australian soldiers served on the Western Front during the first world war - a 650km stretch of land mostly across France. The bloody conflict saw 53,000 brave diggers killed in France and near by Belgium. WORLD WAR II Australia lost 34,000 service personnel during World War II. Total battle casualties were 72,814. More than 31,000 Australian became prisoners-of-war. Of these more than 22,000 were captured by the Japanese; by August 1945 over one third of them had died in the appalling conditions of the prisoner-of-war camps. Advertisement

The months-long war of words between both nations crescendoed at the G20 Summit in Italy over the weekend when Mr Morison and Mr Macron met in person for the first time since since the plan was scrapped.

In a move that seemingly blindsided the French, Australia opted for nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the US and Britain as part of the AUKUS security pact announced in September.

The French government insists it was only told Australia was tearing up the contract just hours before Mr Morrison, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mr Biden hosted a tri-lateral press conference to reveal the defence pact.

Mr Morrison claimed the deal for conventual subs was not going to meet Australia's ever-changing strategic interests and insists that he 'communicated' this to Macron leading up to the final decision.

Scott Morrison has an awkward handshake with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G20 Summit in Rome

A host of The Project (pictured) has warned Emmanuel Macron to 'back off' and 'be careful' after attacking Scott Morrison at the G20 Summit over the scrapped submarine deal

The furious French president has strongly rejected the claims.

'I have a lot of respect for your country. I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people,' Mr Macron told a group of Australian reporters at the G20.

'I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistently with this value.'

When reporters asked if Mr Morrison had lied, Mr Macron replied: 'I don't think, I know.'

Fellow host of The Project Carrie Bickmore said the developments are not a good look for Mr Morrison, pointing out that even the US president has admitted fault in the way situation was handled.

'Even Biden has come out now and said it was all clumsy, he said he thought it was all sorted before the US got involved,' she said.

Price replied: 'There is a difference between clumsy, and confusing people of lying.'

'Emmanuel Macron needs to be careful, given what Australia has done for France in two world wars, there is a lot of Australian blood on the Western Front,' Price said. Pictured: The Australian War Memorial in the northern French city of Villers-Bretonneux

Waleed Aly said for a foreign leader who is technically an ally to come out and call Mr Morrison a liar was a drastic and deliberate step that may hurt the prime minister at the next election.

'That is not an accident, you don't slip up and say that in front of international press,' he said.

'It could be a problem for Morrison because can you imagine, every attack ad will say this is what our allies think of Scott Morrison.'

Price admits the cancelling of the contract could have been handled better but added, 'I've been to the Western Front, I know what it's like'.

The US and the UK will help Australia build nuclear-powered submarines. Pictured: the UK's Astute class submarine HMS Ambush
The Los Angeles County Sheriff has warned the county's vaccine mandate has triggered a 'mass exodus' in his department just as violent crime is on the rise.

The mandate was called in by workplaces across the country but has left police forces like LA and New York City struggling and losing their workforce.

September's message from President Biden mandated that all employers with more than 100 workers required them to be vaccinated or have tests for the virus weekly, which affects about 80 million Americans.

Roughly 17 million workers at health facilities receiving federal Medicare or Medicaid are also required to be fully vaccinated.

In New York and Los Angeles, the vaccine mandate was called in for employees in each county but many workers are refusing to get jabbed.

Thousands have protested against the mandate and in Los Angeles many firefighters and police officers have filed lawsuits against the city.

They have alleged the vaccine mandate violates their rights and disregards the antibodies many have from previous Covid infection.

September's message from President Joe Biden (pictured right) mandated that all employers with more than 100 workers required them to be vaccinated or have tests for the virus weekly, which affected about 80 million Americans. The Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villaneuva (pictured left) has warned the county's vaccine mandate has triggered a 'mass exodus' in his department just as violent crime is on the rise

Protests and lawsuits among New York and Los Angeles workers have meant worker shortages in fire and police stations across each county.

Today in New York City, up to 10,000 vital emergency workers were forced onto unpaid leave as the mandate took hold.

And thousands of unvaccinated New York City firefighters have opted to take sick leave to keep their paychecks before they are forced onto unpaid leave with police and EMTS.

This weekend in the city, 26 fire stations were down, which is around 10 per cent of the city's total.

On Monday morning, the President of the FDNY's biggest union warned dozens more would close.

Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) President Andrew Ansbro (pictured) speaks during a news conference

The firefighters and cops say they were not given enough time to make 'life and career changing decision'.

De Blasio told them on October 20 that they would lose pay starting November 1. FDNY union bosses on Monday morning said that some firefighters had chosen to retire early rather than be forced into getting the shot.

'This is the moment we've been waiting for. We're not clear how many fire companies will be closed today, we expect dozens. We're here today because of a mandate that was put on members with nine days to make a life changing decision,' Uniformed Firefighters Associations Andrew Ansbro said at a press conference on Monday morning.

Emergency workers protest against the vaccine mandate in New York (pictured)

As of Monday morning 91% of the city's 325,000 employees were vaccinated, leaving around 29,000 who aren't.

Among them are 5,500 NYPD officers, 3,560 firefighters and EMTs, and 1,620 workers from the Department of Sanitation, whose absence on the city's increasingly violent streets will be felt most sorely.

There are growing fears over how those shortages will play out in 911 response times, officer man-power, EMT and ambulance capabilities and street cleaning.

Thousands of firefighters and emergency workers across New York City have protested against the vaccine mandate (pictured)

Workers who have refused to get the vaccine in New York have come out to protest the mandate (pictured)

Over the last week, two thousand firefighters have called their employers sick, to allow them to claim their pay before they are forced on unpaid leave if they refuse the vaccine.

In Los Angeles, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that the 'reality' of the the vaccination mandate is that he would lose 20 to 30 per cent of his workforce.

He also warned about the dangers to public safety as a result of the loss of officers, saying that homicide rates in the county would continue to rise, emergency response times would increase, and patrol services would decline.

LA County public employees had until October 1 to provide proof that they were fully vaccinated, but the sheriff warned some of his employees are ready to quit rather than get vaccinated.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva (pictured) said that the 'reality' of the the vaccination mandate is that he would lose 20 to 30 per cent of his workforce. He also warned about the dangers to public safety as a result of the loss of officers, saying that homicide rates in the county would continue to rise, emergency response times would increase, and patrol services would decline

In Los Angeles, the police department, which employs about 9,656 officers, of which 3,942 are fully vaccinated, 188 are partially-vaccinated, 1,698 are not vaccinated and nearly 1,369 are seeking exemptions, according to county records.

The Sheriff has previously stated said he would not enforce the mandate however, in a statement to the Board of Supervisors on social media last week he urged them to drop the requirement saying there was 'no justification' for the mandate.

He wrote: 'I have repeatedly stated the dangers to public safety when 20% to 30% of my workforce is no longer available to provide service, and those dangers are quickly becoming a reality.

'We are experiencing an increase in unscheduled retirements, worker compensation claims, employees quitting, and a reduction in qualified applicants.

'As a result, homicide rates will continue to rise, response times will increase, solve rates will diminish, arrests will decline, patrol services will significantly decline, and patrol stations will close.'

But hundreds of staff members still have not told the LAPD if they are vaccinated despite more than 3,000 staff members falling ill with coronavirus (file image)

More than 90 per cent of the county's employees, including 79 per cent of the sheriff's department workers had registered their vaccine status as of Friday.

This data was declared in an emailed statement to The Los Angeles Times by Michael Wilson, a county spokesman.

Wilson did not say if the county is tracking the number of employees who have resigned or retired because of the vaccine mandate.

But hundreds of staff members still have not told the LAPD if they are vaccinated despite more than 3,000 staff members falling ill with coronavirus.

Notices are being sent out to those who will not comply with the policy and they have 45 days to respond.

Those who still refuse to comply will then get a five-day suspension and after that they have 30 days to adhere to the policy.

There are fears that there will be severe staff shortages in New York City fire stations after many are taking unpaid leave due to the vaccine mandate. The fire fighters protested against it in New York City previously (pictured)

Protesters gathered in New York City to demonstrate against the vaccine mandate

An anti-vaccine mandate protest occurred in Los Angeles in August (pictured)

In his statement to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Villanueva stated that his department already wear masks and submit to regular COVID-19 testing.

'Personally, I am vaccinated and believe the vaccine works,' he said, 'but the choice to receive the vaccine is a personal one, and an individual who served the community tirelessly before there was a vaccine should not now be fired because they made a decision about their body.'

'With the pandemic waning, there is no justification for the board mandate,' Villanueva said. 'It is like putting up the storm windows after the storm has passed.'

An anti-vaccine mandate protest in Los Angeles in August (pictured)

Los Angeles has seen coronavirus infections and hospitalisations plateau across the county and the transmission rate has been the lowest in the country.

Meanwhile, nationwide Covid-related infections and fatalities in the US have dropped to the lowest levels recorded since April 2021.

About 191million Americans have been fully vaccinated - nearly 58 percent of the population.

On September 1 America was averaging 49.9 cases per 100,000 but as of Wednesday, this figure has dropped to 21.2 cases per 100,000.
A Russian model is facing up to a year in jail for baring her bottom outside a St Petersburg cathedral.

Irina Volkova, 30, appeared in court on Sunday to beg forgiveness for the Instagram video which showed her pulling up her skirt in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

'I apologise for these images and offending the feelings of people of faith. I went too far as an Instagrammer,' she told the judge.

'Everything will be deleted and I will not do this again.'

The influencer was placed under house arrest but still faces jail as prosecutors say she 'humiliated and insulted' the Russian Orthodox Church and outraged society as a whole.

Irina Volkova in court on Sunday. She told the judge: 'I apologise for these images and offending the feelings of people of faith. I went too far as an Instagrammer'

Irina Volkova, 30, appeared in court on Sunday to beg forgiveness for the Instagram video which showed her pulling up her skirt in front of St. Isaac's Cathedral

Volkova stares at the ground as she appears in a St Petersburg court on Sunday

The heavily-tattooed model regularly posts racy pictures to her 6,000 followers on Instagram

The blogger appearing in court at the weekend

The clip was shared to her 6,000 followers in the summer but recently came to the attention of the Russian authorities.

The case follows another last week when an Instagram model and a male prankster were jailed for ten months for simulating oral sex outside world famous St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

Volkova was initially detained and was brought before a judge in handcuffs from a detention centre.

A video shows her in a court cage telling the judge in St Petersburg - Vladimir Putin's home city - she had 'taken the pictures without a thought.'

She was permitted home arrest to care for her school age son, but is expected to face a full trial later which could lead to a jail sentence.

Volkova had appeared voluntarily at the office of the Russian Investigative Committee and was detained.

Last week Ruslani Murodzhonzoda, 23  a Tajik national also known as Ruslan Bobiyev -- and Anastasia Chistova, 19, had both apologised for their lewd stunt posted on Instagram, but were shown no mercy by the judge.

She was seen wearing a police jacket and kneeling in front of him in view of world famous St Basil's cathedral.

The were imprisoned under a new law which found them guilty of offending the feelings of religious people.

They 'committed public actions expressing clear disrespect for society,' the court said in a statement.

He is to be deported after serving his sentence.

Chistova said: 'Now I realise the price of such popularity.

'And I have to answer to the fullest extent of the law with my freedom, public condemnation, the disapproval of my parents and people close to me.

'I am very hurt.'

She had also claimed that it was Murodzhonzoda who chose the location and assured her that there was nothing wrong with it.

Russian Tik-Toker Ruslan Murodzhonzoda and his girlfriend Anastasia Chistova have been jailed for 10 months for simulating oral sex in front of St Basil's cathedral in Moscow's Red Square

The couple were found guilty by Moscow's Tverskoi district court of 'offending religious sentiment' (pictured, a side view of the picture posted to Instagram)

'I just followed him like a dog,' she said.

He said: 'I am sincerely sorry, I will never do it again.'

Opposition activist Leonid Volkov called the sentence 'madness, just madness.

'They DID nothing,...It's just a picture.'

Russia toughened its laws after the arrests in a Moscow cathedral of Pussy Riot performers protesting against Putin in 2012.

Human rights group Memorial claimed the number of political prisoners in Russia had risen to 420 from 362 last year, suggesting a trend back to Soviet-era repression.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said he hopes the stepped-up enforcement will make the ultra-wealthy think twice before trying to take action to avoid paying taxes

The U.S. government aims to raise $400 billion in new revenue over a decade by making rich Americans fear the Internal Revenue Service, as part of President Joe Biden's slimmed-down, $1.75 billion social and climate spending plan.

A revived fear of audits among wealthy Americans will deter tax avoidance, Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Reuters.

Increased IRS enforcement to collect unpaid taxes makes up the largest source of revenue in the Build Back Better plan, which Congress is expected to consider this week.

The tax agency also plans to force banks to report inflows and outflows of cash of individual bank accounts worth $10,000 or more to add extra cash to pay for Biden's agenda.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden of Oregon promised in October that the measure would bring in 'hundreds of billions of dollars' by catching tax evaders, but declined to provide a specific estimate.

While many of Biden's original investment priorities have been shrunk or cut from the bill, plans to invest $80 billion in the IRS over a decade survived.

Approval would allow for the hiring of thousands of new enforcement staff and replacing antiquated computer systems in coming years.

Hiring agents, updating systems and pursuing sophisticated audit cases will take time, Adeyemo told Reuters in an interview, adding that he believes the stepped-up activity will make wealthy individuals think twice about hiding income to avoid taxes.

'When you are focusing on audits and people see that audits are happening - especially amongst people who are situated similar to them - you have better compliance,' Adeyemo said during a visit to Philadelphia to promote the bill's increased Child Tax Credit benefits.

'When they see more cops on the beat looking at tax returns, what people will decide is that it's better to pay than to pay the penalty in the end.'

The size of the IRS has shrunk significantly over the last 10 years.

Democrats hope the revenue gained from making it harder to evade taxes could help cover the bill for Joe Biden's sweeping social reform and climate change plan

After multiple rounds of budget cuts and underinvestment, largely under Republican-controlled Congresses, the IRS has 17,000 fewer enforcement employees than a decade ago.

The audit rate for individuals had fallen to 0.4% in fiscal 2019, half the 0.8% rate in 2015 and far below the 1.98% rate in 1977.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, who was appointed by the Trump administration, told senators in April that the agency is 'outgunned' by increasingly sophisticated tax avoidance schemes that underreport business income and capital gains, leaving a 'tax gap' between owed and collected taxes as high as $1 trillion a year.

The Treasury previously had higher ambitions for using IRS enforcement to shrink the tax gap by $700 billion over a decade, about 10% of its $7 trillion estimated tax gap.

But that policy proposal relied on Congress approving new requirements for banks to report account inflows and outflows of as little as $600 per year to enable the IRS to find audit targets by matching account activity with reported income.

The $600 threshold raised bipartisan concerns about financial privacy and the provision was dropped from Biden's revised spending plan last week, and replaced with the new $10,000 threshold.

The Treasury previously had higher ambitions for using IRS enforcement to shrink the tax gap by $700 billion over a decade, about 10% of its $7 trillion estimated tax gap, but the plan required Congress to pass a measure that forces banks to report cash flows of bank accounts with at least $600 - which earned bipartisan criticism

But even that plan may have hit a roadblock in the form of West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who along with fellow moderate Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have chipped away at Biden's original $3.5 trillion social reform and climate spending plan.

Last week Manchin told the Economic Club of Washington, DC that the IRS reporting threshold was 'screwed up' and it 'cannot happen,' adding 'I think that ones going to be gone.'

Adeyemo said the IRS will still be able to use more sophisticated technology, including machine learning, to better target the wealthiest individuals as it invests in new systems and hires more agents.

He conceded that measures like the bill's proposed tax surcharge of 5% on adjusted gross income above $10 million and 3% above $25 million may motivate wealthy individuals to hire more sophisticated tax lawyers.

But the official added that the IRS aims to meet this challenge.

'The question becomes how do you use the resources of the IRS to verify and validate and where that is not possible to go out and ask questions. And we'll have a bunch more people who can ask those questions,' Adeyemo said.

Adeyemo called the $400 billion revenue target for the IRS investments a 'conservative' estimate, but said the agency will need to take stronger action to fully close the tax gap.

'We're not going to be able to close the entire gap with these resources, but we do think that we're going to make a significant dent.'
A 19-year-old soldier who raped a female colleague and sexually assaulted two others has been jailed for seven years.

Gunner Joshua Holt, formerly of the Royal Artillery, raped his fellow soldier after watching TV with her in her room, Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire was told.



Prosecutor William Eaglestone had previously told a trial that the victim had tried to push him away 'but he was just too strong and he put all of his body weight on her', and told her 'good girl' and 'stay there'.

Judge Advocate General Alan Large sentenced Gnr Holt to seven years imprisonment for rape, followed by three years on licence.

He said the rape was particularly serious because of the 'degradation and humiliation' endured by his victim.

Gnr Holr's adoptive parents wept in court as they heard statements from Gnr Holt's victims following his conviction at a court martial.

Gunner Joshua Holt, formerly of the Royal Artillery, raped his fellow soldier after watching TV with her in her room, Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire was told

In a statement read out in court, the rape victim said: 'Since (the rape), I have suffered severe trust issues. I remain in fear that someone may take advantage of me again... a thought that hasn't left me since he took advantage of me.'

At a sentencing hearing Mr Eaglestone summarised statements made by one of the two victims of sexual assault.

He told the court: 'She describes feeling continually ashamed, having no self confidence and some days [she] can't bear to look at herself in the mirror.

'She said: ''I often feel depressed and my anxiety means some days I don't even want to get out of bed and deal with the day''.'

Mr Eaglestone also read the statement of the third victim: 'As a victim of sexual assault I have increased anxiety and your actions continue to weigh on my mind.

'I trusted him and he betrayed that trust.'

The prosecutor told the court of Gnr Holt's previous battery offences where he had attacked his step mother, foster carers, adoptive parents, teachers as well as other children in the past.

But Robert Bryan, defending, said these incidents were unrelated to the sexual offences and he was a much younger man, with him being just 12 years old when he started offending.

Paul Holt, his adoptive father, told the court how Gnr Holt had struggled at school after he and his wife adopted him when he was three years old.

He said: 'He had had a difficult early years and you could say like his behaviour he sort of struggled in areas.

'In mainstream primary school he struggled... later on he went to a school that focused on behaviour and social development. It was a huge success. Josh coped really well.'

Prosecutor William Eaglestone had previously told a trial that the victim had tried to push him away ' but he was just too strong and he put all of his body weight on her', and told her 'good girl' and 'stay there'

However he said he went to mainstream secondary school as he wasn't approved for the BSD school anymore and that is when his offending started.

Mr Bryan added Gnr Holt - who has since left the Army - had used his time at The Military Corrective Training Centre in Colchester, Essex to 'reflect on his past, his issues and maybe address them'.

Judge Advocate General Alan Large said: 'My take on it is he is starting to mature and is making signs of progress in Colchester.'

For the two sexual assaults, Gnr Holt was handed a three month and four month sentence, both to run concurrently to the rape sentence and he was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Gnr Holt was also sentenced to three additional months of imprisonment for actual bodily harm and criminal damage, after he had pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court to punching another woman and kicking her car.

Gunner Holt had also been accused of raping one female colleague several times and holding a knife to her throat, but he was cleared of the charges relating to that victim in July.
A rescue effort of 75 firefighters and two helicopters rescued three people

A group of 26 firefighters were training in

Nine firefighters died and three were injured in a Brazilian cave after a section of its roof collapsed while they were training inside.

Sunday's accident happened while a group of 26 firefighters were training in Itambe Cave, on the Duas Bocas trail, near the city of Altinopolis, 335km (208 miles) north of Sao Paulo, although only 12 became trapped.

The injured men were taken by ambulance to hospital with fractures and hypothermia from the cave.

A team of 75 firefighters worked to free twelve firefighters trapped after a cave collapse in Brazil during a training exercise

The rescuers managed to save three firefighters, who were rushed to hospital with fractures and hypothermia

One of the three men who survived the cave collapse receives attention from a paramedic in an ambulance before being taken to hospital

An injured man was airlifted to safety out of the forest that was at the entrance of the cave

Nine firefighters were killed when a section of Itambe Cave, Altinopolis, Sao Paulo, collapsed in Brazil

Cristina Trifoni is the mother of one of the instructors participating in the training event.

She said the group had planned to spend the night in the cave.

'I'm desperate,' she told GloboNews.

'What happened is that the entrance to the place they were in collapsed.'

Cristina Trifoni, the mother of one of the instructors participating in the training event, said she was 'desperate' to hear about her son. Pictured: Rescuers work to save the buried firefighters

Military police and and teams from the area's Emergency and Disaster Assistance Group helped to save three of the people buried by the collapse

The roof of the cave needed to be propped up with makeshift pillars to ensure the roof didn't fall in again

The Ministry of Public Security said the rescue effort started at dawn on Sunday, which consisted of around 75 firefighters, two helicopters and assistance from military police and and the Emergency and Disaster Assistance Group.

Police and emergency health teams joined firefighters on Sunday in trying to free those trapped but the work was hampered by heavy rains.

Access to the remote site was difficult and threats of new collapses complicated the rescue attempts.

Ambulances waited at the entrance to the cave to to take the three injured firefighters to hospital

Two helicopters assisted search and rescue teams hoping to save the buried firefighters on Sunday

Itambe Cave, where the firefighters became trapped, is renowned in the area for its 90ft facade (File image)

The cave is usually a popular tourist destination and is one of eleven similar cave systems near Altinopolis (File image)

Itambe Cave, is on the Duas Bocas trail near Altinopolis, 335km (208 miles) north of Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria said on Twitter he would provide 'all the support and resources necessary for the rescue of the victims.'

The Sao Paulo fire department later wrote on Twitter: 'There were 9 dead and one person rescued.

'There are no more victims at the site.'

Altinopolis is a small city of 16,203 people in the southeast of Brazil known for its caves, a major regional tourist attraction.

Itambe Cave, where the firefighters became trapped, is renowned in the area for its 90ft facade.
Twenty-five armed robbers have been killed by Brazilian police in a brutal shootout after a string of bank heists.

Fifty policemen raided two farms outside the southern city of Varginha on Sunday after being tipped off that the thieves were preparing attacks on several local bank branches.

'Our idea was to make arrests, but from the moment they recognised our presence, the fight started,' Aristides Amaral Junior, a highway police spokesperson, told Globo. 'They had weapons of war. Tons of gasoline, explosives.'

Eighteen suspects were killed on the first farm and seven at the second. There were no casualties among the security forces.

Photos showed a vast arsenal of assault rifles, shotguns and ammunition seized in the swoop.

Police recovered a trove of weaponry, ammunition, gasoline and explosives, as well as stolen cars following the raid on two farms outside the southern city of Varginha

The military seized a trove of weaponry from the robbers, with assault rifles and shotguns lined up in front of a pile of magazines

A high-powered rifle seized by the military police following the raid on two farms near Varginha, Minas Gerais State

Brazil has faced a spate of elaborate and professional bank heists, dubbed 'the new banditry,' which involve shock-and-awe tactics and the deployment of modern weapons and gadgets.

The heists are choreographed to precision and follow a similar pattern: at the end of the month, when the vaults are filled with cash, heavily-armed gangsters storm into towns at night, letting off explosives and firing weapons to ward off the police before they smash their way into the local bank.

Experts say that the displays of strength are designed to panic the local police forces who believe that they do not have the firepower or manpower to intervene.

At the end of August, the group which police raided on Sunday caused mayhem in the city of Aracatuba, blowing up vehicles and tying hostages to their cars during assaults on several banks.

Three people were killed in the pandemonium.

'In Aracatuba, the vehicles were painted black,' Rodolfo Cesar Morotti Fernandes, spokesman of an elite Brazilian police force that assisted in the operation, told local media.

'One of the vehicles we apprehended was already being painted black and we found black spray paint, showing the similarity.'

Officers say that the group also unleashed chaos in the city of Criciuma in southern Santa Catarina where at least 30 gangsters in 10 cars stormed a police station and held up Banco do Brasil.

Officials called it the largest bank robbery in state history.

Following Sunday's raid on the farms, Captain Layla Brunnela, of the Military Police, said: 'It is probably our largest operation against this type of crime in the country.

'Many suspects were going to rob banks and were surprised by our intelligence service.'

Then, 'when we started the operation, we were shot at, so the military had to respond to the unjust attack to protect their lives,' Lieutenant Colonel Rodolfo Morotti Fernandes, commander of the Police Special Operations Battalion, told a briefing in Minas Gerais.

The death toll in the raid again puts the Brazilian police in the spotlight, who have a fearsome reputation for not shrinking from violence.

In May, there were international headlines when a dawn raid on a favela in Rio de Janeiro left 25 people dead.

Gruesome pictures had shown family homes filled with blood after wounded gangsters fleeing the police crawled into people's living rooms to bleed to death.

The incident led to protests and claims that police had summarily executed the alleged criminals. Police have denied the accusations.
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Newly-published minutes from JCVI meetings show that the group first looked at whether letting 12 to 15-year-olds catch Covid naturally was better than vaccinating them on May 13 (shown above). It looked at a range of reasons against vaccinating people in the age group, which included the argument that natural infection might be better and less risky

'Zero Covid' scientists have slammed the Government's coronavirus vaccine advisory panel as being 'anti-vax' for considering the benefits of herd immunity over vaccination in children.

Members of Independent Sage, a vocal group of experts who have clung on to the idea of eliminating Covid, accused the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation of using youngsters as 'human shields' to protect adults.

Newly-published minutes from JCVI meetings show that the group first looked at whether letting 12 to 15-year-olds get Covid naturally was better than vaccinating them in spring, months before the rollout was expanded to teens.

Echoing the view of many independent experts, the JCVI accepted allowing the virus to circulate naturally could give youngsters strong immunity and also protect adults  without the risk of side effects from vaccines.

The panel emphasised Covid posed such a tiny threat to children and raised concerns about a heart inflammation condition associated with the jabs in young people.

'Children rarely develop severe disease or die of Covid; even children with underlying comorbidities have a very low risk,' the JCVI said in its 32nd meeting on May 13.

'There are limited data on Covid vaccine use in children; there is a need to consider the mild transient illness of Covid versus potential rare adverse events associated with vaccination.

'There is an argument for allowing the virus to circulate amongst children which could provide broader immunity to the children and boost immunity in adults.'

The group also considered that children might be better off catching Covid at a young age, when they are at low risk, so that they are less vulnerable in adulthood, as is the case with chicken pox and other viral infections.

Dr Kit Yates, a mathematical biologist at the University of Bath and Independent Sage member, quoted excerpts from a number of JCVI minutes in a lengthy Twitter thread, writing: 'Anti-vax or JCVI?'

His colleague Professor Alice Roberts, a public health expert at the University of Birmingham, said the views expressed at the meetings were 'just appalling'. Other Independent Sage members described them as 'upsetting'.

But members also weighed up the pros to vaccinating healthy 12 to 15-year-olds (circled) which included things like keeping schools open, reducing infection numbers and giving parents reassurance

Only around 20 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds in England have been vaccinated against Covid so far (purple), which is believed to be due to hesitation among parents

But Professor Robert Dingwall, a former JCVI member who participated in the discussions, told MailOnline today that it was 'absurd' to describe the panel as anti-vax.

He told MailOnline: 'The JCVI is an eminent group of vaccine scientists, some of the best vaccine scientists in the country, so of course they are pro-vaccination.

'But they are sensitive to risks, and they recognise all vaccines come with small risks. So the default position is we don't want to give to anyone any vaccine until we've weighed up all the risks and benefits.

'The JCVI has been keeping the nation safe for 60 years by applying that same reasoning with all vaccines.'

The JCVI is made up of 20 top virologists, epidemiologists, public health experts and behavioural scientists, including Oxford University's Sir Andrew Pollard, who helped develop the AstraZeneca jab.

Experts warn UK against 'blindly' following US in jabbing healthy five-year-olds Arguments to vaccinate children as young as five against Covid are 'scientifically weak', British experts told MailOnline after the US moved closer to jabbing infants. An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously agreed the benefits of giving under-12s Pfizer's jab outweighed risks last week. American health chiefs are expected to green light the plans within days, which will put pressure on the UK to follow suit. But British scientists have warned against 'blindly' recommending the jabs to primary school-aged children without weighing up the risks 'extremely carefully'. Professor David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the University of East Anglia told MailOnline: 'Vaccinating children to protect adults via herd immunity is ethically dubious and is scientifically weak.' There are also still fears about myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation detected in children, mostly boys, in around one in 10,000 cases after vaccination. Critics say children are better off catching Covid and getting protection naturally because the risk of being admitted to ICU is about one in 500,000. There are signs that natural immunity in British youngsters is already slowing the epidemic. But some studies have suggested myocarditis is even more common after Covid infection itself, which complicates the matter further. Professor Russell Viner, a pediatrician and member of the UK Government's scientific advisory group SAGE, said it was crucial the UK does not 'rush to a decision' in the wake of the announcement in the US. Advertisement

The group has not shied away from making difficult decisions that put the UK at odds with other countries, including going with a different dosing strategy.

When the vaccines were first rolled out in winter, the group stretched the recommended three-week regimen to 12 weeks to get wider coverage and because there were signs the jabs might work better that way.

At the time, the JCVI was heavily criticised, with the British Medical Association warning at the time that the JCVI's decisions were 'proving evermore difficult to justify'.

'The absence of any international support for the UKs approach is a cause of deep concern and risks undermining public and the professions trust in the vaccination programme,' the union said.

Professor Dingwall, a sociologist at Nottingham Trent University, explained that the JCVI weighed up a range of different viewpoints in the spring and summer which never factored into its final decision.

He told MailOnline: 'The meetings in spring and summer were deliberately intended to be wide-ranging discussions without coming to conclusions.

'The committee considered a great range of evidence and possible interpretations of that evidence, and that's how you get to a consensus in these types of committees.

'You look at everything out there and come to a conclusion, some on Independent Sage are making out that just because things appear in early discussions mean they were factored into the consensus.'

He added: 'If you are a zero-infection absolutist, the vaccine should have been approved quickly. If this had been done, some children would have suffered serious consequences from heart inflammation and we would be discussing those. In the end there was not a clear signal either way.'

Minutes from the same meeting on May 13 show that the JCVI considered that rolling out jabs to under-16s could result in 'fewer infections, fewer outbreaks, fewer school absences'.

In a subsequent meeting on May 20, the group said that vaccinating children could also 'have some impact on mortality in older adults'.

The JCVI ultimately decided against recommending Covid vaccines for healthy 12 to 15-year-olds in September despite huge political and public pressure because the risk of side effects did not clearly outweigh the threat of Covid.

It urged ministers to seek advice from other public health experts about the wider benefits of vaccinating children to society.

The group had already approved plans for children in that age group with serious underlying conditions to be jabbed and for youngsters who lived with extremely vulnerable family members. It said that, in these groups, the benefit did outweigh the risk.

Professor Robert Dingwall, a former JCVI member who participated in the discussions, told MailOnline today that it was 'absurd' to label the JCVI as anti-vax. JCVI member Professor Adam Finn has admitted he has sympathy with parents who are cautious to get their children vaccinated

All NHS-run Covid testing sites will shut EARLY from today NHS-run Covid testing sites are to close from 6pm as of today after officials claimed not enough people were coming forward for swabs in the evening. The 37billion Test and Trace scheme has instructed all local and regional facilities in England to scale back their opening hours and shut early. Bosses at the new health agency responsible for the programme claimed the decision was taken because 'demand for tests reduces significantly' at night. But MPs said working Britons found evening tests convenient, while a SAGE expert questioned the timing of the move, with cases high heading into winter. Most NHS walk-in and drive-through sites were open from 8am to 8pm every day, for people with symptoms or close contacts of a confirmed case. There are around 500 NHS testing sites across the whole of the UK. The scale-down comes after a Commons inquiry found Test and Trace had been an 'eyewatering' waste of public cash that failed in all of its main objectives. Advertisement

But the JCVI raised concerns about myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation detected in healthy children, mostly boys, in around one in 10,000 cases after vaccination.

For comparison, the group said the risk of a healthy under-16 being admitted to ICU with Covid was about one in 500,000.

While most cases of myocarditis are mild and treatable, JCVI member Professor Adam Finn admitted that the long-term effects of the condition are not yet known.

He urged parents who were cautious about getting their child vaccinated to wait six months for more safety data to come through.

Professor Dingwall told MailOnline: 'There is a general concern that with side effects like myocarditis, what we're seeing is inflammation to the heart tissue, so there could be risk to other tissue. It can take some time for the extent of this damage to reveal itself.'





But some studies have suggested myocarditis is more prevalent after Covid infection itself, which complicates the matter further.

Data used to justify the JCVI's decision showed that there were 259 Covid admissions to ICU among under-18s in England up to the end of February 2021, and 22 had no underlying health conditions.

Six of the 25 children who died from the virus in the same time also did not appear to have comorbidities.

Weeks after the JCVI's decision, Professor Chris Whitty and his fellow chief medical officers green-lit the rollout in children after finding that it could keep schools open and prevent further disruptions.

Only around 20 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds in England have been vaccinated against Covid so far, which is believed to be due to hesitation among parents.

One mother told MailOnline she did not feel comfortable getting her teenage son jabbed against the coronavirus because the recommendation was not given by the JCVI, which is independent of Government.

There are signs that natural immunity in British youngsters is already slowing the epidemic following a surge that started at the beginning of the new term.

Professor Dingwall, speaking in a personal capacity after stepping down from the JCVI in August, said that, fundamentally, the expert panel was opposed to over-medicating.

He told MailOnline: 'There is a cultural divide at the basis of this and it's something which has roots in America. Some think that if there's any way to avoid an infection you should avoid it, by means of vaccination or drugs.

'Ten years ago, the JCVI looked at vaccinating children against chicken pox and came to the conclusion it was not worth it.

'And we're trying very hard in the area of antibiotics not to promote the notion of 'just because you've got an infection you should have a pill for it.''
President Joe Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Sunday, a White House spokeswoman said on Monday morning as he flew from Rome to Scotland for a major climate summit.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the spokeswoman, said the PCR test was a routine test taken as part of entry requirements for attendance at the conference in Britain.

It was revealed hours after White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced she had tested positive for the virus.

Jean-Pierre said the positive test had not had an impact on the rest of the White House.

'Fortunately her symptoms are mild,' she said.

'We can we cannot wait to have our her back, to have all of us back together safely and are sending the very best to Jen and her family.'

Psaki, 42, who has had two doses of vaccine, said she was last in contact with the president on Tuesday, and the two sat more than 6 feet apart while wearing masks.

It makes her the most visible member of the Biden administration to test positive.

President Biden left Rome for Scotland on Monday after testing negative for COVID-19 on Sunday, according to a White House spokeswoman

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Sunday announced she had tested positive for COVID-19 after opting to travel with President Biden to the G20 summit in Rome

Psaki issued a statement on Twitter detailing how she had stayed home after members of her family tested positive on Wednesday

Psaki is seen here with Jean-Pierre and other members of the press team at the White House

'While I have not had close contact in person with the president or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday  and tested negative for four days after that last contact  I am disclosing todays positive test out of an abundance of transparency,' she said in a statement.

'I last saw the president on Tuesday, when we sat outside more than six-feet apart, and wore masks.'

She was a late scratch from Biden's trip to the summit in Rome, replaced on the trip by principal deputy press secretary Jean-Pierre.

Officials at the time cited a family emergency.

Psaki said: 'On Wednesday, in coordination with senior leadership at the White House and the medical team, I made the decision not to travel on the foreign trip with the President due to a family emergency, which was members of my household testing positive for COVID-19.'

She said she was working from home.

'Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms which has enabled me to continue working from home.

'I will plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the ten day quarantine following a negative rapid test, which is an additional White House requirement, beyond CDC guidance, taken out of an abundance of caution.'

Biden arrived in Rome on Thursday.

After an audience with the pope on Friday, and two days of G20 summitry over the weekend he flies to Scotland on Monday for a major U.N. climate conference.

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre replaced Psaki at the 11th hour for the six-day trip to Europe

Biden spent the weekend shaking hands with world leaders. Here he is seen with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen after talking to reporters about tariffs

His press secretary would usually be expected to attend such an important trip and Biden's chance to make an impact at multiple global summits as president.

White House staff and others traveling with the president have been undergoing daily tests for COVID-19 since before departing Washington and are all fully vaccinated.

Many officials have also received booster shots, due to the close-quarters environment and frequent travel associated with their work.

Biden got his COVID-19 booster on Sept 27, shortly after federal regulators approved the third dose for many Americans.

He is also tested every couple of weeks.

Vice President Kamala Harris got hers on Saturday.

In contrast, Biden's predecessor Donald Trump eschewed masks and repeatedly played down the risks.

He caught COVID-19 towards the end of the 2020 presidential campaign and his press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, also caught the virus.
French President Emmanuel Macron labelled Scott Morrison a 'liar' when speaking to Australian reporters at the G20 Summit

Scott Morrison has hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron after he publicly accused the Australian leader over lying about the scrapped submarine deal.

Diplomatic tensions between the two countries have escalated since Australia pulled out of a $90 billion deal with France to manufacture its next generation of submarines.

Hours after the pair shared an awkward exchange at the G20 Summit in Rome, the French President made his feelings known about Mr Morrison during a fiery exchange with Australian journalists, labelling his counterpart a 'liar'.

Speaking to reporters on Monday night Mr Morrison returned fire at Mr Macron saying he wouldn't 'cop sledging on Australia' and refused to apologise for reneging on their deal and going with the US and UK on nuclear submarines.

'We made the right calls for Australia. I don't wish to personalise this,' he proclaimed.

'I must say the statements that have been made questioning Australia's integrity, not me, I've got broad shoulders and I can take that, but those slurs, I'm not going to cop sledging of Australia.'

An awkward handshake in Rome between Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (centre right) and French President Emmanuel Macron (centre left)

Mr Macron was asked by reporters when leaving the event on Monday morning about the failed submarine deal, with the French president insisting it was aimed at Australian decision makers and not its people.

'I have a lot of respect for your country, a lot of respect and friendship for your people. I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistent with this value.

The French president was then asked if the Australian prime minister had lied.

'I don't think, I know,' Mr Macron replied before cutting off further questions.

In response, Mr Morrison fronted cameras on Monday night to say while he did not want to 'personalise the spat', he wouldn't accept another leader 'questioning Australia's integrity'.

Scott Morrison has unleashed an extraordinary rant directed at Emmanuel Macron after the French President called his counterpart a 'liar'

'I have to put Australia's interests before any interests that involved potentially offending others,' he said.

'The (French) submarine contract was a significant investment decision taken five years ago. At that point, given the strategic circumstance, time and technology available to Australia the attack class submarine was the right decision.

'But there have been significant changes that have occurred in our strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific, which completely changed the game.'

Mr Morrison had earlier shut down the claims he misled the French at a press conference.

He added he had explained Mr Macron 'very clearly' a few months ago the submarines ordered from France were 'not going to meet Australia's interests'.

French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured with wife Brigitte earlier this month) has accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying

Back home in Australia, federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg defended the Prime Minister but admitted growing tensions between Australia and France are 'challenging diplomatically.

'It has been since the announcement,' Mr Frydenberg told the Today show on Monday.

But we're going to work through that. It was good that they had - the two leaders had that they had - the two leaders had that call the other day.

'There are areas where we can work together and increase that level of cooperation. But, of course, with respect to the AUKUS deal, that sets Australia up for many years ahead and that is why it is so important to Australia's national interests.'

Earlier in the program, agriculture Minister David Littleproud accused President Macron of being unreasonable.

Mr Macron lashed out at Mr Morrison hours after the pair shared a very awkward handshake at the G20 summit.

The leaders met briefly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, just two days after a first phone call since Australia opted for nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the US and Britain in the AUKUS pact.

Mr Morrison told reporters he only briefly bumped into the French leader and 'said g'day' and that he hoped they could speak more later.

Their icy phone conversation followed revelations that Mr Macron for weeks refused to take a call from Mr Morrison.

In what was reportedly a tense phone call before Mr Morrison left for Europe, Mr Macron told the prime minister he 'broken the relationship of trust between our two countries'.

'It is now up to the Australian government to propose tangible actions that embody the political will of Australia's highest authorities to redefine the basis of our bilateral relationship and continue joint action in the Indo-Pacific,' a statement from President Macron's office said.

An Australian Collins class submarine (front) and the UK nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Astute (rear) are seen at HMAS Stirling Royal Australian Navy base in Perth on October 29, 2021. Australia is committed to getting its first nuclear-powered submarines built and operating as quickly as possible, says Defence Minister Peter Dutton, after pulling out of a $90billion deal to have France make its next generation of submarines

Before he flew to Rome, Mr Morrison played down the prospect of a meeting with Mr Macron.

'I don't think that's probably going to happen this time,' he said.

'I think it will happen eventually, but we just got to give him a bit of space, give him a bit of space.

'I mean, we had to take the decision we took in the national interest, and maybe we'll catch up at some time down the track. But for now, you know, sometimes it's just best to give our friends a bit of space.'

The plan to avoid Mr Macron in Rome came undone when the leaders unexpectedly found themselves just metres apart.

'I said g'day, I said g'day,' Mr Morrison told reporters in Rome.

'He was having a chat to someone, I went up and just put my arm on his shoulder and just said 'g'day, Emmanuel,' and 'look forward to catching up over the next couple of days'.

'That's the way these events tend to work and he was happy to exchange those greetings.'

Before bumping into Mr Morrison, Mr Macron had met Joe Biden. The US President expressed great concern about the handling of the secret plan to dump France from the submarine project, saying it was 'clumsy' and 'not done with a lot of grace'.

'I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going through,' Mr Biden told President Macron.

'I honest to God did not know you had not been.'

Mr Morrison would no be drawn on whether Mr Biden had dropped him in deeper trouble with the French.

'He's had a candid conversation with the French President and I'll leave his remarks for him,' he said.

Mr Morrison and the Australian Government have been the subject of French fury at being kept in the dark over the decision to end the $90 billion submarine contract.

The French government was told Australia was scrapping the deal just hours before Mr Morrison, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mr Biden hosted a tri-lateral press conference to talk about the new AUKUS security and defence pact.

France's ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, was recalled in September after the submarine deal was cancelled, though he has since returned to Canberra.

The French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told his country's parliament he asked the ambassador to go back to Australia with two missions: 'To define our relationship with Australia in the future and firmly defend our interests in the implementation of Australia's decision to terminate the submarine program.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrives at the G20 summit of world leaders to discuss climate change, Covid-19 and the post-pandemic global recovery at the La Nuvola center G20 Summit, Rome, Italy

There are fears that Australia's ditching of the French submarine deal could derail a potential free trade agreement with the European Union, of which France is a key member.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said of the deal cancellation: 'There are a lot of open questions that have to be answered... One of our member states has been treated in a way that is not acceptable.'

France's Europe minister Clement Beaune said France could halt progress on an EU-Australia trade deal which has been under negotiation since mid-2018.

'Keeping one's word is the condition of trust between democracies and between allies,' he told Politico.

'So it is unthinkable to move forward on trade negotiations as if nothing had happened with a country in which we no longer trust.'

During the 2019-20 financial year, Australia's two-way trade with the EU was worth $78.7 billion, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade data showed.
Nicola Sturgeon was blasted today as world leaders arrived in Glasgow for Cop 26 to be greeted by a strike by the city's refuse collectors.

Bin men and women in the GMB union announced last night that they would walk out in a row with the council's SNP administration, despite previously calling off the action on Friday.

Scotland's second city welcomes 120 leaders including US president Joe Biden for the political stage of the UN summit at a time it is already blighted by rubbish, fly-tipping and reports of large rats in the streets.

But Ms Sturgeon today made little mention of the problems as she toured the media on the margins of the conference, telling ITV's Good Morning Britain world leaders had to 'step up and increase their scale of ambition' if the event was to be a success'.

The Scottish Tories' shadow cabinet secretary for local government, Miles Briggs, said Ms Sturgeon 'ought to have stepped in weeks ago to prevent this situation arising'.

'As well as the public-health implications of overflowing bins and rats, the sight of rubbish piling up on Glasgow's streets is deeply damaging to Glasgow's image as the eyes of the world fall on the city.' he said.

Ms Sturgeon today made little mention of the problems as she toured the media on the margins of Cop 26, telling ITV's Good Morning Britain world leaders had to 'step up and increase their scale of ambition' if the event was to be a success'.

The First Minister had time to meet climate activist Greta Thunberg in Glasgow this morning

Refuse collectors walked out at midnight in a row with the council's SNP administration, despite previously calling off the action on Friday.

Scotland's second city welcomes 120 leaders including US president Joe Biden for the political stage of the UN summit at a time it is already blighted by rubbish, fly-tipping and reports of large rats in the streets.

'It's frankly embarrassing for Glasgow residents that, with delegates having arrived and COP26 underway, this dispute has still not been resolved by the SNP-run council or Scottish Government.'

GMB members walked out at one minute past midnight this morning following the collapse of last-ditch talks between the union and Glasgow City Council on Sunday evening.

The planned strike action was previously called off on Friday after a new pay offer from council umbrella body Cosla, and the GMB said it would suspend the strike for two weeks to consult with members.

However, following talks on Sunday, the GMB said strike action would go ahead.

The union said workers will take strike action throughout the first full week of the Cop26 summit.

GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour said: 'We met the council in good faith, offering a clear set of proposals to reset industrial relations and avoid strikes. The council rejected these proposals.'

She added: 'Regrettably, the council refused this massive opportunity to move forward, and strike action across the cleansing service will now begin, during which time our members will be balloted on the Cosla pay offer.'

However, Scotland's Transport and Net Zero Secretary, Michael Matheson, only described the strike as 'disappointing' this morning, telling the BBC Good Morning Scotland programme: 'I understand that discussions were taking place last night and the Scottish Government would certainly want to continue to encourage both Cosla, Glasgow City Council and the GMB to continue to discuss this issue to try and find a quick resolution to what I believe is a process issue rather than issue around the deal that was proposed.'

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman accused the union of having 'reneged' on an agreement made last week.
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Prince Andrew has today been seen breaking cover after his lawyers submitted a blistering 36-page motion to dismiss a US civil case against him.

The royal, 61, has been spotted riding around the Windsor estate on horseback, having earlier been seen driving a Range Rover near Windsor Castle.

He was photographed earlier today wearing a navy blue jacket and maroon jumper, both emblazoned with the crest of the Grenadier Guards.

Earlier this year the Duke of York retained his honorary role as colonel of the elite infantry unit, despite stepping back from front line royal duties amid sexual assault accusations.

It comes after his legal team filed a motion to dismiss a US civil case lodged against him by Virginia Giuffre.

The 38-year-old, previously known by her maiden named Roberts, claims she was sex trafficked to Prince Andrew on three occasions by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the first time when she was 17. The Duke has consistently and vehemently denied her claims.

The royal, 61, has been spotted riding around the grounds of Windsor estate on horseback, having earlier been spotted driving a Range Rover near Windsor Castle .

The royal has been spotted driving near Windsor Castle in a Range Rover while wearing a maroon coloured jumper, which appears to be emblazoned with the crest of the Grenadier Guards

Giuffre (right with Andrew), one of Epstein's most vocal accusers, claimed that she was forced into sex with the Duke of York. She has long claimed that she was a victim of Epstein's sex trafficking ring throughout the early 2000s when she was a teenager (Ghislaine pictured right)

The 38-year-old, previously known by her maiden named Roberts, claims she was sex trafficked to Andrew on three occasions by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein (pictured), the first time when she was 17

Now Prince Andrew's legal team in the US has lodged legal papers challenging his accuser over her claims she was abused.

The papers claim to expose Ms Giuffre's 'sex kitten' past and accuse her of procuring 'slutty girls' for Epstein - who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

In court documents filed on Friday night, Andrew's US legal team called Ms Giuffre's lawsuit 'frivolous', saying: 'She has initiated this baseless lawsuit against Prince Andrew to achieve another payday at his expense.'

They said she had profited from her association with Epstein, the convicted sex offender, for years and was willing to 'milk the publicity' for all she could but had not kept her stories straight.

Lawyers also cited a story published in the New York Daily News in 2015 that claimed Giuffre recruited young women into Epstein's sex trafficking ring and referenced former friends who had described her as a 'money-hungry sex kitten' who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle.

In a section of the legal papers headed 'Giuffre's role in Epstein's criminal enterprise', lawyers cite Crystal Figueroa, the sister of one of Giuffre's ex-boyfriends, who claims she was asked by Ms Giuffre for help in recruiting underage girls.

The quote reads: 'She [Giuffre] would say to me, 'Do you know any girls who are kind of slutty?'

The court filing adds: 'It is a striking feature of this case that while lurid allegations are made against Prince Andrew by Giuffre, the only party to this claim whose conduct has involved the wilful recruitment and trafficking of young girls for sexual abuse is Giuffre herself, including while she was an adult.'

In the New York Daily News article, which is cited in Prince Andrew's response, one of Giuffre's ex-lovers who would drive her to Epstein's Palm Beach mansion told the news site: 'She was like head b****.

'She'd have like nine or 10 girls she used to bring to him. She never looked like she was being held captive...

'She and the other girls would walk out of there smiling, with their little bathing suits on, like they had just come from the beach. She'd have like four grand.

Prince Andrew (left) has fired back at a Virginia Giuffre's (right) 'frivolous' sex-assault lawsuit claiming she's just out for a 'payday' in a shock motion he filed to dismiss the claims on Friday

Prince Andrew fiercely denied Giuffre's claims in the motion he filed in US District Court in Manhattan on Friday. He called her claims 'baseless' in an effort to 'achieve another payday' before slamming Giuffre for her allegations against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

The motion cited a damning story published in 2015 that revealed 'Giuffre (right) also was trained to and did, in fact, recruit other young women into (left) Epstein's sex trafficking ring'

'And then I'd take them all to the mall and they'd get their nails done.'

When Giuffre was in the middle of settling a lawsuit with Epstein in March 2015, the publication said former friends even claimed she was actually more of a 'money-hungry sex kitten' who enjoyed the lavish lifestyle than someone who was enslaved by the convicted paedophile.

Andrew's lawyers have said in response: 'Virginia Giuffre may well be a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein...and nothing can excuse, nor fully capture, the abhorrence and gravity of Epstein's monstrous behavior against Giuffre, if so.

'However, and without diminishing the harm suffered as a results of Epstein's alleged misconduct, Prince Andrew never sexually abused or assaulted Giuffre.

'He unequivocally denies Giuffre's false allegations against him.'

The royal's attorney, Andrew Brettler believes a legal agreement reached between Epstein and Giuffre in 2009 absolves Andrew of all responsibility in the lawsuit he described as 'baseless'

The court documents went on to point out that 'for over a decade, Giuffre has profited from her allegations against Epstein and others by selling stories and photographs to the press and entering into secret agreements to resolve her claims against her alleged abusers, including Epstein and his ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell'.

It adds: 'Epstein's abuse of Giuffre does not justify her public campaign against Prince Andrew.'

The motion said that her 'pattern of filing a series of lawsuits against numerous high-profile individuals should no longer be tolerated, as it continues to irreparably harm many innocent people'.

'Most people could only dream of obtaining the sums of money that Giuffre has secured for herself over the years,' the legal papers read, noting that the money could serve as a 'compelling motive for Giuffre to continue filing frivolous lawsuits against individuals such as Prince Andrew'.

The court documents also said that Giuffre has created 'a media frenzy' in the press, which has led 'sensationalism and innuendo (to) prevail over truth'.

Giuffre has been one of Epstein's most outspoken accusers, claiming that she was a victim of his sex trafficking ring throughout the early 2000s when she was a teenager.

Giuffre's lawyer, Sigrid McCawley told the Sunday Times yesterday: 'If Virginia Giuffre had stood silent in the face of outrageous statements like those Prince Andrew routinely churns out  his motion to dismiss the litigation being no exception  the decades-long sex-trafficking ring his friend Jeffrey Epstein operated and he participated in would have never been exposed.

'On the subject of money, let's be clear: the only party to this litigation using money to his benefit is Prince Andrew.'

Andrew has repeatedly denied that he has sex with Roberts or ever met her despite a photo of the two together: 'I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever'

The contents of the court papers outraged women's groups and campaigners, with Andrew's lawyers claiming Ms Giuffre had secured sums 'most people could only dream of' by filing lawsuits against Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, that were settled out of court.

Joan Smith, former co-chairwoman of the Mayor of London's Violence Against Women group said: 'The Duke of York seems to be living in the 1950s when abused women were often described as gold diggers. Accusing a known victim of sexual exploitation of being motivated by money is about as low as you can get.

'It is victim shaming and further evidence of his appalling judgment. Andrew is just dragging his reputation further into the gutter.'

Karen Ingala Smith, chief executive of NIA, a London-based charity aimed at ending sexual and domestic violence against women, said: 'His lack of empathy and contempt for the victim-survivors of sexual violence is deplorable.

'It is grossly dishonest to claim on one hand that sexual violence is abhorrent and then on the other to brand those seeking legal redress as frivolous money grabbers.'

Meanwhile Ms Giuffre's lawyer last night said she may subpoena Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and force them to testify under oath.

The Duke of York (pictured on Thursday) faced an immediate backlash from women's groups after his lawyers filed a blistering 36-page motion to dismiss the US civil suit brought by Ms Giuffre in which she accuses the Royal of rape

Sigrid McCawley and her team are examining Andrew's infamous 2019 BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis for 'inconsistencies.'

She wants to quiz Andrew's ex-wife and daughters about his alibi, including that he was in Pizza Express in Woking on the day in 2001 when Ms Giuffre claims she was first forced to sleep with him.

Ms Giuffre's legal team may also seek the Duke's medical records after he claimed he could not have been 'sweating profusely' on a dance floor, as Ms Giuffre alleged, because he suffers from a medical condition which stops him perspiring.

A legal source familiar with the case told the Mail on Sunday: 'It is not a good look for Andrew and his team to victim shame his accuser. This could backfire badly in the court of public opinion.'

The first pre-trial hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday in New York.

Last night, a source close to Prince Andrew, 61, said: 'He has utter sympathy for all and any women who are victims of attacks. But he has himself been accused of the most heinous crime and he is adamant he is innocent. For too long he has kept quiet and his accuser has poured vitriol and foul unproven accusations towards him.

'So guess what, he is fighting back with all his might to achieve justice in the courts and in the court of public opinion. He is saddened that the legal fight is so personal, but this was not something he started. He is fighting for his life.

'His lawyer is merely pointing to documents which are part of the evidence which will be crucial to whether his accuser is seen as truthful and convincing or lacking. Andrew hates the personal nature of what has emerged and what has been said about him, but his lawyers want to use everything possible to show that he is not guilty as accused.'

The prince's friend added: 'It's an affront to natural justice that somebody can be accused of the most vile of crimes and yet when forced to defend himself runs into trial by mob and lobby. Let's not forget that Mrs Giuffre launched this legal suit and the duke is perfectly entitled to mount a legitimate defence as part of the process.

'Allegations are easy to make and it is near impossible to fight once they've been made, but it is not victim blaming to point out inconsistencies and defects in the plaintiff's claims. We all seek the same end result: the truth.'
Hey, have you heard the whisper around the stables?

If red-hot favourite Incentivise wins the Melbourne Cup he'll be the best horse since Phar Lap. Some people say even better.

To which I say, pull the other one.

Seriously, think about it. Is anyone ever going to write a book about Incentivise? Are they going to make a movie?

Okay, they'll probably write a book. These days you win a maiden at Moonee Valley and someone writes a book, but a movie?

No way, and why?

Because Incentivise hasn't got a story. Not a movie script story anyway.

Incentivise (pictured at Caulfield Racecourse on October 16) is the red-hot favourite to win Tuesday's Melbourne Cup

Some have even compared Incentivise to Phar Lap (pictured with trainer Tommy Woodcock in 1932)

Where's the struggling trainer buying a bargain lot in New Zealand on behalf of a rich owner and when the horse arrives on the boat it's so ugly the owner wants to send it straight back?

Where's the loveable strapper who sleeps in the stall with the horse and becomes its best buddy?

Where's the toffy nosed Victorian Racing Committee doing their best to nobble the nag because the owner is from the wrong side of the tracks?

Where's the evil Yankee gangsters lurking in the background with a bottle full of arsenic, for crying out loud?

Oh sure, desperate sportswriters have been trying to beat up an Incentivise story that will tug at the heartstrings all week, but is anyone really buying it?

Punters are preparing for a great race day for Tuesday's Melbourne Cup (pictured, fans watch the 2020 race in Sydney) with Incentivise the red-hot favourite

Phar Lap (pictured) has become the stuff of legend after lifting the spirits of Australia during the Depression

They've got a struggling breeder-owner-trainer named Steve Tregea, but this horse was no budget buy.

Steve paid $270,000 for its mama and another $20,000 for her to have a roll in the hay with its Cox Plate-winning papa.

Then, when he was offered $600,000 for a half share on the proviso that he hand the horse over to Peter Moody  a trainer who relinquished any claim to the title 'struggling' the day Black Caviar won her first Group One  he said 'where do I sign?'

It's hardly National Velvet now is it?

And it's drawing a long bow to say that Incentivise has lifted the spirits of Australians during the pandemic the way Phar Lap did during the Depression, as some commentators have suggested this week.

Incentivise (pictured at Caulfield Racecourse on October 16) has drawn comparisons with horseracing greats

Crowds are seen at the Melbourne Cup on November 5, 1930, where Phar Lap romped to victory as a $1.73 fancy

Did the dispirited residents of locked down Melbourne and Sydney really look out through their windows at the empty streets below and whisper through chapped lips, 'Oh well, at least Incentivise is running on Saturday'?

Of course not  and he's still a long way off proving he's as good a Melbourne Cup winner as Makybe Diva, Might and Power, Galilee or Rain Lover, or reach the cult status of Kingston Town, Gunsynd, Takeover Target, Sunline or Winx.

For one reason or another they all built up a big fan base when they were winning, but none of them has remained cemented into the hearts and minds of Australians like Phar Lap. Their mystique has inevitably faded while his has grown.

But leaving the movie and book deals aside for a moment, let's consider the real nuts and bolts of the issue: is anyone really suggesting that Incentivise will come even close to the lofty heights of equine immortality occupied by Australia's most revered horse just because he wins the Melbourne Cup as the shortest priced favourite since Phar Lap in 1930?

Trainer Peter Moody and Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise (pictured) are seen on October 17

A Melbourne Cup which, it must be said, is one of the weakest in living memory due to Covid 19 and the VRC's strict new scanning policy keeping the majority of international horses safely at home in England, Ireland, France, Japan and the US.

I think not, but don't take my word for it. Sport historian and author Geoff Armstrong has written not one, but two books about Phar Lap, and knows more about Big Red than just about anyone alive.

He says there's no way he would ever put Incentivise in Phar Lap's class  for the simple reason that he'd never put any other horse in Phar Lap's class.

'Don't get me wrong, I think Incentivise is a great horse and what he has done over the past few months after being beaten at Toowoomba is magnificent,' he said.

'But there is no way Incentivise is going through what Phar Lap did in 1930.

'I'm pretty sure no-one tried to shoot him on the weekend. He wasn't spirited away to a stud farm in Geelong to prepare for the Cup in unfamiliar surroundings, and I doubt his horse float will break down on the way to Flemington so that he arrives just an hour before the race.

Trainer Peter Moody (pictured) is hoping for a Melbourne Cup victory on Tuesday with his red-hot favourite Incentivise

'All that happened to Phar Lap, and he still won carrying 65.6kgs, which is 8.6kgs more than Incentivise  plus he won races on all four days of the carnival.

'In saying that, I thought Incentivise's win in the Caulfield Cup was sensational. If he gets a run like that in the Melbourne Cup he'll win by a street. That still won't put him on the same level as Phar Lap though. Phar Lap was unique.'

Which beggars the question, why?

'There are a few reasons,' Armstrong continues. 'The way he won his races for starters. He didn't just beat the other horses, he destroyed them, and he did it nearly every time.

'That is one of the myths about his popularity; that ordinary people won a lot of money on him. They didn't, because the odds were so tight, but this was the Great Depression and what he did do was give people a sense of certainty, just like Don Bradman.

Brett Prebble is seen after riding Incentivise to victory at Caulfield Racecourse on October 16 (pictured)

'Bradman was going to score runs, Phar Lap was going to win. It was something they could depend on  and for the first time they could see him doing it, even if they weren't at the track.

'He came along at the same time as the emergence of the newsreels. People would go along to the cinema to see Phar Lap on the big screen. He was a media star.

'And then of course there was the perception that the Yanks killed him. It didn't really matter if they did or they didn't, that was what Australians believed, and it made him a folk-hero, like Les Darcy. Two Australian sporting heroes who went to America seeking fame and fortune and never came home.

'There will be plenty of champion horses who earn the title, 'the best since Phar Lap'. Incentivise might prove to be one of them, but they will never be better. There will only ever be one Phar Lap.'

And besides, there's still something Incentivise has yet to do. Win the Cup.
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As the name suggests, the COP26 climate change summit is just the latest in a long line of meetings which have been held to grapple with the issue of climate change.

It was Margaret Thatcher in her final full year as Prime Minister in 1989 who called for a global agreement to tackle the problem, as she warned that the planet could be subject to 'drought and starvation' if greenhouse gas emissions continued unabated.

By then, scientists had been making stark warnings about the potentially catastrophic consequences of a failure to act.

The first Conference of the Parties (COP) summit, which took place in Berlin in 1995 and was led by Angela Merkel when she was Germany's environment minister, laid the groundwork for the third, where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Japan in 1997.

Five years prior, at the Rio De Janeiro 'Earth' summit, the world's leaders had met to try to address climate change for the first time.

It was the 1997 deal which saw the setting of binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions  but only for industrialised nations.

And yet, even this first major push towards grappling with global warming was dealt a major blow when, in 2001, US President George Bush said his country would not ratify the treaty.

Since then, at every annual COP meeting, nations have wrangled over agreeing to new targets to replace those made at Kyoto.

The most recent, the 2015 Paris Agreement at COP 21, was hailed as a major success, but little progress has been made since then and former U.S. President Donald Trump damaged its credibility when he pulled out of the deal in 2016.

The first Conference of the Parties (COP) summit, which took place in Berlin in 1995 and was led by Angela Merkel (pictured) when she was Germany's environment minister, laid the groundwork for the third, where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Japan in 1997

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol marked the first time that binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were set  but only for industrialised nations. Above: The then U.S. Vice President Al Gore with Japan's prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and the country's environment chief Hiroshi Oki

The 2015 Paris Agreement at COP 21, was hailed as a major success, but little progress has been made since then and former U.S. President Donald Trump damaged its credibility when he pulled out of the deal in 2016

The early history

Scientists have been demonstrating the impact of changing carbon dioxide levels since before the end of the 19th century.

The so-called 'greenhouse effect', the process by which carbon dioxide traps heat in the earth's atmosphere, was first recognised by French scientists Joseph Fourier in 1824.

In 1861, Irish physicist John Tyndall measured the absorption of heat by greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide in his laboratory in London, publishing a paper on his findings in 1861.

A few years before him American female scientist Eunice Newton Foote conducted an experiment revealing the heat-trapping properties of carbon dioxide, and warned in a scientific paper in 1856 that an atmosphere of that gas would give the Earth a high temperature.

Then, in 1896, Swedish physicist Svante Arrhenius published a paper on ice ages which estimated temperature changes due to changing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The so-called 'greenhouse effect', the process by which carbon dioxide traps heat in the earth's atmosphere, was first recognised by French scientists Joseph Fourier (left) in 1824. Then, in 1896, Swedish physicist Svante Arrhenius (right) published a paper on ice ages which estimated temperature changes due to changing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

He was followed a few years later by fellow Swede Nils Ekholm suggesting the gas could increase in the atmosphere over the coming millennium due to the burning of coal, which would warm the Earth.

In 1938 Guy Callendar, an amateur meteorologist who collected and combined thousands of observations of temperature and carbon dioxide from around the world, was the first to show that human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide were contributing to rising global temperatures.

Oceanographer Roger Revelle first briefed the US Congress on climate change in 1956, warning that 'we are making perhaps the greatest geophysical experiment in history'.

Shortly afterwards, Charles David Keeling started measuring carbon dioxide at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, producing the 'Keeling Curve' - a clear record of rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

Two decades later Nasa scientist James Hansen's testimony to Congress in 1988 was front page news: he told a Senate committee that global warming was 'already happening now' and was almost certainly not due to natural variation.

In 1938 Guy Callendar (left), an amateur meteorologist who collected and combined thousands of observations of temperature and carbon dioxide from around the world, was the first to show that human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide were contributing to rising global temperatures. Oceanographer Roger Revelle (right) first briefed the US Congress on climate change in 1956, warning that 'we are making perhaps the greatest geophysical experiment in history'

The first global agreement on climate change came three years later, at the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro. Above: The then presidential candidate Bill Clinton speaks to the summit in June 1992

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the UN at the end of that year, to prepare a comprehensive review of the state of knowledge of the science of climate change and its impacts.

By then, calls were growing for an international treaty on climate change.

Hopes that something could be agreed were boosted by the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which led to the phasing out of CFC chemicals that were damaging the ozone layer.

Calls for change

In 1989, Mrs Thatcher warned that 'the problem of global climate change is one that affects us all and action will only be effective if it is taken at the international level.

'It is no good squabbling over who is responsible or who should pay.

'Whole areas of our planet could be subject to drought and starvation if the pattern of rains and monsoons were to change as a result of the destruction of forests and the accumulation of greenhouse gases.

'We have to look forward not backward and we shall only succeed in dealing with the problems through a vast international, co-operative effort.'

She pushed for a global convention on climate change, what she called a 'good conduct guide for all nations.'

The PM, who by November that year would be turfed out of office, warned that there needed to be 'binding' protocols, with 'effective regimes to supervise and monitor their application'.

It was Margaret Thatcher in her final full year as Prime Minister in 1989 who called for a global agreement to tackle the problem, as she warned that the planet could be subject to 'drought and starvation' if greenhouse gas emissions continued unabated. Above: Mrs Thatcher made her plea in a speech to the United Nations

In 1989, Mrs Thatcher warned that 'the problem of global climate change is one that affects us all and action will only be effective if it is taken at the international level'

That same year, the IPCC' first report warned that 'emissions resulting from human activities are substantially increasing the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.'

When and where? The 26 COP summits (so far) COP 1, 1995: Berlin, Germany COP 2, 1996: Geneva, Switzerland COP 3, 1997: Kyoto, Japan COP 4, 1998: Buenos Aires, Argentina COP 5,1999: Bonn, Germany COP 6, 2000: The Hague, Netherlands COP 7, 2001: Marrakech, Morocco COP 8, 2002: New Delhi, India COP 9, 2003: Milan, Italy COP 10, 2004: Buenos Aires, Argentina COP 11, 2005: Montreal, Canada COP 12, 2006: Nairobi, Kenya COP 13, 2007: Bali, Indonesia COP 14, 2008: Poznan, Poland COP 15, 2009: Copenhagen, Denmark COP 16, 2010: Cancun, Mexico COP 17, 2011: Durban, South Africa COP 18, 2012: Doha, Qatar COP 19, 2013: Warsaw, Poland COP 20, 2014: Lima, Peru COP 21, 2015: Paris, France COP 22, 2016: Marrakech, Morocco COP 23, 2017: Bonn, Germany COP 24, 2018: Katowice, Poland COP 25, 2019: Madrid, Spain COP 26, 2021: Glasgow, United Kingdom Advertisement

The first climate summit and COP meeting

The first global agreement on climate change came two years later, at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The objective of the treaty which was signed by world leaders including Mrs Thatcher's successor John Major, was to 'stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system'.

In simpler terms, the aim was to prevent carbon emissions caused by humans from negatively effecting the world's climate.

Since the first in 1995, a COP summit has been held each year.

COP 1 in Berlin was led by Germany's then-environment minister Angela Merkel.

Whilst the negotiations were fruitful, signs of trouble were evident when the United States pushed back on agreeing to legally binding targets and timetables.

The Kyoto Protocol

The success of the Berlin summit lay in the fact that the document signed by those who took part laid the groundwork for what became the Kyoto Protocol, which was signed at COP 3 in Japan in 1997.

This was the first time that binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were set for industrialised nations.

The legally binding treaty required only developed countries to reduce emissions by an average of 5 per cent below 1990 levels and established a system to monitor countries' progress.

China and India, which were among the biggest emitters on the planet, were not required to take action and the precise details of the targets were to be negotiated at successive COP summits.

These included COP 4 in Buenos Aires in 1999, COP 5 in Bonn in 1999, COP 6 in The Hague.

However, the protocol was dealt a serious blow when, in 2001  four years before it entered into force  the newly-elected President Bush announced that ratifying it was not in the 'economic best interest' of his country, even though it was the world's biggest emitter of CO2.

The Protocol did still come into effect in 2005 at COP 11 in Montreal, after it was ratified by enough countries to account for at least 55 per cent of global emissions.

But whilst all 36 countries which fully participated in the first commitment period, which ran from 2008 until 2012, successfully met the targets which had been set, global emissions still rose by 36 per cent between 1990 and 2010.

In 2007, at COP 13 in Bali, participating governments agreed that the Kyoto Protocol was too limited in scope because it focused only on developed nations and ignored the rocketing emissions of countries such as China and India.

With the Bali Roadmap, it was hoped that there could be a global agreement within the next two years which would see both developed and developing nations adopt targets to curb emissions.

Delegation members from about 170 countries listen in Kyoto to a speech during the opening session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The Kyoto Protocol was dealt a serious blow when, in 2001  four years before it entered into force  the newly-elected President Bush announced that ratifying it was not in the 'economic best interest' of his country, even though it was the world's biggest emitter of CO2

The objective of the 1992 treaty which was signed by world leaders including Mrs Thatcher's successor John Major, was to 'stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system'. In simpler terms, the aim was to prevent carbon emissions caused by humans from negatively effecting the world's climate

COP 1 in Berlin was led by Germany's then-environment minister Angela Merkel. Whilst the negotiations were fruitful, signs of trouble were evident when the United States pushed back on agreeing to legally binding targets and timetables

Failure in Copenhagen

But at COP 15 in Copenhagen in 2009, the world's nations failed to reach an agreement on binding commitments for when the initial Kyoto targets expired in 2012.

They had been hampered by the effects of the global financial crisis which began two years earlier, along with acrimony between individual nations.

Instead, participants only came up with a nonbinding agreement that global temperatures should not increase by 2 degrees Celsius (35F) above preindustrial nations.

The then U.S. President Barack Obama warned that the accord was 'not enough'.

At COP 15 in Copenhagen in 2009, the world's nations failed to reach an agreement on binding commitments for when the initial Kyoto targets expired in 2012. Above: The then US President Barack Obama speaking at the conference

The situation was made even starker when NASA announced that the first decade of the 20th century had been the warmest on record.

Further wrangling

At COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico, in 2010, countries including China, India and the U.S. did commit for the first time to keep global temperature increases below 2C.

A pot of money set up called the Green Climate Fund  which was meant to be $100billion to help developing countries mitigate the effects of climate change  was also set up. But, by 2019, little more than $3billion had been contributed.

COP17 in Durban, South Africa, in 2011, nearly collapsed before anything had even been agreed when China, the U.S. and India rejected a proposed new legal commitment to replace the first set of emission reductions agreed to in the Kyoto Protocol.

COP17 in Durban, South Africa, in 2011, nearly collapsed before anything had even been agreed when China, the U.S. and India rejected a proposed new legal commitment to replace the first set of emission reductions agreed to in the Kyoto Protocol. Above: The UK's then Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne (left) is seen speaking at COP17; delegates are seen sleeping in the conference hall in Durban

However, they did eventually agree to work towards drafting a new, legally binding agreement in 2015 at the latest.

This would differ from the one set out in Kyoto in that it would apply both to developed and developing countries.

Yet, at COP 18 in Doha in 2012, the only moderate success was the agreement for developing nations to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.

By then, hopes for a solution to the climate crisis had already taken further turns for the worse when Canada withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol and Japan and Russia said they would not make new commitments.

At COP 19 in Warsaw the following year, the representatives of developing countries ended up walking out when developed nations rejected another new funding mechanism to help them deal with 'loss and damage' caused by climate change.

The Paris Agreement

It was the landmark COP 21 summit in Paris in 2015 which was hailed by campaigners as being the most meaningful and exciting in years.

The 196 nations which took part agreed to a comprehensive global deal to limit temperature rises to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and to pursuing efforts to curb warming to 1.5C.

Whilst the new deal did see nations agree to submit what were termed nationally determined contributions (NDCs), these were determined by countries themselves and there was no mechanism established to ensure they met the targets.

It was the landmark COP 21 summit in Paris in 2015 which was hailed by campaigners as being the most meaningful and exciting in years. Above, Mrs Merkel, who had by then long been Germany's leader, is seen shaking hands with Prince Charles as former UK Prime Minister David Cameron looks on

Former Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg and Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo pose with thousands of mayors from different cities around the world at the

By the time of COP 22 in 2016, the Paris deal was dealt a major blow when new U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was going to pull his country out of the deal, saying that it imposed 'draconian financial and economic burdens'.

The rules for implementing the the Paris agreement were decided at COP 24 in Poland in 2018, in the same year that the IPCC warned of devastating consequences if the average global temperature rises above 1.5C.

The subsequent summit in Madrid  the final one before the coronavirus pandemic delayed COP 26 until this year - was described as a 'lost opportunity' by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
A British sniper platoon commander who took on eight Taliban fighters at once during an Afghan War ambush is selling his bravery medals for 140,000.

Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens, who retired from the army last month, wants to use the money he earns from the sale of the medals to start a property business.

He was awarded the medals after a treacherous battle with a large enemy force in the Gereshk Valley during Operation Herrick 8 on September 12, 2008.

As he approached a mud-walled compound, he was confronted by the insurgents who bombarded him with heavy small arms fire.

Showing a complete disregard for his safety, he charged at them while 'shooting from the hip', killing two and wounded another.

Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens (pictured), who retired from the army last month, wants to use the money he earns from the sale of the medals to start a property business

He was awarded the medals after a treacherous battle with a large enemy force in the Gereshk Valley during Operation Herrick 8 on September 12, 2008

His fearlessness forced the remaining insurgents to retreat, allowing for the other members of the team to join him in the compound.

After the position was seized he led his men in another assault, throwing grenades which 'overwhelmed' the enemy.

When they finally ran out of ammunition, after three hours of fierce fighting against 10 positions, he successfully extricated his men from the danger area, staying behind till last to cover them.

He was awarded the prestigious Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his 'extraordinary courage, selflessness and leadership'.

C/Sgt Stevens, from the Scottish Highlands, is selling his medals, estimated at 120,000 to 140,000, so he can start a property development business

C/Sgt Stevens, of the Royal Irish Regiment, retired from the army last month after a distinguished 22-year career, during which he completed tours of Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland.

The soldier, from the Scottish Highlands, is selling his medals, estimated at 120,000 to 140,000, so he can start a property development business.

C/Sgt Stevens' Conspicuous Gallantry Cross citation reads: 'Stevens pushed forward with six men to secure a compound from which he could observe the area.

'Approaching the mud-walled compound, he had a sudden meeting engagement with eight Taliban who engaged with heavy small arms fire.

C/Sgt Stevens (pictured), of the Royal Irish Regiment, retired from the army last month after a distinguished 22-year career, during which he completed tours of Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Northern Ireland

C/Sgt Stevens was born in St Helena, the remote British outpost in the South Atlantic where Napoleon was exiled, and joined the army in 1999

'Instinctively, Stevens charged the enemy firing from the hip as he advanced.

'With his initial response, he successfully killed two enemies, wounded another and forced the remainder to withdraw and take cover in a field of corn, 7ft high.

'...Stevens displayed extraordinary courage, selflessness and leadership. He personally engaged and killed several Taliban Fighters and set conditions for the defeat of a strong enemy force.'

C/Sgt Stevens later said of his action: 'We came under heavy enemy fire from three different sides and they were moving to surround us, so I took a team and pushed out to the flank and managed to engage them before they engaged us.

'I came across them, shot them three and called airstrikes on their positions.

His medal group consists of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross; Northern Ireland; Sierra Leone; Iraq; Afghanistan; Diamond Jubilee; Accumulated Campaign Service Medal; Army Long Service Good Conduct Medal

He qualified as a sniper in 2006 and became a sniper platoon commander in 2014, carrying out this role until his recent discharge

He was awarded the prestigious Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his 'extraordinary courage, selflessness and leadership'

Medals awarded to Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens' medals Colour Sergeant Alwyn John Stevens was awarded the prestigious Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his 'extraordinary courage, selflessness and leadership'. His medal group consists of: The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross;

Northern Ireland;

Sierra Leone;

Iraq;

Afghanistan;

Diamond Jubilee;

Accumulated Campaign Service Medal;

Army Long Service Good Conduct Medal. Advertisement

'When you're in a situation like that the training kicks in and you just deal with it and forget about everything else. You don't have much time to think, it is more of a reaction, but if I hadn't done what I did, I probably wouldn't be here today.

'When it comes to a fire-fight you just have to take control, remembering that as well as yourself, you have your men to deal with. You don't question it, you just get on with it. You can't doubt yourself.'

C/Sgt Stevens was born in St Helena, the remote British outpost in the South Atlantic where Napoleon was exiled, and joined the army in 1999.

He qualified as a sniper in 2006 and became a sniper platoon commander in 2014, carrying out this role until his recent discharge.

His medal group consists of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross; Northern Ireland; Sierra Leone; Iraq; Afghanistan; Diamond Jubilee; Accumulated Campaign Service Medal; Army Long Service Good Conduct Medal.

Adam Chapman, medal specialist at auctioneers Duke's, of Dorchester, Dorset, which is selling the medals, said: 'What Colour Sergeant Stevens did that day was astonishingly brave.

'To begin with, he engaged eight enemy combatants after unexpectedly encountering them in a compound.

'That was just the beginning of the firefight, Stevens and his men fought for three more hours, and Stevens personally called in dangerously close airstrikes to accurately target the enemy.

'The patrol only withdrew when running low on ammunition; he organised the withdrawal and stayed behind to cover it.

'It is a true privilege to be involved in the sale; in terms of numbers awarded, the CGC is rarer than the Victoria Cross.'

The sale takes place at The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, on November 6.
CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer was lampooned today for 'going to the wrong city' after he said he was reporting from Edinburgh on the COP26 Glasgow conference.

The 73-year-old veteran broadcaster tweeted a photograph of himself in a studio in front of Edinburgh Castle, 50 miles away from where the event is taking place.

But Twitter users told the American journalist that he was 'in the wrong city', with one saying: 'If you're in Edinburgh you're in the wrong place fella.'

Another said: 'Yeah, that's just down the road from Glasgow. Why not pop over to Loch Ness at lunchtime for a spot of monster hunting?'

A fourth added: 'Morning folks! We're here in Birmingham to bring you full coverage of the royal wedding in London!'

CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer is reporting on the COP26 Glasgow conference from Edinburgh

And another tweeted: 'This reminds me of that time I went to NYC to visit the White House.'

Mr Blitzer tweeted today: 'I'm now reporting from Edinburgh in Scotland where 20,000 world leaders and delegates have gathered for the COP26 Climate Summit.

'COP, by the way, stands for 'Conference of the Parties'. It's the 26th time they have gathered to discuss and take action on this critical issue.'

Following the jokes made by Twitter users, Mr Blitzer later added: 'Coming up, we'll have live coverage of President Biden's remarks at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

'Air Force One landed in Edinburgh and Biden made the drive to Glasgow where he was greeted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson & UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.'

Mr Blitzer had been in Rome for the G20 summit along with fellow reporters Nic Robertson and Kaitlan Collins, before leaving for Scotland yesterday.

One potential reason for him being in Edinburgh is that US President Joe Biden flew into the city in Air Force One this morning from Rome.

MaIlOnline has contacted CNN this morning for comment on the location choice.

It comes as world leaders face calls for urgent action to limit dangerous temperature rises as they gather for a summit at the start of a crunch UN climate conference.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will welcome leaders, will tell them that humanity has 'long since run down the clock on climate change' and must act now to tackle the crisis.

Prince Charles, who is addressing leaders at an opening ceremony for the talks alongside Mr Johnson, is expected to stress the urgency of action - calling for the world to be on a 'war-like footing'.

Around 120 heads of state and government are set to attend the world leaders' summit at the start of the COP26 talks, where countries are under pressure to increase action in the next decade to tackle dangerous warming.

US president Joe Biden, European leaders and India's Narendra Modi are among those attending the talks, although the heads of key major economies including China's Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin will not be there.

The conference in Glasgow is seen as the moment when countries must deliver on pledges made in the accord agreed in Paris six years ago, to limit temperature rises to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to curb warming to 1.5C - beyond which the worst impacts will be felt.

There is also pressure on developed countries to deliver a long-promised $100billion a year in climate finance for poorer countries least responsible for and most vulnerable to climate change, and address loss and damage caused by the impacts of global warming.

And there will be efforts to drive action by countries, regions, and businesses to curb emissions in sectors such as power with efforts to phase out coal, as well as finalise parts of the Paris climate accord agreed in 2015 to make it effective and operational.
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The Queen was out driving close to Windsor Castle today as she takes a two-week break from duties amid fears for her health after her secret overnight stay in hospital late last month.

The images of Her Majesty behind the wheel will ease concerns for the 95-year-old's wellbeing after her aides announced on Friday that she would be taking a fortnight off from her duties on doctor's advice.

That revelation came days after Buckingham Palace was accused of concealing the fact the Queen made a visit to the King Edward VIIs Hospital in central London when officials insisted she was well and at Windsor. Royal aides later admitted the overnight stay was for preliminary investigations with the exact reason still unknown.

But as Her Majesty was forced to miss the COP26 conference in Glasgow, the monarch was behind the wheel of her green Jaguar that she uses to ferry her beloved corgis for a morning walk on her Berkshire estate today. She will instead welcome assembled delegates to Britain with an already recorded video message with Prince Charles and Camilla representing the Royal Family in Scotland this afternoon.

Wearing sunglasses and a headscarf, the Queen looked happy and healthy as she left a rear entrance of Windsor Castle in photographs that will bring joy and relief to millions of people worried for her health in Britain and around the world.

It came as Her Majesty is set to stick to low-key online events and virtual audiences this week as she adheres to doctors orders as part of her determination to be fit for Remembrance Sunday.

Royal sources said that the 95-year-old will follow medical advice to the letter after she was advised to cancel all official visits and rest for another two weeks.

But the monarch has vowed to attend the service at the Cenotaph on November 14, a long morning involving hours of standing up, with one palace source saying: Thats just unmissable, as far as the Queen is concerned. It is one of her most sacred duties.

The Queen driving at Windsor this morning as she takes a break from royal duties on the advice of her doctors. The images of Her Majesty behind the wheel will ease concerns for the 95-year-old's wellbeing

Her Majesty was seen in her green Jaguar estate she uses to ferry her corgis for their morning walk close to Windsor Castle is said to be regularly walking her dogs while carrying out light desk duties

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrive for the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow but the Prince of Wales' mother the Queen will stay away

Last month, the Queen was secretly taken to King Edward VIIs Hospital in central London for an overnight stay.

The 95-year-old Monarch's decision to cancel all public engagements for at least the next fortnight as she recovers from an unknown ailment has raised concerns about a potential leadership gap at the head of the Royal Family (pictured, the Queen last week)

Palace aides are drafting plans for the Duchess of Cornwall to take on a significantly greater role  and it is possible she could even be appointed to an elite group of senior Royals who can carry out duties on behalf of the Queen.

Camilla and Prince Charles are in Glasgow representing the crown today while Prince William will also join the royal charm offensive in Scotland.

The Duke of Cambridge tweeted: 'COP26 is a landmark moment for the future of our planet  Im proud that our @EarthshotPrize Finalists will be joining me in Glasgow to show the world that there is reason to be optimistic'.

Her Majestys decision to cancel all public engagements for at least the next fortnight, as she recovers from an unknown ailment, has raised concerns about a potential leadership gap at the head of the Royal Family if her illness persists or should the 95-year-old Monarch be incapacitated in the future.

So far, the Queen has continued to carry out her duties as Head of State, despite having to reluctantly cancel a number of high-profile engagements over the past few weeks.

The Monarch is still receiving her daily red boxes of Government documents. But constitutional experts last night expressed concern about the preparedness of the Royal Family if she becomes unable to fulfil the basic role of a Head of State.

Buckingham Palace says her medical team is simply taking sensible precautions and Boris Johnson yesterday described the Queen as being on good form when they spoke last week.

Significantly, however, sources say that Camilla, who was praised for a speech last week in which she called for more urgent action to tackle sexual violence against women, will be asked to help manage the workload.

Under rules enshrined in law and detailed on the official Royal website, four members of the family are currently entitled as Counsellors of State to take over from the Queen if she is unable to perform her duties  if, for example, she were abroad or unwell.

Palace aides are drafting plans for the Duchess of Cornwall to take on a significantly greater role - and she could even be appointed to an elite group of senior Royals who can carry out duties on behalf of the Queen (pictured, the Queen with Camilla in 2019)

What would happen if the Queen became too ill to carry on? Q: Is the Queen currently unable to fulfil her duties? A: No. The Palace says she is carrying out light duties, which include those required as Head of State. Q: What would happen if she became too ill to work? A: The Counsellors of State, usually the Monarchs spouse plus those in the direct line of succession, would be given the power to carry out the Queens official duties. Q: Who are the current Counsellors? A: Princes Charles, William, Harry and Andrew. Counsellors must live in the UK, which Harry does not, and be over the age of 21 unless they are the direct heir to the throne, when the age restriction is lowered to 18. Q: What would they do? A: The Queens approval is needed for a range of decisions to become law, though she has no real decision-making power. It includes giving Royal assent to bills passed by Parliament, appointing judges and Queens Council, ratifying treaties and appointing peers. If the Queen is unfit or unable to read and understand the necessary papers and sign her consent, the job would fall to the Counsellors. Two are needed to approve documents on behalf of the Queen. Q: What can they not do? A: Counsellors do not have decision-making powers, meaning they cannot dissolve Parliament except with the express declaration of the Sovereign. The Counsellors cannot appoint a Prime Minister, preside over Commonwealth matters or grant titles and they cannot make changes to the order of succession. Q: When was the last time the Counsellors were called on? A: The Counsellors can be asked to take over when the Monarch is overseas, as well as when they are incapacitated. It is thought that the last time the Sovereigns power was passed to the Counsellors of State was in 2015 when the Queen went to Malta with Prince Philip. Q: What would happen if the Queen were to become permanently physically or mentally unfit to continue? A: While there is no suggestion of this at present, it would spark a full Regency under the 1937 Act. At least three of the following  Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Lord Chief Justice of England Lord Burnett and Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos  would have to declare in writing they are satisfied with medical opinions that the Sovereign was unfit to rule. Charles would swear an oath as Prince Regent and assume the powers of the Monarch. Q: Could the Duchess of Cornwall be made a Counsellor? A: While Camilla is not in the direct line to the throne, the Queen could make her a Counsellor and she would automatically become one when Charles is King. Q: Could Harry and Andrew be removed without their consent, and if that happened who might replace them? A: It is considered unlikely that the Queen would remove Harry and Andrew, but Charles may have more appetite to do so. If Harry were removed, Princess Beatrice would be the next in line, but the Monarch might instead choose to appoint her daughter Princess Anne or youngest son Prince Edward, who are both full-time working Royals. Advertisement

These Counsellors are Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, chosen because they are the four next in line to the throne and at least over the age of 18. This rules out Williams children George, Charlotte and Louis.

But neither Prince Andrew  who is fighting sex claims lodged in the US  nor Prince Harry, who has quit official duties and now lives in California, are currently working members of the Royal Family.

Vernon Bogdanor, the author of Monarchy And The Constitution and professor of government at Kings College London, said: A Counsellor not domiciled in the UK cannot act, so that excludes Harry. The next in line and over the required age of 21 would be Princess Beatrice. However, most of the functions of the Head of State can be devolved. It is not, for example, constitutionally necessary for the Queen to attend the State Opening of Parliament.

Two Counsellors of State are required to act together in a quorum to perform crucial functions, such as providing Royal assent to bills passing through Parliament and appointing High Court judges. Without such assent, these functions of Government cannot be enacted.

Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, said the current situation posed a potential problem for the smooth running of Government. There is a small but genuine risk that the non-availability of Counsellors of State could impede the operation of the constitution. It could certainly make the day-to-day running of Government much more tricky.

The Counsellors of State are a Plan B from a constitutional point of view, but what happens when Plan B isnt quite ideal? The Queen may look to add the Duchess of Cornwall, who would become a Counsellor of State when Charles is King anyway. Or they could go down the line to Princesses Beatrice or Eugenie, or add more members of the family, like Princess Anne or Prince Edward to the list.

A source close to the Palace said: This is a constitutional headache. With an ageing monarch there are talks about what will happen if the Queen is unable to work for some reason. You cant have Andrew and Harry do it and Charles and William are extremely busy.

There is precedent for Counsellors of State stepping in. During the Queen and Prince Philips tour of New Zealand in 1974, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret enacted the Queens wishes to dissolve Ted Heaths Government.

Mr Johnson yesterday sought to allay any alarm about the Queen, saying the public must respect her need to rest for a short period of time.

Speaking to ITV News in Rome during the G20 summit, he said: I spoke to Her Majesty, as I do every week as part of my job, and she was on very good form. She has been told by her doctors that she has got to rest, and I think we have got to respect that and understand that. Everybody wishes her all the very best.

As well as speaking to Mr Johnson, the Queen talked to Chancellor Rishi Sunak ahead of his Budget announcement and recorded a speech at Windsor Castle which will be shown at the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow tomorrow.

The Queen was forced to cancel a trip to Northern Ireland earlier this month on the advice of doctors.

The announcement that she will rest for at least another fortnight means she will miss the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. But she hopes to be fit enough to attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on November 14. Prince Charles will lay a wreath on behalf of his mother, as he has done in recent years, with the plan for her to again watch from a nearby balcony.

Charles will then fly out for an official tour of Jordan and Egypt, effectively leaving William as the only Counsellor of State.

A Royal insider said: The Counsellors of State are there to provide a more temporary stopgap. I expect that quite an extraordinary series of events would be required to lead to a Regency. Her Majesty will be committed to carrying out her duties as long as she possibly can.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

Prince Charles arrives at COP26 summit with Camilla where he will call for the world to be on 'war-like footing' in battle with climate change in address to leaders

Prince Charles has arrived in Glasgow for the UN climate change conference ahead of giving a speech to world leaders.

He carried a huge folder and posed for photographs with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall as COP26 kicked off.

The Prince of Wales, who will address leaders alongside Boris Johnson, is expected to stress the urgency of action - calling for the world to be on a 'war-like footing'.

The Royal will warn: 'We have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing.'

He will urge world leaders to systematically engage with business to solve the climate crisis.

Charles will add: 'We need a vast military-style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector, with trillions at its disposal.'

The Duke of Cornwall carried a large folder and posed for photos with wife Camilla as COP26 kicked off

He was among those who travelled by non-commercial plane from the G20 in Rome, MailOnline revealed

A source insisted he would have 'only agreed to travel' after checking the aircraft was using sustainable fuel

The Royal (pictured with a huge file today) will warn: 'We have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing'

Prince Charles smiles through his mask at a delegate as he attends the opening ceremony of COP26

Pictured: Billionaire Jeff Bezos (centre) and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez (right) meet with Britain's Prince Charles (left) last night in Dumfries House's Blue Drawing Room on the eve of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow

Prince Charles was among those who travelled by non-commercial plane from the G20 in Rome, MailOnline revealed.

But a source insisted he would have 'only agreed to travel' after checking the aircraft was using sustainable fuel.

A Clarence House spokesman said: 'His Royal Highness has personally campaigned for a shift towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel and would only undertake travel to Rome when it was agreed that sustainable fuel would be used in the plane.'

The spokesman said sustainable fuel would be used 'wherever possible... from now on'.
The long-tailed bat, or pekapeka-tou-roa, has won New Zealand's Bird of the Year

A bat has won New Zealand's 2021 Bird of the Year, infuriating bird-lovers in the country.

It is the first time New Zealand's only native land mammal has been included in Forest & Bird's annual contest.

After a two-week campaign that 'nearly broke the internet and turned friends against one another' the long-tailed bat, also known as pekapeka-tou-roa, won the competition.

The long-tailed bat, also known as pekapeka-tou-roa, has won New Zealand's 2021 Bird of the Year, infuriating bird-lovers

The bat is New Zealand's only land mammal and as such as raised a fair few eyebrows with its Bird of the Year win

Yet the victory infuriated some people.

Fuming Twitter users called it a 'total farce' and said the win had 'eroded faith in the democratic process'.

Another bird-lover said there needed to be a recount by conservation organisation the Forest and Bird, which runs the competition.

However, some people celebrated the win. Social media user Sophiane said: 'Thank you for bringing awareness to this amazing species.'

Bird of the Year spokeswoman Laura Keown said: 'I think I'm going to be fired.

'Kiwis clearly love their native bat.

'The campaign to raise awareness and support for this little flying furball has captured the nation.

'A vote for bats is also a vote for predator control, habitat restoration, and climate action to protect our bats and their feathered neighbours.'

A cloud of long-tailed bats, also known as pekapeka-tou-roabats, huddle togerther. Bird of the Year spokeswoman Laura Keown said: 'Kiwis clearly love their native bat'

She said: 'A vote for bats is also a vote for predator control, habitat restoration, and climate action to protect our bats and their feathered neighbours.' Pictured: The long-tailed bats at night as they start to rouse

Ben Paris is a senior conservation advisor at Auckland Council and a New Zealand Batman.

He said: 'Long-tailed bats, or pekapeka-tou-roa, are a unique part of Aotearoa's biodiversity, but lots of people don't know they even exist.

'There are pekapeka projects spanning the whole country with conservation communities doing great work with our bats.

The controversial win by the long-tailed bat left some bird-lovers fuming. One social media user called it a 'total farce'

Meanwhile another wrote on Twitter that the win had 'eroded faith in the democratic process'

Fans of the competition demanded that the Forest and Bird conservation organisation 'recount' the vote

Yet others online thanked the organisation's competition for bringing recognition to the 'amazing species'

'The more citizen scientists we have out there looking for pekapeka the more conservation work we can do to understand and help them.

'These bats were added to Forest & Bird's competition to help people get to know them, and their story has flown around the world.'

The competition began seven years ago as a way to raise awareness about New Zealand's native birds, many of face extinction.

The hihi - a songbird which boasts extra large testicles - was one of the competitors at last year's New Zealand's Bird of the Year. It was endorsed by a local sex shop but was beaten by the kakapo, or owl parrot (File image)

It has proved extremely popular with even the country's top politicians wading into the debate.

Last year a songbird that boasted extra large testicles was among the contenders competing to be crowned New Zealand's Bird of the Year after it was endorsed by a local sex shop.

Last year the kakapo, or owl parrot, won the competition. The large, flightless and nocturnal bird lives on the ground as opposed to in a tree nest and typically has light green plumage

The yellow-eyed penguin stole the show in 2019 with its piercing gaze and pointed beak. The penguin is piscivorous, meaning it primarily eats fish

The winner of the 2018 competition was the kereru, a New Zealand pigeon with a white breast and a shimmering green-blue neck and head

The hihi, also known as the stitchbird, is a medium-sized songbird that inhabits the mature native forest of some of New Zealand's smaller islands.

According to New Zealand Birds Online, the hihi has the notable distinction of having testicles 'four times larger than expected' based on its body size.

Its sizeable scrotum was just one of the attributes that attracted the support of the Adult Toy Megastore, which nominated the hihi in the country's much-loved annual competition.

Polyamorous partnerships - unusual among birds - are the reason for the hihi's larger loins as more sperm is required to mate with multiple females.
Peter Navarro said in a new book coming out this week that Dr. Anthony Fauci damaged the U.S. and former President Donald Trump more than 'the Bat Lady of Wuhan.'

The former Trump economic adviser is referring to Shi Zhengli, a Chinese virologist who researches SARS coronaviruses originating from bats at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where COVID-19 is thought to have originally leaked from.

Navarro writes: Dr. Fauci did 'more damage to this nation, President Trump and the world than anyone else this side of the Bat Lady of Wuhan.'

In the book, the ex-Trump aide holds Fauci accountable for 'everything from the Wuhan lab gain-of-function catastrophe and suppression of low-cost therapeutics such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to the political, partisan and deadly delay in delivering the Trump vaccines to the American people.'

'In Trump Time, A Journal of America's Plague Year' will become widely available on Tuesday.

Former Trump economic adviser Peter Navarro writes in his new book that Dr. Anthony Fauci did 'more damage to this nation, President Trump and the world than anyone else this side of the Bat Lady of Wuhan'  referring to the coronavirus pandemic

According to the New York Post, the book takes aim at Fauci, who served as a chief medical adviser to both President Trump and current President Joe Biden.

Fauci's wrongdoings, according to Navarro, included not telling Trump or the coronavirus task force that he knew the lab in Wuhan was conducting gain of function research on bat coronaviruses.

'In Trump Time, A Journal of America's Plague Year' will become widely available on Tuesday

The top immunologist at the National Institutes of Health has come under fire from Republicans for allegedly lying about his agency funding this research at the lab in China.

Fauci, Navarro writes, 'went behind the back of the Trump White House in 2017 to lift the ban on dangerous 'gain-of-function' experiments.'

'It was Fauci's agency,' he continues, 'that helped fund and orchestrate such experiments at a bioweapons lab in Wuhan, China, where the pandemic almost certainly originated. And it was Fauci who, as we now know from a trove of emails, was being told as early as January 31, 2020, that the virus was likely engineered.'

Navarro also said in his book that Fauci was vehemently against restricting travel from China at the onset of the pandemic when President Trump and some of his aides recommended it before the virus hit the U.S.

The economic adviser claimed that during a Situation Room meeting on January 27, 2020 the doctor said: 'In my experience, travel restrictions don't work.'

Navarro (center) said that during a Situation Room meeting in on January 27, 2020, Fauci (right) tried to deter Trump (left) from banning travel from China, saying: 'In my experience, travel restrictions don't work'

A harsh and repeated critic of Fauci is Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, an ophthalmologist by trade before becoming a senator.

Paul has often gotten into heated and public arguments with Fauci over gain of function research and whether the U.S. funded this type of project in Wuhan that ultimately led to the lab leak that caused the coronavirus pandemic.

The two have even gotten into spats over the definition of the term gain of function, which is a medical research ability that looks to genetically alter the way organisms process viruses.

Specifically in this sense, they are talking about genetically altering a virus to be able to jump from bats to humans and be more deadly or effective in humans.

An October poll shows that confidence in Fauci is dwindling.

The Rasmussen Reports survey taken toward the end of last month shows 49 per cent of American voters think that Fauci is lying about funding gain of function research in China.

Another 33 per cent believe Fauci has told the truth while almost a fifth of respondents  19 per cent  say they aren't sure.

The figure has declined 7 per cent from a June poll, where 40 per cent said they believed Fauci had told the truth.
A Florida educator who was named Teacher of the Year at her school last week was arrested for allegedly striking a student in the face after the girl claimed on social media that the teacher had used the 'N-word' in class.

English teacher Caroline 'Melanie' Lee, 60, was booked into the Duval County Jail on a child abuse charge on Friday and made her initial court appearance on Saturday.

Lee was arrested after calling a student into her classroom to speak privately and allegedly striking the female student on the face and leaving the minor with a bloody nose, according to The Florida Times-Union, citing a Duval Schools Police report. A judge barred her from making any contact with the victim and ordered her to stay away from the school.

The confrontation was instigated by an Instagram post by Duval County Public Schools on Wednesday of Lee being named Teacher of the Year at Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School, according to the police report.

Caroline Lee, 60 (pictured lef tin her booking photo), an English teacher from Florida, has been charged with child abuse for allegedly hitting a student who publicly questioned her use of the 'N-word'

Lee was arrested just two days after being named Teacher of The Year at Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School

A student at the student questioned Lee's selection for the honor, saying she had used the racial slur in class

Lee responded by saying that she had only use the slur only in the context of discussing Of Mice And Men

Several comments on the post questioned the recognition, with one user writing: 'isnt (sic) this the teacher who thought it was ok to say the n word while reading smth (sic) for educational purposes.....'

Lee replied that she only used the slur in the context of discussing John Steinbeck's book Of Mice and Men.

The student shot back that saying the word 'in anyway (sic) doesnt (sic) make it any better.'

On Friday, Lee asked to speak to the student who made the comment about her use of the racial epithet.

When the girl got to Lees classroom, the student said, Lee closed the door behind her. The 5-foot-2, 117-pound teacher then reached across the table and struck the child in the face with the heel of her palm, causing her nose to bleed, according to the police report. She then allegedly continued hitting the girl on the head while calling her a 'f***ing b****,' News4Jax reported.

When the girl tried to stop the teacher from hitting her by grabbing her hands, Lee allegedly kicked the student in her lower leg. She then ordered the child to 'get out.'

On Friday, Lee allegedly struck the student in the face while having a private conversation with her at the school in Jacksonville

Lee made her initial court appearance on Saturday (pictured) and was released without bond

Lee denied physically harming the student, telling a police officer that she only wanted to talk to the student whose Instagram message she perceived as 'a threat to kill her.' But, she added, she was 'not afraid' and 'did not feel the need' to report the message to staff.

The 60-year-old educator, however, could not explain the girl's bloody nose.

School surveillance video showed Lee 'walking at an aggressive pace' to her classroom before the incident and the student, about four minutes later, leaving the classroom holding her face and walking with a 'low demeanor' to a guidance counselors office, where she reported the incident, the responding officer said in the report.

Lee claimed she wanted to talk to the student because she perceived her Instagram comment as a threat. The 60-year-old teacher denied physically harming the girl

Duval Schools Superintendent Diana Greene said in a statement that the allegation was 'beyond disturbing' and that schools officials will cooperate with all investigations.

'What is alleged should never occur  ever  especially in a school setting,' Greene said. 'I have no tolerance for adults who harm children, especially adults in a position of trust.'

Lee was released from jail on Saturday without bond. She is due back in court on November 22.
Cleo Smith's abductor could have travelled 70km south to the nearest town without being picked up on CCTV cameras

Cleo Smith's potential abductor could have travelled from the Blowholes campgrounds 70km south to the nearest town without being picked up on any CCTV cameras.

The four-year-old girl has now been missing for nearly three weeks, with detectives believing there could have been several escape routes that would have seen a kidnapper completely avoid detection during an hour's drive to her hometown of Carnavon.

A complete lack of surveillance cameras in the area as well limited dashcam footage relevant to the time of her abduction mean the desperate efforts to find the young girl have become even more challenging.

The West Australian also revealed everyone at the campground at the time of Cleo's disappearance, as well as any volunteers who have offered to assist, have been extensively searched and swabbed.

One helper told the publication they were taken through a lengthy questionnaire by police about his timeline from the day Cleo vanished.

Cleo Smith disappeared from the Blowholes Campsite (pictured) 70km north of Carnavon on October 16 - the four-year-old has now been missing nearly three weeks

Police believe her abductor could have travelled an hour south to the town of Carnavon (pictured) without detection due to a lack of surveillance cameras

Detectives are focusing in on a yet to be identified car that was seen leaving the Blowholes carpark at about 3am on the morning of the potential abduction.

Last week WA Police confirmed they have spoken with more than 100 people who had been at the campsite on or around October 16, with dozens coming forward to help in their investigation.

Taskforce Rodia, the special unit set up for Cleo, has reviewed CCTV footage from the area as well as dashcam footage and anything else relevant to the search.

They now believe the abductor could have left the campsite and driven south to Carnavon along several routes without detection given a lack of cameras in the region.

With a lack of DNA evidence, no eye witnesses and the worrying CCTV black spots, authorities fear a kidnapper could have already moved a distance away from the scene without detection.

Detectives are focusing in on a yet to be identified car that was seen leaving the Blowholes carpark at about 3am the morning of the abduction (pictured, police scour garbage bags from the area for clues)

They now believe a potential abductor could have left the campsite and driven south to Carnavon without detection given a lack of cameras in the region

The only lead investigators have is the 'passenger car' that was seen by two people leaving the area at about 3am.

Despite several appeals from police for the driver to come forward, no one has nominated themselves as the reported vehicle.

There is no CCTV captured of the car. It is believed to have been travelling on the North West Coastal Highway.

Volunteers said police also put them through an exhaustive process before allowing them to participate or leave the campsite.

People have revealed they'd been swabbed, searched and extensively questioned while involved with the desperate search for Cleo, with police saying it is 'standard forensic procedure'.

Cleo Smith, 4, has now been missing for nearly three weeks after vanishing from the Blowholes campsite in northern Western Australia

'The data is collected through voluntary consent for identifying particulars,' the spokeswoman said.

The process included taking finger and palm prints to have a full record of everyone at the grounds and everyone involved in the search.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday revealed the Australian Federal Police are using sophisticated technologies to help track Cleo down.

Without getting into specifics, he said there are options available to the officers globally that could bring Cleo home.
A leaked text message appears to show that Emmanuel Macron was given warning that Australia could torpedo its $90billion submarine deal with France, as his extraordinary row with Scott Morrison reaches fever pitch.

The French president had claimed he was not informed about Australia's plans to tear up the defence contract until moments before the AUKUS security pact was revealed to the world on September 15.

In a stinging rebuke at the G20 Summit in Rome, he called Scott Morrison a 'liar' for suggesting he was given prior knowledge that the defence deal would be scrapped.

But in a message believed to have been leaked by Mr Morrison's office to show Mr Macron knew the agreement was on shaky ground, the French leader wrote: 'Should I expect good or bad news for our joint submarines ambitions?'

The leak comes off the back of Mr Morrison issuing a stunning reproach to the French leader, lambasting him for 'sledging Australia' in a war of words which threatens to overshadow diplomatic negotiations in Europe.

Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden's claims that he believed France had been made aware of the plans have been brought into doubt thanks to the release of a confidential 15-page document.

An awkward handshake in Rome between Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) and French President Emmanuel Macron (left)

A secret leaked text message (pictured) appears to show that Emmanuel Macron was given warning that Australia would torpedo its $90billion submarine deal with France

While Mr Morrison had conceded Mr Macron was not aware of negotiations with the US and Britain, due to their confidential nature, he says the French leader was told as early as June that Australia was consulting on other options for submarines.

Now the leaked text message from September 13 appears to confirm this, suggesting Mr Macron knew the deal was not secure.

Mr Morrison responded to the message by trying to organise a phone call, The Sydney Morning Herald reported, but it never materialised.

The claims are in stark contrast to the version of events put forward by the French, with Mr Macron stunning reporters in Rome by calling the Australian leader a 'liar'.

A fired up Mr Morrison hit back at the flurry of criticism on Monday, telling reporters at the BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow ahead of the Cop26 meeting he 'wouldn't cop any sledging of Australia'.

Mr Macron made clear during his criticism of Mr Morrison that his comments were aimed at Australia's leaders and not its people, for whom he has 'a lot of respect and friendship'.

Emmanuel Macron (pictured at Cop26 in Glasgow on Monday) has repeatedly claimed Scott Morrison gave him no warning the French submarine deal was to be scrapped

'This was a highly secure decision, a highly secure announcement, over which we had held these things incredibly tightly, not just for many months but in Australia's case for more than a year,' Mr Morrison said.

'It was my obligation to advise him of that directly. He was clearly aware over some months that there were concerns, and they were responding to those concerns.

'We had correspondence and other messaging during that period. And we decided, in Australia's interest, not to go ahead.'

The prime minister made no apologies for cancelling the deal with the French Naval Group, saying it was in the nation's interest.

'We made the right calls for Australia. I don't wish to personalise this,' he said.

'I must say the statements that have been made questioning Australia's integrity, not me, I've got broad shoulders and I can take that, but those slurs, I'm not going to cop sledging of Australia.'

Scott Morrison is seen greeting UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday as they arrived at the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow

An Australian Collins class submarine (front) and the UK nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Astute (rear) are seen at HMAS Stirling Royal Australian Navy base in Perth in October

Joe Biden had also claimed he had no idea the French were not told their deal to build Australia a conventionally-powered fleet of subs would be blown up in favour of nuclear-powered vessels in a deal with the US and Britain.

The US President expressed great concern about the handling of the secret plan, telling Mr Macron it was 'clumsy' and 'not done with a lot of grace'.

'I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going through,' Mr Biden said at the G20 with cameras rolling.

'I honest to God did not know you had not been.'

Mr Morrison would not be drawn on whether Mr Biden had dropped him in deeper trouble with the French.

But a 15-page document drafted by the White House National Security Council raises serious doubts about Mr Biden's account of events.

Joe Biden (pictured at the Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow on Monday) has claimed he thought France had been told their deal was dead - despite internal memos explicitly saying that Australia would not unveil their plans to France until September 16

The detailed plan negotiated by top officials from the US, Australian and Britain describes a timeline of how the world would be told of the new AUKUS security pact, The Australian reported.

The National Security Council document signed off on by Mr Biden's closest advisers explicitly says that Australia would not unveil their plans to France until September 16 - the same day the AUKUS would be announced at a tri-lateral press conference.

It was clear the revelation would send shockwaves through the European powerhouse but the US had drastically underestimated just how furious the decision would make the French.

In response, Mr Macron recalled his ambassadors from the US and Australia kickstarting a bitter war of words and threatening Australia's upcoming free trade deal with the European Union.

The US and the UK will help Australia build nuclear-powered submarines (pictured, the UK's Astute class submarine HMS Ambush)

The G20 Summit in Rome (pictured, leaders on Sunday) descended into a war of words between the Australian prime minister and French president

Mr Morrison said one of the main reasons which contributed to the move away from the French Naval Group was their overblown budgets and failure to meet deadlines.

'We were supposed to have gone through the Scope Two projects gate the previous December and those marks were missed,' he said. 'Ironically, had that been achieved, then quite likely all of this would have been moot.

'That opened up a further opportunity for us to pursue our alternative, which I did, in Australia's interest, and I make no apology for it.'

The prime minister and Mr Macron met for the first since the sub deal collapsed at the G20 Summit in Italy, awkwardly shaking hands before the French president went on a tirade moments after.

'I have a lot of respect for your country. I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people,' Mr Macron told a group of Australian reporters at the G20.

'I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistently with this value.'

When reporters asked if Mr Morrison had lied, Mr Macron replied: 'I don't think, I know.'

French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured with wife Brigitte earlier this month) has accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying

Mr Morrison claims he raised the subject at a private dinner following the G7 meeting in June.

'At our dinner I gave the opportunity for the French to respond to the matters I had raised and that took place over the next few months,' he said.

'Now, we eventually formed the view that we would agree to disagree and the Attack-class submarine would not meet our requirements and we decided, finally, only in the days before the announcement of the AUKUS arrangement and going forward with that decision on nuclear submarines, was that decision finally made.'

After Mr Macron sent the text message on September 13 asking if he should expect good news or bad about the sub deal, Mr Morrison attempted to speak with the French leader via a phone call.

But no such call ever took place and AUKUS was deal was announced 48 hours later.

Scott Morrison (pictured arriving at Cop26 on Monday) has defended his actions over the French submarine deal

Barnaby Joyce, Australia's acting prime minister in Mr Morrison's absence, also entered the fray on Monday.

Weighing in on the diplomatic row, he accused the French leader of overreacting.

'We didn't steal an island; we didn't deface the Eiffel Tower,' Mr Joyce said.

While he conceded he understood why Mr Macron was unhappy, he said he was 'certain that with time, like all things, we can get over this and move on'.
He was remanded in custody and could face jail at his sentencing later this year

Hassini had starred on The Only Way Is Essex - known as Towie - five years ago

Mike Hassini, 26, has admitted drug dealing in court after being arrested

Former The Only Way Is Essex participant Mike Hassini has admitted being a drug dealer and could face a stretch behind bars.

The personal trainer, 26, was found with cocaine, cash and phones at an Essex property where he was living with millionaire girlfriend Jess Milford.

Miss Milford is the daughter of oil trading tycoon John Milford, who is based in Dubai.

Hassini, of Brentwood, was in Towie five years ago and was dropped from the Essex-based reality show for crashing a Mercedes and kicking a police officer.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court this week he was remanded into custody after admitting dealing and possession of criminal property.

Hassini will be sentenced at a later date over the two offences.

Mike Hassini, 26, has admitted drug dealing in court after being arrested by the police

The personal trainer, 26, was found with cocaine, cash and phones at an Essex property where he was living with millionaire girlfriend Jess Milford

Hassini's friend Gary Bear, 23, of Hornchurch, Essex, also admits dealing but denies the property charge and faces a trial over that offence.

Scotland Yard offiers swooped on Hassini in the Emerson Park area of Havering, East London, on April 16.

They found a large amount of cocaine as well as phones and cash. They later charged them with a number of offences.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court this week he was remanded into custody after admitting dealing and possession of criminal property

A Met Police spokesman said: 'Two men appeared in custody at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on April 19, charged in connection with the supply of Class A drugs.

'Michael Hassini, 26, was charged with conspiracy to acquire, use or possess criminal property, being concerned in supply of cocaine and possession with intent to supply cocaine.

'Gary Michael Bear, 23, was charged with conspiracy to acquire, use or possess criminal property, being concerned in supply of cocaine.

'A woman, who was also arrested, has been released under investigation.'
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The boss of the British trawler impounded in Le Havre says he is preparing to pay a 125,000 'ransom' to bring his crew home, MailOnline can reveal.

Andrew Brown, director of Scottish firm MacDuff Shellfish, said he hoped to secure the release of the Cornelis Gert Jan following a court hearing tomorrow and bring the crew home within 48 hours.

A French magistrate will hear legal argument from both sides of the bitter fishing dispute at a court in Rouen tomorrow, just yards from the quayside where the British trawler has been impounded.

The development comes after Emmanuel Macron warned Boris Johnson that France will retaliate unless Britain backs down in the fishing row.

On Monday, a spokesman for the Seine-Maritime prefecture confirmed that the Cornelis would remain in the Normandy port of Le Havre unless her crew paid 'a 150,000 euros deposit'  the equivalent of more than 125,000.

It far outweighs anything the boat might have earned during what started off as a five-day trip to France to fish for scallops.

Mr Brown said: 'Our priority is to get the crew released and bring them home. We expect there to be a court hearing tomorrow or on Wednesday at the latest.

'We consider there are three possible outcomes from this court hearing:

'1. That the charges are dropped and the case is dismissed and the boat and crew are free to go.

' 2. That the court demands that a bond is paid to enable the boat and crew to be released ahead of a trial probably next year.

'3. That the court refuses to release the boat or the crew.

'We do not expect the third scenario. We expect either the first or the second scenario.

'If the court imposes a bond then we will discuss the size of the bond. And depending on the size of the bond, it may take a couple of days to raise the money and for the boat to be released.

'But I maintain our priority is to secure the release of the crew and to ensure their welfare.'

A spokesman confirmed that the Cornelis would remain in the Normandy port of Le Havre unless her crew paid 'a 150 ,000 euros deposit'  the equivalent of more than 125,000

The boat was detained by gendarmes last Wednesday, and escorted to the quayside at Le Havre, where they have remained ever since. Pictured: Crew onboard the Cornelis Gert Jan

The owners of the British trawler will have to pay bail of more than 125,000 before she is allowed to return the UK. Pictured: A man who is believed to be a member of the crew inside the Cornelis Gert Jan

Details of the sum come after Emmanuel Macron warned Boris Johnson that France will retaliate unless Britain backs down in the fishing row

Pictured: Andrew Brown, director of Scottish firm MacDuff Shellfish, said he is preparing to pay the 125,000 'ransom'

Mr Brown declined to discuss whether or not the British scallop trawler had the correct licence to fish in French waters.

He explained: 'These matters are part of ongoing court proceedings so I cannot discuss this.

'This will be argued in court by lawyers.'

Mr Brown confirmed the crew comprised of four British and Irish men and four sailors from Africa and Asia.

It comes as the French pledge to step up similar measures from this Tuesday, in retaliation for Britain not providing enough licences for their boats to fish in UK waters following Brexit.

The boat was detained by gendarmes last Wednesday, and escorted to the quayside at Le Havre, where they have remained ever since.

Their skipper, who has not been formally named, has been charged with 'acts of unauthorised sea fishing in French maritime salt waters by a third-party vessel to the European Union'.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the growing diplomatic row at the G20 in Rome at the weekend.

Mr Johnson said he had been 'puzzled' to read a letter from Paris to the EU apparently asking 'for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU'.

Referring directly to Brexit, the Prime Minister said: 'I don't believe that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and that's probably all I'll say about that.'

In turn, Mr Macron said: 'I don't want escalation. We need to be serious. I don't want to have to use retaliation measures because that wouldn't help our fishermen.'

Mr Brown, director of MacDuff Shellfish, which own the Cornelis, said she was being used as a 'pawn' by the French, and that she had not acted illegally.

Mr Brown said last week: 'We are looking to the UK government to defend the rights of the UK fishing fleet and ensure that the fishing rights provided under the Brexit fishing agreement are fully respected by the EU.'

On Monday morning, the Cornelis was still moored in Le Havre, with her crew of eight on board.

The boat had headed out from Shoreham, Sussex, early last Tuesday morning.

Her seizure is the latest move by France in an ongoing row with the UK over who has rights to fishing grounds in the Channel now Britain has left the EU.

Clement Beaune, France's Europe minister, has said 'we need to speak the language of force' to Britain because it is 'the only thing this government understands'.

He was immediately accused of 'sabre rattling' by British critics, as was Annick Girardin, the Maritime Minister in Paris, who said: 'It's not war, but it is a fight.'

Further retaliatory measures by the French could include a blockade at major ports such as Calais, to keep British seafood imports out.

Yesterday the French president insisted that unless the UK shifted, reprisals will happen within days, saying 'the ball is in Britain's court'.

The combative stance came at a press conference at the end of the G20 summit in Rome - after Mr Johnson told his own briefing for journalists that the UK 'position is unchanged'.

At a G20 press conference, Mr Johnson said: 'On fish, I've got to tell you the position is unchanged. And I'll just say this, for the record. I must say I was puzzled to read a letter from the French Prime Minister explicitly asking for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU.

'I just have to say to everybody I don't believe that that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Trade and Cooperation agreement, and that's probably all I'll say about that one.'

But Mr Macron said: 'The ball is in Britain's court... 'If the British make no movement, the measures of November 2 will have to be put in place.'

In a day of extraordinary briefing, French sources initially claimed that Mr Johnson and Mr Macron had reached a deal on de-escalation during 30 minutes of talks.

There were no officials or cameras present as the pair tried to reach an understanding one-on-one.

That version was rejected by Mr Johnson, who stressed that he viewed Mr Macron as a 'friend' but they had a 'wide-ranging and frank' discussion. 'On fish I have got to tell you the position is unchanged,' he said.

Earlier the PM's spokesman said it is a matter for France to decide whether to back off the threats.

'We certainly stand ready to respond should they proceed with breaking the Brexit agreement,' the spokesman said.

G20 leaders visited the landmark in Rome and wave to the cameras on the final day of the G20 gathering

The leaders seemed to be in a jovial mood as the two-day summit wraps up in Rome - with the action moving to Glasgow for COP26

French officials have warned they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country with British goods from Tuesday unless more licences are granted for their small boats to fish in British.

Other threats have included a 'go-slow' at customs and even increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey.

A French aide told Reuters after thee talks: 'The goal for both the president and the prime minister was to work towards de-escalation.'

French sources told AFP the two sides agreed 'operational measures' to take the heat out of the row in the coming days.

Earlier, they locked eyes as they visited the famous Trevi Fountain with other leaders attending the G20 summit in Rome.

And Mr Macron appeared to shunt Mr Johnson out of the way to get next to Italian host Mario Draghi for photos.

Mr Macron's attack dog, Europe minister Clement Beaune, stoked the row again this morning saying Britain was not acting like a 'friend, ally and responsible partner'

Mr Macron and Mr Johnson kept each other close as they braced for difficult talks on fishing

France 'demands 125,000 for release of British-registered fishing trawler' French courts have demanded a 125,000 'ransom' for the release of the British fishing trawler impounded in the Le Havre port, it emerged last night. Scottish-registered the Cornelis Gert Jan is accused of not having a valid licence to fish in French waters. Its unnamed skipper - believed to be an Irish national - has been charged with 'acts of unauthorised sea fishing in French maritime salt waters' and ordered to appear in court next August. Advertisement

Downing Street said Mr Johnson had raised the 'unhelpful' rhetoric from France during the showdown.

Asked if there were any specific measure agreed to deescalate the fishing row, the PM's spokesman said: 'No. The deescalation as I say would need to come from the French side.'

Pushed on why the French side were claiming that specific measures had been agreed, the spokesman said: 'You would have to ask the French government our position has not changed.'

He added: 'We stand ready to grant further licences as we have done throughout if the requisite evidence is provided.'

On whether the November 2 deadline was now gone, the spokesman said it was 'entirely a matter for the French government'.

The spokesman insisted that Mr Johnson had never sought to 'escalate tensions'. 'We are simply continuing to enforce the law as set out in the Brexit deal.'

The spokesman said: 'It will be for the French to decide whether they want to step away from the threats they have made over recent days of course we would welcome that.'

Mr Macron's attack dog, Europe minister Clement Beaune, stoked the row again this morning saying Britain was not acting like a 'friend, ally and responsible partner'.

However, the UK government has insisted licences are being granted where boats can provide evidence they fished in waters before Brexit, with ministers adamant they will not back down.

Mr Johnson last night warned the EU not to side with France, while Brexit minister Lord Frost threatened to take legal action.

Mr Beaune tweeted in response to Lord Frost: 'After 10 months, when such a significant amount of licences, targeting one country, is missing, it's not a technical issue, it's a political choice and a breach of the TCA.

'A friend, ally and responsible partner should stand by its world and comply with legal commitments.'

He said the retaliation measures threatened from November 2 were 'proportionate'.

'It's positive to read that the UK cares about the TCA; France and the EU expect its full respect and implementation, regarding fishing rights, the Northern Ireland protocol and all other - agreed and ratified - matters,' he said.

Downing Street has stressed that the pair are 'friends' - but behind the scenes anger is mounting about the grandstanding behaviour from France, with Mr Macron facing a presidential election in the spring.

One senior UK official said: 'The French have made their position abundantly clear. They are not interested in a positive and constructive relationship, but only in trying to show that Brexit was a mistake.'

Another added: 'From explicit warnings about stopping energy supply to Jersey to public threats about imposing customs controls unless we comply with their demands, this has been a concerted effort to undermine and now breach the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.'

Emmanuel Macron and Mr Johnson fist bumped despite gearing up for a potential showdown over fisheries

France has threatened border and port sanctions, including increased checks on British vessels, a 'go-slow' at customs and increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey, unless more fishing licences are issued by the UK for small French boats by Tuesday. Pictured: French fisherman in the fishing town of Port En Bessin

French courts have demanded a 125,000 'ransom' for the release of the British fishing trawler impounded in the Le Havre port

Lord Frost yesterday blasted a 'pattern' of threats made by France to Britain and said the UK Government is 'actively considering' starting legal proceedings against the country.

In a series of tweets, the Conservative peer rallied against comments made by French prime minister Jean Castex in a letter to Ms Von Der Leyen, that the UK should be shown 'it causes more damage to leave the EU than to stay in'.

Lord Frost said: 'To see it expressed in this way is clearly very troubling and very problematic in the current context when we are trying to solve many highly sensitive issues, including on the Northern Ireland Protocol.'
A man who strangled a 16-year-old schoolgirl and stabbed her stepfather attacked them after stealing 14,000 from their family, a court heard today.

Chun Xu, 32, is accused of murdering Wenjing Lin - also known as Wenjing Xu - at the Blue Sky takeaway in the village of Ynyswen in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales.

Wenjing lived at the takeaway in Baglan Street with her mother, Meifang Xu, and stepfather, Yongquan Jiang.

At a hearing in Merthyr Crown Court on Monday, a jury of six men and five women heard how Xu was a heavy gambler and owed the family 14,000.

After killing the teenager, Xu is said to have lured her stepfather into the basement before repeatedly stabbing him in the neck and body.

When Mr Jiang asked Xu why he was attacking him, Xu replied: 'Money, money, money.'

Xu has admitted the manslaughter, but not the murder, of Wenjing.

Michael Jones QC, prosecuting, told the court Xu visited the family armed with a kitchen knife, and an hour before the attacks had Googled 'can fingerprints be destroyed by fire'.

When he was later questioned by a psychologist about his fitness to be questioned by police, he said: 'I didn't mean to hurt the little girl. I wanted revenge on her mother.

Chun Xu (pictured), 31, has been accused of murdering Wenjing Lin, 16, in an alleged attack at her family's Blue Sky Chinese in Ynyswen, Rhondda, South Wales, in March

Wenjing Lin - also known as Wenjing Xu - lived at the property in Baglan Street with her mother and stepfather

'She upset me on many times and didn't listen to what I say.'

Xu, also known as Little Gang, was regarded as a nephew to the mother, Ms Xu, as their parents had lived next door to each other in China, but they were not blood relations, Mr Jones said.

In December 2020, the family entrusted Xu with 20,000 that he said he would send back to China for them to pay a friend who had loaned them money to start their business in the UK.

However, Xu only sent some of the money back and gambled away 14,000, which he had then begun paying back.

On March 4, 2021, he rang Ms Xu and asked if he could come to see them, but told her not to tell anyone about his visit.

That night they ate food together and went to bed.

Police at the Blue Sky Chinese take-away in Treorchy, Wales, March 6

Chun Xu appeared at Merthyr Crown Court wearing grey tracksuit bottoms and a jumper today for the beginning of a two-week hearing

March 6: Police outside The Blue Sky Chinese takeaway in Baglan Street in Treorchy

The next morning, Mr Jones said, he 'strangled to death 16-year-old Wenjing'.

An hour before the attack he is said to have Googled different variations of whether 'finger prints on knife will still exist if burnt by fire'.

After killing Wenjing, Xu is said to have lured her stepfather, Mr Jiang, into the basement by asking whether he could have a piece of fish from the freezer.

In the basement, Xu began attacking Mr Jiang with two knives, stabbing him in the neck and body.

Ms Xu then came down the basement stairs and saw the two fighting. She tried to ring a friend, and Xu bit her.

Mr Jiang fought Xu off and went upstairs to find his stepdaughter, Wenjing. He discovered her lying on her back by the takeaway counter.

Despite attempts by the family and then paramedics to resuscitate the teenager, she was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.59pm.

Police found Xu in the kitchen, having cut his own throat. He was treated at University Hospital of Wales before being arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Mr Jones described how 900 was found in Xu's pockets, as well as Wenjing's mobile phone and keys.

He said: 'The defendant therefore had taken from Wenjing in death her purse, keys and mobile phone.'

Mr Jiang was also taken to hospital with 'significant and multiple injuries'.

The defendant denies the charges against him, but admitted to the manslaughter of Wenjing and unlawfully wounding Mr Jiang.

He will be accompanied by an interpreter throughout the two-week trial.

A jury of six men and five women were sworn in by His Honour Judge PH Thomas QC at Merthyr Crown Court.

Xu stood in the dock wearing grey tracksuit bottoms and a jumper and spoke only to confirm his name and give his pleas.

Ms Xu attended court with an interpreter and rested her head on the chair in front of her as the jury was taken through pictures including of Wenjing, and her partner's injuries.

The jurors were also shown bodyworn camera footage of armed police entering the property and of officers inspecting the scene.

Videos and images of the room where Mr Jiang was attacked showed blood covering the floor and freezers.

A statement from Wenjing's teacher Rhiannon Davies was read to the court.

Ms Davies, who oversaw Wenjing's Year 11 at Treorchy Comprehensive School, described her as an 'exceptional' and 'hard working' student.

'Even on the day of her death I was made aware she had logged in for a maths lesson early in the morning,' Ms Davies said.

'She was a fantastic student and is sorely missed.'

The trial continues.
The haunting final words of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins as she lay dying on a Santa Fe film set have been revealed.

'That was no good. That was no good at all,' Hutchins, 42, said seconds after she was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of indie Western Rust on October 21 before succumbing to her injuries.

Hutchins' last words came after lead actor Baldwin discharged a prop Colt .45 revolver that was supposed to be loaded with blanks but contained live ammunition, and were reported Sunday by the Los Angeles Times after a slew of interviews with cast and crew.

Moreover, DailyMail.com has exclusively obtained photos from the late mother-of-one's wedding day 16 years ago, which show the Ukraine-born bride adorned in a long, white gown, accompanied by her parents Olga and Anatoly Androsovych, and her husband, Matt Hutchins.

DailyMail.com has obtained exclusive photos of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (pictured in the white wedding gown) on her wedding day 16 years ago, with husband Matt Hutchins (second from left) and parents Olga Androsovych (at far left) and Anatoly Androsovych

'That was no good. That was no good at all,' the 42-year-old mother-of-one said seconds after she was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of indie Western Rust on October 21 before succumbing to her injuries

'What the f**k just happened?' Baldwin reportedly asked cast and crew members after the shot went off, and Hutchins suddenly stumbled back into head electrician Serge Svetnoy's arms. Director Joel Souza also hit the deck after being grazed.

The actor, perplexed by the incident, had been prepping for a scene that involved him drawing and firing the prop gun.

'So,' Baldwin said to Souza before firing the shot, 'I guess I'm gonna take this out, pull it, and go, 'Bang!'





Serge Svetnoy, at left, has described the harrowing moment he held colleague Halyna Hutchins in his arms after she was accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin

'What the f**k just happened?' Baldwin reportedly asked cast and crew members after the shot went off, and Hutchins suddenly stumbled back into head electrician Serge Svetnoy's arms

The actor then drew the gun - which he had been assured was safe to use by the film's first assistant director, David Halls, being told it was a 'cold gun' - and fired.

But instead of a blank, a live bullet flew out of the barrel, fatally striking Hutchins in the chest, and exiting her body to also pierce Souza.

'What the f*** was that? That burns!' the director reportedly screamed during the ensuing confusion.

Baldwin, shocked, then proceeded to put the gun down, cast members revealed, and looked at his two savaged colleagues.

'What the f**k just happened?' the actor repeated again.

Then, pandemonium ensued.

The incident took place on set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in the desert just outside Santa Fe

'Medic!' someone on the set screamed, The Times Reported, as staffers gathered around Hutchins, who was carefully set to the ground by Svetnoy and was bleeding profusely from her chest.

'I can't feel my legs,' the cinematographer told Svetnoy.

Cast and crew members struggled to stop the bleeding.

At this point, the Times reveals, Hutchins, still conscious at the time, looked up at one of the staffers trying to save her, a boom operator.



'Oh, that was no good,' the sound guy said, taking in the severity of his colleague's injury.

'No,' Hutchins replied, knowingly. 'That was no good. That was no good at all.'

The cinematographer succumbed to her wounds mere hours later.

The Time's report on Hutchins' last words came on Sunday, October 31 - the same day Baldwin and his wife Hilaria came under scrutiny for posting a Halloween photo on Instagram with their six kids - less than two weeks after Hutchins' death on the Rust movie set.

Alec Baldwin, 63, and his wife, Hilaria, 37, celebrated Halloween with their six children on Sunday days after Halyna Hutchin's death on the Rust movie set

In the post, Baldwin's wife, 37, described to her nearly one million followers how 'intense' parenting has been for the couple, while coping with the very public situation surrounding the tragedy involving her husband.

Gun that went off in Alec Baldwin's hands and claimed the life of Halyna Hutchins was used for off-set target practice by crew members and live ammo and blanks were stored together, sources say Alec Baldwin was wielding a vintage Colt pistol The gun that killed the cinematographer on the set of Alec Baldwin's Rust had been used for target practice by crew members, sources linked to the western film's production said. Multiple sources connected to the set of Rust told TMZ that the same Colt pistol that went off in Alec Baldwin's hands, killing Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza, had been used recreationally by crew members. The sources claim that some crew members would go off for target practice using real bullets, and some believe a live round from those practice sessions found its way onto the set. Another source told TMZ that live ammo and blanks were being stored in the same area on set, offering another possible explanation as to how a bullet was fired from Baldwin's Colt. A search warrant released Friday said that Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, had laid out three prop guns on a cart outside the filming location, and first assistant director Dave Halls grabbed the Colt from the cart and brought it inside to Baldwin, unaware that it was loaded with live rounds. 'Cold gun!' shouted Halls before handing the gun to Baldwin, using the phrase to signal to cast and crew that the gun was safe to fire for the scene, the warrant said. Seconds later, filming a scene inside an Old West-style church, Baldwin apparently aimed towards the camera and pulled the trigger, accidentally killing Hutchins as she filmed him, and injuring Souza, who stood behind her. Two production sources who previously worked with Gutierrez-Reed said this was not the first time she was involved in an incident on a movie set. The two sources told The Daily Beast that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had allegedly given an 11-year-old actress a gun without checking it properly while on the set of the Nicholas Cage film, The Old Way. 'There were a couple times she was loading the blanks and doing it in a fashion that we thought was unsafe,' one of the sources said. 'She was a bit careless with the guns, waving it around every now and again.' Sources on the Rust set have said the fatal incident that killed Hutchins, 42, and injured Souza, 48, was a result of production failings from top to bottom. They added that assistant director Halls, who handed the gun to Baldwin and told him it was safe, should have checked the weapon. 'He's supposed to be our last line of defense and he failed us,' one of the sources on set said. 'He's the last person that's supposed to look at that firearm.' A Rust production source told The Daily Beast that there were at least two previous incidents of guns being accidentally discharged by other crewmember on set before Thursday's tragic incident. The source described Gutierrez-Reed as 'inexperienced and green.' Advertisement

Hilaria, however, was criticized as 'inappropriate and tasteless' for posting the holiday snaps - posted during a time where Hutchins' own nine-year-old son would face his first Halloween without his mother.

'Parenting through this has been an intense experience, to say the least,' Hilaria wrote on Instagram Sunday.

'Today, we rallied to give them a holiday. Last min costumesa little hodge-podgebut they were so happy and that warmed my mama heart.'

The couple's fun-loving family photos were released hours after a new report, also from The Times, revealed that there had been at least three other accidental gun discharges on the set in the days before Hutchins was killed.

According to The Times' report, several crew members told the outlet that one of the three incidents involved Alec's stunt double accidentally firing a blank after being told the gun was 'cold.'

In another instance, a young woman working in the props department 'actually shot herself in the foot' with a blank, injuring herself.

What's more, one crew member alleged that there were several incidents throughout the production, citing the fact that there was not an on-site medic present during pre-production.

'Somebody dropped a countersink bit and it stabbed me in the hand. I had to take care of it myself and I'm still healing from it,' a production worker shared.

Another claimed that production leaders were more concerned with their budget than the safety on set.

'It always felt like the budget was more important than crew members,' Lane Luper, the A-camera first assistant, told the newspaper Saturday.

'Every thing was about the schedule and the budget.'

Luper, along with several unnamed crew, also claimed that officials did not send out safety bulletins with call sheets once filming began.

But despite the alleged lack of safety concern amongst production leaders, the crew claims Alec prioritized the well-being of his fellow cast and crew.

'Alec was pretty concerned about safety on set,' a camera technician said.

'He wanted to know where I would be standing when he drew his gun,' echoed another crew member.

'I told him I was going to be standing in a different place, and he said, "Good".'

The weapon used by Baldwin in the incident was one of three prop guns that the film's rookie armorer, Hanna Gutierrez Reed, 24, had set up outside the set location on a gray cart that was left unattended for hours, a search warrant enacted by Santa Fe police revealed.

What's more, Gutierrez-Reed told Rust top brass that she 'wasn't sure if [she] was ready' for such a position, in an interview prior to filming, a podcast interview recently revealed.

The young crew member also admitted in the podcast interview that she found loading blanks into a gun to be 'the scariest' thing because she did not know how to do it and had sought help from her father, legendary gunsmith Thell Reed, to get over the fear.

What's more, head electrician Svetnoy also told DailyMail.com that Gutierrez-Reed, who was named on Friday as the person who loaded Baldwin's vintage Colt pistol, was too young to be doing her job.

According to search warrant executed by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's office last week, Gutierrez Reed was the last person to handle the gun, leaving it along with the two other revolvers unattended on the cart in the early hours of October 21.

It is at this point, the insider reveals, that a group of crew members took the weapons without the director and first director's knowledge, and forgot to unload the firearm in question.

Representatives for the production of Rust did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on the matter, but in a previous statement issued to multiple outlets, Rust Movie Productions said: 'The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company.'

Baldwin, meanwhile, is facing a criminal investigation for his role in the fatal shooting, and has remained largely silent in regards to the incident.
An anti-vax nurse recorded herself as she was escorted out of a California hospital after being placed on unpaid leave for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 due to 'sincerely held religious beliefs.'

'I don't know what kind of pandemic it is if they're firing nurses who are willing to work,' the Kaiser Permanente Hospital nurse says during the five-minute rant.

The viral video, originally shared in the platform rumble and reposted on Twitter by TV personality Gillian McKeith on Saturday, now has more than 5 million views.

It is unclear what Kaiser Hospital in California the unidentified nurse worked at; the group operates dozens of hospitals in the U.S.

'I am being escorted out of Kaiser Permanente Hospital because of my religious beliefs because I don't want to get the jab and, um, I asked all day for someone to explain to me why my sincerely held religious beliefs are not enough for Kaiser,' she begins the video.

A security guard and two other nurses can be seen walking behind the woman in the recording as she defends her decision based on religious beliefs, which she did not specify in the video.

The viral video, originally shared in the platform rumble and reposted on Twitter by TV personality Gillian McKeith on Saturday, now has more than 5 million views. A security guard and two other nurses can be seen walking behind the woman in the recording.

It is unclear what Kaiser Hospital in California the nurse worked at

Gillian McKeith, whose post first brought attention to the video, called the hospital's decision 'coercion'

'And no one was able to do that for me. So now they're escorting me out because I wanted an answer and I'm not leaving without an answer. And I have some nurses here standing in solidarity with me and I appreciate that,' she adds.

The woman then addresses the viewer and says that she is willing to sacrifice her job for her freedom to decline the vaccine.

'I want all of you to count the cost. I want to watch this and think 'What really matters to me?' Because I'm willing to risk my safety and security, my house - everything - for my freedom, and I want you to think about that,' she says.

The nurse then enters the elevator with the security officer and the other hospital employees and questions them about their stances on religious freedoms.

'Let me ask you, do you believe in religious freedom?' she asks.

'I do,' replies the security officer.

'Well Kaiser doesn't,' the nurse says.

She goes on to claim that she had been asking for somebody from HR to explain to her why she could not get a religious exemption but does not disclose her faith or how it directly impacts her decision to get vaccinated.

'So I've been asking and asking and no one would give me an answer. That was at 10.45 this morning that I was told that I'm now being placed on unpaid leave.'

'All I want to do is work. Since the beginning. I've been a COVID nurse since the beginning when we didn't know what was going on. When we didn't know what kind of rooms we were walking into. But that's why we are nurses, and I'll keep doing that, just somewhere else,' she says.

'I want all of you to count the cost. I want to watch this and think 'What really matters to me?' Because I'm willing to risk my safety and security, my house - everything - for my freedom, and I want you to think about that,' she said

Nurses account for most US healthcare workers' COVID-19 deaths. According to a report by The Guardian and Kaiser Health News, more than 3,500 US healthcare workers had died from COVID-19 as of March this year

Halfway through the video, the two other nurses say goodbye to the woman as they voice their disagreement with the hospital's decision.

'It's not right. It's not appropriate,' they say.

The woman follows the security guard to the parking lot and questions him once again about his thoughts on religious freedom.

'What would you do if you were in my shoe? If they were telling you you have to violate your sincerely held religious beliefs or lose your job. What would you do?' she asks.

The security simply responds 'I don't know,' adding that he's never been in that situation.

'It's a slippery slope when you start taking away freedoms. So Kaiser, thank you. Thank you for the money. Kaiser pays well, you know, the devil is in the details,' she says, sarcastically hinting at the the recent strikes held by Kaiser workers over pay and working conditions.

'If it's not the vaccine, it'll be something else. I'm taking a stand because I know this is not the end.

'What kind of pandemic are we living in that my kids have to wear masks to school and they have to get a vaccine - something they're not at risk of dying for - What kind of world are we living in if they're firing nurses who don't want to violate their sincerely held religious belief? Right? It's crazy,' she adds.

While some sided with the woman on Twitter, others called her out for her behavior, arguing that she was putting many at risk by refusing the vaccine

'It's a slippery slope when you start taking away freedoms. So Kaiser, thank you,' the nurse argues in the video

Other Twitter users questioned why the nurse was refusing the COVID-19 and wondered if she had been inoculated against other diseases

'Alternate headline: Kaiser Permanente has a job vacancy for a nurse'

User @RNSue3, a fellow Kaiser nurse dismissed the woman's claims and said there were plenty of nurses willing to abide by the hospital's vaccine mandate and take her position

The nurse is eventually escorted seven floors to her car and says 'thank you,' before ending the video.

While some sided with the woman on Twitter, others called her out for her behavior, arguing that she was putting many at risk by refusing the vaccine.

User @RNSue3, a fellow Kaiser nurse dismissed the woman's claims and said there were plenty of nurses willing to abide by the hospital's vaccine mandate and take her position.

'I am also a Kaiser Permanente nurse. I got vaccinated as soon as I possibly could because I didnt want to endanger myself, my loved ones, or my patients. There are thousands of brand new nurses fresh out of nursing school who cant get RN jobs. Theyll gladly take yours. See ya,' she said.

Other Twitter users questioned why the nurse was refusing the COVID-19 and wondered if she had been inoculated against other diseases.

However, Gillian McKeith, whose post first brought attention to the video, called the hospital's decision 'coercion.'

'Freedom is everything and you must never give it up,' McKeith captioned it.

Nurses account for most US healthcare workers' COVID-19 deaths.

According to a report by The Guardian and Kaiser Health News, more than 3,500 US healthcare workers had died from COVID-19 as of March this year.

Thirty-two percent of the deaths were among nursing staff.

California is the state with the most lives lost to COVID-19 since the pandemic started, with a death toll of more than 71,000 to the date - around 10percent of the more than 700,000 deaths reported in the country

Nurses account for most US healthcare workers' COVID-19 deaths

The US has recorded more than 745,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started

California is the state with the most lives lost to COVID-19 since the pandemic started, with a death toll of more than 71,000 to the date - around 10percent of the more than 700,000 deaths reported in the country.

Seventy-three percent of Californians are now fully inoculated against COVID-19, compared to 57percent nationwide.

Last month, President Biden announced a new executive order requiring all companies with at least 100 employees to garner proof of vaccination from all of their workers. Those who receive exceptions from their employees can opt for minimum weekly testing instead.

The order will affect at least 80 million workers in the US.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which falls under the Labor Department, delivered its final draft of the rule to OMB on October 12. The mandate is expected to take effect shortly after the review process is completed.

If you know the nurse in the video or work at a Kaiser Permanente facility, please email us at newsUS@dailymail.com
Prince Charles has used his COP26 address to demand a 'military-style campaign' to mobilise trillions of dollars of private sector cash to 'save our precious planet'.

The Duke of Cornwall said the pandemic had taught the world 'timelines can be sped up dramatically' when everyone 'agrees on the urgency and the direction'.

The future king said top CEOs and businesses he had spoken to confirmed they were ready to do their part to protect the globe from climate change.

Charles said the strength of the 'global private sector' was greater than governments and represented the only 'real prospect' of fundamental change.

The Prince was pictured speaking to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez about climate change at Dumfries House last night.

His passionate plea for action came as he addressed world leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow today.

The Royal took to the stage after an emotive video showed the devastation humans had done to the planet.

On his way up the steps Charles, 72, stumbled but managed to regain his stride before delivering his speech.

Prince Charles has demanded a 'military-style campaign' to mobilise trillions of dollars of private sector cash to 'save our precious planet'

The future king said top CEOs and businesses he had spoken to confirmed they were ready to do their part to protect the global from climate change

Prince Charles's passionate plea for action came as he addressed world leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow today

Prince Charles gestures as he walks past Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau afte rhis speech today

The Prince of Wales appears to struggle with his face covering as he tries to put it back on next to Justin Trudeau, Canada's PM

Prince Charles smiles through his mask at a delegate as he attends the opening ceremony of COP26

Prince Charles's speech to world leaders at the COP26 summit in full: The pandemic has shown us just how devastating a global cross border threat can be. Climate change and biodiversity loss are no different. in fact they pose an even greater existential threat. To the extent we have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing. Having the opportunity of consulting many of you myself over these past few months I know you all carry a heavy burden on your shoulders and you do not need me to tell you that the eyes and hopes of the world are upon you to act decisively because time has literally run out. The recent IPCC report gave us a clear diagnosis of a scale of the problem. We know what we must do. With a growing global population creating ever increasing demand on a planet's finite resources, we have to reduce the emissions urgently and take action to tackle the carbon already in the atmosphere including from coal fired power stations. Putting a value on carbon, thus making carbon capture solutions more economical is therefore absolutely critical. Similarly after billions of years of evolution, nature is our best teacher. In this regard restoring natural capital.. and levelling the circular bioeconomy will be vital to our efforts. As we tackle this crisis our efforts cannot be a series of independent initiatives running in parallel. The scale and scope of the threat we face call for a global systems level solution based on radically transforming our current fossil fuel based economy to one that is genuinely renewable and sustainable. So ladies and gentlemen, my plea today is for countries to come together to create the environment that enables every sector of industry to take the action required. We know this will take trillions, not billions of dollars. We also know that countries, many which are burdened by heavy levels of debt, simply cannot afford to go green. here we need a vast, military style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector. With trillions at its disposal, far beyond global GDP and with the greatest respects beyond even the government's of the world's leaders it offers the only real prospect of achieving a fundamental economic transition. So how do we do it? First how do we get the private sector all pulling in the same direction? After nearly two years now of consultation, CEOs have told me we need to bring together global industries to map out in very practical terms what it will take to make the transition. We know from the pandemic the private sector can speed up timelines dramatically when everyone agrees on the urgency and the direction. So each sector needs a clear strategy of getting innovations to mark it. Second, who pays and how? We need to align private investment behind these industry strategies to help finance the transition effort, which means building the confidence of investors so the financial risk is reduced. Investment is needed to transfer from coal to clean energy. If we can develop a pipeline of more sustainable and bankable projects at a sufficient scale it will attract sufficient investment. Third which switches do we flick to enable these objectives? More than 300 of the world's leading CEOs and and investors have told me that along side the promises countries have made... they need clear market signals, agreed globally so they have the confidence to invest without the goalposts suddenly moving. This is the framework I've offered on a Terracarter roadmap created by my stable markets initiative with nearly 100 specific actions for acceleration. Together we're working to drive trillions of dollars into support transition across ten of the most emitting and polluting industries. They include energy, agriculture, transportation, health systems and fashion. The reality of today's global supply chains means industry transition will effect every country and every producer in the world. There is absolutely not doubt in my mind that the private sector is ready to play its part and to work with governments to find a way forward. Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, many of your countries are already feeling the devastating impact of climate change, through ever-increasing droughts, mudslides, floods, hurricanes, cyclones and wildfires. Any leader who has had to confront such life-threatening challenges knows that the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention. So, I can only urge you, as the world's decision-makers, to find practical ways of overcoming differences so we can all get down to work, together, to rescue this precious planet and save the threatened future of our young people. Advertisement

He said: 'So ladies and gentlemen, my plea today is for countries to come together to create the environment that enables every sector of industry to take the action required.

'We know this will take trillions, not billions of dollars. We also know that countries, many which are burdened by heavy levels of debt, simply cannot afford to go green.

'Here we need a vast, military style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector.

'With trillions at its disposal, far beyond global GDP and with the greatest respects beyond even the government's of the world's leaders it offers the only real prospect of achieving a fundamental economic transition.

'So how do we do it? First how do we get the private sector all pulling in the same direction?

'After nearly two years now of consultation, CEOs have told me we need to bring together global industries to map out in very practical terms what it will take to make the transition.

'We know from the pandemic the private sector can speed up timelines dramatically when everyone agrees on the urgency and the direction.

'So each sector needs a clear strategy of getting innovations to mark it. Second, who pays and how?

'We need to align private investment behind these industry strategies to help finance the transition effort, which means building the confidence of investors so the financial risk is reduced.

'Investment is needed to transfer from coal to clean energy. If we can develop a pipeline of more sustainable and bankable projects at a sufficient scale it will attract sufficient investment.

'Third which switches do we flick to enable these objectives? More than 300 of the world's leading CEOs and and investors have told me that along side the promises countries have made... they need clear market signals, agreed globally so they have the confidence to invest without the goalposts suddenly moving.

'This is the framework I've offered on a Terracarter roadmap created by my stable markets initiative with nearly 100 specific actions for acceleration.

'Together we're working to drive trillions of dollars into support transition across ten of the most emitting and polluting industries.

'They include energy, agriculture, transportation, health systems and fashion. The reality of today's global supply chains means industry transition will effect every country and every producer in the world.

'There is absolutely not doubt in my mind that the private sector is ready to play its part and to work with governments to find a way forward.'

The Prince also the world has been put on 'war footing' due to the impact of climate change and loss of biodiversity.

He continued: 'The pandemic has shown us just how devastating a global cross border threat can be.

'Climate change and biodiversity loss are no different. in fact they pose an even greater existential threat.'

He went on: 'To the extent we have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing.

'Having the opportunity of consulting many of you myself over these past few months I know you all carry a heavy burden on your shoulders and you do not need me to tell you that the eyes and hopes of the world are upon you to act decisively because time has literally run out.'

Prince Charles was followed by another video before Sir David Attenborough took to the stage.

Earlier the Royal arrived at the summit with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and posed for pictures for the press.

He carried a huge folder containing his notes as he prepared for the start of the UN climate conference.

The Duke of Cornwall was among those who travelled by non-commercial plane from the G20 in Rome, MailOnline revealed.

But a source insisted he would have 'only agreed to travel' after checking the aircraft was using sustainable fuel.

A Clarence House spokesman said: 'His Royal Highness has personally campaigned for a shift towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel and would only undertake travel to Rome when it was agreed that sustainable fuel would be used in the plane.'

The spokesman said sustainable fuel would be used 'wherever possible... from now on'.

Last night the Prince of Wales sat down with billionaire Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez.

The trio were seen in a photograph shared on Bezos's social media enjoying a cup of tea at Dumfries House, a Scottish country mansion 40 minutes from Glasgow.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, sit as they attend the opening session of the summit

The Prince of Wales greets the President of Columbia Ivan Duque Marquez (right) ahead of their bilateral during the Cop26 summit

The Prince of Wales, who will address leaders alongside Boris Johnson, is expected to stress the urgency of action - calling for the world to be on a 'war-like footing'

He was among those who travelled by non-commercial plane from the G20 in Rome, MailOnline revealed

Mr Bezos and Ms Sanchez were seated on blue Chippendale armchairs surrounded by ornate portraits hanging in the Resplendent Blue Drawing room.

The Amazon boss smiled as the heir gestured close to a cup of tea perched on a table, while Ms Sanchez leans forward, listening intently.

Bezos wrote: 'The Prince of Wales has been involved in fighting climate change and protecting our beautiful world for five decades  far longer than most.

'We had a chance to discuss these important issues on the eve of #COP26  looking for solutions to heal our world, and how the @BezosEarthFund can help.'

Pictured: Billionaire Jeff Bezos (centre) and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez (right) meet with Britain's Prince Charles (left) last night in Dumfries House's Blue Drawing Room on the eve of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow

A picture shared by Jeff Bezos' girlfriend to Lauren Sanchez to her Instagram in which she can be seen speaking with Prince Charles at Dumfries House. 'Discussing climate change with the Prince of Wales. The meeting took place at Dumfries House, his lovely home in Scotland,' Sanchez wrote on Instagram along with the series of photographs

Pictured: Prince Charles (second-right) is seen talking to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (right) at Dumfries House along with Lauren Sanchez (left)

Pictured: Billionaire Jeff Bezos and girlfriend Lauren Sanchez tour around Dumfries House, a Scottish mansion, ahead of the COP26 climate summit set to start in nearby Glasgow

Queen is spotted driving around the Windsor estate as she's seen for the first time since hospital stay after pulling out of COP26 on medical advice

Her Majesty behind the wheel of her green Jaguar estate she uses to ferry her corgis for their morning walk

The Queen is missing COP26 on doctor's orders but plans to be at the Cenotaph in London on November 14

Royal aides are drafting plans for the Duchess of Cornwall to take on greater role as Queen reduces duties

The Queen was out driving close to Windsor Castle today as she takes a two-week break from duties amid fears for her health after her secret overnight stay in hospital late last month.

The images of Her Majesty behind the wheel will ease concerns for the 95-year-old's health after her aides announced on Friday that she would be taking a fortnight break from her duties on doctor's advice.

That came days after Buckingham Palace was accused of concealing the fact the Queen made a visit to the King Edward VII's Hospital in central London when officials insisted she was well and at Windsor.

As Her Majesty was forced to miss the COP26 conference in Glasgow, the monarch was behind the wheel of her green Jaguar that she uses to ferry her beloved corgis for a morning walk on her Berkshire estate today.

Wearing sunglasses and a headscarf, the Queen looked happy and healthy as she left a rear entrance of Windsor Castle in photographs that will bring joy and relief to millions of people worried for her health in Britain and around the world.

It came as Her Majesty is set to stick to low-key online events and virtual audiences this week as she adheres to doctors' orders as part of her determination to be fit for Remembrance Sunday.

Royal sources said that the 95-year-old will follow medical advice 'to the letter' after she was advised to cancel all official visits and rest for another two weeks.

But the monarch has vowed to attend the service at the Cenotaph on November 14, a long morning involving hours of standing up, with one palace source saying: 'That's just unmissable, as far as the Queen is concerned. It is one of her most sacred duties.'

The Queen driving at Windsor this morning as she takes a break from royal duties on the advice of her doctors

Her Majesty was seen in her green Jaguar estate she uses to ferry her corgis for their morning walk close to Windsor Castle

Last month, the Queen was secretly taken to King Edward VII's Hospital in central London for an overnight stay. Royal aides said the trip was for 'preliminary investigations' with the exact reason still unknown.

Palace aides are drafting plans for the Duchess of Cornwall to take on a significantly greater role  and it is possible she could even be appointed to an elite group of senior Royals who can carry out duties on behalf of the Queen.

Camilla and Prince Charles are in Glasgow representing the crown today while Prince William will also join the royal charm offensive in Scotland.

The Duke of Cambridge tweeted: 'COP26 is a landmark moment for the future of our planet  I'm proud that our @EarthshotPrize Finalists will be joining me in Glasgow to show the world that there is reason to be optimistic'.

Her Majesty's decision to cancel all public engagements for at least the next fortnight, as she recovers from an unknown ailment, has raised concerns about a potential leadership gap at the head of the Royal Family if her illness persists or should the 95-year-old Monarch be incapacitated in the future.

So far, the Queen has continued to carry out her duties as Head of State, despite having to 'reluctantly' cancel a number of high-profile engagements over the past few weeks.

The Monarch is still receiving her daily red boxes of Government documents. But constitutional experts last night expressed concern about the preparedness of the Royal Family if she becomes unable to fulfil the basic role of a Head of State.

Buckingham Palace says her medical team is simply taking 'sensible precautions' and Boris Johnson yesterday described the Queen as being on 'good form' when they spoke last week.

Significantly, however, sources say that Camilla, who was praised for a speech last week in which she called for more urgent action to tackle sexual violence against women, will be asked to help manage the workload.

Under rules enshrined in law and detailed on the official Royal website, four members of the family are currently entitled as 'Counsellors of State' to take over from the Queen if she is unable to perform her duties  if, for example, she were abroad or unwell.

The 95-year-old Monarch's decision to cancel all public engagements for at least the next fortnight as she recovers from an unknown ailment has raised concerns about a potential leadership gap at the head of the Royal Family (pictured, the Queen last week)

Palace aides are drafting plans for the Duchess of Cornwall to take on a significantly greater role - and she could even be appointed to an elite group of senior Royals who can carry out duties on behalf of the Queen (pictured, the Queen with Camilla in 2019)

What would happen if the Queen became too ill to carry on? Q: Is the Queen currently unable to fulfil her duties? A: No. The Palace says she is carrying out 'light duties', which include those required as Head of State. Q: What would happen if she became too ill to work? A: The Counsellors of State, usually the Monarch's spouse plus those in the direct line of succession, would be given the power to carry out the Queen's official duties. Q: Who are the current Counsellors? A: Princes Charles, William, Harry and Andrew. Counsellors must live in the UK, which Harry does not, and be over the age of 21 unless they are the direct heir to the throne, when the age restriction is lowered to 18. Q: What would they do? A: The Queen's approval is needed for a range of decisions to become law, though she has no real decision-making power. It includes giving Royal assent to bills passed by Parliament, appointing judges and Queen's Council, ratifying treaties and appointing peers. If the Queen is unfit or unable to read and understand the necessary papers and sign her consent, the job would fall to the Counsellors. Two are needed to approve documents on behalf of the Queen. Q: What can they not do? A: Counsellors do not have decision-making powers, meaning they cannot dissolve Parliament except with the express declaration of the Sovereign. The Counsellors cannot appoint a Prime Minister, preside over Commonwealth matters or grant titles and they cannot make changes to the order of succession. Q: When was the last time the Counsellors were called on? A: The Counsellors can be asked to take over when the Monarch is overseas, as well as when they are incapacitated. It is thought that the last time the Sovereign's power was passed to the Counsellors of State was in 2015 when the Queen went to Malta with Prince Philip. Q: What would happen if the Queen were to become permanently physically or mentally unfit to continue? A: While there is no suggestion of this at present, it would spark a full Regency under the 1937 Act. At least three of the following  Lord Chancellor Dominic Raab, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Lord Chief Justice of England Lord Burnett and Master of the Rolls Sir Geoffrey Vos  would have to declare in writing they are satisfied with medical opinions that the Sovereign was unfit to rule. Charles would swear an oath as Prince Regent and assume the powers of the Monarch. Q: Could the Duchess of Cornwall be made a Counsellor? A: While Camilla is not in the direct line to the throne, the Queen could make her a Counsellor and she would automatically become one when Charles is King. Q: Could Harry and Andrew be removed without their consent, and if that happened who might replace them? A: It is considered unlikely that the Queen would remove Harry and Andrew, but Charles may have more appetite to do so. If Harry were removed, Princess Beatrice would be the next in line, but the Monarch might instead choose to appoint her daughter Princess Anne or youngest son Prince Edward, who are both full-time working Royals. Advertisement

These Counsellors are Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Harry, chosen because they are the four next in line to the throne and at least over the age of 18. This rules out William's children George, Charlotte and Louis.

But neither Prince Andrew  who is fighting sex claims lodged in the US  nor Prince Harry, who has quit official duties and now lives in California, are currently working members of the Royal Family.

Vernon Bogdanor, the author of Monarchy And The Constitution and professor of government at King's College London, said: 'A Counsellor not domiciled in the UK cannot act, so that excludes Harry. The next in line and over the required age of 21 would be Princess Beatrice. However, most of the functions of the Head of State can be devolved. It is not, for example, constitutionally necessary for the Queen to attend the State Opening of Parliament.'

Two Counsellors of State are required to act together in a 'quorum' to perform crucial functions, such as providing Royal assent to bills passing through Parliament and appointing High Court judges. Without such assent, these functions of Government cannot be enacted.

Dr Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Bangor University, said the current situation posed a potential problem for the smooth running of Government. 'There is a small but genuine risk that the non-availability of Counsellors of State could impede the operation of the constitution. It could certainly make the day-to-day running of Government much more tricky.

'The Counsellors of State are a Plan B from a constitutional point of view, but what happens when Plan B isn't quite ideal? The Queen may look to add the Duchess of Cornwall, who would become a Counsellor of State when Charles is King anyway. Or they could go down the line to Princesses Beatrice or Eugenie, or add more members of the family, like Princess Anne or Prince Edward to the list.'

A source close to the Palace said: 'This is a constitutional headache. With an ageing monarch there are talks about what will happen if the Queen is unable to work for some reason. You can't have Andrew and Harry do it and Charles and William are extremely busy.'

There is precedent for Counsellors of State stepping in. During the Queen and Prince Philip's tour of New Zealand in 1974, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret enacted the Queen's wishes to dissolve Ted Heath's Government.

Mr Johnson yesterday sought to allay any alarm about the Queen, saying the public must 'respect' her need to rest for a short period of time.

Speaking to ITV News in Rome during the G20 summit, he said: 'I spoke to Her Majesty, as I do every week as part of my job, and she was on very good form. She has been told by her doctors that she has got to rest, and I think we have got to respect that and understand that. Everybody wishes her all the very best.'

As well as speaking to Mr Johnson, the Queen talked to Chancellor Rishi Sunak ahead of his Budget announcement and recorded a speech at Windsor Castle which will be shown at the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow tomorrow.

The Queen was forced to cancel a trip to Northern Ireland earlier this month on the advice of doctors.

The announcement that she will rest for 'at least' another fortnight means she will miss the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.

But she hopes to be fit enough to attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on November 14.

Prince Charles will lay a wreath on behalf of his mother, as he has done in recent years, with the plan for her to again watch from a nearby balcony.

Charles will then fly out for an official tour of Jordan and Egypt, effectively leaving William as the only Counsellor of State.

A Royal insider said: 'The Counsellors of State are there to provide a more temporary stopgap. I expect that quite an extraordinary series of events would be required to lead to a Regency. Her Majesty will be committed to carrying out her duties as long as she possibly can.'

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
A gang of thieves posing as cops were caught on video barging into the suburban Chicago home of an elderly woman before stealing her medication, and money for a month's worth of groceries and utilities.

Homeowner Ann Robertson, 91, reported Saturday that a man came to the door and told her he was an officer before pushing her aside. Then two other men, claiming to be undercover cops, also entered the home.

The men still are at large.

Robertson, who lives with her husband and daughter, caught the men stuffing their pockets with her possessions.

'My grocery money, my prescription money, my gas money, my utilities money  I had enough money for a whole month,' Robertson told CBS2.

'I was flabbergasted. Everything was gone.'

Neighborhood surveillance footage captured the moment three men were seen leaving the home of an elderly woman after breaking in and stealing her valuables

Ann Robertson, 91, said she believed the men to be police officers as they were seen wearing fake black uniforms

Surveillance footage from the Southwest Sides Clearing neighborhood captured one of the thieves stalking the home before forcing entry. Neighbors said they saw someone earlier in the week driving down the street taking pictures of the home.

Moments before the robbery, footage shows the thief getting out of a black pickup, with no license plate, after parking in front of the Robertson house. He knocks on the door of the home multiple times before Robertson opens the door and he forces his way inside wearing a fake black uniform.

Robertson said she initially trusted the man, thinking he was an actual officer.

The first thief was seen parking in front of the home in a black pickup truck with no license plates

The thief was seen knocking at the door multiple times in front of the home before being let in by Robertson

'I thought he was police. I thought it was safe,' Robertson said. 'He had a round circle that said, Police.'

Robertson also said the man told her he was there to check her 'pipes' before heading inside the home.

'He put me in a chair and he pushed me in front of the sink,' Robertson said.

She said she realized she was being robbed after the two other men entered the home.

'I walked into the bedroom and I saw the three men in my bedroom, and I said: What are you doing here? Get out! Robertson said.

Video reveals the three men leaving the home moments later with their pockets stuffed as they headed toward the black pickup truck.

Robertson's daughter Katie Sigafoose said that the incident has shaken her mother as they did not even open the door for trick-or-treaters on Halloween

Police arrived later at the scene wearing uniforms similar to those of the fake cops.

The robbery has left Robertson and her family shaken, afraid to open the door even for trick-or-treaters on Halloween. They left a note on their door explaining they had been robbed.

'I dont want this to happen to someone else. Its not fair,' Robertson's daughter Katie Sigafoose said. 'People should trust and be trusting, but you cant trust people.'

The issue remains under investigation and the thieves still have not been identified. If caught, they may be charged for impersonating a police officer, which is a Class 4 felony, as well as the theft. Impersonation carries a sentence of up to three years.
Huma Abedin, a one-time top advisor to Hillary Clinton, revealed on Sunday that she had ignored calls from the former senator, warning her against appearing with her husband Anthony Weiner as they dealt with the fall-out from his sex pest scandal.

Weiner had been a Congressman from New York when he and Abedin first met in 2007, but just one year after they were married, he was forced to resign in disgrace after a photo of himself in his boxer briefs was posted on his personal Twitter account.

He then tried to run for mayor of New York, but as he was leading in the polls, explicit text messages he sent to a young woman surfaced and he was once again caught up in a sex scandal.

Still, Abedin stood by his side and defended him in a now infamous press conference - apparently against the advise of the former New York State senator.

'Everyone was calling me and saying - people who loved me - were calling and saying "Don't do this,"' she recounted to CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell in an interview on Sunday.

'I think if I had talked to Hillary or my mother or anybody in my family, they would've advised me against doing it,' Abedin said.

But, she told O'Donnell: 'I didn't take their calls.'

Huma Abedin revealed in an interview with CBS News on Sunday that she ignored calls from Hillary Clinton warning her against appearing with her husband Anthony Weiner as he was caught up in a sex pest scandal

She told CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell that she did not pick up Hillary's calls during that time

The interview on Sunday was Abedin's first-ever television interview, as she promoted her new memoir Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds, which is due out in stores on Tuesday.

The book chronicles her life growing up as an American raised in a Muslim society in Saudi Arabia, her time working with the Clintons, and her marriage and eventual separation to disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner.

Abedin's memoir, Both/And, is due out in stores on Tuesday

As she explained to O'Donnell: 'I think for most of my adult life, certainly in the last 25 years that I've been in public service or the public eye, I have been the invisible person behind the primary people in my life.

'But what I realize [now] is that if you don't tell your story, somebody else is writing your history.'

When asked to comment on her new book by the New York Post, Weiner praised his estranged wife.

'Huma is a remarkable woman who has written a truly amazing book,' he told the Post.

'This is a time for her to tell her story. It is both riveting and ultimately uplifting.'

Abedin and Weiner, 57, are not officially divorced, though they are separated.

When asked about their relationship as it currently stands, Abedin says: 'We are good.'

'He is my co-parent, and I learned the full truth, I processed it and moved on,' she continued.

'I wish him well. He, I hope, wishes me well. I think he does.'

When asked if she is still 'angry' at Weiner, the former member of Congress whose budding political career was destroyed by the scandals, she says: 'I cant live in that space anymore.

'I tried that. It almost killed me.'

Abedin and Anthony Weiner were married in an elaborate ceremony in 2010

Three years later, Abedin stood by his side as he faced renewed sexting claims, saying in a now infamous press conference that she forgives him. She told O'Donnell it is something Hillary would have warned her not to do

Abedin, now 45, served as a top aide for Hillary Clinton for 25 years, standing by her side as Clinton became first lady, a United States senator, a Secretary of State and a presidential candidate.

She first met Weiner, then a Congressman from New York, in 2007, revealing in her book that after their first kiss her 'head started spinning and didn't stop.'

But as they were discussing marriage, she said, Weiner told her, 'I'm broken, I need you to fix me.'

That same night, she said, she picked up his Blackberry phone and 'found a text from a woman, a very flirtatious text from a stranger.

'I was shocked,' she told O'Donnell. 'And I showed it to him right away sand said "What is this? Can you explain this to me?" And he did: He was a public personality and that people communicated with him all the time.'

Abedin said she accepted the answer at the time, and the two got married in a star-studded ceremony at a Long Island mansion, officiated by President Bill Clinton in 2010. At the time, Hillary called the bride the closest thing she had to a second daughter.

But the couple's high-powered political union hit troubled waters the following year.

In May 2011, the same month she found out she was pregnant with their son, Weiner accidentally tweeted a crotch-shot of himself in his underwear to the public, on his official page.

At first, Weiner told Abedin that it was 'the work of a hacker,' which she believed, then after a week told her what had really happened.

''What's wrong?' I asked,' she wrote.

'And then, just like that, life as I knew it was officially over. 'It's true,' he said. 'I sent the picture...

'I was simultaneously filled with rage and stunned to my core. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me and run straight through my body,' she wrote.

Abedin, now 45, served as a top aide for Hillary Clinton for 25 years

She stood by her side as Clinton went from a first lady, a United States senator, a Secretary of State and a presidential candidate

Abedin writes in her book that she had been traveling with Clinton at the time the crotch photo was posted.

She said she went into Clinton's office and sobbed.

'I wanted to tell you myself,' was all I could get out before I burst into tears.

'She walked me over to the window seat, sat with me, rubbing my back, trying to reassure me, telling me over and over again that it was going to be okay. I was crying so loudly that her assistant Claire Coleman closed the door to the outer office...

'After I don't know how long, when I caught my breath, HRC asked, 'Do you still want to go on this trip?'

''I think it's important for me to do my work,' I said, blowing my nose.

''I think it would be good for you to go, too,' she said,' Abedin wrote.

Journalists then began to search for other illicit photos and messages Weiner sent, and by June 6, he held a press conference, confessing that he had sent sexual photos and messages to women online over the course of a few years.

He said at the time he 'deeply' regretted his actions, noting: 'I'm going to try to be a better husband.'

In 2011, Weiner accidentally tweeted a crotch-shot of himself in his underwear to the public, on his official page

Soon, journalists started looking for other illicit photos and messages Weiner sent

He announced shortly thereafter that he was resigning from Congress

Weiner resigned from Congress just 10 days later.

In 2013, he tried using a New York City mayoral race to mark his comeback and was leading in the polls for a while, but in July, a young woman from Indiana named Sydney Leathers shared explicit photos and messages he sent her using the alias 'Carlos Danger.'

Weiner soon admitted he had never stopped sexting, Buzzfeed reported, and around the same time, a former campaign intern decided to write a tell-all about her experience on the campaign.

At that time, Abedin said her 'world exploded again, in the most unexpected, shocking, humiliating way.

Still, Abedin stood by his side and defended him in a now infamous press conference on July 23, 2013.

She told reporters: 'I have forgiven him, I believe in him... I made that decision.

'That was a decision I made for me, for our son and for my family.'

But it is a decision Abedin now seems to regret, as she told O'Donnell on Sunday: 'I think in part it was a financial decision.

'In part, it was - we moved into a duplex and Anthony took one floor and I took another,' she said. 'And we were very concerned about our son and having a stable, you know, routine for him.'

Soon, though, she found out he was having affairs in the apartment.

'It was that moment that I realized the way I had been handling my response to him was not working.'

Abedin and Weiner, seen here in 2015, are now estranged, but have not officially filed for divorce

In 2016, DailyMail.com revealed that the disgraced congressman had an online sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl for months and sent her lewd messages and pictures

Text messages from the time show he once told her he woke up 'hard' thinking about her

By 2016, DailyMail.com revealed that he had been sending lewd text messages to a 15-year-old girl that included more explicit photographs.

Weiner seemed to have known that the girl was underage at the time, but sent her bare-chested photos of himself, repeatedly called the girl 'baby,' complimented her body and told her that he woke up 'hard' after thinking about her.

In one particularly lewd message, he told the teenager: 'I would bust that p***y so hard and so often that you would leak and limp for a week.'

He did not deny sending the messages when DailyMail.com approached him about them and said in a statement: 'I have repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgment about the people I have communicated with online and the things I have sent. I am filled with regret and heartbroken for those I have hurt.'

Weiner and Abedin announced they were getting divorced that August, and in 2017, Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in prison for sending obscene material to a minor.

He served 15 months in federal prison in Massachusetts and three more in a Bronx halfway house.

Hillary Clinton, seen in 1998, herself has had to face a sex scandal when her husband, Bill Clinton was president and was accused of having an affair with a 22-year-old intern

Hillary stood by his side as he faced impeachment for lying about the scandal, and has now credited her daughter, Chelsea, with helping keep the family together

Clinton, herself, has experienced life in the public eye during a sex scandal when her husband, former President Bill Clinton had an affair with a 22-year-old White House intern named Monica Lewinsky.

The former president denied having intercourse with Lewinsky, ending a televised speech in January 1998 saying he 'did not have sexual relations with that women.'

But further investigation led to charges of perjury against him, and in 1998 he was impeached by the House of Representatives. He was subsequently acquitted on all impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in a 21-day trial.

Throughout that time, Hillary stood by his side.

She revealed in a documentary last year: 'I defended and stood by him because I thought the impeachment process was wrong, but that wasn't the necessary answer to what I would do with my marriage.

'It was notto methe same. I still had to decide whether I wanted to stay in the marriage, whether I thought it was worth saving.'

Hillary credited her daughter, Chelsea Clinton, with holding the family together during the difficult time, according to Newsweek.

In one famous photo, in particular, showed the Clinton family as a pillar of strength despite the drama, with Chelsea standing between her parents holding both of their hands. Hillary said this wasn't planned, and it was all Chelsea's idea.

'That was not anything other than her just trying to keep us together,' she explained. 'When she did that, 'Oh my gosh,' I thought, That's just so incredibleso strong and so wise.'

Weiner and Abedin, seen in 2020, are now reportedly on good terms

They serve as co-parents to their son, Jordan. They are pictured here walking him to school one Halloween morning

They were also recently seen shopping together in the East Village

Weiner and Abedin, meanwhile, are reportedly now on good terms, and have not yet finalized their divorce.

On Wednesday the pair was seen shopping together in New York's East Village.

Abedin and Weiner appear to have remained civil despite their pending divorce.

They are said to be committed to co-parenting their only child, Jordan, but have no interest in a romantic reunion.
Three out of every 10 Republicans believe the United States is so far gone that violence might be the only way to save it, according to a new poll released late last month.

The national survey taken by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that the fallout from January 6 Capitol riot may still be polarizing Americans more than nine months after it occurred.

Out of the 30 percent of Republicans who agreed that 'true American patriots might have to resort to violence in order to save our country,' 39 percent also held the belief that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Republicans who back baseless election fraud theories are about four times more likely to call for 'patriotic' violence than those who don't.

And 40 percent of those calling for uprising get their news from 'far-right' sources such as OAN and Newsmax.

Nearly one in 5 Americans - 18 percent - agreed with the need for violence in general, with 11 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of Independents saying so as well.

'Democracy is at a perilous crossroads right now. And I think that these poll results should be a further wakeup call to everyone,' Mike Sozan, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, told DailyMail.com.

PRRI CEO and founder Robert Jones said the findings were unlike those he was used to seeing as a pollster

'One of the big challenges here is one of the nation's two major political parties is accepting dangerous disinformation about the 2020 election, even though our elections are safe and secure.'

Among religious groups, the poll found that 26 percent of white evangelical protestants believed violence is necessary to save the country, more than any other faith identity.

Next was people who follow non-Christian religions, of which 23 percent believe 'American patriots' need to take action to save the US.

PRRI CEO and founder Robert Jones said the findings are 'a direct result of former President Trump calling into question the election.'

'Ive been doing this a while, for decades, and its not the kind of finding that as a sociologist, a public opinion pollster, that youre used to seeing,' he told Yahoo News.

Even before he left office, the ex-president began promoting conspiracy theories that the election was rigged in favor of President Joe Biden.

On January 6 he channeled the furor created by those claims to rile up hundreds of supporters at his White House Stop the Steal rally, encouraging them to march toward the Capitol to put pressure on lawmakers who were readying to certify the election results.

Jones said he originally believed that the enthusiasm for violence would be highest 'in the heat of the moment' immediately after the riot.

Jones said the increase in calls for violence is a direct result of Donald Trump promoting baseless election fraud theories that led to the Capitol riot

But PRRI's findings on the question remained relatively steady in similar surveys conducted since March when 28 percent of Republicans, 13 percent of Independents and 7 percent of Democrats believed American patriots would have to 'save the country' with violence.

'One might hope cooler heads would prevail, but we really havent seen that' in the aftermath of January 6, Jones said.

'If anything, it looks like people are doubling down and views are getting kind of locked in.'

It appears the beliefs that pushed people to insurrection that day are still alive within Trump's party. Nearly 70 percent of Republicans either somewhat or completely agree that the election was stolen from Trump.

'That's a very unfortunate and dangerous result,' Sozan said.

About one in seven Republicans who believe so trust 'far-right' news sources, while only 19 percent of GOP voters who watch 'mainstream' media think the same.

'Donald Trump continues to repeat the lie that the election was stolen from him and that there was widespread election fraud - sadly, what we see is that Trump repeating that for over a year makes his followers believe it,' Sozan said.

The survey also shows that other beliefs that overlap with QAnon conspiracy theories still maintain a presence as well, despite repeatedly being disproven.

Roughly a quarter of Republican respondents to the survey identify as QAnon believers, which PRRI notes is 'significantly higher' than the 15 percent of Independents and 10 percent of Democrats who believe in it.

The survey also found a link between the number of Americans who feel the country has gotten worse since the 1950s and those who believe violence is needed to save it

But nationwide, PRRI identified two QAnon beliefs along with the idea that 'true American patriots' need to rise to violence that hold true with about one in every five Americans.

Twenty-one percent of all respondents believe that 'There is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders.'

And 18 percent agreed with the statement, 'The government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation.'

The alarming rise of extremist ideals also comes with a growing nostalgia for the 20th century, when America was at the height of its power on the global stage following World War II - and still behind on critical social and civil rights reforms.

A majority of Republicans believe life has changed for the worse since the 1950s, while a majority of Democrats believe it's changed for the better.

The share of Republicans who think life has gotten better since then is 29 percent - down from 46 percent the year before.

'Many people in the Republican party are holding very deeply-held views on race and religion, and wanting to harken back several decades when they thought things were better in this country - and so all of that together becomes a very toxic brew,' Sozan said.

Americans who've said the country has changed for the worse since then are more likely to believe in violence the change its path than those who think it's gotten better.

The survey polled a random sample of 2,508 American adults from all 50 states, between September 16 and September 29.
Terry McAuliffe canceled a Virginia Beach campaign event on Monday, less than 24 hours before the gubernatorial Election Day, with polls showing his GOP challenger Glenn Youngkin edging ahead in a race that could be catastrophic for the Biden White House.

A spokesperson for Democrat McAuliffe said, according to 13 News Now, that he will campaign in a different part of the state in a bizarre move on the eve of the election seen as the first indicator of the administration's performance ahead of the 2022 midterms.

On Monday, a new poll said that 44 percent of Democrat supporters want Biden to be replaced as the candidate on the 2024 ticket, and a loss in Virginia could cause a panic in his party, sway voters across the country and create more chaos in his spending packages negotiations.

McAuliffe and Youngkin have less than a 1 per cent polling gap from each other as Tuesdays Virginia gubernatorial race comes down to the wire and issues such as parental control in education and critical race theory in places including Loudoun County become central issues.

Youngkin pulled ahead of his Democratic challenger and former Virginia governor on Saturday in a FiveThirtyEight polling average. On October 28, the two were tied at 47 per cent, then on October 29, Youngkin pulled ahead of McAuliffe in a 47.5 to 46.9 per cent split. On Sunday, Youngkin raised to 47.6 per cent to McAuliffes 47 per cent.

McAuliffe, during a campaign in Manassas, Virginia on Sunday called for the Old Dominion State to 'diversify' its teacher base as the race comes down to some issues  including education and critical race theory.

The Democratic candidate promised to create a program to attract more minority teachers while lamenting that Virginia has too many white teachers.

'We got to work hard to diversify our teacher base,' McAuliffe said at the event.

'Fifty per cent of our students are students of color, 80 per cent of the teachers are White, so what I'm going to do for you  we'll be the first state in America,' he continued. 'If you go teach in Virginia for five years in a high-demand area  that could be geographic, it could be course work  we will pay room, board, tuition, any college, any university, or any HBCU here in Virginia.'

The reference to Historically Black Colleges and Universities insinuated that the free college program would be aimed at prioritizing attracting prospective non-white teachers to the state.

In the evening, McAuliffe will head to Fairfax County and Youngkin will finish up in Loudoun County, the wealthiest county in the U.S. with a household median income of more than $142,000 where parents have demanded control of their education during school board meetings during protests.

Terry McAuliffe canceled a Virginia Beach campaign event on Monday, less than 24 hours before the gubernatorial Election Day, with polls showing his GOP challenger Glenn Youngkin edging ahead in a result that would be catastrophic for the Biden White House. He is pictured at a rally in Roanoke on Monday

Youngkin pulled ahead of his Democratic challenger and former Virginia governor on Saturday in a FiveThirtyEight polling average. On Sunday, Youngkin raised to 47.6 per cent to McAuliffes 47 per cent. He also continued his campaigning on Monday (above)

A polling average by Fivethirty Eight shows Republican contender Youngkin up .6% from Democrat McAuliffe in a 47.647% split

There has also been national outrage after a parent was dragged out of a meeting for bringing up that his daughter was raped by a skirt-wearing boy in a school bathroom in May.

One of McAuliffe's advisers told Politico when asked for a prediction of the outcome of Tuesday's election: 'No one knows. It's a toss-up.'

A poll from Fox 5 released Monday shows Youngkin ahead by 2 per cent, which is still within the poll's 4.4 per cent margin of error but is a higher margin than the average survey numbers from FiveThirtyEight.

Former President Donald Trump repeated his endorsement of Youngkin in a statement Monday morning where he said: 'Remember this, Glenn Youngkin is a good man, a hardworking man, a successful man. He loves Virginia and wants to cut your taxes, save your children's education, and many other very good things.'

'Terry McAuliffe is a low-life politician who lies, cheats, and steals,' Trump said of the Democratic candidate vying to again be Virginia's governor. 'He was a terrible high-tax governor and would be, if elected, an even worse governor again.'

He continued: 'I say to all of our millions of followers, don't listen to the Fake News and misleading advertisements written largely by already-acknowledged perverts. Get out and vote for a man who will be a great governor, Glenn Youngkin!'

Trump is holding a long distance tele-rally for Youngkin on Monday, in which the candidate will be participating.

Donald Trump reiterated his support for Youngkin in a statement Monday ahed of the former president's tele-rally for the candidate. He urged supporters to get out and vote despite not being a 'believer in the integrity of Virginia's elections'

Youngkin's absence at the upcoming Trump rally makes it seem the candidate is trying to distance himself from the ex-president as Democrats try to link them to each other ahead of Election Day.

Manchin shatters Biden's hopes of passing his spending packages this week by saying he will NOT support the $1.75T before the infrastructure bill Sen. Joe Manchin on Monday dashed President Biden's hope for a vote on his $1.75 trillion reconciliation package this week as he called on the House to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill on its own. The West Virginia Democrat, whose centrist vote wields much power in the 50-50 Senate, put the breaks on the larger spending package, saying in a press conference he would not vote for it until he had 'greater clarity' on what its impact would be for inflation and the national debt. On Friday, President Biden called the spending bill 'fiscally responsible' and 'fully paid for.' But on Monday, Manchin said: 'Simply put, I will not support a bill that is this consequential without thoroughly understanding the impact that it will have on our national debt, our economy.' Even after Democrats paired down their initial spending package from $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion, Manchin said his vote should not be taken for granted. 'I'm open to supporting a final bill that helps move our country forward,' Manchin said. 'But I am equally open to voting against a bill that hurts our country.' The senator said he will not support a bill 'that expands social programs and irresponsibly adds to our $29 trillion debt that no one seems to really care about or really talk about. Nor will I support a package that risks hurting American families suffering from historic inflation.' With President Biden off in Europe, Manchin's remarks are just another blow for the White House just hours before the polls open in the crucial Virginia governor's race and with a new poll showing 44 percent of Democratic voters want him replaced on the 2024 presidential ticket. Advertisement

Trump said in his Monday morning statement that this isn't true.

'The Fake News media, together with some of the perverts doing ads ad nauseam on primarily Fox (Fox shouldn't take those ads!), are trying to create an impression that Glenn Youngkin and I are at odds and don't like each other,' he wrote.

'Importantly, this is not true, we get along very well together and strongly believe in many of the same policies. Especially when it comes to the important subject of education.'

McAuliffe's camp feels linking Youngkin to Trump will help their chances of winning, while Trump says a candidate being backed by him will nearly assure them victory due to his base turning out.

Trump said in an interview that aired Saturday that his loyal base will need to turn out for Youngkin to win on Tuesday.

'I think he should win,' Trump told Fox News' Jeanine Pirro. 'I'll be honest, my base has to turn out.'

Trump endorsed Youngkin against McAuliffe, who served as Virginia's governor from 2014 to 2018.

The former president's endorsement, Trump insinuated, is key for Republican candidates to get voters from his large base to turn out in elections that may have otherwise not gained as much national attention.

Democrats have labeled Youngkin as a 'Trump acolyte' to try and deter independents and moderates from voting him in as the next Virginia governor, but Trump said that tactic 'backfires because I think it gets the base to come out and vote.'

'The last person that ran as a Republican did not embrace Trump in Virginia,' Trump said in reference to Ed Gillespie, who was defeated by Democrat Ralph Northam in 2017.

'He got killed, he was absolutely destroyed,' Trump continued, 'I think if my base doesn't come out, he can't win. I think my base has to come out very strongly.'

Some feel that Trump questioning the validity of election results in general have hurt Republicans' chances of winning local elections nation-wide because of pro-Trump voters' reluctance to turn out if they feel their ballots won't count.

Despite urging his supporters to turn out and vote, the former president also questioned the integrity of Virginia's elections on Monday.

'The reason the Fake News and perverts are working over time is to try and convince people that we do not like each other, and therefore, my great and unprecedented Make America Great Again base will not show up to vote,' Trump explained.

He added: 'Also, I am not a believer in the integrity of Virginia's elections, lots of bad things went on, and are going on. The way you beat it is to flood the system and get out and vote.'

More than 1 million people have already cast ballots in the Virginia governor's race being watched as an early indicator for 2022 and beyond  in a race certain to be viewed as a barometer for President Biden's political strength.

With control of a 'purple' state and a potential bellwether on the line, 1.1 million Virginia voters turned in ballots by the deadline last weekend.

Democrat Joe Biden won that race by 10 percentage points, but this year analysts are watching the state to see what how Democrats fare in a lower-turnout off-year election, with Biden's overall popularity substantially lower than it was a year ago.

The state experienced a record for early voting, and accounts for a fifth of the state's electorate, which totals 5.9 million, CNBC reported. That compares to fewer than 200,000 early voters in 2017 for the last governor's race.

It comes amid a push by candidates to bank early votes  and follows a change in state law in favor of 'no excuse' early voting, which also took effect during the 2020 presidential election.

Polls close at 7 pm in the state. But in a twist from 2020, the state will first start announcing the results of absentee ballots. That comes after the state General Assembly passed a new law requiring election officials to start processing those votes a week before election day.

That could have a pronounced effect on public perception of the count, even if all the ballots would get counted anyway. Trump, who continues to make claims of election fraud, has repeatedly remarked about how his Election Night lead in some states 'disappeared.' In many states, officials began or were required to count Election Day votes first, then started running through their mail-in ballots.

Trump released a second statement later on Monday endorsing Youngkin even more forcefully
Wearing a blue prison jumpsuit and often touching her shoulder-length graying hair, Ghislaine Maxwell suffered a series of legal setbacks at a pretrial hearing in New York after a federal judge denied her bid to include a swathe of evidence in the upcoming proceedings.

Judge Alison Nathan on Monday ruled against a number of last-minute motions filed by the defense that sought to impose restrictions on prosecutors and question their decision to level charges at Maxwell's sex trafficking trial later this month.

The judge ruled that any evidence suggesting that the case against Maxwell was brought for 'political' reasons could not be introduced in front of the jury.

She also sided with prosecutors by allowing victims to use pseudonyms when testifying, adding a layer of secrecy to the case which has already come under intense scrutiny.

Jury selection for the high profile case is due to begin on November 15 with opening statements scheduled to begin on November 29.

Maxwell, 59, who is accused of procuring underage girls for pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The proceeding, which lasted nearly four hours, concluded with attorneys for Maxwell arguing against her alleged mistreatment behind bars.

A graying and shackled Ghislaine Maxwell appeared at a pretrial hearing at federal court in New York Monday ahead of jury selection later this month

Maxwell's attorneys filed a series of last-minute motions seeking to include and block certain evidence from her upcoming sex trafficking trial

Maxwell, 59, who is accused of procuring underage girls for pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has pleaded not guilty to all charges

Lawyer Bobbi Sterheim claimed Maxwell was awoken hours before dawn this morning and was forced to 'get on her hands and knees' to get in the prison van to attend the hearing because she was in leg shackles.

Maxwell was also not allowed to look at legal materials, Sternheim told the court.

The British socialite, who has been awaiting trial behind bars, looked haggard as she appeared at federal court in New York late Monday morning in a prison issue blue jumpsuit and a mask.

She sipped water from a bottle and played with her usually dark short hair, now gray, shoulder-length and unkempt. She was scribbling frantically on a notepad before the hearing began.

Her sister Isabel Maxwell attended the hearing and was later seen walking out wearing a red beret and a mask covering her face alongside a male friend holding her suitcase.

The defense had filed a series of motions in the lead up to the trial hoping to exclude certain evidence or terms from being used in front of the jury.

During Monday's hearing, Judge Nathan rejected defense attorneys' request to ban the words 'victim' or 'minor', ruling it 'unnecessary and impractical'.

She also sided with the prosecution that evidence about the 'thoroughness' of the investigation into Maxwell should not be admitted because it was 'not probative' to the question of her guilt.

Her sister Isabel was seen arriving at the New York City courthouse to support her sibling

The British socialite, who has been awaiting trial behind bars, appeared in court late Monday morning wearing a prison issue blue jumpsuit and a mask

Judge Alison Nathan rejected defense attorneys' request to ban the use of the words'victim' or 'minor', ruling it 'unnecessary and impractical'

Epstein's sweetheart plea deal in 2007, under which he served 15 months for having sex with underage girls, cannot be mentioned to the jury, Judge Nathan ruled.

Maxwell had hoped to use it to show that she wasn't mentioned as one of the co-conspirators who were given immunity, but Nathan said that there was a 'significant risk of prejudice' if it was allowed in.

The judge did however reveal that one witness was among the four women named under the plea deal, confirming that a former close associate of Epstein has turned against him.

Maxwell's legal team also rehashed claims about her alleged mistreatment behind bars. She is shown in prison earlier this year with 'a black eye'

In another blow to Maxwell, Judge Nathan said no evidence on the charging decision could be admitted either, though it would be allowed during cross examination.

Maxwell has claimed that she has been prosecuted in place of Epstein after he hanged himself in prison in August 2019. But Nathan said such claims and evidence about the prosecution's motives for bringing the case will not be allowed.

Attorneys for Maxwell also hoped to include statements by former Attorney General William Barr which could have showed evidence of 'political prosecution', but Nathan ruled they were not relevant.

Judge Nathan noted that 'the government is not on trial' and there were 'no black or white' reasons why the case was brought.

Maxwell scored one victory when the judge ruled that emails that showed her arranging massages for women and girls over the age of consent could not be introduced to the court.

But she denied the defense's request to ban witnesses from using pseudonyms, saying victims could give evidence using their first name or a different name due to the risk of 'potential harassment from the media and undue embarrassment'.

Nathan noted that using their full names could 'chill' their desire to testify and put of others from doing so in other sex crimes cases.

Sternheim, who has repeatedly complained about Maxwell's treatment in custody, claimed her client was woken up at 3:45am for the 11am hearing.

Attorney Bobbi Sternheim (sitting) told the court Maxwell was forced to 'get on her hands and knees' to get in the prison van to attend the hearing because she was in leg shackles. A court sketch shows a US Marshal removing her shackles in the courtroom ahead of the hearing

In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell, center, is escorted into court by U.S. marshals with shackles around her legs and waist

She sipped water from a bottle and played with her usually dark short hair, now gray and shoulder-length

She then arrived at the court from the Metropolitan Detention Center, the grim federal prison where she is awaiting trial, at 5:38am, the earliest Sternheim has ever seen a client be at court, the attorney said.

'She sits in a cell block which is cold and she is not wearing any warm clothes,' Sternheim told the court.

'She's not allowed to look at her legal materials. She is given very little food and doesn't even have a utensil (to eat it)'.

Sternheim claimed Maxwell had to get on her 'hands and knees to climb into the van' to take her to court this morning because of her leg shackles.

She argued there was a risk that Maxwell could become 'debilitated' for the trial if her treatment doesn't improve.

Previously Maxwell's lawyers had alleged that she is being woken up every 15 minutes by flashlight searches of her cell and that she has suffered weight and hair loss because of the tough prison conditions.

Judge Nathan asked the prosecution to speak to the prison about Sternheim's concerns.

Earlier Maxwell did not ask for a plea deal and prosecutors have not offered her one, Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe told the court.

Sternheim said: 'It's correct. We take the position our client has not committed a crime.'

Isabel Maxwell previously supported her sister in court at an earlier hearing in April

Isabel was later seen walking out wearing a red beret and a mask covering her face alongside a male friend holding her suitcase

Judge Nathan asked Maxwell if that was correct. She pulled down her mask and appeared to indicate that it was.

The development ends any speculation that Maxwell may give up information on her and Epstein's powerful friends such as Prince Andrew in order to get leniency

The court also heard that prosecutors will claim that Epstein's infamous 'black book', which had contact details for the likes of Andrew, Bill Clinton and other famous men, was actually Maxwell's.

Defense lawyer Jeff Pagliuca said that a prosecution witness would make this claim and that he was 'highly skeptical' about it.

Prosecutors said that they intended to introduce four to six pages for one exhibit of evidence covering a section titled 'massage' which listed the names of girls' parents by their contact details.

The hearing came days after Prince Andrew filed his response to a sexual assault lawsuit made by a woman who alleged she was forced to have sex with him at Epstein's command.

The Duke of York said that Virginia Roberts was seeking 'another payday at his expense' with the claims, filed in federal court in New York in August.

Andrew's response included a New York Daily News article from 2015 that claimed Roberts recruited young women into Epstein's sex trafficking ring.

The article referenced former friends who had described her as a 'money-hungry sex kitten' who enjoyed a lavish lifestyle.

Last month, Maxwell's attorneys had also sought to block the public and news media from jury selection ahead of her trial and requested prospective jurors be screened individually and privately instead.

Judge Alison Nathan on Monday ruled against a number of last-minute motions filed by the defense that sought to impose restrictions on prosecutors at Maxwell's sex trafficking trial later this month

Judge Nathan denied the bid in a court hearing late last month ruling that the factors in the case 'point strongly against deviation from standard practice.'

She also rebuffed Maxwell's request to keep the jury questionnaire sealed and said she was 'not persuaded' it could prejudice jurors.

The latest rulings are a setback to Maxwell and come weeks ahead of her trial for allegedly procuring underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein to abuse.

Judges in federal court in New York typically conduct screenings of jurors in open court in groups of about 20 with prosecutors and defense asking questions.

But Maxwell wanted the process done privately because the 'tsunami' of negative publicity over the case meant it was necessary to root out potential bias and because of jurors possibly being asked highly personal questions.

Her attorneys also proposed leading the process instead of the judge, in another departure from normal.

During the hearing Judge Nathan said that she was 'not going to permit' attorney-led jury questioning.

She said that the 'factors point strongly against deviation from that standard practice' and that other judges in the Southern District of New York had dealt with other high profile cases without issue.

The judge denied the defense's request to ban witnesses from using pseudonyms, saying victims could give evidence using a different name due to the risk of 'potential harassment from the media and undue embarrassment'

Judge Nathan said that conferred with Judge Ann Donnolly in the Eastern District of New York, the neighboring federal judicial district, who dealt with 'similar issues' of sensitive questioning of jurors.

Judge Donnolly recently presided over the trial of R. Kelly who was accused of sexually abusing underage girls as well.

Judge Nathan said that due to Covid-19 there would be some changes to the process of jury selection.

Jurors would be given a questionnaire ahead of time and after that potential jurors would be questioned by her in court one-on-one rather than as a group.

These measures would 'protect the health of the parties and the jurors, help protect juror privacy and help protect juror candor' while ensuring first amendment rights, Judge Nathan said.

Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim tried to argue that allowing the jury questionnaire to be made public before the trial would be like giving potential jurors a 'take-home exam' where they could work out the answers beforehand.

Sternheim said that she feared some jurors could be 'motivated to sit on this jury', suggesting that they would be biased against Maxwell.

Judge Nathan said she was 'failing to see what the prejudice is' and said that her questioning of jurors would be 'probing.'

'I am not persuaded that on the off chance there is a juror who has seen a media report of the questionnaire in advance and fails to disclose it is somehow prejudiced,' she said. 'If a juror is going to lie and be dishonest we will smoke that out.'

Nathan ordered that the questionnaire be filed to the public docket by the end of the week.

Sternheim asked for the wording on one question to be altered which asked if jurors had 'protested for any regulations regarding sex trafficking against minors or sexual harassment.'

Prosecutors also asked that sketches of Epstein's hearings in the Manhattan federal court after his arrest in 2019 which are hanging inside the building be removed before the jury selection process began.

Sterhneim said that it was 'something we were going to raise,' adding that the 'pictures are in the corridor right by the elevator.'

Judge Nathan said: 'We'll get that down for sure.'

Before the hearing, the clerk asked if Maxwell was on the dial-in phone line from the grim Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where she has been held since her arrest last July.

Speaking in a nervous-sounding voice, Maxwell said: 'Yes I am, this is Miss Maxwell and I am on the line.

Ghislaine's brother Ian Maxwell gave a televised interview over the weekend saying her treatment inside a Brooklyn jail is a 'human rights' abuse that is 'designed to break her'

The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn where Ghislaine Maxwell, the alleged accomplice of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, is awaiting trial

The clerk had some technical difficulties and asked if Maxwell could hear her.

Maxwell said: 'I beg your pardon, I cannot hear you. Vaguely hear you.

The clerk asked: 'Are you in the room alone?' to which Maxwell replied: 'I am alone in the room.'

When Judge Nathan asked if Maxwell was listening and she said: 'Good afternoon, your honor.'

Defense attorneys had claimed that prospective jury members would be less likely to 'respond honestly in open court' due to the 'sensitive' nature of the case and the 'negative' publicity surrounding Maxwell, 59.

'This case amplifies the likelihood that jurors will be more apprehensive and constrained to respond openly and honestly in open court within earshot of other jurors, members of the public, and the media,' attorney Bobbi Sternheim said in court filings last week.

'The negative publicity has been so pervasive, vitriolic, and extreme that Ms. Maxwell has been demonized in the press.'

Maxwell's attorneys argued that a private screening would prevent jury members from being 'influenced by (or influence) the answers given by fellow jurors or fear embarrassment in giving an honest response.'

In earlier filings, her legal team had asked for the women who claim they were abused by Maxwell to be referred to as 'accusers' instead of 'victims.'

They also requested for all evidence that was seized from Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach house to be excluded from her trial.

Maxwell denies charges of sex trafficking multiple girls for Epstein, the disgraced late pedophile who hanged himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting his own trial.

In October 19 court filings, her lawyers listed all of the things they don't want to be discussed in front of the jury.

They include details of a flight she took, 'testimony about any alleged 'rape' by Jeffrey Epstein' and 'reference to the accusers as 'victims' or 'minor victims'.'

The motion also asks the judge to exclude some of the hundreds of exhibits that prosecutors want to submit, but it doesn't say why.

Meanwhile Maxwell's family have been standing by her and have launched a public campaign hoping to rehabilitate her reputation ahead of her trial.

Ian Maxwell says he has not seen his sister in-person since June 2019, when all his siblings (pictured) came together to celebrate their father's 96th birthday in London. He says all the siblings support their sister and believe in her innocence

Older brother Ian Maxwell on Saturday spoke out against the 'abuse' he claims his sister has suffered behind bars in his first televised UK interview.

Speaking to Sky News, Ian said he believes prison guards have 'physically abused' Ghislaine and that her treatment in custody is a 'human rights' violation that is 'designed to break her.'

'I don't see Ghislaine administering a black eye to herself,' he said. 'I think she has suffered some occasional physical abuse at the hands of her guards.'

He also said his sister's applications for pre-trial release have been constantly denied, despite her losing 15 pounds and incarceration making it harder for her to prepare a defense.

'It's designed to break her,' he added. 'That is just unjust. It's a fundamental abuse of human rights. And I find that quite shocking.'

Just over a month before the criminal trial starts, Maxwell was finally and officially given the names of the women who have accused her of recruiting them as teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse them.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the woman who has accused Prince Andrew in a civil claim of sexual assault and rape, is not among the complainants in the Maxwell trial.

Maxwell has long denied the charges against her and her attorneys say she is being mistreated in prison.

They released a photograph of her with a black eye to prove it earlier this year and claim she has not been able to sleep in custody.

'We just want a fair opportunity, a fair chance, so she can get ready for the trial of her life.

'It's impossible to prepare for trial when you're getting no sleep,' one of her attorneys told the court earlier this year as he begged for her to be allowed out on bond to wait for the trial at home.
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A smallpiper gave world leaders a very Scottish welcome to the COP26 crunch climate change summit in Glasgow today as they gathered amid warnings over taking urgent action to limit global warming.

Brighde Chaimbeul, who is from Sleat on the Isle of Skye, entertained politicians and Royal Family members at the Scottish Event Campus with her own arrangement of the traditional melodies An Leimras and Harris Dance.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prince Charles and Camilla all watched as Miss Chaimbeul played  before a video of space-themed images with a voiceover from physicist Brian Cox who said the world is 'inconceivably valuable'.

Mr Johnson later warned world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that the longer they fail to tackle climate, the higher the cost when they are forced 'by catastrophe' to act.

It comes after the Queen recorded a video message on Friday that will be played to world leaders today. She had been due to attend the conference where she had hoped to deliver an in-person speech and to host a reception.

But the 95-year-old was forced to drop out last week after royal doctors said that she should only take part in 'light, desk-based' duties for at least a fortnight due to concerns about her health after an overnight hospital stay.

Scottish smallpiper Brighde Chaimbeul, who is from Sleat on the Isle of Skye, opened the COP26 summit in Glasgow today

Chorley-born writer Yrsa Daley-Ward presents a poem at the Cop26 opening ceremony in Glasgow this afternoon

Today, Professor Cox said in his recorded message: 'It's possible that there's only one civilisation in the milky way galaxy. There may have only ever been one, and there may only ever be one - and that's us.

'We may be the first and last - that's important. If you're looking for a hint as to how we should behave politically, towards each other, towards our planet, then this idea matters.

'Imagine that the earth is the only place in a galaxy where intelligent life exists. The only place where collections of atoms as old as time have come together into improbable patterns that can think and feel and bring meaning to an otherwise meaningless universe.

'How should we behave? Surely notwithstanding the fact that we're tiny, fragile things, on a mote of dust orbiting around one star amongst 400billion. We must consider ourselves and our world to be inconceivably valuable.'

After the video, Chorley-born writer Yrsa Daley-Ward then presented a poem, which opened with her saying: 'Nothing will be saved without you. It is important to begin with the fact. This is your invitation to lead with light.

'You were born to be creators of the ground entrusted. Yesterday's beneficiaries; inheritors of land, air, time - now is all we have left, holding the world in our hands, with the most inconvenient truth to honour the earth, land, sky.

World leaders gathered today at the crunch climate summit in Glasgow amid warnings that they must take urgent action

The Prince of Wales addressed world leaders at the Cop26 global climate summit in Glasgow today and said: 'The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us just how devastating a global cross-border threat can be'

'Our day is older than it used to be, but not yet gone. The day is dimming and still not done. Come, leading lights. We were born to be creators of the possible future. The truth will not leave without you, heavy though it may be.'

Boris Johnson warns 'doomsday device' of climate change is ticking in COP26 speech Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned world leaders that the longer they fail to tackle climate, the higher the cost when they are forced 'by catastrophe' to act. Addressing world leaders including US President Joe Biden, India's Narendra Modi and German chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Johnson said the world was in roughly the same position as James Bond as he tries to deactivate a doomsday advice in his films. But he said: 'The tragedy is this is not a movie and the doomsday device is real. 'The clock is ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and furnaces and engines with which we are pumping carbon into the air faster and faster... and quilting the earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO2, raising the temperature of the planet with a speed and abruptness that is entirely man made.' Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of COP26 in Glasgow this morning He warned of the dangers of rising temperatures, jeopardising food supplies for hundreds of millions of people, more wildfires and eventually the loss of whole cities such as Miami, Alexandria and Shanghai. 'The longer we fail to act and the worse it gets and the higher the price when we are forced by catastrophe to act,' he said. Coining a phrase from activist Greta Thunberg, he warned that the promises to limit global temperature rises under the Paris Agreement would be 'nothing but blah blah blah' and the world's anger would be uncontainable unless Cop26 was the moment they got real about climate change. He warned that future generations would not forgive them if they did not act - and would be right to do so. Channelling his hero Sir Winston Churchill, Mr Johnson said that: 'While Cop26 would not be the end of climate change, it can and it must mark the beginning of the end.' Mr Johnson took to the stage to make his speech after the delegates watched a performance by Skye piper Brighde Chaimbeul, a video narrated by Brian Cox and a poem by Yrsa Daley-Ward composed for Cop26. Around 120 heads of state and government are attending the world leaders' summit at the start of the Cop26 talks, where countries are under pressure to increase action in the next decade to tackle dangerous warming. Advertisement

In an opening speech, Mr Johnson then warned of the dangers of rising temperatures. He said: 'Four degrees and we say goodbye to whole cities, Miami, Alexandria, Shanghai, all lost beneath the waves.

'The longer we fail to act and the worse it gets and the higher the price when we are forced by catastrophe to act.'

He then added that world leaders are 'in roughly the same position' as James Bond. Welcoming them to the city, Mr Johnson said the fictional spy was Scotland's 'most globally famous fictional son'.

Bond, he said, 'generally comes to the climax of his highly lucrative films strapped to a doomsday device, desperately trying to work out which coloured wire to pull to turn it off, while a red digital clock ticks down remorselessly to a detonation that will end human life as we know it'.

He added: 'We are in roughly the same position, my fellow global leaders, as James Bond today - except that the tragedy is this is not a movie and the doomsday device is real.

'The clock is ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and furnaces and engines with which we are pumping carbon into the air faster and faster... and quilting the earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO2, raising the temperature of the planet with a speed and abruptness that is entirely man made.'

Mr Johnson also said there is a duty to find the funds pledged at a previous climate summit Paris. He told Cop26: 'We cannot and will not succeed by government spending alone.

'We in this room could deploy hundreds of billions, no question. But the market has hundreds of trillions and the task now is to work together to help our friends to decarbonise.'

He said such a move would help de-risk key projects to allow private sector money to be brought in.

Mr Johnson added: 'In just the same way that it was the private sector that enabled the UK to end our on dependence on coal and become the Saudi Arabia of wind.'

And Mr Johnson urged world leaders not to 'fluff our lines', warning that younger generations will 'not forgive us'. He said: 'The children who will judge us are children not yet born, and their children.

'We are now coming centre stage before a vast and uncountable audience of posterity and we must not fluff our lines or miss our cue.

'Because if we fail, they will not forgive us - they will know that Glasgow was the historic turning point when history failed to turn.

'They will judge us with bitterness and with a resentment that eclipses any of the climate activists of today and they will be right. Cop26 will not and cannot be the end of the story on climate change.'

He also said that Cop26 must mark the beginning of the end of climate change.

Addressing the opening of the summit, the Prime Minster said: 'If summits alone solve climate change then we wouldn't have needed 25 previous Cop summits to get where we are today. But while Cop26 will not be the end of climate change it can and it must mark the beginning of the end.'

He added: 'In the years since Paris the world has slowly and with great effort and pain built a lifeboat for humanity and now is the time to give that lifeboat a mighty shove into the water like some great liner rolling down the slipways of the Clyde.

'Take a sexton sighting on 1.5 degrees and set off on a journey to a cleaner greener future.'

Mr Johnson concluded his speech by saying it must mark when the moment when humanity began to 'defuse that bomb' of climate change and began the fight back.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a speech during the opening ceremony for the Cop26 summit today

Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends the opening ceremony for the Cop26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus today

He said: 'Yes it's going to be hard and yes we can do it. And so let's get to work with all the creativity and imagination and goodwill that we possess. Thank you very much and good luck to all of us.'

'Who's going to tell him he's in the wrong city?' Twitter users poke fun at CNN news veteran Wolf Blitzer for reporting on COP26 from Edinburgh... when the summit is 46 miles away in GLASGOW CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer was lampooned today for 'going to the wrong city' after he said he was reporting from Edinburgh on the COP26 Glasgow conference. The 73-year-old veteran broadcaster tweeted a photograph of himself in a studio in front of Edinburgh Castle, 50 miles away from where the event is taking place. But Twitter users told the American journalist that he was 'in the wrong city', with one saying: 'If you're in Edinburgh you're in the wrong place fella.' Another said: 'Yeah, that's just down the road from Glasgow. Why not pop over to Loch Ness at lunchtime for a spot of monster hunting?' A fourth added: 'Morning folks! We're here in Birmingham to bring you full coverage of the royal wedding in London!' And another tweeted: 'This reminds me of that time I went to NYC to visit the White House.' Mr Blitzer tweeted today: 'I'm now reporting from Edinburgh in Scotland where 20,000 world leaders and delegates have gathered for the COP26 Climate Summit. 'COP, by the way, stands for 'Conference of the Parties'. It's the 26th time they have gathered to discuss and take action on this critical issue.' Mr Blitzer had been in Rome for the G20 summit along with fellow reporters Nic Robertson and Kaitlan Collins, before leaving for Scotland yesterday. One potential reason for him being in Edinburgh is that US President Joe Biden flew into the city in Air Force One this morning from Rome. MaIlOnline has contacted CNN this morning for comment on the location choice. Advertisement

Meanwhile UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the summit the world's 'addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink'. He told the opening plenary: 'We face a stark choice: either we stop it - or it stops us.

'It's time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet.

'Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves. '

Mr Guterres also said failure to tackle climate change is a death sentence for small island states.

The UN's Secretary-General said the world faces 'a moment of truth' as it approaches 'tipping points that will trigger escalating feedback loops of global heating'.

But he said there is 'progress to build upon', adding: 'The climate action army - led by young people - is unstoppable. They are larger. They are louder. And, I assure you, they are not going away. I stand with them.'

Mr Guterres also said it is an 'illusion' to think the fight against climate change is being won. He told the Cop26 conference opening session: 'Recent climate action announcements might give the impression that we are on track to turn things around.

'This is an illusion. The last published report on Nationally Determined Contributions showed that they would still condemn the world to a calamitous 2.7 degree increase.

'And even if the recent pledges were clear and credible - and there are serious questions about some of them - we are still careening towards climate catastrophe.

'Even in the best-case scenario, temperatures will rise well above two degrees. So, as we open this much anticipated climate conference, we are still heading for climate disaster.'

And Mr Guterres said 'the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius' must be kept alive.

He said if commitments to limit global temperature rises fall short by the end of Cop26, countries must revisit their national climate plans and policies every year.

Mr Guterres said he was establishing a group of experts to propose 'clear standards to measure and analyse net zero commitments from non-state actors'.

Cop26 'must be a moment of solidarity', he said, calling for greater support for developing countries.

Young climate activists from Samoa and Brazil also addressed world leaders, including Mr Johnson and US president Joe Biden.

'Indigenous people are in the front line of the climate emergency, and we must be at the centre of the decisions happening here. We have ideas to postpone the end of the world,' said Brazil's Walelasoetxeige Paiter Bandeira Surui.

Samoa's Brianna Fruean said: 'The real question is whether you have the political will to do the right thing, to wield the right words, and to follow it up with long overdue action.'

The Prince of Wales addressed world leaders at the Cop26 global climate summit in Glasgow.

He said: 'The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us just how devastating a global cross-border threat can be.

'Climate change and biodiversity loss are no different - in fact, they pose an even greater existential threat, to the extent that we have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing.'

Charles told the leaders the 'eyes and hopes of the world' are on them to act fast because 'time has quite literally run out'.

Charles told delegates: 'The scale and scope of the threat we face call for a global, systems-level solution based on radically transforming our current fossil fuel-based economy to one that is genuinely renewable and sustainable.

'So ladies and gentleman my plea today is for countries to come together to create the environment that enables every sector of industry to take the action required.

Hundreds of delegates and media queuing to get in to the conference area at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow today

Masses of people queue as they arrive for the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow this morning

'We know this will take trillions, not billions, of dollars. We also know that countries, many of whom are burdened by growing levels of debt, simply cannot afford to 'go green'.

Sir David Attenborough says humanity is 'already in trouble' from climate change Sir David Attenborough told world leaders that humanity is 'already in trouble' from climate change. Speaking during the opening ceremony of Cop26 in Glasgow, the climate campaigner charted carbon emissions throughout human history, which has peaked at 414 parts per million. Sir David Attenborough speaks at the Cop26 summit today 'Our burning of fossil fuels, our destruction of nature, our approach to industry, construction and learning, our releasing carbon into the atmosphere - we are already in trouble,' he said. 'The stability that we all depend on is breaking. This story is one of inequality as well as instability. 'Today those who have done the least to cause this problem are being the hardest hit - ultimately all of us will feel the impacts, some of which are now unavoidable.' Young people can 'give us the impetus we need to rewrite our story' and turn the tragedy of climate change into triumph, Sir David also said. Advertisement

'Here, we need a vast military-style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector. With trillions at its disposal - far beyond global GDP and, with the greatest respect, beyond even the governments of the world's leaders - it offers the only real prospect of achieving fundamental economic transition.'

He said a clear strategy is needed to speed up innovative solutions getting to market, along with a reduction in risk to boost private investment and said this framework is offered in his Sustainable Markets Initiative.

Concluding his speech, the Prince of Wales told world leaders: 'Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, many of your countries are already feeling the devastating impact of climate change, through ever-increasing droughts, mudslides, floods, hurricanes, cyclones and wildfires.

'Any leader who has had to confront such life-threatening challenges knows that the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention.

'So, I can only urge you, as the world's decision-makers, to find practical ways of overcoming differences so we can all get down to work, together, to rescue this precious planet and save the threatened future of our young people.'

Then, Sir David Attenborough told world leaders that humanity is 'already in trouble' from climate change,

Speaking during the opening ceremony of Cop26 in Glasgow, the climate campaigner charted carbon emissions throughout human history, which has peaked at 414 parts per million.

'Our burning of fossil fuels, our destruction of nature, our approach to industry, construction and learning, our releasing carbon into the atmosphere - we are already in trouble,' he said.

'The stability that we all depend on is breaking. This story is one of inequality as well as instability.

'Today those who have done the least to cause this problem are being the hardest hit - ultimately all of us will feel the impacts, some of which are now unavoidable.'

Young people can 'give us the impetus we need to rewrite our story' and turn the tragedy of climate change into triumph, Sir David also said.

The naturalist and broadcaster told the Cop26 summit that those who have done the least to cause the problem are being the hardest hit.

He asked: 'Is this how our story is due to end - a tale of the smartest species doomed by that all too human characteristic of failing to see the bigger picture in pursuit of short-term goals?'

He added: 'Perhaps the fact that the people affected by climate change are no longer some imagined future generations but young people alive today, perhaps that will give us the impetus we need to rewrite our story, to turn this tragedy into a triumph.'

He added that 'we are after all the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on earth' and that we 'now understand the problem' of how to put climate change into reverse.
President Biden delivered his plans for cutting carbon emissions with a dose of hot air on Monday, as organizers of a global climate summit 'gonged' him for blasting past his allotted three minutes.

The famously talkative president pushed the benefits of a green economy saying the U.S. would lead by example.

Ignoring the audible warnings, he said the 'eyes of history' were on the delegates and unveiled a detailed plan to cut emissions on the path to a net zero carbon economy by 2050.

It will demonstrate to the world, he said, 'the United States is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example.

'I know it hasn't been the case. And that's why my administration is working overtime to show that our Climate Commitment is action, not words.'

World leaders were told to stick to three minutes for their speeches by organizers.

Transgressors were reminded of the limit by a gong ringing out every minute once their time was up.

Eight times it sounded for Biden.

The warning made little difference and he wrapped up after more than 11 minutes.

President Biden went eight minutes over his allotted time at COP26 and was 'gonged' eight times by organizers as they tried to hurry him along on Monday afternoon

In his next meeting, Biden overran a two-minute limit but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came to his rescue saying the president was not in the room when the rules were set out

President Joe Biden meets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo during the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday

Minutes later he did the same thing in a side meeting, speaking for eight minutes when participants had been told to stick to two.

On this occasion, British Prime Minister came to his rescue, saying Biden had not been in the room when the instructions were laid out.

'Everybody will understand the huge importance of the United States in helping the world to take action and show solidarity,' he said.

'I think for that reason alone, I think it was worth allowing the rules ... to be bent.'

Administration officials have made clear that U.S. leadership is the theme of their six-day trip to Europe.

They do not say it explicitly but they want to draw a line under the Trump years and and an 'America First outlook.

Yet the message may be lost on protesters who slammed the conference as a meaningless talking shop.

Greta Thunberg, the 18-year-old Swedish campaigner, told a demonstration in Glasgow that more needed to be done.

'No more blah blah blah, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there,' she said.

'Inside COP , there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously.

Change is not going to come from inside there, that is not leadership.'

In his speech, Biden outlined plans to set up a $3 billion-a-year fund to help developing nations adapt to a warming planet and spelled out the measures he wants to take to cut emissions at home.

'We're going to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by well over a gigatonne by 2030, while making it more affordable for consumers to save on their own energy bills with tax credits for things like installing solar panels, weatherizing their homes

'Lowering energy prices will also deliver cleaner air and water for our children. Electrifying fleets of school buses, increasing credits for electric vehicles, and addressing legacy pollution

'It will incentivize clean energy manufacturing, building the solar panels and wind turbines that are growing energy markets of the future, which will create good paying union jobs for American workers.'

He ended his lengthy speech with a twist to his usual sign-off.

'God bless you all and may God save the planet,' he said.

18-year climate activist Greta Thunberg told demonstrators outside the conference that heads of government were not doing enough to save the planet from disaster

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed Biden to the COP 26 summit on Monday

President Biden's motorcade burned through the Central Belt of Scotland from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow on Monday

It comprised more than 20 vehicles - plus police outriders - but was modest compared with the 85 vehicles he used in Rome

Earlier British Prime Minister Boris compared the crisis to the climax of a James Bond film when the hero has to thwart plans to blow up the planet, as he welcomed delegates to the summit.

But Mr Johnson went on to say 'this is not a movie' and the 'doomsday device is real' as he urged his counterparts to do more to reduce harmful emissions.

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act.

'Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change,' he said. 'Its one minute to midnight and we need to act now.'

Johnson used his speech as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough also offered an apocalyptic warning.

He asked: 'Is this how our story is due to end - a tale of the smartest species doomed by that all too human characteristic of failing to see the bigger picture in pursuit of short-term goals?"

The problems of the world's reliance on fossil fuels was inadvertently highlighted by Biden himself when he touched down in Scotland and then climbing into a huge motorcade to travel to the climate summit.

After making the short hop from Rome in Air Force One - a modified 747 - his gas-guzzling convoy of more than 20 vehicles will raise fresh criticisms of hypocrisy.

Biden's six-day trip to Europe will release an estimated two million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

President Biden touched down at Edinburgh Airport on Monday morning ahead of arriving at the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, after making the short hop from Rome, Italy

Air Force landed in Scotland on Monday morning. Biden has been criticized for the amount of carbon emitted by his fleet of aircraft and cars during his Europe trip

Environmental campaigners with 'big heads' of key world leaders, including Biden, dressed in kilts gathered in Glasgow, marking the start of the Cop26 summit in the city on Monday

At the G20 in Rome he used an 85-vehicle convoy, including vans for officials, secret service and journalists, as well as ambulances and communications systems.

Biden arrived from a G20 summit in Rome where he touted the power of America 'showing up.'

'What we've seen again here in Rome is what I think is the power of America showing up and working with our allies and partners to make progress in issues that matter to all of us,' he said, adding that allies wanted 'American leadership' to get things done.

He claimed other leaders sought him out as he fended off a question about whether he could provide leadership amid falling poll numbers at home.

'The United States of America is the most critical part of this entire agenda, and we did it,' Biden said.

However, skeptics say few concrete measures were agreed on how to keep the world to temperature rises of less than 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels - a target set at the Paris climate summit in 2015.

And Biden lost key clean energy pledges from his Build Back Better agenda in recent weeks as the price for winning over opponents in his own party to its huge $3.5 trillion cost.

The Supreme Court could yet strip his administration of more powers to limit emissions.

Then there is the awkward matter of his travel arrangements.

His trip to Europe is estimated to release 2.2 million pounds of carbon.

The gigantic carbon footprint is comprised of 2.16 million pounds of carbon dioxide generated by the four large planes that comprise his airborne entourage on the trip to Italy and Scotland, where the president will speak at the COP26 summit on change in Glasgow, with the remainder emitted by Biden's cars.

His fleet is comprised of the heavily modified Boeing 747 he travels on, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, an identical decoy, and two huge C-17 Globemaster planes to carry his battalion of cars and helicopters.

Even so, his officials frequently talked up the power of US leadership before the summit.

Biden addressed a press conference at the end of the G20 summit in Rome. He talked about climate change and his domestic legislative agenda but things took a deeply personal turn when he was asked about his meeting with the pope on Friday

US President Joe Biden speaks at the beginning of a meeting about the global supply chain, during the G20 Summit at the Roma Convention Center

'The US is stepping up to do its part key,' said Jake Sullivan aboard Air Force One en route to Edinburgh on Monday morning.

'US allies Japan, Korea, the European Union, Canada, others are stepping up to do their part.

'And now the question is: Will some of the remaining countries step up to do theirs?'

Biden's climate adviser Gina McCarthy echoed the sentiment in a briefing with reporters.

'This is a message you're going to see from the president over the next two days and from dozens of cabinet officials who will be in Glasgow over the next two weeks: the United States is back at the table, we're back, hoping to rally the world to tackle the climate crisis,' he said.

She said the U.S. would release a plan to show it can half U.S. carbon emissions by 2023 from 2005 levels en route to its net-zero target by 2050.

'It illustrates how, within three decades, the U.S. can meet our global climate commitments by decarbonizing the power sector, electrifying transportation and buildings, transforming industry, reducing non-CO2 emissions, and reinvigorating our natural lands,' she said.

Special climate envoy John Kerry also pushed back on criticism that COP 26 was getting off to a lackluster start, with only modest action on the 1.5C target in Rome.

He said nations representing 65 percent of the world's GDP were committed to the effort.

'Obviously, if you have 65% in, you got 35% out, and that's the challenge coming out of Glasgow,' he said.

'Can those countries step up? How fast will they step up? What will they pledge to do over the course of the next years?'

Summit host Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, lambasted G20 leaders on Sunday, saying only 12 of 20 had promised concrete action on hitting net zero emissions by 2050.

'Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change,' he is expected to say during Monday's opening session, according to speech excerpts released by his office.

'It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now.'
Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin lived with 'a tremendous amount of guilt' after emails found in husband Anthony Weiner's laptop prompted the FBI to reopen its investigation into Clinton ahead of the 2016 election.

In her upcoming memoir Both/And, Abedin wrote about the time former FBI Director James Comey said he was restarting a probe into Clinton's private email server after agents found emails that Abedin had forwarded to the former congressman to print.

At the time, Weiner, 57, was under a separate investigation for sending salacious texts to a 15-year-old girl, as first reported by DailyMail.com.

She wrote in her book: '''Anthony," I said, wanting to shake him through the phone, "if she loses this election, it will be because of you and me."'

While promoting it on NBC's Today show on Monday, Abedin added: 'I lived with a tremendous amount of guilt from the moment this unprecedented announcement, 10 days before the election, breaking the norm of any previous FBI director, yeah, it was a shock to my system.'

Longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, 45, says she lived with a 'tremendous amount of guilt' after her husband's sex crime investigation led the FBI to reopen a probe into her boss

Abedin has worked for the Clintons since 1998, when she first entered the White House

Abedin married former US Rep. Anthony Weiner in 2010. The disgraced politician was being investigated by the FBI in 2016 for sending explicit photos and texts to a teen (left)

The longtime Clinton aide also seemed open to running for office in the future, announcing: 'I'm copying Shonda Rimes. This is my year of saying yes. I'm not saying no to anything,' before clarifying her answer, 'That was "I don't know.'"

Abedin, 45, has been working for the Clintons in one way or another since 1998, when she first entered the White House during Bill Clinton's sex scandal with Monika Lewinsky. She worked alongside Hillary Clinton during her time as a first lady, senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate.

FBI director Comey made waves when he announced he was reopening his investigation into Clinton's use of email as Secretary of State, a politically divisive issue, just 11 days before she was set to face Donald Trump at the polls.

Comey was accused by Democrats, including Clinton, of tipping the scale for Trump.

'And the thing that really got to me about that experience is the year before, when I had heard that the FBI was starting this investigation, I had not heard from anybody about any information that I had volunteered,' Abedin said Monday.

'I had reached out to say, "Can I be helpful?" I didn't understand why nobody tried to reach me. So, yes, I will carry that to my grave.'

The book was amazing therapy for me.



Watch @SavannahGuthries full interview with former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin about her new memoir, Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds. pic.twitter.com/cqnye3WvNc  TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 1, 2021

Former FBI Director James Comey re-opened a probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server after finding her emails in Weiner's laptop. Abedin had allegedly sent them to him to print out

Abedin, above with Clinton during her first presidential run in 2008, expressed interest in running for office: 'I'm copying Shonda Rimes. This is my year of saying yes'

Huma Abedin on CBS Evening News on Sunday Abedin promoted her upcoming book, Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds, for the first time on CBS Evening News on Sunday. The 45-year-old Hillary Clinton aide wrote about growing up as an American raised in a Muslim society in Saudi Arabia, her time working with the Clintons and her marriage and eventual separation to disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner. She said: 'I think for most of my adult life, certainly in the last 25 years that I've been in public service or the public eye, I have been the invisible person behind the primary people in my life. 'But what I realize [now] is that if you don't tell your story, somebody else is writing your history.' Abedin stood by her husband Anthony Weiner, a former Congressman, even during a second sex scandal involving explicit texts and photos. 'Everyone was calling me and saying - people who loved me - were calling and saying "Don't do this,"' she recounted to anchor Norah O'Donnell. 'I think if I had talked to Hillary or my mother or anybody in my family, they would've advised me against doing it,' Abedin said. But, she told O'Donnell: 'I didn't take their calls.' 'You write that, for a brief second, you contemplated walking off the subway platform?' Norah O'Donnell asks Abedin. 'Well, one of the best things I've had in my life is my faith, and the belief that there is always a way through,' Abedin said. When asked about her relationship with Weiner as it currently stands, Abedin says: 'We are good.' 'He is my co-parent, and I learned the full truth, I processed it and moved on,' she continued. 'I wish him well. He, I hope, wishes me well. I think he does.' When asked if she is still 'angry' at Weiner, the former member of Congress whose budding political career was destroyed by the scandals, she says: 'I cant live in that space anymore. 'I tried that. It almost killed me.' Advertisement

In the end, Clinton beat Trump, a political novice, by almost 3 million votes, but lost the presidency due to an Electoral College count of 227 to Trump's 304.

In 2019, Comey said that reopening the investigation was the 'least terrible option,' and suggested that not doing so would have been 'lying' to Congress and the public.

On Monday, Abedin said she's usually been 'the silent person behind the primary person,' but that she didn't want her story written for her, echoing what she said in an interview a day earlier.

'But what I realize [now] is that if you don't tell your story, somebody else is writing your history,' she said Sunday on CBS Evening News.

Abedin met Weiner, then a Congressman from New York, in 2007 and married him in a 2010 ceremony officiated by Bill Clinton.

She described the beginning of her relationship with Weiner as an 'all-consuming captivating love affair,' adding that he was 'charismatic' and 'smart' and that she was drawn by their shared commitment to public service.

Their relationship was worn down by years of sex scandals, beginning with a tweet of a sexually explicit photo posted by accident in 2011 and ending with revelations that he sexted a teenager just weeks before the 2016 election.

At one point, the disgraced politician sent out an explicit photo of himself with their baby in the frame.

They filed for divorce in 2017, though it's yet to become official. Weiner served 18 months in prison and is now a registered sex offender.

Abedin has since separated from Weiner with whom she shares a 10-year-old son. The parents were spotted shopping together in New York City last week.

'He is my co-parent, and I learned the full truth, I processed it and moved on,' Abedin said in the CBS interview with Norah O'Donnell on Sunday.

'I wish him well. He, I hope, wishes me well. I think he does.'

Abedin was just 12 weeks pregnant when the first sexting scandal broke in 2011. Weiner resigned from Congress just a few weeks later.

'My baby became my primary focus,' she said Monday morning. 'I was deeply in love with this man. I didn't understand the behavior and what was happening. And every sort of decision I made was a decision for that moment.

'For periods of time, I was just trying to get through that day.'

In her book, Abedin wrote that she briefly contemplated walking off a subway platform during the scandals.

She refuted a suggestion that she was 'in denial' when she stood by Weiner during his failed bid for NYC mayor in 2013.

'I don't think I was in denial. I think I did not understand that my husband had a compulsion, as was later revealed, an addiction that was increasingly getting worse over time.

'It's not that we weren't in therapy. It just wasn't - you know, you have to be committed,' she said.

Weiner and Abedin were spotted grocery shopping in New York City last week. The pair, who share a 10-year-old son, have filed for divorce, though it has not yet been finalized

Abedin said of Weiner: 'I wish him well. He, I hope, wishes me well. I think he does.'

Abedin previously said that she ignored the advice of her mother or Hillary Clinton when she stood by Weiner during the second sex scandal in 2013, while Weiner was running for mayor of New York.

'I didn't take their calls,' she said.

The longtime Hillary Clinton aide also revealed that she was kissed without her consent by a then-sitting US senator while she was working for Clinton.

Abedin wrote that she attended the 2005 dinner without Clinton, then-senator from New York, with 'a few senators and their aides,' according to a copy of the book obtained by The Guardian.

'I ended up walking out with one of the senators, and soon we stopped in front of his building and he invited me in for coffee. Once inside, he told me to make myself comfortable on the couch.'

Abedin previously said it was her Muslim faith that got her through Weiner finishing in fifth place in the NYC Democratic mayoral primary in September 2013

She said the senator took off his blazer, rolled up his sleeves and made coffee before sitting beside her on the couch.

'Then, in an instant, it all changed. He plopped down to my right, put his left arm around my shoulder, and kissed me, pushing his tongue into my mouth, pressing me back on the sofa.

'I was so utterly shocked, I pushed him away. All I wanted was for the last 10 seconds to be erased.'

She said that the senator seemed shocked but apologized and said he had 'misread' their relationship.

On Monday, Abedin said she was inspired to come forward after Christine Blasey Ford's 2018 testimony against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, but she declined to name the politician or to clarify whether or not he's still in office.

Weiner served 18 months in prison and registered as a sex offender after sending the above messages to a 15-year-old girl, in a story first reported by DailyMail.com

On Monday, Abedin declined to name the senator who allegedly kissed her in 2005. 'This is about me. And in 2021, a woman should be able to talk about her trauma and her confusion and her experience and it should be okay,' she said

'I chose not to name the individual because this story is not about him,' she said.

'This is about me. And in 2021, a woman should be able to talk about her trauma and her confusion and her experience and it should be okay.'

In the book Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds - set for release on Tuesday - Abedin revealed that the first time she found inappropriate messages from Weiner was during a 2009 trip to the Dominican Republic with the Clintons, before their marriage.

'I noticed an unread email from a woman whose name I did not recognize,' she wrote.

'I felt a hot rush of blood from my head down to my fingertips. The message was fawning, flirtatious and very familiar, as though this was a woman Anthony knew.

'He said, in an entirely composed manner, "Oh, thats nothing. Just a fan."

'I didnt know a seed was being planted in his psyche that would grow into something much darker and uncontrollable, something that would ruin us.

'I was in the midst of what I believed to be a deep, true love affair. Nothing in my experience could possibly have prepared me for what was to come.'
The Supreme Court on Monday heard a case involving Texas' new law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, and appears to be leaning toward blocking the law.

Four of the nine members on the highest court -- Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal justices -- had voted previously to halt enforcement of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which makes no exception for rape or incest.

Two conservative justices appointed by former president Donald Trump -- Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett -- appeared inclined after two hours of oral arguments to also vote to block the novel Texas law.

Last month the high court declined to issue an injunction that would have blocked the law from taking effect as the case was being decided. The litigation, however, is moving at an unusually fast pace, as the justices agreed to step in only 10 days ago.

The court agreed to weigh in after President Biden's Department of Justice (DOJ) called the bill 'clearly unconstitutional' and sued the Lonestar State.

The Supreme Court is hearing appeals from both the DOJ and abortion providers.

Texas solicitor general Judd Stone argued that the federal government and abortion providers do not have the legal standing to sue the state and that Texas officials cannot be defendants before the law has even been enforced.

The Texas Heartbeat Act, or SB 8, took effect two months ago, and outcries rippled across the nation. The law bans doctors from performing abortions once a heartbeat is detected, at around 6 weeks. It does not contain exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

Stone argues that the DOJ's case against SB 8 'offends the separation of powers by usurping for the executive branch the role Congress plays in determining what cases may be heard and what remedies may be provided in the federal courts.'

'No Texas official is a proper defendant in a pre-enforcement challenge to S.B. 8,' Stone argued. 'The United States cannot cure that problem by naming the state of Texas as a nominal defendant and then asking for relief that runs against the same Texas officials that are inappropriate targets for an injunction.'

The law's unusual enforcement mechanism was specifically designed to foil any legal challenges. State officials don't enforce the law, but any private citizen can bring a case against anyone who aides or abets a woman in getting an abortion, other than the woman herself. A successful plaintiff could be entitled to $10,000 in damages.

The administration argued that the Texas law violates abortion rights established in the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion law.

In a lower court ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert Pittman called the law 'flagrantly unconstitutional' and issued a preliminary injunction. But the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the law.

Texas wrote in as filing in response urging the court to keep the law in place while the case is heard, and the court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, obliged.

'There is no federal statute or regulation requiring Texas to permit abortions after a heartbeat is detected,' Texas wrote.

Dueling pro-life and pro-choice advocates formed protests outside the Supreme Court building as they awaited the justices' decision

Women, donning red dresses and white bonnets, represented the Handmaid's Tale, a TV series about a dystopian future where women are essentially subjected to child-bearing slavery

In most abortion restrictions, abortion-rights plaintiffs would sue officials to block them from enforcing the law.

The Texas law defies the Supreme Court's major decisions on abortion rights 'by banning abortion long before viability - indeed, before many women even realize they are pregnant,' the Justice Department wrote in its plea to the court.

'The question now is whether Texas' nullification of this Court's precedents should be allowed to continue while the courts consider the United States' suit. As the district court recognized, it should not,' the Justice Department wrote.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh called the DOJ's lawsuit 'unusual' and asked what authority the department had to sue over a state law.

Elizabeth Prelogar, US solicitor general, acknowledged the unusual nature of the suit and said the Justice Department does not 'lightly invoke' its authority to to sue Texas to block enforcement of the law.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked Prelogar if her argument would be the same if it were issued by a state hostile to a matter like gun rights.

'It would be exactly the same, because the threat here is to the supremacy of federal law,' Prelogar replied.

Chief Justice John Roberts expressed concerns that the DOJ's case was too broad and sought 'an injunction against the world.'

'I share some of the concerns that have been voiced by my colleagues who say this case is very narrow, it's rare, it's particularly problematic,' Roberts told Prelogar. 'But the authority you assert to respond to it is as broad as can be.'

'It's hardly traditional to get injunctions against judges, injunctions against everybody, right?' Roberts said. 'That's part of the relief you seek, isn't it?  So you're seeking an injunction against the world?'

Justice Brett Kavanaugh questioned whether state could use similar citizen-led enforcement frameworks to avoid intervention by federal courts.

Examples he put forth included whether states could pass laws allowing private citizens to sue anyone who sells an AR-15 rifle, or tasking citizens with suing people who refuse to provide goods or services to a same-sex marriage.

Much of the debate revolved around a 1908 case, Ex Parte Young, where the Supreme Court ruled that state officials could be sued in federal court to prevent them from trying to enforce unconstitutional laws.

'Some geniuses came up with a way to evade the commands of that decision as well as the command that the broader even principal that states are not to nullify federal constitutional rights,' Justice Elena Kagan said. 'To say, 'Oh, we've never seen this before, we can't do anything about it, I guess I just don't understand that argument.'

The Texas case is just the first abortion debate the Supreme Court will hear this term. On Dec. 1, the court will consider a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks. That case will give the court a direct opportunity to revisit the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which bolstered a woman's right to have an abortion pre-viability, or until 22-24 weeks' gestation.

Meanwhile, dueling pro-life and pro-choice advocates formed protests outside the Supreme Court building as they awaited the justices' decision.

Anti-abortion protesters rally with signs like 'Let their hears beat' and 'Liberal athiest against abortion'

Pro-life protesters rally outside the court, some wearing sashes that say, 'End infanticide''

In a legal brief submitted to the court, the DOJ wrote that if the Texas law withstands scrutiny, 'no decision of this court is safe,' as states will write laws that nullify constitutional rights they disagree with.

Abortion clinics made similar arguments and formed an unlikely alliance with Second Amendment advocates, who filed an amicus brief warning expressing concerns that liberal states could follow the Texas model to write laws that bypass constitutional gun rights.

In the 5-4 vote last month to allow the law to remain in effect, the high court acknowledged in an unsigned order that there were 'serious questions regarding the constitutionality of the Texas law' but also 'complex and novel' procedural questions about whom to sue and whether federal courts had the power to stop the law from being enforced.

In a dissenting opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that he would have put the 'unprecedented' law on hold so that court could consider 'whether a state can avoid responsibility for its laws' by handing off enforcement. The court's three liberal justices also dissented.

The question now is whether the administration's presence in the new lawsuit will make a difference. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals provided its answer last month, extending its earlier order that allows the law to remain in effect.

In a 2-1 vote, the court said it was siding with Texas for the same reasons the Supreme Court and a different 5th Circuit panel cited in the providers' lawsuit - questioning whether anyone could march into federal court to challenge the law.

Texas sought help from the appeals court after U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled that the Justice Department did have the ability to sue and that he had the authority to stop the law from being enforced, writing that 'women have been unlawfully prevented from exercising control over their lives in ways that are protected by the Constitution.'

The judge conceded, however, that 'other courts may find a way to avoid this conclusion.'
This is the moment a parrot played peekaboo with CCTV operators as it perched on a traffic camera on a Brazilian motorway.

The turquoise-fronted Amazon parrot (Amazona aestiva), was filmed peering into the lens on the busy BR-116 route near the city of Curitiba in Parana, on October 29.

Road management company Arteris Planalto Sul shared the hilarious footage on Twitter where it has been viewed more than 262,000 times.

This is the moment a parrot plays peekaboo with CCTV operators while sitting on a traffic camera on a busy Brazilian motorway

The inquisitive bird enters the frame from the right while perched on the camera on the BR-116 motorway near the city of Curitiba in Parana

In the footage, the inquisitive parrot's head emerges from the top right of the frame as it peers into camera before disappearing abruptly.

A few seconds later, the colourful bird reappears from above the camera, dangling upside down, obscuring most of the motorway in the process.

The parrot is living up to its species' reputation as curious and playful.

The bird is easy to tame and has a talent for talking, making the Amazona aestiva one of the most common parrots to be kept in captivity.

The playful parrot is not the only bird to show an interest in Brazilian motorway cameras in recent months.

In April, two toucans were filmed pecking at a traffic camera near the city of Campinas, Sao Paulo.

This is the moment a pair of inquisitive toucans were captured standing in front of a traffic camera before they starting trying to eat the device in Brazil in April

The toucans were filmed walking around and preening themselves in front of the camera on the SP-330 motorway in the south-eastern Brazilian municipality of Campinas

Footage from the traffic camera shows how one toucan appeared on the railing next to the camera

Footage from the traffic camera shows a toucan on the railing next to the camera.

About halfway through the footage, a second toucan ambles into view and they take it in turns to peck at the camera with their long orange beaks.

They appear to be toco toucans, which prefer open habitats and have benefitted from widespread deforestation in tropical South America.

In 2019, two inquisitive seagulls became famous after repeatedly landing on top of a traffic camera in London.

The seagulls were spotted at the camera by the East London junction in 2019

The birds were filmed over two days walking around in front of the camera at a junction on the approach to the Blackwall Tunnel in Poplar, East London.

Transport bosses said the seagulls had been nicknamed Graeme and Steve.

Seagulls have previously photobombed traffic cameras in Glasgow - once on the M8 near the airport in April 2014.
The 66-year-old senator was angry that he had to evacuate the Senate chamber during the riots, a new report revealed on Sunday

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged law enforcement officers to shoot the violent Donald Trump supporters who breached the US Capitol on January 6, a new report claims.

He reportedly yelled at Capitol Police to 'use' their guns to fight for the Senate while officers were attempting to evacuate him and other lawmakers amid the chaos.

On Sunday the Washington Post released the second of its extensive three-part investigation into the Capitol riot. Titled 'Bloodshed,' it details in chronological order the tension and fear felt by lawmakers and police as they escaped - in some cases just barely - violent Trump supporters who broke glass and illegally entered the halls of Congress.

On that day at 2:19pm, when rioters had already broken inside, Capitol police had sent an urgent warning to congressional staff inside the Capitol to take shelter in an office or other area away from any windows.

House and Senate lawmakers were being evacuated to an 'undisclosed location' but some, including Graham, reportedly stayed in the chamber for a short while longer.

According to the report Graham, 66, was furious that he had to flee the Senate chamber in the face of oncoming rioters.

'What are you doing? Take back the Senate! Youve got guns. Use them,' he allegedly yelled at the Senate sergeant-at-arms.

He added, 'We give you guns for a reason. Use them.'

Since Trump took office, the South Carolina Republican had gone from one of his loudest critics to staunchest supporters.

The night of January 6, when lawmakers finally returned to the Capitol, Graham famously said 'enough is enough, count me out' over his alliance with Trump.

In a CBS interview a month after the riot, Graham said 'January the 6th was a very bad day for America, and [Trump will] get his share of blame in history.'

The day after the riot Graham held a press conference in which he said Capitol Police should have used 'lethal force' as soon as the insurrectionists broke in

Hundreds of violent Trump supporters stormed the Capitol after Trump encouraged them to pressure senators against certifying the election results

But in the same sit-down he defended the former president against Democrats' second impeachment bid, and in the months since has said he remains in regular contact with Trump.

When asked for comment on the Post's report, Graham's communications director Kevin Bishop didn't refute the allegations and told DailyMail.com that the senator had already been 'quite clear on this point.'

He pointed to a press conference the Senator held on January 7.

At time Graham had expressed his alarm at how bad the situation could have potentially been and suggested officers should have fired 'warning shots.'

He added that police should have used 'lethal force' the moment rioters broke into the Capitol and said not doing so amounted to a colossal intelligence failure.

'Yesterday they could have blown the building up. They could have killed us all,' he said at the time.

'They should have been challenged, warning shots should have been fired and lethal force should have been used once theyd penetrated the seat of government.

'Those backpacks could have had bombs chemical agents, weapons. We dodged a major bullet yesterday. If this is not a wake up call, I do not know what it is. Is that a money problem? If it is well fix it. Is it a leadership problem? Obviously. Is it an Intel failure of the highest proportions? Absolutely.'

Later on the Post also claims Graham was so desperate he reached out to Ivanka Trump, the ex-president's oldest daughter and adviser, to plead for help.

He 'called Ivanka Trump repeatedly with suggestions for what the president should say,' the report states, citing two people with knowledge of the conversation.

Graham told her: 'You need to get these people out of here.'

'This thing is going south. This is not good. Youre going to have to tell these people to stand down. Stand down,' he reportedly said.

Senior administration officials told the Post that Trump himself was not taking many calls and saw few people at the time.

But as his advisers debated what he should tweet, Trump instead chose to defend himself and his supporters, who he reportedly said wouldn't commit violence.

Accounts of the riot and videos later show his supporters searching for specific members of Congress and chanting 'Hang Mike Pence.'

During the riot, Graham reportedly reached out to Ivanka Trump in a desperate bid to get her father to call his supporters off (pictured together along with former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus and former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin in late 2019)

The Post's report also provides a new account of a tense standoff between Pence and the head of his security detail who was trying to evacuate him at the time.

As the chaos was unfolding, Pence reportedly twice refused a request from the lead special agent in charge of his protective detail to evacuate.

Pence had replied that he was 'not leaving the Capitol' in fear he would inflame the situation further if the rioters saw his motorcade fleeing.

At 2:26pm, the request was no longer optional, with the agent telling Pence the rioters were already inside.

'The room youre in is not secure. There are glass windows. I need to move you. Were going,' Pence was reportedly told.

He ultimately didn't let his security detail 'force' him and his family into a waiting car, electing instead to take shelter in an underground area of the Capitol building.

The Post reported he told them, 'If I get in that vehicle, you guys are taking off. Im not getting in the car.'

Graham allegedly took Pence aside for a hug and words of encouragement shortly before 8pm when lawmakers finally returned to the chamber to resume their duties,

'Youre doing the right thing. Im proud of you,' Graham told him before Pence presided over the certification of Joe Biden's victory.
The January 6 MAGA riot was was instigated by left-wing 'agents provocateurs,' including Insurgence USA founder John Sullivan, who revved up the crowd to storm the Capitol barricades and trample over police officers, experts told Tucker Carlson.

Sullivan, who has pleaded not guilty to eight charges and is scheduled for a court hearing in January, filmed the fatal police shooting of Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt as she tried to climb through a broken door leading to the Speaker's Lobby.

The officer who shot Babbitt, Lt. Michael Byrd, was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Carlson, a Fox News host, streamed the first episode of Patriot Purge, the much-talked about documentary available now on Fox Nation.

One of the experts quoted in the documentary, J. Michael Waller, says that 'January 6 was a political warfare operation' that was 'egged on' by police who needlessly fired tear gas that provoked the large crowd of largely nonviolent Trump supporters.

Waller, a national security expert at the Center for Security Policy, a Washington, DC-based think tank, said that the Capitol riot had all the hallmarks of past 'false-flag' missions that he was trained to carry out himself.

'During the Cold War, I infiltrated Soviet international front organizations for the purpose of causing provocations that would discredit the Soviets,' he said.

One of those provocations was to cause a fight to break out at an international Soviet-sponsored peace conference in Copenhagen in 1986.

'Having been trained by professional agitators in the past, I saw this as a coordinated effort [by] different cadres of agents provocateurs and other troublemakers who had a sort of military-like precision in what was to become a storming of the Capitol,' Waller told Fox Nation.

He said the event started out as a 'legal protest' that was 'hijacked by certain organized groups from various political ideologies.'

The January 6 MAGA riot was was instigated by left-wing 'agents provocateurs' who changed clothes during the mayhem and revved up the crowd to storm the Capitol barricades and trample over police officers, experts told Tucker Carlson

Carlson, a Fox News host, streamed the first episode of Patriot Purge, the much-talked about documentary available now on Fox Nation

One of the experts quoted in the documentary, J. Michael Waller, says that 'January 6 was a political warfare operation' that was 'egged on' by police who needlessly fired tear gas that provoked the large crowd of largely nonviolent Trump supporters

The documentary also claims that one of the agitators is John Sullivan, the man who filmed the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt. Sullivan, the founder of a group called 'Insurgence USA,' is described in the documentary by journalist Taylor Hansen as a provocateur who has agitated for violence for causes both 'left and right'

According to Waller, 'different units of agents provocateurs who were assembled by the Statue of Peace' began 'goading members of the crowd' while 'trying to cause trouble.'

The documentary also claims that one of the agitators is Sullivan.

According to the federal government, Sullivan was captured on film urging the other rioters to escalate the violence.

'We got to get this s**t burned,' he purportedly states, before adding: 'It's our house motherf*****.'

Elsewhere in his recorded clips he says to rioters: 'You guys are f**king savage. Let's go!'

Sullivan, the founder of a group called 'Insurgence USA,' is described in the documentary by journalist Taylor Hansen as a provocateur who has agitated for violence for causes both 'left and right.'

Hansen told Fox Nation that he was assaulted by members of Insurgence USA and had a gun pointed at his head while trying to drive through an anti-police demonstration in Utah shortly after the May 2020 police-involved death of George Floyd.

Carlson, who announced the series on his Twitter account, asks: 'What exactly happened on January 6? How much of what we were told about that day is a lie?

Carlson's new docuseries will appear on FOX Nation from November 1

'He knows his stuff and he knows how to start something in a crowd and to almost talk somebody into initiating violence for him and on his behalf,' Hansen said.

'He knows his stuff and he knows how to start something in a crowd and to almost talk somebody into initiating violence for him and on his behalf.'

Hansen said he witnessed several agitators change their clothes 'from black bloc into Trump gear.' Those same agitators then confronted Capitol police, according to Hansen.

According to the Department of Justice, Sullivan, 27, was not simply a passive observer inside the Capitol, after video emerged purportedly showing him encouraging the rioters.

John Earle Sullivan, 26, is awaiting trial on eight charges in connection with his alleged role in the siege of the Capitol on January 6

Days after the Capitol riot, he was charged with one count of knowingly entering a restricted building, one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and one count of interfering with law enforcement.

According to a release by the DOJ, Sullivan, 'wearing a ballistics vest and gas mask, entered the U.S. Capitol through a window that had been broken out, pushing past U.S. Capitol Police once inside'.

He filmed multiple videos of the event, before posting them to YouTube under his username 'Jayden X'.

In one of the clips, he is seemingly heard encouraging other rioters as they enter the building.

Sullivan filmed multiple videos of the event, before posting them to YouTube under his username 'Jayden X'

In one of the clips, he is seemingly heard encouraging other rioters as they enter the building

While Sullivan remains behind the camera throughout most of the footage, he pans down at the start of the video to show how he is decked out in a ballistic vest for the riot, pictured

The FBI alleges that Sullivan is heard saying he smashed the glass pane to the left

Sullivan also filmed the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt, who died after she was shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through the broken part of a door leading into an area known as the Speakers Lobby

Lindsey Graham told police to SHOOT rioters who breached the Capitol on January 6 and 'take back the Senate', report claims The 66-year-old senator was angry that he had to evacuate the Senate chamber during the riots, a new report revealed on Sunday South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged law enforcement officers to shoot the violent Donald Trump supporters who breached the US Capitol on January 6, a new report claims. He reportedly yelled at Capitol Police to 'use' their guns to fight for the Senate while officers were attempting to evacuate him and other lawmakers amid the chaos. On Sunday the Washington Post released the second of its extensive three-part investigation into the Capitol riot. Titled 'Bloodshed,' it details in chronological order the tension and fear felt by lawmakers and police as they escaped - in some cases just barely - violent Trump supporters who broke glass and illegally entered the halls of Congress. On that day at 2:19pm, when rioters had already broken inside, Capitol police had sent an urgent warning to congressional staff inside the Capitol to take shelter in an office or other area away from any windows. House and Senate lawmakers were being evacuated to an 'undisclosed location' but some, including Graham, reportedly stayed in the chamber for a short while longer. According to the report Graham, 66, was furious that he had to flee the Senate chamber in the face of oncoming rioters. 'What are you doing? Take back the Senate! Youve got guns. Use them,' he allegedly yelled at the Senate sergeant-at-arms. He added, 'We give you guns for a reason. Use them.' Since Trump took office, the South Carolina Republican had gone from one of his loudest critics to staunchest supporters. The night of January 6, when lawmakers finally returned to the Capitol, Graham famously said 'enough is enough, count me out' over his alliance with Trump. In a CBS interview a month after the riot, Graham said 'January the 6th was a very bad day for America, and [Trump will] get his share of blame in history.' But in the same sit-down he defended the former president against Democrats' second impeachment bid, and in the months since has said he remains in regular contact with Trump. When asked for comment on the Post's report, Graham's communications director Kevin Bishop didn't refute the allegations and told DailyMail.com that the senator had already been 'quite clear on this point.' He pointed to a press conference the Senator held on January 7. At time Graham had expressed his alarm at how bad the situation could have potentially been and suggested officers should have fired 'warning shots.' He added that police should have used 'lethal force' the moment rioters broke into the Capitol and said not doing so amounted to a colossal intelligence failure. 'Yesterday they could have blown the building up. They could have killed us all,' he said at the time. The day after the riot Graham held a press conference in which he said Capitol Police should have used 'lethal force' as soon as the insurrectionists broke in 'They should have been challenged, warning shots should have been fired and lethal force should have been used once theyd penetrated the seat of government. 'Those backpacks could have had bombs chemical agents, weapons. We dodged a major bullet yesterday. If this is not a wake up call, I do not know what it is. Is that a money problem? If it is well fix it. Is it a leadership problem? Obviously. Is it an Intel failure of the highest proportions? Absolutely.' Later on the Post also claims Graham was so desperate he reached out to Ivanka Trump, the ex-president's oldest daughter and adviser, to plead for help. He 'called Ivanka Trump repeatedly with suggestions for what the president should say,' the report states, citing two people with knowledge of the conversation. Graham told her: 'You need to get these people out of here.' 'This thing is going south. This is not good. Youre going to have to tell these people to stand down. Stand down,' he reportedly said. Senior administration officials told the Post that Trump himself was not taking many calls and saw few people at the time. But as his advisers debated what he should tweet, Trump instead chose to defend himself and his supporters, who he reportedly said wouldn't commit violence. Accounts of the riot and videos later show his supporters searching for specific members of Congress and chanting 'Hang Mike Pence.' The Post's report also provides a new account of a tense standoff between Pence and the head of his security detail who was trying to evacuate him at the time. As the chaos was unfolding, Pence reportedly twice refused a request from the lead special agent in charge of his protective detail to evacuate. Pence had replied that he was 'not leaving the Capitol' in fear he would inflame the situation further if the rioters saw his motorcade fleeing. At 2:26pm, the request was no longer optional, with the agent telling Pence the rioters were already inside. 'The room youre in is not secure. There are glass windows. I need to move you. Were going,' Pence was reportedly told. He ultimately didn't let his security detail 'force' him and his family into a waiting car, electing instead to take shelter in an underground area of the Capitol building. The Post reported he told them, 'If I get in that vehicle, you guys are taking off. Im not getting in the car.' Graham allegedly took Pence aside for a hug and words of encouragement shortly before 8pm when lawmakers finally returned to the chamber to resume their duties, 'Youre doing the right thing. Im proud of you,' Graham told him before Pence presided over the certification of Joe Biden's victory. Advertisement

'This s**t is ours! F**k yeah. I can't believe this is reality.'

The DOJ further alleges he told rioters: 'We accomplished this s**t ... We are all a part of this history.'

The department added that Sullivan admits to 'filming and being depicted in video footage' from the moment Ashli Babbitt was shot dead by a Capitol police officer.

Sullivan sold the footage of the Babbitt shooting to news media outlets, pocketing $90,000.

The Justice Department confiscated the $90,000 from Sullivan after his arrest.

Sullivan is currently on bond and awaiting trial.

Carlson's documentary also quotes witnesses as saying that Capitol Police escalated the situation by firing impact munitions at the crowd of Trump supporters after they stood peacefully outside the Capitol building.

'They're firing these tear gas grenades into the crowd of people who weren't doing anything wrong,' Waller said.

The effect of the police actions riled up the crowd and the situation went from one that was de-escalated to one where mob started storming the Capitol building, it was claimed.

Hansen said he witnesses a Capitol bike police officer pushing a man off a wall, causing him injuries. That further provoked the crowd, which overran the officers and then entered the Capitol building.

'It made the crowd angry enough to actually push up the stairs,' Hansen said.

Carlson's documentary also draws parallels between the Capitol riot and the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

This past summer, the attorney representing one of six men indicted in the alleged plot claimed that an FBI agent told an informant to lie and delete text messages in an alleged attempt to cover up the agency's actions encouraging the conspiracy.

Brandon Caserta's lawyer, Michael Hills, laid out the accusations in a court filing, asking US District Judge Robert Jonker to compel the government to produce all communications between FBI agents and a confidential informant known as 'Dan.'

The FBI in October 2020 said it thwarted the plot to kidnap Whitmer by anti-government extremists upset over her coronavirus restrictions.

Caserta, Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr, Ty Garbin, Caleb Franks and Daniel Harris were charged in federal court with conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

In the August 13 filing, Hills argued that the text messages between 'Dan' the informant and two FBI agents indicate that the federal agency 'was pushing their paid agent to actively recruit people into an overt act in furtherance of a conspiracy.'

The government previously refused the defense's request to furnish the requested communications, arguing that lawyers have failed to show evidence of entrapment.

Hills attached screenshots of text messages between 'Dan' and FBI's Henrik Impola, in which the agent instructed the informant to 'delete these,' purportedly referring to their texts.

According to the lawyer, Dan's FBI handler also asked him to lie to Pete Musico, a founding member of the Wolverine Watchmen militia, 'and accuse an innocent individual as being undercover federal agent spying on Mr. Musico.'

In one text message attached to the filing, Agent Impola writes to Dan: 'Copy. Best thing to do is deny and accuse somebody like Trent.'

According to the defense attorney, Trent was on the 'outskirts' of the militia group and was not indicted in connection with the kidnapping plot.

Hills argued that Impola's behavior, as evidenced by his exchanges, 'casts a dark shadow over the credibility of this investigation and demonstrates the need for immediate disclosure as demanded.'

Hills further asserted that FBI's informant was the 'person at the center of all activity' and that the agents pushed him 'to actively recruit and entice people to either enter a conspiratorial agreement or an overt act in support of an agreement.'

The attorney revealed that he is seeking the communications 'for the purposes of entrapment defense.'

Assistant US Attorney Nils Kessler has denied that the agents were encouraging the plot, claiming in a recent court filing the 'defendants were predisposed to join the kidnapping and explosive conspiracies, and therefore will not be able to prove entrapment.'

Caserta and the other suspects were arrested after four members of the militia group scheduled an October 7 meeting in Ypsilanti, west of Detroit, to meet an undercover FBI agent and buy explosives and other supplies, the indictment says.

Eight other men who are said to be members or associates of the Wolverine Watchmen are charged in state court with counts including providing material support for terrorist acts.

Some of them are accused of taking part in the alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer and put her on 'trial,' or abandon her in the middle of Lake Michigan in a disabled boat.

Carlson's documentary generated strong reaction even before its first episode was streamed in full on Monday.

Critics of Carlson demanded that the show not be aired, accusing the Fox News host of 'incitement.'

Alexander Vindman, the former Army officer who testified during the impeachment hearings against Trump, said of Carlson: 'He is an anarchist; an arsonist of American democracy.

'How is this different than yelling fire in a crowded theater? Carlson is attempting to incite a riotous mob.

'He should be [censored]. Id like to hear the arguments for/against this being protected speech.'

Lindsey Simmons, a candidate for the US Congress, tweeted: 'The freedom of speech is not absolute. it can be restricted where it incites imminent lawless action.

'Tucker Carlson and Fox News are creating propaganda to incite a Civil War.

'At some point we must use the legal tools available to us before it is too late.'

CNN host Anderson Cooper blasted Fox News and the chairman of its parent company Fox Corporation, Rupert Murdoch.

'This isn't about Tucker Carlson,' Cooper said.

'It's about a media empire that pumps poison into the ecosystem that has violent and deadly consequences.'

A pro-Democratic Party account on Twitter compared Carlson to Infowars' Alex Jones, who has spread conspiracy theories about mass shootings.

'Three years ago, this is the kind of dangerous junk that got Alex Jones deplatformed from every major social platform,' tweeted the account known as Sleeping Giants.

'Today, it's the norm on Fox News, which STILL has major advertisers and is carried by every major cable company into the homes of millions.'

Jared Holt also made the comparison to Jones, tweeting: 'Alex Jones doesn't need to exist any more because the Murdoch family has filled that spot and tossed god knows how much money behind it.'

Oliver Darcy, a media reporter for CNN, added: 'It is seriously difficult at this point to see much daylight between Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones.'

Darcy tweeted: 'Make no mistake, Tucker is the face of Fox News. It's not just him engaging in this dishonest lunacy.

'It's the network, led by Suzanne Scott & Rupert/Lachlan Murdoch, that is responsible for green lighting and mainlining this 1/6 trutherism.

'They know exactly what they're doing.'

Charlie Warzel also tweeted that that the country's 'most popular cable news personality' is 'putting out...basically...infowars.'

The documentary draws a parallel between the January 6 riots and the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. This photo combo shows from top left, Kaleb Franks, Brandon Caserta, Adam Dean Fox, and bottom left, Daniel Harris, Barry Croft, and Ty Garbin, who were described as anti-government extremists angry over Whitmer's policies to prevent spread of the coronavirus

Brandon Caserta, one of the six men indicted for allegedly plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer, claims that an FBI agent told an informant to lie and delete text messages as part of a suspected entrapment coverup

Attorney Michael Hills provided this screenshot of an exchange between an FBI agent and an informant known as 'Dan'

The agent instructs 'Dan' to delete their communications, then tells him to lie and accuse another person named 'Trent' of being the informant

Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a Republican who voted to impeach Trump and blamed the former president for inciting the rioters on January 6, tweeted: 'It appears that @FoxNews is giving @TuckerCarlson a platform to spread the same type of lies that provoked violence on January 6. As @FoxNews knows, the election wasnt stolen and January 6 was not a "false flag" operation.'

In her tweet, Cheney tagged Fox executives including Murdoch, Jay Wallace, and Suzanne Scott. She also tagged former House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Another anti-Trump Republican, outgoing Congressman Adam Kinzinger, tweeted: 'Anyone working for @FoxNews must speak out.

'This is disgusting. It appears @foxnews isnt even pretending anymore.'

Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, posted a letter he wrote to Fox News about Carlson's documentary, which he referred to in quotes.

Greenblatt wrote that Carlson's series is 'nothing short of absurd and it will continue to fan the flames of extremists and conspiracy theorists.'

'This is dangerous, and it's no surprise that Tucker Carlson is leading the charge bringing fringe ideas to the masses.'
An electrician who killed two women in their bedsits went on to have sex with the corpses of other women in morgues while he remained at large for more than 30 years, a court today heard.

David Fuller is accused of murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and waitress Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.

The deaths of the two young women - dubbed the 'bedsit murders' at the time - became one of the UK's longest unsolved double homicide cases.

Fuller admits killing the women, but denies murder, claiming he was suffering from a mental illness at the time.

At his trial today, Maidstone Crown Court heard Fuller worked as an electrician at the Kent and Sussex Hospital from 1989, before moving to the Tunbridge Wells Hospital in 2010.

When police arrested Fuller over the deaths of Miss Knell and Miss Pierce in December 2020, officers found photos and videos which showed him sexually abusing female corpses in the mortuaries of the two hospitals at which he worked, the court heard.

The court heard the images show Fuller performing acts of sexual penetration on women of 'significantly varying' ages.

In a police interview, Fuller admitted to using Facebook to search for photos of the people he abused in the mortuary.

David Fuller, 67, is accused of murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Duncan Atkinson QC prosecuting said: 'Evidence shows he had particular interest in the assault of dead women.

'The defendant's clear sexual interest in a bizarre and disturbing activity shows a unique link between the deaths of Caroline and Wendy.

'Following his arrest for the two killings in December 2020, the police undertook a painstaking search of his address.

'This uncovered his possession of a number of hard drives and hard copy images, carefully concealed and stored at his home, that showed that over an extended period of time he had used access his then job gave him to the mortuary of first the Kent and Sussex Hospital and then the Tunbridge Wells Hospitals.'

The court heard Ms Knell was found dead in her apartment in Guildford Road on June 23, 1987.

Her body showed signs of blunt force trauma to the head, asphyxiation to the neck, and sexual assault after her death, Maidstone Crown Court heard on Monday.

Ms Pierce was killed five months later outside her home in Grosvenor Park on November 24 of the same year.

Neighbours described hearing screams from Ms Pierce's flat on the night in question, the court heard.

She was then reported missing, and there was no sign of her in her flat.

Her naked body was later discovered in a water-filled dyke at St Mary-in-the-Marsh on December 15 1987.

DNA evidence from both women's bodies link Fuller to their killing.

Ms Knell (pictured) was found dead in her apartment in Guildford Road on June 23, 1987

The court heard there were reports of 'prowler activity' in the lead up to both women's deaths, with local women reporting a voyeur looking through their windows.

The prosecutor said Ms Knell's killer managed to enter and leave her flat undetected and carried out the attack without leaving obvious traces, suggesting her attacker was thinking about his actions and taking precautions to avoid detection.

Mr Atkinson added: 'Each of the two women died in a strikingly similar fashion, which leads to a safe conclusion that they died at the hands of the same man.

'What links these two women is this defendant, David Fuller.

'Caroline Pierce, 20 years old, was last seen on November 24, 1987, and had been dropped close to her ground floor flat.

'People living in nearby addresses heard the sound of two high-pitched screams of terror from a female.

'She was reported missing when she failed to attend work. There was no sign of her or disturbance at her flat.'

A neighbour saw a man looking through Wendy's window three times a week for three weeks in the lead up to her death.

She spent the evening with her fiance, Ian Plass, before he dropped her off at home the night she was killed, the court heard.

The next morning he visited Wendy but there was no answer and when he climbed onto a flat roof to look through the window could see she was still in bed.

He then managed to climb through the window and found she was dead under the quilt and that her diary was missing.

The prosecutor added: 'Once inside, Mr Plass encountered the stuff of nightmares.

'He found that Wendy Knell was not asleep under the quilt, but dead. It was later found that Ms Knell's diary was missing.'

Fuller admits to killing the two women but has pleaded not guilty on grounds of diminished responsibility.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson said that Fuller had sexually assaulted both women after they had died.

Fuller initially denied that he had killed the women when he was first arrested, the court heard.

Ms Pierce (pictured was killed five months later outside her home in Grosvenor Park on November 24 of the same year

However, the court heard that after learning of the DNA evidence he has since changed his plea to that of one of diminished responsibility.

'His account has now changed,' said Mr Atkinson.

'He now asserts he was suffering from an abnormality of mind. If that is right then the defendant is guilty of manslaughter not murder.'

Mr Atkinson QC said that the prosecution's case is that Fuller killed and sexually assaulted the women to satisfy his desire.

'His desire for sexual gratification through the observation and identification of vulnerable women, gaining control of them, and then indulging his depraved sexual predilections in relation to them, all provides the explanation in relation to their murder.

'It follows that he is responsible for the killing of these young women and then sexually assaulting their bodies after their deaths.'

He added that there was no evidence of Fuller suffering from mental health problems until 2010, when Fuller complained of feeling depressed over pain in his legs.

Fuller, from Heathfield, East Sussex, denies murder and the trial continues.
The Conservatives were facing fury today after a sex pest former Tory MP was allowed to rejoin the party weeks after being found to have sexually harassed a member of staff.

Rob Roberts was readmitted after serving a 12-week membership suspension imposed after he was found to have made repeated and unwanted advances to a man.

But the decision to let him the Welsh MP back in the party fold was slammed by critics who said it would 'let him off the hook' for his actions' amid calls for him to be thrown out of the Commons.

The MP for Delyn in North Wales will continue to sit as an independent as the Tories are still withholding the party whip.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the move was a 'disgrace', adding: 'Rob Roberts has no place in Parliament, politics or public life.'

Rob Roberts was readmitted after serving a 12-week suspension imposed after he was found to have made repeated and unwanted advances to a man.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the move was a 'disgrace', adding: 'Rob Roberts has no place in Parliament, politics or public life.'

Roberts, 41, is facing efforts to remove him as the MP for Delyn in Wales after Parliament's Independent Expert Panel found he acted inappropriately towards a man working in his office.

The former staff member who made the complaint in June last year told BBC Wales that the MP had repeatedly propositioned him, leaving him feeling 'uncomfortable', 'shocked' and 'horrified'.

Mr Roberts, who only became an MP in 2019, apologised for the 'completely improper' behaviour but insisted his actions were 'romantic' rather than sexual.

The Commons approved a motion to suspend Mr Roberts from the House for six weeks in May, in line with the recommendation from the independent panel.

But the Conservatives suspended him from the party for twice that duration, while senior figures including Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg urged Mr Roberts to do the 'honourable' thing and stand down as an MP.

The Recall of Parliament Act, passed in 2015, allows the prospect of a by-election for sanctions imposed on the recommendation of the Commons Committee on Standards.

The petitions allow for a by-election to be held in an MP's seat if enough local people vote in favour of one. They have previously been used against MPs guilty of misconduct and criminal behavour.

But in an unforseen loophole, because Mr Roberts appealed the standards commissioner's ruling to an an Independent Expert Panel - which upheld the finding - he is not illegible to face a recall petition.

The party confirmed this morning that Mr Roberts was a Tory party member again, with a spokeswoman saying: 'Rob Roberts' membership suspension concluded on Monday November 1 after serving a 12-week suspension. The whip will remain suspended.'

Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds described the scheduled end of Mr Roberts' suspension as 'scandalous'.

'Rob Roberts should have resigned as an MP the moment he was suspended. That he is now set to return to the Conservative Party shows they've let him off the hook,' she added.
Tonga's main island will go into lockdown for a week after the South Pacific nation reported its first case of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, the government said Monday.

The far-flung archipelago identified its first virus case last week, after a traveller arriving from New Zealand tested positive and isolated at a quarantine hotel.

Tonga's Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa said the lockdown would begin just after midnight on Tuesday and apply only to the island of Tongatapu, where a majority of the population live.

The nation's Cabinet ordered the move to 'ensure the safety and health of our people,' news website Matangi Tonga reported.

Tonga's main island will go into lockdown for a week after the South Pacific nation reported its first case of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, the government said Monday

People will be required to isolate at home unless they are buying groceries or medicine, getting medical help, or accessing banking services (file image)

The lockdown will mean schools, bars and restaurants will be closed, and nighttime curfews imposed. People will be required to isolate at home unless they are buying groceries or medicine, getting medical help, or accessing banking services.

News of the case has prompted hundreds of Tongans to line up at vaccination sites around the country. About 31% of Tongans are fully vaccinated and 48% have had at least one dose, according to research group Our World in Data.

The infected traveler was among 215 passengers who arrived on a flight from Christchurch on Wednesday.

Christchurch had been free from the virus for months until last week, when several community cases were reported.

New Zealand health officials said the traveler to Tonga was fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and had returned a negative test before leaving for Tonga.

Tonga is among the few remaining nations in the world that have avoided outbreaks of the virus due to its isolation.

The nearby nation of Fiji avoided significant outbreaks until April, when the delta variant ripped through the island chain, infecting more than 50,000 people and killing at least 673.

Tonga's frontline workers - including health staff, police officers and airport staff - who were on duty when the plane arrived had also been put into quarantine.

Located northeast of New Zealand, Tonga is home to about 106,000 people.

Jacinda Ardern announced today it will extend coronavirus curbs for another week in its largest city of Auckland

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today it will extend coronavirus curbs for another week in its largest city of Auckland.

As New Zealand battles the spread of the infectious Delta variant of COVID-19, it has agreed on a November 10 re-opening date for retail stores and institutions such as libraries and museums, Ardern told a news conference.

'Because of the high vaccination rates in Auckland we can move with greater confidence,' Ardern said.

'These decisions are carefully balanced and allows us to release some of the pressure and fatigue that we know exists in Auckland.'

The city's limit on the size of outdoor gatherings was lifted to 25 people.

Empty streets of Newmarket in Auckland, New Zealand, on October 28 as the city remains in lockdown

New Zealand won global praise last year for a response that stamped out the coronavirus, but has proved unable to quash the current outbreak, forcing it to adopt a strategy of living with the virus instead of the earlier aim of elimination.

Daily cases have been rising to record highs in the last few days, with 162 on Monday. Of these, 53 sufferers were in hospital, with four in intensive care. Cases are expected to keep rising in a model of the outbreak released to the media.

But Ardern said high vaccination rates gave protection to keep down hospital admissions.

'Previously we worked hard to eliminate every case. While Delta has forced us to change our approach, vaccines ensure we have the same goal,' she added.

More than 75% of New Zealand, or about 3.1 million people, have now been fully vaccinated, while 88% have got one dose.

However, the government said an increasing number of new cases are among the indigenous Maori community, where the vaccination rate is lower.
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Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson exchanged a series of cryptic gestures today during a frosty meeting at COP26 as the furious Anglo-French fisheries row continues to rumble on.

Mr Johnson greeted Mr Macron with an awkward elbow bump as the pair then patted each other on the arm before the latter spoke to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

The trio posed side-by-side on stage for an official photograph before Mr Macron then turned his back on the PM as he made conversation with Mr Guterres.

Mr Johnson stepped closer to try to join the chat and Mr Macron then crossed his arms as the exchange between the three men continued before he then left the stage.

The interaction between Mr Johnson and Mr Macron was noticeably more strained and serious than when the PM greeted other world leaders this morning.

Mr Macron's arrival at the summit came after Liz Truss delivered a stinging rebuke to him as she demanded he 'stop threatening' Britain over the bitter fishing licences dispute.

The Foreign Secretary rejected the deadline set by the French President of tomorrow for more small boats to be granted licences to work in UK waters.

Instead she insisted that it is Paris that is facing time pressure as the Government is prepared to launch action over breaches of the post-Brexit trade agreement.

Ms Truss also risked inflaming the dispute as she suggested Mr Macron is attacking the UK in the hope it helps his re-election chances next year.

French officials have warned they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country with British goods from tomorrow unless more licences are granted for their small boats to fish in British waters.

Other threats have included a 'go-slow' at customs and even increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey. However, the number of boats being given permits has been creeping up, with the UK stressing that those who can prove a history of fishing in waters before Brexit will be allowed to continue.

Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron exchanged a series of cryptic gestures as they met today at COP26

Boris Johnson greeted Emmanuel Macron with an awkward elbow bump as the pair then patted each other on the arm before the latter then spoke to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres

The trio posed side-by-side on stage for an official photograph before Mr Macron then turned his back on the PM as he made conversation with Mr Guterres

Mr Johnson stepped closer to try to join the chat and Mr Macron crossed his arms as the exchange continued before he then left the stage

The interaction between Mr Johnson and Mr Macron was noticeably more strained and serious than when the PM greeted other world leaders this morning

Mr Johnson thrust his left hand downwards in an effort to emphasise a point during his chat with Mr Macron

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (pictured at COP today) rejected the deadline set by the French president of tomorrow for more small boats to be granted licences for UK waters

There are fears the fishing row could overshadow the COP26 summit in Glasgow. Mr Johnson is pictured this morning welcoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

The Cornelis Gert Jan, a British trawler, was seized by French authorities last week at the port in Le Havre

Asked about whether France and the UK had come to an agreement, Ms Truss told Sky News: 'The deal hasn't been done, the French have made completely unreasonable threats, including to the Channel Islands and to our fishing industry and they need to withdraw those threats, or else we will use the mechanisms of our trade agreement with the EU to take action.'

She said the action would take the form of using the dispute resolution mechanism under the post-Brexit trade deal to seek 'compensatory measures'.

'That is what we will do if the French don't back down,' she added.

'Stop threatening UK fishing vessels, stop threatening the Channel ports and accept we are entirely within our rights to allocate the fishing licences in line with the trade agreement.'

She said she would 'absolutely' take legal action in the coming days if France does not back down on threats, saying: 'This issue needs to be resolved in the next 48 hours.'

She added: 'We're not simply going to roll over in the face of these threats.'

Ms Truss said Mr Macron might be making 'unreasonable threats' because of the looming election.

'You might say there's a French election coming up,' she said.

In a day of extraordinary briefing as Mr Macron and Boris Johnson attended the G20 summit in Rome, the French premier insisted that the 'ball is in Britain's court' and reprisals are set to go ahead.

In a day of extraordinary briefing, Paris initially claimed that Mr Johnson and Mr Macron had reached a deal on de-escalation during 30 minutes of talks on the margins.

There were no officials or cameras present as the pair tried to reach an understanding one-on-one.

But that version was rejected by Mr Johnson, who stressed that he viewed Mr Macron as a 'friend' but they had a 'wide-ranging and frank' discussion. 'On fish I have got to tell you the position is unchanged,' he said.

Mr Johnson said he was 'puzzled' by a letter from French prime minister Jean Castex to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, in which according to some translations Mr Castex said the UK should be shown 'it causes more damage to leave the EU than to stay in'.

At a G20 press conference, Mr Johnson said: 'On fish, I've got to tell you the position is unchanged. And I'll just say this, for the record. I must say I was puzzled to read a letter from the French Prime Minister explicitly asking for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU.

'I just have to say to everybody I don't believe that that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Trade and Cooperation agreement, and that's probably all I'll say about that one.'

But Mr Macron said: 'The ball is in Britain's court... 'If the British make no movement, the measures of November 2 will have to be put in place.'

Earlier the PM's spokesman said it was a matter for France to decide whether to back off the threats.

'We certainly stand ready to respond should they proceed with breaking the Brexit agreement,' the spokesman said.

A French aide told Reuters after thee talks: 'The goal for both the president and the prime minister was to work towards de-escalation.'

French sources told AFP the two sides agreed 'operational measures' to take the heat out of the row in the coming days.
The UN secretary-general accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet' today as he warned of a looming 'climate catastrophe'.

Antonio Guterres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and mining for coal, oil and gas is like 'digging our own graves'.

The startling comparison came in a speech opening the COP26 session for world leaders.

Mr Guterres said the world's 'addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink'.

He told the opening plenary of the conference in Glasgow: 'We face a stark choice: either we stop it  or it stops us.

Antonio Gutteres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves'

Mr Guterres greeted all 120 world leaders to the summit individually alongside Boris Johnson - and received a particularly effusive welcome from India's Narendra Modi

Mr Johnson and Sir David Attenborough were in the audience listening to speeches on the first day of the leaders' summit

What are the key aims at COP26? Secure commitments on cutting emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as close to 2050 as possible.

Keep alive hopes of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Phase out unabated coal power stations, drum up investment in renewable energy.

Strike deals on reducing deforestation.

Rack up $100billion in climate finance pledges.

Finalise rules to implement the Paris Agreement. Advertisement

'It's time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet.

'Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves. '

In his speech, Boris Johnson told world leaders they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change - saying 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'.

The Prime Minister compared the situation facing the globe to the climax of a James Bond film where the hero has to thwart plans to blow up the planet.

But Mr Johnson said 'this is not a movie' and the 'doomsday device is real' as he urged his counterparts to do more to reduce harmful emissions.

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'.

He said the world has 'long since run the clock down on climate change' and there is now just 'one minute to midnight', with action required immediately to prevent a global disaster.

The PM used his speech at the opening of the summit as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm climate commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

However, hopes for the UN event have suffered fresh setbacks, after it emerged that China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech, instead only submitting a written statement.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced he will not be coming, despite attending the G20. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, both in charge of big polluters, have declined to attend.

Meanwhile, the organisation of the conference has come under fire after thousands of delegates were forced to wait hours to get through shambolic security systems this morning.

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'. Mr Johnson is pictured welcoming Joe Biden to the summit today

French president Emmanuel Macron gestures to the Prime Minister as they chat on Monday morning as the climate change summit kicks off

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are pictured arriving for the Cop26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

Mr Johnson greets Comoros' President Azali Assoumani, left, and St Lucia's Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre, right

Mr Johnson pledged in his lunchtime speech to put another billion pounds into green finance - as long as the UK economy performs as expected in the coming years.

The PM repeated he wants global leaders to unveil steps on 'coal, cars, cash and trees' - the things he believes will make the most different in limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Mr Johnson had set the tone as the G20 wrapped up last night by reading the riot act to his fellow world leaders, saying their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow'.

The PM said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.
He was already wanted for a car theft and rented a room in the girls' home

A Russian man has been arrested after two sisters, aged nine and 14, were thrown to their death from a window on the eighth floor of an apartment block in Russia on Halloween.

Ochur Sanchat, 23, a relative of the girls' mother, said the girls were 'making too much noise' in a flat where he rented a room and confessed to throwing them out of the window.

One of the sisters died after the 80ft fall, the other at hospital. The nine-year-old's twin sister was in bed at the time and unhurt.

Ochur Sanchat, 23, was detained on suspicion of killing two girls. He said they had been 'making too much noise'

Two sisters aged nine and 14 died after they were thrown from an eighth floor window. The nine-year-old's twin sister was in bed at the time and unhurt

The man arrested on suspicion of killing the girls was a relative of their mother and had been renting a room in their flat in Kyzyl, Russia

Neighbours heard terrible screams as the girls fell several minutes apart in the early hours of the morning in Kyzyl, capital of Russia's mountainous Tyva republic.

The children's mother was working a night shift at a cafe when her daughters were killed.

Sanchat has been detained for two months on suspicion of committing a double murder.

Detectives are also checking reports that police had been called to the family multiple times in the weeks before the tragic fall. Pictured: The apartment block where Sanchat lived with the girls

He was on the run from police over a car theft and after he fled court was placed on Russia's federal wanted list.

A neighbour called Irina heard the terrible screams as the girls were thrown out.

'I woke up from a slammed balcony door and terrible screams,' she said.

Sanchat was arrested in Kyzyl, which is the capital of Russia's mountainous Tyva republic in the south of the country

The young man was arrested in the early hours of the morning on Halloween after neighbours heard the girls' screams

'While I was trying to figure out what was happening, literally a minute passed, there was a strong roar, terrible screams, and then everything subsided for three or four minutes.

'Then it happened again.

'I was alone at home with my children.

'I didn't stick my head out, but called the police.'

Detectives are also checking reports that police had been called to the family multiple times in the weeks before the tragic fall.
The father and stepmother of an 11-year-old California boy whose emaciated body was discovered inside a storage bin in a basement nearly two years ago now face murder charges.

A criminal complaint was filed last Thursday against Jordan Piper, 35, and Lindsay Piper, 38, of Placerville, charging them with counts of murder, child abuse, torturing and poisoning in connection with the January 2020 death of Roman Lopez.

The Pipers, who have been in custody since February, remained at the El Dorado County Jail as of Monday. They are scheduled to return to court on November 19 to be arraigned on their newly filed murder charges.

Lindsay Piper (left) and Jordan Piper (right) are facing murder charges for the death of 11-year-old Roman Lopez in January 2020

Roman Lopez, 11, was malnourished and dehydrated at the time of his death

Roman's body was found in a bin in a basement at the family's Placerville, California, home

'Its great news. Justice for Roman is what we have been aiming for this entire investigation. So long as we get justice for that little guy we will be happy,' Dan Maciel, commander with the Placerville Police Department, told CBS Sacramento.

Roman was found dead hours after being reported missing from his Placerville home in the 2800 block of Coloma Street on January 11, 2020.

The boy's body was discovered inside a storage bin in the basement of the Piper family's home where there were seven other children, ranging in age from 1 to 17 years old.

The Pipers told the Sacramento Bee in an interview after the boy's body was found that they had searched for him but but could not find him.

The Pipers have been in custody since February, when they pleaded not guilty to child abuse and torture counts (pictured)

Jordan was charged with an additional count of willfully failing to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical attention to his son. Lindsay was charged with a separate count of poisoning

An autopsy found no obvious signs of trauma on Roman Lopez's body

'We have no idea what happened, where they found him, what the autopsy report said, if thats even done, any suspects, nothing,' Jordan Piper said at the time. 'We have nothing.'

Although an autopsy revealed no obvious signs of trauma, Roman was found to be severely malnourished and dehydrated at the time of his death.

In February 2021, Jordan and Lindsay Piper were arrested on child abuse and torture charges.

Jordan was charged with an additional count of willfully failing to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical attention to his son, while his wife was charged with a separate count of poisoning.

The Pipers pleaded not guilty to the existing charges against him.

Shelly Lopez, Roman's birth mom (pictured), died on April 4, 2021

Roman and the family had relocated from Michigan to Placerville in December 2019, just two months before the boy's death.

Jordan was awarded custody of Roman after the child's birth mother, Rochelle 'Shelly' Lopez, lost custody of him after suffering from PTSD and substance abuse following her time in the US army in Iraq.

Shelly Lopez did not live to see Jordan and Lindsay Piper face the murder charges: she died on April 4, 2021, from an unknown cause.
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President Biden's whirlwind European tour appears to be catching up with him, as the 78-year-old was caught resting his eyes during the opening remarks of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow on Monday.

The president looked to be dozing off as one speaker underscored the importance of taking action to save the climate. He opened his eyes and appeared to liven up when an aide walked up to him to chat.

Biden then sat forward and rubbed his eyes as Italy's prime minister took the stage. The latest slip from the president came just hours after he reverted to pre-approved list of reporters when asking questions at the end of the G20 summit in Rome.

The 78-year-old Biden and his fitness for the job have been scrutinized by critics, including Donald Trump, while his dropping poll numbers have put pressure on his administration and mounting crises he faces.

He hasn't released a medical report since 2019 and Jen Psaki has deflected questions about his health and coughing during speeches.

Later on, Biden himself took the stage as to deliver his own warning on the impending doom of climate change and wiped .

'Climate change is already ravaging the world,' he told a crowd at the United Nations climate summit. 'It's not hypothetical.'

The president called climate change 'the existential threat to human existence as we know it.'

'This is a decisive decade in which we have an opportunity to prove ourselves,' Biden continued. 'We can keep the goal of limiting global warming to just 1.5 C if we come together.'

'We're still falling short. There's no more time to hang back or sit on the fence or argue amongst ourselves. This is a challenge of our collective lifetimes,' he continued. 'Glasgow must be the kick-off of a decade of ambition & innovation to preserve our shared future.'

The president took a swing at Donald Trump in a separate speech at the conference. 'I shouldn't apologize but I do apologize,' Biden said of Trump taking the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Biden concluded his speech: 'God bless you all and may God save the planet.'

Speakers were only allowed three minutes, but Biden's remarks went far beyond the allotment, coming in at over 11 minutes.

A digital countdown from three minutes began at the start of the speech, and after each minute a speaker went beyond the time a chime sounded. The chime went off eight times during Biden's remarks.

President Biden's whirlwind European tour appears to be catching up with him, as the 78-year-old was caught resting his eyes during the opening remarks of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow

The president looked to be dozing off as one speaker underscored the importance of taking action to save the climate

He opened his eyes and appeared to liven up when an aide walked up to him to chat

Biden wipes his nose during his speech at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow

MOUNTING QUESTIONS OVER BIDEN'S HEALTH WITH NO MEDICAL SINCE 2019 President Joe Biden's health and fitness for the job has come under scrutiny since he took office. His performance in interviews, especially a car crash appearance with ABC on Afghanistan in August, and his coughing during speeches has come into question. Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki called out NBC News Kelly ODonnell for always asking about Joe Biden's health, as she deflected questions from another reporter about when the president will undergo a physical. Brian Karem, Playboy's White House correspondent and CNN's political analyst, asked Psaki about the long sought-after results of Biden's next check up at the close of Tuesday's press briefing. He said: 'Hey Jen, will he take a physical anytime soon and report it to the American public?' Psaki answered merely 'He will'. When pushed about whether it will be this year, she added: 'Kelly asks about this all the time. Shes keeping us on our toes.' The president has not released a medical report since the last update in December 2019. Since his inauguration this year, questions have been raised about Biden's physical and cognitive wellbeing. Psaki repeated her previous promise that once the president gets a physical - which she said in May would be before the end of 2021 - the administration would be 'transparent' about its findings. Previously, Biden has suffered two brain aneurysms and a heart condition which makes the muscle beat too fast, causing dizziness and confusion. A top cardiologist told MailOnline back in August that both conditions are linked to memory difficulties and confusion, as well as dementia. Advertisement

Boris Johnson has warned Cop26 delegates that the longer it takes to tackle climate change, the higher the cost will be when a 'catastrophe' forces world leaders to act.

Johnson said the world was in the same position as James Bond as he tries to deactivate a doomsday device in his films. But he said: 'The tragedy is this is not a movie and the doomsday device is real.'

Coining a phrase from activist Greta Thunberg, he warned that the promises to limit global temperature rises under the Paris Agreement would be 'nothing but blah blah blah' and the world's anger would be uncontainable unless Cop26 was the moment they got real about climate change.

Thunberg recently chastised Britain and other nations for 'empty words and promises', accusing them of delivering too much 'blah blah blah' instead of offering any real action.

Thunberg spoke at a climate demonstration nearby as the summit was taking place.

'No more blah blah blah, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there,' she said at Festival Park, Glasgow on Monday.

'Inside Cop, there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously. Change is not going to come from inside there, that is not leadership - this is leadership... We say no more blah blah blah, no more exploitation of people and the planet.'

Biden touched down in Scotland on Monday morning before promptly climbing into his huge motorcade to travel to a climate summit where he plans to tout American leadership on tackling carbon emissions, after spending the weekend in Rome meeting with Pope Francis and Italian leaders and attending the G2-.

After making the short hop from Rome in Air Force One - a modified 747 - his gas-guzzling convoy of more than 20 vehicles will raise fresh criticisms of hypocrisy.

At the G20 in Rome he used an 85-vehicle convoy, including vans for officials, secret service and journalists, as well as ambulances and communications systems.

He was greeted warmly by Boris Johnson, British prime minister, and U.S. Secretary General Antonio Guterres when he arrived at the conference center. The leaders swapped elbow bumps and warm smiles.

The presidents of key polluters Russia and China are not attending the talks and India has said it will not be changing its reliance on coal any time soon.

Biden will today release a detailed plan to half carbon emissions by the end of the decade, compared with 2005 levels.

And he plans to launch a scheme to raise $3 billion a year to help developing countries adapt to climate change.

His national security adviser used the proposals to throw down a challenge to other nations.

'So the US is stepping up to do its part key,' said Jake Sullivan aboard Air Force One en route to Edinburgh.

'US allies Japan, Korea, the European Union, Canada, others are stepping up to do their part.

'And now the question is: Will some of the remaining countries step up to do theirs?'

Biden arrived from a G20 summit in Rome where he touted the power of America 'showing up.'

'What we've seen again here in Rome is what I think is the power of America showing up and working with our allies and partners to make progress in issues that matter to all of us,' he said, adding that allies wanted 'American leadership' to get things done.

Biden again relied on a cheat sheet of 'pre-approved' reporters as he held a press conference at the conclusion of the G20 summit in Rome on Sunday.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) listens to President Biden as they attend the climate conference

Biden meets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo during COP26

Climate envoy John Kerry leans in to speak to Biden during the opening stages of the COP26 summit in Glasgow

President Biden's motorcade burned through the Central Belt of Scotland from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow on Monday

It comprised more than 20 vehicles - plus police outriders - but was modest compared with the 85 vehicles he used in Rome

Biden's six-day trip to Europe will release an estimated two million pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

President Biden touched down at Edinburgh Airport on Monday morning ahead of arriving at the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, after making the short hop from Rome, Italy

Air Force landed in Scotland on Monday morning. Biden has been criticized for the amount of carbon emitted by his fleet of aircraft and cars during his Europe trip

Environmental campaigners with 'big heads' of key world leaders, including Biden, dressed in kilts gathered in Glasgow, marking the start of the Cop26 summit in the city on Monday

44% of Democrats want to REPLACE Joe Biden on the ticket in 2024 , shocking new poll finds Of left-leaning voters, 44 per cent want a different candidate on the Democratic presidential ballot in 2024 because they think another person would have a better chance of winning than current President Joe Biden. An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National poll released Monday shows that 36 per cent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents think their party has a better chance putting Biden at the top of the ticket for a second term. Twenty per cent say they are unsure. Half of Republicans, however, said former President Donald Trump has a better chance of winning in 2024 than any other GOP candidate on the ticket. Another 35 per cent said they think someone else would have a better shot at winning the White House in 2024 than Trump and 14 per cent of Republicans and right-leaning voters said they are unsure. Trump has not said whether he is running again in 2024, but has given strong indications that he will announce after the 2022 midterms. Either way, more Democrats and left-leaning voters think a different candidate has a better shot of edging out a Republican competitor than Biden. Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he wasn't running just to serve for one term. The president's approval rating is dropping as Democrats prepare for the 2022 midterms, where they will try to retain their slim margins of control of the House and Senate  and possibly increase their majorities. Advertisement

As he opened up the floor to questions, at the start of the the press conference, the president seemed to be using a pre-ordained list of correspondents to call on.

'And now I'm happy to take some questions. And I'm told I should start with AP, Zeke Miller,' Biden said.

The preferred pecking order for the administration seems to be The Associated Press, The Washington Post, NBC News, Reuters and Bloomberg News.

Biden claimed other leaders sought him out as he fended off a question about whether he could provide leadership amid falling poll numbers at home.

'The United States of America is the most critical part of this entire agenda, and we did it,' Biden said.

However, skeptics say few concrete measures were agreed on how to keep the world to temperature rises of less than 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels - a target set at the Paris climate summit in 2015.

And Biden lost key clean energy pledges from his Build Back Better agenda in recent weeks as the price for winning over opponents in his own party to its huge $3.5 trillion cost.

The Supreme Court could yet strip his administration of more powers to limit emissions.

Then there is the awkward matter of his travel arrangements.

His trip to Europe is estimated to release 2.2 million pounds of carbon.

The gigantic carbon footprint is comprised of 2.16 million pounds of carbon dioxide generated by the four large planes that comprise his airborne entourage on the trip to Italy and Scotland, where the president will speak at the COP26 summit on change in Glasgow, with the remainder emitted by Biden's cars.

His fleet is comprised of the heavily modified Boeing 747 he travels on, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, an identical decoy, and two huge C-17 Globemaster planes to carry his battalion of cars and helicopters.

But expect to hear more about American leadership, Biden's climate adviser Gina McCarthy told reporters.

'This is a message you're going to see from the president over the next two days and from dozens of cabinet officials who will be in Glasgow over the next two weeks: the United States is back at the table, we're back, hoping to rally the world to tackle the climate crisis,' he said.

She said the U.S. would release a plan to show it can half U.S. carbon emissions by 2023 from 2005 levels en route to its net-zero target by 2050.

'It illustrates how, within three decades, the U.S. can meet our global climate commitments by decarbonizing the power sector, electrifying transportation and buildings, transforming industry, reducing non-CO2 emissions, and reinvigorating our natural lands,' she said.

Special climate envoy John Kerry also pushed back on criticism that COP 26 was getting off to a lackluster start, with only modest action on the 1.5C target in Rome.

He said nations representing 65 percent of the world's GDP were committed to the effort.

'Obviously, if you have 65% in, you got 35% out, and that's the challenge coming out of Glasgow,' he said.

'Can those countries step up? How fast will they step up? What will they pledge to do over the course of the next years?'

Summit host Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, lambasted G20 leaders on Sunday, saying only 12 of 20 had promised concrete action on hitting net zero emissions by 2050.

'Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change,' he is expected to say during Monday's opening session, according to speech excerpts released by his office.

'It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now.'
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Greta Thunberg denounced world leaders for failing to act on climate change in a foul-mouthed tirade to her fellow Cop26 protesters today.

Government representatives have gathered in Glasgow to discuss green issues this week, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson using his opening address to compare the situation to James Bond trying to diffuse a 'doomsday device'.

US President Joe Biden, Germany's Angela Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron of France are among those gathering at the event in an attempt to foster international cooperation on climate change.

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, today accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet' as he warned of a looming 'climate catastrophe'.

Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough asked attendees: 'Is this how our story is due to end - a tale of the smartest species doomed by that all-too-human characteristic of failing to see the bigger picture in pursuit of short-term goals?'

And Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the outcome of the climate summit would be 'life or death for millions of people', suggesting that failure to act could be worse than leaders who ignored warnings about the Nazis in the 1930s - a comment he later apologised for.

Speaking at a demonstration at Festival Park, Glasgow, on the first day of the Cop26 summit, Swedish 18-year-old activist Miss Thunberg said that heads of government were not doing enough to save the planet from disaster.

She said: 'No more blah blah blah, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there.

'Inside Cop, there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously. Change is not going to come from inside there, that is not leadership - this is leadership... We say no more blah blah blah, no more exploitation of people and the planet.'

Miss Thunberg arrived in Glasgow on Sunday by train and will take part in two large protests through the city later in the week. Her stark warning comes as:

One of the biggest security operations ever mounted in Britain got underway in Glasgow, amid warnings that climate protesters plan serious disruption;

A report by the UN's weather agency warned that sea levels were now rising twice as fast as in the 1990s;

The PM told French president Emmanuel Macron to drop threats to penalise Britain, as environmentalists warned a growing spat over fishing rights risked overshadowing the climate summit;

Ministers are closing in on a deal to end deforestation by paying poorer countries not to fell trees;

Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, warned that the Pacific archipelago could disappear underwater unless the Glasgow summit achieves its aims;

Climate poster girl Greta Thunberg backed direct action groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, saying it was necessary to 'anger some people' to get the message through.

Greta Thunberg alongside fellow climate activists during a demonstration at Festival Park, Glasgow, on the first day of the Cop26 summit

Miss Thunberg told demonstrators outside the conference that heads of government were not doing enough to save the planet from disaster

Speaking to demonstrators outside the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, she said: 'No more blaa blaa blaa, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there'

Boris Johnson has told world leaders at the start of the COP26 summit that they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'

World leaders including the outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel convened in the main summit hall at lunchtime to hear Mr Johnson deliver the opening address

Joe Biden looked to be dozing off as one speaker underscored the importance of taking action to save the climate

Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets US President Joe Biden as leaders arrive to attend the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow

Sir David Attenborough speaks during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow

Boris Johnson has warned Cop26 delegates that the longer it takes to tackle climate change, the higher the cost will be when a 'catastrophe' forces world leaders to act.

What are the key aims at COP26? Secure commitments on cutting emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as close to 2050 as possible.

Keep alive hopes of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Phase out unabated coal power stations, drum up investment in renewable energy.

Strike deals on reducing deforestation.

Rack up $100billion in climate finance pledges.

Finalise rules to implement the Paris Agreement. Advertisement

Addressing world leaders including US President Joe Biden, India's Narendra Modi and German chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Johnson said the world was in the same position as James Bond as he tries to deactivate a doomsday device in his films.

But he said: 'The tragedy is this is not a movie and the doomsday device is real.'

Coining a phrase from activist Greta Thunberg, he warned that the promises to limit global temperature rises under the Paris Agreement would be 'nothing but blah blah blah' and the world's anger would be uncontainable unless Cop26 was the moment they got real about climate change.

Miss Thunberg recently chastised Britain and other nations for 'empty words and promises', accusing them of delivering too much 'blah blah blah' instead of offering any real action.

The PM used his speech at the opening of the summit as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm climate commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

However, hopes for the UN event have suffered fresh setbacks, after it emerged that China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech, instead only submitting a written statement.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced he will not be coming, despite attending the G20. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, both in charge of big polluters, have declined to attend.

Meanwhile, the organisation of the conference has come under fire after thousands of delegates were forced to wait hours to get through shambolic security systems this morning.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (C) poses for a photograph during her meeting with climate activists Vanessa Nakate (R) and Greta Thunberg during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference

Boris Johnson listens to U.S. President Joe Biden as they attend a meeting focused on action and solidarity at the UN Climate Change Conference

Joe Biden's presidential motorcade is pictured driving near Livingston as it makes its way from Edinburgh to Glasgow today

Mr Johnson (left) and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (right) greet India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26

The president of the United States Joe Biden arrives at Edinburgh Airport on Air Force One ahead of the climate change summit

Mr Johnson pledged in his lunchtime speech to put another billion pounds into green finance - as long as the UK economy performs as expected in the coming years.

The PM repeated he wants global leaders to unveil steps on 'coal, cars, cash and trees' - the things he believes will make the most different in limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Hypocrite airways? Jeff Bezos's 48m Gulf Stream leads parade of 400 private jets into COP26 Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' 48million Gulf Stream has led a 400-strong parade of private jets into COP25 including Prince Albert of Monaco, scores of royals and dozens of 'green' CEOs - as an extraordinary traffic jam forced empty planes to fly 30 miles to find space to park. Some environmental activists at the COP26 climate conference will be urging others to cut down on air travel and eat less meat, but apparently it is fine for billionaires to fly in on their own planes on routes already served by commercial airlines. Meanwhile, as the super rich were whisked away into waiting limos, hundreds of less fortunate delegates were left unable to get to Glasgow after brutal storms crippled rail links, forcing travellers to sleep on the floor of Euston station in London. On Sunday, MailOnline observed at least 52 private jets landing at Glasgow - while estimates put the total number flying in for the conference at 400. Conservative predictions suggest the fleet of private jets arriving for COP26 will blast out 13,000tonnes of carbon dioxide in total - equivalent to the amount consumed by more than 1,600 Britons in a year. Prince Charles was among those travelling by non-commercial plane from the G20 in Rome, MailOnline can reveal. A Clarence House spokesman said: 'His Royal Highness has personally campaigned for a shift towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel and would only undertake travel to Rome when it was agreed that sustainable fuel would be used in the plane.' The spokesman said that sustainable fuel would also be used 'wherever possible... from now on'. As Boris Johnson used his opening address to compare world leaders to James Bond trying to diffuse a 'doomsday device' some found their own way of rising to the challenge, with Prince Albert of Monaco appearing to be among those choosing to fly private - according to an analysis of flight records by MailOnline. Advertisement

Mr Johnson had set the tone as the G20 wrapped up last night by reading the riot act to his fellow world leaders, saying their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow'.

The PM said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.

Mr Johnson welcomed world leaders to Scotland by telling them that the country's most famous fictional son is James Bond.

The PM said the fictional hero 'generally comes to the climax of his highly lucrative films strapped to a doomsday device, desperately trying to work out which coloured wire to pull to turn it off while a red digital clock ticks down remorselessly to a detonation that will end human life as we know it'.

Addressing the packed summit hall, he said: 'And we are in roughly the same position, my fellow global leaders, as James Bond today. Except that the tragedy is this is not a movie and the doomsday device is real.

'And the clock is ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and turbines and furnaces and engines with which we are pumping carbon into the air faster and faster, record outputs quilting the Earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO2, raising the temperature of the pkanet with a speed and an abruptness that is entirely man made.

'We know what the scientists tell us and we have learned not to ignore them. Two degrees more and we jeopardise the food supply for hundreds of millions of people as crops wither, locusts swarm.

'Three degrees and you can add more wildfires and cyclones, twice as many, five times as many droughts and 36 times as many heat waves.

'Four degrees and we say goodbye to whole cities - Miami, Alexandria, Shanghai - all lost beneath the waves.

'And the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets and he higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act because humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It is one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now.'

Mr Johnson said that the current crop of world leaders will be judged harshly by future generations if they fail to agree a deal to restrict global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.

He said: 'If we fail they will not forgive us. They will know that Glasgow was the historic turning point when history failed to turn.

'They will judge us with bitterness and with a resentment that eclipses any of the climate activists of today. And they will be right.'

Mr Johnson closed his speech by telling his counterparts that they have a 'duty' to work together to make COP26 the moment when they begin to finally 'defuse the bomb' of climate change.

He said: 'We may not feel much like James Bond, not all of us necessarily look like James Bond, but we have the opportunity and we have the duty to make this summit the moment when humanity finally began, and I stress began, to defuse that bomb and to make this the moment when we began irrefutably to turn the tide and to begin the fight back against climate change.'



Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today met with Miss Thunberg at Cop26, following the Swedish environmental activist's arrival in Scotland on Saturday.

On Monday morning, Ms Thunberg along with fellow campaigner Vanessa Nakate, from Uganda, met with the First Minister, who tweeted: 'The voices of young people like @GretaThunberg and @vanessa-vash must be heard loudly and clearly at Cop26 - the next few days should not be comfortable for leaders, the responsibility to act must be felt.'

Ms Thunberg has previously been critical of the Scottish Government's climate policy, saying that the country was 'not a leader on climate change', as the First Minister had previously stated.

The summit was again blighted by organisational chaos as world leaders arrived, with huge queues for delegates to get in

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in arrives for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on Monday morning

Greta Thunberg alongside fellow climate activists during a demonstration at Festival Park, Glasgow

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (C) poses for a photograph during her meeting with climate activists Vanessa Nakate (R) and Greta Thunberg during the COP26

Prince Charles is pictured in discussion with billionaire Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez in Scotland on Monday morning

French president Emmanuel Macron gestures to the Prime Minister as they chat on Monday morning as the climate change summit kicks off

President Joe Biden waves as he gets off his plane on a cold day at Edinburgh Airport, before he heads to Glasgow for the summit

Scotland has pledged to cut emissions by 75% by 2030 and be net zero by 2045, but the last three years of targets have been missed.

COP26 delegates forced to FLY to Glasgow after a SINGLE fallen tree causes travel chaos at London Euston Mayhem at London's Euston Station continued today after a single tree fell and damaged overhead wires causing travel chaos for delegates trying to reach the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow. London Mayor Sadiq Khan's Pendolino climate train left London Euston on time this morning but other delegates were forced to fly to Glasgow and passengers spent the night on the floor after heavy winds brought a tree down on top of overhead lines. Delays continued this morning after the single tree fell between between Rugby and Milton Keynes on the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail said its teams spent the night on site near Long Buckby in Northamptonshire. One journalist travelling to the COP26 climate summit was quoted almost 1,000 for a taxi between Edinburgh and Glasgow after battling train cancellations. Another CEO delegate, who took to a plane to reach the climate change summit, said the irony of having to choose the carbon-heavy option after extreme weather affected the trains 'was not lost' on him. Meanwhile, Mr Khan wrote on Twitter: 'Delighted to lead a delegation of mayors from across the globe from London to Glasgow on our special electric Pendolino climate train. Per capita passenger emissions are estimated to be seven times lower than flying.' Delays continued this morning even after engineers worked overnight to repair the damaged wires and Network Rail last night admitted 'extreme weather' had 'got the better of us'. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson arrived at Glasgow International Airport at 11.30pm last night after flying straight from the G20 summit in Rome, Italy. And the chaos didn't stop with Britain's rail network, as thousands of attendees battled against lengthy immovable queues through security this morning. One bystander joked the conference would be a disaster because no one would be there until the second day. Advertisement

Nicola Sturgeon has said that world leaders gathering in Glasgow for the Cop26 climate summit should feel 'bloody uncomfortable' for not 'doing enough' to tackle global warming.

Ms Sturgeon, speaking as the crucial summit began, insisted: 'Every climate promise must be kept. Frankly none of them are being kept right now.'

Speaking at an event hosted by the environmental organisation WWF, she told how she had just met Ms Thunberg and another young climate activist, Vanessa Nakate from Uganda.

Ms Sturgeon said: 'Those voices often, including for me, are really uncomfortable at times, because they make us confront the hard realities of our own lack of delivery.

'But my goodness they are so important to shake the gatherings that will take place here over the next few days out of the sense of complacency that surrounds them all too often.'

She continued: 'If we only face up to the easy, relatively easy things we won't get anywhere. This has to be a moment that leaders, all of us, whether we are round that negotiating table or not, are held to account for the reality of what we promise not for the rhetoric of it.'

With leaders of more than 100 countries gathering in Glasgow for the talks, Ms Sturgeon urged campaigners to 'make life really uncomfortable for any government, any leader that is not doing enough'.

She added: 'We have all got to be pushed much harder much faster. This summit should not feel comfortable for anybody in a position of leadership and responsibility, it should feel bloody uncomfortable because nobody yet is doing enough, that is the reality.'

Ahead of the summit, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that failure in Glasgow could mean that the Paris agreement from 2015 - in which leaders promised to work towards keeping global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees - would 'crumple'.

Mr Johnson said: 'If Glasgow fails, than the whole thing fails.

'The Paris Agreement will have crumpled at the first reckoning.'

Leaders should put their egos aside, the First Minister said, and focus instead on working to reach an agreement.

'I hope we can all put egos aside over the next few days to get the outcome that we need, that's what I am committed to do - I've said that to the Prime Minister, to (Cop26 President) Alok Sharma,' she said.

'We've all got a big responsibility here and if ever there's a time and a moment in history for everybody to put their political interest, their egos to one side and just focus.

'It's easy to exaggerate these things sometimes, but this is literally about the future of the planet, are we going to step up and save the planet or are we going to accept a pretty bleak outlook on this planet?'

A huge helicopter today shadowed the presidential motorcade on the way to Glasgow on Monday morning

President Joe Biden's car, commonly known as 'the Beast', drives along the M8 motorway near Salsburgh on its way to the summit

Mr Johnson and Sir David Attenborough were in the audience listening to speeches on the first day of the leaders' summit

Antonio Gutteres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves'

Mr Guterres greeted all 120 world leaders to the summit individually alongside Boris Johnson - and received a particularly effusive welcome from India's Narendra Modi

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at the opening ceremony for the Cop26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

Prince Charles has demanded a 'military-style campaign' to mobilise trillions of dollars of private sector cash to 'save our precious planet'

Glasgow Airport arrivals for the COP26 sees the Germans onboard an Airbus with Chancellor Angela Merkel taking the lead

UN chief accuses countries of treating nature 'like a toilet' and warns mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves' The UN secretary-general accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet' today as he warned of a looming 'climate catastrophe'. Antonio Guterres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves'. The startling comparison came in a speech opening the COP26 session for world leaders. Mr Guterres said the world's 'addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink'. He told the opening plenary of the conference in Glasgow: 'We face a stark choice: either we stop it  or it stops us. 'It's time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. 'Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves. ' Advertisement

But she stressed countries like Scotland - which does not have its own seat at the Cop26 negotiating table - still had a 'massive role to play' in tackling the climate crisis.

Ms Sturgeon said: 'I am not going to betray any secrets here when I say I would prefer Scotland to be round the negotiating table here in our own right, pushing forward, but short of that we have got to make sure we are doing everything we can.'

She said Scotland was a 'world leader' in terms of climate action - but added that currently 'the bar of world leadership is set far too low, so it doesn't take enough to be a world leader'.

With Scotland having missed its emission reduction targets for the past three years, she said the country has 'got to up our own ambition and delivery against that ambition'.

She also told how Scotland had a 'big part to play' in bringing together cities, regions and other devolved administrations, saying: 'If we look at what is required in terms of emissions reductions to meet 1.5 degrees, about half of the total reduction required to achieve that requires action on the part of governments like the Scottish Government, sub-national governments.

'So if we don't play our part the world won't get where it needs to be.'

But she added: 'That doesn't let the countries that will be around that negotiating table off the hook, they have to absolutely step up and do everything that is required of them as well.'

Channelling his hero Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'While Cop26 would not be the end of climate change, it can and it must mark the beginning of the end.'

Mr Johnson took to the stage to make his speech after the delegates watched a performance by Skye piper Brighde Chaimbeul, a video narrated by Brian Cox and a poem by Yrsa Daley-Ward composed for Cop26.

Around 120 heads of state and government are attending the world leaders' summit at the start of the Cop26 talks, where countries are under pressure to increase action in the next decade to tackle dangerous warming.
A midwife who stole two bank cards from a pregnant woman as she was sent to an operating theatre for an emergency C-section before helping to deliver her baby at a south London hospital has been struck off.

Lesly Puertas, a former labour ward coordinator at Croydon University Hospital, then used the patient's cards to make purchases in Lidl, Curry's and Tesco's later the same day.

She was handed a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation, two counts of fraud by abuse of position and two counts of theft at Croydon Magistrates' Court in July 2019.

However, details of her offending have come to light after she was finally struck off the nursing register on Wednesday.

Ms Puertas became registered as a midwife in September 2012 within the Croydon Health Services NHS Trust before being promoted to a band seven coordinator in February 2018.

Suspicions first arose in December later that year, though, after the trust became aware she had lied about shifts she had worked.

Croydon University Hospital, where Ms Puertas stole two bank cards from a pregnant woman who was being taken to an operating theatre

On November 18 and December 9, Ms Puertas authorised her own time sheets, but when her swipe cards were audited it was discovered that she had not worked on either day.

She was made subject of a final written warning, demoted and ordered to pay back the money earned from the two shifts she had not worked.

Ms Puertas was on this final warning when she stole bank cards belonging to the pregnant woman and her husband.

She as on duty between 3am and 5am on May 1, 2019, when she took over the care of Patient A.

The patient had been sent into operating theatre for an emergency C-section.

Prior to attending theatre, though, Ms Puertas entered the room containing the patient's belongings.

Once inside, she stole two bank cards out of the woman's purse before proceeding to assist with the delivery of her baby.

When she finished her shift, Ms Puertas drove to a Lidl supermarket in nearby Thornton Heath and used the stolen Halifax card belonging to the patient's husband to purchase goods to the value of 22.18.

She then proceeded to drive to Tesco Esso and filled up her car with 29.50 worth of petrol using the woman's Lloyds bank card.

The spree continued with a trip to Curry's in Brixton, where Ms Puertas spent 24.99 using the husband's card, before a trip to Tesco's in Streatham where she purchased goods to the value of 18.60 returning back to using the pregnant woman's card.

On May 22, 2019, Ms Puertas was interviewed by police in relation to the false timesheets and the stolen bank cards. She made full admissions to all offences.

She appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court on July 29, 2019, and pleaded guilty to all offences.

Ms Puertas said she was remorseful about the offences, but was struck off the nursing register

She was sentenced to 22 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work, pay 500 in compensation and complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) issued Ms Puertas with an interim suspension order, preventing her from practicing as a midwife, while an investigation took place.

However, the NMC received another referral after it was found that she was offering midwifery services via a post on Facebook to a local group.

The post read: 'FREE ZOOM 1:1 CALL WITH A MIDWIFE for your participation!! Please all mummies out there I just need your much needed opinions I want to serve the community well!

'And I need your help to do it. The survey is not long or complicated at all just 7 questions.

The post was followed by a link to a survey.

Ms Puertas sent a letter to the NMC panel in which she said she had let herself and her children down.

She added: 'I am deeply remorseful and embarrassed for my actions. I understand the seriousness of my actions and also understand that I have let my team, the Trust I work in, my children and myself down.

'I am a person who prides herself on my conduct both professionally and personally. I am the type of person who would not touch things that do not belong to me and I am completely disgusted with my behaviour that I have gone that far to commit this crime.'

The panel said the statement showed a significant level of insight and remorse.

However, in a report published on Wednesday, it was decided that she be struck off the register.

The panel concluded: 'The panel considered that Ms Puertas behaviour raised fundamental questions about her integrity, trustworthiness and professionalism and was a significant departure from the standards expected of a registered midwife.

'The panel decided that allowing Miss Puertas to remain on the NMC register would undermine proper professional standards and public confidence in the midwifery profession and the NMC.

'It therefore determined 22 that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction which would protect the public and satisfy the public interest was a striking-off order.'
The parents of a bullied 13-year-old special needs boy who died two years after being left with permanent brain damage from a suicide attempt will be paid $1.25 million by Chicago Public Schools (CPS).

Jamari Dent attempted to end his life after suffering relentless verbal and physical attacks from both students and teachers at two different public schools, his mother, Teirra Black, said in a 2019 federal lawsuit.

After the attempted suicide, Jamari was not able to walk or speak, and relied entirely on a ventilator to breathe. In June, he succumbed to health complications.

CPS agreed to the settlement out of court and will now have to pay $1.25 million to Jamari's family after the Board of Education approved the decision on Wednesday, WGNT reported.

Jamari Dent attempted to end his life after suffering relentless verbal and physical attacks from both students and teachers at two different schools, his mother, Teirra Black, said in a 2019 federal lawsuit

After the attempt, Jamari was left with permanent brain damage. He was not able to walk or speak, and relied entirely on a ventilator to breathe. In June, he succumbed to health complications

CPS agreed to the settlement out of court and will now have to pay $1.25million to Jamari's family after the Board of Education approved the decision on Wednesday

The suit argued that CPS administrators were negligent and failed to protect the fourth-grader from the staff and children at Medgar Evers and Carter Woodson elementary school over the span of a year.

Jamari was reportedly called 'stupid, 'dumb' and 'r*******', and teachers joked that he would end up at a facility with mental disabilities. A white teacher was accused of calling Jamari ' a dirty little n*****'.

'The CPS system has failed Jamari, and other special needs children like him, on a criminal level,' the family's attorney, Jon Erickson, said after Jamari died in June.

'And they will be held to account. This is the culmination of three years of horrific abuse, neglect and incompetence that resulted in an 11-year-old child feeling he had no option to relieve himself of the pain and cruelty he suffered at the hands of his teachers other than to take his own life,' he added.

After Jamari's death, Black had to pay hospital bills out of pocket, as insurance didn't cover expenses resulting from his suicide attempt.

In a picture shared by Black five months after Jamari's suicide attempt, the little boy could be seen lying in his hospital bed staring into space while surrounded by his family members and presents.

In February 2019, Jamari Dent, 11, tried to commit suicide by hanging (pictured left before the attempt) after being bullied. He was saved but suffered permanent brain damage

His mother, Teirra Black, has filed a lawsuit claiming that a teacher at Medgar Evers Elementary School allegedly called the boy 'dirty' and 'nappy-headed'

Black transferred Jamari to Carter Woodson Elementary, where she said the child was physically assaulted by three teachers on separate occasions

According to the lawsuit, Jamari had been subjected to bullying by students and teachers at the two schools.

The complaint, which named individual teachers as well as the Chicago Board of Education, claimed that Jamari was being called names like 'stupid,' 'dumb' and 'retarded.'

One time, a teacher at Evers Elementary allegedly called the boy 'dirty' and 'nappy-headed,' and asked him if his 'brillo hair was the reason he couldn't read,' drawing peals of laughter from his classmates, the lawsuit claimed.

In February 2019, Jamari tried to hang himself in his bedroom after suffering for more than a year at the hands of both his classmates and teachers.

Medics were able to save the boy's life, but his suicide attempt left him with permanent brain damage.

A 2019 photo shows Jamari laying in his hospital bed staring into space surrounded by family

The same teacher allegedly assaulted and injured Jamari in February 2018.

After that incident, Teirra Black transferred her son to Woodson Elementary, but she said the bullying continued there and reached new lows.

According to the lawsuit, three teachers at the school physically attacked Jamari and inflicted injuries on him on separate occasions.

Black said she repeatedly approached school administrators pleading for help, but they failed to stop the torment.

Then on February 18, 2019, her 11-year-old son used a sheet to hang himself. He was found in his bedroom by his nine-year-old sister.

Black performed CPR on Jamari for 10-15 minutes until paramedics arrived and took over.

Jamari's doctors then told Black that his 11-year-old son would remain on the ventilator for the rest of his life.

After Jamari's suicide attempt, the school district released a statement addressing the legal action.

'The district has no tolerance for adults who harm or fail to protect students,' it read in part. 'All allegations of bullying and student harm are taken seriously by the district, and we are fully committed to ensuring all students are supported and adults are held accountable,' the 2019 statement read.
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The captain of the British trawler impounded by the French in Le Havre during a furious post-Brexit fishing row is a veteran scallop fisherman from north-west Ireland, MailOnline can reveal.

Jondy Ward, from Burtonport, County Donegal, was arrested along with his seven crew in the sea off the Normandy coast last week by the French Maritime Gendarmerie.

He is accused of illegally fishing in French territorial waters for the valuable shellfish without a licence and faces a trial in August next year.

However Captain Ward and his crew have been left in a legal limbo after a judge quashed charges against him - and a demand for 125,000 - only for French authorities to appeal the decision.

Captain Ward is expected to appear before a court in Rouen tomorrow, when a judge is due to determine under what conditions the vessel will be released.

Today the boss of his firm, MacDuff fisheries, Andrew Brown told how he was preparing to pay the 125,000 bail money to free the boat Cornelius Gert Jan and its crew within the next 48 hours.

Mr Brown explained: The charge of fishing illegally was revoked by the judge at an emergency hearing in Rouen on Friday. But this decision was appealed by the French authorities.

A hearing on Wednesday will determine the conditions under which the Cornelius Gert Jan will be released.

The captain of the British trawler impounded by the French in Le Havre during a furious post-Brexit fishing row is a veteran scallop fisherman from north-west Ireland, MailOnline can reveal. Jondy Ward (pictured left and right), from Burtonport, County Donegal, was arrested along with his seven crew in the sea off the Normandy coast last week by the French Maritime Gendarmerie

Ward (pictured) is accused of illegally fishing in French territorial waters for the valuable shellfish without a licence and faces a trial in August next year

Today the boss of his firm, MacDuff fisheries, Andrew Brown told how he was preparing to pay a 125,000 bail to free the boat Cornelius Gert Jan (pictured) and its crew within the next 48 hours

Meanwhile details of Jondy Ward's experience as a commercial fisherman have emerged from his native Donegal, north-west Ireland.

He gained his captain's licence at the acclaimed Seamanship Centre in Killybegs before taking control of a number of commercial fishing vessels.

A scallop fisherman for the past ten years, Mr Ward has previously been caught up in disputes with the French authorities.

In 2012 he revealed how he had been attacked by a stone-throwing mob of militant French trawler men who tried to stop him and his crew operating in French territorial waters.

He claimed the French authorities pretended there had been a outbreak of toxins that rendered the shellfish poisonous to stop the British fishermen harvesting their catch.

Recalling the so called 'Scallops Wars' in a social media discussions, he wrote: 'The French don't want us fishing there.

'They [French fishermen] used toxins as an excuse in 2012 to stop us fishing there.

Mr Ward, who is believed to be in his late 30's has declined to comment about his arrest and detention of his boat Cornelius Gert Jan (pictured) by the French maritime Gendarmerie last week

The boat was detained by gendarmes last Wednesday, and escorted to the quayside at Le Havre, where they have remained ever since. Pictured: Crew onboard the Cornelis Gert Jan

'What we done [sic] was get the scallops tested. Results were NO toxins found. Every boat moved in and filled out boots. The French took to throwing stones then!'

In 2016 he was at the helm of the ISLA-S fishing boat that caught a record-breaking Monkfish that weighed a massive 77lb [35 kg] and was dubbed the 'Don' of the fishy underworld.

Mr Ward, who is believed to be in his late 30's has declined to comment about his arrest and detention of his boat Cornelius Gert Jan by the French maritime Gendarmerie last week.

However the hard-working captain has ensured his seven-man crew remain provisioned and are in good health while they languish on the dockside in the port of Le Havre, France, under effective house-arrest.

Mr Brown (pictured), director of Scottish firm MacDuff Shellfish, said he hoped to secure the release of the Cornelis Gert Jan following a court hearing tomorrow and bring the crew home within 48 hours

Mr Ward married childhood sweet-heart Eleanor Laffan in October 2011 and the couple now have a son and a daughter. They also have a pet dog.

It comes as Mr Brown, director of Scottish firm MacDuff Shellfish, said he hoped to secure the release of the Cornelis Gert Jan following a court hearing tomorrow and bring the crew home within 48 hours.

A French magistrate will hear legal argument from both sides of the bitter fishing dispute at a court in Rouen tomorrow, just yards from the quayside where the British trawler has been impounded.

The development comes after Emmanuel Macron warned Boris Johnson that France will retaliate unless Britain backs down in the fishing row.

On Monday, a spokesman for the Seine-Maritime prefecture confirmed that the Cornelis would remain in the Normandy port of Le Havre unless her crew paid 'a 150,000 euros deposit'  the equivalent of more than 125,000.

It far outweighs anything the boat might have earned during what started off as a five-day trip to France to fish for scallops.

Mr Brown said: 'Our priority is to get the crew released and bring them home. We expect there to be a court hearing tomorrow or on Wednesday at the latest.

'We consider there are three possible outcomes from this court hearing:

'1. That the charges are dropped and the case is dismissed and the boat and crew are free to go.

' 2. That the court demands that a bond is paid to enable the boat and crew to be released ahead of a trial probably next year.

'3. That the court refuses to release the boat or the crew.

'We do not expect the third scenario. We expect either the first or the second scenario.

'If the court imposes a bond then we will discuss the size of the bond. And depending on the size of the bond, it may take a couple of days to raise the money and for the boat to be released.

'But I maintain our priority is to secure the release of the crew and to ensure their welfare.'

Details of the sum come after Emmanuel Macron warned Boris Johnson that France will retaliate unless Britain backs down in the fishing row

Mr Brown declined to discuss whether or not the British scallop trawler had the correct licence to fish in French waters.

He explained: 'These matters are part of ongoing court proceedings so I cannot discuss this. This will be argued in court by lawyers.'

Is Macron trying to tell Boris something? French President and PM have awkward exchange at COP26 as furious row over fisheries rumbles on By Rory Tingle for MailOnline Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson exchanged a series of cryptic gestures today during a frosty meeting at COP26 as the furious Anglo-French fisheries row continues to rumble on. Mr Johnson greeted Mr Macron with an awkward elbow bump as the pair then patted each other on the arm before the latter spoke to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The trio posed side-by-side on stage for an official photograph before Mr Macron then turned his back on the PM as he made conversation with Mr Guterres. Mr Johnson stepped closer to try to join the chat and Mr Macron then crossed his arms as the exchange between the three men continued before he then left the stage. The interaction between Mr Johnson and Mr Macron was noticeably more strained and serious than when the PM greeted other world leaders this morning. Mr Macron's arrival at the summit came after Liz Truss delivered a stinging rebuke to him as she demanded he 'stop threatening' Britain over the bitter fishing licences dispute. The Foreign Secretary rejected the deadline set by the French President of tomorrow for more small boats to be granted licences to work in UK waters. Instead she insisted that it is Paris that is facing time pressure as the Government is prepared to launch action over breaches of the post-Brexit trade agreement. Ms Truss also risked inflaming the dispute as she suggested Mr Macron is attacking the UK in the hope it helps his re-election chances next year. French officials have warned they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country with British goods from tomorrow unless more licences are granted for their small boats to fish in British waters. Other threats have included a 'go-slow' at customs and even increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey. However, the number of boats being given permits has been creeping up, with the UK stressing that those who can prove a history of fishing in waters before Brexit will be allowed to continue. Advertisement

Mr Brown confirmed the crew comprised of four British and Irish men and four sailors from Africa and Asia.

It comes as the French pledge to step up similar measures from this Tuesday, in retaliation for Britain not providing enough licences for their boats to fish in UK waters following Brexit.

The boat was detained by gendarmes last Wednesday, and escorted to the quayside at Le Havre, where they have remained ever since.

Their skipper, who has not been formally named, has been charged with 'acts of unauthorised sea fishing in French maritime salt waters by a third-party vessel to the European Union'.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the growing diplomatic row at the G20 in Rome at the weekend.

Mr Johnson said he had been 'puzzled' to read a letter from Paris to the EU apparently asking 'for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU'.

Referring directly to Brexit, the Prime Minister said: 'I don't believe that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and that's probably all I'll say about that.'

In turn, Mr Macron said: 'I don't want escalation. We need to be serious. I don't want to have to use retaliation measures because that wouldn't help our fishermen.'

Mr Brown, director of MacDuff Shellfish, which own the Cornelis, said she was being used as a 'pawn' by the French, and that she had not acted illegally.

Mr Brown said last week: 'We are looking to the UK government to defend the rights of the UK fishing fleet and ensure that the fishing rights provided under the Brexit fishing agreement are fully respected by the EU.'

On Monday morning, the Cornelis was still moored in Le Havre, with her crew of eight on board.

The boat had headed out from Shoreham, Sussex, early last Tuesday morning.

Her seizure is the latest move by France in an ongoing row with the UK over who has rights to fishing grounds in the Channel now Britain has left the EU.

Clement Beaune, France's Europe minister, has said 'we need to speak the language of force' to Britain because it is 'the only thing this government understands'.

He was immediately accused of 'sabre rattling' by British critics, as was Annick Girardin, the Maritime Minister in Paris, who said: 'It's not war, but it is a fight.'

Further retaliatory measures by the French could include a blockade at major ports such as Calais, to keep British seafood imports out.

Yesterday the French president insisted that unless the UK shifted, reprisals will happen within days, saying 'the ball is in Britain's court'.

The combative stance came at a press conference at the end of the G20 summit in Rome - after Mr Johnson told his own briefing for journalists that the UK 'position is unchanged'.

At a G20 press conference, Mr Johnson said: 'On fish, I've got to tell you the position is unchanged. And I'll just say this, for the record. I must say I was puzzled to read a letter from the French Prime Minister explicitly asking for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU.

'I just have to say to everybody I don't believe that that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Trade and Cooperation agreement, and that's probably all I'll say about that one.'

But Mr Macron said: 'The ball is in Britain's court... 'If the British make no movement, the measures of November 2 will have to be put in place.'

In a day of extraordinary briefing, French sources initially claimed that Mr Johnson and Mr Macron had reached a deal on de-escalation during 30 minutes of talks.

There were no officials or cameras present as the pair tried to reach an understanding one-on-one.

That version was rejected by Mr Johnson, who stressed that he viewed Mr Macron as a 'friend' but they had a 'wide-ranging and frank' discussion. 'On fish I have got to tell you the position is unchanged,' he said.

Earlier the PM's spokesman said it is a matter for France to decide whether to back off the threats.

'We certainly stand ready to respond should they proceed with breaking the Brexit agreement,' the spokesman said.

G20 leaders visited the landmark in Rome and wave to the cameras on the final day of the G20 gathering

The leaders seemed to be in a jovial mood as the two-day summit wraps up in Rome - with the action moving to Glasgow for COP26

French officials have warned they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country with British goods from Tuesday unless more licences are granted for their small boats to fish in British.

Other threats have included a 'go-slow' at customs and even increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey.

A French aide told Reuters after thee talks: 'The goal for both the president and the prime minister was to work towards de-escalation.'

French sources told AFP the two sides agreed 'operational measures' to take the heat out of the row in the coming days.

Earlier, they locked eyes as they visited the famous Trevi Fountain with other leaders attending the G20 summit in Rome.

And Mr Macron appeared to shunt Mr Johnson out of the way to get next to Italian host Mario Draghi for photos.

Mr Macron's attack dog, Europe minister Clement Beaune, stoked the row again this morning saying Britain was not acting like a 'friend, ally and responsible partner'

Mr Macron and Mr Johnson kept each other close as they braced for difficult talks on fishing

Downing Street said Mr Johnson had raised the 'unhelpful' rhetoric from France during the showdown.

Asked if there were any specific measure agreed to deescalate the fishing row, the PM's spokesman said: 'No. The deescalation as I say would need to come from the French side.'

Pushed on why the French side were claiming that specific measures had been agreed, the spokesman said: 'You would have to ask the French government our position has not changed.'

He added: 'We stand ready to grant further licences as we have done throughout if the requisite evidence is provided.'

France 'demands 125,000 for release of British-registered fishing trawler' French courts have demanded a 125,000 bail for the release of the British fishing trawler impounded in the Le Havre port, it emerged last night. Scottish-registered the Cornelis Gert Jan is accused of not having a valid licence to fish in French waters. Its unnamed skipper - believed to be an Irish national - has been charged with 'acts of unauthorised sea fishing in French maritime salt waters' and ordered to appear in court next August. Advertisement

On whether the November 2 deadline was now gone, the spokesman said it was 'entirely a matter for the French government'.

The spokesman insisted that Mr Johnson had never sought to 'escalate tensions'. 'We are simply continuing to enforce the law as set out in the Brexit deal.'

The spokesman said: 'It will be for the French to decide whether they want to step away from the threats they have made over recent days of course we would welcome that.'

Mr Macron's attack dog, Europe minister Clement Beaune, stoked the row again this morning saying Britain was not acting like a 'friend, ally and responsible partner'.

However, the UK government has insisted licences are being granted where boats can provide evidence they fished in waters before Brexit, with ministers adamant they will not back down.

Mr Johnson last night warned the EU not to side with France, while Brexit minister Lord Frost threatened to take legal action.

Mr Beaune tweeted in response to Lord Frost: 'After 10 months, when such a significant amount of licences, targeting one country, is missing, it's not a technical issue, it's a political choice and a breach of the TCA.

'A friend, ally and responsible partner should stand by its world and comply with legal commitments.'

He said the retaliation measures threatened from November 2 were 'proportionate'.

'It's positive to read that the UK cares about the TCA; France and the EU expect its full respect and implementation, regarding fishing rights, the Northern Ireland protocol and all other - agreed and ratified - matters,' he said.

Downing Street has stressed that the pair are 'friends' - but behind the scenes anger is mounting about the grandstanding behaviour from France, with Mr Macron facing a presidential election in the spring.

One senior UK official said: 'The French have made their position abundantly clear. They are not interested in a positive and constructive relationship, but only in trying to show that Brexit was a mistake.'

Another added: 'From explicit warnings about stopping energy supply to Jersey to public threats about imposing customs controls unless we comply with their demands, this has been a concerted effort to undermine and now breach the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.'

Emmanuel Macron and Mr Johnson fist bumped despite gearing up for a potential showdown over fisheries

France has threatened border and port sanctions, including increased checks on British vessels, a 'go-slow' at customs and increased tariffs on energy bills in Jersey, unless more fishing licences are issued by the UK for small French boats by Tuesday. Pictured: French fisherman in the fishing town of Port En Bessin

French courts have demanded a 125,000 bail fee for the release of the British fishing trawler impounded in the Le Havre port

Lord Frost yesterday blasted a 'pattern' of threats made by France to Britain and said the UK Government is 'actively considering' starting legal proceedings against the country.

In a series of tweets, the Conservative peer rallied against comments made by French prime minister Jean Castex in a letter to Ms Von Der Leyen, that the UK should be shown 'it causes more damage to leave the EU than to stay in'.

Lord Frost said: 'To see it expressed in this way is clearly very troubling and very problematic in the current context when we are trying to solve many highly sensitive issues, including on the Northern Ireland Protocol.'
Mass flooding has washed away roads and destroyed buildings in the first of the winter rains in Kurdistan.

Intense rain and hail swept through Erbil, the capital of Iraqs Kurdistan region, on Saturday, breaking a season of drought.

Videos of the flash flooding emerged on social media on October 30, showing a fast-flowing river washing down main roads in a number of locations in the Erbil area.

Officials said several neighborhoods had suffered damage, and many were left homeless by the flood, but there were no casualties reported so far.

Flash flooding on Saturday washed away roads and destroyed buildings in Erbil, the capital of Iraqs Kurdistan region, with around 150 to 200 houses damaged by the intense weather

A truck driver rescued two women and a man who were trapped in a car by helping them climb out of the sunroof after the flood water rose unexpectedly

Erbil's governor Omed Khoshnaw estimated that around 150 to 200 houses had been ravaged by flooding as residents began to assess damage.

On Sunday, senior leaders, including Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, visited families whose homes were hit.

The premier wrote in a tweet: 'I visited homes damaged by yesterday's flash floods in Erbil. Listening to the families' needs, I reassured them of our utmost support at this time.'

Videos of the flash flooding emerged on social media on October 30, showing a fast-flowing river washing down main roads in a number of locations in the Erbil area

On Sunday, Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, visited families affected by the flooding after many were left homeless, with around 150 to 200 houses affected

The mass flooding has washed away roads and destroyed homes in the first of the winter rains in Kurdistan, with the premier promising to support the devastated families

A spokesperson for Erbils civil protection units, Sarkawt Karash, told Rudaw that while they receive updates from the city had taken precautions, but the level of flooding was 'unexpected'.

'What was unexpected for us was the flooding in Zerin neighborhood and Kore village, which sadly has risen a lot on the 150-meter road and has completely covered the street,' he said.

Erbil often faces severe floods in the colder seasons of the year and in the past, several neighborhoods have faced severe damages due to floods.
A Czech model who was jailed for eight years in Pakistan for trying to smuggle 1million of heroin into Ireland has been cleared on appeal, her lawyer has revealed.

Tereza Hluskova, 25, was arrested in possession of 19 lbs (8.5kg) of heroin in January 2018 at Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport.

She was heading to Ireland via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, prosecutors said.

Ms Hluskova, who was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison and a fine in March 2019, insisted someone had placed the drugs in her suitcase without her knowledge.

'The prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and the court ordered that she be released from prison,' her lawyer Saif ul Malook told AFP.

Czech model Tereza Hluskova breaks down in tears outside the court in Lahore on March 20, 2019, when she was jailed for eight years

Hluskova was caught attempting to smuggle 1million of heroin from Pakistan to Ireland, prosecutors claimed

The paperwork for her release order will take up to one week to process, Malook added.

He said Hluskova intends to return straight to Prague.

'Based on information from (her) lawyer, we can confirm a court of appeals has decided to acquit the Czech national in Pakistan,' the Czech foreign ministry said in a tweet.

Hluskova has claimed that she came to Pakistan to work as a model and that someone put narcotics into her luggage.

Previous reports said Hluskova was stopped with a haul of the Class A drug stashed in 'statues' in her luggage.

Footage released by Pakistani customs officials showed authorities uncovering drugs hidden in her suitcase as she was trying to board a flight headed for the United Arab Emirates.

She says in the video: 'They gave me something for luggage, three statues or something. They said it was gifts. I didn't know there was something inside.'

Hluskova said strangers approached her and put ornaments in her luggage and that she had no idea they were full of drugs

The model had maintained she had no idea that the drugs were placed in her luggage

Hluskova later said that strangers approached her and put ornaments in her luggage and that she had no idea they were full of drugs.

Pakistan shares a long porous border with Afghanistan, which is the world's largest illicit opium producer despite a decade of costly US and international counter-narcotics programmes.

Drug trafficking is a serious offence in Pakistan and arrests at airports are not uncommon.

The South Asian nation is part of the drug-smuggling routes from Afghanistan to Central Asia, Europe and North America.
Renowned New York City restaurateur Keith McNally nearly banned a brazen real estate developer who barged into his iconic Balthazar on Sunday, revoking the gentleman's VIP status on social media for all to see Sunday.

The statement came after Michael Shvo waltzed past wait staff earlier that day and sat himself at the SoHo eatery's best table.

'A disagreeable incident occurred at Balthazar today,' McNally said in a preface to a scathing statement posted on Instagram Sunday night, after learning from one of his maitre d's that millionaire mogul Shvo arrived at the establishment for a one 'o clock reservation but did not wait to be seated.

Instead, Shvo, 48 - one of the main players in the Manhattan real estate scene - waltzed past restaurant staffers and sat himself, the staff said.

'How F. presumptuous!' McNally, 70, said, adding that Shvo's 'obnoxious, entitled behavior is the Height of Arrogance.'

Brazen businessman Michael Shvo (pictured third from left, with wife Seren by his side) has been known to frequent a slew of the boroughs most distinguished eateries, including Wall Street's posh Cipriani and McNally Balthazar's. Here he accompanied by his wife, Margot Adams (far left), and renowned New York publisher Jason Binn

Renowned New York City restaurateur Keith McNally (pictured at left) had some choice words for millionaire mogul Shvo (pictured at right) Sunday, after the bigshot developer barged into McNally's iconic restaurant Balthazar Sunday

The brazen CEO, seen here with wife Seren, is widely known as 'the bad boy of real estate,' known his celebrity-studded launch parties and 24-hour sales offices

The fuming foodie - who has been active in the New York City restaurant scene since the 1980s and has an estimated net worth of about $18 million - then implored Balthazar staff to 'Please have Mr Shvo's AA status torn to shreds.'

'AA' is an acronym for 'always accommodate,' an in-house grade used by restaurant staffers to classify a VIP's importance.

Shvo, a brash but successful businessman who hails from Israel, currently heads a successful real estate company - eponymously named SHVO - that boasts a portfolio of more than $7 billion, including residential, hospitality, and commercial space.

McNally posted a scathing statement to social media Sunday night after learning from one of his maitre d's that millionaire mogul Michael Shvo arrived at the establishment for a one 'o clock reservation but did not wait to be seated

The brazen CEO, who's been often referred to as 'the bad boy of real estate,' is known his celebrity-studded launch parties and 24-hour sales offices.

In 2018, Shvo pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud in the second and third degrees, after amassing a $3.5 million debt to the state of New York in back taxes - despite driving a Ferrari and a $400,000 Rolls Royce.

He currently lives in Midtown Manhattan at the landmark Time Warner Center building - which boasts the city's most expensive rental property, a penthouse that costs $125,000 a month to rent - just outside Columbus Circle, with his wife, Seren, and their two children.

The brazen businessman has been known to frequent a slew of the boroughs most distinguished eateries, including Wall Street's posh Cipriani and McNally Balthazar's.

Balthazar maitre d' Sydney Tennant relayed the encounter with Shvo to his boss Sunday, explaining how the mogul arrived at the restaurant for a scheduled reservation but instead of waiting to be seated by workers, he went straight to the establishment's best table.

'Today Michael Shvo, AA, had a reservation at 1:00,' Tennant said.

'Rather than waiting to check in at the maitre d stand, we walked right past us and sat himself at the best table - booth 60.

'When I went over to see what was going on, he dismissed me saying he always got a booth and that he assumed it was going to be his table.'

Balthazar, a New York City fixture in SoHo since 1997, requires patrons to check in with wait staff before entering the establishment

Tennant let the brazen move go unchecked but was left unsettled by the incident, 'given the vaccine mandate and certain booth/table requests,' and the fact that all Balthazar guests, regardless whether they are VIPs or not, are required to check in with restaurant staff as they enter.

'I don't think this behavior should be overlooked,' Tennant told Balthazar staff after the incident.

Former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter felt McNally's wrath in May, after the famed journalist made a reservation for 12 at one of McNally's eateries and failed to show up

The staffer then notified his bigshot boss - who recently banned famed journalist Graydon Carter from one of his many establishments for not following through with a reservation - who then responded with the irate Instagram post late Sunday night.

'If he ever Tries to seat himself again, he'll join Graydon Carter on Balthazar's 86 list,' McNally said, referencing slang phrase widely used by restaurant staffers to indicate an item that is no longer available to guests to threaten Shvo with a lifetime ban.

It's likely not an empty threat, either.

McNally, whose net worth is approximately $18 million, banned Carter, a former Vanity Fair editor, from his eateries - which include Manhattan fixtures Augustine - Cafe Luxembourg, Cherche Midi, Lucky Strike, Minetta Tavern and Morandi - in May after the journalist made a reservation for 12 at Morandi and failed to show up.

The restaurateur slammed Carter as a 'fancy F**ker' after the slight, saying the journalist 'will never be allowed to make a reservation at one of my restaurants again.'

'Never.'
The Biden administration is preparing to implement a new federal rule impacting roughly 80 million Americans that will require companies to have a vaccine mandate for workers, despite opposition from businesses and staff shortages across the country.

Last month, President Joe Biden asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to write rules that would require companies with more than 100 employees to mandate coronavirus vaccinations or weekly testing for those with an exemption.

OSHA has finished writing the rule and the administration expects it could go into affect as soon as this week, CBS News reported.

The rule will require employers to provide paid time to workers to get vaccinated and to recover from any side effects.

But business leaders are asking the administration to put off the mandate until after the holidays.

Vaccine mandates have been controversial across the country and have impacted business and cities, including New York where 9,000 city workers have gone on unpaid leave to avoid getting the shot.

On Monday, unvaccinated New York City firefighters were sent home on Monday after reporting for duty on the day de Blasio's vaccine mandate took effect.

The FDNY will not confirm how many were told to go home, but at least one crew of eight from FDNY Engine 243 in Brooklyn were sent home along with a female firefighter from Engine 38 in the Bronx and a firefighter from Engine 15 in the Lower East Side, according to the Uniformed Firefighter Association.

On top of those who were sent home, 2,300 firefighters are out sick and bosses say the majority of them are unvaccinated.

In Los Angeles, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that the 'reality' of the the vaccination mandate is that he would lose 20 to 30 per cent of his workforce and warned it could lead to a rise in violent crime.

The Biden administration is preparing to implement a new federal rule that will require companies to have a vaccine mandate for workers

Biden pushing for any company with over 100 employees has to have workers vaccinated or tested weekly

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the American Trucking Association and the Retail Industry Leaders Association are asking the White House to give businesses 90 days to comply with the mandate.

This would delay implementation until late January at the earliest.

OSHA, which falls under the Labor Department, delivered its final draft of the rule to OMB on October 12. The mandate is expected to take effect shortly after the review process is completed.

Some companies have already implemented their own timeline for the mandate in anticipation of the rule going into effect and the Labor Department beginning oversight on the issue.

Besides trucking, retailers are also concerned the mandate could trigger resignations in an industry also short on workers, according to a lobbyist at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, Evan Armstrong.

'It has been a hectic holiday season already, as you know, with supply chain struggles,' Armstrong told CNBC after a meeting with White House officials last Monday.

'This is a difficult policy to implement. It would be even more difficult during the holiday season.'

The Biden administration argues any labor shortages are related to post-pandemic issues and not to any vaccine mandate.

'The labor shortage coming out of the pandemic and then dealing with that, but it's not due to vaccine mandates or requirements,' White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.

Biden vowed earlier this year that he would never implement a vaccine mandate on private industry, but broke that promise last month in announcing the new mandate.

FDNY Engine 55 in lower Manhattan was one of the firehouses that union bosses say were down this weekend due to staff shortages. 2,300 firefighters have called out sick in New York City to avoid having to report that they are unvaccinated and lose their pay. In total, more than 3,000 firefighters remain unvaccinated and as of today, cannot work
Trump made a full-throated endorsement of Youngkin the same day he's meant to headline a tele-rally on the gubernatorial candidate's behalf

Donald Trump lambasted his critics as 'perverts' and encouraged Virginians to 'get out and vote for a man who will be a great governor' in Glenn Youngkin in a lengthy statement on Monday morning.

He also baselessly claimed that 'lots of bad things went on, and are going on' in Virginia's elections - just a day before voters there head to the polls to decide who will next lead the state.

Trump, who backed Youngkin in a Saturday night Fox News interview, is now attacking the network for running 'ads ad nauseam' that he claims misrepresent his relationship with the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

'The Fake News media, together with some of the perverts doing ads ad nauseam on primarily Fox (Fox shouldnt take those ads!), are trying to create an impression that Glenn Youngkin and I are at odds and dont like each other,' the ex-president said in an emailed statement through his Save America PAC.

He appears to be referring to Republican group the Lincoln Project, which was responsible for a public stunt in which white men dressed up in button-down shirts and khakis, carried tiki torches and appeared to emphatically support Youngkin. It was an attempt to tie Youngkin to the infamous Charlottesville Unite the Right rally.

'Importantly, this is not true, we get along very well together and strongly believe in many of the same policies. Especially when it comes to the important subject of education,' Trump said.

The subject of education has been a lightning rod in the Virginia election. Parents there and nationwide have clashed with educators over critical race theory and mask guidelines in public schools, especially in Loudon County.

Trump released the statement as new polls released Monday showed Youngkin with a 1% edge over his Democratic rival Terry McAuliffe with just 24 hours until the polls open.

Later on Monday McAuliffe abruptly canceled a rally planned on the eve of the election, amid fallout from his comments insinuating that Virginia had too many white teachers.

A second statement from Trump specifically calling on 'every MAGA voter' in Virginia more directly focused on Youngkin that same afternoon.

The ex-president is making his first official appearance for Youngkin later today when he'll appear in a tele-rally on the GOP businessman's behalf. Reports have said Youngkin will not be in attendance.

Throughout the campaign trail Youngkin, a first-time political candidate like Trump was, has for the most part avoided being seen at public events alongside national Republican figures

In his statement Trump lambasted Youngkin's rival, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, as a 'low-life politician who lies, cheats, and steals'

Election watchers say Youngkin has tried to keep his distance from a polarizing figure like Trump so as not to alienate suburban swing voters. But on Monday Trump disputed that, blaming the narrative on 'perverts' and 'Fake News.'

'The reason the Fake News and perverts are working over time is to try and convince people that we do not like each other, and therefore, my great and unprecedented Make America Great Again base will not show up to vote,' Trump said.

'Also, I am not a believer in the integrity of Virginias elections, lots of bad things went on, and are going on. The way you beat it is to flood the system and get out and vote. Remember this, Glenn Youngkin is a good man, a hardworking man, a successful man. He loves Virginia and wants to cut your taxes, save your childrens education, and many other very good things.'

Trump has been promoting election conspiracy theories since even before he lost the 2020 presidential race to Joe Biden.

Youngkin meanwhile, has toyed with the polarizing idea himself when calling for an audit of Virginia's election systems multiple times.

In early October he argued an audit would enhance public trust at a Richmond event.

'I grew up in a world where you have an audit every year, in businesses you have an audit. So let's just audit the voting machines, publish it so everybody can see it,' the first-time political candidate had said.

Trump released a second statement endorsing Youngkin even more forcefully

Trump's second statement on Monday afternoon more directly called for Virginians to turn out and vote for Youngkin on Tuesday.

'Hopefully everyone will get out and VOTE tomorrow for Glenn Youngkin, who will be a fantastic Governor for the Great State of Virginia. Glenn is a very successful businessman who knows how to make Virginias economy (which is doing poorly!), greatand he has had my Complete and Total Endorsement for many months!' Trump said.

'Glenn believes in FREEDOM, including freedom for parents who want a good education for their children. He is also a strong believer in our now under siege Second Amendment, and loves our Military and our Vets.

'Everything is on the line in this election, and every MAGA voter should strongly support Glenn Youngkin. We must win bigger than the margin of fraud by flooding the polls with those that believe in America First. Please vote on Tuesday for Glenn Youngkinhe will not let you down!'

Terry McAuliffe on Monday accused Youngkin of 'fully embracing' Trump's 'lies.'

'The one thing Glenn has been upfront with Virginians is about his total allegiance and full embrace of Donald Trumps agenda and dangerous lies,' McAuliffe said in statement responding to Trump's.

'From starting his campaign with election integrity as the most important issue, to headlining rallies with those present at the deadly January 6 insurrection, to pushing a Trump-DeVos education plan centered on dog whistles and defunding public education, to pledging to ban abortion, Glenn Youngkin made his entire campaign about touting the Trump agenda.'

Trump told his supporters to 'get out and vote for a man who will be a great governor' in his statement supporting Youngkin

Trump in his statement attacked McAuliffe as a 'cheater' and a 'terrible' governor.

'Terry McAuliffe is a low-life politician who lies, cheats, and steals. He was a terrible high-tax governor and would be, if elected, an even worse governor again. I say to all of our millions of followers, dont listen to the Fake News and misleading advertisements written largely by already-acknowledged perverts.'

He concluded, 'Get out and vote for a man who will be a great governor, Glenn Youngkin!'

Youngkin's office has not yet responded to a request for comment.

But in his response McAuliffe blasted Trump and continued to link him to his Republican rival.

'Trumps latest statement is nothing but the culmination of a dangerous alliance to bring division, hate, and Trumpism to Virginia disguised in a fleece vest and khakis,' he said in reference to the vests emblazoned with his campaign logo that Youngkin often wears to public events.

Throughout the race the former governor has been searching for ways to further link Youngkin to Trump.

Virginia has voted blue in every presidential election since Barack Obama's 2008 campaign. In 2020, Biden swept the state with a 10-point margin.

But with Biden's popularity sinking, Youngkin appears to be generating more support among likely voters.

On Saturday Youngkin just barely pulled ahead of McAuliffe according to FiveThirtyEight, after months of narrowing the gap from what appeared to be a sure victory for McAuliffe just months prior.

As of Monday Youngkin holds a one point lead over McAuliffe with a margin of 47.8 percent to 46.8 percent.
The creator of the controversial 1619 Project has now admitted her new book reworks her essay claiming that the American Revolution was fought to preserve slavery - after top historians slammed it as inaccurate.

In an interview with the Boston Globe, Nikole Hannah-Jones admitted she 'should have been more clear and precise about the American Revolution' in her essay, which was first published in the New York Times Magazine in August 2019.

It argued that the founding of America could be dated not to 1776 but to 1619, when the first enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia, and claimed racism was a critical part of American history.

Hannah-Jones said the 'part of the role of slavery in the American Revolution was a tiny part - a few paragraphs in that entire essay, even though critics have hyper-focused on those few paragraphs and tried to use those to sum up the entire project.

'In hindsight, seeing how critics seized upon those few paragraphs and how my writing (saying, for instance "colonists" instead of "some colonists" or Southern colonists") has been used to attempt to discredit the entire project, it of course made me wish I had consulted more books and more experts on that particular argument, that I had bullet-proofed it by providing more evidence to back up the claim in the text of my essay.'

She added that she has now corrected that error in her new 1619 Project book, which will be released on November 16, and said she has conducted more research and spoken to more experts to expand upon her claim.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of The 1619 Project, admitted in an interview with the Boston Globe that she has reworked her essay arguing that the American Revolution was fought to preserve colonists' right to slavery after facing backlash for the claim

The notion that the American Revolution was fought, at least in part, to preserve colonists' right to slavery had been a central tenant of Hannah-Jones' The 1619 Project, which was originally published in the New York Times Magazine in August 2019 as a series of essays, poetry and fiction.

It won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary, and a school curriculum soon followed to teach American students about the role of slavery in today's society.

But backlash soon followed, with criticism from some historians who have disputed her argument about the American Revolution.

The American Revolution Institute, for example, argued that the Revolution actually helped inspire the eventual abolition of slavery, writing: 'Its commitment to universal natural rights inspired the growth of abolitionism across the Atlantic world.

Her new book The 1619 Project will be released on November 16 and will expand upon the essays originally published in the New York Times Magazine in August 2019

'In fact,' it writes, 'the British abolitionist movement took off after the American Revolution, drawing inspiration from the principles of the American Revolution and the abolition of slavery in the northern states.'

Historians for the Institute also claim Hannah-Jones presented no evidence to support the claim that anyone in the colonies supported independence because they 'feared for the future of their slave property,' and railed against the Times for publishing the claim.

'The New York Times asks Americans to reject the Revolution and claims that the men and women who sacrificed, struggled and died for American independence are unworthy of our respect,' they wrote,'

Leslie Harris, a professor of history at Northwestern University, meanwhile, wrote that 'slavery in the colonies faced no immediate threat from Great Britain.'

Instead, she argued, the American Revolution served as a disruptor of slavery, as the cause of freedom 'led most of the 13 colonies to arm and employ free and enslaved black people with the promise of freedom to those who served.'

As a result, she said, thousands of slaves were freed.

And in the aftermath of the war, Harris claims, 'enslaved people negotiated with the owners to purchase their freedom, or simply ran away in the confused aftermath.'

Five academics even wrote to the Times, saying Hannah-Jones got some significant elements of history wrong - including the claim that the Revolutionary War was fought to preserve slavery, and demanded that the Times issue a correction.

But, editors for the Times replied: 'Though we respect the work of the signatories, appreciate that they are motivated by scholarly concern and applaud the efforts they have made in their own writings to illuminate the nation's past, we disagree with their claims that our project contains significant factual errors and is driven by ideology rather than historical understanding.

'While we welcome the criticism, we don't believe that the request for corrections to The 1619 Project is warranted.'

Many historians have refuted Hannah-Jones' claim about the American Revolution being fought to preserve slavery, and have slammed the Times for claiming 'that the men and women who sacrificed, struggled and died for American independence are unworthy of our respect'

But in her interview with the Globe, Hannah-Jones said her new book will expand upon her claims about the American Revolution, adding new research to support her thesis.

'With the benefit of more time for the book, I did an extensive amount of research on slavery and the American Revolution,' she told the Globe, 'and we engaged period experts to peer-review the entire book, not just my essay, and my expanded essay reflects that effort, including with something you can't put in a magazine article - end notes.'

'All the original essays have been expanded, the arguments sharpened,' she said, and 'all the essays in the book have been extensively fact checked, and then after fact-checking underwent multiple readings by subject-matter experts,' Hannah-Jones said.

She added that 'there have been more historians who have spoken out not just in support of the project, but who have backed up our interpretation of the facts,' and said her work should not be discredited 'because a small number of historians disagree with the interpretation of the facts.'

Her work has inspired the controversial teaching of critical race theory in schools - a concept that teaches racism is a social construct that has been embedded in American legal systems and policies.

It has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year, with opponents claiming it promotes racism by categorizing people into 'oppressors' and the 'oppressed,' and supporters arguing that it is vital to eliminate racism.

Some states have even passed legislation to ban the teaching of the controversial theory, and it has become a major talking point in the Virginia gubernatorial race.

Hannah-Jones, herself, has also had some speaking arrangements canceled over her controversial viewpoints.

Hannah-Jones said in her interview with the Globe she was not expecting there to be such backlash to her work

Hannah-Jones said she did not expect there to be such backlash.

'To have my work being banned in states, to have the president of the United States castigating the work, powerful senators trying to legislate against the work - no I couldn't have predicted any of that,' she told the Globe.

'And it's been more than two years, and the level of vitriol against the project and myself has not died down.

'What's been interesting to me is that all major works have criticism and all historical works have historians who say "We think that interpretation isn't quite right. We think this argument is too strong here. We would've said it this way. We interpret the scholarship differently." That is very normative to the field,' she added.

'None of that has ever been seen as discrediting the work, of discrediting the scholar, the way The 1619 Project has been treated.

'And I would just ask: The level of scrutiny that this project has undergone in the last two years - would any work of journalism survive it?'

'I would never argue that anything I've ever done ever has been perfect,' she continued. 'But this level of not just scrutiny, but attempt to discredit something because a small number of historians disagree with the interpretation of the facts - that's very revealing to me.'
This is the moment two mother-in-laws hilariously misfired their smoke flares at a gender reveal event.

Austin Schmidt, 25, and Katie Howe, 24, were hosting a Halloween themed party at their home in Wisconsin, to announce they were having a boy.

Katie's mother, Jessie, and Austin's mother, Shannon, were given small smoke cannons to set off at the crucial moment.

Austin Schmidt, 25, and Katie Howe, 24, were hosting a Halloween-themed party at their home in Wisconsin, to announce the gender of their baby

Mother-in-laws Jessie and Shannon both activated their flares, not realizing they were holding them upside dow

As Austin and Katie poured a liquid into a plastic pumpkin to turn the contents blue for a boy, Jessie and Shannon activated their flares, not realizing they were holding them upside down.

Instead of projecting the blue smoke into the air as intended, both grandparents-to-be fired the flare into their stomachs, staining their tops in the process.

The two women weren't the first to have problems with gender reveal flares, but at least their mistake wasn't a painful one.

In September 2020, one father-to-be accidentally set off a gender reveal flare straight into his crotch, prompting a friend to joke 'no need for that vasectomy'.

Kristen Cressotti, 36, and husband Tom, 43, hosted the gender reveal party at their home in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, with an unexpectedly painful outcome.

The cannons were facing the wrong way, leaving Tom's groin to take the full brunt of the blast, which was meant to shoot powder 30 feet away.
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Liberal mainstream media outlets have stoked 'moral panic' with references to racism, white supremacy and homophobia skyrocketing after 2011 when the New York Times implemented a paywall and rewarded its white liberal readers' enthusiasm for wokeness, a political commentator says.

In a guest post on Common Sense with Bari Weiss, Batya Ungar-Sargon - an opinion editor at Newsweek - explained that liberals are willing to pay for content that aligns with their beliefs and it resulted in divisive language becoming more common.

After the New York Times implemented its paywall - five years before Donald Trump was elected president in 2016 - it gave readers what they wanted, with the number of times the term 'racist' was used between 2010 and 2019 growing 600 per cent.

The growth in divisive language was uncovered in an academic study led by New Zealand computer scientist David Rozado.

In 'Prevalence of Prejudice-Denoting Words in News Media Discourse: A Chronological Analysis', it also found that the frequency of the term 'white supremacy' grew by 2,862 from 2010 to 2019 in overall media coverage.

The study said that 'agenda setting' among media outlets can happen when 'certain core outlets drive the conversation for most other media,' dictating the topics that yield the most attention.

Former President Donald Trump has been widely blamed for stoking division in the run to his bid for president and during his time in the White House, but this research shows that language 'denoting racism, [and] homophobia' reached new highs in 2014  long before Trump entered the political arena.

It means Trump alone shouldn't be blamed for the rise in the terminology, according to Ungar-Sargon.

A recently-published study called 'Prevalence of Prejudice-Denoting Words in News Media Discourse: A Chronological Analysis' found the term 'white supremacy' grew by 2,862 in 47 of the nation's most popular news outlets

Terms such as 'racist', 'sexist' and 'Islamophobic' have skyrocketed in the past decade

'The moral panic mainstreamed by the liberal news media had actually been underway for at least five years before Trump appeared on the scene,' Ungar-Sargon wrote.

'It began around 2011, the year the New York Times erected its online paywall. It was then that articles mentioning 'racism,' 'people of color,' 'slavery,' or 'oppression' started to appear with exponential frequency at the Times, BuzzFeed, Vox, the Washington Post, and NPR.'

A New York Times spokesperson noted that the study does not include 'critical information about the context in which the terms are being used.'

'The New York Times reports on the most important stories of our era with rigor, fairness and accuracy,' Jordan Cohen told DailyMail.com. 'That includes a broad array of daily coverage that helps our readers understand this moment.'

Usage of the term 'racist' grew 638percent at The New York Times between 2010 and 2019 while the phrase 'white supremacy' ratcheted 4,196 percent at the outlet

Mainstream media outlets play a key agenda-setting role when it comes to public opinion, the 'Prevalence of Prejudice-Denoting Words in News Media Discourse: A Chronological Analysis' study said, citing previous research.

'The 'agenda-setting' literature also finds that certain core outlets seem to drive the conversation for most other media, as writers across the political spectrum react to or strive to emulate coverage in prestige media outlets,' the study said.

'Coverage trends in prestige outlets therefore tend to echo throughout the media landscape, irrespective of other outlets' ideological leanand coverage trends in print, online, and television media tend to overlap considerably. The political and financial incentives of media organizations and journalists seem to play an important role in driving the 'agenda' set by the media.'

Similar trends were observed at The Wall Street Journal, where 'Islamophobic' was used at 680 percent greater frequency, and 'white supremacy' usage grew by 5,931percent

The study found spikes in the publications' reported related to a spectrum of prejudicial language

Ungar-Satya added in her column that she believed liberal news outlets played a key role in changing the media narrative.

'For a long time, the notion that America is an unrepentant white-supremacist state - one that confers power and privilege to white people and systematically denies them to people of color - was the province of far-left activists and academics,' she wrote.

'But over the past decade, it's found its way into the mainstream, largely through liberal media outlets like the New York Times, NPR, MSNBC, the Washington Post, Vox, CNN, the New Republic, and the Atlantic.'

Published in July, the study by New Zealand computer scientist David Rozado, reached its findings after analyzing 27 million news and opinion articles published between 1970 and 2019 in 47 of the nation's most popular news media outlets.

Research found that the usage of certain words related to race, gender, and sexual and religious orientation skyrocketed between 2010 and 2019 across most new outlets, regardless of political leaning.

Usage of the term 'racist' grew 638 per cent at the Times during the nine-year timeframe, while the phrase 'white supremacy' ratcheted 4,196 per cent at the outlet.

The research shows that language 'denoting racism, homophobia' reached new highs in 2014  a year before Trump announced his candidacy for office

The frequency of 'gender discrimination' rose 932 per cent throughout the years at the Times, and 'misogyny' grew by 951 per cent.

Similar trends were observed at The Wall Street Journal, where 'Islamophobic' was used at 680 per cent greater frequency, and 'white supremacy' usage grew by 5,931 per cent.

The Journal implemented its paywall in 2013.

A study co-author said the research has shown that the way media frames issues such as crime and terrorism can affect public perception. The authors tested the theory to see whether shifts in media discourse and prejudice and discrimination followed similar patterns

A study author said the spike in words related to race and gender seemed to affect the public's perception on the topics

Musa al-Gharbi, a study co-author, said research has shown that the way media frames issues such as crime and terrorism can affect public perception.

He and his colleagues tested the theory to see whether shifts in media discourse and prejudice and discrimination followed similar patterns.

'This does seem to be the case - particularly with regards to perceptions around race and gender,' al-Gharbi told MailOnline.com.

Agenda-setting tends to drive the conversation for most other media, research found

'Shifts in discourse tend to predict shifts in perceptions about the prevalence and severity of prejudice and discrimination in the U.S.,' he added.

'These shifts do not seem to be driven by Trump (they predate his candidacy), nor do they seem to be driven by anything in particular that was happening with respect to race, gender, sexuality, etc. at that time. Instead, factor analysis suggests that some single, deeper, underlying shift could explain the vast majority of the patterns we observed.'

Results of the research could also reflect the fact that societies have become more intolerant, the study said.

'Whereas in previous decades, overtly prejudicial societies would avoid denouncing prejudice or be constitutionally incapable of recognizing prejudice as such, contemporary news media may be more adept at identifying and denouncing prejudice against protected groups,' it said.

'Growing sensitivity to mistreatment of protected groups and assertiveness of egalitarian attitudes could predict increased prevalence of prejudice-denoting words in news media.'

The Washington Post did not respond to DailyMail.com for a request for comment.
Two adults and two children were found dead at their home in Colorado in an apparent murder-suicide.

Police were called to the home on Pleier Drive in Colorado Springs at around 10am on Saturday morning.

El Paso County Sheriff's office said deputies were alerted to someone injured on the scene who needed help.

The grisly scene was discovered in the Gleneagle area on Saturday morning after they responded to a young boy's 911 call.

Dispatchers were told by the boy that one of their siblings was not moving.

Police arrived at the scene in Colorado Springs on Saturday morning (pictured)

When police entered the home they found two adults and two children dead.

A neighbor said: 'Of course it's disturbing,'

'You want to know the backstory. You want to know if it's something from outside the neighborhood that came into the neighborhood or whether it was something internally festering in the home.'

Neighbors told 11 news a large family lived in the home, with eight children in total and some adopted.

Flowers were laid at the scene in Colorado after the suspected murder-suicide (pictured)

Saturday's incident and call prompted a huge response by police.

One witness told the Gazette he saw a large, black armored vehicle transporting a tactical support unit from the sheriff's office in his normally quiet neighborhood.

He said: 'It felt like we were being invaded.'

Flowers were laid at a white picket fence following the incident.

A toy dinosaur was also put at the scene in the wake of the weekend's police operation.

A playhouse and trampoline (pictured) in the Colorado Springs yard where a murder-suicide is suspected to have taken place

A 'reverse 911' or Everbridge was sent to families in the community within 2 miles of the incident, telling them to stay in and lock their doors and windows.

It is not known who carried out the attack or if the victims were related.

Their identities have not been released until identification by the Coroner's Office is done and next of kin are informed.

Community members were told there is no threat to them and the investigation is ongoing.

A toy dinosaur (pictured) is seen at the house in Colorado Springs where two adults and two children were found dead at the weekend
A headteacher is under investigation for jetting off on holiday during term-time after apparently telling colleagues she was self-isolating at home.

Alicia Reid, rector of Stranraer Academy in Wigtownshire, faces the probe after a pupil posted pictures from Glasgow Airport, two days before the official October break.

The photographs seem to show Miss Reid, 52, in an airport queue about to head off to Turkey.

However, it is understood that she had told the school that she was self-isolating, having been 'pinged' as a close contact of someone infected with coronavirus.

The local council has confirmed that Mrs Reid 'will not be in school for a period of time'.

Alicia Reid, rector of Stranraer Academy in Wigtownshire, had told the school that she was self-isolating, having been 'pinged' as a close contact of someone infected with coronavirus

She now faces potential action by education chiefs, who have spent years warning parents about taking children out of school outwith official holiday periods to take advantage of cheaper flight deals.

One parent said: 'It seems it's one rule for some and one for others. We get warned not to book holidays during school time but apparently the headteacher seems to think those warnings don't apply to her.

'If she had been pinged and was supposed to be self-isolating, what was she doing at an airport? Parents want answers and we hope they will be forthcoming.'

In a letter issued last week to the school's parent council and all staff, no official reason was given for the rector's absence.

But Dumfries and Galloway Council's director of skills, education and learning, Dr Gillian Brydson, confirmed: 'Miss Reid will not be in school for a period of time.'

A pupil posted pictures from Glasgow Airport, two days before the official October break. The photographs seem to show Miss Reid, 52, in an airport queue about to head off to Turkey

She added that an acting headteacher is due to be appointed as soon as possible.

The move follows widely viewed video footage which appeared on social media site Snapchat, posted with the words: 'Miss Reid is that you?? It looks so much like her.'

It is understood Miss Reid had been due to work on the last two days of term before the two-week school break began on October 8.

But, it is claimed, she called colleagues to say she would not be at school because she had been notified she had come into close contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19 and would have to self-isolate at home.

However, she was apparently filmed at Glasgow Airport later that day, on October 7, masked and queuing at a check-in desk for a holiday flight destined for Turkey.

Miss Reid had allegedly said she would not be in at Stranraer Academy because she had been notified she had come into close contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19

Last night, the father of the pupil who made the recording said: 'There were two flights to Turkey around the same time on the Thursday night. We were on one and she was on the other.

'My daughter was really shocked to see her headteacher there. I heard her say, 'It's Miss Reid! What is she doing here?'

'She started filming and posted the images to let her friends see. We had no idea of the effect it would have because we didn't know the teacher was supposed to be off self-isolating.'

There are no automatic fines for parents in Scotland who take children on holiday during term time, although the Scottish Government advises that schools should not normally give a family permission to do so.

Miss Reid was apparently filmed queuing at a check-in desk for a holiday flight for Turkey

In cases of persistent absence, councils can issue attendance enforcement orders which can form the basis for a prosecution in the sheriff court and, ultimately, a fine or imprisonment.

In 2017, the UK Supreme Court ruled against Jon Platt, from the Isle of Wight, after he appealed a 120 fine for taking his daughter out of school to go on holiday.

He claimed the penalty for the unauthorised trip to Florida meant the state 'was taking rights away from parents', but judges said the school had the final say.

Yesterday, when asked to comment on Miss Reid's absence from the school, and the fact that it appeared to fly in the face of the education department's advice to parents about unauthorised holidays during term time, a council spokesman said: 'We do not comment on matters related to individual staff.

'Good progress in learning continues to be the priority for the school community of Stranraer Academy and we will provide leadership and support to the school management team.'
In a matter of seconds, a California mother went from relaxing with her three young children in a friends' garage to tackling an unhinged intruder.

The heart-stopping incident took place over the weekend in Rancho Cucamonga, located less than 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and was caught on surveillance video.

The mother, who did not want to reveal her name or show her face on camera, told CBS Los Angeles that she, her two daughters, ages 5 and 6, and her one-year-old son were sitting around an electric fire pit when she saw a man she did not know charge towards them from the street.

A California mother was sitting in a friend's open garage with her daughters and baby son when an intruder came running at them

Surveillance video shows the mom jumping into actions to protect her girls, ages 5 and 6, and her one-year-old son from the unhinged stranger

The woman tackles the suspect, 31-year-old Rasmus Rasmussen, and pins him down to allow her children to get away. 'Get away from my kids!' she yells at the man

One of the woman's daughters was standing near the entrance to the garage when the stranger came running at her.

'I've seen him coming into the driveway and my first instinct was just to block him to give my kids enough time to get away,' the mother said.

Surveillance video from the garage shows the woman instantly jump to her feet and tackle the unwelcome guest to the ground while screaming at him: 'get away from my kids!'

The woman grabbed the man by the neck and held onto him until her husband and a family friend came to her aid and hurled him to the ground.

The man held onto the intruder until her husband and a friend returned

A family friend hurled Rasmussen to the ground and stopped him form escaping

Police who were summoned to the scene arrested the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Rasmus Rasmussen, on a charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Investigators said Rasmussen was incoherent, did not know where he was and could not answer any of their questions.

Rasmussen was released after being cited for the misdemeanor drug count, but police said he could face an additional trespassing charge.

'I think he should go to jail and stay in jail,' the mother who helped apprehend Rasmussen said.
Of left-leaning voters, 44 per cent want a different candidate on the Democratic presidential ballot in 2024 because they think another person would have a better chance of winning than current President Joe Biden.

An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National poll released Monday shows that 36 per cent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents think their party has a better chance putting Biden at the top of the ticket for a second term.

Twenty per cent say they are unsure.

Half of Republicans, however, said former President Donald Trump has a better chance of winning in 2024 than any other GOP candidate on the ticket.

Another 35 per cent said they think someone else would have a better shot at winning the White House in 2024 than Trump and 14 per cent of Republicans and right-leaning voters said they are unsure.

President Joe Biden is losing confidence among Democratic voters as 44% said in a poll released Monday that the party has a better chance of winning the presidential election in 2024 with someone else at the top of the ticket

In the poll, 36% of Democratic voters say the party have a better shot of winning the White House if Biden goes for a second term in 2024

Trump has not said whether he is running again in 2024, but has given strong indications that he will announce after the 2022 midterms. Either way, more Democrats and left-leaning voters think a different candidate has a better shot of edging out a Republican competitor than Biden.

Biden said during his 2020 campaign that he wasn't running just to serve for one term.

The president's approval rating is dropping as Democrats prepare for the 2022 midterms, where they will try to retain their slim margins of control of the House and Senate  and possibly increase their majorities.

According to the new poll, Biden's approval rating is 44 per cent and disapproval is at 49 per cent  a further slip from the October Marist poll where he was at 45 per cent approval and 46 per cent disapproval.

A few sites that show Biden's average approval rating based on several national polls, the president had higher approval than disapproval in the first seven months of his presidency, but that changed in August when several different issues started plaguing his administration.

The FiveThirtyEight average currently shows Biden, as of Monday, at 43.2 per cent approval to 51.1 per cent disapproval  he first crossed the 50 per cent disapproval rate on October 20.

The Virginia gubernatorial race on Tuesday could be a big indicator of whether Democrats increase or decrease their confidence in

In the last few days, Republican contender Glenn Youngkin, who is backed by Trump, has started pulling ahead of Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who is backed by Biden.

Biden campaigned last month for McAuliffe, a former governor of Virginia, and on Monday evening, Trump will hold a tele-rally for Youngkin, which the candidate said Friday he will not be attending.

In the generic contest for the congressional midterms, 44 per cent of registered voters said, according to the poll taken October 18-22, that they will vote for a Democratic candidate in their district.

That's just a 3 per cent split with 41 per cent of voters saying they would choose a Republican in upcoming congressional contests.

In the same poll from September, Democrats had an 8 percentage point lead  46-38 per cent.

When voters were asked if they would trust the outcome of the 2022 congressional elections if their candidate did not win, 71 per cent said they would.

There is a much lower acceptance among Republicans, who have increasing skepticism about U.S. elections in part due to Trump's repeated claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and stolen by Democrats.

Eighty-eight per cent of Democrats said they would accept the results, 77 per cent of independents feel the same and just over half  53 per cent  of Republicans are on the same page.
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A 25-storey apartment building being built in an upscale area of Nigeria's largest city has collapsed, killing at least four people with more than 100 workers feared trapped under the rubble.

The building was in the Ikoyi district of Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos and fell down on Monday at around 1.30pm.

A yellow excavator pushed away concrete slabs to search though the wreckage of the building in Lagos's wealthy Ikoyi residential and business district, AFP correspondents at the scene said.

Rescue officials said many workers were caught inside the building when it crumbled, though they could not confirm the number of people trapped inside.

Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said four people had been rescued so far and four bodies recovered from the site.

Rescue workers raced against the clock to dig up victims at the site in the affluent neighbourhood of Ikoyi, where many blocks of flats are under construction.

But dozens of angry residents gathered at the site soon after the collapse, many crying and voicing frustration over the slow pace of the rescue efforts.

A 25-storey apartment building being built in an upscale area of Nigeria 's largest city has collapsed, killing at least four people with more than 100 workers feared trapped under the rubble

The building was in the Ikoyi district of Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos and fell down on Monday at around 1.30pm. Pictured: People gather at the site of the collapse

Dozens of angry residents gathered at the site soon after the collapse, many crying and voicing frustration over the slow pace of the rescue efforts

A 25-storey apartment building being built in an upscale area of Nigeria 's largest city has collapsed, killing at least one person with more than 100 workers feared trapped under the rubble

The high-rise building was under construction in Ikoyi, Lagos, in Nigeria (pictured above before the collapse). It collapsed on Monday afternoon at around 1.30pm, trapping 'more than 100' people and killing at least four

A worker wearing an Arsenal football shirt gestures as he complains that the rescue team is late while standing in the rubble

Men carry a man who was rescued at the site of a collapsed building in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria

One worker at the building said he had seen five bodies on top of the collapsed building, where he had tried to help recover them

Construction worker Eric Tetteh, 41, was inside the building. He said the builders were waiting for an excavator to arrive at the site when the building suddenly crumbled into a heap of debris

A 25-storey apartment building being built in an upscale area of Nigeria's largest city has collapsed with more than 100 workers feared trapped under the rubble

Four construction workers at the site said dozens of their colleagues were inside when the building crumbled.

'Like 40 people were inside, I see 10 bodies because I climbed up,' said Peter Ajagbe, 26, one local worker on the site.

'One of my partners is dead.'

Taiwo Sule, 21, another worker, said he had seen five bodies on top of the collapsed building, where he had tried to help recover them.

Construction worker Eric Tetteh, 41, was inside the building and said the builders were waiting for an excavator to arrive at the site when the building suddenly crumbled into a heap of debris.

He said: 'Me and my brother, we escaped, but more people are there, more than 100 people.'

Olayemi Bello said five of his friends were trapped in the building at the time of the collapse and said he feared the worst.

'When they work finish, they will come outside and they will play with us and talk about the work,' he said. 'Now, nobody. All of them are dead.'

A yellow excavator pushed away concrete slabs to search though the wreckage of the building in Lagos's wealthy Ikoyi residential and business district, AFP correspondents at the scene said

Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said four people had been rescued so far and four bodies recovered from the site. Pictured: Rescue workers at the site on Monday

Men carry a worker who was rescued at the site of a collapsed 25-storey building in Ikoyi, Lagos

Rescue workers raced against the clock to dig up victims at the site in the affluent neighbourhood of Ikoyi, where many blocks of flats are under construction

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu called for calm late on Monday, as rescue efforts continued after dark. Pictured: Rescue workers are seen at the site of a collapsed apartment building under construction

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu called for calm late on Monday, as rescue efforts continued after dark.

Emergency services are 'on the site, battling to save the lives of those under the rubble,' Gbenga Omotoso, a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement.

Wisdom John, 28, a bricklayer, said he escaped with just a few cuts because he had been on the ground floor when the building collapsed into a pile of concrete, its floors sandwiched together.

'There was more than 50 working today and the manager too,' he said, sitting in an ambulance getting treated. 'We just ran out.'

Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos, was met on his arrival at the site by angry youths who accused authorities of failing to immediately launch rescue efforts.

'For the past two hours since it collapsed nobody came here,' one angry worker shouted towards him.

Workers said the high rise, which collapsed in the Ikoyi area of Lagos, had been under construction for about two years.

It was not immediately known what caused the collapse.

It was not immediately known what caused the collapse. Pictured: Rescue workers at the site of the collapsed apartment building, which had been under construction for around two years

Emergency services (pictured) are 'on the site, battling to save the lives of those under the rubble,' Gbenga Omotoso, a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement

Construction worker Eric Tetteh, 41, was inside the building and said the builders were waiting for an excavator to arrive at the site when the building suddenly crumbled into a heap of debris. Pictured: Rescue workers at the site of the collapse

A Lagos firefighter stands amid the debris of the collapsed building as emergency teams work to remove concrete slabs in search for survivors

The building was in the Ikoyi district of Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos and fell down on Monday at around 1.30pm

Emergency services have rushed to the scene to tend to injured construction workers and try to save anyone trapped in the rubble

Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, general manager of the Lagos State emergency management agency, said 'many' workers are trapped in the rubble, without giving a precise figure.

He said: 'It is a 25-storey building still under construction.

'Many workers are trapped under the rubble. We are trying to rescue them. We cannot say at this moment how many are dead.

'The rescue operation is ongoing.'

A yellow excavator was used to move concrete slabs in the search for people in the rubble.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said it had activated its emergency response plan.

It said: 'All first responders are at the scene while the heavy duty equipment and life detection equipment have been dispatched.'

Lagos State police commissioner Hakeem Olusegun Odumosu said it was still too early to determine the cause of the collapse.

Security forces gather as rescue personel work at the site of a collapsed 25-storey apartment building under construction in Lagos, which has left at least four people killed and around 100 people still missing

Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor of Lagos, was met on his arrival at the site by angry youths who accused authorities of failing to immediately launch rescue efforts

Femi Oke-Osanyintolu is an official with Lagos State emergency management agency. He said: 'We cannot say at this moment how many are dead. The rescue operation is ongoing'

Building collapses are common in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria because of sub-standard materials, negligence and the flouting of construction regulations. Pictured: Rescue personnel at the site of the collapse in Lagos

Workers at the site, some covered in dust, said dozens of their colleagues could have been inside when the building collapsed.

One of them, Latif Shittu, said: 'I feel so bad because the people that are inside they have family.'

The collapsed building was part of three towers being built by private developer Fourscore Homes. In a brochure for potential clients, the company promises to offer 'a stress-free lifestyle, complete with a hotel flair'. The cheapest unit was selling for $1.2million.

Ikoyi is one of the more wealthy residential and business districts in Lagos, the major commercial city of Africa's most populous nation.

Building collapses are common in Lagos and other parts of Africa's most populous country because of sub-standard materials, negligence and the flouting of construction regulations.

Other observers blamed shoddy work by private developers eager to meet demand for housing in the megacity.

In one of the worst building disasters, more than 100 people, mostly South Africans, died when a church guesthouse crumbled in Lagos in 2014.

More to follow.
Nicola Sturgeon today faced fury for exploiting COP26 in her Scottish independence battle after taking out full-page ads boasting about a 'nation-in-waiting'.

The SNP leader's adverts in newspapers as world leaders descend on Glasgow have been condemned as 'disappointing but predictable'.

The publicity images quote Ms Sturgeon saying: 'A nation in waiting welcomes the nations of the world.'

They come amid claims Glasgow's reputation has been tarnished with a bin strike ongoing and claims rats are running riot.

Meanwhile, Ms Sturgeon has been enjoying her status as joint host of the summit to have a series of high-profile meetings.

She chatted with Greta Thunberg - heaping praise on the teenage activist for making politicians 'uncomfortable'.

The SNP leader's adverts in newspapers as world leaders descend on Glasgow have been condemned as 'disappointing but predictable'

Speaking at an event hosted by the environmental organisation WWF, she told how she had just met Ms Thunberg and another young climate activist, Vanessa Nakate from Uganda

Ms Sturgeon heaped praise on the teenage activist for making politicians 'uncomfortable'

Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Donald Cameron said: 'Even when world leaders are in Glasgow to focus on the future of the planet, the first instinct of the SNP is to push their divisive independence obsession.

'No matter how big the issue, the SNP just can't help themselves  they always focus on trying to break up the United Kingdom.

'Nations from around the world are coming together at Cop26 in a bid to tackle the climate emergency and yet the SNP  whose failure to meet climate-change targets is dismal  would rather talk about separation.'

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton was also critical of the SNP, accusing the party of being 'obsessed with independence' at a time when 'the world is coming together with the mission of solving the biggest problem humanity has ever faced'.

He added: 'The eyes of billions are on Scotland, the future of our planet hangs in the balance, and Nicola Sturgeon can't help herself. This advert is a distraction and divisive. It should be withdrawn.'

An SNP spokesman said: 'The SNP is proud to be delivering global leadership on tackling the climate emergency.

'We'll leave others to snipe from the sidelines, we're 100 per cent focused on creating a greener and fairer Scotland and more sustainable planet.'

Speaking at an event hosted by the environmental organisation WWF, she told how she had just met Ms Thunberg and another young climate activist, Vanessa Nakate from Uganda.

Ms Sturgeon said: 'Those voices often, including for me, are really uncomfortable at times, because they make us confront the hard realities of our own lack of delivery.

'But my goodness they are so important to shake the gatherings that will take place here over the next few days out of the sense of complacency that surrounds them all too often.'

She continued: 'If we only face up to the easy, relatively easy things we won't get anywhere. This has to be a moment that leaders, all of us, whether we are round that negotiating table or not, are held to account for the reality of what we promise not for the rhetoric of it.'
The Archbishop of Canterbury today issued a grovelling apology after saying failure to get a climate change deal would mean a worse 'genocide' than committed by the Nazis.

Justin Welby said he was sorry for 'offence caused to Jews' after making the extraordinary remarks at the COP26 summit.

Mr Welby has given a series of interviews to broadcasters, and in one he told the BBC leaders will be 'cursed' if they don't reach agreement on climate change in the next fortnight.

He said failure to act would allow 'a genocide on an infinitely greater scale' than was committed by Hitler's regime.

But before the footage was even aired he tweeted in a desperate bid to defuse the backlash.

'I unequivocally apologise for the words I used when trying to emphasise the gravity of the situation facing us at COP26,' he wrote.

Justin Welby said he was sorry for 'offence caused to Jews' after making the remarks in an interview at the COP26 summit

Mr Welby tweeted saying sorry for the remarks before the interview had even aired. 'I unequivocally apologise for the words I used when trying to emphasise the gravity of the situation facing us at COP26,' he said.

'It's never right to make comparisons with the atrocities brought by the Nazis, and I'm sorry for the offence caused to Jews by these words.'

Mr Welby said in the interview: 'People will speak of them (current world leaders) in far stronger terms than we speak today of the politicians of the 30s, of the politicians who ignored what was happening in Nazi Germany because this will kill people all around the world for generations, and we will have no means of averting it.'

Asked whether that mean failure to act on climate change would be worse than people allowing genocide to happen, he replied: 'It will allow a genocide on an infinitely greater scale.

'I'm not sure there's grades of genocide, but there's width of genocide, and this will be genocide indirectly, by negligence, recklessness, that will in the end come back to us or to our children and grandchildren.'

The initial reports of the Archbishop's remarks caused outrage.

Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard said: 'If this is as reported it is so sickening that I simply cannot comprehend how Welby can remain as a priest, let alone Archbishop.'

However, he added after Mr Welby retracted the words: 'Welby apology was quick and clear. And a proper apology, not mealy mouthed. An incident to note and move on.'

Before the apology Downing Street had declined to criticise the Archbishop.

'We have seen from the PM's speech how seriously he takes this,' Mr Johnson's spokesman said.

'It is a matter for individuals how they choose to frame it...

'Those attending here understand how serious this is.'

The comments by Mr Welby came amid a flurry of blood-curdling warnings at the summit about the consequences of failing to tackle climate change.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and said mining for coal, oil and gas is like 'digging our own graves'.

Mr Guterres told delegates the world's 'addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink'.

'We face a stark choice: either we stop it  or it stops us,' he said.

Antonio Gutteres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves'

Mr Guterres greeted all 120 world leaders to the summit individually alongside Boris Johnson - and received a particularly effusive welcome from India's Narendra Modi

Mr Johnson and Sir David Attenborough were in the audience listening to speeches on the first day of the leaders' summit

What are the key aims at COP26? Secure commitments on cutting emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as close to 2050 as possible.

Keep alive hopes of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Phase out unabated coal power stations, drum up investment in renewable energy.

Strike deals on reducing deforestation.

Rack up $100billion in climate finance pledges.

Finalise rules to implement the Paris Agreement. Advertisement

'It's time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet.

'Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves. '

In his speech, Boris Johnson told world leaders they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change - saying 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'.

The Prime Minister compared the situation facing the globe to the climax of a James Bond film where the hero has to thwart plans to blow up the planet.

But Mr Johnson said 'this is not a movie' and the 'doomsday device is real' as he urged his counterparts to do more to reduce harmful emissions.

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'.

He said the world has 'long since run the clock down on climate change' and there is now just 'one minute to midnight', with action required immediately to prevent a global disaster.

The PM used his speech at the opening of the summit as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm climate commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

However, hopes for the UN event have suffered fresh setbacks, after it emerged that China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech, instead only submitting a written statement.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced he will not be coming, despite attending the G20. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, both in charge of big polluters, have declined to attend.

Meanwhile, the organisation of the conference has come under fire after thousands of delegates were forced to wait hours to get through shambolic security systems this morning.

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'. Mr Johnson is pictured welcoming Joe Biden to the summit today

French president Emmanuel Macron gestures to the Prime Minister as they chat on Monday morning as the climate change summit kicks off

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are pictured arriving for the Cop26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

Mr Johnson greets Comoros' President Azali Assoumani, left, and St Lucia's Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre, right

Mr Johnson pledged in his lunchtime speech to put another billion pounds into green finance - as long as the UK economy performs as expected in the coming years.

The PM repeated he wants global leaders to unveil steps on 'coal, cars, cash and trees' - the things he believes will make the most different in limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Mr Johnson had set the tone as the G20 wrapped up last night by reading the riot act to his fellow world leaders, saying their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow'.

The PM said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.
A chicken delivery man captured horrifying video of rats running free in the kitchen of a Washington DC Popeye's restaurant.

The DC restaurant was shut down by health officials Thursday after they saw the viral footage of the rats running across the floor and up the walls of the fast food outfit's kitchen.

The clip was posted by TikTok user @blaqazzrick101 who delivers food for the restaurant at 409 Eighth St. SE, near D.C.'s Eastern Market.

Shocking footage captured the moment more than a dozen rats were seen in the kitchen of a Popeye's in Washington DC

Delivery man and TikTok user @blaqazzrick01 posted the video to his account on October 11

The footage begins with the delivery man standing in front of the DC location asking, 'Y'all wanna see something?'

'I deliver all the raw chicken to all the Popeyes in the DC area,' he adds.

He then walks toward the front of the store saying, 'It's this joint right here'.

Once inside, the man walks through the empty restaurant and makes his way to the back kitchen. 'Watch this s**t right here,' he says. 'This is Popeye's.'

He turns on the kitchen light and a rat almost instantly is seen scurrying across the floor. The man shouts, 'Look!' as multiple rats zip over the floor and then up the wall.

The incident was filmed at the Popeye's store on 409 Eighth St SE, near DC's Eastern Market

Rats were seen scurrying on the floor and climbing the kitchen walls

'These motherf**kers look at em. Oh my God!', he says as the small army continues to climb the wall.

The delivery man then asks, 'You still love that chicken from Popeye's?' in reference to the company's jingle.

He then tells another employee that he saw 15 rats in the kitchen.

The video, posted on October 11, has gone viral and racked up more than 26,000 views as well as 17,000 likes and nearly 3,000 comments. The disturbing footage prompted an online user to flag Department of Health Councilmember Charles Allen.

Allen announced on Twitter that the location was closed Thursday following an inspection from the Department of Health.

The video was flagged to Department of Health Council Member Charles Allen

Allen announced via Twitter that the location shut down following an inspection on Thursday

A sign was posted on the door of the restaurant, according to Fox 5.

'This establishment is ordered CLOSED until further notice for a violation of the District of Columbia food code regulations, which presents an imminent health hazard to the public,' the sign reads.

Online users also shared their disgust in the comments section.

'This video should be the reason the 'health department' starts doing shift work 24/7', @wonsky21 commented.

'I know a guy who does the same type of job. He says all restaurants have them!! The only safe place to eat is in your house depending on who u are,' @trapjaw1 said.

'I've worked every position in a restaurant, from dishwashing to profit and loss reports. That place needs to be shut down for the dirty floors alone,' @justaddglittersatx added.

Social media users shared in the disgust over the disturbing video

This incident comes after a Missouri Popeye's earlier this month put up a sign that it was refusing service to white people.

The sign, which East Louis Police believed to be a prank, outraged the community. But the online backlash caused the location to shut down for a day.

The restaurant also sparked chaos in 2019 after customers had brawled over their popular spicy chicken sandwich.

The sandwich was briefly discontinued due to the immense popularity of the food item that continuously caused it be sold out.

Videos of long lines and people throwing tantrums were circulating around the Internet as customers couldn't get enough of the savory treat.
Berlin's police chief has apologised after officers were pictured doing press-ups on part of the capital's memorial to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust.

Pictures published by Berlin's BZ tabloid showed uniformed policemen leaning on one of the concrete slabs that makes up the memorial as if training in the gym.

The newspaper said they were stills from a video apparently taken by the officers themselves on a mobile phone during a holiday weekend in May when they were deployed to the area because of demonstrations.

Berlin's police chief has apologised after officers were pictured doing press-ups on part of the capital's memorial to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust

Pictures published by Berlin's BZ tabloid showed uniformed policemen leaning on one of the concrete slabs that makes up the memorial as if training in the gym

The memorial, a field of 2,700 grey concrete slabs near the Brandenburg Gate, is open around the clock and is not surrounded by any barriers.

Visitors are supposed to refrain from activities such as running and jumping from one slab to another.

Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik said the force would examine the incident internally and apologised to the Jewish community.

'The colleagues' behaviour disrespects what this memorial stands for and also offends the memory of those who were murdered,' Ms Slowik said.

The GdP union, which represents police officers, also apologised and condemned the 'tastelessness' of the officers' actions, adding that there must be 'consequences' for those involved.

'The Holocaust memorial is not an adventure playground,' it said.

Lea Rosh, 84, chairman of the memorial's support group, told BZ that she was appalled: 'This is unheard of.'

And Uwe Neumarker, director of the memorial, told the paper: 'Our cooperation with the Berlin police runs smoothly and trustingly. I am all the more stunned.

'The Holocaust and the crimes of National Socialism should be a focus of the training of prospective civil servants.'

The memorial, officially known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, was designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold.

Opened in 2005, it comprises 2,711 concrete slabs or 'stelae' arranged in a grid pattern on a 200,000 sq ft sloping field.

The slabs vary in height and are organised in rows, 54 of them going north to south, and 87 heading from east to west at right angles, but slightly askew.

Opened in 2005, the Holocaust memorial comprises 2,711 concrete slabs or 'stelae' arranged in a grid pattern on a 200,000 sq ft sloping field

The construction cost more than 25 million euro and is often visited by tourists, school children and foreign dignitaries.

Eisenman said of his design: 'The project represents the instability inherent in a system with a seemingly rational structure and the potential for its gradual dissolution.

'It makes it clear that an ostensibly rational and orderly system loses touch with human reason when it becomes too large and grows beyond its originally intended proportions.

'Then the seemingly ordered systems begin to uncover their own disturbances and chaos potentials, and it becomes clear that all closed systems must fail with a closed order.'

Many observers have compared it to a cemetery, with the rows of slabs looking like coffins arranged for burial.

Others say that the massive slabs among which the observer stands, give an overwhelming and isolating experience in which the sounds and sights of Berlin are blocked out.
President Joe Biden apologized to his fellow world leaders at the global climate summit COP26 on Monday for Donald Trump taking the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord.

'I guess I shouldn't apologize but I do apologize for the fact the United States, in the last administration, pulled us out of the Paris accord and put us sort of behind the eight ball,' Biden said in a small group meeting with leaders like Boris Johnson, prime minister of the UK.

Biden, in his remarks, also announced a new PREPARE initiative to create an early warning system for climate change and expand clean energy sources.

He also pledged to have America help other countries financially when it came to financing climate change, arguing nations who caused most of the environmental damage should pay more.

'The United States has an obligation to also step up and finance other countries who have not had the opportunity to do as much damage as we have,' he said.

'Those of us who are responsible for much of the deforestation and all of the problems we have so far,' Biden said, have 'overwhelming obligations' to the poorer nations that account for few of the emissions yet are paying a price as the planet has grown hotter.

President Joe Biden apologized to his fellow world leaders for Donald Trump taking the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord

President Donald Trump removed the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord in June 2017

On his first day as president, Biden signed the papers for the United States to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord after Trump removed the country from the climate agreement in June of 2017.

It was part of a series of actions he took on the environment to combat Trump's environmental action, which included revoking a key cross-border presidential permit needed to finish the controversial Keystone XL pipeline - a move that ended the $8 billion pipeline - and creating a climate czar position that is held by John Kerry.

Biden arrived in Scotland on Monday morning on the heels of the G20 summit to meet with his fellow world leaders to discuss ways of reaching the goals outlined in the Paris Climate Accord, including lowering the temperature of the planet by 1.5 degrees.

In a change of tone from his predecessor in the Oval Office, Biden acknowledged that the U.S. bore much of the responsibility for climate change. Trump denied climate change existed.

Biden, ahead of COP26, he touted the power of America 'showing up.'

'What we've seen again here in Rome is what I think is the power of America showing up and working with our allies and partners to make progress in issues that matter to all of us,' he said, adding that allies wanted 'American leadership' to get things done.

He claimed other leaders sought him out as he fended off a question about whether he could provide leadership amid falling poll numbers at home.

'The United States of America is the most critical part of this entire agenda, and we did it,' Biden said.

However, skeptics say few concrete measures were agreed on how to keep the world to temperature rises of less than 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels - a target set at the Paris climate summit in 2015.

And Biden lost key clean energy pledges from his Build Back Better agenda in recent weeks as the price for winning over opponents in his own party to its huge $3.5 trillion cost.

The Supreme Court could yet strip his administration of more powers to limit emissions.

President Joe Biden talks with UK Prime MInister Boris Johnson at COP26

President Biden's motorcade burned through the Central Belt of Scotland from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow on Monday

Then there is the awkward matter of his travel arrangements.

His trip to Europe is estimated to release 2.2 million pounds of carbon.

The gigantic carbon footprint is comprised of 2.16 million pounds of carbon dioxide generated by the four large planes that comprise his airborne entourage on the trip to Italy and Scotland, where the president will speak at the COP26 summit on change in Glasgow, with the remainder emitted by Biden's cars.

His fleet is comprised of the heavily modified Boeing 747 he travels on, known as Air Force One when the president is on board, an identical decoy, and two huge C-17 Globemaster planes to carry his battalion of cars and helicopters.

Even so, his officials frequently talked up the power of US leadership before the summit.

'The US is stepping up to do its part key,' said Jake Sullivan aboard Air Force One en route to Edinburgh on Monday morning.

'US allies Japan, Korea, the European Union, Canada, others are stepping up to do their part.

'And now the question is: Will some of the remaining countries step up to do theirs?'

Biden's climate adviser Gina McCarthy echoed the sentiment in a briefing with reporters.

'This is a message you're going to see from the president over the next two days and from dozens of cabinet officials who will be in Glasgow over the next two weeks: the United States is back at the table, we're back, hoping to rally the world to tackle the climate crisis,' he said.

She said the U.S. would release a plan to show it can half U.S. carbon emissions by 2023 from 2005 levels en route to its net-zero target by 2050.

'It illustrates how, within three decades, the U.S. can meet our global climate commitments by decarbonizing the power sector, electrifying transportation and buildings, transforming industry, reducing non-CO2 emissions, and reinvigorating our natural lands,' she said.
Three hotel workers have been arrested in Egypt for 'endangering guests' lives' after 50 foreign tourists were hospitalised with food poisoning.

They were admitted to hospital after they had dinner over the weekend in an unnamed hotel in the Red Sea beach resort city of Hurghada, which is popular with tourists for scuba diving.

Egypt's chief prosecutor Hamada el-Sawy said in a statement that the workers, including the hotel's head chef, face accusations of endangering the guests' lives.

The workers denied the accusations.

The tourists include 14 Estonians, 29 Russians and four from the Czech Republic. Many have been discharged from hospital after their conditions improved, it said.

Three workers at a hotel in Hurghada, a beach resort on the Red Sea in Egypt (pictured), were arrested after 50 tourists were hospitalised with food poisoning over the weekend

Tourism authorities have ordered the closure of the hotel, suspended its director and revoked his work licence.

An inspection was conducted at the hotels headquarters, and samples were taken from the hotels food in the kitchen, freezers, processing places and various water sources. They are to be examined and a detailed report is to be prepared with the results.

Russia's TASS news agency quoted the Russian consul general in Hurghada, Viktor Voropayev, as saying that the tourists have been accommodated at other hotels.

'The health condition of all the patients is satisfactory, stable and not life-threatening,' Mr Voropayev was quoted as saying.

Russia is a major source of foreign tourists visiting Egypt and in August, Russia allowed the resumption of flights between its territory and the Red Sea resorts for the first time since a 2015 plane crash (pictured, Russian tourists travel from Sheremetyevo to Sharm El-Sheikh)

The incident has come as Egypt is struggling to revive its vital tourism industry, which was badly hit by the turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising, and more recently by the coronavirus pandemic.

The government has kept looser virus-related restrictions in the Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh to try to attract foreign visitors.

Russia is a major source of foreign tourists visiting Egypt and government efforts received a boost in August when Russia allowed the resumption of flights between its territory and the Red Sea resorts.

It was the first time air traffic was allowed since a bomb by the local so-called Islamic State affiliate brought down a Russian flight over the Sinai Peninsula in October 2015, killing all 224 people on board.
Guterres looked visibly uncomfortable as Modi cozied up to him at a photo call to mark the arrival of leaders

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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres shared an awkward moment after the former went in for a hug at Cop26 - despite Britain being gripped by high Covid case numbers on the opening day of the climate conference.

The Indian premier shared the awkward moment with Guterres as they met at the start of the Glasgow conference.

Modi has been pictured getting cozy with several leaders over the course of the first days of Cop26.

He has been pictured with his arms wrapped around Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Luxembourg's Xavier Bettel and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau as world leaders arrived in Glasgow after many were at the G20 summit in Rome this weekend.

Guterres looked visibly uncomfortable as a maskless Modi went in for a big hug as world leaders arrived in Glasgow for Cop26

Guterres placed an arm on Modi to try and keep him at a safer distance but could do little to stop bear-hugger Modi

Modi has form as a hugger as he was seen in a clutch with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel earlier today

Modi also gave a warm welcome to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the day the Indian PM made a commitment for India to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 - two decades later than the UK

What are the key aims at COP26? Secure commitments on cutting emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as close to 2050 as possible.

Keep alive hopes of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Phase out unabated coal power stations, drum up investment in renewable energy.

Strike deals on reducing deforestation.

Rack up $100billion in climate finance pledges.

Finalise rules to implement the Paris Agreement. Advertisement

The cringe-worthy moment comes on the same day that Modi pledged that India will target net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 - two decades later than the targets for the conference.

The first days of the seminal climate conference were dogged with problems with many journalists reporting long queues meaning Government officials missed meetings.

Organisers of the conference came under fire after urging delegates who have travelled to Glasgow to tune into the online feed because of a 'high level of attendance' at the venue.

Thousands of attendees found themselves waiting well over 90 minutes outside this morning in a 9C (48F) chill and windy conditions - with complaints that meetings were missed and anger at the shambolic organisation.

Delegates waited in front of the Scottish Event Campus where thousands of officers were in place and erected a ring of steel as representatives of 200 nations gather to thrash out a deal to try to limit global warming to 1.5C.

Those attending  many of whom have flown in from around the world on planes - have already needed to go through a detailed accreditation process, including getting an official letter stating they are registered and using an app to verify their visual ID. They must also present evidence of a negative Covid lateral flow test from today.

The summit was blighted by organisational chaos as world leaders arrived, with huge queues for delegates to get in

But those arriving at the SEC today were confronted with enormous queues at various layers of security  starting with the gates checking letters, then security screening, and then to pick up accreditation passes in person.

There was a particular bottleneck at security, as delegates who had picked up accreditation yesterday were forced to wait in huge lines along with new arrivals.

Train chaos meant attendees trying to reach Glasgow in an eco-friendly way faced huge delays on Sunday.

Eco-activist Greta Thunberg denounced arriving world leaders for failing to act on climate change in a foul-mouthed tirade to her fellow Cop26 protesters.

Speaking at a demonstration at Festival Park, Glasgow, on the first day of the Cop26 summit, Swedish 18-year-old activist Miss Thunberg said that heads of government were not doing enough to save the planet from disaster.

She said: 'No more blah blah blah, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there.

Greta Thunberg alongside fellow climate activists during a demonstration at Festival Park, Glasgow, on the first day of the Cop26 summit

Speaking to demonstrators outside the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, she said: 'No more blaa blaa blaa, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there'

'Inside Cop, there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously.

'Change is not going to come from inside there, that is not leadership - this is leadership... We say no more blah blah blah, no more exploitation of people and the planet.'

Miss Thunberg arrived in Glasgow on Sunday by train and will take part in two large protests through the city later in the week.

Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough asked attendees: 'Is this how our story is due to end - a tale of the smartest species doomed by that all-too-human characteristic of failing to see the bigger picture in pursuit of short-term goals?'

And Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the outcome of the climate summit would be 'life or death for millions of people', suggesting that failure to act could be worse than leaders who ignored warnings about the Nazis in the 1930s - a comment he later apologised for.
A young Vice President Kamala Harris was one bloodied by a schoolyard bully for attempting to stand up for her childhood best friend, a new book excerpt revealed on Monday.

That childhood best friend, Stacey Johnson Batiste, is releasing a memoir titled Friends From the Beginning: The Berkeley Village that Raised Kamala and Me on growing up in California side-by-side with the future trailblazer.

Batiste wrote that her and Harris's mothers were some of the 'early activists' who shaped Berkeley, California's ultra-liberal, artistic reputation into what it is today.

'We were a happy, loud, and vibrant crew, led by mothers who were both petite, but who loomed large,' she wrote of her earliest memories meeting Harris and her sister.

At the time they met Batiste was five and the vice president, 57, was nearly five. According to earlier reports she and Harris were born at the same hospital in Oakland, California.

DailyMail.com obtained an exclusive excerpt from the upcoming book, published November 16 by 12 Books.

She said their mothers enrolled them in Berkwood Hedge School, a private school that Batiste described as 'very progressive, even for that time and place' and encouraged 'freedom of expression.'

'Kamala and I began our education surrounded by a vibrant range of students who provided a strong foundation for under-standing the years to come in Berkeley,' she wrote.

'When our small class would sit on the oor every morning, gathered for circle time or listening to our teachers read, we resembled some sort of diversity catalog.'

Harris pictured with her childhood best friend Stacey Johnson Batiste (left). Batiste says in her book that the pair met when she was five and Harris was four-going-on-five

When Harris was selected to be Joe Biden's VP Batiste said she cried tears of joy and said of Harris, 'The person people see and hear is the same person Ive known since we were five years old'

She said the other students included a Filipino girl, two black children and a white boy Batiste described as a 'good friend.'

It was at that school where Batiste said she learned Harris 'has no time for bullies and no fear about telling them as much.'

She recounted a specific incident that occurred when the children were tasked with molding pieces of clay, which Batiste referred to as 'lumps.'

After they were put in the oven to bake, young Batiste and Harris were 'admiring' their artworks when a 5-year-old boy ripped the former's piece of of her hand, smashed it on the ground and laughed.

'I was stunned, and devastated, as I looked down at my shattered piece of art, tears welling up in my eyes,' Batiste recalled in her book.

'Before I could launch into a full-throated wail, Kamala stepped in between me and the boy and started shouting at him, telling him exactly what she thought of his behavior.'

Next she said the boy, who appeared 'stunned' at the scene, 'picked up a hardened piece of clay or rock and smashed it on Kamalas head, just above her eyebrow.'

'Her forehead started gushing blood, but she didnt recoil at all. Instead, she continued laying into the boy, demanding that he apologize to me,' Batiste wrote.

It continued until a teacher broke up the fight and whisked the bloody Harris away. Batiste recalled that Harris' wound was so bad her mother needed to pick her up early and get her stitches.

But nevertheless she remembers Harris showing up to school the next day - and that the injury would last for decades.

'That little boy never bothered either of us ever again. Kamala still bears a very faint, tiny scar just over her eye,' Batiste wrote.

'Though I was arguably more shaken up by the whole scene than she appeared to be, in the aftermath it made me proud, and it still does.'

The incident left a scar above Harris's left eye, Batiste claims in her memoir

She said the anecdote was one she 'often mentioned when asked to describe Kamalas character.'

Batiste described the year she shared with Harris at Berkwood as one of the most significant moments of her childhood.

'Though I have assorted shards of early childhood memories, Berkwood is where my recollections really start to crystallize, right around the time when Kamala and I were playing outside on the playground,' she wrote.

'We were the friends most likely to be running around and lingering outdoors on the swings and slides. As soon as I arrived at school I would try to nd Kamala. We shared only one year there together, but my memories of Berkwood are very strong. And strongest among them was the sturdy root of having met my rst true best friend.'

Batiste's name has come up before when members of the media have sought to learn more about Harris's personal life, particularly after she made headlines as Biden's running mate.

When she and the president were sworn in Harris became the first woman and woman of color to serve as vice president in US history. Before that she was San Francisco's first female district attorney, and California's first female, first black and first south Asian American attorney general.

Batiste told Spectrum News in August that she 'cried tears of joy' when Harris was added to the 2020 ticket.

'The person people see and hear is the same person Ive known since we were five years old,' she had said of the now-vice president.
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Covid cases have risen for the first time in nine days after figures were skewed last Monday when no figures were posted for Wales, while hospitalisations and deaths plateaued.

The Department of Health's daily update showed there were 40,077 positive tests across the UK in the last 24 hours, up by 9.3 per cent on the previous week.

But the week-on-week rise in is because a technical issue at Public Health Wales last Monday, which stopped it from reporting cases and deaths data.

The new infections announced today is lower than the 41,081 daily average recorded across the UK in the last week.

Hospital admissions stayed flat, rising just 0.9 per cent week-on-week to 1,090 and deaths plateaued, rising 5.3 per cent to 40. Both measures lag behind case numbers by a few weeks, due to the time it takes for someone to become seriously unwell after catching the virus.

But the Covid fatality data reported today will be less than the real figure, because health bosses did not receive any data from NHS England  one of the sources of England's death numbers.

Meanwhile, the number of booster jabs dished out across the UK hit 8million today.

It comes as official figures today revealed unvaccinated people are up to 32 times more likely to die if they catch Covid compared to people who are double-jabbed.

Experts today heralded the results as clear evidence that everyone should get the vaccine. But some warned that the figures may have 'overstated' the power of jabs.

Official data showed England recorded 31,479 new infections, 2,513 cases were confirmed in Scotland, while 4,983 were spotted in Wales and 948 in Northern Ireland. Cases appear to be trending downwards in all four nations.

Delay making Covid vaccines compulsory for NHS workers until April so NHS can get through winter, health chief says Making Covid vaccines compulsory for NHS staff should be delayed until the spring because of the 'very, very' difficult winter ahead, a health chief said today. Ministers have just finished a consultation on whether doctors and nurses should be forced to get their jabs, with staff refuse potentially facing the sack. Last week Health Secretary Sajid Javid admitted he was 'leaning towards' the 'no jab, no job' policy in England, where 100,000 staff are still yet to get their first dose. But today Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said any deadline should be delayed until April next year so that there are enough workers for winter. Unions fear hospitals could be left even shorter staffed between January and March  their most difficult time of year  if the plans are brought in. Mr Hopson also said NHS staff deserved the same 'five-month' run up to jabs being made compulsory as those working in the social care sector. Ministers announced in June care home workers would need to be fully vaccinated or potentially lose their jobs, but gave them until November 11 to get jabbed. Care worker Louise Akester, 36, from Hull, said today she was resigned to losing her job this week because she was not prepared to get the vaccine. And Mr Hopson said in Cornwall some homes are already having to draft in nurses from nearby hospitals because of the staffing shortages. Advertisement

The most recent peak in infections was recorded on October 21, when 52,009 positive cases were reported.

Some 9million positive tests have been registered across the UK since the pandemic began. But the real infection number is many millions higher, due to the limited testing capacity at the start of the crisis and not everyone who catches the virus coming forward for a test.

And the number of people going to hospital who were infected with Covid seems to be plateauing. Some 1,090 people sought NHS care last Tuesday  the most recent day the data is available for  a rise of 0.9 per cent on the 1,080 patients admitted last week.

Meanwhile, 40 people died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus, an increase of 5.3 per cent on the 38 deaths recorded on the same day last week.

Some 27,402 first doses and 13,449 second doses were administered across the UK, meaning 49.9million over-12s (86.9 per cent) have had at least one injection and 45.7million (79.5 per cent) fully immunised.

And 163,949 people came forward for their booster jab, bringing the total to 8.1million people. The top-up injections, along with first jabs to 12 to 15-year-olds, are a key part of the Government's Plan A to bring down infection levels.

It comes as the ONS revealed unvaccinated people are up to 32 times more likely to die of Covid compared to those who have come forward for two doses.

Its report found the mortality rate for deaths involving Covid in England among unjabbed adults was 849.7 per 100,000. For comparison, the rate stood at just 26.2 for fully vaccinated people and 105.3 for adults who had only had their first dose.

The statistics body examined death figures between January 2 to September 24 this year, which includes the brunt of the second wave when millions of adults weren't yet eligible for vaccines.

People were counted as being single- or double-vaccinated from 21 days after each dose because of the length of time taken for immunity to kick in and protect against the virus.

In the report mortality rates were age-standardised, to account for the fact different age groups were vaccinated at separate times.

Older people who are most likely to die if they catch the virus were prioritised in the roll out, with the over-80s invited to get their first dose in December. But those in their early 20s had to wait until June to be called.

There was also a gap of 12 weeks between the first and second dose towards the beginning of the drive to ensure the maximum number of people could be jabbed in the shortest time possible. But in June this was cut to eight weeks.

The above graph shows the age-standardised mortality rates for deaths involving Covid in England by vaccination status. They are given as per 100,000 person-years, and are age-standardised to take account of different vaccine roll out times in age groups. They show the unvaccinated are most likely to die if they catch Covid

The above graph shows that people who have received two doses of the vaccine (green line) are least likely to die if they catch the virus. They are followed by those who have got just one dose (purple line). The unvaccinated are most likely to die if they catch Covid (blue line)

The ONS used figures from the Public Health Data Asset database, which contains people in England linked to the census in 2011 and GP records in 2019, to establish who had received the vaccine. It covers just under 80 per cent of the country's population.

The report also included data on deaths from all causes  such as heart disease and cancer, not just Covid.

It showed the un-vaccinated were still three times more likely to have died between January to December (2,187 per 100,000) than those who got two doses of the vaccine (783.6).

'Zero Covid absolutists' accuse JCVI of being 'anti-vax' as newly published minutes show panel considered herd immunity in childreN 'Zero Covid' scientists have slammed the Government's coronavirus vaccine advisory panel as being 'anti-vax' for considering the benefits of herd immunity over vaccination in children. Members of Independent Sage, a vocal group of experts who have clung on to the idea of eliminating Covid, accused the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation of using youngsters as 'human shields' to protect adults. Newly-published minutes from JCVI meetings show that the group first looked at whether letting 12 to 15-year-olds get Covid naturally was better than vaccinating them in spring, months before the rollout was expanded to teens. Echoing the view of many independent experts, the JCVI accepted allowing the virus to circulate naturally could give youngsters strong immunity and also protect adults  without the risk of side effects from vaccines. The panel emphasised Covid posed such a tiny threat to children and raised concerns about a heart inflammation condition associated with the jabs in young people. 'Children rarely develop severe disease or die of Covid; even children with underlying comorbidities have a very low risk,' the JCVI said in its 32nd meeting on May 13. 'There are limited data on Covid vaccine use in children; there is a need to consider the mild transient illness of Covid versus potential rare adverse events associated with vaccination. 'There is an argument for allowing the virus to circulate amongst children which could provide broader immunity to the children and boost immunity in adults.' The group also considered that children might be better off catching Covid at a young age, when they are at low risk, so that they are less vulnerable in adulthood, as is the case with chicken pox and other viral infections. Dr Kit Yates, a mathematical biologist at the University of Bath and Independent Sage member, quoted excerpts from a number of JCVI minutes in a lengthy Twitter thread, writing: 'Anti-vax or JCVI?' His colleague Professor Alice Roberts, a public health expert at the University of Birmingham, said the views expressed at the meetings were 'just appalling'. Other Independent Sage members described them as 'upsetting'. Advertisement

Commenting on the data John Roberts, from the Covid actuaries response group, said on Twitter: 'The difference in total mortality between the two groups (1,403.5) is more than the difference in Covid deaths (823.5).

'That's almost certainly due to the fact the demographic profile of the unvaccinated experiences higher mortality normally.

'We know that uptake has been lower in ethnic minority groups and more deprived areas, so in fact I would have been surprised if we didn't see this difference. So the 32 times might overstate the vaccine effect, but it is still going to be considerable.'

Chris Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the Institute for Economic Affairs, warned the statistics may have 'gilded the lily' slightly because of the time period used.

He tweeted: 'This is a dodgy statistic when very few people were fully vaccinated until March. The evidence is good without having to gild the lily like this.'

Almost 50million Britons  or 86.9 per cent of over-12s  have got at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, and 45.7million have received both doses.

The NHS started rolling out vaccines to over-80s, the vulnerable and health and social care workers in December.

It is now also offering them to 12 to 15-year-olds following a recommendation from No10's vaccine advisers back in September, although uptake has been sluggish.

And booster shots are being offered for the over-50s from six months after their second dose to top-up their immunity ahead of what is expected to be a very hard winter for the NHS.

The report builds on evidence that Covid vaccines slash the risk of hospitalisation and death among people who catch the virus, and its variants.

A report by the UK Health Security Agency  which replaced the now-defunct Public Health England  found last week that jabs work just as well against the more transmissible Delta offshoot as they do on its ancestor.

Scientists said the vaccines slashed the risk of someone infected with AY.4.2 of developing symptoms by 81 per cent.

For comparison, two doses are thought to block around 83 per cent of all people falling ill with the ancestor strain.

The UKHSA said the preliminary results do 'not suggest a significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness for AY.4.2 compared to Delta' and admitted the slight drop may be down to chance.

Almost 24,000 cases of the strain have now been spotted in Britain. But the true count could be 10 times higher because laboratories are only sequencing a fraction of all confirmed samples.

Separate surveillance data shows the variant has now been found in all but a dozen parts of England and makes up one in ten new cases  with its proportion having doubled in the space of a month.

Despite statistics showing it's still outcompeting its ancestor, some experts are now questioning how much more transmissible than Delta the subtype really is. Scientists initially estimated the strain was around 10 to 15 per cent more infectious.

Figures show while cases of the mutant strain are continuing to increase, its curve is flattening off. It is increasing slower than its predecessor did at this point after it was first sequenced.
Boris Johnson will travel back to London from the Cop26 climate change conference by private jet after lecturing world leaders on the need to cut travel emissions, Downing Street confirmed tonight.

The Prime Minister will make the 400-mile flight south due to 'time constraints' that mean he cannot use the direct train route between the two cities, a spokesman told reporters.

Mr Johnson is due to return to the capital when the leaders' conference section of the summit ends this week.

He today told world leaders at the start of the COP26 summit that they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'.

He said the world has 'long since run the clock down on climate change' and there is now just 'one minute to midnight', with action required immediately to prevent a global disaster.

But after his speech, his spokesman told reporters he would fly back to London using a private charter powered by a special mix of 'sustainable' aviation fuel.

He said it is one of the most carbon-efficient aircraft of its size, while the emissions will also be offset.

Pressed on why the Prime Minister could not go by train for a journey within the UK, the spokesman said it was important he was able to travel round the country while facing 'significant time constraints'.

It came after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' 48million Gulf Stream led a 400-strong parade of private jets into COP26 including Prince Albert of Monaco, scores of royals and dozens of 'green' CEOs - as an extraordinary traffic jam forced empty planes to fly 30 miles to find space to park.

Mr Johnson today told world leaders at the start of the COP26 summit that they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'.

He flew into Glasgow on Sunday night after attending the G20 in Rome at the weekend and will fly back to London later this week

Amazon airways: Jeff Bezos' Gulfstream private jet - which reportedly cost him 48million - arrives at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow on Sunday

Mr Johnson's charter aircraft produces less than half the emissions produced by the RAF Voyager which the Prime Minister sometimes uses for foreign travel.

But its use will embolden critics who say there is one set of rules for the global rich and another for everyone else, amid efforts to cut global air travel to cut emissions.

'Our approach to tackling climate change is to use technology so that we do not have to change how we use modes of transport, rather we use technology on things like electric vehicles so that we can still get to net zero,' the spokesman said.

'That has very much been at the core of our approach.

Joe Biden lands at Edinburgh Airport on Air Force One this morning. He will generate an estimated 2.2 million pounds of carbon during his trip to Europe

'It is important that the Prime Minister is able to move round the country and obviously we face significant time constraints.

'The plane the Prime Minister used on his travels is one of the most carbon-efficient planes of its size in the world. It produces 50 per cent less CO2 emissions than, for example, the larger, Voyager plane.

'It uses a specific type of fuel that is a blend of 35 per cent sustainable aviation fuel and 65 per cent normal fuel, which is the maximum amount allowed.'

Mr Johnson used the aircraft, operated by Titan Airways, to fly out to the G20 summit in Rome on Friday and then carried on to Glasgow on Sunday.

The disclosure came after Chancellor Rishi Sunak faced accusations of hypocrisy when he announced a cut in air passenger duty on short-haul flights and a further freezing of fuel duty in his Budget last week, just days before the opening of Cop26.

On Sunday, MailOnline observed at least 52 private jets landing at Glasgow - while estimates put the total number flying in for the conference at 400. Conservative predictions suggest the fleet of private jets arriving for COP26 will blast out 13,000tonnes of carbon dioxide in total - equivalent to the amount consumed by more than 1,600 Britons in a year.

Mr Bezos met Prince Charles this week to discuss climate change. He tweeted: 'The Prince of Wales has been involved in fighting climate change and protecting our beautiful world far longer than most. We had a chance to discuss these important issues on the eve of #COP26  looking for solutions to heal our world, and how the @BezosEarthFund can help'

Prince Charles was among those travelling by non-commercial plane from the G20 in Rome.

Mr Bezos - who regularly lectures the world on climate change - arrived in Glasgow fresh from celebrating Microsoft founder Bill Gates' 66th birthday on a 2million-a-week superyacht off the coast of Turkey in an event that generated fresh claims of green hypocrisy. He reached the boat by helicopter, according to reports.

Joe Biden touched down in Edinburgh today while Germany's Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron of France arrived at Glasgow. President Biden alone will generate an estimated 2.2million pounds of carbon to reach the summit, thanks to a fleet of four planes, the Marine One helicopter and an enormous motorcade including The Beast and numerous SUVs.
The Kremlin is increasingly alarmed about an 'inordinately high harvest of deaths' from Covid-19 with warnings in the state-run media for people to stop seeking bogus cures from 'pseudo healers and shamans'.

Vladimir Putin has today also said that Russia may need the army's help to help build field hospitals for Covid patients as the country battles a surge in infections which has led to a nationwide workplace shutdown.

As deaths spiral with body bags piling up at morgues, there are fears Putin's government is losing control of the fight against coronavirus.

A distressing video from Ivanovo shows body bags dumped on the ground outside a hospital morgue

In remarks to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top brass, Putin said: 'The situation in the country is very difficult.

'More than 40,000 cases (a day). This has never happened.

'I ask you to...continue to provide support to the civil medical service if needed. Maybe use your construction abilities because there is a need to keep building pre-fabricated medical facilities.'

As the country battles with its Covid crisis, one top doctor warned that 80 per cent of the soaring toll of seriously ill in Russia are anti-vaxxers carrying fake jab certificates who then 'get sick and die'.

Head of the pathology department Elena Boyko said: 'We have seen an explosive increase in the incidence and hospitalisation of patients with coronavirus'

Close Putin ally, ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, came close to branding vaccine-refusers enemies of the people, urging for them to be treated as second class citizens, forcing them to work from home with benefits slashed.

A distressing video from Ivanovo shows body bags dumped on the ground outside a hospital morgue, the latest in a 238,538 overall death toll, which many experts say underestimates the true grim level.

Head of the pathology department Elena Boyko said: 'We have seen an explosive increase in the incidence and hospitalisation of patients with coronavirus.

'The patients undergoing treatment in hospitals are now all grave, all on high doses of oxygen.'

State-run and other pro-Kremlin media have launched a campaign aimed at shocking Russians into getting jabbed after a week of official figures showing 1,000-plus daily deaths, highlighting morgue images and warning that only two in ten patients with Covid-19 in intensive care are likely to come out alive.

The video from Ivanovo shows the the latest in a 238,538 overall death toll, which many experts say underestimates the true grim level

Vesti Nedeli TV host Dmitry Kiselyov - dubbed Putin's 'mouthpiece' and 'propagandist-in-chief' - warned of the 'inordinately high harvest of deaths'.

His show attacked medics discouraging people from using Russian vaccines.

'While some doctors are saving people from Covid, others are using their white gowns to spout anti-scientific heresy about jabs with impunity,' viewers were told.

The pro-Kremlin TV outlets hit out at people turning to 'bogus healers' and shamans instead of virologists.

People believe fraudsters' scams relating to magic and exorcism, warned a show on Gazprom-owned channel NTV.

Lada Ternodshorskaya, 49, from Ufa, said shooting a patient with nettle powder will cure them of the virus

One who came in for attack was Lada Ternodshorskaya, 49, from Ufa, who claims shooting at a patient with a nettle powder from a pneumatic gun will cure them of coronavirus.

The 'patient' has a towel covering their head, and he claimed 1,000 people paid her an undisclosed sum for this quick treatment.

Her gibberish explanation said: 'Here is a charge, a powerful charge of power.

'Flash, air, nettles. The nettle has healing properties.'

The 'patient' has a towel covering their head, and he claimed 1,000 people paid her an undisclosed sum for this quick treatment

TV Zvezda, owned by the Russian defence ministry, warned of a number of fake healers including shamans offering their services, including one for 60 a time.

Presenter Irada Zeynalova spoke of the mass sale of fake vaccination certificates, blaming those responsible for deepening the pandemic in Russia.

The scientist behind Sputnik V vaccine Alexander Ginsburg said among the seriously ill some '80 per cent are those who bought fake certificates' to say they had been jabbed.

Ex-Kremlin president Dmitry Medvedev hit out at 'ignorant and anti-vaccine propaganda' which had prevented more than a third or so of Russians getting two jabs of vaccine.

'Intentional illegal actions pose a clear threat to public safety,' he said.

The aim appears to be to crank up vaccination rates.

Anti-vaxxers could be banned from offices and factories and have their state benefits slashed, he said.

TV Zvezda presenter Irada Zeynalova spoke of the mass sale of fake vaccination certificates, blaming those responsible for deepening the pandemic in Russia

Now the deputy head of the Kremlin's security council, he said they were a 'threat to society', reported TASS.

Putin last month ordered a week-long nationwide workplace shutdown from October 30 that could be extended by regional authorities as they saw fit.

The Novgorod region northwest of Moscow became the first today to say it would prolong this for a second week.

Regional governor Andrei Nikitin said: 'During that week we will tighten requirements for various workplaces. A number of organisations will be closed.'

Moscow has imposed the strictest lockdown measures in more than a year, with only essential shops like pharmacies and supermarkets allowed to remain open.

Some pubs and other businesses have ignored the curbs, however, and travel agents have reported a boom in Russians taking foreign beach breaks to escape the restrictions at home.

Vesti Nedeli TV host Dmitry Kiselyov - dubbed Putin's 'mouthpiece' and 'propagandist-in-chief' - warned of the 'inordinately high harvest of deaths'

Anna Popova, head of the consumer health watchdog, told a government meeting: 'The effect of the measures will not appear immediately. It will most likely require more time.'

Russia has reported more than 8.5 million infections since the start of the pandemic and deaths hit new records on 21 days last month.
The White House knew France would be taken by surprise by Australia cancelling their $90billion submarine contract, according to a report Monday that throws doubt on President Joe Biden's claims French President Emmanuel Macron knew in advance that the deal was doomed.

The Australian reported the existence of a 15-page document laid out in detail how the world would learn about the new AUKUS pact which caused a diplomatic rift and caused the French to pull their U.S. ambassadors.

The document, signed off by Biden's advisers in the National Security Council, said Australia would tell France on September 16 - the day AUKUS was announced - that it would be pulling out of the submarine deal.

The National Security Council stated that they knew the agreement would shock their Paris counterparts, but didn't anticipate the level of fury.

The document's existence raises questions about whether Biden's advisers properly briefed him or if he misunderstood the plan.

Biden tried to repair the damage when he told Macron on Friday during the G20 summit in Rome that he thought the French would be informed beforehand.

Biden apologized to Macron for any miscommunication. The French leader then accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying to him before scrapping the deal.

'What we did was clumsy,' he said. 'It was not done with a lot of grace. I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going through, I honest to God did not know you had not been,' the president added.

The Australian reported Monday on a National Security Council 15-page document that suggests President Joe Biden (left) knew French President Emmanuel Macron (right) hadn't been told by Australia that the submarine deal was off before the AUKUS announcement

President Joe Biden (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron (right) met in Rome on Friday. There Biden told Macron: 'I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going through'

The paper reported that U.S. officials spent hours discussing with their counterparts in Canberra, Australia's capital, how best to tend to France's bruised feelings once AUKUS was official.

'Everything was timed and understood completely,' one Australian government source told The Australian. 'We had a decision timeline that everyone had to hit on different marks. The announcement was made within the same news cycle because you cant cancel the biggest procurement in our history and not have an answer to the question of what next? The sequencing was understood by everybody that that was the only way we could do it.'

In Rome, before the opening of the G20 Leaders' Summit, Biden went on a charm offensive to smooth over France's ruffled feathers.

At the same time, First Lady Jill Biden sipped Chardonnay with French First Lady Brigitte Macron at a restaurant in Rome.

While Biden has made nice with Macron, Macron and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison have accused each other of being untruthful.

Morrison said he told Macron during their June meeting that the submarine deal would likely go bust.

A text message, believed to have been leaked by Morrison's office, appears to show Macron was given prior warning that the deal could be shaky. The French leader wrote: 'Should I expect good or bad news for our joint submarines ambitions?'

In Rome, when Macron was asked if Morrison was lying, the French president replied, 'I don't think, I know.'

Biden, Macron and Morrison are all attending the COP26 climate summit currently in Glasgow, Scotland.

President Joe Biden (left) went on a charm offensive in Rome with French President Emmanuel Macron (right). 'What we did was clumsy,' he said. 'It was not done with a lot of grace,' he told the French leader

At the same time, First Lady Jill Biden (right) held court with French First Lady Brigitte Macron (left) at a restaurant in Rome, where the two first ladies sipped Chardonnay

The documents obtained by The Australian indicate that NSC officials knew the French were to be told about the pull-out the day of the pact announcement - and predicted they'd be surprised and upset.

The Biden administration's explanation of what Biden knew and when hasn't been clear.

Biden's climate envoy, former Secretary of State John Kerry, told French broadcaster BFMTV last month, 'He literally had not been aware of what transpired.'

'He asked me. He said, "What's the situation?" And I explained exactly. He had not been aware of that,' Kerry said.

When White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Kerry's comments she said, 'I would encourage you to ask John Kerry specifically about the context of his comments.'

She had been asked by Fox's Peter Doocy 'why doesn't he know about these things in real time?'

'Of course he knew about the French being displeased,' she said. 'That's certainly not what he was intending to convey.'

A secret leaked text message (pictured) appears to show that Emmanuel Macron was given warning that Australia would torpedo its $90billion submarine deal with France
The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior sparked travel chaos around Glasgow today when it was refused permission to dock near the COP26 climate change summit.

Activists on board the vessel sailed towards Glasgow on the River Clyde for the climate summit. But police banned the boat from entering water near the campus.

A confrontation was avoided and compromise reached at the 11th hour when police agreed the boat could continue and dock at Govan Dock, two miles from the conference venue.

But traffic chaos ensued as police shut roads around Erskine Bridge, which is over the River Clyde and around 15 miles from the venue.

Scroll down for video

Activists on board the vessel sailed towards Glasgow on the River Clyde for the climate summit. A confrontation was avoided and compromise reached at the 11th hour when police agreed the boat could continue and dock at Govan Dock

A Greenpeace activist on board the boat told MailOnline: The captain has decided to ignore the warnings from the port authority and will continue the ships journey, as the activists message and presence at COP26 is fundamental to its success.

The highest part of our boat is 54 meters and the police have told us that Erskine Bridge is 54m in height so we are counting on a low tide to help us through.

The bridge will be closed to traffic as well as the roads around it.

A Greenpeace spokesman said the organisation did not understand why it hadnt been welcomed to the conference when all are singing from the same hymn sheet on climate change.

A confrontation was avoided and compromise reached at the 11th hour when police agreed the boat could continue and dock at Govan Dock, two miles from the conference venue

Rainbow Warrior is carrying four youth climate activists onboard the ship who are members of Fridays for Future MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas).

They are from four countries across three continents  Namibia, Uganda, Mexico and Bangladesh  and are demanding that world leaders must stop failing us.

Police set up roadblocks along the banks of the River Clyde and officers were stationed at various points along the water.

A helicopter hovered above as traffic was diverted away from Erskine Bridge.

Police also launched a boat to accompany rainbow Warrior, with Captain Hettie Geenen at the helm, towards Glasgow.
The new education secretary has pledged to look at lengthening the school day.

Nadhim Zahawi today urged all schools to ensure they move to at least the average school day length of 6.5 hours, and told MPs there are some 'excellent examples' that he will examine where longer hours have proved effective.

It has been suggested an extension to the school day will help children prosper after the coronavirus pandemic and catch-up lost learning.

His comments came after Conservative MP Robert Halfon  who chairs the Education Select Committee  asked if the Secretary of State will continue to make the case for a longer school day, citing statistics that appear to show a longer day improves academic success.

Mr Zahawi also said 'there is no place for anti-vaxxers harassing or coming anywhere near school leaders' as he insisted the vaccine rollout for senior school pupils 'continues at pace' during education questions.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi today urged all schools to ensure they move to at least the average school day length of 6.5 hours, and told MPs there are some 'excellent examples' that he will examine where longer hours have proved effective

Conservative MP and chair of the Education Select Committee Robert Halfon said: 'We know that a longer school day, according to the department for culture, media, sports, increases numeracy by 29%', and encouraged Mr Zahawi to implement longer school days

Mr Halfon said: 'We know from the Education Policy Institute that [longer days] increase educational attainment from two to three months, especially amongst disadvantaged pupils.

'We know that a longer school day, according to the department for culture, media, sports, increases numeracy by 29%. So, this increases educational attainment.'

'Will [Zahawi] at least consider some pilot schemes in disadvantaged areas around the country where we can have a longer school day?'

Mr Zahawi replied: 'I think the priority has to be those children and students who have the least time available to them to recover, which is why the 800 million for the 16 to 19-year-olds additional 40 hours of education is so important.

'There are some excellent examples of a longer school day which I'm going to look at. The average school day now is 6.5 hours and I would like to see everybody move towards that average.'

But some have warned against a rapid increase in the length of school days and questioned the strain it could place on students' wellbeing.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said in a statement: 'The gains that might be possible through extending the school day must be weighed against the costs of such a strategy, including the impact on pupils' mental health, reduced family time and less time for extra-curricular activities.

'Children's happiness and wellbeing should be prioritised as well as their education.'

Dr Suzanne Cogswell, a research associate at the University of Kent's School of Psychology, also said that 'the proposal of playing catch-up with longer school days and shorter school holidays may not be without its own set of problems for both pupils and teachers.'

'40% of teachers are already carrying out over 21 extra hours of school related work each week during their evenings and weekends. The consequence of this is that teachers are experiencing the highest level of work-related stress in the UK.'

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi (L) leaves Downing Street after attending a cabinet meeting in central London alongside education minister Michelle Donelan, who today called on university lecturers to 'reconsider taking strike action' over their pay and working conditions

Mr Zahawi also fielded questions from the opposition around the subject of vaccines, insisting the rollout is going as planned and chastised anti-vaxxers who are resisting the vaccination programme.

He told the Commons: 'As we have done throughout the vaccination programme, we've operated by taking the advice of the chief medical officers and we moved swiftly the moment that advice was made available to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds.

'Through the holiday period that was expanded to out-of-school vaccination and now that they are returning back into school that continues at pace.

'There has been some dangerous behaviour from anti-vaxxers. There is no place for anti-vaxxers harassing or coming anywhere near school leaders and I have the reassurance of the Home Secretary that she'll make any resources available that the sector needs to make sure those people in our schools are protected and are able to get on with the job of teaching children and protecting them.'

Meanwhile, the education minister, Michelle Donelan, appealed for university lecturers to 'reconsider taking strike action' amid a dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions.

She told the Commons: 'I am deeply concerned about it because there is the threat of strikes, our students are now in a position to have face-to-face teaching, and I would urge every lecturer to reconsider taking strike action.

'Strikes before have not helped the situation but they have impacted students, who deserve a fairer deal.'
Motorists have slammed Heathrow Airport's new 5 drop off charge as 'daylight robbery' as the policy comes into effect.

From today, all drivers who enter the terminal forecourts at Heathrow - however briefly - will be required to pay the 5 charge online during the same day.

Failure to pay the 5 fee before 11.59pm could result in an 80 fine, which can be reduced to 40 if paid within 14 days.

The 'environmentally friendly' charge has been fiercely criticised by the members of public after Heathrow announced the changes online.

Alice Gribbin posted on Twitter: '5 to stop a car for approximately 90 seconds? This is daylight robbery.'

Luke Robinson tweeted: 'Absolutely ridiculous. This is a poor, poor move and makes the airport experience even more antagonistic than it already is. Please reconsider.'

Heathrow Airport's new 5 charge is being enforced for all vehicles dropping off passengers at the terminal forecourts

The fees will apply to vehicles dropping off passengers at the terminal forecourts, with an exemption for wheelchair-accessible London black cabs and discounts for Blue Badge holders

Another user, Gboystyle, also tweeted: 'Shame on you Heathrow, and dont try to hide behind "it's better for the environment and use public transportation!" Anything to squeeze more money from the human cash cow machine!'

Ralph's New Northam Army tweeted: 'This is absolutely outrageous. So in addition to paying airport duties youre using access & sustainability to fleece 5 more. Whats next? Charge 5 for saying Heathrow?'

According to Heathrow, discounts will be available for Blue Badge holders and business accounts are also being offered to taxi drivers and other firms who make drop offs regularly.

Londons wheelchair-accessible licensed black cabs will also be exempt from the fee until April 1, as a consultation is carried out by regulator Transport for London (TfL).

Heathrow Airport stated: 'Drop off areas are located right outside the terminal for the easiest and quickest way to drop-off passengers.

'Our car parks remain open, where normal parking charges apply. The drop-off charge does not affect passenger pick-ups, which will continue to take place via the car parks.

'You cannot pick up passengers from the drop-off zones.'

Heathrow is the last major UK airport to introduce such a charge, which it insists is part of its long-term sustainability plans.

Drivers will see a barrage of new signs about the new charge throughout the drop off areas

Motorists are reminded about the 5 drop off fee by new signage as they head into the airport

In order to enforce the policy, Heathrow is using numberplate recognition cameras to track cars making drop-offs.

The new move was meant to come into force on October 1 but was delayed until November 1.

The changes have occured on the same day the traffic light system comes to an end, with the red list due to be scrapped today.
World figures dialed up their end-of-the-world rhetoric today as they gave a series of stark warnings in speeches kicking off the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Delegates attending the opening ceremony for the two-day World Leaders Summit at the start of the conference were hit with a wave of melodramatic metaphors and hyperbole intended to bring new urgency to the international climate negotiations.

While UN chief Antonio Guterres told dignitaries he had seen enough of countries 'treating nature like a toilet', nearby Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby compared inaction over climate change to the Nazi genocide in the 1940s - a comment he quickly apologised for.

Over 130 countries are being represented at the leaders' summit portion of the conference which kicked off with a series of speeches welcoming those set to be involved in negotiating new pledges to cut emissions.

But viewers complained that the tone from speakers had ranged from doom-mongering to hyperbole.

World figures dialed up their end-of-the-world rhetoric today as they gave a series of stark warnings in speeches kicking off the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow. The speakers included (from left) UN chief Antonio Guterres, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough

Boris Johnson's doomsday clock

The metaphors began early, with Boris Johnson's speech in which described global warming as 'a doomsday device' strapped to humanity.

In his address to delegates, the Prime Minister said the children who would judge todays leaders are children not yet born, and their children, and warned that if leaders failed in Glasgow 'they will not forgive us'.

'They will judge us with bitterness and with a resentment that eclipses any of the climate activists of today, and they will be right.'

He likened the plight of the planet to James Bond strapped to a doomsday device and hurtling towards destruction, warning 'it was one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now'.

The anger and impatience of the world would be 'uncontainable' unless Cop26 was the moment leaders got real about climate change, he said.

Channelling his hero Sir Winston Churchill, Mr Johnson said: 'While Cop26 would not be the end of climate change, it can and it must mark the beginning of the end.'

He also warned of the dangers of rising temperatures, jeopardising food supplies for hundreds of millions of people, more wildfires and eventually the loss of whole cities such as Miami, Alexandria and Shanghai.

Antonio Guterres: 'Stop treating nature like a toilet'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the same hall later on, using his speech to criticise the actions of countries over the last decades.

'We face a stark choice: either we stop it [climate change] - or it stops us,' he told the opening plenary in Glasgow.

'Its time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon.'

In an emotive moment, the 72-year-old former Portuguese leader told nations to stop 'treating nature like a toilet', adding that we are 'burning and drilling and mining our way deeper'

'We are digging our own graves', he added, referring to the addiction to fossil fuels which threatens to push humanity and the planet, to the brink.

World figures dialed up their end-of-the-world rhetoric today as they gave a series of stark warnings in speeches marking the start of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow. Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, today accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet'

Archbishop of Canterbury's apologises for Nazi genocide analogy

Perhaps the most shocking use of language came from outside the plenary hall - and from a dignitary rather than a nation's leader.

In an interview with the BBC, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said that leaders would be 'cursed' if they didn't reach agreement on climate change in the next fortnight.

Asked to follow up on the comment, he added that a failure to act would allow 'a genocide on an infinitely greater scale' than was committed by Hitler's regime.

'People will speak of them in far stronger terms than we speak today of the politicians of the 30s, of the politicians who ignored what was happening in Nazi Germany because this will kill people all around the world for generations, and we have will have no means of averting it,' he said.

But before the footage was even aired he tweeted a grovelling apology in a desperate bid to defuse the oncoming backlash.

'I unequivocally apologise for the words I used when trying to emphasise the gravity of the situation facing us at COP26,' he wrote.

'It's never right to make comparisons with the atrocities brought by the Nazis, and I'm sorry for the offence caused to Jews by these words.'

Mr Welby tweeted saying sorry for the remarks before the interview had even aired. 'I unequivocally apologise for the words I used when trying to emphasise the gravity of the situation facing us at COP26,' he said.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the outcome of the climate summit would be 'life or death for millions of people', suggesting that failure to act could be worse than leaders who ignored warnings about the Nazis in the 1930s

Attenborough: Humanity is 'already in trouble'

Broadcaster Sir David Attenborough is no stranger to setting a dramatic scene - his voiceovers on BBC wildlife documentaries go back several decades.

And the naturalist had delegates gripped as he told the plenary hall that humanity was 'already in trouble' but that there was an opportunity to 'turn tragedy into triumph'.

'Is this how our story is due to end - a tale of the smartest species doomed by that all-too-human characteristic of failing to see the bigger picture in pursuit of short-term goals?' he later asked.

He added that the fate of future generations must give delegates the impetus 'to rewrite our story'.

The impassioned speech drew a standing ovation.

Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough told attendees that humanity was 'already in trouble' but that there was an opportunity to 'turn tragedy into triumph' at the two-week meeting

Barbados PM: 'It is immoral and unjust'

Following several gloomy speeches, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley's address added moral thunder and a first-hand view of the fears of climate change.

Speaking for vulnerable island nations, she warned leaders not to 'allow the path of greed and selfishness to sow the seeds of our common destruction'.

'This is immoral and it is unjust,' she continued. 'Are we so blinded and hardened that we can no longer appreciate the cries of humanity?'

1.5 Celsius is what we need to stay alive  two degrees is a death sentence for the people of Antigua and Barbuda, for the people of the Maldives, for the people of Dominica and Fiji, for the people of Kenya and Mozambique  and yes, for the people of Samoa and Barbados. We do not want that dreaded death sentence, and weve come here today to say: "Try harder, try harder".'
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The Queen urged world leaders to 'earn a place in history' and 'answer the call of those future generations' in an impassioned speech to representatives at the COP26 summit tonight.

Her Majesty, 95, who was forced to miss the conference after her overnight stay in hospital last month, told leaders via video 'to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship' as Government representatives attended the reception for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

She went on to say that 'none of us will live forever' and 'we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children's children, and those who will follow in their footsteps' as she urged leaders to reach decisive COP climate change deals.

In her most personal speech to date, the monarch also paid tribute to Prince Philip and described how 'the impact of the environment on human progress' was a subject close to the heart of her 'dear late husband' - who in 1969 told a gathering: 'If we fail to cope with this challenge, all the other problems will pale into insignificance.'

The Queen's stern intervention, which was displayed on screens during a VVIP reception at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum, came hours after the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that India will target net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 - two decades later than the targets for the conference - disappointing many delegates.

It also comes after Boris Johnson kicked off the climate change summit by exhorting world leaders to back up their talk on climate change with action - warning it was 'one minute to midnight'.

The PM used his speech at the opening of the summit as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm climate commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

Meanwhile Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, today accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet' as he warned of a looming 'climate catastrophe'.

The Queen urged world leaders to 'earn a place in history' and 'to rise above the politics of the moment in her address to leaders at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow tonight

Government representatives and world leaders have been tackling the issue of climate change at the COP26 summit in Glasgow

The monarch, who was speaking via video, also paid tribute to Prince Philip and described how ' the impact of the environment on human progress' was a subject close to the heart of her 'dear late husband'

World leaders pose for a group photo during an evening reception to mark the opening day of the COP26 summit

The Queen's speech came at the end of a busy first full day of climate negotiations in Glasgow that also saw:

Around 120 leaders attended the two-day World Leaders' Summit at the beginning of the two-week Cop26 conference in Glasgow;

Some including Prime Minister Boris Johnson were criticised for flying by private jet from the G20 summit in Rome to make it back for the start of the summit;

Delegates at the opening ceremony heard stark warnings in speeches from Mr Johnson, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, and Sir David Attenborough;

Mr Guterres was accused of hyperbole for suggested countries were 'digging our own graves' and treating nature 'like a toilet';

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had to apologised for comparing the failure to face the threat of climate change with the Nazi's genocide in the 1930s;

Dozens of protest groups including Extinction Rebellion and Glasgow Calls Out Polluters are holding rallies just outside the UN conference's 'ring of steel'.

During her speech tonight Her Majesty said: 'I am delighted to welcome you all to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference; and it is perhaps fitting that you have come together in Glasgow, once a heartland of the industrial revolution, but now a place to address climate change.

'This is a duty I am especially happy to discharge, as the impact of the environment on human progress was a subject close to the heart of my dear late husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

'I remember well that in 1969, he told an academic gathering: ''If the world pollution situation is not critical at the moment, it is as certain as anything can be, that the situation will become increasingly intolerable within a very short time  If we fail to cope with this challenge, all the other problems will pale into insignificance.''

Her Majesty went on to describe how it gave her 'great pride' that the efforts of her late husband to protect 'our fragile planet' now lived on through the work of her eldest son Charles and her grandson William.

She continued: 'It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet, lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William.

'I could not be more proud of them. Indeed, I have drawn great comfort and inspiration from the relentless enthusiasm of people of all ages  especially the young  in calling for everyone to play their part.'

The monarch called on leaders to create a 'safer, stabler future' for the generations ahead and said it was the hope of many that the legacy of this summit 'will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity'.

The Queen's full speech to world leaders at COP26 'Thank you, Prime Minister Holness, for your kind words of introduction. I am delighted to welcome you all to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference; and it is perhaps fitting that you have come together in Glasgow, once a heartland of the industrial revolution, but now a place to address climate change. 'This is a duty I am especially happy to discharge, as the impact of the environment on human progress was a subject close to the heart of my dear late husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. 'I remember well that in 1969, he told an academic gathering: 'If the world pollution situation is not critical at the moment, it is as certain as anything can be, that the situation will become increasingly intolerable within a very short time  If we fail to cope with this challenge, all the other problems will pale into insignificance.' 'It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet, lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. 'I could not be more proud of them. Indeed, I have drawn great comfort and inspiration from the relentless enthusiasm of people of all ages  especially the young  in calling for everyone to play their part. 'In the coming days, the world has the chance to join in the shared objective of creating a safer, stabler future for our people and for the planet on which we depend. 'None of us underestimates the challenges ahead: but history has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope. Working side by side, we have the ability to solve the most insurmountable problems and to triumph over the greatest of adversities. 'For more than seventy years, I have been lucky to meet and to know many of the world's great leaders. And I have perhaps come to understand a little about what made them special. 'It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. But what they do for the people of tomorrow  that is statesmanship. 'I, for one, hope that this conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship. 'It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit  written in history books yet to be printed  will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations. 'That you left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire, and a plan, to address the impact of climate change; and to recognise that the time for words has now moved to the time for action. 'Of course, the benefits of such actions will not be there to enjoy for all of us here today: we none of us will live forever. But we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our children's children, and those who will follow in their footsteps. And so, I wish you every good fortune in this significant endeavour. ' Advertisement

She continued: 'In the coming days, the world has the chance to join in the shared objective of creating a safer, stabler future for our people and for the planet on which we depend.

'None of us underestimates the challenges ahead: but history has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope. Working side by side, we have the ability to solve the most insurmountable problems and to triumph over the greatest of adversities.

'For more than seventy years, I have been lucky to meet and to know many of the world's great leaders. And I have perhaps come to understand a little about what made them special.

'It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. But what they do for the people of tomorrow  that is statesmanship. I, for one, hope that this conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship.

'It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit  written in history books yet to be printed  will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations.

'That you left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire, and a plan, to address the impact of climate change; and to recognise that the time for words has now moved to the time for action.'

After her powerful speech, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: 'What we've got today, as Her Majesty alluded to, is the biggest gathering of world leaders in this country since the foundation of the UN at the end of the Second World War, and it's quite an extraordinary historic event.

'But in a way, what we are doing today, is even more important, because we face nothing less than a mortal threat to our planet and to our civilisation, to our way of life.'

The PM later added: 'How do you turn COP into 'coup', what do you add to turn COP into 'coup'?

'You add 'u', you add 'you'. It's a very simple idea, you add 'u'. You can make the difference, you can turn this COP into a gigantic coup, because you have the ideas, you have the imaginations, you have the technology, the flair, and a lot of you have the money to do it.

'And the people of the world are looking at us tonight, they are looking at us over the course of the next few days to turn this thing round.'

The PM also hailed Prince Charles as the man to defuse the bomb at the world's moment of danger.

He told guests: 'You heard me earlier on say this was a job for James Bond. Well we have somebody who drives an electric Aston Martin who has a plan to defuse the ticking time bomb.

'l just want to say you're a prophet without honour and you've been right for a very long time.'

Earlier today, Boris Johnson told world leaders that they could no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'.

The Prime Minister compared the situation facing the globe to the climax of a James Bond film where the hero has to thwart plans to blow up the planet.

But Mr Johnson said 'this is not a movie' and the 'doomsday device is real' as he urged his counterparts to do more to reduce harmful emissions.

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'.

He said the world has 'long since run the clock down on climate change' and there is now just 'one minute to midnight', with action required immediately to prevent a global disaster.

The PM used his speech at the opening of the summit as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm climate commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

However, hopes for the UN event have suffered fresh setbacks, after it emerged that China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech, instead only submitting a written statement.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced he will not be coming, despite attending the G20.

Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, both in charge of big polluters, have also declined to attend.

Meanwhile, the organisation of the conference has come under fire after thousands of delegates were forced to wait hours to get through shambolic security systems this morning.

Mr Johnson pledged in his lunchtime speech to put another billion pounds into green finance - as long as the UK economy performs as expected in the coming years.

The PM repeated he wanted global leaders to unveil steps on 'coal, cars, cash and trees' - the things he believes will make the most different in limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Mr Johnson had set the tone as the G20 wrapped up last night by reading the riot act to his fellow world leaders, saying their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow'.

The PM said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.

Mr Johnson welcomed world leaders to Scotland by telling them that the country's most famous fictional son was James Bond.

Boris Johnson (pictured with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) kicked off the climate change summit by exhorting world leaders to back up their talk on climate change with action

The Queen's speech came just hours after the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that India will target net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 - two decades later than the targets for the conference

Sir David Attenborough delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow

President Joe Biden joins hundreds of leaders and delegates for the opening session of the COP26 summit in Glasgow

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'. Mr Johnson is pictured welcoming Joe Biden to the summit today

World leaders including the outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel convened in the main summit hall at lunchtime to hear Mr Johnson deliver the opening address

Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland, was among those leaders in the audience listening to the Prime Minister

He said the fictional hero 'generally comes to the climax of his highly lucrative films strapped to a doomsday device, desperately trying to work out which coloured wire to pull to turn it off while a red digital clock ticks down remorselessly to a detonation that will end human life as we know it'.

Addressing the packed summit hall, the PM said: 'And we are in roughly the same position, my fellow global leaders, as James Bond today. Except that the tragedy is this is not a movie and the doomsday device is real.

'And the clock is ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and turbines and furnaces and engines with which we are pumping carbon into the air faster and faster, record outputs quilting the Earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO2, raising the temperature of the planet with a speed and an abruptness that is entirely man made.

'We know what the scientists tell us and we have learned not to ignore them. Two degrees more and we jeopardise the food supply for hundreds of millions of people as crops wither, locusts swarm.

What are the key aims at COP26? Secure commitments on cutting emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as close to 2050 as possible.

Keep alive hopes of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Phase out unabated coal power stations, drum up investment in renewable energy.

Strike deals on reducing deforestation.

Rack up $100billion in climate finance pledges.

Finalise rules to implement the Paris Agreement. Advertisement

'Three degrees and you can add more wildfires and cyclones, twice as many, five times as many droughts and 36 times as many heat waves.

'Four degrees and we say goodbye to whole cities - Miami, Alexandria, Shanghai - all lost beneath the waves.

'And the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets and he higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act because humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It is one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now.'

Mr Johnson said that the current crop of world leaders will be judged harshly by future generations if they fail to agree a deal to restrict global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.

He said: 'If we fail they will not forgive us. They will know that Glasgow was the historic turning point when history failed to turn.

'They will judge us with bitterness and with a resentment that eclipses any of the climate activists of today. And they will be right.'

Mr Johnson closed his speech by telling his counterparts that they have a 'duty' to work together to make COP26 the moment when they begin to finally 'defuse the bomb' of climate change.

He said: 'We may not feel much like James Bond, not all of us necessarily look like James Bond, but we have the opportunity and we have the duty to make this summit the moment when humanity finally began, and I stress began, to defuse that bomb and to make this the moment when we began irrefutably to turn the tide and to begin the fight back against climate change.'

Hopes of the summit delivering a major breakthrough have been hit hard by the absence of President Xi and President Putin.

In a round of interviews this morning, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK is 'putting a lot of pressure' on the two leaders regardless of their decision not to attend.

She told BBC Breakfast: 'Both of those leaders are sending senior delegations to Glasgow so there will be representation in person here in Glasgow.

'The Prime Minister has spoken to both Vladimir Putin and President Xi, we're putting a lot of pressure on those countries.

'Because in order to tackle climate change it needs to be global action and those countries are high emitters of carbon dioxide.'

Ms Truss also defended the huge carbon toll of world leaders - including US president Joe Biden - flying to Glasgow to talk in person.

'I think everybody who has ever done a Zoom call knows that they are quite useful for some things but when you really get into crunch negotiations, when you want to look somebody in the eye and talk to them face-to-face you do need to meet in person, and this is really critical,' she said.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are pictured arriving for the Cop26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

French president Emmanuel Macron gestures to the Prime Minister as they chat on Monday morning as the climate change summit kicks off

Boris Johnson has told world leaders at the start of the COP26 summit that they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (centre) poses for a photograph during her meeting with climate activists Vanessa Nakate (right) and Greta Thunberg (left) during the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference

Mr Johnson (left) and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (right) greet India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26

'World leaders are going to have to make some tough decisions about what's going on in their own countries, they're going to have to commit to things they didn't necessarily want to when they arrived at the conference and that's why it's really important that we do have people face-to-face.'

The first days of the seminal climate conference were dogged with problems with many journalists reporting long queues meaning Government officials missed meetings.

Organisers of the conference came under fire after urging delegates who have travelled to Glasgow to tune into the online feed because of a 'high level of attendance' at the venue.

Thousands of attendees found themselves waiting well over 90 minutes outside this morning in a 9C (48F) chill - with complaints that meetings were missed and anger at the shambolic organisation.

Delegates waited in front of the Scottish Event Campus where thousands of officers were in place and erected a ring of steel as representatives of 200 nations gather to thrash out a deal to try to limit global warming to 1.5C.

Those attending  many of whom have flown in from around the world on planes - have already needed to go through a detailed accreditation process, including getting an official letter stating they are registered and using an app to verify their visual ID. They must also present evidence of a negative Covid lateral flow test from today.

As Government representatives gathered inside the Glasgow venue tonight Greta Thunberg denounced world leaders for failing to act on climate change to her fellow Cop26 protesters today.

US President Joe Biden, Germany's Angela Merkel and President Emmanuel Macron of France are among those gathering at the event in an attempt to foster international cooperation on climate change.

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, today accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet' as he warned of a looming 'climate catastrophe'.

COP26 delegates forced to FLY to Glasgow after a SINGLE fallen tree causes travel chaos at London Euston Mayhem at London's Euston Station continued today after a single tree fell and damaged overhead wires causing travel chaos for delegates trying to reach the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow. London Mayor Sadiq Khan's Pendolino climate train left London Euston on time this morning but other delegates were forced to fly to Glasgow and passengers spent the night on the floor after heavy winds brought a tree down on top of overhead lines. Delays continued this morning after the single tree fell between between Rugby and Milton Keynes on the West Coast Main Line. Network Rail said its teams spent the night on site near Long Buckby in Northamptonshire. One journalist travelling to the COP26 climate summit was quoted almost 1,000 for a taxi between Edinburgh and Glasgow after battling train cancellations. Another CEO delegate, who took to a plane to reach the climate change summit, said the irony of having to choose the carbon-heavy option after extreme weather affected the trains 'was not lost' on him. Meanwhile, Mr Khan wrote on Twitter: 'Delighted to lead a delegation of mayors from across the globe from London to Glasgow on our special electric Pendolino climate train. Per capita passenger emissions are estimated to be seven times lower than flying.' Delays continued this morning even after engineers worked overnight to repair the damaged wires and Network Rail last night admitted 'extreme weather' had 'got the better of us'. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson arrived at Glasgow International Airport at 11.30pm last night after flying straight from the G20 summit in Rome, Italy. And the chaos didn't stop with Britain's rail network, as thousands of attendees battled against lengthy immovable queues through security this morning. One bystander joked the conference would be a disaster because no one would be there until the second day. Advertisement

Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough asked attendees: 'Is this how our story is due to end - a tale of the smartest species doomed by that all-too-human characteristic of failing to see the bigger picture in pursuit of short-term goals?'

And Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said the outcome of the climate summit would be 'life or death for millions of people', suggesting that failure to act could be worse than leaders who ignored warnings about the Nazis in the 1930s - a comment he later apologised for.

Speaking at a demonstration at Festival Park, Glasgow, on the first day of the Cop26 summit, Swedish 18-year-old activist Miss Thunberg said that heads of government were not doing enough to save the planet from disaster.

She said: 'No more blah blah blah, no more whatever the f*** they are doing inside there.

'Inside Cop, there are just politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously, pretending to take the present seriously. Change is not going to come from inside there, that is not leadership - this is leadership... We say no more blah blah blah, no more exploitation of people and the planet.'

Miss Thunberg arrived in Glasgow on Sunday by train and will take part in two large protests through the city later in the week.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today met with Miss Thunberg at Cop26, following the Swedish environmental activist's arrival in Scotland on Saturday.

On Monday morning, Ms Thunberg along with fellow campaigner Vanessa Nakate, from Uganda, met with the First Minister, who tweeted: 'The voices of young people like @GretaThunberg and @vanessa-vash must be heard loudly and clearly at Cop26 - the next few days should not be comfortable for leaders, the responsibility to act must be felt.'

Ms Thunberg has previously been critical of the Scottish Government's climate policy, saying that the country was 'not a leader on climate change', as the First Minister had previously stated.

Scotland has pledged to cut emissions by 75% by 2030 and be net zero by 2045, but the last three years of targets have been missed.

Nicola Sturgeon has said that world leaders gathering in Glasgow for the Cop26 climate summit should feel 'bloody uncomfortable' for not 'doing enough' to tackle global warming.

Ms Sturgeon, speaking as the crucial summit began, insisted: 'Every climate promise must be kept. Frankly none of them are being kept right now.'

Speaking at an event hosted by the environmental organisation WWF, she told how she had just met Ms Thunberg and another young climate activist, Vanessa Nakate from Uganda.

Ms Sturgeon said: 'Those voices often, including for me, are really uncomfortable at times, because they make us confront the hard realities of our own lack of delivery.

'But my goodness they are so important to shake the gatherings that will take place here over the next few days out of the sense of complacency that surrounds them all too often.'

She continued: 'If we only face up to the easy, relatively easy things we won't get anywhere. This has to be a moment that leaders, all of us, whether we are round that negotiating table or not, are held to account for the reality of what we promise not for the rhetoric of it.'

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in arrives for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on Monday morning

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet' as he warned of a looming 'climate catastrophe'

Mr Johnson and Sir David Attenborough were in the audience listening to speeches on the first day of the leaders' summit

President Joe Biden's car, commonly known as 'the Beast', drives along the M8 motorway near Salsburgh on its way to the summit

With leaders of more than 100 countries gathering in Glasgow for the talks, Ms Sturgeon urged campaigners to 'make life really uncomfortable for any government, any leader that is not doing enough'.

She added: 'We have all got to be pushed much harder much faster.

'This summit should not feel comfortable for anybody in a position of leadership and responsibility, it should feel bloody uncomfortable because nobody yet is doing enough, that is the reality.'

Ahead of the summit, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that failure in Glasgow could mean that the Paris agreement from 2015 - in which leaders promised to work towards keeping global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees - would 'crumple'.

Mr Johnson said: 'If Glasgow fails, then the whole thing fails.

'The Paris Agreement will have crumpled at the first reckoning.'

Yesterday Prince Charles used his COP26 address to demand a 'military-style campaign' to mobilise trillions of dollars of private sector cash to 'save our precious planet'.

The Duke of Cornwall said the pandemic had taught the world 'timelines can be sped up dramatically' when everyone 'agrees on the urgency and the direction'.

The future king said top CEOs and businesses he had spoken to confirmed they were ready to do their part to protect the globe from climate change.

Prince Charles said the strength of the 'global private sector' was greater than governments and represented the only 'real prospect' of fundamental change.

He said: 'So ladies and gentlemen, my plea today is for countries to come together to create the environment that enables every sector of industry to take the action required.

'We know this will take trillions, not billions of dollars. We also know that countries, many which are burdened by heavy levels of debt, simply cannot afford to go green.

'Here we need a vast, military style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector.

'With trillions at its disposal, far beyond global GDP and with the greatest respects beyond even the government's of the world's leaders it offers the only real prospect of achieving a fundamental economic transition.

Prince Charles used his COP26 address to demand a 'military-style campaign' to mobilise trillions of dollars of private sector cash to 'save our precious planet'

UN chief accuses countries of treating nature 'like a toilet' and warns mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves' The UN secretary-general accused countries of 'treating nature like a toilet' today as he warned of a looming 'climate catastrophe'. Antonio Guterres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves'. The startling comparison came in a speech opening the COP26 session for world leaders. Mr Guterres said the world's 'addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink'. He told the opening plenary of the conference in Glasgow: 'We face a stark choice: either we stop it  or it stops us. 'It's time to say: enough. Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. 'Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves. ' Advertisement

'So how do we do it? First how do we get the private sector all pulling in the same direction?

'After nearly two years now of consultation, CEOs have told me we need to bring together global industries to map out in very practical terms what it will take to make the transition.

'We know from the pandemic the private sector can speed up timelines dramatically when everyone agrees on the urgency and the direction.

'So each sector needs a clear strategy of getting innovations to mark it. Second, who pays and how?

'We need to align private investment behind these industry strategies to help finance the transition effort, which means building the confidence of investors so the financial risk is reduced.

'Investment is needed to transfer from coal to clean energy. If we can develop a pipeline of more sustainable and bankable projects at a sufficient scale it will attract sufficient investment.

'Third which switches do we flick to enable these objectives?

'More than 300 of the world's leading CEOs and and investors have told me that along side the promises countries have made... they need clear market signals, agreed globally so they have the confidence to invest without the goalposts suddenly moving.

'This is the framework I've offered on a Terracarter roadmap created by my stable markets initiative with nearly 100 specific actions for acceleration.

'Together we're working to drive trillions of dollars into support transition across ten of the most emitting and polluting industries.

'They include energy, agriculture, transportation, health systems and fashion. The reality of today's global supply chains means industry transition will effect every country and every producer in the world.

'There is absolutely not doubt in my mind that the private sector is ready to play its part and to work with governments to find a way forward.'

The Prince also said the world has been put on 'war footing' due to the impact of climate change and loss of biodiversity.

He continued: 'The pandemic has shown us just how devastating a global cross border threat can be.

'Climate change and biodiversity loss are no different. in fact they pose an even greater existential threat.'

He went on: 'To the extent we have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing.

'Having the opportunity of consulting many of you myself over these past few months I know you all carry a heavy burden on your shoulders and you do not need me to tell you that the eyes and hopes of the world are upon you to act decisively because time has literally run out.'

One scrubs up well! Kate Middleton dazzles in a custom blue Eponine coat dress next to dapper Prince William as pair attend Earthshot reception at Cop26 just hours after getting muddy with the Scouts

By Bridie Pearson-Jones and Harriet Johnston for MailOnline





The Duchess of Cambridge proved she scrubbed up well tonight as she swapped her muddy outdoor outfit for a dazzling Eponine coat dress to attend the Earthshot reception at Cop26 in Glasgow tonight.





Kate Middleton looked the picture of poise in a the coat dress and navy heels as she walked alongside Prince William in a dapper suit as they arrived at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum just hours after getting her hands dirty as she threw mud with Scouts in the Scottish city.

Wearing her hair back in a low bun, the Duchess opted for a glamorous make-up look for the ceremony tonight where she was hosted Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Boris Johnson as well as key members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the winners and finalists of the first Earthshot Prize Awards.

Her custom dress came from Eponine's SS20 collection and made from a double wool crepe fabric, the price is available on application but similar items cost around 2400.

The Duchess of Cambridge proved she scrubbed up well tonight as she swapped her muddy outdoor outfit for a dazzling evening gown to attend the Earthshot reception at Cop26 in Glasgow tonight.

Not so sure! William didn't look pleased as his wife offered him a tub of dead larvae

Relaxed royal! Kate laughs as she offers a tub of dead larvae, used as livestock feed, to guests at a reception

Kate Middleton looked the picture of poise in a blue coat dress and navy heels as she walked alongside Prince William in a dapper suit.

William and Kate joined Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall for the ceremony in Glasgow this evening

Although it's believed the royal hasn't worn the dress in public before, it's likely it's not new as the collection is 18 months old.

The duchess added a touch of glam with dazzling diamond earrings and a poppy badge ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

Meanwhile, Camilla, 74, opted for a teal Bruce Oldfield featuring buttons recycled from another outfit while Prince Charles

William and Kate's appearance comes just hours after royal couple, both 39, visited Alexandra Park Sports Hub in Dennistoun to meet with Scouts from and learn more about the group's' #PromiseToThePlanet campaign.

The event marked the first engagement for the couple since they arrived in the Scottish city for the COP26 conference which has brought world leaders together to discuss urgent action on climate change.

Kate dressed down in black jeans, a black polo neck a khaki green gilet, her favourite pair of 250 See by Chloe boots and a Scouts woggle to meet Cub and Beaver Scouts this afternoon.

The Duchess, who previously volunteered with the Scouts and was a Brownie growing up, appeared in good spirits during the outdoor engagement as she beamed and threw dirt as part of a 'wild flower bombing' bombing activity where they joined the children to throw soil packed with seeds onto a grassy bank.

The duchess added a touch of glam with dazzling diamond earrings and a poppy badge ahead of Remembrance Sunday

Wearing her hair back in a low bun, the Duchess opted for a glamorous make-up look for the ceremony tonight where she was hosted Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Boris Johnson as well as key members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the winners and finalists of the first Earthshot Prize Awards.

William and Katespeak with guests at a reception for the key members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the Winners and Finalists of the first Earthshot Prize Awards at the Clydeside Distillery, on the sidelines of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow

William and Katespeak with guests at a reception for the key members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the Winners and Finalists of the first Earthshot Prize Awards at the Clydeside Distillery, on the sidelines of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, speaks to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall as they attend an evening reception to mark the opening day of the COP26

Prince of Wales speaks to guests at a reception for the key members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the Winners and Finalists of the first Earthshot Prize Awards at the Clydeside Distillery

The royal dressed down in a pair of black skinny jeans, and wrapped up against the chilly weather in a green quilted gilet, a new addition to the royal wardrobe.

The mother-of-three finished the look with her trusty brown suede See By Chloe boots, which feature leather trim detailing on a round-toe, lace-up base.

Proving her eco credentials, Kate has often worn the boots, opting for them three times last year, including for a visit to a community garden in north London in January, and to the Scouts London headquarters in March.

The royal's hair cascaded around her shoulder in looser tonged waves, with the emphasis on sleek and natural rather than voluminous and bouncy.

Kate was named joint president of the Scouts last year. Kate is sharing the position - her first presidency of an organisation - with the Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent, who has been president of the youth movement since 1975.

Kate and Prince William could be seen beaming as they met with the group of Scouts and their parents during the outing in Glasgow today

The couple could be seen joking with one another as they arrived for their first outing for the Cop26 conference today in Glasgow

One of their hosts was 12-year-old Lewis Howe, one of the 26 #OneStepGreener Ambassadors recently announced by the UK Government  extraordinary, everyday people who are going above and beyond for the climate.

Through Scouting, Lewis is taking positive action on the issues that matter to him the most and challenging all Scottish schools to reduce food waste by using surplus food to create meals for those in need using environmentally friendly packaging.

The Duke and Duchess went on to take part in activities that demonstrate how Scouting is helping to equip young people with the skills to tackle climate change.

They also learned how millions of Scouts across the globe have been contributing to the #PromiseToThePlanet campaign, raising awareness of the consequences of climate change and encouraging individual as well as collective action to address it.

Kate was previously a volunteer with a Cub Scout pack when she and the Duke of Cambridge lived in Anglesey, North Wales.

She has carried out numerous visits to Scout groups over the years, including joining Cubs in North Wootton, near King's Lynn in Norfolk, in 2016 to celebrate 100 years of the youth movement and visiting the Scouts' headquarters in Gilwell Park in Essex in 2019.

The Duke and Duchess are in Glasgow representing the crown alongside Camilla and Prince Charles.

Earlier today, The Duke of Cambridge tweeted: 'COP26 is a landmark moment for the future of our planet  I'm proud that our @EarthshotPrize Finalists will be joining me in Glasgow to show the world that there is reason to be optimistic'.

Prince Charles used his COP26 address to demand a 'military-style campaign' to mobilise trillions of dollars of private sector cash to 'save our precious planet'.

The Duke of Cornwall said the pandemic had taught the world 'timelines can be sped up dramatically' when everyone 'agrees on the urgency and the direction'.

The Duke and Duchess went on to take part in activities that demonstrate how Scouting is helping to equip young people with the skills to tackle climate change

The future king said top CEOs and businesses he had spoken to confirmed they were ready to do their part to protect the globe from climate change.

The Prince was pictured speaking to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez about climate change at Dumfries House last night.

Charles's passionate plea for action came as he addressed world leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow today.

The Royal took to the stage after an emotive video showing the devastation humans had done to the planet.

On his way up the steps Charles, 72, stumbled but managed to regain his stride before delivering his speech.

Meanwhile The Queen was out driving close to Windsor Castle today as she takes a two-week break from duties amid fears for her health after her secret overnight stay in hospital late last month.

The images of Her Majesty behind the wheel will ease concerns for the 95-year-old's health after her aides announced on Friday that she would be taking a fortnight break from her duties on doctor's advice.

The appearance today comes after royal experts suggested that there could now be a 'reassessment and possibly a slight gear change in the kind of work the Queen does' after the monarch dramatically pulled out of attending Cop26.

Six days before the 95-year-old was due to attend a reception and give a speech at the landmark conference, Buckingham Palace said she had 'regretfully' decided not to go  and would instead remain at Windsor Castle.

The Queen will continue to work behind the scenes while next week's climate change summit takes place in Glasgow and record a video message - but there could now be a change in the distances she travels in future.

It comes amid fears for the health of Queen - who will film a video message which will be broadcast to delegates in Glasgow - after she was forced to cancel a visit to Northern Ireland at the 11th hour last Wednesday.

Palace sources insisted that her decision not to travel to Scotland was simply a 'sensible precaution' in light of her doctor's advice to rest and that she was determined the conference should be a success.

Another source said it would have been 'unwise' for the Queen to make the 800-mile round trip from Windsor to Glasgow for the major event which aims to agree crucial global action on climate change.

Royal expert Roya Nikkhah said: 'We had some quite interesting background guidance yesterday from royal sources saying that although she's not going to be there in person, she is going to filming this video address this week and she is going to be working behind the scenes to make sure there are meaningful actions.

'And I thought what was really interesting was the guidance we had that she's very keen that other world leaders and heads of state don't use her absence as an excuse not to attend. So she's following it very, very closely.'

Ms Nikkah, royal editor of the Sunday Times, who was speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, added: 'It's quite a trip for a 95-year-old and she's had this incredibly packed both public and private diary for a few weeks, which has obviously left her pretty tired.

'And I think the feeling probably was  we don't know, because we're not doctors  but the feeling probably was from her doctors it was a little bit much for her to go up and do all that.

'And it's not just the travel  it's also being on. It's also entertaining and hosting world leaders, talking to them about climate change and all of that  I think the feeling probably is that's just a little bit too much at the moment until she's back to full strength.'

She continued: 'I think there will be a reassessment and possibly a slight gear change in the kind of work the Queen does, the distances she travels, but I don't think we will see  all being well, if the Queen is able to continue with public duties as we hope that she will be  I think we will still see her out and about as much as she and her doctors feel she can.

'I think there will be a gear change, and her private secretaries and her diary secretaries looking at engagements that come in and thinking what does Her Majesty the Queen really need to be at, and what does she feel she really can do.

'So I think there will be a constant review going forwards now.'

Last week, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'Following advice to rest, The Queen has been undertaking light duties at Windsor Castle. Her Majesty has regretfully decided that she will no longer travel to Glasgow to attend the evening reception of Cop26 on Monday, November 1. Her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message.'

The palace has still not explained why the Queen was taken to hospital last week.

After it was announced she had cancelled the Northern Ireland visit, the palace initially said the monarch was resting at Windsor. It was only 36 hours later, after news had leaked out, that a spokesman confirmed she had been admitted to King Edward VII's hospital in London for 'preliminary investigations'.

Aides had hoped that the head of state would be well enough to lead the Royal Family at the summit, either in person or via video-link. And earlier on Tuesday she returned to work at Windsor, where she is resting on doctors' orders, for the first time since last week.

Prince Charles has demanded a 'military-style campaign' to mobilise trillions of dollars of private sector cash to 'save our precious planet'

The pictures show her face on a computer screen as she greeted the new ambassador from the Republic of Korea, Gunn Kim, who was at Buckingham Palace. She also spoke to the new Swiss ambassador, Markus Leitner.

The Queen's decision not to attend Cop26 will be a blow to organisers. There are few people on the world stage who command the same respect and authority as the British monarch.

With the head of state missing from the event, it is hoped no world leaders will use her absence as a reason not to attend the summit.

It previously emerged that Xi Jinping - president of China, now the planet's biggest polluter - is skipping the much-anticipated conference.

The Royal Family will still be represented by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge - both of whom have strong environmental campaigning credentials - as well as the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge.

Senior royal aides said the Queen will be working hard behind the scenes to make the summit a success.

She will film her video message at Windsor Castle later this week and has let it be known that she 'very much wants Cop26 to be a success and see meaningful actions'.

FLOP 26: Boris tells COP that the 'doomsday device' is real and it is 'one minute to midnight' to stop climate disaster - but Xi Jinping will not even give 'virtual' speech after snub and Turkish President stays away

By Jack Maidment, deputy political editor for the MailOnline and James Tapsfield, political editor for MailOnline

Boris Johnson has told world leaders at the start of the COP26 summit that they can no longer afford to delay taking major action to address climate change as he warned 'the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets'.

The Prime Minister compared the situation facing the globe to the climax of a James Bond film where the hero has to thwart plans to blow up the planet.

But Mr Johnson said 'this is not a movie' and the 'doomsday device is real' as he urged his counterparts to do more to reduce harmful emissions.

The premier said the longer countries wait to take action then 'the higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act'.

He said the world has 'long since run the clock down on climate change' and there is now just 'one minute to midnight', with action required immediately to prevent a global disaster.

The PM used his speech at the opening of the summit as a rallying cry to try to build momentum as he welcomed foreign leaders to Glasgow after securing only lukewarm climate commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend.

However, hopes for the UN event have suffered fresh setbacks, after it emerged that China's president Xi Jinping will not even give a 'virtual' speech, instead only submitting a written statement.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced he will not be coming, despite attending the G20. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, both in charge of big polluters, have declined to attend.

Meanwhile, the organisation of the conference has come under fire after thousands of delegates were forced to wait hours to get through shambolic security systems this morning.

Mr Johnson pledged in his lunchtime speech to put another billion pounds into green finance - as long as the UK economy performs as expected in the coming years.

The PM repeated he wants global leaders to unveil steps on 'coal, cars, cash and trees' - the things he believes will make the most different in limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

Mr Johnson had set the tone as the G20 wrapped up last night by reading the riot act to his fellow world leaders, saying their promises on tackling climate change are starting to 'sound hollow'.

The PM said there are 'no compelling excuses for our procrastination' on reducing harmful emissions and action already taken amounts to 'drops in a rapidly warming ocean'.

Mr Johnson (left) and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (right) greet India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26

Mr Johnson and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres chatted to Iceland's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir as she made her appearance at the venue in Glasgow

Mr Johnson greets Comoros' President Azali Assoumani, left, and St Lucia's Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre, right

Mr Johnson's warnings came as:

One of the biggest security operations ever mounted in Britain got underway in Glasgow, amid warnings that climate protesters plan serious disruption;

A report by the UN's weather agency warned that sea levels were now rising twice as fast as in the 1990s;

The PM told French president Emmanuel Macron to drop threats to penalise Britain, as environmentalists warned a growing spat over fishing rights risked overshadowing the climate summit;

Ministers are closing in on a deal to end deforestation by paying poorer countries not to fell trees;

Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, warned that the Pacific archipelago could disappear underwater unless the Glasgow summit achieves its aims;

Climate poster girl Greta Thunberg backed direct action groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, saying it was necessary to 'anger some people' to get the message through.

Mr Johnson welcomed world leaders to Scotland by telling them that the country's most famous fictional son is James Bond.

The PM said the fictional hero 'generally comes to the climax of his highly lucrative films strapped to a doomsday device, desperately trying to work out which coloured wire to pull to turn it off while a red digital clock ticks down remorselessly to a detonation that will end human life as we know it'.

Addressing the packed summit hall, he said: 'And we are in roughly the same position, my fellow global leaders, as James Bond today. Except that the tragedy is this is not a movie and the doomsday device is real.

'And the clock is ticking to the furious rhythm of hundreds of billions of pistons and turbines and furnaces and engines with which we are pumping carbon into the air faster and faster, record outputs quilting the Earth in an invisible and suffocating blanket of CO2, raising the temperature of the pkanet with a speed and an abruptness that is entirely man made.

'We know what the scientists tell us and we have learned not to ignore them. Two degrees more and we jeopardise the food supply for hundreds of millions of people as crops wither, locusts swarm.

'Three degrees and you can add more wildfires and cyclones, twice as many, five times as many droughts and 36 times as many heat waves.

'Four degrees and we say goodbye to whole cities - Miami, Alexandria, Shanghai - all lost beneath the waves.

'And the longer we fail to act, the worse it gets and he higher the price when we are eventually forced by catastrophe to act because humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change. It is one minute to midnight on that doomsday clock and we need to act now.'

Mr Johnson said that the current crop of world leaders will be judged harshly by future generations if they fail to agree a deal to restrict global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.

He said: 'If we fail they will not forgive us. They will know that Glasgow was the historic turning point when history failed to turn.

'They will judge us with bitterness and with a resentment that eclipses any of the climate activists of today. And they will be right.'

Mr Johnson closed his speech by telling his counterparts that they have a 'duty' to work together to make COP26 the moment when they begin to finally 'defuse the bomb' of climate change.

He said: 'We may not feel much like James Bond, not all of us necessarily look like James Bond, but we have the opportunity and we have the duty to make this summit the moment when humanity finally began, and I stress began, to defuse that bomb and to make this the moment when we began irrefutably to turn the tide and to begin the fight back against climate change.'

Hopes of the summit delivering a major breakthrough have been hit hard by the absence of President Xi and President Putin.

In a round of interviews this morning, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK is 'putting a lot of pressure' on the two leaders regardless of their decision not to attend.

She told BBC Breakfast: 'Both of those leaders are sending senior delegations to Glasgow so there will be representation in person here in Glasgow.

'The Prime Minister has spoken to both Vladimir Putin and President Xi, we're putting a lot of pressure on those countries.

'Because in order to tackle climate change it needs to be global action and those countries are high emitters of carbon dioxide.'

Ms Truss also defended the huge carbon toll of world leaders - including US president Joe Biden - flying to Glasgow to talk in person.

'I think everybody who has ever done a Zoom call knows that they are quite useful for some things but when you really get into crunch negotiations, when you want to look somebody in the eye and talk to them face-to-face you do need to meet in person, and this is really critical,' she said.

Mr Johnson greets Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba during arrivals at the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow,

Mr Johnson welcomes Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Jansa at the COP26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow

The PM has been welcoming foreign premiers to the gathering in Glasgow alongside the UN Secretary General as he desperately tries to get momentum - after securing only lukewarm commitments at the G20 summit in Rome over the weekend

Boris Johnson greets Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari as they arrive for day two of COP26 at SECC in Glasgow this morning

'World leaders are going to have to make some tough decisions about what's going on in their own countries, they're going to have to commit to things they didn't necessarily want to when they arrived at the conference and that's why it's really important that we do have people face-to-face.'

However, the praise of face-to-face engagement rang a little hollow for many attempting to get into the summit veune this morning.

Delegates have already needed to go through a detailed accreditation process, including getting an official letter stating they are registered and using an app to verify their visual ID.

They must also present evidence of a negative Covid lateral flow test taken today.

But those arriving at the SEC today were confronted with enormous queues at various layers of security  starting with the gates checking letters, then security screening, and then to pick up accreditation passes in person.

There was a particular bottleneck at security, as delegates who had collected accreditation yesterday were forced to wait in huge lines along with new arrivals.

Many found themselves held up for well over 90 minutes  with complaints that meetings were being missed and anger at the shambolic organisation.

It comes on top of travel chaos yesterday with trains cancelled from London due to Halloween storms. Meanwhile, Glasgow is embarrassingly in the throes of a bin collection strike and there are reports of a surge in the rat population.

Mr Johnson is expected to say later: 'Humanity has long since run down the clock on climate change.

'It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now.

'If we don't get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow.'

He will add: 'We have to move from talk and debate and discussion to concerted, real-world action on coal, cars, cash and trees.

'Not more hopes and targets and aspirations, valuable though they are, but clear commitments and concrete timetables for change.

'We need to get real about climate change and the world needs to know when that's going to happen.'

The PM will be backed by Prince Charles, who will also speak at the opening, telling leaders: 'We have to put ourselves on what might be called a war-like footing.'

He will go on to urge nations to systematically engage with business to solve the climate problems we face, adding: 'We need a vast military-style campaign to marshal the strength of the global private sector, with trillions at its disposal.'

Many leaders were travelling from the G20 summit in Rome. These countries are responsible for an estimated 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Johnson had hoped for a 'G20 bounce' as a stepping stone to a deal in Glasgow.

But leaders rejected his call to commit to going carbon neutral by 2050. A bid to ban the construction of new coal-fired power stations was also blocked.

Speaking at the G20 summit in Rome, the PM said that only 12 of the club's members have committed to reaching a target of net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

Dramatically raising the stakes, he said that if the forthcoming gathering in Glasgow fails to secure a major breakthrough 'then the whole thing fails'.

President Joe Biden waves as he gets off his plane on a cold day at Edinburgh Airport, before he heads to Glasgow for the summit

Glasgow Airport arrivals for the COP26 sees the Germans onboard an Airbus with Chancellor Angela Merkel taking the lead

Mr Johnson said world leaders must now flesh out the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, warning that failing to do so will leave 'the world's only viable mechanism for dealing with climate change... holed beneath the water line'.

The premier escalated his rhetoric amid fears the summit in Glasgow will be a flop after the G20 watered down its Net Zero ambition to 'by or around mid-century'.

The PM has been trying to use the Rome summit of powerful nations including China and Russia to build momentum ahead of COP26, which formally got underway this afternoon and will see world leaders meet for talks tomorrow.

But although the communique from the G20 backed urgent action, it gave more wriggle-room for emissions to continue, with an original goal of '2050' replaced by looser language.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the G20 summit had not gone far enough in advancing climate goals but he still believed in the leaders heading to Scotland.

'While I welcome the G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled  but at least they are not buried,' he said.

More than 120 leaders are expected to attend today's summit in Glasgow, which kicks off a fortnight of intense negotiations designed to secure a global deal on cutting emissions.

Mr Biden and Indian PM Narendra Modi are among the major figures due to take part.

But, in a sign of the global divisions on the issue, the leaders of several major polluting nations have turned down invitations.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday publicly rejected Mr Johnson's bid to get the entire world to commit to becoming 'carbon neutral' by 2050.

Mr Johnson has already admitted that he was stonewalled by China's Xi Jinping in a call when he suggested the giant economy should aim for carbon output to peak by 2025 instead of 2030.

Speaking at the G20 summit, Mr Lavrov said Moscow was targeting a 2060 date, adding: 'No one has proved to us that 2050 is something we must all subscribe to.'

China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, is also resisting pressure to go carbon neutral before 2060, with president Xi rebutting a personal plea from Mr Johnson last week.

And a hoped-for deal to phase out the construction of new coal-fired power stations by 2030 fell apart. Major coal users including China, India, Australia and Russia are said to have blocked the deal.

Asked about the chances of success at Cop26 last night, the PM said: 'I think it's sort of six out of ten. It's a bit of nip and tuck and touch and go. We could do it or we could fail by the middle of November.'
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The Houston House of Horrors mother and her boyfriend lived in the apartment with the decomposing remains of the woman's eight-year-old son for months and kept his three surviving siblings locked in the room with the child's corpse, it was alleged in court on Monday.

Gloria Williams, 35, appeared before a judge and had a defense attorney assigned to represent her.

Judge Kelli Johnson said that Williams' current bond totaling $900,000 was insufficient for the charges against her, including injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence, stemming from the November 2020 beating death of her son Kendrick Lee.

Williams' boyfriend, Brain Coulter, 31, is charged with felony murder for allegedly punching and kicking the autistic eight-year-old to death, and then leaving his body to rot in the Houston apartment alongside his brothers, ages 15, 10 and 7. He is being held on $1 million bond.

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Gloria Williams, 35, appeared in Houston court Monday and had a lawyer assigned to represent her as she faces charges stemming from the killing of her 8-year-old son

A judge said Williams' current bond totaling $900,000 was insufficient for the charges against her: injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence

Prosecutors said Kendrick Lee, 8 (pictured 2nd R, front row), was kicked and beaten to death in November 2020

TIMELINE IN HOUSTON HOUSE OF HORRORS CASE REVEALED: November 20-23, 2020: Brian Coulter allegedly beats eight-year-old Kendrick Lee to death inside apartment at CityParc II complex in Houston November 23: Coulter is arrested in Luling, Texas, and spends six days in jail after being discovered drunk and in possession of a gun at a convenience store November 29: Coulter is released on bail; weapons possession case against him is still pending March 2021: Coulter and Gloria Williams, Kendrick's mother, move out of CityParc II apartment, leaving her three sons to live alone with Kendrick's skeletal remains October 2020: Coulter allegedly attacks Williams' 10-year-old son, breaking his jaw; the boy receives no medical attention October 24: Williams' 15-year-old son texts his mother that he cannot do this anymore and calls 911 to report his brother's death; police arrive to discover the corpse in filthy apartment October 24, Evening: Deputies question Coulter and Williams, but let them go without charges October 26: Harris County Medical Examiner's Office rules Kendrick Lee's death a homicide, leading to arrests of Coulter and Williams; boyfriend is charged with murder, while girlfriend is accused of injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence October 27: Judge sets Coulter's bond at $1million and Williams' at $900,000 October 28: Coulter makes first court appearance and agrees to bond conditions November 1: Williams appears in court and has attorney assigned to her November 5: Judge raises Williams' bond to $1.5million as prosecutors reveal she was getting $2,000 towards child care Advertisement

Williams' new attorney asked the judge for more time to review the case before considering whether to raise her bond amount, reported KTRK.

During Monday's hearing, prosecutors claimed that Williams and Coulter lived in the apartment at the CityParc II complex with Kendrick's corpse until they moved in March, leaving the woman's three sons without adult supervision.

The children alleged that they were locked in a bedroom room with Kendrick's decomposing remains, even while Coulter and Williams still lived with them.

Williams allegedly had groceries delivered to the apartment once a month and paid rent on the apartment to prevent Kendrick's body from being discovered.

Williams is due back in court later this week to discuss her bond, reported KPRC.

During a jailhouse interview with KHOU11 last week, Williams said she was 'sorry' but denied knowing that Kendrick was dead, even though according to a probable cause statement that was previously read in court, the mother allegedly admitted to investigators that she was aware the child had died, but she was afraid to report it to the police.

Kendrick's body was left to rot under a blue blanket in a bug-infested bedroom, in full view of his brothers, for nearly a year while Williams and Coulter moved to another apartment, leaving the children to fend for themselves, according to law enforcement.

When asked why she left her sons - one of whom was seriously injured after being allegedly punched in the face by Coulter - Williams replied: 'I checked on them every two weeks.'

The children were rescued by sheriff's deputies on Sunday, after Williams' 15-year-old son called 911. All three boys were described as malnourished, having been forced to subsist for months on snacks supplied by their mother and food donations from concerned neighbors.

Earlier, the grandmother of one of Williams' daughters has described the woman as being 'very unstable,' and accused her of failing to protect her children.

Authorities last Wednesday alleged that Coulter punched and kicked Kendrick to death around Thanksgiving Day last year, and Williams refused to report him to the police, claiming she was afraid her children would be taken away and she would end up in jail.

Coulter and Williams were arrested a week ago at a public library, where they were said to have been looking up news stories online about their own case.

During Williams' previous court appearance, a prosecutor read aloud a statement of probable cause, which revealed that three of the mother's surviving children witnessed their brother's fatal beating.

The children claimed Coulter struck the eight-year-old with closed fists and kicked him in his face, feet, back, testicles and buttocks.

Williams' 7-year-old son told deputies Coulter continued kicking Kendrick, who was lying on the floor and not moving, while staring at the younger brother who was in the room.

After Kendrick's eyes turned black and he stopped blinking, Coulter covered him with a blue blanket, the prosecutor stated.

When Williams entered the bedroom to check on her son and saw that he was dead, she began crying and fighting with Coulter.

Her 15-year-old son told investigators he believed his mother would call the police on Coulter, but 'she never did.' She then moved out of the apartment, leaving her surviving children with their brother's rotting corpse and without any adult supervision.

Brian Coulter, 31, has been charged with felony murder. Williams is his girlfriend and the victim's mother

Kendrick's three brothers were left leaving alone with his corpse until October 24

Law enforcement officials found Williams' three surviving sons, ages 15, 10 and 7, living alone with the corpse of their brother at the CityParc II apartment complex in Houston

William's 10-year-old son told investigators that when Williams came by the apartment at a later date and lifted the blanket off of Kendrick, she found that 'his body, feet and teeth had turned into a skeleton,' and that 'his hair was off.' His decomposing corpse was said to have been covered with cockroaches.

The 10-year-old also claimed that Coulter would beat him as well, hitting him on the face, stomach, buttocks and legs, and broke his jaw three weeks ago.

When police arrived at the apartment on Sunday, they found the child with a swollen jaw. At the hospital the following day, the boy said that his mother 'was aware of the injury but did not seek or obtain medical aid for him,' the prosecutor said.

Authorities said that the 10-year-old will require surgery to treat his facial fracture.

When questioned by detectives, Williams claimed that when she entered the bedroom around Thanksgiving 2020 and found Coulter beating her son Kendrick, she stopped the attack.

Coulter was picked up by the police last week. He is accused of kicking and punching Kendrick to death, and injuring the boy's younger brother

Williams allegely said she failed to report her son's death because she was afraid

After discovering the next day that Kendrick had died, Williams claimed that she confronted her boyfriend, who 'stated he was sorry, that he lost it and punched him, and continued punching him until he went to sleep.'

Williams allegedly told investigators that she knew her son was dead a year ago, but she did not go to the police because Coulter had told her not to, and also because she was afraid that her children would be taken away and she would go to jail.'

The children lived in deplorable conditions for months as they waited for their mother to call authorities to report that their brother had been beaten to death and left to rot. Investigators say the mother never made that call and the oldest surviving son, a 15-year-old, finally overcame his 'absolute fear' and called authorities on Sunday.

Just before he contacted the authorities, he was said to have texted his mother, telling her he could not take it anymore.
Seattles police union president is slamming the mayors plan to offer $25,000 hiring bonuses to staff up the depleted force after an exodus of law enforcement has been spurred by the 'defund' movement and the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Mayor Jenny Durkan, the Democrat who is not seeking re-election on Tuesday when voters in the Emerald City go to the polls to elect her successor, issued an executive order Friday offering incentives for 911 dispatchers and police.

But the union representing 1,300 police officers and sergeants said the move is too little, too late, particularly after Durkan sided with demands from activists and city lawmakers to defund the police.

Officers recently protested the vaccine mandate by displaying the 'don't tread on me' flags often seen as pro-Second Amendment rallies.

The police union head accused Durkan of politically betraying the police force by siding with those who called to defund the department after the death of George Floyd last year.

'The result of this betrayal has caused 350 police officers to flee Seattle since the riots,' Mike Solan said.

'Many of these former police employees left for lower paying agencies just to escape Seattle's toxic political climate.'

'We also have another 100 officers now off the street due to the Mayor's COVID-19 vaccination mandate and another 130 officers currently unavailable for service who are out on extended leave,' Solan said in a statement.

'When totaled, that is just under half the department gone/unavailable in almost two years.

'Seattle's current police staffing crisis was caused by our current politicians and sadly it all could've been avoided.

'This political betrayal will forever be their legacy.'

Seattle's police union president, Mike Solan (left), panned lame duck Mayor Jenny Durkan's (right) plan to offer $25,000 hiring bonuses to 911 dispatchers and police.

Seattle police officers opposed to a city vaccine mandate that took effect on October 18 hung yellow 'Don't tread on me' Gadsden flags on their police cruisers

The number of officers to leave Seattle Police Department has been in free fall since last year

The Seattle City Council voted to defund the police budget by roughly 17 percent in 2021.

Activists applauded the decision but Durkan has cautioned against additional cuts to police funding.

Police officers were particularly incensed by Durkans handling of the so-called CHOP/CHAZ - the autonomous zone set up by Black Lives Matter protesters after the ransacking of one of the Seattle Police Departments precincts downtown.

The mayor referred to the events of last year as a 'summer of love' - a comment that did not sit well with police officers who felt under siege from the prevailing political climate.

The autonomous zone was eventually cleared after a series of shootings in the area.

Last month, some Seattle police officers hanged the dont tread on me Gadsden flags from their cruisers to protest the citywide vaccine mandate that took effec on October 18.

Seattles ordinance  which aligns with county- and state-wide mandates also taking effect October 18  requires all city employees to show proof of inoculation or risk losing their jobs.

Police officers were particularly incensed by Durkans handling of the so-called CHOP/CHAZ - the autonomous zone set up by Black Lives Matter protesters after the ransacking of one of the Seattle Police Departments precincts downtown last year

Then-Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best held a press conference outside of the department's vacated East Precinct in the area known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) on June 29, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. 'Enough is enough,' she said

As of the deadline, just 24 - or two percent - of Seattle Police Department officers had not shown proof of inoculation, a city spokesperson told Dailymail.com.

Meanwhile, Seattle police spokesperson Sgt. Randy Huserik said officers who dont turn in their vaccine verification paperwork by midnight October 18 will likely be terminated.

Durkans civil emergency order acknowledges emergent staffing shortages affecting the Seattle Police Department.

The order states that the city is experiencing a year-to-date 35 percent increase in shots fired incidents and a 76 percent jump in shots fired incidents compared to 2019.

There has also been a 29 percent increase in the number of non-fatal shootings this year compared to last year, according to the mayor.

According to the mayor, the SPDs current level of deployable police officers stands at 1,015 - down from 1,325 in 2019.

She said the staffing shortages have caused response times to increase.

The staffing shortage is so acute that the SPD is sending detectives and non-patrol officers to respond to emergency calls.

The police union leader said he fears things will get worse because of COVID-19 vaccine mandates but the city's mayor urged the small percentage of holdouts to get the shot, noting officers are already required to show proof of other vaccines.

KOMO reports the department has lost more than 300 officers over the past year. Nearly 300 more could face termination if they do not comply with an October 18 deadline to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

'We can't afford to lose one, that's how desperate we are to hold onto to people,' said Solan.

'If we lose more officers, the public safety situation will become that much more untenable here.'

Crime has been rising in Seattle this year with 33,695 crimes already occurred this year compared to only 30,816 crimes at the same time last year. Although 2019 had elevated crime rates, 2021 has surpassed it

Seattle's homicide rate seems to be reaching the total of homicides in 2020, with four months left before the end of the year

According to figures from the Seattle mayors office, 782 officers have submitted proof of COVID-19 vaccination, while 98 officers are seeking exemptions and 186 have not turned in paperwork.

Rebuilding Seattles police force wont be Durkans problem. Instead, it will be left to either Bruce Harrell or Lorena Gonzalez, the two mayoral candidates.

The union president said he would like to suggest to our current and soon to be newly elected politicians that if you want to hire new and lateral police officers, we suggest you also take care of your current officers.

These officers worked during the pandemic, are feeling the impacts of dangerous staffing levels and are without a union contract.

SPOG is looking forward to working with our new mayor and the current/new city council members to remedy our citys issues.

Seattle deserves public safety, and is worth saving.
Detectives investigating the disappearance of Cleo Smith have sorted through mounds of rubbish from roadside bins located hundreds of kilometres away from the campsite she vanished from.

WA Police released pictures last night showing forensics officers examining 50 cubic metres of garbage collected from receptacles as far south as Geraldton, about 500km from the Blowholes Campground, and Mirilya, about 165km to its north.

It comes as officers issued an extraordinary plea for dash cam and CCTV footage from within a 1000km radius of where the pre-schooler vanished more than a fortnight ago.

Detectives said they are particularly interested in video recordings between 6pm on Friday October 15 and 6pm on Sunday October 17 at a list of specific locations, suggesting they may be closing in on the brazen child predator.

Investigators are seeking footage from motel check in, service stations, fast food outlets, truck stops, free camping areas, children's clothing stores, pharmacies and camping stores.

The selective list appears to indicate that police may be narrowing in on the suspect who is believed to have snatched the four-year-old from the Blowholes campsite near Carnarvon , in the northwest of the state on October 16.



Police investigating the disappearance of Cleo Smith (pictured) have pleaded for dash cam and CCTV footage within a 1000km radius of where the pre-schooler vanished at a remote campsite in Western Australia

Pictured: Police are seen examining rubbish left near the Blowholes campsite in remote WA

Pictured: The forensic officers are seen wearing full protective gear include gas masks

'Detectives continue to seek dashcam, CCTV or any other footage within a 1000KM radius of the campsite near Carnarvon but only as far south as Lancelin,' WA police said in a social media alert.

'It doesn't matter how insignificant you think it might be.'

Investigators last week undertook the mammoth task of scouring nearby roads and highways in areas surrounding the Blowholes campsite, trawling through rubbish bins in search of degraded clues.

They also door-knocked homes near the child's family house in Carnarvon, to determine if neighbours had seen anything suspicious in the prior days and weeks.

Investigators last week undertook the mammoth task of scouring the roads and highways in areas surrounding the Blowholes campsite, trawling through rubbish bins for clues. Pictured: A forensic police officer

The development comes as a family-of-seven who were camping less than 100 metres from where Cleo was abducted, have broken their silence about their 'scarred' and heartbreaking stay at the site.

It has been 16 days since the little girl was kidnapped while she was sleeping beside her parents and younger sister in their family tent during the early hours of the morning.

Detectives attached to the massive police operation dedicated to Cleo's disappearance spent Sunday door-knocking homes 5km from the youngster's hometown of Carnarvon as the search enters its third week.

Queensland couple Rob and Kira Prince were camping at the Blowholes at the time and have described their stay which they'll never forget 'for all the wrong reasons.'

The desperate search for missing youngster Cleo Smith (pictured) has entered its third week

The couple are travelling around the country in a campervan with their five children, which they're documenting on the Our Aussie Adventure Facebook page.

The family uploaded photos of their time at Quobba Blow Holes and shared a police flyer regarding Cleo's disappearance.

'This camp was beautiful with both rugged cliff faces with powerful waves and lagoon like beaches and the blowholes were absolutely incredible,' the family posted on Sunday.

'Unfortunately our stay here was scarred by the disappearance of Cleo Smith from a tent less than 100m from our site.'

'With four-year-olds of our own this was truly terrifying and heartbreaking. It is a day we will never forget - for all the wrong reasons.

'While we physically moved on from here once the campground closed, emotionally we are very much still there longing for a positive outcome for Cleo and her family.'

The Prince family were camping less than 100m metres away from where little Cleo disappeared at the Blowholes campsite on October 16. Pictured are the family during their stay at the site

Detectives spent Sunday door-knocking homes in the North Plantations, five kilometres from Cleo's hometown of Carnarvon

Halloween plea: 'She loved dressing up as a princess or a doctor' Cleo Smith's mum has made another gut-wrenching plea for her four-year-old daughter to be returned home safely as she told of the heartbreak of spending Halloween without her daughter. Ellie Smith on Sunday night called for help finding her 'shining bright light' - 16 days after the little girl vanished from her family's tent near Carnarvon during a camping trip on October 16. As children across Australia dressed up to go trick or treating, Ms Smith told how her daughter 'loves dressing up - whether it be a princess or doctor'. Cleo's disappearance has sparked a national police operation - with detectives on Sunday door-knocking houses near her hometown as they search for clues. 'Every day is getting harder without my shining bright light,' Ms Smith wrote on Instagram. 'Today she has missed Halloween with her family - her cousins, aunties, uncles, nannas and pop but most of all her parents and baby sister. 'She needs us and we need her.' Ellie Smith on Sunday called for help finding her 'shining bright light' and urged anyone who had any information to call police Advertisement

The family told The West Australian they've spoken to police 'a number of times.'

Detectives door-knocked a number of homes along the North West Coastal Highway in the North Plantations, 5km from Cleo's hometown on Sunday.

The reason for the visits hasn't been made public, Nine News reported.

It comes as Cleo's frantic mum issued yet another public appeal on social media for her daughter to come home.

'My kind hearted baby girl mummy wants you home,' Ellie Smith wrote in an Instagram story on Sunday.

Ms Smith also posted a missing persons image of Cleo urging anyone with information to contact police.

She and Cleo's stepfather Jake Gliddon have been ruled out by police of having have had any involvement in the girl's disappearance.

The Prince family said their time camping at The Blowholes was 'scarred' by the disappearance of Cleo Smith from a tent less than 100 metres away

Little Cleo Smith has been missing for two weeks, having last been seen at the Blowholes campground near Carnarvon in WA

Earlier on Sunday, the owner of a shack which captured the voice of Cleo on its CCTV system has opened up about the 'panicked' moments after the little girl vanished.

Dave Sadecky, handed over the crucial CCTV of little Cleo to police which placed her at the campsite on the night before she vanished.

The motion sensitive camera is installed inside their beach shack which was just 20 metres away from the family tent and takes a wide-angled photo of everyone who enters or leaves it.

The camera captures audio and images from inside a painted wooden box with a glass front and would not appear obvious to those passing by.

Dave Sadecky, who owns a nearby shack at the campsite, captured the voice of Cleo on his shack's CCTV system, and handed it over to police

When Mr Sadecky and his wife learnt of the news surrounding the four-year-old, they immediately jumped on their quad bikes to join the search.

'I didn't know the ins and outs of what was going on but everyone was panicked,' Mr Sadecky told The West Australian.

'People dropped everything and came to help  they were everywhere on Saturday like ants  it's not a normal sight.'

The couple ended up scouring the area for 10 hours on the day Cleo was last seen.

She had woken up at 1.30am on the Saturday to ask her mother Ellie for a sip of water but when her parents woke again at about 6am, Cleo was gone.

The four-year-old had woken up at 1.30am on the Saturday to ask her mother Ellie for a sip of water but when her parents woke again at about 6am, Cleo was gone

Detectives found the zip on the tent Cleo was sleeping in had been opened and was too high for the little girl to reach

'Everyone was emotional, people were clearly stressed and anxious but wanted to help. We've never had anything like this happen before. We're there every other weekend, we're kicking ourselves we weren't there that night,' Mr Sadecky said.

He said the campsite would now be 'tainted' from what happened, a local at Blowholes himself.

He added there was a tight-knit community in the area and that often people would leave their doors unlocked.

Meanwhile, a close family friend of Cleo's mother Ellie Smith and stepdad Jake Gliddon said detectives are not wanting to give them any 'false hope'.

'There's nothing worse than saying, ''We're going to find her'', or, ''We think we've got the person'', and then they don't have the person or they don't find her,' the friend told the West.

Cleo is seen with her mother Ellie Smith. A $1million reward is on offer to anybody with information into her disappearance

'Police aren't going to give you false hope and that's what we said from day one.'

The family friend had been at the campsite at the time Cleo went missing and helped scour the area in search of the four-year-old.

He said her distraught parents have also had to deal with online trolls who pointed the finger at them in the days following their daughter's disappearance.

Police have ruled out both Ms Smith and Mr Gliddon as suspects and Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting they had anything to do with her disappearance.

'I know it's affecting them. Fingers crossed they aren't looking at it too much,' the friend said.

It comes after it was revealed detectives in the 100-strong taskforce had responded to 200 potential sightings of Cleo in the two weeks since she disappeared.

It comes after it was revealed detectives in the 100-strong taskforce had responded to 200 potential sightings of Cleo in the two weeks since she disappeared.

'Unfortunately all of those have proved unfruitful,' Detective Superintendent Rob Wilde said.

'That's been national as well, other policing jurisdictions have helped us and followed those leads through for us, so we're very grateful for that.'

While none of the leads have been accurate yet, he is still calling on the public to continue searching for Cleo and reporting any potentially useful information.
A California man accused of punching an American Airlines flight attendant so hard he broke her nose has claimed that she 'charged' at him first and ran into his outstretched palm as he was traveling home after undergoing brain surgery stemming from an assault in New York City last year.

Brian Hsu, 20, of Irvine, California, was charged on Monday with assault and interference with a flight crew for the alleged altercation onboard an American Airlines flight from New York to Santa Ana, California on October 27.

The business class passenger appeared before U.S. District Judge Autumn Spaeth in Santa Ana on Monday and was released after paying a $10,000 bond. He is next due in court in Denver on November 15.

Asked by reporters outside court if he hit the flight attendant, he replied: 'No, sir.'

When he was asked by KTLA if he had a message for her, he said: 'I love America.'

The in-flight- which was investigated by the FBI and Denver Police Department - forced the pilot of the Airbus to make an unscheduled landing in Denver shortly after 6.30pm.

Witnesses on the flight last week say Hsu punched a flight attendant twice in the face and broke her nose after she bumped into him on the flight.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show that Hsu claims he was the victim.

He also claimed that he could not have punched the flight attendant because he had sustained an injury to his right hand a few weeks ago, which prevents him from making a fist.

Hsu told police he was on the plane returning home after undergoing surgery in Rhode Island to reconstruct his skull. He said that he had suffered a head injury after being assaulted in New York City in the fall of 2020, which has left him suffering from psychological damage and 'brain fog,' ringing in his ears, nausea, dizziness, and loss of balance.

'He is now sensitive to sound and sometimes experiences a mental 'fog', during which thinking is difficult,' the agent wrote in his report into the arrest. 'Hsu said his parents think he acts differently than he used to.'

Scroll down for video

Brian Hsu, 20, is seen leaving a Los Angeles court on Monday after being released on a $10,000 bond

Hsu is seen leaving court after his hearing on Monday. He has been charged with assaulting a flight attendant

Court sketches show Hsu in Santa Ana on Monday, appearing before U.S. District Judge Autumn Spaeth

Hsu was released on bond, ordered to hand over his passport, but still permitted to travel to Rhode Island for medical appointments and Denver for court hearings. He is next in court in Denver on November 15

Hsu's mother, Julia Yu, confirmed to CBS News on Monday that her son had been arrested, but said she could not comment. She was with Hsu on the flight on October 27

Hsu told agents he got up to use the bathroom and was standing and stretching in the aisle when he 'accidentally' bumped the flight attendant with his hand or arm.

According to the passenger, the flight attendant 'became agitated and began swinging at Hsu's head' with her hands.

'Hsu stated that he became scared because an impact to his head in its current state could cause him severe injury or death,' according to the document.

In a bid to prevent the flight attendant from hitting him, Hsu claimed that he backed up towards his seat and raised his hands defensively, with his palms facing outward.

'Hsu then stated that the Victim charged at him and hit her nose against the palm of his right hand,' the complaint reads. 'After impact, Hsu did not see the Victim holding her nose, nor did he see any blood.'

A male flight attendant then placed himself between Hsu and his injured colleague, and restrained the passenger with tape and plastic handcuffs.

He complained that other passengers berated him 'and did not want to hear his side of the story.'

Hsu's mother was traveling with him on the flight, and confirmed that he had a neurological condition.

'Hsu's mother stated that after his brain injury, he had symptoms of dizziness and seems to become more easily angered,' the agent wrote. 'After his most recent surgery in Rhode Island, Hsu had trouble sitting still and frequently felt the need to stretch.'

Hsu's mother told the agent that her son had accidentally knocked into the flight attendant, and then the flight attendant became enraged.

'The victim became angry and rushed towards Hsu,' the agent notes. 'Hsu raised his palms to defend himself and one of this palms hit the victim in the nose.'

The man's mother said her son 'is afraid of people touching his head.' She also reiterated that he has a broken finger on his right hand from a recent workout injury and cannot make a fist.

The flight attendant, however, told investigators that Hsu had hit her.

She said he hit her in the head with his elbow, then 'charged at her, flailing his arms'.

Another flight attendant came to help his colleague, but Hsu, according to her account, charged again.

Police met the plane at the gate and immediately apprehended Hsu, who was snapped sitting in Denver International Airport in handcuffs by fellow passenger Mackenzie Rose

An image snapped by a passenger and circulated on Twitter appeared to show crew members and other passengers on American Airlines flight 976 rallying to secure the man to an airplane seat using duct tape following the assault

'When he charged at the victim this time, he struck her in the face with the closed fist of his right hand.'

She was 'stunned' and walked into first class, where she and others barricaded themselves in with a drinks cart, while Hsu was restrained.

Hsu was later seen duct-taped on a seat after the plane made the unscheduled stop, as his alleged victim was being treated at a local hospital for broken bones in her face.

She spent the night in hospital, and was discharged the following day.

American Airlines officials have since banned Hsu, and said they will demand the strictest punishment for the suspect.

Following the altercation, the head of American Airlines, Doug Parker, called it 'one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed,' in an Instagram post and video posted on Thursday.

'Last night, American Airlines had one of the worst displays weve seen, when a passenger violently assaulted one of our flight attendants. Thankfully, our flight attendant is recovering and we are making sure she and her fellow crew members have the support they need.

'The passenger, however, will never be allowed to fly American again and we are doing everything we can to ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. But at the end of the day, while these interactions are not the norm, even one is too many, and they must stop.'

Video shared online showed passengers booing as cops boarded the jet when it landed at Denver Airport.

Mackenzie Rose, a passenger on the flight, said she saw the flight attendant walk by after the incident 'with blood on her mask', and speculated that the attacker might have been drunk or high.

Meanwhile, a photo posted on Twitter appeared to show crew members and passengers duct-taping the man to his seat.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, pictured, condemned the attack on the flight attendant

The flight took off from JFK Airport just before 5pm ET and landed in Colorado at 6.43pm Denver time according to flight tracking website Flightview.

Police met the plane at the gate and immediately apprehended Hsu, who was snapped sitting in the airport in handcuffs by Rose.

Denver Airport Police confirmed the subject was taken into custody and said the FBI is investigating the incident.

Paul Hartshorn Jr. of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants confirmed that the flight attendant has since been released from a Denver hospital and is on her way back home, according to KTLA.

'After a flight attendant who was working in a different cabin bumped this passenger, were told, she then walked into one of the flight galleys and this passenger approached her and punched her in the face at least twice. Thats what we know right now and she sustained broken bones in her nose and her face,' Hartshorn said.

The assault was initially believed to have occurred after the male passenger was asked to put on a mask by a flight attendant, but the exact cause of the attack was clarified by airline officials Thursday.

The female flight attendant had inadvertently bumped into the male passenger before apologizing, causing the man to swing a pair of punches at her, according to witnesses, hitting her in the face.

'I understand that he actually punched her twice. I saw her walk back down the aisle afterwards and she had blood splattered on the outside of her mask.

'In terms of men hitting women, it's absolutely absurd and ridiculous.'

Rose went on to say that she had 'an impression that there might be a substance or alcohol involved' in the incident.

The flight eventually left Denver for Orange County about 9:30 pm Denver time following the incident, according to American Airlines.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced earlier this year that it would begin to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers after a rise in reports of aggressive behavior on flights.

The agency said in August it had issued more than $1 million in fines to unruly passengers in 2021, and revealed there have already been 4,941 unruly passenger reports this year alone.

Assaulting a flight attendant is a felony and could land an offender years in prison.

American Airlines flight 976 diverted from its original destination of John Wayne Airport to Denver International after a male passenger, thought to be traveling in business class, allegedly punched a female flight attendant twice in the face in a dispute over masks according to witnesses (flight 976 pictured at Denver International airport)

Mackenzie Rose (pictured), a passenger aboard American Airlines flight 976, said: 'I understand that he actually punched her twice. I saw her walk back down the aisle afterwards and she had blood splattered on the outside of her mask.'

American Airlines released a statement following the plane's arrival at Denver International (pictured), expressing their 'outrage' at the incident and promising to ban the individual, who has not yet been named, from all future American Airlines services.

The airline confirmed it intends to prosecute the individual, who it says was apprehended by law enforcement at the gate following the safe landing at Denver International Airport.

'We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board. Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines,' it said in a statement.

'We have engaged local law enforcement and the FBI and we are working with them to ensure they have all the information they need. The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

'We thank our crew for their quick action and professionalism to ensure the safety of their fellow team members and customers on board,' the airline said.

'Our thoughts are with our injured flight attendant and ensuring that she and her fellow crew members have the support they need at this time.'

Were you on the flight? Contact newsUS@dailymail.com
The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the gun loaded with live ammunition that he used to accidentally kill cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has spoken out for the first time.

In a statement Monday addressing the October 21 shooting, David Halls called Hutchins his 'friend' and asked the industry to 'reevaluate' its values.

'I'm shocked and saddened by her death,' Halls said. 'It's my hope that this tragedy prompts the industry to reevaluate its values and practices to ensure no one is harmed through the creative process again.'

'Halyna Hutchins was not just one of the most talented people I've worked with, but also a friend,' he added.

Despite breaking his silence, the assistant director failed to address reports that he was one of the three people to handle the loaded gun before the tragic accident that killed Hutchins, 42, and wounded director Joel Souza.

The other two were armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, and Baldwin, who received the gun from Halls.

Rust assistant director David Halls issued his first statement since the October 21 shooting in the Santa Fe filming set that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza

Despite breaking his silence, the assistant director failed to address reports that he was one of the three people to handle the loaded gun before the tragic accident that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza

Halls had reportedly declared it a 'cold' weapon, meaning it was loaded only with blanks, without having checked all the rounds in the gun barrel. Above, Alec Baldwin speaks on the phone in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office in Santa Fe

Search warrants reveal that Halls, and everyone else on the set, was unaware the gun he handed Baldwin contained live ammunition.

Halls had reportedly declared it a 'cold' weapon, meaning it was loaded only with blanks, without having checked all the rounds in the gun barrel.

Souza told Santa Fe police that Halls was supposed to check that the gun was unloaded before handing it to Baldwin, but couldn't recall if he had done it.

'He advised he should have checked all of them, but didn't, and couldn't recall if she [Gutierrez-Reed] spun the drum,' court papers read.

Halls spoke out just hours after the haunting final words of Hutchins as she lay dying on the Rust Santa Fe film set were revealed.

'That was no good. That was no good at all,' Hutchins, 42, said seconds after she was fatally shot by Baldwin.

Hutchins' last words came after lead actor Baldwin discharged a prop Colt .45 revolver that was supposed to be loaded with blanks but contained live ammunition, and were reported Sunday by the Los Angeles Times after a slew of interviews with cast and crew.

DailyMail.com exclusively obtained photos from the late mother-of-one's wedding day 16 years ago, which show the Ukraine-born woman adorned in a long, white gown, accompanied by her parents Olga and Anatoly Androsovych, and her husband, Matt Hutchins.

DailyMail.com has obtained exclusive photos of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (pictured in the white wedding gown) on her wedding day 16 years ago, with husband Matt Hutchins (second from left) and parents Olga Androsovych (at far left) and Anatoly Androsovych

'That was no good. That was no good at all,' the 42-year-old mother-of-two said seconds after she was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of indie Western Rust on October 21 before succumbing to her injuries

Hutchins' last words came after lead actor Baldwin discharged a prop Colt .45 revolver that was supposed to be loaded with blanks but contained live ammunition, and were reported Sunday by the Los Angeles Times after a slew of interviews with cast and crew.

'What the f**k just happened?' Baldwin reportedly asked cast and crew members after the shot went off, and Hutchins suddenly stumbled back into head electrician Serge Svetnoy's arms. Director Joel Souza also hit the deck after being grazed.

DailyMail exclusively reported that Halls had reputation for being laxed with safety and was 'flippant' toward firearms on previous movie sets.

As police investigate what exactly happened in the moments leading up to the tragic accident, pyrotechnicians and prop masters who worked with Halls on other projects told DailyMail.com about their concerns about him.

One crew member, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being blacklisted, told DailyMail.com that he'd worked with Halls on two similarly low-budget sets in Los Angeles in spring 2019, one where a revolver and Glock were used, and another involving shotguns.

Each morning they'd have a meeting to discuss the weapons and other safety issues, an industry standard. But he said Halls didn't think they were needed.

'He was very flippant about my insistence on having a safety meeting about the weapons, on both of the sets,' said the crew member, who asked to use the pseudonym 'Jay' and has worked on films for 10 years.

'He would rush through it and say, alright guys, be safe, let's get to work.'

'Even though the guns were not loaded, you have to treat it as if it always is,' he said. 'And for me that means doing a safety meeting that may be seen as unnecessary but should absolutely be done so that everyone is on the same page.'

'He would rush through it and say, alright guys, be safe, let's get to work'

'Systemically, so much pressure is put on the first assistant directors to meet a schedule, to 'make the day,' meaning to get all the work done that you already have scheduled for the day,' he continued.

'When it comes to safety on set, or having to wait for anything, because safety takes time, I have seen 1st ADs get annoyed for having to wait.

'But they ultimately understand it needs to be done. But when I worked with him, it was the only time I've had any AD ask me, 'Do we really need to have a safety meeting?''

On both sets, no live bullets were used, and no guns were pointed at another person. Camera angles made it appear as if the guns were on target. And before anyone placed their finger on a trigger, an 'armorer' or person on set responsible for weapons, would shine a flashlight down the barrel to show no blockage or potential projectile.

'When you fire, no projectile is supposed to come out, though it still could be dangerous,' Jay said. 'That's where there are rules. You don't aim it at anybody at any time.'

Halls has removed his Twitter and LinkedIn accounts after the shooting. He first spoke out on Monday about the tragic accident

Sources on the set of Rust said the incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins could be tied to the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed

And in no instance would an assistant director ever touch the gun, he said.

'His job is to check the guns, visually, check them with the actor and with the steward on set who is the property person or the armorer,' Jay said.

'The chain of custody for the gun should only be between the armorer, the property person and the actor directly handling it.'

On the set of Rust, Jay said, first of all there shouldn't have been any live ammunition on the set.

But he believes Hall is primarily responsible for the tragedy because he reportedly shouted 'cold gun' without having visually inspected the weapon to 'clear the gun.'

'That's what makes me feel he is in every way responsible,' Jay told DailyMail.com.

'First of all, he was never supposed to handle that prop. Then he declared it a cold gun. It literally takes just a few seconds to check the gun to make sure it's safe.

'He had no idea if it was a cold gun, so why make that announcement?

The crew were filming a scene inside this church when the shooting happened on Thursday. Production has now been halted

'If it weren't for the actions he took in those few seconds, I believe Halyna would still be alive,' he concluded.

Maggie Goll, a pyrotechnician who worked with Halls in 2019 for a Hulu series Into The Dark, told DailyMail.com that she complained to the Directors Guild of America about him after he tried to push on with filming despite a crew member having a diabetic fit.

The crewmember was also a pyrotechnician who was needed on set to supervise a scene involving a fireplace filled with 100 candles. When he collapsed, Goll said she extinguished everything and called for an ambulance but Halls wanted to keep shooting.

On that same shoot, she says he 'neglected to hold safety meetings'.

'Dave neglected to hold safety meetings or make announcements prior to the appearance of a firearm on set on a daily basis.

'The only reason the crew was made aware of a weapon's presence was because the Assistant Prop Master demanded Dave acknowledge and announce the situation each day.

A girl pays her respects at a vigil held for Halyna in Burbank, California, on October 23

'This Asst Prop Master would announce each day when a gun would be required on camera, the disposition of that weapon - whether it was a rubber/plastic replica, a non-firing option, or a 'cold' functional but unloaded option, allowing anyone to inspect said weapon prior to bringing it to set and presenting it to the talent.

'The Prop Master also was extremely vigilant in reclaiming any distributed weapons prior to the talent leaving set.

'The Prop Master frequently admonished Dave for dismissing the talent without returning props, weapon included, or failing to make safety announcements.'

After the shoot, she says she filed multiple complaints with a safety line and tried to contact the Directors Guild of America but 'nothing was done'.

'That was the last I saw of Dave and that AP. That is, until I saw Dave's name pop up in relation to the accident on the set of 'Rust.'

'I am gutted at not pushing harder for greater accountability and safety.

'Many of us have messaged each other wondering the same thing: is there something we could have done then that would have prevented the tragedy in New Mexico yesterday?

'It is a horrible feeling,' she said.
GOP Sen. John Barrasso raised fresh concerns about President Biden's director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over her involvement in a tree-spiking incident he described as 'domestic terrorism.'

The Wyoming Republican, a ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a follow-up letter to a July note he had written demanding Stone-Manning provide answers on her checkered past.

Stone-Manning was approved 50-45 in September on a party-line vote, and was the first Senate-confirmed BLM director in 5 years.

In 1989, Stone-Manning was involved with a group that 500 pounds of metal spikes into trees in Idaho's Clearwater National Forest.

Stone-Manning was approved 50-45 in September on a party-line vote, and was the first Senate-confirmed BLM director in 5 years

Barrasso also questioned a lone of $50,000 that Stone-Manning took in 2008 during the financial crisis from a Montana real estate developer, which Republicans says she got at a below-market rate while she worked on Sen. John Tester's staff

Tree spiking involves hammering a metal rod into a tree trunk where a logger might cut into the tree and has been labeled a form of eco-terrorism in the US. The practice can risk damaging the tree's value or the saw used to cut it down, and also injury or death to the logger, without killing the tree.

That same year, Stone-Manning authored an anonymous letter to the US Forest Service on behalf of her fellow young environmentalists, part of EarthFirst!, warning that someone had spiked the trees in the Idaho forest that was slated to be cut down.

Barrasso also questioned a lone of $50,000 that Stone-Manning took in 2008 during the financial crisis from a Montana real estate developer, which Republicans says she got at a below-market rate while she worked on Democratic Sen. John Tester's staff.

'Almost four months has passed, and the Committee has still not received your responses to the follow-up questions for the record asked by its members,' Barrasso wrote in a letter seen by DailyMail.com.

'Ensuring the American public has complete and full answers to these questions is important to all citizens who utilize our public lands and whose livelihoods depend on them,' he added.

Barrasso set a Nov. 11 deadline for Stone-Manning to respond.

The senator has also noted that Stone-Manning told the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in answers to a questionnaire that she had never been under investigation for the incident, which was not true.

The question asked if she had 'ever been investigated, arrested, or charged by any federal, state or local law enforcement authority for the violation of any federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance, other than a minor traffic offense.'

Stone-Manning wrote that she had 'never been arrested or charged and to my knowledge, I have never been the target of such an investigation.'

But Stone-Manning told the Spokesman-Review in August 1990 that she had been investigated by the FBI.

'It was degrading. It changed my awareness of the power of government,' she said, at the time a graduate student at the University of Montana. 'Yes, this was happening to me and not someone in Panama. And, yes, the government does bad things sometimes.'

Bob Abbey, the first BLM director under President Barack Obama, said the incident 'should disqualify her' from leading the agency.

'BLM needs a really strong leader,' he said. 'To put someone in that position that has this type of resume will just bring needless controversy that is not good for the agency or for the public lands.'

But the White House, as well as other Democrats, stood by Manning, whose bureau oversees 10,000 employees and manages about an eighth of the nation's land.

She will now be tasked with implementing some of the president's key environmental goals such as setting aside 30 percent of then nation's land and waters for conservation and winding down oil and gas drilling on federal land.
French President Emmanuel Macron has backed down from his midnight deadline for retaliation against the UK over the post Brexit fishing rights row.

Macron confirmed today that will not go ahead with retaliatory measures against Britain, which just hours ago he promised to implement at midnight, instead saying he would resume talks on Tuesday.

He declared discussions between France, the UK and the European Commission would 'continue tomorrow' and ruled out any retaliation against Britain because 'it's not while we're negotiating that we're going to impose sanctions'.

It comes as both Macron and Boris Johnson are participating side by side in the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said earlier today that the government is prepared to launch action of its own against France should Macron go ahead with the threat.

Despite a seeming lull in hostilities, a French fishing chief last night warned trawlermen to stay away from British waters in case the row blows up again.

Olivier Lepretre, chairman of the powerful northern French fisheries committee, said: I fear there might be some tit-for-tat measures. We need an agreement that works for both French and British fishermen.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L), UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron talk at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 1, 2021

A British trawler Cornelis Gert Jan is seen moored in the port of Le Havre, after France seized on Thursday a British trawler fishing in its territorial waters without a licence, in Le Havre, France, October 29, 2021

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (pictured at COP today) rejected the deadline set by the French president of tomorrow for more small boats to be granted licences for UK waters and said Britain is prepared to launch action of its own against France

The French president had warned that Paris could block British boats from landing their catches in French ports and tighten customs checks from midnight in protest at what they claim is a refusal by the UK authorities to grant licences to French boats.

France alleges Britain is not honouring a post-Brexit deal on access to British fishing grounds, and said yesterday that from midnight (2300 GMT) on Monday it would retaliate by stepping up checks on trucks coming from Britain and barring British trawlers from docking in French ports.

But the UK insisted it would only grant licences to boats which meet the criteria set out in the Brexit deal.

On Monday night, reports said Mr Macron had said negotiations must continue.

A UK Government spokesperson said: 'We welcome the French Government's announcement that they will not go ahead with implementing their proposed measures as planned tomorrow.

'The UK has set out its position clearly on these measures in recent days.

'As we have said consistently, we are ready to continue intensive discussions on fisheries, including considering any new evidence to support the remaining license applications.

'We welcome France's acknowledgement that in-depth discussions are needed to resolve the range of difficulties in the UK/EU relationship.'

On Monday night, just hours ahead of the deadline set by Paris, the French president was reported to have told journalists at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow: 'Since this afternoon, discussions have resumed on the basis of a proposal I made to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

'The talks need to continue.'

'My understanding is that the British were going to come back to us tomorrow with other proposals. All that will be worked on.

'We'll see where we are tomorrow at the end of the day, to see if things have really changed,' he is reported to have said.

Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson met briefly today as the French president arrived in Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit, while officials from the two nations were involved in ongoing talks convened by the European Commission in Brussels.

Downing Street previously said it had 'robust' contingency plans in place if Macron had decided to press forward with retaliatory measures.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss confirmed the UK would take legal action under the UK-EU Brexit trade deal, while a tit-for-tat retaliation to French action has not been ruled out.

Truss told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Those threats are completely unwarranted. We allocated the fishing licences completely in line with what is in the trade agreement with the EU and the French need to withdraw those threats.

'Otherwise we will use the dispute resolution mechanism in the EU deal to take action.'

She added: 'We are simply not going to roll over in the face of these threats.'

The UK has granted licences to 98% of EU vessels which have requested permission to operate in British waters.

But the dispute centres on access for small boats, under 12 metres, wishing to fish in the UK six to 12 nautical mile zone.

The government in Paris was angry that the UK originally granted only 12 licences out of 47 bids for smaller vessels, a figure which has now risen to 18.

Only boats which can demonstrate they have fished in UK waters for one day in each of the years between 2012 and 2016 qualify for a licence.

The Elysee Palace had said that without movement from the UK Government, the retaliatory measures would come into force at midnight, AFP reported.

A No 10 spokesman told reporters: 'As you would expect, we have robust contingency plans in place.

'I'm not going to get into the detail of them here.

'It is the French that made these threats and we are continuing to call for them to step back from those threats.'

Jersey, which has also been threatened with action by France, has issued 49 temporary licences and 113 permanent licences to French vessels.
Country Road Group workers are planning to go on an 'indefinite strike' amid a bitter wage dispute as the union calls for shoppers to boycott the fashion powerhouse.

Staff employed at the CRG Logistics warehouse in Melbourne will walk off the job on Thursday as the female-dominated workforce demand a pay rise.

The United Workers Union said most workers were paid either $22.52 or $24.34 an hour - above the national minimum wage of $20.33.

They claim staff at the Truganina warehouse are not being paid a 'fair' rate and are seeking a 90c hourly increase - or an additional $25 to $30 a week.

But the company has accused the unions of running a smear campaign against its brands to 'publicly discredit our brands with false and baseless allegations of underpayment, bullying and harassment to leverage its demands'.

The UWU has launched a website titled 'Country Rogue' with a petition calling for people to sign up to help workers 'get the pay they deserve' and avoid visiting its retail outlets.

Country Road warehouse workers will go on an 'indefinite strike' from Thursday amid a bitter dispute with the fashion giant (pictured) over wages

Unions argue men in nearby warehouses performing the same work were earning up to $10 more an hour and the company's 44 per cent profit rise in 2020 means they can afford to pay staff more.

'It's time they rewarded their warehouse workers,' Victorian Trade Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari said.

'Shoppers should show their solidarity by avoiding shopping at Country Road until they come to the table.'

But the company claims staff are not hard done by - and it has in fact offered workers an annual 2.7 per cent pay rise for three years, which equates to an additional 66c an hour for those on the top rate, The Australian reports.

Country Road Group said this would allow staff to earn up to an extra $1,200 annually - depending on the number of hours worked - and staff were also given a separate $500 'recognition payment' in September.

The United Workers Union says the female-dominated workforce at the Truganina logistics centre (pictured) are being paid up to $10 less an hour than men performing the same work in warehouses in Western Melbourne

If accepted, it would increase the workers' wages to 11 per cent above the award rate, a CRG spokesperson said.

But Mr Hilakari said Country Road Group could afford to pay staff more after it 'made a small fortune during this pandemic', receiving about $25million in JobKeeper subsidies on top of the company's growth.

UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy said many employees were young, single mothers who planned to strike indefinitely until an adequate agreement was reached.

'This is not a 24-hour fly by night thing. This is on and we'll see it through to the end like we have with all these other strikes,' he said.

Mr Kennedy said the walkout would be a 'big financial risk' to the company - which also supplies products to Mimco, Trenery, Witchery and Politix - ahead of the Christmas season.

The union is calling on shoppers to boycott the fashion chain as it demands 'fair' wages for the company's warehouse workers

He said existing supply chain delays are already threatening to slow shipments in coming months and shoppers will be eager to spend after emerging from Covid lockdowns.

'The company has sought to bully them out of any recognition or acknowledgment of their fundamental right to try and bargain for something better [since they joined the union last year],' Mr Kennedy said.

'There has been no real action by the company to demonstrate any desire to allow these workers to improve their lot in life. To get a wage rise, they've had to go out on strike'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Country Road Group for comment.
A young woman who worked as the prop master on the set of Rust 'shot her self in the foot' on set just days before the fatal accident that killed Halyna Hutchins.

The round was blank and it is not known if Sarah Zachry suffered any serious injury as a result of the firing.

But the incident is one of a number misfires that went off on set in the days prior to Alec Baldwin's fatal shooting of cinematographer Hutchins.

Crew members have said weapons were accidentally fired three times.

Apart from Zachry, Baldwin's stunt double also accidentally fired a blank. He had likewise been told that his gun was 'cold' just as Baldwin had.

A young woman who worked in the props department on the set of Rust 'shot her self in the foot' after a weapon accidentally went off. It came in the days before cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed after a gun was accidentally discharged by actor Alec Baldwin

The prop firearm discharged by veteran actor Alec Baldwin, who is producing and starring in a Western movie, but it appears that there had been several incidents in the days leading up to the fatal shooting

The term means there was no live ammunition in the firearm.

The details have been revealed in a report by the Los Angeles Times which has attempted to detail the events leading up to Hutchins tragic death with the help of Lane Luper, the A-camera first assistant.

'It always felt like the budget was more important than crew members,' Luper said. 'Every thing was about the schedule and the budget.

'So far there have been 2 accidental weapons discharges and 1 accidental SFX explosives that have gone off around the crew between takes To be clear there are NO safety meetings these days,' Luper said in a resignation email, sent one day before Badwin's fatal shot.

'There have been NO explanations as to what to expect for these shots. When anyone from production is asked we are usually met with the same answers about not having enough time to complete the day if we rehearse or that 'this is a 21 day shoot.

'In my 10 years as a camera assistant I've never worked on a show that cares so little for the safety of its crew,' Luper said in her email which was seen by NBC News.

Much of the blame for the death on set has been directed towards Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, pictured, the armorer who oversaw the prop weapons used on the Rust movie set

The reports of accidental firings tally with what the lawyers of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, the armorer who oversaw the prop weapons used on the Rust movie set, had told Fox News.

New Mexico-based lawyers Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence wrote in a statement that 'safety is Hannah's number one priority.'

She also detailed how two accidental discharges had occurred on the set.

'The first one on this set was the prop master and the second one was a stunt man after Hannah informed him his gun was hot with blanks,' they said.

The lawyers also attempted to move the blame of the death from armorer Gutierrez-Reed to a more general overview over the lack of resources that would have ensured the safety of those working on set.

'She fought for training, days to maintain weapons and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department.'

Alec Baldwin is seen speaking on the phone in the hours after the October 21st shooting in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded

The LA Times report also reveals the haunting final words of Hutchins as she lay dying on the Santa Fe film set.

'That was no good. That was no good at all,' Hutchins, 42, said seconds after she was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin before succumbing to her injuries.

Hutchins' last words came after lead actor Baldwin discharged a prop Colt .45 revolver that was supposed to be loaded with blanks but contained live ammunition.

'What the f**k just happened?' Baldwin reportedly asked cast and crew members after the shot went off, and Hutchins suddenly stumbled back into head electrician Serge Svetnoy's arms. Director Joel Souza also hit the deck after being grazed.

The actor, perplexed by the incident, had been prepping for a scene that involved him drawing and firing the prop gun.

'So,' Baldwin said to Souza before firing the shot, 'I guess I'm gonna take this out, pull it, and go, 'Bang!'

The actor then drew the gun - which he had been assured was safe to use by the film's first assistant director, David Halls, being told it was a 'cold gun' - and fired.

But instead of a blank, a live bullet flew out of the barrel, fatally striking Hutchins in the chest, and exiting her body to also pierce Souza.

'What the f*** was that? That burns!' the director reportedly screamed during the ensuing confusion.

Baldwin, shocked, then proceeded to put the gun down, cast members revealed, and looked at his two savaged colleagues.

'What the f**k just happened?' the actor repeated again.

Then, pandemonium ensued.

Serge Svetnoy, at left, has described the harrowing moment he held colleague Halyna Hutchins in his arms after she was accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin

'What the f**k just happened?' Baldwin reportedly asked cast and crew members after the shot went off, and Hutchins suddenly stumbled back into head electrician Serge Svetnoy's arms

The incident took place on set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in the desert just outside Santa Fe

'Medic!' someone on the set screamed, The Times Reported, as staffers gathered around Hutchins, who was carefully set to the ground by Svetnoy and was bleeding profusely from her chest.

'I can't feel my legs,' the cinematographer told Svetnoy.

Cast and crew members struggled to stop the bleeding.

At this point, the Times reveals, Hutchins, still conscious at the time, looked up at one of the staffers trying to save her, a boom operator.



'Oh, that was no good,' the sound guy said, taking in the severity of his colleague's injury.

'No,' Hutchins replied, knowingly. 'That was no good. That was no good at all.'

The cinematographer succumbed to her wounds mere hours later.

Alec and his wife, Hilaria, spoke to reporters about the incident for the first time Saturday during an impromptu roadside press conference on Saturday (pictured)

Baldwin, pictured after he and his wife Hilaria stopped to speak with reporters at the weekend

On Monday, the assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the gun loaded with live ammunition spoke out for the first time.

In a statement addressing the October 21 shooting, David Halls called Hutchins his 'friend' and asked the industry to 'reevaluate' its values.

'I'm shocked and saddened by her death,' Halls said. 'It's my hope that this tragedy prompts the industry to reevaluate its values and practices to ensure no one is harmed through the creative process again.'

'Halyna Hutchins was not just one of the most talented people I've worked with, but also a friend,' he added.

Despite breaking his silence, the assistant director failed to address reports that he was one of the three people to handle the loaded gun before the tragic accident that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.

Rust assistant director David Halls issued his first statement since the October 21 shooting in the Santa Fe filming set that killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza

Search warrants reveal that Halls, and everyone else on the set, was unaware the gun he handed Baldwin contained live ammunition.

Halls had reportedly declared it a 'cold' weapon, meaning it was loaded only with blanks, without having checked all the rounds in the gun barrel.

Souza told Santa Fe police that Halls was supposed to check that the gun was unloaded before handing it to Baldwin, but couldn't recall if he had done it.

'He advised he should have checked all of them, but didn't, and couldn't recall if she [Gutierrez-Reed] spun the drum,' court papers read.
A Georgia woman says she received an emergency room bill for nearly $700- despite not receiving treatment and leaving the hospital after seven hours without ever getting to see a doctor.

Taylor Davis told a local media outlet that she checked into Emory Decatur Hospital for treatment of a head injury in July  but after waiting to be seen for seven hours, left the facility.

I sat there for seven hours, she told Fox 5. There's no way I should be sitting in an emergency room - an emergency room - for seven hours.

Weeks later, Davis said she was shocked to receive a hospital bill for $688.35.

"I didn't get my vitals taken, nobody called my name, Davis told the outlet. I wasn't seen at all.

Taylor Davis told a local media outlet that she checked into Emory Decatur Hospital for treatment of a head injury in July  but after waiting to be seen for seven hours, left the facility.

Weeks later, Davis said she was shocked to receive a hospital bill for $688.35

Initially believing she received the bill in error, she reached out to the hospital and was told the charges stood as an emergency room visit fee.

[The employee] said its hospital protocol even if you're just walking in and you're not seen, she said. When you type in your social, thats it. Youre going to get charged regardless.

In an email sent to Davis and obtained by Fox 5, the hospital said: You are charged before you are seen. Not for being seen.

Davis said shell now think twice before seeking hospital treatment.

That's kind of like the last resort now, she said. Seeing that they're able to bill you for random things, it doesn't make me want to go.

Emory Healthcare did not immediately respond to a DailyMail.com query, but released a statement to Fox.

Emory Healthcare takes all patient concerns seriously and appreciates this has been brought to our attention, the statement said. Our teams are currently looking into this matter and will follow up directly with the individual.

It's estimated that about 1 in 5 emergency visits and 1 in 6 inpatient admissions will trigger a surprise bill.

In June, a viral TikTok video shed light on the staggering cost of a prolonged hospital stay in the US during the pandemic.

It's estimated that about 1 in 5 emergency visits and 1 in 6 inpatient admissions result in a surprise bill

TikTok account @letstalkaboutbusiness shared the video, claiming to show the cost of a four month stay in an American hospital with COVID-19.

The clip includes an itemized list of charges, from anesthesia to physical therapy to a stay in the ICU, which totaled more than $2.85million.

And in June 2020, a Seattle man who spent two months in hospital battling COVID-19 was billed $1.12 million for his treatment.

Since the patient had insurance, the bulk of the tab was expected to be picked up by taxpayers.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, both enacted in April 2020, require that 'private health issuers and employer group health plans cover COVID-19 testing and services furnished during the pandemic, with no out-of-pocket expense'.
A Melbourne Cup horse has been ruled out of the race on the morning of the 'race that stops the nation' after an early morning vet examination detected an injury.

Future Score, the Matt Cumani-trained outsider, will not be permitted to compete after veterinarians found lameness in his right foreleg.

Cumani - the brother of glamorous racing presenter Francesca Cumani and son of famed English trainer Luca Cumani - has slammed Racing Victoria for the 'ultra-conservative' rules for preventing the horse from running.

He said the horse was in the same physical shape he was when he won the Cranbourne Cup.

Racing Victoria has greatly ramped up vet examinations and repeated scans of Cup runners this year in an effort to prevent another instance of a runner suffering a fatal injury in the sport's showpiece event.

There have been a succession of catastrophic injuries among foreign horses in recent years, such as Anthony van Dyck and The Cliffsofmoher in the past two years, and authorities came under great pressure to ensure no horses are allowed to enter the race with pre-existing injuries.

The intrusive series of tests and scans had already prevented most foreign contenders from taking part, and now had removed a local runner too.

'Just very sad for the owners of the horse, we thought he was a better chance than 200-1, he was really peaking for this week,' Cumani told SEN on Tuesday morning.

Future Score, the Matt Cumani-trained outsider, will retire from today's race after veterinarians found lameness in his right foreleg

Matthew Cumani (right) is the brother of Francessca Cumani (left) a high-profile horse racing presenter for ITV Racing and Channel Ten

'There's a lot of pressure on Racing Victoria to be ultra, ultra conservative. And for them it was a real margin call, it went down to 7.29am to make the decision.

'They decided to be ultra-cautious. I can understand their point of view when they don't know a horse inside out.

'But for me and my vet, who know him inside out, and know he presented in the same way going into the Cranbourne Cup, which he won convincingly, it's a bit frustrating.'

Future Score had passed all of his pre-requisite exams and was cleared following a round of vet examinations late last week.

The final call to withdraw the horse was made at 7:29am, just one minute before the scratching deadline.

A disappointed Cumani said the horse had been racing with consistent action for over 12 months and would return towards the end of the spring carnival.

Matt Cumani with Future Score after winning the TAB Cranbourne Cup in October 2020

'Look, he was a 200-1 shot, but he was absolutely flying, he was peaking for this performance,' the trainer said.

'I'm confident he will be racing again (this prep),' he said.

Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained horse Delphi also underwent a vet check on raceday after presenting with signs of lameness in his left foreleg on Monday.

However Delphi was given the green light to run and will compete in the big race at 3pm.

Future Score being ridden by Fred Kersley at Flemington Racecourse in October 2020

Trainer Matt Cumani poses with Future Score after winning Race 4 at Flemington Racecourse

The scratching of Future Score reduces the field for the 2021 Melbourne Cup to 23 runners.

'This year's Cup is different because there's not as many internationals in the race,' TAB racing expert Andrew Georgiou told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's almost a bit of a throwback to a traditional Melbourne Cup where there are a lot of locally based horses.'

Reigning champion Twilight Payment is one of only three international runners this year, along with Spanish Mission and English colt Sir Lucan.

Last year's sinner Twilight Payment will be ridden again by Jye McNeil.

Horse Incentivise goes into the 'race that stops a nation' as the $2.80 shortest priced favourite in 90 years, since Phar Lap in 1930, who paid $1.73 for the win.

Flemington Racecourse will welcome up to 10,000 punters for the iconic event.

Punters were seen running to get a spot along the Flemington Racecourse as soon as gates opened on Tuesday morning

Punters queue to enter the Flemington Racecourse which will see 23 runners fight for the cup in front of 10,000 fully-vaccinated racegoers

Why the Melbourne Cup is NOT a one-horse race: Hot favourite Incentivise may be all the rage, but CHRIS LINES reveals the others you should back at MUCH better odds - and the ones that don't stand a chance

The Melbourne Cup will stop the nation again on Tuesday for the 161st running

Daily Mail Australia's comprehensive guide has all you need to know

Incentivise is the shortest priced favourite to win since Phar Lap in 1930

Several other runners offer much better value for punters

Let's be clear - Incentivise deserves to be favourite for today's Melbourne Cup and there's no denying the rising local superstar stands out as the most likely winner.

But anyone taking odds below $3 would be brave, considering the highly unpredictable nature of Australia's biggest race.

There have been 26 runners in Melbourne Cup history that have started shorter than $3.30 and only four have won.

When markets opened, Incentivise was shorter than any Cup runner since the great Phar Lap, which is extraordinary given back in March he ran third last in a Toowoomba maiden.

Incentivise's trainer Peter Moody led Black Caviar to her extraordinary record of 25 successive wins, so he knows how to sustain a hot streak.

And jockey Brett Prebble is back in career-best form and confident, so no-one will be surprised to see him powering away from the field down the long Flemington straight this afternoon.

Happy punters enjoy their day at the races for the Everest last month (pictured) with huge crowds expected on Tuesday to watch the Melbourne Cup

Jockey Brett Prebble begins to celebrate as Incentivise wins easily in the Caulfield Cup (pictured on October 16). That victory - and eight in a row prior - has the local stayer as the unbackable favourite to win today's Melbourne Cup

UNLIKELY TO WIN: Johnny Get Angry - $71 Knights Order - $81 Carif - $101 Master of Wine - $81 Miami Bound - $101 Port Guillaume - $126 She's Ideel - $101 Ocean Billy - $51 Future Score - $126 Advertisement

But when you consider that every other horse in the race is at odds of $3.50 or better to run a PLACE, it's clear that the value lies in backing the horses that will come second and third and stand a chance of causing an upset victory.

In narrowing down the options, one key thing to note is that the absence of international runners this year.

Reigning champion Twilight Payment is one of only three international runners this year, along with Spanish Mission and English colt Sir Lucan.

The lack of foreign runners is a result of stringent new standards that have been introduced by authorities aiming to prevent any more of the fatal injuries suffered by imports in the Cup in recent years, which badly tarnished the image of the event.

Most foreign trainers were unwilling to submit their horses to the battery of tests and scans which they must now pass in order to take their place in the field.

Their absence means several mediocre local stayers have made it into the field who would never have made it since the international era of the race began.

Barring any extraordinary form turnarounds, you can put a line through a third of the field.

There have been 26 runners in Melbourne Cup history that have started shorter than $3.30 and only four have won (pictured, punters on Derby Day on Saturday)

Persan and Great House (pictured during the Caulfield Cup) are among the local stayers who come into the race in good form and are attractive odds to run a place on Tuesday

Incentivise, the raging hot favourite Rated the horse to beat since a breathtaking Caulfield Cup win, Incentivise is already a three-time Group One winner who will now have to carry the heaviest weight (57kg) to win the Melbourne Cup since absolute legend Makybe Diva carried 58kgs to win her third in 2005. However, the five-year-old gelding fits the profile of Australia's favourite horses through history, and his rise from winning a Sunshine Coast maiden in April to the Melbourne Cup favourite in November is what movies, books and legends are made of. Most Australians are likely to be cheering him on, despite the skinny $2.80 odds. Advertisement

Johnny Get Angry, Knights Order, Carif Master of Wine, Miami Bound, Port Guillaume, She's Ideel, Ocean Billy and Future Score have either been doing an extraordinary job of disguising their true ability or more likely are just not up to this standard.

Twilight Payment is ideally drawn in barrier two to attempt a repeat of last year's rare feat of leading from start to finish, and the resultant genuine pace further reduces the chances of below-par horses somehow sneaking into the placings.

So with nine horses in the highly unlikely bracket, let's quickly assess the chances of the 14 other runners aiming to beat Incentivise.

Twilight Payment will again go hard from the front and hope to hold off the field but he's a nine-year-old now and has to carry the top weight so it would be a phenomenal effort to win it again.

Persan and The Chosen One were both prominent in the finish last year and while their lead-up form this time has been more solid than spectacular, they are definitely worth a place bet.

Spanish Mission comfortably beat Twilight Payment at the Royal Ascot meeting in June but is an unknown quantity in a high-pressure packed Cup field that he will encounter today.

Stablemates Floating Artist and Explosive Jack (pictured) discuss their Melbourne Cup chances as they enjoy a beach session in preparation for the big race

Place chances who can win on their day:

Spanish Mission - $10 Twilight Payment - $14 Floating Artist - $14 Tralee Rose - $16 Grand Promenade - $16 Delphi - $17 Verry Elleegant - $17 Persan - $23 Pondus - $23 Sir Lucan - $26 Great House - $26 The Chosen One - $31 Explosive Jack - $34 Selino - $51 Advertisement

The other import Sir Lucan fits the profile of recent Cup winners Rekindling and Cross Counter as young imports carrying a light weight - and he also has the knowhow of jockey Glen Boss who rode Makybe Diva to her hat trick of Cup wins.

Explosive Jack - which won three Derby races last season - and Sydney Cup winner Selino have proven they can excel at the top level and while neither has come close to winning since, this is the race both have long been aimed at and prepared for.

There are cluster of handy local stayers who have the strong recent form that suggests they could challenge at tempting odds.

Grand Promenade, Delphi, Tralee Rose and Great House have all had wins in lead-up races this spring and are worthy contenders.

Floating Artist and Pondus haven't cracked it for a lead-up win but have come close, and could be included in that group with a long odds chance.

One of the hardest to assess is Verry Elleegant.

On the negative side, she is more of a 2000 metre horse than a two-miler, but she is the most accomplished horse in the race, thrives in tight finishes and the combination of trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald routinely win big races.

Racing expert has his eyes on roughies Selino ($61) and Grand Promenade ($19) as two of the outsiders that could upset favourite Incentivise ($2.30). Pictured above is Myer ambassador Tayla Damir

BEWARE THE OUTSIDER

Since the Cup was first run in 1861, four horses have won at odds of 100-1: The Pearl (1871), Wotan (1936), Old Rowley (1940) and Prince of Penzance two years ago.

This year, TAB racing expert Andrew Georgiou told Daily Mail Australia that Selino is the best outsider.

'It won the Sydney Cup and I know it didn't do anything in the Caulfield Cup but that wasn't its race,' he said.

'To me there's a query on many horses running a strong 3200m but with Selino, you don't have that problem, it's run twice over the distance previously.'

'Grand Promenade could be the other one that runs a really good race and maybe troubles the favourite down the straight. It's got jockey Kerrin McEvoy on board and he's won three cups.

'And I don't mind Persan who's a stablemate of Grand Promenade, it ran 5th in the Cup last year.'

The 'race that stops a nation' begins at 3pm AEDST tomorrow from Flemington Racecourse

TEMPERAMENT AND CONDITION OF THE HORSE

Mr Georgiou agreed that how a horse looks and how it behaves in the parade ahead of the race can be a highly significant factor in how it will perform.

'As good as Incentivise is, if we see him come into the parade tomorrow and he's sweating, irritated and seems hot and bothered, it's the last thing you want to see if you've put your hard-earned on the favourite.

'You want to see a horse coming in at the peak of its condition and being calm beforehand.

'It's 3200m, so you don't want the horse to gas itself before it even gets to the barriers.

Equine physiotherapist Tom Simpson previously told Daily Mail Australia that the health of a horse's coat and its fitness were two qualities that go hand in hand.

'That is quite reflective of how the horse is feeling and its general well-being,' he said. '

'You want to see the horse is peaking for that run. That's the biggest thing - is it ready for that race? And then their action, the way they're walking. You want them walking out nice and even.'

JOCKEYS

Damien Oliver, Kerrin McEvoy and Glen Boss are the most successful of this year's jockeys in the big race, having each piloted three horses to victory.

Oliver will ride mid-priced Delphi this year, while McEvoy is on board Grand Promenade and Glen Boss is riding Gai Waterhouse's Sir Lucan, paying $23 for the win.

Jye McNeil will again ride last year's winner, Twilight Payment.

Michelle Payne is the only female jockey to have won the race, taking Prince of Penzance to victory in 2015.

There is one female jockey in this year's race, Rachel King riding No.15 Pondus.

TAB expert Mr Georgiou said the jockey is rightfully a big factor in whether people place a bet on a particular horse.

'It's not often at all that a jockey with very little big race experience wins a race the size of the Melbourne Cup,' he said.

'Its 3200m, it's not a sprint race or a middle-distance race. You've got to concentrate for a long time with 23 other horses jostling for position around you, naturally people will look towards a person who has won it previously.'

Punters seen on Derby Day last weekend. Up to 10,000 fully vaccinated people will be allowed to attend this year's Melbourne Cup

AGE

Four and five-year-olds are the best bet to win the cup, with horses between the age range winning the cup on 46 occasions.

Experts have warned three-year-old horses have generally not yet reached their peak, while those seven years and over don't compare to younger rivals.

This statistic works against Twilight Payment defending the crown tomorrow.

'Asking a 9-year-old to run 3200m with 58 kg, I can't see Twilight Payment winning the race tomorrow,' Mr Georgiou said.

'Apart from the favourite, 4, 5 and 6-year-old horses are the ones to identify anything older than that I can't see it happening, from a statistical point of view.'

TRAINERS

International trainers have had lots of success in the Melbourne Cup over recent years but the Covid-19 pandemic has given this year's a much more homegrown focus.

Veteran trainer Gai Waterhouse, who trains in partnership with Adrian Bott, has two horses in Knight's Order and Sir Lucan.

Former AFL premiership-winning coach turned horse trainer Denis Pagan makes his Melbourne Cup debut with Johnny Get Angry.

'It probably hasn't sunk in yet and I've got probably four or five more sleeps before it comes to fruition,' Pagan told the ABC.

Respected trainer Chris Waller has four horses in the race - Verry Elleegant, Ocean Billy, Selino and Great House.

Mr Georgiou expects punters to gravitate to the trainers they know, such as Waterhouse, Moody and Waller, though notes the record of training duo Ciaron Maher & David Eustace with stayers.

Maher and Eustace also have four horses running - Explosive Jack, Persan, Grand Promenade, and Floating Artist.

Irish trainer Joe O'Brien, who won in 2017 with Rekindling and again last year with Twilight Payment, will also be at the track on Tuesday after arriving into Melbourne on Monday.

WEIGHT

Only four horses have carried 56 kilograms or more to victory since 1996, a statistic that works against Incentivise carrying 57kg on Tuesday.

Since 1996 the average weight carried by the winner has been just over 53.5kg.

'In previous years it has paid to look at the bottom of the field, those runners 17, 18 and below that have carried very little weight and come in with international pedigree,' Georgiou said.

'Incentivise is carrying 57kg but has earnt that weight, it's not beyond the horse to carry that weight.

'Lightly weighted horses can feature tomorrow but whether they are good enough to beat Incentivise, class-wise, is a big question.'

Short-priced contenders Spanish Mission and Verry Elleegant are also at 57kg, while well-priced horses such as Persan, Grand Promenade and Tralee Rose are at 53kg, 52kg and 51kg respectively.

THE MELBOURNE CUP BY NUMBERS SEX Horse: 67 wins Gelding: 56 wins Colt: 21 wins Mare: 13 wins Filly: 3 wins COLOUR Bay: 70 wins Brown: 39 wins Chestnut: 35 wins Grey: 6 wins Black: 3 wins Bay/Brown: 5 wins Brown/ black: 2 wins NUMBER OF WORDS IN NAME 1: 89 wins 2: 64 wins 3: 7 wins AGE OF WINNERS 4 & 5: 89 wins 6: 33 wins 3: 24 wins 7: 11 wins 8: 3 wins WINNERS STARTING WITH EACH LETTER T: 17 wins P: 14 wins M: 12 wins S: 12 wins B: 11 wins R: 11 wins WEIGHT 53kg: 9 wins 52.5, 54.5: 8 wins 47, 48, 51, 52, 56: 7 wins Source: TAB Advertisement

BARRIER AND SADDLECLOTH

Not everyone puts store in which barrier a horse runs from in a long race like the Melbourne Cup.

'Personally, it doesn't really concern me in the Cup,' Mr Georgiou said. 'It's such a long run to the first turn, you've got a fair bit of time to find a position.'

Defending champion Twilight Payment drew Barrier 2, while Caulfield Cup winner Incentivise will need to overcome a wide barrier after drawing 16.

The most successful barrier in the history of the race has been barrier 5, with eight winners. The Chosen One, a roughie, runs from that barrier on Tuesday.

Barriers 11 (seven wins), 10 and 14 (six wins apiece) are the next most successful barrier draws. Persan, Floating Artist and Spanish Mission runs from those barriers, respectively.

'The barrier can matter if you know a horse's racing pattern,' Mr Georgiou said. 'If it tends to run back in the field and it's drawn wide, then it's not an issue. If it likes to go forward early but has drawn barrier 22, you might be a little concerned  how much petrol is it going to use to get over the others? Is it going to find a spot? is it going to get planted three-wide?'

The most successful saddlecloth is number 1, with defending champion Twilight Payment wearing it this year.

GENDER

Only three female horses have won the Melbourne Cup in the past 20 years - Jezabeel, Ethereal and three-time champion Makybe Diva.

But with no mare triumphing since Makybe Diva completed her hat-trick in 2005, it is commonly a man's world as far as the big Flemington showdown is concerned.

Stallions have been the most successful horse, wining the cup 67 times.

The last three winners have been geldings - two four-year-olds in Cross Counter (2018) and Vow and Declare (2019), and an eight-year-old in Twilight Payment last year.

There are 19 geldings in tomorrow's field, including the favourite, four mares and five stallions.

BEGINNERS GUIDE TO PLACING A BET ON CUP DAY WIN - YOUR HORSE FINISHES FIRST The easiest way to have a punt on Cup day is picking the horse which you think will be first to the post. For example, if you put $10 on a runner at $15 odds, you stand to walk away with $150 if luck's on your side. PLACE - YOUR HORSE RUNS FIRST, SECOND OR THIRD If you think your horse has a good chance of running well but might not quite be good enough to win, perhaps you should make a 'place' bet. You'll then collect money if your horse finishes first, second or third - although the payout will be substantially lower than the win dividend. EACH WAY - TO WIN AND PLACE By placing an 'each way bet' you stand to collect BOTH the win and place dividend should your horse finish first. If it runs second or third - you collect the place dividend but will lose the wager you bet on the win. THE EXOTICS - HIGHER RISK BUT GREATER REWARD - QUINELLA A quinella bet involves picking the two horses you think will finish first and second in any order. - EXACTA It's tough enough picking a winner, but if you think you know which horses will run first AND second in correct order - place an exacta bet for a very healthy return. - TRIFECTA Selecting the first three horses across the line is no easy feat - but if you can pull it off you could walk away with thousands of dollars. To make things slightly easier, you can 'box' your selections - meaning the horses can finish first, second and third in any order. This will, however, decrease the percentage of the trifecta dividend you will receive. - FIRST FOUR The only difference between a trifecta and a first four bet is the addition of the fourth place-getter. Again, you can 'box' all four (or as many as you like) so they don't have to finish in order. The more horses you choose to 'box' - the lesser percentage of the dividend you will collect. Advertisement

TRACK RATING SYSTEM Firm 1  Dry hard track Firm 2  Firm track Good 3  Track with good grass coverage (rating on Derby Day) Good 4  Track with some give in it Soft 5  Track with reasonable give in it Soft 6  Moist but not badly affected track Soft 7  More rain-affected track Heavy 8 Rain affected track Heavy 9  Wet track Heavy 10  Heaviest track, very wet Advertisement

TRACK CONDITIONS

A Good 4 track is forecast for Flemington on Tuesday, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting no rain and a warm temperature of 30 degrees in Melbourne.

While rain is forecast for Wednesday it is not at this stage expected to arrive early on Tuesday afternoon.

The good track condition poses no disadvantage to the favourite but also makes it wide open for the 23 other horses to challenge for places.

COLOUR

The most successful colour at the Melbourne Cup over the 160 years of racing has been Bay, winning 70 times, including Twilight Payment last year and Cross Counter in 2018.

The favourite Incentivise also falls into this category.

THE AMOUNT OF WORDS IN A HORSES NAME

Horses with just one word in their names have also been the most successful horse, having won 89 times.

If the history of single names proves right, Incentivise, Delphi, Selino, Persan, Carif and Pondus are the horses to watch.

Win, trifecta or quinella bets are the most common bets made on the Cup.

The race starts at 3pm on Tuesday, Melbourne time.
A student has been arrested hours after a teacher was allegedly stabbed in the upper chest, sending a top Perth school into lockdown.

Emergency services were called to Willetton Senior High School in the city's south just after 11am on Monday after reports a woman aged in her 50s, had sustained stab wounds.

The teacher was allegedly stabbed in front of horrified students before the young attacker reportedly fled.

A student was arrested on Monday night after allegedly spending hours on the run.

'A 14-year-old student has been located and taken into custody in the Willetton area,' WA Police said.

A spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday no charges have yet been laid.

Willetton Senior High School students (pictured afterwards) were ordered to remain in their classrooms following an alleged stabbong at the schol on Monday

The teacher was rushed to Fiona Stanley Hospital with non life-threatening injuries, where she remains in a stable condition.

It's understood the year advisor suffered a 'minor wound' was allegedly stabbed by the Year 8 student in small room.

Students recalled seeing blood on the floor and being ordered to 'get inside and lock the doors' following the alleged incident.

'No one knew what was going on, they didn't tell us anything,' one told Seven News.

Forensic officers were seen leaving the Peeth school carrying bags of evidence

Another student described the injured woman as one of the nicest teachers at the school.

'I can't really understand what's happened,' she told Nine News.

'I messaged my sister and she was like 'yeah, someone got stabbed'. I'm scared. The teacher said to lock the door and everything.'

Police were seen leaving the school with bags of evidence which will be forensically examined.

Principal Trevor Hunter addressed the incident in a note sent home to parents.

Police (pictured at the scene) were called to the school in Perth's south after a teacher was allegedly stabbed

'The incident occurred at recess and as a precaution all students were kept in their classrooms for a brief period,' he wrote.

'The school and administration staff acted immediately to ensure students were kept away from the situation. At not time were any students in danger.'

The education department reiterated assurances no students were in danger.

'We send our best wishes to the teacher involved and will be offering her support and to any others affected by this incident,' WA Department of Education Director General Lisa Rodgers added.

State School Teachers' Union of WA president Pat Byrne described the alleged incident as 'deeply disturbing.'

Willetton Senior High School is regarded as one of Perth's top public schools.
The head of the Parole Board was given bonuses of up to 20,000 while the panel was freeing some of Britain's most evil criminals.

Martin Jones picked up 5,000 to 10,000 on top of his 85,000-90,000 salary in each of the past two financial years.

One of the payouts covers the year the board decided to release black cab rapist John Worboys  a decision it was later forced to overturn.

Martin Jones (pictured) picked up 5,000 to 10,000 on top of his 85,000-90,000 salary in each of the past two financial years, while panel was freeing some of UK's most evil criminals

One of the payouts covers the year the board decided to release black cab rapist John Worboys (pictured)  a decision it was later forced to overturn

A second official document covering the financial year 2020-21 showed another bonus, also of up to 10,000.

This was when the board staged a hearing that led to the freeing of child killer Colin Pitchfork.

A board spokesman insisted that payment related to the chief executive's income the previous year.

But the mother of one of Pitchfork's teenage victims said the bonuses were 'obscene'.

Barbara Ashworth, 75, whose daughter Dawn was murdered in 1986, said: 'They are rewarding themselves for failure.

'I expect they shall one day pin a medal to his lapel.'

Another document covering the financial year 2020-21 showed a bonus of up to 10,000, when the board staged a hearing that led to the freeing of child killer Colin Pitchfork (pictured)

The decision to free Worboys, who was convicted of rape and a host of sex crimes in 2009, led to board chairman Nick Hardwick being forced to resign.

After a legal challenge the order to release the rapist in 2018 was quashed and Worboys stayed in jail. He was then handed further sentences for other sex attacks.

The outcome of the Pitchfork hearing, announced in June, was that the double killer was suitable for release.

The then justice secretary Robert Buckland asked the board to reconsider its decision  but it declined.

Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire where Pitchfork carried out his crimes, said: 'I will certainly raise concerns about whether such high rewards should be offered to those that manage this system.'

A Parole Board spokesman said bonuses were approved by a remuneration committee and were in line with those paid across the Civil Service.
NASA has been forced to reschedule a SpaceX launch to the International Space Station after 'unfavourable weather conditions' mean it was unsafe to go ahead.

The four astronauts were scheduled to launch on October 31 in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, but this will now not go ahead until November 3, scheduled to leave the Kennedy Space Center at 01:10 ET (05:10 GMT).

The crew waiting to launch includes NASA astronauts commander Raja Chari, with Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, along with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer.

In a blog post NASA says the delay was the result of 'a large storm system meandering across the Ohio Valley and through northeastern United States' pushing winds and waves along the Atlantic Ocean within the flight path of the rocket.

Forecasters say there is an 80 per cent chance of conditions improving by Wednesday, making a launch attempt safer and conditions more favourable.

Americans Tom Marshburn (second from left), Raja Chari (second from right) and Kayla Barron (right) as well as German Matthias Maurer (left) of the European Space Agency, will spend six months on the orbital outpost

The four astronauts were scheduled to launch on October 31 in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, but this will now not go ahead until November 3, scheduled to leave the Kennedy Space Center at 01:10 ET (05:10 GMT)

MEET SPACEX CREW-3 Spacecraft commander Raja Jon Vurputoor "Grinder" Chari (born June 24, 1977) is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut making his first trip to space. Pilot Thomas Henry "Tom" Marshburn (born August 29, 1960) is a doctor and veteran NASA astronaut taking his third trip to the ISS. Mission Specialist 1 Matthias Josef Maurer (born 18 March 1970) is a German-born European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and materials scientist on his first trip. Mission Specialist 2 Kayla Jane Barron (born September 19, 1987) is an American submarine warfare officer, engineer and NASA astronaut on her first ISS visit. Advertisement

For crew launches, SpaceX requires good weather all the way up the Eastern Seaboard and across the North Atlantic to Ireland, in case something goes wrong and the capsule has to make an emergency splashdown.

This will be SpaceX's fourth astronaut flight for NASA in one and a half years and the company's fifth passenger flight overall.

The Crew-3 astronauts, as they are known by SpaceX, are scheduled for a long-duration science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory, living and working as part of what is expected to be a seven-member crew for the next six months.

Scientific highlights of the mission include an experiment to grow plants in space without soil or other growth media.

Another will see them build optical fibres in microgravity, which prior research has suggested will be superior in quality to those made on Earth.

If this proves to be correct, it could one day result in a new orbital industry of fibre optic cables being produced in orbit and returned to the planet.

The Crew-3 astronauts will also conduct spacewalks to complete the upgrade of the station's solar panels and will be present for two tourism missions.

This includes Japanese visitors aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft at the end of the year and the Space-X Axiom crew, set for launch in February 2022.

In a blog post NASA says the delay was the result of 'a large storm system meandering across the Ohio Valley and through northeastern United States' pushing winds and waves along the Atlantic Ocean within the flight path of the rocket

They will travel in the SpaceX Crew Dragon 'Endurance,' capsule, given its name earlier this month by the crew - changing it from the serial number Capsule 210.

The name is 'a tribute to the tenacity of the human spirit, as we push humans and machines farther than we ever have,' said Chari, who will make his first spaceflight when he launches, and become only the second rookie to command a spaceship.

Giving the spacecraft the name Endurance is 'a nod to the fact that the development teams, the production teams, the training teams that got us here have endured through a pandemic,' according to Chari.

'And then of course, just the fact that we are going to reuse this vehicle,' he said, speaking in a NASA video announcement.

From left, European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer of Germany, and NASA astronauts Tom Marshburn, Raja Chari, and Kayla Barron gather for a photo after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral

'So, one of the really cool things about the SpaceX Dragon is, we'll be the first ones to use Endurance, but it won't be the last time it's used.'

This is the third Crew Dragon in the SpaceX fleet to travel to space.

Assuming the weather holds, the Crew-3 launch will take off from Florida at 01:10 ET (05:10 GMT) and arrive at the station about 23:00 ET (03:00 GMT).

When they arrive at the station there will be a short handover, before the previous group of astronauts, taken to the station by SpaceX, return to the Earth.

The Crew-3 astronauts will also conduct spacewalks to complete the upgrade of the station's solar panels and will be present for two tourism missions

Raja Chari (top left) will launch with fellow NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn (top right) and Kayla Barron (bottom right), with the European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer (bottom left) taking the fourth seat

Crew-2 NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet are currently targeting return in early November.

During the handover period there will briefly be 11 people on the space station at the same time.

Crew-3 astronauts are set to return in late April 2022, shortly after the SpaceX-operated Crew-4 launch to the station.

Crew-4 will be commanded by Kjell Lindgren with Bob Hines as pilot, both NASA astronauts. ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will be a mission specialist and command the stations Expedition 68 crew.
NASA has shared a haunting image of a dying star  taken by the Hubble Space Telescope  and likened it to a witch's cauldron in celebration of Halloween.

The image shows the star CW Leonis, which sits 400 light-years from the Earth in the constellation of Leo, and is a type of red giant with a carbon-rich atmosphere.

In a blog post about the Halloween image, NASA compared it to a 'giant space-spider web' thanks to a series of 'cobwebs' surrounding the central bright region.

These 'cobwebs' are caused by dusty clouds of sooty carbon that has been thrown from the star's outer layers and pushed into the void of space.

This new picture is made from a series of observations taken over a five-year period and was created before NASA reported issues with the Hubble telescope last week.

It isn't clear what the current status of the orbital observatory is, but the latest NASA update said it had been put in 'safe mode' pending investigations.

Every year NASA releases a Hubble image to celebrate Halloween, including a dying star that looked like a jack-o'-lantern and an angry looking 'cat's eye'.

Scroll down for video

NASA has shared a haunting image of a dying red giant star, 'likened to a witches cauldron' taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to celebrate Halloween

CW LEONIS: CARBON-RICH STAR CW Leonis is the closest carbon star to Earth, at about 400 light-years away. It is embedded in a thick sooty envelope of dust and gas, pushed from the surface out to the void of space. It was discovered in 1969 by a group of astronomers led by Eric Becklin, based upon infrared observations. Constellation : Leo

: Leo Mass : 0.7 - 0.9 times the Sun

: 0.7 - 0.9 times the Sun Radius: 560 times the Sun

560 times the Sun Temperature : 2,300 K

: 2,300 K Type : Carbon-rich red giant Advertisement

This image was actually captured through a series of observations between 2011 and 2016, but wasn't released to the public until this year, to mark Halloween.

Known as CW Leonis, it is the closest 'carbon star' to the Earth, and unlike the Sun, which has a hydrogen atmosphere, its atmosphere is made of the same chemical as we are  carbon, giving it a carbon-rich atmosphere, and sooty cloud.

It is currently about 70 per cent the mass of the Sun, but before it began to shake off its atmosphere, CW Leonis would have been about three time larger.

When small to intermediate-mass stars run out of hydrogen fuel in their cores, the outwards pressure that balances the crush of gravity within their cores falls out of equilibrium, causing the star to start collapsing.

As the core collapses, the shell of plasma surrounding the core becomes hot enough to begin fusing hydrogen, generating enough heat to dramatically expand the outer layers of the star and turn it into a bloated red giant.

Stars in that phase of life eject huge amounts of gas and dust outwards into space, eventually jettisoning their outer layers.

In the case of the carbon star CW Leonis, this process has surrounded the star with a dense pall of sooty dust.

The image shows the star CW Leonis, which sits 400 light-years from the Earth in the constellation of Leo, and is a type of red giant with a carbon-rich atmosphere

It is thought to be in the late stage of life, blowing the sooty atmosphere away, until eventually all that will remain is the white dwarf core.

Its 'relatively close' distance gives astronomers the chance to understand the interplay between the star and its surrounding, turbulent envelope.

This carbon-rich envelope is about 69,000 years old, and is about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun  with more material added constantly.

It has a complex structure, with arcs and unfinished shells creating a clumpiness that may be caused by a magnetic cycle in the star, similar to periodic changes in the Sun, according to astronomers.

Wide field view of the region surrounding CW Leonis. It is thought to be in the late stage of life, blowing the sooty atmosphere away, until eventually all that will remain is the white dwarf core

This results in periodic increases in the loss of mass  so rather than a constant flow of material, it happens in waves over time.

This is a particularly interesting object to study for astronomers, due to both the proximity and complex structure, which may also have been sculpted by a nearby companion star, according to alternative theories.

One area is a series of bright beams of light that radiate outwards from CW Leonis, and have been detected by telescopes on or orbiting the Earth.

They can be seen in the newly-released Hubble image, radiating from the centre.

What makes them compelling is that they've changed in brightness within a 15 year period  an incredibly short span of time in astronomical terms.

Every year NASA releases a Hubble image to celebrate Halloween, including a dying star that looked like a jack-o'-lantern and an angry looking 'cats eye'.

This is the 2020 NASA Hubble Halloween image, showing a cosmic jack-o-lantern with glowing eyes and crooked smile  it is actually two galaxies colliding in Canis Major

Astronomers speculate that gaps in the dust surrounding CW Leonis may allow these beams of starlight to pierce through and illuminate dust further from the star.

However the exact cause of the dramatic changes in their brightness is as yet unexplained, the team said.

CW Leonis has an orange-reddish colour due to its relatively low surface temperature of 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit.

The green-tinted beams of light emanating from the star, however, glow at invisible mid-infrared wavelengths.

In the absence of natural colour, green has been added to the infrared image, shared by the Hubble team for Halloween, for better analysis through colour-contrast.
The British-built Rosalind Franklin mars rover is a step closer to blast off, after the vehicle spent 120 hours inside a 95 degree Fahrenheit clean room 'oven'.

The rover, named after the British chemist, Rosalind Franklin, whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA, has to be cleared of any organic molecules from Earth, before it can land on the Red Planet next year.

The rover sat inside a vacuum chamber for five days at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Rome, Italy, where it experienced 95F (35C) temperatures.

This was hot enough to remove hidden contaminants from some of the rover's internal parts, such as small bits of glue, and reduce the risk of Earth contaminants reaching Mars.

It was originally scheduled to launch for Mars last summer, but Covid restrictions delayed tests required for it to launch  so it was postponed to September 2022.

The rover, named after the British chemist, Rosalind Franklin, whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA, has to be cleared of any organic molecules from Earth, before it can land on the Red Planet next year

The British-built Rosalind Franklin mars rover is a step closer to blast off, after the vehicle spent 120 hours inside a 95 degree Fahrenheit clean room 'oven'

EXOMARS: ROSALIND FRANKLIN ROVER The ExoMars rover was renamed Rosalind Franklin, after the British chemist famed for her work on DNA. It will search for signs of alien life on the Red Planet, landing using giant parachutes to slow its decent. It is a joint ESA and Roscosmos project, but built in the UK by Airbus. The rover will be launched by Roscosmos on a Proton rocket from Baikonur chromosome on September 20, 2022  arriving in June 2023. It is destined for the Oxia Planum on Mars, a clay-brearing plain with relatively smooth topography and an abundance of 'hydrated minerals.' Its drill will allow it to dig down up to six and a half feet into the Martian soil. It will grab samples of buried rock and 'bake it' in an oven after crushing it. This will allow the rovers laboratory to look for evidence of past life-signs in soil that dates back billions of years. This was a time when Mars is thought to have had similar conditions to those found on the young Earth. Facts and Figures Wheels: Six Mass: 660lb Drill: 6ft 7 in Goal: Search for biomolecules or biosignatures from past life Target: Oxia Planum Duration: At least 7 months Speed: 230ft per day Cameras: Two stereo camera pairs (NavCam and LocCam), used to create a 3D map of the terrain for use during autonomous navigation Advertisement

Like the NASA Perseverance rover, which launched last summer, Rosalind Franklin will search Mars for signs of ancient life.

The rover will launch in September, arriving on Mars in 2023, giving engineers more time to ensure everything is working as expected, including the parachutes that will help it land on the surface of another world.

Part of the preparation includes a 'bakeout' process  effectively cooking the rover in a giant furnace.

This was vital in the life-searching goal, as any contamination from Earth could lead to false-positive results.

The next big test will be of the Mars Organics Molecule Analyser (MOMA), one of the instruments inside the rovers analytical laboratory ultra-clean zone that will be used to determine if signs of life are present in the Martian soil.

It will determine the chemical background in the rover's laboratory by performing a measurement using an empty oven.

Once on Mars, MOMA's tiny ovens will host crushed soil samples that will be heated to allow the resulting vapour and gases to be analysed with gas chromatography techniques to sniff out traces of organic compounds.

The 'sniff' of the empty oven following the Earth-based bakeout will establish the background footprint against which measurements on Mars can be compared.

The rover is equipped with a unique drill that will bore down to six and a half feet (2m) below the Martian surface and return samples for analysis.

The drill tool also hosts a miniaturised spectrometer (Ma_MISS) to analyse the inner surface of the borehole, and a close-up imager (CLUPI) that will look at the drill fines and core sample before it enters the rover's laboratory.

Different instruments will work together to analyse the samples inside the rover.

In addition to MOMA, the MicrOmega instrument will use visible and infrared light to characterise minerals in the samples, and a Raman spectrometer will use a laser to identify mineralogical composition.

Using its panoramic and high resolution cameras and ground-penetrating radar, the rover will seek out the most promising locations to drill, and to better understand the geological context of the Oxia Planum region that it will explore.

The rover sat inside a vacuum chamber for five days at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Rome, Italy, where it experienced 95F (35C) temperatures

Following completion of the bakeout, the thermo-vacuum chamber was re-pressurised and opened, and the rover prepared for its return journey to Thales Alenia Space in Turin.

There, readiness for launch will continue until it ships to the launch site next year.

ESA has a 'twin' of the rover that was baked in an oven  it is used to test the drill and other equipment and see how it responds under Earth-like conditions.

This then gives the engineers at ESA an idea of what to expect when the real Rosalind Franklin rover arrives on the Red Planet and begins working.

Earlier this year the twin rover on Earth drilled down and extracted samples more than five foot into the ground  deeper than any other Martian rover has attempted.

Part of the preparation includes a 'bakeout' process - effectively cooking the rover in a giant furnace

Following completion of the bakeout, the thermo-vacuum chamber was re-pressurised and opened, and the rover prepared for its return journey to Thales Alenia Space in Turin

OXIA PLANUM: ROSALIND FRANKLIN LANDING SITE The Oxia Planum is a 124 mile wide clay-bearing region of the Red Planet. The plain lies between the Mawrth Vallis outflow channel to the north-east and the Ares Vallis outflow channel to the south-west. It was selected from eight potential sites as a landing spot for the ESA and Roscosmos ExoMars mission. The Rosalind Franklin rover will touch down after a heart stopping parachute decent to the relatively flat topology. It met the rover landing criteria based on its latitude, elevation, surface slopes, and its terrains. The area also has a relatively smooth surface and an abundance of hydrated minerals that could contain life signs. Advertisement

The first samples have been collected as part of a series of tests at the Mars Terrain Simulator at the ALTEC premises in Turin, Italy. The replica, also known as the Ground Test Model, is fully representative of the rover set to land on Mars.

The Rosalind Franklin rover is designed to drill deep enough to get access to well-preserved organic material from four billion years ago, when conditions on the surface of Mars were more like those on infant Earth.

The rover is destined for the Oxia Planum on Mars, a clay-brearing plain with relatively smooth topography and an abundance of 'hydrated minerals.'

Rosalind Franklin's twin has been drilling into a well filled with a variety of rocks and soil layers. The first sample was taken from a block of cemented clay of medium hardness, designed to replicate Martian soil.

Drilling took place on a dedicated platform tilted at seven degrees to simulate the collection of a sample in a non-vertical position. The drill acquired the sample in the shape of a pellet of about a third of an inch in diameter.

Once captured, the drill brings the sample to the surface and delivers it to the laboratory inside the rover.

With the drill completely retracted, the rock is dropped into a drawer at the front of the rover, which then withdraws and deposits the sample into a crushing station.

The rover is equipped with a unique drill that will bore down to six and a half feet (2m) below the martian surface and return samples for analysis

The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars mission, with the Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok surface platform contained in a descent module, requires two main parachutes

Parachutes, that will help the rover land safely on Mars, were tested earlier this year.

These were among the tests that had to be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, pushing the rocket launch back more than a year.

The delayed launch allowed the team to spend more time on the tests, and even carry out a wider range of tests than would otherwise have been possible.

The Rosalind Franklin rover is one of the main parts of the ExoMars mission, run by the European Space Agency and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.
We're often told that copying body language and mannerisms on a first date are surefire signs that your date is interested in you.

But according to researchers in the Netherlands, in-sync sweating and heart rates are much better indicators of a romantic attraction.

In a blind date setting, experts fitted male and female participants with eye-tracking glasses and other devices to measure behavioural and physiological signals.

They found no significant link between physical attraction and copying body language  either smiling, laughing, direct eye contact, head nods or hand gestures.

A stronger indicator of attraction was 'physiological synchrony'  in-sync sweating and heart rates  which they say is 'a precursor of deeper emotional understanding'.

These biological signals, which are covert, unconscious and difficult to regulate, may help people 'align emotionally' when they first meet, the researchers say.

In-sync sweating and heart rates are much better indicators of attraction than copying body language and mannerisms on a blind date, say experts at Leiden University, the Netherlands (stock image)

The study was led by Eliska Prochazkova, a researcher at Leiden University in the Netherlands, and published in Nature Human Behaviour.

'Humans are social animals whose well-being is shaped by the ability to attract and connect with one another, often through brief interactions,' Prochazkova and colleagues say in the paper.

'Here, we measured the physiological dynamics between pairs of participants during real-life dating interactions outside the laboratory.

'We found that overt signals such as smiles, laughter, eye gaze or the mimicry of those signals were not significantly associated with attraction.

'Instead, attraction was predicted by synchrony in heart rate and skin conductance between partners, which are covert, unconscious and difficult to regulate.

Graphic from the paper shows the experimental set-up. Inside the cabin, there was a table with two chairs on opposite sides. A barrier was placed in the middle of the table, preventing a couple from seeing each other. Participants were instructed to remain silent until they heard pre-recorded instructions via a speaker

TWO-THIRDS OF ROMANTIC COUPLES START OUT AS FRIENDS, STUDY FINDS If you've been having trouble finding love on dating apps, you might want to try dating one of your friends, a 2021 study suggests. The study authors, based in Canada, looked at data from just under 2,000 couples of different demographics. They found two thirds started out as just friends, suggesting that establishing a platonic connection with someone first is conducive to a solid romantic relationship later. The study suggests the cliche of falling in love at first site - frequent in Hollywood movies of the silver screen - may be outdated in the 21st century. Read more: Two-thirds of romantic couples start as friends, study finds Advertisement

'Our findings suggest that interacting partners' attraction increases and decreases as their subconscious arousal levels rise and fall in synchrony.'

In a world of online dating, the question of what defines attraction has never been more relevant, the researchers claim.

But what people really seek in a partner is a 'gut feeling of connection', expressed as a sensation in the body, which is more likely to occur during face-to-face interactions.

To define what drives the feeling of attraction, the researchers built a pop-up blind dating laboratory, at different social events in the Netherlands, including arts and music festivals.

A blind date is a stressful context that likely induces strong physiological reactions, they say, which is a desirable state for physiological synchrony.

In total, 140 males and females (all single and between the ages of 18 and 37), who had never met before, entered their specially created 'dating cabin' and sat at a table fitted with a large visual barrier.

The visual barrier initially obscured their view of each other, but then opened for three seconds, allowing them to form a first impression of their partner.

The barrier then closed, and participants rated their partner on attraction on a zero to nine point scale.

This was followed by one verbal interaction and one non-verbal interaction  where they were banned from talking  each lasting two minutes.

After each interaction, the barrier closed and participants rated their partner on the same scales again.

Throughout the experiment, Tobii eye-tracking glasses measured participants' gaze fixations and expressions.

Meanwhile, participants' heart rate and electrodermal activity  changes in the resistance of the skin to a small electrical current based on sweat gland activity  was recorded with two BIOPACs.

Throughout the experiment, Tobii eye-tracking glasses (pictured) measured participants' gaze fixations and expressions. This was compared with heart rate and electrodermal activity  changes in the resistance of the skin to a small electrical current based on sweat gland activity

At the end of the experiment, participants could decide whether they wanted to go on another date with their partner.

They found that attraction was linked with physiological synchrony between partners regardless of whether the couples were allowed to speak or had to remain silent.

They researchers stress that they're not suggesting in-sync smiling, laughing or face-to-face gazing does not play a role in attraction  just that physiological synchrony is more strongly linked.

Overall, the findings show provide a glimpse of the deep-seated biological responses that can occur during a face-to-face encounter.

In comparison, judging a potential romantic partner based on written or visual stimuli (such as personal ads or photos in an app) does not predict attraction during a first date, previous research suggests.

'The current findings are particularly relevant from the perspective of our modern romantic landscape where affective exchange is reduced to quick encounters between strangers,' the researchers conclude.
Barn owls have the same special neurons  'place cells'  that let humans make mental maps of their surroundings and these may aid their navigation while flying.

This is the conclusion of a study led by researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology, who recorded the birds' brain activity as they flew back-and-forth.

Place cells are known to exist not only in humans, but also other mammals like rodents and bats. They have also been detected in tufted titmice as they walk.

However, this is the first time that evidence for place cells  which fire at a high rate when an animal visits a particular location  has ever been seen in birds in flight.

According to the team, the fact that place cells are seen in both mammals and non-mammals suggests that they likely evolved millions of years ago.

Barn owls have the same special neurons  'place cells'  that let humans make mental maps of their surroundings and these may aid their navigation while flying. Pictured: a barn owl

The study was undertaken by neuroethologist Arpit Agarwal of the Israel Institute of Technology and colleagues.

'In the barn owl  a central place forager that strongly relies on memory to navigate to strategic standing posts and to its roost at night  we found robust place cell representation,' the team wrote in their paper.

In their experiments, the researchers used an array of high-speed, infra-red cameras to film six barn owls (Tyto alba) as they flew back-and-forth between two perches.

During each flight, the team recorded the owls' brain activity using a tiny wireless electrophysiology sensor implanted into each bird's head.

They found that certain neurons in the owls' hippocampus fired more strongly at specific points along their flight path  and depending on what direction they were going in. This is similar to how place cells have been seen to work in rodents.

The neuronal activity was found to be unaffected by the lighting conditions in the testing room or the movement of the experimenters.

However, the team caution that there could be other explanations for the brain activity they recorded  such as cells that fire after a certain time in the air.

Similar cells have also been detected in rodents that are triggered at certain points in time after the animals begin an action.

University College London neuroscientist Kate Jeffrey told the New Scientist that the team's evidence for the presence of place cells in owls was 'fairly convincing'.

Such, she added, is 'consistent with emerging findings from other labs that many of the phenomena we have been studying in mammals have counterparts in non-mammals, suggesting an ancient evolutionary origin, more than 300 million years.'

For Professor Jeffrey, the next logical step  if logistically more challenging, she notes  would be to confirm the existence of place cells in fish.

A pre-print of the researchers' article, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, can be read on the bioRxiv repository.
Women are just as competitive as men, according to a study, that found they enter competitions at the same rate as men, but are more likely to share their winnings.

Putting volunteers in groups and asking them to complete a series of maths problems in return for a reward helped researchers from the University of Arizona in Tucson to study gender differences in relation to competition.

The 238 participants were evenly split between men and women, and had the option of choosing a guaranteed prize for a correct result, a larger prize if they were a top performer, or a larger prize with the option to share the winnings with the losers.

If given the chance to share their winnings, 60 per cent of women opted for competition, whereas only 35 per cent decided to compete if they won the lot.

In contrast, 51 per cent of men opted for the winner-take-all option, compared to 52.5 per cent of men going for gold if they got to share their reward with the losers.

Researchers say that female participants may be more interested in controlling the way the winnings are dived up among the other participants than the men.

Women are just as competitive as men, according to a study, that found they enter competitions at the same rate as men, but are more likely to share their winnings. Stock image

HOW THE EXPERIMENT WORKED To demonstrate this, the researchers randomly assigned 238 men and women and split them into two groups, according to their gender. Participants in each group were then randomly assigned to four-person subgroups. For all participants, the first round of the study was the same: Each individual was asked to look at tables of 12 three-digit with two decimal places and find the two numbers that add to ten. The participants were then asked to solve as many tables as possible - up to 20 - in two minutes. Each participant was paid two dollars for every table they solved in the first round. In the second round, the participants were asked to do the same task, but the two groups were incentivised differently. In the first group, the two participants in each four-person team who solved the most tables earned four dollars per table solved, while their other two team members were given nothing. In the other group, the top two performers of each four-person team also earned four dollars per table, but they had the right to decide how much of the prize money to share with one of the lower performing participants. In the third round, all the participants were allowed to choose which payment scheme they preferred from the two previous rounds. For half the study participants, this meant a choice between a guaranteed two dollars per correct table, or potentially four dollars per correct table, if they became one of the top two performers in their four-person subgroup. For the other half of the participants, the choice was two dollars per correct table or four dollars per correct table for the top-two performers with the option to share the winnings with one of the losing participants. Advertisement

Mary Rigdon, associate director of the Arizona Center for the Philosophy of Freedom, wanted to explore the 'relatively new theory' that women are less competitive and less willing to take risks than men.

It was part of a wider series of work into how market structure, information and incentives impact behaviour, particularly around gender.

Rigdon, alongside colleague Alessandra Cassar, a Professor of economics at the University of San Francisco, have been examining the gender pay gap.

Professor Rigdon said: 'If we're finally going to close the gender pay gap, then we have to understand the sources of it - and also solutions and remedies for it.

'In 2021, women will earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, meaning women work nearly three months extra to receive the same amount of pay.

'This statistic does not account for certain characteristics, such as an employee's age, experience or level of education.

'But even when considering those characteristics, women are still paid about 98 cents for every dollar earned by men.

'In other words, a woman is paid two percent less than a man with the same qualifications.'

There are a number of theories that attempt to explain this gap, including the 'human capital explanation' that suggests there are gender differences in certain skills, leading women to careers that pay less.

Other theories include basic discrimination against women in the workforce, and a relatively recent idea, that women are less competitive than men.

Professor Rigdon worked with Professor Cassar to zero in on this idea, that also posits that women are less willing to take risks than men.

Professor Rigdon explained: 'But if women were more reluctant to compete, then they would occupy fewer high-ranking positions at the tops of major companies, and that's not the trend that's taken shape over the last several years.

'Women make up about eight per cent of the CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies. While that number is low overall, it's a record high.

'We thought it must be the case that women are as competitive as men, but they just exhibit it differently, so we wanted to try to get at that story and demonstrate that that is the case.

'Because that's then a very different story about the gender wage gap.'

To demonstrate this, the researchers randomly assigned 238 men and women and split them into two groups, according to their gender.

Participants in each group were then randomly assigned to four-person subgroups.

For all participants, the first round of the study was the same: Each individual was asked to look at tables of 12 three-digit with two decimal places and find the two numbers that add to ten.

The participants were then asked to solve as many tables as possible - up to 20 - in two minutes. Each participant was paid two dollars for every table they solved in the first round.

In the second round, the participants were asked to do the same task, but the two groups were incentivised differently.

Putting volunteers in groups and asking them to complete a series of maths problems in return for a reward helped researchers from the University of Arizona in Tucson to study gender differences in relation to competition. Stock image

MILLIONS OF WOMEN CONSIDERED GIVING UP WORK IN LOCKDOWN Millions of women considered 'downshifting' their careers or leaving the workforce due to Covid-19, a 2020 report found. Female workers have been affected by the stress of juggling careers and looking after children, often compounded by a lack of help from their partner, it claims. Women's rights organisation Lean In, which was founded by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in 2013, surveyed 40,000 employees at 317 US firms for its report. It found a quarter of women are considering giving up work due to stress and another quarter are worried about their performance at work being judged because of their need to look after their child. Read more: Women 'set to quit the workplace because of Covid-19' Advertisement

In the first group, the two participants in each four-person team who solved the most tables earned four dollars per table solved, while their other two team members were given nothing.

In the other group, the top two performers of each four-person team also earned four dollars per table, but they had the right to decide how much of the prize money to share with one of the lower performing participants.

In the third round, all the participants were allowed to choose which payment scheme they preferred from the two previous rounds.

For half the study participants, this meant a choice between a guaranteed two dollars per correct table, or potentially four dollars per correct table, if they became one of the top two performers in their four-person subgroup.

For the other half of the participants, the choice was two dollars per correct table or four dollars per correct table for the top-two performers with the option to share the winnings with one of the losing participants.

The number of women who chose the competitive option nearly doubled when given the option to share their winnings.

The researchers found that about 60 percent chose to compete under that option, while only about 35 percent of women chose to compete in the winner-take-all version of the tournament.

Whereas just over half of the men in the study chose the winner-take-all option, and 52.5 per cent chose the format that allowed them to share with the losers.

Professor Rigdon said that she and her colleague, Professor Cassar, have a few theories about why women are more inclined to compete when they can share the winnings.

One theory suggests that female participants are simply interested in controlling the way the winnings are divided up among the other participants.

Professor Rigdon explained that another theory, which has emerged among evolutionary psychologists, suggests that female participants may be inclined to smooth over bad feelings with losers of the competition.

She said: 'We really have to ask what it is about this social incentive that drives women to compete.

'We think it's recognising the different costs and benefits that come from your different biological and cultural constraints.

'But at the end of the day, I think we still have this question.'

The 238 participants were evenly split between men and women, and had the option of choosing a guaranteed prize for a correct result, a larger prize if they were a top performer, or a larger prize with the option to share the winnings with the losers. Stock image

The researchers are now developing an experiment that gets to the heart of that question.

Although they have been careful to not propose policies for corporate America based on their line of research that still has many questions to answer, the researchers' latest findings suggest that corporations might do well to engage in more socially responsible activity.

Professor Rigdon concluded: 'Maybe you'll attract a different set of applicants to your CEO positions or your board of director positions.

'Women might be more attracted to positions where there is this social component that isn't there in more traditional, incentive-based firms where it's all about CEO bonuses.'

The research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A 'genetic goldmine' has been uncovered by scientists who say it could be used to help crops survive hotter and drier climates caused by global warming.

It has been unearthed plants growing in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest places on Earth, by experts from New York University.

These plants have evolved genes that enable them to thrive in the most Mars-like region on Earth and are closely related to staple foods such as grains and potatoes.

It opens the door to engineering hardier fruit and vegetables, according to lead author Professor Gloria Coruzzi, who catalogued more than 200 blooming species.

'In an era of accelerated climate change, it's critical to uncover the genetic basis to improve crop production and resilience under dry and nutrient-poor conditions,' Professor Coruzzi said.

The Chilean research team established an unparalleled 'natural laboratory' in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest and harshest environments on Earth

KEY FINDINGS: DESERT FLOWERS HOLD KEY TO CLIMATE CHANGE RESISTANT STAPLES Researchers analysed the DNA of plants that bloom in the Atacama Desert - the driest on Earth. They wanted to find specific genes linked to 'survival' in the harsh environment of the coastal desert. They identified 265 candidate genes whose protein sequence changes were selected by evolutionary forces. These are producing mutations that could underlie plant adaptation to the desert conditions. They include genes involved in response to light and photosynthesis, which may enable plants to adapt to the extreme radiation.

Similarly, they found genes involved in the regulation of stress response, salt, detoxification and metal.

They may be related to withstanding a nutrient-poor environment. Advertisement

The coastal desert is sandwiched between the Pacific coast and the Andes mountains, and is an arid plateau, but, come springtime a corner is covered in a carpet of flowers.

The purple pata de guanaco and yellow ananuca are among more than 200 species of plants that bloom in the region, thriving in an inhospitable environment that averages just 0.01 centimeters of rainfall a year.

Other varieties include grasses, annuals and perennial shrubs, the team said.

Mesquite trees, buckwheat bush, ferns and black sage have deep roots and fleshy leaves that retain the moisture and now an international team is getting to the bottom of a phenomenon that has baffled scientists for decades.

They established an unparalleled 'natural laboratory' that identified specific genes and microbes that power the toughest plants on the planet.

It is hoped the findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, will help feed the world in the coming decades as the planet warms.

Co lead author Prof Rodrigo Gutierrez, of The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, said the study of desert plants is directly relevant to regions around the world that are becoming increasingly arid due to climate change.

'With factors such as drought, extreme temperatures, and salt in water and soil posing a significant threat to global food production,' he said.

The plants must also cope with high altitude, low availability of nutrients in the soil and extremely high radiation from sunlight.

Over a ten year period the researchers collected, labelled and froze the 32 most dominant plants taken from 22 sites across the desert in different vegetational areas and at every 320ft of altitude.

The samples were kept in liquid nitrogen and sent 1,000 miles under dry ice to Prof Gutierrez lab in Santiago where staff mapped their DNA.

Some grew where temperatures fluctuated more than 50 degrees from day to night - or there was very high radiation.

Others were found in soil that was largely sand and lacked nutrients - with the only annual rain falling over a few days.

Analysis showed some species developed growth-promoting bacteria near their roots, an adaptive strategy that optimises the intake of nitrogen - critical for growth - in the nutrient-poor soils of the Atacama.

Gabriela Carrasco worked identifying, labeling, collecting, and freezing plant samples in the Atacama Desert. These samples then traveled 1,000 miles, kept under dry ice to be processed for RNA extractions

Is there life on Mars? Dozens of microbial species discovered 11 inches below the surface of Earth's most arid desert may suggest there are organisms hiding in the Martian planet Chile's arid desert is said to be the closest thing to Mars that we have on Earth and a new discovery in the hellish landscape could help scientists find life on the Red Planet. A team from Cornell University uncovered diverse microbes lurking in wet clay just 11 inches below the surface of the Atacama Desert, suggesting there could be biosignatures in similar clay deposits on the Martian planet. The Gale crater on Mars is littered with similar clay-rich rocks and may have been habitable to microorganisms similar to those found in subsurface soils in the Earth-based desert. Researches note that if NASA's 2020 rover spots the same fractures around Gale Crater, the region 'should be high-priority targets for sample' in order to find life. The study reinforces the notion that early Mars could have had a similar subsurface, particularly during the first billion years of its history. Advertisement

Genes whose protein sequences were adapted were then identified by comparing the plants with 32 similar 'sister' species from elsewhere in the world.

This was done through a technique called phylogenomics that reconstructs an organism's family tree.

Prof Corruzi said: 'The goal was to use this evolutionary tree based on genome sequences to identify the changes in amino acid sequences encoded in the genes that support the evolution of the Atacama plant adaptation to desert conditions.'

Some of the riverbeds in Atacama have been dry for about 120,000 years, and changes in temperature can be extreme, with daytime temperatures around 77F, dipping to 28F at night.

NASA has investigated it for clues to potential life in the Martian sub-surface.

Co-author Dr Gil Eshel, of NYU, said: 'This computationally intense genomic analysis involved comparing 1,686,950 protein sequences across more than 70 species.

'We used the resulting super-matrix of 8,599,764 amino acids for phylogenomic reconstruction of the evolutionary history of the Atacama species.'

The study identified 265 candidate genes whose protein sequence changes were selected by evolutionary forces, producing mutations that could underlie plant adaptation to the desert conditions.

They include genes involved in response to light and photosynthesis, which may enable plants to adapt to the extreme radiation.

Similarly, the researchers uncovered genes involved in the regulation of stress response, salt, detoxification and metal.

They may be related to withstanding a nutrient-poor environment.

Most studies on plant tolerance have been based on lab experiments using a few model species - missing the ecological context.

It has been unearthed plants growing in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest places on Earth, by experts from New York University

Co-author Dr Viviana Araus, a member of Prof Gutierrez' lab, said: 'By studying an ecosystem in its natural environment, we were able to identify adaptive genes and molecular processes among species facing a common harsh environment.'

The surprising blossom in the Atacama is known locally as the 'flowering desert.'

Prof Gutierrez said: 'Most of the plant species we characterised in this research have not been studied before.

'As some Atacama plants are closely related to staple crops, including grains, legumes, and potatoes, the candidate genes we identified represent a genetic goldmine to engineer more resilient crops, a necessity given the increased desertification of our planet.'

The findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
NASA announced late Friday that it has successfully grown the first chile peppers in space, with astronauts on the International Space Station turning the fruit into tacos.

The U.S. space agency said the chile peppers were grown for the Plant Habitat-04 investigation.

'The investigation involved microbial analysis to improve understanding of plant-microbe interactions in space and the crews assessment of flavor, texture, and nutrition of the first peppers grown in space,' NASA said in a Friday statement.

The peppers, which have been growing on the ISS since July, were from the 'Espanola Improved' chile, grown in the famed Hatch Valley of New Mexico.

NASA announced it has successfully grown the first chile peppers in space

The ISS Research Twitter account called it 'one of the most challenging plant experiments to date'

It is a cross between the southern New Mexico 'sandia' chile and a landrace chile, found in the northern part of the state.

Most Hatch chiles are eaten when they are green, but the Espanola Improved is one of the few that is 'regularly consumed in both the green and red stages of the peppers development,' NASA said previously.

The ISS Research Twitter account called it 'one of the most challenging plant experiments to date.'

Peppers are 'more difficult to cultivate than many possible space crops because they take longer to germinate, grow, and develop fruit,' NASA has said previously.

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, who has been on the ISS since April, tweeted that after picking the chile peppers, both data and dinner were served

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, who has been on the ISS since April, tweeted that after picking the chile peppers, both data and dinner were served.

'After the harvest, we got to taste red and green chile,' McArthur tweeted.

'Then we filled out surveys (got to have the data! Grinning face with smiling eyes).

'Finally, I made my best space tacos yet: fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes & artichokes, and HATCH CHILE!'

NASA has already cultivated Chinese cabbage, three types of lettuce, red Russian kale and zinnia flowers up in orbit around the Earth.

Certain chile peppers have advantages when it comes to looking for plants that can be grown easily in space, in that they can be easily pollinated and can survive within a carbon dioxide rich environment.

In 2019, NASA announced that the Espanola chile pepper would be the first fruit grown on the ISS in an effort to look for crops that astronauts could take to Mars.

Originally, NASA had been considering growing Hatch peppers on the International Space Station instead.

Unlike Hatch peppers, which grow in the desert, Espanola chile peppers typically grow at higher altitudes and have a shorter growth period, which makes them much more suitable for being harvested in space.
Lionel Messi has hit out at Barcelona president Joan Laporta for hoping that he would 'stay and play for free' in order to help the Catalan club in the middle of their financial crisis.

The club could not afford to keep hold of their greatest ever player amid their unprecedented financial woes, with the club racking up more than 1billion in debt and recording a 409million loss for last season.

While Messi agreed to a 50 per cent wage cut, the club were still not able to find a way to keep him which resulted in the Argentine ending his 18-year affiliation with the club to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

Lionel Messi (left) admits he was 'hurt' by Barcelona president Joan Laporta (right), who had hoped the Argentine would stay and 'play for free' to help the club out

Laporta went on to sensationally admit in an interview last month that he had hoped Messi would stay and play for nothing  a suggestion that has 'hurt' the 34-year-old.

Speaking about his departure, Messi told Spanish newspaper Sport: 'The truth is that, as I explained when I left, I did everything possible to stay.

'I was never asked to play for free. I was asked to pay my salary with fifty percent. I did that without any problem. That's how I wanted to help Barcelona. It was my and my family's desire to stay in Barcelona. The president's words were really not okay. They hurt me.

'It felt like Laporta took the ball from me but then didn't know what to do with it. He just didn't have to say those things. Now people may think I've caused doubt. I don't deserve that.'

Messi bid an emotional farewell in the summer, with the club unable to afford to keep him

The Catalan club could not afford to keep star player Messi, who ended up leaving for PSG

Messi went on to reveal that he hasn't spoken to Laporta since he left the Nou Camp  but revealed that he would return to the club as technical director at some point in the future.

'I've always said I'd like to come back and help the club in any way I could,' Messi added. 'I want to be useful, to help. So that it goes well with Barcelona.

'I think it would be nice to be technical director, but I'm not sure if I can get that role and if I can get it at Barca. But if there's an opportunity, I'm definitely open to it.

'I love Barcelona, really hope the club gets healthy again and continues to be one of the best in the world.'

Messi has struggled to settle into his new life in Paris, with the forward still waiting to score his first Ligue 1 goal for Mauricio Pochettino's side.

Messi has struggled to settle at his new club and is yet to score a goal for the club in Ligue 1

While he has broken his duck in the Champions League, his performances domestically have seen him come under criticism in recent weeks.

The forward explained that life is a lot different since moving to the French capital, where he has now been for two months.

Messi's struggles in Ligue 1 continued last week when he was subbed off at half-time during their 2-1 win over Lille on Friday, with Pochettino confirming his compatriot had picked up a muscle injury but his withdrawal was just a 'precaution'.
Lionel Messi only left Barcelona in August but he is already plotting a move back to the Nou Camp as he admits he 'misses everything' about life in the Catalan capital.

Messi has confirmed he will move back to Barcelona with his family once his spell at Paris Saint-Germain ends.

The dad-of-three said it was what he and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo wanted. And the Argentinian frontman admitted he 'misses everything' about the Catalan capital where he spent more than two decades.

He described his first month and a half in the Paris capital when he and his family were living in a hotel as 'bad' and admitted that although things have improved now they have moved into a rented home, he still misses not being able to do the school run before and after training like he did at his old club.

Lionel Messi left Barcelona in August but the forward is already hoping to return to the club

The dad-of-three confirmed living in Barcelona was what he and his wife Antonella wanted

The Argentine described his first month and a half in Paris as 'bad' and misses his old club

In an interview with Catalan daily Sport which is bound to set alarm bells ringing at his new club, the 34-year-old said: 'I don't know when my contract with PSG will end.

'But what is also confirmed, and certain, is that we are going to live in Barcelona and our life will be there.

'It's what my wife wants and I want.'

Flagging up his wish for a future role at the struggling Catalan side and saying he would 'love' to be its technical director, he admitted when asked what he missed about living in Barcelona and being at his old club: 'Everything!

'It was a lot of time in the same place, the routine, the daily way of life, going into a changing room I knew like the back of my hand.

Messi bid an emotional farewell in the summer, with Barcelona unable to afford to keep him

'Moving to Paris was a complete change. It meant arriving somewhere that was totally new, both the city and the club.

'I loved the life I had in Barcelona, the club and it's something I miss although it doesn't mean things are not good here.'

Portraying his first weeks with PSG as a nightmare of 'unbearable' traffic jams and three children who were fed up of hotel life after the initial novelty wore off, he added in his bare-all interview with Sport: 'We were spoilt where we were before.

'Everything was easy and nearby. I would take the children to school and go back home, then head to training, return home for something to eat and go and pick the kids up.

'Today I don't have time to take the children to school and pick them up and go to training.'

The forward was seen on the balcony of the hotel he and his family lived in for over a month

Messi described his first weeks with PSG as a nightmare of 'unbearable' traffic jams

Messi was subbed at half-time on Friday in PSG's match against French champions Lille after failing to make much of an impact as his side went a goal down.

He had been struggling with a muscle injury earlier in the week but had been declared fit to play.

PSG manager Mauricio Pochettini insisted he had been withdrawn as a 'precaution.'

Although he has scored three times in the Champions League for his new club, Messi has yet to score a league goal for PSG since his free transfer in the summer and has faced criticism from the French media.

Messi has scored three times in the Champions League for his new club but not in Ligue 1

The six-times Ballon d'Or winner revealed he still speaks all the time to 'great friend' Sergio Aguero, who was substituted on Saturday in Barcelona's match against Alaves and taken to hospital for tests after suffering chest pain and dizziness.

He told Sport he also speaks regularly to former team-mates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Elsewhere in the interview he admitted he hadn't spoken to Barcelona president Joan Laporta since he left the Nou Camp.

Messi admits he was 'hurt' by Barcelona president Joan Laporta (right), who had hoped the Argentine would stay and 'play for free' to help the club out

Responding to Laporta's claim last month he had hoped Messi would stay and play for nothing to ease the Catalan club's financial woes and be able to keep their star player, he said: 'I was never asked to play for free.

'I was asked to reduce my salary 50 per cent and I did it without any problem.

'We wanted to help the club more. My family and I wanted to stay in Barcelona. I think what the president said was out of place. His words hurt me.'
Tottenham fans were left celebrating the sacking of doomed boss Nuno Espirito Santo - before turning to the charm offensive to get Antonio Conte in as his successor.

Sportsmail exclusively revealed that Nuno had been sacked on Monday morning by Tottenham after just four months in charge.

Nuno, 47, was appointed on a two-year deal in June but he never looked comfortable in the job and now finds himself out of work after only 17 games.

Tottenhams depressing 3-0 loss to Manchester United on Saturday proved a fatal blow to Nunos hopes of staying in charge, with the atmosphere turning toxic towards the former Wolves boss inside the stadium.

Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been sacked after the team's loss to Man United

A large number of fans were pleased with the club taking decisive action to get rid of Nuno

One popular meme showed a fan with heartburn but he recovered with Antonio Conte as boss

Rivals also got in on the act with an Arsenal fan highlighting four big-game defeats for Nuno

Fans were quick to celebrate the news and rivals also poked fun at Spurs' latest haphazard appointment.

'YES! The news we needed,' wrote one ecstatic Spurs fan.

Memes soon dominated Twitter with one showing a man suffering from heartburn, which was captioned to show Tottenham under Nuno.

Below the same man is seen feeling significantly better having had the remedy that is tabbed up as Conte, who is the bookmakers' favourite for the job.

One fan used a famous GIF of LeBron James during his days with the Miami Heat when he said: 'It's about damn time!'

A GIF of LeBron James' famous 'It's About Damn Time' line was published upon news on Nuno

A grab of Lucas Moura's 'Take the L' celebration came back to bite him as it was used by fans

One reacting GIF showed a man smashing up the computer to 'fix' the solution to the problem

Lucas Moura's 'Take the L' celebration against Crystal Palace last season, long before Nuno arrived, became a popular reaction to the club's statement confirming his departure.

'Hold this Nuno,' one fan wrote along with the photo of Moura, whose substitution against United on Saturday infuriated Spurs fans and led to cries of 'you don't know what you're doing' raining down from the stands at the manager.

One Arsenal fan wrote 'thanks for the memories Nuno' accompanied of four photos of Spurs losing to Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

Some showed a level of sympathy for Nuno and said that he was doomed from the off with this current squad, now far off the level of the Mauricio Pochettino team that got to the 2019 Champions League final.

'What a disastrous appointment,' one fan wrote. 'Funny thing is everyone knew it wasn't a good one when he signed.'

Another added: 'Just wasn't right for Spurs but I believe he's been hung out to dry a bit with poor recruitment but doesn't excuse results and performances!

Some fans had a more measured take and felt Nuno was destined to fail when he arrived

There were multiple calls for the board to 'show ambition' and make Conte their next boss

This season is in disarray after losing to Man United and Tottenham must get a successor right

'The club have to get this right and quickly!'

Chairman Daniel Levy was not absolved of blame for the disappointment of Nuno's short tenure given it was he who hired the Portuguese to replace Jose Mourinho.

'One gone... two more to go,' read one tweet, accompanied with two clown emojis.

The photo that accompanied that tweet showed owner Joe Lewis and chairman Levy labelled as 'the problem'.

Below them was nine managers which preceded Nuno and, in the eyes of the fan, they are 'not the problem' to the club's troubles.
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If you want to see Britain at its most enticingly magical, then look no further than the photographic wizardry that wowed the judges of the 2021 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition.

The standard is, as always, stratospheric. But after sifting through thousands of entries that celebrate the richly diverse landscape of the UK, the panel decided that its a photographer from America that has taken the wow factor to the highest height, with the most impressive picture of the country.

Mara Leite, who is originally from Seattle, has been declared the overall winner of this, the 14th edition of the competition, for her stunning shot of a tree-lined pathway in West Sussex.

Charlie Waite, the Awards Founder, says: With the glorious ring lighting and splash of golden light at the top, there is a sense of security and protection as much as secrecy that emerges from this delicate photograph where we are beckoned to go forward. Despite the gate at the far end, perhaps there is an additional feeling that one would never wish to reach it.

An exhibition of shortlisted and winning entries will premiere at London Bridge on November 15 until January 9, 2022, before going on a subsequent tour of the country. And an incredible coffee-table book - Landscape Photographer of the Year Collection 14 by Ilex - containing prints of the winning and commended entries is out now.

Scroll down to see MailOnline Travels pick of the prize-winning pictures

Behold, the overall winner of 2021's Landscape Photographer of the Year. This enchanting picture - 'Morning at Countryside' - was taken by American Mara Leite. It shows Mill Lane, a famous footpath in Halnaker, West Sussex. Leite explains: 'I was looking for a different composition when I decided to turn the other way and saw this beautiful sight. I love the gate in the background and how the morning light is hitting the leaves and softly entering the tunnel'

Photographer Andy Gray is behind this magical wintry shot, which is the runner up in the Your View category. It was captured near Gray's Derbyshire home in Matlock in the Peak District. He says: 'I first discovered [this spot] while commuting to work a few years back. It's located just off a main road with no obvious parking so I only ever glanced at it briefly through the window while passing. In my minds eye I could sense it had potential.' He finally made the trip to the pathway last winter with his camera in tow. Reflecting on the winning shot, he adds: 'I liked the combination of snow, mist and light coming from the left'

This striking shot shows a street in Calderdale, West Yorkshire. Titled 'Heading Home', it was snared by Robert Birkby, and is highly commended in the Urban Life category. 'I've wanted to visit this street in atmospheric conditions for some time, but on arrival was disappointed to see the fog wasn't quite as dense as hoped,' Birkby says. 'I took a few shots in the rain anyway, as the cobbles and dark gritstone houses look dramatic in the wet. I was just about to pack up and leave when a friendly gentleman approached and we chatted for quite a while. As he walked away I noticed the fog had thickened somewhat so I quickly took this shot as he walked down the hill'

Commended in the History category, this breathtaking photograph puts a spotlight on the ancient Hardknott Roman Fort in Eskdale, Cumbria. Photographer Stuart McGlennon, who is behind the image, notes: 'The Hardknott Roman Fort is a place that's always intrigued me. The history behind this location is fascinating and I often wonder what life would have looked like watching the sun set over the Irish Sea in the distance from this viewpoint back in the age of the Romans. From a personal standpoint, I love the view especially in the winter when the low afternoon sun lights up the many intricate patterns in the walls'

LEFT: Describing this atmospheric image, photographer James Whitesmith says: 'Traditional dry stone walls zig-zag across the fields beneath Malham Lings in the Yorkshire Dales, as the rising sun begins to light the scene.' It is highly commended in the Your View category. Whitesmith recalls: 'I arrived on location well before sunrise and the entire valley was filled with thick fog, but as the minutes ticked by it began to shift and retreat. This particular scene caught my eye and fortunately the swirling mist revealed the copse at the decisive moment with the first direct light washing over the landscape.' RIGHT: A spectacular misty shot this time captured by Robin Dodd. His image wins first place in the Your View category and shows a runner in the dawn mist jogging along the towpath near Henley On Thames, Oxfordshire. 'My nightly routine is to check my apps for morning mist or fog down by the river. I will take the camera down there before dawn if the conditions look right,' Dodd explains. Describing these misty conditions as a 'stunning light show', the photographer says he likes to set up his camera opposite the towpath and start shooting 'as the mist and sun play out their show'. Dodd adds: 'Rowers, runner, cyclists, dog walkers - there are endless combinations to play with when it's time to go home for breakfast'

This evocative shot shows what's said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies - the Shambles in York, where buildings date back as far as the 14th century. It's titled 'Ghosts of York' and was taken at 5am by photographer Ashley Groom, whose early rising efforts landed him a commended accolade in the Landscapes at Night category

Warwickshire's Chesterton Windmill is the focal point in this stunning photograph, which is the winner of the Classic View category. Sharing the story behind the image, George says: 'I was returning from Birmingham to Southampton, and as I was coming along the M40 Motorway, I decided to take a detour to Chesterton Windmill as the skies looked good. I have been there quite a few times before in the hope of getting a good sky.' The shot was captured late in the afternoon

This ethereal picture of Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire is the work of photographer Tomasz Rojek. It's commended in the Historic Britain category. 'The photo was taken during my trip to Scotland in May 2019,' the photographer says, adding: 'The man in the upper right corner shows the scale of the landscape'

Photographer Gill Moon reveals that a 'misty morning sunrise over the grazing marsh at Ramsholt in Suffolk' is shown in this beautiful photograph, adding: 'This area of marsh sits beside the River Deben and is one of my favourite locations in Suffolk.' The picture is runner-up in the Classic View category. Moon notes: 'I was particularly drawn to the light on the reeds and the way these two trees seemed to reach out to each other'

This photograph - appropriately titled 'Enchanted Winter' - is highly commended in the Classic View category. 'This scene was taken as I really liked the contrast of the central softly lit frosted branches compared with the darker contrast of the trees off centre,' says photographer Michael Allberry, who captured the image in the Peak District. He adds: 'This scene really reminded me of a childhood fairy tale of an enchanted forest with its Narnia-like qualities. The branches helped frame the central tree, which I also thought added to the scene'

A view of Bat's Head chalk headland on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset is seen in this majestic picture, which is highly commended in the Classic View category. Photographer James Ewer says of the shot: 'After three visits on consecutive evenings I got the soft golden light I was hoping for'

First place in the Black and White category goes to this delightfully bucolic shot, taken by Miles Middlebrook. It shows mist rise from the River Brathay near Skelwith Bridge in Cumbria's Lake District, half an hour after daybreak

An awe-inspiring shot of the Jacobite steam train crossing the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland's highlands (as seen in Harry Potter) is depicted in this picture, which tops the podium in the Lines in the Landscape category. Photographer Malcolm Blenkey says: 'I decided on this viewpoint rather than using the usual vantage points as I thought that if the sun broke through the cloud as the train arrived it would be the best way to show the juxtaposition of the natural beauty of the location in contrast to the mighty man-made structure'

London's Richmond Park is the setting for this magnificent shot, highly commended in the Urban Life category, and Daniel Langer the photographer who took it. Langer says that the photograph shows 'two juvenile red deer stags developing skills of the rut in preparation for the real event in seasons to come'. He adds: 'I got lucky with a combination of being at the right place at the right time during the right conditions. I noticed a small raised clearing within the bracken and several red deer nearby so I set up my tripod looking in the direction of the sunrise. These two stags climbed onto the mound and locked antlers for a practice rut. I couldn't believe my luck.' Langer compares the scene to 'a street fight, with the deer entering the arena and the spectators watching on from afar'

A steam locomotive called Alberta trundles over the Dent Head Viaduct in Cumbria in this sublime landscape shot, which is runner-up in the Lines in the Landscape category. Behind the camera was Matthew Turner, who says: 'On a day of frequent torrential showers, I was lucky enough to capture this locomotive crossing the scenic Dent Head Viaduct during a fleeting dry spell. The conditions certainly played to my advantage and made for an atmospheric picture'

This otherworldly snapshot is commended in the Landscapes at Night category. It shows the Cumbrian village of Braithwaite enveloped in mist. 'A pre-dawn climb up Grisdale Pike in the Lake District was the setting for this shot,' reveals photographer Jason Hudson. He adds: 'I noticed the light trails through the mist and thought it would make a compelling image'

Low mist and cloud tumble down from the hills of Fife behind a railway bridge in Scotland that needs little introduction - the Forth Bridge. It is commended in the Lines in the Landscape category and was captured by Grant Bulloch. The judges add that the yachts give the picture an extra dimension

A mesmerising shot taken on the Devon coast that earns Mark Bauer a commended accolade in the Black and White category. He says: 'I'd hoped for a colourful sunset, but when the sun dipped into thick haze on the horizon, it clearly wasn't going to happen. So I opted for black and white and a composition based around the strong shapes and textures in the bay'

A stunning drone shot of the incredible volcano-shaped mound of waste mining material in Somerset, near the village of Paulton, known as The Batch. It was taken by Henri Abbott and wins the Classic View Youth category

LEFT: Runner-up in the Historic Britain category in this priceless shot by James Rushforth of comet Neowise passing over Wiltshire's Stonehenge. He says: 'It's fascinating to think that this historic site did not exist when Neowise last passed the Earth. The comet is due to return in approximately 6,800 years. I wonder if the stones will still be standing? This is a single-exposure photograph taken early on the morning of July 20. The orange glow is light pollution from the nearby villages of Durrington and Larkhill, and a passing lorry very kindly painted the rocks with light.' RIGHT: Ian Asprey takes home the gold medal in the Landscapes at Night category for this ethereal shot of the lighthouse at Penmon Point in Anglesey, Wales. He says: 'I wanted to get an iconic landmark with this extraterrestrial treat, so a lot of planning and app using brought me to Anglesey. I got the sky I was praying for and I took lots and lots of images and chose this one as I liked the way the cloud mimicked the land adding some sort of symmetry. It was a shoot at all costs situation as I knew my eyes would never witness this space odyssey again, marrying our world with the unknown'
Lily Collins looked incredible in a striking blonde wig for her latest covershoot with Elle UK this week.

The actress, 32, who tied the knot with Charlie McDowell, 38, last month spoke candidly about her wedding and her time in lockdown with her partner.

She said: I never planned birthday parties for fear of other people not having fun. But I just decided that the wedding was my thing. I was like, No, you know what? This is going to be great.

Candid: Lily Collins looked incredible in a striking blonde wig for her latest covershoot with Elle UK this week

Making it known she is a big fan of the UK, the Surrey-born star added that she always feels like she's coming 'home' when she jets away from LA in order to visit Britain.

With the coronavirus pandemic shutting the borders between countries, Lily has been unable to travel across the Atlantic for two years.

The British-American star said of her new husband Charlie McDowell, 38, 'We would come during holidays or for vacations and we came here together last at Christmas two years ago. So we're both like, "Oh my god, it's good to be back."'

She also discussed the couple's relationship in lockdown, saying:It was very valuable time for me to spend with my now husband and our dog, to be able to just exist and take the time to just sit and be quiet.

Wow: Lily channelled British fashion icon Twiggy in the sultry shoot as she sported metallic eye make-up, bold brows and a 60s-inspired white mini dress for several shots

Dreamy: The actress, 32, who tied the knot with Charlie McDowell, 38, last month spoke candidly about her wedding and her time in lockdown with her partner

'Because I am someone who innately feels guilty for not doing something. I love to work. Im a doer. So also, I was able to kind of transfer what one considers work into self-work.

'I am also someone who is a huge advocate of mental health, of therapy, of meditation, of journaling, whatever it is that speaks to somebody in their process of finding out who they are, or bettering oneself or learning about oneself and expanding their mind and heart.

'So I really used that time for deep, deep, deep, sometimes very uncomfortable reflection, because we were having to stop and look at things.

Lily channelled British fashion icon Twiggy in the sultry shoot as she sported metallic eye make-up, bold brows and a 60s-inspired white mini dress for several shots.

She toughened up the look with black biker boots.

Elsewhere in the interview she declared she wants to pave her own individual way in life, despite being the proud daughter of Genesis frontman Phil Collins.

The actress said wants to suffer her own failures while equally enjoying successes.

She said: I couldn't be a more proud daughter, a more loving daughter. Like, it's my dad! I love him and I am in awe and I respect him and I'm inspired by him. But as an individual, I've always wanted to be me, and to have my own path.'

Adorable: Elsewhere in the interview she declared she wants to pave her own individual way in life, despite being the proud daughter of Genesis frontman Phil Collins (pictured in 2012)

Homecoming: Making it known she is a big fan of the UK, the Surrey-born star added that she always feels like she's coming 'home' when she jets away from LA in order to visit Britain

'When I play roles with British accents, there's something about it that feels like I'm speaking naturally, even though I'm having to put it on.

'Just even hearing the accent when we boarded the plane, there's just such a comfort in it.'

The Emily In Paris star tied the knot with film director Charlie during a private ceremony in Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado last month.

And on Tuesday, she shared a slideshow of snaps from their idyllic Scandinavian honeymoon.

Memories: The Emily In Paris star tied the knot with film director Charlie during a private ceremony in Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado last month

The Surrey-born star shared that it was a 'magical first trip as newlyweds and way to officially begin our lives together.'

Lily wrote on the Tuesday afternoon Instagram post: 'Our Scandinavian honeymoon may be over but the adventure definitely is not. I can't imagine a more memorable, magical first trip as newlyweds and way to officially begin our lives together.'

'There's no one I'd rather airplane hop and road trip with. Here's to the many more epic experiences to come,' the actress added.

Lily shared three snaps of herself posing in front of the stunning scenery as well as on a canoe and in the hotel.

Adorable: Lily shared two snaps of herself posing in front of the stunning scenery as well as on a canoe

Lily donned a traditional white lace gown and matching hooded cape, designed by Ralph Lauren, in snaps taken by Cedar & Pines Photography.

They got engaged September 2020 while vacationing in Sedona, Arizona after they dated for a one year.

Lily and Charlie confirmed their relationship in August 2019.

The pair met on the set of film Gilded Rage in 2019, where Lily was the star and Charlie was the director.
Actress Kate Beckinsale turned heads on Saturday when she attended Vas J Morgan's exclusive Halloween bash in Los Angeles on Saturday dressed as a gothic Pope.

The Underworld actress, 48, looked stunning in the latex Pope's outfit, that showcased her long legs and highlighted her enviable figure.

Donning a white blonde wig the star entered into the spirit of Halloween by wearing a full costume including a mitre featuring an upside down cross.

Pope appeal: Actress Kate Beckinsale turned heads on Saturday when she attended Vas J Morgan's exclusive Halloween bash in Los Angeles on Saturday dressed as a gothic Pope

While her friend who accompanied her to the bash stepped out in a black latex nuns outfit, which flashed her thigh tattoos.

Kate rocked a pair of white skyscraper platform heels and finished the look by going full glam with the make up, which consisted of a smokey eye and black mascara and eyeliner.

Kate went for a strong blush and made a statement with a bold red lipstick.

Part time: Kate rocked a pair of white skyscraper platform heels and finished the look by going full glam with the make up, which consisted of a smokey eye and black mascara and eyeliner

Guests on the night included socialite Paris Hilton, Rebel Wilson and Emma Roberts.

The actress recently hit the headlines when she responded to the media frenzy over her impressively high IQ of 152, which she admits has been a hindrance to her happiness, career and dating life.

The star, who studied Modern Languages at Oxford before pursuing her acting career, revealed to Howard Stern that her intelligence ranks among the 'genius' levels.

Spooky: She finished the look by going full glam with the make up, which consisted of a smokey eye and details black mascara and eyeliner.

She recently broke her silence over a handful of harsh articles nitpicking her interview with the controversial radio show host.

'I was asked multiple times in a recent interview if knew my IQ,' the English actress began in a lengthy statement.

She continued: 'I didn't answer the question the first few times, but I did tell the truth that my mum had had me tested when I was young, and that it was high.

I didn't remember the number, and after being pressed several times to call my mother and ask her, I did.'

Wow: Kate looked stunning as she posed up a storm in her racy ensemble

At this point, she found herself in a dilemma to 'tell the truth,' lie, 'refuse to answer the question,' or 'pretend it was lower.'

'I told the truth and some journalists have been triggered by this,' the mom-of-one went on. 'Are we really jumping on women for answering a question truthfully about their intelligence or education?'

Beckinsale asked: 'Are we really still requiring women to dumb themselves down in order not to offend?'

'I went to an all girls school where I never had to worry about raising my hand making me possibly unfeminine.'

'I went to a university in which intellectual debate was not only encouraged, but the entire point of attending.'

The performer noted while she is aware of how lucky she for those opportunities, when she referred to her IQ as a 'handicap in Hollywood,

'It's PRECISELY because being female AND having an opinion often has to be quite carefully packaged so as not to be offensive.' she said

Beckinsale also claimed her latest comments were 'deliberately twisted into signifying ones perceived superiority or arrogance.'
Tziporah Malkah claims she is estranged from her mother Pru Goward after the Liberal politician-turned-commentator wrote a controversial column about Australia's 'underclass' for the Australian Financial Review.

Malkah, formerly known as Kate Fischer, was one of Sydney's top models in the '90s but now works as a traffic controller - a profession she feels makes her one of the 'proles' her mother criticised in her article.

The 47-year-old alleged in an interview with New Idea on Monday that she and Goward, 69, no longer speak and 'don't have a relationship'.

Tell-all: Tziporah Malkah (right, in Sydney in March) has spoken out against her mother Pru Goward (left, in Sydney in August 2017) after she wrote a controversial column about Australia's 'underclass' for the Australian Financial Review

Referring to her mother's editorial earlier this month, in which she repeatedly referred to the working class as 'proles', Malkah branded it 'deeply disturbing'.

Malkah was engaged to billionaire businessman James Packer during her modelling heyday, but later fell on hard times and found herself living in a homeless shelter.

'I'm probably a prole, though, to be honest, I don't even really know what that means. I'm a poor person, absolutely,' she told New Idea.

Volatile: Malkah, 47, alleged in an interview with New Idea on Monday that she and Goward, 69, no longer speak and 'don't have a relationship'. Pictured in Sydney in September 2020

'I would like things to get a bit easier for me, because there is a struggle every day. There's not much left at the end of the week once I pay all the bills,' said of her earnings as a traffic controller.

Malkah said she thought her mother's AFR column was 'very out of touch' and she was keen to 'separate myself from her comments'.

'I think a lot of mothers are jealous of their beautiful daughters,' she added.

Blistering: In her column for the Australian Financial Review, Goward - a former Liberal politician, who acted as the NSW Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister for Social Housing - claimed the working class 'were to be feared'. Pictured in Sydney in 2018

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Goward for comment.

In her column for the Australian Financial Review, Goward - a former Liberal politician, who acted as the NSW Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister for Social Housing - claimed the working class 'were to be feared'.

'Government agencies view them with alarm as huge cost centres; they are over-represented in their use of government crisis services and are always the last to give up smoking, get their shots and eat two servings of vegetables a day,' she wrote.

The way they were: Tziporah previously shared a happy family photo with Goward, stepfather David Barnett and stepsister Alice on Instagram in December 2017. At the time she said they'd repaired their relationship after many 'difficult' years

She also claimed social workers 'despair of their appalling housework, neglect of their children and, notably, their sharp and unrepentant manner when told to lift their game'.

Tziporah previously shared a happy family photo with Goward, stepfather David Barnett and stepsister Alice on Instagram in December 2017. At the time she said they'd repaired their relationship after many 'difficult' years.

'It has always been quite a difficult relationship. I respect my mother and I understand my mother... that she is not motherly,' Tziporah told The Project.
She may not be old enough to speak yet, but Grace Warrior Irwin Powell is apparently close to saying her first word.

And that first word could well be 'Steve', according to Woman's Day.

Grace, seven months, is the only grandchild of the late Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin, who died in a freak accident in September 2006.

How cute! She may not be old enough to speak yet, but Bindi Irwin's daughter, Grace Warrior, is apparently close to saying her first word - and that first word could well be 'Steve'

Her parents, Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell, have reportedly been encouraging their daughter to speak by telling her stories about 'Poppy Steve'.

A source close to the family said they wouldn't be surprised if the 'extremely clever' little girl's first word ends up being 'Steve' or something similar.

They said: 'Bindi has been telling Grace stories about her "Poppy Steve" and how he was her hero who loved all animals.

Legacy: Grace is the only grandchild of the late Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin, who died in a freak accident in September 2006. Pictured: Steve and Terri Irwin with their daughter, Bindi, at a film premiere in Los Angeles, California, in 2002

Sweet: Bindi and her husband, Chandler Powell (left), have reportedly been encouraging their daughter to speak by telling her stories about 'Poppy Steve'

'Grace seems to love stories about him, and they are convinced she can almost say his name. It might even be among her first words.'

The insider added: 'Bindi has never felt closer to her dad than she does through Grace, who already looks a lot like him.'

Bindi, 23, and Chandler, 24, welcomed their daughter on March 25, which coincidentally was their one-year wedding anniversary.

Baby joy: Bindi, 23, and Chandler, 24, welcomed their daughter on March 25, which coincidentally was their one-year wedding anniversary. Pictured at Australia Zoo on Sunday

Grace's middle name Warrior is a tribute to her late grandfather, who coined the term 'Wildlife Warrior' to promote wildlife conservation.

Steve died on September 4, 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a documentary in Queensland.

Bindi and Chandler announced they were expecting their first child together in August last year.

Sweet: Grace's middle name Warrior is a tribute to her late grandfather, who coined the term 'Wildlife Warrior' to promote wildlife conservation. Steve Irwin is pictured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in August 1998
Jen Shah shared she was still reeling from the fallout over the dispute with her former dress designer on Sunday's episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

After her former clothing designer Koa Johnson accused her earlier this year of traumatizing and verbally assaulting him while he worked for her audio was leaked of Jen berating the designer.

Jen, 47, felt betrayed because she trusted her dress designer because he was from Hawaii.

Designer drama: Jen Shah shared she was still reeling from the fallout over the dispute with her former dress designer on Sunday's episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

She said in a confessional that her former designer 'took my kindness and repaid me by making it look like I mistreated him, which was not the case at all.'

'All the s*** he is putting out there, it was all a f***ing set up,' Jen said to Lisa Barlow, 46, who wanted to talk to her about the incident.

Lisa said she knew Jen cared about Koa like family and trusted Koa to make a dress for her for a very important event, but that he didn't deliver on time. Lisa then said that when audio was leaked earlier this year that it was 'definitely not flattering for Jen.'

Several of the housewives then discussed in confessionals what they knew about the incident. Heather Gay, 48, said that everyone in Utah heard the leaked audio.

Felt betrayed: Jen, 47, felt betrayed because she trusted her dress designer because he was from Hawaii

Whitney Rose, 34, said it was Jen who didn't follow through and get him the dress details on time. Whitney also said that Koa stated that he did not leak the audio and had no idea who did. When Mary Cosby was asked about her thoughts on the incriminating audio, she said, 'Jen just got busted.'

Jen was equally upset as to why Lisa wanted to discuss this incident now. Lisa told her that she just wanted her to know that other people in their friend group such as Whitney were sending Koa gifts and supporting him.

Jen told her she had gone through so much therapy to not care what other people did, but she was clearly upset by this news.

Got busted: When Mary Cosby was asked about her thoughts on the incriminating audio, she said, 'Jen just got busted'

Visibly upset: Jen was equally upset as to why Lisa wanted to discuss this incident now

'Why are you doing this?' Jen asked. ' We are supposed to be a group of friends. If you are our friend be our f***ing friend, if you are not then get the f*** out.'

The episode titled 'A Wolf Pack of Secrets' started with Lisa setting up a launch party for 'Fresh Wolf,' a luxury grooming product line for boys and men created by her sons Jack, 16, and Henry, nine.

For Jack the event for the company, which donates products to foster care for every product sold, was about raising awareness and money for children in foster care. As they prepared for the event, which would also raise money for Utah Foster Care, Jack said that his father John, who was adopted, was his inspiration for his commitment and passion to help children in foster care.

Grooming products: The episode titled 'A Wolf Pack of Secrets' started with Lisa setting up a launch party for 'Fresh Wolf,' a luxury grooming product line for boys and men created by her sons Jack, 16, and Henry, nine

In a confessional, Lisa explained that her husband John was given up for adoption at birth and was then later returned. She said their son gravitated to working to raise awareness for foster care children because of his father's experience.

'John had to be in foster care for almost a year as a baby,' said Lisa, who told the event organizers that she wanted to limit the guest list to around 30 people to keep it intimate.

Jack and Henry then took part in a photoshoot for the product line. Jen showed up to the shoot wearing a wolf hat that appeared to be made out of a real wolf's head. She also brought one for Lisa to wear. They both put the wolf head on and then posed in some of the photos with Lisa's sons.

Wolf's head: Jen showed up to the shoot wearing a wolf hat that appeared to be made out of a real wolf's head

Across town, Mary met up with Whitney and Heather for lunch at an Italian restaurant. Heather asked Mary if she had spoken to Lisa after their snow tubing fight. Mary started to cry. She said when Lisa questioned her about needing to google something she said and that it 'just triggered' her.

Mary told them that she lost her mother because she refused to back down over her decision to marry Robert Sr. She said in a confessional that when her grandmother died that she left her the church and the business and her mother was not happy because she felt that she was next in line. She said her mother cut her off because of it.

In a confessional, Mary said she hadn't spoken to her mother in 25 years. She said her relationship with her mother ended because she didn't believe what she said. She said that Lisa's similar line of questioning triggered her to react because it took her back to that wound.

Got triggered: Mary told them that she lost her mother because she refused to back down over her decision to marry Robert Sr and got emotional as she revealed that Lisa triggered her

Mary told Heather and Whitney that nothing could repair her relationship with her mother.

'But it's fine,' said Mary while dabbing her tears with a napkin.

Heather told Mary that her friendship with Lisa would depend on whether Lisa thought she was on her team.

Friendship advice: Heather told Mary that her friendship with Lisa would depend on whether Lisa thought she was on her team

In a confessional, Heather said that Lisa looks at everything as a game and that every move of hers was calculated.

'But if you cross her, Lisa will reveal herself,' said Heather.

Mary said to Heather and Whitney that she didn't think that Lisa was like that. She told them that she thought Lisa was like her and that they would just move on.

Moving on: Mary said to Heather and Whitney that she didn't think that Lisa was like that and she believed the could move on

Later, Whitney went rollerblading with her brother Will. She asked him how their father Steve Lesh was doing and told him that she hadn't spoken to him for six months.

She said the last time she saw their father she asked him to leave her house after he yelled and chased down a food delivery person that was bringing food to their house. She said he may not have been sober that day.

Whitney said in a confessional that when her father was battling addiction that she was the only one who was there for him. She said she also facilitated her father's reconciliation with the rest of her family.

Family talk: Later, Whitney went rollerblading with her brother Will

'I thought last year that we had worked through everything and our future was going to be much different,' said Whitney in a confessional. 'Unfortunately, it's not.'

Whitney asked her brother if it was okay that she just wanted to be done with it and he told her 'just because they are blood doesn't mean they are family.'

Will told her that if the blood portion of her life was causing so much trouble then 'cut the s*** off.'

Sage advice: Will told her that if the blood portion of her life was causing so much trouble then 'cut the s*** off'

Across town, Meredith and her 19-year-old daughter Chloe met up for lunch with Heather and her 17-year-old daughter Ashley. Chloe gave Ashley some advice on college.

Meredith then told Heather she had rented a seven-bedroom house in Vail initially for her family but now her husband couldn't make it. She asked Heather if she would be up for a fun girls trip. Heather asked her who she wanted to invite and she said 'the usual suspects.' Heather asked her if she wanted to invite Jen.

Meredith said she was apprehensive about having any relationship with her on any level after everything that had transpired with her son Brooks Marks.

College bound: Across town, Meredith and her 19-year-old daughter Chloe met up for lunch with Heather and her 17-year-old daughter Ashley

Meredith said in a confessional that the fact that Jen apologized to her and Brooks showed that their friendship was 'moving forward on some level.' She said it would still take some time for their relationship to be fully repaired.

Jen showed up at Heather's house with some gag gifts to help her with her dating life. She brought a game called 'Pin the Pistol on the Cowboy' and a candy g-string and candy bras among other x-rated gags.

Heather asked Jen if she wanted to go on a girls trip to Vail. Jen said yes though she did think it was weird that Meredith wasn't inviting her herself. When Heather mentioned that Lisa had already agreed to go on the trip, Jen told her about how Lisa shared with her that Whitney sent products to her former designer Koa.

Gag gifts: Jen showed up at Heather's house with some gag gifts to help her with her dating life

Heather told Jen she thought it was suspicious that Lisa was alluding to her that Whitney was a 's*** friend.' Heather thought it particularly strange because she knew Lisa invited Whitney to her son's Fresh Wolf event, but didn't invite either of them.

Jen thought that it was odd that Whitney was invited to Lisa's event. Heather said she was curious who else Lisa invited to the event because 'Lisa thinks things through.'

'This is what she does,' said Heather in a confessional. 'She goes around and collects what she believes is mud and slings it in the face of the friend to dismantle relationships, to undermine affection and loyalty and to try to somehow win at some imaginary game that she is playing.'

Playing games: 'This is what she does,' said Heather in a confessional. 'She goes around and collects what she believes is mud and slings it in the face of the friend to dismantle relationships, to undermine affection and loyalty and to try to somehow win at some imaginary game that she is playing'

Jen couldn't believe that she wasn't invited to the event that benefits foster care because her aunt adopted two kids from foster care.

'That is super hurtful,' said Jen. 'I am so tired of trusting people and being screwed over.'

At the Fresh Wolf event, Lisa told Meredith about how she spoke to Jen about her public blow up with her dress designer. She said the conversation upset Jen. Meredith said Jen didn't have a problem talking about everyone else's business so why should she be upset when someone talks about hers.

Catching up: At the Fresh Wolf event, Lisa told Meredith about how she spoke to Jen about her public blow up with her dress designer

'Everyone talks about everybody,' said Meredith. 'It's not like she is singled out.'

Cameron Williams came over and interrupted their conversation to quickly say hello to Lisa. Lisa told Meredith that Cameron was her very good friend and he was how she initially met Mary.

Lisa got pulled into photos and left Cameron and Meredith to talk. Cameron told Meredith that he met Mary when he attended her church, but then he added that he thankfully no longer attended that church. Meredith asked him what happened.

Invited guest: Cameron Williams came over and interrupted their conversation to quickly say hello to Lisa

'People who are at that church are god fearing beautiful people, but Mary and her husband they have done some things that have been very harmful,' Cameron said. 'I just hope for healing for everyone. I truly do.'

Meredith said she didn't like hearing this because she really loved Mary.

'I did too at one point,' said Cameron. 'Just be careful.'

Duly warned: Meredith said she loved Mary and Cameron said, 'I did too at one point. Just be careful'

Meredith told Cameron that she was really sorry to hear that because she went last winter to Mary's church once and had a 'feel good experience.' Cameron said he understood why she felt that on her first visit, but 'stick around you'll find out.' Meredith asked him if it changes and he said it did. He said he was there for seven years.

'The truth was revealed' said Cameron. 'The truth came out and I knew that I couldn't stay with that truth and I had to walk away.'

He wouldn't share many details with Meredith and said 'that was Mary's story to tell.' Meredith was shaken by this conversation. She grabbed Lisa and said she had a very intense conversation with Cameron.

Truly shook: Meredith was shaken by this conversation and grabbed Lisa and said she had a very intense conversation with Cameron

Lisa said to Meredith that she looked like she was going to cry. Lisa told Meredith that Cameron used to be a preacher at Mary's church and didn't normally speak badly of other people.

Meredith said Cameron had given her cryptic messages during their conversation so she started thinking the worst. She asked Lisa if she knew anything more about what happened between Cameron and Mary. Lisa told Meredith there was a reason why Mary wasn't invited to the event because she keeps them separate out of respect.

In the preview of scenes for the next episode, Jen boarded a van with the other housewives for their road trip to Vail for a girl's vacation when she suddenly told them 'I have to go.'

Moments later the police showed up and said they were 'looking for Jen Shah'' who was arrested in March and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with an alleged telemarketing scheme.

The Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City will return next Sunday on Bravo.
Chloe Veitch looked sensational as she stepped out as Jessica Rabbit for Halloween on Sunday evening.

Joining her was fellow Too Hot To Handle star Nicole O'Brien who opted to go as Lara Croft on the outing.

The stars looked in good spirits as they held hands while walking into MKNY House in Mayfair.

Stunners: Chloe Veitch, 22, looked sensational as she stepped out as Jessica Rabbit for Halloween on Sunday evening, while Nicole O'Brien, 26, stunned as Lara Croft

Chloe, 22, wore a busty pink latex mini dress to be the iconic cartoon character and accessorised with purple satin gloves.

She had her dyed red locks in soft waves just like Jessica while wearing pink eye contacts, winged eyeliner and a bright red lip.

Nicole, 26, meanwhile, resembled video game archaeologist in black high waisted knickers, a busty crop top and garters for her fake guns.

Looking good: The stars looked in good spirits as they held hands while walking into MKNY House in Mayfair

She wore thigh high pleather boots while her red locks were tied back into a lengthy plait which fell neatly down her back.

The pair both took to Instagram before heading on their night on the town to document their outfits by posing sexily in a lift.

Chloe had borrowed one of her pal's fake guns for the photoshoot, before posing with it in her mouth.

Wow: Chloe wore a busty pink latex mini dress to be the iconic cartoon character and accessorised with purple satin gloves

Gorgeous: She had her dyed red locks in soft waves just like Jessica while wearing pink eye contacts, winged eyeliner and a bright red lip

Nicole also held the fake firearm as she worked her angles for social media.

While Nicole did not find love on the Netflix dating show, she went on to date her co-star Bryce Hirschberg after the show wrapped, making their relationship public last April.

They called it quits later in the year due to the travel restrictions posed by COVID-19, as Bryce lives in Marina Del Rey, California, and Nicole calls the UK home.

Uncanny: Nicole meanwhile, resembled video game archaeologist - who was played by Angelina Jolie - in black high waisted knickers, a busty crop top and garters for her fake guns

Stunning: She wore thigh high pleather boots while her red locks were tied back into a lengthy plait which fell neatly down her back

Amazing: Nicole worked her angles before stepping into the venue

Chloe also appeared on the show, where a string of attractive contestants learned they'd win $100,000 if they had no sexual contact for four weeks. Each infraction took money off the total prize fund.

She failed to find love on the show and was among the winners who split an eventual purse of $75,000 after making it to the end of the Mexico-set show without breaking the rules in the villa.

In a subsequent interview with The Sun, Chloe admitted she had since developed a different approach to dating, saying: 'It was sexual rehabilitation for everyone. I was a serial dater and would always have a few guys on the go.

'I was addicted to Tinder, swiping all day. It was a confidence boost for me. But I never chose the best guys. I've been hurt before and have an emotional barrier up.'

She also said: 'I haven't had any one-night stands since leaving the house. I have been on a few dates, but I'm happy being single now and feeling empowered... Girls, you don't need a guy to value you, just respect yourself instead.'

Documenting: The pair both took to Instagram before heading on their night on the town to document their outfits by posing sexily in a lift
The Roy family and their Waystar Royco media conglomerate is starting to crumble in the third episode of Succession Season 3.

The family is still reeling from Kendall Roy's (Jeremy Strong) revealing that his father Logan Roy (Brian Cox) was complicit in the scandal involving the company's cruise division, with Kendall spending the bulk of Season 3 setting up a new company where he can take down his father for good.

Sunday night's new episode, The Disruption, reveals the U.S. Department of Justice is coming after the company, while Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen).

Reeling: The family is still reeling from Kendall Roy's (Jeremy Strong) revealing that his father Logan Roy (Brian Cox) was complicit in the scandal involving the company's cruise division, with Kendall spending the bulk of Season 3 setting up a new company where he can take down his father for good

Crumble: The Roy family and their Waystar Royco media conglomerate is starting to crumble in the third episode of Succession Season 3

New episode: Sunday night's new episode, The Disruption, reveals the U.S. Department of Justice is coming after the company, while Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen)

The episode begins with a lunch scene where Kendall is meeting with a woman, telling her how screwed up his family is.

He also reveals he's been in touch with the Department of Justice (DOJ) about his immunity deal, as it's revealed he's meeting with a reporter.

He tells her he comes from a 'world of image,' as she ponders how he is so concerned about how he comes off.

Family: The episode begins with a lunch scene where Kendall is meeting with a woman, telling her how screwed up his family is

Reporter: He also reveals he's been in touch with the Department of Justice (DOJ) about his immunity deal, as it's revealed he's meeting with a reporter

Concerned: He tells her he comes from a 'world of image,' as she ponders how he is so concerned about how he comes off

The reporter asks where his siblings are in this, and if he's managed to stay close with them.

He says there are 'issues' with his siblings, saying he's happy in his headspace and he hopes they're happy in theirs.

Logan says he wonders if their acting CEO is too acting, as the family keeps talking about Kendall's interview.

Siblings: The reporter asks where his siblings are in this, and if he's managed to stay close with them

Headspace: He says there are 'issues' with his siblings, saying he's happy in his headspace and he hopes they're happy in theirs

Logan: Logan says he wonders if their acting CEO is too acting, as the family keeps talking about Kendall's interview

They add there is talk that Kendall is planning on coming to the building, but Logan says if he shows up in the building he'll, 'punch him in the nose.'

Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) wonders if they should start playing ball but Logan isn't having it.

Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) shows Greg (Nicholas Braun) to his new office, as Greg wonders if this is a demotion.

Punch: They add there is talk that Kendall is planning on coming to the building, but Logan says if he shows up in the building he'll, 'punch him in the nose'

Play ball: Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) wonders if they should start playing ball but Logan isn't having it

Office: Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) shows Greg (Nicholas Braun) to his new office, as Greg wonders if this is a demotion

Tom says he has gone with Waystar, which he thinks is the smartest take, but he's also meeting with someone impartial to discuss the situation.

Greg says he's meeting with Kendall to get a watch from him, but Tom wants him to meet with his guy.

Shiv tells Logan's team that she thinks she's more valuable neutralizing Kendall as Roman agrees to give an interview saying good stuff about Logan.

Discuss: Tom says he has gone with Waystar, which he thinks is the smartest take, but he's also meeting with someone impartial to discuss the situation

Watch: Greg says he's meeting with Kendall to get a watch from him, but Tom wants him to meet with his guy

Shiv: Shiv tells Logan's team that she thinks she's more valuable neutralizing Kendall as Roman agrees to give an interview saying good stuff about Logan

Kendall is in a limo with his team, girlfriend Naomi Pierce (Annabelle Dexter-Jones) and Greg when they play 'Good Tweet/Bad Tweet' where they all read off good and bad tweets about him.

They arrive at the journalism gala as Kendall decides to yell out, 'F**k the patriarchy,' while they go inside and runs into Shiv.

Kendall interrupts Shiv with her former fling Nate (Ashley Zukerman) when they hurl some jabs at each other when he leaves and they start real talk.

Girlfriend: Kendall is in a limo with his team, girlfriend Naomi Pierce (Annabelle Dexter-Jones) and Greg when they play 'Good Tweet/Bad Tweet' where they all read off good and bad tweets about him

Shiv: They arrive at the journalism gala as Kendall decides to yell out, 'F**k the patriarchy,' while they go inside and runs into Shiv

Shiv and Nate: Kendall interrupts Shiv with her former fling Nate (Ashley Zukerman) when they hurl some jabs at each other when he leaves and they start real talk

She says he's worried he's gonna go after him, but Kendall says he should be worried, but she wants him to wait after the shareholder meeting.

She tells him to 'cool it' on the interviews and she thinks they have the 'same aim' and she is 'pushing for change.'

She wants to acknowledge and rebuild and fix things from the inside, because that's only place things change.

Worried: She says he's worried he's gonna go after him, but Kendall says he should be worried, but she wants him to wait after the shareholder meeting

Change: She tells him to 'cool it' on the interviews and she thinks they have the 'same aim' and she is 'pushing for change'

Inside: She wants to acknowledge and rebuild and fix things from the inside, because that's only place things change

'Or do you just not give a f**k and it's all just ego?' Shiv asks, as Kendall takes the stage.

Roman is meeting with a producer at ATN as they break down the kinds of questions he'd be asked, but Roman doesn't like any of them.

Roman says he has a memory about fly fishing in Montana, and he'll pass that along.

Roman: Roman is meeting with a guy at ATN as they break down the kinds of questions he'd be asked, but Roman doesn't like any of them

Ego: 'Or do you just not give a f**k and it's all just ego?' Shiv asks, as Kendall takes the stage

Shiv goes back to meet with Logan, asking if she saw him, but she doesn't think he's coming in, adding he 'gets it.'

Logan wants Shiv to talk about him instead of Roman, and Logan asks if he trusts her, and she says she does.

She asks how bad it is, and he says there is a 'few bad apples' but she knows that isn't true.

Shiv and Logan: Shiv goes back to meet with Logan, asking if she saw him, but she doesn't think he's coming in, adding he 'gets it'

Trust: Logan wants Shiv to talk about him instead of Roman, and Logan asks if he trusts her, and she says she does

Bad apples: She asks how bad it is, and he says there is a 'few bad apples' but she knows that isn't true

He says he didn't know about 'any of this s**t,' and even though he's on the emails, he gets so many emails she only reads the 'action points.'

He says she will not find a piece of paper that will make her ashamed of him, but she says the government has a lot of leverage.

Greg is told that the watch is $40K but he thought Kendall was buying it for him, but he said he wasn't, he was just hooking him up.

Didn't know: He says he didn't know about 'any of this s**t,' and even though he's on the emails, he gets so many emails she only reads the 'action points'

Ashamed: He says she will not find a piece of paper that will make her ashamed of him, but she says the government has a lot of leverage

Watch: Greg is told that the watch is $40K but he thought Kendall was buying it for him, but he said he wasn't, he was just hooking him up

Kendall turns on a program called The Disruption where a Black woman named Sophie (Ziwe) is just tearing him apart, but he thinks it's great because he's 'in the conversation.'

Shiv gets home and Tom is a little tipsy, asking if Kendall is coming into Waystar, but she doesn't think so.

Tom reveals what happened at his meeting, and his guy said that he thinks he'll probably go to jail.

Sophie: Kendall turns on a program called The Disruption where a Black woman named Sophie (Ziwe) is just tearing him apart, but he thinks it's great because he's 'in the conversation'

Shiv and Tom: Shiv gets home and Tom is a little tipsy, asking if Kendall is coming into Waystar, but she doesn't think so

Jail: Tom reveals what happened at his meeting, and his guy said that he thinks he'll probably go to jail

Tom is clearly distraught but he says he has one 'dumb idea' and thinks he might want to 'get out in front of it,' not with DOJ but to his dad, offering himself up.

Shiv says he can't, and he's drunk, but she adds it 'is smart,' and kind of a 'win from a no win.'

She adds that it's very likely no one goes to jail and he gets in dad's good graces with the offer itself.

Distraught: Tom is clearly distraught but he says he has one 'dumb idea' and thinks he might want to 'get out in front of it,' not with DOJ but to his dad, offering himself up

Drunk: Shiv says he can't, and he's drunk, but she adds it 'is smart,' and kind of a 'win from a no win'

Kendall calls Jess and tells him he's going in, and he says to keep it on the down low.

Tom goes up to Logan at the ATN studio, saying he's been thinking about what he might really need and how he can help.

'If things go how they could go, maybe there are no repurcussions,' adding there may need to be a face or two behind bars.

Going in: Kendall calls Jess and tells him he's going in, and he says to keep it on the down low

Help: Tom goes up to Logan at the ATN studio, saying he's been thinking about what he might really need and how he can help

Behind bars: 'If things go how they could go, maybe there are no repurcussions,' adding there may need to be a face or two behind bars.

Logan asks what his angle is, and he says he has none, but he says he can 'be that guy' and he will 'step up and go down.'

Logan asks if he wants anything, and Tom says he doesn't.

Logan says he doesn't think it will come to that, but he genuinely thanks him for the offer.

Angle: Logan asks what his angle is, and he says he has none, but he says he can 'be that guy' and he will 'step up and go down'

Thanks: Logan says he doesn't think it will come to that, but he genuinely thanks him for the offer

He leaves the studio and calls a law firm, but he gets a call from Greg.

Logan tells a woman connected to the White House that this whole thing is a 'witch hunt,' and tells her that they have the President's back.

The woman says the President doesn't think their coverage has been helpful lately, telling him to lower the temperature and they come to an agreement.

Leaves: He leaves the studio and calls a law firm, but he gets a call from Greg

White House: Logan tells a woman connected to the White House that this whole thing is a 'witch hunt,' and tells her that they have the President's back

Agreement: The woman says the President doesn't think their coverage has been helpful lately, telling him to lower the temperature and they come to an agreement

Shiv goes through a number of the shareholder questions and they only found a few they could use, but the team put together better questions.

Kendall says his sister is 'making moves' and he can't just watch it happen, as Kendall asks for a 'raid' of Waystar.

Logan finds out that Kendall is coming in and says he'll jam a Mont Blanc down his throat.

Questions: Shiv goes through a number of the shareholder questions and they only found a few they could use, but the team put together better questions

Kendall is coming: Logan finds out that Kendall is coming in and says he'll jam a Mont Blanc down his throat

Logan says he wants to fire him but they think he would hand DOJ even more ammo.

Kendall comes in the back way after he's denied through the front as they all prepare for his arrival.

Kendall runs into Tom, saying it's pretty weird, asking Tom if he has any back channel White House contacts and Tom asks if he has an immunity deal yet.

Denied: Kendall comes in the back way after he's denied through the front as they all prepare for his arrival

Kendall says he likes him and he's never had any beef with him, whispering that a 'better life is possible.'

He gets to his old office and he's locked out of the computer system, when he realizes it's colder in there, as they try to determine the temperature.

They get ready for the shareholder's meeting, as Shiv is introduced as the new domestic president.

Temp: He gets to his old office and he's locked out of the computer system, when he realizes it's colder in there, as they try to determine the temperature

New boss: They get ready for the shareholder's meeting, as Shiv is introduced as the new domestic president

She says that her brother made some very serious allegations, adding there is a lot that they can't talk about legally.

She says she's paying particular attention to corporate responsibility, but as she continues her speech, Nirvana's Rape Me comes on through the speakers.

The team is scrambling as a number of huge speakers are discovered in the room as Shiv storms off.

Allegations: She says that her brother made some very serious allegations, adding there is a lot that they can't talk about legally

Speakers: She says she's paying particular attention to corporate responsibility, but as she continues her speech, Nirvana's Rape Me comes on through the speakers

Shiv goes to Logan, who says, 'Sorry, Pinky. Not easy, huh.'

Kendall is getting ready for an appearance on the talk show that blasted him the other day, The Disruption.

Meanwhile, Shiv drafts a formal response for everyone saying they are not on board with Kendall... but Roman isn't sure, saying it's 'pretty horrible' in what it says about Kendall.

Ready: Kendall is getting ready for an appearance on the talk show that blasted him the other day, The Disruption

Horrible: Meanwhile, Shiv drafts a formal response for everyone saying they are not on board with Kendall... but Roman isn't sure, saying it's 'pretty horrible' in what it says about Kendall

She says Kendall is on a mission and it's up to them to stop him, but Roman doesn't want to sign it, saying it's not in his best interests.

Connor says his signature is valuable real estate and he doesn't want it for free, saying he wants some 'sucky-suck,' as Shiv facetiously thanks them for their help.

Kendall goes down to meet the writers, saying they do awesome work, but he's interrupted by one of his team members when the letter is released.

Not signing: She says Kendall is on a mission and it's up to them to stop him, but Roman doesn't want to sign it, saying it's not in his best interests

Valuable: Connor says his signature is valuable real estate and he doesn't want it for free, saying he wants some 'sucky-suck,' as Shiv facetiously thanks them for their help

Interrupt: Kendall goes down to meet the writers, saying they do awesome work, but he's interrupted by one of his team members when the letter is released

She thinks the team will use the statement that Shiv released, but they think it would be weird if they don't mention it.

One of The Disruption producers says it was 'big' of him to come there, thinking he is 'overthinking' this, saying it's a comedy show and Sophie is 'tough but fair.'

Kendall is clearly torn by the statement his siblings put out and he goes into a server room and just sits down, clearly distraught.

Weird: She thinks the team will use the statement that Shiv released, but they think it would be weird if they don't mention it

Big: One of The Disruption producers says it was 'big' of him to come there, thinking he is 'overthinking' this, saying it's a comedy show and Sophie is 'tough but fair'

Roman goes to meet with Logan, apologizing about the letter, as Logan says he saw the interview and he 'never thought of him as a f***ot.

He watches the show from inside the server room, as Sophie goes off on Kendall for 'ghosting' him.

Gerri tells Logan that the FBI is downstairs, with Logan telling them to 'f**k off' but they aren't the ones that f**k off.

Goes off: He watches the show from inside the server room, as Sophie goes off on Kendall for 'ghosting' him

Server: Kendall sits in a server room after ghosting Sophie

Gerri: Gerri tells Logan that the FBI is downstairs, with Logan telling them to 'f**k off' but they aren't the ones that f**k off

Gerri says there are cameras outside and they don't need to show them giving the FBI resistance... and after thinking about it, Logan agrees to cooperate.

Tom is giving a speech to his team, when he's told about the FBI raid.

A slew of FBI agents flood into the building, as Kendall watches from the server room with a smile, as the episode comes to an end.

Cooperate: Gerri says there are cameras outside and they don't need to show them giving the FBI resistance... and after thinking about it, Logan agrees to cooperate

FBI: A slew of FBI agents flood into the building, as Kendall watches from the server room with a smile, as the episode comes to an end

The preview for next week's episode reveals Kendall meeting with Logan for the first time since this fiasco went down.

He also meets with a new character Josh Aaronson (Adrien Brody), described as, 'a billionaire activist investor who becomes pivotal in the battle for the ownership of Waystar.'

Succession continues with the fourth episode in the nine-episode season, Lion in the Meadow, on Sunday, November 7 at 9 PM ET on HBO.

Greg: Tom is also seen talking privately with Logan, telling him there may be 'a face or two that may need to be behind bars,' as the shot cuts to Greg (Nicholas Braun), perhaps teasing that he may go to jail as the 'fall guy' for this whole fiasco
Channel Ten's The Sunday Project suffered dismal ratings on Sunday night, raking in a disappointing 305,000 viewers for the 7pm half hour.

The current affairs show, often fronted by former Today show host Lisa Wilkinson, had an even lower audience of just 212,000 for the 6:30pm half hour, according to TV Tonight.

In comparison, the show had just a fraction of the ratings of Channel Nine's 60 Minutes, which managed to pull in 803,000 at its peak.

Slump: Channel Ten's flagship show The Project suffered dismal ratings on Sunday night, raking in a disappointing 305,000 viewers for the 7pm half hour. Pictured: L-R hosts Waleed Aly, Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Helliar

Meanwhile, Nine's popular renovation series The Block was yet again a ratings smash, securing a whopping 1,084,000 viewers.

The Project was once a juggernaut in the ratings, premiering to an impressive 1.2 million viewers in 2009.

But in recent months, the ratings have plummeted - and it certainly hasn't gone unnoticed by fans and TV critics alike, who have questioned whether or not the show should be cancelled in its entirety.

On Monday, TV expert Colin Vickery Tweeted: 'The Sunday Project averaged 305,000 viewers for the 7pm half hour last night. 212,000 for the 6.30pm half hour. That is dismal.'

Dismal: On Monday, TV expert Colin Vickery Tweeted: 'The Sunday Project averaged 305,000 viewers for the 7pm half hour last night. 212,000 for the 6.30pm half hour. That is dismal'

However, Channel 10 denied all speculation that The Project could face the axe on Monday.

'The Project has just celebrated its 12th birthday and is here to stay!' a spokesperson for the network said.

'At a time when information, context and understanding is more important than ever, The Project will continue to provide Australians with their dose of news delivered differently.'

The low ratings are another blow for Wilkinson, who has been at the centre of controversy after a number of bombshell claims in her upcoming memoir - It Wasn't Meant To Be Like This - were questioned.

Wilkinson's explosive new book includes a chapter dedicated to her sacking from Channel Nine and falling out with Karl Stefanovic over a pay dispute.

Claims: The low ratings are another blow for Lisa Wilkinson, who has been at the centre of controversy after a number of bombshell claims in her upcoming memoir were questioned

She alleges Stefanovic proposed in August 2015 they join forces to renegotiate their Nine contracts - not unlike how the cast of American sitcom Friends famously worked together to broker better deals with NBC.

But she claims he ended up ditching this idea and instead played rival networks Nine and Seven off against each other in order to secure a better deal for himself.

'Weeks later... the media became awash with stories that Stefanovic was restless at Today and looking for greener pastures  and more civilised working hours  at Channel Seven,' she wrote.

Stefanovic was soon at the centre of a bidding war between Nine and Seven that resulted in him re-signing a five-year deal with Nine worth at least $2million per year.

Wilkinson's deal was worth significantly less, about $780,000 a year, and was only for two years.

'There was no doubt about it: Karl certainly knew the art of the deal,' she wrote, adding that the resulting pay disparity between them 'was so off the charts that no-one would have believed it'.

However, this allegedly doesn't tell the full story, with News.com.au later reporting that Wilkinson had in fact earned more than Stefanovic for years when they first joined forces on Today, and it was only at the end of their partnership that the roles reversed.

Memoir: Wilkinson's explosive new book includes a chapter dedicated to her sacking from Channel Nine and falling out with Karl Stefanovic (left) over a pay dispute

Last month, an article written by respected political journalist Samantha Maiden reported that when Stefanovic first signed up to the breakfast show in 2006, he was on half of Wilkinson's pay packet, which was a reported $700,000.

'When they were first on the show, she was paid a lot more than he was,' an alleged Nine insider told the publication.

'Then, he was able to wedge a fee increase because Seven made him a big offer. If Nine wanted to keep him, they had to pay him, which is what happened.

'If you look at what he's paid now, it's probably not too dissimilar to what she was offered. So, you know, you can take things in a point of time, but I don't think there would have been much difference between the two now.'

It came after Wilkinson lifted the lid on her final days working at the Today show in an excerpt from her new book, published in The Sunday Telegraph.

She claimed Stefanovic had given her the cold shoulder in the weeks prior to her sacking, which was prompted when she asked for a significant pay rise.

She alleged she and husband Pete FitzSimons had invited Stefanovic and his partner, Jasmine Yarbrough, to attend their 25th anniversary vow renewal ceremony in October 2017.

Two days before the event, however, Stefanovic supposedly contacted FitzSimons to say they wouldn't be attending because they'd extended their overseas holiday.

More claims: Wilkinson alleged she and husband Peter FitzSimons had invited Stefanovic and his partner, Jasmine Yarbrough, to attend their 25th anniversary vow renewal ceremony in October 2017. Two days before the event, however, Stefanovic supposedly contacted FitzSimons to say they wouldn't be attending because they'd extended their overseas holiday

'In the ten days since [the ceremony] Karl hadn't contacted me, his co-host of almost eleven years, at all. No phone message, no text, no apology, not even a simple congrats. Just complete silence,' Wilkinson alleged.

After returning to work, she claimed Stefanovic did not ask her about her holidays, nor did he apologise for being a 'no-show at the wedding'.

'For the next two hours, I exchanged not a single word with Karl outside of what was scripted  because for the first time, I just didn't trust myself to 'play nice',' she said.

However, her recollection of her last show has been disputed, with resurfaced footage showing Stefanovic had in fact said to her: 'It's a big welcome back to Lisa. Nice to see you again. How was your honeymoon?'
Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell are reportedly planning a trip back to America now international borders are starting to reopen.

Chandler, 24, who hails from Florida, hasn't seen his family in person since he and Bindi, 23, spent three weeks with them in December 2019.

The Powells also haven't been able to meet the couple's daughter Grace Warrior, who was born in March, because of Covid restrictions.

Missing the family: Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell are reportedly planning a trip back to America now international borders are starting to reopen. Pictured with Chandler's family in Florida during their last trip in December 2019

'Chandler is excitedly planning a trip to America so his parents can finally meet little Grace,' a source close to the family told Woman's Day.

'He's really hoping they'll be able to go for Christmas, even though Bindi wants her first festive season to be at Australia Zoo, so they're still ironing that one out.'

The insider added that Chandler's parents have found it 'extremely hard' having him on the other side of the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

Holiday memories: Chandler, 24, who hails from Florida, hasn't seen his family in person since he and Bindi, 23, spent three weeks with them in December 2019

Kept apart: The Powells also haven't been able to meet the couple's daughter Grace Warrior, who was born in March, because of Covid restrictions. Pictured on Sunday

While their planned trip to the U.S. is supposed to be a holiday, Bindi and Chandler reportedly haven't ruled out living there permanently one day.

'They've discussed the idea of moving to the States a few times now,' the source said, adding that it'd be nice for Grace to get to know her father's roots eventually.

However, there are no plans to relocate anytime soon because a lot of work still needs to be done to help Australia Zoo financially recover post-Covid.

Homecoming: 'Chandler is planning a trip to America so his parents can finally meet little Grace,' a source close to the family told Woman's Day. Pictured: Chandler's extended family

Bittersweet: Chandler's parents have found it 'extremely hard' having him on the other side of the world during the coronavirus pandemic

Memories: Bindi and Chandler went to Disney World during their last trip to Florida

Future plans: While their planned trip to the U.S. is supposed to be a holiday, Bindi and Chandler reportedly haven't ruled out living there permanently one day

The Sunshine Coast tourist attraction's money woes were documented in Animal Planet TV series Crikey! It's the Irwins.

Bindi is a dual Australian-American citizen. Her father Steve Irwin was Australian and her mother Terri Irwin (nee Raines) hails from Eugene, Oregon.

Steve died on September 4, 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming a documentary in Queensland.

Citizenship: Bindi is a dual Australian-American citizen; her father Steve Irwin was Australian and her mother Terri Irwin (nee Raines) hails from Oregon. (All pictured in July 2002 in LA)
Married At First Sight's Jessika Power shared some of the flirty DMs she received from Shane Warne during an interview with Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa on Monday.

The 29-year-old, who will soon be appearing on Channel Seven's Big Brother VIP, read aloud several of the raunchy texts live on air.

Jessika said she was eventually forced to block Shane, 52, on Instagram after he persistently flooded her with messages on the social media app.

Revealing: Married At First Sight's Jessika Power shared some of the flirty DMs she received from Shane Warne during an interview with Nova FM's Fitzy & Wippa on Monday

'Here, I'll read the last message. Here's the reply I sent to his very forthcoming message: "Hey, I'm so sorry I've had a really big day and I haven't been able to reply. I would have loved to have caught up but not in your hotel room I'm not that kind of girl,"' she said.

'And then he messaged back and said, "What are you doing now?" And it was really late at night, and I was like, "This guy just has not got a clue." So I didn't reply.'

Jessika said Shane later messaged her again to tell her he was leaving for Sydney before returning to the Gold Coast, where she's based.

Show and tell: The 29-year-old, who will soon be appearing on Channel Seven's Big Brother VIP, read aloud some of the raunchy texts live on air. Pictured: Shane Warne

Apparently he wanted to meet up again, but she didn't reply.

'And then he messaged me again saying, "Boo! What's on for this afternoon?" I didn't reply, and the last thing is just me blocking him,' she continued.

'He just kept trying, and I was like, "This guy's going to get the big block."'

Blocked: Jessika said she was eventually forced to block Shane, 52, on Instagram after he persistently flooded her with messages on the social media app

Jessika said she decided to block Shane after exiting the Big Brother house, where she spoke openly about his messages with her housemates.

She said she 'forgot I was being filmed constantly' and didn't want him to contact her if he became upset about her comments.

Speaking on Big Brother VIP, Jessika said: 'It was even weirder when I had Shane Warne in my inbox the other week... Some of the things he was sending me, I was like, "inappropriate!"'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted representatives for Shane for comment.
Former Married At First Sight star Matthew Bennett is set to walk down the aisle for real after proposing to his British girlfriend Annabel Jameson on Sunday.

The videographer, 32, popped the question on Halloween, which Annabel later joked was the perfect day because 'there's nothing quite as scary as commitment'.

The couple have been dating for more than two years, after meeting at a pro wrestling class shortly after Matthew filmed the 2019 season of MAFS Australia.

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She said yes! Former Married At First Sight star Matthew Bennett is set to walk down the aisle for real after proposing to his British girlfriend Annabel Jameson on Sunday

Their engagement announcement was flooded with congratulatory messages from Matthew's MAFS co-stars, including Jules Robinson and Dino Hira.

The happy news comes after Annabel's partner visa was approved in May, allowing her to stay with her boyfriend in Australia.

The filmmaker shared a photo to Instagram at the time of the couple cuddling up at the beach, and wrote: 'We finally got our partner visa!'

Romantic: The videographer, 32, popped the question on Halloween, which Annabel later joked was the perfect day because 'there's nothing quite as scary as commitment'

'So incredibly proud of this woman and excited for the future ahead. It's been a long wait, but worth every minute of it,' he added.

'Here's to many more adventures @belajameson.'

Obtaining a partner visa can be a lengthy and stressful process, and the couple must provide evidence their relationship is ongoing and genuine.

Congratulations! The happy news comes after Annabel's partner visa was approved in May, allowing her to stay with her boyfriend in Australia

Matthew and Annabel probably didn't have much trouble with this, as their romance was documented from the very beginning with interviews and TV appearances.

They even appeared on Channel Nine's Today show when MAFS was still airing.

Married At First Sight fans will remember Matthew as the adult virgin from season six, which aired in Australia in 2019 and the UK in early 2021.

Love: The couple have been dating for more than two years, having met shortly after Matthew filmed the 2019 season of Nine's social experiment

Real deal: To obtain a partner visa, a couple must provide evidence their relationship is ongoing and genuine. Matthew and Annabel probably didn't have much trouble with this, as their romance was documented from the very beginning with interviews and TV appearances

He was paired with makeup artist Lauren Huntriss, losing his virginity to her on their honeymoon.

However, their relationship soon fell apart when she began sharing details of her sexual history and Matthew also realised he wasn't attracted to her.

After calling it quits, Matthew ended up meeting Annabel by chance at a professional wrestling class and they've been inseparable ever since.

Exes: Married At First Sight fans will remember Matthew as the adult virgin from season six in 2019. He was paired with Lauren Huntriss, losing his virginity to her on their honeymoon
Karl Stefanovic's former Today show co-host Lisa Wilkinson is set to release her bombshell memoir - which includes a number of explosive claims about him - in two days' time.

But the Today show host didn't appear the slightest bit worried on Sunday, as he instead concentrated on grabbing two bags of take-away food from Betty's Burgers in Sydney.

The 47-year-old didn't exactly go incognito for the fast food dash, wearing a pair of bright red sneakers and a T-shirt supporting iconic rock band The Rolling Stones.

A man on a mission: Karl Stefanovic appeared focused as he stormed down the street with two bags full of Betty's Burgers on Sunday

He completed the look with a pair of navy shorts, and balanced some sunglasses on the top of his head.

Karl appeared focused as he stormed down the pavements with his bags in hand, clearly excited at the prospect of eating the delicious meal upon arrival at his destination.

The sighting comes just days before Wilkinson's new book, It Wasn't Meant to Be Like This, is released on November 3.

Striking: The 47-year-old didn't exactly go incognito for the fast food dash, wearing a pair of bright red sneakers and a T-shirt supporting iconic rock band The Rolling Stones

Style: He completed the look with a pair of navy shorts, and balanced some sunglasses on the top of his head

In the tome, she makes a series of explosive claims about Karl - alleging he 'gave her the cold shoulder' when she was sacked from the Channel Nine breakfast show in 2017, and that there was an 'off the charts' pay disparity between them.

However, despite the bad press, New Idea reported last week that Karl has 'never had so much fan mail' in recent weeks and may even be in line for a promotion.

'The thing about Karl is that he thrives during these situations,' a source claimed.

'It seems Lisa's long-anticipated book release may have backfired - Karl has never had so much fan mail.

'If Lisa keeps chipping away, there could be a perception that she's now gone too far, having a go at the man she shared mornings with for 11 years.'

Bombshell: Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) makes several explosive claims about Karl in her new book, It Wasn't Meant to Be Like This, including that he 'gave her the cold shoulder' when she was sacked from Channel Nine in 2017, and that there was an 'off the charts' pay disparity between them

New challenge: Yet despite the bad press, New Idea reported that Karl has 'never had so much fan mail' in recent weeks and may even be in line for a promotion in the form of replacing Ben Fordham (right, with Rebecca Maddern) as host of Australian Ninja Warrior

Karl has reportedly gone to Nine bosses to 'plump up' his deal with the network, and wants to replace Ben Fordham as host of Australian Ninja Warrior.

Ben announced he was leaving the obstacle course show earlier this month to focus on his 2GB radio program.

Last month, Karl offered a classy response when asked about Lisa's claims.

'Brother, I've got too many positive and wonderful things going on in my life to talk about that stuff,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'I'm very happy. In work and life,' he added.

Around the same time, Karl and his current Today co-host Allison Langdon reportedly renewed their contracts with Nine - with new salaries to reflect the show's surge in popularity.

Cha-ching! Last month Karl and his current Today co-host Allison Langdon (right) reportedly renewed their contracts with Nine - with new salaries to reflect the show's surge in popularity. The breakfast TV stars have reportedly secured deals worth $1.8million each

The breakfast TV stars have reportedly secured deals worth $1.8million each after the program grew its audience to become competitive with Channel Seven's Sunrise for the first time in years.

Meanwhile, Lisa's explosive new book includes a chapter dedicated to her sacking from Channel Nine and falling out with Stefanovic over a pay dispute.

She alleges Karl proposed in August 2015 they join forces to renegotiate their Nine contracts - not unlike how the cast of American sitcom Friends famously worked together to broker better deals with NBC.

But she claims he ended up ditching this idea and instead played rival networks Nine and Seven off against each other in order to secure a better deal for himself.

'Weeks later... the media became awash with stories that Stefanovic was restless at Today and looking for greener pastures  and more civilised working hours  at Channel Seven,' she wrote.

'I'm very happy': Karl (left) issued a classy response to Lisa's (right) tell-all memoir last month, telling the Sydney Morning Herald: 'Brother, I've got too many positive and wonderful things going on in my life to talk about that stuff'

Karl was soon at the centre of a bidding war between Nine and Seven that resulted in him re-signing a five-year deal with Nine worth at least $2million per year.

Lisa's deal was worth significantly less, about $780,000 a year, and was only for two years.

'There was no doubt about it: Karl certainly knew the art of the deal,' she wrote, adding that the resulting pay disparity between them 'was so off the charts that no-one would have believed it'.

However, this allegedly doesn't tell the full story, with News.com.au later reporting that Lisa had in fact earned more than Karl for years when they first joined forces on Today, and it was only at the end of their partnership that the roles reversed.

Fall-out: Lisa's new book includes a chapter dedicated to her sacking from Channel Nine and falling out with Karl over a pay dispute. She alleges Karl proposed in August 2015 they join forces to renegotiate their Nine contracts - but claims he ditched this idea and instead played Nine and Seven off against each other to secure a better deal for himself

The article, written by respected political journalist Samantha Maiden, reported that when Karl first signed up to the breakfast show in 2006, he was on half of Lisa's pay packet, which was a reported $700,000.

'When they were first on the show, she was paid a lot more than he was,' an alleged Nine insider told the publication.

'Then, he was able to wedge a fee increase because Seven made him a big offer. If Nine wanted to keep him, they had to pay him, which is what happened.

'If you look at what he's paid now, it's probably not too dissimilar to what she was offered. So, you know, you can take things in a point of time, but I don't think there would have been much difference between the two now.'

This damning article - which challenges Lisa's most significant claim about her exit from the Today show - reportedly sent the book's publisher into a major spin.

Allegation: 'There was no doubt about it: Karl certainly knew the art of the deal,' Lisa wrote in the memoir, adding that the resulting pay disparity between them 'was so off the charts that no-one would have believed it'

HarperCollins Australia demanded a preview copy of the memoir be returned by the news website following publication of the story, sources told Daily Mail Australia.

'They blew up and asked for their copy back,' said an insider at the website.

News.com.au editor Lisa Muxworthy declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

A spokesperson for HarperCollins later told Daily Mail Australia: 'No one from HarperCollins asked news.com.au to return a preview copy of Lisas book.

'News.com.au didnt have a preview copy of the book and there was no request to return a copy.'

It comes after Lisa lifted the lid on her final days working at the Today show in an excerpt from her new book, published in The Sunday Telegraph.

She claimed Karl had given her the cold shoulder in the weeks prior to her sacking, which was prompted when she asked for a significant pay rise.

She alleged she and husband Peter FitzSimons had invited Karl and his partner Jasmine to attend their 25th anniversary vow renewal ceremony in October 2017.

Two days before the event, however, Karl supposedly contacted Peter to say they wouldn't be attending because they'd extended their overseas holiday.

Twist: HarperCollins Australia demanded a preview copy of the memoir be returned by the news website following publication of the story, well-placed sources told Daily Mail Australia

Claims: Lisa alleged she and husband Peter FitzSimons (left) had invited Karl and his partner Jasmine to attend their 25th anniversary vow renewal ceremony in October 2017. Two days before the event, however, Karl supposedly contacted Peter to say they wouldn't be attending because they'd extended their overseas holiday

'In the ten days since [the ceremony] Karl hadn't contacted me, his co-host of almost eleven years, at all. No phone message, no text, no apology, not even a simple congrats. Just complete silence,' Lisa alleged.

After returning to work, she claimed Karl did not ask her about her holidays, nor did he apologise for being a 'no-show at the wedding'.

'For the next two hours, I exchanged not a single word with Karl outside of what was scripted  because for the first time, I just didn't trust myself to "play nice",' she said.

However, her recollection of her last show has been disputed, with resurfaced footage showing Karl had in fact said to her: 'It's a big welcome back to Lisa. Nice to see you again. How was your honeymoon?'

Theory: Upon learning she had been sacked later that day, Lisa wondered: 'Was this why [Karl] didn't attend the wedding and hadn't spoken to me since? Was this why he never said a word about the show's strange rundown that morning?'

Lisa went on to claim in her book she was 'quietly fuming' because 'nearly every interview that day was being done by Karl alone'.

'For two hours, I sat there feeling completely useless. The Today Show was now The Karl Show. What was the point of me even being there?' she said.

Upon learning she had been sacked later that day, Lisa wondered: 'Was this why [Karl] didn't attend the wedding and hadn't spoken to me since? Was this why he never said a word about the show's strange rundown that morning?'

While Karl and Lisa's relationship appears to be strained, his relationship with rival host Natalie Barr from Channel Seven's Sunrise appears to be anything but.

In a photo obtained by Daily Mail Australia, the Nine host and his 53-year-old Sunrise foe were all smiles at a group function in Sydney last month.

The gathering, hosted by Navarra CEO Sal Navarra, was to celebrate Sydney's reopening following the extended Covid-19 lockdown.
More than three and a half years since the last episode of Atlanta aired on FX Networks, the first trailer for Season 3 has finally arrived.

Series creator/producer/star Donald Glover returned to Twitter for the first time in nearly a year, dropping the trailer for Atlanta on a site called Gilga.com.

The minute-long teaser showcased what appeared to be several different locations in various parts of Europe, along with Brian Tyree Henry's Alfred 'Paper Boi' Miles.

Trailer: More than three and a half years since the last episode of Atlanta aired on FX Networks, the first trailer for Season 3 has finally arrived

Twitter return: Series creator/producer/star Donald Glover returned to Twitter for the first time in nearly a year, dropping the trailer for Atlanta on a site called Gilga.com

The trailer is set to Sun Ra's Its After The End of the World, where a number of people are repeatedly chanting, 'It's after the end of the world, don't you know that yet?'

The trailer features a number of bizarre images, seemingly from somewhere in Europe, including a pedestrian bridge, an empty arena, a room with white chairs piled up and several TVs turned on.

Also featured are an odd statue, the inside of a messy apartment, a peacock hanging out inside a restaurant and an empty escalator, before we get a glimpse at Paper Boi.

Bridge: The trailer features a number of bizarre images, seemingly from somewhere in Europe, including a pedestrian bridge, an empty arena, a room with white chairs piled up and several TVs turned on

Random: Also featured are an odd statue, the inside of a messy apartment, a peacock hanging out inside a restaurant and an empty escalator, before we get a glimpse at Paper Boi

He's seen sitting at the end of the table, while a male and female servant are both turned to face the wall behind him.

Paper Boi is wearing a white sweater that says Fake in yellow letters, with a green and red stripe going down his chest.

He doesn't say anything in the trailer, but he's wearing gold chains, a gold watch and a gold bracelet as the camera gets closer and closer to his face before the Atlanta title card is shown.

Servants: He's seen sitting at the end of the table, while a male and female servant are both turned to face the wall behind him

Paper Boi's look: Paper Boi is wearing a white sweater that says Fake in yellow letters, with a green and red stripe going down his chest

It's also confirmed that the new season will drop sometime in 2022, though no specific release date was given.

FX Networks president John Landgraf offered an update on the show last month at the network's TCA presentation, where he confirmed filming is under way in Europe.

'We havent locked down the scheduling for Season 3 yet as it just finished shooting  its shot primarily in Europe,' Landgraf said.

Confirmed: Paper Boi is wearing a white sweater that says Fake in yellow letters, with a green and red stripe going down his chest

Europe: FX Networks president John Landgraf offered an update on the show last month at the network's TCA presentation, where he confirmed filming is under way in Europe

He also revealed that, while Season 3 is currently in post-production, they are also shooting Season 4 in Europe as well.

'Its in post-production and its a lengthy post-production process, and part of that is because theyre currently in production of Season 4 in Atlanta. All the scripts for that season have been written, and I absolutely adore the scripts for both seasons,' he said.

'The reason I cant lock down a date right now is that its being driven by Donald Glover and Hiro Murais schedule and availability and the length of post, both for Season 3 while in the process of producing Season 4. I did list is as one of the things coming back in the first half of 2022, that is our anticipation. I think well be able to lock down an actual date for 3 and maybe for both cycles within the next couple of months,' Landgraf added.

Season 4: He also revealed that, while Season 3 is currently in post-production, they are also shooting Season 4 in Europe as well
Channel Seven star Sammie O'Brien and husband Fraser Byrne have welcomed a gorgeous baby boy.

Sammie, who is the host of Brisbane lifestyle shows Creek to Coast and Weekender, made the announcement on Instagram.

'Lenny Peter Byrne x 20.10.21,' she wrote on her Instagram on Sunday.

Proud parents: Channel Seven star Sammie O'Brien and husband Fraser Byrne (both pictured) have welcomed a gorgeous baby boy, with the couple making the announcement on Sunday

The star later spoke to the Courier Mail about how the adorable youngster had to be transferred to intensive care.

Lenny was born with underdeveloped lungs with him staying in the neonatal care unit for a total of five days.

'(It was) hands down the most terrifying and long five days of our lives,' the star said.

Gorgeous! 'Lenny Peter Byrne x 20.10.21,' the Seven star announced to her Instagram

'He's doing really well though now, feeding and sleeping like a champion,' she added.

She went on to say the new mother and father were 'obsessed' with the cutie.

'I'm feeling great, it's very cliche, but I'm completely obsessed with him, I can't stop looking at him and kissing his little face,' she added.

Blossoming: Sammie shared lovely photos of her pregnancy journey on Instagram. The blonde is a rising media star in the sunshine state

The couple kept the sex of the baby a secret.

Little Lenny was named after Fraser's late father, Peter, who recently passed away from a tumour.

The pair were able to share the news before he passed away.

Sammie is a rising star in the sunshine state with her gaining a large profile.

She and husband Fraser married last December after moving the wedding forward in order for Fraser's father to attend.
She's one of the big international stars jetted into Australia to take part in Big Brother VIP.

And Caitlyn Jenner showed why she was courted for the reality TV series on Monday when the 72-year-old entranced her co-stars with her very personal connection to the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

'I was at Nicole's house two days before the murder,' said the former spouse of Kris Jenner.

War stories: Caitlyn Jenner (pictured) showed why she was courted for the reality TV series on Monday, when the 72-year-old entranced her co-stars with her very personal connection to the O.J. Simpson murder trial

With all-star housemates like Omarosa and Jessika Power hanging on her every word, Caitlyn spoke of the 'extraordinarily difficult time' in her life.

'Nicole [Brown Simpson] was Kris' best friend [and] had been for a long time'

Without mincing words, Caitlyn said, 'Obviously he did it, and he got away with it.'

Entranced: With all-star housemates like Omarosa and Jessika Power (pictured) hanging on her every word, Caitlyn spoke of the 'extraordinarily difficult time' in her life

Getting away with murder? Without mincing words, Caitlyn said, 'Obviously he did it, and he got away with it.' O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994

The father of Kendall and Kylie Jenner continued, 'And at one point he even told Nicole, "I'll kill you and get away with it, 'cause I'm O.J. Simpson."'

'And Nicole relayed that on to Kris at one point, and unfortunately she was right'.

'We were at the courthouse, we were watching what was going on in the other room, and even after the not guilty verdict, the first thing Kris [does is she] turns around to me and goes, "We should have listened to Nicole, she was right right from the beginning".'

Ground zero: 'I was at Nicole's house two days before the murder,' said the former spouse of Kris Jenner. The couple pictured in 1993

O.J.'s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were found dead at her home in Brentwood on June 12, 1994.

Nicole and her family had dined at Mezzaluna Trattoria, a local restaurant where Ron was a waiter, earlier in the night.

Nicole's mother, Juditha Brown, had accidentally left her sunglasses at the restaurant and Ron, who was a friend of Nicole's, agreed to drop them off at her house when his shift ended.

Narrow escape: O.J.'s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were found dead at her home in Brentwood on June 12 1994, two days after Caitlyn's alleged visit

At midnight both bodies were discovered on the walkway outside of her home.

O.J. Simpson, who had a history of domestic violence against Nicole, was arrested on June 17, 1994 and charged with the double murders.

His 11-month long trial at Los Angeles Superior Court ended when he was found not guilty on October 3, 1995.

Big Brother VIP continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Seven
My Kitchen Rules star Blake Proud was rushed to hospital last week, after he sensed something was wrong while out enjoying drinks with friends.

The Perth-based star, 34, shared a shirtless photo to Instagram on Monday with ECG tabs over his chest, documenting the ordeal.

'Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows,' he began.

Health: My Kitchen Rules star Blake Proud (pictured) was rushed to hospital after his 'heart started racing all of a sudden'

'Last week I was out drinking with friends on Saturday night and all of a sudden my heart started racing.

'By Monday morning I was rushed to hospital and Tuesday diagnosed with Pneumonia (the heart racing was because of lack of Oxygen and low haemoglobin).'

Blake then detailed that his hospital visit coincided with his beloved nan falling ill.

'On that Monday, sadly, my Grandma had a heart attack and God bless her soul she passed away Wednesday night. Thankfully I was allowed out to go and see her one last time,' he wrote alongside a beautiful family photo with his grandmother.

Family: 'On that Monday, sadly, my Grandma had a heart attack and God bless her soul she passed away Wednesday night. Thankfully I was allowed out to go and see her one last time,' he wrote

Blake went on to explain that he was sharing the post to remind his followers that Instagram is only a highlight reel.

'I could have just posted another food photo or happy couple photo and told you life IS always sunshine and rainbows but it isn't,' he said.

'Sometimes it's just straight out mean and when you're down and out it will kick you in the guts at the same time and take someone you love.'

Tough: Blake went on to explain that he was sharing the post to remind his followers that Instagram is only a highlight reel. Pictured with girlfriend girlfriend Ella

He then opted for a more positive note saying it was important to be 'grateful' in times of hardship.

'There is always a reason to be grateful and in these times of just utter disparity, illness or heart break is when you find these gems of life,' he said.

He went on to say that he doesn't want sympathy but only for his followers to realise there is a truth behind highly-curated photos.

'I want YOU to realise that what you see on social media isn't always real, life can be sh*t, happiness isn't a given everyday,' he said.

'Stop comparing yourself or your life, stop reading fake news, stop trying and just start living and loving the life and people that give back as much as you give.'

Fans will remember Blake when he competed on My Kitchen Rules alongside his sister Amanda back in 2019.
Damian Lewis takes a starring role as a real life MI6 spy in a new Cold War drama based on the defection of British double agent Kim Philby to the Soviet Union.

The actor stars alongside Guy Pearce in forthcoming Britbox series A Spy Among Friends, with camera rolling in central London's Pimlico last week as he filmed his first scenes.

Lewis, 50, plays Nicholas Elliott, a British MI6 intelligence officer noted for his close association with Philby, who fled to Moscow before he could face trial for espionage.

Main man: Damian Lewis takes a starring role as a real life MI6 spy in a new Cold War drama based on the defection of British double agent Kim Philby to the Soviet Union

The new show is based on the bestselling book of the same name by author Ben Macintyre, and will focus on Elliot's friendship with former colleague Philby, who will be played by Pearce.

Philby gained notoriety in 1963 after he was exposed as a prominent member of a British spy ring responsible for sharing British secrets with the Soviet Union during the early years of the Cold War.

Known as the Cambridge Five, the group also included Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross - although none were ever prosecuted for spying.

Real life: Lewis, 50, plays Nicholas Elliott (pictured), a British MI6 intelligence officer noted for his close association with double agent Kim Philby, who defected to Russia in 1963

Philby escaped to Moscow in 1963 before he could face trial and would spend the rest of his life in Russia, where he would die aged 76 in 1988.

Anna Maxwell Martin, Stephen Kunken and Adrian Edmondson are also expected to star in the new drama, with Nick Murphy serving as executive producer and director.

The new show is Lewis' first role since confirming his departure from the hugely popular Showtime series Billions and sees him reunite with Alexander Cary, another executive producer who previously worked with the British star on Homeland.

Successful: The new show is Lewis' first role since confirming his departure from the hugely popular Showtime series Billions

'How could I resist the opportunity to dramatize the true story of Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby  two spies and lifelong friends, one of whom was betraying the other all along? Cary told Deadline.

'A friendship that resulted in the gutting of British and American intelligence at the height of the Cold War and shaped the field of play for the dangerous game against Russia that were still trying to win today.

'Macintyres books about spies from recent history are relevant and exciting because they examine the larger universal themes of human behavior that drive individuals among us, and like us, to excel in the murky world of espionage and, for better or worse, leave a lasting impact on the world.'

Old times: Philby (pictured) gained notoriety in 1963 after he was exposed as a prominent member of a British spy ring responsible for sharing British secrets with the Soviet Union during the early years of the Cold War

Leading role: Australian actor Guy Pearce will play Philby in the forthcoming new drama

Filming for the new series got underway in London last week, with a Pimlico street transported back to the 1950s as Lewis shot scenes while dressed in a period pin-stripe suit and Elliot's round spectacles.

The actor has previously played a spy in John Le Carres Our Kind of Traitor, while also expressing a keen interest in playing a 'better' spy than fictional MI6 agent James Bond.

A Spy Among Friends is expected to air in autumn 2022 via Britbox in the UK and Spectrums On Demand platform in the U.S.
Alessandra Ambrosio opted for the most in-demand Halloween costume of the year as she headed out in a Squid Game outfit on Sunday.

The Brazilian supermodel, 40, cut a casual figure in a blue tracksuit as she and boyfriend Richard Lee headed out in Los Angeles.

However, there appeared to be a rude message to any trick or treaters coming her way as she was pictured by sign that told them to 'f*** off.'

Rude! Alessandra Ambrosio and boyfriend Richard Lee dress up in Squid Game tracksuits as they celebrate Halloween... as she tells trick-or-treaters to 'f*** off'

That's told them! It was later revealed that Alessandra was actually standing outside a friend's home

TMZ later reported that the model was actually standing outside the house of a friend in Santa Monica and not her own home.

She sported a pair of convincing prosthetic cuts on her face and wore her luscious brown locks in a damp middle parting.

Tying a denim jacket around her waist, the Victoria's Secret Angel strolled through the neighbourhood in a pair of white trainers while her man donned a coordinating costume.

South Korean television series Squid Game broke Netflix's viewing records after it was watched by 111 million users in its first 28 days and the characters have inspired a host of Halloween costumes this year.

The series follows 456 contestants vying for 45.6 billion won ($38 million) by playing a series of childhood games once popular in Korea - but with a deadly twist.

Emerging: Alessandra Ambrosio looked ever-chic as she headed out with her boyfriend Richard Lee on Sunday in LA in celebration of Halloween

What a pair! The supermodel, 40, cut a casual figure in a blue tracksuit as she enjoyed a spooktacular evening in the exclusive district of Brentwood

One to watch: South Korean television series Squid Game broke Netflix's viewing records after it was watched by 111 million users in its first 28 days

Meanwhile, Last year Alessandra and her two children - daughter Anja, 13, and son Noah, nine - celebrated both Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The Gal Floripa swimsuit designer showed off her statuesque figure in a catsuit while dressing as a party animal, before slipping into a more traditional skull costume to honor the Day Of The Dead.

In 2019 the 5ft10 stunner attended a star-studded Horror In The Hills party thrown by 1OAK co-owner Darren Dzienciol, where she dressed up as an uber-sexy vampire.

Last year: The Gal Floripa swimsuit designer showed off her statuesque figure in a catsuit while dressing as a party animal while celebrating in Cabo San Lucas (pictured in 2020)

Dia De Los Muertos: The family also celebrated Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) as they all dressed like traditional sugar skulls; pictured with kids Anja and Noah (pictured in 2020)

For both Halloween's past she was still involved with Italian businessman Nicolo Oddi, but the two seemed to call it quits in the latter part of 2020.

Alessandra recently left little to the imagination as she made an incredible appearance at Dzienciol's CARN*EVIL Halloween Party presented by DECADA in LA on Saturday night.

The actress sent temperatures soaring as she transformed into an ice fairy, flashing her toned pins in a white leotard featuring dazzling silver embellishments.

Pre-COVID: In 2019, the 5ft10 stunner attended a star-studded Halloween party thrown by 1OAK co-owner Darren Dzienciol where she dressed up as an uber-sexy vampire

Elevating her height in a pair of coordinating heels, Alessandra's plunging number certainly exhibited her ample assets as she posed with her hands upon her hips.

Sporting a sleek pale blue wig, the businesswoman donned a medieval style headpiece and shimmering fishnet tights.

While spinning around for photographers, she revealed a sensational cluster of white feathers, which descended all the way to the floor.
Her book, Reflections, was released on Friday.

And to mark the occasion, Holly Willoughby, 40, appeared on Lorraine where she admitted that looking inwards has been a 'painful' process after losing who she was while focusing on her career and being a mum of three.

The presenter - who shares Belle, Chester and Harry with husband Dan Baldwin - confessed that 'shining a light into those dark corners is hard' but wanted to get to know herself again after basing her life on others' expectations.

Candid: On Friday, Holly Willoughby, 40, appeared on Lorraine where she admitted that looking inwards for her new book, Reflections, has been a 'painful' process

Asked by Lorraine what led her to creating Reflections, Holly explained: 'For me it felt like the right time to write this book. Working none-stop and, being a mum of three. I'd almost high five myself on the back for it.

'That's great, fine doable. But when I'd stop I'd lost a sense of who I was. It was born out of me getting to know myself again. Trusting myself a little more rather than listening to the noise around me.'

But Holly also revealed that it was her time hosting I'm A Celebrity back in 2018 which made her realise that she had some important things to work through.

The presenter said of her time in Australia: 'It was like that moment in Home Alone where "I made my family disappear." I've got space and time to just be me. There was an opening up sorts. A Pandora's box of sorts.

The presenter confessed that 'shining a light into those dark corners is hard' but wanted to get to know herself again

Timing: Asked by Lorraine what led her to creating Reflections, Holly explained: 'For me it felt like the right time to write this book'

'I thought, I'm just gonna work through this. So it was a process and one that's ongoing and one I don't want it to be over because I'm really enjoying it.'

'There've been a lot if tears. It's been very hard, it's been painful. Shining a light into those dark corners of your own life is hard.

'But you have to be brave, and you have to dig really deep to do it. But I think it's really important because I think if you don't do it, then it will rise to the surface and sometimes it comes out sideways.

'So I think you do need to face those things with the right support and when it feels like the right time for you, and for me, this definitely was the right time.

Busy bee: Holly confessed that she lost who she was while focusing on her career and being a mum of three. The presenter shares Belle, Chester and Harry with husband Dan Baldwin

Real talk! 'Working none-stop and, being a mum of three... That's great, fine doable. But when I'd stop I'd lost a sense of who I was' confessed Holly

Lorraine asked Holly: 'People think you dont have dark corners, but everybody does. You always seem so up and so happy'.

Holly replied: 'Everybody does, and they vary. They're different shades. People have varying degrees of things and mine - I think that everybody needs to look inwardly occasionally. I think it's a good thing, I think you can't avoid it.

'I think we do avoid it by being busy, and once you begin that relationship with yourself and you're not afraid of all of those things within you and you normalise them and externalise them, then actually, you can use them as a way of pulling you forward. It's like a strength rather than being something you're afraid of.'

Asked by Lorraine what the most surprising thing she's learned while writing her book, Holly admitted: 'I had the power all along!

'It's good to read books and listening to podcasts. But, you start basing your whole life on other people's expectations. Listening to yourself is the best thing to do.'

Realisation: Holly revealed it was her time hosting I'm A Celebrity back in 2018 which made her realise that she had some things to work through (Pictured with Declan Connelly in 2018)

Asked what helps to keep her happy, Holly gushed: 'I have a fantastic relationship with my husband and my family. But for me it's finding moments of stillness.

'I meditate before work every day now. 'I was convinced it wouldn't fit into my life because a) i wouldn't have the time to do it and b) I wouldn't be able to clear my mind...

'But the type of meditation I do doesn't matter - let the thoughts come in and let them go. 20 minutes twice a day.'

What has she learned? Asked by Lorraine what the most surprising thing she's learned while writing her book, Holly admitted: 'I had the power all along!'

The presenter also spoke fondly of her This Morning co-host Phillip Schofield, insisting: 'We love each other. We've always looked after each other.

'We pick each other up. He's been a huge support for me right since the very beginning in a friendship sense and in my career. He's guided and moulded me from the very beginning.

'I've sat beside him and he's my teacher, really, and not many people do that. They're very focused in their own lane, but he's always been very generous and giving. He's been my champion since the get go, so I'm very lucky.'
James Corden and his family were pictured arriving at a Halloween party within LA's swanky Bel Air neighbourhood on Sunday.

The TV personality, 43, showed off his love of the Spice Girls by donning a casual black hoodie featuring the band's signature logo along with the title of their debut single Wannabe.

Framing his face with a pair of black sunglasses, he appeared to be glued to his phone while donning a pair of jeans and white Gucci trainers.

Having a blast! James Corden and his family were pictured arriving at a Halloween party within LA's swanky Bel Air neighbourhood on Sunday

The talk show host was flanked by his entourage as he lifted one of his children out of a swish black car.

One of his companions certainly stood out from the crowd in a pinata-inspired onesie featuring multi-coloured ruffles.

James shares Max, 10, Carey, seven, and Charlotte, three with his TV producer wife Julia Carey, whom he married in 2012.

Fan: The TV personality, 43, showed off his love of the Spice Girls as he donned a casual black hoodie featuring the band's logo along with the title of their debut single Wannabe

Eye-popping: One of his companions stood out from the crowd in a pinata-inspired onesie featuring multi-coloured ruffles

The comedian is on track to become the UK's best paid television personality after reportedly signing a 15 million, two-year deal with US TV chiefs.

The Londoner could surpass Ant and Dec as the highest earning TV star, with his potential 7.5million annual income topping the duo's 6.6million for their stints on ITV.

The presenter's deal with television network CBS expires next year, after six years of being the acclaimed host of The Late Late Show.

However, according to reports in The Sun, industry sources are keen to keep the A-lister on board as the face of the talk show.

An LA TV insider said: 'CBS has no plan B, James is their guy and who they see staying with them.

'He is one of the faces of the network, he fronts a massively successful show and drives lots of traffic to them online. The figures that are being discussed are around 15million for two years.'

MailOnline contacted representatives for James and CBS for comment at the time.
Michael Jackson's son Bigi made a rare TV appearance on Monday as he chatted about his late father on Good Morning Britain.

The 19-year-old, who was previously known as Blanket, has mostly kept out of the spotlight since his father died in 2009.

Bigi, whose full name is Prince Michael Jackson II, took part in an interview at his brother Prince's Thriller Night Halloween Party in California, which was held at their home to raise funds for The Heal Los Angeles Foundation.

The teen discussed his father during the chat, saying: 'There's a lot of history in this house and the studio here. That's what he was all about. That's what each of us want to do and make things that people can enjoy and hopefully benefit their lives.'

Interview: Michael Jackson's son Bigi made a rare TV appearance on Monday's episode of Good Morning Britain

Bigi also spoke about his passion for environmentalism ahead of the climate change COP26 conference. He said: 'I do think it's important that we all know about it. I think we have some work to do but our generation knows how important it is.'

Bigi was seven years old when his father passed away from cardiac arrest brought on by a fatal combination of drugs given to him by his doctor.

He and his elder siblings Prince, 24, and Paris, 23, were then raised by their grandmother Katherine Jackson.

Bigi now lives in a home in Calabasas, California, which he purchased in early March last year.

Family: The 19-year-old, who was previously known as Blanket, has mostly kept out of the spotlight since his father died in 2009 (L-R, Paris Jackson, Prince Jackson, Latoya Jackson and Bigi in 2012)

Event: Bigi, whose full name is Prince Michael Jackson II, took part in an interview which took place at his brother Prince's Thriller Night Halloween Party in California

The home, which boasts an impressive 6,382 square feet, is located in an exclusive gated community with celebrity residents including Dr. Dre and John Travolta.

The abode has plenty of space for his needs and features six bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms.

His sister Paris, 22, previously purchased a $2 million home in Topanga, California, three years earlier, while his oldest brother Michael Jackson Jr., 23, selected a $2.2 million home in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Back in 2012, Bigi spoke on the Jacksonology: Our Story documentary and said he has no plans to follow in his father's musical footsteps.

Sibling: Bigi's sister Paris was also shown on the clip were she was dressed in costume for the party

Appearance: His brother Prince was also briefly seen in a white polo shirt

Memories: The home is decked out with Jackson family photographs throughout the years

He said: 'Sometimes I would go in his [my dad's] room while he was getting ready for something and watch.

'He was a good dancer, he was a very good dancer. I can't dance or sing... I'm not that kind of person who sings and dances...

'When I grow up I want to be a director because it's fun, and I make little movies when I'm at my house with cousins and friends and different things.

'He [dad] said it would be a good thing so follow whatever you want to do.'

Blanket and his siblings were often seen in public with their faces covered when their father was alive in an effort to keep their identities private.

On her show Unfiltered: Paris Jackson & Gabriel Glenn, Paris previously discussed why the late Thriller singer was intent on keeping his kids' faces covered.

Flashback: Michael had all three of his children wearing masks more than a decade ago in an effort to keep their identities private (pictured together in April 2009)

She said: 'When [my dad] was young, he would be in the studio and he'd look outside and he'd see kids on the playground and he couldnt do that; he didnt want that for us, so we wore masks,' she said. 'It was nice.'

Paris said she 'appreciated' her father's efforts, as it allowed she and her siblings to 'go to Chuck E. Cheese and Circus Circus' without getting mobbed by people.

She said that in contrast, since becoming a celebrity when she emerged in the limelight after her father's death, she's had 'to accept the fact that I do not and probably will never have a private life.

She said: 'For a long time I was just against letting the world in because I was just too scared to do it. You see a kid grow up in the public eye, you forget that I am a human.

'I was against letting the world in because it wasnt a choice. I wasnt ready then. I feel like Im ready now.'
Maura Higgins looked incredible as she transformed into Pamela Anderson for a star-studded Halloween bash in London's MNKY HSE on Sunday.

The reality star, 30, turned up the heat as she flashed her ample assets in a plunging black leather leotard to channel the Hollywood icon.

Maura put on a smouldering display to channel Pamela's critically-panned acting role in the 1996 fim Barbed Wire in the sexy black lace-up number.

Emerging: Maura Higgins looked incredible as she transformed into Pamela Anderson for Ann Summers' Halloween bash on Sunday in London

Doppelganger: The former Love Island star transformed into Barb Wire, played by Pamela (right) in 1996, with her same mass of blonde curls and sexy leather one-piece

Sporting a curly blonde wig featuring a fringe, the influencer had drawn on a pair of pencil-thin eyebrows along with unmissable blue eye-shadow.

The former Dancing On Ice contestant threw a charcoal leather bag over her shoulder and added inches to her enviable frame with a pair of coordinating thigh-high heels.

She completed her ensemble with a pair of suggestive fishnet stockings and chic onyx gloves.

Wow! The reality star turned up the heat as she flashed her ample assets in a plunging black leather leotard to channel the Hollywood icon

On Monday, Maura took to Instagram to share some sexy snaps from her night out.

In one she posed on a chair with her arm behind her head, while the other showed her posing with model pal Laura Stanford.

The Love Island star's incredible Halloween efforts comes after her ex boyfriend Giovanni Pernice spoke out on their recent split, saying 'there was absolutely no wrongdoing'.

Sensational: She smouldered up a storm while showcasing her astonishing take on the character in the laced-up number

Woah! Sporting a curly blonde wig with a heavy fringe, the influencer had drawn on a pair of pencil-thin eyebrows along with unmissable blue eye-shadow

Stunning: The former Dancing On Ice contestant threw a charcoal leather bag over her shoulder and added inches to her enviable frame with a pair of coordinating thigh-high heels

Gorgeous: Onlookers stopped in their tracks at the street-side spectacle

Maura and the Strictly Come Dancing star, 31, recently separated just four months after embarking on a relationship.

Taking to Instagram, Giovanni insisted that sometimes 'great relationships with great people can come to a natural end' which is what happened with him and Maura.

'Hey guys - I hope everyone had a great Monday. Going into another wonderful training week - thank you so much for your amazing messages & your support this weekend.

Work it! Maura flashed her toned pins as she strutted through the city

Having fun: She looked like a runway model as she posed for photographers

Chic: She completed her look with a pair of fishnet stockings and a pair of onyx gloves

Dressed to impress: It's no doubt Maura stole the show inside the venue

Sizzling: She painted her pout a shimmering shade of nude

Wow: On Monday, Maura took to Instagram to share some sexy snaps from her night out

Having fun! In one she posed on a chair with her arm behind her head, while the other showed her posing with model pal Laura Stanford

'I get to live my dream every single day because of you - so thank you, thank you, thank you. I wanted to say a couple of things...

'Firstly, great relationships with great people can come to a natural end. This has been the case for me recently. There was absolutely no wrong-doing and this should be the end of any speculation.

'Whilst I respect and understand interest in my personal life, wouldn't it be fantastic to instead use this space to raise awareness of subjects and issues which need the attention.

Emerging: Baga Chipz hopped out of his swish black car while donning a stone T-shirt and a pair of ripped charcoal jeans

Dapper: Kem Cetinay looked suave in a white T-shirt and a navy bomber jacket

Hot stuff: Gabby Allen slipped her enviable frame into a figure-hugging black bodysuit, while clutching a coordinating handbag by its gold chain

What a pair! The Love Island star was joined by boyfriend Brandon Myers who kept things casual in a camouflage ensemble

Baga Chipz emerged from his swish black car while donning a stone T-shirt and a pair of ripped charcoal jeans.

Kem Cetinay looked suave in a white T-shirt and a navy bomber jacket, which he teamed up with a pair of coordinating jeans.

Gabby Allen slipped her enviable frame into a figure-hugging black bodysuit, while clutching a coordinating handbag by its gold chain.

Unmissable: She soon attached a fiery red wing accessory to her back

Adorable: Brandon planted a sweet kiss on Gabby's cheek

Spooktacular: Gabby sported a black choker as well as fake blood over her neck

Posing: She span round for photographers in order to showcase her toned bottom

Trendy: Brandon completed his look with a pair of baggy khaki trousers

'My eyes have been opened to so many things during my career. But I am learning so much from this series of Strictly.

'The show has highlighted many important conversations for different communities and increased representation.

'These are the conversations which deserve the time, energy and recognition. We must concentrate on what's important and how we can all make a difference in life. Gio x'.
Matt Le Nevez has been living in Los Angeles for several years, along with his American wife Michelle Smith.

But the Australian actor relished being back home in Melbourne, where he filmed Celebrity MasterChef recently.

The 42-year-old told The Herald Sun: 'Australia will always be home. Melbourne is my favourite city in Australia and my brother Tim lives in Jan Juc; we talk every day.'

Home: Matt Le Nevez (pictured) has been living in Los Angeles for years. But the Australian actor relished being back home in Melbourne, where he filmed Celebrity MasterChef recently

He added that the city, which was locked down until recently, has suffered during the pandemic.

'Melbourne has been through so much, no matter what side you sit on politically, it's just heartbreaking,' he said.

'It's a city that wants to be outside and I'm glad it is starting to come back again.'

The 42-year-old told The Herald Sun: 'Australia will always be home. Melbourne is my favourite city in Australia.' Pictured at home with his American wife Michelle Smith

The Offspring star was sent packing from the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen on Sunday night.

He was gracious in defeat when judge Andy Allen told him he failed to cut the mustard with his duck and mash dish.

'Today felt like being back on stage or on a big day on a movie set with all the pressure of getting it right,' said the beloved actor

Out: The Offspring star was sent packing from the Celebrity MasterChef kitchen on Sunday night. He was gracious in defeat when judge Andy Allen told him he failed to cut the mustard

'I've enjoyed learning and I'm a better cook now than when I first got here,' he added.

Speaking to Ten afterwards, the Parer's War actor said he didn't have any regrets about his time on the show.

'I wanted to learn as much as I could about cooking the duck, because I've never cooked a duck before in my life,' the actor said.
Gemma Chan has recalled feeling 'between two cultures' while growing up with younger sister Helen in leafy Kent.

Her mother immigrated to the UK from China at the age of eleven and her dad from Hong Kong in his late twenties, but while she was born in England the actress says she now 'embraces and celebrates' the Asian side of her heritage.

Gracing the cover of PORTER with a stunning photoshoot, Gemma revealed that Asian communities in media, fashion and beyond have helped her to reconnect with her roots.

Candid: Gemma Chan, 38, has recalled feeling 'between two cultures' while growing up with younger sister Helen in Kent, as she graces the cover of PORTER with a stunning photoshoot

Gemma told the publication how hers was one of the few families of colour in their Kent community.

As a child, she felt like she was 'kind of between two cultures' and didn't know how to respond when neighbors would compliment her on her 'good English'.

The actress also remembered times when she just wanted to assimilate, to 'blend into the background' while her grandmother haggled on shopping trips.

'No one could out-haggle her, though,' added Gemma fondly.

Embracing her heritage: The Eternals actress explained enthusiastically that she now 'embraces and celebrates' the Asian side of her heritage

Speaking of how her parents have handled her fame, Gemma explained: 'They're wonderfully constant, which I really love, but they're also not overly impressed by anything.

'I do know they're incredibly proud. And more than anything, they're relieved that both my sister and I are okay.'

The Humans star revealed: 'One of the nicest things about getting older has been reconnecting and feeling like I can embrace and celebrate the Asian side of my heritage.

'I've met so many incredible people, so many more Asians than I knew when I was growing up, in my line of work.'

Campaigner: The actress touched on the rise Gemma of anti-Asian hate crimes, and how those celebrities with platforms can use them to create a better world

The actress - who was part of a group that launched a GoFundMe initiative called Stop ESEA Hate - touched on the rise Gemma of anti-Asian hate crimes, and how those celebrities with platforms can use them to create a better world.

She admitted: 'I think a lot about how we can be useful as people, working in media or the arts. How can we work together across different industries to shift narratives and support our communities on the ground?'

Gemma also noted the significance that her career has, insisting: '[It] ensures that we have our stories told and ensures that we have a place in popular culture and consciousnesses.

'With the absence of that, stereotypes and prejudices grow and it's incredibly important that we [as] any group that has been excluded or marginalized before, get to define our own narratives.'

Vital: Gemma also noted the significance that her career has, insisting: '[It] ensures that we have our stories told and ensures that we have a place in popular culture and consciousnesses'

Speaking about the steady and incremental change she has seen in the film industry, Gemma said: 'I love the fact that it doesn't seem to be people elbowing each other out of the way anymore.

'It's one of the best things about the past few years; it feels like the doors have finally opened a little bit and people are being allowed to tell their own stories and the stories of their histories and the communities.

'And, naturally, the more we do that, the more we realize what we have in common with each other.'

Read Gemma Chan's full interview with PORTER on iPhone, iPad and Android, visit NET-A-PORTER.com/PORTER or download the NET-A-PORTER app from the App Store and Google Play
Montana Cox is no stranger to ritzy events.

And the multi-talented glamazon put her best foot forward yet again on Monday for the Melbourne Cup Reveals.

The statuesque starlet dazzled in a busty red frock as she posed at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

Lady in red! Model Montana Cox (pictured) wowed in a busty red frock as she posed at the Melbourne Cup Day Reveals at Flemington racecourse on Monday

Montana worked her angles in the dress as she posed at the course.

The frock sat on her perfectly with the star only pairing it with a black fascinator.

The beauty looked toned and tanned while all glammed-up for the event.

Red hot! Montana worked her angles in the dress as she posed at the course. The frock sat on her perfectly with the star only pairing it with a black fascinator

Toned: The beauty looked toned and tanned while all glammed-up for the event

Earlier this year, Montana revealed her jet-setter lifestyle led to her contracting Covid-19 twice last year.

She said that after her ordeal she was so eager to return home that she left her belongings overseas and fled Down Under.

'I have half of my apartment in New York, half of my stuff still back in London. I came back [to Australia] quickly,' she told Stellar Magazine.

Jet-setter woes: Montana revealed her jet-setter lifestyle led her to her contracting Coronavirus twice last year

'I was in London when Covid happened and I still had my New York apartment. I got rid of the lease and got someone to pack all of my stuff.

Since returning to Australia, Montana has used her time in lockdown to fine-tune her acting skills.

In June, Channel Ten announced Montana was joining Neighbours.

It has since been revealed that Montana will make her acting debut on Ramsay Street as Brittany Barnes.

Montana first rose to fame on the 2011 season of Australia's Next Top Model.
Succession star Brian Cox stunned This Morning stars and viewers on Monday when he swore live on air ahead of a poignant chat.

The actor, 75, who plays Logan Roy in the popular Sky show, spoke to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield about his book Rabbit In The Hat, during which he said: 'I won't be p**sing around' leading to an apology from Phillip.

In his chat with the hosts, he spoke in candid detail about his book, which follows his impoverished childhood and tragedies, before also reflecting on Alec Baldwin's on-set horror, in which he shot and killed a cinematographer last week.

Oh! Succession star Brian Cox stunned This Morning stars and viewers on Monday when he swore live on air ahead of a poignant chat

Brian said: 'Oh yes, it's very cathartic. Going back over the errors you've made in your life and the disasters that have happened and also the opposite...

'You have to be truthful, you really have to be truthful to who you are. I think that's one of the advantages of age and I'm 75 now. I'm not gonna be p***ing around too much' - after which both Phil and Brian swiftly apologised.

With 60 years of stage and screen experience behind him, Brian has plenty to discuss in his tome, some of which he shed light on on This Morning.

Last week, Alec accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a prop gun on the set of the western Rust in New Mexico.

Halyna died on October 21 after Alec pointed and fired a pistol at her during a scene and it injured director Joel Souza in the shoulder.

Eek: The actor, 75, who plays Logan Roy in the popular Sky show, spoke to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield about his book Rabbit In The Hat, during which he said: 'I won't be p**sing around' leading to an apology from Phillip

On Monday, Brian recalled a similar accident earlier on in his own career when a minor blank went on and he burnt a man's nose off.

He said: 'That was terrible. Wow. Yes. I forgot that. I was showed by somebody how to hand someone a gun. You held the pistol open, then closed it...

'And I fired it by accident. It burnt the end of his nose. It was horrific but also farcical as well. It was a minor blank.'

Open and honest: Last week, Alec accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a prop gun on the set of the western Rust in New Mexico

Tragic: Halyna died on October 21 after Alec pointed and fired a pistol at her during a scene and it injured director Joel Souza in the shoulder

On Alec, he went on: 'But in this situation, I can't imagine for the young woman it was truly truly tragic but it's also tragic for Alec. He's 68 he's just had about 10 kids in the last few years. He's an interesting guy. My heart completely goes out to him...

'I've used weapons a lot in movies, they're always very sharp in protocol. I don't know what happened. I know there was problems with the crew...

'I feel strongly about independent films. They don't have the same lavishness around them as a studio film. Maybe shortcuts were made.'

Tough: Speaking about his father dying when Brian was only eight, he said: ''He died within three weeks of his diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer. it was tough'

Speaking about his father dying when Brian was only eight, he said: ''He died within three weeks of his diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer. it was tough...

'It was tough for the family. I was a little bemused by it all. My brother was older than me. He was 16. It was much tougher on him. As an 8 year old I was more pliable'.

He also discussed his impoverished roots, saying: ''It was very hard. We had a two bedroom flat where 5 of us lived...

'I would do impersonations - minus the black face - for the whole room to entertain them. You create community just by singing a song or writing a poem.'
Last week, Channel 7 decreed their employees will not be able to return to work on Home and Away unless they are double-vaccinated against Covid-19.

And influencer and vaccine advocate Abbie Chatfield had a very sassy response for the soap's anti-vaxxer star Sam Frost this week.

Upon learning that the reality TV star-turned-actress, 32, might lose her job due to her militant stance, Abbie simply wrote 'Oop' on her Instagram Stories.

Takedown: Influencer and vaccine advocate Abbie Chatfield had a very sassy response for Home and Away's anti-vaxxer star Sam Frost this week

The short but savage comment was posted beneath a TV Week headline suggesting the mandate was enacted in response to Sam's controversial video stating she would not be getting the jab.

Abbie, 26, is staunchly pro-vaccine and has previously called out Sam for her refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Meanwhile, the Director of Production at Seven West Media, Andrew Backwell, sent an email to staff on Friday informing them the network 'will only engage fully vaccinated presenters, cast and crew'.

Staff at Seven Productions, which includes Home and Away, will need to be double vaccinated from January 10 to continue work.

Nemesis: Abbie, 26 (pictured), is staunchly pro-vaccine and has previously called out Sam for her refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19

Time to go? Frost (pictured) will not be able to return to work on Home and Away unless she is vaccinated against Covid-19. Channel Seven sent an email to staff on Friday informing them the network 'will only engage fully vaccinated presenters, cast and crew'

A Seven spokesperson told the Herald Sun on Friday: 'To provide the safest possible work environment for cast, crew and presenters, Seven Productions have made the decision to only engage those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, taking effect in January next year.

'Seven strongly encourages vaccination to protect our people, their colleagues and their families.'

While the network would not comment on individuals, the mandate is likely to affect Sam, 32, who recently stated she was not vaccinated.

Mandate: Staff at Seven Productions, which includes Home and Away, will need to be double vaccinated from January 10 to continue work. Sam is pictured on the soap

A Seven representative told Daily Mail Australia it would 'not comment or speculate on the vaccination status of individuals'.

The former Bachelorette star had deactivated her Instagram account on October 9, shortly after revealing in an emotional video that she was unvaccinated and her mental health had suffered as a result of other people 'judging' her.

The actress, who has played nurse Jasmine Delaney on Home and Away since 2017, called for less judgement towards unvaccinated Australians.

'I was really hesitant about doing a video or even speaking up about this sort of thing, but I feel like it's getting to a point now in the world where there's a lot of segregation,' she said in the video.

Statement: A Seven spokesperson told the Herald Sun: 'To provide the safest possible work environment for cast, crew and presenters, Seven Productions have made the decision to only engage those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, taking effect in January next year'

'There's a lot of harsh judgement and opinions being thrown around a lot and it's taking its toll on my mental health for sure, and I know people around me are struggling - particularly if they're on the side of they don't want to get vaccinated, for whatever reason.

'There are lots of different reasons why people are not getting vaccinated and it might be because of their medical history, their concerns, they might have family history, it could be religious reasons.'

Sam then said she hadn't been vaccinated, but claimed she had spoken to her medical doctor as well as a psychologist about her decision; however, it's understood she does not have a valid medical exemption.

She added tearfully: 'It's a really hard time to be in society right now and you feel like you are less of a human and you feel like people judge you.

Comments: The former Bachelorette star had deactivated her Instagram account on October 9, shortly after revealing in an emotional video that she was unvaccinated and her mental health had suffered as a result of other people 'judging' her

'And you're too scared to talk about your opinion or your feelings and part of you wants to go, "Well, it's none of your damn business why I'm not! And there's good reasons why I'm not and I don't want you to judge me".'

She explained it was important for the unvaccinated to look after their mental health, especially as freedoms return for fully vaccinated Australians.

'I'm struggling a lot with my mental health and I like to think that I'm pretty on to it. I see a psychologist regularly. So I can't imagine what it's like for people who don't have a support network around them,' she said.

She also added she could 'get in trouble' for coming out publicly as unvaccinated, before urging people to treat each other with more kindness and compassion.

Judgement: The actress, who has played nurse Jasmine Delaney on Home and Away since 2017, called for less judgement towards unvaccinated Australians

Her video caused a great deal of controversy, mainly because of her use of the word 'segregation' when referring to the way society 'judges' unvaccinated people.

'Segregation' is typically used to describe societies that are divided due to race, religion or sexual orientation.

A Seven spokesperson said shortly afterwards: 'Seven strongly encourages vaccination for all our people and all Seven productions strictly adhere to the public health Covid-19 safe protocols.

'All Home and Away cast and crew also undertake Covid-19 testing three times a week in addition to other preventative measures.

Controversy: Her video caused a great deal of controversy, mainly because of her use of the word 'segregation' when referring to the way society 'judges' unvaccinated people

'Sam Frost continues to work on Home and Away and follows the safety protocols in place.'

Sam returned to Instagram on Wednesday, and thanked her loved ones including her colleagues, and said she'd been inundated with 'support and love'.

Support: Sam returned to Instagram on Wednesday, after deactivating her account earlier in the wake of backlash for her since-deleted anti-vax video rant. The actress thanked her loved ones, including her colleagues, and said she'd been inundated with 'support and love'

'Thank you for the enormous amount of support and love over the past few weeks,' she began in a post on Instagram Stories.

'I received thousands and thousands of beautiful messages and emails. I appreciate it, more than you'll ever know.

'Incredibly grateful for my friends, family and work colleagues who held my hand through the storm, and loved me unconditionally. Kindness always wins. With all of my heart, thank you.'
She spent Saturday night living it up with a host of A-list pals at Vas J Morgan and Michael Braun's star-studded Halloween party.

So Rebel Wilson was taking it easy the following morning as she enjoyed a leisurely shopping trip in Los Angeles.

The actress, 41, swapped her Squid Game costume for a vest and trousers combo that highlighted her svelte frame.

Out and about: Rebel Wilson displayed her slimmed-down figure as she indulged in some retail therapy in Los Angeles after celebrating Halloween in a Squid Game costume

Rebel, who has lost 35kg after making 2021 her 'year of health', looked effortlessly stylish as she paired a plain black T-shirt with a pair of split hem trousers.

She injected some colour into the look with a vibrant yellow cardigan, while a pair of Valentino flats and a Yves Saint Laurent handbag gave the look a designer edge.

Keeping a low-profile while she ran her errands, the Australian star completed the look with a pair of oversized shades and a black face mask.

Fun times: Rebel's retail therapy comes after she spent the night in the Halloween spirit as she dressed as a contestant from South Korean Netflix drama, Squid Game

Rebel's retail therapy comes after she spent the night partying alongside the likes of Paris Hilton.

Rebel threw herself into the Halloween spirit as she dressed as a contestant from South Korean Netflix drama, Squid Game.

The series follows 456 contestants vying for 45.6 billion won ($38 million) by playing a series of childhood games once popular in Korea - but with a deadly twist.

Chic: The actress, 41, swapped her Squid Game costume for a vest and trousers combo that highlighted her svelte frame

Rebel took part in an reenactment of the show's famous Red Light, Green Light game, with sets from the series recreated by the Australian based phenomenon Booby Tape.

Meanwhile Paris, 40, looked every inch the princess as she dressed as a modern day Cinderella in a blue mini dress with a frilled hemline.

She added height to her frame with a pair of heels and styled her platinum locks into loose waves, completing her look for the event with a silver tiara.
John Barrowman cut a casual figure as he enjoyed a night out at The Ivy in Chelsea, London on Sunday.

The actor, 54, appeared in good spirits as he departed the swanky venue, sporting a black top and navy jeans.

The outing comes as ITV revealed John will not form part of the judging panel for the upcoming series of Dancing On Ice five months after he apologised for exposing himself on Doctor Who sets in historic incidents.

Laid back: John Barrowman cut a casual figure as he enjoyed a night out at The Ivy in Chelsea, London on Sunday

Sporting a grey jacket and a pair of black trainers, John completed his outfit with a matching bag.

The former Torchwood star is back in the UK after he spent some time in Palm Springs, California last month alongside his husband Scott Gill.

The television personality, who joined Dancing On Ice last year and appeared in two seasons, previously admitted to 'tomfoolery' on the sets of Doctor Who.

He began playing Captain Jack Harkness in 2005 and spin-off series Torchwood a year later.

Night out: The actor, 54, appeared in good spirits as he departed the swanky venue, sporting a black top and navy jeans

Of the axing, a source told The Sun: 'This will be devastating for him. Clearly ITV feel its not a good look to have someone like John centre-stage on a family-friendly show.'

An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline John will not return to the dancing show but will be seen on the channel again when he returns to host All Star Musicals.

Representatives for the channel said: 'We thank John Barrowman for two brilliant years on the Dancing on Ice panel and are pleased to be working with him again as host of the forthcoming All Star Musicals specials.'

A show insider added 'John has not been "sacked" from Dancing on Ice and we continue to work with him at ITV'.

John's team said: 'John is thrilled to be returning to work for ITV as host on the new All Star Musicals' but declined to comment on his departure from the skating show.

Axe: It comes as ITV revealed John be on the judging panel for the new series, five months after he apologised for exposing himself on Doctor Who sets (pictured in January 2021)

Former Strictly judge Arlene Phillips, 78, has been tipped to be his replacement.

No charges were brought against the media personality after allegations about him exposing himself were revealed in May following more serious allegations of sexual harassment against his Doctor Who co-star Noel Clarke.

The incidents came to light in a resurfaced video on YouTube from 2014 and filmed at sci-fi convention, Chicago Tardis.

It was released by The Guardian newspaper which had investigated Clarke's behaviour on the Doctor Who set.

In an interview in front of a live audience, Clarke is seen regaling fellow cast members Annette Badland and Camille Coduri with tales of John's behaviour on the set of Doctor Who, exposing himself 'every five seconds'.

Replacement? Former Strictly judge Arlene Phillips, 78, has been tipped to be his replacement (pictured on Strictly in 2008)

Noel then joked with the audience not to do this at their workplace or they might go to prison in the shocking unearthed clip.

Clarke apologised 'deeply' for his actions and said he will be seeking professional help, but has 'vehemently' denied sexual misconduct or criminal behaviour.

In an interview with Weekend magazine, John said his behaviour on set was to 'defuse awkwardness' whenever he was filming a sex scene in Torchwood.

He said: 'As Captain Jack Harkness I was the star of Torchwood, so I felt it was down to me to lead the company and keep them entertained. When I was doing a nude scene or a love scene it was clear in the script I'd be naked and everyone would have known about that at least 48 hours in advance.

'So I'd be waiting in my trailer wearing just a robe with a sock over my "parts". Then, if I were standing waiting to film a scene where I needed to be nude and someone came into view, I'd make a joke to put them and myself at ease.

Explanation: John said his 'high-spirited behaviour' was 'only ever intended in good humour' to entertain colleagues - and not sexual harassment (pictured filming Doctor Who in 2007)

'My actions were simply designed to defuse any potential awkwardness among the cast and crew.'

He added: 'I've never been someone who's embarrassed about his body so it didn't bother me if anyone saw me naked. The motivation for what I'd call my "tomfoolery" was to maintain a jokey atmosphere. There was absolutely nothing sexual about my actions and nor have I ever been accused of that.'

John revealed he was called for a meeting with Doctor Who and Torchwood executive producer Julie Gardner who told him to reign in his behaviour.

The actor added he can now see his behaviour was 'juvenile' and it would not be something he would do today.

It comes after John told The Guardian his 'high-spirited behaviour' was 'only ever intended in good humour' to entertain colleagues on set and backstage - and not sexual harassment as he apologised for his past behaviour.

'With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behaviour and I have apologised for this previously,' he said. 'Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behaviour have also changed.'
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Dorit Kemsley was seen with her family on Sunday as they dressed up for Halloween.

The theme was The Addams family as she was Morticia, her husband PK was Gomez Addams, her son Jagger, seven, was Pugsley Addams and daughter Phoenix, five, was Wednesday Addams.

This is the first time the designer, 45, has been pictured with her family since she a terrifying home invasion incident in October in which she was held at gunpoint while her kids slept in the home - that was exclusively revealed by DailyMail.com.

Back to semi normal: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Dorit Kemsley was seen with her family on Sunday as they dressed up for Halloween. The theme was The Addams family as she was Morticia, her husband PK was Gomez Addams, her son Jagger was Pugsley Addams and daughter Phoenix was Wednesday Addams

Dorit said in her caption that she was 'blessed' to be with her family on Halloween.

She was also seen with her Bravo castmates in Los Angeles on Saturday as they filmed for the series during a dinner outing at the Andaz hotel in West Hollywood.

On Saturday, she broke her silence on the incident, and says her children are unaware of the incident because they slept through it.

On Instagram on Saturday, she wrote: 'As you all know by now I have been through a terrifying ordeal, one that no parent or person should ever have to experience...

'My kids are unaware of what happened, they slept through it and I thank God for keeping my kids and myself from being physically harmed.'

Lucky to be alive: Dorit said in her caption that she was 'blessed' to be with her family on Halloween

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that three men broke into Kemsley's $6.4 million Encino Hills home just before 11pm PT on Thursday while she and her children slept.

Kemsley had only just returned from a trip to London, where she attended her nephew's wedding on Tuesday night alongside her husband, PK Kemsley.

PK was still abroad at the time of the attack and is now headed back to California to be with his wife, who is said to have been 'traumatized' by the incident.

In her first post since the invasion, Kemsley said she appreciated the outpouring of support she has received and added that her family needed to start the healing process.

Another pal stepped in: On the far left a man was dressed as Uncle Fester Addams

Kemsley said: 'I have thrown myself straight back into work as I want our family to return to normality as soon as possible.

'With the love and support of my husband, my incredible family, friends, fans and followers, I am confident this is the right thing to do whilst I independently work through the trauma.'

She added she is grateful to the LAPD for their care and attention.

Kemsley told TMZ on Friday night that she has since hired 24-hour security to bolster their protection.

'Lots of precaution. We will avoid anything that could put us in this situation again. That's for sure.'

New security: 'We have 24-hour security,' Kemsley said Friday night. 'Lots of precaution. We will avoid anything that could put us in this situation again. That's for sure'; seen with PK at their mansion

She added that the one thing going through her head during the invasion was that she needed to keep her children safe, as she was forced to beg for her life and told the three invaders who held her at gunpoint 'don't hurt my babies. Don't kill me. I'm a mom.'

'I need to keep them safe when they sleep,' she told the outlet.

While the mother-of-two insisted that she was okay, she said she was feeling for her children after the traumatic experience.

According to their mother, Jagger, seven, and Phoenix, five, slept through the ordeal.

When asked if she planned on moving, Kemsley said she and husband Paul Kemsley - AKA PK -, who was in London at the time of the late-night attack, were going 'to take it one step at a time.'

The kids are all right: 'My kids are unaware of what happened, they slept through it and I thank God for keeping my kids and myself from being physically harmed,' Kemsley said on Instagram

Pushing through: PK gave fans an update on how his wife and kids are doing after they were victims of a terrifying home invasion

So scary: Three intruders entered her Encino Hills home while her children, ages seven, and five, were in the house

'We still have to figure everything out. It's very, very new,' she added.

PK, however, seemed more determined to put his wife and children out of harm's way by leaving their mansion in Encino Hills.

'I would think we might [move],' he said, but revealed he doesn't know where to yet.

His reality TV star wife admitted she might've been targeted by the criminals because of her posts on social media. On Instagram, Kemsley regularly shares her lavish lifestyle and outfits with her 1.3 million followers.

During the invasion, the intruders entered the home around 10.50pm by smashing through the children's classroom door.

In her bedroom! Two of the suspects walked into Kemsley's bedroom (pictured: Master bedroom suite) while she was sleeping. She woke to them standing at the end of her bed. They grabbed her as as she begged: 'Dont hurt my babies. Dont kill me. I'm a mother'

Two of the suspects walked into Kemsley's bedroom while she was sleeping. She woke to them standing at the end of her bed.

They grabbed her as as she begged: 'Dont hurt my babies. Dont kill me. I'm a mother.' To which one of the men responded: 'Kill her.'

The intruders proceeded to ransack the house for about 20 minutes, stealing all of Kemsley's jewelry and handbags.

They did not enter the bedrooms belonging to her children and no one was injured during the incident.

They helped her: The day after the home invasion, Dorit's RHOBH costars visited her at her home; the aftermath will no doubt appear on RHOBH

After the intruders left, Kemsley contacted police and her husband, who was in London at the time.

Los Angeles police said the identity of the suspects and value of stolen property remains unknown. The Robbery-Homicide Division is investigating.

PK, 54, told DailyMail.com that the invasion was a 'real shock' in an exclusive interview at LAX as he arrived back in the US on Friday morning after a trip to his native Britain for a wedding. He was seen rolling his luggage through the airport and had a large Givenchy shopping bag.

Kemsley said: 'She's in shock. I'm going to see her now. I haven't seen her yet - I was so worried. I don't know a lot at the moment. I just know thank God my babies are ok, thank God Dorit's ok. She's at home but not alone and I'm rushing to her now.
Sean Connery's granddaughter Saskia paid tribute to the late actor on the first year since his passing in a Sunday Instagram post.

Admitting she missed her 'best friend' everyday, the influencer, 25, posted up a series of unseen personal photos of herself with him.

Saskia, whose dad Stephane is the James Bond star's stepson, wrote poignantly: 'One year without my best friend. Love you forever and miss you every day.'

Loving: Sean Connery's granddaughter Saskia paid tribute to the late actor on the first year anniversary of his passing in a Sunday Instagram post

She shared a picture of herself planting a kiss on Sir Sean's cheek last year, who grinned and placed a tender hand on her leg.

It mirrored a similar picture taken twenty years previously in 2000, when four-year-old Saskia cuddled up to the Hollywood icon.

She also shared a series of snaps which showed the Edinburgh native adoringly staring at her, as she gazed back in glee.

Reminiscing: Admitting she missed her 'best friend' everyday, the influencer, 25, posted up a series of unseen personal photos of herself with him

Family: She also shared a series of snaps which showed the Edinburgh native adoringly staring at her

Nostalgic: Saskia, whose dad Stephane is the James Bond star's stepson, wrote poignantly: 'One year without my best friend. Love you forever and miss you every day'

'1 year without my best friend. Love you forever and miss you everyday,' she sweetly wrote in her caption.

Sir Sean, whose movie career spans five decades, is best known for being the first to portray the role of British fictional spy 007 who he played between 19621971.

He was suffering from 'respiratory failure' when he died in his sleep at the age of 90 last October, his death certificate revealed.

Talented: Sir Sean, whose movie career spans five decades, is best known for being the first to portray the role of British fictional spy 007 who he played between 19621971 (pictured in 1962)

His respiratory failure was brought about by pneumonia, old age and atrial fibrillation - a heart condition causing an irregular and fast heart rate.

Atrial fibrillation can, in turn, heighten the sufferer's risks of heart failure and strokes.

He passed away in the Bahamas and left behind his wife Micheline, Stephane and his other son Jason.
Dame Joan Collins had a fan in the form of her bodyguard as she left the Pride of Britain awards on Sunday night - as he wore a mask with her face emblazoned across it.

The actress, 88, looked glamorous as she sat in the back of the car after leaving the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London hostel while her guardian wore the monochrome covering in the front.

The mask showed an image of Dame Joan from her younger years looking every inch the screen siren.

Devoted: Dame Joan Collins, 88, had a fan in the form of her bodyguard as she left the Pride of Britain awards on Sunday night as he wore a mask with her face emblazoned across it

The iconic star exuded old Hollywood vibes for the evening, wearing a chic floor-length black dress with a square neckline which left her decolletage exposed to the cool night air.

She teetered on a pair of black heels with a strip of sparkling gemstones to the front as she walked arm-in-arm with husband Percy Gibson, 56.

Dame Joan was dripping with dazzling jewellery, wearing a shimmering statement necklace and a pair of pendulum earrings.

Her biggest fan: The mask showed an image of Dame Joan from her younger years looking every inch the screen siren

She wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features and added a splash of colour to her look with a bright red lipstick.

Her hair was perfectly coiffed into a curly do and she smiled as she walked with her partner.

During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show last month, Dame Joan branded William Shatner 'a fool' while criticising his trip to space.

Loved- up: The iconic star exuded old Hollywood vibes for the evening, wearing a chic floor-length black dress as she walked arm-in-arm with husband Percy Gibson, 56

Unimpressed: Dame Joan branded William Shatner 'a fool' while criticising his epic space mission on The Jonathan Ross Show last month

History: Shatner made history last month when he became the oldest man to meet space after rocketing up into the atmosphere in one of Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin vessels

Actor William, 90, made history in October when he became the oldest man to meet space after rocketing up into the atmosphere in one of Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin vessels.

Dame Joan was seemingly unamused by William's mission as she told Jonathan: 'Let's take care of this planet first before we start going off.'

The performer, who appeared on alongside Succession star Brian Cox, 75, comedian Rob Beckett, 35, and television presenter Alex Scott, 37, added: 'Who wants to do that? No, absolutely not! Did you see Bill Shatner? He was in the air and they were turning him upside down.'

Echoing Dame Joan's sentiment, Brian said after being asked whether he would venture into space: 'No, absolutely not. I think it's ridiculous.'

The actor continued: 'I remember watching [Sir Richard] Branson and [Jeff] Bezos going up for their 11 minutes or whatever No, we do not need more spaceships, we've got enough c**p flying around up there, we do not need any more.'
Sarah Jessica Parker was seen on the set of her Sex And The City spinoff And Just Like That on Monday morning.

But the star's blazer dress proved to be a bit challenging when she was walking around in midtown Manhattan.

Though the siren, 56, tried her best to keep the dress closed with the help of her matching blue purse, when she walked it split open almost causing her undies to be flashed.

So much to see: Sarah Jessica Parker's blazer dress proved to be a bit challenging when she was walking around in midtown Manhattan on the set of her Sex And The City spinoff And Just Like That on Monday morning

Trying to stay clad: The star tried her best to keep the dress closed with the help of her matching blue purse as the wind whipped up on the sidewalk

Parker's dress stood out as it was a bright powder blue color.

Also, the dress was a bit of a throwback to the Nineties when long blazers were turned into dresses.

Her blue mock croc purse and black pointy pumps went nicely with the statement dress. She added two gold necklaces and pearl earrings.

But the focus was on her bare and tanned legs. The dress highlighted them as the hem came above the knee.

Back in time: Parker's dress stood out as it was a bright powder blue color. Also, the dress was a bit of a throwback to the Nineties when long blazers were turned into dresses

The star must work out daily as she looked incredibly fit with a small waistline. She also had a deep summer tan.

Her dirty blonde hair was worn down in soft curls that was a feminine touch as she at one point chatted on her cell phone.

She was alone on the street without her co-stars Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon.

Parker changed up her outfit while shooting some scenes at night. She wore a somewhat sheer black and white striped top and a skirt that ended just below the knee.

A different ensemble: Parker switched into an outfit more appropriate for a night out during scenes she shot in the evening

Always smiling: The scene was clearly a joyous one given all the time Parker was smiling during the scene

Having a moment: Parker appeared to be dancing with one of her male co-stars during the scene

She clutched a pink bag in her hand and wore a wide grin on her face during the sequence. She appeared to dance with one of her co-stars as well.

Quite a bit of jewelry hung from the actress' neck including a black necklace and a gold pendant having from another chain lower on her chest.

These sightings comes after news Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy are returning for the long-awaited sequel to the 1993 fantasy film and Disney+ celebrated Halloween on Sunday by revealing a host of names who will be joining them in the movie.

The streaming service tweeted: 'The black flame candle is alight to the Sanderson sisters' delight. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, & Kathy Najimy shall soon return.

Stylish siren: Her blue mock croc purse and black pointy pumps went nicely with the statement dress. But the focus was on her bare and tanned legs. The dress highlighted them as the hem came above the knee

'Joined by new faces which you soon will learn. See more of the spellbinding cast in the next tweet. Enjoy this #Hallowstream treat.(sic)'

Their next tweet revealed the Ted Lasso actress and the Arrested Development star are on board for the project, as well as Whitney Peak,

Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Sam Richardson - who was reported to have signed up last month - Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Henderson and Nina Kitchen.

I hope my dress doesn't fly open! Her dirty blonde hair was worn down in soft curls that was a feminine touch as she at one point chatted on her cell phone

They also confirmed original Hocus Pocus actor Doug Jones will be involved in the sequel.

The original movie told the story of three witches being resurrected in Salem, Massachusetts, and the upcoming sequel will reportedly see three young women bring the Sanderson sisters back back to life.

The original film was initially viewed as a box-office flop, but has since become a cult classic. And in recent years, fans have urged the cast to reunite for a sequel.

New fun times ahead: Sarah stars on the show with Cynthia Nixon, left, and Kristin Davis, right

Bette admitted earlier this year that she was really excited to star in the 'Hocus Pocus' sequel.

However, the Hollywood star - who turns 76 on December 1 - also joked about the challenge of shooting the film at her age.

Speaking about the project and where it stood at the time, she said: 'They sent the script and we're really excited about it - we're up for it.

'Although I must say, I mean, the years have flown by and I am 75 and I do believe I can fly.'

Bette also admitted that she loved shooting the original movie and couldn't wait to reunite with the cast for the sequel.

She shared: 'I just loved making that movie. That was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had.'
Meanwhile, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin celebrated Halloween with their six children on Sunday posing in fun costumes

She was quickly bombarded with comments from her followers who were not pleased that she would post such a grisly image just days after the tragic accident on her father's movie set

The 26-year-old model took to Instagram on Sunday night to post some photos of her gruesome costume with her musician boyfriend RAC for Halloween

Alec Baldwin's daughter Ireland has been criticized for posting a photo of her bloodied Halloween costume which some followers have deemed 'insensitive' a week after her father accidentally shot dead cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.

The 26-year-old model took to Instagram on Sunday night to post some photos of her gruesome costume with her musician boyfriend RAC for Halloween.

She was quickly bombarded with comments from her followers who were not pleased that she would post such a grisly image just days after the tragic accident on her father's movie set.

Alec Baldwin 's daughter Ireland has been criticized for posting a photo of her bloodied Halloween costume which some followers have deemed 'insensitive'

She was quickly bombarded with comments from her followers who were not pleased that she would post such a grisly image just days after the tragic accident on her father's movie set

This comes a week after her father Alec Baldwin accidentally shot dead cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, they are circled in an image that she uploaded to Instagram two days before

One commenter wrote: '[three sad crying emojis] CELEBRATED, WITH FAKE BLOOD. DON'T YOU WISH THOSE WERE FAKE BULLETS ON SET OF RUST??? THE VICTIMS BLOOD WAS REAL THO [seven sad crying emojis] WHY DO THEY HAVE COSTUMES WITH FAKE BOOD. JUST WOW [four sad crying emojis]'

Another commenter replied to the post saying they believed this comment wasn't necessary and said that the Baldwin has been through enough.

The original commenter then wrote: 'she posted the insensitive pictures which shows the mentality of insensitivity.'

The 26-year-old model took to Instagram on Sunday night to post some photos of her gruesome costume with her musician boyfriend RAC for Halloween

Ireland was dressed as a sexy schoolgirl with a stream of costume blood streaming down her left eye and nostril.

Her Portland, Oregon-based, Grammy-winning boyfriend RAC (born Andre Allen Anjos), who's 11 years her senior, wore a white Henley shirt as he had fake blood dripping from his neck onto his entire top.

She did have many supporters as one commenter wrote: 'SO GOOD.'

Ireland and her boyfriend have been keeping a low profile as of late as she captioned the image: 'We didnt think we would celebrate, but we found some old costumes and blood, ate really good food, drank tequila, had a couple friends over, watched a scary movie and had 0 trick or treaters.... How was your Halloween? Raise your hand if you went as squid game this year.'

Ireland and her boyfriend have been keeping a low profile as of late as she captioned the image: 'We didnt think we would celebrate, but we found some old costumes and blood'

This came just as her father's wife Hilaria came under scrutiny for posting a fun Halloween photo on Instagram celebrating the holiday with their six children days after the cinematographer's death on the Rust movie set.

She faced social media backlash following the post on Sunday where she described how 'intense' parenting has been while coping with the very public situation surrounding the tragedy involving her husband.

She was criticized as 'inappropriate and tasteless' for posting the holiday snaps while Hutchin's nine-year-old son would face his first Halloween without his mother.

This came just as her father's wife Hilaria came under scrutiny for posting a fun Halloween photo on Instagram celebrating the holiday with their six children days after the cinematographer's death on the Rust movie set

'Parenting through this has been an intense experience, to say the least,' Hilaria, 37, wrote on Instagram Sunday.

'Today, we rallied to give them a holiday. Last min costumesa little hodge-podgebut they were so happy and that warmed my mama heart.'

The Baldwins have been under intense scrutiny ever since Alec, 63, fired the gun that killed Hutchins, a cinematographer, on the set of his movie 'Rust' on October 21.

The couple's fun-loving family photos were released hours after a new report revealed that there had been at least three other accidental gun discharges on the set before Hutchins was killed.

Hilaria - seen wearing matching costumes with her daughters Carmen (right) and Maria (left) - shared the photos to Instagram

Her caption described how 'intense' parenting her children has been while coping with the tragedy, writing: 'Parenting through this has been an intense experience, to say the least. Today, we rallied to give them a holiday'

However, Hilaria faced social media backlash and was criticised as 'inappropriate and tasteless' for posting the fun holiday snaps while Halyna Hutchin's nine-year-old son would face his first Halloween without his mother

Hilaria posted the collection of photos to her Instagram feed on Sunday touting their family's holiday festivities - despite the negative response she received online Saturday after interrupting her husband several times during a press conference.

The photos show Alec dressed up as a creature from the popular children's book Where the Wild Things Are.

Hilaria is seen sporting an apparent spider witch costume that matched her daughters Carmen, 8, and Maria Lucia Victoria, 8 months.

The couple also posed Maria and her older brother, Eduardo, 1, in matching brightly-colored workout clothes.

Their three older sons, Rafael, 6, Leonardo, 5, and Romeo, 3, also wore fun costumes although it was not immediately clear what the boys were dressed up as.

The actor and his wife faced backlash on Twitter as one user, Leigh Daly, wrote: '@AlecBaldwin did your wife actually post Halloween photos on Instagram!! So inappropriate and so not a good look!'

Another social media user pointed out that Halynas young son, Andros, would still be in mourning for his mother, saying: 'The Baldwin kids should absolutely enjoy Halloween. This year, though, #hilariabaldwin should have kept their festivities (and herself) off social media. Halynas son didnt get to enjoy this holiday. Celebrate without posting, Hillary. Its literally the least you could do.'

However, several celebrities commented on the post, expressing their love for the Baldwins and offering support during what Hilaria has described as an 'intense' time.

'Lord!!! I cannot even imagine the chaos! But you two are doing a good job. Giving them a great childhood,' wrote actor Leslie Jordan.

'Oh I love everything about this!!!!' said journalist Joelle Garguilo.

'Stay strong' echoed actor and professional chef David Burtka.

'Sending you big hugs. They are so lucky to have you,' Mary Orton Scudellari, entrepreneur, investor and self-proclaimed style enthusiast, added.

The couple posed Maria and her older brother, Eduardo, 1, in matching brightly-colored workout clothes

Maria is seen wearing what appears to be a spider witch costume

Alec (pictured with his wife and kids) dressed up as a creature from the popular children's book Where the Wild Things Are

Meanwhile, an investigative report published Sunday morning in the Los Angeles Times revealed three accidental weapons discharges that took place prior to Hutchins' death.

One involved Alec's stunt double accidentally firing a blank after being told the gun was 'cold'.

In another instance, a props department worker 'actually shot herself in the foot' with a blank.

The Times interviewed several crew members during their investigation.

One alleged that there were several 'red flags' throughout the production, citing the fact that there was not an on-site medic present during pre-production.

'Somebody dropped a countersink bit and it stabbed me in the hand. I had to take care of it myself and I'm still healing from it,' a production worker shared.

Another claimed that production leaders were more concerned with their budget than the safety on set.

'It always felt like the budget was more important than crew members,' Lane Luper, the A-camera first assistant, told the newspaper Saturday.

'Every thing was about the schedule and the budget.'

An investigative report published Sunday morning revealed three accidental weapons discharges that took place on the Rust set (pictured) prior to Hutchins' death

One involved Alec's stunt double accidentally firing a blank after being told the gun was 'cold'. In another instance, a props department worker 'actually shot herself in the foot' with a blank

Halyna Hutchins (pictured) died on October 21 after Alec Baldwin pointed and fired a Colt pistol at her during a scene

Luper, along with several unnamed crew, also claimed that officials did not send out safety bulletins with call sheets once filming began.

Despite the alleged lack of safety concern amongst production leaders, the crew claims Alec prioritized the well-being of his fellow cast and crew.

'Alec was pretty concerned about safety on set,' a camera technician said.

'He wanted to know where I would be standing when he drew his gun,' echoed another crew member.

'I told him I was going to be standing in a different place, and he said, 'Good.'

Hutchins died on October 21 after Alec pointed and fired a Colt pistol at her during a scene.

Alec was handling the vintage gun on the set of Rust in Santa Fe, New Mexico, when it accidentally discharged  killing the mom-of-one and wounding director Joel Souza.

A day after the accident, Hilaria was seen leaving the family's Greenwich Village home.

'I didn't know where I was going, I just drove,' she said. 'I just drove around and around and around with my kids.'

She settled for Manchester, Vermont, to escape from the media scrutiny. Her husband eventually joined her there.

Alec has remained silent about the situation since issuing a public statement the day after Hutchins' death in which he indicated that he was cooperating with authorities and offered his condolences to her family.

His silence was also reflected in his social media accounts, until Saturday when he appeared to return to some of his typical online behaviors.

He complimented actor and comedian Mario Cantone's Halloween costume and retweeted a post about the importance of teachers and educators.

Alec also issued political commentary, responding to a tweet by Kurt Anderson asking his followers for examples of other 'once-great American institutions misleadingly operating under their old names?'

He replied: 'The federal government.'

Alec returned to his typical social media behaviors on Saturday after remaining silent online since the day after Hutchins' death

Alec was with Hilaria, who appeared to be filming the interaction, when the couple pulled over to talk to photographers in Manchester, Vermont.

The couple spoke for roughly four minutes. He said: 'A woman died. She was my friend.'

'The day I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner with Joel, the director,' he said. 'We were a very, very well oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.'

Hilaria, who appeared to want to say something to her husband, walked toward him as he talked to reporters, prompting an annoyed Alec to tell her: 'Excuse me.'

Alec told photographers he had been 'ordered' by the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office 'not to talk about the investigation,' but is 'eagerly awaiting for the sheriff's department' to release their findings.

The actor, who was visibly tense during his exchange with reporters, then asked: 'What other questions do you have other than that?'

He also claimed he 'talks to the cops every day' following the death of the 42-year-old filmmaker.

Alec (right) and his wife, Hilaria, spoke to reporters about the incident for the first time Saturday during an impromptu roadside press conference (pictured)

Hilaria then enters the frame and stands next to her husband while apparently filming the assembled crew of reporters and photographers with her mobile phone.

A reporter then begins to ask Alec whether he met with the family of the late cinematographer, but he forgets Hutchins' name and fumbles the question, prompting both Alec and Hilaria to express their annoyance.

'Her name is Halyna,' Hilaria barked in response.

'If you're spending this much time waiting for us, you should know her name,' Hilaria tells the reporter.

Alec also appeared to grow annoyed at the reporter, asking in astonishment: 'You don't know her name? Come on. Halyna Hutchins.'

Alec then continued: 'I met with her husband, Matthew, and her son. Yeah, that's right.'

When asked how the meeting went, Alec replied: 'I wouldn't know how to characterize it.'

Alec then said that they were 'mortified' though before he could finish his sentence, Hilaria interjects.

'You guys, you guys, you know what? No details,' Hilaria said.

Alec once again appeared agitated at his wife, telling her: 'Do me a favor? I'm going to answer the question.'

Hilaria has been branded a desperate attention-seeker by social media users after she interrupted Alec several times during the interview

Alec claimed Hutchins' death was 'one in a trillion' before saying 'probably billions' of gunshots have gone off 'without incident' on filmsets in America without 'incident'

When the reporter tells Alec that he believed Hutchins' widower was 'very upset,' the actor replied: 'The guy is overwhelmed with grief.'

Alec continues: 'There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion episode. This is a one in a trillion event.'

'We're very worried about his family and his kid. As I said, we're eagerly awaiting for the sheriff's department to tell us their investigation has yielded.'

Alec, still exasperated, then asks the press corps: 'What else do you have?'

He addressed several questions about firearms on sets and whether or not Rust would continue production, which he indicated did not appear to be the case.

When asked why he and his family chose to decamp to Vermont, Hilaria once again interjected, saying: 'It's private.'

Alec then reached his hand toward his wife's right shoulder as if to gesture to her that he will be the one doing the talking.

He tells the reporters: 'That's personal. That's private.'

When the reporters have no other questions, Alec then pleaded with them for some privacy.

'My kids are in the car crying,' the 30 Rock star said, prompting Hilaria to add: 'Because you guys are following them and they know.'

Alec then continued: 'As a courtesy to you, I came out [to talk to you]. I'm not allowed to comment on the investigation.

He concluded his remarks by saying: 'My point is that - I'm just asking you...we sat down as a courtesy to talk to you, now, please, would you stop following us and leave us alone?'

'Just go home,' Hilaria added.

'We gave you everything we could possibly give you,' Alec says before walking toward his car.

Hilaria then leaves, walking behind her husband while asking the reporters: 'Now turn it off.'

Hilaria Baldwin made an emotional post on Instagram, showing her hand intertwined with husband Alec Baldwins and says she has fears he will develop PTSD after he accidentally shot dead cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of 'Rust'

Twitter users were unsympathetic to Hilaria, saying she's 'desperate for attention' and needs to stop 'parading her whole family to Starbucks, etc. 'if' she wants some privacy'

Hilaria had also shared a heartfelt post on Instagram: 'I love you and I'm here,' she captioned a picture of her and her husband's intertwined hands.

Her apparent attempt at eliciting sympathy backfired online, with numerous social media users calling her out for attention-seeking.

'This scene with Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin (aka 100% not-Spanish Hillary from Boston who is still using a fake accent) is nuts,' tweeted @blanket1734.

'He's trying to deal with the paps and his wife keeps jumping in, trying to butt in and FILMING because she's that desperate for attention.'

Added @LexieNorcross: 'Watching Alec basically tell Hilaria to go away is amazing.

'The chick needs to learn how to use door dash or Instacart and stop parading her whole family to Starbucks, etc. 'if' she wants some privacy - she wants attention it seems like.'

User @rdcarrington said there were 'two narcissists' in the picture.

'She has to involve herself to get some of that attention,' they tweeted.

Meanwhile, on Friday night, the couple was photographed eating multiple plates of food at the venue in Manchester, Vermont, after it was closed-off to members of the public.

Alec, who overcame alcoholism in 1985 and has been teetotal ever since, was drinking a nonalcoholic IPA beer, while Hilaria ordered a wine. She was seen talking on the phone while her husband perused the menu.

Hilaria hugged and kissed Alec, who at one point clutched the side of his head with one of his hands, and appeared deep in thought while staring down from his bar stool.

The actor is facing a criminal investigation for the fatal shooting of Hutchins.

According to a call sheet obtained by DailyMail.com, Alec was taking part in a mock gunfight inside the church building on the Bonanza Ranch film set when Hutchins was hit.

Co-stars Jensen Ackles, Swen Temmel and Travis Hammer were also in the scene  numbered 121 - alongside Alec's stunt double Blake Teixeira and stunt coordinator Allan Graf.

Production notes show the Colt pistol was one of several weapons on set at the time but the only one used in 121 and the preceding 118.

The armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, said 'wasn't sure if I was ready' in an interview prior to filming.

She also admitted in the podcast interview that she found loading blanks into a gun to be 'the scariest' thing because she did not know how to do it and had sought help from her father, legendary gunsmith Thell Reed, to get over the fear.

First assistant director Dave Halls had grabbed the gun from the cart and brought it inside to Alec, unaware that it was loaded with live rounds.

'Cold gun!' shouted Halls before handing the gun to Alec, using the phrase to signal to cast and crew that the gun was safe to fire for the scene, the warrant said.

Hutchins was behind the camera while the scene was being filmed on October 21

The crew on Alec's movie set were already concerned about gun safety before he accidentally shot and killed Hutchins.

The warrant indicated that a single bullet struck Hutchins in the chest, and then struck director Joel Souza in the shoulder as he was standing behind her, injuring him, suggesting the bullet traveled all the way through Hutchins' body.

Unionized workers had walked off the set hours before the fatal shooting, after they complained about long hours, shoddy conditions and another safety incident days earlier involving 'two misfires' of a prop weapon.

Alec has since told reporters he doesn't think production will resume.
They found themselves in the bottom two on Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday night.

But swimmer Adam Peaty, 26, and his professional partner Katya Jones, 32, are preparing for another week of training after surviving the dance off against comedian Judi Love, 41, and her partner Graziano Di Prima, 27.

Olympian Adam cut a casual figure in a grey T-shirt and black trousers while Katya wrapped up warm in a brown quilted coat as they left the Strictly: It Takes Two studios on Monday.

Comeback: Adam Peaty, 26, looked casual in a T-shirt while Katya Jones, 32, wore a quilted coat at the Strictly: It Takes Two studios on Monday after surviving the Strictly elimination

The pair avoided elimination from the BBC ballroom dance contest the prior evening after Judi and Graziano were voted off following her Covid battle.

Funnywoman Judi returned to the series on Saturday after taking the previous week off to isolate.

Judi's Cha Cha to Physical by Olivia Newton-John was not enough to keep her in the competition after she went up against Adam and Katya.

Ready to roll: The pair avoided elimination from the BBC ballroom dance contest the prior evening after Judi Love, 41, and Graziano Di Prima, 27, were voted off

Survivors: Judi's Cha Cha to Physical by Olivia Newton-John was not enough to keep her in the competition after she went up against Adam and Katya

Tough times: Adam's outing on Monday comes after he was said to be 'beside himself' as trolls attacked girlfriend Eirianedd Munro, 23, over his 'near-kiss' with Katya

Adam's outing on Monday comes after he was said to be 'beside himself' as trolls attacked girlfriend Eirianedd Munro, 23, over his 'near-kiss' with Katya.

According to a report, the sportsman is finding it incredibly difficult to accept that she's being mocked and is receiving online abuse for something that happened on the BBC show.

A source told The Sun: 'Adam is beside himself about the abuse Eiri is receiving. He had no idea the impact being on the show would have on her and feels a responsibility as her partner.

Stepping out: Katya wrapped up warm in her quilted coat and wore a pair of red leggings as she carried her belongings after her television appearance with Adam

Fallout: Adam is reportedly finding it difficult to accept his girlfriend is being mocked online for his 'near kiss' with Katya on the show (pictured) last month

A source told The Sun : 'Adam is beside himself about the abuse Eiri is receiving. He had no idea the impact being on the show would have on her and feels a responsibility as her partner

'To see her being mocked by trolls has been incredibly difficult for him to stomach.

'He wants to protect her. Adam is trying to work out if they can somehow make it stop as it's so hard for him to see Eiri upset.'

The insider noted how Eirianedd has been 'incredibly supportive' of Adam and Katya while they've been in training each day for long hours.

They added: 'He wants to protect her. Adam is trying to work out if they can somehow make it stop as it's so hard for him to see Eiri upset.'

By her side: The insider noted how Eirianedd has been 'incredibly supportive' of Adam and Katya while they've been in training each day for long hours

Bag it up: The pair were seen laden with belongings as they left the It Takes Two studio after their appearance

Star power: Adam and Katya are heading into another week of training in a bid to stay in the competition next week

Water baby: Adam celebrated making it another week in the competition by enjoying some downtime in a hot tub at the weekend

The competative swimmer wrote on Instagram: 'Truly humbled to be able to continue on this show and I will come back stronger'

Heartfelt: He added: 'Thankyou to everyone who has supported me so far, thankyou to @katyajones for being an amazing choreographer and person'

Battling it out: Comedian Judi and her partner Graziano landed in the dance-off against swimmer Adam and Katya (pictured on Saturday)

Tragic: Judi became the fifth celebrity contestant to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing during Sunday night's episode, after returning to the show following her Covid scare

Last week, Eirianedd told fans she took a 'short break' from social media after Olympic swimmer Adam and Katya got very close at the end of their racy Argentine Tango last month.

The sportsman's partner took to TIkTok on Wednesday to thank her followers for their support, admitting she was 'really emotional' after being trolled online following Adam's television performance.

She said: 'I did take a little bit of a break. I want to say thank you to everyone, it actually makes me really emotional, to everyone who has been really nice to me because last week was a lot.'

Larking about: Judi and Graziono were in a jovial mood outside the Strictly: It Takes Two studios

Snap happy: Judi could be seen wearing a denim dress as the pair posed for a selfie after Judi took out her mobile phone

In style: Graziano showed off his edgy style in a black leather jacket and matching jeans with boots

Good pals: The pair enjoyed one another's company after they were eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday

Champions: Rose Ayling-Ellis, 26, and Giovanni Pernice, 31, were in good spirits after winning the maximum mark of 40 from the judges on Saturday night

Suited and booted: Giovanni looked dapper in a cream suit while EastEnders actress Rose wore a black satin dress for the evening

Dazzling: Professional dancer Kristina Rihanoff, 44, made an appearance on It Takes Two on Monday and was spotted wearing a hot pink coat and matching shoes as she left

Strictly villain: Show judge Craig Revel Horwood, 56, was seen in a faux fur jacket and ripped jeans after appearing on Strictly: It Takes Two on Monday

Twinkle-toed star: Professional dancer Johannes Radebe, 34, wore autumnal colours for his appearance on the spin-off show

'I want to say I appreciate people. Even if it's a thousand nice comments and one mean one, it's just so easy to feel like the world is against you, and it did feel like that for a while, and then I had a reality check and I remembered that I'm not that important.

'But, you guys, you made me feel so much better, those who were checking up on me and those who were commenting, I appreciate you.'

She jokingly added: 'Thank you, you saved my life.'

MailOnline contacted a representative for Adam for further comment.

Controversial: Adam's girlfriend Eirianedd Munro took a 'short break' from social media after Adam and Katya got very close at the end of their racy Argentine Tango last month

'Humiliated': Eirianedd, is said to have felt 'humiliated' after the 'near kiss' on Strictly which prompted trolls to target her online

Eirianedd reportedly felt 'humiliated' after he engaged in a 'near kiss' with Katya on Strictly.

A source close to the artist revealed she hopes Katya doesn't get 'any ideas' about their close partnership, after posting a tongue-in-cheek TikTok earlier this month featuring her miming to a track in which the vocalist sings she'll 'kill' the next girl her beau dances with.

The insider said: 'Eiri is always supportive of Adam, but she doesn't like being humiliated on a national scale.'

Reaction: Adam's girlfriend recently shared a video on TikTok as she reacted to the dance with a clip of herself pretending to cry

'She wants the world to know that they're very much a couple and hopes that Katya doesn't get any ideas,' the source added to The Sun.

The pair met at the University of Loughborough, where Eri recently graduated with a Fine Art degree.

The couple share George-Anderson Adetola Peaty, 13 months, who they welcomed in September 2020.

Viewers tuning into week four of the BBC show were left hot under the collar as the Olympian performed the sexy routine to Tango In The Night by Fleetwood Mac alongside pro dancer Katya.

Adam's girlfriend then shared a video on TikTok as she reacted to the dance with a clip of herself pretending to cry alongside the caption: 'Watching your boyfriend almost kiss another woman on live TV'.

She then threw her head back in mock anguish and added a second caption that read: 'Finding out 10 million people also watched it live'.
Mariah Carey didn't waste any time kicking off the holiday season the minute that Halloween was over.

The 52-year-old 'Queen of Christmas' released a video at the stroke of midnight on November 1 in which she smashed a pumpkin and teased a holiday surprise coming on Friday.

'Ready? Lets go!' the superstar wrote in the caption of her Instagram post, adding an emoji of a pumpkin with an arrow pointing toward a Christmas tree.

She's back! Mariah Carey didn't waste any time kicking off the holiday season the minute that Halloween was over. The 52-year-old 'Queen of Christmas' released a video at the stroke of midnight on November 1 in which she smashed a pumpkin and teased a holiday surprise coming on Friday

The video opened to the sound of chiming bell as the camera zoomed in on Mariah's ruby-red crystal-studded heels.

The five-time Grammy Award winner, who was clad in a sparkly red gown that had a high back slit, swung the bat menacingly behind her feet before strutting towards the front door of a house.

She opened the door and emerged in front of another doorway that was decorated for Halloween.

Sparkly: The video opened to the sound of chiming bell as the camera zoomed in on Mariah's ruby-red crystal-studded heels

Dramatic: The five-time Grammy Award winner, who was clad in a sparkly red gown that had a high back slit, swung the bat menacingly behind her feet before strutting towards the front door of a house

Three pumpkins that were carved to spell out 'It's' 'Not' 'Time' were on display in front of the doorway along with a fake headstone, skulls and a cat statue.

As a clock ticked, Mariah beamed as she slammed the bat down and smashed the middle pumpkin that read 'Not' to pieces.

The songstress's holiday classic All I Want For Christmas began to play in the background as the hitmaker murmured, 'It's time!!!'

Festive: Three pumpkins that were carved to spell out 'It's' 'Not' 'Time' were on display in front of the doorway along with a fake headstone, skulls and a cat statue

Smashing pumpkins: As a clock ticked, Mariah beamed as she slammed the bat down and smashed the middle pumpkin that read 'Not' to pieces

It's definitely time: The songstress's holiday classic All I Want For Christmas began to play in the background as the hitmaker murmured, 'It's time!!!!'

The video cut to Mariah as she threw handfuls of fake snow in the air and squealed with joy while kneeling on the floor of a room covered with Christmas decorations.

The former American Idol judge was wearing a glittery Santa Claus bodysuit with chunky gold hoop earrings.

She dangled a peppermint Christmas ornament in front of a white dog as the pup licked the fake treat. Mariah clapped gleefully as the video cut to a quick shot of a silver-wrapped present with the writing, '11/5' in red glitter.

Christmas spirit: The video cut to Mariah as she threw handfuls of fake snow in the air and squealed with joy while kneeling on the floor of a room covered with Christmas decorations

Decked out: The former American Idol judge was wearing a glittery Santa Claus bodysuit with chunky gold hoop earrings

Hint: Mariah clapped with glee as the video cut to a quick shot of a silver-wrapped present with the writing, '11/5' in red glitter

Sending her love: The mom of two then waved and flashed a giant diamond ring before blowing the camera a kiss

The mom of two then waved and flashed a giant diamond ring before blowing the camera a kiss.

The video concluded with a black and red graphic that read: It's Time!!! To smash that pumpkin and treat it as pie...cause we still gotta get through Thanksgiving!!!'

And Mariah left no doubt as to whose season it was when she shared the video on her Twitter page with the hashtag #MariahSZN.

'Christmas' and 'Mariah Carey' immediately began trending on Twitter and the video sparked fun reactions from social media users.

The official Guinness Book of World Records account tweeted: 'new record for the earliest celebration of Christmas' while Chart Data noted, '.@MariahCarey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" has re-entered the top 200 on US iTunes.'

One fan wanted to let Mariah know that he had not missed her reference to '11/5', writing, 'WE SAW THAT.'

New record: The official Guinness Book of World Records account tweeted: 'new record for the earliest celebration of Christmas'

Getting an early start: Chart Data noted, '.@MariahCarey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" has re-entered the top 200 on US iTunes.'

Eagle-eyed: One fan wanted to let Mariah know that he had not missed her reference to '11/5', writing, 'WE SAW THAT'

Holiday queen: Another fan declared, 'MARIAH INVENTED CHRISTMAS'

Another fan declared, 'MARIAH INVENTED CHRISTMAS.'

A few days ago, the star got in on the Twitter fun herself after National Review critic Kyle Smith tweeted a photo of a sign posted to a jukebox that read: 'Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You will be skipped if played before Dec 1. After Dec 1 the song is only allowed one time a night.'

Twitter user @ntferny quote-tweeted Smith's tweet, writing, 'is this the war on Christmas Ive heard about?'

Mariah replied by tweeting a photo in which she was seen dressed in battle armor as she wielded a sword. The image was from her 2015 commercial for the mobile video game Game of War: Fire Age.

All I Want For Christmas is Mariah's biggest international hit and holds the record as the best-selling Christmas single by a female artist, selling 16 million copies.

Strict rules: A few days ago, the star got in on the Twitter fun herself after National Review critic Kyle Smith tweeted a photo of a sign posted to a jukebox that read: 'Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You will be skipped if played before Dec 1 . After Dec 1 the song is only allowed one time a night'
Kelly Dodd and her husband Rick Leventhal sparked major backlash for their tone-deaf and wildly insensitive Halloween costumes this year, with Leventhal dressing as Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust and Dodd dressing up as a Native American.

Leventhal, 61, posed in a Western outfit with a gun in his hand, while Dodd, 46, wore a feathered headdress. He captioned the post: 'Kelly celebrated her native American culture and I celebrated the great American film actor Alec Baldwin.'

Despite many of Leventhal's followers being accustomed to his controversial antics, the decision to make light of the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins by Baldwin on the set of a Rust last month was a step too far.

'A child lost his mother,' one commented, while another wrote: 'On the very day that a young boy buries his mother, this is in poor taste.'

Mother-of-one Hutchins was buried in a private funeral in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Friday after she was accidentally shot dead by Baldwin on October 21.

But despite the backlash, Leventhal stood by his ensemble, telling The New York Post on Monday: 'In no way was I trying to offend anyone, except Alec Baldwin. Hes a jerk and deserves all the heat hes getting.'

Others were offended by his wife's decision to wear a stereotypical Native American outfit. Dodd's claims she is '30 percent Native American.'

Unbelievable: Kelly Dodd and her husband Rick Leventhal have come under fire for their tone-deaf and wildly insensitive Halloween costumes this year

Kelly and Rick faced a stern backlash on Instagram where the former Fox correspondent posted the image of him dressed up as Alec Baldwin. 'A child lost his mother!' said one comment

One comment said: 'On the very day that a young boy buries his mother, this is in poor taste'

A follower called Elaine Rieger said: 'Really insensitive, but no one is surprised. She will bring you down wait and see'

One follower wrote: 'So talk about your heritage not mock it.. seriously? A costume? You can't argue with stupid.'

Another said: 'Yes the wardrobe of native Americans is beautiful but its not a costume n hopefully u will learn that.'

Leventhal made the post on Sunday, after which his comments section was quickly flooded with disdain for their costumes.

'Pathetic you have to attach Alec Baldwin to this,' one follower wrote. 'A horrific thing happened on set and you think Halloween is the time to display such disrespect.'

A follower called Elaine Rieger said: 'Really insensitive, but no one is surprised. She will bring you down wait and see.'

Another commented: 'I always defend you both, but hard to find dressing up as Alec funny when a young woman's life was cut short and a young boy is now without his mum.'

Dodd - who has not spoken publicly yet about her costume - told E! News in January that she was '30 percent Native American.'

'My point was I'm black, Asian, Mexican, Spanish, I'm 30 percent Native American and I'm one percent Jewish. And I'm all races. I don't see people with color, I see people. That's it,' she said at the time.

Disturbing: While the couple frequently get slammed for their 'attention-seeking' behavior, her latest decision 'really insensitive' and 'messed up on so many levels'

'Pathetic you have to attach Alec Baldwin to this,' one follower wrote. 'A horrific thing happened on set and you think Halloween is the time to display such disrespect'

Not okay: Dodd opted to dress as a Native American with a headdress for Halloween, which is an example of cultural appropriation

Tragic: Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed after a gun was accidentally discharged by actor Baldwin on set of Western movie Rust

'I think the fashion is beautiful & this was a tribute & celebration,' the fired Real Housewives of Orange County star, 46, captioned a slideshow of photos from the night.

Others criticized Dodd's decision to hold a gun to her head in the photos published to her husband's Instagram page, mere weeks after sharing an insensitive post regarding a man's possible attempted suicide.

Dodd has also faced backlash for her controversial opinions on COVID-19, as well as facing accusations of racism and homophobia.

No compassion: Speaking to her 'haters' on Instagram, the fired Real Housewives of Orange County star, 46, wrote that she was embracing her 'Native American heritage' (seen in 2019)

In February, she was dropped from her partnership with Positive Beverages due to her 'controversial views and opinions' on coronavirus.

She first partnered with the brand in February 2019 and regularly promoted the sparkling beverage on her social media accounts and in episodes of RHOC.

Kelly also made headlines last April after saying on social media that she believed that the pandemic was 'Gods way of thinning the herd' as she argued with an Instagram user who called her out after taking a cross-country flight.

Tone-deaf: In February, she was dropped from her partnership with Positive Beverages due to her 'controversial views and opinions' on coronavirus

After a user wrote to Dodd, 'If non-essential workers keep traveling back and forth like you, it will last longer,' the reality star replied, 'Do you know how many people died from the H1N1, the swine flu or SARS? It's 25% get your facts straight you are only hearing numbers not the reality! It's God's way of thinning the herd!'

She subsequently apologized for the remarks and attempted to clarify her statement.

'When I wrote that it's 'God's way of thinning the herd,' that's not what I meant,' Dodd said on Instagram Stories. 'What I meant was, 'Do these pandemics happen because it's God's way?' I'm not God. I'm not insensitive.'

'I feel bad for all the families that have lost loved ones, and I do think we should all stay at home and protect everybody. That's not what I meant, and I want to apologize to anyone who got offended, OK? I'm sorry.'

She apologized again while appearing on Watch What Happens Live, saying of her past controversy: 'It was insensitive and I apologize if I hurt or offended anybody.'
The estranged half-brother of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wouldn't be surprised if she ran for President of the United States one day.

The American former actress, 40, who became a member of the British Royal Family when she married Prince Harry in 2018, has made no secret of her progressive politics since her move to California last year.

Thomas Markle Jr, who has the same father as Meghan but hasn't spoken to her in a decade, told Australia's New Idea magazine his ambitious sister could certainly make a move for the White House in the future.

Political ambitions: The estranged half-brother of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wouldn't be surprised if she ran for President of the United States one day. Pictured: Meghan in December

'She obviously has that personality and that determination and drive... it wouldn't surprise me [if she ran for president],' he said.

'I just know, whatever endeavour she endures and puts her hands on, she will do good things. I wish her the best of luck, but absolutely if that's what she's going to put her sights on, she'll go for it.'

Markle Jr, a 55-year-old window fitter from Oregon, added that Meghan always went after her dreams when she was growing up.

Prediction: Thomas Markle Jr (pictured), who has the same father as Meghan, told New Idea his ambitious sister could certainly make a move for the White House in the future

Royal biographer Tom Bower said in March Markle was 'likely' to launch a U.S. presidential campaign but would 'struggle' with the barrage of criticism levelled at politicians because she is 'sensitive'.

Mr Bower said she would need to learn to 'take the heat' if she entered politics because they are the public figures who cop the most backlash from the press.

Speaking to Closer magazine, he added that Meghan would need to be a 'team player' and build up an army of loyal staff - something she appears to have experienced issues with during her life as a royal.

Political player: The American former actress, 40, who became a member of the British Royal Family when she married Prince Harry in 2018, has made no secret of her progressive politics since her move to California last year. Pictured with Prince Harry in NYC on September 25

'The prospect of Meghan running for president is possible and I'd even say likely. I really believe it's where she sees herself going,' he told the publication.

Bower, who is renowned for his unsparing, unauthorised biographies of towering figures including Boris Johnson and Prince Charles, said Meghan has 'all the qualities' needed for a strong political candidate, citing her drive, ambition, self-confidence, conviction and public speaking skills.

He claimed the former Suits star has 'had her time' in the acting world and is now aiming for the political stage, having already 'masterminded' a new life for her and Harry in California.

Mr Bower said when Meghan wants something done, it happens - pointing to the multimillion-dollar Netflix and Spotify deals she and Harry, 37, have secured, as well as the Oprah Winfrey interview which made headlines around the world as a result of their explosive claims about the Royal Family.

View: Royal biographer Tom Bower said Markle was 'likely' to launch a presidential campaign but would 'struggle' with the criticism levelled at politicians because she is 'sensitive'

But the 'major' problem Meghan faces should she go into congress is the fact she is 'clearly sensitive', and while she may believe she's had a difficult ride with the press so far, politicians face a barrage of criticism on a daily basis.

'They're probably the public figures who face the most backlash,' Mr Bower told Closer. 'I really think she would struggle. She'd need to learn to take the heat.'

He said another 'problem' is the fact that to get voted in and to build up a campaign, the Duchess would 'need to be a team player' and 'build up a team of loyal staff'.

'We've seen through the reports about her staff members quitting and moving on that she doesn't seem to be able to hold onto her team,' he observed.

Thomas Markle Jr is currently starring on Big Brother VIP, which continues Tuesday at 7:30pm on Channel Seven
The Block 2021 is coming to an end and the auctions are just days away.

But the finale could be one of the most explosive ever as the five teams reunite for the first time since finishing their properties.

According to New Idea magazine, security has been ramped up to deal with crazed fans and warring contestants.

Explosive: Security has been ramped up for The Block finale because producers fear 'a massive tantrum' on auction day. Pictured: Ronnie and Georgia Caceres

'Emotions are high. This is the first time the contestants are coming back face to face after so much has been said and done,' a source said.

'There are some very open wounds... expect tears and for one couple, no doubt a massive tantrum.'

Meanwhile, several couples are reportedly threatening to boycott the finale over their feuds with producers and judges.

As reported by Woman's Day, Tanya and Vito Guccione are doing everything they can to get out of attending auction day.

Tense: 'Emotions are high. This is the first time the contestants are coming back face to face after so much has been said and done,' a source said. Pictured: Vito and Tanya Guccione

Josh and Luke Packham are questioning whether they want to attend because they have 'had enough of the way they were portrayed and the judges' harsh scores'.

Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie are also threatening a boycott if the judges show up because 'they feel they were given such unfair scores throughout the show'.

Auction day will be held on Sunday, November 7, when each of the five family homes on Bronte Court will go under the hammer.

Boycott: Meanwhile, several couples are reportedly threatening to boycott the finale over their feuds with producers and judges. Pictured: Josh and Luke Packham

'This has been by far the most heated seasons of The Block that I've ever worked on, and I'm not just talking about the Melbourne property market,' host Scott Cam said.

'Auction day will be the first time our Blockheads come face to face since finishing their builds.'

Four of the five houses have a price guide of between $2.6million and $2.8million.

House five, renovated by Kirsty Lee Akers and Jesse Anderson, is the only two-storey property and is expected to fetch between $3.2million and $3.4million.
The Bachelorette's Katie Thurston was seen for the first time since splitting with fiance Blake Moynes.

The 30-year-old reality star was all by her lonesome as she was seen running errands where she resides in San Diego over the weekend.

The outing came days after she and Moynes announced they are calling it quits just three months after their whirlwind engagement aired on season 17.

Moving on: The Bachelorette's Katie Thurston was all by her lonesome in San Diego over the weekend as she was seen for the first time after announcing her split

It's over! Last week, Thurston and Blake Moynes announced they are parting ways just three months after their whirlwind engagement aired on season 17

Thurston didn't seem too bothered by the recent news as she stopped by a pet shop while out and about in the Southern California city.

The reality star looked relaxed in a grey T-shirt with skinny blue jeans and sandals.

Her brunette tresses were put in a ponytail as she showcased her natural looks by going make-up free.

Out and about: The 30-year-old reality star didn't seem too bothered by the recent news as she stopped by a pet shop while out and about in the Southern California city

Relaxed: The reality star looked relaxed in a grey T-shirt with skinny blue jeans and sandals

Keeping it simple: Her brunette tresses were put in a ponytail as she showcased her natural looks by going make-up free

She added a pop of color to her ensemble and kept protected with a purple face mask on the outing.

It seemed to be a busy day for the star a she drove around San Diego in her black Mazda 3 car.

Thurston and her former fiance Moynes, who works as a wildlife manager in Ontario, Canada, announced the news on their respective social media last Monday with identical statements.

'It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways,' Thurston captioned a sweet black and white photo of them staring lovingly at each other.

Vibes: She added a pop of color to her ensemble and kept protected with a purple face mask on the outing

Making moves: Katie seemed in good spirits

Zoom zoom: It seemed to be a busy day for the star a she drove around San Diego in her black Mazda 3 car

She continued: 'We are so grateful for the moments we shared together and the entire journey that has unfolded this year, but we ultimately have concluded that we are not compatible as life partners, and it is the most caring choice for both of us to move forward independently.'

After her season of the Bachelorette wrapped, she told People she had 'no regrets' and found all their struggles on the show to have 'really strengthened' their relationship.

Recently, Thurston admitted she was 'winging' her life while navigating living in different countries and his busy travel schedule in an interview with Us Weekly.

Sad news: Moynes, who works as a wildlife manager in Ontario, Canada, and his former fiance announced the news on their respective Monday with identical statements

'It is with mutual love and respect that we have decided to go our separate ways,' Thurston, 30, captioned a sweet black and white photo of them staring lovingly at each other

'We're figuring it out,' the reality star added. 'We don't know. This is very new to us still. I'm just focusing on myself, he's focusing on him, and if we work doing that, great.'

On social media, they seemed to be mastering long distance as the Canadian took a break from rescuing rhinos in Africa to show up to his partner's stand-up debut this month.

Thurston memorably chose over Justin Glaze in the emotional Season 17 finale of The Bachelorette on the finale of ABC's reality dating show.

So promising: After her season of the Bachelorette wrapped, she told People she had 'no regrets' and found all their struggles on the show to have 'really strengthened' their relationship

After promising all season that she would only say 'I love you' to one person, she uttered those words to Moynes, 30, during their overnight date, before going to the fantasy suite.

Unfortunately for Glaze, 26, an investment sales consultant from Ellicott City, Maryland, that overnight date came the day before his, as she told him the next day that she was in love with Blake and it was over between them.

While Blake seemed hesitant heading into the final day, he ultimately got down on one knee and proposed to Katie, which she accepted.

'It's scary to say because I promised myself that I wouldn't say it to anybody unless I was sure. I f**king love you, and I'm really excited about life with you,' Blake told her on their one-on-one.

Recently, Thurston admitted she was 'winging' her life while navigating their long distance relationship in an interview with Us Weekly

Katie replied: 'Wow. I'm speechless because as you're talking about love and sharing it, I'm relating. Like yes, I haven't said it to anybody. I've held that close. It is a big deal. It's a huge word. As much as I want to be stubborn and just like you, it's scary and it's crazy, but I f***ing love you so much. And I couldn't be happier that you're here.'

'I get to go into the fantasy suite with a guy that I love. I have not felt this happy in a long time. All I ever wanted was to find someone that loves me exactly as I am. I feel like he completes me,' Katie said in confessional.

As Blake walked up to meet Katie, she told him that would be forever thankful that he fought to be on this show. She told them that their chemistry was instant and that the night he told her he loved her changed her life forever.

Winner: Thurston chose over Justin Glaze in the emotional Season 17 finale of The Bachelorette on the finale of ABC's reality dating show

She told him that she couldn't wait for their journey to begin. Blake told her that he felt like they were dreaming and living a fairytale.

'With you I honestly knew,' Blake told her. 'But I can't give you what you came here for because you deserve a lot more than thatI'm excited to support you and be there for you every day moving forward.'

Blake then got down on one knee and proposed with a $80,000 Neil Lane ring. Katie said yes and they hugged and kissed. Katie then gave him the final rose which he accepted.
Carole Baskin has reportedly launched a lawsuit against Netflix after they included footage of her in the Tiger King sequel - which she claims is a breach of her original contract.

The big cat enthusiast, 60, is believed to be suing the streaming giant over Tiger King 2 and is demanding that producers cut out all footage of her, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

In the lawsuit filed, Baskin alleges the contract she signed to participate in the first series 'doesn't give producers a right to continue using the footage in the subsequent projects...including this sequel.'

Catfight! Carole Baskin has reportedly launched a lawsuit against Netflix after they included footage of her in the Tiger King sequel - which she claims is a breach of her original contract

Baskin is asking a judge to order that producers and Netflix remove all footage of her and her Big Cat Rescue non-profit from both promotional clips and the sequel, which is set for release on November 17.

According to court documents filed, she argues that all the new footage of her that they're teasing in the recently released trailer, is not in fact 'new' at all.

Baskin claims the footage is just scenes that were not used in the first Tiger King series and is arguing that producers are just repurposing it to spin it as if she's giving 'new interviews or insight.'

Additionally her reason for taking legal action stems from the way she was vilified in the original series and painted to look responsible for the disappearance of her ex-husband Don Lewis.

Repurposed: Baskin claims the footage is just stuff that was not used in the first Tiger King series and is arguing that producers are just repurposing it to spin it as if she's giving 'new interviews or insight'

Vanished: Baskin's reason for taking legal action also stems from the way she was made to look responsible for the disappearance of her ex-husband Don Lewis who went 'missing' in 1997, with the trailer for the sequel teasing a deeper dive into his disappearance

The original series  which became a smash sensation after it was released just one week after the COVID-19 pandemic began  focused in part on the mysterious disappearance of her first husband, who went missing in 1997.

The investigation into his disappearance went cold, and five years after Don seemingly vanished, Baskin had a judge declare Don dead.

In the series Joe Exotic  real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage  accused Baskin of killing her former husband and feeding him to the tigers.

A trailer for the sequel teases that the series will dive deeper into Don's disappearance as a voiceover says 'Carole knows something.'

Vilified: Baskin was not aware that she would be portrayed as a villain in the initial series, with Joe Exotic who had accused her of killing her former husband and feeding him to the tigers; pictured August 28

In January 2020 Joe was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after being convicted of a murder-for-hire plot, where he tried to hire two different men to kill Baskin.

He also received an additional sentencing for killing five tigers, selling tiger cubs and falsifying wildlife records.

Baskin claims that the sensational original series undermined the integrity and mission of her Big Cat Rescue animal sanctuary in Florida, which seeks to protect big cats from people who profit off their captures like Joe.

She also claims that the continued usage of footage of her for anything past the original series breaches her initial contract.
Netflix's big-budget royal drama The Crown has been a money-spinner for the streaming giant, but are its increasingly controversial plotlines leading to casting problems?

For I hear it was still advertising for an actor to play a teenage Prince William as late as last Friday, even though his scenes are due to be shot this month.

The role will be a highly contentious one, because it will involve William's reaction to the breakdown of his mother Princess Diana's marriage to Prince Charles.

Casting: The Crown was advertising for an actor to play a Prince William last Friday, though his scenes are due to be shot this month. Pictured: Princess Diana, William and Harry in 1995

Drama: The role will involve William's reaction to the breakdown of his mother Princess Diana's marriage to Prince Charles. Pictured: Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana

The series will also portray how the BBC's disgraced reporter Martin Bashir convinced Diana to film her explosive Panorama interview.

The Duke of Cambridge has begged for the interview not to be shown ever again.

'A lot of parents would think twice before letting their son appear in such a drama,' a source tells me. 'It's going to be a harrowing role that will create a major backlash.'

Famous moment: The series will also portray how the BBC's disgraced reporter Martin Bashir convinced Diana to film her explosive Panorama interview (pictured)

The job description said Netflix was seeking: 'A boy aged between 13 and 15 years old to play 13-year-old Prince William in the next series... talented, intelligent and sensitive boy who can rise to the challenge of playing this famous character alongside leading British acting talent.'

The part was previously played by Timothee Sambor, who's 11. Dominic West will be Charles, to Elizabeth Debicki's Diana.

A Netflix spokesman insists: 'We are well into the process and all is well. Child casting in general just takes longer.'

WHY MILLEN HAS NO DESIGNS ON MARRIAGE

Design queen Karen Millen has revealed she will never wed her long-term boyfriend, Ben Charnaud.

'We've been together ten years but we won't get married,' she tells me at a Mayfair party.

'I commit to someone and that's it  I don't have to prove it. Besides, most people I know who got married are now divorced.'

No wedding bells? Design queen Karen Millen has revealed she will never wed her long-term boyfriend, Ben Charnaud (both pictured in April 2019)

Millen, 60, who sold her eponymous High-Street brand in 2004, now runs interior design company Homemonger, with the help of Australian-born Ben.

'He did want to marry me, but he's resigned himself to the fact that I'm not the marrying type,' adds Karen, who has three children with ex-business partner, Kevin Stanford.

'I've never put a ring on it, and I don't intend to now.'

Royal biographer Gyles Brandreth amused guests at Petworth Literary Festival in West Sussex with his favourite anecdote about Prince Philip.

A courtier was alarmed when the Queen and Philip were forced to witness The Full Monty striptease during a Royal Variety Performance.

As the 18 naked actors took a bow, the Duke of Edinburgh muttered to the courtier: 'You needn't worry. She's been to Papua New Guinea  she's seen it all before.'

RECIPE FOR JOY! TV CHEF LORRAINE SERVES UP A SECOND WEDDING

Tv chef Lorraine Pascale's marriage has already reached new heights.

The former model, 48, exchanged vows with businessman Dennis O'Brien, 45, on the top level of The Gherkin skyscraper, which towers over the City of London at 591ft.

They had already held a smaller ceremony earlier this year at Chelsea Old Town Hall.

Wedding: TV chef Lorraine Pascale, 48, exchanged vows with businessman Dennis O'Brien, 45, on the top level of The Gherkin skyscraper, which towers over the City of London at 591ft

Special day: 'Loved celebrating our wedding properly,' says Pascale, who's pictured above with her daughter, the Charlie's Angels star Ella Balinska

'Loved celebrating our wedding properly,' says Pascale.

'Our June register office wedding numbers were greatly reduced due to restrictions. So we did it again with everyone.'

Pasacle was previously married to Ella's aristocratic father, the Polish musician Count Kazimierz Balinski-Jundzill.

Repeated references to racing manager Harry Herbert  the new husband of TV chef Clodagh McKenna  as being a godson of the Queen have raised eyebrows among his friends and family.

Particularly as the claim also appeared on the website of an agency claiming to represent Herbert, H Talent Management.

When I draw this to Herbert's attention, his spokesman makes clear: 'Harry is not a godson of HM The Queen. However, his brother Geordie [the Earl of] Carnarvon is her godson.'

The spokesman adds: 'Harry has no connection whatsoever with H Talent Management and we are trying to contact them to request they remove all information on him from their site.'

ONLY FOOLS AND TRACEY SAY NO TO DEL BOY

Tracey Emin reveals that her greatest regret is turning down the chance of a cameo appearance in Only Fools And Horses.

'Me and my mum were in Margate, sitting on a bench eating some jellied eels, when the scout person came and asked us if we would be extras,' the Turner Prize-winning artist says.

'How deranged was I?': Tracey Emin (pictured in September 2019) reveals that her greatest regret is turning down the chance of a cameo appearance in Only Fools And Horses

Emin turned down the offer because 'I thought I was too good to be an extra in Fools And Horses. How deranged was I?'

Viewers were no doubt deprived of a classic episode in which Del Boy turns his hand to modern art and seeks to emulate Emin's sale of her unmade bed for 2.5 million.

When in Rome... I hear Boris and Carrie enjoyed a romantic dinner away from the hubbub of the G20 summit  and rounded off their pasta meal at a restaurant with a digestif called Apolide, which translates to 'stateless person'.

A spokesman for the restaurant says: 'The Prime Minister must not have escaped the subtle irony associated with the name of the wine.'
Seattle, WA (98195)

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Tonight

Mainly cloudy. Low around 35F. Winds light and variable.
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Banks will have to complete a staff accountability exercise within six months from the date of classification of an account as NPA.  Representational image/PTI

Mumbai: Nationalised banks will adopt common staff accountability policies for loan accounts of up to Rs 50 crore, excluding fraud accounts, that turn bad on or after April 1, 2022.

This is expected to protect the bank staff taking bonafide business decisions from unnecessary harassment.

The finance ministry has issued a uniform staff accountability framework for banks to follow in cases of NPA accounts up to Rs 50 crore from the start of the next financial year.

However, banks are at liberty decide on a lower threshold of Rs 10 lakh or Rs 20 lakh, depending on their business size, for the need of examining the aspect of staff accountability.

The new norms from the finance ministry were welcomed by the bankers body, Indian Banks Association (IBA), as the framework ensures that all banks follow a common approach in dealing with staff accountability for accounts turning sour, thus, saving employees for undue hardships.

Currently, different banks are following different procedures for conducting staff accountability exercises. However, staff accountability exercise has to be carried out in respect of all accounts which turn non-performing assets (NPAs), which not only adversely affects staff morale but also puts a huge strain on the banks resources.

While punitive action needs to be taken against the officers having malafide intent/involvement, it is essential to ensure that bonafide mistakes are dealt with compassion. There is a need to protect the people taking bonafide business decisions in this competitive environment, the IBA said in a statement.

The new norms were issued by the ministrys Department of Financial Services vide its order dated October 29. Banks have been advised to revise their Staff Accountability Policies based on these broad guidelines and frame the procedures with the approval of their respective boards.

The IBA said that at a time when the country is in need of an economic boost, slow credit delivery to industries due to the fear of implication, is a matter of concern and needs urgent address. The new guidelines will surely boost the morale of the PSB employees immensely.

Banks will have to complete a staff accountability exercise within six months from the date of classification of an account as NPA.

Further, depending on the business size of the banks, threshold limits have been advised for scrutiny of the accountability by the chief vigilance officer. Past track record of the officials in appraisal/sanction/monitoring will also be given due weightage, said the IBA.
Following in the footsteps of his half-brother Shahid, Ishaan Khatter will be starring in a full-fledged war film. Pippa will be the biggest shoot in Bollywood since the pandemic, with around 600 people converging on the sets.

The film is based on The Burning Chaffees, a book by war-veteran Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta of the 45th Cavalry Tank Squadron, who fought on the Eastern Front during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The films title is a reference to the Russian amphibious war tank PT-76, fondly known as Pippa.

Ishaan will play the role of the Brigadier and has been training for the role under commandos. Pippa is a war film. We will be having a large cast and crew of around 600 people for the war scenes which are being filmed close to the Bangladesh border, says a source connected to Pippa.

Sharing another interesting titbit, the source says, We will also be using more than 300 guns apart from other weapons in the film. But we are not allowed to use real guns while filming in India now. When we shoot for films abroad, we can use real guns and fake bullets.

Mrunal Thakur plays Ishaans sister in the film directed by Raja Krishna Menon. The action has been designed by Vikram Dahiya. Meanwhile, Shahid is playing Brigadier Balsara, a paratrooper, in the upcoming film Bull, after having donned the defence uniform earlier in films like Mausam and Rangoon. Shahid will be learning techniques of paratrooping for Bull, having picked up other techniques for Mausam and Rangoon, says the source close to the Kabir Singh actor.
Mizo students now threatening to stop all vehicular movement from Assam if the Mizo policeman is not released by the Assam police. (File photo: Twitter)

Guwahati: The two-month-long relative peace on the restive Assam-Mizoram border was broken again with a high-intensity bomb blast at a border outpost, resulting in the arrest of a Mizoram policeman on Saturday by the Assam police from the area with cordex wire that was used to trigger the blast remotely.

The arrest of a member of Mizoram polices India Reserve Battalion, Laldintluanga Ralte, 23, a resident of Bairabi in Mizorams Kolasib, has added to the tension between the two states with Mizo students now threatening to stop all vehicular movement from Assam if the Mizo policeman is not released by the Assam police.

The Assam police said: After midnight, at about 1.45 am, it was reported that there was a high explosive blast using a detonating cord near Baicherra BOP under Ramnathpur PS, in which some Mizo miscreants were suspected to have been involved.

In this connection, Laldintluanga Ralte was arrested and sent to judicial custody, Hailakandi SP Gaurav Upadhyay told reporters, adding that the police is investigating the matter.

Mizoram officials, however, said that Laldintluanga Ralte, of the First India Reserve Battalion, was picked up while he was on duty at Zophai in the border district of Kolasib. He was taken to the Ramnathpur police station before being shifted to the Barak Valley town of Hailakandi. The officer-in-charge of Bairabi police station in Mizoram told reporters that the constable had been booked under Sections 447 (trespass) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

It is significant that in the last flareup in the border row on July 26, six Assam Police personnel were killed and over 50 others injured. The Assam police had alleged people from the Mizoram side threw stones and attacked them. The Mizoram government, on the other hand, said the state police responded only after the Assam police officers forcibly crossed a post manned by CRPF personnel.

The arrest of the police constable on Saturday for the bomb blast has irked Mizo student leaders. The Bairabi branch of student outfit Mizo Zirlai Pawl issued a warning that if the arrested man was not released by 4 pm on Sunday, they will stop all vehicles from Assam from entering Zophai in Bairabi.

Another incident of Friday in which a resident of Mizoram was killed after being allegedly robbed of Rs 1 lakh by some non-tribal criminals has also added to the fresh tension in the area.

Three districts of the Barak Valley region in Assam -- Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar -- share a 165-km border with Mizoram. There are ongoing border disputes between the two states at five locations.
Earlier today, the Australian government gave recognition to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine for traveller's vaccination status in the country. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Five more countries including Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius and Mongolia have decided to recognise India's COVID-19 vaccination certificate, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.

"Mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates continues! Five more countries recognise India's vaccination certificate, including Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, State of Palestine, Mauritius and Mongolia," MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

During a Special Briefing on Friday, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said India has proposed a mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certification at the G20 Summit.

"The issue of vaccination certification was, I think discussed especially with the EU representatives," he said.

Earlier today, the Australian government gave recognition to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine for traveller's vaccination status in the country.

Recognition of Covaxin, along with the previously announced recognition of Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of India, as well as other countries where these vaccines have been widely deployed, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia, the statement from Australia's Department of Health informed.

Last month, Hungary and Serbia had agreed with India to mutually recognise COVID-19 vaccination certificates.
Madurai: The Madras High Court on Monday quashed the 10.5 per cent reservation provided to Vanniyars, a Most Backward Community (MBC) in Tamil Nadu, in government jobs and admission to educational institutions, saying it was unconstitutional.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly had in February passed the then ruling AIADMK-piloted bill providing internal reservation of 10.5 per cent for Vanniyars, with the incumbent DMK government issuing an order in July this year for its implementation.

It had split the aggregate 20 per cent reservation for MBCs and Denotified Communities into three separate categories by regrouping castes and provided ten per cent plus sub-quota for Vanniyars, formally known as Vanniakula Kshatriyas.

"Is the state government empowered to do internal reservation. The Constitution has given enough explanation. The legislation providing for internal reservation is cancelled," Justice M Duraiswamy and K Murali Sankar who heard the batch of 50 petitions filed before the bench challenging the validity of the legislation, ruled.

The judges said the state government cannot come out with such a legislation. This had been explained in the Constitution.

The petitioners contended that if such a reservation was implemented, then the Vanniyar community would enjoy reservation in jobs and admission while 25 other castes under MBC and 68 others would have to share the remaining quota.

The government said there was no political motive behind the enactment of the legislation. It denied the legislation was passed hastily before the notification of the Assembly elections this year, held on April 6, in violation of legislative assembly rules.

The government has powers to make a policy to legislate any law during its tenure .

In fact petitions had been filed seeking internal reservation. The process of consultation for sub classification within 20 per cent earmarked for MBCs began in 2012. Tamil Nadu BC commission had recommended 10.5 per cent reservation for vanniyakula Kshastriya community, after door to door enumeration.

The internal reservation will not affect other communities in MBC section, the government said.

Meanwhile, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S Ramadoss, whose party claims to represent the interests of the Vanniyar community, urged the state government to move an appeal in the Supreme Court against today's HC verdict.
Augustine also rejected the allegations that the government has failed in dam management. (Facebook Photo)

Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition Congress-led UDF on Monday took on the ruling LDF in the Kerala Assembly over the Mullaperiyar dam issue, alleging that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government has failed in dam management.

It also claimed that the government failed to raise in the Supreme Court the demand for a new dam in the wake of occurrences of continuous floods and landslides in the state.

Seeking permission to introduce an adjournment motion on the issue, former leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the government has failed to keep the water level in the 126-year-old dam low.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rejected the allegations, saying his government handled the Mullaperiyar issue through consensus. He said a little deviation from it is not good for the state.

Responding to the charges, the Chief Minister said both Kerala and Tamil Nadu should live like brothers and the Mullaperiyar issue can be solved only by consensus.

Reiterating the state's demand for a new dam in Mullaperiyar for the safety of the people of the state, he also urged the opposition not to create unnecessary tension over the issue.

Vijayan also justified his statement last week warning legal action against those involved in creating panic among people, saying what he said was not to spread unnecessary panic that the dam was going to burst.

Chennithala alleged that Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine was speaking like his Tamil Nadu counterpart on Mullaperiyar issue and blamed the government for not taking a stand on the matter.

In his reply, Augustine accused Chennithala of trying to distort the facts on the issue.

He said the government was of the view that the new dam should be built at Mullaperiyar. The state has informed this to the Centre and the Court several times, the minister said.

Augustine also rejected the allegations that the government has failed in dam management.

Noting that the government has the capacity to build a new dam at Mullaperiyar, the minister said all efforts will be made for the same.

He said the state should ensure the safety of its people and Tamil Nadu should be given enough water.

The minister also said no impression should be created that there was a dispute with Tamil Nadu on the issue.

Considering the government's stand on the issue, the chair rejected the Opposition's demand to introduce the adjournment motion.

Speaking ahead of staging the walkout, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan said the government should be ready to prepare short and long term plans to solve the Mullaperiyar problem.

He alleged that the government representative in the Supreme Court expert panel accepted Tamil Nadu's opinion that the water level in the dam should be raised to 139.5 feet and it was against the state's interest.

Satheesan also alleged that the government failed to raise the demand for a new dam at Mullaperiyar in the Supreme Court in the wake of continuous floods and landslides after 2018.

Last week, the Supreme Court directed Tamil Nadu and Kerala to abide by the water level notified by the expert committee as per which it would be maintained at 139.5 feet till November 10.

The shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala, operated by Tamil Nadu, were raised as the water level in the reservoir crossed 138 feet.
HYDERABAD: The Telangana state government complained to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) against the Andhra Pradesh government, accusing it of obstructing the Karnataka government from undertaking modernisation works of Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS).

The Telangana government requested the KRBM to take the portion of RDS anicut which is falling in the territory of Andhra Pradesh under its control as per schedule-2 of Centre's gazette notification and complete modernisation of anicut at the earliest.

In a letter addressed to the KRMB chairman on Monday, Telangana irrigation engineer-in-chief C. Muralidhar said, "RDS project was taken up by erstwhile Hyderabad state in terms of June 1944 agreement between Hyderabad and Madras to use Tungabhadra waters on par with KC Canal. The length of the anicut is 819 metres and geographically half of the anicut is in AP (in Kurnool district) and the other half (left side) in Raichur district (Karnataka). This project irrigates 5,879 acres in Karnataka and 87,500 acres in Telangana with an allocation of 17.10 tmc ft by KWDT-1 (Karnataka 1.20 tmc ft and 15.90 tmc ft of erstwhile AP). Due to reorganisation of states in 1956, the anicut and main canal up to 42.60 km out of 143 km is under Karnataka and is being maintained by the Karnataka government."

He stated that the full supply discharge of the RDS canal at the head was 850 cusecs out of which 770 cusecs were to be available for Karnataka and Telangana. But the actual realisation of discharge is much less and is around 400 cusecs only.

Due to the ill-maintenance of the project by Karnataka, it is realising hardly 5 tmc ft instead of 15.90 tmc ft of allocated water for the past 25 years, he added.

"Therefore, the erstwhile AP government has proposed to take up modernisation of the anicut and the main canal to utilise the full quantity of 15.90 tmc. The requisite amount was deposited by the erstwhile AP and Telangana state to Karnataka to take up modernisation works. Major portion of canal modernisation is completed but modernisation of the anicut is being obstructed by the AP government citing law and order problem. The attitude of the AP government is only to divert additional waters to KC Canal lying downstream of RDS anicut unauthorised," Muralidhar stated.
The minister commended the professor saying, It is really inspiring that you have such great love for the language in a country thousands of miles away.  By arrangement

Hyderabad: IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, who is on an official visit to Paris, had an unusual meeting with a French national on Sunday. The minister ran into Daniel Negers, professor in the department of south Asia and Himalayan studies of the French National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilisations.

Prof. Negers speaks Telugu like a native of the language, it is said. He has done extensive research on Telugu language over three decades.

Rama Rao and Prof. Negers discussed the academic's works on Telugu. The minister commended the professor saying, It is really inspiring that you have such great love for the language in a country thousands of miles away.
The veterans are demanding a monthly pension of Rs 60,000 along with a one-time payment of Rs 50 lakh, allotment of land or house and extending ex-servicemen reservation to short service. Representational Image. (DC Image)

Hyderabad: Demanding that both the Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh governments extend monetary benefits and monthly pension scheme to war veterans, short service ex-army officers who were awarded Samara Seva Star medals expressed disappointment with the governments disregard for their welfare. Stating that among the officers who fought in the 1965 and 1971 wars, only 15 are alive now, three war veterans pleaded to the government for support.

Capt. L. Pandu Ranga Reddy, a 1965 war veteran and historian, said that the contribution to the armed forces from the Telugu states was a mere 2.3 per cent while both the states accounted for nine per cent of the countrys population.

We dont honour and reward our veterans, which is why no Telugu man wants to join the forces, he added.

Citing the example of smaller states like Punjab, which has three regiments, he said the Telugu states were not given importance at the national level due to poor representation.

Praising the ex-servicemen contributory health scheme, Capt. Reddy said he underwent open heart surgery free of cost, thanks to the scheme. The veterans are demanding a monthly pension of Rs 60,000 along with a one-time payment of Rs 50 lakh, allotment of land or house and extending ex-servicemen reservation to short service.

Capt. D. Vijay Kumar (retd), who participated in the 1965 war, demanded housing benefits. Demanding that the states extend financial benefits, another war veteran, Edwin Henry, who fought the 1965 and the 1971 wars, said, We fought when the country needed us. Capt. S. Emmanuel, who participated in the 1971 war, complained that there was no rehabilitation of ex-army officers.

We demand a Yuddha Yodha Bandhu scheme on the lines of Rythu Bandhu and Dalit Bandhu. Currently, only soldiers and non-combatant staff are eligible for ex-servicemen reservation whereas the officers are left behind. It is time we got our due, they said.
The elections are due for 69 sarpanches and 533 ward members in 498 Gram Panchayats, 12 municipalities and the Nellore Municipal Corporation. (PTI file photo)

VIJAYAWADA/TIRUPATI: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday announced a timetable for the elections to local bodies, where polls were not conducted for a variety of reasons, including the death of contesting candidates.

According to the schedule announced by Commissioner Neelam Sawhney-led State Election Commission, the elections will be conducted for panchayats on November 14, municipalities on November 15 and ZPTC and MPTCs on November 16.

The elections are due for 69 sarpanches and 533 ward members in 498 Gram Panchayats, 12 municipalities and the Nellore Municipal Corporation.

The Model Code of Conduct will come into force from today in the areas where the elections will be held.

The municipalities that will go to the poll include Akiveedu, Jaggayyapet, Kondapalli, Dachepalli, Gurazala, Darsi, Buchireddypalem, Kuppam, Bethamcherla, Kamalapuram, Rajampet and Penukonda.

The notification for the municipal elections will be issued on November 3 and nominations will be received till November 5. The polling will be held in the municipalities and Nellore Corporation on November 15 and votes will be counted on November 17.

The elections for gram panchayats will be held on November 14 and the results would be declared on the same day. The polling for ZPTC and MPTC seats, which were cancelled earlier, would be held on November 16 and results would be declared on November 18.

Nellore Municipal Commissioner Dinesh Kumar said election authorities will accept nominations from the contesting candidates between 11 am and 3 pm from November 3 to November 5 at the offices of the returning officers on all working days.

He said the nominations will be scrutinised on November 6 from 11 am onwards and the last date for the candidates to withdraw their nominations is November 8 up to 3 pm. On the same day, the election authorities will publish the final list of contesting candidates after 3 pm.

The elections will be held on November 15 from 7 am to 5 pm and votes will be counted out on November 17 from 8 am onwards.

Kuppam is one of the 12 municipalities that are going to the polls. It is the first civic body election in Kuppam after it was upgraded to be a municipality by merging seven surrounding gram panchayats with it.
The month was also marked by the launch of CLAP, Sweccha, along with a set of key decisions taken during cabinet and SIPB meetings. (DC)

VIJAYAWADA: October has brought along a festive mood to women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), farmers and small-scale traders, thanks to disbursal of YSR Aasara, Rythu Bharosa, and Jagananna Thodu benefits as a means to prioritise welfare.

The month was also marked by the launch of CLAP, Sweccha, along with a set of key decisions taken during cabinet and SIPB meetings. Other features of the month were the Badvel by-election and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy pointing out that cuss words had crept into the political lexicon. The Chief Minister accused Telugu Desam of cheap politics by spinning lies and using foul language.

Keeping track of the power situation in the State, he directed officials to procure coal supplies required for ensuring uninterrupted supply besides charting out long-term strategies for overcoming the crisis.

The Chief Minister underscored tourism sectors vibrancy as various companies have come forward to invest Rs 2,868.6 crore. Other major decisions pertained to the Cabinets resolve to take up caste-wise BC census, allowing online ticketing platform for films, formation of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Welfare Department and approval of 130 acres of land to Adani Enterprises in Visakhapatnam.

Sweccha, which provides for distribution of quality sanitary napkins free of cost in government schools and colleges, has been another major accomplishment. Kinetic Green Energy is to set-up manufacturing units for electric two-wheelers, three- wheelers, advanced technology battery manufacturing, battery swapping stations at an estimated cost of Rs 1,750 crore along with a premium electric vehicles manufacturing unit in Visakhapatnam.

The state government released the second tranche of YSR Aasara, YSR Rythu Bharosa and provided YSR Sunna Vaddi Panta Runalu, YSR Yantra Seva Pathakam and Jagananna Thodu besides assuring jobs to family members of government employees who succumbed to Covid-19.
TRS is holding a massive public meeting to celebrate two decades of its formation and to highlight the achievements of their government over the past seven years. (Photo: Twitter)

HYDERABAD: Now that the Huzurabad Assembly by-elections are done and and dusted, the TRS rank and file is now on a mission to make a grand success of the party's Telangana Vijaya Garjana Sabha slated to be held in Warangal on November 15.

The party is holding a massive public meeting to celebrate two decades of its formation and to highlight the achievements of their government over the past seven years.

Ministers, MLAs, MLCs and MPs have been holding preparatory meetings extensively in all 33 districts to mobilise 10 lakh people in over 20,000 buses. Meanwhile, leaders from Warangal district are hunting for a suitable land parcel of about 600 to 700 acres and converting it into the meetings venue.

Ministers Errabelli Dayakar Rao and Satyavathi Rathod, chief whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar, TS Planning Board vice-chairman B. Vinod Kumar, former deputy chief minister Kadiyam Srihari, former speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary and others on Monday examined land parcels on the outskirts of Warangal city, including at Madikonda, Unikicherla and Rampur villages.

While addressing the joint meeting of MLAs, MLCs and MPs on October 17, party boss Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao announced that the Telangana Vijaya Garjana Sabha will give a befitting lesson to opposition propaganda that TRS administration had failed to deliver the goods.

Rao wants to release a progress card on his governments achievements and brace the cadre for the next Legislative Assembly election, tentatively scheduled for December 2023.

Working president K.T. Rama Rao is the in-charge for the ensuing Warangal meeting. Following this, Rama Rao held preparatory meetings with district-level leaders from October 18 to 24. The prime focus was mobilizing at least 10,000 people from each constituency for the mega event.
The controversy about Sameer Wankhedes Scheduled Caste certificate gives us the opportunity to examine two issues. The first is reservations and the second is religious freedom. On reservations, India allows Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist dalits access to Scheduled Caste reservations but not Christian and Muslim dalits. A committee set up by the previous government and headed by retired Justice Rajinder Sachar had recommended that reservations be extended to all dalits, including Muslims, but this recommendation has not been implemented. Muslims of course today have no political agency in India and cannot make demands such as reservations; they are busy staying out of jail or avoiding being brutalised on the streets.

India gives all Scheduled Tribe individuals, including Muslims and Christians, reservations under the ST category. And, of course, the OBC or other backward classes reservations are also available to Muslims and Christians. It is only in the SC category, in which Sameer Wankhede applied, that it is denied to them. Wankhedes father was Dalit and his mother was a Muslim. It is alleged that he himself is a Muslim and therefore his application under the SC category is invalid.

Dalits and Adivasis who convert are vulnerable, because the State insists on registering them on official certificates as Christian Adivasi, making it difficult for the individuals in question to then access their rights, including reservations. In Gujarat, some Dalit converts to Christianity officially retain their Hindu faith, and therefore their caste and status, a process the Church also condones under a doctrine called occult compensation. This term refers to the action of an individual seeking to recover their losses through an extra-legal act. In this instance, the use of stealth by Dalits to claim their rights from a State which is denying it to them unjustly. The BJP government actively goes after Gujarats Dalit and adivasi Christians on the issue of reservations as a way of blocking conversions. On March 7, 2011, the Gujarat High Court rejected a Dalits access to the benefits he had earlier received after the government claimed that he had converted.

The court said that the man, Nimesh Zaveri, and his family would cease to enjoy their rights as Dalits despite having a certificate issued by the government. People may not know that the conversion of SC and ST individuals (and also women) attracts a harsher punishment than the conversion of all other individuals.

After 2018, the BJP-ruled states began passing harsher laws that prevent conversions, especially those linked to marriage. India is an extremely conservative cultural society. The majority of families follow religious practices and traditions at home and it is unusual to have two people with different religions in the same family. It is theoretically possible for two people of different faiths to marry through something called the Special Marriage Act, but it has its own problems which we need not go into here.

The first of the new love jihad laws was the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act 2018. It is unusual in that it says that people who convert to Hinduism (which is called as ancestral religion) are excluded. Meaning that a Hindu cannot convert to Islam to marry but a Muslim can become Hindu for the same reason. The Uttar Pradesh Vidhi Viruddh Dharma Samparivartan Pratishedh Adhyadesh 2020 has reversed the burden of proof. The testimony of an adult woman who says that she has changed her faith of her own free will is insufficient evidence and the family she marries into must satisfy the police that they have not coerced her. The Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantreya Adhyadesh 2020 punishes the conversion through marriage by 10 years in jail. It also nullifies such marriages even if the couple has children. The Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act 2021 also carries a 10-year jail sentence. Other BJP-ruled states, including Karnataka and Haryana, have also promised similar laws soon.

It is unusual in democratic countries two decades into the 21st century for laws to become regressive instead of progressive. But that is clearly what is happening in India today and more of this is lying ahead.

Indians have the fundamental right to freely to profess, practise and propagate religion. Propagate means to spread. In the Constituent Assembly, this right was debated fiercely on behalf of Christians as part of their right to convert. Dr B.R. Ambedkars original draft that was submitted to the Constituent Assemblys committees bore the words: right to profess, to preach and to convert, within limits compatible with public order and morality. He did not comment after the word was changed to propagate because he was satisfied that propagate meant the same thing as convert.

Today, there is no right to propagate or convert in India. To do so one has to fill out a form and it is for the State to determine whether one can change ones faith or not. This makes it one of the many peculiar things about our secular democracy. The right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion is at once a fundamental right, meaning it is one that enjoys a high degree of protection from the States encroachment, and is also a criminal offence.
On October 30, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the giant Sardar Patel statue facing the Narmada Dam. It is 3.2 km away from the dam on a river island called Sadhu Bet near Rajpipla in Gujarat. Standing almost 600 feet tall, it is claimed to be the worlds tallest statue. The project began in December 2013, and is probably the only achievement the Modi government has to show in its seven years. The project worth Rs 2,989 crores, was won by Larsen and Toubro. Initially, the total cost of the project was estimated to be about Rs 3,001 crores and was to be paid for by the Government of India. Mr Modi flagged it off to be built by small contributions and crowdfunding, but like all his other projects, the means were actually something else. The money came from Indian PSUs and corporations, either coerced or currying favour.

Despite its Chinese lineage, the Patel statue was as much a bold assertion of Gujarati nationalism as it was to give Mr Modi a political lineage to distinguish him from the parent RSS, which sat out the freedom movement.

Please note he didnt build a statue of Guru Golwalkar or Deendayal Upadhyaya or even V.D. Savarkar. Or, for that matter, even of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, who still has a far bigger imprint on our minds than Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ever did.

After Mr Modis brazen attempt to draw political sustenance from the memory of Sardar Patel, an unseemly argument has broken out between the Congress and the BJP over who are the true inheritors of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patels legacy. The BJPs not so disguised attempt to arrogate it for itself in a bid to give itself a nationalist movement genealogy is a tawdry attempt to rewrite history. What Sardar Patel thought of the RSS is a matter of record.

He minced no words on what he thought of it: that it was fascist and narrow-minded, and was responsible for the climate of hatred that led to Mahatma Gandhis assassination. In a letter on July 18, 1948, after Gandhis murder, the Sardar wrote to Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who would later form the Jan Sangh: As a result of the activities of these two bodies [RSS and Hindu Mahasabha], particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible. There is no doubt in my mind the extreme section of the Hindu Mahasabha was involved in this conspiracy. The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of the Government and the State.

Mr Modi has invested hugely in creating the illusion that the Congress Partys preferred leader was the Sardar and that Nehru was imposed on it. Nehru became PM because he was by far the Congress most popular politician, after Gandhiji. Nehru was the partys star campaigner, captivating people with his soaring oratory and easy communication style in Hindustani. Patel might have had a firm grip on the Congress organisation, but he was far behind Nehru in popularity and charisma. Patel himself conceded this at a massively attended Congress rally in Mumbai, when he told the celebrated American author and journalist Vincent Sheean: They come for Jawahar, not for me. Patels realism was the hallmark of his politics and that made him the perfect foil to Nehrus idealism.

Its well known that the Congress had little time for the Sardars legacy till Mr Modi tried to don it. But the Congress attempt to rediscover the Sardars legacy and claim exclusive rights over it is also no less tawdry. Even when Lal Krishna Advani tried, it was not taken seriously. But like the Sardar, Mr Modi too is a Gujarati and that has a certain resonance in that state. We know how strongly Mr Modi feels about the Gujarati identity.

Its also well known there were serious differences between Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel. It was less a clash of personalities as it was a clash of ideologies. The Sardar espoused a more robust and practical nationalism, and laissez-faire economic policies. Nehru wanted to dismantle the colonial bureaucratic system but Patel wanted to retain the centralised civil service structure, the price for which we are still paying. Nehru was more internationalist, more leftist than realist, and preferred central planning to free-market policies. Their policy inclinations were as different as chalk and cheese.

But both were patriots tempered by the nationalist movement and both were popular leaders of the Congress rank and file, and the nation as a whole. Above all, both were thorough gentlemen and whatever their differences, never disrespected each other and subverted each other with factional intrigue. They preferred a moderation in language that would now be seen as a sign of weakness. They preferred to conciliate rather than divide.

Its also well known that after the death of Sardar Patel, something akin to an ideological purge took place within the Congress and the Congress leaders who preferred to support the policies and politics espoused by the Sardar were shown their place or shown the door. The party donned socialist colours and its transformation was complete. With this physical purge, the intellectual purge of the Congress Party also gathered pace, and Sardar Patel was practically airbrushed out of the Congress pantheon. For all practical purposes, Sardar Patel became anathema for the Congress Party, particularly after the advent of Indira Gandhi. Its another matter that after its ideological peregrinations for half a century, the Congress has now returned to the very same laissez-faire economics favoured by Sardar Patel and rejected by Nehru.

Congress leaders who now claim to be legatees of Sardar Patel would hardly know of him and what he stood for. For a start, their language is different. Those days they belonged to a very different school of politics. Politics was about policies and grand ideas. To qualify in politics nowadays, one has to be a graduate of the school for scoundrels, where sycophancy and personality worship are the main attainments needed.

Sardar Patel had a thriving law practice which he abandoned to heed the Mahatmas call, Jawaharlal Nehru was a superbly educated and highly evolved personality, and politics to him was a calling, not an occupation.

Neither Narendra Modi nor Rahul Gandhi has much in them to claim such legacies. They are symptomatic of the sad days that have befallen the nation midwifed and contemplated by Nehru and Patel.
Meghalaya governor Satyapal Malik has been unusually vocal over the past few months. He has repeatedly spoken out in favour of the agitating farmers, revealed that there was rampant corruption in Goa and that he was offered bribes to clear certain files pertaining to an RSS functionary and a high-profile corporate house when he served as Jammu and Kashmir governor. Mr Malik has further implied in his interviews that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not act after he brought these instances of corruption to his notice. So why has Mr Malik suddenly decided to speak out even at the risk of embarrassing the Modi government? Mr Malik is apparently feeling emboldened as he believes he has nothing to lose since it has been conveyed to him that he will not be getting another gubernatorial posting. As for Mr Malik's stand on the farm stir, it is understandable since he hails from West Uttar Pradesh, the epicentre of the ongoing protests. Mr Malik is particularly upset that the Centre and the Prime Minister did not pay heed to his proposal that Mr Modi should personally reach out to the angry farmers to find a solution to their prolonged agitation. Mr Modi apparently dismissed Mr Maliks remark that convening such a meeting would enhance the Prime Ministers stature.

Congress president Sonia Gandhis recent meeting with party office bearers and state unit presidents witnessed a long discussion on the proposed membership drive where party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra adopted a different approach from that of the other participants. Party leaders like K.C. Venugopal or P.L. Punia drew attention to the BJPs massive membership drive and how the rival partys efforts had been rewarded. There was also some mention that the Congress should emulate the BJP and fix a target of the number of new members the party should enrol. However, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra differed from her colleagues. She argued that instead of fixing ambitious targets, the party should focus on enrolling genuine members even if the numbers are small. Everyone knows the Congress machinery is notorious for drawing up lists of fake members who do not exist.

The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party is extremely upset with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. In fact, it is so agitated that it is even planning to complain about her to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. This comes in the backdrop of a recent meeting of a section of Delhi leaders with the finance minister where they presented her with a long list of complaints regarding income tax, GST, fuel prices and growing unemployment. The BJP leaders were looking for reassurances from the minister but instead she is learned to have made light of their grievances. The local leaders said they were hurt as they did not expect Ms Sitharaman to speak so dismissively with her own party members who have genuine concerns as they have to answer to the people.

The Bharatiya Janata Partys Uttarakhand unit faces a serious dilemma. Theres a buzz in the hill state that chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is planning to contest next years Assembly election from two constituencies. The two-time MLA represents the Khatima Assembly seat. But it appears he is not confident about a victory this time as he had won the last election with a narrow margin. Then there are a number of unhappy senior leaders who were overlooked for the chief ministers post in favour of a younger Dhami who, it is feared, could damage him in the election. In addition, Mr Dhami has a strong rival in the party who could also sabotage his election. Mr Dhami is, therefore, eyeing the Didihat Assembly constituency as his second seat which, he believes, could be a safer bet since he belongs to that area. However, the party leadership is not sure if this is a good idea as it would send out the message that the chief minister is contesting from two seats as he is not sure of winning from his old constituency. Its a tough call for the party as it would be far worse if the chief minister was to lose his seat.

As expected, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh formally announced that he will soon be launching his new party. This move has led to speculation about his wife, Preneet Kaur, and whether she will also follow her husband and join him in his new venture. Preneet Kaur is a Lok Sabha member, representing the Patiala constituency. She has, so far, been extremely supportive of her husband, and was always beside him when he was slugging it out with his bete noire Navjot Singh Sidhu and also when he was forced to step down as chief minister. Its a different story now that Amarinder Singh is parting ways with the Congress. If Preneet Kaur decides to quit the Congress, she would have to give up her Lok Sabha seat. She is learned to have told some colleagues that she has personally no complaints with the Congress.
Afghanistan has been witnessing a spike in targeted assassinations and bomb blasts. (AP Photo)

Kabul: Members of the previous Afghan government have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) in order to fight against the Taliban, revealed a recent report.

Citing Wall Street Journal's report, Khaama Press stated that it is indicated that members of the intelligence body of the previous government in Afghanistan are now affiliating with ISIS-K in order to survive and resist the Taliban.

According to the publication, the former security personnel is mostly US-trained Afghan spies who have been joining the terror group in northern Afghanistan.

After the Taliban takeover, northern resistance was the only resisting group that was co-led by Ahmad Masoud and former first vice president Amrullah Saleh in Panjshri province.

As per Khaama Press, the WSJ report further reads that the former Afghan spies are joining ISIS-K to resume their income as they have been left broke after the government collapse and also to fight the Taliban.

Afghanistan has been witnessing a spike in targeted assassinations and bomb blasts.

According to media reports, Nangarhar has been facing targeted assassinations and bomb blasts, with the pro-Daesh/ISIS claiming multiple attacks.

As many as 65 terrorists affiliated to Islamic State (IS) have surrendered to Taliban-led authorities.

Earlier this month, the Taliban claimed to have dismantled a Daesh hideout in the capital Kabul, blamed for many attacks.

According to Anadolu Agency, the group claimed a massive suicide bombing in Kandahar, besides orchestrating targeted killings in Nangarhar and Parwan provinces as well as a massive suicide bombing in a Shia community mosque in the northern Kunduz province, killing more than 100 people.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Monday announced that the company sold a total of 12,440 units in the month of October 2021, thereby clocking a growth of 34 per cent when compared to the wholesales in September 2021. For reference, the company had sold a total of 9284 units in September 2021 and a total of 12,373 units in October 2020.

V Wiseline Sigamani, Associate General Manager (AGM), Sales and Strategic Marketing, TKM, said, Demand in the market has been robust in the last few months and this can be attributed to various factors besides pent-up demand. Customer orders too have been on a constant rise, restoring normalcy in demand trends when compared to pre-Covid times.

In the month of October, we have been able to register a 34 per cent growth when compared to our sales in September 2021. Our cumulative wholesales from January to October has also reported a growth of 78 per cent when compared to sales in the corresponding period last year. Our flagship models Innova Crysta and the Fortuner, continue to dominate their respective segments. The Toyota Vellfire too has been performing exceptionally well, reiterating customers confidence in the brand. The Glanza and the Urban Cruiser are garnering good booking orders and we are working towards immediately catering to the pending orders in these segments, he added.

Meanwhile, MG Motor India has sold 2863 units in October 2021. Amid the acute shortage of semiconductor chips worldwide, the carmaker said that it has limited stocks at its dealerships currently.

The company said that with an added momentum in demand due to the festival season, the momentum continues as MG has received more than 4,000 bookings for Hector and more than 600 bookings for ZS EV and Gloster in October. The newly launched Astor has also received positive feedback from the customers and was sold out for 2021 within 20 minutes of opening the bookings. The deliveries for the first batch of Astor will begin from first week of November. Bookings are now open for Astor delivery in 2022.

The company added that the global chip shortage has hampered production resulting in lower sales. The challenge to ensure timely deliveries is likely to persist through November and December and we expect this to get better in Q1 next year," it added.
Kollywood legend Rajinikanth's upcoming movie Annaatthe is set to hit the screens on November 4 much to the delight of 'Superstar' fans. The film has been directed by Siva and marks his first collaboration with the mass hero. It is set in the Tamil heartland and caters to the family audience. Here are four reasons to watch the 'Diwali dhamaka'.

It's a Rajinikanth film

Rajinikanth remains Tamil cinema's biggest brand despite the emergence of younger stars. This became amply clear when his sci-fi thriller 2.0 opened to a thunderous response not only in Tamil Nadu but also in the Hindi market. His mere association with the film makes it a big deal for die-hard supporters. Moreover, Annaatthe features him in a 'desi' avatar that is likely to appeal to those who liked his work in films like Muthu and Padayappa. The trailer suggests that the biggie will feature plenty of punch dialogues, that are likely to cater to the masses.

Siva in his comfort zone

Siva is widely regarded as the go-to filmmaker for action-packed dramas with an emotional storyline. Viswasam, for example, emerged as a blockbuster mainly because it did justice to Ajith Kumar's image and featured a gripping storyline about the bond between a father and his daughter. Similarly, the sister sentiment added depth to Vedalam. Annaatthe, judging by the trailer, is the story of a caring brother who is willing to move heaven and earth to protect his sister. The emotional core might prove to be a feast for the audience if the execution is up to the mark.

Lady Superstars in the house

Rajinikanth will be seen alongside three 'Lady Superstars'--Meena, Khushbu and Nayanthara--in Annaatthe. The three performers share a strong professional rapport with Rajinikanth. Meena acted alongside Rajini in Muthu. Similarly, Khushbu was last seen with him in Pandian, which released in theatres nearly 25 years ago. Nayan, on the other hand, has romanced him in Chandramukhi and Darbar. The film features Keethy Suresh, who won a National Award for her work in Mahanati, as Thalaivar's sister and many feel that her scenes will be the surprise package of the movie.

D Imman at his best

D Imman, the 'maestro of rural melody', garnered a fair deal of attention with his work in Viswasam. The Adchithooku track, in particular, appealed to the family audience because of his lively arrangement. The musician has apparently hit the jackpot again with Annaatthe as the title song, which marks Rajinikanth's last collaboration with the late S P Balasubrahmanyam, which has become quite popular. It will be a treat to watch these songs come alive on the big screen.
PM Narendra Modi presented the formal position on India's climate action agenda, calling for adaptation and not mitigation to be the central strategy. He has targeted to make India net-zero emissions country by 2070. COP26, running from Sunday to November 12, are the biggest climate conference since the 2015 Paris summit and is seen as crucial in setting worldwide emission targets to slow global warming, as well as firming up other key commitments.
World leaders must act to "save humanity", UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday as they met for the historic COP26 climate summit with code-red warnings from scientists ringing in their ears.

More than 120 heads of state and government are gathering in Glasgow for a two-day summit at the start of the UN's COP26 conference, which organisers say is crucial for charting humanity's path away from catastrophic global warming.

US President Joe Biden, India's Narendra Modi and Germany's Angela Merkel were all set to deliver speeches expected to reiterate the need for urgency.

"It's one minute to midnight... and we need to act now," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said to start proceedings on an at-times chaotic opening day.

COP26 is being billed as vital for the continued viability of the Paris Agreement, which countries signed in 2015 by promising to limit global temperature rises to "well below" two degrees Celsius, and to work for a safer 1.5C cap.

Also Read | G-20 leaders reaffirm full support for FATF's efforts to combat money laundering, terrorist financing

With a little over 1C of warming since the Industrial Revolution, Earth is being battered by ever more extreme heatwaves, flooding and tropical storms supercharged by rising seas.

Pressure is on governments to redouble their emissions-cutting commitments to bring them in line with the Paris goals, and to stump up long-promised cash to help developing nations green their grids and protect themselves against future disasters.

"It's time to say: enough," Guterres said.

"Enough of brutalizing biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves."

Thousands of delegates queued around the block to get into the summit on Monday, negotiating airport-style security in the locked-down city centre.

On nearby streets, protesters began lively demonstrations to keep up the pressure on delegates.

Activists from Oxfam communicated their displeasure through music, with a Scottish pipe band, the "COP26 Hot Air Band", wearing masks that caricatured world leaders.

Johnson spoke of the "uncontainable" public anger if the conference falls flat.

Echoing 18-year-old climate campaigner Greta Thunberg -- who is in Glasgow with thousands of other protesters -- he urged the summit against indulging in "blah blah blah".

If the leaders "fluff our lines or miss our cue", generations as-yet unborn "will not forgive us", the prime minister said.

"They will know that Glasgow was the historic turning point when history failed to turn.

"They will judge us with bitterness and with a resentment that eclipses any of the climate activists of today -- and they will be right," he said.

The G20 including China, India and Western nations committed on Sunday to the Paris goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C.

Also Read | G20 Summit 'fruitful' in addressing issues of global importance: PM Modi

They also agreed to end funding for new coal plants abroad without carbon capturing technology by the end of 2021.

But the precise pathway to 1.5C was left largely undefined and campaigners expressed disappointment with the group, which collectively emits nearly 80 percent of global carbon emissions.

Preparations for the high-level summit had been dampened by a number of high-profile no shows.

Both Chinese President Xi Jinping -- who has not left his country during the Covid-19 pandemic -- and Russia's Vladimir Putin will not be in Glasgow.

And Monday saw Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan cancel his appearance, for unspecified reasons.

Observers say the Glasgow gathering, which runs until November 12, will be tough going.

Most nations have already submitted their renewed emissions cutting plans -- known as "nationally determined contributions", or NDCs -- in advance of COP26.

But event these current commitments -- if followed -- would still lead to a "catastrophic" warming of 2.7 Celsius, according to the UN.

China, by far the world's biggest carbon polluter, has just submitted to the UN its revised climate plan, which repeats a long-standing goal of peaking emissions by 2030.

US-China tensions were simmering Monday after Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan labelled Beijing among the "significant outliers".

He added China "will not be represented at leader level at COP26 and... has an obligation to step up to greater ambition as we go forward."

India meanwhile has yet to submit a revised NDC, a requirement under the Paris deal.

Modi's address is keenly anticipated, though it was not clear if it would contain new climate pledges.

Another pressing issue is the failure of rich countries to deliver $100 billion annually to help climate vulnerable nations adapt to climate change.

The goal -- meant to be delivered last year -- has been postponed to 2023, exacerbating tensions between richer nations, responsible for global warming, and those poorer countries who are the victims of its effects.

The addresses from well over 100 world leaders will be closely scrutinised in particular by young activists who travelled to Scotland by train.

"As citizens across the planet, we urge you to face up to the climate emergency," they said in an open letter signed by Thunberg among others, which had gathered nearly a million signatures.

"Not next year. Not next month. Now."
Bangladesh police have arrested 172 Rohingyas in recent weeks after a crackdown sparked by the brutal murder of a prominent community leader, the force said Monday.

Mohib Ullah was gunned down in late September in a refugee camp near the port city of Cox's Bazar, in a region home to over 700,000 members of the stateless Muslim minority who fled a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar.

The 48-year-old teacher emerged as a respected advocate for the community but in the weeks before his assassination had been the target of death threats from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militant group.

Among those arrested in the weeks since were 10 suspected of involvement in the killing, said Naimul Haque, commander of the elite Armed Police Battalion (APB).

"Our drives against the miscreants in the camps will continue," he added.

Also read: OPINION | Delhi should fully back Hasina against Bangladeshs Islamic radicals

Another 114 people taken into custody had declared themselves ARSA members, Haque's unit said in a statement.

Bangladesh routinely denies that the insurgents operate in the refugee camps, claiming instead that criminals involved in armed violence and drug trafficking use the group's name to trade on their reputation.

But family and colleagues of Mohib Ullah have blamed the group for his murder, an allegation that ARSA denies.

Police have also relocated more than 70 people, including the slain leader's family and relatives of seven people shot dead last month in an assault on an Islamic school -- another attack blamed on the militants.

"All the families of the victims were terrified after these incidents," senior officer Kamran Hossain told AFP.

Nurul Islam, a Rohingya refugee whose son was killed in the school attack, said his family felt too afraid to remain in the camps.

"All Rohingya are unsafe from ARSA," he told AFP by phone. "They want to kill us, they want instability."

The UN refugee agency said it had assisted in moving the group to a safer location.

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Across 25 UN climate conferences since 1995, only twice have more than 110 world leaders joined the fray to confront the spectre of global warming. As they do so again Monday in Glasgow, an unspoken question looms: Copenhagen or Paris?

Will COP26, in other words, more closely resemble the Danish diplomatic debacle of 2009, or the triumph that six years later led to the first climate treaty in which all nations vowed to shrink their carbon footprint and collectively cap Earth's rising temperature?

Either way, few would doubt that the hope of keeping the planet livable for future generations rests squarely in their hands.

Something else is certain, according to a mountain of scientific evidence: the world has dithered for so long that half-measures will not do.

Also Read | PM Modi arrives in UK for COP26 Summit, bilateral talks with Johnson

Only transformative action  slashing global emissions in half by 2030, and to net-zero by mid-century  will stave off impacts far more cataclysmic that the deadly heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires already ravaging communities across the globe.

"It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to say early Monday.

"If we don't get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow."

In a stark reminder of what is at stake, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Sunday the years 2015 to 2021 were the seven hottest on record, if trends for 2021 hold firm.

Also Read | What COP-26 means for us

Adding to the pressure are gathering global protests, led in part by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who was mobbed on Saturday by a scrum of media photographers as she arrived by train.

And yet, the signals on what to expect from COP26 remain decidedly mixed, starting with who's coming to the two-day summit and who's not.

President Xi Jinping of China, the world's largest emitter, has not left his country during the pandemic and there is no indication he will attend.

Vladimir Putin of Russia, another major polluter, will also be a no-show.

US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron, India's Narendra Modi and Australia's Scott Morrison will all be present.

It was hoped that a G20 summit of major economies ending Sunday in Rome would boost momentum at the 13-day talks.

But on key issues  notably deepening commitment to slash carbon pollution and mobilise climate finance for poor nations  the two-day meet failed to deliver.

"The G20 should have provided the lightning bolt that the COP26 climate talks so desperately need, but they responded with vague promises and platitudes," said Oxfam senior advisory Jorn Kalinksi, reflecting widespread disappointment.

G20 nations account for 80 per cent of global GDP and nearly the same proportion of greenhouse gas emissions.

Even UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was not impressed: "While I welcome the G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled," he tweeted on Sunday.

COP26 President and British minister Alok Sharma said that G20 nations  including China, the US, India, the EU and Russia  "can make or indeed break the hope of keeping 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach."

The cornerstone goal of the Paris Agreement is limiting global warming at "well below 2 degrees Celsius" compared to preindustrial levels.

But as devastating impacts and new science have accumulated, the treaty's aspirational cap of 1.5 degrees Celsius has become the de facto target.

An August bombshell report from the UN's climate science body warned that Earth's average temperature will hit that threshold around 2030  a decade earlier than projected only three years ago.

In a joint communique, G20 nations endorsed the collective goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but a tally of newly revised carbon cutting pledges would still lead to "catastrophic" warming of 2.7 degrees Celsius, according to a UN report last week.

Only India has yet to submit a revised "nationally determined contribution," and hopeful rumours suggest Modi may announce new efforts on Monday to curb carbon emissions.

"If he feels confident enough that there's going to be financing and technology assistance from Europe, the US, Japan and others, he might signal that India is willing to update its NDC," said Alden Meyer, a senior associate at climate and energy think tank E3G.

But the failure of rich countries to cough up $100 billion a year starting in 2020 to help developing nations lower emissions and adapt  a pledge first made in 2009  had undermined the confidence of the Global South and will complicate the already fraught talks, expert say.

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A Congress protest against fuel price hike on Monday saw a row break after Malayalam film actor Joju George questioned the agitators who blocked a busy National Highway in the city.

Agitated Congress workers allegedly smashed the glass of his vehicle, alleging that the actor, in a drunken state, "misbehaved" with the women workers of the party who were protesting against the skyrocketing prices of the petrol and diesel.

Asked about the Congress complaint against George, police said the actor has been taken to a police station.

The police also took his vehicle into custody. Police took the actor to a government hospital in Tripunithura for medical examination after the Congress workers complained that he created trouble in the protest venue in a drunken state.

Also read: Petrol, diesel prices continue to pinch common man

Police also said action would be taken against those who shattered the glass of his vehicle. "Action would be taken against the culprits after examining the video footage of the incidents.

No written permission was sought for the agitation but there was enough police deployment after coming to know about the protest through the media," a police officer told reporters.

As the protesters blocked the highway, George, whose car got trapped in the Vyttila area, came out of it and urged the agitators to end the protest as it was causing difficulties for the commuters.

The actor was joined by several other people, who also questioned the manner in which the protest is being carried out in a busy highway. District Congress Committee (DCC) president Mohammed Shiyas claimed that the 30-minute road blocking protest was organised after giving notice to the police and publicising about it through the media.

Condemning the actions of the actor, Shiyas alleged that George created trouble in the protest venue in a drunken state and misbehaved with women workers of the party. George, while talking to reporters, said the mode of protest blocking the road was not acceptable.

Such "shameful" protests should not be repeated again as it was affecting people who have ventured out of their houses for their various needs, the actor said.

He alleged that the local Congress leaders abused him. KPCC chief K Sudhakaran condemned the action of the actor and sought legal action against him.

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Supreme Court judge, Justice D Y Chandrachud has expressed concern over the withdrawal of an advertisement by Dabur, which showed a lesbian couple celebrating "karva chauth" festival, by terming it as "public intolerance".

He said that there was an advertisement which the company was required to pull down on the ground of public intolerance.

Also Read | LGBTQIA+ are entitled to privacy and dignified existence: Madras High Court

Notably, Dabur India also tendered an unconditional apology for "unintentionally hurting people's sentiments". There have been several instances recently of social media backlash on companies due to their advertisements related to the depiction of Hindu festivals, forcing them to pull down their campaigns. Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra had threatened action against such companies.

In a speech on 'Empowerment of Women through Legal Awareness' at the launch of a NALSA programme organised in collaboration with the National Commission for Women, Justice Chandrachud emphasised bringing awareness not only upon woman's issues but making the younger generation of men in our society aware by changing the mindset.

"The more we realise that the category of women encompasses various social, economic and political disadvantages, the more we will be able to cater to their individualised and actual needs. True freedom for women, in other words, is truly intersectional," he said.

Also Read | Not 'woke' on same-sex relationships: Madras HC judge books psycho-education session ahead of ruling

Justice Chandrachud said that judges at the Supreme Court came across several real-life situations which showed that there was a great divergence between ideals of the law and the real state of the society.

"Our Constitution is a transformative document that sought to remedy the structural inequalities rooted in patriarchy. It has become a powerful tool to secure material entitlements and provide public affirmations of the dignity and equality of women. Legislations like domestic violence act, prevention of sexual harassment at workplace act have been enacted to achieve the goal of fulfilling the constitutional rights of women," he pointed out.

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As India cautiously prepares for the upcoming Diwali celebrations, several states in the country have banned the bursting of firecrackers. A few states have allowed the sale and bursting of green crackers, also known as eco-friendly crackers as they cause less pollution, while others have issued strict guidelines for the festive season.

Here are is a list of states and Union Territories that have specific directives on the bursting of crackers this Diwali:

Delhi: With Delhis existing pollution and air quality problems, the pollution board in the state has issued a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers in the national capital till January 1, 2022. The Delhi government has also launched a ''Patake Nahi, Diya Jalao' campaign to motivate people to embrace tradition and eliminate pollution on Diwali. Every year, the atmosphere post-Diwali ends up being suffocating instead of being joyous in the national capital.

Karnataka: In an order issued on October 30, the state government has allowed only green crackers this Diwali. The order came even as Ecology & Environment Minister Anand Singh said, earlier this week, that the government would not ban firecrackers. Shops can open only from November 1 to November 10, will have to function away from residential areas and on open grounds apart from ensuring adequate ventilation.

Puducherry: The sale of firecrackers at low prices ahead of Diwali has been allowed in the Union Territory. A government agency, Papsco, has also set up shops across Puducherry to sell the firecrackers at subsidised rates. The agency is providing firecrackers at a 75 per cent subsidy to the general public.

West Bengal: The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) earlier said that green crackers will be allowed on the evening of Diwali and Kali Puja for two hours from 8 pm to 10 pm, from 6 am to 8 pm on Chhat Puja, and for 35 minutes on Christmas and New Year's Eve. However, on Friday, the Calcutta High Court banned the sale, purchase and use of all firecrackers during Kali Puja, Diwali celebrations and other festivities this year to check air pollution.

Haryana: The Haryana government has imposed a ban on the sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in 14 of its districts in the National Capital Region (NCR) and imposed restrictions in other parts. The state pollution control board will also release a list of cities where the bursting of firecrackers will be allowed.

Pune: Authorities in Pune have banned the production, sale and possession of a firecracker commonly known as 'sutli' or 'atom' bomb. The sale of firecrackers has been allowed in the city from October 27 to November 7, but the department has urged people to not burst crackers that create noise higher than 125 decibels. Bursting of firecrackers that create noise pollution will not be allowed between 10 pm and 6 am.

Also read: A cracker of a seed plant

Rajasthan: Rajasthan has permitted only the sale and use of green crackers this Diwali. According to a revised release by the government, the crackers can be burst from 8 pm to 10 pm on festivals like Diwali and Guruparab, from 6 am to 8 am on Chhath Puja, and from 11.55 pm to 12.30 am on Christmas and New Year. However, the use of crackers would continue to be banned at the places having the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the poor" zone or below.

Chhattisgarh: The Chhattisgarh government in its guidelines mentions that it will be allowing the bursting of crackers during Diwali and Guruparva from 8 pm to 10 pm; from 6 am to 8 am on Chhath Puja, and from 11.55 pm to 12.30 am on New Year and Christmas. However, the sale of firecrackers that produce high-decibel sounds in violation of prescribed limits has been banned. The online sale of crackers has also been banned.

(With PTI inputs)

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Members of at least six organisations representing the Chakma community in Tripura staged a protest in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in Agartala on Monday seeking action against those who attacked and torched Katakhali Forest Buddhist Monastery in Coxs Bazar district in neighbouring Bangladesh on October 24.

Protesters also submitted a memorandum to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through the High Commissioner stating that at least eight Chakma people were injured in the attack.

The memorandum said that the Katakhali Forest Buddhist Monastery attack took place following a series of incidents of vandalism and arson of Hindu temples, Durga Puja pandals, and attacks on Hindu minorities which started on October 13. "The attacks have shown that the government of Bangladesh has not taken any measure to ensure the protection of the religious minorities in the country. This is because the government of Bangladesh as on date has failed to punish those who destroyed 19 Buddhist temples and about 100 houses at Ramu in Coxs Bazar and at Patiya in Chittagong district in 2012," said the memorandum.

Those who staged the protest on Monday belong to Chakma Buddhist Welfare Society, Young Chakma Association, Tripura Chakma Students Association, Chakma National Council of India and Tripura Rejjyo Chakma Gabuchya Joda.

They also demanded that trials of the cases related to the 2012 attack should be conducted in fasttrack courts.

The protesters said that the Bangladesh government has the responsibility of protecting life, property and rights of the religious minorities to practice their religion.

Tripura witnessed violence on October 26 when members of Viswa Hindu Parishad staged a protest march in Tripura North district to condemn the attack on Hindus in Bangladesh.

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After designer brand Sabyasachi on Sunday withdrew its Mangalsutra campaign following a backlash, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra warned the designer against hurting people's sentiments again.

"Sabyasachi Mukherjee has withdrawn the objectionable advertisement after my post. If he repeats such a thing, then direct action will be taken, no warning will be given. Appeal to him and those like him to not hurt sentiments of people," Mishra said.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee has withdrawn the objectionable advertisement after my post. If he repeats such a thing,then direct action will be taken,no warning will be given. Appeal to him & those like him to not hurt sentiments of people: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra pic.twitter.com/XkFPXw3pna  ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2021

The popular designer brand has been facing flak on social media platforms as well as from a section of politicians from the ruling BJP over the advertisement wherein it had portrayed a woman wearing a low-neckline dress and posing solo and in an intimate position with a man.

"In the context of making heritage and culture a dynamic conversation, the Mangalsutra campaign aimed to talk about inclusivity and empowerment. The campaign was intended as a celebration and we are deeply saddened that it has instead offended a section of our society. So, we at Sabyasachi have decided to withdraw the campaign," Sabyasachi in a post on Instagram.

After pictures of the advertisement were posted on Instagram, there was a huge controversy with a section of social media users terming them as against Hindu culture and obscene. Hashtags such as #Sabyasachi_Insults_HinduCulture and #BoycottSabyasachi were trending on Twitter.

Last week, FMCG major and wellness firm Dabur India withdrew its advertisement on the festival of Karva Chauth showing a lesbian couple celebrating in the ad campaign of its Fem Creme bleach and issued an unconditional apology.

Also Read | After Dabur, MP minister targets Sabyasachi over 'objectionable' mangalsutra ad; gives 24-hour ultimatum

Dabur also faced backlash on social media platforms and also from the MP Home Minister, who had also issued an ultimatum against the company, known for its nature-based wellness products.

Earlier, Tata Group's jewellery brand Tanishq was forced to withdraw an advertisement that showed an interfaith couple at a baby shower organised for the Hindu bride by her Muslim in-laws. Clothing brand Manyavar too was at the receiving end when its advertisement featuring Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt in wedding attire, appeared to question an old tradition.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Amid the realisation that local leadership is likely to face strong anti-incumbency in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the BJP has gone for a big push brand Narendra Modi.

After telling Uttar Pradesh electorates the victory of Yogi Adityanath in 2022 is necessary for the win of Modi in 2024 General Elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah sought a repeat mandate for the party in Uttarakhand by flagging how Modi brought road and rail infrastructure projects worth Rs 85,000 crore to the state during his tenure.

I had once said Uttarakhand was created by Atal ji and Modi ji will build it. My words have come true. The Modi-Dhami team will bring prosperity to every home, he said.

Battling performance issues and internal dissension in the party-led government, the BJP has had three chief ministers in the hill state in the past year and the incumbent Pushkar Singh Dhami is considered a political greenhorn.

Also read: Congress, BJP engage in slugfest on Sardar Patel's birth anniversary

Hence the party is banking big on Modis charisma to win the state.

On Friday while addressing a party event in Lucknow, Shah brought Modi directly into the picture for UP polls saying Yogi Adityanath has to become chief minister in 2022 for Narendra Modi to be sworn in as the prime minister again in 2024.

When Modi Ji is the prime minister, he gives all that is required by Uttar Pradesh. The foundation of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which has to be won under the leadership of Modi Ji will be laid in the 2022 Assembly elections here, Shah said.

The BJP believes that Modi is still their best bet when they go in for elections even in states.

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The agencies in the Delhi-NCR region have fared badly in tackling air pollution-related complaints and have resolved just 11 per cent of such issues since October 15, when the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) comes into force to deal with the worsening of air quality in the region.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), only 47 out of 424 complaints have been resolved by agencies in Delhi and the NCR cities in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan  between October 15 and October 30.

According to the CPCB, most complaints are related to construction and demolition activities, unpaved roads, road dust, open dumping of garbage and industrial waste and traffic congestion.

Of the 277 complaints registered in Delhi, 26 have been resolved  91 per cent of the issues are pending.

Also read: Delhi air quality dips to 'very poor' ahead of Diwali

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation has been able to address only two of the 103 complaints received.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) resolved only two of the 88 complaints addressed to it.

The East Delhi Municipal Corporation has attended seven of the 20 complaints, Delhi Development Authority has oneof 20 and Public Works Department has two of the 15 issues raised. The authorities in NCR areas of Uttar Pradesh have worked out only six out of the 43 complaints received so far.

The agencies in Haryana have dealt with 15 out of 86 air pollution-related complaints, while none of the 12 complaints in Rajasthan has been resolved.

GRAP is a set of anti-pollution measures followed in Delhi and its surrounding towns according to the severity of the situation. It comes into force in mid-October when air pollution levels in the region start worsening due to unfavourable meteorological conditions and stubble burning.
Students were excited to be back at schools in Delhi, which reopened for all classes after a 19-month gap, even though they had to wear masks, maintain social distancing and not share their lunch or playgrounds with their friends.

Teachers at many Delhi government schools said even though the attendance was low on the first day of reopening, they expect more students to attend the physical classes after Diwali as they are taking all efforts required to bring students back to classrooms just like earlier but this time keeping Covid-19 protocols in practice.

Several private schools, however, have chosen to defer the reopening post Diwali.

Read more: Students, teachers and parents excited as schools reopen in Kerala

The faculty member at the Dakshin Dilli Nagar Nigam Prathmik Vidhaya in Lajpat Nagar said their school is small and have classes only till class V. The total strength of students is 120 only.

"On the first day, only 10 students attended the classes. Like in some classes, we had teacher attending to only one student while the rest of them still preferred to go with online classes," she said.

She said since it's the Diwali season, many students are in villages at their native places and are expected to join offline classes after the festival gets over.

"Only children whose parents have given consent for offline classes are attending the classes but after Diwali we are expecting more students would be encouraged to join the classes as all Covid-related protocols have been strictly implemented, she added.

Teachers of many schools said since it is the first day, many parents wanted to take their students early before the scheduled time

One of the parent whose two girls are students at a private school here in Lajpat Nagar said her two daughters -- Ashvita, who is a student of class 6 and Ashnia, who is studying in class 3, were very excited to go to school today (Monday).

"Both my daughters are currently taking offline classes. Both of them were very excited when it was announced that their schools were reopening but there was a delay in getting their new uniforms plus the school management wanted us to give their consent," said Chandra, who is mother to the two daughters.

When asked if she is ready to send her daughter's to school, Chandra said "Yes, but with all due precautions. Now that we have got their new school uniforms, we will also give our consent letter to the management. Since it's the festive season, I will be sending my daughter's only post Dilwali," she asserted.

At the Government Co-ed Senior Secondary School in Lajpat Nagar only class 8 students. The students of classes 6 and 7 will be called subsequently, authorities there said.

With masks, temperature check and hands sanitised at the entry gate of the school, students were excited to attend school.

Even though regular classes had been resumed for students of class 9 to 12 a few months earlier, the students of other classes were still attending their schools online, said a faculty member at the school.

"Today only two sections of students from class 8 were called. Overall, only 22 students attended the class. Other students of the same class whose parents are still apprehensive about sending their children to school are opting for online classes," said the senior faculty member of the school.

"But we are constantly trying to persuade and convince parents to send their students and see how classes are being conducted physically with all Covid-related protocols," she said.

A student from class 8 who did not wished to be named said, "I'm excited to attend school regularly henceforth. It felt good to be back after almost two years. Online classes were definitely useful but during physical classes, we can always clear our doubts then and there.

"Due to network issues, sometimes, we don't get a clear picture of what's going on and it is quite tiring for eyes to keep looking at the screen for so long."

In case, a student doesn't carry a mask, we offer them a mask and in case due to any reason, if a student comes empty stomach, we do give them food too, said the faculty member of the same school.

Another student who was equally excited to join school said, "Even during Covid, our teachers did take all efforts to take our classes sincerely and attend to us individually.

"We could approach them separately to clear our doubts. Even though they were available, we still felt something was missing. The fun of meeting our friends, coming to school. We had a routine. I hope this classes don't get affect because of the possibility of third Covid wave."

The school has also directed the parents to not send their children to school even if they are unwell or show any such symptoms.

"To avoid overcrowding in the school, each class teacher has been given passes which is handed over to the concerned monitor of the class. A pass is given to only one boy student at a time if they want to use the washroom while two girl students can go to washroom at a time using one pass," said the school faculty.

Some of the schools have also kept different recess timings for all the classes keeping Covid protocols in mind.This is done to ensure there is no over-crowding, and social distancing is also maintained.
Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 44 killings in October, turning it into the most violent month since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.

The violence increased on multiple fronts with 19 militants, 13 civilians  including three members of minority community and five non-locals  and 12 security forces personnel killed in various militancy-related incidents in October across the Union Territory (UT).

The month started with the killing of a local militant affiliated with Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba outfit on October 1 in the Rakhama area of south Kashmir's Shopian district. On October 2, suspected militants shot dead two civilians in Srinagar and just three days later on October 5, three more civilians, including a prominent Kashmiri Pandit businessman and a non-local street vendor, were killed.

On October 7, two government school teachers, including a female principal, were shot dead by militants in the old city Safa Kadal area of Srinagar. On the same evening, a civilian was killed in firing by paramilitary CRPF after a vehicle driver failed to stop despite a signal in south Kashmir's Anantnag.

Also Read | Search for terrorists in J&K's forest belt enters 21st day

In the wake of civilian killings, security forces launched a crackdown across the Valley, killing 19 militants in 14 encounters. A massive crackdown was also launched against the alleged sympathisers of militants  summoning, arresting and detaining hundreds of youths.

However, despite the crackdown, militants continued to target non-locals and killed four more labourers from Bihar in three separate incidents in Srinagar, Pulwama and Kulgam. The civilian killings triggered migration of non-locals from the Valley, with thousands leaving in October. Some migrant families also left Kashmir in the same period.

11 Army soldiers, including two junior commissioned officers, were also killed in one of the longest and biggest search operations in border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu region. The anti-militancy operation started during the intervening night of October 10 and 11 and is still under way.

While October turned out to be the most violent month after August 5, 2019, J&K Police chief Dilbag Singh said the situation is returning to normalcy after a spike.

People want to move towards peace and development and they are against violence. There were a few violent incidents. Now, the situation is better, he told reporters on Sunday.

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The Congress would go to the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections without a CM face but will fight under the watch of general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, whom the state party chief Ajay Kumar Lallu described as a "storm" that will help sweep the polls.

Lallu said the way Priyanka Gandhi is raising various issues in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government is feeling threatened by her.

However, Lallu refused to predict the number of seats the party is targeting to win, but claimed that they would come to power with full majority.

Read more: UP polls: Congress prepares separate manifesto for women, promises free LPG cylinders, bus rides

Congress had won only seven seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly in the 2017 polls.

"There is a current (of the party) on the ground. The way in which organisational work has been done in the party, and the way in which a team built, the result is that today we are capable of doing anything, Lallu, president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) told PTI in an interview.

We are demonstrating this organisational strength again and again. The notion that we are nothing in UP has changed. There is a storm in UP and its name is Priyanka Gandhi," Lallu said.

"It will help Congress sweep the upcoming polls," he added.

Asked why the party has not declared its chief minister candidate, he said, "The CM face is decided by the party's national leadership. But the in-charge of UP is Priyanka ji and the elections will be contested under her watch".

"We are going to form the government with full majority," he said.

The AICC general secretary tasked with regaining the party's lost ground in the political heartland, however, was non-committal about contesting the upcoming state polls herself.

"It has not been decided as yet," she said earlier this month in response to a question on the possibility of her contesting the polls.

Reacting to Priyanka Gandhi being dubbed as a political tourist by the BJP, Lallu said, "Be it Priyanka ji or our party workers, everybody is targeted. In the last three months, Congress workers have faced lathis and gone to jail. The government has adopted a path of oppression against us.

"But I think that the way in which Priyanka ji has raised the issues of women safety, farmers and unemployment, it has given new energy to the Congress. The government is feeling completely afraid, and hence resorting to such acts," he claimed.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party for alleging that the BJP was helping Priyanka Gandhi to harm the Akhilesh Yadav-led party, the UP Congress chief said, "The SP is engaged in spreading this propaganda. It has lost the confidence of the public.

Referring to the six BSP legislators and a BJP MLA joining the SP, Lallu said no matter how many MLAs the party manages to get in its camp, it is the Congress which will form the next government in the state.

"It is only the Congress which can give a fight to the BJP because it has an ideology and is a synonym for struggle has peoples trust, Lallu said.

The SP cannot challenge the BJP because in the last four-and-a-half years, the people of the state have seen what the SP has done, Lallu said.

The UP Congress president also said that a person who wishes to "fight" this (BJP) government will stay in the party.

On being asked as to who is the main challenger to the Congress, Lallu said, "The SP and BSP come to contest polls, while the Congress raises the issues of public interest and struggles for it.

"We are confident that the people are going to shower their blessings on the Congress," he added.

On the question of electoral alliance, Lallu said, "We will have alliance with villages, poor people, farmers and the common man."

On Congress leaders including Priyanka Gandhi going to temples, which the BJP has claimed as its "ideological victory", Lallu said, "We believe in all religions and have faith in all religions. We do not make an event out of everything like the BJP does."

Lallu welcomed political parties like the AAP and AIMIM entering the poll fray in Uttar Pradesh.

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NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede on Monday visited the federal anti-narcotics agency's headquarters here and met senior officers, officials said.

Wankhede was seen entering the head office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the national capital's R K Puram area soon after he met National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) chairperson Vijay Sampla.

"I have presented all the documents and facts as sought by the commission (NCSC)... there will be a verification of my complaint and the honourable chairperson will soon give you a response," Wankhede told reporters after the meeting.

Fighting allegations that he forged his caste certificate and other documents to secure a job as an IRS officer under the SC quota after clearing the UPSC examination, Wankedhe earlier presented his original caste papers to Sampla to prove he is a Dalit.

Also Read | Wankhede meets NCSC chairperson, submits caste documents

Officials said Wankhede visited the NCB headquarters for some "official work".

It was not immediately known if he met NCB director general S N Pradhan or deputy director general (northern region) Gyaneshwar Singh.

He had last visited the NCB headquarters here on October 26. Officials had said the visit of the Mumbai NCB director was with regard to a review meeting.

Singh is conducting a departmental vigilance probe into allegations of extortion made in the drugs-on-cruise case in which Wankhede and his team had arrested actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and seven others on October 3 from the international cruise terminal in Mumbai.

At least 20 people have been arrested in this case till now.

Prabhakar Sail, an independent witness in the cruise drugs case, had claimed and filed an affidavit that there was an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore by some agency officials and others for letting off Aryan Khan from the case.

Sail had stated that he overheard that a "bribe" of Rs 8 crore was to be paid to Wankhede out of this money.

The Mumbai NCB chief has denied these claims.

Sail claims to be the bodyguard of a private person and another witness in this case, K P Gosavi, who was recently arrested by the Pune police in a fraud case pending against him.

Gosavi's close proximity and photographs with Aryan Khan during NCB raids had raised questions. They are part of the agency's departmental vigilance probe.

Statements of Wankhede and some Mumbai zone officers have already been recorded by the five-member vigilance team headed by Singh.

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Senior Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni on Sunday said that protesting farmers would move to the PM's residence if there is any attempt to forcibly evict them from the protest sites on Delhi's borders.

According to a report by The Indian Express, Chaduni made the remarks while touring Haryana's Karnal.

Chaduni's remarks came in the wake of the Delhi Police removing barricades at the protest sites to ease traffic on the highways, in accordance with a Supreme Court order. While many farmers initially felt vindicated, some, like Chaduni, were skeptical of the move.

The government has been trying to open the borders for the past many days. There is afratafri (chaos) among the people. There are talks that the government will get the roads cleared before Diwali. We would like to warn the government that it should not be mistaken, the publication quoted Chadunai as saying in a video message.

If the government tries to open the roads, then this time Diwali will be celebrated at the door of Modi. We will camp there. We are sitting (at the borders) peacefully. Still, if the government tries to disturb them and try to forcibly remove them, then the farmers of the country will move to Delhi, he said.

Meanwhile, BKU spokesperson Rakesh Tikait on Monday issued an ultimatum to the Centre to repeal the farm laws by November 26. He added that if they do not scrap the three new laws, he would intensify the farmers' protest.

November 26 would mark one year of the ongoing farmers' protests at Delhi's border points of Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur.

The central government has time till November 26, after that, from November 27, farmers will reach the border at the movement sites around Delhi on tractors from villages and strengthen the tents at the movement site with solid fortifications, Tikait, the BKU national spokesperson, tweeted in Hindi.

The Delhi police began removing barricades from protest sites across the Delhi border on Friday.

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The Australian government on Monday recognised Indias Covaxin, a vaccine against the coronavirus.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and AstraZeneca and Oxford University's Covishield are the two widely used vaccines in India.

Australia has already recognised Covishield.

Also Read | Govt following up on WHO processes for Covaxin EUL approval: Harsh Vardhan Shringla

"Today, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) determined that Covaxin (manufactured by Bharat Biotech, India) and BBIBP-CorV (manufactured by Sinopharm, China) vaccines would be 'recognised' for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status, Australia's medicines and medical devices regulator TGA said in a tweet.

This recognition is for travellers aged 12 and over who have been vaccinated with Covaxin, and those 18 to 60 who have been vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV.

Also Read | Can't play with lives: SC on revaccinating Covaxin recipients with Covishield for travelling

In recent weeks, the TGA has obtained additional information demonstrating these vaccines provide protection and potentially reduce the likelihood that an incoming traveller would transmit Covid-19 infection to others while in Australia or become acutely unwell due to Covid-19.

The supporting information has been provided to the TGA from the vaccine sponsor and/or the World Health Organisation.

Also Read | Covaxin finds place in Oman's list of approved Covid-19 vaccines

Today, the @TGAgovau determined that Covaxin (manufactured by @BharatBiotech,) vaccine would be 'recognised' for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status, Australias High Commissioner to India Barry OFarrell AO said on Twitter,

Importantly, recognition of #Covaxin, along with the previously announced recognition of #Covishield (manufactured by @AstraZenecaIn), means many citizens, as well as other countries, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia, he said in another tweet.

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The Madras High Court on Monday declared as ultra vires of the Constitution a law passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly providing 10.5 per cent reservation to Vanniyars, a dominant community spread across the northern part of the state, within the 20 per cent quota for Most Backward Classes (MBC).

A bill to this effect was rushed through on the penultimate day of the last session of the 15th Assembly by the then AIADMK government, hours before the date for assembly elections was announced. The DMK regime, which took over in May, gave effect to the law by passing a GO that said the 10.5 per cent reservation will come into effect in admissions from the 2021-2022 academic year.

A division bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and K Murali Shankar declared the law as unconstitutional while delivering the verdict on a batch of petitions that challenged the exclusive reservation for Vanniyars. The bill was first passed by the AIADMK eyeing Vanniyar votes and the DMK, which opposed the manner in which the law was passed, issued the GO keeping in mind its vote bank.

The DMK government said it will appeal against the High Court order in the Supreme Court to ensure that the law stays.

While moving the Bill, the then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had said changes will be made to the law after a committee headed by Justice A Kulasekaran Commission to collect quantifiable data on castes and communities submit its report in six months.

In their order, the judges said the state has not taken a policy decision to modify the reservation after consulting the National Commission for Backward Classes as mandated by Article 338-B of the Constitution of India.

They said when there was no consensus in giving a recommendation to the Government for giving a 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyars, the letter given by the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Backward Classes Commission alone is not sufficient to provide internal reservation.

Before the introduction of Act 8 of 2021, the State has not collected any supporting materials to prove that the Vanniyar caste is not able to compete with other extremely marginalised communities. Even the report of the Chairman of the Commission has been rejected by the majority members of the said Commission and the data collected therein are unreliable, the judges wrote.

On a perusal of the said report, it is clear that even the Chairman of the Commission has not given a finding that the Vanniyar caste people are not able to compete with other castes in the MBC/DNT, the bench noted.

The bench also observed that for considering 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyars under the MBC reservation, the government has not considered the caste-wise population and there is no data available with the government to invoke the enabling provision in the Constitution to provide internal reservation.

There is nothing on record to establish that the State Government had deliberations with all the stakeholders, especially, those Communities who would be affected by the impugned Act, they observed.

The judges declared that Tamil Nadu Special Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions including Private Educational Institutions and appointments or posts in the services under the State within the Reservation for the Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities Act, 2021 as ultra vires the provisions of the Constitution of India.

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Tamil Nadu's daily Covid infections dropped below the 1,000 mark on Monday, after an 11-month gap, when the state recorded 990 new cases.

The declining trend of active cases also continued, with the numbers being 11,309, according to a government bulletin here.

The active cases stood at 11,492 on Sunday. Earlier, the state witnessed new infections below the 1000 mark on December 28, 2020 when 957 fresh infections emerged.

The total number of persons who tested positive till date was 27,03,613. As many as 1,153 persons were cured of the virus on Monday, pushing the overall recoveries to 26,56,168. Following 20 fresh deaths, the toll touched 36,136. Coimbatore (117) and Chennai with 111 new cases topped the districts in terms of fresh cases. Mayiladuthurai reported nil infections, while eight districts in the state recorded new cases in single digits.

Meanwhile, with the reduction in cases, the government sounded a note of caution, warning against any laxity in following Covid-19 protocol and administering of vaccine.

"As we hit below 1000 positives after several months after a lot of dedicated work by your field teams in following up Hon'ble CM directions, CS (chief secretary) guidance and also implementing the public health measures we need to ensure that common people do not and should not jump and start celebrating but rather view it as a time for introspection," Health Secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan told district collectors.

In his message to them, he said only when the majority started following the public health measures of mask, social distancing and started taking to vaccinations in the month of May onwards when the threat of "catching covid and death was real," the cases started coming down. Unfortunately people are throwing caution to the winds by not only not using face mask in public places but also avoiding vaccinations--both first dose and those eligible for the second one, he said. "Instead of burying and suppressing the virus, public seem to be giving it an open invitation for its resurgence."

"We need to approach the coming days and a few more months till all eligible get vaccinated with a lot of caution," he added.
A special court here while granting bail to Aachit Kumar last week in the drugs-on-cruise case said merely on the basis of WhatsApp chats, it cannot be gathered that he had supplied drugs to co-accused Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and Arbaaz Merchant.

The court in its detailed order, a copy of which was made available on Sunday, also raised questions on the veracity of the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) panchnama records said they were fabricated and seemed suspicious.

Special Judge V V Patil, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, granted bail to 22-year-old Kumar on Saturday.

The court in its detailed order observed that except for the WhatsApp chats with Aryan Khan, there is no evidence to show Kumar was indulging in such activities.

Merely on the basis of WhatsApp chats, it cannot be gathered that the applicant (Kumar) used to supply contraband to accused No 1 and 2 (Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant), especially when the accused No 1, with whom there are WhatsApp chats, has been granted bail by the High Court, the order said.

Also read: OPINION | Not a privilege to be secured the hard way

Aryan Khan and Merchant, who were arrested in the cruise drugs case on October 3, were granted bail by the Bombay High Court last Thursday. The special court also noted that there was no evidence against Kumar to connect him with any of the other accused in the case.

The panchnama is fabricated and was not prepared on the spot and therefore, the recovery shown under the panchnama is suspicious and cannot be relied upon, the court said.

There is no evidence on record showing that the applicant (Kumar) supplied drugs to accused No 1 (Aryan Khan) or to anybody and therefore, the applicant is entitled to be released on bail, the order said. Kumar, the accused no. 17 in the case, was arrested on October 6 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) based on the statement given by co-accused- Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant.

The NCB had claimed to have recovered 2.6 grams of ganja from Kumar's residence. According to the anti-drugs agency, Kumar used to supply ganja and Charas to Aryan Khan and Merchant.

The NCB argued that it had evidence in the form of WhatsApp chats between Kumar and Aryan Khan which show they were dealing in drugs. Kumar's advocate Ashwin Thool had argued that the 22-year-old was innocent and all allegations against him were false and baseless.

Also read: Cruise drugs case: PIL in SC seeks CBI probe, direction to Centre to frame witness protection scheme

The court in its order noted that though the NCB has claimed Kumar was a peddler, it has not stated a single occasion where Kumar acted as a peddler.

It also held that Kumar was put in illegal detention for a day as he was detained from his house on October 5, but was shown as arrested only on October 6.

The court further said there was nothing on record to show that there was any conspiracy between Kumar and Aryan Khan, and when Aryan Khan has been granted bail, then on the ground of parity, Kumar can also be released.

The court, while granting bail to four others who were linked to the event management company Caneplus Trading Pvt Ltd which had organised live shows on the Cordelia cruise, noted that there was nothing placed on record by the NCB to show they had financed or harboured any offenders on the ship.

The four accused were  Samir Sehgal, Gopalji Anand, Manav Singhal and Bhaskar Arora. Of the total 20 people arrested in the case, 14 persons have been so far granted bail. Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were granted bail last week by the Bombay High Court, while the remaining were granted bail by the special NDPS court.

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In November 2004, Congress president Sonia Gandhi fresh from her party's victory in the Lok Sabha elections six months back made one of those rare appearances at a media conclave. Asked to comment on the declining fortunes of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, she announced that some significant remedial measures were in the offing. "Expect some announcement Friday, Saturday or Sunday," she said.

A couple of days later, Salman Khurshid, a known Mulayam Singh Yadav baiter in state politics, was appointed to lead the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. Although Congress extended support to the Samajwadi Party government in UP, it made no bones about its intentions to box Mulayam Singh Yadav into a corner. It set the ball rolling to woo back Muslims who had left the Congress in droves after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.

With nine Lok Sabha members and 25 MLAs to back him in the state, Rahul Gandhi led the Congress charge against the SP government ahead of the 2007 Assembly polls. Promising to "restore the glory" of the state, the Gandhi scion started his "yatra" from Mohan Nagar in Ghaziabad. Media reported, "a large crowd waited at the UP Gate to get a glimpse of Rahul Gandhi whose convoy took three hours to travel a distance of 15kms."

Also Read | UP polls: Congress prepares separate manifesto for women, promises free LPG cylinders, bus rides

Rahul Gandhi did all that an opposition party should to hold the incumbent government to account. But when the election results trickled in, the Congress was further down by three MLAs, winning just 22 seats in the house of 403. Mayawati romped home in the 2007 elections to win a clear majority with 206 seats.

The Congress's efforts, however, bore fruits in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Hurt by Mulayam Singh Yadav's overtures to former chief minister Kalyan Singh, Muslims deserted the SP in pockets. The Congress won 21 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP. It inflicted more misery on the SP when Raj Babbar defeated Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law, wife of his son Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav in the Firozabad Lok Sabha by-poll.

Once again, Congress set out to reclaim its lost glory in the heartland state. This time, under the guidance of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, made in charge of the state. Rolling up his sleeves, Rahul Gandhi marshalled his forces against the state government - this time led by Mayawati. Accusing her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of protecting the corrupt, Congress promised food to the poor by enacting the food security bill.

People were again not convinced, and they found Mayawati's alternative in the Samajwadi Party instead. It projected itself as the "new SP", under Akhilesh Yadav, a party that has turned a new leaf, denying tickets to mafia and musclemen. It succeeded by a fair margin in convincing people and garnering their votes by winning an unprecedented 224 seats. The Congress improved its tally by a mere six seats from 22 to 28.

Also Read | Congress in UP: Has it finally got the Priyanka it needed?

Five years later, in the wilderness after the rout of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress joined hands with the SP to contest in just over a hundred seats. It registered its worst-ever performance in UP since Independence when only 7 of its MLAs could make it to the state legislature. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the election with a massive three-forth majority.

Three intriguing patterns emerge from assessing Congress's UP performances in the last decade and a half. First, on two occasions, at least in 2007 and 2012, the party made a concerted bid to reclaim its position in the state polity. Backed by its central government, it challenged the incumbent in power. It tried to hold both Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati accountable as chief ministers. The party sought to woo back some of the constituencies it had lost to Mandal parties. Yet, people did not see it as a credible alternative in the reckoning.

The main opposition party - the BSP in 2007 and SP in 2012 - mobilised resentment against the governments in both cases. The 2012 election results are all the more telling. Just two years back, the same state had elected 22 Congress MPs to the Lok Sabha. A rough conversion of the Lok Sabha seats into assembly segments would show Congress led in more than a hundred MLA seats in 2009. In 2012, it could win a mere 28. The electorate voted for the Congress in more significant numbers when they could see that the party could form the government at the Centre because of its ability to win elsewhere in the country. Ten years later, even this perception lies shattered in the face of two consecutive and comprehensive drubbings in the Lok Sabha polls.

Also REad | Priyanka Gandhi a storm that will help Congress sweep UP polls: Ajay Kumar Lallu

Has the electorate started perceiving the Congress as a party of absentee landlords who would return to the field only at the time of an electoral harvest? The SP and BSP appear to have heavily invested in the state, and its leaders operate out of Lucknow. It is precisely this reason that Narendra Modi decided to contest from Varanasi in 2014. The Congress, on the other hand, seemed to be more headquarter centric. The high command model worked well for Congress until it had an organisational bulwark to back the central leadership operating out of Delhi. The party also had strong second rung leadership to influence the outcome at the local level, and the Congress in 2022 has neither.

This is why political observers view the party's renewed bid to regain its prime position under Priyanka Gandhi with great interest. The Congress general secretary in charge of the state has made active interventions in the last six months. She has travelled far and wide, meeting farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, challenging Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur and promising 40 per cent tickets to women in the Assembly polls next year.

Also Read | BJP pushes brand Modi in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

Will this translate into votes?

Congress's last-mile sprint can impact the electioneering and possibly the outcome in the following ways. The party's aggressive campaign could wean away from the SP, a section of the anti-government votes, and it would have otherwise gone to the main opposition party, the SP. This division of votes hurts the SP and helps the BJP.

Or, as in 2007 and 2012, the Congress ends up amplifying the anti-establishment chorus but may again get elbowed out to a supplementary role with electoral benefits accruing to the party, which the electorate sees as best placed to challenge the ruling BJP. If this is how the electorate perceives the polity, then the SP stands to benefit.

Congress does not have either the committed cadre, organisation, or vote in UP to ensure that the ideologically inclined voters will vote in favour of the party irrespective of the possible outcome. If it is not seen as a serious challenger to the BJP, the voters searching for an alternative would instead go with someone in the reckoning.

(The writer is a journalist)
In a recent essay on great-power competition and climate change, Rob Litwak, an arms control expert at the Wilson Center, recalled a question that President Ronald Reagan posed to Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, after they took a walk during their 1985 Lake Geneva summit.

As Gorbachev put it later: President Reagan suddenly said to me, What would you do if the United States were suddenly attacked by someone from outer space? Would you help us?

I said, No doubt about it. 

He said, We too. 

So thats interesting, Gorbachev concluded.

It sure is, because its not at all clear, given the recent upsurge in raw great-power competition, that Russia, China or America would help one another in the face of an invasion of space aliens threatening us all. Litwaks point in retelling that story, of course, is that today we are facing a similar, world-stressing threat  not from space aliens but from a much more familiar and once seemingly benign force: our climate.

Global warming is challenging every nation with more extreme weather, wildfires and sea level rise and once-in-a-century storms coming much more frequently. Unlike with a space alien, though, theres zero possibility of negotiating with Mother Nature. She does only whatever chemistry, biology and physics dictate, and she has no clue or interest in where the borders of Russia, America or China stop and start. Shes got the whole wide world in her hands  as she demonstrated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yet neither Chinas president, Xi Jinping, nor Russias president, Vladimir Putin, is attending the Glasgow climate summit in person with President Joe Biden and many other world leaders that opened Sunday. And even more important, The Washington Post reported last week that some in the Chinese leadership want to resist any substantial cooperation with America on climate issues until the United States dials down its pressure on China over human rights, Hong Kong, Taiwan, trade and a range of other issues.

Also read: Astronomers seek evidence of tech built by aliens

Weve never seen this tactic before from Beijing: Well clean our air, but only if you let us buzz Taiwans airspace and choke off the air of freedom in Hong Kong.

A senior US official told me that there is actually a lot of division in Beijing right now on the wisdom of this sort of wolf-warrior diplomatic strategy on climate, which is being pushed by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. There are definitely other Chinese leaders who want to collaborate with Washington and understand that on climate, we sink or swim together. Still, even a hint of this sort of planet-Earth-hostage-taking strategy by some senior Chinese officials is very troubling and needs to be called out.

The window for humanity to avoid unmanageable climate change is narrowing, Litwak noted in his Wilson Center essay. China, the United States and Russia are, respectively, the first, second and fourth largest carbon emitters. Yet at the precise historical juncture when unprecedented global cooperation is necessary to forestall catastrophe, the world is on the brink of unconstrained geostrategic competition. Indeed, US relations with Russia and China are the worst they have been since the end of the Cold War.

There is never a good time for a great-power conflict. And weve already seen how deadly the lack of global cooperation in the face of Mother Natures Covid-19 stressor has been. But this is even more dangerous. A shootout between the United States and China over Taiwan or between NATO and Russia over Ukraine  just as human-made climate change is putting a gun to all of our heads  would be insane. But its a real possibility.

What we need instead of an arms race or a space race is an Earth race  a great-power competition over which country is rising fastest and farthest to enable a world of net-zero carbon emissions so men and women can thrive here on Earth. Id love to see Biden do a real throw down to Xi and Putin in his speech in Glasgow for that race.

Biden could say: I know that climate change is a global problem and that if we clean our air and you dont clean yours, there is no way to solve it. But were not going to use that as an excuse, or let our oil and coal industries use that as an excuse, to do nothing until you do. Because there are 7.9 billion people on the planet today and by 2030, there will be 600 million more. That means that, climate change or no climate change, just having that many more people to feed, house and transport will guarantee that clean power, clean water and energy-efficient buildings and cars will be the next great global industry. Otherwise, well all choke on pollution. So if you all want to keep burning coal and give our clean industries a five-year head start in the next great global industry, make my day. Myself, I am going to declare Americas intention to win the Earth race, to make America the first country to invent and deploy the most clean-power technologies and drive them down the cost curve so that everyone on the planet can afford them.

Challenging China and Russia over who can produce the most tools for global resilience, not just resistance, is a way for America to reclaim some moral leadership on the world stage and focus our economy, and our competitors, on the most important industries of the future. Unless we humans want to be a bad biological experiment, a zero-carbon grid, zero-emissions transportation, zero-carbon/zero-net-energy buildings and zero-waste manufacturing indeed will  and must  be the next great global industry.

And by the way, while Russia is currently not a player in that competition, I would not bet against China.

Hal Harvey, who runs the climate analytics firm Energy Innovation and helps to advise governments on clean energy transitions, notes that the United States has set out a very clear goal of when it wants to get to a net-zero carbon-emitting economy  2050  and Biden is now trying to fill in the details with specific plans. Alas, without a single vote of support from Republicans.

China, by contrast, Harvey added, is building incredibly detailed plans on how to decarbonize, which Beijing could scale up very quickly  but it has been less detailed in setting hard dates for fulfilment.

Since Xi right now is focused on keeping the Chinese economy growing while he tries to lock in his third term as president, he is not going to do anything to curb growth in China in ways that could sap his popularity. So China will keep burning a lot of coal for a while. But dont be fooled: Beijing is also building huge amounts of solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power. Its game on.

As long as both countries keep focused on the Earth race, it almost doesnt matter which one wins, because together they will drive down the costs of clean power for everyone. If they slow down or get diverted, though, we may wish for some space aliens to take us to their planet.

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Tommy Thomas, who is basically from Kerala, likes to identify himself as a Kannadiga. He is well known as Naa Kannadiga in the district.

He attends Kannada programmes without fail, with a Kannada flag in his open vehicle. He has written the slogan Naa Kannadiga on his vehicle.

Tommy is an employee at a resort. He speaks to the tourists arriving at the resort about the significance of the Kannada language and teaches Kannada to those who do not know the language.

A part of his earning is reserved for his endeavours towards the Kannada language.

He is currently based in Injilagere near Siddapura and has named his house Naa Kannadiga Mane.

He has been teaching Kannada to the migrant labourers from other states who are coming to Kodagu for work, in large numbers.

On November 1, he invites non-Kannada speakers to his place and celebrates Kannada Habba.

The local people who have a different mother tongue, say that they have been using Kannada in their daily lives, owing to the influence of Tommy Thomass love for Kannada.

Tommy is also the president of Virajpet Taluk Janapada Parishat. He has been providing Kannada books and dictionaries to learners.

He visits the government schools in the border areas of Kodagu, to create awareness of the Kannada language.

Tommy Thomas is a music enthusiast and an entire floor of his house is filled with old and new musical instruments that he has collected.

Even though my mother tongue is Malayalam, Karnataka has provided me shelter. Kannada is the language of my daily bread. Everyone should take pride in the land one is living in. Therefore, I have been spreading knowledge of Kannada, which is gathering good response, he said.
Actor Puneeth Rajkumar who passed away on Friday after a massive heart attack has helped four patients see.

The actor's eyes were donated on Friday afternoon in keeping with his father's promise. Dr Rajkumar had pledged back in 1994 that all his family members' eyes will be donated after their deaths.

Usually, two corneas from a deceased individual are transplanted into two corneal blind patients. But in case of actor Puneeth Rajkumar, his eyes benefited four patients. His corneas were sliced into four parts. The front portions went to two different patients and the rear ends went to two other patients.

"This is a first for us. We went out of our way to use his corneal tissues to the maximum to honour the contributions made by his family," said Dr Bhujang Shetty, Founder-Chairman, Narayana Nethralaya, which runs Dr Rajkumar Eye Bank, to which the actor's corneas were donated.

"The limbal stem cells around the rim of the actor's donated eyes have been sent to the lab. These cells will be grown and can be used in people who have corneal burns, and corneal damage due to chemicals. Such injuries may happen during Deepavali celebrations," Shetty added.

The four patients  a woman and three men  are doing well after surgery. The four transplants were done on Saturday between 10 am and 6 pm, and almost 48 hours post-operation, the patients are recovering well, he said.

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People Before Profit's Shaun Harkin thanked Derry's arts and hospitality workers for making last weekend's Halloween celebrations a success but insisted that the Executive give them a proper 'thank you'.

The return of a public Samhain event to the city brought the people back on to the street as the fireworks, ghouls, spooks and all-round excitement had folk already looking forward to next year's festival.

Cllr Harkin, who represents the Foyleside ward, said the success was due to the hard work put in by those employed in Derry's arts and hospitality sectors  both of whom have been financially hit by the Covid pandemic.

While those sectors are deserving of the gratitude being expressed by the city of Derry today, Cllr Harkin insists they should receive proper reward in the way of getting its fair share of funding from the Stormont Executive.

He said: Halloween in Derry is something special. The return of large-scale Halloween events brought joy to people across the entire Derry and Strabane District and for visitors from near and far.

We want to thank everyone who played a role in this success. We want to particularly thank our arts and hospitality workers.

Workers in both of these sectors have had a very difficult time during the pandemic with little support in place or offered.

Our arts and culture workers bring a tremendous amount of expertise, passion and imagination to a wide variety of events in the city centre and in our communities.

This talent and community involvement has put Derry on the global Halloween map.

Arts workers here are often expected to work on a shoestring budget.

There is finally recognition at Stormont that the arts and culture sector in Derry and the North West doesn't receive it's fair share of funding.

This massive imbalance that's been long identified by people here must now be properly addressed.

Our hospitality workers are often the unsung heroes of Derry's Halloween and festival success.

Workers in hospitality are demanding a new deal of better wages and conditions. Employers should heed trade union demands to end the underpay of young people by embracing equal pay for equal work.

The Tories and Stormont Executive have already made it clear they can't be trusted to 'build back better' for the vast majority of people. This appears to apply to elites only.

The only way we can genuinely 'level-up' is through collective organisation and by backing up demands with people power.
Ballymagroarty residents have voiced their support for new housing plans that will see the neighbourhood extended with the construction of 70 new homes in the area.

House builder, BW Social Affordable Housing (BW)  part of the Braidwater Group  welcomed residents from the area to an information session as part of a public consultation regarding amended plans for the new housing development.

The session took place last October at the Hazelbank and Ballymagroarty Community Centre and it was an opportunity for both BW to present details on the extension of the neighbourhood and for residents to ask questions and to express any concerns.

The revised proposals, which received overwhelming support from residents, include the residential development of roughly 70 new homes for the area with associated open space that includes a new community parkland.

The new parkland, which existing residents will have access to, will include a 5k walking loop dotted with trim trails, outdoor exercise equipment and rest areas.

This new development is proposed for lands north of Aileach Road, Ennis Place, John Field Place, Rafferty Close, MacNeice Close and Magill Court.

BW has said that they hope the new development will be an enhancement of the existing neighbourhood in Ballymagroarty and will address the demand for housing, particularly in the west bank of Derry.

Vincent Bradley from BW said: Our drop-in information session was a great success.

We are grateful for all those who attended, and to the Ballymagroarty and Hazelbank Community Partnership who allowed us the use of their centre as a venue to host residents.

The event was a good example of meaningful public engagement, and it was important to hold this session to let residents in the area know that we have been addressing their concerns regarding the proposals and to take on board their feedback.

We believe that these new homes to be built with a community parkland will be an exciting enhancement of the existing Ballymagroarty neighbourhood, and we thank residents for their feedback on our plans.

For those who couldnt attend the recent information session, BW says they can contact them with any questions about the extension by emailing: enquiries@bwltd.com
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2: Kartik Aaryan unveils Kiaras first look with a hilarious post; latters reaction will leave you in splits

Fans are eagerly waiting to see Bollywood heartthrob Kartik Aaryan and the gorgeous Kiara Advani shine together on the big screen in their much awaited horror comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Also starring Tabu in a pivotal role, the film is slated to hit theatres in March next year. While the lead stars romantic stills along with posters featuring Kartik have taken the internet by storm, Kiaras first look was kept under wraps until last night. But the cat is now out of the bag!

View this post on Instagram A post shared by KARTIK AARYAN (@kartikaaryan)

On the occasion of Halloween, Kartik took to his official social media handle to share a picture of himself, dressed up as a tantric. He is sitting next to an elderly individual who is holding a clapperboard of the film, and the caption of this post reads: @kiaraaliaadvani in her Halloween outfit. What a dedicated actor. Well, Kiara was one step ahead! She shared a hilarious response to the post on her Instagram story, which is sure to leave you in splits. Kiara wrote: Hahahaha why have you revealed my film look.

To this, Kartik had a funny reply. He stated: Everyone should see how well you're ageing. Well, Kartik and Kiaras social media banter proves they had a great time shooting for the horror comedy. We can only imagine how amazing they will look together when the film finally arrives on the silver screen. Cant wait!
Shilpa Shetty turns into a zombie bride on Halloween 2021; scares fans with her spooky look

Bollywood diva Shilpa Shetty channeled her spooky side as she turned into a 'zombie bride' for Halloween 2021. Taking to her Instagram handle, Shilpa shared a reel video of herself in which she could be seen revealing her extremely spooky look for this year's Halloween.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty)

Shilpa could be seen unveiling her face from her 'zombie bride' look that made her unrecognizable. Sharing the video, Shilpa wrote, "Happy HaLLowEen... #halloween2021 #boo." The post went viral within a few minutes of being posted and accumulated thousands of likes on the photo-sharing platform.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty)

Shilpa is one of the most active celebrities on social media. She took a little break from the virtual world after her husband Raj Kundra was arrested in the porn racket case. The Hungama 2 actor recently celebrated her first Karva Chauth after Raj was granted bail in the porn racket case. The couple ceremoniously tied the knot on November 22, 2009, following a big fat wedding function in Khandala. Shilpa and Raj are parents to two children, eight-year-old Viaan Raj Kundra and one-year-old daughter Samisha Shetty Kundra.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Shilpa was recently seen as a judge at the reality show Super Dancer 4, alongside Geeta Kapur and Anurag Basu. The reality show had its last episode aired on 9 October 2021.
Minister Coveney visits Middle East

Press release

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, T.D., begins a four-day working visit to the Middle East tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd November), traveling to Israel, Palestine and Jordan.

The Minister will travel first to Israel and Palestine, his fifth such visit as Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Ministers itinerary includes a wide range of engagements in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ramallah including meetings with senior political leaders, UN officials and civil society representatives.

The Minister will also visit communities in the West Bank to hear directly about the challenges that they face and how Irish Aid funding is supporting humanitarian actors to respond to their needs.

The Minister will travel on to Jordan, where he will officially open Irelands new Embassy alongside the Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi. Since its establishment in 2019, the Embassy has deepened Irelands footprint in the region and strengthened links between Ireland and Jordan. The Minister will also meet with refugee communities, humanitarian actors and business representatives.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Minister Coveney said:

During this visit I will meet with a range of Israeli and Palestinian political leaders, representatives of UN agencies and civil society. I will speak clearly and frankly about negative trends, including violence, demolitions, evictions, and settlement activity that are causing ongoing suffering and threaten to erode the prospect of a negotiated two State solution. In the past week we have seen further negative developments in terms of settlement activity and civil society space which I have spoken out against. I will use this opportunity to again convey my concerns and call for the end of such acts.

In Jordan, I am delighted to be officially opening our new Embassy alongside Minister Safadi, an important milestone in the deepening of ties between our two countries. Jordan is an important partner in the region and I look forward to discussing a broad spectrum of issues, including bilateral relations and trade, the Syrian conflict, the Middle East Peace Process, and the challenges facing the wider region.

ENDS

Press Office

01 Nov 2021

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The Amazon Great Indian Festival 2021 sale has now reached its final days and it is the best time to purchase thin and light laptops at discounts. Amazon India has teamed up with ICICI and Kotak Bank to give additional discounts to customers on transactions. You can get extra cash backs, and discounts on purchases made on Amazon India on thin light laptop deals.

You can get added benefits like exciting exchange offers and discounted prices as well as cashbacks up to Rs 25000. Here are the best deals on thin and light laptops on Amazon India.

HP Chromebook 14-inch

Price  Rs 29,741.00

Deal Price - Rs 26,990.00

HP Chromebook is supported by Google Assistant which makes it work faster. You can simply ask your Google Assistant to ask questions, set reminders, play videos, and more. control your home and more. Powered by Chrome OS the notebook will receive automatic software updates. Powered by a Celeron N4020 processor it can execute most tasks easily. You can easily open your favourite apps from Google Play like Google Drive, Gmail, YouTube, Evernote, etc. on the laptop. it is one of the best slim laptops for sale. View deal here.

Dell 14 (2021) i3-1005G1 Thin & Light Laptop

Price  Rs 41,586.00

Deal Price - Rs 41,586.00

Dell 14 (2021) Thin & Light i3-1005G1 Laptop runs on 10th Generation Intel Core i3-1005G1 Processor. It has 4GB RAM and 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive+1TB 5400 rpm 2.5" SATA Hard Drive storage. The laptop has a 14.0-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare LED Backlight display and runs on Windows 10 Home Single Language OS. It is available at the best price on Amazon India. View deal here.

HP 15 (2021) Gen Core i3 Thin & Light 11th Laptop

Price  Rs 45,999.00

Deal Price  Rs 41,990.00

HP 15 (2021) Thin & Light 11th Gen Core i3 Laptop is powered by 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor with 8 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (2 x 4 GB) RAM. The phone has 1 TB 5400RPM SATA HDD for all your storage needs. The laptop has a 15.6-inch FHD IPS anti-glare micro-edge WLED-backlit display and Intel UHD Graphics. Pre-loaded with Windows 10 Home OS and is upgradeable to Windows 11 OS. View deal here.

ASUS VivoBook 14 (2021)

Price  Rs 51,990.00

Deal Price  Rs 39,990.00

ASUS VivoBook 14 (2021) laptop is powered by 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor with 8GB (4GB onboard + 4GB SO-DIMM) RAM. The laptop is upgradeable up to 12GB RAM using a 1x SO-DIMM Slot. It has 256 GB storage and comes with integrated Intel UHD Graphics. The laptop has an excellent 14-Inch (35.56 cms) LED-Backlit LCD and an 82% Screen-To-Body Ratio. Pre-loaded with Windows 10 Home OS it comes with lifetime validity. Amazon India offers the best prices on laptops during the Great Indian Festival sale. View deal here.

HP 15 10th Gen Intel Core i3 Thin and Light laptop

Price  Rs 43,090.00

Deal Price  Rs 39,490.00

HP 15 10th Gen Intel Core i3 Thin and Light laptop is powered by 10th Gen Intel Core i3-10110U processor with 8 GB DDR4-2666 MHz RAM upgradeable up to 16 GB. The laptop has a 15.6" diagonal, FHD (1920 x 1080) display and is powered by Intel UHD Graphics. Pre-loaded with Windows 10 Home with lifetime validity, the laptop can handle most tasks with ease. View deal here.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 10th Gen Intel Core i3 laptop

Price  Rs 55,890.00

Deal Price  Rs 35,990.00

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 10th Gen Intel Core i3 laptop runs on 10th Gen Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor. It comes pre-Loaded with Windows 10 Home with Lifetime Validity and is upgradeable to Windows 11. It has 8GB RAM DDR4-2666, upgradable to 12GB and 256 GB SSD. Powered by Intel UHD 600 Integrated Graphics it can handle most tasks with ease. The laptop has a 15.6" HD (1366x768) display and weighs just 1.85 kgs which makes it very portable. Powered by a 45Wh Battery that laptop can last up to 8 hours on a single charge. It supports rapid charge which charges lasts up to 80% in 1 Hour. View deal here.

HP 15 Ryzen 3 Thin & Light laptop

Price  Rs 46,055.00

Deal Price  Rs 38,990.00

HP 15 Ryzen 3 Thin & Light laptop runs on AMD Ryzen 3 3250U processor with 8 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM expandable up to 16 GB. It has 256 GB SSD storage that is capable of handling all your storage needs. It has a 15.6" diagonal, FHD (1920 x 1080) display and runs AMD Radeon Graphics. Pre-loaded with Windows 10 Home with lifetime validity, the laptop is upgradeable to Windows 11. View deal here.
Subscriber content preview

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel said Friday its hope to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv to demand action ahead of this week's U.N. summit on climate change.

As a small country, Israel contributes little to global warming, but officials say it has much to offer the world in terms of green technologies. Israel, which has already had to adapt to life in a parched region, is widely considered a world leader in areas such as solar energy storage, sustainable protein alternatives, agriculture technology and desalination.





. . .
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SEATTLE  The Village Green Apartments, at 5115 24th Ave. N.E., sold for almost $7.1 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Tobin Properties LLC, a family group that had owned the property for decades.





. . .
Harrisonburg, VA (22801)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 47F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 28F. Winds light and variable.
Facebook rebrands itself as Meta; broadens reach to new areas

American multinational technology conglomerate holding company Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta, which, the company said, would better "encompass" what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality.

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg announced the rebranding as he unveiled plans to build a "metaverse" - an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.

Meta offers other products and services, including Facebook Messenger, Facebook Watch, and Facebook Portal. It has also acquired Giphy and Mapillary, and has a 9.99 per cent stake in Jio Platforms.

He said the existing brand could not "possibly represent everything that we're doing today, let alone in the future", and needed to change.

The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them.

The move follows a series of negative stories about Facebook, based on documents leaked by an ex-employee, Frances Haugen, who has accused the company of putting "profits over safety".

"Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we're building towards," Zuckerberg told a virtual conference.

"We're now looking at and reporting on our business as two different segments, one for our family of apps, and one for our work on future platforms.

"And as part of this, it is time for us to adopt a new company brand to encompass everything that we do, to reflect who we are and what we hope to build."

The company also unveiled a new sign at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Thursday, replacing its thumbs-up "Like" logo with a blue infinity shape.

Zuckerberg said the new name reflects that over time, users will not need to use Facebook to use the company's other services.

The word "meta" comes from the Greek word meaning "beyond".

To an outsider, a metaverse may look like a version of VR, but some people believe it could be the future of the internet.

Instead of being on a computer, people in a metaverse might use a headset to enter a virtual world connecting all sorts of digital environments.

It is hoped the virtual world could be used for practically anything from work, play and concerts, to socialising with friends and family.

Facebook said it intends to start trading its shares under the new stock ticker MVRS from 1 December.
Google parent Alphabet reports $18.9 billion Q3 profit

Google's parent company Alphabet on Tuesday announced that its profit for the July-September 2021 quarter jumped to $18.9 billion, even as the internet giant faced increased regulatory pressure amidst shifting of the lockdown lifestyles that have benefited technology companies.

Alphabets revenue for the July-September 2021 quarter increased by 41 per cent year-on-year to $65.1 billion on the back of a spurt in revenue from online ads and cloud services, according to a regulatory filing by the company.

Google, like other online giants  Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon  continues to be a centre of online activity, with offerings such as its search engine, ad marketplace, and YouTube video platform that give it extensive global influence. Twitter, however, reported a large loss due to a shareholder lawsuit settlement

"This quarter's results show how our (artificial intelligence) investments are enabling us to build more helpful products for people and our partners," said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google.

"As the digital transformation and shift to hybrid work continue, our Cloud services are helping organisations collaborate," he added.

From July to September, its video service sold $7.2 billion of advertising space targeted according to content and users, against $5 billion in the same period last year, according to Alphabet.

Its remote-computing business saw nearly $5 billion in revenue, up 45 per cent over the previous year.

But, with 28.6 per cent of the global digital advertising market in 2021, Google's main revenue source remain advertising, ahead of Facebook's 23.7 per cent share,according to eMarketer.

Google, however, faces increased scrutiny from regulators and criticism from smaller rivals about unfair domination of the markets by fending off competition.

South Korea's antitrust watchdog fined Google nearly $180 million in September for abusing its dominance in the mobile operating systems and app markets, it said, the latest in a series of regulatory moves against tech giants around the world.

Google also reportedly faces the threat of a new antitrust lawsuit in the US over its control of the online advertising market.

Google's results came the same day that Microsoft announced a quarterly earnings surge to $20.5 billion on the back of rising demand for cloud computing. Revenue jumped 22 per cent from the last quarter last year to $43.5 billion.

Facebook announced a 17 per cent jump in its profit for the third quarter to $9.2 billion amidst a spike in the number of users to 2.91 billion.

Twitter, remained an exception, registering a $537 million net loss in the quarter after settling a lawsuit alleging investors were misled about slowing user growth, although its revenues rose sharply with robust ad sales growth.

While much of the gains in finances of the internet companies can be attributed to the pandemic related restrictions, much of the business potential of the web firms still remain untapped.
Tata Motors to raise $1 bn from TPG Rise Climate for new EV unit

Tata Motors Ltd (TML) on Tuesday said it has entered into a binding greement with US-based equity financing group TPG, whereby the latter, through its climate-focused subsidiary TPG Rise Climate along with its co-investor ADQ will invest Rs7,500 crore in a newly-incorporated subsidiary of Tata Motors.

Abu Dhabi sovereign fund ADQ is one of the regions largest holding companies with direct and indirect investments in more than 90 companies locally and internationally. Both an asset owner and investor, ADQs broad portfolio of major enterprises span key sectors of a diversified economy, including energy and utilities, food and agriculture, healthcare and pharma, and mobility and logistics, amongst others.

TPG Rise Climate and its partner will invest Rs7,500-crore through compulsorily convertible instruments to secure between 11 and 15 per cent stake in the new company, which will have an equity valuation of up to $9.1 billion.

We intend to move into an investment phase (for the EV company) in the next 3-4 years and the business should go cash-positive thereafter, Balaji added.

Tata Motors has offered TPG flexible exit routes from its new electric vehicle unit. The options include a stake buyout by Tata Motors and even an initial public offering (IPO).

All options are available to the investors. Right from Tata Motors buying them out to bringing in a third-party investor. Or we swap (the stake) into Tata Motors or merge it into Tata Motors or an IPO. It is a pretty flexible option structure. We can work together with them and make it happen. PB Balaji, chief financial officer, Tata Motors, said.

The new company will leverage all existing investments and capabilities of Tata Motors Ltd and will channelise the future investments into electric vehicles, dedicated BEV platforms, advanced automotive technologies and catalyse investments in charging infrastructure and battery technologies. Over the next 5 years, this company will create a portfolio of 10 EVs and in association with Tata Power Ltd, catalyse the creation of a widespread charging infrastructure to facilitate rapid EV adoption in India.

I am delighted to have TPG Rise Climate join us in our journey to create a market-shaping electric passenger mobility business in India. We will continue to proactively invest in exciting products that delights customers while meticulously creating a synergistic ecosystem. We are excited and committed to play a leading role in the Governments vision to have 30 per cent electric vehicles penetration rate by 2030, N Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Motors Ltd, commented.

We are excited to partner with Tata Motors on their mission to lead the electrification of passenger mobility in India. There is significant momentum around Indias EV movement, supported by the governments vision and policies, as well as growing consumer demand for greener solutions. The investment aligns with TPG Rise Climates focus on decarbonised transport and builds on TPGs long history in India. Jim Coulter, managing partner of TPG Rise Climate and founding partner of TPG, commented.

Tata Motors is considering born electric platforms for the next seven products it has planned. Born electric models are those that are built as EVs from scratch. The EVs that Tata Motors has on sale today were originally built to be powered by internal combustion engines.

With just two EV models, Nexon and Tigor (two variants), Tata Motors is the leader in the passenger EV segment with a market share of 71 per cent. The company is clocking more than 1,000 units in EV sales every month. During FY21, the EV business clocked revenues of Rs500-600 crore.

Over the next five years, the new company will create a portfolio of 10 EVs and in association with Tata Power Ltd, catalyse the creation of widespread charging infrastructure to facilitate rapid EV adoption in India.

It is expected that the first round of capital infusion will be completed by 22 March and the entire funds will be infused by end of 2022.

Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan are the joint financial advisors to TML, while BofA Securities India Ltd are representing TPG Rise Climate for this transaction.

Khaitan & Co are legal advisors to TML, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and Cleary Gottlieb are legal advisors to TPG Rise for the transaction.

The transaction is subject to conditions precedent and customary approvals, Tata Motors stated in a release.
Govt carves out 7 new defence companies from ordnance units

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dedicated to the nation seven new defence companies, carved out of a restructured Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), which, he said, would form a strong base for the military strength of the country in times to come.

Addressing the nation on Vijay Dashmi day, when the nation worships arms and ammunition as per the tradition, Modi said, we see power as a medium of creation, adding that with the same spirit, the nation is moving towards strength.

He also paid tributes to late President APJ Abdul Kalam and said that Dr Kalam dedicated his life to the cause of a strong nation and said that restructuring of Ordnance Factories and creation of 7 companies will give strength to his dream of strong India. New defence companies are a part of the various resolutions which the nation is pursuing to build a new future for the country during this Amrit Kaal of Indias independence, he added.

The prime minister said that the decision of creating these companies was stuck a long time ago, and expressed the belief these 7 new companies would form a strong base for the military strength of the country in the times to come. Noting the glorious past of Indian ordnance factories, the prime minister commented that upgradation of these companies was ignored in the post-independence period, leading to the countrys dependence on foreign suppliers for its needs.

To enhance functional autonomy, efficiency and unleash new growth potential and innovation, the government has decided to convert the Ordnance Factory Board from a government department into seven 100 per cent government-owned corporate entities, as a measure to improve self-reliance and defence preparedness of the country. Accordingly, 7 new defence companies were incorporated, namely:

Munitions India Limited (MIL),

Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVANI),

Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWE India),

Troop Comforts Limited (TCL),

Yantra India Limited (YIL),

India Optel Limited (IOL), and

Gliders India Limited (GIL).

These 7 defence companies will play a major role in changing this situation, he said.

He also mentioned that these new companies would play an important role in import substitution, in line with the vision of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. An order book of more than Rs65,000 crore reflect the increasing confidence of the country in these companies, he added.

He recalled the various initiatives and reforms undertaken in the recent past that have created Trust, Transparency and Technology driven approach in the defence sector like never before. Today, private and public sector are working hand in hand in the mission of national security, he added. He cited Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Defence Corridors as examples of the new approach. He noted that as new opportunities are emerging for the youth and MSME, the country is seeing the result of policy changes in the recent years. Our defence export has increased by 325 per cent in last five years, he added.

He mentioned that it is our target that our companies not only establish expertise in their products but also become a global brand. He urged that while competitive cost is our strength, quality and reliability should be our identity. He further mentioned that in the 21st century, growth and brand value of any nation or any company is determined by its R&D and innovation. He appealed to the new companies that research and innovation should be a part of their work culture, so that they just dont catch up but take lead in future technologies. This restructuring would provide more autonomy to the new companies to nurture innovation and expertise and the new companies should encourage such talent, he added. He urged the start-ups to become a part of this new journey through these companies to leverage the research and expertise of each other.

He mentioned that the government has given these new companies not only a better production environment but also complete functional autonomy. He reiterated that the government has also ensured that the interests of the employees are fully protected.
PM launches Kushinagar International Airport in UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched the Kushinagar International Airport, as he welcomed the first flight from Sri Lankan with a delegation which landed at the airport. The prime minister said the facility is a tribute to the devotion of Buddhists around the world.

The Kushinagar airport will directly connect the region that is witness to the entire journey from the enlightenment of Lord Buddha to Mahaparinirvana to the world outside, the prime minister said.

He highlighted the special focus on the development of the places associated with Lord Buddha through better connectivity and the creation of facilities for the devotees.

The airport will serve nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and is an important step in boosting the investment and employment opportunities in the region. By enhancing the development of a Buddhist theme-based circuit, the airport will cut short the journey in Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Shravasti, Rajgir, Sankisa, and Vaishali circuit. Direct air routes with South Asian countries will make it easier for tourists coming from Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore, etc., to reach the rich heritage site.

Paying tribute to Maharshi Valmiki on his Jayanti today, the prime minister said the country is marching on the path of `Sabka Vikas with the help of `Sabka Satha and `Sabka Prayas. Development of Kushinagar is one of the key priorities of the UP and central governments, he said.

The prime minister said that tourism in all its forms, whether for faith or for leisure, needs modern infrastructure complete with rail, road, airways, waterways, hotels, hospitals, internet connectivity, hygiene, sewage treatment and renewable energy ensuring a clean environment. All these are interconnected and it is important to work on all these simultaneously. Twent-first century India is moving ahead with this approach only, the prime minister said.

Modi said that under the UDAN scheme, more than 900 new routes have been approved in the last few years, out of which air service has already started on more than 350 routes. More than 50 new airports or those which were not in service earlier, have been made operational.

The prime minister highlighted the development regarding the aviation sector in Uttar Pradesh as air connectivity is constantly improving in the state. In Uttar Pradesh, 8 airports are already functional before Kushinagar airport. Work is on Jewar International Airport after Lucknow, Varanasi and Kushinagar. Apart from that, airport projects are going on in Ayodhya, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Moradabad and Shravasti.

Referring to the recent decision on Air India, the prime minister remarked that the step will help in running the country's aviation sector professionally and prioritising convenience and safety. This step will give new energy to the aviation sector of India. One such major reform is related to the opening of defence airspace for civil use, he added. This step will reduce the distance on various air routes. The prime minister also conveyed that the recently launched drone policy is going to bring life-changing transformation in the fields ranging from agriculture to health, to disaster management to defence.

He said the recently launched PM Gatishakti - National Master Plan will not only improve governance but also ensure that all modes of transport such as road, rail, air etc should support each other and increase each other's capacity.

Speaking on the occasion, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the Kushinagar airport, spanning over 3,600 sqm, is the ninth airport of the state and is built at a cost of Rs260 crore. The aim is to increase the tourist flow into the state, he sai, adding that the government plans to set up 17 more airports in Uttar Pradesh.

"Under prime minister's vision and guidance, we have successfully set up the Kushinagar International airport. This is the ninth airport in Uttar Pradesh and the government plans to set up 17 more airports in the state in the near future. In the first 70 years of India's independence, only 74 airports were there in the country. Under PM Modi's guidance, the government has successfully inaugurated 54 airports in the last seven years of his governance in the country. With this, 128 airports have been set up in the country," Scindia said while addressing an event in Kushinagar

Scindia added that in order to boost the airways connectivity, "The government has decided to operate direct flights from Delhi airport to Kushinagar airport for four times a week. These operations will start on November 26. We will connect directly with Kolkata and Mumbai airports as well soon."

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the opening of an international airport in Kushinagar will create a plethora of job and tourism prospects in East Uttar Pradesh. Adityanath made the remarks while inspecting preparations in Kushinagar, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inauguration of the airport.

"The airport will bring immense employment and tourism opportunities and Kushinagar is eager to welcome Sri Lankan delegates and PM Modi on Wednesday. We will be able to send the message of international friendship and compassion to Lord Buddha, all over the world," he said.

PM Modi has begun his tour to Uttar Pradesh on October 20 by inaugurating the Kushinagar International Airport, followed by a programme at the Buddhist site of Mahaparinirvana stupa and temple. He will also visit the exhibition of Ajanta fresco paintings, Buddhist Sutra calligraphy, and Buddhist artefacts. Following that, he will lay the foundation for Rajkiya Medical College, followed by the foundation for 12 other development projects worth Rs180 crore.
Stripe acquires Bangalore-based Recko to expand its payment services portfolio

Stripe, the San Francisco-based $95 billion fintech, is acquiring Recko, which has built a platform that lets businesses track and automate payments reconciliation, covering both outgoing and incoming payments and the full ecosystem of inbound and outbound payment sources and receivers.

Bangalore-based Recko will be Stripes first acquisition in India when the acquisition officially closes after meeting customary closing conditions.

Like Stripe itself, Recko leans heavily on APIs to integrate and work with different data sources and this will be another acquisition to expand the services it offers alongside its core payments product.

Stripe did not disclose the terms of the deal.

Recko had raised about $7 million prior to this, with investors, including Vertex Ventures, Prime Venture Partners and a number of individuals, including Taavet Hinirikus, the co-founder and former CEO of Wise.

Recko has been seeing a lot of traction internationally, with Deliveroo, Meesho and PharmEasy among its wider list of customers.

Stripe plans to integrate Recko into its wider payments stack, but also notes that existing Recko users will be able to continue using it as before.

The acquisition is the latest move from Stripe to expand its services portfolio beyond basic payments, thereby increasing revenue from existing customers as well as new customers.

Earlier this year, Stripe acquired Bouncer to integrate card authentication and TaxJar to bring in automatic sales tax tools. Other international acquisitions included Paystack in Nigeria and Touchtech in Ireland, which helped expand its network of territories and tap into local expertise in those markets.

Other features and products launched by Stripe to cover other aspects of the payments process include revenue recognition, billing and invoicing services.

Stripes moves aare part of a bigger consolidation in the world of fintech where stronger players have emerged covering the entire range of payments ecosystem.

Payments reconciliation shouldnt be a mild headache that balloons into a migraine as a company growsit should be an easy, highly automated process, said Will Gaybrick, Stripes chief product officer, in a blog post announcing the deal. Stripe helps millions of businesses around the world streamline their revenue managementfrom subscriptions and invoicing to revenue recognition and bookkeeping. With Recko, well automate their payments reconciliation, a critical input into their overall financial health.

For Recko, its a window to scaling in a way that would have been more challenging on its own, aligned with one of the bigger and interesting privately-held companies out there challenging the established players in financial services.

Joining Stripe is a perfect next chapter for Recko, and we cant wait to help grow the GDP of the internet by removing the burden of reconciliation complexity, commented Saurya Prakash Sinha, CEO and co-founder of Recko, in a statement. Internet businesses need tools that can scale with their growth and automate the tasks required to produce an accurate picture of their financial health.
According to new research conducted by the Irish Cancer Society, a childhood cancer diagnosis can cost an average of 15,300 to Irish families.

There are also additional hidden expenses added to that figure.

On average, 200 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in Ireland.

The Irish Cancer Society has released a report titled 'The Real Cost of Childhood and Adolescent Cancer' which includes survey findings from Core Research of 100 parents and guardians of a child who have experienced a childhood cancer diagnosis.

According to the research, it shows there are significant expenses in addition to the childhood cancer diagnosis, with travel to treatment and costs associated with care.

CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, Averil Power said cancer is distressing at any age, but when a child or an adolescent is diagnosed with the disease, it throws the world off its axis.

"Survival is naturally the most important concern for families, but it is the scale of the financial misery layered on top of such a life-changing diagnosis that is the shocking finding from this research." she added.

Hidden costs for families include childcare, play therapy sessions, and higher phone and broadband bills from spending more time away from home.

Averil said families often have to 'do without' as normal life goes out the window and household bills are left to build, leaving some in the position to use their life savings, take out additional loans, or ask others for financial help.

She said: "These families need more support so they can focus on their child and not have to worry about finances, or navigating their way through complex State supports and welfare entitlements."

The Irish Cancer Society is announcing new and extended supports for families affected by childhood cancer by increasing the Childrens Fund grant to 3,000 and making it easier to access so that more families can be supported through treatment.

Averil said: "We are extending our Volunteer Driver Service to children to help with transport costs, and we're making it easier for families to access our support by establishing an Irish Cancer Society nursing presence in Childrens Health Ireland, Crumlin as well as committing a substantial investment in childrens cancer research."

The Irish Cancer Society is calling for lifetime medical cards to be made available to survivors of childhood cancer, as well as the creation of a dedicated grant to cover non-medical expenses for families.

Roseanna Ruane, the mother of nine-year-old Saoirse Ruane who appeared on the Late Late Toy Show last year, said their family had to 'contend with financial worries at a frightening time'

"I wasn't going to leave her side, but that brought that added worry of how we would survive on one salary. The bills still have to be paid and that's the reality of it all. We were glad to be able to receive help from the Irish Cancer Society at the time, but more absolutely needs to be done to support families through such a difficult period." added Roseanna.

For advice or access to resources provided by the Irish Cancer Society, the Freephone Support Line can be contacted on 1800 200 700.

Donations can be made here.

The Real Cost of Childhood and Adolescent Cancer can be read here.
World leaders are meeting for the COP26 climate change conference today in Glasgow, being warned that failure to take action over climate change is "immoral".

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "It's time to say enough", urging leaders to "Choose ambition. Choose solidarity. Choose to safeguard our future and save humanity."

"Enough of brutalising biodiversity. Enough of killing ourselves with carbon. Enough of treating nature like a toilet. Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper. We are digging our own graves", he added.

Opening the summit, UK leader Boris Johnson said he wants countries to end the use of coal, phase out petrol-powered cars, and reverse deforestation.

But while COP26 will not be the end of climate change, it can and it must mark the beginning of the end



-- UK PM @BorisJohnson speaking at the #COP26 Opening Ceremony.#TogetherForOurPlanet pic.twitter.com/dqeUqsCDQL  COP26 (@COP26) November 1, 2021

US president Joe Biden followed suit in his address where he said climate change is not hypothetical and is destroying peoples lives everyday, but it's possible to create an environment that "raises the standard of living around the world" adding it is a moral and economic imperative to do so.

Top polluters including China, India, Australia and Brazil will be under the spotlight for the duration of the summit which is expected to run until November 12th, with the goal to keep warming limited to 1.5C, or at worst 2C, by 2100, which at the moment is on track for 2.7C - which the UN says would result in "climate catastrophe".

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said the presence of so many leaders is evidence of a growing momentum around the need to address the climate crises.

Referring to the Climate Action Bill he said there was a need for action to match rhetoric which he stated was already happening in Ireland, rejecting the suggestion that Ireland's own record on action for climate change left the Government's rhetoric feeling "hollow".

"I think there's been a step change since the new Government was brought in. We've increased significantly the ambition.

"There will be challenges in implementing that. They don't ring hollow."

The Taoiseach said he believes there has been a "step change" since his Government came into power and said different sectors will have to go further than others in relation to cutting emissions.

Ireland's Climate Action Plan is expected to be published later this week, ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
For more than 90 years, The Eagle-Tribune Santa Fund has assisted those in need in the Merrimack Valley through generous contributions from businesses, organizations and individuals. This year the need is as great as ever.

Contribute
Just after his first week of official practice, new transfer Jesse Miritello persuaded sever
ALTHOUGH Rieleen Bn Ui Dhuinnin is in her happy place creating polymer clay and mixed media jewellery, it was personal loss and grief that spurred her into starting up her own business.

Her love of craft goes back to her South African childhood and naturally extended to play-time in Clondrohid, near Macroom, where she lives with her husband and two children.

I always liked creating stuff and was always doing arts n crafts with my kids, same as my mother did with us.

"My mother actually made stuff with us using polymer clay, which is the main medium Im working with now, she explains.

Rieleen, who is also a yoga teacher, often thought about launching a business to sell her creations, but for a long time allowed self-doubt get in the way of following her dream.

Then Covid changed everything.

As the pandemic hit, I had to gradually stop teaching yoga. Everything had to move online and its just not the same teaching online as it is in person. And also, where were located, its sometimes tricky with internet reception, so it was just something that was not ideal for me to continue, she says.

Then, sadly, her beloved uncle passed away with Covid last January.

It was all very sudden. He was diagnosed at the end of December, went into hospital and passed away in less than ten days.

"He passed on the 5th of January and the day after, in the moment of grief and being overwhelmed, I said, Okay, life is short, Im going to do what I need to do before its too late.

"So on January 6 I started working on Duil in my head and officially launched on February 13.

She says it was important for her to give the business an Irish name (Duil means desire or element) and fortunately, she had no problem with translations as her husband Sean Og O Duinnin was brought up in the Gaeltacht in Coolea and is principal of the all-Irish speaking Scoil Mhuire in Ballingeary.

One of the pieces designed and made by Rieleen Bn Ui Dhuinnin, as part of her Duil jewellery range.

There are three languages floating around their house: Irish, English and Rieleens native Afrikans, and she has even picked up cupla focail along the way.

Living in Ireland was never part of her game-plan, but as John Lennon once said, Life is what happens to you while youre busy making other plans.

Sean Og was previously married but his first wife died suddenly when their baby was just nine weeks old. Au pairs came and went until Rieleen arrived to take up the job in 2011 when the baby was aged two and a half.

It was supposed to be for a few months but we fell in love and ten years later Im still here, she explains.

We got married in 2013 and we had our second child - my first born - in 2018. So I came for work but I stayed for love.

Its a busy household, but Rieleen thrives in the midst of all the natural chaos of family life.

Duil jewellery earings.

My desk is under the stairs in the living room, so Im in the heart of the house, she says.

Rieleen has completed two online courses to help Duil take off; a Start Your Own Business course with LEO South Cork and a marketing course. She literally sets an alarm every week to sit down and make sure all my ducks are in a row when it comes to the business side, whereas she can get happily lost in the creative side.

Rieleens jewellery consists of statement pieces that are hand-made and unique. And when she says unique, she really means it.

Duil jewellery earings.

The most Ive made of a particular piece  like earrings  is ten pairs of the one thing. And each one is not exactly the same either because every flower, leaf or petal is each cut out petal by petal or leaf by leaf and I mould and shape them with my hands, so although similar, nothing is the same.

For myself, I dont like having stuff that a lot of people have, particularly when it comes to fashion or jewellery. When something is unique it intrigues me a little bit more, she says.

Her jewellery is generally very colourful and much of it features flowers.

I love flowers. I have a little bit of an obsession with flowers and plants, she admits.

I love when Im out on a walk or even in my garden, actually looking at a flower and nearly dissecting it to see how it is constructed so I can get inspiration from Mother Nature on how to construct my pieces.

Rieleen says she is still redefining Duil on a regular basis, having originally started off making earrings, and since expanding her repertoire to necklaces, brooches and custom pieces such as bridal jewellery.

She is currently working on canvases which will incorporate polymer clay for artistic wall hangings, and in the New Year she will explore stocking her products in select shops. Right now, she has also been bitten by the festive bug, creating cute Christmas ornaments.

A hair clip made by Rieleen Bn Ui Dhuinnin.

Through her Etsy store, she has fulfilled orders for customers in places like the U.S, Croatia, Denmark, Australia, Spain and Finland, while she is also on the Made In Ireland platform (where people nearby can also choose a local pick-up option). Where possible, she uses Irish suppliers for her raw materials and her packaging is eco-friendly.

More of Rieleen's work.

Happily, she is now teaching yoga part-time in Macroom again and she acknowledges how Duil has brightened her days.

Its definitely something that I feel has built my soul and soothed my soul. Creating something has always been my happy place and the fact that I can do that now every day, its been very good for me, for my mental health, my sanity and stability.

And also good for her customers: I hope that it can bring colour and joy into their lives and they dont have to break the bank to have it.

Find out more at:

www.facebook.com/duil.ireland

www.shopinireland.ie/store/duil-ireland/

www.etsy.com/ie/shop/Duil

www.instagram.com/duil.ireland
Fire crews dealt with several incidents in Cork on Halloween night.

Crews from Ballyvolane, Ballincollig and headquarters attended a fire at a derelict building in Blarney.

The members of the fire brigades battled the blaze for several hours.

There were no injuries reported.

A very busy Halloween was had last night by Red watch 



Crews from Ballyvolane, Ballincollig and HQ, including a water tanker attended a derelict building on fire in Blarney 



Crews battled the fire for several hours and thankfully there were no injuries pic.twitter.com/u7la4hvQI2  Cork City Fire Brigade (@CorkCityFire) November 1, 2021

Crews from around the city were also tasked with responding to a number of other callouts including attending at some bonfires.

Cork City Fire Brigade posted details of the callouts on social media and thanked the public for their support.

It followed a busy Saturday night for Cork City Fire Brigade who attended a number of call-outs including a house fire, road traffic collisions, road hazards, shed fire, rubbish fires, cardiac and ambulance assists.
VISITORS to prisons will not have to produce a Covid vaccine passport  but a review of this is currently underway.

That is according to the Irish Prison Service, as some restrictions around prison visits are being lifted this week.

From Monday, inmates are now entitled to have one family visit per fortnight, of up to 30 minutes long. Prisoners are also being granted a 20-minute video visit per fortnight.

According to the Irish Prison Service, physical visits are limited to two adults and one child under 18. Children must be accompanied by at least one adult.

A statement from the Irish Prison Service said: In order to prevent the potential spread of infection all visits will be behind Perspex screens. Both prisoners and visitors will be required to wear a prison-issued face mask at all times. No physical contact between prisoners and family members will be permitted.

The statement added: Visitors will not be required to produce a vaccination certificate or a certificate of recovery on entry to prison. However, this measure is currently under review.

The Irish Prison Service says that no money can be given to prisoners during visits.

The statement said: Visitors should continue to use the electronic means of sending money. In addition, there will be no exchange of prisoner property on visits. We will continue to keep this under review.

Restrictions on family visits were introduced in March 2020 to help limit the spread of Covid-19 within the prison population, with some restrictions lifted at different times during the pandemic.

Throughout 2020, an average of 1,800 virtual family visits took place across the estate on a weekly basis when physical visits were not available.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said that action on climate change must match the rhetoric, as he appeared at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

The Taoiseach joined other world leaders at the climate conference in Scotland, where he took the opportunity to defend Irelands own record on climate action.

The Irish government is preparing to publish the Climate Action Plan, which will provide greater detail on how the country plans to drastically cut carbon emissions over the next decade.

That plan will be discussed by cabinet ministers this week.

Mr Martin said it was imperative that the world responds to the challenge of climate change.

I think economically we have to do what were doing, he told reporters.

Because it would not be economically sustainable to carry on the way we are carrying on nationally or globally, because the severe weather events that are happening are very disruptive.

Carbon taxes

Carbon taxes, which have been criticised for hiking the cost of living for consumers, are a necessary way of both changing behaviour and funding the measures needed to tackle climate change, Mr Martin said.

You do need to fund and the carbon tax over time will provide very substantial resources to enable us to do those things, as well as just transition, the Taoiseach said.

I dont see why people would be against cleaner oceans and cleaner water, fresher air and a healthier lifestyle. And thats actually what we can develop, he said.

Mr Martin rejected the suggestion that Irelands own record on climate action rendered some of his own governments rhetoric hollow.

He said: I think theres been a step change since the new government was brought in.

Weve increased significantly the ambition.

There will be challenges in implementing that. They dont ring hollow.

Methane emissions

However, Mr Martin was unclear whether Ireland would be reducing methane emissions by 30% in the next decade, in line with agreed EU targets.

He said: We do support that pledge. And well be signing that. Thats a global pledge.

Its a global pledge. Its not a country-specific pledge, in the sense that we will develop our Climate Action Plan which will give our specifics in respect to the sector.

The specific manifestation of that in each country may differ because different countries have different challenges in that respect, or produce methane at different levels in different sectors.

Pleased to be here in Glasgow for the #COP26 World Leaders Summit.



Great opportunity for the global community to deliver on #ClimateChange  and renew our commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement.@UNFCCC pic.twitter.com/mutFdKhmVO  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) November 1, 2021

Finance minister won't pressure US to do more

Earlier, finance minister Paschal Donohoe said he will not pressure the US to do more to tackle climate change.

He was speaking as US treasury secretary Janet Yellen arrived in Dublin for a series of engagements, including a meeting with Mr Donohoe.

Mr Donohoe praised the close relationship between Ireland and Joe Bidens administration, but played down any suggestion he might ask the US to do more to reduce carbon emissions.

Ill be reviewing where we are in Ireland with regards to how we want to reduce our carbon emissions. And I think when we all need to do so much together, I think we should shy away really from making lectures or describing difficulties that other countries may have, he said.

President Biden and Secretary Yellen are very much aware of the obligation that the United States has to reduce its carbon emissions, as I am as a member of the Irish government for Ireland.

And I think well be focusing on what we can do together and acknowledging the great difficulty that there are at times in executing what we want to do.

Mr Donohoe said he will not be among the Irish ministers attending Cop26.

The Finance Bill for the Budget is beginning this week. That Finance Bill includes measures to increase carbon taxation.

I believe these are the kinds of concrete and practical contributions we can make here in Ireland to how we do better from a carbon point of view, and the government will be represented by a range of other members of government during that time, he told RTE radio.

The breadth of government ministers that are attending speaks to the importance that we place on what is happening in Glasgow. I need to bring in our budgetary legislation this week into the Dail, and given the fact that carbon taxation is a very important element of that, I think my time is best spent doing that.

Expansion of dairy herd

Mr Donohoe was asked whether he regretted overseeing the expansion of Irelands dairy herd.

If I look back on the last decade, and the many challenges that we have had and faced, the expansion of our dairy herd would not be one of the things that is a cause for the greatest anxiety for me, given all that weve gone through over the decades, he said.

The minister declined to comment on the expectation that agriculture may be asked to cut emissions by between 20%-30% over the next decade, as part of Irelands climate targets.

It is the case that we will be asking our farmers to play a role, and an important role, in how we reduce our emissions. But we will be asking everybody to do that. And were particularly conscious of the needs and challenges that (are) coupled with Irish farming, he said.
Dominic McGrath, PA

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has urged the UK government to act constructively in a post-Brexit fishing row with France.

Speaking at the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow, Mr Martin said Ireland stands in solidarity with other EU countries amid fresh tensions with the UK over fishing.

He said that there was a concern that the UK has not been engaging with the EU in a constructive manner.

We believe the European Union and the UK government need to engage constructively on a whole range of issues, not least fisheries.

I believe there is discussion under way between the UK government and the French government and that they may be in a position to get that issue resolved.

We would like to see that resolved, independent of the protocol, he told reporters.

The fishing row adds to the tensions around UK-European Union relations, with the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol also causing a diplomatic row with Brussels.

The dispute with France was triggered by decisions made by the authorities in the UK and Jersey over licences for small French boats to operate in British waters, with officials arguing permission can only be given to vessels which can demonstrate a history of fishing there.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin arrives for the Cop26 summit (Phil Noble/PA)

French officials have warned they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country unless more licences are granted.

French president Emmanuel Macron, who held talks with British prime minister Boris Johnson at the G20 summit in Rome on Sunday and was welcomed to the Cop26 climate change conference by Mr Johnson in Glasgow on Monday, said the ball is in the UKs court.

If the British dont do any significant move, measures starting from November 2nd will need to be implemented, he warned on Sunday.

The Irish Government has been to the forefront of the ongoing row between London and Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Unionists and loyalists remain deeply opposed to the creation of fresh checks on trade between the North and Britain. On Monday, a bus was hijacked and set alight in Newtownards in an attack which politicians in the North have linked to loyalist opposition to the protocol.

Charred and smouldering remains of bus hijacked and burned in Newtownards this morning in apparent loyalist protest against Northern Ireland Protocol. @PA pic.twitter.com/XXzhcyjCKh  David Young (@DavidYoungPA) November 1, 2021

The UK and EU have recently brought forward proposals in a bid to resolve the dispute. Mr Martin said that he believed negotiations can still be a success.

If theres a will there now, the presentation that the Commission has made, gives the platform to conclude these negotiations rapidly if people want to because I think Europe has come a long way in respect of the operation and details of the Protocol, he said.

Huge progress has been made and I believe the UK government should respond in kind.

It is in the best interests of the Good Friday Agreement and in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland.

The signals are not that strong but we will work with our European colleagues, with the United Kingdom government, as there is some distance to go yet.

He said that the UK and the EU need to move on from micro-disputes and that many issues can be resolved with common sense.

To allow these issues to fester is not good, he warned.




Vietnam's pig herd grows 5% compared to 2020

Vietnam's total pig herd has reached over 28 million head, an increase of 5% compared to the same period last year.

Sixteen large livestock enterprises account for approximately 23% of the country's total pig herd, with six million head.

Pork production during January-September 2021 reached about 2.9 million tonnes (live).

From January to August of 2021, Vietnam imported 112,000 tonnes of pork. This is approximately half of the total amount of pork imported for all of 2020 when 225,000 tonnes of pork were imported.

- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Vietnam)
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Brown Cow Hill closed due to flooding

Brown Cow Hill in Santon has been closed due to flooding.

Isle of Man Constabulary said its working with the Department of Infrastructure to arrange diversions.

A force spokesperson said: "Please be patient and give extra time for your journey this morning."

"Officers will be on scene to provide assistance."

A yellow warning for heavy rain will remain in place across the Island until 9am.
Sandra Ellen Dunn Locke of Elkmont, Alabama, passed away at Cape Canaveral Hospital on October 31, 2021. She was a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. Sandra is survived by her husband, Anthony Locke and their daughter, Ashley Norman; her son, Andrew Tybergh
Facebook has taken out a government-run troll farm in Nicaragua, where multiple government agencies helped run a network of fake accounts and media pages that spanned across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Facebook shared details of the network in its monthly report on coordinated inauthentic behavior on the platform.

In addition to hundreds of fake accounts on its platform, the troll farm also operated a a complex network of media brands on Blogspot, Wordpress and Telegram, Facebook said in a statement. Some fake accounts posed as government supporters, while some posed as university students, who led protests against the government in 2018. The fake account also mass-reported activists and other government critics in an attempt to get them banned from Facebook. Beginning in 2019, the group also began "posting and artificially amplifying praise about the Nicaraguan government and the ruling FSLN party."

While its not the first time Facebook has caught a government running this kind of operation, Facebook said the Nicaraguan effort was unique because they were able to link it to multiple government institutions, including the Social Security Institute and Supreme Court. The countrys post office headquarters Managua served as a main hub for the troll farm, and government workers even appeared to post on a regular 9am-5pm schedule.

This was really the closest thing we've yet seen to a whole-of-government operation, Facebooks Global Threat Intelligence Lead for Influence Operations, Ben Nimmo, said during a call with reporters. This is the first time that I can think of [that] we've seen so many different institutions getting involved.

Its also notable that Facebook traced the start of the operation back to 2018, meaning much of the activity went undetected for years. Nimmo noted that while the companys automated systems were able to detect and disable some of the fake accounts in 2018, the operation was complex and time-consuming to investigate.
Facebook (and now, Meta) might just be experiencing its most sustained and intense bout of bad press ever, thanks to whistleblower Frances Haugen and the thousands of documents she spirited out of the company.

The Wall Street Journal was the first publication to report on the contents of the documents, which have also been turned over to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Since then, the documents have made their way into the hands of more than a dozen publications who formed a consortium, much to the dismay of Facebooks PR department.

There have now been more than a hundred stories based on the documents. And while many of those reference the same documents, the details are significant. But as important as they are, its also a dizzying amount of information. There are detailed documents written by the company's researchers, free-form notes and memos, as well as comments and other posts in Workplace, the internal version of Facebook used by its employees.

This mix of sources, together with the fact that the consortium has not released most of the documents to researchers or other journalists, makes the Facebook Papers difficult to parse. Gizmodo has been publishing some of the underlying documents, but new revelations could be trickling out for weeks or months as the material becomes more widely distributed.

But amid all that noise, a few key themes have emerged, many of which have also been backed up by prior reporting on the company and its policies. This article will detail Haugens disclosures, and additional details that have arisen from reporting on the Facebook Papers. We'll continue to update it as fresh allegations emerge.

Facebook allowed politics to influence its decisions

This likely wont be a surprise to anyone who has followed Facebook over the last five years or so, but the Facebook Papers add new evidence to years-long allegations that Mark Zuckerberg and other company leaders allowed politics to influence their decisions.

One of the first stories to break from Haugens disclosures (via The Wall Street Journal) included details about Facebooks cross check program, which allowed politicians, celebrities and other VIPs to skirt the companys rules. The initial motivation for the program? To avoid the PR fires that may occur if the social network were to mistakenly remove something from a famous persons account. In another document, also reported by The Journal, a researcher on Facebook's integrity team complained that the company had made special exceptions for right-wing publisher Brietbart. The publication, part of Facebooks official News Tab, also had managed partner status, which may have helped the company avoid consequences for sharing misinformation.

At the same time, while Facebooks policies were often perceived internally as putting their thumb on the scale in favor of conservatives, Zuckerberg has also been accused of shelving ideas that could have been perceived as benefiting Democrats. The CEO was personally involved in killing a proposal to put a Spanish language version of its voting information center into WhatsApp ahead of the 2020 presidential election, The Washington Post reported. Zuckerberg reportedly said the plan wasnt politically neutral.

Facebook has serious moderation failures outside the US and Europe

Some of the most damning revelations in the Facebook Papers relate to how the social network handles moderation and safety issues in countries outside of the United States and Europe. The mere fact that Facebook is prone to overlook countries that make up its rest of world metrics is not necessarily new. The company's massive failure in Myanmar, where Facebook-fueled hate helped incite a genocide, has been well documented for years.

Yet a 2020 document noted the company still has significant gaps in its ability to detect hate speech and other rule-breaking content on its platform. According to Reuters, the companys AI detection tools  known as classifiers  arent able to identify misinformation in Burmese. (Again, its worth pointing out that a 2018 report on Facebooks role in the genocide in Myanmar cited viral misinformation and the lack of Burmese-speaking content moderators as issues the company should address.)

Unfortunately, Myanmar is far from the only country where Facebooks under-investment in moderation has contributed to real-world violence. CNN notes that Facebooks own employees have been warning that the social network is being abused by problematic actors to incite violence in Ethiopia. Yet Facebook lacked the automated tools to detect hate speech and other inciting content even though it had determined the country was one of the most at risk countries.

Even in India  Facebooks largest market  theres a lack of adequate language support and resources to enforce the platforms rules. In one document, reported by The New York Times, a researcher created a test account as an Indian user and started following Facebooks automated recommendations for accounts and pages to follow. It took just three weeks for a new users feed to become flooded with hate speech, misinformation and celebrations of violence. At the end of the experiment, the researcher wrote: Ive seen more images of dead people in the past three weeks than Ive seen in my entire life. The report was not an outlier. Facebook groups and WhatsApp messages are being used to spread religious hatred in the country, according to The Wall Street Journals analysis of several internal documents.

Facebook has misled authorities and the public about its worst problems

Lawmakers, activists and other watchdogs have long suspected that Facebook knows far more about issues like misinformation, radicalization and other major problems than it publicly lets on. But many documents within the Facebook Papers paint a startling picture of just how much the companys researchers know, often long before issues have boiled over into major scandals. That knowledge is often directly at odds with what company officials have publicly claimed.

For example, in the days after the Jan. 6 insurrection, COO Sheryl Sandberg said that rioters had largely organized using other platforms, not Facebook. Yet a report from the companys own researchers, which first surfaced in April, found that the company had missed a number of warning signs about the brewing Stop the Steal movement. Though the company had spent months preparing for a chaotic election, including the potential for violence, organizers were able to evade Facebooks rules by using disappearing Stories and other tactics, according to BuzzFeed.

Likewise, Facebooks researchers were internally sounding the alarm about QAnon more than a year before the company banned the conspiracy movement. A document titled Carols Journey to QAnon detailed how a conservative mom could see QAnon and other conspiracy theories takeover their News Feed in just five days only by liking Pages that Facebooks algorithms recommended. Carols experience was hardly an outlier. Researchers ran these types of experiments for years, and repeatedly found that Facebooks algorithmic recommendations could push users deeper into conspiracies. But much of this research was not acted on until things had spiraled into a dire state, one researcher wrote in a document reported by NBC News.

The documents also show how Facebook has misleadingly characterized its ability to combat hate speech. The company has long faced questions about how hate speech spreads on its apps, and the issue sparked a mass advertiser boycott last year. According to a document cited by Haugen, the companys own engineers estimate that the company is taking action on as little as 3-5% of hate on its platform. Thats in stark contrast to the statistics the company typically showcases.

Similarly, the Facebook Papers indicate that Facebooks researchers knew much more about vaccine and COVID-19 misinformation than they would share with the public or officials. The company declined to answer lawmakers questions about how COVID-19 misinformation spreads even though, according to The Washington Posts reporting, researchers had deep knowledge of how covid and vaccine misinformation moved through the companys apps.

Facebook has misled advertisers and shareholders

These are the allegations that could end up being some of the most consequential because they show serious problems affecting the companys core business  and could tie into any future SEC action.

Instagram has long been viewed as a bright spot for Facebook in terms of attracting the teens and younger users Facebook needs to grow. But increasingly, teens and younger users are spending more time and creating more content in competing apps like TikTok. The issue is even more stark for Facebook, where teen and young adult DAU [daily active users] has been in decline since 2012/2013, according to a slide shared by Bloomberg.

The story points out another issue that could get the company into hot water with the SEC: that the company is overcharging advertisers and misrepresenting the size of its user base due to the number of duplicate accounts. Though this is hardly the first time the issue has been raised, the companys own reports suggest Facebook undercounts the metric, known as SUMA (single user multiple account), according to Bloomberg.

Zuckerberg prioritized growth over safety

While the Facebook Papers are far from the first time the company has faced accusations that it puts profit ahead of users wellbeing, the documents have shed new light on many of those claims. One point thats come up repeatedly in the reporting is Zuckerbergs obsession with MSI, or meaningful social interaction. Facebook retooled its News Feed around the metric in 2018 as a strategy to combat declining engagement. But the decisions, meant to make sure Facebook users were seeing more content from friends and family, also made the News Feed angrier and more toxic.

By optimizing for engagement, publishers and other groups learned they could effectively game the companys algorithms by, well, pissing people off. But politicians learned they could reach more people by posting more negative content, according to The Wall Street Journal. Publishers also complained that the platform was incentivizing more negative and polarizing content. Yet when Zuckerberg was presented with a proposal that found reducing the amount of some re-shared content could reduce misinformation, the CEO said he didnt want to pursue it if it reduced user engagement.

That wasnt the only time a Facebook leader was unwilling to make changes that could have a detrimental effect on engagement, even if it would address other serious issues like misinformation. Several documents detail research and concerns about Facebooks like button and other reactions.

Because the News Feed algorithm prioritized a reaction more than a like, it boosted content that received the angry reaction even though researchers flagged that these posts were much more likely to be toxic. Facebook for three years systematically amped up some of the worst of its platform, making it more prominent in users feeds and spreading it to a much wider audience, The Washington Post wrote. The company finally stopped giving extra weight to angry last September.

Facebook slow-walked, and in some cases outright killed, proposals from researchers about how to address the flood of anti-vaccine comments on its platform, the AP reported.

The company has also been accused of downplaying research that found Instagram can exacerbate mental health issues for some of its teen users. The documents, which were some of the first records to emerge from Haugens disclosures, forced Facebook to pause work on an Instagram Kids app that had already drawn the attention of 44 state Attorneys General. The research also prompted the first Congressional hearing as a result of Haugen's whistleblowing.

Similarly, the company's researchers have extensively studied "problematic use," such as "compulsive use of social media that impacts their sleep, work, parenting or relationships," The Wall Street Journal reported. the term could describe many as one out fo eight Facebook users, according to the report based on findings by a "wellbeing" team at the company. The company later rolled out a "quiet mode" features but researchers worried it was "buried" in the app. (Facebook has defended its research, writing in a response that it has added "nearly 10 tools since 2018" meant to make it easier for people to control how much time they spend in its apps.)

While the Facebook Papers contain a dizzying amount of details about Facebooks failures and misdeeds, many of the claims are not entirely new allegations. And if theres one thing Facebooks history has taught us, its that the company has never let a scandal affect its ability to make billions of dollars.

But, there are some signs that Haugens disclosures could be different. For one, she has turned over the documents to the SEC, which has the authority to conduct a wide-ranging investigation into the companys actions. As many experts have pointed out, its not clear what could actually come from such an investigation, but it could at the very least force Facebooks top executives to formally answer detailed questions from the regulator.

And though Haugen has said she is not in favor of antitrust action against the social network, the FTC has reportedly begun to take a look at the disclosures. (The FTC is already in the midst of a legal battle with Facebook.) Facebook already seems to be reacting as well. The company has asked employees to preserve documents going back to 2016, The New York Times reported this week. There are other, more practical, issues too. The company is reportedly struggling to recruit engineering talent, according to documents reported by Protocol.

The constant scandals and internal roadblocks have also taken a toll on existing employees. For as much scrutiny as the company has faced externally, the Facebook Papers paint a picture of a company whose employees are at times deeply divided and frustrated. The events of January 6th in particular sparked a heated debate about Facebooks role, and how it missed opportunities to recognize the threat of the Stop the Steal Movement. But there have been fundamental disagreements between researchers and other staffers, and Facebooks leaders for years.

As Wired points out, the Facebook Papers are full of badge posts  Facebook speak for the companywide posts employees write upon their departure from the social network  from dedicated employees who have concluded that change will not come, or who are at least are too burned out to continue fighting for it.

Update 11/5: This story was updated with details on Facebook's "wellbeing" research.
2021 - 2021 The services for infant Ellie Faith Nance will be held at noon Saturday, November 20, 2021, in the Central Assembly of God Church. Burial will follow in the Kremlin Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home. Ellie Faith Nance was born November 17, 
Next-generation product suite revolutionizes wealth management communication, planning and financial product distribution

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- InvestCloud, the global leader in financial digital transformation, today unveiled InvestCloud X  its most significant product innovation yet. InvestCloud X is three revolutionary products packaged into one: a Digital Communication platform transforming the way advisors interact with clients, a Digital Planning platform designed to cover the simplest to the most sophisticated needs of all investors, as well as a Digital Shopping platform for financial products called the Financial Supermarket.

Co-founder and CEO John Wise said: "Combining three products into one is a game-changer. The ability to work on plans at different age and wealth moments, then immediately select financial products to achieve these plans, and then monitor, report and communicate in one platform and product is a game-changer."

Like everything InvestCloud has done in its 11 years since inception, InvestCloud X is deployed on InvestCloud's financial cloud platform, which today supports $6.3 trillion in assets across over 20 million investor accounts in over 40 countries globally. As with all InvestCloud products, InvestCloud X has been designed and built using InvestCloud's iProgram (formerly known as PWP), the patented AI code generating engine that is a revolution for cost and time to market. Connecting all aspects of InvestCloud X is of course the InvestCloud Digital Warehouse, the custom central data warehouse cataloging data for seamless search and access the world over.

Intuitive Digital Communications

The InvestCloud X Digital Communication platform is a digital platform for client and advisor communication. It enables the creation of custom experiences that can be optimized and refined for an unlimited number of personas and viewed on mobile or desktop, from anywhere, at any time. Using both gaming and decision theory, InvestCloud's behavioral science offerings encouraging end-users to stay actively engaged in their financial wellness. The platform also leverages AI trained on historical information to serve up custom recommendations for products and actions in a client portfolio.

Intelligent Digital Planning

The InvestCloud X Digital Planning platform offers completely comprehensive financial plans, at any stage of the wealth continuum, from basic goal-based planning for the mass affluent to the sophisticated and complex needs of all investors  including tax and estate planning. As with the Digital Communication platform, the Digital Planning platform is entirely customizable to the end-user, allowing advisors to guide their clients in completing and maintaining their financial plans on their own terms.

Co-founder and Chief Product Officer for Digital Wealth Yaela Shamberg explains: "From Lifestyle to Goal-Based plans, Cashflow, Tax, Trust and Retirement, the Digital Planning platform in InvestCloud X is a fully digital experience, accessed using the InvestCloud X Communication Platform. These Planning tools leverage the same behavioral science techniques that are core to InvestCloud, encouraging engagement with a thorough eye on design and user experience."

A Revolutionary Financial Supermarket

The Financial Supermarket is an Amazon-like marketplace for the financial industry  a financial product marketplace for distributors and manufacturers. With the Financial Supermarket, all products are cataloged on one platform, allowing for simple search by advisors, simple addition by asset managers and simple execution by advisors for clients. The products can be marketed with detailed information  from historical performance data to rich media (video, podcast, etc.), which help paint a clearer picture of the opportunity.

Chief Product Officer for the Financial Supermarket Fred Duden adds: "This is our game-changer. Insights and due diligence are digitized and seamless within the Financial Supermarket. As with all things InvestCloud X, this product information is effortlessly shareable via the Digital Communication platform, and executable via the Digital Planning platform."

InvestCloud hosted a live stream launch event last week, and a recording of the product launch is now available on the InvestCloud website here.

About InvestCloud

InvestCloud is a global company specializing in digital platforms that enable the development of financial solutions, pre-integrated into the Cloud. The company offers on-demand client experiences and intuitive operations solutions using an ever-expanding library of modular apps, resulting in powerful products. Headquartered in Los Angeles, InvestCloud has over 20 global offices including New York, London, Geneva, Singapore and Sydney, supporting trillions in assets across hundreds of diverse clients  from the largest banks in the world to wealth managers, asset managers and asset services companies.

For more information, visit InvestCloud.com.

InvestCloud Media Contact:Rich WentMetia Group+44 (0) 7745 496 065Rich.Went@Metia.com / InvestCloudUK@Metia.com
The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate initially firmed this morning but has since lost ground as an improving market mood favours the risk-sensitive Aussie. Meanwhile, the Pound (GBP) is facing selling pressure as Brexit tensions bubble.

The GBP/AUD pair is currently trading at AU$1.820, down from AU$1.822 at the opening of todays European session.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Dented by Brexit Concerns

The Pound is on the back foot today, as Brexit tensions over Anglo-French fishing rights and the Northern Ireland protocol continue to heat up.

Recent negotiations between the EU and the UK over the Northern Ireland protocol have failed to reach an agreement. The UK wants to scrap the protocol and renegotiate a new deal, while the EU has proposed more modest changes to the existing arrangement.

Although renewed negotiations initially sparked optimism among GBP investors, the latest deadlock has dented hopes of an agreement being reached.

Adding to concerns, negotiators on both sides seem to be increasingly frustrated with each others position. In an editorial published by the Daily Telegraph, European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic writes that the EU has proposed a robust package of solutions, adding:

This was done in good faith and now I am working round the clock to reach an agreement with the UK Government to provide [the] stability, certainty and predictability that Northern Ireland deserves. I am increasingly concerned that the UK Government will refuse to engage with this and embark on a path of confrontation.

Separately, Sefcovics UK counterpart, lead Brexit negotiator Lord Frost, accused the EU of being overly strict in its approach. In a foreword for a paper by the think tank Policy Exchange, Lord Frost writes:

The insistence of the EU on treating these arrangements as like any other part of its customs and single market rules, without regard to the huge political, economic, and identity sensitivities involved, has destroyed cross-community consent well before the four-year mark.

Suggestions that each side blames the other for its inflexibility has caused concern among investors, who fear that failure to reach an agreement may lead to a trade war.

Adding to the Brexit worries, France and the UK seem no closer to resolving their dispute over French fishermens access to UK waters.

France believes that the UK is not fulfilling its duty to provide fishing permits to eligible French vessels, and has threatened to retaliate by blocking British boats from key French ports, among other things.

Talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have ended in an impasse.

Australian Dollar (AUD) Exchange Rates Regain Ground amid Upbeat Market Mood

Meanwhile, the Australian Dollar (AUD) is supported today by a risk-on market mood and expectations of a rate hike from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

The Aussie lost ground in the overnight session after Australias Ai Group manufacturing index for October printed below expectations. The gauge unexpectedly fell from 51.2 to 50.4, versus forecasts of 53.

The reading signalled the fourth consecutive month of declining manufacturing activity and was the weakest reading in 13 months. Production, employment, exports and supplier deliveries all contracted, while sales stalled.

However, AUD regained ground this morning as risk appetite improved, thereby boosting the appeal of the risk-sensitive currency. Equity markets are indicative of the upbeat mood today. The FTSE 100 and the pan-European Stoxx 600 have both hit new pandemic highs.

In addition, rising bets for an RBA rate hike are also boosting the Aussie, although the RBA has pushed back on rate hike expectations in recent weeks.

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: Movement Limited ahead of RBA

Looking ahead, we may see movement in GBP/AUD rather limited as we approach the RBAs policy meeting at 03:30 UTC.

That said, a shift in risk appetite could affect the currency pair. If market sentiment sours, the Pound could regain some lost ground.

GBP/AUD could also strengthen after the RBA meeting if AUD investors are disappointed. However, if the bank does tighten monetary policy then AUD could climb.
China data released over the weekend shows that PMIs dropped again.

One-off factors such as the energy crisis and power shortages were partially to blame, but November needs to show an improvement or they could indicate a more wide-spread slow down.

The Australian Dollar rallied well in October but AUDUSD is at resistance at the 200dma and looks vulnerable to a pullback.

Markets are off to a bullish start to a new week and a new month, with the Dax in Germany leading the way with a gain of +1% in early trading and the FTSE and US stock futures following with gains of around +0.4%. The weekend was generally absent of market-sensitive news with the COP26 climate talks hogging the headlines. However, data out of China was a concern, especially for the Australian Dollar due to Australias reliance on Chinese trade. The Aussie is lower against the USD, Euro and the NZD by around -0.3%.

Chinese Manufacturing Contracts Again

Chinese PMIs were released over the weekend and again showed contraction in the manufacturing sector. This was the second print below 50 as Octobers PMI fell to 49.2 from 49.6 in September. Non-manufacturing PMIs were above 50 but also fell from 53.2 to 52.4 in October as the real estate sector continues to feel the pressure following the Evergrande crisis.

The manufacturing slowdown has an obvious explanation: a number of factories were closed in October due to the energy crisis and power shortages. This is expected to be a one-off event, although energy is still an issue for China and indeed the world. Assuming the government now can provide constant supply, PMIs should bounce back, or at least should not fall again due this specific factor. However, there are other possible drags on manufacturing.

Another factor that could continue to derail next month's manufacturing PMI is new orders and new export orders, which are in contraction at 48.8 and 46.6, respectively. Domestically, there are still many policies in place, which would affect employment and therefore demand for goods. Internationally, the export season for China should come to an end in November, and demand could be soft due to another round of Covid outbreaks in various economies, noted ING.

Chinese government policies are also becoming a major drag on the economy. The strict Covid policy means tight restrictions remain in place, while the shutdown of tuition centres also filters through as it restricts employment.

Knock-On Effect on the Aussie

China has such a huge, complex economy that it is hard to calculate the exact effect of the energy crisis and the various new government policies. These could be masking other problems and the economy could be making a more pronounced slump. Indeed, September PMIs were already weak which makes it imperative that we see an improvement in November data. A particular concern for the Australian economy would come from lower export s to China. There are no signs of this happening so far as every month brings record trade surpluses, but the sky-high prices for commodities which have been a major positive for Australia  could actually restrict demand if China is showing weakness.

AUDUSD performed well in October but has traded up into resistance at 0.75 and the 200dma which is an inflection point for many traders who use technical analysis. The re-opening of the Australian economy was a major boost for sentiment and AUD exchange rates, but as this fades and traders are faced with a China slowdown and one of the most dovish central banks in the G10, there could be a dip again from the 0.75 area. This could develop as early as this week as the USD is primed for take-off as the Fed are expected to announce taper in Wednesdays FOMC meeting. 0.72 is potential support but is only likely if Chinese weakness persists and starts to filter through to commodity prices and weaker Australian exports.
Monday, November 1, 2021

Table of Contents

What is Impostor Syndrome?

Impostor Syndrome is the idea that you got where you are by luck and it is only a matter of time before everyone finds out that youre a fraud. Oversimplified for sure, but I do notice something like this a lot in my work.

Even though these men and women may have proven their ability many times over, still they are filled with doubt about whether they can pull it off and measure up. From an earlier post I wrote on Impostorism:

I think it happened to me without my even knowing it. Twice. Can you even believe that I turned down an actual acceptance to Harvard for a PhD, telling myself that it would be too hard on my family. Well then, why did I even apply in the first place? And, surely there are lots of women who would have gone and made it work, including the woman I am today. And then, when it was time for business school, an esteemed Harvard Business School professor told my equally esteemed father-in-law, Tell her to apply, we are looking for people like her. I might have been shoo-in and did not even apply.

Wh y Does it Exist ?

Again from the earlier piece on Impostorism, and pulling from Clancy Martins Imposter Syndrome: Do you sometimes feel like a fraud? in The Atlantichere are some reasons why so many people have it:

Martin writes that early family dynamics and sex role stereotypes have resulted in many high achieving women feeling like impostors. He says this applies to ethnic minorities as well. And, for men and women, there is something about surpassing ones parentsor I would add not surpassing ones parentsthat can make one feel like a fraud. He talks about how hard it is to reality test performance in the intangible service professions of today, and how comparisons with inflated Facebook posts are not helping either.

One Simple Fix That Could Work?

People can outgrow Impostor Syndrome. I dont have it anymore. How do I know that? Probably because years of good training, good work, and good results have nourished my confidence out of any doubts like that? Oh, and because I took a testwhich you can too. The Clance IP Scale is on the internet. You can find it here. And if you do score in the Impostor Syndrome zone, doesnt have to stay that way at all.

The opposite of Impostor Syndrome would be to live and work in realistic appraisal and application of ones talents and skills. People in this zone dont ever have to know or be able to do everything. They can always ask for help or learn something new anytime they want or need to.

What Im finding, though, is that a lot of people plagued by self-doubt think the opposite of Impostor Syndrome is self-interestand they dont want to be like that. As in, they dont want to be like the son of the gods, Narcissus, who held his own reflection in a pool of water in such high regard that some versions of the myth say he fell into the pool and drowned.

They also dont want to be like Icarus, whose hubris had him flying so close to the sun that his fake wings melted and he drowned in the ocean. Pride (or hubris) is, after all, at the top of the Seven Deadly Sins. So, in all fairness to the 70% who experience(d) Impostor Syndrome, it is easy to see why it might be hard for many to be all that they can be without being scared.

Check out The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level by Gay Hendricks for a whole book on upper limit fear of success.

For right here right now, though, you can try swapping out one single word. That is, instead of thinking the opposite of Impostor Syndrome is Self-Interestthink Self Respect instead. this came up just the other day with a client who had a really good response. She seemed relieved and said, I like that.

We will see over time if it actually makes a difference for her. You can try it too and, if you care to, let us know what you find.

Warm wishes for your success in all things that matter to you,

Madelaine

Photo by John Noonan Unsplash
CPS Energy trustees on Monday named Rudy Garza  who has overseen customer service, corporate communications and marketing at the city-owned utility to serve as CPS interim head when CEO Paula Gold-Williams steps down in early 2022.

Garza, 48, will lead CPS upcoming push for a rate hike  as trustees conduct a search for the utilitys next permanent CEO.

My job is to keep the trains on the track while the board works on a permanent CEO hire, Garza said. I feel confident that my 25 years in this business has prepared me for this moment.

After a tumultuous 18 months  a period starting with the COVID-19 pandemic and punctuated by the deadly winter storm in February  Gold-Williams told the utilitys board on Oct. 20 that shell leave CPS in January.

It was important that we hired from within for business continuity, Trustee Janie Gonzalez said of Garzas appointment.

CPS Energy

Gonzalez said the five-member board of trustees will hire an executive search firm specializing in the energy industry to help identify candidates for the permanent CEO position.

On ExpressNews.com:CPS Energy trims proposed rate increase after CEO announces early-2022 resignation

Garza, who has been with CPS since 2012, was elevated to interim CEO after serving as the utilitys chief customer and stakeholder engagement officer since January 2020.

Garza, a Corpus Christi native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, has managed CPS plan to restart customer disconnections after the utility stopped cutting off household power for nonpayment at the start of the pandemic.

Garza regularly appears in front of City Council and community organizations on behalf of CPS  where he frequently advises customers who are behind on their monthly electric bills to seek financial assistance from the utility. His team has also organized utility assistance fairs to help past-due customers get on payment plans.

Garza has said his department has helped CPS customers access more than $41 million in utility assistance.

On Monday, he said his priorities will be to ensure the utilitys systems are ready for cold weather this winter and to reduce employee turnover at CPS.

He also said the utility needs to move forward with a rate increase, and hell be talking with City Council members to explain the need.

Bob Owen /Staff photographer

Weve got to get some certainty on an outcome there, Garza said.

His interim appointment wasnt a guarantee. CPS trustees over the last week debated whether to press ahead with a search for a new CEO or name an interim replacement.

John Steen was the lone trustee to vote against Garzas promotion. He said he thought the utility should have hired an interim replacement from outside CPS.

Gold-Williams held the title of interim CEO for eight months after then-CEO Doyle Beneby left CPS in 2015. Gold-Williams became the permanent CEO in July 2016.

Its not clear how long Garza will serve as head of CPS.

During the hunt for a new CEO in 2015 and 2016, CPS retained the firm Korn Ferry to conduct a national search for an executive. Nevertheless, trustees hired Gold-Williams, the in-house candidate.

Garza, however, wasnt ready to say whether he wants the CEO job permanently.

Im going to focus on my job as interim to calm the waters ... so that the board can do the job they need to do to find a permanent CEO, he said.

Either way, one of Garzas main tasks will be rebuilding public trust.

Youre going to see me out there as much as I can be, having conversations with customers, the business community and stakeholders, he said.

Since the February storm, CPS has been contending with $1 billion in bills for power and natural gas that the utility bought on the Texas spot market during the deep freeze.

San Antonio ratepayers will have to pay off at least $418 million in storm charges over the next 25 years. CPS lawsuits challenging the nearly $600 million of remaining storm-related bills are tied up in courts.

CPS also is grappling with more than $130 million that customers owe for past-due bills, debts that grew after CPS stopped disconnecting customers at the start of the pandemic. The utility resumed disconnections last month.

The city announced plans last week to direct $20 million in stimulus funds from the federal government to CPS to pay off some customers accounts. City Council is expected to vote on the plan Nov. 18.

On ExpressNews.com: City of San Antonio considers devoting $30 million in stimulus funds to pay residents' utility bills

Amid fallout from the winter storm and pandemic, a wave of executives have left CPS this year, including former Chief Operating Officer Fred Bonewell. He resigned in October after allegations surfaced that he made a racially insensitive comment during a company meeting and overspent utility money.

The utilitys previous COO, Cris Eugster, left CPS in February. And CPS general counsel, Carolyn Shellman, resigned abruptly in June. At least four other top executives at CPS also have exited this year.

The recent turnover reflects the need for stability among senior leadership positions as the utility navigates its operational, financial, and legal challenges, analysts at the credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings said in a report on CPS last month.

Garza previously had served as an assistant city manager in Corpus Christi. He got his start in the utility industry at TXU Energy, where he was a state advocacy director for 12 years.

Its history  weve never had a Latino ever lead CPS at the highest-ranking level, Gonzalez said.

She said Gold-Williams would work with Garza through the transition.

Change is hard, Gonzalez said. But I do believe we need to move on.

diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in San Antonio has certified a class-action lawsuit against aircraft-modification company GDC Technics over its termination of about 250 workers earlier this year at Port San Antonio and in Fort Worth.

Kingslea Stringham, a former engineer at GDCs Fort Worth facility, had sued GDC alleging she and other workers were not given 60 days advance notice of their termination as required by federal law.

Employees are entitled to unpaid compensation and accrued paid time off, Stringham said. She had asked the court to certify the lawsuit as a class-action.

Judge Craig Gargotta on Friday gave several reasons in ruling why the lawsuit was appropriate for class certification.

Fort Worth-based GDCs plan of reorganization already has been approved and the date for creditors to submit proofs of claim has passed, Gargotta noted.

As such, the traditional bankruptcy proofs of claim process is inferior to this class-action, the judge said.

Moreover, he said, if the complaint was not certified, the laid-off workers would be forced to choose whether to bring their negative value suits as individual adversary proceedings. A negative value lawsuit is one where the litigation costs exceed any likely recovery.

On ExpressNews.com: Engineer files class-action against GDC Technics over San Antonio, Fort Worth job losses

Court records dont establish each workers wages and benefits, but the value of the maximum of 60 days wages and benefits is likely relatively low, Gargotta said. Same goes for the paid time off, he said.

GDC notified the Texas Workforce Commission on April 9 that it had issued pink slips to 56 workers at Port San Antonio and 120 employees in Forth Worth. GDCs chief executive, however, had put the number of terminated workers at more than 200 in a court filing.

William Luther /Staff file photo

The terminations came after Boeing Co. dropped GDC from contracts on April 7. GDC had been performing work for Boeing on Air Force One jets that will transport U.S. presidents. About two-thirds of GDCs workforce supported the Boeing contracts, GDC said in a September court filing.

GDC blamed cash flow problems on payment delays and project changes by Boeing.

Boeing cited GDCs insolvency for terminating the contracts, but GDC countered that Boeing refused to pay it more than $20 million for project changes and additions.

GDC had to reduce its workforce once the contracts were terminated, it said in a July court filing.

Stringham sued GDC for allegedly violating the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. It requires employers who institute mass layoffs to give workers at least 60 days advance written notice of their termination. GDC failed to give written notice that complied with the WARN Act, according to Stringhams suit.

Stringhams complaint also includes a breach of contract claim. The company is accused of failing to pay workers paid time off that they had accrued.

SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

GDC opposed the class certification, arguing it was not appropriate given individual circumstances will predominate over issues to be decided on a class-wide basis.

Specially, GDC cited irregularities in Stringhams time records, saying it appears she submitted false time records in violation of company policy.

If discovery reveals that GDC is correct, Stringhams bad faith in manipulating her time records should preclude her PTO (paid time off) claim altogether, or at the very least, GDC should be entitled to an offset for the overpayment due to her misconduct, the company said in a September court filing.

Attorneys for both sides didnt immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.

In May, GDC received bankruptcy court approval to assign its lease at Port San Antonio, 607 N. Frank Luke Drive, to Boeing. The assignment resolved a $1.7 million claim for unpaid rent owed to the Port Authority of San Antonio.

pdanner@express-news.net
The operator of 19 local Dairy Queen restaurants must pay over $350,000 in back wages and interest to 31 managers following a U.S. Labor Department investigation and court order.

The managers received less than their required minimum salary under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) from R&S Dairy Queens Inc., and are entitled to minimum wage for each hour of work and overtime, the Labor Department said in a statement Monday.

The back wages and interest total $358,200, which averages to about $11,554 per manager.

Employers cannot avoid overtime requirements by simply giving an employee a title and paying them a salary, said Wage and Hour District Director Cynthia Ramos in San Antonio. Most employees  even those paid a fixed salary or flat amount per day or shift  are entitled to overtime unless specific FLSA requirements are met.

On ExpressNews.com: Dairy Queen, a small-town favorite, is expanding in Texas big cities

We encourage other employers to review their pay practices, and to contact us with questions to avoid similar violations, Ramos added.

The San Antonio federal court issued an injunction barring R&S from future violations of federal regulations for overtime and record-keeping. The violations occurred between late 2018 and late 2020, according to a court order.

R&S has 19 franchise locations in the San Antonio area and employs about 350 workers.

The Labor Department told R&S that it was in compliance with federal laws during a routine audit, the company said in a statement.

In a subsequent examination, the Department of Labor found a technical violation that was in conflict with prior guidance, the franchise operator added. We have resolved this issue with the Department of Labor, having already revised our compensation structure to comply with their most recent guidance.

Many of its managers make over $80,000 per year, the company said.

We would never knowingly deny them due compensation, R&S stated.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
Our picks for the best things to do this week include everything from comedy and great music to the latest action blockbuster from Marvel Comics.

Japanese Breakfast: Michelle Zauner, who records as Japanese Breakfast, added author to her resume with the release in April of her acclaimed memoir, Crying in H Mart. A new album, Jubilee, followed in June. Rolling Stone called it her most ecstatic-sounding LP to date. 8 p.m. Monday, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Marys St. $25 in advance, $30 day of show, papertigersatx.com.

Billy Calzada /Staff file photo

Tuesday

Woke Up This Morning: Everybodys breaking the code of silence in Woke Up This Morning (William Morrow, $30), a history of the landmark HBO series The Sopranos. The book, written by two of the series stars, Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri), is full of behind-the-scenes tales.

On sale Tuesday.

Altares y Ofrendas: A Dia de los Muertos exhibition, it features altars created by San Antonio artists and community members. The opening reception also will feature an artisan market, Avenida de los Muertos.

6-9 p.m. Tuesday, Centro Cultural Aztlan, 1800 Fredericksburg Road. Free, Facebook: @CentroCulturalAztlan.

Contributed photo

Wednesday

Shadon Sahm: The son of legendary Tex-Mex rocker, Doug Sahm and the former Meta Puppets drummer, Shadon Sahm will cover some of his fathers greatest tunes in this performance of Sahm Covers Sahm. Doors 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sams Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St. $12, samsburgerjoint.com.

Alton Brown: Celebrated chef and reality personality skyrocketed to fame after hosting the Food Network hit show Good Eats back in 1999. Since then, hes appeared on and hosted several reality shows and is now embarking on his third tour Alton Brown Live: Beyond the Eats. Brown says attendees can expect more cooking, more comedy, more music and more potentially dangerous science stuff. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, $45.50-$114.50 (VIP package also available for $160.50) tobincenter.org.

Mago de Oz: The Spanish folk-metal band from Madrid is known to its fanbase for its strong Celtic sound which is heard throughout the latest album Bandera Negra. Doors 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Marys St. $49.50-$98.25, theaztectheatre.com.

Charley Gallay /Getty Images for Netflix

Thursday

Hasan Minhaj: This comedian rose to prominence as a senior correspondent on The Daily Show and was the featured speaker at the 2017 White House Correspondents Dinner. But it was his weekly Netflix comedy show Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj that earned him a spot on TIMEs 100 most influential people in the world. 7 p.m. Thursday, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, $54.50-$104.50, tobincenter.org.

Distinguished Lecture Conversation: Artist Willie Cole and poet Jenny Browne discuss church ladies, fatherhood, activism and artmaking. 6-7 p.m. Thursday, McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave. $5-$10 (free for members, and children 12 and younger), mcnayart.org.

Marvel Studios

Friday

Eternals: Its being billed as a different kind of Marvel Comics movie. That starts with the director, Chloe Zhao, whos known for working with nonprofessional actors on films such as the Oscar-winning Nomadland. Here shes directing A-list stars Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek in a tale of immortal beings who live among us. Opens Friday in theaters.

Finch: Tom Hanks stars in this offbeat science-fiction film about one of the few survivors of a global cataclysm. Finch lives with his dog and the robot hes built to look after the pup in the case of his death. The director is Miguel Sapochnik, who oversaw some of Game of Thrones  greatest battles.

Debuts Friday on Apple TV+.

Courtesy photo

Saturday

Soul Rebels: The New Orleans-based Soul Rebels are bringing their distinctive sound to town. The ensemble blends funk, soul, hip hop, jazz and rock inside a brass band context. They strive to create a party atmosphere in their live shows. 8 p.m., Saturday, Jo Long Theater, Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry. $34, thecarver.org.

jkiest@express-news.net | Twitter: @en_salife
Before nightfall, before costumed goblins, ghosts and ghouls shambled into a line, the Menchacas set up their Cotton Candy House. The path to receive fluffs of sugar went beneath an inflated arch and up to an orange, mesh construction fence in the driveway.

Halloween is plenty sweet at Mike and Dora Menchacas home, near San Fernando Cemetery No. 2.

Sunday, daughter Angela Menchaca held paper cones in a round cotton candy machine and spun stringy sugar into pink and blue candy. The couples grandchildren bagged and lined the tufts of sweetness on a table.

Son Mike Menchaca Jr., 39, filmed the preparations of the West Side tradition his parents started in 1995.

In essence, it works because it puts a smile on peoples faces, he said. For me, its the tradition and the smiles that come with it.

For decades, the Menchacas home has been a stop for everyone from toddlers to older residents in their neighborhood. The couple, whose anniversary is Oct. 30, decided to celebrate their nuptials not by giving gifts to each other, but by giving treats to their four children and youngsters in the area.

Robin Jerstad /

Now, neighborhood kids who came by for the confection years ago have become parents who bring kids of their own to the event.

Theres no words, Mike Menchaca, 64, said. It just engulfs your whole spirit. It feels like a togetherness with the community.

Oct. 30, which this year marked their 44th anniversary, is also daughter-in-law Melissas birthday. The day brings a family feast of chili beans, enchiladas and cornbread.

Six years ago, Mike Menchaca brought his wife a gift thats an integral part of their celebration: a cotton candy machine.

They give out cotton candy rain or shine. One year they set up a canopy during a drizzling rain fall. And there have been times when it wasnt a school night and they stayed out until midnight. And when they ran out of the cones they bought at a store, they rolled up notebook paper instead.

Last year, the Menchacas shut down their Halloween event out of safety concerns with the coronavirus. When a few people showed up, Dora Menchaca, 62, said they didnt have the heart to be outside.

Even though it crushed us, we had to look out for our family and neighbors, Angela Menchaca said. We had to look out for our family and we didnt want it to negatively impact our community. We want to show that we care about our communitys well-being.

There were too many unknowns at the time. This year, they said everyone involved has been vaccinated. They all wore masks and had taken COVID tests prior to the event.

Its mainly kids who come, Dora Menchaca said, and we want to be safe for them.

The first couple of years, the couple also offered nachos and pickles. They said their cotton-candy giveaways have inspired other neighbors to offer popcorn and raspas to trick-or-treaters.

With the exception of 2004, 2005 and last year, theyve always had their free event. They encouraged their guests to tag them at #WestsideCottonCandyHouse and share their stories and pictures on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

The family members said their offerings on Halloween have meant a lot to them, especially Dora Menchaca, who grew up just four houses away.

As word has spread about the Menchacas event, theyve kept to a rule: As long as theres a line, they will be there.

vtdavis@express-news.net
HONG KONG (AP)  A trial began Monday for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and seven other pro-democracy activists charged over their roles in an unauthorized Tiananmen vigil last year, amid a crackdown on political dissent in Hong Kong.

Lai and the seven others, which includes Lee Cheuk-yan, the former chairman of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, face charges that include organizing, participating and inciting others to take part in the unauthorized candlelight vigil commemorating the bloody 1989 crackdown on protesters in Beijings Tiananmen Square.

Lee and four other defendants pleaded guilty to the incitement charge as the trial began. Former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai pleaded guilty to taking part in the unauthorized vigil, while Lee also pleaded guilty to organizing it. They will enter mitigation pleas Nov. 12 before they are sentenced.

Lai, the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, pleaded not guilty to inciting others to take part in the unauthorized assembly. Two other defendants, lawyer Chow Hang-tung and former reporter Gwyneth Ho, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Police last year banned the annual vigil for the first time in three decades, citing public health risks from the coronavirus pandemic. Critics believe the ban is part of the crackdown on opposition in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory following months of anti-government protests in 2019.

More than a dozen activists turned up at the June 4 vigil last year despite the ban, and thousands followed suit, breaking through barriers in spite of police warnings. They set up around Victoria Park to light candles and sing songs.

Police later arrested and charged 26 activists over the vigil, including members of the Hong Kong Alliance that organizes the annual vigil.

The Hong Kong Alliance disbanded in September, amid accusations from the government that the organization was working for foreign interests. Leaders of the alliance categorically denied the accusations.

Of the 26 activists arrested, 16 of them including prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong have pleaded guilty and were handed jail sentences ranging between four to 10 months. Three were given suspended sentences.

Two other activists in the case, Nathan Law and Sunny Cheung, have fled the city.
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court will face a bramble of unsettled legal questions when it reviews Texas's most-restrictive-in-the-nation abortion law Monday, but the inquiry itself is evidence of a changed court whose view of abortion as a constitutional right is in doubt.

Monday's hastily scheduled hearing opens the most dramatic month for reproductive rights at the Supreme Court in three decades. That was when a surprising majority of Republican-nominated justices did the unexpected and affirmed rather than renounced the right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade in 1973.

Such an outcome this time around - as the court considers the Texas law and, on Dec. 1, a Mississippi ban on abortionmonths before current Supreme Court precedent allows - would be a bitter disappointment for antiabortion activists who feel this is their chance.

"For two generations, the U.S. Supreme Court has tied the hands of states to enact laws protecting unborn children and their mothers," Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the antiabortion group Susan B. Anthony List, said of the Texas legislation. "It is time to restore this right to the people and update our laws."

Abortion rights supporters, meanwhile, say the court's action will have immense consequences, beginning with the Texas law, known as S.B. 8.

Samuel Corum / Getty Images / TNS

"The outcome of this case will define the future of our constitutional democracy," said Sam Spital, director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which is supporting abortion providers and a Justice Department lawsuit against Texas.

"Absent the Supreme Court's intervention, S.B. 8's model for openly defying precedent set by the highest court in our land will metastasize - and not just with respect to abortion rights," he said. "Many of our constitutional rights will be in grave danger."

A brief filed by former prosecutors and judges concurs. "S.B. 8 is perhaps the most blatant attempt to subvert federal authority since the Jim Crow era," it says.

Texas's law virtually bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, a point clearly at odds with Roe and 1992's follow-up Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which said states may not impose an undue burden on those seeking an abortion before fetal viability, about 22 to 24 weeks.

But Texas's law was designed to avoid review by federal courts, which are bound by Supreme Court precedent and routinely stop state officials from enforcing laws that attempt to ban abortion or restrict the procedure early in a pregnancy.

Texas has shifted enforcement of the law from state officials to private citizens, who may bring lucrative civil lawsuits against those who aid or abet the prohibited abortions. Those cases must be heard in state court, the state says, and only after the civil suits have been filed.

Pleas by abortion providers to have the Supreme Court step in before the law could take effect Sept. 1 were turned away on a 5-to-4 vote - the most tangible evidence yet of how the court's conservative majority has shifted.

It is hard to imagine that a court including Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired in 2018, or Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last year, would have allowed the Texas law to go into effect.

But both of their successors, Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, were in the five-member majority, along with President Donald Trump's other Supreme Court nominee, Justice Neil Gorsuch. While the court ignored requests to reconsider Roe and Casey as part of Monday's arguments, doubts about whether they should remain as precedent provide the background for the state's law that has mostly shut down the availability of abortion in the nation's second-largest state.

"SB 8 deters violations only because abortion providers perceive that the future of Roe v. Wade is uncertain," Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas solicitor general who is one of the law's architects, writes in a filing with the Supreme Court. He represents three private citizens who want to enforce the law, and he will participate in Monday's arguments.

Any decision of the Supreme Court that overturns Roe will apply retroactively, he notes. That would open those who help with a prohibited abortion to multiple lawsuits and damages of at least $10,000 for each violation.

"No abortion provider can take that risk - even if it is confident that it could defeat SB 8 enforcement lawsuits today - because the law could change while the case is on appeal," Mitchell writes.

To antiabortion activists, the Texas law passed last spring was brilliant.

"Texas's genius," Roger Severino, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, wrote in the National Review, was to "neutralize the abortion industry's most potent weapon, the pre-enforcement challenge."

"Abortion clinics are now in an impossible bind because on the one hand, there is no one to sue because no state official is allowed to enforce the law, while on the other hand, there are too many people to sue because they can't identify who among the millions of Texas pro-lifers will step forward to enforce the law," he wrote.

The court on Monday will hear two cases, one brought by abortion providers and the other by the Biden administration, to determine what role federal courts have in reviewing the law.

The abortion providers, led by the Center for Reproductive Rights, wants to enjoin judges and county clerks from entertaining the law's civil suits. The Justice Department has filed suit against the state of Texas.

Texas and the respondents represented by Mitchell said both suits have no basis in precedent.

"No court can ever enjoin another court from hearing a case, because a judge does nothing unlawful by presiding over a lawsuit, even when the lawsuit is seeking to enforce an unconstitutional statute," Mitchell wrote. "A judge that adjudicates a case does not become a federal lawbreaker unless and until he enters an actual ruling that violates someone's federally protected rights."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, R, said the Justice Department is attempting a "striking power-grab."

"Texas does not cause the United States injury by the mere existence of an allegedly unconstitutional state law that may affect private parties," he wrote in the state's filing to the court.

Moreover, "Congress has not given the Attorney General a cause of action to enforce abortion rights . . . let alone against a State," he writes.

The abortion providers and Justice Department urge the court not to let the unorthodox nature of the Texas law obscure its intent and effect.

A law "banning abortions at approximately six weeks of pregnancy [is] in clear violation of nearly fifty years of this Court's precedent," wrote Marc Hearron, a Center for Reproductive Rights attorney representing state abortion providers.

Biden administration Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, confirmed by the Senate on Friday and arguing before the court Monday, called the law "an affront to this Court's constitutionally assigned role as the final arbiter of the rights the Constitution secures to the people of this nation."

"Texas's various procedural objections do not withstand scrutiny once S.B. 8 is recognized for what it is: a brazen nullification of this Court's precedents accomplished by subverting the judicial review Congress authorized to protect the supremacy of federal law," Prelogar wrote.

When the Supreme Court first considered a request from abortion providers to keep the law from going into effect, the majority's one-paragraph opinion cited the "complex and novel" procedural questions and said it was not clear that abortion providers challenging the law were suing the proper defendants.

"Federal courts enjoy the power to enjoin individuals tasked with enforcing laws, not the laws themselves," the majority wrote in allowing the law to go into effect.

The majority consisted of Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito Jr., along with Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett.

The statement said the law presented "serious" constitutional questions and that the order "is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas's law, and in no way limits other procedurally proper challenges to the Texas law, including in Texas state courts."

In a speech at the University of Notre Dame, Alito objected to media opinion pieces that he said promoted "the false and inflammatory claim that we nullified Roe v. Wade. We did no such thing. And we said that expressly in our order."

But that is not far from what his three liberal colleagues said when the court allowed the law to go into effect.

"Texas law prohibits abortions for the vast majority of women who seek them - in clear, and indeed undisputed, conflict with Roe and Casey," wrote Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.

And when the court on Oct. 22 again declined a request to enjoin the law - setting Monday's argument instead - Sotomayor dissented again.

"For the second time, the Court is presented with an application to enjoin a statute enacted in open disregard of the constitutional rights of women seeking abortion care in Texas," she wrote. "For the second time, the Court declines to act immediately to protect these women from grave and irreparable harm."

Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. initially provided a fourth vote for blocking the law, saying it required additional judicial scrutiny. "The statutory scheme before the court is not only unusual, but unprecedented," he wrote. He would have allowed more time for courts to consider "whether a state can avoid responsibility for its laws in such a manner."

After the suit brought by abortion providers was turned away, the Justice Department got involved, suing Texas on behalf of those who it said were being denied their constitutional rights. A federal district judge agreed with the government. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman halted the law, writing, "This court will not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right."

Two days later, however, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit overruled him and reinstated the law.

The Supreme Court decided to step in before those judges could consider the law's merits.

Beyond not reconsidering Roe or Casey on Monday, the justices are unlikely even to pass judgment on the constitutionality of S.B. 8, focusing instead on the roles of federal courts in the dispute.

But the Justice Department has asked them to invalidate the appeals court action, which would likely allow abortions after six weeks to resume while the litigation continues.
The latest on U.N. climate summit COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland:

TOKYO  Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is heading to the U.N. climate summit saying his country will push strongly for emissions reductions.

Talking to reporters before leaving for Glasgow on Tuesday, he said: I hope to show to the international community Japans strong determination to achieve carbon neutrality (at home) by 2050 and realize zero emissions across Asia.

The overseas trip is Kishidas first since he took office a month ago.

Kishida is expected to outline Japans emissions reduction effort in his speech at the summit. Tokyo announced in April a target of 46% reduction by 2030 from fiscal 2013 levels to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Kishida is also expected to hold talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a few other leaders during his several-hour visit.

His trip comes just after a key parliamentary election in which his governing party and its coalition partner secured leadership.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Britain says it has gained the backing of more than 100 countries to end deforestation, which scientists say is a major driver of climate change.

The U.K. government said Monday at this year's U.N. climate conference that it has received commitments from leaders representing more than 85% of the worlds forests to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

More than $19 billion in public and private funds have been pledged toward the plan, which is backed by countries including Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Indonesia, Russia and the United States.

Forests are considered important ecosystems and an important way of absorbing carbon dioxide  the main greenhouse gas  from the atmosphere. But the value of wood as a commodity and the growing demand for agricultural and pastoral land are leading to widespread and often illegal felling of forests particularly in developing countries.

Campaign group Human Right Watch cautions that similar agreements in the past have failed to be effective.

Luciana Tellez Chavez, an environmental researcher at the group, says strengthening Indigenous peoples rights would help prevent deforestation and should be part of the agreement.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The Bezos Earth Fund pledged $2 billion Tuesday to fight climate change through landscape restoration and the transformation of agricultural systems.

Our commitment today supports a three-fold imperative  we must conserve what we have, restore what weve lost, and grow what we need in harmony with nature, the funds founder, Jeff Bezos, said in a statement.

The $2 billion pledge at COP26 is part of $10 billion that the Amazon founder committed earlier this year to spend by 2030 in an effort to battle climate change.

The Bezos Earth Fund plans to spend $1 billion mainly in the United States and Africa, planting trees to better secure eroding landscapes and restoring areas that capture high levels of carbon dioxide. The remaining $1 billion will be earmarked for transforming agricultural systems to try to increase crop yields, reduce food waste and encourage more plant-based diets.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  A coalition of governments and private funders announced plans at COP26 Monday to invest $1.7 billion to aid Indigenous communities and protect biodiverse tropical forests in the next four years.

Governments from the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and 17 other private funders said the money will support activities to secure, strengthen and protect Indigenous Peoples and local communities land and resource rights, and provide other kinds of aid, including for group activities.

We call on other donors to significantly increase their support to this important agenda, the donors said in a statement. It did not specify which communities would get the funding.

A spokesperson for The Ford Foundation, one of the funders, told The Associated Press the governments are providing approximately $1 billion, while the rest will come from the philanthropies. In addition to the Ford Foundation, funders include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos Bezos Earth Fund and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloombergs Bloomberg Philanthropies.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Queen Elizabeth II has welcomed world leaders to the U.N. climate summit in a pre-recorded video message, saying the time for words has now moved to the time for action.

The 95-year-old monarch had been expected to attend the Glasgow summit, but she had to cancel the trip after doctors said she should rest and not travel. The queen recently underwent medical checks and spent the night at a London hospital -- her first hospital stay in years.

In the video message, played Monday during a welcoming reception for presidents and prime ministers, the queen said she hoped that the conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship.

History has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope, she said in the video, which was recorded on Friday at Windsor Castle.

In a tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, the queen said she was happy to welcome the delegates because the environment was a subject close to Philips heart. In a rare public display of emotion, she said she could not be more proud that Philips environmental work lives on through the work of their eldest son, Prince Charles, and his son Prince William.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Environmental activists expressed anger Monday at what they consider the slow pace of action to curb climate change.

Youth campaigners from several countries marched on the opposite bank of the River Clyde from where the U.N. climate summit was being held, holding banners with slogans such as We are watching you.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg accused world leaders and government officials inside the conference of pretending to take our future seriously.

Change is not going to come from inside, she said, adding: No more blah blah blah. No, whatever the (expletive) theyre doing inside there.

Earlier Monday, Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti made an impassioned appeal to world leaders to open your hearts to those already feeling the effects of global warming, saying that drought in her home country means many are going without food.

As I sit comfortably here in this conference center in Glasgow, over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation, she said.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted that curbing climate change must not come at a high cost to people and businesses, saying technology will provide solutions to the climate crisis.

Australia has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and at the COP26 climate conference on Monday, Morrison said by 2030 Australias emissions will be 35% below 2005 levels. That is more than Australias commitment, made in Paris six years ago, but still weaker than many other wealthy nations. The United States has committed to reductions of between 50% and 52% below 2005 levels.

Morrison said technology will have the answers to a decarbonized economy, particularly over time -- and achieve it in a way that does not deny our citizens, especially in developing economies, their livelihoods or the opportunity for a better quality of life.

The Australian leader said raising the cost of energy just impacts on those who can afford it least and said driving down the cost of technology would be key to Australia hitting its net-zero target.

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GLASGOW  Indias prime minister says his country will aim to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070  two decades after the United States and at least 10 year later than China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the target Monday at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow.

Modi said the goal of reaching net zero by 2070 was one of five measures India planned to undertake to meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord.

Experts from think tanks and universities said the move is significant, considering how new the concept is to India and the nations development status. Ulka Kelkar, who directs India's climate policy analysis for the World Resource Institute, said it would be similar to the U.S. and Europe adopting net-zero goals 20 years ago.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The British government sees some cause for optimism at the COP26 talks, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the world is running out of time to defuse the doomsday device of climate change.

Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said we are seeing some positive signs so far that leaders recognize the urgency of the situation.

World leaders were given stark warnings as their summit opened Monday by Johnson, the head of the United Nations and delegates from countries threatened by sea rise or drought because of global warming.

Behind the scenes Johnson has been pressing major polluters, including India, Indonesia and Russia, to improve their carbon-cutting plans.

Blain said we expect to see countries to come forward with some more commitments during COP26. We continue to encourage that those are ambitious, measurable targets that can be delivered particularly in the next decade.

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GLASGOW  President Joe Biden offered a public apology to a U.N. climate conference over his predecessor Donald Trumps move to pull the U.S. from the Paris accord.

Biden was speaking in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday where world leaders were gathering to discuss implementing the agreement to contain global warming by mid-century.

He said: I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit.

Biden has frequently criticized the past administrations approach to climate, but had not previously delivered a public apology to the world.

Biden reentered the agreement in one of his first official acts in office on Jan. 20.

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GLASGOW  French President Emmanuel Macron challenged the worlds biggest emitters to immediately step up commitments to curb carbon emissions, saying doing so within the coming days is the only way to make global efforts to slow climate change credible.

Macron defended the legacy of the 2015 Paris accord, but acknowledged that countries are far from fulfilling their promises to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees since the industrial era. We know that we are not there yet, he told the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow on Monday.

The key for the next 15 days here is that the biggest emitters ... raise their ambitions, Macron said, without calling out specific countries. Its the only way to make our strategy credible ... and to make 1.5 degrees a credible figure.

Noting that indigenous people are the first victims of this climate disturbance and that nations in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean are particularly hard hit, he called on rich countries to speed up deep transformation of the way they trade and invest.

France sees itself as a guarantor of the Paris accord after hosting the historic talks but France has not fully met its own promises so far under the accord. Some activists protested Monday in Glasgow, calling on Macron to do more.

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RIO DE JANEIRO  Brazil on Monday stepped up its commitment against greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to halve them by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels, while critics alleged the government is tinkering with data.

We present today a new, more ambitious climate goal, Environment Minister Joaquim Leite said at the U.N. Glasgow climate conference.

Brazil previously targeted 43% fewer emissions by 2030 versus 25 years earlier.

The announcement in Glasgow represents another effort by the Brazilian government to project itself as a responsible environmental steward in the wake of surging deforestation and fires in Brazils Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands in recent years. But critics cautioned that its shift should be viewed with skepticism.

Experts have accused Brazil of previously adjusting its emissions targets in a way that would allow it to release more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The government significantly increased the estimate for its baseline, making its target easier to accomplish.

Rodrigo Agostinho, a member of the Brazilian delegation to Glasgow, told The Associated Press that no one trusts Brazil anymore  and that wont change even with a more ambitious emissions target.

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GLASGOW  President Joe Biden urged world leaders to the meet the challenge of global warming, saying there is no more time to hang back or argue amongst ourselves about the peril facing the planet.

Glasgow must be the kickoff of a decade of ambition, Biden told world leaders in remarks at Mondays COP26 summit.

Biden said within the growing catastrophe of a warming climate there was an incredible opportunity to stave off problems caused by extreme weather, diminishing resources and other disastrous impacts caused by climate change. He said the crisis also offered an opportunity to make a generational investment to grow economies around the globe.

The president also said he wants to do more to help countries around the world to address the challenges caused by climate change.

The Biden administration on Monday released its strategy for transforming the U.S. into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050. The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris accord, lays out a United States increasingly running on wind, solar and other clean energy.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Germanys outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel urged other countries to put a price on carbon emissions, which are the main cause of global warming.

Merkel  who chaired the first Conference of the Parties, or COP1, in 1995  said the world needs a comprehensive transformation of way people live and work if it wants to curb climate change.

Speaking Monday at the ceremonial opening of this years U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Merkel said she wanted to make a clear plea for the pricing of carbon emissions to help promote the most efficient ways of reaching net zero, a goal many countries are striving for by 2050.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says his government plans to increase its climate finance by 50% by 2025 as a contribution to the common pledge made by rich economies to pay developing nations to help them fight and adapt to climate change.

Developed countries have fallen short of a commitment to reach a contribution of $100 billion every year to developing nations from 2020 to 2025.

Speaking to leaders at the COP26 U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Sanchez said Monday that Spain plans to increase its contribution and reach 1.35 billion euros ($1.56 billion) in 2025 and every year after that.

Meeting the $100 billion target is going to be one of the litmus tests of COP26, Sanchez said. When it comes to regaining trust between the countries of the North and the South, Spain will do its part.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The prime minister of Barbados has told world leaders that failing to act urgently on climate change will be a death sentence for people in island nations like hers.

Mia Amor Mottley told leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow that nations facing the biggest threat from global warming fear the gathering will not achieve its goals.

She said that both ambition and, regrettably, some of the needed faces at Glasgow are not present. The leaders of China, Russia and Turkey are among those who have not come to the summit.

Mottley told leaders they must try harder, saying vulnerable countries needed trillions of dollars, not the billions so far committed, to adapt to climate change and green their economies.

She said simply put: When will leaders lead?

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti made an impassioned appeal to world leaders to open your hearts to those already feeling the effects of global warming.

Speaking Monday at the ceremonial opening of the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Wathuti said drought in her home country means many are going without food.

As I sit comfortably here in this conference center in Glasgow, over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation, she said. In this past year, both of our rainy seasons have failed, and scientists say that it may be another 12 months before the waters return again.

Wathuti urged leaders to take the necessary action to tackle climate change.

The decisions you make here will help determine whether children will have food and water, she said.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  British naturalist David Attenborough gave leaders at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow a brief lesson is the fragility of the planet and humanitys dependence on the natural world.

The 95-year-old documentary-maker, who was announced at Mondays ceremonial opening as the peoples advocate, spoke ahead of presidents and prime ministers from more than 100 countries.

Attenborough said for much of humanitys existence, the climate on Earth had swung wildly before stabilizing 10,000 years ago, allowing human civilizations to flourish.

The stability we all depend on is breaking, he said.

Attenborough said the action necessary to curb greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would prevent dangerous global warming is possible, if countries move quickly and decisively.

We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth, he said. If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to destabilize our planet. Surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Activists in costumes have posed as world leaders playing in a traditional Scottish bagpipe band on Monday as world leaders came together at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow.

The Oxfam campaigners wore kilts and said that world leaders need to come up with more action and not only hot air to tackle the climate crisis.

These leaders, instead of reducing emissions and putting the world on a safer path, they are just blowing hot air, and we have had enough of hot air and empty promises, what we are asking for is for concrete action," Oxfam Climate Policy Lead Nafkote Dabi said.

We need climate finance, poor countries need climate finance, vulnerable communities need climate finance, and they need to be serious about this, to support vulnerable countries, to adapt to the worst impact of the climate crisis.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The head of the United Nations warned leaders at the global climate summit in Glasgow that we digging our own graves by burning fossil fuels and destroying the environment.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the ceremonial opening of the two-week talks Monday that believing recent announcements by governments could turn the tide on climate change were an illusion, not least because there are serious questions many countries pledges.

As we open this much anticipated climate conference, we are still heading for climate disaster, he said.

Guterres urged major economic powers, including emerging nations like China, to go the extra mile because they contribute the lions share of global greenhouse gas emissions.

He also criticized a confusion over emissions reductions targets, and announced the creation of a new group of experts to propose clear standards for measuring commitments from businesses and other non-state actors.

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MOSCOW  The Kremlin says that Moscow remains fully committed to global efforts on controlling climate change even though Russian President Vladimir Putin won't attend the U.N. climate conference this week.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the format of the conference in Glasgow wouldnt allow the Russian president to address the gathering via video link. But he added that Putin will record a video address to be delivered to a forest and land use conference which is part of the U.N. climate conference.

Peskov told reporters Monday that Russia fully shares global climate efforts and will stick to its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The U.S. and the EU have prodded Moscow to set a more ambitious goal and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Peskov charged that Russia is already ahead of some Western European countries regarding the share of low-carbon power generation sources. The Kremlin spokesman also emphasized the need to pay special attention to the needs of developing countries while mapping global climate efforts and consider their low emissions in the past.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opened a global climate summit saying the world is strapped to a doomsday device.

Johnson likened the Earths position to that of fictional secret agent James Bond strapped to a doomsday device that will destroy the planet and trying to work out how to defuse it.

He told leaders we are in roughly the same position and that only now the ticking doomsday device is real and not a movie.

He was kicking off the world leaders summit portion of a U.N. climate conference aimed at getting an agreement to curb carbon emissions fast enough to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) below pre-industrial levels.

Britains leader struck a gloomy note on the eve of the conference after Group of 20 leaders made only modest climate commitments at their summit in Rome.
Each year, the memories come flooding in as Yvette Gonzales carefully constructs an altar to honor the spirits of her loved ones for Dia de los Muertos.

She always adds a miniature bottle of Coca Cola  her late mothers favorite drink. She loved it so much that after once running out of the soda at home, she asked a neighbor to borrow a cup until she could make a trip to the store.

Gonzales also remembers the tender moments, like how little time she had to say goodbye to her sister, who died less than a year after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.

She left behind five children, the youngest of whom was 2 years old.

I wanted to do something just for them, Gonzales said, to keep her memory and her spirit alive.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

Gonzales family didnt celebrate the holiday when she was young, but shed always wanted to learn about Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, to feel more connected with her heritage. After her sisters death in 2009, Gonzales decided that, together with her nieces and nephews, it was time to make the familys first ofrenda.

What started as an arts and crafts activity to help the children cope with their mothers passing has evolved into an annual spectacle at Gonzales West Side home. Her sisters children are now in their teens, and less likely to help out with the decorations, so shes taken over crafting and designing all the sugar skulls.

Shes entered the ofrenda contests at the citys Muertos Fest two or three times. Her altar has become so popular among loved ones that shes setting it up this year on her front porch  instead of inside her home  for the first time for others to enjoy.

Anybody who knows me knows this is my favorite time of year, Gonzales said.

Dia de los Muertos has exploded in San Antonio. The city now boasts a Day of the Dead river parade, festival and 5K night run, marketed to lure tourists from across the country. In decades past, families had to scour shelves for supplies at a few select local stores, but now skeleton-themed travel mugs and tote bags line the aisle of H-E-Bs.

People will moan about it being commercialized, said John Phillip Santos, a distinguished scholar in mestizo cultural studies at the University of Texas at San Antonios Honors College. But I think its really moving that this deeply indigenous ritual practice should awaken in our communities in the United States.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

The origins of Dia de los Muertos stretch back thousands of years, with the earliest roots traced to the Aztec world. Like many indigenous communities, they believed the worlds of the living and dead weaved together. After the Spanish colonizers took control of the Aztec empire, the indigenous rituals celebrating the dead merged with Christian traditions, eventually aligning with the Catholics All Saints Day and All Souls Day, which fall on Nov. 1-2. The first day of Day of the Dead celebrates children who have passed on, and the second day honors adults.

It wasnt until relatively recently that the celebrations erupted so publicly in San Antonio, Santos said. Until the latter half of the 20th century, many Mexican American families in San Antonio had kept their cultural traditions and language secret; in schools, students could be punished for speaking Spanish.

As a child, Santos remembers visiting the graves of departed family members in the San Fernando cemeteries, but his family didnt make altars  with the exception of his grandmother, who kept a modest one in her home.

This is not a Mexican tradition that was much a part of San Antonios life, except in the most intimate family settings, he said.

That began to change in the 1980s, Santos said, when Mexican American artists played a huge role in reawakening San Antonio to this tradition. One of the most notable figures was Danny Lozano, an artist who helped open Tienda Guadalupe, a folk art shop in Southtown that sold artifacts and votives used in the traditional construction of Dia de los Muertos altars.

The artists, Santos continued, they dont get the credit they deserve for helping to bridge cultures.

San Antonians are now able to find marigolds and papel picado - intricately cut paper banners  at dollar stores and H-E-B. Others, like Alexandra Torres, have turned to Facebook groups to ask seasoned Dia de los Muertos observers for their tips on finding supplies.

This is the first year that the mother of two is making an ofrenda with her family, set up in their breakfast nook. When she was young, she remembers decorating the altar with her grandmother, who always had photographs of departed loved ones lining the walls of her home in El Paso.

Torres hopes the experience will help her own children learn to cherish and celebrate family  both the living and the departed. She lives with her husband, their two young boys and her cousins son, whom shes helped care for since his mother died suddenly five years ago after experiencing liver problems.

Today, she is among the loved ones celebrated on their altar.

Theyre never really gone, Torres tells her children. Theyre always with us.

Torres sons, who are 3 and 4, have been thrilled to participate in making the ofrenda. They already knew about the ritual from Disney/Pixars Coco, which theyve watched probably 30, 40 times, their mother said.

The 4-year-old helped Torres organize the photographs of loved ones and pick out the fake pan de muerto  Day of the Dead bread  which he and his brother tried to eat, then began throwing at each other once they realized it wasnt an edible pastry. Sometimes, Torres said, her son compares their ofrenda to the one in Coco.

Ours kind of looks like that, Mama, he tells her.

After more than a decade of organizing the tradition for her family, Gonzales now has all the supplies needed to build multiple altars, which are crammed into large storage bins that fill her garage most of the year.

As the setting sun danced through the tree looming over her front yard, Gonzales began setting out the items on her altar to welcome back the spirits of her loved ones  the pan de muerto, candles and cup of water to quench their thirst after the long journey.

Marigolds sat on each side of the altar, their scent said to help attract the spirits. When the time came to set out the photographs of the departed, Gonzales held each frame carefully.

There was the portrait of her sister, beaming over her shoulder at the camera in her wedding dress. A white veil hangs down her back from her dark hair.

And the photograph of her mother, ringing in what they didnt know at the time would be her last New Years Eve. In her right hand, she holds a balloon in the shape of a champagne bottle that towers over her head.

Along with their favorite foods and treasures  like her moms dice and coins from her gambling days in Las Vegas  Gonzales brings out the crafts and notes her nieces and nephews made over the years to remember their mother.

She still has their first papel picado they made together months after her sisters death. Its design is far simpler than those she can uses now after more than a decade of practice.

In a folder, she keeps all of their drawings, made to welcome her spirit back to their world. One of them, a card hand-drawn by her niece, always makes Gonzales pause. In pink marker, it reads, I love you mommy. I miss you.

marina.riker@express-news.net
A jury deliberated two hours and found Miguel Angel Gutierrez guilty of murder Monday in the killing of 11-month-old Xzavier Cortez in 2017.

The boy and his three older siblings had been in Gutierrezs care on the night he died, and the verdict capped a weeklong trial that portrayed a chaotic, dysfunctional and occasionally violent family life for the children, whose mother sometimes relied on the Gutierrez household on the West Side to babysit them.

Prosecutors earlier had asked jurors to disregard testimony about aggressive play, mistakes by paramedics, a negligent mother or genital injuries as factors that might have caused the boys death.

He died of blunt force trauma, prosecutor Lauren Scott said in closing arguments in 379th District Court. He didnt die of intubation. He already had multiple prior injuries. He didnt die from falling off the bed.

Ultimately, Miguel pushed so hard on this child (in the abdomen) that he caused Xzaviers death, Scott told jurors. And then he fled the scene.

Gutierrez, 27, faces life in prison. The jury had also considered lesser charges, including reckless endangerment.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

Gutierrez has asked that state District Judge Ron Rangel sentence him, and Rangel set a sentencing date of Dec. 20. Gutierrez had been jailed since his arrest in lieu of $400,000 bail, and he was returned to custody.

Prosecutors stressed numerous times to the jury that they did not have to show Gutierrez had a motive.

When the verdict was announced, Gutierrez, in a blue cotton face mask, showed no movement.

Defense attorney John Economidy had begged the jury to see that the babys mother, Selena Gabriella Moya, who worked as a stripper and sometimes lived with her kids in a car, was responsible for the fatal injuries.

Shes been through (Child Protective Services) cases. She has a history of abuse, Economidy said. And she has tons of motivation.

He said Moya had an explosive personality and was angry that her other children wanted to live with Gutierrez instead of her.

The oldest sibling, a girl now 10, testified that she didnt enjoy staying at Gutierrezs house  their nickname for him was Gruesome, and she said he had previously beaten both her and Xzavier. But she did not describe Gutierrez attacking the boy the night he died, instead saying Xzavier had fallen off a bed four or five times.

Economidy also tried to convince the jury that no doubt EMS (paramedics) botched this case by placing an intubation tube improperly.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

The Bexar County chief medical examiner had testified that Xzavier had bled to death internally because of injuries to his abdomen.

On ExpressNews.com: Girl, 10, testifying in San Antonio murder trial, says defendant regularly punched baby

I think cases with children are always hard, especially when the child (victims) cannot speak for themselves, Scott, the prosecutor, said after the verdict.

Gutierrez had been babysitting Moyas children on Nov. 3, 2017, but had left the home in the 200 block of North San Ignacio Avenue on the West Side when paramedics arrived in response to a 911 call.

A 911 dispatcher tried, without success, to get adults in the room to keep up CPR efforts until the ambulance got there, and neither first responders nor an emergency room team at Childrens Hospital of San Antonio were able to revive Xzavier, testimony showed.

Paramedics found the child cold, lifeless, said prosecutor Grant Bryan earlier in the trial. He was covered in bruises, burn marks and was written on in permanent marker.

Moya, 25, was indicted in 2020 on a charge of endangering a child/risk of bodily injury, a state jail felony; and child abandonment/risk of bodily injury, a second degree felony, according to online court records. She is awaiting trial and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

bselcraig@express-news.net
The Express-News requested the salary figures paid to Olmos Parks 38 employees during the fiscal year of 2020, which spans from Oct. 1, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2021.

Here is what we found:

The highest paid government employee is Celia DeLeon, who made $107,334 as the city manager. According to 78209 Magazine, DeLeon started her career in Olmos Park in 1999 and gradually worked her way up to city secretary. She was promoted to city manager in 2013.

On ExpressNews.com: 10 highest paid city of San Antonio employees

As Olmos Parks top administrator, she implements the councils policy directions and is in charge of the citys employees.

Police Chief Rene Valenciano earned $86,258. Valenciano has been with the Olmos Park Police Department since 2004. She oversees 12 employees.

Fire Chief Michael Goodreau, who has led the department since 2018, makes $83,845. He also oversees 12 employees.

On ExpressNews.com: Bill Miller Bar-B-Q family sells over 600 acres on South Side to Austin group

Employees in the citys fire department are among the highest paid city employees. Including compensation, Fire Capt. Thomas Montes earned $68,541. Jonathan Dixon took home $65,428 in compensation and Fire Capt. Keith Drewry received $61,564.

Police Lt. Anthony Reed received $62,972 in compensation. Kyndra Munoz, the citys secretary, earned $57,840 in compensation. Gilbert Deleon, the citys public works director, took $57,678 in compensation.

Some city employees received other forms of compensation in addition to their annual salaries, including certification bonuses and clothing allowances for purchasing uniforms.

Staff writer Ryan Serpico contributed to this report.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
A trial meant to determine how much the government should pay victims of the Sutherland Springs massacre entered a new phase Monday, with experts testifying the victims will continue having medical and psychological issues for years to come.

One expert for the families, forensic psychologist David Feltoon, testified that many of the people he evaluated were no longer able to enjoy things that brought them pleasure and had feelings of detachment and estrangement from others.

Feltoon said some wont even admit their emotions, like Robert Braden, who was shot and survived.

Hes just not willing to acknowledge that he has any emotional problems, Feltoon said. You can call it macho or in denial.

Another victim, a minor who saw her mother, two siblings and many others die, will be susceptible and vulnerable to stress in the future. She wont be able to be comfortable in a house of worship again, Feltoon said.

I dont want to be hyperbolic, but...this traumatic event transcends the types of traumas Ive seen throughout my career, said Feltoon, who has been practicing for four decades. This is the ultimate  seven and a half minutes seeing people die and knowing that any second you might die. I dont think you could be hyperbolic.

When asked by a government lawyer if some individuals might be malingerers because theres litigation involved, Feltoon said, I cant really endorse that.

Pressed as to whether he had endorsed that idea in an earlier deposition, Feltoon responded: Certainly there are malingerers. There are people who exaggerate.

The government asked Feltoon about whether prior incidents  like the rape of one victim at age 18  might be responsible for some of their emotional issues.

Traumas tend to be cumulative and additive, Feltoon said. The fact that she was raped at age 18, each succeeding trauma she experienced is going to be an additive and have a cumulative effect and its going to be more intense.

Asked if patients might get better, Feltoon said some will, some wont and there are going to be those who are going to fare worse than others.

So none of these patients is going to be cured? a government lawyer asked.

I think Im comfortable saying that the goal is to help them cope better and do better and some of them will, Feltoon said. But is the pain of the trauma going to go away? They are going to...revisit this trauma and I dont think it will just go away.

A medical expert for the defense also testified about the extensive injuries of Ryland Ward, who was 5 at the time and was shot in the arm, leg and abdomen and hip. His bones were shattered at important areas that normally grow as Ward gets older, the expert said. But the boys left leg is significantly shorter than the other and he will require hip replacement surgery as an adult.

The expert estimated the tab for Wards lifelong care to be more than $2.7 million, while the government has argued that it is closer to $750,000.

In July, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez determined that, aside from the shooter, the Air Force is most liable for the massacre because it failed to report Devin Kelleys domestic violence conviction to a national FBI database that would have prevented him from legally buying guns, including the assault-style rifle he used at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.

Kelley, a former airman from New Braunfels, was married to a woman who attended First Baptist. He killed 26 people and injured more than 20 when he opened fire on the congregation on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. He shot and killed himself during a car chase afterward.

The testimony comes four days after the Justice Department announced it reached an $88 million settlement over multiple lawsuits in which the families of another mass shooting alleged federal regulators failed to prevent convicted murderer and white supremacist Dylann Roof from purchasing the gun he used to kill nine people at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina in 2015.

The families and victims who filed the lawsuits argued Roofs earlier felony arrest for illegal drug use should have prevented him from purchasing a .45-caliber pistol from Shooters Choice in West Columbia, S.C., before he used the gun in the massacre.

The Justice Department declined comment Monday on whether it would settle the Sutherland Springs case.

Testimony in the Sutherland Springs case continues through Nov. 12. Closing arguments are not expected until later in the month or early December.

guillermo.contreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
Re: The Supreme Courts crisis of legitimacy, Other Views, Oct. 4:

After Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus correctly acknowledged the U.S. Supreme Court should be independent and not shift with the political winds and that justices have life tenure precisely to insulate them from political pressure, she noted the courts plummeting approval rating in a recent Gallup poll. She then argued that if the judicial philosophy and ideological balance of the courts majority are not consistent with public opinion, the court loses its legitimacy.

Marcus recounted the appointments of justices by political party since 1969 and declared this the most conservative court since the 1930s.

From that premise, she argued a court whose ideological balance is out of line with that of the country can find itself in dangerous territory and this systemic and entrenched disconnect between public opinion and the judicial philosophy of the courts majority creates a problem when it comes to assuring that the courts decisions are accepted and followed.

Because Marcus did not contend that the courts decisions do not adhere to the rule of law, the explicit thrust of her argument is that public opinion means political opinion, and to prevent being out of line with, and avoid having a disconnect from, the prevailing political preference of the moment, the court must shift with the political winds and be sensitive to political pressure.

Marcus quoted with approval a statement by Justice Elena Kagan, identified as a member of the courts minority: The courts strength as an institution of American governance depends on people believing it has a certain kind of legitimacy, on people believing its not simply just an extension of politics, that its decision-making has a kind of integrity to it. If people dont believe that, they have no reason to accept what the court does.

That statement is equivalent to asserting that people may reject the courts decisions with which they disagree. That is a repudiation of the rule of law by a member of the branch of government that was created to preserve the rule of law.

Under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court has the ultimate jurisdiction to resolve issues raised in litigation concerning the constitutionality of government acts. The rule of law requires that justices base their decisions on jurisprudential interpretations and applications of the Constitution, and that citizens comply with the courts decisions. If citizens are permitted to decide arbitrarily that they may reject a decision because they believe it lacks integrity or legitimacy, government of laws will be replaced by government of men.

Marcus began her column by stating that the court begins its 2021 term at a most perilous time  perilous not just for the country, but for the Supreme Court itself. She is correct, but not for the reasons asserted. This is a perilous time for the country and the court because the rule of law is being threatened; the author ignored it. In a government of laws, the rule of law is the only test of integrity and the only basis of legitimacy.

Robert R. Barton is a retired district judge in Kerrville.
A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared open to blocking enforcement of the new Texas abortion ban, but grappled with how best to do it. And they seemed ready to potentially issue a split decision in two cases argued Monday that seek to stop the nations most restrictive abortion law in decades.

Texas abortion providers and the Biden administration have sued the state and various state officials including judges and court clerks, who they say help enforce the law known as Senate Bill 8, which bans abortions after about six weeks.

The law is designed to evade judicial intervention by officially delegating enforcement to private citizens through $10,000 bounties for lawsuits brought against abortion providers and others who help women obtain the procedure after six weeks, or when fetal cardiac activity is first detected. Both plaintiffs argued Monday that the state courts are critical to the setup, even if they are not directly named as enforcers of it.

The state has made the clerks an essential role in this machinery that they have created to nullify constitutional rights that have been recognized by this court, said Marc Hearron, a lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing Texas abortion providers.

IN-DEPTH: Todays hearing is a first test for U.S. Supreme Courts conservative majority

The courts two newest justices, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, at times appeared sympathetic to the argument that the law provides no viable path for abortion providers and others to seek judicial review. Both justices are conservatives who declined to intervene in the law when it rolled out in early September, and are considered the potential swing votes now.

Barrett asked Hearron whether the law essentially bars defendants sued under Senate Bill 8 from raising their full constitutional defense.

I think thats right, your honor, Hearron responded, adding that Texas lawmakers have tried to change the substantive rules that this court applies.

Kavanaugh asks: Are gun rights next?

The two cases will turn heavily on the courts application of a 1908 Supreme Court case called Ex Parte Young, which allowed for litigation to proceed in federal court against state officials who are acting unconstitutionally. That decision did not, however, apply to state courts.

Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone suggested Monday that any expansion of the Ex Parte rule to include state court officials would be a violation of our whole scheme of government.

The entire point of this law  its purpose and its effect  is to find the chink in the armor of Ex Parte Young, said Justice Elena Kagan, one of the courts three liberal judges.

Ex Parte set out a basic principle of how our government is supposed to work and how people can seek review of unconstitutional state laws, Kagan said. So to now say, Oh, weve never seen this before, so we cant do anything about it. I guess I just dont understand the argument.

Kavanaugh asked Stone about the ripple effects that could come if the court declines to intervene, noting a legal brief filed by a gun rights organization raised concerns that states could set up similar laws targeting gun owners and dealers.

Whether or not federal court avenues are available does not turn on the nature of the right, Stone said.

So we can assume that this will be across the board, equally applicable, as the Firearms Policy Coalition says, to all constitutional rights? Kavanaugh replied.

Yes, Stone said, suggesting that congressional action would be the appropriate intervention.

Isnt the point of a right that you dont have to ask Congress? Kagan said. Isnt the point of a right that it doesnt really matter what Congress thinks or what the majority of the American people think as to that right?

A Houston abortion patients testimonial

Outside the courthouse, dozens of protesters gathered for dueling rallies.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton voiced optimism about the case and argued the Biden administration is asking the court to set what he described as a dangerous precedent.

The remedies the Department of Justice was seeking would be extraordinary, he said. Enjoining a court or clerks of a court from actually allowing people to present their causes of action would be, I think what they said today, the first time it had been done in U.S. history. So were going to continue to fight this fight.

Asked what he makes of concerns that other states, including blue states, could follow Texas lead to ban other constitutionally protected rights, Paxton said he isnt thinking about that.

The focus for me is this case and this case alone, he said. What happens in other states, what their legislators are elected to do, are different from what our elected officials are elected to do. Each state has a responsibility to do what they think is right and their legislators have a responsibility to represent their constituents views.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, who heads Whole Womans Health, one of the abortion providers suing over the law, said the impact of the last two months cannot be overstated.

Its been 62 days, she said. 62 days of telling Texans that we cant give them the essential abortion that we are so proud and committed to provide. Its devastating that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed this blatantly unconstitutional law to remain for even one day.

Kenya Martin, 46, told a nearby crowd that two abortions she had at the Houston Womens Clinic  where she would eventually work  saved her life.

Martin had her first abortion in 2001, when she was locked in a battle for custody of her 1-year-old daughter with the family of her daughters father. She said she did not feel she could have another child at that point.

It was really dark at that time, Martin said. She went to the Houston Womens Center and the same doctor who delivered her daughter provided the abortion.

Then in 2015, Martin got pregnant again. This time, she got sick in the lobby of the Houston Womens Center before finding out it was an ectopic pregnancy, and she needed another abortion.

They saved my life, literally, she said of the doctors, who she said she now fears would be targets of lawsuits under Texas new law.

Removal of an ectopic pregnancy does not constitute an abortion under Texas state code.

But Senate Bill 8 makes no mention of those types of pregnancies, and its language protecting any fetus that exhibits cardiac activity has some doctors uncertain about what the law permits. The new ban does make exceptions for medical emergencies, though the term is never defined.

jeremy.blackman@chron.com

benjamin.wermund@chron.com
Sterling, VA (20165)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 49F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 34F. Winds light and variable.
Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

WINDSOR LOCKS  Four flights were delayed Sunday morning at Bradley International Airport after several fire alarms went off, officials said.

At around 5:15 a.m., the airport was evacuated after several fire alarms were activated, according to the Connecticut Airport Authority.
MISSION, Kan. (AP)  A freshman Kansas lawmaker who has acknowledged past abuses against girls and young women was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation Monday after he was charged with domestic battery in a disturbance involving his brother at his grandfather's home.

Magistrate Judge James Phelan said Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City could be freed on a personal recognizance bond, without putting up a deposit or collateral. The hearing was held via Zoom and Coleman didnt appear because he is receiving medical care. No information was provided about his health status and Colemans attorney, David Bell, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking details.

Overland Park police arrested the 21-year-old Saturday evening.

Bell entered a plea of not guilty. He said the allegations involved two family members at the home of Coleman's grandfather, Ronald Tomberlin.

Tomberlin and Coleman's brother, both spoke on the call and said they weren't afraid of the lawmaker.

Judge, I have spoken to his mother and we are going to seek help for Mr. Coleman to help him with some of the issues that he is facing," Bell said.

Phelan set his next court appearance for Dec. 22 and gave Coleman 21 days to undergo a mental health evaluation and follow the recommendations of a mental health specialist.

Colemans grandmother, Marsha Tomberlin, told The Topeka Capital-Journal that the dispute was over religious beliefs. She said Coleman also accused his brother of stealing his phone to call the police. No further details were provided.

The Associated Press filed records requests for the probable cause affidavit, but it wasn't immediately available. The police incident report provided no details about what the dispute was over and the grandmother's phone number wasn't listed.

It wasnt immediately clear what consequences Coleman might face in the House.

Given what little we know about the situation, I am concerned for everyone involved, Speaker of the House, Ron Ryckman said in a weekend statement. I know that law enforcement will thoroughly investigate and assess the situation so that we can take appropriate action.

House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer issued a statement urging Coleman to resign and calling his arrest extremely disturbing."

After he was elected last year, Coleman received a written reprimand from a legislative committee about his conduct before taking office. The House committees investigation of Coleman followed accusations of abusive behavior toward girls and young women. He acknowledged some of the behavior on social media and said he had been a troubled teenager.

Earlier this month, Coleman was also banned from the Kansas Department of Labors offices because the agencys director said Coleman had tried to improperly gain entry to the departments main office through a secured employee entry and berated a security officer.

At that time, Coleman said he was trying to help constituents deal with the states unemployment system.

Coleman tweeted before his arrest Saturday that he had been isolated from other students while in grade schools, leaving him traumatized as well as several years behind in my social skills."

This deficiency," he wrote, makes it difficult to express to the world the love that I hold in my tender heart. It makes it even harder to form and maintain meaningful relationships, including romantic relationships."

He didn't immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

___

Andy Tsubasa Field in Topeka, Kansas, contributed to this report.
Much ink has been spilt about President Bidens recent statement about a U.S. commitment to defending Taiwan if attacked by China, as well as the clarification issued by the White House afterward:

The U.S. defense relationship with Taiwan is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act. We will uphold our commitment under the Act, we will continue to support Taiwan's self-defense, and we will continue to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo.[i]

Which is exactly right. Unlike NATO and the countries that the President referred to, the United States does not have a security treaty with Taiwan. What the U.S. has is the Taiwan Relations Act[ii], so let's see what the Act commits the U.S. to regarding the defense of Taiwan

The relevant sections of the Act are 2.b.4 and 3.c. Section 2.b.4 states:

to consider any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States;

So what does grave concern mean? The U.S. does not have some checklist or dictionary that defines what a "grave concern" might be, but it is clear that in this globalized world, any hard-power threat to Taiwan, be it military or economic in nature, would have a profound effect on both the U.S. and world economies.

Section 3.c states the following:

The President is directed to inform Congress promptly of any threat to the security or the social or economic system of the people on Taiwan and any danger to the interests of the United States arising therefrom. The President and Congress shall determine appropriate action by the United States in response to any such danger in accordance with constitutional processes.

Similar to the text of mutual defense treaties the U.S. has with other nations, there is no automatic response should China threaten Taiwan in some way.[iii] For the sake of discussion, lets assume the nature of the threat is an armed attack by China on Taiwan. In this case, what are the constitutional processes mentioned in the Act? Following a strict interpretation of the Constitution, Congress could decide to declare war on China and direct the President, as Commander in Chief, to take military action to defend Taiwan.

But Congress hasnt declared war on another country since 1941, and even then, it was asked to recognize that "a state of war exists between the U.S. and the Empire of Japan." That hasn't stopped the U.S. from using military force, however. Virtually every President has claimed that their powers as Commander in Chief of the armed forces give them the executive authority to use military power, not just to defend the U.S. against attack, but to defend U.S. interests, however broadly defined. Therefore, in response to a military attack against Taiwan, a president might decide unilaterally to take military action to defend Taiwan. At some point, Congress would have to get involved, either to belatedly authorize the money necessary to continue military action or to attempt to use the War Powers Act to restrict the President's ability to continue that action.

Another possibility is that a president decides that an armed attack against Taiwan should not be responded to with military force. After all, there is nothing in either the Taiwan Relations Act or the Constitution that requires the President to take unilateral military action to defend Taiwan. It is rare in the discourse to hear this option discussed, but it is certainly possible.

There is yet another possible response, which the Act clearly prescribes: 1) the president, who controls the intelligence resources necessary to make such a determination, is directed to inform Congress of any threat to Taiwan, and 2) working together, the executive and legislative branches are to determine the appropriate national response, given the broad range of instruments of national power[iv], for the existing situation.

The elected head of the executive branch in a democratic republic working together with the elected legislative body to determine a national response to a crisis? Hey, thats what the Act says

Anthony Cowden is the Managing Director of Stari Consulting Services

Notes:
George Eustice has signalled that the government may introduce a tax on meat and dairy in the future to reduce the public's impact on the climate.

The Defra Secretary, speaking to The Telegraph on the eve of COP26 in Glasgow, said the UK must "move into the realms of things like carbon taxes" when EU subsidies are phased out.

He noted that the government was already writing up a new tax system for parts of the UK food sector, particularly for those that have the most impact on the climate.

Any tax on meat and dairy would also raise prices, but Mr Eustice said the government's own modelling suggested that prices were set to increase in real terms by 10% over the next five years.

Following the UK's transition to a new agricultural policy focused on the environment and 'public goods', he said government could "then start to move into the realms of things like carbon taxes."

It comes after COP26 president Alok Sharma told BBCs Andrew Marr Show on Sunday (31 October) that what people ate was a 'personal choice'.

Mr Sharma, who is Business Secretary, said he believed in 'incentivising' people to change their behaviour to help combat the climate crisis.

I have been very clear that, on a personal level, I am someone who very much believes in carrot rather than stick, trying to encourage people to move in the right direction, he said.

NFU president Minette Batters told LBC that a meat tax would 'put farmers out of business', particular as the government signed post-Brexit trade deals with major agricultural producers.

"If we start to tax farmers here and we don't expect the same of other countries that we are importing a lot more food from - we've just signed a deal obviously with New Zealand and with Australia - and we're planning to completely liberalise.

"So if you're going to tax farmers here, not tax farmers in other countries, that's just going to put our farmers out of business," she said.

If follows research from Rothamsted Research, published in the summer, warning that any tax on red meat to help curb climate change could do more harm than good.

Researchers said such a tax would cost the economy 242 million a year, and could also force grazing livestock farms out of the industry, even when grassland is 'the most sensible land use at that particular location'.

Conversely, the savings resulting from reduced climate emissions were calculated in the region of 100 million per annum.

Dr Taro Takahashi, agricultural economist who led the research, said the economic losses would not only be borne by livestock farmers, but everyone in society.

"Solely from the climate change perspective, our results unambiguously support everyone else's finding: that a red meat tax can reduce GHG emissions," he said.

"But unfortunately, this is only half the story. As well as impacting consumers and farmers, the knock-on effects will be felt right along supply chains as well as rural communities that support and are supported by farmers."
A specialist in pest control and farm hygiene has issued new advice to farmers who are preparing to control rodents this winter.

Dave Reece is technical advisor to Lodi UK and owner of Oakwood Farm Services, and a specialist in pest control.

He says rodent populations start in October with a low population - 5-6 rats or mice - moving onto farms and into buildings which then breed with warmth, shelter and food to create a much larger problem.

Monitoring allows farmers to search out where the rodents are arriving and control the situation more quickly, and if found early, numbers can be controlled significantly more effectively.

Monitoring is essential to effective rodent control

Checking for rodent activity all year round is key to keeping the risk of infestations low, Dave says.

Effective monitoring is more than a day-to-day walk around on a farm to prevent a change going by unnoticed, especially in out-of-sight areas such as the back of buildings.

Most farmers might only notice activity in more open areas which would then indicate a larger problem is building.

Dave advises farmers to carry out a brief inspection each week to check for signs of activity.

He says: "Look out for rat burrows under buildings, loop smears on beams or rafters, rat holes in dirt banks, damaged doors, holes or entry points, runs on the ground between potential feeding areas, droppings in ventilation ducts and next to food, equipment stores, and other areas around the farm.

He adds innovative products such as Lodi UKs UV Blocks and UV Paste will aid farmers as a monitoring feed to confirm rodent activity before baiting with Lodi Gems rodenticides.

The new range of UV monitoring baits is also formulated with a UV tracker that causes rodent urine to glow, allowing farmers to trace where the rodents are hiding and control them quickly.

Dave says monitoring rodents in this way is important to comply with the CRRU code of rodent control best practice as well as complying with farm-assured schemes such as Red Tractor.

Avoid fines with effective rodent control

Following best practice with rodent control ensures compliance with government acts, regulation, and farm audits.

For example, under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, farmers and waste sites must keep fly and rodent infestations under control otherwise they could be fined up to 50,000.

How do you effectively control rodents with Lodis Gems?

Farms are becoming increasingly large with more fields and buildings. Therefore, the scale of the rodent problems is seen to be much greater sometimes requiring up to 40 baiting points to control them effectively.

Rodenticides such as the Lodis Gems range is the most successful way to control rodent infestations when they occur, Dave says.

For farmers looking to use Lodis Gems rodenticides to manage their rodent populations, there are a few things to know: A few kilos of bait do not resolve the problem when spread out over 40 baiting points.

Farmers should also ensure the back label of the rodenticide is followed detailing how much rodenticide to use in each location.

Bait box placement is key to rodent control

Baiting in the correct locations is essential to control rodents effectively, Dave explains.

When farmers have found an infestation, Dave says to use Lodis Gems rodenticides in tamper-resistant bait stations, such as BORA or BETA stations, placed in key areas across the farm such as around buildings, drains, sewers, and feed stores.

Always follow the back-label instructions on what rodenticides may be used where.

Be aware of your surroundings on-farm

The farm is a place of constant change both seasonal and permanent. Its important to recognise changes which can impact rodent activity on farm and adapt control strategies in terms of monitoring and baiting.

For example, if deciding to move straw or feed storage, consider that this will attract rodents to a new place on the farm.

What if it seems rodents are not taking the bait?

Dave suggests "If it seems rodents are not eating the bait placed down. Check for and remove or block access to other feed sources such as grain stores as this may be the issue.

"Burrow baiting may be an option here, if possible, to control the rodents on their doorstep.

In addition, a lot of baiting points with single-feed rodenticides need to be approached with care to understand where the rodent will travel after feeding and possible risks to non-target species.

Know your actives and formulations

Choose the right formulation for the right needs. Lodis Gems rodenticides come in cut wheat, wholegrain, wax blocks, and edible pastes and range from Difenacoum multi-feed actives to single feed Brodifacoum.

Dave says this provides an excellent choice of baits when deciding how to control a rodent infestation.

He advises to start with Jade (Bromadiolone active) around pigs and poultry as the Jade formulations are more palatable to rodents versus animal feed nearby.

"If no food source is present Ruby (Difenacoum active) can be more suitable as the first rung of the multi-feed ladder of rodenticides.

"Afterwards, look to move to using Sapphire (single feed brodifacoum rodenticide).

All-round rodent control support with Lodi UK

Ask your local merchant for Lodi UKs wide range of technical guides and digital support including leaflets, safety resources, and video guides to learn how rodent control works best when tailored to your farm. Alternatively, visit www.lodi-uk.com

And following on from the success of last year, Lodi UK are giving away their free Lodi's Gems beanies to thank farmers.

If you did not get a chance to order yours last year, go to www.lodi-uk.com/beanie to order your beanie hat online for free, delivered straight to your door.
Kent-based egg packing firm Fridays suffered losses for the second year running as the pandemic took its toll on the companys business.

Fridays, which is based at Cranbrook, lost 198,000 before tax in the 12 months to the end of December 2020.

This is a second annual loss, although much lower than the 2.6m loss in the same period the previous year.

The last time the company made a pre-tax profit was 2018, when it made 1.2 million before tax.

In Fridays strategic report, the companys directors say the losses are largely the result of the pandemic.

The foodservice industry has been particularly badly affected by lockdowns and restrictions and this has impacted on business at the Kent packing company.

Director Andrew Friday, in the strategic report, said: During the year trading benefited from an improved retail egg market following Covid-19 restrictions on eating outside the home.

"However, the resulting profitable egg operations were offset by losses from a 70% drop in turnover in our chilled food division which supplies foodservice customers."

His words echoed those in his previous years report, when he said: Trading conditions for eggs have improved this year but our chilled foods products division has been impacted by the effects of Covid measures on our food service customers.

Fridays produces a wide range of food ingredients, including cooked products, sandwich fillings, salads, dips and boiled eggs.

The company supplies sandwich bars, chilled distributors and food manufacturers both regionally and nationally.

Fridays chilled business was started in the late 1990s and accounts for some 25 percent of turnover.

However, the companys total turnover has fallen from 52.2m in 2018 when Fridays last made a profit to 43.4m in the last financial year - a fall of nearly 17%.

Fridays had invested substantially in the chilled business in recent years - as much as 2 million as demand grew from sandwich bars and chilled distributors.

But those businesses have been affected badly by the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the losses, Andrew Friday said business was looking up. Despite a disappointing pre-tax loss of 198,000, our cash position has improved and we have maintained strong reserves by constraining capital expenditure, he said, warning that challenges remained.

Uncertainty from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, low egg prices, high feed costs and staff shortages make for challenging times ahead, he said.

The company has also begun a transition from colony production to free range and barn systems to be completed in the next couple of years.

"This will reduce our flock size and we have plans to expand our free range capacity and contract producer base in [order] to mitigate this."

One significant expansion plan involves 192,000 free range layers at Chainhurst, near Marden, although the company has run into significant opposition to its proposal.
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2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

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We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.


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For almost 10 years, Brandon Graham has been overseeing the flipping of burgers, tossing of wings and shucking of fresh oysters at Jeffersons in Lawrence, Kansas. Now, the former franchisee-turned-president of Jeffersons Franchise Systems, which has 30 locations across the country, has launched his first new concept in Kansas City: a sister brand that is strictly for the birds.

WingStand by Jeffersons opened in October on the corner of Johnson Drive and Nall Avenue in Mission, Kansas, in a former Prides dry cleaning shop. Six months of construction resulted in a small footprint restaurant; with only a few tables located indoors, the restaurant boasts a large outdoor patio with several colorful murals that provide the perfect place for friends and family to gather for a meal.

With two Jeffersons restaurant locations in Kansas City and two in Lawrence, the restaurateur wanted to test his newest dine-in, delivery and to-go concept in a bigger market closest to his home base.

We wanted to be on the Kansas side of the state line to test our smaller footprint concept, WingStand by Jeffersons, to hopefully capitalize on the 'KU side' of Kansas City, where we think we may already have some name recognition, Graham says.

Jeffersons was originally born in Jacksonville, Alabama, in 1991 as a neighborhood bar and grill serving juicy burgers, wings and  unusual by Midwestern standards  fresh gulf oysters. Graham liked the combination so much that he became a franchisee in 2012, bringing the concept to his college town of Lawrence, and soon, he acquired the entire franchise.
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Enables continued expansion of its industry-leading technology platform to become the operating system of capital markets, preserving TT's independence

CHICAGO, Oct. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trading Technologies International, Inc., (TT), a global provider of high-performance professional trading software, infrastructure and data solutions, today announced that the company has agreed to be acquired by 7RIDGE, a specialized growth equity firm invested in transformative technologies. 7RIDGE will fuel Trading Technologies' organic growth and enable the firm to make targeted strategic acquisitions in the future. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE) and Singapore Exchange (SGX), who are among the limited partners of the fund managed by 7RIDGE, have voiced their support of the transaction. Terms of the transaction, expected to close before year-end subject to regulatory approvals, were not disclosed.

7RIDGE's acquisition of Trading Technologies recognizes the company's 27-year leadership position in derivatives trading software, the value of its new state-of-the-art Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, TT, and the talent of Trading Technologies' global team, which spans 13 offices across four continents. Under this new ownership, Trading Technologies will remain independent and focused on delivering innovative, enterprise-wide solutions for institutional and professional trading.

Tim Geannopulos, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Trading Technologies, said: "We've been in search of the right strategic partner to help Trading Technologies achieve the tremendous potential of our pioneering new technology platform and accelerate the expansion of the business and product roadmap. Maintaining the firm's independence will allow us to retain the incredible talent within our organization and further strengthen our relationships as a valuable ally to our clients, our partners and the industry. We're excited that 7RIDGE and its strategic limited partners including global exchanges Cboe and SGX believe in the future of our company and our vision of becoming the operating system of capital markets."

Shortly after the acquisition closes, it is expected that Geannopulos will relinquish his current role while remaining actively engaged with the company. It is intended that Keith Todd will then be appointed CEO of TT to lead the company as it embarks on this next growth phase. Todd has over 20 years of industry leadership in financial markets technology with FFastFill, ION and currently KRM22.

Todd said: "Trading Technologies has built an exceptional global client base and great relationships with exchanges all over the world, as well as robust technology and a dedicated, experienced team. The firm has an aggressive roadmap for product and market expansion. I have long been a firm believer in the power of SaaS to deliver to clients better technology, greater cost savings and more efficient use of resources. I'm excited by this opportunity to lead TT into its next transformational phase with its outstanding new SaaS platform and the infusion of growth capital from 7RIDGE."

Carsten Kengeter, Founder of 7RIDGE, said: "We thank TT's shareholders for selecting us and look forward to accelerating the company's dedicated contribution to its clients' and users' success. The firm has built the market-leading SaaS-based, modular, multi-tenant platform for professional derivatives trading that will bring new efficiencies and strength to the global financial system. Our own operating experience as well as that of our limited partners will strengthen TT's position as the operating system of capital markets."

TT was advised on the transaction by Broadhaven Capital Partners and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.

About Trading Technologies

Trading Technologies (www.tradingtechnologies.com, @Trading_Tech ) creates professional trading software, infrastructure and data solutions for a wide variety of users, including proprietary traders, brokers, money managers, Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs), hedge funds, commercial hedgers and risk managers. In addition to providing access to the world's major international exchanges and liquidity venues via its TT trading platform, TT offers domain-specific technology for cryptocurrency trading and machine-learning tools for trade surveillance.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672454/Trading_Technologies_Logo.jpg
$13.6M RAISING STRONGLY SUPPORTED

PROCEEDS TO FAST-TRACK LITHIUM EXPLORATION IN CY2022

Key Highlights:

Heavily overbid $13.6 million placement to fast-track exploration activities at the Marble Bar Lithium Project ( MBLP ).

placement to fast-track exploration activities at the Marble Bar Lithium Project ( ). As part of the placement, the lithium chemical arm of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited ( CATL ) (the world's largest EV battery producer), Yibin Tianyi, to invest $6.2 million for a 9.9% interest in Global Lithium.

) (the world's largest EV battery producer), Yibin Tianyi, to invest for a 9.9% interest in Global Lithium. Placement funds will be directed towards accelerating activities, including:

- Further lithium resource extension, targeting and regional exploration drilling;

- Initial exploration drilling along the southern extension of the greenstone belt, where historical drilling has identified lithium mineralisation 15km from the Archer deposit;

- Further exploration at the Company's under-explored gold prospects, including the emerging Twin Veins project;

- Completion of the preliminary metallurgical test work program; and

- Potential consideration of additional complimentary growth options.

- Further lithium resource extension, targeting and regional exploration drilling; - Initial exploration drilling along the southern extension of the greenstone belt, where historical drilling has identified lithium mineralisation 15km from the Archer deposit; - Further exploration at the Company's under-explored gold prospects, including the emerging Twin Veins project; - Completion of the preliminary metallurgical test work program; and - Potential consideration of additional complimentary growth options. Global Lithium has a large tenement package to explore. Subject to targeting work, the Company anticipates a large amount of the activity in CY2022 will be directed towards exploration extending beyond the Archer deposit and following the greenstone towards the south, particularly into the newly acquired southern tenement package where lithium mineralisation has been identified in historical drilling.

PERTH, Australia, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pilbara-focused lithium explorer, Global Lithium Resources Limited (ASX: GL1, Global Lithium or the Company) is pleased to announce it has received firm commitments for a $13.6 million capital raising (Capital Raising) to underpin an accelerated exploration program at the Company's wholly owned MBLP.

The Capital Raising, which was heavily overbid, includes the introduction of highly regarded lithium hydroxide producer, Yibin Tianyi Lithium Industry Co Ltd (Yibin Tianyi) as a cornerstone shareholder of Global Lithium, committing to invest $6.2 million for a 9.9% interest (post completion of the Capital Raising).

The Capital Raising was conducted at an issue price of $0.37 per ordinary fully paid share (New Share) and comprises:

A $7.3 million placement via the issue of 19,771,250 New Shares to institutional and sophisticated investors to be issued under the Company's existing placement capacity in accordance with ASX Listing Rule 7.1. Allotment of these New Shares is anticipated to occur on Monday, 8 November 2021 ;

placement via the issue of 19,771,250 New Shares to institutional and sophisticated investors to be issued under the Company's existing placement capacity in accordance with ASX Listing Rule 7.1. Allotment of these New Shares is anticipated to occur on Monday, ; A $6.2 million placement via the issue of 16,699,794 New Shares to Yibin Tianyi (or its nominee), subject only to the approval of shareholders at a general meeting to be convened in December 2021 ; and

placement via the issue of 16,699,794 New Shares to Yibin Tianyi (or its nominee), subject only to the approval of shareholders at a general meeting to be convened in ; and A $0.15 million placement via the issue of 405,405 New Shares to certain Directors of Global Lithium, subject to the approval of shareholders at the same general meeting.

Argonaut and Euroz Hartleys acted as Joint Lead Managers for the Capital Raising.

Global Lithium Managing Director Jamie Wright said, "We have been overwhelmed with the support from all sectors of the market for our Capital Raising, including from institutions, sophisticated investors and existing shareholders.

To be able to secure support from a lithium industry participant with the credibility of Yibin Tianyi is a strong vote of confidence in our Company and we look forward to developing our relationship with them over time.

The Capital Raising funds provide us with the ability to ramp up our activities on site as we seek to grow our project and we are looking forward to a busy 2022 period.

Drilling is continuing at our MBLP and we will update the market as we start to receive results.

We would like to thank existing shareholders for the ongoing support."

The MBLP is situated close to major road infrastructure, with direct links into Port Hedland, where bulk commodities, including spodumene concentrate, are currently being exported (Figure 1). The MBLP is also located approximately 15km from the town of Marble Bar, which provides ready access to services and skills.

Overview of Yibin Tianyi

Yibin Tianyi is a lithium hydroxide producer that operates as a joint venture between Suzhou TA&A Ultra Clean Technology Co. Ltd (SZSE: 300390) (68%) and CATL (SZSE: 300750) (25%). CATL is the world's largest EV battery producer.

Yibin Tianyi is the largest supplier of lithium hydroxide to CATL and operates a 20ktpa lithium hydroxide plant in Yibin, Sichuan province. Yibin Tianyi plans to commission a further 25ktpa of capacity by the end of 2021, a further Stage 3 expansion for 110ktpa by the end of 2024, making them one of the largest lithium chemical suppliers in China.

Global Lithium and Yibin Tianyi look forward to working together in the future to grow the business, including in the areas of exploration, business development, potential offtake and project development support.

Approved for release by the Board of Global Lithium Resources Limited.

Competent Persons Statement:

Information on historical exploration results and Mineral Resources presented in this Announcement, together with JORC Table 1 information, is contained in the Independent Geologists Report within the Company's Prospectus dated 22 March 2021, which was released as an announcement on 4 May 2021.

The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information in the relevant market announcements, and that the form and context in which the Competent Persons findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original announcements.

Where the Company refers to Mineral Resources in this announcement (referencing previous releases made to the ASX), it confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in that announcement and all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the Mineral Resource estimate with that announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Persons findings are presented have not materially changed from the original announcement.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1674694/Figure1.jpg
Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Cenerimod 4 mg showed clinically meaningful improvement in the mSLEDAI-2K* primary efficacy endpoint and other measures of efficacy, consistent with the effect seen on biological activity

Effect of cenerimod 4 mg is particularly observable in patients with high disease activity and increases over time

Good safety profile - consistent with the mechanism of action - across all doses

Phase 3 program to be discussed with health authorities and advanced as rapidly as possible

Allschwil, Switzerland - November01, 2021

Idorsia Ltd (SIX: IDIA) today announced that on the basis of the results seen in CARE, the Phase 2b study which investigated the effect of cenerimod, a novel S1P 1 receptor modulator, as an oral treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the company has decided to advance into Phase 3.

The CARE study equally randomized 427 adult patients with SLE on background therapy, to cenerimod (0.5, 1, 2, 4 mg) or placebo. Patients randomized to cenerimod 4 mg showed an improvement in the modified-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2000 (mSLEDAI-2K) score compared to placebo from baseline to Month 6 (p=0.029). However, this result did not reach statistical significance in the formal testing strategy when adjusting for multiplicity of tests for the four doses against placebo.

The increasing improvement compared to placebo in mSLEDAI-2K with cenerimod 4 mg over time was further supported by a consistent improvement across several patient sub-populations, particularly in patients with more severe disease activity; on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Responder Index 4

(SRI-4); and was associated with an effect on several biological markers of disease activity.

Cenerimod was well tolerated in all treatment groups such that similar rates of AEs were reported across all treatment groups, 0.5 mg: 49.4%; 1 mg: 64.7%; 2 mg: 59.3%; 4 mg: 58.3%; placebo: 54.7%, during six months of treatment. The most frequent treatment emergent adverse events reported over 5% incidence in any group and higher than placebo during six months of treatment were: abdominal pain, headache, and lymphopenia. A reversible decrease in lymphocyte count is linked to the mechanism of action of cenerimod and as expected lymphopenia was more often seen in patients treated with the higher 2 mg and 4 mg doses. Importantly, there was no increased rate of infections compared to placebo: 0.5 mg: 23.5%; 1 mg: 11.8%; 2 mg: 19.8%; 4 mg: 20.2%; placebo: 18.6%.

While S1P 1 receptor modulators are known to transiently affect heart rate (HR) at initiation of therapy, to potentially decrease pulmonary function and increase blood pressure, cenerimod showed a transient, asymptomatic, dose-dependent decrease in HR at first dose; over the 6 months of treatment, effects on pulmonary function could not be discerned from placebo, and there was minimal to no effect on blood pressure.

Guy Braunstein, MD and Head of Global Clinical Development of Idorsia, commented:

"I'm very pleased to see that the results with 4 milligrams of cenerimod, particularly the safety profile, have confirmed the data generated in the proof of concept study. We have seen a large effect on biomarkers of disease activity, and this has translated into improvement on multiple clinical measures. The six months of treatment results have provided us with the information we need to design our Phase 3 program in SLE and to discuss with health authorities, including the patient population, the optimal dose and endpoints. I also look forward to seeing the results of the next treatment period of CARE, where patients will continue to receive blinded treatment for a further six months. A lot can be learned from the long-term treatment data, further characterizing the efficacy, safety and tolerability of cenerimod."

Martine Clozel, MD and Chief Scientific Officer of Idorsia, commented:

"Cenerimod is an oral drug that offers a completely novel approach to the treatment of SLE. It is a highly selective S1P 1 receptor modulator, with biased S1P 1 receptor signaling, which can control lymphocyte trafficking out of the lymph nodes into the circulation. The presence of autoreactive T cells and B cells and the subsequent production of autoantibodies is key to the inflammation and organ damage seen in lupus. By acting on both of these cell types and at a fundamental stage in the autoimmune response, cenerimod has the potential to alter the course of the disease. Furthermore, I believe that the good safety profile we have observed, can be explained in part by the mechanism of action and by observations we made in preclinical studies, where cenerimod did not induce any bronchoconstriction or vasoconstriction."

The company will now fully analyze the data, including patient reported outcomes showing the effect of cenerimod on quality of life measures, and will discuss the Phase 3 program with health authorities as soon as possible. The investigation of cenerimod for the treatment of SLE has been designated as a "fast-track" development program by the FDA. This designation is intended to promote communication and collaboration between the FDA and pharmaceutical companies for drugs that treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need.

Detailed results of CARE will be made available to the scientific community through scientific disclosure at upcoming congresses and in peer-reviewed publications.

Jean-Paul Clozel, MD and Chief Executive Officer of Idorsia, concluded:

"I am very pleased to observe an oral drug given once a day with an evolving safety profile coming up to the standards set by biologics. As with many of our projects, Idorsia is benefiting from our rich drug discovery and development experience, especially in the field of S1P 1 receptor modulators. Idorsia must advance the clinical development program as fast as possible and, if the Phase 3 confirms the results with cenerimod, get this new therapeutic option to patients with SLE."

About CARE

CARE is a multiple-dose, efficacy, safety, and tolerability study investigating cenerimod for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active, autoantibody-positive SLE. The study assesses the efficacy and safety of cenerimod treatment to determine the appropriate dose and endpoints for further development in SLE. In addition, the study evaluates the effects on quality of life and fatigue, using patient-reported outcome instruments, as well as the effects on SLE biomarkers. 427 patients were randomized in a 1:1:1:1:1 ratio to either cenerimod 0.5, 1, 2, 4 mg, or placebo. After 6 months of treatment, patients receiving cenerimod 4 mg were re-randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either cenerimod 2 mg or placebo, while the other treatment arms continued with the study treatment for a further treatment period of 6 months, which is currently ongoing.

* Since cenerimod induces a reduction in lymphocyte count as part of its mechanism of action, the SLEDAI-2K, a recognized index used to assess disease activity in patients with lupus, was modified (mSLEDAI-2K) to exclude leukopenia - a reduction of 1 point from 105 total points.

Notes to the editor

About systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus, is an autoimmune disease, which means that the body's immune system malfunctions and attacks the body's own tissues. Some autoimmune diseases affect just one organ, but in the case of lupus, many parts of the body can be affected, such as the skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, lungs, and other organs.

As a result, symptoms vary widely and are often similar to other conditions, which need to be ruled out before a diagnosis can be made. Lupus therefore often goes undetected or misdiagnosed for long periods. Yet early diagnosis is important to manage the symptoms of lupus, initiate treatment to reduce the risk of long-term complications, and enable access to wider support (e.g. local patient groups).

It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans, and at least 5 million people worldwide, have a form of lupus, and that 90% of people living with lupus are women, with most developing the disease between the ages of 15 and 44. There is a higher prevalence of lupus among people of Asian and Afro-Caribbean origin than in Caucasians.

There is no cure for SLE and a significant need exists for safe and effective therapies. Most people with SLE are prescribed a combination of different medications to manage their symptoms, improve their quality of life and reduce the risk of more serious complications. The choice of treatment depends on how the patient with SLE presents, which part of their body is affected and the severity of the condition at the time.

The only FDA-approved treatments for SLE are acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), hydroxychloroquine (an antimalarial), corticosteroids, belimumab, and anifrolumab. Some other immunosuppressive therapies are used off-label.

About S1P 1 receptor modulation

While the cause of SLE is not fully known, T and B lymphocytes are considered the key immune cells playing a role in the development of SLE. In individuals with SLE, both T and B cells become overactive. The main consequence of this increased activity is the infiltration of immune cells into different tissues and the production of autoantibodies (antibodies that recognize and destroy the body's own cells), leading to inflammation and organ damage.

T and B lymphocytes have a cell surface receptor called sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P 1 ). These receptors enable T and B lymphocytes to detect the signaling molecule S1P - sphingosine 1 phosphate - which is responsible for lymphocyte trafficking from the lymph nodes to the circulation.

By binding to S1P 1 receptors, a receptor modulator can trigger the internalization of those receptors. This effectively blinds T and B lymphocytes to the S1P gradient, thereby holding them in the lymph nodes and reducing autoreactive T and B cells in the circulation and consequently, also in the tissues.

Following the reduction of circulating T and B cells, it is hypothesized that a reduction in autoantibodies and immune cytokines - markers of the underlying disease processes - would also be seen, ultimately further reducing inflammation and tissue damage, key contributors to the disease.

Cenerimod in systemic lupus erythematosus

Cenerimod, the result of 20 years of research in Idorsia's labs, is a highly selective S1P 1 receptor modulator, given as an oral once-daily tablet. Cenerimod potentially offers a novel approach for the treatment of SLE, a disease with a significant impact on patients and limited treatment options.

In a mouse model of SLE, mice typically develop an aggressive version of a lupus-like disease, with increased inflammation, autoantibodies and immune cytokines, resulting in damage to the kidney and death. When treated with cenerimod, an increase in survival was observed. This was underpinned by improved kidney structure and function, as well as marked decreases in important key markers of disease.

The effect of cenerimod on lymphocyte trafficking was confirmed in humans when administration of cenerimod induced a dose-dependent, sustained, and reversible reduction in circulating lymphocyte count.

In a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study investigating the effect of cenerimod on circulating lymphocytes, disease activity, safety, and pharmacokinetics in patients with SLE, cenerimod dose dependently reduced total lymphocyte count from baseline to end of treatment (p<0.001). In addition, the antibody-producing B cells, which are elevated in patients with SLE and critical to disease progression, were markedly reduced by cenerimod. Cenerimod was well tolerated at all dose levels. The occurrence of adverse events was similar in all five treatment groups.

Key Literature

Hermann V, et al. First use of cenerimod, a selective S1P 1 receptor modulator, for the treatment of SLE: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study. Lupus Sci Med. 2019;6:e000354.

receptor modulator, for the treatment of SLE: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept study. Lupus Sci Med. 2019;6:e000354. Juif P, et al. Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Cenerimod, A Selective S1P 1 R Modulator, Are Not Affected by Ethnicity in Healthy Asian and White Subjects. Clin Transl Sci. 2021;14:143-7.

Strasser DS, et al. Preclinical to clinical translation of cenerimod, a novel S1P 1 receptor modulator, in systemic lupus erythematosus. RMD Open. 2020;6:e001261.

receptor modulator, in systemic lupus erythematosus. RMD Open. 2020;6:e001261. Piali L, et al. Cenerimod, a novel selective S1P 1 receptor modulator with unique signaling properties. Pharmacol Res Perspect. 2017;5:e00370.

receptor modulator with unique signaling properties. Pharmacol Res Perspect. 2017;5:e00370. McGinley MP, et al. Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulators in multiple sclerosis and other conditions. Lancet. 2021;398:1184-1194.

Lasa JS, et al. Safety of S1P Modulators in Patients with Immune-Mediated Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Drug Saf. 2021;44:645-660.

Stepanovska B, et al. Targeting the S1P receptor signaling pathways as a promising approach for treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Pharmacol Res. 2020;154:104170.

Barber MRW, et al. Global epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2021;17:515-532.

Kaul A, Gordon, et al. Systemic lupus erythematosus. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16039.

Davis LS, et al. Research and therapeutics-traditional and emerging therapies in systemic lupus erythematosus. Rheumatol. 2017;56:i100-i113.

Birt JA, et al. Patient Experiences, Satisfaction, and Expectations with Current Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Treatment: Results of the SLE-UPDATE Survey. Rheumatol Ther. 2021;8:1189-1205.

Tse K, et al. The ALPHA Project: Establishing consensus and prioritisation of global community recommendations to address major challenges in lupus diagnosis, care, treatment and research. Lupus Sci Med. 2021;8:e000433.

About Idorsia

Idorsia Ltd is reaching out for more - We have more ideas, we see more opportunities and we want to help more patients. In order to achieve this, we will develop Idorsia into a leading biopharmaceutical company, with a strong scientific core.

Headquartered near Basel, Switzerland - a European biotech-hub - Idorsia is specialized in the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecules to transform the horizon of therapeutic options. Idorsia has a broad portfolio of innovative drugs in the pipeline, an experienced team of professionals covering all disciplines from bench to bedside, state-of-the-art facilities, and a strong balance sheet - the ideal constellation to translate R&D efforts into business success.

Idorsia was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: IDIA) in June 2017 and has over 1000 highly qualified specialists dedicated to realizing our ambitious targets.

For further information, please contact

Andrew C. Weiss

Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hegenheimermattweg 91, CH-4123 Allschwil

+41 58 844 10 10

investor.relations@idorsia.com

media.relations@idorsia.com

www.idorsia.com (http://www.idorsia.com)

The above information contains certain "forward-looking statements", relating to the company's business, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "estimates", "believes", "expects", "may", "are expected to", "will", "will continue", "should", "would be", "seeks", "pending" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Such statements include descriptions of the company's investment and research and development programs and anticipated expenditures in connection therewith, descriptions of new products expected to be introduced by the company and anticipated customer demand for such products and products in the company's existing portfolio. Such statements reflect the current views of the company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.





Anhang
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 1, 2021 / Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd. (AIM:ECO)(TSX-V:EOG), the oil and gas exploration company with licences in the proven oil province of Guyana and the highly prospective basins of Namibia, provides an operational update on the Group's activities and announces notice of its annual and special meeting ("AGM").

Highlights

JHI well drilled by ExxonMobil establishes oil presence at Sapote-1, Guyana

Progress to define multi-million barrel targets on Orinduik, Guyana

Eco elected as Operator on PEL 99, Blocks 2111B & 2211A, Namibia

Eco negotiates new Joint Operating Agreements on all offshore Namibia licenses

Eco advances development of solar business in Europe

Guyana

Eco received, on Saturday 30 October, a detailed update from JHI Associates Inc. that ExxonMobil has successfully and safely drilled the Sapote-1 well on the Canje Block, to a depth of 6,759 meters (22,172 ft), in 2,549 meters (8,362 ft) of water. The well recorded hydrocarbon shows while drilling, and in the logging sequence, in a deeper interval than anticipated, but had no shows in the upper primary objective horizon. With sidewall coring and wireline logging complete, ExxonMobil will now work to define the reservoir properties, including porosity and permeability, and the cored samples will be analysed for hydrocarbons.

As previously announced in June of this year, Eco acquired a 6.4% interest in JHI Associates Inc. ("JHI"), a private Canadian company, which holds a 17.5% working interest ("WI") in the Guyana Canje Block. JHI, with a current very strong cash balance, has already paid for its 17.5% of the Sapote-1 well from treasury. No costs are attributable to Eco.

On its primary asset in Guyana, the Orinduik Block, the JV partners; (Eco Atlantic: 15% WI; Tullow Guyana B.V. 60% WI (Operator); and TOQAP Guyana B.V. 25% WI), are currently advancing toward target selection on the Block. The partnership has used state-of-the-art processing technology to merge its seismic data sets and to incorporate regional well results into target selections. The teams are using conservative and proven sciences to define sweet light oil drilling targets, likely within the proven Cretaceous section. The partnership hopes to establish firm targets in the near term and advance towards drilling. Eco and the JV Partners have already delivered two substantial oil discoveries on the Orinduik Block on the northernmost quadrant of the Block and have worked diligently to define the parameters and identifiers related to this heavy oil field discovery.

Orinduik continues to offer significant upside. The eastern section of the Block is closer to the established Liza oil trend than any other Block. ExxonMobil will next drill in 2021 the Fangtooth-1 well just north and down dip of Orinduik on the Stabroek Block. This well is very close to Orinduik and will test some of the deeper sections. The partnership is focused on the careful selection of locations able to drill a number of stacked or multiple target sections with the opportunity to yield several hundred million barrels. The eastern border of the Orinduik Block is adjacent to and up dip from multiple ExxonMobil discoveries and down dip from the proven light oil discovered in the Kanuku Block, South of Orinduik and towards the continent.

Guyana continues to be one of the most prolific exploration regions in the world. Formal estimates, following ExxonMobil's latest discovery at Cataback-1, updated the current total discovered resources in the Guyana portion of the Guyana-Suriname Basin to over ten billion barrels of oil, discovered in the last five years. Work continues regionally with the definition of the trend. ExxonMobil is actively drilling with six drill ships, and multiple wildcats are planned in the basin for the upcoming year in the Basin by ExxonMobil and others. The Liza Destiny FPSO, pumping 120,000 bbls/day, is located a few kilometers from the Orinduik Block, and within the past week a second FPSO, the Liza Unity has arrived in Guyana and will be deployed east of Orinduik. This will pump an additional 220,000 bbls/day. An additional eight production facilities are being contemplated.

Colin Kinley, Co-Founder and COO of Eco Atlantic, commented:

"We are very focused on careful selection of the next target to drill on Orinduik. The process has taken longer than we would have liked with prolongation through reprocessing and Covid-19 constraints. However, each additional well drilled in the Basin, both commercially developed or drilled and abandoned, adds to our understanding of the area. We, and our partners, remain committed to good practice in the well location selection. We are fully funded for our share of the next well and are pushing the Operator, towards a committed location, defined drilling date and rig contract."

Namibia

Eco Atlantic has completed drafting the four new Joint Operating Agreements ("JOA's") for its new Petroleum Licenses offshore Namibia. We have received all paying partner approvals on the JOA's and they are out for review with the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia ("NAMCOR"), and local partners. Namibia's Ministry of Mines and Energy has approved Eco Atlantic to be the Operator of all four blocks, which total some 7,065,484 acres (28,593 km2) in the Walvis Basin.

Eco negotiated the reissuance and establishment of a new 10-year life cycle for each of the four PEL's ("Petroleum Exploration Licenses") in December 2020 and Licenses were issued in February 2021. Eco also negotiated doubling the size of PEL 99 with the new Petroleum Agreement, in order to access the potential for new prospective targets in the deeper horizons to the west of the block.

The Company continues to monitor and assess opportunities, both technical and corporate, particularly with the upcoming drilling activity in the region. Two high impact deepwater wells are anticipated to spud in southern Namibia in Q4 2021: TotalEnergies Venus-1 well, using the Maersk Venturer, and Shell Namibia's Graff-1 well, using the Valaris DS-10.

Colin Kinley added:

"In the near term, we look forward to the drilling campaigns planned in Q4 at Venus-1 and Graff-1. TotalEnergies, Shell and ExxonMobil rank amongst the leading oil finders in the world, and their activity in the area is indicative of how the understanding of prospects in Namibia is gaining maturity. Eco is a long time player in Namibia and continues to work to define opportunities in increasing shareholder value through exploration and strategic corporate activities."

Solear Ltd.

Solear, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eco, is an independent renewable energy company focused on solar development projects in southern Europe.

In January 2021, Solear completed its first acquisition of a fully contracted, permitted, and build ready project in Greece, known as the Kozani Project. Throughout the year, Solear has continued to build at low cost, assessing projects, developing in-country relationships and seeking high turnover, early-stage opportunities.

Solear has signed in October 2021 an MOU with B&S Power Holdings Co. ("B&S Power"), an independent developer and operator of solar parks in Europe and South America, to jointly acquire and develop Ready to Build ("RTB") solar parks, funded exclusively by an international EPC firm. As part of the Joint Venture, B&S Power will inject their current development assets base into Solear. The companies are now evaluating a 104MW RTB park in Greece and additional transactions in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Spain.

Gil Holzman, President and CEO commented:

"We are very proud of our accomplishments in 2021. We have managed to grow and progress our assets portfolio in both Guyana and Namibia and, importantly, have also managed to maintain and strengthen the Company's financial position through strict cost controls. The Company has also negotiated a capital investment into treasury from Africa Oil Corp. and Charlestown Energy Partners from New York.

"The Company has remained active as always and we managed to create a flow of catalysts to our shareholders through both drilling campaigns and other corporate activities. With all the activities offshore Guyana and Namibia and with additional corporate initiatives we are busy with, the stream of catalysts is expected to continue throughout the end of 2021 and into 2022 and onwards.

"Eco has also seeded a renewable energy arm that is being managed and driven by a team of industry experts and through strategic partnerships.

"We are very encouraged by the latest well results in Sapote-1. The results, once defined, should warrant additional exploration wells to test the deeper sections where the Sapote oil was present. We remain confident that our past investment in JHI will generate additional value for our shareholders over the longer term in the exciting Canje Block. As a shareholder in JHI and given their strong financial situation, we have no obligation to commit any capital towards future drilling plans at Canje.

"Eco continues to be active in the market from a technical and corporate perspective. While our technical teams look to define targets and push for drilling in Orinduik, and further our exploration in Namibia with our new licenses, we are still very active corporately and look to increase shareholder value through corporate and portfolio additions as well as through the drill bit."

Notice of AGM

Eco Atlantic also announces that its AGM will be held at 10:00 a.m. (EST) on 29 December, 2021 at the offices of the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, at 559 Briar Hill Avenue, Toronto, Canada ON M5N 1N1.

A copy of the notice of AGM, proxy form and accompanying management information circular are available on the Company's website and on Sedar at www.sedar.com.

**ENDS**

For more information, please visit www.ecooilandgas.com or contact the following:

Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas c/o Celicourt +44 (0) 20 8434 2754 Gil Holzman, CEO, Director Colin Kinley, COO, Director Alice Carroll, Head of Marketing and IR +44(0)781 729 5070 | +1 (416) 318 8272 Strand Hanson Limited (Financial & Nominated Adviser) +44 (0) 20 7409 3494 James Harris James Bellman Rory Murphy Berenberg (Broker) +44 (0) 20 3207 7800 Matthew Armitt Emily Morris Detlir Elezi Celicourt (PR) +44 (0) 20 8434 2754 Mark Antelme Jimmy Lea Ollie Mills Hannam & Partners (Research Advisor) Neil Passmore +44 (0) 20 7905 8500

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

Qualified Person's Statement:

Colin Kinley, Chief Operating Officer of Eco Atlantic, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained within this announcement in his capacity as a qualified person, as required under the AIM rules. Mr Kinley has over 40 years' experience in the oil and gas industry.

Notes to editors:

About Eco Atlantic:

Eco Atlantic is a TSX-V and AIM quoted Oil & Gas exploration and production Company with interests in Guyana and Namibia, where significant oil discoveries have been made.

The Group aims to deliver material value for its stakeholders through oil exploration, appraisal and development activities in stable emerging markets, in partnership with major oil companies.

In Guyana, Eco Guyana holds a 15% Working Interest alongside TOQAP Guyana B.V. ("TOQAP") a company jointly owned by TotalEnergies E&P Guyana B.V. (60%) and Qatar Petroleum (40%) and Operator Tullow Oil (60%) in the 1,800 km2 Orinduik Block in the shallow water of the prospective Suriname-Guyana basin. The Orinduik Block is adjacent and updip to ExxonMobil Operated Stabroek Block, on which twenty discoveries have been announced and over 9 billion BOE recoverable resources are estimated. On 28 June 2021, Eco acquired a 6.4% interest, with the option to increase its stake to 10%, in JHI Associates Inc. a private company which holds a 17.5% WI in the 4,800km2 Canje Block. The Canje Block is operated by ExxonMobil and is held by Working Interests partners Esso Exploration & Production Guyana Limited (35%), with TotalEnergies E&P Guyana B.V. (35%), JHI Associates (BVI) Inc. (17.5%) and Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas Inc. (12.5%).

Jethro-1 was the first major oil discovery on Orinduik Block. The Jethro-1 encountered 180.5 feet (55 meters) of net heavy oil pay in excellent Lower Tertiary sandstone reservoirs. Joe-1 was the second discovery on the Orinduik Block and comprised of high quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir, with a high porosity of Upper Tertiary age. The Joe-1 well encountered 52 feet (16 meters) of continuous thick sandstone.

In Namibia, the Company holds interests in four offshore petroleum licences totalling approximately 28,593km2 with over 2.362bboe of prospective P50 resources in the Walvis Basin. These four licences, Cooper, Guy, Sharon, and Tamar are being explored with industry partners with Eco Operating and maintaining an average 60% Working Interest. Eco has been granted a drilling permit on its Cooper Block (Operator).

Eco Atlantic is a 100% shareholder in Solear Ltd., Solear is an independent private clean energy investment company focused on low cost, high yield solar development projects in southern Europe. Solear offers investors exposure to a portfolio of pre-construction opportunities across the renewable energy value chain, from Ready-to-Build to early-stage development.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Eco (Atlantic) Oil and Gas Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670505/Eco-Atlantic-Oil-and-Gas-Ltd-Announces-Operational-Update-and-Notice-of-AGM
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2021) - Fission Uranium 3.0 (TSXV: FUU) ("Fission 3.0 Corp" or the "Optionor") andTraction Exploration Inc. (CSE: TRAC) ("Traction") are pleased to announce that they have entered into two Letters of Intent respecting options whereby Traction may acquire up to a 70% interest in two properties located in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin region (the "Properties"): the Hearty Bay Project, comprised of 6 mineral claims covering approximately 10,604 hectares (the "Hearty Bay Project"), and the Lazy Edward Project, comprised of 11 mineral claims covering approximately 1,828 hectares (the "Lazy Edward Project").

The Hearty Bay property surrounds the historic Isle Brochet radioactive boulder trains. Boulder prospecting by Fission 3 on Isle Brochet in 2019 led to the discovery of 45 radioactive boulders with assay values up to 8.23% U 3 O 8 with over 24% of them returning assay values of >1% U 3 O 8 . A marine seismic survey completed in the up-ice direction to the northeast was interpreted to indicate multiple basement structural and lithological features which have defined drill targets. The objective of further exploration on the property is to discover the source of the uraniferous boulder field.

The Lazy Edward Project is located in the south-eastern margin of the Athabasca Basin, between the historic Key Lake Mine and Cameco Corporation's Centennial deposit. The Lazy Edward Project has been identified to have potential for unconformity-type, high-grade uranium deposits typical of the Athabasca Basin. Further, as the Lazy Edward Project is near the edge of the basin, the depth of the drill targets at Lazy Edward Bay are shallow, giving the advantage of relatively inexpensive exploration. Historic drilling in the late 1980's identified very prospective geology with intersections of strong bleaching, limonitization and strong fracturing in the lower sandstone above strongly altered, brecciated and sheared graphitic basement rocks with up to 170ppm uranium. These are a number of the attributes required to host high-grade uranium deposits, and Fission 3 has concluded that follow up drilling is highly warranted.

Terms of the Letters of Intent

The Letter of Intent in respect of the Hearty Bay Project (the "Hearty Bay LOI") contemplates an option for Traction to acquire a 50% interest in the Hearty Bay Project through cash payments to the Optionor of an aggregate of C$650,000 (C$100,000 of which has been paid by Traction in connection with the execution of the Hearty Bay LOI), the issuance to the Optionor of an aggregate of 2,249,471 common shares, and completion of $3,000,000 in exploration work on the Hearty Bay Property, all spread out over two years. The Optionor would retain a 2.0% NSR. Pursuant to the terms of the Hearty Bay LOI, Traction would have the option to increase its interest in the Hearty Bay Project to 70% by making additional cash payments totalling $350,000 and completing an additional $3,000,000 in exploration work on the Hearty Bay Property, on or before the date that is three years following the date of the definitive option agreement.

The Letter of Intent in respect of the Lazy Edward Project (the "Lazy Edward LOI") contemplates an option for Traction to acquire a 50% interest in the Lazy Edward Project through cash payments to the Optionor of an aggregate of C$650,000 (C$100,000 of which has been paid by Traction in connection with the execution of the Lazy Edward LOI), the issuance to the Optionor of an aggregate of 2,249,471 common shares, and completion of $4,500,000 in exploration work on the Lazy Edward Property, all spread out over two years. The Optionor would retain a 2.0% NSR. Pursuant to the terms of the Lazy Edward LOI, Traction would have the option to increase its interest in the Lazy Edward Project to 70% by making additional cash payments totalling $350,000 and completing an additional $4,500,000 in exploration work on the Lazy Edward Property, on or before the date that is three years following the date of the definitive option agreement.

Dev Randhawa, CEO of Fission, commented, "F3 is an asset rich company having acquired 14 uranium projects via staking in the bear markets. Working with strong groups like Traction, we can unlock hidden value within our company. Further, F3 is also rich in human talent having retained its technical team that made the Triple R and the Waterbury discovery (which was sold to Denison Mines). The Athabasca is the Saudi Arabia of uranium as many have said but few people understand the basin, let alone make two major discoveries. Through these two LOI's, Fission 3 receives cash (600k), work commitments of $2.5 mill over the next year and 15% ownership of our partner."

Michael Malana, CEO of Traction, commented, "We are very excited to not only work with F3 and their outstanding team, but also to have an opportunity to acquire majority stakes in two attractive properties in the Athabasca Basin region, home to some of the world's largest uranium mining operations. 2021 has been a very strong year for uranium and we are confident that our commitment to high quality projects in this space will be in the best interest of our stakeholder.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed on behalf of the company by Raymond Ashley, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Fission 3.0 Corp., a Qualified Person. Raymond Ashley has an arm's length relationship with Traction.

About Fission 3.0 Corp.

Fission 3.0 is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of world's largest high grade uranium discoveries. Fission 3.0 currently has 14 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of Fission 3.0's projects are near large uranium discoveries, including, Arrow, Triple R and Hurricane deposits. Fission 3.0 has recently completed an $8 million funding with Red Cloud Securities and is currently planning a winter exploration/drill program on its PLN project. It is also entertaining JV partners with some of its other projects.

https://twitter.com/Fission3Corp.

About Traction Explorations Inc.

Traction is a mineral exploration company with an objective to locate and develop economic mineral properties. The Company is based in Vancouver, BC and holds an option over the Whitewater Property located in the Slocan Mining Division, Kaslo, British Columbia.

For more information, investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding the suitability of the Properties for mining exploration, future payments, issuance of shares and work commitment funds, entry into of a definitive option agreement respecting the Properties, are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

The TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange have not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Fission 3.0 Corp. Contact Information

Investor Relations

Telephone: 778 484 8030

Email: ir@fission3corp.com

Traction Contact Information

Michael Malana

Director and CEO

Telephone: 604 561 2687

Email: michael.malana@gmail.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO





Cautionary Statement: Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Fission 3.0 Corp. which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and Fission 3 Corp. disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101479
Deal Marks Xigem's Expansion into Data Sector and Values Xigem at a 300% Premium to Market

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2021) - Xigem Technologies Corporation (CSE: XIGM) (FSE: 2C1) ("Xigem" or the "Company"), a technology provider for the emerging remote economy, today announced plans to acquire the assets and operations of 2747524 Ontario Inc. o/a Cylix Data Group ("Cylix"), a business intelligence company. The Company entered into a binding letter of intent (the "LOI") on October 29, 2021 to purchase substantially all of the assets of Cylix (the "Business") for aggregate consideration of $32.35 million in an arm's-length transaction. The purchase consideration is to be paid entirely through the issuance of securities of the Company, as described in greater detail below. All dollar amounts are quoted in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted and no finders' fees are payable.

With its proprietary database holding more than 74 million data points over nearly thirty years, Cylix is poised to become one of the leading and most robust aggregators and originators of corporate and personal data in the Big Data market. According to Research and Markets, the global market for Big Data was estimated at US$70.5 billion in the year 2020, and is projected to reach US$243.4 billion by 2027, spurred on in large part by the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

Historically profitable and independently valued at nearly $32 million, Cylix is in the final stages of a near $1 million upgrade to add intuitive AI functionality for greater monetization and sustained differentiation in its core business of generating customer profiles and business risk scores. Cylix's intellectual property is also flexible enough to easily integrate with Xigem's iAgent and other SaaS- based platforms to place mission critical decision making in the hands of users, seamlessly and instantly.

"The acquisition of Cylix will be transformative for Xigem, both in scale and in the growth opportunities it creates. Data is considered by many to be the world's most valuable resource, and with the emergence of the remote economy, its value has never been greater for consumers and businesses alike," said Brian Kalish, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Xigem. "We are pleased to continue to execute our strategy of adding innovative technologies to our portfolio through a combination of research, development and acquisition."

Cylix is expected to become a unifying engine that connects and drives other key technologies in Xigem's portfolio. Following the planned integration with Xigem's iAgent CRM platform and FOOi payment app, Cylix will compile comprehensive customer information to assist in allocating resources while also mitigating fraud risk in payment transactions.

Cylix has delivered strong financial results in recent years, with average annual revenues in excess of $1.75 million and an EBITDA of over $800,000, generated primarily through its business risk profiling offering. In operation for nearly three decades, Cylix has hundreds of blue-chip clients who regularly benefit from Cylix's continually refreshed proprietary database.

Market demand for Cylix's core business is increasing as organizations use remote economy channels to develop relationships with previously unknown customers. For example, the global fraud detection and prevention market size was US$19.8 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow to US$106.7 billion by 2027, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of 24% during the forecast period.[2]

"We are thrilled to be joining forces with Xigem, which will unlock significant opportunities to accelerate the growth of Cylix. The unification of our AI technology with Xigem's iAgent platform and FOOi payment app will open new verticals and additional applications that will enable people to make better business decisions," said Mitchell Kahan, Chief Operating Officer of Cylix.

Transaction Details

Pursuant to the terms of the LOI, the Company will purchase the Business for consideration of $32,350,000 (the "Transaction"), to be satisfied through the issuance by the Company of 64,700,000 units (the "Purchaser Units") at a deemed price of $0.50 per Purchaser Unit, with each Purchaser Unit comprised of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one-seventh (1/7) of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Purchaser Warrant"). Each Purchaser Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one additional Common Share of Xigem at a price of $0.60 for a period of 24 months. The securities issuable under the Transaction will be subject to contractual restrictions on trading, such that 50% may not be traded until six months after the closing of the Transaction, and the remaining 50% may not be traded until 12 months after the closing. The Transaction is expected to close on or about November 30, 2021.

The parties to the Transaction will also enter into an investor rights agreement pursuant to which the recipients of the Purchaser Units will agree to vote any Common Shares that they then hold in favour of Xigem's board of directors for a period of two years, subject to certain limitations.

The Company will appoint a nominee of Cylix to its board of directors, and will also appoint another nominee of Cylix as an observer to its board of directors.

Principals of Cylix will maintain an active role in the business and will provide a cash investment of $500,000 into Cylix upon closing of the Transaction to fund the completion of the development of its next generation technology. This investment will be non-dilutive and non-encumbering to Xigem. The Company will enter into a management contract with an entity related to certain of the principals, as well as employment agreements with key employees and contractors of Cylix.

The Transaction, including the proposed issuance of Common Shares and Purchaser Warrants, is subject to customary closing conditions including the receipt of any required regulatory and exchange approvals and the execution of definitive agreements.

About Cylix Data Group

Cylix is a B2B business intelligence technology company whose software improves efficiency and increases productivity for business professionals through the supply of information required to implement risk-management and decision-making processes. The Cylix database AI conglomerates, amalgamates, and cross-references seemingly disparate information into a comprehensive customer profile report and score that can be easily understood. For more information, please visit www.cylixdata.com.

About Xigem Technologies Corporation

Established in Toronto, Ontario, Xigem is positioned to become a leading technology provider for the emerging near trillion-dollar remote economy, with software capable of improving the capacity, productivity, and overall remote operations for businesses, consumers, and other organizations. iAgent, the Company's patented technology, and FOOi, its proprietary peer-to-peer mobile payments app, will provide organizations, businesses, and consumers with the tools necessary to thrive in a vast array of remote working, learning and treatment environments, while the Company looks to aggregate a portfolio of innovative technologies capable of disrupting traditional business models.

www.xigemtechnologies.com

Instagram: @xigemtechnologies

Twitter: @XigemTech

Facebook: @xigemtechnologies

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/xigem-technologies

Further Information

The Company and Cylix will provide further details in respect of the Transaction in due course by way of press release. The Company and Cylix will make available all information as required by applicable regulatory authorities and will provide, in a press release to be disseminated at a later date, the required disclosure. All information contained in this press release with respect to the Company and Cylix was supplied by the parties respectively, for inclusion herein, without independent review by the other party, and each party and its directors and officers have relied on the other party for any information concerning the other party.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements.

Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward- looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the Company's ability to close the Transaction on or about November 30, 2021; the ability of Cylix to become one of the leading and most robust aggregators and originators of corporate and personal data in the Big Data market; the ability of Cylix to finance its intended $1 million upgrade to add AI functionality to its product offerings; the ability of the Company to continue adding innovative technologies to its portfolio; the ability of Cylix to become a unifying engine that connects and drives other key technologies in Xigem's portfolio; increased market demand for Cylix's products; the ability of the Company to add a nominee of Cylix to its board of directors, and the ability of the Company to obtain CSE approval with respect to the Transaction.

Forward-looking information in this news release is based on certain assumptions and expected future events, namely: the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the continued commercial viability and growth in popularity of the Company's and Cylix's applications; the Company's ability to continue to develop and acquire revenue-generating applications; continued approval of the Company's activities by the relevant governmental and/or regulatory authorities; the continued development of the Company's and Cylix's technologies; the continued growth of the Company and Cylix; the Company's ability to finance the closing of the Transaction; and the ability of the Company to fulfil the requirements of the CSE in respect of the Transaction.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the potential inability of the Company to continue as a going concern; the risks associated with the technology and data industries in general; increased competition in the technology, data and AI markets; the potential future unviability of the Company's and Cylix's product offerings; incorrect assessment of the value and potential benefits of the Transaction; risks associated with potential governmental and/or regulatory action with respect to the Company's activities; risks associated with a potential collapse in the value of data-related services; risks associated with the Company's potential inability to attain board, shareholder and/or regulatory approval with respect to the Transaction; risks associated with the Company's ability to continue generating a profit; the Company's inability to close the Transaction on or about November 30, 2021; the inability of Cylix to become one of the leading and most robust aggregators and originators of corporate and personal data in the Big Data market; the inability of Cylix to finance its intended $1 million upgrade to add AI functionality to its product offerings; the inability of the Company to continue adding innovative technologies to its portfolio; risk that Cylix will not become a unifying engine that connects and drives other key technologies in Xigem's portfolio; risks with respect to market demand for Cylix's products; the inability of the Company to add a nominee of Cylix to its board of directors, and the inability of the Company to obtain CSE approval with respect to the Transaction.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE: Xigem Technologies Corporation

On behalf of the Company:

Brian Kalish, Chief Executive Officer

For further information:

Phone: (647) 250-9824 ext.4

Investors: investors@xigemtechnologies.com

Media: media@xigemtechnologies.com

Twitter: @XigemTech

Instagram: @xigemtechnologies

Facebook: @xigemtechnologies

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/xigem-technologies

www.xigemtechnologies.com

[1] Age of Analytics Provides the Cornerstone for the Disruptive Growth & Proliferation of Big Data Technologies, Research and Markets, December 2020

[2] Fortune Business Insights, Fraud Detection and Prevention Market Size, July 2021.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101492


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen fell against its major counterparts in the Asian session on Monday, as the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured an outright majority in parliamentary election on Sunday, enabling Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to deliver stimulus measures easily to support the economy from the coronavirus crisis.



The LDP won 261 seats, well above a majority of 233 seats needed to control the parliament's lower house.



The LDP's coalition partner Komeito got 32 seats, giving them a total of 293 seats in the 465-member chamber.



The results defied expectations of the LDP struggling to retain its majority and allows PM Fumio Kishida to pass funding steps to support people hit by the crisis.



Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped on hopes that Kishida can push through economic stimulus plans smoothly by holding the majority of seats in the parliament.



Asian shares are mostly higher, as the strong showing for the LDP ended political uncertainty on the ruling party's prospects.



The latest survey from Jibun Bank showed that Japan's manufacturing sector continued to expand in October, and at a faster pace, with a Manufacturing PMI score of 53.2. That's up from 51.5 in September and it moves further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.



The currency was lower on Friday, as Chinese property developer Evergrande reportedly made an overdue interest payment for an offshore bond before a Friday deadline, helping ease contagion fears.



The yen dropped to a 6-day low of 114.30 against the greenback, falling 0.3 percent from Friday close of 113.98. Immediate support for the yen is likely seen around the 116.00 level.



The yen lost 0.2 percent against the euro, reaching 132.09. The pair had finished Friday's deals at 131.77. Should the yen falls further, it is likely to test support around the 134.00 region.



The yen was down by 0.2 percent against the franc, at 124.72. At Friday's close, the pair was valued at 124.44. Further fall in the currency may challenge support around the 126.00 level.



The yen was 0.2 percent lower against the pound, at 156.38. The pound-yen pair had ended last week's trading session at 156.04. The yen is likely to challenge support around the 159.00 region, if it drops again.



The yen touched a 5-day low of 85.95 against the aussie, but it has since rebounded to 85.61. The aussie-yen pair was worth 85.70 at Friday's close.



The latest survey from Markit Economics showed that Australia's manufacturing sector continued to expand in October, and at a faster pace, with a manufacturing PMI score of 58.2. That's up from 56.8 in September, and it moved further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.



The Japanese currency slipped to a 6-day low of 82.04 against the kiwi, down from Friday's close of 81.69. The yen is seen finding support around the 84.00 area.



The yen declined to its lowest level since October 27 against the loonie, at 92.33. The yen was trading at 92.02 per loonie at last week's close. The currency may face support around the 94.00 region.



Looking ahead, German retail sales data for September, Swiss and U.K. manufacturing PMIs for October will be released in the European session.



U.S. ISM manufacturing PMI for October and construction spending for September are due in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Barclays plc (BARC.L, BCS) said Monday that its chief executive Jes Staley will step down following U.K. regulators' investigations into his relationship with U.S. Financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in U.S. jail in 2019.



The British multinational investment bank and financial services firm said it was made aware on Friday evening of the preliminary conclusions from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority's findings of the investigation into Staley's characterisation to Barclays of his relationship with Epstein and the subsequent description of that relationship in Barclays' response to the regulator.



'The Board is disappointed at this outcome,' Barclays said.



Barclays noted that the investigation makes no findings that Staley saw, or was aware of, any of Epstein's alleged crimes, which was the central question underpinning Barclays' support for Staley following the arrest of Epstein in the summer of 2019.



The regulatory process still has to run its full course and it is not appropriate for the company to comment further on the preliminary conclusions, Barclays said in a statement.



Meanwhile, Barclays said that Venkatakrishnan will take over as Group Chief Executive, effective from 1 November 2021, and as a director of the company.



Prior to this appointment, Venkat served as Head of Global Markets and Co-President of Barclays Bank PLC from October 2020 and Group Chief Risk Officer from 2016 to 2020. Before joining to Barclays in 2016, he worked at JP Morgan Chase from 1994, holding senior roles in Asset Management where he was Chief Investment Officer in Global Fixed Income, as well as in Investment Banking, and in Risk.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

BARCLAYS-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
Riga, Latvia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2021) - Delta.theta is a decentralized peer-to-peer options platform based in Estonia and launched in April 2021. A growing trend, decentralized exchanges or DEX's have exploded in popularity over the past year. This exchange is unique in that it only trades the sales of options in crypto. It is also unique in that it operates with multiple blockchains. Seeking to capture a growing audience, the platform operates on Ethereum, Polygon and the BSC.

The platform is powered by its native cryptocurrency token, Delta Theta (Ticker: $DLTA) which was trading over $0.14 as of October 10. Aside from powering the Delta.theta platform, the DLTA token is also tradable on the decentralized exchanges Uniswap and 1inch, as well as the centralized exchanges - Gate and MEXC.

Launch and Expectations

Based in Riga, Latvia, the delta.theta platform was launched in April of this year to bring options trading to a peer-to-peer platform. It is now one the global leaders in the peer-to-peer crypto options trading space.

In traditional financial markets, derivatives markets are massive - projected to reach $30 billion by 2026. In the crypto industry, this is as of yet a mostly untapped market. If crypto follows the trajectory of traditional financial markets derivatives, then this market could see an increase of 100 times higher volumes than what is currently occurring.

To emphasize this, crypto markets have outpaced traditional financial markets in growth by many times. Crypto has expanded in just a decade to a scope that it took traditional finance markets centuries to similarly grow.

Delta.theta and its CEO Danil Zatologin are hedging their bets on the fact that based on the above, the crypto derivatives market growth rates may in fact blow off the top of these expectations.

Crypto Options Trading How it Works

Options trading allows traders to trade while exposing less of their position. With a decentralized exchange, the user is able to hold and utilize their liquidity, as opposed to a centralized crypto exchange, which requires the trader's liquidity to be provided into exchange's custody. Here is a graphics of how it works:

Figure 1: Delta.Theta Platform Continues To Rise, After The Launch

Preparing the Onramps

Delta.theta used Q3 to establish and build its network, partnership and increase its services for traders.

This kicked off in July, when they completed a funding round with an investment from Thundermark, a New York City and Miami-based early-stage tech venture capital fund. Following this, delta.theta was even invited by the Mayor of Miami to set up a headquarters in the city.

Also in July, after completing work on the testnet, the official Ethereum mainnet launch included the listing of the first trading pairs: $BTC, $ETH, $DLTA, $DAO.

This was followed by a second mainnet launch, on the Binance Smart Chain, to provide users with an alternative with lower fees. This made available new trading pairs for: $BTC, $BNB, $ETH, $DLTA and $HAPI.

Creating a third blockchain bridge, the official Polygon mainnet launch occurred, which further optimized network fees for the platform. The $WMATIC, $WETH, $DLTA and $HAPI trading pairs were also added.

August all saw the platform add zero fee markets for $DLTA options. To further bolster its already active social media community, delta.theta also launched a Turkish community in August.

To ensure user confidence and safety, the platform's smart contracts were audited successfully a second time.

An additional product was also added to enrich the user experience. A token farming platform was launched on the 24th of August.

Delta.theta Tokenomincs Updates

The delta.theta token has two features built into the tokenomics that have proved over time to add sustained value for participants in the ecosystem.

The first is that holders get 30% discounts for trading fees while using the DLTA token to pay for network and platform fees.

The second feature is that of deflationary supply - there is a token burn each quarter which is done with a portion of the trading fees collected by the exchange.

With these features delta.theta aims to keep users happy and engaged in the ecosystem.

Contact

Delta.theta is an early mover as a crypto options DEX, and is currently building the framework for the projected increase in demand for its services, as the crypto industry matures.

For more updates and news, connect with delta.theta across the web and social media here:

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deltatheta_tech

Telegram Group: https://t.me/deltatheta

Telegram Channel: https://t.me/DeltathetaNEWS

Telegram Group (RU): https://t.me/DeltathetaRU

Telegram Channel (RU): https://t.me/deltathetanews_ru

CoinGecko: https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/delta-theta

CoinMarketCap: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/delta-theta/

Media Details

Company Name: Delta.theta

Email: dz@deltatheta.tech

Website: https://deltatheta.tech/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101513
DGAP Post-admission Duties announcement: Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act]

Announcement on the Change in Share Capital of H-Share



01.11.2021 / 12:39

Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG



Announcement on the Change in Share Capital of H-Share Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hongkong, 1 November 2021 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-share 690D.DE, A-share 600690.SH, H-share 06690.HK) published an announcement on the Shanghai Stock Exchange with regard to the Change in Share Capital of H-Share. The details are set out as follows: Conversion status of H-share related convertible bonds: In the month of October 2021, a cumulative amount of HKD 30,000,000 H-Share related convertible bonds were converted into H-Shares of the Company, and the cumulative number of H-Shares formed as a result of the conversion was 1,614,639 shares, accounting for 0.02% of the total share capital of the Company before the conversion of H-Share related convertible bonds in this month. As of 31 October 2021, a cumulative amount of HKD 7,572,000,000 H-Share related convertible bonds were converted into H-Shares of the Company, and the cumulative number of H-Shares formed as a result of the conversion was 402,026,822 shares, accounting for 4.28% of the total share capital of the Company before the conversion of H-Share related convertible bonds in this month. Status of outstanding convertible bonds: As of 31 October 2021, the amount of H-Share related convertible bonds not yet converted was HKD 421,000,000, accounting for 5.27% of the total number of H-Share related convertible bonds issued. I. Background of the issuance and listing of convertible bonds On 27 October 2020, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) issued the Approval of Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. to Issue Overseas Listed Foreign Shares and Convertible Corporate Bonds (CSRC License [2020] No. 2768), approving: (1) Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the "Company") to issue not more than 2,856,526,138 overseas listed foreign shares (including additional shares issued upon exercise of conversion rights by holders of convertible bonds of not more than HKD 8 billion or equivalent in foreign currencies), with a par value of RMB 1 per share, all of which are ordinary shares. Upon completion of this issuance, the Company may list on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (hereinafter referred to as "HKSE"); (2) The Company's wholly-owned overseas subsidiaries, guaranteed by the Company, will issue overseas corporate bonds not exceeding HKD 8 billion or its equivalent in foreign currency convertible into overseas listed foreign shares of the Company (hereinafter referred to as "H-share convertible bonds"). On 23 December 2020, 2,448,279,814 H-Shares of the Company were listed and traded on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and the relevant exchangeable bonds to convertible bonds program became effective and operational after the listing, the total amount of effective H-share convertible bonds was HKD 7,993,000,000. II. Changes in Share Capital From 01 October 2021 to 31 October 2021, the changes in the Company's share capital were as follows: Class of shares Before the changes

30 September 2021 Number of the current changes (shares) After the changes

31 October 2021 Number of shares (shares) Proportion Number of convertible bonds to shares Number of shares (shares) Proportion Listed domestic shares (A shares) 6,308,552,654 67.14% - 6,308,552,654 67.13% Overseas-listed shares (D shares) 271,013,973 2.88% - 271,013,973 2.88% Overseas-listed shares (H shares) 2,816,339,197 29.97% +1,614,639 2,817,953,836 29.99% Total number of shares 9,395,905,824 100.00% +1,614,639 9,397,520,463 100.00% Note: This Announcement has been prepared in both Chinese and English. Should there be any discrepancies or misunderstandings between the two versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.



IR Contact:

Haier Smart Home Hong Kong

T: +852 2169 0000

Email: ir@haier.hk Press Contact:

CROSS ALLIANCE communication GmbH

Sven Pauly

Sara Pinto

sp@crossalliance.de

T: +49 (0) 89 1250903 35



About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized mass production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as smaller household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience.

01.11.2021 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - McKesson Corp. (MCK), a healthcare supply chain management solutions provider, announced Monday that it has entered into an agreement to sell its UK businesses to AURELIUS, a pan-European asset management group. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The sale is expected to close in fiscal 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory approvals. The transaction includes the sale of McKesson UK businesses LloydsPharmacy, LloydsDirect, previously Echo by LloydsPharmacy, AAH Pharmaceuticals, LloydsPharmacy Clinical Homecare, LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, MASTA and John Bell & Croyden. Following the deal, AURELIUS expects to support McKesson UK by further investing in and growing each of its business divisions. The sale, which follows McKesson's recently announced sale of certain European businesses, is part of its plan to streamline the business and fully exit the European region. Brian Tyler, chief executive officer, McKesson, said, 'As we explore strategic options to fully exit Europe, this transaction provides our UK operation with the best path forward to achieve its long-term growth potential, while allowing McKesson to focus future investments in strategic growth areas outside of Europe.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2021) - MediaValet Inc. (TSX: MVP) (the Company), a leading provider of cloud-native enterprise digital asset management ("DAM") and creative operations software, and monday.com, a flexible work operating system ("Work OS") that powers organizations to run and manage every aspect of their work, today announced a partnership to deliver seamless digital collaboration for marketing and creative teams across the globe.

Figure 1

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3817/101310_ef30fbc3845edb4e_001full.jpg

As companies pivot to prioritize digital initiatives, it's become critical for marketing and creative teams to scale the creation and distribution of visual media. Central to this is the need for synchronized Work OS and digital asset management solutions. With over 127,000 customers around the world, across 200 business verticals, monday.com is the ideal partner in this opportunity. The combined benefits of MediaValet and monday.com will help organizations expedite time-to-market, ensure brand consistency, and scale up their digital marketing and creative operations.

"The MediaValet integration is a thrilling addition to monday.com's truly flexible Work OS, especially for addressing creative teams' needs," said Amit Goldenberg, Head of Tech Partnerships and Business Development at monday.com. "Through apps like these in our marketplace, we're providing vendors with the ability to add their own capabilities to monday.com Work OS, tapping into our ever-expanding ecosystem. The integration helps diversify monday.com's increasingly limitless customization capabilities. We look forward to partnering with many more companies in the coming year."

Using MediaValet's API, this integration will allow monday.com's customers to publish assets directly from monday.com to MediaValet. Upcoming enhancements to the integration will allow MediaValet users to attach assets in MediaValet to specific workflow tasks within monday.com, allowing project coordinators to pre-populate projects within monday.com with pre-approved media assets. Within the coming months, users will be able to easily move assets between MediaValet and monday.com, while ensuring assets are secure redundant and tracked at all times.

"We're very excited to partner with MediaValet and continue to transform the way marketing teams scale with monday.com's Work OS," said Gavin Watson, Industry Lead Marketing & Creative APAC at monday.com. "As the world becomes more digitized, we're making digital collaboration more efficient and empowering any organization to customize, automate, and execute all their work in one place."

"Marketing, as a practice, is becoming increasingly dispersed and complex," said David MacLaren, Founder & CEO at MediaValet. "Integrating with cutting-edge technology, like monday.com, is critical to ensuring our customer base is able to futureproof their operational workflows for the evolving environment. We're extremely proud to be monday.com's first digital asset management partner and to work together to bring the most cohesive experience and streamlined operations to both of our customer bases."

About MediaValet Inc.

MediaValet stands at the forefront of the cloud-native, software-as-a-service, enterprise digital asset management and creative operations industries. Built exclusively on Microsoft Azure and available across 61 Microsoft data center regions in 140 countries around the world, MediaValet delivers unparalleled enterprise-class security, reliability, redundancy, compliance, and scalability; while offering the largest global footprint of any DAM solution. In addition to providing enterprise, cloud-native DAM capabilities at a global scale, desktop-to-server-to-cloud support for creative teams, and overall cloud redundancy and management for all source, WIP and final assets, MediaValet offers industry-leading integrations into Slack, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Workfront, Wrike, Drupal, WordPress and many other best-in-class 3rd party applications.

Follow MediaValet: Blog, Twitter and LinkedIn

Surf: www.mediavalet.com

About monday.com

The monday.com Work OS is an open platform that democratizes the power of software so organizations can easily build work management tools and software applications to fit their every need. The platform intuitively connects people to processes and systems, empowering teams to excel in every aspect of their work while creating an environment of transparency in business. monday.com has teams in Tel Aviv, New York, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, London, Kiev, and Sydney. The platform is fully customizable to suit any business vertical, with 127,000 customers across over 200 industries in 190 countries.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

For further information, please contact:

David MacLaren

Tel: (604) 688-2321

david.maclaren@mediavalet.com

Babak Pedram

Tel: (416) 644-5081

babak.pedram@mediavalet.com

Or Elmaliah

ore@monday.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101310
BLACKROCK LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (the "Company")

LEI: UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151

Voting Rights and Capital (Article 15 Transparency Directive, DTR 5.6)

In conformity with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule 5.6.1R, the Company would like to notify the market of the following:

As at 31 October 2021, BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc's capital consists of 39,259,620 Ordinary Shares of 10 cents each, carrying one vote each, excluding 2,181,662 ordinary shares held in treasury.

As at 31 October 2021, the total number of voting rights for Ordinary shareholders in BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc is 39,259,620.

Shareholders should use 39,259,620 as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company.

All enquiries:

Sarah Beynsberger

BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, Company Secretary

Tel: 0207 743 2639

1 November 2021
David Ascott has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Red Light Holland, a Psychedelics Company with more than $28 million of working capital*

Bruce Linton, heavily involved in the CFO hiring process "ecstatic" to have Mr. Ascott join CEO Todd Shapiro and the Red Light Holland Team

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2021) - Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) (FSE: 4YX) (OTC Pink: TRUFF) ("Red Light Holland" or the "Company"), an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth, and sale of a premium brand of magic truffles, is pleased to announce David Ascott will become Red Light Holland's Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") effective November 2nd, 2021. The organization's current CFO, Kyle Appleby, will assist with a smooth transition before moving on to focus on new opportunities. CEO Todd Shapiro and the Board of Directors wish to extend their gratitude to Mr. Appleby for his efforts and leadership during an important and initial stage in Red Light Holland's journey.

Mr. Ascott whose past includes being the CFO (2011-2018) for Rocky Mountain Dealerships Inc., an agricultural equipment company with $1B in revenue, joins Red Light Holland after most recently being a Chief Financial Officer with an early stage private cannabis producer. Mr. Ascott, a CPA with over 30 years' experience, began his career in public practice with Ernst & Young where he progressed to Senior Manager serving a variety of clients both domestically and abroad.

"Red Light Holland continues to exhibit vision and aggressive execution," said Bruce Linton, Red Light Holland's Chair of the Advisory Board. "We are a psychedelics company generating revenue, who have acquired multiple companies, acted on bought deals and are evermore analyzing our next moves for growth with our advantageous cash position - which is why I'm ecstatic that David Ascott is joining the Red Light Holland team. Todd Shapiro and I interviewed numerous candidates and together we realized David's astute financial leadership with regulations, reporting, budgeting, operations and being a part of a team that grew revenues to 1 Billion dollars with a past company - would all lend well to helping with strategic growth and compliment our careful spending habits."

"It is exciting to be joining a pioneering company in a growth sector," added David Ascott, incoming Red Light Holland CFO. "The Red Light Holland team has the commitment and expertise to execute its strategic initiatives for the potential of psychedelics to help with positive change and continually lead the charge on providing access. I am proud to bring my dedication and financial leadership to this organization, with its balance sheet strength, including a significant cash balance, as we focus on revenue growth & future M&A opportunities while building global supply chains, distribution networks and a world class brand."

"This is a significant day for Red Light Holland and all of our shareholders," said Todd Shapiro, CEO and Director of Red Light Holland. "David Ascott will immediately help us with several important growth initiatives including increasing revenue growth and potential future M&As. I'm looking forward to working very closely with David who is very committed to Red Light Holland's mission and vision."

In consideration for Mr Ascott's services, on top of his salary agreement, the Company authorized the grant of 1,000,000 incentive stock options to Mr. Ascott, with each such option entitling the holder thereof to acquire one common share in the capital of the Company for a period of 3 years, at an exercise price of $0.185 per common share. The Options shall vest according to the following schedule: (a) 1/3 of the Options shall vest one (1) year following the date of issuance; and Following the first year of the Agreement, the remaining 2/3 of the Options shall begin to vest in equal increments every six (6) months, such that 166,666 Options shall vest every six (6) months.

The Company would also like to take this time to acknowledge that CEO and Director Todd Shapiro is recovering from his recent COVID-19 diagnoses. On Behalf of the Board of Directors we wish our fearless leader and his wife, 6 year old son and 2 year old daughter a speedy recovery. Unfortunately, the diagnoses of COVID-19 limited Todd's travel to The Netherlands where he was to meet up with Russell Peters, the company's Chief Creative Officer and document Russell's first psychedelic experience with Red Light Holland's therapist and expert psychedelic guide Jeff Hamburg. As a result, both Russell Peters and Todd Shapiro have postponed traveling to The Netherlands for the documentation and live-stream event which was announced on October 15th, 2021, which will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

"I'm just glad my man Todd Shapiro and his family are recovering from COVID-19," said Russell Peters, Chief Creative Officer. "It's no joke. Neither is opening up about mental health and I assure everybody when the time is right, Todd and I expect to get to The Netherlands, where my plan is to have a guided truffle therapy experience and open up about my journey for the world to see. I truly believe that the more of us who tackle our demons and then share those outcomes will be beneficial for people everywhere and I feel blessed to be in a position to potentially help those struggling."

Red Light Holland and Russell Peters will share more details, about where and when people in the Netherlands can attend the live intimate event and where individuals all around the world can view the live-stream, in due course.

*Unaudited

About Red Light Holland

The Company is an Ontario-based corporation engaged in the production, growth and sale (through existing Smart Shops operators and an advanced e-commerce platform) of a premium brand of magic truffles to the legal market within the Netherlands.

For additional information on the Company:

Todd Shapiro

Chief Executive Officer & Director

Tel: 647-204-7129

Email: todd@redlighttruffles.com

Website: https://redlighttruffles.com/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or their respective subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained in this news release. Examples of such information include statements with respect to: the appointment of David Ascott as it relates to the expected growth initiatives including increasing revenue growth and potential future M&As; Russell Peters' ability to get to the Netherlands, the anticipated journey facilitated by Jeff Hamburg, the intimate live event featuring Russell Peters and the live-streaming of the event; the commencement and projected date regarding the Company's ability to ensure the live event will happen on the Company's social media accounts, the venue for the event; statements about the future of the live session with Russell Peters, Jeff Hamburg providing support, with respect to live journey; and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors.

Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, expectations regarding future growth and expansion of the operations of the business; regulatory and licensing risks; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial and stock markets; risks related to infectious diseases, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; legal and regulatory risks inherent in the psychedelics industry, including the global regulatory landscape and enforcement related to psychedelics; political risks and risks relating to regulatory change; risks relating to anti-money laundering laws; compliance with extensive government regulation and the interpretation of various laws regulations and policies; public opinion and perception of the psychedelics industry; and such other risks contained in the public filings of the Company filed with Canadian securities regulators and available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, including the Company's annual information form for the year ended March 31, 2020.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101521


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Shares of Ryanair Holdings Plc. were gaining around 2 percent in London trading after the low fares airline reported Monday a profit in its second quarter, compared to last year's loss, driven by significant growth in demand. Looking ahead for fiscal 2022, the company expects narrower loss.



Regarding the outlook, Ryanair's Michael O'Leary, said, 'We believe that FY22 traffic has improved to just over 100m and (subject to winter fares) expect to record an FY22 loss of between 100m to 200m. This outturn will be crucially dependent on the continued rollout of vaccines and no adverse Covid19 developments.'



In the previous year of 2021, the company's loss attributable to equity holders of parent was 1.02 billion euros or 0.9142 euros per share.



The company said the visibility for the remainder of FY22 is very limited, and that its difficult to provide meaningful FY22 guidance. The outlook for pricing and yields for the winter of FY22 will be challenging.



Further, Ryanair continues to expect to deliver accelerated growth over the next 5 years, with the growth forecast raised to 50 percent from 33 percent. As a result, Ryanair's pre-Covid traffic of 149 million is expected to grow to over 225 million guests p.a. by March 2026. The previous target was 200 million p.a.



The company further said its growth plans over the next 5 years will create 5,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers.



Ryanair, which recently invested 50 million euros in an Aviation Skills Training Centre in Dublin, plans to invest over 100 million euros in 2 more high skills, training centres in possibly Spain and Poland.



The company also said its Board is now considering the merits of retaining the Standard listing on the London Stock Exchange or LSE. Trading on the LSE as a percentage of overall trading volume in Ryanair's ordinary shares has reduced materially during 2021.



For the second quarter, profit before tax was 224.6 million euros, compared to last year's loss of 222.4 million euros.



Net profit attributable to equity holders of parent was 225 million euros, compared to last year's loss of 225.5 million euros. Earnings per share were 0.1975 euro, while prior year's loss was 0.2053 euro.



Operating profit surged to 254.0 million euros from prior year's 10.8 million euros, with a 47 percent drop in total operating expenses to 1.53 billion euros.



Total operating revenues for the second quarter surged 70 percent to 1.78 billion euros from last year's 1.05 billion euros.



Scheduled revenues grew 57 percent year-over-year to 1.08 billion euros, and Ancillary revenues were up 95 percent to 703.0 million euros.



For the first half, attributable net loss narrowed to 47.6 million euros from last year's 410.5 million euros, and revenue climbed 83 percent to 2.15 billion euros.



The first-half traffic rebounded by 128 percent to 39.1 million customers from 17.1 million customers a year ago. Load Factor was 79 percent, up 7 percentage points from 72 percent a year ago.



In London, Ryanair shares were trading at 17.08 euros, up 2.03 percent.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

RYANAIR-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
New York, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Open Society Foundations join today with thousands of voices inside and outside Turkey, calling on the Turkish government to comply with the rule of law and end the imprisonment of Osman Kavala, the philanthropist and businessman who today marks his fourth year behind bars.

"The continued prosecution of this case shines a spotlight on the erosion of the rule of law in Turkey," said Open Society Foundations President Mark Malloch-Brown. "Kavala has now spent more than 1,400 days in prison, even though he has never been convicted of a crime and top European and Turkish courts have ruled he should be freed."

"The prosecution of this case is not about the law," Malloch-Brown added. "It is an effort to silence independent voices like Kavala's within Turkey."

Kavala was originally arrested in 2017. He remains behind bars even though the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2019 that he should be freed, citing the lack of evidence against him. Kavala was subsequently acquitted by a top Turkish court in 2020, and then immediately rearrested on additional bogus charges.

Before his arrest, Kavala ran a local foundation he had established to support the arts, culture, and human rights. He also served on the boards of a number of organizations including Open Society's now-closed Turkish foundation. President Erdogan's campaign of slander against Kavala has included distorting and misrepresenting his entirely open and legitimate contacts with Open Society and its founder George Soros.

"We call for justice to prevail and an end to the cruel imprisonment of Osman Kavala, who for decades has fought for basic, fundamental rights for all," Malloch-Brown said.

Read more about Open Society's work in Turkey.
COLORADO, SPRINGS, CO / ACCESSWIRE / November 1, 2021 / Fortitude Gold (OTCQB:FTCO) (the "Company") today announced the timing of its third quarter 2021 earnings conference call scheduled for Wednesday, November 3, 2021. Fortitude Gold is a gold producer, developer, and explorer with operations in Nevada, U.S.A.

Conference Call

Fortitude Gold's CEO Mr. Jason Reid will host the conference call Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Topics of discussion will include third quarter results and an update on current operations. The conference call will be recorded and posted to the Company's website.

Q&A

Following Mr. Reid's opening remarks, the Company will host a question and answer (Q&A) session.

Date: Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Time: 11:00 AM Eastern (9:00 AM Mountain)

There are two ways to join the conference call:

To join the conference via webcast and to view presentation slides, please click on the following link: https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2640/43508.

To join the call via telephone please use one of the following dial-in numbers:

Toll Free: 888-506-0062

International: 973-528-0011

Participant Access Code: 641800

Please connect to the conference call ten minutes prior to the start time using one of the connection options listed above.

About Fortitude Gold Corp.:

Fortitude Gold is a U.S. based gold producer targeting projects with low operating costs, high margins, and strong returns on capital. The Company's strategy is to grow organically, remain debt-free and distribute substantial dividends. The Company's Nevada Mining Unit consists of five high-grade gold properties located in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt, with the Isabella Pearl gold mine in current production. Nevada, U.S.A. is among the world's premier mining friendly jurisdictions.

Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. If you are risk-averse you should NOT buy shares in Fortitude Gold Corp. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding the Company's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to the Company on the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release. In particular, the scope, duration, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mining operations, Company employees, and supply chains as well as the scope, duration and impact of government action aimed at mitigating the pandemic may cause future actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Also, there can be no assurance that production will continue at any specific rate.

Contact:

Greg Patterson

719-717-9825

greg.patterson@fortitudegold.com

www.Fortitudegold.com

SOURCE: Fortitude Gold Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/670576/Fortitude-Gold-Announces-Third-Quarter-Conference-Call
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2021) - Castle Peak Mining Ltd. (TSXV: CAP) ("Castle Peak" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the Kunsu prospecting license in Ghana from Wononuo Investment Limited ("Wononuo"). Title to the prospecting license is held by Castle Sika Mining Ltd., a wholly owned Ghanaian subsidiary of the Company.

Allan Green, Chairman and CEO, said: "We are pleased to add the high potential Kunsu prospecting license to the Castle Peak portfolio, which allows us to proceed with some of the earlier exploration initiatives. The acquisition underlines our commitment to further explore for new gold opportunities in Ghana."

For further information, please contact:

"Iyad Jarbou"

Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 604.362.7685

Email: iyadj@castlepeakmining.com

Website: https://castlepeakmining.com/

FORWARD-LOOKING AND OTHER CAUTIONARY INFORMATION

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain 'forward-looking information' and 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This release may contain statements that are forward looking statements and are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Such information contained herein represents management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on information currently available. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this release. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Any offering made will be pursuant to available prospectus and registration exemptions and restricted persons to whom the securities may be sold in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions and by persons permitted to sell the securities in accordance with the laws of such jurisdictions.

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101553
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 1, 2021 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Callinex Mines, Xali Gold, Manitou Gold, and Hank Payments Corp. discussing their latest press releases.

The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives.

Callinex Mines (TSXV:CNX) announces mineral resource estimate at Point Leamington, Newfoundland

Callinex Mines has announced an updated mineral resource estimate for the company's 100 percent owned Point Leamington Deposit in Newfoundland. Max Porterfield, President & CEO of Callinex Mines sat down with Caroline Egan to discuss the results of the estimate and the company's plans to advance the project.

For the full interview with Max Porterfield and to learn more about Callinex Mine's recent announcement, click here.

Xali Gold (TSXV:XGC) announces non-brokered financing

Xali Gold is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of approximately $500,000. Joanne Freeze, CEO of Xali Gold sat down with Caroline Egan to discuss drilling progress at El Oro and provide an update on its private placement.

For the full interview with Joanne Freeze and to learn more about Xali Gold's announcement, click here.

Manitou Gold (TSXV:MTU) reports assay results from the Goudreau Project

Manitou Gold has confirmed high-grade assay results from two diamond drill holes at its Goudreau project in northern Ontario. Richard Murphy, CEO of Manitou Gold sat down with Caroline Egan to discuss the results.

For the full interview with Richard Murphy and to learn more about Manitou Gold's announcement, click here.

Hank Payments Corp. (TSXV:HANK) expands auto dealer base.

Hank Payments has signed an agreement with Dennis & Co. Auto Group Inc. to offer Hank products in its stores. Michael Hilmer, CEO of Hank Payments sat down with Caroline Egan to discuss the partnership.

For the full interview with Michael Hilmer and to learn more about Hank Payment's partnership, click here.

Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald.

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Developed and built by JDS Development Group and designed by SHoP Architects, The Brooklyn Tower at 9 DeKalb Ave becomes a defining new landmark for the borough and a transformative addition to the New York City skyline.

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- JDS Development Group and SHoP Architects announce the topping out of The Brooklyn Tower at 9 DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn-the borough's first supertall skyscraper-at 1,066 feet. Here heritage and modernity meet: The landmarked Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn has been creatively incorporated into an imaginative new building that soars to 93 stories and sets a new standard for the borough. Formed by interlocking hexagons and dramatic cascading setbacks in a facade of shimmering bronzes and deep blacks, the Brooklyn Tower is a monumental new residential building in Downtown Brooklyn with unprecedented views over city, river, and harbor. The project will house residences for sale and lease, with retail at its base.

Rising from the native geometries of the neighborhood streets, the Tower's striking form draws inspiration from the hexagonal composition and patterning of the historic Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn and its landmarked interior, where locals could once open a savings account for as little as a dime. Designed by esteemed architects Halsey, McCormack & Helmer (1931-1932), a significant expansion of Mowbray & Uffinger's building (1906-1908) on the same site, the historic structure has been celebrated by critics for its civic-minded urban design and was designated a New York City landmark in 1994. As one of the largest savings banks constructed in the country, the institution played a critical role in the development and growth of Brooklyn, and serves as a prominent gateway to the Fulton Street Mall shopping district. Decommissioned as a working bank, the space will become publicly accessible once again as a new retail flagship. The 115-year-old structure is being carefully restored and thoughtfully integrated with the new tower through the introduction of a retail entry at Flatbush Avenue Extension and at Fleet Street (one of the tower's two entrances), where residents will enter the tower's main lobby through the Ionic colonnade. On the roof deck, residents will be able to swim, lounge, and barbeque around the historic dome.

The distinctive materiality of The Brooklyn Tower incorporates white marble at its base, and evolves to blackened stainless steel and shades of bronze and copper as the tower ascends. The facade powerfully holds its shape, texture, and materiality at every angle, deploying a wide variety of fluted, cylindrical, and triangular shapes arranged in a strongly vertical composition between oversize glass panes. This combination of effects gives The Brooklyn Tower an expression that is at once welcoming, seriously dramatic and extravagantly playful.

Globally recognized for its historic architecture, verdant tree-lined streets, abundant greenspace, vibrant culinary scene, and thriving creative community, Brooklyn has long enjoyed and celebrated a unique cultural identity distinct from the other boroughs. Brooklyn welcomes and sustains a diverse population from all backgrounds, fostering deep contributions across a variety of industries. The design of the Brooklyn Tower honors the undeniable spirit, expressive culture, and rich diversity and history that Brooklyn is known for, standing proud as a symbol of these everlasting attributes.

The Brooklyn Tower is bound by DeKalb Avenue, Fleet Street, and Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn. This is of the most connected neighborhoods in New York City, with unrivaled transportation access to 13 subway lines, 11 commuter trains via the LIRR at Atlantic Center, and 22 Citibike stations. Downtown Brooklyn lives at the intersection of three of Brooklyn's most beloved Brownstone neighborhoods (Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and Fort Greene), with proximity to DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights. Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City and home to a robust technology and innovation sector, shopping along Fulton Street and nearby Atlantic Avenue, and more than 100 arts and cultural institutions, including centers for the neighborhood and the city the Brooklyn Art Museum, BRIC, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Barclays Center. Brooklyn is a major culinary destination, with nearby DeKalb Market Hall, Grand Army, Gage & Tollner, Roman's by Andrew Tarlow, and the famed Junior's Cheesecake. Residents will also be in proximity to some of the city's finest public parks and greenspaces, including beloved Fort Greene Park just five blocks away, the recently revitalized Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the borough's flagship Prospect Park. Significant new growth in the residential and hospitality sectors has ushered in a new era of 24/7 living in the neighborhood, while other streetscape transformations are underway.

"Today marks a significant milestone for Brooklyn and New York City as The Brooklyn Tower reaches its peak, continuing Brooklyn's long history of design innovation and bold thinking," said Michael Stern, Founder and CEO of JDS Development, the developer and builder of the project. "We take great pride in the thoughtful work that SHoP and our JDS Construction team have done to create this unprecedented new tower, while carefully preserving the historic Brooklyn landmark."

The Brooklyn Tower represents yet another large-scale adaptive reuse project in New York City by JDS Development Group. The firm is known for complex assemblages, self-performing construction in New York City projects, and moving markets through transformative, design-forward projects that have raised the bar for new development real estate and challenged the status quo.

The Brooklyn Tower is the third large-scale, mixed-use project by JDS and SHoP in New York City, which include the iconic 111 West 57th Street on Central Park (another supertall with a landmarked adaptive-reuse component) and the American Copper Buildings on the East River. Additional large-scale projects are in the works for the Lower East Side at 247 Cherry Street, and in Brickell, Miami, at 1 Southside Park.

"The SHoP team is thrilled to be a part of a project that is so impactful to one of the world's most acclaimed skylines," said Gregg Pasquarelli, Founding Principal of SHoP Architects. "As more people look to move to Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, the detail that went into the texture and shape of the structure was critical. We wanted it to remain authentic, with that baroque, Brooklyn charm, but also look crisp and modern to capture the borough's constant state of growth and influence."

The Brooklyn Tower features approximately 550 residences-150 residences for purchase and 400 residences for lease-with almost 100,000 square feet of retail at its base. The project also includes over 100,000 square feet of amenities, including state-of-the-art health and fitness spaces offering diverse programming, and unprecedented, elevated outdoor loggias for skyline lounging and recreation. Thirty percent of the rentals are designated as affordable housing. Residences for purchase start at an elevation over 500 feet, where most penthouses cap nearby new development projects, and offer sweeping views through floor-to-ceiling windows of the Manhattan skyline, the East River, the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor, Prospect Park, and all of Brooklyn. Residence interiors were designed by AD100 design firm Gachot Studios, with amenity interior design lead by Krista Ninivaggi of Woods Bagot, and landscape design by HMWhite. The building will engage a wide network of creative talent from the borough and beyond in the project. Douglas Elliman is the exclusive marketing, sales, and leasing agent.

The Brooklyn Tower is anticipated to launch residences for sale in early 2022, residences for lease mid 2022, and open for occupancy late 2022, forging a new residential and commercial destination for New York City. For more information and to stay informed on the project's progress, please visit: thebrooklyntower.com or @thebrooklyntower on Instagram.

For high-res imagery and video of The Brooklyn Tower, please visit: https://jdsdevelopment.egnyte.com/fl/lqDaT803IN.

About JDS Development Group

JDS Development Group is a team of innovators and builders pioneering progressive new forms of large-scale urban development that challenge the status quo of the real estate industry. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in New York and Miami, JDS is a national firm focused on acquisition, development, and construction, recognized for its architecturally significant mixed-use projects that respond to each community and push the boundaries of engineering and design. JDS projects include The Brooklyn Tower, 111 West 57th Street, The American Copper Buildings, Walker Tower, Monad Terrace and other award-winning collaborations with the world's top architects and designers. jdsdevelopment.com @jdsdevelopmentgroup

About SHoP Architects

SHoP Architects is a New York-based global design leader, with iconic projects completed or underway across more than 72 million square feet on five continents. SHoP takes a high-performance approach to design and planning that introduces definitive new and enduring architecture to the great city skylines and streetscapes. The innovative practice forefronts the activation of dynamic public spaces, the use of technology to imaginatively reinterpret authentic building materials, a results-driven sustainability imperative and an emphasis on the research and deployment of adaptive methods of project delivery. Notable projects include Brooklyn's Barclays Center, the American Copper Buildings and the supertall residential tower 111 West 57th Street in Manhattan, the new Uber Headquarters in San Francisco, the recently opened Collins Arch complex in Melbourne, Fulbright University Vietnam, Codrico Tower Rotterdam, and multiple diplomatic facilities including in Milan and Bangkok, under a Design Excellence contract with the U.S. Department of State. The diverse and trendsetting work of the firm has been widely celebrated with a variety of honors, among them the Smithsonian's National Design Award for Architecture. In 2021, SHoP through the ESOP process became a 100-percent employee-owned company-furthering a commitment to a culture of innovation and the next-generation practice of architecture.

About Gachot Studios

Melding timeless craft with modern technology, Gachot creates work with a refined aesthetic and radical sense of place. Simplicity, elegance and acute attention to detail are the guiding values. Every project is treated as a unique expression rather than the vehicle for a rigid aesthetic. The studio was founded by John and Christine Gachot as a collaborative environment with service as its core principle. The team brings together diverse skills in real estate development, art direction and interior design to overcome the constraints of physical space and deliver thoughtful, project-specific products.

About Krista Ninivaggi of Woods Bagot

K&CO, founded by Krista Ninivaggi in 2014, is a boutique interior design studio recently merged into the global firm, Woods Bagot. The interior design team is directed by Ninivaggi, who serves as a visual thought leader for a range of forward-thinking clients, from lawyers to DJs. She and her team specialize in the cross section between interiors and architecture-carrying rich conceptual designs into the programming, material selection, and furniture design. The attention to detail instills even the largest projects with a boutique feel. The studio works in a highly collaborative approach with clients by learning from their business practices and users to best address their needs. Whether in new or existing structures, the team strives to create immersive environments that satisfy the senses, layering tactical and visual experiences for richer and more diverse spaces. From welcoming residential spaces to progressive workplaces to conceptual hospitality programming, the team's spaces promote new and unexpected interactions, with the aim of fostering a broader range of unexpected collaborations and innovations.

Team

Developer: JDS Development Group

Builder: JDS Construction Group

Architect: SHoP Architects

Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn Architects: Mowbray & Uffinger (1906-1908); Halsey, McCormack & Helmer (1931-1932)

Architects: Mowbray & Uffinger (1906-1908); Halsey, McCormack & Helmer (1931-1932) Residential Interior Design: Gachot Studios

Amenities Interior Design lead by Krista Ninivaggi of Woods Bagot

of Woods Bagot Landscape Design: HMWhite

Structural Engineer: WSP

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Engineer: JB&B

Curtain Wall Consultant: MW Skins

Civil Engineer: AKRF

Geotechnical Engineer: Mueser Rutledge

Wind Engineer: RWDI

Media Contact:

Anthony DeWitt

DADA Goldberg

anthony@dadagoldberg.com

917-480-7262

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1675730/The_Brooklyn_Tower_October_2021_Drone1_JDS_Development_Group_by_Selvon_Ramsawak.mp4

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1675737/The_Brooklyn_Tower_Albee_Square.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1675738/The_Brooklyn_Tower_JDS_Development.jpg
October 2021 has become the best month for Bitcoin price performance since December 2020, with an unprecedented 40% gain, triggering what may be another crypto bull run as the industry moves toward the final fiscal quarter of 2021.

Based out of Singapore, Phemex is engaging users through a seamless experience. They offer spot and contract trading services, easy and safe withdrawal methods, and advanced functions like API integration, sub-account systems, and L3 quotes.

Phemex Rebrands to Spark Greater Brand Recognition and a Better Customer Experience

The start of a new month means renewed excitement for Phemex. The crypto trading platform has unveiled a new logo and website design, communicating the idea of a more robust user trading experience.

Users can provide feedback about the new logo and might receive a $100 trading bonus in exchange for giving the platform their opinion. The announcement itself is on Twitter.

Additionally, Phemex is offering the chance to win up to $5,000 worth of funds and merchandise for new users who register with the platform and customize the new logo.

The prizes include Bitcoin, Phemex merchandise, and hundreds of dollars in trading bonuses.

Updating Premium Membership to Keep up with Regulators

Government regulators around the world are constantly considering how to create policies that promote greater transparency within the world of cryptocurrency investing.

Thats why Phemex is making changes to its premium membership. Premium members of the platform can still benefit from zero spot trading fees if they trade up to $1 million per day or up to $5 million per month. Now users need to complete Know Your Customer verification before they can purchase and use the premium membership.

As governments continue to crack down on exchanges and stablecoins, its clear that Phemex is committed to conducting business in an above-board manner while still giving customers the amazing trading benefits they are used to.

Ethereum Trading Competition Excites Users as the Price Bounces Back

Ethereum is trading at over $4,300 at the time of this writing. While many other smart contract platforms like Cardano are gaining ground, most seasoned crypto enthusiasts know that Ethereum is still home to the overwhelming majority of NFT and DeFi projects.

The fundamental value of any blockchain comes down to not just its ability to remain secure, scale transactions, lower fees, and decentralize payments. Transaction volume and day-to-day utility is also highly important.

Thats one of the reasons Phemex is announcing Ether Fever, an Ethereum trading competition that features a whopping $20,000 prize pool to be shared among participants.

The competition runs through October 22, 2021, and is based on perpetual contract trading of the ETH/USD trading pair. Participants need to keep in mind that:

Mass account registration or market manipulation is a reason for disqualification.

Using APIs for the competition is against the rules.

Phemex reserves the right to enforce the rules how it sees fit to ensure a fair contest.

For crypto enthusiasts that arent really into trading competitions, theres always the opportunity to participate in Trivia on the Block. This is Phemexs reoccurring trivia game that provides users with financial rewards and sparks community engagement.
Sfermion, a Chicago, IL-based investment firm focused on the non-fungible token (NFTs) ecosystem, closed its second venture fund, at $100M.

Backers included Alan Howard, Chris Dixon, Marc Andreessen, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Matthew Roszak, Digital Currency Group, CMT Digital, and Animoca Brands.

Fund II will build a portfolio of investments that underpin the development of the metaverse and the environments that will form it.

Founded in 2019 by Andrew Steinwold and also led by Dan Patterson, general partner, Sfermion is an NFT investor which aims to accelerate the emergence of an open, decentralized metaverse by supporting companies working to develop its infrastructure. The firm invests across the entire non-fungible capital stack, focusing on three types of investments  early-stage venture equity, tokens, and direct NFTs.

Non-fungible tokens and associated technologies enable the formation of the metaverse  a virtual environment where people will live, work, and play  through their ability to give users ownership in the digital world. Trading in NFTs climbed to $10.7 billion in the third quarter of 2021, an increase of more than 700% from the previous quarter, according to a report by blockchain analytics firm DappRadar.

Fund II follows Sfermions first NFT-focused fund, Fund I, which primarily focuses on direct NFT investments.

Steinwold has invested in over 40 NFT-related companies to-date, including OpenSea, SuperRare, Artblocks, Yield Guild Games, Nifty Island, DeHorizon, Mojito, and Alethea AI.

FinSMEs

01/11/2021
Infinix has confirmed that it will launch its first INBook X1 laptop in India by December. In addition, the company also confirmed the launch of its latest Note 11 smartphone series alongside. Even though the Note 11 smartphone was already announced for global markets, the INBook X1 is new.

The company said that the INBook X1 will feature several FIST (First in Segment Technology) features that are not been offered by any other brand. It will come with all metal-body and will be available in three processor variants i3, i5 and i7 and feature multi-utility fast Type C charger.

The laptop will come in three colours: Noble Red, Starfull Grey and Aurora Green and will launch in December priced aggressively, and will be sold on Flipkart.

Infinix Note 11 Series

The Note 11 series will also launch during the same time and will be priced between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 15,000. These will be powered by MediaTek Helio G96 processor and Infinix says that it will come with an AMOLED FHD+ display, which could be the case for Note 11 since the global version of the Note 11 Pro has a 120Hz LCD screen. The company will also sell limited Free Fire edition of NOTE 11 series.

Infinix Note 11 Pro specifications

6.95-inch (2460 x 1080 pixels) FHD+ LCD screen with 120Hz refresh rate

Octa Core MediaTek Helio G96 12nm processor (Dual 2.05GHz A76 + Hexa 2GHz A55 CPUs) with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU

8GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128GB (UFS 2.2) storage, expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD

Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD)

Android 11 with XOS 8

64MP rear camera with f/1.7 aperture, Quad LED flash, 13MP telephoto camera with up to 30x digital zoom, f/2.46 aperture, 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture

16MP front camera, Quad LED flash

Rear-mounted Fingerprint sensor

3.5mm audio jack, FM radio, Stereo speakers, DTS Surround Sound

Dimensions: 173.0678.378.7mm ; Weight: 209g

Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C

5000mAh battery with 33W fast charging

We should know more details in the coming weeks.
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MOBILE, Ala. (WALA)  A panel of potential jurors staring at him, an alleged drug kingpin on Monday cut a deal with prosecutors.

Darrin Jamark DD Southall, 43, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Under the deal, he faces 35 years in prison but could cut that to 30 years  the statutory minimum  if prosecutors determine has cooperated with law enforcement investigators working on this and other cases. He also has been named a person of interest in the killing of a Happy Hill couple.

Southall admitted to running an extensive drug distribution network that supplied dealers across the Gulf Coast. Court records indicate that law enforcement investigators had been on to Southall since at least 2016. Federal agents received a court order to begin monitoring Southalls telephone in November 2020. They also tapped other phones December through February.

Those conversations, according to Southalls plea agreement, showed him talking to couriers and led to busts resulting in the seizure of 12 kilograms of cocaine, almost $500,000 in cash and a gun.

It turned out to be the tip of the iceberg, according to the plea document. Those agreement details a conspiracy involving 4,000 kilograms of cocaine, 24 kilograms of heroin and 2 kilograms of fentanyl. During the conspiracy, according to the plea agreement, Southall reaped about $24 million in drug proceeds.

In addition to the guilty plea, Southall agreed to surrender almost jewelry, almost $2.4 million in cash and 18 vehicles that federal agents seized.

Southalls lawyer worked out a plea agreement several weeks ago, but the defendant rejected it at the time. His decision to plead guilty on Monday left just one other defendant facing trial. But by the end of the day, that defendant  Brandy Lesha Thrash  also announced she would admit guilt. Fifteen out of 16 defendants named in the indictment now have pleaded guilty. The 16th, Alandus Reshun Davison, remains at large.

Southall admitted that drug money paid for his condominium in Biloxi and storage units in Alabama and Mississippi.

Southall told a supplier in Texas that he sold 100 kilograms of cocaine every month, like clockwork, the plea agreement states. That amounts to $3 million paid to the supplier every month. Court records indicate that investigators working the case concluded it was achievable after seizing almost $2.2 million in cash, mostly from storage units, when they arrested co-defendants in March.

Obviously, traditional accountants and financial institutions were not directly available to Southall for his illegal drug business, so he relied on trusted members of the conspiracy to provide needed financial transactions to conceal his ownership of the drug money and to act as nominees, the plea agreement states.

According to the plea agreement, federal agents recorded thousands of calls in which Southall arranged for the purchase and distribution of cocaine and heroin. The plea agreement details several specific examples of those calls.

At one point, agents set up surveillance at a lawyers office in Mobile and saw Southall and a co-defendant arrive in the parking lot together.

The plea agreement also documents how Southall would launder the drug proceeds. It cites bank accounts from a co-defendant showing unexplained cash deposits of more than $150,000 from February 2019 though January of this year.

The plea document shows that another co-defendant made large cash deposits and was paying rent for Southalls Biloxi condo with cashiers checks, which Southall reimbursed her for. It was designed, according to prosecutors, to conceal Southalls ownership of the cash and its source.

Southall served prison time after pleading guilty in 2002 to a drug conspiracy charge. He also pleaded guilty in September to an escape charge stemming from an incident in May in which he slipped out of the Clarke County Jail, where he had been detained on the federal drug charges.

Mobile police officially have called Southall a person of interest in the February deaths of Tony and Leila Lewis. According to law enforcement authorities, someone fired into the couples home on Dr. Thomas Drive; the home caught fired and burned down.

A law enforcement source has told FOX10 News that Southall is a suspect in the killing, although he has not been charged in connection with the case. The couples grandson is Nahshon Jones, who performs under the stage name HoneyKomb Brazy.

According to court records, Jones fatally shot Southalls nephew in 2016. A police report called the case murder, but a grand jury declined to indict Jones on the charge. He pleaded guilty instead to a gun violation.

Law enforcement authorities have acknowledged bad blood between rival factions involving the rapper and Southall, but they have stopped short of saying that the 2016 shooting played a role in the February killings.

Chief U.S. District Judge Kristi DuBose set sentencing for Feb. 18.
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -- Mobile Police said seven people, including a 17-year-old, were shot over the weekend.

According to investigators, the teen was shot in the abdomen on Sunday near Springhill Avenue and Michael Donald Avenue. They said the teen was fighting with someone he knew when he was shot. He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Just a few hours earlier, around 3 a.m., police said two people were shot outside of the Bank Nightlife Club on Azalea Road. A man was shot several times and seriously wounded. A woman was treated after being grazed on the back of the neck.

Saturday at 1 a.m., another man and two women were injured in a shooting on Gill Road at DIP. One woman was treated for a life-threatening injury.

On Friday, a man at American Best Value Inn on the I-65 Service Road was shot in the thigh during a fight. The victim was taken to the hospital for a non-life-threatening injury.

No arrests have been announced in any of the cases.
The US State Department has referred to the threat of Islamist terrorism in eastern Congo using a meaningful acronym: ISIS-DRC. In its note of March 10, 2021 , the State Department designated a man

The US State Department has referred to the threat of Islamist terrorism in eastern Congo using a meaningful acronym: ISIS-DRC. In its note of March 10, 2021, the State Department designated a man by name: Seka Musa Baluku, as the head of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We conducted research to learn more about the evolution of the security crisis in eastern Congo, and to identify the politico-military dynamics that may have led to the focus on this man. Who is Seka Baluku? Is he really the all-powerful jihadist military leader who sows desolation in the Congo in the name of Islam? How can a man, reclusive within a radius of 50 km of a very small territory, Beni, under the control of the army and the UN peacekeepers, have managed to gain the status of global terrorist ( ODD), under the watch of the worlds largest peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, and a government army of around 176,000 soldiers, the FARDC? What if the target of the Americans, in reality, was not Seka Baluku, but a simple alibi? 

We will develop this analysis from the person of Seka Baluku, between knowingly amplified realities and revealing myths of shameful geopolitical issues. We will also try to explore these issues beyond the Beni crisis and examine possible links between the reaction of the United States and the suspicious activities of those close to former President Joseph Kabila.

1. Seka Baluku or the enemy to be protected

The enemy of the state?

Seka Musa Baluku is a well-known man in Beni territory where he still lives without being really worried, despite the impressive militarization of this small territory where thousands of FARDC soldiers and peacekeepers are concentrated, officially fighting against his movement, the ADF. Better still, unlike the United States, which officially considers him to be an enemy, an Islamist terrorist, the Congolese authorities have never issued an arrest warrant or a search notice against Seka Baluku, one of the puzzling realities which proves, in many ways, that Seka Baluku is not even officially considered an enemy by the Congolese state and MONUSCO.[1]

He is a Ugandan citizen born around 1977, according to the UN Sanctions Committee. [2] He is a former cadre of the original ADF, the movement of Jamil Mukulu, a former Ugandan rebellion whose members, convinced that they would never take power in Uganda, had resigned themselves to establishing themselves in Beni territory, North Kivu province, in 1995. Seka Baluku must have been just 18 years old by then. He would remain in the shadow of his leader, Jamil Mukulu, at the heart of this organization operating in Beni as a local mafia, which thrived on various trafficking activities, sometimes carried out attacks against the army for supplies, and committed kidnappings and targeted assassinations against its dishonest business partners. The fate of Seka Baluku wiould radically change following geopolitical events totally unrelated to his organization, when the M23, a Tutsi militia, seized the city of Goma on November 20, 2012. It was the butterfly effect[3] whose cataclysmic consequences would occur 300 km away, in the countryside of Beni, but no one knew yet.

The fall of Goma caused international consternation. Diplomatic and NGO pressures were such that US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, even though Paul Kagames Rwanda sponsors, decided to support the adoption, on March 28, 2013, of a historic resolution of the UN proposed by France creating an offensive military force within MONUSCO, the intervention brigade. Its mandate was to neutralize armed groups and specifically mentioned in  8 of the historic resolution, the M23, the FDLR and the ADF.[4] The brigade of 3,069 soldiers from South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi, had three infantry battalions, an artillery company, a special force, a reconnaissance company and significant support assets. The days of the original ADF, the movement of Jamil Mukulu were numbered.

On October 13, 2013, Jamil Mukulu was targeted by UN sanctions[5] and his situation became precarious within his organization, which would benefit his number 2, Seka Baluku. In October 2013, war was raging in the north of Goma where Colonel Mamadou Ndalas troops, supported by the MONUSCO intervention brigade, were gaining ground on the M23. It was then that a man, Joseph Kabila, intervened in the ADF affair, in the territory of Beni. It was the beginning of the transformation of the ADF, but the members of the organization did not yet know it.

Kabila, Baluku and Mukulu

According to a former assistant of the DDRRR process[6] within MONUSCO, the envoys of President Kabila contacted Seka Baluku. The aim was to weaken the ADF by dividing them into factions, one of which was on Kabilas side in order to put Jamil Mukulu in the minority. Classic strategy in times of war: divide the enemy to weaken him.

The guarantees offered to Seka Baluku by Kabila in 2013 are not clearly known, but could partly explain the current catastrophic development of the Beni crisis. We were told about the supply of arms, money, recruits and protection by the FARDC operating officers in the Beni region. The ADF organization would then be divided. Fights would even break out internally. When Colonel Mamadou Ndalas troops arrived in Beni in December 2013, Jamil Mukulu was already living insecure in his own maquis. Operation Sukola 1, which targeted the ADF of Jamil Mukulu, was launched in January 2014 by General Jean-Lucien Bahuma, with the troops of Colonel Mamadou Ndala, who had just been assassinated on January 2, 2014, in circumstances that have never been clarified.[7]

To return to the rivalries created by Joseph Kabila between Jamil Mukulu and Seka Baluku, bear in mind that Kabilas motivations were not only following standard military strategy (divide the enemy to weaken him). A personal conflict put Kabila in direct conflict with Mukulu to the point that the two men hated each other to death. According to an anecdote, Kabila had, beyond this armed conflict, personal accounts to settle with Jamil Mukulu who resented that he had been cheated him in a financial affair during his stay in Kinshasa, during the Second Congo War (1998 -2003). The cadres of the ADF, Ugandan rebels, had obtained the protection of President Laurent-Desire Kabila, at war against Uganda, following the classic logic that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Jamil Mukulu was staying in Kinshasa in one of the residences of Joseph Kabila who was then chief of staff of the land forces. It was there that, by chance of history, the two men became known to each other, had become familiar with each other, appreciated and then hated each other over a matter of money which is said to have harmed the interests of Jamil Mukulu. Hence his departure from Kinshasa for Kenya, then his return to the Beni maquis at the end of the Second Congo War and the reunification of the country in 2003. Hence, also, an obsessive fixation of Joseph Kabila, who became President of the Republic, and his determination to settle scores with his old friend and personal enemy, Jamil Mukulu.

2. Joseph Kabila and the renewal of the ADF

April 2014: General Jean-Lucien Bahuma had just defeated the movement of Jamil Mukulu and taken all its strongholds, including the famous camp of Madina which served as his command base. It was at the end of four months of intense fighting that had claimed the lives of several hundred soldiers on both sides, but the troops of the General triumphed. Bahuma brought journalists and even official Ugandan government delegations to the various sites where the original ADF were located. A great moment of relief for the people of Beni who were going, for the first time since 1995, to live in freedom, rid of this Ugandan mafia. With a workforce of 1,500 combatants, at the end of 2013, the ADF had an insignificant number of survivors on the run.

According to the UN Group of Experts, there were only 150 to 200 members left: around 30 soldiers, 30 to 40 commanders (who were not taking part in the fighting), plus women and children. The soldiers would have neither weapons nor ammunition and would be deprived of sources of supply and equipment.[8][8] At the end of this operation, at the end of April 2014, the UN investigators noted that the ADF no longer existed as an organized military force. Seka Baluku and the survivors of the original ADF were then on the run and no longer had the military capabilities to carry out any operation. Hence the question: who provided Seka Baluku with the military resources that enabled him to find himself, on March 10, 2021, in the sights of the United States?

Seka Baluku resurrected by General Mundos

For six months, the inhabitants of Beni lived happy and free. Traffic had resumed throughout the territory and people could walk day and night in peace. It was then that an unexpected event occurred. On August 31, 2014, General Jean-Lucien Bahuma, victorious in the war against the ADF and peacemaker of the territory of Beni, suddenly died of possible poisoning. His death caused deep consternation and the virtual certainty that the joy of the people of Beni had just ended. All the enemies of the General would now be unleashed on Beni. We will return to this.

A few months before his death, the population of Beni, and even the military, observed a strange attitude from the regime of Joseph Kabila and its local and provincial officials. There were waves of Rwandan migrants pouring in who said they came to cultivate their fields in Oicha, Eringeti, Boga, Chabi, Their fields? How did they acquire these fields? The areas they designated would gradually become hotbeds of unbearable insecurity. The natives of Beni who tried to oppose these waves of migration were severely repressed by the authorities. The former governor of North Kivu and ultra-kabilist follower Julien Paluku would even come to scold the local populations by treating them as medieval and tribalist people.[9] It seems that in these months of 2014, Kabila and his followers, feeling the end of his presidency in two years, in 2016, were working hard to carry out a regional agenda for the benefit of Rwanda, consisting, among other things, in establishing Rwandan populations on Congolese soil, regardless of the consequences on the natives. This agenda can be read, among others, in the agreements of March 23, 2009 and the one signed in Nairobi[10] by his regime and the Tutsi militias of the CNDP / M23.[11]

To return to the military plan, just two days after the announcement of his death, Bahuma was replaced as the head of Operation Sukola 1, in Beni, by General Charles Akili Muhindo, also known as Mundo, a personal friend of Joseph Kabila[12] and his henchman in the territory of Beni. Mundos had already made contact with Seka Balukus men, but not only with them. He also made contact with local armed groups that General Bahuma had already defeated and silenced. We do not know exactly what were the intentions of Joseph Kabila in these moments of Autumn 2014. To keep his promises to Seka Baluku or to create an artificial Islamist terrorism to use it as an argument of security necessity in his relations with the international partners of the DRC?[13] We may never know.

What is certain is that, under the command of General Mundos in Beni, Seka Baluku, who had almost nothing left, apart from a handful of defeated fighters, without weapons, without supplies, or even enough to eat, received everything. Weapons, ammunition, intelligence and especially death squads recruited from the ranks of the ex-M23 and its genealogical relays of the CNDP, RCD-Goma, RDF, the Rwandan army, and the FDLR-RUD.[14] Suddenly, sociologically, the physiognomy of the original ADF changed. In its first report after the start of the massacre campaign, the UN Panel of Experts noted that, for the first time, attackers spoke in Lingala and Kinyarwanda. [15] The original ADF spoke neither Lingala nor Kinyarwanda. The era of new ADF, speaking in Kinyarwanda and Lingala, had just begun.

The fabrication of artificial Islamist terrorism

It is not only the sociological morphology of the ADF that was changing. The modus operandi also changed. While the original ADF operated in the classic mode of the mafias, committing targeted assassinations, some kidnappings while preserving their mafia businesses, the Beni crisis began to deliver images of Rwandan-style massacres in the media and social networks. UN investigators were baffled. Not only did the victims say that they did not understand the motivations of the attackers, but above all the latter engaged in atrocities of unimaginable cruelty. Pregnant women were disembowelled and faetuses cut up. Babies had their throats cut. Sick and old people were killed with machetes, pestles, axes, even in hospitals, without any apparent motive. These new type ADFs had nothing to do with Jamil Mukulus ADF that the population of Beni had known for two decades. Abroad where we discover these appalling images, worthy of the Rwandan genocide, everyone asked the question Who are these killers?.[16] The answer would not come because it was the entire state system of Joseph Kabila which was at work in this macabre enterprise of massive killings in order to accredit the thesis of Islamist terrorism in the Congo.

Indeed, now in 2014 and on the other side of the world, an organization called ISIS / DAESH was ravaging Syria and Iraq by returning images of unbearable cruelty to the media. On June 29, 2014, the Islamist organization proclaimed the establishment of a caliphate, a proto-state on the territories straddling the borders of Syria and Iraq, where it established a totalitarian system. The adventure surely inspired the thinking heads of Joseph Kabilas regime. Beni then experienced a massive influx of populations from Rwanda as part of the secret and official agreements between the powers of Joseph Kabila and his mentor Paul Kagame. The hostility of the indigenous Congolese was always an obstacle, but a campaign of massacres under the guise of Islamist terrorism, at these times when Islamic State looped through all the media, would break down any form of local resistance. All army units were instructed to say they were fighting Islamist terrorists in Beni. A war against Islamism in a territory whose inhabitants are almost 100% Christian?[17] Grotesque!

From the first massacres, survivors and witnesses disputed this official version. Haiko ba NALU* njo biko na tuua. Ni ba soda njo biko na tuua. [In Swahili, it is not the ADF / NALU* who are killing us. It is the soldiers** who are killing us].[18] The thesis of Islamist terrorism did not convince anyone. But the power of Kinshasa would not relax its efforts, especially as the Islamic State continued to flood the media with horrific images. The massacres in Beni had to continue, and those in power had to continue to speak of ADF Islamist terrorism [19]. According to sources within the powers in Kinshasa and Kigali a communication strategy had been put in place to accredit the thesis of Islamist terrorism in Beni, when doubts about the identity of the ADF of the killers began to express itself more and more.

Produce a psychological impact by the hype of the official version

Beginning 2015, it was decided to create a communication unit responsible for flooding the media with information including the strict language of words such as Islamic terrorists, Islamist Ugandan ADF rebels, terrorist jihadists so that by dint of bludgeoning, the thesis of international Islamist terrorism was grafted into the collective psychology, while the trail, however visible, of the Rwandan death squads, was never addressed in the conventional media on the subject of the Beni massacres.

NGOs members, journalists and political actors linked to power were recruited for the mission. They were discretely paid for services rendered by an adviser to Joseph Kabila who carried out missions in Beni and ensured links between General Mundos, commander of Operation Sukola 1, and the members of this communication network. Thus, certain massacres labelled ADF jihadist terrorists were sometimes reported in the media, only a few quarters of an hour after the killings, with details and clarifications which, objectively, would have required weeks, even months, before professional investigators were able to establish the facts.

In any case, and despite the media hype, great doubt would permanently settle in their minds. The media, even international ones, relayed the time-honoured phrase Ugandan Islamist rebels ADF, in connection with the Islamic State, but the inhabitants of Beni were not fooled. For its part, the UN Panel of Experts would react historically from the start, and its position has remained constant.

In its report of May 23, 2016, it affirmed: Many individuals, including within the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, still maintain that the ADF have links with foreign terrorist groups and that they are massacring civilians as part of their new strategy. There is no evidence for this allegation. Although armed groups and local militias participated in the killings, it is now evident that FARDC officers were involved in recruitment and supply operations for the armed groups responsible for these killings.[19] Four years later, the position of the UN Panel of Experts had not changed: there is no link or direct support between the Islamic State and the ADF, according to its report of December 23, 2020.[20]

However, this observation must be made while keeping an eye on the dynamics of the evolving crisis.

3. The ADF phenomenon, its dynamics and the reaction of the United States

When we analyse the Beni crisis closely, we discover several dynamics behind the ADF phenomenon. We have retained two, mainly[21]: a dual dynamic internal to the FARDC, associating the actions of regular soldiers and the squadrons of Seka Baluku, and a peripheral dynamic around foreigners channelled into the bush of Beni by the authorities, and who were able to put the United States on alert, over the activities of the powerful General Delphin Kahimbi, head of military intelligence, and close to the Sudanese regime, which was in the sights of American intelligence. We will come back to that.

The double internal dynamic of the FARDC and the new ADF

It is evident in the investigation reports, particularly from the UN. Basically, it is an army that massacres its own population and then pretends that these attacks are the work of a nebulous enemy. In the report of the UN Group of Experts of May 23, 2016, we can clearly read that army officers recruited combattants on behalf of the ADF, supported armed groups and released people who participated in the massacres. These practices have been confirmed in other investigation reports. The power of Kinshasa had thus created parallel networks within the FARDC. To amplify the climate of terror, FARDC soldiers, against cash transferred from Kinshasa and distributed within the units, were to commit killings of civilians. The killings were to be committed by small units, of which several sources within the FARDC themselves reported their unexplained disappearances at night, then their return to the battalions and regiments after the murders of civilians.

While the Rwandan militias of Seka Baluku carried out killings in the countryside, but always near army positions, FARDC soldiers carried out killings in the cities, also near their positions. In order to avoid being caught by the population if they strayed too far from their army positions

Loyalist Congolese and patriotic soldiers, shocked by what was happening, would try to react to these killings and to go and rescue the population who called for help. They would be severely punished by their commanders, as reflected in the report of a group of elected parliamentarians from North Kivu. We can read that a Major contacted by a child survivor while the killings were in progress and the cries of the victims reached the position he controlled, threatened to shoot any element of his unit that dared to intervene and even ripped off the shippers from some of the elements concerned to intervene . Another officer completely shut down the two hotlines set up by MONUSCO, thus depriving the population, which was being massacred, of the possibility of calling for help.[22]

This internal dynamic, that is to say: an army which massacres its own population and maintains chaos, is, to this day, the main factor of the ADF phenomenon, even if it is difficult to explain, especially to foreigners.[23]

The new ADF

On the ground, it evolved in a complementary way with that of the squadrons of the death of Seka Baluku, since the latters pacts with the FARDC officers. It is this reconstituted group of Seka Baluku that is usually [but improperly] called the ADF, to this day. In reality, these are fake ADFs created from scratch from 2014 after the victory of General Bahumas troops over Jamil Mukulus original ADF. Seka Baluku has since been used as a sort of cover and ADF label to hide and shoulder responsibility for Rwandas war of massacres and land conquest against the indigenous populations of Beni.

Seka Baluku received, in exchange for hosting these death squads, the protection of FARDC officers. According to our sources, the power of Kinshasa also prohibited him from expressing himself in the media about the attacks. He must neither claim nor deny the attacks. The only ones who must speak out about the massacres are the members of the communication cell set up by the government with the mission of hammering into the media the thesis of international Islamist terrorism in Beni.

The dynamics of foreign Islamists and the reaction of the United States

It is since the beginning of the massacres that the power of Kinshasa (Kabila at the time) tried to make believe in international opinion that there is an international Islamist terrorism in Beni. This thesis has always been contested on the spot, which embarrassed the authorities whenever they attributed the attacks to the Islamists, and even to the Islamic State. A nucleus of foreign Muslim fighters was therefore formed by recruitments in countries confronted with Islamist terrorism and transported to Beni territory. It is this nucleus that makes claims for attacks on the sites of foreign Islamist movements, including ISIS. But it is essentially a diversionary manoeuver to get people to focus their attention on ISIS and to look away from the previous two dynamics: the internal dynamics of the FARDC and the dynamics of the Seka Baluku group.

Our sources tell us that there have been, since 2019, initiatives aimed at firmly establishing a nucleus of foreign Islamists in the territory of Beni. These Muslim fighters are working to get ISISs assault on Beni, but ISIS has no proven operational military presence in Beni. This handful of Muslim fighters sometimes carry out smaller attacks with the sole aim of promoting themselves and creating a diversion for the main planners of the massacres operating in the internal dynamics of the FARDC. These foreign Muslims do not have the capacity to operate independently. They need to be protected by the parallel networks within the FARDC and in the power of Kinshasa, which are keen to shed their responsibility for the massacres. Over time, however, the situation has become difficult to sustain for the government, faced with increasingly insistent demands for an international investigation into the Beni crisis. In 2020, an investigator from the International Criminal Court even stayed discretely in the region to gather evidence to decide whether Benis crimes are liable to prosecution before the ICC. But Kabilas power had anticipated the scenario of international criminal investigations which could be fatal to his regional agents and accomplices. R

The recruitment of Muslim fighters abroad, in countries facing Islamist terrorism, was launched. The mission of recruiting Muslim terrorists was given to General Delphin Kahimbi, a long-time faithful of Joseph Kabila, and deputy chief of staff of the FARDC in charge of military intelligence (ex-DEMIAP).

The misadventure of General Delphin Kahimbi

General Delphin Kahimbi, before his death on February 28, 2020 in unclear circumstances, was identified by intelligence officers as being responsible for recruiting and funding the alleged ADF who killed in Beni.[24] According to military expert Jean-Jacques Wondo, Kahimbi had set up a parallel network within the army that worked with former lieutenants of Jamil Mukulu who had returned and then integrated into the FARDC. The Congolese and Western security services were worried about the friendship between General Kahimbi and the vice-president of Sudan, General Mohamed Dogolo, alias Hemeti. The latter is a longtime friend of Kahimbi with whom he trained as intelligence officers in Khartoum. Kahimbi is said to have met him three times in Sudan since July 2019. However, General Dogolo worries President Tshisekedis American partners, given his past as a former head of the Janjaweed militias which ravaged the Sudanese region of Darfur.[25]

Sudan is one of the DRCs discreet military partners where certain elite units of the GR , the Republican Guard[26] in violation of the law on the arms embargo. All of these activities were coordinated by Kahimbi and began to worry Americans in their international fight against Islamist terrorism. They began to take a keen interest in Kahimbis activities, including his contacts with Sudanese leaders, with Sudan considered to be on the axis of evil, since the Bush administration. However, Joseph Kabila and his collaborators wanted to believe that the massacres of Beni were perpetrated by Eritrean, Somali or Sudanese Islamist fighters to have the thesis of the Islamist threat accredited with a view to clearing certain officers and units of the army of their responsibility in committing or abetting these murderous attacks against civilians.[27]

Kahimbi, who was in contact with Musa Baluku, had set up a network to recruit fake ADFs and was trying to perfect a communications alliance with ISIS. Behind this strategy, Kabila sought at the same time to obtain diplomatic and military support, and to establish himself with the Americans as the only interlocutor who masters the military and security issues of the Congo, unlike his opponents, including the current President Felix Tshisekedi.[28] But the project had failed.[29] The Americans were not fooled, in view of the amateurism with which the kabilists were busy tinkering with an artificial Islamist threat in Beni. Moreover, the United States had no threatened strategic interests in the Beni crisis.

Another source told us about Muslim fighters recruited from the ranks of refugees from Muslim countries stranded in Libya, and whom Rwanda had theatrically lured into its territory in exchange for aid from the European Union and Israel. These refugees, once in Rwanda, have their passports confiscated and thus become hands available to do anything for the Rwandan power. Recruits reportedly cross the DRC border in repeated Rwandan army incursions in Congo, then would move towards Beni from the territory of Masisi. On the ground, in Beni, since 2020, we have noticed the activism of foreign Muslim fighters and their ability to successfully carry out the publication, sometimes fanciful[30], of military attacks, on foreign Islamist sites. The presence of a core of foreign Muslim fighters has thus become a reality through the work of the Congolese authorities. It is this core which claimed to be ISIS-DRC.

We wanted to know who are the political and military leaders of this nucleus of foreign Islamists and their location. It was reported to us that an encampment is in the vicinity of Kamango, in the chiefdom of Watalinga, but that these Islamists operate mainly within the framework of a kind of task force .involving the command of the FARDC, the group of Seka Baluku and local populations kidnapped and recruited by force as labour in the maquis, but also as soldiers in spite of themselves during the attacks. Many kidnapped natives, who managed to escape, gave edifying testimonies. The core of foreign Islamists, however, remains very limited in terms of their ability to conduct operations, also limited by the fact that it can hardly become an autonomous politico-military force freed from the tutelage of FARDC officers who are working to establish it on the Congolese ground in order to clear their crimes. But the situation is becoming difficult to sustain.

Conclusion: do hydras escape the control of their creators?

According to Jean-Jacques Wondo, these Muslim fighters, having understood that they are only used as a diversion, are currently in a logic of one-upmanship to force the Congolese power to honor its secret commitments with them. Some attacks against FARDC positions, and even against civilian populations, are part of punitive or blackmail operations targeting the Congolese state. Seka Balukus group, which also understood that it is only used as an alibi, would be in the logic of blackmail and overbidding. Wondo believes that the security chaos in Beni risks escaping the control of the authorities who have made difficult pacts to keep over time with these criminal groups. All the more so as the FARDC, used as the cover for these state criminal activities, increasingly arouse the rejection of the population who, after the attacks, target them.

As a reminder, after the repeated attacks in the Ruwenzori sector, in December 2020 and January 2021, the population, obliged to ensure its own security, began to capture suspicious individuals and kill them as part of the popular justice. Later, the ten suspicious individuals who had been killed by the population were recognized by the command of Operation Sukola 1 as having been FARDC soldiers, including two colonels. This distrust between the population and the army should continue to grow as the militias sponsored by the government, including foreign Muslim fighters, continue to carry out attacks, with or without the approval of the FARDC officers in charge of their protection against popular anger. In Beni, the army must therefore devote most of its efforts to managing the consequences of the activities of its militias which attack the population under its cover.[31] It is an abhorrent environment in which even patriotic soldiers of good faith are no longer able to fulfill their noble mission of protecting the population and the national territory.

The power of Joseph Kabila and his Rwandan allies have created hydra in Beni which may be spiraling out of their control.

Book : CONGOS BENI MASSACRES: Fake Islamists, Rwandan Unending Occupation, https://www.amazon.com/CONGOS-BENI-MASSACRES-Islamists-Occupation/dp/1983214744
House Doctors Handyman Service Opens Its First Location in Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Welcomes Professional Handyman and Home Improvement Business to the Capital

November 01, 2021 // Franchising.com // OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - House Doctors, the trusted source for handyman services, home repair and home improvement, recently opened in Oklahoma City making it the first location in the state.

Local residents and owners of the new House Doctors franchise location, Reid and Michelle McCarty, husband and wife, will now offer a number of home improvement and repair services to homeowners in Oklahoma City as well as the northern and eastern sections of the market, including Edmond, Nichols Hills, Guthrie, Midwest City and neighboring communities. Services include concrete repair and overlay, door and window repair, flooring installs, outdoor maintenance, hauling, painting, and much more.

Prior to opening House Doctors, Reid operated as a geologist in the oil and gas industry. Michelle worked as an English teacher before retiring to homeschool their children. They recently decided that it was time for a career change and their research led to House Doctors as a franchise opportunity to take control of their personal and professional future. Their backgrounds and skills matched well, and House Doctors awarded them the attractive Oklahoma City region.

We were ready for a change and wanted to have more control of our future by investing in our own business, said Reid. We did research on many brands and found House Doctors was the perfect fit to combine my background of management and our passion for home renovation. We are eager to begin building valuable relationships with the residents in Oklahoma City and be their trusted resource for all things home improvement.

Committed to providing the best quality home repair, House Doctors is known for its professional craftsmanship by trusted and experienced technicians. House Doctors offers a variety of home repair services, large or small, that wont break the bank. Services include carpentry, drywall installation, minor electrical or plumbing, home safety and many other items on a homeowners to-do list.

Reid and Michelle are fantastic additions to the House Doctors franchise system. Their experience in renovations and management will easily make them a trusted source for handyman services in the area, said Jim Hunter, president of House Doctors. We are also excited to leave our mark in Oklahoma City, and are eager to expand the House Doctors brand statewide.

House Doctors provides a one-year guarantee on all labor. All handymen staffed by House Doctors are licensed and have had thorough background checks.

SOURCE House Doctors

###

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Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
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NEW YORK, Oct. 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TreeBR Carbon Offsets Inc. ("TreeBR"), an alliance of Amazon Rainforest landowners created to facilitate the direct worldwide distribution of carbon offsets, is bringing the landowners directly to global markets through an offering of its preferred, retractable shares ("TREE" shares). TREE will be the world's first stock exchange-listed carbon opportunity where proceeds go directly to Amazon preservation, without the use of intermediaries. TREE ownership and retirement will be tracked on a public blockchain. Each TREE represents the right to offset one ton of carbon emissions, equivalent to a carbon credit, upon retirement. TreeBR has engaged two investment banks and a technology advisor to facilitate the offering.

TreeBR offers an efficient and viable solution for landowners to monetize the preservation of the rainforest, removing unnecessary intermediaries, and ensuring the highest value is delivered to landowners and ultimately rainforest preservation. Being an alliance, the landowners share best practices on several matters, including how to reverse the previous deforestation; how to most effectively implement social policies; and how to maintain the rainforest so that as much carbon can be stored as possible.

In its initial tranche, TreeBR intends to offer up to $100 million of securities through the initial TREE offering, which will begin as early as October 2021. TreeBR expects to commence its TREE Initial Public Offering (IPO), making it available to global retail investors (excluding the USA under Regulation S), on MERJ Exchange. In parallel, TreeBR expects to commence offering the TREE shares to institutional and accredited investors in Canada and the United States, including under Regulation D 506(c) (accredited only) in the USA.

TreeBR has engaged Clariti Capital Markets Inc. ("Clariti"), a subsidiary of Clariti Strategic Advisors Inc. with an Exempt Market Dealer (EMD) registration, as its exclusive financial advisor in Canada, and Entoro Securities LLC ("Entoro"), a U.S. FINRA registered broker-dealer as its exclusive financial advisor in the U.S. TreeBR has also engaged Digital Markets ("DIGTL") as its technology and listing advisor for the MERJ Exchange IPO.

Ricardo Carvalho, CEO of TreeBR, said: "We are thrilled to be bringing landowners directly to the market for the first time. Landowners view TreeBR as the best alternative available to efficiently monetize their land without depleting the stored carbon. In the same way that production and extraction of commodities has brought prosperity to rural communities nationwide in Brazil during the past few decades, we believe TreeBR will allow landowners to prosper through conservation."

"The lack of standardization in the voluntary carbon market has resulted in a treacherous landscape to navigate for landowners who would like to participate in an offset program. TreeBR solves this imbalance by implementing the highest standards and creating a community where landowners can collaborate and share best practices," commented Jayme Rodrigo, of Boa Esperanca, the first group to join the TreeBR alliance of Amazon Rainforest landowners and forest managers.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to any exemption or registration under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About TreeBR Carbon Offsets Inc:

TreeBR is an alliance of Amazon Rainforest landowners and forest managers created to facilitate the worldwide distribution of carbon offsets, originated by the removal of carbon emissions from the atmosphere. TreeBR's mission is to foster the preservation of the Amazon Rainforest by creating a viable business model to financially incentivise forest preservation by landowners in the Amazon region. The TreeBR team is composed of experts from the environmental, risk management, financial regulation, technology and investor relations sectors.

Official website: https://treebr.co

About TREE: https://TreeBR.co/TREE

Follow TreeBR on Twitter , LinkedIn

Email: IR@treebr.co

About Clariti

Clariti Strategic Advisors Inc. is a leading Toronto-based independent strategic and investment banking advisory firm. Clariti Capital Markets Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clariti Strategic Advisors Inc.

Website: https://claritiadvisors.com

CANADA - FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Rahul Suri, Founder & Managing Director, Clariti Strategic Advisors Inc.

About Entoro, LLC:

Entoro, LLC is a financial services group that includes an investment bank, broker-dealer, RIA, fund placement, transfer agent, commodities, and private securities valuation subsidiaries. The group offers financial advisory and securities for traditional and digital securities. Entoro offers a range of comprehensive placement and capital raising solutions for businesses interested in reaching Family Offices, Foundations, Endowments, Institutional and direct investors for funding. The Entoro team's strength is in bringing highly vetted projects to Investors globally that desire alternative investments. Securities offered through Entoro Securities, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

Website: https://www.entoro.com

USA - FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

James Row, CFA, Founder & CEO, Entoro Securities, LLC

About Digital Markets:

Digital Markets (DIGTL) connects the world's best assets with global investors through a network of high-quality digital securities exchanges and alternative trading venues, allowing issuers to quickly access the world's capital at a fraction of the cost, and providing investors with exciting investment opportunities.

Website: https://digtl.co

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Amsterdam, 1 November 2021

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JDE Peets (EURONEXT: JDEP), the worlds leading pure-play coffee and tea company by revenue, today provided more information on the recent successful entry of Maxwell House and Moccona into the growing Cold Brew Pure Instant segment in China as part of the companys reignited global innovation agenda.

The on-trend Cold Brew Pure Instant coffee innovations launched in June 2021, have seen very encouraging growth and consumer responses, in the highly competitive Chinese market. The Maxwell House range offers consumers a Cold Brew Pure Instant coffee in the form of a 1.8g shot, while the Moccona range provides a premium and stronger alternative in the form of a 2.8g Cold Brew Pure Instant coffee shot.

The rise of the Instant Specialty segment supports the strong growth and premiumisation of the coffee category in China, alongside traditional tea drinking rituals. Through these types of innovations JDE Peets will continue building its credentials while blurring the lines between the traditional Single Serve and Instant coffee categories and creating exciting new coffee experiences for the next generation of coffee consumers.

To date, the new range has received consistently positive feedback, highlighting a consumer preference for the products stronger taste and functional packaging. JDE Peets will continue to learn and build on the success of this range with the goal of offering consumers new and exciting products in the future.

JDE Peets is committed to supporting the growing trend of Chinese coffee consumption and we are working closely with our strategic partner Hillhouse Capital to continue to develop and expand our range of innovative products, said Frank Wang, General Manager, JDE Greater China. The level of consumer interest in the new Maxwell House and Moccona range reaffirms our strong brand portfolio and demonstrates our continued commitment to meeting the evolving needs of Chinese coffee consumers by accelerating our premiumisation agenda and continuing to blur the lines between traditional coffee categories in Asia.

This launch demonstrates the companys accelerating ambitions for the Chinese market where on-the-go coffee consumption continues to fuel local coffee segment growth. In 2020, JDE Peets doubled its network of coffee stores in China, and has continued this trend in 2021, with an additional 40 Peets coffee stores opening during the first half of 2021.

Enquiries

Media

Michael Orr

Media@JDEPeets.com

+31 20 558 1600

Investors & Analysts

Robin Jansen

IR@JDEPeets.com

+31 6 159 44 569

About JDE Peets

JDE Peets is the world's leading pure-play coffee and tea company by revenue and served approximately 4,500 cups of coffee or tea every second in 2020. JDE Peet's unleashes the possibilities of coffee and tea in more than 100 developed and emerging markets through a portfolio of over 50 brands that collectively cover the entire category landscape led by household names such as LOR, Peets, Jacobs, Senseo, Tassimo, Douwe Egberts, OldTown, Super, Pickwick and Moccona. In 2020, JDE Peets generated total sales of EUR 6.7 billion and employed a global workforce of more than 19,000 employees. Read more about our journey towards a coffee and tea for every cup at www.JDEPeets.com .

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Pune, India, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global email marketing software market size is predicted to reach USD 2,275.5 million by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period. The increasing attention by companies towards promotional emails to attract customers will be a dynamic factor for the growth of the market during the forecast period, states Fortune Business Insights in a report, titled Email Marketing Software Market Size, Share and Industry Analysis, By Channel (Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Customers (B2C)), Deployment (On-Premise and Cloud), By Enterprise Size (Large Enterprises, Small & Medium Enterprises), By Application (Email Lead Generation, Sales Reporting, Customer Management, Template Management, Reporting and Analytics, and Others), By Industry (Banking, Finance, Security and Insurance (BFSI), IT and Telecommunications, Healthcare, Retail, Consumer Goods, Travel and Transportation, Information Technology Enabled Service (ITeS), and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 the market size stood at USD 1,025.7 million in 2019.

The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic.

We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future.

Request Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/email-marketing-software-market-103100

Top Key Players of Email Marketing Software Market:

AWeber Communications.

Benchmark Internet Group

Constant Contact, Inc.

ConvertKit LLC.

Jivox Corporation

Deluxe Corporation

GetResponse Sp. z o.o.

HubSpot, Inc.

iContact Marketing Corp.

Infusion Software, Inc.

j2 Global, Inc.

Mad Mimi

Mailchimp

Pinpointe On-Demand, Inc.

Salesforce.com, inc.

Sendinblue

Email Marketing Software Market Share, Report Scope and segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 Forecast Period 2020 to 2027 CAGR 10.5% 2027 Value Projection USD 2275.5 Million Base Year 2019 Market Size in 2019 USD 1025.7 Million Historical Data for 2016 to 2018 No. of Pages 150 Segments covered Channel, Deployment, Enterprise size, Application, Industry. Growth Drivers Presence of Numerous Enterprises to Enable Growth in North America Rising Email Automation Trend to Augment Growth



Pitfalls & Challenges Low Email Deliverability Rate Impeding the Adoption of Email Marketing Platforms





Ask For Customization: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/customization/email-marketing-software-market-103100

Regional Analysis :

Presence of Numerous Enterprises to Enable Growth in North America

The Email Marketing Software Market in North America stood at USD 355.4 million in 2019 and is predicted to dominate the global market during the forecast period owing to the rising inclination towards email marketing platforms for enhancing advertising capabilities. The presence of small & medium enterprises will further foster growth in the region in the foreseeable future.

Asia Pacific is predicted to witness a substantial growth rate during the forecast period owing to the rising demand for technology in developing countries. The penetration of high-speed internet services will further aid the adoption of email marketing in the region. The emergence of digital marketing companies in India will have an excellent effect on the market. Small companies and startups are leveraging email marketing software as the most cost-effective tool to expand their customer base, which in turn, will boost the market in the forthcoming years. The expansion of IT companies in developing nations such as India and China will promote the growth of the Email Marketing Software Market.

Market Driver :

Rising Email Automation Trend to Augment Growth

The focus of major companies towards improving customer relations by implementing email marketing will boost the email marketing software market growth. For instance, salesforce.com, Inc, a cloud-based American software company announced its survey in 2017, which indicated that most of the business-to-business (B2B) marketers are still preferring email marketing for their campaign. The survey also stated that email marketing gains traction in the industry by showcasing 106% growth during the year 2015 to 2017. The email automation trend has gained popularity over the years.

Automated email marketing offers the facility to send out emails to customers automatically, which improves customer engagement. The rising awareness regarding the advantageous features of automated email among enterprises will spur opportunities for the market during the forecast period. The growing emphasis on promotional emails including welcome series emails, nurture series emails, birthday or anniversary emails, or user verification emails offered by email software automation will have a tremendous impact on the market in the forthcoming years.

Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this Email Marketing Software Market.

Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/email-marketing-software-market-103100

Key Development :

November 2019: Shopify, a multinational e-commerce company announced the release of an email marketing tool named Shopify Email. The innovative tool offers customized email templates and tracking of email marketing campaigns inside Shopify Marketing

Key questions answered in the report:

What will the Email Marketing Software Market growth rate of the Nuclear Medicines Radioisotopes market in 2026?

What are the key factors driving the global market?

Who are the key manufacturers in Email Marketing Software Market space?

What are the market opportunities, market risk, and market overview of the market?

What are sales, revenue, and price analysis of top manufacturers of Email Marketing Software Market Size?

Who are the distributors, traders, and dealers of the market?

What are the Email Marketing Software Market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global Nuclear Medicines Radioisotopes industry?

What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by types and applications of the market?

What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by regions of the Email Marketing Software Market industry?





Quick Buy - Email Marketing Software Market: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/103100





Table of Content:

Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities Emerging Trends

Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Indicators Impact of COVID-19 Short-term Impact Long-term Impact Key Industry Developments  In Response to the COVID-19 Impact Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porters Five Force Analysis

Global Email Marketing Software Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size and Forecast  By Channel (Value) Business-to-Business Business-to-Customers Market Size and Forecast  By Deployment (Value) On Premise Cloud Market Size and Forecast  By Enterprise Size (Value) Large Enterprises Small & Medium Enterprises Email Marketing Software Market Size and Forecast  By Application (Value) Email Lead Generation Sales Reporting Customer Management Template Management Reporting and Analytics Others (Web Forms, Event Triggered Mail, Push Notifications, Etc.) Market Size and Forecast  By Industry (Value) BFSI IT and Telecommunications Retail Healthcare Consumer Goods Travel and Transportation Information Technology Enabled Service Others (Media and Entertainment, Education, Government, Etc.) Email Marketing Software Market Size and Forecast  By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Latin America

North America Email Marketing Software Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Market Size and Forecast  By Channel (Value) Business-to-Business Business-to-Customers Market Size and Forecast  By Deployment (Value) On Premise Cloud Market Size and Forecast  By Enterprise Size (Value) Large Enterprises Small & Medium Enterprises Market Size and Forecast  By Application (Value) Email Lead Generation Sales Reporting Customer Management Template Management Reporting and Analytics Others (Web Forms, Event Triggered Mail, Push Notifications, Etc.) Email Marketing Software Market Size and Forecast  By Industry (Value) BFSI IT and Telecommunications Retail Healthcare Consumer Goods Travel and Transportation Information Technology Enabled Service Others (Media and Entertainment, Education, Government, Etc.) Market Size and Forecast  By Country (Value) United States Canada



TOC Continued!

Have Any Query? Speak To Analyst: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/email-marketing-software-market-103100

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San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  BOTS, Inc. (OTC: BTZI), ("BOTS" or "The Company"), a global technology conglomerate specialized in Blockchain-based solutions including decentralized finance applications, cybersecurity, crypto generation, mining, equipment repair, and warranties announced today that it filed a blockchain-based provisional patent application in the United States Patent Office (USPTO).



The patent application is directed to a method and devices for proof of power source verification for cryptocurrency miners.

After conducting extensive technology and market research, BOTS, INC. found that developing this technology and obtaining patent protection would be a "tremendous opportunity since this technology could become a standard and viable method to certify Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies mined on non-fossil energy sources," stated Mr. Gordiev, BOTS, Inc. CEO. He added, "BTZI could become the worldwide "Green Bitcoin" certifying body for carbon-neutral bitcoin miners, while device and technology could be sold and licensed to the miners." BTZI intends to help make cryptocurrencies more environmentally sustainable through this method.

BTZI believes that this technology will become the gold standard for the Source of Power Verification. The primary function of this Intellectual Property is using a Blockchain to provide certification as to the "carbon footprint" of the specific mined cryptocurrency. This technology centers around the "Concept" of a Proof of Power record that must be simultaneously or independently written to the identical cryptocurrency Blockchain, or alternatively, to a different Blockchain altogether. This concept may or may not include the actual verification of the source of green energy used.

Additionally, the Patent covers the Intellectual Property Protection for the supporting hardware of this technology. This hardware includes transfer switches, smart meters, smart breakers, distribution panels, and isolation switches. This hardware development will enable The Company to grow into a hardware manufacturer of smart, Proof of Power Devices, thereby adding an additional huge revenue stream with further market diversification. Another benefit of developing this Power Verification hardware is that these devices could be used in all power markets.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article entitled "Crypto Miners Struggle to Cut Carbon Emissions," which discussed issues of producing cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin that requires abundant cheap electricity, putting pressure on the industry. Bitcoin mining has earned a bad reputation for guzzling cheap electricity in the pursuit of profits; but now, bitcoin miners are trying to go green --- to a point. Companies that mine bitcoin are aiming to power their computers with renewable energy or sign up for data centers that rely upon the sun or wind. Falling prices for renewables and rising prices for bitcoin make it possible to still earn a profit. But much of bitcoin mining continues to rely on fossil fuels, including coal, the cheapest and dirtiest power source.

The miners say they are thinking about the environment, but they have other incentives to reduce their carbon emissions: Investors, who increasingly are making carbon emissions part of their research, are pressing them to do better. Legislators in New York State are considering a bill banning the use of fossil fuels to mine bitcoin and are calling for miners to document their carbon footprints. The Securities and Exchange Commission also is considering measures requiring publicly traded companies to disclose climate data.

Many of the most lucrative cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, use an energy-intensive process called proof of work to validate transactions. That requires significant computing power, which requires lots of electricity: the lower the price of electricity, the bigger the profit. Unfortunately, the cheapest sources are sometimes the dirtiest, leading some miners to restart previously decommissioned coal-fired plants. In places with abundant renewable resources, mixing green power with coal, natural gas, or other sources can give miners an edge.

"If you are mining crypto, you care about the cost of electricity, and you don't have the luxury to care about the climate so much," said Alex de Vries, an economist who created the Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index. To his point, as previously stated, some bitcoin miners are tackling their energy needs by restarting decommissioned coal-fired plants.

BTZI realized that Bitcoin mining operations are drawing criticism from communities around the country and worldwide who say the fossil fuels burned to make the cryptocurrency are causing too much pollution.

"Crypto has a carbon-intensity problem," said Paolo Natali, principal at the Rocky Mountain Institute's Climate Intelligence program. That problem led to the creation of the Crypto Climate Accord this past April --- a voluntary framework that asks cryptocurrency firms to reduce net carbon emissions from electricity to zero by 2030. Some 180 companies have signed up, Mr. Natali said. In fact, Gryphon Digital Mining joined the Crypto Climate Accord in May and announced that it had achieved net-zero carbon emissions. This was accomplished by launching a 21-megawatt facility, powered by hydroelectric power, and signing up with a digital hosting company that gets more than half of its power from renewable sources. It fills the gap by buying carbon offset credits, the same way an airline can offset their carbon emissions.

Forbes magazine reported: 'Green Bitcoin Mining': The Big Profits In Clean Crypto. Bitcoin is infamous for wasting enough electricity to add 40 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere a yearbut now, a growing cadre of U.S. miners are developing green and lucrative, new strategies worth a fortune all their own. For all bitcoin's purported benefits, it's also clear that the currency is an environmental disaster. Depending on bitcoin's cost (a higher price attracts more miners), its global network sucks up between 8 and 15 gigawatts of continuous power, according to Cambridge. New York City runs on just 6 gigawatts, the nation of Belgium on 10. Exactly how much carbon is released into the atmosphere by bitcoin mining depends entirely on what energy source is used. But the pollution is not negligible. To unlock a single bitcoin, miners must feed their machines about 150,000 kWh, enough juice to power 170 average U.S. homes for a month.

With Bitcoin Hitting a New Record High of $66,974, more and more companies are entering the mining industry. The importance of BTZI's invention is that we will be able to monitor and certify the power origin of every bitcoin mined as "green" in cases of non-fossil fuels, and this way, we will contribute to lowering Bitcoin's impact on climate and the environment.

To date, BTZI has a portfolio of several patents with the USPTO. These patents include No. 9,135,787 - "Bitcoin Kiosk / ATM Device and System Integrating Enrollment Protocol and Method of Using the Same." Known as the "Bitcoin ATM Patent," this Patent is related to the purchase and sale of cryptocurrencies utilizing a Bitcoin ATM or kiosk that allows customers to purchase Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies by using cash, debit, or credit cards. Many of the elements of that intellectual property (I.P.) will be "standard-essential claims," which are critical for the Bitcoin ATM networks to operate. Also recently added is an exclusive license of the intellectual property for its Bitcoin ATM I.P. portfolio. The I.P. portfolio now includes licensing agreement for patent US 10,332,205 B1 (Bitcoin kiosk/ATM device and system and method of using the same).

About BOTS, Inc.

BOTS, Inc. is a global technology company specialized in Blockchain-based solutions, including decentralized finance applications, cybersecurity solutions, and owns a portfolio of digital assets and crypto-related businesses such as BeadSwap, a decentralized crypto exchange, Bitcoin ATM machines, and corresponding U.S. patents and Cyber Security Group LLC, an ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Information Security Management System certified company. The Company also provides crypto mining consulting, optimization, and crypto mining equipment repair and insurance.

Track BTZI news on Facebook @https://www.facebook.com/Bots.Bz/

Follow BTZI news on Twitter @Bots_bz http://www.Twitter.com/Bots_bz

Find BTZI news at http://www.bots.bz

Bots, Inc. has been featured in media nationwide, including CNBC, Bloomberg, TheStreet.com.

For more information, visit http://www.bots.bz

Visit BTZI on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Bots.Bz/

Follow BTZI on Twitter @Bots_bz

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as may be disclosed in the Company's filings. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors, including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, and governmental and public policy changes. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release, and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release. Such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company's website and filings.

Contact:

Oleksandr Gordiev

CEO

info@bots.bz
Dublin, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Telecoms Software and Services: Consolidated Worldwide Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The market will grow from USD77.4 billion in 2020 to USD114 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 6.7%.

This report provides forecasts for the overall communications service provider (CSP) spending on telecoms software and related services for 2021-2026.

5G-related spending will grow the fastest and will account for 38% of CSPs' spending on telecoms software by 2026. Spending on cloud technology and automation will increase too as CSPs pursue new deployment models and aim to improve operational efficiency to support emerging use cases.

It provides details of spending by delivery model, service type and region, as well as the major drivers, including 5G. The report also provides recommendations for vendors and CSPs.

The report is based on several sources, including:

Research from the past year

Interviews with CSPs and vendors worldwide.

Key Questions Answered in this Report

How will the shift toward 5G standalone network affect CSPs' spending on telecoms software?

How will automation and cloudification change CSPs spending behaviour?

What are the key trends and factors that will affect the overall telecoms software market during 2021-2026?

What are the regional factors that will drive growth?

What should vendors do to exploit new business opportunities?

How will professional services for telecoms software perform during the forecast period?

Coverage

This report provides a detailed 5-year forecast of the worldwide telecoms software market, split into the following areas.

Segments

Data, AI and development platforms

Automated assurance

Customer engagement

Monetisation platforms

Network automation and orchestration

Network cloud infrastructure

Service design and orchestration

Subscriber data management

Telecoms service sectors

Mobile

IoT

Consumer fixed

Business fixed

Who Should Read this Report

Vendor strategy teams that need to understand how CSPs' spending is shifting and want to identify growth opportunities and areas of new investment in the telecoms software products and services markets.

Vendors' product management teams that are responsible for feature functionality, geographical focus and business growth.

CSPs' strategy and market intelligence teams that want to evaluate spending and investment metrics.

Professional services vendors that want to understand the growth opportunities over the next 5 years.

Regions

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)

Developed Asia-Pacific (DVAP)

Emerging Asia-Pacific (EMAP)

Latin America (LATAM)

Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

North America (NA)

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

Western Europe (WE)

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3m6chg
TORONTO, ON, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Westland Insurance announced a one-year, $150,000 partnership with Habitat for Humanity Canada (Habitat Canada), which includes a matching gift of $50,000 for Habitat Canadas critically important holiday campaign, which launches today.

Canadian charities rely heavily on the donations that Canadians make during the holiday giving season, says Jennifer Hearn Vice President, Resource Development, Habitat Canada. The global pandemic has increased the need for safe and affordable housing, and we are tremendously grateful for the support of Westland Insurance, whose partnership means that donor contributions made to Habitat this holiday season will have double the impact.

For every donation to Habitat Canada from November 1 to December 31, Westland Insurance will match donations to a maximum of $50,000, directly supporting more communities in need of affordable housing across Canada.

We have strong Canadian roots and an unwavering commitment to the communities in which we live and work, says Cari Watson, SVP, Marketing & Customer Experience, Westland Insurance. In 2021 we launched the Westland Amplifying Communities initiative, dedicating $1 million to support projects or programs that positively contribute to the fabric of our communities. We are proud to partner with Habitat Canada, supporting their fundraising efforts at a national level as well as helping to fund builds locally in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

In addition to Westlands support of the holiday campaign, the partnership includes a $50,000 grant to support the build of Habitat for Humanity Yorkton Chapters ninth home and a $50,000 grant as the new lead sponsor of the Manitoba Property Insurance Build in Winnipeg for Habitat Manitoba.

Donate to Habitat Canada today www.habitat.ca/traditions

For more information about Westlands Amplifying Communities initiative or to submit an application, visit https://www.westlandinsurance.ca/communities or email communities@westlandinsurance.ca

About Westland Insurance

Westland Insurance Group is one of the largest and fastest-growing independent property and casualty insurance brokers in Canada. With a national presence of over 180 locations and nearly 2,100 employees, the company continues to expand coast to coast. Westlands brokers provide expert advice to commercial, personal and farm clients. Since its founding in 1980, Westland has remained a family-owned company that is committed to supporting its local communities. For more information, please visit westlandinsurance.ca

About Habitat for Humanity Canada

Founded in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national, charitable organization working towards a world where everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home. Habitat Canada brings communities together to help families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. With the help of volunteers, Habitat homeowners and 50 local Habitats working in every province and territory, we provide a solid foundation for better, healthier lives in Canada and around the world. Habitat for Humanity Canada is a member of Habitat for Humanity International, which was established in 1976 and has grown to become a leading global non-profit working in more than 70 countries. For more information, please visit www.habitat.ca

- 30 -

For more information, please contact:

Aimee Houston

Director, Brand, Marketing and Communications

Westland Insurance Group Ltd.

(289) 879-4171

mediainquiry@westlandinsurance.ca

Laura Arlabosse-Stewart

Director, Communications

Habitat for Humanity Canada

(416) 822-1039

larlabossestewart@habitat.ca
VALHALLA, N.Y., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USI Insurance Services (USI), a world leader in risk management, employee benefit and retirement consulting, today announced the impact of its eighth annual USI Gives Back campaign, an award-winning social responsibility program, focused on supporting positive change in local communities. Throughout the summer, USI team members volunteered their time and talents to support local communities through in-person and virtual volunteer events throughout the United States and Europe. The combined impact of these volunteer initiatives positively impacted more than 160,400 lives, totaling over 11,600 hours of volunteerism.



USI is privileged to have such passionate and caring team members who enjoy coming together to solve problems, both in the marketplace and in our local communities, stated Kim Van Orman, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for USI. I am extremely proud of the positive impact our teams created through this years USI Gives Back campaign, and their commitment to making a difference in their local communities while carefully navigating COVID-19 health and safety restrictions.



USIs Chairman and CEO, Michael Sicard, added: Our annual USI Gives Back community service campaign allows our team members to spend time together outside the office while giving back in a meaningful way and uplifting the communities we serve. This years campaign created a tremendous impact, and I couldnt be prouder of the commitment of our more than 8,000 team members to this extremely important and meaningful program.



For additional information on USI Gives Back, visit www.usi.com.



About USI

USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the world, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk, program and retirement solutions to large risk management clients, middle market companies, smaller firms and individuals. Headquartered in Valhalla, New York, USI connects over 8,000 industry-leading professionals from approximately 200 offices to serve clients local, national and international needs. USI has become a premier insurance brokerage and consulting firm by leveraging the USI ONE Advantage, an interactive platform that integrates proprietary and innovative client solutions, networked local resources and enterprise-wide collaboration to deliver customized results with positive, bottom line impact. USI attracts best-in-class industry talent with a long history of deep and continuing investment in our local communities. For more information, visit usi.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

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BURLINGTON, ONTARIO, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IRIS R&D Group Inc. (IRIS or the Company'), becomes the first Canadian start-up tech that provides a privacy-centric smart cities data platform that uses best in class computer vision Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to win the Global Infrastructure Hub (GI Hub) InfraChallenge supported by the Italian G20 Presidency. This challenge was focused on technological solutions for building and maintaining better, more resilient infrastructure and asset management.

IRIS was declared successful following a live pitch to the world leaders at the G20 summit in Rome against nine other finalists from different parts of the world.

IRISs innovative solution enables cities of the world to monitor road infrastructure and assets at a substantially lower cost. They provide governments and industries with the critical data they need to prioritize infrastructure spending and investments intelligently, objectively, and sustainably via technology. By deploying the irisGO (mobile or static) unit with AI embedded computer vision technology, IRIS is able to detect, collect, and visualize in real-time, critical data. End users are able to view all data including GIS on the irisCITY platform. All data collected is redacted at the EDGE (not in the CLOUD) in order to be compliant with (CDN) MFIPPA and International Privacy Laws.

Winning the InfraChallenge competition has created a huge opportunity for our Canadian AI vision, enabling us to localize and implement our road infrastructure assessment technology across G20 member countries. These include inquiries from Brazil, Japan, KSA, and emerging economies from across the world that need the solution the most. said IRIS CEO and Co-founder Emil Sylvester Ramos.

IRIS Inc., the winner of InfraChallenge 2021 received AU$50,000, for ongoing support to scale their solution and exposure to a global network of infrastructure decision makers that includes the G20s Infrastructure Working Group.

GI Hub CEO Marie Lam-Frendo said Congratulations to IRIS on their use of artificial intelligence to create a solution for public assets. Infrastructure maintenance is a ubiquitous challenge for governments around the world and IRISs technology has the potential to improve the safety and resilience of roads and potentially other assets.

For more information, visit infrachallenge.gihub.org, https://www.irisradgroup.com, and listen to GI Hubs podcast interview with IRIS CEO and Co-founder Emil Sylvester Ramos. For media, inquiries contact Fatema Bhabrawala, at fbhabrawala@marigoldpr.com or 1-877-681-5541.

IRIS

IRIS helps cities monitor and maintain road infrastructure intelligently. By using artificial intelligence-enabled "Computer Vision to detect road hazards in real-time, it produces better results at a substantially lower cost than current standard processes used by cities and municipalities globally  which rely on expensive and highly manual patrolling and curb-side inspections. https://www.irisradgroup.com

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Detroit, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DETROIT, Nov. 1, 2021  DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) announced the appointment of Joi Harris as president of DTE Gas, the companys natural gas utility serving 1.3 million residential and business customers across its service territory.

Harris, a 30-year veteran of DTE, has a long history with DTE Gas. She started shadowing engineers at the age of 15, before becoming a company co-op at 18. She climbed the ladder, serving in a number of leadership positions within the organization, rising to the rank of vice president, and most recently as senior vice president of the Major Enterprise Projects division. In that role, she led the project management, planning and execution of the largest projects in DTE's $3 billion annual capital investment portfolio.

Joi brings an exceptional level of expertise in both operations and leadership to this role, said Jerry Norcia, DTE president and chief executive officer. As DTE Gas continues to upgrade more than 3,000 miles of infrastructure while remaining focused on the companys journey to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Jois deep understanding of our gas business and her strategic mindset will be invaluable.

Harris replaces Matt Paul, who has been named executive vice president of DTEs distribution operations group in DTE Electric.

Returning to DTE Gas is like coming home, said Harris. Im honored to lead the 1,800 team members who are improving lives with their energy by keeping natural gas safe, reliable and affordable for our customers.

Harris serves as vice president of the board of directors for the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP). She is a member of the Wayne State Universitys College of Engineering Board of Visitors and Industrial Engineering Advisory Board and has participated in the Cornerstone Partnership Program. Harris was chosen by the Michigan Chronicle as one of the "Women of Excellence, recognized by Who's Who in Black Detroit, and honored at the 2016 Women of Color STEM Conference for her career achievements.

About DTE Energy

DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio also includes non-utility businesses focused on industrial energy services, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. As an environmental leader, DTE utility operations will reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.

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OAK BROOK, Ill., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Portillos, the fast-casual restaurant brand known for its menu of Chicago-style favorites, is aiming to bring families together, both near and far, with affordable and convenient meal options for every type of holiday celebration. Whether gathering with your chosen family for the annual Friendsgiving feast or around the dinner table for a long overdue in-person dinner with parents and siblings, Portillos has you covered this holiday season with complete meal solutions that bring Chicago-style street food and flair to the table.



Whether you live near a Portillos or are a fan from afar, theres a holiday meal solution available at Portillos for you. Those options include:

Holiday Take and Make : Get all the holiday flavor without any of the mess with various catering packages and a la carte items to meet every need. Simply pre-order online, pick up at your local Portillos restaurant and heat at home when you are ready to eat. Plus, with three unique packages  including Italian Beef, Italian Beef & Chopped Salad, and Italian Beef and Mostaccioli  holiday dinner has never been so easy and delicious!

: Get all the holiday flavor without any of the mess with various catering packages and a la carte items to meet every need. Simply pre-order online, pick up at your local Portillos restaurant and heat at home when you are ready to eat. Plus, with three unique packages  including Italian Beef, Italian Beef & Chopped Salad, and Italian Beef and Mostaccioli  holiday dinner has never been so easy and delicious! Shop N Ship : Give or get the gift of Portillos this holiday season with nationwide delivery of Portillos craveable Chicago-style Hot Dogs, Italian Beef Sandwiches, Chocolate Cake and more. Perfect for gatherings of eight to 20 people, guests can choose from a variety of meal kits that include all of the ingredients to enjoy its most iconic menu offerings from the comfort of home. Start your order today HERE.

: Give or get the gift of Portillos this holiday season with nationwide delivery of Portillos craveable Chicago-style Hot Dogs, Italian Beef Sandwiches, Chocolate Cake and more. Perfect for gatherings of eight to 20 people, guests can choose from a variety of meal kits that include all of the ingredients to enjoy its most iconic menu offerings from the comfort of home. Start your order today HERE. Portillos Merchandise : In addition, Portillos is making it easy to surprise and delight the Chicago-style street food lover in your life with unique gifts that are sure to impress, including holiday ornaments, onesies and swaddles for the smallest of fans, cozy hats, socks and sweatshirts to fight off those winter chills, and festive goodies for your four-legged friend. Order now HERE.

: In addition, Portillos is making it easy to surprise and delight the Chicago-style street food lover in your life with unique gifts that are sure to impress, including holiday ornaments, onesies and swaddles for the smallest of fans, cozy hats, socks and sweatshirts to fight off those winter chills, and festive goodies for your four-legged friend. Order now HERE. Give the Gift of Portillos: Starting November 2, 2021, with the purchase of $50 in Portillos gift cards, youll also receive a $10 promo card, valid towards any purchase in restaurants or online December 26, 2021 through March 31, 2022.

For additional information on Portillos holiday meal solutions, pricing or to place orders, visit portillos.com or follow Portillos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ABOUT PORTILLOS HOT DOGS

In 1963, Dick Portillo invested $1,100 into a small trailer to open the first Portillos hot dog stand in Villa Park, IL, which he called The Dog House. Years later, Portillos has grown to include restaurants in more than 60 locations across several states. Portillos is best known for its Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, char-grilled burgers, fresh salads and famous chocolate cake. Portillos ships food to all 50 states via Portillos.com. Portillos Home Kitchen is the companys fast-growing catering business.

Media Contact

Ally Potter, ICR

646-277-1200

PortillosPR@icrinc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1e7e6bcf-85d5-4311-87e6-eb3df1a9fbb4.
EDGEWOOD, N.Y., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CPI Aerostructures, Inc. (CPI Aero) (NYSE American: CVU) announced today that an undisclosed aerospace OEM has awarded CPI Aero a $1 million contract for complex welded fluid tank assemblies for an unspecified application. First deliveries will begin in mid-2022 and end in 2023.



CPI has worked with the customer to mature the design and productionize the build, which involves complex fusion and resistance welding, commented Douglas McCrosson, president and chief executive officer of CPI Aero. In addition, we have made strategic investments in our welded products that have put us in position to capture new work such as these fluid tanks. These investments include added engineering and program management resources, the development of a well-trained and highly skilled precision welding workforce, increased welding capacity and throughput, and the establishment of internal non-destructive testing capabilities. We appreciate that our efforts are being recognized, McCrosson continued.

About CPI Aero

CPI Aero is a U.S. manufacturer of structural assemblies for fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and airborne Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare pod systems, primarily for national security markets. Within the global aerostructure supply chain, CPI Aero is either a Tier 1 supplier to aircraft OEMs or a Tier 2 subcontractor to major Tier 1 manufacturers. CPI also is a prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Defense, primarily the Air Force. In conjunction with its assembly operations, CPI Aero provides engineering, program management, supply chain management, and MRO services. CPI Aero is included in the Russell Microcap Index.

The above statements include forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, which are described from time to time in CPI Aero's SEC reports, including CPI Aero's Form 10-K for the year December 31, 2020.

CPI Aero is a registered trademark of CPI Aerostructures, Inc. For more information, visit www.cpiaero.com, and follow us on Twitter @CPIAERO.

Contact

LHA Investor Relations

Jody Burfening

(212) 838-3777

cpiaero@lhai.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Worthington Industries, Inc. (NYSE:WOR) today announced that its Steel Processing segment has signed an agreement to acquire Tempel Steel Company, one of the world's leading manufacturers of precision motor and transformer laminations for the electrical steel market. Tempel is a global business and manufactures in five facilities located in Chicago, Canada, China, India and Mexico.



Acquiring Tempel will immediately make us a market leader in the rapidly growing electrical steel market that includes transformers, machine motors and electric vehicle (EV) motors, said President and CEO Andy Rose. Worthingtons experience and deep relationships in the automotive sector will position Tempel to further penetrate the growing hybrid and EV market. Rose added, As EVs are embraced globally and the electricity infrastructure is upgraded and expanded to accommodate the shift to electric motors, were excited about what our organizations can do together on a global scale.

Leveraging the latest engineering technology, Tempels proprietary manufacturing techniques provide customers with highly engineered, precision-stamped, electrical steel laminations used for the core of electric motors, transformers and generators. With hybrids and EVs expected to continue growing at double-digit rates worldwide, Tempel will significantly enhance Worthingtons existing automotive offerings, including its lightweighting technology and laser welded solutions that deliver weight and cost reductions and increased fuel efficiency to the mobility market. Tempel also serves the important electricity infrastructure and distribution markets, which are expected to see significant investment and growth to support the transition to electric motors across multiple industries.

The transaction is expected to close in December 2021 with a purchase price of approximately $255 million plus the assumption of certain liabilities, funded primarily with existing cash. Tempel generated net revenue of approximately $377 million and EBITDA of $35 million, adjusted to exclude estimated inventory holding gains, for the trailing twelve months ended Sept. 30, 2021. Founded in 1945, Tempel is headquartered in Chicago with additional manufacturing facilities in Burlington, Canada, Changzhou, China, Chennai, India and Monterrey, Mexico, with 1,500 employees. For more information on Tempel visit www.tempel.com.

A presentation with additional information can be found on the investor relations section of the Companys website. In addition, the Company will discuss the Tempel acquisition in more detail during its previously announced Investor and Analyst day scheduled for Nov. 10, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. ET. Investors and analysts interested in attending this virtual event may register by visiting the Companys website at www.WorthingtonIndustries.com or emailing Investors@worthingtonindustries.com for additional information.

About Worthington Industries

Worthington Industries (NYSE:WOR) is a leading industrial manufacturing company pursuing its vision to be the transformative partner to its customers, a positive force for its communities and earn exceptional returns for its shareholders. For over six decades, the Company has been delivering innovative solutions to customers spanning industries such as automotive, energy, retail and construction. Worthington is North Americas premier value-added steel processor and producer of laser welded solutions that provide lightweighting and safety critical components to the mobility market. Through on-board fueling systems and gas containment solutions, Worthington serves the growing global hydrogen ecosystem. The Companys focus on innovation and manufacturing expertise extends to market-leading consumer products in tools, outdoor living and celebrations categories, sold under brand names, Coleman, Bernzomatic, Balloon Time, Mag Torch, Well-X-Trol, General, Garden-Weasel, Pactool International and Hawkeye; as well as market leading building products, including water systems, heating & cooling solutions, architectural and acoustical grid ceilings and metal framing and accessories.

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Worthington operates 53 facilities in 15 states and seven countries, sells into over 90 countries and employs approximately 8,000 people. Founded in 1955, the Company follows a people-first philosophy with earning money for its shareholders as its first corporate goal. Relentlessly finding new ways to drive progress and transform, Worthington is committed to providing better solutions for customers and bettering the communities where it operates by reducing waste, supporting community-based non-profits and developing the next generations of makers.

Safe Harbor Statement

The Company wishes to take advantage of the Safe Harbor provisions included in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the Act"). Statements by the Company which are not historical information constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Act. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from those projected. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks, uncertainties and impacts described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those related to COVID-19 and the various actions taken in connection therewith, which could also heighten other risks.

SONYA L. HIGGINBOTHAM

VP, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND BRAND MANAGEMENT

614.438.7391 | sonya.higginbotham@worthingtonindustries.com

MARCUS A. ROGIER

TREASURER AND INVESTOR RELATIONS OFFICER

614.840.4663 | marcus.rogier@worthingtonindustries.com

200 Old Wilson Bridge Rd. | Columbus, Ohio 43085

WorthingtonIndustries.com
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RED DEER, Alberta, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The family of Chloe Kaniusis, who was killed in an impaired driving crash in 2014, joins MADD Canada, Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston, RCMP and emergency responders today in Red Deer, Alberta to launch MADD Canadas national Project Red Ribbon campaign to promote sober driving during the holiday season.



Chloe and her mother, Brenda, were returning home from a Christmas shopping trip in Red Deer on November 21, 2014 when an impaired driver hit their vehicle. Chloe died instantly. Brenda was pinned inside the wreckage for three hours, her beloved daughter just out of her reach. A mother of two young sons, a wife, a daughter, a sister  Chloe was just 30 years old when she was taken so horribly and so tragically from her heartbroken family.

With the holiday season being one of the busiest times on most social calendars, the risk for impaired driving is high. Project Red Ribbon reminds Canadians about the importance of always driving sober, or planning ahead for a sober ride home if alcohol, cannabis or other drugs are being consumed.

The campaign runs from November 1, 2021 to January 3, 2022, with MADD Canada volunteers in communities across Canada distributing thousands of red ribbons and red ribbon car decals to the public to use as a symbol of their commitment to always drive sober. The ribbons also serve as a powerful tribute to the hundreds of Canadians killed and thousands injured in crashes involving alcohol and/or drugs each year.



The devastating deaths and injuries caused by impaired driving are so senseless and completely preventable, said MADD Canada National President Jaymie-Lyne Hancock. Our Project Red Ribbon campaign reminds people about the terrible impact of impaired driving, and engages them in the effort prevent it. No one should ever have to face the grief and heartbreak that Chloes family endures.

Todays launch event, being held at RCMP Red Deer North Detachment, includes Chloes parents, Brenda and Mel Brown, her husband Larry, her two sons Jaxon and Kessler, and other members of her family. They are being joined by: Mayor Johnston; Platoon Chief Kevin Bettesworth, Red Deer Emergency Services; Stephanie Theede, Vice-President of Human Resources, KAG Canada; and Sgt. Michael Zufferli, Red Deer RCMP Traffic Services.

The Red Deer RCMPs hope is that through partnership, education and enforcement, we can prevent impaired individuals from operating a motor vehicle, said Sgt. Michael Zufferli of the Red Deer RCMP. MADD Canada helps educate the public on the long lasting impact impaired driving has beyond the legal repercussions the individual faces. MADD Canadas support of victims and survivors gives a voice to those affected by impaired driving, and they have helped strengthen road safety by supporting legislation that creates meaningful consequences for impaired drivers.

Every hour, on average, 10 impaired driving federal charges and provincial short-term licence suspensions are laid in Canada, according to MADD Canadas lates t statistics .

The 2021 Project Red Ribbon campaign is sponsored by: Irving Oil, KAG Canada, Uber, BMO Financial Group and Economical Insurance. For a full list of this years sponsors and coin box partners, visit https://madd.ca/pages/giving/sponsors-and-donors/our-sponsors/ .

It is only with the support of our generous sponsors that we can bring this important awareness effort to communities across the country, said Ms. Hancock. We are so grateful for their contributions, and are tremendously proud to partner with them in this effort to save lives and prevent injuries on our roads this holiday season.
San Francisco, CA, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Symbium Corp. has launched a new property information portal, available at Symbium.com, which enables the public to freely access information about properties and the built environment around them. In addition to informing the public about what has been built on a property and enabling them to view its permit history, this portal will help users understand what can be built on any property.

Previously, data about properties was either unavailable, difficult to access, or expensive to obtain. This reality meant that, in some cases, a digital copy of property information could only be accessed by filling out a paper form. Symbium aims to alleviate these bottlenecks. The property information portal makes it easy for the public to access property and permit information and streamline construction project applications. Specifically, Symbium will allow the public to:

Visualize data about any property, including different structures on a lot and applicable land uses;

Evaluate possible additions or changes to existing buildings;

Download planning, building, and assessor forms; and

View submitted permit applications and permit history.

Launching first in California, Symbiums property portal features a novel search engine that compiles all publicly available government data about properties and makes it convenient and easy to access by everyone. Unlike open data websites and other search engines, this new portal allows the public to perform structured searches that yield answers, not just links and documents. By enabling the public to find out what can be built on any property within a few clicks, this information portal is making it simple for Californians to prepare their properties to reach their maximum potential.

Try out Symbium today!

The public's access to rich data about their built environment has been blocked by expensive, archaic systems for way too long, explains Leila Banijamali, Symbium Co-Founder & CEO. Why can't transacting with local governments be as easy as purchasing something on Amazon? Symbium is reimagining the built environment as data and empowering the public with the ability to seamlessly browse and visualize this data to understand what's possible. This will lay the foundations of Symbiums concept of a Government Relationship Management (GRM) system, which uses forms and permits as a mechanism to update this data and computational law (Complaw) to streamline and validate these updates.

The companys broader mission is to streamline the regulatory aspects of construction. Empowering the public with knowledge about their built environment is fundamental to the success of this mission.

The launch of Symbium.com in California comes after Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law Senate Bill 9 and Senate Bill 10, which legalized duplexes, ADUs, and small multi-family properties on lots previously zoned exclusively for single-family homes. Routinely updated to reflect changing laws, rules, and regulations, Symbium offers a unique platform that enables Californians to understand how these new laws affect their properties and the future of housing development in the state.

Our mission at Soup is to provide affordable and accessible housing solutions for alla mission that Symbiums technology has helped us advance, said Pam Dorr, Director of Housing at Soup. With Symbium Ive been able to help clients from all walks of life realize what is possible in their backyards. Recently, that has meant using Symbium to help a disabled homeowner construct an ADU that will help keep his family safe and secure in their main home. The ADU not only provides a stable rental income for the homeowner, but also helps address the housing shortage the entire nation is facing. I look forward to the expanded possibilities created by Symbiums new platform.

Symbium, which grew out of a collaboration at Stanford Universitys CodeX and the Computer Science Department, has previously worked with the City of San Francisco, City of San Mateo, City of Milpitas, and others to help them harness their own data to understand development in their communities. Now, Californians statewide can easily access public data and utilize it on their own properties.

The first time we saw Symbium we knew it would be a great tool for the ADU industry, said Steve Vallejos, President and CEO of prefabADU. Weve typically done property evaluations using various time-consuming tools, but Symbium helps our customers easily picture an ADU on their property and visualize all the regulations surrounding it. Symbiums innovative tools also helped us to identify 155,000 properties in San Jose that could fit an ADU, leading us to partner with the city to launch a pre-approved plan program to expedite ADU construction. Symbiums new portal will grow beyond ADUs and be a tremendous benefit across California.

After successfully launching in California, Symbium.com plans to expand into other states with high housing needs  and apply its Complaw technology to other aspects of everyday life that are governed by complex rules and regulations.

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About Symbium

The key to Symbiums business is Complaw, which is concerned with the representation of laws and regulations, such as planning codes, in a computable form. Symbium's applications make the zoning regulations that shape our cities and towns easy to navigate, empowering anyone to quickly assess what's possible on a piece of property or across a jurisdiction. Symbium was recently recognized as a 2021 GovTech 100 company, a 2021 American Bar Association Women of Legal Tech award recipient, and a 2020 Ivory Prize awardee for innovations in regulation and policy to achieve housing affordability. Symbium is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information, visit www.symbium.com.

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OTTAWA, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Royal Canadian Legion is honoured to name this years National Silver Cross Mother, Mme Josee Simard of Les Mechins, Quebec. She will place a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Remembrance Day and will represent all Silver Cross Mothers across Canada until October 2022.



The symbolism of her role resonates deeply within us all, says Bruce Julian, Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion. Mme Simards bravery and willingness to share her familys story reminds us of the incredible sacrifices made on our behalf and we must always Remember.

Mme Simards daughter, Cpl. Karine Blais was a Trooper in the Canadian Army, described as an energetic person, passionate about the Canadian Armed Forces. She was born on January 4, 1988 in Cowansville, QC. Karine died on April 13, 2009 when the armoured vehicle she was traveling in struck a roadside bomb near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Read more about Mme Simard and her daughter Karine at Legion.ca.

When the National Silver Cross Mother places a wreath on November 11, she will do so on behalf of all Canadian mothers who have lost a son or daughter in action, or over the course of normal duty.

From November 1, 2021 to October 31, 2022, Mme Simard will share her story publicly, and attend various events honouring Canadas Fallen.

The Memorial Cross - more commonly referred to as the Silver Cross - was introduced on December 1, 1919. It is a symbol of personal loss and sacrifice on behalf of widows and mothers who lose a child on active duty, or whose death is later attributed to such duty.

The Royal Canadian Legion receives nominations for the National Silver Cross Mother role from Provincial Commands and individual Canadians each year. The final recipient is chosen by a Dominion Command selection committee.

About The Royal Canadian Legion

Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canadas largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S., and Europe. With close to 250,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.

Public Relations / Media Inquiries: PublicRelations@Legion.ca/ 343-540-7604



Legion.ca

Facebook.com/CanadianLegion

Twitter.com/RoyalCdnLegion

Instagram.com/royalcanadianlegion

youtube.com/user/RCLDominionCommand

vimeo.com/royalcanadianlegion

Linkedin.com/company/royalcanadianlegion

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/438f077e-9e51-4ae9-9968-96819c9c3f84

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/38c94003-bfae-4cc6-8506-b879012b1fe0
Palm City - Margaret Jan Crandall passed away at home on November 14. Her daughter Martha and her husband Robert were at her side. Jan Crandall, nee Schmults, was born on June 2, 1935, in Barrington, Rhode Island. During WWII, the family lived in Newport where her father, Ernest, worked at t
Goshen, IN (46526)

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Tide Bus Danmark in the Danish city of Aalborg has ordered 14 Solaris bi-articulated 24-meter electric buses. This is an unique order on an European scale, both as regards the length and specific design of the vehicles.





The bi-articulated Solaris e-buses will be deployed for passenger transport in Aalborg, a Danish city in North Jutland. These 24-meter vehicles are specially designed for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes.

We were very glad to hear that Denmark would be the first country ever to receive delivery of electric Urbino 24 MetroStyle buses. This is a bus generation with a high passenger capacity and unique design that perfectly suits the character of modern cities. I am convinced that our collaboration with Tide Bus Danmark will open up a new chapter in our activities and support sustainable urban transport. Petros Spinaris, member of the Management Board for Sales, Marketing and Customer Service

Each seat on the Solaris Urbino 24 electric MetroStyle bus will be fitted with a USB port for mobile devices and the vehicle will feature LED lighting. As regards the exterior of the bus, customer Tide Bus Danmark has opted for the MetroStyle version with a new distinctive front design. Its dynamic appearance was designed with BRT routes in mind.

The drive system of the 24-meter electric bus will consist of two traction motors with a total capacity of 240 kW, propelling two drive axles. The installed Solaris High Energy battery pack, with a total capacity of more than 700 kWh, will be charged via a plug.

Each of the 14 ordered unique e-buses will be fitted with automatic driver assistance systems. MirrorEye is a system of cameras that replaces the rear- and side-view mirrors and ensures optimal visibility. Additionally, the system reduces the total width of the bus, which is particularly important on narrow streets or with increased road traffic.

The Mobileye Shield+ system will, in turn, allow risks related to the vehicles blind spot to be eliminated. With cameras placed on both sides of the bus, the driver receives warnings of pedestrians and cyclists located nearby. In order to improve fleet management, the Urbino 24 electric MetroStyle will be equipped with eSConnect, a comprehensive diagnostics instrument, to enhance operational efficiency and facilitate maintenance.

The 24-meter vehicle was presented to the public for the first time at Busworld Europe 2019 in Brussels. The idea behind the vehicle was to create a platform for the future serial production of not only 24-meter vehicles with an electric or hybrid drive but also of trolleybuses. The order placed by the operator from Denmark is the first for this bi-articulated vehicle with an electric drive.
Greensburg, IN (47240)

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Partly cloudy skies early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain late. Low 37F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%..

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  World leaders turned up the heat and resorted to end-of-the-world rhetoric Monday in an attempt to bring new urgency to sputtering international climate negotiations.

The metaphors were dramatic and mixed at the start of the talks, known as COP26. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described global warming as a doomsday device strapped to humanity. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told his colleagues that humans are digging our own graves. And Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, speaking for vulnerable island nations, added moral thunder, warning leaders not to allow the path of greed and selfishness to sow the seeds of our common destruction.

Amid the speeches, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his coal-dependent country will aim to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070  two decades after the United States and at least 10 years later than China. Modi said the goal of reaching net zero by 2070 was one of five measures India planned to undertake to meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel avoided soaring rhetoric and delved into policy.

"Theres no more time to sit back," Biden said in a more measured warning that also apologized for his predecessor's decision to temporarily pull the U.S. out of the historic 2015 Paris agreement, something he said put the country behind in its efforts. Every day we delay, the cost of inaction increases.

In a recorded welcome message, Queen Elizabeth II said she hoped the conference would be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment."

History has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope, she said in the video, which was recorded on Friday at Windsor Castle.

One of the United Nations biggest concerns is that some countries are more focused on amorphous long-term net-zero goals instead of seeking cuts this decade that could prevent temperature increases that would exceed the Paris goal.

Modi also outlined shorter-term goals for the worlds third-biggest carbon emitter: raising its goal for non-fossil energy production, meeting half of its energy needs with renewable sources, cutting carbon emissions by 1 billion tons compared with previous targets and reducing the carbon intensity of its economy by 45%  all by 2030.

While 2070 sounds far off for Indias pledge, four outside experts from think tanks and universities said India's new short- and long-term goals are significant, while not huge, because of that nation's development status. Ulka Kelkar, who directs India climate policy analysis for the World Resource Institute, said a lot depends on details, but the 2070 goal would be similar to the U.S. and Europe adopting net-zero goals 20 years ago.

Still, European officials privately expressed disappointment at Indias late target, but declined to comment publicly.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen touted already announced efforts to make Europe the first net-zero continent in the long-term and cut emissions 55% in this decade. She pushed for other rich countries to aid poorer nations as much as Europe does and put a price on carbon emissions because nature cannot pay that price anymore.

Bolivia President Luis Arce said the speeches from developed countries sought to portray them as climate change leaders but this is far from the truth. He said rich nations need to face their historic responsibilities for causing the warming problem and not fix it by forcing rules on poor countries. The real solution, he said, is an alternative to capitalism and unfettered consumerism.

Johnson pointed out that the 130-plus world leaders gathered for the leaders' summit portion of the conference had an average age of over 60, while the generations most harmed by climate change arent yet born.

Outside the negotiations, youth climate activist Greta Thunberg accused world leaders of pretending to take our future seriously.

Change is not going to come from inside there, Thunberg said, We say no more blah, blah, blah.

The conference aims to get governments to commit to curbing carbon emissions fast enough to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit). Current projections based on planned emissions cuts over the next decade are for it to hit 2.7C (4.9F) by the year 2100.

Increased warming over coming decades would melt much of the planets ice, raise global sea levels and greatly increase the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather, scientists say. With every tenth of a degree of warming, the dangers soar faster, they say.

The other goals for the meeting are for rich nations to give poor nations $100 billion a year in climate aid and to reach an agreement to spend half of the money to adapt to worsening climate impacts.

But Mottley, of Barbados, warned that negotiators are falling short.

"This is immoral and it is unjust," Mottley said. "Are we so blinded and hardened that we can no longer appreciate the cries of humanity?"

We are already gasping for survival, chimed in President Wavel John Charles Ramkalawan of the Seychelles, another island nation. Tomorrow is not an option for it will be too late.

Guterres struck an equally gloomy note.

We are digging our own graves, said the U.N. secretary-general. Our planet is changing before our eyes  from the ocean depths to mountaintops, from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events.

The speeches will continue through Tuesday, then the leaders will leave.

The idea is that they will do the big political give-and-take, setting out broad outlines of agreement, and then have other government officials hammer out the details. Thats what worked to make the historic 2015 Paris climate deal a success, former U.N. Climate Secretary Christiana Figueres told The Associated Press.

For heads of state, it is actually a much better use of their strategic thinking, Figueres said.

Thousands lined up in a chilly wind in Glasgow on Monday to get through a bottleneck at the entrance to the venue. But what will be noticeable are a handful of major absences.

Xi Jinping, president of top carbon-polluting nation China, is not in Glasgow. Figueres said his absence is not that significant because he isn't leaving the country during the pandemic and his climate envoy is a veteran negotiator.

Biden has chided China and Russia for their less-than-ambitious efforts to curb emissions and blamed them for a disappointing statement on climate change at the end of the meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies in Rome this weekend.

Perhaps more troublesome for the U.N. summit is the absence of several small nations from the Pacific islands that couldnt make it because of COVID-19 restrictions and logistics. Thats a big problem because their voices relay urgency, Figueres said.

In addition, the heads of several major emerging economies beyond China are also skipping Scotland, including those from Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa. That leaves Modi the only leader present from the so-called BRICS nations, which account for more than 40% of global emissions.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless, Frank Jordans and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report. Follow APs climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate. Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
DHANBAD, India (AP)  Every day, Raju gets on his bicycle and unwillingly pedals the world a tiny bit closer to climate catastrophe.

Every day, he straps half a dozen sacks of coal pilfered from mines  up to 200 kilograms, or 440 pounds  to the reinforced metal frame of his bike. Driving mostly at night to avoid the police and the heat, he transports the coal 16 kilometers (10 miles) to traders who pay him $2.

Thousands of others do the same.

This has been Rajus life since he arrived in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state in 2016; annual floods in his home region have decimated traditional farm jobs. Coal is all he has.

This is what the United Nations climate change conference in Scotland, known as COP26, is up against.

Earth desperately needs people to stop burning coal, the biggest single source of greenhouse gases, to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change  including the intense flooding that has cost agricultural jobs in India. But people rely on coal. It is the worlds biggest source of fuel for electric power and so many, desperate like Raju, depend on it for their very lives.

The poor have nothing but sorrow ... but so many people, theyve been saved by coal, Raju said.

Alok Sharma, the United Kingdoms president-designate of the conference, said in May that he hoped the conference would mark the moment where coal is left in the past where it belongs.

While that may be possible for some developed nations, it is not so simple for developing countries.

They argue they should be allowed the carbon space to grow as developed nations have, by burning cheap fuels like coal, which is used in industrial processes such as steelmaking along with electric power generation. On average, the typical American uses 12 times more electricity than the typical Indian. There are over 27 million people in India who don't have electricity at all.

Power demand in India is expected to grow faster than anywhere in the world over the next two decades as the economy grows and ever more extreme heat increases demand for air conditioning that so much the rest of the world takes for granted.

Meeting that demand will not fall to people like Raju, but to Coal India, already the worlds largest miner, which aims to increase production to over 1 billion tons a year by 2024.

D.D. Ramanandan, the secretary at the Centre of Indian Trade Unions in Ranchi said that conversations of moving beyond coal were only taking place in Paris, Glasgow or New Delhi. They had hardly begun in Indias coal belt. Coal has continued for 100 years. Workers believe it will continue to do so, he said.

The consequences will be felt both globally and locally. Unless the world drastically cuts greenhouse gas emissions the planet will suffer even more extreme heat waves, erratic rainfall and destructive storms in coming years, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

And a 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand state -- among the poorest in India and the state with the nations largest coal reserves -- is also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change.

But there are roughly 300,000 people working directly with government-owned coal mines, earning fixed salaries and benefits. And there are nearly 4 million people in India whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly linked to coal, said Sandeep Pai, who studies energy security and climate change at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Indias coal belt is dotted by industries that need the fuel, like steel and brick making. The Indian railways, countrys largest employers, earns half their revenue by transporting coal, allowing it to subsidize passenger travel.

Coal is an ecosystem, Pai said.

For people like Naresh Chauhan, 50 and his wife Rina Devi, 45, Indias economic slowdown resulting from the pandemic has intensified their dependence on coal.

The two have lived in a village at the edge of the Jharia coalfield in Dhanbad all their lives. Accidental fires, some of which have been blazing for decades, have charred the ground and left it spongey. Smoke hisses from cracks in the surface near their hut. Fatal sinkholes are common.

The couple earn $3 a day selling four baskets of scavenged coal to traders.

Families whove lived amid coal mines for generations rarely own any land they can farm and have nowhere else to go. Naresh hopes that his son would learn to drive so that he, at least, could get away. But even that may not be enough. There's less work for the city's existing taxi drivers. Wedding parties, who in the past reserved cars to ferry guests, have shrunk. Fewer travelers come to the city than before.

There is just coal, stone and fire. Nothing else here.

That could mean even harder times for the people in Dhanbad as the world eventually does turn away from coal. Pai says this is already happening as renewable energy gets cheaper and coal becomes less and less profitable.

India and other countries with coal-dependent regions have to diversify their economies and retrain workers, he said  both to protect the livelihoods of workers and to help speed the transition away from coal by offering new opportunities.

Otherwise, more will end up like Murti Devi. The 32-year-old single mother of four lost the job she had all her life when the mine she worked for closed four years ago. Nothing came of the resettlement plans promised by the coal company so she, like so many others, turned to scavenging coal. On good days, shell make a dollar. On other days, she relies on neighbors for help.

If there is coal, then we live. If there isnt any coal, then we dont live, she said.

___

AP journalists Shonal Ganguly and Altaf Qadri contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Jury selection starts Monday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, an Illinois man accused of killing two people at a police brutality protest last year.

Rittenhouse's trial is expected to last at least two weeks. Here's a look at the key players:

THE DEFENDANT

Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, was 17 at the time of the shootings. He was an ardent police supporter before the incidents, serving as a youth cadet in the Grayslake Police Department and posting photos of himself brandishing a rifle above the caption Blue Lives Matter. He worked part-time as a YMCA lifeguard in Lindenhurst, Illinois, before he was furloughed in March 2020.

He traveled to Kenosha, which is only about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from his home, on Aug. 25 after pleas went out on social media to protect businesses during protests over the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a white police officer two days earlier. Video from the night of the shootings shows Rittenhouse on the streets with his AR-style semiautomatic rifle and a medical kit slung over his shoulder.

People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business, Rittenhouse told a reporter from the Daily Caller before the shootings. And part of my job is to also help people. If there is somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way. That's why I have my rifle.

Rittenhouse's attorneys say a man  Joseph Rosenbaum  chased the 5-foot-8, 150-pound Rittenhouse in an attempt to steal his gun, forcing Rittenhouse to fatally shoot him. Video that has surfaced so far doesn't show that shooting, but it does show Rosenbaum run toward Rittenhouse and appear to throw a plastic bag at him before shots ring out and Rosenbaum lies dying on the ground. Other video shows Rittenhouse moments later shooting and killing Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz.

Rittenhouse is white, as are the three men he shot.

Prosecutors have described Rittenhouse as a vigilante and a chaos tourist with a violent streak. They unsuccessfully sought to introduce a pair of videos, including one that showed Rittenhouse appearing to punch a girl who was fighting his sister a couple of months before the shootings, and another in which Rittenhouse is heard commenting that he would like to shoot some men he thought were shoplifting from a pharmacy.

As conservatives rallied to Rittenhouse as a symbol of gun rights and resistance to the sometimes damaging protests that followed George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, he has seemed at times to revel in his notoriety. He posed for photos in a Wisconsin bar with members of the far right extremist group the Proud Boys, though his attorneys say there's no evidence he was affiliated with the group before the shootings.

THE MEN RITTENHOUSE SHOT

Rosenbaum, 36, was released the day of the shootings from a Milwaukee hospital where he had been treated for a suicide attempt. It's not clear why he was on Kenosha's streets the night of the protests, though he had a fiancee who lived in the city. His background includes a conviction for sexual conduct with a minor in Arizona in 2002. The judge denied a defense request to argue that Rosenbaum was trying to get Rittenhouse's rifle because, as a convicted sex offender, Rosenbaum couldn't legally get one on his own.

Huber, 26, of nearby Silver Lake, is seen on video swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse before he was shot. He was known around Kenosha's skateboarding community, and his girlfriend, Hannah Gittings, said skateboarding was his life. Huber served a pair of prison stints stemming from family conflict, including choking his brother in 2012.

A great-aunt, Susan Hughes, said Huber was involved in protests because he was very upset that a police officer had shot Blake, who was left paralyzed from the waist down.

Grosskreutz, 27, of West Allis, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Kenosha, has said he attended several protests following Floyd's May 2020 death. With training as a paramedic, Grosskreutz had carried medical supplies and was doing so the night of the Kenosha shootings. He was also armed with a pistol and had it in his hand when he approached Rittenhouse, who shot him in the arm.

THE JUDGE

Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder graduated from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee in 1970 and has been on the bench since 1983. At 75, he's the longest-serving active circuit judge in Wisconsin.

Among his highest-profile cases was the 2008 homicide trial of Mark Jensen, who was accused of poisoning and smothering his wife. Jensen was convicted, but appellate courts and the state Supreme Court ruled that Schroeder had erred by admitting as evidence a letter Jensen's wife had given to a neighbor before her death in which she said that if anything happened to her, her husband was responsible. A new trial is set next year.

Schroeder has the reputation of being a stern judge who often hands down tough sentences. In 2018, he sentenced a woman convicted of shoplifting to tell the manager of any store she entered that she was on supervision for theft. Schroeder told the woman that embarrassment does have a valuable place in deterring criminality. A state appeals court threw out the sentence.

Schroeder drew attention before Rittenhouse's trial by forbidding attorneys from referring to Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz as victims  a longstanding practice in his courtroom. But he also ruled that defense attorneys could portray the three as looters, arsonists or rioters if they could prove it.

Kenosha-based defense attorney Michael Cicchini said Schroeder won't wilt under the intense attention expected for Rittenhouse's trial.

He's protective of the right to present a defense, the right to confrontation. Hes that way for all defendants, regardless of the case. The judge in my opinion is not swayed by or interested in politics, Cicchini said. "He'll apply the rules even-handedly without any influence from the media.

THE PROSECUTOR

Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, the lead prosecutor, got his law degree in 1996 from the University of Michigan. He served as a Milwaukee County prosecutor in the early 2000s and spent nine years in private practice before joining the Kenosha County district attorney's office in 2014. He ran for district attorney in nearby Racine County as a Democrat in 2016, promising he would get tougher on heroin traffickers and help heroin users overcome their addiction to keep them out of the criminal justice system. But he lost to the Republican candidate.

Cicchini said he's worked against Binger on several cases. He called the prosecutor skilled and a hard worker.

THE DEFENSE

Racine attorney Mark Richards is leading Rittenhouse's defense. He's a courtroom veteran, earning his law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987. He served as an assistant district attorney in Racine and Kenosha counties in the late 1980s before he opened his own firm in 1990 that specializes in criminal defense.

Richards has worked on more than 100 jury trials. He forced Racine prosecutors in 1999 to drop first-degree intentional homicide charges against Kurtis King, who was accused of strangling his cellmate at the Racine Correctional Institution, after raising questions about the guards' credibility.

Paul Bucher, a former district attorney in Waukesha County and a one-time state attorney general candidate, said Richards is well known and respected in legal circles.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Tarm in Chicago contributed to this report.

-

Find APs full coverage of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
At a Georgia state House of Representatives hearing on prison conditions in September, a corrections officer called in to testify, interrupting his shift to tell lawmakers how dire conditions had become.

On a good day, he told lawmakers, he had maybe six or seven officers to supervise roughly 1,200 people. He said he had recently been assigned to look after 400 prisoners by himself. There werent enough nurses to provide medical care.

All the officers  absolutely despise working there, said the officer, who didnt give his name for fear of retaliation.

In Texas, Lance Lowry quit after 20 years as a corrections officer to become a long-haul trucker because he couldnt bear the job any longer. Watching friends and coworkers die from COVID-19, along with dwindling support from his superiors, wore on him.

I would have liked to stay till I was 50, said Lowry, 48. but the pandemic changed that.

Staff shortages have long been a challenge for prison agencies, given the low pay and grueling nature of the work. But the coronavirus pandemic  and its impact on the labor market  has pushed many corrections systems into crisis. Officers are retiring and quitting in droves, while officials struggle to recruit new employees. And some prisons whose prisioner populations dropped during the pandemic have seen their numbers rise again, exacerbating the problem.

___

This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Marshall Project exploring the state of the U.S. prison system in the coronavirus pandemic. Tom Meagher of The Marshall Project and Michael Balsamo of The Associated Press also contributed reporting.

___

There is no one thing pushing prison employees out in high numbers now. Some are leaving for new opportunities as more places are hiring. University of Michigan economist Betsey Stevenson pointed to the increased risk of COVID-19 for people working in prisons.

When jobs become riskier, it becomes harder to attract workers, she wrote in an email. By failing to protect prisoners from COVID, the criminal justice system not only created an unfair risk of severe illness and death for the incarcerated, but the increased COVID risk to employees has undoubtedly contributed to staffing shortages.

Unions representing prison officers in states including Massachusetts and California and at the federal level also claim vaccine mandates will drive out unvaccinated employees and exacerbate understaffing, though its unclear how big of an impact those rules will have.

There are dozens of reasons to leave and very few to stay, said Brian Dawe, national director of One Voice United, a nonprofit supporting corrections officers. Understaffing, poor pay, poor benefits, horrendous working conditions.  Officers and their families in many jurisdictions have had enough.

Employers from construction companies to restaurants are having difficulty hiring and keeping people. Nearly 3% of American workers, 4.3 million, quit their jobs in August, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But the stakes are higher in prisons, where having fewer guards means significantly more dangerous conditions for incarcerated people. And for the officers left behind, worsening shortages have made an already difficult job unbearable, many say.

In Georgia, some prisons report up to 70% vacancy rates. In Nebraska, overtime hours have quadrupled since 2010, as fewer officers are forced to work longer hours. Florida has temporarily closed three prisons out of more than 140 facilities because of understaffing, and vacancy rates have nearly doubled there in the last year. And at federal prisons across the country, guards are picketing in front of their facilities over understaffing, while everyone from prison teachers to dentists is pulled in to cover security shifts.

In recent weeks, reporters from The Marshall Project and The Associated Press have spoken with workers, officials, attorneys and people incarcerated in more than a dozen prison systems to understand the consequences of the staffing shortfalls.

The federal Bureau of Prisons says about 93% of its front-line guard positions are filled, with little more than 1,000 vacancies, though workers in many prisons say theyre feeling the pinch as others are conscripted to fill in for missing officers.

Asked last week in a U.S. Senate hearing about federal prison staffing, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, I agree this is a serious problem at the Bureau of Prisons.

Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco was working with the bureau to address staffing issues.

In Kansas, state Department of Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda testified before the legislature that the problems now are unlike any hes seen in his career. Kansas has more than 400 unfilled jobs for uniformed officers, a number he expects to grow in the coming months as workers are lured by other employers that pay better.

Quitting can have a snowball effect, said Doug Koebernick, inspector general of the Nebraska correctional system. People leave, then that creates more overtime and stress and more vacancies, he said. Its like this spiral. Many corrections officers said they were forced to work more overtime as fewer people showed up for shifts. In Texas, guards have worked as much as 16-hour days.

Inside prisons, growing shortages mean a rise in lockdowns. Restrictions that might have begun as a way to stop the spread of COVID-19 have continued because there arent enough guards to supervise activities. Some incarcerated people say they cant take classes, participate in group therapy sessions or even work out in the recreation yard or take a shower. That can force those in general population into de facto solitary confinement, and those already in segregation into near-total lockdown.

If we get rec once a week, thats a good week, said Anthony Haynes, who is on Texas' death row in a unit that is barely half-staffed. We dont always get showers.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice did not respond to Haynes claims but acknowledged that staffing is a challenge in Texas prisons.

Before COVID-19, staffing was frequently impacted by economic surges and competing employment opportunities, said spokesman Robert Hurst in an email. The pandemic has exacerbated these issues. We also recognize that the job of the correctional officer is one of the most difficult in all of state government. He added that Texas has closed six of its more than 100 facilities in the last year due to staffing problems.

Kansas has cut job training and reduced supervision for people after theyre released. Two-thirds of the men in Nebraskas prisons cant see visitors on the weekends  when most families are free to travel  because of understaffing.

The constant isolation takes a toll. As of October, we have not had yard for two weeks, wrote one man at Illinois Pontiac Correctional Center, where officials report 35% of corrections officer jobs are vacant. (His testimony was compiled by lawyers suing the state prison system over a dearth of mental health care.) I feel very overwhelmed  I cant talk about my problems to anyone. I pace back and forth and talk to myself because theres nothing else to do.

Mental health care is dwindling, prisoners and lawyers argue, as people in prison grow more desperate. In Illinois, canceled one-on-one therapy means what little counseling is available happens briefly through a cell door, in full earshot of the rest of the tier, said attorney Alan Mills of the Uptown Peoples Law Center, which has sued the state corrections department over inadequate mental and physical health care, due in large part to a lack of qualified staff.

A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Corrections said that Pontiac continues to provide out-of-cell programming and one-on-one counseling. While staffing challenges have had an impact on scheduling, the department is committed to delivering the highest quality mental and medical health care as possible, said Lindsey Hess in an email.

Officials from corrections departments in Georgia and Washington, where the governor halted the transfer of people from county jails to prisons for two weeks due to staffing changes, did not respond to requests for comment.

Dr. Homer Venters, a former chief medical officer for the jail system in New York City, inspects conditions in prisons around the country for court cases. Understaffing will lead to an increase in preventable prison deaths, he said, as the quality of care reaches new lows.

Things are much worse behind bars now than they have been for a long time, Venters said. There are so many staff that have left. That means that basic clinical services, like getting to scheduled appointments, just isn't happening the way it was even five years ago.

Violence is also on the rise in some prisons. The Southern Center for Human Rights recently sued the Georgia Department of Corrections over lockdowns and dangerous conditions: There were 48 suspected homicides in the states prisons between January 2020 and August 2021 and 38 suicides. (In 2017, in comparison, there were eight homicides.) Hundreds of people incarcerated at three state prisons rioted last summer, after being locked in their cells for weeks and monitored by as few as six guards at a time.

In July, the state had a 56% annual turnover rate for corrections officers, and 40% of those jobs were vacant, according to department documents. The U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation into the corrections department in September, citing understaffing as a primary concern.

Meanwhile, corrections departments say they are trying harder than ever to recruit new staff. Theyve boosted social media posts and in-person job fairs. In Indiana, they raised the starting pay for corrections officers a dollar to to $19 an hour. Others are giving perks like hiring bonuses, better pay at critical units, earlier pay raises or, in Kansas, extra time off for current employees who refer new hires.

But some hurriedly hired cadets might not last long.

Brandon Robert Graham started training at the Walla Walla State Penitentiary in Washington in August 2020 and within two weeks was on the tier. They were in such a hiring crisis that I was a rapid hire, he said. At first, he was excited about the salary and great benefits compared with other jobs in the area. But as more entry-level jobs opened up, he started looking elsewhere.

I was on night shift. I never got to see my fiancee, he said. I did so much overtime that I thought I was getting sick from the stress.

He left in July to look for a new job.
A couple of events took place this week that had a major impact on our trending chart. Xiaomi's new Redmi Note 11 lineup stormed the top with the Pro+, leading from the regular Pro, while Sony's new Xperia Pro-I rounded up the top three.

We then have the vanilla Redmi Note 11, meaning the entire top 4 consists of newly announced phones. But it doesn't end there - the Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge which is merely the rumored name of the Pro+ in India is in sixth, splitting last week's leading Google Pixel 6 duo.

The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max was slipping down from the lead over the past two weeks but the new entries in our database quickly sped it up and the Cupertino flagship only ended up eight this time around. It will probably stage a comeback once the hype around the new phones dies down, but will it have enough in it to return to podium? Tune in next week to find out.

The solitary remaining Samsung phone in the top 10 is the Galaxy A52s is all the down in ninth, while the Redmi Note 10 Pro rounds up the top 10.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra doesn't make the cut this time and neither do the Galaxy A12 and the Poco X3 Pro. OnePlus 9 RT also loses out.
Catherine Bejerana Camacho is a Filipino-American attorney raised on Guam and licensed to practice in Guam and California. She specializes in employment and family-based immigration law, corporate law and family law.
Theres still little movement toward fixing the recent error in the World War II Reconciliation Act, despite lawmakers being set to pick up the discussion on Monday.

Speaker Therese Terlaje introduced Bill 217 last week, aimed at correcting the Reconciliation Act, which was erroneously passed and signed into law with an amendment that significantly expanded the number of people eligible for war claims. The amendment was introduced by Terlaje, but was meant to be thrown out during Septembers session of the legislature.

After waiting a week to begin debating the fix, which has already stalled due to Republican senators walking out and demanding a public explanation for the error, lawmakers spent most of Mondays one-hour session in recess. Terlaje was not present, and according to a release from her office after the session, she had tested positive for COVID-19.

Officials from the Department of Revenue and Taxation and Guam Economic Development Authority were brought in to discuss the financial aspects of the bill aimed at fixing the error, but never got the chance to speak.

Sen. Sabina Perez read an introduction to the Bill 217 which included the timeline of events that led to the error, which Terlaje has published on her website.

The speaker consulted with the acting chairperson for the Committee on Rules on closing the gaps on the administrative side, as this falls under the purview of the Committee on Rules, Perez said, errors on engrossed bills are not unique  however, it is incumbent on each of our offices to catch any errors.

She hoped that lawmakers could swiftly come to agreement on a solution.

But Sen. Frank Blas Jr. did not agree with moving forward until Perez could be questioned about how the error took place.

I think there were specifics in that in what was provided, that can be deliberated and should be made answerable for, he said of Perez statement.

A copy of it could not be provided to senators quickly, and Blas motioned for lawmakers to recess again. They will reconvene at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

Public Explanation

Sen. Telena Nelson said Monday that a public walkthrough of the errors and the solutions by the legislatures legal counsel was necessary.

Id be willing to waive my right to attorney-client privilege for a public explanation, she said. All seven Republican lawmakers, and Vice Speaker Tina Muna Barnes have also asked for a public explanation.

The speaker has said it is uncalled for, given the disclosures already provided.

Expanded program

Meanwhile, Sen. Amanda Shelton, the acting rules committee chair, on Monday introduced legislation that aimed at funding an expanded war claims program.

Prior to the error, the Reconciliation Act was intended to mirror a federal program that only included survivors who died after 2016 and their descendants. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero is currently preparing to roll out the program based on those guidelines.

Shelton wants $150 million to fund claims for all survivors and their descendants, regardless of date of death.

Local businesses would be able to pay war claimants directly, should Sheltons Bill 220 pass. Any business that participates will then be eligible for a tax credit against their business privilege taxes equal to the amount they paid in war claims.

The tax credit program would provide $75 million for claims, and another $75 million would come from Section 30 funds  $15 million annually for five years.

Those who qualified under original program would be first in line, followed by all other claimants.
Del. Mike San Nicolas during a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this year. The Biden administrations $1.75 billion Build Back Better bill contains a number of beneficial items for the territories.




Haiti - Registration notice : Master's Program in Nursing Sciences





The Rectorate of the State University of Haiti (UEH) advises that registrations for the recruitment of a new promotion of students for the Master's Program in Nursing Sciences (MSI) will be open from November 3 to November 24, 2021



This program prepares in 30 months for a State Diploma of Mastery as a nurse practitioner:



Two Options:

1. Family nurse practitioner

2. Mental Health Nurse Practitioner



After obtaining the master's degree, the nurse practitioner is empowered to provide primary health care.



Applicants admitted to the program will sign a commitment of at least 5 years to provide care in line with their competence in the institution from which they emerge or in another institution at the national level.



Documents required for registration validation :



Bachelor's degree in Nursing Sciences (original and copy);



Record of marks obtained in examinations organized by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (original and copy);



The license from the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) authorizing the applicant to practice the nursing profession (original and copy);



Transcript of (4) four years of nursing studies (original and copy);



Curriculum Vitae;



Birth certificate or extract from the National Archives (original and copy);



NIF and CIN (original and copy);



Bacc I and Bacc II (original and copy);



Two (2) recent identity photos (3 months) in passport size (write on the back of each photo: last name and first name);



A cover letter;



A letter of recommendation issued by the applicant's hierarchical superior;



A work letter from a health or academic institution recognized by the Haitian State (original and copy);



The form certifying that the applicant has made a deposit of eight hundred (800 Gourdes), in any branch of SOGEBANK in the name of the account: UEH/Demande dadmission, number: 706054558, as costs registration.



These pieces will be received at the program room, located at #11, Rue Norgaisse, Christ-Roi, until November 24, 2021.



The applications submitted will be analyzed and will be the subject of a preselection, according to defined criteria, in particular academic excellence.



Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed between 29 November and 3 December 2021 at the MSI office, after which a committee will make the final choice.



More information and Online registration : https://bit.ly/3EwIviG



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Published on 2021/11/01 | Source

New posters added for the Korean documentary "Shadow Flowers" (2019)

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Directed by Yi Seung-Jun

Synopsis

Kim Ryun-hee, a North Korean housewife, was forced to come to South Korea and became its citizen against her will. She tried to smuggle herself out and even sought political asylum at the Vietnamese Embassy but all in vain. As her seven years of struggle to go back to her family in North Korea continues, the political absurdity hinders her journey back to her loved ones. The life of her family in the North goes on in emptiness, and she fears that she might become someone, like a shadow, who exists only in the fading memory of her family.

Release date in Korea : 2021/10/27
Published on 2021/11/01 | Source

Korean movie "The Golden Holiday" is available to preorder on DVD with English subtitles from YESASIA.

"The Golden Holiday" (2020)

DVD ith English subtitles

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Directed by Kim Bong-han

With Kwak Do-won, Kim Dae-myung, Kim Hee-won, Kim Sang-ho, Shin Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-mi,...

Synopsis

A countrified detective gets drawn into a global crime!

Corporal Hong Byeong-soo (Kwak Do-won) from the Daecheon Police Station, goes on his first overseas trip to the Philippines.

His sweet dream is short-lived when he falls for mob killer Patrick's (Kim Hee-won) scheme and gets tagged as a murderer and starts investigating the case with local guide and hometown friend Man-cheol (Kim Dae-myung) to clear his name.

However, unlike his eager heart, Byeong-soo doesn't speak well enough English and he's getting old. In addition, nuisance of a childhood friend named Yong-bae (Kim Sang-ho) joins the investigation and leads them the wrong way...

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Release date in Korea : 2020/08/19

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Member of the co-chairmanship of the Democratic Union Party, Aldar Khalil, indicated that they are ready for direct dialogue with Damascus Government.

In an interview with ROJAVA TV, he indicated that whoever rules Damascus Government now represents Syria in international forums, and is still ruling some Syrian regions. He said, "To reach a solution, an agreement must be reached with Damascus Government."

Khalil talked about Resolution 2,254 adopted by the United Nations Security Council on resolving the Syrian crisis, and said: "Work is still underway in Geneva, although these attempts will not succeed and will not reach a result, but they are still negotiating with this regime. It means that they accept that there is no solution without sitting down and negotiating with the regime."

He explained, "We are thinking of another formula, the solution must be with the regime, but not in Geneva but in Damascus. What is wrong with us sitting and deliberating as Syrians and proposing possible solutions to reach a formula for a solution to all issues in Syria."

Khalil stressed that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Democratic Union Party, PYD, are ready for dialogue with Damascus Government directly without going to Geneva and other places, and noted that the Autonomous Administration is an important democratic project for the whole of Syria.

Noting that "Damascus has become aware that the crisis, war and ongoing conflicts are the result of the lack of a democratic system in Syria." He said, "In order to reach a solution, we must agree on a democratic project that serves the whole of Syria."

T/S

ANHA
The lawyer of the Paris Bar and the representative of the National Consultative Committee on Human Rights (CNCDH) Simon Forman, the lawyer of the Bar of Rouen and the representative of the National Council of Trade Unions, (CNB), Richard Seidlow, the lawyer of the Paris Bar, and the Secretary-General of the NGO, Lawyers Without Borders France (ASF FRANCE), Matthew Pagard, and French Member of Parliament Hebert Julien Laverire, visit to the Department of Foreign Relations in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

The delegation was received by the co-chair of the Department of Foreign Relations, Abdul Karim Omar, and the two deputy co-chairs of the Department of Foreign Relations, Fanar al-Kait, and Abeer Elia at the department's headquarters in Qamishlo.

During the meeting that brought the two sides together, Abdul Karim Omar touched on the overall political situation in Syria, especially the regions of north and east Syria, and issues related to combating terrorism in the region.

Omar also shed light during the meeting on the Turkish threats that it launches from time to time to occupy the areas of north and east Syria, the violations taking place in the Syrian areas occupied by Turkey, as well as the economic situation that the region is going through, especially after the closure of the Tel Kojer (Al Yaroubiya) border crossing with the Syrian side.

Omar focused on the conditions of ISIS mercenaries and their families in detention or in the camps, and the need to prosecute them in the regions of northern and eastern Syria (the area in which they committed the crime). He pointed to the dangers posed by the Turkish occupation's recent threats to northern and eastern Syria and to the prisons and camps housing ISIS members and families.

He stressed that the radical solution to this issue is for each country to come and take its nationals, and until this problem is resolved, the Autonomous Administration needs financial support, so that it can better control the security and humanitarian situation in the detention centers.

A

ANHA
Three strong survivors named Women of Hope

This years Women of Hope recipients are Lynn Easler, Virginia Spigener and Sandy Williams, the Pardee Hospital Foundation announced on Monday.

Every year, the Pardee Hospital Foundation honors women in the community who have experienced cancer or another serious health condition and has shared her story of courage and perseverance.

Each of us has been impacted by the heart-wrenching effects of cancer or other serious disease, whether personally or through caring for a loved one," Myles Fish, executive director of the Pardee Hospital Foundation, said in a news release. "We all know that when we must walk that difficult journey, we cling to hope. That is why each year we recognize Women of Hope in our local community, courageous women who have battled devastating diseases and have prevailed.

Each recipient shared her story of surviving cancer in hopes to encourage others who face a similar hardship. Reflecting on her battle with breast cancer, Lynn Easler said: Cancer changed my body. It doesnt have to change the person God created me to be.

Sandy Williams said her faith, family and friends kept her on a positive track as she underwent treatment, and she now lives with a renewed outlook. To embrace life and to encourage others are my goals," she said. "To laugh often is medicine for the soul."

My story," Virginia Spigener said, "is one of finding peace, hope, and courage as God worked through many people. Some I knew well and called friends and family, some I barely knew. The most wonderful gifts were others I knew not at all who gave so much of their time and kindness for my recovery.

The Woman of Hope award is one component of Women Helping Women, a community-led program providing supplementary support for women who need financial assistance for medically necessary care, who would have no other means to cover the cost of their healthcare.

Since its inception in 1998, Women Helping Women has raised more than $2 million for underserved women in WNC, providing financial assistance for critical healthcare such as diagnostic mammograms, office visits, MRIs, CT scans, surgery, anesthesia, x-rays, infusions, and more. Also, the program provides much-needed emotional support for women battling a serious health condition.

Our Women of Hope recipients and their families deeply understand the importance of support when navigating a health crisis, Fish said. It is a privilege to share their powerful stories to encourage others and to raise awareness about this local program so more women in our community can access the healthcare they desperately need.




HENLEY has a new town centre manager.

Craig Buckby, who has experience in managing corporate, commercial and community projects, was appointed by the town council and will start work on Monday.

He will be responsible for supporting and enhancing Henleys town centre and economy, ensuring it is a vibrant place for businesses, residents and visitors.

Mr Buckby was most recently chief executive of the Slough town centre business improvement district.

He was also a consultant for the all-party parliamentary group for business improvement districts.

Mr Buckby said: Henley is a town centre managers dream. It is bustling and full of innovative and hard-working people. The place has drive and entrepreneurship in spades.

I am champing at the bit to get started and looking forward to the Christmas festival on November 26.

I have dedicated my career to the development and improvement of town centres  its my passion. My approach is inclusive and I look forward to meeting residents and businesses. I am excited about what we can achieve together.

Mayor Sarah Miller said: We are pleased that Craig can join us in the lead-up to Christmas. As Henley emerges from the challenges of the last 18 months, we are delighted to have a new town centre manager to support our communities and businesses.

Councillor Glen Lambert, who chairs the town councils town and community committee, said: We were impressed by Craigs track record of working with local businesses and residents to get results as well as his leadership and project management skills.

He thanked markets and events manager Nicci Taylor for ensuring the markets continue to flourish.

Mr Buckby replaces Helen Barnett, who resigned in June after nearly five years. The town council advertised for a replacement and extended the deadline in a bid to attract suitable candidates.
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Biden-Harris Administration Invests in Most Robust Outreach Campaign To-Date

Today marks the start of the HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment Period. This year, on top of providing health care plans at record-low costs, the Biden-Harris Administration has extended the Marketplace Open Enrollment Period by 30 days through January 15 to ensure everyone possible has enough time to get covered. To help communities with disproportionately high uninsurance rates, the Biden-Harris Administration has quadrupled its Navigator footprint of people who can assist with the process of getting covered. With 1500 Navigators, the Administration has made assistance available in nearly every county in the country.

Thanks to the American Rescue Plan (ARP), coverage is also critically more affordable than ever. Four out of five people can find a plan for $10 or less per month with this newly expanded financial assistance. Additionally, there are more coverage options this season than last, with the average consumer being able to choose between six and seven insurance companies with plan options.

Starting today, anyone who needs health insurance can find an affordable option at HealthCare.gov, said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. The Biden-Harris Administration is investing in the most robust Open Enrollment campaign  with record-low prices, more choices and 30 more days to pick a plan than last season. Health care should be a right and in reach for everyone. This Open Enrollment season, we will get closer to achieving that goal.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which drives marketing and oversees the Navigator program on behalf of HHS, has made strides to also ensure material is available to as wide a group of people as possible:

In total, there are over 5,500 assisters today (including Navigators, certified application counselors, and other assisters) and over 48,000 agents and brokers.

CMS has also re-launched its Champions for Coverage program, which includes more than 2,100 local organizations that will provide outreach and education about the Marketplace and how consumers can enroll in coverage.

Health equity is also a central component of HHSs marketing and outreach efforts. Through CMS, the Department is concentrating its outreach on people who are most in need of care and who have historically lacked access. Additionally, marketing efforts will include content in many different languages. CMS has expanded its Spanish outreach and, for the first time, CMS will also conduct advertising in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Hindi.

If you are in need of health care coverage, please go today to HealthCare.gov where you will find health care coverage that is more affordable than ever, said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. This Open Enrollment Period consumers will have access to more plan options, more help, for an even longer period of time to enroll. For families in need, that means experiencing the security of having comprehensive health insurance coverage for themselves and their loved ones.

As a recent HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) report showed, increases in Medicaid and Marketplace enrollment help offset decreases in employer-sponsored coverage tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. When health coverage is accessible and affordable, people sign up.

All consumers shopping for health insurance coverage on HealthCare.gov  even those who currently have coverage through the Marketplace  should enroll or re-enroll starting today by logging in to HealthCare.gov and CuidadodeSalud.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 to fill out an application.

To find local help or to be contacted by a Marketplace-registered agent or broker, consumers should go to https://www.healthcare.gov/find-assistance/. Consumers, including current enrollees, generally need to choose a plan by Consumers, including current enrollees, generally need to choose a plan by December 15 for full year coverage to start on January 1. Plans selected after December 15 and by the January 15 Open Enrollment deadline will generally start February 1.

To encourage even more people to enroll in health care coverage, the Biden-Harris Administration has launched testimonial advertisements that feature stories of people who have found significant savings on HealthCare.gov. The testimonials include people, such as:

Katherine and Gavin from Woodlands, TX, a married couple covered through their family plan where they pay $57 per month with financial assistance; and

Valeria from Hialeah, FL, a mother of two young children who found a family plan that pays for $0 per month with financial assistance.

Consumers in states operating their own Marketplace platform can also enroll in a 2022 Marketplace plan starting today. Consumers in these states can find information about available plans and prices, how to obtain in-person or virtual help, and news on local events by visiting or calling their states Marketplace. State-based Marketplace enrollment deadlines and other information are available in the State-based Marketplace Open Enrollment Fact Sheet.

Find out more about key highlights and improvements in the Marketplace 2022 Open Enrollment Season via this fact sheet: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/marketplace-2022-open-enrollment-fact-sheet.

To see the 2022 Issuer Participation County Map; visit: https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Programs-and-Initiatives/Health-Insurance-Marketplaces/Health-Insurance-Exchange-Coverage-Maps.
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Buffalo native trying to get her news on! Im a Multimedia Journalist here at Your Hometown Stations and I love what I do. Have a cool story idea? Im in! Just email me at ashelton@wlio.com or message my Facebook page.
Pipeline

1 November 2021

The latest signing is aligned with IHG's strategy to grow its presence in the Kingdom, in line with Saudi Vision 2030

IHG Hotels & Resorts, one of the world's leading hotel companies, has announced the signing of a Management Agreement with The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), an affiliate of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) to open the InterContinental Resort Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Situated within the premium Red Sea Development destination, the new InterContinental Resort is scheduled to open during Phase One of The Red Sea Project's development. Activity for the first phase of development is well underway and is on track to be completed by the end of 2023.

The announcement comes during Intercontinental Hotel's and Resorts' diamond anniversary celebrations, marking 75 years of pioneering luxury travel with a celebration of rich heritage, iconic hotels and exclusive experiences. The brand has become synonymous with bold exploration, travel and cultural discovery and the InterContinental Resort Red Sea will exemplify these attributes. Set within one of the world's most ambitious luxury tourism developments amidst an archipelago of over 90 pristine islands, the hotel will offer guests sweeping views of the desert and dramatic mountain landscapes, with unparalleled diversity for discerning global travellers.

Each of the resort's 210 sea-facing rooms will provide immediate beach access; allowing guests to step out on to the sands of the Red Sea from the terrace. Moreover, the resort will feature seven different gastronomic experiences, sprawling pools and recreational facilities, a spa, a health club, and meetings and events spaces for leisure and business travellers and groups.
Now Open

1 November 2021

In 2017, Scandic signed an agreement with property owner LahiTapiola to operate a hotel in the iconic Hamburger Bors building in downtown Turku, Finland. And after a comprehensive two-year restauration, Scandic Hamburger Bors has finally opened its doors and the first guests have already checked in to many of its 272 hotel rooms. The hotel is located just opposite Market Square in central Turku and it will now continue its tradition of providing unforgettable hotel and dining experiences as it has since 1894.

Scandic Hamburger Bors celebrated its grand opening on Monday morning with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting by Minna Arve, Mayor of Turku, Olli Aakula, representative from LahiTapiola, Aki Kayhko, Country Head of Scandic Finland, and Mikko Henriksson, General Manager of Scandic Hamburger Bors.

Scandic Hamburger Bors has opened just ahead of the upcoming holidays. The banquet and events section of the hotel is housed in the building's Art Nouveau wing that flows seamlessly into the hotel's modern architecture and offers guests a convenient walkway between conference facilities and hotel rooms.

The hotel's new restaurant, Mas, which is located on the street level, will add a touch of Spanish flair to Turku with its Iberian-inspired dishes and tapas. And the Bors Roof Bar will offer a vibrant atmosphere, refreshing cocktails and the best views of Turku from the 9th floor. Scandic Hamburger Bors was designed by Schauman Architects and the property is already greatly admired for its classy exterior. Guests staying in the hotel's 272 rooms will be able to enjoy a good night's sleep in comfortable standard rooms, spacious superior rooms or magnificent junior suites with arched windows facing the Market Square.

Scandic Hamburger Bors
Appointment

1 November 2021

Art Hotel & Resort general manager Ramez Nemeh brings more than 30 years of experience to the role. He is described as a 'master' of hotel turnarounds. He is well versed in delivering sustainable profitability while also positioning his hotels in line with local cultures.

Starting out in the engineering division of hospitality, he worked for the likes of Le Meridien, Pullman and Kuwait Hotels Company as an engineer. By 1994, he was made EAM operations for Kuwait Hotels Company, marking the beginning of his managerial career.

He went on to become rooms division manager of Holiday Inn Jeddah; GM of Holiday Inn Yanbu and then returned to Holiday Inn Jeddah as GM. Some of his more recent GM roles include a two-year stint at The Grove Resort. A luxurious villa property also in Bahrain.
Press Release

1 November 2021

New pilot program with APAICS, CBCF and CHCI will provide 2022-2023 Fellows with free housing before the start of their respective fellowship programs to help support their transition to Washington, DC.

Program aims to support the organizations efforts to build a more diverse pipeline of individuals interested in careers in Congress and public service.

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Leaders from the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) today joined Airbnb to announce a new pilot program dedicated to supporting the next generation of public service leaders from historically underrepresented communities. As part of the program, Airbnb will provide each organization with housing coupons to help welcome more than 50 fellows to Washington, DC and ease their transition into their respective fellowship programs.

The program was developed with input from all three organizations which expressed a clear need for additional housing support to help fellows with their move to the nations capital. While all three organizations offer some financial support to help fellows offset the cost of housing during the length of their respective fellowship programs, Airbnbs support will allow participants to book weeks-long stays before the start of their fellowship placements. The additional time in Washington, DC will allow fellows to spend time building relationships, exploring the city, and securing longer-term housing for their fellowship.

Airbnb is proud to support APAICS, CBCF, and CHCI in their efforts to develop the next generation of public servants, said Marisa Moret, Airbnbs Director of Strategic Partnerships. As a CHCI alumnus, I understand the costs associated with moving to a new city can be challenging for many embarking on their public service careers, especially for young people from underrepresented communities. This pilot program will give fellows additional time in the nations capital to network and help them prepare for their work on issues impacting communities both nationwide and globally.

This pilot program is part of Airbnbs goal to support the three organizations long-standing efforts to build a more diverse pipeline of Congressional and public policy talent. Despite recent efforts to increase diversity among Hill staff, a 2020 report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found only 11 percent of Senate chiefs of staff, policy chiefs and communications directors are people of color and in the House that figure rises to 19 percent. Fellowships and internship programs such as those offered by APAICS, CBCF and CHCI serve as an entry into the Hill and provide an opportunity to diversify the staff pipeline.

We appreciate Airbnbs commitment to support our Congressional Fellows program by providing a housing grant prior to the start of their Fellowship. There is much work to be done in the representation of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in diversifying Congress and with creative solutions, we can help reduce the burdens of entry and empower applicants from all racial and financial backgrounds to pursue a career in public service, said Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke, President and CEO of APAICS.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellowship Program, housed in the Foundations Leadership Institute, equips early-career policy professionals who are committed to contributing to public policy uplifting the global Black community with the necessary skills to become the next generation of leaders in public service, said Donna Fisher-Lewis, CBCF Interim Co-President and CEO and Senior Vice President of Resource Development.

We are proud to work with Airbnb in helping to make this program more inclusive and helping to remove geographic and financial barriers that have historically led to disparities in equitable staffing of Black staffers on Capitol Hill, said Akailah Jenkins Mcintyre, Director of the CBCF Leadership Institute.

The partnership between Airbnb and CHCI helps further our mission of developing the next generation of Latino Leaders by offsetting some of the financial burden our fellows may face, and facilitating their move to Washington, DC. One of the barriers many Latinos face when deciding to accept our fellowship is the cost of living in DC, especially when they are not familiar with the area. Through this partnership we are able to help them better prepare for their transition to Washington, allowing them to focus on their goal  making an impact in the policy world, said Marco Davis, President and CEO, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

As an incoming APAICS fellow from outside the DMV area, I remember how daunting and complicated the housing search in DC was for me, especially because I couldnt afford to visit potential apartments in-person beforehand, shared Jennifer Kwon, 2018-19 APAICS Congressional Fellow. I was excited to accept this fellowship to pursue my passion, but housing posed a significant hindrance to immediately accepting it. The housing grant provided by Airbnb will greatly reduce the burden on future applicantsespecially those from underrepresented communitieshoping to begin a career in public service.

Having access to temporary transitional housing would have made my move to the DC area much easier. It was difficult for me to sign a lease without physically visiting different locations, having little to no familiarity with the neighborhoods, and minimal understanding of the public transportation systems. Temporary housing would have given me the opportunity to make a safer and informed decision that I truly felt comfortable with, said Dulce Dominguez, 2021-22 CHCI Social Equity Graduate Fellow.

Airbnb is committed to learning from this initial pilot program and applying lessons for future partnership and collaboration.

About APAICS

The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) is a national non-partisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) participation and representation at all levels of the political process, from community service to elected office.

About CBCF

Established in 1976, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) is a non-partisan, nonprofit, public policy, research, and educational institute committed to advancing the global Black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public. For more information, visit cbcfinc.org.

About CHCI

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) is the premier Hispanic nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization in the country dedicated to developing the next generation of Latino leaders. CHCI provides leadership, public service, and policy experiences to outstanding Latino/a/x students and young professionals, and convenes Members of Congress, other public officials, corporate executives, nonprofit advocates, and thought leaders to discuss issues facing the nation and the Hispanic community.
Opinion Article

1 November 2021

Data is the architect of astute business decisions and the key to unfurling market strategies. High-quality data provides insights into the new reality faced by many businesses, such as understanding emerging trends, and quickly understanding changes in consumer behaviour.

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Some hotels have questioned the use of data in this current climate and are faced with a million-dollar question: is historical data obsolete?

Companies are trying to broaden the spectrum of data collection; collecting data through multiple sources that can help create more accurate predictions and prescriptions for better business management.

Businesses are looking towards future data to provide relevant signs that can help them make better decisions. The timeline to a full recovery across the globe is still clouded and requires hotels to have a sharper focus on forward looking data. As we move into recovery and growth in 2022, intelligence from future data trends is going to become the mainstay of business decision-making.

Hotel Data

There is an abundance of data available to hotels: customer data, market data, booked data, guest stay data and more. Several sources contribute to this data pool which is consumed by hotel companies, chains, and independents alike, which brings up key questions, including:

How do hotels use this data?

How is the data accumulated, and from where?

How is the data processed?

How is the data consumed, and in what format?

There are also multiple data sources in the external environment, but hotels face challenges in aggregating external data and developing analytical insights from it. It has led hotels to be heavily dependent on internal data from reservations and guest stays, which has contributed to the knowledge they have of their customer base. Data-led insights have allowed hotels to curate and cater products to their loyal customers and extend their brand equity. It has also helped them to create and manage demand in the most optimal manner.

Hotels depend on data to make meaningful decisions. However, data analytics must go beyond facts and figures. The intention is equally critical, namely, Why and what has been the customers journey? This deeper insight adds much needed context to the data.

Hotel Analytics

Booked data and guest stay data allow hotels to build a narrative using different methods of analysis. In summary, business intelligence tools help us navigate the diagnostic and descriptive analysis, while revenue management software helps us with the predictive and prescriptive analysis.

Diagnostic Analysis

Providing information as it is, of what happened to the business results through graphs and other techniques.

Descriptive Analysis

It helps diagnostic analysis look better by telling a story. A root cause analysis leads to answers of peaks and troughs of losses and gains in market share performance. Simply, why did it happen?

Predictive Analysis

Prepare forecasts using machine learning and forward looking data, or other models primarily based on historical data.

Prescriptive Analysis

It makes the best use of predictive analysis. It is awareness of future demand levels and forecasts. Prescriptive analysis helps to apply the best price, LOS, and availability restrictions to create the best yield for the operation.



In the current climate, there is a need to go beyond historical data analysis. Robust business intelligence incorporating future search data and pre-booking trends is needed to provide better guidance through analytics. The above-mentioned analytic types do not consider future data of different consumer groups, sources of business and platforms. It limits insightful decision making. Hotels not adopting solutions that provide these services will be unable to optimise their results.

Forward-looking data sets

Destination Search Data

Business intelligence of searches on OTA platforms, search engine, and alternative accommodation platforms will help hotels understand not only destinations that are gaining priority, but also:

The products and room type customers seek.

Preferred length of stay.

Critical guest experiences.

It will help hotels to act quickly on their pricing, curate products and offerings that attract a potential customer base and newer markets, and stay agile with their marketing strategies.

Meta and OTA Search Data

Business intelligence of searches on meta and OTA platforms will help hotels understand customer preferences with ratings, features, services, safety, and offerings. When married with destination search data, it tells a story of the product types that find favour with customers and provides insights to revenue managers on pricing and product placement. It also provides opportunities for revenue managers to collaborate with the marketing team and curate products, which have the highest visibility and best chance of purchase.

Travel Search Data

Business intelligence focusing on searches for flights is indicative data which is capable of predicting future demand levels. The potential volume of demand can help hotels formulate forward-looking strategies. This data will always remain critical for developing forecasts, predicting seasons and establishing emerging trends.

Competitive Knowledge

Are hotels satisfied with just one competitive set? Not really. Hotels define multiple competitive sets to monitor performance. What if a hotel was to tap into market data and use a dynamic comp set to get a better understanding of strategies deployed in the market? What if the measurement criteria also included alternative accommodations? A quick scan of the market in current times tells a story that traditional competitive conditions have changed. The need of the hour is to widen the scope of the traditional CompSet to compete effectively.

Expanding the customer journey

Hotel companies have long tried to manage the customer journey from booking to arrival and through the stay, with the cycle then repeating. Multiple touch points along the way help hotels digest and process the customer data and use that information to develop future strategies.

Digital marketing broadened the scope of the customer journey and gave access to the data that was being actively searched by consumers on various platforms. It helped hoteliers to develop more relevant marketing and advertising campaign strategies. But was this enough?

A customer searching for destinations, holidays, hotels, and alternative accommodations has access to various platforms in their palm. These platforms could be search engines, meta platforms, online travel agencies, online review sites, vacation rentals and others. A scan of pre-booking data tells us a story of customer behaviour. It highlights emerging trends, and that is now critical to driving business growth. Broadly collected pre-booking data reflects the intent of the customer:

Are hotels able to monitor touch points beyond their circle of influence?

Are hotels able to aggregate data from different platforms?

How best to use this information?

Hotels must start looking at data that goes beyond booking information. Search data can provide a sense of emerging trends and power a hotels requirement for accurate forecasting, as historical data is unreliable in the current environment.

Predict and prescribe

Future trending data has the power to end the speculative forecasts that many hotels have ascribed to during the last many months. Analysis based on news and half-baked information leads to guesswork. With the industry shunning talent due to costs, it further complicates the recovery path for many. Hoteliers can still make qualified and optimal decisions but require solutions that provide accurate market intelligence about future trends.

Agile decision-making  Spot shifts in traveller demand from different source markets, target much-needed revenue opportunities and optimise marketing spend. Look for the right predictive intelligence solution that can also assist to qualify domestic demand and tailor your strategies accordingly.

 Spot shifts in traveller demand from different source markets, target much-needed revenue opportunities and optimise marketing spend. Look for the right predictive intelligence solution that can also assist to qualify domestic demand and tailor your strategies accordingly. Integrated Tech-Stack  Fine-tuning pricing across newer segments and catering to pent up demand correctly requires high-quality rate shopping data. Identifying and acting on demand trends before the competition could be the difference in maximising revenue in recovery.

The end-all?

Pre-booking data alone cannot give hoteliers the magic forecast numbers they are looking for - yes, this data is powerful enough to help you create some scenarios and make meaningful projections. It will also assist to a degree, in defining future marketing and product strategies, and cater to customer groups that went unnoticed earlier.

However, the times have changed. Hotels need to embrace forward-looking data in decision making across the spectrum of commercial functions. Forward-looking data presents an accurate depiction of future demand, enabling you and your team to forecast and deploy strategies to capture changing demand ahead of the competition.
The Childrens Museum Houston annual gala is known for being light on program, big on fundraising and overall, a darn good time.

Pre-pandemic, the evening easily raked in seven figures, often with slim to zero speakers, honorees or paddle-raise asks. Last weeks Great Gatsby Gala, chaired by Devorah and David Krieger and Ashley and Jonathan Sloan, came close. The quartet raised $961,000 at the Corinthian. Most of those funds will benefit the Childrens Museums free admission programming.

We never turn away anyone who cant pay. We want to be accessible to all children, said development director Tracy Golden. Anyone receiving state benefits can show their Lone Star Card or Texas WIC card and get in free at any time.

The states Women, Infants and Children special supplemental nutrition program and the citys debit-like card are available to needy families and recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, food benefits.

Admission to the Childrens Museum is free from 5 to 8 p.m. every Thursday night.

We partner with just over 1,200 social service agencies including the food bank, women shelters and faith-based organizations, Golden said. Through Open Doors, those organizations can sign up with us to become partners and we send them an unlimited supply of free passes. Those families can come to the museum at any time.

The Childrens Museum serves 1.3 million area youth annually  including their parents and caregivers  more than any other childrens museum in the U.S. At least 33 percent of its visitors are admitted at no cost, with an underlying goal of matching the ticket-holder demographics to reflect the socioeconomic and cultural demographics of Greater Houston.

In 2019, 48 percent of the museums visitors were Hispanic or Latino; 23 percent Black; 21 percent white; and 7 percent Asian-American.

Thats pretty standard every year and is consistent with the makeup of Houston, Golden said.

With that diversity in mind, all Childrens Museum programming is bilingual  predominantly in English and Spanish, though Mandarin and other languages are incorporated, too. The museum provides seven bilingual parent engagement programs at 298 area locations, including 39 branches of Houston Public Library and 54 HISD elementary schools as well.

Parents are often the childs first teacher, Golden said. Those programs are meant to give parents confidence. In Houston, so many parents arent confident in their abilities to teach their own children because they have low levels of education or English isnt their first language.

A chunk of the galas unrestricted fundraising benefits educational outreach.

Pre-COVID, there were more dollars coming in from parking, ticketed admission, the gift shop and our cafe, Golden said. Because were limiting attendance and theres pandemic-related hesitancy, less money is coming in. Thats why the money raised from the gala is so critical now.

Gala and auction chairs Lexi Sakowitz Marek and Natalie Steen set an initial fundraising goal of $500,000. By nights end that figure swelled to nearly $1 million.

The generous crowd, comprised of mostly young couples with small children, might not realize that proceeds also support Welcome Baby, which provided 5,326 resource bags to low-income, new parents in 2019. Or the Houston Basic program, which hosts five parent and infant/toddler workshops annually.

Big numbers and a swell party are on-brand for Jay Gatsby, though Golden is hoping to spread the news of the Childrens Museums mission far and wide, ala Nick Carraway.

No one knows what we do outside of the museum building, she said. Ill mention some of the programs we offer, and so many people say, I had no idea yall did that.

amber.elliott@chron.com
The owners of a new restaurant in Friendswood are bringing a taste of their Cuban heritage to Friendswood.

The Cuban Flavor opened on Sept. 11 and is already making a name for itself as the place in the Bay Area where Cuban culture is celebrated in every breakfast, lunch and dinner dish.

Its a completely different flavor than anything else in Texas, and customers are thanking us for bringing it here, said Yamilka Cortina, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Habdyel Sarmiento.

From the more familiar and popularized Cuban sandwich to other staples like cerdo asado (slow roasted pork marinated with Cuban mojo) and palomilla steak (thin, flat steak grilled with onions), the restaurant offers a taste of its owners family histories.

Cortina, 42, was born in Miami to Cuban immigrants who left Fidel Castros Cuba in the late 1950s. Sarmiento, 39, arrived in the United States when he was 19, fleeing his communist homeland.

The Cuban Flavor became their dream not long after they arrived in Texas. The couple, who met in Miami, moved to the League City area in 2010 and had been used to Cuban culture being a constant presence in their daily lives.

The Cuban Flavor What: A new Friendswood restaurant offering Cuban dishes that reflect the heritage of the couple who own it. Address: Friendswood Plaze, 709 W Parkwood Ave suite g, Friendswood, TX. Website: https://bit.ly/3msQ5EO Facebook:https://bit.ly/3mrIHcF Phone: 832-569-5750 See More Collapse

In Miami, we were used to just driving around the corner to drink our Cuban coffee or a cafe con leche (latte) and have our pastries, Cortina said. When we moved to League City, we realized that there werent any (Cuban restaurants) here and we would have to drive to Houston to get a little bit of our culture.

Cortina, an occupational therapist, and Sarmiento, a construction supervisor, missed the foods they had grown up on would frequently cook for friends in League City and the Bay Area. They began taking their food to local farmers markets and to test the waters, catered out of their home.

In 2019, the couple made its full commitment to share their love of Cuban food with a larger community.

We left our professions to open up the restaurant, Cortina said.

At the Cuban Flavor, it starts from the source, which is from the islands.

Our food is Caribbean; so its very similar to Puerto Rican food and other foods from the islands, and that makes it unique and different than anything else in Texas, she said.

For one thing, Cortina said, Cuban is not spicy.

People are expecting it to be spicy because theyre used to spicy food in Texas, but its not, but it does have so many flavors, she said.

The restaurant isnt only about the food, but the cultural vibe, said Cortina.

The walls of the restaurant are adorned with images of some of Cubas cultural touchstones, such as photographs of hand-rolled cigars or of the antique cars seen in the country.

Were in 2021 and in Cuba, people are still driving cars from the 1950s and 1960s, said Sarmiento. We dont have any options to drive new cars; so we have the old ones.

Those cultural references are something the couple wants to celebrate as they share the food that keeps them close to their roots. For instance, the couple plans to host various events, like classic car gatherings or Cuban cigar nights.

Weve been opened for a month weve been very blessed, she said. Just for the number of customers coming through our doors as a new restaurant, weve been amazed (at the response). People tell us they needed this and have been thanking us for bringing something new to the area.

For Sarmiento, the restaurant is a way to hold onto his homeland without the strife and struggle.

I left Cuba to have a future, and I didnt have a future in communist Cuba, he said. Im glad I was born in Cuba because I had those 19 years of struggle, and that allowed me to see life differently and appreciate what I have now.

Sarmiento and Cortina found home in the U.S. but still feel attached to Cuba culturally, and The Cuban Flavor gives them the perfect place to celebrate that bond.

We feel strongly about our heritage, Cortina said. This has been our dream and goal for nine years.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
Set on empowering Houston-area girls and young women, Girl Scouts supporters gathered on Oct. 28 for their first major in-person fundraiser since before the pandemic began.

Roughly 550 friends of Girl Scouts attended the 11th Annual Success to Significance Luncheon at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Sugar Land teen lands lead in off-Broadway musical

This is our annual big fundraising event for the purpose of making sure we can make Girl Scouting available to all girls, said Mary Vitek, CEO of Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. So, it helps us extend the Girl Scouts program to girls who might not otherwise have the opportunity, and its also our opportunity for the community to learn more about Girl Scouts.

The luncheon raised $340,300 to further Scouting programs across 26 counties in southeast Texas. Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council has nearly 50,000 girls and more than 17,000 adult members. Fort Bend County has 2,795 active troops.

In 2022, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council will celebrate 100 years of promoting values, social conscience and self-confidence in area Scouts while teaching them life skills that help them become successful adults. Additionally, the larger Girl Scouts organization will mark its 110th anniversary in 2022.

Scouts participate in activities like selling their ever-popular cookies, serving their communities and finding new adventures at camp.

Callie Day leads her fourth grader in Troop 152027 in the Richmond-Fulshear area and also serves on the leadership team for the Scouts Lone Star Treasures community. In the past, she led her seventh graders troop.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Fort Bend ISD ready to showcase its student-run businesses at Nov. 13 event

I think its really important for my girls to be a part of Girl Scouts because of the experiences that they get to be a part of, the opportunities that it opens for them, Day said. Just in all different areas, whether it be that outdoor experience or even an opportunity to do public speaking in a room full of adults and volunteering with the community doing community service.

She explained that Scouting helps girls better understand themselves and who they want to be. Lone Star Treasures Scouts who sold more than 500 boxes of cookies recently participated in a special bake-off. Day is now working to plan an upcoming scavenger hunt for the girls who sold more than 1,000 boxes.

I do what I do to give opportunities for all girls, Day said.

Seventeen-year-old Kennedy Fischer of Spring was recognized after selling more than 2,000 boxes of cookies this year. She has been a Girl Scout for 12 years and has consistently been a top seller, all in part to hard work, time management and support from her large troop, she explained.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Fort Bend ISD requests stakeholder feedback on its return to in-person learning plan

Her troop has a lot of girls with big cookie goals, so Kennedy said they make sure to do a good job working at cookie booths and are therefore asked to return each year. They are planning to travel to Costa Rica this summer as a troop using their cookie funds.

Nash El-Mugheiry serves on the San Jacinto Councils board and has two Girl Scouts of her own. She has been impressed with the organizations leadership and commitment to the girls. She also appreciates the activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics because she hopes to guide young women into successful careers, particularly in the energy industry, where she works.

Its a great way of feeding that pipeline of female talent, El-Mugheiry said.

Kelly Prasser works for Sempra Infrastructure, a corporate partner with Girl Scouts, and said that relationship aligns well with the companys values of developing leadership among women and helping them build their skills, all while fostering self-confidence. Over her career, Prasser has been able to hire both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and said the experience has always been a pleasure. Plus, lots of employees at Sempra support Scouting because they have children and grandchildren in the programs.

Vitek explained that Scouting benefits the whole community, not just the girls. Volunteers find purpose, and Scouts help others through their service work. She said studies have shown Scouts often grow up well prepared for careers and civically engaged in their communities.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Community leaders, volunteers cut the ribbon on nonprofit Attack Povertys new community center in Rosenberg

Ever since that first troop was formed in Savannah, Georgia, in 1912, Girl Scouts have been providing every generation of girls with transformative experiences to help them build courage, confidence and character, Vitek said. In turn, these girls and young women have been making our world a better place.

To learn more about Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council or how to get involved, visit www.gssjc.org.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
WAKARUSA, Ind. (AP)  Authorities in northern Indiana were investigating a single-vehicle crash that killed the driver and two children and injured a third child.

The crash happened just before 4 p.m. Friday when 28-year-old Jessica Tubbs vehicle hit a utility pole near Wakarusa on the passenger side and then continued south off the road and hit a tree, according to the Elkhart County Sheriffs Department.
On a glorious Sunday morning last week, I pulled into Glenwood Cemeterys leafy entrance off Washington Avenue, where Bernice Mistrot was waiting to guide me to a famous grave site in the adjacent Washington Cemetery.

A native San Franciscan and a Houstonian for more than 40 years, Bernice is the longtime secretary of the Washington Cemetery Historic Trust; she likely knows more about the occupants of both cemeteries than anybody else in Houston. Another knowledgeable Houstonian, Jim Parsons, joined us. Hes programs director for Preservation Houston.

Strolling through dappled shade (and for Jim through a bed of wide-awake fire ants), we were ostensibly headed toward the gravesite of Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmonds Seelye, but there were so many other interesting and illustrious Houstonians along the way, I thought we might have to break for lunch before we ever got there.

Bernice cheerfully admitted she would prefer to talk about William Gammell, who fought at San Jacinto; four-war veteran Ellis Benson, who, in Jims words, never met a war he didnt like; Charles August Dellschau, whose strange and intricate drawings of airships (now in the Menil Collection) seem to anticipate the Wright brothers four decades before Kitty Hawk; or Annette Finnigan, an early-20th-century Houston businesswoman, suffragist leader and philanthropist.

They were interesting, one and all, but I felt like I was having to gently nudge Bernice, several times, toward Seelye, a Canadian-born woman who lies buried in the Grand Army of the Republic section of Washington Cemetery. Its not that she didnt want to talk about Seelye, she said, but others deserved equal attention.

She didnt set foot in Texas until 1890 and didnt do anything very interesting while here, Bernice had written in an email. She just happened to die here.

Still, she and Jim had to admit that Seelyes grave site is Washington Cemeterys most visited. Glenwoods got Howard Hughes; weve got Emma Seelye, Bernice said, with a hint of resignation.

Heres why I, and apparently many others, seek her out:

On April 17, 1861, 20-year-old Franklin Thompson become one of the first people in Michigan to respond to President Abraham Lincolns call for 75,000 volunteers in response to Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter. The Flint, Mich., resident signed on with the Flint Union Greys, a private military company that became part of the Second Michigan Infantry Regiment.

The Second Michigan fought in the some of the bloodiest battles of the war: Bull Run, Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Petersburg. Thompson served as a regimental nurse for two years and suffered injuries on a couple of occasions.

In the spring of 1863, Thompson came down with malaria in Kentucky and requested a furlough to recuperate. The request was denied. Facing the probability of hospital confinement, the young soldier deserted, knowing that in the hospital it was highly likely that Frank Thompson would be revealed as Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmonds, one of an estimated 400 women known to have served in the Union Army disguised as a man.

Born in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1841, Edmonds had experience posing as a man. As the story goes, her father demanded she marry an elderly farmer she had no interest in marrying, so she fled to the U.S. She transformed herself into a traveling Bible salesman named Franklin Thompson and eventually settled in Flint.

During the war, this self-made man, to borrow a headline from the Edmonton Journal, not only served as a nurse, but also, if her 1864 memoir is to be believed, uncovered vital information as a spy among the Confederates. In her lively and very readable book, Nurse and Spy in the Union Army, Edmonds describes disguising herself as a woman to go among the Confederates in Virginia. I procured the dress of a female peddler, she writes, following the army, selling cakes, pies, etc., together with a considerable amount of brogue, and a set of Irish phrases. . . .

She also describes darkening her skin with nitrate of silver and going among Confederate camps, where, as a little black urchin, she picked up useful details about troop movements and army strength.

Edmonds undercover escapades are documented nowhere else, leading Civil War scholars - and Bernice Mistrot - to conclude that she had a penchant for embellishment and perhaps outright concoction. There is no doubt that she disguised herself as a man and rendered heroic service in the heat of battle; there is serious doubt about her spy adventures. As a memoirist, apparently, she was a good novelist.

Resuming her identify as Sarah Edmonds after the war, she worked in Harpers Ferry, W. Va., as a nurse for the U.S. Christian Commission, forerunner to the Red Cross. In 1867, she married a carpenter named Linus Seelye, and the couple settled in Kansas. She gave birth to three children, all of whom died in infancy. Later, she and her husband adopted two sons.

In the early 1880s, several men of the Second Michigan Infantry Regiment received letters from a woman in Fort Scott, Kans., who claimed to be their old comrade-in-arms, Frank Thompson. They were skeptical initially but eventually came to believe she was telling the truth.

In 1884, they invited her to the regiments reunion in Flint. The Frank Thompson who strolled up to greet them was now stout and fleshy Sarah Edmonds Seelye, a wife and mother. The men and officers of the Second Michigan were happy to write affidavits and letters to Washington on her behalf. Congress ultimately took action, removing the charge of desertion and granting her a full pension of $12 a month for the rest of her life. She was the only female Civil War veteran to receive a pension.

Sarah and Linus Seelye moved to Texas in the mid-1890s. She died on Sept. 5, 1898, at age 56. She was buried, as the Houston Daily Post put it in 1901, at a lonely spot by the seaside near La Porte. That same year, the George B. McClellan Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, based in Houston, successfully petitioned to have her reinterred at the Washington Cemetery (then known as the German Cemetery). Her government headstone is engraved simply as Emma Seely (sic) Army Nurse.

One final mystery about this fascinating woman: Were her comrades really fooled during the two years she served with them in battle, or did they merely go along with the ruse? In light of the fact that they referred to their buddy Frank as Our Woman and marveled at his tiny feet, you sort of have to wonder.

djholley10@gmail.com

Twitter:holleynews
A man in custody at the Harris County Jail died Sunday after a fight with another inmate late Friday, officials said.

Staff found Fred Harris, 19, unresponsive and severely injured at 11:16 p.m. Friday in a holding cell on the third floor of the 1200 Baker St. jail facility, the Harris County Sheriffs Office reported Monday.

Officials transported Harris to Ben Taub Hospital, where he died two days later, the 18th inmate to die in the custody of the Harris County Sheriffs Office this year.

Michael Ownby, 25, was charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury following the fight. He remained in custody Monday. It was not immediately clear what caused the animus between Harris and Ownby, officials said

Harris was in jail awaiting trial on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The Texas Rangers will investigate his death.

Late Monday, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez addressed Harris death, calling it a tragedy, that adds to the increasing number of lives taken violently in every corner of our society this year.

We are determined to ensure that his killer faces justice, he continued, and we extend our condolences to Mr. Harris family.

LOCKED INSIDE: An outbreak at Harris County Jail was a nightmare scenario. Then it actually happened

Harris death comes as an increasing number of Texas inmates have died in the states jails. Last year, at least 124 people died in Texas lockups, according to state data  the highest number since the state began tracking that information more than a decade ago.

The state lockups have come under increasing scrutiny after several high-profile deaths in past years, such as the 2015 death of Sandra Bland, who died by suicide in Waller County jail three days after she was arrested during a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation.

Texas Commission on Jail Standards Executive Director Brandon Wood said the state agency was aware of the death and investigation.

It was reported to us and is under investigation, he said.

The 19-year-old is the latest inmate to die in the custody of the sheriffs office this year. One prominent criminal justice reform advocate called the incident an unspeakable tragedy.

The ruthless human caging of the poorest people in Houston has killed another teenager, said Alec Karakatsanis, Executive Director of the Civil Rights Corps and a vocal critic of the countys criminal justice system and jail operation.

In September, an inmate died by apparent suicide in the Harris County jail. Staff found Billy Dunn, 47, hanging from a bed sheet midday on Sept. 29 in a single-person cell in the departments jail facility at 701 N. San Jacinto St.

Toothless oversight: Vague standards, weak enforcement endanger Texas jail inmates, government watchdog finds

Last month, a man arrested by Harris County sheriff's deputies died at the countys Joint Processing Center after being tased, prompting an advocate for the incarcerated to criticize a culture of punishment and neglect in the Harris County Sheriffs office.

The man was later identified as 42-year-old Kenneth Anderson. The departments in-custody death report states deputies responded to a single vehicle crash. They detained Anderson, the driver and lone occupant of the car, and put him into a police car, where he refused to allow deputies to close the door. In response, a deputy stunned him with a Taser stun gun to gain compliance.

Paramedics assessed Anderson and cleared him to be taken to the jail. After Anderson arrived, he became unresponsive, according to state records. Jail staff performed CPR and called paramedics, who took him to St. Joseph Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Earlier this year, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez fired 11 employees and suspended six others in connection with the death of a young man who was reportedly beaten by detention officers and later died in his cell during Februarys deep freeze.

nora.mishanec@chron.com

st.john.smith@chron.com
One of the children rescued from a Harris County apartment  where their dead sibling decomposed for nearly a year  required reconstructive facial surgery for an untreated injury that escalated to an infection, according to prosecutors.

The extent of the injury  caused when authorities say suspect Brian Coulter punched the child  was revealed Monday in court as the mother of the children, Gloria Williams, 35, went before a judge on three charges in the abuse case.

Coulter, Williams boyfriend, punched the childs jaw in the weeks prior to the rescue when he visited the couples nearby apartment, prosecutors said. The apartment was separate from the third-floor unit at 3530 Green Crest where deputies on Oct. 24 discovered the three malnourished children living with the skeletal remains of their brother, 8-year-old Kendrick Lee.

The mother is charged with injury to a child by omission, injury to a child causing serious bodily injury and tampering with evidence, in this case a human corpse. Her boyfriend is charged with murder.

In court, Judge Kelli Johnson asked whether Williams was aware of the abuse toward her children and the prosecutor overseeing the case, Andrea Beall, replied that she did. The judge has agreed to seal documents with the identities of the surviving children.

This case has shocked the conscience of our community, as well as the nation, Beall said. We need to make sure we find answers as to how a mother could allow this to happen to her children.

Williams on Monday offered few words in the 178th District Court other than to say good morning to the judge. A hearing later this week will determine whether the mothers combined bail of $900,000 will be lowered, raised or stay the same.

Defense attorney Neal Davis III, appointed to the case that morning, said he was unsure if Williams had the financial support of her family to pay for her pre-trial release.

The law says that every person is entitled to a reasonable bond and a reasonable bond right now is not $900,000, Davis said.

Coulter and Williams were arrested Tuesday in the childs death and the abuse of the others.

Authorities discovered Kendricks remains after his 15-year-old brother called police to CityParc II at West Oaks Apartments, telling them that their mother abandoned them in March. The siblings received food deliveries sent by their mother but were mostly forced to fend for themselves at times as their brothers body continued to decompose.

According to court documents, two of the siblings witnessed Coulter punch and kick Kendrick until he stopped moving.

Coulter told police that he lost his temper.

The kids were forbidden from leaving the apartment by their abusers, the eldest child told authorities, and were possibly locked in different parts of their home. The conditions in the apartment were deplorable: the carpet was soiled and there was no furniture, bedding or blankets. Roaches and flies crawled around the empty space.

The eldest brother was afraid to seek help because he had been abused and traumatized, officials said. He was was relying on his mother to contact authorities after discovering his brothers body in a bedroom last Thanksgiving, but she never did.

The mother said she did not report the abuse or death because her boyfriend told her not to, authorities said. She also feared that Child Protective Services would take her children away and she would go to jail. The state agency last week took custody of her children.

As authorities continue their investigation, they have also wondered why neighbors at the complex never called law enforcement. The Harris County Sheriffs Office never received a report of foul odors or other suspicious activity from the unit, the agency has said.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
Two men were shot, one critically, early Monday after leaving a bar in the Washington Avenue corridor where a fight erupted earlier.

Gunfire struck one man in the head and another in the shoulder when a gunman opened fire on a car carrying three people near 5300 Washington Avenue around 3 a.m., the Houston Police Department said in a statement. The gunman fled.
A fire severely damaged a bar in the Washington Avenue corridor late Sunday, forcing out Astros fans who had gathered there. No injuries were reported.

A patron of Henderson Heights Grill & Pub saw flames and called firefighters to the packed bar around 10 p.m., Hunter Schappaugh, a district chief with the Houston Fire Department, told Metro Video Services reporters at the scene.
Quilting is more often associated with grandmothers than gadgetry. But for denizens of the craft, the International Quilt Festival is an opportunity to survey the latest and greatest sewing technology and techniques.

After a years hiatus, quilters returned this weekend to the George R. Brown Convention Center, where vendors had arranged an eye-popping array of wares. Some, like Tina Brown, came to test out the newest sewing machines  like a $13,900 Bernina she likened to the Cadillac of the quilting world. Others, like Leticia Allred, came for more modest pleasures.

Allred and her teenage daughter Brisa traveled to Houston from Lake City to marvel at the quilts on display, but assiduously avoided the booths selling fabric for fear theyd be tempted into buying some. Their small house is already bursting with bolts, Allred said.

My husband knows that if the sewing machine is out, we are not eating at the dinner table that weekend, she said Sunday.

A teacher, Allred mostly quilts in the summertime, when shes not in school. Shes teaching her four daughters to sew because she wants them to be self-sufficient; to know, she said, how to fix buttons and shorten hemlines.

And it gets me off my phone, Brisa, 17, chimed in.

Nearby, Paul Ryan sat in a folding chair leaning against the wall at the outer edge of the convention center. He was conspicuous for being one of the few men in attendance. The reason for his presence was clear: he was guarding his wifes four bags of folded fabric squares  known among quilters as fat quarters  in every color imaginable.

He declared the haul a drop in the bucket compared to his wifes fabric stash, stowed in their North Carolina home.

Nashwa Aleem came not to shop, but to get inspiration for her own work. The Houstonian makes art quilts, creations she compared to paintings made of thread.

As she wandered the aisles, she snapped photos on her smart phone. She stopped to take a photo of a quilt emblazoned with the image of a horse, its body surrounded with rhinestones falling like rain.

The applique work is flawless, she said. Thats what I look for: texture, color and movement.

Approaching a black-and-white quilted portrait of a man in a cowboy hat, Aleem cried out in astonishment.

Look at that detail! This is thread painting at its best, like sketching with a needle, she said.

She began quilting 11 years ago to raise money for her boys Montessori school. The first year, she made three quilts and and sold them for $2,000. Her quilts have grown more elaborate ever since.

Hundreds of quilts, in styles ranging from traditional pieces to modern threaded confections, were on display in the cavernous convention center. Judges rigorously evaluated each submission and gave out a total of $52,750 in cash to entrants from around the world. Best of show was awarded to Japanese seamstress Sachiko Chiba for her elaborate floral mandala design.

A few dozen historical quilts were on display too. Gloved sentries like Nikita Gallien stood by, ready to show inquiring festival-goers the detailed hand stitching that distinguishes antique quilts from new, machine-made ones.

Gallien approached the oldest quilt  a starred pink-and-blue design from the early 1800s  and slipped beneath the rope protecting it from visitors. With a white-gloved hand, she carefully pulled back the corner to reveal the delicate stitching on the backside of the quilt. As a new quilter, she said she is still learning about all the elements that go into quilting.

"I've learned not to call them blankets," she said.

nora.mishanec@chron.com
The Texas Medical Board last month took a corrective action against Houstons Dr. Stella Immanuel after she prescribed hydroxychloroquine to treat a patients COVID-19 infection without adequately explaining the health consequences, according to medical board records.

Immanuel, who gained national attention last year for pushing the drug as a cure for COVID, previously told the Chronicle that she used hydroxychloroquine to treat hundreds of patients. In numerous studies, COVID patients have experienced no meaningful benefit from the medication, and some research points to a greater risk of heart rhythm problems.

In an Oct. 15 decision, the medical board ordered Immanuel to submit proof of informed consent  or permission given by a patient who understands the possible health outcomes  for all off-label treatments she provides. She must adopt policies that require all consent documents to be reviewed and signed by the patient for off-label treatment. She also must pay $500 to the medical board.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston Methodist doctors experience increased hostility amid ivermectin, COVID misinformation

Immanuel could not immediately be reached for comment.

Medical board documents do not include any details about the patient who was prescribed hydroxychloroquine. It is unclear whether the medication caused any adverse health effects. Medical board spokesman Jarrett Schnieder said he could not provide further information.

The move is a corrective action that is considered non-disciplinary, according to medical board records. Immanuel appeared before board members in a June 12 video conference. She did not admit or deny the findings and cooperated with the investigation, the medical board said. A violation of the boards order could lead to discipline, the board said.

Born in Cameroon, Immanuel graduated in 1990 from the University of Calabar in Nigeria and completed a residency at a Bronx, N.Y., hospital.

The Texas Medical Board licensed Immanuel in November 2019 for pediatrics and emergency medicine with an address associated with the Rehoboth Medical Center in west Houston. She has no documented disciplinary actions or known complaints in Texas or Louisiana, where she was first licensed in 1998.

COVID HELP DESK: How quickly are vaccine rates rising?

Immanuel first jumped on the national radar in July 2020 when she touted the benefits of hydroxychloroquine on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. A video of the event went viral, and former president Donald Trump retweeted it.

In later interviews, Immanuel revealed she is a preacher who leads Fire Power Ministries in Katy. She focuses on deliverance, or using rituals to cleanse people of evil spirits or demons. She has said she believes in alien DNA, and in 2013 she shared a video saying that certain womens diseases are caused by sex with demons in dreams.

Brooke A. Lewis and Samantha Ketterer contributed to this report.

julian.gill@chron.com
Regarding Texas lawmaker launches probe of school libraries' books on race, sexuality, (Oct. 26): As I scanned the list of more than 800 books being scrutinized by the General Investigating Committee, I realized that the titles are a virtual window into the souls of Rep. Matt Krause and the other committee members. There is a recurring theme of persecuted human beings, including LGBTQ individuals, African Americans, Native Americans and even women in the Holocaust.

One title was was particularly stunning: Life, Death and Sacrifice: Women and Family in the Holocaust by Esther Hertzog. The book is filled with stories about heroic women facing death, starvation and disease in ghettos and extermination camps. Jewish and non-Jewish women undertook dangerous missions, acted as decoys, couriers, double agents and resistance fighters. The book emphasizes the leadership role of women in survival and adaptation to the horrors of the Holocaust.

Another book on the list is: Native America and the Question of Genocide. I can see how these books could be offensive to a conservative like Krause because they do not present any alternative views on the perpetrators of genocide.

Kenneth Meyers, Houston

I am most alarmed by the story about Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, questioning our school districts on what books they have on their shelves. Part of his criteria is whether the books contain material that might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex. By this measure I think he should add the Bible to his list. It certainly has sections which cause discomfort and guilt to the reader.

This attempt at Republican censorship is unusual as it is coming from someone who claims to be a member of the Texas House Freedom Caucus. Texas House Republicans need to decide if they want freedom or censorship.

Michael Sternesky, Houston

Theory connotes conjecture

Regarding Editorial: How Texas' 'CRT' bill is terrifying teachers and cheating kids, (Oct. 25): Your editorial is spot on. In this age of jingoism many people react to the phrase critical race theory as a blanket condemnation of the white race in Texas and America for slavery in our founding years. All education must involve a critical review of facts to determine the validity of prevailing social views. Theory, unfortunately, connotes conjecture. Those of us in our golden years know we were not taught all the facts about slavery, Jim Crow, voter suppression and economic hardship on minority groups. We often had no Black teachers or children in our classrooms. The phrase has motivated our conservative Legislature to prohibit the teaching of historical facts which might cause discomfort or feelings of guilt in our students. Now, alternative views must be taught. Alternative views on the Holocaust? Our students deserve the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

H. Clay Moore, Dickinson

Republicans complained when Dr. Seuss publisher decided to stop printing six titles. Now, they want books banned. Their hypocrisy is never ending.

The books from Dr. Seuss had negative racial imagery. The books Republicans want banned address racism. Republicans pretend that acknowledgment of the truth about racism is itself racist and constitutes critical race theory, their buzzword of the moment.

The pattern is clear, and no one is fooled. Everyone is expected to believe that all racism has been entirely excised from our system and any perception that it still exists is all anyone elses fault. Meanwhile, many Republicans refuse to say the words Black Lives Matter under any circumstances.

Bruce Ellis, Houston
Rochelle Garza, a former ACLU attorney, will run in the Democratic primary for attorney general, instead of running for Congress after redistricting lowered her odds of success in a South Texas seat.

Since July, Garza had sought to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, in the 34th Congressional District. But redistricting pushed Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, to decide to run for re-election in the 34th District instead of his own neighboring 15th District after the new boundaries made it more competitive for Republicans. Gonzalez and Vela have endorsed Garza.

As an attorney, I've fought Trump, Kavanaugh, and indicted Ken Paxton before  and won, Garza said in a tweet Monday that accompanied a bilingual campaign announcement video. Now, I'm running to be your Texas Attorney General to hold those in power accountable to Texans. Of the people. By the people. For the people.

The Harlingen-born and Brownsville-raised lawyer, who could not immediately be reached for comment, will compete in the March 1 Democratic primary against Joe Jaworski, a mediator and former Galveston mayor, and Lee Merritt, a nationally recognized civil rights attorney.

A Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation/Rice University poll released Monday found that the majority of likely primary voters, or 60 percent, were still undecided in the race. Jaworski and Merritt each had about 20 percent support.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Democrats see their opening in race against embattled AG Ken Paxton

In announcing her campaign, Garza highlighted her experience winning a 2017 case against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Trump administration in which she represented a 17-year-old undocumented immigrant in detention who sought access to abortion care. A federal appellate court in Washington, D.C. ruled in the girls favor.

She knows what its like to represent the interests of everyday Texans as they interact with our legal system  from representing parents seeking child support to defending peoples due process rights, her campaign website reads.

Expanding access to health care is also one of her campaign priorities, an issue she became passionate about because of the difficulties her family went through in raising her oldest brother, Robby, who suffered a brain injury during childbirth and grew up with disabilities.

Her mother left her teaching job to care for Robby, according to her campaign site, and the family struggled with denials of coverage for items including a wheelchair lift to get him to school.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Prior to joining the ACLU as a staff attorney, she practiced with her family law firm, Garza & Garza Law. She has a bachelors degree from Brown University and law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

The Republican primary for attorney general is also a crowded one, as Paxtons personal legal troubles increase.

Paxton, who is seeking a third term, has been indicted since 2015 on felony securities fraud charges and is under FBI investigation for bribery, abuse of office and other corruption charges alleged by his former aides, some of whom are now suing him in a whistleblower retaliation suit. He has denied all wrongdoing.

The same THPF/Rice poll showed Paxton had 50 percent support, compared to 17 percent for Land Commissioner George P. Bush, 6 percent for former Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman and 2 percent for state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed former U.S. Supreme Court clerk Evan Young to the state's high court.

Young, 45, is a partner at the firm of Baker Botts of Austin who at 28 years old clerked for former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, considered a luminary among conservatives.

Young will replace former Justice Eva Guzman, who resigned in June to run for Texas attorney general, and will complete her term, which expires at the end of next year.

Evan Young is a proven legal scholar and public servant, making him an ideal pick for the Supreme Court of Texas, Abbott said in a statement. Evan's extensive background in private practice and public service will be a fantastic addition to the bench, and I am confident that he will faithfully defend the Constitution and uphold the rule of law for the people of Texas.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman resigns

Prior to his clerkship, Young served as counsel to two Republican-appointed U.S. Attorneys General. He spent nearly a year in Baghdad, Iraq, where he helped lead U.S. efforts assist the government there in strengthening its legal system.

He returned to Texas in 2009 to work in private practice for Baker Botts, where he focuses on trial and appellate litigation. He co-chairs the firm's Supreme Court and Constitutional Law Practice. Hes argued cases before both the U.S. Supreme Court and the Texas Supreme Court.

Hes been an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Law School since 2015, where he has taught federal law.

Evan Young has already made outstanding contributions to the Texas justice system, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht said in a statement Monday. He will continue to serve the people of Texas with distinction, and the court is proud to have him join us.

Young will need to win in the statewide general election next year to earn a full six-year term to the all-Republican bench. David Schenck, a justice on the Dallas-based Fifth Court of Appeals, has already announced that he will run in the Republican primary for the seat. Schenck told the Texas Tribune he still plans to run regardless of Youngs appointment.

In a 2005 interview with the Houston Chronicle , Young said he regarded his boss at the time, Scalia, as one of the great minds of the law and described his family as traditionally Christian. He was a member of the Federalist Society, a conservative and libertarian legal group, at Yale and continues to frequently speak at the groups events.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Young once eyed Court; now he works with justices

As a teen, he wrote a biography on former Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark, the namesake of his San Antonio high school that was later published as a book.

Young is also a former chair of the Texas Regional Office of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee. Since 2017, he has served as a member of the Texas Judicial Council, which studies states judicial branch and reports to the Legislature and the state high court.

Young received bachelors degrees in history from both Duke University and Oxford University and a law degree from Yale Law School. His wife, Tobi Young, with whom he has one daughter, was the first known enrolled citizen of a Native American tribe to serve as a law clerk at the high court, according to the National Law Journal.

Abbott has now appointed a majority of the justices on the Texas Supreme Court. Hes also appointed Justices Jimmy Blacklock (2018), Brett Busby (2019), Jane Bland (2020) and Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle (2020).
A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared open to blocking enforcement of the new Texas abortion ban, but grappled with how best to do it. And they seemed ready to potentially issue a split decision in two cases argued Monday that seek to stop the nations most restrictive abortion law in decades.

Texas abortion providers and the Biden administration have sued the state and various state officials including judges and court clerks, who they say help enforce the law known as Senate Bill 8, which bans abortions after about six weeks.

The law is designed to evade judicial intervention by officially delegating enforcement to private citizens through $10,000 bounties for lawsuits brought against abortion providers and others who help women obtain the procedure after six weeks, or when fetal cardiac activity is first detected. Both plaintiffs argued Monday that the state courts are critical to the setup, even if they are not directly named as enforcers of it.

The state has made the clerks an essential role in this machinery that they have created to nullify constitutional rights that have been recognized by this court, said Marc Hearron, a lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing Texas abortion providers.

IN-DEPTH: Todays hearing is a first test for U.S. Supreme Courts conservative majority

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The courts two newest justices, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, at times appeared sympathetic to the argument that the law provides no viable path for abortion providers and others to seek judicial review. Both justices are conservatives who declined to intervene in the law when it rolled out in early September, and are considered the potential swing votes now.

Barrett asked Hearron whether the law essentially bars defendants sued under Senate Bill 8 from raising their full constitutional defense.

I think thats right, your honor, Hearron responded, adding that Texas lawmakers have tried to change the substantive rules that this court applies.

Kavanaugh asks: Are gun rights next?

The two cases will turn heavily on the courts application of a 1908 Supreme Court case called Ex Parte Young, which allowed for litigation to proceed in federal court against state officials who are acting unconstitutionally. That decision did not, however, apply to state courts.

Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone suggested Monday that any expansion of the Ex Parte rule to include state court officials would be a violation of our whole scheme of government.

The entire point of this law  its purpose and its effect  is to find the chink in the armor of Ex Parte Young, said Justice Elena Kagan, one of the courts three liberal judges.

Ex Parte set out a basic principle of how our government is supposed to work and how people can seek review of unconstitutional state laws, Kagan said. So to now say, Oh, weve never seen this before, so we cant do anything about it. I guess I just dont understand the argument.

Kavanaugh asked Stone about the ripple effects that could come if the court declines to intervene, noting a legal brief filed by a gun rights organization raised concerns that states could set up similar laws targeting gun owners and dealers.

Whether or not federal court avenues are available does not turn on the nature of the right, Stone said.

So we can assume that this will be across the board, equally applicable, as the Firearms Policy Coalition says, to all constitutional rights? Kavanaugh replied.

Yes, Stone said, suggesting that congressional action would be the appropriate intervention.

Isnt the point of a right that you dont have to ask Congress? Kagan said. Isnt the point of a right that it doesnt really matter what Congress thinks or what the majority of the American people think as to that right?

A Houston abortion patients testimonial

Outside the courthouse, dozens of protesters gathered for dueling rallies.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton voiced optimism about the case and argued the Biden administration is asking the court to set what he described as a dangerous precedent.

The remedies the Department of Justice was seeking would be extraordinary, he said. Enjoining a court or clerks of a court from actually allowing people to present their causes of action would be, I think what they said today, the first time it had been done in U.S. history. So were going to continue to fight this fight.

Asked what he makes of concerns that other states, including blue states, could follow Texas lead to ban other constitutionally protected rights, Paxton said he isnt thinking about that.

The focus for me is this case and this case alone, he said. What happens in other states, what their legislators are elected to do, are different from what our elected officials are elected to do. Each state has a responsibility to do what they think is right and their legislators have a responsibility to represent their constituents views.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, who heads Whole Womans Health, one of the abortion providers suing over the law, said the impact of the last two months cannot be overstated.

Its been 62 days, she said. 62 days of telling Texans that we cant give them the essential abortion that we are so proud and committed to provide. Its devastating that the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed this blatantly unconstitutional law to remain for even one day.

Kenya Martin, 46, told a nearby crowd that two abortions she had at the Houston Womens Clinic  where she would eventually work  saved her life.

Martin had her first abortion in 2001, when she was locked in a battle for custody of her 1-year-old daughter with the family of her daughters father. She said she did not feel she could have another child at that point.

It was really dark at that time, Martin said. She went to the Houston Womens Center and the same doctor who delivered her daughter provided the abortion.

Then in 2015, Martin got pregnant again. This time, she got sick in the lobby of the Houston Womens Center before finding out it was an ectopic pregnancy, and she needed another abortion.

They saved my life, literally, she said of the doctors, who she said she now fears would be targets of lawsuits under Texas new law.

Removal of an ectopic pregnancy does not constitute an abortion under Texas state code.

But Senate Bill 8 makes no mention of those types of pregnancies, and its language protecting any fetus that exhibits cardiac activity has some doctors uncertain about what the law permits. The new ban does make exceptions for medical emergencies, though the term is never defined.

jeremy.blackman@chron.com

benjamin.wermund@chron.com
The U.S. Supreme Court returns Monday for another look at legal challenges to the new Texas abortion law, this time in a public hearing that could reveal larger clues about the future of abortion access nationally.

The justices will take up arguments in two lawsuits, one brought by abortion providers and the other by the Department of Justice. Both argue that the law, which bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and enlists private citizens to enforce it, violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent.

The courts conservative majority initially declined to intervene during the laws rollout in September, citing its unique citizen-only enforcement provision. Since then, the number of reported abortions fell by half in Texas in September from the same month in 2020, according to new data from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin.

While Mondays hearing will focus solely on the litigation, not the law itself, its outcome could decide whether Senate Bill 8 is allowed to stand for the foreseeable future. The Justice Department is asking the high court to allow for a temporary hold on the law, something the majority of the justices has already declined to do twice.

The court could decide the cases cannot proceed, toss them and leave the laws opponents looking for other ways to challenge its constitutionality.

The hearing comes one month before the court is set to take up a highly anticipated Mississippi case in which the state has sought to prohibit abortions after 15 weeks. Abortions are currently protected under legal precedent through about 23 weeks, or until a fetus is viable outside the womb.

Legal experts and Supreme Court observers said the justices could go either way, but may especially be poised to undercut the Texas law, which is now the most restrictive abortion ban in the country.

Ultimately, experts doubt Texas law will stand

Mark Graber, a University of Maryland law professor, said he believes whatever the courts conservative majority aims to do with larger protections established under Roe v. Wade, they want to do it via the Mississippi case, not the Texas case, which he called a potential menace because its enforcement mechanism could open the door to a series of similar laws in states looking to chip away at any constitutionally protected rights.

Theyre trying to figure out a way to do whatever they want to do  which is probably restrict abortion further  but get the Texas case to go away somehow, Graber said.

That could offer political cover, he added, helping conservative justices push back against claims they have become too partisan while still ultimately rolling back abortion protections through the Mississippi case. They can say were not simply a Republican court  yes, we restrict abortion further, but look we killed Texas on neutral grounds, Graber said.

Louis Michael Seidman, a professor of constitutional law at Georgetown University, said he believes there is a fair possibility that the court allows the Justice Departments suit against the Texas law to move forward and halts the law in the meantime, then chips away at the Roe precedent with its decision in the Mississippi case.

If they want to cut back on Roe, theres a cleaner way to do it than upholding the Texas law, he said.

Seidman said he would be very surprised if the court struck down the Mississippi law.

What might happen next in the Texas case, however, is less clear. There are four justices who appear ready to allow the litigation against it to proceed  Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer, the three liberals, and Chief Justice John Roberts, who sided with them earlier this year when the court declined to stop the law from taking effect.

We know the opponents of the abortion law have four votes. We know that from the last time around, Seidman said. The question is do they have the fifth one? The fact that a stay wasnt granted immediately suggests there's at least some problem there.

Liz Sepper, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said all eyes will be on the newest justices, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Both are solid conservatives, but could join the liberal justices given the uncertainty around what other kinds of laws Senate Bill 8 may inspire.

If we get five or even six justices voting to let litigation proceed against S.B. 8, its not going to be because this involves abortion, it's going to be despite the fact it involves abortion, Sepper said.

Sepper cautioned against thinking about a possible split decision on the Texas and Mississippi cases as anywhere near a compromise.

The S.B. 8 question that the court has taken is a procedural question: is there someone who can challenge this law? she said. It doesn't tell us whether the law is constitutional or not. The Mississippi case, if Mississippi were to win, would be a major retrenchment on abortion rights.

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Texas case has already damaged high courts image

Both Seidman and Grader said they expect the court would likely rule on the Texas case somewhat quickly. And they anticipate it will be as narrowly worded as possible.

The ruling is not going to be about the future of abortion in the United States, Seidman said. Its going to be about ripeness and standing and arcane stuff like that.

Sonia Suter, founding director of the Health Law Initiative at the George Washington University Law School, said the court is under increased pressure to prove that it is above politics as its approval rating has tanked, hitting an all-time low of 40 percent in September, according to Gallup. Justices including Barrett and Samuel Alito have made public appearances in recent weeks defending the court.

There was so much backlash, the polls really showed the approval ratings for the court are the lowest ever, and I think a lot of people thought, OK, this branch of government has become really political  especially so with abortion, Suter said.

But Suter was skeptical that the court would act to definitively end Roe in either the Texas or Mississippi cases. She said the court could chip away at the precedent by issuing a vague ruling that lets states restrict abortions at some point, but doesnt make clear where the line is.

This viability line held for so long, she said. If they say that line doesnt hold, then the question is, do you have any friction on the slippery slope?

jeremy.blackman@chron.com

benjamin.wermund@chron.com
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Community Preservation Act funds are being used to repair 160-year-old gravestones at West Part Cemetery. West Part Cemetery opened in 1813 but burials had ceased by the 1860s as residents shifted to the larger Pittsfield Cemetery that opened in 1850. PreviousNext

Community Preservation Funds Facilitate Repairs at Historic Pittsfield Cemetery



Fourteen of the historic stones have been cleaned and set. Another 30 are line for repairs. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The city is unearthing the history of its past residents at the West Part Cemetery with the help of Community Preservation Act funds.

In 2019, a group of concerned citizens  led by the Pittsfield Historical Commission and Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources program  set out to preserve the deteriorating West Street graveyard that was established around 1813.

They applied for CPA funds and were awarded $25,000 in the fiscal 2020 cycle for the first round of work that prioritized the centerpieces of the property: the headstones.

There are 65 markers on the site and 44 had been identified for treatment. Of those 44, 30 were extremely tilted and needed to be reset and the city has so far to remedied 14 of them.

"Each one of these grave markers represents an individual who had an interesting life and I think that's really what's most special about this place is that it really brings out the fact that this amazing historic resource is also a vivid record of our community's history," program manager James McGrath said.

McGrath has found this project to be fascinating and critically important as a resource for the city. He said it really deserves the attention that it is getting.

On the quarter-acre, city-owned property there are about 48 unknown buried individuals and 65 head and footstones that spanned between about 50 years on the quarter-acre city plot. Grave markings range from the death dates of Frederick West in 1813 to seven burials in the 1850s, which coincides with the site's period of historical significance from 1813 to 1859.

The graveyard was essentially neglected from 1860  because of the Pittsfield Cemetery's popularity  to 1970 when The Berkshire Eagle reported that neighbor Roy Crosier had been taking care of it for years and requested a new fence from the city.

In his 1869 writing on the history of Pittsfield, Joseph Smith characterized the burial ground as being "overgrown by woods and only recognized by a few sunken and moss-covered headstones."

It has been observed that a majority of the people buried in the cemetery were locals in the early 1800s. About 14 of them were children under the age of 10.

According to the preservation plan established for the project, there is little documentation about West Part Cemetery. This makes it a curious and intriguing piece of the city's history.

The burial ground is located across from Berkshire Community College and the former Pittsfield Alms House established in 1831, otherwise known as the "poor house." Because of its close proximity, it is likely that individuals buried there had ties to the facility.

Moses Foster, who was born in 1812 and died in 1852, rests at West Part and reportedly died at the Alms House. His son, also named Moses Foster, was a 54th Massachusetts Regiment Soldier.

Foster himself was a descendant of slaves and his wife Orinda, born in 1813 and died in 1859, and his sister Sabra, born in 1804 and died in 1839, are also buried at the cemetery. The family stands as the three known African Americans buried there.

Because an 1858 map showed the Root, Hubbard, Foster, May, West, and Mullen families lived close to the West Part Cemetery, there is a good chance that other graves have ties to them.

With the $25,000 in CPA funds, the city was able to hire Martha Lyon of Landscape Architecture LLC in Northampton to produce the aforementioned preservation plan and Monument Conservation Collaborative LLC of Norfolk, Conn., to do the initial preservation of the first 14 stones.

Those stones were reset and cleaned along with a number of other less urgent ones that were also cleaned.

The full list of recommended preservation projects includes edge cleaning, fencing and signage, edge planting, gravestone conservation, and cemetery access improvements.

The plans also suggests that the cemetery's caretaker  the Parks Department  to set up a management log to keep track of inspections, repairs, and instructions for the new features with varied monthly schedules.

Another application will be submitted for CPA funding requesting around $50,000 of the funds that will be made available in July 2022.

The head and footstones are first priority in this project and will be completed before the other improvements.

"The stones really are the most important part of this site," McGrath explained.

Secondary projects that he hopes can be funded through the CPA are perimeter treatments and granite posts and chains that have been recommended by the preservation specialists.

The second phase will also include vegetation removal and some signage.

"It's almost as if the cemetery is an open-air museum," McGrath said. "And these wonderful artifacts are deserving of preservation because they tell such a rich story about Pittsfield."
Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin are both set for a final day of campaigning at a frenetic pace ahead of Tuesdays finale in the competitive and closely watched race for governor
Leftronic reports that only 8 percent of U.S. households owned a computer in 1984. Business entrepreneurs of the 1980s and '90s had few concerns about cybersecurity.

Many business leaders of the '80s and '90s are the Boomers of today, and many Boomers of today are preparing to retire. According to AARP, more than 10,000 Boomers reach retirement age in the United States every day.

The California Association of Business Brokers reports that Boomer-held businesses represent more than $10 trillion in assets, and that more than 12 million businesses will change hands in the next 10-15 years.

Amid this shifting landscape, business owners and sellers, especially those who did not grow up in the digital age, should consider the impact a robust IT infrastructure can have on the businesses one desires to protect or sell.

The Risk

Parachute IT Solutions reports that cybercrime costs Americans more than $1 trillion annually. Larger businesses and businesses that have remote workers in their employ are desirable targets for cybercriminals.

IT security plays an important role in how a business is valued and performs on the seller's market. It is reported that less than 5 percent of sellers walk away with substantial net profit. The astute will look for ways to differentiate their business by mitigating risk factors and providing what top (next-generation) buyers expect in the businesses they purchase. Proper cybersecurity protocols are near the top of the list.

More and more, potential buyers use the cybersecurity threat level as a matrix in determining the value of a business. It is not rare for a poor IT infrastructure to be assigned a value, and for that value to be subtracted from the offered purchase price.

Next Steps

Consider connecting with a cyber-insurance or IT specialist to make an assessment and share recommendations regarding your IT-related risk and needs. Gartner IT Solutions recommends that 1.5 percent to 3.5 percent of your revenue should be invested in IT infrastructure.

Establish a plan to address the following:

Every computer and user accessing business data should be accounted for each month. IP addresses and log-in passwords should be verified against the business's authorized list. Every computer accessing business data should have an encrypted hard drive, protected passwords, and current, licensed antivirus software complying with industry-recommended performance standards. Your business should have a practical plan to monitor equipment and protocols and to quickly address IT issues. Several employees should be trained and able to monitor and address most IT issues, or you should contract with a company that guarantees prompt service. For example, Jim Lambert, founding partner of DivergeIT, offers what he calls, a "Rule of One" service plan whereby "problems are identified within one minute, managed by one person, and resolved within one hour."

Top Mistakes Business Owners Make Regarding IT Issues

Underestimating the risk. Most business owners report that computers associated with their organization are properly protected with antivirus software. However, experts note that 94 percent of businesses have at least one computer with no, weak, dated, or expired antivirus software accessing their data. As Thomas Reid, 18th century philosopher and founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, said, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

Most business owners report that computers associated with their organization are properly protected with antivirus software. However, experts note that 94 percent of businesses have at least one computer with no, weak, dated, or expired antivirus software accessing their data. As Thomas Reid, 18th century philosopher and founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, said, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." Not investigating cyber-insurance needs and benefits . Working with a pro to provide you with a detailed risk assessment and action plan can guard your investment and reputation, minimize IT problems and downtime, and potentially save money for those who find they were over-insured.

. Working with a pro to provide you with a detailed risk assessment and action plan can guard your investment and reputation, minimize IT problems and downtime, and potentially save money for those who find they were over-insured. Not fulfilling owner responsibilities detailed in a cybersecurity service or insurance plan. For example, if your coverage states you will be covered in the event of a breach if the computer that was compromised was authorized and up to date on antivirus software and licensing, it is the business owner's responsibility to ensure that all computers accessing business data are authorized and properly software equipped.

For example, if your coverage states you will be covered in the event of a breach if the computer that was compromised was authorized and up to date on antivirus software and licensing, it is the business owner's responsibility to ensure that all computers accessing business data are authorized and properly software equipped. Viewing extra security steps as time lost or wasted. It is true that higher security protocols (such as multiple sign-in authentications) translate to a longer log-in process, which is not always user-friendly for small mobile devices. However, the minimal inconvenience should be thought of as a small price to pay to protect your business's uninterrupted operation, reputation, and financial security.

It is true that higher security protocols (such as multiple sign-in authentications) translate to a longer log-in process, which is not always user-friendly for small mobile devices. However, the minimal inconvenience should be thought of as a small price to pay to protect your business's uninterrupted operation, reputation, and financial security. Viewing an IT audit as a one-and-done protocol. Verifying the integrity of your IT-related protocols and working to remain in compliance with insurance policy stipulations should be viewed as an ongoing process.

The more that tech is involved in your business, the higher the risk. In today's business world, operating with industry-recommended IT protocols and services is more of a requisite than a recommendation. Stephane Nappo, Global Head of Information Security for Societe Generale International Banking, warns, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and a few minutes of cyber-incident to ruin it."
We don't usually think of "boring" as a compelling business strategy. When you think about what makes a successful company, you probably think of one that makes interesting products or introduces the world to something it hasn't seen before. Neither of those is what anyone would consider boring.

For example, Apple isn't boring. It didn't become the most valuable company on Earth by being boring, it did it by making the iPhone -- a device that changed everything about how we connect and communicate with the people in our lives. It's not hard to draw the line between the iPhone and Apple becoming a $2-trillion company that makes more profit than any other company in history.

It turns out, however, that boring is actually a pretty good strategy.

Look no further than the fact that Microsoft just unseated Apple as the most valuable company in the world by being boring. I don't mean that as an insult, but a quick look at the company's most recent quarterly earnings, released last week, paints the picture:

Microsoft's main revenue drivers come from its cloud computing business and Office productivity software subscriptions. That's not exciting, it's boring. It's also very profitable and reliable as a source of revenue, two things that are very important to investors.

Microsoft has also done a brilliant job of tying together its ecosystem to create lock-in, similar to what Apple has done with services on the iPhone. In Microsoft's case, it isn't music subscriptions, iCloud, and iMessages. It's Microsoft Word, Azure, and Teams.

Sure, Microsoft makes hardware products as well. I happen to think the Surface Pro 8 is really good. And, as a premium Windows device, the Surface Laptop 4 is a great option. But no one got excited about those devices the way they were when Apple introduced a new MacBook Pro a few weeks ago.

The Xbox is arguably the most non-boring thing the company makes, aside from a few of its strange ideas about laptops and foldable devices. But the Xbox isn't why Microsoft is worth almost $2.5 trillion dollars. Software licensing and subscriptions are.

Of course, Microsoft wasn't always this way. The company has become decidedly more boring (in a good way) under current CEO Satya Nadella. That's to his credit. While Steve Balmer had a vision to make Windows something exciting -- which was never going to happen -- Nadella has embraced the parts of the business that perform.

Microsoft Cloud, the division that includes Office and Azure, set a record, growing by 22 percent in the last quarter. As Nadella pointed out during the analyst call, 78 percent of the 500 largest companies in the world use their cloud services in some form or another.

Listening to Nadella is kind of boring until you realize the company is doing everything right, even if it's not exciting. There's actually an extra irony, since many people think Apple has started to get boring during the post-Steve Jobs era.

Tim Cook is a much less charismatic CEO than Jobs. He is an operations guru, not a product designer. He specializes in timing inventory and precision manufacturing. None of that is especially exciting until you look at the bottom line.

The point should be obvious -- sometimes the best business strategy is to do the very best job you can at meeting the needs of your users. At the same time, you should leverage your relationships with those users to grow your business. That's what Microsoft does.

I mention it because sometimes the temptation is to go all-in on a crazy idea in hopes that it becomes the next big thing. That might work. You might end up with the next iPhone.
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USA's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has highlighted concerns about a plan to use C- band spectrum for 5G wireless on aviation safety and is working on issuing a formal warning for it.

Unsplash

Also Read: 5G In India: Airtel 5G Tests Show 1000 Mbps Download Speed In Gurgaon Cyber Hub

Reported first by Reuters, based on sources and a letter seen by the aforementioned publication, the concern comes as network carriers are planning to begin using the spectrum starting December 5 in 46 markets.



An unreported letter by FAA Deputy Administrator, Bradley Mims, said that the agency shares deep concern about the potential impact to aviation safety resulting from interference to radar altimeter performance from 5G network operations in C band.

Also Read: After Losing 5G Case, Juhi Chawla Says She Isnt Against 5G Tech



YouTube/FlightIllusion

According to an FAA spokeswoman, engagement is going on with other agencies to allow safe coexistence of the newest generation of 5G cellular technology with aviation.



The Federal Communications Commission said on Friday that it remains committed to ensure air safety and maintain its successful track record, while also moving forward with the deployment of new technologies for all.

According to sources in a conversation with Reuters, the FAA held a meeting with the aviation industry on October 14, discussing the issue. There have been numerous discussions held with FAA and FCC officials to find a solution to this issue.

Two officials in a conversation with the aforementioned publication have revealed that the FAA is working on issuing a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin and an airworthiness directive about the issue.

The sector met with the FCC in August where it warned about the disruptions 5G could cause to the use of the National Airspace System. It highlighted that the network would force the FAA to drastically reduce aviation operational capacity.

Also Read: Reliance Jio Will Launch 5G In 2021 With Made-In-India Infrastructure, Says Ambani



AFP

Wireless trade group CTIA, on the other hand, said last week that 5G networks can safely use the C-band spectrum without causing harmful interference to aviation equipment while citing examples of active 5G networks using this spectrum band in 40 nations.



The other alternative is retrofitting altimeters with out of band filters, however, experts from the aviation industry warn that this would not just take years for implementation, but it could also impact thousands of civil aircraft hours.

What do you think about these fresh concerns over 5G deployments interfering with civilian air travel? Let us know in the comments below, and keep reading Indiatimes.com for the latest science and technology news.
Nature is nature's best bet against humankind's excesses. By employing the restorative qualities of naturally-occurring substances and jazzing it up with tech, Shneel Malik is changing how we clean up our surroundings as climate change rings alarm bells on all fronts.

A bio-architect, Malik is exemplifying how holistic nature-first architecture could mark the end of our pollution woes. "We constantly use terms such as sustainability, sustainable design, sustainable architecture. But it did not lead us anywhere... It did not even inspire people to start using it."

Indiatimes

Shneel Malik wants architecture to perform "in collaboration with existing natural surroundings." For the the uninitiated, a bio-architect works at the intersection of more than one disciplines. In essence, Malik and many others like her are attempting to find ways through which "artificial surroundings designed by architects can start performing in collaboration with existing natural surroundings."

"Can our worlds do more than just exist," Malik ruminated in a conversation with Indiatimes, on the backdrop of TEDxGateway Climate Countdown 2021 (supported by Govt Of Maharashtra), where she spoke on how technology can help combat climate change.

Meet Indus, a cleaning project of its kind

With her canonical project "Indus," Malik is spearheading the focus on design as well as the product, which would allow the set-up to "perform in tandem with nature."

With help from her peers and guides from Bartlett School of Architecture, Shneel Malik created "Indus" wherein handmade ceramic tiles are placed on the exterior of a building. Design is at the heart of this project - with distinctive hooves that are filled with bio-algae, the mechanism captures heavy metals as the water moves through the surface of tiles. This water, then, may be reused.

Also read: Teen Activist Sagarika Sriram Wants Young Voices To Be Heard, Climate Curriculum In Schools



Bio technology, according to Malik, has mastered the trick of creating stuff using 3D printing. "The only thing they can't do is scale up."

Using natural ingredients to treat nature

"Usually architects look at buildings top-down. As a bio-architect we started looking at the bottom," Malik told Indiatimes. Usually, structures are erected in different places based on the requirements of the people who intend to live there. Malik wants to change that.

Indus By Shneel Malik

"We started looking at materials that are living because they allow the growth of either plants or organisms. In the project Indus, we are looking at microorganism algae which is abundantly available," Malik said.

Also read: India Among 11 'Countries Of Concern' On Climate Change, Says First-Ever US Intelligence Report



The algae, then is cultured into the material without the need for energy. While scientists have used algae to absorb pollutants before, they weren't able to put it into a "material form."

This is where bio-architects come in! Shneel Malik and her peers created a material called "hydrogel", which is based on water, a primary molecule that supports life. Malik essentially gave life to the tiles in order to treat waste.

How Indus works in Kolkata

Malik's journey for Indus was heavily rooted in India, where her team was travelling in 2017. They noticed that most water in one of Hubli's streams in Kolkata was coloured. "We found that it was coming from small-scale bangle-making industries or textile industries," she told us.

"They don't have a water treatment facility or even an RO system. They get water, use it, put it in buckets and throw it. It ends up in streams," she explained.

Indus By Shneel Malik

Not much later, Malik wanted to see how her design could be deployed that disrupts "their daily life" with tech that can allow them to clean and reuse that coloured water.

"Eventually, we suggested a vertical wall system," which came to fruition in "Indus" - a modular system which is made of locally available materials like clay. This, Malik, claimed is helping the bangle-makers of Kolkata. "We give the materials to them, which they mix and apply on tiles." Later, the water is circulated vertically through these tiles, giving them cleaner and reusable water on the ground.

Why world needs more bio-designers

While "Indus" may have helped ease the woes of bangle-makers in Kolkata, it's not the one-off solution climate radicals are looking for. For Malik, the problem begins with how little attention is paid to design when we build cities or even products.

Referring to global climate events like COP26, Malik claimed that designers are barely invited to provide solutions at such forums. "They never ask us how better should we design our technology so that everyone can use them better and how these technologies can become useful within our daily activities including things like hydroponics and growing your own herbs."

Also read: Climate Change May Reduce Winter Migration Of Birds And Their Population



For instance, Elon Musk could someday extract all the carbon in the air. "But that's not a solution," Malik exclaimed. "That might mitigate what we have in the present, but we'll face the same issues again in the future."

Shneel Malik

Malik and her peers are also employing technology outside of "Indus" to come up with creative solutions. "For instance, we are mixing clay with certain substrates so that its firing temperature is reduced," Malik said.

In addition, they're 3D printing membranes that are built only from the living material instead of substrate. "We use 3D printing to regulate the water percentage and the gooeyness of each layer we print and we can get 3D scaffolds that are completely living," she told us.

India's under-empowered "powerhouses"

Climate change's effects on each country will be different. But at the receiving end of its worst consequences will be small-scale industries like bangle-makers and the cottage industry. According to Malik, these constitute the "biggest powerhouses" in the country.

"We should use those communities and allow them to leapfrog into the future. They don't how to operate current technology. If you introduce them to a new technology, they will use it more proactively than most. Then, you will actually set a new example of how small systems should function," Malik said.

Also read: Climate Change Is Spiking Suicide Rates And Infectious Diseases: Study

Instead of relying on the government or other players, Malik believes mass adoption of any tech will happen when it finds acceptance in the untapped market, i.e., people who need it the most.

While giving an example of a Panchayat unit in an Indian village, Shneel Malik urged researchers to go into the community to use them as pilot scale studies. "As a designer I believe in creating things that convert people without them realising that they've been converted into climate conscious citizens," Malik told Indiatimes.

Why current climate-conscious tech isn't working

Current modes of technology are heavily centred around data collection instead of information dissemination. "We don't have the right data on pollution. So far, it's all very doctored," Malik told us. She attached no shame to it, but instead urged respective bodies to focus on finding the right data.

"Even in five years from now, if we collect the right data and deploy it correctly, we'll be in a good direction," Malik claimed.

Also read: This Website Shows How Your City Could Look In A Climate Change Catastrophe



Indus By Shneel Malik

Another issue at the heart of aversion to mass adoption is the cost associated with changing technologies. Malik explained how industries would never switch to a new way if it adds even an extra rupee to their production costs.

What's next, Shneel Malik?

Malik believes the way forward is making people aware by using clever means. "Unless things don't get personal, nothing changes," she said while focusing on the need to show people what's happening on the ground instead of simply telling them.

"Science needs to speak up and do it in a clever way to become personal," Malik believes.

Another thing to take into account while creating climate-conscious solutions is site-specific context. "Indus constructed in Kolkata and Indus constructed in Panipat will look very different, because the algae and the material will be local. Everything will be tailored [to suit the location]," Malik said.

The future is dependent on executing localised projects in different parts of India and the world. "We need to make a global action on a local scale" is her message to all - individuals, corporations, and governments.

Malik believes the power of collaboration could save the world in time before climate change and its effects become even more pronounced and localised. "Collaborative thinking and collaborative spaces are the future of education and research."

What do you think about Shneel Malik's "Indus" project and her thoughts about climate consciousness? Share your thoughts and takeaways in the comments below. For the latest in the world of technology and science, continue reading Indiatimes.com.
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A 20-acre estate on Tucsons east side recently sold for $4,080,000, making it the citys most expensive residential real estate sale on the multiple listing service of southern Arizona since 2007. The property on 1416 N. Smokey Springs is a 8,860 square-foot home with six bedrooms, seven ba
Local Twin Cities artists Enzyrose, Eyenga Bokamba, Noah Lawrence-Holder, LeShon Lee, and Meadow Gillispie, talk about their reaction to the murder of George Floyd, the trial of Derek Chauvin, and life as a black artist during this time.
During the COVID-19 crisis, global cyber attacks skyrocketed in a digital pandemic driven by ransomware, according to a report published by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS).

Further, the report noted, business interruption and restoration costs are the main causes of financial loss for companies.

An AGCS analysis of its overall cyber-related claims, seen over the past six years, reveal that business interruption and post-attack recovery costs account for over 50% of the value of close to 3,000 insurance industry cyber claims worth around 750 million ($885 million). (AGCS started writing cyber insurance in 2013).

The average total cost of recovery and downtime  on average 23 days  from a ransomware attack more than doubled over the past year, increasing from $761,106 to $1.85 million in 2021, said the AGCS cyber insights report, titled Ransomware trends: Risks and Resilience, published last month.

When it comes to cyber business interruption, timing is everything. If you pay a ransom demand after a week, the loss has already crystalized, and the cost of restoration is already set in motion. For example, the cost of hiring forensic experts and response consultants can run to $2,500 per day and easily reach a sevendigit figure, commented Rishi Baviskar, global cyber experts leader, Risk Consulting, AGCS, who is quoted in the report.

Malware attacks that encrypt company data and systems and demand a ransom payment for release are surging globally, said a press release accompanying the report.

As an indicator of this surge, AGCS cited a report from Accenture that revealed that cyber intrusion activity globally jumped 125% in the first half of 2021, compared with the same period in 2020, with ransomware and extortion operations top two contributors behind this tripledigit increase.

Further, there was a 62% increase in ransomware incidents through the first six months of 2021 in the U.S., which followed a 20% increase in the number of incidents for the whole of 2020 and a 225% increase in ransom demands, said the AGCS report, citing statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

AGCS said these cyber risk trends are mirrored in its own claims experience. AGCS saw more than 1,000 cyber claims overall in 2020, up from around 80 in 2016. Further, it received 90 ransomware claims in 2020, an increase of 50% from 2019 (when it received 60 claims).

This trend has continued in 2021 with more than 500 overall cyber claims received by AGCS in the first half of the year, while the number of ransomware claims in the first half are already equal to the number reported (60) during the whole of 2019.

Losses resulting from external incidents, such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and ransomware campaigns, account for the majority of the value of cyber claims (81%) analyzed by AGCS over the past six years, said the report.

The increasing reliance on digitalization, the surge in remote working during COVID19, and IT budget constraints are just some of the reasons IT vulnerabilities have intensified, said the report, explaining that there are now countless numbers of access points for criminals to exploit.

Further, the wider adoption of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, which enable anonymous payments, is another key factor in the rise of ransomware incidents, said AGCS in the press release.

Bitcoin, which is estimated to account for approximately 98% of ransomware payments, is relatively easy to acquire and use, while payments are verifiable, said the report. Transactions can also be carried out with anonymity, enabling perpetrators to keep their identities hidden.

Cryptocurrencies are the weak link that enables criminals to bypass traditional institutions and hide behind the anonymity built into the technology, said Thomas Kang, head of Cyber, Tech and Media, North America at AGCS, who was quoted in the report. More stringent enforcement and compliance with knowyourcustomer and antimoney laundering laws could, however, help disrupt the ransomware business model.

The report identifies key trends in the current ransomware space:

 Development of Ransomware as a Service (RaaS). RaaS has made it easier for criminals to carry out attacks. Run like a commercial business, hacker groups such as REvil and Darkside sell or rent their hacking tools to others. They also provide a range of support services. As a result, many more malicious threat actors are operating. From as little as a $40 per month subscription, successful attacks can yield many thousands of dollars from ransomware payments.

 Increase of Double and Triple Extortion Tactics. Double extortion tactics are on the rise. Criminals combine the initial encryption of data or systems, or increasingly even their back-ups, with a secondary form of extortion, such as the threat to release sensitive or personal data. In such a scenario, affected companies have to manage the possibility of both a major business interruption and a data breach event, which can significantly increase the final cost of the incident.

Triple extortion incidents can combine distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, file encryption and data theft  and dont just target one company, but potentially also its customers and business partners. A notable case cited by the report was a psychotherapy clinic in Finland which received a ransom demand, while smaller sums were also demanded from the patients who received individual ransom demands by email. The attackers threatened to publish therapist session notes unless ransoms were paid.

 Rising Supply Chain Attacks. There are two main types [of supply chain attacks]  ones that target software/IT service providers and use them to spread the malware and ones that target physical supply chains, such as critical infrastructure. Examples of attack that targeted software/IT services providers was the Kaseya and Solarwinds attacks, while an example of a physical supply chain attack was the one that hit Colonial Pipeline, which was the largest cyber attack on U.S. oil infrastructure to date. The report noted that service providers are likely to become prime targets as they often supply hundreds or thousands of businesses with software solutions and therefore offer criminals the chance of a higher payout.

 Skyrocketing Ransom Demands. Ransom demands have rocketed over the past 18 months, the report said, noting that the average extortion demand in the U.S. was $5.3 million in the first half of 2021, a 518% increase on the 2020 average. The report quoted cyber security firm Palo Alto Networks, which said the highest demand was $50 million, up from $30 million last year.

To Pay or Not to Pay Ransom Demands

The AGCS report highlighted the fact that paying cyber ransoms is controversial. Law enforcement agencies typically advise against paying extortion demands, which is thought to fuel the problem and potentially incentivize further attacks in the future, it said.

Paying a ransom is also not a guarantee that a business will be able to quickly retrieve its files and restore its systems. In many cases, by the time the ransom is paid, the damage is already done, and most organizations will have already suffered loss of income and incurred the expense of restoring files and systems, the report continued.

Even when a company pays a ransom, it takes a huge effort to restore files and get systems back up and running. This is a huge undertaking, even when you have a decryption key, said Marek Stanislawski, global cyber underwriting lead at AGCS, in the report.

Cyber Insurance

The report said the ransomware pandemic of recent years has sparked a major shift in the cyber insurance market, as carriers and insureds endeavor to mitigate the rising frequency and severity of attacks and resulting cyber insurance claims.

As a result of these loss trends, cyber insurance rates have been rising and capacity has tightened. U.S. rates rose by more than 50% in the second quarter of 2021 alone, said AGCS, quoting a Marsh report.

Underwriters are placing increasing scrutiny on the cyber security controls that are employed by organizations and pricing risks accordingly, said the AGCS report, noting that three out of four companies do not meet AGCS requirements for cyber security.

As insurers, we have to continue to work with our clients using a combination of policy and service improvements to help businesses understand the need to strengthen their controls, said Scott Sayce, global head of Cyber at AGCS and the global head of the Cyber Center of Competence for AGCS and the Allianz Group, in the report.

Not all ransomware attacks are targeted. Criminals also deploy wild scattergun approaches to exploit those businesses that arent addressing or understanding the vulnerabilities they may have, he added.

Those companies that take steps to prevent attacks and mitigate the impact will be far less likely to fall victim to ransomware, the report affirmed.

Topics Cyber Profit Loss Business Interruption
New York Attorney General Letitia James formally announced Friday that she is running for governor, a widely anticipated move from the woman who oversaw an investigation into allegations that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed numerous women.

James announced her candidacy on Twitter, saying, Im running for Governor of New York because I have the experience, vision, and courage to take on the powerful on behalf of all New Yorkers.

A campaign video cited the multiple lawsuits she filed against former President Donald Trumps administration and an investigation into deaths in New Yorks nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

James, 62, is the first woman elected as New Yorks attorney general and the first Black person to serve in the role. Shes expected to be a strong challenger against Gov. Kathy Hochul, who had been Cuomos lieutenant governor, for the Democratic nomination.

Hochul, who is from the Buffalo area, entered office with a reputation as centrist who is working to bolster her ties to New York City, where James political support is based.

James was born and raised in Brooklyn and made her first run for City Council as a candidate of the liberal Working Families Party. Her path to the nomination will be the obverse of Hochuls, trying to win over upstate Democrats who might be less progressive.

Before her bombshell report was released, prompting Cuomos resignation, James had been known nationally for her frequent legal tussles with Trump.

Since she became attorney general in 2019, her office has investigated Trumps business affairs and filed dozens of lawsuits against the Republicans administration over federal policies on immigration, the environment and other matters.

Ive sued the Trump administration 76 times. But whos counting? James said in her kickoff video, making a playful shrug of her shoulders while looking into the camera.

James also filed a lawsuit accusing the National Rifle Associations leaders of financial mismanagement, the latest in a string of regulatory actions that have delighted liberals but drawn complaints from Republicans that she has unfairly used her office to target political opponents.

While under public pressure in 2020, Cuomo authorized James to investigate allegations he had sexually harassed several women. The independent investigators she hired to conduct the inquiry released a report in August concluding that there were credible allegations from 11 women, including one aide who said the governor had groped her breast.

Cuomo has attacked James report as inaccurate and biased, denied mistreating women and said he resigned in order to avoid subjecting the state to turmoil.

James has dismissed the charge that her investigation was politically motivated, saying Cuomo should take responsibility for his own conduct.

James made the announcement the day after a criminal complaint was filed against Cuomo in Albany, accusing the former governor of committing a misdemeanor sex crime of groping a woman in December 2020.

Cuomos lawyer, Rita Glavin, said in a statement that the Democrat never assaulted anyone. Hes due in court Nov. 17 to respond to the charge.

Tish James abused her office to falsely accuse Governor Cuomo because she was afraid to confront him in an election and let the people decide, Cuomos spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement Friday after James announced her campaign.

Cuomo was once one of James strongest political allies.

As governor, he endorsed James for attorney general and headlined a fundraiser for her in 2018 as she ran in a four-way Democratic primary to replace Eric Schneiderman, who abruptly resigned amid allegations that he abused women.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have both said they are considering a run. Two other potential Democratic candidates come from Long Island: Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone and U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, who lives in Nassau County.

On Friday morning, James and Hochul each made brief appearances at a downtown Brooklyn restaurant for a traditional preelection breakfast for Democratic power players.

Hochul thanked the crowd for supporting her as the states first-ever female governor and implying in her remarks that she expected to win multiple terms as governor.

I feel the weight of history on my shoulders because its my responsibility to demonstrate that a woman can govern with strength, with heart and passion and fight for the people of this state. And so when Im done with my terms, no one will ever question the ability of a woman to hold the highest office in this state or in this land, Hochul said.

James, speaking about 20 minutes after Hochul at the restaurant in her home turf, drew loud applause and asked, Is Brooklyn in the house?

The attorney general did not make any campaign remarks but urged attendees to vote in the citys upcoming elections on Tuesday and think about the threats to our democracy, to our freedom including reproductive rights and threats to the environment.

Let everybody know that Brooklyn and New York State  were one, James said.

Her candidacy was quickly endorsed Friday by John Samuelsen, the international president of the Transport Workers Union, which represents 150,000 workers in the airline, railroad, transit industry and more.

Topics New York
AXA, Frances biggest insurer, said on Friday it would tighten its policy regarding investing in and insuring the oil and gas sector, as pressure builds on finance to help curtail new production.

The announcement, which comes before global leaders meet for the COP26 climate summit in Scotland, follows growing calls from bodies including the United Nations for new fossil fuel projects to be stopped in order to help cap global warming.

AXA said it would stop investing in and underwriting new upstream greenfield oil exploration projects unless they were carried out by companies with the most far-reaching and credible energy transition plans.

This would see it avoid new direct investments in listed equities and corporate bonds in developed markets in oil and gas companies operating in upstream, oilfield services, downstream subsectors and most midstream players, it said.

From 2023, AXA would begin to factor the policy into its underwriting business of new insurance coverage on new upstream greenfield oil exploration projects, it added.

The climate emergency requires us to step up our actions and support the transition towards a low-carbon economy, said AXA Chief Executive Thomas Buberl.

Going forward, AXA is determined to focus its support only on actors with the most far-reaching and credible transition strategies.

It also increased its target for green investments to 26 billion euros ($30.3 billion) by 2023, from 24 billion announced at the end of 2020.

Peter Bosshard, coordinator of the Insure Our Future campaign, said: In principle its positive that the insurance industry is now finally starting to shift away from oil and gas.

But self-proclaimed climate leaders need to follow the science and rule out all support for the expansion of fossil fuel projects right away, Bosshard said.

($1 = 0.8589 euros) (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Simon Jessop; editing by Jason Neely and David Holmes)

Topics Energy Oil Gas AXA XL
UK baker Greggs Plc filed a $137 million (100 million) legal claim against Switzerlands Zurich Insurance Group in a disagreement over a pandemic-related insurance payout, according to a report in the Sunday Times.

The chain claims it is entitled to that amount of compensation for when its stores had to close during government-enforced lockdowns last year, but Zurich thinks Greggs is only entitled to $3.4 million (2.5 million), according to filings lodged in the High Court last week, the paper said.

In January, the UK Supreme Court rejected an appeal by insurers against COVID-19 payouts, ruling that in most cases insurers should pay up for business interruption costs.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics COVID-19
UK insurance broker Ardonagh Group has completed its acquisition of the insurance operations of BGC Partners Inc. for $500 million in cash.

The deal was first announced in May.

Ardonagh has acquired 100% of Ed Broking Group and Besso Insurance, which were recently grouped together under the brand of Corant Global. Corant comprises global wholesale and specialty re/insurance broker Ed, Lloyds broker Besso, aviation specialist Piiq Risk Partners, German marine broker Junge, UK-based MGA Globe Underwriting, Australian MGA Epsilon Underwriting and European MGA Cooper Gay.

Besso Insurance, Ed Broking, and Piiq Risk Partners will join Bishopsgate, Compass London Markets, Inver Re and Price Forbes in the Ardonagh Specialty and Capital platform, creating what the company says is the largest independent specialty broker in the London market with offices across the globe.

Ardonagh Specialty and Capital now has a combined $450 million revenue, placing over $5 billion GWP on behalf of clients with offices in France, Germany, Turkey, the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Brazil, the USA and Bermuda.

Including the Ardonagh Advisory, Ardonagh Retail and Ardonagh International platforms, the Group now places $13 billion GWP and has $1.4 billion annual revenue.

The Ardonagh Specialty leadership team includes James Masterton as chairman of Specialty Broking and Andrew Wallin as CEO of Specialty Broking alongside Steve Hearn as CEO of Reinsurance and Capital and Antony Erotocritou as CFO.

Ardonagh is an excellent partner to continue our insurance brokerage business. The combined platform will add to their strength, capability, and create the worlds leading independent specialty insurance broker, commented Howard W. Lutnick, chairman and chief executive officer of BGC, headquartered in New York and London.

BGC has said the sale proceeds will provide additional capital to invest in its Fenics business, which operates electronic trading platforms.

While the growth of our insurance brokerage business was industry-leading, we believe the scale and scope of the Fenics opportunity is far greater, with potential to drive shareholder value materially higher, Lutnick said.

Through brands including Fenics, BGC Trader, Capitalab, Lucera, and Fenics Market Data, BGC offers financial technology services, market data, and analytics related to numerous financial instruments and markets.

Formed in 2017, Ardonaghs brands include Autonet, Arachas, Bishopsgate, Broker Network, Carole Nash, Compass Networks, Ethos Broking, Geo Underwriting, Price Forbes, Swinton, Towergate and URIS. With a UK headquarters in London, Ardonaghs registered address is in St. Helier, Jersey, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of the UK.

Topics Mergers
A former contractor for the state of Michigan has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for helping orchestrate a $3.8 million fraud scheme involving money intended to help unemployed people during the coronavirus pandemic.

A U.S. District Court judge in Detroit sentenced Brandi Hawkins, 40, to 58 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay $3,793,186 restitution to the state.

The Detroit woman, a former contract employee with the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, had pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in June. Hawkins, who was charged last year, admitted receiving bribes from people to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims from April to June 2020, often using stolen identities.

The scheme netted $3.8 million in state and federal aid intended for unemployment assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said.

Prosecutors said Hawkins spent bribe money on high-end handbags and other luxury goods and that investigators recovered more than $200,000 from her home during a federal raid.

Hawkins exploited the pandemic to defraud the State of Michigan and United States for her own personal gain, Acting U.S. Attorney Saima Mohsin said in a statement.

This sentence should send a message to those who seek to divert funds intended for those in need during what has been a very difficult period of unemployment _ you will be prosecuted, she added.

Court records show Hawkins was terminated from her state contracting job in June 2020, but continued to remotely access state systems.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud Michigan Contractors
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Oct. 29 signed into law a bill that allows Iowa workers to seek medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates and guarantees that those who are fired for refusing a vaccine will qualify for unemployment benefits.

Reynolds signed the bill a day after the Iowa Legislature passed it in a one-day special session convened to pass the states redistricting maps. The law becomes effective immediately.

Reynolds has opposed government requirements for masks and vaccines, even though COVID-19 has killed nearly 7,000 people in Iowa and medical science has shown both tools to be effective in reducing the spread of the coronavirus.

She said in a statement that no Iowan should be forced to lose their job or livelihood over the COVID-19 vaccine.

Reynolds said she believes the vaccine is the best defense against COVID-19 but has often voiced opposition to mandates.

Iowa remains 23rd in the nation for percentage of its population fully vaccinated at 55.4%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About a third of the states population still has not received at least one dose of vaccine and most of the state continues to experience a high level of community spread of the virus.

Reynolds said she plans to sue the federal government to challenge its proposed vaccine mandates once President Joe Bidens administration releases the rules.

More than 100 people opposing vaccination requirements rallied at the Iowa Capitol Thursday to push for stronger language. Lobbyists for the business community said the bill puts business owners in conflict between complying with federal directives or state law. Businesses also are concerned about increased unemployment insurance costs.

Other Republican-led states also have pushed back against efforts to require employee vaccinations including Montana, Arkansas, Texas and West Virginia.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Iowa
About 10% of people who contracted COVID-19 continue to suffer persistent symptoms months later, creating the potential for millions of people to suffer functional impairment for extended lengths of time, according to a report released by the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

The report, written by Paradigm Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Choo, says COVID long-haulers are anxious and irritable. They cant sleep, break out in rashes, suffer blurry vision and chest pain and are constantly thirsty. Researchers have identified 21 symptoms that have persisted as long as nine months after the initial infection.

This is both sobering and alarming, the report says.

As of Oct. 25, 45 million Americans had contracted COVID-19. Many of those cases became workers compensation claims, especially in the nine states that have created presumptions in favor of injured workers who claim they contracted the disease at the workplace.

NCCI is not the first organization to warn about the potential for COVID-19 to cause long-term health impacts. Dr. Claire Pomeroy, an infectious disease expert and president of the Lasker Foundation, wrote in a July article published by Scientific American that the nation should be prepared for a tsunami of disability caused by long-COVID.

Also in July, the Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance that informed employers that people struggling with long-haul COVID are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act, meaning employers may have to provide reasonable accommodations to allow them to continue working.

Choos report for NCCI, citing published studies, says that 81% of people who contracted COVID-19 suffered only mild symptoms or were asymptomatic, with only 5% suffering severe symptoms. Of the people who had severe symptoms, 76% had at least one symptom six months later, the most common being fatigue, muscle weakness, and sleep difficulties.

Even more alarming, 10% of all people who contracted COVID-19 suffered symptoms more than three weeks later, according to another published study.

The National Institutes ascribed a new term for the syndrome  post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2, or PASC. Researchers have identified several symptom groups that impact the cardiovascular system, pulmonary, endocrine and auto immune systems, as well as mood disorders and sleep disorders.

The report says PASC symptoms usually diminish in three to six months, but sometimes last as long as nine months.

The frustrating reality is that the constellation of symptoms experienced by those with PASC for extended periods of time can significantly delay their ability to return to work and/or their prior level of function and impair quality of life, the report says.

Choos report is the first of two analyses that NCCI is planning to release on the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on workers compensation insurers. Spokeswoman Christine Pike said NCCI will report on trends in medical treatments and associated costs next spring or summer.

Topics COVID-19
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a bid by states, including coal producer West Virginia, and industry groups to limit federal power to use the landmark Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions from power plants.

The courts decision to take up the case could complicate efforts by President Joe Bidens administration to issue new and more stringent regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The announcement came two days before Biden arrives in Glasgow, Scotland, for the UN COP26 climate summit, where he had planned to reassert U.S. leadership on climate change. His predecessor Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the Paris climate agreement.

The high court will hear a case brought by 20 states and various industry groups, including coal interests, to review a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to strike down a Trump-era rule intended to constrain regulation of carbon emissions from power plants.

The appeals court had ruled against Trumps Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule which was challenged by states and groups that supported the Clean Power Plan of former President Barack Obama. That rule would have given the Environmental Protection Agency power to regulate carbon dioxide emissions mainly from coal-fired power plants.

In 2016, the Supreme Court blocked Obamas regulation  the centerpiece of his strategy to combat climate change  from taking effect but never ruled on its lawfulness.

We are extremely grateful for the Supreme Courts willingness to hear our case, said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who led the lawsuit.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said on Twitter that the agency got to work after the DC Circuit struck down the Trump rule and will continue to advance new standards to ensure that all Americans are protected from the power plant pollution that harms public health and our economy.

The court will likely hear the four combined cases in its current term, with a ruling due by the end of June.

On Thursday, Biden secured a deal with Congressional Democrats around a $555 billion framework to carry out elements of his climate agenda that he had hoped would boost U.S. credibility ahead of the COP26 talks.

But tough intraparty negotiations led Democrats to drop a key clean-electricity proposal that would have slashed power plant emissions by encouraging a rapid shift to renewable energy. Losing that Clean Electricity Payment Program put pressure on the EPA to come up with new power plant regulations.

The Supreme Court case will delay that effort.

As a practical matter, this will almost certainly prevent the Biden Administration from moving forward with a new rule to regulate carbon emissions from the power sector, said Jeff Holmstead, a former assistant administrator and lawyer at Bracewell.

Ben Levitan, a senior attorney at the Environmental Defense Fund, which is a party to the case, said the group will firmly defend EPAs authority and responsibility to protect American families from the clear and present danger of climate pollution emitted by power plants.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Will Dunham, Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio)
Eighteen states filed three separate lawsuits Friday to stop President Joe Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, arguing that the requirement violates federal law.

Attorneys general from Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming signed on to one lawsuit, which was filed in a federal district court in Missouri. Another group of states including Georgia, Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Georgia.

Texas also sued individually on Friday.

The states asked a federal judge to block Bidens requirement that all employees of federal contractors be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Dec. 8, arguing that the mandate violates federal procurement law and is an overreach of federal power.

If the federal government attempts to unconstitutionally exert its will and force federal contractors to mandate vaccinations, the workforce and businesses could be decimated, further exacerbating the supply chain and workforce crises, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, said in a statement. The federal government should not be mandating vaccinations, and thats why we filed suit today  to halt this illegal, unconstitutional action.

New Hampshires Republican Attorney General John Formella said in a statement that COVID vaccines are safe, effective and encouraged but that the benefits do not justify violating the law.

Florida sued on Thursday, bringing to 19 the number of states challenging the Biden administration mandate in four federal courts.

Biden has argued that sweeping vaccine mandates will help end the deadly pandemic, but Republicans nationwide have opposed the vaccination requirements and have threatened to bring similar legal challenges.

Texas filed a similar lawsuit Friday in a federal district court in a federal court in Galveston, Texas, seeking to block enforcement of the mandate.

The Biden Administration has repeatedly expressed its disdain for Americans who choose not to get a vaccine, and it has committed repeated and abusive federal overreach to force upon Americans something they do not want, said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, in a statement. The federal government does not have the ability to strip individuals of their choice to get a vaccine or not. If the President thinks his patience is wearing thin, he is clearly underestimating the lack of patience from Texans whose rights he is infringing.

A number of states have also said they will challenge Bidens plan to have the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration issue a rule that would mandate vaccines for all private businesses with 100 or more employees.

We will not allow the Biden administration to circumvent the law or force hardworking Georgians to choose between their livelihood or this vaccine, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia said in a statement.

The Democratic Party of Georgia called the lawsuit a dangerous political stunt.

Florida filed a separate lawsuit against the federal mandate on Thursday. All the suits argue that the president doesnt have the authority to issue the rule and that it violates procurement law. The suits also argue that the rule violates the 10th Amendment reserving power to the states, illegally uses federal spending to coerce the states, and that 60 days of public comment wasnt properly allowed.

The Georgia-led suit, for example, argues that such a rule could only stand if Congress passed it in a law.

Biden has again demonstrated open disdain for the rule of law in seizing power Congress never gave him, Republican Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said.

The states argue that large number of federal contract workers will quit, meaning states will have to choose between breaching the contracts because of a reduced labor force that cant do all the work, or breaching the contracts by retaining unvaccinated employees in violation of federal rules.

All but two of the states that have sued trail the national average in vaccination rate. Only New Hampshire and Florida exceed the nationwide rate.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits COVID-19 Contractors
Hylant, a Toledo, Ohio-based insurance brokerage, has launched RoadPilot, a pay as you go hired non-owned program designed for the restaurant home food delivery industry.

RoadPilot is an app-based technology that drivers install on their phones, according to a statement released about the program. Clients also have access to a convenient dashboard that is available 24/7. This provides managers with real-time data to monitor in-progress driving and drill down into historical driving statistics to help identify and address unsafe driving habits. Data can also be used to reward and incentivize employees who are driving safely.

Hylant and Obsidian said that the program will target restaurant groups with 20 or more locations.

Traditional insurance products can lead to gaps in coverage for restaurant businesses that rely on delivery drivers because premiums are based on industry averages and applied universally regardless of the drivers liability profiles.

With RoadPilot, premiums are developed to reflect a delivery drivers actual behavior and actual delivery miles travelled, the statement said. Specific rating factors include aggregate driver risk profiles derived from hard braking, rapid acceleration, speeding, unsafe maneuvers, and phone usage. Premium is determined on a monthly basis.

Were excited to begin this program with Obsidian Insurance Company, said Mike Ugljesa, president of Hylant Administrative Services. Their team has a proven track record of providing solutions for industry niches.

The RoadPilot program brings a much-needed product to the food delivery segment and has developed an innovative approach to more accurately price risk with the incorporation of telematics, said William Jewett, CEO of Obsidian Insurance Company. We look forward to a long-term partnership with Hylant as well as the strong panel of reinsurers supporting the program.

Hylant is one of the largest privately held insurance brokerages in the United States. Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Hylant offers risk management services, employee benefits brokerage and consultation, loss control, healthcare management and insurance solutions for businesses and individuals locally, nationally, and internationally.

Obsidian Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Obsidian Insurance Holdings Inc., a new fronting insurance holding company that issues policies underwritten by managing general agents, managing general underwriters, and program managers. Obsidian sources, underwrites, and manages a diverse portfolio of property, casualty, and specialty insurance programs, and reinsures the majority of its program business to select reinsurers. Obsidian was formed in 2020 in partnership with insurance industry executives and Genstar Capital.

Source: Hylant

Topics Personal Auto Restaurant
For the past two years, C.Y. Stephens Auditorium in Ames has been showcasing local singing and songwriting talent in conjunction wit
Ireland is weeks away from learning whether it has secured a $80bn foreign direct investment project from chipmaker Intel which will in time create up to 10,000 jobs.

Intel already employs more than 5,000 people at its sprawling 360-acre Leixlip, Co Kildare facility and at a site at Shannon, Co Clare and the investment will be the first test of Ireland's ability to attract huge projects after the Government last month signed up to the global accord to increase corporation tax to 15%.

Ireland faces tough competition from Germany, which was among the group of the most powerful nations that pushed for the new way of taxing multinationals. The G20 group of countries meeting in Rome this weekend endorsed the new global regime.

Yellen hails tax deal

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen who today continues meetings with Government ministers in Dublin said the endorsement of the minimum tax would help US businesses and workers.

The Intel decision involves it building a new plant to make a new generation of chips. It already makes chips for servers, PCs, and almost every other internet-enabled product, in Ireland.

The investment would require a green field site of 1,000 acres because there is no space left at Leixlip to accommodate the investment Intel has in mind. It first announced in March plans to build a new manufacturing facility in the US, and said it was looking to construct two more sites, in the US and Europe.

Ireland, which has been at the centre of Intel's European manufacturing for over 30 years, has been competing with a number of countries to secure the European investment.

Intel's largest ever investment

The $80bn investment involves Intel building up to eight so-called modules worth 10bn each. That means that over a number of years any new site would host 10,000 manufacturing jobs. It is the largest ever investment by Intel which will have invested $22bn in Ireland by the time it completes the latest expansion at Leixlip next year.

Its Irish workforce, which will grow to over 6,500 when the 1,600 new jobs at Leixlip come on stream, could in time swell to 16,500 if Ireland were to secure the huge project.
There was a more than seven-fold increase in mandated reports of child neglect in direct provision centres last year.

Direct provision centre managers reported 15 cases of child neglect to Tusla in 2020, in comparison to just two cases of neglect in both 2018 and 2019. There were also two cases of sexual abuse, five cases of physical abuse, and seven cases of emotional abuse of a child or children reported to Tusla by direct provision centre managers last year.

This compares to two reports of child sexual abuse, nine cases of physical abuse, and five reports of emotional abuse of a child or children in 2019.

Centre managers reported no instances of sexual abuse of a child or children in direct provision centres to Tusla in 2018. Six cases of physical abuse were reported that year and 14 cases of emotional abuse of a child or children.

Ombudsman for Children, Niall Muldoon, whose office earlier this year highlighted the inherent vulnerability of minors in the direct provision process which, they said, Tusla did not recognise. Picture: Maxwells

In addition to the 29 reports from direct provision centre managers in 2020, who are mandated reporters under the Children First Act 2015, Tusla received an additional 53 referrals regarding neglect and abuse from direct provision centres last year.

The agency said corresponding non-mandated reports for previous years are not available.

A spokesperson for Tusla said all child protection and welfare concerns are screened and assessed in line with Children First, child protection legislation.

When a report is received by Tusla the first consideration is always the immediate safety of the child. All reports and information are checked on the day that they are received, and emergency action is taken if it is necessary. Some concerns may not require social work intervention and can be dealt with through other types of support services.

Tusla did not provide details as to how many reports, if any, required emergency action.

Inherent vulnerability

A recent investigation carried out by the Ombudsman for Childrens Office (OCO) found that Tusla did not recognise the inherent vulnerability of minors in the international protection process and failed to make reasonable adjustments, which would give the children in DP [direct provision] an equal opportunity to reach their full potential".

The investigation also concluded that Tusla has no effective mechanism to gather data about children living in direct provision accommodation which might identify risks and inform planning at a strategic level.

Tusla, the HSE and International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) have also failed to collaborate to provide on-site preventative and early intervention services and to gather data on national trends of referrals to services, it said.

Following the offices investigation, the Ombudsman recommended Tusla conduct a review of child protection and welfare referrals from April 3, 2017 (when the OCO began to accept complaints on behalf of children in direct provision) to ensure that no child residing in State provided accommodation is at an enduring risk of harm as a result of the issues identified in this investigation.

John Lannon, chief executive of Doras: 'In many cases Direct Provision staff are not adequately trained in child protection... and in one case staff members were not even vetted to work with children.'

A spokesperson for Tusla said the agency accepts all the findings of the report and is working to implement its recommendations.

Ombudsman for Children Dr Niall Muldoon said while the overall increase in mandated reports is very concerning for the children involved updates to the reporting system may be a contributing factor to the overall increase.

Children should not be at risk in direct provision centres or any other setting funded by public money, but where there are reports of child abuse and neglect, they should be treated extremely seriously and thoroughly investigated, he said, adding that he commended all of the managers who fulfilled their obligations and made reports to Tusla when they were concerned.

Dr Muldoon added that the OCO will carry out a six-month review of the recommendations made in April 2021.

Child welfare issues inextricably linked to lack of supports, living conditions, and mental health of parents

John Lannon, chief executive of Doras, an NGO working to promote and protect the rights of migrants and those in direct provision centres, said direct provision is an entirely inappropriate environment for children and this is reflected in the reports to Tusla:

Families are forced to live in unsuitable settings for many years, waiting for their asylum applications to be processed. For parents, giving their children the care and attention they need and deserve is next to impossible, given the restrictive and isolated nature of living in direct provision.

Mr Lannon said there has been an ongoing failure amongst statutory service providers to recognise the vulnerability of children within the international protection process".

In many cases Direct Provision staff are not adequately trained in child protection, with the Ombudsman for Childrens 2021 report noting that in one case staff members were not even vetted to work with children and that parents were given misleading and harmful information.

Mr Lannon also pointed to a 2015 Hiqa report which listed a range of issues including children sharing accommodation with unrelated adults and inappropriate contact by adults towards children.

Many of these issues remain a concern, he said.

While the real solution must be an end to direct provision, the absence of independent oversight and human rights-based inspections of centres is a factor at present.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth announced last October that Hiqa would undertake independent monitoring but to date this has not happened.

Mr Lannon said the absence of an independent monitoring, oversight and human rights-based inspections of direct provision centres has contributed to an already dysfunctional system that falls short in terms of child protection":

Families are isolated from the support services they need, and this is having a detrimental effect on the wellbeing and development of children.

Indeed, he said Hiqa inspectors in 2015 found common themes arising from child welfare concerns including physical or mental illness of parents impacting on their capacity to care for their children and gaps in the provision of practical support.

Bulelani Mfaco pointed out that the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland which he represents had previously expressed concerns about children's wellbeing in the 'abhorrent' direct provision system. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Child welfare issues are not something that happens in a vacuum, he said, they are inextricably linked to the lack of supports, the living conditions, and the mental health of parents who are left languishing in direct provision for many years, socially excluded, stripped of their dignity, and without any hope for their future.

This is still the reality for families in direct provision, and until such time as it is abolished, parents will not be in a position to care for their children properly.

Bulelani Mfaco, spokesperson for the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) said the group has previously expressed concerns about children's wellbeing within the abhorrent system of direct provision.

Children themselves reported to the Ombudsman for Children that they were concerned for their safety. This is because direct provision is not a home. It is an institutional set-up that shouldn't exist. Mr Mfaco said the group has urged, and continues to urge, the Government to get children out of direct provision centres.

Their childhoods will be lost forever the longer they stay in the system.

"The entire set-up is not suitable for children. Report after report shows this and the government does little to change the material realities of children in direct provision."
The number of healthcare workers out of work due to Covid-19 has doubled in a week prompting HSE management to express concern for key services.

According to HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry there are now 3,500 staff out due to Covid-related illness. That figure was 1,800 at the start of last week.

"We are under pressure, there is no doubt about it," said Dr Henry.

"Whatever the trigger points that cause us concern - the critical occupancy of ICU beds, a critical number of people coming into hospitalisation (due to Covid-19) - the loss of staff is not just bad for those who may be sick or close contacts, but it is also bad for the services which rely on those staff to deliver those services some of whom are quite specialised."

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) meets today to decide on giving booster jabs to healthcare workers.

Dr Henry said the HSE is anxious that if NIAC backs the jabs for that cohort, "we progress quickly and we are ready to administer quicky to frontline healthcare workers to protect them, to protect patients and to protect services going into what will be difficult winter".

His comments came after almost 5,000 new cases of the virus were confirmed by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) over the weekend. There are now 500 Covid-19 patients in hospital, 93 of them in ICU.

The high numbers have prompted questions as to whether boosters should be made available to the wider population more quickly than previously anticipated.

Asked whether the booster campaign is likely to be expanded, Mr Martin said: "It seems to me as I said before that, in terms of the European perspective, over time vaccines will be used in respect of Covid regularly, so I think we can look forward to the expansion of boosters, subject to the advice from the clinical advisors."

On a more positive note, while the number of Covid cases continues to rise, Dr Henry said it is reassuring that "the conversion of those cases into harm is blunted".

"Over the past 14 days of the total number of cases about 1.7% were hospitalised and 0.7% admitted to ICU," he told RTE. "That is half the level of conversion we would have seen in previous surges.

That protection is a protection we are seeing from the vaccine. They do not afford such significant protection against transmission."

Meanwhile, as children return to school this morning after the mid-term break, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan has said he is conscious that parents will be concerned about the high level of incidence of Covid-19 amongst the 5-12 age group.

"International evidence tells us that, in the vast majority of cases, children who become infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms or are asymptomatic," he said.

"It shows that child-to-child transmission is uncommon in school settings where there are preventive measures in place like those throughout our schools."

There may be a role for antigen testing in schools, according to the Minister for Education.

Last week, parents were urged to impose limits on children's activities amid warnings that the 5-12 cohort are now being infected with Covid-19 at a higher rate than the rest of the population.

It is a matter for their consideration within the school sector, Norma Foley said. We have followed very strenuously and very clearly all of the recommendations that have come to us from public health.

When asked if antigen tests could be used in schools, Ms Foley said the matter is also being considered by Nphet.

It is my understanding that, well say, in particular instances that there may well be selected by public health, that there may well be an opportunity for the use of antigen testing, but at the end of the day, it will be fully a recommendation of public health.
Dolores Cahill has been fined 2,500 (almost 3,000) for holding an anti-lockdown protest in flagrant breach of Covid restrictions, a court heard.

Ms Cahill, 55, a former professor at University College Dublin (UCD), helped organise a demonstration involving around 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square for the activist group Stand Up X, Westminster Magistrates Court heard on Monday.

At the time, on September 19, 2020, gatherings of more than 30 were prohibited unless organised by a political body with a risk assessment in place, the court heard.

Statements from police officers and body-worn footage presented at Cahills trial revealed she had not submitted a risk assessment to police or Westminster City Council ahead of the demonstration.

District Judge Michael Oliver found her guilty of one charge of holding a gathering of more than 30 people on land in public outdoor place during the emergency period.

He determined her weekly income to be 2,000 and ordered she pay a fine of 2,500 along with a 190 (225) surcharge and prosecution costs of 625 (740).

I am satisfied so that I am sure that Ms Cahill was involved in the holding of this gathering," he said.

It doesnt seem to me any of the exemptions in place at the time were met in this case. Ms Cahills position from the footage appears to have vacillated from that there was a risk assessment on a laptop to that it could be submitted retrospectively.

It seems to me that the defendants culpability is high. This was a flagrant breach of the regulations that were put in place to ensure public safety at the time of a national emergency  a pandemic.

The measures were plainly for a good reason  to protect people.

There were plainly far more people than 30 present at this protest and the evidence suggests about 1,000 people.

Plainly there was risk of harm to people attending and to others at the risk of transmission of Covid.

The court also heard how Cahill, of Ranelagh, Dublin, a former chair of the Irish Freedom Party, had previously been handed a 10,000 (11820) fixed penalty notice but did not answer it.

The judge was told how she had also been sent the evidence which was to be used against her and summoned to court on multiple occasions but had not attended or entered a plea so the trial was held in her absence.
Mary Lou McDonald has said she believes that paramilitary gangs claiming to be the IRA should be tried in a reformed non-jury court.

The Sinn Fein president was speaking one day after her party passed a motion at its Ard Fheis in support of jury-less courts in "exceptional circumstances".

Ms McDonald was asked on RTE television whether she would be willing to see IRA-style gangs tried in such a court.

Several human rights organisations including the United Nations, Amnesty International and the Irish Council on Civil Liberties (ICCL) have all voiced serious opposition to the court while the UN has repeatedly criticised the practice.

Younger members in the party told the Ard Fheis it is the "taming" of Sinn Fein by the establishment.

Ogra Shinn Fein member Adrian O'Gallagher from Co Donegal was one of those who spoke against the motion.

He said a non-jury court was something the party "should not advocate for, due to human rights abuses".

"We have seen in the past how non-jury courts were used against republicans," Mr O'Gallagher added "Although things have changed the idea of non-jury courts is still a denial of human rights."

Ms McDonald said the motion was sparked in response to gangland crime.

"I think it's important to state that the conflict is, thank God, over," she said. "We're not in the 1970s the 1980s. We are now in the year 2021, heading into 2022.

"The reality is that we have so-called gangland crime. These gangs think they're untouchable. They use intimidation to cause all kinds of misery to the very communities that we represent.

"The Gardai and the judiciary have to have all means available to do their jobs in an accountable fashion. They don't have a free run.

"We accept in exceptional circumstances, that will mean non-jury trials."

She said there was a part of the Good Friday Agreement that said the Special Powers Act would be removed, "and that we'd move forward".

"I think where we're at now has taken longer than we may have anticipated, but I think we've made the right decision.

"And let me say this, the best option will always be trial by jury, that will always be your first option. Our policy now sets out that you can have different options including anonymized juries, and so on, but we recognise that in exceptional circumstances that you can have a non-jury option. Where we need to be in that regard is we have to be sure that we have adequate and robust judicial supervision."

Currently, the situation is that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), decides whether a case goes to the Special Criminal Court.

Sinn Fein says in a more fit-for-purpose system that decision would be made by a judge on application by the Director of Public Prosecution.

"It recognises the realities that there can be intimidation of jurors and so on, but it also means that there is a proper robust system and of course, all of this has to be human rights compliant."

Responding to Sinn Fein's shift in position, the Taoiseach said the party were "slow learners".

"I'm reminded of Seamus Mallon quip about slow learners," Micheal Martin said.

"I mean how long does it take to realise that you need non-jury courts to deal with terrorists and armed criminal gangs who really have the capacity to intimidate juries? We know that and these armed gangs are very, very dangerous to the fabric of our society."
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has urged the UK government to act constructively in a post-Brexit fishing row with France.

Speaking at the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow, the Taoiseach said that Ireland stands in solidarity with other EU countries amid fresh tensions with the UK overfishing.

Mr Martin said that there was a concern that the UK has not been engaging with the EU in a "constructive manner".

"We believe the European Union and the UK Government need to engage constructively on a whole range of issues, not least fisheries."

"I believe there is discussion under way between the UK Government and the French Government and that they may be in a position to get that issue resolved."

"We would like to see that resolved, independent of the protocol," he told reporters.

The fishing row adds to the tensions around UK-European Union relations, with the dispute over the Brexit deal's Northern Ireland Protocol also causing a diplomatic row with Brussels.

The dispute with France was triggered by decisions made by the authorities in the UK and Jersey over licences for small French boats to operate in British waters, with officials arguing permission can only be given to vessels that can demonstrate a history of fishing there.

French officials have warned they will bar UK fishing boats from some ports and tighten customs checks on lorries entering the country unless more licences are granted.

French president Emmanuel Macron, who held talks with Boris Johnson at the G20 summit in Rome on Sunday and was welcomed to the Cop26 climate change conference by the Prime Minister in Glasgow on Monday, said the ball is in the UK's court.

"If the British don't do any significant move, measures starting from November 2 will need to be implemented," he warned on Sunday.

Earlier today, a bus was hijacked and set alight in Newtownards in an attack politicians in Northern Ireland have linked to loyalist opposition to the protocol.

The UK and EU have recently brought forward proposals in a bid to resolve the dispute.

Mr Martin said that he believed that negotiations can still be a success.

"If there's a will there now, the presentation that the Commission has made, gives the platform to conclude these negotiations rapidly if people want to because I think Europe has come a long way in respect of the operation and details of the Protocol," he said.

"Huge progress has been made and I believe the UK Government should respond in kind.

"It is in the best interests of the Good Friday Agreement and in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland."

"The signals are not that strong but we will work with our European colleagues, with the United Kingdom Government, as there is some distance to go yet."

He said that the UK and the EU need to move on from "micro-disputes" and that many issues can be resolved with "common sense".

"To allow these issues to fester is not good," he warned.
When the National Development Plan (NDP) was launched in Pairc Ui Chaoimh a few weeks ago, there were flurries of press releases from TDs across the country.

Representatives from government parties held up the inclusion of different projects as proof positive that the coalition is committed to their region, while opposition (and an occasional backbench) TDs railed at omissions.

For those who have watched and waited for a motorway linking Cork and Limerick, however, the inclusion of the M/N20 scheme was met with a sense of "we'll believe it when we see it".

With the need for an improvement of the road from Cork to Limerick first mooted in 1998, the people of both cities  and the towns gridlocked by traffic between the two  have waited with bated breath.

That report says that the substantive work on the entire route would be complete by around 2014. Four years after that deadline had passed, a full motorway was committed to by the Ireland 2040 national development plan, which said that a 900m stretch of road would be completed by 2027.

Its rationale for the road was simple: "Cork and Limerick are Irelands second and third largest cities located in the southwest and mid-west respectively. The two cities are approximately 100km apart yet at present the economic interaction and interrelationships between the cities is limited with poor transport connectivity being a factor.

An opportunity exists to provide better connectivity between the two cities by improving the quality of the transport network which will address road safety issues associated with the existing N20 route and provide for safer and more efficient journey times.

"The solution for the M20 corridor will be identified through the appraisal process by the development of a business case for the scheme."

On the first anniversary of the release of that document, then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar hailed a major milestone  the scheme's technical advisers were appointed and it was all go.

However, the impact of the pandemic, coupled with questions about the environmental and local impact of a full motorway have seen the road's status as a full motorway become somewhat unclear, with the newest NDP referring to it as the N/M20.

What is the issue with the current road? Emergency crews at the scene of an accident on the N20 near Mallow, Co Cork. Figures released this year show a higher than average number of collisions on the Cork-Limerick road, and a higher proportion of fatalities. Picture: Dan Linehan Anyone who has driven from Dublin to Limerick will have done so on a motorway from Naas to the outskirts of the city. For those travelling from Cork to Limerick, it is less comfortable, less quick and, most crucially, less safe. In May of this year, figures released by the N/M20 Project office showed that the proportion of fatal collisions to all personal injury collisions on the N20 is four times higher than the national average. In addition, the rate of collisions on the N20 is substantially higher than average, meaning drivers are more likely to be involved in a personal injury collision on the N20 than on other national roads in the country and those who are are more likely to die. In total. there were 87 collisions causing injury along the entire N20 route in the years 2016-2018. Of those. seven collisions were fatal (8%), 13 resulted in Serious Injury (15%), and the remaining 67 resulted in Minor Injury (77%). A high percentage of collisions (63%) occurred along rural sections of the N20, which is significantly different from the national average (39%).

Why the delay?

While the project will only be around 100km of road or rail, it is a complicated process which would bypass a number of towns, cut through land and will cost a lot of money.

One of the main issues with the current road is that it has so many access points. This means that farms, businesses, and homes are dotted all along the route and upgrading the existing road would mean having to cater for all of them.

Which is to say nothing of local objections. While the project is largely favoured by those at either end of the proposal, those in the middle feel differently.

There are four proposed routes on the table and each comes with a challenge and at least some degree of local opposition.

There is also some worry about the potential cost. That 900m figure in Ireland 2040 is now more than tripled according to Transport Minister Eamon Ryan. Speaking ahead of this year's NDP launch, he said no decision had been made on how to proceed.

We are looking at all options and that is why we are not ruling out any, because it is safety first. But we have to be careful because if we went to full motorway status, it could be about 3bn.

In the limited budget situation we are in, there are also dozens of other sections of road, whether for safety reasons, or trying to provide compact, better local environment, the question is how do we best use 3bn.

Safety first, compact development first, low-carbon development first. The exact best way of doing it, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) are going to come back with the recommendations in that regard, he said.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin told Fianna Fail TDs that Mr Ryan does not like big roads and reluctantly accepted a number of bypasses in the NDP, showing the political considerations at play in the coalition.

Is there a difference between a motorway and a national road?

Obviously, on an engineering and final level, there is a difference between a full motorway and a road that mixes different road types.

However, the difference would also be in journey times, with proponents of the motorway saying that it would enable a link between Limerick and the Port of Cork.

What is the alternative? The Cork Limerick Alliance Group has suggested that the M8 could provide the answer to the provision of a high quality road between Cork and Limerick. Picture: Denis Minihane The Cork Limerick Alliance Group has suggested that the M8 could be the answer. They group has argued that the entire project can be achieved far more cheaply, supporting the views of Tipperary and Waterford county councils to build a motorway between Waterford and Limerick (M24), which would connect to the M8 (Cork-Dublin motorway) at Cahir, Co Tipperary. The group says that this route would be nine minutes longer than a motorway between the two cities directly and would be significantly cheaper. The savings, the group has said, would be used to deliver bypasses of Buttevant and Charleville.

So, what's the plan now?

As of now, the project is at what is called Option Selection Phase. That will see the preferred options for a road and a rail link laid out and one decided on. Spokespersons for the three councils involved in the project  Cork City Council, Cork County Council, and Limerick City and County Council  said that this process will finish in the first quarter of next year.

"The N/M20 Cork to Limerick project team are committed to providing the optimal transport solution for improving connectivity between the cities of Cork and Limerick, and ultimately Galway. If a road-based option is identified as part of the preferred option, the road cross-section (i.e. Single Carriageway, Dual Carriageway or Motorway) and road classification (i.e. Motorway Scheme or Protected Road Scheme) will be considered and established by the project team in the subsequent planning and design phase."

The councils are also agreed that the road has to be delivered.

"The overwhelming need for the N/M20 Cork to Limerick Project has been established with the extensive studies and surveys undertaken. The capital investment in improving the existing N20 road between Cork and Limerick has been limited over the last two decades, in anticipation of the major capital investment on the Cork to Limerick Project.

"The need for the N/M20 Cork to Limerick Project is clear in respect of improving: road safety; public and private transport efficiencies; public realm in bypassed towns and villages along the N20; active travel infrastructure; along with the national, regional, and local economic benefits from improving connectivity between the second and third largest cities in Ireland."

However, with the project at phase 2 of a seven-phase process, no mention is made of when the first shovels will be in the ground, meaning that the people of Cork and Limerick will continue to wait and see.
From the Archive How the Suu Kyi-Richardson Clash Unfolded

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (center) and Bill Richardson (second from right) meet at her Yangon residence in October 2012. / The Richardson Center

In January 2018, former US diplomat Bill Richardson, who by that time had been a friend and international ally of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for more than two decades, visited Myanmar as one of five international appointees to a panel that was supposed to advise her government on resolving the Rakhine crisis. His visit ended prematurely, however, when the ex-New Mexico governor abruptly abandoned his task and returned home. According to his fellow board members, Richardson had been denied a meeting with the home affairs minister at which he hoped to secure the release of two detained Reuters journalists, and vented his displeasure at Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in an undiplomatic manner, though she had no control over the Home Affairs Ministry and Richardsons request was not within the scope of the advisory boards work. He later appeared drunk and belligerent at a gathering hosted by the State Counselor. In February this year, after Daw Aung San Suu Kyis government was overthrown by the military, Richardson tweeted: Because of Suu Kyis failure to promote Democratic values as Myanmars de-facto leader she should step aside & let others take the rein with international backing and support. Ahead of his upcoming visit to Myanmarannounced on Mondayduring which he plans to discuss delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and other aid, The Irrawaddy revisits this 2018 account of his disastrous trip that year.

YANGON  When State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson met again late last month, a public row was probably the last thing these two old friends expected.

Their friendship dates back to 1994, when she was under house arrest and he was one of the first visitors outside of her immediate family that she received. Since 2012, Richardsons Center for Global Engagement has conducted multi-party political and governance training in Myanmar.

When Richardson was among five prominent international figures appointed to the Advisory Board for the Committee for Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State last year, the 71-year-old was a natural choice. Given his long involvement with and apparent knowledge of Myanmar, his credentials seemed sound.

So expectations were high when the Advisory Board and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met for the first time on Jan. 22 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Naypyitaw.

The board members, five local and five international, were meeting on the basis that all would come with an open mind, ready to listen to all perspectives and learn from them in order to formulate collective recommendations for the Implementation Committee over the next few months. The recommendations were to be made in the best interests of conflict-torn Rakhine State.

In a statement released after the meeting, the government said simply that matters relating to the implementation of the recommendations on Rakhine State and the work plan of the Advisory Board were discussed. The accompanying photographs show everybody apparently at ease, with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the center surrounded by the Advisory Board members, including Richardson, beaming warmly at the camera.

Behind the smiles, however, there was anger, surprise, recrimination and a sense of disrespect following an angry complaint from the former New Mexico governor to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi over the last-minute cancellation of his meeting with the home affairs minister, at which he had sought to discuss the fate of two Reuters journalists detained over alleged violations of the Official Secrets Act.

The board members, unaware that he had requested the meeting, were taken aback by Richardsons complaint, diplomatic sources with knowledge of the meeting told The Irrawaddy.

Adopting an angry manner towards Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, he protested that his meeting with the home affairs minister was not going ahead, as though she had something to do with it, one of the sources said.

No one should show disrespect or rudeness to a national leader, even when disagreeing with them, this source added.

While she is not the president of Myanmar as she is ineligible for the office under the Constitution, Daw Aung San Suu kyi has been the de facto leader of Myanmar since her National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in the 2015 general election.

At the advisory meeting, Richardson participated in the conversation but seemed preoccupied with the journalists, one of the sources said.

The State Counselor responded in a firm and clear way that the case of the reporters was not within the scope of the advisory boards work.

If he knew Myanmar well, he would know who controls the Home Affairs Ministry, said the same source, referring to the fact that the ministry is one of the three military-controlled institutions in Myanmar over which the government has little or no authority.

Advisory Board chairman Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai told state media on Thursday that Richardson might have come with the preconceived goal of securing the release of the Reuters reporters.

He did not raise that in the Advisory Board at all, but he raised it with the State Counselor. It is not in the mandate of the advisory board. The board was not consulted formally in the three meetings that we had, he said.

After the meeting, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi invited the four other international board members  Richardson was excluded  to her home to say she was sorry that the exchanged had happened.

At a dinner later that night at Shwe San Eain Hotel, Richardson behaved badly and appeared drunk, according to three sources. He verbally attacked Dr. Surakiart, accusing him of not standing up for him. The State Counselor was present at the dinner.

Richardsons behavior at the dinner table was unacceptable, said someone who attended the dinner.

Daw Suu didnt respond to his behavior at the dinner, the source added.

Witnesses told The Irrawaddy that Dr. Surakiart found Richardsons behavior unacceptable and told him to calm down.

After the dinner, Myanmar National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun was seen visiting the former governors room at the Thingaha Hotel for talks.

When the Advisory Board members left for Rakhine on Jan. 24, Richardson was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he was on his way to Yangon. On Jan. 25, he released a statement announcing his resignation from the board, which in his view was likely to become a cheerleading squad for government policy and adding that he was extremely upset at the State Counselors reaction to his request that she address the situation of the two Reuters journalists swiftly and fairly. He adds in the statement that the absence of Daw Suus moral leadership on this critical issue is of great concern.

The board members heard of his statement after the visit to Rakhine State, which he didnt attend, one of the sources said.

In response to the statement, the Ministry of the Office of the State Counselor announced that evening that it appeared Richardsons intent had not been to provide advice to benefit Rakhine State, but to pursue his own agenda.

In view of the difference of opinion that developed, the government decided that his continued participation on the Board would not be in the best interest of all concerned, the announcement reads.

Dr. Win Myat Aye, the chairman of the Committee for Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State and Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement of Myanmar, told The Irrawaddy that Richardson raised an issue not directly related to the Implementation Committees work.

The advisory board is supposed to advise our committee, not on other things. We want people who can advise and help our implementation, he said.

Richardsons branding the panel as an instrument of whitewashing and cheerleading also prompted responses from the board members. At an urgently arranged press conference on Thursday, panel member Roelf Meyer said the meeting had been the first by the board members in Myanmar and they had not yet agreed to submit any advice to the implementation committee.

Therefore, any statement about the Advisory Board whitewashing or cheerleading for anyone lacks complete legitimacy, the former South African minister of constitutional development and provincial affairs said. A statement issued at the press conference said the board would offer its preliminary reflections as advice to the Implementation Committee.

On the same day, Surakiart said he thought Richardsons characterization of the Advisory Board  which the governor had shared with international media  as whitewashing, representing or protecting the Myanmar government, was unfair.

We dont intend to be the cheerleader of the government or the lead cheerleader of the international community, Surakiart said.

The Advisory Commission on Rakhine State led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan released its final report with 88 recommendations in August 2017. The Committee for Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State comprising representatives from the relevant ministries headed by the Union minister for social welfare, relief and resettlement has been implementing the recommendations. The Advisory Board was formed with national, regional and international experts on Dec. 14, 2017 to support the work of the Implementation Committee.

In comments that seem to backtrack from his accusations against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the former New Mexico governor said on Jan. 26 that she remains Myanmars best hope for change, and advised Western governments to continue to engage with her.
Burma Former US Diplomat Bill Richardson to Visit Myanmar

Bill Richardson and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon in 2012. / The Richardson Center

Former US diplomat Bill Richardson will arrive in military-ruled Myanmar on Monday on a private mission and meet with some regime officials.

The ex-New Mexico governor said in a statement that he is on a humanitarian trip in coordination with his contacts in Myanmar.

We are visiting the country to discuss pathways for the humanitarian delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, medical supplies, and other public health needs, he said.

The statement didnt mention whom he would meet during the visit, but The Irrawaddy has learned that during his stay in Myanmar, Richardson will meet regime-appointed Health Minister Dr. Thet Khine Win and Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin.

The Southeast Asian country has been in political turmoil and plagued by deadly violence and civil unrest since the military staged a coup in February by toppling the democratically elected government led by the countrys de facto leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. So far, the junta has killed more than 1,000 people who opposed its rule.

Following the takeover, the US imposed sanctions against the ruling military leadership and their family members while suspending a trade deal with the country. Richardson is the first US non-state figure to engage with the regime.

The former New Mexico governors last visit to the country was in 2018 as a member of an international panel set up to help resolve the Rohingya crisis. But he abruptly quit the body after clashing with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on a related issuehis attempt to secure the release of two Reuters journalists detained for their reporting on a massacre of Rohingya committed by the army.

When the Myanmar military staged a coup in February, Richardson tweeted: Because of Suu Kyis failure to promote Democratic values as Myanmars de-facto leader she should step aside & let others take the rein with international backing and support.

Richardsons visit this time coincides with the juntas detention of American journalist Danny Fenster, who was arrested in May and has been charged with incitement for spreading false information. Given his previous efforts, its not clear whether the ex-governor will try his luck with the regime and attempt to secure the release of the journalist.

The ex-governor will be joined on the trip by Cameron Hume, former US ambassador to Indonesia, South Africa and Algeria; and two officials from the Richardson Center.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Kills 10 Civilians in Five Days: AAPP

A female victim of junta artillery in Mobye, Pekon Township, in Shan State on Oct. 29. / CJ

Myanmars junta atrocities are continuing with the murder of more than 10 civilians, including a Buddhist monk and National League for Democracy (NLD) supporters, over the past five days.

Regime forces have looted houses, destroyed property, bombarded civilians with artillery, burned down homes and arbitrarily killed civilians during operations against civilian resistance forces, especially in Magwe and Sagaing regions and Chin, Shan and Kayah states.

By Saturday, 1,222 people had been killed by junta forces since the February coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which records deaths and arrests.

Last Thursday, the bodies of two NLD supporters, U San Lwin, 60, and U Kyaw Htay Aung, 50, were reportedly dumped by junta forces near the NLD office in Chanayethazan Township, Mandalay.

A photo was released of two bloody bodies lying beside a road in Mandalay.

The two victims were arrested with another NLD supporter, U Moe Gyi, 50, on Wednesday night, according to the AAPP.

The police retrieved the bodies and then reportedly asked family members to retrieve the corpses, according to the media.

Many torture injuries, including knife wounds, were found on the bodies, according to the AAPP.

A 25-year-old NLD member Ko Min Min Thu, also known as Mohammad Har Ni, from East Mawtone village in Tanintharyi Region, on Wednesday was tortured to death two days after being detained. He was seized at his home by regime forces last Monday.

On Thursday night, regime forces detained a married couple, U Myo Lwin and Daw San San Lwin, after failing to find their son who has been accused of being a Peoples Defense Force (PDF) member.

U Myo Lwin was reportedly tortured to death during interrogation after the couple were accused of supplying the PDF, according to the media.

The AAPP said a Buddhist monk, U Kuthala, an assistant head of the monastery in Yinshae village, Yegyi Township in Ayeyarwady Region, was shot dead by regime forces last Tuesday while returning from shopping in Ngathaingchaung near Yegyi.

A novice monk was also injured in his ear during the junta shooting, the AAPP said.

On Thursday, former political prisoner Ko Kyaw Naing Tun, who was released from prison in Magwe Region in mid-October, was reportedly tortured to death by the regime after being detained again on Wednesday.

Another three civilians were shot dead by junta forces during raids on villages in Myaung, Budalin, and Khin-U townships in Sagaing Region on Sunday and Monday.

One or two displaced villagers were shot dead by the regime forces while returning home to fetch food at a village in Demoso Township, Shan State, on Sunday.

The Demoso PDF said junta forces burned down houses and randomly attacked villages and residential areas of Demoso on Sunday and Monday.

Troops burned harvested rice in Demoso on Saturday while advancing on neighboring Pekon Township in Shan State, the PDF said.

On Friday, troops bombarded the mountaintop town of Thantlang in Chin State. More than 160 houses, including two churches, burned down in junta artillery fire.

Except for Rakhine State, regime forces nationwide are facing increasingly intense attacks by civilian resistance forces and ethnic armed forces.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Places Lawyers Back Under Control of Military Regime

Yangon Region High Court. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmars military regime has amended the Bar Council Act, effectively putting the council back under the control of the junta.

Coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on October 28 introduced two new amendments to the Bar Council Act, abolishing the right of lawyers to elect the council and so enabling the regime to appoint the legal body.

Under the amendment, the Attorney-General and Chief Justice of the Union will appoint members to the council.

Lawyers have lost the right to elect members to represent them. The council has been put back under the total control of the regime like it was in the past, said a legal expert who wished to stay anonymous.

As the Bar Council is authorized to issue and revoke advocate licenses and to regulate advocates, lawyers are likely to face tougher restrictions under the amended law, said legal experts.

There will be restrictions and controls on lawyers applying for advocacy. And there will also be politically-motivated restrictions and instructions to existing advocates. [The amendment] will affect the freedom of advocates, said another legal expert.

The Bar Council Act was first passed in 1929 under British colonial rule and specified that council members were to be elected democratically.

However, after the Bar Council advocated for lawyers to participate in protests against the former military regime during the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, the then juntas State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) amended the act. The SPDC amended two articles in 1989 to say that council members could be chosen only by the Chief Justice of the Union.

Subsequently, many lawyers involved in the pro-democracy movement were arrested and imprisoned or had their licenses revoked.

The Bar Council Act was amended again in 2019 under the now ousted civilian National League for Democracy (NLD) government, allowing all the licensed lawyers in the country a vote to elect the council. Eleven members, including the vice-chairperson and secretary, were elected to the council for the first time the following year after decades of control by the military regime.

Four members  U Nyan Win, U Kyaw Ho, U Thet Swe and U Aung Kyaw Min  from the Union Legal Aid Board, which was formed in 2017 with lawyers from the NLD, were among those elected to the council.

U Nyan Win was arrested by the regime following the militarys February 1 coup and later contracted coronavirus while being detained in Yangons Insein Prison. He died on July 20 at Yangon Hospital.

U Khin Maung Zaw, who served in 2020 as the Bar Council secretary, is currently acting as the head of the legal team for detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. He has been barred by the regime from speaking to the media about her trials.

In response to the juntas amendment of the Bar Council Act, U Khin Maung Zaw wrote on his Facebook: I am no longer the secretary of Bar Council. But I am still Daw Aung San Suu Kyis lawyer and a human rights lawyer.

Another member of the elected council who asked for anonymity said: [The vote] was abolished. I have no comment on that.

A Bar Council without elected members means that there will no longer be checks and balances on legal processes and procedures, said a legal expert.

Just as the democratic rights of citizens are dying away, so the suffrage, rights and entitlements of advocates in legal and judicial fields are being restricted and gradually put under [junta] control, he added.

Since the coup, the junta has changed dozens of legal provisions in the Penal Code to suppress the anti-regime opposition. It has also imposed gagging orders on the lawyers acting for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, imposing a total media blackout on her ongoing trials and those of detained President U Win Myint.

The gag order was issued by the junta-controlled General Administrative Department rather than judges. Lawyers have criticized that as a move to influence the judicial process, saying it is against the long-established legal principle that a fair trial should be held in an open court.



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Guest Column ASEAN and the Myanmar Quagmire: Chinas Next Move

An Indonesian worker cleans near the ASEAN Secretariat building in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 26, 2021. / EPA-EFE

The next three weeks will decide the fate of Myanmar as a member of the ASEAN family and the future trajectory of the groupings most important dialogue partner, China. At issue here is whether Senior General Min Aung Hlaing will be invited to attend the 30th anniversary ASEAN-China summit scheduled for Nov. 22. Whatever decision is taken by Beijing, it will herald a new chapter in ASEAN-China relations and Myanmars future.

After months of suffering negative reviews of its handling of the Myanmar situation, Bruneithe current chair of the regional blochas emerged triumphant from the ASEAN-related summits with plenty of praise for the full-powered attendance of East Asian leaders. ASEANs centrality has been strengthened, even though the blocs solidarity has been bruised.

Indeed, Naypyitaw miscalculated the overall ASEAN reaction, thinking that the chair would give in at the last minute. The letter from the Myanmar juntas State Administration Council (SAC) challenging the chairs decision was fruitless; the decision was made on Oct. 15 and all nine of Myanmars ASEAN co-members agreed. Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin asked the chair to put on record that his regime had reservations about this political decision.

At the end of the three-day summit, Bruneis Sultan Hassan Bolkiah made it clear that ASEAN treats Myanmar as a family member and urged the country to comply with its five-point consensus without delay. Obviously, one immediate step the regime could take would be to welcome the special envoy from ASEAN, Bruneis Second Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, whose trip has been delayed for months. To show more progress, Naypyitaw should allow ASEAN and international humanitarian assistance to come in. At this juncture, Myanmar should be humble enough to learn from its mistake of thinking that a divided ASEAN would be susceptible to the juntas manipulation.

With ASEAN centrality intact and the new ASEAN chair, Cambodia under Prime Minister Hun Sen, starting its reign, the bloc will witness new dynamics in the interaction between the top echelon and the family members. Hun Sen has stated clearly that it was Myanmars own actions that forced ASEAN to adopt such a damaging decision. ASEANs solidarity has suffered, but its credibility as an organization able to tackle its own troubles is respected. It remains to be seen if Myanmar will be invited to attend the 13th Asia Europe Meeting hosted by Cambodia on Nov. 25-26.

Obviously, the Tatmadaws history shows it is not inclined to tolerate interference from outsiders. In short, the junta will do whatever it deems fit, regardless of outside pressure or concerns. However, at the end of its statement, the ASEAN chair said succinctly that Myanmar should be given time and space to deal with the challenges at home. But if the junta continues to show recalcitrance, both the time and space for Myanmar to act will shrink further, to the detriment of itself and ASEAN.

The litmus test will be the upcoming ASEAN-China Special Summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of relations. Unmistakably, the burden rests on the shoulders of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will chair the important summit for the first time. This will be the second summit for China within a year. Will China invite the SAC leader to the summit?

Judging from Chinas response and comments in the past nine months, it is as clear as sunrise in the morning that Beijing is highly likely to follow the ASEAN decision at last weeks summit. There are no reasons to take a different path. On the first day of the summit a small diplomatic unpleasantry occurred regarding the decision to grant comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) status to China and Australia. Much to the chagrin of some ASEAN and dialogue partners, the release of the ASEAN-China summit statement, which should have followed the summit on the first day, was delayed by one day.

The absence of Myanmar, the new coordinator of ASEAN-China relations, has made the whole procedure complicated and troublesome. The chair had to take responsibility for replacing Myanmar. The new coordinator of ASEAN-Australia, Laos, had no problems rounding up its colleagues comments and agreements. Therefore, the statement on the ASEAN-Australia summit, which was held a day after the ASEAN-China summit, was released quickly right after the summit, ahead of the ASEAN-China statement, giving the impression that ASEAN granted CSP status to Australia first. That was not the case.

It was at the final press conference that Sultan Hassan Bolkiah announced that the establishment of CSP status for both China and Australia had been agreed. Although there were some reservations by ASEAN members, the chair decided to go ahead. In fact, ASEANs decision on the CSP at the prior senior officials meeting was that the bloc agreed in principle, meaning additional discussions are still needed. Deep down, ASEAN wanted to avoid giving the impression of favoritism to either China or Australia. Truth be told, both are premium dialogue partners.

All things considered, in the next three weeks, it is do or die for the Tatmadaw. If Naypyitaw continues the same unhealthy non-compliance with the ASEAN consensus, it will not be able to attend the upcoming summit or other internal forums. However, if there is tangible progress on the implementation of the ASEAN consensus, especially the long-awaited visit of the ASEAN special envoy, the host might be more willing to have the junta leader join the meeting. China knows full well that without a legitimate coordinator to facilitate this relationship at the most critical moment, the ASEAN-China friendship could see unexpected collateral damage.

Chinas position on Myanmar is clear: it supports the overall ASEAN effort to bring about peace and a durable solution to Myanmars crisis. It has been widely reported that China has maintained rather balanced positions towards all conflicting parties, as it wants to see the return of regional peace and stability as soon as possible. But Beijings positions will be challenged if the internal situation in Myanmar deteriorates further.

In a nutshell, the red line has now been drawn between China and Myanmar. The ball is in Naypyitaws court. It is worthwhile repeating that without compliance on the ASEAN peace plan, which Beijing fully backs, the SAC leader will definitely be absent from the summit. No time to waste, no space to stand.

Kavi Chongkittavorn is a veteran journalist on regional affairs.



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ISO is empowering developing countries to effectively do their part in the fight for social and economic sustainability. Efforts underway will get a boost from the recent USD 3.6 million grant agreement with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

ISO Secretary-General Sergio Mujica met with high-profile Swedish government officials in Geneva in October 2021 to discuss how International Standards support sustainable development, including climate change and world trade. Particular emphasis was given to the London Declaration as a means for ISO members to commit more fully to the climate agenda through the use of standards.

The informal meeting allowed the ISO Secretary-General to express his heartfelt thanks to Anna Jardfelt, Ambassador of Sweden to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, for the new agreement with Sida. The funding will allow ISO to continue investing in building the capacity of our members. Our sincere thanks to Sida for making this possible and for their continued support.

Ambassador Jardfelt highlighted the importance of truly global standards: In order to truly achieve global standards, having a broad participation is essential. Sweden is therefore very pleased to be able to work with ISO to help developing countries take an active part in forming and using International Standards.

Sidas collaboration with ISO means that much-needed resources will enable developing countries to participate more fully in the international standardization system and realize the benefits of using ISO standards to address social, economic and environmental challenges. It is a significant contribution to the international standards community being able to build back better following the global socio-economic disruptions brought about by COVID-19, which continues to disproportionally affect developing countries.

The Sida agreement will also enable ISO, in synergy with the Swedish agency, to make great strides in contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals during the Decade of Action by leveraging the power of ISO standards for developing countries.

Sida is Swedens government agency for development cooperation. With just under half of the agencys total support going towards multilateral cooperation, Sida contributes to a positive development for people living in poverty. Swedens priority thematic areas are democracy, human rights, environment and climate, as well as gender equality and the role of women in development.
November 1, 2021



One year after its launch, the Idaho State University College of Businesss Financial Literacy Certificate Program has just received its first corporate endowed scholarship thanks to the support of Citizens Community Bank, a division of Glacier Bank.

The Citizens Community Bank Financial Literacy Scholarship Endowment is aimed at fostering the education of students who have financial need and may not have been able to afford their education without assistance. The scholarship is also open to any Idaho State student pursuing the certificate.

Citizens Community Bank, a division of Glacier Bank, has always believed in giving back to the community, but also to those that struggle financially, said President and Chief Executive Officer, Amy Rhoads.

Through the Financial Literacy Program, the College of Business has developed a community and student-focused platform that is working to provide a resource for greater financial success that is available to anyone. The program features not only a Financial Literacy Certificate for Idaho State students, but has also partnered with the Universitys Continuing Education and Workforce Training department to offer the certificate to the public. Anyone can also tune into the Bengal Financial Literacy Radio Show that airs once a month on KISU-FM 91.

Its important to support students pursuing the Certificate because financial literacy is the key to helping them understand their finances, Rhoads said, But we also want students to think critically about what happens when they take out student loans that they didnt really need? What happens when they graduate with debt and will they make enough to make those payments? We want everyone to be successful once they graduate and get a job, but not be hindered by debt overload.

Rhoads said that its important to Citizens Community Bank, a division of Glacier Bank to help guide our younger generations toward a financially successful future and supporting a program like this through scholarships is a great way to help alleviate that financial burden and encourage proficiency in personal finance. Were hopeful that [students pursuing the Certificate] will not only be able to build a savings nest for themselves, but to also be able to discern between the wants and the needs of life and to not live from paycheck to paycheck. The more financial education that can be provided is helpful no matter what your age is. As bankers, we always want to be a resource in building their future.

In banking, our job is to educate customers on how to manage their finances when they ask, said Rhoads. We believe in helping people grow, so that they can be successful in their future. We believe in helping businesses grow by lending money to start up a new business or acquire a new business, but it has to start with a plan and a budget and if you dont have either, it may still happen, but will take longer to fulfill that dream.

"Thank you to Citizens Community Bank, a division of Glacier Bank for creating this permanently endowed scholarship and supporting our Financial Literacy Program in the Idaho State College of Business, said College of Business Dean, Dr. Shane Hunt. Investments like this from Citizens Community Bank will help us improve financial literacy for our students which will then help our economy for generations to come."
NEXTDC a data centre provider has announced the purchase of land in Darwin for the construction of a new data centre facility.

As the successful proponent of the Northern Territory Governments data centre Expression of Interest (EOI) process, NEXTDC will further expand its digital infrastructure platform with the development of a new Tier III data centre facility (D1) and Mission Critical Operations centre in the Darwin CBD.

Were excited to work with NEXTDC to build this world-class data centre in Darwin, said NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner. We want to make the Territory a hub for digital industries and investment, and now we can look forward to building infrastructure that will create new jobs and opportunities, which will support local tradies.

NEXTDC says D1 will further expand its national network of data centres which will be ideally positioned to support the growing needs of the Territorys digital economy. NEXTDC will work in partnership with the Northern Territory Government to support its vision to establish the Territory as Northern Australias leading digital economy and Australias digital gateway to Asia, the company said.

Vocus will provide high-capacity connectivity to D1 on its Terabit Territory fibre network, as well as being an anchor tenant in the facility. D1 will also support Vocus in-progress fibre infrastructure deployments in Australias north, including the Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable system and the Project Horizon fibre between Darwin and Perth via Port Hedland, NEXTDC said.

We are honoured to have been selected by the Northern Territory Government as its strategic partner to work together to continue to strengthen the Territorys digital industry said NEXTDC CEO Craig Scroggie. This digital infrastructure development represents an important investment for the NT, that will further support and accelerate the growth of the northern digital gateway in Australia.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 25 October 2021.
COMPANY NEWS: 8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT), a leading integrated cloud communications platform, has announced new 8x8 XCaaS enhancements, including advanced enterprise features to optimise the moderation, performance monitoring, and participant engagement of large meetings, expanded global reach, and additional customer engagement features. These improved capabilities enable organisations to boost productivity, provide tailored experiences for a distributed workforce, and increase customer satisfaction, allowing for a more agile business.

When we became a cloud-first organisation, we wanted all voice services on a single platform. 8x8 XCaaS fit the bill and gave us everything we previously had with our on-premises systems, plus so much more, said Tom Drez, Chief Information Officer at Christian Brothers Services. The ability, now, for all employees to have their own fully featured virtual meeting space to conduct meetings from small to large with employees and non-employees alike  with frequent software updates and new features from 8x8  has proven just how valuable it is to choose a technology partner who is going to continue driving innovation to meet our current and future needs.

8x8 XCaaS includes integrated cloud contact centre, voice, team chat, video meetings and embeddable apps and CPaaS APIs capabilities in a single-vendor solution. 8x8 XCaaS is built on the resilient, secure, and compliant 8x8 eXperience Communications Platform which offers the highest levels of reliability and the industrys only financially backed, platform-wide 99.999 percent SLA across an integrated cloud UCaaS and CCaaS solution.

New 8x8 XCaaS features enhance company-wide collaboration to boost employee and customer experience, including:

Work

Advanced moderation features : Addresses the needs of a hybrid work environment by enabling advanced enterprise capabilities to manage and moderate large meetings, such as company or department-wide town halls and classroom sessions. Includes the ability to mute and turn off video for all participants, and disable content sharing to run effective meetings.

: Addresses the needs of a hybrid work environment by enabling advanced enterprise capabilities to manage and moderate large meetings, such as company or department-wide town halls and classroom sessions. Includes the ability to mute and turn off video for all participants, and disable content sharing to run effective meetings. Meet from anywhere : Satisfies the needs of a mobile and distributed workforce and allows for increased meeting engagement from any location or device. 8x8 Work now supports 500 active participants across desktop and mobile apps, web browser, and audio dial-in.8x8 Work users can also seamlessly switch from one device to another with just a click without leaving the meeting.

: Satisfies the needs of a mobile and distributed workforce and allows for increased meeting engagement from any location or device. 8x8 Work now supports 500 active participants across desktop and mobile apps, web browser, and audio dial-in.8x8 Work users can also seamlessly switch from one device to another with just a click without leaving the meeting. Real-time in-meeting interactions : Keeps a pulse on meetings and enhances participant engagement using in-meeting polls to elicit real-time feedback, and leverages emoji reactions for non-verbal cues, such as hand claps, thumbs up, and more.

: Keeps a pulse on meetings and enhances participant engagement using in-meeting polls to elicit real-time feedback, and leverages emoji reactions for non-verbal cues, such as hand claps, thumbs up, and more. Meeting analytics : Streamlines system management and offers real-time metrics and actionable insights to IT teams on meetings performance, powered by 8x8 callstats.

: Streamlines system management and offers real-time metrics and actionable insights to IT teams on meetings performance, powered by 8x8 callstats. Enhanced receptionist functionality: 8x8 Frontdesk, a new 8x8 XCaaS composed experience for high volume call handling, transforms the receptionist role by delivering a tailored experience and user interface that is natively enabled within the 8x8 Work app. This eliminates the need for additional applications to install or support, and also removes any dependency on additional third-party solutions.

Expanded Global Reach: With the addition of Japan, Russia, and Puerto Rico, 8x8 Global Reach now delivers full Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) replacement services to 46 countries and territories. This provides multinational organizations with access to in-country enterprise-grade PSTN connectivity, local direct inward dial (DID) numbers, global dialling plans, and emergency services.

Engage

Recommended for Chrome Enterprise:8x8 Contact Center is now a Google Chrome Enterprise Recommended product optimized for Chrome OS, making it easy for Chrome OS users to quickly deploy and manage end-to-end customer experiences.

Interactive analytics and custom reporting : Enhanced analytics and reporting wizards within 8x8 Contact Center allow users to create, save, and share custom metrics for graphical display on everything from reports and wallboards to dashboards and widgets.

: Enhanced analytics and reporting wizards within 8x8 Contact Center allow users to create, save, and share custom metrics for graphical display on everything from reports and wallboards to dashboards and widgets. Contextualized messaging: Provides agents improved visibility and insight when supporting customer queries. 8x8 Converse contextualizes recent interactions with customers, including messages sent via 8x8 Connect and APIs.

Extend

Deeper integration with Microsoft Teams: 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams now empowers employees to capture, retain, and retrieve call recordings for training, compliance, and archive purposes from any Teams endpoint via the embedded 8x8 Voice for Microsoft Teams app, available for download at the Microsoft AppSource.

Digital channel engagement with Microsoft Dynamics 365: Allows agents to communicate with customers across a wide array of messaging apps, including SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Kakaotalk, Zalo, and Viber from Microsoft Dynamic 365s Omnichannel for Customer Service.

For many organisations, the future of work involves a hybrid model that allows employees the opportunity to work from home or in the office, depending on factors such as day of the week, team collaboration activities, or participation in all-hands meetings. As a result, video conferencing remains critical or important to 85% of nearly 400 global organizations that participated in a recent research study on UC management and endpoints, said Irwin Lazar, President & Principal Analyst at Metrigy. This continued reliance on video as part of business operations places an imperative on the availability of high-quality video services and the ability to monitor and manage performance with ease.

As organisations shift to a hybrid and distributed workforce model, they understand the importance of continually evolving and improving company-wide collaboration and communication capabilities, said Rob Pilgrim, Global Vice President of Product Management at 8x8, Inc. We continue to innovate and advance 8x8 XCaaS as we help organisations move forward and optimise their workplace communications to drive productivity and employee and customer engagement.

Visit 8x8.com to learn about the latest 8x8 XCaaS, enhancements and watch the on-demand webinar.

About 8x8, Inc.

8x8, Inc. (NYSE: EGHT) is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of 8x8 XCaaS, an integrated contact centre, voice communications, video, chat and API solution built on one global cloud communications platform. 8x8 is powering all employees globally to connect individuals and teams so they can collaborate faster and work smarter. Real-time business analytics and intelligence provide businesses unique insights across all interactions and channels so they can delight end-customers and accelerate their business. For additional information, visit 8x8.com.to learn about the latest 8x8 XCaaS enhancements and watch the on-demand webinar.

For additional information, visit or follow 8x8 on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

8x8, 8x8 X Series, 8x8 XCaaS, eXperience Communications as a Service, and 8x8 Global Reach are trademarks of 8x8, Inc.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO has identified the year 2025 as the critical date after which it will be problematic, if not impossible, to play and preserve content recorded on audio and video tapes or content held on other obsolete electronic formats.

According to UNESCO, communities and cultural institutions across the world hold priceless collections of audio-visual memories and stories. but these are at risk of permanent loss as they are held on fragile and obsolete magnetic tapes that are increasingly difficult to play.



UNESCO says that as Deadline 2025 approaches the growing challenges for preserving these collections include how to locate suitable playback devices and spare parts, and how to ensure the training and retenretention of engineering staff with relevant skills.

Over 3 and 4 November experts in collections management and digitisation techniques will meet online to identify prospects for avoiding the worst scenarios anticipated as the expiry date fast approaches for the viable preservation of these obsolete and at-risk formats, UESCO says.





In this symposium  Common Problems, Shared Solutions  those working at the forefront, preserving at-risk heritage materials, will seek the means for collaboration and shared tools needed to avoid the worst of Deadline 2025.



The event is a joint initiative by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
India's Reliance Industries has launched the Jio Next, a cheap 4G smartphone that it hopes will give it dominance of the Indian market and overtake its Chinese competitors.

But the device, which will sell for 6499 rupees (A$119, US$87)  1999 upfront and the balance in instalments  would be well out of reach of users of 2G devices, with that group using feature phones. That market is dominated by Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel.

The cost of the Jio Next will be about four times that of a feature phone, making it all but unaffordable to those at the lower end of the world's second biggest smartphone market.

The Jio Next will run a cutdown version of Android called Pragati which means progress in Hindi. It supports 10 languages.

Reliance is owned by Mukesh Ambani, the richest person in Asia, and the company will also offer a number of options for finance to help people buy the device. Ambani has said that the Jio Next is his way of making India free of 2G.

Back in 2015, I bought a MicroMax 3G phone in India, costing about the same as the Jio Next. It supported 13 languages and devices from its maker were the top-sellers in the market at that time, ahead of even Samsung.

The company appears to have wilted under competition from Chinese firms, and the likes of B.B.K. Electronics (owner of OPPO, vivo and OnePlus and part-owner of realme) and Xiaomi have now more or less taken over the Indian market.

But even these companies will have to look at lower prices if they want to retain their dominance. As incumbents they have the advantage.

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, who hails from the south Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras) made reference to the Jio during a third quarter earnings call last week.

Saying the deal with Reliance was about focusing on local languages to increase usage. Pichai added:"So I view it as laying the foundation ... And, you know, I think over a three- to five-year time frame, it will end up having a lot of impact."
TPG Telecom announced the appointment of Grant Dempsey as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), commencing in February 2022.

Grant Dempsey started his career at Deloitte and has 35 years experience in a variety of finance roles as a senior executive, strategic adviser and in investment banking.

Currently the CFO of Alumina Limited, Mr Dempsey has previously held roles at companies including ANZ Banking Group, JP Morgan, Citigroup, Seven Network and General Electric.

TPG Telecom chief executive officer and managing director Inaki Berroeta has welcomed Mr Dempsey to TPG Telecom.

Grants strategic advisory and capital management experience in Australia and overseas, coupled with his leadership within large ASX-listed companies will be invaluable for TPG Telecom as we continue our post-merger journey while delivering great customer outcomes, Berroeta said.

He has a strong background in corporate strategy development with a focus on the identification of growth opportunities, and I look forward to his contribution. Mr Dempseys appointment follows the departure of Stephen Banfield who announced his resignation in May 2021 after 20 years with TPG group companies. TPG Telecom deputy CFO Sean Crowley will act as Interim CFO from today until Mr Dempseys start date.

Dempsey's appointment follows the resignation of Stephen Banfield as reported in May.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 1 November 2021.
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This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
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Jacksonville, TX (75766)

Today

Sunny. High 73F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Tennessee gas prices stabilize after four weeks of increases at the pump
Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a public charity. It can be found at missouriindependent.com. Smarth Gupta of the Documenting COVID-19 project and the Independents Allison Kite contributed to this report.
Betty Jean Pulley, 95, passed away November 4, 2021, at Windridge Nursing Home, Miami, Oklahoma. Betty was born September 7, 1926, at home in Riverton, Kansas, to Albert Petty Cutright and Alta Elizabeth (Newkirk). She graduated from Riverton High School Class of 1944, and attended Joplin Ju
Opinion Columnist

Chris Powell has worked for the Journal Inquirer since 1967, first as a reporter, then as an editor, and now as a columnist. He was managing editor from 1974 until retiring from that position in 2018.
As the official death toll of Covid-19 reaches five million, several world leaders and officials are under fire for their management of the pandemic, with some facing charges and legal investigations.

 Brazil: Crimes and quackery 

In Brazil, one of the hardest-hit countries with more than 600,000 deaths, a Senate commission approved on October 27 a damning report that recommended President Jair Bolsonaro face at least 10 charges over his Covid policies.

The far-right leader repeatedly played down the seriousness of the virus, calling it a little flu, promising treatments scientists said were ineffective, rallying against lockdown measures and vaccinations.

Among the charges are crimes against humanity, quackery, inciting crime and violation of health measures.

While the accusations are serious, the process may be just symbolic since Bolsonaro enjoys enough congressional support to avoid the opening of impeachment proceedings.

 France ex-health minister charged 

Former health minister Agnes Buzyn was charged in September with endangering the lives of others, over her handling of the pandemic.

Buzyn, who resigned from her post in February 2020, weeks after the first cases were confirmed in France, has faced criticism and ridicule over her initial statements about the crisis.

Former prime minister Edouard Philippe and current Health Minister Olivier Veran are also being investigated by magistrates at a special court that has powers to prosecute ministers and has had their offices searched.

 Covid-sceptic Donald Trump 

Former US president Donald Trump, who himself was infected with Covid, came under fierce criticism for his handling of the pandemic.

Under Trump, the number of Covid-19 deaths in the US soared to by far the worlds highest toll as he resisted imposing face masks, shutdowns and other measures.

Anyone whos responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America, his successor Joe Biden said during an electoral debate.

The US has the worlds highest death toll of more than 740,000 deaths.

 British government inquiry 

With one of the highest death tolls in Europe of more than 140,000, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged an independent inquiry will open in 2022 into his much-criticised management of the pandemic.

In a damning assessment mid-October, a cross-party group of lawmakers said the governments response had been one of the most important public health failures in the countrys history.

Leading advisors were guilty of groupthink and pushed a gradual and incremental approach to social distancing and lockdowns. This approach was marked by fatalism about the spread of the virus.

There were many thousands of deaths which could have been avoided, the report said, when elderly patients were discharged from hospitals into care homes without testing.

 Indias devastating wave 

In April and May 2021, India was hit by a massive wave of infections caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, which saw peaks of around 400,000 cases and 4,000 daily deaths.

The central governments management of the crisis has come under severe criticism due to the catastrophic impact it had on the countrys underfunded health sector.

Delhis regional government set up a high-level committee to look into deaths caused by lack of oxygen supplies and while the citys lieutenant general tried to stop its establishment his decision was overturned by the Delhi High Court.

Some politicians are facing prosecution in the High Court for alleged hoarding of drugs that were thought to help in the treatment of Covid.

 Italy WHO official 

Prosecutors from Bergamo, epicentre of Italys first wave, are investigating the potential mismanagement of the pandemic when it first hit the country in early 2020.

In particular, they are looking into the role played by one top World Health Organization accused of lying after he spiked a critical report on Italys virus response to avoid a political confrontation with Rome.

The 102-page WHO report analysing Italys early response concluded the countrys pandemic preparedness plan was outdated and its hospitals first reaction was improvised, chaotic and creative.

 In court over Austria ski cluster 

In September the first civil lawsuit was heard in a court in Vienna over a notorious outbreak at a popular ski resort in 2020, where thousands of people from 45 countries claim to have become infected and 32 died.

It is the first of 15 lawsuits filed by plaintiffs from Austria and Germany, who accuse the authorities of not responding quickly enough to outbreaks in Ischgl and other resorts in the province of Tyrol.
Baton Rouge, La.  Since Friday night, Louisiana State Police Troopers investigated 10 fatal crashes resulting in 12 deaths. These numbers dont include crashes investigated by local and parish law enforcement officials nor do the numbers speak to the number of people seriously injured in motor vehicle crashes.

State Police investigated fatal crashes in all patrol regions of our state over the weekend. People who died included a pedestrian, a motorcyclist, and children. Several who died in crashes were not properly restrained.

Most crashes are preventable. Motorists are encouraged to put aside distractions while driving, never drive impaired or get in a vehicle with an impaired driver, and to obey all traffic laws.

While all crashes are not survivable, wearing a seat belt is the single best defense in the event of a crash. Louisiana state law requires all vehicle occupants to be properly restrained in all seating positions, day or night.

Anyone observing an impaired or reckless driver is encouraged to call *LSP (*577) to reach the nearest Louisiana State Police troop location or to dial 911 to contact local law enforcement.
The Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity (SGD) is an organization that advocates for LGBTQIA+ students, faculty and staff within the University of Kansas community, while also providing a safe space for students across campus, said Zach Parker SGD program coordinator.

Located on the fourth floor of the University of Kansas Union, in suite 400, the center is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to being a safe space for LGBT youth, SGD provides information about gender inclusive housing, how to receive a name and gender marker change, where gender-neutral restrooms are located on campus as well as the locations of other KU resources.

It is a home away from home, SGD graduate assistant Jesse Gardner said. When you're dealing with the hustle and bustle of student life, it's a place to come in, wind down and watch a movie, read a book, play a video game, do homework, or eat lunch. It's really a flex space for all LGBTQ students and allies to come in and interact with the staff and other students. It's a place to foster a community for students to thrive.

The program opened its doors in 2014, with aid from several graduate assistants from the Student Involvement and Leadership Center. The program's current location opened in Feb.

There are two parallel histories, one of student activism, and then the second one of graduate students taking on extra work, Parker said. Even to get us into this space here, it took a lot of activism from students, students senate, faculty, and staff. They all worked together to make sure we have the funds to build this space so that we would have a home on campus.

Parker has been working for the center since August 2020, but was not given the role of program coordinator until June. While his main responsibilities involve organizing programs and events, he also works to ensure that SGD meets the needs of KU students.

We are led by what our students need and what our students expect from us, Parker said. We always listen to students' ideas and how our center should move in different ways to fit their needs.

Weekly SGD events include queer coffee hour on Tuesdays, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Gaymer Night on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., along with support groups, sexuality and gender identity celebrations and other events.

With Oct. having been LGBTQ+ History month, SGD hosted the 51 Years Out event from Oct. 18 to Oct. 29. Throughout the week, SGD hosted book discussions and a dance where previous members of the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front attended.

Its really a celebration of the folks who were here in the 70s and how these people live and thrive and where they are now, Parker said.

The Lawrence Gay Liberation Front was founded in 1969, according to the SGD website. After being denied recognition from former KU Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers the LGLF filed a lawsuit in 1971 against the university for infringing on their 1st and 14th amendment rights.

Despite their case being denied by the Supreme Court, the program continued to grow throughout the 1970s and received formal recognition as a student organization at KU, according to their website.

That group, formed here on campus, was trying to become a student group that came up against barriers, Parker said. While that organization is separate from SGD, I think its origin really tracks through what some of our student groups are today. There is a strong history that is there, because that history and activism is still very present.

KU junior Ximena Ibara-Quintana, political science major and student ambassador, said throughout their time at SGD, the program has provided them with a chance to be themselves.

It is my support system on campus and I think the best part for me personally is that I have a lot of room to grow as a person here, Ibbara-Quintana said. I'm supported through all of it. I think that there aren't very many places on campus where you can walk in and rely on a mentor to be there for you.

Gardners main goal is to be foster that system of support for students throughout her time at the SGD Center, she said.

I wanted to be able to help other students who also feel like they're part of this community, Gardner said. I want to not only be able to navigate their student life or relationships, but to really have someone that can listen to them and that they relate to. I want to not only be a staff member that they can rely on, but a friend as well.
The University should require the entire campus community to get vaccinated, not just employees, Paul Samberg believes.
The Overland Park Police Department offense report just came to light, but was filed by Principal David Ewers on Nov. 8 at 1 p.m., a couple of hours after hundreds of students walked out while holding signs saying things like, "Protect the victims, not the assailants," "It's not a joke," and
Lee Won Geun decorated the latest issue of @star1 Magazine and sat down for an interview to talk about his growth as an actor, his military discharge and life experiences.

The actor is currently starring in the SBS hit rom-com drama "One the Woman" with Lee Honey, Lee Sang Yoon, and Jin Seo Yeon.

Lee Won Geun on Acting After Military Discharge, New Experiences and More

Lee Won Geun's role as a prosecutor in the SBS drama "One the Woman" marks his return to the acting scene after completing his mandatory military service. The actor also shyly shared that it had been years since his last photoshoot.

He said, "I'm awkward when it comes to taking pictures so I don't get to post a lot on social media."

Lee Won Geun talked about how his mindset changed after serving in the military. "During my service, I was always uncomfortable. But after being discharged, I felt freer. I experienced a new world, and I've come to realize and view my daily life in a different light and perspective."

The actor admitted that he felt down after his military discharge, and being welcomed by the threat of COVID-19 didn't help. He said, "I was so down after getting discharged because of COVID-19, but thankfully, I came across a project that was really fun." According to the actor, the head of his agency suggested that it would be better to do a fun and feel-good project amid trying times and joined "One the Woman."

Lee Won Geun revealed that he specifically learned how to speak Vietnamese for his character, which impressed many viewers. He said, "I found a Vietnamese tutor and learned it in advance. The director did try to lessen the pressure by jokingly saying that no one would know [if I pronounce it wrongly], but I really wanted to say the lines perfectly. I'm proud of myself, to be honest."

Lee Won Geun Brags About His Lovely 'Children'

The actor also adorably talked about his two children, his dogs Dduddu and Choco. The two dogs have been with the charismatic actor for eight long years. He shared the two adorable dogs' charms, saying, "They follow me wherever I go for a treat. I've never trained them, but at some point, we found a pattern. They're so cute that it takes away my sadness and the fact that those two and I are both getting older."

Now that he is in his early 30s, the actor said that his priority is his health. He also wants to show everyone that he has matured. "I want people to regard me as someone who has good energy. I love how I'm surrounded with good people, so I want to be like that to someone."

Lee Won Geun's Goals as an Actor

The actor is also approaching a decade since his acting debut in MBC's "The Moon Embracing the Sun." He reflected on what kind of actor he has become in 10 years and said, "These years made me grateful that I can live other people's lives. As an actor, I also have a lot of ups and downs. But failure gives me a different sense of accomplishment. I think I've become a solid actor who is always growing."

Lee Won Geun concluded by encouraging everyone to look out for him in the near future, "I want to keep challenging myself."

On the other hand, Lee Won Geun, Lee Honey, Lee Sang Yoon, and Jin Seo Yeon's "One the Woman" is in its last week. The 15th and 16th episodes of the drama are slated to air on November 5 and 6 on SBS TV at 10:00 p.m.

It is also available for worldwide viewing on Viu.

Watch Lee Won Geun's pictorial shoot here:



Follow KDramaStars for more KMovie, KDrama, and celebrity updates!



KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Rising actor Hwang Bo Reum Byeol transforms into a goal-oriented top student in the new installment of the "School" franchise of broadcast giant KBS, "School 2021."

She will lead the upcoming coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama alongside WEi Yohan, Chu Young Woo, and Cho Yi Hyun.

Hwang Bo Reum Byeol Becomes a Goal-Oriented Top Student in New Drama

"So Now Worth It" star Hwang Bo Reum Byeol joins WEi Yohan, "Police University" actor Chu Young Woo and Cho Yi Hyun in the forthcoming romance comedy-drama "School 2021."

The 22-year-old actress will be taking on the role of the goal-oriented top student Kang Seo Young, an elite and intelligent student who hides behind his cold and haughty personality.

She is a young woman who had her eyes open at such a young age of the harsh reality of the world. Kang Seo Young is a student who worries so much about her grades and struggles to enter one of South Korea's top universities.

Hwang Bo Reum Byeol described her character as "a person who looks cold on the outside but warm and soft on the inside."

"She has a lot of scars hidden behind her frigid appearance. Kang Seo Young has a lot of heartbreaking moments. I think my love for my character is growing bigger and bigger," she continued, raising expectations.

Because of that, the actress also resonated with Kang Seo Young as they both want to be seen as mature and independent. Hwang Bo Reum Byeol revealed that she grew up in an environment that forced her to rely more on herself than anyone else.

"I am paying more attention to the moment when the young and weak side of my character is reflected," she finally said, amplifying anticipation.

Not only that, but the production team of "School 2021" guarantees a 100% synchronicity rate, saying, "The common denominator between Hwang Bo Reum Byeol and Kang Seo Young is they are both mature and cold-looking on the outside but when people they care about confides their concerns, they show sympathy and comfort. Please look forward to seeing Hwang Bo Reum Byeol in the drama."

'School 2021' K-Drama Summary and Premiere Date

KBS2's new Wednesday and Thursday drama "School 2021" is looked over by filmmaker Kim Min Tae and scriptwriters Jo Ah Ra and Dong Hee Sun.

It follows the stories of young teens who navigate their way through life while facing challenges, struggles in love, friendship, studies, and life.

WEi Yohan will play Gong Ki Joon, a former Taekwondo genius who gave up due to an injury; Chu Young Woo will play the role of mysterious transfer student Jung Young Joo; and Cho Yi Hyun will star as Jin Ji Won, a sweet and bubbly girl who has big dreams to become a carpenter.

Kim Kang Min, Seo Hee Sun, Lee Ha Eun, Lee Sang Joon, and Jung Ye Seo are also part of the drama.

Veterans Jeon Seok Ho, Lee Ji Ha, and Park In Hwan will also participate to strengthen the drama.

"School 2021" will premiere on Wednesday, November 17, at 9:30 p.m. on KBS.

Follow KDramaStars for more KMovie, KDrama, and celebrity updates!



KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
MEDFORD, Ore.  The Human Bean's annual "Coffee for a Cure" fundraiser event gathered $426,551 toward breast cancer causes this year, the company announced on Monday.

This year was the 16th annual iteration of the event, held on Friday, October 22. All sales from food and beverages that day, from all Human Bean locations in the US, will be donated to breast cancer-related nonprofits and hospitals local to each location.

"The Human Beans mission has always been to inspire authentic human connections, with a bean on top, and to give back and support the communities that we serve," the company said in a statement. "We thank you for supporting all the patients and their families by contributing to this cause. Together, we were able to make a difference."

Money raised will help with preventative scans for early detection, education, and support for patients with expenses while they go through treatment. For the latter, funds are earmarked for patients that need financial help the most.
PHOENIX, Ore. -- Its been more than a year since the Almeda Fire tore through the cities of Phoenix and Talent, leaving destruction in its wake. Since then, the community has been showing signs of life and its true strength.

Shelly Rodgers is the property manager for the newly rebuilt residential 8-plex located at 206 and 208 Cheryl Lane. This will be the first of several buildings being built to replace those lost during the Almeda Fire.

The building is one of four buildings in the Cheryl Lane Townhomes development which was completely destroyed by the fire.

"Considering the lack of material thats been out there, for this builder just to get this going as quickly as possible and certificate of occupancies this week has been amazing and super excited to fill this up, Rodgers said.

Jonathan Lathrop is married to Rodgers' assistant, and he used to work at Morrtons Pizza in Medford.

Is actually warming to see everybody come together, and were a very family-oriented bar, to see people share their stories and come together, said Lathrop.

RELATED: Talent Strong: Community breaks ground on new Gateway Project

On Monday, November 8, residents will move into the townhomes.

Its been an ordeal working with the owners, working with the insurance companies and the municipalities to get our permits in place and then dealing with a different supplier and dealing with different supply chain issues and labor issues  overall its been a pretty good process, Shaun Olson said.

Olson is president of Olaf & Company, the company building the new residential homes.

Olaf and Company has been around since 2014. Olson said he and his company have other properties in the works  some in Talent and Phoenix.

In all, Phoenix lost seven multi-family buildings  containing 149 units  in the Almeda Fire. Four of those developments are under construction to bring back 84 units, and two other developments have applied for building permits, which would add 54 more units.
SALEM, Ore.  Oregon OSHA has fined a Wilsonville-based landscaping company more than $14,000 for alleged violations of safety regulations after an investigation into the death of a worker in Klamath Falls earlier this year.

OSHA cited Haulout Landscape Inc. $14,375 for "violating job safety standards designed to protect workers" after a worker hired to do tree cutting and removal work died in an incident on April 1.

"The deadly accident underscores the need to anticipate risks, and to follow proven safety procedures and practices as part of any work operation, including one involving a short-term jobsite with a relatively immediate need to hire workers," the agency said.

According to OSHA's investigation, Haulout hired two workers via an ad the company placed on Craigslist. The workers were tasked with cutting down and removing a 60-foot oak tree at a job site in Klamath Falls.

At one point, both workers were using gas-powered chainsaws on a large tree limb. While one worker cut branches on the ground for firewood, OSHA's investigation found, the other worker was in the tree working on the opposite end of the large branch, cutting it into pieces.

"As he did this, the tree branch toppled and struck the other worker  who was underneath it  in the head, trapping and killing him," OSHA said.

Before those two workers were brought to the site, OSHA said that the project supervisor had attempted to cut a block out of the tree and became nervous about doing the job himself, prompting his advertisement on Craigslist.

OSHA cited Haulout Landscape for three serious job safety violations  failing to train employees in the use of tree removal equipment or ensure they followed safe work practices, failing to ensure that an employee was secured with an approved climbing rope or safety saddle, and failure to ensure that the workers had adequate protective equipment while using chainsaws.

Workers have a right to a safe and healthy workplace, said Oregon OSHA interim administrator Julie Love. And whether an employer assigns a task to a long-time employee or to a temporary worker, the employer is responsible for ensuring protections are in place. That includes anticipating risks, and providing proper safety training and equipment. To do otherwise is to needlessly put workers in harms way.
WINSTON, Ore.  Oregon State Police has asked for help from the public in tracking down a suspected poacher spotted over the weekend near the Douglas County town of Winston.

A preliminary investigation by OSP Fish & Wildlife Troopers concluded that the deer was killed along I-5 near the crest of Roberts Mountain on the east side of the roadway at about 5 p.m. on October 30. A man got out of the pictured truck and retrieved the deer.

OSP said that the vehicle of interest is a newer model burgundy or maroon GMC Sierra or similar model 4-door truck with black rims and a black step bar. The truck left the area heading northbound on I-5 at about 5:15 p.m.

The agency asked for public assistance with information about this poaching case. Any person with information related to this incident is asked to call the OSP TIP (Turn-In-Poachers) Reward line at 1-800-452-7888 or by cell at *OSP (*677) or send an email tip to TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Reference case #SP21307330.

The Oregon Hunters Association TIP reward offers preference points or cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Goat, Moose, Elk, Deer, Antelope, Bear, Cougar, Wolf, Upland Birds, Waterfowl, Furbearers, Game Fish and Shellfish.
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP)  Vancouver police arrested a man after he allegedly kidnapped and killed his 2-year-old child. Police responded around 12:50 a.m. Sunday by a woman who said the father of her 2-year-old had picked up the child Saturday and later called her making threats to harm the child. Police said they believe the child was killed in Gresham, Oregon.

The department issued an Amber Alert around 2:30 a.m., requesting help in locating the suspect vehicle.

Police later contacted the suspect, who agreed to turn himself in. He was taken into custody around 4:15 a.m. The child was found dead.
JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. -- Voters will place their ballots throughout the day tomorrow for special elections across Southern Oregon and Northern California.

Though the voter turnout tends to be lower during special elections, the measures and candidates can significantly impact the lives of people living in the community.

ONE MORE DAY UNTIL ELECTION DAY!  #ORVotes



Get those ballots to a drop box near you, Oregon! https://t.co/T5o0p8qcjc pic.twitter.com/ft2N9OqgSF  Secretary of State Shemia Fagan (@OregonSOS) November 1, 2021

In Jackson County, there aren't many items to vote on. Across Jackson County voters will answer "yes" or "no" to Measure 15-201 which asks, "Should the Jackson County Charter be Amended so that the County Assessor is Not Elected?"

A "yes" vote would indicate that the voter would like for the position to be appointed. A "no" vote would indicate that the voter would like to keep it as an elected position.

The Jackson County Assessor is responsible for evaluating all real estate, commercial and residential, based on market value in use.

That person would also be responsible for evaluating personal property used to operate a business within the county, in addition to, creating the value assessments for new construction and determining whether any reassessment is in order when a property changes ownership.

RELATED: Josephine County Sheriff lobbies for renewed jail levy ahead of November election

Most people living in Jackson County will only be voting on Measure 15-201, but Shady Cove residents will also be electing a City of Shady Cove Council Member. The two people in the running are Tanda Murders and Paige Winfrey.

In their individual statements to voters, both candidates express a desire to see the community of Shady Cove at its best.

Murders writes, "Our city council should be focused on one end goal; develop, maintain, and improve the city we call home. My first goal is to bridge the gap in our council and promote unity."

Winfrey also writes about "bridging the gap", "If elected, I am committed to remaining focused on unifying the leadership and citizens of Shady Cove. I believe that every decision we make needs to provide opportunity to show understanding and to build relationships. To connect authentically and unite in building a better Shady Cove. As a part of the city council of Shady Cove, this will be my goal."

Voters across Jackson County have until 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 2, to drop off a completed ballot to one of the following locations:

Jackson County Elections

1101 W. Main St., Suite 201, Medford, OR 97501

Ashland Library

410 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520

Central Point Library

116 S. 3rd St., Central Point, OR 97502

Eagle Point Library

239 W. Main St., Eagle Point, OR 97524

Phoenix Library

510 W. 1st St., Phoenix, OR 97535

Rogue River Library

412 E. Main St., Rogue River, OR 97537

Medford Library

205 S. Central Ave., Medford, OR 97501
Shelly Blandeburgo (speaking), Al Blandeburgo, Carolyn, and Dan Hanle (right to left) fellowship with Sharon Pumpelly (left) at the Missionary Parents Retreat near Richmond, Virginia. (IMB Photo)
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While the pandemic sparked a renewed (if only temporary) appreciation of the medical profession, this alone wasnt enough to induce change in the system overwhelming them  a fact blatantly revealed to me this year at the annual conference of the American Academy of Family Physicians. I admit I was a little disappointed when the pandemic forced the location to be changed from sunny California to virtual. But, since Id recently signed a contract to work at a wellness center, I took consolation in the fact that at least my lecture choices would be more fun. Instead of studying diabetic drugs, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease, I signed up for lectures on gratitude, nutrition, and stress reduction for busy people. As I listened to the speakers, though, my feelings fluctuated between enormous relief at my impending escape from 21 years of primary care and a deep sadness in the dispirited voices of my struggling colleagues.

Over the past few years, a growing number of AAFP conference hours have rightfully been devoted to addressing physician burnout. This topic took even greater precedence this year, likely spurred by the pandemic. Because my lecture choices didnt require as much mental focus as previous conferences, this was the first year I paid any attention to the chat column scrolling alongside every virtual lecture. I was shocked by what I read.

Even though Ive written extensively on the problems facing primary care, my colleagues comments were eye-opening. My virtual colleagues wrote of exhaustion, frustration, and depression  their desperation evident by the very fact that they were seeking advice from doctors theyd never met. Perhaps emboldened by the anonymity of the virtual platform, they didnt hold back their despair. In turn, other concerned (and unknown) doctors validated these grievances and offered advice and assistance. I readily admit Im biased, but the family doctors Ive worked with over the years are the most dedicated and sacrificing people I know, rendering their plight even more heartbreaking.

As I (literally) count down the number of days until Im freed from a system that I believe is squeezing the life out of good people, I cant help but wonder if my own increasingly negative outlook is more than just eager anticipation of my new job. Maybe it signals something graver? Maybe what Im feeling is not just a need for change, but actually the beginning of burnout  a thought that scares me. The very idea that I may have been teetering so close to the edge challenges longstanding beliefs about my endurance, my toleration, my superpowers. Doctors are a resilient bunch, accustomed to toughing out difficult circumstances and pushing their limits. My strength as a mother, wife, and doctor form the core of my identity, my understanding of who I am. So, if even I am fallible.

Whatever the truth, my planned escape instantly granted me a different, more carefree, perspective on the remaining days of my current position. Suddenly, the frustrations of a new electronic medical system are insignificant. I no longer feel compelled to master yet another EMR (that doesnt communicate with any other EMR), secure in the knowledge that Ill only need to use it for a few more months. Im relieved that the absurd information overload of my inbox and the inefficiencies plaguing my workday are waning. I will not miss the hours I donate to my computer screen every day or the fragmented nights of sleep on-call. Im relieved (though Im ashamed to admit it) to turn over the care of some of my more challenging patients to my colleagues. As a person who has spent much of my life trying to help others, it doesnt feel good to be taking comfort in leaving behind those who probably need me the most. I understand that difficult patients are likely suffering ones. I understand that their doctors are suffering, too.

I dont like to think about what might have happened if I wasnt given an opportunity to escape. What if I simply endured, ignoring the toll of the daily stress on my health? Would my exhaustion lead to mistakes, as reported in the medical literature? Would I have become bitter toward the very people I want to help  patients who cant be blamed for the lack of care in our health care system? Would I have eventually burned out entirely and left medicine? Im grateful (at least for now) I wont be forced to learn the harsh answers to these questions.

Beyond the anguish captured in the margins of my last conference, though, I see daily reminders of struggle. I see it in the eyes of my colleagues when I sheepishly tell them about my future job in holistic medicine, where Ill be working with a team of providers with a common goal of promoting wellness. What I see, when I describe my new role as a physician consultant, is longing  even envy. The other day, when I told my patient that I was leaving primary care, she put her head into her hands and folded over on the exam table. After a moment of stillness, she bolted upright, threw her arms up into the air, and demanded, Why do all my doctors leave? I nodded, in full agreement, at the stark truth of her statement. Yes, doctors are leaving. They are being pushed out in droves by a health care system that seems indifferent to their suffering and, therefore, incompatible with healing. I tell her the painful truth: Its only going to get worse.

It is well past time that Americas health care system supported primary care doctors in their faithful commitment to their calling. As a nation, we cant afford to fail in this. If doctors continue to leave medicine, retire early, or choose to specialize for better pay and less bureaucracy, then who will be left to care for the health of Americans?

Jen Baker-Porazinski is a family physician who blogs at Pound of Prevention.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
17 Kilkenny trainees are among almost 1,000 new Chartered Accountants from across the island of Ireland to have been conferred in virtual ceremonies by Chartered Accountants Ireland.

The Institute, the largest professional accountancy body on the island of Ireland, now has approximately 5,000 members in Northern Ireland, and 20,000 in the Republic, with the balance of its 30,000 members located around the world. Its market share on the island of Ireland now stands at 50.7 per cent according to statistics published earlier this year.

The newly admitted members are among the first students to have sat their Final Admitting Exams (FAEs) entirely online, and this weeks conferring ceremonies mark the culmination of over three years of postgraduate education and training. They bring to over 1,500 the number of new members admitted to the Institute from all 32 counties in 2021.

Chief Executive of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Barry Dempsey said: I am delighted to congratulate our new members as they celebrate this milestone and I wish them well as they embark on their careers. Chartered accountants play a key role as frontline advisors supporting businesses and the economy throughout the island, never more so than in the last 18 months.

Just last month the CCAB-I noted that Ireland needs greater bench-strength to meet demand from employers for accountants, so that the profession can continue to fulfil this role. To see the strength in numbers joining the profession is an encouraging step towards future-proofing economic growth on both parts of the island of Ireland.

One in every two new accounting students on the island of Ireland is choosing the Chartered qualification, and we are particularly pleased to see such strong uptake in the flexible route, which enables students to stay in their current job, study in a way that suits them and generate the relevant work experience now or further down the line. We introduced the flexible route in 2009 and today it accounts for 16 per cent of students coming through.
The annual remembrance gathering for Jo Jo Dullard will take place on Sunday, November 7 at noon.

The annual gathering will take place at the missing persons monument in the Castle Park.

"Its important to keep Jo Jos memory alive in our hearts and our prayers," said Fr Willie Purcell, who with the Kilkenny Gospel Choir will lead the gathering for Jo Jo.

Kathleen Bergin Jo Jo's sister said: "We appreciate very much all the support and prayers for Jo-Jo and for our family."

Jo Jo Dullard is missing 26 years this November. Jo Jo was 21 years of age at the time of her disappearance. At the time that she disappeared she was making her way from Dublin back home to Callan. She made a phone call from a phone box in Moone, Kildare.

Every year on her anniversary family, friends, relatives, and neighbors of Jo Jo gather at the monument to remember her and to hope and pray for information on her. This is an opportunity for all of us to gather 26 years on to ensure that Jo Jo is not forgotten and the search for her will continue.
Healthcare Workers will receive free admission to the Kilkenny senior hurling county final in UPMC Nowlan Park this Sunday.

The initiative, a joint venture between UPMC and Kilkenny GAA, is a small thank you to healthcare workers recognition of how they served the community throughout the pandemic.

To receive free entry to the match, which throws-in at 1.30pm on Sunday, healthcare workers are asked to email pressoffice@upmc.ie with their details of where they work, their phone number. A member of the team will be in touch with them with their tickets.

"UPMC are delighted to support free access to the SHC County Final on Sunday for all healthcare workers," said David Beirne, senior vice president of UPMC International and managing director of UPMC in Ireland.

"UPMC have established deep roots in Kilkenny, through UPMC Aut Even Hospital, our recently opened UPMC Global Technology Operations Centre in MacDonagh Junction and our partnership with Kilkenny GAA through UPMC Nowlan Park," added Beirne, no stranger to the Park from his days hurling with Dicksboro and the Cats. "As an organisation with almost 900 healthcare workers, we know how hard they have worked throughout the pandemic and this initiative is a small token of our appreciation to them and our colleagues across the Irish health system."

The sentiment was echoed by Jimmy Walsh, chairman of Kilkenny GAA Co Board.

"Everyone in Kilkenny GAA acknowledges the sacrifice our healthcare workers have made for the wider community over the past 20 months," he said. "We are delighted to partner with UPMC and offer them free entry to the senior hurling county final on Sunday in UPMC Nowlan Park.

"It goes without saying that everyone in Kilkenny is excited to have live finals back in the home of hurling, and this in a large part is down to the trojan work of our healthcare workers," he added. "To that end, and recognising their role in opening society, we look forward to seeing them there on Sunday. It is important to note that all our games take place within public health guidelines."
Ireland's latest Lotto millionaire has been urged to sign their winning ticket and contact the National Lottery claims team.

The winner of the top prize of 1 million during the week has yet to come forward to claim their prize.

A large superstore located just off the N21 in Newcastlewest has been confirmed as the selling location for Thursday nights Daily Million top prize win of 1 million.

The winning Quick Pick ticket was purchased on the day of the draw at the Tesco store on the Limerick Road in Newscastlewest, Co. Limerick.

Shane Higgins, Deputy Manager, Tesco Newcastle West in Co. Limerick, said: "This 1 million prize won by one of our customers is truly lifechanging! Everybody in the store here in Newcastle West is delighted to have sold the winning ticket, knowing that it could be one of our loyal customers.

"Theres a great atmosphere in store with customers checking their tickets  its all anyone is talking about locally. Whoever the winner is, we wish them every success with their massive win."

The National Lottery are urging Daily Million players in the Newcastlewest area of Limerick to check their tickets carefully as Irelands newest Lotto millionaire has yet to come forward.

The winning ticket holder is advised to sign the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place. They should contact the prize claims team on 1800 666 222 or claims@lottery.ie and arrangements will be made for them to claim their prize.

This week's Lotto draw will see the jackpot remain capped at the staggering amount of 19,060,800.

Since Saturday 2nd October, the jackpot has been capped at the 19.06 million amount which means that no additional funds will be added to the jackpot until it is won.

The additional funds that would have usually gone to the jackpot will instead flow down to the next prize tier at which there is a winner. Across the last 8 draws, 102 Lotto players have benefited from the boosted prize funds at the Match 5 + Bonus and Match 5 prize tiers.
A burglar told gardai he would not have broken into the home of an elderly man if he had known there was someone at home, a court has heard.

Eddie Cawley (22) and a co-accused rang the doorbell and knocked on the front door at about lunchtime and on getting no answer damaged the door to access the house.

The homeowners son had not answered the door because he was upstairs in the bathroom. He confronted one of the burglars on the stairs after hearing the noise and the men fled.

Cawley, of Daletree Place, Ballycullen, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to burglary at a residential address in Portmarnock on March 9, 2020.

Detective Garda James Carolan told Katherine McGillicuddy BL, prosecuting, that the elderly man was not home on the day, but his son was in the house. There was no car in the driveway.

The son heard the doorbell ring and a number of knocks on the door, but did not answer as he was in the bathroom. He then heard a bang and believed it to be the front door being broken.

He rushed out of the bathroom and encountered a male with a claw hammer coming up the stairs.

There was a confrontation on the stairs in which the male swung the claw hammer at him, but did not make contact. He reacted and kicked out at the intruder who fled.

He followed the man outside and then realised there was a second male also present. The pair ran to a Nissan Almera nearby and fled from the scene. The man managed to record the car registration.

Gardai were alerted and a description of the car and men circulated. A few minutes later the car was spotted by gardai on the Malahide Road and did not stop when signalled to do so.

Gardai gave chase and noted items being discarded from the car along the roadway. These were later recovered and found to be items of clothing and a wheel brace.

The car was brought to a stop by the driver and both men fled on foot but were arrested a short distance away.

Cawley made no comment during garda interview, but while being fingerprinted he told gardai that he would not have entered the house if he had known someone was home and said he had no weapon with him.

No items were taken from the house but there was damage to the front door. The man did not wish to make a victim impact statement.

Cawley has 27 previous convictions, including six previous burglaries.

Gda Carolan agreed with Carol Doherty BL, defending, that the guilty plea was of assistance to the court and injured party. He agreed Cawley has a partner and children, with a family life waiting for him at home eventually.

Ms Doherty said Cawley has been addressing his problems in custody and wishes to put evidence of that before court. She said he had a very difficult childhood.

Judge Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing until January 31, 2022, to allow reports to be prepared.
German Shepherds Nala has been named the 2021 Kilkenny Puppy of the Year, in the competition run by Petmania Kilkenny and competition partners BETA.

Beating off ruff competition Nala Doheny came out top dog ahead of a talented pack of local pooches - Lola a Miniature Jack Russel, Crom Dubh a mixed-breed, Joey the Beagle, Buster a Border Collie plus German Shepherds Lucy.

Nala Doheny was nominated by the public vote to represent the county but was pipped at the post for the national title which went to Orca Gurney, a male 21 week old Great Dane from Sligo.

The 2021 Puppy of the year competition received a massive 26500 votes, of which, 360 votes came from Kilkenny for Nala Doheny. Each of the top six puppies in the county received a qualifiers rosette and a gift from the competition partner, BETA.

Pet parent, Lauren Doheny said: "Nala was lucky to become part of our family but we are luckier to have her in it."

Daniel O'Malley, Assistant Manager with Petmania Kilkenny said: We are delighted to have Nala Doheny represent the store and county this year. Although they missed out on the overall title, we couldnt be more proud to have them as our county finalist. Congratulation!

The overall winner Orca Gurney was chosen by a panel of experts and received prizes worth over 1,500.

Petmania is Irelands largest pet retailer with 13 stores nationwide. The Irish owned pet experts have launched the Pet Care Advice Centre a free resource for pet parents and a special Puppy Club for new puppy owners to get timely information on all of puppys milestones in its first year. For more information see: www.petmania.ie / @PetmaniaIreland
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Minnesota has likely lost another running back to a season-ending injury. Bryce Williams is the latest to be sidelined for the Gophers.

Mohamed Ibrahim hurt his lower left leg two months ago.

Trey Potts was hospitalized for six days.

Williams appeared to hurt his lower left leg during a 19-yard reception in the first quarter at Northwestern. Freshmen MarKeise Irving and Ky Thomas have taken over the workload in the backfield.

Theyre the only healthy scholarship running backs remaining on the roster. Minnesota hosts Illinois this weekend.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  Mayo Clinic is teaming up with the Rochester Branch of the NAACP to launch RISE for Youth, a new program to provide Black and underrepresented students with new pathways to success in education and employment, while also addressing the racial disparities that stand in the way of their success.

"All young people have potential, but not all of them  particularly Black and underrepresented students  have the opportunity to realize it," says Anjali Bhagra, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. "The RISE for Youth program will provide these students with critical educational and leadership skills, and training and long-term mentoring, for successful careers in health care, science and beyond."

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development report says a huge employment gap exists between white college graduates and minorities such as African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. RISE for Youth will be a four-week summer program that will provide coursework and hands-on experience to two groups of students: RISE Up targets postsecondary students, and RISE High targets high school juniors and seniors.

"As participants complete the program, they in turn become leaders and changemakers who will further reduce racial disparities and break down barriers for those that follow," says Wale Elegbede, president of the Rochester branch of the NAACP. "Our goal is to expand this program to other communities and states, so that racial equity in education and employment truly becomes a reality. The National NAACP sees the RISE for Youth program as an example of Mayo Clinic taking concrete steps toward advancing racial justice."

The NAACP and a consortium of community leaders will select the students who will participate in the program. You can learn more about the RISE for Youth program on the Rochester Branch of NAACP website and Mayo Clinic's Community Engagement website.
ALBERT LEA, Minn.-Albert Lea Public Schools will ask community members to renew an existing property tax levy through a referendum vote on Tuesday.

Superintendent Mike Funk said this year's referendum vote will not increase voters' taxes.

"The impact for taxpayers in the district is minimal. There will actually be no increase in their taxes based on the current value of their homes. It is a straight renewal, a flat levy," Funk said.

Funk said If the referendum fails, then at least $2 million in services will be cut from the District's almost $50 million budget.

"it is important to us because like about 95% of school districts in Minnesota, we do not get enough money from the federal and state government to operate. So we have to, like most districts, go out to our local taxpayers to help us support the District," Funk said.

Albert Lea Public Schools also held a referendum vote last year, which would have raised the property tax levy but ultimately failed.

Funk said this year's referendum vote does not include an increase in the levy because the District has received "significant dollars in federal funding for the next three years," to help maintain educational technology.

Voters that want more information about the upcoming referendum vote, which includes a predictive tax levy table, can do so through this link: https://www.alschools.org/Page/390
CARLISLE, Iowa  The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says it continues to monitor a train derailment that pilled thousands of gallons of corn syrup.

DNR says a Union Pacific train went off the tracks about one mile east of Carlisle, where the railroad crosses the Middle River, around 10:30 pm Friday. State officials say about 20 railcars left the track, One car spilled polyethylene pellets into the river while another spilled about 30,000 gallons of corn syrup into a heavily vegetated area north of the tracks.

The corn syrup soaked into the ground and is not expected to leak into the river, but the DNR says cleanup will be difficult because of the many trees in the area. A Hazmat team set up a boom at the first river crossing downstream and caught some of the pellets, pushing them towards the bank. However, some pellets will make it into the Des Moines River. The DNR says it checked the river in several places and saw no immediate environmental impacts.

DNR officials are back at the derailment site Monday to monitor the situation and say appropriate enforcement action will be considered.
ESTHERVILLE, Iowa  Two teens charged with first-degree murder have entered not guilty pleas.

Connor Uhde, 19 of Estherville, and Cejay Van Der Wilt, 18 of Rockwell City, are accused of killing Davie McDowell, 20 of Estherville.

Investigators say Uhde and Van Der Wilt lured McDowell to an apartment in Estherville on October 1 as part of a plan to murder him.

Court documents state McDowell was then driven outside town in the early morning hours of October 2 and shot to death.

His body was found by a passing driver on 440th Avenue, about a mile south of 110th Street.

Uhde and Van Der Wilt are now scheduled to stand trial starting January 11, 2022, in Emmet County District Court.
Jason Maloney is an elderly farm boy from Marinette County, Wisconsin. Hes a retired educator, a retired soldier and a lifelong Wisconsin resident. He lives on the shore of Lake Superior with his wife, Cindy Dillenschneider, and Red, a sturdy loyal Australian Shepherd.
Gunfire interrupted Mayor Tishaura Jones as she was talking at an event about efforts to reduce violent crime.
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Gloria used to think she did not enjoy rice and beans until she visited Haiti. Now, she has adopted this Haitian rice and sauce recipe to enjoy at home.
COLUMBIA- The Joseph Elledge murder trial begins Monday morning at 9 a.m. at the Boone County Courthouse.

The focus of the first day is jury selection. The court will choose between a total of 200 people in the jury pool. 100 potential jurors will be brought in Monday.

At Friday's pretrial hearing, the court had back-and-forth discussions about jury selection.

Judge Brouck Jacobs of the 13th Circuit Court denied defense attorney Scott Rosenblum's request to question individual jurors about their knowledge of the case. Dan Knight, prosecuting attorney for Boone County, expects over 85% of the jury pool to have some prior knowledge of the Elledge case.

The most important part about the first day of trial is to find an impartial jury, according to University of Missouri law professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Ben Trachtenberg, said.

"In a trial like this, that's received a huge amount of publicity, that's especially difficult, because some people will have already formed opinions based on news reports," Trachtenberg said.

"So, both sides will ask these people questions, such as 'Have you read about this?,' 'Have you watched TV about it?,' and some people may say that they can't give a fair hearing to one side or the other. Other people may say 'I've heard about it, but I think I can be fair,' and then the judge will have to decide whether those persons should be allowed to stay."

Trachtenberg, who teaches criminal procedure and evidence, said in general, courts assume that prospective jurors will answer honestly.

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"This isn't the first trial that's ever been done in a famous case. They did a trial for OJ Simpson, they've done other hot trials. So, they just have to ask people, and sometimes people tell the truth, and sometimes they don't," Trachtenberg said.

If the court is unable to pick a jury Monday, the court will call a second group of 75 potential jurors into the court on Tuesday.

"If you're going to send someone to prison for murder, he has the right to a fair and impartial jury," Trachtenberg said. "So, you want those jurors to decide the case based on the evidence presented, not based on what was in the newspaper or on television. Some things that are reported on TV may not be appropriate to tell the jury. That's a decision for the judge to make, not for jurors to make on their own."

Elledge is accused of murdering his wife Mengqi Ji in October of 2019. Elledge was charged with first degree murder in February 2020. Ji's remains was found by a hiker in Rock Bridge State Park in March 2021.

"For a long time, people were talking about his case, because the body was missing. So, in addition to just being a very sad case, where Ji had disappeared, also, there was this possibility that the prosecution was going to try the case without having the body of the murder victim. And that's an extremely difficult thing to do," Trachtenberg said.

Trachtenberg said Ji's murder is so significant in mid-Missouri, because it is such a sad story.

"You have a young mother who was killed, whether by the husband or not, that's the kind of thing that's going to attract attention no matter where it happens," Trachtenberg said.




A U.N. General Assembly committee has approved three draft resolutions concerning North Korea, including one reaffirming the Assembly's commitment to the "complete, verifiable and irreversible" abandonment of Pyongyang's nuclear program, its website showed Friday.







On Wednesday, the First Committee in charge of disarmament and security affairs approved 25 resolutions and decisions, including those related to the North, amid reports that the recalcitrant regime has been doubling down on its nuclear and missile programs.







Among the three resolutions is one entitled "Joint courses of action and future?oriented dialogue towards a world without nuclear weapons." It includes provisions calling for the North to renounce nuclear arms.







"Other provisions would have the Assembly reaffirm its commitment to the complete, verifiable and irreversible abandonment of all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions," a summary of the committee session reads. DPRK is the North's official name.







Another approved document, titled, "Comprehensive Nuclear?Test?Ban Treaty," carries the Assembly's call for the North to fully comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions.







"The Assembly would reiterate its condemnation of the six nuclear tests conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in violation of relevant Security Council resolutions and urge that country's full compliance," the summary said.







"It would welcome all efforts and dialogue to that end, including inter?Korean summits and summits between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," it added.







North Korea has been under multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions for its weapons programs, although it has not tested nuclear and long-range missiles since late 2017.







A North Korean delegate rebuked the resolution, claiming hostility from the United States is the cause of the instability of the Korean Peninsula.







The delegate, in a coverage document, cited the committee's adopting a "double standard" of criticizing North Korea, while keeping quiet on joint military exercises between the United States and "its servile forces," apparently referring to South Korea.







The resolution is expected to be officially adopted at a plenary meeting of the U.N. General Assembly in early December. (Yonhap)






By Kwon Mee-yoo







The ASEAN-Korea Centre (AKC) hosted a webinar on strengthening cooperation in the food and beverage (F&B) industry last week.







Held in collaboration with the Korea Importers Association, the webinar discussed ways to exchange information and provide new opportunities for F&B companies in ASEAN countries and Korea.







Kim Hae-yong, secretary general of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, emphasized the importance of the food sector to the ASEAN region, where the food value chain generates over $500 billion, accounting for some 17 percent of ASEAN's total GDP.







"Meanwhile, Korea's agri-food imports from ASEAN have more than tripled over the last decade from less than $1 billion in 2010 to approximately $3.2 billion in 2020. We have been witnessing a steady growth of trade between ASEAN and Korea in the F&B sector lately," Kim said.







From Korea, Song Mi-jeong of the Korea Agro Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. gave a presentation on Korea's food industry and discussed ways to make the best out of the Korea-ASEAN FTA for agricultural and food products.







Abdul Aziz Mohamad Sharkawi from Malaysia's Ministry of International Trade and Industry introduced the ASEAN food industry and the upcoming implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a trade pact among the 10 ASEAN member states and other Asia-Pacific countries including Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and Korea.







The seminars covered a wide range of topics, from plant quarantine procedures and safety control policy for imported foods, to import customs procedures and F&B and coffee market trends in Korea.







As a follow-up, the AKC will host the ASEAN Trade Fair during the Seoul International Cafe Show from Nov. 10 to 13, showcasing various ASEAN F&B products such as coffees, teas and desserts to the Korean public and industry personnel.


A Moroccan man is detained  on his stomach with his feet and hands tied behind his back and with his head bound in protective head gear  in solitary confinement at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center in Gyeonggi Province, in this video footage taken in June. The Ministry of Justice acknowledged Monday that human rights violations occurred at the detention center. Courtesy of Duroo Association for Public Interest Law



The justice ministry acknowledged Monday that human rights violations occurred at a detention center for undocumented immigrants in June after an investigation into allegations that an inmate suffered torture-like treatment.



The investigation came after the inmate from Morocco in his 30s filed a petition with the national human rights watchdog, claiming he was maltreated while being detained in June at an immigration processing center in Hwaseong, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul.



He accused officials at the center of tying his four limbs on his back in what is known here as a shrimp's posture and putting him in a solitary cell. CCTV footage showed he was kept in that posture for more than four hours, wearing headgear and tied with box tape and cable ties.






By John J. Metzler





China's ongoing human rights abuses against its Muslim minority in Xinjiang have again been chastised by a key U.N. committee. Forty three countries strongly condemned the Beijing regime's widespread human rights violations against the Uyghur minority in what has become a systematic state policy in China's western Xinjiang region.



The French delegation coordinated efforts leading to a joint statement on human rights in Xinjiang. French U.N. Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere presented the declaration at the General Assembly's third committee. The document states, "Credible reports indicate the existence of large network of "political re-education" camps where over a million people have been arbitrarily detained."



The statement added, "We have seen an increasing number of reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations, including reports of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, forced sterilization, sexual and gender-based violence, and forced separation of children."



"There are severe restrictions on freedom of religion and belief and the freedoms of movement, association and expression as well as on Uyghur culture," the document adds.



The statement calls on the U.N. high commissioner for human rights to present an assessment of the situation in Xinjiang as soon as possible.



Significantly the French-led human rights initiative was supported by the United States and many European Union countries such as Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Australia, Canada, Japan the United Kingdom, and New Zealand joined among others.



Importantly Turkey backed the declaration. One would expect this is only logical given that the oppressed Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic minority; yet in a similar condemnation last year, the Ankara government failed to support the statement. Curiously with the exception of Turkey and Albania, no other Muslim majority country backed the document which calls for religious rights and freedoms in remote Xinjiang.



Among key Asian countries, South Korea (confronted by massive human rights abuses in neighboring communist North Korea) failed to sign on nor did Muslim majority states such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Only two African states signed, Eswatini (Swaziland) and Liberia.



Equally not a single country in the Western Hemisphere south of the United States with the notable exception of Honduras signed on. Why don't South American democracies such as Argentina, Brazil and Chile join? Simple, it's their major commercial ties to China.



Human Rights Watch (HRW), a watchdog group, stated, "The unprecedented cross-regional coalition endorsing the statement is further proof that countries are ignoring Beijing's threats of retaliation against those that publicly raise concerns about Chinese government violations." Agreed, but I would add conversely it also underscores communist China's less than subtle intimidation of countries who dare raise the human rights issue in international organizations.



Beijing blasted back rhetorically with a statement in the same U.N. committee backed by 62 countries supporting "China's Promotion and Protection of Human Rights." (China did not list the backers). Not surprisingly Cuba read the document echoing Beijing's claim that issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet are "China's internal affairs that brook no interference." Beijing's U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun later denounced "the groundless accusations" and "lies" and accused the U.S. and other countries of "poisoning the atmosphere of cooperation."



This was the third year in which human rights statements condemned China in the U.N.'s committee.



Realistically despite the growing pushback to Beijing's human rights abuses by larger numbers of U.N. members who are willing to publicly condemn the expanding Xinjiang crisis, there's an equally large and totally acquiescent number of states which either support or condone China's policies. This is a fact.



Louis Charbonneau of HRW stated, "U.N. member states should establish an international commission of inquiry to formally investigate alleged crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and recommend avenues for holding those responsible to account."



Indeed so and it's not a moment too soon.





John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@earthlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism  The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China."


By Arthur I. Cyr





October is the scary month, and not just because of Halloween. Nearly six decades ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear holocaust. During Oct. 22-28, 1962, Washington and Moscow sparred on the edge of a thermonuclear war.



The lessons remain of fundamental importance. They include the difficulty of securing accurate intelligence, and the unpredictability of events.



On Oct. 14, 1962, U.S. reconnaissance photos revealed the Soviet Union placing offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba, despite contrary assurances. On Oct. 16, after thorough review, National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy informed President John F. Kennedy.



Senior Kennedy administration officials, with the exception of CIA director John McCone, had assumed Moscow would never put long-range missiles on Cuba. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's motivations included the U.S.'s missile buildup and secret efforts to kill Cuba leader Fidel Castro.



Earlier, the White House had curtailed Cuba reconnaissance flights, resuming only because McCone insisted. Photographic evidence of the missiles arrived just before they would become operational.



However, there were already indicators, including from reliable Cuba agents, that something of this nature was underway. As with the George W. Bush administration did regarding Iraq weapons, senior officials chose evidence they preferred.



Kennedy and his advisers spent a week debating options. At the start of the crisis, there was strong sentiment, especially among the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for a conventional air attack followed by an invasion of Cuba.



JFK imaginatively decided instead on a naval quarantine as the U.S.'s first step. His televised speech on Oct. 22 demanded removal of the missiles and laid out initial moves. Until Khrushchev on Oct. 28 agreed to the withdrawal of the missiles, Armageddon loomed.



Years after the crisis, surviving policy makers from Cuba, the Soviet Union and the U.S. initiated a series of meetings, which have revealed important new information. Soviet commanders in Cuba already had shorter-range nuclear-armed missiles and  at least for a time  the authority to use them in the event of an American invasion.



Soviet submarine commanders had nuclear-armed torpedoes. One Soviet sub nearly launched against the harassing U.S. Navy ships.



Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov refused to concur with two other senior officers who favored launching a nuclear torpedo. Almost single-handedly, he defused the terrifying situation, while in a sweltering submerged sub, and prevented nuclear war.



Bundy's history of the nuclear age, "Danger and Survival," published a quarter-century after the crisis, revealed that JFK privately accepted while publicly rejecting a Soviet proposal for a Cuba-Turkey missile trade.



Throughout the crisis, Kennedy demonstrated calm, open-minded engagement. He assembled a group that freely debated a wide range of options. When tensions mounted, the president shrewdly suggested breaks.



The initial pressure for a military attack dissipated. Kennedy deftly delayed intense pressures for war, while keeping the discussion going.



Positive consequences resulted from the crisis. A direct communications "hotline" between the Kremlin and the Pentagon greatly improved communication. The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. Senate, ended nuclear testing in the atmosphere.



Further lessons from the crisis include the importance of disciplined, open-minded intelligence work, as well as communicating with opponents. Then and now, U.S. presidential leadership is essential.



Today, U.S. troops are in the Middle East close to forces from Russia, Iran, Israel, Syria, Turkey and armed insurgent groups. Yet, Americans remain preoccupied domestically, and largely ignore foreign policy. This situation puts our nation in peril.



In 2017, the Boston-based Future of Life Institute posthumously honored Vasili Arkhipov. We should remember him.





Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) is Clausen distinguished professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War" (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan}.


A fence is splattered with raindrops near the venue for the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Friday. The U.N. COP26 conference starts Sunday. AP-Yonhap





China's carbon trading market needs some fine-tuning to help the nation achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, industry experts said ahead of the COP26 summit where global leaders are expected to discuss policies to avert the disastrous consequences of climate change.



Adjustments such as tightening quotas allocated to power plants and widening trading scope to include more emissions sectors could greatly help the "national carbon emission exchange" play a bigger role in using market forces to guide decarburization in the most cost-effective way, analysts said.



"The current design of the national ETS [emissions trading scheme], especially the intensity-based target and lax benchmarks, is hampering its effectiveness," said Yan Qin, lead carbon analyst at data provider Refinitiv. "This could be for the purpose of a soft start, but the current design has caused low liquidity and low prices in the ETS due to oversupply."



China's national ETS kicked off July 16 and is overseen by the Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange. The trading scheme currently only applies to power generators [plants] and includes about 2,200 electricity companies which together are responsible for over 4 billion tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions, roughly over 40 percent of the country's total emissions.



"The ETS design needs to be transformed to a system with an absolute cap and also a tighter benchmark for the producers," said Qin. Auctioning should also be gradually introduced so that producers face true carbon costs, incentivizing them to switch to low-carbon generation, she said.



There is also an urgent need to tighten the generous quota allocations for power producers, according to analysts. The generously allocated allowances meant very few quotas needed to be bought and sold in the first year, and to be effective in reducing emissions, the cost of carbon needs to be higher than the cost of mitigating emissions.



"Most of the over 2,000 enterprises have rather abundant allowances for the first compliance period from 2019-2020 and the oversupply is really weighing on market liquidity and carbon price," said Qin, noting that the low price is having little impact on promoting emission reduction measures, which is what the ETS is supposed to do.



China's ETS could play an important role in the country's carbon-neutrality drive by potentially reducing carbon emissions by 30 percent to 60 percent of current levels by 2060, according to a report released in August by the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC) and global asset management company Schroders. But that could be realized only under the right settings, when the cost of carbon on China's ETS rises to at least $34 per ton, according to the report.



The price of carbon allowances in the ETS is estimated to rise to 71 yuan ($11.1) per ton by 2025 and 93 yuan per ton by 2030, according to a report last December by the China Carbon Forum and global consultancy firm ICF.






Steve Garbacz is executive editor of KPC Media Group and editor of The News Sun. Vacation guilt, the experience of not wanting to take time off because it will burden your coworkers when youre gone, is another sign that workplaces are out of whack. Email him at sgarbacz@kpcmedia.com.
VANCOUVER, Wash. (KPTV)  A man has been arrested for the murder of his two-year-child early Sunday morning, according to the Portland Police Bureau.

Vancouver PD: Woman has no feeling on left side of body after boyfriend shoots her in neck VANCOUVER, Wash. (KPTV) - A Vancouver woman was left with no feeling on the left side of her body after she was shot in the neck by her boyfri

Vancouver police said just before 1 a.m. on Sunday, officers responded to a report of threats to a child. A woman said the father of her two-year-old child had picked up the child earlier in the evening. The man called several hours later making threats to harm the child. Police sent out information to try to locate the suspects car.

VPD made verbal contact with the suspect, who agreed to turn himself in. At about 4:15 a.m., police arrested the suspect at Northeast Fourth Plain Boulevard and Northeast 57th Avenue. The child was found dead.

On Monday, police said the suspect who was arrested is 31-year-old Gustavo Villalobos-Carranza. He is facing charges of murder, kidnapping and unlawful use of a weapon.

Police: Mom charged after throwing 2 young kids off bridge into lake, killing 1 of them A Shreveport mother is accused of tossing her two young children from a bridge into Cross Lake, killing one and injuring the other.

Police said it has been determined the homicide occurred in Portland. PPB homicide detectives are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives Jeff Sharp at jeff.sharp@portlandoregon.gov or Mike Jones at michael.jones@portlandoregon.gov.

On Sunday, Gresham police confirmed a crime scene at the parking lot of Winco on Southeast First Street is related to the homicide.

Police have not released the name of the victim.
UPDATE: NOV. 3 AT 10:45 A.M.

Yellowstone County Deputy Coroner Rich Hoffman has identified the three victims in Monday's fatal crash on I-90 in Billings.

The three victims are driver Joshua Wayne Orcutt, 38, passenger Nickolas James Turner, 40, and passenger Alan Bryant Winslow Jr., 44.

Their cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and all three died at the scene.

UPDATE: NOV. 1 AT 2:15 P.M.

Trooper Brennan Plucker, with Montana Highway Patrol, tells us three men were killed in the crash on I-90 in Billings.

The men, traveling in a suburban, allegedly pulled over on the side of I-90 to check on an abandoned vehicle. They then pulled back out into traffic and, for an unknown reason, did a 180 degree turn against traffic before coming back across the road, exposing the passenger side of the vehicle to traffic.

An oncoming semi t-boned the suburban. The three men in the suburban were pronounced dead on scene.

Trooper Plucker says no injuries were reported from the driver of the semi truck.

Authorities are working to open both lanes and remove the semi and suburban from the median.

It is unknown if alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.

It appears that none of the occupants of the suburban were wearing their seatbelts.

Montana Highway Patrol is handing an investigation into the crash.

UPDATE: NOV. 1 AT 1:15 P.M.

Our reporter on scene said traffic is moving again on I-90 westbound in Billings after it was fully blocked due to a fatal crash.

BILLINGS, Mont. - Interstate-90 westbound in Billings is fully blocked due to a fatal vehicle crash.

According to the Montana Department of Justice, first responders arrived to the crash near mile-marker 448 at around 12:16 p.m.

The Montana Department of Transportation advises drivers to seek a detour at this time.

Traffic is diverted to Exit 450 on S. Twenty-seventh Street.
Have you seen the proposed redistricting maps for New Hampshire? What do you think of the plans?
FONTANA  At The Abbey Resort, people can join in the nationwide celebration of an event that could change astronomy forever.

Geneva Lake Astrophysics and STEAM (GLAS) Education is partnering with The Abbey to celebrate the launch of NASAs James Webb Space Telescope.

GLAS Education has several activities planned for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12 and 13, at the resort, which is located at 269 Fontana Blvd., Fontana.

There will be guest speakers, interactive presentations, telescope observing and more.

People of all ages and backgrounds will find inspiration in the Webb mission, which will fundamentally change our understanding of the universe for this generation and many to come, said Kate Meredith, president of GLAS Education.

Webb is considered the largest and most complex space science telescope ever built.

An international mission led by NASA in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies, the telescope will launch in December.

The observatory will provide a new view of the cosmos and push the field of astronomy into a new era.

The telescope will observe the universe in the infrared, peering inside dust clouds to study light from distant parts of the universe for the very first time  the first galaxies that formed about 13.5 billion years ago  to give insight into how the universe formed.

It will also explore distant worlds in other solar systems, as well as objects in our own solar system.

Webb will extend the scientific discoveries of other NASA missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.

On Nov. 12, GLAS Education and The Abbey host a telescope observing session from 7 to 9 p.m.

Various activities will occur Nov. 13 from 1 to 9 p.m. The event will be in person, with a backup live stream in case of COVID-19 concerns.

For a full schedule and to register for the event, visit glaseducation.org/programs or email contact@glaseducation.org.

Visit webb.nasa.gov for more about the Webb telescope.
Long-awaited traffic signals are set be installed near Lake Geneva Middle School next spring.

Traffic signals are set to be installed near the intersection of State Highway 120 and Bloomfield Road in the Town of Bloomfield beginning April 2022.

City officials and representatives from Lake Geneva schools have been wanting traffic signals to be installed at that intersection for several years because of the amount of traffic that occurs in that area.

Naomi Rauch, of Kapur & Associates Consulting Engineers, announced during the Oct. 25 public works committee meeting that an engineering service agreement has been signed by the City of Lake Geneva, Lake Geneva schools and Town of Bloomfield, which allows the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to order materials for the project.

That allows the department of transportation to put in for some of the items that will be needed for the project and to ensure that they are available for roughly April 1, so that the project can stay on schedule, Rauch said.

The project is expected to be completed either in mid-July or August, depending on when it is officially started.

Public Works Director Tom Earle said he wants the project to start as soon as possible. He said the project will cause disruption to traffic whether it starts during the school year or during Lake Genevas tourism season.

Were going to inconvenience people, theres no doubt, and it does not matter when we do it, Earle said. It will be an inconvenience because construction is dirty and messy and in the way. It doesnt matter what months we pick, it will be that way.

Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier said she is pleased that the project is starting at the end of the school instead of the beginning of next school year, because it will cause less confusion among people who may be new to Lake Geneva Middle School or Badger High School.

At the end of the school year, people are used to that location. Where if you push it into the new school year, youre going to have people who are not familiar with both campuses, Fesenmaier said. So youre better off starting it at the end of the school year if you can.

The City of Lake Geneva is responsible for the design and installation of the traffic signals, which will be constructed under the Wisconsin Department of Transportations standards.

The department of transportation will take over ownership and maintenance of the signals once they are completed, and the Town of Bloomfield will complete all permit applications that are requested by the department of transportation.

The project will cost about $500,000, with the City of Lake Geneva paying $150,000 of the cost and the Badger High School District and Lake Geneva Joint No. 1 School District paying the rest of the cost.

We have a finite amount of money we are spending on the project $150,000, Earle said. Once we hit that, the city is finished and the rest is covered by the school districts.

Earle said the traffic signals will help reduce traffic concerns in that area.

The sooner we get this in, I think would be the best for all involved, Earle said.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  A medical issue has sidelined one of four astronauts assigned to SpaceXs upcoming flight to the International Space Station and delayed the launch, officials said Monday.

NASA said the launch is now off until Saturday night at the earliest. Liftoff had been scheduled for this past Sunday, but bad weather offshore bumped it to Wednesday. It's the first time in decades that a U.S. flight has been delayed by a crew member's health.

Officials would not say which astronaut is affected. They described it as a minor medical issue and said it is unrelated to COVID-19. The one German and three U.S. astronauts  who range in age from 34 to 61  have been quarantined for two weeks as usual before a spaceflight.

Once on their way, Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and the European Space Agency's Matthias Maurer will move into the space station for six months, replacing four astronauts who have been living up there since April. NASA prefers launching the new crew before bringing back the old one so they can have a face-to-face handover, but is considering all options in light of the latest delay.

In 1990, a shuttle launch was delayed when the flight's commander came down with a cold. And in 1970, an astronaut was yanked from Apollo 13 shortly before launch after being exposed to German measles. He never came down with measles, and later joined the herculean effort in Houston to save his colleagues from their aborted moon mission.

More recently, two Russian cosmonauts were replaced a couple months before their 2020 launch to the space station, after one of them suffered an eye injury.

Earlier Monday afternoon, Maurer tweeted a photo of himself on the beach at Kennedy Space Center, holding a large garbage bag.

Ive been relaxing during my quarantine by collecting rubbish on the beach, he wrote. Sadly, this is not the only bag I filled. We really need to think about our environmental impact on Earth and in space. Clean oceans, clean space! Its up to all of us.



The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Columnist Sue Bowman reminisces about her high school field hockey days and discusses how she uses the skills she developed during that time to help on her farm.
For the fifth year, Mary Lou Sheckler of Junius showed her birds at the Seneca County Fair, but with more wins than ever before. The 4-Her took 15 fowl to the fair and won best bantam, best large fowl, best waterfowl, best ornamental and best commercial bird.
Legalization of Documents

Legalization, of the documents issued by the Sri Lankan Government

Documents issued by any authority in Sri Lanka should be first certified by the Consular Division of the Foreign Ministry in Colombo with respective signature/s, before forwarding to the Consulate General for attestation.



Consular fee is CHF 50.00 per Document



Electronic Document Attestation (E-DAS)

Documents originated in Sri Lanka can be also legalized from the Consular section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka through this Mission under e-DAS system. The main purpose of this service is to provide consular assistance to those who are living in Switzerland to obtain attestation for their documents by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.

Charges for e-DAS attestation:

Sri Lankan Passport holders  CHF 25.00

Foreign Passport holders  CHF 35.00

Please note that the fees mentioned above cover only the fee for the attestation by the Consular section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka. A computer-generated confirmation document will be issued for this purpose.





If the applicant needs to get this Missions attestation in the same document; additional fee of CF 50.00 will be charged per document.



Legalization of documents issued by the Swiss authorities



Documents issued by Swiss authorities should be legalized by the relevant Cantonal Authorities, before a request is made to the Consulate General for any attestation. Certified documents should be submitted with a set of photocopies.

Applications for legalization of documents should be submitted personally at the Consulate General.

The Consulate General authenticates only the seal and signature of the officer, who has legalized the document and not the contents of the document.

Consular fee is CHF 50.00 per Document
New Delhi [India], November 1 (ANI): The Competition Commission of India (CCI) issued a final order on Friday against six firms that were found to have contravened the provisions of Section 3(1) of the Competition Act, 2002 read with Section 3(3)(d) thereof, which proscribe anti-competitive agreements.

As per an official release issued on Monday, CCI found these firms to have indulged in cartelization in the supply of Low-Density Poly Ethylene covers (LDPE) to Food Corporation of India (FCI) by means of directly or indirectly determining prices, allocating tenders, coordinating bid prices and manipulating the bidding process.

Also Read | Shirur Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra: Sitting MLA, Candidates For Assembly Elections 2019, Results And Winners.

The case was initiated on the basis of a Reference filed on behalf of FCI, informed the release.

"In this backdrop, CCI issued a cease and desist order against the firms found guilty of bid rigging and cartelization in the said tenders floated by FCI. However, CCI refrained from imposing any monetary penalty considering that four out of six firms had filed lesser penalty applications and admitted their conduct, confessed their modus operandi during investigation thereby fully cooperated with CCI," read the release.

Also Read | Odisha BSE 10th Result 2019 Not Today: Class 10 Board Exam Scores to Be Declared Soon Online at bseodisha.ac.in; Here's List of Website to Check Marks.

"Moreover, the firms were also MSMEs with limited staff/ turnover and the prevailing economic situation arising due to the outbreak of COVID-19, stress wrought upon the MSME sector in the wake of the said pandemic," it added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ludhiana (Punjab) [India], November 1 (ANI): Congress Faridkot MP (Lok Sabha) Mohammed Sadiq on Sunday said that the Congress still has not forgotten the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"Indira Gandhi has not been forgotten by Congress, leaders have definitely remembered her at their homes. Forgetting someone as big as Indira Gandhi would amount to disrespect. Her tenure as Prime Minister was great. Whenever our enemies collided with them, she ensured their defeat," said Sadiq said to reporters.

Also Read | Shirur Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra: Sitting MLA, Candidates For Assembly Elections 2019, Results And Winners.

His remarks come after Congress leader Sunil Jakhar's tweet that pointed out that no advertisement was taken out by the government in Punjab on the occasion of her death anniversary.

"I can understand BJP trying to erase 'Iron Lady of India' from history but don't we still have a Congress Government in Punjab. PS. I know Capt Saab won't mind my using this PB Govt's ad from last year, as none appeared today," said Jakhar in his tweet.

Also Read | Odisha BSE 10th Result 2019 Not Today: Class 10 Board Exam Scores to Be Declared Soon Online at bseodisha.ac.in; Here's List of Website to Check Marks.

On the question of him joining former CM Captain Amarinder Singh's new party, he said, "Let's see what happens. The question is what does he want. If he wants me to join, I will see."

Earlier this week, Captain Amarinder Singh while addressing the media had also announced that he is forming a new political party, name and symbol of which will be shared once cleared by the Election Commission.

Singh had resigned last month as the chief minister and had announced that he will be quitting the Congress after months of a rift with Congress state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Over Aroosa Alam's connections with the former CM, Sadiq said that no one should probe into the personal life of anyone.

His statement comes after an exchange of barbs between the two leaders over the issue of investigation into Pakistani journalist Aroosa Alam's links with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Alam has been reportedly visiting former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for several years.

Responding to Akali Dal Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal's allegations against the Punjab government and CM Charanjit Singh Channi, he said, "Badal got politics via inheritance. Channi deserves whatever he has achieved."

Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in the state early next year. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI) Issues related to permissibility of grocery shops in residential areas, and height of hospitals and educational institutions were discussed on Monday during the fifth meeting of a DDA board set up to hear views of the public on the draft Master Plan of Delhi 2041, officials said.

More than 1,450 participants were invited and given opportunity to submit their objections and suggestions orally before the board, they said.

Also Read | Shirur Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra: Sitting MLA, Candidates For Assembly Elections 2019, Results And Winners.

During this hearing, issues of development control norms (DCN) of draft Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2041 mainly related to redevelopment of convenient shopping centres (CSCs) and local shopping centres (LSCs), mixed use provisions, other activities allowed in residential areas, and redevelopment of industrial plots, were heard, the DDA said in a statement.

Enhancement of FAR (floor area ratio), ground coverage, and issues related to height of hospitals and educational institutions, permissibility of grocery shops in residential areas were also heard, it said.

Also Read | Odisha BSE 10th Result 2019 Not Today: Class 10 Board Exam Scores to Be Declared Soon Online at bseodisha.ac.in; Here's List of Website to Check Marks.

The Board of Enquiry and Hearing set up for hearing and considering objections and suggestions of the public on the draft Master Plan of Delhi 2041 had its first meeting on October 18, followed by three more hearings.

Th next meeting of the Board is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, officials said.

During the first session, migrant labourers, street vendors, and residents of unauthorised, resettlement and JJ colonies, had shared their suggestions and views with the board.

Air and water pollution, cleaning of river Yamuna, traffic congestion and parking issues were among the subjects discussed on Monday during the third meeting.

From creating a '24-hour city' with night-time economy, extensive transport infrastructure, affordable housing for all and healthy environment to checking unauthorised colonies and pollution - these are part of the guiding principles the DDA has laid out for the Master Plan of Delhi 2041.

The vision document largely covers the policies of environment, economy, mobility, heritage, culture and public spaces, among others.

The first Master Plan for Delhi was promulgated in 1962 under the Delhi Development Act of 1957, followed by the Master Plans of 2001 and 2021, each of which is an extensive modification of the respective previous plan document.

"These plans were prepared for 20 years' perspective periods and provided a holistic framework for planned development of Delhi.

The MPD 2041 is a 'strategic' and 'enabling' framework to guide future growth of the city, built upon the lessons learnt from the implementation of the previous plans, the draft says.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kochi (Kerala) [India], November 1 (ANI): Sub Lieutenant Nikhil Shukla of the Indian Navy has won the Class NK 3rd Best Project Award for designing a '1,30,00 tonnes CMB capacity Membrane type LNG Carrier', Southern Naval Command said on Monday.

In a statement, the Southern Naval Command informed that officers of the Indian Navy undergo a four-year B Tech in Naval Architecture and Ship Building at the Department of Ship Technology (DOST), Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) as sponsored candidates.

Also Read | Shirur Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra: Sitting MLA, Candidates For Assembly Elections 2019, Results And Winners.

"Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, known as Class NK is the commercial ship Classification Society of Japan and one of the largest classification societies in the world. It is actively engaged in a growing range of commercial ship-related activities aimed at promoting the protection of human life and property at sea as well as the protection of the marine environment," the statement said.

In 2006, Class NK constituted best project awards to identify the three best B Tech projects undertaken by students undergoing B Tech in Naval Architecture and Shipbuilding studies, to further research as well as to suitably award the students for their efforts.

Also Read | Odisha BSE 10th Result 2019 Not Today: Class 10 Board Exam Scores to Be Declared Soon Online at bseodisha.ac.in; Here's List of Website to Check Marks.

Sub Lieutenant Nikhil Shukla hails from Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh and is a part of the 31st Naval architecture course. (ANI)

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Kochi, Nov 1 (PTI) Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday launched five vessels at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) here and inaugurated new Radars and Vessel Traffic Management System at the Cochin Port Trust.

Also Read | Shirur Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra: Sitting MLA, Candidates For Assembly Elections 2019, Results And Winners.

The Minister was in Kochi on a three-day visit and this was his first to the PSU, CSL, after taking charge of the ministry. After the inauguration function, the launch of the vessels were done by five senior most women employees of the Cochin Shipyard Limited.

Also Read | Odisha BSE 10th Result 2019 Not Today: Class 10 Board Exam Scores to Be Declared Soon Online at bseodisha.ac.in; Here's List of Website to Check Marks.

CSL witnessed the launch of three Floating Border Out-Posts (FBOP) for the Border Security Force and two Fully Electric Autonomous Ferries for ASKO Maritime AS, Norway, which are amongst the world's first Autonomous Ferries.

"The VTMS (Vessel Traffic Management System) commissioned in Cochin Port in 2009 has been upgraded with a state-of-the-art system consisting of two new radars, 1 AIS Base station, three VHF Radios and associated software and hardware installed at a cost of Rs 5.8-crore," the Port Trust said in a release.

The Vessel Traffic Management System is an essential tool for enhancing the safety of navigation in the port by monitoring and regulating the shipping movements, Port authorities said.

"Apart from navigational safety, the system also enhances security of the port waters by detecting and tracking all crafts moving in the port," the release said.

The Union Minister also inspected the Port infrastructure and project sites including oil terminals, ICTT Vallarpadam, Multi User Liquid Terminal, LNG Terminal and SCB re-construction project, during the tug ride in the Cochin harbour today.

Sonowal lauded the CSL for its efforts on contributing towards technological and sustainable solutions for the shipping industry.

He appreciated the Shipyard here on the construction of the country's first ever Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC), INS Vikrant which is currently in its second sea trials, after a highly successful first sea trial.

Sonawal had boarded the IAC during the course of the sea trials yesterday along with the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Karambir Singh and others to witness and review the progress made on this crucial and strategic national project.

The minister also inaugurated SMRITHI-a New Model Room to foster an understanding of its history and relevance to India's Ship-Building Industry.

"The Model Room at CSL's Administrative Building portrays 50 years of CSL's rich history. Smrithi exhibits the major vessels built by CSL over the past five decades," CSL said.

From the country's first ever Indigenous Aircraft Carrier to autonomous vessels and to ferries for the local conveyance are displayed here.

At present 14 ship models are displayed here with a scope to increase the number. A Coffee Table Book based on CSL's highly recognized CSR initiatives was also released by the Minister.

During the visit, the Union Minister conducted a review of the yard's performance and visited the Ship Building and Ship Repair facilities of CSL. The Minister also had a look at the International Ship Repair Facility being set up by CSL at Willingdon Island, Kochi.

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Agartala, Nov 1 (PTI) The BJP on Monday alleged that the TMC hatched a conspiracy against the Biplap Deb government in the state to destabilise it and to help the opposition CPI(M) come to power again.

Also Read | Shirur Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra: Sitting MLA, Candidates For Assembly Elections 2019, Results And Winners.

State information and culture minister Sushanta Chowdhury also claimed the TMC, which has "no support base" in the northeastern state, has been struggling to expand its organisational strength.

Also Read | Odisha BSE 10th Result 2019 Not Today: Class 10 Board Exam Scores to Be Declared Soon Online at bseodisha.ac.in; Here's List of Website to Check Marks.

"TMC's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee finds it difficult to expand its organisation. The party, which considers the BJP as its main enemy, hatched a conspiracy to help CPI-M come to power. Yesterday, he said the erstwhile Left government was better than the BJP's regime," Chowdhury, a saffron party leader told reporters here.

He also alleged that the Trinamool tried to bring a large number of people from Bengal and Assam for their public meetings here but the police stopped them at the entry point at Churaibari in northern Tripura and several of them tested Covid-19 positive.

Terming the Trinamool's West Bengal leaders, who are spearheading the party activities here, as "migratory birds", Chowdhury said, "As they don't have their base here in Tripura, they are hiring their party workers and supporters from neighbouring states to attend the Banerjee's rally."

Chowdhury's allegations came after Banerjee, during a public meeting on Sunday, claimed the BJP government's "misrule" led to "increasing unemployment, deteriorating law and order and worsening education and healthcare system" in Tripura.

The BJP leader said, "Banerjee in his address agreed that the TMC was not interested with Tripura before the 2018 elections when some of us were with them and fighting against the CPI-M party."

The CPI-M, which ruled Tripura for several years, had "ruined the state in terms development and political culture", he alleged.

Claiming that the BJP-ruled Tripura is far ahead of West Bengal in terms of per capita income which is Rs 1, 25,191 per year as against Bengal's Rs 1, 15,748.

The rate of literacy is 95 per cent in the northeastern state while, Bengal achieved just 76 per cent, he claimed.

Drawing another comparison between the two states, he claimed Bengal could not manage the COVID situation properly.

"TMC's spokesperson Kunal Ghosh had earlier accused Mamata Banerjee of being involved in a ponzi scam. Ghosh is also now leading the party in Tripura," he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Manila, Nov 1 (AP) Philippine forces have killed a key communist rebel commander in one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies, in what the military described as a daring raid in the country's remote southern region, but what guerrilla leaders said was an ambush.

Jorge Madlos, who used the nom de guerre Ka Oris, was for many decades a leading figure and spokesman for the communist fighters in the southern Philippines' mountainous hinterlands.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said government forces killed Madlos in Bukidnon province on Saturday.

He described the rebel's death as a major blow to the already-battered New People's Army guerrilla group.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner said villagers tipped off the military about the presence of about 30 rebels, who were holding discussions with residents in a remote village near Impasug-ong town.

Fighter planes were deployed to fire rockets at the rebel position, which the military said was protected by land mines, before a ground assault was ordered.

After a gunbattle that lasted less than an hour, troops found the bodies of Madlos, 72, and his medical aide, their assault rifles and ammunition, Brawner said.

Justice has been served for those innocent civilians and their communities he terrorized for several decades, Brawner told reporters.

The guerrillas, however, said in a statement on a website linked to the group that the long-ailing Madlos was travelling with a rebel medic on a motorcycle to get medical treatment when government forces gunned them down.

The rebels said both Madlos and his companion were unarmed and that no military airstrike or gunbattle took place.

Military commanders have blamed Madlos and his forces for years of deadly assaults against security forces, as well as attacks on mining companies and pineapple and other agricultural plantations to extort money, or what the guerrillas call revolutionary taxes, from local and foreign-owned businesses.

Madlos was blamed by the military for helping to plot a 2011 attack by more than 200 guerrillas on three nickel mining complexes in southern Surigao del Norte province which the rebels ransacked the site after disarming guards and holding several employees at gunpoint.

One of the companies that came under attack, the country's biggest nickel producer partly owned by Japan's Sumitomo Corp., was forced to temporarily halt operations following the raid.

Madlos was a student activist who quit university and went underground after then-Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972.

Distinguished by his trademark Mao-style cap, goatee and folksy manners, Madlos stuck it out with the insurgency even after falling ill more than a decade ago.

In an interview with The Associated Press in 2010 from a rebel mountain camp in the south, he said that only one thing could make him leave his comrades.

Our retirement comes in death, Madlos said then.

The military says about 3,500 to 4,000 communist fighters remain despite years of rebel setbacks, surrenders and factionalism. Peace talks brokered by Norway collapsed between President Rodrigo Duterte's administration and the guerrillas after both sides accused each other of renewed deadly attacks.(AP)

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Glasgow, November 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that India is the only country that is delivering in "letter and spirit" the commitments on tackling climate change under the Paris Agreement.

Representing India at the High-Level Segment for Heads of States and Government' at the UN COP26 underway at Glasgow, UK, Prime Minister Modi said that India is working very hard on tackling climate change related issues. Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

Watch: PM Narendra Modi Addresses At COP26 Summit 2021

Delivering the National Statement at the @COP26 Summit in Glasgow. https://t.co/SdKi5LBQNM  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 1, 2021

Calling for lifestyle changes, Modi said that environmentally conscious lifestyle choices can go a long way in tackling climate change. He urged to make 'Lifestyle for Environment' a global mission. Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

The Prime Minister reiterated that developed nations must fulfil the promised USD 1 trillion as climate finance, saying this should be tracked the same way as climate mitigation.

"India expects developed countries to make USD 1 trillion available as climate finance as soon as possible. As we track the progress of climate mitigation, we must also track climate finance. Justice would truly be served if pressure is put on those countries that have not lived up to their climate finance commitments, Modi said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tokyo [Japan], November 1 (ANI): Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday returned to power after the declaration of the results of the general elections held in the country on Sunday.

Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the ally Komeito won 291 out of the 465 seats, a comfortable majority in the House of Representatives, reported Kyodo News. The party won the sole majority in the house with 233 seats.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

However, the LDP witnessed the loss of 17 seats in the house in comparison to the number of seats the party won in the previous general election in 2017, suffering high-profile losses including the resignation of the secretary-general of the party, Akira Amari who lost to his opposition rival. However, the party has won enough seats to "effectively" control all standing committees, reported the news agency.

The main opposition, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan too lost 14 seats on Sunday and came down to 96 despite the agreement with the Japanese Communist Party to field unified candidates. However, another opposition, the Japan Innovation Party that did not become a part of the CDP-J alliance nearly quadrupled the number of seats it won in the previous election, winning 41 seats.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

After the declaration of the results, the Prime Minister said that this is the mandate that would give him the opportunity to fulfil the promises he made during the campaign in the run-up to the election that included the strengthening of the medical care against COVID-19 and bringing back the economy on the growth track and national security agenda.

"Based on this outcome, we want to run the government and manage parliamentary affairs in a steady manner," Kyodo News quoted Kishida as saying.

The Prime Minister admitted that his party faced a "tough fight" in many districts where they confronted the unified opposition candidates.

He said that the government would arrange more beds for the treatment of COVID-19 as a preparation for the commencement of a possible sixth wave in the country and assured that the government would bring a stimulus package within a year to support the hard-hit business.

A special session is set to be convened by the Parliament on November 10 where Kishida will be confirmed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is expected to remain largely unchanged, according to Kyodo News.

Interestingly, the election was being seen as a referendum on the party's government in the country for the last nine years, headed by two Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Naples, Nov 1 (AP) Jill Biden, a descendant of Italians, donned an apron and rubber gloves Monday to help culinary students at a Navy school in Italy make ravioli and noodles, a task she says she mastered with her grandmother.

I'm used to Italian cooking, the US first lady told the culinary class at Naples Middle High School, a US Defense Department school at US Naval Support Activity Naples. The base is home to more than 50 separate military commands.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

She visited the school as part of her work back home supporting military families through an initiative named Joining Forces. She also dropped by a robotics class and praised the fortitude of military kids and their parents at a pep rally held in the gymnasium.

I used to make homemade pasta all the time for dinner, Biden said after she and a female student showed off their tray of cheese ravioli for news cameras trailing the first lady.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

Her paternal grandparents were Italian and she spoke of how her grandmother would hang the fresh noodles in her kitchen. Sometimes she helped make the pasta.

In the robotics class, she listened as students described the robots they had built and watched as two traced a black line on a table. When a third robot malfunctioned, she said: Sometimes that's life.

At the pep rally, the first lady praised military children for being strong enough to constantly adjust to new homes, new schools and new friends.

She talked about how hard it was for her now-teenage granddaughter Natalie when her father -- Biden's late son Beau -- was sent to Iraq for a year with the Delaware Army National Guard in fall 2008.

She told the adults their choice to enlist in the military had helped their children become people who are ready for whatever the world has in store for them. Isn't that what all parents want for our children?

After one girl told Biden she almost cried" during the speech, Biden pulled her into an embrace.

Biden accompanied her husband, President Joe Biden, to Rome to participate in the Group of 20 nations summit that ended on Sunday. He flew to Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday to attend a major U.N. climate conference. She boarded her plane back to Washington after the school visit.(AP)

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Reading (UK), Nov 1 (The Conversation) The severe and devastating consequences of the coronavirus pandemic were undoubtedly made worse by a substantial lack of pandemic preparedness, with the exception of East and South East Asia, which had built up defences after their experience with SARS in 2003. So it is crucial that governments begin to develop strategies to protect us if other deadly viruses emerge.

A recent outbreak of Nipah virus in India has raised the question of whether we should start to consider it as a future threat, and look to build up our arsenal of defences now.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

The rapid development of vaccines against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, have provided a pathway out of this pandemic. So, if vaccines for other potentially dangerous viruses could be developed and stockpiled, they could be rolled out as soon as any new outbreak is detected. We would then be ahead of the curve and a pandemic could be avoided.

This approach is laudable - but it assumes that viruses with pandemic potential can be identified in advance, which is not easy to do. And it also runs the risk that a don't worry, there's a vaccine mindset might cause simpler preventative methods to be overlooked.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

Nipah virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1998. Cases such as the recent death of a boy in Kerala, India have raised concerns that it could mutate and increase its efficiency of transmission, leading to widespread circulation.

That scenario is frightening as the virus currently has a case fatality rate of over 50% and there is no vaccine or tried-and-tested treatment.

But before we can invest resources into vaccine development against Nipah we need to assess whether it is a realistic pandemic threat. And even if it is, there are other viruses out there, so we must understand where it should rank on the list of priorities.

Assessing the pandemic risk of Nipah

To assess the risk we need to look at how the virus transmits and replicates.

Nipah is a paramyxovirus. It is related to a human virus, human parainfluenza virus, one of the handful of viruses that cause the common cold. Its natural host is the fruit bat, the large and small flying foxes which are distributed across South and Southeast Asia. All cases of human infection with the Nipah virus to date have been due to direct or indirect contact with infected bats.

The infection in bats is sub-clinical, so goes largely unnoticed. Virus is excreted in the urine which, via grooming and crowding, ensures transfer within and between colonies.

Fruit or fruit juice contaminated by bat urine is the principal route of virus transmission to people.

A long-term study in Bangladesh, where regular Nipah virus outbreaks occur among its people, suggests that bat population density, virus prevalence and people drinking raw date palm sap are the main factors explaining the pattern of transmission. The bats contaminate the sap while it is being tapped from the date palm tree, and it is then consumed locally.

That is an important finding. As we have seen with SARS-CoV-2, better transmitting viruses evolve while the virus is circulating among its human, not animal, hosts. So, keeping the number of infections in people to a minimum not only minimises the death rate from Nipah itself but also reduces the chance of virus adaptation. Stop the transmission and you stop the pandemic threat.

In the cases of human infection, so far, there has been limited spread to only close contacts of the primary infected individual, such as family members or, if the person is hospitalised, hospital staff.

General transmission does not occur, mainly because the proteins the Nipah virus uses to enter cells, the receptors, are concentrated in brain and central nervous tissues.

Nipah infection leads to death by acute encephalitis in most cases as the virus replicates best in the tissues where it is easy for the virus to enter the cells.

The virus does replicate to a small degree in the vasculature, the blood vessels which provide a route for the virus to travel from consumed foodstuffs to the nervous system. But the central nervous system preference also suggests why onward transmission is limited. The virus cannot easily transmit from there.

Of course a very sick individual will have virus everywhere, but as with Ebola, the virus is not efficiently transmitted by the respiratory route and requires touch or transfer of body fluids. Very close contact is required to infect someone else.

The chance of the virus changing to replicate in the upper respiratory tract, from where it certainly would be more transmissible, is small, and while this does not rule out pandemic potential it significantly lessens its probability. Like other regular zoonotic infections, the spillover event itself from bat to human, and the immediate people affected is more the issue than the potential for epidemic spread.

There is a case for a Nipah vaccine, but more for emergency use in those in contact with a primary case than for a vaccination campaign in general.

The case against it rests on the fact that absolute numbers are low, costs high and outbreaks so sporadic that a clinical trial would be very difficult to organise. Research has shown that therapeutic antibody is effective and that would make a far more practical treatment option in the short term.

In my view, Nipah does not pose a high risk of causing a pandemic. Its current pattern of outbreak is likely to remain the norm. Instead, as has been discussed elsewhere, we need to ensure that surveillance, improved awareness and effective public health measures are in place and adhered to. They will have a much bigger impact on the control of Nipah virus cases in the immediate future.

As for pandemic preparedness in the medium and long term, we need to turn our attention to identifying which other viruses pose a threat and work to develop vaccines and other defensive measures against those. (The Conversation)

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Glasgow [UK], November 1 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that he is looking forward to strengthening the special strategic partnership with Japan as he congratulated his Japanese counterpart for his party's win in the Lower House elections in Japan.

"Heartiest felicitations to @kishida230 for victory in Lower House elections in Japan. Look forward to working together to further strengthen our Special Strategic and Global Partnership and for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," PM Modi tweeted.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Children in Central Africa Need Emergency Aid: UN.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in coalition with the Komeito Party, won 293 seats out of the total 465. LDP alone secured 261 seats in the election.

Japan's lower parliamentary house elections were held on Sunday. The Constitutional Democratic Party, which is the country's main opposition force, got 96 seats. A total of 1,051 candidates from nine parties competed for the parliamentary seats.

Also Read | 1.5 Million Penguins Supercolony Earlier Detected From Space, Discovered on Antarcticas Danger Islands.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who also heads the LDP, said that his party's election victory in the parliament's lower house is a "big deal".

The two Prime Ministers last spoke in September on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders' Summit. They reviewed the multi-faceted relationship between the two countries and exchanged views on recent global and regional developments, including in Afghanistan.

They also reaffirmed their commitment towards a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. (ANI)

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Patna, November 1: A special NIA court in Patna on Monday sentenced to death four of the nine persons it had held guilty of carrying out bomb explosions during then NDA Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's 'Hunkar Rally' in Gandhi Maidan in 2013.

The special National Investigation Agency court had on October 27 convicted nine out of 10 accused. Out of the other convicts, two have been given life sentence, two others 10 years imprisonment, and one 7 years imprisonment.

Gurvinder Singh Malhotra, the special judge of the NIA court, announced the quantum of punishment 8 years after the serial bomb blasts that shook Patna on October 27, 2013 during the Hunkar rally. The case was transferred to the NIA on November 6, 2013. 2013 Patna Gandhi Maidan Serial Blasts Case: NIA Court Pronounces Capital Punishment to 4 Convicts, 5 Others Jailed.

The four convicts who have been awarded the death penalty are Imtiaz Ansari, Haider Ali alias Black Beauty, Noman Ansari and Muzibullah Ansari. Umar Sidiqqi and Azaharuddin Kuresi have been given life imprisonment, while Ahmed Hussain and Feroz Aslam were awarded 10 years rigorous imprisonment and Iftikhar Alam has been given a 7-year jail term. The court said that the charges of sedition, criminal conspiracy, murder, attempt to murder and UAPA levelled by the NIA have been proven.

Narendra Modi came to Patna to address a rally for the 2014 parliamentary elections. While he was addressing the rally, serial bombs exploded in Gandhi Maidan, the venue of the rally as well as at Patna railway station. Six persons died and over 89 persons were injured in the blasts.

One accused Faqeuddin was acquitted by the NIA court for lack of evidence. All those convicted are suspected members of the Indian Mujahideen and the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The convicts had detonated 7 Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) while 10 others did not explode at the rally venue.

The NIA recorded the statements of over 250 witnesses in the case since it took over on November 6, 2013. All the convicts are currently lodged in Patna's Beur jail.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 01, 2021 05:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Lucknow, Nov 1: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Monday that he will not be contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls early next year.

He will concentrate on his party's campaign instead, he said.

Akhilesh, who is MP from Azamgarh, will be the face of his party's campaign.

Talking to reporters, Akhilesh said that an alliance between his party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for the polls has been finalised. Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav Stirs Controversy with Jinnah Remarks, BJP Slams SP President.

"Our alliance with RLD is final. Seat sharing is to be finalised," he added.

He said that the people had made up their mind to bring back the Samajwadi Party government in the state.

Talking about his uncle Shivpal Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) joining the SP in alliance, he said that, "I don't have any problem in this. He and his men will be given due honour."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 01, 2021 02:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The first day of November is an important day in the history of Indian states. Several states observe their foundation day, and one such state is Kerala. Kerala celebrates Kerala Day or Kerala Piravi, commemorating the date of birth of the south Indian state on November 1, 1956. Let us celebrate Kerala Piravi 2021 or the 65th anniversary of state formation with the loveliest wishes, messages, greetings, quotes and WhatsApp status. We bring you a collection of Kerala Piravi Ashamsakal 2021 images, Kerala Day poems, quotes, WhatsApp messages, status, SMS and HD wallpapers to send to family and friends.

Happy Kerala Piravi (Photo Credits: File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Wishing Every Resident of the Gods Own Country a Very Happy Kerala Piravi.

Happy Kerala Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: To Remind the Beautiful Memories and Colourful Dreams of the Past, Here Comes Another Year of Kerala Piravi.

Happy Kerala Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Our Life Is Full of Colors, I Hope This Nov 1st Will Add More Colors to Your Life. Happy Kerala Formation Day!

Happy Kerala Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Ente Keralam Ethra Sundaram. Wishing You the Greetings of Kerala Piravi Day.

Speech on Kerala Day Formation:

WhatsApp Message Reads: A Place That Is Known for Flawless and Dazzling Shorelines. A Land With the Appeal of Captivating Works of Art. A Land Favoured With the Unstoppable Force of Life. A Land Called Gods Very Own Nation Kerala. Cheerful Kerala Piravi

Kerala Piravi Poem Written by Gopalakrishnan Kolazhy:

WhatsApp Message Reads: Wishing Every Resident of the Gods Own Country a Very Happy Kerala Piravi.

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Eritrean refugee leaders were called to a meeting by soldiers. The 20 or more who complied were detained, said more than a dozen witnesses, one demonstrating how the mens elbows were pinioned behind their backs https://t.co/CgsXr4hvkz pic.twitter.com/EaouBzLv5g Reuters (@Reuters) November 1, 2021

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
On 25 October, the US Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) published a press release detailing a new US-Colombia counternarcotic strategy developed by the Counternarcotics Working Group between the US and Colombian governments. The strategy is centred on drug supply reduction, environmental protection, and rural security and development, and aims to decrease the availability of illicit substances in the US and Colombia, while supporting greater security and prosperity in [Colombian] rural areas. The press release cites ONDCP acting directoras saying that the strategy follows a holistic approach that recognizes the importance of security, justice, economic development, and environmental protections, and includes initiatives such as drug demand reduction, anti-money laundering efforts, recovery support services and amplifying land formalisation, together with a robust investment in rural development, citizen security, and access to justice, and a comprehensive implementation of the 2016 Colombian Peace Accord. The US will directly assist Colombia in monitoring and reversing environmental crimes perpetrated by narcotrafficking groups. Initiatives will include restoring tropical rainforests, eliminating of coca cultivation fields and identifying opportunities to advance climate change goals in the Amazon region.

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On 31 October members of Brazils military police and highway patrol in Varginha municipality, Minas Gerais state, shot and killed 25 people in a raid on suspected bank robbers, prompting praise from authorities and accusations of brutality from critics.The episode has renewed concern over a spike in violence fueled by a vicious circle of rising poverty and inequality on the one hand and more relaxed gun laws on the other. The issue will again be one of the top campaign topics in the October 2022 general election.

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On 31 October journalists led a protest in Mexicos Acapulco city (Guerrero state) over the recent murder of photojournalistand subsequent controversial public statements by the citys mayor,

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The chief of the North Port Police Department in Florida said "human error" led a surveillance team to confuse Brian Laundrie with his mom.

The Independent reported that North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said once they realized the mistake, it was important for the department to acknowledge it publicly. He noted that people want "open, transparency, and honesty" with their law enforcement officials.

Garrison told South County Tiger Bay Club members that they had made a mistake, and it was "human error." However, he said he still stands behind his team.

"As a leader, what do I do? Do I not tell the public what's going on, do we conceal it, cover it up? Yes, we made a mistake it was human error but I still stand behind my team," Garrison noted as reported by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Laundrie's parents reported to law enforcement that their son was missing on September 17. Garrison said when his officers went out to the Laundrie home to take the missing person report, they hoped that they would "find Brian hiding in a back bedroom."

Garrison said he was hoping that it was a ploy, but "it wasn't." He noted that during the first three-and-a-half days of the investigation on Laundrie, which started with a missing person's report filed at Suffolk County in New York, his department was operating in a support role.

By the time they became the lead agency, Garrison said Laundrie had already left the house. According to Garrison, Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie had moved out of their location in June, changed their address, moved to New York, and then left for a cross-country adventure.

"Now, we know that, by the time we became the lead agency, Brian had already left the house and presumably had already been deceased out in the Carlton Reserve," the North Port Police Department chief said.

Garrison also admitted that when he earlier told the media that he knew where Laundrie was, it was "100 percent" in his belief that what the police team said to him that Laundrie was outside the house was accurate.

In a press conference, a day after the mistaken sighting, Garrison said his officers knew where Laundrie was.

"Later on, we found out that Brian had left the house and now the parents on Friday wanted to report him missing... There was nobody more surprised about that than me," Garrison said.

In standing by with his team that made the erroneous identification, Garrison noted that "this is not uncommon, and if any expert out there says it is, they're lying to you."

He said the "phenomenal" and amount of work his team and the FBI team had done, "24 hours a day," led the search teams to locate Gabby Petito deceased, which was their "primary focuses the first couple of days."

"If Brian did go on the run, he would be found. I was confident of that," he added.

READ NEXT: Gabby Petito Case: Moab Police in Utah Allegedly Profited From Brian Laundrie's Fiancee Bodycam Video

North Port Police in Florida Confused Brian Laundrie as His Mom

The North Port Police investigators had confused Brian Laundrie's mom, Roberta Laundrie, with her son while monitoring the family's home after Gabby Petito was reported missing.

North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor earlier told WINK News that the surveillance operation has been flawed. At one point, Taylor noted that investigators believed that Laundrie had left the house in his Ford Mustang but had returned.

This has led them to believe that they knew Laundrie's whereabouts in the weeks following Petito's disappearance. But Taylor admitted that eventually, they realized that the person who left the house was Laundrie's mom.

The North Port police said the officers responsible for watching out for Laundrie claimed they mistakenly got the two mixed up since Petito's fiance looks very much like his mom.

"They're kind of built similarly," said Taylor. According to the police, they had watched Laundrie leave in his Mustang on September 13, and they thought he returned on September 15.

"But we now know that that wasn't true... No case is perfect," Taylor noted.

Family Attorney Says Brian Laundrie and Mom Not 'Built' the Same

The attorney for the family of Brian Laundrie, Steven Bertolino, earlier told ABC7 that "everyone makes mistakes," but "Brian and Roberta are not 'built' the same."

"Moreover, it was (North Port police) that put the ticket on the Mustang at the park (Carlton Reserve), and if they saw Brian leave on Monday in the Mustang... then they should have been watching the Mustang and the park starting on Monday and they would have known it was Chris (Laundrie's dad) and Roberta that retrieved the Mustang from the park," the lawyer noted.

Bertolino then said, "none of this may have made a difference with respect to Brian's life but it certainly would have prevented all of the false accusations leveled by so many against Chris and Roberta with respect to 'hiding' Brian or otherwise financing an 'escape'."

Bertolino further noted that he concurred with Taylor that Laundrie may have already been dead when the police realized they "lost track" of him.

"However, you can't blame the family because the police did not know enough to follow someone they were obviously surveilling," the lawyer added.

After a month-long manhunt, Laundrie's remains were discovered in a swampy area of the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20. The initial autopsy of Laundrie's remains did not uncover a cause or manner of his death, so his skeletal remains were sent to a forensic anthropologist for further examination.

The medical examiner earlier said the remains were confirmed to belong to Laundrie based on "comparison to known dental records."

Brian Laundrie was named a person of interest by North Port police after returning home on September 1 or 10 days before Gabby Petito was reported missing by her family.

Petito disappeared on a cross-country road trip with Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when the YouTuber stopped communicating with her family in Wyoming in late August.

Gabby Petito's body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19.

A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said she was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.

READ MORE: Brian Laundrie Manhunt: Parents of Gabby Petito's Fiance Change the Date of Florida Fugitive's Disappearance

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: How North Port Police Confused Brian Laundrie With His Mother - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay






White House Press Secretary announced on Sunday that she tested positive for COVID-19 as she explained why she failed to join President Joe Biden on his foreign trip.

Psaki contracted the COVID-19 virus despite being vaccinated against the disease.

READ NEXT: Biden's Social Spending Bill Takes Blow as Democrats Remove Paid Family Leave in the Package

White House Press Secretary Tests Positive For COVID Despite Vaccine

In a statement she shared on Twitter, Jen Psaki announced that her decision not to travel with the president on Thursday to Europe was due to a "family emergency."

"On Wednesday, in coordination with senior leadership at the White House and the medical team, I made the decision not to travel on the foreign trip with the president due to a family emergency," Psaki said.

Sharing full statement and grateful I am vaccinated and for the amazing Biden team pic.twitter.com/QDokXo47dK  Jen Psaki (@PressSec) October 31, 2021

Psaki noted that she was disclosing her COVID-19 positive result "out of an abundance of transparency."

It was White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre who traveled with Biden to Europe, Deadline reported. According to Psaki, several family members at her home were infected with COVID-19 earlier in the week.

Psaki has "thanked" the vaccine as she believes it was the reason why she only had "mild" symptoms that allowed her to continue working from home.

When Did White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Last Saw Joe Biden?

Jen Psaki said she had not been in close contact with Joe Biden or any senior White House staff members a few days before contracting the COVID-19.

According to Psaki, she quarantined and tested negative via PCR test on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. However, she said she tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

"I have not had close contact in person with the President or senior members of the White House Staff since Wednesday - and tested negative for four days after that last contact," Psaki noted.

Psaki said she last saw Joe Biden on Tuesday, "when we sat outside more than six-feet apart, and wore masks." She noted that she would return to work after the completion of her 10-day quarantine.

"I will plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the ten-day quarantine following a negative rapid test," Psaki noted, adding that it's an "additional White House requirement" beyond the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last Monday, a day before Psaki's last contact with Biden, Fox News reported that the president was seen coughing into his hands without a mask following a speech in New Jersey. Joe Biden was also seen using the same hands to shake hands with other officials.

Psaki contracted the virus days after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas contracted COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Mayorkas' diagnosis came days following his attendance at the 40th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service in the U.S. Capitol alongside Biden on October 13.

READ MORE: Biden Administration Makes 2nd Attempt to End Trump-Era 'Remain in Mexico' Migrant Policy Despite Border Surge

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Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Press Secretary Jen Psaki explains President Biden's new COVID-19 Action Plan - From The White House
Nine firefighters in Brazil were killed during a training exercise on Sunday after a cave roof collapsed.

The Sao Paulo Military Firemen Department confirmed that 28 firefighters were training in a cave on the Gruta Duas Bocas trail near Altinopolis in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The roof had collapsed during the training exercise, according to an ABC News report.

The department said that an emergency response was conducted on Sunday, with nine firefighters confirmed dead and several were injured. One of the firefighters was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Rescue efforts were hampered by rain, making the access difficult. Five survivors were admitted in Hospital de Misericordia and at least three had been released, according to a DW report.

Five bodies were removed from the cave and had to be flown by helicopter. However, the low visibility at night around the area had the four remaining bodies removed by foot.

The rescue had deployed 75 firemen and 20 vehicles.

READ NEXT: Brazil's Senate Panel Votes Pres. Jair Bolsonaro Guilty of Mass Murder for His COVID Response

Training Exercise Accident

The training exercise was done by the Real Life School, with Altinopolis Mayor Jose Roberto Ferracin Marques saying that no one in the local municipality had been informed of such action.

Ferracin Marques said that their Civil Defense was called at around three o'clock to tend to a collapse in the cave, which is a private area. The firefighters and the owner of the farm had no previous contact with the municipality, according to the mayor.

The mayor noted that Altinopolis offered assistance to firefighters and rescue teams. They had provided meals, water, and vehicles.

Ferracin Marques said that the municipality had also given wood to support the parts of the roof of the cave that remain to prevent further collapse, as reported by DW.

Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria tweeted that he would provide all the support and resources needed for the rescue of the victims.

Real Life School partner, Tania Pereira, said that the rain that started on Sunday had still remained in the region, making the retrieval operations difficult.

The mother of one of the instructors, Cristina Trifoni, said that the group had planned to spend the night inside the cave, according to The Straits Times report.

Meanwhile, Military Police Lieutenant Colonel Rodrigo Quintino said that that kind of training should not be done. He added that it is a level of training that needs a high degree of professionalism, citing that those who have the competence in that kind of training are military teams.

He was also the civil defense coordinator for the region. He further noted that the cave ceiling collapsed on some of the people in the group due to a series of factors.

An earlier report from the Altinopolis mayor's office said that 15 firefighters were still buried, with the three of the victims who were rescued suffering from fractures and hypothermia, according to an NDTV report.

Altinopolis is popular for its caves being its major regional tourist spot.

READ MORE: Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Says Only God Can Remove Him From Power Amid Rallies, Supreme Court Fight

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: BREAKING : Nine firefighters killed in cave collapse during training exercise in Brazil - from pik tub






The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, incentivized the advocates of paid family leave on Sunday, as she gifted Starbucks gift certificates to them after she penned a letter to the U.S. Senate to address the issue.

The Duchess of Sussex reportedly gifted a $25 Starbucks gift certificate for the employees of the nonprofit PL+US, which works to win paid family and medical leave for all in the U.S. by 2022, People reported.

READ NEXT: Meghan Markle Writes a Letter to U.S. Congress Advocating Paid Parental Leave

Meghan Markle Sends Starbucks GCs to Paid Leave Supporters

According to reports, the gift certificates given to the advocates of her causes were supplied through her and Prince Harry's nonprofit, the Archewell Foundation.

The Duchess of Sussex (aka #MeghanMarkle) bought everyone at @PaidLeaveUS a few cups of coffee while we're working overtime to #SavePaidLeave. Unbelievably classy... and necessary. Truly honored to know she has our backs in the fight to win #PaidLeaveForAll. pic.twitter.com/iPtTO07GHQ  Neil Sroka (@nsroka) October 30, 2021

PL+US spokesman, Neil Sroka, posted a screenshot of the gift certificate, as he took to Twitter to express his gratitude to the Duchess of Sussex, saying that Markle brought them coffee while working overtime. The spokesman for the nonprofit also described Markle's initiative as "unbelievable classy... and necessary. However, Markle's initiative was quickly criticized by netizens.

You think buying someone a coffee is classy? I guess that means my Mom is classy for making me breakfast or my date is classy for taking me out for a coffee or my airline is classy for offering me a life preserver.  Elisabeth G (@SuisseFlughafen) October 31, 2021

One Twitter user said that if Sroka thinks buying coffee for them is "classy," then it means that her mom was also classy because she makes breakfast for her.

You know ur being used for PR, right? But Im curious youre only thanking Meghan as the card clearly says from Archewell & u know Harry is also head of the charity. U remember Harry, her husband? Y didnt u thank him? Or were u instructed to only thank Meghan?  AmyB (@Ethical_Libra) October 30, 2021

Another user asked why the spokesman failed to thank Prince Harry emphasizing that the Duke of Sussex is also a part of the nonprofit the Sussexes oversee. Sroka then retaliated to the criticisms online, arguing that what they received from the Sussexes was a big deal for them.

This tweet has received a stunning amount of coverage, so Ill clarify: the Duchess/Archewell gave EACH of our staffers $25 for . Maybe that doesnt mean much to some, but for our team fighting to #SavePaidLeave it was a delightful surprise. Thank you #MeghanMarkle. https://t.co/wAWhwqnWFm  Neil Sroka (@nsroka) October 31, 2021

"The Duchess/Archewell gave EACH of our staffers $25 for [coffee]. Maybe that doesn't mean much to some but for our team fighting to #SavePaidLeave it was a delightful surprise," Sroka stressed as he thanked Meghan Markle once again in his tweet.

Republicans Urge Meghan Markle to Stick to Acting

Meghan Markle giving off gift certificates for coffee came after Republicans on October 21 urged the Duchess of Sussex to "stick to acting" instead of poking the politics in the United States.

"Meghan Markle is incredibly out of touch with the American people and should stick to acting instead of trying to play politics," Representative Lisa McClain told The Daily Mail.

McClain added that the last thing the U.S. needs right now is wealthy celebrities pushing their liberal agendas on the American people.

Meanwhile, Representative Jason Smith asked why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not yet stripped off of their role as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, despite poking into U.S. politics.

Smith said Markle's latest interference in U.S. politics makes him ask why her title is not yet taken away from her, adding that Markle insisted on using her title as she speaks about paid leave.

Aside from his recent comment, Smith also requested the Royals strip Harry and Meghan of their titles over interference in the U.S. elections.

It can be recalled that Meghan Markle previously issued a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer about paid leave, arguing that the measure would benefit women and others who quit their job during the COVID-19 pandemic to look after their children and family members full-time.

The Duchess of Sussex argued in the letter that paid leave should be a "national right" instead of being limited to those whose employers have the policy in place, or those who live in a state where paid leave program exists.

READ NEXT: Biden's Social Spending Bill Takes Blow as Democrats Remove Paid Family Leave in the Package

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Meghan Markle Writes Open Letter About Paid Family Leave - Us Weekly
A Florida woman who was just given the "Teacher of the Year" award was arrested over child abuse charges.

The Florida teacher, Carolina Lee, was arrested and charged on Friday after hitting a student at the Darnell-Cookman School for the Medical Arts. The school is known to be with accolades for educational achievement bestowed on it by both federal and national authorities, according to a Law and Crime report.

The Teacher of the Year recipient reportedly slapped a female student across the face, resulting in the girl's nose to bleed.

Lee then repeatedly struck the child on top of her head while calling her vulgar names. The girl said she started to try and pin the teacher's arm down, which had had gotten her a kick to one of the girl's lower legs.

The incident had reportedly stemmed from an Instagram post announcing Lee to be the recipient of this year's award.

READ NEXT: Florida Man Dated 2 Sisters Who Killed Their Father and He Decided to Turn Them In

Child Abuse Incident

The student had commented on the post, which has been removed, questioning whether the teacher had used the "n-word" during a class discussion. Lee replied that she had only used the word in context of teaching John Steinbeck's work "Of Mice and Men."

The student replied and said that it still was not the right thing to do, which Lee reportedly agreed to. The teacher wrote on the Instagram post, saying that she cannot change the language of Steinbeck.

Lee went on to say that education is a powerful too, promoting tolerance and understanding. She said that the school had decided that this was okay, not her. Lee said that it was on the curriculum guide.

The teacher told police that she felt the message she read was "a threat to kill her," according to a Crime Online report. She said she wanted to speak with the student about it. The teacher had called the student to meet her during home period.

Lee had reached across the table and did hit her several times when student reached the teacher's classroom, according to a Jacksonville News report.

Police report stated that Lee told police that she left her door open when the student was in her classroom. However, another student said that the teacher asked him to leave, closing the door behind him.

The student was decorating the Florida teacher's door that morning. The student said that he can hear Lee raising her voice as he was standing in the hallway. No one else was inside the classroom with Lee and the student victim.

Lee was arrested that morning after the officer spoke with the victim, Lee, and four other witnesses.

Duval Schools Superintendent Diana Greene said in a statement that the situation was "beyond disturbing." She noted that she has no tolerance for adults who harm children, particularly those who are in a position of trust.

Greene said that they will cooperate with all investigations and will take the actions necessary to stand up for and protect their students.

Principal Tyrus Lyles, meanwhile, announced the arrest of Lee for child abuse.

READ MORE: Dunkin' Employee in Florida Punches, Kills Elderly Customer Over Racial Slur Confrontation

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Duval County 'Teacher of the Year' nominee charged with child abuse makes first court appearance - First Coast News






A Halloween party in Eastern Texas turned into a nightmare after several shots were fired during the event, leaving one dead and nine injured, police said.

East Texas Halloween Party Mass Shooting Suspect Surrenders

According to NBC News, the Texarkana Police Department said during a news release that gunfire erupted on the event late Saturday at the Octavia Event Center. Texarkana is a city situated in Texas bordering Arkansas and around 180 miles east of Dallas.

The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Keuntae McElroy, of Texarkana. police said in a statement that McElroy surrendered early Sunday morning and was booked on suspicion of aggravated assault.

He was booked into the Bi-State Jail, but no mug shot of the suspect will be released until Monday.

Before McElroy turned himself in, TTPD had obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect. The police searched for the suspect and even contacted McElroy's family and friends.

More charges were expected to be filed on Monday. It was not also clear on Sunday whether McElroy has retained a lawyer in facing the charges.

The Texarkana Texas Police Department is currently investigating the shooting incident that happened at a Halloween party that left one dead and nine others wounded.

Based on the report of Arklatex, multiple vehicles, including ambulances, police units, and private vehicles were utilized in rushing the victims of the Halloween party mass shooting to Wadley Regional Medical Center and Christus St. Michael Hospital.

One of the victims, a 20-year-old man, died despite the immediate medical attention given at Christus St. Michael Hospital.

The other nine injured victims of the Halloween party mass shooting also received medical attention. Their injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.

READ MORE: Texas Nurse Sentenced to Death for Killing 4 Patients by Injecting Air Into Arteries After Heart Surgery

East Texas Halloween Party Mass Shooting

Based on the report of the authorities, the incident happened just before midnight Saturday. TTPD officers responded to a party venue in the 2300 block of Texas Boulevard after the police received several reports of shots being fired at a Halloween party.

When officers arrived at the party, they encountered a large number of individuals who were running from the building. Among them were the victims who suffered from gunshot wounds.

The detectives who were investigating the mass shooting continued their interview throughout the night and into Sunda. The detectives interviewed the victims and witnesses of the mass shooting.

TTPD estimated that there were at least a couple hundred individuals present in the venue when the shootings happened.

Moreover, authorities said that the suspect exited the venue in an unknown vehicle after shooting the crowd.

However, based on the preliminary investigation, authorities indicated that it may be a result of some type of disturbance among other partygoers.

Furthermore, the identity of the deceased victim is currently being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.

READ NEXT: Missing Florida Teen Killed by 3 High School Classmates Over Sexual Relationship With Suspect's Ex-Girlfriend

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: 1 Killed, 9 Wounded At Texas Halloween Party, Police Say -CBS DFW


The Puyallup Police in Washington was looking for the two suspects on Sunday, that shot an off-duty police officer who tried to stop them from breaking into a local business early in the morning.

According to Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engle, two male suspects dressed in black clothing fled the Jennings Equipment, which they tried to break in, in two vehicles, K5 reported.

The first vehicle of the suspect was described by the authorities as a white or silver 4-door Chevrolet pickup truck with dark windows and wheels, with the tailgate down or missing. Meanwhile, the second vehicle was described a black pickup truck.

The suspects were also described to be Hispanic, Fox News reported.

READ NEXT: Suspect in Idaho Mall Shooting That Killed 2, Injured 5 Dies in Hospital

Washington Off-Duty Police Shot After Trying to Stop Burglars

The suspects were seen by a Washington Police officer who was off-duty and was in the area for his morning jog. The said police officer, identified as Donovan Heavener, was shot in his abdomen as he tried to stop the burglary.

The shooting was reported to take place in 900 River Road at around 7:06 in the morning at Puyallup, as Heavener saw the suspects trying to pull the front door of a Jennings Equipment store. The officer reportedly tried to "verbally stop the two men.

Despite not approaching the suspects, he was shot while he stood on the sidewalk. Heavener was also reported to call 911 to report what was happening.

"He was doing nothing that any other officer wouldn't have done," Engle said, adding that their officers were always on duty and do the right thing regardless they are in uniform or not.

Authorities revealed that the Heavener suffered "very serious" injuries due to the incident.

"This was a very close call, a very close call, and we're very fortunate that the officer's out of surgery," Engle pointed out. The Puyallup police chief also underscored that Heavener is now expected to survive after the incident.

According to Federal Way Police Chief Andy Wang, Heavener was an avid runner and a leader of the Washington State Law Enforcement Torch Run, The Seattle Times reported. Chief Hwang also revealed that Heavener joined Federal Way Police Department in 1996.

Washington Police Turns to Public in Search of Burglar Suspect who Shot Police

As the Puyallup Police continue their search of the two Hispanic suspects, the department sought the help of the public in searching for the suspects that shot the Washington police.

And if you live within the area of this map please check your home video equipment to see if you captured any video of this suspect vehicle or the other suspect vehicle which was a black pickup truck. pic.twitter.com/wp8M6RCa30  Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) October 31, 2021

The department posted photos of the vehicles and urged anyone to reach out to them who has knowledge of the said trucks.

Furthermore, the police department also urged those who live in the area of the shooting to check their "home video equipment" to see if they have any video of the suspect vehicles they mentioned.

"It's unfortunate to see that we are seeing violent crime affect our communities... No community wants to have this happen... It's just completely unacceptable," Engle said, adding that their job is to find justice for the victim.

READ NEXT: TikToker JinnKid Accused of Killing Wife, Her Alleged Lover at California Apartment Pleads Not Guilty

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Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Off-duty Officer Shot in Puyallup Sunday Morning - From King 5
Brazilian police have killed 25 suspects in a warlike operation against heavily armed bank robbers whose brazen heists have brought several major cities in Brazil to a standstill.

Organized Crime Group and Brazilian Police Encounter

Based on the report of The Guardian, the alleged members of a criminal group responsible for bank heists in Brazil were gunned down in the early hours of Sunday. The operation occurred in the south-eastern state of Minas Gerais, where the Brazilian police claimed that they had been poised to unleash their offense.

According to Washington Post, the Brazilian police have killed at least 25 individuals in a warlike operation against a heavily armed criminal gang. It was considered as an escalation in Brazil's ongoing struggle against sophisticated criminal groups that executed elaborate bank heists in the southern portion of the country.

READ MORE: Mexican Drug Cartels Recruit Children as Young as 10 and Groom Them to Be Killers

Well-Financed Crime Group in Brazil

Authorities said that they have launched the operation after they have learned that the criminal group planned another bank robbery in the city of Varginha in Minas Gerais state. Brazilian Police said that the group had holed up in two locations in Varginha, and opened fire on them shortly after their arrival on the location on Sunday morning.

Highway police spokesperson, Aristides Amaral Junior, shared during an interview that the alleged members of a criminal group had weapons of war, including a supply of gasoline and explosives. The spokesperson also clarified that their idea was to make arrests, but from the moment that the suspects recognized their presence, the fight started.

Authorities said that they have found a huge stockpile of high-caliber rifles, explosives, bulletproof vests, stolen vehicles, and other weapons.

Moreover, the police said they were trying to prevent another episode of what people were calling "the new banditry."

The operations of the criminal group were flawless, executing bank heists that were elaborately planned, well-choreographed. The bank robbers were well-financed by professional criminal groups because their members were equipped with the weaponry and gadgetry of war.

Since banks were full of cash mostly during the end of the month, dozens of heavily armed gang members stormed midsize cities at night, setting off explosives, shooting security's weapons into the air, and lighting cars on fire.

Meanwhile, criminal analysts here said that the idea was to overwhelm authorities with an overpowering display of force.

The heavily armed criminal group tied their hostages to some of the getaway cars after storming the Brazilian city.

The death toll Sunday underscored the extraordinary violence Brazilian police were willing to use during their operations.

Furthermore, in May, police killed at least 25 people in an early-morning police raid on a criminal gang that held control over a favela in Rio de Janeiro.

However, the incident has led to allegations of summary executions and unlawful killings, which police have denied.

Rio De Janeiro police were ordered to limit favela raids during the pandemic, but they were still killing hundreds of people.

READ NEXT: Police Reveal Colombia-Turkey Drug Pipeline; Unveil Cocaine Traffic Route of Turkish Cartel, Cali Cartel

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Bank Robbers Tie Hostages On Top Of Getaway Cars After Brazil Bank Heist, 3 Killed -CRUX


An extension is to be built onto Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise, which had previously been earmarked for a downgrade, sparking protest marches in the town.

The Health Service Executive has submitted the plans to Laois County Council to build a two and three storey extension onto the hospital, including an extension to the Paediatric unit, and a new "respiratory assessment unit".

The extension is to be on the left (Dublin) side of the hospital. It will cost 4.66 million with the money announced for it last July under the 2021 National Health Capital Plan. See our original story below.

"Construct a new two and three storey extension located to the east of the existing Hospital. This consists of a new Respiratory Assessment Unit & ancillary accomodation at Ground Floor level, an extension to the existing Paediatric Unit, together with ancillary accommodation at First Floor level and enclosed and semi-enclosed plant accommodation and access stairs at Second Floor/ Roof level.

"The proposed works also include separate Ground and First Floor links from the proposed new development to the existing Hospital, as well as the construction of a semi-covered link walkway between the proposed new development and the existing Hospital, and the relocation of 2no. existing temporary single storey prefabricated structures currently used as Covid Testing facilities from the general location of the proposed works to a new location to the north of the Hospital, together with a dedicated Ambulance set-down area immediately adjacent to the pre-fabricated structures.

"The proposed works also include the relocation of an existing Ambulance set-down area to a new location adjacent to the north west of the Hospital, together with the provision of an external fire tender circulation route and a re configured external pedestrian circulation route to the south side of the Hospital, along with the provision of a new parking area to the west side of Block Road accessed off an existing access road, to be used temporarily as construction personnel parking during the proposed works. The works here also involves the widening of the existing access road and the provision of a pedestrian crossing across Block road linking this parking area to the main Hospital campus.

"The development also include all siteworks associated with the proposed works. Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise is listed as a Protected Structure RPS 180 in the current Laois County Development Plan 2017-2023"

The application is at pre-validation stage, meaning that the planning decision time has not yet begun.
As stories increase of drinks being spiked with drugs in Irish colleges, a Laois student has come up with a free design to keep her and others safe.

Alex Kelly from Ballickmoyler, a student at Carlow IT, came up with her eco friendly and low cost idea after witnessing a girl collapsing after having her drink spiked.

See her design at end of story.

"After a night out with my friend last week I have had yet another reality check. The realisation as to just how dangerous it has become in todays climate. My friend and I went on our first night out since returning to college. Just the two of us, celebrating an overdue girls night. Then at 9pm in the bar we witnessed a girl who had fallen victim to drink spiking.

"As she was carried from the venue a sudden unease fell over the two of us being two girls, alone in a bar. We called our male friend and explained, and he happily joined us after his work shift to put us at ease and allow us to enjoy the

rest of our night.

"When I started going out the warning was to not get a taxi home alone as a girl but now its a case where I cant even say that its safe for a girl to be in a bar alone.

"There are devices and fittings available to buy to protect your drink on a night out. But as a student I understand that every penny counts. And splurging 25 on a drink protector that I might lose on a night out isnt something thats encouraging to me. There are also disposable drink condoms available for a lower price but then we enter the issue of eco friendly and contributing to that topic.

"After finding myself awake thinking about this issue I designed a drink protector. In an attempt to help keep others safe and help protect people in bars and nightclubs I am sharing this easily made cardboard disk which sits on the top of your drink to prevent attackers from spiking your drink. The design is a simple 10cm disk with a hole in the centre for your drinking straw and two tabs which fold into the glass to hold your cover in place. An item anyone can make on their own with the use of a scissors and some cardboard from a cereal box even," she said.

Alex asks why drink venues are not providing covers themselves.

"They are already providing us with beer mats to protect their tables so why not provide customers with drink protectors to protect themselves," she said.

See her guides to making the drink protector on her nature blog website, www.flower-child.ie
Firefighters from Kildare recently joined their colleagues from all over the country to climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest, a staggering 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), in aid of a childrens cancer charity.

All proceeds went towards Aoibheanns Pink Tie (APT) on Saturday 30 October.

Participating in teams of six, over 100 firefighters with the National Retained Firefighters of Ireland (NRFA), which has 2,500 members, gathered at Nenagh Fire Station in Tipperary from 10am to 10pm to take part in the Climb Your Own Everest Challenge.

During the week Olympic gold medallist, Kelly Harrington, and Mount Everest climber, Grania Willis, announced their support for the NRFA ahead of their climb.

The uphill climb undertaken by the firefighters reflects the uphill battle families around Ireland are struggling with everyday when a child is diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment.

Stephen McFadden, a member of the NRFA, said about the event: "Now more than ever charity drives such as these need public support; the needs and the services of APT did not stop during the Covid crisis and restrictions."

"Families all around Ireland continued to be supported by APT throughout the pandemic. So, please give generously and lets break 2019s fundraising figures."

The NRFA added that it chose this specific charity because of its mission, and in particular to support the charitys long term goal for its Lighthouse Project.

Aoibheannss Pink Tie was established after the death of Jimmy Normans daughter Aoibheann.

Following 11 years of intensive fundraising, the charity purchased and renovated a house (Aoibheanns Lighthouse) in Drimnagh, Dublin.

The APT Lighthouse Project is set to open fully soon as final restrictions lift, and the funds raised from the Climb Your Own Everest Challenge by the NRFA will go towards the maintenance of the house, which will in turn contribute to the charitys long-term goal of funding even more accommodation for parents.

Chairman of the NRFA Stephen McFadden, elaborated: "Our firefighters have a caring ethos, a spirit of volunteerism, and a need to achieve something real."

"Most people know somebody who has been touched by fire much like cancer so we the firefighters of Ireland are here to help with both current and future APT projects like this: the firefighters message to the people of Ireland is that we are here to help put the fire out on childrens cancer."

Anyone who wishes to donate to APT can still do so by clicking the below links:

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can call the Cancer Nurseline Freefone on 1 800 200 700 or you can visit the website of The Irish Cancer Society at cancer.ie.
The failure of government to commit to investment in rail fare costs will only increase the growing queues each morning on the N7, according to one Kildare Senator.

Labour Senator Mark Wall made the comments in the Seanad following the receipt of parliamentary questions and replies to his colleague Deputy Duncan Smith TD, on the possible extension of the short hop zone to the railway stations of South Kildare.

Senator Wall said: "There is a complete lack of Government will to address the huge price difference between stations located in Sallins and Newbridge in county Kildare, for example."

"Anything up to 4 times the daily cost of a ticket; in his reply to my colleague the Minister for Transport (Green Party leader Eamon Ryan) says that the 'National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport and that he has forwarded the Deputys question to the NTA for direct

reply.'"

"Yet in her reply the CEO states that: 'extending the SHZ beyond its current boundaries would have put an unsustainable financial strain on the Authoritys funding for the delivery of the rail service.'"

He continued: "This issue is a very simple one for me: in order to encourage rail commuters to travel from their home railway stations rather than hopping into their cars to travel to Sallins or drive all the way into Dublin for work, then we must reduce the rail fares at these stations.

"Towns like Newbridge have grown because of house prices and availability in the Capital, but the rail prices commuters are

expected to pay are enormous and just dont make economic sense."

"Government must take this climate challenge serious, there is a welcome development on the Youth travel card, all be it that it is not due to take place until next year."

He added that the govt must invest in reducing train fares for the commuters that were forced to make their homes in the towns and villages of south Kildare.

"This investment will bring about carbon credits as it will then be economical to leave those

cars behind on the commute to work," he concluded.

Student commuters:

Last week, Senator Mark Wall made headlines when he criticised student accommodation rates in the Seanad.

The Athy politician claimed that, over the past number of weeks, his office has been "inundated" with stories from students who are paying a large amount of fees in order to commute to college: "This should be good news for them from one perspective in that staying at home gives them the opportunity to save."

"However, the problem is that train stations such Portarlington, Monasterevin, Athy, Kildare town and Newbridge are outside the short hop zone and students cannot use their Leap cards."

He continued: "One student from Monasterevin contacted me to say he is paying 20 in train fares and 7 in bus fares per day to get to college so instead of saving, he is paying more than 100 per week: he might as well be staying in Dublin, if only he could get the accommodation to do so."

Senator Wall additionally claimed that the delay in the first instalment of the SUSI grant is also have "a significant impact" on students who are commuting.
A Senator from County Kildare has urged the Minister for the Environment, Eamon Ryan, to rethink how the Warmer Home Scheme is targeted and implemented.

Labour's Mark Wall made the request following the receipt of a reply to a parliamentary question to his colleague Deputy Duncan Smith TD, which showed that over 6,500 applications were completed in 2017 compared to just over 1,500 last year.

The reply, also stated that there are over 7,000 applications in the system for completion, and that less than 50 per cent of the budget for the scheme, an allocated 50 million was spent last year.

Senator Wall said: "There is no doubt that Covid and the enforced ban on building had a major effect on numbers and waiting times, as the Minister has said in his reply, and that must be accepted."

"There is a shortage of building labourers now, and as the Minister also states, building costs have gone up also."

"However, this scheme always had a long waiting list with a time of 2 years not uncommon."

Senator Wall added that, given the budget for this scheme is now 100 million, the Minister for the Environment must also address the waiting times and "reduce the red tape that was associated with the application."

He concluded: "The retrofitting of homes is a very important target for Government as it should be, but unless we see a further expansion of contractors then these waiting times will only increase."
A Kildare Senator has thanked An Taoiseach Micheal Martin for recognising her 'tireless advocacy' to make St Brigid's Day a bank holiday.

Fianna Fail Senator Fiona O' Loughlin's comments follow after the Taoiseach was seen sporting a St Brigid's cross pin while on a trip to Bodenstown in Kildare which commemorated Irish rebel Wolfe Tone.

The Newbridge politician said in a statement: "I was pleased to see the Taoiseach Micheal Martin wearing his St Brigid's cross pin."

"Whereas he could not confirm with certainty whether or not St Brigids day will be chosen as the next bank holiday, I was flattered that he acknowledged my tireless advocacy for St Brigids day to be chosen."

Senator O' Loughlin added: "I have been absolutely consistent within the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party and in any dealings with an Taoiseach, that the only viable option is for St Brigids day to be marked with a bank holiday."

"I will continue to advocate for this at a national level, and I am hopeful that our Kildare native St Brigid will be honored with a bank holiday," she concluded.

Her comments follow reports that the proposed bank holiday dedicated to frontline staff, which has been speculated to fall on St Brigid's Day (February 1), may just be a one-off event.
A Minister and TD at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has expressed interest in correcting the 'imbalance' of women in farming through the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Deputy Minister Martin Heydon took to Twitter to make the announcement, where he said: "Women have always been central to farms across generations, but often in roles that are not visible or sufficiently recognised."

"Ministers Charlie McConalogue, Pippa Hackett and I are announcing a range of measures to help correct that imbalance in the next CAP."

Women have always been central to farms across generations, but often in roles that are not visible or sufficiently recognised.



Ministers @McConalogue, @pippa_hackett, and I are announcing a range of measures to help correct that imbalance in the next CAP https://t.co/OxPlDXxQQr November 1, 2021

The latest package of measures outlined in the CAP Strategic Plan includes:

An increased rate of grant aid of 60 per cent for women aged 41-55 years under Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS)

Women-only Knowledge Transfer (KT) Groups

A call under the European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) initiative for proposals to examine womens participation in agriculture.

These measures came about after a SWOT analysis, which was prepared for Irelands CAP Strategic Plan, identified gender inequality as a weakness, while the economic benefits of increasing female participation was identified as an opportunity.

Minister McConalogue explained in a statement: "Gender equality is a priority for my Department, as well as being a cross-cutting objective of the forthcoming CAP."

"The contribution of women to agriculture is important and my Department has worked to design measures which will increase their participation in farming; Food Vision 2030, the agri-food sectors new ten-year stakeholder strategy, also supports an enhanced role for women in the sector and recommends some further actions, including a national dialogue on women in agriculture."

"I have asked my officials to prioritise this dialogue for next year," he concluded.

Senator Pippa Hackett added: "It is important that gender mainstreaming is integrated into policymaking both through specific CAP interventions, such as the 60 per cent grant rate for qualified female farmers under TAMS, and also through all agriculture schemes.

"I am pleased that equality between women and men, which is a core principle of the European Union, is being given increased emphasis to ensure our rural areas flourish."

She concluded: "I have met many wonderful and innovative female farmers around the country and I look forward to these measures being of great support to them and indeed to all female farmers."
A man from Kildare who is currently standing trial for an alleged murder has dispensed his second legal team, the jury has heard.

Stephen Penrose, who is accused of murdering a man who met a "gruesome death" in a Kildare woods, previously fired his first legal team last month.

When the jury, which is made up of 12 people, returned to the courtroom shortly before lunchtime today, they were informed that the accused, who is continuing to decline to attend his trial, had dispensed with the services of his legal team.

"You don't have to be concerned with that, you are concerned with the evidence and not the why's as to why that might have happened," said Mr Justice Owens.

At the outset of the trial on October 13, the judge told the jury of eight men and four women that the accused Mr Penrose had dispensed with the services of his legal team, which he was entitled to do, and they should not draw any inference from that.

Mr Penrose then represented himself and went on to cross-examine the victim's mother, Angela Finnegan, who told him she believed that another man was involved in the killing of her son Philip Finnegan.

Mr Justice Owens later warned Mr Penrose that he would be taken to the cells and banned from participating in his own trial if he continued to "abuse" and "ballyrag" witnesses.

The judge said he would not allow his courtroom to become "a circus" after Mr Penrose accused a garda inspector, whom he was cross-examining, of lying under oath.

On October 20, Mr Justice Owens informed the jurors that the accused, who was then representing himself in his murder trial having dismissed his legal team the previous week, had hired new lawyers.

The defendant declined to continue attending his trial at this stage and the case proceeded in his absence.

The jury spent last Friday listening to the content of Mr Penrose's six initial garda interviews, in which he told detectives that he heard his missing friend was sitting in Jamaica eating a Big Mac".

Mr Penrose also told gardai that he heard the victim had been "chopped up" in the Dublin mountains.

In his fourth interview, the defendant insisted that he would not be going on trial for "any Finnegans".

"Put me in custody. I'll be swinging on a rope. I don't know anything," he added.

Mr Penrose, of Newtown Court, Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin 17, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Finnegan (24) at Rahin Woods, Rahin, Edenderry, Co Kildare on August 10, 2016.

The trial has heard that Mr Finnegan went missing before his decapitated body was found buried in a shallow grave in a Kildare woods.

Prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC began reading the seventh interview given by Mr Penrose to gardai on September 2 2016, when Mr Finnegan was the subject of a missing person investigation.

Mr Penrose told gardai in his initial interviews that he parked up his car at the turn off for Kilcock on August 10 and Mr Finnegan had run over to another car to meet someone: "Then a fella walked over towards me, I can't remember if I opened my door. The minute he came over he swung a knife towards me. I think I went to block it."

"I just drove, as I was driving I saw two people scuffling with Phillip. I just kept driving. I pulled into a petrol station to get petrol and my arm just started pulsing blood, [sic]" he said.

At the beginning of the fifth interview, Mr Penrose changed his account and told gardai that the last place he had seen his friend was at the accused's old house in Broadford in Co Kildare as Mr Finnegan had arranged to meet people to collect a shotgun.

Garda Laura O' Brien agreed with Mr Grehan today that the accused drew the investigation team a map in his seventh interview to mark the area where he had pulled in his car and circled a crossroads.

The witness agreed with Mr Grehan that this was a different location to the accused's house at Broadford, where he had previously indicated that he had met a group of men in a black car.

When asked how Mr Penrose came to draw a map, Gda O'Brien said that detectives were asking the accused about locations and he had volunteered "to draw a map for clarity".

In the seventh interview, the accused agreed with officers that he had parked his car on the back road, where himself and Mr Finnegan smoked a joint.

"I was confused earlier, everything is the same apart from the exact location," said Mr Penrose.

The trial continues this afternoon before Mr Justice Owens and the 12 jurors.

In his opening address, prosecuting barrister Mr Grehan said that Mr Finnegan's decapitated body was found buried in a shallow grave in a Kildare woods.

Counsel said Mr Finnegan had "certain troubles in the past" and had taken to wearing a protective vest.

The lawyer also told the jury in his opening address that attempts had been made to cut up and burn the body of Mr Finnegan, who had been missing for almost a month and who had met a "gruesome death".

Significantly, the barrister said, the jury will hear evidence that a bloodied glove was found in the woods which was a DNA match to the accused man Mr Penrose.

Evidence has been given that Mr Penrose's phone connected to a cell site close to the area where the victims body was found.

The 38-year-old's trial is in its fourth week at the Central Criminal Court.
GARDAI have confirmed they are investigating reports of an alleged 'needle-spiking' incident at a licensed premises in Limerick.

Over the Halloween weekend, Limerick woman Katie Boylan took to social media to tell of the close call she experienced after waking up from a night out she cannot remember with needle marks in her arms.

So, I got spiked via needle this weekend, I normally wouldnt post about this s**t but things are getting so out of hand, she wrote.

She added: if it wasnt for my friends, my scenario couldve been a lot worse. I beg of you to watch out for your female friends and to take them seriously if they fall victim to something like this.

She has asked the Limerick public to raise awareness that the very real and frightening practice of needle spiking has come to the county.

When contacted by the Limerick Leader, a garda spokesperson stated: "An Garda Siochana are investigating a report of an alleged incident at a licensed premises in Limerick on October 26, 2021. The report does not confirm that any person was spiked with a drug. An Garda Siochana continue to investigate to determine the exact nature of this incident at this time".

The spokesperson added: An Garda Siochana would advise any victims of similar incidents or any form of drug spiking to come forward and report such incidents to local gardai.
THE LATE Niall OBrien is to be honoured at a special event organised to help offset the costs involved in bringing his body home from the island of Ios last month to his heartbroken family.

The Castle Oaks House Hotel in Castleconnell will host the fundraiser on Saturday afternoon, November 13.

Niall, aged 21, of Monaleen Park, Castletroy, died tragically while on holiday in Greece in August. The Niall O'Brien Repatriation Fund was set up to help offset the costs involved in getting him home from the island of Ios to his heartbroken family.

To date over 42,000 has been donated. Organisers hope the funds will help offset the enormous costs incurred by the O'Brien family. Any excess funds gathered will be allocated to select local charities in Limerick and Clare.

Theresa OKeeffe, deputy general manager of the Castle Oaks, said they are proud to be hosting an event in aid of this very worthy cause.

One of his friends works with us in the hotel. Our wedding co-ordinator Martina Cusack came up with the idea. She has a daughter around the same age as Niall. They were discussing the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and the great work they do to help families in tragic situations like this. That conversation at home led to this event, said Theresa.

Following a prosecco reception, there will be afternoon tea, spot prizes, auction, speeches and music. Niall will be in the forefront of everyones mind. The auction includes signed Munster, Limerick and Clare jerseys as a nod to Nialls Broadford roots.

Theresa said all are welcome to attend  family, friends of Niall, friends of friends, GAA clubs or people touched by this sad story.

Tickets, 30, with proceeds going to the repatriation fund are available by ringing the Castle Oaks House Hotel on 061 377666. You can donate online by Googling Niall OBrien Repatriation Fund.
A VOLUNTARY group has lost out on a 20,000 grant because some former members set up their own group but with the same name.

But Pat ODonovan, chairman and one of the founder members of the Knockfierna Heritage Society, said they do not accept the decision of Limerick City and County Council which cancelled the grant due to the actions of another group claiming to represent the Knockfierna Heritage Society.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader following a meeting last Sunday, Mr ODonovan said he was told by the council they would not be progressing the grant because there was another group.

We have a letter written to the council asking them to explain and justify their position and how they came to this decision,  Mr ODonovan said.

We applied for the grant, we were approved for the grant, and we were asked to get insurance and to show bank accounts which had over 20,000 in it, he continued.

To draw down this grant we had to match it with 20,000 from our own funds which were collected over many years from donations, church gate collections and advertisements in our annual calendar.

We did all that was asked of us, he added. But a recent letter informed them the grant had been cancelled due to the existence of another group with the same name.

According to Mr ODonovan, two former members of Knockfierna Heritage Society were involved in the new group.

At a meeting of the Heritage Society held at the weekend, Mr ODonovan said, members had expressed regret that the plans made in anticipation of the grant would now have to be curtailed.

Over the past 30 years the Society developed Knockfierna Hill to be an amenity for the benefit of the public, Mr ODonovan continued.

It wasnt easy to bring it to the stage it is at. And now, just when it was ready to take off, to take a big leap with a 40,000 plan to spend which would have worked wonders, we are stopped. It is very, very disappointing what has taken place. Mr ODonovan said.

However, he added, members took a decision at the meeting to continue developing Knockfierna Hill using their own funds and their next plan is to set up seating and picnic tables near the Memorial Wall.

Over the past two years, Knockfierna Hill has seen a huge surge in the number of people walking and running there and enjoying the amenity.
IFA president Tim Cullinan said the carbon budget staging announced by the Climate Change Advisory Council last week, and the sectoral emissions ceilings reported, will have serious repercussions for farming.

Our most productive farmers simply cannot remain viable if agriculture has to reduce emissions by between 21% and 30% as has been reported. This will have profound implications for the rural economy.

Some may compare the carbon budget, and the sectoral ceilings that had been proposed, to other sectors and think agriculture has got a fair deal, but the Government has not considered the implications for individual farmers and the sector, said Mr Cullinan.

For most people, climate action will impact on their lifestyle; for farmers, it will impact on our livelihoods, he said.

Its also important to realise that increases in the cost of energy and transport fuel are already impacting on the viability of farms and rural businesses.

The Government must now engage in meaningful negotiation with farmers to make a plan for the sector that can contribute to emissions reduction, but which does not impact on farmers livelihoods. In addition, proper funding must be in place to help farmers implement climate action measures, said Mr Cullinan.

The IFA president said the frustration for farmers is that they know that if less food is produced in Ireland, it will be produced elsewhere, with a higher carbon footprint.

The worlds population is growing and is likely to increase from 7.5 billion today to 10 billion by 2050. More food will be needed, not less

There is a huge amount of misinformation out there. Irelands grass-based system is extremely efficient. The Government must support farmers, not regulate them out of business, concluded Mr Cullinan.
THE 39th EVA International will be taking place at venues across Limerick until November 14th with an exciting programme of events lined up.

EVA International is Ireland's Biennial of Contemporary Art that curates work from Irish and International artists culminating in exhibitions and education projects.

The event takes place every two years in Limerick City and this year will be held in Park Point, Limerick City Gallery of Art and Sailor's Home as well as online.

The Phase Three programme is open until November 14 featuring over 19 presentations and seeks to address ideas of land and its contested values in the context of Ireland today.

Guest programme Little did they know has been curated by Merve Elveren and features two research presentations and eleven artist projects.

Across venues in the Little did they know programme, artists present works that address issues such as visibility, representation, and reclamation in the context of contested landscapes across the world.

At Limerick City Gallery of Art, We realised the power of it, is an installation of archive material from a women led film production company formed in Derry in the early 80s.

The research presentation led by Sara Greavu in collaboration with artist Ciara Phillips includes footage, photographs and documents tracing the history of the Derry Film and Video Workshop.

Over at Park Point, Sexuality of a Nation: Lionel Soukaz and Liberation Politics presents films by queer activist filmmaker Lionel Soukaz, produced in the context of the sexual liberation movement in 1970s France.

As well as the film presentation, Paul Clinton will lead a series of online forums to explore the work's relevance for intersectional and anti-capitalist queer debates in the present day.

Little did they know is open at Park Point and Limerick City Gallery of Art venues until November 14.
THREE trainee soldiers have brought a High Court action challenging a decision not to allow them graduate to the next stage of their training for allegedly assaulting and intimidating a fellow recruit.

The action has been taken by Billy Monaghan, Jonathon Concannon and Phil McCarthy who are all serving members of the 12 Infantry Battalion, 1st Brigade of the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF).

They are all currently stationed at Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick, and deny any wrongdoing in respect of the other recruit.

The three enlisted in the PDF last May and had completed their recruit training.

Counsel said that they had been informed that they had successfully completed their recruit training.

However, arising out of an alleged incident last July with another recruit in their platoon, they were not allowed to graduate or 'pass out' with the other successful recruits on August 25 last.

Represented by SC Gerard Humphreys SC, with Tim Dixon BL instructed by solicitor Owen Swaine, the three claim that they were informed by the Military Police on September 15 last that a complaint had been made against them by a fellow recruit regarding an alleged assault.

They claim that the allegations against them are untrue.

The decision against them has negative financial, reputational and career consequences for them, their counsel told the court.

Since the meeting with the Military Police in September no disciplinary charges have been brought against them by the PDF, counsel said.

In addition, all three have been confined to barracks since August and are currently in a state of "limbo" , counsel said.

The three have not been formally heard by the PDF in relation to the allegations against them.

Counsel said that they are entitled to be heard in relation to the allegations.

All three have a legitimate expectation that they would be allowed to graduate, and progress their careers, counsel added.

Counsel said that the three men's solicitor has contacted the Department of Defence, but was not happy with the manner in which it has addressed the three soldiers' complaints.

In judicial review proceedings against the Minister for Defence, Ireland and the Attorney General, the three seek an order quashing the decision preventing from passing out, pending the investigation by the Military Police.

They also seek declarations including that their suspension amounts to an imposition of a severe penalty which is disproportionate and in breach of their rights to a fair hearing.

They further seek a declaration that their Constitutional rights and rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The recruits' action came before Mr Justice Charles Meenan this Monday.

The judge, on an ex-parte basis, directed that the application be heard in the presence of lawyers for the respondents.

Given the urgency of the matter the judge said he was adjourning the case to a date next week.
The extreme dislocation in the market for junk bonds of Chinese companies has put another developer on the brink of default.

On Monday, Yango Group Co. asked international investors to swap $747 million of dollar debt for new bonds, blaming a shutdown of its usual financing channels for the cash crunch.

Last week, the heavily indebted China Evergrande Groupavoided default for a second time by making an overdue interest payment on dollar bonds, The Wall Street Journal reported. But other smaller rivals have failed to repay investors as promised, with Fantasia Holdings Group Co. and Modern Land (China) Co. among those that have recently defaulted.

The Shenzhen-listed Yango Group said the exchange was part of its efforts to improve our liquidity, preserve options to stabilize our operations as a going concern, and avoid imminent payment defaults and potential holistic restructurings of our debts and business operations."

It is offering to exchange three sets of bonds for new debt due September 2022 with a 10.25% coupon. Investors will also get $25 in cash for every $1,000 in face value of bonds they exchange.

The offer covers bonds due in January and March, as well as bonds due in February 2023, which have a put option allowing investors to sell them back to the company this month. In addition, the company is seeking consent from holders of other bonds to amend their terms, for a smaller fee.

Tighter government policy, credit issues and deteriorating consumer sentiment have temporarily shut down various refinancing venues for the sector and put enormous pressure on our short-term liquidity," Yango Group said.

Many developers are struggling to adapt to an era of tighter credit and falling home sales, and a steep selloff in the market for Chinese junk bonds has made it impossible for some to refinance their debt payments by issuing new dollar bonds.

A Yango Group bond that matures in 2024 was trading at less than 20 cents on the dollar Monday, according to Tradeweb. As of Friday, a property-heavy ICE BofA index of Chinese dollar junk bonds was yielding nearly 22%.

Yango Group, whose Chinese name means Sunshine City, was among Chinas top 20 developers by contracted sales last year, according to Fitch Ratings. In recent years, the company has ventured into what it described as green and smart residential projects. It has total debt of about $13.7 billion, according to FactSet.

Fitch last week downgraded its speculative-grade rating on Yango by two notches to B-, and said the developers access to onshore and offshore capital markets has weakened significantly" since the end of September.

Yangos third-quarter revenue fell 18% compared with last year, it said in its Monday filing, to about 11.4 billion yuan, the equivalent of $1.78 billion.

Credit-rating companies classify some bond swaps as distressed exchanges," which they consider to be a type of default. Distressed exchanges typically help a company avoid a formal default while switching investors into less financially attractive securities. As of Monday afternoon in Hong Kong, none of the major rating companies had published an opinion on Yango Groups proposal.

Modern Land proposed an exchange last month, before canceling that plan and defaulting on a maturing bond.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the Mumbai-Karnataka region will be renamed as 'Kittur Karnataka region'. The Chief Minister stated there is no point in retaining the old name when border disputes often emerge.

We have recently renamed Hyderabad-Karnataka region as Kalyana Karnataka. We have now decided to rename Mumbai-Karnataka region as 'Kittur Karnataka' in the coming days," Bommai announced during the Karnataka Rajyotsava, which is celebrated to commemorate the formation of Karnataka state.

The Karnataka Chief Minister was referring to the repeated claims made by Maharashtra politicians demanding the merger of Belagavi district and a few border regions of Karnataka with Maharashtra owing to the presence of substantial Marathi speaking population. He also said that a decision to this effect will be taken in the upcoming cabinet meeting.

Explaining why the cluster of districts in North Karnataka as Kittur-Karnataka region, Bommai said, After the unification of Karnataka, our border disputes started and it has been settled but yet we hear the quarrels taking place. Is there any meaning to still call it Mumbai-Karnataka region when so many things are happening? What is the point in calling it Mumbai-Karnataka?"

He argued that the changes in the region should have happened in 1956 when the State Reorganisation Act came into effect. The CM underlined that renaming will not be sufficient until the standard of living of the people in the region improves and development takes place. Bommai said the regional imbalance and disparities should also go and all the regions should grow together.

The Chief Minister said his government is making efforts in to end regional disparity with a vow not to leave any region in the state underdeveloped.

"We are also committed to prepare an action plan for the development of 'Kittur Karnataka region'," Bommai said.

He also told the gathering that the funds for the Kalyana Karnataka region bordering Telangana will be doubled in the next budget and 3,000 crore will be allocated for the purpose.

Speaking about the Kannada Rajyotsava, Bommai said the COVID-19 situation compelled the government to organise the event in a restricted way but the pandemic could not reduce the government's respect and love for Kannada.

Bommai claimed that the 21st century is about the importance, objectives, and self-esteem of Kannada. Going into the history of Kannada and Kannadigas, the Chief Minister said, there were Kannadiga rulers who ruled the neighbouring states such as Kadamba, Chalukya, and Vijayanagara empire.

Bommai said Kannada displayed its unique internal strength to survive even in the face of onslaught by foreign invaders.

"Even when rulers from other regions took reins here, Kannada managed to save itself. The language withstood the attacks of foreign forces and is standing firm. It was possible because it has got its own internal strength, which we should never forget. No force can ever destroy Kannada," the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said the government has given utmost importance to Kannada making the language compulsory in the higher education under the new National Education Policy.

He also said that his government has made efforts to teach engineering in Kannada medium. Bommai emphasised that his government wants that the Kannadigas should get up to 75 per cent jobs in jobs in government, private and semi-government industries in Karnataka.

Earlier, the Chief Minister offered his obeisance to Bhuvaneshwari Devi, the mother Goddess of Karnataka and hoisted the Kannada flag along with the national tricolour at the Kanteerava Stadium.

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BENGALURU/WASHINGTON : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the United States was "absolutely in lock step" with Britain, Germany and France on getting Iran back into a nuclear deal, but added it was unclear if Tehran was willing to rejoin the talks in a "meaningful way."

Blinken's remarks in an interview with CNN on Sunday come a day after the United States, Germany, France and Britain urged Iran to resume compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal in order to "avoid a dangerous escalation."

The accord, under which Iran curtailed nuclear work seen as a risk of developing nuclear weapons in exchange for a lifting of global sanctions, unraveled in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States, prompting Tehran to breach limits on uranium enrichment set by the pact.

"It really depends on whether Iran is serious about doing that," Blinken of rejoining the nuclear talks. "All of our countries, working by the way with Russia and China, believe strongly that that would be the best path forward", he added.

Leaders of the four countries hoping to persuade Tehran to stop enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels, said on Saturday they wanted a negotiated solution.

"But we do not yet know whether Iran is willing to come back to engage in a meaningful way," Blinken said on Sunday. "But if it isn't, if it won't, then we are looking together at all of the options necessary to deal with this problem."

Iran's foreign minister said separately on Sunday that if the United States was serious about rejoining Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, President Joe Biden could just issue an "executive order," the state-owned Iran newspaper reported.

Talks between Iran and world powers aimed at salvaging the deal, which started in April, are slated to resume at the end of November, the Islamic Republic's top nuclear negotiator said on Wednesday.

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By Huma Abedin

Scribner. 528 pp. $30

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The initial bombshell revelation in Huma Abedin's new memoir, "Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds," is that an unnamed U.S. senator allegedly made an unwanted sexual advance toward her when she was in her 20s. At the time, Abedin was an aide to then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, her longtime boss and confidante.

The particulars Abedin relates matter-of-factly: Following a large dinner attended by senators and staff, Abedin found herself outside the unnamed senator's office building. "He invited me in for coffee," she writes. "Once inside, he told me to make myself comfortable on the couch."

"He plopped down to my right, put his left arm around my shoulder, and kissed me, pushing his tongue into my mouth, pressing me back on the sofa. I was so utterly shocked, I pushed him away. All I wanted was for the last ten seconds to be erased."

Abedin nearly succeeded. She says she remained "friendly" with the politician and "erased it from my mind entirely" until Christine Blasey Ford's assault allegations during Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh's Supreme Court 2018 confirmation hearings, when "it was suddenly triggered," more than a decade later.

Alas, this is not a new story when it comes to young women and powerful men in Washington or anywhere. And, really, why not name the senator instead of granting him the privilege of privacy?

"I had a blind spot about standing up for myself," Abedin writes in a mastery of understatement. Since joining "Hillaryland" weeks after college graduation and the Clinton White House, she never craved attention. "My preferred location: the background," she writes. And yet she struggles to remain there. Never mind the shenanigans of her now estranged husband, former New York congressman Anthony Weiner -- they are now finalizing their divorce -- she can't seem to avoid the spotlight. The book puts Abedin, who is Clinton's chief of staff, right back in it.

This is among the persistent themes of Abedin's life, her memoir and part of its greater revelation: Her overarching efforts to be loyal, modest and supportive to her husband and others, her insistent efforts to be a backstage player to some of the nation's most powerful players, came at her own peril -- and potentially that of so many others. The memoir is candid yet soaked in denial, a cautionary tale of orthodox Good Girlism.

Recall that during an FBI investigation into Weiner's salacious text messages to a 15-year-old girl, emails from Hillary Clinton's private server were discovered on his laptop, the latter revealed by then-FBI Director James B. Comey in a letter to Congress days before the 2016 presidential election. This possibly cost Clinton the presidency and ushered in four years of Donald Trump.

"If she loses this election, it will because of you and me," Abedin told Weiner.

Days after that loss, she writes, Clinton "never once indicated that she blamed me. She said that ultimately what had happened was her responsibility, and that made me feel even worse." Abedin, in turn, blames the FBI director. "For a long time, Comey was a daily nightmare for me, and even now the thought of what he did sometimes creeps in to torture me."

An observant Muslim, born in the United States to a father raised in India and a mother in Pakistan, Abedin spent much of her childhood in Saudi Arabia. When she began dating Weiner, she was 30 and resolute that "I would lose my virginity to the man I would marry." She had saved herself for Anthony Weiner, mayoral candidate, tabloid kibble, social media disaster and future convicted sex offender. Nail, meet hammer.

Many of the salacious details in the book will be familiar to anyone who saw the uncomfortable 2016 documentary "Weiner." You'll see Abedin once again flattened by her penchant for appeasement and denial. "Both/And" is a portrait of codependency. Abedin might have called the memoir "The Good Wife," except it was already taken.

There was a continuous pileup of disasters, always of Weiner's making, which began (BEGIN ITAL)before(END ITAL) the couple wed in 2010 with the first of many inappropriate phone missives to other women. Weiner looked to Abedin to save him: "'Besides, I'm broken,' he said, "and you need to fix me.'"

The book's most gobsmacking moment may be that the initial psychiatric insight into Weiner's self-immolating behavior is credited to "some narcissist issues." To which his communications adviser wisely responds, "Doesn't that describe every politician on the planet?"

In 2012, days after the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Abedin catches Weiner in the midst of a flirtatious online chat. He tells her that she is "reading way too much into it." Instead of letting loose on her gaslighting spouse, Abedin writes that "what I mainly felt then was anger at (BEGIN ITAL)her(END ITAL), at this stranger flirting with someone who had lost his entire career for having inappropriate online relationships with strangers."

Did Abedin leave him? No, she did not.

The following year, Weiner runs for mayor of New York. This would be the "Carlos Danger" sexting debacle. "Two epic downfalls in two years," Abedin writes. Then, she blames herself: "I take responsibility for encouraging Anthony to run, thinking all the madness was behind us."

Again, she stayed. This most private public servant finds herself repeatedly ensnared in public fiascos, which makes for a dramatic life story that easily fills 500 pages -- and Abedin is only 45.

Over the course of this propulsive narrative (the prose is crisp, though never remarkable, like far too many political memoirs), Abedin humbly recalls details of a life that is also charmed. Ineffably beautiful, she gets mistaken for Amal Clooney. Her looks and unshakable competence, even under crushing stress, granted her a passport to places other ambitious, talented government employees rarely travel. Oscar de le Renta insists on designing Abedin's wedding gown. She is regularly photographed in Vogue. Anna Wintour takes Abedin under her stylish wing. Much of the book, Abedin notes in the acknowledgments, was written in a cottage on Wintour's Long Island property. The longtime government servant is welcome on the Met Gala's red carpet with celebrities. In a Cinderella moment, a wealthy Clinton donor loans her an Armani frock to attend Trump's third wedding. With a rare twist of the pen, Abedin observes of the Mar-a-Lago nuptials, "I felt like I was at an Arab wedding back home."

In 2016, during Clinton's presidential campaign, with Abedin serving as vice chair, the New York Post publishes a lurid Weiner selfie that shows his toddler son next to him in bed. Children's services begins to investigate whether Abedin and Weiner are fit parents. This all happens (BEGIN ITAL)before(END ITAL) the Comey letter.

The following year, Abedin files for divorce the day Weiner pleads guilty to exchanging illicit material with a minor. (She later withdrew the case, determined to settle out of court.) In September, Weiner is sentenced to 21 months in federal prison. Abedin tells their young son his father is having his "timeout."

A few months after Weiner's release, after Clinton's loss, after she had filed for divorce, the New York Post struck again with "more stories about other women." Weiner was dating. This is what finally gutted Abedin. "Maybe this latest call was the wake-up I actually needed."

It was 2019, a decade after Abedin first discovered a "fawning, flirtatious, and very familiar" message on his BlackBerry, the first of so many wake-up calls that did little to wake her up seven months before their wedding.

What did Abedin do in response to the latest call? She retrieved one of Weiner's old phones in a drawer and went "pain-shopping," scrolling through the "love letters from Anthony to women not named Huma."

It took her eight hours, she writes, to read them all. "When I looked up, the sun was coming in through my bedroom window. I was still in my work clothes from the day before and the tears had long dried on my cheeks."
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FAMU graduate Francesco Montagner is following his win at Locarno with another trophy: the title of the best film in Ji.hlavas Czech Joy section. Brotherhood was also noticed for its cinematography courtesy of Prokop Soucek, called one of the best cinematographers of his generation by the jury.

A Nutprodukce production, it was made in co-production with Nefertiti Film and Rai Cinema, Arte G.E.I.E., Czech television and Al Jazeera Documentary. Deckert Distribution is handling the sales.

Focusing on three teenage sons of a radical Salafist preacher, sentenced to two years in prison for his involvement in the Syrian war and terrorism, the Italian director set out for the Bosnian mountains after catching a glimpse of the family in a 2015 reportage.

The boys father was trying to get some media exposure and possibly influence his public image before the trial. We expected that he would be sentenced, however, that he would have to pay for what he has done in Syria, although I am no judge. We wanted to see what would happen next, he says.

We dont necessarily see him as a victim but he is the victim of war. All this trauma and hatred has stayed with him and keeps transferring from one generation to another. But these boys want to challenge it.

Montagner ended up accompanying Jabir, Usama and Useir for a few years, witnessing them try to live according to their fathers wishes, at the same time realizing that the rules of their strict religious enclave might not be for them.

They were longing for some human contact, he says about his protagonists, admitting that part of his job had to do with bypassing their initial shyness.

They are growing up in this very masculine world. You just dont share your feelings. They try to suppress their own emotions, to be tough like their father and other shepherds around them. Our camera and our participatory way of working allowed them to say what they wanted. I noticed so much frustration in this community, this sense of being stuck. They lack the motivation to really change and improve.

While the boys were able to experience a secular alternative thanks to their school and social media, opening up their isolated world, future escape wont be easy, says Montagner, convinced that the environment you are born into determines the way you are.

Your fathers personality, his faults, will always follow you. No matter how far you run, it will still be there somewhere. There is a certain kind of sadness to them, he observes.

Staying with them was beautiful because they are beautiful people, but it was hard to see them struggle, to see Usama turning from a sweet little boy into a rude, brutal young man. We can see in the film how lost they were during that time, looking for a guide.

Montagner never wanted to focus on just one character in the film, he states, interested in the brothers ever-changing dynamic and the innocence of the youngest, Useir, slowly leaving his childhood behind.

The concept of brotherhood is very important in Islam and I felt the need to represent all of them. In these communities, family bonds are so strong, he says.

They saw me as this young guy, not much older than them, a complete foreigner to their world and religion, and all these complicated political dynamics. Me and my crew, we became a part of their little universe, their older brothers who play with them, listen to them, smoke with them, adds the helmer, himself born in 1989.

Because of my youth, I related to this feeling of frustration, of being stuck and wanting to break free. Now, I will continue to explore masculinity, which is a very interesting topic for me, whether its positive or toxic. I am attracted to places which are both a paradise and a prison.

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It has been claimed that women who forget the worst of the pain of childbirth are programmed to do so by evolutionary necessity: The selective editing of the bodys memory of trauma helps ensure the species continues to propagate itself. However true that is, a similar theory might account for why so many of us remember our school days in only the vaguest and fuzziest of terms: If we precisely recalled all those terrors, would we really force our own children to run the same gantlet? Laura Wandels janglingly visceral Playground is here to shatter that willful forgetfulness by .

Seven-year-old Nora (an extraordinary Maya Vanderbeque) is crying, clinging to her father (Karim Leklou) at the school gates. Now, and for the rest of the film, we are at her eye level: Frederic Noirhommes dogged shallow-focus camerawork immediately creates a world where doorknobs and banisters are mounted dauntingly high, and where adults are abstractions, glimpsed only from the midriff down. From this vantage point, an increasingly tangled network of relationships and interactions form an ecosystem that, although just a couple feet below the eye line of the teachers and supervisors nominally in charge, might as well be on a different planet.

In the schoolyard, Nora, disoriented and scared, naturally gravitates toward the one familiar face in this sea of chattering, roughhousing kids: her beloved older brother, Abel (Gunter Duret). But Abel pushes her away. At first we suspect this is just regular, callous older-sibling behavior. But soon it becomes clear that Abels rejection is also a protective move: He is being viciously bullied, and not only is he reluctant to lose face in front of his admiring kid sister, but he also knows that Noras best chance of avoiding a similar fate is not to associate with him.

At first, Nora does have an easier time of it. She makes friends, has giggly lunchtime confabs and finds a favorite teacher (Laura Verlinden), the only adult aside from her father who occasionally dips down into Noras world, talking across to her rather than down at her. But then Nora happens on Abel being pushed around by his classmates, and Playground ramps up into a gripping psychological drama in which the decisions Nora must make  whether to go against Abels wishes and alert an adult, which risks further escalation; whether to allow her own social stock to fall by acknowledging her misfit brother  take on the proportions of gargantuan moral dilemmas, made all the more intractable because she has to navigate them alone, using a moral compass that has never been taken out of its casing before.

Vanderbeques performance is transfixing, especially for being so relentlessly centered and magnified by constant borderline-intrusive close-ups of her clouded eyes, her creased brow, her considering frown. Micro-expressions of hopefulness and hurt that she hasnt yet acquired the guile to conceal flit across her face: Its an ongoing exercise in almost uncomfortably radical empathy to be so riveted to a character as she thinks, puzzles, works things out, especially when that character is 7 years of age. But then Wandels gift is her regard for children as fully realized people, who, even though still learning and growing, have as vivid an interior life and as great a capacity for happiness and sorrow, grace and wickedness, as any adult.

Coming to Playground cold, one may subconsciously subscribe to the idea that the mortifications and hierarchies of school exist partly as kind of tough-love preparation for the hard, unforgiving real world. But Wandels film forces us to interrogate that assumption, tacitly suggesting that perhaps it may be school systems themselves that foster a kind of Darwinian cruelty that is then carried on into adulthood and out into the world, as a learned behavior. Certainly, when with horrible inevitability, sweet, sensitive Abel works out that the best way to avoid being bullied is to bully  with nearly dire consequences  there is no sense that he would have gone down this road had he not been exposed to the specific tortures devised for him within this institutions supposedly safe, nurturing grounds. Wandels immersive, impressive debut is rigorous in its resolute focus on one little girl fighting a lonely, frightened battle for her future selfhood, in which what hangs in the balance is nothing less than the shape and measure of her developing soul. But out of focus, amid the background clamor, hover even larger, stranger and more fundamental questions, like how come school is the way it is, and why do we subject our children to it?

Reviewed in San Sebastian Film Festival (also in Cannes Film Festival, Un Certain Regard), Sept. 22, 2021. Running time: 72 MIN. (Original title: Un Monde)

Running Time: Running Time: 72 MIN.

Production

(Belgium) A Dragons Films and Lunanime production. (World sales: Indie Sales, Paris). Producer: Stephane Lhoest. Co-producers: Rula Nasser, Youssef Al Taher.

Crew

Director, screenplay: Laura Wandel. Camera: Frederic Noirhomme. Editor: Nicolas Rumpl.

With

Maya Vanderbeque, Gunter Duret, Karim Leklou, Laura Verlinden. (French dialogue)

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No, were not going to do it. That was the reply a San Marcos police officer gave a 911 dispatcher who informed him that the 2020 Biden campaign was requesting an escort for their bus while a caravan of Trump supporters was trying to run them off the road, according to 911 transcripts cited in a lawsuit obtained by The Texas Tribune.

Police in other Texas towns did respond to the campaign staffers requests for an escort, but they left as the bus crossed jurisdictions from New Braunfels, Texas, into San Marcos, where the campaign had a scheduled event. When the New Braunfels police contacted San Marcos police to take over the escort duties, San Marcos refused to help, the amended federal suit claimed.

As a result of the harassment, which resulted in at least one traffic accident, the Biden campaign ended up canceling three events in the state, and the FBI opened an investigation into the incident. The suit claims the police department violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 because they were aware of acts of violent political intimidation that were taking place and yet did nothing to stop them. The suit requested compensatory and punitive damages, legal fees and a jury trial, citing ongoing psychological and emotional injury the plaintiffs still experience.

According to the transcripts, a San Marcos 911 dispatcher was speaking with a New Braunfels dispatcher and a Biden campaign staffer begging for police assistance when they placed them both on hold to speak with San Marcos Police Corporal Matthew Daenzer.

I am so annoyed at New Braunfels for doing this to us, the San Marcos dispatcher told Daenzer. They have their officers escorting this Biden bus, essentially, and the Trump Train is cutting in between vehicles and driving  being aggressive and slowing them down to like 20 or 30 miles per hour. And they want you guys to respond to help.

No, were not going to do it. We will close patrol that, but were not going to escort a bus, Daenzer replied.

Speaking on a separate call with Daenzer, the dispatcher described how afraid the campaign and bus passengers were. [T]heyre like really worked up over it and hes like breathing hard and stuff, like, theyre being really aggressive. Okay. Calm down, the dispatcher said.

Daenzer replied, according to the transcript, with a suggestion that the Biden bus should drive defensively and itll be great.

Or leave the train. Theres an idea, the dispatcher responded.

The dispatcher then switched lines, the suit says, and informed the Biden staffer that no escort would be coming. If you feel like youre being threatened or your life is threatened, definitely call us back, she told him.

Are you kidding me, maam? the staffer replied, adding, Theyve threatened my life on multiple occasions with vehicular collision.

Again, the staffer requested an escort, but they were told by the dispatcher that the denial came from our chief.

The filing additionally claimed that Cole Staap, a deputy in the San Marcos City Marshals department who was onsite at the campaign event, was told the event was canceled and was informed of the bus passengers requests for help. But when Staap called 911 dispatch, he only informed them the event was canceled but did not mention the request for assistance from the bus.

Despite these multiple calls for help from Plaintiffs and others, for the roughly 30 minutes it took to drive through San Marcos on the main highway that runs through it, there were no officers from San Marcos or any other police cars in sightnot on the I-35 exit or entrance ramps, nor on either side of the highway, the filing said.

The bus next traveled through the city of Kyle, Texas, where police did respond to the staffers calls for help. Shortly thereafter, a police escort arrived in Kyle, granting the bus a short reprieve, the lawsuit said, according to The Daily Beast. The Trump Train again de-escalated its harassing behavior and resumed driving at around the posted speed limit.

Unfortunately, once they left Kyle city limits, the suit said the bus was once again on its own, and the Trump train resumed their threatening behavior.

According to the suit, Daenzer justified his refusal by saying that it was due to the staffing issues, lack of time to plan, and lack of knowledge of the route, we were unable to provide an escort.

After the incident, then-President Trump bragged about his supporters actions, saying, It is something. Did you see our people? You know they were protecting [Bidens] bus yesterday  because they are nice.

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SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the third episode of Succession Season 3, titled The Disruption.

The third episode of Season 3 of Succession, titled The Disruption, sees Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) prepare to go on a late-night talk show to poke fun at himself and his family drama, only to cancel last-minute as he buckles under the pressure of being in the hot seat  and after his own sister releases a scathing statement about his addiction and mental health. In a perfectly cast guest role, Ziwe, host of her own self-titled talk show on Showtime, plays late-night comedian Sophie Iwobi, who skewers Kendall and his caucasian rich brain.

Here, Ziwe talks to Variety about how creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong rewrote the character to better fit her personality, improvising lines and what her future with the Emmy-winning drama looks like.

How did you first hear about the role?

I auditioned for it. I texted my agent, and I was like, I love Succession. Its one of my favorite shows, and Id love to audition for the show. So I sent in a self-tape. It was a late-night host character, but with a different name. I got the part and Jesse called me. He was like, We want to rewrite the character to be more in line with your vibe, and I was babbling on the phone. I was so excited. This is one of my favorite satirical writers of all time, one of the best writers in the country. It was truly such an exciting show to get to be a part of. It was like a career pinnacle for me, honestly.

How did they rewrite Sophie to better fit you?

Initially it was more a Sam Bee-type, I think. They adjusted the character to be Sophie Iwobi. Thats a Nigerian name, so it was adjusted for my personality, but I really had nothing to do with the writing. I got the script, I memorized it, showed up the day of. I improvised things, but I havent even seen the episode, so I cant even tell you what made it.

What were some of your favorite lines you improvised?

I read it clean a couple times. [Writer] Will Tracy and Cathy Yan, who directed the episode, encouraged me to perform out to the crew and pretend theyre an actual audience, so that gave me the space to delve into how Kendall Roy is such a tool. Bene-dickhead Arnold is so funny. Thats a great joke that the writers of the script wrote. What I think Succession does really well and subtly is when they cut to the ATN News. Youll see the lower-third and itll be like, White supremacist gets trapped in a well. Thats when you see this intersection of really great drama and comedic writing. They have these super sharp one-liners, and you can tell theyre familiar with the John Olivers, Jon Stewarts, Desus & Meros of the world.

Kendall references BoJack Horseman in the show, which means BoJack exists in the Succession universe. Was it always the plan to create a fictional show and host instead of using your real-life show Ziwe on Showtime?

I mean, there are elements of myself, but its a slight adjustment because I dont exist in the Succession world. It really felt like I was walking into a new universe. I felt a lot of power; I was much crueler to Kendall Roy than I would be to any of my guests, so that was really exciting. You dont have the ramifications of a real-life billionaire being upset with you because you made him have an emotional breakdown. With that ire, it really empowered to let him have it and really roast him for his love of Lil Wayne.

If you were one of Kendalls PR people, would you have advised him to go on Sophies show?

Of course, I would say please. Im actually disappointed I didnt get to interview Kendall Roy proper. I wouldve loved to see him squirm. I wouldve loved to do my little lean; it wouldve been great television.

What do you do if a guest cancels in real life?

People are a variable you really cant control, so sometimes guests cancel. As an interviewer, your job is to adjust, and I think Sophie Iwobi does a really good job. Kendall really left her up shit creek without a paddle, and Sophie spends the segment reading his sisters letter which says hes having a psychological break. The host always finds a way to pivot. Ive had guests cancel on me, and the solution to that was to find other people who were interesting to talk to and make an even better episode. With Sophie, you watch her turn what couldve been an utter shit storm into something absolutely classic.

Are we going to see more of Sophie in Season 4?

I wish! I have no knowledge whatsoever. All I have is the literal script that I worked on, and thats about it. I remember a year ago before the pandemic, I emailed Will Tracy and was like, Hey, Im a huge fan of Succession. If you guys ever need writers, let me know. I went to boarding school, I feel like I understand the Kendall Roy types. Ive always been angling to work on the show because its one of the best shows on television right now.

How big of a Succession fan are you?

I love Succession. It has some of the best writing on television. Its a huge influence on me. Im working on my own show in development with Amazon, and Im constantly referring to Jesse Armstrongs work. I met Will Tracy when he was the editor-in-chief of The Onion, and I followed his work at John Oliver, so Ive been a fan of these writers for literal years. I was on the first wave of Succession fans before the show really blew up in Season 2, so I was an early adopter. We taped this in January, so I was really excited, like, OK I know this show is coming back! I have literal confirmation there are going to be more episodes, thank goodness. This is keeping me through the pandemic.

If you interviewed Kendall Roy on Ziwe, what would you try to get him to say?

Definitely admit to the cruises. There was the interesting discussion in the last episode where theyre in the bedroom and Roman and Shiv are like, We had no idea about the cruises. And Connor and Kendall are like, We absolutely knew. Thats a conversation that you wish they had in public, which is, Yeah, we knew. Yeah, we benefitted from it, but here we are to take accountability, admit the culpability and try to change. I think that would be a really compelling conversation for my show. Ive always wanted to ask Kendall Roy, How many Black friends do you have? and one day well get that answer.

Succession airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

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BEIRUT (AP)  A televised remark by a game show host turned Cabinet minister in Lebanon about the war in Yemen has taken the countrys crisis with Saudi Arabia to new depths.

Anger over George Kordahis comments led to steps by Gulf Arab countries that further isolate Lebanon and threaten to split its new coalition government, tasked with halting the countrys economic meltdown.

Punitive measures from Saudi Arabia, once an important ally that poured millions of dollars into Lebanon, could cause more economic pain. The kingdom has banned all Lebanese imports, a major blow to a country whose main trading partners are in the Persian Gulf.

It is the latest escalation in the rivalry that has long played out in Lebanon between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Tensions have dragged on for years over the dominant role in Lebanon of the Iranian-backed militant Hezbollah group.

Now Saudi officials insist it is pointless to deal with the government in Beirut after so much drift toward Iran.

But what is really behind Saudis angry response, and what does it mean for the already embattled Lebanon?

WHAT WAS THE SPARK?

The immediate spark were comments by Kordahi, who had gained popularity in the Arab world for hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" on a Saudi-owned TV network.

During a mock parliament streamed online last week, Kordahi fielded questions from an audience of young people from the region. In one answer, he called the war in Yemen absurd and said the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked no one and have the right to defend themselves.

The online program was recorded about a month before Kordahi was named information minister in the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, formed in September. Kordahi was named by a mainly Christian party allied to Hezbollah.

Saudi officials blasted his remarks as offensive and biased toward the Houthis. Since 2015, a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis, who a year earlier took control of the capital, Sanaa, and northern parts of Yemen.

Most commentators have said they believe Kordahis comments were a pretext for the Saudis to vent their frustration at Irans influence in Lebanon.

WHAT DO THE SAUDIS WANT?

The Saudis know what they dont want  growing Iranian influence in Lebanon  but they dont know what to do about it, said Joseph Bahout, research director at the American University of Beirut.

Saudi Arabia has long been a close ally of politicians in Lebanons Sunni Muslim community, which chooses the prime minister under the countrys sectarian system. But the kingdom never forged the divided community into a strong political proxy the way the Shiite Hezbollah  with its powerful armed force  became Irans stalwart ally in Lebanon.

Particularly since the 2005 assassination of its most powerful ally, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the kingdom lost its tools of influence.

Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  known for his assertive, some say brash, foreign policy  Saudi Arabia took sporadic action trying to impose its will but failed to develop a cohesive strategy or find new well-rooted allies. It could only watch as Hezbollah and its allies came to dominate most recent Lebanese governments.

Saudi Arabias most drastic move came in 2017, when it forced then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri to announce his resignation, citing Hezbollahs domination, in a televised statement from a brief visit to the kingdom, where he was apparently held against his will.

The incident backfired. Hariri returned home and revoked his resignation, supported by Hezbollah and its allies. He lost Saudi backing.

Relations have been chilly since. Last spring, Saudi authorities banned imports of all Lebanese produce over allegations they were used for drug smuggling.

Most recently, Riyadh refused to back Mikati as prime minister because of his coalition with Hezbollah. The Saudis found themselves alone when Washington and Paris expressed support for Mikati, after Lebanon had been without a government for over a year.

Frustrated, the Saudis appear to have gone for a strong move over Kordahis comments. Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, withdrew their ambassadors from Lebanon and expelled Lebanese envoys to the kingdom.

IMPACT ON LEBANON

The Saudi measures are a huge blow to Mikatis new government.

The import ban means the loss of millions of dollars in desperately needed foreign currency. Any further escalation could undermine jobs of more than 350,000 Lebanese in Gulf Arab states who send home millions in remittances.

Mikati and other officials have appealed to Kordahi to resign from the Cabinet, but it's uncertain that would resolve the rift.

Hezbollah has stood firmly behind the minister, saying his resignation wont resolve what they called extortion to force Lebanon to change its foreign policy.

It all portends more internal divisions in a government already paralyzed over the investigation into last years massive Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people. Hezbollah has demanded the chief investigating judges removal. A recent burst of street violence, the worst in years, raised the specter of social tensions ahead of crucial parliamentary elections in March that are expected to be a test for Hezbollah and its allies.

In a WhatsApp message to his Cabinet read on local TV stations, Mikati said the country is at the edge of a precipice.

He flew to Glasgow to seek French and U.S. mediation but his options are limited.

We know they are upset. We know that they dont want a government with Hezbollah as strong," Bahout said of the Saudis. We know that they know that we cant have a government without Hezbollah.

It is kind of a completely blocked and stalemated situation, he added.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the Saudi-led coalition entered the war in Yemen in 2015, not 2014.
A woman died, and 36 people were detained after they tried to swim around a metal border fence that stretches into the Pacific Ocean and separates Mexico and the United States, authorities said Saturday.

The woman was part of a group of about 70 migrants attempting to enter the United States late Friday night by swimming from Tijuana, Mexico, around the border barrier and into San Diego, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement.

The steel fence, topped in some places by concertina wire, plunges about 300 feet into the ocean and is heavily monitored, making it one of the most difficult places for people to cross along the 1,900-mile border dividing the two nations.

Border Patrol agents have reported a recent increase in the number of migrants trying to reach California's coast, often aboard overcrowded, small fishing boats known as pangas led by migrant smugglers, which has prompted CBP to expand patrolling operations across 114 coastal border miles.

The rise in the number of migrants taking to the sea, prompted by a mix of factors including financial devastation caused by the pandemic across the hemisphere, highlights the greater dangers they are willing to face to reach the United States.

U.S. authorities acknowledged the phenomenon in August, when CBP reported record levels of maritime smuggling events in California's Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties, resulting in the detention of 90 undocumented migrants.

"Smuggling along the California coastline is inherently dangerous and criminal organizations are not concerned with public safety," officials noted in a news release. "They see migrants and narcotics as simply cargo."

Border Patrol agents responded to reports of a group attempting to reach the San Diego beach about 11:30 p.m. Friday. When they reached the area, they found an unresponsive woman.

They tried to resuscitate her while requesting more assistance from San Diego Fire-Rescue Department firefighters and lifeguards. The woman was declared dead at about 12:30 a.m., authorities said.

Border Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and authorities from state and local agencies continued to search the area and took into custody 36 Mexican citizens - 25 men and 11 women - who had swam around the border barrier.

The Coast Guard, which dispatched two cutters and a search helicopter, rescued 13 of those migrants from the water before handing them over to Border Patrol, a Coast Guard spokesman said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

All 36 people were taken to a Border Patrol station for processing.

It was unclear whether the rest of the migrants in the group returned to Tijuana or were missing. CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"This is yet another example of the ruthless tactics smuggling organizations use to bolster their power and profits," San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a statement. "We will work tirelessly to pursue and bring to justice those responsible for this tragedy."

The United States is grappling with a record number of detentions along the Mexico border. During fiscal 2021, which ended in September, Border Patrol agents detained more than 1.7 million migrants along the southern border - the highest level recorded to date, according to CBP data.

But regardless of stricter border security policies and number of detentions, the growing trend in maritime apprehensions in San Diego coastal waters became evident in May with several reports of intercepted vessels carrying migrants including one vessel carrying 33 people that overturned at Point Loma, in San Diego, an resulting in the death of three people, and several hospitalizations.

"It's definitely something we've seen an increase of over the past couple fiscal years. Last year was a record for maritime apprehensions with 1,273 apprehensions in the maritime environment," Border Patrol Agent Jacob MacIsaac said at a news conference, NBC San Diego reported.

On July 8, two migrants were hospitalized with hypothermia after another vessel capsized in the beach city of Encinitas in Southern California.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A majority of the Supreme Court signaled Monday they would allow abortion providers to pursue a court challenge to the controversial Texas law that has virtually ended abortion in the nations second-largest state after six weeks of pregnancy.

But it was unclear how quickly the court would rule and whether it would issue an order blocking the law that has been in effect for two months, or require providers to ask a lower court to put the law on hold.

Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, two conservative appointees of former President Donald Trump, voted in September to allow the law to take effect, but they raised questions Monday about its novel structure. The law, written to make it difficult to mount legal challenges, subjects clinics, doctors and any others who facilitate abortions to large financial penalties.

Millions and millions retroactively imposed, even though the activity was perfectly lawful under all court orders and precedent at the time it was undertaken, right?" Kavanaugh asked, one of several skeptical questions he put to Judd E. Stone II, representing Texas.

Barrett, too, pressed Stone about provisions of the law that force providers to fight lawsuits one by one and, she said, don't allow their constitutional rights to be fully aired.

The justices heard three hours of arguments Monday in two cases over whether abortion providers or the Justice Department can mount federal court challenges to the law, which has an unusual enforcement scheme its defenders argue shields it from federal court review.

The Biden administration filed its lawsuit after the justices voted 5-4 to refuse a request by providers to keep the law on hold. Justice Neil Gorsuch, also a Trump appointee, and two other conservative justices joined Barrett and Kavanaugh in the majority to let the law take effect. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the courts three liberal justices in dissent.

The justices sounded less convinced that the Justice Department lawsuit should go forward, and Justice Elena Kagan suggested that a ruling instead in favor of the providers would allow the court to avoid difficult issues of federal power.

In neither case argued Monday is the right to an abortion directly at issue. But the motivation for the lawsuits is that the Texas law conflicts with landmark Supreme Court rulings that prevent a state from banning abortion early in pregnancy.

Arguing for the United States, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told the justices that Texas law was enacted in open defiance of Supreme Court precedent. It enacted a law that clearly violates this courts precedents, she said.

Under the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, states are prevented from banning abortion before viability, the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The justices will hear a separate challenge to those decisions in a case over Mississippi's ban on abortion after 15 weeks. Those arguments are set for Dec. 1.

The most direct reference to the Mississippi case came from Justice Samuel Alito, who asked if the decision by providers to stop doing abortions in Texas is attributable to the fear of liability if Roe or Casey is altered?

But most questions focused on the Texas law and how it has altered abortion in the state even before the high court has made any change in abortion law. Kagan told Stone that until Texas passed its law, "no state dreamed" of trying to make an end-run around Supreme Court precedent in the same way.

If the Supreme Court doesn't do anything about that, she said, it would be inviting states to try to flout precedent: Guns. Same-sex marriage. Religious rights. Whatever you don't like: go ahead, she said. Kagan, who disagreed with her colleagues' decision to let the law take effect, said Texas' law has prevented women in Texas from exercising a constitutional right.

Kavanaugh also raised concerns about laws that might affect other constitutional rights.

The Texas law has been in effect since September when the Supreme Court declined to intervene, except for a 48-hour period in early October when it was blocked by a lower court. The high court got involved again less than two weeks ago, moving at extraordinary speed. The court offered no explanation for its decision to hear the cases so quickly.

If the court allows the providers to continue their lawsuit, it would still take a separate order from the justices or a lower court to put the law on hold.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, chief executive of Whole Woman's Health, said her four clinics would resume abortion services if they get a favorable court order.

The Texas ban, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, prohibits abortion after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus, usually around six weeks and before some women know they are pregnant.

The law makes exceptions for medical emergencies but not for rape or incest.

A study published by researchers at the University of Texas found that the number of abortions statewide fell by 50% after the law took effect in September, compared to the same month in 2020. The study was based on data from 19 of the states 24 abortion clinics, according to the Texas Policy Evaluation Project.

At least 12 other states have enacted bans early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect.

Rather than have state officials enforce the law, Texas deputizes private citizens to sue anyone who performs or aids and abets an abortion. If someone bringing suit is successful, they are entitled to at least $10,000. Women who obtain abortions cant be sued under the law.

During arguments Monday, Roberts at one point asked whether the law could be challenged if Texas had made the entitlement much higher, $1 million. Texas' lawyer told him no.

The structure of the law threatens abortion providers with huge financial penalties if they violate it. Clinics throughout the state have stopped performing abortions once cardiac activity is found.

The result, both the providers and the Biden administration said, is that women who are financially able have traveled to other states and those without the means must either continue their pregnancies against their will or find other, potentially dangerous ways to end them.

Stone and Jonathan Mitchell, an architect of the law who also argued Monday, defended the law and its unusual structure. They said both the providers and the Justice Department lack the right to go into federal court, and should be asking Congress, not the justices, to expand court access.

___

Corrects 2nd paragraph, restoring missing to.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  Frances president offered Britain extra time for negotiations on Monday to try to reach a compromise on a troubling post-Brexit fishing spat, hours ahead of a threatened French blockade of British ships and trucks.

France has threatened to bar British boats from some of its ports and tighten checks on boats and trucks carrying British goods if more French vessels arent licensed to fish in U.K. waters by Tuesday. Paris has also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands, which are heavily dependent on French electricity.

The French government had said the port blockade would begin at midnight Monday if no compromise was found. But late in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron's office said talks would continue this week and no measures would be taken until at least through Thursday.

Speaking to reporters Monday in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is attending an international climate conference, Macron said the discussions center on a proposal he made to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after they met at the G-20 meeting in Rome on Sunday.

I asked the British to come back to us tomorrow with other propositions, Macron said. We will see where we are at the end of day tomorrow.

The British government has said throughout the long-running dispute that it is not engaged in a negotiation, and it is entirely up to France to end the conflict, which centers on fishing licenses in the English Channel. The spat has turned into a big sticking point in EU-Britain relations after the U.K. left the bloc earlier this year.

The British government welcomed France's move to delay its ultimatum.

As we have said consistently, we are ready to continue intensive discussions on fisheries, including considering any new evidence to support the remaining license applications," the U.K. government said in a statement. We welcome Frances acknowledgement that in-depth discussions are needed to resolve the range of difficulties in the U.K.-EU relationship.

The two countries said Britain's Brexit minister, David Frost, and French Europe Minister Clement Beaune would hold talks in Paris on Thursday.

Earlier Monday, the European Commission said it had called a meeting involving officials from Britain, France and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, which are self-governing British Crown dependencies with control over their own territorial waters, to allow for a swift solution on the outstanding issues in the dispute over French fishing boats access to British waters.

The fishing spat has escalated into a major U.K.-French dispute, with both sides accusing each other of contravening the Brexit trade deal that the U.K. signed when it left the EU.

Paris says authorities in the Channel Islands and Britain have denied permits to French boats that have fished in waters where they have long sailed, scooping up lobster, sea snails, sea bream and other fish from the English Channel. Britain says it has granted 98% of applications from EU vessels, a proportion that French authorities have questioned.

Britain says a few dozen boats have not been given permits because they have not shown the required paperwork to back up their applications.

We absolutely stand ready to grant more licenses should the requisite evidence be provided," said the British prime minister's spokesman, Max Blain.

As Monday's talks took place, anxious French fishing crews unloaded scallops on the French coast near the British island of Jersey, tense about what the coming hours would bring.

Jersey, which is only 14 miles off the coast of France, issued 49 temporary licenses to French boats. The government of Jersey said the vessels will be able to fish in Jersey waters until Jan. 31 to grant time for further data that is necessary for it issue permanent licenses.

Fishing is a tiny industry economically, but one that looms large symbolically for both Britain and France, which have long and cherished maritime traditions. Since the start of the year, both sides have control of their waters, subject to the post-Brexit trade deal.

Dimitri Rogoff, who heads the regional fishing committee on the French coast near Jersey, said French crews have been providing paperwork for 10 months. He said he didnt understand why Britain is making a big deal over 20 or 30 boats, and that he hoped that the French governments threats could incite our British friends to be a bit more conciliatory.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned France that the U.K. will not roll over in the face of what she termed unreasonable threats from Paris.

The French need to withdraw those threats, otherwise we will use the dispute resolution mechanism in the EU deal to take action," Truss told BBC radio. Were simply not going to roll over in the face of these threats.

Macron noted that the dispute stemmed from Britain's decision to leave the EU, saying, Get Brexit Done wasnt my motto.

While Macron said it was important to defend the French fishing industry, he expressed hope for a negotiated solution so that the countries could work together on other problems.

The United Kingdom and European Union have so many challenges  climate change, technological change, the cohesion of our nations, geopolitics, Macron said.

___

Pylas reported from London. Angela Charlton in Paris and Jill Lawless in Glasgow contributed.
Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has been accused of total and utter greenwashing of the midlands' horticultural sector.

Fine Gael Cllr Paul Ross said there needed to be an urgent review and introduction of a practicable licensing system in order to protect an industry already beset by rising food prices and loss of competitiveness.

We need to provide a fast-track, one-stop-shop framework for planning and licensing for the harvesting of horticultural peat, as was recommended by The Just Transition Commissioner, Cllr Ross told a recent county council meeting.

Cllr Ross' comments followed the Leader's revelations two weeks earlier of how almost 4,000 tonnes of peat arrived to a horticultural factory on the the Longford/Westmeath border.

Such a streamlined approach between Statutory Bodies would help prevent the absurdity of 200 truckloads of peat being imported from Latvia to be stockpiled on a bog just outside Legan and would instead allow the resumption of the responsible harvesting of peat moss here in Ireland, as it occurs elsewhere in Europe, he said.

His party colleague Cllr Colm Murray backed those urgings.

He spoke of how he had routintely expressed the need for Ireland to look at alternative energy models, but that those replacements needed to be viable and affordable to consumers.

Council officials are now expected to write a letter to Mr Ryan's department outlining the views expressed by councillors Ross and Murray over the coming days.
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Longford based timber processing giant Glennon Brothers has announced the completion of its acquisition of rival Balcas in a move that is expected to create a business with revenues of almost 270 million.

The firm announced back in May of its plans to buy Co Fermanagh-based Balcas from owner SHV Energy, subject to approval from competition regulators.

The final touches of that deal have now been completed, the locally based company announced today.

Balcas was established in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, in 1962, and consists of two divisions, Balcas Timber and Balcas Energy. Combined, the business has a turnover of 108 million a year and employs 370 people.

Balcas Timber incorporates the sawmilling operation in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, which produces quality sawn timber products for the Fencing & Landscaping, Agricultural, Construction and Pallet & Packaging sectors.

In addition, Balcas Energy operates two renewable energy plants at Enniskillen and Invergordon, Scotland, which incorporate CHP (Combined Heat & Power) and the manufacture of Balcas Energy Wood Pellets.

Mike Glennon commented: We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of the Balcas business, which will enhance our overall product and service offering, as well as diversifying our route to market via Balcas Energy Division.

He went on to say: This is a significant milestone in Glennon Brothers history, which dates back to 1913, and provides our customers with a broader range as well as increased overall production capacity for the future. This acquisition allows us to continue fulfilling our commitment to our customers of offering a one stop shop solution for sawn softwood across UK and Ireland.

Pat Glennon commented: The opportunity to add value to our established supply chain and core business is extremely exciting. We are thrilled to welcome the Balcas team into the Glennon Brothers Group, and are excited to start working with them collaboratively, sharing ideas and developing best practice across the wider business. By adding Balcas to our existing business, it further enhances our capability to operate fully from forest to front door.

Glennon Brothers has been at the forefront of green technology solutions within the sawmilling sector having recently invested in a CHP Plant within its existing facility in Troon in 2016. The addition of two further CHP Plants as part of the Balcas acquisition offer further synergies as well as reinforcing the business green credentials and overall commitment to sustainability.

Commenting on the sale of the Balcas business, Brian Murphy the CEO of Balcas said: The team at Balcas are delighted to be joining the Glennon Brothers family of companies, and we look forward to exciting times ahead for the enlarged business.
Local News

By Ls Cohen Published: November 01 2021

Manor Field Park will be renovated and updated.

Part of Huntington Town Supervisor Chad Lupinaccis plan to revitalize Huntington Station, includes a new water spray park at Manor Field Park. After approving $750,000 in funding and an application to apply for up to $189,000 in New York State and Municipal Facilities Capital Program grants, the Town demolished the old park and is preparing to build a brand new one, which includes the water spray area.

The Town has already replaced the synthetic turf field at the park, under which the previous septic system leaching pools for both the comfort station and community building were located. The sanitary system was replaced to handle the additional septic and water usage the spray park would bring. The old playground was demolished this summer - earlier than originally planned due to unsafe equipment.

Photo: Town of Huntington.

The Manor Field Spray Park along with the new amenities we have coming soon are exciting steps in our plan to revitalize Huntington Station, said Supervisor Lupinacci.

Construction will start in the coming weeks and will take approximately two months to complete. The park is planned to officially open in Spring 2022.

Photo: Town of Huntington.

This will be the second spray park to be located in the Town of Huntington.

In the spring of 2022, the children of Huntington Station will have this first-class spray park in their backyard, along with a brand-new playground and new turf field that athletes of all ages can enjoy, said Deputy Supervisor Councilman Ed Smyth.
Local News, Crime, Community, Charity & Cause

By Chris Boyle Published: November 01 2021

Trooper Thomas J. Consorte was born on March 7, 1963, in Oceanside, and graduated from Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station.

Governor Hochul has signed legislation (S.7139/A.07643-A) designating a portion of the state highway system as the Trooper Thomas J. Consorte Memorial Bridge to honor Trooper Consorte's heroic service.

"Our troopers dedicate their life to keeping New Yorkers safe, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to Thomas J. Consorte for his heroism and sacrifice," Governor Hochul said. "This legislation pays tribute to a heroic New Yorker by ensuring his legacy lives on for generations to come."

Trooper Thomas J. Consorte was born on March 7, 1963, in Oceanside, New York. After graduating from the Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station, New York, completed his training at the Basic School at the New York State Police Academy in 1985. He was first assigned to Troop K, and later transferred to Troop L to be closer to his wife and son. Trooper Consorte's most renown moment came in May 1986, when his he played a crucial role in the arrest of an individual who shot a Suffolk County Police officer. He lost his life on November 23, 1987, in Riverhead, New York when he was struck by a car while policing a motor vehicle accident.

New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo said, "The renaming of the Route 25 Long Island Expressway overpass in honor of Trooper Thomas J. Consorte is a fitting tribute to the life and career of a promising young Trooper who died in the line of duty while serving his community. The renamed bridge is both a testament to his legacy and to the inherent risk and danger our members of law enforcement face when they put on the uniform. We cannot thank our men and women of law enforcement enough for the job they do protecting and serving our communities."

Assemblymember Jodi Giglio said, "We have lost 16 Troopers on Long Island in the last 100 years in their line of service. Thomas Consortes EOW is coming on 11/23/1987. He served only 2 years before he was struck on the side of the road while placing flares from an accident on a busy roadway trying to protect those that were involved in the accident. Our hearts go out to him and his family as this painful memory draws near. With many bridges, tunnels and roadways in the state, the naming of the site where this accident occurred is monumental."
(Alliance News) - Fox Marble Holdings PLC on Monday announced that it has agreed to sell EUR200,000 worth of Alexandrian White marble to a Europe-focused supplier of building material.

The first shipment of 300 tonnes has already been successfully completed.

The London-based marble producer is still facing high shipping costs, project delays due to weather and Covid-19 and a "faltering" block marble market post-pandemic.

However, revenues for the sale of processed marble products increased to EUR200,000 in the first half of 2021 compared to losses of EUR200,000 in the same period a year before.

The revenue recorded in the two months to 30 August 2021 was EUR300,000.

"The market for block marble has been subject to significant disruption due to Covid-19. However, with this agreement and others that are being negotiated and are expected to be announced in due course, we are seeing signs of recovery. We expect to see the benefit of these agreements primarily in 2022," stated Chief Executive Officer Chris Gilbert.

Shares in Fox Marble remained flat at 1.31 pence on Monday afternoon in London.

By Abby Amoakuh; abbyamoakuh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Coro Energy PLC - London-based low carbon investment company - Announces an extension of the exclusivity period agreed with its Vietnamese rooftop solar project partner, Vinh Phuc Electrical Mechanical Installation Co Ltd, until December 31.

"Continuing in-country Covid-19 restrictions, have further created extended limitations on being able to formally lodge papers with the Vietnamese government. The company now expects a definitive joint venture agreement for the JV to be capable of entry by the end of December 2021," it says.

Current stock price: 0.30 pence

Year-to-date change: down 37%

By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Altus Strategies Plc / Index (EPIC): AIM (ALS) TSX-V (ALTS) OTCQX (ALTUF) / Sector: Mining

01 November 2021

Altus Strategies Plc

("Altus" or the "Company")

Drilling Commences at Tabakorole Gold Project, Southern Mali

Altus Strategies Plc (AIM: ALS, TSX-V: ALTS, OTCQX: ALTUF) announces the commencement of a combined 35,000m Reverse Circulation ("RC"), Air Core (''AC''), and auger drilling programme at the Tabakorole gold project ("Tabakorole" or the "Project") located in southern Mali. Tabakorole is subject to a Joint Venture ("JV") with Marvel Gold Limited (ASX: MVL) ("Marvel"). Altus holds a 49% equity interest and 2.5% Net Smelter Return ("NSR") royalty on the Project. Exploration activities at Tabakorole are being funded by Marvel.

Highlights:

 Significant drilling programme underway at the Tabakorole gold project in southern Mali

 5,000m RC drilling to infill the north-west extension of the deposit and test priority targets

 15,000m AC and 15,000m auger programmes to test additional targets

 Tabakorole hosts a mineral deposit for which an MRE has been generated comprising:

o 17,300,000 tonnes at 1.2 g/t gold ("Au") for 665,000 ounces in the Inferred category

o 9,200,000 tonnes at 1.2 g/t Au for 360,000 ounces in the Indicated category

o 70% of the MRE is situated within 150m of the surface

o MRE remains open in parallel zones and at depth

o Preliminary high metallurgical recoveries indicate simple processing flowsheet

 Altus holds 49% of the Project and a 2.5% NSR royalty on Tabakorole gold production

Steven Poulton, Chief Executive of Altus, commented:

"The Tabakorole gold project in southern Mali is being advanced aggressively by Marvel Gold, our ASX listed JV partner. A combined 35,000m RC, AC and auger drilling programme has commenced to test the potential north-west extension to the mineral resource area as well as numerous other targets across the Project.

"Last month we announced that the Tabakorole deposit has grown to over a million ounces in all categories. Drilling undertaken this year has continued to demonstrate consistent thicknesses and grades over the Project's 3.2km strike length and also resulted in the discovery of two shallow, higher-grade zones of mineralisation adjacent to the existing deposit. With excellent initial metallurgical gold recoveries averaging 97%, Tabakorole is shaping up as a significant potential gold development project in west Africa with substantial upside. I look forward to updating shareholders on the outcomes of the current drill programmes in due course".

Drilling Programmes

The planned 35,000m drilling programme comprises 5,000m of RC drilling, 15,000m of AC drilling and 15,000m of auger drilling. The RC drilling is designed to infill the north-west extension at the Tabakorole deposit, as well as testing a number of priority targets which are proximal to the deposit (see Figure 3). The AC and auger programmes are designed to test earlier stage geochemical anomalies, to generate tighter targets for potential deeper follow up AC, RC or diamond drilling.

AC and auger drilling are relatively low-cost geochemical drilling techniques, designed to sample the interface between the overlying soil horizon and the underlying geology. As such they represent an important first pass screening tool to test surface geochemical anomalies. The choice between auger and AC drilling is typically based on the anticipated depth of cover, as well as the strength of the corresponding surface geochemical anomaly.

Tabakorole: Mineral Resource Estimate

Tabakorole hosts a deposit for which an MRE of 360,000 ounces at 1.2 g/t Au (Indicated resources) and 665,000 ounces at 1.2 g/t Au (Inferred resources) in both oxide and fresh domains has been made as set out in Table 1 and shown in Figure 4. The Project remains open down-dip and along strike. Currently, 70% of the MRE is situated within 150m of surface.

The MRE has been prepared by International Resource Solutions Pty Ltd (Perth, Australia) under the JORC Code and is reported as at 05 October 2021. A technical report is currently being drafted and this will be filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR. A Qualified Person has not undertaken sufficient work to classify the Mineral Resource Estimate in accordance with NI 43-101, and Altus is not treating it as such.

Table 1: Mineral Resource Estimate Summary Table (JORC Code)

Indicated Inferred Domain Tonnes (t) Grade (g/t) Contained gold (oz) Tonnes (t) Grade (g/t) Contained gold (oz) Oxide 1,400,000 1.2 50,000 1,300,000 1.3 55,000 Fresh 7,800,000 1.2 310,000 16,000,000 1.2 610,000 Total 9,200,000 1.2 360,000 17,300,000 1.2 665,000

Notes:

1. Reported at a cut-off grade of 0.6 g/t Au, differences may occur due to rounding

2. MRE is shown on a gross (100%) basis of the Project

3. Marvel is the operator of the JV

The Project is currently 49% beneficially owned by Altus and 51% beneficially owned by Marvel, which is also the operator of the JV. Marvel is currently earning a 70% interest in the Project, through the completion of the third phase of exploration.

The following figures relate to the disclosures in this announcement and are visible in the version of this announcement on the Company's website (www.altus-strategies.com) or in PDF format by following this link: https://altus-strategies.com/site/assets/files/5384/altus_nr_-_tbk_drilling-_01_nov_2021.pdf

 Location of Tabakorole and Altus' other projects in Mali are shown in Figure 1

 Location of Tabakorole in southern Mali is shown in Figure 2

 Map of regional targets and additional mineralised areas is shown in Figure 3

 Tabakorole Mineral Resource Estimate (plan view) is shown in Figure 4

Summary of Joint Venture with Marvel Gold

Marvel has the right to earn up to an 80% interest in Tabakorole by sole funding four stages of exploration, culminating in a definitive feasibility study, and by making certain cash (or cash plus Marvel shares) payments to Altus. Thereafter, Altus has the right to co-finance or dilute its 20% interest in the Project. Altus also retains a 2.5% NSR royalty on the Project. Marvel will have the right to reduce the royalty to 1.0% NSR for a payment to Altus of between US$9.99 million and US$15.00 million (depending on the size of the resource at Tabakorole). Marvel has currently earned a 51% interest in the Project.

Tabakorole Project: Location

Tabakorole is a 292km2 gold project located in southern Mali, approximately 280km south of the capital city of Bamako (see Figures 1 & 2). The Project sits on the Massagui Belt, which hosts the Morila gold mine (operated by Firefinch Limited, ASX: FFX), located approximately 100km to the north. The Project is 125km southeast of the Yanfolila gold mine (operated by Hummingbird Resources Plc, AIM: HUM) and 100km east of the Kalana gold project (operated by Endeavour Mining Plc, LSE and TSX: EDV). Mineralisation hosted on these properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation hosted at Tabakorole.

Tabakorole Project: Geology

Tabakorole comprises a 3.2km long shear zone which is up to 200m wide, hosted in the Archaean and Birimian aged Bougouni Basin of the Man Shield of southern Mali. The geology is dominated by clastic sediments, cut by northwest trending deformation zones which host gold mineralisation. At least two, possibly three, Eburnean deformation events are believed to have affected the geology of Tabakorole. The Project hosts the FT Prospect, comprised of mylonites, sheared diorite, gabbro, mafic dykes and late stage felsic dykes, within a folded and deformed metasedimentary package of meta-siltstone, meta-wacke and meta-sandstone. Mineralisation is locally most favourably associated where structures cut gabbro and along lithological contacts with gabbro.

Qualified Person

The technical disclosure in this regulatory announcement has been approved by Steven Poulton, Chief Executive of Altus. A graduate of the University of Southampton in Geology (Hons), he also holds a Master's degree from the Camborne School of Mines (Exeter University) in Mining Geology. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and has over 20 years of experience in mineral exploration and is a Qualified Person under the AIM rules and NI 43-101.

For further information you are invited to visit the Company's website www.altus-strategies.com or contact:

Altus Strategies Plc Steven Poulton, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0) 1235 511 767 E-mail: info@altus-strategies.com SP Angel (Nominated Adviser) Richard Morrison / Adam Cowl Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 SP Angel (Broker) Grant Barker / Richard Parlons Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0471 Shard Capital (Broker) Isabella Pierre / Damon Heath Tel: +44 (0) 20 7186 9927 Yellow Jersey PR (Financial PR & IR) Charles Goodwin / Henry Wilkinson Tel: +44 (0) 20 3004 9512 E-mail: altus@yellowjerseypr.com

About Altus Strategies Plc

Altus Strategies (AIM: ALS, TSX-V: ALTS & OTCQX: ALTUF) is a mining royalty company generating a diversified and precious metal focused portfolio of assets. The Company's differentiated approach of generating royalties on its own discoveries in Africa and acquiring royalties globally through financings and acquisitions with third parties, has attracted key institutional investor backing. The Company engages constructively with all stakeholders, working diligently to minimise its environmental impact and to promote positive economic and social outcomes in the communities where it operates. For further information, please visit www.altus-strategies.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information included in this announcement, including information relating to future financial or operating performance and other statements that express the expectations of the Directors or estimates of future performance constitute "forward-looking statements". These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, the completion of planned expenditures, the ability to complete exploration programmes on schedule and the success of exploration programmes. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking information, which speak only as of the date of this announcement and the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Where the Company expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is based on assumptions made in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. The forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as at the date hereof and the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information or any forward-looking statements contained in any other announcements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law or regulations.

TSX Venture Exchange Disclaimer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organisation of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Market Abuse Regulation Disclosure

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR"), and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of MAR.

Glossary of Terms

"AC" means Air-Core drilling

"Au" means gold

"g" means grams

"g/t" means grams per tonne

"grade(s)" means the quantity of ore or metal in a specified quantity of rock

"JORC Code" means the 2012 edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves" prepared by the Joint Ore Reserves Committee of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Institute of Geoscientists and Minerals Council of Australia. The JORC Code is an acceptable foreign code for purposes of NI 43-101

"JV" means Joint Venture

"km" means kilometres

"m" means metres

"MRE" means Mineral Resource Estimate

"NI 43-101" means National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" of the Canadian Securities Administrators

"Oz" means ounces

"Qualified Person" means a person that has the education, skills and professional credentials to qualify as a qualified person under NI 43-101

"NSR" means net smelter return

"RC" means reverse circulation

"t" means a metric tonne

**END**
1 November 2021

ECO (ATLANTIC) OIL & GAS LTD.

("Eco," "Eco Atlantic," "Company," or together with its subsidiaries, the "Group")

Operational Update and Notice of AGM

Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd. (AIM: ECO, TSXV: EOG), the oil and gas exploration company with licences in the proven oil province of Guyana and the highly prospective basins of Namibia, provides an operational update on the Group's activities and announces notice of its annual and special meeting ("AGM").

Highlights

 JHI well drilled by ExxonMobil establishes oil presence at Sapote-1, Guyana

 Progress to define multi-million barrel targets on Orinduik, Guyana

 Eco elected as Operator on PEL 99, Blocks 2111B & 2211A, Namibia

 Eco negotiates new Joint Operating Agreements on all offshore Namibia licenses

 Eco advances development of solar business in Europe

Guyana

Eco received, on Saturday 30 October, a detailed update from JHI Associates Inc. that ExxonMobil has successfully and safely drilled the Sapote-1 well on the Canje Block, to a depth of 6,759 meters (22,172 ft), in 2,549 meters (8,362 ft) of water. The well recorded hydrocarbon shows while drilling, and in the logging sequence, in a deeper interval than anticipated, but had no shows in the upper primary objective horizon. With sidewall coring and wireline logging complete, ExxonMobil will now work to define the reservoir properties, including porosity and permeability, and the cored samples will be analysed for hydrocarbons.

As previously announced in June of this year, Eco acquired a 6.4% interest in JHI Associates Inc. ("JHI"), a private Canadian company, which holds a 17.5% working interest ("WI") in the Guyana Canje Block. JHI, with a current very strong cash balance, has already paid for its 17.5% of the Sapote-1 well from treasury. No costs are attributable to Eco.

On its primary asset in Guyana, the Orinduik Block, the JV partners; (Eco Atlantic: 15% WI; Tullow Guyana B.V. 60% WI (Operator); and TOQAP Guyana B.V. 25% WI), are currently advancing toward target selection on the Block. The partnership has used state-of-the-art processing technology to merge its seismic data sets and to incorporate regional well results into target selections. The teams are using conservative and proven sciences to define sweet light oil drilling targets, likely within the proven Cretaceous section. The partnership hopes to establish firm targets in the near term and advance towards drilling. Eco and the JV Partners have already delivered two substantial oil discoveries on the Orinduik Block on the northernmost quadrant of the Block and have worked diligently to define the parameters and identifiers related to this heavy oil field discovery.

Orinduik continues to offer significant upside. The eastern section of the Block is closer to the established Liza oil trend than any other Block. ExxonMobil will next drill in 2021 the Fangtooth-1 well just north and down dip of Orinduik on the Stabroek Block. This well is very close to Orinduik and will test some of the deeper sections. The partnership is focused on the careful selection of locations able to drill a number of stacked or multiple target sections with the opportunity to yield several hundred million barrels. The eastern border of the Orinduik Block is adjacent to and up dip from multiple ExxonMobil discoveries and down dip from the proven light oil discovered in the Kanuku Block, South of Orinduik and towards the continent.

Guyana continues to be one of the most prolific exploration regions in the world. Formal estimates, following ExxonMobil's latest discovery at Cataback-1, updated the current total discovered resources in the Guyana portion of the Guyana-Suriname Basin to over ten billion barrels of oil, discovered in the last five years. Work continues regionally with the definition of the trend. ExxonMobil is actively drilling with six drill ships, and multiple wildcats are planned in the basin for the upcoming year in the Basin by ExxonMobil and others. The Liza Destiny FPSO, pumping 120,000 bbls/day, is located a few kilometers from the Orinduik Block, and within the past week a second FPSO, the Liza Unity has arrived in Guyana and will be deployed east of Orinduik. This will pump an additional 220,000 bbls/day. An additional eight production facilities are being contemplated.

Colin Kinley, Co-Founder and COO of Eco Atlantic, commented:

"We are very focused on careful selection of the next target to drill on Orinduik. The process has taken longer than we would have liked with prolongation through reprocessing and Covid-19 constraints. However, each additional well drilled in the Basin, both commercially developed or drilled and abandoned, adds to our understanding of the area. We, and our partners, remain committed to good practice in the well location selection. We are fully funded for our share of the next well and are pushing the Operator, towards a committed location, defined drilling date and rig contract."

Namibia

Eco Atlantic has completed drafting the four new Joint Operating Agreements ("JOA's") for its new Petroleum Licenses offshore Namibia. We have received all paying partner approvals on the JOA's and they are out for review with the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia ("NAMCOR"), and local partners. Namibia's Ministry of Mines and Energy has approved Eco Atlantic to be the Operator of all four blocks, which total some 7,065,484 acres (28,593 km2) in the Walvis Basin.

Eco negotiated the reissuance and establishment of a new 10-year life cycle for each of the four PEL's ("Petroleum Exploration Licenses") in December 2020 and Licenses were issued in February 2021. Eco also negotiated doubling the size of PEL 99 with the new Petroleum Agreement, in order to access the potential for new prospective targets in the deeper horizons to the west of the block.

The Company continues to monitor and assess opportunities, both technical and corporate, particularly with the upcoming drilling activity in the region. Two high impact deepwater wells are anticipated to spud in southern Namibia in Q4 2021: TotalEnergies Venus-1 well, using the Maersk Venturer, and Shell Namibia's Graff-1 well, using the Valaris DS-10.

Colin Kinley added:

"In the near term, we look forward to the drilling campaigns planned in Q4 at Venus-1 and Graff-1. TotalEnergies, Shell and ExxonMobil rank amongst the leading oil finders in the world, and their activity in the area is indicative of how the understanding of prospects in Namibia is gaining maturity. Eco is a long time player in Namibia and continues to work to define opportunities in increasing shareholder value through exploration and strategic corporate activities."

Solear Ltd.

Solear, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eco, is an independent renewable energy company focused on solar development projects in southern Europe.

In January 2021, Solear completed its first acquisition of a fully contracted, permitted, and build ready project in Greece, known as the Kozani Project. Throughout the year, Solear has continued to build at low cost, assessing projects, developing in-country relationships and seeking high turnover, early-stage opportunities.

Solear has signed in October 2021 an MOU with B&S Power Holdings Co. ("B&S Power"), an independent developer and operator of solar parks in Europe and South America, to jointly acquire and develop Ready to Build ("RTB") solar parks, funded exclusively by an international EPC firm. As part of the Joint Venture, B&S Power will inject their current development assets base into Solear. The companies are now evaluating a 104MW RTB park in Greece and additional transactions in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Spain.

Gil Holzman, President and CEO commented:

"We are very proud of our accomplishments in 2021. We have managed to grow and progress our assets portfolio in both Guyana and Namibia and, importantly, have also managed to maintain and strengthen the Company's financial position through strict cost controls. The Company has also negotiated a capital investment into treasury from Africa Oil Corp. and Charlestown Energy Partners from New York.

"The Company has remained active as always and we managed to create a flow of catalysts to our shareholders through both drilling campaigns and other corporate activities. With all the activities offshore Guyana and Namibia and with additional corporate initiatives we are busy with, the stream of catalysts is expected to continue throughout the end of 2021 and into 2022 and onwards.

"Eco has also seeded a renewable energy arm that is being managed and driven by a team of industry experts and through strategic partnerships.

"We are very encouraged by the latest well results in Sapote-1. The results, once defined, should warrant additional exploration wells to test the deeper sections where the Sapote oil was present. We remain confident that our past investment in JHI will generate additional value for our shareholders over the longer term in the exciting Canje Block. As a shareholder in JHI and given their strong financial situation, we have no obligation to commit any capital towards future drilling plans at Canje.

"Eco continues to be active in the market from a technical and corporate perspective. While our technical teams look to define targets and push for drilling in Orinduik, and further our exploration in Namibia with our new licenses, we are still very active corporately and look to increase shareholder value through corporate and portfolio additions as well as through the drill bit."

Notice of AGM

Eco Atlantic also announces that its AGM will be held at 10:00 a.m. (EST) on 29 December, 2021 at the offices of the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, at 559 Briar Hill Avenue, Toronto, Canada ON M5N 1N1.

A copy of the notice of AGM, proxy form and accompanying management information circular are available on the Company's website and on Sedar at www.sedar.com.

**ENDS**

For more information, please visit www.ecooilandgas.com or contact the following:

Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas c/o Celicourt +44 (0) 20 8434 2754 Gil Holzman, CEO, Director Colin Kinley, COO, Director Alice Carroll, Head of Marketing and IR +44(0)781 729 5070 | +1 (416) 318 8272 Strand Hanson Limited (Financial & Nominated Adviser) +44 (0) 20 7409 3494 James Harris James Bellman Rory Murphy Berenberg (Broker) +44 (0) 20 3207 7800 Matthew Armitt Emily Morris Detlir Elezi Celicourt (PR) +44 (0) 20 8434 2754 Mark Antelme Jimmy Lea Ollie Mills Hannam & Partners (Research Advisor) Neil Passmore +44 (0) 20 7905 8500

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

Qualified Person's Statement:

Colin Kinley, Chief Operating Officer of Eco Atlantic, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained within this announcement in his capacity as a qualified person, as required under the AIM rules. Mr Kinley has over 40 years' experience in the oil and gas industry.

Notes to editors:

About Eco Atlantic:

Eco Atlantic is a TSX-V and AIM quoted Oil & Gas exploration and production Company with interests in Guyana and Namibia, where significant oil discoveries have been made.

The Group aims to deliver material value for its stakeholders through oil exploration, appraisal and development activities in stable emerging markets, in partnership with major oil companies.

In Guyana, Eco Guyana holds a 15% Working Interest alongside TOQAP Guyana B.V. ("TOQAP") a company jointly owned by TotalEnergies E&P Guyana B.V. (60%) and Qatar Petroleum (40%) and Operator Tullow Oil (60%) in the 1,800 km2 Orinduik Block in the shallow water of the prospective Suriname-Guyana basin. The Orinduik Block is adjacent and updip to ExxonMobil Operated Stabroek Block, on which twenty discoveries have been announced and over 9 billion BOE recoverable resources are estimated. On 28 June 2021, Eco acquired a 6.4% interest, with the option to increase its stake to 10%, in JHI Associates Inc. a private company which holds a 17.5% WI in the 4,800km2 Canje Block. The Canje Block is operated by ExxonMobil and is held by Working Interests partners Esso Exploration & Production Guyana Limited (35%), with TotalEnergies E&P Guyana B.V. (35%), JHI Associates (BVI) Inc. (17.5%) and Mid-Atlantic Oil & Gas Inc. (12.5%).

Jethro-1 was the first major oil discovery on Orinduik Block. The Jethro-1 encountered 180.5 feet (55 meters) of net heavy oil pay in excellent Lower Tertiary sandstone reservoirs. Joe-1 was the second discovery on the Orinduik Block and comprised of high quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir, with a high porosity of Upper Tertiary age. The Joe-1 well encountered 52 feet (16 meters) of continuous thick sandstone.

In Namibia, the Company holds interests in four offshore petroleum licences totalling approximately 28,593km2 with over 2.362bboe of prospective P50 resources in the Walvis Basin. These four licences, Cooper, Guy, Sharon, and Tamar are being explored with industry partners with Eco Operating and maintaining an average 60% Working Interest. Eco has been granted a drilling permit on its Cooper Block (Operator).

Eco Atlantic is a 100% shareholder in Solear Ltd., Solear is an independent private clean energy investment company focused on low cost, high yield solar development projects in southern Europe. Solear offers investors exposure to a portfolio of pre-construction opportunities across the renewable energy value chain, from Ready-to-Build to early-stage development.
TBC and EBRD sign a EUR 25 million equivalent in GEL loan agreement

TBC Bank Group PLC ("TBC PLC") announces that its subsidiary, JSC TBC Bank ("TBC Bank"), has signed a loan agreement in the amount of EUR 25 million equivalent in GEL with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ("EBRD"). The facility is a joint financial instrument of the EBRD and the European Union ("EU") under its EU4Business initiative and is available for financing sustainable investments in technology and equipment.

This funding will enable TBC Bank to finance long-term investments by Georgian SMEs in upgrading their products and services in line with EU standards and thereby enhance their competitiveness on local as well as international markets. Facility is complemented with EU grants and a free technical assistance that will further support SMEs to successfully implement their investments.

Vakhtang Butskhrikidze, CEO, TBC Bank, commented:

I would like to express my gratitude to the EBRD and the EU for their continuous support and successful partnership. The EU4Business-EBRD credit line has great importance for our country's economy, as it enables local businesses to benefit from the opportunities offered by the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area ("DCFTA") between Georgia and the EU. In addition, by providing local currency funding, the EBRD helps to reduce our dependence on borrowing in foreign currencies, thus protecting business owners from direct exposure to exchange rate risk.

About the EBRD The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Georgia. Since the start of its operations there, the Bank has invested more than 4 billion in 265 projects in the financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors, with 79 per cent of these investments in the private sector.

About the EU

The EU has been supporting SMEs in Georgia through the EU4Business initiative since 2009. With almost 50 different projects active with a total budget of more than 320 million, the EU is the largest foreign supporter of private-sector development in Georgia. These efforts are bringing results - in 2019 alone, more than 36,000 SMEs in Georgia were supported, creating an estimated 30,000 new jobs and generating an estimated 400 million of extra income. EU4Business is one of the key tools used by the EU to support economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, with many programmes receiving financial top-ups and having lower eligibility criteria than in the past in order to assist as many SMEs as possible.

For further enquiries, please contact:

Director of International Media and Investor Relations

Zoltan Szalai

Or

Head of Investor Relations

Anna Romelashvili

ir@tbcbank.com.ge

About TBC Bank Group PLC ("TBC PLC")

TBC Bank Group PLC ("TBC PLC") is a public limited company registered in England and Wales. TBC PLC is the parent company of JSC TBC Bank ("TBC Bank") and a group of companies that principally operate in Georgia in the financial sector and other closely related fields. TBC PLC also recently expanded its operations in Uzbekistan. TBC PLC is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol TBCG and is a constituent of the FTSE Small Cap Index. It is also a member of the FTSE4Good Index Series and the MSCI United Kingdom Small Cap Index.

TBC Bank, together with its subsidiaries, is a leading universal banking group in Georgia, with a total market share of 38.1% of customer loans and 37.8% of customer deposits as of 30 June 2021, according to data published by the National Bank of Georgia.
CALUMET, Mich. (AP)  Some of Michigans smallest towns are seeing ripples from short-term lodging popularized by Airbnb and other websites.

Calumet is on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the far north of the Upper Peninsula. Short-term rentals came up at a recent meeting of the village council.
Mankato, MN (56001)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low near 30F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low near 30F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Four months after joining Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, Sergio Ramos has yet to make his official debut for the Ligue 1 club. The situation is so bad that they're not ruling out parting ways with the former Real Madrid captain.

Ramos has been sidelined through an injury, one which hasn't let him feature in an official game since May 5, in Real Madrid's 2-0 defeat in the return leg of their Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.

According to Le Parisien, PSG do not believe that releasing the player is a dystopian scenario any more.

To terminate Ramos' contract, however, PSG will have to reach an agreement with the Spanish centre-back, whose current deal with the French side runs until 2023.

What have PSG said about Ramos?

In terms of what PSG have officially said about the player, the message has always been one of optimism. They have always said they hope he can return soon.

"We know Ramos has had an injury," Leonardo said after PSG's 2-1 win over Lille on Friday.

"The Spanish press are playing games, we all knew he had a problem. We know what's happening here."

Ramos is mocked in the French media

While the club have said they're being patient, the fans and the media are getting fed up. As well as this report from Le Parisien, there was even a mini mockumentary from L'Equipe about Ramos' situation and how he has been like a ghost at the training facility.
Julia A. Johnston, 68, of Wilburton, OK passed away at her home in Wilburton on Sunday, November 14, 2021. Services will be on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at 2 p.m. at the Waldrop Funeral Home Chapel in Wilburton, OK with the burial to follow in the Peachland Cemetery in Bengal, Oklahoma. O
There are only a handful of films that leave us wanting for more even after theatre lights turn and the credits start rolling. Not necessarily the films ending on a happy note, but the ones that often leave us confused and crave for answers in the end.



 Eros International

Why is it that some really good movies, especially those that end with a cliffhanger or an open-ended climax never get a sequel while films like Baaghi and SOTY keep on coming up with a whole series of films? Thats unfair. There are so many movies that we wished had an equally amazing sequel so we could get some answers after all.



 UTV Motion Pictures

Here are 6 such films where it was left to the audience to imagine and speculate what happened next, and we have been waiting for a sequel since, because we gotta know.



1. The Lunch Box

A brillant, offbeat film that is made once in a blue moon in Bollywood. It deals with the parallel worlds of a widower and a woman stuck in a loveless marriage. In the end, it isnt clear whether Saajan and Ila meet in the end. Did Saajan get her letter? Did she leave for Bhutan with her daughter? How did her husband react? A sequel would help, thanks!

2. Piku

A wholesome movie showcasing the real relationship between a father and a daughter has a wholesome ending. However, when Rana asks how she will live all alone without her dad, Piku responds by saying My father has prepared me for this. What exactly did she mean? Also, we never got to see what happens with those two.

3. Go Goa Gone

We have been waiting for a zombie apocalypse since 2013 now. Not in real life but in the sequel of Indias first zom-com Go Goa Gone that ended with the five slayers arriving on the shore and a note that said, End is near.wait for the sequel. They successfully flee the island only to come to see everything was damaged. There was an apocalypse implied which we never got.

4. Andhadhun

In the ending scene, a blind Akash is seen playing piano in Krakow where Sophie finds him and then he knocks over a can with his stick. Everyone who watched this black comedy asked one question as the credits rolled, Is he blind or can see now? Did he take the offer to get treated by Dr. Swami? What was up with the rabbit? We need answers.

5. Dil Dhadakne Do

We know that Ayesha ended her marriage and reunites with her bachpan ka pyaar Sunny who promises to wait for her forever, but did Kabir & family manage to find Farah? And did Noorie and Rana have the courage to come clean about their affair to their parents? Also, we would love to see Ayesha and Sunnys love story picking pace in the sequel.

6. PK

PK successfully goes back to his gola and returns after a year with another alien (played by Ranbir Kapoor) and we gotta know what happens next. It would be interesting to see him teach the human ways of living on Earth to his friend and meeting Jaggu again whose family isnt probably superstitious like before.
It's been a while since we saw a grand and proper celebrity wedding. I mean, last we remember it was Anushka Sharma marrying Virat Kohli, and boy, that was a really, really long time ago.

 Instagram/Anushka Sharma

This season too, looks like the perfect time to get hitched, and going by the rumors that are currently doing the rounds, here are the Bollywood star couples who might end up tying the knot soon.



1. Vicky Kaushal & Katrina Kaif

 Twitter

This star couple of Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif is definitely the next in line to get married with the news of their marriage doing the rounds on social media for quite some time.



While there has been no confirmation from any of the actors, their wedding is reported to have been finalized from December 1 to December 7 at the Six Senses Fort Barwara, which is a resort in Sawai Madhopur, about 30 minutes from Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan.

2. Ranbir Kapoor & Alia Bhatt

 Twitter

This is the one star couple that would have the grandest of all weddings. The marriage between Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt will bring together the Kapoor 'dynasty' with the Bhatts.



According to sources, Ranbir and Alia were to tie the knot last year, but because of Rishi Kapoor's demise, the family put plans on hold indefinitely. However, lately, their wedding plan has been back on track but sources state they might get married sometime next year instead of this year.

3. Malaika Arora Khan & Arjun Kapoor

 Twitter

Both Malaika and Arjun have barely kept their relationship a secret and marriage has definitely been on the cards for both the stars. Malaika, who had a divorce with Arbaaz Khan, might have been smitten by Arjun Kapoor but the duo has long maintained that they don't want to rush into anything. However, it's been a while since that and their amazing vacation pictures suggest that we might actually see them taking the oath of marriage soon.



4. Ali Fazal & Richa Chadha

 BCCL

The talented actor-couple were set to get married back in 2020, however the pandemic splashed water all over their plans. As per reports, Ali had even proposed to Richa in the Maldives last year and their wedding preparations were almost done but they were forced to postpone it.



However, now with normal life restored to an extent, it might just be the right time for them to decide the date, with the wedding festivities already reported to take place in Mumbai, Lucknow, and New Delhi, as per sources.

5. Sushmita Sen & Rohman Shawl

 Instagram/Sushmita Sen

The beautiful couple has been dating for over 2 years and has barely kept anything a secret. They have even been asked about their wedding plans on Instagram Live sessions where the duo have jokingly flirted with the idea of figuring out dates amongst each other.



While there have been no confirmations from either on a set date, we expect the duo to get hitched soon, anytime between this year to the next.
In summer 2020, The New York Times coordinated a nationwide project to document the lives of Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved collaborating with 11 other local newsrooms around the U.S. The Messenger-Inquirer was the only newspaper from Kentucky in the collaboration. The resulting collection of stories was published Oct. 23, 2020, in the New York Times print edition and at nytimes.com/outofwork. The following list is the Messenger-Inquirer's local unemployment coverage from that time period; read more by clicking the "New York Times Project" header. Click on "Out Of Work In America" to go to the full
Clio Man Charged with Multiple CSCs, Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty

Clio Man Charged with Multiple CSCs, Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty

Attorney General

Media contact: Lynsey Mukomel 517-599-2746

Public inquiries: 517-335-7622



November 1, 2021

LANSING - A Clio man faces up to life in prison for multiple sexual assaults involving an underage victim, beginning when she was 14 years old, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today.

John Digiacomo, 58, is charged in two counties in connection to assaults that happened in 2014 and 2015.

In Genesee County, Digiacomo is charged with the following:

three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC), felonies punishable by life in prison;

one count of second-degree CSC, a felony punishable by 15 years in prison;

three counts of third-degree CSC, felonies punishable by 15 years in prison;

one count of fourth-degree CSC, a high court misdemeanor punishable by two years and/or $500 fine;

one count of assault with a dangerous weapon; a felony punishable by four years and/or $2,000 fine; and

one count of felony firearm, a felony punishable by two years consecutively with and preceding any term of imprisonment imposed for the felony or attempted felony conviction.

In Tuscola County, Digiacomo is charged with the following:

two counts of first-degree CSC, felonies punishable by life in prison;

one count of second-degree CSC, a felony punishable by 15 years in prison;

two counts of third-degree CSC, felonies punishable by 15 years in prison; and

one count of fourth-degree CSC, a high court misdemeanor punishable by two years and/or $500 fine.

He was arraigned Friday in Genesee County and given a $200,000 cash/surety bond.

The Tuscola County arraignment is scheduled for this Thursday, Nov. 4. Exact timing can be obtained from 71-B District Court.

Digiacomo's co-defendant, Patrick Maule, 39, of Alger, pleaded guilty to the following in Genesee County:

two counts of third-degree CSC, felonies punishable by 15 years in prison; and

one count of fourth-degree CSC, a high court misdemeanor punishable by two years and/or $500 fine.

In Tuscola County, Maule pleaded guilty to:

three counts of third-degree CSC, felonies punishable by 15 years in prison;

one count of assault with a dangerous weapon; a felony punishable by four years and/or $2,000 fine; and

one count of felony firearm, a felony punishable by two years consecutively with and preceding any term of imprisonment imposed for the felony or attempted felony conviction.

Both men victimized a teen beginning when she was 14. The assaults continued until she was 15 years old. When she attempted to cut ties with the men, Digiacomo threatened to kill her and her family.

In Michigan, anyone under the age of 16 cannot legally consent to sexual activity.

"This case is an example of the commitment my office maintains to securing accountability for those who long felt silenced," Nessel said. "Survivors of sexual assault deserve to see their abusers brought to justice, even if the assault happened years ago."

A probable cause conference is set in Genesee County on Nov. 10 for Digiacomo.

Maule is set for sentencing in Tuscola County on Dec. 7. Sentencing in Genesee County is scheduled for Dec. 10.
Nov. 1, 2021

Does the sight of a gravel road winding deep into the forest make you want to explore? If so, you're likely familiar with Michigan's network of state forest roads spanning thousands of miles. "Forest roads are a gateway to ORV riding, hiking, hunting, fishing and enjoyment of state forest lands," said Jeff Stampfly, chief of the Department of Natural Resources' Forest Resources Division. Updates are annually made by the DNR to ensure the forest road inventory is accurate and meets the requirements of the law. Comments are being accepted on proposed updates to the forest road system through Dec. 1. "Public input on the forest roads inventory is critical to our decision-making, helping to protect forests and provide better access to outdoor recreation," said Stampfly. Proposed changes to forest road maps include: Adding roads that previously were unmapped and removing roads that no longer exist.

Removing duplicate road entries.

Closing or opening roads to conventional vehicle use.

Closing or opening roads to ORV use.

Proposed access to Camp Grayling forest roads

A significant proposed change under consideration this year is opening a portion of forest roads located within the Camp Grayling training area to ORV use. The roads under consideration are located on state forest lands, leased from the DNR for military training, near the city of Grayling.

"Grayling is known for its abundance of opportunities to enjoy the woods and water, and this opening to ORVs will add to our area's outdoor offerings," said Lovells Township Supervisor Gary Neumann.

The proposed opening of forest roads to ORV use in this area would be on a trial basis, and includes 94.8 miles of forest roads on 16,000 acres north of County Road 612 in Crawford County. The forest roads under consideration will be open to the public when not in use for military training. When the area is used for training activities, the roads will be gated off for public safety. Notice will be posted on the Camp Grayling Facebook page and shared on local radio stations.

"We're looking forward to the trial opening of these forest roads for recreational use, and we're committed to ensuring public safety. We intend to use this trial to evaluate the feasibility of opening more Camp Grayling lands for ORV use," said Camp Grayling commander Col. Scott L. Meyers. "The camp takes great pride in our community support, and helping people enjoy what northern Michigan has to offer expands that relationship. Looking forward to seeing you on the trail!"

Public input process

Public input will be accepted online and via email through Dec. 1. Comment on or view the locations of proposed changes on an interactive web map or printable PDF maps at Michigan.gov/ForestRoads. Send emails to DNR-RoadInventoryProject@Michigan.gov.

Comments also will be accepted at upcoming Michigan Natural Resources Commission meetings in early 2022. At the January meeting, state forest road proposals will be presented to the DNR director. At the February meeting, the DNR director will make a formal decision on the proposed changes.

New maps will go into effect and be published online April 1, 2022.
MDARD Launches Employee Focused Resource Hub for the Michigan Food and Agriculture Workforce

This website features a collaborative of partners within the food and agriculture industry who are examining and solving challenges facing this key workforce

For immediate release: October 26, 2021

MDARD media contact: Chelsea Lewis-Parisio 517-331-1151

Lansing, MI - Today, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) launched a new resource, the Michigan Food, and Agriculture: Strategic Employment Planning hub. This hub is a critical resource providing education and awareness in strategic employment planning for individuals currently employed or looking to work in Michigan's diverse and expanding food and agriculture workforce.

"Michigan is home to one of the nation's most robust agriculture industries, and I'm excited to see our industry grow and advance. With growth comes the opportunity to employ more Michiganders," said Director Gary McDowell. "MDARD continues to be at the forefront of solving challenges facing our workforce and increasing access to new employment strategies. This website is a one-stop-shop for resources that employers, employees, and educators can use to highlight the many avenues within agriculture, including everything from technological innovations to more traditional farming."

The hub allows interested job seekers to learn about the different sectors and the tools to help grow your career in Michigan's expanding food and agriculture industry. This includes the opportunity to learn more about career pathways, that might align with their goals, and help connect interested individuals to potential employers within the agricultural sector.

Through the website, agricultural employers will be able to customize a strategy to seek and recruit workers. Additionally, this resource allows employers to build branding, utilize competitive data, and recruit talent. This resource also includes an 'Employer Hiring Needs' form for employers to assist with data collection for solutions to be created within standard metrics. Using data as a portion of how solutions are designed allows for a better environment for employers and employees.

This hub also allows educators to expand knowledge and interest in Michigan's food and agriculture industry. Educators can find curriculum resources for educators of all levels, elementary, middle, high school, and post-high school, providing meaningful materials to integrate into a food and agriculture science curriculum.

"This new online resource shows the state's commitment to the prosperity of Michigan's workforce while providing easy avenues for employers and employees to come together," said Susan Corbin, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. "As we continue Michigan's economic jumpstart, we must empower our workforce to look into new opportunities central to Michigan's economy like agriculture and ensure employers can recruit for these careers putting Michiganders first."

Website link: MDARD - Michigan Food and Agriculture: Strategic Employment Planning

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Resource fair scheduled Thursday for Benton Harbor residents to learn about resources available to help reduce lead exposure

Bottled water distribution continues across the city

Resource fair scheduled Thursday for Benton Harbor residents to learn about resources available to help reduce lead exposure

Bottled water distribution continues across the city

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 1, 2021

CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112

LANSING, Mich. - A resource fair is being hosted for City of Benton Harbor residents to learn about the health impacts of lead and resources available to help reduce or eliminate lead from their homes on Thursday, Nov. 4, from 4 to 7 p.m.

The City of Benton Harbor Water Resource Fair is a collaborative effort that will include information and representatives from local community organizations, the City of Benton Harbor, Berrien County Health Department, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The event is being held at the Benton Harbor Housing Commission/ Virginia Edwards Community Center, 721 Nate Wells Drive in Benton Harbor. Attendees are asked to wear masks and masks will be available at the event.

"This Resource Fair will provide an opportunity for residents to ask questions about health effects of lead, how to get tested for lead and steps they can take to reduce or eliminate lead exposure in their homes and lives," said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. "Information about services available to remove lead from their homes, how to get their water tested and other resources will also be available."

Distribution of free bottled water continues with MDHHS and volunteers providing 117,561 cases at community distribution sites and through deliveries to residents who are homebound or lack access to transportation. Free bottled water is being provided by the state as residents are being encouraged to use bottled water for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth, rinsing foods and mixing powdered infant formula.

This action is part of an accelerated, across-the-board effort to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in drinking water while the city replaces all lead service lines.

To arrange water delivery to homebound or residents without transportation in the city of Benton Harbor, contact 211, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The upcoming schedule for bottled water pickup is:

Tuesday, Nov. 2

Southwest Community Action Agency, 331 Miller Street, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. (Self-service)

Abundant Life Church of God, 693 Columbus Avenue, noon - 2 p.m.

Ebenezer Baptist Church, 214 E. Britain Avenue, 4 - 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 3

Southwest Community Action Agency, 331 Miller Street, 3 - 6 p.m., (Water loaded into vehicles by volunteers)

Thursday, Nov. 4

Ebenezer Baptist Church, 214 E. Britain Avenue, 10 a.m.-noon.

Brotherhood of All Nations, 1286 Monroe Street, 4-6 p.m.

Southwest Community Action Agency, 331 Miller Street, 4.-6 p.m. (Self-service)

Friday, Nov. 5

Southwest Community Action Agency, 331 Miller St., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (Self-service)

Saturday, Nov. 6

Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor, 600 Nate Wells Sr. Drive, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.,

Harbor of Hope Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 769 Pipestone Street, 4-6 p.m.

The ongoing response in Benton Harbor includes the city, Berrien County Health Department, local community organizations, MDHHS and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.

Additional dates and locations for bottled water pick up will be added to make sure community needs are met. Information will be posted on Michigan.gov/MiLeadSafe.

To ensure the continued success of bottled water distribution locations in Benton Harbor and to recognize the city residents who have been stepping up to donate their time and talent, the State of Michigan has partnered with local agencies and will begin paying city residents who work at state-supported bottled water distribution sites. Individuals who want to serve as community ambassadors to help distribute water should connect with an established distribution site. Individuals or groups who want to serve as unpaid volunteers can sign up on the United Way's online platform.

MDHHS is engaging in a long-term effort to eliminate lead action level exceedances, educate communities on the effects of lead in drinking water and remove lead service lines.

These efforts also include recently approved funds to remove lead from homes in the city. Families living in Benton Harbor can apply for this service by filling out and mailing in an application that is available online. Residents also can call 866-691-5323 to obtain information.

For questions about lead, MDHHS can be reached at 866-691-5323 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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City of Benton Harbor Water Resource Fair flyer
CONNERSVILLE, Ind. (AP)  A fire that badly damaged a Black city council members home in eastern Indiana is being investigated by the FBI after a racial slur was found spray painted at the house.

The fire broke out about 3:30 a.m. Friday at the home of Connersville City Councilman Tommy Williams, who is Black, while his wife said the couple and their two sons were away on vacation.
A GoFundMe page was set up for the victims of a recent Sanford house fire that destroyed everything they owned, including a vehicle, and left one of the residents in critical condition at Hurley Medical Center.

Marcia Saxon, who had recently moved in with her uncle, Paul Saxon, to start a new life after being diagnosed with breast cancer, is now battling third-degree burns to 36% of her body, said Paul Saxon.

He said his niece had been scheduled to start chemotherapy this past Monday, but was instead hospitalized on Oct. 24 after the fire.

Cherie Gilbert started the fundraiser for the pair. Visit https://bit.ly/3bzdcXH to donate to the fund. As of 5 p.m. Sunday, $395 had been raised toward a goal of $10,000.

"Paul is the type of person who will give you the shirt off his back and never expect anything in return," wrote Gilbert. "He wears his heart on his sleeve. He has never turned down anyone in need."

Paul Saxon is also a recent cancer survivor himself.

"Please help Paul get back on his feet right now," Gilbert said. "I'm pretty sure Paul will use most of these donations to help his relative recover."

Gilbert said any amount of a donation will help.

Jerome Township Fire Chief Jerry Cole said the house and the contents were a complete loss.

Paul Saxon got out of the house with his dog and then returned when his niece didn't come out. She was inside screaming for help. Unable to see through the thick smoke and flames, he followed her voice to find her. The fire started in the fireplace.

During the commotion, Paul's dog, Little Bit, got away. But neighborhood youngsters searched for the pet until 4 a.m. and found him safe.
One in five adults experience a mental health issue in any given year. Despite this number, there are deep-rooted stigmas associated with mental health that were long unchallenged.

Stigmas associated with mental health disrupts some patients and family members from seeking help because of misconceptions about mental health care.

As a way to combat this phenomenon locally, a mental health initiative recently launched.

The iMatter Anti-Stigma Campaign, an effort by the Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership and several other partners, aims to erase the stigma and open up the conversation that everyone deals with mental health from a variety of different perspectives.

With one perspective is Midland's J.W. Fisher.

Fisher is the president of Fisher Companies and team chairperson for the Great Lakes Bay Region Mental Health Partnership. He discusses the unique position employers are in to address mental health and shares the Owners Guide to Creating and Implementing a Mental Health Program and rollout of the iMatter Anti-Stigma Campaign.

"You wouldn't think maybe in 2020 that stigma would exist around mental health, but it does," he said in a campaign video. "Our employees were embarrassed to admit that they had problems. And they were actually kind of afraid that it would affect their employment if they had admitted it."

He shares more of his experience with employer opportunities surrounding mental health and more perspective below.

Watch Fisher's contribution to the campaign:

If you or someone you know is struggling, call the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or text BELONG to 741741.

For local stories from around the region, visit the iMatter Anti-Stigma Campaign website: https://www.greatlakesbay.com/i-matter-anti-stigma-campaign-resources.

The partners involved hope that the iMatter Anti-Stigma Campaign begins to eliminate the stigma around mental health, and beyond that, show you the strength of the human spirit, the power in community and connection and that you are not alone. For those interested in sharing their personal story around mental health, please email communications@mihia.org.
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called Monday for insurance refunds of up to $675 per vehicle to be quickly issued to drivers.

In a letter to the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, the Democratic governor cited a surplus of $5 billion that she attributed to premium overcharges and a 2019 law that cut insurers' medical costs for people injured in crashes. The surplus was up from $2.4 billion a year before, according to a report issued in the summer. She also said many residents have faced financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The association is a state-created nonprofit entity that reimburses car insurers for health care claims surpassing $600,000. Michigan used to require motorists to pay a unique, annual per-vehicle fee for unlimited health coverage until passage of the law.

The fee once surpassed $200 before dropping over two years to $86 currently. The coverage is optional as of last year, though about 80% of drivers have kept it.

Every insured motorist would be eligible for the refund.

Billions in surplus funds should not be held by insurers to invest for their own profit or be conditioned on renewal of a policy. The surplus belongs to Michigan policyholders and should promptly be returned directly to them in full, in the form of refund checks, Whitmer wrote.

MCCA Executive Director Kevin Clinton said the board, comprised almost entirely of insurance companies, will consider the request but having no surplus would be too dangerous.

The governor's proposal is both higher in terms of dollars coming out and sooner than the law says it should be.  I don't think that we will probably go as high as she does, even if the board decided something, because that would leave us with no surplus at all, he said.

Under the 2019 law, the state insurance director must hire an independent actuary starting next year and every third year after to audit the MCCA. If the review  due by September  shows the MCCA's assets exceed 120% of its liabilities, the difference must be refunded.

If we did the formula in the statute and applied it to today's numbers, it would mean about $100 per car, Clinton said.

The insurance industry said it supports giving money back to drivers, but potentially speeding the time frame makes it even more important to stay the course with the law, which includes a reduction in what insurers can be billed to reimburse medical charges.

The Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault, a group of health providers and plaintiffs' attorneys that opposed the 2019 law and is pushing for changes, criticized Whitmer's step. It said her administration should do more to investigate whether insurers overcharged motorists when claims were down in the pandemic.

The governors announcement seems designed to distract our attention away from the real issue  the fact that survivors of catastrophic auto accidents are suffering under the new law, and that auto insurance companies are continuing to gouge consumers, said president Devin Hutchings.

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Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
As voters go to the polls Tuesday across Greater New Haven, they will be offered choices in races for nearly all top seats and see relative newcomers to the political scene in some area communities.

Hamdens election is almost sure to bring a new mayor. Republican Ron Gambardella and Democrat Lauren Garrett, who won the September Democratic primary, will appear on the ballot for the towns top office.

Albert Al Lotto, an Independent, also is running for mayor as a write-in candidate. Incumbent Mayor Curt Balzano Leng, who lost the primary to Garrett, also registered as a write-in candidate, but has said he is not actively seeking reelection.

Meanwhile, Karimah Mickens, who received the Democratic endorsement to run for town clerk, is the only candidate for that office who will appear on the ballot. But Melinda Saller, who lost to Mickens in the primary, is running as a write-in candidate.

The election also will decide the make-up of the Board of Education and Legislative Council, with numerous Republican and Democratic candidates running. Two third-party candidates also are seeking local office.

In New Haven, Democrat Mayor Justin Elicker, seeking a second term, and Republican challenger John Carlson, who wants to break a Democratic lock on the mayors office that has lasted for two-thirds of a century, both are on the ballot.

Also in the race are an independent candidate, Hill resident Mayce V. Torres, and at least one write-in candidate, Morris Cove resident Gabriela Campos.

Polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

According to the most recent figures from New Havens Registrar of Voters office, the citys 56,309 active registered voters include 36,528 Democrats, 2,654 Republicans, 16,513 unaffiliated voters and 614 voters registered with various minor parties.

Election Day Registration will be held in the city at City Hall, 165 Church St.

In West Haven, incumbent Mayor Nancy Rossi, a Democrat, is seeking her third two-year term in a race against Republican 10th District Councilman Barry Lee Cohen.

Prior to October, the biggest issue in the race was economic development. Rossi has argued that her administration has turned around citys dismal finances and has begun to attract developers to the city to grow the tax base and restore vitality to the city. Cohen has charged that the city is doing it wrong, arguing opportunities coming to West Haven are not well-planned.

The election also comes amid a scandal: Michael DiMassa, a former City Hall employee who also had served in the state legislature as a Democratic representative, was arrested by federal agents last month on a wire fraud charge. DiMassa allegedly diverted about $636,000 of federal pandemic relief money from the city to a company he set up, through fraudulent invoices. Rossi has expressed support for the federal investigation and several audits of the citys finances. Cohen has said more oversight was needed.

In Orange, the race for the first selectman seat pits one of those political newcomers, Democrat Connor Deane, 29, owner of a successful Fairfield business, against eight-term incumbent Republican Jim Zeoli, owner of Shamrock Farm.

Deane has said throughout the campaign that Orange is at a point where it needs a new style of doing business to take the town to a new level.

Zeoli, who has a folksy way about him that resonates with many residents, maintains hes big on economic development and has an open-door policy, always willing to listen,

Both grew up in Orange.

One of the biggest issues between the two has had to do with whether children should wear masks in schools. Deane said at a debate that he is for following the science, he said, and going with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention current recommendation that all schools require universal masking.

Zeoli said at the debate that while teachers should be vaccinated and wear masks in school when in close proximity to students, children are like little heat engines and cant tolerate wearing a mask all day.

In East Haven, Democrat Mayor Joe Carfora, 59, is running for a second term against Republican Sal Maltese.

Carfora has said the planned expansion of Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is not a foregone conclusion and he wants the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority to take into consideration traffic, noise, environmental concerns and other issues that affect town residents.

He wants to turn the D.C. Moore School property into open space rather than selling it. His administration is working to refurbish the towns ice rink and to obtain financing to open a community pool.

Maltese is making his fourth run for mayor, having previously run as a Democrat, Republican and independent. He was the sole dissenting vote on the Town Council against this years budget, which did not raise taxes. Maltese said more should have been given to the school district.

Maltese opposes expansion of Tweed, as well as an affordable-housing project on Sperry Lane.

North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda, a Republican who is seeking his seventh term in office, is facing a challenge from Democrat Carl Kordek. Kordek is a newcomer to politics who says he wants to make North Haven a unique destination for tourists, while Freda hopes his experience and past record, which includes success in bringing businesses to town, will convince voters to reelect him.

In Branford, Republican Jamie Cosgrove is seeking a fifth term, running against Democrat rival Tom Brockett.

Cosgrove and his running mate for the Board of Selectmen, Angela Higgins, were nominated by the Republican Town Committee in July. The Democratic slate is made up of Brockett and his running mate, Ray Dunbar. Brockett is serving his second term representing the 7th District on the RTM, his campaign site says.

The Branford election also features races for town clerk, treasurer, tax collector, board of education, board of assessment appeals, constables and representative town meeting.

In Guilford, the only candidate for first selectman is incumbent Democrat Matt Hoey, as he does not have an opponent in the race.

Democrats and Independents in town are running on a fusion slate named Protect Guilford Schools for the Board of Education against Republican primary winners Parents for Guilford Students.

Parents for Guilford Students candidates Tim Chamberlain, Danielle Scarpellino, Aly Passarelli, Nick Cusano and Bill Maisano first began their campaign by claiming critical race theory was being taught in Guilford Public Schools, which officials said is not happening. The group also is focused on fiscal responsibility, educational excellence, transparency and accountability and cultivating student skills.

Protect Guilford Schools is composed of Democrats Arnold Skretta and incumbent Moira Rader and Independents Kristy Faulkner, Noel Petra and Jennifer Baldwin. Their platform states they value a honest, inclusive and equitable education for all children, support teachers and administrators, advocate for continuing science-based initiatives in support of the mental and physical well-being of students.

Information on Guilfords polling locations and districts can be found at www.ci.guilford.ct.us.

In Wallingford, Republican Mayor William Dickinson Jr. is seeking his 20th consecutive term, facing a challenge from Democrat political newcomer Riley OConnell. OConnell spent the past three years working in the criminal investigations unit of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

In Milford, Democrat Ben Blake is seeking his sixth term in the mayors seat, and promised that six consecutive years of tax cuts for residents is only the beginning. He is running against Republican Peter Berube, who has said he hopes to bring balance and transparency to the citys highest office.

Berube, who has never served in public office, said he brings management experience from his time in the military, work in the restaurant business and service on the Boys and Girls Club executive board in his battle against Blake.

In Ansonia, Republican Mayor David Cassetti is running unopposed this year, as is City Clerk Beth Lynch. Incumbent Republican Judy Nicolari is facing a challenge from Democrat Kianna DeCiucis. The ballot will also feature races for the Board of Aldermen, Board of Education and city sheriffs.

In Derby, Republican Mayor Richard Dziekan is facing a challenge from Democrat Joseph DiMartino in the states smallest city. The ballot also features a city clerk race between incumbent Marc Garofalo and challenger Michael Shea, and a treasurers race between Maria Conlon and Judy Szewcyk. Also, Owney Malerba is running against Peter Duhame for constable. Seats on the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen, Board of Apportionment and Taxation and Board of Education are also up for grabs.

In New Haven, the contested alder races include Ward 11, between Democrat Renee Haywood and Republican Gail Roundtree; Ward 13, with Democratic incumbent Rosa Ferraro-Santana, Republican Deborah Reyes and Green Party candidate Patricia Kane; Ward 17, where Democrat Salvatore Punzo faces Republican AnneMarie Rivera-Berrios; Ward 18, where Democratic incumbent Salvatore DeCola faces Republican Steven Orosco; Ward 20, where Democrat Devin Avshalom-Smith faces petitioning candidate Addie Kimbrough; and Ward 26, where Democratic incumbent Darryl Brackeen Jr. faces Republican Joshua Van Hoesen.

Reporters John Moritz, Mark Zaretsky, Meghan Friedmann, Luther Turmelle, Pam McLaughlin and Christine DeRosa and contributed to this story.
BEIJING (AP)  Chinas manufacturing activity contracted for a second straight month in October amid materials shortages and a widespread power crunch.

Chinas official manufacturing purchasing managers index dipped to 49.2 in October, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, down from 49.6 in September. The index is measured on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show activity increasing.

The indicators are closely watched as a barometer of Chinas economy. Analysts have warned activity may slow further as manufacturers grapple with the power crunch, shortages of materials and surging costs.

In a statement Sunday, National Bureau of Statistics economist Zhao Qinghe said that the drop in factory activity was due to tightened power supplies, higher costs for materials and slowing supply and demand.

Since September, local governments have been doubling down on meeting energy consumption targets set by Beijing to ensure Chinas carbon emissions peak by 2030. Factories and companies were ordered to reduce or even halt production temporarily.

Industries like textiles, iron smelting and non-metallic mineral products were among the hardest hit, Zhao said.

At the same time, many manufacturers face bottlenecks in getting supplies and in getting their products to customers.

The monthly purchasing managers index by Caixin, a Chinese business magazine, suggested that manufacturing activity grew in October compared to the previous month as demand recovered.

Caixins monthly purchasing managers index rose to 50.6 in October, up from 50 September. The Caixin index tends to focus on smaller, export-oriented firms, while the official PMI by the National Bureau of Statistics focuses more on large enterprises.

Official data also showed that service sector activity slowed down in October, falling to 52.4 from 53.2 last month. The services sector has been slower to rebound due to the pandemic, and is currently affected by a number of COVID-19 outbreaks in northern China.

The composite PMI, which captures activity from both the manufacturing and services, declined to 50.8 from last months 51.7.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  Christiana Figueres knows how to hammer out a climate deal, and she doesnt expect the United Nations conference that just started in Glasgow to end with the kind of big moment she engineered in Paris six years ago. But she remains optimistic, saying failure is not going to happen here.

Figueres, the former executive secretary of the U.N.'s climate change program, was a key architect behind the historic 2015 Paris climate agreement. She says the negotiations leading to the two-week conference in Scotland have not progressed enough to reach the U.N.s goals of cutting global greenhouse emissions in half from current levels and securing $100 billion a year in climate aid from rich nations to poor ones.

Those goals probably wont be hit for another two years, but thats OK, Figueres told The Associated Press.

From a science perspective, were still in time, even if we do it in two years, Figueres said in a late Sunday sit-down interview at the negotiations site. From a political perspective, it is a disappointment for many, and I understand. So I do not celebrate it, but I think that we have a responsibility to be honest and to really understand the complexity of what were doing here.

Asked if that means the negotiations will end in failure, like the U.N.'s 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen, she said: Its not going to happen here. No, no, no. There's actually been too much progress and too much has advanced for something like that.

Figueres called the climate statements that came out of the two-day Group of 20 summit in Rome that ended Sunday lackluster. Still she said she looks at where we are today, which is sizably much better than what we were in Paris six years ago.

Knowing what details worked to make the historic Paris 2015 agreement and the individuals still working on the issue makes her optimistic, Figueres said. In fact, she now runs a nonprofit organization called Global Optimism.

After the Copenhagen failure, Figueres office spent two years dissecting what went wrong and wrote a 300-page autopsy. One of the big changes was having the conference start with more than 100 heads of state attending for two days instead of leaders coming in at the end of the two-week annual meeting.

That works better because the leaders can set the tone and have more negotiating space to chart the course instead of getting bogged down in details looming at the end, said Figueres, who in Paris also kept the energy of U.N. staff members up with evening dance sessions after most people left.

For heads of state, it is actually a much better use of their strategic thinking, Figueres said.

Before leaving Rome for Glasgow on Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden called it disappointing" that Russia and China "basically didnt show up ahead of the climate conference with commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Two hours earlier, Figueres painted a far brighter picture of Chinas efforts and the strained U.S.-China relationship.

Figueres said it was unfair to say China was not showing up for the Glasgow conference because President Xi Jiping was not coming in person. She said Chinas long-time climate negotiator, who worked on four bilateral agreements that led to the 2015 Paris accord with then U.S. Secretary of State Jon Kerry, is a major force.

And she said China and the United States had high-level intense talks during the last two days and I am joyously expectant to hear results from that.

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Follow AP's climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's foreign minister is at home in quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus, the country's state TV reported on Monday.

According to the official IRNA news agency, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian's general condition was described as good. The report quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying the country's top diplomat is able to perform his work-related duties remotely.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  More Kentuckians vaccinated against COVID-19 are contracting the virus and ending up in hospitals, signaling the importance of getting a booster dose, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday.

Unvaccinated people still represent the overwhelming majority of new virus-related cases and hospitalizations. But the number of vaccinated Kentuckians in those categories has risen steadily, indicating their eventual waning immunity and the need for the booster shot, the governor said.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Philippine forces have killed a key communist rebel commander in one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies, in what the military described as a daring raid in the country's remote southern region, but what guerrilla leaders said was an ambush.

Jorge Madlos, who used the nom de guerre Ka Oris, was for many decades a leading figure and spokesman for the communist fighters in the southern Philippines' mountainous hinterlands.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said government forces killed Madlos in Bukidnon province on Saturday. He described the rebel's death as a major blow to the already-battered New Peoples Army guerrilla group.

Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner said villagers tipped off the military about the presence of about 30 rebels, who were holding discussions with residents in a remote village near Impasug-ong town. Fighter planes were deployed to fire rockets at the rebel position, which the military said was protected by land mines, before a ground assault was ordered.

After a gunbattle that lasted less than an hour, troops found the bodies of Madlos, 72, and his medical aide, their assault rifles and ammunition, Brawner said.

Justice has been served for those innocent civilians and their communities he terrorized for several decades, Brawner told reporters.

The guerrillas, however, said in a statement on a website linked to the group that the long-ailing Madlos was traveling with a rebel medic on a motorcycle to get medical treatment when government forces gunned them down. The rebels said both Madlos and his companion were unarmed and that no military airstrike or gunbattle took place.

Military commanders have blamed Madlos and his forces for years of deadly assaults against security forces, as well as attacks on mining companies and pineapple and other agricultural plantations to extort money, or what the guerrillas call revolutionary taxes, from local and foreign-owned businesses.

Madlos was blamed by the military for helping to plot a 2011 attack by more than 200 guerrillas on three nickel mining complexes in southern Surigao del Norte province which the rebels ransacked the site after disarming guards and holding several employees at gunpoint. One of the companies that came under attack, the countrys biggest nickel producer partly owned by Japans Sumitomo Corp., was forced to temporarily halt operations following the raid.

Madlos was a student activist who quit university and went underground after then-Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972. Distinguished by his trademark Mao-style cap, goatee and folksy manners, Madlos stuck it out with the insurgency even after falling ill more than a decade ago. In an interview with The Associated Press in 2010 from a rebel mountain camp in the south, he said that only one thing could make him leave his comrades.

Our retirement comes in death, Madlos said then.

The military says about 3,500 to 4,000 communist fighters remain despite years of rebel setbacks, surrenders and factionalism. Peace talks brokered by Norway collapsed between President Rodrigo Dutertes administration and the guerrillas after both sides accused each other of renewed deadly attacks.
Middletown Police / Contributed

MIDDLETOWN  A leading member of an organization targeting ATMs at commercial establishments across Connecticut was arrested last week after a yearlong investigation, according to police.

Joanberto Rivera, 22, of Belden Street in New Britain, was taken into custody on a 33-count arrest warrant on Friday, according to police. The charges ranged from corrupt organization and racketeering activity to various burglary, larceny and criminal mischief offenses, police said.
NORWALK  A quarter of the way through the school year, more than 60 positions in the citys public schools remain unfilled.

Norwalk Public Schools is actively recruiting to fill 63 vacancies, according to Brenda Wilcox Williams, chief of staff and communications for the district. The lack of teachers available is an issue not unique to Norwalk but to many school districts around the state.

Right now, were fortunate that our vacancies are much lower than some other districts, Wilcox Williams said.

The subject areas in Norwalk schools hit hardest by the shortage are math, science, bilingual education and special education. All four subjects were identified as shortage areas across the state for the 2021-22 school year by the state Department of Education.

The other shortage areas include school library and media specialists, school psychologists, speech and language pathologists, technology education, world languages, and teaching English to speakers of other languages.

Shortage areas are based on the vacancies reported by public school districts. The state also takes into account educator preparation programs that dont produce enough graduates to meet the needs of Connecticuts preK-12 student population and/or when a disproportionate number of teachers who are not certified in the appropriate field are hired to teach such courses.

Norwalk has hired 180 teachers for this school year, up from 112 hired for the 2020-21 school year. The district actively recruits throughout the year to fill expected and unexpected vacancies, whether theyre due to retirements, family leave, moves out of the area, or other reasons, according to Wilcox Williams.

The district lists jobs on education and general job platforms and in education journals. Recruitment outreach also includes radio and out-of-home advertising in the region, local and national universities, and the districts own job fairs.

Wilcox Williams didnt specify how many classes are currently being taught by long-term substitutes. The district works with ESS, a company that specializes in education staff, to hire and manage substitute teachers while it looks to fill permanent positions.

emily.morgan@hearstmediact.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A man died early Monday after being found with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle on a Kansas City street, police said.

Officers found the wounded man around 8:30 p.m. Sunday in a car on the eastern edge of the Blue Hills neighborhood, police said in a news release. The man was taken to a hospital, where police say he died overnight. Police did not immediately release the mans name.
MILWAUKEE (AP)  Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul on Monday announced a $115 million legislative package to strengthen gun control and create grants for community policing and mental health treatment programs.

The Democratic attorney general's proposals include funds for a wide array of criminal justice programs, including mental health crisis response programs, substance abuse diversion, re-entry opportunities and police officer recruitment and retention, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. It also includes gun-control measures, like universal background checks, that have not found success in the Republican-held Legislature.

Kaul unveiled the proposals, which he said would be funded out of a $4.4 billion tax surplus, at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. The city of Milwaukee has been hit especially hard with violent crimes amid a nationwide increase. In 2020, either the city or the county of Milwaukee set new records for homicides, nonfatal shootings, motor vehicle deaths and overdoses.

Kaul's opponent in next year's election, Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney, disparaged the proposal as a recycled, liberal wish list."

But Kaul said the grant programs would give communities an opportunity to tailor programs to fit their unique needs.

We have a real opportunity right now to invest resources into communities," he said.
An Illinois man has been sentenced to five years in prison for looking at child pornography during a commercial flight to Florida
CHICAGO (AP)  A judge on Monday suspended a Dec. 31 deadline for Chicago police officers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 but didn't interfere with a requirement that they be regularly tested.

Disputes over vaccinations should be handled as a labor grievance with an arbitrator, Cook County Judge Raymond Mitchell said.

The effect of this order is to send these parties back to the bargaining table and to promote labor peace by allowing them to pursue" remedies under Illinois law, Mitchell said.

The grievance process could last months, the city said last week.

Officers who haven't been vaccinated still must be tested twice a week under city policy. Officers also can lose work and pay if they don't disclose their vaccine status.

The principal risk to those who are unvaccinated is to themselves and to others who choose to be unvaccinated, the judge said.

Police have lagged behind other city departments in meeting the vaccine requirements, but the numbers have been slowly increasing. City data released Monday showed about 73% of Chicago Police Department employees had reported their vaccination status, and about 80% of those employees reported being fully vaccinated.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration announced the vaccine policy weeks ago, drawing sharp objections from police union leaders.

The judge noted that COVID-19 has killed many officers nationwide.

In light of that terrible sacrifice, the police unions' request just to have their grievances heard seems a pretty modest task, Mitchell said.

Council member and union ally, Alderman Anthony Napolitano, said taking the dispute to arbitration is a lot more American.

"Instead of forcing people to do something, you bring it to a conversation and arbitration. ... This has become too much of a control situation, Napolitano said of City Hall.

But another alderman, Chris Taliaferro, said the mayor shouldn't have to negotiate every policy with unions.

But in the meantime, I hope those that are not vaccinated really take a deep look and see the good and the science behind this vaccination, he said.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Gov. Tom Wolf's administration told more than 70,000 state employees on Monday that it is offering five days of paid leave for getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of the year, quickly drawing opposition from the state treasurer over the potential cost.

The administration told employees that five days of verification leave can be used between Dec. 20 and March 31. Employees who dont use the days by then will be paid for them and an employee who has verified their fully vaccinated status to the administration will automatically receive the days, it said.
The U.S. Senate on Saturday confirmed Carlos Del Toro as the next secretary of the Navy, ending months without a confirmed nominee in the service's top leadership post.

Del Toro, who will replace Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Harker, was confirmed by voice vote. Harker has been leading the Navy for just over 200 days since Jan. 20, the first day of the Biden administration.

The Trump administration had an acting secretary for 195 days after its 2017 inauguration. President Barack Obama waited 67 days; President George W. Bush, 124 days.

Del Toro is a former Navy officer and ship commander who was a CEO of an engineering and consulting firm until his confirmation.

Read Next: The Military's Award for Serving During War Isn't Going Away Despite Afghanistan Withdrawal

During his confirmation hearing, Del Toro emphasized the significance China will play in future Navy strategy, as well as budgetary and shipbuilding challenges.

"If confirmed, I'm going to be exclusively focused on the China threat and exclusively focused on moving our maritime strategy forward in order to protect Taiwan and all of our national security interests in the Indo-Pacific theater," Del Toro told Congress on July 13.

"We can no longer take U.S. naval superiority for granted," he warned in his opening remarks.

He added that the "Navy/Marine Corps team will need additional resources to be able to fully meet the combat effectiveness we will need."

The remarks came amid some congressional criticism that the proposed Navy's 2022 budget proposal funds research and development of projects such as a hypersonic missile over shipbuilding efforts.

Del Toro's confirmation also comes at a tumultuous time for the Navy's leadership. Former President Donald Trump's first secretary of the Navy, Richard V. Spencer, was fired in November 2019 over his handling of the case of former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher.

Gallagher was accused by service members of war crimes during a tumultuous deployment to Iraq in 2017. He ultimately was acquitted at court-martial on most charges but found guilty of posing for a photo with a prisoner's corpse. Gallagher was demoted, but Trump restored his rank and he was allowed to retire honorably.

Spencer described Trump's involvement in the case as "a shocking and unprecedented intervention" in a Washington Post editorial he wrote after his ouster.

Spencer was succeeded by Thomas Modly, who served as acting Navy secretary for a little over 100 days before resigning over a firestorm of events stemming from his firing of an aircraft carrier commanding officer who warned superiors of a growing COVID-19 crisis on his ship.

Army Undersecretary James McPherson, a prior-enlisted soldier and retired Navy lawyer, took over the job for just under two months until Kenneth Braithwaite was confirmed by the Senate in May 2020. Braithwaite saw the Navy through the end of the Trump administration.

Harker, Del Toro's predecessor, has been in the acting secretary role for just over 200 days -- one of the longest periods since the position was created in 1949.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement released Sunday, "Carlos Del Toro's lifelong pursuits and deep experience advancing America's national security make him well-prepared to serve as the 78th Secretary of the Navy.

"We remain the preeminent force in the world because of leaders like Carlos," he added, "and I have no doubt our Navy and our nation will be well served."

Military.com reached out to the Navy for details on when Del Toro will be sworn in but did not immediately receive a reply.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: The Navy's Undersecretary Announces His Retirement, Leaving the Branch Short On Permanent Leadership
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At least 30 per cent of the population or 40 crore individuals, called the 'missing middle', are devoid of any financial protection for health, said a Niti Aayog report.

In its report 'Health Insurance for India's Missing Middle', Niti Aayog has said that the expansion of health insurance or assurance coverage is a necessary step, and a pathway in India's efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

"Around 20 per cent of the population -- 25 crore individuals are covered through social health insurance, and private voluntary health insurance. The remaining 30 per cent of the population is devoid of health insurance; the actual uncovered population is higher due to the existing coverage gaps in PM-JAY and overlap between schemes," said the report.

As per the report, the 'missing middle' predominantly constitutes the self-employed in agriculture and non-agriculture informal sector in rural areas, and a broad array of informal occupations, semi-formal, and formal in the urban areas.

In the absence of a low-cost health insurance product, the 'missing middle' remains uncovered despite the ability to pay nominal premiums, said the report.

The report further suggests that a comprehensive product designed for this segment, which may be an improvement upon the existing Aarogya Sanjeevani plan and offering the patient cover, can expand the health insurance coverage.

The Niti Aayog report says that most of the Indian health insurance schemes and products are not designed for the 'missing middle'.

The private voluntary health insurance is designed for high income groups, which costs at least two to three times the affordable level for the 'missing middle'. Affordable contributory products such as ESIC, and the government subsidised insurance, including Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PM-JAY) are closed products. They are not available to the general population due to the risk of adverse selection, suggests the Niti Aayog Report.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
Three prepaid payment instrument operators, DigitSecure India Pvt Ltd, Kedia Infotech Ltd and Oxigen Services (India) Pvt Ltd and Muthoot Finance Ltd, the white-label automated teller machine (ATM) operator, have surrendered their certificate of authorisations (CoA). Accordingly, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled their CoA.

In a release, RBI says, Following the cancellation of the CoA, these companies (the three PPI operators) cannot transact the business of issuance and operation of PPIs. However, customers or merchants having a valid claim, if any, on these companies as payment system operators (PSOs), can approach them for settlement of their claims within three years from the date of cancellation.

DigitSecure India operated an e-wallet known as HotRemit. Kedia Infotechs e-wallet was known as Etran Wallet, while Oxigen Services operated its Oxigen Wallets as PPI.

DigitSecure India had received its CoA on 23 July 2012. Kedia Infotech received its certificate on 29 July 2015. Both these PPI operators decided to surrender their CoA on 30 September 2020. Oxigen Services had received its CoA on 18 January 2010 and decided to surrender it on 31 December 2020.

ATMs set up, owned, and operated by non-banks are called white-label ATMs (WLATMs).

Muthoot Finance had received CoA to set up, own and operate white-label ATMs on 30 January 2014. However, the company decided to surrender its registration certificate voluntarily. RBI says, on 30 September 2020, it cancelled the registration certificate of Muthoot Finance and Following the cancellation of the CoA, the company cannot transact the business of setting up, owning and operating White Label ATMs.

According to data from RBI , two more PPI operators, Oxigen Services, which was operating Bharat bill payment operating unit (BBPOU) under the Bharat bill payment system (BBPS) and Edenred (India) Pvt Ltd  nee Accor Services Pvt Ltd, which operates Ticket/ Ticket Restaurant/ Ticket Compliments vouchers have surrendered their CoA and it is under process.

In March 2014, Muthoot Finance, the countrys largest gold financing company, announced an ambitious plan to set up 9,000 white-lable ATMs. FIS Payment Solutions & Services India was the technical partner, and Federal Bank Ltd was the sponsor bank for these white-label ATMs.

At that time, George Alexander Muthoot, managing director (MD) of Muthoot Finance, had said, We have gone an extra mile by challenging ourselves to set up 9,000 WLAs within three years with the first 100 ATMs in March itself. Muthoot Finance would see about 1,000 white label ATMs in the first year itself, followed by 2,000 in the second year and a significant ramp up with 6,000 ATMs in the third year.

Earlier in August this year, RBI has levied a penalty of Rs6 crore on four white-label ATM operators for non-compliance of its certain provision. BTI Payments Pvt Ltd and Hitachi Payment Services were fined Rs2 crore each, while Tata Communications Payment Solutions and Vakrangee Ltd had been fined Rs1 crore each.

Off-site review of the operations of the WLA Operators had revealed non-compliance with directions issued by the RBI on ATM deployment and maintenance of net-worth, RBI had said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued revised guidelines to banks for opening new current accounts provided the customer has less than Rs5 crore credit exposure, either in cash credit (CC) or overdraft (OD) facility with the respective bank. The relaxation will benefit thousands of small businesses that were forced to close long-standing transaction accounts with banks due to earlier regulatory norms. Banks have been asked to implement the changes within one month.

The banking regulator has now eased some of the requirements of its current account guidelines for banks issued last year, allowing them to open credit facilities for State-run companies without any restrictions.

With the latest change, borrowers will be allowed to open current accounts without any restriction or on the provision of CC or OD facility by banks for borrowers with exposure of less than Rs5 crore.

However, this provision is subject to obtaining an undertaking from such borrowers that they shall inform the bank(s), as and when the credit facilities availed by them from the banking system reaches Rs5 crore or more.

However, in cases, the notification says such borrowers can maintain current accounts with any one of the banks with which it has CC or OD facility, where the exposure is Rs5 crore or more, provided that the bank has at least 10% of the exposure of the banking system to that borrower.

Further, other lending banks may open only collection accounts subject to the condition that funds deposited in such collection accounts will be remitted within two working days of receiving such funds, to the CC or OD account maintained with the above-mentioned bank maintaining current accounts for the borrower, the RBI said.

If none of the lenders has at least 10% exposure of the banking system to the borrower, the bank having the highest exposure may open current accounts, the circular says.

RBI says borrowers not availing CC or OD facility from banks shall continue to maintain current accounts. However, banks are permitted to open and maintain, without any curbs, inter-bank accounts with all-India financial institutions like the Exim Bank, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Housing Bank (NHB), and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

The circular says the permission will also be applicable for accounts opened under specific instructions of the Union or state governments, accounts attached by orders of the Union or state governments, regulatory bodies, courts or investigating agencies where the customer cannot undertake any discretionary debits.

However, banks will have to monitor all accounts regularly, at least on a half-yearly basis, specifically concerning the banking systems exposure to the borrower and the banks share in that exposure, RBI says.

The development comes after RBI considered the feedback received from Indian Banks Association (IBA) and other stakeholders.

In August 2020, RBI came up with additional measures to curb the use of multiple operating accounts for loans where banks have been directed not to open current accounts for customers already availing credit in the form of cash or overdraft (OD). The norms came into effect from December 2020.

The norms limiting current accounts to lenders who have a credit relationship was introduced to prevent diversion of funds by borrowers. However, it also caused problems for some borrowers who had opened accounts with banks that could provide internet banking support that their lending banks could not.

Banks were citing the same circular titled Opening of Current Accounts by Banks - Need for Discipline and freezing or closing current accounts stating that the customer has availed CC or OD facilities from some other bank and hence, it needs to close the account. Many businesses and organisations have been raising the issue with the RBI since August last year, and there was a major backlash on the social media on this issue a couple of months back.

In August 2021, RBI had extended the deadline for implementing the new current account norms by another three months till October-end, following requests from banks.
A large chunk of the total workforce in India earns its livelihood as informal workers. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a huge devastating impact on all the sectors of the economy, the effect has been felt more by the informal sector. While the formal sector is almost back to its pre-pandemic level, the informal sector continues to bear the brunt. At present, India's informal economy possibly is at a maximum of 15%-20% of formal gross domestic product (GDP), says a research note.

In the report, Dr Soumya Kanti Ghosh, group chief economic adviser of State Bank of India (SBI), says, "Formalisation of an economy is always better from a policy perspective. Our estimates show that 11.4 crore tax-paying households, 8.5% of the total population, contributes to Rs75 lakh crore or 65% of the private final consumption expenditure and cross subsidises 91.5% of the population. Hence it is important and ethical that even as we formalise, we must support honest tax paying households through a better-designed tax structure, particularly indirect taxes on items like fuel!"

India has a large informal economy, with around 93% of its total workforce earning their livelihoods as informal workers (NSSO 2014). "However, there has been a positive development in the Indian economy amidst the pandemic. Owing to the various efforts of the Indian government, there has been an increase in the formalisation of the economy. Based on specific examples, at least Rs13 lakh crore has come under the formal economy through various channels over the last few years, including the recent scheme on the e-shram portal," the report says.

A sizeable informal economy is not just the issue of emerging and developing economies. For example, as per IMF (International Monetary Fund), even in Europe informal economy is estimated at 20% of GDP. For India, SBI says, the plethora of measures post-2016 accelerated digitisation of the economy and emergence of the gig economy have facilitated higher formalisation of the Indian economyat rates possibly much faster than most other nations.

Dr Ghosh says SBI's starting point is an assumption that the shrinkage in the economy post-pandemic is primarily informal and hence, the loss in output across sectors gives us a measure of the informal sector.

"By making this assumption, we ensure that the size of the informal economy is still overstated as the shrinkage in the economy also consisted of formal. This ensures that our estimate is at least free from any downward bias in measurement. Employing this methodology and rigorous data validation, this article estimates that the informal economy is possibly at max 15%-20% of formal GDP. However, there is wide variation across sectors, with formal sectors like finance and insurance expanding post-pandemic," he added.

In this context, India's estimate done as of FY17-18 suggests the size of the informal economy at 52% of the economy. This number was expressed by the National Statistical Commission (NSC).

The informal sector in India consists of enterprises which are own account enterprises and operated by own-account workers or unorganised enterprises employing hired workers. They are essentially proprietary and partnership enterprises. Below table presents the share of informal sector gross value added (GVA) to total for FY17-18.

The informal size of the trade, hotels, transport, communication, and broadcasting that employs around 170 million households per the 2011 census is 40%. The informal sector in construction is also about 34%, which in public administration is around 16%. The manufacturing sector has an informal component of around 20%.

The share of the unorganised sector is highest in agriculture as the holdings are small and fragmented. Since FY17-18, a lot has changed in the Indian economic landscape. IMF has also noted that the formalisation of the economy has increased since the adoption of goods and services tax (GST), enhanced digitalisation and demonetisation.

However, SBI says, the significant formalisation efforts of the Indian government have resulted in almost 100% formalisation in finance, insurance, and to a large extent in real estate. Since FY17-18, the agriculture sector has been formalised by 20%-25% due to increasing Kisan Credit Card (KCC) credit penetration. This implies that informal share is now in the range of 70%-75% in the agriculture sector.

"The formal finance sector has even expanded by 10% post-pandemic, with the government's direct benefit transfer (DBT) transfers gaining traction. As expected, the utility services are also 100% formalised and in fact, the formal size expanded by 1% during the pandemic," the report says.

The Indian government has made many efforts for formalisation in the past couple of years. For example, SBI says, one of the sources to analyse the extent of formalisation is the monthly Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) payroll report which provides data on establishments remitting first electronic challan-cum-return (ECR) in a particular month.

"Based on this data, we estimate almost 36.6 lakh jobs have been formalised till August 2021. Next is the e-shram portal, which is the first-ever national database of unorganised workers. About 5.7 crore unorganised workers (as of 30 October 2021 and counting) have registered in the first two months after its launch, with 62% of workers belonging to the age group of 18-40 years and 92.0% registered workers having a monthly income of less than Rs10,000," it added.

State-wise data shows that the top-4 states accounted for 72% of total registration, with West Bengal on the top, followed by Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. Occupation-wise, agricultural sector workers account for 55% of registration, followed by the construction sector at 13%. Of the 57 million registered workers, 81.2% or 46 million have bank accounts but only 24% of them or 11 million workers have Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

The e-shram portal, according to SBI, is a big step towards the formalisation of employment as its calculation indicates that to date the rate of formalisation of unorganised labour due to e-shram is around 17% or Rs6.8 lakh crore and 3% of GDP in just two months.

Even in Agriculture, the usage of KCC has increased significantly and SBI estimates Rs4.6 lakh crore formalisation only through KCC route, with more marginalised farmers coming under the banking sector ambit through such usage.

The total number of insurance and pension accounts that have been opened across several schemes for the unorganised as well as organised is as much as 689 million.

According to SBI report, the power of the formal economy in India is enormous, with 8.5% of the population contributing to 65% of the consumption. According to the World Bank data, 61.7% of India's population lived spent less than $3.2 per day, or Rs224 per day and 20.6% of the population lived on less than $1.9 per day or Rs133 per day.

Considering 25% of the population still lives below $1.9 per day and 47% of the population lives below $3.2 per day, only 80% of the remaining 716 million, i.e., 572 million people work in the formal economy.

Furthermore, SBI says, "if we take each household supporting a family of 5, we get 11.4 crore which is roughly equal to the total number of taxpayers in the economy. Adjusting for the consumption of those below the poverty line (BPL), these 11.4 crore tax-paying HH or 8.5% of the population contributes to Rs75 lakh crore or 65% of the private final consumption expenditure."

"We believe that the Indian government should ensure that the existing tax structure is favourable to this tax-paying population that constitutes 8.5% of the population but cross subsidises 91.5% of the population. To that extent, the existing tax structure, particularly indirect taxes on fuel, should not be consumption negative," Dr Ghosh from SBI concludes.
The Biden administration will reopen the countrys land borders with Mexico and Canada in November to travelers fully vaccinated against COVID-19, lifting the pandemic restrictions for non-essential travel after 19 months.

The travel restrictions began in March 2020 and cut off people who wanted to shop or visit family in the U.S., which hurt businesses in border cities that depend on Mexican shoppers.
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP)  Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced his resignation late Sunday following the heavy defeat of his governing Social Democratic Union in North Macedonias local elections.

The responsibility for this outcome is mine and Im resigning as prime minister and as leader of the Social Democratic Union, Zaev said at a news conference at party headquarters.

Although official results were not yet in from the local elections, Zaev conceded defeat in the most important contest  the mayors race in the capital, Skopje, with incumbent Petre Shilegov losing to a center-right backed challenger, Danela Arsovska. Arsovska will become the capitals first ever woman mayor.

Candidates supported by the main opposition party, the center-right VMRO-DPMNE, appeared set to win at least half of the countrys 80 municipalities, with the Social Democrats set to win fewer than 20. At the last municipal elections, in 2017, the Social Democrats won 57 contests and VMRO-DPMNE only five.

Official results were expected Monday.

Zaev came out against early national elections, saying he will support a Social Democrat-led government under a new leader.

Hristijan Mickoski, the leader of the center-right main opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, called for an early parliamentary elections to be held.

The governing party is now delegitimized, and this is a new reality. The best way now are early elections, Mickoski said, after declaring victory in the local election.

The last national election was held in July 2020 and a new one does not have to be held until 2024. But everything will now depend on the countrys Parliament.

Under the countrys constitution, the Parliament has to vote to accept Zaevs resignation, and that is not a given. The governing coalition has a small majority, with 62 seats in the 120-seat Parliament  46 from the Social Democrat-led We Can coalition of 23 parties, 15 belonging to the the countrys largest ethnic Albanian party and one from the Democratic Party of Albanians.

VMRO-DPMNE leads the Renewal coalition of allied small parties, which has 44 seats, while the Alliance of Albanians has 12 and the fiercely leftist and nationalist Left party has two seats.

If Parliament does accept Zaev's resignation, negotiations would begin to form a new Cabinet under a different Social Democrat leader and that could be protracted.

This is the first time in North Macedonias 30-year history that a prime minister has resigned after a defeat in local elections.

During his first term, which lasted from 2017 to 2020, Zaev resolved a long-lasting dispute with Greece of the country's name. Greece said the original name of Republic of Macedonia and certain clauses in the countrys constitution implied territorial claims on Greece's northern province of Macedonia.

Under the agreement achieved with Greeces then-leftist government in June 2018, the country changed its name to North Macedonia  although its citizens are called Macedonians  and amended its constitution in exchange for Greek support for the countrys efforts to join the European Union and NATO. North Macedonia became NATOs 30th member in March 2020.

Greeces now governing center-right New Democracy party, which opposed the agreement with North Macedonia, has committed to abide by it, but VMRO-DPMNE still strongly opposes it.

While in power earlier, VMRO-DPMNE claimed supposed connections with the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia and erected a giant statue of Alexander the Great in the capital of Skopje, even though ethnic Macedonians are Slavs descended from people who came to the region centuries after Alexander.

Zaevs government and the just-defeated mayor of Skopje, took down the statue and other ancient Macedonian symbols.

___

Associated Press writer Demetris Nellas in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  In a markedly more humble tone for a U.S. leader, President Joe Biden acknowledged at a U.N. summit Monday that the United States and other energy-gulping developed nations bear much of the responsibility for climate change, and said actions taken this decade to contain global warming will be decisive in preventing future generations from suffering.

"None of us can escape the worst that is yet to come if we fail to seize this moment, Biden declared.

The president treated the already visible crisis for the planet  flooding, volatile weather, droughts and wildfires  as a unique opportunity to reinvent the global economy. Standing before world leaders gathered in Scotland, he sought to portray the enormous costs of limiting emissions from coal, oil and natural gas as a chance to create jobs by transitioning to renewable energy and electric automobiles.

Yet he also apologized for former President Donald Trump's decision to leave the Paris Agreement and the role the U.S. and other wealthy countries played in contributing to climate change.

Those of us who are responsible for much of the deforestation and all of the problems we have so far, Biden said, have "overwhelming obligations to the poorer nations that account for few of the emissions yet are paying a price as the planet has grown hotter.

As for Trump's action, Biden said: I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit.

His words, in seemingly impromptu comments, appeared a break from past comments of many U.S. leaders, who either made little mention of U.S. responsibility for the warming earth or  as Biden himself did on the eve of the climate summit  blamed China as the world's current biggest emitter of climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes.

Over history, scientists say, its the United States that has pumped out the most climate-damaging pollution of any nation, as coal, diesel and gasoline powered the United States and other developed nations to wealth.

Biden, who briefly closed his eyes at one point during the speeches, used the summit to announce he planned to work with the U.S. Congress to provide $3 billion annually to help poorer countries and communities cope with climate damage, as developing nations increasingly are demanding of established, wealthier economies.

At Glasgow, the magnitude of the moment is crashing head-first into complicated global and domestic politics. The Biden administration is exhorting other nations to make big, fast emissions cuts to stave off the worst scenarios of global warming. But the president is simultaneously fighting to nail down his own climate investments with Congress that would keep the U.S. on track with Biden's own pledges.

Well demonstrate to the world the United States is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example, Biden said. I know it hasnt been the case, and thats why my administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words.

The summit is often billed as essential to putting into action the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, which Biden rejoined after becoming president this year. The Trump administration largely withdrew from hands-on diplomacy. Part of Biden's efforts at the climate summit and the gathering of the Group of 20 nations in Rome last weekend was to reestablish the U.S. as a partner.

But Biden and his administration face obstacles in prodding the U.S. and other nations to act fast enough on climate, abroad as at home. In the runup to the climate summit, the administration has tried hard to temper expectations that two weeks of talks involving more than 100 world leaders will produce major breakthroughs.

Rather than a quick fix, Glasgow is the beginning of this decade race, if you will, Biden's climate envoy, John Kerry, told reporters Sunday.

As the summit opened, the U.S. was still struggling to get some of the world's biggest climate polluters  China, Russia and India  to make stronger pledges to burn far less coal, gas and oil and to move to cleaner energy. China under President Xi Jinping has made firmer commitments to cut back on coal power and make other cuts, but not at the pace that the United States and its allies are asking.

Scientists say massive, fast cuts in fossil fuel pollution over the next several years are essential to having any hope of keeping global warming at or below the limits set in the Paris climate accord.

Trump before his presidency famously accused China of manufacturing climate change, and Trump's administration invariably pointed to China as the top climate offender in justifying its rollbacks of U.S. climate measures.

Biden, too, said he was disappointed that the Group of 20 summit in Rome before the Glasgow gathering failed to nail down stronger promises on climate.

Russia and China basically didn't show up at the Rome meeting with new climate commitments, Biden told reporters Sunday night. Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor China's Xi attended the G-20 and climate summits. Xi sent a senior official, his climate envoy, to the Glasgow summit.

The Biden administration on Monday also released its strategy for transforming the U.S. into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050.

The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris agreement, would increasingly run the world's largest economy on wind, solar and other clean energy. More Americans would zip around in electric vehicles and on mass transit. And state-of-the-art technology and wide open spaces carefully preserved could soak up carbon dioxide from the air.

As with much of Biden's climate promises, fulfillment of the long-term strategy depends in part on lawmakers and American voters, both blocs that are now sharply divided.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters traveling with the president that climate change should not viewed as a rivalry between the U.S. and China, as China, the worlds second largest economy, could act on its own.

Nothing about the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and China, structurally or otherwise, impedes or stands in the way of them doing their part," Sullivan said.
Chip Somodevilla/Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/G

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has been diagnosed with COVID-19, sidelining President Joe Bidens top spokesperson.

While I have not had close contact in person with the president or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday  and tested negative for four days after that last contact -- I am disclosing todays positive test out of an abundance of transparency, she said in a statement. I last saw the president on Tuesday, when we sat outside more than six-feet apart, and wore masks.
The Texas economy is strong because policymakers trust employers to run their businesses in ways that grow jobs and maintain a productive workforce. A healthy workforce results in a more productive workforce, and the ongoing pandemic reminds us how quickly illness can impact the global economy  resulting in slowed manufacturing, the inability to get goods to consumers, job losses and lost tax revenue.

Texas policymakers must allow Texas employers to decide their own best practices to maintain workplace health and safety. To do otherwise would establish a concerning precedent of state interference into determining what workforce health and safety policies are best, without regard for a particular industrys needs or the differences in manufacturing work environments.

Texas employers should have the ability to decide whether vaccines or other safety measures make sense for their workforce  and they dont need federal or state mandates to make that decision. There are employers for whom vaccines make sense for their workforce and barriers to vaccine access for those employees should be eliminated. For employers who decide that other safety measures are appropriate for their workplace, these options should be available. Any one-size-fits-all approach to workplace safety has the potential to harm the economy.

Currently, Texas employers are prohibited from requiring vaccines for employees or consumers who object based on undefined reasons of conscience, which creates uncertainty for employers and an inability to effectively participate in any complaint process.

Policies that compromise employers ability to effectively run their businesses come at a steep cost. Just as there would be a tremendous cost of complying with government mandates to vaccinate an entire workforce, there is a hefty economic cost associated with prohibiting adequate workplace health and safety measures for employers for whom COVID-19 safety protocols make sense.

Texas economist Ray Perryman said, Preventable decreases in output (gross state product) due to the inadequate reaction to COVID-19 total $13.4 billion on an annualized basis. Employment losses were found to reach almost 72,000 jobsthe typical worker who is unable to return to work due to the current situation results in a loss of $66,552 in output for their employer and $186,755 to the overall state economy on an annualized basis. Economic activity generates tax receipts, and the failure to implement meaningful measures leads to notable losses in state revenues of $339.1 million on an annualized basis.

Embracing pro-growth policies, including employer-determined health and safety policies for the Texas manufacturing sector, matters to communities and our economy as a whole. More than 880,000 Texans have a job in manufacturing, earning more than $90,100 a year, nearly 50 percent higher than other non-farm workers. On average, each manufacturing job created provides five additional jobs. In all, manufacturers in Texas account for more than 13 percent of the total output in the state  more than $241 billion in 2019.

People looking for work have options to consider jobs that align with their personal preferences. There are more job openings in the United States than there are people looking for work. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, there were more than 8.7 million unemployed Americans in July, which translates to 0.80 unemployed workers for every one job opening in the U.S. economy. Non-farm business job openings rose to 10,934,000 in July, a new record. In the manufacturing sector, job openings jumped to 889,000 in July, another record high.

Every one of these employers needs the flexibility to determine how best to ensure the safety and health of their workforce. The ability to run a business without overly intrusive government interference is the mainstay of the Texas economy. Now is the time to stay the course on the principles that have made Texas an economic powerhouse.

--

Tony Bennett is the president and CEO of the Texas Association of Manufacturers.
Horry County police said Monday that a person had been taken into custody in connection to the weekend killing of 55 year-old Amy Kopacz at her Little River home.

The Horry County Coroner's Office said Kopacz was found dead Saturday from injuries sustained during an assault and that police are investigating the death as a homicide. A police report lists the date of the offense as Friday at 7 p.m.

Horry County police said Monday morning that Colby Kopacz had been arrested in Florida, but that he had not yet been charged nor had warrants been served. Police have not said if he's related to the victim. It's unclear when he was taken into custody.

According to a heavily redacted police report that lists the offense as a motor vehicle theft, officers responded around 7:30 p.m. Saturday to a residence on the 4000 block of Little River Inn Lane for a report of a suspicious death. Horry County Fire Rescue EMS were already on scene and said the victim was in the residence, deceased.

The report said the responding officer requested the department's criminal investigations division. The redacted report does not say if CID responded.

Police are still investigating.
Morgan County likely will see new representation in Congress, with incumbent Darin LaHood saying he will seek office in a redrawn district that shifts several west-central counties away from him.

Under a map of new congressional districts approved last week by state legislators, the existing 18th Congressional District LaHood now represents  which includes among its counties Morgan, Cass, Schuyler and Sangamon  would be blended into other districts.

Those counties, along with most of west-central Illinois except for a sliver of Macoupin County and most of Sangamon County, will become part of the re-imagined 15th District. The massive, Tetris-piece-like district extends the width of the state, going as far south as Collinsville and north to just below Buffalo Prairie. It is sliced by the 13th District, which meanders from Bellevue to Champaign.

LaHood, a four-term Congressman, first was elected in 2015 and was re-elected to the office last year with more than 70% of the vote in what is considered a Republican stronghold in Illinois.

More Information To see the congressional district boundaries, go to bit.ly/3mGMSBH. See More Collapse

Saying it was unfortunate that politics has played such a huge role in the redistricting process, LaHood said he was confident the opportunity exists for me to continue my service in Congress.

He will run for office in the 16th District, which carves an area from near Bloomington north to the Wisconsin border.

As I travel across Illinois, it is clear there is more work to be done to restore a Republican majority in Congress, LaHood said in a statement. Ive spoken to voters across the state and its clear they want a strong conservative voice in Washington representing our values and speaking for our communities.

The 15th District, meanwhile, would shift to Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, who has not said if he plans to seek re-election. Davis has indicated he may make a run for the partys nomination to challenge Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who will be seeking re-election.

Congressional boundaries must be redrawn every 10 years based on the newest U.S. Census numbers  figures that resulted in the loss of one of the states current 18 congressional districts because of a drop in population.

Although the process often sparks criticism because the ruling political party in the state controls the process, this year has raised particular ire among Republicans, who contend they essentially were shut out of discussions.

Not a single Republican in the state Legislature voted for the Democrat-drawn districts.

Analysts say the new map would result in Illinois having 14 Democrats and three Republicans in Congress; that would give Democrats one more seat than present and take away two from the GOP.

Pritzker still must approve the maps. Although he said while campaigning for office that he would not accept election maps drawn by politicians, his stance since has softened.

Governor Pritzker lied to voters when he promised to take politics out of the mapping process in Illinois, said LaHood, who added that he was grateful to the residents across Illinois who have encouraged me to run and already pledged their support to our campaign.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison denied that he lied to French President Emmanuel Macron while secretly negotiating a submarine deal with the United States and Britain, an accusation that has escalated a rift over Australias surprise cancelation of a French deal.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce suggested France was overreacting, saying, we didnt deface the Eiffel Tower.

Australia in September dropped the 5-year-old, 90 million Australian dollar ($66 million) contract with majority French state-owned Naval Group to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines. Instead, Australia formed an alliance with Britain and the U.S. to acquire a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines built with U.S. technology.

Macron told Australian reporters late Sunday in Rome, where both he and Morrison attended the Group of 20 nations summit, that the new alliance was very bad news for the credibility of Australia and very bad news for the trust that great partners can have with Australia.

Answering a reporters question about whether he thinks Morrison lied to him, Macron replied, I dont think, I know he lied.

Morrison said he did not lie to Macron, while senior Australian government ministers criticized the French leader for escalating the dispute through the personal slight.

We didnt steal an island, we didnt deface the Eiffel Tower, it was a contract, Joyce said in the New South Wales town of Moree on Monday.

Contracts have terms and conditions, and one of those terms and conditions and propositions is that you might get out of the contract. We got out of that contract, Joyce added.

Joyce's office could not say whether steal an island was a reference to the English Channels tiny Sark Island, which unemployed French nuclear physicist Andre Gardes attempted to overthrow with an assault rifle in 1990.

The bizarre event inspired the 2013 movie, The Man Who Tried to Steal an Island.

Cabinet Minister David Littleproud described Macrons criticism of Morrison as unreasonable.

Morrison could not reveal that the United States had offered Australia nuclear-propulsion technology when the two leaders dined together in June for national security reasons, Littleproud said.

I was very clear that the conventional submarines were not going to be able to meet our strategic interests, Morrison said.

Macron refused to take Morrisons phone calls after the submarine furor broke until hours before the Australian leader was to fly to Rome last week. The pair did not hold a bilateral meeting in Rome, but Morrison said they had spoken several times" and would likely do so more in the coming days. Both leaders will attend the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, this week.

U.S. President Joe Biden told Macron last week that the U.S. had been clumsy in its handling of the Australian submarine alliance. Biden said he thought Macron had been informed long before the deal was announced.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese, who is aiming to become prime minister after elections due by May, said Morrisons credibility had been tarnished over the submarines controversy.

Its important that Australians have a leader on the world stage who is trusted on that stage, whose word can be counted, Albanese said. But what we see is that being drawn into question very directly by the president of France and also the president of the United States.

Asked by a reporter if Australia could have handled it better, Joyce replied, With hindsight. He then drew an analogy to the Melbourne Cup, Australias best-known horse race, which will be run on Tuesday.

If only I could put a bet on last years one, geez, Id make some money, Joyce said.

___

This story corrects that the deputy prime minister spoke at Moree, not Canberra.
EDWARDSVILLE  Two people have been charged with providing alcohol to an under-aged drinker involved in an accident that killed a Bethalto family in August.

Brandon M. McKinnon, 23, of Jerseyville and David P. Thomae, 55, of Godfrey were each charged Friday with permitting violation of liquor control act causing death, a felony.

The cases were presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department.

McKinnon and Thomae are accused of having knowingly delivered alcoholic beverages to Blake Jones, 18, of Worden.

Their bail was set at $15,000 each.

Jones was charged earlier this month in the accident that claimed the lives of John A. Cafazza, 55, his wife Melissa R. Cafazza, 52, and their son, Dominic J. Cafazza, 12.

Jones has been charged with three counts of aggravated driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or more resulting in death, three counts of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in death, and three counts of reckless homicide, all felonies.

According to information released by Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn, John Cafazza stopped at an intersection about 7:43 p.m. Aug. 13 and was turning left when a pickup truck sped through the intersection, ignoring a stop sign, and collided with the Cafazza vehicle.

The Cafazzas died at the scene.

Jones, who police said was driving alone, was treated at a St. Louis-area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  A closely contested race for governor in Virginia entered its final hours Monday with Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin both hoping for last-minute momentum amid a contest that's emerging as a referendum on Joe Biden's presidency.

McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018, is scrambling to stave off disaster in a state that has become reliable Democratic territory in recent years. Biden carried Virginia by a comfortable 10 percentage points last year, but Youngkin's campaign is optimistic about his prospects of becoming the first Republican to win a statewide race since 2009.

This is a moment for Virginians to push back on this left, liberal, progressive agenda, Youngkin, a former private equity executive, told a rally at an airport hangar outside Richmond.

Voters were also poised to decide a New Jersey governors race Tuesday, as well as mayoral elections in many of the nations top cities. Also, a ballot question that could remake policing in Minneapolis, after George Floyd's death there last summer, could have national implications.

But the political repercussions were farthest reaching in Virginia, where McAuliffe again offered the message he's repeated throughout the campaign  that his opponent will bring former President Donald Trump's divisive style of politics to an increasingly blue state.

Im closing my campaign with you in Richmond, McAuliffe said during his own swing through the state capital. He is closing his campaign with Donald Trump. Really?

That was a reference to the former president holding a Virginia tele-rally Monday night  though Youngkin himself didn't participate.

Tomorrow Id like to ask everyone to get out and vote for Glenn Youngkin. Hes a fantastic guy, Trump told an invited group of supporters by phone. The future of this commonwealth  this great, great commonwealth  is on the ballot tomorrow.

Trump, who slammed McAuliffe as part of what he called the radical Democratic Party that is out of touch with the state's voters, said a GOP victory would send a great, great, strong message to President Joe Biden and other Democratic leaders in Washington. He said it would also show the media, which the former president accused of playing up a gulf between himself and Youngkin because theyd like our big, giant, beautiful base  like theres never been before  to not vote as much as theyre going to.

Not everyone agrees. Bennie Pressley, who attended Youngkins Richmond rally, described herself as a Trump fan but said she worried that the last-minute Trump appearance could turn people against Glenn.

The country is nuts when it comes to Trump, she said.

Indeed, except for promises to safeguard election integrity  a nod to Trump's lies about last year's presidential race being stolen  Youngkin has done his best to eschew help not only from Trump but also most top national GOP leaders. Doing so has allowed him to court moderate Republicans and swing voters.

Another name not appearing on Tuesday's ballot is Biden's, yet his approval ratings have fallen in recent weeks and his administration will likely get a lot of the blame nationally if its party doesn't prevail in Virginia. The Democratic-controlled Congress has yet to approve a major public works bill or a sweeping spending package that would dramatically increase government support for the social safety net  providing still more potential political headwinds against McAuliffe.

Still, some Youngkin supporters credited their preferred candidate with keeping the race focused on Virginia, not Washington.

Hes a straight shooter, said Dan Maloy, a 53-year-old small business owner. He cares about the issues that we care about. You know, its food on the table. Whats the cost of groceries? Whats the cost of gas? What do we need to do to move Virginia forward?

Early voting in Virginia, which has been dramatically expanded during the past two years of unified Democratic control of state government, ended this past weekend. Legislation passed in 2020 eliminated the need to provide one of a certain number of limited excuses to vote absentee  allowing any qualified voter to cast a ballot starting 45 days before the election.

More than 1.1 million out of the states approximately 5.9 million registered voters cast early ballots. Thats down sharply from the 2.8 million early votes in last years presidential election but marks a dramatic increase when compared with about 195,000 early votes during the last gubernatorial cycle, before the voting reforms were instituted.

McAuliffes campaign has pointed to what it considered strong early voting numbers in blue-leaning localities, but also says it expects many Democrats to revert to their pre-coronavirus pandemic voting habits this year, preferring to cast in-person, Election Day ballots.

Republicans, despite generally opposing the Democrats election reforms, have also encouraged their supporters to vote early this year, and Youngkin's team said it has seen encouraging signs. Virginia voters dont register by party, so the partisan split of the early vote wasnt clear.

Its scary to see things so close, said Brooke Hall-Ewell, a 50-year-old nurse who lives in Richmond and attended McAuliffes Monday event.

She said abortion was a key issue for her and McAuliffe has promised to defend reproductive rights. Weve got to keep Virginia blue, Hall-Ewell added.

Youngkin was ending Monday in Loudoun County, which encompasses Washington suburbs that have become the epicenter of parent activist groups who object to school curriculums that include instruction about institutional racism as un-American. He has made pledges to ensure parents have greater say in what their kids are taught a centerpiece of his campaign  possibly foreshadowing similar arguments GOP candidates will use across the country in races next year.

McAuliffe, who preceded Democrat Ralph Northam as governor in the only state that doesnt allow its executive to serve consecutive terms, countered by accusing his opponent of using children as pawns. Polls began to tighten, however, after a late September debate when the Democrat said he didn't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.
CAIRO (AP)  Tribal protesters on Monday lifted their weekslong blockade on Sudans main seaport and oil pipelines, and reopened roads linking the port to the rest of the country, a tribal leader said, following a deal with the military to remove the barricades for one month.

The development comes a week after the military dissolved the transitional government in a widely condemned coup in Sudan that threatens to further derail the country's already fragile transition after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

Pro-democracy activists have accused the military of engineering the port blockade and another pro-military protest outside the presidential place in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to deflect from their military takeover of the country.

Kamal Sayed, secretary general of the Baja tribal council, told The Associated Press the tribal leaders have reached a deal with the military to lift the blockade of the Red Sea port and oil pipelines, and reopen roads in the eastern city of Port Sudan for one month, to allow the formation of a new government.

The council represents six nomadic tribes that live in northeastern Sudan where the port is located. They have held street protests in Port Sudan for the past two months, setting up barricades and staying out on the streets to block the port, a lifeline for the country, oil pipelines and major roads.

The tribal protesters demand the military fully dissolve the transitional government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, whom the army put under house arrest following the coup. They also demand that a peace deal struck last year with a rebel alliance in the east be renegotiated.

The generals have denied accusations of engineering the port blockade, saying that the protesters demands in Port Sudan and in Khartoum are legitimate and should be negotiated politically.

In the weeks before the coup, Hamdok's government and the U.N. had tried unsuccessfully to negotiate the reopening of the port and the key roads.

Sayed, the tribal official, said the makeshift barricades at the ports terminals and the main highway liking Port Sudan to Khartoum was removed on Monday morning. He said the barricades would be reinstated if their demands are not met.

The blockade has caused food and fuel shortages across Sudan, with the government warning last month the country was running out of essential goods, including medicines, food and wheat.

Meanwhile in Khartoum, a semblance of normalcy has returned, with several roads and bridges reopened after weeklong tensions and protests against the militarys takeover.

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum said that movement in and around Khartoum has improved since Saturday, but that military checkpoints remain in place in several areas. Protesters have continued to set up makeshift barricades in some neighborhoods around Khartoum.

Simon Manley, Britain's ambassador to the U.N. mission in Geneva, said that some 50 countries have requested an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Council on the Sudanese militarys takeover. The actions of the Sudanese military are a betrayal of the revolution, the transition & the hopes of the Sudanese people, Manley tweeted.

Also Monday, security forces rearrested the country's former foreign minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, hours after his release from a Khartoum prison, local media reported.

Ghandour was first arrested in June last year as part of efforts to dismantle al-Bashirs Islamist regime. He was released late Sunday along with other former officials and al-Bashir allies, according to the Sudan Tribune news website.

No reason was given as to why Ghandour was rearrested. He had headed al-Bashirs now-dissolved political party and his release  which was also not explained  had stirred up controversy and anger among the pro-democracy movement.

Sudan's military rulers also dismissed the countrys acting chief prosecutor, Mubarak Mahmoud Othman, late on Sunday, according to the state-run Sudan TV. The report offered no details.

Meanwhile, the U.N. envoy for Sudan, Volker Perthes, said mediation efforts were ongoing in Khartoum by a host of actors to find a way out of the crisis. Since last week, U.N. representatives have shuttled between the military and pro-democracy leaders.

Theres a lot of shuttling, Perthes told U.N. correspondents in New York in a virtual press conference from the Sudanese capital.

Hamdok remains under house arrest but is allowed to meet with foreign envoys. Perthes met with Hamdok on Sunday. The U.N. envoy did not elaborate on Hamdok's circumstances  or expand on any demands or conditions by coup leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan.

Perthes said both Hamdok and Burhan are interested ... in mediation and have accepted a wise persons committee to shuttle between them and develop ideas. He also said that at demonstrations, Hamdok has become very much a symbol" of civilian leadership of Sudan's revolution, pointing to more images of the prime minister than previously seen.

I think by having him resume his offices, the situation would de-escalate much, and it would be much, much easier to discuss all the outstanding, controversial issues, Perthes said.

Everybody wants to find a way out, he also said, adding that there are hopes that contours of a package" for negotiations could emerge in the next few days.

___

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Today

Walking for Wellness: 7 a.m.-1 p.m., Jacksonville High School Bowl, 215 S. Church St. Free | Indoor walking program open each day Jacksonville schools are in session.

Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m.-noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents.

Blood Drive: 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Jacksonville Community Center, 1309 S. Main St. | To donate, contact ImpactLife Springfield at 1-800-747-5401 or go to bloodcenter.org and use code 61209 to locate the drive.

Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers and can be picked up at side door.

Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445.

Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need.

The Wild World of Falconry: 7 p.m., Jacksonville Public Library, 201 W. College Ave. Free | Learn about the world of falconry from licensed falconer, Audrey Sohikian, with a live raptor. Zoom presentation is available to view at home or in-person at the library. For Zoom information, email Sarah at ssnyder@jaxpl.org for link. If attending in-person, no registration required. 217-243-5435.

.

Tuesday

Walking for Wellness: 7 a.m.-1 p.m., Jacksonville High School Bowl, 215 S. Church St. Free | Indoor walking program open each day Jacksonville schools are in session.

Produce and Bakery Giveaway: 9 a.m.-noon, Jacksonville Food Center, 316 E. State St. Free | For Morgan County residents.

Free Noon Meal: 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Salvation Army, 331 W. Douglas Ave. | Meals in to-go containers and can be picked up at side door.

Walking for Wellness: 12:30-3 p.m., First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. Free | Indoor walking program offered year-round Monday-Thursday. For more information, call 217-243-6445.

Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen: 3:30-4 p.m., Spirit of Faith Soup Kitchen, 105 E. Dunlap St. Free | Serving meals to go for anyone in need.

.

To submit items to the calendar, go to myjournalcourier.com and select calendar, or email jjcsocial@myjournalcourier.com. Items must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance.
Joanna was a 25-year active member of a local organization. She had served in many capacities in her organization and was serving on the nominations committee, whose job it was to develop a slate of officers for the new year. The committee was discussing the qualifications of various members and one of the members Sadie said, Well, if you ask me, we need new blood.

Joanna looked confused, What do you mean?

Sadie answered, We have some of the same ol members serving over and over again. Its time for new people with new ideas. Joanna was offended and told Sadie. Sure, lets get some new individuals as nominees, but lets appreciate the ones we have who bring experience to the table.

Max was the school superintendent of a medium-sized school district and he was known for encouraging teachers to retire early. After all, he could hire people he wanted and also get new blood, as he liked to brag. He had some top-notch, award-winning teachers in his school, but frequently he would talk about how he had found this new teacher who was going to bring innovative and futuristic ideas to the school. Max also sold his board on the fact that with the teacher shortages in some areas, they should give sign on bonuses to new people. They didnt discuss any recognition or extra pay for their current employees.

Both Max and Sadie devalued the individuals who had served in their roles and had experience. They insulted the people who were working hard for the organization. Both were engaged in put-downs of individuals with experience. They were biased against those individuals, and without realizing it they were engaged in discriminatory practices.

We want to think that they were making these comments unintentionally but perhaps they were not. They may have been the kind of people who were never satisfied with what they had and were always looking for the magic power of someone or something new. What they may not realize is that they are being destructive to the future of the organization or school system.

We probably all know people who are never happy with what they have and always want new furniture, new clothes, or a new car. Is it normal to want something new? Yes, it is but sometimes we realize the new is not as good as what we had. We have to reflect on what we have, appreciate it, and adjust to the new. However, if we throw it all out, we may find ourselves wishing we had some of the old back.

Strong organizations, schools and other businesses for that matter will only grow when they have experienced individuals and those new individuals who bring novel ideas into the system appreciating the value of everyone. Those groups who are quick to push out the experienced individuals in the hope of new blood and, perhaps in some cases cheaper hires, hurt their organization. Many years ago, the state of Illinois offered incentives for educators to retire, policy-makers thought that getting rid of the old and replacing with new and cheaper employees was going to be a tremendous savings to the state. It not only de-valued the educators with experience but it was short-sighted. There was a brain drain of educators that has now resulted in a teacher shortage. Now schools find themselves looking for substitutes who are retired teachers. As a friend of mine said, Now I go into a school and they treat me so well, almost like royalty. If they would have treated me that way before I would have never left.

A few years ago, a large school district hired building principals who had business backgrounds. They were charged with cutting the teachers who were at the top of the salary schedule. One of the building principals failed the test of being subtle, he walked into a 30-year veteran award-winning teachers classroom at the end of the day and told her he was going to terminate her at the end of the school year.

We also see a trend that has emerged known as sign-on bonuses. Companies want to hire people, so they are offering thousands of dollars to new employees. In many cases, they are offering nothing to their loyal employees. The message is we dont value you, we want new.

Its time we value and respect the diversity in our organizations that includes those with experience and those entering the workplace. Multiple views and levels of experience and appreciation and respect are the ingredients to the future of our systems.

Beverley Holden Johns of Jacksonville has 40 years experience working with students with learning disabilities or behavioral disorders. She was the founder and administrator of the Garrison Alternative School in Jacksonville and later the coordinator for staff development for the Four Rivers Special Education District. She is now an author and a learning and behavior consultant.
A lot of ink has been spilled analyzing Democrats $3.5 trillion spending package, but this tax-and-spend spree is not the only threat to our economy and Americas global competitiveness.

An antitrust package that passed the House Judiciary Committee would create a regulatory wrecking ball bureaucrats and regulators could use to punish companies for growing, making the U.S. less economically competitive.

Democrats $3.5 trillion tax plan would make the U.S. corporate tax rate the third-highest among industrialized nations. That has rightfully raised concerns over how companies may move offshore and take jobs with them. However, tax treatment is not the only metric businesses are sensitive to. The regulatory landscape can similarly cause businesses to make rational decisions and industries to move to more hospitable areas. Countries looking to be economically competitive and an attractive place for businesses to flourish cant punish innovation.

Unfortunately, thats exactly what the House Judiciary antitrust package does. Even more concerning are reports that the Senate is considering companion antitrust legislation. The implications of harsher tax treatment are bad, but the ramifications of heavy-handed regulations could cause similar damage. Collectively, the legislation that Democrats shepherded out of the House Judiciary Committee earlier this year would attempt to punish companies success and create an antagonistic bureaucracy to prevent innovation and growth.

The most obviously destructive piece of legislation is a bill by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., that would take the radical step of breaking up American companies. A fellow Democrat on the Committee said it would, take a grenade and just roll it into the tech economy and just blow it up, and see what happens. However, other bills in this package would similarly damage Americas role as a global leader in technology and innovation.

Rep. David Cicilline, D-Rhode Island, has the American Choice and Innovation Online Act, which would ban self-preferencing for a handful of large technology companies. Far from being a nefarious practice or one exclusive to technology companies, consumers come in regular contact and benefit from self-preferencing. Groceries stores offer private labels that compete with name brands, streaming services offer exclusive content produced in-house, and gas stations both extract and sell gas directly to consumers.

Rather than working to protect consumers from harm as the antitrust policy is intended to, this bill empowers the government to evaluate the business model of companies and bring them down to government-approved size. This approach punishes businesses for offering valuable services that consumers widely enjoy. Dressed up as antitrust reform, these antitrust bills essentially give federal regulators free rein to snipe at businesses.

Its not by chance that these major technology companies are all located in the United States. Aggressive European regulators have made their continent a far less appealing place for innovative companies to set up shop. However, we shouldnt mistake the present for permanence. Much like high taxes can drive out businesses, onerous regulations can have the same effect.

As technology develops, there are bound to be public policy problems that need to be addressed by Congress. These issues should be remedied with targeted, reasonable reforms. However, this antitrust package puts a premium on limiting the size of companies rather than prioritizing consumers and innovation. Instead of punishing growth, lawmakers should craft tax and regulatory legislation that protects consumers and rewards innovation.

Will Yepez is a policy and government affairs associate with the National Taxpayers Union, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for taxpayers at all levels of government. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
Shanghai Disneyland tests 33K, closes 2 days over 1 contact View Photo

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Fireworks boomed as visitors at Shanghai Disneyland waited for COVID-19 test results, surrounded by health care workers dressed from head to toe in white protective suits.

Shanghai Disneyland announced suddenly Sunday evening that it was no longer accepting any new visitors and was cooperating with an epidemiological investigation from another province. They then locked down the park as Shanghai city healthcare workers and police rushed to conduct a mass testing of the visitors already inside.

After testing everyone, the park will remain shut on Monday and Tuesday as it continues to cooperate with pandemic prevention efforts, Shanghai Disneyland said in a statement Monday.

The parks sudden lockdown and temporary closure underscored just how serious China is about enforcing its zero-tolerance pandemic prevention strategy.

Globally, many countries have turned to living with the virus, whether out of choice or necessity, although as virus surges come and go, many face overburdened health care systems and additional deaths.

In China, which has kept its borders sealed since March 2020, the response has been to cut the chain of transmission of the virus as quickly as possible. With a strict quarantine-on-arrival policy, the authorities have aimed to stamp out each local outbreak to zero  helping China keep its reported totals to 4,636 deaths and 97,243 cases since the pandemic began.

The case that may have prompted Disneylands actions involved one person whose illness was discovered in the nearby city of Hangzhou and had visited the theme park on Saturday, local media reported.

For hours on Sunday night, tens of thousands of families and visitors were stuck in the park as they waited for a negative test result that would allow them to leave.

The city announced Monday morning that all 33,863 people who had been at the park over the weekend had tested negative for COVID-19. They will be asked to get tested again and their health will be monitored.

One Disney fan, who gave her family name as Chen, said she was inside the park when she heard an announcement at 5 p.m. that everyone must get tested.

No one complained, and everyone behaved really well, Chen said. She said she holds an annual membership and visits the park at least once a month. She is waiting at a hotel for her second COVID-19 test before she can go back to Beijing.

Shanghai Disneyland is just the latest example of how far Chinese authorities will go to stop the spread of the virus.

Last Thursday, Beijing Railway authorities told health authorities in Jinan to stop a train that was traveling from Shanghai to Beijing because one passenger was a close contact of someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Jinan health authorities then sent health care workers, transportation workers and police rushing to the station to quarantine the passengers and disinfect the train. They sent 212 people into centralized quarantine, including the close contact.

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Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.

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This story corrects that Chen is waiting for her second test, not her second test result.

By HUIZHONG WU

Associated Press
The Latest: Japan PM promises strong push for emission cuts View Photo

The latest on U.N. climate summit COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland:

TOKYO  Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is heading to the U.N. climate summit saying his country will push strongly for emissions reductions.

Talking to reporters before leaving for Glasgow on Tuesday, he said: I hope to show to the international community Japans strong determination to achieve carbon neutrality (at home) by 2050 and realize zero emissions across Asia.

The overseas trip is Kishidas first since he took office a month ago.

Kishida is expected to outline Japans emissions reduction effort in his speech at the summit. Tokyo announced in April a target of 46% reduction by 2030 from fiscal 2013 levels to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Kishida is also expected to hold talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a few other leaders during his several-hour visit.

His trip comes just after a key parliamentary election in which his governing party and its coalition partner secured leadership.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Britain says it has gained the backing of more than 100 countries to end deforestation, which scientists say is a major driver of climate change.

The U.K. government said Monday at this years U.N. climate conference that it has received commitments from leaders representing more than 85% of the worlds forests to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

More than $19 billion in public and private funds have been pledged toward the plan, which is backed by countries including Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Indonesia, Russia and the United States.

Forests are considered important ecosystems and an important way of absorbing carbon dioxide  the main greenhouse gas  from the atmosphere. But the value of wood as a commodity and the growing demand for agricultural and pastoral land are leading to widespread and often illegal felling of forests particularly in developing countries.

Campaign group Human Right Watch cautions that similar agreements in the past have failed to be effective.

Luciana Tellez Chavez, an environmental researcher at the group, says strengthening Indigenous peoples rights would help prevent deforestation and should be part of the agreement.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The Bezos Earth Fund pledged $2 billion Tuesday to fight climate change through landscape restoration and the transformation of agricultural systems.

Our commitment today supports a three-fold imperative  we must conserve what we have, restore what weve lost, and grow what we need in harmony with nature, the funds founder, Jeff Bezos, said in a statement.

The $2 billion pledge at COP26 is part of $10 billion that the Amazon founder committed earlier this year to spend by 2030 in an effort to battle climate change.

The Bezos Earth Fund plans to spend $1 billion mainly in the United States and Africa, planting trees to better secure eroding landscapes and restoring areas that capture high levels of carbon dioxide. The remaining $1 billion will be earmarked for transforming agricultural systems to try to increase crop yields, reduce food waste and encourage more plant-based diets.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  A coalition of governments and private funders announced plans at COP26 Monday to invest $1.7 billion to aid Indigenous communities and protect biodiverse tropical forests in the next four years.

Governments from the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and 17 other private funders said the money will support activities to secure, strengthen and protect Indigenous Peoples and local communities land and resource rights, and provide other kinds of aid, including for group activities.

We call on other donors to significantly increase their support to this important agenda, the donors said in a statement. It did not specify which communities would get the funding.

A spokesperson for The Ford Foundation, one of the funders, told The Associated Press the governments are providing approximately $1 billion, while the rest will come from the philanthropies. In addition to the Ford Foundation, funders include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos Bezos Earth Fund and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloombergs Bloomberg Philanthropies.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Queen Elizabeth II has welcomed world leaders to the U.N. climate summit in a pre-recorded video message, saying the time for words has now moved to the time for action.

The 95-year-old monarch had been expected to attend the Glasgow summit, but she had to cancel the trip after doctors said she should rest and not travel. The queen recently underwent medical checks and spent the night at a London hospital  her first hospital stay in years.

In the video message, played Monday during a welcoming reception for presidents and prime ministers, the queen said she hoped that the conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship.

History has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope, she said in the video, which was recorded on Friday at Windsor Castle.

In a tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, the queen said she was happy to welcome the delegates because the environment was a subject close to Philips heart. In a rare public display of emotion, she said she could not be more proud that Philips environmental work lives on through the work of their eldest son, Prince Charles, and his son Prince William.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Environmental activists expressed anger Monday at what they consider the slow pace of action to curb climate change.

Youth campaigners from several countries marched on the opposite bank of the River Clyde from where the U.N. climate summit was being held, holding banners with slogans such as We are watching you.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg accused world leaders and government officials inside the conference of pretending to take our future seriously.

Change is not going to come from inside, she said, adding: No more blah blah blah. No, whatever the (expletive) theyre doing inside there.

Earlier Monday, Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti made an impassioned appeal to world leaders to open your hearts to those already feeling the effects of global warming, saying that drought in her home country means many are going without food.

As I sit comfortably here in this conference center in Glasgow, over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation, she said.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted that curbing climate change must not come at a high cost to people and businesses, saying technology will provide solutions to the climate crisis.

Australia has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and at the COP26 climate conference on Monday, Morrison said by 2030 Australias emissions will be 35% below 2005 levels. That is more than Australias commitment, made in Paris six years ago, but still weaker than many other wealthy nations. The United States has committed to reductions of between 50% and 52% below 2005 levels.

Morrison said technology will have the answers to a decarbonized economy, particularly over time  and achieve it in a way that does not deny our citizens, especially in developing economies, their livelihoods or the opportunity for a better quality of life.

The Australian leader said raising the cost of energy just impacts on those who can afford it least and said driving down the cost of technology would be key to Australia hitting its net-zero target.

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GLASGOW  Indias prime minister says his country will aim to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070  two decades after the United States and at least 10 year later than China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the target Monday at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow.

Modi said the goal of reaching net zero by 2070 was one of five measures India planned to undertake to meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord.

Experts from think tanks and universities said the move is significant, considering how new the concept is to India and the nations development status. Ulka Kelkar, who directs Indias climate policy analysis for the World Resource Institute, said it would be similar to the U.S. and Europe adopting net-zero goals 20 years ago.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The British government sees some cause for optimism at the COP26 talks, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the world is running out of time to defuse the doomsday device of climate change.

Johnsons spokesman, Max Blain, said we are seeing some positive signs so far that leaders recognize the urgency of the situation.

World leaders were given stark warnings as their summit opened Monday by Johnson, the head of the United Nations and delegates from countries threatened by sea rise or drought because of global warming.

Behind the scenes Johnson has been pressing major polluters, including India, Indonesia and Russia, to improve their carbon-cutting plans.

Blain said we expect to see countries to come forward with some more commitments during COP26. We continue to encourage that those are ambitious, measurable targets that can be delivered particularly in the next decade.

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GLASGOW  President Joe Biden offered a public apology to a U.N. climate conference over his predecessor Donald Trumps move to pull the U.S. from the Paris accord.

Biden was speaking in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday where world leaders were gathering to discuss implementing the agreement to contain global warming by mid-century.

He said: I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit.

Biden has frequently criticized the past administrations approach to climate, but had not previously delivered a public apology to the world.

Biden reentered the agreement in one of his first official acts in office on Jan. 20.

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GLASGOW  French President Emmanuel Macron challenged the worlds biggest emitters to immediately step up commitments to curb carbon emissions, saying doing so within the coming days is the only way to make global efforts to slow climate change credible.

Macron defended the legacy of the 2015 Paris accord, but acknowledged that countries are far from fulfilling their promises to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees since the industrial era. We know that we are not there yet, he told the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow on Monday.

The key for the next 15 days here is that the biggest emitters  raise their ambitions, Macron said, without calling out specific countries. Its the only way to make our strategy credible  and to make 1.5 degrees a credible figure.

Noting that indigenous people are the first victims of this climate disturbance and that nations in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean are particularly hard hit, he called on rich countries to speed up deep transformation of the way they trade and invest.

France sees itself as a guarantor of the Paris accord after hosting the historic talks but France has not fully met its own promises so far under the accord. Some activists protested Monday in Glasgow, calling on Macron to do more.

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RIO DE JANEIRO  Brazil on Monday stepped up its commitment against greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to halve them by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels, while critics alleged the government is tinkering with data.

We present today a new, more ambitious climate goal, Environment Minister Joaquim Leite said at the U.N. Glasgow climate conference.

Brazil previously targeted 43% fewer emissions by 2030 versus 25 years earlier.

The announcement in Glasgow represents another effort by the Brazilian government to project itself as a responsible environmental steward in the wake of surging deforestation and fires in Brazils Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands in recent years. But critics cautioned that its shift should be viewed with skepticism.

Experts have accused Brazil of previously adjusting its emissions targets in a way that would allow it to release more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The government significantly increased the estimate for its baseline, making its target easier to accomplish.

Rodrigo Agostinho, a member of the Brazilian delegation to Glasgow, told The Associated Press that no one trusts Brazil anymore  and that wont change even with a more ambitious emissions target.

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GLASGOW  President Joe Biden urged world leaders to the meet the challenge of global warming, saying there is no more time to hang back or argue amongst ourselves about the peril facing the planet.

Glasgow must be the kickoff of a decade of ambition, Biden told world leaders in remarks at Mondays COP26 summit.

Biden said within the growing catastrophe of a warming climate there was an incredible opportunity to stave off problems caused by extreme weather, diminishing resources and other disastrous impacts caused by climate change. He said the crisis also offered an opportunity to make a generational investment to grow economies around the globe.

The president also said he wants to do more to help countries around the world to address the challenges caused by climate change.

The Biden administration on Monday released its strategy for transforming the U.S. into an entirely clean energy nation by 2050. The long-term plan, filed in compliance with the Paris accord, lays out a United States increasingly running on wind, solar and other clean energy.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Germanys outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel urged other countries to put a price on carbon emissions, which are the main cause of global warming.

Merkel  who chaired the first Conference of the Parties, or COP1, in 1995  said the world needs a comprehensive transformation of way people live and work if it wants to curb climate change.

Speaking Monday at the ceremonial opening of this years U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Merkel said she wanted to make a clear plea for the pricing of carbon emissions to help promote the most efficient ways of reaching net zero, a goal many countries are striving for by 2050.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says his government plans to increase its climate finance by 50% by 2025 as a contribution to the common pledge made by rich economies to pay developing nations to help them fight and adapt to climate change.

Developed countries have fallen short of a commitment to reach a contribution of $100 billion every year to developing nations from 2020 to 2025.

Speaking to leaders at the COP26 U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Sanchez said Monday that Spain plans to increase its contribution and reach 1.35 billion euros ($1.56 billion) in 2025 and every year after that.

Meeting the $100 billion target is going to be one of the litmus tests of COP26, Sanchez said. When it comes to regaining trust between the countries of the North and the South, Spain will do its part.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The prime minister of Barbados has told world leaders that failing to act urgently on climate change will be a death sentence for people in island nations like hers.

Mia Amor Mottley told leaders at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow that nations facing the biggest threat from global warming fear the gathering will not achieve its goals.

She said that both ambition and, regrettably, some of the needed faces at Glasgow are not present. The leaders of China, Russia and Turkey are among those who have not come to the summit.

Mottley told leaders they must try harder, saying vulnerable countries needed trillions of dollars, not the billions so far committed, to adapt to climate change and green their economies.

She said simply put: When will leaders lead?

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti made an impassioned appeal to world leaders to open your hearts to those already feeling the effects of global warming.

Speaking Monday at the ceremonial opening of the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Wathuti said drought in her home country means many are going without food.

As I sit comfortably here in this conference center in Glasgow, over 2 million of my fellow Kenyans are facing climate-related starvation, she said. In this past year, both of our rainy seasons have failed, and scientists say that it may be another 12 months before the waters return again.

Wathuti urged leaders to take the necessary action to tackle climate change.

The decisions you make here will help determine whether children will have food and water, she said.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  British naturalist David Attenborough gave leaders at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow a brief lesson is the fragility of the planet and humanitys dependence on the natural world.

The 95-year-old documentary-maker, who was announced at Mondays ceremonial opening as the peoples advocate, spoke ahead of presidents and prime ministers from more than 100 countries.

Attenborough said for much of humanitys existence, the climate on Earth had swung wildly before stabilizing 10,000 years ago, allowing human civilizations to flourish.

The stability we all depend on is breaking, he said.

Attenborough said the action necessary to curb greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would prevent dangerous global warming is possible, if countries move quickly and decisively.

We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth, he said. If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to destabilize our planet. Surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  Activists in costumes have posed as world leaders playing in a traditional Scottish bagpipe band on Monday as world leaders came together at the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow.

The Oxfam campaigners wore kilts and said that world leaders need to come up with more action and not only hot air to tackle the climate crisis.

These leaders, instead of reducing emissions and putting the world on a safer path, they are just blowing hot air, and we have had enough of hot air and empty promises, what we are asking for is for concrete action, Oxfam Climate Policy Lead Nafkote Dabi said.

We need climate finance, poor countries need climate finance, vulnerable communities need climate finance, and they need to be serious about this, to support vulnerable countries, to adapt to the worst impact of the climate crisis.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  The head of the United Nations warned leaders at the global climate summit in Glasgow that we digging our own graves by burning fossil fuels and destroying the environment.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the ceremonial opening of the two-week talks Monday that believing recent announcements by governments could turn the tide on climate change were an illusion, not least because there are serious questions many countries pledges.

As we open this much anticipated climate conference, we are still heading for climate disaster, he said.

Guterres urged major economic powers, including emerging nations like China, to go the extra mile because they contribute the lions share of global greenhouse gas emissions.

He also criticized a confusion over emissions reductions targets, and announced the creation of a new group of experts to propose clear standards for measuring commitments from businesses and other non-state actors.

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MOSCOW  The Kremlin says that Moscow remains fully committed to global efforts on controlling climate change even though Russian President Vladimir Putin wont attend the U.N. climate conference this week.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the format of the conference in Glasgow wouldnt allow the Russian president to address the gathering via video link. But he added that Putin will record a video address to be delivered to a forest and land use conference which is part of the U.N. climate conference.

Peskov told reporters Monday that Russia fully shares global climate efforts and will stick to its goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The U.S. and the EU have prodded Moscow to set a more ambitious goal and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Peskov charged that Russia is already ahead of some Western European countries regarding the share of low-carbon power generation sources. The Kremlin spokesman also emphasized the need to pay special attention to the needs of developing countries while mapping global climate efforts and consider their low emissions in the past.

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GLASGOW, Scotland  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opened a global climate summit saying the world is strapped to a doomsday device.

Johnson likened the Earths position to that of fictional secret agent James Bond strapped to a doomsday device that will destroy the planet and trying to work out how to defuse it.

He told leaders we are in roughly the same position and that only now the ticking doomsday device is real and not a movie.

He was kicking off the world leaders summit portion of a U.N. climate conference aimed at getting an agreement to curb carbon emissions fast enough to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) below pre-industrial levels.

Britains leader struck a gloomy note on the eve of the conference after Group of 20 leaders made only modest climate commitments at their summit in Rome.
France offers reprieve in post-Brexit fishing fight with UK View Photo

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  Frances president offered Britain extra time for negotiations on Monday to try to reach a compromise on a troubling post-Brexit fishing spat, hours ahead of a threatened French blockade of British ships and trucks.

France has threatened to bar British boats from some of its ports and tighten checks on boats and trucks carrying British goods if more French vessels arent licensed to fish in U.K. waters by Tuesday. Paris has also suggested it might restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands, which are heavily dependent on French electricity.

The French government had said the port blockade would begin at midnight Monday if no compromise was found. But late in the day, French President Emmanuel Macrons office said talks would continue this week and no measures would be taken until at least through Thursday.

Speaking to reporters Monday in Glasgow, Scotland, where he is attending an international climate conference, Macron said the discussions center on a proposal he made to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after they met at the G-20 meeting in Rome on Sunday.

I asked the British to come back to us tomorrow with other propositions, Macron said. We will see where we are at the end of day tomorrow.

The British government has said throughout the long-running dispute that it is not engaged in a negotiation, and it is entirely up to France to end the conflict, which centers on fishing licenses in the English Channel. The spat has turned into a big sticking point in EU-Britain relations after the U.K. left the bloc earlier this year.

The British government welcomed Frances move to delay its ultimatum.

As we have said consistently, we are ready to continue intensive discussions on fisheries, including considering any new evidence to support the remaining license applications, the U.K. government said in a statement. We welcome Frances acknowledgement that in-depth discussions are needed to resolve the range of difficulties in the U.K.-EU relationship.

The two countries said Britains Brexit minister, David Frost, and French Europe Minister Clement Beaune would hold talks in Paris on Thursday.

Earlier Monday, the European Commission said it had called a meeting involving officials from Britain, France and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, which are self-governing British Crown dependencies with control over their own territorial waters, to allow for a swift solution on the outstanding issues in the dispute over French fishing boats access to British waters.

The fishing spat has escalated into a major U.K.-French dispute, with both sides accusing each other of contravening the Brexit trade deal that the U.K. signed when it left the EU.

Paris says authorities in the Channel Islands and Britain have denied permits to French boats that have fished in waters where they have long sailed, scooping up lobster, sea snails, sea bream and other fish from the English Channel. Britain says it has granted 98% of applications from EU vessels, a proportion that French authorities have questioned.

Britain says a few dozen boats have not been given permits because they have not shown the required paperwork to back up their applications.

We absolutely stand ready to grant more licenses should the requisite evidence be provided, said the British prime ministers spokesman, Max Blain.

As Mondays talks took place, anxious French fishing crews unloaded scallops on the French coast near the British island of Jersey, tense about what the coming hours would bring.

Jersey, which is only 14 miles off the coast of France, issued 49 temporary licenses to French boats. The government of Jersey said the vessels will be able to fish in Jersey waters until Jan. 31 to grant time for further data that is necessary for it issue permanent licenses.

Fishing is a tiny industry economically, but one that looms large symbolically for both Britain and France, which have long and cherished maritime traditions. Since the start of the year, both sides have control of their waters, subject to the post-Brexit trade deal.

Dimitri Rogoff, who heads the regional fishing committee on the French coast near Jersey, said French crews have been providing paperwork for 10 months. He said he didnt understand why Britain is making a big deal over 20 or 30 boats, and that he hoped that the French governments threats could incite our British friends to be a bit more conciliatory.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned France that the U.K. will not roll over in the face of what she termed unreasonable threats from Paris.

The French need to withdraw those threats, otherwise we will use the dispute resolution mechanism in the EU deal to take action, Truss told BBC radio. Were simply not going to roll over in the face of these threats.

Macron noted that the dispute stemmed from Britains decision to leave the EU, saying, Get Brexit Done wasnt my motto.

While Macron said it was important to defend the French fishing industry, he expressed hope for a negotiated solution so that the countries could work together on other problems.

The United Kingdom and European Union have so many challenges  climate change, technological change, the cohesion of our nations, geopolitics, Macron said.

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Pylas reported from London. Angela Charlton in Paris and Jill Lawless in Glasgow contributed.

By JEFFREY SCHAEFFER and PAN PYLAS

Associated Press
President Joe Biden View Photo

President Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a joint press conference to announce a new U.S.-EU Agreement On Steel And Aluminum Trade.

Biden was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

Good afternoon, everyone.

Im here with the European Commission President von der Leyen, whos been a great partner, because the United States and the European Union have reached a major breakthrough that will address the existential threat of climate change while also protecting American jobs and American industry.

Together, the United States and the European Union are ushering in a new era of transatlantic cooperation thats going to benefit all of our people  both now and, I believe, in the years to come. Its a testament to the power of our strong partnership and to what the United States can accomplish by working together with our friends.

Heres what this deal does: It immediately removes tariffs on European Union  on the European Union on a range of U.S. products and lowers cost to American consumers. It ensures a strong and competitive U.S. steel industry for decades to come and creates good-paying union jobs at home. And  and  it demonstrates how by harnessing our diplomatic and economic power, we can reject the false idea that we cant grow our economy and support American workers while tackling the climate crisis; we can do all three of those things. We can and we must do both.

The American workers are a central part of the solution to the climate crisis. And I would argue  Ive said before, or  that when I think climate, I think jobs; I think of good-paying jobs around the world. You know, I think its possible for us to do both, as I said. And the workers are a central part of this solution.

Building on our close partnership on our shared values, the United States and the European Union have committed to negotiate a carbon-based arrangement on steel and aluminum trade. This  these arrangements will, one, lift up U.S. aluminum and steel, which is among the greatest steel in the world  thats somewhat prejudiced on my behalf; incentivize emission reductions in one of the most carbon-intensive sectors of the global economy; restrict access to our markets for dirty steel from countries like China; and counter countries that dump steel in our markets, hammering our workers and harming them badly along with the industry and our environment.

Today is a testament of the power of American diplomacy and strong partnerships to deliver tangible benefits for American workers and the middle-class families in America.

I thank Gina Raimondo and Ambass-  our Secretary  and Ambassador Katherine Tai for their leadership to get this done. But they had a really first-rate person to work with to get it done. And I want to thank the European Commission President von der Leyen for her  her team and her partnership. Shes been straightforward from the very beginning as we worked to come up with a creative solution that benefits all of our people.

Over the past nine months, the United States and the European Union have come together to take on major global challenges by looking to all that unites us and the shared interests we have both in Europe and the United States.

We resolved the 17-year Boeing-Airbus dispute. And weve been close partners to the  to address COVID-19 and combat climate change.

As we move forward, were going to continue together to update the rules of the road and the 21st century economy, and prove to the world that democracies  democracies  are taking on hard problems and delivering sound solutions. And the European Union and the United States will continue to be the closest of friends and partners as we work together to solve the 21st century challenges.

So, I thank you again, President von der Leyen. And now I turn the podium over to you. Thank you.

PRESIDENT VON DER LEYEN: Thanks a lot.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: I think Im over there.

PRESIDENT VON DER LEYEN: Thank you very much, Mr. President  dear Joe. Thank you very much.

And Im also very pleased to announce that, Mr. President, you and I, we have today agreed to suspend the tariffs on steel and aluminum and to start the work on the new Global Sustainable Steel Arrangement.

And this marks a milestone in the renewed EU-U.S. partnership. And it is our global first in our efforts to achieve the decarbonization of the global steel production and trade.

It is a big step forward in fighting climate change. The arrangement is, of course, open to all likeminded partners. Steel manufacturing is one of the highest carbon emission sources globally.

And for steel consumption and trade to be sustainable, we must address the carbon intensity of the industry. We must also address problems of overcapacity. And this is what the Global Sustainable Steel Arrangement is all about.

We will work together with the United States to ensure the long-term viability of our industry and to encourage the production and trade of low-carbon steel.

This new global initiative will add a new powerful tool in our quest for sustainability. It will be a major step forward in achieving climate neutrality. And it will ensure a level playing field for our industries.

It is yet another key initiative for our renewed, forward-looking transatlantic agenda with the United States.

Since the beginning of the year  as you said, Mr. President, dear Joe  we have restored trust and communication. We put to rest our disputes on aircraft subsidies. We set up our Trade and Technology Council. We created a vaccine partnership. We reached an agreement on global minimum tax. And now we have found a solution on EU-U.S. steel and aluminum trade.

I thank you, Mr. President, dear Joe, for your announcement that the United States will remove U.S. tariffs on EU steel and aluminum up to previous trade levels. This will alleviate a major part of the existing trade irritants. It will allow trade  transatlantic trade in steel and aluminum between us to come back to the levels recorded before these tariffs were put in place.

And following this U.S. decision, I am pleased to announce that the Commission will also propose to suspend the tariffs that we had introduced.

Im also pleased to join President Biden in announcing the pausing of our dispute on this issue in the World Trade Organization.

And as you did, Mr. President, dear Joe, I would like to thank Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, and Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis for their and their teams tireless efforts in the last month. This is a major step forward in our renewed relationship, and many thanks for that. Looking forward to working more on this deal.

Thanks a lot.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thank you.

PRESIDENT VON DER LEYEN: Thank you very much.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thank you, folks.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Biden says pope has brought him comfort after sons death View Photo

ROME (AP)  President Joe Biden reflected on his relationship with Pope Francis on Sunday as he neared the end of his visit to Rome, saying the pontiff has brought him great solace since the death of his son Beau more than six years ago.

Biden was asked about his private meeting Friday with the pope during his closing news conference at the Group of 20 summit. Speaking with emotion, the president harked back to his September 2015 meeting with the pontiff when the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was visiting the United States.

This is a man who has a great empathy, Biden said. He is a man who understands that part of his Christianity is to reach out and forgive. And so I just find my relationship with him one that I personally take great solace in.

Biden, a practicing Catholic, was vice president at the time of Francis visit to the U.S. He was asked by President Barack Obama to accompany Francis as the pontiff traveled to Philadelphia.

Biden said the wounds were still raw from the death of Beau, the former Delaware attorney general who had died from brain cancer months before the popes U.S. visit.

Before departing Philadelphia, Francis asked to meet privately with Biden and his family. The president, who has previously spoken about the meeting, seemed to choke back tears Sunday as he recalled how much Francis knew about his late son.

He didnt just generically talk about him, Biden said of the meeting, which he said lasted 10 or 15 minutes in a Philadelphia airport hangar. He knew what a man he was. And it had such a cathartic impact on his children, and my wife, our family, that it meant a great deal.

Biden said after his meeting with the pope on Friday that Francis told him he should continue to take Holy Communion. Some conservative U.S. church leaders say he should be barred from taking the sacrament because of his support for abortion rights.

The president on Sunday sidestepped questions about the Holy Communion controversy, and instead offered a lengthy answer about the comfort he has gained from his relationship with Francis.

He is everything I learned about Catholicism from the time I was a kid going from grade school through high school, Biden said. I have great respect for people who have other religious views, but he is just a fine, decent, honorable man. We keep in touch.

___

Madhani reported from Washington.

By ZEKE MILLER AND AAMER MADHANI

Associated Press
LONDON (AP)  The chief executive of British bank Barclays stepped down Monday following a report by United Kingdom regulators into his past links with the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Jes Staley has previously said he deeply regrets his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself at a federal jail in New York in August 2019 while awaiting a sex trafficking trial. There is no suggestion that the 64-year-old Staley knew anything about Epstein's alleged crimes.

Staley said he will contest regulators' preliminary conclusions, which were shared with him and the bank Friday. The report by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority examined the way Staley characterized his relationship with Epstein to Barclays when he was Epsteins private banker in his previous job at U.S. investment bank J.P. Morgan.

Details of the report have not been released, and both regulators have refused to comment.

Barclays said in a statement Monday that the bank and Staley agreed he would resign in light of regulators' preliminary findings and Staley's decision to fight them.

The bank noted that the investigation makes no findings that Staley saw or knew about any of Epsteins alleged crimes, which it said was "the central question behind its decision to back its chief executive after Epstein was arrested in 2019. It wouldnt comment further.

Staley said his last contact with Epstein was in fall 2015, when he and his wife sailed to Epsteins private island for lunch. That trip occurred shortly before he joined Barclays. He said he had no contact with Epstein once he joined the bank in December 2015.

C.S. Venkatakrishnan, head of global markets for the bank, will take over as chief executive. Barclays said succession planning has been in place for some time, and he had been identified as the preferred candidate more than a year ago.

Shares in Barclays fell 2% following the announcement, as Staley had been widely credited with doing a good job at the bank.

Barclays credited him for running the company with commitment and skill," helping transform operations and improve its results. It added that the regulatory process still has to run its course and that it is not appropriate for the bank to comment further on the preliminary conclusions.

Analysts said that Barclays had to act because of the potential damage to its reputation.

"Barclays is right to pull the plug now, said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com. It probably could have done it earlier.

The bank said Staley will get a 2.5 million pound ($3.5 million) payout and receive other benefits for a year. He also may be eligible to receive repatriation costs to the U.S. and could receive more cash.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  President Joe Biden threw his political weight behind two-term Democratic state Rep. Allison Russo on Monday, as she faces a Trump-backed Republican in the race for an open central Ohio congressional seat.

The presidents endorsement, first reported by NBC News, came a day ahead of Election Day in the race for the only U.S. House seat that Democrats have a chance to flip this year. Voters will also decide a congressional race in the Cleveland area and a hotly contested U.S. House primary in Florida.

Russo, a 45-year-old public health policy consultant, faces Republican Mike Carey, a longtime coal lobbyist, for the seat vacated in May by veteran GOP U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers. His gerrymandered district sprawls across 12 Ohio counties, from impoverished parts of Appalachia to the posh Columbus suburbs.

Carey, 50, won a crowded Republican primary with the help of former President Donald Trump's endorsement and is heavily favored to win Tuesday's election. Former Vice President Mike Pence visited the state to stump for Carey on Russo's home turf of Upper Arlington on Saturday.

Biden said Russo's life circumstances make her best for the job.

The daughter of a union carpenter and a spouse of a combat veteran, Allison Russo knows who built America: working people and the middle class, Biden said in a statement. Shes the kind of leader we need as we build back an economy that creates good-paying jobs, delivers more affordable health care, and puts middle-class families first.

When Trump endorsed Carey before the August primary, he said: "Numerous candidates in the Great State of Ohio, running in Congressional District 15, are saying that I am supporting them, when in actuality, I dont know them, and dont even know who they are. But I do know who Mike Carey is  I know a lot about him, and it is all good.

Carey has said he has watched as political parties, politicians and legislators have let people down over the years, and he wants to go to Washington to fight like the president did against the folks in the Beltway.

Both endorsements could resonate with voters in the state. Trump twice carried Ohio by more than 8 percentage points, besting Biden last year with a record-setting 3.1 million votes to 2.68 million.

Democrat Barack Obama  with whom Biden served as vice president  also twice won the state. The 2.94 million votes he received in 2008 set the previous record.
MIAMI (AP)  Federal prosecutors in Miami have dismissed several criminal charges against an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro due to assurances they made to Cape Verde over a year ago as part of a rancorous extradition fight.

Alex Saab now faces a single count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. If found guilty, ha faces up to 20 years in prison  the maximum allowed by the African island nation when it agreed to send Saab to the U.S. last month.

The case against Saab has further strained relations between Washington and Caracas, which considers the Colombian-born businessman a diplomat. It also has disrupted nascent talks between Maduro's government and its opponents.

Saab, whose scheduled arraignment Monday was postponed for two weeks, is accused of paying bribes to siphon off $350 million from state contracts to build housing for Venezuelas socialist government.

Maduro's government has condemned Saab's arrest as a form of kidnapping and spared no effort trying to block his extradition to the U.S. following his detention 16 months ago in Cape Verde while making a fuel stop en route to Iran.

It considers the 49-year-old a keeper of state secrets and has said any attempts to extract a confession could compromise Venezuela's national security. It's also rallied to its side Russia, which also considers his extradition illegal.

But it's unclear what leverage the Venezuelans have in preventing Saab from cooperating with federal investigators in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Almost as soon as Saab was place on a U.S.-bound Department of Justice airplane, Maduros government suspended negotiations taking place in Mexico with Venezuelas U.S.-backed opposition, accusing the Biden administration of seeking to sabotage the talks.

The two sides have been meeting since August in a bid to jointly address the countrys ongoing humanitarian crisis, which has led more than 5 million people to flee the country in recent years, and pave the way for a democratic opening starting with this months regional elections.

Maduro's government also threw back into jail six American oil executives it accuses of corruption. They had been under house arrest in another politically charged case marked by allegations of wrongful detention.

Saab was indicted in 2019 on money-laundering charges for allegedly bribing Venezuelan officials and falsifying import documents to pocket more than $350 million from a low-income housing project.

On the same day as his indictment, he was sanctioned by the Trump administration for allegedly utilizing a network of shell companies spanning the globe  Turkey, Hong Kong, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates  to hide windfall profits from overvalued food contracts. Last month, his long-time business partner, fellow Colombian Alvaro Pulido, was indicted along with four others, including a former Venezuelan governor, that between 2016 and 2018 allegedly received more than $1 billion from Venezuelan state coffers for the purchase of food and medicine.

But Saabs importance to Maduro's government ran much deeper.

As the U.S. ratcheted up sanctions on Venezuela, he is believed to have emerged as the government's main fixer with the international connections to circumvent the U.S. restrictions. His trip to Iran, described as a humanitarian mission by Maduro, was aimed at securing deals to sell the country's crude oil in exchange for much-needed fuel and other goods.

The Biden administration has tried to downplay the political impact of Saabs extradition while blasting Maduro for using it as a pretext to suspend negotiations.

The case however is being closely followed by the families of nine Americans imprisoned in Venezuela who see Saab's future closely intertwined with the fate of their loved ones.

Those jailed include six oil executives who had been working for the Houston subsidiary of Venezuelas state-owned oil giant PDVSA who were convicted and sentenced last year to long prison sentences for embezzling funds from a never-executed plan to refinance Citgos bonds. The families of the so-called Citgo 6 and the U.S. government have vehemently rejected the accusations and consider the men wrongfully detained.

Within hours of Saabs extradition, security forces returned the oil executives to the infamous Helicoide jail where theyve been held on and off since being lured to Caracas in 2017 for a meeting at which they were arrested by masked police who stormed a conference room where they were gathered.

Also at the prison is former U.S. Marine Matthew Heath, who is awaiting trial on weapons charges tied to a supposed plan to sabotage refineries, and two former Green Berets Caracas has tied to a failed cross-border raid from Colombia to overthrow Maduro.

___

Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
Soon, the soul-stirring aroma of fresh masa and pork and chicken and beans will waft through San Antonio skies, enveloping homes and streets in a tamale season excitement. If the scene sounds like what story books are made of, that's because it is.

The Mexican tradition of gathering hands and hearts to create bundles of comfort food in the form of heaps and heaps of tamales is a beloved custom, but there aren't many kids books sharing in the warm magic of tamaladas. In Mexican households, everyone from the kids to abuela has a role in making the food, whether it's prepping the masa, filling the husks or lucking out and serving as taste-tester.

The family functions have happened for generations, just like trick-or-treating or gingerbread house-making, but unlike the commercialized traditions, a quick Google search for "kids books about tamales" brings up a scanty list of titles that wouldn't fill even half a shelf.

Courtesy, Carino and Paloma Cortez

Sisters Carino and Paloma Cortez noticed the lack of culturally relevant kids books, too. Like many nineties kids, the sisters grew up reading Gary Soto's Too Many Tamales. The sisters, who are third generation family members of La Familia Cortez, the group that owns Mi Tierra, Mi Familia, La Margarita and Pico de Gallo, are adding a new book to the choices. On Friday, November 5, they'll launch Camilla La Magica Makes Tamales.

Carino, who is a chef, says the annual kid-friendly tamale workshops La Familia Cortez hosts served as a springboard for the new book. The schedule of the event lets kids make a masa mess and includes a themed book reading. Carino says that after rotating through a limited list of books, she realized there was a need for more.

"There just wasn't that many out there about the tradition and that's sort of what I really love about the book, it speaks to this little girl's fun personality and wanting to be a magician," Carino says. "But at the same time, she's learning these recipes, and the cooking, and the tradition of tamales from her grandmother."

The book also includes kid-friendly recipes for bean-and-cheese tamales, Mexican hot chocolate, and Mexican wedding cookies (which Carino jokes were Paloma's "one contribution" growing up).

The sisters put pen to paper about three years ago, when the real Camilla, who is Carino's daughter, was just a baby.

"She just has an inquisitive, fun, vibrant personality," Carino says of the book's mini muse.

Illustrator Christopher Villa, who is also from San Antonio, brought the magical story to life throughout the book's 36 pages.

Camilla la Magica Makes Tamales is officially launching with a pop-up event at the Pearl's "parquito," the green space outside Cured. The Cortez sisters will activate the area with story time, book signings, hot chocolate by Chicano Cocoa, photo opportunities, and more. "Camilla La Magica Makes Tamales" is available on Amazon, Hopscotch's gift shop, Feliz Modern, Rancho Diaz, and soon at Mi Tierra and Mi Familia.

Carino and Paloma hope the book, and its corresponding downloadable activities, will serve as a conversation starter for parents who want to share cultural traditions with their children. Judging from sales from their at-home tamalada kits that were launched during the pandemic, they feel the times of isolation and uncertainty evoked a desire for families to grow closer and bond over nostalgia and tradition more than ever.

"The three pillars [of the family business] are comida, cultura and familia, and the tamalada tradition is just one that hits on all three of those, and seeing how excited kids get to learn about their culture, or someone else's culture, and get in the kitchen and cook something and taste something new, is a lot of fun," Carino says.

Paloma, who is an art director and designer, points out Camilla starts the fourth generation of La Familia Cortez. She says her birth marked a need to create something that would honor their history and culture not only for their family, but Latinos as a whole.

"Food has always been part of our life,"she adds. "So I think it makes sense to have that part of our mission as we get older, to have these types of projects ourselves. Now, two kids later, it's like, 'Okay we do need to pass down traditions.' And food is what we know. So it's like might as well do what we know and share that with other people."
Henry S. Dziekan III/Getty Images

Richie Ramone (nee Richard Reinhardt) best known for his drumming and singing in the iconic punk band the Ramones, is heading to San Antonio's Paper Tiger on Friday, April 15, 2022 at 7 p.m., with special guest Jarrett.

Reinhardt originally joined the band in 1983 before the release of the album Subterranean Jungle. He left the group in 1987.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  A crucial U.N. climate summit opened Sunday amid papal appeals for prayers and activists' demands for action, kicking off two weeks of intense diplomatic negotiations by almost 200 countries aimed at slowing intensifying global warming and adapting to the climate damage already underway.

As U.N. officials gaveled the climate summit to its formal opening in Glasgow, the heads of the world's leading economies at the close of their own separate talks in Italy made pledges including stopping international financing of dirty-burning coal-fired power plants by next year. But much of the agreement was vague and not the major push some had been hoping for to give momentum to the climate summit.

Government leaders face two choices in Glasgow, Patricia Espinosa, head of the U.N. climate office, declared at the summit's opening: They can sharply cut greenhouse gas emissions and help communities and countries survive what is becoming a hotter, harsher world, Espinosa said. Or we accept that humanity faces a bleak future on this planet.

It is for these reasons and more that we must make progress here in Glasgow, Espinosa said. We must make it a success.

India Logan-Riley, an Indigenous climate activist from New Zealand, had a more blunt message for negotiators and world leaders at the summits opening ceremony.

Get in line, or get out of the way, Logan-Riley said.

But G-20 leaders offered more vague pledges than commitments of firm action, saying they would seek carbon neutrality by or around mid-century." They also agreed to end public financing for coal-fired power generation abroad, but set no target for phasing out coal domestically  a clear nod to China and India

The G-20 countries represent more than three-quarters of the worlds climate-damaging emissions and G-20 host Italy and Britain, which is hosting the Glasgow conference, had looked for more ambitious targets coming out of Rome.

But major polluters including China and Russia had already made clear they had no immediate intention of following U.S. and European pledges to zero out all fossil-fuel pollution by 2050. Russia said on Sunday that it was sticking to its target of 2060.

Speaking to reporters before leaving Rome, U.S. President Joe Biden called it disappointing that G-20 members Russia and China basically didnt show up with commitments to address the scourge of climate change ahead of the U.N. climate summit.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson struck a grim tone, saying G-20 leaders inched forward on curbing global warming, but the goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) -- struck in a landmark deal at the end of the 2015 Paris climate accord -- was in danger of slipping out of reach.

If Glasgow fails then the whole thing fails, Johnson told reporters in Rome. Before leaving Rome, U.S.

Some observers said the G-20 pledges were far from enough.

This weak statement from the G-20 is what happens when developing countries who are bearing the full force of the climate crisis are shut out of the room," said Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa. The worlds biggest economies comprehensively failed to put climate change on the top of the agenda ahead of COP26 in Glasgow.

While the opening ceremony in Glasgow formally kicked off the talks, known as COP26, the more anticipated launch comes Monday, when leaders from around the world will gather to lay out their countries efforts to curb emissions from burning coal, gas and oil and deal with the mounting damage from climate change.

The leaders of two of the top climate-polluting nations - China and Russia  were not expected to attend the summit, though seniors officials from those countries planned to participate. Biden, whose country is the worlds biggest climate polluter after China, the summit comes at a time when division within his own Democratic party is forcing him to scale back ambitious climate efforts.

At the Vatican Sunday, Pope Francis urged the crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square: Let us pray so that the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor is heard by summit participants.

Negotiators will push nations to ratchet up their efforts to keep global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius this century compared with pre-industrial times.

The climate summit remains our last, best hope to keep 1.5 in reach, said Alok Sharma, the British government minister chairing climate talks.

Scientists say the chances of meeting that goal are slowly slipping away. The world has already warmed by more than 1.1C and current projections based on planned emissions cuts over the next decade are for it to hit 2.7C by the year 2100.

The amount of energy unleashed by such planetary warming would melt much of the planet's ice, raise global sea levels and greatly increase the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather, experts say.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry warned last week of the dramatic impacts that exceeding the 2015 Paris accords goal will have on nature and people, but expressed optimism that the world is heading in the right direction.

Sharma noted that China, the worlds biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, had just raised its climate targets somewhat.

But of course we expected more, Sharma told the BBC earlier Sunday.

India, the world's third biggest emitter, has yet to follow China, the U.S. and the European Union in setting a target for reaching net zero emissions. Negotiators are hoping India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce such a goal in Glasgow.

Some of the issues being discussed during the talks have been on the agenda for decades, including how rich countries can help poor nations tackle emissions and adapt to a hotter world. The slow pace of action has angered many environmental campaigners, who are expected to stage loud and creative protests during the summit.

___

Jill Lawless in Rome, Ellen Knickmeyer and Seth Borenstein in Glasgow and Silvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's coverage of the U.N. climate talks at: http://apnews.com/hub/climate
Timothy Fanning

Police are on the scene of a reported drowning on the 1400 block of S Alamo Street, near Blue Star Arts Complex, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Police confirmed to the Express-News that the body has been retrieved and it is male and not believed to be a minor.
Joe Raedle /Getty Images /TNS

San Antonio is going to see more visitors from Boston and New York soon just in time for the holidays.

JetBlue is finally adding flights from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport with the first flights landing this week, according to a news release.
Austin and homeless encampments have been hot-button issues the last couple of years. In 2019, the City Council decriminalized homelessness, giving rise to tent cities in the Capital City. In May 2021, Austin residents voted to reinstate the ban, a somewhat surprising outcome for the overwhelmingly Democratic city. In a recent episode, Last Week Tonights John Oliver discusses this seeming hypocrisy.

For the fourth consecutive year, homelessness is increasing nationwide, the late-night TV host said during Sunday nights episode. A study claims that there are roughly half a million homeless Americans. While thats a scary fact to come face-to-face with on Halloween night, Oliver argues that its not an accurate figure given that its based on a count during a single, random night of the year. Only individuals found and surveyed in shelters and on the streets are included in the count, meaning that there are individuals who may make it a point not to be found and counted, increasing the actual figure.

Oliver, however, says the problems surrounding the issue dont stop there. In addition to the reporting likely being less than accurate, the HBO pundit says the way conservative media outlets, such as Fox News, frame the issue only makes it worse.

As an example, Oliver featured a few different Fox News clips in which the TV station shows concerned residents discussing the citys tent cities. One man is even concerned enough to carry around a machete should there be any pushback.

Eric Liebowitz /HBO

Oliver clarifies that the citys response to the homeless population is in spite of Austin being a blue dot in a red state. Thats no matter, as a Vice clip shows an Austin woman being very clear about how the homelessness issue has impacted her liberal way of seeing the world.

Once youre in the middle of it, you change your mind of how you approach the situation. But as your safety declines, so does your compassion, the woman says. Every time I have to pick up human sh-t, my liberalness just got lowered one more notch.

After laughing at her honesty, Oliver points out that such headlines are intentional, using a few news stories from Los Angeles media scene as examples. Lets be honest though, human feces and poop go a long way in grabbing a readers attention when you throw them in with homeless encampment or tent city in a headline, no matter the location.

Oliver is straightforward in saying that the media coverage caters to how the presence of homeless people and issues impact residents in homes  usually in relation to crime and cleanliness  rather than homeless people themselves, adding that the demonization of the population is worse for people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, those struggling through or coming out of substance abuse or mental health issues, and families fighting homelessness together.

The host doesnt dwell on Austin past the beginning of the segment, but the points he makes about other cities are applicable to how Texas capital has tackled homelessness in previous years. While increasing affordable housing is part of the city's solution, Austin residents opted to pass its own Proposition B in May, making it an offense to sit, lie down, or camp in public areas in downtown or near the University of Texas campus. It also prohibits solicitation of money at specific hours and locations.

Maybe Austin residents arent as woke as they claim to be after all.

You can watch the full segment below:
Fresh off the reveal of its new name, Meta tweeted at Texas grocery giant H-E-B hinting at its possible inclusion in the metaverse. And let's just say H-E-B stans weren't enthused at the possible collaboration.

The tweet from Meta, formerly known as Facebook, reads: "Wonder what ordering groceries in the metaverse will look like

@HEB."

Facebook changed its name to Meta the same day as its H-E-B tweet, and revealed ambitious plans for a virtual reality social space called the "metaverse" where friends and family can meet.

Twitter went off.

Oh, we're still doing Mean Girls memes?

Anyway. Meta hasn't reached out to any other grocers on social media about what shopping would be like in the metaverse, but it has responded to other brands like Shopify, Snickers, and DiGiorno.

A collab with Mark Zuckerberg and co. could make sense for the San Antonio-based grocer; H-E-B has been laying the groundwork for its own digital expansion with a second tech hub in downtown.

But H-E-B is not just a grocery store in San Antonio, it's become a cultural icon.

You don't just shop at H-E-B, you have an experience at H-E-B. Rappers like Maxo Kream don't just name drop H-E-B because it's a grocery store (although that was a line about stealing a car from H-E-B... but still).

Whether H-E-B will collaborate with Meta on a virtual shopping project remains to be seen. MySA reached out for comment.
A high-ranking Mexican Mafia gang member was arrested following a traffic stop, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The DPS Criminal Investigations Division with the assistance of the Texas Highway Patrol pulled over a Nissan Altima for a traffic violation. Authorities would identify the driver as Rogelio Garza Jr., 49.
Nintendo's Bay Area office is closing and employees will be relocated, Kotaku first reported.

Nintendo confirmed it is closing two of its North American offices, one in Redwood City and another in Toronto, and consolidating operations in their U.S. and Canadian flagships.

"Nintendo of America headquarters are in Redmond, WA, and Vancouver, BC," the company said in a statement. "We are moving more of our employees and operations into those headquarters and will be closing small satellite offices in Toronto, ON, and Redwood City, CA, over time."

Kotaku reports "many of the now-displaced staff were upset over the decision."

The office on Bridge Parkway in Redwood City was comprised mainly of sales and marketing divisions. The company's official website still lists the location, describing it as where "youll find the Sales and Marketing departments, as well as NMI, a dedicated merchandising field team who work with retail stores across the country."

A 2012 YouTube video gives a glimpse inside the bright space, filled with art and knickknacks from its most famous franchises, like Super Mario and Zelda.

ALSO READ: 'Tech is not the problem itself': What tech workers feel is really to blame for SF's tech woes

Although Nintendo did not give a reason for the Redwood City office closure, it joins a number of high-profile companies that have decided against reopening offices after pandemic closures. Particularly in the Bay Area, high real estate prices have made unloading properties a more alluring prospect, especially for companies that are able to indefinitely work remotely.

Nintendo was founded in Japan and its international headquarters are in Kyoto.
You've probably heard people talking about this $1.2 billion bond that San Antonio is putting together.

That's a lot of money. How does the city pay for it? What if you don't want the city to go out for a billion-dollar bond? What will this bond fund? Do you have a say in the matter?

A bond can sound pretty intimidating if you're not sure what it is. You've probably vote for or against a bond without really knowing much about it.

MySA is here to help you figure that out.

What is a bond?

A bond is another way for cities to fund capital projects big or small. Think of it as an I.O.U. of sorts between the a borrower (in this case, the city) and the lender, or whoever is financing the loan.

It's more of an I.O.U because the money is usually provided to the city in installments. But how does the city pay this back? The answer is city property taxes, which sometimes requires a property tax rate increase. The key word in the Alamo City's case is "sometimes."

The last time San Antonio went out for a bond was in 2017. The total was $850 million and the city didn't have to raise the tax rate. City council and staff bet on development and growth. So far it's worked out.

But the bond still has the power to affect its residents based on the projects in the bond package.

In the 2022 bond, San Antonio will ask to borrow $1.2 billion to fund various projects in streets, bridges and sidewalks, drainage and flood management, parks, recreation and open space, facilities, and housing.

Steven Santana | MySA

What is in this bond?

We don't know yet. But we know what could go into the bond. There are over 100 proposed projects that will be considered for the $1.2 billion bond. That's a lot.

The proposed breakdown of funding is as follows:

$480 million for streets

$274 million for parks

$110 million for the linear greenway program

$162 million for drainage

$150 million for housing

$61 million for municipal facilities

$73 million for public safety and health facilities

How do you help decide what projects the bond will fund? The city council has put together a community bond committee that will hold numerous meetings about the projects in each field up until mid-December. You can find the list of all the meetings here. The public is encouraged to attend these meetings so they can have input on the proposed bond package.

Any particular projects I should know about?

This is entirely up to you. Whether or not you should be concerned with any of the proposed projects depends on a multitude of factors, including where you live, your age, you socioeconomic status, and generally what you feel will be best for you and your community.

That's not to say that there hasn't been projects and funding considerations that have made headlines. The question has been posed asking if parks improvements should be put over infrastructure spending.

Robin Jerstad /Robin Jerstad

The proposed $110 million funding for the linear greenway program has been in the news recently. District 5 Councilwoman has been a vocal in her opposition to the greenway funding, which was originally $126 million.

The city council eventually cut that down to $110 million, and put $11.3 million toward Cumberland area drainage improvements.

Again, this all comes down what you want for your community. As you can see it helps to be involved.

Then what?

Then the bond committee submits the proposed bond package to the city council in January 2022 according to the city's timeline. Council members will then discuss and approve the project list and call for the bond's placement on the ballot for the May 7, 2022 general election.

Then the bond is back in the hands of you, the citizen. Though residents have passed the last three bonds in 2007, 2012, and 2017, this will be the largest bond package in San Antonio's history, and how the city feels about passing it remains to be seen.

Voters passed the 2017 bond through six different propositions by overwhelming margins  all of the votes for each proposition was above 60 percent.
Gov. Greg Abbott named Austin lawyer Evan Young to the Texas Supreme Court on Monday.

Young is a former clerk for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and was counsel to attorneys general under former President George W. Bush. Currently, he works as a partner at Baker Botts in Austin, where he chairs its Supreme Court and Constitutional Law Practice.

Young replaces former Justice Eva Guzman, who resigned in June ahead of a campaign for attorney general.

"Evan Young is a proven legal scholar and public servant, making him an ideal pick for the Supreme Court of Texas," Abbott said in a statement. "Evan's extensive background in private practice and public service will be a fantastic addition to the bench, and I am confident that he will faithfully defend the Constitution and uphold the rule of law for the people of Texas."

Young is set to finish Guzman's term in Place 9 on the court, which goes through the end of next year. Place 9 is on the ballot next year.

After clerking for Scalia, Young went to work for the U.S. Department of Justice, serving as counsel to two former attorneys general, Alberto Gonzales and Michael Mukasey. During that period, he spent time in Iraq, helping with U.S. efforts to rebuild the government there.

Young joined Baker Botts' Austin office in 2009. More recently, Abbott appointed Young to the Texas Judicial Council, which oversees the court system in Texas, and he serves on the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee.

Abbott's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Young would run in the election next year for a full term in Place 9. If he does, he already has Republican primary opposition in David Schenck, a justice on the Dallas-based 5th Court of Appeals. Schenck previously announced he was running for the state Supreme Court seat, and he told The Texas Tribune after the announcement of Young's appointment that it does not change his plans.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
TAMIR KALIFA, STR / NYT

Along with voting on eight constitutional amendments for the state, Southside San Antonio and Bexar County will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 2, to decide whether Texas House District 118 will flip.

The runoff election between Republican candidate John Lujan and Democratic candidate Frank Ramirez could come down to narrow margin win.
Yves here. David, a member of our Brexit brain trust who also regularly opines on non-US politics and bureaucratic disfunction, has been raising concerns about what is happening in Lebanon and that they have far greater geopolitical ramifications than most realize. The fact that a shipment of fertilizer that had been idling in the Beriut port for IIRC 18 months and exploded with nuclear-bomb-level force was well covered in the international press. But after a couple of weeks of disaster porn, media attention moved on.

When I was in NYC to see my surgeon about my hip non-progress in mid October, I also saw my hair guy. He comes from a very wealthy Lebanese family, his father received custom-made watches (Patek Phillipe or equivalent), usually with lots of diamonds, from people like Assad (father owned the biggest oil refinery and related gas stations, also did a lot of construction and retained most of the properties he built).

My Lebanese friend gave me an earful on current conditions. One of his brothers is visiting. Currency 1/10th of what it was a year ago. Food shortages made worse by power shortages resulting in a lack of refrigeration. Medicines, even Tylenol, not available. Kids dying.

Lebanon has gone from 20% poor to 80% poor. The rich were largely able to get their funds out before the worst of the collapse. Davids reaction to that report:

This does need to be watched because its the last relatively stable country in the region. Youll find the Lebanese are the greatest conspiracy theorists in the Middle East (and thats saying something). Everybody has their own conspiracies about foreigners, which serve to a large extent to excuse themselves. Outside powers (at the moment Iran and Saudi Arabia, historically Syria) have always tried to manipulate the country, but the fact is that the hopeless political system (18 ethnic groups dividing the spoils between them) the corruption and general uselessness of the political class and the incapacity of the state have brought them to this. The state has never been able to guarantee power supplies (even hotels and government buildings have their own emergency generators) or even collect the rubbish competently. The economy has been in free fall since the crisis of 2019 and the total lack of any coherent government response to the August 2020 disaster is in many ways the last straw. But the usual politicians are still playing the usual political games, and now Hezbollah, which did have a cleaner reputation, is making trouble as well over the enquiry into the explosion. Lebanon is a country with effectively zero capacity for coherent reform. When the lid comes off its going to be very nasty. I hope we can avoid that, but Im reading the Francophone Lebanese press every day with increasing concern. To be continued I fear

And now we have his latest sightings, hoisted from recent e-mails.

By David, who was born in England but hasnt lived there for a while

Just to cheer you up on a Sunday, heres a story about Lebanon which has been pretty much ignored by the western media, but which conforms to the rule that every time you think the eternal Lebanese politico-economic crisis cant get worse or more complicated, it gets worse and more complicated.

This decent and relatively balanced account from Al Jazeera explains the basics: the Saudis have recalled their ambassador in Beirut and expelled his Lebanese counterpart, and a number of other Gulf states have followed suit. Exports are also being cut off. The pretext is remarks about Yemen made on TV some time ago by a politician who has recently become a Minister in the new and extremely fragile government, that itself hasnt met for two weeks.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/30/lebanese-president-says-he-wants-best-relations-with-saudis

And heres a local account from LOrient-Le Jour, the main French language paper in Lebanon, which gives a lot more detail. For obvious reasons, LOLJ is following every twist and turn of the messy saga.

https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1279812/le-gouvernement-libanais-met-en-place-une-cellule-de-crise.html

What this is all about, of course, is the struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia for political influence in the country. Saudi Arabia, which has been the dominant foreign power since the withdrawal of the Syrians in 2005, and especially since the beginning of the war in Syria, has become increasingly alarmed at the growing Iranian influence, and the growing strength of Hezbollah, both politically and militarily. Much of the rebuilding of Beirut after the civil war was funded with Saudi money, and the Saudis are going to be fundamental to any reconstruction package now. At one point, Lebanons tourist industry was largely from the Gulf, and many Saudis and others bought property there.

But over the last decade, Gulf governments have put increasing pressure on their people not to go to Lebanon, thus exacerbating the countrys economic problems. The Saudis seem to be trying to use economic pressure to counter Irans military influence, but they risk actually blowing the government up and tearing the country apart.

Sunni politicians, always sensitive to Riyadh, are calling for the Minister to be sacked, which would give the Saudis an effective veto over any future Lebanese government. It has to be said that Hezbollah hasnt helped either, with its demands for the judge in charge of the August 2020 Port explosion enquiry to be sacked (they forced the first one out), although he hasnt indicted anyone from Hezbollah or Amal, the other main Shia political party.

The fact that all the major political parties have refused to cooperate with the inquiry suggests that not only do some of their members in each case have political responsibility(eg not acting on warnings) but that people lower down in the patronage system (again appointed on ethnic and clan grounds) may actually have been deficient in doing their jobs.

I suspect that a bigger worry for the clan leaders is that any investigation will, at last, take the lid off some of the things that everyone knows in theory, but whose details have never been revealed. This, I think is why the political class is hanging together for fear of being hanged separately, since they all have a lot to hide, and at many different levels. Depending on your definition of crime and guilt and responsibility pretty much the whole of the Labanese political class, and many of the people they have given jobs to, shoukd be in the dock.

A bunch of kids having a match-throwing competition in a firework factory.

******

There are a couple of other elements which come out of these articles (and others, the situation is changing all the time).

The most important, perhaps is that in this Iranian-Saudi spat, neither side is showing very much subtlety, and indeed neither seems to have much idea of how to wield soft power. This is not surprising perhaps in a region where force is the preferred mechanism for settling problems.

Remember that in 2017, Saad Hariri, then Prime Minister, was summoned to Riyadh and forced to read a statement on Saudi TV resigning his position. He retracted his resignation when he returned to Lebanon, but that gives you an indication of what the Saudis think subtlety is. The Saudis are obsessed with Hezbollah, and that party, in turn, has not always behaved very sensibly either.

However, there are some mildly encouraging signs. The Minister concerned, Georges Corhadi, is a Maronite Christian, which in a way is fortunate since the quarrel is not an internal Sunni-Shia one. On the whole, the Lebanese system is backing the Mikati government and Corhadi, as is the Arab League, and major western powers. Without overtly taking sides, they are all, in coded terms, trying to encourage the Saudis to calm down. The US have apparently been to see the Saudis and tried to get them to back off, but to no effect.

But there is also scope for escalation: hundreds of thousands of Lebanese work in the Gulf, often in highly-paid jobs such as banking. There are rumours that they might be expelled, which would mean a major source of foreign earnings drying up .

And finally, this all takes place at a time of unprecedented disgust with the Lebanese political class, which makes the Romanovs of 1917 seem models of creative compromise by comparison. Because the country is an imperfect democracy, its politics entirely structured by ethnic and clan affiliation and foreign influence, there is no regime that could be changed. Everybody agrees that the current ethnic spoils system and the current corrupt elite has to go, but everybody keeps voting along ethnic lines and for the same corrupt elite. Its hard to see a way out.

Of course, thats the very simplified version.
The Real-Life Whale That Gave Moby Dick His Name Smithsonian (MJ)

A Literary History of Witches Literary Hub. Missed this yesterday.

Machine-learning system accelerates discovery of new materials for 3D printing Phys.org (chuck l)

American Airlines cancels more than 600 flights on Sunday CNN

LUCKY STRIKE Science (chuck l)

Every Turn in This Case Has Been Another Brick Wall, and Behind It Is Chevron FAIR

#COVID-19

U.S. spy agencies say origins of COVID-19 may never be known Reuters

NYC COVID vaccination rates jump by 10,000 in one day NY Post

Facing Mandate, 15,000 NYC Municipal Workers Get COVID Vaccines. But Twice As Many Holdouts Remain Gothamist

Sheriff warns vaccine mandate causing mass exodus among personnel LA Times

***

Price of flights to the US soars after lifting of ban on vaccinated adults and parents face forking out for THREE Covid tests if they want to travel to the States with their children Daily Mail

CDC says unvaccinated young foreign travelers do not need to quarantine Reuters

CDC plagued by confusing messaging, critics say Yahoo

***

Coronavirus: India records 12,514 cases, PM to review low vaccination coverage in over 40 districts Scroll
Readers bwilli123 and Carolinian flagged a must read post by Ryan Johnson, Im A Twenty Year Truck Driver, I Will Tell You Why Americas Shipping Crisis Will Not End. You really really really need to consume it in its entirely. It makes a detailed, cogent case as to why the Americas ports are a mess and why there is no simple and even not so simple way out. No wonder Pete Buttigieg is in hiding, um, on paternity leave, rather than putting his hands on the supply chain tar baby.

I am going to run the risk of oversimpification to pull a few key points out of his compact and well argued post. They serve to reinforce his contention that Americans are royally fucked via where trucking industry deregulation (the first big deregulation initiative, thank you Jimmy Carter) has been amplified by neoliberalism: too many interconnected actors, so diffuse responsibility with contacts creating rigidity and incentives to do nothing, and cowards in government. Ill argue that there are some steps that could theoretically be taken to get a little more flow through the stuck ports, but even those moves would be seen as too interventionist despite the high and rising cost of standing pat.

The severity of the supply chain crisis combined with the near-certainty that the only actor that could partially (stress partially) clear this logjam is the Feds. They are guaranteed not to do enough even if they understood how the moving parts interconnect.

So it is now a safe bet that the Democrats will suffer a wipeout in the midterms, even if Biden gets his big bills passed (some stimulus!) and there is no Covid surge. Worsening supply shortfalls, particularly of drugs and medical staples, will make the bad press of the Iran hostage crisis look tame.

Johnson describes two shortages: driver and equipment. From the driver standpoint, it sounds as if a crisis was bound to happen at some point, that there was a chronic shortfall of drivers that has tipped into a crisis. As he describes it, many trucking companies wont even entertain port business because even an unusually speedy trip in and out of a port is still very time consuming. Drivers have to queue three times: at the entrance, for the container pickup, and the exit. These lines are typically bad because ports cant be bothered to have enough staff.

Bad and now absolutely Gawd-awful waits results in drivers quitting or at least not signing up for port duty because most are paid by job, not by the hour (the exception are drivers who are Teamsters). This is their deal:

Most port drivers are independent contractors, leased onto a carrier who is paying them by the load. Whether their load takes two hours, fourteen hours, or three days to complete, they get paid the same, and they have to pay 90% of their truck operating expenses (the carrier might pay the other 10%, but usually less.) The rates paid to non-union drivers for shipping container transport are usually extremely low. In a majority of cases, these drivers dont come close to my union wages. They pay for all their own repairs and fuel, and all truck related expenses. I honestly dont understand how many of them can even afford to show up for work. Theres no guarantee of ANY wage (not even minimum wage), and in many cases, these drivers make far below minimum wage. In some cases they work 70 hour weeks and still end up owing money to their carrier. So when the coastal ports started getting clogged up last spring due to the impacts of COVID on business everywhere, drivers started refusing to show up. Congestion got so bad that instead of being able to do three loads a day, they could only do one. They took a 2/3 pay cut and most of these drivers were working 12 hours a day or more. While carriers were charging increased pandemic shipping rates, none of those rate increases went to the driver wages. Many drivers simply quit. However, while the pickup rate for containers severely decreased, they were still being offloaded from the boats.

I am sure there are other equipment shortages, but the one Johnson focuses on is a dearth of chassis, as in the trailer that goes behind the cab. The container companies are supposed to supply the chassis (only a minority of trucking companies own their chassis), but in some over-my-pay-grade process, the containers get matched up to the chassis in port (Lambert had an article in Water Cooler than indicated that unlike rail cars, where railroads pull railcars of other railroads and settle up later, it seems as if these chassis are not fungible. If thats the case, the need to get a chassis that is owned by or can be charged to the right container company would introduce another big layer of complexity).

So can any knowledgeable readers fill in details? When a truck comes into port, is it only working with one container company, so it *only* needs to dump the container it hauled and then find another (or a particular?) outbound container from the same container company? How does this get booked and how are the chassis managed? Or alternatively, does the driver drop off his container and chassis (as in unhook his truck from the chassis and not worry about the unloading) and then drive his naked cab around the port to where his new chassis and container are supposed to be?

Another way to free up a chassis is NOT to put a container on it to go to a final destination, but to move containers to a warehouse. As an alternative distribution process, this could actually make sense, move the stuff out of where the traffic jam is worst, then shift more of the distribution to final destinations from the warehouses. If done in a deliberate manner, some chassis would be shuttling containers to warehouses in a systematic fashion.

But resorting to warehouses isnt done in a terribly organized manner, its just an expedient. The truck and driver and chassis are again tied up at the warehouse for Lord only knows how long. Johnson reports that former 20 to 30 minute pickups now often take 3 to 4 hours. That chassis has to go somewhere, usually with a container just unloaded back to the port. So the warehouses near ports are getting choked too:

Containers are being pulled out of the port and dropped anywhere the drivers can find because the trucking company lots are full. Ports are desperate to get containers out so they can unload the new containers coming in by boat. When this happens there is no plan to deliver this freight yet, they are literally just making room for the next ship at the port. This wont last long, as this just compounds the shortage of chassis. Ports will eventually find themselves unable to move containers out of the port until sitting containers are delivered, emptied, returned, or taken to a storage lot (either loaded or empty) and taken off the chassis there so the chassis can be put back into use. The priority is not delivery, the priority is just to clear the port enough to unload the next boat. What happens when a container does get to a warehouse? A large portion of international containers must be hand unloaded because the products are not on pallets. It takes a working crew a considerable amount of time to do this, and warehouse work is usually low wage. A lot of it is actually only temp staffed. Many full time warehouse workers got laid off when the pandemic started, and didnt come back. So warehouses, like everybody else, are chronically short staffed. When the port trucker gets to the warehouse, they have to wait for a doorthe driver gets a door and drops the container  but now often has to pick up an empty, and goes back to the port to wait in line all over again to drop off the empty. At the warehouse, the delivered freight is unloaded, and it is usually separated and bound to pallets, then shipped out in much smaller quantities to final destination. A container that had a couple dozen pallets of goods on it will go out on multiple trailers to multiple different destinations a few pallets at a time.

Oh, and on top everything else, theres a pallet shortage too.

Johnson explains why no one has any incentive to fix anything. Desperate shippers will pay premium rates. This may move them further up in the queue but does nothing to improve throughput. The intermediaries like the ports and the warehouses and the port trucking companies will make out like bandits. But they wont pay workers more so nothing will get better.

Trucking companies that dont now do ports wont start doing ports to try to capture a windfall. Johnson explained:

Outside of dedicated port trucking companies, most trucking companies wont touch shipping containersThere are also restrictions on which trucks can go into a port. They have to be approved, have RFID tags, port registered, and the drivers have to have at least a TWIC card (Transportation Worker Identification Credential from the federal Transportation Security Administration). Some ports have additional requirements.

Johnson pooh-poohs the Biden scheme:

The experts want to say we can do things like open the ports 24/7, and this problem will be over in a couple weeksBut every truck driver in America cant operate 24/7, even if the government suspends Hours Of Service Regulations (federal regulations determining how many hours a week we can work/drive), we still need to sleep sometime.. What we have is a system with a limited amount of trucks and qualified drivers, many of whom are already working 14 hours a day (legally, the maximum they can), and now the supposed fix is to have them work 24 hours a day, every day, and not stop until the backlog is cleared. Its not going to happen. It is not physically possible. There is no cavalry coming. No trucking companies are going to pay to register their trucks to haul containers for something that is supposedly so short term, because these same companies can get higher rate loads outside the ports. There is no extra capacity to be had, and it makes NO difference anyway, because If you cant get a container unloaded at a warehouse, having drivers work 24/7/365 solves nothing.

Having said all of this, Johnson actually provides evidence that there could be a way to alleviate the port mess. Given the shortages of chassis and pallets, it would only increase throughput somewhat, but thats better than nothing. But I cant see the Biden Administration having the guts and imagination to implement it (among other things, it would require comprehending that this situation really is dire and set to get worse and radical measures are justified).

Johnson has told us there are manpower shortage: the port truckers, at the ports, and in the port warehouses. The port truckers are the ones with special skills and credentials.

Johnson also said many quit because the delays made working a losing proposition given how their pay is structured.

Fine. Fix the pay. We did the PPP and this is operationally easier.

Have the Administration use its emergency powers (hopefully they can find them in its DoD authorizations; if nothing else, medical supplies and chips are critical for defense personnel and there are plenty of them in the US) to pay all port drivers 4x the Teamsters hourly rate if they drive a minimum of 50 hours a week for 10 out of the next 12 weeks. Give 2 weeks in advance as a loan for those that want/need it up front to rearrange their lives. Give trucking companies a 10% bonus for any of their former truckers (who worked for them in the last past year) who havent worked in the last two months who come back, paid in arrears, if they work 10 weeks or longer.

Teamsters get a stipend to bring their regular rate up to the same 4x.

This program lasts for a minimum of six months up though the earlier of when port backlogs are cleared (need some metric) or January 10, 2023.

This program would have the advantage (if it lasts long enough) of undermining the old job based pay for most port drivers. It could also pull in some drivers if it does not take too long to get the needed credentials.

Force the ports to hire more people to prevent/greatly reduce queuing at the entrance and exit. Here the Feds could use a combination of carrots and sticks, some subsidies for additional hires and pay increases (designed to be short term) and huge fines if they have preventable queues (longer than X minutes on average for entrance and exit; the Feds can install monitoring equipment; not sure how culpable they are for queues for loading and unloading containers but if they are largely culpable, fines for that too). The fines stay in place after the crisis has passed. The biggest ports need to run a tighter ship.

Force port warehouses to get faster throughput or face big fines. They could also get some incentives in terms of short-term stipends to raise hourly pay levels, synched to timing of the trucker programs. This is where the National Guard could deployed if needed until new hires are put in place.1 If we lived in a different world, the president would demand the heads of the port warehouses make an appearance, and tell them if they didnt get their acts in gear, they would be nationalized.

Now the labor shortages are only one part of the problem, but the point is that this is more addressable than Johnson suggests if you assume a muscular government. That alternative likely did not occur to Johnson since it has been absent during his professional life, except to save the banking system during the financial crisis and mainly the well off in March 2020. It might take six weeks to two months to see across the board improvements in manning levels, while doing nothing assures more trucker attrition.

In other words, we cant tell how much these measure would improve matters, but they would help. And they would also increase utilization of chassis and pallets. Again far far from ideal but better than where we are mow. And when as much has been accomplished as can be by addressing the worker end, the officialdom in a better managed world could see what needed to done about chassis and pallets.

But we dont live in a world like that because markets.

___

1 The idea of having National Guardsmen drive port trucks (save the handful who might have done that once) is a non-starter. Not only does that require skill (just like forklift operators and think what happens when you use newbies there), but the trucks and chassis almost certainly have insurance policies that require properly credentialed drivers. And they are likely financed, and the loan agreements would presumably have similar provisions.
(Natural News) Recall the extensive and scornful media coverage then-President Donald Trump received when he beefed up security around the White House? Heres a sample:

(Article by Jeffrey Lord republished from NewsBusters.org)

From NBC News:

White House adds fencing around perimeter

The story reported:

If Trump erected more than 3 miles of fence around the White House, it would exceed the length of his new wall on the southern border, tweeted Anthony Scaramucci, who was Trumps communications director for a little more than a week in 2017. His bigotry is only exceeded by his incompetence.

Then there was this as quoted by NBC:

Trump began his term promising to build a wall to protect America from the world.

He ends it building a wall to protect himself from Americans.

 Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) June 4, 2020

From The Daily Dot was this:

Trump Mocked For Erecting New Fence Around White House Amidst Protests

From Yahoo News:

Inside the heavily-fortified White House, now surrounded by more than a mile of extra fencing, is an increasingly isolated president.

From Vice:

Trump Is Barricading Himself Behind a Massive Non-Scalable Fence on Election Day

From Newsweek:

Trumps White House Wall Sparks Wave of Bunker Boy Memes

On and on  and on and on  went similar stories in the national media mocking Trump for building his wall around the White House.

And famously, of course, President Biden has made it crystal clear he will not build a wall on the southern border.

All of which is to say, this makes the deafening silence from the national media about President Joe Biden and his new wall all the more noticeable. In fact, as best as I can discover, no national media outlet has trumpeted this story from the quite local Cape Gazette in  you guessed it  Rehoboth, Delaware. The headline so studiously ignored by the national media:

$455,000 fence being installed at Bidens beach house

10 months into presidency, security measures around North Shores home continue

Yes, you read that right. An enterprising Gazette reporter named Chris Flood did his homework and wrote this, with bold print supplied here for emphasis:

Slowly but surely, the security around President Joe Bidens North Shores home continues to increase. The first time he was in town as president was in June. During that visit, Secret Service and local police set up a checkpoint at the North Shores intersection leading to his house, nearby Gordons Pond was closed periodically, and the Federal Aviation Administration issued temporary flight restrictions. By the time he was in town for a second time, a few months later, the Coast Guard had officially established security zones in the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and Atlantic Ocean. Now, when Biden visits for a third time, a security fence will either be finished or close to it. According to the website USAspending.gov, an online database of federal government spending, the Department of Homeland Security, with the Secret Service as the subagency, recently awarded a $455,000 contract to Rehoboths Turnstone Builders for purchase and installation of security fencing at 32 Fairview, Rehoboth Delaware.

And the response from the mainstream national media? Silence. There are no stories about Biden refusing to fund a wall on the southern border  but building a wall around his beach house. There are no stories that the money to build Bidens beach house wall  almost a cool half a million dollars  is coming from the Department of Homeland Security, whose boss, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, is a staunch opponent of funding and building a wall on the southern border.

The silence on the Biden beach house wall recalls the silence from the media that greeted The New York Posts 2020 meticulously researched investigative expose of Hunter Bidens laptop. A few days ago, in fact, The Post ran an editorial on just that. The headline:

One year later, The Posts Hunter Biden reporting is vindicated  but still buried

The editorial said, in part, this:

One year ago, The Post revealed that Hunter Bidens abandoned laptop carried proof he sold influence while his father served as vice president  and his dad, now president, knew it. Yet most other media treated the story itself as the scandal, reporting only on vague claims that sought to undermine it rather than rushing (as they wouldve under the last president) to advance it themselves. And Twitter and Facebook rushed to block it, squelching vital information even as America voted. None of them has learned any lesson except that it worked: Big Tech and Big Media got their way, at the expense of our democracy.

Exactly.

Also the medias conspiracy of silence on things Biden reminds that there has been virtually no media spotlight  with the exception of conservative media  of the influence pedaling Biden family.

The hard fact here is that yet again the double standards of the liberal media, in their drive to trash Donald Trump and protect Joe Biden, means that the interesting reveal of taxpayer funding for the building of a Biden beach house wall will never get the coverage that was given Trumps security fence. Like The Posts coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop, the beach house wall story will simply be buried.

And more to the point, the obvious wildly hypocritical reality that Biden and Mayorkas are refusing to fund and build a wall on the southern border  but are quick to fund and build a wall around Bidens beach house  will just be greeted with silence.

Imagine that.

Read more at: NewsBusters.org
(Natural News) Brazil paused the use of AstraZenecas coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine on pregnant women following guidance from its federal health regulator. The immediate suspension order for the vaccine issued on May 11 stemmed from the death of a pregnant woman after inoculation. Two Brazilian states earlier halted the vaccines use for pregnant females.

Brazils National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine be suspended immediately in a May 10 statement. According to the statement, Anvisa issued the guidance after constant monitoring of adverse event related to [COVID-19] vaccines in use in the country.

The state of Sao Paulo previously suspended the vaccine for pregnant women with previous medical conditions. On the other hand, Rio de Janeiro state suspended it for all pregnant women. Both states cited Anvisas guidance as a factor in their pause of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Rio de Janeiro Health Secretary Alexandre Chieppe confirmed the pregnant womans death in the state. He said the 35-year-old woman, who was 23 weeks pregnant, died after getting immunized with the AstraZeneca vaccine. She died of a hemorrhagic stroke on May 10, five days after checking into a hospital.

It is unclear if the Rio de Janeiro woman had any underlying diseases. Anvisa however said that her demise was assessed as possibly related to the use of the vaccine. Health authorities are now investigating the womans death.

Meanwhile, the British drug manufacturer said in a statement to Reuters that its vaccine clinical trials did not include pregnant and lactating women. It added that studies in animals did not produce direct or indirect evidence of harm on pregnancy and fetal development.

The British company partnered with the Brazilian public health institute Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) to distribute its vaccine in the country. It is one of three COVID-19 vaccine candidates permitted in the largest South American nation. Brazil also approved the vaccines manufactured by Sinovac Biotech and Pfizer for use there.

AstraZenecas vaccine has always been problematic

The AstraZeneca vaccine had already caused the death of another Brazilian  seven months before the pregnant woman died. Back in October 2020, The Epoch Times reported that a volunteer who joined clinical trials there died. Anvisa confirmed the Brazilian volunteers death but remarked that it would not halt vaccine trials.

Later, two health workers in Denmark suffered brain hemorrhages after they were inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The two Danes experienced adverse reactions less than 14 days after their vaccination. One of the two patients eventually died. The Danish Medicines Agency confirmed the two cases, but did not elaborate on the matter. (Related: Danish regulator says woman who died after AstraZeneca jab had unusual symptoms including from blood clots.)

The Danish Health Authority (SST) initially ordered a temporary suspension of the vaccine in March alongside more than 20 other European nations that used it. Most of these countries eventually resumed use of AstraZenecas vaccine. However, Denmark made the suspension on the AstraZeneca permanent. (Related: Denmark permanently stops rollout for AstraZeneca vaccine, citing concerns about blood clots.)

SST Director General Sren Brostrm said in an April 14 statement: Based on the scientific findings, our overall assessment is there is a real risk of severe side effects associated with using the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca. We have, therefore, decided to remove the vaccine from our vaccination program. He remarked that the move to permanently suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine has been a difficult decision. Brostrm nevertheless commented that Denmark has other vaccines at its disposal.

Meanwhile, Denmarks neighbor Norway also recommended suspending the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for its COVID-19 immunization program. Norwegian Institute of Public Health Infection Control and Environmental Health Division Director Geir Bukholm said on April 15: We now know significantly more about the connection between the AstraZeneca vaccine and the rare and serious incidents of low platelets, blood clots and bleeding. Based on this knowledge, we have arrived at a recommendation that the AstraZeneca vaccine be removed from the coronary vaccination program in Norway.

Bukholms statement followed an investigation performed by Oslo University Hospital researchers. The team led by Chief Physician Dr. Pal Andre Holme looked at cases of blood clots in Norway that followed the AstraZeneca vaccination. All of the reactions there occurred in healthcare workers below 50 years old.

Speaking to Norwegian newspaper VG, Holme said he is confident that his team identified antibodies responsible for the blood clots  which the AstraZeneca vaccine triggered. Our theory is that this is a strong immune response that most likely comes after the vaccine. There is no other thing  that can explain this immune response. Im pretty sure its the antibodies [in the vaccine] thats the cause, he commented.

Visit VaccineDeaths.com to read more articles about the fatalities associated with the AstraZeneca Wuhan coronavirus vaccine.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

Reuters.com

TheEpochTimes.com 2

TheHill.com

SST.dk

FHI.no

ChildrensHealthDefense.org
(Natural News) China is accusing the United States of having an extensive bioweapons research program, as pressure mounts on the communist nation to prove its claims that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is not a bioweapon made in a laboratory that was accidentally released.

Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the accusation level against China by the U.S. regarding the coronavirus is a case of the guilty party filing the suit first.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry added that the U.S. was using genetic engineering technology to conduct a campaign of biological warfare and bioterrorism. The communist nation urged the U.S. to be transparent regarding its biolabs and ongoing studies into the development of bioweapons.

According to the ministry, in an article published by pro-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tabloid the Global Times, the U.S. has at least 25 biolaboratories in 25 countries, along with the many labs and research institutions on American soil.

These overseas biolabs can be located in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and in the former Soviet Union. The Foreign Ministry even claims  without evidence  that there are 16 biolabs in Ukraine alone. These labs also supposedly cause regular large-scale outbreaks of dangerous infectious diseases.

The Foreign Ministry then demanded that the U.S. address international concerns regarding its supposed bioweapons research laboratories.

In a statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry demanded that the U.S. address international concerns regarding its supposed bioweapons research laboratories.

Why is the U.S. building so many biolabs around the globe? How much sensitive biological resources and information has the U.S. obtained from other countries? What kind of activities has the U.S. carried out in its Fort Detrick laboratory and other biolabs, and whats the relationship between these biolabs and its next generation bioweapons?'

Fort Detrick is a military installation located in Frederick, Maryland. It used to be the center of the U.S.s biological weapons program, which was shut down in 1969. Since then, the Army has maintained the fort as the site of the countrys biological defense program.

Chinese military and health officials talked about weaponizing the coronavirus as early as 2015

The Chinese Foreign Ministry is attacking the U.S. for its supposed bioweapons laboratories because a document recently obtained by the newspaper The Australian revealed that Chinese senior public health officials met with high-ranking members of the military to discuss the possibility of weaponizing coronaviruses.

The document leaked to The Australian is titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapon. It is from 2015 and lists 18 authors, including scientists and weapons experts working for Chinas armed forces, the Peoples Liberation Army. (Related: BOMBSHELL: Chinese military planned aerosolized bioweapon development and deployment to cause the enemys medical system to collapse.)

According to The Australian, the leaked document talks about how the coronavirus can be artificially manipulated into an emerging human disease virus, then weaponized and unleashed in a way never seen before. The document further shows CCP officials describing SARS coronaviruses as heralding a new era of genetic weapons.

Robert Potter, an Australian cybersecurity expert who analyzed the document, said he believes the document is not fake.

We reached a high confidence conclusion that [the document] was genuine  Its not fake but its up to someone else to interpret how serious it is, he said. It emerged in the last few years  they [China] will almost certainly try to remove it now its been covered.

Potter added that it was not unusual for Chinese research papers to open discussions regarding topics the country needs to make a lot of progress on. He believes that while the paper does show that China at least considered creating coronavirus bioweapons, more proof is needed to definitively show that China did in fact act on its prior considerations.

Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said during an interview with News.com.au that the document is a smoking gun.

I think this is significant because it clearly shows that Chinese scientists were thinking about military application for different strains of the coronavirus and thinking about how it could be deployed, said Jennings. It begins to firm up the possibility that what we have here is the accidental release of a pathogen for military use.

Jennings believes the leaked document can explain why China has been so reluctant for impartial outside inspectors to come into China to investigate the origins of COVID-19.

If this was a case of transmission from a wet market, it would be in Chinas interest to cooperate  weve had the opposite of that.

More and more people are coming around to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is the result of an accidental leak in a bioweapons lab in Wuhan. Robert Redfield, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently said in an interview with a mainstream media outlet that he believed the coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a research institution that has been focusing on the study of coronaviruses.

Im of the point of view that I still think the most likely etiology of this pathology in Wuhan was from a laboratory, said Redfield. Escaped. Other people dont believe that. Thats fine. Science will eventually figure it out.

Global Times has hit back against these accusations by saying that The Australian is spreading false information and that the leaked document is actually from a book published in 2015 and put on sale on Amazon.

The book suggests that SARS epidemic during 2002 and 2004 in China originated through an unnatural way of genetic modification originating from abroad, wrote the pro-CCP tabloid.

Learn more about the actual origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how hard China has been working to cover up its complicity with the millions of deaths that came from it worldwide by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

WattsUpWithThat.com

GlobalTimes.cn

IBTimes.com

MoneyControl.com

News.com.au
(Natural News) A cross-dressing male student has been convicted in Loudoun Countys juvenile court system of the sexual assault of a female classmate in a girls restroom, following a scandal that revealed the local school board had sought to cover up reports of the crime for fear it would incite the school systems transgender agenda.

(Article by Richard Moorhead republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

A 14-year old biological male student who some accounts have described as transgender was found guilty on all counts for the assault at Stone Bridge High School, with most details surrounding the criminal conviction sealed as a result of the offenders age. The minor will await adjudication of charges stemming from yet another assault at a different high school before sentencing.

The sexual assault had drawn national scrutiny upon Loudoun County, with the Daily Wire publishing the account of Scott Smith- the girls father- after Mr. Smith was arrested, ejected and slapped with criminal charges for leading a protest of the school board that failed to protect his daughter and attempted to cover up the incident. Internal communications of the Loudoun school board reveal administrators knew of the sexual assault- which the perpetrator reportedly admitted to- in May, failing to report the crime to parents. Loudoun school board members had falsely claimed the predator transgender student or person simply does not exist in a board meeting protested by Mr. Smith.

The charged minor had originally faced charges of forcible sodomy in the case, although at one point a left-wing prosecutor had sought to minimize the criminal charges against the youth.

Lawyers representing the Smith family released a statement on behalf of the victims parents.

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Moneta, Virginia: Bill Stanley of The Stanley Law Group of Virginia released the following statement on behalf of the Smith family after todays outcome in the criminal case against their daughters attacker in the Loudoun County Juvenile pic.twitter.com/0ZMIPjuO3d  Elicia Brand (@EliciaBrand) October 25, 2021

The account of gross negligence for the safety of children and in the name of fanatical political correctness has become a point of contention in Virginias gubernatorial election, which is slated to occur on November. President Obama has accused supporters of Glenn Youngkin of focusing on phony trumped culture wars by raising awareness about the scandal.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) Criminal charges have not been ruled out in the fatal shooting by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of his western film, Rust, last week, the Santa Fe County district attorney reportedly said on Tuesday.

(Article by Alana Mastrangelo republished from Breitbart.com)

We havent ruled out anything, district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies told the New York Times. Everything at this point, including criminal charges, is on the table.

On Thursday, Baldwin was rehearsing with a gun that he had been told did not contain live ammunition. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally wounded and director Joel Souza was also wounded.

Carmack-Altwies added that she takes issue with the firearm used being described as a prop gun, saying that the terminology could give people the wrong idea that it was not a real gun.

It was a legit gun, Carmack-Altwies said. It was an antique-era appropriate gun.

The district attorney added that there were an enormous amount of bullets on this set, and we need to find out what kinds they were.

Carmack-Altwies told NYT the investigation is focusing on ballistics in an attempt to determine what kind of round was in the gun that killed Hutchins, and who had put the ammunition in the gun.

Detectives reportedly said they recovered three revolvers, spent casings, and ammunition while searching the set. The rounds were found in boxes, loose, and in a fanny pack.

Carmack-Altwies said that detectives are still interviewing people who were on the set, and that its probably weeks, if not months, of follow-up investigation that were going to need to get to the point of charging.

On Thursday, authorities were dispatched to the New Mexico set of Rust following a 911 call in which script supervisor Mamie Mitchell told a dispatcher our director and our camerawoman were accidentally shot on a move set by a prop gun.

Listen below:

The gun Baldwin used was one of three that the films head armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed had set on a cart outside a church where a scene was being rehearsed. The cart was left outside due to Covid-19 restrictions, reports NYT.

Assistant director Dave Halls grabbed one of the firearms off the cart and handed it Baldwin, who was rehearsing inside the church. Halls reportedly yelled, cold gun  indicating the firearm did not contain any rounds of ammunition in it.

Baldwin then rehearsed a scene that involved pointing the gun toward the camera lens when the gun fired.

Baldwin first addressed the incident on Friday morning in a two-part statement on Twitter, writing, There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins.

The actor added that he was fully cooperating with the police, and was in touch with her husband.

1-

There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and  AlecBaldwin(HABF) (@AlecBaldwin) October 22, 2021

2- I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.  AlecBaldwin(HABF) (@AlecBaldwin) October 22, 2021

Read more at: Breitbart.com
(Natural News) National Institutes of Health Principal Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak informed a leading House Republican lawmaker on Wednesday that the agency funded gain-of-function experiments on bat coronaviruses in China after over a year of denials from the agencys leadership.

(Article by Sundance republished from DailyCallerNewsFoundation.org)

Tabak said that its grantee, EcoHealth Alliance, first notified the NIH in August that it conducted the gain-of-function experiments with the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China between June 2018 and May 2019. Tabak said EcoHealth failed to immediately notify the agency that they created lab-generated chimeric coronaviruses that exhibited a greater than one log, or ten-times, increase in growth.

EcoHealth failed to report this finding right away, as was required by the terms of the grant, Tabak said in a letter to House Oversight and Reform Committee Ranking Member Rep. James Comer of Kentucky. EcoHealth is being notified that they have five days from today to submit to NIH any and all unpublished data from the experiments and work conducted under this award. Additional compliance efforts continue.

EcoHealth informed the NIH in the progress report that it created a lab-generated SARS-related coronavirus called rWIV1-SHC-014 S that was more pathogenic towards mice with humanized cells than the natural virus on which it was based.

Tissue lesion and lymphocytes infiltration can be observed in lung, which is more significant in mice infected with rWIV1-SHC014 S than those infected with rWIV1, the progress report stated. These results suggest that the pathogenicity of SHC014 is higher than other tested bat SARSr-CoVs in transgenic mice that express hACE2.

Tabak added in his letter that, despite EcoHealth Alliances failure to properly report its activities to the NIH, the viruses it studied could not have been the source of SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

EcoHealth Alliance relayed to the NIH in a previous progress report for the grant submitted in 2020 that it created chimeric SARS-related viruses in a Wuhan lab that exhibited an over 10,000 times higher viral load in humanized mice cells, according to records released in September by The Intercept.

An NIH spokesman told the DCNF in September that it never approved any research that would make a coronavirus more dangerous to humans.

The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, approved the EcoHealth Alliance research grant in China, which involved the transfer of $600,000 to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Fauci has insisted since the outset of the pandemic in early 2020 that his agency did not fund gain-of-function research in China.

Rutgers University professor Richard Ebright, an outspoken opponent of gain-of-function research, said Wednesday that Tabaks letter proves that the NIH and its top leaders, including NIH Director Francis Collins and Fauci, lied when they claimed they didnt fund gain-of-function research.

The NIHspecifically, Collins, Fauci, and Tabaklied to Congress, lied to the press, and lied to the public. Knowingly. Willfully. Brazenly, Ebright tweeted Wednesday.

EcoHealth Alliance President Peter Daszak orchestrated the now-infamous February 2020 letter published in the Lancet medical journal that condemned conspiracy theories suggesting COVID-19 doesnt have a natural origin. He was also the only American member of the World Health Organizations first COVID-19 origins investigation that concluded after an investigation in China in early 2021 that it was extremely unlikely the virus could have leaked from a Wuhan lab.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has repeatedly accused Fauci of lying about funding such research, expressed vindication Wednesday evening after Comer released Tabaks letter.

I told you so doesnt even begin to cover it here, Paul tweeted.

The NIH and EcoHealth Alliance did not return requests for comment.

Read more at: DailyCallerNewsFoundation.org
(Natural News) For years, conservative media outlets have complained that content posted to their Facebook pages was being censored, throttled and downgraded, oftentimes garnering only a few thousand clicks and views on pages with hundreds of thousands or even more than 1 million likes.

And for just as long, the editors and owners of those websites were rejected  told they didnt know what they were talking about, that Facebook and the other social media giants dont play political favorites, and that page likes and content has nothing at all to do with reach.

Most right-leaning publishers suspected those explanations were bunk and now, thanks to a revealing new report from The Wall Street Journal based on internal communications the paper obtained from whistleblowers, they have proof:

In June 2020, when America was rocked by protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, a Facebook employee posted a message on the companys racial-justice chat board: Get Breitbart out of News Tab.

News Tab is a feature that aggregates and promotes articles from various publishers, chosen by Facebook. The employees message included screenshots of headlines on Breitbarts website, such as Minneapolis Mayhem: Riots in Masks, Massive Looting, Buildings in Flames, Bonfires! and BLM Protesters Pummel Police Cars on 101.

The staffer justified the order by saying that the headlines were emblematic of a concerted effort at Breitbart and similarly hyperpartisan sources (none of which belong in News Tab) to paint Black Americans and Black-led movements in a very negative way, according to conversations from Facebooks office communication systems seen by the Journal.

Several other employees sounded off in agreement.

In the same chat, a researcher with the company said that steps to remove Breitbart may face internal roadblocks due to potential political pushback.

At best, it would be a very difficult policy discussion, said the researcher, according the internal communications.

All said Facebook decided to keep Breitbart News in the News Tab. And a spokesperson for the social media behemoth claimed that content judgments are made on a case-by-case basis, not on Breitbarts content, broadly. She also said that the material in question met Facebooks standards and abided by rules against hate speech or misinformation.

Many Republicans, from Mr. Trump down, say Facebook discriminates against conservatives. The documents reviewed by the Journal didnt render a verdict on whether bias influences its decisions overall, the WSJ reported.

They do show that employees and their bosses have hotly debated whether and how to restrain right-wing publishers, with more-senior employees often providing a check on agitation from the rank and file. The documents viewed by the Journal, which dont capture all of the employee messaging, didnt mention equivalent debates over left-wing publications, the paper reported.

There would have been instances of left-wing publications being censored provided to the Journal  or some mainstream publication  if they existed, if for no other reason than to mock and push back against the conservative narrative that the platform only targets right-leaning materials.

Meanwhile, another spokesman for the platform said content decisions are not political.

We make changes to reduce problematic or low-quality content to improve peoples experiences on the platform, not because of a pages political point of view, said Andy Stone. When it comes to changes that will impact public pages like publishers, of course we analyze the effect of the proposed change before we make it.

And yet, there have been precious few instances of left-wing publications complaining about being censored or even deplatformed from Facebook or any of the other social media giants.

Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube and Instagram are all part of the same big tech cabal: They control 90 percent of the social media information flow and they know it, so they use that power to push their own leftist political agenda.

Americans have the power to fight back: Get off those platforms.

Sources include:

NaturalNews.com

WSJ.com
(Natural News) A federal judge has granted Texas a huge win in a major free speech case against Big Tech, ruling that the Lone Star State can seek files regarding content moderation from Twitter and Facebook.

Bloomberg News reported that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, will be permitted to seek limited discovery from the Big Tech behemoths in due course.

The ruling allows Paxton to seek documents and depose employees at members of NetChoice and Computer & Communications Industry Association  but only if theyll be impacted by the law barring platforms from suspending users over their political views. The statute, which applies to social-media companies with more than 50 million monthly users, takes effect Dec. 2, the outlet reported.

Texas sued a number of tech companies over the free speech statute.

Texas passed a law prohibiting Facebook, Twitter & Google from removing conservative viewpoints, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted. They sued us. Now, a federal judge will let Texas seek internal documents about how they moderate content. Its about to get interesting.

Texas passed a law prohibiting Facebook, Twitter & Google from removing conservative viewpoints. They sued us. Now, a federal judge will let Texas seek internal documents about how they moderate content. It's about to get interesting.https://t.co/zYzf9HYqz8 via @technology  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 23, 2021

Last month, three social media behemoths  Facebook, Googles YouTube, and Twitter  filed suit against Texas in a bid to stop the law from taking effect, with USA Today adding:

The lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday challenges the law signed earlier this month by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that would allow any state resident banned from a social media platform for their political views to sue.

Texas lawmakers were motivated in large part by the suspensions of former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

At a minimum, H.B. 20 would unconstitutionally require platforms like YouTube and Facebook to disseminate, for example, pro-Nazi speech, terrorist propaganda, foreign government disinformation, and medical misinformation, the lawsuit alleges.

Also, the new state law will work to chill the exercise of platforms First Amendment rights to exercise their own editorial discretion and to be free from state-compelled speech, it said.

For one thing, our founders wrote the First Amendment specifically with the intent of keeping the government out of regulating speech, but the intent also was that other entities would also be prevented from limiting or regulating speech. The founders, of course, could never have envisioned social media but that is the genius behind an amendment guaranteeing Americans the right to speak and express themselves freely: It applies to all communications methods.

Secondly, the founders, better than anyone, understood unpopular speech; after all, they were stumping against King George and the Crown, which was forbidden and certainly not popular among all colonists at the time. No one in their right mind supports the Nazi ideology or mindset, but preventing someone from espousing it is exactly what the First Amendment sought to ban. Now, conservative speech is being suppressed because our opponents get to claim we are Nazis when it is clear we are not.

Ditto for medical misinformation. All of these social media behemoths have banned or censored scientifically valid evidence regarding the COVID-19 vaccine simply because it differs from the accepted science: All vaccines are good and effective; vaccine mandates are science; kids must be vaccinated because science; and so on. It simply is an arbitrary decision by the platforms to declare what is and is not medical misinformation.

And foreign government misinformation? What about U.S. government misinformation? The Biden regime is literally incapable of telling the truth and yet no one from this administration is banned or censored on those platforms, while nearly everyone from the Trump administration was (and Trump himself was kicked off after the lie that he incited the Jan. 6 insurrection).

What about the fact that all of these platforms allowed fake news about Trumps non-existent collusion with Russia to be posted for years? Even after it was proven time and again that the allegations were fake?

Our founders did not bequeath us ambiguous definitions of our guaranteed rights. Texas should win this case if we have judges ruling on its constitutionality, not with political considerations.

Sources include:

USAToday.com

Bloomberg.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Christian conservative rapper Bryson Grays song Lets Go Brandon hit #1 on iTunes after the music video for the song was banned both by YouTube and Instagram.

(Article by Darian Alexander republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

Gray took to social media to celebrate the good news.

WE DID IT. FROM BANNED ON YOUTUBE TO PASSING ADELE ON THE ITUNES CHARTS TO BECOME THE #1 SONG IN THE COUNTRY! Gray announced.

The rapper also encouraged others to stand up against the mob in wake of unprecedented censorship in the United States.

Stop being afraid of censorship. Stop being afraid to be canceled. STAND UP. Thank yall so much! KEEP IT GOING!

WE DID IT. FROM BANNED ON YOUTUBE TO PASSING ADELE ON THE ITUNES CHARTS TO BECOME THE #1 SONG IN THE COUNTRY! Stop being afraid of censorship. Stop being afraid to be cancelled. STAND UP. Thank yall so much! KEEP IT GOING! pic.twitter.com/rIfsJjSxEG  CCG BRYSON (@RealBrysonGray) October 24, 2021

In a previous Thursday tweet, Gray posted YouTube has banned Lets Go Brandon song from YouTube due to medical information.

What medical misinformation is in the song? Gray asked. Whoa.

The music video is still up for now but the lyric video was banned. Which means the music video is coming too, Gray added in another tweet.

YouTubes Instagram account responded to Gray, inferring that he will remain banned but that they will take a close look into what is going on.

Jumping in  were passing this along to the right team for a re-review, YouTube posted. Well share updates once we hear back from them. Appreciate your patience in the meantime.

Jumping in  we're passing this along to the right team for a re-review. We'll share updates once we hear back from them. Appreciate your patience in the meantime.  TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) October 21, 2021

Chandler Crump, who is featured in Brysons song, also took to social media to express that the music video had been banned from his own channel as well.

IT JUST HAPPENED! Crump posted. The final copy of the Lets Go Brandon song previously hosted on my channel has been BANNED! I now have 2 guidelines strikes and cannot post for 2 weeks.

IT JUST HAPPENED! The final copy of the Let's Go Brandon song previously hosted on my channel has been BANNED! I now have 2 guidelines strikes and cannot post for 2 weeks.@RealBrysonGray @Tyson_James_ pic.twitter.com/fInFOKUG5C  Chandler Crump: ALBUM OUT NOW (@realCCrump) October 21, 2021

The music video can for now still be viewed on Christian rapper Hyper Qs YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/FeLO8yVrVx4

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) There are two ways of getting things done: persuasion or coercion. You either convince someone of the value of your ideas or you hold a (literal or metaphorical) gun to their head. The latter has been the norm throughout human history. Most of what we value about the contemporary West is a shift toward the former occurring over the last 250 years or so.

(Article republished from Ammo.com)

However, theres an important difference between the despotisms of old and coercive governments in the modern era: modern-day tyrants frame themselves as the righteous side in any conflict.

Think about it: Ancient Persian Emperors and the German Kaiser didnt paint themselves as the moral superiors of their enemies. They simply wanted their stuff and, if they could, they took it. In contrast, during the American Civil War or the Allied cause during World War II, force didnt justify itself. Instead, force was justified by the righteousness of the cause.

(President Lincoln openly, repeatedly stated more than a year into the Civil War that his call to end slavery was a useful means by which to justify his real objective: To preserve the Union.)

The need to justify force with righteousness is not limited to wartime. Every new coercive law or regulation is justified not on the basis of Im strong enough to take your stuff and so I think I will, but because our cause is just. While some who would take your freedom or your life are motivated by their desire for power, the most vicious monsters in human history were all motivated by righteousness. They seek to perfect creation, no matter what the cost, rather than simply acquire power for its own end  a philosophically important distinction.

It is this philosophy of using state power to impose ones morality on others that in part has made American politics such a bloodsport nowadays. If you follow the thread from the Abolitionist movement (which provided moral justification for the Unions invasion of the Confederacy) through the Temperance movement (which culminated in Prohibition) to the Progressivism movement as we detail below, youll see why.

What Do We Mean by Righteousness?

Righteousness is simply the sense that ones cause is so just that the ends justify the means  the ends could be anything. A critical feature of righteousness is the belief in the perfectibility of man and earth. It is often accompanied by philosophical progressivism, the view that the world becomes a better place, morally speaking, over time.

Righteousness requires coercion. This necessitates a large administrative state to enforce the prevailing diktats of the secular-religious. An excellent example from recent history is the campaign against tobacco, which in the span of a few years was chased from every public place.

Righteousness is not simply progressivism. It is a specific type of progressivism forged in America through the experience of Pietist Protestant Christians. The Pietists were originally Scandinavian Lutherans, but the posture of Pietism spread to most Protestant denominations in the United States: The Northern Baptists and Methodists, the Congregationalists, the Disciples of Christ, the Presbyterians, and others.

The Pietists rejected ritualistic or liturgical religious practice in favor of an inner experience expressed in ones daily life. Correct beliefs and proper living were the focus, culminating in the Holiness Movement, which was an extreme and fundamentalist expression of Pietism. Holiness tolerated no deviation from orthodoxy in either thought or deed.

Righteousness, like its Pietist forebears, isnt satisfied that you do and say the right things, you need to truly believe the right things. Compliance is not enough. You have to love Big Brother.

Righteousness moved from the realm of the deeply religious Protestant pietists of early America into the mainstream progressive movement. The latter adopted this surety and energy, seeking to expand their ersatz religion into every aspect of American life.

Righteousness is dangerous as a political force because of how certain it makes those infected with it. Whats more, political righteousness makes the stakes increasingly apocalyptic, allowing the ends to continually justify any means, up to and including the death camp.

This is not hyperbole: Righteousness does not prohibit your political participation, it demands it, and it sees everything else about you as superfluous.

Righteousness Enters the World Stage: Abolitionism

It is often said that before the Civil War, the United States are, but after the War, the United States is. This is a reference to the formerly theoretically sovereign nature of each state as compared to one nation, indivisible found in the Pledge of Allegiance, which was created after the Civil War by a Union war veteran.

Why does this distinction matter? Because it was a distinction which the Confederacy, headed by Jefferson Davis, was willing to test in the furnaces of war.

In the run-up to the War, Davis repeatedly pointed out that the U.S. was a voluntary union of states which delegated authority to Washington, as ratified in the U.S. Constitution in the Bill of Rights #9 and #10. Thus if a state wanted to leave the Union, it could do so. Despite the best efforts of the southern states to maintain the Union, at the end of the day they voted to secede because their differences with the northern states were irreconcilable. Was slavery one of the issues over which they didnt agree? Yes, absolutely. Slavery was an issue that plagued the Founders as well.

Yet Davis made an important point: Just because one doesnt like slavery (and we dont like slavery, lets be clear) that does not then automatically mean that one supports President Lincoln using the U.S. Army to roll into the Confederacy in order to occupy them and make them behave the way wed like them to. This is persuasion vs. coercion in action.

(One of the reasons Jefferson Davis was never tried for treason following the Civil War is that his case wouldve given him a platform to highlight the Constitutional issues presented by the Norths invasion of the South.)

Fast forward to the present day. If youre reading this then youre likely a Unionist (i.e. happy that the U.S. is intact), at least in spirit if not in name, and also a fan of President Lincoln. Yet it was President Lincoln who said, in a widely publicized 1862 letter written more than a year into the War:

My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do lesswhenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause (of saving the Union), and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause.

One can point this out without arguing in favor of slavery as its clear President Lincoln knew what he was doing  trying to save the Union  and that picking up the moral banner of ending slavery was a useful means by which to ally himself because it furthered his goal of saving the Union. Machiavelli wouldve been proud, and so were the Abolitionists, who got a taste of what righteousness and force can do once the reins of state power are grasped.

It was these Abolitionists who not only claimed the moral high ground for President Lincoln during the War but who, following Appomattox, then went about the Reconstruction of the Southern state governments, which was largely a disaster. During Reconstruction, the Northern Republicans attempted to form Southern state governments with people who either had no experience in governance or had no connections to their constituents because the righteousness of their cause, reconstructing the South, would make it all work in the end.

Note that this is not a condemnation of the abolitionist cause, instead, it is a condemnation of the social phenomenon of righteousness, which generally sees political orthodoxy as trumping basic competence.

The end of the Civil War led to a total war against American citizens. Significant portions of Southern states were stripped of the right to vote and the right to keep and bear arms. The Radical Reconstructionist Congress was all too eager to ride roughshod over the Southern states because they felt ideologically and morally justified in doing so.

What caused the Civil War will always remain a question of debate. What will not is that it represented a massive transfer of power upward from sovereign individuals and states to a centralized federal government, as Jefferson Davis warned. This provided later incarnations of righteousness and force with a ready-made set of tools to increase the efficiency of coercion.

The Reconstruction period did little to heal the nation. It gave us the Klan and Jim Crow laws, but it stands as an example of righteousness having a large effect on American politics.

Righteousness must also be considered separately from the question of abolition itself, which was a moot point by the time the Reconstruction governments came into power. Its one thing to see slavery, which was the default mode of human production throughout all of human history, as a great moral evil that must be ended at once. It is another to dramatically punish, humiliate, and disenfranchise people who participated in this economic system.

It is still another thing entirely to attempt to dramatically remake the world into ones personal vision of Heaven on Earth. The carpetbaggers flooding Southern states during the Reconstruction Era believed that they simply needed to point the right guns in the right direction to create their earthly paradise.

Righteousness, in addition to a tangible ability of coercion through the military, cops, and courts, was the animating force of Reconstruction; however, it didnt end there.

Read more at: Ammo.com
(Natural News) Small businesses are feeling the brunt of the congestion in Americas ports and supply chains. While larger corporations are expanding their operations to keep up with demand, smaller businesses cant scale up their services and are being left in the dust.

Multiple companies have committed to expanding their operating hours to help ease the congestion at the ports, particularly at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach in California. These companies include Walmart, UPS, Home Depot and FedEx.

With the expanded operating hours comes higher shipping costs. These costs are hurting small businesses while mega-corporations like Walmart and Amazon have no problem absorbing the additional expenses.

Having UPS and FedEx ramp up their delivery process doesnt do a lot for the challenges we have with lumber and labor shortages that are handicapping our industry and creating a shortage of new houses, said John Fowke, a representative of the National Association of Home Builders, during a panel organized by the House Small Business Committee on Wednesday, Oct. 20.

This in turn has put a stress on existing housing stock. Therefore the possibility of affordable housing has left the scene.

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Den Philips of Minnesota noted that large corporations like FedEx and UPS have the capital and the flexibility to increase operational hours. But small firms engaged in international trade have to accept the prevailing market price and are therefore more adversely impacted by the increased cost of shipping.

Philips pointed out that mega-corporations like Walmart or Amazon are able to ignore smaller competitors with their ability to negotiate more advantageous freight contracts to ship larger volumes. This, he said, allows them to more reliably get their goods across the ocean while smaller companies struggle.

The massive increases in freight costs have helped fuel profits for the seven largest publicly traded ocean carriers in the world. Philips said those carriers reported more than $23 billion in profits in the first half of this year, compared with just $1 billion in the same period last year.

Small businesses will continue to suffer

Chris OBrien, chief commercial officer of the third-party logistics company C.H. Robinson, testified before the committee regarding the labor shortage.

Its especially challenging for small businesses, said OBrien. He pointed out that the trucking industry is the weakest link in the supply chain due to the shortage of drivers. This shortage, coupled with the heightened need for deliveries, is making the trucking industry work under a lot of pressure. (Related: Empty shipping containers being DUMPED in neighborhoods near ports in California.)

OBrien asked the committee to support pending legislation that would allow truck drivers below the age of 21 to move cargo between states. He also supported legislation promoting women truck drivers.

Its no secret that truck driving is not adequate labor, and anything we can do to help the lifestyle and improve the attractiveness of that role is important, said OBrien.

Christine Lantinen, president and owner of snack food company Maud Borup Inc., told the committee that the labor shortage across all parts of the countrys supply chain is keeping businesses like hers from flourishing. We need to see action to relieve the bottlenecks.

Expanding delivery hours doesnt solve backlog problems at California ports

Despite the expanded operating hours in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the backlog of cargo ships waiting to dock and offload their shipping containers has still reached an all-time high.

On Tuesday, reports indicated that more than 100 ships were waiting outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. This massive backlog has resulted in dozens of ships idling in the waters outside these ports for weeks at a time.

This massive congestion is expected to continue well into next year despite the pledges from the administration of President Joe Biden to help relieve the situation in the ports.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg claimed the administration is working to deal with the problems along all the points in the supply chain, including the ports, truckers, rail companies and retail companies.

White House officials are also reportedly considering deploying the national guard to the ports to help reduce the backlog.

But the federal governments current intervention  expanding operating hours to twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week  is clearly not working. Union Pacific Corp., one of the two major railroads that haul cargo inland from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, reported handling only several dozen more shipping containers after switching to round-the-clock operations.

This means the Biden administrations attempts to deal with congestion have not made any big dent at all.

Weve seen four dozen incremental domestic intermodal loads come through, said Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz. It helps somewhere, and it will stay open 24-seven if thats what it needs.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together move 40 percent of container imports and 30 percent of exports in the United States.

Learn more about the congestion at Americas ports and how Bidens administration is failing to fix the supply chain crisis by reading the latest articles at MarketCrash.news.

Sources include:

FreightWaves.com

TheGuardian.com

HellenicShippingNews.com
(Natural News) The vax mandates are nothing more than a way for the regime to purge all remaining recalcitrants and complete its transition into an occupation force.

(Article by Chris Menahan republished from InformationLiberation.com)

Our finest people are being fired purely for political reasons while the scum of the earth are being promoted.

NOW: Seattle firefighters and Seattle police officers that were fired for not complying with the vaccine mandate are out feeding the homeless. pic.twitter.com/33S42hg9Aa  Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) October 19, 2021

Seattle PD and Seattle Fire walking up the stairs of Seattle City Hall to turn in their boots. These a excellent officers and firefighters with years of service that truly cant be replaced. pic.twitter.com/OmfrMhCNpc  Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) October 19, 2021

https://twitter.com/KatieDaviscourt/status/1450570623932006400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1450570623932006400%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.informationliberation.com%2F%3Fid%3D62620

The city lost heroes today. pic.twitter.com/RDUUFm5CKy  Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) October 19, 2021

Dozens Of Top Nuclear Scientists With "Highest Security Clearances" Being Fired From Los Alamos Lab After Vax Mandate https://t.co/1Z1kfG7WlV  zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 19, 2021

This is the last time youll hear me in a patrol car and Jay Inslee can kiss my ass. Washington State Trooper in Yakima, Wash. signs off after 22 years  fired by @GovInslee for being unvaccinated. pic.twitter.com/RGLDs5BZxg  Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) October 17, 2021

Dozens of top nuclear scientists and engineers are being fired at Los Alamos National Lab while border patrol agents are being punished for trying to protect our border.

Meanwhile, transgender fetishist and child-sex change advocate Richard Rachel Levine was just promoted to a four-star admiral.

NEW  Rachel Levine sworn in as "first openly transgender, female four-star admiral" in the U.S. Public Health Service. pic.twitter.com/E4dtJpaBtv  Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 19, 2021

HISTORY AGAIN: Adm. Rachel Levine, the US' highest-ranking transgender federal official, was sworn in as the first openly transgender 4-star officer across the uniformed services Levine serves as HHS Assistant Sec. of Health and leads the Public Health Service Commissioned Corp pic.twitter.com/waQ1IKbFqX  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 19, 2021

Pete Buttigieg, who ran on creating a state-sponsored grooming program to connect LGBT youth with leaders in politics and business to teach them self-love, was appointed Secretary of Transportation and swiftly went on two months paternity leave after trafficking two children.

Paternity leave is work: Pete Buttigieg defends taking weeks off of national crisis to care for his newborn twins https://t.co/Xxa08We2kb  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) October 17, 2021

This is what its like to live under occupation with rulers who literally hate you.

We need a new Declaration of Independence from the hostile junta in DC.

Read more at: InformationLiberation.com
(Natural News) Left-wing media and political institutions constantly claim that conservatives pose the biggest threat to America and Americans, but in fact, it is they who frequently suggest or resort to violence, as proven again by threats made to an outspoken GOP lawmaker from Florida.

A longtime camera operator for ABC, CNN, NBC, and other outlets was arrested last week for threatening to kill Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and his family days after the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, the Post Millennial reported this week, adding: Meanwhile, another man who recently threatened Rep. Gaetz is still on the streets after the Department of Justice blocked the US Capitol Polices recommendation for arrest.

The PM adds:

According to court documents, law enforcement arrested Eugene Gene Huelsman, 58, in Los Angeles on an indictment returned in May by a federal grand jury in Pensacola, Florida.

According to Fox News, Huelsman has worked for decades as a camera operator for various films and television networks including ABC and CNN. He even received five Emmy nominations for his work on NBCs Late Night with Conan OBrien.

Tell [M.G.] to watch his back, tell him to watch his children, Huelsman allegedly said, according to the indictment. Im coming for him. Im gonna fing kill him. Im gonna put a bullet in you and Im gonna put a bullet in one of your fing kids too.

The cameraman was initially indicted in May but a judge sealed it until federal authorities could locate him. He was found in California and arrested on a felony count of threatening a U.S. lawmaker. He was released on a $20,000 bond and was scheduled to make a court appearance in Pensacola, Fla., on Friday, reports said.

Just last week Gaetz claimed he received a direct Twitter message threatening his life.

I lived in Portland. Portland has ordered a hit on you. I accepted the contract. Have a good day, the message said, according to the Florida Republican.

Gaetz said that a U.S. Capitol Police source told him he recommended that charges be filed against the individual but Bidens Justice Department wasnt interested.

I think someone may be trying to kill me and if they are successful I would like my constituents and my family to know who stopped their arrest, Gaetz said from the floor of the House this week.

If my name werent Gaetz, if it were [Rep. Ilhan] Omar [D-Minn.] or [Rep. Rashida] Talib [D-Mich.], you bet this person would have been arrested, Gaetz added. But the Department of Justice doesnt seem to care so much when its Republicans.

That same Justice Department has also targeted Gaetz for several allegations including obstruction of justice and sex trafficking but those allegations are months old and no charges have been filed. He has vehemently denied the claims and pushed back on calls for him to resign.

He went on to tell Politico that he believes his comments prompted the arrest, but that the case he described on the floor and the earlier episode mentioned in the indictment are not related.

An indictment was issued in May, and has now been unsealed the week after my criticism. If they took our security seriously, they would arrest all of the people who violate federal law and the threats to kill us, not just some of them I think that the Department of Justice is biased against Republicans, the Florida Republican noted further.

Got that? The Biden regime appears to be working in cahoots with anti-Gaetz leftists to ensure that sooner or later, he becomes a victim of a violent crime. Or a homicide.

These people are disgusting.

Sources include:
(Natural News) The government of New Zealand has decided that pretty much everyone who works in the country must now get vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) in order to continue receiving a paycheck.

Save for those with a medical or other exemption, all employed New Zealanders will need to show proof of injection or else face termination. The same goes for customers in the private sector who are being told they must show proof of injection in order to shop.

The cabinet has decided today that the vaccinations will be mandated for everyone who works in any workplace where a vaccination certificate is required for entry, announced Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern, reading from a script.

In the new Covid-19 protection framework, this includes hospitality, events, gyms, and close proximity businesses such as hairdressers and barbers.

Ardern went on to explain that the change is necessary to ensure that staff and customers are treated equally, meaning everyone will have to face the same Chinese Virus tyranny in order to ensure equality.

This  will play a big part in helping to minimize the spread of the virus in the highest risk venues by reducing the potential for covid to enter the business in the first place, and further supports our businesses and their economic recovery, Ardern further added.

We thought New Zealand was better than this, but apparently it wants to be just like Australia

As part of a system known as Traffic Light, Arderns plan is to force high risk businesses to play the injection game if they want to remain open and operate normally. Those businesses that refuse to comply will presumably get shut down.

With the new Traffic Light system, businesses that we previously treated as high risk, like hospitality, hairdressers, and gyms, can operate at all levels if they ask customers for a vaccine certificate, Ardern explained.

And so it follows, if customers must be vaccinated, then so must workers.

Another politician then appeared on a screen to add more scripted language to Arderns announcement. He revealed that New Zealand is completely rewriting its laws to introduce a clear and simplified risk assessment process for employers to follow when deciding whether they can require vaccination for different types of work.

Itll cover simple factors like who workers interact with during their work days and how close that contact is, this person added.

Keep in mind that this is the same country that completely locked down after one single case of the Chinese Virus was detected.

Employers will continue to be able to exempt any workers from a vaccination requirement they introduce, the man further explained. We also suggest that people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons should be exempt.

Other New Zealander employees who will be affected by the new rules include those who work in industries that involve the export of products. In cases where the receiving country requires proof of injection in order to take in New Zealand products, New Zealand workers will need to comply.

Another Satanic member of the New World Order, wrote one commenter at Citizen Free Press about Ardern. This is going to be worldwide before long. The will of the people doesnt matter any longer.

Theyve found out how to get in office and rule by demonic power. God is allowing this to fulfill His Word. These are the last days. The Great Tribulation is described as a time in history that is worse than any other, even Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Pol Pot, the inquisition, the dark ages, etc. The Rapture is imminent. Be ready.

The latest news coverage about Chinese Virus injection tyranny can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Several members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) vaccine advisory committee have financial ties to Pfizer.

Right after voting unanimously to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine in children as young as five, this committee was outed for direct conflicts of interest that clearly impacted its decision.

California is already chomping at the bit to mandate the jabs for kindergartners, pending federal authorization. Many other states controlled by leftists will likely try to follow suit, assuming there is no major pushback.

 the meeting roster shows that numerous members of the committee and temporary voting members have worked for Pfizer or have major connections to Pfizer, reported National File about the compromised FDA committee.

Members include a former vice president of Pfizer Vaccines, a recent Pfizer consultant, a recent Pfizer research grant recipient, a man who mentored a current top Pfizer vaccine executive, a man who runs a center that gives out Pfizer vaccines, the chair of a Pfizer data group, a guy who was proudly photographed taking a Pfizer vaccine, and numerous people who are already on the record supporting Coronavirus vaccines for children.

There is also recent FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, whom we reported now sits on the board of directors at Pfizer.

The FDA is an absolute joke

The following list outlines which FDA vaccine advisory committee board members are compromised and how:

 Acting Chair Arnold S. Monto was a paid consultant at Pfizer as recently as 2018.

 Steve Pergam received the Pfizer vaccine and was featured getting and promoting it by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

 Committee member Archana Chatterjee worked on a research project involving vaccines for infants that took place from 2018-2020 and was sponsored by Pfizer.

 Myron Levine has mentored numerous U.S. post-doctoral fellows, and one of his proteges is Raphael Simon, Pfizers senior director of vaccine research and development.

 James Hildreth, a temporary voting member, made a financial interest disclosure stating that he accepted $1.5 million while serving as president at Meharry Medical College, which administers Pfizers covid injections.

 Geeta K. Swamy chairs the Independent Data Monitoring Committee for the Pfizer Group B Streptococcus Vaccine Program, which is sponsored by Pfizer. Swamy was also listed by Duke University as a co-investigator for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial.

 Gregg Sylvester used to work as vice president at Pfizer Vaccines where he launched numerous vaccines for the company, including one for children.

Several other temporary voting members, including Ofer Levy of Boston Childrens Hospital, Eric Rubin, Jay Portnoy and Melinda Wharton, are all outspoken in their support for injecting children with Pfizers covid jabs.

The FDAs vaccine advisory committee has never really been trustworthy or legitimate. It has pretty much always functioned as a rubber stamp for Big Pharma, approving and pushing all of the latest drugs, both pill and injections, on Americans.

FDA advisory committee members in the past have frequently been the target of heavy politicking by industry representatives of whatever drug they were considering for a recommendation at in-person meetings, reported FDANews back in December.

That process has been somewhat altered by the fact that during COVID-19, meetings are being held virtually. But its likely that behind-the-scenes pressuring still goes on. The industry defends the attempts to influence committee members as simply efforts to best present their case.

It is now an undeniable fact that the FDA cannot be trusted. Since it is run by the pharmaceutical industry, this fake federal agency is always going to push whatever brings in the profits, which in this case include Pfizers Operation Warp Speed injections.

More related news about the corrupt FDA can be found at FDA.news.

Sources for this article include:

NationalFile.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Most Americans dont even realize that Hollywood engages in spreading misinformation about important health topics, including food, medicine and vaccines. These warped messages are hidden or out in plain sight during shows, movies, series, commercials and all over the celebrities social media sites. Everything any celebrity posts or says that is positive about Covid vaccines is now propagated as wonderful, yet any celebrity who so much as refuses or questions the safety or efficacy of the jabs is belittled and falsely discredited.

Still, there are more than a handful of celebrities who are refusing the toxic jabs and basically blowing the whistle on them with their interviews, comments, posts and podcasts.

I wont be a lab rat and Untested shots made by criminals say Hollywood celebrities who know the dangers of the Fauci Flu clot shots

You may know comedian Rob Schneider from the used-to-be-popular sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. When you work in Hollywood, its almost mandatory that you toe the line for the media/pharma narratives, who control the advertising and basic funding of the media platforms, so to hear Rob Schneider utterly destroying the reputation of vaccination, especially during Covid, is a breath of fresh air.

As of late, Schneider isnt trying to be funny when he tweets out a rant that slams China Flu vaccines. Just say no and keep saying no, as he called the jabs experimental gene therapy. Rob went so far as to blast the liberal/Biden Regime hypocrisy posting, My body, my choice! and throwing up a cool hash-tag #2ndAmendmentIsForThis, meaning if Anthony Hitler Fauci sends his inoculation Nazis to your front door to force-vaccinate you, have your guns loaded and ready, and do not accept.

Twitter, Fakebook, YouTube and Instagram will flag any questioning of clot shot philosophy posted by the vaccine cult and their shills

One thing the vaccine/pharma industry still dont seem to understand is that when you block, censor and ban a famous person from posting or speaking out about genocide, you make a martyr of that person and their words. Even if its their opinion, it should stay published, just like the CDCs opinion that vaccines are safe and effective, when they most certainly are not.

Twitter flags all anti-narrative posts, especially regarding the Covid clot shots, labeling them misleading and then they add a link to fake science that says all vaccines are always 100 percent safe and 100 percent effective 95 percent of the time. Even the FDA approval of Covid vaccines was faked.

Schneider calls for free informed choice and says we should never abandon our principles by accepting coercion to have experimental treatments with limited safety data. That wasnt all. He even called out all the lies and the fear-based pandemic that caused more destruction than the virus itself, They have lied, had a 2 year fear campaign and lockdown, destroyed middle class household incomes, bankrupted untold thousands of businesses and are now putting childrens lives at risk.

Check out the Hollywood celebrities who are REFUSING the clot shots and telling the world exactly WHY

#1. Rob Schneider  calls the clot shots unapproved experimental gene therapy

#2. M.I.A.  rapper and activist  full name is Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam

#3. Offset  rapper  said he wont get one and doesnt trust it and wont be a lab rat

#4. Letitia Wright  Black Panther actress, told the truth about vaccines so she got banned on social media

#5. Samaire Armstrong  actress, said the Covid vaccine is an untested shot made by criminals

#6. Anwar Hadid  told his fans he absolutely will not get the Covid jab

#7. Chet Hanks (Son of Tom Hanks)  against the vaccine, made fun of it on Instagram

Plus, dont forget, podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan was also once a Hollywood celebrity, as the host of the reality show Fear Factor. Now hes the John Madden of UFC commentators, and has the most famous podcast in the world, reaching 200 million people per month on Spotify. Joe Rogan has questioned the Covid jabs, refused them, and taken ivermectin and vitamins instead to beat Covid, rather quickly.

Tune your truth news dial to Pandemic.news to stay informed of the engineered pitfalls of the Covid scamdemic. It doesnt take a scientist or doctor to see that Covid vaccines, Remdesivir, masks and ventilators are compounding the problems of the pandemic, creating a pandemic of their own.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

TruthWiki.org

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com

Buzzfeed.com
(Natural News) Several of the insurrectionists who showed up to Washington, D.C., on January 6 to protest the illegitimate election of Joe Biden to the White House are now being treated like Guantanamo Bay terrorists in a horrifically substandard D.C. prison.

According to reports, Nathaniel DeGrave, a non-violent prisoner who merely walked into the open doors of the Capitol that day to document the situation for his podcast, faces extreme torture at the hands of the Biden regime in what sounds like a domestic gulag that was set up specifically for Trump supporters.

Even though DeGrave did nothing wrong and has not been convicted of any crime, he is being held in pretrial detention with no bail. There is also no court trial date set, which means DeGrave is being unlawfully imprisoned indefinitely.

I understand that I write this letter at my own risk, DeGrave explained in a public plea for help. We are harshly disciplined for speaking out against the facility.

For the past nine months, DeGrave and others who were seen at the protest and later captured have been rotting in what he describes as D.C.s Gitmo, which he says is actually worse than Gitmo. (RELATED: FBI assets were behind the phony January 6 insurrection.)

The conditions here for Jan. 6ers have been inhumane, he further wrote. In fact, some inmates are even begging to be transferred to GUANTANAMO BAY, where even THEY have more acceptable standards.

ACLU joins class action lawsuits against D.C.s Gitmo

One silver lining, DeGrave says, is that numerous class action lawsuits are being filed against the facility where he is being held.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is involved, as are Sens. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), both of whom have attempted to gain access to the facility in order to inspect the conditions.

Thus far, nobody has been able to access it because Biden and his cronies are blocking all of their requests.

The vile filth of what has become our daily life is being illegally HIDDEN from the members of OUR OWN CONGRESS.

For the first 120 days at the facility, DeGrave and other Jan. 6ers, as he repeatedly calls them, experienced daily lockdowns lasting 23-24 hours. For maybe an hour at most, prisoners like himself were allowed to leave their tiny 120 sq. ft. cell.

The PHYSICAL and MENTAL ANGUISH that results from this kind of SEVERE ISOLATION has caused many people to go on a RAPID mental decline, he says.

Because of this, many of the prisoners are now addicted to anti-anxiety and anti-depressant pharmaceuticals, which is the only things they are allowed to access to help them cope with the psychological and mental abuse they are having to endure daily.

DeGrave and his fellow prison-mates are also forced to wear a Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) face mask inside the facility at all times. Facility workers also routinely confiscated privileged legal documents from inmates that contain highly sensitive discovery, including video evidence.

The facility is also filthy, which has spread illness and disease  oh, but at least everyone is wearing a mask.

Some show signs of scurvy, DeGrave wrote. And some even have Covid-like symptoms, but medical personnel have refused to treat it.

At least five times, raw sewage has overflowed in the unit, causing human fecal matter and urine to flood the floors and rooms. There is also mold growing on cell walls, and dirty water flows from the inmates sinks.

We are undergoing SEVERE NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES and STARVATION, he added.

Be sure to read the full letter at The Gateway Pundit.

More related news coverage about the Biden regimes gross mistreatment of the January 6 insurrectionists can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) An internist who looked at several COVID jabs under a microscope is sounding the alarm after her discovery of strange, unidentified objects in the shots, including metallic fragments, graphene-like structures in each jab, and a tentacled, moving organism-like creature in the Moderna jab.

(Article by Emily Mangiaracina republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

Dr. Carrie Madej, who said she has examined the magnified contents of the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson shots, found it very upsetting to see things in each jab that the manufacturers have not been forthright about  so upsetting that she said she cried after she verified with a second batch of shots what she had seen in the first.

She explained on the Stew Peters show that she was first asked by a local Georgia lab to examine under a microscope the contents of a fresh Moderna vial, which she verified was unaltered before being placed onto a glass slide under a compound microscope. Nothing was added to the solution, nothing was diluted, she said.

First it looked just translucent. And then as time went on, over two hours, colors appeared. I had never seen anything like this. There wasnt a chemical reaction happening. It was a brilliant blue, and royal purple, yellow, and sometimes green, she said.

She later shared that when she asked nanotech engineers what the emerging brilliant colors might come from, the engineers said the only thing they knew that could do that was a white light, over time, causing a reaction on a super-conducting material. In this case, Madej noted, white light came from the microscope itself.

She pointed out that an example of a super-conducting substance would be an injectable computing system.

Madej went on, These fibers were appearing more and more. Some of the fibers had a little cube structure on them, Im not sure what that was. And also metallic fragments were in there. They were not metallic fragments Im used to seeing. They were exotic. They were very opaque.

In time, Madej said, all the particulates, all these colors started moving to the edge of the cover slide. There was self-assembling going on, things were growing. They looked synthetic.

Madej noticed something else quite strange: There was one particular object or organism, Im not sure what to call it, that had tentacles coming from it. It was able to lift itself up off of the glass slide. It appeared to be self-aware, or to be able to grow or move in space.

She found it disturbing but said she thought, Maybe that was a fluke in a way, maybe that was just that one vial.

Another one of those tentacle-like structures appeared, she said. This was now completely under the cover slip, so there was no movement because it wasnt on the edge, but I just couldnt believe I saw another one. Same thing. Madej also saw the same colors appear over time, as well as the fibers.

In the J&J vial, Madej said, there was definitely a substance that looked like graphene. They all had graphene-like structures in there. Whether or not they were, I dont have the capability of testing them in order to know at this lab, but thats what they appeared to be.

The vials contents also had fatty substances, a sticky glue-like substance that would be considered a hydrogel in those, both of them.

The J&J vial also had colors appear. Their colors were different, like a fluorescent pastel kind of color. Again, a lot of synthetic structures in there as well. Madej also noticed many spherical ring structures in the J&J contents.

Ive never seen anything like this before. Theyre not supposed to be in these injections. What are they going to do to somebody? What are they going to do to a child? I started crying when I saw these the second time under a microscope, because it was confirmation of everything I saw the first time, Madej said.

Madej again appeared on the Stew Peters show on October 20 to discuss her findings from a Pfizer jab vial as well as another J&J vial. What Im seeing in all of these manufacturers are synthetic substances, graphene-like, also these nano-carbon tubes, Madej said.

In this particular J&J vial, Madej saw round spheres, which were not air bubbles. She continued, Theres many of these rings, and as time went on they would get thinner and thinner and expand out and then finally extrude out some gelatinous material  Im not sure what it was, but different kinds of things were inside these spheres. So theyre almost like a delivery structure, thats what they were doing.

On one of these rings, Madej saw what looked like a translucent organism that went around, and back and forth. Madej first thought it was another water parasite, but after continuing to observe its movements, thought perhaps it was moving in a more robotic way.

Madej saw the same kind of synthetic things in the Pfizer jab, as well as something that looks similar to teslaphoresis. Thats when these little graphite-like black, metallic particles start to coalesce into strings, like a spider web. They do that through any external force  it could be light, it could be a magnetic force, it could be an impulse, like a frequency. Anyhow, all these little particles would then coalesce and form their own neural network, or their own fibers, or wires.

After listening to Madejs findings and seeing the photo and video documentation she provided, Peters commented, Its like Im watching a seriously bad B-movie, a horror thriller.

Are the Moderna jabs tentacled creatures immortal hydra experiments?

Madej believes the tentacled entity she found in the Moderna jabs has a connection with the organism hydra vulgaris. It is one of the model organisms that the transhumanists like to study and look at. They feel that this is an amazing organism for humanity, said Madej, in part because its immortal in the lab setting and continuously produces its own stem cells.

It never stops. You can chop it up into little bits, put it in a petri dish and it forms itself again and again, she continued. Theyre thinking, wouldnt this be great if we could put this inside of a human bodys genome, and then if your hand was chopped off by a trauma, you could grow a new hand.

The other reason the transhumanists are interested in the hydra, said Madej, is that it has its own neural network, that looks like a human nerve, and when [gathered together] can form a mesh network, they actually can communicate between each other, almost like if you had your own intranet inside your body. She noted that then something outward could affect it, like an impulse, a frequency, something from 5G, a light, a magnet. What if something influenced that communication network?

On October 21, Karen Kingston pointed out on the Stew Peters show that the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which owns a 50% stake in Modernas mRNA-1273 vaccine and it helped develop under the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, has been sponsoring research on hydra for more than two decades.

In fact, the NIH has an entire subsection of its website dedicated to the Hydra 2.0 Genome Project.

Kingston also pointed to a study that found that Hydra has about the same number of genes as humans, sharing many of the same ones, and that they also found in the Hydra genes linked with Huntingtons disease and with plaque formation seen in Alzheimers disease. She compared the symptoms associated with these diseases with those being experienced by some who have received the COVID jabs, such as body tremors, in those who have lost control of their neurological system.

She believes people are being injected through the COVID shots with transgenic hydra, which she describes as an organism with DNA from another organism incorporated into it.

Another doctors delivery structure findings in Johnson & Johnson jab

Madej is not the first to observe metallic unidentified objects, graphene-like substances, self-assembling particles, and organism-like entities in the COVID jabs.

Dr. Jane Botha reported on the Stew Peters show on October 4 that when she put a drop from a J&J shot vial under the microscope and left the droplet uncovered, she saw very symmetrical black discs that seem to be joined together, by what Peters noted appeared to be metal connectors.

Botha did not know what to make of what she was seeing, but noted that they reflected light when observed under a dark field, and that they appeared to be self-assembling. She saw the same discs four different times, using four different droplets from the same vial.

When the sample dried, said Botha, she could no longer see the disc structures, but black lines started to form.

Botha was especially disturbed by what she found because when she viewed the jab fluid through a different microscope technique, more amorphous-looking black structures appeared to be exactly the same structure that she observed in the blood of her jabbed patients who were experiencing symptoms after the COVID shots. These symptoms included blood clots, shortness of breath, nerve pain, severe thrombosis, severe embolisms, and cognitive difficulties, including memory loss and depression.

Pharmaceutical researcher Dr. Jane Ruby shared on the Stew Peters show on October 6 that people have done reverse searches and have put a lot of different science together to show that this is a technology thats called micro-bubbles, which she says is a delivery system used for the human body.

Ruby said Dr. Botha is hypothesizing that the reason she could no longer see the discs, but only black lines once the J&J jab sample dried up, is that maybe they were programmed to break open and spill over their contents, their payload.

This hypothesis would correspond with Dr. Madejs observation in the J&J jab sample of rings that as time went on they would get thinner and thinner and expand out and then finally extrude out some gelatinous material, which she described as almost like a delivery structure.

The International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research has published an overview of the concept of microbubble as a drug delivery system, describing microbubbles as a small spherical type of bubble capable of penetrating even into the smallest blood capillaries & releasing drugs or genes, incorporated on their surface, under the action of ultrasound.

Repeated findings of graphene oxide-like substances in jabs

Others have observed substances in the COVID jabs that they believe to be graphene oxide, which has been shown in various experiments to have toxic effects.

The first such finding to come to prominence was the observation by Dr. Pablo Campra Madrid, published in the Spanish blog La Quinta Columna, that the contents of what was labeled as a Pfizer jab, as viewed under an electron microscope, present[ed] a high similarity with images of graphene oxide from the literature obtained by the same TEM technique, with similar magnifications.

They added that in both images an intricate matrix or mesh of folded translucent flexible sheets can be observed. The researchers concluded although the microscopy does not provide conclusive evidence, it provides strong evidence for the probable presence of graphene derivatives.

Graphene oxide, one of the many derivatives of graphene, is praised for qualities that lend themselves well to biomedical applications such as biosensors, drug delivery, and the transfer of genetic material. For example, the Science Advisory Board describes the design by researchers from the National Center for Neuroscience and Technology in China of a hydrogel containing an RNA vaccine that used graphene oxide, favored at least in part for its high drug-loading efficiency due to its large surface area.

In fact, a whole study has been dedicated to the potential of graphene-based materials to combat COVID-19, which states, Graphene and graphene-related materials (GRMs) exhibit extraordinary physicochemical, electrical, optical, antiviral, antimicrobial, and other fascinating properties that warrant them as potential candidates for designing and development of high-performance components and devices required for COVID-19 pandemic and other futuristic calamities.

Dr. Robert Young, a Ph.D. and naturopathic practitioner, has also examined each available COVID jab with microscopy and x-ray spectroscopy, finding objects in the Pfizer sample that bear similarity to images of graphene oxide. The microscope images and chemical/elemental content he found through x-ray spectroscopy lead him to believe the Pfizer jab contains graphene oxide.

Dr. Ruby has noted that various studies have found toxic effects of graphene oxide, including its tendency to lead to blood clotting.

A 2016 study titled Toxicity of graphene-family nanoparticles: a general review of the origins and mechanisms has noted that due to their nanosize, GFNs can reach deeper organs by passing through the normal physiological barriers, such as the blood-brain barrier and blood-placental barrier.

The study found that Graphene Oxide (GO) can result in acute inflammation response and chronic injury by interfering with the normal physiological functions of important organs. Many experiments have shown that GFNs have toxic side effects in many biological applications, it concluded.

The Food and Drug Administration of Taiwan (TFDA)s own official publication has also noted graphene oxides toxic effects.

It should be noted that the Graphene Flagship, funded by the European Union, has described one of the major developments of graphene usage as its contribution to 5G transmitter and receivers: Ultra high capacity transmitter and receivers using graphene offer a unique solution to future 5G communications, reads\ the 2018 development on the graphene timeline.

Graphenes contribution to 5G data transmitters and receivers has also been discussed by the Estonian Public Broadcasting science news portal Novaator.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) The deadline for firefighters and other public sector workers in New York City to get vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) is rapidly approaching. And a large segment of the citys firefighters is slated to quit in protest.

Immediately after Donald father of the vaccine Trump first started rolling out the jabs in late 2020, most of NYCs firefighters came forward to announce that they would not be rolling up their sleeves in compliance. They are now keeping true to that promise.

As much as 20 percent of the Big Apples fire companies and ambulances are expected to go belly-up once Mayor Bill de Blasios local mandate comes into full effect. This will leave large swaths of the city without the emergency services they are used to.

All unvaccinated workers who remain that way past the deadline will be suspended without pay, reports indicate. The first deadline arrives on Monday, Nov. 1.

At least 12,000 municipal workers, including employees of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the New York Police Department (NYPD), and EMS, showed up to march across the Brooklyn Bridge in protest of the mandates  watch below:

12000 Municipal workers including FDNY, NYPD, SDNY and EMS marched across the Brooklyn Bridge today to protest the vaccine mandates. Full video will be posted on https://t.co/ItHwRb1pXk pic.twitter.com/1RNWOgM2tL  Scootercaster (@ScooterCasterNY) October 25, 2021

Nearly half of NYCs firefighters, EMS responders remain unvaccinated

According to the latest released figures, only about 65 percent of NYCs firefighters, fire officers and EMS workers have received any of the available Chinese Virus injections  and this is just an estimate.

Since estimates tend to be higher than reality when it comes to these shots, a more likely estimate is about half. This means that the other half could be walking off the job  or be told they have to walk off the job  as soon as next week.

What will become of NYC as a result? Well, one thing is for sure: There will be a lot more emergencies that nobody responds to, thanks to de Blasio, Joe Biden and the other Branch Covidians that are inflicting this societal terrorism with their jab mandates.

The Department must manage the unfortunate fact that a portion of our workforce has refused to comply with a vaccine mandate for all city employees, announced Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro in a statement.

We will use all means at our disposal, including mandatory overtime, mutual aid from other EMS providers and significant changes to the schedules of our members, he added. We will ensure the continuity of operations and safety of all those we have sworn oaths to serve.

An unnamed firefighter further told the media that people will die in this city as a result of the mandates. Many lives will be lost in order to save lives through mRNA injections, in other words.

Many of the firefighters who remain on the job because they complied with the mandates will be expected to work overtime, which will compound the issue by driving a good number of them to exhaustion rather quickly.

That means well lose another 10 percent who get injured or sick from 80-hour workweeks, the same unnamed firefighter told reporters in a statement of warning about the catastrophic impact these mandates are going to have on the local community.

As for the EMS side of things, a shortage of workers there will leave many to die who need rapid care or a trip to the hospital.

With a heart attack, seven or eight minutes makes a big difference, the same source added. And fires, an eight-minute difference is one bedroom or the whole house. Or in row houses, an eight-minute difference is one house or the whole block! This is no joke.

Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injection tyranny is spreading like a virus. To keep up with the latest, visit Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

WesternJournal.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Investigator Steve Kirsch is doing the Lords work by dredging up data on the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) that many are overlooking or ignoring. And one of his latest revelations has to do with childhood vaccination for the Chinese Virus, which is completely bogus.

In a new presentation dated Oct. 26, 2021, the executive director of the COVID-19 Early Treatment Fund answers questions that people should be asking before they line up to inject themselves or their children for Chinese Germs. (RELATED: Read our recent report on Kirschs discovery that Fauci Flu shots kill twice as many people as they supposedly save.)

Kirschs first slide in this presentation explains that Eric Ruben, a panel member at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who also happens to be the Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), has publicly admitted that he has no clue if Wuhan Flu shots are safe or effective for kids. Even so, Ruben and his comrades voted in favor of injecting societys youngest members in order to find out.

His second slide highlights the fact that for every 28 million children who get jabbed for the Chinese Flu, 14 at most are saved from the virus. Keep in mind that this is a best-case scenario, and the true number of saved lives after 28 million injections is almost certainly zero.

Meanwhile, at least 1,400 children will die from these injections  and again, this is on the conservative end of the spectrum. Kirsch suspects that the true figure is much, much higher since VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) only captures about one percent, at most, of all vaccine-related injuries and deaths.

Why risk it? he asks plainly.

Children are dropping like flies after getting jabbed, Kirsch warns

Further on in the presentation, Kirsch reveals that reports are flooding the internet of children becoming seriously injured or dying almost immediately after getting the Operation Warp Speed injections.

The mainstream media and the government are of course ignoring this carnage, or blaming it on covid, but it is obvious to anyone without Stockholm Syndrome that these Big Pharma poisons are killing the nations youth  and eventually the worlds youth as well.

How can a healthy 16-year-old boy die in the middle of his Zoom math class? Kirsch asks, pointing to one such incident. He was fine 20 minutes before he died.

As expected, conventional doctors found nothing as the boys cause of death. The family is now reportedly waiting on an autopsy because they are unsatisfied with this answer, especially since their son was a healthy boy who had a good academic index.

He wanted to be a civil engineer, the boys heartbroken mom wrote. He was the best thing in my life.

In another incident, a 15-year-old boy died in his sleep just two days after getting the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (messenger RNA) injection, which both Democrats and Republicans are touting as safe and effective.

A Death Investigation Synopsis Report from the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office where the boy lived with his family explains that he was found unresponsive in his bedroom after his mother was checking on his welfare long after he was supposed to wake in the morning.

The boy had been in good health with no medical history and had received his second Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccination approximately two days before his death, police confirmed.

After extensive research, additional testing and collaboration with numerous other entities, the report further added, the cause of death was determined to be: STRESS CARDIOMYOPATHY WITH PERIVASCULAR CORONARY ARTERY INFLAMMATION (hours to days), due to, UNKNOWN ETIOLOGY IN SETTING OF RECENT PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINATION (days).

The latest VAERS data shows a massive increase in serious health conditions among the 15- to 24-year-old demographic, which is the latest demographic that is now getting injected at warp speed.

The most common post-injection health condition is pulmonary embolism followed by thrombosis, myocarditis, ischaemic stroke, deep vein thrombosis, cardiac arrest, aphasia, blindness, death and haemorrhage intracranial.

The Taiwanese government recently came forward to admit that more people are dying from these so-called vaccines (aka spike protein injections) than the virus itself. Why, then, are we still allowing these things to be injected into peoples bodies?

How come deaths in Israel go up when vaccinations go up? Kirsch furthers asks, highlighting data showing a direct correlation between the jabs and a sharp uptick in deaths. And go down when vaccinations go down?

Not surprising is the fact that there are no autopsies being performed for deaths that follow Chinese Virus injections. Peter Schirmacher, the managing director of the Pathological Institute at Heidelberg University Hospital, says that nearly half of all deaths that occur within two weeks following injection are caused by the jabs, but that this is rarely considered.

Be sure to look at Kirschs full slide presentation for more.

The latest news about the governments Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injection lies can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

Skirsch.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) New research out of Sweden has found that post-vaccination immunity  if you can even call it that  from Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injections is temporary at best, and completely gone within months.

Like most of the other plandemic paraphernalia, the injections are not all that popular in Sweden, and for good reason. Researchers there determined that the shots are completely useless after seven months.

Not only that, but the fake immunity the jabs procure actually goes negative after seven months, meaning the recipients immune system is worse off than prior to when they got injected.

Another study out of England that we covered back in the summer arrived at a similar conclusion, though that one found that Fauci Flu shots only provide about six weeks worth of fake immunity.

Findings: Protection from infection below 50% after 4 months, reported Citizen Free Press about the findings of the new Swedish study. No protection measurable after 7 months (Pfizer). AstraZeneca wanes faster, even becomes NEGATIVE.

Sweden was one of the only countries in the world to reject pretty much all of the plandemic hysteria and tyranny that was rolled out starting in early 2020. During that time, the country fared incredibly well  better, in fact, than most other countries in terms of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Lithuania, also known as Branch Covidian land, has a covid infection rate 16 times that of Sweden

Lithuania, on the other hand, which currently has the worlds strictest vaccine passport scheme, is seeing an all-time high of new cases per capita within its population.

Just six weeks after the mandatory jab protocol was put into place in Lithuania, infection rates skyrocketed like never before  far outpacing that of Sweden, which is pretty much covid-free at this point (see the image below for a comparison):

Six weeks into the worlds strictest vaccine pass regime, new COVID cases per capita in Lithuania are soaring to all-time highsmore than 16x that of Sweden, where new cases per capita continue to all-time lows despite dropping all restrictions. pic.twitter.com/6PIoXxKoIf  Michael P Senger (@MichaelPSenger) October 23, 2021

It really is a shame to report these facts knowing that they will not make a lick of difference when it comes to the Lithuania-like plandemic fascism that continues to sweep our own country.

If only enough Americans would wake up to the fact that Sweden got it right and Lithuania got it wrong, we might just get back to the old normal instead of the new one.

Perhaps in time, a critical mass of the population will finally wake up  that is, if it is not already too late at that point. In the meantime, we can continue to try to get the word out to whomever will listen and be receptive to the truth.

Its time to do a mass handout of home tests, ivermectin and vitamins like they did in India and let most people acquire natural immunity through infection, wrote one Citizen Free Press commenter. Protect the most vulnerable and get this behind us!

The only way this ends is for people to get it and acquire natural immunity, wrote another.

Presuming that our newly exposed tyrants acquiesce (not likely without strong persuasion). The vaccines themselves are likely more harm than good. Only time will tell if theres anything good about them at all. Im terrified for my vaxxed family members.

Another reiterated the fact that the Swedish study verified that getting jabbed actually creates negative immunity, just like many on the fringe have been warning.

So they are admitting that your immune system may be worse off for having had the shot, and that youll get sicker than the unjabbed if you dont keep getting boosters? this person asked.

The Lancet pre-printed the new Swedish paper as part of SSRN First Look, a place where journals identify content of interest prior to publication.

More of the latest news about the Chinese Virus vaccine deception can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com

SSRN.com
(Natural News) With pilots, police officers, firefighters, nurses and people in all walks of life now taking a stand and saying, NO! to the deadly vaccine jabs, a tipping point has been reached in America. The realization has hit home for millions that complying with the increasingly insane demands of vaccine tyrants leads only to more suffering and death.

We cannot comply our way to freedom especially when those demanding our compliance are power-hungry criminals and psychopaths.

We must peacefully resist the tyranny and refuse to participate in a rigged society where all our rights  free speech, medical choice, honest elections, etc.  have all been stolen from us.

Its time for us all to dismantle the tyranny machine and bring it to a grinding halt. Thats why walkouts have been announced against vaccine-mandating employers for November 3rd (this Wednesday) and Nov. 8  11.

Heres Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., calling for the non-violent counteroffensive against the vaccine tyrants:

Only someone as pathetic as Joe Biden could UNIFY the Left and Right into mass rejection of a disastrous regime that seems determined to bring America to its knees

Meanwhile, all across America, people are shouting, Lets Go Brandon! This meme has now taken over the majority of top song sales on iTunes, and the chant can be heard at sporting events, public protests and the occasional airline trip.

A powerful, hilarious new meme song has just been released. We dont know who the artist is, but this is pure genius. Check out the song, LGB!

Brighteon.com/04489566-9790-4abb-88d5-cdf8efcaa1fd

Americans have nothing left to lose if we dont resist the tyranny, we will all be destroyed and the nation will be plunged into a Venezuela-style economic collapse

Its now abundantly clear to anyone paying attention: Complying with tyranny only gets you more tyranny. If we dont stand up now and demand our freedoms  take them back  we will lose them forever. These include:

The freedom to speak (end censorship!)

The freedom to worship (end the forced lockdowns of churches)

The freedom to vote (end election machine fraud and rigging)

Freedom of medical choice (NO vaccine mandates!)

The freedom to travel (no quarantines, checkpoints)

The freedom to participate in society (no vaccine passports)

The freedom to engage in free market transactions without government interference

The vaccine coercion issue has brought all this to the surface, but this is about much more than vaccines its about the very pillar of liberty and the right to exist. Thats why we strongly support first responders who are standing up against the vaccine lunacy.

Ive recorded a special message for first responders in this 12-minute podcast:

Brighteon.com/e1c79ec8-f2f3-4155-81fe-6ccb91e7ed1f

Under covid tyranny, governments have become active terrorist organizations

The governments of the world have become terrorists. Look at Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Canada and even blue states in the USA. These are criminal cartels, run by Big Pharma, that actively seek to mass murder innocent men, women and children in the name of vaccine profits / bioweapons deployment. They seek destruction and depopulation, and their ethics are rooted in genocidal tendencies and demonic rituals.

These terrorists are having an easy time of it (so far) because too many people have complied to this point.

But that compliance is ending. We need to send a message to the terrorist governments of the world: If you try to murder us, were going to remind you that you are nothing without We the People. Government must answer to the people, not the other way around.

In Australia, theyre now seizing bank accounts and homes of innocent people in order to force mass compliance with their covid tyranny. This tactic is going to be rolled out across the world (if we let them) to the point where unvaccinated people will be starved to death and evicted from their own homes, all while Biden and the other globalist lunatics claim to be working for humanity.

We have now arrived at the moment where theres nothing left to lose. Humanity either stands on its feet and says NO or dies on its knees.

Listen to todays powerful, inspiring podcast and share it everywhere you can. (You can also repost it.) Its 92 minutes of pure joy! Listen and celebrate the mass awakening thats now upon us:

Brighteon.com/b3b325df-f356-4e42-869d-7efd1afaafbb

Find a new podcast each day (and amazing new interviews and mini-documentaries) at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
Hiring Hurdle: Woman with record finds job hard to come by The report went on, nearly one-third of small business owners said they had open positions that they had been unable to fill for three months. Rachel Dotts is finding that hard to believe.

(Second in a series)

If youve broken the law, Pennsylvania employers can find out.

Their job applications may contain questions asking specifically about a criminal record, and they may perform background checks that can unearth a job hopefuls past arrests and convictions.

Moreover, they can use that information  within limits  to decide whether to offer you employment.

Theres timing as to when theyre allowed to ask that question about whether they have a record, said Colleen Chamberlain, site administrator for the local PA CareerLink office. Typically, reputable employers will not ask about backgrounds until theyve offered the position, at which point they will do a background check. The offer is conditional on passing the background check, and thats well within the legal requirements.

But what a lot of companies do is they notify candidates that any job offer will be contingent on the passing of a background check. That usually weeds a lot of candidates out because they self-remove.

Past offenders might stand a better chance of landing a job if potential employers didnt know about their past during the application and interview process. In Pennsylvania, there are a couple of avenues toward that end.

CLEAN SLATE LAW

Pennsylvanias Clean Slate Law establishes conditions under which certain offenses can be sealed and unavailable to employers doing background checks.

However, Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa said, the records remain in existence and available to law enforcement, in case the offender should commit a subsequent crime.

The reason why backgrounds are important to law enforcement is because the criminal justice system has sentencing guidelines, Lamancusa said. The way someone is sentenced is based on, one, what is the crime that you committed  every crime is assessed a point value. That is on one side of the matrix.

Then across the top is a thing called prior record score. The theory is, if you are someone who is a habitual offender, then the punishment were giving you needs to be more severe.

Among the crimes that can be sealed under the Clean Slate Law are:

Arrests that did not result in convictions within 60 days

Summary convictions after 10 years

Some second- and third-degree misdemeanor convictions if there are not subsequent misdemeanor or felony convictions for a period of 10 years after the conviction of the sealable offense. Additionally, filing a petition with the sentencing court can seal some first-degree misdemeanors.

The law also gives an employer that hires an individual whose criminal record has been sealed or expunged immunity from liability for any claim arising out of the misconduct of that individual if the misconduct relates to the portion of the persons criminal history that the employer was prevented from knowing.

EXPUNGING

Story continues below video

Expunging takes the process of obscuring a persons criminal history one step further.

Once the court writes an order for expungement, Lamancusa said, it gets sent to all law enforcement agencies. Then its our obligation to pull the file and destroy it. Once expungeable cases are expunged, theyre gone  which means if they have a prior record associated with it, thats gone, too.

Through both the Clean State Bill and the process of expungement, they set the guide as to Heres the ones we can get rid of permanently, and heres the ones that I know youre having a tough time getting a job, were going to limit employers access.

Not all offenses, though, can be expunged.

According to pacourts.us, expungement is available to individuals who petition for expungement of summary offenses and have been free of arrest or prosecution for five years following the conviction for the offense. Its also available to those turning 70 years old who are free of arrest or prosecution for 10 years following final release from confinement or supervision, and those who have been dead for three years.

Generally, the court website adds, people convicted of felonies or misdemeanors are not eligible for expungement by the courts.

In Lawrence County, Lamancusa explained, the process would start with an individual getting a petition for expungment from the office of the county prothonotary and clerk of courts. That petition must be filled out and filed with the same office, at which point its journey begins.

Then it goes wherever it needs to go, he said. If its somebody who went through ARD, then it would go over to Adult Probation. If it was a DUI, it would go to the driving center, then eventually it comes to me.

I review the application to make sure that you fall within one of the enumerated offenses. If you do, and you meet all the criteria, I sign off on it.

For the most part, thats not an issue.

In my 12 years in office, I have only refused two expungements, and they were on child sex cases where I felt that this was not something that should be expunged, Lamancusa said. But 99.9 percent of the time, I sign off on it.

Once Lamancusa signs, the petition goes back to the court, which reviews it and writes an order for expungement.

However, Lamancusa cautions that all this does not happen quickly.

One of the things that people get a little bit frustrated about in the expungement process is it doesnt happen overnight, he said. Everybody wants it to be immediate but thats not the way things work. You have to pull the persons file, pull the record, look at the charges, and then after everybody agrees to it, it still has to go to Harrisburg because thats where they keep all of the information that goes into NCIC, the database that shows whether someone has been arrested or convicted, and they have to pull it out of there.

Well, theyre not receiving one expungement a day. Theyre receiving a lot of expungements. So the process does take time. We always tell people, give it between three and four months. and sometimes it takes longer. I cant imagine what happened during COVID with people just not in the office.

(In Part 3: PA CareerLink, Jail to Jobs program can help local offenders find employment.)

d_irwin@ncnewsonline.com
FILE - This Wednesday May 27, 2020 file photo shows New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a news conference in Washington. A criminal complaint filed with a court in Albany has charged former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with a misdemeanor sex crime, according to a spokesman for the state court system.


Pause for God with Aylsham author

Local author Rev Patrick Coghlan is launching his biggest resource book yet  Pause for God - at a book signing event in the county later this month.

Pause for God  366 daily moments with God consists of 366, guided, short, daily moments with God, for those who struggle to find the time or the focus to do that  or for whom this is a completely new concept. There is one for each day of the year (even if it is a leap year).



Patrick, pictured above, said This has been my biggest, and most difficult project yet, taking roughly four years, from its concept to publication. It is just over a hundred thousand words, and spans more than 700 pages. All that for 14-99!



The book signing event will take place in the Old School in Meeting Hill on Saturday November 13 from 10-00am to 4-00pm. In addition to his new book, Patrick will have copies of all his other 38 published books for sale, including a selection of childrens novels.



'Pause for God  366 daily moments with God' is an accessible, user friendly, off the page, easy to follow, but also challenging resource. The reader is encouraged to understand and put into action the teaching of scripture; and, whilst so doing, to practise the art of journaling, to spend time in the moment doing mindfulness type of meditation, to make a prayer response to scripture, and to address any issues linked with the aim of the session that might be difficult to achieve. It looks at both the everyday application of the Bible, and also the eternal.



The book is ideal for busy people, including parents of young children, who maybe struggle to find uninterrupted quiet time. The resource is laid out in such a way that it can be dipped in and out of during the course of a busy day.



Patrick commented, This may be my biggest project, but I have no plans for it to be my last. I have a teens novel coming out in May 2022, two further manuscripts being considered by publishers, and a third that I am writing currently.



Patrick lives in Aylsham, and is Counselling Manager for Aylsham Care Trust (ACT); as well as being the minister at Worstead Baptist Church, which is in Meeting Hill just outside North Walsham, where the growing congregation currently meets in the Old School on Sunday mornings for Cafe Church.



The Old School can be found next to the chapel at NR28 9LR



For further details about his books, and the signing event, contact Patrick at patrick@acsmail.net

Do you have a news story or forthcoming event relating to Christians or a church in North Norfolk?

If so, e-mail tony.rothe@networknorwich.co.uk with details and, if possible a suitable picture.

Tony Rothe, 01/11/2021
Opinion



Is climate emergency defining issue of our time?

To declare the climate an emergency and the defining issue of our time and the greatest threat to our well-being, globally and locally is to follow the zeitgeist, not the Bible or the facts, argues Dave Brennan from Brephos.

Ive never met a Christian who objects to the idea that part of our responsibility under God is to look after the earth he created as Gods undermanagers (Genesis 1:28). Although explicit biblical support for the importance of looking after the non-human aspects of Gods creation is slight (e.g. Genesis 2:15; Leviticus 25:2-5) compared with how we are to treat human beings made in Gods image (e.g. Genesis 6:9; Exodus 23:7; Proverbs 6:17; James 5:6), it chimes with the biblical principles of humility, gratitude, wisdom, and consideration of others that we should steward the earth with moderation and selflessness.



But much of the spirit and messaging of the Climate Emergency narrative that we are now hearing from many quarters  including the Church  is very different from this biblical idea of stewardship, and we are in danger of being swept into a deeply unchristian way of thinking and living if we dont perceive what is pagan and decide to stand against it.



Christians need to understand that many of the common elements of this narrative are in fact incompatible with biblical Christianity and they are harmful: they are nothing short of pagan earth-worship.



If anyone doubts this, consider the Gaia exhibition recently hosted in St Peter Mancroft church.



Gaia, named after the Greek mother-of-all goddess of the earth, features a large globe hanging in the air and gives us the opportunity to experience the fragility of our planet in a new light. Allow me to spell out why this is anything but innocuous:



1)Gaia isnt just a random name

Its important not to quarrel about words (2 Timothy 2:14). The names of our days of the week have pagan roots (Thor, Saturn). But what we are talking about here is far more than mere etymology.



The artist Luke Jerram consciously and deliberately chose this name because of the identity of the Greek goddess, and she was referenced uncritically in a speech made in St Peter Mancroft by the Lord Mayor at the exhibitions opening: the installation named after the Mother of All in Greek Mythology hung in the church like a mother patiently waiting.



The idol is also mentioned in some of the text accompanying the exhibition inside the church building.



The constellation of the pagan name, the personification of the earth, the sense that our survival depends on it (see below), and the willingness to take drastic sacrificial action to keep it happy, all begins to look a lot like idolatrous earth-worship.



Indeed, if this isnt enough for it to be identified as pagan idolatry, what would be? At the very least we have to see that this is misguided, confusing, and unhelpful. Can we imagine Paul bringing a statue of Artemis (a virgin goddess) into a first-century Christian meeting to teach about chastity?



2)The earth is being viewed from a God-less perspective

The exhibition portrays our planet home as fragile and alone, hanging in a void, and insists that it is up to us to change its destiny through drastic action to ensure its survival and ours.



Notable for their absence are the following biblical truths:

i) Far from being alone in a void, the earth is the Lords (Psalm 24:1) and he sustains it by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). Hes got the whole world in his hands, as the old African-American spiritual goes. Whilst of course this doesnt mean that it doesnt matter how we steward the earth, it does mean that its destiny is not in our hands. There is a big difference between the biblical concept of obedience to a loving God, trusting him with the future, and the pagan concept of trying to manipulate nature through human activity to control future outcomes. Gaia falls very much into the latter category.



ii) We know that earth will be destroyed when God decides (2 Peter 3:10), so the idea of making its indefinite survival at all costs a top priority for the Church is misguided. (Again, not an excuse for wanton abuse of the earth.) Our top priority surely needs to be to prepare people for what happens after the inevitable destruction of the earth or of their earthly bodies  whichever comes first.



iii) Whilst our planet home has its importance, there is nothing here about the eternal home (John 14:3) that Jesus has gone ahead to prepare for those who put their trust in him, nor about the everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46) that awaits those who reject Christ, after this brief planet home life is over. Granted that this earth is in a sense fragile: why not use this as an opportunity to point people to a hope that is truly secure?



iv) Gaia offers no biblical interpretation of why the whole creation has been groaningright up to the present time (Romans 8:22). Biblically, it is clear that it is because human beings, from Genesis 3, have sinned against God, worshipping created things. But the Gaia exhibition would have it that we have merely mistreated Mother Earth directly, nothing more. There is no mention of sinning against a holy God.



v) Consequently, there is no call for biblical repentance from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead  Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). Ironically, in attempting to address one of the symptoms (earth pains) in isolation, Gaia actually aggravates the root cause (self-reliance and God-forsaking idol-worship), and this may well result in even worse symptoms!



3)We are simply following the ways of the nations

To declare the climate an emergency and the defining issue of our time and the greatest threat to our well-being, globally and locally is to follow the zeitgeist, not the Bible or the facts.



How can it be maintained that climate change (predicted by the World Health Organisation to cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050) poses a greater threat than the global baby genocide (already taking 73 million lives a year, according to the same World Health Organisation)? And how can it be argued biblically that 2C grieves the heart of God more than mass scale child sacrifice?



Prioritising climate change above issues such as abortion  or deeper issues such as idolatry  betrays the extent to which the Church has followed the ways (and invisible gods) of our culture, rather than taking the lead; has become a thermometer rather than a thermostat.

they mingled with the nations

and adopted their customs.

They worshiped their idols,

which became a snare to them.

They sacrificed their sons

and their daughters to false gods.

They shed innocent blood,

the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,

and the land was desecrated by their blood

Therefore the Lord was angry with his people

and abhorred his inheritance

Psalm 106:35-36

We cannot save the planet. We cannot even save ourselves.

But by Gods grace we can be saved, through Jesus  if we repent of worthless idols and put our trust in him.



Click here to read a response to this article by the Vicar of St Peter Mancroft, Rev Canon Edward Carter.

Image courtesy of St Peter Mancroft Church.

Norfolk-based Dave Brennan is Head of Brephos - Church Ministry at CBRUK.

The views carried here are those of the author, not of Network Norfolk, and are intended to stimulate constructive and good-natured debate between website users.
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KENOSHA, Wis. (AP)  A timeline of key events before and after Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people during a night of unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year:

Aug. 23, 2020  An officer responding to a reported domestic disturbance shoots Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back as Blake was leaning into his vehicle. Bystander video captures the shooting, which left Blake partly paralyzed. Neighbors march to the Kenosha County Public Safety Building, where they face officers in riot gear.

Aug. 24  Police fire tear gas at hundreds of protesters who defied a curfew, threw bottles and shot fireworks at the courthouse. Crowds destroy dozens of buildings and set more than 30 fires. Gov. Tony Evers calls in the National Guard. The man who shot cellphone video of Blake's shooting says he saw Blake scuffling with officers and officers shouting Drop the knife!, but that said he didnt see a knife in Blakes hands.

Aug. 25  Blakes lawyer says Blake is paralyzed from the waist down. Blakes family calls for calm. Calls go out on social media, including on a page run by the Kenosha Guard, for people to take up arms and help defend the city from thugs. Demonstrations are held for a third night, with gunshots heard and people seen carrying long guns and other weapons. Shortly before midnight, two people  Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26  are shot dead and a third, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, is wounded.

Aug. 26  Authorities say they are seeking a possible vigilante seen on cellphone video opening fire with a rifle. Police in Illinois announce the arrest of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Kenosha.

Aug. 27  Rittenhouse is charged with multiple counts, including homicide and attempted homicide.

Aug. 31  At a news conference the day before he visited Kenosha, President Donald Trump is asked if he condemned Rittenhouses actions. He says: You saw the same tape as I saw. And he was trying to get away from them, I guess; it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him. And it was something that were looking at right now and its under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been  I  he probably would have been killed.

Sept. 1  Trump visits Kenosha and blames domestic terror for the violence. He makes no mention of Blakes shooting by police and calls the violent protests anti-American.

Sept. 3  Joe Biden, the Democrat running against Trump, visits Kenosha. He meets with Blakes family members, speaks with Blake by phone and leads a community discussion.

Sept. 24  In a TV appearance and social media posts, Rittenhouses attorneys say his client acted in self-defense but was also a courageous defender of liberty and a patriot who exercised his right to bear arms amid rioting. They claim Rittenhouse is being sacrificed by politicians who want to strip citizens of the right to defend their communities.

Sept. 25  At a hearing in Illinois, Rittenhouse's attorneys ask for more time to fight his extradition to Wisconsin. They later say in documents that sending Rittenhouse to Wisconsin would turn him over to the mob.

Oct. 30  Rittenhouse is extradited.

Nov. 2  A Wisconsin court sets Rittenhouses bail at $2 million. Conservative groups have been raising funds for Rittenhouse, who easily amasses enough for bail.

Nov. 20  Rittenhouse posts bail and is released. Hours later, one of his attorneys tweets a picture of Rittenhouse with actor Ricky Schroder, who the attorney says donated to Rittenhouse.

Jan. 5, 2021  A Wisconsin prosecutor declines to charge Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, in Blakes shooting, ruling that Blake had a knife and the officer had a reasonable self-defense claim.

Feb. 3  Prosecutors ask for a new arrest warrant after Rittenhouse failed to tell the court of an address change. Rittenhouses attorney says death threats drove his client into an undisclosed Safe House. Judge Bruce Schroeder later denies the request.

Nov. 1  Jury selection begins in Rittenhouses trial.

Nov. 16  Jurors begin deliberating the case.

Nov. 19  The jury acquits Rittenhouse on all charges.

___

Find APs full coverage of the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  A jury was selected Monday in the trial of a man charged with killing his Chinese wife two years ago and leaving her body at a Missouri park.

Joseph Elledge, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 28-year-old Mengqi Ji. Elledge reported her missing on Oct. 10, 2019, prompting numerous searches before her remains were found March 25 in a remote area of Rock Bridge State Park about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of Columbia.

Boone County Circuit Judge Brouck Jacobs swore in the jurors around 6 p.m. Monday, after hours of questioning from the prosecution and defense. Opening statements are expected on Tuesday morning.

Jacobs said during a motions hearing on Friday that 200 potential jurors were allocated for the trial, and he expected to have a complete jury by Monday or Tuesday, KRGT-TV reported. He said he is allowing three weeks for the trial but hopes it can be completed in two weeks.

Authorities have not said how she died, but prosecutors have suggested Elledge strangled or suffocated Ji before taking her body to the area where her remains were found.

Boone County Chief Prosecutor Dan Knight charged Elledge even before his wife's body was found. In court hearings, Knight has called Elledge a  jealous, controlling, manipulative psychopath. He argued Elledge killed Ji to avoid a divorce and prevent her from fleeing China with the couple's daughter.

During the trial, the jury will hear audio recordings of arguments between the couple. Ji secretly recorded two of the tapes and Elledge recorded 10 others, for a total of 13 hours of recordings.

Elledge also faces related charges of child endangerment and domestic assault. A trial to determine custody of the child will be held after the murder trial.

According to a probable cause statement, Elledge played video games and contacted his mother and a friend during what he later said were the first hours that Ji was missing on Oct. 9, 2019, but did not tell them she was missing. A friend came to check on Ji the next day at the request of Ji's mother, which prompted Elledge to report her disappearance.

In the hours after he said his wife disappeared, Elledge took two drives with the couples then-1-year-old daughter to rural areas and to a popular biking and hiking trail with access to the Lamine River, according to the statement.

Elledge told investigators that the couple's relationship had been strained for several months and she had rebuffed his efforts to get closer. He said he believed she was exchanging flirtatious messages with another man but wasn't aware of that until after she disappeared.

Ji came to the U.S. from China and earned a masters degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri in December 2014. She previously attended the East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai.

She stayed in Columbia and married Elledge, who was a student at the University of Missouri, in 2017.
HARTFORD  A city man was killed in a shooting on Bushnell Street early Monday, according to police.

Lt. Aaron Boisvert said patrol officers responded to the area just before 1 a.m. for a report of shots fired and a person down in the street.

Arriving units found 36-year-old Erick Rodriguez, of Allen Place, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Boisvert said.

First responders used life-saving measures until medics took over care of Rodriguez and rushed him to Hartford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call the tips line at 860-722-TIPS.
Ollie used data from Banfield Pet Hospitals price estimator tool to break down the costs of seeing a veterinarian for routine dog care in the 25 most populous U.S. cities. Click for more.
Curated breaks down seven types of skiing along with the type of equipment you'll need, notable figures, and the history of that type of skiing. Click for more.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. High 52F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 38F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 39F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 39F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 52F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 38F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* demonstrates the influence of prior infectious outbreaks in a large population on succeeding pandemic outcomes. This paper demonstrates that places in the United States that suffered higher numbers of deaths in the 1968 influenza pandemic have lower rates of death from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among older people as compared to younger populations. This finding deserves detailed study to elucidate the underlying protective mechanism operating in these cases.

Study: The 1968 Influenza Pandemic and COVID-19 Outcomes. Image Credit: Koy_Hipster / Shutterstock.com

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of many different social and economic restrictions in an attempt to contain the transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as well as spurring research into vaccines to arrest the outbreak.

However, many researchers are seeking to determine the best way to prepare for future pandemics, as well as understand what factors underlie population-level susceptibility to such pathogens. Earlier work has shown that racial, demographic, social, and policy factors contribute to the spread and clinical severity of the current pandemic, while the responses to the crisis have varied widely as well.

Host factors such as biology, genes, and immune function also play a major role in COVID-19 outcomes. At the same time, it is important to understand how past exposures to crisis situations, health-related or otherwise, affect current responses, both individual and public, to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mechanism linking these situations could be behavioral, which can include readiness to comply with public health measures like wearing masks, institutional, or social, to name a few possibilities.

Some interesting postulates have emerged in previous studies, such as the drastic decline in tuberculosis after the great 1918 Spanish flu pandemic; or the part played by plague and smallpox exposures in enhancing the expression of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-resistance gene.

The current study looks at the 1968 H3N2 novel influenza virus pandemic, often called the Mao Flu or Hong Kong Flu. The spread of this flu caused about 100,000 deaths in the U.S., out of about 200 million living at that time and 1-4 million deaths globally. About a third of the current population of the U.S. was living at the time.

About 40% of the deaths from the 1968 pandemic were among those under 65 years, unlike the COVID-19 outbreak. However, no nationwide lockdowns occurred, and vaccine development was slow. Schools and universities were closed in 23 states.

The current study looks for evidence of a link between severe disease in the 1968 flu pandemic and the outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic, up to the end of 2020. The researchers tried to uncover individual, social, and policy-related factors that could account for such a link, if present.

Study findings

The findings of the current study show that counties with a high mortality rate in the 1968 flu outbreak showed lower deaths among those aged 60-69 years, but not among the 40-59 years age group. People who lived in the 10% of counties with the highest 68 flu deaths rates had 1-2% lower COVID-19 death rates compared to the average county rates.

The COVID-19 mortality rates were found to be inversely related to the density of population, while they were higher in the elderly, Black, and Hispanic populations. These factors are not related to the 1968 flu outcomes and are therefore not likely to be confounding factors. However, the 68 flu death rates were linked to the proportion of elderly in the population and, to a smaller extent, with the Black population.

In locations where the 68 flu-related death rates were high, the current COVID-19-related deaths are lower in those age groups that were alive at the time of the earlier pandemic. The greatest and most significant differences in death rates are among those who are 50 years or older as compared to those younger than 50, with slightly lower but still highly significant differences among those who are 60+ compared to controls aged 59 years or less.

For those over 60 years of age, hospital admissions due to COVID-19 are also lower as compared to the overall rate, while the difference between under-60 and over-60 groups in terms of hospitalization rates are also greater. Importantly, this trend is observable in nursing home data as well, where the case fatality data for COVID-19 is much lower among those who had higher mortality during the 68 pandemic.

Using 48,000 healthcare records, linking a medical procedure, including hospitalization, to a COVID-19 diagnosis made within 30 days before the procedure, the same trend was detected, favoring older groups born before 1968 in places where the flu pandemic had a significant impact.

The researchers found no evidence that this reduction in mortality was due to an increase in hospital beds at the time of the earlier pandemic, while it appears that the places worst affected by that outbreak had lower mask-use rates than other locations. Finally, compliance with public health containment directives was low in these counties.

Implications

The researchers indicate that the outcomes of the 1968 flu pandemic are linked to those of the current outbreak. The 1-2% reduction in death rates due to COVID-19 seen in the top 10% of counties in terms of 1968 flu mortality is not due to confounding factors and is robust across populations including hospitals and nursing homes.

The locations with adverse outcomes in 1968 had lower COVID-19 mortality rates, ruling out a missed variable that would make these places vulnerable to both outbreaks. The highest significance is seen in the fall of 2020, declining with the rapid and extensive spread of COVID-19 and vaccine rollouts.

This may be affected by the rising numbers of deaths in the U.S. that broadens the county sample size. Alternatively, nursing homes may have adopted better norms of care over time as the current pandemic evolved, leading to a reduction in mortality that is independent of other factors.

The primary factor operating here appears to be individual, rather than not behavioral, social, or related to public health policy. The reduced case fatality ratio in nursing home residents is especially striking, as these individuals have less control over the risk mitigation practices followed around them.

The evidence presented here suggests a biological phenomenon, perhaps trained innate immunity, that exerts a general antiviral effect. This could be strengthened by genetic and lifestyle factors that were selected by the 1968 pandemic and later. Earlier studies have demonstrated such a link between 1918 flu exposure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Much more work will be needed to validate these findings and explore putative mechanisms. Secondly, the public health interventions implemented in the current pandemic may perhaps affect future generations in terms of their vulnerability to new outbreaks, which deserves careful consideration as well.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Research published in the journal Nature Medicine suggests a risk for neurological complications after the first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, the likelihood of developing neurological complications remains far greater among people infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Their findings show that for every 10 million people who were given an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, about 38 cases were linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome. In this rare disorder, the bodys immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. For every 10 million people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, there were 145 reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Clinicians should be aware of these rare complications, and the findings from this study will be paramount to policy makers in riskbenefit evaluations and health-care resource allocation. Importantly, the risks of adverse neurological events following SARS-CoV-2 infection are much greater than those associated with vaccinations, highlighting the benefits of ongoing vaccination programs, concluded the research team.

Developing acute CNS demyelinating events is associated with COVID-19 infection

From December 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021, over 32 million people living in England were given their first AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Among the vaccinated, about 6% of people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. However, over 91% of these positive tests occurred before vaccination.

For neurological outcomes, a total of 1,105 people required hospitalization for acute central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating events. About 11.9% of people who acquired this complication tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The risk of hospitalization for the condition increased on the day of the SARS-CoV-2 test or within two weeks of testing positive for the virus. Less than five deaths were linked to this neurological condition.

No link was found between acute CNS demyelinating events and either of the COVID-19 vaccines.

People who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at risk for encephalitis, meningitis, and myelitis

A total of 1,285 people were hospitalized for either encephalitis, meningitis, or myelitis. About 39 deaths (including six who were exposed to SARS-CoV-2) were linked to the AstraZeneca vaccination.

No association was found between the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and either of the three conditions.

People who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 showed an increased risk of hospital admission within two weeks.

Guillain-Barre syndrome

About 622 people were hospitalized for Guillain-Barre syndrome. Of these, 17.7% had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, including 99 people who had a positive test before vaccination.

Researchers recorded 11 deaths in total. An increased risk of hospitalization or death occurred 3 to 4 weeks after the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

There was no association between the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and developing Guillain-Barre syndrome.

An increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome was found following a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.

Bells palsy

Hospitalization for Bells palsy occurred in 3,249 people. About 6% of these patients may have had a concurrent diagnosis of cerebral infarction. This included 10.3% of people with a positive test before vaccination. No Bells palsy-related deaths were observed.

An increased risk of hospitalization occurred 2 to 3 weeks after receiving the first AstraZeneca dose. No link was found between Bells palsy and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Having a positive SARS-CoV-2 test was linked to a greater risk of developing Bells palsy.

Myasthenic disorder is associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and first AstraZeneca dose

About 16.5% of people with a positive SARs-CoV-2 test made up the 831 hospital admissions for myasthenic disorder. Ten of the 30 deaths came from people who were positive for SARS-CoV-2.

An increased risk of hospital admission or death from myasthenic disorder was likely 2 to 3 weeks after the first AstraZeneca dose. Additionally, an increased risk of hospital admission or death was seen in people who test positive for SARS-CoV-2.

No association was found between the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and myasthenic disorder.

Increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke observed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and Pfizer vaccine

A total of 3,503 hospital admissions were due to hemorrhagic stroke. Of these, about 13.8% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, including 392 people who had a positive test before vaccination.

About 803 deaths from hemorrhagic strokes were reported, with 83 coming from people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

No risk between the AstraZeneca vaccine and hemorrhagic stroke was observed. However, there was an increased risk of hospital admission and death 1 to 2 weeks after receiving the first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Additionally, an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke was found for up to 1 week after a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.
Newly emerging variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have contributed to successive waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). With several of these variants possessing immune evasion capabilities, they also pose a formidable threat to the success of the COVID-19 vaccines in achieving herd immunity.

A new study published on the medRxiv* preprint server explores the role of new SARS-CoV-2 variants in sustaining the pandemic in South Africa. Further, the researchers of this study found that these variants increased disease severity and viral transmissibility in the country, thus increasing the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19.

Study: The Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Lineages (Variants) on the COVID-19 Epidemic in South Africa. Image Credit: Quatrox Production / Shutterstock.com

Background

As of October 31, 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused over 5 million deaths worldwide, among more than 247 million infections. While national and state governments have imposed local restrictions on the movement of people, combined with closing down businesses, schools, leisure activities, and travel hubs, these measures have had a significant adverse impact on the global economy.

In response, vaccine development efforts gained momentum, culminating in the rollout of several vaccines at the end of 2020. However, low- and middle-income countries are still far behind in terms of their vaccine coverage, leaving a large population vulnerable to the virus.

New SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have further exacerbated this situation, leading to further spread of the virus even among immune populations. The SARS-CoV-2 genome is a single strand of ribonucleic acid (RNA) with numerous spike glycoproteins on the envelope. The genome codes for multiple structural, non-structural, and accessory proteins.

The two main transcription units are the open reading frames (ORFs) 1a and 1b, which give rise to polyproteins PP1a and PP1b, respectively. PP1a transcribes four main structural proteins and 16 non-structural proteins (Nsp1-Nsp16) that are involved in viral replication, proofreading, translation, suppression of host translation, immune evasion, and stabilization.

Another third of the genome encodes structural and accessory proteins. The latter is required for proper genome-host interaction and inhibiting cytokine production, among other functions.

The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is involved in viral binding and entry into the host cell. The spike undergoes cleavage at a unique furin-like cleavage site (FCS) to form the S1 and S2 subunits.

The S1 subunit has a receptor-binding domain (RBD) and an N-terminal domain (NTD). The RBD mediates the attachment of the spike protein to the host cell angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor.

The S2 subunit is responsible for virus-cell membrane fusion. Following S1-receptor binding, the S2 subunit is primed through host transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), allowing for the conformation switch that mediates viral cell entry and replication endocytosis.

Numerous mutations have been reported in the viral genome. The wild-type strain is considered to be very similar to the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain. With over 200,000 genomes having been uploaded to the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) database, an algorithm was designed early on to map links between genomes. This is called Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak LINeages (PANGOLIN).

Two sublineages, A and B, were identified, with main lineages C and D being reassigned to lineage B. Over 266 lineages have so far been identified, with lineage B and sublineage B.1 being dominant worldwide.

Up to February 2020, mutations were rare, but thereafter, the virus spread rapidly, showing multiple mutations, despite its proofreading capabilities. The finding that groups of mutations define different strains led to the differentiation of newer variants into variants of concern (VOCs) and variants of interest (VOIs).

VOCs may either show increased transmissibility, cause more severe disease as shown by increased hospitalizations and deaths, or show resistance to antibodies elicited by previous infection or vaccination, thus impacting vaccine efficacy (VE). SARS-CoV-2 VOCs comprise the Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351, B1.351.2, B.1.351.3), Gamma (P.1, P.1.1, P.1.2, P.1.4, P1.6, P.1.7), and Delta (B.1.617.2, AY.1, AY.2, AY.3, AY.3.1) lineages.

VOIs show genetic markers that alter viral characteristics like the above, and may therefore pose a threat to global health. Known SARs-CoV-2 VOIs include the Eta (B.1.525), Iota (B.1.526), Kappa (B.1.617.1), and Lambda (C.37) lineages.

The current study focused on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in South Africa. The first COVID-19 case in this country was on March 5, 2020, followed by three waves. These occurred between March 5 to September 30, 2020; December 1, 2020, peaking on January 15, 2021; and April 27 to the end of September 2021, respectively.

South Africa formed the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) to monitor the spread of the virus in June 2020. Over 16 lineages of the virus circulating only in this region were found in the first wave. Of these, there were three clusters responsible for over 40% of infections in this country.

The C.1 was the most widespread of the lineages at this time. The Beta variant, which arose in October 2020, consisted of three RBD mutations, including K417N, E484K, and N501Y, and drove the second wave in this country, displacing the earlier clusters. This strain of SARS-CoV-2 is resistant to pre-existing neutralizing antibodies, with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) being 6 to 200-fold higher than required for first-wave lineages.

The third wave was associated with the Alpha, Beta, Eta, and Delta SARS-CoV variants, about two-thirds being caused by the Beta variant and the other three accounting for about a quarter of cases in May 2021. By June 2021, the picture had changed to one where the Delta variant was dominant, at 66% of sequenced genomes, while the Beta caused 16% of cases.

The Delta variant was sequenced in 96% of sampled genomes by September 2021, while C1.2 made up 1%. The latter arose in May 2021 from the C.1 lineage, showing multiple mutations and deletions, with a collection of new mutations that probably confer resistance to neutralization. This variant has spread across most of the country.

How lineage affects transmissibility

The average number of cases in each wave increased steadily to double the original level, both the mean active cases and daily new cases. The lineage cluster 1 (predominantly B.1.1.54 and B.1.1.56 C.1) in the first wave gave way seamlessly to lineage cluster 2 (predominantly Beta (B.1.351) in the second, with hardly any difference in the daily new or active cases.

In the third wave, the mean daily cases rose by more than half compared to the first two waves, driven mostly by the Delta variant, which is therefore shown to be far more transmissible than the others.

Hospitalization impact

Hospitalized cases are mostly those with severe or critical COVID-19. The greatest increase in the ratio of hospitalized cases to active cases was observed with the transition into the second wave, at over 110%, compared to about 55% and 35% for the first/third and second/third wave comparisons, respectively.

This implicates the Beta variant in the increased disease severity during the second wave, while the Delta variant causes more severe infection than the first cluster.

Disease severity

During all three waves, 72-78% of hospitalized patients were in the general ward, with similar percentages of patients in the intensive care unit throughout. However, those on oxygen increased from about 17% in the first wave to approximately 28% and 22% in the second and third waves, respectively, though ventilation-requiring cases remained stable. Thus, infection with the Beta variant is associated with the highest oxygen-requiring patient percentage.

Age distribution

About 56% of COVID-19 cases in all waves occurred in individuals between the ages of 50 and 69 years, followed by about 15% in those between 40-49 years in the first and third waves. The number of cases in the 60-69 years age group rose from about 16% to 18% from the second wave. Ultimately, older people were targeted by the Delta variant compared to earlier lineages.

Mortality distribution

Most deaths in the hospital occurred in those between 60-69 years, with one in four deaths from COVID-19. Comparatively, there was a 40% chance that those between the ages of 50-59 years died from COVID-19.

Those between 70-79 years made up the next largest segment of deaths, at approximately one in five, during the first and third waves. In the second wave, about 30% of deaths occurred in individuals aged 60-69 years.

The highest risk of death was in the age group 50-59 years, driven largely by the increased percentage of such deaths in the second wave. The Beta variant thus drove up deaths in the 50-59 years age group.

Both hospitalizations and mortality among the young in the 0-19 and 0-29 years groups were very low, comprising up to 4.4% and 2% of total deaths, respectively. However, there is no significant difference in the hospital case-fatality rates in the three waves.

Implications

The findings from the current study demonstrate that the Beta VOC caused increased disease severity, while the Delta wave caused about 55% higher transmissibility. The percentage of hospitalized patients on oxygen was highest with the Beta variant as well.

The Delta variant caused more cases among those over the age of 70 years than the other two lineage clusters. Overall, most hospitalized patients came from the 50-69 years age group. Mortality did not differ between the three waves, being mainly in the ages of 50-69 years. Children and young people (0-29 years) were affected relatively lightly.

The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 resulted in an increase in COVID-19 transmissibility and severity in South Africa. The Delta SARS-CoV-2 VOC resulted in increased COVID-19 transmissibility in the South African population while both the Beta SARS-CoV-2 VOC and Delta SARS-CoV-2 VOC resulted in more severe COVID-19.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Recent technological innovations which have allowed plasma to be generated at room temperature and at ambient atmosphere in what is called non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NTAPP) have given scientists from Japan the opportunity to apply the therapeutic properties of this "fourth state of matter" to bone regeneration.

In a study published in PLOS ONE, researchers from the Graduate School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka City University found a usefulness of NTAPP in healing of bone fractures using a pencil-type NTAPP in animal bone defect models.

"NTAPP is considered a new therapeutic method," states first author Akiyoshi Shimatani, "as it has been shown to accelerate cell growth when applied at low enough levels." In an ambient atmosphere it can generate highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) which can be directly exposed to biological targets like cells and tissues, according to the researcher.

Indirect treatments have shown the potential advantages of plasma in supporting the creation of stem cells that cause reactive oxygen species and in inducing osteogenic differentiation and bone formation, however, as the team points out there is no report on directly using NTAPP for bone fracture therapy.

Direct exposure of NTAPP is a key part of this study. It required a device specifically designed to generate and deliver RONS to areas of the bone defect 'effectively'." Jun-Seok Oh, professor at the OCU Graduate School of Engineering and advisor to the study

The research group developed a pencil-type plasma device that can effectively generate and deliver RONS to an animal model with a well-established critical bone defect, allowing the team to search for the optimal irradiation conditions. Comparing groups that were irradiated with NTAPP for 5, 10, and 15 minutes to control groups with no plasma administered, micro-CT images at eight weeks showed the 10-minute treatment time as the most successful bone regeneration with 1.51 times larger bone volume than the control group.

"However, micro-CT images cannot determine whether a bone defect has been filled with new bone, tissue, or both," says Hiromitsu Toyoda, associate professor at the Graduate School of Medicine and supporting author to the study. Therefore, the team also ran a histological analysis and confirmed "bone defects in the groups treated with plasma were filled with new bone and there was no inclusion, such as fiber tissue and gap that was observed in the control group", continues the professor.

Like other forms of therapy, the biological effect of plasma depends on the treatment dose delivered into the targets. Although future research will be needed to clarify why the study saw the most bone regeneration during the 10-minute treatment period, it is understood that surface wettability promotes greater cell spreading and adhesion to biomaterials and implants. "We wondered if something similar was occurring where we saw a strong generation of new bone." says Hiroaki Nakamura, professor at the Graduate School of Medicine and advisor to the study, "and we found that compared to the control group, bone surface of the plasma-treated group as statistically and significantly more hydrophilic."

While there is still much to be explored and understood in terms of treatment dose, for the first time ever, the direct application of room temperature, atmospheric plasma to a living body has seen a positive result. The research team hopes the plasma device they developed can become something used during surgery to bring the bone regeneration effect of NTAPP to various medical fields.
A very interesting case report appeared recently on the Journal of Travel Medicine, describing the real-life secondary attack rate of the Delta variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on a single naval ship. The findings are highly relevant to the debate on the protection afforded by vaccination against the virus.

Study: A high attack rate of 90% of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infections in crew personnel on a single navy ship. Image Credit: Corona Borealis Studio/ Shutterstock

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has seen multiple waves of transmission occurring in different regions worldwide. Many viral mutations have also been reported, resulting in the emergence of several new strains of the virus. These include the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants of concern (VOCs), so-called because they have increased transmissibility, immune evasion, or virulence characteristics compared to the wild-type strain.

The current report sheds light on the sudden and rapid rise to dominance of the Delta strain of the virus, from its first appearance in the first part of the year, using the story of its spread on board a navy ship off the coast of the African continent.

What did the study show?

The ship, a navy destroyer serving in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western African coast, had 301 soldiers aboard carrying out various missions. All the soldiers were healthy, and none had received any COVID-19 vaccine.

Of these, >90% (272) were infected with the virus, specifically the Delta variant. This shows the extreme transmissibility of this variant compared to the earlier lineages and indicates the extent of spread among a susceptible, unvaccinated population in close proximity to each other.

Of the total 272 infected soldiers, approximately 77%, or 209 soldiers, developed COVID-19 symptoms. About 6% of the infected soldiers developed symptoms that warranted hospitalization. More than 2% of the total cases were moderate to severely symptomatic.

The navy ship left a Korean harbor, in East Asia, on February 8, 2021, heading for the final location in the Gulf of Guinea, where it was slated to carry out its missions. It remained at the harbor in the Gulf of Guinea from June 28, 2021, to July 1, 2021. The next day, the first symptom of COVID-19 was reported.

On July 5, 2021, the soldiers were required to wear face masks and observe social distancing. Yet, on July 6, six cases of Delta infection were reported, which zoomed up to 247 cases over the next ten days. This reached its maximum of 272 on July 26, 2021.

That is, over 90% of the ships crew was infected within 25 days.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing was carried out on all the soldiers on the ship. The samples taken from 64 soldiers were subjected to further genomic tests to determine the variant. All showed the presence of the Delta variant of concern (VOC), which has been responsible for the explosive spread of the virus over most of the world in recent months.

Based on this, the researchers assumed that 100% of confirmed infections were due to this variant. The vaccine was unavailable during the mission. The entire crew was flown by special aircraft to a designated airport in Korea by July 20, 2021. All infected personnel recovered and were discharged by August 10, 2021.

What are the implications?

The researchers point out several takeaways from this episode in the ongoing pandemic. First, the Delta variant affected over 90% of a healthy unvaccinated population on board, indicating that the same extent of spread may be expected in an exposed naive unvaccinated population, which would contain some immunocompromised individuals at least, besides healthy people.

Secondly, the study results show that most healthy people are asymptomatic or develop only mild symptoms once infected. About 6% required hospitalization, however, and more than 2% developed moderate to severe symptoms.

Finally, this study shows the rapidity with which the Delta variant spreads within a restricted space. The reporting of the first symptom of COVID-19 on board the ship on July 2, 2021, was followed by a rapid surge of cases to 247 by July 14, 2021.

The reasons put forward to explain this kind of spread include the very crowded conditions on board the ship, within confined spaces. Social distancing is difficult to achieve in this situation, with multiple and repeated contacts occurring between the soldiers. This could account for the >90% secondary attack rate.

The aerosol spread of the Delta virus within such crowded and poorly ventilated spaces would further accelerate the spread of the virus. Both this and other respiratory viruses have been demonstrated to be highly contagious onboard ships, including cruise ships earlier.

In this study, medical records and demographic data were not made available for obvious reasons. Nonetheless, the study illuminates the transmission of this VOC in overcrowded conditions, with limited potential for physical distancing, and with repeated multiple contacts over the course of a day between the inhabitants of the space.

This massive infection outbreak on a single navy ship clearly mirrors the contagious characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta VOC.
Today the world's largest study of the impact of temperature changes and kidney disease reveals that 7.4 per cent of all hospitalizations for renal disease can be attributed to an increase in temperature. In Brazil  where the study was focused  this equated to more than 202,000 cases of kidney disease from 2000-2015.

The study, led by Professor Yuming Guo and Dr Shanshan Li, from Planetary Health at Monash University and published in The Lancet Regional Health  Americas journal, for the first time quantifies the risk and attributable burden for hospitalizations of renal diseases related to ambient temperature using daily hospital admission data from 1816 cities in Brazil.

The study comes as the world focuses on the impact of climate change at the COP26 conference in Glasgow from 31 October.

In 2017, a landmark article in The Lancet declared renal diseases a global public health concern, estimating that almost 2.6 million deaths were attributable to impaired kidney function that year. Importantly the incidence of death from kidney disease had risen 26.6 per cent compared to a decade previously, an increase that this study may indicate was, in part, caused by climate change.

The study looked at a total of 2,726,886 hospitalizations for renal diseases recorded during the study period. According to Professor Guo, for every 1C increase in daily mean temperature, there is an almost 1 per cent increase in renal disease, with those most impacted being women, children under 4 years of age and those 80+ years of age.

The associations between temperature and renal diseases were largest on the day of the exposure to extreme temperatures but remained for 12 days post-exposure.

In the paper the authors  who are also from the University of Sao Paulo  argue that the study "provides robust evidence that more policies should be developed to prevent heat-related hospitalizations and mitigate climate change."

"In the context of global warming, more strategies and policies should be developed to prevent heat-related hospitalizations."

The authors advise interventions should be urgently incorporated into government policy on climate change, including particularly targeting specific individuals, including females, children, adolescents, and the elderly, as they are more vulnerable to heat with regard to renal diseases.

Moreover, attention should be paid to low- and middle-income countries like Brazil, where reliable heat warning systems and preventive measures are still in need." Professor Yuming Guo, Planetary Health, Monash University
A team of scientists from Israel and the USA has recently examined the efficacy of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in reducing the death risk among people aged 70 years and above. They observe that despite government-imparted relaxation on non-pharmaceutical control measures, the vaccine saved more lives than expected by individual-level vaccine efficacy. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server.

Background

In December 2020, Israel started mass vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 by deploying an mRNA-based BNT162b2 vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech. However, despite rapidly vaccinating the adult population, the country could not reach the herd immunity threshold. Moreover, soon after the beginning of the vaccination campaign, the government ordered relaxation on non-pharmaceutical control measures (mask-wearing, social distancing, movement restrictions, workplace closure, lockdown, etc.).

Since the vaccination campaign initially prioritized only older adults and the vaccine acceptancy was not uniform among different ethnoreligious groups, there remained a concern whether the vaccine could elicit necessary protection to the total population.

In the current study, the scientists examined the population-level effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in Israel. Moreover, they have compared the real-world effectiveness to the models based on the proven vaccine efficacy.

Cases and deaths, before and during the study period

Study design

The scientists estimated the number of deaths that occurred among people over 70 years during the period when at least 90% of the study population were vaccinated for less than seven months. The study was conducted before the introduction of the delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Israel. Specifically, they estimated actual deaths and projected deaths with or without vaccination among people aged over 70 years.

Important observations

During the study period, a total of 370 deaths occurred due to COVID-19 among people aged over 70 years. During the same period, 930 COVID-19-related deaths occurred in the total population.

Based on the vaccination rate and individual-level vaccine efficacy, the expected number of deaths from COVID-19 in the study population was estimated to be 408. Similarly, based on a hypothetical situation of no vaccination and relaxed control measures, the expected number of deaths in the study population was estimated to be 5120.

During the study period, a total of 1119 confirmed COVID-19 cases occurred in the study population. The distribution of cases and deaths remained similar across all age groups before and during the study period.

Study significance

The study findings reveal that the COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 has saved more lives than that expected by individual-level vaccine efficacy. In other words, vaccination of 90% of the older population is sufficient to reduce COVID-19-related mortality. Importantly, this reduction in mortality has been achieved even after government-imparted relaxation on control measures.

As mentioned by the scientists, the study does not include cases and deaths caused by the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, which is more infectious, virulent, and vaccine-resistant than the previously circulating alpha variant. Thus, it remains unclear how many lives the vaccine could save from the more deadly delta infection.

Moreover, the study does not examine the long-term efficacy of vaccination. In this context, there is evidence suggesting that the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. Thus, the current study findings are not sufficient to answer whether the vaccine will remain effective over many years against newly emerging viral variants.

*Important Notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Mr. Marcus is an economist. Reach him at mortonjmarcus@yahoo.com. Follow his views and those of John Guy on Who gets what? wherever podcasts are available or at mortonjohn.libsyn.com
Jeffersonville, IN (47130)

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(Newser)  French President Emmanuel Macron spoke out this weekend on the submarine deal brouhaha between France and Australia. Asked by an Australian reporter on the sidelines of the G20 summit whether he thought Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison was untruthful with France, Macron replied, "I don't think, I know." Asked whether he could trust Morrison again, he said, "We will see what he will deliver," the BBC reports. France and Australia had a $66 billion deal for Australia to buy conventional submarines from France, which Australia canceled after the AUKUS defense pact between the US, the UK, and Australia was announced last month. (The deal will give Australia its first nuclear-powered submarines.)

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France canceled a US gala over the issue, and recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia (though it eventually did a 180 on the US). Earlier at the G20, President Biden met with Macron for the first time since the snafu, and Biden admitted the situation was not handled well. As for Australia, "I have a lot of respect for your country. I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people," Macron told the journalist. "I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line and consistently with this value." Morrison, speaking after Macron, denied lying, and said he had explained to Macron earlier this year that conventional submarines were no longer enough to meet Australia's strategic interests, the Guardian reports. (Read more AUKUS stories.)
(Newser)  "You could just tell something was going to happen," says a guest at a Chicago-area Halloween party that went horribly wrong. But, he continues, "I never thought my friend was going to die." Two people died and more than a dozen were injured just after midnight Sunday at the Joliet gathering, which was attended by hundreds of people, CBS 2 Chicago reports. More than 100 partygoers were fleeing the scene when police arrived, having been called to the scene over reports of gunfire, NBC 5 Chicago reports. Witnesses say the shooting took place near a backyard DJ booth; two men opened fire from an elevated porch overlooking the gathering.

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"Everyone was having a good time, we were back there dancing, and then all of the sudden a group of people just started firing shots, and everyone fell to the floor," another guest says. He adds, per WGN-TV, that guests were then getting trampled as they tried to flee. The gunfire continued after police responded to the scene, but the suspects escaped. Police are searching for two men, and anyone with information is asked to call the Will County Sheriffs Office or Will County Crime Stoppers at 800-323-6734. Four of the wounded victims had life-threatening injuries. Family members identified the deceased victims to ABC 7 Chicago as Holly Matthews and Jonathan Ceballos, both 22. Other Halloween party shootings:

Two people were also killed early Saturday in Sacramento, Calif., at a Halloween party; police were still searching for suspects Sunday night, CBS Sacramento reports. Five others were injured.

In Texas, a Saturday night Halloween party ended with one dead and nine injured, Fox News reports. A suspect has been arrested.

(Read more Illinois stories.)
(Newser)  The Kyle Rittenhouse case is a politically volatile one, but the homicide trial that begins Monday in Kenosha, Wis., will focus on a relatively straightforward question: Did he act in self-defense? If the jury doesn't think so, the 18-year-old from Illinois faces life in prison for killing two men and wounding a third last year. Coverage:

The background: Rittenhouse came to Kenosha from his Illinois home about 20 miles away amid protests over the fatal police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. He joined other armed civilians patrolling the streets, pledging to protect businesses from violence. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a detailed timeline of events.

Rittenhouse came to Kenosha from his Illinois home about 20 miles away amid protests over the fatal police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. He joined other armed civilians patrolling the streets, pledging to protect businesses from violence. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a detailed timeline of events. First shooting: On the night of Aug. 25, Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, then 26, with an AR-style rifle. That he did so is not in dispute. But the prosecution will present witnesses and video to buttress their case that Rosenbaumthe first to be shotchased Rittenhouse into a used-car lot and attempted to take his gun before the teen fired.

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Other shootings: After Rosenbaum was shot, others began following Rittenhouse, according to the Washington Post, which has this narrative: "When Rittenhouse fell to the ground, he fired at one man and missed; Huber approached, swinging his skateboard toward Rittenhouse, who fired into his chest. ... When Grosskreutz (who had drawn a pistol) moved forward, Rittenhouse fired a bullet that took a chunk out of his right arm."

After Rosenbaum was shot, others began following Rittenhouse, according to the Washington Post, which has this narrative: "When Rittenhouse fell to the ground, he fired at one man and missed; Huber approached, swinging his skateboard toward Rittenhouse, who fired into his chest. ... When Grosskreutz (who had drawn a pistol) moved forward, Rittenhouse fired a bullet that took a chunk out of his right arm." The 2 sides: Its a battle of the narratives, law professor Steven Wright of the University of Wisconsin tells the New York Times. People will either see this as a young man who came across state lines with a weapon intending to do trouble, or people will come with the belief that he came here with a medical kit and attempted to defend the law and defend people."

Its a battle of the narratives, law professor Steven Wright of the University of Wisconsin tells the New York Times. People will either see this as a young man who came across state lines with a weapon intending to do trouble, or people will come with the belief that he came here with a medical kit and attempted to defend the law and defend people." The law: In Wisconsin, someone can legally use deadly force if he reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself," per the Times. In an interview with the Post last year, Rittenhouse said he thinks he would have died that night if he hadn't been armed. Prosecutors will have to show that his belief was unreasonable.

In Wisconsin, someone can legally use deadly force if he reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself," per the Times. In an interview with the Post last year, Rittenhouse said he thinks he would have died that night if he hadn't been armed. Prosecutors will have to show that his belief was unreasonable. 'Culture wars': The judge in the case has promised that this will not be a "political trial" and will instead focus on the facts of Aug. 25, per the AP. But the analysis digs into how Rittenhouse has "personified America's polarization" since his arrest. He is championed on the right as a hero and vilified on the left as a foe of the Black Lives Matter movement. Its another battle in what has become the central story of our time-the culture wars, says John Baick, who teaches modern American history at Western New England University in Springfield, Mass.

(Read more Kyle Rittenhouse stories.)
(Newser)  Earlier this year, before COVID vaccines were readily available to eligible patients, a website suddenly popped up advertising Moderna doses for $30 each. That site turned out to be a fake, and now a Maryland man has owned up to his role in getting it up and running. The Baltimore Sun reports that Odunayo "Baba" Oluwalade, 25, of Windsor Mill pleaded guilty on Friday to a federal wire fraud conspiracy, admitting he helped find a bank account that could be used in the scheme, though he claims he didn't know specifics in how the scam was run, per a release from the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.

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Federal investigators became aware in early January of the website, which had the domain Modernatx.shop and looked strikingly like the real Moderna site, which can be found at Modernatx.com. The feds say the site noted, in all caps: "You may be able to buy a COVID-19 vaccine ahead of time." An undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent contacted a number on the site and after several back-and-forths arranged to purchase 200 doses of the supposed vaccine, for $6,000half due up front, half later. The agent sent the first half of the payment to the bank account set up to receive the funds, and on Jan. 15, the government seized the fake website.

As for his role in the scheme, Oluwalade admits in his plea that in mid-November he got a message asking for his assistance in finding a bank account to funnel money to, and that a few days later, a co-conspirator texted him saying one had been found. Oluwalade took down info for that bank account and passed it along to yet another co-conspirator, per the release. After one of those co-conspirator's phones was seized during the execution of a search warrant, an investigator used that phone to text Oluwalade: "Yo where u want me send the bread?" Oluwalade replied, "Yea send me some thru zelle and some through cash app," referring to two well-known online payment platforms.

Oluwalade was arrested on Feb. 11. He was released on bond, under the conditions he give up his passport and not correspond with his alleged co-conspirators, one of whom is his cousin. Per the Post, this scam is one of many tied to vaccines and vaccine cards that have emerged during the pandemic. Per court records, the cases of Oluwalade's co-conspirators are pending. Oluwalade himself could see up to 20 years behind bars. A sentencing date has not yet been set. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
(Newser)  It's good to be the king. Or if you have enough money, it might even be good to be the architect. However, one billionaire's foray into the field is generating all kinds of controversy in California. The unusual tale:

The billionaire: Charlie Munger, the 97-year-old right-hand man to Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway, has donated $200 million to build a dormitory at the University of California-Santa Barbara, reports CNN. One catch: Munger is something of an "amateur architect," though without formal training, and the donation comes with the stipulation that the university follow the design he helped create to the tee.

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The vision: Munger envisions an 11-story dorm in which the vast majority of 4,500 residents would be crammed in interior rooms without real windows, per the New York Times. (That is, no ocean views despite being on UCSB's famously beautiful coastal campus.) Instead of natural light, dorm residents would have "virtual windows" modeled on the faux windows in cabins on Disney cruise ships. "If you want it romantic and dim, you can make it romantic and dim," says Munger. "When in your life have you been able to change the sun? In this dorm, you can." He also thinks these rooms will encourage students to spend more time in communal areas.

Munger envisions an 11-story dorm in which the vast majority of 4,500 residents would be crammed in interior rooms without real windows, per the New York Times. (That is, no ocean views despite being on UCSB's famously beautiful coastal campus.) Instead of natural light, dorm residents would have "virtual windows" modeled on the faux windows in cabins on Disney cruise ships. "If you want it romantic and dim, you can make it romantic and dim," says Munger. "When in your life have you been able to change the sun? In this dorm, you can." He also thinks these rooms will encourage students to spend more time in communal areas. The architect: A consulting architect on the university's design-review committee has resigned in protest after writing what the Santa Barbara Independent calls a "scorched earth" letter. It is indeed. "The basic concept of Munger Hall as a place for students to live is unsupportable from my perspective as an architect, a parent and a human being," writes Dennis McFadden.

A consulting architect on the university's design-review committee has resigned in protest after writing what the Santa Barbara Independent calls a "scorched earth" letter. It is indeed. "The basic concept of Munger Hall as a place for students to live is unsupportable from my perspective as an architect, a parent and a human being," writes Dennis McFadden. The letter: It's well worth reading in full here. McFadden points out that the dorm would qualify "as the eighth densest neighborhood in the world" and calls it more of a "psychological experiment" than a residential hall. "An ample body of documented evidence shows that interior environments with access to natural light, air and views to nature improve both the physical and mental [well-being] of occupants," he writes. "The Munger Hall design ignores this evidence and seems to take the position that it doesn't matter."

Unfazed: Munger shrugs off the criticism in multiple interviews. "I'm not a bit surprised that someone looked at it and said, 'What the hell is going on here?'" he tells the Times. "What's going on here is that it's going to work better than any other practical alternative." He tells CNN the building will be a huge success and will lead to copycat designs. A school spokesperson says the Munger plan is going forward, and Chancellor Henry Yangwhose school is in the midst of a housing crisishas called the design "inspired and revolutionary," per the Independent.

(Read more Charlie Munger stories.)
(Newser)  After a two-day sentencing hearing at Guantanamo Bay, a military jury sentenced former al-Qaeda operative Majid Khan to 26 years Fridaybut seven of the eight jurors took the unusual step of writing a letter to a senior official urging clemency. The military officers, who had been required to sentence Khan to between 25 and 40 years in prison, called the torture at CIA black sites he had described a "stain on the moral fiber of America," the New York Times reports. "The treatment of Mr. Khan in the hands of the US personnel should be a source of shame for the US government," the officers wrote.

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Khan has been in US custody since he was captured in Pakistan in 2003. The 41-year-old, who served as a courier for al-Qaeda, said that in the three years before he arrived at Guantanamo Bay, his abuse at CIA sites in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and a third country included waterboarding, sexual assaults, and being hung naked from a ceiling beam, Al Jazeera reports. His treatment went "well beyond approved enhanced interrogation techniques, instead being closer to torture performed by the most abusive regimes in modern history," wrote the jurors, who noted that the abuse was of no "practical value in terms of intelligence."

The seven jurors described holding Khan for nine years without charge and denying him a lawyer for his first four years in custody as "an affront to American values and concept of justice." Former Marine Ian Moss, a lawyer on Khan's defense team, tells that Times that the clemency letter is especially powerful since "given the jury members seniority, it stands to reason that their military careers have been impacted in direct and likely personal ways by the past two decades of war."

Khan, a Pakistani citizen who graduated from high school in Baltimore, has cooperated extensively with the US government after pleading guilty to terrorism-related charges almost a decade ago. As part of a plea deal jurors were not told about, he could be released as soon as February next year, though the Biden administration will have to find a third country willing to accept Khan, his wife, and the daughter who was born in Pakistan after he was detained, the AP reports. (Read more Majid Khan stories.)
(Newser)  Police say a discussion between a Florida student and her teacher about a social media post led to violence, and to the Friday arrest of the teacher, who just last week was announced as her school's teacher of the year. The Florida Times-Union reports that a since-deleted Instagram post by Duval County Public Schools on Wednesday offered congrats to Caroline "Melanie" Lee for her win, but some comments under the post wondered if she was the same teacher who'd allegedly committed microaggressions against students and used a racial slur during class, per the police report.

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Lee, 60, told police she did indeed use the n-word in front of students, but only during readings of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. At any rate, she apparently didn't like one student's comments in particular and allegedly summoned that student, who's not in any of her classes this year, to her classroom on Friday, the police report notes. The student says that during their meeting, Lee hit her multiple times across the table, making the student's nose bleed.

Lee has denied hitting the student, but the police officer who interviewed her on the scene says surveillance footage shows Lee "walking at an aggressive pace" to her classroom right before the two met, as well as the student leaving the classroom afterward with a "low demeanor" and clutching her face. Lee also insisted she'd left the door open the entire time, but another student who was in the classroom before the meeting started says Lee closed the door behind him after asking him to leave. The student who says she was hit reported the incident immediately to a guidance counselor.

Principal Tyrus Lyles says he has notified parents about the "very disappointing" arrest of Lee, adding he's been in touch with the student's parents. Meanwhile, Duval Schools Superintendent Diana Greene calls the incident "beyond disturbing." The AP reports that Lee faces a count of felony child abuse, per the Jacksonville Sheriff's office. It's not clear if she has an attorney. (Read more child abuse stories.)
(Newser)  Donald Trump is going to rally for Glenn Youngkin and his gubernatorial campaign in Virginiawhether Youngkin wants him to or not. Terry McAuliffe, a former Democratic governor, has been running his raceand its a tight onewith a lot of emphasis on his opponents ties to Trump. A recent poll by Roanoke College shows them essentially tied. But Youngkin himself isnt emphasizing those ties; Trump lost Virginia in the last presidential election by 10 points, the Washington Post reports. Instead of invoking the former presidents name directly, Youngkin has campaigned on Trump voter pet issues, like slamming critical race theory, which is not something used in Virginia public schools anyway, per the Post. He also has come out pretty strongly with the point that his states Republicans need a change, saying they could do so much better, per the AP.

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Either way, Trump has endorsed Youngkin and is planning a tele-rally for Monday night, Politico reports. McAuliffe sees that as his opponents Achilles heel. "Glenn Youngkin's campaign will close today just like it started: with Donald Trump," he said. Trump himself chafes at the idea that he and the Virginia GOP candidate arent pals. "The Fake News and perverts are working over time is to try and convince people that we do not like each other, and therefore, my great and unprecedented Make America Great Again base will not show up to vote," the former president said, per Politico. "I am not a believer in the integrity of Virginias elections, Trump said, but still asked supporters to vote for Youngkin. (One flashpoint in the race is a 1987 novel.)
(Newser)  President Biden offered a public apology to a UN climate conference over predecessor Donald Trumps move to pull the US from the Paris accord. Biden was speaking in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday where world leaders were gathering to discuss implementing the agreement to contain global warming by mid-century. I shouldnt apologize, but I do apologize for the fact the United States, the last administration, pulled out of the Paris Accords and put us sort of behind the eight ball a little bit," he said, per the AP. Biden has frequently criticized the past administrations approach to climate, but had not previously delivered a public apology to the world. Biden reentered the agreement in one of his first official acts in office on Jan. 20. Also:

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The prime minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, told world leaders that failing to act urgently on climate change will be a death sentence for people in island nations like hers.

French President Emmanuel Macron challenged the worlds biggest emitters to immediately step up commitments to curb carbon emissions, saying doing so within the coming days is the only way to make global efforts to slow climate change credible.

Brazil on Monday stepped up its commitment against greenhouse gas emissions, aiming to halve them by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels, while critics alleged the government is tinkering with data.

Germanys outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel urged other countries to put a price on carbon emissions, which are the main cause of global warming. Merkelwho chaired the first Conference of the Parties, or COP1, in 1995 said the world needs a comprehensive transformation of the way people live and work if it wants to curb climate change.

British naturalist David Attenborough gave leaders a brief lesson in the fragility of the planet and humanitys dependence on the natural world. The 95-year-old said for much of humanitys existence, the climate on Earth had swung wildly before stabilizing 10,000 years ago, allowing human civilizations to flourish. The stability we all depend on is breaking, he said.

(Read more President Biden stories.)
(Newser)  It looks like the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the Texass restrictive new abortion law. The courts three more liberal justices, Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor, have already called the law unconstitutional, the Washington Post reports. It went into effect after a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. In a hearing on Monday, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barret appeared to be open to arguments that the law skirted necessary judicial review. There are two questions in front of the courtwhether Texas can essentially use enforcement of the law with civil cases brought by the public as a loophole to avoid federal review, and whether the Justice Department has the legal right to challenge the law in court, per NPR. The court isnt considering whether the law itself is constitutional.

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Judd Stone, the Texas solicitor general, made his first appearance before the Supreme Court Monday, saying people challenging the law cant sue Texas because Texas isnt enforcing the law. "Federal courts don't enjoin laws, they enjoin officials who enforce the laws," he said, per NBC News, essentially explaining that the law was specifically designed to be impossible to challenge in federal court.

Kavanaugh said allowing abortion providers to challenge the law effectively closed a loophole, the New York Times reports. Kagan had stronger words about laws written to avoid Supreme Court challenges. "And essentially we would be like, Were open for business. Theres nothing the Supreme Court can do about it. Gun same-sex marriage, religious rights, whatever you dont like, go ahead," she said. (Read more texas abortion law stories.)


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Tuesdays election is expected to bring about significant change in the Danbury area.

A few races for the top elected position in their respective municipality - including Danbury - are open races for the first time in a long time. In other races, there are tight races that could be decided by slim margins.

For those headed to the polls, or considering to vote, on Tuesday, here are some key things to know:

What to know about voting

Wondering where to vote, when to vote or how to vote? Or, are you even registered?

All of those questions can be answered before even heading to the polls. Yes, you can call the local registrars of voters. But, chances are they are going to be relatively busy Tuesday.

Lets start with the basics: the polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. If you get to the polls by 8 p.m., you are allowed to vote.

Are you registered to vote and where do you vote? Those are slightly more complicated, but the information can easily be obtained on the Secretary of States website at: https://portaldir.ct.gov/sots/LookUp.aspx. The site allows interested voters to look themselves up, confirm their registration status and provides information on where to vote.

If youre wondering what your ballot looks like, the Secretary of States Office has that information on a town-by-town basis. It can be viewed at https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Town-Ballots/2021-November-Municipal-Town-Ballots.

A few other quick things: a drivers license nor photo ID is required to vote in Connecticut. You may have to sign an affidavit to confirm your identity. Also, if you are not registered to vote and want to, you can register that day in person. Each town has a designated office where residents can register. Most are in town halls, but they do vary.

Lastly, if youre voting by absentee ballot, be sure to drop it off in a ballot box before the close of the polls. If you mail it on Election Day, chances are it wont be counted.

Danbury mayor

No race is bigger in the Danbury area than the race for the citys mayor. For nearly 20 years, Republican Mark Boughton was the citys chief elected official. He stepped down late last year to become the head states Department of Revenue Services.

In stepped Joe Cavo, a councilor-turned-mayor, but he has no plans of running for that spot again, instead running for City Council. Instead, it will be Republican Dean Esposito, Cavos chief of staff, against councilor Roberto Alves.

The winner will be elected to guide a city that saw population growth in the latest census  something few municipalities around the state saw. They will also be asked to lead an increasingly diverse city.

While no two people are exactly alike, many see a win for Esposito as a continuation of the Boughton regime. He was, after all, Boughtons chief of staff, too. A win for Alves would represent a change in philosophy and direction for a growing city  one in which nearly one-third of residents are foreign-born.

The outcome of the election will, of course, have ripple effects in surrounding towns.

Redding first selectman

To the south, Redding First Selectman Julia Pemberton is being challenged by former state Rep. John Shaban.

Pemberton, in her fourth term, once again received the Democratic nod. She says she is focused on development at the Gilbert and Bennett wire mill, economic development, and improving community and inclusion.

Shaban, the Republican challenger, unsuccessfully ran for Congress against Jim Himes more recently. But could the political veteran have more success in his own town? He said he plans to focus on brownfield management and the development of more green energy.

The first selectman may not have oversight of the school district, but it is a topic that has caused plenty of stir in town over the last year. Race, teaching methods and more have been questioned by a faction of town residents, prompting the superintendent to look for employment elsewhere.

Will national politics play a role?

Last year, with Joe Biden and Donald Trump atop the ticket, the Danbury area saw a swing in the way many municipalities voted. Nearly all towns voted Democrat at the top of the ticket.

In towns that were already Democrat-leaning in the previous presidential election, the margins improved for that party. In the presidential race, New Milford flipped to lean Democrat at the top of the ticket, as did Brookfield. The Democratic margin grew dramatically in 2020 in Redding from 2016.

But this isnt a presidential year.

So the question for candidates will be how much of those growing margins that leaned to the left carry over. Or, do local politics merge with national politics at all? If they do, it could be good news for local Democrats.

Already decided

A handful of local candidates will wake up Tuesday morning with nerves at a minimum.

Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker, a Democrat, is running unopposed. The same could be said for New Fairfield Democrat Pat Del Monaco, Bridgewaters Curtis Read and Shermans Don Lowe.

Dan Rosenthal, of Newtown, is running on the minority party line. The good news for him is that hes not running against anybody either.

For all of your Danbury-area coverage on election night, head to newstimes.com. Stories will be updated throughout the night and into Wednesday morning.
Contributed Photo / New Milford Police Department

NEW MILFORD  Water Witch Hose Co. No. 2, one of the towns fire departments, has announced on social media Sunday evening the death of veteran member Mark Lathrop, who served the department for 49 years.

Throughout Lathrops years at the department, he served as a firefighter, engineer, as well as held the rank of fire police captain, the post said.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Sydneys international airport came alive with tears, embraces and laughter on Monday as Australia opened its border for the first time in 20 months, with some arriving travelers removing mandatory masks to see the faces of loved ones theyve been separated from for so long.

Australia and other countries in the Asia-Pacific have had some of the worlds strictest COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures and travel restrictions, but with vaccination rates rising and cases falling, many are now starting to cautiously reopen.

Some, like China and Japan, remain essentially sealed off to foreign visitors, but Thailand also started to substantially reopen Monday and many others have already started, or plan to follow suit.

Traveler Carly Boyd seized the opportunity presented by the new Australian regulations to jump on the first flight home from New York to surprise her parents, whom she hadn't seen in three years.

Just being able to come home without having to go to quarantine is huge, she told reporters at Sydneys airport, where the country's unofficial anthem I Still Call Australia Home was playing.

Theres a lot of people on that flight who have loved ones who are about to die or have people who died this week, so for them to be able to get off the plane and go see them straight away is pretty amazing.

In Thailand, a country where tourism accounted for some 20% of the economy before the pandemic, the lockdown has caused massive job losses and hardship, and the government hopes the return of foreign visitors will provide a much-needed boost.

Still, only a few months removed from a surge fueled by the delta variant of the virus that saw deaths rise dramatically, many Thais remain worried that an influx of outsiders could trigger new outbreaks.

Bangkok taxi driver Issarapong Paingam lost his mother to COVID-19 during the recent surge, and said it would make more sense to him for the government to focus its attention fully on reopening domestically before introducing foreign travelers into the mix.

The government has not yet told the public what they would do if an outbreak takes place again, the 34-year-old said. "I dont understand why they dont let people in the country live normally as a trial to see the trend (of COVID-19 cases) before welcoming tourists.

Thailand has allowed residents to travel during the pandemic, but mandated a strict two-week quarantine in specially designated hotels for people entering the country.

Foreign arrivals plummeted from 40 million in 2019 to 6.69 million in 2020  almost all in the first three months before the pandemic restrictions were introduced  to fewer than 100,000 so far in 2021.

Monday's reopening builds on a pilot scheme launched in July on the resort island of Phuket, which allowed fully vaccinated travelers from selected countries to spend their quarantine moving around the island instead of in a hotel room.

Starting Monday, if travelers are fully vaccinated and from one of 63 countries and territories deemed low risk  which some cynical Thais have noted seem to be based more on spending power than coronavirus infections  they are exempt from quarantine. They need to spend one night at a designated hotel and can't check out until they have a negative COVID-19 test, but then are free to travel.

Travelers from countries not on the preferred list or those who are unvaccinated are still subject to various quarantine rules.

Restrictions are also being relaxed in the destination areas, including widespread reopening of businesses and other facilities such as department stores, spas, tattoo shops, schools and sporting events.

With the combination of strict screening of visitors and higher vaccination rates in Thailand, Supat Hasuwannakit, president of Thailands Rural Doctor Society, said he is not concerned about foreign tourists sparking a new surge in cases.

But he said he does worry about the planned reopening of bars and clubs in December, noting that recent domestic outbreaks came after the government allowed people to gather for activities such as religious services and weddings.

Once people start to gather, eat and drink, it has a high possibility to create a new outbreak, he said. Most bars and nightclubs are indoors with bad airflow, so it is easy for COVID-19 to spread once they reopen.

Rules requiring masks and distancing remain in place, much like other countries in the region that have begun reopening.

In India, which saw a peak of 400,000 daily cases in April and May, officials have been warning that people need to continue following such restrictions to avoid causing super spreader events during the holiday season as the country gradually reopens.

India began granting tourist visas on Oct. 15 for fully vaccinated people arriving on charter flights, and will extend them to tourists on commercial flights starting Nov. 15.

Neighboring Sri Lanka has already started to allow fully vaccinated travelers without quarantines, and partially or non-vaccinated people with some restrictions. South Korea, which on Monday began to allow larger social gatherings and lifted operating-hour restrictions on restaurants, has a similar scheme.

Vietnam is still closed but plans to open the popular resort island of Phu Quoc to fully vaccinated vacationers by the end of the month, and neighboring Cambodia, which on Monday lifted restrictions on domestic travel, has a similar plan to open two seaside provinces to international travelers. Malaysia intends to open its northern resort island of Langkawi on Nov. 15 to fully vaccinated tourists.

Australia is betting that vaccination rates are now high enough to mitigate the danger of allowing international travel.

Initially only Australian permanent residents and citizens will be free to enter the country. Fully vaccinated foreigners traveling on skilled worker and student visas will be given priority over international tourists.

But the government expects Australia will welcome international tourists back to some degree before the year ends.

Already, Australia announced Monday that vaccinated tourists from Singapore  which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world  will be welcome from Nov. 21 under a bilateral agreement.

The new freedoms also mean that fully vaccinated Australian permanent residents and citizens can leave the country for any reason without asking the government for an exemption from a travel ban that has trapped most at home since March 25, 2020.

Sydney was the first Australian airport to announce it would reopen Monday because New South Wales was the first state where 80% of the population aged 16 and older has been fully vaccinated. Melbourne and the national capital, Canberra, also opened on Monday after Victoria state and the Australian Capital Territory achieved the vaccination benchmark.

Even though Australians are now free to travel overseas, four Australian states and a territory are still maintaining pandemic restrictions on crossing state lines.

Australian Ethen Carter, who landed at Sydney's airport from Los Angeles on Monday, expressed his frustration at having to apply for permission to visit his dying mother in Western Australia state.

He pleaded through the media to Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan, who has said the state border will not open this year, to let him in.

Mark, think of the people that are suffering, like, mentally to see their family. Thats also a health issue," Carter said. "And we know weve got to protect peoples lives, but youve got to bring families together again, you have to.

McGowan said his government would consider allowing Carter to enter the state if he applies for an exemption.

These situations are very sad and very difficult and weve seen much of this over the course of the last two years, McGowan said.

___ Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press journalists Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok and Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.
ROME (AP)  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as part of the Group of 20 summit on Sunday  an outreach designed to ensure that the intensely competitive relationship between the world's two largest economies doesn't veer into open conflicts.

Senior State Department officials described the conversations as candid, constructive and productive, saying that Blinken was clear about U.S. concerns during the roughly hourlong meeting. The officials insisted on anonymity to discuss the exchanges.

One of the U.S. goals is to maintain an open line of communication with China and set a virtual meeting later this year between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said that Wang, while blaming the U.S. for a sharp deterioration in relations, said he would like to establish regular contact with Blinken to exchange views on how to manage the differences between their two countries, avoid misjudgments and explore cooperation.

Blinken said at the meeting that China has increased tensions with regard to Taiwan and that America wants to continue its one-China policy, which recognizes Beijing but allows informal relations and defense ties with Taipei. During China's National Day weekend in early October, China dispatched 149 military aircraft southwest of Taiwan in strike group formations, causing Taiwan to scramble aircraft and activate its air defense missile systems. Biden alarmed China shortly after by saying that the U.S. has a firm commitment to help Taiwan defend itself in the event of a Chinese attack.

Asked in a CNN town hall whether the U.S. would come to Taiwans defense, Biden said, Yes, we have a commitment to do that. U.S. officials immediately moved to clarify that there had been no change to U.S. posture toward Taiwan.

Blinken told CNN on Sunday that there is no change in the U.S.' longstanding commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to make sure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself. And we stand by that. He said Biden's commitment dated back to his time as a U.S. senator.

Wang blamed the current Taiwan leadership for the uptick in tensions, as well as U.S. support for what he called Taiwan independence forces, the Chinese statement said. He called on the U.S. to pursue a real one-China policy instead of a fake one, accusing the American side of saying one thing and doing another.

China and Taiwan separated during a civil war in 1949. The U.S. cut formal diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 in order to recognize Beijing. The U.S. does not openly contest Chinas claim to Taiwan, but is committed by law to ensure the island can defend itself and to treat all threats toward it as matters of grave concern.

Blinken noted that the G-20 summit is being followed by the United Nations climate summit in Scotland, saying that the U.S. expects China to curbs its greenhouse gas emissions as a responsible global power for the good of the world.

Trade issues did not come up in any detail, as the conversation largely stayed in the political realm. Nor was China's recent test launching of a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile discussed by the two leaders.

___

Associated Price writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  In the closing hours of New Jersey's campaign for governor, Democratic incumbent Phil Murphy is traveling the state touting the progressive accomplishments during his first term and Republican Jack Ciattarelli is also on tour railing against high property taxes and mask mandates in schools.

Murphy will be the first Democrat reelected in 44 years if he wins on Tuesday and the first person from the same party of the president to win in the off-year election in more than three decades. He's staked his chances on a substantial list of progressive laws he's signed: paid sick leave, a phased-in $15 minimum wage, higher taxes on the wealthy, taxpayer-financed community college and pre-kindergarten and more.

Democrats have strong advantages in New Jersey, where they have 1 million more registered voters than Republicans. Murphy has also led in public polls throughout the campaign.

Ciattarelli, a former Assembly member and small businessman, is trying to salvage the GOP's slumping performance in elections.

The party has historically had success in statewide contests for governor, but nearly got shut out in U.S. House races during then-President Donald Trump's midterm elections. The party also has a base that's strongly with the former president and a bench of elected officials who are known to be moderates. It's a mismatch that's led Ciattarelli to embrace both the base as well as some moderate stances.

For instance, he's called for preserving abortion rights and allowing immigrants without legal status to get drivers licenses, while he's also implicitly criticized critical race theory in schools, saying that we are not going to teach our children to feel guilty."

Critical race theory is a method of thinking of Americas history through the lens of racism that has become a political lightning rod of the Republican Party recently.

Murphy spent the weekend in traditional Democratic strongholds: Atlantic City, Camden, Elizabeth and Willingboro, among others.

Ciattarelli spent part of Saturday in the heart of New Jersey's GOP country: Ocean County.

Also on the ballot are all 120 seats in the Legislature. Most expect it will remain under Democratic control in the next session.

If he wins, Murphy has promise to sign a Reproductive Freedom Act enshrining abortion rights into state law, a response to Democratic concerns that Roe v. Wade could be undone by the U.S. Supreme Court. He's also promised more gun control legislation and to expand taxpayer-financed pre-kindergarten to more schools, eventually making it universal for all 3-year-olds.

Ciattarelli has promised to reduce property taxes, which average about $9,100 and are among the highest in the country, by overhauling the state's school funding formula. Details about how it would work, however, are murky. He's also said there will be no COVID-19 mandates under his administration. Murphy, by contrast, currently has ordered masks in schools.

He's also relentlessly attacked Murphy over saying that if taxes are your issue, we're probably not your state," slamming the governor for seeming to be out of touch with an issue voters say matters to them.

Early in-person voting ended Sunday. About 700,000 ballots were cast early, with the majority coming from mail-in votes at about 500,000. The remaining 200,000 were in-person votes, according to the secretary of state's office.

Polls open Tuesday at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Mail-in ballots can be returned through 8 p.m. Tuesday as well.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Republican leaders in the Oklahoma House and Senate released new congressional district maps on Monday that show major changes to the competitive 5th Congressional District that Democrats narrowly won in 2018.

The proposed new 5th Congressional District map carves out a large chunk of Oklahoma City's heavily Hispanic south side and Democratic core and places it in the strongly Republican 3rd Congressional District that stretches across western Oklahoma. It also adds rural portions of Lincoln and Logan County to the new 5th District.

Oklahoma City will continue to have one majority congressional district with CD-5 and representation in two others, as it has for decades," said Rep. Ryan Martinez, chairman of the House Redistricting Committee. This is appropriate given the Oklahoma City metro areas status as Oklahomas fastest-growing area, the public input received from many metro area communities, and statewide military base needs."

Republicans won back the 5th District in 2020 when then-state Sen. Stephanie Bice defeated Horn.

Martinez said one of the priorities of the Redistricting Committee was to keep Tinker Air Force Base and Fort Sill in Lawton in the 4th Congressional District currently represented by Republican Rep. Tom Cole.

But House Democratic Leader Rep. Emily Virgin said the new maps, particularly the proposed new 5th Congressional District, doesn't make sense unless the committee's goal was to keep Democrats from winning back the seat.

You have folks on the south side and in the core of Oklahoma City now sharing a congressional representative with folks in the Oklahoma Panhandle," she said. That doesn't make any sense whatsoever unless your goal is to make sure a Democrat doesn't get elected from Oklahoma."

Andy Moore, the executive director of People Not Politicians, a group that tried unsuccessfully to get a state question on the ballot to give responsibility for drawing new maps to a bipartisan commission, said a quick look at the new map suggests it was gerrymandered to help Republicans.

The congressional map is pretty clearly drawn to protect incumbent politicians," Moore said. And it very clearly cuts up Oklahoma City."

Moore said minority voters currently make up 43% of the 5th District, which drops to 34% under the new district, something that could lead to a legal challenge of the new maps.

But Martinez said 87% of Oklahomans remain in their current congressional district and expressed confidence that the new maps will withstand any legal challenge.

There's no doubt in my mind ... that this will withstand judicial scrutiny," he said.

The new 4th Congressional District looks similar to the current district, while the 1st Congressional District in Tulsa became more compact by shedding Washington County and about half of Wagoner County, and adding Sapulpa in Creek County.

The maps, along with new state House and Senate district maps, will be considered by the GOP-controlled Legislature during a special session that's set to begin Nov. 15.

___

This story was first published on Nov 1. It was updated on Nov. 2 to delete an erroneous claim that Altus Air Force Base would be in the 4th Congressional District under the proposed electoral maps. It would be in the 3rd District.
RIDGEFIELD  Lauren Kim has found that stepping out of her comfort zone makes for some exciting life moments. In September, the 17-year-old Ridgefielder was chosen to perform on National Public Radios prestigious From The Top! show.

Although music is only a minor area of study for Kim, the accomplished flautist presented a stellar performance of Gabriel Faures Fantasie Opus 79. She was accompanied on piano by the shows host, Orli Shaham.

I was really honored and excited to be selected, said Kim, who studies flute in Juilliards Pre-College program. From The Tops mission is to share the stories of young classical musicians from around the country, and (spreading) the love of music is really important to me.

Shaham was also pleased to have her on the show. I love your playing, she said of Kims talent. It has such a wonderful feeling of floating.

In an interview with Shaham, Kim discussed an ethnomusicology course she took that examined how different cultures utilize music and how music differs from sound.

Music is sound with a purpose, Kim said, whether thats to have an impact on others or to make some kind of social statement.

Kim also discussed how her mother, Joanne, has inspired her to step out of her comfort zone.

Shes definitely a risk taker, as well as an entrepreneur, she said of Joanne, who immigrated to the United States 21 years ago along with her father, Milton. Its kind of inspired me to take different paths  things that you might not expect (or) that might not automatically lead to success.

One such example is the podcast club Kim started at Ridgefield High School, where shes a junior.

I was really inspired to create more connections in the student body as a whole, she said, and through this (platform) we were able to showcase other student interests and their opinions.

Kim and her classmates worked with other clubs to encourage communication and community building, which focused on getting students to share their personal experiences. We were able to highlight how global issues like prejudice and microaggressions were applicable to our community, she explained.

Milton said he was extremely proud of his daughter, who he said somehow developed her musical abilities on her own. Im always joking that it should be coming from the blood, he said.

Joanne instructed both her daughters in basic piano, but Kim went on to play cello in elementary school before finally picking up the flute in middle school band.

Its a very positive thing for her, Joanne said.

Kim concurred. Im really thankful that as part of being chosen for this opportunity, I was able to join a community of passionate and awesome musicians and engage in workshops about how the arts intersect with community engagement and advocacy, she said.

To hear Kims appearance on NPR, click here .
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Tennessee schools will have to jump through even more hoops if they want to implement mask mandates to prevent the spread of COVID-19 under legislation recently approved by the states GOP-controlled General Assembly.

The strict new rules are part of a sweeping bill Republicans signed off on in the middle of the night over the weekend as they worked to undermine numerous COVID-19 protective measures.

Lawmakers were willing to back down on measures targeting private businesses after industry groups balked at mask requirement restrictions. The business groups were left with some provisions they oppose  conflicting state and federal mandates on vaccines, the threat of lawsuits to enforce the new law, and the fear that the U.S. government could take over workplace safety regulation in Tennessee because of attempts to undermine federal safety rules.

When advocates for public schools asked for similar leniency on mask wearing, lawmakers brushed off their pleas that mask mandates were necessary to protect children and teachers amid the virus outbreak and kept strict limits in the bill. At the same time, private schools were given an exemption so they could require masks.

The move comes as Tennessee continues to experience some of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States after at times seeing some of the highest case counts, deaths and hospitalization rates in the nation since the pandemic began.

Tennessee is already facing federal scrutiny for how it's handled the issue of masks in schools. Gov. Bill Lee issued an order allowing parents to opt their children out of mask mandates. Three judges have since blocked the order from applying in three counties, one in each federal court district in the state. And Tennessee is among the five states under U.S. Education Department civil rights investigations because they have banned or limited mask requirements in schools. The department says the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.

The legislation now goes before the Republican governor, who has held off on promising he'll give the bill his signature. He's also yet to veto a bill during his first term in office.

Under the proposal, government entities  including public schools  would largely be prohibited from implementing mask mandates. Those entities would only be allowed to require masks if they lived in a county with a rolling average 14-day COVID-19 infection rate of at least 1,000 per 100,000 resident while the state is under a state of emergency. The state currently is far below that threshold.

Yet even then, mask mandates would continue to be limited in use. The school's principal would have to request the mandate to the school board. If approved by the board, the mandate could only apply to that particular school  not the whole school district  up to 14 days.

Meanwhile, private businesses, private schools, health care facilities, airports, prisons and jails were given a last-minute exemption as high-profile companies like Ford Motor Co. reached out.

As of Monday, school officials in Nashville said they were reviewing the slate of bills passed during the three-day special legislative session as they waited to see if Lee would sign them into law.

Spokesperson Sean Braisted said the district is committed to putting student and staff safety first, while complying with all lawful requirements.

We will communicate any new procedures to families and staff as quickly as possible, he said.

Lawmakers also banned government entities from issuing vaccine mandates, as well as prohibiting private businesses requiring proof of vaccination.

Yet government entities and businesses could sidestep both the vaccine and mask mandate bans if they reach out to the state's comptroller's office and show they would lose federal funding by complying with the state law.

State Comptroller Jason Mumpower would have to set the guidelines on qualifying for an exemption. As of Monday, a spokesperson for the office said officials were having preliminary discussions on what staff and resources might be needed to handle the potentially large swath of requests from schools and businesses.
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  South Africans voted Monday in local government elections that will offer an indication if support for the ruling African National Congress has rebounded after waning in recent years.

The municipal elections, which take place every five years, determine the composition of councils responsible for providing essential services like water, waste management and sanitation. Councilors, in turn, elect city mayors.

The vote, the sixth local elections since the end of apartheid in 1994, comes amid South Africas COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with some polling stations setting up adjacent vaccination centers to encourage voters to cast their ballots and receive a shot.

Around 26 million South Africans are registered to vote in the elections and results are expected beginning early Tuesday.

Campaigning has largely focused on the ruling ANC's apparent failure to provide essential services in cities and municipalities they govern. Compounding that is the national ANC governments inability to ensure a stable electricity supply following the return of rolling power blackouts last week.

The latest blackouts  as long as six hours per day  have sparked renewed anger across the country and saw opposition parties trying to capitalize with pledges to resolve the electricity issue if elected.

Although unhappy with poor services in the Kempton Park area where he lives, Justin Mosuthwane said he was determined to cast his ballot despite expressions of apathy toward the vote by others.

I know there are people who have decided not to vote, but because of the history of our country it is hard to forget how hard we have fought for our right to vote," said Mosuthwane.

Blacks were not allowed to vote under the apartheid regime.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa cast his vote in the township of Soweto in Johannesburg and emphasized the nation's progress since overthrowing apartheid.

As a country, we have to be very proud that our democracy is growing and becoming more entrenched, he said.

But his ANC party, which has been in power since 1994, has been criticized for not doing enough at a local level to improve the lives of millions of poor South Africans. The country has had an unreliable electricity grid for years and faces inadequate housing and sanitation despite being Africa's most developed economy.

Johannesburg resident Rachel van Zyl said she'll use her vote to speak out.

If you are upset about the way things are being run, the only way to have a say is to cast your vote," she said. The service delivery is absolutely shocking. We pay a fortune for rates and taxes but the service delivery is ridiculous.

In the previous municipal elections, the ANC lost control of Johannesburg, the countrys largest city and economic hub, the Tshwane metropolitan area that includes the capital city of Pretoria, and the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area that includes Gqeberha, the city formerly called Port Elizabeth.

Those major cities are expected to be hotly contested again. The ANC's main challengers are the centrist Democratic Alliance party, the biggest opposition party and which runs the city of Cape Town, and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, who champion the plight of poor Black South Africans.

Among those permitted to cast ballots ahead of Monday's vote was Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid icon who turned 90 last month.

The Independent Electoral Commission said the vote was progressing smoothly, although 39 voting stations in the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces opened late because of protests. In the Eastern Cape, protesters dug trenches to prevent election officials from accessing voting stations and municipal workers had to fill the trenches in before voting could begin.

___

Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa.
OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 1, 2021 /CNW/ - Members of the media are invited to Rideau Hall to cover the presentation of credentials of three new heads of mission to Canada.

During the ceremony, the following new heads of mission will present their credentials to the Governor General:

Her Excellency Immaculate Nduku Musili Wambua

High Commissioner-designate of the Republic of Kenya

His Excellency Patrick Guido M. Van Gheel

Ambassador-designate of the Kingdom of Belgium

His Excellency Molise Paul Tseole

High Commissioner-designate of the Kingdom of Lesotho

Date: Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Time: 10 a.m.



Location: Rideau Hall Ballroom

Notes for media:

To guarantee your access to the ceremony, we ask that you please confirm your attendance with the Rideau Hall Press Office at [email protected] .

. Media are asked to arrive at the Princess Anne Entrance no later than 9:45 a.m. on the day of the ceremony.

on the day of the ceremony. Please note masks and proof of vaccination are mandatory.

Photos of the ceremony taken by the Governor General's official photographer will be made available upon request.

Stay connected :

Follow GovernorGeneralCanada on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

SOURCE Governor General of Canada

For further information: Rideau Hall Press Office, 343-573-7563, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.gg.ca/


November is Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Canada. While the campaign raises awareness for those in abusive relationships, many victims know that their abusers will retaliate and harm a beloved pet if they leave. PetSmart Charities of Canada continues to support removing this barrier, and also keep survivors and their pets together when seeking safety and shelter, and during other times of crises.

As part of this commitment, the charitable organization developed the Preserving Families grant category in 2019. The funding was created to support programs aimed at keeping pets and people together when they experience domestic abuse, homelessness, hospitalization, health issues, or other life transitions. Over two years, PetSmart Charities of Canada will distribute grants totaling $925,000 to 11 organizations across the country.

"The Preserving Families grants are designed to support innovative solutions to keep people and pets together no matter what life transition the family may experience, which includes intimate partner or domestic violence," said Dani LaGiglia, Senior Community Grants Manager, PetSmart Charities of Canada. "Many victims in crisis delay leaving out of concern for a pet left behind, but we hope to bridge that gap and help more shelters to welcome pets."

PetSmart Charities of Canada, the largest funder of animal welfare in Canada, provides critical funding to partners on the ground supporting the human-animal bond. According to one grant recipient organization, The Fam Network, 89 percent of survivors of intimate partner violence reported their abusers engaged in animal abuse. More than half of women, their research shows, delay leaving an abuser out of fear for their pet's safety. Grants such as these support building space for survivors to co-lodge with their pets, supplies, pet food and access to quality veterinary care.

"The FAM Network was created because of an abusive relationship that created an extremely difficult situation for our founder's daughter and her pet," said Dayna Desmarais, President & Executive Director, The FAM Network. "With no solutions available, the FAM Network was created as a foster-based program. With the help of grants through PetSmart Charities of Canada, and other donors, we have been able to begin expanding our services across Canada, opening new chapters to foster animals for survivors leaving an abusive relationship."

Organizations that have received grants to help keep families together during times of transition include:

The FAM Network offers a foster program for pets while survivors of domestic violence seek safe shelter, so they can reunite later. The $60,000 grant will be used to help with the FAM Network expansion into Quebec including, but not limited to, material translation, supplies procurement, veterinary expense coverage as well as staffing the Montreal branch.

offers a foster program for pets while survivors of domestic violence seek safe shelter, so they can reunite later. The grant will be used to help with the FAM Network expansion into Quebec including, but not limited to, material translation, supplies procurement, veterinary expense coverage as well as staffing the Montreal branch. Paws for Hope in British Columbia provides crisis foster care for pets of marginalized people while they access help for themselves such as in-patient treatment programs. They will utilize their grant of $120,000 to expand their foster network of 44 homes to 75 in the BC Lower Mainland. The funding will also support the expanded network of community partners who provide "safe haven drop-off", where pets can be taken for confidential, safe and immediate care until transported to foster care.

in provides crisis foster care for pets of marginalized people while they access help for themselves such as in-patient treatment programs. They will utilize their grant of to expand their foster network of 44 homes to 75 in the BC Lower Mainland. The funding will also support the expanded network of community partners who provide "safe haven drop-off", where pets can be taken for confidential, safe and immediate care until transported to foster care. Fred Victor's Bethlehem United Shelter is Toronto's only long-term shelter that allows pets to stay with their owners. They will use their $80,000 grant funding toward resources and tools needed to appropriately house clients with their pets. This grant is anticipated to house 80 people and 25 pets over the next year and will also ensure that all pets in their care are well tended, fed, groomed, and loved.

To learn more about PetSmart Charities of Canada, visit www.PetSmartCharities.ca



About PetSmart Charities of Canada

PetSmart Charities of Canada is committed to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the country, PetSmart Charities of Canada helps thousands of pets connect with loving families each year. PetSmart Charities of Canada also provides grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families. Our grants and efforts connect pets with loving homes through adoption, improve access to affordable veterinary care and support families in times of crisis with access to food, shelter and emergency relief. Each year, thousands of generous supporters help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities of Canada directly at PetSmartCharities.ca, while shopping at PetSmart.ca, and by using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities of Canada efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in Canada, granting more than $24 million since its inception in 1999. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered Canadian charity. To learn more visit www.PetSmartCharities.ca.

Find PetSmart Canada & PetSmart Charities of Canada on:



Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PetSmartCanada

Instagram: www.instagram.com/PetSmartCanada

SOURCE PetSmart Charities of Canada

For further information: To arrange interviews with subject matter experts contact Carly Newton, Golin for PetSmart Canada, 647-618-8070, [email protected]
OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 1, 2021 /CNW/ - The maximum pensionable earnings under the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) for 2022 will be $64,900up from $61,600 in 2021. The new ceiling was calculated according to a CPP legislated formula that takes into account the growth in average weekly wages and salaries in Canada.

Contributors who earn more than $64,900 in 2022 are not required or permitted to make additional contributions to the CPP.

The basic exemption amount for 2022 remains at $3,500.

The employee and employer contribution rates for 2022 will be 5.70%up from 5.45% in 2021, and the self-employed contribution rate will be 11.40%up from 10.90% in 2021. The increase in contribution rate is due to the continued implementation of the CPP enhancement.

The maximum employer and employee contribution to the plan for 2022 will be $3,499.80 each and the maximum self-employed contribution will be $6,999.60. The maximums in 2021 were $3,166.45 and $6,332.90 respectively.

More Information

Canada Pension Plan (CRA)

Canada Pension Plan enhancement (CRA)

CPP contribution rates, maximums and exemptions (CRA)

Canada Pension Plan (Service Canada)

Types of Pension Plans (Service Canada)

Stay connected



Follow the CRA on Facebook

Follow the CRA on Twitter  @CanRevAgency

Follow the CRA on LinkedIn

Add our RSS feeds to your feed reader

to your feed reader You can also watch our tax-related videos on YouTube

SOURCE Canada Revenue Agency

For further information: Contacts: Media Relations, Canada Revenue Agency, 613-948-8366, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/


Ivana Perkovic recently joined NewsX for an insightful conversation as part of NewsX India A-List As part of the interview, Ivana opened about her journey and how it is being a woman who is traveling around the world. Sharing about all of the things she juggles along with content creation, Ivana said, I am a storytelling workshop organiser, next to being a content creator. I am a public speaker, with a TED talk that has over half a million views and I am also an international business consultant.

When asked about how she managed to divide her time from content creation and then also doing the other things that she did that are probably day jobs or extracurricular, Ivana said I am a hardcore productivity freak. In the past, that has worked very much against me but in due time I have learned how to manage it in a healthy way. I love to work in time blocks. Whenever I am doing content creation, for instance, I know I have to finish the video before Wednesday, I will block a few hours of my time on Monday and Tuesday for that activity. For instance, the afternoon hours will be blocked for other activities but I am not a huge fan of multitasking at all. I just dont do multitasking because you lose your focus while you are like juggling too many things at the same time. My biggest productivity hack has always been to work in time blocks and just focus on one at a time.

Speaking about the experience of being a woman traveler, she expressed, I think until I was 23 years old, I had never travelled alone in my life. I was absolutely terrified of it. I thought it was for those super free spirits, who are willing to do incredibly adventurous things. Like in so many of our lives, I ended a relationship and I was totally in our lost state of mine. I was like I need to get out there. I need to see more of the world, but then rightfully as you mentioned, there are certain things that we have to take into account for as women. I decided to do something that I now recommend every single woman who wants to travel alone or at least try it out keep it as safe as possible for yourself.

Dont go venturing out in the middle of nowhere just because you see other people doing that on Instagram. Look at a trip that would feel safe to you. For me, that was a trip to Barcelona, a shopping trip during still time because all my friends were just busy with their jobs and their kids. My boyfriend, at the time, like obviously we had broken up so that was not an option. I decided to go to a city that Ive always wanted to visit. I definitely didnt venture out on some kind of mountain top, where you know I wouldnt know how things would workout. I just kept it as safe as possible for myself, she added.

Lastly she mentioned, You can look at simple things like doing a staycation in your own city. You can even venture out to market for a day on the other side of your town if you have never been alone. I think thats already adventurous enough. Dont get caught up with Instagram and seeing people do crazy things because that doesnt always end well and I dont think that always ends up being fun so keep it as close your own needs as possible.

Watch the entire interview on NewsX:
Wankhede's visit to Delhi has come after Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik levelled various allegations on him and accused him of using a fake certificate to secure a government job.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, who is investigating the Mumbai cruise ship drugs case, on Monday has reached Delhi to meet Chairman National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Vijay Sampla, informed NCB officials.

Wankhedes visit to Delhi has come after Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik levelled various allegations on him and accused him of using a fake certificate to secure a government job.  He has come here to present his subject before the Commission. We will see and verify his documents, said Subhash Ramnath Pardhi, member, National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

Nawab Malik had alleged that Sameer Wankhede was born a Muslim but he forged documents, including a caste certificate, to pass off as a Scheduled Caste (SC) person to get recruitment under quota after clearing the UPSC exams.

He also accused Wankhede of taking away the opportunity of the SC and added that the fight is against the fraud and not his religion or caste. I stand by my statement that hes (Sameer Wankhede) on post by forging SC certificate. He snatched away a poor SCs rights. Fight against fraud not religion/caste. I urge Arun Haldar (National Commission for SC, Vice-Chairman) to maintain his posts dignity, the minister said while speaking to reporters here.

He had earlier accused Wankhede of falsely framing people under NDPS Act. Notably, Wankhede was investigating the drugs-on-cruise case involving Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan. When I started (raising allegations against Sameer Wankhede), people I know told me to stop. They said that Shah Rukh Khan is being told that his son is trapped as he (Khan) speaks. My lawyer son was being brainwashed by other lawyers. He used to tell me to stop, said Malik.

Alleging that attempts were made to silence him, he added, Some people said that matter relating to drugs involve money, goons and I could lose my life. Attempts were made to silence me. But I had said that we will take this to a logical end. If someone says they will kill Nawab Malik, then Ill die the day I have to.

An NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa on October 2. A total of 20 people were arrested in the case. Wankhede was given charge of investigating the case.
HAMDEN  A resident who refused to show ID Monday morning when he went to get his absentee ballot from the town clerks office was making a point: voters do not need identification to cast ballots in Connecticut municipal elections.

Teran Loeppke arrived at government center around 10 a.m., he said, ready to apply for an absentee ballot and avoid lines at the polls on Election Day amid COVID-19 concerns.

Because the clerks office initially insisted he present identification, Loeppke said, obtaining the ballot took him two hours. He only received it after the state informed the town identification was not required for absentee voting, according to footage Loeppke took of interactions with office staff.

If the clerks office were to repeat that error, Loeppke said he worries it could hinder voting access for Hamden residents, calling the requirement an obstacle.

Under state law, voters do not need to show identification to receive their own absentee ballots, said Gabe Rosenberg, a spokesman for the Connecticut Secretary of the States Office.

But other Connecticut towns share Hamdens policy of asking in-person absentee ballot applicants for identification, according to Town Clerk Vera Morrison, who said she surveyed several other municipalities Monday about their practices.

Because were physically handing the ballot over to an individual ... you would like the voter to verify their identity, Morrison said.

She also said Connecticut lacks statutory guidance on identification requirements for in-person absentee ballot applicants. Because of that, Hamden has been using a procedure similar to those towns follow at the polls on Election Day, Morrison said.

Many in-person polling places ask for identification, and voters must either show identification, present a Social Security card or sign a statement testifying to their identity, according to guidance from the Secretary of the States Office, which indicates the identification does not need to include a photo but can show an address or signature.

Loeppke, however, contended the signature required on an absentee ballot envelope, which is made under penalty of false statement, is equivalent to in-person voters signing to verify their identity. He also said voters applying for an absentee ballot by mail do not need to show identification.

Asked about that point, Morrison said mail-in applications at least include return addresses.

She does not believe the offices practice regarding in-person applicants has prevented people from voting absentee, she said, adding that most applicants have something with them to verify who they are.

The town has allowed in-person absentee ballot applicants to confirm their identities using items including credit cards or utility bills, Morrison said.

As for Monday mornings events, she said Loeppkes decision to film interactions made the staff feel uncomfortable in their normal duties.

I was in a public building within my first amendment rights, Loeppke said, adding that he did not intend to make anyone uncomfortable. We absolutely have to take seriously the notion of voter suppression and remove obstacles to voting, and I will not back away from that.

Loeppke said he is affiliated with Common Cause in Connecticut, an organization that lobbies for legislation to protect voting rights.

Voters need to know that they can vote easily and accessibly via absentee ballot, he said. Someone ought to be able to come and (get an absentee ballot) without these obstacles.

But according to Morrison, some voters have expressed appreciation for the offices ID-checking policy. The town clerk described the policy as a safeguard that prevents voter impersonation.

Loeppke challenged the idea that voter impersonation is a legitimate threat.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
Evan Agostini/Invision

NEW YORK (AP)  Audra McDonald is going from host of the Tony Awards to another stage role.

The six-time Tony-winner will return to Broadway in the play Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. Dates and the creative team will be announced later.
DENVER (AP)  Three police officers and two paramedics indicted on manslaughter and other charges in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain in Colorado appeared in court Monday for the first time since being charged.

Officers Randy Roedema, Nathan Woodyard and Jason Rosenblatt and fire department paramedic Jeremy Cooper and fire Lt. Peter Cichuniec each took turns standing before Judge Priscilla Loew with their lawyers in a courtroom in Brighton. As McClain's mother, Sheneen McClain, watched from the gallery with her lawyers, each waived a reading of the charges and penalties they face. None were asked to speak.

Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, died after being put into a chokehold and injected with a powerful sedative in the Denver suburb of Aurora. He never regained consciousness and was later declared brain dead at a hospital.

His death received renewed attention amid a national outcry against racial injustice last year.

Family and friends described McClain, a massage therapist, as a gentle and kind introvert who volunteered to play his violin to comfort cats at an animal shelter. His pleading words to police captured on body camera video, including Im just different, have become well known and invoked by those protesting his death.

While the former district attorney said he could not file charges because an autopsy could not determine how McClain died, the officers and paramedics were indicted by a grand jury this summer over a year after Gov. Jared Polis ordered Attorney General Phil Weiser to open a criminal investigation into the case.

Loew granted permission for lawyers to file motions about the grand jury process before the defendants next court date on Jan. 7, when they are scheduled to enter pleas to the charges. The lawyers did not explain what issues they planned to raise but one of Sheneen McClains lawyer, Qusair Mohamedbhai, said he expected them to ask Loew to review the grand jury transcript and make sure jurors found probable cause for the charges.

Sheneen McClain said being in court was difficult but it was something she had to do as part of the process of getting justice for her son. She said the defendants did not look at her in court and called them cowards.

Cichuniec requested and was granted permission by the judge to be able to travel though the reason was not discussed. Sheneen McClain said he wanted be able to visit family, a request she opposed as a victim in the case.

Elijah didnt get to go home. Every request that Elijah made that made sense, they refused, she said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. Navy has determined that a submarine damaged in a collision in the South China Sea in early October struck a seamount, or underwater mountain, two defense officials said Monday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a public announcement. The Navy has yet to fully explain how or why the USS Connecticut struck the seamount or to reveal the extent of damage to the Seawolf-class submarine.
ORANGE  Residents will have a chance this week to weigh in on how  or whether  cannabis is sold in town.

Residents will have the opportunity Wednesday to weigh-in on three options regarding the sale of cannabis in town: whether to regulate, prohibit or impose a moratorium.

Members of the Town Plan and Zoning Commission in meeting discussions have stressed they want to hear the opinions of residents on which direction to take, as they, along with other communities grapple with decisions brought about by the legalization of recreational marijuana.

There are three options for folks to consider: regulate, prohibit or impose a moratorium.

Three public hearings  one on each option  will be held Wednesday, Nov. 3, beginning at 7 p.m. in the lower level of Town Hall. An agenda is available on the town website.

The Board of Selectmen recently banned smoking marijuana, as well as tobacco, and vaping on town-owned property.

Zoning officials are debating whether to allow retail sale of cannabis in town, which would be regulated by the state through licensing. Under the new laws in Connecticut, the number of licensed retail cannabis stores is determined by the population and, for Orange, that means one retail site. .

Planners have more time than first thought because the state likely wont issue licenses for retail sales until next year.

When the TPZC at a meeting last month started a conversation on the issue of retail marijuana sales, they admittedly went into it leaning toward a prohibition.

But that quickly evolved and by the end of the meeting they were talking about creating regulations for the retail sale of marijuana  with resident input  that might include signage and rules concerning proximity to certain establishments, such as schools and houses of worship.

Later, the idea of a moratorium was considered, with the idea of revisiting the issue after sales in the state were underway.

Planners also technically have the option of doing nothing, but have ruled that out.

They can also prohibit sales, create regulations for sales or enact a moratorium to buy time.

TPZC Chairman Oscar Parente said at a recent meeting that, through creating regulations they could require a special use permit for marijuana sales, allowing the TPZC to consider factors such as property value and neighborhood impact as they do with other such permits.

Selectman Mitch Goldblatt said in the past, he believes cannabis should be sold in town, with regulations, because the town allows stores that sell other products many find objectionable, including liquor, guns, cigarettes and cigars, and tattoos. Goldblatt noted the sale of cannabis will be highly regulated just like the drugs sold in pharmacies.

Goldblatt said at the time that retail sales would benefit the town financially because the state put a 3 percent tax on sales and it will add up.

But First Selectman Jim Zeoli took a swipe at that sentiment during a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, saying it would take personnel time to bill the establishments, collect and, if there were difficulty collecting, the town attorney would have to get involved.

Unless its a big number, that 3 percent is kind of pie in the sky, Zeoli said, or as he put it on a Facebook discussion with residents, All that glitters is not gold.

Marino noted after Zeolis comments that the tax money doesnt go into the general fund, as there are restrictions on how it can be spent.
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  At least 10 civilians were killed and 25 wounded when two ballistic missiles from Yemens Houthi rebels stuck a religious educational facility in the central province of Marib, officials said Monday.

The missiles hit Dar al-Hadith - a religious school and a mosque - in the residential neighborhood of al-Aumd late Sunday and the casualties included women and children, they said.

The attack also damaged nearby houses, said the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

There was no immediate comment from the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have attempted for months to take oil-rich Marib to complete their control over the northern half of Yemen.

Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war since 2014, when the Houthis captured the capital, Sanaa, and forced President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and his internationally recognized government to flee to the south, and then later to Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war the next year to try restore the government to power. The war has deteriorated largely into a stalemate and spawned the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

The facility includes a religious school and a mosque attended by about 1,200 Muslim students from across the country. Most of the students and teachers left the area last month as the Houthis made progress in their offensive on Marib.

Moammar al-Iryani, information minister of the internationally recognized government, said the casualties included women and children.

This horrific massacre comes after a series of systematic killings of civilians that the terrorist Houthi militia committed in the past few days in the government-held cities of Marib and Taiz, he said.

He called on the U.N. Security Council and the United States to pressure the Houthis to stop their attacks on civilians and to prosecute those implicated as war criminals.

A Houthi ballistic missile struck the house of a key tribal leader in al-Aumd on Thursday, killing at least 11 civilians and wounding 16 others.

On Saturday, the Houthis shelled the residential Camp neighborhood on the outskirts of the government-held city of Taiz, killing at least three children from the same family. At least six other children were wounded, according to al-Iryani.

Meanwhile in Tazi, government forces and allied tribal fighters launched an offensive late Sunday on the last remining pocket held by the Houthis on the citys the south western outskirts.

The government-run SABA news agency reported Monday that at least seven Houthi fighters were killed including a field commander, and six others were wounded.
NORTH TONAWANDA: Want moratorium to better understand aspects of the industry.
Higgins calls on Canada to drop Covid tests

BORDER: Request comes on heels of news U.S. won't require tests for Canadian travelers.
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2021 governorship election, Senator Emmanuel Andy Uba, has denied b...





The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2021 governorship election, Senator Emmanuel Andy Uba, has denied being involved in the kidnap of a sitting governor, eighteen years after the incident.





Dr. Chris Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State was reportedly kidnapped by a click of political godfathers on July 10, 2003, and kept somewhere in Awka, the States capital for over 12 hours.





Years after, Senator Andy Uba, who was a close confidant of the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo and a member of the Uba family, holding a huge political relevance in the state, says he was never involved in the incident.





Professor Charles Soludo, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, for the November 6 governorship election had described Uba as a kidnapper, accusing him of being involved in the kidnap of a sitting governor, during a debate organised by Arise TV on Monday.





About what he said about kidnappingor whatever he said, I wasnt involved. Im not a violent person. There was a White Paper that came out [during that period] how would you think I had anything to do with it? What are you talking about?





I walked with the President of this country. I know about securityI know about security. Now let me tell you, for you saying that Im involved, Im not involved in anything that has to do with kidnapping or anything.





I wasnt even in the country when it happened. I was outside the country when it happened and the call came through to me at 2:25 am and the person said he wants to speak with the President.





I took the call to the President and he asked me to call the IG of Police which I did and the whole thing was sorted out. Thats why the whole thing was stopped. So how would I have been involved? If I was involved how would I have made that phone call?
A senior security officer in Zamfara State has revealed that bandits escaping from the onslaught of security operatives in Zamfara and Katsi...





A senior security officer in Zamfara State has revealed that bandits escaping from the onslaught of security operatives in Zamfara and Katsina States have relocated to communities in the axis of Shanono, Gwarzo and Kabo Local Gvernment Areas of Kano State.

According to the security operative, the bandits are suspected to have been moving into illegal gold-mining communities in Shanono Local Government Area, engaging themselves into illegal mining of gold ore mineral deposits.

They also use the illegal mining site as accommodation, as the sites operate 24hours on daily basis.

Furthermore, the bandits are believed to have expanded the illegal mining activities into other illegal mining sites in Gwarzo and Kabo Local Gvernment Areas where Tantelite, columbite and tin minerals are illegally mined.

It is believed that on the 14th of October, 2021, the suspected bandits on twenty motorcycles were sighted at Kusalla village, in Karaye Local Government Area near NYSC Orientation Camp and Karaye Community School.

The Joint Task Force operatives responded to the sighting, but no trace of them was found at scene. This poses security threats to the Camp and the school.

Sudden recent increase in the illegal mining activities at those sites and the sighting at Kusalla village informed the suspected penetration of the bandits into the State to establish themselves at new locations for continuation of their nefarious activities.

The sites in Shanono Local Government Area were observed with many lister grinding machines to grind the gold ore extracted and then were washed at streams found nearby, he revealed.

The security operative urged the Kano State Government, to as a matter of urgency, act quickly before more damages would be done by the notorious bandits.
A gang of armed men have abducted Abdullahi Abubakar Gbedako, the Chief Imam of Yangoji Central Mosque in Abuja. Yangoji is under Kwali Area...





A gang of armed men have abducted Abdullahi Abubakar Gbedako, the Chief Imam of Yangoji Central Mosque in Abuja.

Yangoji is under Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Gbedako and his sons  Aliyu Usman Abubakar (22) and Ibrahim Abubakar (11)  were taken during a home invasion.

The attackers, it was gathered, stormed the area in two vehicles around 11:30pm on Friday.

They fired gunshots into the air while some of them broke into the residence after jumping over the fence.

The kidnappers were said to have asked the victims family to pay N10 million ransom.

Josephine Adeh, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the abduction on Monday.

The spokesperson assured that efforts were on to track the assailants and free the captives.

An investigation is ongoing. We are in a joint search with local vigilantes in order to reunite the victims with their family

The Commissioner of Police urges members of the community to remain calm and provide useful information that will help in arresting the perpetrators, Adeh said.
The ECOWAS Court has decried the shun of a key protocol by member states as well as the low rate of compliance with judgments. Out of 17 cou...





The ECOWAS Court has decried the shun of a key protocol by member states as well as the low rate of compliance with judgments.

Out of 17 countries in the region, only Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Togo have appointed national authorities entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing judgments.

Elohor Ovadje, an Information Officer, made this known in a statement on Monday after the just-concluded 9-day external session in Abidjan, capital of Cote dIvoire.

The court called it one of the most productive sessions in its 20-year history. A total of 11 judgments were delivered, 38 cases heard, and adjourned for continuation in Abuja, Nigeria.

The President, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, however, expressed regret that Article 10(f) of the protocol which would have facilitated effective collaboration between national courts and ECOWAS Court is yet to be implemented by any national court.

Justice Asante explained that a normative framework for regional integration and deepening of the relationship between national courts and the regional court will provide the enabling legal environment for the attainment of collective objectives.

The President reminded countries of the adoption of the protection of human rights as a cardinal and fundamental value enshrined in the ECOWAS Treaty.

Without doubt, regional economic integration and regional protection of human rights both constrain sovereignty.

It is, therefore, necessary for member states that established ECOWAS to recognize the supranationality and the need for them to abide by obligations, he added.

Justice Asante advised countries to comply with judgments in the Revised Treaty which clearly provides that the judgments are binding on all member states, institutions, corporate bodies, and individuals.

The President said such action will address the 30 percent unsatisfactory rate of compliance of the Courts decisions.
Olori Damilola Adeyemi, the estranged wife of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III has apologised for speaking disparaging...

Olori Damilola Adeyemi, the estranged wife of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III has apologised for speaking disparagingly about the monarch after she left the palace in April 2021.

Damilola claimed she fled the palace after being imprisoned in a cell for breaking a palace regulation.

She slammed the 83-year-old monarch and the palace in several of her remarks.

In a new development, Damilola, in a post shared on her Instagram page has apologized to the monarch for speaking ill of him.

She mentioned that frustration and some friends misled her to leave the palace.

Her post reads: I WANT TO USE THIS MEDIUM TO TENDER UNRESERVED APOLOGIES TO THE ENTIRE FAMILIES OF ADEYEMI ( ALAAFIN OF OYO) OVER MY LAST POST. PLS I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW THAT IM NOT UNDER DURESS IN SENDING THIS MESSAGE AND THAT IM IN GOOD STATE OF MIND.

THAT ALL THAT I SAID IN MY LAST POST ABOUT LEAVING THE PALACE AND THAT ALAAFIN WAS NOT TAKING CARE OF ME AND ALL WHAT I SAID NEGATIVELY CONCERNING HIM(ALAAFIN) WAS FALSE IT WAS FRIENDS THAT MISLEAD ME AND OUT OF FRUSTRATION.BUT NOW THINGS ARE CLEAR AND IM SINCERELY SORRY FOR TRYING TO BRING DOWN THE ROYAL FAMILY.

I HAVE BEEN TO LAGOS AND ABUJA TO SEEK FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY.

I WRITE THIS IN TEARS AND BEG EVERY GOOD MOTHER TO PLS PLEAD TO MY HUSBAND ( ALAAFIN OF OYO) ON MY BEHAVE TO FORGIVE ME. AND TO ALL THOSE THAT CONTRIBUTE ONE MONEY OF THE OTHER WHEN I GET BACK TO PALACE I WILL DEFINITELY REFUND YOU PEOPLE. THANKS

ITS FOR THOSE THAT UNDERSTAND THAT THEIR IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME .
Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has visited the scene of the skyscraper which collapse in the Ikoyi area of the state o...

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has visited the scene of the skyscraper which collapse in the Ikoyi area of the state on Monday.

Recall that the incident happened a few minutes past 2 pm on Gerard Road in the affluent neighbourhood.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency stated that first responders were on the way to rescue those stuck in the rubble.

Hamzat also assured the Hamzat assured the people that the government would do what it can to rescue all those stuck in the building.

Speaking with an unidentified woman who claimed that her cousin was stuck in the building, the deputy governor stated they were trying to ensure the swift response of heavy-duty equipment to begin the rescue operation.

At the time of filing this report, the cause of the building collapse is uncertain.
The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, on Monday, condemned the deadly attack on security op...





The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, on Monday, condemned the deadly attack on security operatives, innocent citizens and critical national assets and infrastructure.





He called for a new approach, greater commitment and more affirmative actions against all criminal elements threatening the internal peace and security of Nigeria.





The call was contained in a statement on Monday by DCC Odumosu Olusola, Director, Public Relations Relations, NSCDC National Headquarters, Abuja.





He described as unfortunate, the recent assault on members of the Joint Task Force operation comprising of Nigeria Police, Civil Defence Corps and Vigilante group, where one police personnel and two members of NSCDC paid the supreme price in their brave struggle against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.





He said the brazen attack which happened in Shinkafi, along Kaura Namoda road, Zamfara State while the operatives were on deployment to checkmate the rising wave of banditry, kidnapping and other heinous crimes in the state is not only condemnable but callous, despicable and inhuman.

He commiserated with the families and friends of those who had lost their loved ones in the heinous crime and promised to fish out the criminals and make them face justice. He praised the efforts and resilience of the gallant operatives for preventing greater loss of lives and destruction of public property.

He assured members of the public that efforts would be fully mobilized to go after the bandits, apprehend and deal decisively with them under the full weight of the law.

The statement further appealed to members of the public to be vigilant, security conscious and to promptly assist security agencies with credible information that could lead to the arrest of the criminals who perpetrated the despicable act before they cause more havoc in the society.

He vowed that the Corps would not relent in its efforts but will continue its dogged fight against banditry, kidnapping and insurgency through concerted efforts of well-trained personnel, the introduction of more training programs and innovative strategies towards the deployment of more sophisticated equipment and improved staff welfare which provides an umbrella of life insurance coverage for all personnel of the Corps.

NSCDC is a full-fledged paramilitary agency of government determined to collaborate with other security agencies in keeping the country safe and preserving the way of life of Nigerians, we are therefore not deterred by these recent attacks but we are forging ahead to make life meaningful for all Nigerians, the CG said.
Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the federal government to prosecute the masterminds behind the invasio...

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the federal government to prosecute the masterminds behind the invasion of Mary Odilis residence.

Security operatives had on Friday night invaded the house of the Supreme Court justice based on information that illegal activities were going on there.

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), had denied involvement in the raid, while calling for an investigation of the incident.

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, on Sunday, Wike described Malamis denial as unsatisfactory.

In a statement by Kelvin Ebiri, special assistant to the governor on media, Wike said the federal government will be held accountable if anything sinister happens to Odili and his family.

He recalled that on the fateful day the Supreme Court nullified the election victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, hoodlums suspected to be political thugs invaded the residence of Justice Odili, but the federal government didnt take any steps to bring the culprits to book, Ebiri said.

Governor Wike noted that just recently Dr. Odili had legitimately travelled out of the country for medicals, but on his arrival, his international passport was confiscated for inexplicable reasons by the Immigration Service.

He said initially the federal government had feigned ignorance of the seizure of Odilis passport. But, after the former governor approached the court to enforce his fundamental human right, the immigration service eventually came up with spurious excuse to justify their ignoble act.

Governor Wike described as most worrisome last Fridays invasion of the residence of Justice Odili by federal government security agencies that claimed they had a warrant issued by a Magistrate Court to search the property.

The governor noted that though the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had denied involvement in the siege on Justice Odilis residence, the people of Rivers State consider his mere denial as unsatisfactory.

He charged the Federal Government to within 48 hours apprehend all those involved in the raid of the residence of the Supreme Court justice, the alleged whistle blower and also interrogate the Magistrate who issued the order.

The Rivers governor alleged that the motive of those behind the invasion of Odilis residence may have been to assassinate the supreme court justice, her husband and children.

Wike visited Odilis home a few minutes after the security operatives stormed the residence.
Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed two worshippers at Baptist Church, Kakau Daji, Chikun LGA of Kaduna state. The worshipper...

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed two worshippers at Baptist Church, Kakau Daji, Chikun LGA of Kaduna state.

The worshippers were attacked during the churchs Sunday service.

The gunmen were said to have surrounded the church before they started shooting sporadically.

A yet to be ascertained number of worshippers were also abducted from the church.

Ishaya Jangado, president of the Kaduna Baptist Convention, confirmed the attack to TheCable.

The incident occurred this morning but we dont know the exact number of people that were kidnapped yet, he said.

Mohammad Jalige, spokesman of the Kaduna state police command, was not reachable for comment over the incident.

Reacting, Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), described the attack as another sad story of how deteriorating our insecurity has become.

Citizens are being killed like chickens with only press statements as consolation, he said.

These evil people have troubled us for too long.

I condole the families of the Baptist denomination and Kaduna Christians for this loss and urge our security agencies to separate war against enemies of Nigerians from politics. No one knows who will be the next target.

Chikun LGA is one of the areas where telecommunications services had been suspended by the Kaduna state government to fight banditry and kidnappings.

The attack on the church comes months after suspected bandits invaded the Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi, Kaduna, abducting 121 students.

Most of the students had since been freed.
In that faraway time before the pandemic (or roughly 20 months ago) we ran a monthly round-up of good places to eat at the moment.

Ive been thinking about when to bring this series back in a time when so much still is not normal.

But the underlying idea here is the pleasure, joy and connectedness we get through restaurants and hospitality, and this is absolutely a time when any dose of that is welcome. So lets do this.

+11 'A game changer.' Pandemic propelled outdoor dining, New Orleans restaurants want to keep it Along the run of small strip mall storefronts on busy Earhart Boulevard, Nice Guys Bar & Grill has added something different: an outdoor o

Each edition is a snapshot of the deep tradition, rising talent, fresh ideas and compelling flavors, places, and people enlivening our dining scene right now.

As always, the restaurants below are selected to answer the recurring question: Where to eat next? Remember, this is not a best-of list or a ranking (numbers are there for spacing). Instead, these are my top-of-mind recommendations at this moment in time.

Tell me about the places you have recently discovered (or rediscovered) in our Where NOLA Eats Facebook group or contact me directly at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

Liuzzas Restaurant & Bar

3636 Bienville St., (504) 482-9120

It took a while for the vintage neon to spark back up at this Creole-Italian classic in Mid-City after Hurricane Ida. Proprietor Frank Bordelon died at age 73 in the days after the storm hit. But his family did get the restaurant back open in September, and when they did a cold draft beer in one of Liuzzas trademark glass schooners was just the thing. The Frenchuletta (a muffuletta on po-boy bread, broiled), the red sauce, the brown gravy, the meatballs, and the joy of the long-running neighborhood spot are all back, too. The Bordelon family put the restaurant on the real estate market around this time last year, though all along they said they planned to keep it going until it sells.

Emerils Restaurant

800 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 528-9393

It took a long time for the flagship restaurant from the citys most famous living chef to return, but when it did it lifted the curtain on a transformation. It still looks like the same restaurant, though subtle touches of spacing and amenities make the dining room feel a notch more elegant. The menu carries this through to the fullest. Throwback dishes from Emerils new New Orleans cuisine of the 1990s have been replaced with a more refined and technique-driven hand. The tasting menu, with wine pairings is a tour de force (there's also a vegetarian tasting menu), but any dish here reveals a change in era. Start with the bacalao caldo verde in its chorizo broth and dont miss the poached lobster with gumbo sauce.

Fritai

1535 Basin St., (504) 264-7899

A wrenching chapter of Haitian history is playing out in global headlines. But its the beauty and spirit of Haitian culture you see playing through this Treme restaurant from chef Charly Pierre. The traditional dishes make vividly clear the Creole connection running between Haiti and New Orleans (the red Creole sauce, the rice and beans could be found in many local homes). The original creations pulse with contemporary culinary energy. Get the mirliton salad with candied plantains, the namesake Fritai sandwich (crisp pork between fried plantain with spicy mango sauce and slaw), and taste how the bar demonstrates the endless room for interplay between rum and citrus.

Plume Algiers

1113 Teche St., (504) 381-4893

Even the most humble-seeming dish at this mom-and-pop Indian restaurant can be a revelation. The shrimp roll is a flaky-crisp paratha flatbread folded around bursting-plump shrimp with pickled lime so lip-smacking and tart it practically sings. A simple stir-fry of green beans with dry masala brought a profusion of fresh herbs and clean-lined flavor. This is a tiny place and owners Merritt Coscia and Tyler Stuart are fighting back from the losses of Hurricane Ida, on top of everything else. Right now, service is cut back to takeout at lunch, dine-in for dinner, and the menu is limited. The potential here, however, shows no limits at all.

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Tchefunctes Restaurant

407 St. Tammany St., Madisonville, (985) 323-4800

This riverside restaurant is a game-changer, both for fine dining in this part of the north shore and for the huge property it took over. The open-air, family-friendly tavern the Anchor downstairs is dockside casual. But upstairs at Tchefunctes, chef Michael Gottlieb is directing a high-caliber kitchen in a seductively luxurious setting. The wedge salad doesnt sound like anything special but appears like a work of art. The tuna tartar is spooned over crispy pork and shrimp egg rolls, cut lengthwise, topped with garlic chili. Cured salmon rides on a hashbrown cake with caviar and creme fraiche. The prime rib is a nostalgia trip and the steaks are dry-aged and cut to order by the inch.

Yakuza House

1325 Veterans Blvd., Metairie, (504) 345-2031

The hand roll is the quick hit, impulse bite of the sushi bar. Its just seafood and with something extra bundled together in seaweed and, traditionally, handed over the counter to the diner. Its the specialty of chef Huy Phams outstanding new restaurant, though really, everything here feels as though it was carefully made just for you. Thats what having such a small restaurant can do, as Pham serves just a half-dozen bar seats and a handful of tables at a time. Yakuza House doesnt have the range of larger, more-robustly supplied Japanese restaurants, but thats not the point. This place is about focus and the way Phams approach to sushi rivets your attention through a meal. BYOB.

Saj

4126 Magazine St., (504) 766-0049

Saj is the big sister to Monas Cafe. Developed by the same family behind the long-running Mid-City stalwart, this one is decked in a mix of traditional Arab design and modern touches while the menu brings a fuller view of the range and regional flavors of Middle Eastern tradition, particularly from Palestinian kitchens. Start with the namesake saj flatbread, which you will inevitably do. Thin, crisp but still pliant, tasting toasty and buttery, its a far more compelling vehicle than standard pita for the array of dips here (try the sweet pea or beetroot versions). Falafel bursts with herbal freshness and the wood-fired grill puts its smoky mark on kebabs and lamb chops.

The Chloe

4125 St. Charles Ave., (504) 541-5000

Ive been eating chef Todd Pulsinellis shrimp etouffee dumplings since he led the kitchen at August years ago. Theyve never tasted better than on a patio table under a green swirl of oaks on a pleasant early evening outside this gorgeous hotel and restaurant. Theyre enough to make you believe in Creole dim sum. Pulsinellis menus at the Chloe always bring just a little more than expected  even when expectation run high. A great example was hanger steak, which was 100% itself but more of a composed dish paired up with a smoked onion and leek tart running alongside it. The wine list brings some nice, smart surprises.

+14 See the latest on 10 new restaurants coming soon in New Orleans, despite Ida, delays Autumn in New Orleans had been stacked with a lot of plans, and not just festivals. A full harvest of new restaurants had been working toward 

+12 At new French Quarter restaurant Bijou, veteran chef brings a bit of Bayona with him Ever walk past an empty French Quarter building and wonder what could be? One more of those questions has been answered at Bijou, a new restau
The New Orleans Film Festival is returning to local theaters this fall, but there are still outdoor screenings and virtual offerings for an extra week  features of the festival added last year to cope with the pandemic.

In-person screenings run Friday, Nov. 5, through Sunday, Nov. 14, at venues including the Broadside, The Broad Theater, Orpheum Theater and AMC Elmwood Palace 20. Most of the festivals more than 170 films are also available for virtual screening through Nov. 21.

The festivals Spotlight section includes a small set of major studio releases and films jockeying for awards consideration, and many of those will not be available in the online program. The full lineup includes feature-length dramas and documentaries in competitive sections, and slates of short, animated and experimental films.

The festival received submissions from more than 100 nations, and more than 20% of the lineup comes from Louisiana filmmakers. For a full schedule, tickets and virtual screening information, visit neworleansfilmsociety.org. Here are some of the festival highlights.

Red Rocket Director Sean Baker made a splash with Tangerine, a gritty comedy drama about a Los Angeles sex worker just out of jail. It was the first feature film shot on an iPhone. Baker followed up with The Florida Project, starring Willem Dafoe as a manager of a run-down hotel. His latest film is a much more humorous story about a washed-up porn star who goes home to rural Texas to try to regroup and stays with his estranged wife. New Orleans actress Judy Hill appears in the film and will introduce the screening at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, at AMC Elmwood Palace 20.

Cmon Cmon Joaquin Phoenix plays a radio journalist who interviews children about their hopes and dreams and finds himself caring for and unexpectedly relating to his young nephew. Director Mike Mills filmed part of this black-and-white drama in New Orleans. It screens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Orpheum Theater and 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Broadside.

Belfast Kenneth Branagh has directed several screen adaptations of Shakespeare plays, as well as monster and mystery films. Belfast is a coming-of-age story based on his own early years growing up in Northern Ireland during the turmoil of the 1960s. It screens at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at AMC Elmwood Palace 20.

Playing with Maracatu Director Mike Filippov grew up in both Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Toronto, Canada. The documentary starts by introducing Brazilian expats in Toronto who formed a maracatu group, teaching Canadians the musical and parading tradition of an area of northeastern Brazil. But in Brazil, maracatu is deeply rooted in the era of slavery and the religious practices of enslaved peoples. The new maracatu fans travel to Brazil to perform and watch native groups, and Filippov opens up an excellent examination of the issues of authenticity, cultural appropriation and commercialism. It screens at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the Broad Theater and is available online.

The Bengali In this documentary, writer Fatima Shaik (who just received the Louisiana Writer Award) travels to Kolkata, India, in search of the home of her grandfather, Shaik Mohammed Musa, who immigrated to New Orleans. She reflects on her heritage as she attempts to bridge gaps in culture, religion and wealth. It screens at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at Broadside, at noon Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Broad Theater, and online.

A Mohawk girl becomes a warrior in 'Beans' at Zeitgeist Theatre In Beans, a 12-year-old girl who goes by the nickname Beans starts hanging out with a group of teenagers. To prove herself to them, shes ga

Accepted Videos of students from TM Landry High School in Breaux Bridge being accepted into Harvard and Stanford went viral a few years ago. Most of the students came from a low-income community, and the unconventional school didnt have textbooks. The videos drew the attention of educators looking to replicate its success, and others wondering if the story was too good to be true. Much of that story has been reported. In his documentary, Dan Chen recounts the schools rise and fall and follows up with the students whose lives were changed  for better and worse. In drawing parallels to the Varsity Blues scandal, involving the admission of children of the rich and famous to elite schools, he asks important questions about opportunity, access and fairness. The film screens at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, and 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at AMC Elmwood Palace 20, and online.

Im Fine (Thanks for Asking) Kelley Kali and Angelique Molina wrote, directed and starred in this drama about a woman down on her luck during the pandemic shutdowns. After her husband died, she lost almost everything and lives with their daughter in a tent on the edge of the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles. She braids hair and delivers food on roller skates to try to scrape together enough to rent an apartment, but everything seems to go wrong. The cinematically stylish drama unfolds over the course of a day, and Kali is entertaining in the sometimes heartbreaking story of hope and determination. It screens at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Broad Theater and online.

City of a Million Dreams Local author Jason Berrys documentary is getting its local premiere in conjunction with the festival. It focuses on New Orleans jazz funeral traditions and related music and culture. It screens at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, at AMC Elmwood Palace 20 and online.

Memoria Thai-born director Apichatpong Weerasethakuls latest winner at the Cannes Film Festival is this drama starring Tilda Swinton as a British woman living in Colombia. She starts hearing loud noises that no one else can, and wonders if theyre real or what could explain the whats happening to her. It screens at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at AMC Elmwood Palace 20.
The past 18 months have been tough for those who may be battling addiction in south Louisiana. The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the mental health of people everywhere, and in Louisiana, it only exacerbated an already existing opioid crisis and a wide range of public health issues. And then, there are the hurricanes, which have made a bad situation worse.

It's been two months since Hurricane Ida tore through southeast Louisiana, and while there are signs of people rebuilding in towns like Houma, health services in the bayou and River Parishes  especially for those dealing with addiction  remain limited.

Immediately after a disaster like Ida, you are in reactive mode, says Lisa Schilling, a health care worker. Anywhere from six to 18 months is when that settles in. Maybe your house is fixed or youre living somewhere and youre able to think about what happened  and thats when the true depression and anxiety manifest. So for individuals who might have had addiction under control, they might turn back to that.

On the cover of this week's Gambit, staff writer Sarah Ravits spoke with people in Houma about the fight against addiction and despair in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Flip through the digital edition below for more.

Cant see the e-edition above? Click here.

Also in this week's Gambit: The New Orleans Film Festival returns to local theaters and online this week; Blake Pontchartrain tells readers about the flags hanging inside St. Louis Cathedral; chef and farmer Matthew Raiford answered some of our questions about Gullah Geechee culture and cooking; The New Quorum will present an intimate concert series featuring African American women musicians  plus news and more.

This week's issue also features a new edition of Details. Flip through the digital edition below for tabletop decor for fall, tips for decorating historic architectural features in your home and a how-to when refurbishing old furniture.

If pandemic restrictions make it harder to pick up a Gambit in your usual spot, we have you covered. Our e-edition is available to download at bestofneworleans.com/current and read at your leisure.

If you enjoy this weeks issue, please share this digital edition on social media.

And as always, New Orleans, thank you for your support.

 The Gambit staff
Hey Blake,

What do the flags hanging above the pews of St. Louis Cathedral represent? I recognize a few of them, but not all.

Dear reader,

First, lets give a brief history of St. Louis Cathedral itself. The current structure  named in honor of St. Louis IX, King of France  is the third to stand on the site. However, New Orleanians have worshipped in churches there since 1727.

Most of the building we see now was built between 1849 and 1851. The cathedral, a National Historic Landmark, is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.

According to a history published by the cathedral, the two rows of flags hanging from each balcony represent various Louisiana governments and church dioceses. Also represented are the papal flag (adopted in 1929 to represent Vatican City and the pope) and the American flag.

Included among the flags is the one featuring the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Six other flags represent the Louisiana dioceses that together with New Orleans form what the Catholic Church calls the ecclesiastical province of New Orleans: Alexandria, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Houma-Thibodaux, Lake Charles and Shreveport.

On the right side of the cathedral (as you face the altar) are 10 flags that have flown over Louisiana. That includes the French fleur de lis (1682), the Spanish flag (1769) and the English flag, representing the areas east of the Mississippi (excluding New Orleans) acquired by the British in 1763. Other flags represent Napoleonic France and the early United States (both from 1803) as well as the flag of the West Florida rebellion (1810).
November marks the 85th anniversary of the Vieux Carre Commission  the city agency designed to protect and preserve the historic architecture and zoning integrity of the French Quarter.

In 1925, the city Commission Council created the initial Vieux Carre Commission, but it disbanded in 1930. At the time, the French Quarter had fallen on hard times, with many buildings in disrepair and others turned into crowded tenements.

In 1936, a group under the leadership of Elizebeth Werlein (the grandmother of Gambit co-founder Philip Carter) successfully lobbied the state Legislature to put before voters a referendum amending the state constitution to create a new commission to oversee the French Quarter.

Adoption of this amendment would give the council power to preserve, through ordinances, the century-old structures in the Vieux Carre and prevent further injury to many of these historic examples of Creole architecture, said Stanley Clisby Arthur, an author and president of an activist group known as La Renaissance du Vieux Carre.

Louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved the amendment on Nov. 3, 1936. At the time, only one other historic preservation district existed in the country, in Charleston, South Carolina. With the creation of the VCC, the Vieux Carre became the second oldest historic district in the U.S.

Before making any changes to the exterior of their property, owners are required to apply to the VCC for permission. The agency is composed of nine members appointed by the mayor, including recommendations made by the American Institute of Architects, the Louisiana Historical Society, Louisiana State Museum and Chamber of Commerce.

Blake Pontchartrain: The flags are hanging inside St. Louis Cathedral The two rows of flags hanging from each balcony represent various Louisiana governments and church dioceses
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Safe Haven Crisis Receiving Center has officially opened, and its advocates believe it will help prevent some mental health crises, safely de-escalate others and hopefully reduce St. Tammanys spiraling suicide rate.

As the new primary point of entry into the parishs behavioral health system, the Level III facility  only the second in Louisiana  now gives law enforcement, health care professionals and families a much-needed alternative for someone in crisis other than trips to an emergency room or jail when specialized care is needed.

For their part, local first responders have helped create protocols so those in a behavioral health or psychiatric crisis can be transported directly to the center, if there are no criminal or medical issues. For its part, judges are expected to be aggressive in referring those released from jail to the new center for care, whenever appropriate, and they may make it a condition of bond. The center also has leeway to encourage walk-ins to prevent a crisis.

The Crisis Receiving Center is a 23-bed unit with two nurses stations, a nourishment station and other amenities, and the average stay is expected to be between 24-72 hours, which mental health professionals say is a critical window of time for people in crisis.

It is designed to identify, intervene and stabilize those in crises, then connect each patient with the most appropriate level of treatment, and it is the heart of the evolving Safe Haven complex being developed near Mandeville on the site of the Southeast Louisiana Hospital.

The center officially opened just a week or so ago, on Oct. 25, but the need for such a facility was envisioned a decade ago.

This achievement is the result of many years of work by countless people dedicated to improving behavioral health care access in our community, said Dr. Charles Preston the St. Tammany Parish Coroner. The results of these efforts will be felt by families for many years to come, and Im thrilled to see the CRC open and operational.

St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper calls it the first open door for those in need to get proper treatment.

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A spike in suicides led St. Tammany Parish government to conduct a 2014 study of the behavioral health system. One of the resulting recommendations was to reduce the overutilization of law enforcement, emergency rooms and jails for individuals in a mental or behavioral health crisis. They were expensive alternatives that drained resources from those operations without providing the care that individuals needed.

In response, the parish purchased the shuttered Southeast Louisiana Hospital campus and renamed it Safe Haven. It is widely seen as a legacy of the late parish president Pat Brister, and shortly after her February 2020 death, the Parish Council named the road into Safe Haven in Brister's honor.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has said the complex offers hope that society will eventually stop treating mentally ill people as if they are criminals: "I don't believe there is a community in the state that's doing it any better than St. Tammany Parish."

The Start Corp., a nonprofit that provides supportive housing, case management, and clinical services to persons with low income and/or behavioral, physical or developmental challenges or disabilities, is operating the center.

"The Crisis Receiving Center is the ideal location for patients with psychiatric diagnoses to seek care and respite in the least restrictive environment possible while navigating crisis," said Mason Smith, the center's director. "Start Corporation is excited to have the Crisis Receiving Center join its two federally qualified health centers and its assertive community treatment team, also located in St. Tammany Parish."

President Cooper has identified these parish partners in the project: Preston and his coroner's office staff; 22nd Judicial District Court judges and staff; Sheriff Randy Smith and staff; Acadian Ambulance; NAMI St. Tammany and its executive director, Nick Richard; Florida Parishes Human Services Authority and its executive director, Richard Kramer; north shore legislators; St. Tammany Health System; Slidell Memorial Hospital; Ochsner Northshore; and countless others.

Today is a great day in St. Tammany Parish as we take the next step in prioritizing mental health in our community, Cooper said announcing the center's opening.
A Terrytown man has received a 10-year prison sentence for hitting and killing a pedestrian on Behrman Highway while driving drunk last year.

Trevor Tyrone Wallace, 37, entered a guilty plea for vehicular homicide in connection with the death of 26-year-old Eugene Harris on Friday in front of 24th Judicial District Court Judge Christopher Cox. Cox sentenced Wallace shortly after the defendant pleaded out, noting that at least five years of the punishment must be served without the benefit of parole.

Harris had been walking in the right lane of Behrman near Nile Street in Terrytown about 10 p.m. on April 17, 2020, when he was struck by Wallace, who was driving a 2016 Nissan Altima.

Harris died, and a Louisiana State Police trooper who responded to the crash reported that Wallace smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech, struggled to keep his balance and was obviously impaired, according to court records. A 4-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl were in the back of the Altima, unbuckled though unharmed.

Wallace initially denied being behind the wheel of the car that hit Harris, but later admitted he was in fact the driver, the trooper wrote in a report filed in court. He agreed to take a breath test and registered a 0.17% blood alcohol content, more than twice the states legal limit of .08%.

Suspected drunk driver pleads not guilty to killing pedestrian in Terrytown crash A Terrytown man accused of hitting a pedestrian while allegedly driving drunk has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide, according to Jeffe

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It was at least the third time in six years that Wallace had been accused of driving while intoxicated, the police report said. He had a DWI arrest in Plaquemines Parish in 2014 and another in Jefferson in 2017, according to the State Police report.

The outcomes of the prior DWI cases werent immediately available. But following Harris death, authorities charged him with vehicular homicide, driving with a suspended license and failing to properly restrain the children in his car. There was no information released about whether the children were related to him.

Wallace had been released April 29 from the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna on a $50,000 bond, and he initially pleaded not guilty to the case. He reversed course and pleaded guilty as charged in Coxs courtroom during Fridays hearing, records show.

In addition to the 10-year prison sentence, Cox ordered Wallace to complete a substance abuse rehabilitation program upon his release.

Wallace's lawyer couldn't immediately be reached Monday. The Jefferson Parish District Attorneys Office declined comment.
Samuel Hollier Cole of Dallas graduated from LSU in 2017 with a bachelors degree in finance and nearly $70,000 in costly out-of-state fees paid through a special scholarship program whose recipients are chosen by the Board of Supervisors.

Through that program, a quirk of Louisiana law that has sparked complaints of political horse-trading for years, Cole was given more money than all but two LSU students in the last decade.

Cole is also the grandson of Larry Hollier, the longtime chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans who resigned amid controversy this month and whose yearly compensation, records show, totaled more than $1 million.

During his 16-year-tenure as chancellor  when his pay as an administrator and surgeon was always in the high six figures  board members gave scholarships totaling more than $93,100 to three of Holliers grandchildren from Texas, an examination by The Times-Picayune | The Advocate found.

Awards for out-of-state students are especially precious, one former board member said, because non-resident fees double the cost of tuition. And while each board member can grant up to 15 scholarships a year, just two of them may be used to cover the extra out-of-state costs.

+2 Larry Hollier, chancellor of LSU Health Sciences Center who came under fire, resigns post Larry Hollier is out as chancellor of the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, bringing an abrupt end to a 15-year tenure amid a raft of

Cole had his out-of-state fees waived for four years between 2014-17, records show. His brother Maxwell Coles awards totaled more than $16,000 in 2017 and 2018. A university spokesman said that indicates they covered the costs of tuition. Tyler Cole was awarded $7,637 in 2013, which matched that years costs for out-of-state fees for one semester.

Their mother said they each followed proper procedures in submitting their applications, though she declined to share copies of the paperwork. They applied and they qualified and they got it, just like every other kid that got it, Michelle Cole said.

Hollier said he had no involvement in his grandchildrens selections, and two of the three board members who sponsored their scholarships said Hollier never contacted them.

Hollier, chancellor since 2005, resigned Oct. 14 after a university audit flagged several troubling aspects of his management practices. Among the findings: He pushed for improper pay bumps for those in his inner circle, including the son of top administrator.

+2 LSU spent $28K to evaluate embattled Health Sciences chancellor, but won't release results Just as ethical questions swirled around LSU Health Sciences Center Chancellor Larry Hollier last year, LSU agreed to pay thousands of dollars

Former LSU president William Jenkins, who sponsored Tyler Coles scholarship as president emeritus, could not be reached for comment.

The episode raises new questions around LSUs board scholarship program, which has long been the target of complaints of cronyism and inside dealing.

The program  along with a similar one at Tulane  has proven controversial for decades despite more than one attempt by state officials to reform it.

Its a system where board members largely set their own rules, and where applicants from any income bracket must clear few academic hurdles to become eligible.

The scrutiny around selections varies from board member to board member. Some play a direct role in making choices. Others say they rely on board and financial aid staff to forward them recommendations.

+3 Audit dings leadership of LSU Health Sciences Center over nepotism, favoritism Top officials at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans skirted university hiring policies when they moved an in-house lawyer to the jo

They make the awards based on their individual prioritization, LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard said. He stressed that all recipients must submit applications, personal essays and meet the programs minimum requirements.

For incoming freshmen, there arent any special bars to clear  other than acceptance to the university. Sophomores, juniors and seniors must maintain a grade-point average of 2.5 to keep their scholarships, though the boards policies still allow some exceptions.

Board members dole out roughly 240 scholarships a year and, in the latest round, received more than 500 applications. Awards from last year, overall, had a value of more than $1.3 million.

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A 2014 legislative audit flagged the scholarship programs thin applications, which auditors said do little to filter for academic excellence, talent or financial need.

+2 LSU Health chair under investigation after report found double-dipping on research grants A department chair at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans is under investigation, a spokeswoman said Thursday after a report revealed al

The online application does not require applicants to list their grade-point average or test scores. It also requires little information on an applicants income.

For years, similar concerns have swirled around Tulanes program, which allows scholarship recipients to be handpicked by state legislators. Reporting by The Times-Picayune exposed many abuses of that program in the 1990s, and more recent flareups of cronyism prompted legislation to reform that system and the one at LSU.

A 2013 law required LSU to post the names of its board scholarship recipients on its website.

But not every loophole was closed.

The families of board members, state lawmakers and other elected officials are prohibited from receiving scholarships. But theres no restriction preventing other LSU officials who maintain close relationships with the board, like Hollier, from benefiting from the program.

Administrators shelved report flagging incompetence, nepotism at LSU Health campus police At the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, a blistering internal report on the campus police force flagged serious issues of incompeten

In fact, the boards six-page policy manual on its scholarship program notes: Supervisors are encouraged to work with the President and Chancellors in identifying qualified scholarship recipients.

Stephen Perry, the former board member who sponsored scholarships for Maxwell Cole, said he tried to take a judicious approach to the gifts. He never expended all 15 of his allotted awards in a year, and tried to prioritize candidates who were veterans or who lacked financial support at home.

I hated to give them all out, unless there was a real need, said Perry, now CEO of the New Orleans & Co. tourism agency.

Perry said he didnt know Maxwell Cole was grandson to Hollier, one of LSUs highest-paid administrators, until a reporter told him last week. Hollier noted that his daughter is a single mother, and he said he stays out of his grandchildrens financial affairs.

F. King Alexander, the former LSU president, said he pushed in 2015 to require that the board scholarships be more need-based. The board defeated that effort, Alexander said, before agreeing to reduce each members yearly allotment from 20 scholarships to 15.

Meanwhile, Alexander sponsored four years worth of aid for Samuel Hollier Cole. Alexander said he never interacted with students he sponsored; he merely selected them from the pool of qualified applicants made available from board and financial aid staff.

Alexander denied knowing Samuel Hollier Cole was related to the older Hollier. I have no idea who any of the chancellors kids are, let alone their grandkids, Alexander said.

Tyler Cole graduated from LSU in 2018. Maxwell Cole graduated last year and is pursuing a doctorate with LSU in medical physics, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Samuel Hollier Cole made the deans list at least four times and graduated with honors in 2017. Hes now a medical student at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

Hes paying his own way, with student loans, Hollier said.
Thousands of Louisianans seeking federally provided travel-trailers may have to wait months longer, FEMA's top official said Monday.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration has identified about 3,000 people who will qualify to get the trailers, Administrator Deanne Criswell said. But "it's gonna take months" before all of those trailers are in place, she added. Criswell made the comments after visiting with leaders from St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes Monday afternoon in Hahnville.

+21 Two months later, Hurricane Ida still rages for some across south Louisiana George Arthur was washing a dish at his kitchen sink when the wind ripped the roof off of his house.

In the meantime, state officials have begun deploying more than 300 trailers in the first stages of a similar state-run program for people whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Ida. Overall, the state bought approximately 2,000 trailers, though only 158 are currently inhabited, said Casey Tingle, acting director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, or GOHSEP.

FEMA trailers have become staple of the Louisiana landscape in the last two decades as increasingly frequent and violent storms have rocked the state. The most recent of those, Hurricane Ida, brought Category 4-force winds around 150-mph when it made landfall more than two months ago. As it moved inland, the winds remained ferocious, subjecting a large swathe of the state to tropical-storm force winds for more than 12 hours.

St. John and St. Charles parishes were among the hardest-hit communities. Widespread destruction and lengthy power outages took weeks to restore, and many roofs in the area still bear the telltale blue tarps put in place to prevent further damage while repairs are completed. In LaPlace, meanwhile, storm surge from Lake Pontchartrain covered entire neighborhoods.

Thousands of homes across the region remain uninhabitable.

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"Ida was an extraordinarily powerful storm," Criswell said. It also spooled up quickly, going from a tropical depression to a powerful hurricane in just a few days, giving officials and residents little time to prepare.

"Recovery is going to take a long time," she said.

Since the storm, however, GOHSEP has started a program to get trailers out to people more quickly, Tingle said.

Most of those trailers will likely go to people in St. Charles, St. John, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, where damage was the most severe. State programs are often able to get up and running more quickly do to less stringent regulatory requirements, Criswell said, and Louisiana's program could end up being a model for other states.

The federal government is also looking at placing people in what are called "non-congregate shelters," areas at places like state parks where a number of trailers or other temporary housing units can be set up for people to stay while they get their homes repaired, she said.

After leaving Hahnville at mid-day, Criswell was due to travel to Grand Isle to view one such location. She planned to spend Tuesday in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

"These are resilient communities, with resilient people living in them," she said.
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Norman, OK (73070)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 48F. SE winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 48F. SE winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Williamsport, Pa.  Three men who were arrested earlier this week in a prostitution sting was indicted in federal court in Williamsport on Thursday.

Erick D. Metzger, 53, of Milton, was indicted by a federal grand jury on an attempted enticement of a minor charge. Also indicted on the same charges was Frank A. Nork, 47, of Lost Creek, Pa., and Patrick Taylor, 34 of Duncannon, Pa.

Metzger, Taylor, and Nork were arrested by federal agents in Union County and detained on Monday. The arrests came as part of a child prostitution sting.

Related Reading: Federal agents arrest three men during federal child prostitution sting

The indictments allege that on Oct. 23, Metzger and Taylor knowingly attempted to persuade, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in prostitution and sexual activity. Court documents indicate that Nork was arrested for the same charge for alleged child prostitution activity on Oct. 21.

Additional details have not been made available to the public at this time, as most of the court documents are under seal. FBI agents signed off on the criminal complaints, which only list the charges.

U.S. Middle District Magistrate Judge William I. Arbuckle ordered the men detained on Monday. No further information has been released by the U.S. Department of Justice Middle District.
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Lenovo will debut its new high-end tablet for its domestic market, China, in a few days from now. However, an online retail site claims to have it up for pre-orders for a price in US dollars ahead of this event. In more concrete pre-launch tips, the OEM has revealed that it will come with a custom magnetic keyboard dock.

4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

Lenovo has dropped increasingly strong hints that it will release the Tab P12 Pro to its native market, re-branded as a member of the Xiaoxin series that is prevalent there, very soon. None of the exhaustive series of Weibo posts have even suggested a price for the Pad Pro 12.6 as yet; however, the device has now appeared on GizTop, available to ship from November 11, 2021 at a price of US$599.

According to this new listing, the tablet has acquired a slightly different look compared to its putative global variant: it comes in silver as opposed to the Tab P12 Pro's darker gray, and has a re-designed camera hump that excludes the flash found in that of the pre-existing tablet.

Otherwise, GizTop mostly concurs with Lenovo's official leaks on the subject of the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6's specs. It lists the device, offered in the P12 Pro's starting 6GB RAM SKU, as having an E4 AMOLED display driven by the Snapdragon 870 SoC.

Then again, there are some slight contradictions that might result from one or two typos in its description: the retailer refers to both 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates throughout the Pad Pro 12.6's new page, although Lenove has confirmed the latter for the tablet in question.

Furthermore, GizTop claims the device will launch with ZUI 12.5, whereas the OEM has made it clear an upgrade for this OS will debut at its upcoming event. Finally, the site claims the device comes with a type-C cable in the box only, whereas the OEM has now revealed the existence of a "dual-mode" magnetic keyboard dock that may or may not come in the box sent to its Chinese buyers.

These discrepancies should be ironed out in just 2 days from today (October 31, 2021), however, when the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6 launches alongside other devices such as the Yoga 16s 2022.
The top-end Galaxy Z Fold3 phablet has become eligible for the latest version of Samsung's One UI, as has the Galaxy Z Flip3 clamshell foldable phone. Users of either high-end device in the OEM's native South Korea can now download their first betas of the latest 4.0 version of this software, which upgrades the devices to Android 12 and its newest features.

4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

The Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 are Samsung's latest and most advanced foldable mobile devices. Despite this, they remain on a build of Android 11, or One UI 3.1.1. Now, however, Samsung has changed that by inviting users of either phone to join a new open beta testing program.

Interested Z Flip3 or Fold3 owners can access a new preview build of One UI 4 on joining the initiative. This upgrades the devices to Samsung's take on Android 12, which integrates Google's Material You interface in its latest iteration.

Public beta-testers of One UI 4 for the Galaxy Z Fold3 or Flip3 may also be able to enjoy new features such as Quick Share, which may streamline file-transfers between different Samsung devices, regardless of whether they are also on Android or not. Samsung has also announced that this new major version of One UI is rated to improve other first-party features such as its SmartThings Find and Health services.

The first One UI 4 beta for 2021 foldables only seems to be available in the South Korean market at present. Nevertheless, its implementation may help expedite the roll-out of an eventual stable version for more users worldwide.

Buy a Galaxy Z Flip3 on Amazon
Xiaomi started selling the Redmi Note 11 series in China today, which it dubbed its 'double 11' event. Reportedly, the company sold over 500,000 Redmi Note 11 handsets in an hour and generated CNY 2 billion (~US$312.6 million) within two minutes.

4 Reviews , News , CPU , GPU , Articles , Columns , Other "or" search relation. 3D Printing , 5G , Accessory , AI , Alder Lake , AMD , Android , Apple , ARM , Audio , Business , Camera , Cannon Lake , Cezanne (Zen 3) , Charts , Chinese Tech , Chromebook , Coffee Lake , Comet Lake , Console , Convertible / 2-in-1 , Cryptocurrency , Cyberlaw , Deal , Desktop , E-Mobility , Education , Exclusive , Fail , Foldable , Gadget , Galaxy Note , Galaxy S , Gamecheck , Gaming , Geforce , Google Pixel , GPU , How To , Human 2.0 , Ice Lake , Intel Evo / Project Athena , Internet of Things (IoT) , iOS , iPad Pro , iPhone , Jasper Lake , Lakefield , Laptop , Launch , Linux / Unix , Lucienne (Zen 2) , MacBook , Mini PC , Monitor , MSI , OnePlus , Opinion , Phablet , Radeon , Renoir , Review Snippet , Rocket Lake , Rumor , Ryzen (Zen) , Science , Security , Single-Board Computer (SBC) , Smart Home , Smartphone , Smartwatch , Software , Storage , Tablet , ThinkPad , Thunderbolt , Tiger Lake , Touchscreen , Ultrabook , Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) , Wearable , Windows , Workstation , XPS , Zen 3 (Vermeer) Ticker

Last week, Xiaomi announced that it had sold over 240 million Redmi Note handsets worldwide, a figure that had grown from 200 million units in just two months. The larger figure excluded the Redmi Note 11 series, which the company only started selling today, including the 120 W-wielding Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus.

So far, the Redmi Note 11 series is a Chinese-exclusive, although there are signs that Xiaomi is preparing to launch the trio in other markets. Nonetheless, it seems that the Redmi Note series is already selling well, with over 500,000 units having been pre-ordered so far. According to Xiaomi, it received these orders in under an hour of starting its 'double 11' launch event, so sales figures are probably much higher at the time of writing.
Northwest Indiana artists have set out art installations outside their homes at part of the 2021 Terrain Biennial international public art festival.

Bobbi and Steve Meier in Miller Beach and Gary and Robin Dluzen in Dyer are exhibiting work through Nov. 15.

The Meiers, who have lived in Miller Beach for three years, are showcasing public artwork at 7640 Oak Avenue in Gary to "promote the unique beauty and diversity of the area." Their paired sculptures "Air Waves" represent speaking and listening.

"Today we are overwhelmed with relentless waves of communication in all forms," the artists said in a statement. "While visually presenting the cacophony of our networked airwaves, our installation is silent except for the sounds of the wind and waves, distant blast furnaces, and people enjoying nature connecting us to this rare setting."

Robin Dluzen also is exhibiting her work at 518 Hillside Drive in Dyer.

The idea behind the Terrain Biennial international public art festival is to bring public artwork to neighborhoods and communities.
Address labels

Dear Heloise: I lost my cellphone at a movie theater. I thought I'd have to replace it, but a couple of days later my cellphone arrived in the mail. I had put an address label on the back of my phone, and the person who found it mailed it back to me. There was a note, but no name with my phone. If I knew who sent it, I'd have mailed a reward to them.  Francine J., Fort Wayne, Indiana

Francine, that's wonderful! Honesty deserves a reward. What a shame the person who found your phone didn't include their name and address.  Heloise

Dear Readers: As we're turning the corner on COVID and the economy recovers, you may find yourself interviewing for a new job or promotion. You need to talk during the interview, of course, to sell yourself, but what are some things you should NOT say? Let's take a look:

-- Never say: "I'm the greatest in my department." Boastfulness can be off-putting. Instead, say, "I'm proud of what I've accomplished."

-- Never say bad things about a past supervisor. If you're talking bad about him or her, you'll talk bad about your new boss. You can say what you've learned, but keep it professional.

-- Don't let on that you like to work alone. Whether it's your thing or not, you'll probably have group projects at some point. You must be a team player.

-- Never state that you are desperate for a job. The employer wants to know what skills you can add to the position. Research the company and talk about that and what your contributions can be. Specific examples of how you grew your previous department would be helpful.

-- Always ask questions about the position and what the expectations and goals are. The one question NOT to ask: What is the salary? The employer wants to know what you can bring to the company before they offer you a compensation package.

Good luck in your job search. Let your confidence and your verbal skills shine, but just be careful not to say the wrong things. -- Heloise

TECH TALK TUESDAY

Dear Readers: We've probably all deposited a check remotely at this point by taking a picture of the check on the financial institution's app. But did you know you can pay bills the same way?

It's called Picture Pay, and it's easy. First, take a picture of the billing statement. Then, in your bank's app, confirm the amount to be paid and submit the payment. Your bank uses technology called optical character recognition (OCR). OCR reads the information from your bill and, with built-in analytics, the bill gets paid.

You don't have to enter your account number or the name of the company either. The computer software does all of that. Check it out. -- Heloise

DISTRACTED DRIVING

Dear Heloise: My friend lost her son tragically to distracted driving. He was shooting video with his phone while driving and took his eyes off the road for just five seconds. That was enough for him to lose control of the car, and he crashed.

My friend wants you to know: Distracted driving is, yes, fussing with your phone, but it is also putting on makeup, fiddling with the radio, eating while driving -- anything that takes your focus and eyes off the road. -- Marisol R. in Texas

Marisol, I'm so sorry about your friend's son. Readers: you must concentrate on driving when you are behind the wheel. -- Heloise

HAIR CARE

Dear Readers: Protecting your hair from chlorine in the pool is smart. Coat dry hair with a tiny glom of hair conditioner especially made for swimmers; it's a good barrier from chlorine. -- Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
MUNSTER  The speeding vehicle that crashed through the Jodi's Italian Ice building on Calumet Avenue early Saturday morning burst into flames afterward and was itself destroyed, police said.

According to police, five individuals fled the burning car after it came to a stop near a row of garages behind the summertime dessert destination, while a police officer helped the partially trapped driver escape the vehicle before it became fully engulfed.

The Munster Fire Department put out the blaze. Scorch marks from the car fire still could be seen on the pavement hours later.

Munster police said all six individuals in the vehicle eventually were taken to a local hospital for treatment of unknown injuries.

The driver, an 18-year-old from Crete, Illinois, is being investigated for possible drunken driving, police said.

Police said the incident began about 1 a.m. when an officer spotted a gray Chevrolet speeding southbound on Calumet Avenue.

The officer followed the vehicle as it turned onto westbound Ridge Road and pulled into a parking lot. As the officer approached, the vehicle drove off at a high rate of speed onto Seberger Drive, across Calumet Avenue, and into Jodi's Italian Ice.
VALPARAISO  A 22-year-old Portage man, who has been sought since February on allegations of failing to register as a sex offender, was booked into Porter County Jail on Saturday morning, records show.

Porter County police said the accused, Joshua Shepherd, had fled from a Portage house where he was staying while police were checking on him in February.

He reportedly traveled by bus to Florida, where he had a job building pole barns, police said. Officers were unable to find him registered anywhere they checked, according to a report.

Shepherd is a sex offender with a lifetime registry requirement, police said. He was convicted in 2016 of two counts of attempted sexual battery on a person under the age of 12, and lewd or lascivious molestation with a victim under 12 years of age.

He transferred his registration to Indiana in January 2020 and was due to register again in January 2021, police said.

Shepherd had a pending case in February on allegations of failing to register in Porter County and failing to live at the address where he is registered, police said. His situation was complicated by an arrest in Georgia.
Wilson built the Porter County Courthouse that burned on Dec. 27, 1934. He also built Valparaisos original City Hall and the Memorial Opera House.

He built buildings throughout Valparaiso and all of Porter County, Pazour said.

Construction of the 1871 Porter County Jail is attributed to him on Wikipedia, but thats not true. Pazour has tried unsuccessfully to correct that misinformation, he said.

Andrew Leatherman

Andrew Leatherman died in 1936, when the county was celebrating its centennial. Before he died, he told of his early days.

In 1874, Leatherman went to medical school, then returned to Porter County to set up his practice. At the time, he essentially had to travel by horse and buggy to four different counties to visit patients, Pazour said.

When he was going south, he had to go through Tassinong  which was sort of the unofficial capital of Porter County until the railroads came and Tassinong disappeared.

He got attacked by a pack of wolves and was essentially by himself. If you can imagine that, in Morgan Township, youre going by horse and buggy and you have to fight for your life to make sure you can take care of somebody else, Pazour said.
"The interim arrangement must now lead to the EU joining the United States in getting serious about challenging Chinas contribution to global overcapacity and demanding measurable changes. This focus will be especially important as we seek to dramatically reduce carbon emissions."

The United States has not disclosed how much European steel it will let in, but said it will be "at a sustainable historic level."

Todays announcement of an alternative Section 232 measure with the EU is evidence that President Biden and his Administration understand the critical role of the steel Section 232 program in providing a level playing field for American companies and workers," Cleveland-Cliffs' Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves said. "This tariff rate quota arrangement will guard against a harmful surge of steel imports from the EU."

Congressman Frank J. Mrvan said the Congressional Steel Caucus he co-chairs would review the implementation of the new agreement.
Leaders head to Glasgow to determine climate future

Presidents and prime ministers are gathering in Glasgow this week for the 12-day U.N. global warming conference, often referred to as COP26, to discuss global climate policies, which are likely to determine the future of the planet.

Tensions loom. Some poor countries hit hard by climate disasters are holding out for money promised from industrialized nations. Rising nationalism and the coronavirus pandemic offer grim lessons on the prospects for collective action. Divisions pit advanced countries against developing ones and big polluters against small, vulnerable countries.

The U.S. climate envoy, John Kerry, tried to manage expectations. Glasgow was never, ever going to get every country joining up in Glasgow or this year necessarily, Kerry said. It was going to galvanize the raising of ambition on a global basis.

Target: Any deal may have to be much larger than past ones. Even if all countries achieve their 2015 Paris Agreement targets, average global temperatures are on track to rise 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century  1.2 degrees over the goal.
Alberto (Alpo) Martinez, whose cocaine-dealing empire stretched from New York to Washington, D.C., at the height of bloody drug turf wars three decades ago, was shot and killed in Harlem early Sunday, according to a high-ranking police official.

The police said a 55-year-old man was shot several times in the chest, chin and arm while sitting in the drivers seat of a Dodge Ram on West 147th Street near Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

The police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information, identified the man as Mr. Martinez, whose exploits had been immortalized in hip-hop songs and in the 2002 film Paid in Full.

The police responded to the scene around 3:30 a.m. after receiving 911 calls and alerts from a system that detects gunshots. The man was transported to Harlem Hospital Center and declared dead on arrival.
It began as a chant at a NASCAR race. It became an inside joke among many Republicans that spread to T-shirts and even to the floor of Congress. And now it has entangled Southwest Airlines in the nations political tussles.

The phrase Lets go Brandon, which is understood to be code for swearing at President Biden, was uttered over the intercom by a Southwest pilot during a flight on Friday, a reporter for The Associated Press wrote in an article about the spread of the phrase. The reporter, Colleen Long, who was on that flight, added that it prompted audible gasps from some passengers.

As word of the remark spread on social media, many threatened to boycott the airline. Others pledged their support to Southwest because of the pilots remark. Southwest Airlines apologized to customers on Sunday and said that it was conducting an internal investigation.

Southwest does not condone employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job, the company said in a statement emailed to The New York Times. The airline would not say if the pilot had been suspended for making the remark, adding that it does not comment on an employees status.
Brennan, who lives in Los Angeles, spoke on Zoom, from the corporate housing where hes been staying while in New York, about his top 10 cultural picks. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1. Reddit You can curate your own interests and just get the top stories or the top posts about them. There are probably people who think its too edited, but I believe in editing. [He scrolls down the categories he follows.] Black People Twitter, which is funny tweets from Black people, a lot of time mostly just friends of mine. Change My View. EarthPorn, which is just nature. Theres one called Childfree where people without children talk about how great it is  near and dear to my heart, obviously. Codependency, even nearer and dearer to my heart.

2. Billy Wilder Arguably the greatest writer-director of all time because hes got the best movies in different genres: Double Indemnity is one of the best film noirs; The Apartment is the greatest romantic comedy; Ace in the Hole, one of the most cynical movies ever. And by the way, I think Some Like It Hot stinks. Its too broad. Some would say, What about so and so? Most of the so and sos didnt write their own movies. Spielberg? He didnt write it, sorry. You can say Christopher Nolan or Tarantino, but those guys dont work in multiple genres.

3. Mike Myers One of the best living comedy creators. The guy had two comedy franchises based on characters and worlds he created. Thats unbelievable. When I was in film school, I walked out of Waynes World and said  and I still kind of believe this  thats the best movie Ive ever seen. Its incredibly hard to take the spirit of sketch comedy and make narratives like he did in both Waynes Worlds. Hes the kind of guy that it would be hard for me to be around because I respect him so much. The guys a titan.

4. Sweetgreen Mike Schur [the creator of The Good Place] and I used to write together. Id gotten a scale, and we weighed ourselves and it was not a good number for either of us. We were like, Weve got to start eating healthy. This is probably around 1999, when salad places started, and Ive kind of had salad for lunch every day since. Sweetgreen entered the picture, and they have a spicy cashew dressing thats a showstopper. It is not for the faint of heart, and youre going to need help. Youre going to have to call in for backup, and that backup is sugar-free Juicy Fruit. I dont know what fruit theyre speaking of, but I like that they keep it vague.
Digging our own graves: Leaders tackle climate change at COP26

Amid rising seas, more extreme weather and rapidly changing ecosystems, the global climate summit in Glasgow opened on Monday with a series of desperate pleas for action.

Climate change is already ravaging the world, President Biden said in a speech at the summit, known as COP26, on Monday afternoon. Leaders from more than 120 nations gathered for the conference.

Antonio Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, opened the conference with a blistering critique of the worlds failure to unite to address global warming.

Enough of burning and drilling and mining our way deeper, he said. We are digging our own graves.
The painting style that Mr. Shojaian used on the Paykan recalls the Shahnameh, a 10th century Persian epic poem. It is inspired specifically by the tale of Rostam, a father who kills his own son. Some panels depict the Iranian athlete Navid Afkari, who was arrested in 2018 during anti-government protests and executed by the state two years later. Others are inspired by Ali Fazeli Monfared, a 20-year-old gay man who was reportedly beheaded by family members when his sexuality was discovered.

The sympathy we get for the story of the athlete is much bigger than the sympathy for Ali the gay young man, Mr. Shojaian said. This is the result of what the government did. With the lack of the knowledge in the society, they dehumanized him.

So I am putting both of them next to each other, saying, they both are human beings; they both are children of this country, Mr. Shojaian continued. And, wherever there is injustice, we need to talk about it.

A sound installation plays inside the car. The first track is a reading of a note sent by Mr. Monfared to his boyfriend, who had fled to Turkey to seek asylum on the basis of his sexuality. Ali also had the plan to go there, after three days, to join his boyfriend. He had the ticket, Mr. Shojaian said.
Just as it does for stock and bond prices, Goldman recently began posting digital asset prices on its Marquee platform for big clients like hedge funds, preparing for a time when the bank might be able to support trading in cryptocurrencies.

In 2019, a unit of JPMorgan called Onyx introduced JPM Coin, a digital currency backed by the dollar that ran on Quorum, an internal technology that mimicked the structure of blockchain. But the bank controlled Quorum, unlike Bitcoins blockchain, which is decentralized. It recently spun off Quorum to a software start-up.

JPMorgan also started an all-digital system that mimics the traditional overnight repo market, where banks exchange short-term U.S. government debt securities for cash. These transactions used to take more than a day to complete  hence the overnight label  but JPMorgans platform does them in just 15 minutes, reducing risk. It has only three users so far, and two are JPMorgans own businesses. Goldman this year became its first outside participant. If more banks join, JPMorgan could end up controlling one of the most crucial short-term funding markets in the world.

Igor Pejic, an expert on cryptocurrencies, said JPMorgan was one of a few major banks whose experimentation with blockchain  the technology underlying digital currency transactions  has made them digital pioneers poised to profit in the future from systems theyre testing now because, he said, they are setting up an infrastructure which at the end of the day they control.

But soon after JPM Coin went live, regulators began calling, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly. They worried that the movement of the coins around the financial system could cause a buildup of risk because they were tied to the dollar, sparking a panic and leading to the 21st century version of a bank run. The bank had to cut back on the scope of JPM Coins use.

Now, JPM Coin cannot be used to transfer value outside JPMorgans internal systems. Bank customers can use it to move dollars and other assets back and forth inside the bank almost instantly, but it is meaningless in the wider world.

Regulators have also trained their sights on smaller banks trying to build cryptocurrency businesses. In 2018, the New York-based Quontic Bank, with just $1 billion in assets, asked the top U.S. banking regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, for feedback on its plans to launch a debit card program that gave customers rewards denominated in Bitcoin.
Another warning sign for Chinas economy. Factory activity fell for the second straight month, with analysts attributing the drop to weaker domestic demand, rising commodity prices and slowing construction activity.

Is the Delta variant surge over? New case counts and hospitalizations are dropping in most states, though experts worry that family gatherings over the winter holidays could lead to a resurgence. Meanwhile, children aged 5 to 11 could begin receiving the Pfizer vaccine in the U.S. as soon as Wednesday.

American Airlines cancels over 1,200 flights. The cancellations, equivalent to about 12 percent of the airlines weekend flights, came weeks after Southwest canceled nearly 2,000 flights. Both companies cited bad weather and staff shortages, the latter of which is unlikely to go away anytime soon.

Saudi Aramcos blowout profit underscores oils resurgence. The oil giant said that its third-quarter earnings nearly tripled from a year ago, as the price of petroleum has soared. Aramco said it plans to increase output through 2037, but also plans to hit net zero emissions by 2050.

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The Roblox apocalypse

Last night, Roblox, a gaming platform that attracts more than 40 million players daily, came back online after a multiday outage. The outage left Robloxs legions of preteen fans scrambling for things to do (some actually went outside to play). DealBook turned to The Timess Kellen Browning, a technology reporter who has covered the rise of Roblox, for his thoughts on what the extended outage means for the popular gaming (and advertising) platform:

When Facebook suffered an outage last month, we saw how impactful it could be on communications, productivity and more. For kids, the Roblox apocalypse, as one put it, carries the same degree of gravity. Three-quarters of 9-to-12-year-olds in the U.S. play or have played Roblox.

When Facebook went down, some content creators (like gamers) who use the platform to make money worried that they might struggle to make ends meet. Roblox is no different. An entire ecosystem is built around the platform, from the independent developers who code for games hosted on the platform, to influencers who make Roblox-related content on YouTube and elsewhere.
PARIS  Raucous demonstrations against high energy bills in Spain. Demands for social protection in Greece as coal mines close. Fresh protests in French rural areas and small towns over spiking petrol prices.

As world leaders gather for a United Nations conference in Glasgow to tackle the threat of climate change, attention is pivoting to one of the biggest risks involved in decarbonizing the planet: ensuring that the costs of the green transition dont set off a populist backlash.

The worries are especially acute in Europe, where policymakers are expressing growing alarm over the possibility of social unrest and a weakening of public support if the burden of shifting from cheap fossil fuels falls too heavily on poor and middle-income households.

The climate transition remains a risk for all democracies, because it will be very costly  far more costly than expected, Frances finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said in a recent interview.
It is unclear whether PG&E, which emerged from bankruptcy protection last year, will be able to recover its liability losses from ratepayers. If the company is held criminally responsible for the fire, its shareholders may have to pay those costs and all financial penalties imposed by the courts and state regulatory agencies, which could add billions more in fines.

Failure to obtain substantial or full recovery of costs related to wildfires in a timely manner or any conclusion that such recovery is no longer probable could have a material effect on PG&E Corporations and the utilitys financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flows, the utility said in the filing.

The latest troubles for PG&E weighed on its stock price, which has not risen above $13 since the company exited bankruptcy in July 2020. An increase in the utilitys stock price is critical for paying thousands of claims by previous wildfire victims. PG&E funded half of the victims trust in cash and half with company stock that would eventually be sold to pay claims.

The companys shares closed Monday at $11.41, down 1.6 percent on the day.

PG&E filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2019 after amassing $30 billion in wildfire liability, including the states deadliest blaze, the Camp fire, which killed scores of people and destroyed the town of Paradise in 2018.
TOKYO  Even after three decades of sales and marketing work in the luxury watch industry, Naoya Hida never found his ideal watch. Not even when he was involved in the planning and design of limited-edition Swiss timepieces exclusively for the Japanese market.

Very bling-bling models with gold bracelets and diamonds  thats what was trendy back then, said Mr. Hida, 58, who desired something more minimalist.

He considered vintage models. And while the Patek Philippe Calatrava came close to his idea of perfection, it still wasnt quite right. So, Mr. Hida said, I had two choices: Give up or make my ideal watch.

He chose the latter. In 2018, he founded Naoya Hida & Co., a company registered in Japan as NH Watch. Shortly afterward he teamed up with Kosuke Fujita, a watchmaker he met in 2007 while they were both at F.P. Journe in Tokyo, and an engraver, who declined to be named. It turns out we all wanted to make our own watch, said Mr. Fujita, 41.
SHIOJIRI, JAPAN  The surroundings look a great deal like the Vallee de Joux in Switzerland, the cradle of haute horlogerie and home to some of the worlds most celebrated watch brands.

But Shiojiri, a city surrounded by the Jonen and Hotaka mountain ranges of Nagano prefecture, has a renowned watch operation of its own: the Micro Artist Studio, where an elite team of Seikos craftsmen and women make the Masterpiece Collection, watches that the brand calls the fusion of horological technology with refined craftsmanship.

The setting has even helped shape the timepiecess designs, like the Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8-Day Power Reserve, released in 2016.

The nature in Nagano prefecture was the main inspiration for the design of this model, said Kazunori Hoshino, who is in charge of several studio movement designs and other projects  although not a member of the studio team itself.
That reassurance may not be enough for some parents. Jeff Gustin, a plant geneticist at the Agriculture Department, said he and two of his sons had elevated heart rates after getting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

His teenage sons recovered quickly, but Dr. Gustin, 42, says he can still feel his heart beating hard, especially when he lies down. Now he is considering a booster of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, rather than of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

And given the family history, he is hesitant to have his youngest son, who is 11, immunized unless the school district requires it.

But some instances of myocarditis after immunization, like those of Dr. Gustins older sons, may be detected simply because of the intense scrutiny on vaccines, said Dr. James de Lemos, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who reported one of the first cases in January.

The myocarditis linked to the vaccines is far less frequent and severe compared with that observed in patients with Covid, and it does not seem to cause lasting harm, Dr. de Lemos said.

The coronavirus can infect cardiac muscle, as well as the lining of blood vessels, putting the heart and other organs at risk of long-term damage. The virus can also weaken the heart enough to require a transplant, and even cause lethal damage.
Novavax, a Maryland-based company that received $1.75 billion from the United States government to develop a protein-based Covid-19 vaccine, announced Monday it had won emergency authorization for its vaccine in Indonesia.

After months of production delays, this is the first authorization for Novavax and its manufacturing partner, the Serum Institute of India. They have also applied for clearance in India and the Philippines, and Novavax has applied on its own to other countries, including Britain and Canada.

In its Monday announcement, Novavax said it would be submitting an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by the end of the year.

In a statement, Stanley C. Erck, Novavaxs president and chief executive, said that the green light from Indonesia is the first of many authorizations that Novavax expects in the coming weeks and months for our vaccine globally.
Jumaane D. Williams, the New York City public advocate who formed an exploratory committee for governor, has campaigned for Ms. Walton and urged other Democrats to endorse her, as New Yorks U.S. senators have, even as other party leaders have stayed out.

Ms. Walton is one of many local candidates who amplified ideas popular with the partys left  on issues from reallocating funds from the police budget to how best to protect tenants  and won primaries this summer, continuing a trend that began three years ago with the primary victory of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another Walton endorser.

Theres a lot of appetite for these kinds of policies, Mr. Williams said.

The Democratic Party has unquestionably moved to the left in recent years  on issues like criminal justice reform and combating climate change  and Mr. Williams argued that internal divisions are often more a matter of tactics than of substance.

The policies that are being pushed are not really whats at issue, he said. Whats at issue sometimes is how far into political risk, how far past the establishment leaders, how far past, when the executive or leader of the House calls and says no, how far would you push past?

But plainly, there are policy differences among Democrats, too, and in New York those distinctions are especially vivid around matters of public safety.

Do you want to defund the police? demanded Representative Thomas Suozzi of Long Island, when he campaigned for Mr. Brown in Buffalo.

No! the crowd replied.

Do you want to let criminals out of jail no matter what they did? he continued, as the crowd shouted their objection.
For long stretches of the last year and a half, scenes of New York Citys subway system  a once-bustling underground thoroughfare suddenly plunged into eerie emptiness by the spread of the coronavirus  felt haunting.

But after a year in which terror skulked in the shadows of ordinary life, Halloween returned to New York City this year with a vengeance. Over the weekend, costumed riders filled subway cars, and the specter of the pandemic was supplanted by fears more theatrical and absurd.
When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in March a plan to spend tens of millions of dollars to help New Yorks taxi drivers, many praised the move. For years, officials had stood by as cabbies were channeled into exploitative loans that crushed them under mountains of debt. Finally, it seemed, the city was fixing an injustice.

But an influential group of drivers is now urging recipients not to accept the citys help, pressing for a more ambitious  and expensive  bailout in a fight that has escalated into a hunger strike. Bhairavi Desai, the head of the group, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said she and a dozen others stopped eating on Oct. 20 to push the city into offering more aid.

Were not backing down, Ms. Desai said.

Mr. de Blasio, whose relief effort recently began handing out modest grants to help drivers negotiate with lenders to reduce their loans, has not budged from that plan, despite pressure from the citys entire congressional delegation and Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, to increase the assistance.

The conflict is the latest turn in a yearslong saga over taxi medallions, the city permits that allow yellow cabs to pick up passengers on the street.
Sliwas tactics were no surprise to those who have followed his career. For the most part, the person you see in public making bad rhymes before the camera is now the actual person, said Ronald Kuby, a lawyer who once co-hosted a talk-radio show with Sliwa and is now a trenchant critic. Its just one long, desperate and reasonably entertaining cry for attention.

A likely district attorney who has been a police adversary

Alvin Bragg, who is favored to be the next Manhattan district attorney, spent time last week in a virtual courtroom. He was questioning a police lieutenant about the day that an officer held Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold.

For the last several years, Bragg has represented Garners family in their continuing fight for details about what happened before Garner, who was accused of selling untaxed cigarettes, died in 2014. The Garner case underscored some of the messages of Braggs campaign. He has said that he will not pursue some low-level crimes.

He has also spoken frequently about police accountability. The district attorney typically works closely with the New York Police Department. Braggs involvement in the Garner inquiry  which highlighted a shameful episode for the department  suggested that his relationship with the police is likely to be more adversarial than that of his predecessors.

Where Republicans stand a chance

In some New York City Council races, Republicans are trying to win over voters who cast their ballots for Republicans for president and Democrats in local races. In a race in a Brooklyn district that is home to many Orthodox Jews and Russian and Ukrainian immigrants, Donald Trump Jr. recorded a robocall for the Republican City Council candidate, Inna Vernikov.

Theyre trying to make it about the presidential election, said Steven Saperstein, the Democrat in the race. People in this district understand and they know that national elections are one thing, but on the local level you have to vote for the person.

In Queens, Democrats hope to flip the last Republican-held City Council seat in the borough. The Democrat in the race is Felicia Singh, a teacher who has been endorsed by the left-wing Working Families Party. She is running against Joann Ariola, the chairwoman of the Queens Republican Party.
What we need instead of an arms race or a space race is an Earth race  a great-power competition over which country is rising fastest and farthest to enable a world of net-zero carbon emissions so men and women can thrive here on Earth. Id love to see Biden do a real throw down to Xi and Putin in his speech in Glasgow for that race.

Biden could say: I know that climate change is a global problem and that if we clean our air and you dont clean yours, there is no way to solve it. But were not going to use that as an excuse, or let our oil and coal industries use that as an excuse, to do nothing until you do. Because there are 7.9 billion people on the planet today and by 2030, there will be 600 million more  600 million more! That means that, climate change or no climate change, just having that many more people to feed, house and transport will guarantee that clean power, clean water and energy-efficient buildings and cars will be the next great global industry. Otherwise, well all choke on pollution. So if you all want to keep burning coal and give our clean industries a five-year head start in the next great global industry, make my day. Myself, I am going to declare Americas intention to win the Earth race, to make America the first country to invent and deploy the most clean-power technologies and drive them down the cost curve so that everyone on the planet can afford them.

Challenging China and Russia over who can produce the most tools for global resilience, not just resistance, is a way for America to reclaim some moral leadership on the world stage and focus our economy, and our competitors, on the most important industries of the future. Unless we humans want to be a bad biological experiment, a zero-carbon grid, zero-emissions transportation, zero-carbon/zero-net-energy buildings and zero-waste manufacturing indeed will  and must  be the next great global industry.

And by the way, while Russia is currently not a player in that competition, I would not bet against China.

Hal Harvey, who runs the climate analytics firm Energy Innovation and helps to advise governments on clean energy transitions, notes that the United States has set out a very clear goal of when it wants to get to a net-zero carbon-emitting economy  2050  and Biden is now trying to fill in the details with specific plans. Alas, without a single vote of support from Republicans.

China, by contrast, Harvey added, is building incredibly detailed plans on how to decarbonize, which Beijing could scale up very quickly  but it has been less detailed in setting hard dates for fulfillment.

Since Xi right now is focused on keeping the Chinese economy growing while he tries to lock in his third term as president, he is not going to do anything to curb growth in China in ways that could sap his popularity. So China will keep burning a lot of coal for a while. But dont be fooled: Beijing is also building huge amounts of solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power. Its game on.
To the Editor:

Re A Farewell to Readers, With Hope, by Nicholas Kristof (Opinion guest essay, Oct. 31):

Considering that my level of cynicism on the human race is rising by the day, this farewell essay by Mr. Kristof could not have come at a better time. I have long enjoyed reading his columns, but this one encapsulated stories about the best among us amid the worst among us. That he could remain optimistic considering all the evil that he has personally witnessed has renewed my faith in the possibilities of the good triumphing over the evil.

If he is successful at becoming governor of Oregon, its citizens will have received a gift no amount of money can buy. Goodbye, Nicholas, and wishing you the best of luck. I cant think of anyone who deserves it more.

Linda Drum

Bradenton, Fla.

To the Editor:

I remember the first time I met Nick Kristof my freshman year at Harvard. He was wearing a T-shirt that said, Where the Hell Is Yamhill, Oregon? Nick is clearly someone who is proud of his roots and is proof that you can go home again.

While Nick has won two Pulitzer Prizes writing for The Times and has helped inform the world about some of the biggest humanitarian crises around the world, many of his columns about returning home to Yamhill have resonated with me the most.
Bret: In New York City, the former schools chancellor Richard Carranza implemented training on white supremacy culture, which supposedly includes things like perfectionism and objectivity. Its why people like The Atlantics George Packer, not exactly a fire-breathing conservative, have also publicly despaired of public schools.

Of course, schools need to teach and explore the shameful sides of our past. But parents have a right to expect that the schools their tax dollars pay for dont blur the line between pedagogy and ideology. Ill bet many readers would agree if the shoe were on the other foot and a conservative school district tried to foist, say, a creationist science curriculum on kids over their parents objections.

Which reminds me, Gail. What do you think of the ballot initiative in Minneapolis to replace the Police Department with something called the Department of Public Safety?

Gail: Minneapolis had a dreadful police-community crisis after George Floyd was murdered in such a slow and painful manner for all the world to see. The Police Departments standing in the Black community was in total collapse. Changing the name to the Department of Public Safety isnt exactly revolutionary, but it would remind everyone that things are not going to be the same as they were.

Does it bother you?

Bret: Well, as names go, it beats the Committee of Public Safety, of Robespierrian fame. Otherwise, the whole exercise just reminds me of my favorite line from my second-favorite movie, Animal House: This situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebodys part.

Gail: Remind me to ask you later what your first-favorite movie is. But for right now, about Minneapolis.

Bret: Minneapolis has seen a huge spike in violent crime since last year, which corresponds with low police morale and hundreds of cops quitting their jobs. The people who wind up suffering the most from diminished policing tend to come from poorer communities. The proposed Department of Public Safety would still have armed officers, but there would be no staffing minimum, and the focus would be on public health, not public safety. Persistently high rates of violent crime will lead to an exodus of both business and wealthier residents to the suburbs, which would mean a smaller tax base for the city, which would then create a vicious cycle of deteriorating services, more crime, merchants closing up shop and so on. Its how other American cities, like Newark and Baltimore, did themselves such harm.
Five justices  Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito  are expected to eviscerate abortion access with their decision in Dobbs. None of these extremely conservative justices are likely to join a last-minute reprieve as happened in Casey.

When Roe falls, 26 states are likely or certain to ban abortion. Just 14 states and the District of Columbia will reliably continue permitting abortion, safeguarding womens liberty.

Save Roe has been the rallying cry of abortion-rights groups for nearly 50 years. But we need to stop banging our heads against the Supreme Courts marble walls. While the situation is dire, we do have the potential today to realign American politics and develop a new strategy that not only preserves but expands reproductive freedoms.

First, we must think and talk about this issue differently. While our opponents talk about protecting religious beliefs or the pre-born, we must highlight the rights of women themselves, and point out that enabling them to choose whether, when and with whom they have children is central to gender equality and essential to the ability to control ones own life.

Such fundamental reproductive freedoms require more than just access to abortion. Rather, they require access to basic services that empower all families to have and raise their children when and how it is best for them, including affordable birth control and child care, equitable health care and an end to L.G.B.T.Q. discrimination. We need a framework for recognizing basic human rights that goes well beyond the privacy rights that Roe rests upon and aligns with the goals that women of color have pursued for decades through the reproductive justice movement.

All of this requires political power, and that means getting active in electoral politics. The right has used abortion as a wedge issue for over 40 years; we must likewise vote as if our lives depend on it in every election, not just once every four years. Reproductive rights supporters must insist that all elected officials  from school board members to state legislators to members of Congress  be champions for the cause.

We also need to make noise. We need to organize protests and boycotts well before state laws like the one in Texas come to a vote, let alone make it to the Supreme Court. Eight years ago, a Texas state senator, Wendy Davis, conducted an 11-hour filibuster that briefly stopped an anti-abortion law and started a run on pink sneakers. Creative, newsworthy resistance builds public awareness and support, rallying voter support from the Capitol steps to social media influencers. Those voting for abortion restrictions should pay a political price for doing so.
A good place to start would be community-based intervention programs like Operation Ceasefire, an initiative launched in Boston in 1996. Studies show that a small percentage of the population, such as gang members and hardened criminals, commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime. By bringing together community leaders, former gang members and the police for outreach to those most likely to use firearms, gun violence intervention programs have a proven track record of reducing gun crime.

Such programs, however, require resources and personnel at a time when social services and law enforcement are already stretched thin, and the political will to fund them adequately has never really materialized. Thats where the new strength of the gun safety movement can be a boon. Instead of spending political capital on a national ban on assault rifles that the justices are likely to overturn, the movement could use its muscle to push for federal and state legislation to fund vibrant and effective gun violence intervention programs in every major and midsize city across America.

The gun safety reform movement should also prioritize strengthening federal efforts to crack down on gun trafficking. While the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or A.T.F., has federal gun law enforcement authority, the National Rifle Association and its allies have shackled it with outdated technology, insufficient funds, and absurd restrictions. With an ever-increasing number of guns in the United States, A.T.F.s intentional impotence comes at a deadly cost.

By law, A.T.F. is prohibited from using electronic databases to trace guns found at crime scenes and barred from electronically searching the records it does have. So when a gun is found at a crime scene, agents have to travel to individual gun stores and sort through boxes of documents to find out who bought it. A.T.F. is also prohibited by law from making more than one unannounced, warrantless inspection per year of any licensed gun dealer. And A.T.F. is still operating with roughly the same number of employees it had in 2001, and about 20 percent fewer inspectors, even though the number of guns in the United States has skyrocketed, and we now average at least 30 million gun sales a year. In a country where there are now more licensed gun dealers than branches of Starbucks and McDonalds combined, these artificial restraints on A.T.F. should be lifted.

The gun safety movement should also launch a renewed push for universal  and better  background checks to make it harder for criminals and abusers to obtain firearms. There is broad public support for universal background checks, even among gun owners, and the court is unlikely to declare them unconstitutional.
The actor Fehinti Balogun knows that theater can mobilize people toward climate action, because thats what it did for him.

Back in 2017, while preparing for a role in Myth, a climate parable, he began reading books about climate change and became alarmed by the unusually warm summer he was experiencing in England. The play itself called for him and the other actors to repeatedly run through the same mundane lines, to the point of absurdity, as their environment ruptured terrifyingly around them  the walls streaking with oil, the stove catching fire, the freezer oozing water.

The whole experience changed his life, Balogun said. Suddenly, nothing seemed more important than addressing the global crisis. Not even landing the lead in a West End production (a long-coveted dream) of The Importance of Being Earnest. His growing anxiety made him feel as if he were living a real-world version of Myth in which society kept repeating the same old script even as the planet descended into chaos.

Knowing all that I did made me angry at the world for not doing anything, the 26-year-old Balogun (Dune, I May Destroy You) said in a phone interview. I didnt get how we werent revolting.
The actress Audra McDonald has agreed to star in a Broadway production of Ohio State Murders, bringing the work of the eminent experimental playwright Adrienne Kennedy to the nations most prominent stage for the first time.

The play, first staged in 1992 at the Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, is about a Black writer who returns to her alma mater, Ohio State University, to talk about violence in her work. Set in the 1950s, the play is a compact exploration of the destructive power of racism, with six roles and a usual running time of 75 minutes.

Kennedy, 90, is both acclaimed (in 2008 she was honored for lifetime achievement at the Obie Awards) and also unfamiliar to the general public; the New York Times critic Maya Phillips wrote this year that Kennedy is often shelved among the ranks of the celebrated and the influential who are rarely produced.

The Broadway production is to be directed by Kenny Leon, and produced by Jeffrey Richards, Rebecca Gold, Jayne Baron Sherman and Irene Gandy. On Monday, Richards announced that the production is in development, but did not specify the timing.
CHICAGO  A judge in Chicago blocked the city on Monday from enforcing a Dec. 31 vaccine mandate for police officers until the issue can be addressed in arbitration. The ruling was a blow to Mayor Lori Lightfoot and a victory for a police union that has been engaged in an increasingly vitriolic battle with City Hall over the rule.

Judge Raymond W. Mitchell of the Cook County Circuit Court said that as unionized employees, police officers had a right to have their objections to the mandate heard by an arbitrator before the requirement takes effect. If an arbitrator were to rule against the city after the vaccine mandate was being enforced, the judge wrote, there would be little recourse for officers who got vaccinated under duress.

An award of back pay or reinstatement cannot undo a vaccine, Judge Mitchell wrote. Nothing can.

Across the country, police unions have fought requirements that their members get vaccinated, sometimes leading to fears of mass resignations, as in Los Angeles County, Calif., where the sheriff has warned of a potential exodus.

The opposition to vaccination mandates has come even though nearly 500 American law enforcement officers have died from work-related Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page  far more than have died from any other work-related cause in the last two years. On Monday, thousands of New York City employees, including police officers, were placed on unpaid leave for failing to get vaccinated by the citys deadline.
The lessons from the earlier pandemic helped to inform South Africas fight against Covid-19. Many of the scientists who have led the response were the same faces we saw trying to make sense of H.I.V./AIDS. Covid also primed South African society to more readily accept a science-based response. While misinformation has still been common, it was not as widespread as it was two decades ago, when the countrys health minister suggested that fruit and vegetables could be used to treat AIDS.

Death from AIDS often took many months or years. At funerals, few dared to name the cause of death, which carried a heavy stigma. By contrast, Covid-19 deaths were often quick and lonely, with victims isolated in hospital rooms away from friends and family. By December, as South Africa struggled to contain a second wave driven by the Beta variant, which was first discovered here, we learned how to mourn in small, muted funerals.

In both pandemics, fresh graves mushroomed. During the second and third waves of the coronavirus pandemic, the sprawl of cemeteries felt relentless, as my colleague, veteran photographer Joao Silva, has documented. Silva was also in South Africa years ago to document the AIDS crisis.

This is also why the pace at which vaccines have arrived has been reassuring. About 21 percent of South Africans have been vaccinated. And although fewer than 6 percent of Africans have been fully vaccinated, this is still faster than the arrival of antiretroviral drugs in Africa during the H.I.V./AIDS pandemic.

With H.I.V. there was no political will, said Sibongile Tshabalala, the chairwoman of the Treatment Action Campaign, the group that lobbied for access to H.I.V./AIDS drugs. Although some of the stigma against AIDS remains, she said that this time the government has worked hard to acquire Covid-19 vaccines, with limited but tangible success.
A. Linwood Holton Jr., who as Virginias first Republican governor in nearly a century knocked loose the stranglehold of white supremacy on the state, cleaned up its waterways and promoted a vision for a biracial Republican coalition across the South, died on Oct. 28 at his home in Kilmarnock, Va. He was 98.

His death was announced in a statement released by his four children. No cause was given.

As a moderate Republican, Mr. Holton played a transformative role in his states politics. Until the late 1960s, conservative Democrats, many of them avowedly racist, held a tight grip on state politics, even as Virginia voters were leaning toward the Republicans in presidential elections.

Mr. Holtons victory, in 1969, was close, but not exactly a surprise. He had spent nearly 20 years building a coalition composed of Black voters, small businesspeople and organized labor, whom he attracted with a platform based on ending discrimination, modernizing government and promoting economic development.

Here in Virginia we must see that no citizen of the commonwealth is excluded from full participation in both the blessings and responsibilities of our society because of his race, Mr. Holton said in his inaugural address in January 1970, standing in front of the State Capitol in Richmond, once the capital of the Confederacy.
Progressive groups say many of the housing measures are a test run for worker-friendly initiatives in 2022 that will focus on housing, wages and other labor issues.

Political groups across the spectrum are carefully watching how these initiatives fare, so we can plan statewide ballot measures in 2022, said Corrine Rivera Fowler, the director of policy and legal advocacy for the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which consults on initiatives. Economic justice in general has kind of risen up during the pandemic and put a spotlight on the issues that folks are dealing with in order to afford to live with dignity.

Many initiatives were indeed prompted by residents weary of the housing hunt. The housing shortage in Leadville, Colo., squeezes all the little people that hold this town and county up, said Jenny David, 43, a seamstress who joined the Lake County Housing Coalition, which is leading the initiative to increase taxes on tourists. Ms. David has bounced from an apartment building to a modular home as rents have gone up. She now fears that the duplex she landed through word of mouth may be sold in this overheated market. I feel like I had some real-world experience to bring, she said.

Like many places near vacation spots, Lake County, where Leadville sits, has seen its real estate market value more than double over the last five years. But there has been little investment in housing for low-income workers in the area, officials there say.

Proponents of the measure in Lincoln County, Ore., also blame short-term rentals for the shortage of available housing. In some areas of the county, housing was so scarce last summer that an area hospital asked residents to rent homes to nurses and other medical staff. As is the case in many cities and resort towns, large houses have been built or purchased in the county, and then turned into short-term rentals for vacationers at a far faster rate than modest homes have become available for full-time residents with lower incomes.
Now these patients may get what many have hoped for since the Affordable Care Acts passage more than a decade ago  albeit with no guarantee that the new benefits are here to stay. The framework announced last week by President Biden for the $1.85 trillion social policy bill includes the biggest expansion of health care since the Obama-era health law, patching holes in the landmark law that had long seemed impossible to fix.

Still, the framework is tenuous. On Monday, Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, dashed hopes for a quick Senate vote by refusing to endorse the measure, whose health care provisions had already been pared back under pressure from Mr. Manchin and other centrists to keep the price down.

The public option, promoted by Mr. Biden during his presidential campaign as a way for people to buy into a Medicare-like plan, was never even considered. Language authorizing the government to negotiate prices with drug companies was scrapped. A plan to give dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare recipients has been whittled down to just hearing.

And in the end, negotiators dropped the idea of a new Medicaid plan financed entirely by the federal government for people in the 12 holdout states, which would have been complicated to create, in favor of fully subsidized private coverage  but only through 2025.

The free plans would be comparable to Medicaid coverage, with minimal fees for doctor visits and enhanced benefits like transportation to medical appointments. All told, an estimated 4.4 million people  including the uninsured and other low-income adults  would be able to take advantage of them.
Though several million pediatric doses of Pfizer-BioNTechs coronavirus vaccine should be available in the next few days, the vaccination program for children aged 5 to 11 in the United States will only start running at full strength in the second week of November, a top White House official said on Monday.

Jeffrey D. Zients, the administrations pandemic response coordinator, said that the government will deliver several million doses to doctors offices, pharmacies, health clinics and other sites within the next couple of days. But he appeared to dampen expectations that all the pending orders that states have placed for pediatric vaccine would be filled right away.

We are planning on some vaccinations towards the end of this week, he said, adding that the government will deliver a total of 15 million doses across the next week or so.

There are 28 million children aged 5 to 11 in the United States. Surveys indicate that only about one in three parents will permit their children to be vaccinated immediately.
In enacting Senate Bill 8, the Texas Legislature not only deliberately prohibited the exercise of a constitutional right recognized by this court. It did everything it could to evade effective judicial protection of that right in federal or state court. Texas delegated enforcement to literally any person anywhere except its own state officials. To allow Texas scheme to stand would provide a road map for other states to abrogate any decision of this court with which they disagree. At issue here is nothing less than the supremacy of federal law. Petitioners pursuit of an injunction suffers from two fundamental problems. First, none of the individuals the petitioners sued are appropriate defendants under well-established Article III and equitable principles. Second, petitioners ask for an expansion of access to the federal courts that only Congress and not this court may provide. Assume that the bounty is not $10,000, but a million dollars. Do you think in that case, the chill on the conduct at issue here would be sufficient to allow federal court review prior to the end of the state court process? No, your honor, because that wouldnt affect either the Article III or sovereign immunity problems. The amount of the sanction, again, I agree with you a million dollars would be tremendous, we could increase it further. No number would suddenly cause the federal courts to become more open. Its not a question of the federal courts being more open. Its a question of anybody having the capacity or ability to go to the federal court because nobody is going to risk violating the statute because theyll be subject to suit for a million dollars. Texas designed S.B. 8 to thwart the supremacy of federal law in open defiance of our constitutional structure. States are free to ask this court to reconsider its constitutional precedents, but they are not free to place themselves above this court, nullify the courts decisions in their borders and block the judicial review necessary to vindicate federal rights. A state dissatisfied with Heller says anyone who possesses a firearm anywhere is subject to litigation by any private citizen anywhere in the country, and gets a million-dollar bounty. No stare decisis. No nothing. How about in Obergefell, imposes S.B. 8-style liability on anyone who officiates, aids or abets a same-sex wedding? How about dissatisfied with Lawrence v. Texas? Subjects a private, consensual sexual conduct of which it disapproves to the exact same law as S.B. 8 How about Griswold? The use and sale of contraception is subject to S.B. 8-style liability. So this is not limited to abortion. Thats the point thats been raised. Its limited to any law that a state thinks its dissatisfied with. The other dimension in which the United States is asking for an extraordinary power is the nature of the remedy theyre seeking. I guess I do want to ask a question about that, though. I mean, if thats right, you know, and we say that, we would live in a very different world from the world we live in today. Essentially, we would be inviting states, all 50 of them, with respect to their unpreferred constitutional rights, to try to nullify the law that this court has laid down as to the content of those rights.
FAIRFAX, Va.  In the final hours of campaigning on Monday to become Virginias next governor, it was Glenn Youngkin offering an optimistic vision for the future while Terry McAuliffe delivered harsh warnings about ghosts of the past.

As the two men barnstormed across the state, the contrast in tone demonstrated their shifting fortunes in the highest-profile race on the ballot on Tuesday. Mr. McAuliffe, a longtime fixture of the Democratic establishment, was scrambling to prevent President Bidens unpopularity, the gridlock in Washington and Mr. Youngkins effective weaponizing of racial issues in the public schools from dooming his bid for a second term as governor.

Mr. Youngkin, for his part, was aiming to redefine how Republicans could win elections with former President Donald J. Trump out of the White House. He has accepted Mr. Trumps support and has abstained from criticizing him, but Mr. Youngkin has kept Mr. Trump from visiting Virginia and never invokes his name during his stump speeches. A former private equity executive, Mr. Youngkin embraced Mr. Trump during the primary contest this year but spent the months since winning the Republican nomination keeping a rhetorical distance.

On Monday, in the Richmond area, Mr. Youngkin said he would lead a sweep of Republican victories across the state that would define a new era for the party  one that he has centered on giving parents greater control over the curriculum in public schools, particularly in how children are educated about racism.
A judge in Texas has recommended that Rodney Reed, a death row prisoner whose case has drawn the attention of celebrities and elected officials, should not receive a new trial in the 1996 murder of a 19-year-old woman.

Judge J.D. Langley, who filed his recommendation on Sunday in District Court in Bastrop County, said that Mr. Reed has not proven by clear and convincing evidence that he is actually innocent.

Judge Langleys recommendation sends the case back to the states highest criminal court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which will decide if Mr. Reed will get a new trial. His lawyers said they were hopeful the court would grant one, though it was not clear when that would be decided.

Mr. Reed, 53, who has long claimed his innocence, was convicted in 1998 in the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites in Bastrop, Texas. Ms. Stites, 19, was strangled, and her body was dumped alongside a rural road. Prosecutors said she had also been raped, and Mr. Reed was arrested based mostly on DNA tests.
When the justices returned to their courtroom last month, after an absence of about 18 months, the court announced a new format, one that showed, if nothing else, that the justices were giving a lot of thought to how to conduct arguments that are both probing and polite.

They settled on a hybrid model, supplementing the familiar free-for-all questioning with a round of optional one-at-a-time questions, proceeding in order of seniority, once per lawyer.

Its the biggest change to oral arguments since Ive been following the Supreme Court, said William M. Jay, a Supreme Court specialist at Goodwin Procter, and Ive been an appellate lawyer for 20 years.

The justices also appear to have agreed among themselves to let Justice Thomas ask the first questions during the main part of the arguments, and he did so almost without exception in the nine arguments the court heard in October. He posed the first questions to all but three of the 20 lawyers in those cases, asking an average of 2.6 questions per lawyer, according to data compiled by Mr. Jay and his colleagues.

The reaction to Justice Thomas regularly questioning was so uniformly positive that Im not at all surprised that they did something to facilitate that, Mr. Jay said.

The extra questioning added about 12 minutes on average to the arguments, which would ordinarily have been an hour long. But the cases the court heard in October were mostly minor.

Understand the Supreme Courts Momentous Term Card 1 of 5 The Texas abortion law. After the court let Texas effectively outlaw most abortions in a 5-4 decision, the justices heard arguments that could allow it to reverse course. The case puts Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the spotlight as the most likely member to switch sides. The Mississippi abortion case. The court is poised to use a challenge to a Mississippi law that bars most abortions after 15 weeks to undermine and perhaps overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. A major decision on guns. The justices will consider the constitutionality of a longstanding New York law that imposes strict limits on carrying guns in public. The court has not issued a major Second Amendment ruling in more than a decade. A test for Chief Justice Roberts. The highly charged docket will test the leadership of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who lost his position at the courts ideological center with the arrival last fall of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. A drop in public support. Chief Justice Roberts now leads a court increasingly associated with partisanship. Recent polls show the court is suffering a distinct drop in public support following a spate of unusual late-night summer rulings in politically charged cases.









In one the justices seemed to find unusually engaging, on whether to reinstate the death sentence for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who had been convicted of helping carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, Eric J. Feigin, a lawyer for the federal government, got 26 minutes of extra questions.
Some activists defend the focus on language, saying that the way people use words is not mere symbolism but is necessary to achieving justice.

Saying something like, Black people are less likely to get a loan from the bank, instead of saying, Banks are less likely to give loans to Black people, might feel like its just me wording it differently, Rashad Robinson, president of the racial justice organization Color of Change, said. But Black people are less likely to get a loan from the bank makes people ask themselves, Whats wrong with Black people? Lets get them financial literacy programs. The other way is saying, Whats wrong with the banks?

Mr. Robinson added, When youve been on the margin, being able to claim a language and a narrative and a set of words to express yourself is incredibly important.

Still, some other self-identified liberals who said they care deeply about social justice feel uncomfortable with some of the changes and the pressure that can be associated with them.

Ms. ODonnell of Chicago said that, especially when she is among other white, college-educated liberals, Im exhausted by the constant need to be wary or youll instantly be labeled racist or anti-trans.

And Stephen Paisley of Ithaca, N.Y., said he cringed at hearing libraries described at an academic conference as sites of violence, which is intended to reflect biases in how their rare books collections are curated. Rather than language that tries to guilt people into action, he said, he wishes the message was white people, too, suffer from living in a society in which racial injustices and inequities persist.

Changing Language, Changing Views

Many of the words surfacing in todays language debates are not new.

Implicit bias traces to the work of psychologists in the 1990s, when the field began to document the subconscious associations that cause people to harbor stereotypes. The effort to substitute enslaved people for slaves has been long advocated by many Black academics to emphasize the violence that defined American slavery and the humanity of those subjected to it, said Anne Charity Hudley, a linguist at Stanford.
NAIROBI, Kenya  A 21-story building under construction crumbled on Monday in Lagos, Nigerias financial capital and Africas largest city, leaving what workers said were as many as 100 construction workers trapped and at least five dead in the latest structural failure in a rapidly expanding metropolis.

The collapse occurred at about 2 p.m. in the upscale neighborhood of Ikoyi  where construction is booming  in a country where building materials are often of poor quality and construction standards are poorly enforced, according to experts.

Four people have so far been rescued from the site, according to Ibrahim Farinloye, the coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency in Lagos State.

Many more people were feared to be trapped inside the rubble. Two workers at the scene told Reuters that 100 people were likely working at the site when the building gave way.
India announced on Monday that it would significantly expand renewable energy sources in its total energy mix and called on the rich world to pony up $1 trillion to help developing countries make the energy transition.

The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, also said his country would aim to be net-zero by 2070, but far more significant were the more immediate goals that he announced.

In his remarks to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Mr. Modi said India would aim to build 500 gigawatts of renewable energy and ensure that half of its energy mix comes from sources other than fossil fuels by 2030. That means coal, which provides the bulk of Indias electricity, would remain a large part of its energy mix in the coming decade. India is one of the worlds largest consumers of coal.

India is among the few big economies that have not submitted an updated Nationally Determined Contribution, as the Paris Agreement stipulates.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand  The candidates didnt know they were running. The winner received no prize. And, at least by appearance, the champion appeared to be ineligible to compete.

The race was for New Zealands Bird of the Year, an annual competition that gives New Zealanders an opportunity to rank their favorite birds from the countrys 200-odd native species and raises awareness of their ecological plight.

But this year, a long-tailed bat, one of New Zealands two native land mammals, flew away with the top prize, contest organizers said on Monday.

The audacity of the bat, known as pekapeka-tou-roa, led some on social media to call the competition a farce and rail about a stolen election. But other voters applauded the victory.
After being separated from his parents for two years, Jimmy Sugandi, 42, touched down on Monday in Melbourne, Australia, after traveling from Indonesia with his wife and two young children.

Its unbelievable, he said. We thought we were never coming back.

Mr. Sugandi and his family are Australian permanent residents who live in Indonesia. During the pandemic, he tried to travel to Melbourne to see his parents, who live in the city. But Mr. Sugandi couldnt get a spot on one of the extremely limited flights because of Australias strict border restrictions.

Tens of thousands of Australians have been stranded overseas by the border rules brought in by their country about 18 months ago to combat the coronavirus pandemic. But on Monday, the states of New South Wales, which includes Sydney, and Victoria, which includes Melbourne, lifted restrictions on citizens and permanent residents seeking to return. For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Australians are also now able to leave the country without needing to be granted an exemption from the government.

New South Wales and Victoria are allowing vaccinated Australians to return without quarantining. The states are also removing the caps on the number of citizens allowed to fly back into the country each week, which had previously made it difficult to obtain airline tickets.
The U.K. was first out of the blocks with the climate act, and it inspired Sweden and then Germany, said Johan Rockstrom, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. The U.K. has successfully been able to phase out coal, which is very symbolic because it first started in England.

The temporary restart of the coal plant near Gainsborough  made necessary by low winds on the North Sea that slowed the turbines  shows that this transition is not without hiccups. A lack of wind or sun can stymie renewable energy sources.

Local resistance has constricted the development of the onshore wind industry. Fears about energy reserves have led Britain to consider allowing drilling in a vast new oil field off the Shetland Islands. There is even a proposal for a new coal field in Cumbria, in northwest England, which would seem to cut against Britains climate aspirations.

Climate experts also fault Mr. Johnson for not laying out a realistic road map to achieve his ambitious emissions goals. Britain has failed to raise adequate funds to finance clean-energy projects. It has not shown farmers, key drivers in reducing emissions, how they can contribute by cultivating peat lands and other conservation techniques.

Nor is Britain the diplomatic dynamo it once was. When Mr. Johnson convenes more than 100 countries in Glasgow, he will push some vaulting goals, including a global end to the use of coal. But he will do so as the leader of a country that divorced itself from the European Union and has so far been unable to galvanize the worlds biggest emitters: China, the United States and India.
GLASGOW  The first day of climate talks got off to a rocky start.

Critics swiftly played down the hours-old agreement struck by world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in Rome on Sunday as symbolic. The deal fell short, they said, making it harder for the next two weeks of climate talks, led by the United Nations, to yield meaningful results aimed at curbing climate disasters.

And organizers kept a close eye on flooding this weekend that forced people from their homes and disrupted travel in Britain for some of the 20,000 people arriving here in Glasgow, driving home the urgency of these talks.

The climate is sending you a message, Saleemul Huq, the director of the International Center for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, said in a tweet.Welcome he said, to the era of constant devastation, from human-induced climate change.

The gathering in Scotland to try to avert even worse consequences of climate change was always going to be a challenge. For one thing, it is taking place during a pandemic.
The presence of heads of state and government at the talks is not just symbolic. Real work gets done among leaders that cannot happen among lower-level diplomats. During the 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen, President Barack Obama barged in to a secret meeting being held by the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa. The discussions that came after helped clinch a deal, albeit a weak one.

So the high-profile absences this time have dismayed some experts.

Even as most democracies are making ambitious climate commitments, the worlds most powerful autocrats in Beijing, Moscow and elsewhere are thumbing their noses, refusing to cut their emissions and even to show up at climate negotiations, said Paul Bledsoe, who advised the Clinton White House on climate change and is now with the Progressive Policy Institute.

Mr. Putin said more than a week ago that he would not attend the summit, signaling that he had concerns about the coronavirus.

The president unfortunately will not speak, because the option to participate by videoconference is not available in Glasgow, said Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman.

Mr. Peskov responded to Mr. Bidens comments by saying that Russia was already ahead of many countries, including those of Western Europe, in transitioning to low-carbon sources of energy.
John Kerry, who helped clinch the Paris climate agreement in 2015 as secretary of state and who came out of retirement to become President Bidens climate envoy, arrives on Monday with a carefully crafted message for the United Nations summit: It is critically important but not the last chance for action.

Glasgow was never going to be, you know, the definitive one meeting, he said in a recent interview.

That is in contrast to Mr. Kerrys comments last month, when he described the summit as the last best hope to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to avert the worst consequences of climate change.

The aim of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. climate convention, or COP26, is to galvanize world leaders to cut planet-warming emissions enough to prevent temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees compared with preindustrial levels. At that point effects like sea level rise, devastated crop yields and the death of coral reefs become irreversible. Glasgow will be the first time since nations agreed in 2015 to curb emissions that leaders have been asked to ratchet up their targets.
Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire and former mayor of New York City, intends to announce on Monday an effort to shut down coal in 25 countries.

The pledge comes as world leaders arrive in Glasgow for a United Nations climate change summit where persuading countries to phase out coal, the burning of which is a leading driver of climate change, will be a key issue. The ultimate goal: galvanizing leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions enough to stave off the worst consequences of global warming.

Mr. Bloomberg, whose 2020 Democratic presidential bid focused heavily on climate change and who now serves as a special envoy for climate ambition to the United Nations, has worked to shutter coal plants in the United States since 2011, and two years ago devoted $500 million to the effort. It has been linked with hastening the retirement of about 280 coal plants in the United States.

The new effort is aimed at closing a quarter of the worlds 2,445 coal plants as well as stopping efforts underway to build 519 new coal plants by 2025.
CAIRO  Egypt is poised to expand the national security powers of the president and military with legislation that will strengthen the hand of the countrys authoritarian government, just as it had appeared to relax its grip last week with the lifting of a longstanding state of emergency.

The House of Representatives approved new amendments to the national terrorism law on Sunday granting the extended powers, and the changes will now go to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for ratification, which is little more than a formality. The amendments give the president the authority to take measures necessary to preserve security and public order, including imposing curfews, among other powers.

The changes raised questions about whether Egypt was truly taking steps to open up, as the government has been eager to show. With its human-rights record once again under scrutiny from the United States and Europe, the government recently announced a re-evaluation of some aspects of its handling of political prisoners and other human rights issues. Mr. el-Sisi also decided not to renew the four-year-old state of emergency, which expired last month.

The state of emergency gave the government sweeping powers of surveillance, arrest, censorship and other tactics in the name of fighting terrorism, including the ability to quash protests, detain dissidents and control the everyday lives of Egyptians. Such rules, in one form or another, had been in place for most of the past 40 years.
Queen Elizabeth II, absent from the climate summit because of health concerns but not silent, urged world leaders on Monday to rise above their current political differences and show true statesmanship for the sake of the planet.

In a video message to the COP26 gathering in Glasgow, the 95-year-old monarch said that nations had overcome insurmountable problems and adversity throughout history by cooperating.

It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics, she said. But what they do for the people of tomorrow  that is statesmanship.

The queen, wearing green and a butterfly brooch, had canceled her visit to Scotland on the advice of doctors because of what Buckingham Palace described as fatigue.
Follow our live Kyle Rittenhouse trial verdict coverage.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, will stand trial this week in the fatal shootings of two men and the wounding of another, the result of a confrontation in Kenosha, Wis., last August.

Mr. Rittenhouse has been charged with six criminal counts, including first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.

Here is a timeline of events leading up to the shootings, and what has happened in the case.

May 25-30, 2020

George Floyd is killed by the police and protests spread across the U.S.
Philips Foundations support of RAD-AID is part of its efforts to reduce health care inequality by supporting initiatives around the world, including within the United States, says the foundations director, Margot Cooijmans. Although North America is a mature market, there are still many people who are not yet included in the health care system: Indigenous peoples, the Hispanic communities, people of color, but also veterans who often live far off the grid, she notes. So, jointly with Philips, we try to establish medical resources in their neighborhoods.



Margot Cooijmans, Director of the Philips Foundation

Philips Foundations support of RAD-AID is part of its efforts to reduce health care inequality by supporting initiatives around the world, including within the United States, says the foundations director, Margot Cooijmans. Although North America is a mature market, there are still many people who are not yet included in the health care system: Indigenous peoples, the Hispanic communities, people of color, but also veterans who often live far off the grid, she notes. So, jointly with Philips, we try to establish medical resources in their neighborhoods.



Significantly, the Philips Foundation provides more than financing and technology. Just throwing money at the problem doesnt create lasting change, Cooijmans says. You need to understand the local context to innovate in a meaningful way. We deploy people from Philips with all kinds of specialties and expertise who collaborate with experts in the field to sustainably improve health care provision. In addition to education and training, we also explore new ways of working that would create, for instance, a local income model for people to stay in their profession as a midwife or that can help local economies thrive. Its not just donating, but really collaborating and understanding.


Megavalanche is a unique enduro race that sees thousands of participants riding downhill on a glacier, 8,530 feet above sea level while trying to stay on their bikes and not get run over by the pack.

Downhill enduro racing usually involves a series of stages where competitors ride individually against the clock, trying to get the best time possible. The contestant with the fastest time on average wins. But Megavalanche, a monster of a race that has been taking place every year  except 2020  since 1995, is different. It is the only endura downhill race with a mass start on a glacier, a detail that creates the ideal condition for the chaos and mayhem that Megavalanche is famous for. Imagine 2,000 bike riders setting off on a snowy track, reaching speeds of around 75mph, losing control of their mountain bikes, and trying not to get swept away by the human avalanche forming all around them. Thats the starting portion of Megavalanche in a nutshell.

Photo: Megavalanche/Facebook

Megavalanche is the brainchild of mountain bike pioneer George Edwards, the man credited for creating some of the first downhill tracks in Europe. The first edition, held in 1995, saw 400 bikers lined up at the starting line at the Alpe dHuez ski resort in the French Alps, on the snow and ice-covered summit of Pic Blanc. It has since been growing in popularity, with around 2,000 mountain bike enthusiasts taking part every year.

Famous for its chaotic start on the snowy summit of Pic Blanc, Megavalanche actually consists of varied terrain making up its entire length of 20 kilometers. It offers a mix of challenges that takes seasoned enduro bikers about an hour to complete, but its that first bit that gives everyone the most problems because there are so many factors that the riders cant control.

Ask experienced bikers about Megavalanche, and theyll all share various strategies, but in the end, theyll also admit that luck plays a big part in that crazy start. As you start to pick up speed on the slushy surface, you lose control of the front wheel and have to use your feet as stabilizers, only thats easier said than done at breakneck speeds and other riders all around you.

Some say you just have to pedal as hard as you can to get ahead of the pack and avoid running into other riders, but losing control of your bike opens you up to getting run over by the human avalanche behind you. Letting go of your bike is also a no-no in case of a fall, as it will keep on sliding on the slushy snow.

The mass start on the snow is the most iconic part of the Megavalanche, with a huge pack of riders hurtling down a snowy glacier at speeds like 75kmph, mostly out of control and unable to stop! biker Dominic Yard told Red Bull. The starting gun is a euro-dance anthem, which sounds like a remixed air raid siren. This will strike fear into the stomach of any Megavalanche racer! While the music is pumping, a helicopter films overhead. You feel like youre in an 80s style Aspen extreme movie!

Having a GoPro strapped to your helmet is definitely worthwhile. Chaos from start to finish, youll want to record every second of it. High speeds, helicopters flying past, and crashes all the way down, its an epic experience, Yard added.

Interestingly, despite the imminent danger posed by taking park in a chaotic downhill mountain bike on a snowy glacier, injuries suffered during Megavalanche are not as serious as you might think, at least according to the organizers.



Mainly its things such as broken arms. The track is designed to be as safe as possible  putting curves in the high-speed parts [to slow riders down], the glacier spreads people out Its not as dangerous as you imagine, Cathy Labouyrie told The Guardian.
An Indian man recently left an entire country confused after helping his wife of seven years marry the man she had been having an affair with for years.

Uttam Mandal and Sapna Kumari, from Bhagalpur, in Indias Bihar state, got married in 2014, and had two children together. They were happy together for a while, but at some point Sapna fell in love with a relative of Uttmans, a younger man who came around their house every once in a while, and the two started having an affair. The husband learned about Sapnas escapade and they fought over the issue many times, but seeing as Sapna couldnt get over her lover, Uttman decided to do the unthinkable, step aside and help his wife marry the man she loved.

Photo: Vaibhav Nabare/Unsplash

If youre a fan of Bollywood cinema, you probably recognize the plot of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, a 1999 blockbuster in which Aishwaria Rays character is helped by her husband to marry her lover, played by Salman Khan. No one really believed something like that could happen in real life, which is why the plot made such an impression on audiences, but Uttam Mandal decided to prove that real life beats any movie.

I got angry and sad for some time but decided to come out with a solution, Mandal told ETV Bharat. The lives of three people would have been destroyed had I not done this. This was the only solution. Now all of us can be happy.

Over the years, Sapnas parents and in-laws tried to convince her to stay with Uttam and not break up the family, but their efforts were in vain, so in the end Uttam ended up convincing them to attend his wifes wedding ceremony with her lover, Raju Kumar. It was he who arranged their wedding at a Durga temple in Sutanganj, Bihar, and even gave them their blessing, saying that their match was made in heaven

Its unclear whether Uttam and Sapna divorced before she married her lover, but according to Indian media, their two children remained with him, as she reportedly refused to take them with her.
Amy Rosenfeld and Megan Kay co-authored this article.

On September 1, women awoke to learn that Texas had enacted a new law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The Texas law, which prohibits abortion before most people even know theyre pregnant, is one of the strictest abortion bans weve seen. As if it wasnt cruel enough, the law also authorizes private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who helps a woman get an abortion, including the Lyft driver who gives a woman a ride to the clinic or the friend who helps a woman pay for the abortion.

Like other abortion restrictions in this country, this law will disproportionately impact low-income, immigrant and communities of color. According to a report from the Guttmacher Institute, Texans will now have to travel 20 times farther to get a safe and legal abortion, increasing travel times an average of 3.5 hours by car or bus each way. This is on top of the burdens faced by women seeking an abortion, like taking time off from work or school and finding childcare.

This article is featured in O'Dwyer's Oct. '21 Healthcare & Medical PR Magazine

(view PDF version)

Abortion restrictions have far-reaching impacts felt across the country. More than a dozen states have tried to pass similar abortion bans, but have been unsuccessful. Now, with the precedent set by Texas, these states are emboldened to try again.

How does this impact the millions of women of reproductive age who live in these states? The shock, desperation and fear felt by women as they try to access abortion services is unprecedented. According to the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, research shows that, carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term is dangerous to a womans physical and emotional safety, and may result in more women keeping in contact with violent partners, which puts both women and their children at increased risk of violence. For women across the nation and throughout the world, these laws increase abortion stigma, which shames and silences women who seek abortionsas well as abortion providersand increases the occurrence of unsafe abortion.

Abortion is certainly not the only healthcare service thats been politicized. Transgender individuals have been fighting for their right to healthcare for decades, with Medicare only recently lifting its ban on gender confirming surgeries in 2014. Research shows that transgender individuals are consistently underserved by the American medical system and face regular prejudice and discrimination by healthcare providers. According to a report by the Center for American Progress, transgender individuals, compared to the general population, suffer from more chronic health conditions and experience higher rates of health problems related to HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, mental illness and sexual and physical violence.

Just as with abortion, transgender healthcare is currently under attack: By April of this year, 2021 had already broke records by becoming the worst year for anti-transgender legislation since the Human Rights Campaign began tracking data more than 15 years ago. Across 33 states, at least 117 anti-trans bills were introduced, many of which restricted or banned transgender healthcare.

Notably, Arkansas became the first state to pass a bill prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers, hormone therapies and transition-related surgeries, to minors in a move the ACLU said would send a terrible and heartbreaking message to transgender youth. Texas is also pushing anti-transgender legislation that would classify gender-affirming treatments like hormones and surgeries as child abuse and ban puberty blockers provided by a physician.

Legislation like this is incredibly dangerous. Trans youth are already more likely to experience suicidal thoughts than their cisgender counterparts, and one crisis hotline for transgender individuals saw a 72 percent increase in calls from Texas compared to the previous year, suggesting that anti-transgender legislation has a direct effect on the mental health of transgender individuals. In addition, one 2019 study from the Williams Institute found that trans adults who cant access hormones and other gender-affirming care report higher rates of suicide attempts and ideation.

According to advocates, its no mistake that bills restricting womens and transgender healthcare are surging at the same time, calling it a coordinated attack. Jules Gill-Peterson, a history professor at Johns Hopkins University, explained that anti-abortion and anti-transgender healthcare bills share the same kind of idea. They are really restrictive infringements on bodily autonomy, on individual rights and the state taking an aggressive, moralizing police role.

So, how can healthcare communicators and marketers fight back against the stigma thats created when healthcare is politicized and increase access to care for all patients?

Cut through the headlines and legal speak: Dont expect the average person to understand the nuances of state law or Supreme Court precedent. People seeking healthcare in states with restrictive laws often feel confused, stressed and desperate. Craft clear, direct language that provides essential information, and above all, connects patients to the services they need.

Normalize the conversation: In recent years, weve seen PR campaigns centered around, Abortion is Healthcare, Our Clinic is Open and Care for Every Body. Create campaigns that focus on reducing stigma and supporting a counter-narrative that normalizes reproductive and gender-affirming services.

Center patients: Whether a political debate is about controlling womens bodies or gender-neutral bathrooms, whats so often missing from these conversations is the real-life experiences. Elevate the voices of marginalized people in earned and owned media to keep the focus where it belongs.

Back to basics: Healthcare is personal and its private, but fears over lack of privacy is a documented barrier to many seeking services. Confidentiality in medical treatment, especially related to sexual and reproductive health, is a protected constitutional right. Dont underestimate the importance of including privacy and confidentiality wherever sensitive services are listed.

Replace political jargon with facts: Avoid using inflammatory or misleading terms to describe reproductive and transgender care and correct others when you come across it. For example, the phrase, late-term abortion was created by anti-abortion politicians and isnt a term used in medicine. Yet, its heard over and over again by opponents of abortion and mainstream journalists. Ensure the terminology you use is medically-accurate.

While politics are deeply intertwined with the delivery of essential healthcare services, communicators can play a role in combatting the stigma that creates barriers to care and results in poorer health outcomes for our most vulnerable communities.

***

Amy Rosenfeld is Vice President of the Public Relations and Crisis Communications practice at Cerrell Associates, Inc. Megan Kay is a Senior Account Executive at Cerrell.
Dennis Christianson

Finn Partners has acquired Anthology Marketing Group, the 86-member Honolulu-based integrated marketing communications shop with a robust travel and tourism practice.

The firm counts Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau, Hawaiian Airlines, Guam Visitors Bureau, USS Missouri Memorial, Polynesian Cultural Center and Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa as clients.

Dennis Christianson, Anthology's founder/CEO, will join Finn Partners as managing partner. Anthology's Mary Fastenau, David Pettinger, Wenona Harris and Nathan Kam will become senior partners.

Christianson said access to Finn Partner's resources will help Anthology "grow and serve our clients better in Hawaii, and beyond."

Peter Finn said the addition of Anthology would significantly expand the travel practice that earned the No. 3 spot in O'Dwyer's rankings with fees of $10.4M in 2020.

Debbie Flynn, global travel practice leader, called Hawaii "the gold standard of travel destinations across the globe" and praised Anthology's "strong track record of creating innovative, cutting-edge integrated work."

Anthology also handles clients in the financial, healthcare, communications, retail, sustainability, education and transportation sectors, including Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaiian Telcom, PACCAR and Kenworth Trucks.

Finn Partners chalked up $108.9M in overall 2020 fees.
Two young, successful filmmakers have spent several months in Birr this year working on their animation film project, and reflected on their time in the town during the recent OFFline film festival in the town.

Eabha Bortolozzo and Jack Kirwan are Irish, multi-award-winning directors who have reached a very high standard in their chosen craft of animation filmmaking. Their exceptional talent has already produced a fair bit of excellent work, which they will hopefully build upon in the years to come.

Since meeting in 2014 in their degree course in IADT Animation, the two have co-directed two short films together. We met in college in 2014, says Jack, and hit it off straight away.

Their first film, The Usual, was well received and selected to screen nationally and internationally at festivals in Asia, the US and in Europe. We were greatly encouraged by that, said Eabha, to receive such a warm reception to our first film.

Her Song is their second film and revolves around the infamous Mother & Baby homes which are a deep scar in our history. 56,000 women spent time in these homes between 1922 and 1998.

Since its completion in March 2020, "Her Song" has secured a longlist nomination for the Academy Awards 2022 and an IFTA for Best Animation as well as numerous other awards. Judging by the trailer it seems obvious why the film has been nominated for the Academy Awards - visually it's very striking, and the drawing skill on show is top notch.

Eabha and Jack recently finished their six-month residency in Birr as part of OFFline Film Festival. The six-month residency is supported by the Trench Trust and Offaly County Council. It provides a fantastic opportunity for young animators to devote six months exclusively to their craft in Birr's inspirational setting. The residency has been running for four years. During their time here, Jack and Eabha developed an idea for their third short film called Buoy.

The film is inspired by their personal experiences with sea swimming during the lockdowns in 2020. The film explores how sea swimming can shape a persons life and guide them through difficult moments. In addition to developing this idea, the pair have also been working on a new film inspired by the surrounding boglands. This film is due to start production in late 2021 with support from Screen Ireland and RTE.

We have loved our residency in Birr, said Jack. Birr Castle and the town have been inspirational places for us. The people of Birr have been very friendly.
Offaly Minister of State Pippa Hackett is heading to Glasgow next week as Ireland attend COP26, a UN conference on climate change which got underway on Monday, November 1.

Ireland is attending as a responsible global player in the battle against climate change, according to Senator Pippa Hackett, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Farming and Marine.

Speaking as the 12-day conference of 120 nations gets underway in Glasgow, Minister Hackett said: We are happy to be taking the lead when it comes to Climate Action, and we are determined to provide a positive example to other nations of what can be done.

We have taken steps to shift away from fossil fuels, and our Climate Action Plan will be published while the conference is in progress. We are a positive example to other nations of what can be done.

Amid warnings that this conference is a Code Red for Humanity, huge efforts are being made to persuade governments to improve their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

We need to keep the temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius, says Senator Hackett. Not to do so will see an increase in floods, droughts, heatwaves, and storms. Our local authorities will not be able to cope. Our farms will suffer. Our citizens will suffer.

The solution is to lower our emissions and maintain a planet that future generations can inhabit comfortably, without such weather extremes. Ireland may be a small country, but we are leading the way here and our presence at COP26 will help persuade the bigger players of potential for action.

In my own region in the Midlands, our economy is switching brown-to-green. We are generating renewable energy, restoring our boglands, and retrofitting our homes. These are all essential measures to reduce emissions. I will proudly share this experience at COP26

I will also share with delegates how we are embracing the opportunities arising in the new Green economy. Im thinking of the Rhode Energy Park in Offaly and the training of retrofitting apprentices, which will create new jobs for skilled workers.

Minister Hackett will travel to Glasgow next week to attend COP26.
Stephen Penrose, who is accused of murdering a man who met a "gruesome death" in Rahin woods, has this afternoon "re-engaged" his solicitor, while his junior counsel might return to represent him at trial, the jury has heard. The accused man had earlier dispensed with what was his second legal team.

On Monday morning, Mr Justice Alexander Owens told the 12 jurors to concern themselves "with the evidence and not the why's as to why" the accused had dispensed with his second legal team.

However, at 2.30pm, the judge informed the jury that Mr Penrose had "re-engaged" his solicitor Mr Michael French and he understood that junior counsel Mr Eoghan Weldon BL might return to represent the accused tomorrow. The accused has not retained his senior counsel Mr Anthony Sammon SC.

The 38-year-old is continuing to decline to attend his trial, which is in its fourth week at the Central Criminal Court.

At the outset of the case on October 13, the judge told the jury of eight men and four women that the accused Mr Penrose had dispensed with the services of his legal team, which he was entitled to do, and they should not draw any inference from that.

Mr Penrose then represented himself and went on to cross-examine the victim's mother, Angela Finnegan, who told him she believed that another man was involved in the killing of her son Philip Finnegan.

Mr Justice Owens later warned Mr Penrose that he would be taken to the cells and banned from participating in his own trial if he continued to "abuse" and "ballyrag" witnesses.

The judge said he would not allow his courtroom to become "a circus" after Mr Penrose accused a garda inspector, whom he was cross-examining, of lying under oath.

On October 20, Mr Justice Owens informed the jurors that the accused had hired new lawyers but had declined to continue attending his trial and the case proceeded in his absence.

The court heard on that date that Mr Michael French was appointed as the accused's solicitor and Mr Anthony Sammon SC alongside Mr Eoghan Weldon BL were representing him.

The jury spent last Friday listening to the content of Mr Penrose's six initial garda interviews, in which he told detectives that he heard his missing friend was sitting in Jamaica eating a Big Mac". The accused also told gardai that he heard the victim had been "chopped up" in the Dublin mountains.

In his fourth interview, the defendant insisted that he would not be going on trial for "any Finnegans". "Put me in custody. I'll be swinging on a rope. I don't know anything," he added.

Mr Penrose, of Newtown Court, Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin 17, has pleaded not (NOT) guilty to murdering Mr Finnegan (24) at Rahin Woods, Rahin, Edenderry, Co Kildare on August 10, 2016.

The trial has heard that Mr Finnegan went missing before his decapitated body was found buried in a shallow grave in a Kildare woods.

Prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC today began reading the seventh interview given by Mr Penrose to gardai on September 2 2016, when Mr Finnegan was the subject of a missing person investigation.

Mr Penrose told gardai in his initial interviews that he parked up his car at the turn off for Kilcock on August 10 and Mr Finnegan had run over to another car to meet someone. "Then a fella walked over towards me, I can't remember if I opened my door. The minute he came over he swung a knife towards me. I think I went to block it. I just drove, as I was driving I saw two people scuffling with Phillip. I just kept driving. I pulled into a petrol station to get petrol and my arm just started pulsing blood, [sic]" he said.

At the beginning of the fifth interview, Mr Penrose changed his account and told gardai that the last place he had seen his friend was at the accused's old house in Broadford in Co Kildare as Mr Finnegan had arranged to meet people to collect a shotgun.

Garda Laura O'Brien agreed with Mr Grehan today that the accused drew the investigation team a map in his seventh interview to mark the area where he had pulled in his car and circled a "staggered crossroads" [the four roads don't come together] at Clonuff in Broadford.

The witness agreed with Mr Grehan that this was a different location to the accused's house at Broadford, where he had previously indicated that he had met a group of men in a black car.

When asked how Mr Penrose came to draw a map, Gda O'Brien said that detectives were asking the accused about locations and he had volunteered "to draw a map for clarity".

In the seventh interview, the accused agreed with officers that he had parked his car on the back road, where himself and Mr Finnegan smoked a joint. "I was confused earlier, everything is the same apart from the exact location," said Mr Penrose.

As the trial was taking place this afternoon, the accused's former solicitor Mr French handed a note to the solicitor for the prosecution and Mr Grehan told the judge that a matter had arisen.

The judge then asked the jury to leave the courtroom.

When the jury returned to the courtroom a few minutes later, Mr Justice Owens addressed them saying: "Mr Penrose has re-engaged his solicitor Mr French and I understand his barrister Mr Weldon might be back tomorrow."

In his eighth interview, gardai asked the accused why he was lying as he had given three different locations as to where Mr Finnegan had been bundled into a car. "Cause I was in fear of my life," he replied. "No more lies, sick of ye, it happened where I said it happened," added Mr Penrose.

The accused said in his ninth interview that Mr Finnegan met at least three other people on August 10 and they had "bundled" him into the car. "I was driving off and saw them piling him into the car.......Philip was with me until I got to those crossroads," he said.

When asked why he had changed his runners that day, Mr Penrose replied: "I don't know. I'm confused".

Mr Penrose was released from his detention after the tenth and final interview took place on September 2, when Mr Finnegan was still considered a missing person, the court heard.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Owens and the 12 jurors.

In his opening address, prosecuting barrister Mr Grehan said that Mr Finnegan's decapitated body was found buried in a shallow grave in a Kildare woods. Counsel said Mr Finnegan had "certain troubles in the past" and had taken to wearing a protective vest.

The lawyer also told the jury in his opening address that attempts had been made to cut up and burn the body of Mr Finnegan, who had been missing for almost a month and who had met a "gruesome death".

Significantly, the barrister said, the jury will hear evidence that a bloodied glove was found in the woods which was a DNA match to the accused man Mr Penrose.

Evidence has been given that Mr Penrose's phone connected to a cell site close to the area where the victims body was found.
TG4 is celebrating 25 years of Irish language programming.

The station went on air for the first time on October 31st 1996 and now has an average of 1.27million weekly viewers in the Republic of Ireland.

They have released a new advertising campaign called Suil Eile - or Eyes Wide in English - featuring actor Donall O Healai to mark the 25th anniversary.

O Healai called it "a real honour to be part of" and said, "A privilege to work with Lorcan Hynes and [sic] - their talent visible in each frame along with the incredible creative team at Tenth Man and production team who brought this to life."

Eyes Wide | Suil Eile @tg4tv 25



Is iontach @tg4tv a bheith ar an bhfod le 25 bliain. Ba onoir e oibriu le @LorcanHynes & #steveanais a dtalann le feiceail i ngach frama mar aon leis an bhfoireann iontach cruthaitheach in @tenthmanhello agus an fhoireann leiriuchain ar fad pic.twitter.com/OXavlc2w8b October 22, 2021

Cathaoirleach of the TG4 Board, Siun Ni Raghallaigh, called the channel "a champion of Irish culture, creativity and talent".

She said, "[We] look forward to continuing to invest in a vibrant, creative independent sector which ensures TG4 and the Irish language remain relevant and important part of Irelands Public Service Media."

TnaG, as TG4 was formerly known as, commenced broadcasting under the watch of President Michael D. Higgins when he served as Minister for Arts.

The president celebrated over the weekend by visiting the set of flagship programme, Ros na Run, along with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife.
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Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

The Americas accounted for more than half of the global VC investment total, with a record $94 billion invested across 3,934 deals in funding during Q3 2021, said a study.

The US accounted for $82.8 billion of this total across 3,518 deals - also setting a new quarterly record, according to the Q3 2021 edition of Venture Pulse - a quarterly report published by KPMG Private Enterprise on VC trends.

VC investment in Brazil and Mexico reached record levels of funding at $3.7 billion and $1.4 billion respec......................

To view our full article Click here
B. G., Opalesque Geneva for New Managers:

Peter Redhead has joined Corinthian as partner and chief operating officer. He has over 25 years of experience in international financial markets, most recently as global head of equity research at Macquarie. Prior to this, he was head of both Asian and European research at JPMorgan.

"I am pleased to be working with Peter again, after our time at JPMorgan together," said Corinthian CEO Paul Frost-Smith. "He comes on board at a key time for us as we prepare to open the Chiron Fund to external investment."

Corinthian, which is headquartered in the UAE, is a new global digital assets investment advisor for hedge fund, fund of funds and VC businesses. Corinthian operates through group companies located in the UK, the USA, Singapore, and Switzerland. It was launched in August 2021.

Corinthian recently acquired Argentium, where Paul Frost-Smith was a founder, and which was the first European digital assets hedge fund manager to commit to carbon neutrality.

Argentium continues to develop systematic and algorithmic crypto trading strategies on behalf of Corinthian, partnering with US digital execution house MainBloq......................

To view our full article Click here
Ottumwa, IA (52501)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 54F. SW winds shifting to NW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Low 34F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Running for a school board seat is getting expensive in Iowa given the current intense interest in how schools are responding to the coronavirus pandemic and teaching history
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BIG RAPIDS  Robert H. Mann will be the guest preacher on Sunday in the final 150th anniversary service of the year at St. Peters Lutheran Church.

Rev. Mann will be preaching in the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services and will be the guest presenter in a special Bible study at 9:45 a.m.

Rev. Mann attended Concordia College, Portland, in the pre-ministerial program, continuing on to Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, graduating in 1964 with a B.A. degree in sociology. His post-graduate studies began at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, where he received his Master of Divinity degree in 1968.

While at seminary he enrolled in the military chaplaincy program, serving in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1972 when he was honorably discharged. He has also pursued additional academic courses in Human Relations at the University of Oklahoma, Clinical Pastoral Education in Victoria, B.C., and computer science at Ferris State University.

Robert and Joan (Pohanka) were married in Grand Rapids, before traveling to their first call in 1968 at St. Johns Lutheran Church, Moore, Oklahoma. During their seven years there, he also served on the District Board of Directors as Director of Youth Ministries. In 1975 he accepted a call to Peace Lutheran Church in Sidney, British Columbia, where he also initiated a Lutheran campus ministry at the University of Victoria.

In 1979 he was called by the Michigan District LCMS to be Campus Pastor for Ferris State University at Prince of Peace Lutheran Chapel. During those eight years, in addition to his campus duties, Rev. Mann established a mission congregation, Resurrection Lutheran in Sand Lake, serving them for three years until they were able to call a full-time pastor.

He then joined the staff of St. Peters Lutheran in Big Rapids as pastor of adult education with primary emphasis on campus work. In 1986 he returned to the full-time parish ministry, as Administrative Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church and School, Port Huron, serving there until his retirement in 2007. During those 20 years, he was also actively involved in community service, including Marriage Builders of St. Clair County and Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers, a non-profit agency to assist seniors in their own residence.

Rev. Mann has served on the Michigan District Board of Missions and as an adjunct instructor of Christian Ethics and Biblical Studies at Concordia University, Ann Arbor. He and his wife have two children, Ruth and David.

Since retirement, the Manns have traveled extensively to all 50 states, most of Canada and some 20 countries around the world.

Visitors and guests are invited to the anniversary services on Sunday and also to a special evening prayer setting at the church on Sunday, which starts at 4 p.m.

The evening prayer is by David Gilson, director of music, and will feature the West Michigan Lutheran Chorale. Its in celebration of the 150th anniversary.
MANISTEE A collective bargaining agreement with the Police Officers Association of Michigan, a clinical agreement with Munson Manistee Hospital, and consideration of a temporary activity permit for North Channel Brewery are among some of the items to be voted on at Wednesday's city council meeting.

Manistee City Council's meeting will be on Wednesday instead of on Tuesday, because of the upcoming consolidated city and council election taking place on Tuesday. City hall will be closed for the election.

Among the first order of new business on the Manistee City Council's agenda for the meeting, is a tentative collective bargaining agreement with the Police Officers Association of Michigan, which represents Manistee City Police Department officers. The tentative agreement would last three years.

The agreement, from the council agenda document, reads, "A tentative agreement for a new three-year Police Officers Association of Michigan contract was reached. The Manistee Police officers, represented by the Police Officers Association of Michigan, ratified the tentative agreement."

Council could take action to approve the collective bargaining agreement. The move would also authorize the mayor and city manager to execute the agreement and make the wage and step increases retroactive to July 1, 2021.

The council will also vote on a clinical agreement with Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital for an emergency services training class. This class would be a collaboration between the City of Manistee Fire Department and Munson Medical Center-Regional EMS education to allow students in the paramedic program to work with city of Manistee paramedics in order to get real-world experience and meet the requirements for state and national licensing.

The agreement from the agenda document reads in part, "The Manistee Fire Department would collaborate with Munson Medical Center-Regional EMS Education to provide a clinical site for students to obtain required assessment time on an ambulance."

Council will also discuss a temporary activity permit for North Channel Brewery. The temporary activity permit would allow the brewery to set up additional outdoor seating on the sidewalk from Nov. 1 through April 30, 2022.

A more specific description of what North Channel Brewery is requested can be found on the agenda document.

That item reads, "North Channel Brewery is requesting a temporary activity permit to allow for additional outdoor seating capacity on city sidewalks. Temporary activity permits must be approved via city council. This permit would allow for them to continue operations and provide safe, distanced, outdoor dining experience."

Council could take action to approve the temporary activity permit with recommended stipulations from the Manistee Downtown Development Authority and Manistee City Planning Department.

In the meeting's consent agenda portion, which are items considered routine by the city manager, is the scheduling of a public hearing for the establishment of a commercial rehabilitation district for a 3-acre site to include the Lakeshore Motel property, where the proposed Hampton Inn is planned to be built, as well as a retention area to the south.

That hearing is planned to be scheduled at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 at Manistee City Hall at council chambers.

A copy of the agenda can be found at manisteemi.gov.

Wednesday's city council meeting will be held at council chambers at Manistee City Hall, 70 Maple St.
MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (AP)  The Coast Guard says it has rescued two boaters after their small boat capsized off the North Carolina coast.

A Coast Guard news release said the rescue occurred Saturday night near Cedar Island, which is northeast of Morehead City. They had received information from county dispatchers that the boaters needed help after their boat capsized after taking waves over its side.
The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 5 million on Monday, less than two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems.

Michigan had 22,247 confirmed COVID-related deaths as of Monday, Nov. 1, according to its COVID-19 reporting website.

Area confirmed deaths from Bay, Gladwin, Isabella, Midland and Saginaw counties totaled 1,342, while probable deaths totaled 56; Midland County has 131 confirmed deaths and seven probable deaths.

According to Michigans website, confirmed deaths include those who had a COVID-19 infection and were either classified as deceased during the case investigation, had COVID listed as a cause of death on their death certificate, or died within 30 days of infection and their manner of death was listed as natural causes.

Probable deaths include persons who have COVID listed on their death certificate and there is no available evidence of a confirmatory test result  either positive or negative.

Midland County Department of Public Health Medical Director Dr. Catherine Bodnar explained that local deaths are reported to the county health department by hospitals, treating physicians, or coroners.

The numbers are then entered into the Michigan Disease Surveillance System (MDSS). From there, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) confirms whether COVID was the cause of death, as indicated by the death certificate.

As they (MDHHS) do a review, they may find more deaths or they may find that the death cant be included on COVID deaths, so theyre always reviewing and making corrections, Bodnar said.

Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil  all upper-middle-income or high-income countries  account for one-eighth of the world's population but nearly half of all reported deaths. The U.S. alone has recorded over 745,000 lives lost, more than any other nation.

"This is a defining moment in our lifetime," said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health. "What do we have to do to protect ourselves so we don't get to another 5 million?"

The death toll, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the populations of Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. It rivals the number of people killed in battles among nations since 1950, according to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Globally, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke.

The staggering figure is almost certainly an undercount because of limited testing and people dying at home without medical attention, especially in poor parts of the world, such as India.

Hot spots have shifted over the 22 months since the outbreak began, turning different places on the world map red. Now, the virus is pummeling Russia, Ukraine and other parts of eastern Europe, especially where rumors, misinformation and distrust in government have hobbled vaccination efforts. In Ukraine, only 17% of the adult population is fully vaccinated; in Armenia, only 7%.

"What's uniquely different about this pandemic is it hit hardest the high-resource countries," said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of ICAP, a global health center at Columbia University. "That's the irony of COVID-19."

Wealthier nations with longer life expectancies have larger proportions of older people, cancer survivors and nursing home residents, all of whom are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, El-Sadr noted.

Poorer countries tend to have larger shares of children, teens and young adults, who are less likely to fall seriously ill from the coronavirus.

India, despite its terrifying Delta variant surge that peaked in early May, now has a much lower reported daily death rate than wealthier Russia, U.S. and Britain, although there is uncertainty around India's figures.

The seeming disconnect between wealth and health is a paradox that disease experts will be pondering for years. But the pattern that is seen on the grand scale, when nations are compared, is different when examined at closer range. Within each wealthy country, when deaths and infections are mapped, poorer neighborhoods are hit hardest.

In the U.S., for example, COVID-19 has taken a disproportionate toll on Black and Hispanic people, who are more likely than white people to live in poverty and have less access to health care.

"When we get out our microscopes, we see that within countries, the most vulnerable have suffered most," Ko said.

Wealth has also played a role in the global vaccination drive, with rich countries accused of locking up supplies. The U.S. and others are already dispensing booster shots at a time when millions across Africa haven't received a single dose, though the rich countries are also shipping hundreds of millions of shots to the rest of the world.

Africa remains the world's least vaccinated region, with just 5% of the population of 1.3 billion people fully vaccinated.

"This devastating milestone reminds us that we are failing much of the world," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a written statement. "This is a global shame."

In Kampala, Uganda, Cissy Kagaba lost her 62-year-old mother on Christmas Day and her 76-year-old father days later.

"Christmas will never be the same for me," said Kagaba, an anti-corruption activist in the East African country that has been through multiple lockdowns against the virus and where a curfew remains in place.

The pandemic has united the globe in grief and has pushed survivors to the breaking point.

"Who else is there now? The responsibility is on me. COVID has changed my life," said 32-year-old Reena Kesarwani, a mother of two boys, who was left to manage her late husband's modest hardware store in a village in India.

Her husband, Anand Babu Kesarwani, died at 38 during India's crushing coronavirus surge earlier this year. It overwhelmed one of the most chronically underfunded public health systems in the world and killed tens of thousands as hospitals ran out of oxygen and medicine.

In Bergamo, Italy, once the site of the West's first deadly wave, 51-year-old Fabrizio Fidanza was deprived of a final farewell as his 86-year-old father lay dying in the hospital. He is still trying to come to terms with the loss more than a year later.

"For the last month, I never saw him,'' Fidanza said during a visit to his father's grave. "It was the worst moment. But coming here every week helps me."

Today, 92% of Bergamo's eligible population have had at least one shot, the highest vaccination rate in Italy. The chief of medicine at Pope John XXIII Hospital, Dr. Stefano Fagiuoli, said he believes that's a clear result of the city's collective trauma, when the wail of ambulances was constant.

In Lake City, Florida, LaTasha Graham, 38, still gets mail almost daily for her 17-year-old daughter, Jo'Keria, who died of COVID-19 in August, days before starting her senior year of high school. The teen, who was buried in her cap and gown, wanted to be a trauma surgeon.

"I know that she would have made it. I know that she would have been where she wanted to go," her mother said.

In Rio de Janeiro, Erika Machado scanned the list of names engraved on a long, undulating sculpture of oxidized steel that stands in Penitencia cemetery as an homage to some of Brazil's COVID-19 victims. Then she found him: Wagner Machado, her father.

"My dad was the love of my life, my best friend," said Machado, 40, a saleswoman who traveled from Sao Paulo to see her father's name. "He was everything to me."

AP journalists Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chhitpalgarh, India; Cara Anna in Nairobi, Kenya; Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda; Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Colleen Barry in Bergamo, Italy; and Diane Jeantet in Rio de Janeiro contributed.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Tess DeGayner.

Thursday, Oct. 28

10:39 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a single-vehicle crash at a Midland Township location. The driver was issued a citation.

9:50 p.m.  A deputy responded to a Jasper Township residence to speak with a 20-year-old male regarding ongoing issues with unknown subjects. The male inquired about the personal protection process and how to remove himself from social media. The deputy provided information to the male.

8:26 p.m.  Officers responded to an animal complaint in the 800 block of West St. Andrews Road.

8:19 p.m.  A 25-year-old Gladwin County male was issued a citation for Unregistered Vehicle following a traffic stop conducted on a Village of Sanford roadway.

7:32 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a car-deer accident which occurred on a Lee Township roadway.

5:11 p.m.  A deputy came upon a crash that occurred in the City of Midland. The deputy called for an ambulance for a 21-year-old male with a neck injury. He also held the scene down until an officer from MPD arrived on the scene for the report.

4:58 p.m.  Officers responded to a civil complaint in the 4500 block of North Saginaw Road.

4:32 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a residence in Hope Township regarding an open door upon an individual returning home. The deputies arrived on scene and cleared the home for the residents. Nothing abnormal was found.

4:01 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to Edenville Township regarding a disorderly juvenile on a school bus. The parents of the juvenile arrived on scene and removed the juvenile from the school bus prior to deputies arrival.

2:48 p.m.  A Midland doctors office requested a deputy to check on a patient they could not reach by phone. The Sheriffs Office was familiar with the individual and their family and also had had very recent contact. The deputy called the individual and left a message. The individual called back a short time later, advising they were all set, and the individual was instructed to call their doctors office.

1:17 p.m.  Deputies made contact with an 86-year-old male regarding trash being found on his property in Greendale Township. The male advised trash was found partially on his property and on the county right-of-way. The male was advised to contact his township supervisor and/or the trash removal business for his area to inquire about removing the trash. A deputy completed a briefing sheet to BOL the area.

12:24 p.m.  Officers found property in the 5100 block of Amberwood Court.

8:41 a.m.  A deputy responded to a Warren Township address regarding an altercation between a 53-year-old male and his 33-year-old son who does not live at that address. The son left before the deputys arrival. The caller requested no action by the Sheriffs Office, other than assisting him in trespassing his son. The father called his son and left a message in the deputys presence telling him not to return to this property. The deputy provided his business card and requested follow-up confirmation that the message was received.

3:47 a.m.  A 23-year-old St. Johns female and 24-year-old Riverdale female were arrested for possession of methamphetamine after a traffic stop in Lee Township. Both females were transported and lodged at the Midland County Jail without incident and the vehicle was towed by Mid-State.

3:15 a.m.  Officers responded to a false alarm near the 2500 block of Waldo Avenue.

12:27 a.m.  A 26-year-old female was stopped for a traffic offense in Jerome Township. The female was subsequently cited and released. The vehicle was not impounded due to being legally parked in a private drive.
Midland County had 83 new COVID-19 cases reported from Oct. 30-Nov. 1.

COVID-19 numbers reported from Oct. 30-Nov. 1

Midland County: 83 cases and two deaths were added; pandemic total is 9,656 cases, 886 probable cases, 131 deaths and seven probable deaths.

Bay County: 130 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 14,083 cases, 1,096 probable cases, 376 deaths and 15 probable deaths.

Gladwin County: 31 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 2,800 cases, 544 probable cases, 69 deaths and four probable deaths.

Isabella County: 84 cases and one death were added; pandemic total stands at 7,815 cases, 1,440 probable cases, 119 deaths and six probable deaths.

Saginaw County: 205 cases and two deaths were added; pandemic total stands at 25,756 cases, 2,053 probable cases, 647 deaths and 24 probable deaths

The state added 9,313 cases and 65 deaths from Saturday through Monday. Overall, Michigan is at 1,137,748 cases and 22,247 deaths.

Recovered

According to the Midland County Health Department website, which was updated Oct. 18, 8,695 Midland County individuals have recovered from COVID. The state reported that as of Oct. 22, a total of 982,288 persons have recovered.

Testing

Midland Countys seven-day rolling positivity rate on Oct. 28 was listed at 13.7% and Gladwin Countys was listed at 15.8%. Our 12-county region was listed at 17.2% and Michigan was at 11.4%.

MidMichigan Health statistics

As of Oct. 25, MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland was listed as having an 77% bed occupancy, with 37 COVID patients and seven in the ICU. MidMichigan Medical Center in Gladwin was listed as having a 67% bed occupancy with four COVID patients and none in the ICU.

Both medical centers reported having at least 15-30 days worth of personal protection equipment (N95, surgical masks, gowns, gloves and eye protection) on hand.

Schools

As of Friday, Midland Public Schools reported 223 staff/students were in close contact to an individual who was confirmed COVID-19 positive, and 55 staff/students currently tested positive for the virus.

Schools with one or more staff/students confirmed positive for COVID-19 as of Friday include Dow High (19), Midland High (78), Jefferson Middle (11), Northeast Middle (27), Plymouth Elementary (6), Siebert Elementary (26) and Woodcrest Elementary (7).

Bullock Creek School District reported on Monday that one staff member and four students are current positive cases. There are also 148 students (but no staff members) currently in quarantine.

Bullock Creek schools with one or more confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Monday include Pine River Elementary (1), Bullock Creek Middle School (1) and Bullock Creek High School (2).

Midland County vaccinations

The Michigan COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard lists Midlands completed vaccine rate is 67.3%.

As of Friday, the FDA has authorized the use of Pfizers COVID vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds. Currently, the other vaccines are not authorized to be given to those under age 12.

Midland County Health Department is hosting a weekly walk-in COVID vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Friday on the second floor of the Midland County Services Building, 220 W. Ellsworth St., Midland.

Future COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Midland County are listed at www.co.midland.mi.us/HealthDepartment/COVIDVaccineInformation.aspx. Those with questions may call 989-832-6380 or email MCDPH@co.midland.mi.us.
The Midland Downtown Business Association invites residents and visitors to shop locally and support the Midland community at their annual Holiday Open House, which is set for Nov. 12-14.

Guests will be treated to new merchandise, exciting holiday items, special services, new menu items, and more to get shoppers in the holiday spirit. Gift-givers can make the holidays extra special with items from Downtown Midland.
To the editor:

President Biden's AG Merrick Garland has directed our federal counterterrorism agents to monitor parents who speak up at their local school board meetings.

Now identified as possible domestic terrorists, most of these concerned parents are likely intimidated. The AG has clearly weaponized our nation's criminal laws to stifle parents' rights to voice their views in open opposition to their school boards' ideological agendas.

This administration's action to effectively smother free speech, chill dissenting opinions and intimidate parents concerned with their children's education should be frightening to us all.

Parents as terrorists

DOJ, FBI carry clout

They'll find you, punish you, there's no doubt

As a crazed terrorist

You're a threat, they insist

If you dare to stand up and speak out

Maybe these federal agents should wear brown shirts, hobnail boots and red armbands to further enforce parental compliance with Mr. Garland's orders.

That would make his intent clear to everyone.

DICK VOTAW

Midland
Ive never been to Alsace.

Like Corsica, It is a missing page in my French wine region passport. Ive got as far as Neuchatel, circa 2hrs south, but Gamaret plots in northern Switzerland feel like a different world.

With this years Millesimes Alsace wine fair, however, I at least had a sniff.

For 2021, Alsaces most significant wine trade show went digital, with the Millesimes Alsace Digitasting offering up so much of the vibe of a traditional fair, but without the whole going to Alsace bit.

The CIVA (Alsaces wine organisation) went full tilt, too, with 100 producers each manning virtual stands. You could book appointments with all of them, and packs of up to 40 samples (mini bottles, sealed under nitrogen) were shipped all around the world in early June.

I was primed. I had calendars, boxes from 10 different producers (focussing on BD & organic) and my map of Alsace, all ready to go

Except life got in the way, and the same week in June as the Digitasting, we needed to move house, and my program went out the window. I missed the producer connection, the debates, the Alsace shebang.

Balls.

Thankfully, I still had my ten boxes of mini samples, so I threw my attention into a tasting deep dive instead. If I cant go to France, Ill at least dig through my samples and an ocean of Google-translated French websites.

Despite the bottling vagaries (reduction and oxidation aplenty), I liked so many wines too, no doubt helped by producers lobbing up samples from across the Alsace spectrum  young and old, simple AOC and Grand Cru, hedonistic Gewurz, and ambitious young Pinot.

All of it just made the itch to get to Alsace grow stronger, especially after 18 months here behind the closed borders of hermit kingdom Australia.

Brand Grand Cru, Alsace. I havent been here

Not Alsace in Switzerland. Ive been here.

In other notables, the 2019 Alsace vintage sang like a siren. Believe the hype. Ripe, approachable, yet without losing acidity, so many of my favourite wines were all 19s.

Also, this lineup reminded me how much I love Gewurz. Sure, all the love goes toward Riesling, Pinot Gris and even Pinot, but the titillation seemed to come from a Gewurz direction  lets revel in that musky terpene glory.

Here are four producers wines that I liked, some of which are available here in Australia.

Please excuse the staccato notes, but these are words as written on the day back in June. Extra winery notes are in italics, verbatim (the translation loses a bit in the way, but theyll entertain you).

Domaine Maurice Schoech

Based in Ammerschwihr, this organic estate can trace its roots back to 1650. The labels are old school, and the Complantation blend is something special  theres an effortlessness here that belies the modest profile. This was one of the first boxes of mini samples that I opened, and the quality pushed me to take even closer notice. Not currently coming to Australia, sadly.

Sonnenberg Riesling 2019

Real expression of the granit, lively, frank and straight wine is a perfect revealer of fishes and seafood. RS 2.5G/L, 13.5% alc. Domaine Maurice Schoech

Fresh pure and ripe with yellow peach and more stone fruit on the carefully phenolic palate. A good solid, riper styled AC Alsace with a vitality to match. A teensy bit warm on the ripe finish, but it just adds flesh. Nice. 17.5/20, 91/100.

Grand Cru Kaefferkopf Riesling 2019

Reflect(ion) of the granitic and sandstone terroir of the Grand Cru Kaefferkopf, this cheerful and lively Riesling will enhance any great culinary creations. RS 6g/L, 13.5% alc. Domaine Maurice Schoech

Tight, racy, yet still ripe, the nose offering a suggestion of ripe fruit, but its more about coiled, gentle stone fruit power than obviousness. Indeed. Its a wine of compact fruit, the finish tight, grippy, and so reserved. Much to come in this slightly raw but unquestionably powerful Riesling. Drink later. 18/20, 93/100+

Complantation Rangen de Thann Harmonie R 2017

Pure expression of the volcanic terroir of Rangen de Thann, this meaningful, salty and precise wine of fire will reveal all types of world food. Pinot Gris, Riesling and a little Gewurz. RS 7g/L, 13.5% alc. Domaine Maurice Schoech

Another chunky, expressive wine. Unequivocally ripe. Opulent. Such a mouthful of wine, the ripe pear of Pinot Gris, the palate lightly viscous, fleshy, and so mouth-filling. It flirts with an excess of bright nectarine fruit but is pulled back by the faint sweetness to finish. Maybe too much? Long and intense. Wonderful. 18.5/20, 94/100.

Grand Cru Kaefferkopf Complantation Contemplation 2018

Historical cuvee on the Grand Cru Kaefferkopf, this field blend of Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris reveals the granitic and sandstone terroir. The rose, spices, roundness and freshness of this wine makes him a great enhancer of Asian culinary creations. RS 18g/L, 13% alc. Domaine Maurice Schoech

Gloriously opulent off-dry style, with flashing lights of warm apricots, the sweetness adding weight, even more weight, musky lusciousness to finish. Its a huge mouthful of fruit that flirts with overt hedonism. Extravagant wine. 18.7/20, 95/100.

Gustave Lorentz

Founded in 1836, this family estate has 33 hectares on the hills of Bergheim and holds a third of the Grand Cru of Altenberg De Bergheim. Certified organic since 2012, and with 55% of the wines exported, this feels more polished, and the labelling looks ace. Available locally from Young & Rashleigh.

Grand Cru Kanzlerberg Riesling 2017

The 3.23 ha of the Kanzlerberg (smallest Grand Cru in Alsace !) vineyard are composed of a characteristic clay-limestone soil, but also include grey and black gypsum Muschelkalk-bearing marl, something rarely seen in the Alsace wine-producing region, which creates a very heavy soil. The rather steep, South and South-West facing slope of Kanzlerberg flattens out to form a small plateau of an average altitude of 250 meters, below which flows the Bergenbach brook. RS 4.33g/L,13% alc. Gustave Lorentz

Subtle, gently nutty, the palate tight, subtle, clean. All the fruit is understated. Plenty of acidity. Phenolic. Tangy. Surprisingly not ready, as the primary fruit sits below the surface. In an in-between phase. 17.5/20, 91/100.

Grand Cru Altenberg De Bergheim Vielles Vignes Riesling 2016

This wine is produced from 100 % Riesling grapes from the classified Grand Cru site of the Altenberg of Bergheim vineyard owned by Gustave Lorentz. The dominant soil of this area is clay and limestone; the vines from which this wine is produced are very old, between 30 and 50 years old. The pride of Bergheim winegrowers, the Altenberg has been renowned for its fine wines since the end of the 13th century. Altenberg Grand Cru wines are remarkable for the perfect balance between their subtle, distinguished aroma and their powerful, virile body. They are gastronomic wines par excellence. RS 4.6g/L,13% alc. Gustave Lorentz

Expressive, gently bottle-aged style. The concentrated stone fruit and yellow apple fruit just taking on the first blush of age. So many layers in this wine, gently honeyed fruit, chewy acidity, more yellow apples and an excellent tang. Long! So mouthfilling and delicious. 18.7/20, 95/100.

Grand Cru Altenberg De Bergheim Gewurztraminer 2012

Even though July was also dominated by water, a warm and dry weather settled from the beginning of August. The vineyard also experienced a heatwave during the second half of

August. Those high temperatures allowed to maintain very satisfying sanitary conditions. RS 26g/L, 14% alc. Gustave Lorentz

Wonderful. Still so fresh. The full Gewurz fragrance is on display. It doesnt feel moved by age, just softer. The acidity kisses that sweetness with perfect finesse. Theres just a whisper of toast to finish, alcohol adding some sweetness. The ultimate Gewurz advertisement, in a big and enveloping style. 18.5/20, 94/100.

La Limite Pinot Noir 2015

This wine comes from the named-place Froen situated between Bergheim Village and the lower Limit of the Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim. The southern exposure and the clay-limestone soil are the same as this latter. A very severe sorting has permit to select the most matured and perfectly healthiest grapes. After a long maceration of 18 days, the Pinot noir was vinified in Burgundian wooden barrels during 24 months, so as to soften tannins without highlighting in a too much pronounced way the wooded aromas of the barrel. 13% alc. Gustave Lorentz

Masculine Pinot! Oak drawn, with a particular sous bois mushroomy thickness, still lively at 6, firm, a little minty, has penetration, even if the tannins are a bit harder. Whole bunches, clearly. It needs more flesh but excellent savouriness. Not lacking in style, even if it could do with more fruit. Quality Alsace Pinot. 17.7/20, 92/100.

Domaine Gresser

The plain packaging of the mini samples means I missed out on the big G on the actual bottle labels, but the wines are worth it. This 11ha biodynamic (organic since 2007) estate in the Andlau Valley has plots across multiple Grand Crus. I love the transparency in these wines  they feel like the sort of real, estate-led Alsace wines that you only discover by touring the region. Not available in Australia (that I can see).

Grand Cru Kastelburg Riesling 2018

Unique Grand Cru dAlsace terroir, by its geological homogeneity, its uniform slope, its exclusivity of schist rock, a perfect Grand Cru delimited by nature, on the left and on the right by the forest, at the bottom by the river, alone and unique Schist terroir classified Grand Cru. RS 4.14g/l, 13% alc. Domaine Gresser.

Beautiful, slate and nectarine. Shy, smokey, appley palate is just beginning to show a little toast. In a transition. Plenty to come, given the firm finish. Class. 17.7/20, 92/100+.

Grand Cru Moenchberg Riesling 2017

It is a rocky outcrop in the shape of a circular arc extending from the Brandhof, it is located in the towns of Andlau and Eichhoffen. Southern exposure, basin well protected from easterly winds, low slope. 37-year-old vines, yielding 30hl/ha. RS 7.2g/l, 13% alc. Domaine Gresser.

Dense. It is aromatically subdued, but the palate is thick and almost meaty in its chunky fruit and fans out late. Real backloaded sort of powerhouse wine. But it needs a rest. Wait. 18/20, 93/100+

Grand Cru Wiebelsberg Riesling 2014

Located in the town of Andlau, at the entrance to the valley, southern exposure, steep slope and rocks of Gres Rose des Vosges. The sandstone is crumbly and lets the roots plunge deeply to extract the minerality, the sandstone is compressed sand, very fluid, it gives the wine a beautiful vertical structure, fine, delicate, all in lace, at the top, close from the steeply sloping forest, we have Riesling. RS 6.54g/l ,13% Domaine Gresser.

Honey and lanolin on the waxy but shy nose. Again, this picks up speed as it goes, finishing nutty and lemony and delicious. So young still. High quality. 18/20, 93/100.

Grand Cru Moenchberg Gewurztraminer 2018

RS 31g/l, 14.5%

Moelleux, but another lovely drink of concentration and late spice phenolic crunch. Far from sweet. That spice fills your nose and senses. Intoxicating perfume is almost too much. Yes great! 18.5/20, 94/100.

Domaine Saint-Remy

Biodynamic estate (certified since 2010) from Wettolsheim with holdings across Hengst, Brand, Schlossberg & more. Noted for good cremant too. Not currently available in Australia.

Grand Cru Hengst Riesling 2019

RS 4.87, 13% alc.

Expressive nose with that 19 ripeness. This is a lovely ripe and detailed wine with real density. Not strictly perfumed, more textured. Ripe and proud. Cracking wine. 18.5/20, 94/100

Jade Riesling 2019

RS 4.4g/l, 13% alc.

Standard AOC Riesling and well executed. Concentration, zips of honeysuckle fruit, it flirts with more riper stone fruit but pulled back by acidity. Needs just a little more detail on the finish, but ostensibly a winner. 17.5/20, 91/100

H Pinot Noir 2017

13% alc.

Ambitious Alsace Pinot that just needs more fruit, but no shortage of style. Beetroot, blood, oak tannins step into the finish on this crunchy wine. Searching for more generosity, but I cant fault the length and structural class. Maybe a bit hard at the very end. 17.5/20, 91/100

Rosenberg Gewurztraminer 2019

RS 37g/l, 13% alc.

Stunning perfume. Just an AOC Alsace, but from the Rosenberg lieu-dir. Lilting and pretty. The sugar drives palate concentration, yet it doesnt taste sweet  just mouthfilling. Honey, rose water nectar, perfect balance. Its just a little light on in the finish, but an enjoyable drink. Like. 17.7/20, 92/100



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Photo: (Photo : congerdesign/Pixabay)

Mom Kristina Ozturk, 24, considers herself quite the hands-on mother towards her children but having 21 biological babies through surrogacy means that she needs all the extra help she can get from a team of nannies.

During a Q & A on her popular Instagram page, the mom from Russia detailed how their household manages with the babies, whom she and billionaire husband, Galip Ozturk, 57, welcomed between March 2020 to July 2021. Kristina said that she and Galip make it a point to bond with every child because "this is the most important thing in life."

The young mom said that mealtimes would be their most hectic schedule so she and Galip do not eat with the children during the weekdays. Family meals are done over the weekend and Sundays are sacred for Kristina.

"Sunday is a day off on the blog so that we can be just a family without prying eyes," the mom said.

Read Also: Canadian Fertility Doctor Who Inseminated His Sperm on IVF Patients To Pay $10.7 Million

How Kristina's Nannies Work

Kristina has a total of 16 live-in nannies for her 21 babies and they work on a rolling schedule every four days. The nannies' bedrooms are near the children's wing where there is a separate kitchen so the help can prepare or order food.

The mom said that there is no particular nanny assigned to a specific baby but a specific person is responsible for one or two children during the day. Things change up every weekend and Kristina supervises everything.

The babies go through 53 packs of formula milk and 20 large packs of diapers every week. The babies share wardrobes and some share bedrooms as well but the couple plan on expanding their house as the children grow up. The Ozturk family lives in a three-storey mansion.

As for spending quality time with the kids, Kristina said that she definitely plays with them and takes them out for park runs on double prams. She is with her children every single day, as many moms who stay at home normally do, and the only difference is she has more children to look after.

Kristina loves that every day is different with such a big family so her days are "never boring." She admits she does not get enough sleep but doesn't regret this because it's her choice to have many children. The mom advised her followers not to use surrogacy if that's not what they want.

The Ozturk Babies

Kristina and Galip's babies are Mustafa, 19 months, Mariam, 18 months, Ayrin, 18 months; Alisa, 18 months, Hasan, 17 months, Judi, 17 months, Harper, 16 months, Teresa, 16 months Huseyin, 16 months, Anna, 15 months, Isabella, 15 months, Ismail, 14 months, Mehmet, 14 months, Ahmet 14 months, Ali, 13 months, Kristina, 13 months, Sara, one year old, Lokman, one year old, Galip, 11 months, Olivia, nine months, and Judy, three months.

Some of the kids are twins or triplets. The Ozturk couple spent $195,500 for the surrogacy because it's been their dream to have a large family.

"Our surrogacy clinic is amazed but happy to help us with our dream of a big family," Kristina told Fabulous, adding that they might still have more children in the future.

Kristina has one other child, Victoria, 6 years old, whom she gave birth to before she met her husband. Galip, on other hand, has nine older children from previous relationships. One of his kids live with them, which means that the Ozturk have a total of 23 children in the house but Kristina said her favorite baby is none other than her husband.

Related Article: Wealthy 23-Year-Old Mom Vows to Have 105 Children With Her 56-Year-Old Husband
Photo: (Photo : KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Chicago is giving $500 a month for low-income families beginning 2022 under the pilot rollout of its basic income program, the biggest universal basic income benefit in the United States.

After the council voted "yes" on the basic income program on Wednesday, October 27, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that initial recipients would be about 5,000 families who earn less than $35,000 a year.

Chicago was able to secure the funding, which came from Biden's American Rescue Plan, after cutting $80 million from its police budget. Though Lightfoot said that the decision to divert the funds to the basic income program has stirred controversy, it makes sense to pass the "the most progressive budget in the history of Chicago."

Read Also: Child Tax Credit: October Payments Reduced for Some Parents Due to Adjustments

What is Chicago's Basic Income Program?

The purpose of Chicago's basic income program is to relieve low-income families from the economic hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first six months of the crisis, thousands of these low-income earners lost their jobs, pulling Chicago's poverty rate down to 18 percent.

The mayor said that she understands their struggles because her family lived from paycheck to paycheck while growing up, and she knows that every bit of income coming in will help those in need. While critics said that the benefit will discourage people from looking for jobs, she believes this is what her city must do at the moment with "many people suffering in pain and worrying about financial ruin."

Eventually, however, the mayor said they would have to "teach people how to fish." Once the system has been set in place, residents who apply for the monthly stipend will be randomly chosen.

Lightfoot also assured her constituents that there would be no more budget cuts for the police after critics also said that the fund should have gone to programs focused on violence prevention. During a graduation ceremony for the new recruits, the mayor said that residents favor having more police on the streets.

Other Mayors to Follow

After Chicago, other cities in the U.S. will also roll out their basic income programs. More than 50 signed the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income coalition spearheaded by Michael Tubbs, the mayor of Stockton in California.

In 2019, Tubbs launched the first universal basic income program in the U.S. that went to 125 residents. The benefit was good for two years and ended in January 2021.

Saint Paul, Minnesota, has also approved a similar program to provide $500 for 18 months for 150 recipients. Oakland, California, will begin accepting applications from 600 families, while Compton, California, will be able to accommodate 800 families for the next two years.

According to Business Insider, Stockton's two-year rollout brought a significant reduction to the city's unemployment problems and raised full-time employment among those who were in the program. Studies also showed that the families' emotional and mental wellbeing improved as they received enough money to buy necessities.

Gilbert Villegas from the Chicago council said they would monitor the program carefully and see if the stipend has to be automatically redirected to spending like food or utility bills.

Related Article: Stimulus Check: California Residents to Receive Between $600 and $1,100 for October
Yesterday we reported on on Mark Gurman's latest statements on Apple's coming mixed reality headset "handing games in high-quality virtual reality with snappy chips and high-end displays." Now in a new TF International Securities investor note to clients, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo adds a new revelation about Apple's future headset.

According to Kuo, "The adoption of the latest Wi-Fi specification is a basic requirement for head-mounted displays (HMDs) to improve the wireless experience. New HMDs from Meta, Apple, and Sony will all adopt Wi-Fi 6/6E in 2022.

Wi-Fi 6 is significantly better than Wi-Fi 5 in transmission speed and power consumption, so Meta's latest Oculus Quest 2 supports Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 6 helps Oculus Air Link operate more stably and allows for a display refresh rate of up to 120Hz (compared to 72Hz or 90Hz for Wi-Fi 5).

We forecast Meta, Apple, and Sony to be the most influential brands in the metaverse device market in 2022, with Meta, Apple, and Sony launching new HMDs in 2H22, 4Q22, and 2Q22, respectively."

One of the key markets for Wi-Fi 6E is Virtual and Augmented Reality. Below is a brief overview video from the Wi-Fi Alliance.

For more on Wi-Fi 6E in relation to VR, you could also read the 2020 article titled "Qualcomm Says New Wi-Fi 6E Chips Support 'VR-class low latency' for VR Streaming" here.

Kuo did mention Wi-Fi 7, but that's a little down the road.
To begin with let us understand what Surrogate Advertising is and then we come to the ethical part of it. Surrogate Advertising is a form of advertising which is used to promote regulated products, like cigarettes and alcohol, in the disguise of another harmless product.

Surprised? Yes sir, you should be. Companies are manipulating your minds through advertisements of harmless looking things to sell harmful products whose advertising has been banned or regulated by the Government.

How do they do it? This, rather shady, trick is designed on the associations your brain makes. What do you associate club soda and mineral water with? Ask yourself. Many would associate it with alcohol. This is because they are in a fairly close category.

So, a harmless looking advertisement of club soda gets you thinking about alcohol.

Another trick is that the banned product (alcohol or cigarettes) may not be projected directly to consumers but rather masked under another product under the same brand name. Products of a completely different category (for example, music CDs and playing cards) are used to hammer the brand name into the heads of consumers. The result is that whenever there is mention of that brand, people start associating it with its main product (alcohol or cigarette).

In India a large number of companies do surrogate advertising. You will find advertisements of Bacardi Blast music CD's, Bagpiper Club Soda and Officers Choice playing cards. They are hammering in the brand names of their main products in your mind through innocent looking products. The advertisements of brands like "Royal Challenge", "Kingfisher", "Blender's Pride", "Seagram's" etc. are everywhere, with some highly popular public figures promoting them. We all have seen these ads about trivial products from these brands on the TV, internet or even roadside hoardings. We know what they actually produce and sell, don't we? Yes, these brands primarily sell harmful substances like alcohol, cigarettes and tobacco whose advertisements have been banned or regulated by the government or media regulating agencies.

What does the law say? In India, the following have prohibited advertisements of these harmful substances:

CIGARETTES AND OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS (PROHIBITION OF ADVERTISEMENT AND REGULATION OF TRADE AND COMMERCE, PRODUCTION, SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION) ACT, 2003 ("COTPA"),



THE CABLE TELEVISION NETWORKS (REGULATION) ACT,1995

THE ADVERTISING STANDARDS COUNCIL OF INDIA (ASCI)

How do companies get around it? Companies like "Royal Challenge", "Kingfisher" etc. have simply subverted the ban by advertising their real products in a veiled manner. The products shown in the advertisements are usually frivolous items meant to create a facade behind which the brand promotes itself and its real products. Furthermore, they use their deep pockets to get some of the most popular celebrities to advertise their brands. Of course, they don't show their real product in the advertisements but ensure that they are being sold abundantly; hence creating a link between the banned substance and the brand in the viewer's mind. It's an open secret which regulating agencies often ignore.

This is indeed clever, but also a clear exploitation of legal loopholes.

What are the possible solutions to this menace that circumvents the law of the land? Solutions may come from:

Framing specific laws with unambiguous terms which allow such brands to specifically advertise only those products/services that are legal (to advertise) and sold in bulk by them.



The ASCI, relevant NGOs and people in general must take the initiative of raising awareness amongst the public against surrogate advertising. This could apply pressure on the companies and celebrities who endorse them, to remove/avoid such advertisements. At the same time, the companies which take such brands as sponsors or broadcast such ads must be questioned.

Banning the harmful products themselves, rendering the ads useless, even at the cost of losing taxes that come from their sale and the backlash from corporate lobbies and the unwitting public. This would, however, be a debatable and challenging proposition. However, we have seen it happen in states like Bihar.

Allowing the ASCI more power and discretion in order to identify and remove surrogate advertising, which may be the quickest solution.

The audacious misuse of legal loopholes or clever evasion of laws is alarmingly common, and their eradication must be given priority by the government and the society. This will maintain the integrity and effectiveness of the legal system and protect the society. Henceforth keep your eyes open for such tricks that corporations play and protect your family and friends.
The Minister for Education Dr. Yaw Adutwum has called on the statutory body mandated to regularise the operational licensing fees of schools, the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NASIA), to dialogue with the Association of International Certification Schools (ASICS) Ghana.



The call follows a disagreement that occurred between the mentioned influential groups in the educational sector overpayment of licensure fees.



ASICS Ghana, representing 42 schools that run international curriculum, maintained that its members were in good standing to operate in the country but the regulatory body, NASIA, insisted the members of ASICS had not paid their licensure fees to be in that position.





This disagreement between the two almost led to a clash which informed the Minister to intervene last week and to direct that licensure regime and the annual payment of the licensing fees be separated.



Dr. Yaw Adutwum said the licensure duration should be three years whilst operators are expected to pay the annual regularisation fees.



Meanwhile, checks on NASIA website indicate that when the issue broke only 16 out of 74 private schools had paid, but as of October 26, 2021, 40 more had paid, bringing the number to 56.



Also on the website was the policy document on the licensing and renewals, compiled by seasoned technocrats and the area of licensing.



Considering the role both NASIA and ASICS play in the educational sector, it is expected that the two factions will work together to enhance education in the country.



However, ASICS has assured that its members will not hold back from paying fees to be licensed. NASIA on the other hand also holds the position that was not interested in frustrating any person or institution wishing to operate a school in the pre-tertiary educational space but rather acting in accordance with the law to ensure that the institutions get operation authorization.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









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The Chief Executive Officer of K. Badu Agrochemicals, Dr Augustine Kofi Badu is set to receive a historic International Honorary Fellowship Award at The Law Faculty Auditorium, Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science and Technology come 10th November 2021 by George Fox University, USA.



The prestigious award from the higher learning institution, established in 1891 is the first-ever to an African.



In a letter of notice addressed to Dr Augustine Kofi Boadu ahead of the Honorary Conferment. and signed by Professor Tyler Cuddeford, PT, PHD Associate Dean, George Fox University College of Physical Therapy, it stated that the governing council at George Fox University in Newberg OR, USA, has the pleasure of informing Dr. Augustine Kofi Badu, that the joint committee of the faculty of the College of Physical Therapy has approved the recommendation proposed by Rectitude International Mission and its affiliate with the Bureau of Research on Governance, Commerce, and Administration (BORGCA) to receive an Honorary Fellowship (Doctor of Science) in AgriBusiness Management.



"We wish to recognize you, of your outstanding achievements, commitment, dedication to hard work; henceforward to be conferred with an Honorary Fellowship.



The governing council of George Fox University is now proud to inform Dr Augustine Kofi Badu of the Honorary Fellowship that the university will confer on you, Doctor of Science in AgriBusiness Management [Honoris Causa] coming Wednesday, 10th November 2021 at 2 pm at the Law Faculty Auditorium, KNUST."



It added, "On behalf of the university, I congratulate you on your achievements for this award and look forward to presenting you with this honorary title and award."













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James Mensah, the Facility Manager of West Hills Mall and Samuel Annum Adjei, a contractor, have been arrested by the Weija Divisional Police Command for blocking the entrance of China Mall with rocks.



According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Juliana Obeng, Head of Public Affairs Unit, Greater Accra Regional Police Command, preliminary investigations suggested that the West Hills Mall was competing with China Mall for clients, hence the blockage.



She said on Saturday, October 30, 2021, at about 0200 hours, the Police at Weija received a distress call from the security man at China mall that some persons were there with a dumping truck, tipping off rocks at the entrance of the China mall located behind the West Hills Mall.



DSP Obeng said Police immediately moved to the scene and upon arrival, they observed that the entrance to the mall had indeed been blocked with rocks.



She said the two suspects immediately took to their heels upon seeing the Police.



However, the suspects were given a hot chase, arrested and sent to the Command for questioning, DSP Obeng said.



She said James and Samuel both admitted to the offence and had been cautioned.



DSP Obeng said they were presently in Police custody assisting with investigations, meanwhile, the rocks have been moved from the entrance of the China Mall.







Source: GNA









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The Dean of the School of Sustainable Development of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) at Somanya, Professor Anthony Amoah, has called for an urgent action to help protect the countrys forests and reserves from depletion.



He bemoaned the fast-depletion of the countrys forests and reserves, calling for an immediate steps to halt the situation.



For him, the countrys forests and reserves were under serious threat due to encroachment and other human activities, including farming and estate development.



Workshop



Speaking at a workshop organised by the Environment and Natural Resource Research Initiative (ENRRI), in partnership with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) on Friday, October 29, 2021, Prof. Amoah, noted that many protected forests and reserves had been under attacks in the last decade.



He said protected forests, including the Achimota Forest, Shai Hills, Gua Kuo Forest were all under attacks, noting that the country was losing huge sums of money due to the fast-depletion of its forests and reserves.



Citing the World Bank report of 2019, he explained that in spite of efforts towards preserving Ghana's forest resources, it is estimated that net forest depletion which was US$1.578 billion in 2010 had risen to USD$3.134 billion in 2017.



That, Prof. Amoah noted, shows a net forest depletion of over 98 per cent from 2010-2017.



He was of the view that the countrys forests and reserves could be turned into world-class eco-tourism and recreational centers for revenue generation and employment creation.



For him, insects, medicinal plants and animals formed a great part of the countrys forests and reserves, and that also presented another avenue for revenue generation from the forests.



ENRRI  EfD Ghana



The seminar, which was organised by the ENRRI  EfD Ghana, brought together representatives from the various sectors, including representatives from the Forest Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Researchers, Academics, the media, and Civil Society Organisations.



The Environment and Natural Resource Research Initiative (ENRRI  EfD Ghana) is one of the 15 centres under the Environment for Development (EfD) Initiative, which contributes to the sustainable management of natural resources through capacity development, policy-relevant research and policy engagement.





ENRRI  EfD Ghana brings together accomplished researchers with varied expertise in environmental economics from Ghana and elsewhere to conduct evidence-based research, and advise government and development partners on policy options for managing the environment and scarce natural resources.



Way forward



Touching on how to protect the countrys forests and reserves, Prof. Amoah called on key stakeholders, particularly the Forestry Commission, to build trust with the communities within which the forests and reserves were situated in order to help protect such facilities.



He said when people see that the Forestry Commission was working to halt the depletion of the forests, it would encourage people to support the idea.



Underestimation of benefits



For his part, a Natural Resource Economist and Director of the ENRRI  EfD Ghana, Professor Wisdom Akpalu, said the forests and reserves offer a lot of benefitsdirect and indirect benefits for both the present and unborn generations, saying that it was a responsibility on all Ghanaians to help protect the countrys forests.



It is our duty to bequeath the forest to the future generation in a much better form, he said, noting that the forests could be protected if all stakeholders built trust.



Without trust, institutions become powerless, Prof. Akpalu said, adding If the processes that build trust are inherently corrupt, then it becomes a problem."



For him, ENRRI  EfD Ghana would continue to research into areas that could help the country to develop sustainably.













Source: graphiconline.com









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The attention of the Juaben Traditional Council has been brought to the vicious lies and propaganda circulating on social media alleging that Assembly Members who voted against the President's nominee for Juaben MCE were forced to kneel before the Juabenhene.



The Traditional Council has been compelled to set the records straight as far as events leading to this matter and the events of that day.



In a statement signed and issued by Registrar of the Council, Kwaku Ankomkah Asare, on Thursday, 14th October 2021, the Presiding Member of the Juaben Municipal Assembly in the person of Joseph Asare and 3 other members of the Assembly came on their own free will and accord to see the Omanhene and pleaded with him to help resolve differences between Members of the Assembly and the President's Nominee for the MCE.



Pursuant to this plea, the Omanhene convened a meeting of the Assembly Members and the nominee on Thursday, 19th October at the palace to resolve the issue.



He said the Omanhene reconciled both parties after the President's nominee accepted and apologized for any shortcomings.



According to the Juaben Traditional Council, on 29th October, word reached the Omanhene that the Assembly Members were holding a press conference on issues rrelating to the confirmation of the Nominee.



"The Omanhene therefore invited them to the Palace and sought to know what had prompted the holding of a press conference since they had initially referreed the matter on the confirmation of the MCE to him and he had effectively dealt with it.



"The Assembly Members at this point admitted their mistake and pleaded with the Gyasehene to intercede on their behalf for forgiveness. The Gyasehene then advised them that they should signify their expression of utmost remorse by kneeling. They duly complied with this advice," the statement said.



"At no pint was any Assembly Member forced to kneel for voting against the Nominee," it added.



Read attached full statement issued by the Juaben Traditional Council







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Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Attorney General has rejected a resolution by Parliament for the General Legal Council to admit some 499 law students who were denied admission into the Ghana School of Law despite making the 50 per cent pass mark.



He says Parliament is devoid of the power through the use of Parliamentary resolutions, to control the process of admission into the Ghana School of Law. The mode of exercising legislative power enshrined in article 106 of the Constitution does not admit resolutions.



Parliament on Friday passed a resolution for the General Legal Council to compel the Ghana Law School to admit the 499 students who sat for the 2021 entrance exams and passed in accordance with the marking scheme as advertised.



This follows a motion moved by deputy minority whip Ahmed Ibrahim, fine-tuned by the first deputy speaker who was presiding Joseph Osei-Owusu and repeated by Effutu MP and deputy majority leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin.



But in s a statement sent to parliament by the Attorney General (AG), he explained that In accordance with section 13(1)(e) and (f) of the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32), the power to regulate the admission of students to pursue courses of instruction leading to qualification as lawyers and to hold examinations which may include preliminary, intermediate and final examinations has been vested in the General Legal Council. It is correct that section 1(5) of Act 32 stipulates thus:



The Council shall in the performance of their functions comply with any general directions given by the Minister. In my respectful opinion, this provision underscores the capacity of the Executive not the Legislature, through the Minister responsible for the General Legal Council, i.e. the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, to direct and advise the Council on major matters of national importance.



Read Statement Below

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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Dr Gerald Dapaah Gyamfi, Director in charge of Otumfuo Centre for Traditional Leadership (OCTL), University of Professional Studies (UPSA), has told traditional leaders to be neutral and choose the path to peace to promote unity and development.



"You are the spokespersons for your subjects and your communication pathway can enhance the development of your community or create chaos if not well communicated," he said.



Dr Gyamfi said this at the closing ceremony of a five-day workshop organised for Chiefs, Staffs of Traditional Councils and Regional House of Chiefs at the Centre, in Accra.



He said being neutral and peace conscious would reshape the chiefs to remain the greatest catalyst to create new opportunities for growth of their communities.



He stated that there were numerous challenges facing the chieftaincy institution due to advancement in technology and globalisation, therefore chiefs should be mindful of the traditional world that they pass on to the future generation.



Dr Gyamfi said the workshop had empowered them with the necessary knowledge to create perfect pathways for development despite the challenges.



He said over 50 participants attended the workshop and since its inception, 410 chiefs and traditional leaders had participated and had been impacted positively.



The Director said the Centre sought to enhance the role of chieftaincy as an instrument of social cohesion and stability in the development of the country and called on philanthropists, NGOs, institutions and individuals to support the Centre with financial aid.



Professor Abednego F. O. Amartey, Vice Chancellor, UPSA, said traditional leaders were primary agents of change and development and were also seen as the representatives of the community, therefore it was their duty to harmonise the community with customs and traditions.



He said the ultimate goal for the workshop was to enable the chiefs to formalise their processes and documentations to collate evidence of issues and challenges, tackle them across the learning and sharing process in their communities.



"I hope the knowledge and insight acquired through the workshop would be beneficial throughout your leadership," he emphasised.



The Chancellor commended the chiefs for their efforts and commitment to be agents of change and development within their jurisdiction.



Odeefuo Amoakwa Buadu VIII, Chairperson for the ceremony, said the world was constantly evolving as well as expectations of the people in the communities, hence the need for leaders to strive to put themselves in better positions to help address modern challenges in their communities.



He said it was a good initiative that the Centre had provided the platform to train leaders to bring development and growth to their communities.



Odeefuo Buadu VIII said in the quest to address modern challenges, traditional leaders should not lose track of the tradition and culture.



"As custodians of the tradition and culture, you must ensure that the descendants of Africans in the diaspora remain attracted to Ghana."









Source: GNA









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Former Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye says former President John Mahama is sowing seeds of confusion and dispute to discredit the Electoral Commission ahead of the next elections.



According to him, the former President's election rigging allegations against the Commission are a ploy by the opposition National Democratic Congress to dissuade Ghanaians into having little to no confidence in the EC, hence challenging its integrity.



Mr. John Mahama is unhappy with the outcome of the 2020 elections and still blames the Electoral Commission for the victory of the governing New Patriotic Party led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



"2020 was Ghanas worst election. If I was marking her, I would have given her an F. She is marking her own paper after the examination so she can give herself any mark she likes.



Tell me which election in Ghana was ballot papers printed yet one million ballot papers were found elsewhere . . . We didnt witness this under Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. She [Jean Mensa] knew there was ballot stuffing," Mr. Mahama said in an interview quoted on 3news.com.



Reacting on Peace FM's morning programme 'Kokrokoo', Dr. Okoe Boye feared those seeds being sown by the former President might germinate and cause chaos in the 2024 elections.



"It's like a design to have the referee discredited. If you are going for a contest and the referee is discredited, it will be difficult to accept the outcome of the elections. If we're holding elections and no one believes the referee, the ground has been laid for chaos . . . The seeds of confusion and dispute are being sown now by the utterances of the former President and those who toll that line," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Dr Frederick Yao Mac Palm, the brain behind the alleged coup plot, is captured on audio and video, saying that the National Communications Authority (NCA) would be made dysfunctional on the D-day.



Even if we have to bomb the whole Ministry for transmission to go off we would do that, he emphasised.



This was when the High Court trying the case played some of the recordings made by Staff Sergeant Sule Kwadwo Awarf, Prosecution star witness, during series of meetings held to allegedly plot the coup detat.



Dr Mac Palm was explaining that only Ghana Broadcasting Corporation would be working on the day of the coup as the rest would be made to go off and that was where the announcement would be made to Ghanaians about the seizure of power.



In that meeting which involved Dr Mac Palm, Chief Executive Officer of the Citadel Hospital, Bright Alan Debrah, alias BB, freight forwarder, Sule, a soldier and Donyo Kafui, alias Ezor, a blacksmith, Dr Mac Palm asked Ezor to give the list of materials needed for the manufacturing of the weapons and how much money was required for them, which he (Ezor) was to manufacture.



Ezor gave the cost as GHS5,000.00 and mentioned some of the materials needed as Iron rods, gun powder, caustic soda and hacksaw blade.



That was when BB interjected that Ezor should beat the cost down because Dr Mac Palm was the only one funding the entire operations.



Dr Mac Palm, who did not want to force Ezor on that said, I dont want to suppress anyone, I dont cheat. You know how I work, stressing that I dont need anything, I can eat anything, I have a place to lay my head but it is for the future.



How much should we give you to be able to buy the items? Mac Palm finally asked. After here we have to know the price of the Assault Riffle, he asked.



Dr Mac Palm was not certain whether the operation would succeed, thus, he asked Sule who assured him that it would work 100 per cent, provided there was enough money to recruit more boys, adding that they needed to organise those who were hungry.



The meeting also deliberated on whether or not to bring in a fetish priest who would make participants swear their loyalty, else, they die.



He (Mac Palm) spoke of monitoring a guy he did not mention as he (the guy) had stopped attending their meetings he knows you, hes afraid of you,- (addressing Sule) but said he (the guy) was not a bad person just that he did not have the courage.



Sule was heard taking Ezors contact so as to be visiting him in the course of making the weapons.



Later in the video, Mac Palm and Sule visited a container to be used by Ezor as his manufacturing workshop.



Dr Mac-Palm, Ezor and BB have been jointly charged with Colonel Samuel Kojo Gameli, Johannes Zikpi, a signaler, with the Ghana Armed Forces, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, Lance Corporal Sylvester Akankpewe, Corporal Ali Solomon, Warrant Officer II (WO2) Esther Saan and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo.



They are facing varied charges such as conspiracy, high treason, possession of firearms, explosives and ammunitions and they are being tried by a three-panel judges: Justices Hafisata Amaleboba, Stephen Oppong and presided over by Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe.

Source: Daily Guide









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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to invite former President John Dramani Mahama to provide evidence supporting his allegation that the Electoral Commission (EC) allegedly thumb printed one million ballot papers in favour of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2020 presidential election.



Mr Mahama had alleged when he addressed the Divisional Chief of Prestea Himan, Nana Nteboah Prah, recently, as part of his Thank You tour of the Western Region that More than one million extra ballot papers were printed, which the EC claimed happened by mistake but on the day of the elections, some of the more than one million extra ballot papers had already been secretly thumb-printed in favour of the NPP.



The Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in last years elections added And, so, all these things dented the credibility of the polls and caused an embarrassment,



But a Deputy Chair of the EC Dr Bossman Asare, asked the Police to investigate a claim.



Dr Bossman Asare said at a press conference that We see that our silence on this matter has dire consequences on public confidence in the Commission, and we want the police to investigate it, he stressed.



Distinguished citizens, in the last few weeks Former President Mahama has made a number of allegations against the EC and the 2020 elections. As Officials charged with the responsibility of conducting elections in Ghana, we owe it a duty to provide Ghanaians with the facts and the truth about the elections and the allegations raised. We are of the view that our silence on these false allegations could have dire consequences as it could undermine citizens confidence our dear country.



The Former President has said the EC thumb printed 1million ballots in favor of the president. This is untrue. This is a grave matter that undermines the credibility of our electoral process and should not be ignored. We call on him to provide evidence to support his claim. This is not a matter to be ignored and we call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate this.



The Transparency of our process makes it totally impossible for this to happen. At the polling stations, prior to the start of the elections, the empty ballot boxes are opened and displayed in the presence of everyone, and thereafter they are sealed. There are serial numbers on the ballot papers for each region and constituency. This is made known to the Agents before the elections. Our ballot papers also have security features; so any trace of new material will be clearly visible.



Again, at the end of the poll, the ballots cast are crosschecked against the voters who were verified and issued the ballot papers. This ensures that over-voting is detected immediately. Nationwide, we had no issue with over-voting at all our 38,622 polling stations except in Savelugu in the parliamentary election where there was one and I repeat one over-voting.



The transparency of our processes from the beginning to the end makes this impossible. Ballot Stuffing cannot be done-it is impossible. We call on the Former President in the interest of our democracy to provide evidence of the stuffing of the ballot boxes by the EC.



The Police should investigate this as a matter of urgency due to its potential to derail and undermine our democracy, and lead to a lack of confidence in our systems and processes.



A Deputy Communications Director of the NPP, Mr Richard Nyama said The NPP agrees with the Electoral Commission that the allegations of the former president Mahama that the Commission engaged in electoral fraud through ballot stuffing is uprightly criminal and we call on the Inspector General of Police to invite him for questioning and for the former president to make available all evidence of the said one million stuffed ballots to the Police for the Police for appropriate charges to be brought against the said personnel of the electoral commission who engaged in the said action.



Menahwile, the NDC had said Mr Mahama made the 1million vote fraud claim on solid grounds.



At a press conference in Accra on Thursday October 28, the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said We take note with satisfaction Bossman Asares call on the Ghana Police Service to investigate the fact put out by President Mahama, given that President Mahama was on solid grounds when making this statement. The NDC stands ever prepared to assist in any credible investigation into the matters raised,



We are aware however that Bossman Asares call is only a red herring because he cannot feign ignorance of the fact that the Police Service is already seized with all the evidence on this matter.



On the specific printing of 1 million excess ballot papers and arrest of persons with thumb-printed ballot papers, the Ghana Police Service carried out the arrests and therefore should be providing updates on the status of investigations to the population.



All that Bossman Asare needs to do is to call on the Attorney General to ask the police to prosecute the offenders.









Source: 3news.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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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo left Ghana on Sunday, 31 October 2021, to lead the country's delegation to the World Leaders' Summit of the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP 26), being held from 31st October to 3rd November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. The COP26 Summit, which will be one of the largest gatherings of world leaders, will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.



President will deliver a statement on Ghanas position on Climate Change, as well as measures put in place to combat the threat it poses. He will also deliver three (3) separate statements on efforts Ghana is making to protect her forests and ocean, and participate in the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Summit, being held on the sidelines of COP 26.



While in Glasgow, President Akufo-Addo will hold bilateral meetings with Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya; Mr Jonas Gahr Stre, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway; Robert Abela, Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta; Elizabeth Truss, MP, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs; and Mr Raphael Mariano Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).



The President was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey; the Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, MP; the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, MP; the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel A. Jinapor, MP; and officials of the Presidency and Foreign Ministry.



The President will return to Ghana on Thursday, 4 November 2021, and in his absence, the Vice-president, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, shall, in accordance with Article 60(8) of the Constitution, act in his stead.

Source: classfmonline.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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Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Atta-Mills Institute, Samuel Koku Anyidoho is beginning to expose how his political party, National Democratic Congress (NDC) accepted that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo genuinely won 2020 elections but behaving contrary in the public eyes for sympathy.



The NDC demanded for refund of the monies filed for their presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, the immediate past Deputy General of the NDC said.



According to the laws, filing fee for presidential candidates was only a deposit per a benchmark set by EC and would be refunded to candidates who polled 25 per cent of valid votes cast in the presidential election.



Per regulations 8 (1b) of C.I 127, a candidate for presidential and parliamentary elections shall, at the time of nomination of the candidate, deposit or cause to be deposited an amount of money determined by the EC.



Regulation 46 (1) of C.I 127 states that Subject to regulation 13, a deposit made by a candidate under this Regulations, shall as soon as practicable after the results of an election is declared, be:



a) Returned to the candidate or the personal representative of the candidates, or b) forfeited to the state.



This according to one of the series of tweets on Friday October 29, 2021 by the Immediate-Past NDC Deputy General Secretary that So, they accepted the ECs announced results, & went ahead to demand for a refund of their monies? So, they have collected the refund and chopped and are Deceiving the Footsoldiers? I weep for my NDC!



The statement made on social media by Koku Anyihodo indicating that the opposition wrote to the EC for refund indicates that they have accepted defeat of the 2020 elections.



Former Presidential Aide & Head of Communications, Office of the President, Ghana was of the view that his former boss, Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah is a dangerous man as far as the democracy of Ghana is concerned.



He therefore asked Asiedu Nketia to dare him to expose his letter written to the EC demanding for refund of their monies.



I want, Asiedu-Nketiah, to dare me to expose his letter to the EC, demanding for the refund of monies based on his tacit acceptance of the 2020 General Election, he continued.



Touching on matters concerning his party, Koku Anyidoho advised the NDC to get rid of its General Secretary for the betterment of the party.



If the NDC does not get rid of, Johnson Kwadwo Asiedu-Nketiah, the NDC, Shall die! Let Asiedu-Nketiah account for monies he has received on behalf of the NDC from the EC, he stated in another tweet.

Source: Daily Guide









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Director of Public Affairs of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Kwesi Ofori, has cautioned the Member of Parliament for Madina constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu against disrespecting the Police.



Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu has refused to honour an invite by the Police after he and some constituents embarked on a violent protest at Madina.



The MP is said to have angrily driven his vehicle through civilians nearly fatally injuring two Police officers and some residents present at the scene.



The Speaker of Parliament has also refused to release the MP to the Police stating in a letter signed by the Deputy Director of Legal Services of Parliament that ''having regard to the limitations of articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic, he (Speaker) is unable to release the Member of Parliament...''



Speaking to Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', ACP Kwesi Ofori admonished the MP to avail himself for interrogation saying, ''we need not set a bad example for the youth to disregard their Police and these are values''.



''He is a leader in his community. Nobody is doing witch-hunting. Nobody is fighting him but we have limited our action to the development that took place a week ago where the Madina highway was blocked and vehicles couldn't move even to the extent that ambulances conveying patients couldn't move as well and the Police had to re-route people. . . We're looking at the law. We look at our commitment and respect to the law," he added.



He assured the MP that "nobody will do anything bad to him; just submit yourself to the law''.



However, should the MP continue to prove stubborn, ACP Kwesi Ofori stated emphatically that the Police will resort to the law court for a bench warrant to be issued against him.



" . . if he doesn't come, we have several options. Even what the Hon. Speaker wrote citing some clauses, the Police are likely to go to the Apex Court to seek interpretation to guide our future security operations of the kind. We can also go to court to present him with a summons, and if he refuses to come and the court issues a bench warrant," then the Police will take him, he asserted.



"This is a democratic country," he warned the MP.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Provost of the College of Humanities and social sciences at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST), Professor Charles Marfo has advised the incumbent Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Bosiako never to conceive the idea that hes irreplaceable.



According to Prof Marfo, it is the first sign of failed leadership for any leader to harbor such an idea.



Professor Marfos call follows a recent pronouncement by Chairman Wontumi, claiming the party will lose 2024 should they vote against him.



I am happy Wontumi compared himself to Lionel Messi, because Barcelona is going through the process without him. I keep saying this, if youre a leader and think youre irreplaceable, youve failed. There should be successes even in your absence. I think hes only a populist, displaying gold bars and all that on live radio which didnt help anyone. Id vote against him for saying hes irreplaceable if I were a delegate.



"It tells he hasnt groom anybody. Because as a leader, you should groom people to take after you. Who are you to say youre irreplaceable? What if one day youre incapacitated or die in the worst case senario. Should the party lock up offices in the region? he queried.



Speaking on a Kumasi-based Television, he appealed to the NPP Chairman to step aside and contest at the national level.



Hes been chairman for two consecutive terms and I would have stepped aside if I were him. I was expecting him to contest chairmanship at the national level because hes done with the region. Yes, we heard he stood for the party at some point. But hes the cause of all the tension in the Ashanti region which in turn didnt favour the party in any way. His posture, affluent display of wealth, and arrogance made so much noise in the region. A scenario is the story of stolen ballot boxes hidden in hotels, creating unnecessary tension. Dont know what politicians get from such uncouth political stunt.



He called on the New Patriotic Party in the Ashanti Region to reconstitute its leadership as it is faced with a leadership crisis in the region.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/ghana









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National Chairman of the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Nana Ofori Owusu, has cautioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare to be wary of Ghanaians hero-worshipping him.



George Dampare has, since his appointment, been touted as one of the best IGPs Ghana has ever had and being applauded for his determination to rid the nation of lawlessness and criminal activities.



Recently, musicians Shatta Wale and Medikal were arrested and released on bail for misconducting themselves.



The IGP was lauded for the musicians' arrest as many Ghanaians believed he is setting a good example of no one is above the law.



On Monday, October 25, 2021, the Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu joined some residents to stage a protest and in the process blocked some roads creating a riotous situation in the vicinity.



The MP is said to have also driven his vehicle at a top speed through two Police officers and some civilians nearly injuring them.



The Police has requested to interrogate him but he has refused their invite and the Speaker of Parliament has also refused to release him to the Police, citing Articles 117 and 118 of the 1992 constitution.



Discussing the MP's issue during Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo'', Nana Ofori Owusu dreaded the IGP is being set up for failure.



According to him, although the IGP is doing well, he should be extremely careful of the praises saying, "I am number 1 supporter of the present IGP . . . Some of his activities, I think it's just working within the law that other people were not implementing because it is already there. But it appears we're raising him too much and he is being set up for failure''.



"If you raise him as the person to instil discipline in our society, you have set him up to fail . . . When you hail a person so much, you've set the person up for a downfall," he advised.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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It is impossible to read The Fortune Men without thinking of the injustices and systemic racism that still hampers lives today. I wrote it all under a Tory government, Mohamed says of the novel. That whole environment has been getting worse and worse and worse. I don't know if it's at its lowest point yet, but we've been living with that hostility for quite a while now.

Mohamed explains that the Grenfell Tower disaster  which saw the death of at least 72 people, and for whom justice has not delivered  unfolded during this time, along with the Windrush Scandal and countless migrant crises. Has it not, at times, felt overwhelming? No, Mohamed replies, because it's quite a good way of engaging with things that otherwise make you feel quite powerless, or hurt or despairing. So, I find it quite cathartic. It's not the only thing you should do or could do, as an individual, to to push back against power, but it's one of the things you can do.

Mohamed has previously compared her writing practice to deep-sea diving, and her process is similarly immersive: I squirrel myself away, she says. Ive got to be by myself in a very familiar environment and have a clear scheduled before I can even go where I need to as a writer. I dont know how people can hold down full-time jobs and childcare and squeeze in two or three hours of writing a day. Ive got to be in the right zone, its very delicate.

Landing a place on the Booker Prize shortlist  Mohamed is the only British writer on the shortlist this year, and this is her first acknowledgement by the prize  has enabled Mattans story to achieve a larger platform. A reader got in touch to say that shes going to leave some flowers at Mahmoods grave. That really made me feel that this is an act of communal grief. Whether youre Somali or not, there is tragedy, she says. His bones are still in this country; it was an unmarked grave and now he has a stone saying: Killed by injustice. So for the people to go and pay their respects and bear witness, it gives me tingles thinking thats what the novel has helped to do.

What did you think of this article? Email editor@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk and let us know.

Image: Stuart Simpson/Penguin
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Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low around 35F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
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The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education is working to increase the percentage of state residents who earn high-quality postsecondary credentials.

The effort is known officially as ASCEND 60x30.

Dr. Rusty Monhollon, who is the commissions president and executive director, spoke to the Rotary Club of Aiken about ASCEND 60x30 on Monday at Newberry Hall.

Currently, only 47.6% of South Carolinians have high-quality postsecondary credentials, and Monhollon and his commission colleagues would like that statistic to improve to 60% by 2030.

As it stands now, the Palmetto State isnt keeping up with either the Southeast region or the nation as a whole, where the comparable figures are 48.8% and 51.9%, respectively.

One year ago, we ranked 38th in the nation, Monhollon said. This year, we rank 43rd.

In the future, postsecondary education will be needed even more by South Carolinas jobseekers, according to Monhollon.

The knowledge-based economy and world we live in now demand workers with greater skills and knowledge, he said. For years experts have projected that by the year 2025, 60% percent of all jobs will require some kind of postsecondary credential. New reports are now projecting that by 2027, 70% of all jobs will require at least some postsecondary education.

Monhollon also talked about the Commission on Higher Educations strategies for achieving its 2030 goal.

They include putting peer advisors in high schools to encourage students to pursue postsecondary opportunities.

Increasing the completion of federal financial aid forms by students also is part of the commissions game plan.

In addition, we need to develop clear, well-defined, guided pathways (of study) so that students who want to major in this, this or this know exactly what they need to do and when they need to do it, Monhollon said. We also want to figure out ways to improve remedial education.

Another priority is finding new methods for teaching mathematics so that what students learn meets their needs for the modern world, Monhollon said.
Massachusetts highest court heard arguments Nov. 1 in a lawsuit that pits Harvard University against a Black woman seeking to control historic images of nude enslaved people in South Carolina she contends are her ancestors.

Harvard has asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to dismiss the lawsuit in a dispute over property and the reclaiming of history's narrative. A ruling is expected at a later date.

At issue are daguerreotypes taken in 1850 in the posh Columbia studio of photographer Joseph Zealy. The images, a form of early photography, show seven enslaved people, all stripped naked before Zealy photographed them from the front, side and back.

During hourlong oral arguments, the high court's justices repeatedly grilled attorneys about who ought to control photographs taken under such heinous conditions.

Tamara Lanier's attorney, Benjamin Crump, argued that the daguerreotypes were taken under duress by Harvards employee in the course of his scientific work. Harvard is the wrongdoer, he added, and should not get to keep the fruits of the crime.

Its like catching a thief red-handed, and the court allowing the thief to legally keep possession of the property, Crump said.

But Harvard attorney Anton Metlitsky disagreed. Harvard's museum acquired the daguerreotypes legally, he said, and its use of the images is protected by the First Amendment. Harvard uses them in critical scholarship and education related to the nations history of slavery.

Zealy took the pictures at the behest of Louis Agassiz, then Americas most famous scientist  one employed by Harvard, which holds the images today. Agassiz sought to record specimens of African-born people to demonstrate physical differences in the races. He adhered to polygenesis, the belief that races of people arose from different origins rather than a common ancestor.

Whites, he believed, were the superior race.

Agassiz died in 1873. Soon after, the images were essentially lost for almost a century until 1976, when employees of Harvards Peabody Museum happened to find them tucked in a dusty attic drawer.

The 15 card-sized images sit beneath glass and faux-gold frames. In each, a lone person stares into the camera, stony-faced and resolute, except one young woman named Delia whose eyes appeared blurred with tears. Her father, Renty, also is among the people photographed.

The rediscovery of the images generated huge press coverage, and several decades later, Lanier saw them.

Lanier, a retired chief probation officer in Connecticut, argues that she is a descendent of Renty and Delia. She points to oral family stories and historic documents that she has unearthed.

In March, a lower court judge dismissed her lawsuit. Lanier then appealed.

Fighting for control

At issue is who should control the images. It is about fighting to be part of the decision-making and the narrative thats told about the images and the people in them, Lanier told The Post and Courier.

Metlitsky argued that Lanier hasnt proven a legal interest in the images. He emphasized that, under the law, images typically belong to the photographer  not the subject of them.

But Justice Scott Kafker noted that the rule has exceptions.

If you kidnap somebody and take half-naked pictures of them, you dont get to keep the pictures, Kafker said. You take pictures of a child naked, thats a crime.

Simply saying that the photographer has rights to the images "is too simple," Kafker added. The questions and circumstances of this lawsuit are unique in American law, and "we don't have cases that tell us what to do," Kafker said.

Lanier attorney Joshua Koskoff told the justices that those who conspired to take the photographs stole something from the enslaved people subjected to the act. When we usually get a photograph taken of us, its typically taken of us, not from us, Koskoff told the seven-justice panel.

A decade ago, after Lanier realized that the Renty in the images might be the Papa Renty of her familys lore, she approached Harvard hoping to get help with ancestry research. When she became more certain of her lineage, she asked Harvard for some say in how the images are used.

She says she felt dismissed by Harvard's lack of response. In 2017, she demanded Harvard relinquish the images to her. Two years later, she sued seeking control of them.

Hard questions

Several justices noted that Harvards attorneys had not explained why the university should have a right to the images. The university has not publicly revealed evidence of a chain of custody.

Its not clear what your property rights are," Justice Kafker said. If the lawsuit moves forward, Lanier will have to show why she should get the images over other descendants of Renty and Delia.

After photographing the naked people from the front, side and back, photographer Zealy apparently gave the daguerreotypes to a local doctor who had hosted Agassiz during a recent visit to Columbia. While in town, Agassiz had examined enslaved people on local plantations to select those he wanted photographed. The doctor in turn sent them to Agassiz at Harvard.

Multiple Agassiz descendants filed an amicus brief supporting Lanier's efforts.

Meanwhile, the justices also questioned whether the daguerreotypes should be considered photographs or objects of property.

Justice Elspeth Cypher noted that there are ways to repatriate remains and objects to people robbed of them.

There is no question (taking the images) was done under circumstances that, at least in Massachusetts at the time, were illegal, Cypher said. So why isnt it a fruit or instrumentality of the crime?

Lanier has told The Post and Courier that if she prevails, she is committed to keeping the images safely preserved somewhere like the new International African American Museum being built in Charleston.

The case has garnered widespread interest. Last fall, Harvards Peabody Museum Press co-published a thick volume of essays about the images entitled To Make Their Own Way in the World: The Enduring Legacy of the Zealy Daguerreotypes. And a new film called Free Renty premiered on Oct. 15 at the GlobeDocs Film Festival, a documentary film festival.
The Food and Drug Administration made history on Oct. 12 by authorizing the first electronic cigarette.

The decision solely applies to the Vuse SOLO e-cigarette and its tobacco-flavored nicotine cartridges. The FDA said the RJ Reynolds product can help smokers cut back on conventional cigarettes.

The SOLO is also the second-most popular e-cigarette among high school students in the U.S. with 10.8 percent of high school smoking students using the Vuse brand. In 2021, 11.3 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days and over 80 percent cited using fruit-, candy- and mint-flavored cartridges.

Now, experts say the idea is to market to adult smokers who want to reduce the amount of harm smoking causes. While e-cigarettes are less harmful than their traditional counterparts, they still contain harmful toxins and some of the long-term effects from using these devices, especially flavored cartridges, remain unknown.

Dr. Tracy Smith, an expert in tobacco control and e-cigarette use at the Medical University of South Carolina, agrees that discouraging the sale of flavored cartridges is a strategic move for the FDA to help reduce the amount of teenagers potentially becoming addicted to these nicotine products while also appeasing adult smokers.

"The FDA is trying to balance what is best for adult smokers, as well as what's best for kids," Smith said. "We don't want kids using e-cigarettes, but we also want adults who smoke and who can't quit to have less harmful alternatives out there."

Research shows smoking causes nearly 500,000 deaths a year in the U.S. And the latest data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control shows that over 7,200 deaths a year occur in South Carolina due to nicotine-related illnesses.

"We know that people who switch to e-cigarettes completely have lower levels of harmful chemical exposure than if they were smoking a traditional cigarette," Smith said. "However, we still don't understand the long-term health risks of e-cigarettes."

According to Dr. Kenneth Cummings, a tobacco use and policy expert at MUSC, 156 smokers were admitted across five affiliated MUSC hospitals in South Carolina last week, and the ratio of 157 smoking patients admitted out of every 857 patients remains constant in the MUSC network. The smoking prevalence rate for hospitals in counties like Florence, Marion and Lancaster is over 20 percent.

Studies also show it takes an average of 30 attempts before someone succeeds at kicking the nicotine habit.

Andrew Bagley, owner of Illuminati Smoke Shop in Columbia, said certain e-cigarette devices can help ween heavy smokers off nicotine by gradually decreasing the amount of nicotine in a cartridge over time until they eventually can go without it at all.

"Half of the customers that buy vapes from our store are using it to help them quit smoking and intaking other forms of nicotine," said Bagley. "The other half use vapes as their preferred delivery of nicotine, however, our biggest sellers continue to be flavored disposable e-cigarettes. We sell over 100 of the disposable products each day."

Bagley said a very small percentage of his customers are interested in tobacco-flavored products, leaving majority of them to consume flavored tobacco products the FDA has chosen not to authorize.

E-cigarettes have been sold in the U.S. for more than a decade with minimal government oversight or research. The FDA's looming court deadline to review over 6 million products led the agency to reject over 1 million applications, mainly those for flavored e-cigarette cartridges.

But officials from the American Lung Association say the decision to allow Vuse to stay on the market with tobacco-flavored cartridges is not enough to keep the device out of the hands of teenagers.

Completely removing high-nicotine products like Vuse from the market and ending the sale of all flavored e-cigarette products, including menthol, is the clear path to ending the youth vaping epidemic," Harold Wimmer, chief executive officer for ALA, said in a recent news release.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
South Carolina's environmental and public health agency is looking into the trash-handling practices of the Medical University of South Carolina after untreated infectious waste was found at a municipal landfill.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control said through a spokesman it found the waste at the Bees Ferry Landfill in September.

Charleston County runs the landfill, and county spokeswoman Kelsey Barlow confirmed the state found the waste during a routine monthly inspection.

DHEC declined to describe the amount of waste or what exactly was found.

"DHEC does not comment in detail regarding pending compliance/enforcement matters," spokesman Derrek Asberry wrote in an email.

Heather Woolwine, a spokeswoman for the medical school and its associated health care system, wrote that "MUSC is working collaboratively with our waste management and regulatory partners to determine the scope of the issue and address it as quickly as possible."

She wrote that the system is undergoing a staff-training program to fix the issues and is auditing its waste-management process.

In South Carolina, infectious waste includes sharp items such as syringes that could puncture skin, blood and blood products, anything removed from human bodies and any trash that has come in contact with other infectious material. There are special rules for how to pack and ship it, as all infectious waste must eventually be treated.

Woolwine said the trash in question was "accumulated from across the MUSC campus," making it unclear exactly what space generated it, but said "the kind of waste found indicates the general point of origin was most likely one or more of the hospital facilities on campus."

In addition, there are "a small number of reports of waste that contained some patient information, such as ID bands and nutrition services tickets," Woolwine wrote. It's possible those identifying items were put in the wrong trash cans by patients themselves.

The Bees Ferry Landfill does not accept any infectious waste, Barlow said, though normal trash from offices or cafeterias in hospital systems may be sent there.

Woolwine said MUSC was told on Sept. 29 that Bees Ferry would not accept any more trash from the health care system until the waste stream issues were resolved.

Berkeley County is also declining to take waste from MUSC, Woolwine said, though DHEC did not mention facilities there as a part of its investigation. MUSC is now shipping its trash to the Upstate.

In addition to training more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 medical residents, MUSC is a major employer and health care provider in the Charleston area. It faced a major surge of COVID-19 patients last month, and some nurses told The Post and Courier in September that the workload had increased so drastically that patient safety was compromised.
Bear season in Game Zone 4 will close early due to the harvest quota being reached
Voters take note: Even if there is only one candidate on your Tuesday ballot, the outcome may not be a certainty.

For the first time since a change to state election law took effect, a majority of city of Charleston voters will see a ballot with a single, one-candidate race listed Nov. 2.

That's because instead of officials being able to essentially cancel an election if there were only one person listed, election bodies must go forward and include the race.

Some candidates in that predicament have campaigned this season like their chances were an uncertainty should someone mount a credible write-in effort.

"I was very clear in my fliers of the potential for write-ins," said Charleston City Councilman William Dudley Gregorie, who is the unopposed sole listed candidate for the West Side's District 6. "Given the changes to the rules, it's possible for a write-in with enough names to win."

The change in protocol is presenting a challenge to both candidates and election officials.

"I want people to participate in elections," said Isaac Cramer, executive director of the Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration. "But when you have one person on the ballot ... it's hard to drum up people to be excited about it."

In Charleston, officials are holding a citywide election for one seat on the Public Works Commission. Incumbent David E. Rivers is the only candidate who filed to run for the position.

Voters also elect City Council members, who represent specific districts, on a staggered basis. Out of the six seats up for election Nov. 2, only three are contested. Any resident who does not live in outer West Ashley, James Island or the East Side will likely not see a single contested race on the ballot. Instead, they will vote for only the commissioner of public works or for the commissioner of public works and their uncontested city council candidate, in this case Gregorie in District 6; incumbent Mike Seekings in District 8; and Kevin Shealy in District 2.

Other jurisdictions in the state and Lowcountry may see similar options in play.

Write-ins must be verified as eligible residents of the district or city before securing an election win or a spot in a runoff, Cramer said, adding he doesn't expect a hiccup but "you never know."

"It would be pretty remarkable. It would be a story of the year," he said.

To his knowledge, the only times write-in candidates have won elections in recent memory have been when no candidates filed before the deadline passed.

"Write-ins do win, but it's usually when nobody files," he said.

Shealy, who represents West Ashley's District 2, said he is not taking his chances.

"I certainly dont take anything for granted," he said. "I will be asking for votes from the people I represent."

South Carolina legislators amended the state's election law in 2017 to require voters cast a ballot in uncontested races, with the change taking effect in 2018. Since then, Charleston voters may have seen uncontested candidates on the ballot, but because they were running during larger elections, such as the mayoral election in 2019 and the 2020 General Election, they were likely not as noticeable as the uncontested candidates will be this year, Cramer said.

"A majority of precincts will only have one candidate on the ballot," he said.

Another new factor to consider with the change in state law is cost, Cramer said. During larger elections, such as the 2020 General Election, the state contributes funds toward holding the election. Those pay for poll workers, election equipment and supplies. When an election only affects a single city, the county election authority pays the upfront costs and the city reimburses it for a portion of those expenses. Charleston officials estimate the Nov. 2 election will cost the city about $95,000.

Election officials must also prepare enough ballots for 100 percent turnout. The amount of poll workers and other equipment is based on a combination of state law and county protocols that factor in previous turnout, Cramer said. The county will deploy about 300 poll workers for the city of Charleston and 600 poll workers countywide.

"That gets expensive," Cramer said. "Especially when turn out is 5 to 10 percent or less."

Cramer said preparing for high turnout is not necessarily a bad practice. It prepares the county to shift supplies and workers where needed and treats both candidates and voters fairly. Doing so for a single-candidate ballot becomes hard to justify, he said.

"As an election official, my goal is to give people the best voting experience while following the law, but I can only do that if they show up to vote," he said.

During Charleston's most recent non-mayoral municipal election in 2017, the county saw 15 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. The 2020 General Election saw 70 percent voter turnout in Charleston County.

Polls are open statewide on Nov. 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Information on specific candidates in various races, searchable online by your address and town, can be viewed via the League of Women Voters VOTE411 guide online at www.vote411.org.

To check your voting location this year, go to the S.C. Election Commission website at scvotes.org. On the homepage, click the tab that says Voters. Then click Check your voter registration.
LONDON  The murder of Sir David Amess on Oct. 15 in what is being investigated as a terrorist attack has filled much of Londons news coverage in recent weeks.

Sir David was a member of Parliament, representing Southend, a town about 35 miles to the east of London. He was stabbed at one of his frequent surgeries, the term used here for the one-on-one meetings that MPs have with their constituents to discuss issues of importance to them.

They are called surgeries because they are supposed to be like the meetings that patients have with their physicians: personal and intimate, as opposed to the large town hall meetings common in the United States in which constituents may be able to shout questions to their representatives but at which we are reminded of the chasm between us and them.

Sir David was largely unknown in the United States, and I doubt more than a handful of Charlestonians had ever heard of him. He never served in the British Cabinet and avoided all executive positions. He was very clear that, as an MP, what he wanted most was to serve his constituents.

Still, its useful to all of us, and perhaps especially those of us who call America home, to think about his life, the way he is being remembered and the lessons to be learned here.

Sir David Amess held views that many would find to be contradictory: He was an advocate of Brexit, the referendum that ultimately enabled the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, and he spoke for reinstituting the death penalty. He also was a fierce opponent of fox hunting, indeed, of cruelty to animals of all sorts, including the caging of egg-laying hens. He was a socially conservative Roman Catholic, devoted to his faith, who was also close friends with the Archbishop of York, the second highest ranking religious figure in the Church of England and known for his many liberal positions.

Indeed, Sir David was known for his many friendships across the political aisle. To quote Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party: Even as a political opponent he was a man and a politician we could all learn much from. I use that phrase  political opponent  very deliberately. Because David held his beliefs passionately but gently. I believe that not only can we learn from that but that we have a duty to do so. Civility in politics matters.

This seems to be Sir Davids lasting political legacy. All parliamentary business was suspended Oct. 18 so his colleagues from all political parties could speak about him, about his well-known friendliness and about his gentleness.

Friendship across political lines, civility and mutual respect for one anothers humanity seem to be fading in todays political world, certainly in the United States.

Politicians and many others have come to regard opponents as little more than the sum of the political positions they hold. Too often these opponents are seen as people to be owned or defeated, not respected or heard.

Sir Davids life should serve as a reminder that we are more than a catalog of beliefs. If his death means anything, it should serve as a warning of what will happen when we reduce others to that catalog and ignore our common humanity.

Richard Bodek is a College of Charleston history professor who is writing occasional Letters from London to our readers during his year as a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of Roehampton.
Voters across much of the Charleston region, most notably in Mount Pleasant, will pick municipal leaders Tuesday who will help shape their communities' future. So we urge all who can  whose city or town is holding an election  to cast an informed vote.

Local elections involve far less money and campaigning than state and federal elections (and practically no political ads on TV), and as a result, turnout is often far lower than in general elections in even-numbered years. But these races provide an opportunity to help chart the path of your municipality  the government most likely to have a direct impact on you.

Mount Pleasant voters will choose a mayor and four council members (half of the eight-member Town Council), while voters in six of Charleston's 12 districts also will select council representatives.

Across the tri-county area, voters also will go the polls in Summerville, Moncks Corner, Jamestown, Ridgeville, Harleyville, St. George, Rockville, Ravenel, Lincolnville, Awendaw and McClellanville and on the Isle of Palms and Seabrook Island. In a relatively new twist at the municipal level, elections will be held even if there's only a single name for a single office on their ballot, thanks to a 2018 change in state law. So it makes sense to vote, if only to prevent an unforeseen and potentially unqualified write-in candidate emerging with a win.

The Post and Courier's editorial staff made endorsements in the Mount Pleasant and Charleston races to help voters make informed decisions. Here is a recap of our endorsements:

Mount Pleasant Mayor

Incumbent Will Haynie deserves a second four-year term as he has shown a centrist, practical streak while addressing the town's rapid growth and coping with the pandemic.

Under his watch, the town has tried to balance advice from the medical and business communities on stay-at-home orders, mask requirements and other public health steps. It also has approved a new comprehensive plan that contains several important ideas, including changing building heights, limiting short-term rentals, increasing vegetative buffers and tree canopies, and reaching out to the settlement communities next to but outside the town.

His experience as a businessman and a former director of the Lowcountry Land Trust has proven valuable. And while he has supported the nonprofit Housing For All Mount Pleasant as it works to create more affordable housing, we hope he would use a fresh term to do more to address this challenge that extends well beyond the town.

Mr. Haynie was the town's fourth mayor in a decade when elected four years ago, and we urge voters to reelect him rather than make yet another change.

Mount Pleasant Town Council

Mount Pleasant council members are all chosen in town-wide at-large elections. This year voters will choose four, who will be tasked with controlling growth, reducing crime and addressing flooding.

Gary Davis, a retired businessman with a background in public finance, is one who stands out in the field. He ran for Town Council two years ago, and while he did not win, he since has served on the towns Planning Commission. He promises to address overbuilding and the loss of green space and wildlife habitat, and plant more trees.

Myra Jones, a paralegal, helped lead a successful grassroots effort against new parking restrictions that coastal municipalities, specifically the Isle of Palms, place on state roads. She wants to address the towns growth with work-live-play hubs, more green space, better traffic control and redeveloping underused parts of town.

Carl Ritchie should be a familiar name to many town voters even though this is his first time on the ballot. Mr. Ritchie worked for years in the towns police department and rose to become its chief before he retired. He would emphasize first responders, including fire and medical services, through support and better equipment, training and pay.

G.M. Whitley has proven to be a valuable asset on Town Council and is seeking reelection after leading the town's outreach to East Coopers historic African American settlement communities. She vows to continue her work with the new Settlement Communities Task Force and improve the towns zoning, as the new comprehensive plan recommends.

Charleston City Council Districts 4, 10 and 12

Only half of Charleston's six council races are contested.

We encourage voters in District 4 on the East Side to return Robert Mitchell to office. His long experience as a housing counselor and council member has given him valuable insight into the city's lack of affordable housing.

In District 10, Stephen Bowden is a newcomer who vows to focus on flooding and managing development, two big topics in the outer West Ashley district. He also would seek to reduce the partisan division and personality conflicts on council.

In District 12 on James Island, incumbent Carol Jackson has emerged as a leading environmental advocate with a record of dedicated service. She promises to focus on managing the city's growth, particularly in the face of climate change impacts, and to work with the larger region in mind.
Former S.C. governor and United Nations World Food Program Director David Beasley was caught up in a Twitter spat this weekend with Elon Musk, the world's richest man and the CEO of Tesla, after Beasley said just a fraction of the billionaire's wealth could help the global hunger crisis.

Last week, Beasley said on CNN's "Connect The World" that billionaires should be willing to sacrifice a marginal amount of their net worth and "step up now, on a one-time basis" to help tackle the effects of world hunger.

"Six billion dollars to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don't reach them. It's not complicated," Beasley told CNN.

The $6 billion figure would equate to about 2 percent of Musk's wealth. The Tesla executive has a net worth of nearly $289 billion, according to Bloomberg.

It didn't take long for Musk, who often uses Twitter to respond to criticism, to call out Beasley and the World Food Program.

If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it, Musk responded on Twitter Oct. 31.

But it must be open-source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent, the billionaire added.

Beasley pointed out to Musk that CNN's headline for the article, "2% of Elon Musk's wealth could help solve world hunger," was "not accurate" and told the Tesla executive he would show receipts of the WFP's initiative.

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$6B will not solve world hunger, but it WILL prevent geopolitical instability, mass migration and save 42 million people on the brink of starvation," Beasley tweeted. "An unprecedented crisis and a perfect storm due to Covid/conflict/climate crises.

I can assure you that we have the systems in place for transparency and open source accounting. Your team can review and work with us to be totally confident of such, Beasley added.

The internet spat with Musk had been picked up by multiple national news outlets by Monday morning.

This isn't the first time Beasley has taken to his keyboard to call out billionaires. In July, he called out Virgin Group founder Richard Branson over the wealthy British business magnate's investments in his initiative for private space travel.

"While you, @elonmusk and @JeffBezos reach for the stars, help us also save the 41 million people here on Earth who are on the brink of #famine. There is #SpaceForBoth," Beasley tweeted.

Beasley took over leadership of the World Food Program in 2017 on the recommendation of then-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. He served as South Carolinas Republican governor from 1995 to 1999.

Last year, Beasley accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the U.N. agency for the work it has done combating hunger on a global scale.
COLUMBIA  Nearly three dozen Statehouse lawmakers have called on the S.C. School Boards Association to withdraw from the national group over a controversial letter to the Biden administration describing parents protesting mask and COVID policies as an immediate threat to the safety of members serving on those boards.

In a letter to SCSBA Executive Director Scott Price, the 33 Republicans led by Rep. Stewart Jones, R-Laurens, called on the organization to break ties with the National School Boards Association on the grounds its description of heightened tensions at school board meetings nationwide labeled parents as domestic terrorists without justification.

The NSBA is detached from reality and fails to recognize that Americans are angered by what is happening in our classrooms, the letter, dated Nov. 1, reads.

Neither Jones nor Price could immediately be reached for comment.

But one of the letters signatories, Abbeville Republican state Rep. Craig Gagnon, said the letter was intended to protect the speech of concerned parents.

To say that parents are the ones that are the terrorists just because they dont agree with what a school board says  I think its ludicrous, he said.

I think theyre overstepping the whole idea of open and honest debate," Gagnon added. "It might get a little adversarial, it might get a little hot sometimes being on the school board. Its sometimes a thankless job and you get a lot of heat for things that are beyond your control, but thats part of the job.

The SCSBA responded to lawmakers late Monday afternoon by saying it would be following the national organization's actions "carefully" in the future.

The NSBA faced intense backlash over its Sept. 29 letter to the Biden administration which called for federal law enforcement to address what it described as a growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation.

Some of the actions reported by school boards toward school districts COVID-19 policies and curriculum, they wrote, were equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes, and required federal intervention. The NSBA later apologized for the language of the letter, which it described as unjustified.

But after the letter was sent, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the U.S. Department of Justice would develop strategies against increasing threats toward school boards just days later.

The letter would go on to galvanize conservatives who see issues like mask mandates in schools and topics such as critical race theory as cultural rallying points in local and national elections. The DOJ did not provide statistics demonstrating a tangible increase in violent acts toward school boards, critics argued, and that most threats toward school board members had been effectively dealt with by local law enforcement.

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The Statehouse response has the support of the state GOP.

Over the last year weve seen the governments oversized role in education on full display, state Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick said in a statement. Despite what Democrats say, parents deserve to have input over whats happening in their childs classroom, and they should be able to vocalize concerns to school boards without being put on an FBI watchlist."

He equated the situation to demonstrating a need for school choice as a legislative priority in the state.

Throughout the first months of the school year, hundreds of parents on both sides of the debate have packed school board meetings from Greenville to Charleston, prompting some to increase the level of security at those meetings. Some districts, like Lexington County School District 1, have seen speakers break rules that, in some cases, have required law enforcement to intervene. That district also installed a metal detector outside of its meeting room in September.

While meetings have been lengthy, theyve largely been peaceful, said school board chair Anne Marie Greene, with few changes to their meeting format.

The national temperature of school board meetings has been high and I think people see that, she said. And I think that emboldens them. But what weve done is weve really tried to talk everything over. Our mission is children. And whether were school board members or students, we just want everyone to be civil and professional. You can defuse a lot of tense situations by responding to anger with calm kindness.

People are afraid and angry, and their children are involved, she added. Were hopeful things are coming down some.

Its the reason some school board leaders say federal intervention is unnecessary.

As long as things can be done in a respectful way, I dont care whether people come and voice their opinion, because theyre entitled to do so, said Teresa Holmes, chair of the Richland County School District 2 board.

But we serve 28,000 students," she added. "And unfortunately, out of 28,000 students youre going to have some parents that agree with whats being said and some that dont. Unfortunately, the ones that are the loudest arent always the ones that represent the majority of our district.
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Critical Race Theory has become the number one political issue in the U.S. So, needless to say, it is the top issue in school board elections that are taking place across the country. Thus, in one of Minnesotas largest school districts, the administration emailed talking points to school board members, telling them how to answer questions about CRT from concerned parents. No doubt many other districts have done the same. Remarkably, this particular email included no fewer than six attachments with talking points on CRT.

These six pro-CRT missives are pretty much interchangeable, although they come from a variety of sources: the school district itself; Education Minnesota, the teachers union (this one includes an attack on American Experiment); the Minnesota School Boards Association; the University of Minnesota; the Minnesota Association of School Administrators; and the Council of the Great City Schools.

These six sets of talking points exemplify the liberal orthodoxy on CRT: It doesnt exist, and its awesome! They assert that CRT is found only in law schools (parenthetically, if that is true it is a serious problem in itself) and certainly isnt taught in K-12 classrooms.

This school districts memo to board members begins:

Information and questions have been surfacing on social media and in the community regarding the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and/or curriculum and instruction. The discussion has surfaced in some other MN school districts and we want to prepare you with information so that you can address questions as they arise here in a clear and direct way.

***

Consistent messaging from the Osseo School District regarding CRT:

***

 Critical Race Theory is a specific framework found in law schools that examines the systems, policies and laws that perpetuate racial inequities in our society and how those inequities can be eliminated.  It is used to connect the role that race plays in our society through multiple viewpoints and looks critically at systems to better understand the origins of racial inequities.  There appears to be confusion about the differences between CRT and equity in public schools. While some people and politically-focused organizations are claiming that CRT is intended for use in PreK-12 schools, that is not the case.

But you know what school districts never say when asked about CRT? They say they dont teach it, but they never go on to say: CRT is a racist and anti-American set of dogmas, and we would never allow it into our schools. Why do you think they would rather have their fingernails pulled out with pliers than say something so straightforward?

Instead, we get the second part of the liberal formula: CRTwhich we dont teachis awesome! Only, wink, wink, we call it Equity. Or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Or Social Emotional Learning. The best place to see this is in the talking points from Education Minnesota, Minnesotas dominant political force, that were included in the administrations memo to Osseo school board members. Education Minnesotas talking points for school board members (most of whom they got elected) and administrators (most of whom are beholden to them) are embedded below. This is how Education Minnesota recommends that school board members respond to questions about CRT. I am going to quote at length because it is so revealing:

These people are openly anti-American. They make no bones about it. They hate our country and are trying to destroy it, and their control over K-12 education, which is unchallenged in many places, makes that a reasonable ambition. While national attention is understandably focused on Virginias election for governor, the countrys school board elections will be more important in the long run.

Wherever you live, seats on your school board are probably being contested. The Golden Rule is, never vote for anyone who is endorsed by your states teachers union. If you inquire, you can easily find out whether there are pro-America candidates running for your local school board. If there are, you should vote for them. Turnout in school board elections is notoriously low, often in single digits, which is why far-left teachers unions have generally been able to select the school boards against whom they negotiate contracts.

This year, pro-America candidates have emerged in most states. Some will win, but most, in all likelihood, will fail to overcome the Lefts immense financial resources. But next year may be a different story: this year some tremors, in 2022, the earthquake. With another year, not just to spread awareness of the evils of CRT and the anti-American bias that has largely taken over our public schools, but also to organize, identify candidates, raise a modest amount of money and rally behind them, we may see a revolution.

In the meantime, vote in your local school board election on Tuesday, or whenever it occurs.

ONE MORE THING: The claim by liberals that the radical principles of CRT are not taught in K-12 schools is disingenuous, as demonstrated by the fact that in July, the National Education Association, Americas largest union representing some 3 million teachers, approved New Business Item #39, which expressly endorsed the teaching of Critical Race Theory in the public schools. That resolution went so far as to encourage teachers to teach the principles of CRT even in states where it has been made illegal to do so by the legislature. Such is the depth of the education establishments commitment to CRT dogmas.

PAUL ADDS: The way I see it, whats taught about race in many public schools is a dumbed-down version of Critical Race Theory.

In a way, to deny that CRT is being taught in K-12 because CRT is whats taught at law schools is like saying that math isnt taught in elementary school because math is whats taught in higher grades and students in lower grades are just taught arithmetic.

The difference, of course, is that arithmetic is an indispensable subject and higher math a very useful one, whereas CRT is merely interesting to some people, and its dumbed-down version is merely dumb, and poisonous.
Ambrose Bierce is a writer whose cynicism matches well with our current mood, yet I wonder if anyone reads him any more or even knows who he is. If youve read his Civil War story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, you havent forgotten it. In February 1964 The Twilight Zone broadcast a short French film adapting the story. If you saw it, you havent forgotten it. I have posted a five-minute clip below.

I still have my old Signet Classics copy of In the Midst of Life. It includes stories from Bierces book of that name (originally published as Tales of Soldiers and Civilians in 1891) as well as a few from Can Such Things Be? (1893) and a smattering from The Devils Dictionary (1911).

Bierce drew on his service in the Union Army during the Civil War for much of his work. He enlisted in an Indiana regiment at the age of 19 and reached the brevet rank of major. After the war he gave up on his decision to become a professional soldier.

The New York Review of Books has just unlocked Michael Dirdas 2012 review of the Library of America compilation of Bierces work. Dirdas review is published under the heading One of Americas Best, though Dirda concedes up front that Bierce is arguably not quite first-rate. However, Bierce is inarguably worth getting to know and Dirdas review provides an excellent and entertaining introduction. For example, Dirda quotes Bierces surprisingly heartless (I would say surprisingly funny) take on Harriet Beecher Stowe from The Town Crier (1869):

Mr. [James] Parton says Mrs. Stowe has lived a life of heroic virtue. With her face, a life of virtue is no very difficult matter. When Nature conferred upon her her peculiar charms, we imagine the operation might have been called, Chastity made easy.

Another point in Bierces favor is that he probably doesnt pass muster under the current regime in American arts and letters.
The New York Times previews the Virginia gubernatorial election in a good story by Jeremy Peters and Matthew Cullen. On the one hand, they report:

We are substantially leading on the early vote, but we cannot take our foot off the gas, Mr. McAuliffe told a crowd on Saturday in Norfolk, where he met with labor leaders who were planning to spend the day knocking on doors. He and his allies took it as an encouraging sign that more than 1.1 million of Virginias 5.9 million registered voters had cast ballots as of Sunday morning, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

On the other hand, they pick up on differences that can be observed on the campaign trail:

[T]he energy this weekend was more palpable among Mr. Youngkin and his supporters, who have heeded the Republicans calls for a new direction in the states political leadership after more than a decade of Democratic governors. Mr. Youngkin has framed the election as an opportunity for Virginians to send a message to the nation that Democrats are out of step with the majority of Americans on a number of issues, from how racial inequality is taught in schools to coronavirus-related mandates. The nations eyes are on Virginia, Mr. Youngkin told an energetic crowd of several hundred people who came to see him on Saturday afternoon in Manassas Park, a city near the suburban Democratic stronghold of Fairfax County outside Washington. In his speeches, he often ascribes a larger significance to his campaign, saying, This is no longer a campaign. Its a movement.

Although it has banked a lot of votes with a little help from its friends and may well march forward to victory, the McAuliffe campaign is a study in the political equivalent in mortuary science:

For Mr. McAuliffe, the visit to Norfolk was one of several stops he made in southeastern Virginia, where he drew small to modest crowds of 30 to 100 people. The largest crowd on Saturday was at a Black church in Portsmouth, where Mr. McAuliffe was joined by Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, the civil rights leader. President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama have all visited Virginia as part of the McAuliffe campaigns push to boost turnout, especially among core Democratic constituencies such as Black voters. But generating enthusiasm has been difficult at times, which was evident on Saturday at a McAuliffe event in Chesapeake. When Mr. McAuliffe went to speak, the crowd yelled Terry, Terry, Terry only after a campaign staffer started the chant to ramp up the energy in the room.

Peters and Cullen omit any mention of Fridays disgusting Democratic hoax allegedly perpetrated under the auspices of the Lincoln Project and a Democratic operative, who have taken the fall. I dont think the Times has gotten around to it. If you get your news from the Times, the whole thing is a deep secret. By contrast, the Wall Street Journal runs the editorial A dirty campaign trick in Virginia.

It is the kind of story the Times would dig into and hammer if Republicans (real Republicans) were involved and a Democrat was the target. The Democrats seek to portray Youngkin as some kind of a racist, but the story includes the Times photo of black Youngkin supporters at Saturdays rally in Springfield. At least they arent buying it.
Theres at least a weeks worth of good news in this one Washington Post article about the backlash against the defund the police campaign. However, I think the Post overstates the extent to which Democrats are truly moving away from anti-police views and policies.

Lets start, though, with the good news. It begins in the first three paragraphs:

Mayoral candidates across the country are closing out their campaigns pledging to restore law and order, a major setback for racial justice protesters who only a year ago thought they had permanently reshaped the debate on policing in American cities. As voters head to the polls Tuesday, local elections are dominated by discussions about safety and law enforcement amid a surge in violent crime. The tone of the debate, even in many liberal urban communities, highlights how major policing reforms have stalled. From Buffalo to Seattle, Democratic politicians who once championed significant reductions or reallocations of police department budgets are backtracking. In other cities, including Cleveland, liberal candidates are being hammered over their stances on public safety.

The shift, of course, is driven by voter revulsion at the results of anti-police and other soft-on-crime policies:

A Pew Research Center poll published Tuesday shows that 47 percent of Americans want to increase funding for police, compared to 15 percent who want to decrease funding. In June 2020, when the racial justice protests were at their peak, 31 percent of Americans wanted to increase funding, while 25 percent supported a decrease. Three-fourths of Black Americans, who form a decisive voting bloc in many mayoral contests, either support increasing or keeping spending on police the same, Pew found. The shift in public opinion comes after large U.S. cities experienced a 30 percent jump in killings in 2020, the biggest one-year increase since the federal government began compiling national figures in the 1960s.

(Emphasis added)

We keep hearing about a racial reckoning. Maybe the media should start talking about a law and order reckoning.

Heres some good news from Buffalo, New York:

Community activist India Walton is attempting Tuesday to become the countrys first socialist mayor in decades after she defeated the incumbent mayor, Byron Brown, in the June Democratic primary. Waltons bid for public office grew out of the racial justice protests that swept the nation following Floyds murder, and she had been a fixture at Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Before her campaign for mayor, Walton embraced calls to shift resources away from police. According to the Buffalo News, Walton used expletive-laden anti-police chants at a rally. Her affiliation with the Black Lives Matter movement has become fodder for Brown, who is mounting a write-in campaign. On the campaign trail, Walton has largely stopped talking about cutting funding for police and instead stresses the need for accountability for police misconduct and a greater role for mental health professionals in responding to residents in distress.

The socialist has transitioned from insane to merely clueless.

I love this passage:

Jesse Myerson, a spokesman for the Walton campaign, said Walton does not recall using profanity on the campaign trail last year. Myerson added Walton has shifted away from the slogans of activists during moments of searing injustice and is now focused on becoming an effective mayor.

A poll released Tuesday by WIVB-TV and Emerson College showed Mayor Brown holds a 17-point lead over forgetful Walton.

Weve discussed how defund the police has lost its panache, and then some, in Seattles mayoral race. The Post brings us up-to-date:

In Seattle, a city that experienced a 73 percent increase in homicides last year, city council president and mayoral candidate M. Lorena Gonzalez is also on the defensive over her past support for reducing police funding in that city by as much as 50 percent and diverting that money to social programs. Gonzalezs chief opponent in the race, former council member Bruce Harrell, is hammering Gonzalez for that stance, arguing homeowners and businesses are clamoring for safer streets in a city that has lost about 300 police officers in the last year. Make no mistake about it, I am not defunding the police, Harrell charged in a debate on Thursday night. My opponent has made it clearly a purpose-driven part [of her campaign] to defund the police. Gonzalez responded by saying she still wants to invest in community-based safety and non-law-enforcement systems but will also fully support hiring plans to add more officers to the Seattle Police Department. Several recent polls suggest Harrell now leads Gonzalez.

(Emphasis added)

Justin Hansford, executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University, finds it surprising how quickly Democrats are back to a law-and-order narrative. Maybe. But its more surprising that the death of George Floyd induced temporary insanity in the form of a strong defund campaign.

Hanford blames the waning of that campaign on its diffuse leadership structure, most notably the fact that the movement never established a clear leader or political arm. Theres no limit to the cluelessness of many on the left.

At the same time, conservatives shouldnt be so clueless as to take the rhetoric of suddenly law-and-order conscious Democrats at full face value. Theres some truth  more than a little, I fear  in this observation by one of the Posts sources:

Mayoral candidates are being compelled to respond to realities on the ground. But the response to those realities is going to be dramatically informed by what happened to George Floyd, and it will not be the response we would have seen in 2018 or 2019.

The problem for Democratic mayors is that the more their response to the reality of mounting violent crime is informed by what happened to George Floyd, the more the hands of police officers will be tied and the more difficult it will be even to staff a police force with enough manpower to combat the wave of violent crime.

Going forward, voters are likely to want sincere law-and-order mayors, not just law-and-order poseurs.
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Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc recorded a 132 per cent growth in bottom-line for the period from January through September, the earnings report of the palm oil producer obtained from the Nigerian Exchange on Monday showed.

The posted record turnover in excess of N31 billion as sales enlarged 66.7 per cent, with exports to outside its base Nigeria contributing N4.2 billion.

Majority-owned by Luxembourg-based Socfinal group with 62.7 per cent, Okomu Oil manufactures palm oil, rubber cup clumps, palm kernel oil and palm kernel cake.

The company cut the costs it incurs on servicing loans by 75.3 per cent to N111.1 million and grew its finance income from N10.8 million to N54.1 million.

Pre-tax profit advanced to N14.8 billion, a 117 per cent increase over what it posted for the same period last year.

Earnings Per Share rose to N12.16 from N5.24, reflecting a 132 per cent expansion.

A demand surge in the palm oil market is pushing Okomu Oil, which owns twenty thousand hectares of cultivated palm to enter a synergy with smallholder farmers, who control 80 per cent of production in Nigeria, to narrow the gap.

We are  very interested and involved with the smallholder farmers to try and increase their production, and also to assist them by being a company that will guarantee uptake of their product, CEO Graham Hefer told CNN this year.

Shares in Okomu Oil closed trading in Lagos on Monday at N135 per unit, recording no movement.
Africa Renaissance Foundation (AREFO), a non-governmental organisation, has urged the Lagos State and federal government to tap into the Badagry Diaspora Festival (BDF) to boost cultural tourism in the state.

Babatunde Mesewaku, the President of AREFO and organiser of the festival, made the appeal on Sunday at the 2021 edition of the Badagry Diaspora Festival in Badagry.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the festival was held at the Palace of Akran of Badagry, Aholu Menu Toyi 1.

Mr Mesewaku said the festival was organised to show the world that Badagry was blessed with a different culture, heritage, and history.

Culture and festival are products of tourism, if one wants to develop tourism especially in Lagos State, cultural tourism is the key and this is what we are doing in Badagry.

We are doing this at the local level in order for the federal and Lagos State governments to see the potential and tap into it.

Badagry people contribute money for the celebration of the festival yearly because of the importance they attach to the preservation of cultural heritage compare to other places, he said.

Inspiration

Mr Mesewaku, the former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said the festival started as a community programme named Ogu Festival and changed to Badagry cultural festival.

The festival came into existence as the awareness of our cultural and historical significance to the global world. We realised that in the past during the slave trade, various global communities like Dutch, English, Brazilian, French, and Portuguese were all in Badagry involved in the slave trade business.

They were in close commercial collaboration with Badagry people especially the quarters in the town. So, we realised that it is important for us to explore the historical significance of this to Badagry and the world.

Badagry, being an ancient port, a market for sales and transportation of slave, we decided to explore the importance of this legacy and make good out of it, he said.

He said that the festival is an avenue for Africans in the Diaspora to come and experience their culture, tradition and then reconstruct their history and identity.

Details

According to him, the festival has shown that Badagry is a port of culture significant for Nigeria and for the Diaspora too.

We have over eight quarters here in Badagry with different cultural outfits, so if the Diaspora people come to us they will see varieties of the cultural heritage of Badagry, he said

In his remarks, the Akran of Badagry, Aholu Menu Toyi 1, urged the people to ensure the festival becomes a global festival.

He urged residents to support the organisers of the festival in order to keep the 20-year-old festival alive.

The Akran commended the Arewas, Ndigbo, and other tribes who came to celebrate the festival with them.

The festival began its humble beginnings in 1999, as a remembrance of the slave trade era and the significance of the town in the era. In 1999, AREFO organized the first Badagry Festival. Throughout the years, AREFO has spent hundreds of hours organizing the festival and has been instrumental in evolving it into the festival that we know today.

NAN reports that the festival featured Badagry royal carnival, Zangbeto carnival, Ogun Badagry dance, and Obatala and Aje festival.

(NAN)
In what seemed like a desperate move, Olori Damilola, the estranged wife of the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi, has tendered a public apology to the monarch on her official Instagram account.

In addition to the apology, the ex-queen also pleaded with the Alaafin and the royal family to be allowed to return to the palace and accused her friends of leading her astray.

The mother-of-one walked out of her marriage shortly after her co-queen, Aanu, left in November 2020.

For months, rumours were rife that both queens ,who are in their 20s, fled to Lagos because they wanted to be free.

But this is the first time that the queen would be publicly confirming speculations that she had walked out of her marriage of barely five years.

Runway queen

Queen Aanu, who recently had her wedding introduction, had accused the monarch of attempting to kidnap her adding that she no longer wants to be in bondage.

The then 23-year-old, who welcomed the monarchs third set of twins in 2018, tagged the police in her statement.

Announcing her marriage introduction on her Instagram, she wrote: This is how you smile when you finally introduce somebodys son to your family. Dont ask me who or how. Just wish me well.

Meanwhile, the identity of the husband-to-be has yet to be revealed.

Immediately she put up the post, Queen Badirat, another runaway wife of the monarch, congratulated her former co-wife in the comments.

Recall that the two queensBadirat and Anu including Damilola, all left the palace in 2020 and have become slay queens on Instagram.

Aanu had unceremoniously walked out of the palace in November 2020.

No place like home

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVsyL_DIHN3/?utm_medium=copy_link

In her apology letter, Queen Damilola pleaded with the Monarch to accept her back into his life.

When she left her marital abode, she had accused her former husband of maltreating her, however, she has debunked the statement as false.

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She also confirmed that the apology post was not written under duress while noting that she wrote it in a good state of mind, she said.

She wrote: I write this in tears and beg every good mother to pls plead to my husband (Alaafin of Oyo) on my behalf to forgive me. And to all those that contributed one money or the other when I get back to the palace, I will definitely refund you people. Thanks. Its for those that understand that there is no place like home.

Blame game

The monarchs estranged wife blamed her friends for misleading her.

It was friends that misled me and out of frustration but now things are clear and Im sincerely sorry for trying to bring down the royal family. I have been to Lagos and Abuja to seek the forgiveness of the royal family, she said.

The young queen fled the palace after she was allegedly ill-treated by the palace authorities.

She was recently unveiled as the brand ambassador of a popular Lagos organic cream brand.
President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, have approved a huge national security-sensitive maritime contract to a medical company in a process the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) says is embarrassing and illegal, a PREMIUM TIMES investigation has revealed.

The development has unsettled the Buhari government, with senior officials sparring and trading accusations of bad faith and the BPP complaining of procedural lapses in carefully worded memos that only stopped short of directly accusing Mr Buhari and Mr Amaechi of lawlessness

Our investigation is based on several confidential government memos and extensive interviews with insiders familiar with the matter.

The procurement agency said the contract was awarded in clear breach of the Public Procurement Act 2007.

The International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) scheme is an electronic cargo verification system that monitors the shipment of seaborne cargo and enables a real-time generation of vital data on ship and cargo traffic in and out of Nigeria, a government memo says, emphasising national security and economic benefits.

An operation of the scheme was initially in effect following a President Umaru Yar-Adua-Goodluck Jonathan era contract between the Nigerian Ports Authority and an operator, TPMS-Antaser-Afrique, which was abruptly terminated by former finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in October 2011.

The controversy surrounding the termination of the contract ended up in a court of arbitration before attracting the interest of the anticorruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala then said the scheme was hurting businesses. In the short period it was initially implemented, barely a year, more than 40 million euros was generated in revenue, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said. It is unclear if that revenue was remitted to government in full.

However, the government now finds the scheme desirable again. A transport ministry memo of August 26, 2021, to the Bureau of Public Procurement says that non-engagement of the scheme would continue to cause the country loss of revenue, worsen the countrys maritime security situation, and allow alteration of cargoes and under-declaration.

In what kickstarted the current process that is now stuck in controversy and abuse, Mr Amaechis transport ministry, on September 11, 2020, sought the approval of the BPP to conduct a restricted/selected tendering exercise to engage agents or partners for the implementation of the cargo tracking note scheme, documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES showed.

But citing the convoluted circumstance of the initial contract, which attracted criminal investigation by the EFCC and the need to regain international confidence, the BPP rejected the selective tender request and, instead, asked the transport ministry to conduct international competitive bidding (ICB).

This (ICB) was to ensure that experienced international firms with high reputation, integrity, and capacity to deliver participate in the procurement process, BPP said in an October 22, 2020 memo justifying the need for an openly competitive process.

But surprisingly, the BPP noted in a memo, the transport ministry on August 26, 2021, reverted to the public procurement regulator with an approval dated August 19, 2021 from the president to adopt a direct procurement in favour of MedTech Scientific Limited, a healthcare company, in partnership with Rozi International Nigeria Limited, a property development company.

Direct procurement is single sourcing of a contractor with no room for competition either in a selective exercise, which invites interests from a restricted number of companies based on experience and capacity, or an open exercise, which is publicly advertised for companies to express interest and compete.

Mr Amaechi and procedural lapse, breach of law

After the October 22, 2020 letter of the BPP rejecting the selective tendering exercise the ministry of transport initially requested, Mr Amaechi ceased further communication with the bureau until he was able to circumvent due process to obtain Mr Buharis approval for direct procurement, which he then communicated to the bureau on August 27, 2021.

In the period between October 2020 and August 2021, Mr Buhari had in a letter dated May 17, 2021 directed that an international competitive bidding exercise be adopted in line with the BPPs earlier position.

But Mr Amaechi brushed aside the instructions of the president and the BPP and went ahead to have the Nigerian Shippers Council, where the tracking note scheme is now domiciled, to commence a restricted tendering exercise extending invitations to nine companies. This was done because of time constraint, the ministry claimed in the memo of August 27 to the BPP. Curiously, the same president changed his position afterwards and did not only authorise to use selective tendering but in favour of two named companies.

That procedure contravened Section 40(1) of the Public Procurement Act 2007 as there was no approval from the Bureau before adopting Restricted Tendering Exercise, the BPP said in two separate memos to the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, and the ministry of transportations permanent secretary, Magdalene Ajani.

Even more worrisome

While the restricted tendering exercise, which the BPP said was illegal, was ongoing, Mr Amaechi decided to jettison the process and consequently hand-picked MedTech Scientific Limited, in partnership with Rozi International Nigeria Limited, out of the firms selected to compete for the contract.

He then sought and obtained Mr Buharis anticipatory approval to engage MedTech without any competition, a development that was inconsistent with the presidents earlier directive and the public procurement law.

This procedure is clearly against the spirit and intent of the Public Procurement Act 2007 and if challenged has the potential to embarrass the government, the BPP said in a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Gambari. A similar position was communicated to the transport ministry but the BPP said nevertheless it could not stop the contract given the presidents approval.

The BPP said the transport ministry did not provide the basis for picking MedTech and Rozi International to partner for the project. The ministry had said the companies selected to participate in the selective tendering process were chosen on the basis of proven records of experience, competency, and reliability to execute the services.

However, as the PREMIUM TIMES investigation revealed, neither MedTech nor Rozi International had any record of success in delivering maritime traffic tracking service.

MedTech was incorporated in Nigeria in 2008 with an office in Lagos. The directors are Lifesign Healthcare Limited, a UK-registered company, Ramzi Nabil Abou-Hassan, Iyabo Rojaiye, and Kolawole Ojetimi. Mr Abou-Hassan is a health practitioner, his Linkedin profile suggests, and the managing director of Lifesign Healthcare Limited, UK Companies House records show.

On Linkedin, Mr Abou-Hassan said of his involvement in the coast of West Africa, which covers Nigeria, that It is our intention to continue to leverage our experience of almost 20 years in this region to help build capacity in a very difficult environment and where the level of public healthcare has suffered much neglect for over three decades.

On the other hand, Rozi International was incorporated in 1991 in Bauchi State, with a Wuse Abuja address, CAC records show. According to the records, the companys nature of business is property business development, and the directors, as well as shareholders, are Robert Zeitoun, and Issam Zeitoun.

The BPP said the profiles of the two companies were not forwarded for review and therefore could not comment on their suitability to execute a project of this magnitude and complexity.

The transport ministrys spokesperson, Eric Ojikwe, did not comment after we sent written questions to him via a text message.

It is not clear if Mr Buhari saw the profiles of MedTech and Rozi International or questioned Mr Amaechi in this regard before granting his approval. Presidential spokespersons, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, did not comment. They did not reply to separate text messages to their telephones, nor did they answer calls.

Insulate the presidents office from embarrassment

Despite the arbitrariness of the procurement process, the BPP said it could not stop Mr Amaechi since he had managed to gain Mr Buharis anticipatory approval. An anticipatory approval means the granting of a procurement request before the statutory consideration and endorsement of the Federal Executive Council.

Nevertheless, the BPP separately told Mr Buharis Chief of Staff, Mr Gambari, and the ministry of transport that it is not correct for the exalted Office of His Excellency, Mr President, to be drawn into routine administrative approvals particularly contract-related matters that are open to litigation.

This procedure should be strongly discouraged, it wrote.

The Bureau also told the Chief of Staff to advise the president to rescind his anticipatory approval granted to Mr Amaechi in order to ensure an international competitive bidding exercise that is not compromised and to protect the president from embarrassment.

Meanwhile, the BPP also raised a question about the required security clearance from the Office of the National Security Adviser. The NSA had expressed security concerns in a July 16, 2021, memo.

We could not confirm if both Mr Buhari and Mr Amaechi obtained any security clearance before approving the contract to MedTech and its partner Rozi International.

Mr Amaechi and a history of violation of procurement process

Mr Amaechi has at various times got himself mired in arbitrary conduct around procurement processes involving agencies under his supervision, suggesting an aversion for due process.

In a number of contract processes involving the NPA, Mr. Amaechi inserted himself arbitrarily. In one case, he directed the NPA to restore a boat service contract with logistics giants, Intels, in disregard for an ongoing open bidding exercise in which the company had been disqualified.

In this case, the BPP intervened and submitted that Mr Aamechis position could create a monopoly and leave a pattern of gaining contracts in ways other than a transparent competitive tendering process.

In addition, in the matter of NPAs port dredging contract, Mr. Amaechi directed that contracts be extended for a year beyond original expiration dates instead of a bidding exercise, which the BPP had approved.
PREMIUM TIMES Books on Monday presented to the public, The Sokoto Caliphate, a book authored by Murray Last, as part of events commemorating the 15th anniversary of the installation of the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Saad.

The book was first published in 1967.

Except for the title, it was the sum of Mr Lasts 1964 PhD thesis, word for word. It was the first PhD thesis approved by the University of Ibadan.

The book is the only West African edition and has been printed for circulation by Premium Times Books, Musikilu Mojeed, the Chief Operating Officer of the PREMIUM TIMES Group, said in a statement.

The formal presentation of the book was held at the International Conference Centre, Kasarawa, Sokoto State.

The book was reviewed by Mukhtar Umar-Bunza, a professor who is also the Commissioner for Higher Education in Kebbi State.

The session was chaired by a former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako

The event will also have in attendance the Sultan of Sokoto and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, said, in the statement issued ahead of the event.

About the Book

The author, Mr Last, was a graduate student at the prestigious Yale University, when he first heard about the Fulani Empire in northern Nigeria.

He subsequently travelled widely within the borders of the defunct Fulani Empire, visiting more than 50 towns on the Nigerian side and 12 towns that are now part of Niger Republic while he was conducting his research.

That is the first of many records it broke. It was also the first book that documented the Fulani Empire from the inside, utilising books, records and letters written by its African leaders and officials in the Arabic original as primary source material, not, as non-UCI scholars did, accounts of European explorers like Clapperton or translations of Arabic texts by colonial administrators.

It was lauded as a landmark in the historiography of northern Nigeria and the then newly minted Dr Murray Last was hailed as the first scholar to focus minutely on the structure and administration of the Fulani Empire.

Fifty-four years on, The Sokoto Caliphate is the acknowledged classic text on the Fulani Empire. It has gone through several editions, including the Hausa edition, Daular Sakkwato, published in 2009, but has never had an all-Nigeria edition.

In late 2019, PREMIUM TIMES Books began discussions with Professor Murray Last about publishing the Nigerian edition of The Sokoto Caliphate, which he graciously agreed to.

Publishing The Sokoto Caliphate is in keeping with Premium Times Books mission statement of bringing books about Nigerians home to Nigeria.

At its zenith, the Sokoto Caliphates east-west boundary stretched from modern Cameroon to Burkina Faso and, north-south, from Agadez in Niger Republic to Ilorin. Its legacy in Nigeria reverberates through present-day debates about constitutional reform, restructuring and regional autonomy.

We at PREMIUM TIMES Books, think the book, The Sokoto Caliphate, is, at the very least, a great resource material for ongoing debates, Mr Mojeed said.
The activities of the pro-Biafra group, IPOB, appeared to have been a difficult issue for the governorship candidates in Anambra State to deal with during the just concluded political debate.

Andy Uba of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were the only three candidates who participated in the Arise News-organised debate, out of the 18 that have been cleared for the November 6 election.

IPOB agitation in Anambra and other South-east states has led to several killings and destruction, with the attendant militarisation of the region.

All the three candidates showed reluctance at the debate to condemn the activities of IPOB which has been proscribed by the Nigerian government. The three said it was necessary for the government to dialogue with IPOB.

In life, I have seen good men do wrong thing, and I have seen wrong men do good things. So, its always good to get to the activities of any group or any person, and support what is good and condemn whats bad, said the PDP candidate, Mr Ozigbo.

There are certain things IPOB does, through agitation and on things that happened, that I support. But when they get to some extreme, then I condemn, he added.

Mr Ozigbo said insecurity in Anambra was caused by the way the APC-led government at the centre and the APGA-led government in Anambra were doing things.

He said those who created the insecurity cannot be the ones to mediate in any dialogue with IPOB.

Thats why you need a Valentine (Ozigbo), a useful person to deal with the issue of IPOB, he said.

The APGA candidate, Mr Soludo, who described himself as a pan-Nigerian, said he does not support the agitation for an independent republic.

Just like the other two candidates, Mr Soludo said IPOB deserves to be heard.

The agitation cannot be shut down with a gun. We need to have a dialogue, bring everyone to the table and discus specific issues that are their agitations, he said.

The candidates reluctance to condemn IPOB at the debate is perhaps to avoid a backlash at the poll which is just a few days away. It also underscores the complexities of the security challenges in the state and the South-east region.

Apart from insecurity, the candidates talked about economy, education, environment and the healthcare in Anambra.
Nigerians can draw great lessons from how the Sokoto caliphate spread across West Africa and survived for a 100 years, the Editor-in-Chief of PREMIUM TIMES, Musikilu Mojeed, has said.

Mr Mojeed said this on Monday in Sokoto during the presentation by PREMIUM TIMES Books of The Sokoto Caliphate, a book authored by Murray Last.

The book was presented to the public by the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Saad, at the International Conference Centre, Kasarawa, Sokoto.

The presentation was part of events commemorating the 15th anniversary of the installation of Mr Saad as Sultan of Sokoto.

Except for the title, it was the sum of Mr Lasts 1964 PhD thesis, word for word. It was the first PhD thesis approved by the University of Ibadan, Mr Mojeed had said in a statement ahead of the event.

The book is the only West African edition and has been printed for circulation by Premium Times Books, he said.

At the event, Mr Mojeed said, As Nigerians, we have not used the legacy of the Fulani Empire or Sokoto Caliphate to our advantage.

It is in our interest to study how so many emirates spread across such a large federation survived for a hundred years.

Yet, its legacy in Nigeria reverberates through present-day debates about constitutional reform, restructuring and regional autonomy, Mr Mojeed said.

Read below the full text of Mr Mojeeds speech at the event

Once again we thank Your Eminence (the Sultan) and Your Excellency (the governor) for the opportunity to present The Sokoto Caliphate on this glorious occasion.

Premium Times Books was founded in 2015 with three key missions, namely, to expand the reading public in Nigeria, to make essential books easily available to the reading public and to bring books about Nigeria published in Europe, America and elsewhere home to Nigeria.

Publishing The Sokoto Caliphate satisfies all three missions. I will elaborate on each of these beginning with the third mission.

The Sokoto Caliphate was first published by Longmans, Green and Company in the United Kingdom in 1967. It was published in the United States of America in 1977.

Several editions were produced in the first forty years of the books life, both as electronic and print books, by publishers based in London and New York.

During those years, the book was celebrated around the world as the most authentic historical record of the jurisdiction known to European explorers as the Fulani Empire or the Sokoto Caliphate.

But no publisher in Nigeria or Africa stepped up to publish the book, not even University of Ibadan Press, the publishing arm of the institution that awarded Prof Murray Last a PhD for his work on the book. In 2009.

A Hausa edition was produced by the Centre for Hausa Studies at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University here in Sokoto. Laudable as that effort was, it did not satisfy the need for an edition of the book that all Nigerians can relate to. Today, fifty-four years after it was first published in London, we are bringing it home.

In late 2019, Premium Times Books began discussions with Professor Murray Last about publishing the Nigerian edition of The Sokoto Caliphate which he graciously agreed to.

Today, we are happy to present the all-Nigerian edition of The Sokoto Caliphate.

The Sokoto Caliphate is, and will always be, one of the most important books ever written about Nigeria, the obvious reason being the subject of the book.

It is almost impossible to exaggerate the significance and achievements of the Fulani Empire or Sokoto Caliphate as a jurisdiction in the 19th century.

Geographically, it was the largest state in Africa. At its height, the Caliphate stretched 1,500 kilometres from Djerem, Faro and Deo, Mayo Banyo, Vina, and Touboro  all in present-day Cameroon, through Northern Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo all the way to Dori in present day Burkina Faso. Back then, it took four months to travel east-west across the Caliphate.

The North-South boundary stretched from Agadez in present day Niger Republic to Ilorin in Nigeria. It was a confederation of some thirty emirates, conceived, established and ruled by Africans without any input from Europeans or Arabs even though their leaders spoke and wrote Arabic.

Many European, including Heinrich Barth, Hugh Clapperton and many Royal Niger Company merchants, mercenaries and administrators, visited the Caliphate to see this African success story.

As Nigerians, we have not used the legacy of the Fulani Empire or Sokoto Caliphate to our advantage. It is in our interest to study how so many emirates spread across such a large federation survived for a hundred years. Yet, its legacy in Nigeria reverberates through present-day debates about constitutional reform, restructuring and regional autonomy.

What lessons can we learn from it and which of its traditions can our modern states adopt and build on? We at Premium Times Books think the book, The Sokoto Caliphate, is, at the very least, a great resource material for ongoing debates about Nigeria.
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State, Charles Soludo, has said that the insecurity in the South-east state is politically motivated.

The agitation by the pro-Biafra group, IPOB, has led to several killings and destruction in Anambra and other states in the South-east.

A soldier was shot dead a few days ago during a gun battle between troops and some IPOB members, according to a statement by the Nigerian Army.

The army said it killed four IPOB members.

Part of the recent upsurge in insecurity in Anambra is politically motivated. There are some persons who think that they will gain political advantage by creating a sense of fear and insecurity so that you would have voters suppression, Mr Soludo said on Monday at a political debate in Awka.

The other two candidates who took part in the debate organised by Arise News were Andy Uba of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), out of the 18 cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission to contest the November 6 election.

Mr Soludos party is the ruling one in Anambra.

Mr Soludo, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said Anambra has been the safest state in Nigeria, a safe haven for booming businesses, until the last few months.

He said the governor of the state, Willie Obiano, was doing his best to tackle the security challenges in the state.

The governor as the chief security officer has risen up to the challenge.

And by the way, you know that all these security agencies happen to be within the purview of the federal government, but weve got a security architecture in which the federal forces have been working in tandem, in collaboration with the local vigilante.

Mr Soludo said if he is elected governor he would work out some harmonious agreement with the non-state actors as one of the ways of tackling insecurity in the state.

He said another thing would be to create prosperity, jobs, and opportunities for our youths.

Tension

There is a general apprehension that the Anambra election may be disrupted because of a sit-at-home order by IPOB which is using the order as a strategy to put pressure on the Nigerian government to release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who standing trial in Abuja for alleged treason.

At the debate, Mr Soludo and the other two candidates said they would support the government to hold dialogue with IPOB.

The agitation cannot be shut down with a gun. We need to have a dialogue, bring everyone to the table and discus specific issues that are their agitations, the APGA candidate said.
The Nigerian Mission in South Africa and the Nigerian Doctors Forum South Africa (NDF-SA) have condemned attempts allegedly by the Independent Media Group (IMG) in South Africa, to drag the reputation of Nigerian doctors into the mud over the controversial South African decuplets (10 babies born at the same birth).

A statement issued on Sunday, to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, by Abdul Malik Ahmed, Nigeria Consul General in Johannesburg, South Africa, said their reaction followed a media conference by the IMG on October 27, 2021, pointedly trying to drag Nigerias name into the mud.

Mr Ahmed, in the statement, said: the attention of the Consul General and NDF-SA was drawn to IMGs conference led by Dr Igbal Surve, in respect to the Gauteng decuplets melodrama.

At the aforementioned media conference, the IMG attempted in vain to smear the reputation of Nigerian doctors in South Africa and by extension the Nigerian community in the country.

IMG alleged that a certain unnamed Nigerian doctor handled the alleged matter of the docuplets, insinuating that the disappearance of the babies might be due to the purported involvement of the unnamed doctor.

It is apparent that the handlers of the alleged mother of the decuplets and her husband could not have handed-over the care of the woman, to a certain faceless or unknown Nigerian doctor, whose identify or place of medical practice they did not know.

We, therefore, condemn in very strong terms this malicious and unsubstantiated attempt at smearing the name of Nigeria doctors and dragging their hard earned reputation into the mud, to feed into prevailing stereotypes against the Nigerian community in general.

He explained that the allegation was unfounded because the handlers failed to take into cognisance the identity of the doctor that they engaged with.

Mr Ahmed maintained that it was irresponsible for the IMG to have violated the basic tenets of journalism, by going to press without basic facts, but relying on falsehood, disinformation and defamation.

It is noteworthy that lot of very well trained and hardworking Nigerian doctors are contributing to the South African healthcare sector and economy in general. We take the opportunity to draw the attention of the government, the international community to Nigerian citizens who are South Africa residents.

As well as, the media that the disclosure by IMG, on the unknown Nigerian doctor, might as well be a red herring targeted at instigating hate, stigma and xenophobic attacks against the Nigeria community.

IMG is hereby challenged to name the Nigerian doctor involved, in seven days from Oct. 31, 2021 or withdraw with full apologies, its malicious and unsubstantiated allegations and defamation against NDF-SA or face legal action. A crime against one is crime against all, he said.

The envoy said the matter, under reference, concerned Nigeria, urging people to disregard the antics of government and other agencies saddled with the responsibility of unravelling the decuplets debacle.

Background

NAN recalled that on 8 June 2021, the media, particularly in South Africa, was awash with stories of the birth of 10 babies, comprising seven boys and three girls, to 37-year-old Gosiame Thamara Sithole, a South Africa lady living in Thembisa, a township in South Africas Gauteng province.

With her 10 babies, Sithole was touted as having overtaken the current Guinness Book of Records holder, Halima Cisse, 25, of Mali who had delivered nine babies, reportedly at a clinic in Morocco.

The purported birth by Sithole had since then generated controversies, including the fact that the babies could not be found, the hospital she delivered was unknown and an inquiry by the South African authorities saying that the story of the Thembisa 10 was untrue.

A twist in the tale, however, came up at the October 27 media conference by the IMG, the organisation that first ran the story, saying in an internal report that the babies do exist, but that the babies were lost at the hands of a Nigerian doctor who was assisting the mother at the hospital, according to Iqbal Surve, chairman of the IMG. (NAN)
The Presidential Committee on Correctional Reform and Decongestion has released 122 children from the Borstal Training Institute in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The committee led by its chairperson, Ishaq Bello, the immediate-past and Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, facilitated the release of the children during their visit to the borstal institution recently.

The Federal Ministry of Justice, which is represented on the committee, had, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) and United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), deployed a Technical Team of 10 persons to the Borstal Training Institute, Ilorin.

Deputy Director of Information at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja, Modupe Ogundoro, said in a statement on Sunday that the technical team conducted an on-the- spot assessment of the conditions of the juveniles.

According to the statement, the team assessed a total of 225 students of the institution.

From the document made available by the institute to the team, the team noted that there were discrepancies in the admission of children to the facility, which flouted the purpose for which it was established.

Mr Bello, who was quoted to have frowned at the living condition of the children, noted that the institute was congested due to non-compliance with laid down entry qualification for admission.

He reminded authorities of the institute that it was established as a reformation and rehabilitation centre to accommodate children between the ages of 16 to 21 years and not to be used as dumping ground.

Borstal institute housed underage children, adults

The committee found out that the institute also housed underage children and adult, among which are in secondary school, undergraduates and graduates.

The qualifying age of admission is 16- 21 years. Anybody above 24 years has outgrown their stay and not fit for the institute. It is a breach of extant law establishing the Institute,

He noted that most children were brought to the institute by their parents on various forms of charges such as truancy, theft, drunkenness, drug addiction, those who were beyond parental control.

The team said out of the children released, two of them who performed excellently in their West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations were encouraged with a scholarship award to tertiary institution by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

In her remarks, the Acting Director, Administration of Criminal Justice and Reform/ Secretary to the Committee, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, said the visit to the institute was aimed at providing psychological support to the assessed juveniles for proper re-integration into the society.

She explained that the Assessment Team comprised the staff of Federal Ministry of Justice, two UNODC staff from Vienna, one from UNICEF, who were all very passionate about the assignment.

According to her, the team has handed over their report to the chairman and members of the committee to determine those to be released.

Mrs Ayoola-Daniels explained that the children who were released would undergo re-unification with their families and post-monitoring for an effective reintegration which could be achieved through the support of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Kwara State, UNICEF and other stakeholders.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Controller of Corrections/ Principal, Borstal Training Institute, Ishola Ola, said the mandate of the institution is primarily to ensure safe custody of the children.

She explained that the children held in custody were expected to be reformed, rehabilitated and eventually returned to the society as positively changed individuals who should be useful to themselves and the society.

Background

The Federal Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the committee and UNICEF commenced the first phase of the Juvenile Decongestion Programme on September 29, 2020.

A virtual interactive session of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and states attorneys-general, heads of courts and the commissioners of women affairs of all 36 states of the federation was held.

The second phase commenced in May 2021 with the Committee/Assessment Team visiting remand homes in Lagos State and Borstal Institute in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
A journalist with PREMIUM TIMES, Nigerias foremost investigative newspaper, Ifeoluwa Adediran, has made the shortlist for the prestigious Thomson Foundation Awards 2021.

Ms Adediran and 14 other journalists were shortlisted for the environment category of this years Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award.

According to the Foundation, the 15 give voice to communities that have played little role in raising the worlds temperature but who have been hardest hit by the climate emergency.

These journalists have transformed complex ecological issues into compelling storytelling.

Ms Adediran is a reporter in the south-west bureau of PREMIUM TIMES.

Her story on how a Lagos community battles indiscriminate dumping of refuse by cart pushers was one of the 15 exceptional environmental stories in the 2021 entries.

The report exposed the illegal activities of cart pushers at Gengere, a community behind the Mile 12 international market in Lagos and how these activities endanger the lives of residents.

The report highlighted the economy around illegal waste disposal by the cart pushers and impacts on the host community, including air pollution, contamination of underground water and methane emission.

Unsorted wastes, including rotten food crops and perishables from the market are heaped on the site, which contributes to methane emission.

Another PREMIUM TIMES report, Special Report: Inside illicit timber trade in Osun causing deforestation, was done by Kabir Adejumo, a former employee of PREMIUM TIMES who was also shortlisted for the awards.

Mr Adejumo, in his report, revealed how encroachers carry out illicit timber trade in Osun forest, and how this illegal felling of trees contributes to climate change in combination with habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation.

Their reports were plucked out from over 200 entries from 55 countries for this years award.

According to the organisers of the award, Mr Adejumo and Ms Adedirans stories are part of the 15 best environmental stories that will be revealed during COP26 in October.

The best overall winning story is to be revealed on the night of the FPA Awards in London at the end of November.

The Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award is sponsored by the UKs Foreign Press Association (FPA) and the 2021 award, in line with climate emergency, features a one-off environmental category.

The Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award is strictly for journalists aged 30 or under from countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of less than $20,000.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the number of fresh registrants in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) has hit 3,899,238.

The commission disclosed this in a weekly update, quarter 2, week 4 released on Monday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the breakdown of the pre-registration statistics shows that Osun State has the highest number of online registrants with 453,949, followed by Delta with 297,396 and Bayelsa with 252,534.

The state with the least online registration was Yobe with 18,600, followed by Abia with 19,308 and Kebbi with 23,758.

The update also revealed that the number of registrants who have completed online and physical registration was 1,509,989, made up of 769,359 male and 740,630 female of which15,903 were people living with disabilities.

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The update also revealed that 575,380 of the registrants registered through online, while 934,609 completed the process through physical registration.

The commission also disclosed that at the period of releasing the update 5,940,567 persons had applied for Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) transfer, requested for replacement of PVCs, update of voter information record, etc.

It said that 3,204,729 of the applications came from males 2,735,838 from females and 66,238 from person with disabilities.

(NAN)
On December 12, 2015, Nigeria alongside 195 other parties endorsed the Paris Agreement pact. The move re-echoed Nigerias readiness to follow the path of low carbon development in order to curb the devastating impact of climate change in the country by 2030.

For this to come to fruition, the federal government through its ministry of environment rolled out several policies and initiatives in its efforts to implement the Paris Agreement pact.

At the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment and Petroleum Technology Development Fund, (PTDF) in collaboration with the French government in Abuja last year, the then minister of environment, Mohammad Abubakar, said as a result of the initiatives put in place, they were financing green projects across the nation in various sectors of the economy.

The minister explained that the government was also engaging in afforestation programmes aimed at establishment of forests or planting of trees in order to avoid land degradation.

However, despite the governments professed commitment to sustainable projects, findings have shown that some of the identified projects implemented under the countrys historic green bond projects within the past four years were poorly executed and are not serving their purposes.

Green Bonds

In 2017 and 2019, Nigeria issued two green bonds worth N10.69 billion and N15 billion respectively, becoming the first African country and the fourth in the world to raise a debt instrument entirely for the purpose of financing sustainable environmental projects.

The objective of the bond was to fast track Nigerias low carbon development pledges as enshrined in the Nationally Determined Contribution document submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

It offered the country an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in its green financing agenda, while giving exposure to new investors and solidifying the countrys commitment to the Paris Climate Change Agreement which was endorsed in 2015.

Some of the several projects funded from the proceeds of the bonds was the restoration of degraded areas in about nine states and the installation of renewable energy in 37 tertiary institutions across states in the country.

According to the environment ministrys Department of Climate Change, eligible projects captured under the green bond projects were identified and selected from the federal government appropriations of the corresponding years.

However, while it is believed that the green bond issuance presents Nigeria with an opportunity to pursue a low carbon pathway for socio-economic development in line with the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) and attract new investors and solidify the countrys commitment to Paris Climate Change Agreement, the spate of poor implementation of green projects captured under the historic green bond continues to raise eyebrows.

Not yet uhuru

It is unclear how much has been spent from green bond proceeds on green projects across the country so far. A letter requesting information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) laws was sent to the Ministry of Environment and its Department of Climate Change(DCC), in September. None was responded to as of the time of filing this report.

Information on projects captured under the green bond posted on the DCC website is vague, ambiguous and does not command transparency and accountability, which robs many Nigerians from understanding the full implementation status of projects done so far.

For instance, PREMIUM TIMES report had exposed how afforestation projects were poorly implemented in Old Oyo National Park despite gulping N30 million from the green bond treasury.

Similarly, another report shows how renewable energy projects meant to serve over 55,815 students and 3,077 staff members at the Bayero University Kano, fell short of expectations, following the installation of the 7.1 megawatts solar hybrid power plant, launched September 3, 2019

Razaq Fatai, a policy manager with One Campaign, said the issuance of green bonds by the federal government was the right step to finance the much-needed transition to a greener and sustainable economic development. But not much has been achieved with the proceeds of the bonds. Since 2017, we havent seen a significant outcome, he added.

He said only two solar power plants have been inaugurated at two institutions out of the nine universities under the energising education programme phase one project and that only one is functioning.

The policy manager said most of the agro-ecology projects under the bonds are difficult to track because of unclear project descriptions. He said that evidence from field surveys shows poor community engagement in project development and implementation, which could undermine the sustainability of the projects, especially those related to agroforestry.

Mr Fatai said he joined a team to track an agroforestry restoration project in Old Oyo National Park this year, and that his team concluded that the project would deliver no value for the money invested in it because the project does not mirror what it was reported to be by the Government- restoration of degraded areas.

Also, he explained that most of the crops planted will never grow to maturity due to poor management and inadequate irrigation system, while most of the planted trees are perceived to be less beneficial to the host communities.

David Michael, Executive Director, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), said he is aware that the proceeds from the green bond issuance are project tied but that he cannot point finger at any significant project done so far in that regard.

If you observe, the green bond was issued when Amina Muhammed was the minister of environment and as soon as she left, I dont think theres nobody talking about it anymore, he said.

Mr Michael, a climate change activist based in Abuja, commended the green bond initiative and that Nigeria raised enough money, but that it is a function of how money raised was used.

Asked if he can identify any significant milestone that has been achieved as a result of the green bond issuance and climate friendly projects done so far, Mr Michael said the only milestone for him is the money raised via the green bond issuance itself and that he has not seen the practical relevance of the money.

Key recommendations

Mr Fatai said that for Nigeria to get more value from future green bonds and that there is a need to see more transparency in the selection and implementation of green projects in Nigeria from now on.

Government should engage communities early on in project development and implementation. Citizens should be able to follow the money, and the Government should ensure transparent selection of contractors and timely release of project funds, he added.

On his part, Mr Michael said the government needs to showcase more transparency and accountability in the spending of funds in this regard.

It is not enough to just say money from the bonds would be used for climate related or environmental related projects, we need to know the specific projects, amount of money earmarked for them, duration of completion (start-finish) and the monitoring strategies, he said.

This story was produced under the NAREP Climate Change Media 2021 fellowship of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism.
Yesterday, October 31, marked the beginning of the event of the year  COP26; it will be for the next 12 days. One of the most important decisions that will dominate the conference, being held in Scotland, is the popular talk about developed countries mobilising $100 billion to support developing countries. Analysts say the conference must rebuild confidence that global, collective action can solve humanitys greatest challenges.

In her opening speech Sunday, Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, said the devastating loss of lives and livelihoods this year due to extreme weather events clarifies how important it is to convene COP26 despite the impacts of the pandemic still being felt.

We are on track for a global temperature rise of 2.7C, while we should be heading for the 1.5C goal. Clearly, we are in a climate emergency. Clearly, we need to address it. Clearly, we need to support the most vulnerable to cope. To do so successfully, greater ambition is now critical, she said.

Also, while addressing the conference following his election, COP President Alok Sharma thanked delegates for travelling to Glasgow and outlining the urgent need for action:

As COP President I am committed to promoting transparency and inclusivity. And I will lead this conference in accordance with the draft rules of procedure, and with the utmost respect for the party-driven nature of our process. In that spirit, I believe we can resolve the outstanding issues. We can move the negotiations forward. We can launch a decade of ever-increasing ambition and action. Together, we can seize the enormous opportunities for green growth, for good green jobs, for cheaper, cleaner power. But we must hit the ground running to develop the solutions we need. And that work starts today. We will succeed, or fail, as one.

What is $100 billion and why does it matter?

In 2009, at the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen (COP15), developed country Parties committed, in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation, to a goal of mobilising, jointly, $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries. In this regard, Parties specified that the finance would come from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources of finance. The climate finance goal was then formally recognized by the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties at COP16 in Cancun. At COP21 in Paris, Parties extended the $100 billion goals through 2025.

This long-standing commitment is key to trust and solidarity between developed and developing countries, rooted in the fact that developed nations are responsible for the majority of carbon emissions since industrialization began, and generally have a greater capacity to offer support.

The OECD recently estimated that developed countries mobilised $79.6 billion in climate finance in 2019. It is likely that these nations failed to collectively meet the $100 billion goal in 2020.

Last week, wealthy countries confirmed they failed to meet a 2009 promise to deliver $100 billion annually by 2020 in climate finance to help poorer nations cut their own emissions and build resilient systems to weather worsening storms, floods and other climate impacts and this has caused anger and mistrust among developing countries and undermined rich nations requests that the developing world cut emissions faster  which would require huge investments to decarbonise everything from power plants to factories, transport and farming.

COP26 will need to produce a plan to make sure the $100 billion arrives. It will also start negotiations on a new climate finance goal for 2025  and the rules to make sure rich countries cannot avoid delivering the money.

As part of the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to try to limit global warming to 2C  but ideally 1.5C  to curb climate breakdown, and to submit their own action plans as to how they will each achieve this.

Africa and devastating impact of climate change

COP26 is more about ensuring that developing countries, in particular, are supported as they have been at the receiving end of the worst calamities that come with climate change. Across Africa, many countries are battling sea-level rise which is threatening their coastal regions, a key source of revenue. In West Africa, coastal areas host about one-third of the regions population and generate 56 per cent of its GDP but this region loses about $3.8 billion yearly due to coastal zone degradation.

Several other countries are plagued by variable rainfall patterns that affect crop yield and agricultural productivity, also fuelling drought and the consequent conflict that arise as a result of resource clashes. Southern Africa witnessed extensive drought in 2019 while the Greater Horn of Africa and the Sahel, dry regions, experienced flooding in 2019 as a result of heavy rainfall.

Most African countries still rely heavily on rain-fed agriculture. Disruption in rainfall patterns leading to drought or flooding, therefore, have significant impacts on agriculture and food security in respective countries. Exposure to climate shocks and their lack of adaptive ability makes African countries very vulnerable to climate change.

Almost all sectors are vulnerable to climate change. Extreme heat has dire impacts on health and morbidity while rising flooding increases the risk of waterborne disease. Climate shocks often affect the economy too as well as the livelihood of the people at the grassroots who mostly suffer from these challenges.

Climate change also widens the existing inequality gap between the rich and the poor and men and women. As noted in a UNFCCC report, Women constitute a large percentage of the worlds poor, and about half of the women in the world are active in agriculture  in developing countries, this figure is 60 per cent, and in low-income, food-deficit countries, 70 per cent. If not properly addressed, climate change may exacerbate the already existent crises of poverty and inequality across the continent.

Developed countries must honour their promise

Developed countries must deliver on their promise to mobilise $100 billion every year in climate finance to support developing countries. This must include building new markets for adaptation and mitigation and improving the quantity, quality, and access to finance to support communities around the world to take action on the changing climate.

The OECD estimates that $79.6 billion of climate finance was mobilized in 2019. The UK said it will be doubling its International Climate Finance commitment to help developing nations with 11.6 billion over the next five years up to 2025/2026. Joe Biden, president of the United States, announced an increased U.S. contribution to climate action in developing countries at the UN general assembly on Tuesday.

During a speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Mr Biden said his administration would work with Congress to double its April pledge of $5.7 billion to $11.4 billion a year by 2024 and make the U.S. a leader in international climate finance.

COP26 should ensure that as many countries as possible follow this and increase their commitments through to 2025.

Ahead of COP26, COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma asked Jonathan Wilkinson, Canadas Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Jochen Flasbarth, Germanys State Secretary at the Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, to work together to produce a Delivery Plan on the $100 billion commitment, to demonstrate how and when developed countries will deliver on their promise. This was published on October 25, alongside a technical report from the OECD.

What will happen at COP26 today and tomorrow?

As COP26 is underway, today and tomorrow will be for world leaders to make national statements on their plans for COP26.

The opening ceremony of the World Leaders Summit will take place at 12.00 hrs. The Summit will be attended by Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations and Patricia Cantellano, UNFCCC Executive Secretary. Statements during the opening of the World Leaders Summit will be delivered by Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy; Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; David Attenborough, and The Prince of Wales.

World leaders will be discussing mitigation, adaptation and finance  which are at the heart of COP26  and what else must be done to deliver on the Paris Agreement.

What should the world do to ensure success at COP26?

According to analysts, four things must happen for us to call COP26 a success as it should not be another talk show but a gathering backed with intentional action to:

Ensure concrete delivery plan to back emission reduction commitments. It is already bad that the worlds greatest polluters like China are not seeing the urgency in the plan to reduce their emission as their recently published national plan on greenhouse gas emissions shows unimpressive progress on the previously announced ambitions of the worlds biggest carbon emitter. The plan had a lot of observers disappointed. In its plan, China said its emissions would peak by 2030 and be reduced to net zero three decades later.

Ed Conway, economics and data editor at Sky News, said If Russia and China are not actually there in the room, then that is a pretty big signal that they are not necessarily committed as wholeheartedly as everyone hoped they would be.

If these big multilateral plans to sort out climate change are going to work, they have to be exactly what that says  multilateral  and if every country is not involved, especially the big polluters, then youve got a bit of a problem.

He added that clarity on a global carbon price would be another way to deem COP26 a success.

The Tony Blair institute noted that COP26 should chart a clear path for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to enable decarbonisation, resilience, energy access, and economic growth. The Paris Agreement committed high-income countries to provide $100 billion of support per year to help fund climate resilience and adaptation in lower-income countries  an important start, but not a true reflection of the level of assistance that will be needed. Even that original commitment has not been met. At COP26, the wealthiest countries need not only meet that target; they must set a more stretching goal to support their lower-income counterparts in establishing pathways to decarbonisation that cut emissions, enable universal energy access and strengthen economic growth.

According to Reuters, a major priority for COP26 is for negotiators from the nearly 200 countries that signed the 2015 Paris Agreement to finish the rules to implement the accord. That includes thorny discussions on carbon markets, how countries will set climate targets in the future, and finance.

As we enter the second day of COP26, the world is watching to see how the event will shape the future of developing countries and as the president of South Africa said, for talks on energy transition to be acknowledged, developed economies must be sincere in talk and action.

We want your more developed economies that have been responsible for the greatest emissions in the world, to be the ones who will live up to the offers they have made in the past, once they do that, we will then be able to navigate our own transition.
As with many issues, one of the major problems of climate change is the difficulty in understanding technical terms that come with the whole conversation and as COP26 begins, PREMIUM TIMES has compiled a list of terms that will dominate global news for the next 12 days of the conference and beyond. Did you miss the previous article on what COP26 is all about? You can read it here. Also, here is an analysis of what is expected of the Nigerian government as far as climate change is concerned as we head to COP26.

The world is currently not on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The targets announced in Paris would result in warming well above 3 degrees by 2100 compared to pre-industrial levels.

If we continue as we are, temperatures will carry on rising, bringing even more catastrophic flooding, bush fires, extreme weather and destruction of species.

Here is a glossary of technical jargons that you will come across in the coming days.

1.5C

The 1.5C scenarios require radical reductions in unabated fossil fuel use, the rapid expansion of non-fossil energy sources and planetary-scale carbon dioxide removal. To reach a 1.5-degree pathway, new cultivation approaches would need to prevail, leading to a 53 per cent reduction in the intensity of methane emissions from rice cultivation by 2050.

AAU

Assigned amount unit. A Kyoto Protocol unit equal to 1 metric tonne of CO2 equivalent. Each Annex I Party issues AAUs up to the level of its assigned amount, established pursuant to Article 3, paragraphs 7 and 8, of the Kyoto Protocol. Assigned amount units may be exchanged through emissions trading.

AC

Adaptation Committee. The Adaptation Committee was established by the Conference of the Parties as part of the Cancun Agreements to promote the implementation of enhanced action on adaptation in a coherent manner under the Convention, inter alia, through various functions.

ADP

Ad hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action. The ADP is a subsidiary body established at COP 17 in Durban in 2011 to develop a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties. The ADP is to complete its work by 2015 in order to adopt this protocol, legal instrument or agreed outcome with legal force at the twenty-first session of the COP and for it to come into effect from 2020.

AOSIS

Alliance of Small Island States. An ad hoc coalition of low-lying and island countries. These nations are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and share common positions on climate change. The 43 members and observers are American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cape Verde, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Grenada, Guam, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Nauru, Netherlands Antilles, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, US Virgin Islands, and Vanuatu.

Article 4.1

An article of the Convention stipulating general commitments assumed by all Parties, developing or developed.

Biomass fuels or biofuels

A fuel produced from dry organic matter or combustible oils produced by plants.

These fuels are considered renewable as long as the vegetation producing them is maintained or replanted, such as firewood, alcohol fermented from sugar, and combustible oils extracted from soybeans. Their use in place of fossil fuels cuts greenhouse gas emissions because the plants that are the fuel sources capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Carbon market

A popular (but misleading) term for a trading system through which countries may buy or sell units of greenhouse-gas emissions in an effort to meet their national limits on emissions, either under the Kyoto Protocol or under other agreements, such as that among member states of the European Union. The term comes from the fact that carbon dioxide is the predominant greenhouse gas, and other gases are measured in units called carbon-dioxide equivalents.

Cartagena Dialogue

A collection of around 40 countries working towards an ambitious legally binding agreement under the UNFCCC, and who are committed to becoming or remaining low carbon domestically. Participants include Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Burundi, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, European Union, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Rwanda, Samoa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda, UAE, and the United Kingdom.

Chair (or Chairman, Chairperson, etc.)

National delegates elected by participating governments to lead the deliberations of the Conventions subsidiary bodies. Different chairs may be elected for other informal groups. The Chair is responsible for facilitating progress towards an agreement and serves during the inter-sessional period until the next COP.

Clearing house

A service that facilitates and simplifies transactions among multiple parties.

CMA

Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement. All States that are Parties to the Paris Agreement are represented at the CMA, while States that are not Parties participate as observers. The CMA oversees the implementation of the Paris Agreement and takes decisions to promote its effective implementation. More information here.

CMS

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. It is also known as the Bonn Convention and is an environmental treaty of the United Nations that provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory animals and their habitats.

CMP

Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The Conventions supreme body is the COP, which serves as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The sessions of the COP and the CMP are held during the same period to reduce costs and improve coordination between the Convention and the Protocol. More information here.

CO2/Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas: a heat-absorbing and radiating gas. Unlike oxygen or nitrogen, which make up the majority of our atmosphere, greenhouse gases retain heat and slowly release it, much like bricks in a fireplace after the fire has gone out. Without this natural greenhouse effect, the average annual temperature on Earth would be below freezing, rather than near 60F. Increases in greenhouse gases, on the other hand, have thrown the Earths energy budget off kilter, trapping more heat and rising the planets average temperature.

Committee of the Whole

Often created by a COP to aid in negotiating text. It consists of the same membership as the COP. When the Committee has finished its work, it turns the text over to the COP, which finalizes and then adopts the text during a plenary session.

Compliance Committee

A committee that helps facilitate, promote and enforce compliance with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. It has 20 members with representation spread among various regions, small-island developing states, Annex I parties and non-Annex I parties, and functions through a plenary, a bureau, a facilitative branch and an enforcement branch.

Compliance

Fulfilment by countries/businesses/individuals of emission reduction and reporting commitments under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

COP

Conference of the Parties. The supreme body of the Convention. It currently meets once a year to review the Conventions progress. The word conference is not used here in the sense of meeting but rather of association. The Conference meets in sessional periods, for example, the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties. More information here.

EIT

Countries with Economies in Transition. Central and East European countries and former republics of the Soviet Union in transition from state-controlled to market economies.

Emission reduction unit (ERU)

A Kyoto Protocol unit equal to 1 metric tonne of CO2 equivalent. ERUs are generated for emission reductions or emission removals from joint implementation projects.

Emissions trading

One of the three Kyoto mechanisms, by which an Annex I Party may transfer Kyoto Protocol units to, or acquire units from, another Annex I Party. An Annex I Party must meet specific eligibility requirements to participate in emissions trading.

Financial Mechanism

To facilitate the provision of climate finance, the Convention established a financial mechanism to provide funds to developing country Parties. The financial mechanism also serves the Kyoto Protocol. The Convention states that the operation of the financial mechanism can be entrusted to one or more existing international entities. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has served as an operating entity of the financial mechanism for many years and at COP 17 in 2011, Parties also decided to designate the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as an operating entity of the financial mechanism. The financial mechanism is accountable to the COP, which decides on its policies, programme priorities and eligibility criteria for funding.

Green Climate Fund (GCF)

At COP16 in Cancun in 2010, Governments established a Green Climate Fund as an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the Convention under Article 11. The GCF will support projects, programmes, policies and other activities in developing Parties. The Fund will be governed by the GCF Board. More information here.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs)

The atmospheric gases responsible for causing global warming and climate change. The major GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N20). Less prevalent but very powerful  greenhouse gases are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

Group of 77 (G-77) and China

A large negotiating alliance of developing countries that focuses on numerous international topics, including climate change. The G-77 was founded in 1967 under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It seeks to harmonise the negotiating positions of its 131 member states.

Hot air

Refers to the concern that some governments will be able to meet their targets for greenhouse-gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol with minimal effort and could then flood the market with emissions credits, reducing the incentive for other countries to cut their own domestic emissions.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

This body was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the UN Environment Programme, the IPCC surveys world-wide scientific and technical literature and publishes assessment reports that are widely recognized as the most credible existing sources of information on climate change. The IPCC also works on methodologies and responds to specific requests from the Conventions subsidiary bodies. The IPCC is independent of the Convention.

Kyoto Protocol

It is an international agreement standing on its own, and requiring separate ratification by governments, but linked to the UNFCCC. The Kyoto Protocol, among other things, sets binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions by industrialized countries.

Kyoto mechanisms

Three procedures established under the Kyoto Protocol to increase the flexibility and reduce the cost of making greenhouse-gas emissions cuts. They are the Clean Development Mechanism, Emissions Trading and Joint Implementation.

Least Developed Countries (LDCs)

The worlds poorest countries. The criteria currently used by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for designation as an LDC include low income, human resource weakness and economic vulnerability. Currently 48 countries have been designated by the UN General Assembly as LDCs.

Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG)

A panel of 13 experts which provides advice to LDCs on the preparation and implementation of national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs)  plans for addressing the urgent and immediate needs of those countries to adapt to climate change.

Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF)

The LDCF is a fund established to support a work programme to assist Least Developed Country Parties to carry out, inter alia, the preparation and implementation of national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs). The Global Environment Facility, as the entity that operates the financial mechanism of the Convention, has been entrusted to operate this fund. More information here.

Loss and damage

At COP 16 in Cancun in 2010, Governments established a work programme in order to consider approaches to address loss and damage associated with climate change impacts in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change as part of the Cancun Adaptation Framework.

Marrakesh Accords

These are agreements reached at COP-7, which set various rules for operating the more complex provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. Among other things, the accords include details for establishing a greenhouse-gas emissions trading system; implementing and monitoring the Protocols Clean Development Mechanism; and setting up and operating three funds to support efforts to adapt to climate change.

Meeting

A formal gathering that occurs during a session. Each session of the COP, for example, is divided into a number of meetings. A meeting is generally scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

MISC documents

Denotes a Miscellaneous document. These documents are not translated and are issued on plain paper with no United Nations masthead. In the UNFCCC process, submissions by Parties are normally issued as miscellaneous documents. They generally contain views or comments published as received from a delegation without formal editing.

Mitigation

In the context of climate change, a human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases. Examples include using fossil fuels more efficiently for industrial processes or electricity generation, switching to solar energy or wind power, improving the insulation of buildings, and expanding forests and other sinks to remove greater amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

NDC  Nationally Determined Contributions

As part of the Paris Agreement, every country agreed to communicate or update their emissions reduction targets  their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)  every five years to reflect their highest possible ambition and a progression over time.

These targets set out how far countries plan to reduce emissions across their entire economy and/or in specific sectors. The year 2020 marked the end of the first of these five-year cycles. This means that countries were expected to update their 2030 targets before the meeting in Glasgow.

According to Article 4 paragraph 2 of the Paris Agreement, each Party shall prepare, communicate and maintain successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve. Parties shall pursue domestic mitigation measures, with the aim of achieving the objectives of such contributions.

Observers

Agencies, non-governmental organizations, and Governments not Parties to the Convention which are permitted to attend, but not vote, at meetings of the COP, the CMP and the subsidiary bodies. Observers may include the United Nations and its specialised agencies; other intergovernmental organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, and accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Protocol

An international agreement linked to an existing convention, but as a separate and additional agreement which must be signed and ratified by the Parties to the Convention concerned. Protocols typically strengthen a convention by adding new, more detailed commitments.

Ratification

Formal approval, often by a Parliament or other national legislature, of a convention, protocol, or treaty, enabling a country to become a Party. Ratification is a separate process that occurs after a country has signed an agreement. The instrument of ratification must be deposited with a depositary (in the case of the Climate Change Convention, the UN Secretary-General) to start the countdown to becoming a Party (in the case of the Convention, the countdown is 90 days).

Rio Conventions

Three environmental conventions, two of which were adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). The third, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), was adopted in 1994. The issues addressed by the three treaties are related  in particular, climate change can have adverse effects on desertification and biodiversity  and through a Joint Liaison Group, the secretariats of the three conventions take steps to coordinate activities to achieve common progress.

Rules of procedure

The parliamentary rules that govern the procedures of the COP, the CMP and the subsidiary bodies, covering such matters as decision-making and participation. The COP has not yet formally adopted rules of procedure, but all except one (on voting) are currently being applied. As such, they are commonly referred to as the draft rules of procedure being applied.

Secretariat

The office staffed by international civil servants responsible for servicing the UNFCCC Convention and ensuring its smooth operation. The secretariat makes arrangements for meetings, compiles and prepares reports, and coordinates with other relevant international bodies. The Climate Change Secretariat, which is based in Bonn, Germany, is institutionally linked to the United Nations.

Spill-over effects (also referred to as rebound effects or take-back effects)

Reverberations in developing countries caused by actions taken by developed countries to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. For example, emissions reductions in developed countries could lower demand for oil and thus international oil prices, leading to more use of oil and greater emissions in developing nations, partially off-setting the original cuts. Current estimates are that full-scale implementation of the Kyoto Protocol may cause 5 to 20 per cent of emissions reductions in industrialised countries to leak into developing countries.

Vulnerability

The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude, and rate of climate variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity.

YOUNGO

Youth non-governmental organisation. YOUNGO is the official youth constituency at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). YOUNGO is made up of organisations and individuals who identify as youth. It is not an organisation, but, rather, a collection of groups and/or individuals.

Reference: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has debunked claims that his recent reshuffle of his state executive council was influenced by the former emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi.

Mr El-Rufai announced changes in his cabinet on October 12 in a statement by his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye.

In the changes, the governor assigned new portfolios to some commissioners and senior officials of the state government.

Mr Adekeye said: The major changes are designed to help harness fresh energy for the governments final lap, bring new insights and enable the commissioners to have (a) more rounded experience of the government.

However, many said the changes were influenced by Mr Sanusi, citing his remarks at an event after the then chief of staff to the governor, Mohammed Abdullahi, referred to him as the former emir of Kano.

Responding minutes later at the event in Kaduna in October, Mr Sanusi appeared not to like the reference.

When I listened to the chief of staffI will call him former chief of staffyou will understand why I call you former later, Mr Sanusi said at the event. Next time dont call me former Emir. There is nothing like that.

Days later, Mr El-Rufai announced the changes in his cabinet, deploying Mr Abdullahi to the Ministry of Budget and Planning as commissioner.

Following criticisms of the former emir after the redeployment of Mr Abdullahi, Mr Sanusi issued a statement that his comments on Mr Abdullahis reference to him were light-hearted.

He said he had no foreknowledge of or a hand in Mr El-Rufais cabinet reshuffle.

El-Rufai explains

Speaking on the issue in a brief media engagement in Kaduna last week, as aired by Liberty Radio in Hausa and followed by PREMIUM TIMES, the governor denied any influence of the former emir in the redeployment of Mr Abdullahi.

I have read from media houses and on social media that it was former emir Sanusi that influenced the cabinet reorganization. It was a decision I had taken since January. I discussed with all my commissioners and I told them that there would be changes but it did not happen until now.

The comment by emir Sanusi was a mere joke to Mr Abdullahi after calling him, former emir. I found it very funny and mischievous from those who want to start something from nothing.

Khalifa Sanusi is my friend and a brother. He is also the chancellor of our state university and a professional in the financial sector. I talk to him on issues like that but not on how to run my government. I do that with nobody but my cabinet.

The meeting where I decided to make those changes was attended by the chief of staff and he did not object to it. We want him to go and fix the ministry. It was a responsibility he held with distinction during our first term. So he is going back there to return the ministry to its former glory.

Mr El-Rufai also gave the reasons he created three administrative districts with administrators in Kaduna.

We have created administrative districts to ease governance within the three regions in the state, Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan. The administrators will serve as commissioners, he said.
COP26 President Alok Sharma has called for immediate action and solidarity to ensure Glasgow delivers on the promise of Paris.

On Monday, around 120 leaders came together in Glasgow at the start of COP26, launching two weeks of global negotiations to determine whether humanity can drive forward the urgent action needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.

As the world experiences record temperatures and extreme weather pushing the planet dangerously close to climate catastrophe, the need for urgent action at COP26 has never been clearer.

Addressing leaders at the first major global gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Sharma said: The science is clear that the window of time we have to keep the goal of 1.5 alive and to avoid the worst effects of climate change, is closing fast. But with political will and commitment, we can, and must, deliver an outcome in Glasgow the world can be proud of.

Leaders were also addressed by poet Yrsa Daley-Ward, whose specially commissioned poem, Earth to COP includes the lines: Anything less than your best is too much to pay. Anything later than now, too little, too late. Nothing will change without you.

Kenyan environment and climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti said, We need you to respond with courage to the climate and ecological crisisfor these next two weeks  which are so critical for the children, for our species, for so many other living beings  let us step into our hearts.

COP26 brings together, the major emitting countries and the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The World Leaders Summit will send a clear signal to negotiators to be as ambitious as possible and agree to a negotiated outcome that accelerates action this decade.

The Summit will also underscore that the Paris Agreement is working, with increased commitments on finance, emissions and adaptation as we see the first crank of the Paris Agreement ratchet.

Moving from the promise of Paris, announcements in key sectors will start to show how Glasgow will deliver. This includes new commitments on consigning coal to history, electric cars, reducing deforestation and addressing methane emissions.

Building on the publication of the $100 billion delivery plan, which the president requested the Canadian and German governments lead, finance will remain a key priority. Discussions will centre on how the countries most vulnerable to climate change can access the finance needed to deliver climate adaptation and boost green recovery from the pandemic.

Further to the commitment to mobilise finance, the opening of COP26 saw several new finance announcements to progress action on the $100 billion and address adaptation finance.

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a funding package, as part of the UKs Clean Green Initiative, to support the rollout of sustainable infrastructure and revolutionary green technology in developing countries. This includes:

A package of guarantees to the World Bank and the African Development Bank to provide 2.2 billion ($3 billion) for investments in climate-related projects in India, supporting Indias target to achieve 450 GW of renewable energy installed capacity by 2030, and across Africa.

The UKs development finance institution, CDC, will commit to delivering more than 3 billion of climate financing for green growth over the next five years. This will include 200 million for a new Climate Innovation Facility to support the scale-up of technologies that will help communities deal with the impacts of climate change. This is double the amount of climate finance CDC invested in its previous strategy period from 2017-2021.

The FCDO-backed Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) will also commit more than 210 million in new investment today (MON) to back transformational green projects in developing countries such as Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Nepal and Chad.

Later, Prime Minister Johnson will host a roundtable on Action and Solidarity bringing campaigners on climate together. This is expected to include Samoan climate campaigner, Brianna Fruean, Brazilian climate campaigner Walelasoetxeige Surui, and Kenyan youth activist Elizabeth Wathuti, together with some of the biggest emitting and climate-vulnerable nations to set the tone for negotiations at COP26.

Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari has also arrived in Glasgow.

The World Leaders Summit will continue Tuesday with further national statements and events on action on forests and land use and accelerating clean technology, innovation and development.
A new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has shown that 278 journalists have been killed in the last ten years.

Of these, the report noted, 226 murders, representing 81 per cent, either remain unsolved or saw the perpetrators roaming free.

These journalists, the CPJ said, were killed in a nexus of corruption, organised crime, extremist groups, and government retaliation.

The annual report was published Thursday, and it spotlighted 12 countries where journalists are murdered and their killers go free.

The 12 countries on the index have featured multiple times since CPJ first ranked the data in 2008, and seven have appeared every year, the report states.

For the seventh year running, Somalia remains the worlds worst country for unsolved killings of journalists in the last decade.

It is followed by Syria, Iraq, and South Sudan. Illustrating the sustained lack of accountability, seven of the countries on the list have appeared every year, a CPJ press release said.

Other countries are Afghanistan, Mexico, the Philippines, Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, Bangladesh and India.

When justice is subject to corruption and political power feuds, these forces silence journalists and the critical stories they tell, Gypsy Kaiser, CPJs advocacy and communications director, said.

It is imperative that authorities fully investigate these crimes and stop censorship by murder. This task cannot be left to the families, colleagues, and civil society groups tirelessly seeking justice.

Last year, at least 22 journalists were murdered in retaliation for their work, more than double the total for 2019.

For 2021, the number of murders is nearly as much as last years, but political volatility in Afghanistan and other high-risk nations makes the final 2021 total difficult to predict, CPJ said.

This year also saw sentencings or positive developments in two other high-profile murder cases, involving countries not ranked on the index, the press rights group said.

In Malta, businessman Yorgen Fenech was indicted in August for his alleged role in the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a move that Corrine Vella, the journalists sister, called a turning point in the pursuit of justice.

In February, one of the alleged killers pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for Caruana Galizias murder.

Meanwhile, Nigeria was not listed on this years index. The committee said that only those nations with five or more unsolved cases are included on the index.

The organisation had in 2017 ranked Nigeria 11th out of the 12 countries in the world where journalists are slain and the perpetrators go away.

Though the country was excluded from the list, journalists continue to work under frightening conditions in Nigeria. Between 2015 and 2018, Nigeria recorded the worst attacks on journalists in 34 years.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Tordue Salem, a journalist with Vanguard newspaper went missing. He was seen in Garki district of the FCT on October 13 before his disappearance.

Mr Salems disappearance came two years after family and associates continue to look for Abubakar Idris, who is known as Dadiyata. Mr Idris was abducted by unidentified assailants who seized him from his residence in Barnawa neighbourhood of Kaduna State in August 2019.

The disappearance of citizens is at odds with the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

No circumstances whatsoever, whether a threat of war, a state of war, internal political instability. . . may be invoked to justify enforced disappearances, a part of the charter read.

Enforced Disappearance is also seen as a crime against humanity by both the treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 21 additional deaths from cholera disease and 417 fresh cases, representing a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 5.0 per cent reported from seven northern states.

The centre disclosed this in its latest cholera situation weekly epidemiological report for October 11 to 17, 2021, which was published on its website.

The report revealed that as of October 17, 2021 Nigeria has recorded a total of 3,283 deaths and 93,362 suspected cases across 32 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, representing a CFR of 3.5 per cent.

Highlights

The latest cholera report, which is for week 41, revealed that seven states that reported the new suspected cases are all in the nations northern region.

North-eastern states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno accounted for 67 of 417 suspected cases, with 121, 86 and 71 cases reported respectively.

Zamfara in the North-west ranked fourth with 67 cases, followed by Niger in the North-central with 49 cases.

Also, Katsina and Kaduna in the North-west reported 14 and nine cases respectively.

The data in the reporting week shows a 22 per cent decrease in the number of new suspected cases in week 41 compared with week 40 where 535 suspected cases were recorded.

During the reporting week, the NCDC said 23 Cholera Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) were conducted with 11 in Zamfara; five in Borno; five in Adamawa, and two in Kaduna. And that out of the figure, a total of 15, amounting to 65 per cent returned positive by RDT.

READ ALSO:

The centre added that a total of four stool cultures were carried out with two each in both Zamfara and Borno, noting that two, amounting to 50 per cent, returned positive.

The NCDC also noted that of the cases reported, there were 21 deaths from the five states reporting with a weekly case fatality ratio (CFR) of 5.0 per cent.

Cholera disease

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacillus.

The disease spreads through contaminated food and water, reappearing periodically in countries unable to secure access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation like Nigeria.

It is a preventable and treatable epidemic-prone disease. The number of cholera cases tends to increase with the onset of the rainy season.

The risk of death from cholera is higher when treatment is delayed. It is very important to visit a health facility if anyone has symptoms such as watery diarrhoea and vomiting.
Apparently following the persistent cries of inefficiency against the existing clinic at the Nigerian government state house in Abuja, the federal government on Monday laid the foundation for the construction of what it described as the presidential wing of the clinic.

President Muhammadu Buharis chief of staff, Ibrahim Gambari, performed the foundation laying ceremony at an event that was graced by dignitaries including government officials.

According to Mr Gambari, the facility, when completed, will not only cater for the families of the President, his vice and their families but also visiting heads of states who may be in need of medical care.

He said the clinic, which will be delivered by December 2022, will be a state-of-the-art facility.

A statement issued by the state house and signed by the deputy director in charge of information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, noted that the official also lauded the initiative.

The statement is reproduced below.

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE HAVE A STATE OF THE ART MEDICAL FACILITY, SAYS PROFESSOR GAMBARI

The Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari has said that the proposed Presidential (VIP) Wing of the State House Clinic will, in addition to the President, the Vice President and their families, also take care of visiting Heads of State if the need arises.

Speaking Monday at the ground breaking ceremony of the facility at the State House precincts, Professor Gambari said: This is an essential facility because we have to have the best facility for the President, the first family and other very distinguished senior officials of government.

It is also a facility that, when finished, will be at the disposal of visiting dignitaries who may require medical assistance during their visit, he added.

According to the Chief of staff, nobody will remember much what we say but generations to come will remember what is done, which is to begin the process of constructing what will be first class, state of the art facility which will be best and appropriate for the leadership of this country.

READ ALSO: Buhari approves construction of Presidential Wing for State House clinic

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina also lauded the idea behind the project. He noted that for years and decades to come, the facility would serve sitting and visiting Presidents as well as other dignitaries. He appreciated everyone who turned up to be part of the historic event.

Permanent Secretary State House, Tijjani Umar, stressed the importance of the foundation laying event as it was done in keeping with the timelines approved for the construction of the Clinic. It is expected that the construction and commissioning would be done by December, 2022.

Also present at the occasion were the Chief Medical Director, State House Clinic, Dr Munir Hussaini Yakasai, and other members of the State House top management as well as the construction team of Julius Berger, Nigeria.

Abiodun Oladunjoye

Deputy Director (Information)

November 1, 2021
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered an investigation into the raid of the Abuja home of a justice of the Supreme Court, Mary Odili, by security operatives last Friday.

Mr Baba denied knowledge of the invasion or ordering the operation, according to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba.

He described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the State Security Service (SSS) have also denied involvement in the raid.

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, whose office was also linked to the incident has also denied knowledge of the incident.

Mr Malami, in a statement, on Saturday, urged police authorities to investigate the raid on the grounds that the document disclosed the only signatory to be a police officer.

The author of the application asking the magistrate court for the search warrant had cited an ongoing investigation of the information provided by a whistleblower on alleged illegal activities at the residence.

The signatory was Lawrence Ajodo, identified as a chief superintendent of police in the document.

In the first official reaction by the police authority, Mr Mba on Monday said the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) has been directed to conduct a discrete investigation into the incident.

He said the perpetrators would face the wrath of the law.

The IGP, who noted that the leadership of the Force is not aware and did not at any time order Police operatives to carry out such assignment, described the reported violation of the sanctity of the residence of the Justice of the Supreme Court as unfortunate and unacceptable.

Consequently, the IGP has directed the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) to conduct a discrete investigation into the incident. He assured the commitment of the Force to the safety and security of the members of the Judiciary and Nigerians in general.

He called for calm, promising that the police will do all within its powers to unravel the perpetrators and motives behind the breach with a view to bringing all indicted persons to book.

He assured that the details of police investigations would be made public.

Provide security around judges home

Meanwhile, the IGP also directed the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to strengthen the security around the residence of Mrs Odili.

This, he said, was to ensure her safety and also to prevent a reoccurrence of the unfortunate incident.

Condemnation

The incident has been widely condemned by many who draw a parallel between it and the invasion of some judges homes by the State Security Service in 2016.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), on Saturday, described the act as an affront on the judiciary, designed to intimidate and ridicule the judiciary.

NBA President Olumide Akpata said in a statement that the association would hold an emergency meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) on the matter.

No date was disclosed for the meeting.

To be clear, last nights event is an affront on the judiciary and grossly undermines the democracy that we profess to practise.

In line with the aims and objectives of the NBA which include the protection and defence of the independence of the Judiciary and the rule of law in Nigeria, we will be convening an emergency meeting of the NBA National Executive Committee solely to discuss this issue and take a definitive stand on behalf of the NBA, Mr Akpata said.

The NBA president also said he would lead a delegation to meet with the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and the heads of the various security agencies.

This, he said, would be done, to seek further clarification on the circumstances of this incident.

He also demanded that those responsible must be brought to book.

It is not clear if the NBA had met with the police authorities or any of the officials its leadership promised to meet with as of Monday.

Mrs Odili is the wife of a former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili.

The invasion of Mrs Odilis residence was initially linked to an acclaimed investigation of Mr Odili by the EFCC.

The EFCC had made a move to prosecute Mr Odili after he left office after two terms as governor in 2007, but was barred by the Federal High Court which issued a perpetual injunction restraining EFCC and other security agencies from arresting him.

Recently, Mr Odili filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the seizure of his passport by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) which claimed to have acted on EFCCs instruction.

Delivering judgement in the suit earlier in October, the judge, Inyang Ekwo, ordered the NIS to release Mr Odilis passport, while also affirming the previous court decisions prohibiting his prosecution.
The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit Taskforce says it has arrested 50 hoodlums and impounded 204 motorcycles.

A statement in Lagos on Sunday by Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, Head, Public Affairs Unit, said the hoodlums were arrested during raids on black spots.

It also said that the task force unit had commenced a tactical enforcement code-named, Operation Kogberegbe to ensure a hitch-free festive season.

The statement said, Operation Kogberegbe would clamp down on illegal ticketers on the states highways, street urchins popularly known as area boys, and motorcyclists plying restricted routes.

The unit commenced its tactical and strategic enforcement for compliance operations this week with code name Operation Kogberegbe.

This is to instill discipline and entrench sanity in the state, with a view to achieving the states vision of zero tolerance for criminal elements, hideouts, okada operation on restricted routes, and other environmental law offenders in the state, it said.

The statement disclosed that over 204 motorcycles known as okada were impounded at Ojodu Berger, Ketu Alapere, Agric, Allen Avenue, Ikeja for plying restricted routes/roads and violating the state traffic laws.

Enforcement officers were attacked by hoodlums in collaboration with okada riders at the Ojodu Berger area but they were subdued due to the superior tactical and systemic strategies of his men, it added.

It noted that the restricted routes had been published several times to avoid unnecessary excuses of not being aware of the state laws on restriction by okada operators.

Some offenders turned deaf ears and all efforts put in place by the enforcement agency to sensitise, educate and enlighten them to see the dangers of plying on the highways proved abortive.

All the restricted routes will be closely monitored to rid the state of okada riders menace which could lead to needless loss of lives and serious security challenges.

This weeks activities are a signal to all recalcitrant environmental laws offenders who circumvent government rules and regulations as provided by regulatory provision of the law, that such offenders shall be made to face the full wrath of the law, it stated.

The statement noted that the unit raided some black spots at the Oshodi area, Mile 12, and other trouble spots in the state where hoodlums were arrested with charms, machetes and other harmful weapons.

All the suspects will be charged to court for various offences and for disturbing the public peace.

The agency will not rest on its oars until all recalcitrant okada operators tow the line of best practices and the state is free from hoodlums, streets urchins known as area boys, it said.(NAN)
Emergency responders rescued two persons from the site of a 21-storey building that caved in Monday afternoon in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The victims have been rushed to the hospital for treatment, according to the BBC.

One body was also recovered from the rubbles, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The rescue was before the arrival of emergency responders of NEMA, LASEMA, and officials from the Lagos State Building Control Agency.

Witnesses said at least 50 persons, including the owner of the building, were trapped under the rubble after the collapse.

More than two hours after the collapse of the building, as of 4.30 p.m., serious rescue operation was yet to begin. The excavators and other heavy-duty equipment for the operation were yet to arrive at the scene.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, visited the scene around 4:15 p.m.

Several persons at the scene lamented the late arrival of officials and equipment and how it could affect rescue operation.

Operation is still ongoing at the scene.

Details later
Larry Rock, 76, of Charles Way, passed away on November 17, 2021 at his home. He was born May 17, 1945 the son of Clarence and Rose (Rell) Rock. Services will be private and held at the convenience of the family. Larry will be laid to rest in St. Mary's Cemetery in Champlain. Arrangements ha
Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 25F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low near 25F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Overcast. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low around 35F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Overcast. A shower of rain or wet snow possible. Low around 35F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
The Prince William Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
MOSCOW, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces the results of a comprehensive real world study by the Ministry of Health of the City of Buenos Aires (Argentina) confirming high efficacy of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine in protecting individuals aged at least 60 years.

The study has been published by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), one of the leading peer-reviewed medical journals, and is available at:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2785597

The study included over 660,000 individuals aged at least 60 years, vaccinated with Sputnik V, AstraZeneca or Sinopharm vaccines and residing in the city of Buenos Aires. Statistical analysis was performed from June 1 to June 15, 2021.

Sputnik V was the leading vaccine in terms of the number of vaccinated individuals in the study: more than 63% of study participants were fully vaccinated with Sputnik V.

Results of the study are showing that infection rates decreased for over 88% among those who received the full vaccination against COVID (2 doses). The full vaccination was associated with a 96.6% reduction in mortality.

Also the full vaccination schedule was associated with a 94.2% reduction of all-cause deaths among those aged at least 80 years and a 98.2% among those aged 70 to 79 years.

Therefore the study reconfirms great efficacy of Sputnik V in protecting the elderly.

A different study by the Ministry of Health of the Buenos Aires province in June 2021 demonstrated that the first component of Sputnik V vaccine (the single-shot Sputnik Light vaccine) had 78.6-83.7% efficacy among persons aged 60-79 years.

The Sputnik V has become a significant part of immunization program in the city of Buenos Aires. Most of the vaccinated subjects have been administered the Russian vaccine, reducing the amount of new COVID cases at least 15 times over the last 5 months.

Moreover, Sputnik V is one of the main vaccines used during the vaccination campaign throughout Argentina, providing for 35 times reduction in new COVID cases during 4 months. Sputnik V has played a decisive role in protecting population of Argentina and helping the country to stay among the leaders in the fight against coronavirus.

SOURCE The Russian Direct Invest Fund (RDIF)
MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Philippines Department of Tourism partners with the Department of Trade and Industry to support the local handicrafts businesses all over the country. Through this partnership, many local producers have been able to reach a wider customer base. Projects include seminars, trade fairs and expositions, along with souvenir stops at popular destinations. Together with creating travel circuits that are based on attractions in each region, the DOT also highlights artisanal products that can showcase the local talent and culture.

The Philippine Islands is home to many proud craftsmen and artisans. These are Filipinos who create world-class products using skills and tools that have been handed down through generations. In harmony with nature and with ingenuity, they use indigenous materials that abound in their communities. These treasures await travelers to the Philippines, as beautiful souvenirs that can be brought home along with memories of a relaxing getaway in this tropical paradise.

"By showcasing local products, we are able to support livelihoods in the communities as well as help in preserving their heritage for future generations," says Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat.

There are many native materials that are transformed into beautiful works of art by Filipino craftsmen. Here are some souvenirs that travelers can bring home from the Philippines.

Baguio's woodcrafts

Woodworking in the uplands of the Cordillera Region ranges from utilitarian items used at home or in the fields, to ceremonial items used in community celebrations, and spiritual figures called Bulul that serve as house guardians that are passed on from generation to generation. Baguio's public market and roadside stalls offer many choices of hand-carved wood items to fit your fancy and your luggage space  such as the infamous 'barrel man', or larger statues of warriors and animals such as eagles that can serve as a conversation piece in your home.

The Inabel of Ilocos

The practice of weaving cotton thread into fabric on a wooden loom used to be one of the household duties of many Ilocano women. The hardy Inabel or Abel Iloco, is a soft, simple, pliable fabric with varied unique patterns and designs that can be woven to be big enough for use as blankets, table runners, and even dress material. Some Inabel items that are available at souvenir shops such as the ones in Vigan, Ilocos Sur or even online are tea towels, blankets, shawls, bags, and even made-to-order apparel from young designers who are keen to use this sustainably made and sourced fabric.

Vigan's Pagburnayan Clay Jars

Burnay is the Ilocano word for the brown clay pot used by Filipinos even before the Spanish arrived in the country. These earthen pottery pieces were used by early Filipinos as water containers because they help keep the water cool even on a hot day. They were also important household items as containers for salt and rice, or for vinegar, fermented fish paste, and they were vessels for items that were sold to the Chinese in the days of the sea trade. In Vigan, one can visit a pottery shop and learn how Burnay is made using carabao power to mix the mud, and have your own photo opportunity on the potter's wheel. You can also purchase these thick and hardy jars to use as decorative pieces or planters at home.

Cebu's Guitars and Capiz Shells

Guitars that are handmade in Cebu are famous throughout the Philippines because they are durable, affordable, and of high-quality compared to the mass produced ones in the market. The art of making guitars, which was introduced in the Spanish era, have been passed on through generations of local masters who make these musical instruments by painstakingly shaping the wood into the familiar hourglass shape. These are available at souvenir shops or at family-owned guitar stores, particularly in Lapu-Lapu City, have become local attractions for music lovers of all ages.

The Visayas is also where dainty Capiz shell art is a traditional handicraft industry. The translucent Capiz, which can still be found adorning windows of heritage homes or painted in the stained-glass windows of churches, comes from the shell of a mollusk called the Windowpane Oyster. After the meat has been eaten, the shells are gathered to be used in handicrafts. Local artists use the shells to create magnificent decor such as complicated chandeliers, pretty wind chimes, beautiful floor lamps, or smaller stationery items that can be given away to friends and family back home.

Barako Coffee from Batangas

Barako is a Tagalog word that means 'strong' and that is a good descriptor for the brew that comes from the coffee beans grown particularly in Batangas and some parts of Cavite. The farmers take pride in their coffee plants, which have been cultivated in their region since the 1800s. Coffee experts describe the taste as woody and smoky with a hint of sweetness from its floral, fruity aroma. Its bold, intense flavor from Liberica beans has been translated into local coffeehouse favorites and even into cakes and pastries. A cup of coffee made from your souvenir bag of ground beans is a great way to perk up on a cold day.

Davao's Malagos Chocolates

While growing cacao is an agricultural practice in many parts of the Philippines, Davao is hailed as the country's Chocolate Capital and the entire Davao Region as the Cacao Capital of the Philippines. One of the frontrunners of the industry in the region is the award-winning Malagos Chocolates brand which uses high-quality beans from a sustainable source for a tree-to-bar chocolate journey. Its latest award was for its 100% Premium Unsweetened Chocolate that won four Golds and one Bronze at the 2020 World Drinking Chocolate Competition organized by the International Chocolate Awards. The products offer a rich, velvety, melt-in the-mouth chocolate experience that makes it a perfect gift for the chocoholics in your circle.

Manila's South Sea Pearls Shops

There are many high-end jewelry stores located at the malls selling a sundry of pearls and other gems. But for those who want to have the element of a bargain when they shop for their jewelry and accessories can visit the bazaars of Manila, where one can find an assortment of South Sea Pearls from Palawan and some parts of Mindanao sold at stalls beside cellphone accessories and rubber shoes. There, one can browse through their collections of luminous necklaces and dainty earrings while asking for the "final price" that the vendor can offer.

Davao Oriental's Virgin Coconut Oil

Touted to have many health benefits, virgin coconut oil is produced from fresh or mature coconuts, without undergoing chemical refining, bleaching or deodorizing. VCO products that are available in the Philippines come in oil and capsule form or even as cosmetics. While coconuts grow abundantly all over the country, Davao Oriental is poised to become a big exporter of coconut products overseas, with 18 Virgin Coconut Oil processing centers set to rise within the year. Modern production at the processing plants such as the one of Oriental Golden Coco Inc., ensure high quality through multiple micro filtration processes for additional purity to result in products with that wonderful fresh coconut aroma and flavor in what is called the "purest and healthiest" form of coconut oil.

Cordillera's Heirloom Rice

Heirloom rice varieties have been grown in the Cordillera Mountains for centuries, and studies have found that there could be about 500 traditional varieties of rice that are indigenous in the region and are mostly being planted for personal or family consumption through generations. So far, there have been 88 varieties that have been identified and studies have shown these to have higher nutritional content. Try this heirloom rice with your next meal and have it the Filipino way by eating with your hands for a more authentic experience.

The Philippines' Alcoholic Drinks

Imbibe the spirit of the Philippines through its choice alcoholic concoctions. A short story by the late Don Alejandro Roces who is a National Artist of the Philippines for Literature, cheekily says, "We Filipinos Are Mild Drinkers". This is offset by the local distilled drinks such as Don Papa Rum, a premium aged single-island rum from the sugar cane fields at the foot of Mt. Kanglaon in the Visayas. Coconut Wine called Lambanog is another potent brew obtained from the distillation of naturally fermented coconut sap. Modern version of this celebratory drink now have added flavors. Travelers can bring this home to European countries if they are for personal consumption while restrictions in Muslim countries may apply.

Liliw, Laguna's Native Slippers

The town of Liliw in Laguna is known for its slipper industry, with local artisans crafting the footwear from abaca which grows abundantly in the area. These comfortable and colorful house slippers are perfect for keeping your feet warm while relaxing at home and they make great handcrafted gifts  just make sure that the recipient gives you a coin in return as Philippine superstition says that if you don't get one, you might get into a quarrel.

Filipino Designer's Modern Filipiniana

Young Filipino designers are rediscovering local woven fabrics and reimagining them for use as modern apparel in order to support traditional industries and local communities. While the National Dress of Barong Tagalog (long sleeved embroidered formal shirts) for men and Baro't Saya (that literally translates to blouse and skirt, made from fine pina cloth) for women are still worn at important occasions, designers such as the ones at Filip + Inna are coming up with stunning garments that make use of handmade woven material, beading, and embroidery that can be worn at the office or even at the beach. Bring home something old, something new with the gorgeous designs that will make you stand out in a crowd.

More Treasures to Unbox

The Philippines is a haven for those who want to enjoy local culture through tangible items. Rattan is one of the indigenous materials that are used for traditional packaging, the leaves are dexterously woven into shopping bags called bayong and boxes that are used to store items in the home. Banig, or woven mats are another Filipino woven product, used for sleeping or as bags and home accents, while abaca bags are fashionable and summery all year long. Wooden utensils are utilitarian and decorative items, which can be found both on the dining table or if in their supersized form, hanging from the walls of the dining room. For those who want to try their hand at a little Filipino cooking, local brand Mama Sita offers condiments and sauces to help capture that local palette.

Souvenir-Hunt Safely

The Tourism Department has been awarded a SafeTravels Stamp by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) in recognition of its adoption of "health and hygiene global standardized protocols" that will ensure safe travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, conducts thorough inspection and assessment, to ensure that only those who are accredited are allowed to open and receive guests.

The Philippine government through its Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is constantly updating its protocols to safeguard Filipinos and foreign nationals who are traveling to the Philippines. To learn more about the Philippines' new and exciting adventures, as well as safety and travel updates, visit www.morefunawaits.com and https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineTourismThailand (for Thailand) and www.morefunawaits.com (for Qatar) or download the Travel Philippines app at the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

For photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kkHoseZjFiHDeagcAmscE-F9jLQQ3Y8X?usp=sharing

SOURCE Philippines Department of Tourism
escentials integrates luxury retail, engaging online & social commerce, creative consumer events, and novel pop-ups into a seamless omnichannel offering for discerning beauty-lovers. It was birthed and nurtured in Singapore by LUXASIA more than 15 years ago, with three successful stores, and has partnered more than 70 of the finest and rarest beauty brands in the world. For Malaysia, the launch brand portfolio comprises a curated and focused collection of 8 brands, spanning fragrances, skincare, make-up, bath & body, and home  Penhaligon's, Bjork & Berries, By Terry, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Acqua di Parma, Bvlgari, Van Cleef & Arpels and Amouage. escentials aims to bring in more brands in the coming months.

Having invested heavily into a 5-year omnichannel transformation, LUXASIA is now ready to expand escentials' reach by capitalising on its enhanced capabilities in omni-distribution. escentials aims to be the leading luxury & niche omni-retail concept in Southeast Asia that brings the finest luxury experience closer to consumer's doorsteps. Being one of the Group's best-performing units during the pandemic and having grown close to 25%, LUXASIA will expand on its direct-to-consumer capabilities across physical retail, eCommerce and social commerce powered by consumer analytics.

Despite the difficult times, luxury beauty in Asia Pacific is expected to grow well. With increasing consumer sophistication, growing middle-class incomes, and the resultant trend to "trade up", Malaysia's beauty market is ripe and promising. LUXASIA has emerged stronger from the pandemic and stands ready to seize strategic opportunities, such as landing a prime ground floor location for escentials in the prestigious Suria KLCC mall.

Karen Ong, Chief Commercial Officer and Regional Managing Director, says, "We are proud to have built escentials up over the years as the authority in luxury niche beauty in Singapore. With this expansion into Malaysia, escentials promises to refresh the retail scene and delight consumers with our curated brand offering and luxurious consumer experiences."

LUXASIA's Group CEO, Dr. Wolfgang Baier says, "escentials is one of LUXASIA's key pillars to accelerate the growth of luxury niche beauty in Asia Pacific. Beyond expanding its presence in Malaysia, escentials will also land in Vietnam, Thailand, and other regional markets soon."

Media Contact:

Brynner Jananto

brynnerjananto@luxasia.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1571746/LUXASIA_Logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1674961/The_exquisite_escentials_boutique_located_ground_floor_Lot_G57_prestigious.jpg

SOURCE LUXASIA
"Instead of using traditional shipping methods via container, we've worked out a solution to use bulk carriers  the ships that normally ship grain and unboxed cargo  to make sure there is no disruption to our projects."

Choosing to ship materials on bulk carriers instead of in containers has allowed UCC to get its essential building materials in Qatar to complete projects on time.

"Qatar has invested heavily in infrastructure and development of freight capabilities, but nobody could have predicted the current ocean freight crisis. The rising cost of containers and space availability meant we had to think outside the box to deliver our projects on-time for clients."

Sourcing containers and vessels to carry materials has become an increasing problem for companies worldwide. The challenge for UCC was to ship over 95,000 cubic meters of building materials used for large housing projects. The EPS Cement Sandwich walls would ordinarily require space in over 1,400 containers.

UCC found a solution to the container shortage in bulk shipping enabling the company to meet its targets and deadlines.

The material is fragile and can break if knocked together during high seas. To overcome this, UCC requested the pallets be separated with wood and rubber to act as a shock absorber in the event of collision. Only few pallets were damaged and were unusable.

UCC is one of many companies under Power International Holding along with Qatar's dairy  Baladna. This group of companies is no stranger to supply chain issues, having famously airlifted 4,000 cows into Qatar in 2017.

Mohamed Sabri, UCC Holding Group CEO said: "We always do our best to anticipate supply chain crisis. Where we can't find an immediate solution, we will work to find one that fits our needs and those of our clients. We remain committed to delivery and our logistics operation is a massive part of that."

About UrbaCon Trading & Contracting Company (UCC)

UrbaCon Trading & Contracting Company (UCC) is a Qatari based international construction services company and a leading Grade A licensed builder. Our impressive construction footprint in Qatar is led by our ever-growing pool of trained professionals. Since UCC's establishment, the company has sustained profitability with a diversified local and international portfolio. Today UCC is one of the best Construction and Contracting companies in the Arab world, ranked 132 among top Global Contractors by prestigious Engineering News-Record (ENR).

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1675331/UrbaCon_Trading_Hamad_Port_1.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1675332/UrbaCon_Trading_Hamad_Port_2.jpg

SOURCE UrbaCon Trading & Contracting Company
BEIJING, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bairong Inc ("Bairong" or "the Company", 6608.HK), a leading independent AI-powered technology platform in China, announced lately that it has reached an agreement to acquire 52% of the equity interest in Beijing All Union Technology Corp. with RMB155.99 million.

Beijing All Union Technology is a leading comprehensive solution service provider in China that assists banks in carrying out intelligent user operations. It has developed an intelligent routing distribution platform that connects banks, users, scenarios, and merchants and a one-stop cloud equity SaaS platform. Beijing All Union Technology was awarded various titles and honors including high-tech enterprise, specialized new enterprise and gazelle enterprise etc., as a recognition of its industry and technology advantages. Since its establishment, Beijing All Union Technology has established strategic partnerships with major state-owned and large joint-stock commercial banks, China UnionPay, and leading Internet companies with more than 10 national banks in China as its paying clients.

"We are pleased to reach the agreement to acquire the majority of shares in Beijing All Union Technology," said Zhang Shaofeng, Chairman and CEO of Bairong. "The acquisition will be beneficial to both companies. With our sales network and solid relationship with more than 5,000 financial institutions, we can help Beijing All Union Technology quickly develop new clients. By leveraging the leading one-stop cloud equity SaaS intelligent operation platform of Beijing All Union Technology, Bairong can further expand intelligence operations and better support our financial services provider clients in maintaining their customers' loyalty and attracting new customers so as to achieve more robust growth."

Facing the rapid growth of the digital economy, financial services providers in China have an urgent need to digitalize their operations and transfer their business from offline to online.

"Beijing All Union Technology has its technology advantages and rich experience in China's financial services industry," added Zhang. "The acquisition will enable us to upgrade client's user operations, expand our business layout and further improve our digital service capabilities, so we can better meet the growing demand from our clients and tap the potentially huge market opportunities."

For more information, please visit Bairong Inc.

About Bairong Inc.

Founded in March 2014, Bairong is a leading independent AI-powered technology platform in China serving more than 5,100 financial services provider clients. Bairong was the largest independent financial big data analytics solutions provider in China. Adhering to the mission of empowering every financial services provider in China with smart and comprehensive data analytics, Bairong has built a cloud-native technology platform that supports the full business cycle of FSP clients, including data analytics, decision-making support and smart consumer operation solutions, enabling them to improve risk management ability, promote user activity and operational efficiency. Bairong also provides big data marketing and distribution services that enable FSP clients to reach and serve their target customers more effectively.

Media Contact:

Nataly Hu

Email: [email protected]

Phone Number: 86-10-64718828

SOURCE Bairong Inc

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RADNOR, Pa., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cabrini University has become the first Pennsylvania school to partner with TheDream.US to provide scholarships for the Commonwealth's undocumented immigrant youth to achieve their higher education dreams.

As the nation's largest college access and career success program for DREAMersundocumented immigrant youth who have come to the United States at a young ageTheDream.US provides scholarships for these students to attend partner colleges. More than 70 partner colleges in 21 states and Washington, DC, have committed to serving DREAMers and are prepared to offer the needed support services to help them successfully navigate college life, both on and off campus.

"Cabrini University is proud to be a Partner College of TheDream.US," said University President Donald B. Taylor, PhD. "This partnership embodies Cabrini's mission as a Catholic institution committed to helping the underserved and serving the social justice charism of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus."

The National Scholarship of TheDream.US, to be offered at Cabrini, is for DREAMers who are first-time college students or community college graduates attending the University to earn a bachelor's degree. The award covers tuition, fees, books, and supplies of up to $37,000.

"We are grateful for the new partnership with Cabrini University to provide Pennsylvania DREAMers this opportunity," said Candy Marshall, president of TheDream.US. "Time and time again, our graduates' successes show why expanding access to higher education and stabilizing DREAMers' futures is good for our country. Despite the many obstacles DREAMers face, they continue to persevere and work hard to achieve their education goals and pursue a meaningful career."

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, for whom the University is named, was herself an Italian immigrant and the first United States citizen to be canonized. The University's Center on Immigration advocates for all immigrants locally and nationally and has provided legal assistance to undocumented students seeking citizenship or facing deportation.

"Mother Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants," said Angela N. Campbell, PhD, Vice President of Cabrini's newly formed Office of Mission, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and Student Engagement. "Through this partnership, we'll help DREAMers in Pennsylvania to find their path and their purpose on their college journey. Ensuring that our studentsall of Cabrini's studentscan pursue a college degree with full support is paramount to us and integral to our mission."

Under Marshall's leadership, TheDream.US endeavors to provide all young Americans, regardless of where they are born, the opportunity to earn a college education and pursue a meaningful career that contributes to the nation's future.

"We want to thank Cabrini University and the rest of our Partner Colleges across America for giving immigrant youth the opportunity to pursue their higher education and career dreams and contribute to the future of our country," she said.

To apply for the scholarship, DREAMers must have DACA or TPS authorization, or have come to the country before November 1, 2016 (before the age of 16), and otherwise meet the DACA eligibility criteria. Applications are open November 1, 2021 through February 28, 2022. Interested students should visit TheDream.US for information on how to apply.

About Cabrini University

Founded in 1957 by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Cabrini University is a Catholic institution that empowers students to become advocates of social change through an Education of the Heart, focusing on academic excellence, community engagement, and leadership development.

Cabrini enrolls approximately 1,550 undergraduates in more than 50 majors, concentrations, and minors on its serene 112-acre campus located 30 minutes from Philadelphia. The University also enrolls 525 students in graduate, doctoral, and professional studies programs.

SOURCE Cabrini University

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www.cabrini.edu


In July 2021, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Convention to combat desertification (UNCCD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC), together with FCA, a leading German think tank, were organized to explore and promote innovative technologies and programmes to deal with climate change and promote inclusive, resilient and sustainable economic development Jointly launched the global collection of UNIDO Global Call 2021 for Innovative Solutions in Cleantech and Sustainable Land Management. .

Since the official launch of the solicitation, 294 applications have been received from 71 countries on 5 continents. After the evaluation of the judges, four individual champions covering four categories finally stood out from 23 nominated projects.

CHINT 310MW desert photovoltaic power station in Kubuqi, Inner Mongolia was jointly invested by CHINT Solar and Elion Resources Group. The project was started at the historical background of desertification control in China. The Kubuqi project is the first solar desert project in China and is recognized as a landmark project for realizing renewable energy projects in such challenging environment.

Unique concept

CHINT Solar created a new model featuring sand control, farmland cultivation, husbandry, power generation and poverty alleviation. The area of afforestation and sand stabilization is amongst other planted with forage grasses which are resistant to cold, drought, salt and alkali. The drip irrigation under plastic film, the infiltrating irrigation, and other water-saving equipment and technology led to a survival rate of vegetation above 90% and resulted in desertification control and obvious greening effects. The model can now be replicated all over the world.

Besides producing around 14 billion kWh over the 25-year operation period and reducing the CO2 emission by more than 7 million tonnes, 3.000 jobs were created during construction. The project will continue to promote the economic development of the residents around the project site over the project lifetime. The Kubuqi project is a good example that commercial interests can be combined with social and ecological responsibility.

Catalyst for future solar energy projects

Chuan Lu, the chairman of the board and CEO of Zhejiang Chint New Energy Development Co., Ltd, reacts: "It is honoured that CHINT Solar has won the award for such an innovation project. With the waste and sandy land rented from farmers and herdsmen, we adopted remarkable sand control method while building the Solar PV project's foundation. It has become the benchmark and demonstration desert Solar project in China. With the 310MW Kubuqi solar desert project,- CHINT Solar was able to proof that power generation can be successfully combined with social and ecological responsibility. Such landmark projects will further improve the acceptance of solar around the world and will motivate policy makers to introduce subsidy schemes for such holistic projects."

About CHINT Solar

CHINT was founded in 1984 and is a leading global provider of smart energy solutions with an extensive business network across over 140 countries with more than 30.000 employees.

In 2006 CHINT Solar was established and is listed at the stock exchange market as one of the top renewable energy companies. CHINT Solar has become a key player in the solar industry with more than 6.000 employees. Besides specializing in crystalline module manufacturing, CHINT Solar is also a leading global downstream project developer being active in project development, financing, realization and operation of solar parks. With over 8GW completed projects in different regions, CHINT Solar has built a significant track record, which makes it one of the largest independent renewable power producers.

https://energy.chint.com/en/

SOURCE CHINT
ATLANTA, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hispanic Health Coalition of Georgia (HHCGA) Ambassador program was officially launched today. This is an exciting initiative, and a major strategic and pro-active development that will provide quality COVID-19 vaccine information, facilitate access to getting the vaccine, and obtain accurate data relative to vaccine hesitancy and vaccine uptake. The HHCGA Ambassador program will comprise selected individuals who will function and perform an analogous ambassadorial role in the Hispanic community.

In her capacity as Executive Director and Vice-Chairman of the HHCGA, Shirley E. "Bella" Borghi, said this, "We are excited to welcome a cadre of men and women as Ambassadors who will serve as a liaison between communities in Georgia, health professionals, human and social services organizations. Ambassadors will be disseminating COVID-19 vaccine health education, in a sustained effort to decrease COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy in the State of Georgia. This is a pro-active but entirely non-political service, with the focus of organizing outreach activities to inform and engage minority and underserved communities for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance."

The Ambassador program foresees success for the initiative since it is truly a peer and grassroot movement of selected individuals from the communities where they will be working. Having met the basic qualification and prerequisite personal criteria, and after receiving initial training, Ambassadors will have culturally and linguistically appropriate information to disseminate with the goal of facilitating the COVID-19 vaccine. Going forward, it is anticipated that the Ambassador program will also seek to improve education and treatment access to other chronic health problems such as HPV, Cervical Cancer, and others.

In line with the old adage that states, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", Ambassadors are essentially a pre-emptive force to combat disparities in access to healthcare education, and access to treatment centers and clinics. The cost of healthcare generally, and specifically the cost associated with the treatment of chronic diseases, continue to rise at an alarming rate. Alexander Guizzotti is a member of the HHCGA team working to implement the Ambassador program, and he warned that increases as high as 200 percent may be a reality a year from now. He said that, "It was important to have an effective Ambassador program as an imperative preventative strategy, and hence counteract the growing cost of healthcare in vulnerable communities that simply cannot pay the ever-increasing costs."

More About Ambassador Program

The HHCGA website (www.HHCGA.org) provides details about the Ambassador program including job description, qualifications, and a job application for those who wish to join the team. Social Media platforms will be very important to the Ambassador program. Information flow, reporting, and organizing community events will be based on the use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, You Tube and Instagram.

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

LinkedIn

SOURCE Hispanic Health Coalition of GA
HotelKey now has more than 2,500 hotels on its platform, making it one of the fastest-growing providers in the space. Tweet this

HotelKey co-founder and CEO at HotelKey Fareed Ahmad, said, "The HotelKey platform provides rich functionality for both individual properties and hotel chains, driving a consistent experience for guests and a configurable system for hotel owners and enterprise teams. The platform automates most of property operations while also allowing room for flexibility and user innovation. We believe that in today's fast-changing environment, guests need a more personalized experience than ever before, hotel owners need automation to drive costs down and increase revenue, and enterprises need platforms to be configurable, event-based, with real-time reporting. We are pleased to provide it."

Aditya Thyagarajan, HotelKey co-founder & President, concluded, "We're excited to now have more than 2,500 hotels, including two major brands, benefiting from these features on the HotelKey platform. We anticipate even further accelerated growth in the months ahead. We are immensely grateful to our clients and an industry we have come to love, for their support and partnership."

About The HotelKey Platform

HotelKey's platform features include:

HotelKey PMS  Including comprehensive property management functionality to manage reservations, guest profiles, housekeeping, maintenance, rooms, payments automations, direct bill, group masters, house accounts, automated night audits, and more.

HotelKey CRS  Offering rich rate and room type administration, a responsive booking engine, dynamic shop and book APIs, direct connections to Expedia, Booking.com, Google, Agoda, SynXis, and TripAdvisor. All inventory and rate decisions are real time and accessed through an externalized API from the client apps including HotelKey' own apps. CRS offering also includes Call Center app, Find and Reserve, to allow reservations centers to book across properties and provide feature-rich service (i.e. folios, reservations modifications) to the contact center staff without calling the properties.

HotelKey POS  Providing feature-rich point-of-sale systems for captive outlets at the lodging properties. It natively integrates with HotelKey core platform for room charge and financial reporting.

HotelKey Reports and Analytics Reporting and Analytics module, which provides dynamic reports across every aspect of the hotel management, including operations, guests, reservations, revenue, direct bill, auditing and more. The dynamic reports allow column selections, filters, grouping, highlighting, and CSV, PDF Excel exports for every report.

HotelKey's Owner App  Enables property owners to have full access to real time property view on their smartphones while they are on the move.

Chuck Valentino, Vice President of Operations at California-based Vagabond Inn Hotels, said, "We're delighted to partner with HotelKey to bring the benefits of advanced innovation to hoteliers across our portfolio. We've been able to benefit from the singular efficiencies and cost savings the HotelKey platform offers and are eager to expand those benefits even further in the future. Congratulations to the HotelKey team in reaching this milestone."

Vagabond Inn has 22 hotels and close to 2,000 rooms at distinctive Executive and Affiliate locations across the West Coast.

About HotelKey

HotelKey was founded by two software entrepreneurs, Fareed Ahmad and Aditya Thyagarajan, with the simple goal of making property management easier, more reliable and more cost-efficient for hoteliers. The company's mobile platform has grown into the industry-leading solution across hotel property segments, with a development team that is quickly advancing new products to meet and anticipate the needs of the industry in a time of rapid change and disruption. The company is also growing rapidly, with headquarters in Dallas, offices in Southern California, Europe and South Asia and a team of 250 professionals on call 24/7 to support more than 2,500 hotel clients around the world.

Since 2015, HotelKey has provided software solutions that are efficient, reliable, and easy to use. The HotelKey Platform combined with its world class Client Services teams supports individual properties, small to large sized portfolios, and global enterprises.

For more information, visit www.hotelkeyapp.com .

Contact: Michael Frenkel

Email: [email protected] Phone: 201-317-7035

SOURCE HotelKey

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"Trevor is highly talented and entrepreneurial," said Todd Holleman, head of the firm's CFI practice. "He has led an impressive rangeand numberof deals. He brings a very strong skillset to our clients."

Thomson Reuters has honored Pinkerton several times as a Texas Rising Star in the category of Securities and Corporate Finance, and the Texas Bar Foundation has named him a fellow. In Houston, Pinkerton joins partners Heath Trisdale, Michael Hamilton and Jonathan Newton, who also joined the CFI practice recently.

"Trevor is an exciting addition to our corporate capabilities in Houston and throughout the firm," said Tracie Renfroe, managing partner of King & Spalding's Houston office. "He'll be a strong cultural fit with this office."

Pinkerton obtained his undergraduate degree from Rice University, cum laude and his JD from Emory University, with honors.

"I have been watching King & Spalding's Houston office grow for several years, in particular the growth in its corporate ranks," Pinkerton said. "The firm's dynamic and focused growth across the board is really impressive. I am very excited to be joining this robust practice where we serve sophisticated clients at the highest level on the most innovative and important deals out there."

About King & Spalding

Celebrating more than 130 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with over 1,200 lawyers in 22 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.

SOURCE K&S

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www.kslaw.com


Madeira, Portugal will welcome the first-ever direct flight from the U.S. via New York City on November 29. Tweet this

"We are thrilled to welcome the new direct flight from New York City to Madeira this November and expand our presence in the U.S. market," said Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture of Madeira, Eduardo Jesus. "With accessible flight options from a variety of U.S. getaways, we are eager to welcome more U.S. travelers in the coming months to Madeira's paradise."

The weekly direct flight will be available through March 2022 and can be booked by travelers through Inovtravel.com. Prices start at $1,050 roundtrip for economy seats and $1,880 roundtrip for business class seats, including all taxes. Inovtravel's travel packages to Madeira start at $999 including flights.

"Our goal is to continue to provide a plethora of options to U.S. travelers looking to escape to Madeira's stunning islands through new direct and convenient flight paths and a variety of travel packages that can be tailored to fit almost any budget," said Inovtravel Founder and CEO Luis Nunes.

The Madeira Islands are open to U.S. tourists, with no restrictions or test requirements for fully vaccinated travelers. To ensure the safety of locals and visitors, all passengers traveling to Madeira must complete a Madeira Safe online form within 48 hours prior to departure. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated can travel to Madeira with a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival, or by conducting a free COVID-19 test upon arrival. For more information on Madeira entry requirements go to VisitMadeira.pt.

SOURCE Madeira Promotion Bureau
BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nereid Therapeutics, a company discovering new disease treatments by applying pioneering research and technologies in biomolecular condensates, announced today the members of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB): Cigall Kadoch, Ph.D., Alexander McCampbell, Ph.D., Alice Ting, Ph.D., and Jared Toettcher, Ph.D. The SAB, led by Nereid co-founder Clifford Brangwynne, Ph.D., will collaborate with Nereid's leadership team to support and advance the company's discovery and development efforts.

"We are pleased to have attracted this team of distinguished scientists to our Scientific Advisory Board," Dr. Brangwynne said. "Each of these individuals brings unique expertise and experience to Nereid Therapeutics that will move us forward as we iterate and apply the biophysics of liquid-liquid phase separation to identify new targets and design new therapeutic approaches."

Nereid Therapeutics Scientific Advisory Board Members

Nereid Therapeutics co-founder Clifford Brangwynne, Ph.D., is a biophysical engineer and leading expert in soft matter physics, a professor at Princeton University in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. A pioneer of the field of biomolecular condensateswork for which he has won numerous awards, including a 2018 MacArthur Foundation grantDr. Brangwynne has discovered and elucidated the biophysical principles underlying how liquid-liquid phase separation drives the organization, material properties, function, and dysfunction of these ubiquitous structures in living cells. He earned a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in applied physics from Harvard University.

Cigall Kadoch, Ph.D., is an associate professor of pediatric oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School and an institute member and co-director of the Epigenomics Program at the Broad Institute. Her laboratory studies chromatin regulation, with a strong focus on the structure and function of the mammalian SWI/SNF or BAF family of chromatin remodeling complexes in human health and disease. She is also the Scientific Founder of Foghorn Therapeutics and currently serves on its Board of Directors. Dr. Kadoch completed her bachelor's degree at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and her graduate research at the Stanford University School of Medicine before assuming her faculty position in Boston.

Alexander McCampbell, Ph.D., is a venture partner at ATP, the life sciences venture capital firm that created Nereid Therapeutics in 2020. A pharmaceutical scientist specializing in rare and neurodegenerative diseases, he worked at Biogen for nine years, most recently as a vice president building and leading a translational team in neuromuscular and muscle research. He has advanced eight agents into the clinic, including antibodies, small molecules, and antisense oligonucleotides, in disease areas including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and spinal muscular atrophy. Dr. McCampbell has more than 30 publications and multiple patents. He received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School.

Alice Ting, Ph.D., is Professor of Genetics, Biology, and Chemistry at Stanford University and an investigator of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub. Prior to joining Stanford, she was a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for 14 years. Her lab develops molecular technologies for studying proteins and signaling pathways in living cells and organisms and applies them to neuroscience and mitochondrial biology. Dr. Ting's work has been recognized by the NIH Pioneer Award, the McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award, and the ACS Arthur Cope Scholar Award. Dr. Ting studied chemistry as an undergraduate at Harvard, earned her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley working with Peter Schultz, and completed postdoctoral training at the University of California San Diego with Roger Tsien.

Jared Toettcher, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. His work currently focuses on engineering optogenetic tools to control diverse intracellular processes and studying how growth factor signaling regulates cell fate in development and disease. His honors and awards include being named a 2019 Vallee Scholar, a 2018 NSF CAREER Award, a 2016 NIH Director's New Innovator Award, a Cancer Research Institute postdoctoral fellowship, an MIT Presidential Fellowship, and a UC Berkeley Regents' Scholarship. Dr. Toettcher graduated with a B.S. in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley, performed his graduate studies in Biological Engineering under Bruce Tidor (MIT) and Galit Lahav (Harvard Medical School), and completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco with Wendell Lim and Orion Weiner.

About Nereid Therapeutics

Nereid Therapeutics, an ATP company, is discovering new disease treatments using proprietary state-of-the-art technologies for generating, visualizing, and measuring liquid-liquid phase separation and the resulting biomolecular condensates. Nereid applies leading expertise in soft matter physics and cell biology to pioneer completely new ways to fight intractable diseases. For more information, visit www.nereidtx.com.

About ATP

Founded in 1999, ATP is a leader in life sciences venture capital, with $2.65 billion in committed capital and offices in New York, London, San Francisco, and Cambridge, MA. ATP creates companies starting at various stages, from pre-IP ideas to asset spinouts, investing in them from seed stage through IPO and beyond. The core of ATP's strategy is providing flexible capital and access to a world-class team of venture partners and EIRs, to build sustainable, research-driven enterprises that deliver therapeutics to improve human lives. For more information, visit www.appletreepartners.com.

Contact

[email protected]

SOURCE Nereid Therapeutics

Related Links

https://www.nereidtx.com


COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer advocacy by the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) and the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) has led to a major settlement of cases at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) involving the FirstEnergy utilities. Today's settlement of the high-stakes dispute involves whether the FirstEnergy utilities charged consumers too much for profits and, if so, how much.

Under the settlement, FirstEnergy will refund $306 million via bill credits to consumers through 2025, pending PUCO approval. The average FirstEnergy residential customer will receive $85.71 over the next five years as credits on their electric bills as follows:

$96 million (for FirstEnergy profits overcharges from 2017 to 2019) will be refunded within 30 days of a PUCO approval of the settlement. Residential consumers will receive a lump-sum payment of about $26.91 on their electric bills; Non-residential consumers will receive $2.68 per mWh.

Starting in 2022, residential consumers will receive bill credits as follows:

$1.87 per month ( $22.44 annually) per consumer (for $80 million in total will be credited in 2022, through a monthly bill credit).

(for in total will be credited in 2022, through a monthly bill credit). $1.40 per month ( $16.80 annually) per consumer (for $60 million in total will be credited in 2023, through a monthly bill credit).

(for in total will be credited in 2023, through a monthly bill credit). $1.05 per month ( $12.60 annually) per consumer (for $45 million in total will be credited in 2024, through a monthly bill credit).

(for in total will be credited in 2024, through a monthly bill credit). $0.58 per month ( $6.96 annually) per consumer (for $25 million in total will be credited in 2025, through a monthly bill credit).

The settlement involves profits cases under a 2008 utility ratemaking law known as Senate Bill 221, which requires refunds of charges for "significantly excessive" utility profits. Previously the most any electric utility was required to refund to consumers for "significantly excessive" profits was $43 million from AEP about a decade ago. The 2008 law limits electric utility refunds to "significantly excessive" profits and allows electric utilities to keep excessive profits.

"Today's record refund is the culmination of OCC's hard-fought efforts over several years to secure refunds for consumers regarding FirstEnergy's high profits," said Ohio Consumers' Counsel Bruce Weston. "Last year, in an OCC appeal, the Ohio Supreme Court threw out a PUCO decision shielding FirstEnergy from refunding profits. Consumers are to get $306 million of justice. We hope it's a trend," Weston added.

"As Ohio's largest non-profit retail energy aggregator, we consider advocacy to be an important cornerstone of NOPEC's core mission to protect consumers against unfair, excessive charges," said NOPEC Executive Director Chuck Keiper. "Our partnership with the OCC in this mission has yielded yet another meaningful win for Ohio ratepayers. This massive settlement is a tremendous victory for NOPEC's half a million electric customers that rightfully puts money back into their pockets and holds utilities accountable," Keiper added.

About the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC)

NOPEC is Ohio's largest non-profit energy supplier that provides competitive energy cost savings to residents and small businesses using a buy in bulk method. NOPEC negotiates for lower energy rates and better terms and conditions, educates residents and customers on how they can conserve energy and save even more on their energy bills and advocates for consumer-friendly energy legislation at both the state and federal level. Since 2001, NOPEC has saved Ohio consumers hundreds of millions of dollars on their energy costs. NOPEC has also awarded over $40 million in community energy-efficiency grants. For more information about NOPEC, visit https://www.nopec.org.

About the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC)

The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel is the state's representative of millions of residential utility consumers, as the utility/PUCO watchdog. The state agency serves Ohio consumers in state and federal proceedings affecting their electric, natural gas, telephone, and water services. The agency also educates consumers about their utility services. For more information, please visit the agency's website at www.occ.ohio.gov.

SOURCE NOPEC

Related Links

https://www.nopec.org


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- When the global economy buckled under the pressure of the pandemic, businesses sought new ways to stabilize and grow. While organizations large and small struggled to weather its effects, some emerged more successfully than others.

Although their strategies differed, digitization and smartization prevailed as the overarching themes. One new study underpinned them as determining factors in a business's success amid unprecedented economic turbulence.

According to the white paper, The 60 Smartest Companies Thriving Post-Pandemic, published on October 21 by Tuya Smart and media platforms Global Intelligent Business and IoT Business Vantage (IBV), digitalization and smartization are current top trends for businesses across industries responding to the threats brought by the pandemic.

The white paper, featuring researches from Gartner, the world-renowned research and advisory company, examined 60 companies that have improved their operational efficiency by adopting smarter technologies or have positively transformed their services to benefit the public. The list comprises enterprises of all sizes and covers a breadth of industries from healthcare, to service, to manufacturing.

Different Paths to Digital Transformation

Lockdowns, social distancing, and remote work have shifted the way consumers interact with the world. As the 2021 Gartner CIO Survey found that 76 per cent of businesses reported that demand for new digital products and services increased in 2020, and 83 per cent expect that trend to increase in 2021. Business leaders have aligned their strategies accordingly. A separate Gartner survey in 2020 revealed that directors plan to increase spending on IT and technology by an average of 6.9 per cent.

The path to digitization starts with remote-focused services and experiences, but it requires concerted innovation from both the software and hardware fronts. Smart hardware products need to be balanced by remote collaboration platforms and management systems. A failure on either side could collapse the entire initiative.

Thankfully, with emerging technologies such as AR, VR, IoT, 5G, and blockchain, options are plentiful. Even smaller organizations can benefit from a plethora of low-cost and flexible options.

Some cases highlighted in Tuya Smart white paper are straightforward; they infused their traditional products with smart systems for the extra value-add. For example, Goodyear seized the opportunity to incorporate smart features into its Miralbueno Group's product portfolio.

The Miralbuen Group, which has been supplying agricultural and industrial equipment to South America and Europe for over 30 years, partnered with Tuya Smart to power its scooters, air purifiers, and air quality monitors under the Goodyear brand. Their collaboration saw Goodyear increase its products' value, enrich their functions with advanced controls, and in turn provide greater convenience to their customers. Goodyear's journey is a textbook example of progressive digital transformation.

But the study also uncovered challenges faced by even veteran players in the field. No one was immune to playing catchup with the pace of innovation. Such was the case with AnyOnNet, a leading IoT company in South Korea.

The advent of the pandemic brought healthcare to the forefront. Seniors and hospitalized patients were especially vulnerable and therefore needed more tools to achieve equity. But even before the pandemic, accessibility has always been the top of mind for long-term care homes and hospitals. The pandemic has accelerated the pace of innovation.

When AnyOnNet became a supplier of elderly care solutions for Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, the company had to surmount numerous challenges despite its 15 years of experience. South Korea has a handful of major players dominating the IoT market, and the cost of IoT equipment is unaffordable for many consumers. Not only did AnyOnNet face a hostile market climate, but its products also must connect to a wide ecosystem for greater choice, all the while remaining reasonably priced for the customer.

As such, AnyOnNet leveraged Tuya's app SDK to power its product line, achieving interoperability with more than 410,000 Tuya Smart products without massive spendings on developing its own platform. The partnership enabled AnyOnNet to meet the hospital's requirements and elevate its brand image in one stroke.

Call for more support from public sectors

Digital transformation is no longer exclusive to the private sector. While businesses continue to adopt smarter tools to provide better service, governments and regulators also need to develop new laws around privacy, data governance, and sustainability to keep pace.

Governments also need to define a clear path to develop smarter cities. With more robust infrastructures in place, smart cities can be more fortified against future disasters. Reaching this goal starts with an ecosystem-driven approach and shared accountability between partners in leadership.

As a veteran in the IoT space, Tuya Smart's IoT platform can accelerate digital transformation in both the private and public sectors. Its development platform is being used by over 384,000 developers from more than 200 regions and countries around the world. Through its new white paper, Tuya explores these topics in-depth and provides a deeper analysis into how different industries are adapting to the drive for digital transformation.

For more information, visit: https://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/newsletters/Tuya/1-27E4H8LZ/index.html

To download the entire white paper in PDF, visit: https://www.tuya.com/resources/whitepaper/ebook-2022

SOURCE Tuya Smart
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE: SMP), a leading automotive parts manufacturer and distributor, announced today that Anthony Cristello has been named the Vice President of Investor Relations for the Company.

Mr. Cristello will be responsible for the planning and management of the Company's global investor relations and corporate communications activities. In doing so, Mr. Cristello will continuously monitor and enhance the Company's corporate messaging strategy to its investors and the financial community, provide targets for outreach, report on industry trends and new regulations, and support the executive team with business development and government affairs.

Mr. Eric Sills, Standard Motor Products' Chief Executive Officer and President, stated, "We are pleased to welcome Tony to our Company. With a strong track record of success in developing and fostering relationships within the financial community, combined with his long-standing intimate knowledge of the industry, Tony will provide an immediate impact in enhancing our investor relations and communications programs, which will be invaluable as we execute our corporate strategy. On behalf of our Board of Directors and all of SMP, we look forward to working with Tony."

Mr. Cristello joins the Company with over 20 years of experience with financial planning, modeling, and corporate evaluation. Most recently, Mr. Cristello was the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for All States Ag Parts where he was responsible for strategic growth, which included corporate planning for M&A activity. Mr. Cristello also held senior corporate development roles at Omega Environmental Technologies and Copart, Inc., as well as serving as the Head of Consumer Research Group at BB&T Capital Markets with coverage in the auto parts segment. Mr. Cristello earned a Bachelor's Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Standard Motor Products cautions investors that any forward-looking statements made by the company, including those that may be made in this press release, are based on management's expectations at the time they are made, but they are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, events or performance to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results, events or performance to differ materially from those risks and uncertainties discussed in this press release are those detailed from time-to-time in prior press releases and in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. By making these forward-looking statements, Standard Motor Products undertakes no obligation or intention to update these statements after the date of this release.

SOURCE Standard Motor Products, Inc.

Related Links

www.smpcorp.com


RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The RTI International Board of Governors has selected Tim J. Gabel, RTI's executive vice president of the Social, Statistical and Environmental Sciences (SSES) business unit, to succeed E. Wayne Holden, Ph.D., as president and chief executive officer.

Tim J. Gabel

"I am honored to be selected as RTI's next president and CEO," said Mr. Gabel. "The institute's work impacts, illuminates or improves the most urgent issues facing society today, in our local communities, in North Carolina, and around the world. I share the commitment that everyone who works for the institute demonstrates each day to deliver the promise of science for global good."

The RTI Board of Governors selected Mr. Gabel following a rigorous search process that considered many highly qualified candidates. Formalities associated with the RTI leadership transition are expected to be completed in early 2022.

"The selection of a new executive leader is the most important responsibility of any board. Our primary objective was to hire a new leader who would sustain and expand the vital work that RTI does," said RTI Board of Governors Chair Peter M. Scott III. "Tim has clearly demonstrated his support of RTI's mission, vision, values and goals, and he understands our organization, our people and our competitive landscape. In short, we are confident that Tim will get the right results in the right way."

Upon formal election by the Board of Governors, Mr. Gabel will become the fifth president and CEO of RTI since its founding in December 1958. He succeeds E. Wayne Holden, Ph.D., who has provided 16 years of dedicated service to RTI, including serving as President and CEO since 2012.

"During his tenure, Wayne developed for the institute a long-range strategy focused on enhancing RTI's scientific stature, invested in the development of staff, improved operational excellence and diversified funding sources. As a result, the institute's impact expanded from 1,800 to approximately 4,000 projects annually and revenue grew from $734 million to nearly $1.1 billion," said Mr. Scott. "Through his vision and committed leadership, RTI has truly lived its mission: improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our capabilities and expertise across the spectrum of social and laboratory sciences, engineering and international development are second to none. Wayne leaves RTI with the institute in its strongest position ever. The board is grateful to Wayne for his service and stewardship."

"It's been a privilege to work for an institute that puts scientific inquiry and rigor at the center of everything we do in service of our mission to improve the human condition," said Dr. Holden. "It has been the great honor of my career to lead the institute through a decade of growth and success and to help us through the challenges of the past 18 months. We are in a strong position for a new CEO, and I plan on working with Tim and the executive leadership team to ensure a smooth transition."

Tim J. Gabel has served as the executive vice president of Social, Statistical and Environmental Sciences (SSES) at RTI International since 2012. As head of SSES, the largest of RTI's business units, he manages an annual revenue of over $600 million and approximately 3,000 professional staff who conduct a variety of research, development and technical assistance projects.

Mr. Gabel joined RTI in 1983 with technical training in both statistics and computer science and has served in a variety of leadership roles during his career, including the head of the Research Computing Division and the vice president for Survey and Computing Sciences. He holds an MBA from Duke University and a B.S. in Statistics and Computer Science from the University of Wyoming.

Mr. Gabel holds an adjunct appointment at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Public Health and is a member of the University of Wyoming College of Arts & Sciences Board of Visitors. In addition, he serves as Vice Chair of the Defense Alliance of North Carolina board and serves on the boards of The Triangle Universities Center for Advanced Studies Inc. (TUCASI), Go Global NC and the United Way of North Carolina.

To view this release on RTI's website: https://www.rti.org/news/tim-j-gabel-named-president-and-chief-executive-officer-rti-international

About RTI International

RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. Clients rely on us to answer questions that demand an objective and multidisciplinary approach  one that integrates expertise across the social and laboratory sciences, engineering and international development. We believe in the promise of science, and we are inspired every day to deliver on that promise for the good of people, communities and businesses around the world. For more information, visit www.rti.org.

Contact:

RTI International Media Relations

(919) 541-7340

[email protected]

SOURCE RTI International

Related Links

http://www.rti.org


DUBLIN, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Belt-Driven Starter Generator (BSG) Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The belt-driven starter generator market is expected to reach USD 1,339.05 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 10.58%.

The study considers a detailed scenario of the present belt driven starter generator market and its market dynamics for the period 2021-2026. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market.

The growing awareness among the population with respect to carbon emission is leading to the increasing demand for various technologies. Thereby, to minimize the impact on the environment, belt-driven starter generator is gaining traction in the global industry. A belt-driven starter generator helps in achieving fuel efficiency at a low cost, which is likely to support the growth. Mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs) are increasingly gaining momentum with the growing penetration of 48V technology.

The belt-driven starter generator usage in MHEVs is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.13% during the forecast period. The stricter government regulations and the presence of several automotive parts suppliers are likely to support the belt-driven starter generator market growth. The rising fuel cost in various countries across Europe and APAC leads to the increasing demand for vehicles that will promote fuel efficiency, leading to the higher demand for belt-driven starter generators.

BELT-DRIVEN STARTER GENERATOR MARKET SEGMENTS AND SHARE

Europe contributes the highest share towards the 48V belt driven starter generator while APAC & North America are expected to witness the highest growth rate. The global belt driven starter generator market by 48V product type is expected to reach USD 940.40 million by 2026.

GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

The European carmakers are increasingly focusing on MHEV systems with 48V architecture. The demand for belt starter generators is projected to grow significantly in the European market year-over-year. Germany is one of the largest new car markets in Europe and is witnessing a continuous rise in demand for electric vehicles across the country.

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Major players in the belt starter generator industry include Continental, Valeo, Denso, and others. The present scenario drives vendors to change and refine their unique value propositions to achieve a strong presence. Major vendors continually compete for the leading position in the industry, with occasional spurts of competition coming from other local vendors.

The vendors offering 48V BSG are expected to enjoy an advantage owing to the increasing penetration of 48V technology in the MHEVs. Large vendors with high production capacity are at the advantage of offering lower-priced products, thereby achieving higher economies of scale. In the upcoming years, the market is going to be highly competitive.



KEY HIGHLIGHTS

In 2020, 48V belt-driven starter generator (BSG) accounted for the highest share of 67.86% in the global belt-driven starter generator industry and is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period.

Germany is one of the largest new car markets in Europe and is witnessing a continuous rise in demand for electric vehicles across the country. The Belt Driven Starter Generator Industry in Germany is expected to reach USD 55.90 million by 2026.

is one of the largest new car markets in and is witnessing a continuous rise in demand for electric vehicles across the country. The Belt Driven Starter Generator Industry in is expected to reach by 2026. China and Japan are the key countries in the APAC belt driven starter generator industry.

and are the key countries in the APAC belt driven starter generator industry. The increasing automotive manufacturing in Brazil and Mexico will likely create higher demand for belt driven starter generators.

and will likely create higher demand for belt driven starter generators. The micro-hybrid electric vehicles' contribution to the belt-driven starter generator industry is projected to witness an incremental growth of USD 154.56 million during the forecast period.

Key Vendors

BorgWarner

Denso

Continental

Valeo

Vitesco Technologies

Other Prominent Vendors

Bosch

Dayco

Infineon

SEG Automotive

Sona Comstar

Supergen

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study

4.4 Market Segments



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Overview

7.1.1 Components of Belt-driven Starter Generator

7.2 Start-Stop Technology

7.3 Mechanism of Belt-Driven Starter Generator

7.4 MHEV Architecture

7.5 Impact of COVID-19

7.5.1 Supply Side

7.5.2 Demand Side



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Growing Adoption in Developing Markets

8.2 Increasing Production of MHEVs



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Growing Demand for Optimum Fuel Efficiency

9.2 Strict Emission Regulations



10 Market Restraints

10.1 Rising Metal Prices

10.2 Growing Demand for BEVs And PHEVs



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Accelerating Demand for MHEVs

11.3 Market Size & Forecast

11.4 Five Forces Analysis



12 Product Type

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Market Overview

12.3 48V BSG

12.4 12V BSG



13 Vehicle Type

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Mild Hybrid

13.4 Micro Hybrid



14 Cooling Type

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Air-Cooled

14.4 Liquid-Cooled

14.5 Hybrid-Cooled



15 Geography

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Geographic Overview

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qol1o8

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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CONCILIATION AGREEMENT WITH CENIT AND BICENTENARIO EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 30, 2021 TO ALLOW COMPLETION OF FORMALITIES

CALGARY, AB, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Frontera Energy Corporation (TSX: FEC) ("Frontera" or the "Company") announced today that the official webpage of the Colombian judicial branch reported that the Administrative Tribunal of Cundinamarca has approved the Conciliation Agreement ("Conciliation Agreement") between Frontera, Cenit Transporte y Logistica de Hidrocarburos S.A.S. ("CENIT") and Oleoducto Bicentenario de Colombia S.A.S. ("Bicentenario"). Formalities are required in order for the mentioned decision to be in full force and effect. Consequently, the Parties agreed to extend the deadline for approval of the Conciliation Agreement until November 30, 2021, to allow for formalities to be completed.

About Frontera

Frontera Energy Corporation is a Canadian public company involved in the exploration, development, production, transportation, storage and sale of oil and natural gas in South America, including related investments in both upstream and midstream facilities. The Company has a diversified portfolio of assets with interests in 39 exploration and production blocks in Colombia, Ecuador and Guyana, and pipeline and port facilities in Colombia. Frontera is committed to conducting business safely and in a socially, environmentally and ethically responsible manner.

If you would like to receive News Releases via email as soon as they are published, please subscribe here: http://fronteraenergy.mediaroom.com/subscribe.

Advisories

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, the ability to obtain certain regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Tribunal) are forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that the required approval from the Tribunal will be received on a timely basis or at all. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: political developments in Colombia; timing on receipt of government approvals; fluctuations in foreign exchange or interest rates and stock market volatility and the other risks disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's annual information form dated March 3, 2021 filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

SOURCE Frontera Energy Corporation

Related Links

www.fronteraenergy.ca


CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Advanced Wound Care Market by Product (Dressings (Foam, Hydrocolloid, Film, Alginate), NPWT, Debridement Devices, Grafts, Matrices, Topical Agents), Wound Type (Surgical, Traumatic, Ulcers, Burns), End User (Hospital, Homecare) - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Advanced Wound Care Market is projected to reach USD 12.8 billion by 2026 from USD 9.4 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 6.2%.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Advanced Wound Care Market"

225  Tables

47  Figures

289  Pages

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The increasing spending on chronic wounds, growing prevalence of diseases & conditions affecting wound healing capabilities, and technological advancements are among the major factors propelling the growth of this market. Emerging economies such as China, Japan, and India are providing lucrative opportunities for the players operating in the advanced wound care market.

The dressings segment accounted for the largest share of the advanced wound care market, by product segment, in 2020

Based on products, the advanced wound care market is segmented into dressings, devices & accessories, grafts & matrices, and topical agents. The dressings segment accounted for the largest share of the advanced wound care market in 2020. Factors such as the growing prevalence of chronic, surgical, and traumatic wounds; rising incidence of burn injuries; and technological advancements in dressings are boosting the market growth of this segment.

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Surgical & traumatic wounds segment to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period

The advanced wound care market has been segmented into surgical & traumatic wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and burns & other wounds. In 2020, the surgical & traumatic wounds segment accounted for the highest growth rate. Factors such as the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions and the growing number of surgical procedures performed are expected to drive the growth of the surgical & traumatic wounds segment.

The hospitals, ASCs, and wound care centers segment accounted for the largest share of the advanced wound care market, by end user segment, in 2020

Based on end users, the advanced wound care market is segmented into hospitals, ASCs, and wound care centers; home care settings; and other end users. In 2020, the hospitals, ASCs, and wound care centers segment accounted for the largest share of the advanced wound care market. The large number of treatment procedures conducted in hospitals, availability of reimbursements, and high patient inflow in this care setting are driving this segments growth.

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North America is the largest regional market for advanced wound care market

The global advanced wound care market has been segmented into five major regionsNorth America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2020, North America accounted for the largest share of the advanced wound care market. The large share of this region can be attributed to the increasing demand for advanced wound treatment options like advanced wound care products, the highly developed healthcare system in the US and Canada, and increasing prevalence of chronic disorders.

The major players operating in this market are 3M Company (US), Smith & Nephew plc (UK), ConvaTec Group Plc (UK), Coloplast A/S (Denmark), Molnlycke Health Care AB (Sweden), Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (US), PAUL HARTMANN AG (Germany), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Cardinal Health, Inc. (US), Organogenesis Holdings Inc. (US), Misonix, Inc. (US), MiMedx Group, Inc. (US), Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (US), Lohmann & Rauscher GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), DeRoyal Industries, Inc. (US), Medline Industries, Inc. (US), DermaRite Industries, LLC (US), Kerecis (Iceland), Advancis Medical (UK), Winner Medical Co., Ltd. (China), Hollister Incorporated (US), Mil Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. (India), Shield Line (US), ZENI MEDICAL (US), Carilex Medical (Germany), Pensar Medical, LLC (US), Wuhan VSD Medical Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (China), and HAROMED B.V. (Belgium).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Medical Devices Market Research Reports & Consulting

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Wound Care Market by Product (Dressings (Foam, Film, Hydrocolloid, Collagen, Alginate), Devices (NPWT, Debridement), Grafts, Matrices, Topical Agents, Sutures, Stapler), Wound (Traumatic, Diabetic Ulcers, Surgical, Burn), End User - Global Forecast to 2026

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/wound-care-market-371.html

Wound Dressings Market by Type (Traditional, Advanced (Alginate, Collagen, Hydrogel, Foam, Hydrocolloid, Film)), Wound Type (Traumatic, Surgical, Diabetic Foot, Venous Leg Ulcer & Burns), End User (Hospital, ASCs, Homecare) - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/wound-dressings-market-123903496.html

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TORONTO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (TSX: AEM) (NYSE: AEM) ("Agnico Eagle" or the "Company") and Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (TSX:KL,NYSE:KL, ASX:KLA) ("Kirkland Lake Gold") are pleased to announce today that they have filed a joint management information circular dated October 29, 2021 (the "Joint Circular") and related meeting and proxy materials in connection with their respective special meetings of shareholders (the "Meetings") scheduled to be held on November 26, 2021. The purpose of the Meetings is to seek approval for certain matters in connection with their previously announced merger of equals (the "Merger") to be effected by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario).

The Merger

Pursuant to the merger agreement dated September 28, 2021 (as amended, the "Merger Agreement"), Kirkland Lake Gold shareholders ("Kirkland Shareholders") will receive 0.7935 of an Agnico Eagle common share (the "Agnico Shares") for each Kirkland Lake Gold common share (the "Kirkland Shares") held. The Merger will require the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the votes cast by holders of Kirkland Shares present (virtually) or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the special meeting of Kirkland Shareholders (the "Kirkland Meeting"). The issuance of shares by Agnico Eagle in connection with the Merger is subject to the approval of at least a majority of votes cast by holders of Agnico Shares (the "Agnico Shareholders") present (virtually) or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the special meeting of Agnico Shareholders (the "Agnico Meeting"). Immediately upon completion of the Merger, existing Agnico Shareholders and existing Kirkland Shareholders are expected to own approximately 54% and 46% of the Agnico Shares in the combined company, respectively (on a non-diluted basis).

Board of Directors' Recommendations

The Board of Directors of each of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold have unanimously approved the Merger and recommend that their respective shareholders vote " FOR " the matters put before them at the respective Meetings.

Reasons for the Merger

In recommending the Merger, the Board of Directors of Agnico Eagle and the Board of Directors of Kirkland Lake Gold considered a number of factors including the following:

Creating a World-Leading Senior Gold Producer . The Merger will create the combined company which will continue under the name Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, which will be a high-quality senior gold producer with the lowest all-in sustaining cost per ounce of gold, highest EBITDA margin and lowest-risk portfolio of operating mines among its senior gold peers. The combined company is expected to produce approximately 3.4 million of ounces of gold in 2021 on a pro forma basis.





. The Merger will create the combined company which will continue under the name Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, which will be a high-quality senior gold producer with the lowest all-in sustaining cost per ounce of gold, highest EBITDA margin and lowest-risk portfolio of operating mines among its senior gold peers. The combined company is expected to produce approximately 3.4 million of ounces of gold in 2021 on a basis. Enhances Position in one of the Most Prolific and Prospective Gold Regions in the World . The combined company is expected to be Canada's leading gold producer, with anticipated production in the country of approximately 2.5 million ounces of gold in 2021, or approximately 75% of 3.4 million ounces of total expected gold production, on a pro forma basis. The combined portfolio will be anchored by high-quality gold production in Ontario , Quebec and Nunavut in Canada , as well as at the Fosterville Mine in Victoria, Australia , Kittila in the Lapland region of Northern Finland and Pinos Altos and La India in Northern Mexico .





. The combined company is expected to be leading gold producer, with anticipated production in the country of approximately 2.5 million ounces of gold in 2021, or approximately 75% of 3.4 million ounces of total expected gold production, on a basis. The combined portfolio will be anchored by high-quality gold production in , and in , as well as at the Fosterville Mine in , Kittila in the Lapland region of and and La India in . Unique Synergies to Drive Significant Value Creation .





. The combination of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold creates a unique opportunity to unlock significant operational, development and strategic synergies along the Abitibi-Kirkland Lake corridor and to leverage sector-leading technical expertise to create additional value across the portfolio.





creates a unique opportunity to unlock significant operational, development and strategic synergies along the Abitibi-Kirkland Lake corridor and to leverage sector-leading technical expertise to create additional value across the portfolio.

The combined company is expected to generate over $0.8 billion and $2 billion in pre-tax synergies and optimization benefits over the next five and ten years, respectively.





and in pre-tax synergies and optimization benefits over the next five and ten years, respectively.

While substantially unquantified, the Merger also offers significant potential for more efficient sharing of established competencies developed individually by Kirkland Lake Gold and Agnico Eagle, as well as significant opportunity to successfully innovate as operations are modernized.





and Agnico Eagle, as well as significant opportunity to successfully innovate as operations are modernized. Maintain a Strong Leadership Team with a Proven Track-Record . The combined company will benefit from the combination of two strong management teams with proven track-records of growing per share value in key metrics such as production, mineral reserves, cash flow and net asset value.





. The combined company will benefit from the combination of two strong management teams with proven track-records of growing per share value in key metrics such as production, mineral reserves, cash flow and net asset value. Unparalleled Track Record of Growing Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources . The Merger will combine the only two companies among senior gold peers to have grown mineral reserves and production per share over the last 10 years through consistent investment in exploration and value-added acquisitions.





. The Merger will combine the only two companies among senior gold peers to have grown mineral reserves and production per share over the last 10 years through consistent investment in exploration and value-added acquisitions. Industry-Leading ESG with Ability to make Long-Term ESG Investments . The combined company is positioned to be a leader in environmental, social and governance initiatives, with one of the lowest greenhouse gas emission rates per ounce, and will have an enhanced ability, through the sharing of established competencies, joined forces on innovation and scale, to be a more effective collaborator with key suppliers, government and communities, and to become net zero by 2050 or sooner.





. The combined company is positioned to be a leader in environmental, social and governance initiatives, with one of the lowest greenhouse gas emission rates per ounce, and will have an enhanced ability, through the sharing of established competencies, joined forces on innovation and scale, to be a more effective collaborator with key suppliers, government and communities, and to become net zero by 2050 or sooner. Enhances and Adds Flexibility to an Attractive Minesite and Project Pipeline . The Merger will combine a robust pipeline of growth projects and exploration opportunities. These projects are located in existing mining camps and are expected to drive manageable, relatively low-risk, high-return production growth over the next decade and more. For example, there is an opportunity to develop Agnico Eagle's Kirkland Lake area greenfield development assets, with the benefit of Kirkland Lake Gold's established infrastructure at the Macassa Mine and the Holt Complex.





. The Merger will combine a robust pipeline of growth projects and exploration opportunities. These projects are located in existing mining camps and are expected to drive manageable, relatively low-risk, high-return production growth over the next decade and more. For example, there is an opportunity to develop Agnico Eagle's area greenfield development assets, with the benefit of established infrastructure at the Macassa Mine and the Holt Complex. Provides the Financial Strength to Increase Capital Distributions to Shareholders While Investing in Growth Projects . The increased financial strength of the combined company is expected to provide enhanced financial flexibility to fund both the robust pipeline of growth projects and to build on a proven track record of growing sustainable capital returns to shareholders while also maintaining a strong investment-grade balance sheet.





. The increased financial strength of the combined company is expected to provide enhanced financial flexibility to fund both the robust pipeline of growth projects and to build on a proven track record of growing sustainable capital returns to shareholders while also maintaining a strong investment-grade balance sheet. Strategic Alternative Process . The Board of Directors of Kirkland Lake Gold has periodically reviewed a range of strategic alternatives for creating shareholder value and in the ordinary course of business Kirkland Lake Gold has had regular engagement with several industry peers in that regard, including other potential transactions. During the summer of 2021, Kirkland provided due diligence access in connection with a potential change of control transaction with two of the most logical prospective counterparties, did not receive any compelling offers and determined, supported by analysis from its financial advisors, that the Merger was the best way to maximise value for Kirkland Shareholders over the long term in light of the significant synergies expected to be realized by the combined company.





. The Board of Directors of has periodically reviewed a range of strategic alternatives for creating shareholder value and in the ordinary course of business has had regular engagement with several industry peers in that regard, including other potential transactions. During the summer of 2021, Kirkland provided due diligence access in connection with a potential change of control transaction with two of the most logical prospective counterparties, did not receive any compelling offers and determined, supported by analysis from its financial advisors, that the Merger was the best way to maximise value for Kirkland Shareholders over the long term in light of the significant synergies expected to be realized by the combined company. Extensive Due Diligence and Arm's Length Negotiations . The Arrangement and the terms of the Merger Agreement are the result of extensive due diligence and a comprehensive negotiation process, undertaken with the oversight and participation of Agnico Eagle's and Kirkland Lake Gold's respective legal counsel and financial advisors.





The Arrangement and the terms of the Merger Agreement are the result of extensive due diligence and a comprehensive negotiation process, undertaken with the oversight and participation of Agnico Eagle's and respective legal counsel and financial advisors. Stakeholder Analysis. The terms of the Merger Agreement treat all stakeholders of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold , respectively, equitably and fairly.

Additional details with respect to the reasons for the Merger as well as its potential benefits and risks are described in the Joint Circular, which Agnico Shareholders and Kirkland Shareholders are urged to read carefully.

Approvals and Conditions to Closing

Completion of the Merger is subject to shareholder and court approvals, approval of the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board ("FIRB Approval"), and the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions. The Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") has conditionally approved the listing of the Agnico Shares to be issued in connection with the Merger, the Merger has been approved under the Competition Act (Canada), and exemptive relief has been granted by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission from compliance with certain prospectus and share sale requirements. It is currently expected that the effective date of the Merger will occur as early as December 2021 or during the first quarter of 2022.

The Meetings

In light of the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and the associated public health measures, Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold will be conducting separate virtual-only Meetings via live webcast. Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold believe that a virtual meeting gives all shareholders an equal opportunity to participate regardless of their geographic location or the particular constraints, circumstances or risks that they may be facing as a result of COVID-19. Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold shareholders will not be able to attend the Meetings in person.

The Agnico Meeting will be held online at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on November 26, 2021 in a virtual-only format, which will be conducted via live webcast available online using the TSX Trust virtual shareholder meeting platform at https://virtual-meetings.tsxtrust.com/1233, password "agnico2021" (case sensitive). The Kirkland Meeting will be held online at 11:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on November 26, 2021 in a virtual-only format, which will be conducted via live webcast available online using the TSX Trust virtual shareholder meeting platform at https://virtual-meetings.tsxtrust.com/1231, password "kirkland2021" (case sensitive). Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold shareholders of record as of the close of business on October 13, 2021 will be eligible to vote at the respective Meetings.

Mailing of the Joint Circular and related meeting and proxy materials has commenced and shareholders of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold should expect to receive their respective meeting materials shortly. Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold shareholders are encouraged to read the Joint Circular and its appendices carefully and in their entirety. The Joint Circular has been filed under Agnico Eagle's and Kirkland Lake Gold's respective issuer profiles on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

How to Vote

All shareholders are strongly encouraged to submit their completed form of proxy (in the case of registered shareholders) or voting instruction form (in the case of non-registered shareholders and, in the case of Kirkland Lake Gold, holders of Kirkland CHESS Depositary Interests ("Kirkland CDIs") in Australia), or alternatively, to vote over the internet or by other means, in each case, well in advance of the Meetings and in accordance with the instructions included in the Joint Circular and in the form of proxy or voting instruction form, as applicable, so that as many shares as possible are represented at the Meetings.

Agnico Shareholders must vote before 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on November 24, 2021 (or by 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on the day other than a Saturday, Sunday or statutory or civic holiday which is at least 48 hours prior to any adjourned or postponed Agnico Meeting).

Kirkland Shareholders must vote before 11:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on November 24, 2021 (or by 11:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on the day other than a Saturday, Sunday or statutory or civic holiday which is at least 48 hours prior to any adjourned or postponed Kirkland Meeting). Holders of Kirkland CDIs must complete their voting instructions before 11:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on November 23, 2021 in order to allow sufficient time to collate the votes of such holders and submit them to Kirkland Lake Gold's transfer agent prior to the proxy cut-off time.

Detailed instructions for how to vote and participate at each Meeting are included in the Joint Circular and a copy of the applicable TSX Trust Virtual Meeting Guide is available on Agnico Eagle's and Kirkland Lake Gold's respective issuer profiles on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov. If you have questions regarding the portal for the Meetings or require assistance in accessing the websites for the Meetings, you may contact [email protected].

Shareholder Questions and Assistance

If you have any questions regarding the Agnico Meeting, please contact Agnico Eagle's strategic shareholder advisor and proxy solicitation agent, Laurel Hill Advisory Group, by telephone at 1-877-452-7184 (toll- free in North America) or at 1-416-304-0211 (for collect calls outside of North America), or by email at [email protected].

If you have any questions about the Kirkland Meeting, please contact Kirkland Lake Gold's strategic shareholder advisor and proxy solicitation agent, Kingsdale Advisors by telephone at 1-877-659-1824 (toll-free in North America), at 1-800-155-612 (toll free in Australia) or at 1-416-867-2272 (collect calls outside of North America), or by email at [email protected].

About Agnico Eagle Mines Limited

Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company, producing precious metals from operations in Canada, Finland and Mexico. It has a pipeline of high-quality exploration and development projects in these countries as well as in the United States and Colombia. Agnico Eagle is a partner of choice within the mining industry, recognized globally for its leading environmental, social and governance practices. The Company was founded in 1957 and has consistently created value for its shareholders, declaring a cash dividend every year since 1983.

About Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd.

Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. is a low-cost senior gold producer operating in Canada and Australia that is targeting 1,300,000 - 1,400,000 ounces of production in 2021. The production profile of Kirkland Lake Gold is anchored by three high-quality operations, including the Macassa Mine and Detour Lake Mine, both located in Northern Ontario, and the Fosterville Mine located in the state of Victoria, Australia. Kirkland Lake Gold's solid base of quality assets is complemented by district scale exploration potential, supported by a strong financial position, extensive management expertise and an overriding commitment to safe, responsible mining.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

The information in this news release has been prepared as at November 1, 2021. Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" under the provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws.

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address circumstances, events, activities or developments that could, or may or will occur are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "future", "ongoing", "plan", "possible", "potential", "may", "seek", "should", "will", "would" or the negative of such terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to statements and information concerning: the Meetings; the reasons for, and anticipated benefits of, the Merger to the parties and their respective securityholders, including corporate, operational, financial, scale and other synergies and the timing thereof; the structure, steps, timing and effects of the Merger; the combined company's future plans, market and growth profile, operating margins, operating costs and overall strategy and performance; estimates of future gold production; estimates regarding future cost reductions, synergies, including pre-tax synergies and optimization benefits and expectations of improved efficiencies, financial flexibility, future innovation and integration opportunities; comparisons of the combined company to senior gold peers; expectations regarding the combined company's environmental, social and governance initiatives; expectations regarding the development of the combined company's development assets and ability to fund growth projects; the anticipated mineral resources and mineral reserves of the combined company; the receipt and timing of the final order ("Final Order") of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) (the "Court") and the effective date of the Merger; the satisfaction of conditions for listing the Agnico Shares issuable under the Merger on the TSX and the New York Stock Exchange and the timing thereof; the timing, receipt and conditions of required regulatory, Court and shareholder approvals for the Merger, including but not limited to the receipt of FIRB Approval and the approval of the Kirkland Shareholders and the Agnico Shareholders; the ability of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold to satisfy the other conditions to the Merger; the composition of the shareholders of the combined company; the anticipated dividend policy and capital allocation practices of the combined company following completion of the Merger; and the expected operations and capital expenditure plans for the combined company following completion of the Merger. The combined and/or pro forma financial information included in this news release does not reflect what the actual financial and operational results would necessarily have been had Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold operated as a single combined company for the periods presented, and such information does not purport to project the combined company's financial results or results of operations for any future period.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, operational, and other risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors, including those described below, which could cause actual results, performance or achievements of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold to be materially different from results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and, as such, undue reliance must not be placed on them. Forward-looking statements are also based on numerous material factors and assumptions, including as described in this news release, including with respect to: the ability of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the closing of the Merger and the completion of the Merger on expected terms; the ability to successfully integrate Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold in a timely manner following the completion of the Merger; Agnico Eagle's and Kirkland Lake Gold's present and future business strategies; operations performance within expected ranges; anticipated future production and cash flows; local and global economic conditions and the environment in which Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold will operate in the future; the price of gold, copper, silver and other key commodities; projected mineral grades; international exchange rates; anticipated capital and operating costs; and the availability and timing of required stock exchange, regulatory, governmental and other approvals for the completion of the Merger.

Many factors, known and unknown, could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to: the failure of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, stock exchange, Court and shareholder approvals, including FIRB Approval, the approval of the Kirkland Shareholders and the Agnico Shareholders and the Final Order; the significant transaction costs or unknown liabilities to otherwise satisfy the conditions to the completion of the Merger, in a timely manner, or at all; the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the Merger in the expected timeframes, or at all; and the additional risk factors set out in the Joint Circular, including under the heading "Risk Factors". Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors that may affect Agnico Eagle's and Kirkland Lake Gold's ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release, see also the AIF and MD&A of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold, respectively, filed under their respective profiles on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and included in Agnico Eagle's and Kirkland Lake Gold's Form 40-F filed on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, as well as Agnico Eagle's and Kirkland Lake Gold's other filings with the Canadian securities regulators and the SEC and Kirkland Lake Gold's filings on the Australian Stock Exchange. Other than as required by law, Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Measures

The information in this news release includes the following non-GAAP financial measures: all-in sustaining costs per ounce of gold sold ("AISC") and EBITDA margin. These financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers, even as compared to other issuers who may also be applying the World Gold Council ("WGC") guidelines, which can be found at http://www.gold.org. Management of Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold believe that the use of these non-GAAP measures will assist analysts, investors and other stakeholders of the companies in understanding the costs associated with producing gold, understanding the economics of gold mining, assessing the companies' operating performance, the combined company's ability to generate free cash flow from current operations and to generate free cash flow on an overall company basis, and for planning and forecasting of future periods. However, AISC does have limitations as an analytical tool as it may be influenced by the point in the life cycle of a specific mine and the level of additional exploration or expenditures a company has to make to fully develop its properties. Accordingly, these non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for, analysis of the companies; results as reported under IFRS. Further information relating to non-GAAP measures is set out in the Joint Circular under the heading "Joint Management Information Circular  Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures". A reconciliation of certain the non-GAAP measures presented in this news release is contained in each of Agnico Eagle's and Kirkland Lake Gold's most recently filed annual MD&A, which are available under their respective profiles on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Third Party Data

Certain comparisons of the combined company to its senior gold peers (such as all-in sustaining cost per ounce, EBITDA margin and portfolio risk) are based on data obtained from Bloomberg, The Fraser Institute, equity research reports or public disclosure of the senior gold peers, obtained as of September 27, 2021 (unless otherwise stated). Bloomberg is a software, data and media company which delivers business and market news, data and analysis. The Fraser Institute is a Canadian think-tank that produces research on a number of topics, including energy, natural resources and the environment. An equity research report is a document prepared by a research analyst at a financial institution that provides a recommendation on whether an investor should buy, hold, or sell shares of a public company and often includes target price, investment thesis, valuation, and risks assessment and are available from numerous sources, including Bloomberg. Information publicly disclosed by the senior gold peers includes continuous disclosure documents filed by the senior gold peers on SEDAR and EDGAR, and such documents include statements of mineral reserves and mineral resources, historical production figures and cost and production guidance. Neither Bloomberg nor The Fraser Institute has any affiliation to Agnico Eagle or Kirkland Lake Gold.

Where figures for the combined company are compared to its senior gold peers, the data from Bloomberg, The Fraser Institute, equity research reports or public disclosure, as applicable, has been used to ensure consistency in the compared measures across the combined company and the comparison group. Neither Agnico Eagle nor Kirkland Lake Gold has the ability to verify the Bloomberg, The Fraser Institute, equity research reports or public disclosure figures and the non-GAAP financial performance measures used may not correspond to the non-GAAP financial performance measures calculated by Agnico Eagle, Kirkland Lake Gold or any of the senior gold peers.

Comparative Measures Based on Third Party Data

"Highest EBITDA margin" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure based on estimates of this figure obtained from the most recent equity research reports prepared in respect of Agnico Eagle, Kirkland Lake Gold and the senior gold peers obtained as of September 27, 2021. This term has no standardized meaning under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Financial comparisons between the combined company and its senior gold peers are made on the basis of the data presented in the equity research reports which may not be calculated in the same manner as Agnico Eagle and Kirkland Lake Gold calculate comparable measures.

"Lowest all-in sustaining cost" is a non-GAAP financial performance measure based on the most recent 2021 guidance for each of Agnico Eagle, Kirkland Lake Gold and the senior gold peers as of September 27, 2021, sourced from each entity's public disclosure. This term has no standardized meaning under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Financial comparisons between the combined company and its senior gold peers are made on the basis of the data presented by each entity in its public disclosure which may not be calculated in the same manner.

"Lowest-risk portfolio" is an assessment of risk based on data from The Fraser Institute's "Survey of Mining Companies 2020" (the "Fraser Report") and historical production data for calendar year 2020 included in the public disclosure of Agnico Eagle, Kirkland Lake Gold and each senior gold peer. The risk assessment is determined for the combined company and each senior gold peer by using the Fraser Report scores for mining jurisdictions across the world and weighting such scores based on each entity's 2020 production in each of the applicable jurisdictions.

The senior gold peers used for the purposes of these comparative measures were Barrick Gold Corporation, Kinross Gold Corporation, Newcrest Mining Limited and Newmont Corporation.

SOURCE Agnico Eagle Mines Limited

Related Links

http://www.agnicoeagle.com


OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AirX Climate Solutions, Inc. ("ACS") today announced the appointment of Andy Halko to Chief Financial Officer. In his new role, Halko will focus on ACS's goals of organic market share growth through new product development and geographic expansion as well as continued expansion through acquisitions.

Halko joins ACS with an extensive understanding of the HVAC industry having more than 20 years of experience in the space. Most recently, Halko held leadership roles at Nortek Air Solutions, including Controller and General Manager. Previously, he was the CFO of the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Halko is a CPA with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Science in accounting from Oklahoma City University.
PERM, Russia, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AKVIS Refocus AI enhances the clarity and sharpness of out-of-focus and blurry photos, fixes camera shake problems, and adds artistic bokeh and lens blur effects to pictures.

AKVIS Refocus AI 11.5 Motion Deblur AI Mode

The program works in five modes: Refocus AI (that includes Motion Deblur AI and Image Sharpening), Tilt-Shift, Iris Blur, Motion Blur, and Radial Blur. It allows users to enhance photographs and add aesthetic value to images. The software is easy to use, even for novices. To get started quickly, the program offers numerous presets. Save blurry photos and turn them into sharp and clear ones!

In the press and media, the program is featured as "a reliable photo editor that can help you repair the unpleasant out-of-focus effect" (Softpedia). The software "enables automatic sharpening of out-of-focus images that possibly can avoid the cost, frustration, and inconvenience of reshooting an image" (The Kleper Report on Digital Publishing). Wondershare writes about the program: "Its powerful sensors can adjust different types of sharpness and bring your photos into focus. It can improve the sharpness of an image, so making a blurry picture clear is a piece of cake."

Version 11.5 includes the improved image processing of nonstandard color profiles (non sRGB) in the Motion Deblur AI mode. Also, the update provides file saving options for Batch Processing, fresh enhancements in UI design, new program icon, the CUDA-powered AI module as a separate download, and other changes.

AKVIS offers to download AKVIS Refocus AI 11.5 from akvis.com and evaluate all features during the 10-day trial period without activation.

The product can be used as a standalone application and as a plugin in AliveColors by AKVIS, Adobe Photoshop, Corel PaintShop Pro, Affinity Photo, and other compatible photo editors. The software runs on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 (64-bit) and macOS 10.12-11 (64-bit).

The program supports a multi-language interface. It is available in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, and Japanese.

AKVIS Refocus AI comes in Home, Home Deluxe, and Business versions (lifetime licenses), with differing levels of functionality. The Home license sells for $ 39.00. The update is free for users who bought the software in the last 12 months. Users, whose licenses are older and are not valid for the new version, can get Refocus AI 11.5 for only $14.95.

For more details about the software, please visit akvis.com.

AKVIS (akvis.com) specializes in the development of image and video processing software. Since the company's launch in 2004, it has released a number of successful products for Windows and Mac. The company always keeps up with the times and updates its products with cutting-edge technologies.

About the Program: akvis.com/en/refocus/index.php

Contact:

Kat Kharina

+73422121661

[email protected]

SOURCE AKVIS Lab
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allspring Global Investments today announced that the firm has officially commenced operations as an independent asset management firm. This marks the close of the previously announced acquisition of Wells Fargo Asset Management by GTCR LLC and Reverence Capital Partners, L.P.* The firm's new name, Allspring Global Investments (Allspring), takes effect today.

Allspring Global Investments is a leading, pure play, independent asset manager with more than $587 billion** in assets under management and a full breadth of investment capabilities across diverse asset classes, serving the needs of its institutional and wealth management clients around the world. Allspring operates across 18 offices globally and plans to locate its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Joseph A. Sullivan, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Allspring, said, "We recognize that investor expectations in today's world go beyond simply delivering alpha. Our commitment will be a continued focus on providing exceptional value to clients by elevating our investment platform and operating model. With the strong support of our partners, GTCR and Reverence Capital, we are poised to capitalize on the many current opportunities before us and we see tremendous potential to expand our reach into new markets and capabilities."

Collin Roche, Co-CEO and Managing Director of GTCR, and Milton Berlinski, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Reverence Capital, jointly commented, "This is a historic day for Allspring. Independence provides the organization with a unique opportunity to expand its leadership position in the asset management industry. We have great confidence in Joe Sullivan and the entire leadership team as they differentiate Allspring in the marketplace by ensuring that the firm is an essential partner to its private wealth and institutional clients. We will be investing significantly in the business to grow strategic areas, including the technology platform, the distribution network, and the firm's international footprint."

"Today, we especially want to celebrate the more than 1,400 incredibly talented people of Allspring. They are core to our collaborative culture, and Allspring's independence will be a catalyst to provide exceptional growth opportunities as we chart our path forward," added Mr. Sullivan. "The entire organization is energized and confident about Allspring's future, and our teams are ready to deliver even more for our clients."

In addition to GTCR and Reverence Capital's majority ownership, Allspring's management, portfolio managers, and employees now hold a significant share of the company's equity interests, while Wells Fargo & Co. will own a passive 9.9% equity interest and continue to serve as an important client and distribution partner to Allspring.

Broadhaven Capital Partners and UBS Investment Bank served as financial advisors to the buyers relative to the transaction, with additional financial advice rendered by RBC Capital Markets and Perella Weinberg Partners. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel.

To learn more about Allspring and its elevated vision for investing, click here.

About Allspring Global Investments

Allspring Global Investments is a leading independent asset management firm with $587 billion** in assets under management, 18 offices globally, and specialized investment teams supported by more than 480 investment professionals around the world. Allspring and its investment teams provide a broad range of differentiated investment products and solutions to help its diverse range of clients meet their investment objectives. For more information, please visit www.allspringglobal.com.

About GTCR

Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Healthcare, Financial Services & Technology, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, and Growth Business Services industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategy  finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire, and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $20 billion in over 250 companies. For more information, please visit www.gtcr.com.

About Reverence Capital Partners

Reverence Capital Partners is a private investment firm focused on thematic investing in leading global, middle-market Financial Services businesses through control and influence oriented investments in 5 sectors: (1) Depositories and Finance Companies, (2) Asset and Wealth Management, (3) Insurance, (4) Capital Markets, and (5) Financial Technology/Payments. The firm was founded in 2013 by Milton Berlinski, Peter Aberg, and Alex Chulack, who collectively bring over 90 years of advisory and investing experience across a wide range of financial services sectors. For more information, please visit www.reverencecapital.com.

*Wells Fargo's collective investment trust business is being transferred from Wells Fargo in connection with the transaction, subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close at the beginning of the second quarter of 2022.

**As of September 30, 2021, AUM includes $93 billion from Galliard Capital Management, an investment advisor that is not part of the Allspring trade name/GIPS firm.

Allspring Global Investments is the trade name for the asset management firms of Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC, a holding company indirectly owned by certain private funds of GTCR LLC and Reverence Capital Partners, L.P. Unless otherwise stated, Allspring is the source of all data (which is current, or as of the date stated); content is provided for informational purposes only with no representation regarding its adequacy, accuracy, or completeness and should not be relied upon; views, opinions, assumptions, or estimates are not necessarily that of Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC, Allspring, or their affiliates and are subject to change without notice; and this communication does not contain investment advice, an investment recommendation, or investment research, as defined under local regulation of the respective jurisdiction.

Distribution in the United States : Allspring Global Investments is the trade name for the asset management firms of Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC, a holding company indirectly owned by certain private funds of GTCR LLC and Reverence Capital Partners, L.P. These companies include but are not limited to Allspring Global Investments, LLC and Allspring Funds Management, LLC. Certain products managed by Allspring entities are distributed by Allspring Funds Distributor, LLC (a limited purpose broker-dealer and Member FINRA/SIPC).

Distribution in the United Kingdom (UK), European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland : Allspring Global Investments (Allspring) is the trade name for certain investment management firms owned by Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC, including, but not limited to, Allspring Global Investments (UK) Limited (Allspring UK), an investment management company authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and Allspring Global Investments Luxembourg S.A. (Allspring Luxembourg), authorized and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF). Allspring Luxembourg has branches in Frankfurt and Paris and is allowed to provide services on a crossborder basis in the EEA. This material has been approved for distribution in the UK by Allspring UK, for the purposes of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA). Allspring UK does not provide services to retail clients, the FSMA rules for retail clients will not apply and the United Kingdom Financial Services Compensation Scheme is not available. Unless otherwise stated, information does not contain investment advice, an investment recommendation or investment research as defined under UK FCA regulations or the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU (MiFID II) and therefore does not comply with the requirements for the provision of such services. For professional investors only. Recipients who do not wish to be treated as professional should notify their Allspring contact immediately.

Distribution in the United Arab Emirates (excluding Dubai International Financial Centre and Abu Dhabi Global Market) : Allspring Global Investments (Allspring) is the trade name for certain investment management firms owned by Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC, including, but not limited to Allspring Global Investments (UK) Limited (Allspring UK), an investment management company authorized and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Allspring Global Investments Luxembourg S.A. (Allspring Luxembourg), authorized and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF), and Allspring Global Investments, LLC. This material is intended for professional clients (defined by DFSA). This material, and the information contained herein, does not (intend to) constitute a public offer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and should not be construed as such. It is offered to a limited number of exempt investors in the UAE who fall under one of the following categories of non-natural qualified investors: 1. an investor that is able to manage its investments on its own, namely the federal government, local governments, government entities and authorities or companies wholly owned by any such entities; international entities and organisations; or a person licensed to carry out a commercial activity in the UAE, provided that investment is one of the objects of such person, or 2. an investor who is represented by an investment manager licensed by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), each a non-natural qualified investor. The materials have not been approved by or licensed or registered with the UAE Central Bank, the SCA, the DFSA, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority or any other relevant licensing authorities or governmental agencies in the UAE (the "Authorities"). The Authorities assume no liability for any investment that the named addressee makes as a non-natural qualified investor).

Distribution in Australia : Allspring Global Investments, LLC is exempt from the requirements to hold an Australian financial services license in respect of the financial services it provides to wholesale clients in Australia. Allspring Global Investments, I is regulated under US laws, which differ from Australian laws. Any offer or documentation provided to Australian recipients by Allspring Global Investments, in the course of providing financial services will be prepared in accordance with the laws of the United States and not Australian laws.

Distribution in New Zealand : This material and the information contained in or accompanying this material are not, and are under no circumstances to be construed as, an offer of financial products for issue requiring disclosure to an investor under Part 3 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 (N.Z.) (the "Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.)"). This material and the information contained in or accompanying this material have not been registered, filed with or approved by any New Zealand regulatory authority or under or in accordance with the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.). This material and the information contained in or accompanying this material is not a disclosure document under New Zealand law and do not contain all the information that a disclosure document is required to contain under New Zealand law. Any offer or sale of any interests described in these materials in New Zealand will be made only: (a) to a person who is an "investment business" within the meaning of clause 37 of Schedule 1 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.); or (b) to a person who meets the investment activity criteria specified in clause 38 of Schedule 1 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.); or (c) to a person who is "large" within the meaning of clause 39 of Schedule 1 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.); or (d) to a person who is a "government agency" within the meaning of clause 40 of Schedule 1 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.); (e) to a person who is an "eligible investor" within the meaning of clause 41 of Schedule 1 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z); or (f) in other circumstances where there is no contravention of the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.) (or any statutory modification or re-enactment of, or statutory substitution for, the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.)). In subscribing for interests each investor represents and agrees that it is not acquiring those interests with a view to dealing with them (or any of them) other than where an exclusion under Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act (N.Z.) applies to such dealing and, accordingly: (a) it has not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any interests; and (b) it has not distributed and will not distribute, directly or indirectly, any offering materials or advertisement in relation to any offer of interests, in each case in New Zealand within 12 months after the issue of interests to that investor other than to persons who meet the criteria set out in (a) to (d) above.

Distribution in Hong Kong : this document is distributed in Hong Kong by Wells Fargo Securities Asia Limited (WFSAL), a Hong Kongincorporated company licensed and regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission to carry on types 1, 4, 6 and 9 regulated activities, as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 The Laws of Hong Kong, the SFO). This document is not intended for, and should not be relied on by, any person other than professional investors (as defined in the SFO). Any securities and related financial instruments described herein are not intended for sale, nor will be sold, to any person other than professional investors. The author or authors of this document may or may not be licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission. professional investors who receive this presentation should direct any queries regarding its contents to Ignatius Choong at WFSAL (email: [email protected]).

Distribution in South Korea : this document is distributed in the Republic of Korea by Allspring Global Investments, LLC, which is registered with the Financial Services Commission pursuant to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act (the Act) to conduct investment advisory and discretionary investment business with qualified professional investors (as defined in the Act). This document is not intended for, and should not be relied on by, any person other than qualified professional investors.

Distribution in Japan : This material and the information contained herein does not constitute and is not intended to constitute investment advice or an offer of securities and accordingly should not be construed as such. Any products or services referenced in this material may not be licensed or registered in all jurisdictions, and, unless otherwise indicated, no regulator or government authority has reviewed this material or the merits of the products and services referenced herein. This material and the information contained herein have been made available in accordance with the restrictions and/or limitations implemented by any applicable laws and regulations. This material is directed at and intended for "professional" or "institutional" investors (as such term is defined under the laws of each applicable jurisdiction). This material is provided on a confidential basis for informational purposes only and may not be reproduced in any form. Allspring does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, and this material does not take an investor's personal investment objectives or financial situation into account. Before acting on any information in this material, prospective investors should inform themselves of and observe all applicable laws, rules and regulations of any relevant jurisdictions and obtain independent advice if required. This material is for the use of the named addressee only and should not be given, forwarded or shown to any other person (other than employees, agents or consultants in connection with the addressee's consideration thereof).

Distribution in Singapore : The document is distributed in Singapore by Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Singapore Branch (WFBNA SG), a bank licensed under the Banking Act and exempt from the requirement to hold a capital markets services license to carry on business in the regulated activities of "dealing in capital markets products that are securities and units in a collective investment scheme" and "fund management" as defined in the Securities and Futures Act (SFA).

Distribution in Canada : Allspring Global Investments, LLC, representing the Allspring brand in Canada, is exempt from the registration requirements for the conduct of certain financial services activities in selected (permitted) jurisdictions in Canada and all such activities are otherwise subject to applicable Canadian securities laws. The foregoing materials are not an offer or commitment for any products or transactions. Our willingness to enter into any transaction is subject to final credit approval; agreement on transaction terms; and compliance to our satisfaction with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements, including onboarding and relationship documentation. Transactions will only be entered into with qualified parties in permitted jurisdictions. All transactions described in the materials are arm's length transactions to be negotiated by each party acting in its own best interests. Terms, rates, prices and structures in the materials are indicative only and should not be relied upon as the terms, rates, prices or structures on which we or anyone else would be willing to enter into, terminate or transfer a transaction with you or relied upon for any other purpose. Actual rates and prices may be higher or lower depending on market conditions at the time of execution. The price and other terms of any transaction will be individually negotiated, and there is no assurance that they will represent the best price or terms available to you from us or other sources. Any historical information provided in the materials is for information only, and past performance may not be relied upon as a guarantee of future results. Examples in the materials are hypothetical only and are not a prediction of future results. There are frequently sharp differences between projections or forecasts and the actual results achieved. You should conduct a thorough and independent evaluation of the financial, tax, accounting, legal and regulatory characteristics, consequences, costs and risks of any transaction in light of your particular circumstances and requirements, based upon the advice of your own professional advisors. Neither we nor any of our affiliates will be providing any such advice in connection with any such transaction, and neither we nor they will be acting as your agent, broker, advisor or fiduciary in connection with any such transaction under Canadian securities laws or otherwise, whether or not we or they may otherwise be engaged to act in such capacity in connection with other products or services.

Distribution in Latin America : Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC conducts business globally. All products and services may not be available in all countries. Each situation needs to be evaluated individually and is subject to local regulatory requirements. Allspring does not have offices outside of the US that provide services to retail or small business customers. For assistance with your accounts when travelling internationally, refer to our international access codes for phone numbers, or visit our travel resource centre.

Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results. Any past performance, forecast, projection, simulation or target is indicative and not guaranteed. All investments contain risk. The value, price or income of investments or financial instruments can fall as well as rise. You may not get back the amount originally invested. The fund may not achieve its objective and/or you could lose money on your investment in the fund.

Unless otherwise stated, Allspring is the source of all data (which is current or as of the date stated); content is provided for informational purposes only with no representation regarding its adequacy, accuracy or completeness; views, opinions, assumptions or estimates are not necessarily that of Allspring Global Investments, LLC, Allspring or their affiliates and are subject to change without notice; and this communication does not contain investment advice, an investment recommendation or investment research, as defined under local regulation of respective jurisdiction.

PAR-1021-01644

Media Inquiries

Corporate Address

Current: Allspring Global Investments 525 Market Street, 12th Floor San Francisco, California 94105 Future: Allspring Global Investments 1415 Vantage Park Drive Charlotte, North Carolina 28203

SOURCE Allspring Global Investments
BANGALORE, INDIA, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Appnext , the leading independent discovery platform offering innovative solutions to engage with users directly on their handsets, announced today that it was recognized as the #1 non-SRN platform globally in the AppsFlyer Index in non-gaming categories on Android devices. The AppsFlyer Index comes out twice a year and recognizes leaders in the industry on their ability to target, retain, and monetize users.

Appnext is recognized for its second to none end-to-end discovery solutions that span the entire users' daily journey from the initial device setup and personalization throughout various mobile touchpoints at any given moment.

This product suite is leveraging a patent behavioral analytics technology that displays personal app recommendations directly onto the mobile device of a user according to his intentions, at the language of choice and within context, resulting in a state-of-the-art customer experience, coupled with the ability to repeatedly engage vast numbers of users on a global scale as recognized in the AppsFlyer performance index.

As well as solidifying its prized position globally and in the APAC countries where Appnext excels, it is delivering exceptional results in Eastern Europe, Russia and Brazil, to advertisers, carriers and device manufacturers as they grow and transform their businesses to provide seamless digital customer experiences.

"We are highly encouraged by the recognition in the recent AppsFlyer Index and are thankful for our customers for consistently adopting us as their preferred marketing platform," said Elad Natanson, CEO & Co-founder of Appnext. "It's a testament to our efforts to offer our clients innovative discovery solutions to place their apps and services in front of valuable users. It demonstrates our commitment to our customers in India, Southeast Asia, LATAM, and Eastern Europe, which are becoming hugely influential globally for mobile. Appnext is dedicated to accelerating this journey while enabling mobile operators, handset manufacturers and advertisers to ultimately accelerate the pace to better engage with their user, improve customer experiences and build greater brand loyalty."

"This edition of the Index comes at a fascinating time, with the entire industry starting to see the initial tremors of dynamic shifts," said Shani Rosenfedler, Head of Content & Mobile Insights, AppsFlyer. "We are impressed by how Appnext continues to innovate and help their customers to reach their business goals which earned them recognition across various rankings and markets."

Supporting Resources

Learn more about Appnext's solutions

Keep up with Appnext news by visiting the company's blog

Follow Appnext on Twitter , Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube

About AppsFlyer Performance Index:

The AppsFlyer Performance Index is a comprehensive measurement of mobile advertising that has been published since 2015. The Performance Index XIII analyzed data from 33billion app installs, 55 billion apps opens across more than 17,000 apps. The latest report measured the performance of 623 media sources with a minimum of 50,000 installs across the period of June 2021 until August 2021.

About Appnext

Appnext is the leading independent app discovery platform, offering the only recommendation engine on the market, encompassing both in-app and on-device discovery. Appnext discovery platform powers over 6.5B daily app recommendations via over 20+ interactions along users' daily mobile journey.

Through its direct partnerships with top OEMs, operators and app developers, Appnext creates a discovery experience in over 10,000 mobile touchpoints. Powered by proprietary AI technology, Appnext 'Timeline' predicts the type of apps users are likely to utilize next and recommends which ones to install. Appnext's recommendations are helping app marketers reach more engaged users and get their apps discovered, used and re-used.

As of June 2020, Appnext is part of the Affle group. Affle (India) Limited trades on the Indian stock exchanges (BSE: 542752 & NSE: AFFLE).

Contact:

Orit Sharon

Director of Marketing, Appnext

[email protected]

SOURCE Appnext
CALGARY, AB, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Arti Modi has been named in the shortlist for the Global Business Leaders Magazine's annual and prestigious awards for the 20 Most Innovative Business Leaders In 2021, with peers including some of the countries brightest and boldest business leaders. This list of achievers spans a variety of industries, with leaders being recognized for their innovation, growth, leadership, and historical achievements.



"I am happy to accept the nomination, and to be shortlisted on this year's most innovative business leaders for 2021.My passion for Marketing and FinTech spans beyond my everyday work and I am happy to be recognized for such a wonderful nomination" says Arti Modi, recipient of the nomination.

Global Business Leaders Magazine is a Business and Technology publication focused on highlighting the contribution of leaders who have been the emissary for their respective industries. The magazine issue provides a platform for the leaders to express themselves while sharing their inspiring entrepreneurial journey. The publications sole mission is to inspire all the new business entrepreneurs to begin their own journey.

Dariel Morgan, spokesperson for the magazine says "We are excited to nominate Arti Modi for this year's most innovative business leaders in 2021, we strive to source professionals like Arti who continue to aid the economies she works within, by finding and building disruptive, technology-based platforms which push the world forward in innovation and thought process" says Dariel.



About Arti Modi



Born in London, United Kingdom, Arti Moved to Canada in 1998 and attended the University of British Columbia. After graduating from UBC, Arti went on to establish her own Real Estate company in Alberta. Gaining from that experience and past successes, Arti moved onto a variety of other industries, successfully building upon experience in the Foods Manufacturing, Asset Management, Movie Production, Real Estate, FinTech and Technology Industries. Arti is now focused full time in the FinTech space and has helped build the Marketing division of some of Canada's Top Platforms, building relationships with multiple partners in the Marketing Arena within the FinTech Sector Nationwide.

About Global Business Leaders Magazine

Global Business Leaders Magazine is a Business and Technology publication focused on highlighting the contribution of leaders who have been the emissary for their respective industries. The magazine issue provides a platform for the leaders to express themselves while sharing their inspiring entrepreneurial journey. The publications sole mission is to inspire all the new business entrepreneurs to begin their own journey.

SOURCE BFC Media Corp.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Bank of America announced a multi-year, $10 million commitment to Charlotte-based Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU), one of the leading private liberal arts Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the South. Bank of America's pledge to JCSU is part of its $1.25 billion, five-year commitment announced last year to help advance racial equality and economic opportunity in local communities.

This commitment to JCSU is the latest in more than $25 million worth of recent contributions announced by Bank of America to support the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative in the Charlotte area, of which there are four workstreams: investing in JCSU; creating Corridors of Opportunity, promoting development within the city's highest areas of poverty and unemployment and the surrounding communities; closing the digital divide; and increasing employer commitment to hiring from a racially diverse pool of candidates.

"Education is a gateway to a better life," said Kieth Cockrell, President of Bank of America Charlotte. "Our long-term relationship with JCSU has set the foundation for this critical moment  a collective partnership among the public and private sectors working to eliminate existing barriers by providing unique opportunities to JCSU students. Together, we will grow a strong pipeline of the next generation of leaders in our area and beyond."

Established in 1867, Johnson C. Smith University endeavors to provide a multicultural and transformative experience, which educates, prepares and graduates a diverse group of talented and highly motivated students who can communicate effectively, think critically and learn independently as well as collaboratively. Further, JCSU cultivates an inclusive environment in which students are equipped to be global citizens who develop a compelling sense of social and civic responsibility for leadership and service.

"We are grateful for this very generous gift from Bank of America, which has been a long-term partner of Johnson C. Smith University," said JCSU President Clarence D. Armbrister. "Because of strong financial services institutions like Bank of America, Charlotte is now the nation's second largest financial services hub. Therefore, it is imperative for JCSU to have strong academic programs to supply talent to Bank of America and others in the region in areas such as banking, finance, fintech and entrepreneurship. This gift will allow us to strengthen and expand our business department programs and develop graduates who are prepared for the jobs of the future. The funds will also be used to drive innovation in the development of entrepreneurs in their quests to create generational wealth and break through the limits that have been placed on their move up the ladder of economic mobility. Thank you, Bank of America, for such a transformative commitment to the students of JCSU!"

North Carolina is home to 149 colleges and universities and nearly 200,000 Black-owned businesses, making it a hub for Black students and entrepreneurs. Despite Charlotte being the 23rd largest metro area in the country, there is still a need to connect venture capital firms, which are traditionally West Coast-based, and emerging Black student entrepreneurs, who are disproportionately located on the East Coast and in the South.

Along with today's announcement, Bank of America's investments in support of the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative include:

Helping to close the digital divide by donating 10,000 Chromebooks for Charlotte-Mecklenburg students to use in their homes. The Chromebooks are supporting students with their education and helping their families by providing critical connectivity to educational tools, job opportunities, online training and other resources. More than 90% of the households who received devices are racially and ethnically diverse.

students to use in their homes. The Chromebooks are supporting students with their education and helping their families by providing critical connectivity to educational tools, job opportunities, online training and other resources. More than 90% of the households who received devices are racially and ethnically diverse. In addition to 10,000 devices, Bank of America pledged 10,000 volunteer hours to support local students during the current school year through tutoring, mentoring, and in other ways.

Supporting a recently created investment firm, Bright Hope Capital LLC, which is providing dollars and leveraging decades of executive experience with an eye toward creating wealth and opportunities for Black- and Hispanic-owned businesses in the Charlotte region.

region. Committing multiple Leaders on Loan to the Charlotte community, a program for bank executives to help accelerate work at local organizations. This includes the dedication of one executive to help in implementing a part of the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative.

community, a program for bank executives to help accelerate work at local organizations. This includes the dedication of one executive to help in implementing a part of the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative. Providing $6.5 million in below-market financing for economic development in the city's corridors of opportunity.

Other recent Bank of America announcements focused on racial equality, diversity and inclusion and economic opportunity include:

Bank of America

At Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), we're guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We're delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It's demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Connect with us on Twitter ( @BofA_News ).

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, register for news email alerts.

Reporters May Contact:

Mark T. Pipitone, Bank of America

Phone: 1.980.387.4907

[email protected]

SOURCE Bank of America Corporation

Related Links

www.bankofamerica.com


PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CARISMA Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, announced today the acceptance of a late breaker abstract for oral presentation of its clinical study data and three pre-clinical study abstracts to be presented at the upcoming Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 36th Anniversary Annual Meeting (November 10  14, 2021) in Washington, D.C.

"We look forward to participating in SITC this year and sharing much anticipated clinical data from our landmark CT-0508 trial," said Steven Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of CARISMA Therapeutics. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to understand the potential and power of engineered macrophages, which is exhibited across the variety of studies we will be presenting during this meeting."

Presentation and posters will be available on the SITC 36th Anniversary Annual Meeting portal for registered attendees. Details of the presentations are as follows:

Late Breaking Oral Presentation:

Title : A Phase 1 First in Human Study of Adenovirally Transduced Anti-HER2 CAR Macrophages in Subjects with HER2 Overexpressing Solid Tumors: Preliminary Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and TME Reprogramming Data

: A Phase 1 First in Human Study of Adenovirally Transduced Anti-HER2 CAR Macrophages in Subjects with HER2 Overexpressing Solid Tumors: Preliminary Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and TME Reprogramming Data Oral Presentation/Late Breaker Abstract Number : 951

: 951

Date/Time: Friday, November 12 at 12:10  12:40 pm ET

Poster Presentations:

Title : Chimeric Antigen Receptor Macrophages (CAR-M) Elicit a Systemic Anti-Tumor Immune Response and Synergize with PD1 Blockade in Immunocompetent Mouse Models of HER2+ Solid Tumors

: Chimeric Antigen Receptor Macrophages (CAR-M) Elicit a Systemic Anti-Tumor Immune Response and Synergize with PD1 Blockade in Immunocompetent Mouse Models of HER2+ Solid Tumors Poster/Abstract Number : 139

: 139

Date/Time : Friday, November 12 at 7:00 am ET

: Friday, November 12 at Title : SIRP Deficient CAR-Macrophages Exhibit Enhanced Anti-Tumor Function and Bypass the CD47 Immune Checkpoint

: SIRP Deficient CAR-Macrophages Exhibit Enhanced Anti-Tumor Function and Bypass the CD47 Immune Checkpoint Poster/Abstract Number : 144

: 144

Date/Time : Saturday, November 13 at 7:00 am ET

: Saturday, November 13 at Title : Development and Characterization of Human Chimeric Antigen Receptor Monocytes (CAR-Mono), a Novel Cell Therapy Platform

: Development and Characterization of Human Chimeric Antigen Receptor Monocytes (CAR-Mono), a Novel Cell Therapy Platform Poster/Abstract Number : 104

: 104

Date/Time: Saturday, November 13 at 7:00 am ET

About CARISMA Therapeutics Inc.

CARISMA Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing a differentiated and proprietary cell therapy platform focused on engineered macrophages, cells that play a crucial role in both the innate and adaptive immune response. The first applications of the platform, developed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania, are autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-macrophages for the treatment of solid tumors. CARISMA Therapeutics is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA.

For more information, please visit www.carismatx.com

Media Contact:

Christina Khoury-Folkens

(929) 299-5962

[email protected]

SOURCE CARISMA Therapeutics Inc.

Related Links

https://carismatx.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, announces the release of the first voluntary Global ESG Disclosure Standards for Investment Products ("the Standards") designed to enable investors, consultants, advisors, and distributors to better understand, compare, and evaluate ESG investment products.

Today's release follows an industry-wide consultation to create Standards that are based on the principles of fair representation and full disclosure of environmental, social, and governance issues within the objectives, investment process, and stewardship activities of investment products. The Standards apply to all types of investment vehicles, asset classes, and ESG approaches, and aim to support investors with information that is complete, reliable, consistent, clear, and accessible.

Margaret Franklin, CFA, President and CEO, CFA Institute, comments:

"We're proud to release the first edition of the Standards after a multi-stage development process to ensure the result is additive, has impact, and is meaningful to the industry. The complexities of the ESG investing landscape remain vast. We must identify ways to mitigate greenwashing and preserve the integrity of the information being shared about ESG investment products to make them more understandable and comparable to the end investor. The release of the Standards marks one step in the broader efforts to make that a reality -- and we believe an important one."

Paul Andrews, Managing Director for Research, Advocacy, and Standards at CFA Institute comments:

"Although there are differing regulations in global markets to address transparency for investors on ESG matters, it is critically important that a harmonized, global approach exists to enable investor protection. Furthermore, such regulation does not always comprehensively cover all market participants. The Standards fill these market needs on a global scale, facilitating important disclosures that will drive greater communication between the buyers of investment products and an industry marketing increasing numbers of funds and strategies that offer an ESG-centric approach."

Two rounds of public consultation informed the first edition of the Global ESG Disclosure Standards for Investment Products. In August 2020, CFA Institute published an initial Consultation Paper seeking industry, regulatory, and public comment on the proposed scope, structure, and design principles for the Standards. In May 2021, CFA Institute released an Exposure Draft of the Standards. The Standards are jointly approved by CFA Institute and its ESG Technical Committee, chaired by Bruno Bertocci, Managing Director, Head of Sustainability in Active Equities, UBS Asset Management, United States. Industry leaders who have volunteered to serve on the CFA Institute ESG Technical Committee, ESG Verification Subcommittee, and ESG Working Group have been instrumental in the development of the Standards.

To view the Global ESG Standards for Investment Products, including sample ESG Disclosure Statements, visit: here.

For further information, please contact [email protected]

Notes to Editors

Materials concerning the development of the Global ESG Disclosure Standards for Investment Products, including the Consultation Paper, Exposure Draft and Comment Letters, are available here.

Additional materials to be released in early 2022 include procedures for independent assurance of investment product ESG disclosures, a handbook that explains the provisions of the Standards and that provides interpretative guidance, and an optional template for ESG Disclosure Statements to facilitate easier comparison between products.

The Global ESG Disclosure Standards for Investment Products Standards do not address:

corporate ESG reporting

firm-level ESG disclosures (with an exception related to stewardship activities)

naming, labelling, or rating of investment products, or

the content of investment products' periodic reports

About CFA Institute

CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion of ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. Our aim is to create an environment where investors' interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. There are more than 175,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in more than 160 markets. CFA Institute has nine offices worldwide and 160 local societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @CFAInstitute.

SOURCE CFA Institute

Related Links

http://www.cfainstitute.org


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As temperatures decrease and energy use grows, Chattanooga Gas wants to help families who may be struggling to pay their energy bills. The company reminds its customers that they may be eligible for financial assistance that could help offset winter heating costs and offers tips to make their home more energy efficient.

"We recognize that colder weather can increase demands on household budgets due to higher energy use," said Pedro Cherry, president and CEO of Chattanooga Gas. "We are committed to helping customers identify available assistance programs that can help this winter."

Enrollment for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program  LIHEAP  a federally funded grant program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is underway for eligible customers. The grant provides financial relief to families whose income is below 150% of the poverty line. The financial assistance is available until money for the program runs out, so customers are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible.

Additional support is available through several other local organizations throughout Tennessee. Interested residents should call Bradley-Cleveland Community Services at 423-479-4111 or the Hamilton County Department of Youth and Family Development at 423-643-6434 for help.

For natural gas customers seeking more control over energy consumption and heating bills, Chattanooga Gas also offers these tips for energy efficiency:

Install a Programmable Thermostat. A programmable thermostat allows customers to set the temperature in their home while they are away and increase the temperature when they return.

A programmable thermostat allows customers to set the temperature in their home while they are away and increase the temperature when they return. Seal Windows and Leaks with Weather-Stripping: For homes with attic access, make sure the door is insulated and seals tight, much like a refrigerator. Use weather-stripping and screen door latches for a snug seal.

For homes with attic access, make sure the door is insulated and seals tight, much like a refrigerator. Use weather-stripping and screen door latches for a snug seal. Cover Vents: Help keep cold air out of the basement or crawl space by covering vents during the winter. Use foundation vents to keep floors warmer and heating bills lower.

Help keep cold air out of the basement or crawl space by covering vents during the winter. Use foundation vents to keep floors warmer and heating bills lower. Install a Water Heater Jacket Cover: A water heater jacket can cut up to 15% off the costs of heating water by preventing energy loss.

For more energy efficiency tips, please visit: www.chattanoogagas.com/residential/ways-to-save

About Chattanooga Gas

Chattanooga Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Chattanooga Gas provides retail natural gas sales and transportation services to approximately 69,000 customers in Hamilton and Bradley counties in southeast Tennessee. The Chattanooga Gas service area includes the communities of Chattanooga, Cleveland, Red Bank, East Ridge, Lookout Mountain and Signal Mountain. For more information, visit chattanoogagas.com.

About Southern Company Gas

Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America's premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.3 million natural gas customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with approximately 666,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.

SOURCE Chattanooga Gas
BEIJING, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheetah Mobile Inc. (NYSE: CMCM) ("Cheetah Mobile" or the "Company"), a leading internet company, today announced that it will hold its annual general meeting of shareholders at the offices of Cheetah Mobile at Building No.11, Wandong Science and Technology Cultural Innovation Park, No.7 Sanjianfangnanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China, on November 16, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. (local time).

No proposal will be submitted for shareholder approval at the annual general meeting. Instead, the annual general meeting will serve as an open forum for shareholders of record to discuss Company affairs with management.

The Board of Directors of the Company has fixed the close of business on November 12, 2021 as the record date (the "Record Date") for determining the shareholders entitled to receive notice of the annual general meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Holders of record of the Company's Class A and Class B ordinary shares at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to attend the annual general meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof in person.

About Cheetah Mobile Inc.

Cheetah Mobile is a leading internet company. It has attracted hundreds of millions of monthly active users through an array of internet products such as Clean Master, Security Master and several casual games. The Company provides advertising services to advertisers worldwide as well as value-added services including the sale of premium membership and in-app virtual items to its users. Cheetah Mobile is also committed to leveraging its cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies to power its products and make the world smarter. It has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since May 2014.

Investor Relations Contact

Cheetah Mobile Inc.

Tel: +86 10 6292 7779

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Cheetah Mobile
The fund is the first QDLP fund under Qingdao's Qualified Domestic Limited Partnership (QDLP) scheme. QDLP is a pilot program developed by Chinese local authorities for the purpose of facilitating cross-border asset allocation. It allows global asset managers to raise Renminbi from investors in China to invest in overseas traditional and alternative assets such as hedge funds, private equity funds, and REITs. Qingdao has been assigned a quota of US$ 3 billion for piloting the QDLP scheme.
#CITOneMillionMeals

Individuals can join the fight against hunger by visiting CIT's pages on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to 'like' or 'share' the posts about the One Million Meals campaign and bring awareness to the pressing issue of food insecurity. For every engagement on social media, CIT will direct 10 meals1 to Feeding America.

Customers can join in on the program in a variety of ways. For more details on how to get involved, visit cit.com/feeding-america. Customers of CIT's Southern California retail bank division OneWest Bank can visit owb.com/feeding-america.

The above components build on the efforts of CIT employees who are volunteering, donating food to local food banks, and participating in unique engagement opportunities in support of the campaign.

"During the first year of COVID, more than 38 million people were living in food insecure households, including nearly 12 million children," said Lauren Biedron, vice president of Corporate Partnerships at Feeding America. "We are thankful for support from partners like CIT this holiday season, helping network food banks provide more meals to communities in need."

Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 local food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that together serve more than 40 million people each year. Through last year's partnership, CIT helped provide two million meals to people in need, responding to the increased need for food assistance in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's One Million Meals campaign will run through Nov. 30, 2021.

About CIT

CIT is a leading national bank focused on empowering businesses and personal savers with the financial agility to navigate their goals. CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) is a financial holding company with over a century of experience and operates a principal bank subsidiary, CIT Bank, N.A. (Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender). The company's commercial banking segment includes commercial financing, community association banking, middle market banking, equipment and vendor financing, factoring, railcar financing, treasury and payments services, and capital markets and asset management. CIT's consumer banking segment includes a national direct bank and regional branch network. Discover more at cit.com/about.

1$1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. CIT will donate up to 1.5million meals.

MEDIA RELATIONS:

Lexa Tutela

212-461-5305

[email protected]

SOURCE CIT Group Inc.

Related Links

www.cit.com


"We selected DRFortress because it is a major technology leader and the best-equipped data center facility in Hawaii." Tweet this

With the addition of Cogent, one of the world's largest internet service providers, the DRFortress ecosystem grows to an impressive roster of 23 high-caliber carriers and communication providers. DRFortress offers the largest choice of networks in Hawaii allowing customers to easily and directly connect with every major network, internet service provider and content provider around the world.

"DRFortress is committed to expanding opportunities for Hawaii businesses by reaching more customers with high-bandwidth and low latency connections," said Rosa White, DRFortress Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer. "It is a critical time for the Hawaii business community to be able to access their data remotely, safely, and to remain competitive. Adding Cogent as a new carrier in our Honolulu data center will connect our customers closer to the edge with fast, reliable and cost-efficient internet service."

For more information about enhanced connectivity options for Hawaii businesses, click here to contact the DRFortress team or visit www.drfortress.com .

About DRFortress

DRFortress is the largest and the only carrier-neutral data center and cloud marketplace operating in Hawaii. For 14 years, our company has been meeting the data center needs of Hawaii's enterprises, content companies, system integrators, carriers, wireless service providers, cable companies and ISPs. DRFortress provides customers with customized high-end, resilient, reliable, environmental-friendly, next-generation solutions to meet their data-intensive business requirements, enabling them to focus on their core business. As Hawaii's Digital Hub and largest business network, DRFortress houses the densest concentration of IP carriers and networks in Hawaii and is the only commercial Internet Exchange in the state to provide flexibility, cost-efficiency and scalability for customers. Our world-class data center facility is located well outside the island's extended flood and tsunami zones, ensuring your mission-critical data and systems are well-protected and your business' IT operations are uninterrupted during an emergency or natural disaster. For more information, please visit www.drfortress.com .

Media Contact

Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA)

+1 866.695.3629 ext. 11

[email protected]

SOURCE DRFortress

Related Links

http://www.drfortress.com


Launched by Holmes Murphy in 2018, SPH is an alternative healthcare product for self-insured commercial employers. With a simple user-interface design, SPH makes it quick and easy to search for high-quality medical care and pharmacy with results that include straightforward, "no surprise" variable co-pay price certainty. And, unlike traditional insurance, SPH verifies actual out-of-pocket co-pay costs before any appointments or procedures take place or any prescriptions are filled.

In the fall of 2021, Stella Health  a parent company for a growing number of businesses across the health care industry  announced the creation of Coupe Health, LLC, a SPH-powered health plan option that Minnesota-based self-insured employers could offer next year. Now, through the acquisition of SPH  and by establishing Coupe Health, LLC as a diversified business entity under Stella  a benefits plan under the Coupe name has the option to expand its reach into other states.

"Using health insurance can be an incredibly complex and expensive consumer experience. We wanted to make it easier for patients to connect to top quality medical services and to eliminate the financial surprises linked to traditional insurance plan designs," said Den Bishop, president of Holmes Murphy. "We believe that we have reached the point where it is time to partner with a company that can scale SimplePay Health to help the business reach its full potential. Coupe Health is that partner."

"We built Coupe as an offering that could fully leverage SPH's innovative approach to removing the price uncertainties and complexities of health care," said Chris Fanning, senior vice president at Stella. "Coupe members will receive one monthly statement for the exact co-pay prices they saw and selected before going to the doctor. Then they submit payment just like they would with any other bill. The genius of the model is how it doesn't 'feel' like a health insurance experience. As the new owners, we can't wait to bring this experience to even more employers and members."

The equity purchase includes the SPH platform and benefits hub; current SPH employees; all intellectual property; and the client roster.

Additional Sources

Coupehealth.com

Simplepayhealth.com

Stellahealth.com



SOURCE Stella Ventures
BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Creatio, a global supplier of a platform that automates both industry workflows and CRM with no-code and the maximum degree of freedom, today announced it has been named a finalist of The Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Awards. Its case about the digital transformation of Israel National Roads Company has been shortlisted in the Best Achievement in Operational Excellence to deliver Digital Transformation category.

The Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Awards were established to showcase globally the most outstanding achievements and real results, which organizations achieve through the successful implementation of Business Transformation, Digital Transformation, Operational Excellence & Innovation Excellence programs. The Awards will be held in conjunction with the Business Transformation & Operational Excellence World Summit (BTOES 2021) on December 15, 2021.

Israel National Roads Company has been a Creatio customer since 2020. Aiming at achieving operational transparency and streamlining process management, the organization opted for Creatio's no-code platform for process management and CRM. The combination of the system's ready-to-go tools and no-code capabilities allow users to create custom solutions in a matter of minutes, and made Creatio the perfect fit for the company. The full success story is available here.

About Creatio

Creatio is a global vendor of one platform to automate industry workflows and CRM with no-code and maximum degree of freedom. Millions of workflows are launched on our platform daily in 100 countries by thousands of clients. Genuine care for our clients and partners is a defining part of Creatio DNA.

For more information, please visit www.creatio.com.

Media contact:

Vera Mayuk

[email protected]

+1 617 765 7997

SOURCE Creatio

Related Links

https://www.creatio.com/


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Loews Corporation (NYSE: L) announced today that David B. Edelson has decided to step down in May 2022 as Chief Financial Officer, a position he has held since 2014. Jane Wang, a Vice President at Loews who joined the company in 2006 will succeed Mr. Edelson as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Edelson will stay on at Loews as Senior Advisor to ensure a seamless transition.

"It's been a pleasure to work alongside David over the last 16-plus years. He has been an invaluable member of Loews's senior leadership team, and his sound judgment, strategic acumen and laser-like attention to detail have served Loews well throughout his tenure," said James Tisch, President and Chief Executive Officer of Loews Corporation. "Under David's thoughtful and steadfast stewardship, there has been transformational change at Loews that has significantly benefitted the company and its stakeholders."

"I am honored to have been part of such an exceptional company and to have had the opportunity to work with such talented and dedicated colleagues," said Mr. Edelson. "I look forward to completing my tenure as CFO and assisting Jane as she assumes the role."

In her current role, Ms. Wang focuses on strategic planning and corporate development. She is responsible for managing Loews's capital markets activities, leads the company's Enterprise Risk Management effort, and interfaces with credit rating agencies. Additionally, Ms. Wang monitors the performance of Loews's subsidiaries and is a member of the Board of Directors of CNA Financial, a publicly traded subsidiary of Loews. She also sits on the boards of Boardwalk Pipelines and Altium Packaging. Prior to joining Loews, Ms. Wang worked at Morgan Stanley in the investment banking division.

About Loews Corporation

Loews Corporation is a diversified company with businesses in the insurance, energy, hospitality and packaging industries. For more information, please visit www.loews.com.

SOURCE Loews Corporation

Related Links

http://www.loews.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dechert LLP announced that Jon Burke has rejoined the firm's global finance practice as a partner based in New York. He will be an integral member of Dechert's market-leading structured credit and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) product line, which sits within the larger global finance practice.

Mr. Burke regularly advises asset managers, investment banks, issuers and investors in connection with a wide variety of CLOs, as well as other structured credit financing arrangements secured by broadly syndicated and middle-market loans. Mr. Burke also has extensive experience representing investors in various esoteric asset classes, including life settlements, structured settlements, brokerage commissions, wage advances, medical receivables and collateralized fund obligations. Mr. Burke holds a J.D. from Georgetown University, and a B.A. from Middlebury College. He was previously an associate at Dechert before joining another law firm.

Laura Swihart, co-chair of Dechert's global finance practice, commented: "Jon's return further solidifies Dechert's position as the preeminent global finance practice in the CLO market. His addition will enhance our cross-practice capabilities to provide best-in-class service to our clients."

"Jon is not only a highly-respected and skilled practitioner in the alternative investments space, he is also a pleasure to work with," said John Timperio, a global finance partner and lead of Dechert's structured credit and CLO team. "His return is compelling evidence of Dechert's reputation as an elite powerhouse in the CLO space, as well as the extraordinary opportunities Dechert provides to its attorneys. We are thrilled to welcome him back."

Mr. Burke commented, "I couldn't be more excited to rejoin my trusted colleagues and friends at Dechert. The firm's legal talent, commitment to client service and culture are truly unparalleled. There is no better place than Dechert to practice law, and I look forward to contributing to the next chapter of the world's top structured credit and CLO team."

Dechert is distinguished for having the top structured credit and CLO team in the world, consistently at the forefront of the most innovative and challenging matters. Dechert's deep bench of talented lawyers is widely recognized for inventing much of what has become established practice in this space. The team serves a diverse global client base that includes some of the most prolific CLO underwriters as well as most of the largest asset managers and equity investors. Currently, Dechert works with over 50 CLO managers, more than any other law firm. Among its abundant accolades in this space, Dechert has recently been recognized as "Structured Finance Practice Group of the Year" by Law360, and "CLO Law Firm of the Year" by GlobalCapital. Dechert is consistently ranked as Band 1 by Chambers and Partners USA for Securitization: CLOs and named as a leading firm for Capital Markets: Securitization with areas of strength across ABS, CLO, CMBS and CRE CLO transactions. Most recently, Dechert was once again voted by clients as "the law firm that provides the best service to U.S. and European CLO managers" in the Creditflux CLO Census. In addition, Asset-Backed Alert recently named Dechert the "Top Issuer's Counsel for U.S. CLOs by Deal Volume and Deal Count."

Dechert's Global Finance Group provides a responsive, interdisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional team to address the complexities of modern finance transactions across categories and geographies. With more than 170 lawyers in the world's major financial centers, our internationally recognized practice provides clients with innovative deal structuring, creative financing strategies and efficient execution. Our clients receive comprehensive solutions for all their finance needs. By tapping into the breadth of Dechert's expertise, we deliver advice on real estate finance, structured finance, leveraged finance and securitization matters.

About Dechert

Dechert is a leading global law firm with 22 offices around the world. We advise on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.

SOURCE Dechert LLP
A subsidiary of Lotte Group, Seven Eleven's AI Kiosk includes Deepbrain AI's AI Human technology and additional innovative technologies for use in unmanned convenience stores. The Deepbrain AI Human provides promotional information including discounts and newly stocked items, as well as background on the company and technology. With AI Kiosks, the Seven Eleven staff is more productive and can focus on essential and timely tasks while customers are getting important information quickly upon entering the stores.

"We believe AI Humans embedded with video and speech synthesis technology will disrupt many industries, including convenience stores," said Eric Jang, founder, and CEO of Deepbrain AI. "We're excited to demonstrate this Seven Eleven commercial solution, which is currently in use, to highlight AI's ability to humanize digital customer service and enhance customer experiences."

Eric Jang will give a keynote presentation at AI Summit titled AI Human based Hyper-Realistic Customer Experience in Retail and Live Commerce. Jang will discuss how to enable hyper-realistic customer experiences and engagement in the age of the pandemic by using AI Human technology in retail stores and online.

Last month, Deepbrain AI was named the winner of the 2021 GITEX Global Future Stars' Supernova Challenge and was awarded the top prize. Over 700 companies applied for the challenge, which lasted three days, and included 120 companies spanning 36 countries taking part in the semi-final round. 22 companies participated in the final round with Deepbrain AI coming out on top. GITEX is an annual consumer computer and electronics tradeshow, exhibition and conference that takes place in Dubai.

For more detailed information on Deepbrain AI, visit https://www.deepbrainai.io/en/.

About Deepbrain AI

Deepbrain AI (www.deepbrainai.io) provides real-time Artificial Intelligence (AI) and video synthesis solutions that utilize AI to quickly create realistic human-like AI models for use in customer service in industries including media, finance, commerce, and education. Based on proprietary, patent-led technology, the company's solutions drastically reduce the cost and time of video production while bringing an unmatched and realistic human touch to all content. Headquartered in Korea, with offices in the U.S., the company is backed by leading investors in Korea and China and is privately held.

About Born2Global Centre

Born2Global Centre (www.born2global.com) is a full-cycle service platform for global expansion. Since its inception in 2013, Born2Global has been setting the standard for successful startup ecosystem as the main Korean government agency under the Ministry of Science and ICT. Born2Global has expanded and transformed startups to be engaged, equipped and connected with the global market.

Media Contact

DeepBrain AI: John Son, [email protected]

Hoffman Agency: Matthew Burrows, [email protected]

Born2Global Centre: Jina Lee, [email protected]

SOURCE Born2Global Centre
ROUND ROCK, Texas, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) has completed the spin-off of its 81% equity ownership of VMware Inc. The spin-off was completed through a special dividend of 30,678,605 shares of VMware Class A Common Stock and 307,221,836 shares of VMware Class B Common Stock distributed to Dell's stockholders of record as of 5:00 p.m. ET on October 29, 2021. Each share of VMware Class B Common Stock was converted into one share of VMware Class A Common Stock in connection with the distribution and prior to the receipt by Dell's stockholders of such shares. Dell stockholders will receive cash in lieu of any fractional shares of VMware Class A Common Stock. The spin-off creates two standalone companies positioned for growth in the data era.

Dell Technologies and VMware will retain a strong and unique commercial agreement that preserves the most valuable parts of the companies' relationship, such as the co-development of critical solutions and alignment on sales and marketing activities, while allowing strategic flexibility. VMware will continue to use Dell Financial Services to help its customers finance their digital transformations.

"Today marks an important milestone for both Dell and VMware. We are unlocking significant value for stakeholders, while maintaining our close partnership in sales, support and innovation for our customers," said Michael Dell, chairman and chief executive officer, Dell Technologies. "We are full speed ahead, solving customer problems, driving progress and capturing opportunities in areas like multi-cloud, edge and telecom."

VMware has also distributed a special cash dividend of $11.5 billion to all VMware shareholders, including Dell Technologies, which has received $9.3 billion and will use the funds to pay down debt. Dell Technologies has received Investment Grade corporate family ratings from all three major credit rating agencies.

Michael Dell will remain chair and chief executive officer of Dell Technologies, as well as chair of the VMware board. The VMware board of directors is unchanged.

Information about the foregoing matters and other information can be found in the company's current report on Form 8-K furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) helps organizations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play. The company provides customers with the industry's broadest and most innovative technology and services portfolio for the data era.

Copyright  2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved. Dell Technologies, Dell, EMC and Dell EMC are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Dell Technologies

Related Links

http://www.delltechnologies.com


FORT COLLINS, Colo., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DH2i , the leading provider of multi-platform Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) and Smart Availability software, today announced DH2i Product Manager Connor Cox will join Microsoft Senior Program Manager Amit Khandelwal to present " How to Deploy Highly Available AGs Across Containers in Azure " during next week's PASS Data Community Summit 2021.

When:

Khandelwal and Cox's 60-minute general session will be made available for on-demand viewing as soon as the Summit begins on November 10th. The pair will also be hosting a live Q&A session on November 12th from 5:00  5:30 pm ET (2:00  2:30 pm PT).

Why Attend:

The use of SQL Server containers is exploding as enterprises look for better ways to improve the performance, scalability and portability of their IT environments. Despite the promise of containers, ensuring HA and DR for containerized SQL Server remains a hurdle that organizations struggle to overcome.

Join this session to learn how to jump the hurdle and easily build highly available SQL Server Availability Groups (AGs) that span containers in Azure. You'll learn how to:

Achieve near-zero RTO AG failover to protect against node, container, and app failures

Create distributed AG clusters across availability zones/regions in Azure

Navigate the container configuration and networking considerations of SQL Server HA/DR

Learn more:

https://passdatacommunitysummit.com/sessions/268899

Tweet This: @DH2i and @Microsoft to Present "How to Deploy Highly Available AGs Across Containers in Azure" at PASS Data Community Summit 2021 https://dh2i.com/webinars/pass-data-community-summit-2021-session-how-to-deploy-highly-available-ags-across-containers-in-azure/

About PASS Data Community Summit 2021:

Taking place November 8 - 12, 2021, the PASS Data Community Summit 2021 is the year's largest gathering of Microsoft data platform professionals. For 2021, the Summit is free, to welcome the largest group of data platform professionals from across the globe. The aim is to recreate the buzzing spirit of the PASS community and support those interested in developing their career and expertise. To learn more and register, please visit: https://passdatacommunitysummit.com/

About DH2i:

DH2i Company is the leading provider of multi-platform Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) and Smart Availability software for Windows and Linux. DH2i software products DxOdyssey  and DxEnterprise  enable customers to create an entire IT infrastructure that is "always-secure and always-on." To learn more, please visit: www.dh2i.com , call: 800-380-5405 or +44 20 3318 9204, or email: [email protected].

PR Contact:

Nicole Gorman

Corp. Comm./PR

DH2i

M: 508-397-0131

[email protected]

SOURCE DH2i

Related Links

http://www.dh2i.com


AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), the largest global provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced today the appointment of Andrew P. Power as President. Mr. Power has served as Digital Realty's Chief Financial Officer since 2015 and he will continue to serve in that capacity, along with his responsibilities as President. In addition, Erich J. Sanchack has been named Chief Operating Officer, reporting directly to Mr. Power.

"I look forward to working more closely with Andy in the newly created position of President, in which he will play an even greater role in our operations and strategic direction," said Digital Realty Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein. "I'm incredibly proud of Andy, Erich and the broader Digital Realty team, and I am confident these leadership changes will widen our competitive moat and set the stage for the next phase of our growth."

Investor Relations

John J. Stewart / Jim Huseby

Digital Realty

+1 (415) 738-6500

[email protected]

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements relating to strategy, operations, our plans and organization. For a list and description of risks and uncertainties, please see the company's reports and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Digital Realty
BALTIMORE, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Softhread announced today that Dr. Ingrid Vasiliu-Feltes has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer. An experienced technology and business leader, Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes will assume her new role on a full-time basis effective January 1, 2022 and succeed one of the company's founders, Dr. Yesha, who will remain with Softhread as chairperson of the Board of Directors.

Dr. Ingrid Vasiliu-Feltes, CEO Softhread

Dr. Yesha said, "Softhread has demonstrated the outstanding performance of its patented blockchain technology platform applied to several use cases within the healthcare, life sciences and supply chain industries. We are looking forward to Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes executing our new strategic vision and expanding our global reach. She will be invaluable in ensuring our success, as we prepare for our first round of financing."

In addition to her leadership and angel-investor roles in several national and international organizations, Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes brings vast experience in the commercial and academic arenas. As a digital innovator and transformation expert, Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes has had the opportunity to drive large-scale deployments of emerging technologies such as blockchain and AI across a variety of industries and markets. The company's Board of Directors has expressed confidence in the experience, expertise, and passion Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes brings and is looking forward to executing the new strategic direction under her leadership to initiate and accelerate the development of new commercial solutions in the company's portfolio.

"Softhread is proud of its past, current and on-going close relationships, agreements, and strategic partnerships with Deloitte, IBM, CISCO, Intel, NIST, University of Maryland, the National Science Foundation SBIR grant, as well as the MDEpiNet Coordinating Center at Weill Cornell Medicine under a cooperative agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration. They have provided the opportunity to prove the value proposition of our solution. I am humbled and honored to join an incredible team that has created a ground-breaking solution. As I take on this new role, I am grateful for the support of the Board and looking forward to executing the company's strategic vision," said Dr. Vasiliu-Feltes.

Dr Vasiliu-Feltes has a track record of executive leadership roles at Mednax and the University of Miami, as well as international organizations such as the Government Blockchain Association and the World Business Angels Investment Forum. She holds executive certifications from several Universities such as: Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy, and Blockchain Technology and Business Innovation from MIT Sloan; Finance, Negotiation and Bioethics from Harvard; and Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Stanford. She earned her executive master's in business administration degree from the University of Miami, Herbert Business School in 2011 after completing her post-graduate Residency and Fellowship at the Columbia University of New York, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2003.

About Softhread



Softhread is a technology company that uses Chios - a patent-pending blockchain and AI-enabled platform that preserves confidentiality and optimizes network security, while enhancing operational efficiency. Through its decentralized system that empowers state-of-the-art interoperability, Softhread builds scalable enterprise solutions that are highly customizable, industry-agnostic and optimize the ROI of data management.

For more information about Softhread's solution, please visit www.softhread.com.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

305-903-5586

SOURCE Softhread Inc.

Related Links

http://www.softhread.com


CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Envestnet, Inc. announces that Dawn Newsome has joined the firm as Chief Business Operations Officer. As a member of the executive team, Dawn will ensure Envestnet remains well-positioned to continue building and expanding its financial wellness network.

"We are fully vested to deliver the financial ecosystem which empowers advisors to facilitate an intelligent and connected financial life for their clients," said Bill Crager, Co-Founder and CEO of Envestnet. "Dawn will work across our business lines to reinforce our alignment and focus to achieve this goal. We look forward to working with her to support our scalable growth through streamlined operations."

Ms. Newsome, who works out of the Berwyn, PA office and reports directly to Mr. Crager, will work with all divisions to help Envestnet deliver on its objectives, reach its financial milestones, and continue to grow its market share. She will also drive Envestnet's more immediate priorities and initiatives, including efforts to operationalize new ventures that support its expansion.

Ms. Newsome has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. She joined Envestnet from TP ICAP, the world's largest inter-dealer broker, where she was CEO of the Americas. In this role, she was responsible for overall management across business lines and support functions. Ms. Newsome also served as Chief Operating Officer of Liquidnet, a fully electronic agency broker which was acquired by TP ICAP in March 2021.

Prior to TP ICAP, Ms. Newsome served as an in-business Chief Technology Officer for Nomura's Global Rates and Americas Liquid Products organizations, where she managed technology strategy and electronic product offerings. She also held leadership positions at NatWest (formerly Royal Bank of Scotland) and JP Morgan.

"I am excited to join Envestnet during a time of tremendous growth and opportunity. I believe that Envestnet's ecosystem will continue to expand and strengthen its capabilities to support our clients and further connect the financial lives of consumers," said Dawn Newsome, Chief Business Operations Officer of Envestnet.

About Envestnet

Envestnet refers to the family of operating subsidiaries of the public holding company, Envestnet, Inc. (NYSE: ENV). Envestnet is transforming the way financial advice and wellness are delivered. Our mission is to empower advisors and financial service providers with innovative technology, solutions, and intelligence to make financial wellness a reality for everyone. Nearly 108,000 advisors and more than 6,000 companiesincluding 17 of the 20 largest U.S. banks, 46 of the 50 largest wealth management and brokerage firms, over 500 of the largest RIAs, and hundreds of FinTech companiesleverage Envestnet technology and services that help drive better outcomes for enterprises, advisors, and their clients.

For more information, please visit www.envestnet.com, subscribe to our blog, and follow us on Twitter (@ENVintel) and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Dana Taormina

JConnelly for Envestnet

973.647.4626

[email protected]

SOURCE Envestnet, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.envestnet.com


SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Echelon Luxury Properties, a premium asset management firm offering boutique services for high-end vacation rentals, today announced the appointment of Amanda Kelly as Head of Guest Experience. This appointment will further strengthen existing teams and allow the company to introduce new, yet comparable, elite hotel elements to the luxury vacation rental industry.

Amanda brings 15+ years of hospitality experience in innovation and strategic improvement of all Front Office operations, which has allowed her to continuously exceed guest, employee and financial expectations.

Prior to joining Echelon Luxury Properties, Amanda served as the Assistant Rooms Executive for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Throughout her tenure, she had the pleasure of leading operational teams in New Orleans, Key Biscayne, Rancho Mirage and Washington D.C. Her commitment to excellence and continuous improvement afforded her opportunities to assist teams at The St. Regis, Bal Harbour along with sister Ritz-Carlton hotels in Atlanta, Bachelor Gulch and Sarasota.

"Luxury accommodations are nothing new in the vacation rental sector, especially in our Northwest Florida market. What is new and profoundly refreshing is Echelon's leap forward in setting a precedent for exemplary service. With the selection of Amanda Kelly, we can leverage her luxury hotel background to further enhance our training programs and curated offerings. We are excited to welcome Amanda to our team and look forward to raising the standard and elevating our homeowner and guest experience," said Founder and Chief Executive Officer Sam Cobb.

"I can't imagine a more exciting time to join Echelon Luxury Properties. As more people opt for luxury vacation rentals over hotels, I'm thrilled to work with Sam and the Echelon team to establish a bespoke training program that will further elevate our offerings for guests and owners alike," said Amanda.

About Echelon Luxury Properties

Led by Sam Cobb, Echelon Luxury Properties was established in 2021. The locally-owned company represents some of Northwest Florida's finest vacation homes from Destin to Rosemary Beach and all of 30A's world class beaches in between. With over 50 combined years of property management, finance, luxury real estate development and leadership experience, Echelon's "Elevate the Experience'' philosophy brings a fresh, never before taken approach to asset management. Echelon's headquarters is located in Miramar Beach, Florida.

For more information, visit EchelonLuxuryProperties.com.

Follow Echelon Luxury Properties on Instagram and Facebook

SOURCE Echelon Luxury Properties

Related Links

https://echelonluxuryproperties.com/


WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 8, 2021, the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the Center for First-generation Student Success will lead the national efforts of the fifth annual First-Generation College Celebration . This date marks the 56th anniversary of the signing of the 1965 Higher Education Act, which has helped millions of first-generation students persist to degree completion.

"The First-Generation College Celebration is an annual opportunity to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of first-gen students, faculty, staff, and alumni," said Maureen Hoyler, president of COE . "At the same time, we can work together with K-12 and higher education institutions, non-profits, corporations, and interested stakeholders to bring awareness to the needs of this population."

Launched by COE and the Center for First-generation Student Success , an initiative of NASPA and The Suder Foundation, in 2017, the First-Generation College Celebration (FGCC) has united hundreds of college campuses across the country; holding rallies, panel discussions, listening sessions, and more in recognition of their first-generation students and alumni.

At the national level, COE and the Center for First-generation Student Success will co-host "A National Celebration Centering First-gen Voices," featuring a panel of first-gen students and graduates sharing insight into their experience. This event is taking place on Monday, November 8, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. ET, and will be moderated by Dr. Quintin B. Bullock, president of the Community College of Allegheny County located in Allegheny Pennsylvania. Registration is free and open to all.

"The First-Generation College Celebration brings attention to the accomplishments of a population representing one-third of all currently enrolled college students," said Dr. Sarah E. Whitley, assistant vice president of the Center for First-generation Student Success. "Not only that, but advancing an asset-based national narrative on first-generation student experiences and outcomes is one way to help first-gen students understand the tremendous strengths they bring to our communities."

To learn more about the First-Generation College Celebration, view this release online, access the Media Kit, or see highlights from past celebrations, visit the National First-Generation College Celebration page . You can also track and view activities and events from across the country on social media by searching for #CelebrateFirstGen.

SOURCE NASPA

Related Links

www.naspa.org


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dignity Gold , LLC, ("Dignity Gold"), the United States-based digital security that is taking a revolutionary approach to using gold reserves to back its token, announced the appointment of several new members to its Advisory Board. The board welcomes Dean Newton, General Partner at Relevance Ventures, the only non-tribe affiliated Native American owned venture capital firm; Gary Levi, Founder of Intrac Global; and Roy Behren, Managing Member at Westchester Capital Management LLC and a former attorney with the SEC.

Dignity Gold, a blockchain development company creating security tokens to unlock new ways of investing in the United States precious metals, mining, and mineral sector, made the additions to its advisory board to expand its financial expertise, regulation-forward approach, diversity, and add key experts in several different disciplines.

"We are delighted to welcome these distinguished individuals to our Advisory Board," said Kent M. Swig, Chairman of Dignity Gold. "Each new member will serve a valuable role in continuing to establish Dignity Gold as a trusted and compliant, gold reserve-backed security token that provides the simplest path for a variety of (retail / institutional) investors to benefit from opportunities in the United States precious metals mining and mineral sector."

Dean Newton is a General Partner at Nashville-based venture capital firm Relevance Ventures (the only non-tribe affiliated Native-owned VC in the United States), where he works alongside his brother Cameron Newton, founder of Relevance Ventures, and serves on a number of Boards of the interesting companies he invests in. Mr. Newton joined Relevance in 2018, after nearly 20 years in executive roles in media, mobile, and other tech-centric companies in the Los Angeles and Nashville area. Mr. Newton attended Harvard for both his undergraduate and law degrees.

Gary Levi is the founder of Intrac Global, an asset exchange firm providing creative financial solutions, strategic marketing and structural capacity management to create sustainable revenue growth and reduce operating costs. He is also the founder and president of Global Strategies Inc., an international strategic marketing and management consulting for corporate clients to increase trade and consumer awareness. Mr. Levi is an experienced leader with a strong history in marketing and advertising, search engine optimization, marketing management, digital strategy, negotiation, and business planning. Mr. Levi received his undergraduate degree from the University of Denver and his MBA from St. John's University.

Roy Behren is currently a Managing Member at Westchester Capital Management LLC, as well as Portfolio Manager for Westchester Capital Management's Merger Fund ($MERFX) and Event-Driven Fund ($WCEIX). WCM provides investment advisory and discretionary investment management services to some of the world's leading institutions, high-net-worth investors and retail shareholders. Mr. Behren also serves on the board of advisors for Sharp Alpha Advisors. Previously, he served as an attorney for the Securities on Exchange Commission (SEC). He is an expert in investment advisory services, specializing in event-driven and alternative investment strategies. Mr. Behren earned a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and Law degrees from New York University and the University of Miami.

The new members will work harmoniously with the current members of the board which include Kent M. Swig, Steve Braverman, Oliver B. Swig, William B. Heyn and Alexander Nassief.

To learn more about the new Advisory Board members, check out their LinkedIn profiles: Dean Newton , Gary Levi and Roy Behren .

About Dignity Gold, LLC

Founded in 2019 by Stephen Braverman and Kent M. Swig, Dignity Gold is the parent company of Dignity Corp. which is issuing the Dignity token using the ticker DIGau backed by gold deposits located in the United States.

Media Contact:

Jonathan Zaback

Impact Partners

[email protected]

SOURCE Dignity Gold, LLC

Related Links

https://dignitygold.com/


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading wine company and subscription service, Firstleaf, encourages people to celebrate life's special moments with the launch of their campaign, 'Celebrate Firsts'.

'Celebrate Firsts' launched at a time when many are coming together after time apart. From first reunions, to moves to new cities, to first anniversaries, or new jobs, Firstleaf believes that these moments  big or small  should be celebrated, and that there's no better way to do so than over a glass of wine with those you love.

Consumer trends point to the excitement around creating new experiences during the upcoming holiday season. Firstleaf surveyed 2,000 Americans (21+) and found that 82% of respondents agree that there's nothing more memorable than experiencing something for the first time. Their most memorable firsts included first jobs (49%), first loves (48%), first kisses (45%) and first pets (41%).

"Firsts are special. They mark the start of something beautiful, present new experiences, and open doors to moments of discovery. The campaign captures the magic of first experiences and the essence of the Firstleaf brand where with new wines in every box, there's always a first ready to be uncorked," said Patty Montagno, Vice President of Brand & Creative at Firstleaf.

The 'Celebrate Firsts' campaign includes a heartwarming and relatable television spot that highlights the journey of a young couple from the first moment their eyes meet, to them falling in-love and sharing their first family holidays together.

Alongside the television spot, Firstleaf is inviting all wine enthusiasts to share their favorite first moments. By visiting the site www.celebratefirsts2021.com and sharing a photo or blurb of a special first, participants will have the chance to win a new adventure in 2022, including a private Napa wine tasting tour and hot air balloon ride, or a Cinque Terre Hike in Italy.

With a vast portfolio of world-class wines in their cellar, Firstleaf's mission is to provide risk-free wine exploration without the hit or miss. Stemming from the belief that wine is personal, 98% of Firstleaf boxes are unique so that members always have something new to try, completely personalized to their tastes.

"We will continue to transform how consumers engage with wine, making it exciting to explore new wines and discover new favorites," said Montagno.

This holiday season, Firstleaf is also offering exclusive holiday bundles, gift cards and custom selections to make sharing wine easy and customizable. After all, firsts are better together.

For more information on Firstleaf, visit www.firstleaf.club/tv/. To view the television spot, check out www.youtube.com/c/Firstleafwineclub, and for sweepstakes information, visit www.celebratefirsts2021.com.

Creative agency, DPDK, and production studio, Hazazah, both out of the Netherlands worked with the Firstleaf brand team to conceptualize the idea and bring it to life.

Methodology

These results were taken from a random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans aged 21+ who celebrate a winter holiday conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Firstleaf between October 5 and October 8, 2021. OnePoll is a corporate member of the AAPOR and adheres to the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practice.

About Firstleaf

Firstleaf is transforming the $70B US wine market by helping consumers experience wine in a whole new way: theirs. Founded by serial entrepreneur Philip James, Firstleaf launched in February 2016 with the vision of creating a world in which wine lovers uncork a positive experience with every bottle. As a leading wine company and subscription service, Firstleaf takes the guesswork out of wine selection through personalized boxes tailored to each member's taste.

Spanning five continents and twelve countries, Firstleaf collaborates with winemakers around the globe as well as blends its own wines in the renowned Napa and Sonoma regions. With a commitment to quality that undergoes the most rigorous standards, Firstleaf tastes over 10,000 wines per year and only selects the best for the club. Firstleaf has won more than 2,000 awards, including over 300 90+ point scores. For more information on Firstleaf, visit www.firstleaf.club.

SOURCE Firstleaf

Related Links

https://www.firstleaf.com


The grand-prize winner will receive travel and accomodations for two to the Ultra4 King of the Hammers with VIP access to areas ordinary guests can't get. That includes a meet-and-greet with Fun-Haver off road team and Ultra4 Racers Vaughn Gittin, Jr. and Loren Healy. "King of the Hammers is all about big energy and big-time engineering overcoming the biggest challenges that an off-road vehicle can possibly handle," said Curt Weber, senior director, brand management for GEARWRENCH. "It's an experience unlike any other in motorsports, and we're just so excited to work with Monster Energy and Home Depot to make this thing a reality for one lucky wrench-turner out there. It's going to be something they'll never forget."

The grand-prize winner will also receive $1,000 worth of GEARWRENCH tools and accessories, a one-year supply of Monster Energy drinks, a Monster Energy cooler, and $250 in Fun-Haver off-road team merchandise.

"It's always a blast to see someone experience King of the Hammers for the first time," said Gittin, Jr. "I'll never forget my first trip out here and I'm glad I get to be part of that for whoever wins this incredible prize."

There are three steps to enter the drawing: (1) buy any one or more of four specially marked participating GEARWRENCH tool sets and any Monster Energy product from any Home Depot location, (2) snap a photo of the receipt, and (3) upload that image at gearwrench.com/KOH. The four participating sets from GEARWRENCHeach discounted up to 33% for this promotionare:

GEARWRENCH 232pc Mechanics Tool Set 1/4" & 3/8" Drive w/ Cushion Ratchet (#80949)

GEARWRENCH 106pc Mechanics Tool Set 1/4" & 3/8" Drive w/ Cushion Ratchet (#83001)

GEARWRENCH 55pc 1/4" Drive 6pt Std SAE/Metric Slim Head Mechanics Tool Set (#81039)

GEARWRENCH 18pc 90T SAE/MM Combo Wrench Set in Tray (#86698)

Ten first-prize winners (also chosen at random) will also receive $1,000 of GEARWRENCH tools, a one-year supply of Monster Energy drinks and the Monster Energy cooler. The promotion starts November 1 and ends December 31, with winners announced on or about January 14, 2022. For official rules, visit www.gearwrench.com/KOH.

About GEARWRENCH

GEARWRENCH is a premier hand tool brand from Apex Tool Group. Since the launch of the original five-degree ratcheting wrench, the GEARWRENCH brand has led the industry with breakthroughs in pass-thru ratchets, sockets, screw/nut drivers, pliers, and specialty tools. For more information, visit www.gearwrench.com.

About Monster Energy

Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, eSports or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes, gamers and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.

SOURCE GEARWRENCH

Related Links

www.gearwrench.com


"George's long career in the power industry commercializing disruptive technologies, plus his experience with capital markets, makes him the right leader at the right time for this phase of the Company's growth" said Don Lowry, Chairman of the Board of RS.

Until June of 2021, George was the CEO of Ocean Power Technologies ("OPT") Inc., a leader in innovative and cost-effective low-carbon marine power data and service solutions (NYSE American: OPTT). OPT is spearheading the commercialization of power generation through the deployment of technology that harnesses the mechanical energy created by waves to electricity.

George Kirby stated, "I believe RS possesses industry-leading pole technology and a growth trajectory that makes this a once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine the standard of sustainable and environmentally-responsible power pole grid infrastructure. RS Technologies' growth has been impressive with increased production capacity coming online early in 2022 at the new St. George, Utah plant to meet surging demand. Increasingly, leading utility executives are recognizing that RS offers innovative solutions that address the threat of grid instability due to the increasing severity and frequency of climate events like fires and hurricanes. The Company's products provide an indispensable means to address the impact of climate change by creating the grid of the future that is more sustainable and environmentally friendly."

George received his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Syracuse University and his Master of Business Administration from Penn State University.

About RS Technologies Inc. (RS)

RS is based in Tilbury, Ontario, Canada and is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Calgary, Alberta-based Werklund group of companies. RS designs and manufactures the world's highest performing composite utility poles that are safer, more fire and storm resilient than any other competing product. RS poles are longer lasting and more reliable than wood, steel or concrete and on an ESG basis are more environmentally friendly, consistently delivering a lower total life cycle cost than any other pole. More information on RS and its poles is available at RSpoles.com.

SOURCE RS Technologies Inc.

Related Links

https://www.rspoles.com/


MACON, Ga., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual Georgia Clean Energy Roadshow series, founded by PSC Vice Chairman Tim Echols, and produced by Event Energy Partners, takes place Wednesday, November 17th at 8:30AM in partnership with Mercer University, College of Engineering. The second of three stops, the Roadshow in Macon is a combined outdoor commercial vehicle showcase and educational seminar that brings together propane, natural gas and electric vehicle manufacturers with fleet managers and elected officials.

Club Car Current EV LSV Fit-to-Task outfitted for hot or cold food service or campus catering. Blue Bird's 5th Generation Vision Propane bus, engineered to deliver fuel and maintenance cost-saving results, as well as offer drivers a pleasant riding and operation experience will be displayed alongside the Blue Bird Vision EV bus with up to 120 mile range on a 155KW battery with 3-hour DC recharging capability.

The half-day event on campus (1550 College St) starts with an outdoor vehicle showcase adjacent to the Godsey Science Center at 8:30AM followed by a seminar and discussion of Class 1-8 vehicles inside Penfield Hall at 9:00AM. The Roadshow concludes with a post event tour of Macon Transit Authority's new EV Bus Charging Facility.

The Roadshow highlights the advantages of switching to low or zero-emission vehicles as well as the supporting utility infrastructure programs and upcoming federal funding opportunities. In addition to other OEMs, the series features three Georgia based companies, Club Car, Blue Bird and KIA. In a first for Georgia, the showcase includes three alternatively fueled school buses, including the Blue Bird Propane Vision bus, the Blue Bird Electric Bus and the Lion Electric bus. Attendees will also see the newest model Club Car Current small wheel utility vehicle, Macon Transit Authority's all-electric BYD Bus, Waste Management's CNG Refuse hauler, Ingevity's CNG Ford F-150, and other fleet cars.

Presenters include Georgia Power, Atlanta Gas Light, Propane AutoGas, Club Car, KIA Georgia, BlueBird, Go-Station, BYD USA, Ingevity, Yancey Bus, Cummins, Peachstate Freightliner, and Thomas Bus.. All events are free and open to the public but registration is required at www.CleanEnergyRoadshow.com The seminar is also being streamed for online attendees.

"Middle Georgia is working to become a leader in clean energy, and our community leaders look forward to learning about the latest trends and newest opportunities in this year's Roadshow," says Greg Boike, Director of Public Administration for the Middle Georgia Regional Commission. "The show is a resource for key connections for successful grants and project readiness" adds Show Producer, Joy Kramer.

The final stop will take place in Savannah at the Georgia Institute of Technology - (210 Technology Circle,) on 11/18 with a post-tour of the new, Port Fuel Center. The groundbreaking PFC features overnight truck parking, driver shuttle service, diesel, gasoline, CNG/RNG fueling and EV Charging, for travelers and truckers around the Port of Savannah.

Contact: Joy Kramer, 678-390-2737

[email protected]

SOURCE Event Energy Partners LLC
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SACHEM's Board of Directors has named Rosemary Hoffman as the company's new chief executive officer, succeeding John Mooney who announced his retirement after serving as CEO since 1984. Hoffman is a 23-year veteran of SACHEM and among the fewer than five percent of women executives in the chemical industry.

SACHEM's new CEO Rosemary Hoffman

"Rosemary's exceptional performance over the past two decades and her long-term commitment to providing innovative chemical solutions for our customers make her an outstanding selection," said John Mooney, former CEO and continuing executive chairman of SACHEM's Board of Directors. "I am pleased that one of our own will lead SACHEM into the future, and certainly, our Board and shareholders agree."

"It is an honor to be entrusted by the SACHEM Board of Directors to serve as the next CEO," said Hoffman. "The remarkable global management team that is already in place, along with SACHEM's proven leadership in the high purity chemistry space, puts us in an enviable position to grow and continue to offer effective customer solutions."

Most recently, Hoffman spent two years serving as SACHEM's chief operating officer and company president. Prior to that, she was promoted in a variety of progressively challenging roles across multiple areas at SACHEM, including sales, marketing, corporate strategic development, business development and operations planning. She holds a degree in chemical engineering from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles.

As incoming CEO, Hoffman plans to continue to make investments in digital transformation and sustainability practices. The company, through its "SACHEM Way" operating practices, has been recognized as an industry leader in health, safety and environmental excellence.

Hoffman is only the fourth CEO of SACHEM, which began as Mooney Chemicals in 1950. Today, the company operates in Japan, China, the Netherlands and the United States.

ABOUT SACHEM

SACHEM, Inc. delivers highly pure, precise, and innovative chemical solutions designed to solve the most demanding and challenging applications. For over 50 years SACHEM has provided chemical solutions and services to customers in key markets including electronics, personal care, starch modification, polymers, catalysts, emissions controls, pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals. Based in Austin, Texas, SACHEM's expanding worldwide operations include manufacturing and research facilities in North America, Europe and Asia with a global service network and presence spanning over 30 countries. Learn more at https://www.sacheminc.com/

Contact:

Leslie Sopko, representing SACHEM

[email protected]

SOURCE SACHEM
DUBLIN, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Medical Sensors Market - Global Outlook & Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global medical sensors market was valued at USD 2,171.30 million in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 2310.41 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 1.04%.

The study considers a detailed scenario of the present global medical sensors market and its market dynamics for the period 2021-2026. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market.



The rise of IoT in healthcare has led to the development of advanced medical devices integrated with sensors. Integrating patient monitoring devices with sensors raised the adoption of wearables and remote monitoring systems for managing health conditions. Advancements in MEMS technology have further increased the applications of sensing technologies in the healthcare and medical industries.

MEDICAL SENSORS MARKET SEGMENTS

In 2020, force sensors accounted for a share of 23.12% in the global medical sensors market. Most of the therapeutic and drug delivery devices require a change in force to function. This change in force is either made automatically by the device or manually by the patient. Therefore, incorporating force-sensing technology into drug-delivery and therapeutic devices can go a long way in addressing patient needs.

Physical sensing devices are most commonly used and have contributed to military, agriculture, aerospace, and industry development.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS

North America: The market in this region is growing majorly due to the high adoption of sensors in medical devices, constant increase in the aging population with growing life expectancy, rise in the number of hospitals and related diagnostic services. It can also be attributed to the increased use of infusion pumps and ventilators integrated with sensors.



Europe: There has been a huge demand for sensors and wireless technology in various sectors such as industrial, automotive, and others.



APAC: Japan, India, South Korea, and Australia are the major revenue contributors in this region. The market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period due to the rapid rise in the elderly population and various disorders requiring early diagnosis.

VENDOR ANALYSIS

The key companies in the market are TE Connectivity, STMicroelectronics, Sensirion AG, ON Semiconductor Corporation, Tekscan, NXP Semiconductors, and Amphenol Corporation.

Established companies can constantly involve themselves in acquisition, partnerships, and collaborations with emerging players to diversify their portfolios.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

The increased incorporation of sensors into healthcare devices, high demand for wearable sensors, and rise in advancements of IoT-based healthcare have contributed to the growth of the medical sensors industry.

By geography, North America dominated with the highest share of 37.78% in the global medical sensors industry in 2020.

dominated with the highest share of 37.78% in the global medical sensors industry in 2020. The outbreak of COVID-19 has increased the demand for respiratory devices and remote monitoring wearables incorporated with different types of medical sensors.

TE Connectivity acquired approximately 72% of the outstanding shares of First Sensor AG, a provider of sensing solutions based in Germany .

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED:

How big is the medical sensors market?

Which region has the highest growth rate in the medical sensor market?

What segments are covered in the medical sensors market report?

What are the key driving factors for the growth of medical sensors?

Who are the key players in the medical sensor industry?

What is the impact of COVID-19 on the global medical sensors industry?

Key Vendors

TE Connectivity

STMicroelectronics

Sensirion AG

ON Semiconductor Corporation

Tekscan

NXP Semiconductors

Amphenol Corporation

Other Prominent Vendors

All Sensors Corporation

ams AG

Analog Devices

Biometrics

Celera Motion

Cubic Sensor and Instrument Co.

GE Healthcare

Gems Sensors

Golden Valley Products

Honeywell International

Innovative Sensor Technology IST AG

Introtek International

Jiangsu Bairun Medical Technology

Maxim Integrated

Medtronic

OmniVision

Orantech

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

PreSens

Sensing Systems Corporation

Sensor Solutions

Servoflo Corporation

Smiths Medical

SST Sensing

Strain Measurement Devices

Thought Technology

Viomedex

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Overview

7.1.1 Applications of Medical Sensors

7.1.2 Different Types of Medical Sensors

7.1.3 Evolution of Smart Medical Sensors



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Rising Use of Advanced Wearable Devices & Home Healthcare Services

8.2 Novel Materials Used in Medical Sensors

8.3 Growing Number of Startups Promoting Medical Sensors

8.4 AI-Based Medical Sensors for Clinical Decisions



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Increased Miniaturization of Sensors into Medical Devices

9.2 Growing Use of Biomedical Sensors

9.3 Increasing Use of Wearable Sensors in Healthcare

9.4 Use of IoT-Based Applications in Healthcare Devices



10 Market Growth Restraints

10.1 Security Issues with Wireless Medical Sensor Networks

10.2 Strict Regulations & Longer Product Approvals

10.3 Challenges in Designing Medical Sensors



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Market Size & Forecast

11.3 COVID-19 Impact on Medical Sensors

11.4 Five Forces Analysis



12 Product Type

12.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Market Overview

12.3 Force Sensors

12.4 Airflow Sensors

12.5 Pressure Sensors

12.6 Temperature Sensors

12.7 Humidity Sensors



13 Mechanism

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Physical

13.4 Biomedical

13.5 Chemical



14 Application

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Diagnostics & Imaging

14.4 Patient Monitoring

14.5 Medical Implants & Endoscopy



15 Geography

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Geographic Overview

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7kgexw

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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DUBLIN, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "B2B E-commerce Marketplaces By Power Tools & Accessories Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Drill, Saws, Wrenches, Grinders, Sanders), By Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global B2B e-commerce marketplaces by power tools & accessories market size is projected to reach USD 15.11 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 18.1% from 2021 to 2028.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is prompting both buyers and sellers to consider third-party digital channels to buy and sell power tools, thereby driving the growth of the market over the forecast period. Manufacturers of power tools primarily rely on direct sales via e-commerce websites and distributors for selling their products.

However, the growing popularity of third-party marketplaces, such as Amazon.com and eBay, owing to various marketing and promotional strategies, such as high discounts and coupons, these marketplaces pursue are particularly proving lucrative for power tool manufacturers.



The sales of power tools witnessed single-digit growth in the B2B marketplaces in 2020. However, they are expected to grow significantly over the next seven years. Marketplaces, such as Amazon.com, eBay, and Alibaba.com, have gained significant popularity among buyers worldwide. Bulk discounts and contractual pricing have typically triggered a paradigm shift in the buyers' attitude toward these e-commerce marketplaces, which bodes well for the growth of the market over the forecast period.



The preference for DIY among individuals for home improvement activities is growing significantly, thereby encouraging e-commerce marketplaces to increase their Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) to cater to the rising demand for DIY tools. Home improvement activities typically call for power tools, such as power drills, circular saws, impact wrenches, hammer drills, and grinders.

They can help individuals in various home improvement activities, such as roofing, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, and landscaping, among others. E-commerce marketplaces offer a wide range and options for buyers to choose the power tools of their choice.

Various key functionalities, such as comparison of products on various parameters, coupled with transparency in features and prices are particularly encouraging buyers to prefer B2B e-commerce marketplaces over other channels, thereby contributing to the growth of the market over the forecast period.



B2B E-commerce Marketplaces By Power Tools & Accessories Market Report Highlights

The drills segment accounted for the largest market share in 2020 and is expected to continue dominating the market over the forecast period. The growth of the segment can be attributed to the easy availability of sophisticated, lightweight drills featuring long-lasting batteries at affordable prices.

Amazon.com, Inc. is expected to gain a significant market share in terms of revenue due to its large customer base.

Asia Pacific , led by China , and North America , led by the U.S., are expected to contribute significantly to the growing regional demand over the forecast period. The growing customer bases of Alibaba and Amazon.com, both of which allow buyers to purchase in bulk at discounted prices, are expected to contribute to the growth of the two regional markets.

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope

1.1. Research Methodology

1.2. Research Scope & Assumptions

1.3. List of Data Sources



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Snapshot



Chapter 3. Market Trends, Variables, and Scope

3.1. Market Segmentation

3.2. Market Size and Growth Prospects, 2016 - 2028

3.3. Value Chain Analysis

3.4. Market Dynamics

3.5. Key Opportunities Prioritized

3.6. Industry Analysis - Porter's

3.7. PEST Analysis



Chapter 4. B2B E - Commerce Marketplaces By Power Tools & Accessories Market: Product Outlook

4.1. B2B e - commerce marketplaces by power tools & accessories market Share by Product, 2020 & 2028 (USD Million)

4.2. Drills

4.3. Saws

4.4. Wrenches

4.5. Grinders

4.6. Sanders



Chapter 5. B2B E - Commerce Marketplaces By Power Tools & Accessories Market: Regional Outlook

5.1. Market Share by Region, 2015 & 2025 (USD Billion)



Chapter 6. Competitive Landscape

Alibaba.com

Amazon.com, Inc

ChinaAseanTrade.com

DIYTrade.com

eBay Inc.

eworldtrade.com

Ferguson Enterprises, LLC

Flipkart.com

IndiaMART InterMESH Ltd

Quill Lincolnshire, Inc

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/if9cug

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glympse, a biotechnology company developing revolutionary technology to diagnose and monitor disease, today announced that it will be presenting on the new liquid biopsy approach to its biosensor platform at the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) annual The Liver Meeting, being held virtually from Nov. 12-15, 2021.

The new liquid biopsy approach is an evolution of Glympse's biosensor platform, which was previously administered by injecting biosensors into patients and collecting a urine sample for analysis. The data in Glympse's late breaker oral presentation, given by Arun J. Sanyal, M.D. of Virginia Commonwealth University, demonstrate that a non-invasive blood assay of protease activity can effectively predict the presence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in preclinical models and can accurately diagnose NASH versus healthy patients in human studies. These data indicate that disease-specific protease activity can be meaningfully analyzed via a simple blood test.

"Our findings in animal models and human studies indicate that NASH may be diagnosed and monitored by measuring protease activity from a blood sample, offering a safer and better tolerated approach than a liver biopsy," said Tram Tran, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Glympse. "This technology has broad utility; it is a significant breakthrough and would be a valuable new tool for clinicians diagnosing and treating patients.

"The concept of applying Glympse's biosensor technology through a simple blood test has the potential to revolutionize diagnostics. Our presentation at AASLD is an important step towards the clinical application of our technology and helping patients in need across a wide spectrum of diseases," said Caroline Loew, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Glympse. "We look forward to sharing these data with the NASH community."

Details about the AASLD presentation can be seen below:

Title: Accurate Diagnosis of NASH Using Novel Protease Based Liquid Biopsy

Presented by: Arun J. Sanyal, M.D.

Time/Date: Sunday, November 14, 2021, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Link: Late-Breaking Abstracts, LO3

The presentation will also be available to view on the Glympse website. For more information about Glympse and its biosensor technology, please visit www.glympsebio.com.

About Glympse Bio

Glympse is a biotechnology company focused on optimizing disease diagnosis and monitoring. The company is developing biosensor technology that, from a simple blood draw, can measure the activity of proteins that are uniquely involved in the progression of disease. Using a proprietary machine learning algorithm, the Glympse biosensor protease activity assay data is used to generate real-time information about the disease. The lead indication for this technology is non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the most severe form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is currently diagnosed through an invasive liver biopsy procedure.

For more information, please visit www.glympsebio.com.

Investor Contact

Matthew Navarro, J.D.

Glympse

[email protected]

Media Contact

Maggie Beller

Russo Partners, LLC

[email protected]

646-942-5631

SOURCE Glympse Bio

Related Links

https://glympsebio.com


ATLANTA, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the holiday season approaches, many travelers are ready to take their long-awaited vacations, the ones they were unable to take last year. But this holiday season, taking a flight to see family and friends, and then lightening your own load by having your luggage delivered to you from the airport baggage claim, by Grab My Bag, has charitable perks.

"Book a flight, Book a GRAB." Book a "GRAB" with Grab My Bag to have your checked luggage delivered to your requested destination when you land. I Care Atlanta, Inc. is partnered with Grab My Bag to fight hunger in households this holiday season.

Grab My Bag has launched its mission to help families in need of holiday meals this season, through their initiative titled "GRAB-A-Turkey." From November 1, 2021 to November 15, 2021, for every customer that books a 3-4 Bag GRAB package or higher, to have Grab My Bag deliver their checked luggage to them from baggage claim when they land, instead of waiting at the crowded baggage claim carousels for their bags, Grab My Bag will donate a turkey to I Care Atlanta, Inc. on their behalf, for a family in need. The travelers' actual trip can take place anytime in the future.

Not affiliated with the airports or airlines, Grab My Bag works on behalf of the traveler to lighten their loads, ease minds, and offer convenience, during the baggage claim process.

Click here to Book-A-GRAB.

I Care Atlanta, Inc. (formerly My Brother's Keepers Reaching Out, Inc) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization devoted to stabilizing lives and preventing homelessness by feeding the food insecure through the provision of groceries, cooked foods and connecting clients to resources and emergency assistance. They provide these services through mobile and in-house distribution, and emergency/crisis prevention services.

Ana Varela, Director, I Care Atlanta, Inc. said, "We are totally excited to be working with Grab My Bag for Grab-A-Turkey! The distribution of meals to families in need is such an important cause and Grab-A-Turkey is not only in line with our organization's mission, but it's a great way for travelers to give back to those less fortunate without having to add another thing to their to do list. Book-A-Flight, Book-A-Grab, and then we get to Grab-A-Turkey for a family that needs it. Everybody wins!"

Emory Reignz, CEO/Founder, Grab My Bag said, "There's nothing like sitting down for a good meal with someone you love. So, for the families that are still struggling to recover from the aftereffects of the pandemic, or for those that just need a helping hand this year, we're happy, with the help of our customers of course, to provide a small piece of a meal that we hope will bring families joy this year; the turkey."

Meals will be distributed by the Dunwoody and Chamblee Police Departments on November 18, 2021, and by the Doraville Police Department on November 19, 2021. Families will be provided with a turkey 15-20lbs, greens, yams, and other canned good items to prepare their holiday meal.

Grab My Bag is hiring "GRAB-bers." To apply visit https://grabmybag.com/be-a-grab-ber/.

About Grab My Bag, Inc.

Website: https://www.grabmybag.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrabMyBagInc

Instagram: https://instagram.com/GrabMyBagInc

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/GrabMyBagInc

Media Contact

Company Name: Grab My Bag, Inc.

Phone: 833-244-9994

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Grab My Bag, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.grabmybag.com


ST. LOUIS, Mo., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of related supply chain management and logistics services, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Steven Engineering, Inc.

Headquartered in South San Francisco, Calif., Steven Engineering provides advanced automation, motion control and pneumatic solutions to a wide range of market segments. Steven Engineering was founded in 1975 and has a total of three locations in California and Oregon. As a subsidiary of Graybar, the company will continue to operate under the Steven Engineering name with the same leadership team, employees and suppliers.

"We are excited to welcome the Steven Engineering team to Graybar," said Kathleen M. Mazzarella, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Graybar. "With its reputation for exceptional customer service and advanced technical capabilities, Steven Engineering will accelerate Graybar's growth and strengthen our position in the industrial automation business."

"Steven Engineering and Graybar share similar values and a passion for helping our employees, customers and suppliers succeed," said Bryan Wolfgram, chief executive officer of Steven Engineering. "As part of Graybar, we look forward to sustaining our positive workplace culture, while investing in growth and innovation to achieve long-term success."

Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of more than 292 North American distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of manufacturers, helping its customers power, network and secure their facilities with speed, intelligence and efficiency. For more information, visit www.graybar.com or call 1-800-GRAYBAR.

Media Contact:

Tim Sommer

(314) 578-7672

[email protected]

SOURCE Graybar

Related Links

http://www.Graybar.com


CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GTCR, a leading private equity firm, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cisive (the "Company").

Cisive, headquartered in Holtsville, New York, is a leading background screening provider focused on providing high value employee background screens and industry-specific data services to highly regulated, risk-sensitive industries. Cisive has long-term relationships with a diverse base of blue-chip enterprise clients across healthcare, financial services, transportation and other regulated industries.

GTCR will partner with long-time CEO Jim Owens, who has led the company since 2008, and the current management team. As part of the transaction, GTCR expects to commit significant incremental equity to fund acquisitions and organic growth initiatives.

Founded in 1977, Cisive has developed a broad range of differentiated vertical offerings including License Manager Pro (subscription healthcare license management), eRailSafe (proprietary rail contractor certification used by 5 of top 7 rail operators), DriverIQ (proprietary OTR trucker database), global sanctions checking (financial institutions), and state arrest and disposition records (government). Cisive's solutions deliver compliant employment intelligence to enterprise clients who are highly averse to employee-related risks and operate in highly regulated industries.

"Jim and the Cisive management team have built an exceptional business offering high value background screening products to employers operating in complex end markets," said GTCR Managing Director Aaron Cohen. "We look forward to partnering with the Cisive team as they build on their success in delivering best-in-class products and service for their clients."

"We are very enthusiastic to partner with GTCR. We look forward to continuing to support our customers with excellent service while expanding our product offerings through innovation and acquisitions," said Mr. Owens, CEO of Cisive. "GTCR brings significant resources and experience in building industry-leading companies, and they will be a valuable partner in driving long-term growth for our business."

KJ McConnell, Principal at GTCR, added: "Cisive's dedication to delivering a strong customer and user experience, unique industry expertise, and high standards for accuracy and compliance creates a robust foundation for future growth. We are thrilled to partner with Jim and the Cisive team."

J.P. Morgan served as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to GTCR. The Company was advised by Raymond James and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About GTCR

Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Financial Services & Technology, Healthcare, Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Growth Business Services industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategy - finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $20 billion in over 250 companies. For more information, please visit www.gtcr.com.

About Cisive

Cisive is a global leader in compliance-driven human capital and risk management solutions, providing onboarding and pre-employment background screening solutions to address the complex challenges and needs of large enterprises with dedicated, in-country account management teams committed to customer satisfaction. Cisive is accredited by the Professional Background Screeners Association (PBSA) and was named for the fourth consecutive year by HRO Today to the 2020 Baker's Dozen Customer Satisfaction rankings of Top Pre-Employment Screening Providers, in addition to being named Company of the Year by CIO Review. The company and its brands serve clients in financial services, transportation, telecom/media, healthcare, utilities, and the home services end-markets, among others. For additional information, please visit www.cisive.com.

Media Contact:

Kellie Kennedy

312-933-4903

[email protected]

SOURCE GTCR
CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GTCR, a leading private equity firm, announced today the promotions of Jeffrey B. Heh and Travis J. Krueger to Managing Director.

Mr. Heh joined GTCR's Debt Capital Markets group in 2013. He focuses on GTCR's debt financing activities for both new and existing investments. Prior to joining GTCR, Mr. Heh worked as a Vice President in the Leveraged Finance group at J.P. Morgan. He holds a degree in business administration with a finance concentration from the University of Richmond.

Mr. Krueger joined GTCR in 2005 as a member of the firm's Finance and Accounting group. He focuses on GTCR's portfolio companies, including portfolio company support, portfolio analytics, valuation processes and reporting as well as other investor relations activities. He is a Certified Public Accountant and previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Assurance practice. Mr. Krueger holds an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, and a BS in finance and accounting from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

"As we continue to build our leadership team, we are pleased to recognize Jeff and Travis for their many contributions," said Collin Roche, GTCR Managing Director and Co-CEO. "They are both highly talented individuals who have strong records of success supporting transformational investments in our portfolio companies behind our exceptional management teams. As importantly, both are strong exemplars of our culture of personal impact and constructive team-based collaboration. We look forward to the additional leadership contributions from Travis and Jeff in the future."

About GTCR

Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Financial Services & Technology, Growth Business Services, Healthcare, and Technology, Media & Telecommunications industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategy  finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $20 billion in over 250 companies. For more information, please visit www.gtcr.com. Follow GTCR on LinkedIn .

Media Contact:

Kellie Kennedy

312-933-4903

[email protected]

SOURCE GTCR
In this new role, Daniel will spearhead the growth of the Corporate Business unit, taking responsibility for its strategic direction and overseeing day-to-day operations. He will enrich HGC's relationships with business customers and uplift their digital capabilities to connect them with business opportunities around the world while always keeping their customers at the forefront of every decision.

A stalwart of the Asia Pacific ICT industry with a proven track record of successful achievements, Daniel brings a wealth of experience to his new role at HGC. Daniel has held various senior management positions in the fields of technical pre-sales, mobile sales and corporate sales. With a singular focus on serving large enterprises, Daniel will lead his team in the provision of integrated telecom, data centre and ICT solutions and services to meet evolving needs.

Andrew Kwok, Chief Executive Officer of HGC, said, "HGC is committed to leveraging our advanced technologies, digital infrastructure and comprehensive services to strengthen connections for businesses locally and globally. Daniel shares our belief in the bright prospects for our region's corporates and has an exciting vision for how HGC can continue to support them to thrive in the evolving digital era. It is a pleasure to welcome him to HGC."

Daniel Ng, Senior Vice President of Corporate Business at HGC, said, "As a veteran in the ICT industry, I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the HGC management team. With HGC's sophisticated corporate services built on clear strategies and exceptional digital capabilities, as well as a substantial and extensive network infrastructure, I look forward to working closely with the talented HGC team to create further value for our customers and stakeholders."

About HGC Global Communications Limited

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. HGC has 23 overseas offices, with business over 5 continents. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households. The company provides full-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong's largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing and enriching its current infrastructure and, in parallel, adding on top the latest technologies and developing its infrastructure services and solutions. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies.

To learn more, please visit HGC's website at: www.hgc.com.hk

SOURCE HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC)

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MADISON, Wis., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Madison There is history in the making. The first statue on the grounds of a State Capitol of an African American woman will be in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin State Capitol and Executive Residence Board voted Monday, November 1st in favor of the historic designation for a statue honoring Vel Phillips.

Velvalea "Vel" Hortense Rodgers Phillips, served in many roles during her life. Her various positions as lawyer, judge, politician, and Civil Rights activist make her one of the most prominent and accomplished figures of Milwaukee and Wisconsin's African American community.

"The achievements of Vel Phillip will be displayed for generations to come. Kids will come to the Capitol and learn about her incredible life," Michael Johnson, President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County stated.

Vel Phillips was known for many firsts, including the following historic designations: First African American woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, First female and first African American elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, First African American judge in the State of Wisconsin and First African American woman to be elected to a statewide office in Wisconsin and the entire nation.

Johnson went on to say, "So many businesses and community leaders helped to make this happen. They turned a dream into a reality. People donated money and their time. An amazing accomplishment so fitting of this great woman."

Mike Phillips, son of Vel Phillips, stated, "My mom's legacy lives on. But there is more work to be done. We must honor her legacy by investing in our kids. We must help kids find their own 'firsts'. Together we can support our future leaders."

The Vel Phillips Educational Fund was recently launched by the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County to support educational opportunities for youth in Wisconsin. To learn more or to donate go to Donate to Vel Phillips Statue Fundraiser (classy.org)

ABOUT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF DANE COUNTY We are a local not-for-profit youth development organization serving over 6,600 youths in eleven locations, including eight school-based sites and three traditional Club sites. The Clubs fuel kids with the inspiration to dream and teach them the skills to achieve when they're most impressionable through quality programs in five core areas: Character & Leadership Development; Education & Career Development; Health & Life Skills; The Arts; and Sports, Fitness & Recreation. See the impact we make in the life of each Club member here: www.bgcdc.org

Twitter: @bgcdc

More Information Contact:

Steve Lyons Phone: 608-220-7478 Email: [email protected]

Jake Brown Phone: 608-628-2653 Email: [email protected]

SOURCE The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Hoegh LNG Partners LP ("Hoegh" or the "Company") (NYSE: HMLP) on behalf of purchasers of Hoegh securities between August 22, 2019 and July 27, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/hmlp.

This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: (1) Hoegh LNG Partners LP (the "Partnership") was facing issues with the PGN FSRU Lampungcharter; (2) as a result, the PGN FSRU Lampung charterer would state that it would commence arbitration to declare the charter null and void, and/or to terminate the charter, and/or seek damages; (3) the Partnership would need to find alternative refinancing for its PGN FSRU Lampung credit facility; (4) the PGN FSRU Lampungcredit facility matured in September 2021, not October 2021 as previously stated; (5) the Partnership would be forced to accept less favorable refinancing terms with regards to the PGN FSRU Lampung credit facility; (6) Hoegh LNG would not extend the revolving credit line to the Partnership past its maturation date; (7) Hoegh LNG would reveal that it "will have very limited capacity to extend any additional advances to the Partnership beyond what is currently drawn under the facility"; (8) as a result of the foregoing, the Partnership would essentially end distributions to common units holders; (9) the COVID-19 pandemic was not the sole or root cause of the Partnership's issues in Indonesia, in 2019, before the pandemic, there were already a very low amount of demand in Indonesia for the Partnership's gas; (10) the auditing, tax, nor maintenance of PGN FSRU Lampung were not the sole or root cause(s) of the Partnership's issues in Indonesia; and (11) as a result, defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/hmlp or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Hoegh you have until December 27, 2021, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firm's expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Peretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson

212-697-6484 | [email protected]

SOURCE Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Related Links

https://www.bgandg.com/


"By aligning our CSR strategy around key areas of our societal commitment, Honda is taking steps toward our goal of helping people reach their life's potential," said Yvette Hunsicker, vice president of the Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusion & Diversity Divisions, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "We are committed to making positive and lasting change in our communities, whether that's through financial contributions or the volunteer efforts of our associates."

This new strategy allows the CSR division to better align with the company's global philanthropy goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

CSR Pillars Strengthen Community Support

Honda's vision for CSR now centers on five pillars, grounded in Honda's corporate values, and will be supported by Honda and the Honda USA Foundation.

Education: Inspiring the Next Generation. Honda believes in embracing the dreams of young people and creating opportunities for them to succeed. We know educating today's youth will inspire creativity and spark innovation to help solve tomorrow's challenges. That's why Honda has made science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education and career readiness top priorities.

Honda believes in embracing the dreams of young people and creating opportunities for them to succeed. We know educating today's youth will inspire creativity and spark innovation to help solve tomorrow's challenges. That's why Honda has made science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education and career readiness top priorities. Environment: Building a Sustainable Future. Honda does more than create sustainable products and processes. Our dedication to reducing our environmental footprint leads to our goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We're on a mission to protect the Earth for future generations and ensure Blue Skies for Our Children.

Honda does more than create sustainable products and processes. Our dedication to reducing our environmental footprint leads to our goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. We're on a mission to protect the Earth for future generations and ensure Blue Skies for Our Children. Mobility: The Joy and Freedom of Mobility. Whether it's creating products that provide mobility on land, in the water or in the skies, enhancing the joy and freedom of mobility in our communities will always be our driving inspiration.

Whether it's creating products that provide mobility on land, in the water or in the skies, enhancing the joy and freedom of mobility in our communities will always be our driving inspiration. Traffic Safety: Safety for Everyone. Striving for a collision-free society is one of our most monumental dreams yetthat's why Honda believes in Safety for Everyone. We are committed to helping people safely and confidently enjoy the freedom of mobility both on and off the road.

Striving for a collision-free society is one of our most monumental dreams yetthat's why Honda believes in Safety for Everyone. We are committed to helping people safely and confidently enjoy the freedom of mobility both on and off the road. Community: Empowering Our Communities. We may be a global company, but at our core, we are peoplepeople who care about our families, our neighbors and local communities across America. Honda is committed to inspiring and empowering our associates to get involved in the communities where we live and work.

Honda Giving

As a part of Honda's new CSR strategy, Honda consolidated its three former U.S. foundationsthe American Honda Foundation, Honda of America Foundation and Honda Marine Science Foundationinto one, the Honda USA Foundation. The foundation will collaborate with like-minded organizations to drive sustainable change in marginalized communities. The company also has streamlined its charitable giving to offer both corporate and foundation funding opportunities.

Honda and the Honda USA Foundation will provide funding with a focus on eligible organizations that support communities located near the company's major operations and align with its strategic pillars. The funding cycle for both corporate and foundation giving will open each fall with specified award categories, and approved funding will be distributed in the spring. At times, Honda also may provide invitation-only opportunities to key community partners.

Honda and the Honda USA Foundation are now accepting applications through November 30, 2021 in the areas of the Environment, Mobility and Traffic Safety. Eligible organizations can apply for more than one award category from either Honda or the Honda USA Foundation, but may not submit the same project under multiple award categories. To learn more about funding opportunities and eligibility criteria, please visit: https://csr.honda.com/community/honda-giving/.

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility

For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda's mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life's potential through its focus on education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.

SOURCE Honda
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeybee Burger Inc. ("Honeybee"), the owner and operator of the plant-based burger chain Honeybee Burger, today announced that it has partnered with DJ/producer Dani Thorne to launch a late-night burger brand called "PBAF", for "plant based as f_ck".

PBAF's menu differs from Honeybee, though will still feature delicious and original vegan takes on traditional fast food, including the classic cheeseburger, fried chicken sandwiches, and more. The menu will be targeted for late-night customers looking for plant-based delivery options.

DJ/producer Dani Thorne is ready to help PBAF shine

"We think Dani is the perfect voice for PBAF, which we think of as vegan with an attitude," says Adam Weiss, founder of Honeybee Burger, a popular plant-based burger chain in Los Angeles.

Dani, a veteran of the late-night club scene and professional DJ, is an avid vegan advocate and huge fan of Honeybee. "I fell in love with Honeybee's take on vegan food. I am excited to partner with them on PBAF because we can spread the appeal of vegan food to a crowd that doesn't have many late-night options," said Dani.

Dani's Instagram following of over 500k is part of her influence, though she also performs at live events and festivals. Dani will create PBAF-related content to help drive customers to PBAF's delivery platforms.

This is a non-traditional partnership for a burger brand, which is perfect according to Weiss. "PBAF is definitely a non-traditional brand. Dani's eclectic personality, her creative energy, and her passion for vegan food makes her a great fit for the customers we are seeking," said Weiss.

About Honeybee

Honeybee launched in Los Angeles in 2019 as the first fully mission-driven, all plant-based QSR. More information on PBAF may be seen at WWW.PB-AF.com, and on Instagram @plant_based_as_f_ck.

About Dani Thorne

Los Angeles based DJ/Producer Dani Thorne aka COM3T is taking the universe by storm with her entrancing bass tracks, giving listeners a glimpse into the psychedelic nature of her work. Thorne has climbed the ranks in the electronic space by giving fans an alternative universe to escape to. She has been mentioned in coveted publications such as EDM.com and Billboard. Dani has been a vegan advocate for the past 6 years. On Instagram @dani_thorne

Media Contact:

Adam Weiss

Honeybee Burger Inc

323 452  6024

[email protected]

SOURCE Honeybee Burger Inc
The company's Grocery Products business includes many of the company's most well-known brands such as Planters, SKIPPY, Justin's, Dinty Moore, Hormel chili, Corn Nuts, Herdez and WHOLLY, as well as its iconic SPAM brand, among others. Frank will assume responsibility for continuing to evolve the company's portfolio to meet the changing needs of today's consumers, amplifying scale in snacking and entertaining, and growing the company's ethnic and food-forward portfolio.

"Luis has had an impressive 20-year career with Hormel Foods, leading a portfolio of iconic and emerging brands as Hormel Foods evolved into a global branded food company," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer, Hormel Foods. "Luis was instrumental in creating an organization that remains focused on marketing and brand building. His vast experience has been incredibly valuable, notably in the role he played as the founding leader of MegaMex Foods and in the continued growth of the company's multicultural portfolio. We thank Luis for his contributions and wish him the very best as he enjoys a well-deserved retirement."

Frank will assume the Grocery Products leadership helm with strong Hormel Foods knowledge and expertise built over the last 20 years with the company. Most recently, he led the integration of the Planters brand into the Hormel Foods portfolio, the largest acquisition in Hormel Foods history.

"Jeff is assuming the leadership of Grocery Products at an incredibly exciting time," said Snee. "Our growing portfolio of leading brands has never been stronger, especially with the acquisition of Planters. Jeff has been an outstanding leader of some of our most dynamic brands and businesses, including accelerating the growth of our MegaMex business as its president. He has a strong background in marketing, sales, business strategy and innovation. I look forward to working with him to continue to deliver growth in Grocery Products."

About Luis Marconi

Luis Marconi began his career with Hormel Foods in 2000 as the manager of international sales and marketing in the international division. Prior to joining Hormel Foods, Marconi spent nine years in several international marketing roles at The Quaker Oats Company.

He advanced in 2006 to a senior role in the Hormel Foods Grocery Products division as manager of international joint ventures. In 2009, when the MegaMex Foods joint venture was formed, Marconi was appointed managing director by the board of managers. He was named the vice president of Grocery Products marketing in 2012 and assumed his current role in 2016.

Marconi graduated from Pontifical Xaverian University in Colombia with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering and received his MBA degree from Icesi University. He is also a graduate of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Executive Program in Minneapolis.

About Jeff Frank

Jeff Frank began his career with Hormel Foods in 1998 in San Francisco, Calif. His progression at Hormel Foods consists of senior roles in product and brand management, including being named director of retail marketing and vice president of retail marketing. He transitioned to the company's joint venture with Herdez del Fuerte S.A. de C.V (Mexico), MegaMex Foods, in 2009 as the vice president of marketing. He was named president and CEO of MegaMex Foods in 2013, successfully leading the global supply chain and driving business growth with on-trend brands such as WHOLLY guacamole and Herdez salsa. He was named vice president of marketing for foodservice at Hormel Foods in 2018 and assumed his current role in 2021.

Frank holds an executive certificate from UCLA's Anderson School of Management, an MBA from University of St. Thomas and a bachelor's degree in business administration and Spanish from University of Minnesota-Duluth. He has also completed Harvard Business School's Executive Education program.

About Hormel Foods  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $10 billion in annual revenues across 75 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Columbus, WHOLLY, Hormel Black Label, Columbus and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for the 12 years, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and https://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

Contact: Media Relations

507-434-6352

[email protected]

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation

Related Links

http://www.hormel.com


LONDON, Nov.1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Huobi Global, one of the world's leading digital asset exchanges, announced today the launch of its Primelist event, offering both institutional and individual investors a unique opportunity to access new blockchain projects. This particular Primelist event will offer access to Immutable X (IMX) tokens, a solution for NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain.

"Our previous Prime and Primepool events attracted many participants from around the world. We're building on these experiences, and offering another opportunity for investors to access cutting-edge, early-stage projects," said Ciara Sun, head of listing and blockchain investments at Huobi Group.

An improved version of Huobi Prime, Huobi Primelist provides an easy and more convenient way for investors to access new crypto projects with special price incentives. Starting 11:00(London time) on Nov. 5, users will be able to purchase new assets on Huobi Primelist through queuing for numbered tickets or holding Huobi Tokens. Users who register through either of the two channels will enter into two separate asset pools, which together account for 0.3% of the total new token supply (6,000,000 tokens).

"HT and USDT holders can purchase new assets directly with USDT, without being required to stake a certain number of tokens in advance as in previous promotions. In addition, the creation of two separate new-token pools ensures that all HT holders who join the event can acquire new tokens," added Ms. Sun.

The launch of the Primelist event reflects Huobi's efforts to give back to its community, as well as its plans to grow its existing Huobi Token ecosystem. The first token to be listed on Primelist will be Immutable X (IMX), the first Layer 2 scaling solution for NFTs on Ethereum. This solution offers instant trade confirmations, massive scalability (up to 9,000 TPS+) and zero gas fees.

"Many of the investors from our previous Prime-series events were happy with their rewards, so we're excited to keep the momentum going and use Primelist to introduce more opportunities to the community," added Ciara.

Huobi Primelist Event Details

Method 1: Users who hold a minimum of 200 USDT can purchase IMX tokens through queuing on Nov. 5. 2400 lucky users holding numbered tickets between 1 and 2400 will each be able to acquire 200 USDT worth of IMX tokens.

Method 2: Users who hold a minimum average of 300 HT over the three days from 17:00:00 (London time) on Nov. 1 to 16:59:59 (London time) on Nov. 4 will be able to purchase new assets on Nov. 5. The system will automatically execute the orders and distribute new assets to each participant, based on the formula below:

*The number of new assets distributed to each user = The order amount of a participant (USDT) /the order amount of all participants(USDT)* The number of new assets offered by the platform

How to Participate

To enter the event, users can simply log in on the event page and hold HT and USDT to purchase new assets. One hour after the promotion ends, users will be able to trade IMX on Huobi Global. To learn more about the promotion, click here: https://www.huobi.com/support/en-us/detail/44890071200655

About Huobi Group

Huobi Group is the world's leading blockchain and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider with a financial product suite that includes the largest digital asset exchange by liquidity and real-trading volume. Trusted by users in over 170 countries, the Huobi platform is dedicated to improving financial freedom and inclusive access for all users. Huobi boasts an unmatched portfolio of crypto products and offerings. This includes trading and financial products, cryptocurrency and blockchain financial infrastructure solutions, education, data and research, social welfare, investment, and incubation, and much more always innovating on the horizon. For more information, please visit https://blog.hbg.com/

SOURCE Huobi
TOLEDO, Ohio, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hylant, one of the largest privately owned insurance brokerages in the U.S., announces the launch of RoadPilot, a "pay as you go" hired non-owned program designed for the restaurant home food delivery industry.

The program takes a unique approach by integrating real-time monitoring of driver behavior with the assessment of risk. The program will typically target restaurant groups with 20 or more locations. Traditional insurance products can lead to gaps in coverage for restaurant businesses that rely on delivery drivers because premiums are based on industry averages and applied universally regardless of the drivers' liability profiles. With RoadPilot, premiums are developed to more fairly and accurately reflect a delivery driver's actual behavior and actual delivery miles travelled. Specific rating factors include aggregate driver risk profiles derived from hard braking, rapid acceleration, speeding, unsafe maneuvers, and phone usage. Premium is determined on a monthly basis.

"We're excited to begin this program with Obsidian Insurance Company," said Mike Ugljesa, President of Hylant Administrative Services. "Their team has a proven track record of providing solutions for industry niches. The collaboration between our teams during the development of the product was great. We look forward to a long-term partnership with Obsidian on RoadPilot."

William Jewett, CEO of Obsidian Insurance Company, commented, "We are thrilled to partner with a highly respected program partner that has strong and proven expertise in the restaurant and food franchise industries. The RoadPilot program brings a much-needed product to the food delivery segment and has developed an innovative approach to more accurately price risk with the incorporation of telematics. We look forward to a long-term partnership with Hylant as well as the strong panel of reinsurers supporting the program."

RoadPilot is an app-based technology that drivers install on their phones. Clients also have access to a convenient dashboard that is available 24/7. This provides managers with real-time data to monitor in-progress driving and drill down into historical driving statistics to help identify and address unsafe driving habits. Data can also be used to reward and incentivize employees who are driving safely.

Learn more at https://roadpilotinsurance.com.

About Hylant

Hylant is one of the largest privately held insurance brokerages in the United States. Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, we offer complete risk management services, employee benefits brokerage and consultation, loss control, healthcare management and insurance solutions for businesses and individuals locally, nationally, and internationally. www.hylant.com.

About Obsidian Insurance Company

Obsidian Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Obsidian Insurance Holdings, Inc., a new fronting insurance holding company that issues policies underwritten by Managing General Agents, Managing General Underwriters, and program managers. Obsidian sources, underwrites, and manages a diverse portfolio of property, casualty, and specialty insurance programs, and reinsures the majority of its program business to select reinsurers. Obsidian was formed in 2020 in partnership with leading insurance industry executives and Genstar Capital. For more information, visit www.obsidianspecialty.com.

Contacts:

For Hylant

Contact: Bridget Scott

Hylant

317-817-5142

For Obsidian

Contact: Chris Tofalli

Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC

914-834-4334

SOURCE Obsidian Insurance Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.obsidianspecialty.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Imperfect Foods, the brand reimagining grocery delivery for a kinder, less wasteful food system announces it is now a Certified B CorporationTM (B CorpTM). This milestone underscores the brand's commitment to sustainability, transparency and accountability, with Imperfect Foods as one of the first grocers to receive the prestigious certification.

Founded in 2015 with the goal of eliminating the 35% of food that ends up wasted in the U.S. each year, Imperfect Foods began by sourcing ugly and surplus produce that didn't meet conventional grocery store standards, and delivering it directly to customers' doors. Over the past six years, Imperfect Food has rescued over 150 million pounds of food from farms and producers across the country, which is recognized and credited under B Corp Certification as producing a specific positive benefit for people and the planet. Now a full-service online grocer offering private label items, with 25 million boxes delivered to date and on track to rescue over 50 million pounds of food this year, the brand is leading the category with its food-rescue and sustainability efforts. Imperfect Foods has recently announced its plan to become a net-zero carbon operation by 203010 years earlier than major retailers and 20 years before the Paris Climate Agreement deadline. In 2020 alone, Imperfect Foods' last-mile delivery emitted 12,800 fewer tons of CO2 than trips to traditional grocery storesthe equivalent of taking 2,800 cars off the road for a yearpurchased 7,921 tons of post-consumer recycled packaging, and saved 55,043,735 pounds of food from lesser outcomes.

"Since day one, we've been on a mission to fix our country's broken food system, from how we source our products, to the way we package and deliver orders, and how we're driving access within local communities," said Imperfect Foods' Head of Sustainability Madeline Rotman. "We're honored to have this stamp of approval and to pave the way for the future of grocery, to show that you can be sustainable, accessible, and successful."

Beyond its environmental efforts, Imperfect Foods is working to increase food access, offering a Reduced Cost Box Program for qualifying customers. To date, the brand has delivered over 475,000 boxes through the program. Through its last-mile delivery, Imperfect Foods also has the ability to service communities who may lack access to traditional grocery stores.

Imperfect Foods joins the 4,000 companies, in 77 countries, across 153 industries globally to achieve B Corp certification. This certification holds businesses to a higher standard of social and environmental responsibility, legal accountability and public transparency in order to balance both profit and purpose.

As a certified B Corp, Imperfect Foods will play a key role in accelerating a cultural shift to further redefine success in business, committing companies to a more inclusive and sustainable economy. This certification validates Imperfect Foods as a force for good and provides an additional tool to engage and build trust amongst consumers of the past, present and future, particularly as it sees its fifth year of sustained triple-digit annual growth.

"We are thrilled to welcome Imperfect Foods to our growing community of B Corporation who align with our mission to redefine success in business in order to balance both profit and purpose," said Lindsey Wilson, Business Development Manager for B Lab US/Canada. "Recognition as a certified B Corp allows Imperfect Foods to continue their mission of reimagining grocery for a less wasteful food system, and affirms their role as a leader in the industry. We are looking forward to seeing Imperfect Foods' continued investment in our planet's future expand with this new achievement."

About Imperfect Foods

Imperfect Foods is the leading online grocer at the forefront of building a kinder, less wasteful food system. Founded in 2015, the company's mission of eliminating food waste and building a better food system for everyone is largely powered by working directly with farmers and producers to rescue, redistribute, and develop goods across multiple grocery categories, including produce, shelf-stable items, dairy, meat, seafood, and private label offerings. If a waste-saving option isn't available for a particular item, the company sources the most sustainable choice available to ensure customers' grocery needs are met. Imperfect Foods customers receive weekly scheduled deliveries right on their doorsteps and have the flexibility to change the items they receive each week, as well as the order frequency. Customers enjoy a service that is more affordable  and more environmentally friendly than the average trip to the grocery store. To learn more, visit imperfectfoods.com.

To download a copy of Imperfect Foods' trend report diving deeper into the future of online grocery as it relates to sustainability, please click here.

To learn more about Imperfect Foods and its commitment to sustainability, please click here.

SOURCE Imperfect Foods

Related Links

http://www.imperfectfoods.com


"It is a privilege to launch Insight Global Health and support the healthcare industry," said Jessica Calzaretta. Tweet this

"The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on healthcare workers who have been on the front lines for months on end providing medical treatment for COVID-19 patients, and the demand for healthcare workers, especially nurses, has grown exponentially," said Bert Bean, CEO of Insight Global. "Our mission became very clear as the pandemic continued when we saw healthcare teams suffering from burnout and trauma due to long hours and high-stress situations. We are here to support the healthcare industry and help them regain their footing during this critical time."

While many competitors are primarily focused on staffing doctors and nurses, IGH differentiates itself by focusing on everyone involved in the industry, from IT and transporters to respiratory therapists and mortuary technicians.

"We've spent months putting in the hard work, researching the industry, and consulting with nursing staff and healthcare experts to ensure we get this right and create a healthcare staffing division that fosters opportunity and growth," said Jessica Calzaretta, president at Insight Global. "It is an honor and privilege to launch Insight Global Health and support an invaluable industry during its most vulnerable time."

IGH is made up of 11 markets, spanning 32 current Insight Global offices. Its founding team includes market leaders, account managers, recruiters, and nurse consultants. Specializing in the unique needs in each region, every IGH market represents key cities where healthcare workers are in highest demand.

Learn more about Insight Global Health at www.insightglobal.com/services/health. Please visit www.insightglobal.com for more information on Insight Global.

About Insight Global

Insight Global isn't just a staffing company. We're a company that cares for others. It might sound lofty, but it's the idea that gets us up every day, determined to make it true. Insight Global is a company that people can anchor to in moments of triumph, struggle, and every time in between. Whoever you are and wherever you come from, you matter to us and we have your back. Whether it's finding the right candidate for a job or seamlessly managing a project end to end, our conviction and commitment to our consultants and clients runs deep. With 60+ field offices across the US and Canada, putting to work over 50,000 Consultants annually, we believe together, anything is possible. Learn more at www.insightglobal.com.

SOURCE Insight Global

Related Links

http://www.insightglobal.com/


DUBLIN, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market grew at a CAGR of around 5% during 2015-2020. Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) refers to the abnormal growth of malignant cells in the upper layer of the skin. Some of the common types of NMSC include basal cell, merkle cell and squamous cell carcinoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. It is primarily characterized by the development of firm lumps or scaly patches on the skin. The treatment methodologies involve the removal of cancer cells through surgical procedures, including micrographic surgery, laser therapy and cryotherapy, and various non-surgical treatments, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), radiotherapy and electrotherapy.



The increasing prevalence of skin cancer and the rising geriatric population across the globe, represent as the key factors driving the growth of the market. Furthermore, rising awareness among the masses regarding the available treatment alternatives for NMSC is also stimulating the market growth. In comparison to the traditionally used therapies, superficial radiation therapy has reduced side-effects on the patient's body and can be conducted through innovative portable devices. These devices are also used for early diagnosis of skin lesions with high accuracy and sensitivity. Additionally, various technological advancements, such as the development of electronic brachytherapy (eBx), are acting as other growth-inducing factors. eBx is a painless and non-invasive targeted low-energy radiation therapy that requires a shorter treatment course and minimizes the risks of radiation exposure to the nearby healthy tissues. Other factors, including rising healthcare expenditures of individuals and government funding for clinical trials, along with extensive research and development (R&D) activities, are anticipated to drive the market further. Looking forward, the analyst expects the global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market to continue its moderate growth during the next five years.

Competitive Landscape

The report has also analysed the competitive landscape of the market with some of the key players being Accuray Incorporated, Almirall S.A., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elekta AB, Eli Lilly and Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Icad Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., Novartis AG and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited.



Key Questions Answered in This Report

How has the global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the treatment type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the indication?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end use?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?

What is the structure of the global non-melanoma skin cancer treatment market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treatment Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Treatment Type

6.1 Chemotherapy

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Radiation Therapy

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Photodynamic Therapy

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast

6.4 Others

6.4.1 Market Trends

6.4.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Indication

7.1 Basal Cell Carcinoma

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 T-Cell Lymphoma

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Squamous Cell Carcinoma

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Others

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by End-use

8.1 Hospitals

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Specialty Clinics

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Ambulatory Surgery Centers

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Others

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region



10 SWOT Analysis



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis



13 Price Analysis



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 Accuray Incorporated

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.1.3 Financials

14.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.2 Almirall S.A.

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.2.3 Financials

14.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.3 Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.3.3 SWOT Analysis

14.3.4 Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.4.3 Financials

14.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.5 Elekta AB

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.5.3 Financials

14.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.6 Eli Lilly and Company

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.6.3 Financials

14.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.7 F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.7.3 SWOT Analysis

14.3.8 Icad Inc.

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.8.3 Financials

14.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.9 Merck & Co. Inc.

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.9.3 Financials

14.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.10 Novartis AG

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.10.3 Financials

14.3.10.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.11 Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited

14.3.11.1 Company Overview

14.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.11.3 Financials

14.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.12 Varian Medical Systems Inc.

14.3.12.1 Company Overview

14.3.12.2 Product Portfolio

14.3.12.3 Financials

14.3.12.4 SWOT Analysis

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nepdwm

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- InStyle, the largest fashion magazine brand, today announced the expansion of its popular branded product line with the launch of the Cosmic Collection, an astrology-themed beauty box with Susan Miller, founder of AstrologyZone.com. The limited-edition winter, wellness and beauty box is available for each element (fire, earth, air and water), each containing an assortment of products best fit for the traits of that specific element. With a value of more than $150 per box, the Cosmic Collection is available now to consumers for $35 at thebeautyseason.com/instyle while supplies last.

"The Cosmic Collection is a specifically curated product for our readers who take an interest in our astrology offerings, a growing content hub across our print, digital and social platforms, especially Instagram and TikTok," says SVP Group Publisher Agnes Chapski. "We're excited to continue expanding our growing ecommerce offerings to our passionate audience with a product they themselves are enthusiastic about."

Astrology expert Susan Miller curated each box specifically to the elemental signs and their unique traits as it relates to the twelve zodiac signs. From hydrating skin care and sun protection to alluring scents, rosewater spray and body cream, this box contains coveted products for the wellness-minded woman from Glow Recipe, Heritage Store, Winky Lux, Keys Soulcare, Urban Skin Rx, and more.

"The task of deciding which products would delight each group of signsclassified by fire, air, earth, and waterrequired that I take account of all the proclivities and priorities of those signs," says Susan Miller. "The challenge of getting each of the four beauty boxes 'just right' for each group was fun for me because I adore trying new beauty products. It took a lot of thinking, I felt the responsibility for delighting each reader that ordered a box."

The announcement of the boxes comes of InStyle's incredible success on its digital platforms, including TikTok and Instagram. Astrology is the most popular category in the brand's Lifestyle vertical, consistently driving roughly 600,000 views per month. Astrology-themed TikToks overperform compared to fashion and beauty posts, drawing a younger and more engaged audience.

The limited-edtion boxes, in partnership with Brandshare, are available for purchase now at thebeautyseason.com/instyle for $35.

ABOUT INSTYLE

InStyle is an award-winning global fashion, beauty, and lifestyle media brand reaching an audience of more than 30 million across print, digital, social media, and live events. As the modern voice of style where Everybody's In, InStyle transforms the styles and stories of celebrities, stylists, and designers women love into covetable but relatable ideas and inspiration that instantly ignite the desire to shop. The InStyle portfolio includes the signature magazine with nine international editions; InStyle.com ; and multiple brand extensions including the annual InStyle Awards, the Badass Women franchise, the Best Beauty Buys and Readers' Choice Awards seals, as well as multiple collaborations and licenses across fashion and beauty categories.

ABOUT BRANDSHARE

Brandshare delivers meaningful brand experiences through targeted e-commerce and experiential sampling, subscription and loyalty marketing, and digital and social innovations. With over 500+ e-commerce retailer partnerships that collectively ship 81 million orders a month, Brandshare engages millions of consumers monthly on their path to purchase through Connected Sampling campaigns from leading CPG and beauty brands. To learn more about Brandshare's portfolio of solutions, visit brandshare.us

SOURCE Meredith Corporation

Related Links

https://www.meredith.com


PITTSBURGH, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- "I thought there could be a strain-free way to lift an engine, deer, compressor or some other heavy object behind a pickup truck," said an inventor, from St. George, Utah, "so I invented the TRUCK HOIST. My design could help to prevent lifting injuries."

The invention provides an effective way to lift, carry and load heavy items behind a pickup truck. In doing so, it eliminates the need for several people to struggle while trying to lift a heavy item. As a result, it enhances safety and it saves time and effort. The invention features a portable design that is convenient and easy to use so it is ideal for the owners of pickup trucks, hunters, farmers, trade workers, construction workers, etc. Additionally, it is producible in design variations and a prototype is available.

The original design was submitted to the National sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 19-AVZ-1973, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com


For the first time in more than eighteen months, vaccinated individual and group travelers from the United States and Canada are welcome to enter Israel and explore the country's rich culture, history, and stunning landscapes

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Israel Ministry of Tourism announced that as of today, vaccinated tourists from the United States and Canada can resume all travel to Israel. After kicking off the pilot reopening program in May of 2021, which initially allowed a select number of tour groups to enter the country, all vaccinated travelers may now visit Israel after the extended closure due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"To say we are excited that Israel is reopening to travelers today is an understatement," said Eyal Carlin, Tourism Commissioner for North America. "Israel has taken incredible steps to protect its people and visitors and we pride ourselves on ensuring a COVID-safe and unforgettable trip. With leading vaccination rates and endless opportunities for outdoor activities, we are eager to welcome visitors back with open arms -- of course, at a safe social distance."

Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett along with several other Ministers within the country (Tourism, Health, Transportation, etc.), have come together and formed the following plan which has been approved by the COVID cabinet and will take effect today, November 1  with developments and new COVID variants being monitored closely.

"We have been awaiting this moment, to bring back international travelers into our country, for a very long time," said Yoel Razvozov, Israel's Minister of Tourism. "We're ecstatic to share our country with everyone once again and I'm proud to be working closely with our Prime Minister Naftali Bennett among other Ministers within the country to ensure a thoughtful, safe return to tourism."

As of today, the guidelines for entry include:

Taking a PCR test 72 hours before an outbound flight, filling out a passenger declaration, and a taking a PCR test upon arrival in Israel (needing to quarantine in hotel until results return or 24 hours pass  the lesser of the two).

To enter the country, one must:

Have been vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least 14 days prior to the day of entry into Israel (14 days must have passed since receival of second dose upon arrival into Israel , but no more than 180 days upon leaving Israel - i.e., if it has been six months since the second dose, you will need the booster shot to enter).

(14 days must have passed since receival of second dose upon arrival into , but no more than 180 days upon leaving - i.e., if it has been six months since the second dose, you will need the booster shot to enter). Those that have received the booster vaccine dose, and at least 14 days have passed since received, can enter Israel.

Have been inoculated with one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least 14 days prior to the day of entry into Israel (14 days must have passed since second dose receival upon their arrival into Israel , but no more than 180 days upon leaving Israel - ie., if it has been six months since your second dose, you will need the booster shot to enter).

(14 days must have passed since second dose receival upon their arrival into , but no more than 180 days upon leaving - ie., if it has been six months since your second dose, you will need the booster shot to enter). Those that have received the booster vaccine dose, and at least 14 days have passed since received, can enter Israel.

Have recovered from COVID-19 and who present proof of the results of a positive NAAT test at least 11 days prior to the day of entry into Israel (no more than 180 days upon leaving Israel ).

(no more than 180 days upon leaving ). Have recovered from COVID-19 and have received at least one dose of the WHO-approved vaccines.

In-depth guidelines can be found HERE. Additionally, pleases visit https://israel.travel/ for all updates on entry protocols and forthcoming answers to FAQs.

For more information on travel to Israel or to plan your trip, visit https://israel.travel/. To stay inspired, follow the Israel Ministry of Tourism on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About the Israel Ministry of Tourism:

The Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) is Israel's national tourism agency responsible for planning and implementing marketing and promotional initiatives to position Israel as a preferred travel destination. IMOT aims to increase tourism traffic to contribute to Israel's economy, and to enhance and diversify the visiting experience. IMOT works to promote Israel's impressive assortment of historical, cultural, culinary, and religious attractions  each the perfect blend of tradition and modernity. IMOT offices in North America are located in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, and Toronto.

For details on upcoming events and attractions in Israel, visit IMOT's website at israel.travel. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to receive the latest updates.

SOURCE Israel Ministry of Tourism
Amir Danino, Founder and CEO, said: In the last decade structural heart interventions have become extremely complex and risky. This is manifested, among else, by the duration of these procedures and by their sub-optimal technical success rates.

The Trillium technology is extremely simple and effective, implantation takes less than 15 minutes to perform, and the technical success rate we see in our study is 100%. No aborted procedures, no migrations, no device fractures.

The physiological results are clear and immediate - abolition of backflow leads to a significant decrease in patients' venous pressure. This improves patient renal and hepatic function, decreases peripheral edema and improves overall quality of life.

Rafi Benary, Co-founder and Head of Business Development, said: It is quite an exciting experience to be part of a company which has come so far in such a short time, and which has managed to bring such a differentiating technology to help a large and ailing population. It is easy to sense the excitement that our technology generates in the clinical community. We are confident that the Trillium, as well as our emerging developments will provide Cardiologists with the right tools for treating their patients. Tricuspid disease is a large and growing area and we are confident in our ability to make an impact.

Innoventric was founded, by Mr. Amir Danino, who is also the inventor of the company's technology, Mr. Rafi Benary and Dr. David Planer, MD, Head of Interventional Cardiology at Hadassah Medical Center and the company's CMO.

Four years ago, the company raised its seed investment from two Leading Israeli MedTech venture capitals. Seed money successfully took the company and its novel technology from concept to clinical studies, proving the Trillium's feasibility, safety and performance in the pre-clinical and clinical settings. In addition to the seed investment, Innoventric was acknowledged for four consecutive years by the Israeli Innovation Authority, providing the company with additional funds as well as a hallmark for its technology and capabilities.

Recently, the company secured $14M through its Series A financing, this includes the prestigious Horizon Europe Grant for the sum of 2.5M. The round was led by a US based investor joined by a new European investor and all previous round participants.

Horizon Europe is a 6-year program, initiated by the European Union in 2021. The program aims to identify the top 1-2% companies/institutions in Europe and additional countries (e.g., Israel) which have groundbreaking technologies with high potential to disrupt the market and scale-up. The winning companies receive a grant that is intended to support the company growth. Innoventric was among 4,000+ applicants for the first Horizon Europe submission and after a very long and competitive process was acknowledged among the top 65 (1.5%) technology companies. The company was granted with the maximal grant support of 2.5M.

Mr. Danino referred to the current investment round and said: we are delighted to complete this financing round and are honored by the vote of confidence from our investors. Not only that we were able to raise more than we initially required, we are happy to see our new investors, along with all previous investors, participate in this round.

Last but not least, we are extremely proud of our Horizon Europe achievement, and want to thank the European Commission for acknowledging our company and technology. This prestigious prize provides us with the highest seal of excellence granted by the European Union to a technological start-up.

SOURCE Innoventric
"As edge computing proliferates across all domains, rapidly gaining actionable insights from the vast volumes of data becomes essential," said Jacobs Chair and CEO Steve Demetriou. "BlackLynx's embedded analytics platform provides real-time AI and ML image and data classification in the cloud and at the edge. The combination of Jacobs' deep domain knowledge and BlackLynx's next-generation technology will unlock new opportunities to create a more connected and sustainable world."

At closing, BlackLynx will expand Jacobs' position to 14 of 18 U.S. Intelligence Community agencies and will be aligned with Jacobs' Cyber & Intelligence business unit under the leadership of Caesar Nieves, Senior Vice President.

Both companies see strong opportunities to apply BlackLynx's technology and software to support government services as well as critical infrastructure sectors of transportation, water and smart cities.

"With our shared values and strong cultures of performance excellence and innovation, our combination creates new opportunities for our people, our clients, our industries and the communities where we live and work," said BlackLynx CEO Doug Wolfe. "Gaining real-time insights from data is a key ingredient in modernizing and securing our global infrastructure. Jacobs' strategic position supporting the United States' most critical missions and infrastructure creates a new trajectory for our leading software-enabled services."

Advisors



Guggenheim Securities, LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Jacobs, and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Johnson LLP is serving as legal counsel to Jacobs. Raymond James is serving as exclusive financial advisor to BlackLynx, and Cooley LLP is serving as legal counsel to BlackLynx.

Investors

Caesar Nieves, Jacobs Senior Vice President of Cyber and Intelligence, will participate in a previously scheduled fireside chat with Jeffries Managing Director Sheila Kahyaoglu to discuss Jacobs' Cyber and Intelligence strategy on Nov. 1 at 11 a.m. ET. Information will be available on Jacobs' investor page.

About Jacobs

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact, including statements regarding the anticipated benefits of the acquisition of BlackLynx, are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. For a description of some additional factors which may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements please refer to our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 2, 2020, and in particular the discussions contained under Items 1 - Business, 1A - Risk Factors, 3 - Legal Proceedings, and 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements made herein.

For press/media inquiries:

Heather Byrd

214.274.5516

For investors:

Jonathan Doros

817.239.3457

SOURCE Jacobs

Related Links

https://www.jacobs.com


CALGARY, AB, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Calgary based businessman, Jay Modi has been awarded a nomination for the 30 most inspiring leaders of 2021, by Silicon Review. This year's nomination list includes the countries smartest and most resilient business professionals, inspiring hundreds of entrepreneurs alike in their own journeys as they strive to build their business. This list of achievers spans a variety of industries, with professionals being recognized for their tenacity, salesmanship, experience, and yearly achievements.



"I would like to thank the Silicon Review for awarding me this nomination. To be listed as the 30 most inspiring leaders in 2021 is something that I have worked hard for and am happy to accept such an accolade" says Jay. "Business and sales are not easy, especially in the current environment, so to be awarded this nomination is even more rewarding" says Jay Modi, recipient of the nomination.



Jay Modi has been involved in many aspects of the business world during the past few years, and like many entrepreneurs has experienced the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows through his business journey. However what sets Jay apart is his never quit attitude and positive outlook on all situations. As an entrepreneur, these core traits are crucial to succeed in an ever-challenging business environment that becomes tougher everyday for startups and founders. Jay has continued to stick to his commitments to all the people that have supported him in the past and has a bright future ahead of him in the Technology and Fintech sector, having helped build the sales and revenue division for some of Canada's top Fintech platforms.

The Silicon Review is an established and highly trusted online and print community for business & technology professionals. Community members include thought-provoking Founders, owners, entrepreneurs, sales heads and managers. The Silicon Review encompasses nine technology and vertical communities: Software, IT Services, Cloud, Mobile, Big Data, Security, Telecommunications, Hot Start-ups and The Best Companies to work for. Each community leader is a proven subject matter expert who collaborates with industry gurus, technology managers, researchers, top technology journalists, consultants and industry analysts. The Silicon Review team strictly focuses on accurate and timely delivery of informative articles that enhances spirited discussions in the future.

Steve Rogers, spokesperson for the magazine says "We are excited to award Jay a nomination for this year's 30 most inspiring leaders. If you have followed Jay's story its one of success, failure, tenacity, strength and resilience. Like some of the world's most successful founders and entrepreneurs, Jay has experienced all sides of the coin when it comes to the business world, and to see what Jay has helped build today is nothing short of astounding" Says Steve.

About Jay Modi

Born in London, United Kingdom, Jay Modi moved to Canada in 1998. He attended Western Canada High School in Calgary, Canada, and subsequently went onto the University of Calgary. Jay started his first business, an Organic Pasta Company, while attending the University of Calgary, which subsequently took off and was very successful. Jay made the decision to focus on that business, and not to complete his degree, which he sites as one of the best decisions he ever made. That decision blazed a path forward and led to Jay now having more than 20 years of business experience under his belt within multiple business sectors. Jay has been involved in the Foods Manufacturing, Asset Management, Movie Production, Real Estate and now focuses heavily on the FinTech and Technology Industries.

About Silicon Review

The Silicon Review is an established and highly trusted online and print community for business & technology professionals. Community members include thought-provoking Founders, owners, entrepreneurs, sales heads and managers. The Silicon Review encompasses nine technology and vertical communities: Software, IT Services, Cloud, Mobile, Big Data, Security, Telecommunications, Hot Start-ups and The Best Companies to work for. Each community leader is a proven subject matter expert who collaborates with industry gurus, technology managers, researchers, top technology journalists, consultants and industry analysts. The Silicon Review team strictly focuses on accurate and timely delivery of informative articles that enhances spirited discussions in the future.

SOURCE BFC Media Corp.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chelsea Financial Services is proud to partner this year with Catholic Charities of Staten Island (CC-SI) for their Annual 2021 Thanksgiving "Leave No Fork Empty" Thanksgiving Food Drive to help benefit Staten Island community members in need this holiday season.

"Leave No Fork Empty" is Chelsea Financial Services' Thanksgiving Food Drive Campaign. Donate Dollars for Turkey(s), Donate a Turkey(s) and/or Donate Non-Perishable Trimmings.

"Our annual food drive has donated thousands of items to families in need," said Christopher (Chris) Vetrano, Registered Representative at Chelsea Financial Services. "CC-SI is an amazing organization that provides 'Turkeys and the Trimmings' during the holiday season. They also run a food pantry year-round and support other food pantries around Staten Island. They work tirelessly to improve lives of those going through difficult times."

John Pisapia, President of Chelsea Financial added: "We are making a huge change this year. Now, you can donate directly to the causeDonate $25 to provide one family one turkey, $50 for two families/two turkeys and so on. And you can still bring your non-perishable trimmings to our office, or use amazon.com, walmart.com or other online retailers to ship food items to our office, and CC-SI will receive them to create holiday baskets just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday."

2021 THANKSGIVING TURKEY/FOOD DRIVE: IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Please visit https://www.cc-si.org/leave-no-fork-empty-campaign/ to donate $$$ for Turkeys! Please drop off or ship non-perishable food items to 242 Main Street, Staten Island (Chelsea Financial Services' Corporate Office), any time between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, until November 22nd. Non-perishable items most needed are: Cranberry Sauce, Gravy, Stuffing Mix, Canned Vegetables, Boxed Mashed Potatoes, Canned Yams, Corn Bread Mix, Canned Fruit, Canned Pumpkin Filling, Dessert Mix, Canned Carrots.

If you'd rather donate an actual turkey (in lieu of a turkey donation), frozen turkeys may be dropped off at the Catholic Charities of Staten Island CYO Community Center (North Shore), 120 Anderson Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302 between the hours of 8am and 4pm, M-F, through November 22nd, 2021.

All items will be received by CC-SI in time for Thanksgiving on November 25th.

Please join Chelsea Financial Services in supporting the fight against hunger this Thanksgiving with Catholic Charities of Staten Island.

About Chelsea Financial Services

Chelsea Financial Services is a national full service brokerage firm. Chelsea opened its first brokerage office in Staten Island, New York in 1999. Celebrating 22 years, Chelsea financial clients receive investment, retirement and financial planning advice from 73 Registered Representatives based in 20 States. Visit https://chfs.com for more information.

For Registered Representatives interested in joining Chelsea Financial Services "No Minimum Production Requirements" Team, please visit joinchelsea.com for more information or to inquire.

About CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF STATEN ISLAND

Catholic Charities of Staten Island, is a 501c3 not-for-profit agency of the Archdiocese of New York, founded in 1871 by Father John C. Drumgoole.

In line with the Gospel mandate and the social mission of the Catholic Church, it seeks to promote family life, create a caring and healing community, and to allow all those it serves the realization of their God-give potential. The Mission strives in all its programs to promote the universal ideals of justice, peace and compassion and to work in concert with other community resources. Their services include infant and pre-school day care; residential and other programs for developmentally challenged youth; social services to families in crisis, assistance to senior citizens, and a free community resource center to bridge the gap between addiction and recovery.

Media Contact for Chelsea:

John Pisapia

[email protected]

(866) 898-5800

242 Main Street, Staten Island, NY 10307

Related Links

https://www.chfs.com

https://www.cc-si.org/leave-no-fork-empty-campaign/

SOURCE Chelsea Financial Services

Related Links

https://chfs.com


LONDON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global kombucha market value is estimated to reach USD 6.5 Billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 15.5%, The market growth for kombucha beverages is phenomenal. According to the kombucha industry trade association, the industry has been witnessing nearly 30% growth y-o-y. The growth of some brands previously non-existent is a testimony to this growth. For example, Boochcraft was a brand launched by a group of friends selling bottled beverages on a beach in 2015. The brewery today is part of the top 50 of all craft breweries.

Research Based on Region Wise kombucha market size reached USD 648.7 million in 2020 in North America. The region is expected to witness growth at 14.98% during 2021-2027 to take the market size to a whopping total of USD 2,123.8 million. The growing demand for natural drinks remains a key driver in this region, with increased fitness drives, and trends.

Kombucha Market Key Player

New Age Beverages Corporation

The Humm Kombucha Llc,

Kombucha Wonder Drink

Kosmic Kombucha

BETTER BOOCH

Nesalla Kombucha

PepsiCo, Inc.

Revive Kombucha

Buchi Kombucha

GT's Kombucha

Health-Ade Kombucha

Brew Dr. Kombucha

Get Sample of [email protected] https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestMethodology/PostId/1152

Scope of Market Growing demand for non-alcoholic, organic, and healthy drinks has led to tremendous growth for kombucha. Kombucha, with its increased juice, spiced, and fruit flavored offerings remains one of the best prospects for growth, globally. Thanks to its increased home-brewed nature, and ability to ferment bacteria, and yeast based culture is quickly becoming a healthy alternative for growth. The drink first originated in China, and today is homemade globally. In developed countries, alcoholic, and soft drinks are quickly gaining the wrong attention due to increase associated of health risks. In these markets, the question is no longer, 'what is Kombucha'. In California alone, in 2018, the sales of Kombucha represented 10% sales of all refreshment beverages sales, while rising by 21% from previous year. Despite covid-19 woes, the kombucha market remains one of the best long-term opportunities.

Increasing demand for family-grown businesses also offers an insight into the new growth of Kombucha. For example, Luna Bay, a brand making a name for itself in New York, offers glutten-free, low-sugar, vegan, and naturally fermented. The increased accommodation by this brand for flavors like blueberry, ginger, lavender, hibiscus, made with real fruits, and herbs are a growing testimony to increased health consciousness among the US consumers.

The millennial generation in countries like the US is increasingly shifting preferences from traditional alcohol to softer drinks, and more accurately, healthier drinks. Activities like health and wellness, spirituality, and social activities rank higher for millennials, while wellness becomes a daily and active pursuit. This generation eats healthier, exercises more, and smokes far less as compared to the previous generation. They also pursue a healthy eating lifestyle, with tremendous access to technology to make informed decision. This is partially why Kombucha players increasingly rely on digital marketing, instead of traditional marketing techniques. Moreover, referrals are also becoming far more important, than traditional advertising models like television.

The Kombucha Market Trends

Flavored drinks are expected to occupy largest share of total revenues in the kombucha market. The flavored drinks like jasmine, orange, with appealing names like blood orange or exotic flavors like jasmine make for an appealing advertisement through digital media. The increased tech-savviness of consumer and often low-cost advertising budgets are leading to increased innovations. The consumer are also opting for fruit flavored kombucha drinks with increased awareness of the herbal benefits of kombucha drinks like help combating regenerative disease, increased revitalization, and increased aversion to soft-drinks, and alcohols. Natural drinks like kombucha also remain a staple part of weight management programs. These programs continue to gain increased attention in regions like North America, wherein infiltration of lifestyle diseases like diabetes and illnesses like disability are driving increased health consciousness.

Get Methodology @ https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestMethodology/PostId/1152

The Covid-19 Impact

The kombucha market witnessed an exceptional increase in demand, despite the global gloomy investment atmosphere. The increased drive to increase immunity drove many to purchase the natural green tea, with many being attracted to its fiber-rich prebiotic content. The covid-19 introduced the products to new consumers, which are becoming more and more popular in coastal states in countries like the US. The example of this growth is the increased investment in industry standards formulated by the International Kombucha Breweries. The industry recently introduced a code of conduct for global manufacturers, assuring more transparency and rigorous testing.

This conduct was essential as near 2010, many Kombucha products were taken off the shelves in food stores, as these contained higher levels of alcohol than permitted. This led to a strong backlash against the product, temporarily halting their growth. This trend has been reversed, with increased investment in industry-wide standards, and growth

The Kombucha Market: Regional Analysis

The kombucha market report is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa region. Among these, the North America region is expected to hold the largest share of total revenues, with continuous new product launches, and growing demand for healthy drinks. Similarly, Asia Pacific, with its conventional appeal for kombucha drinks, increased disposable income, and new demand for healthy products remain strong drivers of growth. Europe is also expected to show tremendous growth, with health-consciousness in the Scandinavian region at an all-time high. The growing demand for new flavors in the region, increased manufacturing, and increased difficulty for conventional alcohol breweries remain strong drivers of growth. Despite tremendous growth in the regions, the Kombucha market in the US remains the most promising, thanks to growing innovation, and changing taste buds.

The Kombucha Market: Competitive Analysis

The Kombucha market is a fragmented, and competitive landscape, with increased focus on product innovation, establishing strong distribution channels, and increased collaboration. The partnerships among small players still remain important to shaping future growth, as demand for small, and unique breweries remains on the rise. The small breweries remain an important personal differentiator for millennial consumers, with a strong personal association. Some key players in the global Kombucha market are Kevita, GT Living Foods, Kombucha, Brew Dr, Humm Kombucha, and Health Ade.

Some notable developments in the market in recent years are listed below.

Petaluma's revive Kombucha introduced new products with sparkling Kombucha, a 12-ounce canned drink, with low calories.

revive Kombucha introduced new products with sparkling Kombucha, a 12-ounce canned drink, with low calories. Health-Ade introduced six new flavors recently including tropical punch, grapefruit, strawberry-lemonade, cherry berry, passionfruit-tangerine, peach mango.

GT also introduced new flavors in the market including rose water, dried hibiscus flowers, rosebuds and petals.

Key Benefits for Kombucha Market Report:

Kombucha Market report covers in-depth historical and forecast analysis.

Kombucha Marketplace research report provides detail information about Market Introduction, Market Summary, Global market Revenue (Revenue USD), Market Drivers, Market Restraints, Market Opportunities, Competitive Analysis, Regional and Country Level.

Kombucha Market report helps to identify opportunities in marketplace.

Kombucha Market report covers extensive analysis of emerging trends and competitive landscape.

Kombucha Market By Regional & Country Level:

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



France



Germany



Italy

Asia Pacific

China



Japan



India



Southeast Asia

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico

Get Full Access of this Report: https://brandessenceresearch.com/food-and-beverage/kombucha-market

Other Trending Reports:

Brandessence Market Research & Consulting Pvt ltd.

Brandessence market research publishes market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students. We have a delivery center in Pune, India and our sales office is in London.

Website: https://brandessenceresearch.com/

Blog: Kombucha Companies

Contact:

Mr. Vishal Sawant

Email: [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

Corporate Sales: +44-2038074155

Asia Office: +917447409162



SOURCE Brandessence Market Research And Consulting Private Limited
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Koning begins an FDA screening trial this month for their no-compression, Isotropic, 3-dimensional breast imaging device. The company received FDA PMA approval for commercial, diagnostic use in 2017. Since then, the Koning Breast CT (KBCT) has been installed in clinics and universities in the US and globally.

Koning Breast CT

"This FDA screening trial is a major milestone for radiologists and patients," says Koning President, David Georges. "An FDA cleared screening indication will allow clinics to perform breast exams with more clarity and it will permit millions of patients around the world to go into their breast imaging exams with confidence that their results will be accurate. We are proud to be the only no-compression, true 3D breast imaging device manufacturer that already has FDA diagnostic approval; this screening trial gives us even more momentum in our push to improve breast health for all women."

The trial is set to begin on November 1, 2021, with submission to the FDA in Q1 2022. The kickoff of the trial starts as Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to an end and brings more awareness to the need for better breast imaging options for women everywhere.

About the Participating Clinic, Radiology Imaging Associates

The Port Orange Imaging Center location of the Radiology Imaging Associates group is partnering with Koning Health to partake in this landmark clinical FDA trial. RIA is an industry leader in the space and believes in providing superior, state-of-the-art, efficient technology. Their goal of providing quality and compassionate services to patients works in tandem with Koning's mission of offering comfortable alternatives to mammograms, as well as a calmer state of mind. Together, RIA and Koning aim to give women the control that they deserve regarding their own health and wellbeing.

About Koning: Koning is a global HealthTech company that focuses on improving the breast imaging industry with its patented Koning Breast CT (KBCT). Koning's vision is to create a revolution in medical imaging through advanced computed tomography technology and dramatically improve the way clinicians visualize and evaluate breast tissue. The KBCT is expected to optimize early disease detection, diagnosis, intervention and treatment, and will improve survival rates for millions of patients worldwide. If you'd like to support Koning's vision or would like to learn how you can contribute to Koning's success, you can visit the Koning repulic.co campaign.

For more information, please visit Koning's website or contact Koning at [email protected].

Press Contact: Naomi Cosman

[email protected]

5555 Oakbrook Parkway, Suite 640,

Norcross, GA 30093

(888) 558-5228

koninghealth.com



SOURCE Koning Corporation

Related Links

koningcorporation.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark 25 years of raising funds and awareness for Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, master jeweler Steven Lagos designed a new limited-edition LAGOS pendant necklace for donors who contributed $300 or more during the Power of Love gala's text-to-give moment.

"The work that this center has accomplished for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is just remarkable." - Steven Lagos Tweet this LAGOS Keep Memory Alive Limited Edition Pendant Necklace

The necklaces quickly sold out, with 100 percent of the donation supporting Keep Memory Alive and their efforts to fund research and programs dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by brain disorders and their families. Available in sterling silver and 18K gold, this collectible piece is the third in the series and the perfect memento to mark a very special evening. Each pendant features the brand's iconic Caviar beading with the Power of Love heart motif and engraving on the back to mark the anniversary.

"I've been a proud supporter of Keep Memory Alive since the early days," said LAGOS Founder and Creative Director Steven Lagos. "I've enjoyed watching the organization grow and have been inspired to grow our commitment along with it. The work that this center has accomplished for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's is just remarkable."

The 2021 exclusive Power of Love necklace is the newest addition to a comprehensive LAGOS collection devoted to the cause. The LAGOS Keep Memory Alive collection is available at LAGOS.com and features a suite of sterling silver jewelry that follows the same design inspiration as the organization's Frank Gehry-designed building. This collection is available for purchase year-round and donates 100 percent of the purchase to the organization.

In addition, a curated selection of styles totaling more than $50,000 were featured as part of LAGOS' annual contribution to the event's silent auction. In total, LAGOS has raised over $1 million for KMA to date.

"The advancements we've been able to achieve are largely due to longtime supporters like Steven Lagos," said Larry Ruvo, founder and chairman of Keep Memory Alive. "We appreciate that Steven's contributions not only support our work but leave our donors with a beautiful memento and memory of their own."

For 25 years, LAGOS has supported Keep Memory Alive and its efforts to research and care for those in need. Steven Lagos became intimately involved with the foundation through his friendship with founder Larry Ruvo and his personal connection to the cause. Steven's grandparents suffered from Alzheimer's and he watched as the disease took a toll on the patients as well as their families and caregivers. He realized just how difficult the experience is for everyone involved and has been committed to Keep Memory Alive ever since.

About LAGOS: Since 1977, LAGOS has been a pioneer in designer fine jewelry, combining precious materials and strong design to offer modern, iconic styles. LAGOS was founded by designer and master jeweler Steven Lagos, who developed the brand's signature Caviar design in 1984. Each Caviar collection has a bold, feminine design that encourages personal expression. LAGOS' national campaign, MY LAGOS MY WAY, was created to reinforce these core values and inspire the LAGOS woman. LAGOS is available at LAGOS.com, its flagship boutique in Philadelphia, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and independent jewelers around the country. For more information, inspiration and latest styles follow @lagos_jewelry on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Visit www.LAGOS.com to learn more about the history of the brand and to shop the entire collection.

CONTACT:



LAGOS

Jamie Hector

LAGOS Public Relations Director

973-536-6709

[email protected]

SOURCE LAGOS

Related Links

www.lagos.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leeds Equity ("Leeds Equity" or the "Firm") today announced the final close for Leeds Equity Partners VII, L.P. (the "Fund" or "Leeds VII").

Leeds Equity, which was founded in 1993 and focuses on investments within the Knowledge Industries  education, training and information and data management services  closed its most recent fund with total commitments of over $1.4 billion, comprised of $1.33 billion of commitments from third party limited partners and $80 million of commitments from the general partner and its affiliates. The Fund had an initial target of $1 billion, which was increased with the support of limited partners over its hard cap to accommodate significant investor demand.

The Firm pursues investments across both its buyout fund strategy, Leeds Equity Partners, and its growth equity fund strategy, Leeds Illuminate, which was launched in 2020. Leeds VII brings Leeds Equity's capital commitments across its funds to over $4 billion.

"We are grateful for the extraordinary partnership we enjoy with our investors," said Jeffrey T. Leeds, Partner of the Firm, "and of course for their support for our latest fund. Virtually all Leeds VI investors committed to Leeds VII, and we are delighted to welcome new limited partners from the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and MENA." Added Leeds, "Our investors are, in fact, our partners, and we look forward to continuing to work together as we deploy Leeds VII."

"The successful fundraise for Leeds VII is a result of the commitment the Firm maintains to partnering with the highest quality companies and management teams and our shared mission to deliver best-in-class outcomes," said Jacques Galante, Partner. "As we invest our latest fund, we will continue to work to develop even greater sector expertise and to collaboratively deploy all of our resources to help build value."

The Firm's strategy remains, as it has for over three decades, to invest in and support businesses and management teams that are working to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the global knowledge-driven economy  the need for more and better education, workplace access, lifelong learning and the capacity to deploy information and drive business intelligence.

Scott VanHoy, Partner, added, "We are especially thankful to our current and former portfolio management team members who have driven great outcomes throughout the history of Leeds Equity by maintaining an unwavering focus on efficacy and impact. In addition to their hard work on behalf of our partnerships, we are delighted to welcome many of them as investors in Leeds VII."

Leeds Equity Partners has completed four investments in the Fund, which is approximately 25% committed. Leeds VII portfolio companies include: OptionMetrics; engage2learn; Archive360 and Genius SIS.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Leeds Equity. UBS acted as placement agent.

About Leeds Equity

Leeds Equity is a New York-based private equity firm dedicated exclusively to partnering with management teams in the education, training and information and data management services industries (the "Knowledge Industries"). The firm was founded in 1993 and manages over $4 billion of capital across a broad spectrum of companies within the Knowledge Industries. Leeds Equity seeks to leverage its sector-focused expertise and market insights to create long-term value for its partner companies.

For additional information on Leeds Equity, see http://www.leedsequity.com/.

For More Information:

Jeffrey T. Leeds

Tel. 212-835-2000

Fax: 212-835-2020

www.leedsequity.com

SOURCE Leeds Equity Partners, LLC

Related Links

http://www.leedsequity.com/.


CALDWELL, N.J., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal-Bay Pre-Settlement Funding reports a rising number of applications now that there's been a return to regular life. The entire legal system had been moving at a snail's pace due to the effects of Covid-19, causing massive court delays particularly in blue states where the pandemic initially struck. Red states such as Florida and Texas, however, barely paused their court activity over the past eighteen months, and therefore have resumed proceedings without too much of a backlog.

Democratic-led states shut down early in an attempt to curtail a growing health crisis. Numerous lawsuits that were slated to be tried had to be rescheduled due to the courts' lessened operating hours. Red states weren't as affected by the pandemic at first, allowing them to continue business as usual. By the time they experienced the full impact of Covid, personal accountability such as masking and social-distancing were known to stem spread, and soon afterward vaccines were readily available. This allowed Democratic-leaning states to reopen, but while they are in the midst of playing catch-up, Republican-led states never instituted much of a hiatus in the first place.

Chris Janish, CEO of Legal-Bay, commented, "While many other funding companies either slowed down or outright stopped funding in backlogged courts of New York, New Jersey, and California due to Covid restrictions, we have maintained our commitment to helping plaintiffs in all states whether red, blue, or purple."

If you're involved in an active lawsuit and need an immediate cash advance against an impending settlement, please visit Legal-Bay HERE or call toll-free at 877.571.0405.

Legal-Bay funds all types of lawsuits, including personal injury, dog bites, car accidents, medical malpractice, clergy sexual abuse cases, wrongful conviction or termination, age, gender, or racial discrimination, and many more.

Legal-Bay's pre-settlement funding programs are designed to provide immediate cash in advance of a plaintiff's anticipated monetary award. The non-recourse lawsuit loans are risk-free, as the money doesn't need to be repaid should the recipient lose their case. Therefore, the loan settlement isn't really a loan, but rather a cash advance.

To apply, please visit Legal-Bay HERE or call toll-free at: 877.571.0405.

Source: Legal-Bay, LLC

Contact: Chris Janish, CEO

Email: [email protected]

Ph.: 877.571.0405

Website: www.Legal-Bay.com

SOURCE Legal-Bay, LLC

Related Links

https://lawsuitssettlementfunding.com


RESTON, Va., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE:LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology leader, was recently awarded a new task order by the Air Combat Command (ACC) Acquisition Management and Integration Center (AMIC) to support ACC intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. The single-award, firm-fixed price task order has a one-year base period of performance, four one-year options, and a total contract value of approximately $531 million if all options are exercised. Work will be performed at over 25 CONUS locations.

"Combating global threats requires our armed forces to possess and constantly obtain critical knowledge of the strategic, operational, and tactical environments," said Leidos Defense Group President Gerry Fasano. "We look forward to leveraging our more than 33 years of strategic intelligence experience and exceptional performance on the current ACC ISR program to support our warfighters in meeting the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime air defense."

Under the contract, Leidos will provide subject matter expertise and threat mitigation support for ACC ISR operations along with a full range of intelligence support and ISR operational services that encompass analysis and assessment support, ISR training support, and intelligence support for HQ ACC Staff, subordinate NAF Staffs, Centers, and Wings.

Headquartered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, the AMIC provides services acquisition solutions for ACC, the largest of the Air Force's major commands.

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $12.30 billion for the fiscal year ended January 1, 2021. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 1, 2021, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

Contact:

Melissa Duenas

(571) 526-6850

[email protected]

Thomas Doheny

(571) 474-4735

[email protected]

Jalen Drummond

(571) 992-5046

[email protected]

SOURCE Leidos Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.Leidos.com


WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Martis Capital ("Martis"), a middle market private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, has made a majority investment in Lighthouse Lab Services ("Lighthouse" or the "Company"), alongside current investors NaviMed Capital ("NaviMed") and the Company's management team. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Lighthouse is an end-to-end provider of turnkey lab build-out and management services to clinical labs across the United States. The Company provides a comprehensive suite of solutions across outsourced lab management, consulting, recruiting, supply chain management, compliance, equipment sales and more. Lighthouse serves over 1,000 laboratory clients including physician office labs, reference labs, and hospital labs.

Mark Roth, CEO of Lighthouse Lab Services, commented, "This is a tremendous milestone for the entire Lighthouse team. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Martis Capital to advance our mission and help laboratories across the country start, run, and grow quality testing operations. We have had two great years working with NaviMed Capital and are delighted that they will remain involved in this next chapter, as well. With this amazing support, I couldn't be more excited for the bright future of Lighthouse."

Martis Capital stated, "The Martis Capital team is very proud to join Lighthouse Lab Services in their journey and support the mission to continuously improve patient access by bringing high quality diagnostic testing closer to the point of care." Mario Moreno, a Partner at Martis, also commented, "We at Martis Capital are thrilled to partner with such a strong team and support Lighthouse's service quality and innovation in the diagnostic laboratory end-market by providing high value to patients, providers, and payors alike."

"NaviMed was fortunate to support Lighthouse and its world-class management team in the early stages of executing its vision to service providers, employers and labs with a new lab operating model. We are excited to continue to work with this exceptional company through its next phase of growth," said NaviMed co-founder and Managing Director, Dr. Bijan Salehizadeh. Ryan Ross, a Vice President at NaviMed added, "During the short two-years of NaviMed's ownership, Lighthouse experienced the type of transformational growth that can only be achieved when pairing a unique market opportunity with a strong business model and industry-leading talent. The future is bright for this company and its stakeholders."

Tony Crisman, Managing Director in Lincoln's Healthcare Group, added, "Mark Roth and his leadership team have built Lighthouse into a high growth platform since partnering with NaviMed. I am excited for the accelerated execution of the Company's vision with the support of Martis."

Lincoln International served as the exclusive financial advisor to Lighthouse. Paul Hastings served as legal advisor to Lighthouse and Navimed. First Eagle Investment Management provided the financing for the transaction. McDermott Will & Emery served as legal advisor to Martis.

About Lighthouse Lab Services

Lighthouse Lab Services provides an end-to-end suite of services enabling customers to start, run, and grow their clinical labs. Service offerings include assistance with licensure and compliance with accreditation requirements, scientific method development and validation for a variety of applications ranging from toxicology to infectious disease, recruitment of Lab Directors and other lab staff, as well as ongoing operational support. The Company boasts a deep bench of Ph.D. and masters-level analytical chemists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, and laboratory scientists, as well as experienced teams specializing in recruiting and staffing for labs. Lighthouse is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Learn more at www.lighthouselabservices.com.

About Martis Capital



Martis Capital is a private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. The Martis team manages more than $1.3 billion of equity capital and is currently investing out of its third fund. With offices in San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC, Martis seeks to invest in middle-market, growth-oriented companies that provide innovative and cost-effective products and services within targeted segments of the North American healthcare industry. For more information, please visit

www.martiscapital.com

About NaviMed Capital

NaviMed Capital is a Washington, DC-based private equity firm with over $400 million of assets under management, focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. NaviMed invests in fast growing lower middle-market healthcare businesses that NaviMed believes are poised to benefit from the reform and technology innovation forces reshaping the healthcare industry. The firm focuses on healthcare services, healthcare IT, hospital products and pharmaceutical services businesses. NaviMed targets profitable private companies with up to $10 million of EBITDA and double-digit revenue growth. NaviMed's senior investment team has a track record of value creation spanning, in the aggregate, dozens of investments and more than $11 billion of enterprise value created over the course of their combined careers. For more information, please visit www.navimed.com

SOURCE Martis Capital

Related Links

http://www.lighthouselabservices.com

http://www.martiscapital.com

http://www.navimed.com


JERSEY CITY, N.J., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Verified Market Research recently published a report, "Liquid Handling Systems Market" By Type (Electronic, Automated and Manual), By Product (Pipettes, Electronic, Manual and Semi-automated), By Application (HTS, Genomics, Drug Discovery and ADME Screening) and By Geography. According to Verified Market Research, the Global Liquid Handling Systems Market size was valued at USD 3.13 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 5.01 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2021 to 2028.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/download-sample/?rid=41677

Browse in-depth TOC on "Liquid Handling Systems Market"

202 - Pages

126  Tables

37  Figures

Global Liquid Handling Systems Market Overview

The Liquid Handling Systems Market is experiencing tremendous growth owing to the increasing innovations in the technologies and demand for highly precise data. In addition, the growing activities in the research and development for novel drug innovation and biotechnology research are another factor accelerating the growth of the market. Increasing investment by the companies of novel drug and vaccine development has pushed the demand for the liquid handling systems market.

Ongoing drug pipeline by the potential manufacturers to combat the disease incidence further demand extensive research activities, fuelling the demand for the liquid handling systems market. Furthermore, technological advancement and rising demand for high-throughput screening are positively impacting the market growth. The rising pressure to accelerate R&D and testing volume led to the adoption of automated liquid handling systems as these systems aid in handling large volumes of PCR tests with accurate clinical outcomes. However, the slow economic growth and limitation in the pricing may lead to restrain the growth of the market.

Key Players

The major players in the market are Tecan Group Ltd., Sartorius AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Gardner Denver Medical, Eppendorf AG, Mettler-Toledo International Inc., Hamilton Company, PerkinElmer, Inc., and Corning Incorporated.

Verified Market Research has segmented the Global Liquid Handling Systems Market On the basis of Type, Product, Application, and Geography.

Liquid Handling Systems Market, By Type

Electronic



Automated



Manual

Liquid Handling Systems Market, By Product

Pipettes



Electronic



Manual



Semi-automated



Consumables



Others

Liquid Handling Systems Market, By Application

HTS



Genomics



Drug Discovery



Compound Weighing and Dissolution



ADME Screening



Others

Liquid Handling Systems Market by Geography

North America



U.S





Canada





Mexico



Europe



Germany





France





U.K





Rest of Europe



Asia Pacific



China





Japan





India





Rest of Asia Pacific



ROW



Middle East & Africa

&



Latin America

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Wafer Handling Robots Market By Product (Vacuum Wafer Handling Robots, Atmospheric Wafer Handling Robots), By Application (200mm Wafer Size, 300mm Wafer Size, Others), By Geography, Forecast, 2021-2028

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Leading Baggage Handling Systems conducting intralogistics activities across busiest airports

Visualize Liquid Handling Systems Market using Verified Market Intelligence:-:

Verified Market Intelligence is our BI Enabled Platform for narrative storytelling of this market. VMI offers in-depth forecasted trends and accurate Insights on over 20,000+ emerging & niche markets, helping you make critical revenue impacting decisions for a brilliant future.

VMI provides a holistic overview and global competitive landscape with respect to Region, Country, and Segment, and Key players of your market. Present your Market Report & findings with an inbuilt presentation feature saving over 70% of your time and resources for Investor, Sales & Marketing, R&D, and Product Development pitches. VMI enables data delivery In Excel and Interactive PDF formats with over 15+ Key Market Indicators for your market.

About Us

Verified Market Research is a leading Global Research and Consulting firm servicing over 5000+ customers. Verified Market Research provides advanced analytical research solutions while offering information enriched research studies. We offer insight into strategic and growth analyses, Data necessary to achieve corporate goals and critical revenue decisions.

Our 250 Analysts and SME's offer a high level of expertise in data collection and governance use industrial techniques to collect and analyze data on more than 15,000 high impact and niche markets. Our analysts are trained to combine modern data collection techniques, superior research methodology, expertise and years of collective experience to produce informative and accurate research.

We study 14+ categories from Semiconductor & Electronics, Chemicals, Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Energy & Power, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Automotive & Transportation, Information & Communication Technology, Software & Services, Information Security, Mining, Minerals & Metals, Building & construction, Agriculture industry and Medical Devices from over 100 countries.

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Verified Market Research

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SOURCE Verified Market Research
ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Orange County commissioned Griffin & Strong P.C. ("GSPC") to conduct a Disparity Study to determine whether minority and women owned businesses have an equal opportunity to participate in County's contracting. The Study will include an exploration of the Minority and Women Business Enterprise ("MWBE") program with Orange County.

A Disparity Study is an objective analysis whose findings of discrimination, if any, are a prerequisite to revisions and modifications of current policies. Griffin & Strong, a law and public policy consulting firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a nationally recognized expert in disparity research. Public participation in the Study is critical to the accuracy of the Study findings and recommendations which will result in policy recommendations to Orange County.

In the best interest of preserving the safety and well-being of attendees, Griffin & Strong P.C, will host two virtual public hearings. These online sessions will provide the local business community with the opportunity to share their experiences, both positive and negative, doing business with and attempting to do business with Orange County. We strongly encourage your participation and look forward to your feedback on how Orange County can bridge the gap and increase diverse representation in public contracting.

The meetings will be hosted:

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

12:00 pm- 1:30 pm EST

Please RSVP at this link: https://bit.ly/3aVzHWF

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

5:00 pm-6:30 pm EST

Please RSVP at this link: https://bit.ly/3DWOTPO

Registration is free and advanced registration is recommended but not required to participate.

For questions or concerns, please email Griffin & Strong at [email protected]. Please note all comments may be recorded and potentially used in the Study.

Griffin & Strong, P.C. is a law and public policy consulting firm based in Atlanta, GA. Since 1992, the firm has represented individual clients, small businesses, corporations, and government entities in public policy consulting, legislation, contract compliance, supplier diversity consulting, and disparity research.

Contact: Syeda Shahbano

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: (678) 364-2962 ext. 104

SOURCE Griffin & Strong, P.C.
"The Swiss Miss "Ugly" Sweater is the must-have look this holiday season," said Audrey Ingersoll, Brand Director on Swiss Miss. "It is guaranteed to be a hit for the hot cocoa-obsessed at any holiday party. You won't have to think twice about finding the perfect gift to treat yourself or the hot cocoa lovers in your life."

Starting on Monday, November 1st, you can purchase the limited-edition Swiss Miss sweaters on UglyChristmasSweater.com for $44.95 each. The sweaters range in sizes from XS  3X and are available in limited quantities while supplies last.



In addition to the festive sweaters, the Swiss Miss line includes an assortment of flavorful hot cocoa, with classics like Milk Chocolate and Marshmallow, and seasonal favorites like Peppermint and Pumpkin Spice.

Visit www.swissmiss.com to learn more about the limited-edition Swiss Miss "Ugly" Holiday Sweater, as well as the full line of hot cocoa and pudding varieties. To stay up-to-date on the latest news and recipes from Swiss Miss, follow along on Facebook and ReadySetEat.com.

About Conagra Brands

Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye, Marie Callender's, Banquet, Healthy Choice, Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, and Vlasic, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Duke's, Earth Balance, Gardein, and Frontera, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

For more information, please contact:

Caitlin Davy, Conagra Brands

(312) 549 - 5518

[email protected]

SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.conagrafoods.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Journalist and author Katie Hafner, and bioethicist Amy Scharf, today announced the launch of the Lost Women of Science podcast series on November 4th, in partnership with public media organization PRX and the award-winning Scientific American magazine.

The first season will include four in-depth episodes centered on Dr. Dorothy Andersen (1901-1963), a pediatric pathologist who identified and named cystic fibrosis in 1938. It will be available free on-demand across all major podcast listening platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Amazon Music.

The Lost Women of Science Initiative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with two overarching and interrelated missions: to tell the story of female scientists who made groundbreaking achievements in their fields, yet remain largely unknown to the general public, and to inspire girls and young women to pursue education and careers in STEM.

Scharf said: "The story of Dr. Dorothy Andersen is compelling. Not only was her work remarkable, but it was accomplished during a time when women were not recognized for their contributions to science. Our dream is that all students listening to this podcast series will be inspired to pursue new careers in STEM, because the world needs them, while at the same time appreciating the challenges that the women scientists who preceded them faced. We feel this series will "pay it forward, while paying it back."

Hafner said: "The research into the science and the story of Dr. Dorothy Andersen has inspired me and our team for months. As a journalist, real life stories are especially compelling to me, and it is my hope that our listeners will come away inspired to overcome great challenges and adversity to pursue their dreams and make a real difference in the lives of many."

Lost Women of Science Scientist-in-Residence Dr. Jane Grogan said, "This project so resonates with me and my colleagues on several levels. Dr. Dorothy Andersen, the subject of our podcast's first season, identified and worked to treat Cystic Fibrosis under very difficult conditions for the time; my work as the Chief Scientific Officer at the gene editing company Graphite Bio, similarly aims to root out serious diseases at a fundamental level. When Dr. Andersen worked in the 1930's, women made up only five percent of practicing physicians; many decades later, I still recall being the only woman scientist in the room so many times. As an immunologist and cancer researcher, we must strive to better encourage women to pursue careers in STEM and become the female mentors both Dr. Andersen and I lacked in our own careers. This podcast series will become an important tool in this effort."

Early funding for Lost Women of Science came from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Schmidt Futures and the John Templeton Foundation. The initiative is also partnering with Barnard College, one-third of whose graduates are STEM majors. Harvey Mudd College graciously served as an early Fiscal Sponsor.

To learn more about the Lost Women of Science Initiative, or to donate to this important non-profit Initiative, please visit: www.lostwomenofscience.org

About Lost Women of Science:

The Lost Women of Science Initiative is a non-profit educational organization with the overarching goal of inspiring girls and young women -- especially those from communities chronically underrepresented in the STEM professions -- to embark on careers in STEM. The Initiative's flagship is its Lost Women of Science podcast, producing four multi-episode seasons per year. As a full, mission-driven organization, the Lost Women of Science Initiative plans to digitize and archive our research efforts, and to make all primary source material available to students and historians of science.

MEDIA ADVISORY

For media who would like to hear an embargoed version of the Lost Women of Science podcast for review in advance, please contact one of our team members below. Katie Hafner and Amy Scharf will be available for interviews on November 2nd and 3rd.

SOURCE Lost Women of Science
HONOLULU, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Matson, Inc. (NYSE: MATX), a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, has published new long-term environmental goals in a Sustainability Report 2020 Supplement that commit the company to reducing fleet greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40 percent by 2030, and achieving net zero fleet GHG emissions by 2050.

"We are committed to doing our part in helping the world decarbonize and limit climate change," said Matt Cox, chairman and chief executive officer. "We believe we have a responsibility to significantly reduce our carbon footprint by lowering our greenhouse gas emissions and our aim is to achieve these medium- and long-term goals by improving fleet and operational efficiency.

"Matson is supporting efforts to create an industry-funded research and development program to accelerate zero-carbon fuels and technologies. While these transformative technologies develop, we will continue to focus on improving the efficiency of our fleet and terminal operations."

Other highlights of Matson's 2020 Supplement include:

Environment: Reduced fleet GHG emissions by 23% since 2016

Reduced fleet GHG emissions by 23% since 2016 Safety: Reduced shoreside lost time injuries by 10% from 2019

Reduced shoreside lost time injuries by 10% from 2019 Community: Achieved 2020 vessel schedule reliability of 98% in Hawaii service, 97% in Alaska service and 92% in Guam service

More information about Matson's sustainability goals and how it plans to achieve them is available in its Sustainability Report 2020 Supplement posted online at: www.matson.com/sustainability.

About Matson

Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a leading provider of ocean transportation and logistics services. Matson provides a vital lifeline to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Alaska, and Guam, and to other island economies in Micronesia. Matson also operates premium, expedited services from China to Long Beach, California, provides service to Okinawa, Japan and various islands in the South Pacific, and operates an international export service from Dutch Harbor to Asia. The Company's fleet of owned and chartered vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson's transportation network throughout North America. Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, freight consolidation, Asia supply chain services, and forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about the Company is available at www.matson.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including without limitation those statements regarding environmental goals, greenhouse gas emissions, and fleet and operational efficiency. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statement, including but not limited to risks and uncertainties relating to the availability and cost of carbon neutral fuels and technologies and the impact of future and pending legislation and regulations, including regulations related to greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental laws and regulations. Forward-looking statements are also aspirational and not guarantees or promises that goals or targets will be met. For example, these statements reflect our current business plans, and our ability to achieve our goals and targets may be impacted by changes in demand for our services or, in some cases, we may determine to adjust our goals and targets or establish new ones to reflect changes in our business. The company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Investor Relations inquiries: News Media inquiries:

Lee Fishman Keoni Wagner

Matson, Inc. Matson, Inc.

(510) 628-4227 (510) 628-4534

[email protected] [email protected]



SOURCE Matson, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.matson.com


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- McGraw Hill today closed its previously-announced transaction to acquire Achieve3000, a recognized leader in differentiated instruction and learning acceleration for PreK-12 students in all 50 states and 48 countries.

"Achieve3000 and its product portfolio are wonderful complements to our PreK-12 business," said Simon Allen, CEO of McGraw Hill. "With this acquisition, we will continue to expand our efforts to serve teachers and engage students to drive better learning outcomes."

The acquisition brings together McGraw Hill's extensive product portfolio in PreK-12 with Achieve3000's supplemental and intervention solutions to help students of all ages and abilities. It enables McGraw Hill to offer a wider array of outstanding digital learning solutions that support teachers, engage students and drive better learning outcomes. Together, the two organizations will be able to leverage their combined salesforce of more than 400 people and their deep relationships with K-12 school districts to cross-sell products and bundle Achieve3000's products with McGraw Hill's core curriculum offerings.

"The demands of the modern classroom can exhaust even the most dedicated and tireless of teachers," said Sean Ryan, President of McGraw Hill's School Group. "With the addition of Achieve3000's talented team we are better able to support educators serving a broad range of performance levels in each and every classroom."

McGraw Hill is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Achieve3000, which was acquired from Insight Partners, is McGraw Hill's first acquisition since Platinum Equity acquired the company in July 2021.

"Supplemental curriculum solutions are vital to helping educators and administrators meet the learning needs of students around the world," said Jacob Kotzubei, Partner at Platinum Equity. "Achieve3000 has exceptional technology that improves outcomes and is an important addition to McGraw Hill's portfolio."

"The addition of Achieve3000 is an important step in delivering on our promise to help McGraw Hill accelerate its digital transformation," said Luke Myers, Managing Director at Platinum Equity. "We will continue to pursue new opportunities to grow the business organically and through acquisition."

McGraw Hill

McGraw Hill is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that drive results for students, parents, educators and professionals. We focus on educational equity, affordability and learning success to help learners build better lives. Headquartered in New York City, McGraw Hill has offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions for PreK12, higher education, professionals and others available in more than 80 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

Media Contact:

Catherine Mathis

McGraw Hill

(646) 858-8182

[email protected]

SOURCE McGraw Hill
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MedCrypt, Inc. , the proactive cybersecurity solution provider for medical devices and manufacturers, today released its white paper on the digital transformation of the healthcare industry and the value of software transparency. Using examples of recent healthcare attacks, the paper analyzes the history and use-cases of the Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), and the challenges organizations face in implementing new security measures.

Titled " Benefiting from Software Transparency: From SBOM to vulnerability management ," the white paper explores the evolution of medical device development and explains why traditional engineering tools lack the ability to address the entire range of security processes requirements, premarket through postmarket, set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"The healthcare industry understands the importance and increased need for better security measures, but in the wake of an ongoing global crisis, efforts and resources are focused on the continued care of patients," said Mike Kijewski, CEO of MedCrypt. "Organizations are in need of support in order to create a security strategy quickly and MedCrypt's newly-launched consulting services are meant to act as that resource to help organizations reach regulatory compliance now."

SBOMs are the food labels of the tech world  a complete list of every "ingredient" in a piece of software that uniquely identifies each component, including version, and other relevant descriptors where applicable. In the U.S., the FDA has signaled its plan to require SBOMs and timely patching from all manufacturers, as the regulatory body has requested an incremental budget and increased regulatory authority.

"The healthcare industry is moving from a pre-SBOM world toward a future where SBOMs are ubiquitous and vulnerabilities are monitored and disclosed in a way that's efficient and scalable," said Shannon Lantzy, MedCrypt's VP of consulting. "Every MDM we speak to is at a different stage in the SBOM journey. Some are focusing on vulnerabilities in the premarket stage, while others are focused on postmarket management. All want to reduce the burden of manually dispositioning vulnerabilities. Our consulting services will help MDMs identify weaknesses in their current processes, as well as the best path to scale."

For organizations, the integration of SBOMs across product life cycles comes with many challenges, ranging from inconsistent software component naming to the management of the complexities of the SBOM itself, to organizational challenges such as determining which groups are responsible for vulnerability identification, disposition, mitigation, and disclosure.

Earlier this month, MedCrypt announced the launch of its suite of consulting services , making the company the first firm to combine cybersecurity with management consulting, decision science, and regulatory strategy, 100% focused on supporting the medical device manufacturers. MedCrypt will help its customers with every part of the process, from business strategy to product architecture assessments, process reengineering to change management, and threat modeling to regulatory strategy.

Starting Monday, November 1, MedCrypt will be offering "SBOM Readiness Lightning Assessment" sessions to the first 5 medical device manufacturers who reach out via email ([email protected]). The purpose of the sessions will be to quickly identify gaps in current vulnerability management program(s) and provide recommendations on steps toward becoming SBOM-ready then optimizing to scale. For more information on MedCrypt's full suite of services and to connect with the team directly, please visit www.medcrypt.com .

About MedCrypt

MedCrypt is a San Diego-based company that provides proactive security for healthcare technology. MedCrypt's platform brings core cybersecurity features to medical devices with just a few lines of code, ensuring devices are secure by design. MedCrypt has raised a total of $9.4 million in funding with participation from Eniac Ventures, Section 32, Y Combinator, and more. For more, please visit www.medcrypt.com .

Contact: BAM for MedCrypt

Jenny Bourne

[email protected]

SOURCE MedCrypt
Algae-based ingredients have piqued food industry interest in recent years as a sustainable, animal-free source of protein, lipids and micronutrients. Traditionally grown in open ponds, they are extremely fast-growing and require few inputs - but Wang sees an even better way to grow microalgae for food, based on fermentation using various food industry waste as feedstock.

"Since I am trying to make it into foods, all I care about is the protein," he explained. "I don't care about the lipid. Since I am just caring about protein I can then use fermentation to increase production efficiency a lot, lot more. That's how I stumbled on this technology."

Exploring alternatives

With an MBA from Colombia University, Wang initially set out to become an investment banker, but soon realised it was not the lifestyle for him. Raised in Taiwan, in a family with a long-standing food business, he found inspiration from his daughter Sophie who was allergic to shellfish. In 2013, Wang started to investigate how he could tap into algae to develop seafood alternatives  and then discovered algae's far broader potential. Sophie's Bionutrients was officially launched in 2019, and the company introduced its milk alternative made from 100% microalgae in May this year.

"The more I researched it, the more I realised that this did not have be limited to plant-based seafood, this could be opened up to all kinds of applications," he said. "I could make it into milk. I could make it into meat. I could even make it into a type of bakery protein flour."

Wang says the microalgae milk alternative is just the beginning, and the company plans to expand into products like alternatives to yoghurt and cheese, as well as plant-based meat. He is already in talks with some major European dairy firms, and the company is looking for partners to help scale up production.

"There are going to be a lot of different kinds of protein flours we are going to develop," he said. "For each functionality you're talking about a different kind of protein isolation process, sometimes even a different kind of algae strain," he said. "That's why we need R&D collaborators."

Following that, the company is also looking for commercial and manufacturing partners to expand from lab-scale to pilot-scale volumes.

European ambition

Wang's business was given an early boost by Enterprise Singapore, which later connected him with the FoodValley NL ecosystem, based in Wageningen in the Netherlands. He then joined  and won  the MassChallenge Switzerland Sustainable Food Systems Challenge in spring 2021.

"Through this pitching competition I came to realize that in this phase, many potential customers, partners and talented future employees for Sophie's Bionutrients are situated in Europe, maybe more than in Asia or the USA," he said. "Europeans are more receptive to the environmental and health benefits of plant-based foods and are also willing to pay a higher price for novel and healthy food. No wonder that many relevant businesses and investors are situated in Europe as well."

Food Valley: the heart of plant-based innovation

Indeed, the Netherlands already boasts over 250 plant-based protein companies and it is a European research hotspot for alternative proteins and microbial fermentation for food production. Many of those companies are located in the Food Valley region, home to Wageningen University & Research, which has its own plant-based meat research lab and an algae production and research centre, AlgaeParc. Industry leaders like Unilever, Upfield and Vivera Foodgroup have made major investments in plant-based innovation in the region. NIZO, a research centre with the largest food-grade pilot plant in Europe, is also located in Food Valley.

"In all aspects, Food Valley is the plant-based industrial heart of Europe," said Wang.

With this in mind, he applied for a place with the accelerator programme at StartLife, the Wageningen-based agrifoodtech accelerator.

"We were immediately impressed with Eugene and his technology," said Laura Thissen, Operations Director at StartLife. "Sophie's Bionutrients fits our agrifoodtech community perfectly. Alternative protein and algae-oriented startups are numerous here in Food Valley, including StartLife alumni like Phycom, Fumi Ingredients, and Time-Traveling Milkman. In fact, Eugene met us through one of our alumni, Willem Sodderland, founder of food startup Seamore, with whom he has partnered up."

StartLife offered tailored support instead of a place in the all-inclusive 12-week acceleration programme.

Thissen said, "It's not uncommon for us to provide fully tailored support. We can help him settle his business in the Netherlands and connect to valuable partners and interested investors."

"StartLife quickly demonstrated to be well-connected in the agrifood space," said Wang. "They already introduced me to valuable industry connections in the region."

He added that together with Kadans Science Partner, StartLife also invited him to open an office in its incubator space on Wageningen Campus.

"After all I had learned about the region, and the many great connections made in this area in such a short period of time, this was an offer that I wholeheartedly accepted," he said.

Open call for partnerships

Looking ahead, the company aims to establish a Dutch legal entity, and to start manufacturing a range of microalgae-based products with Europe-based partners. In the meantime, Wang is looking for partners to support the scale-up process, including investors, R&D partners, regulation and manufacture.

"This is an open call to all parties in the Netherlands that might be interested, from fellow startups to corporates and investors," Wang added. "I am looking forward to building the future of food together."

Photos and other Images can be downloaded from the following dropbox account:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9u8tv2y0t1qu02j/AACq5iBzN-L7nCbq7yRpFHT5a?dl=0

About Sophies Bionutrients

Sophie's Bionutrients, a B2B food technology company, is on a mission to unleash the limitless possibilities of nature, restore our planet and eliminate food allergies. It aims to achieve this by creating plant-based, protein-rich alternatives to meat and seafood using microalgae, the mother of all animal and plant life. In 2021 the company announced to be world's first food tech company to use microalgae to develop 100% plant-based and sustainable alternative protein with the core vision that microalgae is the superfood of the future.

About StartLife

StartLife is Europe's longest running and leading agrifoodtech startup accelerator. Its mission is to accelerate food and agtech startups shaping a sustainable food system. StartLife provides business development support, mentoring, funding and access to a global community of startups, investors, corporates and experts. Since 2010, the accelerator, that was co-founded by Wageningen University & Research, has supported over 400 startups that have so far raised over 185 million follow-on capital.

About Kadans Science Partner

Kadans Science Partner has the mission to create and support innovation ecosystems. Kadans does this by offering tailor-made real estate solutions and giving tenants access into innovation ecosystems. The Plus Ultra II Building on Wageningen Campus offers office and lab spaces to startups, scale-ups and established companies and organizations that want to contribute to a vibrant community concerning agri & food and a healthy living environment.

SOURCE Sophie's Bionutrients

Related Links

http://www.sophiesbionutrients.com


The design and construction industry is in the process of digital transformation. New tools and technologies are helping to improve project delivery and make projects more profitable, sustainable, and safer. Anna Liza Montenegro of Microsol Resources in a dialogue with Dr. Donna Laquidara-Carr of Dodge Data & Analytics will discuss the findings of the study in a virtual event at CE Strong, a continuing education platform hosted by The Architect's Newspaper which highlights the latest innovations in construction and design.

Join Anna Liza Montenegro of Microsol Resources & Dr. Donna Laquidara-Carr of Dodge Data & Analytics on Nov 9 at 1 pm ET

They will take a detailed look at:

How architects, engineers, and contractors are using BIM and data-driven BIM activities

How the industry is collaborating using BIM, the specific benefits that each type of company achieves from their use of BIM

Degree of satisfaction with BIM use by other members of projects team

Benchmark of where the industry stands currently in the process of digital transformation

Use of emerging design intelligence tools, innovative construction methods, new technologies for the jobsite, and smart building technologies.

This event is open to all but recommended for technology leaders from architecture, engineering, and construction firms including CIOs, CTOs, VP of Information Technology, IT Directors, BIM Managers, CAD Managers, Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) Managers. By attending, you can receive 1 AIA continuing education unit. You can register here.

About Microsol Resources

Microsol Resources delivers design technology solutions to the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry for over 30 years. We provide cutting-edge software, training, and services for Autodesk, McNeel's Rhino, Bluebeam, Chaos Group's V-Ray, Enscape, and other leading technology solutions that help create the spaces of the future.

From technical support to BIM implementation, basic and advanced training, standards development, model management services, and 3D printing, our services are designed to address AEC firms' needs and get the most out of your technology investments.

Contact:

Anna Liza Montenegro, Director of Marketing | [email protected] | (212) 465-8734

SOURCE Microsol Resources Corp.

Related Links

http://www.microsolresources.com/


DELAVAN, Wis., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium will be breaking ground to mark the start of the construction for their new headquarters building! Initially headquartered in Lake Geneva, WI, Millennium continued to rapidly expand across the US and relocated its headquarters to Delavan in 2016. Millennium will be building a new 75,000 sq ft office and warehouse space in the Delavan business park to keep up with the growth. The project is expected to be completed summer of 2022.

James Kyle, the Millennium Group CEO, explains the decision to stay local, "After an exhaustive search in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois for a community to scale with our growth, the City of Delavan worked well with us to develop a modern business park and position us with easy access to I-43, connecting us with great shipping lanes and close proximity to local employees who can grow with our business. It's clear that the City of Delavan seeks to support and keep healthy companies in the area."

Leading the groundbreaking is CEO James Kyle with President Nate Wendt, other members of the executive team, and Delavan city officials. Employees from multiple locations will be there as well to commemorate the occasion.

"Millennium is excited to continue our exponential growth and build our new office and warehouse facility to accommodate additional staff and inventory," said James Kyle. "We look forward to continuing to provide opportunities for dynamic people from our community to be part of the ever-expanding fiber optic development across the country."

About: Millennium offers end-to-end solutions from the development to the deployment of fiber optic broadband networks. With 14 national locations, we provide a host of solutions to clients across the country. These solutions include introducing new methods and technologies that make networks more reliable, feasibility studies and supplemental engineering, providing bridge loans, managing material needs, renting and leasing capital equipment, and beyond.

Contact: Sharon Wright

Phone: 262.806.0347

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Millennium
COPENHAGEN, Denmark and BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Muna Therapeutics ("Muna"), pioneering the development of novel, first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, today announces the appointment of Dr. Niels Plath as Chief Scientific Officer.

Dr. Plath is a molecular biologist and neuroscientist with more than 15 years of experience in academia and biopharma. He was previously the acting Head of Global Research at Lundbeck, leading drug discovery and development for neurologic and psychiatric diseases. Prior to this role, Dr. Plath was Vice President for Neuroscience, leading teams that brought several drug candidates into clinical development, including alpha-synuclein and tau targeting antibodies, idalopirdine and Nalmefene.

Rita Balice-Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of Muna Therapeutics, said: "We are delighted to welcome Niels as Muna's Chief Scientific Officer. He shares our commitment to discover and develop disease modifying therapeutics to address the staggering unmet need experienced by patients with neurodegenerative disorders around the world."

Henrijette Richter, Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners, said: "Niels has broad biopharma R&D experience that will be invaluable as Muna continues to progress its innovative pipeline of potential disease-modifying medicines for neurodegenerative diseases. We are very pleased to be supporting Muna's world-class global team."

Niels Plath, Chief Scientific Officer of Muna Therapeutics, said: "I'm excited to be joining Muna Therapeutics to further develop its promising, cutting-edge pipeline of neurodegenerative disease therapeutics. I'm looking forward to working with this stellar team to advance promising treatments for patients to significantly improve their quality of life."

Dr. Plath obtained a PhD in Neuroscience from the Free University of Berlin, Germany, focusing on the role of immediate early genes in neuronal plasticity, learning and memory. Following a postdoctoral fellowship supported by the Human Frontier Science Program, he joined biopharma in 2005 to pursue research and development of treatments for patients with CNS disorders. Dr. Plath has authored many scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, is a guest lecturer in Neuroscience at the University of Copenhagen and has given numerous conference talks at meetings around the world.

About Muna Therapeutics

Muna Therapeutics is a private biopharmaceutical company founded in 2020 and based in Copenhagen, Denmark and Leuven, Belgium. Muna discovers and develops therapies that slow or stop devastating neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Frontotemporal Dementia and Parkinson's. These disorders impact memory, movement, language, behavior and personality resulting in disability and death of millions of patients around the globe. We focus our groundbreaking science on identifying new medicines to preserve cognition and other brain functions and enhance resilience to neurodegenerative diseases. Our name reflects this focus: Muna means 'to remember' in Old Norse. www.munatherapeutics.com

SOURCE Muna Therapeutics
CARROLLTON, Texas, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MY SALON Suite set a company fundraising record in September during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month raising more than $120,000 through the company's Suite Relief Fund , for the benefit of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as well as company employees.

The salon suite franchise set an initial goal of raising $35,000, but surpassed that amount through the generous donations from clients, Members, Franchise Partners, vendors and the Suite Management Franchising team. Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food - because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.

"It's truly gratifying to see our team exceed our fundraising goals each year. The amount of money that we raised in just one month for St. Jude, an organization that has saved so many lives, is more than what we raised in each of the three previous years," said Ken McAllister, the co-founder, and CEO of MY SALON Suite. "It's the desire of our community to go beyond our walls to make the world a little brighter, and we plan to keep expanding our efforts and making a difference."

Suite Management Franchising, the parent company of MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza, started its partnership with St. Jude in 2018 when it launched the Suite Relief Fund. Since the inception of the partnership, the Suite Relief Fund has contributed $250,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Continued support helps fuel the St. Jude $11.5 billion, six-year strategic plan, which includes tripling its global investment to impact the more than 400,000 kids with cancer around the world each year.

Additionally, in August, The Suite Relief Fund distributed $52,500 to MY SALON Suite members in New Orleans who were impacted by Hurricane Ida through a partnership with the PBA's Disaster Relief Fund.

MY SALON Suite is a salon suite franchise that focuses on providing stylists and beauticians a personal space to build their business. They decorate their suite, use their own branding, set their hours, prices, and manage their own client lists and business. In addition, the MY SALON Suite franchise owners serve as landlords who recruit and rent space to health and beauty professionals.

In June 2021, Suite Management Franchising, LLC, the parent company of MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza, was acquired by Propelled Brands. Propelled Brands is using its unparalleled resources, support, and training to accelerate growth and expand Suite Management Franchising's footprint across the country.

For more information about the MY SALON Suite franchise, visit https://www.mysalonsuite.com , or contact Mark Jameson at [email protected] or 214-346-5679.

About Suite Management Franchising

Suite Management Franchising, the parent company of MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza, is a salon suite franchise created for entrepreneurial-spirited individuals interested in diversifying their portfolio while living a semi-absentee lifestyle. Founded to inspire and empower the modern-day salon owner, the company offers a unique opportunity for a diverse range of beauty and health professionals to run their businesses successfully. Salon members are provided ongoing training, support, and a strong referral network to help their business generate a six-figure income. Featured in Entrepreneur magazine's "Top New Franchise" list, the brand is widely recognized for its rapid expansion and noteworthy success. A strategic alliance partnership with Propelled Brands, the nation's largest family-owned collection of salons, continues to propel the brand's growth. With 210 locations in 35 states across the United States and Canada, the franchise concept plans to add 200 franchise partners and 500 salons in the next three years.

For more information about Suite Management Franchising, visit mysalonsuite.com/franchise . To learn more about MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza, visit mysalonsuite.com and salonplaza.com .

Media Contact:

Clarissa Rios | BizCom Associates

972.352.7601 | [email protected]

SOURCE MY SALON Suite

Related Links

https://www.mysalonsuite.com


LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mynaric has signed a multi-year, strategic agreement with Northrop Grumman that identifies the company as a strategic supplier for laser communications in the space domain.

"The U.S. government is the driving force to deploy laser communication capabilities in space," said Bulent Altan, CEO of Mynaric. "We are happy to have been selected as a strategic supplier by Northrop Grumman to pursue ongoing and upcoming programs in this important market segment and look forward to jointly providing secure and broadband communication to serve the U.S. government's needs for distributed communication architectures."

Earlier this year Mynaric submitted bids with a combined value in the mid-double digit million USD range to Northrop Grumman in the framework of multiple government space programs that are still pending contract awards by the U.S. government. Separately, Northrop Grumman will issue a purchase order for a set of CONDOR Mk3 terminals to kick-start the new relationship.

The agreement provides Northrop Grumman assured and preferred access to Mynaric products and services. It also foresees that Mynaric and Northrop Grumman will jointly develop and offer laser communication solutions tailored to the unique needs of specific U.S. government space programs. Mynaric will exclusively develop and sell custom products to Northrop Grumman for this specific market segment.

"Laser communication is becoming a strategic must-have for a wide array of government programs, particularly as Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) capabilities are expanded to an increasing number of connected platforms and as cybersecurity threats increase," said Dr. Robert Fleming, Sector Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Northrop Grumman Space Systems. "We look forward to partnering with Mynaric to provide cost-effective solutions to our customers to deploy laser communication capabilities at scale."

Mynaric and Northrop Grumman signed the agreement upon a shared interest in accelerating the growth, development, adoption and innovation of laser communication solutions primarily for aerospace and defense applications, including air, space, ground, maritime, and undersea with a near-term emphasis on the space arena for the U.S. government's needs and missions.

The agreement foresees business of a minimum value of Mynaric products and/or related services of at least USD 35 million over the agreement term.

About Mynaric

Mynaric (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: M0Y, ISIN: DE000A0JCY11) produces the optical fiber for the skies and, as a pioneer of laser communication, enables extremely fast and secure wireless data transmission between aircraft, drones and satellites. Globally, the need for fast and ubiquitous network connectivity is advancing inexorably. Data networks such as the internet are now largely based on infrastructure on the ground which cannot be expanded arbitrarily for legal, economic or logistical reasons. The future, therefore, calls for an expansion of the existing network infrastructure into air and space. Mynaric provides laser communication products to establish the necessary data highways for telecommunication constellations in air and space.

More information at: www.mynaric.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipate," "foresee," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "could," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "should," "target," "would" and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the information available to, and the expectations and assumptions deemed reasonable by Mynaric at the time these statements were made. No assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates, which are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of Mynaric. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Mynaric expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Mynaric's expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.

SOURCE Mynaric
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Press Club, the world's leading professional organization for journalists, has chosen Isidoro Rodriguez of Brooklyn, New York, as the recipient of its 2021 Shirley & Dennis Feldman Fellowship. The award for graduate students is a one-time scholarship of $5,000.

Rodriguez, who is attending the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, impressed the judges with his published stories about criminal justice and police abuse of people of color, including one titled, "Stop Turning Your Head: Black Cops Speak Out Against 'Blanket of Racism.'"

Another story, "The Plight of the Police Whistleblower," was based on deep reporting on police officers who have reported their peers for abuse of power and unequal treatment of black and brown people. Rodriguez wrote about an ever-present threat of retaliation by superiors, the rest of the force, and the system against those police who speak out.

"It wasn't until I decided to go back to school in 2014, at the age of 31," he said, "that I took my first steps toward what has become the hardest, most stressful, most educational, and most rewarding experience of my life: being a journalist."

Since his graduation from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York in 2017, he's written on probation, juvenile detention, and the bail system. "However, the work that has interested me the most, that I often consider my duty to write, has been on police reform," he said.

Rodriguez grew up in Japan, Mexico, and Brazil.

"I believe that my early exposure to these cultures, and the international education I received while living in them, has benefited me with an open mind," he wrote in his application. "My experiences and work in criminal justice reporting have taught me the importance of an analytical and questioning journalistic nature."

Recommendation letters from his professors praised Rodriguez's willingness to dig into difficult subjects, such as the research and writing on policing of the mentally ill.

"We applaud Isidoro's commitment to the important work of reporting on criminal justice and police reform with a focus on some of our communities' most vulnerable populations," said Lisa Nicole Matthews, National Press Club president. "Isidoro's work already has exposed important issues, and we look forward to the impact his journalistic work will have."

This year's runner-up is Kathryn Styer-Martinez of Oakland, California, who is attending the Berkeley School of Journalism at the University of California.

Rodriguez is one of four scholarship winners who will be honored at the National Press Club's Annual Journalism Awards Dinner, to be held virtually from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on December 8, 2021. The National Press Club's Journalism Awards celebrate the best in American broadcast and print journalism.

Scholarship winners and runners-up are also awarded one-year complimentary membership to the National Press Club.

Press contact: Beth Francesco, Senior Director, National Press Club Journalism Institute, [email protected]

SOURCE National Press Club Journalism Institute
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Author T.C. Morrison has just announced the release of his highly anticipated book, Please Pass The Tort$ - a legal farce. This delightful novel highlights the absurdity of numerous class-action cases featuring fun-loving lawyers, wacky clients and exasperated judges, in a field where most modern cases benefit no one except lawyers.

Please Pass The Tort$

Retired New York trial and appellate lawyer Thomas Morrison spent 50 years representing major corporations in trials and appeals, particularly false advertising, trademark and unfair competition cases. He argued and won numerous high-profile trials for major consumer brands such as Pizza Hut, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, TIME Magazine, and Hertz. Please Pass The Tort$ is written with humor and parlance that only comes from a depth of legal experience. Morrison pokes fun at his own profession, capturing the trials and tribulations of human behavior and making this journey an enjoyable read for anyone with a funny bone.

Please Pass The Tort$ showcases two twin brothers, Patrick A. Peters ("Pap") and Prescott U. Peters ("Pup"), both lawyers with a distinctive eye for opportunity. Pap convinces Pup, who is a good attorney despite having gone to Yale Law School, that they should leave their respective big-firm practices in New York City to start up a hopefully lucrative practice as plaintiffs' class action lawyers. T.C. is a Lakeville, Connecticut resident paying homage to familiar places including Weston, CT; Westport; Greenwich; Bridgeport; and Hartford, where Pap and former circus clown turned public relations consultant, Jack N. Boks, present a plan to a State legislative committee to rejuvenate Connecticut's economy by turning CT into a mecca for tort lawsuits.

Please Pass The Tort$ is a sequel to Tort$ "R" Us, which received dozens of gold star reviews on Amazon. You can learn more about the book by clicking here https://www.tortsmediakit.com/ or you may purchase the book on Amazon today.

The author is an entertaining storyteller and available for interviews.

For more information, please contact Carolyn McLean at [email protected] or 502-409-1982.

SOURCE Please Pass The Tort$

Related Links

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SPRING HOUSE, Pa., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson today announced comprehensive efficacy and safety data from the DISCOVER2 trial of TREMFYA (guselkumab) were published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, representing the final results of the first two-year clinical trial investigating a selective interleukin (IL)-23 inhibitor therapy in active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).1 Results show a majority of TREMFYA-treated biologic-naive adult patients with active PsA achieved improvements in joint signs and symptoms (American College of Rheumatology [ACR] 20/50/70)a and complete skin clearance (Investigator's Global Assessment [IGA] 0)b that were maintained or increased over time, suggesting continued TREMFYA treatment may lead to higher levels of symptom improvement. TREMFYA demonstrated low rates of radiographic progression,c a key indicator of structural damage, which includes erosion and joint space narrowing, and provided substantial and durable improvements across multiple additional disease domains, including achievement of minimal disease activity (MDA)d and normalized physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index [HAQ-DI] 0.5).1,2,e

"These comprehensive, two-year data yield important insights into how patients with psoriatic arthritis can achieve and sustain improvements across symptoms with the ultimate goal being full remission," said study investigator Philip Mease,f M.D., Director of Rheumatology Research at the Swedish Medical Center/Providence St. Joseph Health and Clinical Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine. "It's helpful for both healthcare providers and patients to understand the long-term profile of therapies like TREMFYA in order to make informed decisions about treatment for a life-long disease like psoriatic arthritis."

The data from the study show durable improvement in joint manifestations and skin clearance:1

Among TREMFYA patients who achieved an ACR20, ACR50, or ACR70 response at week 52, 91 percent of patients receiving treatment every four weeks (q4w) g and 87 percent of patients receiving treatment every eight weeks (q8w) maintained an ACR20 response at week 100. Eighty-three percent of q4w and 79 percent of q8w patients maintained an ACR50 response, and 72 percent and 80 percent maintained an ACR70 response.

and 87 percent of patients receiving treatment every eight weeks (q8w) maintained an ACR20 response at week 100. Eighty-three percent of q4w and 79 percent of q8w patients maintained an ACR50 response, and 72 percent and 80 percent maintained an ACR70 response. In both TREMFYA groups, ACR response rates were maintained or continued to improve through week 100. Response rates for ACR50 and ACR70 increased through the second year of treatment, suggesting that individual patients may be improving over time and achieving higher levels of improvement with continued TREMFYA treatment.

Low rates of radiographic progression, a key indicator of structural damage, were seen from week 0100 across both TREMFYA dosing regimens. h Mean changes in total van der Heijde Modified Sharp (vdH-S) i scores indicated less radiographic progression from week 52100 than from week 052 in all three treatment groups (q4w, q8w, and patients who crossed over from placebo to TREMFYA at week 24).

Mean changes in total van der Heijde Modified Sharp (vdH-S) scores indicated less radiographic progression from week 52100 than from week 052 in all three treatment groups (q4w, q8w, and patients who crossed over from placebo to TREMFYA at week 24). Enthesitis and dactylitis resolution rates at week 100 showed amelioration of these signs and symptoms of arthritis was durable through two years. Among patients affected at baseline, 62 percent in the q4w group and 70 percent in the q8w group achieved complete resolution of enthesitis and 72 percent and 83 percent, respectively, achieved complete resolution of dactylitis at week 100.

Among patients receiving TREMFYA from week 0, 62 percent and 55 percent of patients in the q4w and q8w groups, respectively, achieved complete skin clearance (IGA score of 0) at week 100, and 76 percent and 72 percent had an IGA score of 0/1 (clear/almost clear).j

TREMFYA also demonstrated durable improvements in physical function and maintenance of low disease activity:1

At week 100, 38 percent and 40 percent of patients receiving TREMFYA q4w and q8w, respectively, achieved the more stringent criteria of minimal disease activity (MDA). d Among patients achieving MDA at week 52, 81 percent and 83 percent in the q4w and q8w groups, respectively, maintained MDA at week 100. In addition, 14 percent of patients in the q4w group and 17 percent in the q8w group achieved very low disease activity (VLDA). k

Among patients achieving MDA at week 52, 81 percent and 83 percent in the q4w and q8w groups, respectively, maintained MDA at week 100. In addition, 14 percent of patients in the q4w group and 17 percent in the q8w group achieved very low disease activity (VLDA). At week 100, least squares mean changes from baseline in the HAQ-DIe in the q4w (0.55) and q8w (-0.53) groups were consistent with those at week 52, and 63 to 64 percent of patients receiving either dosing regimen reported a clinically meaningful improvement in HAQ-DI scores (0.35). Additionally, 35 to 40 percent of patients in the TREMFYA groups reported normalized physical function (HAQ-DI 0.5) at week 100.

DISCOVER-2 data, which represent the most comprehensive results for a selective IL-23 inhibitor in PsA patients, also showed consistency in the established safety profile of TREMFYA:1

Adverse events (AEs) through two years of DISCOVER-2 were consistent with those reported through one year of DISCOVER-2 and those seen in the one-year DISCOVER-1 study and in the five-year VOYAGE 1 and 2 studies in plaque PsO. 3-6 TREMFYA-treated patients exhibited low rates of infections (37.3 events/100 patient-years of follow-up), serious infections (1.9 events/100 patient-years of follow-up), and opportunistic infections (in three patients with predisposing factors during the second year of treatment). Among all patients, there were no cases of active tuberculosis, and in TREMFYA-treated patients there were no cases of inflammatory bowel disease.

TREMFYA-treated patients exhibited low rates of infections (37.3 events/100 patient-years of follow-up), serious infections (1.9 events/100 patient-years of follow-up), and opportunistic infections (in three patients with predisposing factors during the second year of treatment). Among all patients, there were no cases of active tuberculosis, and in TREMFYA-treated patients there were no cases of inflammatory bowel disease. TREMFYA-treated patients also receiving methotrexate (MTX) had numerically higher rates of elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, which can indicate abnormal liver function, than patients not receiving MTX. PsA patients often receive concomitant therapy with MTX and oral corticosteroids, in contrast with PsO patients.7

"The response rates in the DISCOVER-2 trial demonstrate the ability of TREMFYA to improve the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis for people who live with the challenges of this disease," said Alyssa Johnsen, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President and Rheumatology Disease Area Leader, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. "Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic disease, so patients need treatment options with durable efficacy and an established safety profile. We are proud to deliver the first two-year results for a selective IL-23 inhibitor therapy in PsA."

Janssen's continued commitment to advancing TREMFYA for the treatment of active PsA is demonstrated by the TREMFYA PsA clinical development program, which currently includes two studies in Phase 3b, NCT04882098 and NCT04936308, and one in Phase 4 testing, NCT04929210.8,9,10

Editor's Note:

a. ACR20/50/70 response is defined as both at least 20/50/70 percent improvement from baseline in the number of tender and swollen joints, and at least 20/50/70 percent improvement from baseline in three of the following five criteria: patient global assessment, physician global assessment, patient-reported functional ability (HAQ-DI), patient-reported pain using a visual analogue, and a laboratory marker of systemic inflammation (erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein level).11

b. IGA is a five-point scoring system used to characterize PsO severity. Scores range from 0 to 5 and represent cleared (0), almost clear (1), mild (2), moderate (3), severe (4), and very severe (5) skin PsO.12

c. Radiographic progression is not in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) label for TREMFYA.13

d. MDA is defined as low disease activity across five of the following seven domains of PsA: tender joint count, swollen joint count, tender entheses, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) or body surface area affected with PsO, patient pain assessment and global disease activity assessments, and patient-reported physical function.14

e. HAQ-DI is a patient questionnaire that assesses physical function and disability across rheumatic diseases.15 Normalized physical function is defined as a HAQ-DI score 0.5. These results were seen among patients with HAQ-DI 0.35 and 0.5 at baseline.

f. Dr. Mease is a paid consultant for Janssen. He was not compensated for any media work.

g. TREMFYA is approved for administration as a 100-mg subcutaneous (SC) injection given every eight weeks, following initial doses at weeks 0 and 4.13

h. TREMFYA is not FDA-approved for inhibition of structural damage.

i. The total PsA-modified vdH-S score is a composite score of structural damage that ranges from 0-528 and measures the number and size of joint erosions and the degree of joint space narrowing in the hands and feet.2 The vdH-S score is not in the U.S. FDA label for TREMFYA.

j. These results were seen among patients with PsO body surface area 3 percent and IGA 2 at baseline.1

k. VLDA (considered "remission") represents low disease activity across all seven of the MDA components noted above.16

About Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA)

PsA is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease characterized by peripheral joint inflammation, enthesitis (pain where the bone, tendon and ligament meet), dactylitis (severe inflammation of the fingers and toes), axial disease, and the skin lesions associated with plaque PsO.17-19 In addition, in patients with PsA, comorbidities, such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, anxiety and depression are often present.20 Studies show up to 30 percent of people with plaque PsO also develop PsA.21 The disease causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints; it commonly appears between the ages of 30 and 50, but can develop at any time.21 Nearly half of patients with PsA experience moderate fatigue and about 30 percent suffer from severe fatigue as measured by the modified fatigue severity scale.22 Although the exact cause of PsA is unknown, genes, the immune system and environmental factors are all believed to play a role in disease onset.23

About Psoriasis (PsO)

Plaque PsO is an immune-mediated disease resulting in an overproduction of skin cells, which causes raised, red, scaly plaques that may be itchy or painful.24 It is estimated that more than 125 million people worldwide live with the disease.24 Nearly one-quarter of all people with plaque PsO have cases that are considered moderate to severe.25 Living with plaque PsO can be a challenge and impact life beyond a person's physical health, including emotional health, relationships, and handling the stressors of life.26

About DISCOVER-2 (NCT03158285)27

DISCOVER-2 is a randomized, double-blind, multicenter Phase 3 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of TREMFYA administered by subcutaneous (SC) injection in biologic-naive patients with active PsA. DISCOVER-2 evaluated 739 participants who were treated and followed through approximately two years. The primary endpoint was response of ACR20 at week 24 and primary endpoint data was previously presented at scientific congresses. In addition to ACR20, multiple other clinical outcomes were assessed, including ACR50/70; resolution of soft tissue inflammation, enthesitis and dactylitis; improvement in physical function; skin clearance (IGA), and general health outcomes (36-Item Short Form Survey Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Score). DISCOVER-2 also assessed changes in structural damage as a key secondary endpoint (PsA-modified vdH-S score).

The study consisted of a screening phase of up to six weeks, a blinded treatment phase of approximately 100 weeks that included a placebo-controlled period from week 0 to week 24 and a blinded active treatment period from week 24 to week 100. It also included a safety follow-up phase through week 112 (i.e., approximately 12 weeks after the last administration of study agent at week 100). Clinical efficacy, radiographic efficacy, health economics, safety, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, biomarker, and pharmacogenomics evaluations were performed in the study on a defined schedule.

About TREMFYA (guselkumab)13

Developed by Janssen, TREMFYA is the first approved fully human monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to the p19 subunit of IL-23 and inhibits its interaction with the IL-23 receptor. IL-23 is an important driver of the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as moderate to severe plaque PsO and active PsA.28 TREMFYA is approved in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and a number of other countries worldwide for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque PsO who are candidates for injections or pills (systemic therapy) or phototherapy (treatment using ultraviolet light), and for the treatment of adult patients with active PsA. It is also approved in the EU for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque PsO in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy and for the treatment of active PsA in adult patients who have had an inadequate response or who have been intolerant to a prior disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy.

The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson maintain exclusive worldwide marketing rights to TREMFYA.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about TREMFYA?

TREMFYA is a prescription medicine that may cause serious side effects, including:

Serious Allergic Reactions. Stop using TREMFYA  and get emergency medical help right away if you develop any of the following symptoms of a serious allergic reaction: fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded (low blood pressure) swelling of your face, eyelids, lips, mouth, tongue or throat trouble breathing or throat tightness chest tightness skin rash, hives itching

Stop using TREMFYA and get emergency medical help right away if you develop any of the following symptoms of a serious allergic reaction: Infections. TREMFYA may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. Your healthcare provider should check you for infections and tuberculosis (TB) before starting treatment with TREMFYA and may treat you for TB before you begin treatment with TREMFYA if you have a history of TB or have active TB. Your healthcare provider should watch you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during and after treatment with TREMFYA.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have an infection or have symptoms of an infection, including:

fever, sweats, or chills muscle aches weight loss cough warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body different from your psoriasis diarrhea or stomach pain shortness of breath blood in your phlegm (mucus) burning when you urinate or urinating more often than normal



Do not take TREMFYA if you have had a serious allergic reaction to guselkumab or any of the ingredients in TREMFYA.

Before using TREMFYA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

have any of the conditions or symptoms listed in the section "What is the most important information I should know about TREMFYA  ?"

have an infection that does not go away or that keeps coming back.

have TB or have been in close contact with someone with TB.

have recently received or are scheduled to receive an immunization (vaccine). You should avoid receiving live vaccines during treatment with TREMFYA  .

. are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if TREMFYA  can harm your unborn baby.

can harm your unborn baby. are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if TREMFYA passes into your breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

What are the possible side effects of TREMFYA?

TREMFYA may cause serious side effects. See "What is the most important information I should know about TREMFYA?"

The most common side effects of TREMFYA include: upper respiratory infections, headache, injection site reactions, joint pain (arthralgia), diarrhea, stomach flu (gastroenteritis), fungal skin infections, herpes simplex infections, and bronchitis.

These are not all the possible side effects of TREMFYA. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

Use TREMFYA exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to use it.

Please read the full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide for TREMFYA, and discuss any questions that you have with your doctor.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

cp-82626v3

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At Janssen, we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension.

Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/JanssenGlobal.

Janssen Research & Development, LLC is a part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding TREMFYA (guselkumab) product development. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2021, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in the company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

References

McInnes I, et al. Long-term Efficacy and Safety of Guselkumab, a Monoclonal Antibody Specific to the p19 Subunit of Interleukin-23, Through 2 Years: Results from a Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Conducted in Biologic-naive Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatology. van der Heijde D, et al. Assessing structural damage progression in psoriatic arthritis and its role as an outcome in research. Arthritis Res Ther. 2020;22(1):18. McInnes I, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Guselkumab, an Interleukin23p19Specific Monoclonal Antibody, Through One Year in BiologicNaive Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 73.4 (2021): 604-616. Rahman P, et al. Pooled Safety Results Through One Year of Two Phase-3 Trials of Guselkumab in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis. The Journal of Rheumatology. 2021. Blauvelt A, et al. 28095 Long-term safety of guselkumab: Results from the VOYAGE 1 and VOYAGE 2 trials with up to 5 years of treatment. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 85.3 (2021): AB174. Rahman P, et al. FRI0359 Integrated Safety Results Of Two Phase-3 Trials Of Guselkumab In Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis Through The Placebo-Controlled Periods. 2020;776-777. Coates LC, et al. Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis 2015 treatment recommendations for psoriatic arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016;68:1060-71. ClinicalTrials.gov. A Study of Guselkumab in Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis (APEX). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04882098. Accessed October 2021 . ClinicalTrials.gov. Guselkumab in Active Psoriatic Arthritis Participants With Inadequate Response/Intolerance to One Prior Anti-TNF Alpha Agent (SOLSTICE). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04936308. Accessed October 2021 . ClinicalTrials.gov. A Study of Guselkumab Administered Subcutaneously in Bio-naive Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis Axial Disease (STAR). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04929210. Accessed October 2021 . Felson DT and LaValley MP. The ACR20 and defining a threshold for response in rheumatic diseases: too much of a good thing. Arthritis Research & Therapy. 2014;16(1):101. Langley R, et al. The 5-point Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) Scale: a modified tool for evaluating plaque psoriasis severity in clinical trials. Journal of Dermatological Treatment 26.1 (2015): 23-31. Food and Drug Administration. TREMFYA Prescribing Information. Horsham, PA. 2017. Available at: https://www.janssenlabels.com/package-insert/product-monograph/prescribing-information/TREMFYA-pi.pdf. Accessed Oct 11, 2021 . Coates LC, et al. Defining minimal disease activity in psoriatic arthritis: a proposed objective target for treatment. Ann Rheum Dis 2010;69:48-53. Bruce B and Fries, JF. The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire: Dimensions and Practical Applications. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2003;1(1) 20. Lubrano E, et al. Sustained very low disease activity and remission in psoriatic arthritis patients. Rheumatology and therapy 6.4 (2019): 521-528. Belasco J and Wei N. Psoriatic Arthritis: What is Happening at the Joint? Rheumatology and Therapy, 2019;6(3), 305315. Donvito T. CreakyJoints: What Is Enthesitis? The Painful Arthritis Symptom You Should Know About. Available at: https://creakyjoints.org/symptoms/what-is-enthesitis/. Accessed October 2021. Donvito T. CreakyJoints: What Is Dactylitis? The 'Sausage Finger' Swelling You Should Know About. Available at: https://creakyjoints.org/symptoms/what-is-dactylitis/. Accessed October 2021. Haddad A and Zisman D. Comorbidities in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis. Rambam Maimonides Med J. 2017;8(1):e0004. National Psoriasis Foundation. About Psoriatic Arthritis. Available at: https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriatic-arthritis/. Accessed October 2021 . Husted, JA, et al. Occurrence and correlates of fatigue in psoriatic arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2008;68(10),15531558. Cassell S and Kavanaugh A. Psoriatic arthritis: Pathogenesis and novel immunomodulatory approaches to treatment. Journal of Immune Based Therapies and Vaccines. 2005;3:6. National Psoriasis Foundation. About Psoriasis. https://www.psoriasis.org/about-psoriasis/. Accessed October 2021 . National Psoriasis Foundation. Statistics. https://www.psoriasis.org/content/statistics. Accessed October 2021 . National Psoriasis Foundation. Life with Psoriasis. https://www.psoriasis.org/life-with-psoriasis/. Accessed October 2021 . Clinicaltrials.gov. A Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Guselkumab Administered Subcutaneously in Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis (DISCOVER 2). Identifier NCT03158285. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03158285. Accessed October 2021 . Benson JM, et al. Discovery and Mechanism of Ustekinumab. MAbs 2011;3:535.

Media Contact:

Bridget Kimmel

Mobile: (215) 688-6033

Investor Contact:

Jennifer McIntyre

Office: (732) 524-3922

SOURCE Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is announcing new leadership roles, as well as the merging of two offices into the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS), in support of Biden-Harris Administration priorities and the focus on space strategy.

Dr. Bhavya Lal will serve as the associate administrator for OTPS

Melanie Saunders will serve as the agency's new chief resilience officer

will serve as the agency's new chief resilience officer Casey Swails will serve as the deputy associate administrator for business operations

will serve as the deputy associate administrator for business operations Tom Cremins will serve as the associate administrator for space security interests

will serve as the associate administrator for space security interests Douglas Terrier, the agency's current chief technologist, will serve in a new position as the associate director for vision and strategy at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston . In the interim, Lal will serve as acting chief technologist

All appointments are effective immediately.

OTPS is being established to provide data- and evidence-driven technology, policy, and strategy advice to NASA leadership. The office is a merger of the Office of Strategic Engagements and Assessments and the Office of the Chief Technologist. OTPS will support NASA leadership in developing and guiding the agency's activities across its six mission directorates. As the lead for the organization, Lal, who previously served as NASA's acting chief of staff during the presidential transition and senior advisor for budget and finance, brings her extensive experience and background in space technology, exploration, science, and policy to the role. She will report to NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.

"At NASA, we always have our eyes on the future. This is how we lead, thinking critically and strategically about the challenges we may face  both internally and externally," said Nelson. "As we continue to push the boundaries of exploration, OTPS and these leadership positions will ensure our cutting-edge technology, strategy, and policy shape our agency's success. We also are increasing our analysis and guidance on geopolitical issues and risks that NASA, or the space industry, may be facing."

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented scope of work that Saunders has been leading, she will move into a new, dedicated role focused on the agency's coronavirus response and implementation of requirements related to it. In addition, she will oversee and integrate NASA's Future of Work program as it specifically ties to the pandemic, such as the agency's return to more onsite work. Saunders also will be responsible for the continued development and implementation of NASA's pilots, policies, and strategies, enabling a hybrid workforce and innovation in the workplace. Saunders will report to Melroy.

"Melanie has a long history of serving our agency in a variety of key leadership positions, including her critical leadership roles in the International Space Station Program and at JSC, through her time most recently leading and implementing a variety of NASA functional, policy, and program integration activities," said Melroy. "I know she'll continue to excel in her new role guiding and navigating the workforce through challenging times."

Swails, who most recently served as senior advisor and chief of staff to the associate administrator, as well as the agency's acting deputy chief of staff during the presidential transition, will lead and facilitate the integration of mission support functions across the agency, build and advance NASA's industry partnerships, and act as the principal advisor to NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana. Swails will report to Cabana.

"Given her experience at NASA in leading and executing large scale internal operations and change efforts for agency programs, including workforce transition for Constellation, formulation and organizational design of commercial crew, Mission Support Architecture Program  MAP, and the successful initiation of an agencywide Executive Services function, I'm confident that Casey will exceed expectations in this new role," said Cabana. "Casey is absolutely the right person for this job."

In his new role, Cremins will report to the administrator and provide a broad security focus on NASA's civil space efforts within the larger national and global environment. Cremins also will support enterprise protection and assessment efforts, representing NASA and working with our federal agency partners to secure and advance our national posture.

"Tom's new role will help ensure NASA's equities are considered in strategic issues and policy discussions. He'll also provide input on the agency's emerging space security areas of opportunity and focus, such as in cislunar space and broader Moon to Mars exploration strategy and architecture," said Nelson. "Tom's strategic input and advice will continue to assist us as we expand our deep space exploration."

In his new role as the associate director for vision and strategy at Johnson, Terrier will be responsible for leading the strategy, creation, integration, and overall execution of Johnson's ongoing transformation initiatives revolutionizing the center's policies, plans, and processes around workforce, facilities, and products to advance human spaceflight. Terrier also will provide executive and functional leadership to expand the center's collaboration across the agency, industry, academia, and international community, to ensure alignment with NASA's strategic plan and missions.

"As the principal advisor for technology during the last six years, Douglas and his team have helped align and coordinate NASA's agencywide technology investments with mission needs, and advanced technology collaboration with other government agencies and the private sector," said Nelson. "We appreciate all Douglas has done as the agency's chief technologist and look forward to what he'll accomplish in his new role at JSC."

Nelson added, "These leadership roles are critical for both sustaining and advancing NASA's missions, and this team will guide us on our significant work ahead as we continue to take care of our people, advance our technologies, make our skies safer, enable groundbreaking scientific discoveries, protect our home planet, and push humanity's exploration farther into the solar system than ever before."

For more information about NASA programs and missions, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA

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"This event combines American traditions with the Indian festival, bringing the two countries together to celebrate." Tweet this

For over 240 years, fireworks have defined the United States' Independence Day. This is the first time an event of this magnitude empowers Americans to celebrate a millennium-old holiday while partaking in a national pastime. By highlighting core Indian traditions through universal American values, this grand event aims to make Diwali as beloved to mainstream America as it is in South Asia.

"CrossTower is privileged to be a partner of the first ever All-American Diwali celebration, especially so soon after our expansion into India. Given that there are 2.7 million Indians in the US, this event combines the American tradition with the Indian Festival and has brought together two biggest democratic countries, the U.S. and India, to celebrate one of the biggest festivals," said Kapil Rathi, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of CrossTower.



Eric Adams, NYC mayoral candidate, said, "The US has such a huge South Asian population and Diwali being an important festival has given us the opportunity to display lights in the World Trade Centre and fireworks during the festival of lights during the All-American Diwali celebration. And there is no better place to do it than New York city and we are looking forward to it."

This event combines the American tradition of viewing fireworks over the Hudson River with the Indian Festival of lights. A fireworks display will take place on the Hudson and be available via livestream on Diwali Eve, November 3rd at 7.30 pm ET, to inspire Indian Americans to engage their neighbors, colleagues, and friends from a variety of backgrounds in engaging conversations about Diwali.

Rahul Walia, Founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee, said, "There is no better symbol of the triumph of resiliency than the World Trade Center and we are very fortunate to be able to bring this message to all."

For more information on All American Diwali, visit www.allamericandiwali.org.

For more information of CrossTower, visit https://crosstower.com

ABOUT CROSSTOWER

Founded in 2019, CrossTower, ranked 4th in the world by Cryptocompare, is a crypto exchange with capital market capabilities. CrossTower empowers smart money to push the limits of what is possible. CrossTower provides the best-in-class services and products tailored to the needs of retail traders and institutions, including hedge funds, family offices, endowments, pensions and other market participants. CrossTower leverages its vast experience in trading, technology, operational infrastructure, innovative pricing, regulations, and compliance to make cryptocurrency and digital assets accessible to retail and sophisticated institutional market participants.

Media contacts: Nina Jacobs, [email protected], 571-241-6418; Cynthis Sutherland, [email protected], 929-317-6875

SOURCE CrossTower

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http://www.crosstower.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new $250 million communitywide public-private partnership to advance racial equity in Charlotte was announced Monday at a gathering of community members and civic leaders at Johnson C. Smith University. During the event, $80 million from the City of Charlotte and other public sources, $97 million in private philanthropy, and $19 million in low-return debt and equity were announced, for a total of $196 million toward the $250 million goal.

Of the quarter-of-a-billion dollars the initiative seeks to raise, 84 percent will be in the form of philanthropic gifts and grants, as well as public dollars. Sixteen percent will be comprised of low-return debt and equity for investments in Charlotte's six corridors of opportunity. Philanthropic grants will also be made in these corridors.

"The issues we face as a community are bigger, broader and more deep-seated than any one organization can address alone," said Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. "We need a significant commitment and investment from the private sector to complement and build upon the work being done by the public sector, the community and grassroots organizations. The vision for this effort is to establish a public-private partnership for achieving racial equity, social justice, economic opportunity and upward mobility. The response from our corporate partners surpassed even what I could have expected, and we have set a new standard for an American city. We will celebrate today's milestone as we continue together on this critical path to opportunity and equity for all of Charlotte."

The newly announced Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative looks to invest $250 million to address inequities and remove barriers to opportunity through four key workstreams: bridging the digital divide and establishing a Center for Digital Equity; investing in Charlotte's six "Corridors of Opportunity" neighborhoods; transforming JCSU into a top-tier, career-focused HBCU; and ensuring organizations commit to racial equity through advancing more Black and Brown leaders within their individual corporations.

A lead private-sector gift of $40 million from The Duke Endowment will be directed to the Johnson C. Smith University workstream.

"When our founder established The Duke Endowment in 1924, he named Johnson C. Smith University as one of four schools in North Carolina and South Carolina that he wanted his philanthropy to support," said Minor Shaw, chair of The Duke Endowment Board of Trustees. "Johnson C. Smith has experienced many exciting changes in the nearly 100 years since, and The Duke Endowment is honored to have been one of its partners along the way. Our partnership continues today as we proudly support these critical efforts to advance racial equity, diversity and inclusion for all. We are grateful for the opportunity to join with business and community leaders in this significant work."

In addition to The Duke Endowment's $40 million pledge, other private-sector contributions announced Monday towards the campaign include: $25 million from Bank of America; $10 million from Lowe's; $8 million from Truist; $6.1 million from Atrium Health; $5.7 million from Queens University of Charlotte; $5 million each from Ally Financial and Ric Elias; $3 million from Novant Health and Duke Energy; $1 million each from CLT2020 Host Committee, EY, the Michael Jordan Family/the Charlotte Hornets Foundation (a combined gift), National Gypsum/CD Spangler Foundation (a combined gift) and Trane Technologies; $500,000 from Mary and Mike Lamach; and $220,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

From the public sector, the City of Charlotte committed $72 million and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library committed $8 million.

The Charlotte Executive Leadership Council (CELC) answered the initial call from Mayor Lyles for a corporate response following the murder of George Floyd and other events in 2020 that exposed longstanding racial inequities. A corporate response team was established, led by

Malcomb Coley, US central private leader and Charlotte managing partner of EY, and Janet LaBar, president and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. LaBar and Coley led the four workstreams, working with more than 90 business and community representatives over the past 18 months on initiative development. Coley, who will serve as 2022 chair of the CLT Alliance, and Mike Lamach, current chair of CELC, will serve as co-chairs of two oversight boards that will review benchmarks and authorize the distribution of dollars to each workstream, periodically, to maximize accountability.

"Partnership between the public sector and private industry is crucial to addressing a long history of racial inequities and to creating economic opportunity for the Black community and other people of color," said Lamach, who in addition to chairing CELC is executive chair of Trane Technologies. "I'm proud to see such strong momentum and generosity from the City of Charlotte and so many leading corporations, organizations and community members. It's bold action like this that makes Charlotte unique and will lead us to a more just and equitable future."

Foundation For The Carolinas is leading fundraising efforts, and the money raised will be held in a fund at the Foundation. The work and the implementation of the workstream plans and on-going communication of the progress will be housed at the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. In addition to the $196 million raised to date for the campaign, several million dollars more in commitments were announced for racial equity efforts outside the campaign.

For more information on the Mayors Racial Equity Initiative go to EquityCLT.org or visit https://docs.google.com/document/d/15vYx8WsZ0ZdGlNIRAigs-Udx7qs1Rp9m/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107087805478144667037&rtpof=true&sd=true

About the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative

Committed to an equitable Charlotte, the Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative seeks to set the standard as an American city for achieving racial equity, social justice, economic opportunity and upward mobility through transformational public-private partnerships. To learn more, visit equityCLT.org

CONTACT

Nepherterra Best

Cell: 414.704.9932

[email protected]

SOURCE The Mayor's Racial Equity Initiative

Related Links

http://www.EquityCLT.org.


COVINA, Calif., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Executive Board of Teamsters Local 396 congratulates over 300 sanitation workers at CR&R in Perris and Cherry Valley, California, who just ratified their first union contract with Teamsters Local 396.

This group of brave workers initially won their union election in December 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. By standing shoulder to shoulder, workers at CR&R formed their bargaining committee and have now ratified the first union contract that guarantees them job protections, wage increases, affordable full family healthcare, and pension contributions. This group of nearly 300 sanitation workers serves communities throughout the Inland Empire region of Southern California, including San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Teamsters Local 396 currently represents over 3,000 sanitation workers throughout Southern California and is among the largest Teamster sanitation locals in the U.S.

Ron Herrera, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 396 stated, "These essential workers organized despite the COVID-19 pandemic and have now ratified their first contract with Teamsters Local 396. This is a major step forward for them and their families. Under this contract, many workers in this bargaining unit will immediately receive a raise on average of between $3.00 and $8.00 per hour. Over the span of the five-year contract, worker wages will increase between 16 and 26 percent, in addition to having full family healthcare, and significant contributions into the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension. This group of essential workers have truly demonstrated the grit and tenacity that all Teamsters have."

Contact: Adan Alvarez, (323) 404-5939

SOURCE Teamsters Local 396
SUGAR LAND, Texas, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Noble Corporation (NYSE: NE) today announced it plans to report financial results for the third quarter 2021 on Thursday, November 4, 2021, after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Copies of the Company's press release will be available on the Noble website at www.noblecorp.com.

Noble has scheduled a conference call related to its third quarter 2021 results on Friday, November 5, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Central Time. Interested parties can register and access the conference call at https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/619174973 or via a live webcast link found on the Company's Investor Relations website at https://investors.noblecorp.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on Noble's Investor Relations website for a limited time following the scheduled call.

About Noble Corporation

Noble is a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. The Company owns and operates one of the most modern, versatile and technically advanced fleets in the offshore drilling industry. Noble and its predecessors have been engaged in the contract drilling of oil and gas wells since 1921. Currently, Noble performs, through its subsidiaries, contract drilling services with a fleet of 20 offshore drilling units, consisting of 12 drillships and semisubmersibles and 8 jackups (excluding four jackups that are subject to an agreement to sell), focused largely on ultra-deepwater and high-specification jackup drilling opportunities in both established and emerging regions worldwide. Noble is an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability with registered office at P.O. BOX 309, Ugland House, S. Church Street, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104. Additional information on Noble is available at www.noblecorp.com .

Forward-looking Disclosure Statement

Investors and others should note that we may announce material information using Securities and Exchange Commission filings, press releases, public conference calls, webcasts and the "Investor" section of our website. In the future, we will continue to use these channels to distribute material information about the company and to communicate important information about the company, key personnel, corporate initiatives, regulatory updates and other matters. Information that we post on our website could be deemed material; therefore, we encourage investors, the media, our customers, business partners and others interested in our company to review the information we post on our website.

For additional information, visit www.noblecorp.com or email [email protected]

SOURCE Noble Corporation

Related Links

www.nobleenergyinc.com


A video walk-thru of the home is available HERE .

In addition to making one winner a dream home owner or an instant millionaire, this initiative will also support the work of Rebuilding Together and its efforts to repair homes and revitalize communities in Los Angeles and around the country. Funds raised for Charities Aid Foundation in this experience will be granted to Rebuilding Together to support essential home repairs in Downtown Los Angeles, where Rebuilding Together of the City of Angels has been working within the community for several years.

"Our partners and supporters are the fuel behind our mission to repair homes, revitalize communities, and rebuild lives. That's why we're so honored to have Omaze as part of this ripple effect of positive change in Los Angeles," said Caroline Blakely, president and CEO of Rebuilding Together.

Rebuilding Together and Omaze share a passion for the Los Angeles community. Omaze's headquarters are in LA, and they recognize how much organizations like Rebuilding Together are making a difference in their hometown.

"We're thrilled to have our latest dream home offering be right in Omaze's backyard," said Matt Pohlson, CEO and co-founder of Omaze. "I'm a lifelong Angeleno, and Omaze has called LA home for almost 10 years. We know the magic of this city firsthand and we're honored to team up with Rebuilding Together on these local revitalization efforts. We can't wait to welcome one lucky winner home to our own hometown."

To help spread the word, Sebastian Joseph-Day of the Los Angeles Rams will be joining forces with Omaze. Passionate about the LA community and making a difference, Sebastian will use his platform to increase awareness and support Rebuilding Together. Sebastian stated "I'm so excited to team up with Omaze to bring awareness to this cause and allow someone the chance to win this epic home. Most of all, I love that this is helping those in need around our local community."

Every donation supports Rebuilding Together as they work to tackle these issues in LA and beyond, by transforming communities into vibrant places  restoring pride, dignity, and hope.

Participants can enter for their chance to win beginning today until Feb. 18, 2022. For more information, to enter for your chance to win, or to read the Official Rules, please visit www.Omaze.com/LA .

Additional high-resolution images are available upon request.

About Rebuilding Together:

Rebuilding Together is the leading national nonprofit organization repairing the homes of people in need and revitalizing our communities. Through its national network of affiliates, Rebuilding Together works proactively and collaboratively with community leaders, long-term residents, funders, and volunteers to foster dialogue and create safe, healthy communities across the country. Learn more and get involved at rebuildingtogether.org.

About Omaze

Omaze is an online fundraising platform that offers the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences and prizes to support nonprofits around the world. Through the Omaze platform, the Omaze community has raised over $150M to support over 400 charities, driving substantial levels of awareness for their work. Omaze experiences raise funds for Charities Aid Foundation America ("CAF America"), a US-registered, 501(c)(3) public charity, who then grants the donations, minus experience fees and costs, to the nonprofit(s) identified for an applicable experience.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Omaze, LLC

Related Links

http://www.omaze.com/


Those who believed ONT could be a viable alternative for commercial air service in the greater Los Angeles region were proven right. Airlines added new flights and destinations. Air passengers quickly realized the benefits of having easy access to a first-rate gateway closer to home. Shippers utilized ONT's expansive facilities and cargo hubs, ideally situated in the heart of region's robust supply chain network.

ONT's remarkable journey is the focus of a State of the Airport celebration today at the Ontario Convention Center, bringing together city and county leaders, industry executives, airline personnel and other ONT supporters, more than 350 guests in all.

"We knew on that fateful day five years ago that the combination of first-rate facilities, operations know-how and broad local support positioned us well to develop Ontario International into a premier aviation gateway and deliver the air service and amenities that sophisticated air travelers demand," said Alan D. Wapner, Mayor pro Tem of the City of Ontario and President of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) Board of Commissioners. "Our team of dedicated professionals transformed Ontario from an airport that had in essence been forgotten or worse disregarded into a thriving low-cost, international gateway for airlines, air passengers and freight shippers alike."

The Inland Empire airport had languished for much of a decade and eventually became the focus of a campaign to shift control from its previous owner Los Angeles World Airports, the operator of Los Angeles International Airport, to local authorities.

By August 6, 2015, the parties had reached a history-making agreement and on November 1, 2016, transferred ownership of ONT from the City of Los Angeles to a joint authority of the City of Ontario and San Bernardino County. Finally, ONT became the property and responsibility of those closest to it  the elected and appointed leaders who committed to reviving air travel in the Inland Empire, businesses which vowed to support it and the customers who placed their faith in it.

By 2018, Ontario International was one of the fastest growing airports in the U.S. And while the coronavirus pandemic reduced air travel by 90% or more at many airports, ONT has experienced the quickest recovery among airports its size and larger in California. By September, passenger volume was 97% of pre-pandemic levels with domestic travel almost fully recovered.

"We've proven that we can compete with larger airports in delivering a high quality, hassle-free customer experience with easy access to our passenger terminals, affordable parking, quick and efficient security screening, spacious gate areas, free and dependable Wi-Fi and dining concessions that feature popular local and national brands," said Curt Hagman, Chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and an OIAA Commissioner.

Since taking control of ONT, the OIAA has increased the number of airlines operating at the airport by nearly 50% and almost doubled the number of nonstop destinations. Departures climbed from 403 to 460 per week while the number of passenger seats increased from 52,000 to 66,500.

In 2019, ONT welcomed more than 5.5 passengers, the highest total in more than a decade, and for the second consecutive year was the fastest growing airport in the U.S., according to Global Traveler, a leading industry publication geared to business and luxury fliers who travel extensively in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, more than $8 million was invested to rebrand and refurbish dining and retail concessions.

"In the five years since regaining local control of our operations, we've created teams to work with airline partners to increase routes. We've improved parking, added restaurants, improved infrastructure and maintenance and basically enhanced everything about the passenger experience, taking it all to a whole new level," said Jim Bowman, an Ontario City Council member and OIAA Commissioner.

The past five years also have brought continued growth in ONT's cargo operations, which now rank among the Top 10 in North America. Last November, Federal Express opened its new 251,000-square-foot operations center at the airport, and together with UPS, Amazon and other freight haulers processed more than 900,000 tons of incoming and outgoing cargo in 2020.

"Our strategic logistics location in Southern California makes this area an international business hub," said Ron Loveridge, Vice President of the OIAA Board of Commissioners. "With localized control, a growing list of carriers and cargo partners, Ontario International Airport continues to increase its role as a premier passenger and logistics airport not only for California, but nationally and internationally as well."

"It's hard to imagine another airport, another region, which has a future as promising as ours," said OIAA Commissioner Julia Gouw. "Ontario International Airport truly is a prized asset, in a prime location, with a customer base that continues to grow. ONT is the perfect choice for travel to and from Southern California."

About Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA)

The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario Mayor Pro Tem Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner).

OIAA Media Contact:

Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected]

SOURCE Ontario International Airport

Related Links

www.flyontario.com


"The PenFed Foundation is proud to celebrate 20 years of serving the brave men and women who serve our nation and the generosity and patriotism of our donors for supporting our military community," said PenFed Credit Union President/CEO and PenFed Foundation CEO James Schenck. "As a result of our generous donors, the PenFed Foundation is empowering military service members, veterans, and their communities with the skills and resources to realize financial stability and opportunity. We are proud to announce our new program supporting the rescue and resettlement of female Afghan soldiers who, despite enormous cultural challenges, played an essential role in supporting the United States and our military."

The highlight of the evening was the introduction of an Afghan woman hero whose work in Afghanistan centered around saving lives. The PenFed Foundation worked directly with the State Department to help her and her family obtain humanitarian visas, secure safe passage for the family out of Afghanistan, and board one of the last remaining commercial flights out of Kabul. She and her family are now successfully resettled in the U.S. and the Foundation assisted with securing housing, furniture, living essentials, and helped to register the children for school.

The PenFed Foundation is currently working with a committed sisterhood of American women soldiers and veterans from the U.S. Army Cultural Support Team (CST), who served alongside special operations forces in Afghanistan and worked around the clock to evacuate the Afghan women who fought by their sides. Thanks to the CST's tireless efforts, they were able to evacuate 30 Afghan female soldiers and their families to the United States, with several more on their way. The PenFed Foundation Afghan Rescue and Resettlement Program is giving these fearless Afghan women, and their families, the essential support they need to resettle into our communities.

"PenFed Foundation is proud to stand by the Afghan women who stood by us when we needed them," said, PenFed Foundation President and retired U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson. "The PenFed Foundation Afghan Rescue and Resettlement Program will also support a small but mighty network of American CSTs to continue their service and missionhelping their Afghan sisters rebuild their lives in a land full of hope and opportunity."

Catherine Herridge, an award-winning CBS senior investigative correspondent and military spouse and mom, emceed the Washington Region's premier fundraising event for our nation's defenders. This is the sixth consecutive year the event raised over $1 million.

This Year's Honorees:

Veteran Entrepreneur Champion Award  Roland Smith was honored for his drive, tenacity, and passionattributes that are within all of those who have served our nation in uniform. Smith is an Army veteran known as the turnaround king of CEOs, and he's brought new life to business including Wendy's and Office Depot  all while maintaining a commitment to character and hard work.

 was honored for his drive, tenacity, and passionattributes that are within all of those who have served our nation in uniform. Smith is an Army veteran known as the turnaround king of CEOs, and he's brought new life to business including Wendy's and Office Depot  all while maintaining a commitment to character and hard work. Military Hero Award  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was honored for meeting the needs of our nation's military families and providing the help, the hope, and the honor they deserve. Former Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Secretary Jim Nicholson accepted the award on behalf of the VA.

 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was honored for meeting the needs of our nation's military families and providing the help, the hope, and the honor they deserve. Former Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Secretary accepted the award on behalf of the VA. Corporate Hero Award  John and Michelle Flynn were honored for their ongoing support and extraordinary dedication to the military community. John is the founder of the successful automated lending company, Open Lending, and Michelle is an accomplished businesswoman and avid equestrian.

The PenFed Foundation, a national 501(c)3 founded by PenFed Credit Union, was created in 2001 and, since then, has provided more than $40 million in financial support to veterans, active-duty service members, families, and caregivers. Those interested in supporting the PenFed Foundation's mission to help the military community and their support network are encouraged to visit penfedfoundation.org.

About PenFed Foundation

Founded in 2001, the PenFed Foundation is a national nonprofit organization committed to empowering military service members, veterans and their communities with the skills and resources to realize financial stability and opportunity. It provides service members, veterans, their families and support networks with the skills and resources they need to improve their lives through programs on financial education, homeownership, veteran entrepreneurship, and short-term assistance. Affiliated with PenFed Credit Union, the Foundation has the resources to effectively reach military communities across the nation, build strong partnerships, and engage a dedicated corps of volunteers in its mission. The credit union funds the Foundation's personnel and most operational costs, demonstrating its strong commitment to the programs the Foundation provides. To learn more, visit www.penfedfoundation.org .

SOURCE PenFed Foundation
Industry-leading companies expand news, data and ESG analytics for institutional investors and asset managers with new digital platform

NEW YORK and TORONTO and PARIS and GENEVA, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pensions & Investments, a Crain Communications financial information and media brand, and Trackinsight, have launched a new digital platform, P&I ETF Exchange, to meet the specific needs of asset owners and institutional investors.

"We are excited to announce the expansion of our news, data and information services in partnership with Trackinsight," said Chris J. Battaglia, president and publisher of Crain Communications' Pensions & Investments. "By leveraging the success of Trackinsight's leading screening and analytic tools on ETFs, we can now deliver best-of-class research and selection services to a much wider group of global investors. "The largest investors in the world, pension and retirement funds, endowments & foundations, and sovereign wealth funds, will now have a dedicated source of information to help them make better investment decisions with the new P&I ETF Exchange in partnership with Trackinsight that includes detailed ESG analytics and ratings to support more sustainable investment approaches. "The addition of Trackinsight's datasets will also allow P&I to expand its audience into the financial adviser communities who keep a close watch on how professional investors are managing their portfolios. "We are also pleased to announce that SSGA's SPY ETF will be our launch sponsor."

"For nearly 50 years, Pensions & Investments has been the leading voice of professional investing news and insights. This strategic partnership with Trackinsight will allow P&I to enhance its data, portfolio and information tools and strengthen our value proposition with this important audience of investors," said KC Crain, president and CEO of Crain Communications. "As a company, Crain Communications is dedicated to expanding our digital platforms and finding ways to better serve and expand our audiences. This partnership between P&I and Trackinsight is a great example of how Crain's leading brands can expand to meet the growing information needs of our audience."

"The investment world has gotten noisy, and noise clouds judgement. At Trackinsight, we make room for clarity by providing screening, data, and analytical tools that help investors make investment decisions with confidence. The ETF industry welcomes our unique initiative to bring our independent data sets and tools to asset owners who collectively represent the largest and most important pool of investment capital in the world", said Jean-Rene Giraud, founder, and CEO of Trackinsight. "We're proud to have been chosen by the leading media brand focusing on the world's top institutional investors."

https://etf.pionline.com

About Pensions & Investments, www.pionline.com

Pensions & Investments provides one of the most comprehensive manager searches, hires and termination databases with reported mandates from more than 2,000 unique asset owners from 47 countries representing more than $2.5 trillion of invested assets. P&I also provides the industry with performance rankings of asset owners, an M&A database of money managers, and the first risk transfer database for pension buyouts, buy-ins, and longevity swaps. P&I also offers a wide range of data and information services on the world's largest asset owners, including US, UK, Canadian, European, and Australian retirement funds through its award-winning Research Center. Since its founding in 1973, Pensions & Investments, a publication of Crain Communications Inc., has consistently delivered the news, research and analysis to the executives who manage the flow of funds in the institutional investment market.

About TrackInsight www.trackinsight.com

Trackinsight is the leading data provider for the global ETF markets, providing daily data, analytics, ratings and ESG analysis for over 7,500 ETFs listed worldwide. Our white-label technology solutions are widely adopted by Tier 1 wealth managers, private banks, exchanges, and media companies who require accurate, timely and comprehensive ETF data to support their investment decision making and ETF selection processes. For more information, visit www.trackinsight.com

SOURCE Pensions & Investments
OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PHX Minerals Inc. (NYSE: PHX) ("PHX" or the "Company") announced today that it has sold a package of 499 non-operated legacy working interest wellbores located in the Fayetteville Shale of Arkansas to an undisclosed buyer for $2,125,000. The buyer will also assume an asset retirement obligation in the amount of approximately $173,000 from the Company. PHX retains all mineral rights underlying the divested working interest wellbores and will continue to receive royalties where applicable. Additionally, PHX completed the acquisition of approximately 220 net royalty acres located primarily in Stephens County, Okla., for $1,216,374 (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition is predominately in the same area of the SCOOP Springboard III play as the Company's previously closed April 2021 acquisition where current drilling activity continues to accelerate.

Chad Stephens, President and CEO, said, "These transactions are an important step in the execution of our corporate strategy that we embarked on almost two years ago when I became CEO. The corporate strategy includes high-grading our asset base and transforming PHX into a pure play mineral and royalty company. As we divest our non-operated low margin working interest assets and redeploy the proceeds along with our free cash flow into higher margin minerals, we will see our corporate margins improve and our royalty production volumes grow. We continue to see interest in the market place for our other non-operated working interest assets and are exploring additional divestiture opportunities. Our mineral and royalty acquisition pipeline remains strong. These transactions reflect the momentum we are gaining in the execution of this strategy."

PHX Minerals Inc. (NYSE: PHX) Oklahoma City-based, PHX Minerals Inc. is a natural gas and oil mineral company with a strategy to proactively grow its mineral position in its core areas of focus. PHX owns mineral acreage principally located in Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota, New Mexico and Arkansas. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.phxmin.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Words such as "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "will," "should," "may" and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact and reflect PHX's current views about future events. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: the Company's ability to execute its business strategies; the volatility of realized natural gas and oil prices; the level of production on the Company's properties; estimates of quantities of natural gas, oil and NGL reserves and their values; general economic or industry conditions; legislation or regulatory requirements; conditions of the securities markets; the ability to raise capital; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; financial or political instability; acts of war or terrorism; title defects in the properties in which the Company invests; and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory or technical factors affecting the Company's properties, operations or prices. Although the Company believes expectations reflected in these and other forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company can give no assurance the Company's expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause the results to differ materially from those expected by the Company's management. Information concerning these risks and other factors can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, available on the Company's website or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE PHX MINERALS INC.

Related Links

http://www.phxmin.com


DUNBRIDGE, Ohio, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Principle Business Enterprises, Inc., (PBE), which manufactures Tranquility superabsorbent products, and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, a prominent military Caregivers advocacy group, have partnered to provide Veterans and their families free in-home help. Their joint campaign themed "Relief and Freedom for Veteran Caregivers" encourages Caregivers of wounded, ill or injured servicemembers to apply for free respite support and, for those with absorbent product needs, a customized incontinence care kit at TranquilityProducts.com/Respite.

Principle Business Enterprises, Inc., manufacturer of Tranquility superabsorbent products, and Elizabeth Dole Foundation have partnered to provide essential relief to Veterans and their families.

This partnership launched with a $100,000 donation from the Principle Family Fund, a philanthropic affiliate of PBE established by the company's founders. The Dole Foundation is committed to matching the Principle Family Fund gift with additional contributions.

"Through our partnership with PBE, we are able to fulfill the urgent needs of military and Caregivers by providing the relief they deserve. Too often, the lack of affordable, convenient and professional respite care takes a significant toll on the emotional and physical wellbeing of these hidden heroes and their families," said Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. "The typical family we serve includes a Caregiver, a Veteran or servicemember, and at least one child living in the household, so we estimate approximately 500 individuals will be served through this investment."

"PBE has a special focus on supporting Veterans and their families, and the Dole Foundation's mission to uplift the lives of those providing the most intimate of care to servicemembers aligns perfectly with our values," said Chuck Stocking, chairman of the PBE Board of Directors.

Free Help at Home, Product Kit



The Foundation's Respite Relief for Military and Veteran Caregivers program offers 35 hours of free in-home care through CareLinx, for non-skilled respite services, such as:

 Companionship  Light housekeeping  Grocery shopping  Meal preparation  Transportation

 Exercise  Toileting and bathing  Feeding  Dressing  Grooming

"The Respite program really helped me advocate for my own healthcare, which I just couldn't do. I just simply didn't have the time," said Jenn Paulson, a Veteran Caregiver from Minnesota. "You're worth it and I know that because my inside knows that, but sometimes in the daily grind you just lose sight of it."

In addition to Respite Relief, Veterans who experience incontinence can also request a customized Tranquility product sample kit containing adult disposable briefs, pull-on underwear, personal care pads and underpads.

"Having been a caretaker for both of my parents has helped me design Tranquility products with the Caregiver's experience in mind," said Carmie Maloney, PBE VP of quality assurance and product development. "We are committed to easing their challenges through both the products we make and the programs we help create. We are grateful for the partnership with the Dole Foundation to support the mental health and wellbeing of Veterans and those watching over them."

A Vulnerable Segment of Society



More than a quarter of all Caregivers experience "excessive burden," and the 5.5 million Americans who tend to servicemembers are particularly prone to mental burnout.

Military personnel may struggle with service-connected wounds, illnesses and injuries. Their Caregivers often find themselves in the "Caregiver Combat Zone" of overseeing an injured spouse, as well as aging parents and young children. In response, the Dole Foundation has created the Hidden Heroes national registry aimed at connecting Caregivers with resources and support. Respite Relief participants are automatically enrolled in this network.

"When Caregivers realize they are not alone, they can begin to build a support network of peers who understand what they are going through and can offer concrete guidance to tackle daily challenges that often feel impossible," said Schwab.

PBE's partnership with the Foundation kicked off in October and will continue through National Family Caregivers Month in November.

For more information, please visit TranquilityProducts.com/Respite.

ABOUT THE ELIZABETH DOLE FOUNDATION

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the preeminent organization empowering, supporting, and honoring our nation's 5.5 million military caregivers; the spouses, parents, family members, and friends who care for America's wounded, ill, or injured veterans. Founded by Senator Elizabeth Dole in 2012, the Foundation adopts a comprehensive approach in its advocacy, working with leaders in the public, private, nonprofit, and faith communities to recognize military caregivers' service and promote their wellbeing. Visit HiddenHeroes.org for more information.

ABOUT PRINCIPLE BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

Principle Business Enterprises (PBE), Inc. manufactures high-performance absorbent products and footwear safety solutions with applications in healthcare, industrial processing and at-home use. PBE is a family-owned business with two locations in northwest Ohio. Founded in 1961, PBE has maintained a mission to be a principle-centered business that uplifts, enlilghtens and enriches the lives of those it serves through developing an exceptional workplace environment for its Associates and innovating products that dramatically improve the quality of life for its customers. Visit PrincipleBusinessEnterprises.com for more information.

ABOUT THE PRINCIPLE FAMILY FUND

The Principle Family Fund is a philanthropic affiliate of PBE, sharing its mission to be a principle-centered entity that is focused on multiplying the grace and peace of recipients through uplifting, enlightening and enriching initiatives. The fund is administered by the Greater Toledo Community Foundation. For more information, visit PrincipleBusinessEnterprises.com/community-involvement/.

Contact: Kristopher Keating, 1-800-467-3224

SOURCE Principle Business Enterprises, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tranquilityproducts.com


In 2020, Pure Leaf launched the first iteration of "No is Beautiful," a campaign in pursuit of a world where saying no is easier and culturally acceptable for women everywhere. Now, Pure Leaf is building on the platform through a collaboration with renowned poet, speaker and author Arielle Estoria , by creating murals featuring her poem, "The Beautiful Art of No":

May we nd strength

In our No,

In our ability

To let the word ow

Off of our lips.

As our feet press condently

Into the ground beneath us

Unraveling the lies

That selshness resides

When we are simply trying

To say Yes to ourselves

Yes to our sanity

Yes to our wellbeing

Yes to make room for the

Things that we truly love

Our No is powerful

Our No is beautiful

And just like our Yes,

Our No, is ours to have

Appearing in Los Angeles, CA, Manhattan and Williamsburg, NY, the murals mark Estoria's first-ever spoken word poetry wallspace debut and aspire to capture the attention of local bypassers who may be overcommitting and overextending themselves.

"As an LA-based entrepreneur, I've previously succumbed to societal pressures to say 'yes' when I wanted to say 'no.' However, I've since learned the strength of saying 'no'  not only does it alleviate stress, but it unlocks opportunities to explore new passions and achieve a healthy work-life balance," said Arielle Estoria. "Together with Pure Leaf, I hope these murals will remind women that poetry carries great strength, and that leveraging the power of 'no' empowers them to recognize their worth this NO-vember and beyond."

Pure Leaf tapped local visual artists Ashley Uananiau Lukashevsky and Perryn Ryan to design murals emblematic of "The Beautiful Art of No" and bring Estoria's message to life. Consumers are encouraged to take a photo of the murals and share on social media to motivate local communities to visit these exclusive pieces of art in their cities and be inspired by "No is Beautiful." Further amplifying the brand's commitment to "no," Pure Leaf is teaming up with Ladies Who Launch , a nonprofit that supports women and non-binary business owners by providing inspiration, education, funding, and community engagement opportunities.

"Many people are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a sense of normalcy these days, but women in particular find themselves challenged at saying "no" and recognizing that it's an appropriate response," said Katrina McDonald, Senior Marketing Director, Pepsi-Lipton Partnership. "Understanding the pressure society puts on women, Pure Leaf sought to partner with individuals like Arielle Estoria to rally women across the nation to implement boundaries that allow them to say yes to their values and passions. While NO-vember is a pivotal time to remind people about the power of 'no,' the ultimate goal is for 'No is Beautiful' to become a new normal and serve as a gateway for women to embrace and celebrate 'no' in their everyday lives."

Through the partnership with Ladies Who Launch (LWL), Pure Leaf will commit $100,000 to start the "No Burnout, More Balance Program." This program will provide grants to business owners within the Ladies Who Launch community, as a way to prioritize balance, ease stress, and relieve burnout. Recipients, participants of LWL's 2021 Launch Program , can put the funds toward anything that alleviates their workload and prevents burnout  whether it be childcare, mental health counseling, wellness, mindfulness, or community-building activities.

"Our organization works day in and day out to support women and non-binary entrepreneurs build the businesses of their dreams, despite today's ever-growing societal demands, which often try to pull us in different directions," said Sarah Friar and Kelly McGonigle, Ladies Who Launch Co-Founders. "With the introduction of this grant program, women entrepreneurs in our 2021 Launch Program will receive critical financial support and be empowered to embrace "no," so they can say "yes" to more work-life balance. As we head into a challenging holiday season for business owners, this partnership comes at a critical time for our Launchers, as they remain resolute in achieving both their personal and business goals."

Brand and artist fans can stop by the "No is Beautiful" murals from Monday, November 1 - Sunday, November 21, 2021. Los Angeles locals can visit the mural in Venice Beach at Windward Avenue between Speedway and Pacific, and New Yorkers can visit the murals in Williamsburg at Wythe Avenue and North 13th Street and in Manhattan at 8th Avenue and 35th Street. To independently donate to Ladies Who Launch and learn more about how they support business owners, visit www.ladieswholaunch.org . To learn more about Pure Leaf and "No is Beautiful," visit www.pureleaf.com . For more, follow @pureleaf on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com .

About Arielle Estoria

Arielle Estoria is a spoken word poet, writer, speaker and actor residing in Los Angeles, California. She made her debut in the competitive slam world of spoken word poetry in 2012, and then branched out as a freelance contracted poet in 2015. Estoria has shared her work through spoken word and themed keynote talks with companies such as Google, Sofar Sounds, Lululemon, Dressember, Tedx, the SKIMS campaign by Kim Kardashian and more. She has consecutively emceed annual conferences such as Yellow Conference for creative and entrepreneurial women and Hair Camp for aspiring hairstylists in the industry.

About Ladies Who Launch

Ladies Who Launch (LWL) is on a mission to celebrate and empower women and non-binary business owners across small towns and big cities globally. We focus on four pillars: Inspiration, Education, Funding, and Community to help give women and non-binary entrepreuners the motivation, resources, and connections to follow their dreams, and launch and scale their companies. For more information, visit https://www.ladieswholaunch.org .

Media Contact

Christina Panta, [email protected]

SOURCE Pure Leaf

Related Links

http://www.pureleaf.com


VALHALLA, N.Y., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rectangle Health, a leading provider of healthcare financial technology and patient engagement solutions, today announced a recapitalization by GI Partners, a leading private investment firm with deep healthcare technology and payments investing experience. GI Partners' investment, in conjunction with existing investor TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm, will further accelerate Rectangle Health's growth as the company continues to drive innovative consumer-centric solutions to the healthcare industry.

Rectangle Health is committed to offering leading technology that is an extension of the organization and makes lives easier for practitioners, staff, and patients. Rectangle Health's technology solutions provide a bridge between patients and providers, enhancing the overall patient experience while creating value to its providers.

"It has been a pleasure partnering with TA Associates over the past four years to build Rectangle Health into a leader in the healthcare market. We are excited to create our next chapter in partnership with GI Partners and TA, with a continued focus on organic growth and M&A," said Dominick Colabella, CEO of Rectangle Health. "Both GI and TA have a great record of successfully scaling software companies and we remain committed to developing innovative solutions that solve the practitioner's existing operational problems and anticipate what they'll need to thrive."

Dave Kreter and Travis Pearson of GI Partners commented, "We are impressed with Rectangle Health's clear leadership in a growing healthcare payment market. The shift in healthcare's payment responsibility has created a complex environment for healthcare organizations and unique opportunities for technology to solve it. Rectangle Health brings the industry's most comprehensive end-to-end patient payment platform to healthcare organizations of all sizes, specialties, and settings. We were drawn to the company's strong growth profile, differentiated technology platform, and their highly experienced healthcare technology and revenue cycle leadership team."

Roy Burns, a Managing Director at TA, said, "It's terrific to welcome GI Partners as an investor in Rectangle Health. We look forward to working with both GI and the Rectangle Health team to expand on the company's leadership position in healthcare technology."

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC acted as lead financial advisor, and Robert W. Baird & Co acted as co-financial advisor to Rectangle Health. Goodwin Procter LLP served as legal advisor to Rectangle Health and TA Associates. Goldman Sachs served as financial advisor to GI Partners. Ropes & Gray LLP served as legal advisor to GI Partners. The Strawhecker Group served as payments industry consultant to GI Partners.

About Rectangle Health

Rectangle Health, a leading healthcare technology company, empowers medical, dental and specialty practices with seamless and secure technology to drive revenue by increasing patient payments and streamlining practice management and payment processing. Since 1993, the company's innovative solutions have reduced administrative burden and rebalanced the ledger for its thousands of healthcare providers in the U.S., reliably processing billions of dollars in payments annually. To learn more, visit: www.rectanglehealth.com.

About GI Partners

Founded in 2001, GI Partners is a private investment firm with over 100 employees based in San Francisco, California with offices in New York, Chicago, Greenwich, CT, and Scottsdale, AZ. The firm has raised over $29 billion in capital from leading institutional investors around the world to invest in private equity, real estate, and data infrastructure strategies. The private equity team invests primarily in companies in the healthcare, IT infrastructure, services, and software sectors. The real estate team focuses primarily on technology and life sciences properties as well as other specialized types of real estate. The data infrastructure team invests primarily in hard asset infrastructure businesses underpinning the digital economy. For more information, please visit www.gipartners.com.

About TA Associates

TA is a leading global growth private equity firm. Focused on targeted sectors within five industries  technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer, and business services  the firm invests in profitable, growing companies with opportunities for sustained growth, and has invested in more than 550 companies around the world. Investing as either a majority or minority investor, TA employs a long-term approach, utilizing its strategic resources to help management teams build lasting value in high quality growth companies. TA has raised $47.5 billion in capital since its founding in 1968. The firm's more than 100 investment professionals are based in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai, and Hong Kong. More information about TA can be found at www.ta.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

For Rectangle Health

Denise DiMeglio

[email protected]

610-228-2102

For TA Associates

Marcia O'Carroll

[email protected]

617.574.6796

For GI Partners

Chris Tofalli

[email protected]

914-834-4334

Gretchen Robinson

GI Partners

[email protected]

SOURCE Rectangle Health
BYRON BAY, Australia and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ReGen Ventures, a global early-stage venture fund that invests in regenerative technologies, today announced the first close of its $50M first fund. This capital will be used to partner with visionary teams that are redesigning the global economy to actively restore climate, planetary and human health.

Since its inception in early 2020, ReGen Ventures has championed transformative technologies that improve every aspect of our lives for the better: what we eat, what we wear, where we live, what we build, how we move, and more.

The firm's thesis is that products that are better for people and the planet will capture the massive unmet demand for sustainable products, which are growing 7x faster than conventional products and command a 40% price premium.

ReGen Ventures' category-defining portfolio companies include Hide Biotech , a company producing cow-free leather from food waste; and Seqana , which pairs artificial intelligence with satellite imagery to measure soil organic carbon (SOC) at a fraction of the current cost.

"Sustainability is an insufficient goal. Regenerative technologies go well beyond incrementally reducing harm by actively restoring ecosystem health," says Dan Fitzgerald, Founder and Managing Partner at ReGen Ventures.

ReGen Ventures' team of seasoned operators and investors are committed to accelerating solutions that work with instead of against nature. With offices in San Francisco, New York City, and Byron Bay, ReGen Ventures has a global presence of climate technology experts and visionaries.

A former investment banker and hedge fund manager, Dan Fitzgerald began investing in climate technology a decade ago. He worked alongside former Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario on world positive investments through Patagonia's in-house venture fund, Tin Shed Ventures, and has brought Marcario into the fold at ReGen Ventures as a Partner. Marcario currently sits on the boards of Rivian , an electric vehicle company, and Meati , a plant-based meat company.

The ReGen team also includes clean technology veteran Will Coleman, who helped build the cleantech practice at Mohr David Ventures and later served as CEO of Lucid (Acq.NYSE: AYI 2018). Marcario and Coleman are joined by an all-star team of advisors and investors, including Mark Tercek, former CEO of The Nature Conservancy; Renee Beaumont, former partner of Generation Investment Management; and Georgia Vidler, former Head of Product at Canva.

This is the first step in ReGen's mission to move $1bn of capital into the regenerative technology space by 2030. In doing so, the firm hopes to close the $173trn funding gap required to achieve a net-zero economy by 2050. The team is deeply engaged in the future of food, regenerative materials, and the emerging areas of carbon and biodiversity.

"We are motivated to partner with founders daring to build companies that will restore our planet," says Fitzgerald. "This is the greatest imperative and opportunity of our lifetimes. Investing in regenerative technologies will radically change the world for the better and generate enormous value now and for future generations. This is our life's work."

About ReGen Ventures:

ReGen partners with founders daring to build companies that will restore our planet.

http://regen.vc

SOURCE ReGen Ventures
SEATTLE, Wash., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RightCrowd (ASX: RCW /OTCQB: RCWDF), a leading provider of safety, security and compliance solutions, announced today that Brian McIlravey has joined the company as Chief Operating Officer, a new position. McIlravey brings successful senior executive experience to RightCrowd for a specific focus on increasing customer engagement and operational efficiencies in the US and North American markets.

Peter Hill, RightCrowd CEO said "We are delighted that Brian has chosen to join RightCrowd as he brings executive level leadership to our North American operations and will be working closely with our clients. His expertise will be important as we continue to pursue our growth aspirations. Brian has significant industry expertise and will be helping our teams achieve even greater operational excellence. He will work closely with our sales people in the launch of our new product, Access Analytics, and will also help them unlock further value from our existing solutions".

"Joining RightCrowd is an exciting opportunity to build and expand customer and North American operations," said McIlravey. "I worked with RightCrowd and Peter in the past as a partner, so I know firsthand the company's commitment, expertise, and exceptional product offerings, all of which will be important as North Americans begin to return to physical locations in the months ahead. I'm delighted to now be a part of the RightCrowd team."

As an established leader with significant senior level GM and operations experience, McIlravey strengthens the RightCrowd senior management team with his 20-plus year history of building high performance teams with proven success. His experience is in both private and public sector safety and security, as the first 10 years of his career were as a police officer.

Since September 2001 he has been involved in the world of software and technology, having spent 17 years at PPM Inc., a security industry software giant and world leader in Incident Management solutions. His last seven years at the company were as CEO, following numerous executive-level roles to help build and shape the business. This company was successfully acquired by Klass Capital in 2014, ultimately becoming Resolver, Inc., where he continued to hold several senior management positions, including executive vice president-general manager with involvement in strategy, product and acquisitions.

In 2018 he joined Igloo Software Inc., a digital workplace solutions provider and led a multi-million-dollar business unit overseeing a team of 30+ engineers, consultants and customer success managers to ensure the digital transformation success of more than 500 customers worldwide.

McIlravey is a member of the Canadian Council of Innovators; ASIS International (since 2000) where he has served on several task forces and councils); and as a member of several strategic advisory boards for private companies.

He and his family reside in Ontario.

About RightCrowd

Founded in 2004, RightCrowd (ASX: RCW /OTCQB: RCWDF) is a global provider of safety, security and compliance solutions that manage the access and presence of people. RightCrowd has offices in Seattle, Belgium, Manila, and the Gold Coast, with over 150 employees across a range of specializations. Combined with our long-standing alliances with major security and business systems vendors, RightCrowd delivers world-class solutions to meet clients' most difficult security and compliance challenges. RightCrowd has invested over 17 years working with the best of the best in the physical security industry and has successfully optimized business functions in major global organizations and industry verticals, including Fortune 50 and ASX 10 companies.

More information can be found at: www.rightcrowd.com

SOURCE RightCrowd
PLEASANTON, Calif., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ServiceMax , Inc., a leader in asset-centric field service management, today announced the completion of the previously announced transaction to acquire LiquidFrameworks, a leading mobile field operations management solutions company, specializing in the energy industry, from Luminate Capital Partners, a private equity firm investing in growth and enterprise software companies.

"We are excited to officially welcome the LiquidFrameworks team to ServiceMax," said Neil Barua, CEO, ServiceMax. "Like all asset-centric industries, the oil and gas sector is adopting new digital systems aimed at maintaining assets, improving productivity, and growing revenue. With the acquisition of LiquidFrameworks, ServiceMax is better positioned to meet those needs, while expanding our product portfolio and go-to-market channels."

LiquidFrameworks' FieldFX is a cloud-based mobile field operations software suite designed to manage contracts, quotes, equipment, jobs, and field tickets for service companies in the energy industry. ServiceMax will incorporate the FieldFX product suite from LiquidFrameworks into the ServiceMax portfolio alongside its Core and Asset 360 offerings.

"The combination of two companies that have a longstanding history of field service management in the energy sector is exciting. Our customers will greatly benefit from breadth and depth of our product and services offerings," said Travis Parigi, CEO and Founder of LiquidFrameworks. Parigi will join the ServiceMax leadership team to support the company's focus on an end market that is positioned for growth and digital transformation.

Transaction Key Facts

During calendar year 2020, LiquidFrameworks generated revenue of $22 million , of which 91% is recurring SaaS revenue.

, of which 91% is recurring SaaS revenue. The total purchase price was $148 million , on a cash and debt free basis, subject to working capital adjustments. The acquisition was financed from ServiceMax's cash on hand and borrowings.

, on a cash and debt free basis, subject to working capital adjustments. The acquisition was financed from ServiceMax's cash on hand and borrowings. New borrowings include a $100 million term loan supported by ServiceMax's SaaS business model.

AGC Partners is acting as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as legal advisor to LiquidFrameworks and Luminate. Centerview Partners is acting as financial advisor and Ropes & Gray LLP is acting as legal advisor to ServiceMax.

About ServiceMax

ServiceMax's mission is to help customers keep the world running with asset-centric field service management software. As a recognized leader in this space, ServiceMax's mobile apps and cloud-based software provide a complete view of assets to field service teams. By optimizing field service operations, customers across all industries can better manage the complexities of service, support faster growth and run more profitable, outcome-centric businesses. For more information, visit www.servicemax.com .

On July 15, 2021, ServiceMax announced plans to merge with Pathfinder Acquisition Corporation, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company co-sponsored by affiliates of HGGC and Industry Ventures ("Pathfinder") to become a publicly traded company (the "Business Combination"). Consummation of the Business Combination is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Pathfinder's shareholders.

About LiquidFrameworks

LiquidFrameworks is a leading provider of cloud-based, mobile field operations management solutions serving the energy, industrial and environmental services industries. LiquidFrameworks' FieldFX solution provides companies with numerous benefits, including increased and accelerated revenue capture, increased cash flow, improved contract compliance, increased invoice accuracy and improved customer responsiveness. LiquidFrameworks is based in Houston, Texas. To join the conversation, follow @LquidFrameworks on Twitter.

About Luminate Capital

Luminate Capital Partners is a private equity firm investing in growth and enterprise software companies. Luminate partners with management teams to provide capital to drive strategy, growth, and operational improvements. Luminate's portfolio of market leaders has also included AMTdirect, AutoQuotes, Axonify, Compliance & Risks, Comply365, Conexiom, Fintech, LiquidFrameworks, MSI, Oversight Systems, PDI, Quantivate, StarCompliance, and Thought Industries. For more information, visit www.luminatecapital.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements that are based on beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to ServiceMax. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," "target," "seek" or the negative or plural of these words, or other similar expressions that are predictions or indicate future events or prospects, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including strategies or plans as they relate to the integration of LiquidFrameworks following the acquisition, the Business Combination or the consummation of the Business Combination itself, are also forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. ServiceMax cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this communication will prove to be accurate. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those included under the heading "Risk Factors" in the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by Pathfinder with the SEC and those included under the heading "Risk Factors" in the final prospectus filed by Pathfinder on February 18, 2021 relating to Pathfinder's initial public offering and in its subsequent periodic reports and other filings with the SEC. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by Pathfinder, ServiceMax, their respective directors, officers or employees or any other person that Pathfinder and ServiceMax will achieve their objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. The forward-looking statements in this communication represent the views of ServiceMax as of the date of this communication. Subsequent events and developments may cause that view to change. However, while ServiceMax may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, there is no current intention to do so, except to the extent required by applicable law. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing the views of ServiceMax as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication.

Important Additional Information Regarding the Transaction Will Be Filed with the SEC

In connection with the Business Combination, Pathfinder has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC that includes a prospectus with respect to Pathfinder's securities to be issued in connection with the Business Combination and a proxy statement with respect to the shareholder meeting of Pathfinder to vote on the Business Combination. Shareholders of Pathfinder and other interested persons are encouraged to read the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus as well as other documents to be filed with the SEC because these documents will contain important information about Pathfinder, ServiceMax and the Business Combination. After the registration statement is declared effective, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus to be included in the registration statement will be mailed to shareholders of Pathfinder as of a record date to be established for voting on the Business Combination. Shareholders of Pathfinder will also be able to obtain a copy of the S-4, including the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, and, once available, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, and other documents filed with the SEC without charge, by directing a request to: Pathfinder Acquisition Corporation, 1950 University Avenue, Suite 350, Palo Alto, California 94303. The preliminary proxy statement/prospectus to be included in the registration statement, and once available, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, can also be obtained, without charge, at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov).

Participants in the Solicitation

Pathfinder and ServiceMax and their respective directors and executive officers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies with respect to the potential transaction described in this communication under the rules of the SEC. Information about the directors and executive officers of Pathfinder and their ownership is set forth in Pathfinder's filings with the SEC, including the final prospectus filed by Pathfinder on February 18, 2021 relating to Pathfinder's initial public offering and in its subsequent periodic reports and other filings with the SEC. Additional information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the Pathfinder shareholders in connection with the potential transaction can be found in the registration statement containing the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC. These documents are available free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to: Pathfinder Acquisition Corporation, 1950 University Avenue, Suite 350, Palo Alto, California 94303.

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the potential transaction and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Pathfinder or ServiceMax, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act.

SOURCE ServiceMax

Related Links

www.servicemax.com


HOUSTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products U.S. (Shell), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has completed the sale of its Puget Sound Refinery near Anacortes, Washington to a subsidiary of HollyFrontier Corporation, an independent refiner headquartered in Texas (HollyFrontier), for $350 million in cash plus the value of the hydrocarbon inventory, subject to customary closing adjustments. The agreement covers the sale of Shell's Puget Sound Refinery, the on-site cogeneration facility and the associated logistics infrastructure. Shell will retain product offtake agreements to support its existing retail marketing business in the Pacific Northwest. Shell's off-site logistics assets are excluded from the sale.

Notes to editors

On May 4, 2021 , Shell and HollyFrontier Corporation announced that they had signed a sales agreement for HollyFrontier to acquire Shell's Puget Sound Refinery near Anacortes, Washington .

, Shell and HollyFrontier Corporation announced that they had signed a sales agreement for HollyFrontier to acquire Shell's Puget Sound Refinery near . The value attributed to the hydrocarbon inventory at closing was approximately $266 million .

. Local employees providing dedicated support to Shell's Puget Sound Refinery were offered employment with HollyFrontier.

Shell will maintain Shell branded businesses in the Pacific Northwest and has structured supply/offtake agreements with the new owner such that the Puget Sound Refinery will continue to support Shell's businesses in the region.

As part of its Powering Progress strategy, Shell plans to consolidate its refinery footprint to five core energy and chemicals parks. These locations will maximize the integration benefits of conventional fuels and chemicals production while also offering new low carbon fuels and performance chemicals. They also offer future potential hubs for sequestration.

Cautionary note

The companies in which Royal Dutch Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement "Shell", "Shell Group" and "Group" are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" are also used to refer to Royal Dutch Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. "Subsidiaries", "Shell subsidiaries" and "Shell companies" as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Royal Dutch Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. Entities and unincorporated arrangements over which Shell has joint control are generally referred to as "joint ventures" and "joint operations", respectively. Entities over which Shell has significant influence but neither control nor joint control are referred to as "associates". The term "Shell interest" is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Royal Dutch Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Royal Dutch Shell to market risks and statements expressing management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "aim", "ambition", "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "goals", "intend", "may", "objectives", "outlook", "plan", "probably", "project", "risks", "schedule", "seek", "should", "target", "will" and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Royal Dutch Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell's products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Royal Dutch Shell's Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2020 (available at www.shell.com/investors and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, November 1, 2021. Neither Royal Dutch Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

LEI number of Royal Dutch Shell plc: 21380068P1DRHMJ8KU70

SOURCE Shell Oil Company

Related Links

http://www.shell.us


LEHI, Utah, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading anti-money laundering specialist SmartSearch has enhanced its industry-leading international business reports service, with the addition of 97 new countries to its online platform.

The improvements have been made to give businesses more tools to deal with the rise in fraud and cybercrime, which the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said has increased by nearly a third in the last twelve months.

SmartSearch's international business reports are the most reliable solution to complete Know Your Business (KYB) checks available, and provide comparable and hard-to-find company information, and extensive corporate ownership structures. By using a variety of data sources, the service will verify international companies, helping to mitigate the risk of fraud.

The reports provide full shareholder and ultimate beneficial ownership (UBO) details, alongside business identification data, consolidated financial information and also screens the business to ensure it is not on a sanction list.

John Dobson, CEO of SmartSearch said: "The national lockdowns in response to the outbreak of the pandemic, caused a spike in attempted fraud, with organised criminals using the lack of face-to-face interactions as the perfect opportunity to set up a fake company. And sadly, this increase is unlikely to slow-down any-time soon.

"As so many businesses now operate internationally, ensuring a business is legitimate has never been more crucial. It takes a lot of time and effort to try to manually verify whether not only the person you're speaking to is legitimate, but whether they are actually connected to the business they claim to be.

"Regulatory differences between countries can be challenging, but our solution is continually updated in line with laws and regulations, ensuring businesses always meets their legal requirements.

"Our new enhancement will help prevent businesses from falling foul to fraud and help protect clients from the rising number of fake companies."

To generate a business report, clients simply enter the company name, business postcode and region, and the system will perform a full KYB check, including sanction screening on the entity and any associated entities retuned.

The checks can also be retrospectively conducted on existing clients to ensure a business is fully complaint in the case of an audit. The checks also include ongoing monitoring and sanction checks to ensure the client is alerted to any status changes, whilst providing continued regulatory compliance.

For more information about anti-money laundering solutions in the UK, please visit www.smartsearch.com

Further information please contact: Jack Hayes, bClear Communications

079 0110 5657 | [email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS

About SmartSearch

SmartSearch is a leading UK provider of anti-money-laundering software. Its anti-money-laundering verification platform conducts individual and business searches, both for the UK and international markets with automatic worldwide sanction and PEP screening.

It is the only organisation in the UK with the ability to verify individuals and companies in the UK and internationally all in a single platform via a browser or API, with full Sanction, PEP and adverse media screening, and then ongoing monitoring.

Headquartered in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, SmartSearch's very latest technology delivers an unrivalled user experience to over 5,000 client firms and 50,000 users, enabling them to comply with the latest AML regulations and fulfil their AML, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance obligations.

With no requirement for clients to provide identity documents, SmartSearch's automated verification approach is significantly more convenient for both users and their end customers, with individual AML checks taking two seconds from start to finish, while business checks take less than three minutes.

For more information, please visit www.smartsearch.com

SOURCE SmartSearch
The Royal Sonesta Minneapolis Downtown hotel is in the heart of the city, within walking distance of Target Center, where the Minnesota Timberwolves play, Target Field, where the Minnesota Twins play, and the historic theater district on Hennepin Avenue. The hotel also offers direct access to the Minneapolis Skyway System, so guests never need to step outdoors to get to the Minneapolis Convention Center or the Hennepin County Government Center. Featuring spacious guestrooms and suites, and more than 30,000 square feet of modern meeting space, the hotel is an ideal option for business travelers and families alike.

"The Royal Sonesta Minneapolis Downtown is a wonderful way to introduce Sonesta's upper-upscale brand, Royal Sonesta, to the Twin Cities," said Carlos Flores, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sonesta. "The opening of this hotel continues Sonesta's explosive growth over the last year and adding this Midwestern jewel provides us the opportunity to showcase the Sonesta brand to an even wider audience."

Brian Quinn, Chief Development Officer, Sonesta commented, "Minneapolis is well represented within the Sonesta portfolio as this downtown hotel joins the Sonesta ES Suites Minneapolis - St. Paul Airport, Sonesta Select Minneapolis Eden Prairie and the Sonesta Simply Suites Minneapolis Richfield."

Royal Sonesta hotels are artistically created and locally inspired. Each is situated within the prime location of the 17 cities in which they operate, with an eye to modern design, curated amenities and award-winning and locally inspired dining. Each Royal Sonesta is truly individual reflecting the destination with a fine-tuned, well-appointed and locally accented design.

Sonesta is the first hotel company to be Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED with Forbes Travel Guide, demonstrating Sonesta's commitment to the health and safety of its guests and team members. Sharecare's comprehensive verification process helps ensure that guests and travel planners can book with confidence knowing the appropriate health safety protocols and procedures are in place at Sonesta hotels. Each of the 250+ hotel's health and safety protocols and procedures are verified using Sharecare's health security platform to confirm a comprehensive set of public health standards are met or exceeded including Sonesta's own successful Stay Safe with Sonesta health and cleanliness program.

With a full range of exceptional hotel options found in many of the most memorable destinations in the world, Sonesta exceeds guest's expectations by delivering an authentic experience on each visit. Go to Sonesta.com/growth for a full list of new hotels as well as to find the latest brand news, updates and more information on the Sonesta Travel Pass guest loyalty program, and to book a stay.

About Sonesta

Sonesta is one of the fastest-growing hospitality companies in the U.S., currently ranked 8th by Smith Travel Research (STR) with 1,200 properties totaling 100,000 guest rooms across 15 brands in eight countries. You will find nearly 300 hotels under one of Sonesta's seven brands - Royal Sonesta; Sonesta Hotels & Resorts; Sonesta Select; Sonesta ES Suites; Sonesta Simply Suites; Sonesta Posadas del Inca; Sonesta Cruise Collection - operating in the U.S., Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Peru, and St. Maarten. Sonesta also owns and franchises eight other brands including - Hotel RL; Red Lion Hotels; Red Lion Inn & Suites; Signature Inn; Guest House Extended Stay; Knights Inn; Americas Best Value Inn; Canadas Best Value Inn - with nearly 900 franchised properties across the U.S. and Canada. For more information about Sonesta and its locations, visit Sonesta.com or call 800.Sonesta (800.766.3782). For more information about Red Lion Hotels, visit Redlion.com.

* High-resolution images are available at www.sonesta.com/media for all Sonesta hotels.

Media Contact : Ashlea Flowers, Weber Shandwick for Sonesta [email protected] | 212-445-8366

SOURCE Sonesta International Hotels Corporation
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Squarespace, Inc. (NYSE: SQSP), the all-in-one website building and ecommerce platform that enables millions to build a brand and transact with their customers in an impactful and beautiful online presence, will host its virtual Investor Day on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT).

Anthony Casalena, Founder & CEO, Marcela Martin, CFO, and Alfonso Cobo, Head of Unfold, will lead a series of presentations that will focus on Squarespace's long-term growth drivers and goals in the context of the company's historical performance. Squarespace will conclude the event with a live executive Q&A session following the prepared remarks.

To register for the virtual event, please visit the Events & Presentations section of Squarespace's Investor Relations website at investors.squarespace.com .

The webcast and presentations will be available on Squarespace's Investor Relations website following the conclusion of the event.

About Squarespace

Squarespace is the all-in-one platform with everything to sell anything, providing customers in approximately 200 countries and territories with all the tools they need to sell physical products, digital content, classes, appointments, reservations and more. Powered by best-in-class design for a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints, our suite of fully integrated products enables anyone to manage their projects and businesses through websites, domains, ecommerce, marketing tools, and scheduling, along with tools for managing a social media presence with Unfold and hospitality business management via Tock. Squarespace's team of more than 1,400 is headquartered in downtown New York City, with offices in Dublin, Ireland, Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, California and Chicago, Illinois. For more information, visit www.squarespace.com.

Contacts:

Investors

Christopher Chiou

[email protected]



Media

Kaitlyn Rawlett

[email protected]

SOURCE Squarespace, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.squarespace.com


MONTREAL, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Streamline Genomics is pleased to announce the launch of SeeqVCF, a lightweight and innovative Variant Call Format ("VCF") filtering application for users of clinical genomics. VCF analysis is a critical component of genomic analysis

This launch comes soon after the September launch of Streamline's Seeq.bio search engine which allows for fast, intuitive search across a wide breadth of genomic information including the ability to cross-reference specific variants against treatments, diseases and  soon  active clinical trials. Both Seeq.bio and SeeqVCF are free to use for individual users, with enterprise-level licenses available for larger teams and power users.

Several factors make VCF analysis difficult:

VCF analysis takes the input of sensitive datasets

Many existing solutions require data to be sent to the cloud

VCF analysis tools can be highly technical and require knowledge of command-line and/or open-source software installation

SeeqVCF specifically addresses these challenges with innovations in how services are distributed and run by the user:

SeeqVCF exists locally in the browser, and crucially  no PHI or PII is sent to a server.

SeeqVCF is a drag-and-drop interface  all you need to do is choose the VCF file from its source and run the analysis. There is no need to download open-source libraries, install command-line tools or interoperating sets of infrastructure directly on your device.

SeeqVCF is fast. Input your target genes along with your file and SeeqVCF will output analysis in under a minute. Analyzing VCFs should be fast, safe and reliable.

"I am pleased to see us add this amazing innovation to the suite of tools we are offering to users of clinical genomic data." said CEO Curtis Duggan, "Our mission to democratize access to fast, evidence-based genomic analysis is only just beginning."

Media Contact

Curtis Duggan

646-226-4199

[email protected]

SOURCE Streamline Genomics
NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Reports and Data has published its latest report titled "Structural Adhesives Market Size, Share & Demand By Resin Type (Polyurethane, Epoxy, Cyanoacrylate), By Technology (Water-based, Solvent-based), By Application (Automotive, Building & Construction, Wind Energy, Aerospace), and By Region Forecast to 2028."

According to the latest report, the global structural adhesives market size was USD 14.42 Billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 22.47 Billion in 2028 and register a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period, 2021-2028.

Download Report Sample PDF - https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/4163

Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities

Increasing number of infrastructure development projects in some developed and several developing countries is a key factor driving market growth. Investment in infrastructure projects, expansion of existing airports and construction of new ones, and increasing number of educational institutions, hospitals, industrial facilities, and water infrastructure is other key factors also expected to continue to drive revenue growth of the market.

Structural adhesives are used in installation of flooring, and for lamination and roofing requirements, and advancements in polyester- and epoxy-based products has resulted in expansion of application areas of these adhesives in the construction industry and others. Rapidly increasing population and rising demand for housing are among other factors driving market growth. Adhesives are used in construction applications such as for joining and bonding a variety of materials such as glass, metals, dense concrete, plastic, and hardwood, and others. Apart from increasing building and infrastructure development initiatives and projects, stringent regulatory standards regarding enhanced fuel-efficiency and reduced carbon emissions is resulting in rising demand for more lightweight automobile body panels and components and footprint. In addition, increased use of structural adhesives in aerospace applications for weight reduction and enhanced bonding is also expected to continue to support revenue growth of the market.

Steady shift towards renewable energy resources is resulting in increasing deployment of wind turbines in the energy generation industry, which is expected to continue driving demand for structural adhesives, particularly for bonding composites.

Growth of markets in developed countries such as the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and others in Western Europe already have well-established public, commercial, and transportation infrastructure. Asia Pacific is expected to continue to dominate other regional markets in the global structural adhesives market in terms of revenue share and growth rate.

To identify the key trends in the industry, research study at https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/structural-adhesives-market

Emerging economies in regions such as the Middle East & Africa (MEA) and Latin America are also high-potential markets that are expected to open up major revenue opportunities for structural adhesives manufacturers over the forecast period. MEA is expected to remain a major market over the forecast period due to major projects to rebuild industrial, commercial, and residential infrastructure in various countries where civil wars and related activities have resulted in large-scale destruction. In addition, advancements in various technologies and materials, and increasing focus on developing more high-tech infrastructure and construction projects in countries in the region are key factors expected to support MEA market revenue growth. For instance, as of October 2021, Saudi Arabia had started moving earth and tunneling through mountains to build a futuristic cross-border linear city in the Tabuk Province of northwestern part of the country. Neom or 'New Future' and 'New Enterprise Operating Model' is a project aimed at constructing the new smart city on the Red Sea coast, which is expected to host its first residents in 2024.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

Social distancing and restrictions severely disrupted businesses and operations

Lockdowns caused disruptions in transportation and logistics

Impacted manufacturing activities and mining operations globally

Took a toll on economy of various countries

Caused sudden and drastic downturn in economic activity

Caused loss of employment and financial crisis

Supply impacts were further compounded owing to reduced disposable income

Emergence of variants continue to cause concerns and impact normal routines

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Epoxy Structural Adhesives to Account for Largest Revenue Share:

The epoxy segment among the resin type segments is expected to account for largest revenue share in the global structural adhesives market owing to increasing production of more lightweight vehicles and rising demand for adhesives from the automotive industry. In addition, increasing demand for various industrial and aerospace applications is supporting revenue growth of this segment. Epoxy also exhibits good thermal and chemical resistance, and also has low shrinkage and cohesive strength, thereby making it ideal for various end-uses.

Increasing use of Water-Based Structural Adhesives Driving Segment Revenue Growth:

Among the technology segments, the water-based segment is expected to register substantially faster revenue growth. Increasing focus on reducing environmental impact is a key factor resulting in higher preference for more eco-friendly, non-hazardous, and no Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emitting adhesives in various industries and applications, which is driving revenue growth of the water-based segment.

Europe to Account for Steady Revenue Growth:

Europe market revenue is expected to register a steady CAGR over the forecast period, owing to high volume car production in countries such as Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Growth of the market in the region is also majorly supported by increasing need for bonding of substrates such as glass, plastics, metals, fibers, and composites among others, which are used in vehicle and component manufacturing.

Inquire Before Buying @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/inquiry-before-buying/4163

Asia Pacific Market Revenue to Account for Largest Revenue Share:

The structural adhesives market in Asia Pacific is expected to account for largest revenue share. Rapid urbanization and industrialization as well as increased building activities in countries such as China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia are key factors expected to continue to drive Asia Pacific structural adhesives market revenue growth during the forecast period.

Major Companies in the Market Report Include:

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Sika AG

3M

DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

Huntsman International LLC.

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Arkema, B. Fuller Company

Ashland Global Specialty Chemicals Inc.

Cabot Corporation.

Market Segmentation:

For the purpose of this report, Reports and Data has segmented the global structural adhesives market based on resin type, technology, application, and region:

Resin Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2018-2028)

Polyurethane

Epoxy

Cyanoacrylate

Methyl Methacrylate

Acrylic

Others

Do you want to understand more in details about market, schedule a meeting with our expert - https://www.reportsanddata.com/call-schedule/4163

Technology Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2018-2028)

Water-based

Solvent-based

Others

Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2018-2028)

Automotive

Building & Construction

Wind Energy

Aerospace

Others

Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Billion; 2018-2028)

North America

U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

Germany



U.K.



Italy



France



BENELUX



Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China



India



Japan



South Korea



Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil



Rest of LATAM

Middle East & Africa

& Saudi Arabia



U.A.E.



South Africa



Rest of MEA

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About Reports and Data

Reports and Data is a market research and consulting company that provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. Our solutions purely focus on your purpose to locate, target, and analyze consumer behavior shifts across demographics, across industries, and help clients to make smarter business decisions. We offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across multiple industries, including Healthcare, Touch Points, Chemicals, Products, and Energy. We consistently update our research offerings to ensure our clients are aware of the latest trends existent in the market. Reports and Data has a strong base of experienced analysts from varied areas of expertise. Our industry experience and ability to develop a concrete solution to any research problems provides our clients with the ability to secure an edge over their respective competitors.

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Read Latest Press Release @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/press-release/global-structural-adhesives-market

SOURCE Reports And Data
"For those without a roof over their heads, we hope these blankets and socks provide some much-needed comfort and a reminder that someone in their community, including Subaru and our family of retailers, is thinking of them," said Thomas J. Doll, President and CEO, Subaru of America, Inc. "At Subaru, we believe we are all part of a shared community, and we'd like to thank shelters nationwide for the services they provide for those with the greatest need. These blankets and socks are a sign of support for them, as well as a sign of compassion and encouragement for those they serve."

To support the donation, more than 600 Subaru retailers nationwide have partnered with a shelter for those experiencing homelessness in their community and pledged to donate blankets and socks. Staff from each Subaru retailer will personally deliver their donation to the shelter in a show of support and caring. More than 500,000 Americans are experiencing homelessness, and this gesture of kindness and warmth shows support and compassion for those in need.

"The donation from Subaru and its retailers will be a great help to support guests experiencing homelessness, especially with the winter months approaching," said Shawn Sheekey, Executive Director, Joseph's House of Camden. "Being prepared for the increase in guests as temperatures drop is vital to ensuring everyone's wellbeing. The generous gifts from Subaru and its retailers across the country will provide our guests going through hardships with warmth, comfort and dignity."

As a partner of Subaru of America and the Subaru Foundation, Joseph's House of Camden is a provider of temporary housing and day support to those experiencing homelessness in the automaker's hometown of Camden, NJ.

The blanket and sock donations are a part of the Subaru Loves to Help initiative, the community-focused pillar of the Subaru Love Promise. To learn more about Subaru Loves to Help and the community work Subaru does, visit www.subaru.com/help.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $200 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 63,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.

For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Diane Anton

Subaru of America, Inc.

856-488-5093

[email protected]

Taryn Ottaunick

MWW on behalf of Subaru

[email protected]

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.subaru.com


MONTREAL, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tacora Resources Inc. ("Tacora" or the "Company") announced that it will hold a conference call on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss third quarter 2021 financial results. The financial results will be available on https://www.tacoraresources.com/investors/ no later than November 30, 2021.

To access the financial results and login information for the conference call, a party must pre-register and certify that it is eligible for such access. Pursuant to the indenture dated May 11, 2021, between Tacora Resources Inc., as Issuer, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee and Notes Collateral Agent, relating to the 8.250% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (the "Notes"), access to the financial results and conference call will be available only to the following:

a) the Trustee;

b) registered holders of the Notes;

c) beneficial owners of the Notes;

d) prospective purchasers of the Notes who have certified to Tacora Resources Inc. that they are "qualified institutional buyers" as defined by Rule 144A of the Securities Act or "non-U.S. persons" as defined by Regulation S of the Securities Act;

e) securities analysts who cover or intend to cover Tacora Resources Inc. and the Notes; and

f) market makers who make or intend to make a market in the Notes.

If you meet one or more of the criteria set forth above and would like to access, but have not yet been granted access to http://www.tacoraresources.com/investors/, please contact Investor Relations at [email protected] or Joe Broking.

Investor and Analyst Contact:

Joe Broking

President and Chief Executive Officer

T  +1 (218) 398-0079

E  [email protected]



About Tacora Resources Inc.

Tacora is a private company that is focused on the production and sale of high-grade and quality iron ore products that improve the efficiency and environmental performance of steel making. The Company owns and operates the Scully Mine, a 6 million tonne per year iron ore concentrate producer located in Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and owns the Sydvaranger Mine, a mine located in Sr-Varanger, Norway that is currently idled with a feasibility study recently completed for an expansion to 4 million tonnes per year of iron ore concentrate. The Company's equity investors include funds managed by Proterra Investment Partners LP; Aequor Holdings LLC; Cargill, Inc.; a fund managed by Orion Mine Finance; Titlis Mining AS; and MagGlobal LLC. 100% of the Scully Mine concentrate is purchased and marketed globally by a subsidiary of Cargill, Inc. Additional information about the company is available at www.tacoraresources.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and relate to our expectations, beliefs, and intentions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed to be forward-looking. Although Tacora believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors and are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may accordingly differ materially from those in forward-looking statements, and these statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause outcomes to differ from our expectations. The forward-looking information set forth herein reflects Tacora's expectations as at the date of this press release and is subject to change after such date. Tacora disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This news release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy Tacora's senior secured notes. Tacora's senior secured notes were offered solely to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to non-U.S. persons outside the U.S. under Regulations S of the Securities Act. Tacora's senior secured notes were not registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction. As a result, they may not be offered or sold in the United States or to any U.S. persons except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

SOURCE Tacora Resources, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.tacoraresources.com


Tangerine Software Inc. Sells Sage X3 ERP Practice to 4CAD Group Tweet this

"The timing of the sale was right for both companies," states Greg Brown, President of Tangerine. "My partner, Benoit Trottier and I are looking to focus our efforts on growing our global Nectari BI business, and 4CAD is looking to grow its Sage X3 presence significantly in North America through acquisition. 4CAD's very successful Sage X3 business in Europe, and their commitment to becoming a major Sage X3 partner in North America, were the main reasons why selling our X3 practice to them made sense. I look forward to working with 4CAD in the coming months to ensure a seamless transition for employees and customers."

Greg states, "When we established our ERP practice in 1992, we had no idea how successful Tangerine would become. I'm extremely grateful to the hundreds of employees who have worked at Tangerine over the past 30 years, dedicating themselves to the success of our customers. I'm also grateful for our many customers who have trusted Tangerine over the years to provide them with the guidance and support needed to operate and evolve their businesses. Fortunately, we will continue to stay close to everyone with 4CAD moving into our new offices in Montreal, where our Nectari and Sage X3 teams will work alongside each other."

"We are delighted to see our team continue to grow while entering new markets and serving new customers", states Stephane Letheule, President of 4CAD Group. "The acquisition of Tangerine Software's Sage X3 practice will allow us to accelerate our expansion in North America, where customers will benefit from 4CAD's wealth of Sage X3 consulting services and a number of value-add, mission-critical solutions in our portfolio."

About Tangerine Software Inc. and Nectari

Established in 1992, Tangerine Software is located in Saint Laurent, Quebec. Tangerine was the first consulting firm in North America to begin a Sage X3 practice over 20 years ago and today, is one of the biggest Sage X3 partners in North America with over 80 employees. Tangerine's Nectari Business Intelligence software is an innovative analytics and data management solution that is also branded and sold by Sage and partners globally, as "Sage Enterprise Intelligence (SEI)". Today, there are more than 2,500 companies benefiting from the Nectari (SEI) product offering.

About 4CAD Group

Created in France in 2004, 4CAD Group currently has 295 employees, with a turnover of $82 million Canadian Dollars. 4CAD CANADA was established in Montreal, Quebec in 2016. 4CAD's mission is to shape the future of the industry today by providing customers coherent, innovative and technologically advanced business solutions, including PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), IOT (Internet of Things) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Used together, they help companies increase efficiencies and stay ahead of the competition.

SOURCE Tangerine Software

Related Links

https://www.tangerinesoftware.com/


NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- #1 global beauty brand, L'Oreal Paris USA , today announces its 2021 L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth class, recognizing the philanthropic achievements of ten non-profit leaders from across the nation who bring to life the brand's signature tagline, "Because You're Worth It" by making meaningful change that addresses some of society's most pressing issues.

In a year of tremendous change and need, each woman exemplified extraordinary passion for their community by creating innovative solutions that met the needs of the most vulnerable. From addressing the rising hate speech and xenophobia against Asian Americans, to raising attention to the underreporting of Black missing individuals, and saving lives by advancing awareness for depression and suicide amongst youth.

In the 16th year of the brand's signature philanthropic program, the 2021 L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth class will join a multifaceted alumnae network of 150 individuals, who champion a diverse range of causes and hold unwavering resiliency, bravery and courage that shows others the power of owning one's worth. In recognition of their charitable work, they will also each receive $20,000 in funding to support their endeavors, mentorship from the L'Oreal Paris community to build their organizations, and a national platform to share their story.

Now through November 30, Americans are invited to visit WomenofWorth.com to read their stories and then vote for one woman to be named this year's National Honoree, who will receive an additional $25,000 for their non-profit. One vote per day, per individual will qualify.

"For over 50 years L'Oreal Paris has strived to foster and inspire a sense of worth in others, and no one exemplifies our mission more than our Women of Worth who lift up the most vulnerable in their local communities," said L'Oreal Paris USA President, Ali Goldstein. "That's why it's our honor to build a platform that elevates not only their remarkable stories of tenacity, but their charitable giving to create even greater impact. From our upcoming primetime television special to exclusive digital storytelling, we hope you are inspired by this year's incredible women."

Meet the 2021 L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth Honorees

To elevate their powerful stories, this year's honorees will be featured on primetime television, as the L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth special broadcast event makes its return to NBC this fall. Consumers are also invited to follow L'Oreal Paris on social now through December for exclusive digital programming, that extends storytelling around each honoree by raising visibility to their inspiring journeys of resiliency, as well their commitment to enriching their local communities.

For more information about L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth, the 2021 honorees and their organizations, visit WomenofWorth.com and L'Oreal Paris on Facebook, Instagram , Twitter , TikTok and Pinterest . Join and follow the conversation by using the hashtag #WomenOfWorth.

About Women of Worth

For the last 16 years, L'Oreal Paris' signature philanthropic program, Women of Worth has brought to life the brand's iconic tagline, "Because You're Worth It," by championing women whose unwavering resilience, bravery and courage show the power of owning one's worth.

Each year, ten founders and leaders of grassroot non-profits are recognized for their work across a breadth of charitable causes to receive charitable funding, mentorship through the L'Oreal Paris network to build their organizations and a national platform to share their story.

In 2020, the L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth program launched its first national primetime special on NBC to spotlight their remarkable stories. The special will return in fall 2021.

About L'Oreal Paris

The L'Oreal Paris division of L'Oreal USA, Inc. is a total beauty care brand dedicated to empowering women by offering luxurious and innovative products and services available in the mass market. The brand's signature tagline, "Because I'm Worth It," was born in the United States in 1973 to celebrate the beauty and intrinsic self-worth of women, and for more than 100 years, L'Oreal Paris has been providing women around the world with products in four major beauty categories: hair color, haircare, skincare and cosmetics. With L'Oreal's invention of hair color in 1909, the brand continues to serve as a leading innovator of hair products across color, care, and styling with brands such as Superior Preference, Feria, Colorista, Elvive, the Ever Collection, and Elnett Satin Hairspray. L'Oreal Paris provides scientifically-advanced skincare products that are tested to address individual skin concerns through its renowned brands Revitalift, Pure-Sugar, Pure-Clay, Age Perfect, and Sublime Bronze. L'Oreal Paris' iconic cosmetics include best-seller Voluminous Lash Paradise, as well as the Infallible, True Match, Colour Riche, Voluminous, and Visible Lift collections. For more information about L'Oreal Paris and to receive personalized advice, expert tips, and exclusive content, please visit www.lorealparisusa.com or follow on Instagram ( @LOrealParis ), Twitter (@ LOrealParisUSA ), Facebook (@ LOrealParisUSA ), and Pinterest (@ LOrealParisUSA ).

SOURCE LOreal Paris

Related Links

http://www.lorealparisusa.com


SHENYANG, China, Oct. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The 20th China International Equipment Manufacturing Exposition, opened at Shenyang International Exhibition Center (referred to as "China Expo"), Oct. 22, 2021, in Shenyang, the capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

With the theme of "Intelligent manufacturing promotes transformation and revitalization", the exhibition area covers 100,000 square meters and sets up 8 exhibition areas, which have 3454 booths, lots of high-tech products such as trapped self-rescue experience system based on VR technology have appeared, according to the Information Office of Shenyang People's Government.

Data from the organizing committee of CIEME shows that 812 Chinese and foreign enterprises to participate in the exhibition. There are 433 domestic exhibitors with 2431 booths. And 136 overseas and foreign-invested enterprises, which accounting for 16.7% of the total number of exhibitors. Shaanxi, Shandong and Hunan provinces participated in the exhibition as the main guest of the exhibition and Hefei as the theme city of the exhibition.

According to the organizing committee of CIEME, a total of 51 Top 500 and multinational corporations participated in the exhibition. There are 6 world-famous machine tool enterprises and 62 domestic well-known equipment manufacturing enterprises, showing the proportion of high-end intelligent exhibits has increased significantly. On the opening day, all kinds of high-tech machinery and equipment and booths with the characteristics of the times attracted nearly 33,000 visitors.

In addition, the 6th Summit Forum of Manufacturing Powers, the China (Shenyang) International Foundry and Hot working Special Exhibition, Chinese Central State-owned Enterprises Procurement Docking Fair, New product & New Technology Press Conference, Retrospective Exhibition on the 20th Anniversary of China Expo, China Machine tools one-stop Purchasing Conference were also be held at the opening day. Delegations, chambers of commerce, associations, and exhibitors from the host provinces, theme city and some provincial and regional governments, will also hold product promotion meetings, new product conferences, technical exchange meetings, trade orders, investment negotiations and technical cooperation during the event.

The exhibition will have online and offline sessions this year. The offline exhibition lasts for 4 days, and the online cloud exhibition will be held from Oct. 22 to Nov. 22.

SOURCE The Information Office of Shenyang People's Government
Organised by Roca, a leading company in the production, design and distribution of products for the bathroom space, Roca One Day Design Challenge reflects the brand's commitment to talent, innovation and sustainability, aiming to promote the role of design in the efforts to tackle our world's current challenges, such as the climate emergency and the new social realities around the globe.

Once again, the contest will continue to fulfill its goal of giving visibility to young talents and promoting access to professional opportunities and renowned judges. Roca thus reaffirms its commitment to the initiative, with new editions of Roca One Day Design Challenge confirmed in 10 countries this year.

The projects will be evaluated by a jury comprised of renowned professionals from the world of design and architecture: Kristina Zanic, founder and owner of the Kristina Zanic Design Consultant; Prodipto Ghosh, Principal in CRTKL's Middle East, Leila Abdulrahim, Design Director - Hilton Worldwide, Roy Posey, Associate Designer HBA.

Organisation and registration

Roca One Day Design Challenge is organised in a time trial format, inviting young designers and architects to prove the value of their ideas for the bathroom space in the course of one intense day. On 6th November, participants will have to create projects based on a briefing given at 9:30 am at the Spain Pavilion Expo 2020 and on the official website, racing against the clock to upload them on the competition's website and submit using a USB until 5:00. The winners will then be announced at 7:30 pm at the Spain Pavilion Expo 2020.

Roca One Day Design Challenge is aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, crucial to the conception and execution of any design project nowadays. Projects presented in competition must necessarily promote solutions that are at the service of a more sustainable future.

The winning project will receive a prize of 6000 AED and there are additional prizes of 4000 AED and 2000 AED for the second and third-placed entries.

This 5th edition of the One Day Design Challenge in Dubai will be held as part of the Expo Dubai 2020 in the Spanish Pavilion. The brand sponsors this space within the international conference with the slogan "Intelligence for Life", which seeks to convey the country's and Roca's potential in terms of innovation and sustainability.

A global competition

Roca One Day Design Challenge was born in Spain in 2012 and has since rapidly expanded worldwide. Even though the pandemic affected the 2020 editions, with most having to be cancelled, in 2021 competitions have already been confirmed in 10 countries: Portugal, Poland, Russia, Argentina, Bulgaria, Malaysia, China, Oman, UAE and Spain. In the countries where it is not possible to do a live event, the contest will be held virtually.

For further information about Roca One Day Design Challenge, please visit:

www.onedaydesignchallenge.net

About Roca

Roca is a company dedicated to the design, production, and marketing of bathroom products for architecture, construction and interior design. Founded in 1917, it combines tradition and knowledge with a passion for innovation and respect for the environment with the aim of meeting people's needs and contributing to the improvement of society's well-being.

With sustainability present in all its production processes and with the commitment to help preserve a better planet for future generations, Roca has implemented this philosophy in the 170 countries in which it operates and in its 84 factories and transmits it daily to its more than 24,000 employees.

The family company is the market leader in Europe, Latin America, India and Russia. It also has a strong presence in China and the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Africa. As a result, it is a world leader in its business.

roca.com

SOURCE Roca Sanitario S.A. (Representation Office Middle East)
CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), an education equity-focused nonprofit, is holding its annual fundraiser to celebrate its twentieth anniversary on Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021, at 5:30 PM at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E Delaware Place Chicago, IL.

Revenue raised from the event will fund incremental supports for AUSL's Chicago Teacher Residency which provides educator training and professional development for teachers in public schools on Chicago's south and west sides. Private donations to AUSL have averaged almost $5 million per year and more than $100 million since AUSL opened its doors.

To celebrate its twentieth anniversary, AUSL is honoring philanthropists Mike and Robin Zafirovski and Greg Case, CEO of Aon, for their commitment to bring equity to education. Robin and Mike Zafirovski have been champions of children for more than a decade and tireless supporters of AUSL's mission that all children have access to a high-quality education. Greg Case of Aon is an instrumental supporter of AUSL and its mission.

AUSL's Executive Director, Donald Feinstein Ph.D., stated, "AUSL's work has always been predicated on educational equity and excellence. We believe every child has unlimited potential, regardless of their race or zip code. Our supporters like Mike and Robin Zafirovski, and Greg Case allow us to grow our teacher training programs that have a record of recruiting, training, and retaining highly effective teachers to help level the playing field and bring educational equity to under-resourced communities. "

The evening will include the presentation of the Martin J. Koldyke Educator Leadership award. Awardees have demonstrated strong leadership in advancing the education of students, particularly students from under-resourced environments.

For more information, all are invited to register at https://one.bidpal.net/auslbenefitdinner

About AUSL

The Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) is an education equity-focused nonprofit that works tirelessly with the belief that all students should have access to an excellent education right in their own neighborhoods. AUSL does this by recruiting and training promising individuals to be effective teachers. In addition, we leverage two decades of learnings through our partnerships with school communities.

Media Contact: Christopher Childers, [email protected]

SOURCE AUSL

Related Links

auslchicago.org


WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brattle Group has welcomed economist Benjamin Wagner to its Washington, DC office as a Senior Consultant with the firm's global Antitrust & Competition practice. Mr. Wagner specializes in mergers and antitrust litigation matters, and is an expert in applied econometrics.

Benjamin Wagner, The Brattle Group

"We're thrilled to have Ben on board to enhance our growing Antitrust & Competition practice," said Brattle President & Principal David L. Sunding. "His expertise in merger reviews and complex issues of antitrust litigation will be invaluable to our clients, and he is an excellent addition to the Brattle team."

"I am very much looking forward to using my experience on behalf of Brattle's clients and to help the firm grow," said Mr. Wagner. "Brattle has an incredible team of competition experts, and I am especially excited to start working with and getting to know my new colleagues."

Mr. Wagner has extensive experience working on issues of class certification, liability, and damages in antitrust cases involving alleged price-fixing and collusion, and he also provides consulting services on the merger review processes of enforcement agencies. His work often focuses on performing complex analyses of large datasets and developing damages models.

Mr. Wagner has served clients and worked with experts across a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, transportation, healthcare, retail stores, and consumer packaged goods.

Prior to joining Brattle, Mr. Wagner was a Senior Vice President at an international economics consulting firm, based in Washington, DC.

To learn more about Mr. Wagner, please see his full bio.

ABOUT BRATTLE

The Brattle Group answers complex economic, finance, and regulatory questions for corporations, law firms, and governments around the world. We are distinguished by the clarity of our insights and the credibility of our experts, which include leading international academics and industry specialists. Brattle has over 500 talented professionals across four continents. For more information, please visit brattle.com.

SOURCE The Brattle Group

Related Links

http://www.brattle.com


The distinctive materiality of The Brooklyn Tower incorporates white marble at its base, and evolves to blackened stainless steel and shades of bronze and copper as the tower ascends. The facade powerfully holds its shape, texture, and materiality at every angle, deploying a wide variety of fluted, cylindrical, and triangular shapes arranged in a strongly vertical composition between oversize glass panes. This combination of effects gives The Brooklyn Tower an expression that is at once welcoming, seriously dramatic and extravagantly playful.

Globally recognized for its historic architecture, verdant tree-lined streets, abundant greenspace, vibrant culinary scene, and thriving creative community, Brooklyn has long enjoyed and celebrated a unique cultural identity distinct from the other boroughs. Brooklyn welcomes and sustains a diverse population from all backgrounds, fostering deep contributions across a variety of industries. The design of the Brooklyn Tower honors the undeniable spirit, expressive culture, and rich diversity and history that Brooklyn is known for, standing proud as a symbol of these everlasting attributes.

The Brooklyn Tower is bound by DeKalb Avenue, Fleet Street, and Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn. This is of the most connected neighborhoods in New York City, with unrivaled transportation access to 13 subway lines, 11 commuter trains via the LIRR at Atlantic Center, and 22 Citibike stations. Downtown Brooklyn lives at the intersection of three of Brooklyn's most beloved Brownstone neighborhoods (Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and Fort Greene), with proximity to DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights. Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City and home to a robust technology and innovation sector, shopping along Fulton Street and nearby Atlantic Avenue, and more than 100 arts and cultural institutions, including centers for the neighborhood and the city the Brooklyn Art Museum, BRIC, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Barclays Center. Brooklyn is a major culinary destination, with nearby DeKalb Market Hall, Grand Army, Gage & Tollner, Roman's by Andrew Tarlow, and the famed Junior's Cheesecake. Residents will also be in proximity to some of the city's finest public parks and greenspaces, including beloved Fort Greene Park just five blocks away, the recently revitalized Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the borough's flagship Prospect Park. Significant new growth in the residential and hospitality sectors has ushered in a new era of 24/7 living in the neighborhood, while other streetscape transformations are underway.

"Today marks a significant milestone for Brooklyn and New York City as The Brooklyn Tower reaches its peak, continuing Brooklyn's long history of design innovation and bold thinking," said Michael Stern, Founder and CEO of JDS Development, the developer and builder of the project. "We take great pride in the thoughtful work that SHoP and our JDS Construction team have done to create this unprecedented new tower, while carefully preserving the historic Brooklyn landmark."

The Brooklyn Tower represents yet another large-scale adaptive reuse project in New York City by JDS Development Group. The firm is known for complex assemblages, self-performing construction in New York City projects, and moving markets through transformative, design-forward projects that have raised the bar for new development real estate and challenged the status quo.

The Brooklyn Tower is the third large-scale, mixed-use project by JDS and SHoP in New York City, which include the iconic 111 West 57th Street on Central Park (another supertall with a landmarked adaptive-reuse component) and the American Copper Buildings on the East River. Additional large-scale projects are in the works for the Lower East Side at 247 Cherry Street, and in Brickell, Miami, at 1 Southside Park.

"The SHoP team is thrilled to be a part of a project that is so impactful to one of the world's most acclaimed skylines," said Gregg Pasquarelli, Founding Principal of SHoP Architects. "As more people look to move to Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, the detail that went into the texture and shape of the structure was critical. We wanted it to remain authentic, with that baroque, Brooklyn charm, but also look crisp and modern to capture the borough's constant state of growth and influence."

The Brooklyn Tower features approximately 550 residences150 residences for purchase and 400 residences for leasewith almost 100,000 square feet of retail at its base. The project also includes over 100,000 square feet of amenities, including state-of-the-art health and fitness spaces offering diverse programming, and unprecedented, elevated outdoor loggias for skyline lounging and recreation. Thirty percent of the rentals are designated as affordable housing. Residences for purchase start at an elevation over 500 feet, where most penthouses cap nearby new development projects, and offer sweeping views through floor-to-ceiling windows of the Manhattan skyline, the East River, the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor, Prospect Park, and all of Brooklyn. Residence interiors were designed by AD100 design firm Gachot Studios, with amenity interior design lead by Krista Ninivaggi of Woods Bagot, and landscape design by HMWhite. The building will engage a wide network of creative talent from the borough and beyond in the project. Douglas Elliman is the exclusive marketing, sales, and leasing agent.

The Brooklyn Tower is anticipated to launch residences for sale in early 2022, residences for lease mid 2022, and open for occupancy late 2022, forging a new residential and commercial destination for New York City. For more information and to stay informed on the project's progress, please visit: thebrooklyntower.com or @thebrooklyntower on Instagram.

For high-res imagery and video of The Brooklyn Tower, please visit: https://jdsdevelopment.egnyte.com/fl/lqDaT803IN.

About JDS Development Group

JDS Development Group is a team of innovators and builders pioneering progressive new forms of large-scale urban development that challenge the status quo of the real estate industry. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in New York and Miami, JDS is a national firm focused on acquisition, development, and construction, recognized for its architecturally significant mixed-use projects that respond to each community and push the boundaries of engineering and design. JDS projects include The Brooklyn Tower, 111 West 57th Street, The American Copper Buildings, Walker Tower, Monad Terrace and other award-winning collaborations with the world's top architects and designers. jdsdevelopment.com @jdsdevelopmentgroup

About SHoP Architects

SHoP Architects is a New York-based global design leader, with iconic projects completed or underway across more than 72 million square feet on five continents. SHoP takes a high-performance approach to design and planning that introduces definitive new and enduring architecture to the great city skylines and streetscapes. The innovative practice forefronts the activation of dynamic public spaces, the use of technology to imaginatively reinterpret authentic building materials, a results-driven sustainability imperative and an emphasis on the research and deployment of adaptive methods of project delivery. Notable projects include Brooklyn's Barclays Center, the American Copper Buildings and the supertall residential tower 111 West 57th Street in Manhattan, the new Uber Headquarters in San Francisco, the recently opened Collins Arch complex in Melbourne, Fulbright University Vietnam, Codrico Tower Rotterdam, and multiple diplomatic facilities including in Milan and Bangkok, under a Design Excellence contract with the U.S. Department of State. The diverse and trendsetting work of the firm has been widely celebrated with a variety of honors, among them the Smithsonian's National Design Award for Architecture. In 2021, SHoP through the ESOP process became a 100-percent employee-owned companyfurthering a commitment to a culture of innovation and the next-generation practice of architecture.

About Gachot Studios

Melding timeless craft with modern technology, Gachot creates work with a refined aesthetic and radical sense of place. Simplicity, elegance and acute attention to detail are the guiding values. Every project is treated as a unique expression rather than the vehicle for a rigid aesthetic. The studio was founded by John and Christine Gachot as a collaborative environment with service as its core principle. The team brings together diverse skills in real estate development, art direction and interior design to overcome the constraints of physical space and deliver thoughtful, project-specific products.

About Krista Ninivaggi of Woods Bagot

K&CO, founded by Krista Ninivaggi in 2014, is a boutique interior design studio recently merged into the global firm, Woods Bagot. The interior design team is directed by Ninivaggi, who serves as a visual thought leader for a range of forward-thinking clients, from lawyers to DJs. She and her team specialize in the cross section between interiors and architecturecarrying rich conceptual designs into the programming, material selection, and furniture design. The attention to detail instills even the largest projects with a boutique feel. The studio works in a highly collaborative approach with clients by learning from their business practices and users to best address their needs. Whether in new or existing structures, the team strives to create immersive environments that satisfy the senses, layering tactical and visual experiences for richer and more diverse spaces. From welcoming residential spaces to progressive workplaces to conceptual hospitality programming, the team's spaces promote new and unexpected interactions, with the aim of fostering a broader range of unexpected collaborations and innovations.

Team

Developer: JDS Development Group

Builder: JDS Construction Group

Architect: SHoP Architects

Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn Architects: Mowbray & Uffinger (1906-1908); Halsey, McCormack & Helmer (1931-1932)

Architects: Mowbray & Uffinger (1906-1908); Halsey, McCormack & Helmer (1931-1932) Residential Interior Design: Gachot Studios

Amenities Interior Design lead by Krista Ninivaggi of Woods Bagot

of Woods Bagot Landscape Design: HMWhite

Structural Engineer: WSP

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Engineer: JB&B

Curtain Wall Consultant: MW Skins

Civil Engineer: AKRF

Geotechnical Engineer: Mueser Rutledge

Wind Engineer: RWDI

Media Contact:

Anthony DeWitt

DADA Goldberg

[email protected]

917-480-7262

SOURCE The Brooklyn Tower
SEATTLE, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The MRC is taking an important step forward in the ongoing fight against first-party misuse with the First-Party Misuse/Friendly Fraud Summit on November 9th, 2021. The goal of this virtual MRC event, sponsored by Ethoca, Inc., is to highlight the explosive growth of this problem and bring industry experts together to start solving it.

"The threat of first-party misuse, commonly referred to as friendly fraud, has never been more prevalent," says Julie Fergerson, CEO of the MRC. "The impact on everyone, especially merchants, has been enormous. Our recent Global Fraud Survey points to first-party misuse being the single most important issue for merchants to solve right now. It's not just impacting digital goods; physical goods verticals are being hit as well. We all need to work together to find a solution to this problem, and quickly. That's what this summit is all about."

The summit agenda has been carefully designed to highlight a diverse group of speakers, including merchants, issuers, and other industry experts. This was done to ensure a comprehensive exploration of the issue that touches on the perspectives and concerns of all involved. The speaker lineup includes subject matter experts from companies like Mastercard, Microsoft, Verifi, insparx, Capital One, Clarus Commerce, PSA Payment Services Austria, Richemont, Ethoca, Stripe, Sony, PayPal, and Aite-Novarica Group.

"I'm hoping this virtual event will help mobilize the substantial expertise and ingenuity of the payments and fraud prevention community," says Fergerson. "The best chance we have to decrease first-party misuse is through industry-wide collaboration. This summit is the perfect place to start that process."

About the MRC:

The MRC is an unbiased global community providing a platform for eCommerce fraud and payments professionals to come together and share information. As a non-profit 501(c)6 organization, the MRC's vision is to make commerce safe and profitable everywhere by offering proprietary education, training, and networking opportunities, as well as a welcoming forum for timely and relevant discussions. The MRC was launched in 2000, at the start of the eCommerce boom, by a small group of industry professionals from leading consumer brands, united by the goal of fighting against online fraud. Since its inception, the MRC has also added online payments to its portfolio, expanding its presence further into eCommerce, and continues to be at the forefront of industry evolution and the continued fight against fraud. The MRC is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, but embraces membership from across the globe.

Media Contact: Lea Prosenica

Telephone: +1 678-593-0391

Email: [email protected]

MRC Logo Link: download image

SOURCE Merchant Risk Council
TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd (TASE: TASE) is pleased to announce that its financial statements for the period ended September 31, 2021 will be published on Monday, November 22, 2021, after market close.

In addition, the Company is pleased to announce that at 8:00 PM (Israeli time) on Monday, November 22, 2021, a conference call will take place, in English, in which the Company's financial statements for the third Quarter of 2021 will be reviewed before the Company's investors.

The Company's CEO, Mr. Ittai Ben-Zeev, and its CFO, Mr. Yehuda van der Walde, will host the call followed by Q&A.

Conference Call Dial-in Details (on passcode required):

Israel: 03-9180609

US: 1-866-744-5399 (toll free)

Canada: 1-888-604-5839 (toll free)

UK: 0-800-917-5108 (toll free)

All other Locations: + 972-3-9180609

The conference call will be held in English and will be accompanied by a presentation, which will be reported on the Israeli Securities Authority website (MAGNA) and on the MAYA website, in both Hebrew and English, shortly before the conference call and, subsequently, also on the Company's website, under Investor Relations, whose address is: https://ir.tase.co.il/en

A day after the call, a recording of the English conference call will be uploaded to the Company's website, under Investor Relations.

The conference call is not a substitute for perusing the Company's interim financial statements for the period ended September 31, 2021 in which full and precise information is presented.

https://maya.tase.co.il/reports/details/1408738

Contact:

Orna Goren

Head of Communication and Public Relations Unit

Tel: +972 76 8160405

[email protected]

SOURCE The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ltd.
CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trilogy Real Estate Group, a Chicago-based real estate investment and property management firm, announced today that its Park 205 DST has been fully subscribed. $25.4 million in equity proceeds from the offering, along with approximately $28.1 million in debt financing, was used to acquire Park 205, 115-unit, luxury multifamily community in Park Ridge.

"Our expansive network continues to provide us with opportunities to acquire recession-resilient properties in strong suburban nodes like Park Ridge," said Matt Leiter, Chief Financial Officer for Trilogy Real Estate Group. "We are pleased that our investors are positioned to benefit from ownership of quality multifamily real estate."

Located at 205 Touhy Avenue, Park 205 offers a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes. The spacious units are stylishly appointed with hardwood or vinyl plank-style flooring, granite countertops, eat-at kitchen islands, in-unit washer and dryer and walk-in closets. Residents enjoy top-notch community amenities including a fitness center, a heated pool and sundeck, poolside grills, a communal firepit, access-controlled gates and temperature-controlled indoor parking.

Park 205 is strategically located adjacent to a Whole Foods and within walking distance of the vibrant Uptown district with its numerous shopping, dining, cultural and recreational amenities. Commuting residents enjoy access to the Park Ridge Metra which provides direct, efficient access to downtown Chicago employment. The community's attractiveness is further punctuated by its proximity to Maine South High School, which U.S. News and World Report ranks in in the top 4% of all high schools on a national basis.

Jesse Karasik, Chief Investment Officer of Trilogy Real Estate Group, stated, "With its favorable location adjacent to a Whole Foods, proximate to the Metra and within the boundaries of one of the nation's top-ranked high schools, Park 205 enjoys stability and long-term growth dynamics."

Trilogy Residential Management, Trilogy's top-rated management company for eight consecutive years, will manage the property.

Trilogy Real Estate Group has sponsored several private investment funds and qualified opportunity zone funds. Since 2002, the principals of Trilogy have completed over $4 billion in transaction volume, including $670 million of acquisition and financing activity in 2020. Trilogy manages and develops properties across the Midwest, the East Coast, and the Southwest.

About Trilogy Real Estate Group

Trilogy Real Estate Group is a vertically integrated real estate investment and property management firm with a focus on multifamily apartments and commercial real estate. Trilogy has been recognized as one of the Top Property Management companies for 8 consecutive years and has an "A" rating in the epIQ Index. Since 2002, the principals of Trilogy have completed over $4 billion in transaction volume. Trilogy has been tested in multiple real estate cycles and consistently sources and manages attractive real estate investments in major markets around the United States.

Contact: Jennifer Franklin

Spotlight Marketing Communications

(949) 427-1385

[email protected]

SOURCE Trilogy Real Estate Group
Ms. Harbour joins the Tupperware Board after an impressive career in competition law, consumer protection, information privacy and data security. Harbour has been a litigation partner in a number of law firms based in the United States, specializing in antitrust, consumer protection and data security law. She is known for her time spent as an FTC Commissioner, serving at the agency for seven years, where she shaped an agenda that encompassed a wide variety of competition and consumer protection issues across numerous economic sectors. Previously, she served as a Deputy Attorney General of the New York State Attorney General's Office.

Ms. Harbour has received a number of accolades, over the span of her legal career, including the American Bar Association's 2019 "Spirit of Excellence Award," recognizing the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who personify excellence on the national and International level and who work to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. In 2014, she was selected as one of the top lawyers, chosen by her peers as a "Super Lawyer" in both Washington D.C. and the New York Metro area, and received the Association of Black Women Attorneys Ruth Whitehead Whaley Professional Achievement Award. These awards, among others with which she has been honored, are testament to a distinguished legal career and commitment to advancing the professional development of women in the legal field. Most recently, she led a global and complex compliance team at Herbalife Nutrition, as the company's head of global member compliance and privacy. She was responsible for the global privacy and data security efforts, while also overseeing the policies and infrastructure for effective education, training and mentoring programs for the Company's independent distributors worldwide.

"Tupperware is charting a new path for the iconic brand, one that will meet with more consumers than ever before. With this expansion of the Board and our leadership team, our company will rely on expertise like Pamela's to influence how we best compete in the global market while protecting our sales force and consumers alike," says Susan Cameron, Chair of the Board for Tupperware Brands.

The election of Ms. Harbour brings the Tupperware Brands Board of Directors to 11 members.

About Tupperware Brands Corporation

Tupperware Brands Corporation (NYSE: TUP) is a leading global consumer products company that designs innovative, functional and environmentally responsible products that people love and trust. Founded in 1946, Tupperware's signature container created the modern food storage category that revolutionized the way the world stores, serves and prepares food. Today, this iconic brand has more than 8,500 functional design and utility patents for solution-oriented kitchen and home products. With a purpose to nurture a better future, Tupperware products are an alternative to single-use items. The Company distributes its products into nearly 80 countries primarily through independent representatives around the world. For more information, visit Tupperwarebrands.com or follow Tupperware on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media: Cameron Klaus, [email protected], 407.371.9784

Investors: Alexis Callahan, [email protected], 321.588.5129

SOURCE Tupperware Brands Corporation

Related Links

http://www.tupperwarebrands.com


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Implicity, a leader in remote patient monitoring and cardiac data management solutions, announced that renowned U.S. cardiac electrophysiology professionals Prof. Niraj Varma and Dr. Kevin Campbell have joined the leadership team in the role of Scientific Advisors. The two well-known clinicians will help guide the development of new products, capabilities, and services as the company deploys its innovative platform globally. They will support Implicity's mission to democratize remote cardiac monitoring and equip US facilities with cutting-edge innovation in remote monitoring for more effective patient care.



Prof. Niraj Varma, MD, Ph.D., is a Professor of Medicine and Consultant Electrophysiologist at the Cleveland Clinic who pioneered the use of remote monitoring technology of implantable devices. He led the landmark clinical trials and co-chaired the recommendations for clinical use. Prof. Varma received his doctorate from Oxford University and trained in cardiac clinical electrophysiology at Harvard Medical School. A dedicated researcher, he has received grants from the American Heart Association (AHA), a National Research Service Award, and industry funding for studies of innovative technology. Prof. Niraj Varma is a reviewer for several leading medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm, PACE , and Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.

Dr. Campbell, MD, FACC, is an internationally recognized cardiologist specializing in diagnosing and treating heart rhythm disorders. In addition, he's the former CEO of PaceMate, a cloud-based software platform for remote cardiac care management. Dr. Campbell completed his training in Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center and has collaborated with some of the world's most distinguished researchers throughout his career. The author of two books and contributor to U.S. News & World Report, Fox News Channel, and other nationally recognized media outlets, Campbell currently practices cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology in Melbourne, Florida, with Health First Medical Group. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and has held numerous leadership roles with the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS).

"We're thrilled to welcome these two impressive experts who bring with them a wealth of knowledge and insights that will no doubt add tremendous value as we expand our footprint globally and continue to lead innovation in remote monitoring and artificial intelligence. Based on their field-based feedback, our development and R&D teams will be able to improve our AI-based technology and our data management solutions to provide the best patient-care options to electrophysiologists and device nurses worldwide," said Dr. Arnaud Rosier, CEO & co-founder of Implicity.

About Implicity

Implicity is a digital medtech providing a remote monitoring and research platform used by Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities and cardiac electrophysiology centers to deliver high-quality care for their patients with connected Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices. On this platform, Implicity aggregates normalizes and standardizes data from any implantable cardiac device across all manufacturers. Furthermore, Implicity carries out R&D on AI-based algorithms aiming at improving patient care and serving the future of preventive medicine. Implicity has been the first private company authorized to access the Health Data Hub, one of largest databases of patients with heart diseases in the world, supporting the development of its AI solutions. Implicity covers more than 45,000 patients in over 70 medical facilities across Europe and the United States. To learn more visit: www.implicity.com

Media Contact:

Andrea LePain

eMedia Junction

617-275-8112

[email protected]

SOURCE Implicity

Related Links

http://www.implicity.com


COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Maryland, in partnership with the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives, kicked off Native American Indigenous Heritage Month today with a ground blessing ceremony and an announcement of the name of its new dining hall: Yahentamitsi (Yah-hen-tuh-meet-c).

Yahentamitsi is the first dining hall built on campus in nearly 50 years, and will be the third building in the Heritage Community, joining two residence halls: Pyon-Chen Hall, which opened this fall, and Johnson-Whittle Hall, which will open in 2022. The Heritage Community is built on the foundation of honoring the people and cultures who represent the university's important history, including the Piscataway, the Indigenous people of Maryland.

"The naming of our new dining hall in honor of the Piscataway people is a symbolic way in which we are ushering in a new era of inclusiveness at the University of Maryland. Acknowledging our storied past is one of the most important steps in creating a community that is TerrapinSTRONG," said University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines. "I hope that whenever students, faculty and staff see the name Yahentamitsi, it inspires them to learn more about the incredible people who came before us and the communities they represent."

The name Yahentamitsi is translated to "a place to go to eat," from the extinct Algonquian language spoken by the Piscataway. The name was developed in a partnership between UMD students, faculty and staff, including the American Indian Student Union, Piscataway elders and tribal members.

"The rich history and culture of Native Americans and Indigenous peoples is something that we cherish and honor," said Governor's Office of Community Initiatives Director Steven McAdams. "Through our Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, we have forged a strong bond with these communities to help tell their story. We encourage all Marylanders to learn about our history and keep the traditions of American Indian tribes in Maryland alive."

The name was announced at a traditional ground blessing ceremony on campus in the presence of university officials, UMD students, representatives from the state of Maryland, and members of the Piscataway Tribe and other Indigenous peoples. The event also included traditional performances, including a calling song, honor song and memorial song.

Representing the university and state's joint commitment to serve Maryland's Native communities, President Pines presented an official replica of a Wampum belt to E. Keith Colston, Director of Ethnic Commissions, Governor's Office of Community Initiatives.

The new 60,000+-square-foot, 1,000-seat dining hall is the first building at UMD to honor the Native American heritage of its campus. Yahentamitsi will feature 11 major different food platforms and an outdoor dining balcony will overlook the practice fields and Maryland Stadium. The building will be LEED Silver Certified and include gender neutral restrooms and staff locker rooms. The dining hall will also feature a tribute to the Piscataway people throughout the building, using its interior as a way to educate the campus community about the Piscataway people through art, artifacts and other educational materials.

About the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students, 10,000 faculty and staff, and 300 academic programs. As one of the nation's top producers of Fulbright scholars, its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, four Pulitzer Prize winners and 59 members of the national academies. The institution has a $2.2 billion operating budget and secures more than $1 billion annually in research funding together with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit www.umd.edu.

SOURCE University of Maryland
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ASMS 2021  Scientists in proteomics, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, forensics, environmental, food safety, clinical, metabolomics and lipidomics settings can now benefit from the newest software releases with streamlined workflows to deliver more comprehensive analysis of their data. The latest updates to the software solutions bring new features that enable researchers to achieve more high-quality results from their data with increased ease of use and performance.

"Since hardware and software function hand-in-hand to produce increasingly accurate, but complex datasets, it is essential that we develop powerful software to expand analytical abilities and provide greater biological insights," said Mark Sander, senior director, software platform management, chromatography and mass spectrometry, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Thanks to the latest releases of our software suite using the newest technologies, such as deep learning, customers can use their analytical instruments to the fullest and make the most out of their data."

Thermo Fisher Scientific is showcasing its new software solutions during the 69th American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, being held October 31-November 4, in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Deep learning tools to transform proteomics data analysis

The newest Thermo Scientific Proteome Discoverer 3.0 software combines with the CHIMERYS search engine by MSAID to allow Thermo Scientific Orbitrap mass spectrometer users to more fully interpret the data generated by their instruments. Artificial intelligence (AI) enables a deeper mining of proteomics data, which substantially increases the identification of unique peptides and improves overall protein coverage. Proteome Discoverer 3.0 software also includes an updated INFERYS prediction model, the Comet search engine, and a SureQuant method exporter node. The deep learning technology is a breakthrough, allowing researchers to go beyond standard search engines and unlock new possibilities in the proteomics field.

New peak detection and filtering improves and accelerates untargeted small molecule workflows

Small molecule researchers can now benefit from Thermo Scientific Compound Discoverer 3.3 software to detect more compounds in less time, thanks to faster and more sensitive peak detection. The new software provides peak quality reporting to help determine and filter relevant compounds, streamlining the data review process. Scientists can improve confidence in compound annotations through MSn spectral tree search capabilities in tandem with the Thermo Scientific mzCloud spectral library to address the most challenging unknown compounds. Compound Discoverer 3.3 software, which has been optimized for processing large datasets and detecting low-abundance compounds, will support scientists in metabolomics, pharmaceutical, environmental, food safety, clinical and forensics applications to acquire the results they need to drive science forward.

Simplify comprehensive biotherapeutic attribute characterization workflows

Apply advanced new capabilities for biotherapeutic workflows with Thermo Scientific BioPharma Finder 5.0 software to speed time to results. Increase throughput and confidence with built-for-purpose data processing, curation, and customizable reporting in a secure connected environment to streamline and enable collaboration on a global scale. Scientists can leverage BioPharma Finder software across multiple application workflows and modalities including peptide mapping analysis, oligonucleotide analysis, intact mass analysis and top down analysis for increased confidence and productivity.

Direct infusion workflows now supported for lipid-profiling software

Thermo Scientific LipidSearch 5.0 software is now compatible with direct-infusion mass spectrometry to deliver real-time monitoring coupled with accurate lipid identification. The peak detection engine included in the software provides accurate peak detection with a new and improved graphical user interface. LipidSearch 5.0 software also features a new retention time correction algorithm for liquid chromatography workflows, providing even more accurate quantitation, and includes a customizable lipid database containing over 1.5 million lipids and their predicted fragment ions.

For more information on the latest software solutions from Thermo Fisher, please visit www.thermofisher.com/ASMS, or join us at ASMS 2021 from October 31 to November 4, 2021.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of approximately $35 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 90,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

Media Contact Information:

Laura Bright

Thermo Fisher Scientific

+1 562-335-8318

[email protected]

Janice Foley

BioStrata

+1 617-823-5555

[email protected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

Related Links

http://www.thermofisher.com


"America's veterans, service-members and their loved ones are understandably unsettled that their collective sacrifices in Afghanistan were in vain. So, we started this campaign to demonstrate to America's warriors and their families that we will honor their sacrifices now, not decades later with a monument and a ceremony. We can do better, we will do better, and we can do it today," explained Vince Proffitt, Founder of Proffitt Brothers Foundation.

To help raise money, the Proffitt Brothers Foundation is hosting the American Heroes Benefit and Festival on Annapolis City Dock on Friday, November 5th and Saturday, November 6th. The two-day event will include a masquerade on Friday, November 5th from 5:30pm to 10pm in a picturesque ballroom on City Dock. Tickets are available for as low as $40, and active-duty service members and veterans can purchase free VIP tickets, each valued at $200. Tickets can be purchased at Herobenefit.eventbrite.com. Then on Saturday, November 6th from 2pm to 10pm, The Proffitt Brothers Foundation is also hosting a fall festival on City Dock with four bands, concessions, pet and human costume contests, and tailgate games. The fall festival is free and tickets are not required. Proceeds will benefit the campaign as well as local nonprofits that serve veterans.

"American Heroes Benefit and Festival will attract people from around the country who want to show their support for America's warriors and their families during this difficult time for them," added Proffitt. "People attending the event will also experience a weekend of fun and patriotism while raising money for great causes, including our campaign to send Flags of Valor to the families of each American hero killed in Afghanistan. It will be an event that will be talked about for years to come."

To help memorialize each American Hero's service, you can purchase a Flag of Valor through the American Heroes Benefit and Festival online auction, and the Proffitt Brothers Foundation will send it to the next of kin of an Afghanistan KIA.

Media Contact:

Nick Goebel

(248) 767-6276

[email protected]



SOURCE Proffitt Brothers Foundation
LONDON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- VIVIDA, the interactive and immersive training company, today announced the launch of a customisable virtual escape room for remote training  just in time to miss cyber security awareness month. Following close collaboration between Vivida and the NCSC, the security training modules have been designed to combine security best practice with gamification, to deliver a more compelling and effective security training experience. It has been released in November to highlight the importance of security best practice all year round, not just during arbitrary awareness months. British broadcasting giant, ITV, is one of the first businesses in the UK to use the service  training more than 5,000 members of staff.

The new training platform involves small teams solving security puzzles, stealing credentials, identifying phishing emails and identify vulnerabilities  as part of a 45-minute escape room in which participants go undercover to expose the hackers. Participants use both their smartphone and desktop / laptop to complete tasks, and the platform was specifically designed for businesses with a remote workforce. The platform also utilises the principles of gamification to reward participants for correct answers and encourages teams to compete for high scores. Once the session is completed, the platform provided data and materials to help organisations assess their staff, understand potential weaknesses and plan for how to address employee security weakpoints.

The whole experience is fully customisable, including the script and the puzzles themselves. This allows businesses to make their training sessions specific to their industry, matched to their security policies and priorities. These customisation options also enable businesses to convey their unique personality, since Vivida believes storytelling is essential to effective and engaging training sessions. In the case of ITV, it added the Family Fortune buzzer sound for incorrect answers and had a celebrity voiceover for each session.

Vivida is also renowned for creating unique VR training scenarios including the escape from a burning building (for fire safety training), and being put in the shoes of a young black man entering a corporate environment (for diversity training). The company, is highly averse to the corporate culture of businesses only training diversity and security topics during cyber security and black history month respectively.

Vivida founder and CEO, Simeon Quarrie commented "If I were a cybercriminal, you bet I would target businesses that dust off the same cybersecurity training sessions every October. Security is one of the biggest challenges facing every organisation in the world, and it can't be solved by a few PowerPoint slides or questionnaires.

"Even before the pandemic, traditional security training modules were not fit for purpose. They were tired and unengaging tick-box exercises, having little-to-no impact on the people forced to take them. The growth of remote working has only compounded these existing issues. By contrast, we've made our training specifically for this audience. We use gamification and immersive story-telling to engage participants and improve long-term knowledge retention. I believe that platforms like this represent the future of training for businesses that embrace flexible working. Our training is focused on the socio-technical side of cybersecurity, helping transform the entire workforce into a human firewall.

"Our emphasis on teamwork is also aimed at combatting the bigger issue of workplace culture being under threat. Many employers are concerned that their employees no longer have the same kinds of interpersonal relationships with each other. The reality of modern work increasingly involves people working in isolation. It's why we felt it was so important to bring people together to challenge each other and solve problems as a team. This is how company cultures are formed and maintained."

About VIVIDA

As a team of storytellers lead by Simeon Quarrie, Vivida combines storytelling with gamification, high production video and immersive content to create experiences with the power to change people's minds and behaviours.

VIVIDA tackles important subjects including Cyber Security and Diversity & Inclusion, working with companies around the world to improve organisational culture by changing the way their staff experience personal and professional development. Rather than giving lectures, Vivida provides users with a deep understanding of complex subjects through interaction and direct participation, helping them engage, remember and learn. VIVIDA's modern approach to learning is based on creating immersive scenarios where users can connect with the story on a personal level, creating an impact and lasting change.

For further details on the new escape room platform, see here https://vivida.io/escape-room/

See this link for photography, screenshots, video and logos https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1kTuyy9Me8-ym9Ntgnj8Y3znu3tXcLwqB

SOURCE VIVIDA
CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today VTech and LeapFrog announced their KidiZoom PrintCam and LeapFrog Choppin' Fun Learning Pot were named to the TTPM Holiday Most Wanted List, predicting the hottest toys of the year. This year's list was divided into four categories, with VTech and LeapFrog being selected for the Learning & Developmental Play Hot Dozen list by TTPM, a leading video product reviewer for toys, baby and pet gear.

"With so many new toys available every year, it's an honor to be recognized as 'Most Wanted' by TTPM," said Andy Keimach, President, VTech Electronics North America. "Our KidiZoom PrintCam offers the on-trend technology kids want in a digital camera that prints instantly, with the pennies-per-print value parents will love. And, our Choppin' Fun Learning Pot combines playtime and learning, with food pieces that are 85% plant-based plastic made from renewable sources, contributing to our ongoing sustainability goals."

VTech's KidiZoom PrintCam is a kid-friendly, age-appropriate digital camera that lets kids preview their photos on a color screen and instantly print regular or panoramic photos in black and white. Using cost-effective thermal paper, kids can also print games, and design and print their own greeting cards, play money, comic strips and more. There is a flip-up lens for selfies and three games to play too. Photos and videos can also be uploaded under adult supervision via the included USB cable.

LeapFrog's Choppin' Fun Learning Pot is an interactive cooking pot that comes with snap-apart veggies, utensils and a cutting board that all store in or on the pot. Kids can follow step-by-step recipes, chop the food and set the temperature, then watch the pot "boil." Hear the pot respond with encouraging phrases and realistic cooking sounds, count to 10 and talk about colors as kids prepare the recipes.

"VTech and LeapFrog hit the right balance of what kids want and what parents are looking for again, whether it's the coolest age-appropriate tech or a trendy pretend kitchen appliance that offers learning fun," said Jim Silver, CEO, TTPM. "We think the KidiZoom PrintCam and Choppin' Fun Learning Pot both deserved a spot in our Hot Dozen."

For additional details about these award-winning products, visit www.vtechkids.com and www.leapfrog.com.

About VTech

VTech is a world leader in age-appropriate and developmental stage-based electronic learning products for children. As a pioneer in the learning toy category, VTech develops high-quality, innovative educational products that enrich children's development and make learning fun. With a rich 40 year history, VTech has not only established itself as a learning authority but also consistently remains at the forefront of innovation with multiple award-winning products, including prestigious Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award winners. The company also has a broad range of award-winning infant, toddler and preschool products available in 28 different languages worldwide, with more than 100 new products introduced every year. In order to further strengthen VTech's position as a learning authority, new products are developed with critical insights from a dedicated team of in-house learning experts.

VTech Electronics North America, L.L.C. is based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. VTech Electronics Limited is headquartered in Hong Kong with distribution globally.

For more information about VTech's electronic learning products, visit www.VTechKids.com, www.facebook.com/VTechtoys on Facebook or follow @VTechToys on Twitter.

About LeapFrog

LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. is the leader in innovative learning toys for children that encourage a child's curiosity and love of learning throughout their early developmental journey. For more than 25 years, LeapFrog has helped children expand their knowledge and imagination through award-winning products that combine state-of-the-art educational expertise led by the LeapFrog Learning Team, innovative technology, and engaging play  turning playtime into quality time that helps children leap ahead. LeapFrog's proprietary learning tablets and ground-breaking developmental games, learn to read and write systems, interactive learning toys and more are designed to create personalized experiences that encourage, excite and build confidence in children. LeapFrog is a subsidiary of VTech Holdings Limited, which is based in Hong Kong. LeapFrog was founded in 1995 by a father who revolutionized technology-based learning solutions to help his child learn how to read. Learn more at www.leapfrog.com.

About TTPM

TTPM (Toys, Tots, Pets & more) is the leading and largest video reviewer of Toys, Baby Gear, and Pet Products. Consumers can research products on TTPM's website or YouTube Channels before buying online or purchasing in store. TTPM's YouTube Toy Channel is the #1 channel viewed by parents looking to buy toys. TTPM creates video reviews for more than 3,000 products yearly in their own studio. TTPM also features fun and entertaining looks at the newest toys on their TikTok Channel, TheToyAuthority, their YouTube Shorts channel, The ToyAuthority, and on the IG Reels under TTPM official.

Media Contact:

Lauren Fagan

Coyne Public Relations

973-588-2000

[email protected]

SOURCE VTech

Related Links

http://www.vtech.com


DUBAI, UAE , Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wealthface, an Investment management company, announced today the launching of its online trading platform for active investors in the Middle East and the United States with the option of allowing clients to build their own portfolio, powered by a factor investing advanced algorithms.

Wealthface offers expert investment services through a blend of investment options, advanced Fintech and professional human expertise. It is licensed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and ADGM's Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). Its partnership with the US heavyweights "DriveWealth" will enable Wealthface clients to trade US stocks at a low cost.

The Wealthface platform offers investors and traders, of varying income brackets, the opportunity to invest and trade in thousands of stocks, an option typically unavailable for retail clients; and also connects them directly to the market through an advanced APIs integration with DriveWealth.

The user-friendly platform is now available as Web and App (Apple Store & Google Play Store), offering thus to retail clients the possibility to trade with the low commission of $1 per trade. Users can also build the portfolio, rebalance it, and execute it directly to the market using cutting-edge technology and select quantitative investment strategies backed by a factor Nobel Prize Award-Winning Research backtested since 2004.

Bilal Majbour, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wealthface, said: "Our mission at Wealthface is to give everyone, everywhere access to the financial market and always make sure to offer a complimentary solution on what clients have access to in the market. Wealthface Trade is a super innovative platform where clients not only trade US stocks like any broker, but we actually have developed unique financial tools where users can build their own basket, choose the stocks, the weight for each stock, and trade the whole basket with a simple click. Users now can enjoy trading not only because of the low fees but also because we provide them the best on the market.

About Wealthface

Founded in June 2018, Wealthface is a one-stop online investment platform based in the UAE that offers both passive indexing and factor investing services. The company's proprietary Robo-advice platform is developed in-house by a team of experienced quantitative analysts and based on advanced Nobel Prize academic research. Wealthface aims to bring institutional investment solutions to every doorstep by facilitating the investment and trading process and offering modern Fintech services to a diverse range of investors, requiring no minimum knowledge about trading and offering a complementary solution to any other trading platform. For more information, visit www.wealthface.com .

Backlinks

online trading platform

https://wealthface.com/trade

https://wealthface.com/

Logo- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1673790/Wealthface_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Wealthface Ltd.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its continued growth and evolution, Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) today announced the appointment of Jenny Gersten to the role of Interim Artistic Director. Gersten rejoins the Festival after an eight-year hiatus, bringing a unique combination of a broad Festival knowledge base and fresh, new thinking to lead the team for the 2022 season. This marks the latest step in WTF's evolution of the organization to build on its formidable history of producing groundbreaking work and fostering the next generations of theatre artists.

Gersten, who served as Artistic Director of WTF from 2010 to 2014 and Associate Producer from 1996 to 2004, joins WTF during a time of evolution. She will take the lead of the Festival as it plans its 2022 season and will focus on driving its growth through collaborative work with all stakeholders. This will ensure a future vision that not only expands on the Festival's well-respected legacy, but one that is accountable, safe and equitable for all. Gersten replaces Mandy Greenfield, who resigned her position in late October.

"As we take this next step toward the future of the Festival, we want to thank Mandy Greenfield for all of the work and support during her time here; and we wish her the best of luck on her next artistic journey," said Jeffrey Johnson, WTF Board chair. "With Mandy's resignation, the Board is thrilled to welcome Jenny Gersten back to the Festival community. She has a track record of success with the Festival and close relationships with all of our stakeholders. After eight years away, she also brings new, dynamic ideas to our organization. This balance will help us remain focused on our mission to be a generative force in American theatre by concentrating on new work and reimagined revivals, robust training for emerging theater professionals and engaging a diverse community onstage, offstage and in the audience."

Gersten has been an award-winning leader of non-profit institutions and a producer of successful commercial theatre for more than 15 years. With her new role at WTF, she remains producer at New York City Center, and is also currently a line producer of Beetlejuice, which opened on Broadway in April 2019 and is scheduled to reopen in April 2022.

"The opportunity to come back to Williamstown is a genuine honor and, I believe, the right challenge for me at this time in my career," said Gersten. "This is such a meaningful opportunity to address some of the valuable and honest feedback already received from the Festival's staff, artists, and the broader Williamstown community, and to continue to listen and absorb. I look forward to being part of the ongoing evolution at Williamstown Theatre Festival, and working with the board, staff and community to imagine a paradigm shift which fosters values to make the theatre a thriving home for artists and audiences for many years to come."

Gersten will serve in the role of Interim Artistic Director beginning immediately and through the 2022 season. This interim role will enable the Festival to continue to produce the highest-quality material for the 2022 season while the Board of Directors executes a thorough nationwide search for a permanent Artistic Director. Details about the 2022 season will be announced in the first quarter of 2022.

Johnson adds: "We have full confidence that Jenny's interim role will help us further our future vision for the Festival and immediately expand on our success. She shares our collective drive and unwavering mission to create equitable and inclusive opportunities for aspiring theatre professionals, bring award-winning and thought-provoking works to the stage and grow our program for the years ahead."

ABOUT WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL

Since 1955, Williamstown Theatre Festival has brought America's finest actors, directors, designers, and playwrights to the Berkshires, engaging a loyal audience of both residents and summer visitors. Each WTF season is designed to present unique opportunities for artists and audiences alike, revisiting classic plays with innovative productions, developing and nurturing bold new plays and musicals, and offering a rich array of accompanying cultural events including Free Theatre, Late-Night Cabarets, readings, workshops, and educational programs.

With offices in both Williamstown and New York City, WTF creates vibrant work that feeds the wider theatrical landscape. The artists and productions shaped at the Festival each summer often go on to reach diverse audiences nationally and internationally. WTF is also home to one of the nation's top training and professional development programs for new generations of aspiring theatre artists and administrators. WTF was honored with the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2002 and the Commonwealth Award for Achievement in 2011.

SOURCE Williamstown Theatre Festival
CHICAGO, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois consumers are facing the possibility of hundreds of dollars in higher heating bills this winter due to skyrocketing natural gas prices and aggressive utility spending. Supply rates went up again on Nov. 1, with major utilities charging about double 2020 prices. The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has launched an online help center to advise gas customers on how to soften the blow of these potentially crippling price increases.

CUB alerted consumers to CUBHelpCenter.com. The new site explains why gas prices are high, offers efficiency and safety tips, outlines a customer's rights against disconnection and arms consumers with information about energy assistance and alternative suppliers. (This resource also is available in Spanish.)

The consumer group also called on utilities and government officials to provide more energy assistance this winter, and it urged people struggling to pay their bills to contact their utilities to inquire about payment plans and assistance available.

Winter prices are at their highest level since the heating season of 2008-09. Here are the prices per therm for Illinois' major utilities as of Nov. 1:

- Ameren Illinois  68.084 cents per therm (101 percent higher than last November)

- Nicor Gas  68 cents per therm (143 percent higher than last November)

- North Shore Gas  68.440 cents per therm (77 percent higher than last November)

- Peoples Gas  73.870 cents per therm (164 percent higher than last November)

"Many consumers were already having a hard time paying their bills due to the financial impact of the pandemic, so these skyrocketing natural gas prices are not helping anyone," CUB Outreach Director Ivonne Rychwa said. "We urge consumers to reach out to their utility to see if they are eligible for assistance and to prevent disconnection."

CUB highlighted a number of key points concerning the expensive winter:

Consumers should contact their utilities. Heating customers struggling to afford their utility bills are encouraged to contact their utility and express financial hardship. Your utility may offer payment arrangements or financial assistance.

Utilities need to step up. The consumer group called on utilities to set aside shareholder money to help consumers afford their bills this winter. Nicor Gas recently announced that it contributed $5 million in shareholder money for a program with the Salvation Army to give out grants of up to $250 to consumers in need who are behind on their gas bills. CUB also urged utilities to be flexible to keep their customers connected this winter.

More energy assistance is needed. CUB urged state and federal officials to increase energy assistance for Illinois consumers this winter and beyond.

Practice energy efficiency. CUB's Help Center offers tips on cutting utility bills through energy efficiency, and it gives information on no-cost utility programs that can help customers make their homes more efficient.

Beware of bad deals. Alternative supplier sales representatives may use the high gas prices to try to lure customers into bad deals. The natural gas market has been plagued by high-priced offers and misleading marketing. Even with these high prices, it's likely the utility is still your best bet.

Illinois needs long-term policy changes. In addition to fighting for immediate relief for gas customers, CUB said this high-priced winter is further proof of the need for reform. For years, CUB has called on the state to rein in aggressive gas utility spending. Also, the consumer group said it's time to begin planning for the transition away from natural gas, a fossil fuel. As this winter shows, gas is getting more and more expensive, and it does not fit with clean energy goals designed to fight the most expensive and dangerous effects of climate change.

These high gas prices are one of the lingering effects of the extreme, climate change-induced cold snap that brought record-low temperatures across the nation last February. The cold froze natural gas pipelines and wellheads in the South, limiting supply across the country as heating demand increased. This led to skyrocketing prices. There are other contributing factors, such as decreased gas exploration and well construction.

And there is yet another reason for high bills: Major gas utilities in the state have launched aggressive spending plans in recent years that have increased another section of bills: delivery rates, what the companies charge customers to deliver gas to homes.

Under state law, Ameren Illinois, Nicor Gas and Peoples Gas are allowed to hit customers with a special surcharge, the Qualified Infrastructure Plant charge, which has grown on gas bills. In fact, a Peoples Gas pipe-replacement program criticized for overspending and mismanagement is expected to help double fixed costs to as much as $80 per month in the next 10 years.

Plus, companies have pushed for higher delivery rates. Back in January, Ameren received a $76 million rate hike, and Nicor is currently asking for a $198.8 million increasethe utility's third rate-hike request in four years.

CUB is Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, it has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping block rate hikes, secure refunds, and fight for clean, low-cost energy. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, or visit its award-winning website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.

SOURCE Citizens Utility Board

Related Links

http://www.citizensutilityboard.org


YORK, Pa., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolf Home Products, an innovator and leader in the building products industry, announced today the geographic expansion of deck and rail distribution into Illinois, Minnesota, and parts of Indiana and Wisconsin launching November 2021.

Wolf Home Products will initially be offering Wolf Serenity Decking and its partner brand Fiberon Decking and Railing.

This growth comes off the heels of Wolf Home Products acquisition by PrimeSource Brands, a leading provider of specialty branded building products in North America. This strategic partnership has allowed Wolf Home Products to join the PrimeSource family of brands, expanding their footprint to better serve homeowners' building and remodeling needs. Wolf Home Products and PrimeSource territory managers will work together to serve this market expansion.

"As demand for wood-alternative decking and railing products continues to grow, we are thrilled to expand Wolf-branded products into Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and Wisconsin," said Craig Danielson, President and CEO of Wolf Home Products. "At Wolf Home Products, it is our commitment to provide the highest customer service and quality products to homeowners. This expansion and our partnership with Fiberon provides further support to our growing network of independent dealers that serve homeowners throughout the Midwest."

Wolf Serenity Decking is created with High-Density Cellular Technology, featuring a wide variety of colors with rich, variegated natural woodgrain textures and cool, solid coastal tones. Offering moisture repellency and a premium ASA capstock to help block harmful UV rays, low-maintenance Wolf Serenity Decking aims to be an extension of the home, bringing families the beauty of the indoors  outside.

About Wolf Home Products

Wolf Home Products, is an innovator in the building products industry. Transforming homes for more than 175 years, Wolf Home Products has been the preferred home building products brand by families across North America who value the importance of their home and time together to build lasting memories in the spaces they enjoy most. With a vast inventory of kitchen and bath, outdoor living and building products, Wolf Home Products delivers orders in a fraction of the time, ensuring unparalleled value when and where customers need it. Wolf stands behind its service, cultivated with years of business experience into a total satisfaction guarantee.

Media Contact

Emily Vanaskie

[email protected]

717-848-8155

SOURCE Wolf Home Products

Related Links

https://www.wolfhomeproducts.com/


The declaration commits to ensuring the formulation, adoption and implementation of an effective post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to reverse the current loss of biodiversity and ensure that biodiversity is on the path to recovery by 2030 at the latest, so as to fully meet the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature.

Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO and chairperson of Global Environment Facility told Xinhua previously that the Kunming Declaration will significantly help advance the agenda on climate and nature conservation.

"The Kunming Declaration will help us not just to generate ambition in the complex negotiations ahead but will help enormously in narrowing the action gap between climate and nature conservation," said Rodriguez.

"We need a more integrated approach. COP15 and the Kunming Declaration will help us move the integration agenda," highlighted Rodriguez.

"The Kunming Declaration shows that countries are aware of the problem. Biodiversity loss is on par with the climate crisis but needs to be translated into action. We need to get the actual goals on paper and agreed to," James Roth, senior vice president for global policy and government affairs at Conservation International, told Xinhua previously.

"The global community needs to come together to close the biodiversity funding gap. China's financing commitment will hopefully move other countries to help close the dramatic funding gap," he said, adding "moreover, the expansion of protected areas in China should be a motivator for other countries to follow."

Countries have reached the consensus at the ministerial level that biodiversity loss and other disastrous trends "pose an existential threat to our society, our culture, our prosperity and our planet," he said, noting "this is a bold and alarming statement that must serve as a wake-up call."

To that point, the Kunming Declaration connected biodiversity with human health and well-being, he said. "We cannot view biodiversity as something separate from our lives. If areas rich in biodiversity are degraded, all of human civilization will suffer."

Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/324554.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
SHANGHAI, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhangmen Education Inc. ("Zhangmen" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZME), a leading online education company in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021.

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

Total net revenues were RMB1.3 billion ( US$194.7 million ), representing a 35.0% increase from the same period in 2020.

were ( ), representing a 35.0% increase from the same period in 2020. Gross margin was 44.0%, compared with 45.7% for the same period in 2020.

Mr. Yi Zhang, Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Zhangmen, commented "This is our first quarterly earnings release as a public company, and we are pleased to report strong second quarter results, with total net revenues growing by 35.0% year-over-year to RMB1.3 billion. Our cash position remained resilient, providing a solid foundation for our future development. While the ongoing reform in China's education industry has created uncertainties and challenges, we believe that an optimized regulatory environment will benefit the industry's long-term healthy development. In line with our commitment to complying with laws and regulations, we will spare no effort to fulfill our corporate and social responsibilities and actively promote the implementation of relevant regulatory policies. Looking ahead, we will prudently follow the guidance of the government to adjust our business models to provide quality-oriented education and on-campus education services leveraging on our existing propriety intelligent teaching platform. "

Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Net Revenues

Total net revenues for the second quarter of 2021 were RMB1.3 billion (US$194.7 million), representing a 35.0% increase from RMB931.5 million for the same period of 2020, mainly attributable to the increase in paid course enrollments.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues for the second quarter of 2021 were RMB703.8million (US$109.0million), representing a 39.1% increase from RMB506.1 million for the same period of 2020, which was largely in line with our revenue growth.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Gross profit for the second quarter of 2021 was RMB553.6 million (US$85.7 million), representing a 30.1% increase from RMB425.4 million for the same period of 2020. Gross margin slightly decreased to 44.0% for the second quarter of 2021 from 45.7% for the same period of 2020, due to increased contribution from our Small Class business. This business is still at an early development stage and therefore has a relatively low gross margin.

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses for the second quarter of 2021 were RMB1.3 billion (US$208.2 million), representing an increase of 102.5%, compared with RMB663.9 million for the same period of 2020.

Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter of 2021 were RMB1.1 billion (US$174.8 million), representing an increase of 106.5% from RMB546.5 million for the same period of 2020, primarily due to higher advertising and marketing expenses related to promotion of our Small Class business.

Research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2021 were RMB122.0 million (US$18.9 million), representing an increase of 61.7% from RMB75.4 million for the same period of 2020, mainly due to increased investment in research and development for our Small Class business.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2021 were RMB93.6 million (US$14.5 million), representing an increase of 123.5% from RMB41.9 million for the same period of 2020, mainly attributable to increased headcounts in administration personnel for our Small Class business.

Loss from Operations

Loss from operations for the second quarter of 2021 was RMB790.5 million (US$122.4 million), compared with RMB238.4 million for the same period of 2020. The margin of loss from operations was 62.9%, compared with 25.6% for the same period of 2020. The decrease was primarily attributable to our Small Class business, which is at an early stage of investment.

Net Loss

Net loss for the second quarter of 2021 was RMB710.3 million (US$110.0 million), compared with RMB173.8 million for the same period of 2020.

Basic and diluted net loss per American Depositary Share ("ADS"[1]) for the second quarter of 2021 was RMB30.83 (US$4.78), compared with RMB8.56 for the same period of 2020.

[1] Each ADS represents nine Class A ordinary shares

Balance Sheet

As of June 30, 2021, Zhangmen Education owns cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments totaled RMB4.3 billion (US$664.2 million), compared with RMB4.6 billion as of December 31, 2020. For the second quarter of 2021, net cash used in operating activities was RMB271.8 million (US$42.1 million), capital expenditures totaled RMB22.5 million (US$3.5 million).

Second Quarter and Recent Developments

Successful listing on the New York Stock Exchange

The Company successfully completed its initial public offering and listing of 4,166,450 ADSs (including the full exercise of the over-allotment option to purchase additional ADSs from the underwriters) on the New York Stock Exchange on June 8, 2021. The Company raised a total of US$41.6 million in net proceeds from its initial public offering, after the underwriters' full exercise of their option to purchase additional ADSs, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions as well as other estimated offering expenses.

Update on PRC Regulatory Policy

The General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a set of guidelines on July 24, 2021, aiming to ease the burden of excessive homework and after-school tutoring on students receiving compulsory education (the "Guidelines"). The Guidelines, among other things, require that all institutions offering after-school tutoring for academic subjects in compulsory education be registered as non-profit organizations, obtain approval from the relevant regulatory authorities, and comply with various operational requirements with respect to class hours, faculty qualifications, tuition standards, advertising and others. In addition, the Guidelines prohibit all such tutoring businesses from raising funds through stock exchange listings or other capital-related activities. Foreign investments in school curriculum-based tutoring institutions through variable interest entity (VIE) arrangements, mergers and acquisitions or otherwise are also prohibited. Listed companies are barred from raising capital through equity offerings to invest in businesses offering tutoring on academic subjects in compulsory education. The Guidelines require that all businesses that have already violated these rules take corrective measures as appropriate. The Guidelines also provide that institutions offering after-school tutoring for the high school curriculum, which is not part of compulsory education, shall also take the Guidelines into consideration when conducting activities.

As previously disclosed, Zhangmen's existing business operations, financial condition and corporate structure have began to and expected to continue to be materially affected in future periods by the changing regulatory environment primarily in China's after-school tutoring industry, although the magnitude of the impact remains uncertain at this time. The Company will continue to explore measures to comply with the requirements in the Guidelines and seek guidance from the regulatory authorities to improve its operations in strict compliance with all laws and regulations, fulfil its social responsibilities, provide its users with high-quality services, and promote the long-term development of China's education industry.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at the rate of RMB6.4566 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on June 30, 2021 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

About Zhangmen Education Inc.

Zhangmen Education Inc. (NYSE: ZME) is a leading online education company in China. The Company's core course offerings encompass one-on-one and small-class after-school tutoring services covering a wide range of academic subjects, with an established portfolio of well-recognized online education brands including Zhangmen One-on-One, Zhangmen Small Class, Zhangmen Kids and Xiaoli. Leveraging its high-quality teaching talents with localized insights, data-driven localized educational content and powerful technology infrastructure, the Company provides a personalized and results-driven learning experience to students across different regions. Over the years, the Company has successfully garnered wide recognition in the industry and established "Zhangmen" as a trusted online education brand. For more information, please visit ir.zhangmenedu.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements which are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

Zhangmen Education Inc.

Investor Relations

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Emilie Wu

Tel: +86-21-6039-8363

E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

ZHANGMEN EDUCATION INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands of RMB, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)





As of

December 31,

As of June 30,

2020

2021

2021

RMB

RMB

USD ASSETS









Current assets









Cash and cash equivalents 721,462

3,423,625

530,252 Restricted cash 110,787

180,556

27,965 Short-term investments 3,717,900

684,601

106,031 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 261,182

400,062

61,963 Total current assets 4,811,331

4,688,844

726,211 Non-current assets









Property and equipment, net 45,085

69,324

10,737 Long-term investments 250,000

250,000

38,720 Operating lease right-of-use assets 267,117

359,086

55,615 Other non-current assets 56,802

81,027

12,549 TOTAL ASSETS 5,430,335

5,448,281

843,832 LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT









Current liabilities









Accrued payroll and other human resource expenses 991,304

1,259,124

195,013 Deferred revenue, current 2,498,891

2,811,486

435,444 Refund liabilities 356,721

415,672

64,379 Operating lease liabilities, current 178,312

162,330

25,142 Other current liabilities 430,826

438,986

67,990 Total current liabilities 4,456,054

5,087,598

787,968 Non-current liabilities









Deferred revenue, non-current 1,091,117

1,012,590

156,830 Operating lease liabilities, non-current 92,153

198,609

30,761 Other non-current liabilities 11,334

11,898

1,843 TOTAL LIABILITIES 5,650,658

6,310,695

977,402











MEZZANINE EQUITY 6,220,779

-

-











SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT









Ordinary shares 20

89

14 Additional paid-in capital -

9,146,232

1,416,571 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (86,032)

(113,742)

(17,616) Accumulated deficit (6,355,090)

(9,894,993)

(1,532,539) TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT (6,441,102)

(862,414)

(133,570) TOTAL LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT 5,430,335

5,448,281

843,832

ZHANGMEN EDUCATION INC.. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (In thousands of RMB, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)

























For the Three Months Ended June 30,

For the Six Months Ended June 30,

2020

2021

2021

2020

2021

2021

RMB

RMB

USD

RMB

RMB

USD























Net revenues 931,527

1,257,395

194,746

2,054,197

2,603,058

403,162 Cost of revenues (506,083)

(703,795)

(109,004)

(1,110,486)

(1,451,934)

(224,876) Gross profit 425,444

553,600

85,742

943,711

1,151,125

178,286 Operating expenses:





















Sales and marketing expenses (546,546)

(1,128,571)

(174,793)

(1,013,108)

(2,037,267)

(315,532) Research and development expenses (75,446)

(121,962)

(18,890)

(145,467)

(235,246)

(36,435) General and administrative expenses (41,876)

(93,589)

(14,495)

(83,693)

(194,748)

(30,163) Total operating expenses (663,868)

(1,344,122)

(208,178)

(1,242,268)

(2,467,261)

(382,130) Loss from operations (238,424)

(790,522)

(122,436)

(298,557)

(1,316,136)

(203,844) Interest income, net 18,757

27,611

4,276

34,371

51,415

7,963 Other income, net 46,083

18,453

2,858

88,572

64,732

10,026 Fair value change of investments and derivatives 286

34,154

5,290

286

(7,646)

(1,184) Loss before provision for income tax (173,298)

(710,304)

(110,012)

(175,328)

(1,207,635)

(187,039) Income tax expenses (504)

-

-

(510)

-

- Net loss (173,802)

(710,304)

(110,012)

(175,838)

(1,207,635)

(187,039) Accretion of convertible redeemable preferred shares and redeemable ordinary shares (117,259)

(1,326,789)

(205,493)

(222,778)

(2,217,489)

(343,445) Net loss available to ordinary shareholders of Zhangmen Education Inc. (291,061)

(2,037,093)

(315,505)

(398,616)

(3,425,124)

(530,484) Net loss per ordinary share- Basic and diluted (0.95)

(3.43)

(0.53)

(1.30)

(8.08)

(1.25) Net loss per ADS- Basic and diluted (Note 1) (8.56)

(30.83)

(4.78)

(11.72)

(72.69)

(11.26) Weighted average number of shares used in calculating net loss per ordinary share





















Basic and diluted 306,191,338

594,639,505

594,639,505

306,191,338

424,054,274

424,054,274























Note 1: Each ADS represents nine Class A ordinary shares











SOURCE Zhangmen Education Inc.

Related Links

https://ir.zhangmenedu.com/


WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ZOA Energy, a brand rooted in positivity, has been on a mission to show people that kindness matters. Always. Last month, ZOA partnered with TikTok positivity influencers JT Laybourne and Ed Delmore to showcase how #KindnessCAN change the world. Now, the company is kicking off 12 Days of Kindness by spotlighting 12 everyday warriors in their community. ZOA will feature profiles of teachers, frontline workers, parents, and hardworking hands around the world to share stories of how kindness has impacted their daily lives. Every day, ZOA Energy will post a new profile on their website leading up to World Kindness Day on November 13th.

ZOA Energy Counts Down to World Kindness Day With 12 Days of Kindness

As the global community comes together in celebration of World Kindness Day, ZOA, Laybourne and Delmore will host a TikTok live event on November 13. The event will start at 6:00pm CT on Laybourne's TikTok, where participants will talk about the importance of kindness and raise awareness to the fact that a kind word or simple gesture has the power to change someone's day. The live charity event will raise funds for the Made of Millions Foundation, a global advocacy nonprofit on a mission to change how the world perceives mental health.

ZOA's partnership with Laybourne and Delmore has encouraged everyday warriors to reflect on what #KindnessCAN do through the power of positive actions, words, deeds, and self-reflection. To show the world just how powerful #KindnessCAN be, the duo took to the streets of Los Angeles with a freestanding mirror revealing "you are enough" to encourage people to find kindness within themselves. Making multiple stops at Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade, the LACMA Urban Light exhibit and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the duo also handed out ZOA challenge coins with the request for the recipient to pay it forward whenever the opportune moment presents itself.

"I am so incredibly humbled to have the opportunity to showcase 12 Everyday Warriors, change-makers, and overall heroes in ZOA's 12 Days of Kindness leading up to November 13th," said Ed Delmore, ZOA partner and TikTok inspirator. "I couldn't be more inspired by the positivity they demonstrate in their daily lives and I can't wait to amplify their stories during our TikTok LIVE event."

"Staying true to our brand values, we want to show the world that kindness and positivity should be embraced and integrated into our everyday lives," said Joen Choe, Chief Brand Officer at ZOA. "We are so thrilled with the positive impact we are making alongside JT and Ed and look forward to continuously reminding the communities around us about what simple acts of #KindnessCAN do."

For more information about #KindnessCAN, ZOA's 12 Days of Kindness, and ZOA Energy products please visit https://zoaenergy.com/ and follow the brand on Instagram @zoaenergy.

About ZOA Energy:

ZOA is the healthy energy drink created and developed by Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Dave Rienzi and John Shulman to bring more positive energy to everyday life. Created as a convenient, healthy solution for the unique challenges of today, ZOA was made to sustain with vitamins C for immunity, and vitamin B and natural caffeine for clean, enhanced energy. Follow the brand online at zoaenergy.com.

About Made of Millions:

Made of Millions Foundation is a global mental health advocacy nonprofit on a mission to change how the world perceives mental health. Its platforms, events, campaigns and resources reach millions of sufferers around the world each year. For more information, please visit http://www.madeofmillions.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Abbey Hudson | Konnect Agency

646.453.7516

[email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zoa-energy-counts-down-to-world-kindness-day-with-12-days-of-kindness-301412448.html

SOURCE ZOA Energy

Related Links

https://zoaenergy.com/


SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zurich North America ("Zurich"), a market leader in insurance solutions for construction, today announced it is expanding its insurance coverage offering to include commercial construction projects using mass timber, a group of engineered wood products (EWPs) touted for resilience and sustainability. Zurich will offer significant insurance capacity for mass timber: up to $50 million to qualified customers.

Mass timber is a class of engineered building materials fabricated from layers of wood pressed together, often with a strong adhesive under great pressure. Mass timber is rapidly gaining popularity in construction because it offers some advantages over other materials such as concrete and steel: Mass timber uses a renewable resource and its manufacture emits less carbon. Mass timber is lighter weight and can be more aesthetically pleasing. Because it is prefabricated, it has the potential to enhance labor, cost and safety efficiencies on jobsites.

Differentiated solution

In addition to the $50 million in capacity that Zurich is offering, another signature feature of Zurich's Mass Timber Builders Risk offering is that it will be available as a project-specific coverage or in the form of a Master Builders Risk program.

"We designed Zurich's Mass Timber Builders Risk proposition based on input we sought from a wide range of insurance brokers," said Patrick McBride, Head of Construction Property at Zurich North America. "We listened and devised a solution to meet the demands of an increasingly popular segment of the construction market."

Mass timber is stronger, more versatile and more durable than light-frame wood, which is one reason Zurich North America, unlike many insurance providers, differentiates mass timber from light-frame wood construction in its underwriting.

Mass timber comes with a variety of environmental benefits. Because it is lighter weight, it reduces foundation requirements. By reducing the amount of concrete and steel needed in structures, it can help reduce carbon emissions created by manufacturing of materials used in construction. Moreover, trees absorb carbon throughout their lifetimes, essentially acting as a natural carbon sequestration tool.

A recent report on the North American mass timber market predicts that the number of mass timber buildings could double every two years through 2034. As demand increases, manufacturing capacity is expected to grow.

"Mass timber offers the dual benefits of a sustainable and durable building material," McBride said. "We expect to see strong momentum behind its adoption over the next several years and are aligning our offerings to ensure we can enable our clients to integrate it into their operations."

Beyond environmental advantages, mass timber components offer a variety of ancillary benefits. Mass timber can be more resilient than other materials to a wide range of stressors, including seismic activity. To read more about mass timber, click here.

The introduction of the mass timber coverage follows the launch of Zurich's Construction Weather Parametric Solution, another innovative solution designed to enhance resilience and support sustainability. Zurich aspires to become one of the most responsible and impactful companies in the world.

About Zurich

Zurich North America is one of the largest providers of insurance solutions and services to businesses and individuals. Zurich customers represent industries ranging from agriculture to technology. Zurich North America is part of Zurich Insurance Group, a leading multi-line insurer that serves its customers in global and local markets. Read more at zurichna.com/services/about-zurich.

Visit us on social media: LinkedIn and Twitter

SOURCE Zurich North America
Washington/Brussels, Nov 1 : The United States and the European Union (EU) have agreed to use a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system to help resolve their three-year disputes over US tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the EU.

The United States will replace the existing tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products under the so-called Section 232 with a TRQ, according to a fact sheet released by the US Commerce Department on Sunday.

"Under the TRQ arrangement, historically-based volumes of EU steel and aluminum products would enter the U.S. market without the application of Section 232 tariffs to meet the demands of downstream users," the fact sheet said.

"Historically-based volumes" refer to the volume of EU steel and aluminum that was exported to the United States prior to the imposition of the Section 232 tariffs in 2018, according to the EU.

Citing national security concerns, the US administration of former President Donald Trump unilaterally imposed a 25 per cent tariff on steel imports and 10 per cent tariff on aluminum imports in 2018, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, drawing strong opposition domestically and abroad, Xinhua news agency reported.

Failing to reach a deal with the Trump administration, the EU took the case to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and imposed retaliatory tariffs on a range of American products.

As part of a resolution to their disputes over US steel and aluminum tariffs, the EU intends to suspend its retaliatory measures against the United States that were introduced in June 2018. It will also suspend the increase in retaliatory measures against the United States set for December 1, the EU said.

"In the past year, the cost of steel used by America's auto and appliance manufacturers has more than tripled, creating increased costs for consumers," said US Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo.

"Today's news will provide much-needed relief for those workers and industries, the workers and businesses who were threatened with overwhelming retaliatory tariffs of 50 per cent and American consumers, who are worried about increasing prices," Raimondo added.

"In addition to the EU eliminating the retaliatory tariffs against the United States, we have agreed to suspend the WTO disputes against each other related to the 232 disputes," US Trade Representative, Katherine Tai said.

Valdis Dombrovskis, EU Commission Executive Vice-President and EU Trade Commissioner, said the U.S. decision on steel and aluminum tariffs will "alleviate an important trade irritant" that has hampered EU-US trade relations.

"During the next two years we will work towards a global steel arrangement, which would allow us to remove 232 tariffs for good," Dombrovskis said.

While the deal is a step in the right direction, the "reliance on TRQs is an unwelcome form of managed trade" that will continue to bring about uncertainty for workers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, said Jake Colvin, President of the National Foreign Trade Council.

"Mechanisms such as these that manage international trade undermine competitiveness, create winners and losers, add significant supply chain costs and disproportionately affect small and medium sized companies," Colvin added.

The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, representing more than 30,000 U.S. manufacturing companies, also expressed concerns that replacing the tariffs with the TRQ will hurt its members because "the threat of tariff reinstatement looms with the surge in steel and aluminum demand expected when the bipartisan infrastructure bill passes".

"This type of government restriction on raw materials and intervention lead to market manipulations and allow for gaming of the system that could put this country's smallest manufacturers at an even further disadvantage," the coalition said, urging the Joe Biden administration to immediately begin negotiations to "lift these damaging tariffs on our other close allies and trading partners".

"US steel- and aluminum-using manufacturers cannot secure the raw materials that they need and at competitive prices, and are losing business to competitors in other countries who are paying far lower prices for steel and aluminum," the coalition said.

The U.S. imported 2.5 million tons of steel from the EU in 2020 and 3.9 million tons in 2019, down from 5 million tons each in 2018 and 2017, according to Bloomberg.

Myron Brilliant, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Executive Vice President, said that the deal offers some relief for American manufacturers suffering from soaring steel prices and shortages, "but further action is needed".

"Section 232 tariffs and quotas remain in place on imports from many other countries," Brilliant added.
London, Nov 1 : Two trains crashed at Salisbury in southern England's Wiltshire on Sunday, and emergency services were at the scene, Wiltshire Police said.

The collision took place in Salisbury's Fisherton Tunnel. About 12 people are thought to have been injured in the accident, the BBC reported.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue declared the crash a "major incident" and 50 firefighters were in attendance, Xinhua news agency reported.

Other train services in the area, close to the Fisherton Tunnel, have been halted.

"Officers are continuing to respond to the incident at Fisherton Tunnel. A number of people have been injured, but thankfully no one has died," said British Transport Police.

"Officers were called at 6:46 p.m. following reports of a train derailed. We are on spot alongside paramedics and the fire brigade." The rail accident Investigation Branch said they were deploying inspectors to the site of a collision between the two trains near Salisbury Tunnel Junction.
Mexico City, Nov 1 : At least one person died and 15 others were injured in an explosion near an illegal tap on a pipeline belonging to the state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) oil company in the central Mexican state of Puebla, local authorities said on Sunday.

Governor of Puebla, Miguel Barbosa told a press conference that the accident occurred near a liquefied petroleum gas pipeline in the town of San Pablo Xochimehuacan, north of the state capital.

Some of the injured were taken to nearby hospitals after the explosion, which also damaged more than 50 buildings in the town, according to the authorities.

Since the beginning of his administration in December 2018, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been combating the theft of fuel from Pemex pipelines, Xinhua news agency reported.

In January 2019, an explosion at an illegal pipeline tap in the town of Tlahuelilpan in the Mexican state of Hidalgo left 137 dead in one of the most serious tragedies related to fuel theft in the country's history.
Rome, Nov 1 : The G20 Summit in Rome ended on Sunday with the adoption of a declaration reaffirming the crucial role of multilateralism and international cooperation in overcoming the global challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The "G20 Rome Leaders' Declaration" pledges to strengthen the common response to the pandemic and pave the way for a global recovery, with particular concern for the most vulnerable, Xinhua news agency reported.

The leaders of the world's major economies have pledged to use all available tools to address the consequences of the pandemic, sustain the recovery and remain vigilant to global challenges such as supply chain disruption.

Highlighting the essential role of vaccines in the fight against the pandemic, they vowed to advance efforts to ensure timely, equitable and universal access to safe, affordable, quality and effective vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, with particular regard to the needs of low- and middle-income countries.

"We will take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries and remove relevant supply and financing constraints," the declaration said.

Regarding climate change, the leaders remain committed to the Paris Agreement goal to hold the global average temperature increase well below two degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"This summit was a success," said Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi at the closing press conference, adding that cooperation is essential on issues like climate, wealth and poverty.

"The form of cooperation we know best is multilateralism," Draghi said, calling on G20 members to act swiftly together.

The G20 members account for almost two-thirds of the world's population, over 80 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and 75 per cent of global trade.

The two-day summit was held both online and offline under the Italian Presidency of the G20. Indonesia will take over the rotating presidency from December 2021.
Rome, Nov 1 : Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi met with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi here on Sunday.

Wang said China-Italy relations have maintained a good momentum of development. Both countries are ancient civilizations and they can look at each other's development with an inclusive attitude and accept each other's differences peacefully, Xinhua news agency reported.

China stands ready to import more high-quality products from Italy, and hopes Italy will provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies, he added.

Italy's advanced technology combined with China's mega-sized market will provide lasting impetus for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, he said.

The two countries should support each other in their respective hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Milan Winter Olympics, and take care of each other's core interests, expressing hope that Italy will continue to adhere to the one-China policy, the Chinese Foreign Minister added.

Draghi agreed that Italy and China should be open, respect and support each other, saying that Italy adheres to the one-China policy and supports the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Noting that Italy will not adopt discriminatory policies against Chinese enterprises, Draghi said his country is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China on tackling climate change and other issues.

The two sides also exchanged views on relations between China and the European Union (EU).

Stressing that China and the EU are partners and collaborators rather than rivals and competitors, Wang expressed hope that the European side will uphold strategic autonomy, exclude interference from all sides, and build consensus on dialogue and cooperation.

Wang added that he believes Italy will play a positive role in the sound development of China-EU ties.

Draghi said Italy supports strengthening the EU-China strategic partnership and is ready to work with China to plan and prepare for the next stage of important agendas between the two sides.
Canberra, Nov 1 : Australian cyberbullies could have their online accounts banned under strict world-first laws.

According to new regulatory guidance released by the eSafety Commissioner, Australia's world-first cyberbullying scheme is set to be significantly expanded to provide protection to children being bullied in online games and on private messaging platforms.

Under an expansion of the Online Safety Act that will come into effect in January 2022, children will be able to report serious threats, intimidation, harassment or humiliation to eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant if social media giants fail to take action.

Previously social media companies had 48 hours to take action on a complaint before it could be escalated to the Commissioner but that will be reduced to 24 hours, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We know that around one in five kids have experienced bullying when playing online games and the more social media and gaming profiles they have, the greater the risk they face of being bullied," Inman Grant said in a media release on Monday.

Cyberbullying reports made to the agency increased 30 per cent over the last 12 months with people spending more time online due to the coronavirus pandemic, she added.

"Kids are now spending a large proportion of their lives online, whether it's watching TV, gaming, or chatting with friends through popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Discord," she said.

"These new updates allow us to help children in more places where they are spending their online time." The update to Australia's cyberbullying scheme is the first in a series of new regulatory guidance to be released by eSafety between now and the end of the year.

Recently, Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked fellow G20 leaders to tackle online safety.

"We need to ensure that the rules that we all apply differently in our own countries in the real world apply in the digital world and that we don't allow those digital platforms to be used as tools, weapons for others to oppress and coerce and harass people," he said in Rome.
New Delhi/Glasgow : , Nov 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the high-level 'Action and Solidarity: The Critical Decade' segment at the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change or COP26 on Monday evening.

The COP26 started on Sunday and will conclude on November 12.

"Prime Minister Modi's intervention on the first day of the two-day High-Level segment is expected at around 3 p.m. (about 8.30 p.m. IST)," said an official in New Delhi.

Modi will participate in the COP26 opening ceremony at 12 noon (Glasgow time) and before the high-level event, he will squeeze in a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart Boris Johnson.

Prior to that, his engagements for the day would begin with meeting community representatives, the Indian diaspora and Indologists at 10 a.m..

After participating at the G20 Summit and several bilateral meetings, including a one-on-one meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Modi flew from Rome to the UK late Sunday evening.
Los Angeles, Nov 1 : Swedish pop group ABBA's member Benny Andersson feared his bandmates might've lost their singing skills before they launched their comeback.

The iconic pop group also features Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They have reunited for their long-awaited ninth studio album 'Voyage', but Andersson has revealed to having some doubts before they started recording, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Andersson shared: "I think what I felt was Agnetha and Frida were so happy about doing this. And it's sort of understandable, isn't it? "I mean, they haven't been doing much for the last 40 years: they've done a couple of albums each, but they haven't really been singing much, so doing this was... Seeing them being happy about what we were doing, them liking the tunes. That was perfect." Anderson initially harboured fears about what would happen when they reunited in the studio.

However, his concerns quickly vanished.

He told the Guardian's Saturday magazine: "It was exactly the same as it had always been. We came into the studio, the control room, I had made copies of the lyrics, we played the backing track, the girls sang along and asked questions, and then they took the sheets of paper into the studio and started singing.

"I have to tell you, when they came in the studio, I thought: maybe I should have asked them first, before we planned all this, if they can still sing. But after the first day, I didn't need to worry." Despite their absence from the music scene, the band members have remained close friends and have loved spending time together over recent decades.

Andersson said: "We've been seeing each other through the years, meeting for this and that: we are friends."
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Delhi will have a mainly clear sky on Monday, with a maximum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 14 degrees, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast.

The relative humidity at 8.30 a.m. was recorded at 92 per cent.

This entire week the maximum and minimum temperature will be pegged around 28 degrees and 14 degrees, respectively, with a mainly clear or partly cloudy sky.

Delhi's air quality remains in the 'very poor' category with its AQI settling at 302.

The level of PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollutants in the air is 122 and 256, respectively, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

"Delhi's AQI is in the very poor category and is likely to improve to 'poor' for Monday and Tuesday due to an expected change in wind direction to westerly/south-westerly reducing transport of emissions from stubble burning. Isolated rainfall is likely in upwind region that would improve air quality. Share of crop residue burning emissions in PM2.5 is about 8 per cent (effective fire count 1,734). Prevailing shallow mixing layer height reduces dispersion of pollutants," SAFAR stated.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Anand Vihar's AQI stood at 376, ITO 276, Rohini 300 and Sri Aurobindo Marg 204.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Carl Pei, co-founder/CEO of audio accessories maker Nothing has accused an unnamed competitor of its ear (1) earbuds of attacking the company's supply chain for the product.

Pei made the revelation in a blog post to mark the first anniversary of founding the company.

In the post, Pei stated that a major competitor was attacking the Nothing brand in the supply chain by trying to block the company's access to important components needed to build the ear (1) earbuds.

Pei also congratulated the team at Nothing for helping secure over 3,20,000 orders of the Ear 1 earbuds. Although only 1,80,000 of those orders have shipped, Pei is confident the rest will come soon.

He also noted that the goal within its first year of operations was to make the Nothing brand to be visible and this has been achieved.

Nothing launched its first product, 'ear (1)' TWS earbuds, for Rs 5,999 in August.

The firm recently raised $50 million from strategic and private investors, and collaborated with chip-maker Qualcomm to power its upcoming products.

Nothing also announced it has completed a Series A extension of $50 million from strategic and private investors.

The startup said it will use the funds towards research and development in preparation for the brand's entry into new product categories as part of its ecosystem.

Nothing is a privately-held company with backing from GV (formerly Google Ventures) and other private investors including Tony Fadell (Principal at Future Shape & inventor of the iPod), Casey Neistat (YouTube personality and Co-founder of Beme), Kevin Lin (Co-founder of Twitch) and Steve Huffman (Co-founder and CEO of Reddit).
Lucknow, Nov 1 : Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav has stirred major controversy by glorifying Muhammad Ali Jinnah at a party rally in Hardoi.

"Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jinnah, they all came out of the same institution. They all studied at the same institute, they became barristers and gave freedom," he said at the rally on Sunday.

Remembering Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary, Akhilesh Yadav said: "Sardar Patel used to know the land, Sardar Patel took decisions holding the land, he used to understand the land so he made his decisions and that is why he is known as the Iron man Of India." The BJP, however, has slammed the SP President for saying that Jinnah was a hero of India's freedom movement.

In a tweet where he tagged a video clip of Akhilesh Yadav's speech, Singh wrote: "On the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, why is Akhilesh Yadav praising Jinnah?" BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said: "Mulayam Singh will also hold his head high after hearing this from Akhilesh Yadav, who has studied in Australia. The country considers Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the villain of the partition. Calling Jinnah the hero of freedom is the politics of Muslim appeasement." BJP MP Brijlal also accused Akhilesh Yadav of indulging in Muslim appeasement and putting vote bank politics above national sentiments.

So far, Akhilesh Yadav has focussed his campaign on the poor governance of the BJP government and the plight of farmers, youth and women.

He has consciously steered clear of indulging in Muslim appeasement but his remarks on Jinnah have now put him in the dock.
Glasgow, Nov 1 : G20 leaders have committed to revisit and further enhance their 2030 emission reduction targets. This must now paint the way for negotiators at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) that opened in Glasgow with the key aims of raising ambition on all fronts, experts said on Monday.

However, some believe G20 made a mild pledge on climate change that is now an existential threat to humanity.

The G20 Summit wrapped on Sunday in Rome as the two-week long COP26 climate talks kicked off in Glasgow.

The G20 communique includes several signals calling for bold climate action. G20 leaders noted the importance of strengthening national climate action this decade and reach net-zero emissions by or around mid-century and for the first time committed to halt international financing for building unabated coal-fired power plants abroad.

Responding to the G20 announcement to scale up support for clean power, World Resources Institute Vice President (Climate and Economics) Helen Mountford told IANS: "G20 leaders made some progress heading into the COP26 summit in Glasgow, calling for accelerated climate action this decade, phasing out international coal financing, and recognizing the importance of reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century.

"It is noteworthy that G20 leaders committed to revisit and further enhance their 2030 emission reduction targets where necessary. This must now paint the way for negotiators at COP26 to agree that major emitters will come back in the next couple of years to further strengthen their 2030 targets to align with avoiding the 1.5 degrees C temperature threshold.

"While the latest national climate plans have shifted us to a much better trajectory than the one before the Paris Agreement was struck, they do not achieve the deep emission reductions necessary to avoid the most dangerous levels of warming." According to Mountford, for the first time, G20 leaders collectively recognized the importance of reaching net-zero emissions by or around mid-century.

"It is impressive that 90 per cent of G20 countries have now indicated some intention to reach net-zero, which would have been unfathomable just a few years ago.

"G20 countries deserve credit for sending an unequivocal message that they will stop financing unabated coal power abroad, yet they failed to make the obvious leap to stop building coal-fired plants at home as well. At COP26, countries can continue to sound the death knell for the world's dirtiest fossil fuel. Shifting investments to clean energy is just common sense given it is cheaper almost everywhere." Seeing the G20 statement extremely disappointing, Namrata Chowdhary, Chief of Public Engagement at 350.org said: "Heads of state from the world's richest -- and therefore most powerful -- countries had the opportunity to radically reset multilateral politics and generate the commitments necessary to keep global heating below 1.5 degrees Celsius, to protect workers, communities, the environment and future generations.

"Instead, they've made a contradictory and empty statement on climate: they've restated their commitment to keeping global heating below 1.5 degrees Celsius, but failed to commit to any action themselves, not even agreeing that their national climate plans must be improved.

"Right now, they have us on a path to nearly 3 degrees of heating. These so-called leaders need to do better. They have another shot at this: starting tomorrow (Monday)." Representatives from the most impacted people and areas, along with thousands of campaigners for climate justice from around the world, are heading to Glasgow to hold them accountable at COP26.

On finance, the G20 leaders agreed to use recovery plans for climate, mobilise more from development banks (World Bank etc.) and new commitment to mobilise public and private for green development.

Ulka Kelkar, Climate Policy Director, WRI India, said: "The G20 leaders' call to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is very significant. COP26 now needs to back it up with measures to cut emissions rapidly in this decade and urgently scale up climate finance." Climate change think tank E3G's Senior Associate Alden Meyer said: "The acknowledgement by G20 leaders that akeeping 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach will require meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries,' together with their pledge to aaccelerate our actions across mitigation, adaptation and finance' and ato take further action this decade' is an important signal.

"But much hard work -- especially on issues of climate finance -- remains ahead if COP26 is to reach agreement on concrete ways to address the huge gap in ambition between what countries have currently committed to under the Paris Agreement and what is needed to keep 1.5 degrees C alive and help vulnerable countries and communities cope with the mounting impacts of climate change.

"Leaders must instruct their ministers and negotiators to turn this rhetoric into reality over the next two weeks if Glasgow is to truly represent a turning point in our common endeavour of confronting the climate emergency." In the backdrop of a series of reports and studies warning that urgent action is needed to keep the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global average temperature increases to 1.5C within reach, COP26 opened on Sunday with the key aims of raising ambition on all fronts and finalising the agreement's implementation guidelines.

"We are extremely grateful to the government of the UK for hosting this crucially important conference in these unprecedented times and for making every effort to keep all participants safe and healthy," UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said.

"The devastating loss of lives and livelihoods this year due to extreme weather events clarifies how important it is to convene COP26 despite the impacts of the pandemic still being felt. We are on track for a global temperature rise of 2.7C, while we should be heading for the 1.5C goal. Clearly, we are in a climate emergency."
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi greeted several States which are marking their Formation Days on Monday. He said that the 'democratic values need to be protected at any cost as the States were carved for this'.

In a tweet on Monday he said, "Each state in India was formed on the foundation of democratic values which need to be protected at all costs. Best wishes to our brothers & sisters for their state formation days." Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Lakshadweep and Puducherry are celebrating their Formation Days.

On Saturday, Rahul Gandhi attacked BJP in Panaji and said that it believed in spreading anger, hatred and division.

"I would like to make it very clear what the difference between the Congress and the BJP is. The Congress believes in uniting all India's people and taking them together forward. For us every single Indian person has a right to be given the space that he requires," Gandhi said, while interacting with a group of fishermen in South Goa's Velsao village.

"And our response to their hatred is love and affection. So wherever they spread anger, division, we spread love and affection and we unite people."
Lucknow, Nov 1 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had a chance meeting with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) President Jayant Chaudhary at the VIP lounge of the Lucknow airport which has created a buzz.

Priyanka Gandhi was returning from Gorakhpur after addressing a rally and Chaudhary was on his way to Delhi after releasing his party's manifesto in Lucknow.

During the meeting for almost an hour on Sunday, they discussion the political situation and later Chaudhary left with Congress General Secretary in her aircraft to Delhi.

The meeting gains significance in view of reports that relations between Samajwadi Party and RLD have lately been under strain over seat sharing.

The RLD which is on the resurgence mode in western Uttar Pradesh following its support to the farmers' agitation, has been seeking a larger share of seats in the region while the SP is unwilling to give more than 15 seats.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted people of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana on their formation days.

In a series of tweets, Prime Minister Modi greeted the people of these six states.

Greeting people of Andhra Pradesh, Modi said, "Greetings to my sisters and brothers of Andhra Pradesh on the state's Formation Day. The people of AP are known for their skills, determination and tenacity. That is why they are successful in many fields. May the people of AP always be happy, healthy and successful." Wishing people of Kerala, Modi said, "Kerala Piravi day greetings to the people of Kerala. Kerala is widely admired for its picturesque surroundings and the industrious nature of its people. May the people of Kerala succeed in their various endeavours." In his message to the people of Karnataka, Modi said, "Best wishes on the special occasion of Karnataka Rajyotsava. Karnataka has made a special mark due to the innovative zeal of its people. The state is at the forefront of outstanding research and enterprise. May Karnataka scale newer heights of success in the times to come." Greeting people of Chhattisgarh, Modi said, "Hearty congratulations to all the people on state Foundation Day of Chhattisgarh. I wish that Chhattisgarh, which has unique identity for folk song, folk dance, art and culture, set a new bench mark of progress." Wishing people of Madhya Pradesh, Modi said, "Hearty congratulations to people of Madhya Pradesh on state Foundation Day. I wish this state with rich natural resources, art and culture continue on the path of progress." In his message to the people of Haryana, Modi said, "Many congratulations to people of Haryana on state Foundation Day. I wish that this, which preserve its traditions and culture, will create new benchmark of development."
Shanghai, Nov 1 : Shanghai Disneyland and Disneytown will be temporarily closed from Monday to Tuesday for the purpose of Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control, according to a notice released by the facility.

The reopening of the facility will be announced once it is decided, Xinhua news agency quoted the notice as saying.

Earlier on Sunday, the facility said entry had been suspended to cooperate with Covid-1related epidemiological investigation in other provinces and cities, and guests have been required to undergo nucleic acid testing at the exit when leaving the resort.

A total of 220 shuttle buses have been arranged to transport the tourists who left the park on Sunday evening as the metro service at Disney Resort station was suspended.

All tourists who had visited Disneyland and Disneytown during the weekend were required to report to their neighbourhood, employer, or school, and conduct a nucleic acid test immediately at a nearby medical institution, Shanghai's epidemic prevention and control headquarters said on Sunday evening.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani promised to fight till death but fled Kabul when the Taliban came and captured the capital city, Dawn reported.

In a recent CBS News interview, Blinken was asked if he had personally tried to persuade Ghani to stay in Kabul.

The Secretary of State said he was on the phone with Ghani on Saturday (August 14) night, pressing him to accept a plan for transferring power to a new government in Kabul.

This government would have been "led by the Taliban but (would have) included all aspects of the Afghan society", he said.

Ghani told him that "he was prepared to do that, but if the Taliban wouldn't go along, he was ready to fight to the death", Blinken said. "And the very next day, he fled Afghanistan." The Taliban captured Kabul on August 15 as Ghani flew out of Afghanistan.

"So, I was engaged with President Ghani over many weeks, many months," Blinken added.

Asked if he did everything he could, the top US diplomat said the State Department was reviewing everything that Washington did, starting from 2020 when former President Donald Trump's administration made an agreement with the Taliban for withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan.

The review would include "the actions we took during our administration, because we have to learn every possible lesson from the last couple of years" and also from the last 20 years, he said.
Mumbai, Nov 1 : Ever since he featured in Ramin Bahrani directorial 'The White Tiger, Adarsh Gourav has been on a roll. Recently, he hit the headlines after the news of him signing Scott Z. Burns film 'Extrapolations came out. The film boasts of a powerful star cast of Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller and Kit Harrington. For him, its a dream come true being in the company of such mighty actors.

Speaking about his experience of working on the film, Adarsh said: "We've been shooting in New York, both indoors and outdoors. I am in awe of my co-stars and learning every day. I have to pinch myself sometimes to believe I made it to this project. All I can say is that I am extremely fortunate to have landed the part and I am giving it my all.

"It's not everyday that a project as massive as this comes your way. Now that it has, I am sparing no opportunity to prove my mettle. I want to be as good as I can be; the best version of myself in this role." Adarsh has been working round the clock since the announcement of 'Extrapolations'.

The film seems to be testing his strengths as an actor and at the same time, providing him the best work experience that any actor could ask for. The actor recently flew down to New York and has now begun shooting for the highly anticipated series themed on climate change.

'Extrapolations' directed by Scott Z. Burns is a climate change anthology drama series which explores the stories of how the changes to the planet will impact the essence of human existence; love, family, work both on a personal level and at a community level.
Mumbai, Nov 1 : In a mega-blast, Nationalist Congress Party Minister Nawab Malik on Monday pointed a finger at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis saying that 'he appears to be the mastermind' of the illegal drugs trade in Maharashtra.

Addressing the media where he released photos of Fadnavis and his banker-artiste wife Amruta Fadnavis with an alleged drug dealer Jaydeep Rana, Malik demanded to know his connections with the couple.

"Jaydeep Rana is currently in jail for a drug trafficking case... He has close relations with the ex-chief minister Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavis. Jaydeep Rana was the finance head of the company producing the 'Mumbai River Anthem (2018)' sung by Amruta Fadnavis. The illicit drugs business in the state expanded during Fadnavis' five-year tenure. We demand a CBI or judicial probe into this," Malik said.

Hitting back, Fadnavis rubbished the allegations saying that 'people living in glass houses should not throw stones' and warned that "after Diwali, I will make a bomb blast", while Amruta Fadnavis said in a suggestive tweet 'vinash kale buddhi viprit'.

To both, Malik tweeted with a dare: "I am ready...", while ruling ally Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut rushed to his support, demanding the BJP must respond to Malika's latest expose on Fadnavis.

Elaborating, Malik said that it was Fadnavis who had brought the current Narcotics Control Bureau officer Sameer Wankhede and raised questions about one Neeraj Gunde who was very powerful during the former CM's tenure.

"Gunde used to operate from the CM's bungalow, visit the NCB offices and had free access to all other government offices... What were Fadnavis' connections with Gunde...? He acted as an 'emissary' of Fadnavis, but apparently had a hand in many other things, transfers, posting, etc.," Malik asked.

Admitting that he had good relations with Gunde, Fadnavis shot back saying that even the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray enjoyed excellent relations with that person and asked Malik to take note.

Fadnavis said that after Diwali, he would make a 'big blast' on Malik's alleged links with the underworld and submit all evidence to NCP President Sharad Pawar too.
Mumbai, Nov 1 : Actor Siddhant Chaturvedi and debutante Sharvari took Salsa lessons for the track 'Luv Ju' from the upcoming film 'Bunty Aur Babli 2', which also stars Saif ALi Khan and Rani Mukerji.

Talking about the song, Siddhant, who rose to fame with his performance as MC Sher in 'Gully Boy', said: "In Punjabi, one often says Luv Ju instead of Love You. There is a vibe and style in how the youth says Luv Ju and this song captures this beautifully.

He describes the number as "an effortless, feel-good" song "that shows how the new Bunty and Babli let their hair down after a grand heist. They are in love, they are extremely attracted to each other. So, the song captures their flirtatious chemistry." The actors have been mentored by choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant for the song, Siddhant added: "It's my first romantic song! So, I remember I was really excited to learn salsa from Vaibhavi Merchant! I was going to shoot a romantic song for the first time in my career and I gave it my all and practiced for hours!"

"I'm now addicted to listening to Luv Ju and I hope that the youth of the country will say Luv Ju to each other with this song once it drops!"

Sharvari shared: "'Luv Ju' is the first romantic song of both Sid and my career so we were naturally super excited about the process of filming this lovely song. The thing that stands out about this song is that while it's a romantic song it is also super chill, young, cool, and definitely a song for long drives." The actress is confident that the song will emerge as a trendsetter in pop culture, "It's got an amazing vibe and I remember the whole crew used to say Luv Ju instead of goodbye after the shoot was over every day. 'Luv Ju' is definitely going to be the newest coolest slang in town because it's so catchy! " Written and directed by Varun V. Sharma, 'Bunty Aur Babli 2' also features Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji as the original Bunty and Babli. The film is all set to hit the theatres on November 19.
Seoul, Nov 1 : Samsung is planning to launch its next premium flagship, the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+ as well as the Galaxy S22 Ultra and now a new report has claimed that the South Korean tech giant has started mass production of some of the components for the upcoming flagship smartphones.

According to a report from WinFuture, Samsung has started mass production of components for the three upcoming flagship phones -- Galaxy S22 (SM-S901), Galaxy S22 Plus (SM-S906), and the Galaxy S22 Ultra (SM-S908).

The company is planning on producing 20 million units of the latest flagship phones.

Around 50 per cent or more of the production and shipping will be for the base Galaxy S22. This model will reportedly sport a smaller 6.1-inch display compared to the 6.2 inch on its predecessor, the Galaxy S21.

The Plus version would account for 20 per cent of the total units of the entire series being produced and shipped, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra will make up for the remaining 20 to 30 per cent.

The smartphones in the lineup will be reportedly available for purchase from January 2022 and all the models in the series are expected to come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 898 chipset.

In terms of specifications, the upcoming series may feature a new 10MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom capabilities as opposed to a high-resolution sensor with poor optical zoom.

Samsung is planning to take a different approach on the Galaxy S22/S22+ models that will arrive early next year. The Galaxy S22 series smartphones will pack a 10MP telephoto lens that supports 3x optical zoom rather than the hybrid zoom of the Galaxy S20/S21 era.

Previous rumours suggested that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to continue the dual 10-megapixel telephoto camera setup on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. One of the lenses will be a periscope lens that will offer 10x optical zoom.
Seoul, Nov 1 : The South Korean government on Monday urged North Korea to respond positively to a suggestion of a Papal visit to Pyongyang, expressing hope for progress in efforts to promote regional peace.

The Unification Ministry's statement came after Pope Francis reaffirmed his willingness to visit the North during his meeting with President Moon Jae-in at the Vatican last week, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Moon and the Pope met on Friday on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, during which the President said a Papal visit to Pyongyang would foster peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The Pope said he was willing to visit the North if he received an invitation, according to the Presidential Office or Cheong Wa Dae.

"As the pope's willingness to visit North Korea has been reaffirmed, we hope the North would respond and pave the way for fostering peace on the Korean Peninsula," Unification Ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo told a press briefing.

Moon and Pope Francis last met in 2018 when the President made a state visit to Italy.

At the time, Moon delivered a verbal invitation to the pope from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but a Papal visit failed to materialise amid a deadlock in nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
Chennai, Nov 1 : Opposition leaders have come out against the state government's decision to celebrate July 18 as Tamil Nadu day.

AIADMK Chief Coordinator and former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam said that Tamil Nadu got its present geographical borders on November 1, and hence the state formation day was celebrated as Tamil Nadu day.

He said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has changed the date to July 18 due to his grudge against the AIADMK.

The former Chief Minister said that it was the AIADMK-led government that decided in 2019 that the Tamil Nadu day would be observed on November 1 as the state was formed on linguistic basis on that day in 1956.

Panneerselvam said that the decision to change Tamil Nadu day to July 18, according to the Chief Minister, was on the advice of certain Tamil scholars who said that it was on July 18, 1967, that the Assembly adopted a resolution to change the name of the state from Madras to Tamil Nadu.

However, it was in 1968 that Parliament adopted a law and the state got its present name on January 14, 1969.

The former Chief Minister said that if the Chief Minister was going by the law, then January 14 should have been chosen as Tamil Nadu day.

Panneerselvam said that if the logic of Stalin was applied, then it would mean that the state had taken birth 11 years after its formation on November 1, 1956. The former Chief Minister said that this was unfortunate and against the tradition.

He also called upon the Chief Minister to revert Tamil Nadu day to November 1 and said that other states that were carved out of Madras were celebrating November 1 as their state days.

Meanwhile, the DMK constituent partner VCK welcomed the decision of the Chief Minister, but said the controversy regarding the date should have been removed by arriving at a consensus.

Party general secretary Sinthanai Selvan while speaking to IANS said: "Party founder leader Thol Thirumavalavan welcomes the decision of the Chief Minister, but the controversy should be resolved by arriving at a consensus." BJP state president K. Annamalai lashed out at the Chief Minister's decision and said that only November 1 would be observed as Tamil Nadu day.

He said only the date of birth of the child is celebrated and not the date of naming ceremony.

He said that the DMK government has been trying to change history and reminiscenced the previous attempt to change the Tamil New Year day.

AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran also came out strongly against the state government's decision. In a statement, Dhinakaran said that the Chief Minister must withdraw his announcement of changing the date.

The AAMMK general secretary said that there were several constructive works to be carried out by the state government and added that instead of doing these works, the Chief Minister was trying to play politics on the change of date of Tamil Nadu day.
Johannesburg, Nov 1 : South Africans went to the polls on Monday to cast their ballots in the country's local government elections, which will be a litmus test for the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, over 26.2 million people have been registered to vote in the elections, including about 1.11 million voters who have already cast their ballots on Saturday and Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

President Cyril Ramaphosa had authorised the deployment of 10,000 members of the South African National Defence Force from October 30 to November 3 to ensure a safe and secure environment to conduct the elections.

They are responsible for protection of national key points and critical infrastructure.

During the last local government elections held in 2016, ANC got over 24.3 per cent of votes while Democratic Alliance (DA) received about 66.5 per cent.

During a campaign last week, Ramaphosa, also President of the ANC, said the party will do its best to take over municipalities in Western Cape Province, promising that it can bring about changes as it has been renewing and rebuilding itself, and making itself better to deliver and address the needs of the people.

DA Leader John Steenhuisen and its Cape Town Mayoral candidate Geordin Hill-Lewis travelled in the city on a campaign bus on Saturday, and visited a party call centre, reminding voters to come out to cast their votes by phone calls.

They visited Mitchells Plain township on Sunday to encourage voters to elect the party.

GOOD party, founded by former DA member Patricia de Lille, who is South African Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure currently and former Mayor of Cape Town, also targeted Mitchells Plain on Sunday.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this year's election campaign has been the most unusual and uncertain, and it is relatively short but very intense, GOOD party's secretary-general and its Cape Town mayoral candidate Brett Herron said.
Riyadh, Nov 1 : Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of an initiative to document the oral history of the Ardah, a folkloric group dance.

The dance involves two rows of men opposite of one another, each of whom may or may not be wielding a sword or cane, and is accompanied by drums and spoken poetry.

Ardah combines poetry, percussion music, and tap dancing to produce an evocation of the formidable respectability of a flag defended with a sword.

The Oral History of the Saudi Arda initiative, announced by the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) on Sunday, aims to shed light on the traditional celebratory Saudi group dance made famous by the rising popularity of the Kingdom's culture and heritage in the world over in recent years, Xinhua news agency reported citing an official statement.

The Authority is tasked by the Saudi government to redevelop Diriyah, a historic town located on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh and the original home of the Saudi royal family, into a global tourist destination.

This is part of a series of similar initiatives to preserve the national history, reinvigorate the festive Saudi dance, popularise Ardah songs and their writers, and introduce people to the Saudi art form.

Performed solely by men in a public space, Ardah is a manifestation of their upbeat enthusiasm as they reiterate their loyalty and love to the King and the Kingdom, according to a report by the Saudi Gazette.

Originally, Ardah started as a war dance to instil vigour in the hearts of fighting men right before engaging in a war.

The sword dance was a way to show off weapons and fearlessness to the enemy. Today, it's a fundamental component of the Kingdom's popular culture.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS) in collaboration with Community Psychology Association of India (CPAI) organised the first International Conference on Community Psychology (ICCP) at O.P. Jindal Global University. The three-day conference aimed at exploring contemporary themes in the broader domain of community psychology.

The three-day conference brought together distinguished professors, experts, psychologists and academicians from various fields to explore contemporary themes in the broader domain of community psychology.

"The aim of the conference was to exemplify the scope of research in community psychology by integrating various themes of interest," said Dr. Sanjeev P. Sahni, Principal Director at the Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS).

"Community psychologists can play a significant role in the wellness of individuals and communities. So it is critical to look at the cultural, economic, social, political, and environmental factors that shape and influence the psychological aspects of individuals and communities. In this conference, we aimed to delve into the same," Dr. Sahni added.

During the conference, 11 panel discussions and seven paper presentations highlighted both theories of relevance and applied aspects in several associated fields, such as economics, sociology, ecology, and feministic psychology.

Imminent academicians in the field of psychology Dr. Ravi Gunthe, Former Prof. J.N. Vyas University, Jodhpur; Prof. A.V.S. Madnawat, Former Professor of Psychology, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur; Prof. (Dr.) Ramjee Lal, General Secretary, Community Psychology Association of India and Prof. (Dr.) N.K. Saksena, Patron, Community Psychology Association of India gave talks on various aspects of Community Psychology during various sessions of the conference.

The conference was held as a part of series of academic initiatives undertaken by JIBS to further multi-disciplinary and empirical research in the psychology and allied fields.

It is pertinent to mention that JIBS is a value-based research Institute of O.P. Jindal Global University and a member of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) that focuses on the applied and experimental research in the areas of mental health, competency mapping, neurosciences, neural decision sciences, psychobiology, management sciences, forensic studies, social psychology and criminal behavior.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : As India reopens, over 50 per cent of the workforce in the country is likely to return to offices for up to three days a week starting January, a Nasscom report said on Monday.

The workforce up to age 25 are most likely to return to the workplace by this month, followed by employees aged 40 and above in the following months, according to the report brought out by the IT industry's apex body in association with job portal Indeed.

Nearly 70 per cent of organisations in India are exploring hybrid operating models, as IT services and global capability centres (GCCs) are likely to be early adopters of a long-term hybrid work model.

"The industry is now prepared to gradually reopen and is looking at perfecting a hybrid operating model which brings in the best of both onsite and remote operating models," said Debjani Ghosh, President, Nasscom.

"We encourage tech companies to process the reopening in a phased and safe manner while keeping the employee's health and safety as the topmost priority," she said in a statement.

Female workforce in the tech industry in India is equally interested in returning to the workplace and adapting to newer working models.

While 28 per cent of employees are interested in returning to the workplace in a month, 24 per cent of the workforce would prefer to return to the workplace after 6 months.

Nearly 57 per cent of organisations will reach readiness to re-open office spaces within 3 months and 72 per cent of organisations are looking at up to 50 per cent of their workforce returning to office in 2022, the findings showed.

According to the report, both employees and employers are equally interested in making a comeback to the workplace in a hybrid setup.

The report also states that female employees are also excited about returning to offices and adapting to newer working models.

"Since the pandemic hit businesses across the globe, pushing employees indoors, many believed that the future of work was 'remote'. However, organisations and employees gradually realised that remote work is an outcome of the pandemic and not an evolved approach to workplace planning," said Sashi Kumar, Head of Sales, India, Indeed.com.

The report said that though over 81 per cent of organisations expressed that employee health and safety remains the key consideration for them while reopening the offices, 72 per cent of organisations are looking at operating at a maximum of 50 per cent employee capacity starting next year itself.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : There has been a significant increase in targeted killings, blasphemy cases, forced conversions, and hate speech against religious minorities in Pakistan, including the Ahmadis, Shia Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs, the European Asylum Support Office said in a report.

Militant groups continued to attack religious minorities in the country, the report said.

This report is an update to the previous EASO COI "Pakistan-Security Situation" published in October 2020.

In 2020 and during the first seven months of 2021, several terror groups, including Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, Al Qaeda, Islamic State-Khorasan and the Haqqani Network, have been reportedly present in Pakistan and continue to carry out attacks in the country.

The groups frequently carry out targeted killings using different types of IEDs, suicide attacks, kidnappings, grenade blasts, rocket attacks and sabotage acts, the report said.

In 2020 and during the first half of 2021, 344 civilians were reportedly killed as a result of violence in Pakistan.

Pakistani security forces carried out 47 operations and raids against militants in 2020.

During the same period, security operations and armed clashes were reported in all the four provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh.

These operations resulted in the killing of 146 people including 129 militants and 17 security forces personnel.

Over 26,500 Pakistanis applied for asylum in 2019 and almost 12,000 did from January to September 2020, Samaa TV reported.

However, compared to the same period in 2019, the number of Pakistani asylum applications between January and September 2020 decreased by 37 per cent because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the end of September 2020, close to 19,200 Pakistani cases were awaiting a first-instance decision, down from almost 21,200 cases at the end of 2019.

The recognition rate for Pakistani nationals has been relatively low, with just 8 per cent receiving some form of European Union-regulated protection between January and September 2020, down from 10 per cent during the same period in 2019, it added.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
Lucknow, Nov 1 : Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said that her party has prepared a separate manifesto for women for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

Priyanka Gandhi had announced last month that her party will give 40 per cent ticket to women in the polls slated for early next year, saying the decision is aimed at making women, who constitute roughly half the vote bank, a "full-fledged partner in power".

"My dear sisters of Uttar Pradesh, your each day is full of struggles. Understanding this, the Congress party has prepared a separate manifesto for women," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

"On the formation of the Congress party's government, three LPG cylinders will be given for free to women annually and women will be able to travel for free in state government buses." Priyanka Gandhi has also tagged a picture along with the tweet listing the Congress' promises to the women if the party comes to power in the Uttar Pradesh.

The other assurances include an honorarium of Rs 10,000 per month to ASHA and Anganwadi workers; appointment of women to 40 per cent posts according to the provisions of reservation; pension of Rs 1,000 to old widows; and opening of 75 skill schools that will be named after the brave women of the state.

The Congress is trying to consolidate women power in its favour for the Assembly polls.

She had said last month that all class 12 pass girls will be given a smartphone while all graduate girls will get an electric scooter if her party forms a government in the state.
Lucknow, Nov 1 : Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Monday that he will not be contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls early next year.

He will concentrate on his party's campaign instead, he said.

Akhilesh, who is MP from Azamgarh, will be the face of his party's campaign.

Talking to reporters, Akhilesh said that an alliance between his party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for the polls has been finalised.

"Our alliance with RLD is final. Seat sharing is to be finalised," he added.

He said that the people had made up their mind to bring back the Samajwadi Party government in the state.

Talking about his uncle Shivpal Yadav's Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) joining the SP in alliance, he said that, "I don't have any problem in this. He and his men will be given due honour."
Chennai, Nov 1 : The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac), the state government body entitled to sell liquor, is expected to fetch a revenue of Rs 1,000 crore during Diwali.

According to Tasmac officials, the liquor sale on Diwali (on Thursday) is expected to be Rs 250 crore while on the eve of the festival, it is expected to garner an amount of Rs 200 crore. The agency is likley to clock a revenue of Rs 1,000 crore from November 3 to 7.

Diwali, the festival of lights falls on Thursday, followed by an extended weekend and the state government body is expected to earn net revenue of Rs 1000 crore.

During the Covid pandemic in 2020, Rs 456 crore was collected during the four days of sale and sources have said that the state government body is expected to fetch more than double the amount as revenue this year.

A senior Chennai-based Tasmac official told IANS: "Diwali falls on November 4 which is a Thursday and there is holiday mood all around. So it will be sort of an extended weekend and we expect heavy sales from November 3 till 7 and our prediction is to touch the magical figures of Rs 1,000 crore." The pandemic had affected the Tasmac sales during the previous year. With the 272 bars attached to the 284 liquor outlets to commence functioning from Monday, the sale of liquor by tipplers consuming at bars attached to the shops will also be high.

Tasmac has extended the agreement with the contractors who run the bars attached with the Tasmac shops till December. The agreement was extended on Saturday and the contract is only for selling eatables and collecting empty bottles from areas adjoining the shops. The new agreement, according to Tasmac Managing Director L. Subramanian is till December 31.

Despite the prediction of heavy rain ain several parts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai and its adjoining areas for most of this week, Tasmac does not expect it to hamper the sale of liquor.

The state-run body is expecting heavy sales in Villupuram, Virudhunagar, Chennai, and Tirunelveli districts.

Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2021
Brasilia, Nov 1 : At least 25 bank robbery suspects were killed in two clashes with Brazilian authorities in the state of Minas Gerais, police said.

The events occurred in the municipality of Varginha during a joint operation by the Military Police, the Federal Highway Police, and the Minas Gerais Special Police Operations Battalion against a gang dedicated to robbing banks, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the police, there were two gun battles: in the first, a group of individuals attacked a group of agents, who responded and left 18 suspects dead.

Later, authorities went to a house where a number of suspects were hiding and a gun battle ensued, leaving seven people dead.

Police also reported that weapons, bulletproof vests, explosives, ammunition, and 10 stolen vehicles were also discovered.

"It is probably the largest operation against the new type of robbery in the country. Several offenders were preparing a bank robbery and were surprised that our intelligence service had been integrated with the Federal Highway Police," said Layla Brunella, spokesperson for Minas Gerais' military police.
Wellington, Nov 1 : The critically endangered native long-tailed bat has been named as New Zealand's Bird of the Year 2021, the event organiser announced on Monday.

This is the first time New Zealand's only land mammal has been included in Forest & Bird's annual contest, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Bird of the Year competition is an annual competition held by New Zealand's independent conservation organisation Forest & Bird, in a bid to raise people's awareness of the country's native birds.

After a two-week campaign that nearly broke the Internet and turned friends against one another, the long-tailed bat was the winner with both the most No. 1 ranked votes, and most votes after transferrable vote rankings were applied.

"Kiwis clearly love their native bat, and they have chosen our only native land mammal to be the 2021 Bird of the Year," Forest & Bird's Bird of the Year spokesperson Laura Keown said.

"The campaign to raise awareness and support for this little flying furball has captured the nation. A vote for bats is also a vote for predator control, habitat restoration, and climate action to protect our bats and their feathered neighbours." "Long-tailed bats, or pekapeka-tou-roa, are a unique part of New Zealand's biodiversity, but lots of people don't know they even exist," said Ben Paris, senior conservation advisor at Auckland Council and New Zealand Batman.

"There are pekapeka projects spanning the whole country with conservation communities doing great mahi with our bats. Here in Auckland our bat conservation efforts have been supported by our targeted rate which has allowed us, together with our communities, to undertake a lot more work," he said.

"These bats were added to Forest & Bird's competition to help people get to know them, and their story has flown around the world." Forest & Bird runs Pelorus River Bat Recovery Project in Marlborough with the support of the Department of Conservation, involving 250 hectares of predator control and a bat monitoring program every summer to identify roost sites and protect critical long-tailed bat habitat.

New Zealand has two species of native bats, the long-tailed bat and short-tailed bat, of which there are three subspecies.

A third species, the greater short-tailed bat, is thought to be extinct.
Seoul, Nov 1 : The South Korean Justice Ministry on Monday acknowledged that human rights violations occurred at a detention centre for illegal immigrants in June after an investigation into allegations that an inmate suffered torture-like treatment.

The investigation came after an inmate from Morocco filed a petition with the national human rights watchdog, claiming he was maltreated while being detained at the immigration processing centre in Hwaseong, about 40 km south of Seoul, reports Yonhap News Agency.

He accused officials at the centre of tying his four limbs on his back in what is known here as a shrimp's posture and putting him in a solitary cell.

CCTV footage showed he was kept in that posture for more than four hours, wearing headgear and tied with box tape and cable ties.

"Through a fact-finding probe, a case of human rights violations has been confirmed, where protective gear was used on the foreigner in question in a way not grounded in law and protective gear that is not grounded in law was used," the Ministry said.

It blamed the situation on officials' "insufficient" understanding and education on the use of protective gear as well as a lack of means to handle recalcitrant foreigners in custody.

The Ministry also said it will revise the regulations governing the use of protective gear for foreigners under custody and the procedures of detaining illegal immigrants, respectively, to prevent a repeat of similar cases.
Patna, Nov 1 : A person was shot dead for spitting paan in Bihar's Siwan district, an official said.

The garment seller was gunned down in his house in Purani Kila Pokhra locality under Sarai police post on Sunday night around 10 p.m.

The deceased identified as Nawab Hashan, a native of Shamli, lived in Siwan district and was a street vendor.

The police said that Nawab was cooking food in the morning inside the house and also chewing paan. Nawab spit the paan outside the window and some of it splattered on a person standing outside, post which the latter barged into the former's room and abused him.

When Nawab objected, the latter shot him from close range. Nawab sustained gunshot injuries on his chest and collapsed on the ground, SP Sahu, investigating officer of Sarai police post, said.

Neighbours rushed Nawab to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. A manhunt is on to nab the accused, the officer said.
Canberra, Nov 1 : Australia's international border will reopen to fully vaccinated travellers from Singapore later this month.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced the resumption of quarantine-free travel after meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the G20 summit in Rome, reports Xinhua news agency.

Morrison said Australia was "slinging its doors open" to fully vaccinated Singaporean travellers and it would be a major boost for the tourism industry.

"It follows the announcement this week that fully vaccinated travellers from New Zealand will be welcomed back in October," Morrison said, according to The Australian.

Besides, from Monday, Australians who have had two coronavirus vaccine doses will be able to freely leave the country for the first time since March 2020.

The federal government last week changed the Human Biosecurity Determination, a law created in March 2020 to restrict international travel during the coronavirus pandemic, to remove the need for fully vaccinated Australians to ask for permission to leave the country.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said it was the first stage in Australia reopening to the world.

On Monday, Australia reported more than 1,600 new locally-acquired Covid-19 cases and 10 deaths as the country continues to battle the third wave of infections.

The majority of new cases were in Victoria, the country's second-most populous state, where 1,471 cases and four deaths were reported.

As of Sunday about 88.2 per cent of Australians aged 16 and over received one Covid-19 vaccine dose and 77.2 per cent were fully inoculated, according to the Department of Health.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday reviewed the dengue situation in the national capital and directed the health secretary to send a team of experts to states with a high active caseload, for disease control and management.

Highlighting the urgency of intervention, Mandaviya pointed out that many poor people are affected by dengue. "Primary health care centres may prescribe anti-pyretic drugs to suppress the symptoms without addressing the root cause which may lead to eventual demise of the patient. Testing is the most important step to identifying dengue," he said.

He also directed the officials to ramp up testing so that all cases are reported and treated properly. The minister stressed the need for effective co-ordination between the Centre and states. He observed that some hospitals are over-burdened with dengue cases while beds continue to be empty in other hospitals. He requested the Delhi officials to look into the possibility of repurposing Covid beds to treat dengue.

At the meeting, it was decided that the Union Health Ministry officials will support their counterparts in the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government to combat dengue. The state health officials assured the minister that the outbreak will be contained with the help of all stakeholders. New vaccines developed to target dengue were also discussed.

Talking about the initiatives taken to curb dengue cases, Mandaviya tweeted, "Reviewed the dengue situation in Delhi and assured Centre's full support. On-ground initiatives like hotspot identification, fogging and timely treatment will be carried out to curb disease. Centre is also sending a team of experts to states with rising dengue cases. As per data, Delhi has reported 1,537 cases and six deaths this year till date. Of the total 1,537 cases, 1,196 were reported in the month of October and 531 cases were reported last week."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Nov 1 : For Diwali, Instagram on Monday launched three new stickers to encourage its users to connect with their friends and family.

Whenever the people will post stories using the stickers, these will also be visible to their followers in a Diwali special multi-author story.

"The stickers will be visible from tonight and the multi-author story will be live from tomorrow night," the company said in a statement.

These stickers are a part of Instagram's global campaign for Diwali called #ShareYourLight. They have been created in collaboration with a Bengaluru-based illustrator, muralist and pattern designer Neethi.

To use the stickers, a user just needs to capture or upload content to a story and select the sticker tool from the top navigation bar. Now, under the featured section, one will see the three new Diwali themed stickers and then place the same on a story.

Earlier, Instagram announced that all users now have access to its Link Sticker feature in Insta Stories.

Link stickers are now available to all users regardless of verification status or number of followers.

You can access the feature by selecting the sticker tool from the top navigation bar when you capture or upload content to your Story.

After selecting the "Link Sticker", you can add your chosen link and then tap "Done". From there, you can place the sticker anywhere on your Story and tap on it to see the other colour variations.

New accounts and accounts that repeatedly share things like hate speech and misinformation, or other content that violates Instagram's Community Guidelines will not have access to the Link sticker.
Film: 'Jai Bhim' (Releases on Prime Video on November 2) Duration: 165 minutes

Director: Tha. Se. Gnanavel Cast: Suriya, Lijo Mol Jose, Manikandan, Rajisha Vijayan, Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Guru Somasundaram, Sibi Thomas

IANS Rating: ****Make no mistake, director Tha. Se. Gnanavel's 'Jai Bhim' is a gem! This is a story that must be told, treasured and celebrated for time to come.

Inspired by true events that happened in Tamil Nadu in the nineties, the film tells the moving story of an upright lawyer coming to the aid of poor, defenceless people from the Irular community who have no means to stand up to the might of an inhuman police force that seeks to exploit their helplessness and audaciously commits atrocity after atrocity on them with impunity.

The film begins with tribal couple Sengkani (Lijo Mol Jose) and Rajakannu (Manikandan) leading a peaceful life. One day, Rajakannu is summoned to the village headman's house to catch a snake. Rajakannu does as he is bid. But soon after, all hell breaks loose. He and all those close to him are picked up by the police in connection with a burglary at the headman's house. The police unleash a reign of terror on Rajakannu and his relatives, subjecting all of them to relentless third-degree torture, compelling them to accept responsibility for the burglary.

Then, one night, the cops claim Rajakannu and his associates have escaped. A desperate and helpless Sengkani does not know where to go or whom to turn to for help until she meets Chandru (Suriya), a firebrand lawyer who believes in being the voice of the voiceless.

The story is an almost exact reproduction of one of the cases that Justice Chandru handled when he was a lawyer. To those who may not know who Justice Chandru is, he is one of the most respected judges in the legal circuit and is known for his judgments that have touched the lives of so many poor and downtrodden people in society. While on an average, a judge is known to give around 10,000 to 20,000 verdicts in his or her career, Justice Chandru has a pronounced a whopping 96,000 verdicts during his illustrious judicial career, including a verdict which secured employment for 25,000 poor women in the mid-day meal scheme.

The film is just a class apart. It stands out for a number of reasons. Firstly, this is a gripping courtroom drama - a genre that hasn't been dealt with such perfection in Tamil cinema until now. The film has no unnecessary songs and more importantly, no fight sequences. In fact, it doesn't have anything that can take away the intensity or the relatability of the story to real life. Every dialogue is deep, every expression is measured, every message is meaningful. Full marks to director Gnanavel for having made such an intense, meaningful film that so powerfully portrays the pain of the downtrodden and the voiceless.

The film has brilliant performances coming from almost all its cast members. Suriya as advocate Chandru just wins your heart. Conscientious, intelligent, fearless to the point of being arrogant and committed to go all the way when it comes to lending a helping hand, Suriya as Chandru simply inspires. It won't be a surprise if many youngsters want to take up law after watching this film.

Lijo Mol Jose as Sengani and Manikandan as Rajakannu come up with mind-blowing performances. The transformation of both actors into the characters that they play is just unbelievable. Lijo in particular is just phenomenal. She simply turns into Sengkani and it is hard not to feel her pain or fear. Manikandan as Rajakannu comes up with his career best performance in 'Jai Bhim'. The scenes in which he is thrashed, even as he begs and pleads with policemen for mercy, are just heart-rending.

The film also has fine performances coming from Prakash Raj, who plays a sincere police officer with a conscience, Rao Ramesh, who plays the senior government counsel and Rajisha Vijayan, who plays a teacher with the Arivoli movement.

Sean Roldan's music is just perfect for this masterpiece. His numbers inspire where they must and tug at your heartstrings when tragedy strikes.

Cinematographer S.R. Kadhir's camera captures the gripping story as it happens and Philomin Raj's masterful editing makes a two hour and 45 minute film seem like just a one-and-a-half hour film.

'Jai Bhim' is more than just a film. It is an inspiration. A gem that dazzles!

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Glasgow, Nov 1 : Hosted by the Paris Committee on Capacity-building (PCCB), the third Capacity-building Hub during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) will showcase efforts made towards greater climate actions in 2020 and 2021 through the lens of capacity-building.

The Capacity-building Hub, a platform for actors involved in capacity-building for climate change mitigation and adaptation, will be held from November 3-10 in Glasgow in Britain.

2021 is a defining year, dubbed as the 'make or break' year of climate action. It is time for all actors involved in the response to climate change to pick up the pace and deliver results that have the capacity to bring out a lasting impact in the face of the unfolding climate crisis.

Established at COP24, the Capacity-building Hub is a space for representation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The hub is an example of working together for higher ambition and greater action.

Besides government actors and international entities, non-state actors are particularly encouraged to join the Capacity-building Hub. Academics, experts from the private sector, representatives of philanthropic organisations and foundations, climate champions, youth representatives, indigenous peoples' representatives, local artists, activists, media figures and influencers, journalists, and storytellers; are some examples of actors that the PCCB hopes to engage in this hub.

The Capacity-building Hub is set to open with its Capacity-building Day on November 3, which will be followed by various thematic days including: Finance and Technology Day; Adaptation and Resilience Day; UNFCCC Bodies, Entities and Process Day; and close with the Paris Committee on Capacity Building's Focus Area Day.

Forty different events will be organised by 45 diverse organisations that will populate these five thematic days under the umbrella of the third Capacity-building Hub.

There will also be a UK Presidency hosted COP26 Catalyst Day at the Capacity Building Hub on November 9.

The COP26 Catalyst is a UK Presidency convened framework to bring together key stakeholders to discuss capacity building challenges and to catalyse action through four Action Groups on capacity building for Adaptation Action, Access to Finance, Carbon Markets Participation, and Transparency and Reporting.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is mulling to seek a report from the Narcotics Control Bureau over the handling of the recent arrests made in the cruise ship drug case involving Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan's son Aryan Khan, sources said here on Monday.

According to sources, the Ministry has taken a serious view on the alleged charges of corruption against the Mumbai Zonal Director of NCB Sameer Wankhede and also the way the arrests were made in the case.

They also said that top officials of the Ministry have expressed their reservations on the way the details of the investigation were leaked to the media that made a perception that Aryan khan was selectively targeted being a son of a celebrity and the probe agency did not have adequate evidence against the arrested persons.

Sources, aware of these developments, claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also annoyed with the NCB officials about the new turns in the case which took place during the last week, and reportedly spoke to some BJP leaders in Mumbai to know the facts in the case.

To look into the alleged corruption charges levelled against Wankhede, the NCB constituted a five-member probe team under the Deputy Director General (DDG) of northern region Gyaneshwar Singh, which visited the NCB zonal office in Mumbai on October 27 and took statement of Sameer Wankhede.

However, the vigilance team allowed him to remain in-charge of this case and to continue his probe in the drugs case.

The five-member probe team also collected some documents and recordings from the Mumbai office, the DDG said, adding that the vigilance team also summoned the witnesses to record their statements.

The NCB ordered a vigilance inquiry into the claims made by a witness in the cruise drug case, Prabhakar Sail, who alleged that an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore was made by some agency officials, including its Mumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede to set free film Aryan Khan.

The sources in the agency also said that the vigilance team will also look into the close proximity of an independent witness Kiran Gosavi with Aryan Khan too.

However, Gosavi, an independent witness in the drugs-on-cruise case, was arrested by the Pune Police in connection with a 2018 cheating case registered against him here in Maharashtra.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, Nov 1 : South Korea plans to gradually lift restrictions on arrivals of migrant workers prompted by the pandemic starting later this month as the country has begun to take steps to return to normalcy, the Labour Minister An Kyung-duk said on Monday.

"In light of the shift to 'living with Covid-19' scheme, we're going to push for a measure to gradually ease entry restrictions on foreign workers," the Minister said during a visit to a workplace that employs migrant workers.

All foreign workers will be allowed to enter the country if they are confirmed to have been vaccinated back home and have negative results in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and the cap on daily and weekly arrivals of migrant workers will also be removed, the minister said.

"We will make sure the entrance of foreign workers will be expanded at the end of this month at the latest," he said.

On Monday, the first stage of the three-stage scheme to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions was activated as more than 70 per cent of the population have been fully vaccinated.

So far, South Korea has only allowed a limited number of migrant workers from certain countries to enter the country amid the pandemic due to virus concerns.

Only those who tested negative on PCR tests were allowed to enter the country and required to undergo mandatory two-week self-quarantine upon arrival.

In the light of such policies, the tally of migrant workers who entered South Korea plunged from an annual average of 50,000 before the pandemic to below 7,000 last year, according to the ministry.

Many small and medium-sized businesses here, as well as farms, have complained of manpower shortages due to the sharp drop in the number of migrant workers.

About 50,000 foreigners with work permits were waiting to enter the country as of last month due to the restrictions, according to the Ministry.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi : Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia visited Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal/Kanya Vidyalaya at West Vinod Nagar to assure that the COVID-19 protocols were being followed as the schools reopened for all students in New Delhi on Monday, Nov Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia visited Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal/Kanya Vidyalaya at West Vinod Nagar to assure that the COVID-19 protocols were being followed as the schools reopened for all students in New Delhi on Monday, Nov Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia visited Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal/Kanya Vidyalaya at West Vinod Nagar to assure that the COVID-19 protocols were being followed as the schools reopened for all students in New Delhi on Monday, Nov Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia visited Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal/Kanya Vidyalaya at West Vinod Nagar to assure that the COVID-19 protocols were being followed as the schools reopened for all students in New Delhi on Monday, Nov Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Nov 1 : A Delhi court on Monday issued notices to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and others on a revision petition filed by former Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, in connection with a 2018 case of alleged assault on him.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel sought the responses of Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and nine others on the plea challenging an earlier order that discharged the politicians.

The court asked them to submit their responses in the further hearing in the case on November 23.

"The Trial Court even while selectively relying on and considering the material available on record, has arrived at divergent findings qua the accused persons, without any basis or justification, by applying different yardstick for different accused persons in relation to their role and involvement in the crime," the review petition read.

The petitioner stated that the accused under a well-planned and well designed conspiracy physically assaulted, humiliated and criminally intimidated him because he was not agreeing to the illegal directions to issue TV advertisements (on the occasion of the AAP Government completing 3 years in office) in violation of the guidelines of the Supreme Court and there were other issues in relation to the rates of such advertisements.

On August 11, a Delhi court dropped charges against Kejriwal, Sisodia, and nine other Aam Aadmi Party MLAs -- Rajesh Rishi, Nitin Tyagi, Praveen Kumar, Ajay Dutt, Sanjeev Jha, Rituraj Govind, Rajesh Gupta, Madan Lal and Dinesh Mohania.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sachin Gupta, however, had passed an order framing charges against two AAP MLAs -- Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal in this case.

Police had registered a case on the complaint of Anshu Prakash, who alleged that he was manhandled by the AAP MLAs on the intervening night of February 19 and 20, 2018 at Kejriwal's residence when he was called for a meeting.

After investigation, police filed a chargesheet under sections 186 (obstructing a public servant), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from doing his duty), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant to discharge his duties), 504 (insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506(ii),120B (criminal conspiracy), 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express is made for its punishment), 114 (abettor present when offence is committed),149 (unlawful assembly) 34 (common intention) and 36 (an effect caused partly by act and partly by omission) against the accused persons.

Earlier, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal had granted bail to all the accused in October 2018 on the condition that they will submit a bail bond of Rs 50,000 each and not try to tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses in the matter.
Varanasi, Nov 1 : The task of designing, managing revenue generation and upkeep of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham (corridor) project has been entrusted to the London-based Ernst & Young.

A team from Ernst & Young, one of the largest professional services networks in the world, made its first presentation before Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board on Sunday.

The firm will also develop IT solutions and software for crowd management in the premises.

The remaining construction and finishing work of over Rs 700 crore of Kashi Vishwanath Dham project is in full swing and is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December.

Ernst & Young has been roped in to design the model for revenue generation to assist the operations and maintenance of all the establishments in the corridor except Kashi Vishwanath temple which is looked after by the KV Temple Trust.

Board's Chairman and Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal said, "E&Y was appointed consultant through tender process for preparing a model for operations and maintenance of KV Dham in mid-October. The company gave its first presentation and we have made some suggestions in the proposed model which will be incorporated in the next presentation on November 10. Till then, the process for calling request for proposal (RFP) and expression of interest (EOI) will be completed." The trust looks after the affairs of KV Temple through donations that can be used for the temple only. The area of campus has now been expanded to 5 lakh square feet in which 23 major buildings, including Mandir Chowk, guest houses, multipurpose hall, clinic and hospice, pilgrim facility centres, 70 shops, Varanasi gallery and museum, cafeteria and toilets are being constructed.

Once the project is inaugurated and thrown open to public, it would require revenue for daily operations and maintenance, the commissioner said.

The company has estimated that about Rs 27 crore would be needed per annum for providing all services, facilities and maintenance of KV Dham.

The company will also develop an IT solution and software for crowd management. "People will not have to stand for hours in queues to enter KVT as a software being developed will issue tokens with half an hour time slots. The pilgrims can visit other facilities in KV Dham instead of standing in queue," Agrawal explained.
Mumbai, Nov 1 : Film theatres opened in Maharashtra a few weeks back and they left the cinelovers smiling ear-to-ear. Within 24 hours of cinemas reopening, a barrage of release date announcements found their way on mainstream and social media. Hollywood releases helped the trade stay afloat in troubled waters.

Several Bollywood, TV and web actors flocked to the screens to witness the magic of silver screen again and expressed their excitement. Here's what they said: Aamir Khan shared, "It is a matter of great happiness that the cinemas have finally opened in Maharashtra. All of us were waiting eagerly for this. There are a lot of big films lined up for release. Wishing everybody great luck." TV actor Rithvik Dhanjani said, "What a beautiful feeling. I am completely overwhelmed. I still can't process the fact that our cinemas have finally opened. We are back to normal. We can come back to the theatres and watch a movie. It's an overwhelming feeling. I am so happy." Nandish Sandhu spoke about his experience as he said, "It's a great experience to be back at the cinemas. We were all waiting to come back to the theatres. I have come back after 1.5 years. The experience has just been so wonderful. Sometimes we take it for granted. But we forget this whole experience of watching movies on the big screen is out of the world. And now after watching movies and shows at home on TV for a year and a half and now coming back to the theatres is a treat." Preeti Jhangiani said, "There are amazing safety measures everywhere in the theatres. I am sure everyone will feel safe coming back to watch movies. It is a fantastic experience." Aishwarya Sakhuja added, "Coming back to the movies is like a bag of mixed emotions. I feel as if I was never away but seeing movies on a big screen I realise that I am not used to it anymore. I am so glad that theatres are opening up, cinemas are opening up. We will be able to see these movies on the big screen, where they deserve to be seen. Ecstatic." 'Satyameva Jayate 2' director Milap Zaveri mentioned, "It is so good to be back to the movies. It is absolutely great. I was missing the smell of popcorn and the audi seat. I would request everybody to come to the theatres to watch the movies. It is absolutely safe. Theatres are following all the SOPs. Everything is wonderful." Daisy Bopanna said, "So suddenly the screen feels like nostalgia. It's like something of the past. Complete nostalgia where we used to come to theatres to watch the movie. It's a lovely feeling actually." Shreyas Puranik shared, "I am so happy. To be out of our OTT platforms and home theatres. Finally good to be back." Aishwarya Bhandari added by saying, "Yeah, and the great sound, The great cinematic experience. Now that the theatres have opened up I think everybody would want to come back to it. I am so glad to tell you all that it is all safe. People are taking good care. The theatres are following all the safety precautions." Iqbal Khan said, "I am really happy because everything else in Mumbai was functioning except the theatres. I was really missing the magic of going and watching a movie on the big screen. It's a different experience." Harshali Zine shared, "I am watching a film in the theatres after more than 2 years. It is great. It's like a whole new world. It is a great experience." Abhilash Kumar mentioned, "I had a crazy experience. We have all been waiting for the past 2 years for the theatres to open. I had an amazing time watching the movie. It is so much fun.

Aahana Kumra spoke about finally leaving the laptop screens and watching movies where they belong - on the silver screen, "I am very excited. This is my profession. It's my job. I am so excited to be back. It is nice to watch a movie in a theatre, in a Dolby. Not watching it on a laptop sitting at home. It's exciting. It has its own charm. Welcome back to the cinema." An excited Nidhi Uttam shared, "It is actually thrilling. I had never imagined that theatres would open so soon. But I am so impressed by the way theatres have bounced back. Things are so sorted out here. I am so excited to go back to the screen and watch the films. It is going to be amazing." Ankur Rathee spoke about missing the screens, "It's a wonderful feeling. I am visiting a theatre after such a long time. It's been 2.5 years. I loved it." Sandeep Anand opined that nothing can come close to the experience of cinema, "Cinema is a totally different experience. Cinema is cinema. There is no substitute for it. No home theatres can be compared to the experience of watching a movie in a cinema hall. It is a complete experience in itself. I got so emotional while entering the cinema auditorium again. I have always been a cinema lover. Therefore I am in this field. Watching movies in a cinema after such a long period. It is a delight for me".
Chennai, Nov 1 : PMK founder leader Dr S. Ramadoss has called upon the Tamil Nadu government to appeal in Supreme Court against the Madras High Court's decision to quash 10.5 per cent internal reservation for Vanniyar community within the Most Backward Classes (MBC) quota.

A division bench of the Madras High court comprising Justice M. Duraiswamy and Justice Murali Shankar struck down the Act providing 10.5 per cent reservation to Vanniyar Kshathriya community within the 20 per cent earmarked for Most Backward Classes in education and employment. The court pronounced the verdict quashing the internal reservation on a batch of writ petitions filed in the principal bench of the Madras High Court as well as its Madurai bench challenging the validity of the law passed before the model code of conduct came into force in the state in February 2021.

The senior leader said that the verdict was totally "unacceptable" and said that the Madras High Court has not intervened against the internal reservation for Muslims or Arundathiyars in Tamil Nadu.

Dr Ramadoss wanted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin to intervene in the matter politically and legally to restore the 10.5 per cent internal reservation to the Vanniyar community within the MBC fold. He said that Stalin knows the need for such a reservation and had taken affirmative action on the reservation even though the reservation was implemented by the previous AIADMK government.

The PMK leader said that the Madras High Court has not taken into consideration that lakhs of Vanniyars have joined educational institutions and entered into jobs following this reservation. While speaking to IANS the PMK leader said, "It is totally unacceptable and we want Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin to appeal in the Supreme Court against the verdict of Madras High court." The senior leader said that all reservations were based on the caste census undertaken in 1931 and the data compiled by the Backward Class Commission based on the date of the 1931 census.

He said that the 10.5 per cent reservation for Vanniyar community was also provided based on the data compiled by the Backward Classes Commission. He also said that the state government must prepare a strong response to the questions raised in the verdict and said that the questions raised by the Madras High Court are against social justice.
Patna, Nov 1 : A special NIA court in Patna on Monday sentenced to death four of the nine people it had held guilty of carrying out bomb explosions during then NDA Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's 'Hunkar Rally' in Gandhi Maidan in 2013.

The special National Investigation Agency court on October 27 convicted nine out of 10 accused.

Out of the other convicts, two have been given life sentence, two others to 10 years imprisonment, and the last 7 years imprisonment.
San Francisco, Nov 1 : Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said he is willing to sell his stock to help solve world hunger if a top United Nations official, who said that just 2 per cent of the entrepreneur's income could help solve world hunger, can back up the claim.

Speaking to CNN, David Beasley, the director of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), called on Musk and Jeff Bezos (the second richest person on the planet) to reconsider where they are putting their money.

"$6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don't reach them. It's not complicated," he had said.

Replying to Beasley, Musk posted late on Sunday that he is ready to help if the WFP can describe on the same Twitter thread how $6 billion will help solve world hunger.

"If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it", Musk posted.

"But it must be open source accounting, so the public sees precisely how the money is spent," he added.

The WFP provides assistance to over 115 million people in 84 countries through food or cash distributions in emergencies, nutrition support programmes and other activities.

Musk is currently worth a colossal $300 billion and Beasley claimed that just two percent of his wealth could save more than 40 million people "who are literally going to die".

The increase in wealth was due to a rise in Tesla shares after the electric car firm inked a huge deal with Hertz for the rental giant to buy 100,000 of its vehicles.

Musk is now worth more than the annual GDP of nations like Egypt, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Greece, Qatar, and Finland.

He's also worth more than the market value of PayPal, the company he co-founded, as well as streaming giant Netflix.
Hyderabad, Nov 1 : Cyberabad police on Monday stepped up investigations into a gambling case in which 30 people, including a former MLA, were arrested from a farmhouse allegedly belonging to a Tollywood actor.

The farmhouse near Manchirevula in the Rangareddy district was raided by the police on Sunday after it had been tipped off about a major gambling game had been organised in it. Those arrested include a former MLA from Mahabubabad, Sriram Bhadraiah, and some realtors.

The police have booked the accused under the Telangana Gaming Act and seized Rs 6.77 lakh in cash, apart from 33 mobile phones, three cars and 29 gambling sets. Bhadraiah, incidentally, had been arrested earlier in 2017 for allegedly assaulting a realtor using the butt of his licensed gun.

According to the police, the main accused in the case is G. Suman, a resident of Manikonda in Hyderabad. He had taken the farmhouse on rent for a day ostensibly for a birthday party, but allegedly invited over several people for a gambling game instead.

He is said to have taken the farmhouse on rent from an actor's father, who had taken it on lease for a film shoot from a retired IAS official. The police officer investigating the case said he could not confirm if the farmhouse belonged to the actor. "There's no record of the farmhouse in the police station. The investigation is under process," the officer said.

The police investigations, meanwhile, have revealed that the main accused, Suman, already had cases registered against him in Hyderabad and Bengaluru under the Anti-Gambling Act. He had been arrested in the past. Suman is also allegedly involved in land grabbing cases in Vijayawada. A team of police officials from Andhra Pradesh have arrived to assist the investigations.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : The Supreme Court on Monday set aside the Calcutta High Court order, which imposed a total ban on firecrackers during Kali Puja, Diwali and other festivities.

A bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Ajay Rastogi said there cannot be a total ban on firecrackers, and rather, there is need to strengthen the mechanism against the use of banned chemical substances like barium salts.

"The order has to be consistent. West Bengal can't be an exception," it said.

Senior advocate Anand Grover, representing the West Bengal government, contended before the bench that the high court was urged to pass the order based on unfounded apprehension. He pointed at the absence of a mechanism to check the use of banned chemicals in the manufacture of firecrackers, and also added that the October 29 order passed by the court was out of the blue.

Senior advocate Siddharth Bhatnagar, representing the association of manufacturers and dealers of firecrackers, submitted his clients have been following the order passed by the top court in 2018, and 2020. He also cited the recent top court order making it clear that there was no total ban on firecrackers.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan representing Arjun Gopal, a petitioner before the top court, submitted that the order passed by the high court was passed bearing in mind the difficulty involved in implementing the top court's order.

However, Grover added that the West Bengal State Pollution Control Board had on October 26 allowed sale of green crackers.

The bench observed that the National Green Tribunal, on manufacturing and sale of firecrackers, has delineated a regime and government should take steps against banned firecrackers.

"To depart from that regime, some different position has to be pointed out including inaction or collusive approach of the executive at the ground level," it said.

Advocate Rachit Lakhmani, representing a petitioner, submitted that green crackers also caused pollution and pointed out that designated places should be allocated to burst firecrackers -- away from hospitals and residential areas.

During the hearing, Grover pointed out police have been monitoring the situation and cited FIRs and arrests made in connection with the issue since 2018. The top court after hearing arguments set aside the high court order.

On October 29, the Supreme Court ordered all state governments and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure its directions banning use of barium salts in fireworks were strictly followed. It emphasised that there was no total ban on use of firecrackers, and only those comprising banned substances are banned.
Puducherry, Nov 1 : The Union Territory of Puducherry celebrated its 67th Liberation Day on Monday. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy unfurled the national flag at the Gandhi Thidal.

The day marks the 'de-facto' merger day of Puducherry, Karaikkal, Yanam and Mahe with the Indian Union, through a treaty of cession signed between the Governments of India and France on November 1, 1954. This followed a referendum held at the village of Kizhoor on October 18, 1954. The 'de facto' merger was affected by the transfer of power from the French to the Indian government.

This was ratified in the parliaments of both the countries after which 'de-jure' (actual) transfer of power took place on August 16, 1962, and Puducherry became a Union Territory of India. August 16 is celebrated as Independence Day in the Union Territory.

There were several petitions to consider November 1 as Liberation Day and when N. Rangasamy became Chief Minister during his earlier stint in 2014, he declared November 1 as the Liberation Day of Puducherry.

The Chief Minister inspected a guard of honour by the Puducherry armed police. He took the salute of different police contingents, NCC, IRB and Home Guard units during a march past.

Rangasamy also inaugurated a photo exhibition at the handicrafts exhibition hall at Gandhi Thidal. With the Covid 19 pandemic subsiding, cultural programmes were conducted as part of the Liberation Day celebrations.

Puducherry Assembly Speaker R. Selvam, Home Minister A. Namassivayam, Civil Supplies Minister Sai Saravana Kumar, Deputy Speaker P. Rajavelu, Leader of Opposition R. Siva, MLAs and officials participated in the function.

Liberation Day functions were held at Karaikkal, Yanam and Mahe. At Karaikkal, the national flag was unfurled by Transport Minister Chandrika Priyanka while at Yanam the flag was unfurled by PWD Minister K. Lakshminarayan and at Mahe, Agriculture Minister C. Jayakumar unfurled the Tricolour.
Bhopal, Nov 1 : The carcass of a male radio-collared tiger, on dispersal from Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR), was found in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh.

As per an official, "Heera" was one among the two frequently spotted tiger siblings in the Tiger Reserve's Akola forest range.

After receiving information late on Sunday night, senior officials reached the spot and launched an investigation.

The pair of the two tigers Heera and Panna were popular among the tourists as both used to be spotted together often.

The matter came to light after a de-skinned carcass of a tiger was recovered in a paddy farm in Singhpur forest range.

"Three villagers have been detained and are being interrogated. Efforts are on to nab the poachers and they will be arrested soon," said the official.

He said the radio-collar of the tiger was recovered 300 meters away from the spot where the carcass was found.

Heera-- coded as P234-21-- was among the three tigers radio-collared for satellite-based mapping of landscape and dispersals by the forest department and Wildlife Institute of India (WII)- Dehradun.

The last signal received from its collar was on October 13.

"PTR was searching for it on the basis of last location. Villagers spotted the carcass and informed the forest officials," said an official requesting anonymity.
Panaji, Nov 1 : West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee may have won a tough battle in the Bengal polls, which ended in the Bharatiya Janata Party's defeat, but her outlook at taking on the BJP is "parochial," former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Monday.

Chidambaram, who is the All India Congress Committee's senior observer in-charge of the 2022 state Assembly polls in Goa, was responding to questions from the media about the remarks made by Banerjee last week when she said that the Congress' indecision about entering into alliances with regional parties was making Prime Minister Narendra Modi all the more powerful.

"I do not dispute that Banerjee fought and won a tough fight in Bengal but who is fighting Narendra Modi in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Assam? It is the Congress. She is looking at it from the Bengal lens," Chidambaram told a press conference in Panaji.

"But if you look at all India, the party that is at the forefront against Narendra Modi, fighting, tweeting, addressing press conferences, agitations is the Congress," he said.

Addressing a press conference in Panaji, Banerjee had said: "Modiji is going to be so powerful because of Congress. If one cannot take a decision (on alliances) why should the country suffer for that? They have got enough opportunities. Instead of BJP they contested against me in my state".

The back and forth between Chidambaram and Banerjee comes at a time when both the parties, Congress and the Trinamool Congress, are campaigning in Goa ahead of the 2022 Assembly polls.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Indian Sellers Collective, a non-governmental trade association committed to bringing to the fore the voices of micro and small enterprises and family businesses across India, on Monday carried out protests and burned effigies, as part of the nationwide campaign 'Bharat Chhodo Morcha', to demand a boycott of MNC e-commerce brands.

The campaign also involved a national conclave and on-ground protests in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana to urge the government and consumers to shun MNC e-commerce brands and embrace swadeshi sellers' products to bring relief to small traders this festive season.

ISC said that MNC e-commerce players track best-selling products on their platforms and then copy their design to launch private brands with similar features and at a competitive price. Moreover, the trade association said, they run a systematic campaign to manipulate search results to divert sales of the bestselling products on its platform to its own product lines. As a result, no seller grows by doing business with the MNC e-commerce platforms.

Delivering the keynote speech at the national webinar, Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convener of Swadeshi Jagaran Manch stated, "MNC foreign e-commerce companies are indulging in illegal business practices in India. These firms are blatantly flouting rules through front companies like Appario Retail that indulge in predatory pricing and discounting thereby destroying the business of offline retailers and small sellers. MNC e-commerce platforms are also manipulating the algorithm to promote their own private labels and brands such as Amazon Basics, Symbol, and Solimo at the cost of Indian sellers besides influencing the Indian judicial system to twist laws through questionable practices to suit the company's business interests." "We, at Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, hope that the 'Boycott Amazon' along with the 'Bharat Chhodo' campaign will prompt consumers and the government to reject the products of FDI e-commerce companies completely and bring a smile back on the faces of Indian sellers".

Setting the context for a panel discussion, Abhay Raj Mishra, Member & National Coordinator, Indian Sellers Collective, observed, "Foreign e-commerce retailers have taken sheen of Dhanteras for small retailers for the past several years. Observing that the repeated attempts to get these MNC e-commerce companies to change their unethical business practices have fallen on deaf ears, Indian Sellers Collective has embarked on a nationwide campaign to galvanise consumers and the government to shun products of foreign e-commerce companies and embrace products of Indian sellers." Delving on the legal hurdles that come in the way of bringing erring MNC e-commerce companies to books, M.M. Sharma, Advocate and a Competition Lawyer, commented, "The remedy lies only under competition law. The unfair trade practices by the large e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart, which have become 'digital gatekeepers', like predatory deep discounts through massive cash-burns, self-preferencing, absence of platform neutrality, exclusive arrangements with preferred dealers, etc, are now well known and are being investigated globally. However, in my view, unless the competition law in India relating to abuse of dominance is suitably amended to include 'attempt to dominate', and the government comes out with a specific policy to regulate these digital gatekeepers on the patterns of either EU (the Digital Markets Act) or Australia (making Google pay for the news content), we will just continue to debate and the e-commerce giants will continue to exclude rivals and exploit small vendors by circumventing the loopholes in the law and policies. The Competition (Amendment) Bill pending in parliament needs to be suitably amended accordingly, if the Govt is serious." Highlighting the adverse impact of MNC e-commerce companies on small retailers, P.M. Ganeshraam, National Chief Patron, All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), said that MNC e-commerce companies have contributed majorly to depressed footfalls in retail stores in the state of Tamil Nadu thereby hampering growth plans of small retailers.

Underlining the urgency of the challenges posed by MNC Retailers and their unethical business, Shriram Baxi, General Secretary, Federation of All India Distributors Associations (FAIDA) opined, "Over ambitious and cash-rich MNC retailers are using all means to evade and twist laws. We must stop them before they destroy the Indian retail industry and cost small traders their livelihood forcing them into poverty." Urging consumers and the government to buy products only from Indian sellers this festive season, Devender Aggarwal, President, FMCG Distributors and Traders Association said, "Small traders faced challenging business environments and depleted sales amidst Covid pandemic. We hope to change this and recoup our sales this festive season, but MNC e-commerce companies are spoiling this by indulging in predatory pricing to push their brands." Supporting 'Bharat Chhodo Morcha' Campaign spokesperson from All-India Online Vendors Association (AIOVA) said, "Pseudo marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart have been following anti-competitive practices by giving preferential treatment to certain companies by which they can undercut the marketplace sellers. These companies copy popular Indian brands and offer similar products at unrealistically low prices under their private brands. This has affected the sales of both local Indian sellers and traders selling on the psuedo marketplaces." Talking about the plight of mobile retailers, Arvinder Khurana, National President, All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) said, "Once again, it's a Black Diwali for offline mobile retail, and retailers are under tremendous pressure due to collusion between Chinese mobile brands and online platforms. Chinese brands, especially Xiaomi, Realme, Oneplus and OPPO, in collaboration with Amazon and Flipkart, are killing the domestic market by deliberately diverting the offline customers to online platforms by supplying large stocks to online alpha sellers with exclusive 10 per cent instant cash back for online customers. Conglomerate between online platforms, Chinese brands and banks have destroyed the mobile retail business in India."
Jaipur, Nov 1 : The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Jaisalmer Court on Monday rejected the bail application of former SBI chairman Pratip Chaudhury, arrested in the Jaisalmer hotel loan fraud case, and sent him to judicial custody till November 15.

The former SBI chairman will now have to spend his Diwali behind bars, said sources.

He will be in judicial custody for 15 days till November 15, they added.

Pratip Chaudhury was arrested from Delhi on Sunday and brought to Jaisalmer on Monday.

After that he was produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, his lawyer moved the bail application, but CJM Hanuman Sahai Jat after hearing rejected the bail application of Pratip Chaudhury and ordered to send him to judicial custody till November 15, following which he was was taken to jail.

The case relates to a hotel group in Jaisalmer which took a loan of Rs 24 crore from SBI in 2008. When the hotel group did not pay full instalments of the loan, the bank allegedly went against the RBI rules and declared it NPA after confiscating the property. It is alleged that later the property was also sold in a wrong manner. At present, the value of this property is being said to be around Rs 200 crore.

The SBI in a statement said that all the facts of the case were not presented before the court properly and SBI was not made a party to the case.

"'Garh Rajwada' was a hotel project in Jaisalmer, financed by the Bank in 2007. The project remained incomplete for over 3 years and the key promoter passed away in April 2010. The account slipped into NPA in June 2010. Various steps taken by the Bank for completion of the project as well as recovery of dues didn't yield desired results. Hence as part of Bank's recovery efforts, the dues were assigned to an ARC for recovery in March 2014. This sale to ARC by the Bank was done through a laid down process as per the policy of the Bank. "We further understand that the borrower was subjected to IBC process by the said ARC and the asset has been acquired by an NBFC in December 2017, again through due process under the orders of NCLT, Delhi," the statement said.

"As recovery efforts failed, approvals for sale to ARC were taken in Jan 2014, the assignment to ARC was completed in March 2014. It transpires now that the borrower had initially filed an FIR with the State Police against the sale of asset to ARC. Aggrieved against the negative closure report filed by Police authorities, the borrower had filed a 'Protest petition' before the Hon'ble CJM Court. Incidentally SBI was not made a party to this case. All the directors of that ARC including Chaudhuri, who joined their Board in October 2014, have been named in the said case. Incidentally, Chaudhuri retired from Bank's service in September 2013.

"It appears from the copies of the proceedings now accessed by us that the Hon'ble Court does not appear to have been briefed correctly on the sequence of events. In as much as SBI was not a party to this case, there was no occasion for the views of SBI being heard as part of this proceedings. SBI would like to reiterate that all due process were followed while making the said sale to ARC. The Bank has already offered its cooperation to the Law Enforcement and Judicial authorities and will provide further information, if any that may be called for from their side," the SBI statement added further.
Bengaluru, Nov 1 : The Bitcoin and drugs scandal in Karnataka, which has already put the ruling BJP and opposition Congress at loggerheads, has created further ripples as the involvement of two powerful ruling party leaders is said to have come to light during the course of investigations.

The scandal is now interlinked with the Bitcoin scandal that has taken place at international banks at a time when the investigation by the Bengaluru police and City Crime Branch is not being pursued and the case is being handed over to the CID.

It has been alleged that two powerful politicians belonging to the BJP have received a big amount to protect the accused and this fact has come to light in the probe of central agencies. According to sources, this is expected to create ripples in state politics.

The central agencies have kept vigil on cyber crimes in the state, cyber activities in coastal Karnataka and economic offences which have a direct link to the Bitcoin scandal. The political involvement in the scandal has become a roadblock for the investigators, according to sources.

The agencies have briefed the Central government on the developments in Karnataka and have been told to keep vigil on the developments in this regard.

The development is said to have shaken some big ruling party leaders in the state, and sources hint at major political developments in the state.

The scandal presently is being investigated by the special team of the CID and it is preparing to submit a preliminary charge sheet in the case related to use of Bitcoins to purchase drugs from the dark net.

The main accused in the case Srikrishna Ramesh a.k.a Sriki is alleged of supplying bitcoins to VVIP customers.

Sriki was arrested by City Crime Branch sleuths last year in connection with drug peddling, and during investigations, the Bitcoin scandal emerged.

The police had seized 31 Bitcoins worth Rs 9 crore later, and the CCB had submitted a charge sheet in the case in March 2021. The case was handed over to CID for further investigations.

It was also brought out in the probe that the main accused Sriki was into hacking, including of a government portal. CCB sleuths have given inputs regarding hacking to interpol and also recommended the Enforcement Directorate move for seizure of property.

Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy has demanded a judicial probe into the scandal.

"Two influential leaders are hand in glove in the Bitcoin scandal involving drugs. The scandal involves as many as Rs 10,000 crore transactions. The case is being hushed up by the BJP in Karnataka. Why was there so much delay in arresting accused Sriki. If the truth comes out, many BJP leaders will lose their chairs," he alleged.

State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar has claimed that the Bitcoin scandal involves police, politicians, and industrialists and the BJP wants to close the case. Closing cases is the strength of BJP, he claimed.

Reacting to allegations, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has stated that a detailed investigation is underway on the case and there is no question of protecting any person, however influential he is. The government will hand over the case to ED or CBI, once the investigation is completed, he added.

However, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah again attacked the BJP, asking why has the case not been taken seriously all these days? "Why is Chief Minister Bommai talking about handing over the case to ED or CBI now?" he asked, adding that the scandal should not be hushed up by the BJP government at the Centre.

Chief Minister Bommai reiterated that his government is conducting investigations into drugs, money laundering and Bitcoin scandals with all honesty and there is no question of saving anyone. He also sought to know why the accused was not arrested during the tenure of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.

"I have declared a war on drugs. Highest quantity of drugs has been seized in the last two and a half years. The cases have been lodged in such a way that the accused get punished and there is no way for them to escape from the clutches of law," he said.

"The accused in the Bitcoin scandal, Shrikrishna Ramesh a.k.a Sriki has been arrested. A case against him was lodged in 2018. However, though police made five to six arrests, Sriki was not arrested," he said.

"Please note which party was ruling at that time (Congress under Siddaramaiah). He obtained bail. Even after that, he was not be called for interrogation. He was also involved in a brawl case in UB City and arrested in that case. If he were to be questioned properly, everything would have come to light then," Bommai contended. explained.

It is only after the BJP came to power that the accused was arrested, he said, adding Sriki's involvement in money laundering, hacking and drug peddling came to light during the course of investigation, and the ED and the CBI were brought in.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Barclays boss Jes Staley has quit in a shock exit after a probe into his links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, BBC reported.

The City watchdog and Bank of England have been investigating if Staley's relationship to the dead financier was closer than first thought.

Barclays said it had been made aware of the conclusions of the probe and "Mr Staley's intention to contest them".

Regulators began investigating after getting a cache of emails between the men from Staley's former employer.

Before joining Barclays the married father-of-two was an executive at US bank JP Morgan, where Epstein, who took his own life in 2019 while in prison, was already a client, the report said.

Over many years, Epstein, who was convicted of trafficking a minor for prostitution in 2008 and served 13 months in custody, cultivated contact with the rich and powerful, including former US presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.

Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates has spoken of his "huge mistake" in spending time with Epstein, while the equally super-rich Leon Black stood down from US private equity firm Apollo Global Management over his links.

Although Staley, 63, has characterised his relationship with Epstein as professional, with contact starting to "taper off" from about 2013, regulators looked into whether the emails pointed to a friendlier connection, the report added.

Staley had already admitted he maintained contact with Epstein for about seven years after his 2008 conviction. And it is also known Staley visited Little St James, a retreat owned by Epstein in the US Virgin Islands in 2015, months before taking the top job at Barclays, the report added.
November 01 : Bollywood celebrities show their enthusiasm in celebrating all festivals and fun moments. Many celebs are sharing pictures and videos from their Halloween 2021 celebrations, but Shilpa Shettys video with her spooky look has won over the internet.

The actress took to her Instagram and shared a reel, in which Shilpa looked spooky and scary. Sharing the video, Shilpa wrote, Happy HaLLowEen #halloween2021 #boo. Fans were awestruck with Shilpas unrecognisable Halloween get-up and showered love on her post.

Image Source: Instagram/theshilpashetty Shilpa Shetty in scary Halloween get-up

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma celebrated Halloween in Dubai. The couple had a blast at a Halloween party with daughter Vamika, who was dressed as a fairy in a pretty pink frill frock and a hairband with unicorn horn. The actress shared a couple of pictures from the party, which was also attended by Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and others. Happy Halloween from this cute bunch. Oh and @ishankishan too, Anushka captioned a post.

Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu also attended a Halloween bash with their daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu. Soha and Kunal had turned into ghosts. Soha shared several pictures from the Halloween party on Instagram handle. In one of the pictures, she can be seen completely covered in a white sheet and wore a pair of sunglasses on top of it. Kunal is seen in a white tee and denims and wore a white wig. Inaaya was dressed like a unicorn with a unicorn headband and colourful wings.

Sharing the pictures, Soha wrote, Be afraid, be very afraid. Halloween 2021." Soha's sister Saba Ali Khan commented to the post, Adorable. Hardly scary..when SO cute lol. A fan wrote, That is the scariest Unicorn I have ever seen!" Another fan wrote, I am not. How to get afraid of a sweet fam? Any clue?

Image Source: Instagram/sakpataudi Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu turn into cute ghosts

Shah Rukh Khans daughter, Suhana Khan, celebrated Halloween with her friends in New York, after brother Aryan Khan got bail from Bombay High Court. In a picture shared on her Instagram, the young girl can be seen wearing a light blue outfit with a tie-up back as she hugged her friend Priyanka. Her other friend, Raina can also be seen in the picture. Priyanka, who dressed like Emma Stone from high school comedy Easy A, also shared a series of pictures from the party, and captioned them as, Got a pocketful of sunshine! Suhana reacted to the post and wrote, I luv you.
Chennai, Nov 1 : Schools in Tamil Nadu welcomed back students on Monday, after a gap of 20 months following the pandemic, with chocolates and cartoon characters.

The classes were decorated with balloons and senior students in several schools dressed up as cartoon characters to welcome back the juniors. In some schools, children were also greeted with roses and pencil pouches.

Despite heavy rain in Chennai and adjoining districts, the parents took their children to school.

Talking to IANS, Principal GJ Manohar of MCC higher secondary school in Chennai's Chetpet, said that there was around 75 per cent attendance in the school despite the heavy showers in the morning. There were no lectures and only fun games on the first day of class, he added.

At RKV memorial school in Erode, children were welcomed with the traditional 'thavil' and 'nadaswaram'. Principal Sudheer Babu told IANS that around 79 per cent of the children reached school in the morning. Most of the primary school students came with their parents.

The school education department has directed schools not to conduct regular teaching for the time being.

Tamil Nadu minister for school education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, while addressing the media expressed confidence in the large turnout in schools across the state. He said that the turnout reflects the faith of the parents in the government and the education system of the state.
Panaji, Nov 1 : The Congress is offering 40 per cent reservation in tickets to women in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, because the party knows that it would not come to power in the politically crucial state anyway, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said here on Monday.

Kejriwal also dared Congress to offer a similar quota in assembly tickets in other poll-bound states like Punjab and Goa.

"If you are sincere, why is this being done only in UP, are women in Goa any lesser? Give 40 per cent tickets to women in Punjab and Goa too. They (Congress) are offering it in UP, because they know they won't come to power," Kejriwal told a press conference in Panaji.

"We urge them not to politicise or perform a drama around it (women's reservation of seats law). If you want to give reservation to women, come with a bill in Parliament, our party will be the first to support 33 per cent reservation for women," Kejriwal said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Nov 1 : A total of 20,719 people were identified as Persons Engaged in the Act of Begging (PEAB) in Delhi with East Delhi accounting for the highest number at 2,797, according to a survey carried out by the Department of Social Welfare.

"Out of the total, 53 per cent (10,987) were males, 46 per cent (9,541) were females across 11 districts, and one percent (191) are transgenders," the on-ground survey conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Human Development (IHD) in the month of February this year, stated.

"Poverty along with many other factors result in a person resorting to beggary. People are forced into begging because of their social and economic circumstances. They are the most vulnerable section of society. Keeping this in mind, we conducted a pilot survey to identify such persons and simultaneously formulate a plan through which they can be rehabilitated," said Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, who inaugurated two training centres and a skill centre in the city.

These centres have been launched as a pilot project on Livelihood Support through training and skill-building at two centres in the central district.

The Minister further added that the Department of Social Welfare under Delhi Government started the "Integrated program for the rehabilitation of beggars in Delhi with the objective to make the national capital a begging-free city by rehabilitating beggars and also providing them opportunities for training and skill development so that they can find jobs in the mainstream economy.

"The aim of the project is to create a sustainable model for rehabilitating and settlement of persons engaged in the act of begging," he added.

The experiences gained from this exercise will be replicated to all the districts in Delhi in collaboration with various stakeholders including MoSJ&E, Home, Delhi Police, Health Department, WCD, DUSIB, DCW, DCPCR, Directorate of Prohibition, Revenue Department, IHBAS, Community Based Organisations active in Field of Working with Vulnerable Groups.
Agartala, Nov 1 : Tripura Speaker Ratan Chakraborty has initiated action under the anti-defection law against BJP MLA Ashis Das who joined the Trinamool Congress during its rally here on Sunday, officials said on Monday.

Assembly Secretary Bishnu Pada Karmakar said that the Speaker, under the anti-defection law (the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution) would issue a letter to Das to explain his position.

"The letter being issued to the legislator and after getting his reply, the Speaker, through a legal process, would decide the next course of action against Das," Karmakar told IANS.

Talking to IANS, Bharatiya Janata Party's Tripura chief Manik Saha said that at the moment, the party would not take any action as he has yet to resign from the party before joining the Trinamool.

"I have learnt that the Speaker would take appropriate steps under the anti-defection law. The party is aware about his (Das) activities," said Saha.

Das, a Scheduled Caste leader and a BJP MLA from the Surma Assembly seat in northern Tripura, on Monday said that the governance in Tripura is worse than British rule.

In a setback to the BJP, Das along with party's national executive member from West Bengal Rajib Banerjee on Sunday joined the Trinamool during its first major rally in Agartala, addressed by its General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

Rajib Banerjee, a former minister in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's cabinet, had defected to the BJP in January this year. After rejoining the Trinamool, he said that it was his mistake to join the BJP, which according to him gave false promises to the people to gain political and electoral mileage.

Meanwhile, Das, while praising Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee and slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kolkata earlier this month, had claimed that people in Tripura have been suffering a lot after the BJP-led government came to power.

The 43-year-old BJP legislator, after shaving his head and performing a 'yagna' at the Kalighat temple in Kolkata on October 6, said that political anarchy and chaos were prevailing in the BJP-ruled Tripura where people are unhappy with the performance of the state government.

Das and four other BJP MLAs -- Sudip Roy Barman, Ashis Kumar Saha, Diba Chandra Hrangkhawl, and Burba Mohan Tripura - in August held a big gathering in Agartala which was attended by many local BJP leaders and workers.

To plug the rebellion in the organisation and to set the governance right, several central party leaders led by BJP's North East Zonal Secretary (Organisation), Ajay Jamwal, had rushed to the state several times.

In the presence of the central leaders, three BJP MLAs -- Ram Prasad Paul, Sushanta Chowdhury, Bhagaban Chandra Das -- were on August 31 inducted into the Tripura cabinet in its first expansion after the BJP-IPFT (Indigenous People's Front of Tripura) alliance assumed office in March 2018.

The open dissent and internal dispute in the ruling BJP began after Barman, who was holding the Health and Information Technology departments, was sacked from the ministry in May 2019 following differences with the Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

The BJP came to power in Tripura on March 9, 2018 after defeating the CPI-M led Left Front for the first time after the Left parties came to power in the northeastern state in 1978 along with West Bengal.
Hyderabad, Nov 1 : All arrangements have been completed for the counting of votes polled in the October 30 by-elections in Huzurabad and Badvel Assembly constituencies in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh respectively.

In Huzurabad the counting of votes will be taken up from 8 a.m. on Tuesday at SRR College. Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Shashank Goel told reporters in Hyderabad on Monday that all arrangements were in place for the counting.

Counting of postal ballots will be taken up first. Subsequently, votes registered in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be counted. Two halls have been arranged for counting with 7 tables in each hall.

The counting process will be completed in 22 rounds. Each round is expected to take 20-30 minutes. The presence of a large number of candidates in the fray could lead to a delay in the declaration of results.

The CEO clarified that the video of the VVPAT unit which went viral on social media on Sunday was not among the units used in the polling. He said the video was taken when the machine was being transported but it was not used for the elections.

After the video went viral, the opposition BJP and the Congress had accused the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) of attempts to change the verdict in its favour by switching EVMs and VVPAT units.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has prohibited any victory procession after the counting. According to the orders issued by the CEO, not more than two persons will be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or his representative while receiving the certificate of election from the Returning Officer.

In the fiercely contested by-election, 86.33 per cent of nearly 2.37 lakh voters cast their votes. The poll percentage was 2.5 per cent higher than the turnout in 2018.

Out of 2,36,837 voters, 2,05,053 cast their votes in the by-election, which was peaceful barring minor skirmishes between the TRS and BJP supporters.

A total of 30 candidates were in the fray in the by-election, caused by the resignation of Eatala Rajender after he was dropped from the state cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao following allegations of land grabbing.

Rajender, who has been representing the Huzurabad seat since 2009, contested as a BJP candidate. He was locked in a direct fight against Gellu Srinivas Yadav of the TRS.

Election authorities in Badvel constituency in Andhra Pradesh have also made all arrangements for the counting.

The constituency, reserved for Scheduled Castes, saw 68.12 per cent polling.

A total of 2,16,139 voters were eligible to cast their votes.

Fifteen candidates tested their political fortunes in the bypoll, caused by the death of sitting MLA G. Venkatasubbaiah of the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

The YSRCP fielded his wife Dasari Sudha, who was locked in a three-cornered contest against the Congress party's M. Kamalamma and the BJP's P. Suresh.

The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) stayed away from the contest in line with its tradition of supporting the family members of the deceased MLA.
Chennai, Nov 1 : Tamil Nadu Governor, R.N. Ravi has called upon the state government to make full use of the expertise of the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) to improve agriculture in the state. He was addressing the 42nd convocation ceremony at the TNAU campus in Coimbatore on Monday.

The Governor who is also the Chancellor of the University said that the government must make optimum use of the Agriculture university and should start considering it as a precious asset. He said the beneficiaries of the research carried out in the TNAU are farmers.

He also called upon the University to be technically competent and emotionally involved in identifying the problems faced by the farmers across the state and called upon for greater cooperation between the University and the farming community.

Governor said that the contribution of TNAU had helped farmers earn Rs 5,029 crore through its crop varieties, Rs 4,863 crore through its management technologies, and Rs 541 crore through farm machinery. He said that in total the university had helped farmers improve their income by Rs 10,443 crore.

The Governor said that preparing farmers for climate change is a major challenge faced by the University and added that changing monsoon patterns, rising sea levels, deadly heatwaves, and intense storms pose threat to agriculture.

He also said that the Government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in the recent past launched 35 crop varieties that were developed by institutions under Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR). He also said that these institutions had earlier released 17 biofortified varieties of 8 crops.

The Governor also visited the Research Institute building of the TNAU and interacted with the board members.

Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary, Department of Agriculture Research and Education and Director General of ICAR spoke on the occasion. TNAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr N. Kumar welcomed the gathering and highlighted the achievements of the University during the previous academic year.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : As air quality in the national capital turned "very poor" ahead of Diwali, it can be of concern, particularly to people who have survived severe Covid, experts warned on Monday.

The air quality of Delhi-NCR on Monday morning plunged to the "very poor" category after the air quality index (AQI) breached the grim mark of 302, according to System of Air Quality And Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

The bad skies in Delhi are also partly caused by stubble burning in nearby states like Haryana and Punjab. SAFAR data showed that the share of crop residue burning emissions in PM2.5 is about 8 per cent.

During October and November, stubble burning usually contributes between 20 per cent to 70 per cent of Delhi's air pollution. Last year, a report from the Environment Ministry showed that the average contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's air pollution increased from 10 per cent in 2019 to over 15 per cent in 2020.

Various studies have shown that an increase of only one microgram per cubic metre in PM 2.5 -- dangerous tiny pollutants in the air -- is associated with an 8 per cent increase in the Covid-19 severity and death rate.

"People who survived severe Covid-19 suffered compromised lung function and many of them continue to have breathlessness and brochure hyperactivity. So any increase in pollution will have a deleterious effect on their respiratory status and their lung condition can deteriorate over the years," Dr Rajesh Chawla, Senior Consultant Pulmonology and Critical Care, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, told IANS.

"Virus particles piggyback on particulate matter in the air, and enter the lungs. Last year, Delhi had witnessed a surge in Covid-19 cases during winters in the months of November and December. Although a sizable population has taken vaccination against the infectious disease, we still cannot afford to let our guard down during this very vulnerable and challenging period," added Dr Nikhil Bante, Consultant, PulmonologyFortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj.

In every winter season, Delhi becomes one of the worst hit cities in the world with air pollution. In addition to the harmful gases and particulate matter, pollen grains of different plant species also spread in the air during early winter and spring affecting people suffering from respiratory diseases.

"To reduce the detrimental effects of air pollution, people especially those with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or asthma should be aware of the air quality and take extra measures such as reducing the time outdoors and wearing masks when necessary," Bante told IANS.

Children with asthma, allergies and heart diseases are also vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution, Dr Harshal R Salve, Associate Professor at Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS New Delhi, told IANS.

According to Dr Dhiren Gupta, a senior paediatric pulmonologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, children can get affected by both indoor as well as outdoor pollution. To reduce the impact of air pollutants, he suggested restricting outdoor activities, wearing N-95 masks, and avoiding burning of woods, dry brooming and strong fragrances inside the house, and proper ventilation.

Further, poor air quality can also affect healthy adults. Pollution in any form can affect any person and naturally it has been affecting the health of people who have been living in and around the areas of high pollution.

As a precaution, people should avoid moving out, unless necessary; be sensible in self contribution towards air pollution and shall continue wearing masks as an essential respiratory hygiene. Air purifiers that can improve the air quality efficiently can be used indoors, the experts suggested.

Patients should also not change their daily medications on their own and must consult their physicians at the earliest if they experience any worsening of their symptoms, they added.

(Rachel V. Thomas can be contacted at rachel.t@ians.in)
Patna, Nov 1 : The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has expressed apprehension that there may be rigging during the counting of votes in the Bihar bypolls, held in Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur on October 30.

The party has sent top leaders Tejashwi Yadav, Jagadanand Singh and Shyam Rajak to monitor the developments at the counting centres in a bid to prevent wrongdoing by the ruling JDU members.

Tejashwi Yadav and Abdul Bari Siddiqqi are on the way to Kusheshwar Asthan in Darbhanga while Jagadanand Singh and Shyam Rajak have been sent to Tarapur in Munger district. They will camp outside the counting centres.

Chitranjan Gagan, spokesperson of the RJD, said that the party will launch mass protests if Nitish Kumar and his party members apply pressure on the district magistrates and other officials at the time of counting to favour JDU candidates.

"In the 2020 assembly elections, around 15 seats were such where RJD candidates were winning but Nitish Kumar and BJP leaders asked district officials to defeat RJD candidates. Phone calls were made from the chief minister's residence," Gagan said.

"We have given special training to counting agents and candidates to keep a close tab on officials during counting of votes. In case of any rigging, senior officials should be informed immediately. We have asked RJD members and supporters to prepare for an agitation if any kind of wrongdoing is done by government officials at the counting centres," Gagan said.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad has already claimed victory for both his candidates. He also claimed that a formula is ready to dislodge the Nitish Kumar government after the bypoll results.

The by-elections held on October 30 at Kusheshwar Asthan and Tarapur registered 49 per cent and 50.05 per cent voting respectively.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : A recent event to "honour" the Taliban's suicide bombers and their "sacrifices" has drawn heavy criticism from Afghans, DW reported.

Relatives of suicide bombing victims told DW they feel repulsed by the glorification of murderers.

On October 20, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interim interior minister, lauded the "sacrifices" of the suicide bombers, who perpetrated countless violent attacks across Afghanistan during the 20-year US occupation of the country, the report said.

At a ceremony in a hotel in Kabul, the minister rewarded the relatives of suicide bombers by offering them cash and land.

Qari Saeed Khosty, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said in a tweet that the Taliban could not have returned to power without the help from the suicide bombers.

The Taliban's glorification of suicide bombers angered many Afghans, especially those who have lost their loved ones in suicide attacks, the report added.

As she heard the news of the Taliban "honouring" families of their suicide bombers, 19-year-old Sharifa, who lost her father in a 2018 suicide attack in Kabul, burst into tears.

"It's like rubbing salt in the wound," she said.

"When I heard that instead of helping us, they [the Taliban] are praising those who intentionally killed themselves and others, I was heartbroken," Sharifa told DW over the phone.

In 2018, a Taliban suicide bomber targeted the Interior Ministry in Kabul, killing 95 people and wounding at least 185. Sharifa's father was one among the dead.

"Our lives were ruined after the death of our father. My mother and brother became mentally unstable," she said, the report added.

The Kabul ceremony to honour suicide bombers not only offended the victims' families, it also drew wide-ranging criticism on Afghanistan's social media.

"In the near future, visit a new residential town for suicide bombers in Kabul," Sayed Tariq Majidi, a former investigative journalist, posted a sarcastic message on Twitter, the report said.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : The Congress is closely watching former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's moves and the leaders who have close ties with him. The state unit has been tasked to placate such leaders or arrange a meeting with the high command.

The state unit is reaching out to leaders at the district level while heavyweight leaders are being approached by the AICC. Punjab Congress In-charge Harish Chaudhary has been asked to manage the disgruntled groups in the party and also coordinate with state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had last week met four MLAs who were dropped from the cabinet and are considered close to Amarinder Singh. They are Balbir Singh Sidhu, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Sunder Sham Arora and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and were reportedly given assurances on their interests in the party.

Rahul Gandhi also took feedback from Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and discussed strategy to keep the flock together.

Three Punjab MPs considered close to Amarinder Singh have kept the Congress on its toes - Manish Tewari, Mohd Sadique and Praneet Kaur, wife of the Chief Minister. Tewari did not reply to queries when reached out for comments on the issue though he has been of late critical of the party leaders.

Manish Tewari, last week had said, "I have never seen such chaos & anarchy as what is playing out in Punjab Congress today. Repeated open defiance of AICC by a PCC President, colleagues squabbling publicly with each other like children." Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had been saying that many people from the party were in touch with him and they will come out in the open when the time comes. "We are waiting for the opportune moment. But I will not take their names. Already my supporters are being harassed," said Amarinder Singh.

The Congress has been upset since the ex-Chief Minister announced that he will contest all 117 seats and probably forge an alliance with the BJP. The move can upset Congress equations in the state.
Mumbai, Nov 1 : Spelling festive cheer, Maharashtra on Monday recorded 10 Covid-19 deaths - the lowest tally since April 20, 2020, health officials said here.

On April 20 last year, the state had recorded a single-digit (9) fatalities in the early days of the pandemic, after which the death figures had steadily risen.

The state also recorded 809 new cases for the day taking up the cumulative tally to 66,11,887 till date, while the total fatalities stood at 140,226 - both highest in the country.

Of the 10 deaths, four were in Mumbai, two each in Satara and Beed, and one each in Ahmednagar and Sindhudurg, with the remaining 30 districts notching zero fatalities.

The mortality rate stands at 2.12 per cent while the recovery rate is 97.59 per cent, with only 15,552 active cases currently under treatment.

The highest - 4,503 - active cases are in Mumbai, while Dhule and Nandurbar have the lowest, only one each.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday categorically denounced the rumours about fertiliser shortage in the country.

He said that he reviewed the availability targets of fertilisers for the month of November with officials, and that "availability will surpass the demand raised by the states and UTs".

"While the demand of urea is 41 lakh metric tonnes (MT), as much as 76 lakh MT of urea will be made available. Similarly, 18 lakh MT DAP will be made available against a projected demand of 17 lakh MT," he said, adding: "Availability of 30 lakh MT of NPK will surpass the demand of 15 lakh MT." Mandaviya appealed to all farmers not to hoard fertilisers and requested them not to pay attention to rumor mongers. He cautioned that strict action will be taken against those who resort to black-marketing of fertilisers using rumours.

He assured that the Union government is constantly monitoring the production, imports, and movement of fertilisers in the country and adequate arrangements are in place to ensure that farmers get sufficient quantity of fertiliser, a release from the Chemicals and Fertiliser Ministry said.
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 1 : Almost two months after a Catholic bishop in Kerala said that Christian children should be safeguarded against "narcotic jihad" that is being pushed by a specific section of people, the state police on Monday filed a case against him, as directed by a local court in Kottayam.

A complaint to this effect was made by All India Imam's Council first to the local police, but after the police failed to act, they approached the local Pala court, which directed the police to file the case.

The Kuruvilangad police has registered the case.

Pala Archdiocese's Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangat, while speaking at a function at Marth Mariam Pilgrim Church at Kuruvilangad in Kottayam district on September 9, alleged that non-Muslims in Kerala are subjected to "narcotic jihad", which is the spoiling lives, particularly of young people, by making them addicted to drugs.

After his speech became viral, several groups came out against the Bishop, especially Muslim organisations, and some extreme organisations carried out a protest march towards his house. The Congress put pressure on the Pinarayi Vijayan government to call for an all-party meeting, but he ignored them.

The BJP also joined issue and former Vice Chairman of the party's Minority Morcha, George Kurien, wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking security for the Pala Bishop as "Muslim extremists had threatened him publicly with dire consequences".
Paris, Nov 1 : Former FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi said in an interview that he intends to return to FC Barcelona at some point in the future.

This summer, Messi concluded his 21-year-spell at the club where he called home and joined Paris Saint-Germain, with which he signed a two-year contract. When asked about the possibility of a return to FC Barcelona at the end of his PSG time, Messi said it remains his plan.

"I have always said that I would love to help the club and be useful. I would love to be a technical director at some point. I don't know if that will be at Barcelona or if it might be somewhere else," the Argentine said.

Although Messi is not sure whether he could return to the former club, one thing is certain that he will come back to Barcelona to live, reports Xinhua.

"I don't know what will happen when my PSG contract ends. What is confirmed and sure, we are going to live in Barcelona again and that our life will be there," he added.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : Mrinal Kutteri, a resident of Hyderabad has topped the NEET exam, result of which was announced on Monday evening. The National Testing Agency (NTA) declared the result of NEET 2021 exam, paving the way for admission in medical colleges across the country.

Mrinal has got 100 per cent marks and secured all India rank No 1, followed by Tanmay Gupta from Delhi who secured second position, and Karthika Nair at third place. Karthika is also top among female candidates.

The agency has put the result on its official website and also sent email to students.

The Supreme Court on October 28 had allowed the NTA to release the NEET result, after which the results were announced.

Due to delay in examination results, the new session of 2021-22 could also be delayed.

Students who qualify the NEET exam will be able to get admission in various courses including MBBS, BAMS, BSMS, BUMS and BHMS in various reputed medical colleges across the country.

After the amendment in the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, admission in MBBS course of 13 AIIMS located across the country and Jawaharlal PG Institute of Medical Education and Research, Puducherry takes place through NEET.

The NEET exams were conducted on September 12 at over 3,800 centres across 202 cities in India. Around 16 lakh students from all over the country had applied to appear for the exam.

According to the NTA, on the initiative of the Government of India, the medical entrance exam 'NEET-UG' was also conducted for the first time in Dubai and Kuwait.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : With special focus on poll bound states, the BJP Minority Morcha will celebrate 'Diwali' on large scale across the country. As per plan, the BJP minority morcha will organize Diwali milan at each block of party from Kashmir to Kanniyakumari and Gujarat to Assam.

A Special emphasis will be given to organizing the event in minority dominated areas to send a strong message of social unity and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's motto of 'Sabka sath, sabka vikas, sabka viswas and sabka prayas'.

BJP minority morcha national president Jamal Siddiqui told IANS that Diwali is celebrated by everyone in the country and by organizing a celebration party is practicing the existing ethos of India where all the festivals are celebrated together. "Some people with vested political interests separated Ali from Diwali and Diwali is incomplete without Ali. Through our efforts we are once again bringing both together and it is an opportunity to celebrate, meet and share happiness. It is an opportunity to bring 'sabko sath' (everyone together)," Siddiqui said.

Siddiqui mentioned that the minority of this country will give befitting reply to those who want to divide India and categorically tell them that their divisive agenda is not acceptable.

It is learnt that the BJP central leadership has asked the minority morcha to organize the event across the country and with special focus on poll bound Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand.

Programmes will be also organized with great pomp and show in Kashmir, Kerala, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, minority dominated areas of national capital and other states.

All the state presidents and state in-charges have been asked to ensure grand celebrations at block level and also inform the party leadership by sharing pictures of the programme on various social media platforms.

On the day of Diwali, BJP minority morcha across the country will celebrate the festivity with people in their neighbourhood and between November 7 and 15 they will organize the Diwali milan at block and district level across the country.

A programme will also be organized at BJP headquarters of all BJP state units in the country.

Latest updates on Diwali Festival 2021
New Delhi, Nov 1 : The Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede on Monday recorded his statement before the vigilance team for the second time and was quizzed for over four hours, sources in the bureau said.

This was his second appearance before the NCB vigilance team.

On October 27, he faced the vigilance probe team for over five hours in connection with alleged corruption charges levelled against him in the cruise drug case in which film star Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested on October 2.

Sources in NCB also said that the vigilance team is yet to get in touch with Prabhakar Sail, who alleged that an extortion bid of Rs 25 crore was made by some agency officials, including Wankhede, to set free Aryan Khan.

The sources also said that if needed, Wankhede can be called in for questioning again.

Taking strong note of the corruption charges leveled against Wankhede, the NCB had set up a five-member probe team under Deputy Director General, Northern Region, Gyaneshwar Singh which visited the NCB zonal office in Mumbai on October 27 and took the statement of Wankhede.

The probe team also collected some documents and recordings from the Mumbai office, the DDG said, adding that the vigilance team also summoned the witnesses to record their statement.

The sources also said that the vigilance team will also look into the close proximity of independent witness Kiran Gosavi with Aryan Khan too.

Gosavi, an independent witness in the drugs-on-cruise case, was arrested by the Pune police in connection with a 2018 cheating case registered against him.

A vigilance team was asked to probe Wankhede after Sail's allegation that he was made to sign blank papers at the NCB office in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, amid the allegations of forged caste documents, Wankhede on Monday presented his caste certificates before the National Commission for Scheduled Caste Commission here in Delhi. He arrived from Mumbai this morning and presented his caste certificate and other related documents before the Commission and made a statement before the Commission too.

Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik on October 25, had accused Wankhede of using forged documents to get a government job and demanded action should be taken against him.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 1 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday drawing his attention for timely release of Rs 1,088.72 crore fund pending under the MGNREGS for the state.

In his letter, Patnaik said Rs 377.91 crore as wage component and Rs 710.81 crore as material component is pending under MGNREGS for Odisha.

"Timely payment of wages to the poor jobseekers is the fundamental guarantee under the MGNREG Act. Similarly, timely release of payment for material is critical for creation of tangible and durable assets under MGNREGS," he said.

The Chief Minister urged Modi to advise the ministry of rural development for timely release of funds for wage and material payment under MGNREGS.

He also drew the attention of the Prime Minister that a significant number of returnee migrants has stayed back due to reduced level of economic activities during the Covid pandemic. This has led to demand for wage employment under MGNREGS in villages.

Therefore, Patnaik requested PM Modi to enhance the labour budget of Odisha under MGNREGS to 25 crore person days for the current financial year, 2021-22.
New Delhi, Nov 1 : India's merchandise exports in rose to $35.47 billion, higher by 42.33 per cent on a year-on-year basis, preliminary data showed on Monday.

Exports in October 2020 had stood at $24.92 billion.

According to data furnished by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, last month's exports rose by 35.21 per cent showed in comparison to October 2019.

"India's merchandise exports in October 2021 were $35.47 billion, an increase of 42.33 per cent over $24.92 billion in October 2020 and an increase of 35.21 per cent over $26.23 billion in October 2019." "Value of non-petroleum exports in October 2021 was $30.27 billion, registering a positive growth of 29.63 per cent over non-petroleum exports of $23.35 billion in October 2020 and a positive growth of 32.84 per cent over non-petroleum exports of $22.79 billion in October 2019." Besides, value of non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports in October 2021 registered a positive growth of 27.54 per cent to $26.05 billion over non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports of $20.43 billion in October 2020.

As per the data, India's merchandise imports last month increased by 62.49 per cent to $55.37 billion over $34.07 billion in October 2020 and 45.76 per cent over $37.99 billion in October 2019.

"Value of non-petroleum imports was $40.94 billion in October 2021 with a positive growth of 45.82 per cent over non-petroleum imports of $28.07 billion in October 2020 and a positive growth of 44.87 per cent over non-petroleum imports of $28.26 billion in October 2019." "Value of non-oil, non-GJ (gold, silver & precious metals) imports was $32.42 billion in October 2021 with a positive growth of 39.29 per cent over non-oil and non-GJ imports of $23.27 billion in October 2020 and a positive growth of 30.72 per cent over non-oil and non-GJ imports of $24.8 billion in October 2019." Consequently, trade deficit last month rose by 117.38 per cent YoY to $19.90 billion from $9.15 billion while it increased by 69.29 per cent when compared to $11.75 billion reported for October 2019.
Hyderabad, Nov 1 : The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has postponed its grand public meeting 'Vijaya Garjana' scheduled in Warangal on November 15 to November 29.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday decided to postpone the meeting to coincide with 'Deeksha Day' on November 29. It was on this day in 2009 that the TRS chief had gone an indefinite fast demanding statehood to Telangana.

The Chief Minister took the decision on the suggestion of ministers and TRS leaders from united Warangal district.

The leaders felt that 'Deeksha Day' is an appropriate occasion to hold the public meeting, as the day has great significance in the Telangana movement.

The party is planning to organise 'Vijaya Garjana' in a grand manner to highlight the achievements of the party during the last 20 years and the progress made by Telangana during the last seven years under the TRS rule.

The Chief Minister advised the ministers and other leaders to postpone the arrangement of buses and other vehicles to the new date.

It was last month that TRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao had announced the massive public meeting to mark completion of two decades of the TRS and to highlight its achievements and the progress made by Telangana on all fronts under the TRS rule during the last seven years.

The party plans to mobilise lakhs of party members from across the state for the meeting.

It held meets in all Assembly constituencies last week to make preparations for the meeting.

The TRS plenary held in Hyderabad last month also decided to organise 'Praja Garjana' on a grand scale.
Bengaluru, Nov 1 : The Karnataka High Court said that one can't forget that every saint had a past and every sinner has a future, and the fact that a person is convicted and put behind bars, does not render him destitute of liberty and dignity.

A humanistic approach needs to be approached, it held, while granting parole of 15 days for a murder convict to attend his daughter's wedding.

A bench headed by Justice Krishna S. Dixit gave the order on October 26, but released only on Monday, after hearing the petition of a wife of Shyam a.k.a Raju Reddy a.k.a Prabhakar imprisoned in Belagavi Central Prison in connection with triple murder case.

Noting Shyam has been serving his sentence since 1999, the bench said: "A convict has to keep in contact with the civil society although sporadically, so that his societal roots, do not dry up when he languishes in jail; otherwise, when he returns from the prison after completing the term of sentence, he may be a total stranger and life may prove hard to him; this is not a happy thing to happen in a welfare state." The marriage of convict's daughter is scheduled, and ordinarily every Hindu marriage involves certain rituals such as 'Vivaah homa' and 'Kanyadaan' that are done with the participation of the parents; even otherwise, when a young daughter is getting married, the presence of her father, is desirable, consistent with the humanitarian consideration which are inherent in Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the order said.

Mentioning Oscar Wilde's poem "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", the bench mentioned: "Compassion wherever possible and cruelty only where inevitable, is the art of correctional confinement" - the observation made by the apex court in Charles Sobhraj vs The Superintendent of Central Jail, Tihar case.

"After all, the standard of civilisation is measured by looking at how the state and civil society treat the criminals. The sublime feelings of spouse and children permeate the prison walls and reach out to the convict, however strong and unkindly they are built; therefore the court has to facilitate the presence and participation of the petitioner in the ensuing marriage ceremony; an otherwise stand of court, runs the risk of being branded as 'inhuman' by the right thinking sections of the society to say the least," the order read.

Rejecting the argument of the government counsel that a murder convict can't ask for parole, the court, however, warned Shyam that he should not be involved in any crime and after the parole, he shall return to prison. It has also given direction in this regard to jail officials.

The convict has approached the High Court after jail authorities had rejected the request for parole to attend his daughter's wedding on November 7 and 8.
Guwahati, Nov 1 : Three people were arrested in Assam's Biswanath district after an elderly man allegedly verbally abused and assaulted a 22-year-old Muslim woman for wearing jeans instead of a burqa, police said.

Police said that mobile accessories shop owner Nurul Amin on Friday misbehaved with the woman and then pushed her out of his store because she was wearing jeans and not the burqa. Subsequently on Saturday, Amin's two sons physically assaulted the girl the next day.

The woman had gone to Amin's shop to buy a pair of earphones. "Nurul Amin not only refused to sell earphones, but also verbally abused my daughter for wearing jeans instead of a burqa. He then pushed her out of the shop," the girl's father told the media on Monday.

The woman said: "This type of people are trying to enforce the Taliban system in Assam and forcing girls to wear burqa and hijab. I am pursuing BCA (Bachelor of Computer Application) at a government college. I studied Assamese culture but now these people tried to follow us the Taliban style by wearing burqa and hijab." "When I went to his shop (inside his house), Amin told me that if I visited his house wearing jeans, it would influence his family because his daughter-in-law wears a burqa or hijab. Amin and his sons also misbehaved with my father when my father went to the shop to complain about his behaviour." Police said that they have arrested Amin and his two sons -- Suffiqul Islam and Rafiqul Islam, and were probing the matter.
Bengaluru, Nov 1 : Senior actor from Tamil film industry Prabhu Ganeshan and popular star Shivakarthikeyan paid a visit to Kannada super star Puneeth Rajkumar's residence on Monday and offered their condolences to the untimely death of the actor.

Prabhu remembered that Puneeth's father Dr Rajkumar and his father Shivaji Ganeshan shared a very good bondage. "Appu (Puneeth), Shivanna (Shivrajkumar) and Raghu (Raghavendra Rajkumar) are more than a family. I am very much pained by the untimely death of Appu. I can't forget his humbleness and friendly nature. Whenever I was in Bengaluru, he made it a point to call and visit me. Both of us were foodies, we had a very good time together," he said.

"I can't forget the incident when Appu spent more than 6 hours when I fell sick during shooting here. Puneeth was a wonderful boy. He was an ambassador of love. If we are pained so much, imagine the plight of his family? It's a loss to the Indian film industry," he explained emotionally.

After meeting Puneeth Rajkumar's family members Shivakarthikeyan stated that he can't just believe that Puneeth is not there. "He was a wonderful actor. We are still in shock. We are not able to come out of it. I spoke to Puneeth, a month ago. It is a big loss to the film industry," he said.

"Puneeth had a clean heart. He spoke to all with love. He had wished me for my 'Doctor' movie. We met on a stage, Puneeth had invited me home, I could not meet him. He will be on my mind forever," he said.

Meanwhile, the family will perform 'Haalu-Tuppa' ceremony (offering of ghee and milk to the grave) on Tuesday. Tight security is arranged in the surrounding areas of Kanteerava Studio. The government has not decided on entry to the fans of Puneeth yet. Family sources have stated that flowers are being brought from Coimbatore for the ceremony.

Siddaramaiah, the leader of Opposition in Karnataka has urged the central government to confer Padma Shri posthumously to Puneeth Rajkumar. "Puneeth would have earned Padma Shri with his talent and social concern if he was to be alive," he said.

Dr Bhujanga Shetty, the founder of Narayana Nethralaya has thanked Puneeth Rajkumar and his family for donating eyes. "We have successfully conducted surgeries with modern technology on four persons. Puneeth's eyes have enabled three males and one female to see the world. Dr Yathish and Dr Prarthana team have conducted these surgeries on Saturday," he said.

The upper layer and inner layers of cornea will be separated and two patients could be treated with one eye. "We are successful in transplanting four persons with two corneas and this is the first time in the state," he maintained.
Glasgow : , Nov 1 (IANS) Offering a new mantra and raising a pledge for combating climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday told world leaders at the COP26 that India will target a net zero goal by 2070 and aim at increasing its non-fossil fuel energy to 500 GW in its energy mix by 2030.

Terming it as 'Panchamrut Ki Saugat' - India's contribution to climate action, Modi - on the first day of the High Level segment of the 'World Leaders' Summit' (WLS) at the COP26 - said that India will reduce its carbon intensity by 45 per cent by 2030, starting with reducing projected carbon emission from now till 2030 by 1 billion tonnes and committed to have renewable energy component of 50 per cent by 2030.

He gave a new mantra for sustainable development through a sustainable lifestyle. Displaying his penchant for acronyms, Modi said: "'One Word One World' movement mantra LIFE, 'Lifestyle for Environment' can be a mass movement wherein instead of mindless and destructive consumption, there should be mindful and deliberate utilisation." India has 17 per cent of the world's population but is responsible only for 5 per cent of total emissions, he said.

Calling out the rich nations by stating that the promises made till date have been hollow, he said: "Just like India has raised its ambition, the rich nations too need to raise their climate finance and technology transfer agreements cannot remain the same." He exhorted the rich nations to enhance to $1 trillion climate finance and low-cost technology transfers and said that tracking climate finance is necessary.

Taking cudgels on behalf of the developing world, he appealed to the comity of nations to take bolder steps.

Modi joined 120 heads of states/governments from around the world, including US President Joe Biden, at the high-level segment of the crucial negotiation platform for countries to work out their emission plans for collectively restricting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius at the COP26, the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that started on Sunday and will go on till November 12.

Reminding people that India is the only growing economy to have delivered on Paris Agreement in letter and spirit, he listed out India's track record - how it is fourth in installed renewable energy capacity and how non-fossil fuel energy will touch 40 per cent of India's energy mix soon.

He also said the Indian Railways, the largest such organisation in the world ferrying crores of passenger, will be net zero by 2030, reducing 60 million tonnes (MT) of emissions and LEDs have helped reduce emissions by 40 MT.

Speaking in Hindi and sprinkling Sanskrit mantras and words, Modi made an emotional declaration how, for him, Paris (where the COP was held in 2015) was not only a Summit but a sentiment and a commitment and India was not making those promises to the world but it was the 130 crore Indians promising themselves.

This COP26 is deemed critical because, as warned by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), every additional 0.5 degree of warming will increase heat extremes, extreme precipitation, and droughts and for coastal areas, sea level rise will be a threat to their very existence.
Gandhinagar, Nov 1 : As part of the agitation against atrocities on Dalit community in Gujarat, the lone independent legislator Jignesh Mevani, who recently joined the Congress, entered a temple at Varnu village on Monday with other Dalit members in Rapar taluka in Kutch as a mark of protest.

On receiving a complaint from the Dalit residents of the Varnu village, the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch of which Jignesh Mevani is the national convener, reached the temple with his team. Mevani in his presence ensured the entry of people from the Dalit community inside the temple.

"The temple has two premises and Dalits are allowed access to only the primary part and the inner sanctum sanctorum is reserved only for people from the upper caste," Mevani told the IANS.

"Now my question is -- why every citizen is not allowed an entry inside and only the upper caste? asked Mevani.

"In the authority's presence, we made an entry into 'Garbha Gruh' and carried out rituals. But it was a very cold welcome from the temple authorities (Pujari-Nahant), as cold a welcome I would receive at the BJP headquarters Kamalam," Mevani laughed.

After the entry, Mevani held a meeting with people from other communities residing in the Varnu village. Mevani told them, "We are not here to showcase our strength that we can enter the temple, but we are here to move along with you with folded hands. Let's consider each other as our own and have a feeling of brotherhood for our fellow villagers." The Vadgam constituency legislator Jignesh Mevani on Saturday had given a call for "Andolan" (agitation) against atrocities and practice of untouchability against Dalits in Gujarat. This was after six members of a Dalit family at Ner village in Kutch were assaulted allegedly by a group of 20 persons on October 26.

Mevani said, "Until there is an attack or a murder (of Dalits), the police don't act. The BJP plays politics in the name of temples across the country, my question to them is how many Ram Mandirs and temples in Gujarat do not allow entry to Dalits." "What are you doing about this issue? He asked the ruling BJP party which has been in power in Gujarat for around two and a half decades.

"Untouchability is a blot on our society and we as a society, as a nation are not ashamed of this. I have challenged the BJP in the House thrice to take up a single village out of the over eighteen thousand villages and make it untouchability free, which they have not accepted. They want it to continue," added Mevani.

Mevani informed that alone in Kutch district, in Rapar and Bhachau talukas, nearly 1200-1500 acres, that is nearly 3,000 bighas of land of scheduled castes and Dalit community were illegally occupied by upper castes.

"We have already identified 10,000 acre Dalit land in Gujarat, which has been encroached upon. In the coming days, we will continue the agitation to free that along with raising voice for many such complaints we have received just like that of Ner and Varnu villages," added Mevani.
Bhopal, Nov 1 : The counting of votes for bypolls held in three Assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh will be held on Tuesday.

By-elections in three Assembly constituencies -- Prithvipur, Jobat, Raigon and one Lok Sabha seat -- Khandwa, held on October 30 saw an average of 65 per cent voting.

A total of 48 candidates are in fray, however, the fight on all fours seats are mainly between the BJP and the Congress.

Both, BJP and the Congress have been claiming victory.

While the BJP leaders showed confidence that the result will be in their favour, the Congress which had secured majority in 2018 assembly elections, now in opposition, says people will support the party this time.

The bypolls were necessitated due to the death of sitting MLAs and Khandwa MP (BJP) Nand Kumar Chauhan.

On the Khandwa Lok Sabha seat, the BJP has fielded former district panchayat president Gyaneshwar Patil, while the Congress has chosen former MLA Raj Narayan Singh Purni.

For Jabat Assembly seat (Scheduled Tribe), which the Congress had won in 2018 elections, the party has fielded Mahesh Patel against the BJP's Sulochna Rawat, a former MLA and a turncoat, who jumped ship from the Congress to the BJP.

From Raigon (Scheduled Caste) seat, the BJP has fielded Pratima Bagari, the daughter-in-law of sitting MLA Jugal Kishor Bagari, whose demise necessitated the by-election. The Congress has fielded Kalpana Verma, who had contested against Jugal Kishor Bagari in the last assembly polls in 2018.

From Prithvipur Assembly seat, Shishupal of the BJP is pitted against Nitendra Singh Rathore of the Congress.
Mumbai, Nov 2 : Automobile major Tata Motors' consolidated net loss for the July-September quarter in 2021-22 widened to over Rs 4,441 crore, against loss of Rs 314 crore reported in the same quarter last year.

However, the consolidated net revenue rose by 14.7 per cent YoY to Rs 61,379 crore.

On a standalone basis, the company posted a comprehensive net loss of Rs 536.93 crore for the September quarter.

It had registered a net loss of Rs 1,141.36 crore in the same period last fiscal.

Executive Director Girish Wagh said: "The auto industry witnessed a consistent increase in demand, in sync with the overall growth of the economy and continuing preference for personal mobility." "At Tata Motors, we successfully ramped up production by prudently addressing supply side challenges. During the quarter, we accelerated the sales momentum to increase market share in every segment of commercial vehicles, recorded a decade high sale in passenger vehicles and delivered the highest ever quarterly sales in electric vehicles." Looking ahead, Wagh said that the company expect the demand for commercial, passenger, and electric vehicles to remain strong even as concerns about the supply of semiconductors and high input costs continue.

"We are taking definitive actions in the near term to mitigate these effects through an agile, multi-pronged approach to address supply bottlenecks and drive our savings program harder." "In parallel, we continue to progress our future-fit initiatives of transforming customer experience digitally and strengthening our lead in sustainable mobility."
Agartala, Nov 2 : Members of five tribal organisations of Tripura held a protest on Monday in front of Bangladesh Assistant High Commission here condemning the attack and torching of the Katakhali Forest Buddhist Monastery under Teknaf in Cox's Bazar district in the neighbouring country.

A joint statement of the five tribal organisations on Monday said that at least 8 indigenous persons, including women, belonging to the Chakma community were injured during the attack on October 24.

These organisations submitted a memorandum to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through the Assistant High Commissioner Mohammad Jobayed Hosen.

The memorandum said that the attack on the Katakhali Forest Buddhist Monastery took place following a series of incidents of vandalism and arson of Hindu temples, Durga Puja pandals and attacks on Hindu minorities from October 13, which shows that the government of Bangladesh has not taken any measure to ensure protection of the religious minorities in the country.

"This is because the government of Bangladesh as on date has failed to punish those who destroyed 19 Buddhist temples and about 100 houses at Ramu, Cox's Bazar and Patiya of Chittagong in 2012," the memorandum said.

These organisations in their statement said: "The Bangladesh government has the responsibility to protect the life, property and right of the religious minorities to practice their religion." The tribal organisations demanded to bring the perpetrators of the attack on the Katakhali Forest Buddhist Monastery and attack on at least eight indigenous persons belonging to the Chakma community to justice and ensure prosecution of those who destroyed 19 Buddhist temples and about 100 houses at Ramu, Cox's Bazar and Patiya of Chittagong in 2012 through fast track courts.

The tribal organisations which held the demonstration on Monday include Chakma National Council of India, Chakma Buddhist Welfare Society, Young Chakma Association, Tripura Chakma Students Association and Tripura Rejjyo Chakma Gabuchya Joda.
Glasgow : , Nov 2 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart, Boris Johnson, who met on the sidelines of the COP26 World Leaders Summit in Glasgow on Monday reviewed the implementation of the Roadmap 2030 priorities.

Modi congratulated Johnson for successfully organising the COP26 and for his personal leadership in championing global action for climateAchange mitigation and adaptation.

He reiterated India's commitment to closely work with the UK on climate finance, technology, innovation and adaptation green hydrogen, renewables and clean technologies including joint initiatives under International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

The two Prime Ministers reviewed the implementation of the Roadmap 2030 priorities, particularly in the trade and economy, people-to-people, health, defence, and security areas. They expressed satisfaction at the progress in delivering the Enhanced Trade Partnership including steps taken towards the launch of FTA negotiations.

Both leaders also discussed regional and global challenges including Afghanistan, counterterrorism, Indo-Pacific, supply chain resilience and post-Covid global economic recovery.

The Prime Minister reiterated his desire to welcome Johnson to India soon, the release added.
Gandhinagar, Nov 2 : A statement of Raghu Sharma, Congress In-charge of Gujarat, that non Gujaratis are insecure and fearful, has triggered a political row in the state.

Reacting to the newly appointed Congress Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma's statement that non Gujaratis are insecure and fearful, the state BJP President C.R. Paatil said on Monday that through this statement, Sharma has insulted the entire state of Gujarat.

Raghu Sharma made the statement at a lecture commemorating the 146th Birth Anniversary of India's Iron man, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and also 37th death anniversary of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Raghu Sharma on Sunday said, "Those who came here to do business, they arrived here to provide industrial growth to Gujarat. I am talking about their mental state - there's lots of fear in them. Is democracy secure here ... Such an atmosphere is not there in any state. Then, why is it in Gujarat?" Reacting to this, the Gujarat state BJP President claimed that Raghu Sharma had insulted the people of Gujarat. Mentioning about the industrial peace in Gujarat, Paatil said that the migrants are easily getting food and shelter here.

Paatil said, "Maybe he (Sharma) doesn't have the information, but the highest number of people from various states are residing in Gujarat across the country. They wish to arrive here due to the industrial peace. They get food and shelter easily here." Demanding an apology, Paatil said that Sharma should tender an apology and take back his statement.

The Gujarat education minister Jitu Vaghani said that the Congress always plays divisive politics. He said, "The Congress at the central level should come out and express its stand on Sharma's statement."
New York, Nov 2 : New York City has witnessed substantial increase in Covid-19 vaccination among city employees since a vaccine mandate was announced on October 20, according to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The city recorded over 22,000 newly reported Covid-19 vaccinations among city workers since October 20, and up to 91 per cent of city employees had been vaccinated, said de Blasio at a press conference on Monday morning.

The vaccination rate with police department employees went up from 70 to 84 per cent in around ten days while the proportion of workers getting at least one shot of Covid-19 vaccine jumped to 83 from 62 per cent in the period, Xinhua news agency reported.

The fire department employees administered with at least one dose of vaccine also increased by more than 20 percentage points, according to New York City Mayor.

The vaccine mandate covering the vast majority of over 3,00,000 city workers took effect on Monday and those failing to follow the mandate are put on unpaid leave.

De Blasio said 9,000 city employees are on leave without pay on Monday and the remaining 12,000 unvaccinated city workers have applied for a medical or religious exemption, The vaccine mandate has led to protests by city workers from the fire department and others in recent days and concerns on shortage of staff at sanitation, fire and other divisions.

The mandate has had "literally no effect on service at this point," said New York City's Police Commissioner, Dermot Shea on Monday.

New York City said 500 US$ of incentive would be offered to city workers who could be vaccinated by 5:00 p.m. on October 29.

Employees at the city's hospitals, Education and Health departments have been subject to vaccination mandate since late September, and the vaccination mandate for partial employees at local correction department would take effect one month later.
Glasgow, Nov 2 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who met on the sidelines of the COP26 World Leaders' Summit in Glasgow on Monday reviewed the implementation of the 'Roadmap 2030' priorities.

Modi congratulated Johnson for successfully organising the COP26 and for his personal leadership in championing global action for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

He reiterated India's commitment to closely work with the UK on climate finance, technology, innovation and adaptation of green hydrogen, renewables and clean technologies, including joint initiatives under International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

The two Prime Ministers reviewed the implementation of the Roadmap 2030 priorities particularly in trade and economy, people-to-people, health, defence, and security areas. They expressed satisfaction at the progress in delivering the enhanced trade partnership, including steps taken towards the launch of free trade agreement negotiations.

Both leaders also discussed regional and global challenges, including Afghanistan, counter-terrorism, Indo-Pacific, supply chain resilience and post-Covid global economic recovery.

Modi reiterated his desire to welcome Prime Minister Johnson in India soon, the release added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Nov 2 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former Maharashtra Home Minister, Anil Deshmukh in an alleged money-laundering case after questioning him for more than 13 hours.

Deshmukh, 72, had gone to the ED office on Monday afternoon for probe into the allegations of Rs.100 crore extortion levelled by former Mumbai Police Commissioner, Param Bir Singh.

Deshmukh, a senior Nationalist Congress Party leader, had said he was appearing before the ED voluntarily as he respected the law, and.the arrest came.on expected lines.

Earlier, the former Maharashtra Home Minister on Monday morning went to the ED office for the multi-agencies probe into the allegations of extortion and corruption hurled against him by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The development came a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation nabbed a middleman Santosh Jagtap from Thane, who was an alleged conduit in the corruption deals and evading arrest.

"I respect the courts... I have voluntarily decided to come to the ED for the probe. But I want to ask where is Param Bir Singh who levelled the false allegations against me," said Deshmukh in a recorded statement before he went to the central agency accompanied by his lawyer.

Whenever he received the ED summons -- at least five -- in the past, he had promptly responded pointing out that his case was sub-judice before the courts concerned, he added.

Even for the two CBI notices, he has immediately replied citing the same reasons, and said even now his matter is pending before the Supreme Court.

"Despite all this, the ED-CBI have raided all my homes (Mumbai-Nagpur), my family members, my associates... Canards were also being spread that I am absconding for the ED, but I have come here today on my own," Deshmukh said, in an indirect swipe at the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

He pointed out how Singh, the man who hurled the fake charges at him, is 'untraceable' and has reportedly sneaked out of the country according to some reports in the media.

A senior NCP leader, Deshmukh came under a cloud in April 2020 after Singh's letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray alleging that he (Deshmukh) had set a Rs 100-crore collection target for the former dismissed cop, Sachin Vaze.

Deshmukh had moved the Bombay High Court but got no relief, while his case is pending before the Supreme Court, even as the agencies have summoned his wife Aarti and their son Hrishikesh for probes, while the ED has attached portions of his properties worth Rs 4.20 crore.

Earlier, the ED arrested Deshmukh's former close aides Sanjeev Palande and Kundan Shinde, followed by the CBI's nabbing of Jagtap amid speculation that the ex-Minister could face arrest.

The BJP state President, Chandrakant Patil welcomed the move saying that "actually, Deshmukh had no options left" but to appear before the ED as he realised that the long arms of the law will ultimately catch up with him.
Cairo, Nov 2 : Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday that developed countries must fulfill their long-standing pledges to provide 100 billion US$ per year to developing countries to face climate change.

"We are concerned about the gap between the available funding and the actual needs of developing countries as well as the obstacles that our countries face to have access to it," Sisi said during his speech at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) which is being held in Glasgow from Monday to Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Developing countries' implementation of their commitments to address climate change is conditioned by the amount of support they receive," Sisi stressed.

He noted that Egypt has initiated serious steps to apply a sustainable development model. "This model is aimed at lifting the share of government-funded green projects to 50 per cent by 2025 and 100 per cent by 2030," the Egyptian President added.

Sisi said the African continent faces the most negative repercussions and economic, social, security and political consequences of the climate change crisis.

Therefore, Egypt calls for the need to provide the African continent with special treatment, especially within the framework of implementing the Paris Agreement, given its severe conditions and the challenges it faces.

"I am confident that our summit's deliberations and outcomes will convey our political commitment to facing climate change and adapting to its negative impacts," he added.
Sanaa, Nov 2 : At least 18 Houthi rebels were killed in an overnight airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's central province of Marib, a Yemeni government military source has said "The airstrike hit the rebels while they were gathering under a tree in the centre of Al-Jubah district, killing the 18 on the spot," the source in Al-Jubah frontline told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported late on Sunday nine coalition airstrikes on the Houthi positions in Al-Jubah without providing further details, Xinhua news agency reported.

Last week, the Houthi group said they captured Al-Jubah in southern Marib after deadly fighting with the Yemeni government forces.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia began in February a major offensive on Marib in an attempt to seize control of the oil-rich province, the last northern stronghold of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Dolni Benesov Airport, Zabreh, Czech Republic [ ZBE / LKZA ]

If you are planning to travel to Zabreh or any other city in Czech Republic, this airport locator will be a very useful tool. This page gives complete information about the Dolni Benesov Airport along with the airport location map, Time Zone, lattitude and longitude, Current time and date, hotels near the airport etc... Dolni Benesov Airport Map showing the location of this airport in Czech Republic. Zabreh Airport IATA Code, ICAO Code, exchange rate etc... is also provided.

Zabreh Airport Info:

Zabreh Airport IATA Code: ZBE Zabreh Airport ICAO Code: LKZA Latitude : 49.8833 Longitude : 16.8667 City : Zabreh Country : Czech Republic World Area Code : 418 Airport Type : Small Zabreh Airport Address / Contact Details :

Dolni Benesov Airport (ZBE), 789 01 Zabreh, Czech Republic Timezone : Europe/Prague Dolni Benesov Airport Timezone : GMT +01:00 hours Current time and date at Dolni Benesov Airport is 02:35:37 AM (CET) on Sunday, Nov 21, 2021

Looking for information on Dolni Benesov Airport, Zabreh, Czech Republic? Know about Dolni Benesov Airport in detail. Find out the location of Dolni Benesov Airport on Czech Republic map and also find out airports near to Zabreh. This airport locator is a very useful tool for travelers to know where is Dolni Benesov Airport located and also provide information like hotels near Dolni Benesov Airport, airlines operating to Dolni Benesov Airport etc... IATA Code and ICAO Code of all airports in Czech Republic. Scroll down to know more about Dolni Benesov Airport or Zabreh Airport, Czech Republic.

Dolni Benesov Airport Map - Location of Dolni Benesov Airport Load Map Czech Republic - General Information Country Code CZ Capital Prague Currency Koruna (CZK)

 1 CZK = 0.044 USD

 1 USD = 22.537 CZK

 1 CZK = 0.039 EUR

 1 EUR = 25.438 CZK

 More CZK convertion rates Tel Code +420 Top Level Domain .cz

This page provides all the information you need to know about Dolni Benesov Airport, Czech Republic. This page is created with the aim of helping travelers and tourists visiting Czech Republic or traveling to Zabreh Airport. Details about Zabreh Airport given here include Dolni Benesov Airport Code - IATA Code (3 letter airport codes) and ICAO Code (4 letter airport codes)

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ZBE - Dolni Benesov Airport IATA Code and LKZA - Dolni Benesov Airport ICAO code
"This strategic relationship is a major milestone for us, and at VFS we are very pleased to have found a partner which shares our passion" Jon Stevens, Chief Financial Officer of Verde Financial Solutions.

Verde Financial Solutions (VFS), the global leader in Unattended Retail Manufacturing has announced an exclusive strategic sales partnership with Naturepay. The strategic partnership focuses on bringing mainstream PIN Based Debit processing solutions to Cannabis, CBD and Hemp related businesses across the country via Unattended Retail Kiosks. Naturepay has emerged as a leading reseller of payment solutions to merchants conducting business within the Cannabis industry, focusing on delivering unparalleled service to merchants and sales partners.

VFS, has the opportunity to deliver an unique customer experience to the end consumer with a much broader audience of Cannabis merchants with its State of the Art Kiosks. This new sales partnership with Naturepay enables Verde to work with a like-minded partner with extensive experience in helping Cannabis-related merchants to obtain steady and reliable PIN Based Debit processing. Verde will continue to focus on providing State of the Art Kiosks to the US Cannabis Industry.

"Naturepay, The brand Cannabis merchants have entrusted for more than 7 years, is excited to be finalizing our exclusive sales agreement with Verde to bring their state of the art self-serve kiosks to the cannabis market. We are excited to partner in Verde's mission to deliver kiosks to those Cannabis merchants that are most in need. Particularly for retail store-front merchants, where we will be able to offer Verde's Technology to the masses," said Justin Cummings, Vice President at Naturepay.

"This strategic relationship is a major milestone for us, and at VFS we are very pleased to have found a partner which shares our passion for delivering everyday Profitability and reliability that the industry thirsts for. It is our visions combined which will allow Cannabis retailers the ability to grow their business with immediate results." said Jon Stevens, Chief Financial Officer of Verde Financial Solutions.

About Verde:

Verde Financial Solutions Provides Automated Unattended Retail Systems for CBD, THC and everything in between. We are the only Manufacturer and Distributor to have fully integrated Age Verification, Payment Systems and Mobile App to create a seamless consumer buying experience. With our state of the art AI, combined with Live Inventory, Geofencing, and the ability to Switch Marketing Ads in Minutes our Distributors have even more options to increase their Revenue and Sales Capacity. This is why the future of vending has now arrived. Whether it's Pre Order and Pick up, Checking for Inventory, or Buying at the Machine... We are so much MORE than a Kiosk. For more information on Verde visit http://www.verderetail.com

About Naturepay:

Naturepay has been pioneering the cannabis payments landscape for close to a decade. Naturepay provides compliant and transparent cashless payment solutions to licensed cannabis dispensary and delivery companies around the country. Naturepay's connections to "cannabis friendly" banking, compliant and transparent cashless payment options, as well as seamless capabilities to integrate with point of sale systems position us for continuous growth in the industry. For more information on NaturePay, visit http://www.naturepay.net
Dr. Green dedicated his career to furthering our understanding of skin regeneration and improving the outcomes for patients, Dr. Morgan said. I am honored not only to build on his work in helping improve the lives of patients, but to do so together with Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Shriners Childrens is pleased to announce that a cutting-edge gene and stem cell therapy research program to cure the rare skin blistering disorder is to be supported by the Howard Green Center for Childrens Skin Health & Research at Shriners Hospitals for Children  Boston.

The lead scientist is Dr. Jeffrey Morgan who has proven track record of successful innovation and leadership skills. Dr. Morgan will guide this program as it pursues its goal of improving the outcomes and lives of patients with burns, skin disorders and dermatological conditions. The expert co-investigators on the research project are Robert Sheridan M.D., Mehmet Toner Ph.D., and Martin Yarmush M.D., Ph.D., all at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Shriners Childrens Boston.

Dr. Morgan has extensive experience in genetically engineering skin to treat various genetic disorders or to deliver local wound healing factors. His interdisciplinary research has produced 110 publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed scientific journals. Working in translation and commercialization of technologies, Dr. Morgan is an inventor on thirteen issued patents and was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. Innovations developed in his laboratories are distributed worldwide. Dr. Morgan has served in a number of leadership positions in academia as well as start-up companies.

Dr. Morgan trained at Massachusetts Institute of technology with Howard Green, M.D. Dr. Green was the first to grow skin grafts using a patients own cells, one of the earliest examples of stem cell therapy. The first grafts from cultured skin were used to treat two patients with life threatening burns at Shriners Hospitals for Children  Boston in the early 1980s, cementing the impact of Dr. Greens discovery as well as his bond with Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Dr. Green dedicated his career to furthering our understanding of skin regeneration and improving the outcomes for patients, Dr. Morgan said. I am honored not only to build on his work in helping improve the lives of patients, but to do so together with Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Dr. Morgans appointment as principal investigator will help the Howard Green Center for Childrens Skin Health & Research take the next step in caring for patients with devastating skin injuries and conditions, said Jerry G. Gantt, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Shriners Hospitals for Children. Dr. Morgans leadership in the field and longtime connection with Dr. Howard Green make him a natural choice to lead the research project, and we are honored to have him as an important part of our Shriners Childrens family.

About the Howard Green Center for Childrens Skin Health & Research at Shriners Childrens Boston

Founded in 2016, the Howard Green Center for Childrens Skin Health and Research at Shriners Hospitals for Children  Boston is a first-of-its kind center dedicated to advancing the field of regenerative medicine. The mission is to engage in translational research projects that work hand-in-hand with clinical practice to move regenerative medicine along the discovery continuum to bring new treatments to children more quickly. The ultimate goal is to further improve the outcomes and lives of patients with burns, skin disorders and dermatological conditions by providing world-class care regardless of the families ability to pay.

The Center is the vision of Dr. Green and his family. By making a generous and transformational gift to Shriners Hospitals for Children  Boston, Mrs. Rosine Kauffmann Green ensured her late husbands work would continue on and help children in Boston and around the world.

About Shriners Childrens

Shriners Childrens is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. Our health care system provides care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. All care and services are provided regardless of the families ability to pay. Since opening its first location in 1922, the health care system has treated more than 1.5 million children. To learn more, please visit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.

Media Contact:

Mel Bower, Shriners Hospitals for Children

813-281-8643, mbower@shrinenet.org
Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN ABQAURPs work in quality assurance and health care coordination provides practitioners with excellent educational resources

The American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, Inc. (ABQAURP) welcomes its newest member to the Board of Directors, Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN. Appointed on October 18, 2021, Mrs. Lattimer brings a wealth of Case Management and Transitions of Care knowledge to the interdisciplinary board focused on bringing Health Care Quality and Management Certification (HCQM) and education to health care professionals globally.

Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN, is Executive Director for the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) and CEO of Integrity Consulting & Advocacy. Her leadership in quality improvement, case management, care coordination, and transitions of care is known on the national and international landscape. She is affiliated with various professional organizations and maintains active roles on several national boards and committees.

I look forward to Mrs. Lattimers tenure on the board to bring her unique perspective and vast knowledge of her specialty areas to our wide array of members, says Dr. Nick Paslidis, ABQAURP Chairman of the Board. Mrs. Lattimer has worked with ABQAURP as a subject matter expert on the HCQM Exam and Core Body of Knowledge Course in developing content to develop and fortify the Case Management and Transitions of Care sub-specialties. She has been a member of ABQAURPs CME Committee for several years and is a frequent speaker at the Annual Health Care Quality & Patient Safety Conference.

ABQAURPs work in quality assurance and health care coordination provides practitioners with excellent educational resources and acknowledges the practitioners level of expertise and leadership through certification, which I support for all professionals working in this field. I am excited and honored to serve on the Board, states Cheri Lattimer.

For complete biography and to read about all of ABQAURPs distinguished Board of Directors, view the Board webpage at: https://www.abqaurp.org/ABQMain/Board_of_Directors.aspx.

About ABQAURP

Established in 1977, the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians, Inc. (ABQAURP) is an international membership association comprised of interdisciplinary health care professionals. ABQAURP is committed to maximizing patient safety and the quality of health care provided to the public by maintaining a culture of educational and certification excellence and making it available to all health care professionals. Visit: http://www.abqaurp.org for more information.


Acclaimed AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center in Loudoun County, VA, is having their biggest sale of the year with the Annual Black Friday Beauty Bash on Nov. 26. Everyone is welcome to come by or call AVIE! Medspa in Loudoun County to take advantage of event-only specials.

The team at acclaimed AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center is delighted to be holding their biggest sale of the year with the Annual Black Friday Beauty Bash. Everyone is welcome to come by or call AVIE! Medspa in Loudoun County to take advantage of event-only specials. Here are the event details, for those who are interested:

Annual Black Friday Beauty Bash!

 Where: AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center, 552 Ft Evans Rd, Suite 110

Leesburg, VA 20176

 When: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 26

 Call AVIE! at 703.737.0197 or come by to purchase

Guests will enjoy refreshments and event-only specials.

As a small, women-owned business, AVIE! is both proud and humbled to be able to serve the Loudoun County community for 12 years and counting. They are committed to excellence in training, care and client experience, from consultation to results.

To learn more or schedule a consultation, please call 703.737.0197 or visit http://www.aviemedspa.com today.

About AVIE! Medspa & Laser Center

AVIE! Medspa & Laser Center has been offering the latest in cosmetic medical spa treatments in a relaxing spa environment in Leesburg, Virginia since opening in March 2009. Owner and Master Aesthetician Kim Marinetto, RN, in conjunction with Medical Director Khalique Zahir, MD, and their highly skilled team of nurses, nurse practitioners and aestheticians, provide specialized cosmetic and aesthetic programs so each of their clients needs are addressed on an individual basis with personalized follow-ups.

Aesthetic treatments at AVIE! have minimal to no downtime. Services include EMSCULPT, EMSCULPT NEO, EMTONE, Halo, microneedling, Vivace Microneedle RF, CoolSculpting, Ultherapy, Botox, Juvederm Ultra XC, Juvederm Ultra Plus XC, Vollure XC, Voluma XC, Volbella XC, chemical peels, MicroLaserPeel, BBL photofacials, HydraFacial MD, dermaplaning, skin tightening, ProFractional Skin Resurfacing, laser hair removal, professional skin analysis, PRP, PRFM, vitamin B12 shots and blepharoplasty by Dr. Zahir. AVIE! has performed over 315,000 Botox and dermal filler treatments since 2009. AVIE! also carries physician-level skin care and makeup. Consultations are complimentary and financing is available. For more information, please call 703-870-3844 or visit http://www.aviemedspa.com.

About Kim Marinetto, RN & Master Aesthetician

Kim Marinetto has over 33 years of experience as a registered nurse. In the past 15 years, she has focused her practice on cosmetic medicine, adding to her credentials a Medical Aesthetician Certification in 2006, along with additional certifications in Botox Cosmetic, facial fillers, sclerotherapy and various advanced laser systems. Kim is a Master Aesthetician in the state of Virginia. Additionally, Kim is an Aesthetic Provider Council member for Alastin Skincare USA. She has done extensive training on laser technology and her coursework is recognized by the AMA.

About Khalique Zahir, MD

Dr. Khalique Zahir, medical director of AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center, graduated from West Virginia School of Medicine and is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and The American Board of Surgery. Dr. Zahir practiced general surgery from 19921999 at West Virginia University and St. Marys Hospital, then cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 19992001. Dr. Zahir also holds a Virginia Medical License and a Maryland Medical License. He has written over 20 articles published in national health journals and is an assistant clinical professor of surgery at VCU School of Medicine.
Leading technology experts gathered at the European Internet Forum to talk about the disruptions and opportunities they face across industries. Additionally, the event was an attempt to understand the future of the Internet and its influence on the EU's society.

The Solutions Advisor at Intellectsoft, Alexander Volt, spoke on the digitalisation of the healthcare industry in the EU. In his presentation, Alexander shared the following insights:

1. Data at the forefront of the digital transformation in healthcare, EU leading

Health 4.0 makes healthcare more personalised, bespoke, and precision-driven. The rise in data-driven digital health initiatives goes beyond streamlining services and operations but also impacts digitisation. The industry allows for a distributed market for data, where patient records and history can be instantly accessible by the medical institutions within and across the EU while maintaining full compliance with confidentiality and data protection rules, essentially making the EU a leader in data-driven healthcare.

Furthermore, large data sets can be algorithmically analysed to allow real-time assessments and predict health trends while taking patient demographics into account. This can be a significant driver for health care policies, helping care providers address the bottlenecks based on the historical and forecasted dynamics.

2. Large amounts of data as a critical pillar of innovation: Taiwan study

A Taiwanese study analysed database health records of nearly 800 million patient visits to identify previously unmarked cancer disease associations across genders and ages through early detection of cancer comorbidities. When interlinked data is available for analysis, predictive algorithms become more accurate and effective.

Open NCP is an excellent example of a recent initiative that connects the national health system across multiple European countries. However, despite high technology access and computer literacy levels across European nations, many clinics and hospitals still haven't fully implemented these digital technologies into their environments. Facilitating this change would require strong leadership at the EU level and clear guidelines detailing this transformational journey.

3. Technology prevents mental health and burnout issues among healthcare workers

Many doctors and clinical staff across Europe teeter on the brink of exhaustion, especially in clinics that work with underprivileged demographics. The teams spend a bulk of their time collecting patients' history, tracking records, and updating EHR and their internal CRM systems, significantly limiting the effective use of time and the quality of the provided services.

That's why automating administrative activities has become one of the main priorities of healthcare facilities. It ensures that less time is wasted on filling forms while enabling patient-centric service design, and the maximum time is allocated to the actual care.

4. Security and anonymity as major concerns when sharing sensitive data

Security and anonymity are valid concerns, especially when it comes to storing sensitive patient information.

The General Data Protection Regulation emphasizes the importance of informed consent from the patient to share the information, which can be a significant bottleneck in a large-scale rollout of digitisation initiatives.

The right way to address and solve this is through high EU level leadership to address and solve this issue. The need is to educate stakeholders, help them understand compliance procedures, and provide a clear framework for implementing these initiatives. Ultimately, these digital initiatives across the EU's healthcare system will provide rich and accurate data trends for policy design, medical research and play a role in improving patient wellness.

About Intellectsoft

Founded in 2007, Intellectsoft is a digital transformation consultancy and engineering company that delivers cutting-edge solutions for global organizations. For more than 14 years, Intellectsoft has been helping Fortune 500 companies and established brands in building solid software foundations for their businesses. Intellectsoft delivered innovative software solutions to companies like Guinness, EY, Land Rover, Jaguar and Disney. The company was named one of the most highly-rated software development B2B companies in 2021 by Clutch, and ranked No. 244 on Inc. Magazine's list of the fastest-growing private companies in the New York City Metro Region.


Apcelas Private APN service simplifies management of global IoT ecosystems for both enterprises and platform service providers

Apcela, the leader in software-defined, cloud-optimized enterprise network services, today announced the global expansion of its Internet of Things (IoT) Private Access Point Name (APN) gateways across its global Arcus Connect Platform. Apcelas Private APN service interconnects directly with wireless carrier networks, hyperscale cloud providers, and enterprise data centers across its distributed global network of 60 AppHUBs on the Arcus Connect Platform.

Within the Private APN service, each AppHUB enables distributed security and edge compute, so that wireless data traffic is secured, pre-processed, then routed on Apcelas low-latency global MPLS network directly to its destination. The platform enables IoT endpoint devices to integrate securely and directly with corporate applications whether hosted in the cloud or private data centers.

Gartner, in its 2021 Magic Quadrant for Managed IoT Connectivity Services, notes, Enterprises are looking for managed IoT connectivity providers with higher integration with hyperscalers for their connected products.(1) Apcelas Private APN Service aggregates IoT connectivity directly from the wireless carriers, provides security and preprocessing at the edge, then integrates directly with the hyperscalers via private cloud connectivity directly to the selected cloud platform.

Apcela launched its Private APN service in 2019 across a limited set of AppHUBs for a global IoT platform provider that provides an extensive suite of infrastructure and systems for utilities and smart cities across four continents. Apcela has since expanded the service, making it available across all 60 of its AppHUBs, simplifying the integration of IoT endpoints and data from wireless carriers in more than 120 countries across North and South America, EMEA, and AsiaPac.

Gartner, in its 2021 Critical Capabilities for Managed IoT Connectivity Services, continued, Building an IoT-enabled business is complex due to the variety of the components needed  spanning from the edge hardware to different connectivity technologies, management platforms and analytics. This situation raises many concerns for organizations around security, service delivery, global reach and local support in finding the right vendor to simplify the management of the ecosystem in a secured way and with service delivery guarantees.(2)

Apcelas Private APN service simplifies management of global IoT ecosystems for both enterprises and platform service providers, said Kunal Thakker, VP for Product and Solutions Engineering at Apcela. Leveraging the global reach of our Arcus Platform, we ease the burden of securing millions of IoT devices with the ability to add a range of distributed security and compute services at the edge.

The Private APN and IoT gateway solutions are offered via Apcelas Arcus Platform and global network of AppHUBs. They are part of a suite of enterprise multi-cloud WAN solutions across connectivity, security, and intelligence layers, simplifying deployment of the networking and security services needed to move mission critical applications and data to the cloud.

Sources:

1.Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Managed IoT Connectivity Services, Worldwide Pablo Arriandiaga, Eric Goodness, Leif-Olof Wallin, Jonathan Davenport, March 24, 2021

2.Gartner, Critical Capabilities for Managed IoT Connectivity Services, Worldwide Pablo Arroandiaga, Eric Goodness, et. al, May 26, 2021.

About Apcela

Apcela provides software-defined, cloud optimized networks for the digitally transforming enterprise. Delivered as a service, the Arcus Platform simplifies, and speeds enterprise deployment of software-defined network and security architectures built for a multi-cloud world.
This offers our Texas clients another way we at Array help lawyers focus their time on crafting a winning case strategy.

Array, a national litigation support firm, announces that the company is now available to prepare and serve subpoenas for clients in Texas.

"We are thrilled to enlarge our footprint of services in Texas," said Thadd Hale, Array's chief executive officer. "In addition to our other services, this offers our Texas clients another way we at Array help lawyers focus their time on crafting a winning case strategy.

Texas is now the second state where Array provides subpoena services; the program was initiated and refined in California.

More Legal Support for the Longhorn State

Pillars of Arrays Texas Subpoena Services program include:



Deposition Officer: As a clients designated Deposition Officer, Array gathers the documents requested and, if needed, travels to scan documents on-site. The company has experience in medical, employment, government and business records retrieval.

Subpoena Preparation: Array offers trained professionals who can draft subpoenas with accuracy and efficiency.

Service of Process: Array maintains a statewide team of process servers to serve documents expeditiously.

Continued Pattern of Growth

The addition of the Texas Subpoena Services practice is the latest example of sustained growth for Array, which was created in August 2020 by the merger of Innovative Litigation and iNSERViO3.

In July 2021, Array announced a merger with The Gnoesis Group, a leading provider of managed review, contract legal staffing and legal recruiting. Both moves reflect Arrays dedication to being a comprehensive solution for legal departments and law firms.

About Array

For law firms and legal departments, Array is the litigation support partner that delivers speed, accuracy and service. With offices in California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Washington DC, the company provides smart, nimble and experienced teams for eDiscovery, managed review, court reporting services, contract legal staffing, legal recruiting, subpoena services (in California and Texas) and alternative dispute resolution (in California).

For more information, visit http://www.trustarray.com.
Inspira Party Suite at Atelier Playa Mujeres, Mexico. It is an honor to know that the vanguardist facilities of our luxurious resort, ATELIER  ESTUDIO Playa Mujeres, and, above all, the personalized service of all of our Arteleros, declared Mascia Nadin, COO of ATELIER de Hoteles.

ATELIER  ESTUDIO Playa Mujeres All Suites Luxury Resort, operated by ATELIER de Hoteles, the Mexican hotel chain that is recognized for its innovative concept of Handcrafted Hospitality announced that it received two recognitions as "Mexico's Leading Beach Resort" and "Mexico's Leading Conference Hotel", which are granted annually by the World Travel Awards organization.

These awards are presented to businesses within the travel and tourism industry that offer services or products of the highest standards. The voting process for all the categories began March 30, 2021, and at that time clients and the general public were allowed to begin casting their votes for their preferred industry company that had been nominated.

Everyone, within the ATELIER de Hoteles family, we feel very excited and proud to receive two very important recognitions in the 2021 World Travel Awards, especially since our luxurious resort, ATELIER  ESTUDIO Playa Mujeres, opened only two years ago. With travel reactivation, the notable tendency of travelers searching for the best tourism products in the world has presented itself, hence, the winning of a World Travel Award this year is more valuable than ever, stated Oliver Reinhart, CEO of ATELIER de Hoteles.

It is important to mention that the 2021 World Travel Awards program registered a record number of monthly votes from tourism consumers. Additionally, the institution's website also received more search traffic than any other year to date. The above confirms that as the global recuperation process gains momentum, the desire to travel does as well.

It is an honor to know that the vanguardist facilities of our luxurious resort, ATELIER  ESTUDIO Playa Mujeres, and, above all, the personalized service of all of our Arteleros, has been recognized with these awards that are greatly renowned internationally. I would like to express my gratitude to all who have voted for us, but, principally to the guests who have trusted us to enjoy their marvelous vacations in Cancun, and to our Arteleros for their consistent passion for Handmade Hospitality, declared Mascia Nadin, COO of ATELIER de Hoteles.

Notably, ATELIER  ESTUDIO Playa Mujeres is a luxurious, all-inclusive, 5+ star resort that houses a facility that caters exclusively to adults and guests 16+ years of age, however, there is also a separate segment that is dedicated to family reconnection in a kid-friendly environment. Both hotels offer a sophisticated experience that is highlighted by contemporary Mexican art and an immersive culinary proposal, and it is even more spectacular because of the incredible natural beauty of the surrounding Caribbean Sea.

For additional information regarding the World Travel Awards, visit the official website: https://www.worldtravelawards.com/profile-39546-atelier-playa-mujeres

Acerca de:

ATELIER de Hoteles is an innovative and bold Mexican hotel group founded in 2015, inspired by a high-end focus on contemporary Mexican art as the central element and a driving force of the concepts that include strategy, passion, and commitment. ATELIER de Hoteles four brands, ATELIER, ESTUDIO, OLEO, and MET, offer relaxed luxury with the highest standards of service at their properties located in the Hotel Zone and Playa Mujeres, both in Cancun. Other beach and urban locations are currently on the way.
The growth Praecipio Consulting has experienced is a testament to our team's ongoing commitment to helping our clients excel at what they do.

Praecipio Consulting, a leading IT services and business process management consulting firm based in Austin, TX, has been named by Austin Business Journal as one of the 50 fastest-growing companies in Central Texas for 2021. Praecipio Consulting first debuted on this exclusive list in 2017, and this year, the consulting firm ranked #15 in the $10M+ category.

We are thrilled to have Austin Business Journal include Praecipio Consulting on the Fast 50 list for the fifth consecutive year. It's an honor to be recognized alongside other leaders building amazing companies in Central Texas," said Christian Lane, CEO and Founding Partner of Praecipio Consulting. "The growth Praecipio Consulting has experienced is a testament to our team's ongoing commitment to helping our clients excel at what they do. We are thankful to call Austin home and look forward to a bright future filled with new opportunities to deliver more business value to enterprise clients and contribute to our local community."

Austin continues to have one of the most competitive business markets in the country, and when determining the Fast 50 winners, Austin Business Journal looks at revenue growth for businesses based in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell, Bastrop and Burnet counties with at least $500,000 in net revenue from 2018 to 2020. Companies on the Fast 50 list are ranked into two groups: those with revenue totaling $500,000 to $9,999,999, and those with $10 million-plus. For a complete list of the Fast 50 2021 winners, visit Austin Business Journal.

About Praecipio Consulting

Praecipio Consulting is a leading business process and technology consulting firm based in Austin, Texas helping organizations successfully achieve their digital transformation goals. Specializing in process frameworks, including Agile, IT Service Management (ITSM), DevOps, and Enterprise Service Management, Praecipio Consulting serves as a strategic partner to industry leaders and organizations of all sizes, optimizing business processes with Atlassians robust product suite and other category-leading technologies. As an Atlassian Platinum Enterprise Solution Partner, Praecipio Consulting offers integrated business and technology solutions that help clients deliver a delightful customer experience, increase costs savings, and improve business performance. Since establishing an official partnership with Atlassian in 2008, Atlassian has recognized Praecipio Consulting as their Partner of the Year for five of the last six years, including ITSM Partner of the Year in 2018 and Enterprise Services Partner of the Year in 2020.

To learn more, visit http://www.praecipio.com and listen to The Digital Transformation(ists) podcast. Join the Praecipio Consulting community on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
The American Guerillas By Rod MacDonald I made a promise to him that made me begin my first work of fiction. I traveled and met many impactful and interesting people on Native American reservations. Throughout the book, readers will see how I incorporated my experiences within the story.

In Rod MacDonalds newly released novel, The American Guerillas, he pens a story of lovers who must risk everything to solve a mystery that defines their fate. MacDonald provides an alternative view of adult life that highlights the importance of searching for meaning while the main characters are running from a murder chase they did not commit. Readers will be hooked to the never-ending drama that the main characters face.

The American Guerillas incorporates the genre of magical realism and vividly paints a gripping plot involving time travel, the tarot and Native American spirituality. MacDonalds story is told through a crime narrative while weaving a loving relationship for any reader to enjoy. Readers will also learn a few things about Native American teachings and how the world is meant to sustain society through the spiritual growth of humanity.

I rewrote The American Guerillas after the passing of my nephew, Brian, said MacDonald. I made a promise to him that made me begin my first work of fiction. I traveled and met many impactful and interesting people on Native American reservations. Throughout the book, readers will see how I incorporated my experiences within the story.

As the details unfold, the author has readers questioning how the story will end and who really committed the murder in question. Ultimately, The American Guerillas provides a thrilling story of love, spirit and magic on every page.

The American Guerillas

By Rod MacDonald

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0373-4 (softcover); 978-1-6657-0374-1 (eBook)

Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Rod MacDonald earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from Columbia University. While during his studies, he was working as a news reporter for the Hartford Courant and Newsweek. MacDonald began singing in New York City coffeehouses while a student, and as a full-time musician and songwriter, joined the Greenwich Village music scene. He has released 13 solo albums and recorded 21 songs now in the Smithsonian Folkways collection. He has published two novels, one titled The Open Mike, which is about the kinds of young, dedicated songwriters that MacDonald knew in New Yorks Greenwich Village, and his newly released book, The American Guerillas. MacDonald also is a lecturer on music history at Florida Atlantic University and resides in Delray Beach, FL, with his wife and their two children.

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

gconnor@lavidge.com | 480-998-2600
Avalanche Technology, the leader in next generation MRAM technology, announced today that its new 3rd generation space-grade serial and parallel asynchronous x32-interface high-reliability P-SRAM (Persistent SRAM) memory devices, based on its latest Spin Transfer Torque Magneto-resistive RAM (STT-MRAM) technology, will go through PEMS-INST-001 flow for use in Military and Space applications. Avalanches new generation (Gen-3) of High Reliability, High Density Production MRAM devices have now passed several milestones in radiation testing. On August 2nd at Texas A&M University, assisted by CAES and Apogee Semiconductor, the Gen-3 test chip was tested for Single Event Latch-up (SEL) with none observed at Xe - 57.1MeV*cm2/mg @ 110C to a fluence of 1E7 ions/cm2. On October 7th at Defense Microelectronics Activity, the Gen-3 test-chip was tested by Micross for Total Ionizing Dose (TID) at 175krads with negligible change in IDD. On October 27th the production 1Gb Gen-3 device was tested at Texas A&M University with No SEL observed at Xe  56.1MeV*cm2/mg @ 100C to a fluence of 1E7 ions/cm2.

"Avalanches high density MRAM devices are a key enabling technology for high-performance space computing applications. With densities up to 4 Gb and the intrinsic immunity of magnetic storage to both ionizing dose and single event effects, these devices enable applications that Flash-based memory simply cannot. Ibeos plans to incorporate this technology into our next-generation payload processor devices said John Bevilacqua, CTO and Founder at Ibeos.

Having simplified the system architecture in Space to enable higher reliability, lower cost systems with our Gen-3 devices, we are removing the barriers for Space Engineers to enable innovation rather than spend time validating if a terrestrial design will work in space. said Danny Sabour, VP of Sales and Marketing at Avalanche Technology. Having a heritage of supplying MRAM to demanding Industrial customers, the latest radiation test results from TAMU give us the confidence that we are on the cusp of a revolution in Space. We are doing our part in the democratization of Space by delivering the features that enable system designers to deliver Intelligent Autonomous AI enabled Space-IoT platforms .

The PEMS-INST-001 flow Parallel x32 and Serial QSPI/OSPI Space Grade series is offered in 64Mb, 256Mb, 1Gb and 4Gb density options with asynchronous SRAM compatible 45ns/45ns read/write timings or 200MHz DDR OSPI Serial interface. Data is always non-volatile with >10^16 write cycles endurance and 10-year retention at 125C. Parallel devices will be available in a 142-Ball FBGA (17mm x 15mm) package, and serial devices will be available in a 88-ball FBGA (20mm x 15mm) package. The devices are offered in Space Grade (-40C to 125C) operating temperature range.

More information about the Parallel and Serial families of Space Grade P-SRAM products is available at https://www.avalanche-technology.com/products/discrete-mram/aerospace/.

Availability

All density options in Avalanches Parallel x32 Space Grade series will be available to customers participating in the early access program. Customers can request early samples through the Early Access Program page at https://www.avalanche-technology.com/products/discrete-mram/aerospace/.

About Avalanche Technology

Avalanche Technology Inc. is the leader in next generation Perpendicular STT-MRAM technology, accepted as the front-runner to replace traditional Flash and SRAM for unified memory architectures in future SOC systems, delivering high performance and low power at 55, 40, 28 and 22nm, with scalability to 14nm. With a proven STT-MRAM portfolio at multiple geometry nodes combined with an intellectual property portfolio of over 300 patents and applications, Avalanche Technology is delivering on the promise of enabling the next generation of scalable embedded unified memory architecture for use in GPUs, MCUs, DSPs, ASSPs and ASICs, making it the true Next Generation MRAM Company. For more information, visit us online at https://www.avalanche-technology.com.

About Ibeos

Founded in 2013, Ibeos provides high performance spacecraft avionics with next-generation performance focusing on size, weight, power, performance, and cost. Ibeos manufactures for defense, aerospace, prime contractors, government agencies and satellite manufacturers. Ibeos product lines include high-performance payload processors, optical modems, batteries, and power electronics. With a state-of-the-art manufacturing and testing facility, including vacuum and thermal chambers in Reston, Virginia, Ibeos offers quick-turn prototypes and flight articles for space. For more information, visit us online at https://www.ibeos.com.
CytoVeris Inc., a medical device company developing intraoperative visualization technologies to improve surgical decision making, today announced that the company has been awarded a National Cancer Institute Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to establish the feasibility of its AI-powered UV-autofluorescence technology in patients with bladder cancer.

Over 74,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year. More than 87% of those patients are treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) procedures to remove the cancer. This innovative application of AI-powered imaging improves the quality of TURBT procedures by ensuring complete excision of cancerous tissue, enabling surgeons to visualize various tissue types intraoperatively and confirm they have reached the muscular tissue in the bladder, which is essential for adequate staging of the disease.

Our innovative platform technology combines artificial intelligence with advanced imaging and has the unique flexibility to be applied to multiple disease areas, said Dr. Alan Kersey, CEO and Founder of CytoVeris. We are incredibly excited to have been awarded this grant and about our ongoing partnership with Hartford Hospital. TURBT procedures are one of many procedures where our technology can potentially be applied to improve clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients treated with surgery following a cancer diagnosis.

The $400,000 Phase 1 grant will be used to validate the application of CytoVeris technology and demonstrate its safety in a clinical study, to be conducted in collaboration with Hartford Hospital. The proposal was regarded as highly innovative, demonstrating the potential of the technology to directly improve the lives of patients following a bladder cancer diagnosis and potentially decrease the likelihood that patients would need to undergo multiple TURBT procedures.

The NCI SBIR program is highly competitive, said Patrick Curry, COO of CytoVeris. The selection of our project for funding by NIH speaks to the clinical need and potential of our technology in this important application, as well as to the strength of our team working in collaboration with Hartford HealthCare.

The technology CytoVeris is developing may prove to help surgeons remove bladder tumors with greater precision, accuracy, and confidence that the cancerous tissue was removed the first time, said Dr. Anoop Meraney, Director of Urologic Oncology at Hartford HealthCare and co-investigator for the research trial. We are enthusiastic about collaborating with CytoVeris and are looking forward to continuing to explore this technology in subsequent clinical studies.

Peter Yu, Physician-in-Chief of Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute said, We are very excited to become a part of the clinical validation of the proposed device. I am delighted to see the enthusiasm and engagement of my colleagues, Drs. Anoop Meraney and Margaret Assaad, who are co-investigators of this study. We look forward to working with CytoVeris to develop this innovative technology and bring a product to market that meets a significant unmet clinical need in oncology.

This research is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1R43CA265673. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Read more at: https://reporter.nih.gov/search/ddwnU7hjoUmPEekM6IY0VQ/project-details/10325131#similar-Projects

About CytoVeris:

With a passion for science and compassion for cancer patients, CytoVeris is leveraging the convergence of powerful optical technologies, knowledge of biochemical alteration during carcinogenesis, and artificial intelligence to bring new capabilities into the hands of surgeons, improving outcomes and accessibility for surgeons and patients alike. The company aims to enhance the quality of surgical resection by creating the tools surgeons need to remove each patients cancer in a single surgery. To learn more, visit http://www.cytoveris.com.
When you lead an organization, you hold an important ethical responsibility. Your decisions will, unlike others, shape the values of your entire team, says Medina.

Following three decades of service as a Marine at various levels, General Joseph V. Medina decided to utilize his military experience and knowledge in a corporate leadership career. In honor of Veterans Day coming up, readers will discover the vital lessons Medina learned from several of the United States military's most distinguished leaders as well as how they can apply these lessons in the business community in Battlefield to Business: One Marines Inner Voyage of Ethical Leadership.

In the book, Medina helps business leaders address common issues that he too has faced both on the battlefield and in the business world. Readers will learn how to improve their leadership skills, address ethical dilemmas they may face and how to lead a team during crisis as a respected and trusted leader. Medina discusses how leaders must be leaders and not just managers sitting in a leaders chair and emphasizes that the corporate world is a battlefield of its own and that ethics are not just preached, but they are lived.

When you lead an organization, you hold an important ethical responsibility. Your decisions will, unlike others, shape the values of your entire team, says Medina.

Currently, Medina is a speaker presenting at high schools and colleges discussing ethical leadership practices. It is his hope that with Battlefield to Business, his lifes work will inspire others to become better leaders. A portion of the books proceeds will be donated to veterans support and youth development programs.

Battlefield to Business has received praise on Amazon.

This is a book on ethical leadership. So many books out there on how to lead - but so few books out there willing to broach the subject of how to lead ethically. General Medina utilizes a step-by-step approach that is based on 30+ years of leading the World's Finest in both combat and peacetime. The reader is presented with "Medina Maxims," which serve as templates to maximize decision making through ethical dilemma decision matrixes.  Amazon Reviewer

Battlefield to Business: One Marines Inner Voyage of Ethical Leadership

By Joseph V. Medina

ISBN: 9781663221810 (softcover); 9781663221827 (electronic)

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iUniverse

About the author

Joseph V. Medina is originally from Ventura County, California. Following graduation from the United States Naval Academy, he served as a Marine for three decades. Serving in leadership positions at every level, he culminated his service as a Marine Corps General Officer in multiple assignments, including Commander of Expeditionary Strike Group THREE, Commander of the Marine Corps' most complex installation and Commanding General of 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Okinawa, Japan. Since leaving the Marine Corps, Medina switched his focus to corporate leadership with a specific emphasis on leveraging the lessons he learned as a military leader. He served over ten years in senior corporate positions and on multiple boards of international companies. In 2021, he established the Inner Voyage Leadership Group to assist aspiring and established leaders in developing world class ethical leadership skills. He is also the CEO of the Asia Pacific Strategies and Solutions Group, a Fellow and Member of the Board of the American College of National Security Leaders and a Board Member of the Hispanic Veterans Leadership Alliance. Medina currently resides in Houston, Texas. To learn more, please visit his website and connect with him on LinkedIn.

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Meghan Bowman

480-306-6597

mbowman@lavidge.com
Early on a chilly October morning, the Little Sisters of the Poors North Side elderly care facility sustained thousands of dollars in flood damage due to a broken sprinkler. A WGN-TV news story showed wet, crumbled ceiling tiles laying amid puddles on the floor of the facility. Devon Bank President Tom Olivieri saw this while watching the morning news and immediately knew he wanted to help.

Devon Bank made a $6,000 donation to Little Sisters of the Poor via The Loundy Charitable Foundation. The donation is intended to cover the cost of repairs needed to mainly office spaces in the building.

Cleanup is already underway and Little Sisters of the Poors Sister Charles Patricia told WGN-TV that she was thankful no residents were displaced. Receiving Devon Banks donation, Sister Charles Patricia said, This donation will help us clean up, repair the damages, and get back to a fully operational mode serving the elderly poor.

The Little Sisters of the Poor have been caring for Chicagos elderly for more than 145 yearsopening its first facility in the area in 1876. Whether youve been in our community for years like the Little Sisters of the Poor, or you are brand new to it, we want you to know that Devon bank is there for you, said Olivieri.

The Loundy Charitable Foundation is an Illinois not-for-profit organization created by Devon Bank to serve the local community. The Foundation supports community groups, education, health care and community development. The Foundation is also the host charity for Devon Banks Well-Rounded Debit Cards where your pocket change is rounded up to a charity bucket of your choice.

For more information about The Loundy Charitable Foundation, or to donate, visit https://www.devonbank.com/the-loundy-charitable-foundation/.

For more information about Devon Banks Well-Rounded Debit Cards, visit https://www.devonbank.com/roundup/.

About Devon Bank

Owned and operated by the Loundy family since 1953, Devon Bank is in its third generation of family leadership as an independent, community bank, with David Loundy serving as its Chairman and CEO. The Bank has been serving the Chicagoland area since 1945. Devon Bank is a full-service bank with a wide range of retail and business deposit products and services, trust, and investment services, as well as a complete range of residential and commercial financing products, including specialized faith-based financing products to meet the religious needs of its customer base. Devon Bank serves a very diverse customer base with its headquarters in a vibrant North Side community. As of today, the Banks approximately 145 employees speak at least 28 different languages.

The Bank now serves four geographic communities in Illinois (Chicago, Glenview, Wheeling, and a Loan Center in Bridgeview). In addition, with its faith-based products, it serves communities of interest across the country.

The Bank recently celebrated 75 years, is a member of the Community Bankers Association of Illinois, and is an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau. To learn more about Devon Bank, visit http://www.DevonBank.com.
IARFC Fall Issue of the Register The connections of the chapters are strengthened through the exchange of practical ideas, common to Financial Consultants no matter where they are located... Gamalielh Ariel Benavides, RFC, President of IARFC Philippines.

Leadership Roles

Inside the publication are hiring opportunities for Region Directors. These leadership roles will be instrumental in advancing the Association over the next 1-3 years. In his Trustees Chair article, Trustee Chair H. Stephen Bailey, Ph.D., MRFC discusses the Value of Trust involved in being a leader  whether it pertains to the Association or a consultants personal practice.

Kurt Schroeder, RFC, is introduced in the Member Focus Section. He is an excellent example of someone utilizing his experience and knowledge from his first career and transitioning it into a second career in financial services. Coming from a nursing background where developing care plans for patients, he is used to combining the data and emotional factors and coming up with detailed plan of action to achieve results. This serves him well as he connects to his niche market of healthcare professionals as potential clients. Kurt is also the first Region Director for the IARFC.

Additional contributed articles include:



Why Financial Literacy? And the Foundation It Stands On.

Are You a Student of the Industry?

Content Marketing to Turn Followers into Clients

Im in Sales. Is Education Really Necessary?

Our Nation is in Trouble and We are a Big Part of the Problem

The Financial Education Deficit

Other Register Highlights

The New Issue of the Journal of Personal Finance is available. It can be downloaded free by members or a hard copy purchased through the IARFC Store.

The National Financial Plan Competition is looking for Individual and Corporate Sponsors as it conducts the 2022 competition. Supporting the Competition is a great way for giving back to the industry and investing in the next generation of Financial Consultants. Sponsorship information can be found on the IARFC website.

The IARFC is looking for nominations for the Founders Award. Review the qualifications, download the form and submit a name for consideration.

Internationally, the Philippines Chapter has wrapped up Season 3 of its Podcast Series featuring international speakers. Links to all the podcasts can be found on the IARFCPH website page. We appreciate the time and effort extended by the US Chapter in contributing to the International Podcast Series, commented Sir Gamalielh Ariel Benavides, RFC, President of the IARFC Philippines Chapter and part of the Podcast Interview Team. The connections of the chapters are strengthened through the exchange of practical ideas, common to Financial Consultants no matter where they are located.

To access the Register, visit the IARFC website. Those interested in sharing with others about their practice and being published can reach out to editor Susan Cappa at editor@iarfc.org. A new Editorial Calendar for 2022 has is ready. Consider contributing for the February 2022 Winter Issue.


Front Desk Supply, a leading hospitality supplier based in San Diego, CA, analyzed the supply chain industry and noticed a decreased trend in on-time performance across the following shipping carriers: the U.S. Postal Service, DHL and FedEx. To reduce pressure from supply chain delays and increased shipments in Q4 due to holiday demand, Front Desk Supply has developed a special offer to encourage hospitality managers to order custom hotel supply items at the beginning of November that can be found at http://www.FrontDeskSupply.com/November2021/.

Hospitality businesses are getting ready for the busy holiday season and need their hotel supply orders to arrive on time, said Mark Zisek, Director of Commercial Operations, Front Desk Supply. Weve analyzed and reviewed our real time data for the on-time performance for the top shipping carriers and have seen a downward trend since August. Front Desk Managers know that custom hotel supplies require additional time to be manufactured on the front end, unfortunately they should also anticipate delays on the back end from shipping carriers, Zisek added.

Front Desk Supply is an industry leader in hospitality supplies, offering diverse items, including key cards, key card holders, Do Not Disturb signs, notepads, pens, valet tags, concierge tags, parking permits, and luggage tags. As the industrys needs surrounding sanitization and safety grew in 2020, the company introduced new additions of personal protective equipment such as face masks, sneeze guards, signage, tamper-tape, and more.

Earlier this year, hotels were revitalized by summer vacations, but as the holidays approach and international travel to the U.S. is easier, theyre seeing an abundance of guests, Zisek added. The busy season is here. Its the last chance for hoteliers and front desk managers to order custom hotel products, such as festive winter items, and receive them in time for use. I encourage placing orders in advance as shipping carrier performance trends are showing a decline and avoid a repeat of 2020, Zisek said.

Front Desk Supply is taking steps to be sure these delays are being communicated so that customers are aware of, and can plan for, these delays. For the month of November, Front Desk Supply has created a special offer available at http://www.FrontDeskSupply.com/November2021/ to help businesses in the struggling hospitality industry.

About Front Desk Supply

Front Desk Supply has over 50 years of Sales, Marketing and Advertising, and Operations experience, along with the wealth of knowledge that comes from producing millions of products for thousands of hotels in the hospitality industry.

Their focus on building customer relationships is ingrained in all employees. Putting the customer first and offering a unique perspective to any situation is a hallmark of Front Desk Supply. Front Desk Supply excels in providing multiple complementary products  it makes for a one-stop shopping experience for customers and ensures messaging flows consistently across products. They expertly offer recommendations that make good business sense.

Front Desk Supply: Making hotels more profitable and their guests stays more memorable.

Contact:

Mark Zisek

Front Desk Supply

mzisek@access-mktg.com

Phone: 858-699-4701/ Fax: 501-665-6489


When looking to buy new coverage for their vehicle, drivers should consider some essential things before making a decision. Things like how much coverage they need, deductible, and coverage limits are important and they can help drivers get the policy they want, said Russell Rabichev, IMC

Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents a guide that can help drivers get the best car insurance policy.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/how-much-car-insurance-do-you-really-need

Drivers who moved to a new state, or have recently bought a new vehicle, are probably searching for a car insurance policy. Every single driver has different coverage needs, budgets, and options available to them. To understand how much coverage they need, drivers should analyze their current situation, weigh their options, and then make an educated decision.

Before getting an insurance quote, drivers should follow the next steps:



List the coverage they have, want, and need. Knowing what is already insured will help the driver in the process of getting new insurance. Without going through this step, drivers might be tempted to pick up the cheapest offer, possibly wasting good money.

Learn about the coverage limits. When buying liability coverage, drivers can see them listed as 100/300/50. This is one of the more common auto insurance policy structures and is also the limit that most insurers currently recommend for liability coverage. The first two numbers represent bodily injury liability coverage and the third represents property damage liability coverage. This means that the insurance policy of a driver involved in an at-fault accident will pay up to $100,000 in injuries per person, $300,000 in injuries per accident, and $50,000 in property damage per accident.

Consider dropping coverage for older vehicles. Drivers of newer vehicles should not have more coverage on their older vehicles. Older vehicles are more likely to break down, have lesser safety features, cost more to repair, and are easier to steal. They also value less, and in many cases keeping collision coverage doesnt make sense. However, to protect their vehicles from theft, some owners purchase comprehensive coverage.

Consider adding family members to the policy. Anyone who lives under the same roof as the policyholder is eligible to be part of the family plan. When covering an entire family under one policy, the policyholder is eligible for multiple discounts. Also, if there is more than one vehicle in the household, the policyholder can get a discount for insuring multiple cars. Furthermore, the auto insurance policy can be combined with other policies such as homeowners insurance, health insurance, boat insurance, and more.

Consider the deductible limits. The deductible is the amount of money the policyholders need to pay before the insurance kicks in. When buying an insurance policy, drivers should determine how much they can pay for the deductible. To keep car insurance costs to a minimum, drivers can choose the highest deductible. Premiums decrease as the deductible increases.

For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/

Compare-autoinsurance.org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc.
The Jael Finishing School for Ladies: Etiquette for Dangerous Women: an inspiring approach to claiming ones faith. The Jael Finishing School for Ladies: Etiquette for Dangerous Women is the creation of published author Jaime Hope McArdle, who founded the Allegheny Mountain String Project, a privately funded youth music education program, and an adjunct professor of violin and chamber music at Washington and Lee University.

McArdle shares, Inspired by the story of Jael and Deborah in the book of Judges, Jaime Hope McArdle shares her personal journey to a life of purpose and freedom through finding identity as a daughter of the Creator King. She takes on the old stories and passages of the Bible with fresh eyes asking how they impact her life today and challenges her readers to consider becoming freedom fightersbeginning in their own lives and then becoming a force for transformation in the world around them.

With chapters titled A Danger to the Gates of Hell and Freedom Fighter, Jaime uncovers the spiritual battle raging under the surface in the world around us and challenges women to reconsider what being in prison looks like and to find the courage to try the door because it cannot be locked. In The Healing and Daughter of a King, she walks through revelation of a true identity that is the right of every woman who will Choose This Day. This new identity defies the cultural norms for women with The Greatest Love of All and calls women to see their power is not in becoming more like men or in manipulation through sexuality. She encourages the power to change the Operating Systems that directs everyday life and challenges to accept a new Assignment to see life as a daily adventure to bringing love, forgiveness, grace, and freedom to a world growing darker each year. Finally, the assurance of Getting It Wrong to know the promise that God will have his way. And as we attempt to follow his call on our life, we can make mistakes and learn. In our triumphs and failures, his grace brings all things together for our good. We can walk confidently through difficult seasons knowing who we are and whose we are.

http://www.jaelfinishingschool.com

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Jaime Hope McArdles new book encourages readers to continue to seek God no matter how far they may currently be from Gods grace.

With personal reflections and relevant scripture, McArdle shares in hopes of inspiring others on the path to salvation.

Consumers can purchase The Jael Finishing School for Ladies: Etiquette for Dangerous Women at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The Jael Finishing School for Ladies: Etiquette for Dangerous Women, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
COVID-19 made it immediately apparent that we needed to organize an online forum to spark as broad a conversation as possible about the global lockdowns effects on the provision of interpreting services and what needed to be done to adapt to this new reality, noted Olsen.

KUDOs VP of Client Success Barry Slaughter Olsen was awarded the Alexander Gold Medal at the American Translators Association Conference on October 29, 2021.

The prestigious award is presented to an individual or institution in recognition of outstanding service to the translating and interpreting professions. Professor Olsen accepted the award together with fellow interpreter Katharine Allen on behalf of InterpretAmerica, an entity they co-founded in 2009.

A veteran conference interpreter, Olsen holds a professorship at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

When the pandemic disrupted the interpreting profession, InterpretAmerica turned to KUDO to host a town hall event to provide information and guidance to conference interpreters around the world. Attended by close to 3,000 participants representing 50 countries and five continents, the online gathering was made available in five languages (American Sign Language, Arabic, English, Portuguese, and Spanish) interpreted simultaneously over KUDO. Its global reach played a key role in educating conference interpreters about the technological tools available to provide remote simultaneous interpretation amid COVID restrictions.

COVID-19 made it immediately apparent that we needed to organize an online forum to spark as broad a conversation as possible about the global lockdowns effects on the provision of interpreting services and what needed to be done to adapt to this new reality, noted Olsen.

A strong advocate for close cooperation between academe and professional and industry associations, Olsen believes that translators and interpreters who understand technological tools to assist in human communication will be better prepared to adapt to a rapidly changing market.

Olsen joined KUDO in May 2020 as Vice President of Client Success, bringing his wealth of industry experience to the SaaS multilingual meeting platform at a time of tremendous growth and opportunity.

About KUDO

KUDO is a cloud-based web meeting and live conference platform with a drop-down featuring real-time multilingual interpretation. KUDO supports inclusive meetings where up to 2000 can speak their own language simultaneously and they have also produced a new economy for professional interpreters to be hired with the click of a button. Based in New York City, KUDO was founded by language and conferencing industry insiders whose work with the United Nations has enabled some of the most significant conversations in the world. Clients include Fortune 500 enterprises, governments and diplomatic agencies in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Carelinx Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Carelinx Inc., alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Carelinx Inc. is currently pending in the San Mateo County Superior Court, Case No. 21-CIV-05421. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Carelinx Inc. allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

Carelinx Inc. allegedly failed to fully relieve Plaintiff and other California Class Members for their legally required thirty (30) minute meals breaks. Employees were also allegedly required, from time to time, to work in excess of four (4) hours without being provided the legally required ten (10) minute rest periods. The California Supreme Court defines off-duty rest periods as time during which an employee is relieved from all work related duties and free from employer control.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Carelinx Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
Luminator Technology Group Patrik Nilsson will discuss the value of using unified software, such as the Luminator Suite, to create workplace efficiencies, enabling employees to rapidly access relevant data and controls.

Luminator Technology Group (Luminator), a global leader in mass transit technology solutions, announces the participation of its EMEA Software Development Team Leader, Patrik Nilsson, at the APTA TRANSform Conference & EXPO in Orlando, Florida, November 8-10. Nilsson will join transit tech leaders to discuss the use of innovative technologies that impact ridership, passenger information and safety. Luminator is also exhibiting at booth #1741.

Hosted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the TRANSform Conference & EXPO plays a pivotal role in connecting the industry to innovation in the public transportation industry.

WHAT:

APTA Solutions Learning Zone: Next Generation Passenger Information System Software Suite

In this session, Patrik Nilsson will discuss the value of using unified software, such as the Luminator Suite, to create workplace efficiencies, enabling employees to rapidly access relevant data and controls. The Luminator Suite has the capability to merge Luminators passenger information and destination signage solutions into a single hub. Attendees will gain a better understanding of how the combination of real-time data and remote management both empowers transit agencies to quickly push real-time messages to riders, and identify, diagnose, and resolve errors from a single location, without having to dispatch a maintenance crew.

WHEN: November 9, 2021, 10:20-10:50 a.m. Eastern Time

WHERE:

The Orange County Convention Center, West Concourse

9800 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819

APTA Solutions Learning Zone at booth #3261

WHO:

Patrik Nilsson, Team Leader Software Technology Development Center SW EMEA, has almost 20 years of experience as an electronic engineer and software developer. He has spent more than a decade working in the transit industry to improve efficiency and decrease overhead costs for transit agencies.

Live at the APTA EXPO, Luminator is demonstrating its industry-leading fleet and technology management solutions at booth #1741. Designed to enhance security, safety and provide real-time information for passengers on-board, conference attendees can experience INFOtransit systems integrated with the display of RoadRunner 4K resolution video. The companys bi-stable and solar-powered E-paper solutions will also be demonstrated, as will Luminators rail solutions.

For more information about Luminator Technology Group please visit https://luminator.com

About Luminator Technology Group

Luminator Technology Group (Luminator) is a leading manufacturer of stationary and on-board passenger information systems, video security, air treatment and lighting solutions for global mass transportation applications. The company, founded in 1928, leverages its extensive engineering resources to develop solutions that increase intelligence, safety and efficiency for bus, rail and aerospace operations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.luminator.com.

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"Since 2019, its been a privilege to partner with SOME because they do such a great job serving the less fortunate to help break the cycle of poverty" - Sid and Ann Mashburn

Back for 2021, the SID + ANN MASHBURN holiday Shop for Hunger Card event will run Oct. 29  Nov. 6, 2021. During this exciting, week-long event, in-store shoppers who make a one-time $60 donation to SOME (So Others Might Eat) at the SID + ANN MASHBURN stores in Georgetown will receive 20% off their in-store purchases.

SOME, an interfaith, community-based service organization that serves DC neighbors experiencing homelessness and poverty, has been the SID + ANN MASHBURN nonprofit partner since 2019. Funds raised from the Shop for Hunger Card benefit SOMEs provision of daily emergency services, affordable housing, counseling, substance use disorder treatment, job training and other crucial services.

After so many months apart during COVID-19, we are delighted that we can return to in-person holiday events like the Shop for Hunger, said Ralph Boyd, SOME President and CEO. We love partnering with retailers like MASHBURN to reach our existing donors in meaningful ways and introduce new donors to our lifesaving work. Our donors are always looking for opportunities to support SOME with their time, talent or treasure, and MASHBURN offers a creative way to reward donors for their good works.

Through the years weve really enjoyed participating in charity shopping weeks in our Atlanta, Houston and Dallas markets. Part of our companys goal is to lift boats around us, and weve found these not only lift the community, but they help customers, and are good for our teams morale (and our business) in the process," said Sid and Ann Mashburn. Since 2019, its been a privilege to partner with SOME because they do such a great job serving the less fortunate to help break the cycle of poverty. Talk about something that is easy to get behind! We hope in the future other retailers and merchants can come alongside us to build on the great foundation SOME has already established

The 2021 MASHBURN Shop for Hunger Card is only available for purchase on-site via QR code at the Georgetown boutiques between Oct. 29 and Nov. 6. The minimum donation to be eligible for the 20% discount is $60 and purchases must be made in store between Oct. 29 and Nov. 6 as well. Exclusions to the discount apply.

About SID + ANN MASHBURN

After spending their career in fashion  Sid, as a Designer for J.Crew, Ralph Lauren and Lands End, and Ann, as a Fashion Editor for Conde Nast  the couple & their five daughters moved to Atlanta in 2007, and opened a single men's shop, SID MASHBURN on the West Side of Atlanta. The concept was simple: a combination of Sids own designed-and-produced tailored clothing, sportswear, footwear, and accessories, with a direct-to-consumer business model, all in a space designed to feel as welcoming as possible. In 2010, they expanded the business with ANN MASHBURN, a full womens line and shop, followed by the launch of e-commerce sites in 2011 to serve the brands ever-expanding customer base outside of Atlanta. Since then the couple have opened shops in Houston, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and Dallas, and expanded to the West Coast with a mens-only shop in Los Angeles. Learn more at sidmashburn.com and annmashburn.com.

About SOME

SOME provides material aid and comfort to our vulnerable neighbors in the District, helping them break the cycle of poverty and homelessness through programs and services that save lives, improve lives and help transform lives of individuals and families, their communities and the systems and structures that affect them. Learn more at https://some.org.
In a war no one knew was happening, Milwaukees Sprecher Brewing Co.producer of award-winning Craft Soda, is taking a lead position in the Craft Soda beverage segment with an acquisition and big expansion plans in Chicago. Sprecher Brewing Co. has acquired several brands from WIT Beverage Company, including the historic Green River and WBC Craft Soda brands of Chicago, which will accelerate growth!

The Craft Soda Category, as measured by IRI MULO 52 Week Ending September 5, 2021 syndicated data, is in excess of $470 million and is a sub-set of the broader $24B Total Soft Drink Category. Sprecher is a Top 20 leading Craft Soda Brand and is outpacing the Total Soft Drink Category growth rate by 30%, and Sprecher Craft Sodas generally are sold at a 25% price premium to Traditional Sodas which make them attractive to retailers in terms of sales growth and profit potential.

Sprechers Craft Sodas are one of the fastest growing Brands in the Craft Soda Category up +38% as measured by IRI and are the #1 Brand in the Milwaukee Market, and with the acquisition of the WIT Beverage Company brands the combined portfolio of Craft brands will become #2 in the Chicago Market and poised for National expansion and growth.

The WIT Beverage Company brands acquired by Sprecher include Green River, WBC Craft Sodas, Carusos Italian Style Craft Sodas, and Oak Creek Barrel Aged Root-beer! These, along with several other Wisconsin-based brands, will join Sprechers Craft Soda family, led by its award-winning Fire Brewed Root Beer with Natural Honey. The new portfolio designates Sprecher Brewing Co. as a category captain in Craft Soda, and will bring growth in key major markets starting with Chicago.

Meet The Family  Sprechers Chicago Street Cred



Sprecher Craft SodasHandcrafted, small-batch, with unique flavor innovations. Fire-brewed for bold flavor and made with all natural Wisconsin honey! SKUs include Root Beer (Original, Lo-Cal, Maple, & Caffeinated), Orange Dream, Cream Soda, Cherry Cola, Grape, and more.

Green RiverThe 102-year-old lime soda brand (since 1919) with a unique green color resembling the Chicago River on St. Pattys Day, was manufactured during Prohibition at the iconic Schoenhofen Edelweiss Brewing Company located in Pilsen, Chicago.

WBC Chicago-Style Craft SodasMade with real sugar and caffeine-free, this classic brand got its start at Goose Island in Chicago in 1988. Includes Root Beer, Spicy Ginger, Vanilla Cream, and other flavor favorites.

Black Bear SodaWisconsin classic flavors like Black Cherry, Blue Raspberry, and more, since 1920.

Oak Creek Barrel Aged Root BeersBarrel-aged Root Beer made with premium ingredients, featuring a Blonde Barrel-aged Root Beer made with brown sugar.

Carusos Italian-Style Craft SodasFounded in 1961, featuring flavors inspired by the old country, with Italian-style family recipes passed down for four generations.

Claire Baie Specialty BeveragesAward-winning sparkling waters, lemonades, and teas.

Sprechers Legacy Continues  Bringing More Flavor to Chicago

Sprecher Brewing Co. has established a legacy of expertise in handcrafted beverages, rooted in 36 years of specialized brewmaster care. Integrating this know-how with the acquisition and a specific focus on growing Chicago (a city that sets an undeniable bar in craft) Sprecher Brewing Co. is set to take on Craft Soda leadership.

As Sharad Chadha, President and CEO states, We are on a journey to become a National Craft Beverage Company, and this will unquestionably accelerate our growth. Sprecher was already one of the fastest growing Craft Soda brands in the U.S., and a leader in Craft Soda in the Midwest, and the addition of these brands acquired from WIT Beverage Company will further fuel that growth.

We are very excited to add such well established historic and classic brands that compliment Sprecher Craft Soda products so well adds Bill Deakin, SVP Growth and eCommerce. Now retailers have a one-stop solution for their craft soda stocking, and consumers can enjoy the range of Sprechers Craft Sodas for many occasions, from gatherings and celebrations to meals and holidays.

What does this mean for WIT Beverage Company? Not an exit from the beverage category, by any means. According to Jim Akers VP of Sales and Marketing of WIT Beverage Company, this will allow the larger company affiliate, WIT Group, to focus on its primary business which is customizing, developing and producing Owned Brand beverages for leading retailers across the U.S. We believe the brands being sold will thrive as part of the Sprecher portfolio of Craft Soda brands.

As Sprecher integrates the acquired brands into its portfolio, the Craft Soda captain will continue to run the business from its Milwaukee headquarters.

About Sprecher Brewing Co.:

Established in 1985, Sprecher is Milwaukee's Original Craft Brewery. Sprecher is one of the only breweries in the U.S. that still uses a unique fire-brewing process that caramelizes the flavors to give Sprechers Craft Sodas and Beers big bold flavor. Its Craft Sodas are also uniquely flavored with all natural Wisconsin honey. Sprecher brews over 20 different Craft Sodas as well as 12 Craft Beers, including the award-winning Sprecher Root Beer which was named the #1 Root Beer in the country by The New York Times.

Sprecher has gone from serving the Milwaukee and Wisconsin area to retail distribution in over 25 states. In February of 2020, the brewery was sold to a small team of Milwaukee investors, led by Sharad Chadha, current President and CEO.

About WIT Beverage Company:

WIT Beverage Company put together a stable of top Craft Soda and Nostalgic brands gaining national distribution. Its larger affiliate, WIT Group, will continue to provide customized beverage solutions, which it has done for over 15 years.

About the Green River Brand:

Green River Soda was created in a small confectionary shop in Davenport, Iowa, in 1919. The brand was later acquired by Schoenhofen Edelweiss Brewing Company and produced in Chicago as a way to survive the Prohibition Era.

More than 100 years after its debut, Green River is still available in Chicago and always sees a spike in sales around St. Patricks Day when the city dyes the Chicago River the color of a leprechauns hat. There is a rumor that the city in fact uses Green River Soda to dye the river green; to this, we say, No comment.

Once a staple at soda fountains and drive-in movies, the soda even inspired the classic Creedence Clearwater Revival song, Green River.

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The Bedtime Dance By Janelle Steuer  I have been writing poems my whole life and thought providing this new way of putting your children to bed would be beneficial for any parent trying to make this nightly task fun.

Many children look at winding down for the day as a chore they dont want to do. In Janelle Steuers debut book, The Bedtime Dance, she introduces to parents and kids a new bedtime routine to make it something to look forward to at the end of the day.

Throughout the colorful pages, Steuer shows readers that when the sun goes down, and it is time to sleep, they can do the bedtime dance and sing to the beat. The Bedtime Dance follows a young boy and girl as they are getting ready for bed and the nightly routine that makes going to sleep more enjoyable. Told through rhyming poems, Steuers story will have little ones dancing, stretching and then unwinding as they get ready to go to bed.

As I was reading my three-year-old daughter a bedtime story every night, it sparked an idea for me to write my own childrens book, said Steuer. I wanted to make bedtime more fun for the three of us by coming up with a fun and upbeat routine to make going to bed more enjoyable. I have been writing poems my whole life and thought providing this new way of putting your children to bed would be beneficial for any parent trying to make this nightly task fun.

Steuers debut book has received numerous 5-star reviews. One review praises the book saying, Adorable story for bedtime routine! Easy to read, catchy, and great illustrations! My daughter hands me this book at least 6 times a day to read to her!

The Bedtime Dance uses beautiful illustrations and engaging rhyming verses that will bring a smile to all readers. Ultimately, the book presents an enjoyable bedtime routine for young children to use every night. Families will be reading this book every night, and it will be an exciting time for parents and little ones in all households.

The Bedtime Dance

By Janelle Steuer

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0546-2 (softcover); 978-1-6657-0544-8 (hardcover); 978-1-6657-0545-5 (eBook)

Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

This is Janelle Steuers first published childrens book. It has always been a passion of hers to write her own book, and she was further inspired after having her daughter, Vivian. Steuer enjoys time with family and friends, traveling and rooting for the Green Bay Packers. She resides in Rhode Island with her husband, young daughter and two dogs. To learn more, please visit https://www.janellesteuer.com/.

General Inquiries:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

Grace Connor

480-998-2600 x 534

gconnor@lavidge.com


HABRI logo "This knowledge will provide the necessary groundwork for future research and practice, which we hope will improve treatment and quality of life for children living with ADHD."- Dr. Georgitta Valiyamattam

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today it has awarded a grant to GITAM (Deemed) University for a new study that will investigate the impact of pet ownership and human-animal interaction (HAI) on overall social functioning including social attention in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This study aims to fill a critical gap in the current literature by uncovering the potential benefits of HAI on core deficit areas in ADHD.

This project brings together an international team of experts to undertake a comprehensive examination of social attention and emotion processing in neurotypical children and children living with ADHD, said Dr. Georgitta Valiyamattam, GITAM University, the studys Principal Investigator. We hope to answer a key question  do foundational social skills in ADHD have the potential to be impacted by animal-assisted interventions? This knowledge will provide the necessary groundwork for future research and practice, which we hope will improve treatment and quality of life for children living with ADHD. Along with Dr. Valiyamattam, the team comprises Dr. Harish Katti, Dr. Jessica Taubert, Dr. Vinay Chaganti and Dr. Virender Sachdeva.

A substantial body of research describes social attention and emotional recognition deficits to human faces in ADHD. This project will study the impact of pet ownership on children with ADHD to determine whether HAI may enhance social attention and emotional recognition and modulate overall social functioning. State-of-the-art eye tracking technology and rigorous statistical approaches will be deployed to compare attention towards human and nonhuman faces. Researchers will also investigate the recognition of facial expressions. The research team anticipates that children with ADHD will show greater attention and emotion recognition capabilities for animal faces as compared to human faces. The focus on uncovering the visual mechanisms regarding HAI may also contribute to virtual applications of animal-assisted interventions for ADHD. Children with ADHD who have companion animals are also expected to have better social functioning and quality of life, with greater levels of pet attachment being associated with better outcomes overall. Results may provide useful insights both into the effectiveness of HAI and pet ownership for ADHD and the potential ways in which these effects can occur.

There is ample HAI research supporting companion animal interventions for improving social skills for children with autism spectrum disorder, but not among those with ADHD, and this study has the potential to bridge that gap, added Steven Feldman, President of HABRI. HABRI is proud to be supporting this important project and this international research team. HABRI has never before funded a project based in India and is excited to see the field of HAI continue to expand internationally.

About GITAM University

GITAM University is a private deemed university in Visakhapatnam, India, with additional campuses at Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Founded in 1980, GITAM provides excellent avenues for teaching, research and consultancy across disciplines including sciences, humanities, engineering, management and law. The Visakhapatnam campus also houses the well-equipped hospital and medical research wing of the University-the GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. For more information, please visit https://www.gitam.edu/.

About HABRI

HABRI is a not-for-profit organization that maintains the worlds largest online library of human-animal bond research and information; funds innovative research projects to scientifically document the health benefits of companion animals; and informs the public about human-animal bond research and the beneficial role of companion animals in society. For more information, please visit http://www.habri.org.
NFP, a leading insurance broker and consultant that provides business and personal insurance, group benefits, retirement, and individual solutions, today announced Robert Beauchamp has joined as vice president, commercial lines, in Quebec, Canada.

As part of the team that came to NFP through its acquisition of Ogilvy Insurance, Beauchamp will focus on advancing NFPs growth in Quebec. His career includes 17 years as president of Invessa, a leading property and casualty insurance brokerage firm he founded in 2001 as well as various marketing and operations roles with SimplAssur, Aviva Canada and CGU Insurance. Most recently, Beauchamp consulted with companies and executives on business development and strategy in the commercial insurance space. Beauchamp, who brings to NFP significant industry experience cultivated over more than three decades, will report to France Dallaire, senior vice president, Quebec operations, for NFP in Canada.

We are excited to add Robert to our team as we work to enhance our growth in Quebec both organically and through strategic acquisitions, said Dallaire. Roberts commercial insurance expertise, relationships across the province and insight on opportunities will accelerate our progress. He will be an excellent partner in developing new business that creates more value for clients and elevates our overall results.

Ogilvy Insurance, which NFP acquired in November 2020, is scheduled to rebrand as NFP in 2022.

Im excited to join NFP and be part of their growth in Quebec and across Canada, said Beauchamp. I have a passion for commercial insurance and helping clients so being part of the NFP team is a great fit. Im looking forward to sharing my insights, learning from my new colleagues, and creating new opportunities that benefit our clients and our collective success.

About NFP

NFP is a leading insurance broker and consultant providing specialized business and personal insurance, group benefits, retirement and individual solutions through its licensed subsidiaries and affiliates. NFP enables client success through the expertise of over 800 employees based in Canada, more than 6,000 employees globally, investments in innovative technologies, and enduring relationships with highly rated insurers, vendors and financial institutions. NFP is the 5th largest benefits broker by global revenue (Business Insurance), 10th largest property and casualty agency (Insurance Journal) and 13th largest global insurance broker (Bests Review).

For more information, visit NFP.ca.
Northeast Delta HSA's mobile app puts power in the hands of the people "As our world changes, our ability to reach others changes with it. Technology allows us to meet the needs of more people, more quickly. With our innovative and free mobile app, we put the power in the hands of the people," Dr. Sizer said.

Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) announces the relaunch of its mobile app, a technology advancement developed to increase access to primary and behavioral healthcare services for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive disorders.

NEDHSA Executive Director Dr. Monteic A. Sizer said the agency recognizes the importance of using innovative technology to meet health and human service needs, especially in the rural communities of northeast Louisiana.

"As our world changes, our ability to reach others changes with it. Technology allows us to meet the needs of more people, more quickly. With our innovative and free mobile app, we put the power in the hands of the people," Dr. Sizer said. Various web, text, app, and related phone-based technologies have been shown to prevent suicides, acts of violence, gambling binges, and an array of other critical societal challenges.

The NEDHSA mobile app features a one-tap direct access to behavioral health services; description of available behavioral and primary health care services; mental health and addictive disorder clinic locations; information about developmental disabilities services; and other agency, state, regional, and national helplines for additional resources.

NEDHSA's mobile app isn't the first and only time the authority has innovated its services or access to service through technology. For more than eight years, NEDHSA has been a catalyst to meet the needs of northeast Louisianas most vulnerable populations.

Dr. Sizer said when NEDHSAs patients shared not having employment opportunities, the agency created Second Opportunity Workforce Solutions; when they mentioned not having a place to live, NEDHSA established transitional housing opportunities; when they said they had food insecurities, the agency partnered with the Food Bank of NELA; and transportation challenges, NEDHSA built telehealth capabilities, developed a fully equipped integrated health care mobile unit, and now offers an array of school and community-based health and wellness services. The app is one more facet of NEDHSA's nationally recognized, integrative behavioral health primary care approach.

Our app release is part of our Rise Above Stigma campaign, designed to understand further the barriers to health-seeking mental and primary health care services, Dr. Sizer said.

The NEDHSA app can be downloaded onto Android devices from the Google Play Store or play.google.com by searching for NE Delta HSA.

Dr. Sizer added: "We consistently use technology to help advance the quality of the services we provide. We also enable our clients to have instant access to information so they can experience life to its fullest."
In October, Matt Damon sold his Zen-inspired Pacific Palisades mansion. Where Real Estate Is Never Boring!

October's Top 10 Celebrity Real Estate News

Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner Sell in LA & Buy in Miami

A-Listers Joe Jonas and wife, Sophie Turner, have sold their Encino, California home. Taking two years and the help of celebrity-designer Jae Omar, the couple purchased the home in 2019 for $14.1 million, and listed it at $16.75 million in June. It recently sold for $15.2 million.

Kanye Adjusts His Wyoming Real Estate Portfolio

In 2019, Kanye West bought two ranches and almost 4,000 acres of land in Wyoming. He recently paid $57 million for a Malibu Beach home, and then he put his Wyoming ranches on the market at $11 million.

Timberlake & Biel Home For Sale

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are asking $35 million for their Hollywood Hills home. Justin bought the 13,530-square-foot home in 2002, prior to his 2012 marriage to Jessica. The nine-bedroom home was previously owned by Mad About You star Helen Hunt. The property dates back to the 1930's Hollywood star Errol Flynn, who once owned a home on the land.

P. Diddy's Real Estate Empire

Sean "Diddy" Combs has amassed great personal wealth through his music and investments, and much of it is invested in real estate. He recently purchased the Star Island home of his neighbors Gloria and Emilio Estevan's to add to his Florida collection, which also includes another home in Miami Beach. He has a $39 million mansion in L.A.'s ritzy Holmby Hills neighborhood and a long history of real estate deals in Southern California, New York City and the Hamptons.

Renee Zellweger's Topanga Home For Sale

Amid speculation that Renee Zellweger might be moving in with her boyfriend, Ant Anstead, she has listed her Topanga, California home for $6 million. The four-bedroom, 4,414-square-foot, Spanish-style home on 10 acres was built in 2002.

Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis List Beverly Hills Home

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are building their dream home overlooking Beverly Hills, and they have relisted their current Beverly Hills home for $12.25 million. The superstar couple bought the five-bedroom, traditional-style home with 7,351 square feet in 2014 for $10.2 million. It was previously listed in 2020 for $12.25 million.

Matt Damon Sells Fast After Big Price Cut

Bidding farewell to Los Angeles, Matt Damon listed his Zen-inspired Pacific Palisades mansion for sale in January for $21 million. With no takers, Matt recently reduced the price to $17.9 million, and it sold in a couple weeks.

SNL News Update: Colin Jost's NYC Apartment For Sale

Newlywed Colin Jost is asking $2.5 million for his longtime New York apartment. The SNL head writer and anchor of the show's satirical news show bought the apartment in 2011. Colin married Scarlet Johansson in 2020, they now have a new baby boy.

Gloria Vanderbilt's Place Colorful & Sold

Gloria Vanderbilt, who died in 2019 at the age of 95, was a socialite known around the world, great-great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the mother of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. She was also an artist and clothing designer who made her own fortune when she first put her name on a pair of designer jeans. Her charming New York apartment was listed for sale in July at $1.125 million, and it sold in just a few weeks.

Al Capone's Home Sells Twice

In 1928, Miami Beach polite society was rocked with the news that the infamous gangster, Chicago crime-boss Al Capone, had purchased a home on Palm Island, one of the citys newest and most prestigious addresses. The upscale home where Capone lived from 1928 until he died in 1947 was recently sold for $10.75 million and then resold a few weeks later for $15.5 million.

For more celebrity home news and celebrity home video tours, visit TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.


POWERHOME SOLAR Not only is Louisville a great city, but its the perfect location for our company to continue our rapid growth, said POWERHOME SOLAR CEO Jayson Waller.

POWERHOME SOLAR is deepening its commitment to serving Kentucky homeowners and business owners by opening a physical location in Louisville, where it plans to hire up to 100 employees in the coming months to support its sales and installation teams.

The office is located at 2521 Holloway Road, and the company is hiring sales representatives, installers, service and inspection technicians, and warehouse staff members. POWERHOME SOLAR had previously served Bluegrass State customers through existing offices in bordering states. This office is the 32nd office location across POWERHOME SOLARs 15-state footprint.

Weve loved the response from Kentucky customers that weve served in the past six months, and thats why we want to make it even easier for our employees to serve customers in the state, said POWERHOME SOLAR CEO Jayson Waller. Not only is Louisville a great city, but its the perfect location for our company to continue our rapid growth.

Not only can investing in solar energy potentially increase residential property value, but current tax credits also reinforce that solar energy is a sound decision. Congress recently extended a federal solar tax credit of up to 26 percent on newly installed solar systems through 2022. Kentucky also supports net metering, which allows consumers to potentially sell their excess solar energy back to participating utility companies at retail rates.

Solar panels can be financed (in some cases, for roughly the same cost as your electric bill), and once the financing ends, so does your payment for solar, allowing customers to own their power.

Those interested in joining the Louisville-area POWERHOME SOLAR team can apply for jobs at: http://powerhome.com/solar-jobs, or they can send an email to careers@powerhome.com.

About POWERHOME SOLAR

POWERHOME SOLAR is an energy efficiency company that provides high-quality American-made solar panels as part of a complete energy-savings package for residential customers. The company launched in 2014 in Mooresville, N.C., and today has more than 2,200 employees, including a commercial division. Operating in 15 states, it is ranked No. 520 on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America  the third time in four years that the company has made this prestigious list. For more information, visit http://www.powerhome.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.


We are honored to be named a 2021 Top Patient Rated Plastic Surgeon and Dermatologist. It is our mission to provide the very best in compassionate patient-centered care, says Dr. Steven Rueda

This unique practice offers plastic surgery, dermatology, hand surgery and vein disease treatment to address a wide spectrum of medical needs all under one roof. Precision Medical Specialists is an exceptional medical center in Wellington, FL, and it is the premier source for aesthetic, hand, vascular and skin specialty care to improve overall wellness. Find Local Doctors is a credible online directory that helps users easily connect to qualified and reputable physicians in their area. They recognize providers who have earned outstanding reviews from their patients across multiple online sources. For Precision Medical Specialists, this prestige is well-deserved, as they have numerous five-star ratings and countless positive reviews posted by their patients.

Outstanding medical care is available at Precision Medical Specialists in the West Palm Beach area in Florida. The top medical team is led by two experienced surgeons and a board-certified dermatologist at this state-of-the-art facility. Dr. Steven Rueda is a plastic surgeon and hand surgery specialist who trained at some of the top medical centers in the country, Dr. Mario Rueda is a renowned general surgeon who specializes in venous diseases and treatment and Dr. Katherine Chiang is a highly-respected dermatologist that trained at Cleveland Clinic and graduated with an Ivy League education. These specialists are supported by a team of intensive care doctors and a certified anesthetist at Precision Medical Specialists cutting-edge surgical and medical center. This center offers several benefits over other clinics in the Palm Beach, FL, area, including on-site surgical suites, advanced medical equipment, extensive patient education and a dedicated medical support team on staff. The services offered at this practice include facial plastic surgery, breast augmentation, body contouring and non-surgical cosmetic treatments. The team also provides hand, finger and wrist treatments and surgery, vein disease treatment and surgery, general and cosmetic dermatology services and the best in skin cancer treatment.

We are honored to be named a 2021 Top Patient Rated Plastic Surgeon and Dermatologist. It is our mission to provide the very best in compassionate patient-centered care, says Dr. Steven Rueda

More about Precision Medical Specialists:

Precision Medical Specialists in Wellington, FL, is a unique medical center that has three top medical specialists under one roof. The surgeons and doctors at Precision Medical Specialists have years of experience and training and have each performed over 2,000 procedures in their fields with excellent results. There are few medical centers with the credentials, medical specialists and fantastic patient reviews as Precision Medical Specialists. If you are looking for quality patient care for plastic surgery, hand surgery, vein disease treatment or dermatology services in the West Palm Beach area, contact the clinic, which is located at 3319 State Road 7 Suite 105 in Wellington, FL, by calling (561) 557-3115 or visit the website at https://precisionmds.com/.


Were so blessed to have been able to reconnect with friends and partners again at this years Annual Steak Fry, said Boak.

Boak & Sons, Inc., a residential and commercial exterior contracting company in Youngstown, Ohio, hosted their famous Annual Steak Fry on October 7th. This event is held annually to thank customers, partners, and employees for their hard work throughout the year. On average, over 200 people from 50 different companies attend the event, but last year, the event was limited to Boak employees due to COVID-19. This year, Sam Boak once again opened the Boak & Sons doors to those outside the organization.

Steaks for the event were supplied and cooked by Rachels Restaurant, who has catered for Boak & Sons events for many years, such as their annual Christmas party. The choice steaks were grilled right outside the Boak & Sons warehouse and served with other delicious side dishes and desserts from the caterer.

Were so blessed to have been able to reconnect with friends and partners again at this years Annual Steak Fry, said Boak. Limiting the event last year was difficult, but as always, safety came first.

We took extra precautions to follow CDC Guidelines for COVID-19 precautions by recommending masks and keeping everyone at safe distances. We cant thank our friends and partners enough for their support and for helping this business become what it is today.

Sam Boak said a special thank you to the partners who supported his company through the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. During that time, Boak made the decision to limit the company to emergency repairs only in order to keep his employees and customers safe during the unprecedented pandemic.

We are still seeing the affects of the pandemic shutdown and the continuation of COVID-19, said Boak. But Boak & Sons and our partners have always prioritized excellent customer service, and weve worked our way through it together just like everyone needs to do.

The Annual Steak Fry is also open to the employees of Boak & Sons, giving them the opportunity to meet and mingle with their coworkers and meet the suppliers of the materials they work with every day.

For more information about Boak & Sons, Inc. and their services in roofing, gutters, insulation, sheet metal and siding, visit http://www.boakandsons.com or call 330-793-5646.

About Boak & Sons:

Boak & Sons, Inc. was founded by Sam Boak in 1974 as an insulation contractor. With the high energy costs of the 70's, Boak & Sons expanded early on into the roofing business. They offered economical roof installations through cutting edge technology and equipment, allowing customers to recoup even more in energy savings. Today, Boak & Sons is a residential and commercial contractor for roofing, insulation, sheet metal, siding, and gutters. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, the company serves customers in surrounding areas from Cleveland, Akron, and Canton to Cranberry and Pittsburgh. For more information on Boak & Sons, visit their website at: https://www.boakandsons.com/
We are excited to partner with the Apex team, learn and grow together, and build a long and prosperous future that enables every community we serve to thrive.

Seabreeze Management Company, Inc., a leading residential and commercial property management firm, today announced the acquisition of Apex Management Group, a full-service property management firm based in Bakersfield, CA. Isaiah Henry, CEO at Seabreeze, will assume the role of CEO at Apex. This move is part of a strategic ownership transition between Seabreeze and Shannan Ogilvie, Apexs owner and CEO, prior to the acquisition. Apex will operate under the Seabreeze umbrella but will remain independent in name.

With the addition of Apex, the Seabreeze team now consists of more than 500 team members serving over 500 associations and 100,000 homes. This acquisition is part of the Seabreeze strategic growth plan to invest in the companys existing Central Valley operations. This plan seeks to expand the Seabreezes presence by infusing resources into robust firms that share Seabreeze culture and objectives.

Apexs commitment to its team and customers created the perfect opportunity for a strategic alignment that would solidify our commitment to the Central Valley, said Henry. While Apex will be a part of the Seabreeze family, this is not just an acquisition. At Seabreeze, we are actively looking to infuse resources into companies that share our vision. We are excited to partner with the Apex team, learn and grow together, and build a long and prosperous future that enables every community we serve to thrive.

I started Apex Management Group with one objective in mind: to offer exceptional community management services to the homeowners of Bakersfield, said Shannan Ogilvie. Seabreeze is the perfect partner to not only deliver on the promises I made to our board members and residents when I founded Apex, but also enable this team to continue to grow. We are excited to align with an organization that shares our values and culture and we know that our team and board members will be well taken care of.

About Seabreeze Management Company

Seabreeze Management Company is a full-service property management firm with a diverse management portfolio of over 100,000 residential and commercial properties. Based in Aliso Viejo, California, Seabreeze has offered an unrivaled client experience to commercial common-interest developments and homeowners associations for over 34 years. With offices throughout California and Nevada, Seabreeze has expanded its mission to be a trusted advisor and collaborative partner with developments to build thriving associations through superior service and integrity. Seabreeze is a certified AAMC company. For more information visit http://www.seabreezemgmt.com, like Seabreeze on Facebook or follow on Twitter @Seabreezemgmt.

About Apex Management Services

Since 2009, Apex Management Group has served communities in Bakersfield, California. Apexs specific focus on community management in the Bakersfield market combined with the companys professional approach has enabled the organization to deliver personalized service while fostering deep, long-term relationships. Apex prides itself on being a trusted partner with in-depth industry experience and a service-based business model. In 2020, Apex won the Bakersfield Californians Readers Choice Award outstanding management company. For more information visit http://www.apex-mg.net.
Selling Power announced today its 23rd annual Selling Power 500 list, which features the 500 companies with the largest sales organizations in the United States. Selling Powers research team compiles the list each year.

The full Selling Power 500 list was featured in the September/October 2021 issue of Selling Power magazine. The 10 largest sales organizations in each industry are now available to view on the Selling Power website: https://bit.ly/2ZuuLWE. Registered users of SellingPower.com can also access the full list online.

The states with the most Selling Power 500 companies are California (63), New York (49), and Illinois (40). The states in which the Selling Power 500 companies employ the largest sales organizations are California (7,103,557), New York (6,625,353), and Florida (2,955,358). These states account for about 30% of the total companies and a whopping 69% of the total salespeople.

Top executives can use the Selling Power 500 to benchmark their companys productivity per salesperson and find out how they measure against the average in their industry.

Sales executives can use the Selling Power 500 as a prospect list. This is the ideal list for reps who sell sales training, incentive and promotional products, CRM solutions, automotive fleets, sales enablement solutions, or virtual meeting solutions. A spreadsheet of the Selling Power 500 is available for purchase here: https://bit.ly/3jDKZU2

About Selling Power

In addition to Selling Power, the leading digital magazine for sales managers and sales VPs since 1981, Personal Selling Power, Inc., produces the Sales Management Digest and Daily Boost of Positivity enewsletters as well as videos featuring interviews with top business executives. Selling Power is a regular media sponsor of the Sales 3.0 Conference, which is attended by a total of more than 4,500 sales leaders each year. For additional information, please visit http://www.sellingpower.com.
ServiceMaster DSI, the nation's largest owner and operator of ServiceMaster Franchises, has announced the acquisition of two new corporate offices in Charlotte, NC, and Wichita, KS. These offices will continue to provide disaster restoration services to home and business owners across these communities.

"We are excited to bring on two new locations. With these additions, our footprint now grows to 9 states and 19 locations", said President and CEO of ServiceMaster DSI, Andrew Yaklich. "These locations are well established in their communities and have operated very similarly to our business. Both have great local leadership that will not change."

ServiceMaster DSI operates under the ServiceMaster Restore and ServiceMaster Recovery Management (SRM) brands to provide disaster restoration services throughout the United States and abroad. Yaklich says the North Carolina and Kansas locations will offer restoration services for residential, commercial, and large loss clients in the area. "The North Carolina branch will complement the work we do with our large commercial customers and further expand our reach into the eastern part of the country." This also applies to the Kansas market. "We are well established in the Kansas City market, and this expansion to the southern part of the state allows us to provide additional services to customers in these areas, whether that means restoring a property or the contents within."

Yaklich says these new locations will continue to serve their communities at a high standard. "We welcome these 60 new employees to DSI. They are well trained and operate at a high level already. Our success is the strength of our employees, and our employees allow us to respond quickly to catastrophic weather (CAT) events throughout the country. The addition of these two great established businesses, their equipment, vehicles, and their highly trained staff is a huge win for DSI, all adding to our capacity to help in CAT events like hurricanes, flooding, or severe weather."

DSI Holdings is an ownership/management group headquartered in Downers Grove, IL, specializing in providing residential and commercial disaster restoration services through the ServiceMaster DSI and ServiceMaster Recovery Management (SRM) brands. Starting with its first ServiceMaster license in 1981, DSI Holdings has grown to be the premier ownership group within the ServiceMaster network, amassing 87 licenses within the United States and serving as the flagship SRM operator. Through these brands, DSI services clients in all 50 states, and its large loss team has provided commercial disaster restoration services in more than 20 countries around the world.
SoPost, the leading online product sampling platform, today announced the appointment of Christopher Cormier to the role of General Manager, North America, and VP Sales. In his new role, Cormier will lead growth and innovation for SoPost in the U.S. market. His responsibilities include expanding SoPosts team in North America, scaling operations to bring its unique and proven platform to more customers.

According to a recent Juniper Research study, e-commerce technologies largely powered by AI such as online sampling solutions will have a strong impact on the online marketplace. This is expected to lead to an uptick in annual transaction volumes of over 1.4 billion by 2023. This point is important for brands to consider when designing their digital strategies.

Based out of SoPosts North American headquarters in New York City, Cormier brings a wealth of relevant industry experience to his new role. He has a proven track record of scaling businesses, which will help him excel in this new role. Most recently, Cormier was the Industry Manager for Fashion Global Accounts at Walmart Connect (WMC). As part of the inaugural leadership team that brought Walmart's media business in-house, he built and led the team focused on strengthening relationships with the company's most important fashion brand partners. In the span of 2.5 years, he grew the business 500 percent and developed unique partnerships for WMC within the influencer, marketing, and branded content spaces.

Prior to Walmart, he spent three years as Head of Sales at SocialCode, a top social media agency managing the team in charge of new business development. During his tenure, the team generated over $200 million in new billings from partners including LVMH, Estee Lauder Companies, and Bloomingdales.

Chris is an incredible mentor and developer of people, which is one of the most important things we look for in any leader. Im so excited for Chris to be leading our next phase of growth in North America, said Jonny Grubin, CEO and Founder of SoPost. Having collaborated with him over the past 3 years I know that Chris will bring a huge amount of value to our team and I cant think of anyone more capable of delivering our mission in the U.S.

Im thrilled to be joining such an innovative company. As product sampling is booming globally, I couldnt have picked a better time to join the company. I look forward to powering up our teams in the U.S. and driving innovation for our brand partners, said Cormier.

To learn more please visit: SoPost.com

Media Contact:

Alex Everakes, PR for SoPost

SamsonPR

312-937-1535

Alex@samsonpr.com
Author and social service worker Stewart (Andy) Lightstone has released Taking Control of Schizophrenia: My Story, a comprehensive and holistic guide to living with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Drawing from both his experiences working in the mental health field and managing his own diagnosis, the book helps readers understand the journey ahead of them and equips them with the tools needed to prepare for any challenges that may arise.

Divided into three parts, the book begins by covering the basicsincluding handling medication side effects, making the decision to continue with prescribed treatment, being hospitalized, coping with anxiety, depression, paranoia and delusionsto help readers become better oriented with their illness. Lightstone then takes readers through the gradual steps of adjusting to the ups and downs of schizophrenia, and ultimately, developing a strong sense of self and community so that they can regain control and create the best life possible.

Understanding yourself, your illness, your treatment, and your supports is vital for your lifes journey and to help control schizophrenia, wrote Lightstone in the books preface.

In writing Taking Control of Schizophrenia, Lightstone fills a large gap in mental health literature, particularly for those living with schizophrenia or another mental illness. Frustrated by the lack of resources, he was determined to create a guide that sheds light on the realities of schizophrenia and benefits people with diagnoses as well as family members, caregivers, medical students and behavioral health professionals.

Full of helpful insight and practical guidance, Taking Control of Schizophrenia offers hope and encouragement to readers struggling with mental illness and demonstrates how they can live happy, productive lives.

Taking Control of Schizophrenia: My Story

By Stewart (Andy) Lightstone

ISBN: 9781663227300 (softcover); 9781663227317 (electronic)

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iUniverse

About the author

Stewart (Andy) Lightstone has 40 years of training in the mental health field. He served for two years on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties and was actively involved with the Belleville Psychiatric Survivors Drop-In Center. He worked for 12 years as a facilitator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness service providers course and spent five years touring Ontario, speaking on mental health issues and educating students about schizophrenia in high school, college and medical institution settings. He is a member of the local Legion, Civitan International and the Ontario Association of Social Workers.

Review Copies & Interview Requests:

LAVIDGE  Phoenix

480-998-2600 x 586

lstandridge(at)lavidge(dot)com
On October 28, officials from the North Branford School District, the State of Connecticut, and the Town of North Branford joined school faculty and staff, as well as representatives from Construction Solutions Group, Quisenberry Arcari Malik, LLC, and Gilbane Building Company to celebrate the official groundbreaking of the new,106,000-SF North Branford High School.

The new facility will accommodate 524 high school students and feature spaces for learning commons, science labs, engineering and technology, culinary arts, media center, arts and music, a gymnasium, and a cafeteria. The new high school will be constructed in multiple phases over a 30-month period to accommodate for the operations of the existing high school, set to be demolished in two phases.

Designed by Quisenberry Arcari Malik, LLC, the facilitys high-performance design is future-ready and provides 21st century learning to its students. Plans include amenities tailored to its growing technology education and career track population.

Were excited to mark the official start of this amazing project with the Town of North Branford, said John Hawley, vice president and business unit leader for Gilbane in Connecticut. Our experience as a leading builder of K-12 facilities on occupied campuses will ensure that community and student safety are never compromised.

North Branford High School is slated for completion by the Spring of 2024.

About Gilbane Building Company

Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services  from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services  for clients across various markets. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 46 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com.


Rivet Logic is excited to work with construction, property management and project management technology leaders, enabling our organization to provide those clients with the resources and support they need to connect digital experiences that transform their businesses, said Kevin Kutzavitch, EVP

VariQ Corporation is a premier provider of Cybersecurity, DevSecOps, and Cloud services to federal, state, and local governments. VariQ designs and integrates intelligent solutions in information technology, harnessing advanced methodologies to develop secure and effective systems. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Rivet Logic Corporation, VariQ also provides digital experience services through its leading design, consulting, and systems integration firm focused on helping major enterprises to build riveting digital experiences using leading open source and cloud-based software platforms. For more information about VariQs services, visit us at http://www.variq.com and http://www.rivetlogic.com

VariQ announced it has joined the Kahua ecosystem as a Certified Solution Provider to deliver solutions on the Kahua Platform. Kahua is a leading provider of capital program and construction project management software. With the industrys only low-code application platform, customers and partners can easily customize existing Kahua apps or even build new apps to run their business at peak efficiency today, and rapidly adapt as business conditions dictate.

Kahua comes with a wide variety of benefits and solutions for modern construction management. Through Kahua, Rivet Logic wants to help companies with large capital programs to reinvent, and build new riveting digital experiences, and manage their capital assets leveraging industry leading technology.

The new partnership represents a strategic fit, allowing VariQ and Rivet Logic to expand their service offerings for their commercial and government clients to include digital experience solutions that leverage and extend the core functionality of Kahua.

Rivet Logic is excited to work with construction and property management project management technology leaders, enabling our organization to provide those clients with the resources and support they need to connect digital experiences that transform their businesses, said Kevin Kutzavitch, Executive Vice President at Rivet Logic. This partnership with Kahua, combined with VariQ and Rivet Logics expert consulting services and enterprise solutions, is critical to delivering on this mission. We are enthusiastic about The Kahua Platform and see great potential for driving customer success together with our commercial and government clients, said Ben Edson, CEO at VariQ and Rivet Logic.

"The need for organizations to move fast and operate in a modern way is more important than ever before," said Joe Guzman Vice President, Partner Development at Kahua. Todays businesses require flexible, scalable and secure solutions for managing their capital portfolios, and were excited to partner with VariQ and Rivet Logic to provide the market with innovative solutions as their work through their digital portfolio transformations.

To learn more about Rivet Logics Kahua consulting services, visit https://rivetlogic.com/services/partners/kahua

About VariQ Corporation

Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, VariQ is a premier provider of Cybersecurity, DevSecOps, and Cloud services to federal, state, and local governments. VariQ designs and integrates intelligent solutions in information technology, harnessing advanced methodologies to develop secure and effective systems. For more information about VariQs services, visit us at http://www.variq.com.

About Rivet Logic Corporation

Rivet Logic is an award-winning consulting, design, and systems integration firm that helps leading organizations build riveting digital experiences, and the solutions to manage and optimize them. Digital experiences that engage all types of users  customers, employees, all stakeholders. With offices throughout the USA, Rivet Logic serves clients across a wide range of industries. Visit us at http://rivetlogic.com
Windsong Properties' Bailey model delivers gracious 55+ living in Acworth's Westbrook Community.

On Saturday, October 23, premier North Atlanta active adult homebuilder, Windsong Properties was honored with six gold awards at the 41st Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association (GAHBA) OBIE Awards.

The OBIE Awards, considered one of the highest honors in the Atlanta homebuilding industry, recognizes outstanding achievement in more than 100 categories of the homebuilding process including, planned master communities, new home construction, remodeling as well as marketing and personal achievement.

It is a testament to our teams dedication and innovation to be recognized in six categories by the GAHBA, says Windsong Properties CEO Mark Carruth. I am so proud of our team and thankful to our trade partners for their commitment to develop functional, beautiful and most importantly livable homes for active adults in the Atlanta area.

Windsong has long established an industry-leading reputation for building award-winning, easy living homes for the 55+ active adult community in the North Atlanta area. The builder took home gold awards for floorplans found in its Westbrook community in Acworth. As with all the builders floorplans, the Kelly and Bailey offer homebuyers Windsongs hallmark low-maintenance, high quality homes featuring accessible main level living, open floorplans, an abundance of natural light and luxury finishes.



Single Family - Zero Lot Line - $299,999 and Under  The Kelly at Westbrook

Single Family - Zero Lot Line - $300,000 to $399,999  The Bailey at Westbrook

Windsong was also recognized with gold in four marketing categories at its latest community Echols Farm, located in Hiram. The gated community still in development is situated on historic Echols Farm and features ranch style homes with scenic pathways and a sizable clubhouse where homebuyers can gather, meet, workout and relax. The communitys unique welcome center offers homebuyers a museum-like glimpse of the Echols Farm history and displays antique farm equipment from the property and artwork of the original farmhouse created by the Echols family.

Best Model Home/Sales Office  Echols Farm Welcome Center

Best Logo - Community  Echols Farm

Best On-Site Signage  Echols Farm

Best Marketing Campaign - Builder Budget Under $10,000  Echols Farms

Theres something really special Echols Farm and we wanted to honor the 100-year history of the property by maintaining the peaceful beauty, while offering all the modern amenities and luxuries active adults are looking for says Todd Welch, Windsong Properties Marketing Manager. It's an honor to be recognized for our efforts to blend the original farmhouses charming history with the signature Windsong touch we are renown for.

About Windsong Properties

Since 2003, Windsong Properties has set the standard of excellence for active adult living in North Atlanta. Founders Mark Carruth and Steve Romeyn share more than four decades of building experience and personal insight on the needs and desires of the active adult home buyer. Operating every day on the idea that the transition from family home to empty nest should be an enjoyable and exciting experience, Windsong is improving quality of life for its homeowners.

Windsongs commitment to exceptional service has earned nine Excellence in Customer Satisfaction Awards, Builder Partnerships Lee Evans Award for Management Excellence and the 2018 Builder of Choice Award, as well as multiple OBIE Awards for superior design and construction from the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association and NAHB Best of 55+ Housing Awards. Windsong owns and operates several communities in Cherokee, Cobb and Paulding counties. For more information, visit windsonglife.com or Facebook.com/WindsongLife or call 770-516-3409.
In Amal Karzais My Key, a childs boring afternoon transforms into an adventure via a magical ball presented by a neighborhood raven and an excursion to the library. Karzais story was the Gold Medal Winner of the 2020 Key Colors Illustrators Competition. Founded by Clavis Publishing in Belgium in 1996, the contest is designed to encourage unpublished authors and illustrators to create childrens books; the competition expanded to the U.S. last year. The Gold Medal Winner of the competition is presented with both a cash prize and a publishing contract with Clavis. The Silver Medal Winner and Runner-up for the 2020 competition were Susie Ohs Soomi's Sweater and Emma Wards Doriss Dear Delinquents. Both Oh and Ward also received publishing contracts.

My Key, which will be published by Clavis in November, earned a rave review from PW, which praised Karzais sepia-toned art and called the book an exhilarating outing. Karzai spoke to PW about the impact of winning the award, her path toward becoming a picture book creator, and finding inspiration.

Did you always know you would become an artist?

Ive always painted. There was a space for me in the basement lair where I remember using a toothbrush to paint sunsets and sunrises on paper towels and newspapers. I was in ballet from age 8, and my intention was to become a dancer. But after an ankle injury, I began drawing the other dancers. I was attending the Baltimore School for the Arts and the rule was, injury or no, you needed to be in the studio and watch everything. At some point I began drawing my classmates and fell in love with the line quality created with only a few strokes of a partially chewed pencil. I think it was those drawingsand hanging around the Walters Art Gallery, now the Walters Art Museumthat fueled my fingers.

What was the inspiration behind My Key?

The inspiration for My Key was triggered by the word maybe. I hated it. There was this one day when I was about the same age as the kid in this story and so bored I was in physical pain. I figured, if I couldnt travel to Timbuktu, at least I could go to the library. The person in charge responded with maybe. In the end, I found my own route to my library.

How does it feel to have won the 2020 Key Colors Illustrators Competition for My Key?

Marvelous and weird. I was a thoroughly imperfect fit for the Clavis catalog and, against my better judgement, submitted anyway. When I got the email that said Id been longlisted, I first assumed it was a gag or an advertiser trying to rope me in. Then it hit me: I had just read the name Clavis, hadnt I? Throughout the ceremony last year, I got to meet author-illustrators whose work was really excellent. Viewing their projects, I chose the ones I thought would come in one, two, and three. I was totally stunned when I heard my name!

You have such a broad range of work from portraiture to childrens book illustration. How would you say your art has evolved throughout your career?

Much of my art has always leaned in the direction of illustration and art for children. I focus a lot on figurative work, no matter what its going to be used for, and when I feel that its getting too tight or finicky, I draw with a paint brush only. Illustration and fine art have always worked in tandem for me. Some of my favorite picture books cant be categorized as illustration or fine art, because theyre clearly both. I think if I could get away with doing an entire childrens book where the bulk of the illustrations are portraits, I would!

My Key beautifully captures a childs vivid imagination and sense of wonder. How do you find that space as you are working on your childrens books?

Imagination and wonder are the real keys here. Somewhere between the thumbnail sketches and the final drawings, I list the emotions and mood I hope a viewer will feel when looking at a particular page. It takes nothing at all for me to deviate from my original intention to disaster, so I actually write down a list of words with a large pen and stick them right in front of me.

Talk about your experience as a writer. Do words and stories come as organically to you as images, or is that a challenge?

Believe it or not, the words arrive far more organically for me than the illustrations, which need to be drawn, redrawn, tossed out, repainted, etc. The art process can take ten times as long.

My Key was originally designed to be wordless, but the main character had a few things to say, so out they came. Because the character was chatting away at me from beginning to end, I was just taking dictation. I dont usually see the need to illustrate the literal text or write whats already been said in a picture, so the text for My Key is intended as another layer, not to add depth to the images, but to give literal voice to the character that cant be accomplished with paint.

Whats next for you?

At the moment, Im drawing the covers for a series of international folk tales for a Swiss publisher and storyboarding the illustrations for another one of my own projects.
Under the combined leadership of new co-executive directors Kristin Rasmussen and Ann Seaton, the California Independent Booksellers Alliance concluded its Fall Discovery Lab with abundantly good vibes on Friday, October 28. CALIBA boasts a membership of 240 stores, with new stores popping up on a regular basis, said Seaton. Their hybrid October events featured 29 reps, more than 30 authors online, and 13 authors in person.

Treasurer Bridget Schinnerer (Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena) reported that after a year in the red 2020, CALIBAs 2021 is in the black, thanks to a direct-mail catalog, e-blasts, the return of membership dues suspended last year, and savings from not renting a bricks-and-mortar office space. Schinnerer added that the CALIBA Board has earmarked $100,000 in a separate account to assist bookstores in the event of an emergency.

National initiatives topped the regional organizations agenda. Board president Melinda Powers (Bookshop Santa Cruz) introduced Kate Weiss, program manager at Binc, who thanked all industry partners for their contributions over the past 18 months and also noted that no store that made a qualified request for aid was turned away during the pandemic. Weiss then invited queries from those facing hardship and from those with the resources to offer support.

ABA announcements likewise offered reassurance. At a morning IndieCommerce session, ABA CEO Allison Hill said that IndieCommerce has become critical to the stores. Upgrades in early 2022 will make the platform more user-friendly in response to strong customer traffic and bookstores reimagining the marketplace.

At a morning session, IndieCommerce director Phil Davies explained how the platform weathered challenges from January 2020 through October 2021. On March 12, 2020, as schools and businesses shut down due to COVID-19, IndieCommerce recorded a steep 77% increase in weekly traffic across participating websites. Simultaneously, the percentage of online customers completing a purchase leaped from a weekly average of 1.33% to more than 6%, and averaged about 5% for the rest of the year.

Online traffic spiked on June 2, 2020, during anti-racist demonstrations, and again on November 30s Cyber Monday, which yielded a whopping 8.5% conversion rate. Despite heavy traffic, said IndieCommerce senior manager Geetha Nathan, our platform was stable, and the conversion rate is now almost twice what it was in 2018 and 2019. Davies said the rate stands at a new normal of 3%, or 2.81%.

To meet the higher volumes, the ABA is nearing the completion of a total upgrade of the platform. Informed by members feedback, the upgrade will feature an enhanced shopping cart, templates, ordering functions, and payment options including ApplePay. Its an upgraded platform, and its also a totally reimagined platform, says ABA CEO Hill. We have a vendor who has about 10 developers in the third stage of the scope of work. Come January, ABA anticipates a status update for IndieCommerce booksellers, and Februarys Winter Institute promises a session with developers. Nathan is confident her team will be able to provide customers with what they need to get through this holiday season.

At the CALIBA general meeting, ABA chief operating officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger said final results of the ABACUS survey are delayed given enormous changes brought by PPP loans and the rise of Bookshop. Dallanegra-Sanger said ABAs antitrust initiatives are progressing, saying, We think there is still a really good window of opportunity to make some headway. ABA, ILSR, and Small Business Rising are among those working to rein in Big Tech.

Looking ahead, CALIBA will explore creating a micro-regional bookseller council, to connect members with shared concerns and proximity. The organization also reminded members to steer customers to winners of its Golden Poppy Awards. Chaired by Maryelizabeth Yturralde (Creating Conversations, Redondo Beach), the awards champion California authors such as Anthony Veasna So, whose story collection Afterparties (Ecco) won both the Fiction category and the Martin Cruz Smith Award for Diversity and Inclusion.
In a filing last week, lawyers for the Internet Archive told a federal judge that the plaintiff publishers and the Association of American Publishers are refusing to properly comply with discovery requests in their closely-watched lawsuit over the scanning and lending of print library books, and is asking the court to intervene.

According to an October 29 letter, the dispute concerns a range of communications and documents responsive to subpoenas that IA lawyers say are needed for their defense. The AAP and the plaintiff publishers, however, are said to be withholding the communications, claiming they are privileged.

IA lawyers are asking for a pre-motion conference before seeking an order to compel the AAP and the publishers to share the disputed documents and communications.

The discovery dispute is the latest twist in the high profile lawsuit, first filed in June of 2020 by Hachette, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House, and coordinated by the AAP. The suit alleges that the Internet Archives program to scan and lend print editions of library books under an untested legal theory known as controlled digital lending is copyright infringement on a massive scale.

The Internet Archive, however, contends that its program respects the rights of copyright holders and that the scanning and lending of library books under the CDL framework is protected by fair use.

In their October 29 letter, IA lawyers told the court that the communications being withheld by the AAP could be "key pieces of evidence as to whether Internet Archives nonprofit library lending causes any substantial market harm," and could aid the IA's defense by potentially shedding light on "the varying views of publishers regarding the Internet Archives activities, as well as whether the publishers "regarded themselves as having been harmed by those activities" and whether that harm was of a large or of a small magnitude.

Further, IA lawyers told the court, the communications could shed light on whether the publishers "conspired here as they did in [The Apple E-books Case], telling the court that any potential evidence of anticompetitive conduct could support an additional defense that might "preclude infringement liability.

In the filing, IA lawyers say that the AAP and the plaintiff publishers are asserting a range of privilege, including attorney-client and work product privilege. But IA attorneys contend that the AAP has not met the legal burden to assert their privilege claims, and is asking the court to weigh in.

It is clear to the Internet Archive, after seven written communications (letters and emails) and a lengthy telephonic meet and confer that further discussions between the parties will not be productive, IA lawyers state.

As of press time, a response from the plaintiffs has not been made public, and court has not yet acted on the IA's request for a conference.
Milena Brown

Associate Marketing Director

Atria Books

After majoring in communications in college, Milena Brown got a job doing PR in the music industry. But she soon realized that wasnt the best fit, so she quit her job and reached out to a temp agency, which placed her at Disney/Hyperion. At that moment, Brown says, she knew, This is it; this is me.

Browns full-time publishing career began in publicityat Plume for six years and Atria for twobut when she took the role of associate director of marketing, her career took off. Milena works well with internal and external colleagues to execute on campaign milestones, and she is analytical, says Karlyn Hixson, marketing director at Atria Books. Assessing outcomes and data are among her greatest strengths, and she offers suggestions for pivoting to improve campaign performance.

A project that Brown is particularly proud of is Sister Souljahs Life After Death, the long-awaited sequel to Souljahs wildly popular The Coldest Winter Ever, which was published 22 years ago. Brown knew that traditional book marketing wasnt going to help the new title reach the right audience, but her goal was for it to become a #1 New York Times bestseller. So she started by individually contacting and gathering bookstagrammers who were fans of The Coldest Winter Ever and recruiting them as the Sister Souljah street team to help spread the word about the new book.

This momentum, plus a title and cover reveal video, helped get Black Twitter engaged and kicked the campaign into full swing. Celebrities including Cardi B and Lance Gross shared posts about Life After Death on their social media channels, and it hit the list.

What happened next for Brown was a bonus. Even though The Coldest Winter Ever had sold millions of copies, it was never a New York Times bestseller, but with a boost from Browns campaign for Life After Death, The Coldest Winter Ever finally hit the list.

Brown is expanding her reach and bringing her great ideas to the Bronx Book Festival, where she recently became one of the adult cochairs.

Zakia Henderson-Brown

Editor and Strategic Partnerships Coordinator

New Press

In summer 2012, the New Press created an outreach coordinator position designed to galvanize the growing interest in The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. One of the New Presss all-time bestsellers, the book had recently come out in paperback, and the publisher was looking to provide advice to organizations and individuals seeking to end mass incarceration. At the same time, zakia henderson-brown was finishing her MFA in creative writing and literary translation at Queens College, CUNY, and was looking for a part-time job. She previously worked as a community organizer and advocate on a range of issues, and the New Press role seemed like a perfect match. I was delighted to have the opportunity to combine my obsession with the literary and my passion for social justice, she recalls.

The outreach coordinator position was meant to last about a year, but after six months, henderson-brown was asked to stay on longer. Her collaboration with organizers, advocates, students, teachers, and readers across the country was just starting to take hold, and the New Press wanted a dedicated, full-time staff member to continue the work. Though henderson-brown had been making other plans, publisher Ellen Adler told her that the New Press was hiring for an editorial position, acquiring titles related to racial justice, and she thought henderson-brown would be a good fit.

Zakias editorial work is complemented by her strategic partnerships efforts, Adler says. The overarching goal is to be sure that New Press books and authors reach the audiences in the communities that are most affected by the topics they cover.

Henderson-brown began splitting her time between her role as editor and outreach coordinator. In 2015, her outreach work was expanded to include more of the New Press list, and her role was changed from outreach coordinator to strategic partnerships coordinator.

It wasnt always obvious that I would end up pursuing a career in publishing, but Im so glad that I did, henderson-brown says. To be doing work that I feel so well suited for, and specifically at a mission-based press, has been uniquely fulfilling, and I feel fortunate that the stars aligned the way they did.

Kristopher Kam

Publicity Manager

Random House Childrens Books

Kristopher Kam thought he would go into a law-related field with his major in political science, but the classes in his Asian American studies minor turned out to be the most formative for him. So, when he met the events director from the Asian American Writers Workshop at a community fair at his college, he applied for an author events internship there and was hooked.

After a series of internships and volunteer positions at Interference Archive, the Museum of Chinese in America, Soho Press, Gallery Books, and Tor, Kam was hired as a part-time publicity assistant at St. Martins Press.

Since joining Random House, Kam has worked with great change makers and storytellers, such as Mahogany L. Browne, Judd Winick, and R.J. Palacio, and during the past year, he has created unique virtual programming for each writer. For Mahogany, I worked with Well-Read Black Girl to create an all-day virtual summit, Kam says. For Judd, it was a two-month virtual school visit tour. And for R.J., I did a virtual event with 24 indies. Im always pushing how we can change up the virtual format to keep things interesting for both our authors and consumers.

Kam is also the point person for all RHCB festival programming strategy, and hes worked with the steering committee of DEI at RHCB to create a DEI Focus Weeks initiative, for which he built out two weeks of DEI content that began and ended with author keynotes and featured workshops in between. I built out a two-week workshop for talking about racea Race Explicit Workshop, he says. They were meant to be an introductory course in introducing the concepts of race and equity to the growing DEI conversation. I thought it was important for our Focus Weeks to be more about getting folks to a shared starting point.

Centering the questions in the breakout groups on storytelling was intended to help people talk about race comfortably. Focus Weeks had more than 140 registrants; Kam hopes to resume Focus Weeks later this year.

Kam is also proud of the investment and growth of Community Talk, a forum he moderates that focuses on conversations about building community goals related to DEI. Weve been seeing 3040 regular attendees each week, he says. The conversation has also grown in that more and more senior leadership is present. Its also brought together folks from different departments who wouldnt normally interact. Its definitely filled a void for us since the start of the pandemic, as its just been hard to connect virtually otherwise.

Tiffany Liao

Executive Editor

Zando

When Tiffany Liao was at Swarthmore College, Michael Pietsch, then publisher of Little, Brown, came to speak to students about publishing. By the end of his talk, Liao couldnt resist trying to press her resume into his hands. Pietsch demurred and instead told her about the publishing internship program at Little, Brown.

Liao started her publishing career in publicity, but she soon realized that her favorite parts of the job were writing and editing, so she looked to transition into editorial. In 2013, she joined HarperCollins Childrens Books, where she worked with Abby Ranger and Tamar Mays, who mentored her and provided a perfect introduction to the world of childrens publishing.

Over the past several years, Liao has moved from HarperCollins Childrens Books to Razorbill to Henry Holt, working with notable writers along the way, including Tochi Onyebuchi and Tomi Adeyemiand on I Am Perfectly Designed by Queer Eye culture expert Karamo Brown and his son, Jason.

Tiff publishes with integrity and intention, with an emphasis on amplifying marginalized voices and diversifying the literary canon, says Emily Bell, head of editorial at Zando. While Tiff has won traditional acquisitions in heated multi-house auctions, she also tenaciously seeks out the stories that our industry fails to deliver.

In May, Liao joined Zando, the new publishing venture launched by former Crown senior v-p and publisher Molly Stern. As executive editor, Liao is heading up the Young Readers initiative.

Im very proud to be starting from scratch. Mollys vision is very compelling, Liao says. I am looking forward to building a robust Zando list that is both timely and timeless, has a lasting cultural impact, and meets readers where they are.

Gretchen Treu and Wes Lukes

Co-owners

A Room of Ones Own, Madison, Wis.

In July 2018, when Nancy Geary and Sandi Torkildson, founding owners of the feminist bookstore A Room of Ones Own in Madison, Wis., were looking for buyers to carry on the stores mission, they needed look no further than longtime employees Gretchen Treu and Wes Lukes. Growing up queer and weird in small Midwestern towns, Treu and Lukes were both avid readers and library-goers, reaching out for stories to connect us to people and ideas beyond what we had access to in our homes and schools, Treu says. Books were our safe haven as kids, so were happy to have a hand encouraging a future generation of readers.

Over the past several years, Treu and Lukes have been proud to reinvigorate the stores mission and update it to promote anti-racist activism, prison and police abolition, and trans inclusivity, as well as other forms of progressive politics, Treu explains.

To advance that mission, throughout the year, the store donates books it has collected to local organizations, such as LGBT Books to Prisoners Project, the Madison Reading Project, and Arts + Literature Labs Queer Youth Book Club. In 2019, Treu and Lukes coordinated the #BookstoresAgainstBorders campaign and donated $110,000 to RAICES (the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services). The store continued similar social justice efforts in the midst of the pandemic.

And those efforts extend to the staff, as well. During the pandemic, the store was closed to the public and employees were told to work from home with full pay. We figured we could afford to make this choice, not knowing how long we might be asking staff to stay home, Treu says. And we could lead our community by examplepaying people to stay home rather than put themselves in danger of contracting Covid only made practical and moral sense to us. We committed to do what we could to help staff maintain their income needs so that they didnt have to seek other jobs as we came up with work-from-home options. We tried to put safety first, follow science, and adjust as new information became available.

Recently, A Room of Ones Own moved from downtown Madison to the Near East Side, after its landlord said he was selling the building. The owners of the new building are longtime patrons of the store and the lease term protects A Room of Ones Own from being pushed out of its location due to development for 40 years. It was a lot of work to build out and move the space, but it has been absolutely worth it, Treu says. We love our forever home, and in the few weeks since we reopened here, weve heard overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers about how incredible the new space is.

The new location is in a neighborhood with lots of children. Though in-person events are on hold for the moment, the store is developing more kid-focused events, including Drag Queen Story Time. In the meantime, Treu says, well keep on being a strong resource for families looking for diverse and inclusive kids books.

Celebrate the 2021 Stars

November 16, 2021

6:30 p.m. EST

RSVP here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErcO6opz0sHND6r5ttd8N9UYvvv6IpYzWp

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Grub Street, Bostons largest nonprofit writing organization, is taking steps to address community concerns following the recent publication of the New York Times Magazine article Who is the Bad Art Friend? The article profiled a dispute involving more than half a dozen writers affiliated with, and employed by, the organization. While Grub Street played no direct role in the controversy, founder and executive director Eve Bridburg wrote in a statement that the involvement of so many leaders in the organizations communityand the release of potentially disparaging emails by themprompted an internal review and other steps intended to address matters of professionalism, as well as of race, class, elitism, artistic ethics, and insider-outsider dynamics.

Among the immediate changes noted by Bridburg are the resignation of author Jennifer De Leon from the Grub Street board of directors, the departure of Alison Murphy from her role as longtime director of online learning, and the departure of author Sonya Larson from her role heading up the organizations annual Muse & the Marketplace conference. Artistic director Christopher Castellani, whose emails were quoted in the Times article, addressed members in a follow-up email on October 30, asking their forgiveness. Castellani will remain with the organization.

The internal review, which was conducted in recent weeks by the legal firm Locke Lorde, found that the organization had dealt with the matter appropriately, including how it handled a 2018 human resources complaint brought by author and instructor Dawn Dorland. Nonetheless, Bridburg said that the organization will continue a comprehensive review geared toward addressing an influx of community concerns raised by the article. In the coming months, she added, the organization intends to hire an outside firm to assist in that effort.

We have a responsibility to ensure that the actions of our staff and instructors are not in conflict with our values or mission. We also have the responsibility to safeguard the artistic standards expected in our classrooms, Bridburg wrote. She expressed confidence that by taking the issues head-on, Grub Street will emerge a stronger organization for it.

Founded in 1997, Grub Street has seen a meteoric rise to prominence in recent years, drawing nearly 1,000 attendees yearly to its annual conference. Following a multi-year $8 million capital campaign, Grub recently relocated to a 13,000 sq. ft. location in Bostons Seaport district.

Grub Street also recently updated its strategic plan to include a substantial focus on ensuring access to its facilities and resources; among its proposals is a plan to provide free public transit passes for BIPOC youth from across the city of Boston to be able to use its new space for literary events. Still, Bridburg acknowledged that the organization will need to do more to address the issue of insider-outsider dynamics, which she said were raised in e-mails from members to the organization's leadership following the publication of the Times article. She expressed optimism that the organization will succeed in doing so. Its our hope that through the work ahead, we can regain the trust of all our members, she wrote, and move forward together in a positive and productive way.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University Global continues to join forces with health care organizations to offer robust educational opportunities with tuition reduction. The latest such partnership is with the Wellness Council of Arizona.

Purdue University Global School of Nursing is thrilled to partner with the Wellness Council of Arizona and is excited to support its mission around continuing education and the pursuit of academic advancement, said Melissa Burdi, Purdue Global vice president and dean of the School of Nursing.

The Purdue Global School of Nursing offers an associates degree program, RN-BSN, six Master of Science in Nursing specialties and Doctor of Nursing programs. Additional Purdue Global offerings include business, criminal justice, human services and psychology, among others. The partnership does not include Concord Law School or aviation programs.

Wellness Council of Arizona staff and immediate family members (spouse, domestic partner, children, siblings and parents) will continue to be afforded 20% tuition reduction for undergraduate programs, 14% reduction for graduate programs and 10% reduction for doctoral programs.

The Wellness Council of Arizona is extremely excited about our new relationship with Purdue University Global, said Dan Johnson, executive director of the Wellness Council of Arizona. Being able to offer continuing education opportunities with discounts toward tuition is an added value we feel our member organizations will greatly appreciate. We look forward to working closely with the Purdue Global team as we aid our organizations along with their employees and family members with educational advancement.

Purdue Global has similar partnerships with Columbus (Nebraska) Community Hospital, Continuum Pediatric Nursing Services, York (Nebraska) General and UnityPoint Health  Cedar Rapids.

About Purdue University Global

Purdue University Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. It offers personalized paths for students to earn an associate, bachelors, masters or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, desired pace, military service, previous college credits and other considerations  no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is affiliated with Purdue Universitys flagship institution, a highly ranked public research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue University also operates regional campuses in Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana, as well as serving science, engineering and technology students at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) campus. For more information, visit purdueglobal.edu.

About Wellness Council of Arizona

The Wellness Council of Arizona (WELCOAZ) strives to be the recognized leader and resource for worksite health promotion in Arizona. WELCOAZ collaborates with health care providers, community leaders, businesses and institutions to improve the health of employees and their families. The Wellness Council received its original charter from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Insurance Association of America in 1985. We believed that advancing health insights, lifestyles and supportive cultures are invaluable tools in the work place. The Wellness Council of Arizona evolved from the Wellness Council of Tucson in 2002.

Media Contact, Purdue Global: Tom Schott, 765-427-1721, tschott@purdue.edu

Media Contact, Wellness Council of Arizona: Sarah Mincheva, sarah@welcoaz.org

Sources: Melissa Burdi

Dan Johnson
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI) has reached a milestone in its goal of promoting high-quality care for veterans, current service members and their families. Hamilton Center in Terre Haute has become the first three-star center in MFRIs new Star Behavioral Health Providers designation system for organizations.

The classification system is an expansion of the existing SBHP rating available for individual providers. The SBHP system for organizations and health centers was crafted in partnership with the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction. It is designed to promote consistent standards of care for all military-connected individuals seeking services from community mental health centers.

Hamilton Centers efforts to progress in our designation program are truly remarkable, said Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, MFRI director. Their enthusiasm indicates a potential for similar growth and accommodation for service members, veterans and military families at all of Indianas community mental health centers.

In a statement, the Indiana DMHA said: Hamilton Community Mental Health Center has been a terrific leader in providing quality behavioral health services to veterans and active military by encouraging their staff to become certified Star Behavioral Health Program Providers. They have recently achieved their third-tier star designation, and the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction is very grateful to Hamilton Center for prioritizing providing quality services to military individuals in their community.

Through SBHP  a collaborative, multistate effort that includes the state of Indiana, the National Guard Bureau and the Center for Deployment Psychology  MFRI provides clinical education programs that prepare behavioral health professionals for dealing more knowledgeably with military-connected populations.

For more than 10 years now, SBHP has provided specialized training for understanding and treating military service members and their families, said Julie Williams, the MFRI program manager who coordinates SBHP. We already offer a registry of providers who have undergone our training, and now with the center designation system, we can offer a directory of entire organizations committed to the competencies that we teach.

To progress through the new four-star system, an organization must meet a progressively demanding set of standards that include military-focused resources, outreach programs, competency training in military culture and continuing clinical education in evidence-based practices with a track record of improving mental health outcomes in military families.

In working with DMHA, we agreed that each of the four tiers should not only be attainable for Indianas community mental health centers, but also help ensure a meaningful, high-quality standard of care, said Kathy Broniarczyk, senior director of outreach and operations at MFRI.

Hamilton Center had applied in early 2021 for a one-star designation.

But as soon as they received their first star, administrators quickly returned to apply for additional designation, quickly achieving their second star before moving on within the month to tier three, Williams said.

To advance from the second to third tier, or star, Hamilton Center staff boosted the visibility of its veterans support practices, initiated the process for becoming a TRICARE provider that accepts U.S. Department of Defense health insurance and increased its participation in public events designed to support regional military communities.

The Hamilton Center began its Military Veteran Program just over five years ago, and we continuously strive to increase competency in treating our military and veteran population, said Meghan Creech, Hamilton Centers executive director for adult services, about the value of the SBHP designation to their operations. Hamilton Center is committed to providing health care services to military-connected individuals throughout West Central Indiana.

The star designation process has assisted our corporation in creating policies and procedures informed by an understanding of military culture and provides an assurance that clinicians have training in military culture and evidence-based practices. We have had the opportunity to work closely with Star Behavioral Health Providers and look forward to our future endeavors together.

The goal of the new center designation system is to help improve mental health indicators for military-connected families across the state. Although it may be several years before measurable clinical outcomes are available, MacDermid Wadsworth said she is encouraged by Hamilton Centers enthusiasm for a centerwide commitment toward this objective.

We are excited to see more community mental health centers partner with us in the future to help improve quality of life for service members, veterans and their families in Indiana, she said.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

About the Military Family Research Institute

Using data-driven solutions to real-world issues, MFRI works closely with collaborators around the United States on outreach, research and educational activities designed to improve the quality of life for service members, veterans and military families.

About the Hamilton Center

The Hamilton Center provides quality health care, wellness and human development services to central and west Indiana communities. The center has provided these services in-state for 50 years, with over 600 staff in 10 counties. Hamilton Center is a nonprofit regional system with offices designed to be convenient, private and confidential, which reduces the barriers for seeking psychological and mental health treatment.

Writer: Nick Pompella, Military Family Research Institute

Media contact: Matthew Oates, 765-586-7496 (cell), oatesw@purdue.edu, @mo_oates

Sources: Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth

Julie Williams

Kathy Broniarczyk

Meghan Creech
Neurava is developing a wearable device to monitor and alert for the impending risk of sudden, unexpected death in epilepsy. The company announced it has closed on more than $650,000 in seed funding. (Neurava photo)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Neurava, a startup located in West Lafayette, Indiana, announced Monday (Nov. 1) that it has received more than $650,000 in seed funding led by Elevate Ventures with participation from Purdue Foundry, First Leaf Capital, UCB Biopharma, iO Life Ventures and angel investors.

Neurava is developing a wearable device to monitor and alert for the impending risk of sudden, unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Vivek Ganesh and Jay Shah, current and former Ph.D. candidates from Purdue University's College of Engineering, launched the startup after a potential mechanism of action behind SUDEP was discovered in the lab of Pedro Irazoqui, the incoming head of electrical engineering at Johns Hopkins University and former associate head of biomedical engineering and founder of the Center for Implantable Devices at Purdue.

"We have put together a well-rounded group of investors consisting of venture capital firms, angel investors, Purdue Foundry and an important strategic partner, UCB Biopharma," Shah said. "Our group of investors bring more than just capital. They also share their experience in entrepreneurship, medical device development and the epilepsy space."

Neurava received a $20,000 pre-seed investment from Elevate Ventures through the Elevate Nexus Regional Pitch Competition in 2019. This initial investment enabled the company to begin building a prototype.

Ganesh said, "We are really pleased to receive such tremendous support from these top-tier firms and appreciate the confidence they've placed in our team. SUDEP is a risk faced by millions of people worldwide. With this funding, we can complete a prototype that we believe can have a massive impact on epilepsy patients and their caregivers."

The new funding will allow Neurava to complete a final prototype and collect human data through epilepsy monitoring studies, as well as finalize an insurance reimbursement strategy and expand its team.

"At UCB, we are driven to improve the lives of people living with epilepsy, and supporting the broader epilepsy community is at the forefront of everything we do. It is our goal to improve the detection, management and treatment of seizures, and the development of health technology is a key area of focus. We welcome the opportunity to partner on this much-needed area of research," said Charl van Zyl, executive vice president, head of neurology solutions and European and international markets, UCB.

Mike Shepard, entrepreneur-in-residence at Elevate Ventures, said, "Elevate is excited to work with Jay and Vivek. They epitomize the characteristics of the thoughtful leadership and drive required to succeed with an early-stage medical device company. For individuals living with epilepsy, their technology will deliver much-needed insights and monitoring."

"Purdue Foundry makes strategic investments to enable Purdue startups to improve the world," said Riley Gibb, director of business development at Purdue Foundry. "Jay and Vivek are passionate about their medical device and are equally passionate about organizing Neurava for sustained success. We are proud of our ability to support Purdue technology and to be part of the initial round of seed funding to support the company."

In addition to the funding announced Monday, Neurava was selected as a finalist in the MassChallenge Accelerator Competition in Boston this year. Neurava also was among 54 startups selected from 440 global applicants at the Rice Business Plan Competition. The competition resulted in winning a $25,000 U.S. Food and Drug Administration award to continue developing its technology.

About Elevate Ventures

Elevate Ventures is a private venture development organization assisting high-growth startups and early-stage companies expand into high-performing, Indiana-based companies. Elevate has invested over $120 million in more than 400 companies through its various programs. Pitchbook has ranked Elevate as the Most Active VC in the Great Lakes Region since 2017. To learn more about Elevate Ventures, visit elevateventures.com.

About Neurava

Neurava is a medical device startup translating the discovery of a potential mechanism of action behind Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) into a first-of-its-kind smart wearable capable of identifying and alerting for seizures and impending SUDEP risk. This diagnostic platform, pioneered by the company's scientific founders, can have a life-saving impact on the estimated 3.5 million people in the U.S. and 50 million people worldwide who suffer from epilepsy. To learn more about Neurava, visit www.neurava.org.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub whose professionals help Purdue innovators create and grow startup companies that will improve the world. The Foundry achieves its mission by providing practical training, direct investment and connections to experienced entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors. The Purdue Foundry is part of the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Media contact:

Jay Shah, CEO, Neurava: 281-995-8055, jay@neurava.org

Elevate Ventures contact:

Erica Schweyer, eschweyer@elevateventures.com

Purdue Research Foundation contact:

Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org
Purdue University has announced that several apartments in Purdue Village will be destroyed.
WWE EARNINGS REPORT THIS THURSDAY, JINNY CHALLENGING FOR NXT UK WOMEN'S TITLE, SMACKDOWN BACK ON FOX, TAG MATCH SET FOR NXT 2.0 AND MORE

WWE will release their earnings for the third quarter of 2021 this Thursday afternoon. There will be a conference call to discuss the earnings with Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, Stephanie McMahon, and Kristina Salen discussing the results at 5 PM EST. We'll have complete coverage of the call.

Beyond tonight's Monday Night Raw broadcast, WWE has a busy week:

Tomorrow, the Raw brand kicks off their European tour.

Johnny Gargano & Dexter Lumis vs. WWE NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams has been announced for tomorrow's edition of NXT 2.0 on the USA Network.

WWE's The Bump will stream Wednesday at 10 AM on the WWE Network, Peacock and the WWE social media channels with NXT's Tony D'Angelo and more appearing.

NXT UK Women's Champion Meiko Satomura vs. Jinny will headline this Thursday's edition of NXT UK.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown will return to FOX this Friday from Evansville, Indiana. Nothing has yet been announced locally for the broadcast.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
GCW VS. INDEPENDENTWRESTLING.TV LAWSUIT UPDATE

Pennsylvania-based independent wrestling streaming service IndependentWrestling.TV (IWTV) filed a motion on 10/27, asking the the United States District Court Middle District of Pennsylvania (Scranton) to deny Game Changer Wrestling's Motion to dismiss the lawsuit IWTV has brought against the company.

IWTV filed a lawsuit this past June against Game Changer Wrestling, alleging they broke an agreement for IWTV to carry their events as part of IWTV's streaming service. On 8/30, GCW filed a motion to dismiss, claiming that IWTV had failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

The Times-Leader in Pennsylvania reported back in June that the lawsuit alleges the two sides entered into an agreement in March of 2020 but by December, GCW informed IWTV they would be "breaching" the deal and have since held 36 PPV events, a "violation of the signed agreement" of the two sides. The lawsuit alleges GCW has damaged IWTV "in excess of $500,000."

In a 100-page filing on 9/13 before the court, GCW pushed for a dismissal, stating:

Plaintiff Independent Wrestling.TV (IWTV) alleges that Defendant Game Changer Wrestling, LLC (Game Changer) breached the terms of a distribution agreement. IWTV brought this suit to recover the profits it claims to have lost as a result of this alleged breach. Assuming for purposes of this motion that the contract on which IWTV relies was not procured under highly problematic circumstances evidencing fraud and duress (and it was), the very distribution agreement upon which Plaintiff reliesone which was drafted by IWTV without any input from Defendant Game Changerincludes a limitation of damage provision that expressly prohibits recovery of lost profits. Because IWTV has failed to allege any other viable theory of damages, its claim for breach of contract must be dismissed. IWTVs claim for detrimental reliance is similarly deficient. IWTVs claim fails because it has not adequately alleged any of the elementsa promise, reliance, injustice, or substantial damages stemming therefrom. In any case, a party cannot evade the application of a clear contractual limitation on damagesespecially here where that was drafted without the input of the defendant counterpartysimply by restyling its breach of contract claim. The promise on which Plaintiff relies is one purportedly made in the contract itself, and subject to all of the same restrictions. Whats more, IWTV failed to plead (as it must) that it actually relied to its detriment on any purported promise. For these reasons, the claim for detrimental reliance must also be dismissed.

Game Changer Wrestling claimed their agreement with IWTV was to provide one live stream per month. They also argued that their contract with IWTV states that the contractual agreement between the two sides prevents each from being liable for the others lost profits, stating:

But Game Changer is not liable for IWTVs alleged lost profits. The Distribution Agreement, drafted exclusively by Plaintiff IWTV, could scarcely be more explicit about this: Neither party shall be liable to the other for any indirect, special, consequential or punitive damages, including loss of profits, revenue, data or use incurred by any party, even if such party has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Dist. Agreement  11(c) (emphasis added). So IWTV cannot recover damages based on its lost profits. And because the Complaint does not allege any other form of injury suffered by IWTV, that leaves it without the crucial element of damages.

GCW also argued that the allegation that they breached the confidentiality of their contract with IWTV, arguing:

Apparently recognizing that the limitation on damages would prevent recovery for lost profits, IWTV has conclusorily asserted that Game Changer breached section 8 of the Distribution Agreement by revealing and publicizing the terms of the Distribution Agreement to other promoters. Compl.  21. As noted above, the bar on recovery of lost profits does not apply to a claim that either party has breached its contractual confidentiality obligations. But this transparent attempt to perform an end-run around the damages limitation clause fails for three separate reasons. First, [c]onclusory allegations with no factual support to show their plausibility are insufficient to survive a motion to dismiss. Plaintiff claims that Game Changer breached the Distribution Agreement by revealing and publicizing the terms of the Distribution Agreement to other promoters. See Compl.  21. That is the entirety of Plaintiffs allegation of this breach. Plaintiff does not include a single fact to support this naked assertion. Where, as here, Plaintiff pleads no facts to move these claims across the line from conceivable to plausible, the allegations are not sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss. Golod v. Bank of America Corp., 403 F. Appx 699, 703 (3rd Cir. 2010) (quoting Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 680 (2009)). Secondly, even if Game Changer had breached its confidentiality obligations, IWTV has still failed to plead damages flowing from that breach. Again, the Complaint only claims damages in the form of lost profits, but nowhere does the Complaint even attempt to allege how Game Changers disclosure of certain contractual terms had somehow caused IWTV to lose profits. And without such a causal connection between breach and damages, IWTVs claim fails. Finally, IWTVs allegation that Game Changer breached its confidentiality obligations is contradicted by the plain language of the contract. Confidential Information is defined by the contract to include only information that is disclosed by or on behalf of one Party to the other Party. Dist. Agreement claims that this provision was violated because Game Changer revealed the terms of the contract itself. This is obviously incorrect for a few independent reasons. The terms of the Distribution Agreement cannot constitute confidential information because those terms were not disclosed by or on behalf of IWTV to Game Changer. Plainly, IWTV could not have disclosed to Game Changer terms which Game Changer supposedly participated in negotiating. In fact, Confidential Information does not include information that . . . is rightfully known by the receiving Party at the time of disclosure without an obligation of confidentiality. Of course, even if this allegation that Game Changer violated the confidentiality provision of the agreement were true (and it is not), Game Changer had every right to utilize the Distribution Agreement, which by its terms is not confidential. Further, the confidentiality provision requires each party to keep the other Partys Confidential Information safe. Id.  8(b) (emphasis added). But the terms of a contract do not belong to one party or the other. This confidentiality provision is clearly intended to protect information belonging to a single party that is disclosed to the other party for purposes of negotiation. It does not apply to a mutually executed agreement. The confidentiality provision therefore simply does not bar disclosure of the terms of the Distribution Agreement itself. Any contrary interpretation, in addition to contradicting the plain language of the agreement, would lead to absurd results. For example, the contract provides that [t]he receiving Party shall return or delete all Confidential Information of the disclosing Party promptly upon request of the disclosing Party. Id.  8(b). Under IWTVs interpretation, the terms of a contract to which Game Changer is a party somehow constitute confidential information owned by IWTV, which would mean that IWTV could require that Game Changer return or delete the contract itself. Obviously, this cannot be right, because the contract does not treat its own terms as confidential information belonging to one party or the other. This alone is enough to doom IWTVs attemptrecognizing the limitation on damages contained in the Distribution Agreementto backdoor lost profits in through the confidentiality provision.

In the filing, GCW states that they informed IWTV in December 2020 they were seeking alternative platforms (they moved exclusively to FITE.TV) and that IWTV filed their lawsuit in June 2021. They also argued that many of the allegations against them were simply duplicates of other allegations and even alleged their original agreement was signed under duress.

On 10/27, IWTV filed the following response to the court: The Plaintiff operates a subscription-model live streaming service focused on independent wrestling that allows subscribers to view live-streamed events as well as archived programs over an internet connection. The Defendant is an independent wrestling production company that arranges and puts on live independent wrestling events. The Plaintiff and Defendant entered into a Distribution Agreement dated March 19, 2020 (the Distribution Agreement), for the purpose of Plaintiff producing and videoing the Defendants wrestling events so that they may be live streamed on either the Plaintiffs online platform or another online platform, or distributed via the Plaintiffs subscription service. A true and correct copy of the Distribution Agreement executed by the Parties can be found at Doc. 1 Exhibit A, pg. 13. Paragraph 2 of the Distribution Agreement grants to the Plaintiff an exclusive license during the term of the contract to produce and distribute the Defendants PayPer-View events and the Defendants Programs throughout the world. Id. The Distribution Agreement defines Pay-Per-View events as specific programs, either live streamed or archived which a viewer can purchase to view either once or a specified number of times via private stream or broadcast, and not included in Plaintiffs subscription service. The Distribution Agreement defines Programs as audiovisual content (including any related metadata, identifying information or Case 3:21-cv-01139-JFS Document 13 Filed 10/27/21 Page 2 of 11 3 2521005.2 other supplemental information) that Provider (Defendant) makes available to Distributor (Plaintiff) pursuant to the Agreement. Id. Programs include Archived Content as well as Live Streamed Events. Id. Plaintiff operates a subscription model to provide Programs to its subscribers. The subscription service does not include Pay per View Events. On December 1, 2020, Defendant notified Plaintiff of Defendants intent to breach the Distribution Agreement by producing and live streaming Defendants Pay-Per-View events through an alternate platform. (Doc. 1 Exhibit A pg. 27). Defendant proceeded to have Pay-Per-View events on December 5, 2020, December 31, 2020 and January 1, 2021 in violation of the Distribution Agreement with Plaintiff. Since the filing of the current lawsuit the Defendant has continued to produce and live stream Pay-Per-View events in violation of the Distribution Agreement with Plaintiff. On December 7, 2020, counsel for the Plaintiff notified Defendant that its actions of utilizing a different production company and distribution system for the events on December 5, 2020, December 31, 2020 and January 1, 2021 were a violation of the signed Distribution Agreement between the parties. (Doc. 1 Exhibit A pg. 29). Nevertheless, Defendant continued to conduct live stream Pay-Per-View events utilizing a different production company and distribution system in violation of the Distribution Agreement on the dates detailed above as well as January 29-30, 2021; February 13, 2021; February 20, 2021; March 6, 2021; April 8-10, 2021; May 1, 2021 and May 15, 2021 for a total of approximately thirty-six (36) events up to the date of the filing of the Complaint. Further, Defendant breached Paragraph 4C of the Distribution Agreement by failing to provide to Plaintiff the requisite number of live stream events per month. Paragraph 4C of the Distribution Agreement states that Defendant agrees to provide an average of one (1) live stream program per month to (Plaintiff), with the allowance that if there are no streams in any given month then (Plaintiff) shall receive two (2) live stream programs the following month. (Doc. 1 Exhibit A pg. 15). Since the signing of the Distribution Agreement, Defendant has provided to Plaintiff four (4) live stream events, which is less than the number required under the terms of the Distribution Agreement. Finally, Defendant breached the Distribution Agreement by disclosing the terms of the Agreement to third parties.

IWTV is also asked that they be allowed to amend their lawsuit to amend the Breach of Contract claim.

From this point, here are how things may go:

*The Court sides with GCW and dismisses the complaint, either without prejudice which would allow IWTV to re-file a reconfigured lawsuit or with prejudice, which would mean the entire case is done and cannot be brought back to life.

*The Court sides with IWTV and decides the lawsuit at least has some merit that deserves to argued before the court. At that point, they would move into discovery and prepare for a trial that could be a few years down the line, unless they settle.

*The sides decide to figure out a settlement and end the legal process.

PWInsider.com will update as the story continues to progress.

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Plastic straws available for the taking at the bar? Not anymore  those will have to be put out of reach and only doled out upon request as of Nov. 1.
George Mason University is not the only school to hide or obscure foreign money.

I recently discovered that George Mason University failed to report its $3.1 million gift to the Department of Education (ED), in apparent violation of the Higher Education Act. The gift was part of a major commitment made by Turkish businessman Ali Vural Ak in 2009.

This wasnt just any donation. Aks gift established the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at the university. The Center advances a sound and nuanced understanding of Muslim societies and the Islamic faith, its role in world history, and its current patterns of globalization. Prior to the Centers founding, GMU wanted to expand its Islamic studies program and accepted a $1.5 million grant from the Virginia-based International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), an organization under a years-long federal investigation for possible links to terrorism.

GMU justifies its reporting negligence by hiding behind its foundation.

Masons reporting under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act did not include foreign gifts received by the George Mason University Foundation as the Department of Education did not issue its updated guidance until 2019 clarifying that gifts made through related foundations should be included, reads an October 7 email from Robin Parker, Interim Assistant Vice President of Communications.

Universities have been required to report foreign contracts and gifts exceeding $250,000 since 1986. The George Mason University Foundation received 31 checks from Ak  $100,000 each  which were then sent to GMU and used to support the Centers employees and activities between 2009 and 2018. In other words, GMU received $300,000 per year from Mr. Ak during this period. But GMU claims there was no need to report it since the money went through its foundation first.

While university foundations act merely as a pass-through between foreign funds and the university, they exist as legally separate entities from their affiliated institutions and thus manage to escape a significant amount of government scrutiny. So GMU took advantage of this ambiguous regulation to hide foreign gifts from the government for years.

GMU is not the only school to hide or obscure foreign money. The University of Arkansas systems general counsel Fred Harrison said in 1994 that the university did not have to technically report a $21 million gift from Saudi Arabia used to establish the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies. A private trust affiliated with Arizona State University expressed similar sentiments regarding a $500,000 gift from Taiwan to support the universitys Barry M. Goldwater Chair.

Despite its importance for monitoring foreign influence in higher education, Section 117 of the Higher Education Act has gone almost entirely unenforced. The Trump administration tried to address the issue by investigating universities with massive endowments. In 2020, an ED report found that universities failed to disclose more than $6.5 billion in foreign gifts  often by hiding these gifts in their associated foundations.

The ED created an online portal along with updated guidance to make reporting compliance easier for universities. If the message wasnt clear before, it was blazingly clear now: foreign contracts and gifts exceeding $250,000 must be reported, whether they come through the universitys foundation or not. Around 60 institutions filed their foreign funds for the first time, reporting over $350 million in 2020.

But the Trump administrations steps did not go far enough. Years of unreported foreign donations prior to the change remain unseen. Additionally, university foundations are often immune from public-information requests, thus allowing them to avoid typical transparency measures.

To reestablish transparency and confidence in our higher-education institutions, serious changes must be made to the university foundation system. First, university foundations should not be treated as separate entities from universities for regulatory purposes. There is no reason that a foundation created for the sole purpose of managing assets of a public university should be able to operate under an entirely different set of rules. At the very least, public university foundations should be subject to public information requests.

Second, the ED should require universities to, as far as possible, report foreign gifts received by foundations prior to the 2019 guidance. Universities need not be punished for the lack of proper enforcement prior to 2019, but the information contained in these records is still of public interest. Taxpayers need to know how much foreign funding public universities have been gobbling up for decades.

While the infrastructure exists for universities to make the right decisions, hidden foreign funding is a much bigger problem than previously understood. Holding our higher-education institutions accountable is the only way to make the message clear: reporting negligence will not be tolerated.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 11/01/2021



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STEVEN AND ALINA

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KENNY AND ARMANDO

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ARIELA AND BINIYAM

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ELLIE AND VICTOR

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JENNY AND SUMIT

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COREY AND EVELIN

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

: The Other Way featured Steven and Alina getting engaged, Ariela Weinberg deciding against moving back to Ethiopia, Evelin Villegas giving Corey Rathgeber another chance, Kenny Niedermeier and Armando Rubio experiencing big pre-wedding letdowns, and Ellie calling Victor an "assh-le" during Sunday night's Season 3 episode on TLC.: The Other Way follows American citizens moving to foreign countries for the sake of love and their future spouses, and they must marry within 90 days in order to stay.The third-season of : The Other Way stars Victor, a 28-year-old from Providencia, Colombia, and Ellie, a 45-year-old from Seattle, WA; Biniyam Shibre, a 31-year-old from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Ariela, a 29-year-old from Princeton, NJ; and Corey, a 34-year-old from Mill A., WA, and Evelin, a 28-year-old from Engabao, Ecuador.The series also stars Jenny Slatten , a 63-year-old from Palm Springs, CA, and Sumit Singh, a 33-year-old from New Delhi, India; Steven, a 25-year-old from Salt Lake City, UT, and Alina, a 20-year-old from Russia; and Armando, a 32-year-old from Mexico, and Kenny, a 58-year-old from St. Petersburg, FL.Below is what was shown on the ninth episode of : The Other Way's third season.Alina demanded that Steven delete his social-media accounts so he could no longer communicate with the women in his life or meet new ones. Steven, in a last-ditch effort to earn Alina's trust and change her mind, offered to show Alina all of his messages so he could prove he wasn't having sexual exchanges.However, the gesture only made things worse, as Alina could see a message in which Steven had asked a girl -- an alleged female friend -- if she wanted him to go over her house and stay the night."She is someone I would like to continue talking to," Steven told Alina, before she walked away and left the room.Alina said Steven and this woman had called each other "cute names" and he once sent her a heart emoji, but Steven didn't even understand what was wrong, as he thought the messaging was totally innocent.Alina accused Steven of not taking her emotions and feelings seriously, and Steven wondered if this was going to be "the final straw" for their relationship, even though he didn't understand why she was so upset."To see him nicely talk to other women, it makes me feel I'm not the only one and he pretends to love me," Alina told the cameras.Steven told Alina that he loved the woman but only as a friend, and then Alina began yelling at Steven in Russian. Alina didn't feel loved and asked Steven if he was serious about her and their relationship."Anyone else in my place would just love. I just don't see a reason to continue this relationship," Alina admitted.Alina said it seemed she was wasting her time with Steven, who then finally agreed to delete his social-media accounts once and for all.After arguing with Steven all day, Alina said Steven finally realized how serious their problems were and that he needed to fix them or else he'd lose her.Steven was then shown deleting his Facebook, but Alina noted how it wouldn't make her immediately happy and feel secure. Alina pointed out how Steven should have done this a long time ago, and then Steven offered to take her out for ice cream.Steven told the cameras that he wished he had deleted his social media earlier because it didn't mean that much to him and had caused so much "drama," and he hoped that Alina wasn't going to give up on him and leave him.Steven then purchased Alina a bouquet of flowers and brought her out for ice cream, and he apologized for having sent "flirty messages" to Masha and other women. Alina said the way he communicated with girls was "unacceptable" to her and Steven needed to break that habit.Steven then gifted Alina a Book of Mormon with flowers on it, and he wrote her a sweet letter on the inside. Steven read how Alina has so much light and goodness inside of her and he appreciated her loving him for who he is."I call you my moonlight because you reflect the light and love that I want in my life," Steven read. "I want you to be happy forever... Alina, I love you."Even though Steven had hurt Alina, she said that he made her feel special and still showed that he loved her. Alina therefore chose to accept Steven's apology and continue believing in fairy tales.Steven told Alina that he left some pages blank in order to write her more letters in the future when she's mad at him, and Alina laughed and seemed perky again.Later on, Steven planned a big surprise by Alina by renting a boat for a day on which he would play piano (a keyboard) for Alina and then propose marriage to her on the deck. He wanted the day to be romantic and majestic.Steven had been hiding Alina's engagement ring in a sock in his suitcase the entire time. Steven even practiced his marriage proposal with the man who owns the boat.Once the couple went on their boat ride, Steven became extremely nervous about popping the question.Steven ended up singing Alina a song on the keyboard at sunset, and he was so nervous that he could barely get the words out.However, Steven ended the song prematurely, grabbed the ring, and got down on one knee."Alina, will you marry me?" Steven asked."Yes," Alina replied. "Yes. Wow."Alina called her engagement ring "perfect" and said the whole ordeal was "really unexpected."Alina thought the marriage proposal was "amazing" and said she could finally see Steven's real personality and how he was finally serious about getting married."I love you," Alina told Steven, who said he was "so happy" Alina had said "yes."As Kenny and Armando checked out their guest list for the wedding, Armando acknowledged he wasn't sure whether his father was going to attend.Kenny and Armando were in a good place after talking about Kenny's homesickness, but Kenny confessed his longing for home wasn't going to go away.Kenny and Armando then visited their wedding venue out in wine country.Kenny shared with Armando how the wedding could bring Armando's dreams to life but the only thing he wanted was to exchange vows at sunset. Kenny thought that would be beautiful, and Armando said he liked the idea.When the couple sat down with two wedding planners at the venue, Kenny was told it would be too late to start the ceremony at sunset considering the sun would probably go down around 7PM and the wedding events needed to start at 4PM or 5PM.Kenny thought it was unnecessary to have a six-hour reception, but apparently parties in Mexico go very late into the next day.Armando was quick to side with the professionals, which bothered Kenny a lot. Armando said he wanted to start at 5PM or so in order to end their wedding at 12AM, and Kenny announced how he was really disappointed."But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work," Armando said.Kenny admitted he was "frustrated" and "hurt" and that Armando wasn't understanding or taking into account his feelings.On the drive back home, Kenny expressed how Armando had sided with the wedding planners when marrying at sunset had been so important to him. Kenny felt the situation was "three against one," but Armando said time is something they wouldn't be able to manipulate.Kenny said Armando could have changed his approach and considered his feelings before just agreeing with the wedding planners. Kenny essentially wished they could have had a conversation before making final decisions, and Armando immediately said, "I'm sorry."Armando then mentioned how his Aunt Brenda had texted him that Armando Sr. had mentioned how he "is not satisfied with" Armando's life but would "support" his son out of love. Brenda just asked Armando to be respectful by not kissing and being over-the-top in public."To be honest, that's his problem -- and if he goes there, he's going to have to suck it up," Kenny argued. "He can leave if it's really that bad, but you can't have a wedding for him... That's a little bit of a gut punch."Messages such as these took the wind out of Armando's sails, and it became clear Armando Sr. was still struggling with Armando's life and the fact his son is gay. Armando hoped his father could love and embrace him fully, and he was sad to think his father's chair might be empty on his wedding day.Armando later learned his father was not going to attend the wedding because he didn't want to leave his house unoccupied, which might allow someone to break in, which Armando assumed was just an excuse."This shows me he has no intention to put any effort into [supporting me]," Armando lamented. "I just feel numb to all feelings, kind of speechless."Kenny recommended that Armando call his father and personally ask him to go to the wedding.Armando listened to his fiance and called Armando Sr., and Armando asked his dad to at least attend the ceremony if he didn't want to participate in the reception. Armando Sr. said he's always support his son but he was not ready to go to the wedding.Armando never thought this situation would be a reality, and he was clearly upset and deflated. Armando hoped his dad would eventually change his mind because he could never make up for missing such a momentous occasion in his life."If he isn't there, I don't want to see him and I don't want to talk to him," Armando cried.It became time for Ariela's son Aviel or Avi's hernia surgery. Ariela and Biniyam hadn't been getting along, but she still wished her husband could be by her side for this scary life event.Ariela was nervous after bringing her son to the hospital, but the surgery apparently went well and Avi wasn't even crying on the way out. Ariela said she felt "so relieved" and was happy about her decision to have the surgery done in the United States.Ariela's family believed she should move back to America so Avi would have the best education and medical attention at all times, but Ariela wanted to return to Ethiopia.Ariela's mother Janice was worried about her daughter considering Biniyam had allegedly been out every night at clubs, and she noticed that Biniyam wasn't answering Ariela's phone calls. Janice said Biniyam's priority seemed to be his friends when it should have been his wife and son.Ariela acknowledged some of Biniyam's friends were "poison" because they liked to party and weren't in serious relationships. Ariela even said Biniyam's pals had been using her home as a place to drink and unwind.Janice suggested Biniyam should join Ariela in the United States and leave his bad influences behind, which Ariela noted was "a good idea." She also contemplated moving to Kenya, where Biniyam is from and the couple apparently fell in love."I know Biniyam wants to live in Ethiopia, but if he continues to behave like this, I don't think I can go back there," Ariela said in a confessional.Ariela later admitted her relationship with Biniyam had deteriorated. People had texted Ariela letting her know that Biniyam had been hosting parties at their house, and his photos had been synced to her iCloud, showing people -- whom she didn't even know -- were in and out of her house.Ariela then Zoomed with Biniyam and accused him of not caring about her or Avi. Ariela said Biniyam had turned her home into a party house and he had even invited women over."What you are doing, it's so shameful," Ariela said.Ariela told the cameras that Biniyam had even packed up Avi's bed and she wasn't okay with that. She was also upset Biniyam didn't answer the phone when she called.Ariela proceeded to tell Biniyam, "I thought about it a lot, and I've decided I'm not coming back to Ethiopia.""What?" Biniyam asked."I'm not coming back to Ethiopia," Ariela repeated.Biniyam said Ariela had made him a promise, but Ariela countered, "After everything you have done, I will never go back to Ethiopia."Biniyam called Ariela's decision "disrespectful" to his culture, but Ariela said, "Stop using your culture as an excuse. Is it normal in your culture to sleep with other women when you're engaged? Is that normal?"Biniyam smiled at the suggestion he's cheating on his fiancee, showing that he thought it was funny and ridiculous -- but Ariela said she had no idea what was going on over there.Ariela had allegedly learned from Biniyam's own friends and family members that he had welcomed other women into their home and so he wasn't being sneaky."No, you're wrong," Biniyam noted.Ariela told Biniyam to get tested for his own safety and the safety of others. Biniyam's sister Wish had apparently texted Ariela the news, and Ariela said she also had Biniyam's Messenger on her phone."He got a message saying, 'Remember me from the other night at the club?'" Ariela claimed. "Obviously he'd hiding something."Ariela told Biniyam that if he wanted to be a family again, they could move to Kenya and start over again -- or they could co-parent from different countries.Ariela said she was hurt but a part of her still loved him and she didn't want him to lose his son."But you are surrounded by evil, and you are not the same man that I knew," Ariela said, adding that Biniyam's behavior was "embarrassing" and shameful.Ariela thought Kenya would be neutral territory, and she left the decision up to him.Biniyam called Ariela "bossy" and said he didn't like it, but Ariela told him to "shut the f-ck up and listen" because he had allegedly "destroyed" his family and "sacrificed nothing."Ariela told Biniyam that she was giving him only one more chance and he needed to wake up.After one week in San Andreas, Ellie and Victor were heading back to Providencia to rebuild their home after the devastating hurricane.Victor looked forward to their new life together and was excited to get to work, but they could only stay in Providencia a few nights at a time since they wouldn't have a roof over their heads.Ellie admitted she wasn't looking forward to staying in a house with no running water, electricity or phone, and she was already feeling overwhelmed. However, Ellie said she needed to stay and help Victor in order for their relationship to survive.Once the pair began working together, Victor told the cameras that Ellie was stressing him out and he wished she would just relax. On the other hand, Ellie said Victor was "touchy" and she was struggling to communicate with him and be heard.Ellie said she had put herself way out of her comfort zone to support Victor emotionally and financially, and she noted "a lot of pressure" was on her and she needed to speak her mind about the whole situation."But I can't talk to Victor because he seems angry, and I just hope it doesn't boil over and cause more problems," Ellie explained.Ellie continued to ask Victor questions and she'd receive "rude" answers, and so she called Victor "an assh-le." Victor told the cameras that Ellie wasn't helping him and she was focusing on the wrong things, but he confessed he was probably being a little short."Why am I doing all this stuff for a guy who treats me like sh-t sometimes?" Ellie vented. "I am a f-cking idiot. I am really having a lot of second thoughts right now."Ellie said Victor needed to tone it down and talk to her in a more calm and kind manner. She didn't think his behavior was fair, and so she confronted him about his behavior that evening while enjoying a bonfire on the beach.Ellie asked Victor to be nice to her and listen to how she felt, and Victor explained how he almost lost his life and his family's lives and he was having a difficult time bouncing back.Victor suggested he had been traumatized and needed some time and for Ellie to be sweet to him and be sympathetic. Victor said he and Ellie were both going through challenging times and they needed to be more patient with one another.Ellie reminded Victor that she had moved to a different country for him and it didn't even seem like he liked her sometimes. She asked him to be more aware of how his words and tone affected her, and Victor hoped they could cooperate and get along better.Sumit was shown telling his parents that Jenny had fallen ill with diarrhea and vomiting.While Jenny slept in late, Sumit's mother Sahna said she had never heard Jenny throwing up in the house. Sahna said she'd be fine after three, four or five cases of diarrhea."I don't stay in bed," Sahna said, adding that much work needed to be done in the morning.Sumit insisted that Jenny seemed very sick, but Sahna argued that they should wake her up. Sahna expected Jenny to follow through with the traditional morning routine of waking up at 6AM, taking a bath, praying and then preparing breakfast.Sumit said if Jenny refused to get out of bed, it would look really bad for her.Sahna confronted Jenny and said she didn't appear to be sick and she had moved into the house to teach Jenny yoga among other things."Stand up. Let's go," Sahna said.Jenny suggested she could take a bath and maybe that would make her feel better, but Jenny was "angry as hell" and felt disrespected and "insulted." Jenny said she was absolutely sick and would never treat another person like that.Sahna had no intention of letting Jenny off the hook, and Sumit just looked at his parents in silence.Jenny figured Sahna just wanted her to look bad again, and Jenny said she had no yoga skills and so Sahna would probably be critical of her lack of flexibility.Jenny conducted a yoga session with both of Sumit's parents, and Sahna thought Jenny would benefit from such stretching since she had allegedly aged a lot. Sahna thought Jenny exercising would also keep her in good health longer."She has become absolutely rusty. There is no strength in her," Sahna complained of Jenny. "I am also around that age. Meaning, I'm much better than she is. I can do yoga well, and what I did, she couldn't do."But Jenny was disturbed after watching Sumit's parents relieve their sinuses by moving a tube back and forth between their nose and mouth, and she absolutely refused to try it.One week after meeting with a couples counselor, Corey and Evelin met up in town. Evelin had a few days to herself after therapy, and Corey said he really missed his wife.Evelin told Corey that a lot of good things had come out of the therapy session, including Corey holding himself accountable and finally admitting -- and apologizing -- for his mistakes.Evelin was just so bothered by the fact Corey had lied to her many times, and Corey said she never deserved any of that.Evelin told Corey that she would try to trust him again but it wouldn't be easy and Corey would have to prove he's trustworthy through example and through caring gestures. Evelin wanted Corey to realize what he had and what he had lost."I miss the life we used to have together. I want that back more than anything, and I hate having to be without you," Corey told Evelin, adding, "But me staying by myself isn't going to help our problems, I don't think."Evelin therefore suggested Corey could move into the bedroom next door and they could have a couple of movie nights, which Corey said sounded "amazing." Evelin also demanded that Corey pay half the rent."I want to prove to Evelin that I can be the same guy that she married. I can be better than that guy that she married, because I know in my heart I can be," Corey said.Evelin confirmed that she still loved Corey and she was prepared to give him a second chance and the ability to prove himself and work for her affection.Evelin said Corey needed to learn her worth, and with that being said, she gave him a hug and a kiss.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Google is celebrating Native American fiber artist, weaver and potter the late We:wa in honor of Native American Heritage Month.

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The late We:wa was born of the Donashi:kwi or Badger clan and was a child of the Bit'chi:kwe or Dogwood clan around 1849 in Zuni Pueblo, a community located in what is now New Mexico.

Google noted that the Zuni tribe discouraged the company from speaking of community members who have passed on within the present tense, so "the late We:wa" is used out of respect for their memory and spirit.

Google's homepage features artwork of the late We:wa by Zuni Pueblo guest artist Mallery Quetawki. The Doodle is interactive with users able to play a weaving game that involves dragging yarn.

The late We:wa was a Aamana, the recognized third gender in the Zuni tribe outside of the male-female binary system. They learned a number of skills done by both men and women and after years of training, the late We:wa became one of the first Zuni craftspeople to sell ceramics and woven goods to non-Indigenous people.

This led to Indigenous crafts being appreciated as fine art in the U.S. The late We:wa was also a spiritual leader in the community and traveled with anthropologists James and Matilda Stevenson to Washington, D.C., in 1885. The late We:wa asked government officials to protect Zuni lands and culture from settlers.

They then returned to Zuni Pueblo where they spent their life as an artist and community leader.

"Today, the late We:wa's legacy lives on in the approximately 10,000 Zuni people who safeguard the rich tapestry of Zuni heritage and retain one of the most uninterrupted and cultural lineages of modern Indigenous tribal communities in the U.S.," Google said.

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Google also released a video that details the Doodle's creation.
Production is underway on Hocus Pocus 2.

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Disney+ said in a press release Monday that the Hocus Pocus sequel has started filming in Rhode Island.

Original Hocus Pocus stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy will return as witches and sisters Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson. Doug Jones will also reprise Billy Butcherson.

New cast members include Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham and Belissa Escobedo as Becca, Cassie and Izzy, three young women in present-day Salem who incite the wrath of the witches.

"It's been 29 years since someone lit the Black Flame Candle and resurrected the 17th-century sisters who were executed for practicing witchcraft, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high-school students to figure out how to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before midnight on All Hallow's Eve," an official synopsis reads.

The sequel is written by Jen D'Angelo and directed by Anne Fletcher (Dumplin', The Proposal).

"I am beyond thrilled to be involved in the sequel to a film that is as beloved as Hocus Pocus," Fletcher said. "Fans around the world have embraced these characters and have made this film a Halloween tradition whose popularity continues to grow, and how lucky am I to be back at Disney with these three extraordinary talented ladies in the iconic roles they created, as well as our fabulous new additions to the cast."

The new film will also feature Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Juju Brener, Froy Gutierrez, Taylor Paige Henderson and Nina Kitchen.

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The original Hocus Pocus was released in July 1993.
Editor's note: This article was published in the Record-Eagle's Economic Outlook 2021 section. For more stories, click here to read the section in its entirety online.

Understanding and predicting the economic outlook for health care in northern Michigan is uniquely challenging given the ongoing uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and pressures it puts on the health care industry.

It is safe to say that "normal" in health care is a thing of the past.

However, despite these challenges, Munson Healthcare remains strong, and focused on our mission to provide high-quality care to the 500,000 individuals who live in northern Michigan.

We continue to move forward in implementing our strategic plan to invest in the regions healthcare needs, as well as stay true to our core values that keep each and every patient at the center of all we do.

During this challenging time, I want to recognize the healthcare team for their resiliency, flexibility, and commitment to our patients.

The latest on COVID-19 Continuing coverage of COVID-19 and its impact. If you have a question about the novel coronavirus pandemic and haven't been able to find an a

I cannot be prouder of how they have worked through the challenges of the last couple of years.

Despite a pandemic that has created significant changes in our industry, there have been some positives that have been realized during these difficult times.

For instance:

Munson Healthcare and the healthcare industry has learned that we can change quickly and adapt to the changing conditions around us. An example would be using virtual visits. We relied on these heavily during the first few months of the pandemic, and telemedicine is predicted to represent 20 percent of physician visits in the future. At Munson Healthcare, we continue to use telehealth for 90 percent of our behavioral health patient visits.

The pandemic has taught us that some healthcare jobs can be done from home, creating opportunities  and better uses of real estate and office spaces.

Community hospitals have proven to be an essential asset to improve the health of our communities.

The COVID crisis has highlighted the strong connection our hospitals have with our local communities. Whether it is helping secure PPE or making signs of support for our staff or providing meals for night shift employees, we are thankful for the support.

Throughout the health system we also have strengthened our relationships with regional health departments and these relationships bode well for our ability to manage the current pandemic and confront other community health issues in the future.

As I write this column, Munson Healthcare remains in the latest wave of the pandemic with each hospital seeing elevated numbers of COVID-19 patients.

Balancing the care needs related to the pandemic with the typical community care needs we saw before the pandemic can be challenging, but we have had successes.

In my last Economic Outlook column, I wrote about the healthcare systems plans for endovascular stroke services and the purchase of new technology  a biplane device that uses two cameras to allow a neurosurgeon a three-dimensional view to remove a blood clot from the brain using minimally invasive catheters.

Munson Medical Center recently cared for its 100th patient using this life-saving procedure.

Last month, a second biplane was installed, and the hospital is on track to becoming a comprehensive stroke center.

We also recently began offering plasmapheresis procedures at Munson Medical Center  a procedure that uses inpatient dialysis machines to target blood components and remove diseased cells.

The procedure is the primary treatment for severe myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy as well as other conditions.

There is no other hospital or health system in northern Michigan or the Upper Peninsula that offers this.

A patient recently treated with the procedure expressed great appreciation for not having to travel downstate for care.

Through all of this, we remain focused on our mission of meeting the healthcare needs of our northern Michigan communities whatever the new normal of healthcare may be.
Despite a great need for workers everywhere and across all industries, the national labor force shrank again last month. The labor force participation rate is now about 1.7 percent lower (about 3 million fewer people) than before the pandemic.
The University of Georgia has committed an additional $8.5 million over the next three years toward campus safety uses such as additional lighting, cameras, police personnel and a new rideshare program for students, according to UGAToday.
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Alec Baldwin has spoken publicly for the first time on camera about the cinematographer he fatally shot on the movie set of Rust, calling her a friend and saying he is in constant contact with her grieving family
Complaints about a Nazi flag outside this Townshend home landed the matter before the Select Board recently, and it has since issued a statement against symbols of hate.
Shayne Spence was a Republican candidate for the Vermont House in 2020, and now serves as a Justice of the Peace in Johnson. She lives in Norwich. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
When a traumatic event occurs, Annie McFarland, an assistant professor of art education in WVUs School of Art and Design, said the visual part of the brain and the language part of the brain may become disconnected. Art therapy can help bridge that gap. (WVU Photo/Shauna Johnson)
WASHINGTON (AP)  Pivotal Sen. Joe Manchin wavered Monday on his support for President Joe Biden's sweeping $1.75 trillion domestic policy proposal, but Democratic leaders vowed to push ahead, with initial voting possible on the bill and a related $1 trillion infrastructure package in the House this week.

The West Virginia Democrat's announcement came as Democrats wanted assurances from Manchin that he will support Biden's big package. He's one of two key holdout senators whose votes are needed to secure the deal and push it toward passage.

Instead, the conservative Manchin rebuffed progressive Democrats, urging them to quit holding hostage the smaller public works bill as negotiations continue on the broader package.

"Enough is enough," Manchin said at a hastily called press conference at the Capitol.

Manchin said hes open to voting for a final bill reflecting Bidens big package that moves our country forward. But he said hes equally open to voting against the final product as he assesses the sweeping social services and climate change bill.

Democrats have been working frantically to finish up months of negotiations, and it's unclear whether Manchin's resistance will deliver a debilitating blow to those efforts or have the opposite effect of propelling Democrats to start taking votes on Bidens signature domestic proposal. His comments infuriated some Democrats but energized others, particularly progressives eager to force his hand.

The White House swiftly responded that it remains confident Manchin will support Biden's plan, and the congressional leaders said it all remained on track.

Senator Manchin says he is prepared to support a Build Back Better plan that combats inflation, is fiscally responsible, and will create jobs, said press secretary Jen Psaki in a statement. As a result, we remain confident that the plan will gain Senator Manchins support.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer both echoed the White House. And progressives insisted it's time to vote.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the leader of the progressive caucus said, "I dont know what Sen. Manchin is thinking, but we are going to pass both bills through the House and we are going to deliver transformative change to the people.

The stakes are high with Biden overseas at a global climate change summit and his party fighting in two key governors' races this week  in Virginia and New Jersey  that are seen as bellwethers in the political mood of the electorate.

With Republicans staunchly opposed and no votes to spare, Democrats have been trying to unite progressive and centrist lawmakers around Biden's big vision.

Biden unveiled a framework for the package last week, a sizable investment in social service programs and climate change strategies, but Democrats are trying to negotiate a provision to lower prescription drug prices for seniors with Medicare, among other final changes.

At a leadership meeting late Monday, Pelosi said the House Rules Committee could meet as soon as Tuesday evening or Wednesday, which would allow for votes midweek, according to a person who requested anonymity to discuss the private talks. The Senate would still have to vote, likely later in the month.

Progressives had been refusing to vote on the smaller public works bill, using it as leverage as they try to win commitments from Manchin and Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, the other key holdout, for Bidens broader bill.

Manchin, though, in a direct response to the progressives' tactic, said holding this bill hostage wont work to get my support for the broader one. The public works bill of roads, highways and broadband projects has already been approved by the Senate but is being stalled by House progressives as the broader negotiations are underway.

About Biden's big package, Manchin said he will not support a bill that is this consequential without thoroughly understanding the impact it has on the economy and federal debt.

This is not how the United States Congress should operate, Manchin said. Its time our elected leaders in Washington stop playing games.

Many Democrats were livid at Manchin for hitting the brakes yet again, particularly because they argued that Biden's plan is expected to be fully paid for with new taxes on companies and the wealthy, and not add to the debt.

I think he just betrayed his lack of seriousness, said Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., the chairman of the Budget Committee.

Bidens top domestic priorities have been a battlefield between progressive and moderate Democrats for months, and it was unclear if this week's timetable for initial House votes could be met.

The $1.75 trillion package is sweeping in its reach, and would provide large numbers of Americans with assistance to pay for health care, education, raising children and caring for elderly people in their homes. It also would provide some $555 billion in tax breaks encouraging cleaner energy and electrified vehicles, the nation's largest commitment to tackling climate change.

Much of its costs would be covered with higher taxes on people earning over $10 million annually and large corporations, which would now face a 15% minimum tax in efforts to stop big business from claiming so many deductions they end up paying zero in taxes.

Over the weekend, Democrats made significant progress toward adding provisions curbing prescription drug prices to the massive package, two congressional aides said Sunday. They requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations.

According to a senior Democratic aide, one proposal under discussion would let Medicare negotiate lower prices with pharmaceutical companies for many of their products. Excluded would be drugs for which the Food and Drug Administration has granted initial protection against competition, periods that vary but last several years.

There would be a cap on seniors out-of-pocket drug costs under Medicare Part D, the programs outpatient prescription drug benefit, said the senior aide, who did not provide a figure. And pharmaceutical makers would have to pay a rebate if their prices rise above certain markers.

You put these things together and youre moving towards a financial reality where a prescription is no longer a financial ball and chain for American families, said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the chairman of the Finance Committee.

Talks were continuing and no final agreement had been reached. But the movement raised hopes that the party's 10-year, $1.75 trillion measure would address the longtime Democratic campaign promise to lower pharmaceutical costs, though more modestly than some wanted.

Some moderate Democrats in the House said they want to see see the final assessment from the Congressional Budget Office, which will offer a nonpartisan assessment of the overall bill's entire budgetary costs, before taking the vote.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Alan Fram contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The federal government will require companies with at least 100 workers to provide paid time off for employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and paid sick leave to recover from effects of the shots, a Biden administration official said Monday.

Those requirements will be part of a pending federal rule that will spell out how large employers will meet a requirement that workers be vaccinated or tested regularly for the virus.

The White House budget office has completed its review of the rule being written by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is expected to be released this week.

The rule  issued under emergency standards to respond to the pandemic -- will cover firms with 100 or more employees, regardless of how many are located in any particular spot.

Covered employers must develop, implement, and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless they adopt a policy requiring employees to choose either to get vaccinated or to undergo regular COVID-19 testing and wear a face covering at work, a Labor Department spokesperson said Monday. The rule also requires employers to provide paid time to workers to get vaccinated and paid sick leave to recover from any side effects.

The official said that the Office of Management and Budget completed its review of the OSHA rule on Monday, and the rule will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days.

The spokesperson declined to give further details, saying that the administration will provide further updates when we have more information. 

Separately, the administration will give federal contractors broad authority on how to treat employees who refuse to be vaccinated, according to guidelines that the White House issued Monday.

Under an executive order that President Joe Biden issued in September, contractors have until Dec. 8 to ensure that employees are fully vaccinated. The order has met resistance from some workers at large employers with federal contracts, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. The CEO of Southwest said his airline would not fire anybody for refusing to get the shots.
Indian-origin Singaporean rapper Subhas Nair was charged in court on Monday with four counts of attempting to promote feelings of ill will among different groups on grounds of religion and race.

The 28-year-old, whose full name was given as Subhas Govin Prabhakar Nair in chargesheets, is accused of making those attempts on four occasions between July 2019 and March 2021, according to a Channel News Asia report.

The earliest alleged incident was on July 29, 2019, when Nair published a rap video online. Chargesheets state that Nair attempted to promote feelings of ill will between the Chinese and other races.

Nair was given a two-year conditional warning by the police on August 14, 2019, over this incident. The warning indicated that if he reoffended, he could be prosecuted for this incident on top of any fresh offences.

The second incident was purportedly on July 25, 2020, when Nair posted comments on a social media account in response to a video of Chinese Christians who made hateful comments against another community.

Nair allegedly wrote on Instagram, If two Malay Muslims made a video promoting Islam and saying the kind of hateful things these Chinese Christians said, ISD (Internal Security Department) would have been at the door before they even hit upload. The third incident was in relation to a fatal brawl at Orchard Towers in July 2019. Nair is accused of attempting to promote feelings of ill will between Chinese and Indians by claiming on October 15, 2020, that one of the accused, a Chinese man, involved in the death of an Indian man received lenient treatment by authorities because of his race. Nair allegedly wrote on Instagram, Calling out racism and Chinese privilege = two-year conditional warning and the smear campaign in the media. Actually, conspiring to murder an Indian man = Half the sentence and Youre having a baby soon, right? Boy or girl? Do you actually think a brown person would get asked these types of questions? This place is just not for us.

On March 11, 2021, while Nair was already being investigated by the police over the Orchard Towers comments, Nair allegedly attempted to promote feelings of ill will between Chinese and Indians again.

Between 8.30 pm and 9.30pm on March 11, 2021, Nair allegedly displayed a cartoon at The Substation (a drama theatre here) during a stage play entitled, Tabula Rasa - Album Exploration. The cartoon contained the same text he wrote on Instagram over the Orchard Towers incident.

Nair was charged for the earliest July 2019 offence, the rap video, as he had breached the conditions of his warning by allegedly committing the other fresh offences.

Nair appeared in court wearing a black shirt with a photo of drug offender Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, an Indian origin who is on death row, according to the Channel report.

The police prosecutor said the prosecution was ready for the case, "on condition of plea". If Nair pleaded guilty, the prosecution would proceed with two charges and take the other two into consideration, he said.

Nair's lawyer, Eugene Thuraisingam, asked for an adjournment to take instructions.

Nair was offered bail of SGD10,000. His next court mention will be on November 29.

If convicted of attempting to promote feelings of ill will between different groups on grounds of religion or race, Nair could be jailed for up to three years and fined per charge.

The police said in an earlier statement that they would not hesitate to take action against those who make "baseless allegations" that the law, or its enforcement agencies, accords differential treatment based on religion or race.

Such allegations have "the potential to damage religious and racial harmony in Singapore and erode public trust in our law enforcement agencies", the Channel quoted Police as saying.

Credit: YouTube/Subhas

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Lucknow, Oct 31 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are "feeling disturbed" by the Taliban, but if the insurgent group moves towards India, "an air strike is ready".

He was addressing the Samajik Pratinidhi Sammelan here during which he also launched an attack on his political opponents in the state.

"Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is powerful, and no country can dare to raise its eyes towards India. Today, Pakistan and Afghanistan are feeling disturbed because of the Taliban. But, the Taliban knows if it moves towards India, an air strike is ready," he said.

According to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP, Adityanath, referring apparently to SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, said, "His (Rajbhar's) thought process is confined only to the development of his family." "While the father wanted to become a minister, one son wanted to be an MP, and another an MLC. The shops of such people indulging in blackmailing must be shut," Adityanath said.

Without naming Rajbhar, Adityanath further said, "There were two ministers from the Rajbhar community in my cabinet. In the Cabinet meeting, one minister opposed the construction of a memorial in honour of Maharaja Suheldev in Bahraich, while Anil Rajbhar wanted a grand memorial should be built.

"Today, a grand memorial is being built in Bahraich. The BJP government has named the medical college in Bahraich, after Suheldev. What have the opposition parties done for Maharaja Suheldev?" He said that the "followers of Muhammad Ghori and invader Ghazi fear that if a a Suheldev memorial is built, people will forget Ghazi, and trash those indulging in political blackmailing. This is why they indirectly oppose the memorial of Suheldev." Sharpening his attack on other rivals, Adityanath said the SP, BSP and the Congress have nothing to do with development.

Without naming the SP, Adityanath asked whether those "who murdered Ram devotees have the courage to seek apology from the people of the country?" PTI NAV TIR TIR

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In a significant development, five more countries recognized Indias COVID-19 vaccination certificate on Monday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed. According to the official, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, the State of Palestine, Mauritius and Mongolia have decided to mutually recognize vaccination certificates with India.

It is important to mention that during PM Modi's visit to Italy, a discussion was held on mutual recognition of vaccination certificates with several nations including the European Union (EU). Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla had revealed, "Issue of vaccination certificate was discussed especially with EU representatives. There was a conversation on mutual recognition of vaccines...a doable mechanism to facilitate easier international travel... Details will be worked out bilaterally."

Mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates continues!



Five more recognitions for Indias vaccination certificate, including from Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, State of Palestine, Mauritius and Mongolia.  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) November 1, 2021

PM urges WHO to recognize Indian vaccines

In line with this, PM Modi had also urged the World Health Organisation (WHO) to recognise Indian vaccines at the earliest while promising that India will produce 5 billion doses for the world next year. At the Global Economy and Global Health Session, the Prime Minister had highlighted the importance of India's recent feat of crossing 1 billion jabs and said that the country had delivered medicines to more than 150 countries.

WHO said that additional clarifications from the manufacturer were required to conduct the final EUL risk-benefit assessment for global use of Covaxin. In a statement, the UN agency clarified, The Technical Advisory Group for Emergency Use Listing (TAG-EUL) expects the clarification from Bharat Biotech by end of this week and thus will reconvene for the final risk-benefit assessment on Wednesday, 3 November.

When it comes to Covishield, last month there was a massive row over the recognization of the vaccine - which is a formulation of Oxford-AstraZeneca- in the UK. Although the matter was mutually resolved, the UK regulatory authority did not accept India's vaccine certificates, generated by Cowin.

Australia recognises Covaxin

Meanwhile, in a big win on Monday, Australia recognised Covaxin as one of the approved vaccines for travellers wishing to enter the country. Issuing a statement, the Australian Department of Health added Covaxin (for age 12 and above) and Sinopharm (for age 18 to 60) to the list of accepted/recognised vaccines. Even as the indigenous vaccine awaits WHO's approval, it has been approved by Australia, Mauritius, Oman, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Iran, Mexico, Greece, Estonia and Zimbabwe.
After Australia recognised Covaxin as one of the recognised vaccines of travellers wishing to enter the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took to Twitter to thank his Australian counterpart Scott Morisson for the move, citing that it is a crucial step for the India-Australia partnership post-COVID-19 era.

PM Modi tweeted:

I thank my dear friend @ScottMorrisonMP for Australias recognition of India's COVAXIN. It is an important step forward in the post-COVID partnership between  and .  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 1, 2021

Australia recognises Covaxin

In a massive victory for India, Australia on Monday has recognised Covaxin as one of the recognised vaccines of travellers wishing to enter the state. Issuing a statement, the Australian Department of Health has added Covaxin (for age 12 and above) and Sinopharm (for age 18 to 60) to the list of accepted/recognised vaccines. Australia uses COVID vaccines of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca for inoculating its population and recognises Covishield, Coronavac, Covaxin and Sinopharm additionally.

The government issued a statement reading, "Importantly, recognition of Covaxin, and BBIBP-CorV, along with the previously announced recognition of Coronavac (manufactured by Sinovac, China) and Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of China and India, as well as other countries in our region where these vaccines have been widely deployed, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia. This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia. In addition, with input from the TGA, ATAGI have determined that those who have received two doses of a TGA-approved or recognised vaccine at least 14 days apart are regarded as fully vaccinated from 7 days after the second dose".

On Saturday, PM Modi had urged the WHO to recognise Indian vaccines at the earliest while promising that India will produce 5 billion doses for the world next year. At the Global Economy and Global Health Session, PM Modi highlighted the importance of India's recent feat of crossing 1 billion jabs - making 1/6th of humanity immune to COVID-19. Playing the role of Pharmacy of the World, India delivered medicines to more than 150 countries, said PM Modi.

Covaxin, which is awaiting its WHO approval, is recognised by Nepal, Oman, Iran, Mauritius, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Greece, Mexico, Zimbabwe and India.

Image: PIB/PTI
Dr Nepal Singh, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district, said on Sunday, 31 October, that 10 Zika virus infections have been detected so far. The number of confirmed cases rose to 10 from four on Sunday afternoon, when six additional people tested positive for the virus. "In the medical reports that came late this evening (Sunday), six other people were confirmed to be Zika infected," Singh told news agency ANI.

The first Zika virus case was announced in Kanpur on October 25. The central government had dispatched a multi-disciplinary team to Kanpur since the first incidence. To aid state health authorities in managing and containing the Zika virus sickness, the Union Health Ministry dispatched the multidisciplinary team, which includes an entomologist, public health specialists, and gynaecologists from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, National Center for Disease Control, and RML Hospital in New Delhi. According to Central Government, the team's goal was to work closely with the State Health Department to assess the situation on the ground and decide if the Union Health Ministry's Zika Management Action Plan was being implemented.

Yogi Adityanath on Zika Virus cases in UP

Taking note of the state's Zika virus infections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed officials on Sunday to run the 'Vishesh Sanchari Rog Niyantran Abhiyan' (special communicable disease control campaign) and the 'Dastak' campaign in a proactive manner, according to the state government.

Adityanath stated in a statement that certain cases of Zika virus have been recorded in Kanpur and that adequate precautions should be taken to ensure the safety and treatment of those afflicted. The Zika virus is conveyed via mosquitoes, so eliminating them is the safest option, according to him.

He noted that cleaning, sanitization, fogging, and anti-larval spraying should all be done on a regular basis. He remarked that this will be beneficial in combating the Zika virus and other infectious diseases. In Kanpur, three persons, including two Indian Air Force personnel, tested positive for the Zika virus on Saturday.

Zika virus infection

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Zika virus was first discovered in African countries, causing pregnancy-related difficulties as well as an increased risk of neurologic complications in both adults and children. The Zika virus has a three to fourteen day incubation period. According to the WHO, the majority of people infected with the virus have no symptoms.

Fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint discomfort, malaise, and headache are among the most prevalent symptoms, which usually lasts 2 to 7 days. There is currently no therapy for the Zika virus, however, some preventive measures are advised, such as avoiding mosquito bites throughout the day and early evening.

(with inputs from ANI/PTI)

Image: Shutterstock
The Delhi Police's Cyber Cell has arrested a Nigerian national for allegedly hacking into people's phones and sending distress messages to the WhatsApp contacts seeking money, police said on Monday.

The police nabbed Chimelum Emmanuel Aniwetalu alias Maurice Degri who along with others operated the syndicate from Delhi and Bengaluru, they said.

Another accused has also been identified, police said, adding that raids are underway to nab him.

According to the police, the matter came to light after the Cyber Cell unit received a complaint from a victim who alleged that his mobile phone was hacked by unknown people.

He alleged that after taking control of his phone, the accused posed as a victim and started asking for money from people on the WhatsApp contact list by sending them distress messages, police said.

The complainant further alleged that the accused contacted those who were on WhatsApp of the hacked mobile and also provided a back account to them for transferring money, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Cell) KPS Malhotra said technical and human intelligence led to identification of one of the accused and he was arrested under appropriate section of the law.

In total, 15 mobile phones and a laptop were also seized from his possession, he said.

"Through the seized laptop of the accused, we found out that they used applications which are being used to design various malware links", he said.

These links disguised in the form of some application were sent to to the victim's devices, officials said.

The accused created a dedicated application for each victim which when downloaded and installed on the victim's phone sends its contacts, call logs and SMS on the accused server, the officer explained.

Further interrogation of the accused also revealed about his most prominent modus operandi which was to impersonate as a girl and then befriend other people on social media websites, police said.

Once the person developed trust, the accused would then subsequently send a link, which used to be disguised in some manner, Malhotra said.

"Once the person clicks on that link, he or she would loose control over their social media profiles. Thereafter, Emmanuel used to operate the social media accounts for his nefarious goals. The accused has also cheated people on the pretext of selling herbal seeds," the DCP said.

Emmanuel is from Nigeria and his visa expired in 2018. The police said the accused created fake documents and has also been booked under Foreigner Act. The house owner, who had rented his premises to the accused, has also been booked accordingly, police added.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Former Uttar Pradesh CM and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav found himself in choppy waters after his statement quoting Jinnah as a freedom fighter for India, on National Unity Day, drew flak from political leaders across the spectrum. Slamming Akhilesh Yadav, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harnath Singh Yadav demanded the SP leader to apologise to the people of the country and slammed him for making such a statement for 'votes'.

As Akhilesh Yadav made his contentious statement while addressing a rally on October 31, BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh denounced him for comparing revered freedom fighters like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru to Muhammad Ali Jinnah who had led the partition of Pakistan from India.

What is the message Akhilesh Yadav trying to give by glorifying Jinnah, asks UP BJP MP

Questioning Yadavs statement, Harnath Singh Yadav while speaking to ANI said, "Yesterday the whole country was celebrating the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel 'Rashtriya Ekta Divas'. On such a historic day, Jinnah, who divided the country, as compared with Gandhi Ji, Sardar Patel and Nehru and glorified. What message is Akhilesh Yadav trying to convey by comparing Jinnah to Gandhi Ji and saying that the country got independence because of Jinnah?"

He furthered his attack, demanding Akhilesh Yadav to apologise for glorifying Jinnah and added that the country is bigger than 'votes'.

"You should keep in mind that the country is bigger than votes and everything in the world is small in front of the country. A day will come when you will have to repent for such rhetoric and apologize to the country. Not once, but repeatedly," the BJP MP asserted.

Akhilesh Yadav terms Jinnah as a fighter of India's Independence, draws similarity with Gandhi, Sardar Patel

The controversy erupted after the SP leader, while addressing a rally in Hardoi on Sunday, spoke of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the same breath, citing that they all became barristers after studying in the same place (UK). Speaking on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, he contended that they all struggled for an independent India.

Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav remarked, "Sardar Patel Ji, father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah studied in the same institute and became a barrister. They studied at the same place. They became barristers. They fought for India's freedom. They didn't refrain from taking part in any kind of struggle. It was Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who imposed a ban on an ideology (RSS)."

#WATCH | Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah studied in the same institute. They became barristers and fought for India's freedom... It was Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who imposed a ban on an ideology (RSS): SP chief Akhilesh Yadav pic.twitter.com/Pz3HkSrqn8  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 31, 2021

Samajwadi Party Chief y'day compared Jinnah to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This is shameful. It's Talibani mentality that believes in dividing. Sardar Patel united the country. Presently, under leadership of PM, work underway to achieve 'Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat': UP CM Adityanath pic.twitter.com/klZkXLxasN  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 1, 2021

With ANI Inputs

Image: ANI
Space debris has emerged as one of the most severe forms of danger that satellites and space observatories currently face in orbit. Scientists have been trying hard to tackle the issue of space junk and to strengthen their efforts, engineers from the University of Utah have come up with a new idea to get rid of the problem using magnets, as per Fox13Now. Reports by NASA suggest that the Earth is currently swarmed with over 27,000 pieces of junk, both big and small, that travel at bullet speed. Professor Jake Abbott, who is leading the anti-space debris team, told Fox13Now that he and his colleagues figured out a way to eliminate the debris using magnetic fields generated by rapidly spinning the magnets.

"Weve figured out how to rapidly spin magnets that surround these objects and then apply forces and torques to the objects and actually manipulate them using magnetic fields, even though theyre not made of magnetic metal."

The idea and its application

Reportedly, the team developed the method after using a series of magnets which they tested on a copper ball that was placed on a plastic raft in a water tank. Scientists found that the magnets were not only able to move the sphere but also rotated the ball. According to the experts, this technology can be deployed in robots that would be able to either bring the debris in a decaying orbit or push them away into space to avoid any danger to functional satellites. Another benefit of technology can be the control it would provide to the engineers as they would be able to manipulate fragile objects and would allow them to stop a damaged satellite from spinning out of its orbit.

Meanwhile, the Utah university scientists hope that NASA would soon adopt the technology to address the outer space issue as they certainly wouldn't want any harm to the International Space Station (ISS).

The problem with space junk

Space debris is a major problem and there have been times when two large dead satellites have almost collided, and the International Space Station also were forced to resort to their emergency manoeuvres at least 3 times in order to avoid getting hit with space debris. These collisions may be a big problem but the biggest problems are the explosions that take place in orbit due to the left-over energy by the fuel, batteries etc.

Image: Shutterstock
Sudan is committed to the construction of a Russian naval base in the country. Sudanese armed forces commander-in-chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in an interview with Sputnik revealed that Sudan will work to fulfill its commitments in the establishment of a Russian naval base on the Red Sea coast, according to ANI report. Furthermore, he revealed that they have been discussing the matter regularly and they will implement the agreement.

Sudan naval base deal with Russia

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has stated that they are committed to the international agreement including the creation of the military base which is part of an existing agreement. Sudan's top military leader further added that they keep discussing the matters and some faults need to be amended. In addition to this, he said that they will continue to implement the agreement in the country. Sudan's top military leader

"The creation of this base is part of an existing agreement. We keep regularly discussing the matter and there are some faults that have to be remedied. We are committed to international agreements and will continue to implement them to the end," ANI cited Sputnik for quoting Abdel Fattah al-Burhan as saying.

Sudanese commander-in-chief appreciates Russia's military cooperation with country

Moreover, the Sudanese armed forces commander-in-chief appreciated the "long-standing and continuous" military cooperation with Russia, as per ANI report. He asserted that they will support Russia in its relationship with Sudan. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan also stressed strengthening the cooperation between the two countries and developing the armed forces of Sudan.

"We will fully support this, as Russia is always honest in its relations with us and strives to boost cooperation and develop the Sudanese armed forces," ANI quoted Abdel Fattah al-Burhan as saying.

Earlier in September, a Sudanese military source told Sputnik that their country wished to amend the agreement on the creation of a Russian naval base on the Red Sea coast, reported ANI. The military source had mentioned that Sudan wants to receive financial assistance from Russia on the condition of the lease for five years. However, the Sudanese embassy later denied requesting any economic assistance from Russia and had called such reports 'unfounded'. According to AP, the deal between the two countries allows Russia to establish a naval base with up to 300 Russian troops. In addition, Russia has plans to keep up to four navy ships, including nuclear-powered ships, in Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Russia in return will give Sudan weapons and military equipment.

(Inputs from AP, ANI)

(Image: AP)
A Sudanese protest leader said on Sunday they would continue demonstrating until the military reverses its recent takeover and hands over the rule of the country to a civilian government.

"It is either them ruling with dictatorship and we stand against them every day no matter the killings, detentions and rapes, or they leave the political scene to the people," said Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professional's Association.

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, which was in the forefront of the uprising against Omar al-Bashir and now leads the anti-coup protests, insists on the removal of the military council led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and holding those behind the takeover accountable.

The U.N. on Sunday urged Sudan's generals to reverse their takeover of the country, a day after tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the largest pro-democracy protest since last week's coup.

The coup, condemned by the international community, has threatened to derail Sudan's fitful transition to democracy, which began after the 2019 ouster of long-time autocrat al-Bashir.

Since then, the military and civilian leaders have governed in an uneasy partnership.

Many businesses and shops, meanwhile, remain shut in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, in response to calls from the protest movement for strikes and civil disobedience.

South Sudan has deployed a delegation, led by presidential advisor Tut Gatluak, to Sudan to mediate between the military and the civilian leaders.

Gatluak met with Burhan and said he would meet with Abdalla Hamdok, the deposed prime minister who remained under house arrest in the capital Khartoum, as part of his mediation efforts.

The protests on Saturday were the biggest so far since the coup.

Security forces shot dead three protesters in Omdurman during the protests, bringing the tally to at least 12 dead and over 280 wounded since Monday, according to the Sudan Doctors' Committee.

The Sudanese police said its forces did not use live ammunition against protesters on Saturday.

IMAGE: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Following a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the G20 summit in Rome, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the return of quarantine-free travel on Sunday, which means that the international border between Australia and Singapore will reopen to fully-vaccinated travellers. Morrison stated that Australia is to open its doors to fully vaccinated Singaporean visitors, which would be a big boost to their tourism economy.

The announcement comes after Australia announced that fully-vaccinated tourists from New Zealand will be welcomed back in October. Furthermore, for the first time since March 2020, Australians who have received two Coronavirus vaccine doses will be permitted to leave the country freely from Monday. Last week, the federal government amended the Human Biosecurity Determination, a rule enacted in March 2020 to limit international travel during the coronavirus pandemic, to eliminate the requirement for fully vaccinated Australians to seek permission to leave the country.

Australia reported over 1,600 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases

As the country continues to battle the third wave of infections, Australia reported over 1,600 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases and ten deaths on Monday. There were 1,471 new cases and four deaths reported in Victoria, the country's second-most populated state. According to the Department of Health, as of Sunday, 88.2% of Australians aged 16 and over had received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 77.2 per cent were fully vaccinated.

In the meanwhile, in Singapore, despite the fact that 84 per cent of the country's population has been completely vaccinated, the country has over 4,000 new COVID-19 cases, including 536 from migrant workers. On October 29, the Ministry of Health announced 16 Coronavirus-related fatalities and 4,248 new illnesses. Those who died ranged in age from 44 to 90 years old and had a variety of medical issues.

Coronavirus has claimed the lives of 380 people in Singapore

According to the latest report, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 407 people in Singapore. The government stated that since the outbreak began, the country has documented nearly 2 lakh COVID-19 cases. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) is offering a 30 Singapore dollar e-voucher to people who refer unvaccinated elders aged 60 and above for vaccination.

(With inputs from ANI/ PTI)

(Image: Unsplash)
In a massive victory for India, Australia on Monday has recognised Covaxin as one of the recognised vaccines of travellers wishing to enter the state. Issuing a statement, the Australian Department of Health has added Covaxin (for age 12 and above) and Sinopharm (for age 18 to 60) to the list of accepted/recognised vaccines. Australia uses COVID vaccines of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca for inoculating its population and recognises Covishield, Coronavac, Covaxin and Sinopharm additionally.

Australia recognises Covaxin

The govt issued a statement reading, "Importantly, recognition of Covaxin, and BBIBP-CorV, along with the previously announced recognition of Coronavac (manufactured by Sinovac, China) and Covishield (manufactured by AstraZeneca, India), means many citizens of China and India, as well as other countries in our region where these vaccines have been widely deployed, will now be considered fully vaccinated on entry to Australia. This will have significant impacts for the return of international students, and travel of skilled and unskilled workers to Australia. In addition, with input from the TGA, ATAGI have determined that those who have received two doses of a TGA-approved or recognised vaccine at least 14 days apart are regarded as fully vaccinated from 7 days after the second dose".

Today, the @TGAgovau determined that Covaxin (manufactured by @BharatBiotech, ) vaccine would be 'recognised' for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status (1/2) https://t.co/wn2Mno2JEq  Barry OFarrell AO (@AusHCIndia) November 1, 2021

Incidentally, on Saturday, PM Modi urged the WHO to recognise Indian vaccines at the earliest while promising that India will produce 5 billion doses for the world next year. At the Global Economy and Global Health Session, PM Modi highlighted the importance of India's recent feat of crossing 1 billion jabs - making 1/6th of humanity immune to COVID-19. Playing the role of Pharmacy of the World, India delivered medicines to more than 150 countries, said PM Modi.

He said, "India has always been serious about its global obligations. Today, on this G-20 platform, I want to tell you all that India is preparing to produce more than 5 billion vaccine doses for the world next year. This commitment of India will go a long way in preventing the global transmission of Corona. Therefore, it is imperative that Indian vaccines be recognized by the WHO as soon as possible."

Australia has already included India's Covishield (AstraZeneca/SII) and China's Coronavac (Sinovac) as 'recognised vaccines' for incoming travellers on October 1. Announcing his government's 'Reopen to the world' plan, Morrison said that Australia will allow fully vaccinated Australians and others to enter the country, but will have to undergo a seven-day home quarantine initially. Recognition of China's Coronavac comes amid a trade war between the two nations as Australia sought a probe into COVID-19 origins in China. Similarly, Covishield's recognition comes after PM Modi's push for vaccine equity at the UN General Assembly.

Covishield & Covaxin recognition

Apart from Australia, Covishield - which has been recognised by WHO - has been recognised Austria, Germany, France, Slovenia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Estonia. UK has conditionally recognised Covishield as an 'approved vaccine', but Indians will still have to undergo mandatory quarantine upon their arrival as the nation is sorting out technical certification issues with India's Co-WIN certification developers. Covaxin, which is awaiting its WHO approval, is recognised by Nepal, Oman, Iran, Mauritius, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Greece, Mexico, Zimbabwe and India.
A small cargo ship carrying 382 people, almost all migrants, has been towed to the Greek island of Kos and 375 of the passengers moved to a special migrant facility, Greeces Ministry of Migration and Asylum announced.

One woman was transferred to a health center in the nearby island of Karpathos, while six people have been detained for questioning. Asylum requests are being processed, the ministry added.

All passengers will be quarantined, the ministry said Sunday, adding that their stay on the island will be temporary.

The coast guard said Friday the Turkish-flagged freighter was located by a Greek search-and-rescue vessel east of the island of Crete following a tip that it needed assistance.

It was towed to a safe anchorage off Kos, close to the Turkish coast, on Saturday.

Coast guard officials have said the boats passengers are mostly male and mostly from Afghanistan. Sundays announcement made no mention of the passengers ethnicity.

Greece has made a formal request to Turkey to take back the ship, which, according to the coast guard, sailed from the Turkish coast and was headed to Italy.

The European Union and Turkey have signed an agreement which obliges Turkey to take back those migrants crossing into the EU from its territory that are not granted asylum.

But Turkey, which itself now hosts over 3 million migrants, continues to be reluctant and is using the issue for political leverage.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, 31 October, has said that G20 countries have committed to close coordination between producers and consumers on matters related to energy prices. Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of the G20 summit, Macron informed that the rise and volatility in gas and oil prices have led to a weakening of global growth, according to ANI. He highlighted the importance of coordination between producers and consumer states on issues related to energy.

Coordination between producers-consumers on energy prices

Speaking about the energy crisis at the G20 summit, Macron informed that agreements have been made by the countries on issues related to energy prices, according to ANI. French President Emmanuel Macron called the G20 summit in Rome "a success". He added that the G20 countries delivered results on various matters, including the climate change issues, "despite many divisions" between nations, according to AP. Macron called the G20 summit an opportunity that helped to "revive convergence" among the largest economies across the world. Macron emphasised that were efforts were required to reach the goal set in the 2015 Paris Climate agreement of holding the global average rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Taking to Twitter, the French President underscored that even though France had already committed to limit the temperature rise, all the other countries of the G20 assured their support in making efforts to limit the increase in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, he highlighted G20 countries have reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the annual climate finance to 100 billion dollars. Moreover, the G20 countries are announcing the end of international financing for coal-fired power plants this year.

In the run-up to #COP26, the G20 countries are making commitments:  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 31, 2021

France had already made the pledge. Today all the countries of the G20 affirmed their resolve to take action to limit the temperature rise to 1.5C. This was the most ambitious target that we established in Paris in 2015. This is progress! Next step: tomorrow at #COP26.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 31, 2021

The G20 countries are reaffirming their commitment to achieving annual climate finance totalling 100 billion dollars. They commit to supporting the energy transition and ridding their economies of coal for good. This is progress!  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 31, 2021

The G20 countries are announcing the end of international funding for coal-fired power plants as of this year. This is historic. We are rising to this challenge!  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 31, 2021

G20 leaders look forward to meet again in India and Indonesia

In the final declaration of the summit in Rome, the G20 leaders said that they look forward to Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics 2022, as opportunities for competition for athletes from around the world. Furthermore, the G20 leaders in the declaration said, "We look forward to meeting again in Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023, and Brazil in 2024." The G20 leaders thanked the international organisations and the G20 Engagement Groups for their "valuable inputs and policy recommendations". The G20 leaders thanked Italy for its Presidency, for hosting the Global Health Summit, co-Chaired with the European Commission, and the Rome Leaders Summit.

Inputs from AP, ANI

Image: AP
The German steamship "Hamburg," which sank off the coast of Svolvr in northern Norway, has sparked a heated conservation debate. The harbour authorities and the commercial community want it removed, but archaeologists and divers are opposed. The 9,000-tonne steamship sank in 1941 during Operation Claymore (WWII), also known as the Lofoten Raid, and today lies at a depth of 5 to 25 metres. Parts of the wreck can be seen from the surface in clear weather, reported news agency Sputnik. The wreck is a popular diving location due to its accessibility and historical significance. Business groups, on the other hand, want it removed as part of plans to expand the quay since it complicates growth and entry. Furthermore, because the ship is over 100 years old, it is automatically designated as a protected cultural monument, adding to the heated dispute, reported the news agency citing national broadcaster NRK.

Ole Osland, the port manager for the town of Vagan, contended that the "Hamburg" poses a risk to larger ships coming in and out, and questioned its historical significance, considering that the ship was not a battleship but rather a fish oil producer. "I appreciate the need of maintaining cultural landmarks, but how much cultural value does an ancient fishing boat have?" Osland posed a rhetorical question, the Russian news agency reported. Meanwhile, Tor-Kristian Storvik, an archaeologist at Nordland County Municipality, believe that the ship, which is one of the oldest battle wrecks in northern Norway, should be protected. "It's one of the few tangible remnants of Operation Claymore, the first Lofoten raid. It was one of the first coordinated operations involving Norwegians and allies," he added.

'Steamship "Hamburg" sunk by Germans themselves'

It should be mentioned here that around 550 British and 52 Norwegian commandos landed on Austvgy in the Lofoten archipelago on March 4, 1941, and targeted plants and herring oil industries in Svolvr, Stamsund, Henningsvr, and Brettesnes, as well as German and German-controlled ships, including the Hamburg. It was then sunk by the Germans themselves to prevent the British from capturing it. In retaliation, the Germans set fire to houses, kidnapped people, and deported them to concentration camps, reported Sputnik.

(Image: AP)
Swedish authorities have arrested around 15 climate activists in airports across the country on Sunday, October 31. The climate activists were arrested after they protested at airports, which caused disruption in flight operations and delay in flights, reported SVT Nyheter. The arrests happened in eight airports across Sweden. After the incident, police launched an investigation into the matter and the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration has stepped up safety protocols everywhere.

Climate activists arrested in Sweden

Climate activities tried to stop some planes while protesting, and some of them tried to halt air traffic by glueing themselves to runways. SVT Nyheter quoted Fahlstrom of the Stockholm Police stating that they saw two persons in the area. Fahlstrom further mentioned that the people have been arrested and have been suspected of "airport sabotage." During the search that the police carried out in the area, two more people were arrested. In Malmo Airport, a woman who had entered the runaway was arrested by the police.

Later, police received information about people who had entered Arlanda and Landvetter and airports in Halmstad and Vaxjo. Police arrested a man and woman at Vaxjo airport after they glued their hands to the runway. A man in Kalmar who had entered the runway was arrested by the police. Furthermore, four more people were arrested on board two planes after they attempted to stop a plane from taking off at Landvetter Airport and Halmstad City airport.

Police later arrested one more person on the runway at Angelholm Airport while he was trying to glue his hands. Sweden police has started an investigation into the matter. Both Vaxjo and Bromma Airport were closed to air traffic after the incident, however, they are now open and operational.

Klas Ogren, an official on standby at the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration told SVT Nyheter that they have ramped up the safety of protected objects. Ogren, however, did not divulge details about what exactly the protected objects were. Climate activists in the Extinction Rebellion Sweden network have claimed responsibility for the actions. Furthermore, they told SVT Nyheter that a total of 15 people have been arrested in connection to the incident.

Image: Unsplash/RepresentativeImage
France President Emmanuel Macron and UKs Prime Minister Boris Johnson on October 31, Sunday exchanged bitter rhetorics as they met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome for over 25 minutes of duration. UK Prime Minister Johnson complained about EU chief Ursula von der Leyens threats over reprisal for the two countries post-Brexit dispute over fishing in the English Channel, saying that they were completely unjustified. Johnsons government, meanwhile, stated that it was "up to France" to step back from the intimidation. However, France insisted that the ball was "in Britain's court" to decide the fate and outcome of the long-standing dispute between two nations which Johnson said was not bilateral, according to several reports.

France claimed solution in 'next hours and days', UK denied having 'any such discussions'

While Frances government said that it had agreed on a solution in the "next hours and days with the UK, Johnsons spokesperson later denied the claims saying that no such discussions happened on the sidelines of G20. Instead, he said that during the meeting with Ursula von der Leyen at the G20 summit in Rome, the UK Prime Minister raised Britains concerns about the rhetoric from the French government, Guardian newspaper reported, citing a close source. Meanwhile, UKs Brexit minister, David Frost, expressed concerns and astonishment over the letter dispatched from the French Prime Minister, Jean Castex, to Von der Leyen demanding the EU-level response over license shortfall for French vessels to do fishing in the coastal waters of the UK and Jersey.

This, UKs Brexit minister Frost said, was indispensable to show European public opinion that it causes more damage to leave the EU than to stay in. I hope this opinion is not held more widely across the EU, Frost tweeted. To see it expressed in this way is clearly very troubling and very problematic in the current context when we are trying to solve many highly sensitive issues, including on the Northern Ireland protocol.

Frost exchanged barbs with France, saying: This is all the more so as the threats made by France this week to our fishing industry, to energy supplies, and to future cooperation, eg, through the Horizon research program, unfortunately, form part of a pattern that has persisted for much of this year. He went on to add: As I set out yesterday to [European Commission vice-president] Maros Sefcovic, these threats, if implemented on 2 November, would put the EU in breach of its obligations under our trade agreement.

As the dispute escalated this week after France caught a Scottish-registered scallop dredger fishing without a license, detaining its captain Le Havre, and the EU country threatened sanctions on the UK, Johnson asked EU to rein in Emmanuel Macron's threats as it could put the whole EU "in breach. France, meanwhile, threatened to block the British boats crossing the English Channel and restrict all energy supplies to the Channel Islands. While France claimed that Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson had agreed to work on practical measures on the sidelines of the G20, UKs 10 Downing street denied such claims asking France to back down. We stand ready to respond should they proceed to break the Brexit agreement, UK PM Johnsons spokesman told British press reporters at the G20 summit in Rome.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed optimism on G20's position on climate, following the summit in Rome. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said the accord was a 'good signal' for COP26, in Glasgow. During the concluding press conference, Merkel stated that she was pleased to see a joint declaration that every leader could sign off on. On Sunday, leaders of the Group of 20 major countries agreed on a final declaration that encouraged "meaningful and effective" action to curb global warming while angering climate campaigners with few concrete commitments.

In order to achieve the major aims of a G20 Summit, the recently finished conclave in Rome released a Summit declaration in which fellow member nations, including India, 'agree' to pursue specific goals and approaches. However, according to UN experts, even if present national plans are fully executed, the globe will experience global warming of 2.7 degrees Celsius, with disastrous implications. The 'Rome Declaration' was also accepted by G20 leaders and heads of state; the communique sent a strong message under the health part, where member nations agreed that COVID vaccination is a global public good.

G20 leaders look forward to meet again in India and Indonesia

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States are all members of the G20. The G20 countries account for over 90% of global GDP, 80% of global trade, and two-thirds of the world's population. Notably, the G-20 leaders' statement added, "We look forward to meeting again in Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023, and Brazil in 2024."

The final G20 statement includes a vow to stop financing overseas coal-fired power production by the end of this year, but there is no timetable for phasing out coal power, merely "as soon as possible." This replaced an earlier draught of the final statement objective of achieving this by the end of the 2030s, demonstrating the strong opposition from several coal-dependent countries. The G20 also set no deadline for phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, instead stating that they will do so "over the medium term." The final statement simply acknowledges that lowering methane emissions is "one of the quickest, most viable, and least expensive methods to minimise climate change."

Image: AP
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday encouraged world leaders attending the UN climate change summit in Glasgow to commit to reducing carbon emissions and warned that efforts to halt catastrophic global warming will fail if they do not act. Johnson went on to say if the COP26 climate change meeting in Glasgow fails, the entire attempt to reduce emissions will be a failure. Calling for action on the climate crisis on the eve of the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, the UK PM noted that the responsibility of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius set out in the Paris agreement 6 years ago depends on affluent countries contributing more. He asserted, "It is one minute to midnight and we need to act now."

WATCH LIVE: Prime Minister @BorisJohnson holds a press conference at #G20Italy https://t.co/ARDgLsyLfQ  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) October 31, 2021

Despite the warning to world leaders, the UK PM said that they had achieved some progress at the G20 summit in Rome. He added that the success of the meetings in Glasgow aimed at delivering on those commitments remained "in the balance". After the G20 "failed" to identify a target date of 2050, he acknowledged that a pledge for all of the world's largest economies to reach net zero emissions was "vague". The G20 agreements were "drops in a rapidly warming ocean when compared to the problem we've all agreed is ahead of us", the Prime Minister remarked. He agreed that the nations have made reasonable progress at the G20 summit, if every aspect is considered, "but it is not enough".

Johnson slams US for 'not contributing enough' to climate crisis fund

For the first time, he singled out and chastised the United States for failing to contribute enough to the $100 billion climate crisis fund for impoverished countries, claiming that it was "well down". And, when asked about the possibilities for COP26, the UK PM stated, If Glasgow fails then the whole thing fails. The Paris Agreement will have crumpled at the first reckoning."

He further added, "the Paris agreement will have crumpled at the first reckoning. The worlds only viable mechanism for dealing with climate change will be holed beneath the waterline. Right now the Paris Agreement and the hope that came with it is just a piece of paper.

Johnson calls on G20 nations to prioritise the rights of Afghan women and girls

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on G20 member nations to prioritise the rights of Afghan women and girls. In a tweet, Johnson stated that the UK would contribute 50m to the initiative. His remarks come just a few days after he stated that the UK is attempting to assist the Afghan people, but cautioned that the country cannot give a completely blank cheque to the Taliban administration.

We have a responsibility to help those in Afghanistan most at risk under the Taliban regime, particularly women and girls.



The UK will give 50m to that end, and I urge the G20 to prioritise the rights of women and girls in all our international development efforts.#G20Italy  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 31, 2021

(Image: AP)
The US Air Force said it flew a B-1B Lancer bomber over major maritime chokepoints in the Middle East with partners, including Israel, on Sunday, October 30, amid persistent tensions with Iran, whose nuclear deal with Western powers is still in shambles. The B-1B Lancer bomber sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on October 30, Saturday, the small entrance to the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil sold travels. It also flew over the Red Sea, Egypt's Suez Canal, and the tight Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

On Friday, October 29, the US Treasury Department had slapped new sanctions on 2 key members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and 2 affiliated firms for supplying insurgent groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and Ethiopia with lethal drones and related equipment. Despite the fact that the sanctions have nothing to do with Iran's nuclear programme, the Biden administration has stated that it wants to build on a potential agreement to resurrect the dormant 2015 nuclear deal by including Iranian support for such groups as well as limiting Iran's ballistic missile development.

The flyover follows the trend of 'show of force'

The flyover follows a trend of such flights by nuclear-capable B-52 bombers as a 'show of force' to Iran since the Trump administration. Trump unilaterally removed the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, in which Tehran agreed to sharply reduce its uranium enrichment in exchange for the removal of economic sanctions. Since then, Iran has abandoned all of the deal's restrictions and dramatically curtailed foreign inspectors' capacity to monitor their programme. While Iran claims its programme is benign, US intelligence agencies, Western inspectors, and others claim Tehran had a well-organized military nuclear weapons programme until the end of 2003.

In recent years, attacks against shipping attributed on Iran have occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, while similar attacks have occurred in the Red Sea amid a continuous shadow war between Tehran and Israel. The Islamic Republic has denied involvement in the strikes, but it has threatened to retaliate against Israel for a series of attacks on its nuclear programme. The bomber was escorted by fighter jets from Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

President Joe Biden has stated that he is willing to re-enter the nuclear deal, but talks in Vienna have stopped since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's hard-line protege was elected president. Whereas, Iran has not set a date for returning to the Vienna nuclear talks, but has said it will do so next week, with a target date of late November. Iran's aims have been questioned by the United States and others. As the US Air Force's Central Command put it on Twitter, Biden sending a B1-B bomber into the region allows him to convey a clear message of reassurance to regional partners. However, it did not include a nuclear-capable aircraft. The B-1B was built at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota by the 37th Bomb Squadron.

Image: AP
Islamabad, Oct 31 (PTI) The implementation of the USD 10 billion trans-national Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project will start soon, the Taliban government in Afghanistan said on Sunday.

The announcement came during the visit of Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov to Kabul where he held talks with counterpart acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The two sides covered various economic and political issues in the talks, followed by a joint press conference by the two foreign ministers, according to Afghanistan's Tolo News.

Muttaqi said they talked about the TAPI gas pipeline project, and decided that the implementation of the project in Afghanistan will start soon.

Important issues such as TAPI, railroads and electricity were discussed. We discussed how to strengthen the projects that had already started. Also, the projects that were started by Turkmenistan, such as TAPI--its practical implementation will start soon in Afghanistan, he said.

He said that the Turkmenistan foreign minister also invited him to visit the Central Asian country.

The TAPI project launched in 2016 is a key transnational scheme aimed to carry 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas each year from Turkmenistan to India through Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The pipeline is about 1,800 km long and starts from Galkynysh, the world's second-biggest gas field, and terminates at the Indian city of Fazilka.

At least 816 kilometers of the pipeline passes through Afghanistan and though the work on it in Afghanistan started in February 2018 but it was delayed due to the fighting between the then Afghanistan government and the Taliban.

After the Taliban established their control over the country following the takeover of Kabul on August 15, chances for the TAPI project have brightened up.

The trip by the Turkmenistan foreign minister to Kabul is one of the very few visits by foriegn dignitaries to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in the country. PTI SH RUP AKJ RUP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Intelligence officers of the previous government of Afghanistan under Ashraf Ghani are now affiliating with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) in order to survive and resist the Taliban, citing Wall Street Journal's report, Khaama Press stated. As per the report, the former intelligence personnel is mostly the US-trained Afghan spies who are now joining the terror group in northern Afghanistan as IS-Taliban frictions continue to escalate.

It is pertinent to note that following the takeover by the Taliban, northern resistance was one of the only resisting groups which is co-led by Ahmad Masoud and former Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh in the northern region of the war-ravaged nation which is named in Panjshir province. Even though the group has been defeated by the Taliban, some members still claim that they are regrouping and are waging attacks on the Taliban fighters.

The report also stated that the former Afghan spies are joining ISIS-K to resume their income as they have been left broke due to the fall of the previous government to the Taliban and also to fight the extremist group. However, the number of people joining the militant group is small. The report also noted that the number is growing and is feared that the ISIS-K will be difficult to defeat even in the years that follow.

The WSJ report comes in the backdrop of Afghanistan witnessing an increase of targeted assassinations and bomb blasts. ANI cited media reports to state that several of such attacks in Nangarhar are claimed by pro-Daesh or ISIS groups. Meanwhile, as many as 65 terrorists affiliated with Islamic State (IS) have surrendered to the Taliban-led authorities. Earlier this month, even the Taliban claimed that it has destroyed a Daesh hideout in Kabul which is also blamed for many attacks.

Taliban Claim 65 Islamic State Terrorists Surrendered

In a massive claim, the Taliban on Sunday, 31 October said that at least 65 terrorists affiliated with IS have surrendered to the Taliban in Nangarhar province, reported Anadolu Agency. The news outlet attributed an Afghan intelligence official saying that the IS terrorists surrendered the fight and laid down their weapons in front of the Taliban-led authorities in the provincial capital Jalalabad city. The source, the head of the intelligence agency, also claimed that the terrorists were previously active in the districts of Kot Spinghar.

(IMAGE: PTI/Representative)
Facebook has banned the account of renowned Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen for seven days due to her alleged "hate speech" post. Nasreen, who always hit the headlines due to her controversial and bold statements, took to the microblogging site and said that her account has been suspended for seven days for "telling the truth".

"Facebook banned me again for 7 days for telling the truth," the author wrote on Twitter. "Facebook has banned me for writing '' Islamists destroyed Bangladeshi Hindu houses & temples believing that Hindus placed Quran on Hanuman's thigh. But when it was revealed that Iqbal Hossain did that, not the Hindus, Islamists were silent, said and did nothing against Iqbal," she tweeted on Monday.

Further, the Bangladeshi author claimed that this was not the first time that she has been barred from accessing her social media account. On March 16 this year, Nasreen said she was barred from the social media giant for 24 hours. "#Facebook banned me for 24 hrs. My crime was I liked the decision of Aarong, a Bangladeshi handicrafts store, for not hiring a Jihadi who refused to follow the rules of Aarong, to shave off his beard to work as a salesman. Islamists have been protesting against Aarong," she had tweeted.

Facebook has banned me for writing '' Islamists destroyed Bangladeshi Hindu houses & temples believing that Hindus placed Quran on Hanuman's thigh. But when it was revealed that Iqbal Hossain did that, not the Hindus, Islamists were silent, said and did nothing against Iqbal...'  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) November 1, 2021

She recounted that her Facebook account was earlier disabled in 2015 as well. Apart from banning her social media accounts, her book was also banned by the Bangladeshi government.

"Governments ban my books, jihadists burn my books and threat booksellers not to sell my books. I've got only one platform to express my views in Bengali, that is #fb. But whenever I use my freedom to write on fb freely for my readers, fb bans me. No free speech for freethinkers," she said in another tweet.

According to Facebook's norms, an account will be banned if anybody breaches its "hate speech" policy.

Know all about Facebook "hate speech policy"

"We define hate speech as a direct attack against people - rather than concepts or institutions - on the basis of what we call protected characteristics: race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity and serious disease. We define attacks as violent or dehumanising speech, harmful stereotypes, statements of inferiority, expressions of contempt, disgust or dismissal, cursing and calls for exclusion or segregation," the Facebook policy said.

"We also prohibit the use of harmful stereotypes, which we define as dehumanising comparisons that have historically been used to attack, intimidate or exclude specific groups, and that are often linked with offline violence," it added.

Nasreen left Bangladesh in 1994 in the wake of death threat by fundamentalist outfits for her alleged anti-Islamic views. Since then, she has been living in exile.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: ANI/Unsplash)
The Taliban-appointed supervisor of a small district hospital outside the Afghan capital has big plans for the place  to the dismay of the doctors who work there.

Mohammed Javid Ahmadi, 22, was asked by his superiors, fresh off the fields of battle from a war that has spanned most of his life, what kind of jobs he could do. On offer were positions in an array of ministries and institutions now under the Talibans power following their August takeover and the collapse of the former government.

It was Ahmadis dream to be a doctor; poverty had kept him from gaining admission to medical school, he said. He chose the health sector. Soon after, the Mirbacha Kot district hospital just outside of Kabul became his responsibility.

If someone with more experience can take this position it would be better, but unfortunately if someone (like that) gets this position, after some time youll see that he might be a thief or corrupt, he said, highlighting a perennial problem of the former government.

Its a job Ahmadi takes very seriously, but he and the other health workers in the 20-bed hospital rarely see eye-to-eye. Doctors are demanding overdue salary payments amid critical shortages of medicine, fuel and food. Ahmadis first priority is to build a mosque inside the hospital quarters, segregate staff by gender and encourage them to pray. The rest will follow according to the will of God, he tells them.

The drama in Mirbacha Kot is playing out across Afghanistans health sector since the Taliban takeover. With power changing hands overnight, health workers have had to contend with a difficult adjustment. The host of problems that preceded the Talibans rise were exacerbated.

The U.S. froze Afghan assets in American accounts shortly after the takeover, in line with international sanctions, crippling Afghanistan's banking sector. International monetary organizations that once funded 75% of state expenditures paused disbursements, precipitating an economic crisis in the aid-dependent nation.

Health is acutely affected. World Bank allocations funded 2,330 out of Afghanistan's 3,800 medical facilities, including the salaries of health workers, said the Talibans Deputy Health Minister Abdulbari Umer.

Wages had been unpaid for months before the government collapsed.

This is the biggest challenge for us. When we came here there was no money left, said Umer. There is no salary for staff, no food, no fuel for ambulances and other machines. There is no medicine for hospitals; we tried to find some from Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, but it's not enough."

In Mirbacha Kot, doctors have not been paid in five months.

Disheartened staff continue to attend to up to 400 patients a day, who come from the neighboring six districts. Some have general complaints or a heart condition. Others bring sick babies.

What can we do? If we dont want to come here theres no other job for us. If there was another job, nobody can pay us. Its better to stay here, said Dr. Gul Nazar.

Every morning, Ahmadi makes his rounds. His small frame, topped by a black turban, is a sharp contrast to the sea of white coats that routinely rush in and out of the facility to tend to patients.

The first order of the day is the registration book. Ahmadi wants every doctor to sign in and out. Its a formality most health workers are too busy to remember, but neglecting it is enough to inspire Ahmadis ire.

Second, the mosque.

Workers come to the hospital to take measurements for the project and Ahmadi gives them orders.

We are Muslims, and we have 32 staff members, and for them, we need a mosque, he said.

There are many benefits, he added. Relatives can stay with sick patients overnight, sleeping in the mosque, as the hospital lacks extra beds especially during the winter months. And this is what is needed the most, he said.

Dr. Najla Quami looked on, bewildered.

She, too, has not been paid in months and routinely complains of medicine shortages in the maternity ward. They have no pain medication for expectant mothers. The pharmacy is stocked only with analgesic and some antibiotics. Is this the time for a mosque, she asked.

But Ahmadi said it was the responsibility of non-governmental organizations to resume their aid programs to finance these shortages. The money for the mosque will come from local donations.

His arrival ushered in other sweeping changes.

Men and women were told to stay in separate wards. Female doctors are forbidden to go to the emergency room. Ahmadi ordered them to wear a head covering and focus on female patients.

We cant go to the other side of the hospital, said Dr. Elaha Ibrahimi, 27. Woman is woman, man is man, he told us.

Due to shortages, doctors advise patients to find medications elsewhere and return. Ibrahimi said Ahmadi often scrutinizes her prescriptions.

He isnt a doctor, we dont know why he is here, we ask ourselves this all the time, he said.

But Ahmadi is quick to allege deeply entrenched corruption in the hospital under the former hospital administrator, his predecessor from the former government.

He said he was aghast to uncover an entire warehouse full of medical equipment, furniture and other stolen goods to be sold in the market for personal profit. He could not offer proof that this was the intention of the previous administrator.

He sees his job to meticulously ensure that never happens again, echoing the Talibans broader aims for the nation.

Doctors are routinely lambasted by angry patients, most of whom cant afford to pay for the life-saving medicines. All of them fight with us, Ibrahimi said.

Staff working the night shift say there is no food. The power shuts off for hours in the day with generator fuel quickly running out.

Quami holds a mobile phone for light as she makes her way to check on malnourished babies.

Every doctor here is in a deep depression, she said.

Ahmadi, by contrast, said his dreams were finally coming true.

Working in the hospital has afforded something life growing up poor never could: A medical education.

He claims that in the past two months he has learned how to administer injections and prescribe basic pharmaceuticals. He said that's part of the reason why he scrutinizes Ibrahimis prescriptions.

I know the names of the medicines needed for different conditions, he said proudly. Recently, after a car accident, he was on the scene to provide an injection of painkillers, he added.

Ahmadi still dreams of being a doctor, and, like the health workers he supervises, hopes the money comes through somehow.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
At least one person was killed and over dozen were injured after a series of explosions rocked the central Mexico city of Puebla on Sunday. According to a report by the Associated Press, a preliminary investigation suggested the deadly explosion took place due to an illegal tap on a natural gas line. Citing the local authorities, the news agency said that nearly 15-20 homes were also damaged during the explosion. According to Puebla state Governor Miguel Barbosa, the emergency officials were rushed to the site and evacuated the area within 80 minutes after getting an emergency call warning of a gas smell.

He said the officials evacuated more than 2,000 people living within the circumference of 2 kilometres after the first explosion took place in the wee hours of Sunday. "If there had not been an evacuation and there had not been coordination, there would have been a tragedy of great proportions," the governor said. Meanwhile, the emergency officials, who were present on the blast site, told AP that more than 50 homes were either destroyed or damaged in the San Pablo Xochimehuacan district of Puebla. Further, he informed two of the injured were critical with severe burns and were admitted to a city-based hospital.

"When I heard the chaos, the screaming of the people, that's when we realized that the smoke from the gas was coming ... and we didnt have time to take out documents or animals or anything," one resident told The Associated Press shortly after being told that his home was completely destroyed.

Heavy rainfall doused the flames completely: Officials

Meanwhile, the authorities confirmed that the flames were completely doused only after a heavy rainfall occurred in the evening. Shortly before 7 pm, authorities announced that workers from Mexicos state oil company had succeeded in closing off the leaking gas. Governor Barbosa said rescue teams with dogs were searching for more possible victims, though there were no reports of missing people. Moreover, the governor assured the locals to nab the person responsible for the death of one person and damage of properties. "Unfortunately, one person was killed and 15 more were injured in the explosion of the Pemex pipeline in Puebla," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Sunday. He added that 1,396 civil protection personnel had been mobilised.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)
Navjot Sidhu Backs 'son Of Soil' As Next Punjab CM, Tells Congress 'Main Hoon Na'

PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu projected himself as the Chief Ministerial candidate for Punjab on Monday, telling the Congress high command to pick a 'son from the soil' to lead. While speaking at the program of Samyukta Hindu Mahasabha (organization of Punjab Congress leader Ashwini Sekhri), Navjot Singh Sidhu urged the high command to find a hero who is from the soil to lead the party in the 2022 elections. Ultimately, his distress over not becoming CM spilt out when he suggested that the party pick him for the job, saying 'main hoon na' (I am there).

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Australia Recognises Covaxin, Day After PM Modi Pushes For WHO Approval Of Indian Vaccines

In a massive victory for India, Australia on Monday has recognised Covaxin as one of the recognised vaccines of travellers wishing to enter the state. Issuing a statement, the Australian Department of Health has added Covaxin (for age 12 and above) and Sinopharm (for age 18 to 60) to the list of accepted/recognised vaccines. Australia uses COVID vaccines of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca for inoculating its population and recognises Covishield, Coronavac, Covaxin and Sinopharm additionally.

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Asaduddin Owaisi Slams Akhilesh Yadav For Hailing Jinnah; 'Go Learn History'

After Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav counted Jinnah among the freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday suggested him to sit with the historians and take lessons. Pointing out that it is only from the lessons that Akhilesh Yadav will know what happened in 1925, in 1934, and then 1937, Owaisi concluded that it was in fact Jinnah who was the 'main Architect of Pakistan'.

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Navjot Kaur Sidhu Angry At Jagdish Tytler's Congress Promotion But Cites 'party Protocol'

Former Punjab minister Navjot Kaur Sidhu on Monday expressed her disappointment over the appointment of 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler as a permanent invitee to the DPCC saying that she was 'personally angry' over the decision. Speaking to reporters in Amritsar, Navjot Sidhu's wife claimed that everyone was hurt about the development, but could not say anything because of 'party protocol'. Refraining from commenting any further, she said that 'party-level decisions' were not something that she could opine on and would have to be clarified only by the high command.

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NIA Court Sentences 4 To Death In 2013 Patna Gandhi Maidan Serial Blasts Case

In a massive development, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Monday sentenced four people to death in connection with the 2013 Gandhi Maidan Blast in Patna. This comes days after the court had convicted 9 accused in the case, while one accused was acquitted in the absence of evidence. The four convicts who are sentenced to death are Haider Ali, Noman Ansari, Md. Mujibullah Ansari and Imtiaz Alam. Among other convicts, Umar Siddiqui and Azharuddin Qureshi have got life imprisonment. On the other hand, Ahmed Hossain and Md. Firoz Aslam are sentenced to ten years imprisonment and Iftikhar Alam is sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

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Nawab Malik Accuses Fadnavis Of 'drug Link'; Ex-CM Accuses Minister Of 'underworld Links'

In yet another 'revealation', NCP minister Nawab Malik on Monday, alleged that ex-Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis had links with 'drug mafia'. Tweeting a photo of one Jaideep Rana with Amruta Fadnavis, he pointed out that Rana had recently been arrested in a drug trafficking case. Stating that Jaideep Rana was 'financial head' of the River song which features both Fadnavis and his wife, he demanded CBI or judicial enquiry in this issue. Retorting to the 'drug mafia' allegations, Fadnavis refuted any relations with Rana.

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Anil Deshmukh Appears Before ED After HC Denies Relief; Takes On Sachin Vaze & Param Bir

In a massive development, ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh appeared before the ED at its Mumbai office on Monday after skipping multiple summons. This comes after the Bombay High Court on October 29 rejected his plea challenging the summons issued to him by the central agency. Empowering Deshmukh to approach the appropriate court on the apprehension of arrest, the HC also directed the ED to permit his lawyer to remain present within "visible distance but not audible distance" at the central agency's office during his questioning.

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Mehbooba Mufti Put Under House Arrest, PDP Claims; Police Cites Security Concerns

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader on Monday claimed that party president Mehbooba Mufti has been put under house arrest to stop her from meeting the family of a youth in Anantnag who was killed in cross-firing between security forces and terrorists last week. The PDP leader also claimed that the main gate of the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister's residence has been locked by police. According to the police, the PDP chief isn't being to go there due to security reasons.

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Sachin Vaze Extorted During 17 Year Exile; Must Find Who Made Him CIU Head: Mumbai Police

The Mumbai Police on Monday secured the custody of sacked and disgraced former API Sachin Vaze in connection with the alleged Goregaon extortion case which also includes former Mumbai Police Commissioner and Vaze's former boss Param Bir Singh. The Mumbai Police in court highlighted how Sachin Vaze got the role of Head of the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Police.

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South Korea Calls On North To Consider Proposal For Pope Francis' Visit To Country

On Monday, the South Korean government called on its North Korean government to give the green signal to Pope Francis' visit to the country, claiming that it would bolster regional peace. The Pope met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on Friday, October 29. The key subjects covered at the meeting were the difficulty of lowering tension on the Korean peninsula and the possibility of the pontiff visiting North Korea, reported Sputnik citing local observers. "We hope the North will respond and open the way for fostering peace on the Korean Peninsula after the pope's willingness to visit North Korea has been reiterated," Lee Jong-joo, a spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Unification, was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.

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Sorting cars and traffic, dozens of Bolivian Indigenous women, Cholitas, on Saturday raced on bicycles through the streets of El Alto.

The feat of riding in their traditional attire, with long and ample skirts, is only matched by doing it at 4,150 meters (13,615 feet) above sea level.

El Alto, a neighboring city of capital La Paz, is one of the highest populated areas in the world. Oxygen is scarce and for those not acclimatized, exercising at that height extenuating.

At the finish line, some of the participants rested, lying on the floor.

Laura Ramirez Huarachi, winner of "El Alto, Cholitas Bicycle race," said Indigenous women in Bolivia find an opportunity to shine and improve.

"We have this kind of thinking to study, practice various sports, and this race helps us a lot," Ramirez Huarachi said.

She made a time of 11 minutes 11 seconds, earning the first place in the over 30 years category for the seventh annual bike race in El Alto.

Bolivia's native population has suffered decades of discrimination, but in recent years, local women have emerged empowered and now celebrate their heritage.

They proudly participate in multiple cultural activities and sports.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Accusing the EU of enforcing "overly strict Northern Ireland (NI) Protocol on the UK, Brexit minister Lord Frost on October 31, Sunday said that not only European Union has behaved "without regard to the huge political, economic and identity sensitivities" but also has destroyed cross-community consent. As relations between the UK, and EU deteriorated over the post-Brexit NI protocol, the former UK Cabinet office minister and ex-chief negotiator for Brexit derided the EUs failure in achieving a middle ground for a workable approach in Northern Ireland.

His remarks, made in the foreword to a new paper for the Policy Exchange think tank came as the UK and the EU put forward their proposals to address the challenges and dispute over the NI protocol. Frost outlined the EUs negotiating position as he asserted that there was "ambiguity about what was required from the UK".

Post-Brexit agreement without reciprocal commitments

In the paper, The Northern Ireland Protocol: the origins of the current crisis published by UKs leading think tank Roderick Crawford, Frost described that the Brexit process was hampered due to the early decisions reached in 2017. When the UK published its Northern Ireland paper in August 2017; it was solid on the Belfast Agreement but much less so on how to actually avoid a hard border  its customs proposals and its waivers for small businesses. "This was immediately rejected by Brussels," Frost revealed. The latter provided the chronology of Brexit negotiations and noted what went wrong.

He revealed that he had considered stepping down from his role as a foreign affairs special adviser to Boris Johnson, who was UKs foreign secretary at that time, after a joint report was drafted and he noticed that the crucial pass had been sold. Frost stated that making this post-Brexit agreement without reciprocal commitments to secure the balance of the Belfast Agreement and accommodate the UK dimension to Northern Ireland "was the origin of the core flaw in the Northern Ireland Protocol". Furthermore, he accused the EU of deliberately not signing up to support East-West cooperation or to protect the UK internal market.

"It was in the Joint Report that the core commitment was made that in order to avoid a hard border Northern Ireland would remain aligned with the necessary EU regulations to secure continued and future NorthSouth cooperation, the all-island economy, and to protect the Good Friday Agreement," Frost the chief Brexit negotiator claimed in the report. He added, "Though the commitment to alignment encompassed the whole UK, this is not what was meant."

Frost condemned the EU, saying that its focus since the start and its response to the UKs interpretation of the Belfast Agreement was "to counter it, not respect it, learn from it or engage with it". He went on to add that the EU published its own "guiding principles". He stated that in December the protocols agreed by the UK were a result of the extreme weakness of the Theresa May administration. And even as the joint EU UK report was changed to accommodate the DUP, the Irish border solutions were put in a legally binding withdrawal agreement rather than trade in the future. Frost asserted that protocols terms were enforced on the UK, and the country's initial priority for avoiding a hard border was ignored. "The UK accepted the EUs guiding principles paper without gaining any concessions from the EU to address key UK concerns," Frost revealed.
President Joe Biden reflected on his relationship with Pope Francis on Sunday as he neared the end of his visit to Rome, saying the pontiff has brought him great solace since the death of his son Beau more than six years ago.

Biden was asked about his private meeting Friday with the pope during his closing news conference at the Group of 20 summit. Speaking with emotion, the president harked back to his September 2015 meeting with the pontiff when the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was visiting the United States.

This is a man who has a great empathy," Biden said. He is a man who understands that part of his Christianity is to reach out and forgive. And so I just find my relationship with him one that I personally take great solace in."

Biden, a practicing Catholic, was vice president at the time of Francis' visit to the U.S. He was asked by President Barack Obama to accompany Francis as the pontiff traveled to Philadelphia.

Biden said the wounds were still raw from the death of Beau, the former Delaware attorney general who had died from brain cancer months before the pope's U.S. visit.

Before departing Philadelphia, Francis asked to meet privately with Biden and his family. The president, who has previously spoken about the meeting, seemed to choke back tears Sunday as he recalled how much Francis knew about his late son.

He didn't just generically talk about him," Biden said of the meeting, which he said lasted 10 or 15 minutes in a Philadelphia airport hangar. He knew what a man he was. And it had such a cathartic impact on his children, and my wife, our family, that it meant a great deal."

Biden said after his meeting with the pope on Friday that Francis told him he should continue to take Holy Communion. Some conservative U.S. church leaders say he should be barred from taking the sacrament because of his support for abortion rights.

The president on Sunday sidestepped questions about the Holy Communion controversy, and instead offered a lengthy answer about the comfort he has gained from his relationship with Francis.

He is everything I learned about Catholicism from the time I was a kid going from grade school through high school," Biden said. I have great respect for people who have other religious views, but he is just a fine, decent, honorable man. We keep in touch."

IMAGE: AP

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The United States Supreme Court will hear two controversial matters related to abortion on Monday, news agency Xinhua reported on Monday. Though the court has taken the cases of hearing on abortion at a very fast pace, the ruling could take a long time. Normally there are months between when the court agrees to hear a case and arguments in a courtroom. This time the court has put the parties on an extraordinarily compressed timetable to file briefs and prepare for arguments in a little over a week. That suggests the justices plan to make a decision quickly. However, one of the challenges comes from the US Department of Justice, while the other is from Whole Woman's Health, said the report. Taking effect from September as reportedly the most restrictive one in the country, the Texas law prohibits abortions once the cardiac activity is detected in an embryo, which can happen as early as about six weeks before many women are aware they are pregnant.

What is the controversy?

Texas law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks before some women know they are pregnant. That conflicts with Supreme Court precedent, which says states are prohibited from banning abortion before viability, the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, around 24 weeks of pregnancy. The cases being argued today could indicate how the judges will rule in an even more significant abortion case that will be heard a month later and ask them to overrule the two landmark cases, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Notably, the two lawsuits that were adopted in 1973 guarantee a womans right to an abortion.

Biden also terms the law 'extreme'

Earlier, US President Joe Biden called the Texas law "extreme," and said it blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade."Private enforcement regime is a transparent attempt to shield what they see as a blatantly unconstitutional ban and that if the scheme were allowed to stand, it could allow states to undermine other constitutional rights in similar ways," noted the Biden administration in an earlier statement released this year.

Apart from the controversial Texas law, the court will also hear another case over a Mississippi abortion restriction in December that directly challenges the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade. Meanwhile, the state and Jonathan Mitchell, an architect of the law, say in their briefs that the providers and the Justice Department lack the right to go into federal court and cant sue state judges and clerks who are not responsible for enforcing the abortion ban. They also contend that there is no effective way of blocking the law, in part because the federal court cant force state judges to abstain from hearing the lawsuits the law authorises.

(With inputs from AP/ANI)

Image: Unsplash
Li Wenzu and Wang Qiaoling are shown (first and second from right) with Yuan Shanshan and Liu Ermin on Dec. 17, 2018 after they shaved their heads to protest the detention of their husbands in a crackdown on rights lawyers and activists in 2015.

More than a dozen rights activists who planned to run as candidates in elections for district-level People's Congresses have withdrawn their candidacy after being targeted by an intimidation campaign.

Fourteen activists, many of whom campaigned on behalf of family members detained in a nationwide operation targeting human rights lawyers that began on July 9, 2015, had announced their plan in an Oct. 15 declaration.

But just four days ahead of the poll, would-be candidates including Li Wenzu, Wang Qiaoling, and Ye Jinghuan issued a joint statement saying that all 14 are withdrawing, citing fears for their personal safety.

Since they went public about their candidacy, around 10 activists have been placed under round-the-clock police surveillance, while some have been summoned to their local police station for a "chat," and others forced to leave town under police escort and wait out the election at a tourist resort, the statement said.

"The Beijing municipal police has set up a team to handle our candidacy, and the results will be known in two months' time," the statement quoted one person as saying.

"We have been a bit terrified by [the authorities' response to] this election," it added.

Others had been threatened with eviction by their local government, and many of the 14 were forced to call a halt to campaign activities, as police told them that to proceed would be "dangerous" at the current time.

Most of the 14 candidates couldn't be reached at their regular cell phone numbers on Monday, but RFA did succeed in speaking briefly to Ye Jinghuan.

"I can't give you an interview, because it's not convenient for me to talk about this right now, for a number of different reasons," Ye said.

"Inconvenience" is frequently used by Chinese activists as a veiled reference to police surveillance or official coercion.

"The reasons for our withdrawal were all given in the statement."

Meanwhile, would-be independent local elections candidates in the central province of Hubei said they were unable to get hold of the form needed to record endorsements, the first step in the process to become a candidate.

"The authorities will do everything in their power to stop ordinary people from taking part in these elections, because they're afraid that the people will bring the truth, their opinions about the state of the nation, and further ideas about political participation to the district People's Congresses," Hubei-based petitioner-turned-activist Wu Lijuan told RFA.

Li Wenzu, wife of formerly jailed rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang, said she had been under pressure from the landlord, who had previously been happy to renew the lease, to leave the apartment her family calls home.

"We just got stopped by a bunch of people who were told not to let us in," Li said. "All of the cars next to us were allowed in, one after the other, no problem."

Tight police surveillance

Fellow would-be candidates Liu Xiuzhen, Zhu Xiuling, and Wang Xiuzhen have reported being placed under tight police surveillance, while Li Hairong and Guo Qizeng posted WeChat messages saying that officials in their hometown of Shibalidian had started proceedings to demolish their homes since they announced their candidacy.

Xi told an Oct. 13 meeting of the People's Congress work conference in Beijing that more work was needed to "improve the People's Congress system ... [and] continuously develop people's democracy."

But while Xi has made much of China's own-brand of "whole process" democracy, drawing a distinction with Western democratic systems, state media have warned that there is "no such thing" as an independent candidate, with candidates all needing the prior approval of the CCP.

Local elections will be held across the Beijing municipal area on Nov. 5 to return nearly five thousand district People's Congress representatives and more than 10,000 township People's Congress representatives.

But apart from a token group of "democratic parties" which never oppose or criticize the ruling Communist Party, opposition political parties are banned in China, and those who set them up are frequently handed lengthy jail terms.

Constitutional expert Yao Lifa once succeeded in being elected to the Qianjiang municipal People's Congress in 1998, where he used his platform to criticize government policy.

But after a 10-year struggle to get elected, he was shunted aside five years later and has been subjected to official retaliation ever since, including secret detention, torture and starvation, according to his wife.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The latest imagery suggests the ships remained in the area and some had even moved closer to Whitsun Reef.

A satellite image taken Nov. 1 shows ships close to Whitsun Reef, where the Philippines has repeatedly protested the presence of Chinese vessels.

UPDATED at 09:10 a.m. EST on 2021-11-01

Commercial satellite imagery suggests that Chinese vessels returning in increasing numbers to Whitsun Reef where hundreds of its ships gathered earlier this year, prompting a diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Manila.

Planet Labs images from Monday and preceding days show dozens of ships near the reef in the northern part of the Union Banks in the disputed South China Sea. Manila calls the reef Julian Felipe and said it is within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but China and Vietnam have separate claims to it.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) based in Washington said in a recent report that the number of vessels visible in satellite imagery near Whitsun Reef "has been rising over the past three months, and that most of them are Chinese.

These numbers include some Vietnamese coastguard and fishing boats, but the vast majority are Chinese fishing vessels 50 meters or more in length. This easily distinguishes them from their smaller Vietnamese counterparts, it said.

AMTI, which follows the ships movements closely, also said they appear to belong to Chinas growing maritime militia since they show no evidence of fishing.

About 40 ships were spotted in August in the northern half of Union Banks, which includes Whitsun Reef, but the number had increased to more than 150 in mid-October.

The latest imagery also appeared to show the larger type of vessels that are recognizable as Chinese, AMTI told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, suggesting that the ships have remained in the area and some had even moved closer to Whitsun Reef.

March standoff

Philippine officials did not immediately comment on the development.

Whitsun Reef is 175 nautical miles west Palawan Island in the Philippines and 638 nautical miles from Chinas Hainan Island.

Manila protested in March when its military reported hundreds of Chinese ships were mooring at Whitsun Reef.

On March 22, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest demanding that China withdraw its maritime militia vessels from what it the West Philippine Sea, Manilas name for its claimed territories within the South China Sea.

China denied the reports, saying its fishing ships were seeking shelter from rough weather conditions.

The standoff continued well into April with the Philippines lodging more diplomatic protests against Chinese incursions into its EEZ. By the end of May, 100 diplomatic notes had been filed.

The number of Chinese ships reduced substantially afterward, but Philippine media reported that in mid-June, it increased again to more than 200 in the Union Banks including Whitsun Reef.

China claims historical rights to most of the South China Sea despite protests from neighboring countries.

Beijing has deployed Peoples Armed Forces Maritime Militia ships in disputed waters. These are ostensibly fishing ships, although they do not engage in fishing but instead fly the flag for Beijing in disputed waters without an overt display of military force that would draw international condemnation.

Several countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Australia spoke in support of the Philippines in the Whitsun incident.

A satellite image taken Oct. 30 shows dredging work at Pearson Reef in the Spratly islands. (Planet Labs Inc.)

Construction continues

In another development, Vietnam appears to be continuing construction work on Pearson Reef in the Spratly Islands.

Vietnam has occupied the reef since 1978 and has reclaimed about six acres of land there.

RFA was the first media outlet to report on new construction and land-filling activities on Pearson Reef on Oct. 20, based on satellite imagery obtained that day.

Planet Labs imagery taken on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31 show additional developments, with what appears to be dredging work leaving a long tail of turbulence and sediment at the southern tip of the reef.

Most of the landfill on Pearson was done before 2014 but there seems to be renewed efforts to strengthen the reclaimed reef.

Vietnam is clearly dredging a deeper channel to allow easier access to its facility, said Greg Poling, AMTIs director.

Vietnam has done this at most of its larger facilities now, he said.

Vietnam has 49 or 51 outposts spread across 27 features, AMTI said, adding that there is evidence of reclamation at 10 of the features totalling more than 120 acres of new land by 2016.

Vietnamese experts said their country carries out works to prevent erosion and landslides to protect the features but not to expand or change the structures of islands under its control.
A jailed Vietnamese blogger serving a six-year prison term for anti-state writings warned his family in a weekend phone call before authorities abruptly cut it off that if they didnt hear from him again within 15 days, something bad will have happened.

Phan Kim Khanh, who had joined a U.S.-sponsored youth leadership training program and criticized government policies online, was sentenced in October 2017 for spreading propaganda against the state under Article 88 of Vietnams 1999 Penal Code, a controversial law used to target dissidents.

He is serving his term at the Nam Ha Detention Center in northern Vietnams Ha Nam province.

The Oct. 30 call to his family has left family members worried for his safety, Khanhs younger sister Phan Thi Trang told RFAs Vietnamese Service on Monday.

My brother called home on Saturday, and he asked about every family members life and the state of their health, Trang said.

And then he told my mother that if he did not call again within the next 15 days, something bad will have happened to him. And when my mother asked him what the problem was, the call was cut off right away.

They wouldnt allow my brother and mother to speak any more, she said.

Khanhs family had not heard anything unusual or worrying about her brothers condition before he made his call, Trang said, adding that attempts by family members to reach prison authorities for more information were unsuccessful, as they had been able only to receive calls in the past and not make calls of their own.

Visits to the prison are also hard to arrange owing to travel restrictions aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19, Trang added.

Our family feels very worried and uneasy, and we are counting the days to November 15 to see whether my brother is okay or not. Now we dont know what to do, she said.

Calls by RFA seeking comment from the Nam Ha detention center rang unanswered.

Before his arrest in March 2017, Khanh had founded and managed several independent online newspapers focusing on politically sensitive issues in Vietnam, including Tham Nhung (Corruption Newspaper) and Tuan Vietn Nam (Vietnam Week).

He was also a member of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), a U.S.-sponsored program launched in December 2013 to train Southeast Asian youth in leadership skills and to strengthen ties between the United States and the region.

In February 2020, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) called Khanhs jailing by Hanoi a violation of international law, asserting that he had been arrested only for exercising his right to peacefully express his opinions.

Vietnams already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply last year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook personalities as authorities continued to stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party Congress in January. Arrests continue in 2021.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
A Belarusian court has sentenced a journalist and her husband to 15 days in jail for sharing "extremist" content on Facebook.

Iryna Slavnikava, a representative of Belsat TV, along with husband Alyaksandr Loyko, were sentenced by a Minsk court on November 1, the Vyasna human rights center reported.

Slavnikava, who is also the deputy chairman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, and her husband were detained late on October 29 as they were returning from Egypt.

Polish-funded Belsat was declared "extremist" by the Belarusian authorities in July and had its website and all social-media accounts blocked.

The television channel extensively covered the mass protests after last year's presidential election that strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed to have won in a landslide.

Dozens of news websites have been blocked in Belarus and independent media shuttered as part of a sweeping crackdown on information in the wake of unprecedented protests triggered by the election the opposition and West say was rigged.

According to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, 28 journalists are currently behind bars, including two female journalists from Belsat, Katsyaryna Andreyeva, and Darya Chultsova, who were sentenced to two years in prison in February for their reporting of protests.
Polish border guards recorded more than 700 attempts to illegally cross Polands border with Belarus in the previous 24 hours, the border guard service said on October 31, as Poland continues to refuse to allow nongovernmental medical workers to care for migrants stranded at the border.



Border guards detained four foreigners -- all Iraqi citizens -- out of the 727 attempts, Polish radio reported, citing the border service. The 727 attempts were close to the highest number of attempts to illegally enter Poland from Belarus -- 739 -- recorded on October 10.



The EU accuses Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka of flying in migrants and funneling them to the bloc's borders to retaliate against Brussels for sanctions imposed over a crackdown on the opposition, civil society, and independent media since the August 2020 presidential election, which was widely considered to have been rigged.



Earlier this week, Poland announced plans to increase the number of soldiers and guards at its border with Belarus. Germany also said it had deployed hundreds of extra police to the Polish frontier to help deal with the recent influx of migrants, most coming via Belarus.



Warsaw already has declared a state of emergency and put up a razor-wire fence, and last week Polish lawmakers approved the building of a $407 million wall on its eastern border with Belarus.



A request from Wojciech Polak, the archbishop of Gniezno and primate of Poland, to allow nongovernmental medical workers to care for the migrants was rejected by Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski, according to the aid organization Doctors On The Border on Twitter.



The organization has been trying for weeks to gain access to the people stranded on the Belarusian-Polish border.



"We know that dozens of people there need urgent medical help. We know of several deaths and we know that there will be even more victims if medical aid continues to be blocked," the volunteer organization declared a week ago in an appeal published by the anti-government newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza.



The border guards also refuse to cooperate with them, citing the state of emergency, the organization said on October 31.

With reporting by dpa
SOFIA -- Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev has demanded the immunity from prosecution be lifted for a right-wing nationalist candidate in this month's presidential election who is accused of leading a weekend attack on an LGBT community center in the capital.

Enough evidence was collected to charge Boyan Rasate with "acts that grossly violate public order," Geshev's office said on November 1, a crime that carries a prison sentence of up to five years.

Hours later, the Central Election Commission decided to lift Rasate's immunity and allow him to be indicted, the BTA news agency reported.

As a candidate in the November 14 presidential vote, Rasate enjoyed immunity from prosecution.

On October 30, a group of about 10 men and women stormed and vandalized the Rainbow Hub, a venue for LGBT-related events in central Sofia. The Bilitis Foundation that runs the center accused Rasate of leading the attack.

Activist Gloria Filipova claimed she was punched in the face by Rasate, whom she recognized. She also said he was carrying a knife.

Born Boyan Stankov in 1971, Rasate is the founder of the Bulgarian National Union (BNS), which is no longer under his leadership. He is known for his rhetoric against the LGBT community and migrants.

Speaking to Nova TV, he declined to say whether he was among the attackers, but he said the Rainbow Hub should have expected such an assault.

The attack was condemned by several Bulgarian political parties.

In a joint statement on November 1, the embassies of 11 countries strongly condemned what they called the "senseless" attack.

The ambassadors of the countries, including United States, Australia, Canada, and eight Western European states, also visited the center to express their "solidarity."
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is expressing concern over reports that an Iranian Internet bill seen as part of a campaign to create a closed national web is moving ahead in parliament.

"Instead of further controlling what journalists and citizens can do online, Iranian lawmakers should be finding ways to promote the free flow of information," CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator Sherif Mansour said in a statement on November 1.

"All of society suffers when barriers to open Internet access prevent journalists from doing their jobs," he added.

The legislation in question was undergoing review by a parliamentary subcommittee last month and is moving ahead, with the proposed legislation expected to be ratified in early 2022, according to media reports.

A draft of the law released in July would strengthen the government's legal authority to block websites and platforms run by foreign technology companies without a local representative in Iran.

It would also require people to register with an ID to access the Internet, as well as criminalize the production, sale, and distribution of virtual private networks (VPNs), which people can use to circumvent government restrictions on the web.

International social-media platforms are already subject to blocking in Iran, and journalists and others rely on VPNs to access services like Telegram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Of the 15 journalists behind bars during CPJ's annual census of imprisoned journalists published in December, several were jailed for posting on social media.

An Iranian-hosted online petition calling for the government "not to create new barriers" to the Internet has garnered more than 1.1 million signatures so far.
Kazakhstan has obtained access to Facebook's internal content-reporting system after the two sides came to an agreement -- the first of its kind in Central Asia -- that will allow the government to remove content it deems "harmful."

The joint agreement between Kazakhstan and Facebook owner Meta Platforms, announced on November 1, comes after the country threatened to block the social-media giant's millions of local users.

"Facebook has provided Kazakhstan direct and exclusive access to Facebook's 'Content Reporting System' (CRS) which can help the government to report content that may violate Facebook's global content policy and local laws of Kazakhstan," the sides said in a joint statement.

The Kazakh Ministry of Information And Social Development added in the statement that access to the CRS "will make it possible for the ministry to report in a timely manner about the content containing violations of both Facebook's global content policies and the national legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan."

In mid-September, Kazakh lawmakers approved the first reading of a bill that would have obliged Facebook and other foreign-owned social networks to register in Kazakhstan and set up representative offices there, where hundreds of opposition and human rights activists have been prosecuted for their postings on social media, especially when expressing support for the banned Koshe (Street) party and the associated Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement.

Critics of the bill have accused the authorities of the country of 19 million of seeking to gain new censorship tools, while the bill's authors say it aims to prevent cyber-bullying and the spread of other dangerous content.

Kazakh officials have said Facebook has at least 3.2 million users in the country, while other platforms owned by Meta Platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp have even more.

According to the statement, Facebook held a training session for ministry experts and as of November 1, ministry staff had begun working with the system.

The ministry added that the two sides agreed to create mechanisms of "permanent cooperation," including the appointment of a representative from Facebook's regional office to work with the ministry.

With reporting by Reuters
Moldovan President Maia Sandu has declared an end to her country's energy crisis after the government and Russia's state-controlled Gazprom agreed to extend a contract for natural-gas supplies for a period of five years.

Russian gas began flowing to Moldova on November 1 under the new contract with Gazprom, after disagreements between the sides over the price triggered severe shortages in the former Soviet republic.

"I believe that the gas crisis ended when a contract was signed between Moldovagaz and Gazprom," Sandu told Russian newspaper Kommersant.

Moldova declared a state of emergency last month and started buying gas from other countries after its contract with Gazprom, the largest supplier of gas to Europe, expired at the end of September and the two sides failed to agree on details and pricing of a new long-term deal.

But in a breakthrough on October 28, the Moldovan government and Gazprom announced a new price formula for a five-year agreement to keep gas flowing.

Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu, who led Moldova's talks with the gas giant, said on November 1 that Moldova will pay almost half the current market price for gas.

"We managed to get a favorable gas price for our country as in December it will decline to below $400 per 1,000 cubic meters, in November the price is $450, though the market price averages $900-$940 now," he said.

One of the key issues in negotiations was Moldovagaz's debts for previous gas supplies that Russia estimated at more than $700 million.

Gazprom and the government in Chisinau agreed to audit the debt and to renegotiate debt payments, according to the Moldovan side.

Traditional supplier Russia had been threatening to cut off gas supplies to the impoverished country sandwiched between EU member Romania and Ukraine at the end of the year if the existing gas contract was not extended by then.

Gazprom drastically raised the prices for gas deliveries to Moldova to $790 per cubic meter from $550, while slashing its gas supply by about one-third after their contract expired, prompting criticism from the European Union, which said that Russia was "weaponizing" gas supplies.

Some observers say Moscow was using energy against Moldova for electing the pro-Western Sandu last year in a vote that rejected pro-Russian incumbent Igor Dodon. Russia rejected the accusations, saying the hike was purely commercial and reflected global markets.

As the country faced a growing energy crisis, Chisinau signed a contract last month to buy natural gas from Poland and Ukraine.

The EU also offered Moldova, one of Europe's poorest countries, 60 million euros ($70 million) in emergency aid on October 27 to help the country manage its natural gas crisis.

With reporting by TASS, Reuters, Kommersant, and Jurnal de Chisinau
The leader of North Macedonias opposition has called for snap elections after Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced his resignation following his partys poor performance in the second round of mayoral elections in several towns and cities, including the capital, Skopje.



Hristijan Mickoski, leader of the opposition Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian Unity (VMRO-DPMNE) party, told a news conference that VMRO-DPMNE had won a convincing victory in the local elections and said changes for a better North Macedonia are beginning.



He said that after the election success of VMRO-DPMNE on October 31, the next parliamentary elections are very likely to be early" and predicted a huge win for VMRO-DPMNE.



The governing party is now delegitimized, and this is a new reality. The best way now are early elections, Mickoski said.



Zaev congratulated the opposition for its victories in the local elections and took responsibility for the poor showing of his ruling Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM). He also resigned as party president but disagreed with Mickoski on the need for early elections.



"I remain of the opinion that there should be no early parliamentary elections," he said at a news conference.



He said he would support a Social Democrat-led government under a new leader.



The current mayor of Skopje, Petre Shilegov, also addressed the news conference at party headquarters, acknowledging the defeat and congratulating Danela Arsovska on her victory. Arsovska will become the capitals first woman mayor.

Zaev had urged people to vote in large numbers, saying the mayoral race in Skopje was key to implementing his cabinet vision and policies.



Zaev's governing coalition endorsed liberal-democratic principles as well as integration into the European Union and NATO. North Macedonia joined NATO in March 2020, but talks for its entry into the EU hit a dispute with Bulgaria that has stalled progress toward accession.



Official election results were expected to be released on November 1.



Zaev was elected prime minister in 2017 after 10 years of right-wing rule led by Nikola Gruevski, whose government was shaken by a wiretapping scandal revealed by Zaev.



In 2018, Zaev struck a deal with Athens to add the geographical qualifier North to the country's official name in order to distinguish it from the Greek province of Macedonia.



That was a precondition to paving the way for NATO and European Union membership, but the name change did little to settle the grievances of other nations, including Bulgaria, which has sought to block the country's path to joining the EU.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP
DUSHANBE -- Following an outcry from activists, authorities in Tajikistan have launched a probe into the alleged beating of a young woman, Madina Mamadjonova, who is currently in grave condition, by the wife of an executive of the Megafon cellular communications company.



The Dushanbe city administration said on November 1 that the probe was launched against Aziza Davlatova and her husband, Lutfullo, aka Parviz, Davlatov. Davlatov is believed to have connections among senior Tajik officials. It is not clear what charges the couple could face.



The victim, Madina Mamadjonova, was reportedly having an affair with Davlatov. She went missing on August 25 and was found several hours later with severe injuries. She remains hospitalized in serious condition. Doctors say she might be left permanently paralyzed.



Davlatova was detained initially on suspicion of assaulting Mamadjonova, but was later released under a recently announced mass amnesty to mark the 30th anniversary of Tajikistan's independence.



After human rights activists raised concerns over the situation on social networks, Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali, who is a son of longtime Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, announced he had taken the case under his personal control and ordered the city police and prosecutor's office to investigate.



There have been many cases in Tajikistan and other post-Soviet Central Asian nations in which perpetrators linked to influential families or top officials seemed to have avoided legal liability for their actions.



Earlier this year, a nephew of Rahmon's wife avoided a prison term after being convicted of involvement in a brawl in which four people suffered stab wounds.

With reporting by Asia-Plus
Semiconductors are vital for smartphones, computers, cars, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and other applications. An economy without access to semiconductors would seize up and a military without access would be vulnerable. Semiconductor manufacturing is concentrated in East Asia. During the COVID-19 pandemic many countries experienced difficulty obtaining semiconductors and they now desire to relocate production closer to home. How did Asia gain comparative advantage in this sector? Are there lessons for countries seeking to promote domestic semiconductor manufacturing?

During the COVID-19 pandemic many countries experienced difficulty obtaining the semiconductors that are vital for smartphones, computers, cars, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and many other applications. This column looks at how Asia gained comparative advantage in this sector and identifies lessons for countries seeking to promote domestic semiconductor manufacturing .

John Bardeen and Walter Brattain invented the transistor in New Jersey in 1947. Tadashi Sasaki was in New Jersey at the time and had worked on precursors to the transistor with Stanford Professor Karl Spangenberg (Aspray 1994). Sasaki envisioned adding transistors to an integrated circuit to produce pocket calculators for his company Sharp. His engineers studied calculator technology at Osaka University. Sasaki sought complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS) chips to save power. Japanese companies declined to supply these, so Sasaki convinced the American company Autonetics to produce them. Autonetics had lucrative military contracts, and manufacturing chips for calculators generated low margins. Sasaki told Autonetics they would learn by doing and earn increasing profits (Johnstone 1999). In 1969 Sharp introduced a calculator with four integrated circuits produced by Autonetics.

Sharp and other Japanese firms produced millions of calculators with American microchips. Japanese semiconductor companies that had previously refused to supply Sharp now complained and the Japanese government prohibited Japanese companies from purchasing US chips (Johnstone 1999). Autonetics, after being promised to benefit from the learning curve, was no longer able to produce for Sharp or other Japanese firms.

Japanese companies then mastered the CMOS technology that was developed in the US. Many US firms missed the advantages of CMOS for consumer goods and manufactured PMOS (positive-MOS) and NMOS (negative-MOS) chips for military applications. When the potential of CMOS to save power and facilitate miniaturization became evident, Japanese firms were in the pole position. Three of the four leading semiconductor firms in 1980 were American while three of the top four in 1990 were Japanese (Bown 2020). Irwin (1996) noted that Japanese firms increased their share in the market for Dynamic Random Access memory (DRAM) from less than 30% in 1978 to over 75% in 1986.

US firms responded to the Japanese juggernaut by demanding protectionism (Bown 2020). They complained that the Japanese government had excluded US firms such as Autonetics from the Japanese market. US plaintiffs filed antidumping and Section 301 cases against Japan. The US and Japan reached an agreement in 1986 implying that 20% of the Japanese semiconductor market would go to US companies and that Japanese firms would raise prices and limit exports. Determining market shares by government fiat represented a sea change for US trade policy (Irwin 1996).

The US-Japan Semiconductor Agreement focused on DRAMs and provided an opportunity for South Korea. South Korea faced the danger of invasion from the north and prioritized economic development to face this threat. The government allocated bank loans to firms in order to export, and only continued extending loans to successful exporters. Pecht at al. (1997) observed that Korean workers, who recognised the development imperative, were hard-working and patriotic.

In the 1980s Samsung chairman Byung-Chull Lee identified DRAM chips as a promising export sector. Samsung could meet the heavy investment requirements for semiconductor manufacturing because of the government loan guarantees. In 1983 Samsung obtained DRAM technology from the US and Samsung's engineers studied the technology day and night. As Samsung's prowess grew, Japanese firms were constrained to sell at higher prices and in limited quantities. Samsung could sell without restrictions at these higher prices. It channelled these revenues into research and development and capital formation. By the early 1990s Samsung became the leading DRAM producer and remains so in 2021.
With the pandemic gradually coming under control again, businesses are once again reopening, and picking up pace to return back to normal, although year-end revenue will still miss the original target.

Decline in seafood exports

In the first half of July 2021, seafood exports saw a growth rate of 16%, while in the second half of July, export turnover decreased significantly, when Ho Chi Minh City and Southern provinces implemented social distancing measures under Directive 16. As a result, seafood export turnover for the whole month decreased by 4% compared to the same period last year.

At that time, according to statistics of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), about 30% of seafood enterprises in the Southern provinces could ensure the three-on-site model plan for workers. With factories that could, the number of workers that could be mobilized were only 30% to 50%, while the remaining workers either had to quit or go on unpaid leave. The average production capacity was reduced to only 40% to 50%, compared to before. It is estimated that the overall capacity on the whole decreased by 30% to 40%.

Meanwhile, fisheries material mobilized for processing exports only reached about 40% to 50% compared to external sources, due to the implementation of social distancing. In addition, businesses are now burdened with rising costs from Covid prevention measures, such as offering workers to adapt to the three-on-site model work plan, pay extra wages, and week testing costs, while input and logistics costs continue to increase sharply.

In August, seafood export turnover continued to decline sharply by 36% over the same period last year. This clearly reflects the extent of the negative impact caused by the pandemic on the entire seafood industry. Particularly in August, exports to all markets decreased from 16% to 50% over the same period. In September, exports continued to decline due to production disruptions, while export turnover decreased by 31% over the same period. From October 11, when the Government issued Resolution 128 for safe, flexible adaptation and effective control of the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses gradually began to return back to normal. However, seafood enterprises, especially those in Western provinces, are still faced with many concerns.

Mr. Ho Quoc Luc, Chairman of Board of Directors of Sao Ta Food Joint Stock Company, said that although businesses are returning back to normal, they all have to deal with innumerable difficulties as they start to reopen. The reason for concern lies in the fact that during the last few weeks, new Covid infections and outbreaks have once again quickly increased in the Western provinces, putting too much pressure on frontline workers for pandemic prevention in general, and on businesses in particular, while the vaccination rate in the Western provinces is still low compared to the whole country. This makes costs for enterprises continue to increase. The seafood industry is under great pressure and costs a lot, but it is difficult for the seafood industry to accelerate exports in the last months of the year, even though the year-end consumption demand of many major import markets has increased due to the oncoming holidays.

Mr. Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of VASEP, emphasized that in November, Vietnam would finish shipping consumables for the last season of the year. The last month of 2021 will still see exports, but most import partners are preparing for the first period of 2022, and so the demand is not great. It is forecast that in 2021, the export turnover of the whole industry will only reach USD 8.4 bn, missing the initial target of USD 8.8 bn. Although shrimp exports in 2021 increased slightly by 3%, it was not enough to meet the overall target of the industry.

In fact, seafood is not only facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but also due to many other factors, such as the IUU control mechanism, so exporting to the EU is still facing difficulties. In addition, importing raw materials is also facing many pressures, and the sharp increase in sea freight rates has caused a huge burden for many enterprises.

Drop in exports

Speaking with Saigon Investment, Ms. Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, Vice President of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association, said that from the beginning of October, enterprises in the export industry have gradually returned back to production. Labor has also returned to factories, and capacity is also gradually increasing to meet demands for year-end season.

However, businesses are still facing many difficulties. Firstly, the requirements for pandemic prevention and control in localities are all different, and the cost of pandemic prevention and control is not small either. Secondly, the input costs such as import of raw materials currently is increasing, because China is also facing much fluctuation in costs due to the pandemic, while logistics costs are causing umpteen headaches for businesses. In addition, the price of gasoline, which is currently on the rise, will also create more burden for businesses in the near future.

Input costs have increased sharply while processing prices remain almost unchanged because the economies of other countries have also been affected by the pandemic, and consumer buying has not increased strongly. It is forecast that by the end of this year, the export turnover of the leather, footwear, and handbag industry will only be equal to that of 2020. Although businesses face many difficulties, their ability to access support packages is very limited due to cumbersome procedures. Currently, most businesses have to be proactive and flexible in all situations.

The reason that the leather, footwear, and handbag industry is also heavily affected by the pandemic is that more than 75% of enterprises in the industry are located in the Southern provinces, which have been the hardest hit during the fourth wave of the covid-19 pandemic.

During the social distancing phase, more than 80% of enterprises in the industry had to stop production altogether, because they could not meet the requirements of three-on-site model production plan. A few enterprises in the North were also affected by the high cost of import raw materials from the South, so productivity also decreased. This caused the export turnover in August and September to decrease significantly. Specifically, the export of leather, footwear and handbags in August was severely affected, with export turnover of only USD 1 bn, down 38.2% over the same period last year. In which, footwear reached USD 850 mn, down 38.5%, and handbags reached USD150 mn, down 37.9%.

Until September, the downward trend had not stopped. According to data from the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association, footwear exports only reached about USD 700 mn, down more than 44% over the same period in 2020. Meanwhile, handbag exports also fell by 48%, making the total turnover of the whole export industry in September to decrease by nearly 24% over the same period. The association also said that from the end of September the situation has improved, but the reopening of production units under the new normal conditions will take many months to recover to the level it was before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Textiles face backlog

According to statistics, in the first half of October this year, Vietnam's textile and garment export turnover has gradually recovered when reaching a figure of about USD 1.2 bn. Enterprises are quickly catching up again and speeding up the completion process for orders for the year-end shopping season. However, with the initial export plan of USD 39 bn for the whole year, the garment industry can hardly keep up and complete the orders. It is expected that Vietnam's textile and garment industry will reach the target of USD 35 to 36 bn.

Looking back at the year for the textile industry, the first two quarters of the year were full of positive growth. In particular, in the first quarter, the textile and garment industry saw many good signs when most businesses signed orders until the end of the third quarter, even the end of 2021, due to many big markets such as the US, EU, and China loosening on social distancing, and increasing the demand for consumer goods.

In the second quarter, the pandemic broke out in many Northern provinces, especially in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh. However, due to good control measures implemented effectively to contain the disease, the impact was not too great. In the first six months of the year, textile and garment exports continued to increase by 22% compared to the same period in 2020, and by over 5% compared to 2019.

Since the third quarter, when the pandemic broke out in Ho Chi Minh City and the Southern provinces, the garment industry, as well as other labor-intensive industries, have faced many difficulties. About 25% to 30% of textile and garment enterprises in the South still maintain their operations under the three-on-site model or one-route-two destinations model. During the pandemic, productivity dropped sharply, and supply chains were severely disrupted because many enterprises suspended production. The consequences for the garment industry was a decline in exports. Accordingly, August exports decreased by 15.9% compared to July, and by 2.63% over the same period last year. September exports reached USD 3 bn, to decrease by 9.2% compared to August, and by 10.5% over the same period.

Mr. Pham Xuan Hong, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Textile and Garment Embroidery Association, said that most enterprises have returned back to production relatively well, but the pressure on safety is quite heavy when some workers still test positive for Covid-19 in some factories, even after they have had two vaccinations. The cost of returning to production is not small, especially with the added cost of Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control measures in enterprises. According to Mr. Hong, when the price of gasoline and oil continues to increase, many businesses are affected because of a high probability that these costs will continue to increase. This will create more difficulties in the recovery process for all enterprises.

Thanh Lam
Salem - Joanne E. (Roulier) Bomarsi, 81, of Salem, passed away Tuesday morning, November 16, 2021 in Peabody. Born in Salem, MA, Joanne was the daughter of the late Lionel E. and Alice (Frasier) Roulier. A graduate of the former St. Chretienne Academy in Salem, Joanne worked for many years a
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Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 36F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
It's commonly known that deep deprivation affects one's physical and psychological health alike, and such effects are significantly negative if it is missing or disrupted.

A Positively Scottish report said some well-known impacts of restless sleep comprise drowsiness, yawning, and at times, headaches, depression, and anxiety.

Recently published scientific research added new information, specifically that lack of sleep hampers an individual's ability to walk, a CNN report specified.

According to neuroscience professor Hermanno Krebs from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the research outcomes show that "walking is not a spontaneous process." It can be impacted by sleep deprivation.

ALSO READ: Neuroscientists Reveal How Alcohol Ruins Sleep

Ideal Number of Hours of Sleep at Night

Krebs added, the ideal number of hours of sleep at night is eight, and if an individual is unable to do so, he needs to compensate for those hours as much as possible and do so regularly.

A MiddleEast in 24 said in a similar report, the predominant scientific belief prior to this research was that walking is an automatic procedure or method. Meaning, the person is directing himself in the direction he wants to walk, and the body is undertaking to implement this with limited technical support.

This new study disproved the said belief, though. It showed that the brain reacts to auditory and visual hints on the way, adjusting the rhythm of walking depending on the need.

There is a lot of impact coming out from the brain on walking, explained Krebs. For instance, to reach the optimal capacity of the brain, an adult individual needs at least seven hours of sleep.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a school-aged child, on the other hand, needs nine to 12 hours of sleep.

Sleep Trackers Worn to Get Results

The new research published in the Scientific Reports journal focused on college students experiencing chronic sleep deprivation at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.

The students were provided with sleep trackers to wear for 14 days. The trackers recorded their sleep and awake periods. As a result, students slept six hours each day on average.

Following that, a group of students was subjected to a test on a treadmill. They were asked to keep up with the changing speed of the device.

Krebs said they discovered that people with severe sleep deprivation had more errors could not keep up with the changes.

Meanwhile, another researcher involved in the research reported that students with sleep deprivation were left out of the rhythm and had poor performance.

Importance of Adequate Sleep

This research is a powerful reminder for people about the need for adequate sleep. Particularly for people working in industries where long hours or night work shifts are typical. More so, irregular walking can also be dangerous.

Sleep experts have recommended some steps to deal with sleep deprivation. Some of them include taking a warm shower or bath, reading a book before sleeping, and listening to soothing music.

Meditating will also help those who lack sleep, and doing a few light stretches are also good choices to prepare the brain for bed. It is essential, too, to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule, even on weekends and holidays.

Related information about the effects of sleep deprivation is shown on Mmlearn.org's YouTube video below:

RELATED TOPIC: Study Shows Link Between Healthy Sleep Habits and Lower Risk of Heart Failure

Check out more news and information on Sleep on Science Times.
Thinking of sunny leisure destinations for the holidays? Hawaiian Airlines is doubling service between Seattle and Honolulu in anticipation of a busy holiday season. Meanwhile, Southwest has a fare sale on popular winter and holiday travel destinations.

This weeks airline news also includes a celebratory day at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where construction wraps up in the newly enhanced North Satelite. And Alaska Airlines is expanding service between Seattle and three Ohio destinations.

Keep reading to discover the latest airline news for the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Sea-Tac Airport celebrates N Concourse with special events

Major construction of the North Satellite Modernization Project has officially wrapped up at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). To commemorate the opening of all gates at the N Concourse, air travelers are invited to celebrate on Nov. 4 during a day of special events.

Along with enhanced dining and retail offerings, the Experience SEA @ N schedule includes a variety of live music and cultural performances on the airport's brand-new performance stage, along with samples and special promotions from Tundra Taqueria, SEA Roast Coffee House and Filson. Those not traveling may tune in for livestreams of the days special events.

Don Wilson, Port Photographer/Port of Seattle

Alaska Airlines increases Ohio routes

Alaska Airlines has announced new daily nonstop service between Seattle (SEA) and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) starting on June 16, 2022. That same day, Alaska will add a second daily roundtrip flight between Seattle and Cincinnati (CVG) and Seattle and Columbus (CMH).

Ohio is an economic powerhouse with a vibrant cultural and corporate scene thats underserved and primed for growth as we emerge from the pandemic, said Brett Catlin, vice president of network and alliances at Alaska Airlines. Adding Cleveland to our network furthers our investment in the Buckeye State while adding an important nonstop link between Northeast Ohio and the Puget Sound.

Service from Seattle to Cleveland will depart daily at 9:50 a.m. with an arrival time of 5:15 p.m. local time in Cleveland. Flights returning from Cleveland will depart at 6:25 p.m. with an 8:30 p.m. arrival time in Seattle.

On all flights flown now through Dec. 31, guests qualify for Alaskas Fast Track to Status promotion, earning 50% more elite-qualifying miles.

American Airlines simplifies AAdvantage program

Starting in 2022, American Airlines flyers will see a new AAdvantage program impacting how travelers earn status.

Instead of collecting elite qualifying miles, dollars and segments, the new program only has one status metric in place with Loyalty Points. American passengers will now earn one Loyalty Point for every eligible mile earned.

courtesy of CTS Photos

Hawaiian Airlines increases holiday service

To meet an anticipated increase in holiday demand, Hawaiian Airlines is expanding service between Honolulu (HNL) and Seattle (SEA). Hawaiian will now offer SEA travelers two daily flights on select dates Nov. 19 through Jan. 5, 2022.

Guests traveling between Seattle and Honolulu will do so on Hawaiians wide-body Airbus A330 which features 18 lie-flat leather seats in First Class, 68 seats in Extra Comfort and 192 Main Cabin seats.

All guests traveling to the Hawaiian Islands must comply with the states Safe Travels program requirements.

Southwest Airlines winter fare sale

Book by Nov, 4 to save on winter and holiday airfare with Southwest. One-way fares start at $49 for travel dates Nov. 9 through March 9, 2022.

Sample one-way fares include Seattle (SEA) to San Francisco (SFO) for $68, Seattle to Orlando (MCO) for $157, and Seattle to Maui (OGG) for $188.
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP)  A northern fur seal pup was recovering Monday at a marine life rehabilitation center where he is being fed fish smoothies after a harrowing weekend in San Rafael where he was almost hit by a car.

The baby seal was spotted Saturday by police officers near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge moments after he flapped across the roadway narrowly avoiding being hit by several cars, the San Rafael Police Department said on Facebook.

The seal pup, nicknamed Ivy, was rescued by volunteers with the Marine Mammal Center and taken to their facility in Sausalito. The veterinary team there identified the baby seal as a male pup that is severely malnourished likely from being separated from its mother too early.

It was not known how the pup made its way onto San Rafael streets.

Unlike California sea lions, northern fur seals typically hunt well off the continental shelf in the open ocean, so for this pup to come ashore in San Francisco Bay is a bit of a mystery, says Dr. Cara Field, medical director at The Marine Mammal Center. Further diagnostic testing will hopefully shed light on why this pup veered off course before coming ashore during its first year on its own.

The tiny seal is being tube-fed a fish smoothie mixture three times a day to help it gain weight and being given fluids to help boost hydration, the center said.

Based on the animals condition, veterinarians will decide later this week whether to move Ivy from his temporary intensive care pen to a standard rehabilitation pool pen to continue his treatment, it said.

Northern fur seals are typically found 600 miles off the coast and are a threatened species, police said.

Female seals can grow up to five feet and 140 pounds, and male seals can group up to seven feet and 600 pounds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The seals were historically hunted for their fur. But a 1911 international treaty banned hunting at sea and created guidelines for land hunting. The California population of northern fur seals was estimated at 14,050 in 2016. The California seals breed off the Farallon Islands and San Miguel Island, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The seals spend 300 days a year in the ocean.
Martin Meissner/AP

BERLIN (AP)  Germany's outgoing health minister is calling on state governments to reactivate some specialized COVID-19 vaccination centers that were closed in the late summer to help administer booster shots as new coronavirus infections increase rapidly.

Germany's standing committee on vaccination currently recommends booster shots for over-70s and a few other groups, but the health ministry has said that everyone is in principle entitled to one  drawing criticism from a group representing doctors.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The judge presiding over Kyle Rittenhouse's homicide trial opened jury selection Monday with a round of Jeopardy!-like trivia, assured potential jurors he doesn't have COVID-19 and reached back to the fall of the Roman Empire to emphasize the gravity of their duty.

Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder drew laughs in the courtroom  and some cringes on social media  as he peppered potential jurors with trivia questions, and offered commentary on some. When the answer to one was the movie Psycho, the 75-year-old Schroeder quipped: You've heard of it.

One potential juror told Schroeder he had nasal surgery scheduled in 10 days. The judge asked him, What would you rather do, be here with me or have your nose operated on? The man responded: Ill be honest with you, Im not looking forward to it. The judge laughed and said he would take it under consideration.

The tenor of Monday's hearing was no surprise to one attorney who has appeared before Schroeder.

Michael Cicchini, a Kenosha-based defense attorney, said the beginning of jury selection can be "a logistical nightmare. Attorneys are handed seating charts and other paperwork as jurors are led in, and they need time to get organized. Schroeder traditionally spends that time playing trivia with the jury pool until the attorneys are ready, he said.

Schroeder is presiding over one of the biggest trials of his career. Rittenhouse, 18, of Antioch, Illinois, shot three people during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020. The protests began after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, who is Black, in the back during a domestic disturbance. Blake had been fighting with officers and had a knife; the county prosecutor later declined to charge the officer.

Rittenhouse has said he traveled to Kenosha to protect businesses from looting and arson. Two of the men he shot, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, died of their wounds. Rittenhouse also shot and wounded a third man, Gaige Grosskreutz.

Rittenhouse contends he fired in self-defense and conservatives nationwide have rallied behind him, holding him up as a bulwark against chaotic protesters and a symbol of gun rights. Others, including liberals and activists, portray him as a domestic terrorist, saying he made a volatile situation worse by showing up with a gun.

Previously, Schroeder's highest-profile case was the 2008 homicide trial of Mark Jensen, who was accused of poisoning and smothering his wife. Jensen was convicted, but appellate courts and the state Supreme Court ruled that Schroeder wrongly admitted as evidence a letter Jensen's wife gave a neighbor saying if anything happened to her Jensen would be responsible. A new trial is set for 2022.

In 2018, Schroeder sentenced a woman convicted of shoplifting to tell the manager of any store she entered that she was on supervision for theft, saying embarrassment can deter criminality. A state appeals court tossed out that sentence.

Schroeder drew scrutiny last week when he told attorneys that Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz cannot be referred to in court as victims, calling the word loaded. But he rejected a prosecution request to block any reference to them as rioters, looters or arsonists, saying the defense can do so if supported by evidence.

On Monday, Schroeder suffered a coughing fit then reassured potential jurors he had been vaccinated three times against COVID-19. He also apologized for being disorganized, saying jury selection doesn't usually occur on Monday mornings.

Schroeder finally began jury selection with a story about the war in Vietnam, comparing jury duty to being drafted, saying no one would be excused for minor reasons. He then asked for a round of applause for any veterans present.

Cicchini said Schroeder traditionally gives brief speeches about the history of trials to impress upon jurors the importance of their task. On Monday, he referenced the fall of Rome when explaining the system's evolution.

When Rome fell, the world changed dramatically, the judge said, before launching into more history about how cases were decided more than 2,000 years ago. He spoke of priests blessing trials in which defendants had to place their hands on burning coals or in boiling water  if they didnt come out too badly, that was a sign from God of their innocence.

Schroeder also cautioned that media coverage of the case may have misled potential jurors.

This case has become very political, he said. "It was involved in the politics of the last election year. ... You could go out now and read things from all across the political spectrum about this case, most of which is written by people who know nothing. I dont mean that that they are know-nothings. I mean that they dont know what youre going to know: those of you who are selected for this jury, who are going to hear for yourselves the real evidence in this case.

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This story has been corrected to add the missing word You've to judge's quote on movie Psycho.

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Find APs full coverage on the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse

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Associated Press reporters Amy Forliti in Minneapolis and Scott Bauer in Madison contributed to this report.
Former U.S. ambassador and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is heading to Myanmar on a private humanitarian mission that will focus on pandemic support, his spokesperson said Sunday.

Myanmar has been mired in violence and civil unrest since a military coup seized power in February. Protesters have faced beatings and arrests. The United States suspended a trade deal with Myanmar until a democratic government is restored in the Southeast Asian country.

Richardson said his center has a long history of supporting the people of Myanmar, but he didn't mention the coup in his trip announcement or detail who he planned to meet with while there.

In coordination with our contacts in Myanmar, we are visiting the country to discuss pathways for the humanitarian delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, medical supplies, and other public health needs," he said in a news release.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres was aware of the mission, said Richardson spokesperson Madeleine Mahony.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately comment on the trip.

Mahony declined to say whether Richardson would also be working for the release of an American journalist who has been jailed since May 24.

Danny Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport as he was about to board a flight to the United States. He is the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, an online magazine based in Yangon, Myanmars biggest city.

Fenster was charged with incitement  also known as sedition  for allegedly spreading false or inflammatory information. The offense is punishable by up to three years in prison.

Richardson last visited Myanmar in 2018 to advise on the Rohingya crisis. He ended up quitting an international panel set up to work on findings from a previous commission after armed forces were accused of carrying out rapes and killings of Rohingyas.

Myanmar has denied the allegations.

He has made trips to Bangladesh to visit Rohingya refugee camps. The Richardson Center has supported the distribution of personal protection equipment to Rohingya refugees following the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Richardson's official statement on this latest trip also focused on public health. Richardson believes, his statement said, that in moments of crisis and instability such as this one, we must ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to those most in need.

Joining the governor on the trip were Cameron Hume, former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, South Africa and Algeria; and two officials from the Richardson Center.
Typical gray fall weather is expected to return to Western Washington this week after October ended on a dry note with a sunny streak over Halloween weekend.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle is currently predicting measurable rain every day this week as a series of four weather fronts move over the region. The first system will arrive Monday afternoon and taper off by the late evening hours. Tuesday and Wednesday will see similar periods of light showers from incoming systems during the afternoon and evening hours.
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Federal funding bill includes $1M for Keene-based child-care training

File photo by Hannah Schroeder / Sentinel Staff Heather Tower turns a page in the book T.J. Fandino is playing with, in the Baby Room at Keene Day Care Center in June. File photo by Hannah Schroeder / Sentinel Staff Suelaine Poling, executive director of Keene Day Care Center since 2005, in the Frog Room for 2-year-old children in June.

In her 44 years at the Keene Day Care Center, Suelaine Poling has seen a lot, including the cost of child care skyrocket.

Poling, the centers executive director, said shes recently noticed another concerning trend: New workers are going into child care without much, if any, formal training.

Keene Day Care Center works with those employees to get them up to snuff, she said, often assigning them a veteran staff member as a mentor. But for those who go into child care simply because they enjoy working with kids, Poling said starting work at the center  which enrolls about 90 children among its six classrooms  can be difficult.

It is a bit of a different animal to come into a child care program like this, she said.

That issue prompted a new initiative, which was awarded $1 million in a draft federal-spending bill, to offer training and other professional development opportunities for child-care workers in the Monadnock Region.

Led by Keene State College and the Monadnock United Way, the proposal is meant to improve worker retention in the child-care industry and expand local care options, according to officials with those organizations.

Federal funding for the program  which U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced in a recent news release  is among more than $45 million slated for New Hampshire communities in the draft bill. If enacted, that legislation would also finance sewer maintenance in Keene.

On top of the training-related concerns, child-care groups have struggled to retain staff during the COVID-19 pandemic because other industries pay better and dont involve working with an unvaccinated population, according to Deirdre McPartlin, director of Keene States Child Development Center.

That threatens to further limit the number of child-care options, which McPartlin called a red flag for the economy because it keeps parents out of the workforce.

Data from the nonprofit Child Care Aware show that in 2019, nearly four in 10 Granite State kids in working families did not have access to licensed child care while their parents were at work, The Sentinel reported previously.

As part of its new initiative with the Monadnock United Way, Keene State  which offers a bachelors degree in early childhood development  would aim to boost the number of providers by hosting courses for new and current child-care workers, according to McPartlin. The federal dollars may also go toward a study of child-care needs in the area, including local staffing and affordability issues, and could help fund scholarships for people to attend the individualized training courses, she said.

We all know the foundation of high-quality programming is to have well-trained teachers, she said.  Not everyone is able to afford a four-year program [or] is academically prepared for a four-year program, so our goal on this expansion team is really to meet the needs of our professionals and, at the same time, support them in retention efforts so that theyre staying in the field.

The partnership between Keene State and the Monadnock United Way grew out of conversations on child care those organizations were having with city officials, the Keene Family YMCA and various daycare groups, according to McPartlin and MUW President Liz LaRose.

Among the main issues on that topic, LaRose identified affordability and a lack of child-care options in the Monadnock Region, where many providers have long enrollment waitlists. She noted that as of 2016, a quarter of New Hampshire families spent more than 10 percent of their income on child care  above the 7 percent that experts consider an affordable rate.

With federal funding for the new program set to arrive next year, if approved, LaRose said MUW  the Keene arm of a global nonprofit that helps back efforts related to children, education, financial stability and other basic community needs  is working to determine the best use of those resources. The organization also hopes to identify other funding sources so it can continue the training in future years, she said.

Were really excited about the opportunity to provide these services so that we can welcome more people into the field who love to work with children and would really love to have a wonderful job and a good career, she said.

Leatrice Oram, chief of staff to Keene State President Melinda Treadwell, said the program could get started right away, regardless of scale if the federal funding comes through next year.

We can do plenty with $1 million, she said.

Poling said those efforts should also include trying to keep Monadnock Region natives in child-care jobs here, explaining that many experienced workers have left their jobs recently and that most young people interested in the field move away. Even the college students with part-time jobs at Keene Day Care Center often leave the area after graduating, further limiting the child-care workforce, she said.

But with more opportunities for professional development, Poling said, that trend could be reversed.

It gives people a pathway and creates more of a feeling that this is a career, she said.

Money for sewer maintenance

The federal spending bill also includes $325,000 for a maintenance review of Keenes sewer system, Shaheen announced in the recent news release.

That project is needed because the citys main sewer line, which carries all wastewater from Keene and Marlborough to a treatment plant near Dillant-Hopkins Airport in North Swanzey, was built in 1985, according to Keene Public Works Director Kurt Blomquist.

Blomquist said last week he isnt aware of any specific damage to the underground line but that its made of concrete, which can deteriorate over time. The federally funded assessment would check for any blockages or weak points in that system, he said.

No one has seen it since it was installed 36 years ago, he said.

That work could involve temporarily draining the sewer line and probing it with a video camera, using ground-penetrating radar to detect any damage or sending signal-emitting technology through the line to check the wastewater flow, Blomquist said. The review would need to occur within around a year of receiving federal funding, he said.
Four new NH public COVID testing sites are open, and word is starting to spread
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David Chiu was sworn in as San Franciscos first Asian American city attorney Monday, as about 200 people  including his 5-year-old son and Mayor London Breed  packed into City Hall to celebrate.

I am so humbled, Chiu said at a private celebration with his family and friends in the mayors office before the ceremony. It is a really special moment for my family and for me to be able to serve the city that I love.

Chiu, who represented the eastern side of San Francisco when he was a state assembly member, is taking over for longtime City Attorney Dennis Herrera. He will step into an office that has been nationally recognized under Herreras leadership for its work on cases related to climate change, gun control, same-sex marriage and sanctuary policies.

Herrera has been a fixture atop the City Attorneys Office for the past 20 years. He will now become the general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, an agency entangled in a sweeping corruption investigation.

The commissions previous director, Harlan Kelly, resigned Nov. 30 after the FBI charged him with accepting bribes from a city contractor and permit consultant. In a move that surprised many this spring, Mayor London Breed nominated Herrera to lead the commission.

Now Playing: Assemblymember David Chiu joins family and friends as he is sworn in to be the next San Francisco City Attorney. Chiu will succeed City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who served in that role since 2001. Video: Ryce Stoughtenborough

The City Attorneys Office is something very special to me, but I know Im leaving it in good hands, said Herrera, who has spent the past year and a half overseeing a separate investigation into City Hall corruption. David Chiu has shown he has the integrity, skill and clarity of vision to use the power of the law to help those in need.

Chius swearing-in was a jovial scene, with performers banging on drums and traditional Chinese lion dancers galloping down the aisle. Dozens of prominent politicians were there, including state Sen. Scott Wiener, former Mayor Willie Brown, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several members of the Board of Supervisors.

For Chiu, leading the City Attorneys Office means a return to City Hall, where he previously served on the Board of Supervisors from 2009 to 2014.

Chiu loves our community so hes going to fight hard to make sure that our laws and our morals are adhered to, said Supervisor Shamann Walton, president of the board. Hes going to work well with our Board of Supervisors because he was a supervisor. And he knows and understands how we operate and what we want to get done.

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.

Chiu will have to quickly prove himself in his new position since hell have to run to keep his seat in June 2022, or earlier.

Before entering politics, Chiu was a law clerk to Judge James R. Browning of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has also worked as a criminal prosecutor at the San Francisco District Attorneys Office and as a civil rights attorney with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

Breed said that replacing someone like Herrera was a lot of pressure but that she found a worthy candidate in Chiu.

You all knew exactly what I knew, and exactly what Dennis knew: that there was no better person to step in and do this very challenging, independent, complicated job than David Chiu, she said.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
Several months ago, The Chronicle examined how the coronavirus pandemics initial lockdown period had driven a nearly historically unprecedented California-wide baby bust  a steep decline in births  in the first two months of 2021.

Now that were nearing the end of the year, its time to check back in. Where are Californias birth rates now?

Higher than might be expected, as it turns out. Through August, the latest month with data available, 3% fewer births had occurred in California in 2021 than it did over the same period in 2020. But that decrease is due mostly to the lower birth numbers in January and February; births for other months have so far remained mostly parallel with 2020.

And in the month of August alone, total births statewide actually increased compared to last August (the data for 2021 is provisional, meaning that more births could be added to the years monthly totals, though usually not very many).

Not to say that 2021 isnt a historically low year for births. As of August, the state had fewer total year-to-date births than any year since 1980. But the biggest shock to Californias birth totals doesnt appear to be directly related to the pandemic  it happened last summer, before any pandemic-era babies wouldve been due.

By September of 2020, births in the state had declined by 5% compared to the same period in 2019. Thats the biggest year-over-year decrease for that period since 2009, the year after the 2008 recession, and the only other time such a dramatic negative change has been observed in the last 50 years.

The statewide birth decline reached 6% by the end of 2020, so the pandemic likely did have an impact at that point. But the majority of the 2020 decline appears to have been baked into pregnancy totals prior to the first stay-at-home orders last March. This big 2020 dip happened in many states, and has confused demographers, according to Philip Cohen, a sociologist and demographer at the University of Maryland whos studied the impact of COVID-19 on births nationwide.

By late 2020, we were scratching our heads and saying, how could births already be lower in July and August when the pandemic didnt get started until March? Cohen told The Chronicle.

Cohen said that from these numbers, its clear that the pandemic shutdowns in March and April produced an initial decline in births, shown by the plummeting birth totals in December 2020 through February 2021.

However, the pandemics effect appears to have worn off since that initial shock. Since March 2021, monthly births have been close to what they were last year.

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 fact that the winter surge didnt lead to such a direct effect (on births) does make it seem like the pandemic may not be producing its own weather system, Cohen said. We may not be living in a whole new era of low birth rates.

Instead, Cohen said, the 2020 drop was probably part of a more structural decline in birth rates thats been happening since the 2008 recession.

Florencia Torche, a sociologist at Stanford University, added that 2020s birth numbers could have been impacted by the pandemic in ways other than lowering the number of pregnancies. For instance, pandemic-induced stress could have increased miscarriage rates of expectant mothers in the months following the first lockdowns. Additionally, migration could have had an effect, whether through people leaving the state for less-expensive locales or by fewer immigrants entering the state.

Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susie.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susieneilson
Curando Corazones  healing hearts  was the theme and spirit of the Dia de Los Muertos festival that returned Sunday to Oaklands Fruitvale district, where hundreds of residents and visitors again enjoyed its colorful drum circles, Aztec dancers and altars honoring the dead after a year when many were lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

The healing theme was meant to signal International Boulevard as a safe space to honor departed loved ones, including those whose lives were taken by COVID-19. The Fruitvale district, a predominantly low-income and Latino and Indigenous neighborhood, was among Alameda Countys hardest-hit areas and continues to feel the pandemics impacts, a factor that added an extra layer of poignance to the annual day of rememberance even amid the joyful atmosphere.

After the pandemic forced last years event to move online, organizers restructured this years in-person festival as a community health fair with booths offering mental health resources, workforce development, COVID-19 testing and vaccination, said Itzel Diaz, a spokesperson for the Unity Council, a nonprofit that has organized the celebration since 1996.

The community needs it, Diaz said, so that our communities can heal not just physically, but also emotionally, spiritually and financially.

Daniel Camacho, a visual artist who teaches art to youth in Oakland, created one of the dozens of altars, or ofrendas, lined up along International Boulevard. His was dedicated to his mother, Salud Suarez, who died of cancer in May 2020. It was decorated with a photograph of his mother and images of other loved ones, marigolds, Mexican artesanias (handicrafts), fruit, pan de muerto (bread of the dead) and two of his artworks behind the altar.

He said he grew up celebrating the holiday as a child in Mexico and watching his mother, who worked as a seamstress, build an ofrenda.

She was the person who showed me art, Camacho said in Spanish. When I was a kid, I always enjoyed watching her draw.

Creating an altar for his mother was difficult, he said, but it helped him heal. He hoped for the same for others who experienced similar losses.

Rebecca Galicia, 41, of Alameda, in line with her daughters, ages 8 and 9, waited to receive a booster shot at a COVID-19 vaccination booth. Galicia grew up going to the festival with her family and now is passing down the tradition to her family.

It means a lot for me to come, she said, mentioning her father, who died 20 years ago. The festival and holiday, she said, allows her to show respect and love to our ancestors.

The COVID-19 booths were a great way to reach out to the community, especially here in the Fruitvale area where theres a lot of communities who dont have access to medical resources, said Galicia, who works at the social services organization Brighter Beginnings.

I love the fact that (the festival) is back, said Jose Morales of Castro Valley, who walked along International Boulevard proudly showing his two sons where he grew up eating tacos and pizza. Nothing beats seeing (the dancers), hearing the sounds and smelling the smells of the nearby restaurants.

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.

Bringing his kids to the festival for the first time was nostalgic and a way to honor his mother, who worked in the Fruitvale before she died, Morales said.

The festival was scaled down this year to keep crowds smaller. The event typically drew over 100,000 visitors before the pandemic and had local food vendors and three large stages with musical performances.

Instead, visitors were encouraged to visit the Fruitvale stores and restaurants. The event coincided with the last day of Unity Councils restaurant week in which 16 restaurants were asked to create a special $20 meal, Diaz said.

For those who couldnt attend the festival Sunday, some activities remained available online. The Muertos Mercaditom an online marketplace created last year, features artesanias, jewelry, apparel and food through Nov. 5.

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP)  The Bennington Select Board has voted to apply for a grant to pay for work to explore potential uses for the downtown Vermont National Guard Armory building.

After a planned new Guard Readiness Center is constructed, the town will own the the armory as part of a land swap, the Bennington Banner reported. The armory was completed in 1924.
PHNON PENH, Cambodia (AP)  Cambodia on Monday began vaccinating 5-year-old children against the coronavirus as its leader announced the start of the country's reopening, including the phased reentry of foreign tourists.

Speaking on state television, Prime Minister Hun Sen said 5-year-olds are being vaccinated to boost their immunity before they start attending school, which begins at age 6.

More than 85% of Cambodias almost 17 million people have received at least one COVID-19 shot since vaccinations began in February. Chinas Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines account for most inoculations.

Vaccinations for 2 million children age 6 to 11 began Sept. 17 and are nearly complete. There are about 300,000 5-year-old children and they will be given Sinovac.

Hun Sen also noted the start of the reopening of the country on Monday with restrictions totally lifted on domestic tourism, schools and other sectors. He said most Cambodians are now vaccinated and have an understanding of the virus and how to stay safe.

The government announced plans last week to reopen the country in several stages to fully vaccinated foreign tourists starting Nov. 30.

The program will allow those visitors to skip quarantine if they stay at least five days in designated areas, the Tourism Ministry announced.

The first such areas are two seaside provinces, Sihanoukville and Koh Kong, on the Gulf of Thailand.

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.

On arrival, visitors must show proof they have been vaccinated and take a rapid results test for COVID-19. They can proceed without quarantine if the results are negative.

Siem Reap province, home to the famous Angkor temples, is to be added to the quarantine-free province list in January.

Cambodias Health Ministry on Monday reported 91 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths, bringing the countrys totals since the pandemic began to 118,613 cases and 2,794 deaths.
WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP)  A western Pennsylvania prosecutor says he will seek the death penalty in the slaying of a worker gunned down as he was making a sandwich for a customer in a convenience store earlier this year.

Sidney McLean, 32, of McKeesport, and Devell Christian, 32, of White Oak, were formally arraigned Friday in Washington County on homicide and other charges in the Feb. 24 killing of Nicholas Tarpley in Anna Lees Convenience Store.

District Attorney Jason Walsh notified the court that he planned to seek capital punishment if the defendants are convicted of first-degree murder, according to The (Washington) Observer-Reporter.

Authorities said two masked men walked into the store and fired multiple shots at the victim as he had his back turned to the counter while making a sandwich for a customer. Tarpley, 28, of Donora, a co-owner of the store, had six gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. The customer and a teenager girl were uninjured.

The defendants are charged with homicide, conspiracy and firearms counts. Walsh cited the commission of a slaying during another felony and the grave danger posed to people other than the victim as aggravating factors justifying the death penalty.

Authorities haven't cited a motive, although Walsh previously indicated that someone else might have been targeted.

In a preliminary hearing earlier this year, defense attorneys unsuccessfully sought dismissal of the charges.

Christians attorney, Ken Haber, said there was no evidence my client did this or did anything at all. McLeans public defender, Josh Carroll, said no testimony provided during the hearing connected his client to the killing.
As the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats look for new sources of revenue to pay for its now $1.75 trillion legislation addressing infrastructure and climate change, a familiar idea has re-emerged: the billionaires tax. Championed by progressives like Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, the potential legislation would tax the unrealized gains of the wealthiest Americans each year and potentially raise hundreds of billions in dollars.

There are valid political and economic arguments on both sides of the issue of whether or not this is a good idea. On the one hand, a billionaires tax would narrow the massive inequality gap in the United States and help provide the necessary funding for key climate investments through the budget neutral reconciliation process. At the same time, however, wealthy individuals often do a better job allocating capital  through business ventures and philanthropy  than the federal government.

One much-repeated argument, however, is a legal red herring that should be given little weight.

Opponents of the billionaires tax are fond of proclaiming that it is unconstitutional and that the Supreme Court would therefore likely invalidate it. Former Democratic Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, for example, said that such a tax, if passed, is likely to be struck down by the Supreme Court. And Larry Summers (another former Democratic Treasury secretary) proclaimed the tax is something the Supreme Court has better than a 50% chance of declaring unconstitutional.

The billionaires tax opponents are far too confident in their assertions.

The Supreme Court only agrees to hear about 1% of the thousands of petitions litigants file each year. So even if a challenge to the billionaires tax is 10 times more likely to be heard by the court than the average case, it still has a 90% likelihood of languishing in the lower courts. To have the court take up a case (referred to as granting certiorari) requires four votes from the nine justices. Predicting, years in advance, which specific issues will compel the court to grant certiorari  let alone what the ultimate ruling would be  is often a fools errand.

This is particularly true with federal legislation. The court has declared only a small subset of federal laws unconstitutional. While the billionaires tax energizes politicians and interest groups, there are no guarantees that it will sufficiently interest the court.

There are, moreover, sound constitutional arguments on both sides of the question. Opponents of the billionaires tax argue its a direct tax under the Constitution because its paid directly to the government (unlike, for example, a sales tax). The billionaires tax is therefore unconstitutional, the argument goes, because direct taxes must be apportioned equally among the states  and wealth is unevenly distributed (compare for example the wealth of similarly populated Connecticut and Arkansas).

Proponents of the billionaires tax, however, argue that this apportionment principle  rooted in a heavily criticized case from 1895  is unduly rigid and not constitutionally required. A billionaires tax, they say, falls squarely within Congresss broad and flexible constitutional power to lay and collect taxes ... for the common defense and general welfare of the United States. Numerous esteemed legal scholars hold this view and have expressed so publicly.

Where, exactly, would each of the nine justices come down in this nuanced constitutional debate? Would the intermediate appellate courts diverge on the issue, thus increasing the odds the court grants certiorari? And would five or more justices really want to gut a potentially important revenue source for the federal government?

Who knows?

With Justices Steven Breyer, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito all older than 70, we dont even know what the composition of the court will be by the time a billionaires tax challenge would be heard. Such a case could take years to be heard before the court.

Arguments against the constitutionality of the billionaires tax echo those against the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Acts individual mandate  which penalized people for not buying health insurance. Many opponents of the act confidently argued that the mandate violated existing Supreme Court precedent and infringed states rights to regulate their own markets. They predicted the court would strike down the mandate.

Yet it was Chief Justice John Roberts  appointed by the Republican President George W. Bush  who cast the decisive vote upholding the mandate as a constitutional tax. Roberts opinion illustrated not only the long recognized and sweeping authority of Congress to impose taxes (including, of course, on the wealthy), but the futility of predicting how the court will interpret controversial legislation.

The Biden administration has ambitious goals on infrastructure and climate change  and a Democrat-controlled Congress to support its agenda. There should be a meaningful public discussion regarding the merits of the proposed billionaires tax and its impact on the budget, the economy and the allocation of wealth in American society. Uninformed and misleading assertions about the Supreme Court, however, have no place in this important debate.

William Cooper is a Bay Area native and graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Law. He has litigated the constitutionality of tax provisions before numerous courts.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted last week not to approve a development project South of Market that would've turned a parking lot into a high-rise market-rate residential complex.

Some community members were concerned about gentrification, but S.F. politics were also a strong factor. On this episode of the Fifth & Mission podcast reporter J.K. Dineen joins host Cecilia Lei to explain what happened and why.

Photo above: An artist's rendering of the proposed project at 469 Stevenson St.
SACRAMENTO  Efforts to protect both victims of human trafficking and people who engage in sex work willingly are increasingly hinging on a fundamental question: When is the act of trading sex for money truly voluntary?

In recent years, California lawmakers have taken up a handful of measures to ease enforcement targeting sex workers as they weigh the effects of decades-old laws criminalizing the industry. The debate could ultimately put the state on a path to decriminalize sex work.

For TS Jane, a sex worker and organizer from San Diego, the fight is personal. She said her decision to start working in the industry more than 15 years ago has helped her become her authentic self and pay for surgeries so her appearance reflects her identity as a transgender woman.

She said resistance to decriminalizing sex work is often driven by exaggerations about the extent of trafficking in the industry, and those who unfairly seek to portray her and other workers in the trade as unwitting victims.

What are we being forced with? Maybe poverty, TS Jane said. I love what Im doing. Really, any job is how youre selling your body. Its the way that you see it.

Debates over the issue have been defined by two diametrically opposed arguments about the extent to which prostitution is consensual. On one side, many anti-trafficking groups have suggested most, if not the vast majority, of people who trade sexual acts for money are coerced or the victims of trafficking.

Meanwhile, many sex workers themselves and civil liberties advocates say that the vast majority of sex work is performed by consenting adults and that criminalization can actually exacerbate human trafficking.

The question of to what extent prostitution can be voluntary has played out recently with a high-profile case in the Bay Area, as Richmond Police Chief Bisa French and her husband, Oakland police Sgt. Lee French, say a female relative has been coerced into prostitution in Oakland by a man who was arrested this month in the matter.

That 18-year-old relative, meanwhile, made her position clear in documents seeking a restraining order against the couple, which a judge granted: I am not a victim, she wrote.

In a statement explaining the arrest of Oho McNair, 34, an Oakland police officer detailed what he called evidence of sex trafficking: the young woman had checked into hotels with McNair known for prostitution activity, and had turned over profits to McNair, who provided protection. McNair was charged with felony pimping (making money from prostitution) and pandering (forcing or facilitating prostitution), but not trafficking.

As the case illustrates, the distinction between human trafficking and consensual adult sex work can sometimes be a difficult line to draw.

The debate is pertinent as Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to decide the fate of Senate Bill 357, a measure that would repeal a 1995 law that prohibits loitering in public places with the intent to commit prostitution. Legislators approved the bill in September.

Its author, Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, held the bill from going to Newsoms desk so he could have more time to make the case to the governor. Newsom is now expected to decide the fate of SB357 early next year.

Advocates for sex workers say the loitering law is so subjective that it has often led to police officers targeting trans, Black and Latino women because of vague factors like their clothing, how they walk or where they stand.

The bill initially faced little organized opposition in the Legislature, but resistance intensified as anti-trafficking groups, led by the conservative California Family Council, warned it could harm countless victims forced into the sex trade.

Wieners proposal would not decriminalize prostitution for sellers or buyers, but in many ways, the issue has become a proxy battle over whether California should more broadly decriminalize sex work.

Sandy Huffaker/The San Francisco Chronicle

Supporters of SB357 argue that arresting sex workers forces them into the shadows and makes it harder for trafficked people to seek help. They also warn that criminalizing people leaves them with an arrest record that prevents them from finding future work or housing.

Opponents of the measure say police have few tools to identify and offer help to potential victims of trafficking. They say that officers stopping and arresting someone could be the intervention that saves their life.

Stephany Powell, a retired Los Angeles police sergeant and director of law enforcement training and survivor services for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said she believes a large share of sex workers are coerced into the life, by physical force or circumstances like poverty and homelessness.

Its by choice because they have no other choices, she said. Youre making the assumption that thats what people really want to do as opposed to offering them other jobs that will really be life-sustaining.

Some survivors of human trafficking, including several who campaigned against SB357, have also questioned whether consensual sex work really exists.

Tika Thornton said she first ran away from home at age 12 and was soon abducted by a pimp who forced her to sell her body. She didnt escape until shortly before her 18th birthday, when the man beat her so badly she was hospitalized. A nurse recognized her situation and helped Thornton escape her pimp by listing her as Jane Doe in a hospital directory and giving her a few hundred dollars to start over.

Despite what she had been through, Thornton said she didnt identify as a trafficking victim until she was about 35 because nobody explained to her what the term meant.

A lot of them dont understand that theyre trafficking victims, Thornton said of street prostitutes. Its very easy to groom people who come from generational trauma or marginalized communities because theres always a lack of something in their lives.

But there arent reliable statistics on the extent to which sex work is voluntary or the result of sex trafficking, which is defined under federal law as a commercial sex act that is induced by force, fraud or coercion.

Wiener said supporters of SB357 are equally committed to fighting sex trafficking, but are realistic about the fact that there are adults who choose to engage in sex work, an umbrella term that includes prostitutes, escorts, fantasy or bondage actors, online performers and other erotic workers.

The notion that all sex workers are being trafficked is just not accurate, he said. Many people who engage in sex work, theyre making decisions about their lives and we need to respect their agency as human beings to make those decisions.

In recent years, Wiener has carried several bills to ease restrictions on sex workers. SB233, which took effect in 2020, gives sex workers immunity from being arrested for misdemeanor prostitution or drug offenses if they are reporting a serious felony, such as rape or human trafficking. The bill also prohibits law enforcement from using the possession of condoms as probable cause to arrest someone.

Another measure passed in 2016, SB1322 by then-Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, prevents police from arresting any child for prostitution, treating them instead as the victims of abuse.

Wiener said his bills all had their own merits and arent proverbial stepping stones to decriminalizng sex work. That said, his case for decriminalization is rooted in similar arguments about improving public safety and health.

It makes everyone less safe when sex workers believe that going to police means that theyre going to get arrested, Weiner said.

Members of a coalition pushing to erase laws banning sex work said many sex workers have had negative interactions with the police and believe that criminalization of sex work exacerbates human trafficking.

Cesar Espinoza-Perez, an escort and organizer for sex workers rights in San Francisco, described an incident last year when he went to meet a potential client at a hotel room in South San Francisco. He said the man became irate when Espinoza mentioned his rate. Fearing he would be assaulted, he ran out of the room barefoot.

Espinoza-Perez said the man followed him, so he called police on his cell phone. He said the officers who responded didnt believe him and searched him, citing him for drug possession. (The charges were ultimately dropped.)

The laws that criminalize prostitution, they actually cause our exploitation, Espinoza-Perez said. The ones that have trauma with police would rather just stay away from them.

Unlike systems of legalized prostitution, like those that exist in a handful of rural Nevada counties, decriminalization would allow sex workers to operate independently outside brothels. California could regulate their activity under civil codes.

A handful of places in the world have fully decriminalized prostitution, including New Zealand and New South Wales, Australia. Many other countries in Europe either regulate legalized prostitution or have decriminalized it only for sex workers but not for buyers, the so-called Nordic model.

San Francisco has arguably started moving toward a decriminalization model. District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who supports SB357, has said his office wont prosecute consenting adults for buying or selling sex, except in extraordinary circumstances.

But any move to allow prostitution on a statewide level will surely face fierce opposition from anti-trafficking advocates and police groups.

Greg Burt, director of Capitol engagement for the California Family Council, said that while some sex workers might think they are doing the work voluntarily, anti-trafficking groups find that mindset is often a survival technique for people who are traumatized.

Its by its very nature exploitative. It preys on the vulnerable, Burt said. No little kid grows up thinking one day I want to be a prostitute.

Still, many sex workers and their advocates say the assumption that they are victims is patronizing. Celestina Pearl, a triage nurse and outreach manager for St. James Infirmary, a clinic that offers health and social services to sex workers in San Francisco, said many people actually find the work empowering.

The issue should be about consent, not about controlling what people do with their bodies, Pearl said. Nobody is pro-trafficking. Sex workers want to have bodily autonomy just like everyone does.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
On the first day that all San Francisco city employees were required to come back to the office after more than a year of doing their jobs from home, a steady but small stream of people trickled off BART on Monday morning and walked into their Civic Center offices.

The drizzly, breezy morning around City Hall seemed calm, quiet and nothing special. But, in reality, it was a significant day for San Francisco: Not only did all city employees have to return to work for at least two days a week, but they also had to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

As of Monday, San Francisco could boast one of the highest inoculation rates of major cities with a similar mandate: About 98% of the citys workforce was vaccinated, with less than 1,000 unprotected against COVID-19. That high vaccination rate made some employees like Damien Lacy, who has already been coming into the office part time, much more comfortable working in person.

Im fine with the vaccine mandate  we have to be safe here, Lacy said, with an N95 mask on and a Philz coffee in hand. I dont have any misgivings with it.

Thousands of essential city workers have been working in person throughout the pandemic, from bus drivers to street cleaners and nurses. But Mayor London Breed is now requiring those with more flexibility to come back in for at least two days a week.

The hope? That private companies will follow suit, and also bring employees back for at least a few days a week. Ultimately, the goal is to have more foot traffic in all of San Franciscos downtown neighborhoods, which have taken a major hit during the pandemic.

The requirement, though, didnt seem to make an immediate difference to the surrounding businesses Monday morning.

We havent seen an uptick in business yet, said Aaron Arrell, the manager of Philz Coffee at the corner of Larkin Street and Golden Gate Avenue, a block from City Hall. Arrell said the store had even stocked up on more pastries and other goods with the expectation of more demand.

He wasnt too worried yet: When nearby UC Hastings College of the Law reopened earlier this year for in-person classes, Arrell said it took a month or so for students and faculty to start regularly stopping in for a caffeine fix.

Mark Bailey, manager of Hayes Valley Bakery, said it wasnt busy for him, either. He said its still too early to tell if the bakery will get busier with City Hall employees coming back to work, but he expects to see an increase as time goes on.

Its been better than a month ago, he said.

Ariana Hernandez, an employee at the Tenderloin food hall La Cocina Municipal Marketplace, said it was slow Monday  likely because of the rain  but it was busier last week, as more people came in for coffee, lunch and happy hour. Shes hopeful that more people will continue to come in.

To encourage more people to flock back downtown, Breed has poured millions of dollars into community ambassadors in Mid-Market, Union Square, the Financial District, Fishermans Wharf and Chinatown. The unarmed ambassadors offer general assistance and report hazards or emergencies.

Meanwhile, down the street at the Public Utilities Commission, a familiar face greeted employees at the door: former City Attorney Dennis Herrera who, as of Monday, is the commissions new general manager.

Hours before the swearing-in for the new city attorney, David Chiu, Herrera stood inside his new office building with a crowd of officials next to a Welcome Back! sign in the lobby, shaking hands with people as they trickled in.

Of the roughly 900 people who normally work in the building, about 150 have been coming in in person over the past few months, said Alison Kastama of the PUCs Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency, who was also part of the informal welcome committee.

About 600 people  or about two-thirds of employees who normally work in person  are back in person now, and the agency plans to bring more employees back in tranches over the next couple of months while it brings some IT infrastructure back online.

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.

Everyone will be back in person by January, she said.

People are excited to be back in person, Herrera said. Its palpable.

Its unclear how  and if  the return of public employees and the extra ambassadors will encourage private companies to bring employees back more frequently. But Gwen Litvak, senior vice president for public policy at the Bay Area Council, previously told The Chronicle that she hopes it will.

According to an October survey by the council, about a third of companies have already brought back the in-person workers they intend to, while roughly another third plan to bring people back consistently in the next three to four months.

While the neighborhood was relatively quiet Monday, City Hall was teeming inside as a couple of hundred politicos packed into the North Light Court to watch Chiu get sworn in as the new city attorney. The mood was lively and jovial, as performers banged instruments and lion dancers galloped down the aisle.

Before the ceremony, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who has been coming in consistently since the summer, walked inside with a bag of candy, coffee and paperwork in hand. He said its been nice to have more people inside the building lately.

San Franciscans have been getting their vaccines and wearing their masks and doing what science tells us to do, he said. Now I hope were going to get the benefit of that.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
San Rafael Police Department

A wayward northern fur seal pup was rescued from the streets of San Rafael on Saturday and taken into the care of the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center, officials said.

The San Rafael Police Department first got a call about an otter in the area of East Francisco Boulevard and Grange Way.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP)  Cryptocurrency has officially gone to the dogs.

The recent trading frenzy over a digital token called Shiba Inu  commonly billed as a meme or joke coin  has vaulted the canine-themed cryptocurrency into the top ten most valuable digital assets by market value, hitting $40 billion and surpassing its cousin and apparent inspiration, Dogecoin.

Shiba was up another 10% at midday on Monday and has doubled in value in the past week. Most of that gain came in a flurry of trading last Wednesday, when it gained a whopping 66%.

Even with its recent meteoric rise  it's up about 900% in the past month  each Shiba coin costs just a tiny fraction of one cent. If you bought $1,000 worth of Shiba in late September, your 20 million coins would now be worth around $9,000.

Like most cryptocurrencies, Shiba is not commonly used for commercial transactions and is considered by most experts and investors to be a high-risk, speculative bet due to the broader volatility of the crypto market. Experts warn that investors need to be cautious about putting money into something with anonymous leadership that appears to have little functional use.

Lee Reiners, an outspoken crypto skeptic, teaches fintech and cryptocurrency courses at Duke University School of Law. Reiners said hes not surprised by Shibas recent spike.

This is what happens when you have massive speculation in assets with no intrinsic value, Reiners said.

Investors might be thinking this story sounds familiar. Bitcoin has doubled in value twice this year  with a rapid plunge in between  and now sells for more than $60,000 per coin. Among stocks, GameStop had a surge that rivals Shiba's, rocketing from about $17 per share in early January to $483 later that month. Lately, it's consistently traded around $180.

While Shiba is the current white-hot cryptocurrency, you cant trade it through more traditional brokers  yet. A petition with more than 450,000 signatures on Change.org is pushing for the mobile trading app Robinhood to start allowing Shiba trades. Robinhood currently allows trading of Dogecoin and other cryptocurrencies. Its CEO Vladimir Tenev told investors last week that the company would carefully evaluate whether we can add new coins in a way thats safe for customers and in line with regulatory requirements.

Stronger regulation of the crypto markets seems inevitable, but it's unclear when it might happen. The chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, said in August that the world of crypto doesnt have enough investor protection and compared it to "the Wild West.

Whether that lack of regulation is driving the recent spikes in Shiba and other digital assets is not clear. What seems apparent though, is that retail investors  the little guys  are leading the way.

Kyle Waters, a research analyst at the blockchain data and analytics firm Coin Metrics, said the median trade size of Shiba on that busy Wednesday was $115. Thats highly suggestive that the typical Shiba trader on Coinbase is a small retail trader, Water said.

Shiba's rise is similar to Dogecoin's ascent in the spring, when it caught fire and rose jumped from around 5 cents to 57 cents between April 7 and May 7.

Like many other crypto currencies, Shiba is shrouded in mystery. According to its white paper  or Woof Paper, in this case  the token was started in 2020 by an anonymous person or group named Ryoshi. The paper, which describes how Shiba and its progeny works, is also peppered with soaring-but-vague platitudes about community, freedom, revolution and destroying traditional paradigms.

A person with limited background knowledge of technology and blockchain vernacular would be hard pressed to decipher much of the technical wording in the white paper.
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The first trailer for The Book of Boba Fett has dropped, with the Disney Plus series teasing the titular bounty hunters rise to prominence in the galactic underworld.

In the trailer, Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) set about establishing themselves as major players amongst the gangster of the Star Wars universe, using the palace of Fetts former employer, Jabba the Hutt, as their base of operations.

Disney Plus

One scene teases Fett and Shand being hired for a job by a mysterious Ithorian, while another shows them trying to rally Jabbas former captains to now swear their allegiance to Fett. When one asks why they should not just kill Fett instead, Shand reminds them that such talk would have led Jabba to feeding them to one of his many pets. Fett says that Jabba ruled with fear. I intend to rule with respect.

The Book of Boba Fett will debut on Disney Plus on Dec. 29. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Robert Rodriguez, Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson are executive producers on the series. Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck serve as co-executive producers, with John Bartnicki producing and John Hampian as co-producer.

Morrison began his time in the Star Wars universe in the prequel film Stars Wars: Attack of the Clones, playing the role of Jango Fett. Jango was used to create the clone army of the Republic, thus Morrison would return to Star Wars in the film Revenge of the Sith as a number of clone troopers. He also lent his voice to multiple Star Wars games before returning as Boba in Season 2 of The Mandalorian to great fan acclaim.

Wen first played her character in Season 1 of The Mandalorian and provided the characters voice in the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

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Valerie Kumra was sitting at her house in Dillon Beach, a small waterfront community off Bodega Bay, one afternoon when she heard a knock on the door. This was in the fall of 2020, and COVID-19 cases were climbing again, so any unexpected visitors were especially unusual. Kumra answered the door and a young couple stood in front of her, looking excited.

Were here! the husband exclaimed.

Kumra stared back blankly, unsure of what to do.

The couple had rented Kumras home after seeing an ad on Craigslist, she learned, and theyd driven there from Sacramento. The creepiest part, Kumra said, was that the couple told her they had texted the alleged owners just 10 minutes before arriving to tell them they were almost there and they had responded that they would be there to greet them.

It all unraveled from there. The couple showed Kumra that they had paid the scammer via bank transfer, they had signed a contract that included Kumra and her husbands name and the listing even included extensive photos and a description of the home.

After attempting to help the weary travelers at least find somewhere to stay for the evening, the couple left, dejected and likely embarrassed, Kumra said.

Kumra immediately got to work. She headed to the Craigslist vacation rentals section and it didnt take her long to find the listing for her home. She recognized the photos and description from Zillow, which had recent information since they had just bought the home in 2017. She thought the renters should have been tipped off by the fact that the rental description had included the school district  something no short term renter would likely care about  but figured they had likely been excited by what seemed like a good deal (though not a suspiciously cheap one, she said).

She knew all that information needed to come down as soon as possible and she got in touch with Zillow. She searched Craigslist in hopes she could call to get the false listing taken down immediately, but was unable to find a phone number anywhere. She had to settle for the websites reporting feature for fraudulent listings and asked neighbors and friends to also flag the post as fraudulent. (Craigslist did not return SFGATEs request for comment for this story.)

She called the sheriff's office, but there wasnt much they could do to help. Todays technology makes it difficult to catch a scammer, they told her, especially when anyone can change their IP address.

She got back on Craigslist and quickly recognized other homes nearby also listed for rent, even though she knew none of them were. Some of them were vacation rentals pre-pandemic, but most had property managers and exclusively worked through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. She alerted everyone she could, and one by one, listings came down, though hers stayed up a total of 47 days before it was removed the first time, she said. There are 400 houses here at Dillon and I know almost all of them, she said. ... I know the owners, I know whats a vacation rental and whats not. I would know them from the view from their deck. Its easy for me to spot them.

She found she couldnt stop checking Craigslist. She started flagging listings that were clearly fake for the neighboring town of Bodega Bay. Then it became exhausting, she said. But after the face-to-face reaction with a couple that had been scammed and seeing their disappointment ... it's a horrible feeling when you know someone has conned you. I didn't want to just do it for my house, I wanted to do it for all people.

A thankless job ... that actually gets a few thanks

One year later, shes still keeping up the crusade, at least for Dillon Beach. She checks Craigslist once a week for new listings to flag and renews her own ads warning anyone searching the area that any ad they see for a Dillon Beach rental is a scam. She does this in addition to her full-time job  she runs a nonprofit group and also does writing and animation work  but she says she has no plans to stop. I will never stop. It's a justice issue. It's been effective, she said. If we don't do this head on, then were just chasing them. I honestly think I've mostly run them out of town.

Kumra thinks the scammers have moved on to other locations and her ads have worked, but because Craigslist isnt looking out for these listings and the scammers can always use different descriptions or photos, her work will never really be finished.

Peter Cornish also regularly posts ads on Craigslist warning of scams. In 2017, people who had rented his home on Craigslist showed up at his house when hed already rented it out. Someone had taken pictures off our legitimate listing  probably Vrbo  and used them to create a fake rental offering on Craigslist and managed to get this family to pay them, he said. We felt so bad for these people.

Now, he posts warning ads on the Reno and San Francisco Craigslist versions every week hoping that any potential renter sees the post before they get scammed.

Both Kumra and Cornish said they get emails from people thanking them for what theyre doing all the time. And Kumra wanted to make it clear she has no problem with Craigslist in general as a service. She thinks it can be a real force for good  she said her son met his roommates on the website years ago and theyre now such close friends theyre basically family.

Plus, with all those listings under the vacation rental category, she said she knows not all are fake.

Its not just about the money

Mike Weber is picky about who rents his RV. Hes owned the Winnebago Via 25R for three years and when hes not renting it out, he likes to take it on trips himself, noting hes been to Joshua Tree, Seattle, Nevada and the Oregon coast all this year.

Hed rented it out on platforms like Outdoorsy and RVShare.com, but he said typically, not only would the RV come back in bad shape, he also had to do quite a lot of training to make sure people knew how to operate the vehicle properly. So, a few years ago he decided to put it on Craigslist under vacation rentals and see if he could rent it that way.

Now he almost exclusively rents the RV through the site  using his own rental agreement  and he said its been a big success. The contract he has renters sign says that the renter is responsible for everything once they leave his property, including insurance, and for the most part, he said hes had no big issues. Plus, he avoids losing money from fees to use the third party websites, Weber said.

The people that come through Craigslist are usually local, he said, instead of people coming in from other countries or states. I had it on RVshare.com and Outdoorsy.com but you lose a lot of control there and you cant as well screen the people, Weber said. ... They also can come in with great expectations and they don't know how it works and they think it's just a condo on wheels. So my preference is to rent it to more local folks.

The best part, he says, is that hes built up a roster of repeat customers  for example, a man who regularly takes it to Pismo Beach and another that has taken it to Yosemite more than once.

His one rule? No Burning Man customers. I automatically say no, I don't want it getting dirty and baking in the sun, Weber said.

Mark Buscheck, a part-time San Francisco and part-time Hawaii resident who rents a four-bedroom vacation home in Kona on Hawaii island, also sees the value in being able to screen his potential guests himself. Ive resisted the temptation to go on Airbnb or Vrbo because they have always shielded the owner from the applicants. Because of that you dont get to talk to them or get a feel for who is renting your home. For me this is important. ... There is more to this house than an investment property.

When a renter inquires about his property, hell typically arrange a phone call to learn a bit more about them and what is bringing them to Hawaii. Hes been renting the home on Craigslist since 2005, and he said hes only had one set of problematic renters and even that wasnt that bad  a group of people just overstayed their welcome a few hours and had to be told to leave.

What he finds most surprising is how many people dont do the extra research to make sure hes not scamming them. A woman just last night sent me money without even talking to me. That just shocks me these days, he said. There are some people that are super suspicious and there are some people that send me thousands of dollars without asking me any questions.

More than 5 million people have lost money in a rental scam, according to a 2019 study from the Better Business Bureau, while 43% of those looking for rental properties and vacation rentals saw a fake listing. They show up most frequently on third party websites like Craigslist, where the booking isnt protected and vetted by a large company and no monetary transactions happen on the site itself.

He thinks doing the upfront legwork of researching who will be staying in his home  he said he even Googles their names sometimes  has helped him to have a great experience over the years. The property has a website with additional information about the home and hes happy to answer any questions prospective renters may have. In Hawaii, all vacation rentals must be registered, so he provides upfront the short-term vacation rental registration and certificate numbers, which makes it easier for prospective guests to make sure his property is legit.

Plus, hes saved a lot of money by doing everything himself. Airbnb typically takes a 3% service fee off every booking subtotal, while Vrbo takes 5% plus a credit card processing fee. He said hes insured and he has guests sign a five-page rental agreement and he takes a refundable security deposit. He said hes never once had to keep that deposit.

Buscheck said he thinks Craigslist gets a bad reputation from all the horror stories you see online, but if the parties on both ends do their research, it can be a great website for vacation rentals.

When Sara Soka wanted to help her partner get rid of his timeshare property in Tahoe this year, the company that manages the timeshare suggested she post it on Craigslist. Youre basically doing a classified ad, she said.

The official transfer would happen through the company, and Soka and her partner wouldnt be receiving any money directly from anyone they found through Craigslist. She said it seemed worth a try and hopefully people didnt think it was a scam. When you search timeshare on Craigslist, there are plenty of options to choose from.

When we spoke, she hadnt had any interest yet, but the property had only been posted for one week. Shes hoping to have it transferred by December.

If a listing seems too good to be true, it probably is, whether that be the price or the availability of the property. Kumra, whose home was falsely advertised, suggests always checking that the map matches the location of the listing  scammers are lazy and dont always take this extra step. Bad spelling and grammar can also be a red flag, as can payment via Paypal or wire transfer. Craigslist has tips for avoiding scams, which includes never wiring funds.

Even Kumra said while there are surely some good offers to be had she wouldnt use it, since it would just take too much research to make sure any one listing is not a scam. But for people like Buscheck who have the time to take extra precautions, its worth the savings of not listing with a vacation rental company. Do your homework. Ask a lot of questions, Buscheck said. You can use Craigslist as long as youre smart about it.
Another major retailer in San Francisco is cutting its hours due to what one city official called increasing theft in the shop.

The Safeway located in San Franciscos Castro neighborhood, standing on Market and Church, was a longstanding, 24-hour fixture in San Franciscos Castro neighborhood.

But as of last week, the store's hours have been cut back to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m, the earliest closing time of the 15 Safeway markets in the city  most of which shut at 11 p.m. or midnight.

A Safeway spokesperson told Hoodline, which first broke the news, that the cutbacks are due to an increasing amount of theft at the store." Earlier this year, the company reportedly grappled with high rates of grocery carts being stolen from storefronts.

District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told KPIX and Hoodline that the shutdown is part of a larger trend in retail theft.

I think the last six months from what they say has been sort of off the charts in terms of how bad its been, he told KPIX. Its sad, upsetting and frustrating.

And while retail theft has historically been a troubling issue in San Francisco, and has gained national media attention as of late  especially following a viral video shared by KGOs Lyanne Melendez of an ongoing theft at a Walgreens, followed by multiple local Walgreens closing down  it is worth drawing scrutiny into these company's claims.

Follow-up investigations by SFGATE and the San Francisco Chronicle have contended that retail theft was likely not the lone factor contributing to those shutdowns.

And in the Walgreens case, publicly available data does not wholly align with the company's claim. (It is worth noting, however, that retail theft often goes unreported, as Mandelman told KPIX, and that 2017 FBI data found that San Francisco had the highest rate of property crimes per capita.)

From April 1 to October 24 this year, 1,658 larceny thefts were reported in San Francisco Police Departments Mission District in 2021, according to the police department's crime dashboard. That number is higher than in 2020, when 1,361 larceny thefts were reported in the same timeframe. But it is significantly lower than in 2019  the last pre-pandemic year  when 2,585 larceny thefts were reported in the same timeframe.

The company did not make its retail theft incident data publicly available; Safeway did not respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.

But no matter the cause, neighborhood customers who shop during late hours either due to necessity or convenience will have less options for grocery shopping.

Mandelman told KPIX and Hoodline that he is planning a meeting with San Francisco police and the District Attorneys Office over theft at the Market St. Safeway.
SEABROOK, N.H. (AP)  One man was killed in New Hampshire and another was in critical condition Monday in a morning shooting that led some stores to briefly close down.

The man who was dead was found shot in a driveway in Seabrook. Another man was found suffering from a gunshot wound, the New Hampshire Attorney General's office said.
The interim Department of Labor commissioner informed Connecticut legislators Monday that her agency is barred by state and federal law from granting a blanket waiver to thousands of workers who are now being billed for overpayment of their unemployment compensation benefits during the pandemic.

Dante Bartolomeo told members of the General Assembly's Appropriations and Labor Committees that her agency is required by the U.S. Department of Labor to review all overpayments on a case-by-case basis and recover the money. Connecticut law, however, does allow people with certain extenuating circumstances to seek an individual waiver from the state, which she urged affected claimants to do.

The problem is, its a federal issue the feds and the federal delegation could change, if they so chose, what were allowed to do and not, she said. But unfortunately, it doesnt lie at the state level. Were not able to make those changes."

Many Connecticut legislators have called on the agency to somehow waive the overpayments that are being billed to workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic, arguing it's unfair to demand money from people who did not commit fraud and continue to struggle financially.

This was something that was being built and designed for an unusual circumstance. We were trying to keep people above water, said Rep. Toni Walker, D-New Haven, co-chair of the Appropriations Committee. Then were going back and saying, 'We shouldnt have given you that money." But people were trying to survive."

In September, when this issue first came up, lawmakers suggested it would cost about $6 million to $10 million to cover the overpayments. However, according to the state Department of Labor, that is a rolling average and the cost is at least $30 million, a figure that's expected to grow as the agency continues reviewing the more than 1.5 million unemployment claims filed since March 13, 2020 for state, federal and extended benefits.

So far, the agency has determined that about 2% of the claims, which represent roughly 13,000 individuals, are overpayments in state unemployment, extended benefits and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs. Those numbers are expected to grow as more claims are reviewed and after the state receives reports from other benefits programs for the unemployed.

A spokesperson for the agency said it could take as long as six to eight years to finally sort out the repayment issue, given opportunities for appeals and lengthy repayment plans. Some workers who were overpaid during the recession of 2008 are still paying back their unemployment overpayments.

Bartolomeo said overpayments occurred this time for a number of reasons. While there have been cases of fraud, she said there were also cases of non-fraudulent overpayments, such as when an employer may have appealed a claim for unemployment after the worker was already paid. She said there have also been instances of people making an error when they filed their application, or of a Department of Labor agent improperly inputting data.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  A judge who oversees elections in an Alabama county was removed from office after being accused of racist, sexually inappropriate behavior that included demeaning comments about women and saying George Floyd got what he deserved when an officer in Minnesota murdered him.

Talladega County Probate Judge Randy Jinks, 65, was ousted in a unanimous order filed Friday by the nine-member Alabama Court of the Judiciary. Following a trial, the panel found that he violated five judicial ethics rules including failing to uphold the integrity and independence of the court system.

A former business owner who served as chairman of the county Republican executive committee, Jinks denied most of the claims, blamed workers for misinterpreting jokes and accused employees of eavesdropping, court records showed.

Jinks, who doesn't have a law license, was first elected in 2018 and took office the following year. His conduct was the subject of a complaint filed in March that accused him of watching and sharing sexually inappropriate videos and making comments about the appearance and anatomy of women.

Jinks also mouthed the n-word when referring to Black people, including during Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and told a deputy clerk that Black people get benefits and welfare because of the color of their skin that don't go to white people, the complaint said.

Jinks made multiple racist comments after Minneapolis police killed Floyd, a Black man whose death became a rallying point for protests nationally, including calling the victim just another thug and saying he pretty much got what he deserved, the complaint said.

The court found that after Jinks saw a new automobile purchased by the only Black employee in the probate office, he remarked: I seen that car. I can't even  I'm the judge and I can't even afford a Mercedes. What you doing, selling drugs?

Jinks also improperly tried to help a woman get an early release from a prison sentence imposed in a neighboring county, the court found.

Jinks denied the allegations, and his lawyer released a statement to media outlets saying his remarks were taken completely out of context and viewed in a way to make Jinks look as bad as possible. The ruling can be appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court.

Located east of Birmingham, Talladega County has about 80,000 residents. Jinks' duties under state law included supervising elections in the county, and he also handled probate matters including wills. Probate judges under state law are not required to be attorneys.

Jinks was elected to the Talladega County Commission in 1986 and worked six years on the staff of former Rep. Bob Riley, who later served two terms as Alabama governor.
A knife-wielding man rampaged through a Tokyo metro train on Sunday, setting a fire and injuring at least 17 passengers as commuters headed into the city center for Halloween festivities, Japan's NHK public television reported. Police have made an arrest.

Police said that the assailant wore a "character outfit" that could have resembled a Halloween costume or a comic book character, Kyodo News reported.

A 24-year-old man, Hattori Kyota, was arrested at the scene. Kyota told police that he waned to kill at least two people to receive the death penalty, NHK reported.

At least one person, a man in his 70s, was stabbed and is in serious condition, according to Japanese media. It was not clear how many people were injured by the knife, the fire or the resulting chaos as passengers fled the scene. The express train on the Keio Line made an emergency stop so passengers could disembark.

Such attacks are relatively rare in Japan, but Sunday's incident was the second knife assault on a train in recent months.

In early August, just before the Closing Ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a man stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo, Kyodo News reported at the time.

Yusuke Tsushima, 36, was charged with attempted murder in that attack. He told police that he "had been wanting to kill happy-looking women for the past six years. Anyone would have been okay," according to Kyodo News.

Tsushima said he was feeling rejected at social gatherings and in dating services.

"I thought I could kill a large number of people as there is no space to flee on a train," he told police, according to Kyodo News.

The 2021 World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report ranked Japan at 120 out of 156 countries on gender parity.

Social media videos from Sunday's attack showed passengers trying desperately to flee the smoke-filled train car. Some were filmed climbing through windows. The attack occurred about 8 p.m. local time.

Witnesses told police that the attacker first stabbed people and then poured lighter fluid and set a fire, burning some seats, the Associated Press reported.

Some witnesses told Japanese media that they initially thought the attack was a Halloween-related stunt.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  The return his week of a big automotive products trade show is expected to draw as many as 100,000 people to the Las Vegas Convention Center, tourism and event officials said.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association show, commonly known as SEMA, opens Tuesday, after being canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. It runs through Thursday, followed by a public event on Friday dubbed SEMA Ignited in the convention center parking area.
In California, a Black college freshman from the South is telling a story about his Latino friends from home when he is interrupted by a white classmate. We say Latinx here, he recalls her saying, using a term he had not heard before, because we respect trans people.

In Philadelphia, Emma Blackson challenges her white neighbors assertion that Black children misbehave in school more than others. Its just my implicit bias, the neighbor offers, saying that she had recently learned the phrase.

In Chicago, Kelsey ODonnell, 31, wonders why colleagues and friends have suddenly started saying BIPOC, an acronym that encompasses individuals who are Black, Indigenous or other people of color. Where had it come from? There was really nobody to ask, says ODonnell, who is white. It was just, This is what we say now.

Americans have always wrestled with language when it comes to describing race, with phrases and vocabulary changing to meet the struggles and values of the moment. But especially in the wake of last summers protests for social justice, there is a heightened attention to this language, say scholars and activists, as some on the left try to advance changes in the culture through words.

You cant change what you cant name, said Cathy Albisa, vice president of the education nonprofit Race Forward.

For some people, though, the new lexicon has become a kind of inscrutable code, set at a frequency that only a narrow, highly educated slice of the country can understand or even a political litmus test in which the answers continually change. Others feel disappointment, after so many protests last summer demanded far deeper change on issues like criminal justice and voting rights.

I really believed America was having a reckoning when it came to race, said Blackson, a Black graduate student in epidemiology who has expressed her disillusionment on Twitter. So far its been a lot of words.

Unsurprisingly, the language itself has become contested, especially by conservatives who have leveraged discomfort with the new vocabulary to energize their base of white voters, referring to it as wokespeak. One conservative think tank circulated a list of words that it said could alert parents that what has been labeled critical race theory is being taught in their childrens schools, including microaggressions and Black Lives Matter.

The new language extends beyond race, adding phrases and introducing ideas that are new to many Americans. Gender-neutral terms like Latinx, for people of Latin American descent, they/them pronouns that refer to a single person, and birthing parent or pregnant people instead of mother, to be inclusive of trans people, are also gaining traction.

Some activists defend the focus on language, saying that the way people use words is not mere symbolism but is necessary to achieving justice.

Saying something like, Black people are less likely to get a loan from the bank, instead of saying, Banks are less likely to give loans to Black people, might feel like its just me wording it differently, said Rashad Robinson, president of the racial justice organization Color of Change. But Black people are less likely to get a loan from the bank makes people ask themselves, Whats wrong with Black people? Lets get them financial literacy programs. The other way is saying, Whats wrong with the banks?

Robinson added, When youve been on the margin, being able to claim a language and a narrative and a set of words to express yourself is incredibly important.

Still, some other self-identified liberals who said they care deeply about social justice feel uncomfortable with some of the changes and the pressure that can be associated with them.

ODonnell of Chicago said that, especially when she is among other white, college-educated liberals, Im exhausted by the constant need to be wary or youll instantly be labeled racist or anti-trans.

And Stephen Paisley of Ithaca, New York, said he cringed at hearing libraries described at an academic conference as sites of violence, which is intended to reflect biases in how their rare books collections are curated. Rather than language that tries to guilt people into action, he said, he wishes the message was white people, too, suffer from living in a society in which racial injustices and inequities persist.

Changing Language

Many of the words surfacing in todays language debates are not new.

Implicit bias traces to the work of psychologists in the 1990s, when the field began to document the subconscious associations that cause people to harbor stereotypes. The effort to substitute enslaved people for slaves has been long advocated by many Black academics to emphasize the violence that defined American slavery and the humanity of those subjected to it, said Anne Charity Hudley, a linguist at Stanford University.

But it is only recently, Hudley said, that all these terms are swirling around more in the public consciousness.

The murder of George Floyd by the police and the outraged protests that followed  in large cities but also in small towns and suburbs across the country  was one catalyst for spreading the terms. The words reverberated across social media and book groups. The word racism is being looked up online twice as often as before the killing of Floyd, according to Merriam-Webster, which has updated its definition to illustrate how racism can be systemic. And more companies, small and large, began requiring language training as part of broader programs they say are aimed at creating a more welcoming culture for diverse workforces.

In a reflection of its surging popularity, BIPOC (pronounced bye-pock) received its first Merriam-Webster dictionary entry this year, though a number of linguists said they were not sure how the term emerged.

One reason BIPOC has engendered both backlash and bewilderment, said Nicole Holliday, a linguist at the University of Pennsylvania, is because it seems to be an example of top-down language reform. Widely shared over social media last year, its champions have said it is intended to emphasize the severity of racial injustice on Black and Indigenous people. But few Black or Indigenous people use it, language scholars say.

In a national poll conducted by Ipsos for The New York Times, more than twice as many white Democrats said they felt very favorably toward BIPOC as Americans who identify as any of the nonwhite racial categories it encompasses.

In Why BIPOC Fails, an essay in a recent issue of the Virginia Law Review, Meera Deo, a sociologist and professor at Southwestern Law School, notes that the term can end up being confusing or misleading.

The acronym, which was widely adopted only in the last year or so, is often misread as meaning bisexual people of color. Asian and Latino Americans are often left to wonder whether they are covered by the POC part of the acronym.

Racial justice activists have also long distinguished equality from equity, but the latter has filtered into the mainstream more recently. Supporters of the word say that it is preferable to equality, which they argue suggests that equal treatment is sufficient to achieve fair outcomes  a premise they maintain disregards built-in disadvantages caused by past and present discrimination, and the need for policies to counteract them.

The terms can seem to change swiftly, too. Some scholars are now arguing that implicit bias should be replaced with complicit bias, saying that the former has been used as a kind of exoneration from the biases one holds rather than a call to address them.

In another example, LGBTQ, the abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning has recently incorporated an I for intersex, for people whose biological sex characteristics dont fit the traditional definitions of female or male, and an A for either asexual  someone who experiences little or no sexual attraction  or ally. And the addition of a + at the end is aimed at indicating that the term should not be seen as comprehensive.

Im trying to think why it makes me so angry that they keep adding letters, said Laura Bradford, 52, of Nashville, Tennessee, who is bisexual and married to a woman. Its like, Were trying to understand, but youre making it too complicated!

Still, like many Americans, Bradford said that she had felt woken up last summer after educating herself about racism in America. And the identity-politics term that disturbs her most is the pejorative use of woke, a word that has cycled through several meanings, including one that reflected her own experience but now carries the implication that social justice ideals are absurd or insincere.

Its mean, she said. Being woke is about realizing that youve been hurting someone for a long time.

Reaching for Better Words

Whether using certain words is an indication of a willingness to upend the traditions that reinforce social inequalities, however, is unclear. For white liberals especially, there is social pressure to engage with these words in the social moment, Hudley said. They see this as part of what it means to be an educated white person in certain places and spaces, whether they agree with it or not.

The current struggles over language reflect meaningful shifts in thinking on some essential issues, experts say.

The addition of the word structural or systemic ahead of racism, for instance, stems from a broader acceptance of the idea that racism is not just personal prejudice but a set of disadvantages that start with the average white child being born into families that are wealthier than others, and extend to laws related to housing and voting, bank lending policies and education systems.

Compared to 18 months ago, the term systemic racism is being used across the board, whether people are talking about it or denying its existence, said historian Ibram X. Kendi, whose book How to Be an Antiracist has been widely read.

For Nancy McDonald Ladd, a white senior minister at a Unitarian church in Bethesda, Maryland, that is made up of mostly white progressives, the fixation with language stems at least partly from a sincere desire to reorient ones worldview. It can be hard to stay on top of lexical tweaks, which include words that distinguish between defining a person and describing a situation  unhoused instead of homeless.

Although Ladd has sometimes seen her congregants deliberations over words as a substitute for more substantive action, the language is not just virtue-signaling, she said, referring to expressions of opinion intended to publicly demonstrate a persons good character.

Its this deep-seated anxiety about failing, she said. So theyre reaching, we are reaching, reaching, reaching for the perfect language.

Language change, linguists say, has long been a tool in shaping social perceptions of identity.

Queer, once a pejorative for gay, has been reclaimed as a self-affirming term, especially by a younger generation of the LGBTQIA+ community. African American, which became prevalent in the 1980s after the Rev. Jesse Jackson objected that black reduced the complexity of race to a skin color, is now being superseded by Black, with a capital B, to underline a shared political identity among disparate groups.

Changes in language, of course, also make people feel anxious because they signify changes in society.

The honorific Ms. for instance, encountered decades of resistance before it became a widely preferred alternative to identifying women by their marital status.

Talk Instead of Action?

Still others see the attention on language as a dodge.

Increasingly prevalent statements known as land acknowledgments, in which officials mention that a speech or public event is taking place on land once occupied by Indigenous people have recently come in for criticism. Summer Wilkie, a member of the Cherokee Nation, suggested in a recent essay that they can simply seem shallow and take focus away from policies that support Indigenous people.

Those statements that are meant to convey thank you or indicate that the speaker is a guest, Wilkie said, are especially empty and alienating.

Lucia Martel-Dow, an immigration lawyer in liberal Marin County in California, has had a similar thought about white progressives who reflexively use Latinx. She has no problem with the term, which has been adopted by a small fraction of U.S. adults who identify as being of Latin American descent, to avoid defaulting to the masculine Latino and to be inclusive of people who identify as neither male nor female. But how many white Marin residents making a point to use inclusive language, she wondered, also supported changing the zoning laws to create more housing opportunities for Latin American immigrants?

You can say Latinx all day, she said, but if youre not doing the work, I dont care.

Such observations are borne out in a national survey this year by Jennifer Chudy, a political scientist at Wellesley College. Even white Americans with the highest levels of concern about racial discrimination, she found, ranked activities like listening to people of color or educating myself about racism as more important than choosing to live in a racially diverse community, bringing racial issues to the attention of elected officials, or voting.

One risk of using words without really meaning them, said Holliday, the linguist, is the overuse of a term  like inclusion  to the point where its meaning is diluted, which linguists call semantic bleaching.

At the same time, critics note, conservatives have leveraged discomfort with woke language to pass laws in several states limiting how teachers can discuss racism and sexism.

Symbolic progress placates people who are pushing for change, and it also invites backlash from those who want to maintain the status quo, said Deo, of Southwestern Law School. So you might end up worse off than where you started.

What makes this linguistic moment so fraught, language scholars say, is that the words are often a proxy for the debate over some of the nations most pressing cultural questions.

Some of these terms will endure, and some will not, said Viet Thanh Nguyen, a professor of English, American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. But in the period where terms are new, we are still undergoing a political struggle whose resolution is not yet determined, so the words themselves become the site of conflict.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
BOSTON (AP)  The two candidates hoping to make history in Boston's mayoral contest  Democrats Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George  spent the final hours of the campaign racing from neighborhood to neighborhood urging their voters to turn up at the polls Tuesday.

Whoever wins will mark a major milestone in the citys political culture, becoming the first woman and first person of color elected mayor of Boston. In the citys long history, voters have only elected white men to the top political post.

Wu spent much of the weekend campaigning with high-profile Democratic supporters, including U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey.

Its clear that Boston residents want city government to be bold and act with urgency to meet this moment, Wu said. Were ready to fight for the change we need.

On Sunday evening, Essaibi George launched a 24-hour campaign swing through the entire city beginning with a Halloween parade in the Charlestown neighborhood and ending with a scheduled get out the vote rally in the Hyde Park neighborhood.

Still at it! Here at Twin Donuts for breakfast after some radio interviews, as I continue my 24 straight hours on the campaign trail, Essaibi George tweeted Monday morning from the citys Allston neighborhood.

Nearly 40,000 votes have already been cast in early voting. Democratic Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin told reporters Monday he estimates about 135,000 ballots will be cast in Boston  about 30 percent of the city's 442,000 registered voters.

The race has been closely watched with outside groups pouring millions into the contest.

While the candidates largely agree on which are the biggest issues facing the city  from soaring housing costs, to public education, public transportation, policing and climate change  they have offered very different solutions.

Essaibi has portrayed herself as a political pragmatist, criticizing Wu for proposing policies that she as mayor couldnt make happen alone. Wu has said those bigger picture policies reflect the needs of Boston residents and said she would work to make them a reality.

One the of biggest issues where the two split is on housing.

Wu has suggested bringing back a form of rent control or rent stabilization. Massachusetts voters backed a 1994 ballot question banning rent control statewide. Wu acknowledged she would need the help of state lawmakers to create a rent stabilization plan.

Essaibi George said rent control is a failed policy and the city should focus on other programs like helping first-time homeowners come up with a down payment and bolstering public housing and affordable housing programs.

Essaibi George has also criticized Wus push for a fare free public transit system.

Wu said the proposal would strengthen the citys economy, address climate change and help those who take the bus or subway to school or work. Essaibi George said the cost of the proposal is staggering and would fall on the backs of Boston residents. The decision to eliminate fares is also beyond the scope of the mayor alone.

The 36-year-old Wu, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan, grew up in Chicago and moved to Boston to attend Harvard University and Harvard Law School.

Essaibi George, 47, a lifelong Boston resident, describes herself as a first-generation Arab-Polish American. Her father was a Muslim immigrant from Tunisia. Her mother, a Catholic, immigrated from Poland.

The citys previous elected mayor  Democrat Marty Walsh  stepped down to become U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Joe Biden. Walsh was replaced on an acting basis by Kim Janey, sworn in March 24 as Bostons first female and first Black mayor.
DENVER (AP)  A 20-year-old California man accused of assaulting a flight attendant on a cross-country American Airlines flight allegedly punched the woman in the face after being told he could not use the bathroom, leaving her bleeding around her nose and giving her a concussion, according to a court document.

Prosecutors announced Monday that Brian Hsu, 20, of Irvine was charged with assault and interfering with a flight crew on a flight last week from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California.

He appeared in federal court in California Monday and was released on a $10,000 bond. He was ordered to appear in federal court in Denver, where the flight was diverted after the alleged assault, on Nov. 15.

It was not known if Hsu had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

According to an affidavit from an FBI agent who investigated the incident, four witnesses and the flight attendant, who was not named, said Hsu punched the attendant on Wednesday's flight. Meanwhile, Hsu, who said he was returning home after undergoing brain surgery in Rhode Island, told investigators that the attendant charged at him, hitting her nose on his palm.

Hsu said that, while stretching, he accidentally hit the flight attendant with his arm or hand and she began swinging at him with her hands. Fearing she was going to hit him in the head, he raised his hands defensively, he said. According to Hsu, the attendant then charged at him, hitting his palm. Hsu said he suffered a skull injury in New York City last fall and sometimes experiences a mental fog when thinking is difficult, the document said.

The attendant told investigators that she was talking to a coworker when she felt something hit her head and turned around to see Hsu, who said he wanted to use the bathroom, the document said.

She said she told him he could not because the fasten seatbelts sign was on. He then raised his arms as if to stretch and hit her head with his elbow, causing her to put her arms out and her hands up to defend herself, she said, according to the document. After he appeared to back down, she said he charged at her and punched her with his right hand.

Hsu, who was later restrained in his seat with duct tape and then plastic bonds, told investigators that he could not form a fist with his right hand because of an injury, the document said.

The alleged assault comes amid a surge this year in unruly airline passengers, who sometimes become violent.

At the time, Fort Worth, Texas-based American said the passenger, not publicly identified then, would be banned from all future flights. It also called for his prosecution. "This behavior must stop, the airline said.

The head of the union representing the airline's flight attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants, praised the decision to file charges against Hsu as a way to help deter verbal and physical abuse on flights. However, Sara Nelson also asked the federal government, airlines and airports to do more to hold disruptive passengers accountable, including creating a list of people barred from flying on any airline.

"This is not a new normal we are willing to accept," Nelson said.
ORLEANS, Mass. (AP)  The Coast Guard and other authorities were searching off the coast of Cape Cod on Monday for a small plane that failed to arrive in Massachusetts as scheduled Sunday night, officials said.

The Piper PA-28 that departed from Reading, Pennsylvania was reported missing at around 10 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said in an emailed statement. It was headed to Chatham Municipal Airport in Massachusetts.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  A proposal to grant early release from prison to one of the world's most prolific serial killers has raised outrage in Colombia and a denunciation on Monday from President Ivan Duque.

Luis Alfredo Garavito confessed to killing about 190 children, most aged 8 to 16 and received more than 50 long sentences. Prosecutors said sometimes posed as a beggar or a monk and lured poor children with money and soft drinks. He later slit their throats, sometimes after torturing and raping them.

But Colombia limits prison sentences to 40 years and allows early release for good behavior after more than half a sentence is served.

The television program Los Informantes revealed on Sunday that the national prison institute had asked a judge in May to grant Garavito provisional release because of his exemplary behavior in prison.

A judge denied the request because Garavito, now 64, had not paid a fine for his victims of roughly $41,500.

I have profound indignation at the possibility that anyone would suggest that that beast leave prison," Duque said in Glasgow, Scotland, where he was attending the U.N. climate conference.

The national government neither sponsors or supports that, he added.

Garavito was arrested in April 1999 on an attempted rape charge, but when an investigating judge asked him if he was the killer of 114 children whose bodies were found in 59 Colombian towns beginning in 1994, Garavito admitted the crimes and begged to be forgiven. Then he confessed to 26 more murders.

``I ask you to pardon me for all I have done, and all I will confess. Yes, I killed them  and many others, he said in an excerpt from the videotaped confession broadcast by Colombian television newscasts.

Garavito showed the judge and psychologist his tally of the killings that he kept in a battered notebook, according to a leading newspaper, El Tiempo. Across the creased pages were scratched 140 lines  one for every victim.

Later, while in prison, he confessed to about 50 other killings.

El Tiempo said Garavito told the judge he was the oldest of seven children and grew up beaten by his father, and repeatedly raped by two neighbors

He left home at 16, working first as a store clerk, then as a street vendor who sold religious icons and prayer cards.

Prosecutors said Garavito found his victims on the street, gaining their confidence with gifts of soft drinks and money. The victims eventually were found with their throats slit. Some had been tortured and raped.

The prison institute issued a statement on Monday saying it had acted in conformance with legal postulates by sending the documents to the judge.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  Delaware lawmakers voted Monday to approve new legislative district maps to reflect population changes over the past 10 years, based on U.S. Census data.

The Democrat-controlled Senate voted along party lines to approve the new maps, while Republican Rep. Michael Smith of Newark was the only House member to vote against the redistricting bill.

Smith, who has been unable to gain much support for a redistricting reform bill that he introduced last year and reintroduced this year, believes the current process has become too politicized and arbitrary.

The process is broken, he said after Mondays vote. Its too partisan.

Meanwhile, some GOP senators expressed concern that the allowed deviations from standard population numbers for each legislative district tend to let more people to be crammed into southern Delaware areas represented by Republicans while allowing northern areas represented by Democrats to contain far fewer residents.

Based on a total 2020 Census population of 989,940, the standard population number for each Senate district is 47,140, while the standard population for each of House district is 24,145. Lawmakers allowed themselves to deviate from that standard by +/- 5% in redrawing boundary lines, purportedly in an effort to keep communities and neighborhoods intact. Other criteria traditionally taken into account in redistricting include compactness and contiguity of districts, preservation of communities of interest, and preservation of existing majority-minority districts, in which minorities account for more than half the population.

The population deviation exceeds -4.4% in five Wilmington-area Senate districts, including the states three northernmost districts, that are represented by Democrats. Conversely, the deviation is + 3.9% or higher for the three southernmost Delaware districts, which are represented by Republicans, including the minority leader and minority whip.

Our constituents in Sussex County are way underrepresented when you look at these numbers, said Senate Minority Leader Gerald Hocker of Ocean View, who described the redistricting bill as unfair.

Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn of Georgetown said fast-growing areas of Sussex County already are bumping up against the 5% deviation and will soon surpass it.

Were already more front-loaded then some of the other districts, he said.

Senate Majority Leader David Sokola, a Newark Democrat, said the redistricting bill, which was the subject of four public hearings and several revisions, was the product of a good-faith effort by map makers. He also noted that the redrawing of districts must be based on Census numbers, not projections for future growth in any particular area.

One of the major differences between the previous maps and the new maps is the elimination of the 4th House District in New Castle County and its reconstitution in Sussex County. The district is currently represented by Democrat Gerald Brady of Wilmington.

Brady announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election. The move came after reports that he had used racist and sexist slurs to refer to sex workers.

Residents of Bradys former district are being parceled out to neighboring districts in order to increase their population levels. The new 4th District in coastal Sussex County incorporates fast-growing areas bordering Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay.

Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Mike Ramone of Newark will remain in his 21st House District after map makers backed away from an initial proposal that would have pushed Ramones address into the neighboring 23rd District, represented by Democrat Paul Baumbach.

The new legislative districts will take effect for the 2022 general election.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Meta Platforms, the company that runs Facebook, said Monday it has canceled 937 accounts linked to the government of Nicaragua and the Sandinista party of President Daniel Ortega.

Meta said it also removed 140 deceptive pages, 24 groups and 363 Instagram accounts for violating the companys policy against coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity.

Meta said it was a classic example of a troll farm," which it defined as attempts to corrupt or manipulate public discourse by using fake accounts to ... mislead people about whos behind them.

The firm said the network of accounts was launched after mass protests against the government in 2018. The accounts sought both to denigrate members of the opposition, and praise the government. Some of the accounts purported to be students from a Nicaraguan university that was an epicenter of the protests.

Nicaragua is set to hold elections on Nov. 7 in which Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term. But those elections have been rendered almost moot by the government's arrests of critics and seven potential challengers.

Starting in May, Ortega began arresting almost any public figure who publicly disagreed with him, including people who fought alongside him in the countrys 1979 revolution. Families of 155 political prisoners said in a statement that their loved ones have been subjected to mistreatment and torture in prison.

The countrys main opposition coalitions have said that Ortegas moves have ended any vestige of real electoral competition."

About 140,000 Nicaraguans have fled their homeland since the government cracked down on widespread protests starting in 2018.

Meta said the troll farm removed in October was operated from the offices of the postal service, noting additional smaller clusters of fake accounts were run from other government offices, including the Supreme Court and the Nicaraguan Social Security Institute.

This campaign was cross-platform as well as cross-government, the company said. It ran a complex network of media brands across Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Blogspot and Telegram, as well as websites tied to these news entities. They posted positive content about the government and negative commentary about the opposition, using hundreds of fake accounts to promote these posts.

Ortega claims the protests that erupted in April 2018 were an attempted coup with foreign backing. And he has feuded with Roman Catholic bishops who participated as mediators then in the short-lived first round of dialogue between the government and opposition, after which the government harshly put down the protests.

At least 325 people died during clashes that year between civilians and government forces in Nicaragua, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
CHICAGO (AP)  Federal authorities announced conspiracy charges Monday against a Chicago gang faction accused of 19 murders over two decades.

An indictment alleged 13 members of the Wicked Town faction of the Traveling Vice Lords gang were responsible for 19 murders, 19 attempted murders and several armed robberies and assaults back to at least July 2000.

Wicked Town members regularly promoted their violent enterprise on social media, posting comments, photos and videos to proclaim membership in the gang, taunt rival gang members and boast about murders and other acts of violence, read a statement from U.S. Attorney John Lausch's office.

Its the latest example of conspiracy cases brought by federal authorities whove used racketeering statutes against Chicago gangs.

The accused gang members allegedly operated mostly out of Austin, a Chicago neighborhood on the city's West Side, using trap houses to store guns and drugs.

Federal authorities said that during the multi-year probe, law enforcement seized 46 guns, 1,000 rounds of ammunition and 17 kilograms of cocaine.

All 13 people charged in the case are in police custody. They range in age from 21 to 44. Their arraignments will be scheduled in the U.S. District Court in Chicago.
BERLIN (AP)  German police said on Monday that they registered more than 5,000 unauthorized border crossings last month by people who had arrived from Belarus, marking a significant uptick in the number of arrivals through a new and politically sensitive migration route.

Federal police said in a statement that October saw 5,285 unauthorized entries with a connection to Belarus. That contrasts sharply with the 1,903 arrivals recorded in September, bringing the total so far this year to 7,832.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP)  Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones urged supporters of public education in North Carolina on Tuesday to organize to fight anti-history laws being promoted by Republican lawmakers.

Hannah-Jones said the left hasnt gotten mad enough in opposing the culture war that has been contrived by the right wing that has led to laws banning schools from teaching things such as her 1619 Project.

She said at an online forum of North Carolina educators that people are living in dark and scary times where teachers are afraid to even teach and talk about the experiences that their children are having.

Were being outgunned right now and I think thats because this is not an issue thats getting enough of the people on the left angry, Hannah-Jones said. People on the right are very angry and anger is often what inspires you to organize and to push for laws and to push for these changes.

Hannah-Jones was the keynote speaker Tuesday at The Color of Education Summit, a two-day virtual event drawing 1,600 people to engage in critical conversations centered on addressing issues of racial equity and education.

The summit is sponsored by the Public School Forum of North Carolinas Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity, the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity and the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University.

LEADER OF THE 1619 PROJECT

Hannah-Jones is a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine focused on racial injustice best known for her work on The 1619 Project. The project reframes the legacy of slavery and places the contributions of Black Americans at the forefront of the countrys history and is often cited in the local, state and national debate over teaching critical race theory.

Hannah-Jones was named the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism at Howard University this summer after turning down a similar position at UNC-Chapel Hill that sparked national controversy. She was set to join the UNC-CH faculty this fall, but wasnt initially granted tenure by the UNC-CH Board of Trustees. Some argued that decision, or lack thereof, was rooted in conservative politics and The 1619 Project.

She is a MacArthur Genius grant winner and was recently recognized as one of Time Magazines 100 most influential people.

1619 PROJECT UNDER ATTACK

The 1619 Project has been cited by Republicans at the federal and state level to introduce legislation prohibiting critical race theory from being taught in schools.

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, the former speaker of the N.C. House, is among the sponsors of federal legislation to defund any school system that uses the 1619 Project as teaching materials, The News & Observer previously reported.

The 1619 Project is a racially divisive and revisionist account of history that threatens the integrity of the Union by denying the true principles on which it was founded, the federal legislation says.

Republican lawmakers passed legislation that they say would prevent North Carolina public schools from promoting critical race theory. The legislation was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who said the bill pushes calculated, conspiracy-laden politics into public education, the N&O reported.

Opponents of critical race theory have charged that it presents an overly negative view of the nations history in which teachers say that white people unfairly get privileges due to their race.

Hannah-Jones said critical race theory is only being taught in colleges. But she said bad-faith actors have redefined critical race theory to target the American history, Black history and anti-racism texts being taught in K-12 public schools.

Youre teaching in a school district that was segregated by law, Hannah-Jones said. To talk about that is to not teach about critical race theory. That is to teach the history of our country and to help our students.

If these anti-history laws stand, Hannah-Jones said the nation is in danger of teaching students to support inequity in society.

NATION IN DARK AND SCARY TIMES

Valerie Bridges, the superintendent of Edgecombe County Public Schools, asked Hannah-Jones how educators can empower parents who support mask mandates and support learning about all races. Critics of mask mandates and critical race theory have shown up at school board meetings across the country.

Hannah-Jones said educators need to show parents whats being taught as opposed to what the right says students are learning. She said parents and other education supporters need to organize to speak out at meetings and to write letters to the editors like the opposition.

We pay attention to those who are the loudest when we need to pay attention to those who are the most rational and acting in good faith, Hannah-Jones said.

Hannah-Jones said the situation in North Carolina has gotten worse since she was a reporter at The News & Observer.

We have to stop being so passive in believing that things are going to work out in the end, she said. They are not. Trust me, as a student of history, we are actually in a very dangerous period.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from a former business partner of presidential son Hunter Biden who was seeking to overturn his criminal conviction for securities fraud.

As is typical, the justices did not comment in leaving in place a federal appeals court ruling that reinstated the fraud conviction of Devon Archer. A lower court judge had earlier set aside a jury verdict that found Archer guilty of fraud and ordered a new trial.
BAGHDAD (AP)  Iraqs supreme court has sentenced a man to death by hanging for the killing of two prominent Iraqi journalists last year, known for their coverage of anti-government protests in the southern city of Basra.

Ahmed Abdul Samad, a Dijlah TV reporter, and Safaa Ghali, his cameraman, were found shot and killed in a car parked near a police station on January 10, 2020. Their deaths were part of a wave of targeted killings against activists and journalists covering the protest movement that erupted in late October 2019.

For months, tens of thousands of protesters in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and the predominantly Shiite southern provinces had taken to the streets to rally against endemic corruption and call for reforms. Over 600 people died as security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse crowds.

The movement eventually petered out, in part because of the governments heavy-handed response and the worsening coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters have largely blamed Iran-backed militia groups for carrying out killings that specifically targeted activists and journalists.

The court in Basra said the man convicted in the killing of the two journalists confessed to his crimes. It said he killed them with the aim of destabilizing security and stability to achieve terrorist goals.

The court provided no details about the mans identity or affiliation with any militant or other groups. The case is now with a higher court, which can either confirm the death penalty, hand down a lesser sentence or call for a retrial.

Mohammed Samad, the brother of the slain reporter, told The Associated Press over the phone that he blames four people for the killing but only one was brought to court."

He identified the convicted killer as Hamza Kadhim al-Aidani, "a police officer who had worked at the same court that sentenced him today.

Our happiness will be complete when their leader is brought to trial as he is currently on the run, he added.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel on Monday authorized some 1,300 Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank days after advancing plans to build more than 3,000 housing units for Jewish settlers.

The Israeli government says it is adopting a moderate approach with the aim of minimizing friction with the U.S.  which is opposed to settlements  and tensions within its ruling coalition, which includes parties from across the political spectrum.

The Palestinians and rights groups say the newly authorized homes meet only a small fraction of the need in the 60% of the West Bank that is under full Israeli control. Military permits for Palestinian construction are rarely granted and unauthorized structures are often demolished.

An Israeli security official confirmed the approval of the Palestinian housing, saying it authorized existing homes and gave permission to build new ones, without providing a breakdown. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state. Today, the territory is home to more than 2.5 million Palestinians and nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers.

The Palestinians and most of the international community view the settlements as a violation of international law. The Palestinians say the continuous expansion of settlements since 1967 has made it virtually impossible to establish a viable state alongside Israel. A two-state solution is still seen internationally as the only realistic way of resolving the decades-old conflict.

Israel views the West Bank as the biblical and historical heartland of the Jewish people. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is a strong supporter of the settlements and is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

President Joe Biden's administration has expressed opposition to the expansion of settlements, saying it undermines efforts to eventually revive the peace process. Israel and the Palestinians have not held substantive negotiations in more than a decade.
TOKYO (AP)  Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says Japan should revitalize its economy through new capitalism." Many in this avidly capitalist country are puzzled over exactly what he has in mind.

Kishida has said he believes a more equal distribution of wealth is needed to prevent the worlds third largest economy from sinking into stagnation. That sounds dramatic, but analysts say he doesnt stand for drastic change.

The conservative, pro-U.S. and pro-business Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan almost continuously since World War II, won a better-than-expected 261 seats Sunday in the lower house of Parliament, comfortably exceeding the 233 seats needed and giving Kishida a mandate, at least for now.

With this definite support from the people, I will dedicate myself to working on policies and parliamentary efforts, said Kishida, chosen as head of the governing party just a month earlier.

The Liberal Democrats prevailed over weaker opposition parties despite widespread unhappiness, until a recent drop in cases, with the governments handling of the coronavirus pandemic, perennial corruption scandals and a failure to deliver on promises for sweeping reforms intended to drive much faster growth.

Kishida appears unlikely to stray far from the pro-market policies of the past decade. Under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who stayed in office from late 2012-mid-2020, the economy limped along with massive help from the central bank's ultra-cheap credit and government spending. Abe's successor, Yoshihide Suga, stuck with that Abenomics" program.

Now, Japanese are waiting to see what Kishidanomics" will bring.

Kishidanomics remains a complete mystery to me, said Kinuko Kuwabara, a free-lancer in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.

What people really want tackled are coronavirus pandemic measures and corruption in high places, she said.

Maybe Kishida himself isnt sure what he plans to do, said Hideo Kumano, executive chief economist at Dai-Ichi Life Research Institute.

All we have are slogans. Its unclear how much you can really believe them and how they can be realized.

Topping Kishidas to-do list is another big dose of government spending to help Japan recover from the COVID-19 shock. The economy grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.9% in the April-June quarter, a tepid pace considering the severity of the pandemic downturn in 2020.

When taking office, Kishida said he believed raising the tax on capital gains would help to rebalance an economy that is growing increasingly unequal. Although the disparity of wealth is greater statistically in the U.S. than in Japan, Americans have access to more generous social welfare programs, according to OECD data. That means poverty is a growing problem in Japan, especially among single mothers struggling to make a living wage.

Kishida backtracked from talk of raising taxes after a few days of stock market sell-offs, saying a higher capital gains tax  which would help redress Japan's highly regressive tax regime  would have to wait until the economy was growing at a much stronger pace.

He now says he hopes to drive growth by slashing corporate taxes  which Abe also did  in the classic trickle down" strategy of encouraging companies to raise wages.

That approach has fallen flat, however, as companies hoarded their earnings. Instead, a growing share of workers are employed part-time or on contracts that don't provide full benefits. The tax system, meanwhile, penalizes families with two full-time incomes.

In the era of rapid growth that followed World War II, workers were promised jobs for life. With lifetime employment a vanishing dream, people need to freely job-hop and find new opportunities and skills.

Economists say that apart from boosting wages to encourage consumer spending, what Japan really needs for sustainable growth is deregulation and a freer labor market. That's daunting and politically risky because such changes require reforms that would shake up vested interests, angering the constituencies, such as farmers and big businesses, that have helped keep the Liberal Democrats in power for so long.

The current system protects and rewards old-guard under-performing companies while failing to drive innovation.

None of this was headline news in the run-up to Sundays election, when opposition parties campaigned on promises of cash handouts and lowering taxes. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, promised more spending in coronavirus research, carbon neutrality, hydrogen energy and efforts to restart nuclear plants  not better social safety nets and redistributing wealth.

We dont know for sure what he plans to do, but we know his approach will not be that different from Abenomics,  said Hideaki Tanaka, a professor of public policy at Meiji University in Tokyo.

What we have is a to-do list. Without a real analysis of why Japan isnt growing and lacks innovation, and a real diagnosis of whats behind this sickness, there can be no cure, he said.

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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
NAPLES, Italy (AP)  Jill Biden, a descendant of Italians, donned an apron and rubber gloves Monday to help culinary students at a Navy school in Italy make ravioli and noodles, a task she says she mastered with her grandmother.

I'm used to Italian cooking, the U.S. first lady told the culinary class at Naples Middle High School, a U.S. Defense Department school at U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples. The base is home to more than 50 separate military commands.

She visited the school as part of her work back home supporting military families through an initiative named Joining Forces. She also dropped by a robotics class and praised the fortitude of military kids and their parents at a pep rally held in the gymnasium.

I used to make homemade pasta all the time for dinner, Biden said after she and a female student showed off their tray of cheese ravioli for news cameras trailing the first lady.

Her paternal grandparents were Italian and she spoke of how her grandmother would hang the fresh noodles in her kitchen. Sometimes she helped make the pasta.

In the robotics class, she listened as students described the robots they had built and watched as two traced a black line on a table. When a third robot malfunctioned, she said: Sometimes that's life.

At the pep rally, the first lady praised military children for being strong enough to constantly adjust to new homes, new schools and new friends.

She talked about how hard it was for her now-teenage granddaughter Natalie when her father -- Biden's late son Beau -- was sent to Iraq for a year with the Delaware Army National Guard in fall 2008.

She told the adults their choice to enlist in the military had helped their children become people who are ready for whatever the world has in store for them. Isn't that what all parents want for our children?

After one girl told Biden she almost cried" during the speech, Biden pulled her into an embrace.

Biden accompanied her husband, President Joe Biden, to Rome to participate in the Group of 20 nations summit that ended on Sunday. He flew to Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday to attend a major U.N. climate conference. She boarded her plane back to Washington after the school visit.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that robot traced a black line on a table, not the floor.
RACINE, Wis. (AP)  The city of Racine will be the first in southeastern Wisconsin to experiment with vehicles that can be operated without a driver. But Racine leaders said it will be a while  maybe a long while  before theres a lot of use of autonomous cars and buses in that community of 78,000 people.

Racine Mayor Cory Mason has been pushing his municipality to live up to its 2019 designation as a Smart City. Briefly put, the title means harnessing technology to improve livability and sustainability, including in public transit.

Earlier this month, during a news conference, Mason unveiled a potential new player in Racines Smart City lineup.

It is my distinct pleasure to introduce to all of you today, the Racine Badger, Mason said.

The Racine Badger is a small electric shuttle bus, red and white except on the front, which is painted with a black and white badgers face. It will be tested at Gateway Technical Colleges lakefront campus in Racine and on some nearby streets, WUWM-FM reported.

The front end of the Racine Badger is made to look like a badger.

UW-Madison is a partner in the project. Professor David Noyce directs UW-Madisons Traffic Operations and Safety Lab. He said the Racine Badger is big on using sensors, including ones involving Light Detection and Ranging.

Noyce explained how the Racine Badgers sensors work: Sensing forward, backward, and sideways from the LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) standpoint.

The Racine Badger uses camera vision (and) GPS coordinates. Thats how it maps its route and sees what may be available, or (if it is) in the way of a vehicle as its moving forward, Noyce said.

Noyce said he tested a different autonomous vehicle in Madison a couple of years ago and learned how to program it, set the GPS course, and how some of the basic technology works.

The tech partner for the Racine Badger is Perrone Robotics, a Virginia-based software firm.

Tony Piper of Perron Robotics sat behind the wheel Monday and took small groups of people for a ride. After about 100 feet, he changed the Racine Badger to autonomous mode, and it was hands off the steering wheel.

And away we go, Piper said.

The vehicle then cruised for about a quarter mile down a programmed route along a lakefront road and back.

As the Racine Badger drove hands free, Piper kept his right foot close to the floor pedals.

Piper said, The rule of autonomous driving is you want your foot to be where your vehicle wants to go. So, if you want to continue moving...you cover (place your foot over) the gas. In a situation like this where stopping is probably more appropriate, you cover (place your foot over) the brake.

Racine Mayor Cory Mason speaks during Mondays news conference at the Gateway Technical College campus along Racines lakefront.

The ride in the Racine Badger was trouble-free. WUWM asked Mayor Mason what performance data he has to see from the vehicle before it would get use in the community, either with or without a potential driver at the wheel.

Mason said, Make sure it can work in the real world, if you will. In a climate that can be unforgiving in the winter time, right? And really make sure that if were going to deploy this technology that it works  and works in settings that people will really face.

Mason said he doesnt have an exact date when the experiment would be over and when the real use would start.

But the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is already touting potential benefits of autonomous vehicles. DOT Secretary Craig Thompson said they could dramatically reduce the number of traffic deaths.

The promise is they can reduce them down to zero, because they will sense whether it is another vehicle, pedestrians, all that it can sense, and make sure that it stops and doesnt hit another vehicle (or) another individual, Thompson said.

Thompson said some newer cars already have dynamic cruise control that automatically slows down the vehicle when it gets close to another one, as well as programming that helps vehicles stay in their lane.

Noyce acknowledges that the autonomous vehicle experiment comes as Milwaukee and other cities are dealing with an upsurge in reckless driving. He said the vehicles can operate like drivers ideally should be driving.

That they dont speed, they dont do (reckless) things, and thats where we hope to get the system to, Noyce said. With help from the new experiment in Racine.
VIDALIA, La. (AP)  Four employees of a northern Louisiana day care have been arrested on charges involving alleged child abuse, authorities say.

Authorities began investigating the facility on Oct. 15 after it received reports of a 14-month-old child who had been hit on the back by a worker at Noah's Ark Daycare in Vadalia, the Concordia Parish Sheriffs Office said in a statement posted to Facebook.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  The leader of Louisiana's largest university system has a new hobby in his off hours, pursuing a law degree.

University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson is taking law classes at night through the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, and has reached his second year in the program. Hes taking 11 credit hours this semester  all on Zoom  from his kitchen table. Classes are Tuesday and Thursday nights and a couple of hours on Saturdays.

Its a personal pursuit, not a professional one, Henderson told The Acadiana Advocate.

The head of the nine-campus university system with more than 90,000 students hopes to complete his part-time law program in three or four years.

Im keeping my other obligations in mind, Henderson said. Thats the beauty of the part-time program and the way Southern has set it up.

Not that it hasnt been a challenge.

Henderson had to drop a class in fall 2020 when Hurricanes Laura and Delta wreaked havoc on many of his systems campuses, with the worst damage at McNeese State University in Lake Charles.

Law Center Chancellor John Pierre said Southern accommodates students from busy backgrounds  such as former Gov. Mike Foster, who attended law school there while in office.

Evening law students balance work, families and everything else, Pierre said. But (Henderson) is doing it successfully. In spring 2021, he was off to a good start and then COVID (variant) hits. We had to make some schedule adjustments, get him out of his normal cycle. We got him through the summer. Hes doing well, real well.

Henderson, who has led the UL System for five years, started his law school journey with encouragement from two women: Ashley Mitchell-Carter, a Southern University Law Center alumna and former director of governmental affairs for the UL System, and Hendersons wife of 28 years, Tonia.

Mitchell-Carter was the impetus to getting him started, he told the newspaper. Henderson said he would challenge Mitchell-Carter in conversations about legal matters. She, in turn, would encourage him to pursue a law degree and told Pierre she thought Henderson might be interested.

The young lawyer died unexpectedly on a holiday weekend in 2019. When Henderson consoled her mother, she told him, She really wanted you to go to law school. Later, he mentioned his desire to go to law school to his wife, who responded, Why dont you? That was all the encouragement he needed.

Right now, Henderson doesnt see himself practicing law as a career.

Thats not the driver, he said. Its about the process. Im inclined to read  a lot  and it helps me in my current work. It develops critical thinking skills. It has made me more effective as a leader.

But he said providing pro bono work for people who cant afford a lawyer might be a possibility someday.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Pennsylvania voters are set to fill four open seats on statewide courts with candidates who could eventually help settle major cases on issues from abortion to elections.

The marquee contest in Tuesday's election is for an open seat on Pennsylvania's highest court. The state Supreme Court race is between Maria McLaughlin, a Democrat, and Kevin Brobson, a Republican.

Superior Court has a single opening being decided by Tuesday's election, while Commonwealth Court has two openings.

Here is a look at major cases currently in the courts:

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ABORTION

The operators of 15 abortion clinics sued Pennsylvania in 2019, asking the courts to reverse a decades-old decision upholding limits on the use of state Medicaid dollars to cover abortions.

The lawsuit seeks an order requiring the states Medicaid program to begin covering abortions, without restriction, and contends that Pennsylvanias 1982 law violates the constitutional equal protection rights of low-income women.

Earlier this year, Commonwealth Court sided with the state. It ruled that the abortion clinic operators do not have standing to assert the constitutional rights of low-income women seeking an abortion and that it is bound by the high courts 1985 decision in question.

An appeal is pending in the state Supreme Court.

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EDUCATION FUNDING

School districts and public school advocates sued in 2014, arguing that an irrational system of distributing state subsidies is creating academic inequities and depriving many students of the thorough and efficient public education system guaranteed in Pennsylvania's constitution.

After many delays, trial in Commonwealth Court is expected to start Nov. 12.

The case has already been to the state Supreme Court once, when justices in 2017 overturned a Commonwealth Court decision that the matter involves nonjusticiable political questions and ordered it to hear the case.

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MAIL-IN VOTING

Fourteen Republican lawmakers and a Republican county commissioner from Bradford County have each sued to invalidate Pennsylvanias 2-year-old mail-in voting law.

The legal challenges are pending in Commonwealth Court, the latest attempts by Republicans to throw out the 2019 law that Republican lawmakers almost unanimously supported.

The law allowed no-excuse voting by mail for any voter. The central claim of the lawsuits is that the constitution strictly limits mail-in voting only to people in certain categories. Those reasons include being out of town on business, illness, physical disability, election day duties or a religious observance.

Just over 2.5 million people voted under the law in 2020s presidential election, out of 6.9 million total cast.

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2020'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Lawsuits from Democrats, including state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, are challenging the authority of Republican lawmakers to issue subpoenas as part of what they call a forensic investigation of last years presidential election.

The lawsuits are pending in Commonwealth Court.

The challengers say the Republican-controlled Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee is abusing legislative authority by issuing election-related subpoenas and requesting private information on voters.

The subpoena is an outgrowth of former President Donald Trumps baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him in Pennsylvania and other battleground states.

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REDISTRICTING

The every-decade processes of redrawing the boundaries of Pennsylvania's legislative and congressional districts are underway, and those outcomes are routinely challenged in court.

In the past decade, the state Supreme Court ordered revisions to both maps  the legislative boundaries in 2012 and the congressional boundaries in 2018  and many lawmakers expect that there will again be challenges in the coming months.

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MASK MANDATE

A pair of lawsuits are challenging whether the Wolf administration had the authority to impose a mask mandate on K-12 schools and child care facilities to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The lawsuits are pending in the Commonwealth Court.

The plaintiffs  including parents and Republican state lawmakers  contend that Wolf's acting health secretary exceeded her authority under the Disease Control and Prevention Law of 1955 and the departments own regulations, neither of which specifies masking as a public health tool.

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VOTING MACHINES

A sparsely populated county in southern Pennsylvania is suing over July's decertification of its voting machines by Gov. Tom Wolfs top elections official.

The lawsuit is pending in Commonwealth Court.

Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid ordered Fulton Countys machines decertified after it had disclosed that it had agreed to requests by local Republican lawmakers for an audit last winter.

Fulton County said it had complied with the guidance in force at the time for the inspection of voting machines by third-party vendors.

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Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/timelywriter.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A 33-year-old man sentenced to death in the 2012 fatal shooting of an Austin police officer at a Wal-Mart has been found dead in his cell, officials said.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said authorities are investigating the death of Brandon Daniel, who was found dead Saturday. Officials say foul play doesn't appear to be the cause.
TALLULAH FALLS, Ga. (AP)  Authorities are investigating after a man was found dead at the bottom of Tallulah Gorge in the northeast Georgia mountains.

The body of William Lang Pottle, 39, of Brookhaven was found in the gorge Friday night, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said.
BOSTON (AP)  State lawmakers released a proposed new map of Massachusetts congressional districts Monday.

The map avoids any large-scale dramatic shifts in district lines, in large part because the state retained the same number of congressional districts  nine. That sidesteps the need to combine districts and potentially force incumbent lawmakers to square off against each other.

One point of contention came in the states 4th Congressional District, currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss.

The Drawing Democracy Coalition, an umbrella group of advocacy organizations, faulted the map for failing to combine Fall River and New Bedford into the same district.

The group had argued that the similar immigrant communities in the two cities should be placed in the same district to increase their political clout and provide a better opportunity for voters there to elect candidates of their choice.

While the map proposed by the Legislature unites Fall River, it puts the entire city in the 4th District and keeps New Bedford in the 9th District. As a result, the group said, Fall River residents might continue to see their voting power weakened by wealthier suburbs of Boston, like Brookline, Newton and Wellesley.

The Coalition for Social Justice and Drawing Democracy spoke with many community members about redistricting, and we heard loud and clear that they didnt want Fall River to be split between two congressional districts, and that they wanted Fall River and New Bedford to be united in the same district, said Dax Crocker, Democracy HUB Coordinator for the Coalition for Social Justice, a Drawing Democracy Coalition Steering Committee member.

Auchincloss welcomed the proposed new congressional district lines.

Though the basic contours of the 4th District persist, there is one major change, Auchincloss said in a written statement. I am thrilled that all of Fall River will now be in the district.

Auchincloss said hes worked with local officials and state lawmakers to ensure Fall River bounces back from the pandemic.

The voters of the fourth will continue to come from urban, suburban, and farmland communities. They will continue to vote both blue and red. They will continue to commute to both Boston and Providence," he said.

The map would also increase the share of people of color living in the states 7th Congressional District, currently represented by the only Black member of the delegation, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

The redesigned district, created after the 2010 census, was intended to contain a majority of minority voters. It was previously represented by U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano until Pressley defeated him in 2018.

All nine members of the states Congressional delegation are Democrats.

Ten years ago the state was forced to cut 10 districts down to nine, a fate avoided this time when Massachusetts reported enough of an increase in population  to just over 7 million  to retain all nine seats.

One goal of the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting. which came up with the proposed map, is to have each district home to the same number of people  about 781,100 each.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  News organizations made a fresh plea Monday to the judge overseeing the case of a former suburban Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of Daunte Wright, asking her to allow live video coverage of the trial because of the continuing threat of COVID-19 and the strong public interest.

Judge Regina Chu ruled in August that there will be no recording or livestreaming of Kim Potter's trial, which is due to start Nov. 30.

Chu said the public and media would have ample space to view the trial in the courtroom or in designated overflow rooms. And she noted that the defendant had objected. Chu said the extraordinary circumstances that led a different judge to allow live audiovisual coverage of the trial of ex-officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd no longer applied.

But a coalition of media organizations, including The Associated Press, asked the judge in filings Monday to reconsider. Attorney Leita Walker wrote that COVID cases have spiked since August and may not abate before the trial. And she said the resulting limitations to access to proceedings at the courthouse apparently will mean a total exclusion of the public and all but a few members of the media.

Walker said the only way to provide reasonable and meaningful access is to allow live video coverage.

Potter, a former Brooklyn Center officer who is white, fatally shot Wright, a 20-year-old Black motorist, on April 11. She has said she meant to use her Taser instead of her handgun as Wright was trying to drive away from officers. Shes charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter.

Under Minnesota court rules, audio and video coverage of a criminal trial is barred unless all parties consent. Coverage of sentencings is allowed without consent, unless the judge finds cause to prohibit it. Judge Peter Cahill made an exception for Chauvin's case to balance his right to a public trial and the publics right to access against the risks of the pandemic.

Chauvins trial was Minnesotas first criminal case in which gavel-to-gavel coverage was allowed. Afterward, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea ordered a standing court advisory committee to study whether the current rules on audio and video coverage should be amended, and to report back by July 1, 2022.

The media coalition cited the resentencing last week of another former Minneapolis police officer, Mohamed Noor, in the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, at which only 16 seats in a 50-person courtroom were available for the press and public.

Walker called that unacceptable and said restrictions on access to Potter's trial apparently will be even more limited, citing emails from court personnel. If Chu won't allow video coverage, the attorney said, the judge should at least move the trial to the largest courtroom available and allow it to be filled to capacity.
WASHINGTON (AP)  As deadlines loom for military and defense civilians to get mandated COVID-19 vaccines, senior leaders must now wrestle with the fate of those who flatly refuse the shots or are seeking exemptions, and how to make sure they are treated fairly and equally.

The vast majority of the active duty force has received at least one shot, but tens of thousands have not. For some it may be a career-ending decision. Others could face transfers, travel restrictions, limits on deployments and requirements to repay bonuses.

Exemption decisions for medical, religious and administrative reasons will be made by unit commanders around the world, on what the Pentagon says will be a case-by-case basis. That raises a vexing issue for military leaders who are pushing a vaccine mandate seen as critical to maintaining a healthy force, but want to avoid a haphazard, inconsistent approach with those who refuse.

Brig. Gen. Darrin Cox, surgeon general at Army Forces Command, said commanders want to ensure they are following the rules.

Because of some of the sensitivities of this particular vaccine, I think that we just wanted to ensure that we were consistent and equitable" in meting out a punishment that would be a repercussion of continuing to refuse a valid order.

Military vaccination rates are higher than those of the general population in the United States and the reasons for objecting  often based on misinformation  are similar to those heard throughout the country. But unlike most civilians, military personnel are routinely required to get as many as 17 vaccines, and face penalties for refusing.

The military services are reporting between 1%-7% remain unvaccinated. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has called for compassion in dealings with those troops, which totals nearly 60,000 active duty service members, according to data released last week. Officials say the numbers change daily, and include those who may have gotten or requested an exemption. They have declined to say how many troops are still seeking an exemption or refused the vaccine.

Asked about possible variations in the treatment of those seeking exemptions or refusing the vaccine, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said its up to the services. "Each case is going to be treated specifically and individually as it ought to be, he said.

Kirby said Monday that the secretary doesn't want to tell commanders how to resolve the punitive measures, and instead trusts that they will do what is best for their units.

So can we promise you that there will be absolute uniformity across the board? No. And we wouldnt want to promise that because it wouldnt be the same way we handle the orders violations for other offenses as well, said Kirby.

It unclear how widely religious exemptions will be granted. Under military rules, commanders can take into account the potential impact on a units mission, and reject a religious exemption if it puts performance at risk.

Commanders can also move service members into another job, deny them overseas deployment or limit unit access if they get an exemption or while a request is being reviewed. Those steps may be more common in smaller units such a special operations forces who usually deploy in small numbers.

The Navy has warned that sailors who refuse the shot and dont get an exemption may have to refund bonuses and other financial payments, based on existing military justice procedures for disobeying a lawful order. The other services are expected to follow similar procedures.

Unvaccinated troops will also be subject to routine testing, distancing guidelines and possibly travel restrictions.

The Air Force may be the test case in some instances, because they are the first to hit a deadline. The more than 335,000 airmen and Space Force guardians must be fully vaccinated by Tuesday, and the Air Guard and Reserve by Dec. 2. According to Air Force data, as many as 12,000 active duty airmen and guardians were still unvaccinated as of late last week. Some have requested or gotten exemptions, others have refused outright. They have until Monday to request exemptions.

Air Force Col. Robert Corby, commander of the 28th Medical Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base, said that after the vaccine became mandatory in late August, appointments for shots at the base clinic doubled. He said troops have an array of questions and concerns, and commanders, chaplains and medical personnel are providing information.

I think you also have a segment of the population that probably does not feel that they are really at risk for COVID-19, he added.

Air Force Capt. Molly Lawlor, 28th Bomb Wing chaplain, said a very small percentage are seeking a religious exemption at the base. People are just trying to figure out how this new requirement fits into their belief system and the decisions that they want to make, she said.

The more than 765,000 Defense Department civilians will be close behind the Air Force, with a mandated vaccine date of Nov. 22. Supervisors are grappling with the complex task of checking and recording the vaccine status of their workers, and determining who will be the final exemption arbiter.

Civilians have until Nov. 8 to seek an exemption, and as of last week, fewer than half had provided vaccination proof. Those who refuse the vaccine and dont get an exemption will get five days for counseling. If they still refuse, they will be suspended for up to 14 days without pay, and could then be fired.

Vaccination numbers fluctuate for the military services, and drop off considerably for the National Guard and Reserve.

A bit more than half of the Army National Guard has gotten at least one shot, while the Air Guard is at 87%. Air Guard members must be fully vaccinated by early December, while the Army Guard, which is much larger and more widely scattered around the country, has until June,.

The most successful service has been the Navy, which says that only 1% of the force is unvaccinated as of last week  or about 3,500 sailors. The Air Force and Space Force was second, with 3.6% unvaccinated, followed by the Army and Marine Corps at about 7%.

Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, told The Associated Press that even before the shots were mandated, some warships were seeing vaccination rates of 98%-99%.

We feel like weve been leading the way across the services, he said. Weve been promoting the vaccines since we started vaccinating last December, January timeframe. For those who dont want the vaccine, well deal with those on an individual basis as those challenges come up, he said.

Marine Col. Speros Koumparakis, commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, said that the number of Marines who have requested exemptions at the base is fewer than two dozen, and most of those are seeking religious exemptions.

He said chaplains and pastors have been made available to discuss the religious issues, and he does the initial review of any request. But ultimately, decisions may be made by personnel leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

The nearly 350,000 Navy sailors and more than 179,000 Marines must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 28, and the reserves by Dec. 28. The Army, the militarys largest service at nearly 490,000, has given active duty soldiers until Dec. 15 to be fully vaccinated. Army National Guard and Reserve have until June 30, 2022. There are a total of almost 800,000 Guard and Reserve troops, with the Army accounting for more than 520,000 of them.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  It may lack the drama and high-stakes of last year's presidential election, but New Yorkers are still making important decisions Tuesday in elections to pick mayors, prosecutors, county leaders and other local positions.

Voters in New York City will pick a new mayor. In Buffalo, a mayoral race between a moderate and self-described socialist has gained attention as the latest fight over how Democrats should best tackle the plight of the poor and working class.

Voters statewide will get to decide whether to tweak the states constitution to pave the way for election and environmental reforms favored by advocacy groups and the Democratic-led Legislature.

Here is a look at some top contests:

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BUFFALO MAYOR RACE

Community activist India Walton is the only candidate on the ballot after her victory in the Democratic primary, but she is still facing a vigorous write-in challenge from incumbent Mayor Byron Brown.

Walton shocked the four-term mayor in the June Democratic primary. But Brown has refused to quit. Some polls have shown him favored in the general election, but it isn't clear whether enough supporters will write his name in on their ballots.

Walton would be Buffalo's first female mayor and the first to identify as a democratic socialist.

Brown would become the first person to win a major race as a write-in candidate in the state, and  if he gets a fifth term  Buffalos longest-serving mayor.

Results in the race might not be known right away. Tabulation of write-in votes won't start until several days after the election.

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NYC MAYOR RACE

Former New York City police captain and Brooklyn Borough president Eric Adams, a Democrat, is heavily favored over Republican Curtis Sliwa in Tuesdays race to become the next mayor of the biggest U.S. city.

Adams, who would be the citys second Black mayor, ran as a moderate in a crowded primary field.

Sliwa, founder of 1970s-era Guardian Angel anti-crime patrol, has called for hiring 3,000 more police officers and has tried to portray Adams as an out-of-touch elitist.

Adams has vowed to address public safety and inequality and make government more efficient.

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VOTING AND REDISTRICTING

New Yorkers are voting on several proposed changes to the state constitution, including two that could make it easier to vote.

One proposed constitutional change would remove a requirement that people must register to vote at least 10 days before an election.

Another change would make it possible for the legislature to make mail-in voting permanent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the state has allowed any voters fearful of the virus to vote by mail, but Democrats want to make that permanent.

Before the pandemic, you had to be sick or out of town to vote with an absentee ballot.

Another ballot measure would alter New Yorks process of drawing the boundaries of congressional and legislative districts. Republicans and some election rights groups say the referendum gives Democratic supermajorities too much power.

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ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHT

New York could also join a handful of states that have passed constitutional amendments giving people the right to a clean environment.

A measure on the ballot would approve adding the right to clean water, clean air, and a healthful environment to New Yorks state constitution.

Pennsylvania passed the nation's first such right in 1971.

Supporters say the amendment will require the government to consider environmental effects early on in policy-making and allow New Yorkers to sue when it fails to do so.

Republicans and the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York say New York will see a flood of costly lawsuits.

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MANHATTAN DAS RACE

Civil rights lawyer and former federal prosecutor Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, will become Manhattan's first Black district attorney if he wins Tuesday's contest with Republican attorney Thomas Kenniff.

Bragg is heavily favored in a part of the city where Democrats drastically outnumber Republicans.

The winner will succeed retiring District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and take on high-profile cases including the prosecution of former President Donald Trumps company and its longtime finance chief on tax fraud charges.

Bragg has promised to improve transparency and trust and look to alternatives to prosecution for some low-level offenses.

Kenniff, a former prosecutor, says hell be a more traditional tough-on-crime prosecutor.

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STATEN ISLAND BOROUGH PRESIDENT

Former U.S. Rep. Vito Fossella is trying to make a political comeback in a run for the partly ceremonial Office of Staten Island Borough President.

Fossella left Congress in 2009 following a 2008 drunken driving arrest and revelations he had fathered a child during an extramarital affair in Virginia. At the time, he was New York City's only Republican in Congress.

He received a key endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who remains popular in some parts of the Republican-leaning borough.

Fossella is competing against businessman Mark. S. Murphy, a Democrat, and Conservative Party candidate Leticia Remauro.
WASHINGTON (AP)  China's growing military muscle and its drive to end American predominance in the Asia-Pacific is rattling the U.S. defense establishment. American officials see trouble quickly accumulating on multiple fronts  Beijing's expanding nuclear arsenal, its advances in space, cyber and missile technologies, and threats to Taiwan.

The pace at which China is moving is stunning, says Gen. John Hyten, the No. 2-ranking U.S. military officer, who previously commanded U.S. nuclear forces and oversaw Air Force space operations.

At stake is a potential shift in the global balance of power that has favored the United States for decades. A realignment more favorable to China does not pose a direct threat to the United States but could complicate U.S. alliances in Asia. New signs of how the Pentagon intends to deal with the China challenge may emerge in coming weeks from Biden administration policy reviews on nuclear weapons, global troop basing and overall defense strategy.

For now, officials marvel at how Beijing is marshaling the resources, technology and political will to make rapid gains  so rapid that the Biden administration is attempting to reorient all aspects of U.S. foreign and defense policy.

The latest example of surprising speed was China's test of a hypersonic weapon capable of partially orbiting Earth before reentering the atmosphere and gliding on a maneuverable path to its target. The weapon system's design is meant to evade U.S. missile defenses, and although Beijing insisted it was testing a reusable space vehicle, not a missile, the test appeared to have startled U.S. officials.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the test was very close to being a Sputnik moment, akin to the 1957 launching by the Soviet Union of the world's first space satellite, which caught the world by surprise and fed fears the United States had fallen behind technologically. What followed was a nuclear arms and space race that ultimately bankrupted the Soviet Union.

Milley and other U.S. officials have declined to discuss details of the Chinese test, saying they are secret. He called it very concerning for the United States but added that problems posed by China's military modernization run far deeper.

Thats just one weapon system, he said in a Bloomberg Television interview. "The Chinese military capabilities are much greater than that. Theyre expanding rapidly in space, in cyber and then in the traditional domains of land, sea and air.

On the nuclear front, private satellite imagery in recent months has revealed large additions of launch silos that suggest the possibility that China plans to increase its fleet of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, says China appears to have about 250 ICBM silos under construction, which he says is more than 10 times the number in operation today. The U.S. military, by comparison, has 400 active ICBM silos and 50 in reserve.

Pentagon officials and defense hawks on Capitol Hill point to China's modernization as a key justification for rebuilding the U.S. nuclear arsenal, a project expected to cost more than $1 billion over 30 years, including sustainment costs.

Fiona Cunningham, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania and a specialist in Chinese military strategy, says a key driver of Beijings nuclear push is its concerns about U.S. intentions.

I dont think Chinas nuclear modernization is giving it a capability to pre-emptively strike the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and that was a really important generator of competition during the Cold War, Cunningham said in an online forum sponsored by Georgetown University. But what it does do is to limit the effectiveness of U.S. attempts to pre-emptively strike the Chinese arsenal.

Some analysts fear Washington will worry its way into an arms race with Beijing, frustrated at being unable to draw the Chinese into security talks. Congress also is increasingly focused on China and supports a spending boost for space and cyber operations and hypersonic technologies. There is a push, for example, to put money in the next defense budget to arm guided-missile submarines with hypersonic weapons, a plan initiated by the Trump administration.

For decades, the United States tracked China's increased defense investment and worried that Beijing was aiming to become a global power. But for at least the last 20 years, Washington was focused more on countering al-Qaida and other terrorist threats in Iraq and Afghanistan. That began to change during the Trump administration, which in 2018 formally elevated China to the top of the list of defense priorities, along with Russia, replacing terrorism as the No. 1 threat.

For now, Russia remains a bigger strategic threat to the United States because its nuclear arsenal far outnumbers China's. But Milley and others say Beijing is a bigger long-term worry because its economic strength far exceeds that of Russia, and it is rapidly pouring resources into military modernization.

At the current pace of China's military investment and achievement, Beijing will surpass Russia and the United States in overall military power in coming years if we don't do something to change it, said Hyten, who is retiring in November after two years as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It will happen.

The Biden administration says it is determined to compete effectively with China, banking on a network of allies in Asia and beyond that are a potential source of strength that Beijing cannot match. That was central to the reasoning behind a Biden decision to share highly sensitive nuclear propulsion technologies with Australia, enabling it to acquire a fleet of conventionally armed submarines to counter China. Although this was a boost for Australia, it was a devastating blow to Washington's oldest ally, France, which saw its $66 billion submarine sale to Australia scuttled in the process.

Taiwan is another big worry. Senior U.S. military officers have been warning this year that China is probably accelerating its timetable for capturing control of Taiwan, the island democracy widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic U.S.-China war.

The United States has long pledged to help Taiwan defend itself, but it has deliberately left unclear how far it would go in response to a Chinese attack. President Joe Biden appeared to abandon that ambiguity when he said Oct. 21 that America would come to Taiwan's defense if it were attacked by China.

We have a commitment to do that," Biden said. The White House later said he was not changing U.S. policy, which does not support Taiwanese independence but is committed to providing defensive arms.

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Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
AMES, Iowa (AP)  Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man outside the Elks Lodge in Ames where a Halloween party was being held.

Stashaun Brown, 23, of Des Moines, died from his injuries in the late Friday night shooting, police said. Officers were called just before midnight Friday to the lodge for reports of shots fired in a crowd of about 100 people.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polish protesters paid tribute Monday to a woman who died in the 22nd week of pregnancy, with reproductive rights activists saying she is the first person to die as a result of a restriction of Poland's abortion law.

People lit candles on All Saint's Day, a religious holiday when Poles visit cemeteries and mourn the dead. They placed the candles in front of Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw, which issued a ruling last year that led to the tightening of what was already one of Europe's most restrictive abortion laws.

Women's Strike, a group fighting for reproductive rights, called for the protests, which took place in Warsaw and Krakow.

Poland, a mostly Catholic country, passed a strict law in 1993 that banned abortions except in three cases: if the pregnancy results from rape or incest; if the womans life or health is at risk; or if the fetus had congenital deformities. But the Constitutional Tribunal, under the influence of Poland's conservative ruling party, ruled last year that abortions for congenital defects were not constitutional.

A lawyer specializing in medical malpractice, Jolanta Budzowska, wrote on social media Friday about the death of the woman who whose fetus lacked amniotic fluid. She said the doctors waited for the fetus to die, and after that the woman died from septic shock. Budzowska called the death the consequence of the constitutional court's ruling.

She and the family issued a statement with more details on Monday, saying the woman was 30, died Sept. 22 at a hospital in Pszczyna in southern Poland, and left behind a husband and daughter.

They said the woman told family and friends in messages from the hospital that doctors were taking a wait-and-see attitude and not terminating the pregnancy immediately due to the restrictions on legal abortions.

The lawyer and the family said prosecutors in Katowice were investigating the case.

Jerzy Kwasniewski, president of Ordo Iuris, an ultraconservative Catholic group that had lobbied for the abortion restriction, warned that people should not jump to conclusions until the investigation takes place.

In theory, the woman should have been able to terminate the pregnancy if her life was at risk. But reproductive rights activists argue that restrictive abortion laws tend to make doctors fearful of terminating pregnancies even in legal cases.

When the laws are very repressive and carry sanctions for doctors, they tend to interpret the law even more rigidly than the wording of the law to avoid taking personal risks, said Irene Donadio with the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
CHICAGO (AP)  A Chicago police sergeant has been charged for allegedly shooting at car thieves while off duty in the busy parking lot of a suburban store.

Oneta Sampson Carney, 58, appeared in court Sunday and faces a single count of reckless discharge of a firearm. A bond proffer identified her as an off-duty Chicago police officer. Carney was ordered held on $5,000 bail.
LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II urged world leaders attending the U.N. climate summit to rise above the politics of the moment," saying in a video message Monday that she hoped they could work together for the sake of future generations.

The 95-year-old monarch had been expected to attend the Glasgow meeting, but she had to cancel the trip after doctors said she should rest and not travel. The queen recently underwent medical checks and spent the night at a London hospital -- her first hospital stay in years.

In the video message, recorded last week at Windsor Castle and played Monday during a welcoming reception for presidents and prime ministers, the queen said many people hoped leaders at the summit recognize that the time for words has now moved to the time for action.

I, for one, hope that this conference will be one of those rare occasions where everyone will have the chance to rise above the politics of the moment, and achieve true statesmanship, she said. History has shown that when nations come together in common cause, there is always room for hope."

In a tribute to Prince Philip, my dear late husband, the queen said she was happy to welcome the delegates because the environment was a subject close to Philips heart. In a rare public display of emotion, she said she could not be more proud that Philips environmental efforts live on through the work of their eldest son, Prince Charles, and his son Prince William.

The monarch, who has reigned for 70 years, closed with a poignant line about future generations.

Of course, the benefits of such actions will not be there to enjoy for all of us here today: we none of us will live forever, she said. But we are doing this not for ourselves but for our children and our childrens children, and those who will follow in their footsteps.

The queen has long enjoyed robust health, but her health recently became the subject of headlines after she reluctantly accepted medical advice to cut back on her busy schedule and stick to desk-based duties and virtual audiences for two weeks.

In late October she cancelled a two-day trip to Northern Ireland, but palace officials said it was her firm intention to attend Remembrance Sunday ceremonies on Nov. 14, a major event on the sovereigns calendar.

Buckingham Palace said the queen stayed overnight in a central London hospital last week for preliminary investigations," in her first such hospital stay in eight years.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday that the queen was on very good form during their regular weekly meeting.
AP

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  A Roman Catholic priest who had been serving as pastor at a church in Providence is facing child pornography charges, according to Rhode Island State Police.

The Rev. James Jackson, 66, was arrested on Saturday after a court-authorized search warrant was executed at St. Mary's church and rectory. The search uncovered digital media containing child pornography and police identified Jackson as the owner, according to a statement Sunday from State Police Col. James Manni.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  A medical issue has sidelined one of four astronauts assigned to SpaceXs upcoming flight to the International Space Station and delayed the launch, officials said Monday.

NASA said the launch is now off until Saturday night at the earliest. Liftoff had been scheduled for this past Sunday, but bad weather offshore bumped it to Wednesday. It's the first time in decades that a U.S. flight has been delayed by a crew member's health.

Officials would not say which astronaut is affected. They described it as a minor medical issue and said it is unrelated to COVID-19. The one German and three U.S. astronauts  who range in age from 34 to 61  have been quarantined for two weeks as usual before a spaceflight.

Once on their way, Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron and the European Space Agency's Matthias Maurer will move into the space station for six months, replacing four astronauts who have been living up there since April. NASA prefers launching the new crew before bringing back the old one so they can have a face-to-face handover, but is considering all options in light of the latest delay.

In 1990, a shuttle launch was delayed when the flight's commander came down with a cold. And in 1970, an astronaut was yanked from Apollo 13 shortly before launch after being exposed to German measles. He never came down with measles, and later joined the herculean effort in Houston to save his colleagues from their aborted moon mission.

More recently, two Russian cosmonauts were replaced a couple months before their 2020 launch to the space station, after one of them suffered an eye injury.

Earlier Monday afternoon, Maurer tweeted a photo of himself on the beach at Kennedy Space Center, holding a large garbage bag.

Ive been relaxing during my quarantine by collecting rubbish on the beach, he wrote. Sadly, this is not the only bag I filled. We really need to think about our environmental impact on Earth and in space. Clean oceans, clean space! Its up to all of us.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
PORT HURON, Mich. (AP)  A state agency said it will dismiss a COVID-19 workplace violation against Port Huron after the city aggressively fought the case and revealed questionable acts by an inspector.

Port Huron spent more on its defense than the $6,300 fine proposed by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, known as MIOSHA.

City Manager James Freed told The Detroit News that the citation against the city was a sloppy attempt to disparage city employees and an example of unfair enforcement during the pandemic.

My heart breaks for all the small businesses and mom-and-pops that didnt have an expert legal team, who didnt have the resources to put MIOSHA under oath, Freed said.

After a July 2020 visit, state inspector Matthew Hartman said Port Huron didn't require masks, failed to keep proper records and didn't follow health screening rules. The city denied the allegations and fought the case.

Port Huron's lawyers put Hartman through a formal interview. He said he burned his notes from the investigation and destroyed emails from a supervisor.

MIOSHA recently signaled that it plans to drop the case, after being told that Port Huron planned to take a deposition from director Bart Pickelman.

There can be many reasons that prompt the dismissal of a MIOSHA citation, and a dismissal can be a sign that the appeals process is working, spokeswoman Erica Quealy said.

Freed said it was disappointing to see Port Huron highlighted in a MIOSHA press release about violations. He questioned Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's remarks in which she said only employers that had flouted COVID-19 rules were being targeted.

Will the governor now issue a statewide apology and press release for our employees? Its all just so disheartening," he said.

Rich Studley of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce said many businesses can't afford the legal fees that come with fighting a citation.

Businesses will follow the Port Huron case very closely because hundreds and hundreds of businesses have had the same kind of experience that was visited on Port Huron, he said.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Vel Phillips, Wisconsins first Black secretary of state, will be honored with a statue on the state's Capitol grounds, a state board decided Monday.

The Capitol and Executive Residence Board voted unanimously to erect the statue of Phillips, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Phillips, who died in 2018, broke a number of gender and race barriers throughout her career: The first Black woman to graduate from the UW-Madison School of Law and the first woman, as well as Black person, to serve on the Milwaukee City Council and to become a Wisconsin judge.
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP)  A series of fires set in the same general area of Pawtucket within minutes of each other early Monday morning are connected and are being investigated as arson, investigators said.

Firefighters reponded to fires at two homes, two businesses and a vehicle in the predawn hours starting at about 2:45 a.m., state officials said. No injuries were reported.
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP)  The schools superintendent in Vermont's largest city is recommending that the district focus on building a new high school and technical center on the site of the old buildings that were closed a year ago after chemical contamination was found in the school.

Superintendent Tom Flanagan posted a memo on Friday ahead of Tuesday's School Board meeting, writing: I recommend that the School Board direct all future design efforts to focus on the Institute Road - North property. I believe it is critically important for the health of our city and our schools that this decision be made without delay," the Burlington Free Press reported.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court won't hear a lawsuit challenging the makeup of the Ohio Elections Commission.

The high court turned away the case Monday. As is typical, it did not comment in doing so. Ohio's seven-member commission has three Democrats, three Republicans and one member chosen by the other members who is not affiliated with a political party.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP)  Police in a North Carolina city are investigating two separate weekend incidents in which three people were shot and killed and another person was hospitalized.

Greensboro police responding to a report of a gunshot at an intersection early Saturday found two people with gunshot wounds, WGHP reported.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Tonga's main island will go into lockdown for a week after the South Pacific nation reported its first case of the coronavirus, the government said Monday.

The far-flung archipelago identified its first virus case last week, after a traveler arriving from New Zealand tested positive and isolated at a quarantine hotel.

Tongas Prime Minister Pohiva Tuionetoa said the lockdown would begin just after midnight on Tuesday and apply only to the island of Tongatapu, where a majority of the population live.

The nations Cabinet ordered the move to ensure the safety and health of our people, news website Matangi Tonga reported.

The lockdown will mean schools, bars and restaurants will be closed, and nighttime curfews imposed. People will be required to isolate at home unless they are buying groceries or medicine, getting medical help, or accessing banking services.

News of the case has prompted hundreds of Tongans to line up at vaccination sites around the country. About 31% of Tongans are fully vaccinated and 48% have had at least one dose, according to research group Our World in Data.

The infected traveler was among 215 passengers who arrived on a flight from Christchurch on Wednesday.

Christchurch had been free from the virus for months until last week, when several community cases were reported.

New Zealand health officials said the traveler to Tonga was fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and had returned a negative test before leaving for Tonga.

Tonga is among the few remaining nations in the world that have avoided outbreaks of the virus due to its isolation.

The nearby nation of Fiji avoided significant outbreaks until April, when the delta variant ripped through the island chain, infecting more than 50,000 people and killing at least 673.

Tonga's frontline workers  including health staff, police officers and airport staff  who were on duty when the plane arrived had also been put into quarantine.

Located northeast of New Zealand, Tonga is home to about 106,000 people.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  U.S. President Joe Biden said there's only a fifty-fifty chance that the U.S. Congress and Senate would approve a Turkish request to buy American-made F-16 warplanes, but pledged to do his best to ensure that the sale goes through, Turkey's president said on Monday.

Speaking on his return from the Group of 20 nations summit in Rome late on Sunday, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also told journalists aboard his plane that his meeting with Biden was held in a very positive atmosphere despite the often testy relationship between the two NATO allies.

Turkey was kicked out of a U.S. program to buy F-35 combat planes while Turkish defense officials were sanctioned after the country bought Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. The U.S. says the Russian missiles pose a threat to the F-35 and strongly objects to their use within the NATO alliance.

Turkey wants to recover a $1.4 billion payment that it made before it was expelled from the F-35 program. Erdogan has previously said the U.S. proposed selling F-16 fighter jets to make up for it.

As you know, we have a payment of $1.4 billion. On this issue, we negotiated the procurement of F-16s. I have not seen any negative attitude from (Biden) in this regard, Erdogan said. His comments were reported by the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper and other media.

The Turkish leader went on to quote Biden as saying: As you know, the situation is fifty-fifty, but I will do my best.

Erdogan said the two also discussed cooperation in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and the eastern Mediterranean where tensions between NATO allies Greece and Turkey - as well as neighboring Cyprus - have been ratcheted up over competing energy claims. Talks also focused on increased increased economic and trade cooperation, Erdogan said.

Turkey denies that the Russian missile system poses a security risk, insisting that the S-400s could be used independently without being integrated into NATO systems. The Turkish president has also said his country could purchase a second Russian missile system, despite controversy surrounding the initial purchase.

Turkey and the United States also strongly differ over the role of Syrian Kurdish fighters who are a key Washington ally in the battle against the Islamic State group. Turkey regards the fighters as terrorists affiliated with outlawed Kurdish militants fighting inside Turkey, and demands that Washington halt its support to the group.

If we are allies in NATO, our partners in NATO should not attempt such a thing, Erdogan said. He reiterated that Turkey was prepared to carry out another offensive inside Syria to chase Kurdish militants if the need arises.

Erdogan was due to fly on to Glasgow to attend the COP26 climate summit, but decided to return to Turkey instead. He later told reporters a dispute with Britain over protocol standards was the reason behind his decision to miss out on the summit.
BUSIA, Uganda (AP)  Dressed in his school uniform, Mathias Okwako jumped into the mud and started his daily search for gold, a commodity that may be closer to his grasp than another precious asset: an education.

His rural school in Uganda sits idle just across the road from the swamp where he and scores of children now work as informal miners. Weeds grow in some classrooms, where window frames have been looted for firewood. Another school nearby is renting out rooms to tenants.

Ugandas schools have been fully or partially shut for more than 77 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the longest disruption anywhere in the world, according to figures from the U.N. cultural agency.

And unlike many parts of the globe, where lessons moved online, most public schools, which serve the vast majority of children in this East African country, were unable to offer virtual schooling.

In the void left, some students got married. Some are dealing with unwanted pregnancies. Others, like 17-year-old Okwako, found jobs.

The pandemic has manufactured outcasts, a lost generation of learners now in a battle of how to fit in, said Moses Mangeni, an official with the local government in Busia, where Okwako lives.

Efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 have disrupted the lives of children in every corner of the globe, squeezing their parents, complicating their care, and often removing their safety nets. Perhaps most crucially, it has thrown their schooling into chaos.

The result is the biggest global education emergency of our time, according to the aid group Save the Children, which last month identified 48 countries, including Uganda, whose school systems are at extreme or high risk of collapse. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa, a region long marked by high dropout rates and a shortage of qualified teachers.

Some other parts of the world that saw protracted closures also struggled to teach students. Mexico, where internet connectivity is low in many places, opted for educational programming via television. Ultimately, the pandemic was devastating for children in Mexico, which saw millions leave school as well as increases in child homicides, teen pregnancies and domestic violence.

In Iraq, remote learning was similarly limited and unequal, according to the World Bank.

Some wealthier countries fared better. In Kuwait, because most public schools weren't equipped to go online when the virus first struck, all schooling was suspended for seven months in 2020. But then the oil-rich Gulf Arab sheikhdom poured $212 million into an e-learning platform, and all schools went online. The rollout is considered a success.

But in Uganda there is no success to speak of.

The country first shut down its schools in March 2020, shortly after the first coronavirus case was confirmed on the African continent. Some classes were reopened to students in February, but a total lockdown was imposed again in June as the country faced its first major surge. It is now the only country in Africa where schools remain closed  though President Yoweri Museveni announced last week that they would reopen in January.

That comes as virus cases have tapered off in recent months, with the country now recording an average of 70 new infections each day and a couple of deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. So far, Uganda has fully vaccinated about 700,000 of its 44 million people.

First lady Janet Museveni, who is the country's education minister, has rejected criticism that the government isn't doing enough to teach kids. In a speech in October, she asked why our children cannot be safe at home. What happened to the family?

The problem, some Ugandans say, is that the government hasnt found a successful way to keep up learning during lockdown. A suggested national program to broadcast lessons via free radio sets didnt materialize, and in rural areas many children dont have learning materials of any kind.

As elsewhere, schools typically also provide a refuge to vulnerable children: They may be fed there or receive their routine childhood vaccinations or have access to other services not easily available at home.

But in Ugandas poorest homes, children are now often left to their own devices, without the private tutoring or Zoom lessons that wealthy families can afford.

In Busia, even before the pandemic, the sight of kids peddling goods in the streets wasn't uncommon. Things have only become worse.

Many children who spoke to The Associated Press expressed hopelessness amid the protracted lockdown.

Okwako, who said he was wearing his school uniform while searching for gold because he had nothing else to put on, sought work out of boredom but regrets that the tiring days leave him little energy to study on his own.

No time (for) reading books, he said. If you try to open a book, you just go asleep, and sleep up to tomorrow.

At the informal gold mine, students toil alongside adults, including some of their teachers, under the scorching sun. Witnesses said the risks and frustrations of the precarious work have led to fistfights, and some children have broken limbs while digging.

A typical day can bring in just over $2, enough for a child to buy a pair of used shoes. Okwako is proud of the two pigs he bought with his earnings. Other children said they use the money help to look after their families, regularly buying salt or soap.

We come here to make money, said 16-year-old Annet Aita, whose job is to wash the sandy soil in which gold dust is trapped, using highly toxic mercury.

But work also provides a refuge from other dangers that stalk those not in school. Aita said she felt more fortunate than some friends who got pregnancies at home.

Teacher Francis Adungosi said he now works at the mine from Monday to Monday and warned that he will need a refresher course before going back to the classroom.

As for his students, "they are traumatized. Remember they are having a lot of challenges. Some of them are pregnant. Some have already got married. Handling those children is going to be so tasking.

That's for those who go back. Many say they won't.

Some of the children now say, we dont recall what we read, so why should we go back? said Gilbert Mugalanzi, of the group Somero Uganda, which carried out a survey in November to assess how the pandemic was affecting schoolchildren in parts of Busia.

At Okwako's Mawero Primary School, teacher Emmy Odillo said he expects a small fraction of the 400 students to return next year.

Others have similarly low expectations.

Bosco Masaba, the director of studies at Busia Central Primary School, the private school nearby that has been converted into rentals, said he regularly sees some students in the streets selling tomatoes or eggs. He heard that some girls became domestic workers across the border in Kenya.

Some, they have lost hope completely, Masaba said.

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Christopher Sherman in Mexico City, Zeina Karam in Beirut, and Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  U.S. wildlife officials have agreed to keep federal protections in place for the snow-loving Canada lynx, under a court settlement approved Monday by a judge in Montana.

The settlement by the U.S. Interior Department comes after wildlife advocates sued to retain protections for the rare and elusive wild cats, which have been listed as a threatened species since 2000.

Under the Trump administration, officials said l ynx had recovered in some areas and protections were no longer needed.

Independent scientists and wildlife advocates warned climate change could undo that progress by reducing lynx habitat and the availability of a key food source  snowshoe hares.

Canada lynx are about the size of bobcats, but with huge paws to help them navigate deep snow. There is no reliable estimate of their population. That has left officials to rely on information about lynx habitat and hare populations to gauge the species status.

Their protected status has interrupted numerous logging and road-building projects on federal lands, frustrating industry groups and Western lawmakers.

The 2018 move to end protections came when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists shortened the government's time span for considering climate change threats, from 2100 to 2050, because of what officials said were uncertainties in long-term climate models.

A government assessment based on that shortened time span concluded lynx populations remained resilient and even have increased versus historical levels in parts of Colorado and Maine.

The animals also are found in Montana, Minnesota, Idaho, Washington state and occasionally Michigan.

A new recovery plan for lynx is due by 2024 under the terms of the deal approved Monday by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula, Montana.

This is the right decision, and the administration should be commended for it, said attorney Matthew Bishop, who represents Friends of the Wild Swan, WildEarth Guardians and other environmental groups in the case.

There's no uncertainty climate change is happening," Bishop added. "The only uncertainty is over the timing and magnitude of it. But that shouldn't keep a species from being listed."

Federal wildlife officials did not immediately respond to questions about the settlement.

Under an earlier assessment of lynx, published in December 2016, U.S. government biologists predicted some populations would disappear by 2100. That was based on models predicting widespread and substantial changes to the animals snowy habitat because of climate change.

A similar conclusion was reached by the agency in 2014 for another snow-loving creature  the North American wolverine. In that case, a federal judge rejected the governments decision not to give wolverines protections, saying the animal was squarely in the path of climate change.

After reevaluating the issue, the Fish and Wildlife Service said last year that it was no longer seeking protections for wolverines. Agency officials said some areas of the Rocky Mountains will retain enough snow in a warming world for wolverines to successfully den and breed.

A legal challenge to the wolverine decision is pending.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Biden administration said Monday it welcomes a private mission to Myanmar by former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson as a possible way to help speed humanitarian access to the country.

The State Department said Richardson was making the trip on his own but that it hoped he could help convince Myanmars leaders to allow in much needed aid for the coronavirus pandemic and other urgent needs.

"Governor Richardson has extensive experience working on humanitarian issues," the department said. While this is not an effort sponsored by, or on behalf of, the United States government, we hope his trip contributes to improved humanitarian access.

The humanitarian and health needs in Burma are extraordinary, it said, using Myanmar's other name. We continue to call on the military regime to cease its violence, release those unjustly detained, allow unimpeded humanitarian access, and ensure the safety of health and humanitarian workers.

The former U.N. envoy and governor of New Mexico announced on Sunday he was heading to Myanmar on a visit that would focus on pandemic support. "In moments of crisis and instability such as this one, we must ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to those most in need, he said.

Myanmar has been mired in violence and civil unrest since a military coup seized power in February. Protesters have faced beatings and arrests. Since February, security forces have killed more than 1,200 people, including at least 131 detainees tortured to death.

Richardson said his center  The Richardson Center  has a long history of involvement in Myanmar, but did not mention the coup in his trip announcement or detail who he planned to meet with while there. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres was aware of the mission, said Richardson spokesperson Madeleine Mahony.

Mahony declined to say whether Richardson would also be working for the release of American journalist Danny Fenster who has been jailed in Myanmar since May 24. Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport as he was about to board a flight to the United States. He is the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, an online magazine based in Yangon, Myanmars biggest city.

Fenster was charged with incitement  also known as sedition  for allegedly spreading false or inflammatory information. The offense is punishable by up to three years in prison.

Richardson last visited Myanmar in 2018 to advise on the Rohingya crisis. He ended up quitting an international panel set up to work on findings from a previous commission after armed forces were accused of carrying out rapes and killings of Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state. Myanmar has denied the allegations.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP)  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of a former Connecticut nurse convicted of killing and dismembering his college student girlfriend in 2013.

Jermain Richards, of Bridgeport, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison for the killing of Alyssiah Marie Wiley, a 20-year-old sophomore at Eastern Connecticut State University. Her partial remains were found about a mile and a half (2.4 kilometers) from Richards' home.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  Thousands of Vermont state employees returned to their state offices on Monday for the first time since the start of the pandemic but some will continue working from home in some form.

On Monday, the telework policies for state employees went from informal to formal, WCAX-TV reported. As of Friday, 2,800 state employees, or about 30%, has been approved for telework, with many opting for a hybrid model, averaging about three days a week remotely.

On Monday, Sheila Sayha was back at her office after working from home for the last year and a half.

It definitely had its ups and downs, she said. I didnt have my standing workstation, and that was kind of tough.

Nearby, Harold Schwartz said he had mixed feelings about returning, balancing his 30-minute commute with the benefits of in-person interactions, the news station reported.

I like seeing the people in the office, so thats nice, too, he said.

The Vermont State Employees Association wanted to push back the deadline for people to return to their offices until Jan. 1 to let the delta wave of the coronavirus run its course and to allow time for kids to get vaccinated.

I think a lot of people are concerned about what happens when kids are quarantined and they dont have child care. I dont know how thats going to work under the governors policy, Howard said.

More than 88% of state employees are vaccinated and unvaccinated people have to wear masks and get tested.

If there is an incident where an employee has to stay home where their child may have to quarantine, a supervisor has the flexibility to say if you can telework, telework," said Vermont Human Resources Commissioner Beth Fastiggi. Otherwise, you would take a sick day.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  As he explains it, part of why Glenn Youngkin decided to run for Virginia governor was a feeling that the state's beaten and battered Republican Party could do so much better.

That's a polite way to put it. Since Virginia went blue for Barack Obama in 2008, Republicans have been on a downhill slide, the pace of which quickened during President Donald Trump's administration. The GOP, which hasn't won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009, saw its legislative majority melt away.

That long losing streak, and the unusually high hopes surrounding Youngkin, has made his race against Democrat Terry McAuliffe a high-stakes moment for the GOP. Some view it as the last chance to regain a foothold in an increasingly diverse and liberal state, before the party loses a generation of voters and a Southern battleground slips firmly into Democrats' column.

This is the year a Republicans got to win that race, said Patrick McSweeney, a former chair of the Republican Party of Virginia.

The troubles that have sunk Republicans here are familiar well beyond Virginia. In recent years, either the party's hard-line base has backed candidates that don't appeal to the moderate suburbs or mainstream candidates have bowed to far-right positions. The party has also struggled to gain support from nonwhite voters.

But this year, the party nominated a racially and geographically diverse statewide ticket, and Republicans from all factions of the party appear to have rallied around Youngkin, a political newcomer who's proved to be a strong campaigner with appeal well beyond the far-right. Youngkin also appears to be benefiting as voters sour on a Democrat-controlled Washington. Polls suggest the contest, which will likely be the state's most expensive governor's race ever, is a dead heat.

Former Republican state Sen. John Watkins, who spent 34 years in the General Assembly, said he sees Youngkin as a marked improvement over the far right candidates the party nominated in some recent years.

Watkins said he expects Youngkin will be far more competitive than one of those candidates, conservative provocateur Corey Stewart, who lost a 2018 U.S. Senate race against Tim Kaine by 16 percentage points. Stewart, a onetime state chair of Trumps presidential campaign, ran as an immigration hard-liner and outspoken advocate of Confederate imagery, lobbed sharp personal attacks against Kaine and ended up shunned by some fellow GOP congressional candidates.

Youngkin won his party's nomination in May after campaigning as a conservative Christian outsider and making election integrity a top issue, allowing him to appeal to Trump voters who believed the former president's lie that the 2020 election was stolen. He then mostly pivoted to other issues, promising to cut taxes and support law enforcement, and seizing on conservatives frustrations with schools over pandemic policies and race and diversity education.

His advertising has sought to portray him as an affable, suburban dad, and he's kept his distance from Trump, who has endorsed him.

That hasn't kept McAuliffe, who was in office from 2014 to 2018, from trying to make the case that Youngkin is an extremist who would roll back Democrats' list of legislative accomplishments.

From the day he got into this race, Glenn Youngkin has run a campaign of hatred, division and fear, McAuliffe said at a rally Friday.

In just two years in full control of state government, Democrats have instituted transformative public policy changes: reforming the criminal justice system, loosening abortion restrictions, expanding voting access, legalizing marijuana and ending the death penalty.

Also on the ballot this year are races for attorney general and lieutenant governor, plus all 100 seats in the House of Delegates, where Democrats have a 55-45 majority. The Democrat-controlled Senate is not up this year.

For Democrats, everything is on the line," said Democratic Party chair Susan Swecker.

Swecker argued that Democrats are better aligned with Virginia's electorate, which has grown more suburban, more educated and more racially diverse. Republicans have moved too far to the right, she said, opposing abortion rights, voting rights and making Virginia welcoming and open to all."

Youre playing in the corners, and that is not where the people of Virginia are, she said.

Even if Youngkin turns out to be a pitch-perfect candidate, Republicans face demographic challenges. The party's strongholds in the rural southern and western parts of the state are losing population. And while the state is growing more racially diverse, the Virginia GOP remains overwhelmingly white. In 2020, roughly 87% of all Trump voters in Virginia were white, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate.

Youngkin discussed the party's recent losing record in an interview with The Associated Press when asked what led him to politics after retiring from a lucrative career in private equity.

He said he didn't like the direction Virginia was heading under one-party control and saw this year as an opportunity for the GOP to offer a real challenge.

You know the stats. I mean, we havent won a statewide election since Bob McDonnell, he said, a reference to the 2009 governor's race.

One illustration of how Democrats and Republicans have fared in Virginia in recent years is the parties' headquarters.

The Democrats' office is located in a stylish downtown Richmond office building, close to the state Capitol.

The Republicans, meanwhile, have set up shop in a modest building about a mile away on the fringe of downtown, sandwiched between a deli and a hair salon.

The last four years have been particularly demoralizing, said Shaun Kenney, a former executive director of the party.

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel disputed any notion that the state party isn't in fighting shape. She said the national party has been investing in the state, with 100 paid staff on the ground and 13 offices opened for the election. But she acknowledged that a victory Tuesday would give state Republicans a big boost.

Paul Goldman, a former state Democratic Party chair, said the election will offer insight on how blue Virginia's electorate really is. If McAuliffe is able to overcome a fresh candidate with unlimited money, then either Republicans are going to have to change their game or they will only win when the public is really sour on the Democrats," he said.

McSweeney agreed that his party would have a tough road ahead if Youngkin doesn't pull off a victory on Tuesday.

If Glenn cant win, then its going to be very difficult to win in the future for a number of reasons. But principally because people are not going to be as interested in throwing their resources and energy and time into it," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Steve Peoples contributed to this report.
IN SUMMARY

State leaders are going to an international conference to make a statement on California climate change policy. The governor has big shoes to fill compared to former Gov. Jerry Brown.

Update: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday he will not be attending the U.N. climate change conference. His press office cited "family obligations" and said Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis will go in his place. The full statement: "Due to family obligations, Governor Newsom will no longer be traveling to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and will instead be participating virtually, focusing on California's landmark climate change policies. Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis will be lead the California delegation to COP26 in Governor Newsom's stead."

By Rachel Becker

CalMatters

It's what some are calling the last, best chance for world leaders to agree on how to stop catastrophic climate change, and what others say could be fruitless. Either way, California will be well-represented.

The 26th United Nations climate change conference will draw global leaders to Glasgow, Scotland next week, including a 23-member official delegation from California led by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The meeting comes as the extreme impacts of climate change continue to pummel California, which saw torrential rains this week even in the midst of a devastating drought.

"The stakes are high. It's an important issue in California," said Ken Alex, senior policy advisor on climate and environment under former Gov. Jerry Brown and now director of Project Climate at the University of California, Berkeley. Rattling off climate impacts such as drought, flooding, sea level rise and wildfires, Alex added: "It's very real for California. California is going to continue on, but we need to see the world join us."

This year's conference is the first since President Joe Biden took office and rejoined the Paris climate agreement to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution worldwide, marking a seismic shift in the national approach to tackling climate change. It also marks a fundamental change to California's role, no longer battling a federal foe in former President Donald Trump.

"Brown did a wonderful job with the wicked man from Washington -- with saying, 'We are different from them, and we have our own policy,'" said state Sen. Bob Wieckowski, who will be attending the climate conference.

Now, the Fremont Democrat said, Newsom has to go beyond that and show concrete, short-term plans: "He has to write a new chapter on commitment."

Though California doesn't have an official seat at a negotiating table reserved for nations, the conference is a chance for California to burnish its reputation as a climate leader and weigh in on critical issues, such as carbon trading and methane pollution.

It's also a chance for lawmakers, top state environmental officials and Newsom to discuss the state's climate strategy amongst themselves, now that Newsom has survived the Sept. 14 recall election and is laying the groundwork for his 2022 reelection campaign.

Environmental advocates have sent Newsom off to Scotland with a wish list of action items, urging the governor to "meet the moment" by announcing more ambitious climate policies, such as stopping permits for all new oil and gas development.

"Climate-minded voters showed up by the millions for Newsom," Ellie Cohen, CEO of The Climate Center, wrote in a Sacramento Bee commentary. And at the conference, "we're expecting him to show up for us."

Brown, who has appeared at the annual summits, himself, said Newsom has to persuade other leaders about the need for action.

"He'll get ideas from others, and that's good. But most importantly is to get others to do what California is doing so we're not the outlier. We don't want to have rules that the rest of the world doesn't have," Brown told CalMatters. "California's there in an important way because we're a carbon polluter, and we're also a carbon problem solver."

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, however, is more skeptical that the conference would lead to meaningful climate action.

"What does a promise and a pledge mean in the end? Nothing," Schwarzenegger said Wednesday at an environmental justice conference hosted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. "It's just over and over, year after year, they make these pledges. And they come out, they declare victory, but then nothing is getting done. And so this is what I'm worried about."

California enters the conference with some clear climate bona fides. The state reached its 2020 goals to cut greenhouse gas pollution to 1990 levels four years early, scrubbed carbon from the electricity sector with ambitious renewable energy standards, and led the nation with clean car rules.

But California is caught in a balancing act. Despite its climate forward image, California is the seventh largest producer of crude oil in the country. And the state's top clean air regulator has warned that California will need much greater cuts in greenhouse gas pollution to reach its goals, which the state auditor has also said California will fail to meet if it doesn't pick up the pace.

Though hundreds of California local, state and federal candidates and politicians have taken the No Fossil Fuel Money pledge, the executive board of the California Democratic Party voted last weekend to delay a decision and instead study whether to ban contributions from the fossil fuel industry and certain utility companies, including PG&E and Southern California Edison.

"It certainly sends a message that the party doesn't care about climate change," said RL Miller, a member of the Democratic National Committee and president of Climate Hawks Vote, who pushed for the vote.

Newsom has drawn criticism from environmental advocates for not doing more to curb oil and gas production, which disproportionately affects low-income communities of color. Last week, however, he publicly backed tougher rules for oil and gas wells, a move environmental advocates applauded, after ordering a ban on new fracking by 2024.

"Newsom does have a habit of overpromising and under delivering. But I think he has a real opportunity at COP26 to be a transformative leader," Miller said. "People will be listening to the speeches, but equally, listening for action."

'You go because everybody else is going'

The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP26, is part international negotiation, part political stage and part climate palooza. Even with COVID-19 limits, about 190 world leaders and tens of thousands of others are expected to converge on Glasgow, starting Monday. Britain's Queen Elizabeth, however, pulled out at the last minute after a hospital visit.

The program lays out plenary sessions and mandated workshops, but also "innovative spaces and experiences" hosted by major corporations including Microsoft, Hitachi and the British grocery chain Sainsbury's. Attendees can visit creative exhibits from local artists, and a showcase of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

It's like "a trade association meeting, where most of the people who work on these issues get together and get to see each other and talk to each other and reinforce each other," Mary Nichols, the former California Air Resources Board chairperson, told CalMatters.

She has attended a half-dozen of them. "You go because everybody else is going, because it's a good place to see people and follow up or create relationships," Nichols said. "It's a global problem, after all."

This particular conference comes at a pivotal moment, six years after the landmark COP21 where 196 countries adopted the Paris Agreement. The international treaty is aimed at cutting planet-heating greenhouse gas pollution enough to limit global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius.

Global leaders have been hashing out the playbook for the Paris Climate Agreement ever since, negotiating over the role of carbon markets in curbing climate change, how to spur further greenhouse gas cuts, and ensuring funding for developing countries to cover the costs of adapting to a warming world. Though developed nations pledged to contribute $100 billion per year by 2020, they appear to have fallen short.

"Paris set the destination -- limiting warming well below 2 degrees, aiming for 1.5 degrees -- Glasgow must make it a reality, " the COP26 organizers wrote.

Under the Paris agreement, governments around the world developed their own climate action plans to cut emissions. Many updated their pledges in the lead-up to the summit. But a new U.N. report says that the plans fall woefully short -- leading to an increase in global greenhouse gas pollution that could cause temperatures to rise by about 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

"Overshooting the temperature goals will lead to a destabilised world and endless suffering, especially among those who have contributed the least to the (greenhouse gas) emissions in the atmosphere," Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the U.N. climate change secretariat, said in a statement. "We are nowhere near where science says we should be."

A changing landscape for the U.S. and California

Newsom may like to call California a nation-state, but as a sub-national government, it doesn't have an official role in the climate negotiations.

The state has, however, had an outsized voice in international discussions about global warming -- providing a clear example that economic growth and cuts in carbon emissions can happen at the same time, in the same place. In 2015, Brown joined with the leaders of 11 other states and provinces, agreeing to limit global temperatures from climbing more than 2 degrees Celsius. The Under2 Coalition says it has since grown to include 260 governments.

When the Trump administration abandoned the Paris climate accord, Brown stepped in. As a de facto climate leader, he rallied states and regions at the international summit in 2017 -- warning in an interview that "Trump better get on board or get out of the way."

"The stakes for the COP itself are very high, because the U.S. is returning to the fold," said Alex, Brown's climate "concierge." "California has been very steady for a long time. But in the four years of Trump, California stuck to its guns, its economy continued. And now, we have a lot of credibility worldwide."

President Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement almost as soon as he took office in January -- pivoting the federal government into position as California's climate ally, rather than opponent.

As Biden prepares to leave for Europe today, he announced the "framework" for an agreement with fellow Democrats in Congress on a massive climate change and social services spending package that includes $555 billion in clean energy tax credits, incentives and climate resilience investments. That spending would "turn the climate crisis into an opportunity," he said at the White House, by significantly reducing carbon emissions by 2030, growing the domestic clean energy industry, putting electric school buses on the road and promoting environmental justice.

"California's leadership has been challenged in the last four years, but those headwinds now are tailwinds with the Biden administration. We're not sparring partners, we're working partners as it relates to issues of climate change and dealing with the challenges of wildfires," Newsom said when Biden visited California in September to survey fire damage and show his support before the recall election.

All eyes should be on the U.S. and China, Brown said, calling everything else a "distraction." Tensions between the two nations could hinder climate negotiations. "Without Xi Jinping and Biden being able to work together, then everything else will not succeed," he said in an interview Wednesday.

"We're not doing enough, and the national leaders, particularly China and the U.S., have to exert themselves and become more imaginative and do more," Brown said. "The rest of the people are more cheerleading from the stands."

He said the baton on climate change leadership has been passed from governor to governor, starting with Gray Davis, then Schwarzenegger, himself and now Newsom.

"Newsom is carrying the ball to the next level," Brown said. "It's been a continuous movement in the right direction, although not anywhere near where it needs to be to get the job done."

California's lawmakers have plans of their own for the meeting, including a session with members of the Scottish Parliament to discuss the sub-national governments' climate efforts, Wieckowski said. Many in the legislative contingent said they were eager to bring ideas home.

"This was not a good year for climate policy legislation in the Legislature, and I'm anxious to go and see what other people are doing, and get energized by their efforts -- and see if we can't bring it back to California," said Sen. John Laird, a Democrat from Monterey and former Natural Resources Secretary under Brown.

State Sen. Lena Gonzalez, a Democrat from Long Beach and chairperson of the Senate transportation committee, said her focus will be on clean transportation programs, the largest source of greenhouse gases in the state.

"Transportation has become sort of this really sexy topic, but so important as it pertains to reduction of our (greenhouse gas) emissions," Gonzalez said. "I'm looking forward to going as chair of transportation and as someone who has a lot of impacts back home."

Tackling methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, is also on the agenda -- with the U.S. and 31 other countries pledging to cut methane pollution 30 percent by 2030. California made its own pledge in 2016, with a law requiring a 40 percent cut to methane pollution by the same deadline.

"We've had this target in statute for five years," said Katelyn Roedner Sutter, a senior manager with the Environmental Defense Fund, which is co-hosting a methane pavilion at the conference. "And we can say these are the things that we're looking at, and this is what's worked and what hasn't worked."

So is the annual summit a big deal for California? "It is, and it isn't," Alex said. "This is about the U.S. But California really is an example of where we need to head. And California, of course, needs to go faster as well."

Charting a new climate course

Environmental advocates call this meeting an opportunity to regain California's climate ambition.

"The bloom is no longer on the rose of California's general reputation as a leader," said environmental advocate Miller. "California has an opportunity to reclaim its mantle as a leader, but only if Gavin Newsom starts taking seriously the process of winding down the fossil fuel industry."

Part of the conversation at the annual summit will be establishing rules around emissions trading. But independent experts and state lawmakers have raised concerns that California's landmark cap-and-trade program -- the first in the nation to create a carbon market for all segments of the economy -- might be too weak to reach the state's greenhouse gas targets. Nearly a decade after its launch, California has not enticed any other western states to join its cap-and-trade program.

Neena Mohan, climate justice manager for the California Environmental Justice Alliance, said that climate solutions must prioritize direct reductions in emissions and called on Newsom to champion "California's bold actions towards an oil and gas phaseout and end to neighborhood drilling, while sharing the lessons learned from the failures of cap and trade."

As for transportation, the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office said last year it remains largely unclear how effectively California's policies are reducing climate-warming pollution from cars and trucks. The state auditor in February slammed the California Air Resources Board for overestimating the greenhouse gas cuts from clean car incentive programs. Newsom ordered the air board to come up with a plan for phasing out the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, but the regulations are still in the works.

Still, in September, Newsom signed a $15 billion climate package, which The Climate Center's Cohen wrote was "a strong start." And Miller said she was heartened to see Newsom's backing of health and safety buffer zones around new oil and gas wells.

"Newom did survive this recall handily, and I think he's now looking at what he wants to do for not just the remainder of this term but for his next term," Miller said. "And rather than be content with simply implementing the Jerry Brown policies, I think he's genuinely beginning to grapple with phasing out oil production in California."

Brown, asked if he had any advice for Newsom heading to COP26, replied: "That's just a silly question. If I had advice for Newsom, why would I give it to you and not to him?"

"We have a big existential threat. It's going to affect your life negatively ... We have to build political support as best we can."

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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The Pleasanton City Council on Tuesday will consider creating an ordinance requiring gun owners to ether store them in a locked container or keep the firearm's trigger lock engaged.

A staff report for Tuesday's meeting says the law "seeks to curb access to firearms by children and other persons who may be at risk of harming themselves or others."

The report cites a 2016 study published in the American Journal of Public Health saying an estimated 54 percent of gun owners do not lock up all their guns or store them trigger-locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition. It also says in 2020 across the U.S., there were 369 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 142 deaths and 242 injures.

The victim of a shooting Sunday afternoon in San Jose's Edenvale neighborhood died from the injury later that evening in a local hospital.

Officers responded to a 3:36 p.m. report of a shooting in the 5200 block of Great Oaks Parkway, where they found one victim with a life threatening injury, according to a 4:26 p.m. tweet from San Jose Police Department.

At 10:15 p.m., police posted a second tweet that the shooting victim had died, becoming the city's 29th homicide for 2021.

Contra Costa County firefighters knocked down an apartment fire in Pinole on Sunday evening in less than a half hour, despite the blaze going to a second alarm.

The blaze was reported just after 5 p.m. on Sunnyview Drive. The three-story complex was evacuated and no injuries were reported. County animal services also responded to take care of a dog. The fire was out by 5:28 p.m.

Fire investigators haven't determined the cause of the fire.

The Walnut Creek City Council on Tuesday will consider banning the sale of favored tobacco and electronic smoking devices within city limits.

The move is aimed at young smokers, attracted to flavored products for electronic vaping. A staff report for Tuesday's meeting quotes United States Centers for Disease Control statistics saying smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S. (more than 480,000 annually). It also says nearly nine out of every 10 adult smokers try smoking by the age of 18.

The city's ban would be more restrictive than current federal and state laws, though it would provide an exemption for adult-only hookah tobacco businesses. The ordnance would include a five-month enforcement delay to allow retailers to comply with the new restrictions.

The Sonoma County Health Department and the California State Water Resources Board are advising some Cloverdale residents to only use boiled tap water or bottled water, as a water main break on Sunday may have made tap water unsafe to drink.

The advisory goes out to residents on Vista View Drive (numbers 201-263), King Ridge Heights (numbers 15-25), 500 E 3rd Street, Clovercrest Drive (numbers 60,115-490), Block Drive (numbers 25-105), Oak Lane (numbers 10-190), Imperial Drive (numbers 302-405), Middlestadt Lane (numbers 49-60), N. Cloverdale Blvd (numbers 890-894), and 31195 Old Redwood Hwy.

City officials say they will notify residents when tap water is safe to use without boiling, which they anticipate will happen within three days.

Some South Bay parents are enraged after a San Jose school closed several on-campus bathrooms because of vaping.

Administrators at Willow Glen High School temporarily closed four restrooms citing "inappropriate use" of the facilities throughout the day. They informed parents in a letter this week that the closures will allow officials to monitor the remaining restrooms. This is a big problem for Michelle Watson's daughter who is autistic.

A collision involving a single vehicle has closed northbound Port Chicago Highway in Concord early Monday morning.

Concord police are on the scene just north of High School Avenue investigating the collision, which caused a major injury to an unspecified number of people.

Police advise motorists to use alternative routes in a 2:47 a.m. tweet. No further information was provided.

One adult driver was killed and five children were injured late Saturday night, when two vehicles collided head-on on Porter Creek Road, about five miles north of Santa Rosa.

The California Highway Patrol sad an unidentified female was driving a Ford Fusion westbound on Porter Creek Road. Rosa Cachu of Calistoga was driving the opposite direction in a Toyota Highlander, with five children inside, ages 8 to 12.

Shortly after 10 p.m., the Ford drifted into the opposite lane, directly into the Toyota's path, and the vehicles collided head-on, stopping in the eastbound lane facing each other. Cachu and all five children were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with minor to moderate injuries.

The driver of the Ford was pronounced dead at the scene.

The National Weather Service forecast for the greater San Francisco Bay Area calls for wet conditions Monday, especially for the morning commute. Light rain is expected to spread north to south through the day. Daytime highs will range from the lower 60s along the coast to the middle 60s throughout the Bay Area. Showers will linger Monday night, with overnight lows in the 50s.

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.
SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Two eastern Kentucky counties have received more than $14 million from Gov. Andy Beshear to build new vocational education centers.

Beshear on Friday presented $10 million to the Johnson County Board of Education to fund the construction of a new Local Area Vocational Education Center, which will be connected to the new Johnson Central High School, a news release said.




However, according to data updated by the Vietnam Electricity (EVN), by October 29, only 42 out of 106 wind power plants , with a total capacity of 2,131.3 MWs, had been recognized for commercial operation. It is forecasted that many wind power plants out of the remaining 64 projects will not be on schedule for COD recognition, which means they will miss the opportunity to enjoy the preferential electricity purchase and sale mechanism with EVN.According to investors, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing, many projects in the Southern region are behind schedule. As many investors have proposed an extension for wind power projects that had not finished construction due to the Covid-19 pandemic and could not operate before October 31, Mr. Hoang Tien Dung, Director of the Electricity and Energy Department, said that the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) would put forward a transitional processing mechanism for these projects but would not apply the FIT price.The ministry will suggest a handling mechanism on the principle of cost, investment capital, plant operation, and maintenance for investors to negotiate with the power buyer to determine the electricity purchasing price. As for projects starting construction after October 31, 2021, it is compulsory to apply the bidding mechanism for wind power prices. Accordingly, investors will negotiate the selling price with the buyer, following the price bracket prescribed by the MoIT.

By Van Phuc  Translated by Thuy Doan
You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. A podcast created for those who desire a new way of gaining information rather than reading a traditional newspaper. In our show we will discuss everything from sports, pop culture, politics, and local news. To stay up to date on our latest episodes every week be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast service. And dont worry, we keep it short.
RABAT, Morocco (AP)  Protests erupted across cities in Morocco on Sunday against a coronavirus vaccine passport that is required to access indoor activities and travel.

Proof of vaccination has been mandatory since Oct. 21 for all Moroccans to enter their place of work and restaurants and for domestic and international air travel.

The North African kingdoms vaccination rate is the highest in the continent, with more than 58% of its 36 million people fully inoculated.

But a vocal minority is opposed to the abrupt decision to require the vaccine pass, and hundreds of demonstrators marched in the capital of Rabat for the the second time in a week to voice opposition to the rule.

It should be our choice! angry anti-pass protesters shouted just a stones throw from the parliament building.

Some demonstrators attempted to break through a police cordon, and officers responded by using shields to disperse the crowd. Images from the protest showed police arresting some protesters. Others suffered injuries.

Several hundred people also joined a similar protest in Casablanca, the countrys economic hub. Demonstrators in other cities such as Tangiers in the north and Agadir in the south held similar protests.

While Morocco's vaccine passport is required in an unusually large number of places, similar passes are used in many countries and have boosted vaccination rates. Morocco has reported at least 14,000 deaths related to COVID-19.
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The shipment was provided by the Chinese government on Monday under the cooperation between the two countries in fighting the pandemic, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population said in a statement.

Cairo, Nov 2 (IANS) Egypt received a new shipment of donated Chinese Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine, the Chinese Embassy in Egypt said.

"The vaccine is safe and effective," said the Ministry statement, adding the new shipment will be distributed to the vaccination centres after being tested at the laboratories of the Ministry of Health, Xinhua news agency reported.

Egypt has so far received more than 74 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, including AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in addition to China's Sinopharm and Sinovac, according to the statement.

Egypt plans to vaccinate 40 million adults by the end of 2021.

--IANS

int/khz/
Sanjay Gupta and Bhushan Kumar's joint production, 'Visfot' went on the floors last week. Krystle D'Souza who recently made her foray in Bollywood has now joined the star cast of the film which includes Ritesh Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan and Priya Bapat. Krystle's part is pivotal to the story and she has been paired with Fardeen.

Talking about the film, the actress says, "There is no greater thrill as an actor than being called on to be a part of a fantastic script. That's what this film is for me and I am so incredibly grateful to Bhushan sir and Sanjay sir. The story is such a roller coaster ride filled with twists and turns."

On working with Fardeen and Riteish, she says, "I am so kicked to be sharing screen space with the ever so charming Fardeen Khan and the solid Riteish Deshmukh. These actors are so different from each other and there's so much to lap up from them individually when we work together and shooting this will be a fun ride".

Krystle had impressed the audience with her work in 'Chehre' where she featured alongside some prominent names like Emraan Hashmi and Amitabh Bachchan. With 'Visfot', the promising actor seems to be taking a step forward to venture into the space of drama.

'Visfot' directed by Kookie Gulati is the official remake of 2012 Venezuelan drama, 'Rock, Paper and Scissors'. Presented by T-Series and White Feather Films, the film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anuradha Gupta and Sanjay Gupta.

Text: IANS

Images: Krystle on Instagram
Like this year's 'World Leaders' Summit' (WLS), it is not every year that heads of the states visit the COP and/or take part in the deliberations that in turn decide their respective country's policy for climate action. The last time they were at the COP in large numbers was at Paris in 2015 when the major document of Paris Agreement 2015 took shape.

Starting Sunday, the 26th edition of Conference of Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Convention Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is taking place at the UK's Glasgow.

This COP26 is deemed critical because, as warned by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), every additional 0.5 degree of warming will increase heat extremes, extreme precipitation, and droughts and for coastal areas, sea level rise will be a threat to their very existence.

India has a target to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33-35 per cent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels, and it has already achieved 24 per cent by 2016.

"World leaders need to come together in person and put climate change on the world agenda. The WLS before the COP is a good thing because they need to set the tone for the COP to discuss," said Centre for Science and Environment's (CSE) Sunita Narain.

"However, will they actually call out the need for transformational action, will they call out the need for looking at climate justice as the bedrock of climate negotiations moving ahead, I am not sure," she quickly added during a pre-COP media consultation.

Modi, before departing for the G20 and COP26 summits, had said: "In line with our tradition of living in harmony with nature and culture of deep respect for the planet, we are taking ambitious action on expanding clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency, afforestation and bio-diversity."

He had also made clear what are the stakes for India when he declared: "I will also highlight the need to comprehensively address climate change issues including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilisation of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth."

As has been maintained by India, there is no mention of net zero targets. Most of the western world has been pressuring India for declaring net zero goal, which India - and all the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) - has already termed as shifting the goal from 2030 as per the Paris Agreement to a future date.

India has said it will announce its stance at an appropriate time. Rich countries are favouring 2050 as the net zero goal.

The updated synthesis report of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) showed that for all available NDCs of all 192 parties taken together, there would be a sizable increase, of about 16 per cent, in global GHG emissions in 2030 compared to 2010. The country-wise updates had clearly shown how inadequate the action on part of rich nations was, a point that the developing nations have been harping on.

Net zero is absorbing or removing as much carbon as a given unit consumes. Carbon emissions are responsible for global warming and the COP is a platform to negotiate and bring the emissions considerably low to prevent that temperature rise.

Scientists, however, have a word of caution about the concept of net zero. "There is no clarity on what the rich nations are saying when they talk of net zero targets. Is it net zero CO2 or is it net zero greenhouse gases (GHG)?" asked visiting Researcher at the Jadavpur University, Shreya Some.

The major push for net zero was given by the September's Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the IPCC. "But, the IPCC report is very clear that it is net zero carbon," she said.

Net zero or not, what will matter ultimately will be domestic actions and it is where the government has not evoked much trust. As if to showcase the glimpse of the future, the years 2020 and 2021 have witnessed more frequent and high intensity climate catastrophic events across the globe, India was no exception.

In such situations, question remains as to what is the accountability expected from the state and how should India tackle the twin challenges of climate and growing inequality?

Oxfam India CEO Amitabh Behar said: "The equity conundrum provides an opportunity to design our future actions in a way that tackles the issues together. Both inequality and climate change are in fact symptoms of a deeper malaise - a flawed, overconsumption based economic system that is predatory and exploitative by nature. So, the only way we are getting out of this quicksand is by fundamentally reimagining progress and development."

With rich countries insisting on net zero pledges and many from the developing nations, including India, insisting on delivery of promises first -- and both parties refusing to budge from their position, will there be a consensus at the end of the two week meeting? Will net zero 2050 be the bone of contention? Will this COP be a failure?

"What you do in 2050 does not matter, what you are actually doing now and in the next 10 years is crucial. What do you do about adaptation and finance? There is no debate that goals by developed countries are highly inadequate," pointed out Associate Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Tejal Kanitkar.

"In fact, the global stock taking is in 2023, so why do you suddenly want to push that timeline to 2050. What the rich nations did - rather not do - by 2020 is out in the open now. So, now, this COP and the target of net zero by 2050 is an attempt at green washing that failure."

"COP failing means what?" Kanitkar said. "Whatever the outcome, it does not mean that the Paris Agreement will go away."

--IANS

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When Keely Briggs flew to South Korea in January 2020 to take up a job teaching English, she couldnt have imagined what was about to unfold.

But the 25-year-olds nearly two-year ordeal finally came to a close on Monday afternoon when she rolled into Melbourne Airports international arrival hall and into the arms of her eagerly awaiting family.

Kirsty Rae embraces her daughter Keely Briggs, who arrived home from South Korea on Monday morning. Credit:Eddie Jim

It was perfect timing; I had no idea that this would happen, and then one thing after another [meant] I just had to stay there, she said after her Cathay Pacific flight touched down just before 1pm. It doesnt feel real.

Tens of thousands of Australians, like Ms Briggs, have been stranded overseas since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with few flights home available as airlines operated under strict weekly passenger limits in line with hotel quarantine capacity.
After a false start in the fashion stakes on Derby Day, larger Melbourne Cup crowds are expected to bend tradition and dress in a spirit of celebration for the biggest event in the Spring Carnival.

Many style spectators hoped for a return to tradition, with wide-brim hats, prim long-sleeved dresses and sensible shoes rather than stilettos, but model Montana Cox is looking determinedly forward, rather than at trends of the past.

Model Montana Cox expects people to move on from tradition and dress to celebrate their freedom at the Melbourne Cup. Credit:Joe Armao

I dont know if I would call it a return to tradition or, at least, racegoers wont be thinking that way, Cox said. The smaller crowd that will be at Flemington have been waiting a long time for this moment so expect more than a nightclub dress (as much as I like them) but not traditional. So much has changed since we were all there and people will want to show that in what they wear.

As an ambassador for Champagne brand Mumm, Cox is contractually obliged to stand out in their brand colour red, choosing a revealing Effie Kats design for the Melbourne Cup media launch at Flemington racecourse, but expects others to freely follow her bold approach.
Amazon founder and one of the worlds richest men, Jeff Bezos, is now addressing the climate summit.

He said his July venture into space made him understand how fragile the worlds ecosystem truly was.

Jeff Bezos, second from left, in front of the rocket that landed safely after their launch from the spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, on July 20. Credit:AP

Nature gives us life. It is beautiful but it is also fragile. I was reminded of this in July when I went into space, he said.

I was told that seeing the Earth from space changes the lens through which you view the world, but I was not prepared for just how much that would be true.

Looking back at Earth from up there the atmosphere seems so thin, the world is so finite and so fragile.

We must all stand together to protect our world.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson seated onstage as he listens to Jeff Bezos speak during an Action on Forests and Land Use event. Credit:Getty Images

Bezos has been criticised by Britains Prince William for his space exploration, with the Duke of Cambridge saying the money being spent on space tourism would be better spent conserving the planet we occupy.

Bezos announced a $US2 billion pledge ($2.6 billion) from his Earth Fund, which has committed $10 billion to fighting climate change.

He says the money from todays pledge will fund conservation efforts and food transformation.

He says humanity must grow without degrading the planet for future generations and has called on private companies to commit to net-zero policies and nature-based climate change fighting efforts.
A man has been charged for allegedly trying to take more than half a million dollars in COVID-19 and bushfire relief payments after submitting fraudulent applications.

James Casey Cooper, 36, was arrested at Emu Plains, in Sydneys west, on Monday morning and was taken to St Marys police station, where he was charged with 41 fraud-related offences.

The 36-year-old man allegedly tried to obtain $550,000 fraudulently in bushfire and COVID-19 disaster relief funds. Credit:Nick Moir

Detective Inspector Jason Pietruszka said between February and October 2020, he allegedly lodged $550,000 worth of fraudulent payment applications to charities and NSW government disaster relief payment schemes, with $85,500 of the applications successful.

It is alleged Mr Cooper made 31 fraudulent applications to NSW government relief programs totalling $500,998, with four of those applications worth $33,000 in total granted.
I put my arm on his shoulder and said: Gday Emmanuel. Diplomacy, the Australian way? It may take a bit more than that, PM. The French are very angry. - Coral Button, North Epping Cant manage a bushfire crisis, cant manage a climate crisis, cant manage a pandemic crisis, cant manage a relationship. - Bill Plastiras, Vaucluse Could it be that our PMs dealing with the French President was suboptimal? - Richard Tainsh, Potts Point Macrons Je connais! regarding Morrison is as strong as Zolas declaration Jaccuse! - Patricia Slidziunas, Woonona Public cops an earful from ICAC horror show

The horror in watching the Independent Commission Against Corruption evidence from Gladys Berejiklian lies in seeing that we have been led for years by a premier who has seriously damaged her own intelligence and ability to join dots through a determined habit of turning a blind eye to those dots and a self-declared belief that she, unlike any other human, is incapable of doing anything wrong. Her public service reputation, like the Monty Python knights body, is progressively diminished, blow by self-inflicted blow, and her gobbledygook self-justification (testing even the Commissioners patience) is almost too painful to watch (Berejiklian insists Maguire relationship didnt cloud public responsibility, November 2). - Louise Whelan, Chatswood What is most interesting about the current ICAC inquiry is how we get to see how decisions are made in this rum colony. - Jack Frawley, Coogee The phone tapping of Gladys Berejiklian, the public playing of her phone calls and the humiliating dissection of her private life, done with a slightly distasteful, prim and moralistic tone  all in pursuit of the relatively minor infractions of an insignificant MP  is as gross and disproportionate an abuse of power as was Ken Starrs victimisation of Monica Lewinsky. Why shouldnt she big-note herself a bit in a private conversation? She was a successful and powerful premier. All politicians  and plenty of other people  brag a bit. Who cares? And would ICAC ever have thought of phone-tapping a male politicians wife and playing their conversations in public? The whole charade is disgusting. - Richard Cobden, Woolloomooloo Squeaky clean image doesnt wash Very noble of Dominic Perrottet to speak out against pork-barrelling and insist he has always opposed it (No hedging bets: Perrottet rejects Berejiklians pork-barrelling stance, November 1). If the unresolved ending to iCare is ever referred to ICAC, I hope he can be equally strident of what he achieved while treasurer, because it happened on his watch; like the underpayment to 52,000 injured workers, the installation of a former Republican political aide in Perrottets office at a cost of $700,000 and the wife of a former iCare chief executive being paid $800,000 after being awarded a contract without tender. Kind of offsets a squeaky-clean image. - Peter Skrzynecki, Eastwood

Thank you, Mr Perrottet. Now, how about a royal commission into the scandalous Stronger Communities Fund? - Peter Mahoney, Oatley While I admire Premier Perrottets opposition to pork-barrelling, and his aim to spend money fairly, I foresee there will be many critics of his choice of fairness. During my long career in local government (at a senior level), the results of annual special grant applications could be fairly accurately guessed. So, perhaps the only fair way to distribute public funds is to dole out the same amount of funding to each local council. - Nora Hinchen, St Leonards If Perrottet really opposes pork-barrelling, I have to wonder why, as treasurer, he was happy to sign the cheques for so long. And why, if he believes all communities should have access to the best public transport, he has handed over billions of dollars in public funds for the privatisation of our transport services and the building of giant toll roads, the effects of which have been felt most severely in non-Coalition electorates such as Canterbury-Bankstown and the Inner West. - Marie Healy, Hurlstone Park Carbon border taxes might get PM hopping (on hot coals) As Sean Kelly says, magical thinking will not make the climate crisis disappear, and nor will Scott Morrisons policies (PMs policy is smoke and mirrors, November 1). To make matters worse, Mathias Cormann, now head of the OECD, is calling for countries to adopt stringent carbon prices. Mr Morrisons do nothing policy has now lumped us in with climate recalcitrant nations Saudi Arabia and Russia. It seems he will only react to the greatest moral challenge of our time when our countrys revenue is affected, which will certainly happen when our trading partners inevitably introduce carbon border taxes. - Peter Nash, Fairlight

The federal government is giving a masterclass in how to lose respect domestically and globally (Marginalised: Australias frosty reception on global warming at COP26, smh.com.au, November 1). We now seem to be aligned with Russia, India and China in trying to squeeze every last dollar out of any fossil fuels we have and bugger any united action on the climate catastrophe. We certainly punch above our weight in incompetence, spinning, lying and facile planning. - Deb McPherson, Gerringong We have a climate policy, so all you ABC-viewing, latte-sipping lefties can relax. I saw inside the little blue book Scotty waved around. It is a contract written in French, funded through a blind trust, overseen by a yet-to-be-designed integrity commission, and has the support of some of the women in cabinet. Of course, there is a right to veto by the Nationals, but you cant have everything. - Neville Turbit, Russell Lea Its no wonder that Greta Thunberg and her young colleagues are so angry (Nations split as PM backs new coal, November 1). What is demonstrated time and time again is that politicians of all persuasions are much more concerned about their own immediate political futures than about the future of the planets youth. With so many countries, including Australia, refusing to take any meaningful commitment to reducing coal production, it is hard to see how anything meaningful can come out of the Glasgow COP26 meeting. If I were Gretas age, I would be in complete despair. - Ron Pretty, Farmborough Heights Theres no detail, no transparency, no vision and no commitment beyond some spin and a glossy PowerPoint production from a favourite consulting firm. Theres been virtually no input from Treasury. A price on carbon has been ruled out and there wont be any legislation. Nor is there any leadership, and there is certainly no consensus within the Coalition. According to a report by the Australia Institute, Australia still gives more subsidies to the fossil fuel industry than we receive in royalties from that industry. No wonder Scotty wasnt keen to go to Glasgow. - Wendy Varney, Leura Once again Australia is embarrassed as the Prime Minister blocks international moves to wind down coal burning. Were going to reach net zero the Australian way. This suggests a new election slogan for the Liberal-Nationals Coalition: We will decide how carbon gases are emitted in this country, and the manner in which they are emitted. - Kevin Fell, Cooks Hill

Why is the COP26 on global warming being held in chilly Glasgow? Surely holding the meeting in Dubai, with temperatures barely dropping below 40 degrees, would bring a sense of urgency to discussions. - Craig Roberts, Matraville In the great days of 18th century naval warfare, ships that were closely pursued by a faster and more powerful opponent were sometimes obliged to unship their guns and toss them overboard to increase their speed and thus escape annihilation. Perhaps now, in Glasgow, the dire decision needs to be made to unship and discard some of our present day dearest assets, such as coal mining, oil extraction, fossil fuel-powered vehicle manufacture, and cattle husbandry, to escape destruction by climate change. - John Forrest, Annandale Schools sweat on AC Let me get this straight. Although learning is significantly impeded in classrooms that are either too hot or too cold, the NSW government has approved funding for airconditioning to be installed in cool and breezy coastal schools while rejecting it for many schools sweltering in the outer suburbs (Funding feud heats up as schools miss out, November 1). Is this yet another example of pork barrelling? Needless to say, this same government has also chosen to allocate a cash bonus to the parents of all NSW schoolchildren instead of installing air purification units in classrooms. If our classrooms are neither COVID-safe nor conducive to learning, we are failing our children. - Irene Buckler, Glenwood Id be interested to know how many of the airconditioned schools are in Coalition-held electorates and which ones are not. After all, pork barrelling, as both the ex-premier and her ex-deputy premier have told us, is quite acceptable. - Daniel Flesch, Bellingen

Another vehicle of ineptitude Your correspondent (Letters, November 1) enumerates the current issues preventing widespread electric vehicle uptake. He is correct in pointing out the many failures of our federal government in preparing the nation for this transition, although I suspect this was not his intention. We also have some of the dirtiest fuel in the world and are unable to import, much less build, the most efficient fossil-fuel vehicles. That our federal government has dropped the ball on these issues, as with so many other matters, points to its inherent laziness and ineptitude. - Marie-Louise Dreux, Dulwich Hill Investors pick low-hanging fruit Ross Gittins is correct  supply of houses is not the issue in the housing affordability crisis (Beware pedlars of supply solutions to home affordability, November 1). Houses already exist and the mortgages on them are being paid for by renters who already live in them. This owner of a government-endorsed tax evasion strategy (also called an investment property) already owns a home to live in, but buying another, or others (surplus to their needs), is made so attractive by our tax laws that it makes more sense financially to invest in housing than many other investment options that would better advance our economy. But thats politics; or at least, its lazy, tricky politics. - Charmain Brinks, Newcastle Least powerful held to highest account

Easily accessible compulsory voting is the last bastion of true equality in this country (Proposed voter ID laws a risk to our democracy, November 1). Regardless of wealth, education, race or gender, every citizen has the right and duty to be involved in the democratic process, and it is easy to do. What comes next after unnecessary voter identification? Mid-week voting, with threats of dismissal if workers leave to vote? Fewer polling booths, with roadworks blocking access from certain areas? These are all pages out of the democracy destruction playbook from which our federal government is singing. - Elisabeth Goodsall, Wahroonga We know most people want a federal ICAC to help lift the perception of integrity in our elected representatives. We also know that voter fraud is vanishingly small. The question, therefore, is why does the current government worry more about a few people who are easily found than they do about limiting the deliberate illegalities of those who have power and access to wealth?

It certainly gives me the impression that Angus Taylors party doesnt want honest government. It also gives the impression that restricting some individual voters is more important than integrity in MPs own behaviour. Federal ICAC should come before voter ID. - Howard Clark, Ryde Cup omens abound Looking for an omen bet in this years Melbourne Cup, with ICAC in full swing I couldnt go past Twilight Payment, and with the PM bumbling away in Glasgow, it was hard to resist Future Score. See you at five past three at the collections window! - Bill Young, Killcare Heights Favourite Incentivise has to be the best topical omen tip for this years Melbourne Cup, given Scott Morrisons pamphlet-waving approach to climate change targets and Gladys Berejiklians financial backing of all things Wagga Wagga. At least punters may be on a winner if they bet on the horse in the Australian way. - George Zivkovic, Northmead

Times are a changing Your correspondent asks: Why would anybody buy an electric car? and lists reasons such as cost, charging and range issues (Letters, November 1). More than a hundred years ago some owners of trusty steeds probably asked: Why would anybody buy a car? Especially when they could carry a feed of chaff in the pack saddle. - Peter Bulkeley, Buderim (QLD) Be careful how you say it Thought should be given to the folk whose natural linguistic inclination is to pronounce vs as ws. Im not sure what reaction Id have to someone telling me theyd been double waxed, irrespective of how it is spelt. - Robin Humphrey, Springwood The digital view
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size One month ago Gladys Berejiklian resigned following an announcement by the Independent Commission of Corruption that it was investigating the then NSW premier for breaching public trust when she awarded grants to several community organisations in the NSW Riverina region between 2012 and 2018. Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian outside the ICAC on Friday morning. Credit:Renee Nowytarger Last week and this week the watchdog examined whether there was a conflict between Ms Berejiklians public duties and private interests when she was in a relationship with former Liberal MP for Wagga Wagga, Daryl Maguire. Below are key quotes from evidence given by Ms Berejiklian to the ICAC inquiry on Friday, October 29, and Monday, November 1, and earlier secretly taped conversations involving Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire. ICAC hearing, Friday, October 29 I regarded him a part of my love circle, part of people that I strongly cared for, but I wouldnt have put him in the same category as my parents or my sisters. I had very strong feelings for him . . . But I didnt feel the relationship was at a stage where I would introduce him necessarily to my parents or my sisters or need to declare it, but I dont want to underscore what I felt. Ms Berejiklian on her relationship with Daryl Maguire.

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If you were able to have your time again, would you disclose your close personal relationship with Mr Maguire to your ministerial colleagues or any of them? Counsel assisting the commission, Scott Robertson, to Ms Berejiklian. I didnt feel it was of sufficient standard or sufficient significance in order to do that, replied Ms Berejiklian. You are my family. Ms Berejiklian to Mr Maguire in an April 2018 text message tendered to the ICAC. Loading I cant stand that guy. His head will be gone soon. Ms Berejiklian discussing with Mr Maguire a NSW bureaucrat involved in the proposal for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music. Ill throw money at Wagga, lots of it, dont you worry about that. Ms Berejiklian in a tapped phone call to Mr Maguire. I can overrule them. Ms Berejiklian in a tapped phone call in response to Mr Maguire, who suggested at least one project, a stadium, was being blocked by bureaucrats. What theyre doing is marginalising the art of politics. Our job is mixing with people. [Now] you cant meet with a developer. Mr Maguire on a phone tap with Ms Berejiklian, in an apparent reference to the ICAC.

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Loading They could be taping your conversation with me right now. You wouldnt know. Mr Maguire in the same phone tap to Ms Berejiklian about an earlier ICAC inquiry in which he had been summonsed. I trusted him. He told me hed done nothing wrong. Ms Berejiklian, when asked if she ever suspected Maguire of corruption. Are you stressed about it? Ms Berejiklian to Maguire about an ICAC inquiry in 2018, at which Mr Maguire gave evidence. Responded Mr Maguire: No, calm, calm as a cucumber. Do I sleep, yes I do. ICAC hearing, Monday, November 1 I did not take that bit of advice, obviously. Ms Berejiklian revealing she did not take the advice of former chief of staff Sarah Cruickshank, who told her not to have anything further to do with Mr Maguire. Im not sure why youre asking me a political question but in any event I had a close personal relationship with him that ebbed and flowed. Ms Berejiklian pressed about whether it would have been a significantly bigger political controversy if she had still been in a relationship with Mr Maguire when she forced him to quit politics.

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I didnt believe it would eventuate. I dont even think I was paying attention. Ms Berejiklian responding to questions about a 2017 call with Mr Maguire where he said he believed he might be able to secure a $1.5m payment for a land deal around Badgerys Creek. Whether or not I listened or cared is another matter. I did not assume any wrongdoing. Ms Berejiklian on why she didnt report alleged corruption by Daryl Maguire. My radar didnt go up. You need to get a private phone. Mr Maguire to Ms Berejiklian in a text message asking her to download encrypted messaging app WeChat.They can read texts but not the little green man, it leaves no trace. I questioned everything. I cant express what a shock it was to the system, Ms Berejiklian when asked about evidence given by Mr Maguire at a previous ICAC inquiry in 2018. I thought long and hard about everything ... I never suspected him of being corrupt. Former premier Gladys Berejiklian made a brief statement to media before leaving after giving evidence at ICAC on Monday. Credit:Nick Moir I appreciate that she had a different recollection. Ms Berejiklian when questioned by the barrister acting for her one-time chief of staff, Sarah Cruickshank, over whether the relationship with Mr Maguire was understood to be historical, per Ms Cruickshanks evidence.

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The state government has decided to retain a popular bus route from Sydneys southeast and slightly alter plans for a shake-up of other services after an outcry from local communities.

After receiving more than 8800 submissions to its overhaul of eastern suburbs public transport, the government has opted to retain the 373 bus route from Coogee and Randwick to the CBD via Taylor Square, which will operate every 10 minutes during the day.

The governments changes to bus services in Sydneys southeast has met stiff opposition from residents. Credit:James Brickwood

Under the plans announced in May, the 373 from Coogee to Circular Quay was one of 20 bus routes to be axed, while another 23 were to be modified and 11 added.

Apart from keeping the 373, the government has also modified its original plans for about a dozen services, many of which involve slight changes to the routes buses will take or frequency.
Some Queensland council areas that were the least-vaccinated against COVID-19 have reported the largest jumps in first-dose coverage across October as the government launched its last-ditch push based on looming border easing deadlines.

But while the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday region was home to three of the top five council-level percentage point increases, all still lag the state average of 77.8 per cent  which is likely to pass the 80 per cent milestone within a week.

Chairs set out for people to wait after receiving a vaccine dose inside the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre hub in August. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty Images

The pace of first and second doses statewide has also failed to so-far reach the peaks of the past two months amid authorities battle to break through the states largely COVID-free status complacency and pockets of hesitancy. A total of 64.1 per cent of the over-16 population has received both doses.

Queenslands vaccine co-ordinator, police Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy, said while regions such as Mackay had experienced a good uplift they were also among tourist destinations people would flock to once quarantine-free road travel for fully vaccinated people out of hotspot states resumed in December.
A man has been accused of stabbing another man multiple times in his inner-Brisbane home before being arrested and allegedly headbutting a police officer.

Joshua Daniel Ways matter was mentioned on Tuesday in the Brisbane Arrests Court, where the 28-year-old faced one count each of attempted murder and serious assault of a police officer.

Joshua Daniel Way will remain in custody until at least December 6. Credit:Toby Crockford

It will be alleged that two men were arguing at a house on Crowther Street in West End, where the accused lives, about 5pm on Monday when Mr Way stabbed the 35-year-old victim in the chest and leg.

Police responded to the incident and provided first-aid to the victim before paramedics arrived. He was then taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines were largely gender balanced, although researchers have warned a failure to report on whether different side effects were experienced by men and women may limit future work in an emerging field.

A group of Australian researchers analysed more than 300 published papers on COVID-19 vaccines and found women and men were equally recruited and represented in randomised controlled trials. This is a departure from usual trends where male participants dominate medical research.

A researcher at the University of Oxford working on the AstraZeneca vaccine last year. Credit:University of Oxford

However, only a third of the randomised control trials reported efficacy data on a gender basis, and none reported whether any particular side effects of the vaccine were more common in men or women.

While historically medical trials would often exclusively use male participants, recent research has still been affected by an under-representation of women, said lead author Dr Amy Vassallo, from Sydneys George Institute for Global Health.
Australia in September axed a $90 billion contract with France to build 12 conventional submarines, the first of which had been due in 2034, in favour of developing at least eight submarines using American or British nuclear-propulsion technology under their AUKUS defence pact.

Speaking from Washington, where he is travelling in a private capacity, Mr Abbott said that he had been canvassing the idea in the US of Australia acquiring some older-model nuclear submarines within months, rather than decades.

Australia should consider buying retiring nuclear-powered submarines from either America or Britain for training purposes and as insurance in the event of a conflict in the region in coming years, former prime minister Tony Abbott has said.

Mr Abbott said Australia should in the meantime look at obtaining some of the USs retiring Los Angeles-class or Britains Trafalgar-class submarines.

The obvious possibilities are to take over some retiring LA-class submarines currently in the reserve fleet or indeed the two Trafalgar class submarines that will be retiring from the Royal Navy in the next 12 months or so, he told a panel discussion at the Wilson Centre, a non-partisan policy forum.

One of the issues which Ive been informally discussing here in Washington and elsewhere in the United States is: Might it be possible for Australia to acquire a retiring LA-class boat or two, to put it under an Australian flag, to run it if you like as an operational training boat, but it would be an addition to the order of battle in the Western Pacific should that be necessary?

These are just informal discussions but nevertheless I think it is important to socialise these ideas with people in Washington and were I in London I would be doing the same thing there.
Australia has made a $2 billion pledge to the United Nations climate summit in a promise to do its part to limit the rise in global temperatures, as activist groups call on the country to spend eight times as much to honour its obligations.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised the higher spending in a formal statement that also said Australian emissions will fall by 35 per cent by 2030, hardening his language on a goal that he has described as a forecast rather than a target.

Scott Morrison delivers a statement to the Glasgow climate summit on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The statement tells other leaders to expect Australia would reach the 35 per cent goal by 2030, even as Mr Morrison makes no formal change to the existing official target of 26 to 28 per cent by that year on 2005 levels.

He made no mention of the official target in his statement and spoke only of the 35 per cent goal for 2030 and his commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.
In her final public statement as NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian made it abundantly clear history would reveal that the corruption watchdog had made a grave mistake.

ICAC has chosen to take this action during the most challenging weeks of the most challenging times in the history of NSW, an emotional Berejiklian said. That is the ICACs prerogative.

Gladys Berejiklian faced a second and final day at ICAC on Monday. Credit:ICAC

Berejiklian was not alone in questioning the timing of the inquiry, which came as NSW was taking its first tentative steps out of the long Delta lockdown. The flowers and notes from well-wishers outside her home and office were proof many felt the Peoples Premier had been grossly mistreated.

In the following days, complaints rolled in to the Inspector of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Bruce McClintock SC. The ICAC itself also received complaints from the public.
Loading Thats a matter for her and what she remembers, and a matter for me and what I remember, Ms Berejiklian said. Ive been honest in what I thought I remember. Ms Berejiklian said Ms Cruickshank told her to cease anything to do with Mr Maguire. I did not take that bit of advice, obviously, Ms Berejiklian said. The ICAC is also considering whether she breached the ministerial code of conduct by failing to report the relationship.

Ms Berejiklian has repeatedly insisted the relationship did not constitute a conflict of interest because she did not class it as being of sufficient status, describing Mr Maguire as being part of her love circle. The probe has focused on multimillion-dollar grants given or promised to Mr Maguires electorate between 2015 and 2018 while the relationship was ongoing. Both Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire have given evidence the relationship continued until 2020. Ms Berejiklian on Monday agreed she attended perhaps thousands of cabinet meetings as a minister and premier to make funding decisions, but she never felt obliged to report a conflict of interest when handling matters in Mr Maguires electorate. Among grants being investigated by the ICAC was $10 million given to the Riverina Conservatorium of Music in Wagga Wagga. It was later promised a further $20 million for a recital hall during a byelection, a project bureaucrats have told the ICAC did not stack up. Gladys Berejiklian outside ICAC on Monday, and Daryl Maguire arriving for ICAC on October 20, 2020. Credit:Nick Moir/Rhett Wyman

The byelection in 2018 was triggered by Mr Maguires resignation after featuring in another corruption inquiry probing the former Canterbury City Council. The ICAC has heard Mr Maguire told the then-premier he had been called to give evidence but insisted he had done nothing wrong. In the days following his resignation Ms Berejiklian promised Mr Maguire she would throw money at Wagga, during the byelection, which she said was standard practice. Political parties will make announcements based on what they think is going to curry favour with the community, she said. Asked if there was a concern in her office the byelection was becoming a buy-election, she said every byelection had that concern.

Loading I dont think its a surprise to anybody in and around government to know that we threw money at seats in order to keep them, Ms Berejiklian said. Over two days in the witness box an at times agitated Ms Berejiklian was asked to comment on multiple intercepted phone calls she had with Mr Maguire, including one in which he boasted of his attempt to earn a $1.5 million commission through a controversial land deal at Badgerys Creek in 2017. Ms Berejiklian told the inquiry she never thought she needed to relay the conversation to the ICAC, even after it emerged the watchdog was examining Mr Maguires conduct in 2018. In a 52-minute call on July 5, 2018 Mr Maguire told Ms Berejiklian he had been called to the Canterbury council probe. During the call Ms Berejiklian pressed him for information about his involvement and warned him against associating with people she considered dodgy.

Eight days later Mr Maguire made a damning admission to the ICAC that he had discussed with a local councillor about splitting potential commissions from a property developer for brokering land sales. No money ever changed hands. Ms Berejiklian told the ICAC on Monday she subsequently assumed something was awry after Mr Maguires evidence, but said she trusted him when he denied wrongdoing. I racked my brain on the 13th of July. I looked back and spent many days thinking, Is there anything? Did I know anything? Do I need to report anything? ... but I had nothing to report. Of the $1.5 million deal Mr Maguire had discussed in 2017, Ms Berejiklian said it was unlikely she absorbed it or was paying attention to the conversation.

Counsel assisting the ICAC, Scott Robertson suggested, by her assumption, Mr Maguire had let down the people of the state, the Liberal Party and his electorate, but he had not done anything relevantly wrong. Well, I knew there was a big cloud, but I didnt know the extent of what was transpiring, Ms Berejiklian said. When she called Ms Cruickshank on the evening of July 13 to tell her about her relationship with Mr Maguire, Ms Berejiklian said she did so to assure her chief of staff she had no knowledge of corrupt conduct. That I didnt know anything to report, and I didnt have anything to provide to [the ICAC]. Ms Berejiklian was also asked about comments in a 2018 phone call in which she told an irate Mr Maguire she got him $170 million for Wagga Wagga hospital in five minutes after earlier promising to deal with it.
Embattled senior Liberal MP Tim Smith will consider his political future over the next 24 hours amid growing internal pressure for him to resign from state Parliament after he was caught driving while more than two times over the legal alcohol limit.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said on Monday he was extremely angry and disappointed with his most loyal ally. He had summoned Mr Smith to a face-to-face meeting but refused to say whether the Kew MP should step down from politics.

Opposition MP Tim Smith (left) and his leader, Matthew Guy, are close friends. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Mr Guy said he was bitterly disappointed a member of his frontbench would get behind the wheel after drinking let alone recording (the) blood-alcohol content that he did.

"He could have led the party," Mr Guy said. "This is an unfortunate and quite a disastrous moment for him that his career has gone the way that it has."
Kabul: Several gunmen posing as Taliban fighters killed three people over the weekend as they attacked a wedding in an attempt to stop music being played.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Talibans spokesman, said two of the three men had been arrested, and he insisted they were not part of the Islamist movement.

While music has not been officially banned in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over in August, it was forbidden during the previous Taliban government and its leadership still regards it as a breach of Islamic law.

Taliban fighters in Kabul. The group has not banned music since returning to power in Afghanistan earlier this year but considers it a breach of Islamic law. Credit:AP

Last night, at the wedding of Haji Malang Jan in Shamspur Mar Ghundi village of Nangarhar, three people who introduced themselves as Taliban entered the proceedings and [asked] that the music stop playing, said Mujahid.
At the centre of the ruckus is Morrisons decision to cancel the governments $90 billion contract for French-designed conventional submarines in favour of submarines powered by US nuclear technology. Labor doesnt disagree with the decision. Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has committed a Labor government to proceeding with it. Labors criticism is all about the manner of it. Illustration: Dionne Gain Credit:SMH The nuclear-powered subs were to be a potent manifestation of the new Australia-UK-US security partnership, AUKUS. It was a serious strategic moment, and it was taken very seriously in Beijing. A professor at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, Li Haidong, said the tripartite partnership could be described as the iron triangle in the Western camp. But just six weeks after the triumphal announcement, the iron is already a little rusty after exposure to the realities of Indo-Pacific salt water. Australia has six ageing conventional subs, the Collins class, due for replacement. China has 66 subs. It is expected to build another 10 by the end of this decade, six of them nuclear.

Before the announcement, Australia had a contract for the supply of 12 French-designed submarines. Now it has no contract with anyone to supply any subs whatsoever. The first of the new French-designed subs was expected in around 10 to 12 years. Now, if the in-principle deal with the US and UK can be made concrete, it will be 20 to 25 years before the first nuclear-powered arrives. Frances Macron had a little fun with this. He jeered at the fact that for the next 18 months the only thing Canberra has is a committee to discuss with Washington and London how to make the decision work: You have 18 months before a report. Good luck. Before the announcement, Australia was relieved that a growing number of capable Pacific powers was standing with it against Beijings coercion and aggression. That included not only the US, Japan and India but also Britain, France and Germany. That great convergence of concerned democracies is now looking a bit ratty, and Scott Morrison is the rat in the spotlight.

Loading On Monday, Macron accused the Australian Prime Minister of lying about the submarine contract. Hes said Morrison let him think it was intact even as he was breaking it. Asked by correspondent Bevan Shields if he thought Morrison had lied to him, Macron said: I dont think, I know. Morrison denies lying. Two days earlier, Biden and Macron together spoke to the media in Rome. Biden said that the US hadnt intended to blindside France when it agreed to the AUKUS subs deal, which had the effect of displacing the French contract with Canberra. Biden said: I was under the impression certain things had happened that hadnt happened  I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the deal was not going through. I, honest to God, did not know you had not been. You dont need to be clairvoyant to see who had given him that impression: the Australian government. In other words, Biden was taking sides with Macron. Both are claiming theyve been misled by Australia. This has allowed Washington and Paris to reconcile at Morrisons expense.

Loading This doesnt mean theyre both necessarily telling the whole truth. Just that its very hard for Morrison to refute a stereo accusation of deceptive conduct from two powerful speakers at once. The Australian Strategic Policy Institutes Peter Jennings thinks its all too cute. Its stretching credulity to think the French were not aware of significant concerns the government had over the contract. Several months before the AUKUS announcement, Morrison had asked his officials for a Plan B  it was in all the newspapers. Macron, he says, is striking out at Australia to deflect domestic criticism of a lost deal. As for the US: I appreciate that Biden has to smooth things over with the French, but I thought his response tells you more about the dynamics of decision-making in the White House. Theres a pattern emerging here. How much is Biden on top of things? Jennings implies that either Biden was not informed by his own officials, or that he had been, and it slipped his mind. Biden recently misstated US policy on Taiwan, only to have his officials clean up the mess.
Wellington: Retailers in Auckland, New Zealands largest city, will be allowed to reopen next week after being closed for almost three months during a lockdown.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said shops in the city can begin operating from midnight on November 9. Public facilities will also reopen and the number of people who can gather outdoors will increase to 25.

However, Auckland will remain at Alert Level 3, meaning many restrictions will stay in place, as the Delta variant of COVID continues to spread.

NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Auckland should be properly reopened by Christmas. Credit:Getty Images

Cafes and restaurants can still only offer takeaway service, and groups of up to 25 people can meet outside only, as Ardern urged people not to meet in homes.
PHILIPSBURG:--- During the week of October 25-29, 2021, Members of Parliament participated in part 1 of a series of Refresher Training.

This week of training is the initiative of the Secretariat of the Parliament of Sint Maarten with as objective, to ensure Members of Parliament continue to be knowledgeable of the fundamentals of Parliament and are equipped with all necessary tools to execute their role as a Member of Parliament.

The first session started on Monday, October 25, 2021, with dr. R.J.A. Arduin, as facilitator, in which Members of Parliament examined their role and responsibilities as Members of Parliament in general as it relates to the values and principles of democracy and constitutional law. Members also evaluated Parliament's performance with regard to contributing towards increased stability and organization of the society through national ordinances and other activities. This was done by a self-assessment in which Members were required to answer questions relating to Parliament oversight over Government, the legislative capacity of Parliament, transparency and accessibility of Parliament, accountability of Parliament, and others. This self-assessment was then followed by an assessment per faction which looked at improvements made and deficiencies and the manner in which they can be tackled. Each faction leader present presented the results of the assessment for their respective Faction.

During the sessions with dr. Arduin, Members of Parliament also examined and evaluated actions taken to improve and or resolve the relationship within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Other sessions held during the week of training were the Budget Cycle, presented by representatives of the General Audit Chamber, and Considerations regarding amendments to the draft Budget, presented by Civil servants of the Ministry of Finance.

It is customary for the Secretariat of Parliament to organize a series of training sessions for Members of Parliament upon entering office. These refreshers served as a follow-up to sessions held in February 2020.

During part 2 of these refresher training Members of Parliament will receive training on Rules of Order and Parliamentary Procedures, and also Legislation from the Parliamentary part of the Legislator  Amendments.

The Secretariat of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, in its role of assisting and providing support to Members of Parliament, would like to thank the various individuals and organizations who have contributed and assisted in making this Refresher training possible.
~ Austerity measures is not in violation of the Constitution pf St. Maarten.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Constitutional Courts delivered its verdict on Monday morning in which they ruled in favor of the government of St. Maarten regarding the 12.5% cuts to salaries of civil servants. The case was filed by the Ombudsman citing that the austerity measures imposed on St. Maarten were in violation of the countrys constitution.

Attorney at Law Jason Rogers said that the court states that the national ordinance with the three austerity measures was not in contravention of the constitution of St. Maarten, Rogers further explained that the court credited the Ombudsman for taking the legislations before the courts for them to be reviewed, however, the court acknowledged that the measures will have far-reaching effects on the people of St. Maarten bringing with it a heavy burden. Despite that, the measures were not found to be disproportionate because the government of St. Maarten was placed between a rock and hard place to obtain money from the Netherlands for the survival of its people during the pandemic.

The court also expressed hope that both the government of St. Maarten and the Netherlands will take into consideration the human dimension and the effects the austerity measures will have on the people as time progresses.

The judgment rendered on Monday is a 30-page long document that will have to be further analyzed Rogers said.

Click here for the verdict delivered on Monday morning by Judge Bob Wit.
Hannah Lichtsinn is a primary care internist and pediatrician and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. She is a co-founder of the Minnesota Immigrant Health Alliance and co-chair of the health advocacy organization, Our Stories. Our Health.
New York (United States), Oct 12, 2021 (SPS) - The Representative of the Frente POLISARIO at the UN, Dr. Sidi Mohamed Omar, met Saturday with Mr. Alexander Ivanko, Special Representative of the Secretary UN General for Western Sahara.

The meeting, held at the headquarters of the United Nations General Secretariat, represented an opportunity for both parties to address the latest developments regarding the role of the United Nations Mission for the referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and the position of the Frente POLISARIO on this role.

Mr. Alexander Ivanko is expected to report to the Security Council next Wednesday on prevailing developments in the regions covered by his mission, as well as other related issues. SPS

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3 1 of 3 Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Dan Haar / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 3





MILFORD  Splash Car Wash has continued an expansion effort in upstate New York by acquiring Buckmans Car Wash, a chain of four express sites in the Rochester area.

Terms of the deal were not released. Splash first entered the upstate New York market in February with the acquisition of Eco Car Wash, which had two express locations in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Williston, Vt.
Connecticut threw open on Monday a window of amnesty for those entering this year with outstanding taxes, with the possibility for individuals and businesses to avoid penalties and any possibility of prosecution in exchange for settling up with the state.

Authorized last June by the Connecticut General Assembly, the amnesty window runs through Jan. 31, 2022. Amounts due must be paid in full, with no installment options available. Interest payments still apply, but at only 25 percent of the amount that would otherwise be due.

Information is online at GetRightCT.com or via telephone at 1-866-658-1528. The Department of Revenue Services offers detailed information in an online FAQ.

It is the first such program offered by the Department of Revenue Services since Gov. Ned Lamont selected Mark Boughton as commissioner, who long served as the mayor of Danbury.

On Monday, Boughton told Hearst Connecticut Media as many as 45 percent of taxpayers do not pay the full amounts they owe, whether on income generated under the table in the cash economy in his words or businesses that underreport the amount of sales tax they owe. In many instances, taxpayers owe a few hundred dollars or less.

This is a good way to get everything squared away, Boughton said Monday. You want to make this go away? Give us X right now and well save you a ton of money.

On the back side of the Great Recession in 2013, Connecticut recouped $193 million in a tax amnesty program, according to John Biello, deputy DRS commissioner. Biello told members of the legislature last February that DRS had anticipated $35 million under that years program. Connecticut followed that up with the 2017 CT Fresh Start amnesty program.

In addition to advertising, DRS is attempting to contact those in arrears and suspected non-filers in the words of DRS  including businesses that have yet to register with the state. Lamonts budget chief Melissa McCaw told legislators early this year that DRS was on the cusp of bringing a new system online that uses advanced analytical engines to identify people or businesses that are not filing taxes with the state.

The department pledges not to use amnesty applications as evidence in any criminal investigation or prosecution, with the exception of instances in which one knowingly files a false application for amnesty. Those with ongoing audits, formal protests or litigation with DRS are eligible for amnesty. The program is not open to those who have accepted payment offers with DRS or are under criminal investigation.

The Connecticut motor carrier road tax is not being included in the amnesty program.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
The blindfolds were removed, and the newsmen found themselves at the edge of a clearing on top of a high hill, the only light coming from the moon. Ghostly, white-gowned figures flitted about them.

Before the pair, who had been led to the secret location after swearing not to identify anyone they recognized or reveal certain rituals, stood at an altar on which sat a large cross festooned with mini American flags. Behind and around the altar stood hooded men garbed in the robes of the Ku Klux Klan. Looming overhead was an approximately 15-foot-high cross wrapped in cotton batting.

As the newsmen watched, more white-robed figures arrived. By 10 p.m., more than 2,000 were arrayed around the field, and the ceremony began. For the next hour-plus, the journalists witnessed the elaborate initiation of about 250 men into The Invisible Empire of the Ku Klux Klan. They pledged in the name of Jesus Christ to defend the United States and the principles on which it was founded, keep secret the organizations activities, rituals and membership, and be klannish in their loyalty to each other and the group.

The ceremony complete, the leader shouted Attention! upon which the Klansmen dropped their masks, and the cross was set alight. Fanned by a strong wind, the cross quickly burst into flames, silhouetting it against the night sky. As it burned, a newspaper photographer snapped a photo of a sea of white-clad, hooded figures extending their arms in salute.

That scene played out not in Georgia or Alabama or North Carolina, nor anywhere else in the South, but outside New Haven on May 20, 1922. It was a coming-out party for the Klan in Connecticut, the first time the virulently racist organization then sweeping the nation and the state allowed the local press a glimpse of its rituals and growing power. Numerous cross burnings and public events followed in the coming years as membership in the Nutmeg Klan exploded into the tens of thousands, sowing consternation, controversy and division.

At first glance, the Klan and Connecticut dont appear to go together. The state prides itself on a long tradition of racial, ethnic and religious tolerance. But the Klan was here off and on for nearly a century, reaching the height of its power and influence in the 1920s followed by a much smaller, but high-profile revival in the 1980s and the early 1990s. For a time in the mid-80s, Connecticut became an unlikely epicenter of Klandom when a Shelton man assumed leadership of the nations largest Klan organization. After his departure from the state, another Klan group arose only to be taken down by law enforcement in the mid-90s.

Today, local and national civil rights groups say the Klan appears to have disappeared from Connecticut, even as newer groups that share its racist and nativist ideas remain active.

The Klans long history in Connecticut  especially its popularity in the 1920s  likely comes as a surprise to most Nutmeggers. But while the states record on racism and hate is better than most, its residents have not been immune from the dark undercurrents of American history that gave rise to the Klan.

The Klan reborn

The original Ku Klux Klan was strictly a Southern phenomenon, a terrorist organization that used murder and violence to re-establish white supremacy in the South after the Civil War. Targeted by the federal government, the Klan was all but wiped out by the early 1870s.

Library of Congress

Around 1900, a North Carolina lawyer, minister, public speaker and wannabe actor named Thomas Dixon Jr. saw a stage production of the anti-slavery classic Uncle Toms Cabin, authored by Connecticuts own Harriet Beecher Stowe. Unhappy with its depiction of the South, he set to work on a trilogy of novels to  in his view  right the record. His racist books proved hugely popular, especially 1905s The Clansman, which lionized the original Ku Klux Klan and helped cement the Lost Cause myth that the Confederacys motivation was righteous and not based on preserving slavery. In 1915, director D.W. Griffith brought The Clansman to the big screen as The Birth of a Nation, painting the Klan as rescuing the South from newly freed Blacks, who are stereotyped as simple, violent and fixated on raping white women.

In spite of harsh criticism from the NAACP and others, the film was a huge hit, Hollywoods first blockbuster, and it inspired fraternal organization recruiter William J. Simmons to found a new Ku Klux Klan. A few days before the films Atlanta premiere, Simmons led a small group to the top of nearby Stone Mountain, Georgia, lit a cross and proclaimed the rebirth of the Klan.

But this Klan would not be a loose regional organization of nightriders, although its members would at times act that way, but instead a national quasi-secret fraternal organization modeled on the Masons and the Elks (this was the heyday of such groups). The new Klan espoused 100 percent Americanism, by which it meant white supremacy, immigration restrictions, anti-Catholicism, antisemitism and support for Prohibition. Ironically, it took much of its sinister iconography, including cross burnings and white robes, not from the historical Klan but from Griffiths movie.

The new Klan started out slowly but exploded in popularity amid the social, political and economic upheaval that followed World War I. This Klans appeal wasnt confined to the South. White, Protestant, native-born men nationwide  you had to be all four to be a member  flocked to join the Klan during the early to mid-1920s, especially in the Midwest and West. Mimicking other fraternal organizations, the Klan developed elaborate rituals and bizarre names for its leaders, like Grand Wizard and Exalted Cyclops. It even had its own days of the week and months of the year  Monday was Dreadful, June was Alarming  as well as coded language. AYAK meant Are you a Klansman? to which a member replied, AKIA, A Klansman I am. Estimates are that as many as 3 million to 5 million Americans joined what is called the second Klan. In the process, the organization briefly became both a national and local political powerhouse, able in many states to pick and choose governors and senators and control state legislatures.

The new Klans racist, nativist and especially its anti-Catholic ideology would find fertile ground in the deeply divided Connecticut of the 1920s.

Contributed by the Connecticut Historical Society

Coming north

A New Haven man named Arthur J. Mann, who worked for a folding-box company in the city, had followed the Klans explosive growth, approved of its ideas and was determined to bring it to Connecticut. So great was his admiration for the organization that he wrote a letter to President Warren G. Harding defending it. I cannot see how it is un-American if a large group of our citizens who are native born and of the Protestant faith want a society of their own, just as those of other creeds and nationalities, Mann wrote the president. I am an American of the 10th generation and rather resent the inference that I am un-American because I see no harm in it.

In an interview with the New Haven Register years later, Mann claimed he became New Englands first Klansman after meeting with a Klan recruiter in April 1921 at the Taft Hotel in downtown New Haven and paying the $10 initiation fee  about $150 today. He quickly founded the states first Klavern  the name for Klan chapters  in the Elm City. Recruitment was slow at first, but gradually took off, and by Sept. 1 the Klavern needed a bigger meeting venue, Mann told the paper.

Later that September, a Kleagle  Klanese for recruiter  walked unannounced into the New Haven Registers newsroom and gave reporters the first interview by a Klan official to a state newspaper. The New Haven and Hartford Klaverns, the recruiter claimed, each had 1,000 members, with smaller chapters in Bridgeport, New London, Meriden, New Britain, the Naugatuck Valley, Stamford, Darien, Norwalk and Greenwich for a total of about 4,500 Klansmen statewide. Pressed to back up the numbers  the Klan even then had a reputation for exaggerating its membership  the recruiter cited the organizations secrecy policy. It is impossible to find out who is a member, he told the paper. You know I am a member, but you will never find out another unless you join the organization. Probably some of the men you daily come in contact with are Klansmen.

Contributed by newspapers.com

News of the Klans arrival provoked strong pushback from state and local officials, who condemned its bigotry and secrecy, threatened to fire any government employees who joined andoften refused permits for Klan events, according to press reports. The press set out to probe the organization, while state police announced an investigation. Religious leaders, especially Catholic and Jewish, spoke out fiercely against the group. Incidents abounded, such as in New Britain where police officers, most of them Irish Catholics, refused to attend a training session after reports that the officer running it had joined the Klan.

In spite of the condemnation, the Klans exponential growth in Connecticut and nationwide continued unabated through the winter of 192122 and into the spring. Emboldened by its successful May 1922 rally, the Klan followed up with another big rally and cross burning on a Middletown farm two months later. This time, anti-Klan residents got wind of the event and tried to force their way in, only to be stopped by truncheon-wielding guards. Violence was narrowly averted. At least one of the guards was wearing what appeared to be an Army uniform, enraging anti-Klan critics and sparking weeks of controversy.

Contributed by newspapers.com

The anti-Klan forces redoubled their efforts, but the Klan was now firmly entrenched in the state. Klan rallies, cross burnings and field days  picnics with fun and games open to nonmembers  became commonplace, at times attracting thousands. Each Christmas, in an act of celebration and intimidation, Klansmen lit crosses on hilltops across the state, according to newspaper accounts.

It wasnt just the lower reaches of society who joined the Connecticut Klan. The very best element in the city belong to it, a New Haven Klan recruiter bragged. Reporters allowed into Klan events often noted, without identifying them, the numerous prominent citizens in its ranks. The assemblage last night included many well-known men from all walks of life, wrote a journalist about one cross burning.

Why were so many residents of the Land of Steady Habits traditionally among the nations most tolerant and level-headed states  drawn to the Klan of the 1920s? The answer, according to Natalie Belanger, adult education coordinator of the Connecticut Historical Society, who has studied that eras state Klan and made a 2019 podcast on it, is bigoted fear ofCatholicism and immigration. Over the previous 30 years, immigrants from Italy, Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe had come to the state in great numbers. Most were Catholic or Jewish. By 1920, more than 27 percent of Connecticuts population was foreign born compared to 14 percent today, and the state was 40 percent Catholic, Belanger says. These big demographic changes deeply unsettled the Protestant descendants of the states Puritan founders, making them ripe for recruitment into the anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant Klan, shesays.

Connecticut, all of New England, had been founded by Puritans fleeing the Catholic Church, Belanger says. There was a lot of ingrained prejudice against Catholicism. Then suddenly within the lifetimes of people, they were seeing the religious makeup of their state shift. Demographic changes make people nervous. They make them upset. They often look for a solution, and for many in Connecticut, the Klan was that solution.

The Klans case against Catholicism was based on the widespread conspiracy theory that priests and the pope ordered Catholics how to vote, rendering them unfit for democracy and public office. Another common Klan lie was that church basements contained arsenals for an eventual insurrection and that fathers added a rifle for each new baby. With echoes of todays QAnon movement, another bizarre conspiracy theory was spread by a Klan official from Meriden who, according to a newspaper report, solemnly warned an audience that mac, analogous to bro or buddy today, was code for make America Catholic.

How many Nutmeggers joined the Klan is hard to know, as membership was secret and leaders routinely exaggerated the numbers. A Washington Post article from the 1930s claimed 75,000, but C. Gregory Zywocinsky, who wrote an unpublished dissertation on the Nutmeg Klan called White-Robed Yankees: The Ku Klux Klan in Connecticut and Massachusetts, 19211926 for his masters degree at Trinity College, puts the number at about 20,000. No one would think there were Klansmen in Connecticut, but there were, says Zywocinsky, a New Haven native who now lives in North Carolina.

While the Connecticut Klan caused much turmoil and was responsible for numerous ugly incidents ranging from physical confrontations to threats of arson to acts of intimidation in the form of letters and the KKK painted on roads and buildings, it never sparked outright violence as in many other states, including neighboring Massachusetts where Irish Americans repeatedly brawled with Klansmen. One of the closest calls came in early 1923 when a young African American man was arrested in Middletown for killing two white men during a confrontation. After taking the man into custody, police received an ominous phone call from a Klan leader in nearby Meriden offering to send members of his organization to help guard the suspect from a mob.

The phone call deeply unnerved the authorities. Fearing the Klan was coming to lynch the young man, police massively increased the guards around the jail. No mob ever materialized, and the man was eventually acquitted of both murders on grounds of self-defense.

Height of an empire

By 1924, the Klan was at its peak both nationally and locally, and sought to influence both the presidential and state elections that year. That summer it held a large rally in Stamford as part of its effort to elect Republicans. (Klansmen tended to be Republicans in the North and Democrats in the South.) The event deeply unsettled the city and led to dueling pro- and anti-Klan newspaper ads, one of which condemned un-American names among the signatories of an anti-Klan ad. On the national level, the Klan ripped the Democratic Party to pieces that summer when members and their sympathizers staged an epic, ultimately successful battle to block the partys nomination of Catholic Al Smith for president.

Back in Connecticut, a woman named Florence Waldron got a job that summer working for the Klans Connecticut and Rhode Island leader Harry Lutterman, who ran his bustling operation out of his Darien home. She quit shortly thereafter. A few months later the Stamford Sentinel newspaper, edited by Florences husband, Malcolm Waldron, began publishing a sensational, multipart series that promised to make visible the Invisible Empire.

The articles, which Waldron sold to other papers in the state, revealed the Connecticut Klan to be a huge money-making operation that appeared to be making Lutterman and his wife, who ran the Klans state womens auxiliary, rich. The couple owned expensive cars and had recently done major renovation work to their home. As much as $250 a day  equivalent to about $3,500 today  flowed into an account controlled by Lutterman, a former cook who had been fired from his job at the state veterans home. The paper exposed dozens of Klan leaders statewide, and, in an act of early-20th-century doxing, published their addresses and even phone numbers. It alleged the head of the state police was a member, which he denied in a dramatic confrontation with the governor witnessed by one of the papers reporters. Klaverns statewide were meeting under innocuous assumed names to maintain secrecy and enable them to rent halls, the paper revealed. When the papers reporters showed up, beefy men blocked them from entering. The paper also printed verbatim the Klans secret rituals as well as internal documents containing nakedly bigoted language  the state Klan often downplayed its bigotry in public, claiming instead to be pro-American.

There were also amusing anecdotes. Luttermans expensive robes had gone from the original white to black from the dirt, dust and smoke of hundreds of Klan events, but he feared having them professionally cleaned because most dry cleaners were Jewish. Then there was the woman who turned Klan robes left by accident on her porch into bedsheets, and the Irish American traffic cop in Manchester who, after being tipped off that Klansmen coming to a meeting in town would display crosses on their cars, purposely misdirected them to Willimantic.

Lutterman managed to have Waldrons wife arrested on a charge of stealing documents from the Klan, but she was acquitted shortly after the series ran.

Luttermans later fate epitomized what helped bring down the 1920s Klan both locally and nationally: hypocrisy, corruption and criminal behavior. In 1929, the now former Klansman, who as a Klan leader had strongly backed Prohibition, was sent to prison for operating a large illegal still on a Woodbridge chicken farm. The nativist, anti-Catholic Luttermans partner? Domenick Perrotti, long known as king of the bootleggers.

Luttermans crimes were small potatoes compared to the scandals that consumed the Klan in the mid-1920s. The most outrageous was the conviction and imprisonment of the head of the Indiana Klan  the biggest and most powerful in the nation  for abducting and brutally raping a young woman, leading her to commit suicide. Additional stories of malfeasance, misappropriation of funds and Klan violence as well as an uptick in prosperity and a new federal law severely limiting immigration were all factors in the Klans sudden and precipitous collapse.

That rapid collapse was mirrored in Connecticut. In early 1926, Anthony Mann of New Haven, who had brought the Invisible Empire to the state and claimed to be the first member in New England, announced to the press that the 600 members of the New Haven Klavern, the first in the state, were disbanding after years of infighting with the national organization. In a scathing letter to Klan headquarters that Mann made public, he condemned the group he had once been so eager to join as nothing less than an organization of greed and corruption, adding, It has become a travesty of patriotism and a blasphemous caricature professing protestantism.

By the late 1920s, the Klan was fast disappearing in the state, even as a few diehard Klaverns hung on. A minister in rural Sterling on the Rhode Island border founded a pro-Klan church that held rallies in the late 1920s and early 1930s, one of which featured Alabama Sen. James Thomas Cotton Tom Heflin, whose bigotry was so extreme that his states voters couldnt stomach it and shortly afterward voted him out of office.

The national Klan organization based in Atlanta stumbled along until 1944, when it disbanded in the face of a huge back tax bill from the IRS. By then the Klan was long dead in the Nutmeg State.

Revival

While isolated cross burnings occurred every few years, there was no organized Klan activity in the state for decades, save for a small group in Durham in 1968 that fizzled out quickly. It wasnt until 1979 that the Klan truly stirred again in Connecticut. That year, recruiting flyers for David Dukes Louisiana-based Klan  there were now multiple Klan organizations  began appearing at schools, colleges and other locations. At the same time, there was a rash of cross burnings aimed mostly at Blacks who had moved to the suburbs.

Dick Lehr, a veteran journalist, author of numerous books and a Boston University journalism professor, was at the time a cub reporter for the Hartford Courant. In the fall of 1979, Lehr snagged an interview with the up-and-coming Duke, who would become the nations most famous Klansman, in which he claimed his Klan had 200 members in Connecticut and was expanding rapidly. Lehr published his article, but was skeptical of Dukes claims. I had this cockamamie idea, Lehr recalls in a recent interview. I had the fliers. I said, why dont I join? Well test his claims. Well find out who the Connecticut leaders are. Well find out who is really joining.

With the papers approval, Lehr went ahead, filling out an application with a fake name and sending it in with the $25 initiation fee. In due time, he received a membership card. A few months later, Lehr attended his first and only Klan meeting when Duke visited Connecticut as part of a publicity tour. He found himself in a Danbury Grange Hall with about two dozen somewhat bewilderedbiker types watching The Birth of a Nation  the same outlandishly racist movie that had revived the Klan 60-plus years before  as Duke provided narration and analysis. It was immediately obvious that Dukes claims of hundreds of committed Connecticut Klansmen were bogus, Lehr says.

It was pretty spooky and creepy, Lehr says of the meeting. Most of these guys were in over their heads. But David Duke, he was in his glory narrating this crazy movie.

But even as the Klan was exposed as a tiny fringe group in the state, a small hard core became determined to make its presence known. In 1980, they staged the first organized Klan rally in decades in rural Scotland in eastern Connecticut, resulting in fistfights and arrests when counter demonstrators showed up. The next year, a group of Klansmen held a rally in support of a white Meriden police officer who shot and killed a Blackshoplifting suspect. The event ended in violence when counterprotesters pelted robed Klansmen fleeing to their cars with rocks and bottles, injuring many.

Bettmann/Getty Images

Around this time, perhaps the most effective leader the Connecticut Klan has ever had emerged. James W. Farrands was a tool and die maker and former Boy Scouts leader from Shelton with a talent for publicity and provocation. He was what we would today call a master troll who delighted in flippant comments intended to amuse and inflame, such as telling reporters with a half-smile, half-sneer that he used Sterno on crosses to make them burn longer and that he sent his sheets to a Jewish laundry for cleaning.

Farrands Klan was tiny  state authorities told newspapers he had little following outside of his extended family  but energetic, in your face and masterful at publicity. A 54-page report issued by the state in 1982 documented at least 15 Klan events and public appearances in the previous three years, virtually all tied to Farrands group, ranging from rallies and cross burnings to recruitment drives in which robed Klansmen would descend on downtowns to distribute literature. The group went so far as to crash anti-racism events sponsored by the states largest teachers union and an anti-racist coalition in the Naugatuck Valley.

Bettmann/Getty Images

Farrands success in putting the Klan back on the map in Connecticut led to his elevation in 1986 to head of what was then the nations largest Klan organization, the first Roman Catholic and Northerner to do so. He gained a national profile, granting interviews to national publications during which his son-in-law stood in the background cradling a shotgun.

The Farrands era in Connecticut ended abruptly in 1990 when he decamped for North Carolina, where, he said, the people were more genteel, according to The Associated Press. A few years later, successful litigation over his supporters unprovoked attack on peaceful demonstrators in Georgia in 1987 drove his Klan out of business.

Through his daughter, Connecticut Magazine reached out to Farrands, who is in his late 80s and still lives in North Carolina. She requested payment for an interview. Connecticut Magazine does not pay for interviews and declined.

Fading away

With Farrands gone, a new Klan group appeared in the Wallingford and Bristol area. In 1992, they held what turned out to be the states last public Klan rally in Putnam. In 1994, a joint federal and state investigation took down key members of the small group on weapons and explosives charges, sending them to prison.

Those convictions appear to have finally snuffed out the Klan in the state. While isolated incidents have occurred ever since  three robed men walked through Wallingford around 2000 during the controversy over that towns failure to close on Martin Luther King Day, Klan leaflets have appeared in some areas as recently as 2013, and a video surfaced online in 2016 of a man celebrating Donald Trumps victory in East Windsor by riding an ATV in a Klan costume organized Klan activity appears to have ceased as of the mid-90s. Both the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors Klan and extremist activity nationwide, and Steve Ginsberg, director of the Anti-Defamation Leagues Connecticut region, say they are unaware of any active Klan in the state.

Brian A. Pounds

Ginsberg says hes never going to count the Klan out, but added that the reshaping of political activism by the internet may have rendered its structure and approach obsolete. Political organizing today, especially among extremists, occurs online and tends to be leaderless and anonymous, he says. The Klans in-person, fraternal, rigidly hierarchical model may no longer work. He also speculates that the decline of Christianity  always a big part of the Klan  may have further undercut its appeal.

Eric-Paul-Pierre PASQUIER/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

[The Klans] relatively local activity was its M.O., and many of its actions were done in groups, Ginsberg says. Thats very different from the way ideology spreads and violent action is inspired and manifesting itself now.

The Klan may be all but dead in Connecticut, but the ideas that animated it are not, Ginsberg says. Far-right groups with beliefs similar to the Klan, such as the Proud Boys, the Patriotic Front and Sovereign Citizen movement, remain active in the state.

The KKKs been very weak in Connecticut for about 15 to 20 years, Ginsberg says. Theres always those who long for days past, so you could envision a comeback of sorts as a nostalgic nod, but I do think theyd need to change their communications modes and know how to tap into and manipulate the psyche of the recruits they want."
ROME (AP)  President Joe Biden reflected on his relationship with Pope Francis on Sunday as he neared the end of his visit to Rome, saying the pontiff has brought him great solace since the death of his son Beau more than six years ago.

Biden was asked about his private meeting Friday with the pope during his closing news conference at the Group of 20 summit. Speaking with emotion, the president harked back to his September 2015 meeting with the pontiff when the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was visiting the United States.

This is a man who has a great empathy," Biden said. He is a man who understands that part of his Christianity is to reach out and forgive. And so I just find my relationship with him one that I personally take great solace in."

Biden, a practicing Catholic, was vice president at the time of Francis' visit to the U.S. He was asked by President Barack Obama to accompany Francis as the pontiff traveled to Philadelphia.

Biden said the wounds were still raw from the death of Beau, the former Delaware attorney general who had died from brain cancer months before the pope's U.S. visit.

Before departing Philadelphia, Francis asked to meet privately with Biden and his family. The president, who has previously spoken about the meeting, seemed to choke back tears Sunday as he recalled how much Francis knew about his late son.

He didn't just generically talk about him," Biden said of the meeting, which he said lasted 10 or 15 minutes in a Philadelphia airport hangar. He knew what a man he was. And it had such a cathartic impact on his children, and my wife, our family, that it meant a great deal."

Biden said after his meeting with the pope on Friday that Francis told him he should continue to take Holy Communion. Some conservative U.S. church leaders say he should be barred from taking the sacrament because of his support for abortion rights.

The president on Sunday sidestepped questions about the Holy Communion controversy, and instead offered a lengthy answer about the comfort he has gained from his relationship with Francis.

He is everything I learned about Catholicism from the time I was a kid going from grade school through high school," Biden said. I have great respect for people who have other religious views, but he is just a fine, decent, honorable man. We keep in touch."

___

Madhani reported from Washington.
The digital future of government in Connecticut may soon become a cloud-based, one-stop shop.

Slowly but surely, one state department at a time, Connecticut is creating a digital landing page for anything and everything related to government.

It could be, according to Mark Raymond, something like the governmental version of Amazon.

If you look at buying a product off of something like Amazon, you don't know all the underlying sellers, you actually don't know where it's produced, how it gets there, but you know what you're looking for, he said. It's that simplicity of the experience, whether you like Amazon or not  thats what we're shooting for in government.

Raymond is not only Connecticuts chief information officer, hes also the longest-serving state chief information officer in the country.

Along with Josh Geballe, the state chief operating officer, and at the direction of Gov Ned Lamont, Raymond is moving the state toward a single public-facing interface. It includes plans for a multilingual chatbot that will communicate with residents who each have a unique digital identity.

Right now, Geballe said, across the government, you could have dozens, literally, of different usernames and passwords.

But the idea, according to Geballe is giving people the opportunity now to create a unique identity for the state of Connecticut.

A username and password that eventually will be the one username and password you need to access all of our services across all of our agencies, he said.

If a resident wanted to apply for SNAP or WIC benefits, if they wanted to renew a drivers license, or wanted to apply for a small business loan, they might go to one website, interact with a chatbot in whatever language theyre most comfortable with, and fill out whatever forms necessary right then and there.

And they would, Geballe said, connect all those dots together using artificial intelligence.

'Looks like you're getting unemployment benefits, you must have lost your job,' he imagined the chatbot saying. 'Perhaps you could also benefit from some workforce retraining over here, or some social service programs to help you make ends meet until you get your next job.'"

Timeframe

There may be a singular vision, but Raymond said there is not an overarching template being followed.

I'm sorry to say that there isn't a grand plan, he said. The plan is to be flexible. Things change and emerge in government all the time.

Raymond said setting a 10-year plan would be a recipe for failure.

Government is difficult to navigate, because we have all of these different services. So the plan is to put them all online, become a digital government, and allow people to personalize their experience, Raymond said.

A personalized experience is key, Geballe said. He envisions a state government, connected across agencies, that can be accessed 24/7.

Historically, the way Connecticut's agencies have presented their services is, here's my website for the department of fill-in-the-blank, and here's pages of legalese about the programs we have and the rules around those programs, he said. If you lost your job, let's say, and you're in need of services, you kind of have to go figure it out for yourself and search across all these websites and try to figure out, you know, what might be there to help you.

As for when this could all happen, the answer is right away. The state has already revamped business.ct.gov, which Geballe called essentially a one-stop shop for businesses, where you can get, all in one place, information about what it takes to start a business, what resources are there to help you.

That is all served up to you without the lens of which agencys doing what or expecting you to go navigate our bureaucracy, he said.

If a user wanted to start a business, the process begins with a checklist, Geballe said. Then it progressively will ask you more questions based on what you've told us previously, and avoids telling you information about stuff that's irrelevant, based on questions you've already answered.

And business is just the beginning. We're down the path of doing that for a number of different what we call service categories, things like jobs, or health or driving, Geballe said.

A lot of the initial work is updating existing systems, according to Raymond, which does make the process move slower than he would prefer.

We want to show results on this every three months, and Josh wants them every week, you know, which is, it's a challenge given the environment that we're in, because we are integrating with lots of older systems in the back, he said.

Concerns from labor unions

According to Geballe, modernizing government could create opportunities for state workers.

We're going to need more IT professionals, he said. Mark's team is going to get bigger, not smaller.

But it also does mean efficiencies.

We owe it to the taxpayers of the state to evolve to take advantage of opportunities, to provide the best possible services at the lowest possible cost, Geballe said. It will enable efficiencies in other parts of the state that enable us to provide better services at lower cost. And that will be something that we do work on with our partners in labor.

Labor leaders are not opposed to the plan, but they are concerned about how it might be carried out.

I think that the governor's vision about creating a 21st century information technology system that citizens can use to more easily access state services, is really, really good, said Dave Glidden, executive director of the Civil Service Employees Association, SEIU Local 2001, the union that represents state information technology workers.

Glidden and other labor leaders are pushing for the use of state-employed workers, as opposed to outsourced consultants.

Business.ct.gov, for example, was built with help from consultant Deloitte Digital.

The major issue we see is not the vision, it's just the way it's being rolled out, said Travis Woodward, the new president of CSEA, SEIU Local 2001. Our members aren't opposed to the governor's and the state's vision. But we want to be involved with the process and the optimization.

Jan Lawrence is one of those members. He works for the state Department of Developmental Services as an IT developer.

Lawrence said the state has created a series of committees, including one for communications, a diversity and inclusion committee, and a workforce development committee.

These are all positive developments, he said.

Improving the way residents can interact with government, is a good thing, according to Lawrence.

I think we all want better government, he said. We want better process, more automated process.

But Lawrence sees a difference between development and operations.

It's not that you know, we don't want AI involved with the actual running of these applications themselves, but you have to have someone to develop them, he said.

Lawrence learned some skills from a consultant a few years back. But he believes the goal should be to hire a consultant once, not rely on them to run governmental services for years on end.

There needs to be a partnership with the consultants, he said. When you work with a consultant, you may need their expertise to help build out the initial solution, train those staff on how to support it and maintain it, and add features and functionality on top of that application as it's needed, so we're not going back and having to hire that consultant again.

Access and human experiences

Jeremy Mohler, communications director for an organization called In The Public Interest, said he also has concerns about access.

From our perspective, that's a great idea. It's an exciting proposal. It has a lot of potential benefits, he said.

But Mohler is concerned about residents that maybe don't have digital access, or it's not affordable for them.

Mohler said having that human connection, someone to call and work directly with on an issue can be very important for residents, particularly with a representative with institutional knowledge of an issue.

I've talked to a chatbot before and, sometimes, it works fine, he said. Sometimes I feel like I'm kind of falling through the cracks and my issues aren't aren't being dealt with.

Raymond said if they dont solve for those problems, they havent done their job. He said the goal is starting from that user experience, and really creating something that's delightful.

Any form of digital government, digital commerce done poorly, doesn't help, he said. If we go through a digital channel, they don't get their needs, and they finally talk to someone and they're really frustrated when they get there, we've created the wrong experience for them.
Google Streetview / Contributed

SUFFIELD  A person incarcerated at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution was stabbed multiple times and suffered serious injuries after he was attacked by another inmate in a common area of the prison, according to police.

Connecticut State Police said on Monday that troopers responded to MacDougall-Walker around 7:20 p.m. Saturday to investigate a reported assault involving two people incarcerated at the facility.
The Tech or Treat Halloween event was held at J.M. Wright Technical High School in Stamford, Conn. on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. The spooky event featured a kids costume contest, pumpkin painting, game stations, spooky vignettes made by students, a DJ, and 'Bone' Appetit cafe.
As physicians, part of our professional responsibility is to advocate for policies that will improve the health of all our patients. It is not simply, Do no harm on an individual level, as many know from the Hippocratic Oath. We must also do no harm when we consider broader aspects of health, including the health of our planet. And in addition to giving our patients the best care possible, we need to arm them with the information they need to lead healthy lives. Unfortunately, misinformation on many topics presents significant challenges to achieving these goals.

The COVID-19 pandemic of the past 18 months has demonstrated how remarkably interconnected we all are on this planet. We are impacted by those around us and beyond our shores, whether it is the spread of contagious diseases or the climate in different regions across the world. Our ongoing struggles against COVID-19 have led us to think about our health through a more global lens.

On Oct. 21, another big report was issued, The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, highlighting how climate change is a threat multiplier to many aspects of our health and health system capacity. The local paper included the story in Reports: Health problems tied to global warming on the rise. Just consider the climate-fueled extreme weather events (extreme heat and drought, hurricanes and flooding, wildfires) and their direct effects on individual health as well as the impact on power outages, transportation and the now-widely-talked-about supply chain that touches all of us.

Components of pending federal legislation around policies and programs related to climate change seem to be in jeopardy. Stunning, yet true. And that should make us all wonder: What can be done at our state level?

As physicians, every day we treat patients with asthma and serious respiratory diseases that are exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Exposure to infectious disease from vectors such as ticks and mosquitoes has and will continue to escalate and is impacted by climate. Increasing ozone levels and higher concentrations of particulate matter have a challenging effect on patients of all ages with lung disease. In fact, in 2019, the American Lung Association ranked Connecticut as the 10th worst state for smog (ozone pollution).

The good news is that Connecticut, much like our professional organization the American College of Physicians and the broader Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, has taken a leadership role when it comes to improving our collective health and well-being by supporting the Transportation Climate Initiative. TCI is a 13-state effort that will prioritize the needed investments to reduce air pollution and improve overall air quality by capping polluting emissions from transportation.

Specifically, TCI would make critical investments in our transportation system to reduce the number of fossil-fueled vehicles, and increase clean transportation options. With less traffic congestion and fewer internal combustion engine vehicles, our states smog levels would decrease, leading to better air quality for our communities.

The benefits of TCI are clear. According to estimates from the Harvard School of Public Health, once fully implemented, TCI would prevent over 300 deaths per year, reduce the incidence of childhood asthma, and prevent thousands of children from having asthma-related problems. Additionally, TCI would guarantee that transportation and infrastructure investments would be made in underserved and overburdened municipalities, thus helping to ensure that, regardless of ZIP code, all of Connecticuts residents would have better air quality and access to clean transportation.

We were impressed to learn that it was our former Republican governor, M. Jodi Rell, who originally had the foresight and conviction to involve Connecticut in TCI back in 2010. Gov. Rell seemed to recognize just how critical this effort would be to the future of our state, the region and the planet.

While Connecticut pondered what to do next, our air quality continued to decline, the temperature continued to rise, and our state was impacted by epic storm after storm.

Gov. Ned Lamont has recognized the need for action, joining Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C., in implementing the program. Eight more states have committed to moving forward, as well.

COVID-19 has shown us what can happen without a good plan of action or concrete strategy in place to address a global pandemic. The science is clear on climate change. Connecticut should continue to lead and pass the necessary legislation now, so that as physicians we have all the tools necessary to ensure the health and well-being of our patients and our planet, as we continue on our quest to do no harm.

Dr. Robert McLean, past president of the American College of Physicians and currently chair of the Steering Committee of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, is a practicing physician in New Haven. Dr. Ruth Weissberger is the Connecticut ACP chapter governor and is the internal medicine residency program director at Waterbury Hospital.
Officials on Monday released the name of the Norwich officer involved in a shootout last week with a man allegedly armed with an assault-style rifle.

They also released footage of the incident from a body and dash camera, and audio recordings of radio dispatches.

Neither the officer, Scott Dupointe, nor the alleged gunman, 28-year-old Andrew OLone, were hit during the exchange, despite police later finding numerous rounds from both weapons at the scene, according to a Norwich police report obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media last week.

OLone has been charged with attempted murder, attempted first-degree assault and assault on a police officer, according to authorities. He was also charged with offenses related to the possession of an assault weapon and high capacity magazine, as well as first-degree and second-degree criminal mischief.

Dash footage from Officer Dupointes police vehicle shows the car traveling down a rainy road illuminated by street lamps. As the car comes to an intersection, a figure emerges from the dark on the right hand side. The video has no sound, but sparks and debris fly through the air.

Footage from Dupointes body-worn camera also released alongside the dash footage shows the officer struggle to put the vehicle in park. Dupointe then rolls out the drivers door and falls to the ground with his handgun in his hand. He appears to train the weapon on the figure running away behind the car before lowering his gun and running back to the vehicle. This video also does not feature sound.

Ive been shot at, Dupointe can be heard calling into the radio in audio released alongside the footage.

A passerby appear to come up to Dupointe after he returns to his car. The footage ends as more police arrive at the scene.

The incident began around 9:55 p.m. on Oct. 26. Callers reported to emergency dispatch that they heard gunshots around Westwood Road, according to a preliminary report from Inspector General Robert Devlin, who is investigating Dupointes use of force.

Dupointe was the first responding officer to arrive in the area and reported observing a subject, later identified as Andrew OLone, carrying a rifle, Devlin wrote in the report.

OLone began firing at the front windshield of Dupointes windshield, according to the report.

Officer Dupointe further reported that, after being shot at multiple times he returned gunfire at the subject, the report read.

OLone was later taken into custody by police at his apartment without incident after his mother called police and told authorities he wished to turn himself in, according to the Norwich police report. The report said police located the rifle, allegedly described by OLone as an AR-15-style weapon, with a 30-round magazine inserted.

OLone remains in custody on $1 million bond and was scheduled to appear in court next week.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 29F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 29F. Winds light and variable.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 46F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low near 30F. Winds light and variable.
Ashtabula, OH (44004)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 47F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low 36F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Ashtabula, OH (44004)

Today

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low near 35F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. Low near 35F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
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18,907,772 is the total number of citizens in Romania with the right to vote recorded in the Electoral Register as of October 31, 1,772 less than in the previous end-September info, according to the Standing Electoral Authority (AEP), agerpres reports.

In a press statement released on Monday by AEP, the differences are said to be a result of the current operations performed by mayors in the Electoral Register related to administrative-territorial units, data imports from the General Directorate of Passports (DGP) and the Directorate for Personal Records and Database Administration (DEPABD).

Thus, in October, 43,116 persons were deleted from the Electoral Register as a result of death and 19 persons as a result of their right to vote being taken away.At the same time, 158 people regained their electoral rights as a result of the ban on their rights having elapsed.The number of voters who turned 18 in the same period is 18,717, all automatically entered into the Electoral Register by AEP based on information from DEPABD.According to data with the General Directorate of Passports, on October 21, 9,983 new voters were registered, and 1,314 no longer appeared in the Electoral Register as a result of death or loss of citizenship.After a recent data import from DEPABD, 13,819 new voters were registered who turned 18 before October 1.Out of the total number of Romanian voters in the Electoral Register, 18,138,372 have their domicile or residence in the country, and 769,400 have their domicile abroad and are Romanian passport holders.
In the past 24 hours, entry into Romania was denied for 19 foreign citizens, who did not fulfill the conditions set by law, and also 19 Romanian citizens were not allowed to exit, from various legal reasons, the General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs on Monday.

The aerial border was crossed by approximately 38,600 people, the source added.

In the last 24 hours, through border crossing points nationwide, approximately 110,000 people carried out the verification formalities, Romanian and foreign citizens, with over 31,600 means of transportation (of which 9,600 trucks). The entry points were crossed by approximately 58,500 people with 16,800 means of transportation, and 51,500 people with 14,800 means of transportation were at the exit points.

The ground border with Hungary was crossed by approximately 36,100 people and 15,300 means of transportation, and the ground border with Moldova was crossed by approximately 13,700 people and 5,400 means of transportation.

Regarding specific activities, in areas of competence - crossing points and "green frontier" - in the last 24 hours the border police have identified 43 illegal acts (27 infractions and 16 misdemeanors) committed by both Romanian and foreign citizens.

There were discovered, independently or in collaboration with other institutions, undeclared goods (which were about to be brought into the country illegally), that went over the admitted border threshold or were suspected of being counterfeit, with a total value of approximately 10,585,100 lei, Agerpres informs.
A C-27J Spartan aircraft of the Romanian Air Force equipped for extinguishing fires took off, on Monday, around 15.30, from Base 90 Air Transport to support the Bacau Emergencies Inspectorate (ISU) firefighters intervening in a forest fire in the area of Oituz commune, Bacau county, agerpres reports.

The aircraft can carry 6,000 liters of water (six containers) on each pass. Since 2017 and until now, Romanian Air Force aircraft have also extinguished two forest fires in our country - one in the area of Svinita locality, in Mehedinti county, and the second in Buces area, Vulcan Mountains, at the border between Alba and Hunedoara counties, shows a Ministry of National Defence (MApN) release.

The mission is carried out at the request of the Department for Emergency Situations. The Ministry of National Defence reminds that the Romanian Air Force aircraft also carried out two international missions of this type, the first taking place in July 2018, in Greece, and the second took place this year, in August, in Northern Macedonia.The fire broke out on Sunday, around 15.00, and is manifested on about 12 hectares in a forest under the administration of the Oituz Private Forest District. The forest has about 80pct pine, 15pct oak and 5pct beech.The firefighters' intervention has been going on without interruption for over 20 hours and currently 50 firefighters from Bacau and Covasna, 10 employees of the Oituz Forest District and 4 volunteer firefighters are intervening. The intervention forces use several fire trucks with water and foam and a drone to locate the outbreaks."The intervention proves to be a difficult one due to the very difficult terrain, with large level difference, where the fire occurs, as well as the presence of ammunition elements left unexploded during the world conflagrations," explained the spokesman for ISU Bacau, Major Andrei Grecu.For the research, identification and removal of the unexploded ammunition, which may endanger the participating forces, the ISU Bacau pyrotechnic team also went to the scene with a pyrotechnic truck.
Gabriel Plaiasu announced on Monday he resigned from the National Liberal Party (PNL) MPs group, thus becoming an unaffiliated deputy.

Gabriel Plaiasu is the 14th MP who left the PNL groups, agerpres reports.
She is 22. She comes from a country where Orthodox Christians are a minority and travels worldwide praising God in the millennia-old musical tradition known as Byzantine music. She invites young men and women to start learning Byzantine chant. I dont think that there is something more beautiful than to know how to praise God, Lebanese female chanter Ribale Wehbe said, basilica reports.

Before heading to the Iasi Byzantine Music Festival 2021, Ribale made a short stop at the Basilica.ro newsroom. A week before, she had concerted in the Sascut-Schineni Parish, Bacau county, being invited by Parish Priest Alexandru Grigoras.

In her interview, she spoke about faith, love for Byzantine music, and what she likes about Romania while travelling between Russia, Austria, Germany and France.

Basilica.ro: How has your family helped you become who you are today?

Ribale Wehbe: I come from a family with great voices. First of all, it was God who gave me that gift, the gift of talent, and then my family encouraged and helped me to progress and work on it. My mother would wait for me for hours while I was learning music at the Conservatory. She had no problem waiting for me while I had solfege classes, theory, piano.

Also, my father and brother are both chanters, and they were taking me to church to be with them and listen to their chanting. I was four or five years old when I first stood by my family and listened to their chanting. They sometimes invited me to chant something small as I was standing next to them in the chant stand.

When I was eight, I was in a large-scale concert in Lebanon. It was entitled Byzantine music from generation to generation. There were three soloists: me, a young soloist and an chanter from the old generation.

Basilica.ro: Who is your audience in Lebanon?

Ribale Wehbe: I have young and old. Now, as I post on social media, I get a lot of messages from people as young as 11 or 12 but also from people in their 50s and 60s. They express their feelings and sometimes ask for musical advice.

Basilica.ro: How is it to be famous?

Ribale Wehbe: It wasnt my goal to become famous and I dont see myself as someone famous, but I am really grateful for the thing that I help people to pray. And my purpose is to make as many people as I can meet Byzantine music and its beauty.

I took my Byzantine music diploma a few months ago, and I am a professor of Occidental and Oriental music. Now, especially with Covid, that the courses are held online, I have many students from all over the world.

The gift from God is the basis. The rest is work

Basilica.ro: What abilities are needed to be a good Byzantine music chanter?

Ribale Wehbe: This is Gods gift. So, this is the basis. If you have it, you can work on yourself, do a lot of research and practice, read a lot to grow knowledge, listen to old and new and find your own style in the chanting world.

Also, I would encourage more women to chant if God gave them the gift of voice. But in Byzantine music, it is essential to start at a young age because this accumulation has brought me where I am today. And the Oriental music has contributed to my chanting. I have been listening to Oriental songs and chants since I was in my mothers womb. Shes a teacher, she loves kids, and this is how she raised us: with her beautiful voice.

Basilica.ro: There is much talk about Lebanon these days. What should we mainly know about your native country?

Ribale Wehbe: First of all, I want to say that I am very proud of the country I come from. Lebanon is a wonderful country with so much natural beauty. But, unfortunately, for the past two years, the situation has become worse. This crisis is not only financial but also social. When someone loses everything and doesnt have anything to feed their family, they go extreme.

Outside Lebanon, you hear stories about explosions, killing, terrorism and generally that we are in a state of war. But thats not Lebanon, and definitely, its not its people. Lebanese people are very kind and very well known for their hospitality. Its food, natural beauty, and people are really worth seeing at least once in your lifetime. I am very sure that Lebanon will soon go again on the top, where it should be.

Innovation works only if rooted in Tradition

Basilica.ro: What can you tell us about Lebanons Byzantine music?

Ribale Wehbe: Lebanon is in line with the Orthodox tradition, or the traditional Byzantine music of Constantinople, which is the reference all over the world.

But certainly, like everywhere, like in Romania, the Byzantine music of Lebanon has its particular styles and compositions. It has its specific musical intervals. We can talk, for example, about the 4th and 7th Modes, which are generally very Oriental (the interval instead of being 10, for us, is 9 commas theoretically speaking). The intervals in the fourth mode are slower, the sounds are different, making the whole feeling different. We call it maqam.

And we have what is generally called the Antiochian Style, simple but very rich and expressive at the same time and has a lot of different intervals than the traditional Byzantine music we know.

Basilica.ro: Are you for the renewal or for just keeping the tradition? How do you feel about this millennia-old tradition?

Ribale Wehbe: I do both because you only progress if you know the Tradition. Then you can do something new. This is what makes me unique in my style. I am told the traditional fits, but also the new styles. I love both. I relate especially with every melody I choose. Of course, not everything new is necessarily good. We should not go very far from the tradition. I prefer the middle ground: something traditional but with a different taste.

Basilica.ro: How often have you come to Romania, and what do you like most about being here?

Ribale Wehbe: Ive been to Romania five times, and every time I come, I fall more and more in love with this country I like its beauty so much; the people are so much like the people in my country, their hospitality and love they show me every time makes me feel at home.

Romania will always have a special place in my heart because this is where it all started for me. I had my first international concert as a soloist in Brasov, which is a memory that I will never forget.

Basilica.ro: Byzantine music is perceived more as a man-thing. But you prove that God-given gifts can be equally fulfilled by men and women in the Orthodox Church. How do you feel about that?

Ribale Wehbe: I dont think of myself as a living proof on that. Im still 22, so Im new to this. But before me, there were  and still are  very well-known female chanters with influential names and remarkable careers like Gerontissa Mariam Skorda from Greece, whom I had the luck and honour to work with and meet in person.

But also, of course, we have beautiful female choirs in monasteries, which, in my opinion, are better than many mens choirs. So for me, its wrong to talk about a man-thing or woman- thing. When it goes down to God, we are all the same, as His children, so we praise Him the same way. And this is something that I would be thrilled if it changed: to see more women chanting. In Lebanon, we have it more often than in other countries, and I would love to see it happening everywhere.

The chanter who does not understand the word fails to fulfil his or her purpose

Basilica.ro: What do you think is most important in learning and singing Byzantine music?

Ribale Wehbe: The obvious answer is to learn the music itself as a theory and practice a lot by listening. For me, the secret is in words, not in the music. Music is something that can be learned. Its just a tool we use. But what makes the difference is the expression of the words through music. When we chant, we have to express the true meaning of the words. We have to put the feeling on them.

If we dont know the meaning of the words, we cant pass on the feeling to the people. So, no matter how good a musician someone is, they will fail to their cause. Because, as chanters, our goal is to make people pray. To make that, we have to express the words, the right feeling with the help of music, which is the clothing of the words. Everything is connected!

Basilica.ro: You sing mostly Byzantine or are your interests in other musical areas as well?

Ribale Wehbe: Yes, this is right. Im into the chanting world mostly, but also, I am into Oriental singing. I used to perform at many local concerts for traditional Arabic music before the crisis happened in my country. Until now, Im still into that style. I keep practising singing alone with a lot of listening.

And because of that combination of styles (Byzantine and Arabic), I genuinely believe that I got to the point where I am now in the chanting world because the one completes the other! I got some intervals and ornaments that arent used much in the Byzantine music we know. And this is what makes my style unique (vice versa for my singing style, which has Byzantine influences!).

Basilica.ro: You are young and talented. But what do you do in your spare time?

Ribale Wehbe: Generally, music! Even in my spare time, I find it an opportunity to learn more and more things like reading about music. Also, I am someone very active as a person. I like working out and jogging very much. Physical exercise is vital for my physical and mental health, for me to stay healthy.

I also like spending time with family and friends. Even when Im not close to them when travelling, I intend to call them and talk for hours about everything.

Basilica.ro: How can we be true Christians today? Is it easy or difficult?

Ribale Wehbe: I think its easy. We make it difficult. God gave us the free will precisely for us to be free to choose what we do in our lives. God wants simple things for us, not complicated. How difficult can it be, for example, to devote five minutes every day to say a short prayer and thank Him for everything? We choose not to do it sometimes.

Basilica.ro: What message do you have for your Romanian audience?

Ribale Wehbe: First of all, I want to say that I feel blessed for being here in my beloved Romania once again. Not only because I love the beauty of this country and its people, but because I meet new amazing people. Im really impressed that I see so many young people coming from so many other cities to my concerts.

That means that they have love not only for God but also for Byzantine Music. A love that  for different reasons  they might be shy or scared to follow. My message is that if you really have love for this, go after it and start learning Byzantine music! I dont think that there is something more beautiful than knowing how to praise God!

She has a Bachelors degree in Music Education and Musicology from Antonine University-Baabda-Lebanon in 2020 and a Byzantine music Diploma from the School of Byzantine Music of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens  Greece in 2021. In parallel, she continues her musical training in Oriental singing and plays the piano and the oud (Arabic Oriental instrument). Apart from concerts, she gives classes in Byzantine and Oriental music.

In 2019, she had her first international concert in Brasov Festival  Romania, alongside the Romanian priest and soloist, Rev. Alexandru Grigoras, and the Greek chanters Vangelis Gkikas and Gerontissa Mariam Skorda. Later in the year, Ribale recorded her first CD, entitled Oh my soul, in Brasov, under the festivals sponsorship.

In 2021, she has had a series of concerts in countries like Russia, Romania and Austria. In the summer, she took part as a soloist in the Diaghilev Festival in Perm-Russia and the Salzburg International Festival in Austria (the 100th edition) in collaboration with the Greek-Russian Maestro Theodor Currentzis and the MusicAeterna orchestra.
President Klaus Iohannis met with Microsoft President Brad Smith in Glasgow on Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) World Leaders Summit, considering that the development of digital skills is vital and stressed the importance of accelerating the process of digital transformation of the economy in the post-COVID-19 period, agerpres reports.

According to the Presidential Administration, in the context of organizing the meeting on the sidelines of COP26, President Iohannis encouraged Microsoft in its ambitious commitment to protecting the environment and climate, stating that it wants the business environment to be increasingly involved in resolving the climate crisis and to assume voluntary emission reduction targets.

"During the discussions, the important projects that the company wants to develop in Romania, in the field of cloud infrastructures and the development of digital skills were highlighted. Regarding these projects, the President of Romania appreciated that the development of digital skills is vital, and the intensification of the use of cloud services should make a significant contribution from the perspective of capitalizing on the opportunities of a digital economic future. President Klaus Iohannis stressed the importance of accelerating the process of digital transformation of the economy in the post-COVID-19 period, encouraging a more active presence in Romania of Microsoft, together with other competitive actors of the IT&C sector, to dynamize the reforms in administration and economy," shows the Presidential Administration.The head of state also mentioned that support for the digitization of economies should be strengthened, in the context of the Digital Single Market, in the direction of stimulating interest in the use of new, innovative technologies and increasing access to digital resources.President Klaus Iohannis is attending the World Leaders' Summit on Monday and Tuesday at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow.On Monday, at the beginning of the COP26 meeting, the head of state greeted several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden. He also had a meeting with Prince Charles on the sidelines of COP26.On Tuesday, the head of state will delive the national declaration of the high-level segment of COP26 and take part in the "Action on Forests and Land Use" event, organized by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
President Klaus Iohannis met with Prince Charles on Monday on the sidelines of the World Leaders' Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), agerpres reports.

According to the Presidential Administration, President Iohannis and the Prince of Wales agreed on the need to find solutions to combat climate change and preserve biodiversity. In this context, President Klaus Iohannis pointed out that there is a close link between them, the loss of biodiversity exacerbating climate change, which in turn affects ecosystems and species.

The head of state expressed hope that the COP26 meeting will play a key role in improving the implementation of the Paris Agreement.The Presidential Administration shows that, in terms of biodiversity, forests and wildlife, Romania occupies a special place in Europe, the biodiversity of our country generating ecosystem services for Europe and the whole world."President Klaus Iohannis stressed the need for international cooperation, which is essential in combating climate change and biodiversity loss. Romania supports the Glasgow Declaration on forests and land use, an initiative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland," the Presidential Administration informs.President Klaus Iohannis has been attending the World Leaders' Summit at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow since today.On Monday, at the beginning of the COP26 meeting, the head of state greeted several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden. He also had a meeting with Microsoft President Brad Smith on the sidelines of COP26.On Tuesday, the head of state will deliver the national declaration within the high-level segment of COP26 and will take part in the "Action on Forests and Land Use" event, organized by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
First Deputy Chairman of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) Sorin Grindeanu said on Monday that when the Save Romania Union (USR) joins President Klaus Iohannis' impeachment, the party's governing forums will discuss the matter and make a decision.

"I have seen talks on this matter for the last few weeks. It was not on the agenda of the National Political Council meeting today, but, of course, if Mr Ciolos comes up and discusses that himself, we can discuss why that should happen. Since we do not have a government, some would argue, it would probably be necessary not to have a president either. Let's wait and see Mr Ciolos. If Mr Ciolos brings up the matter and supports it we will call an emergency meeting of the National Political Council to clarify the point of view of PSD," Grindeanu told a news conference at the PSD headquarters when asked about his opinion on impeaching Iohannis.

He added that PSD will make a decision by looking at the pro-impeachment arguments on the table coming from the initiators of the approach, possibly the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and USR, and the anti-impeachment ones, Agerpres informs.

"We have been telling you for seven years that Iohannis is not suitable to lead Romania; we, PSD. A majority of Romanians decided the contrary, both in 2014 and in 2019. You are now asking us - those who have been telling you for seven years that he is unsuitable - to look like we would be agreeing. We want to weigh this approach very well, because we did two more moves like that - in 2007 and 2012 - and they were not successful. What I am trying to say now is that if and when USR joins the approach initiated by others, it will certainly be a subject for talks," said Grindeanu.
The Royal Family of Romania mourns the death of the Honorary President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania, Dr. Aurel Vainer, appreciating that he has always campaigned for the preservation of the Jewish heritage and had the merit of keeping alive the historical link the Jewish community in Romania and the Royal House, agerpres reports.

"The Royal Family learned with great sadness the news of the passing of Aurel Vainer, Honorary President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania. As a member of the Romanian Parliament representing national minorities and President of the Federation of Jewish Communities, Dr. V. he has always campaigned for the preservation of the Jewish heritage and has fought against anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and xenophobia," reads a release posted on the Romanian Royal Family's Facebook page.

Aurel Vainer also had "the merit of keeping alive the historical connection between the Romanian Jewish community and the Royal Family.""In 2016, 120 years after Queen Elena's birth, Dr. Aurel Vainer, along with members of the Jewish community, evoked the Queen's figure in an event full of emotion and affection, respect and admiration, held at the Choral Temple in Bucharest, in the presence of the Crown Custodian and the Royal Family. Her Majesty Margareta sends, on behalf of the Royal Family, condolences to the grieving family! Rest in peace!", the release of the Royal Family of Romania also states.Former President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania Aurel Vainer died on Sunday at the age of 89.
Six severely-ill COVID-19 patients were transferred from Romania to Germany on Monday on a German military airplane.

Head of Romania's Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) Raed Arafat on Monday announced that on Tuesday and Wednesday, six more patients will be transferred to Germany - on Tuesday on a Romanian military airplane, and on Wednesday on a German military airplane.

"What is happening now shows us what it means to have friends. We have seen a lot of support lately and, of course, a friend in need is a friend indeed. At this time we are witnessing support in difficult times, which has included some medication and some taking over patients, a total of 18. The solidarity we are witnessing at the moment shows us that Romania is not alone when going through tough times and that Germany has come to our aid with this support and with a medical team that is with us for several days," said Arafat at the 90th Otopeni Air Transport Base, Agerpres informs.

Germany's ambassador to Bucharest Peer Gebauer said that Romania is "hard hit" by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Solidarity is the only answer," he said.

Patients are accompanied on transfer by specialist medical teams.

Romania's National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNCAV) approved at a Sunday meeting Decision 96 authorising the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, via the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), to sign an agreement for the transfer to Germany of severely-ill COVID-19 patients from Romania.
More than half of Romanians consider that saving is very important, compared to 44 percent in 2020 and 36 percent in 2019, but at the same time 71 percent of the respondents do not have a saving routine and only randomly put money aside, reveals the annual survey conducted by Erste Group in Central and Eastern European countries, Agerpres informs.

Banca Comerciala Romana marked World Savings Day (October 31) by revealing the results of the "Money Matters" survey conducted by Erste Group in the CEE region. The numbers show that the Romanians are making progress as regards financial education, but still lack the discipline of regularly putting money aside.

According to the survey, 51 percent of Romanians consider that saving is very important, compared to 44 percent in 2020 and 36 percent in 2019, but at the same time 71 percent of the respondents do not have a saving routine and only randomly put money aside, after they settle their current expenses. In most countries in the region, 1 in 2 of the surveyed reported saving a fixed amount every month, which points to a better organization of expenditures and the prioritization of savings.

Romanians save on average 309 lei per month, the equivalent of 58 euros, for an average net wage of 3,541 lei. The average monthly amount saved across the region is 120 euros, by 31.86 percent more compared to 2017, when it was just 91 euros. The Romanians' monthly saving amount has increased constantly, reaching 309 lei - by 8.5 percent more from 286 lei in 2020, and 14.8 percent higher than 269 lei in 2019.

Erste Group member Banca Comerciala Romana is one of Romania's most important financial groups, including universal banking operations (retail, corporate & investment banking, treasury and capital markets), as well as dedicated companies in the leasing, private pensions and housing banks market.

BCR offers a complete range of financial products and services, through a network of 18 business centers and 16 mobile offices dedicated to companies and 370 retail units located in most cities with over 10,000 inhabitants.
Q. What happens to your airline miles or hotel points earned from your credit card if you cancel the card? Frequent flyer mile and hotel cards award points or miles in programs operated by airlines and hotel chains. Once those rewards are in your airline or hotel account, they are subject to the rules of that program, regardless of whether you keep the card. But when the rewards are with a program operated by the card issuer, then they could be forfeited if you cancel the card and dont have another card that is part of the same program.

Q. Which is best, airline miles, hotel points or flexible rewards? These travel rewards programs all have their strengths and weakness, and the right program for you will be the card that offers the most value per dollar spent on purchases. Hotel rewards tend to be the most flexible, while airline miles can still offer plenty of value if you understand how each program works. Flexible points programs can offer the best of both airline and hotel programs, but theyll lack the company-specific perks that airline and hotel cards offer.

How we chose the best travel rewards cards
ST. LOUIS  On Nov. 1, 1855, the Pacific Railroads first train to Jefferson City left downtown bearing 600 prominent citizens.

Some uneasiness has been expressed as to the safety of the road, the morning Missouri Republican newspaper noted. But this, we are told, is uncalled for.

The railroad was a powerful expression of the citys aspirations. Led by U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, St. Louis promoted itself vigorously as the starting point for a transcontinental railroad. Incorporators named the railroad for their ocean objective.

Construction began in 1851. The line reached Kirkwood in 1853 and Jefferson City two years later. Its bridge over the Gasconade River, eight miles west of Hermann, wasnt finished, but builders bolstered it with temporary trestle.

Thomas OSullivan, chief engineer, signed invitations for the guests on the first train. Among them was Henry Chouteau of the citys founding family. Music and speechmaking preceded the departure at 9 a.m. of the locomotive Missouri and 14 cars from the Seventh Street station, south of todays Busch Stadium. In Jefferson City, another big crowd awaited the celebratory banquet.
ST. LOUIS  Prosecutors charged a man with manslaughter Monday in the weekend shooting in the 5000 block of Kensington Avenue.

Leeland Ross, 45, was being held without bail in the death of Demetrius Combs, 41.

Ross, charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter, lives in the 5100 block of Enright Avenue. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records Monday.

The victim, Combs, was found inside a residence on Kensington about 6 a.m. Sunday. He was pronounced dead there, police said.

Police said they arrested Ross at the scene. Ross had been assaulted by Combs before Ross shot Combs in the abdomen, police said. They did not elaborate on what led to the assault, how Combs was hurt or how bad his injuries were.

A witness told police Ross fatally shot Combs, charges said. Ross told police in an interview that he and Combs had an argument that turned into a physical fight. Ross said he then retrieved a gun and fired a couple of shots "out of anger."

Combs lived in the 1400 block of Laurel Avenue.
Pretto was replaced last month with Glenn Koenen, a former U.S. House candidate.

Page said his office was accepting applications to replace Faulkner until 5 p.m. Friday. The deadline was extended from last week, when Page said he hoped to fill what were then three vacancies on the commission before its next meeting. The commission was scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

At a Monday morning press conference, Page said he appointed the commission from lists of 14 candidates offered by each party and considered them all eligible. Those who had second public offices were eligible  as long as they forfeited their other public positions, he said.

We certainly accepted the list coming from each central committee as being eligible, and the folks that were nominated by each committee, at least on the Republican side, were eligible, Page said.

They only had to forfeit their other elected office in order to serve on the redistricting committed. And when they chose not to forfeit their other office, their other elected or appointed office then they became ineligible. So they had to choose.
The significant security flaw on DESEs website included Social Security numbers in the HTML source code of a web application that allowed the public to look up teachers certification status. The information was not encrypted and did not require authentication by website users.

How long the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information had been vulnerable on the DESE website or whether anyone had exploited the flaw is unknown.

During his attack on the newspaper, Parson said the incident could cost $50 million. Neither he nor his spokeswoman, Kelli Jones, have explained how they arrived at that figure.

Days later, Parsons political action committee launched a video highlighting his attacks on the newspaper.

The 55-second video by the Uniting Missouri PAC praises Parson for standing up to the states fake news factory. It also suggests the reporter was digging around in personal data about teachers.

Since then, Uniting Missouri has collected at least $85,000 in contributions, according to reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Among the contributors were Baker Implement Co. of Kennett and Martin Grain Co. of Bernie.
CREVE COEUR  A man from Pensacola, Florida, tried Saturday night to carjack three different people in Creve Coeur, police said, before he was arrested.

Jamaal Rich, 41, was charged Sunday with three counts of attempted vehicle hijacking and one count of resisting arrest.

Police and charges said Rich punched a man in the face about 8:45 p.m. in or near the parking lot of Buffalo Wild Wings at 12653 Olive Boulevard, demanded "everything" from the man and tried to take the man's Chevrolet Malibu, keys and cellphone. The victim fled with his keys and was able to call police but saw Rich rifling through the car.

Moments later, two Creve Coeur officers responded to the nearby Shoppes at Questover plaza where the officers saw Rich try to carjack two other cars, charges said. Rich tried but failed to take a woman's Lexus CT200h before trying to force a woman to get out of her Hyundai Elantra by grabbing a door handle several times.

The responding officer said in charges that he tried to arrest Rich but that Rich briefly escaped him, "at which time I had to take him down to the pavement to effectuate safely taking him into custody," Officer Bradley MacKeen wrote in a probable cause statement.
The governing party is now delegitimized, and this is a new reality. The best way now are early elections, Mickoski said, after declaring victory in the local election.

The last national election was held in July 2020 and a new one does not have to be held until 2024. But everything will now depend on the countrys Parliament.

Under the countrys constitution, the Parliament has to vote to accept Zaevs resignation, and that is not a given. The governing coalition has a small majority, with 62 seats in the 120-seat Parliament  46 from the Social Democrat-led We Can coalition of 23 parties, 15 belonging to the the countrys largest ethnic Albanian party and one from the Democratic Party of Albanians.

VMRO-DPMNE leads the Renewal coalition of allied small parties, which has 44 seats, while the Alliance of Albanians has 12 and the fiercely leftist and nationalist Left party has two seats.

If Parliament does accept Zaev's resignation, negotiations would begin to form a new Cabinet under a different Social Democrat leader and that could be protracted.

This is the first time in North Macedonias 30-year history that a prime minister has resigned after a defeat in local elections.
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
Peacekeeping is often required to pacify an area so that foreign aid can be distributed. There is often local opposition to this, or groups that see the foreign aid as a new source of income. Both problems currently exist in Afghanistan but no one is willing or able to protect the delivery of aid.

In Afghanistan the new Taliban government is pleading poverty and demanding help from donor nations that provide most of this aid worldwide. Afghanistan has a problem here because it has long been seen as a region that does diverts foreign aid to other uses the donors would never approve of. For that reason, foreign-aid NGOs (non-governmental organizations, like the UN or Red Cross and thousands more) are currently trying to get all their personnel out of Afghanistan.

The Taliban quickly established a new IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) government in Kabul and began restoring many of the strict lifestyle rules they had imposed in the late 1990s. This included mandatory dress rules for women and restrictions on schooling for women and where they could work outside the home. This alone was a major loss to the economy as well as depriving widows and their children of income. The IEA tried to limit the seizure of homes and businesses by IEA gunmen looking for payback. The U.S. froze eight billion dollars worth of offshore bank accounts and other assets of the former IRA (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) government. The IRA was elected and the recipient of billions of dollars a year in foreign aid, most of it from the United States which audited that aid as much as possible to control the corruption. That effort was partially successful and provided evidence that Afghanistan was no place for unsupervised and unaudited aid distribution.

The Afghan Taliban are an internationally recognized Islamic terrorist organization that long used intimidation (including kidnapping and murder) to extort cash, goods or services from civilians or IRA officials. The IEA is broke and presiding over a crippled economy that they have further damaged with their Islamic rules and regulations. IEA blames their economic problems on American sanctions, demands that the frozen assets be turned over to them, and that foreign aid be resumed because millions of Afghans are hungry and now unemployed. Normally such calls for help would be answered with offers of aid. That was the case when the Taliban ruled most of Afghanistan in the late 1990s, but a lot has changed in how foreign aid is delivered, or withheld, since the 1990s.

Nations suffering from chronic violence, lawlessness and massive numbers of refugees are often not that way because of war but because of other factors, including how many foreign aid groups operate, or try to operate there. The NGOs tend to have their own ideas of how to handle things, and have attitudes are often at odds with the locals as well as the foreign nations that provide the cash and goods needed to deal with the mess. One problem often leads to another as the NGOs, locals, and donors clash over what to do and how to do it. The main problem is there is more to be done than anyone is willing to pay for. To make matters worse there are always disagreements, sometimes violent, over how to apply the aid. That has forced donors to prioritize where they send aid.

It's not just Afghanistan, but more of a global problem. In 2019 the top ten disaster areas contained most of the people in need worldwide, but these nations contained less than five percent of the world population. The ten disaster areas were; Yemen, Congo, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Venezuela, CAR (Central African Republic), Syria, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Somalia. A major problem has been the reluctance of donors to support relief operations in many of these areas. In short, the problem is that too much of the aid is stolen or unable to reach the people most in need. NGOs have no solution, or at least not one that will either turn off the donors (and their donations) or upset the locals, resulting in more violence and chaos.

Most of these needy nations are not the scene of war, at least not in the traditional sense, but they are suffering some serious problems. From the outside this appears to be widespread civil disorder. The trigger for the disorder is most often tribalism as in Yemen, Congo, South Sudan, Afghanistan, CAR and Somalia. In some of these nations, there is an actual civil war going on, as in Yemen, South Sudan, CAR and Syria. Another major cause is religious differences as in Yemen, Syria, and Nigeria. Another common factor is corruption and the inability to create an effective government. Many of these nations are recognized as failed states because they have never managed to form a sense of national unity and eventually stable national government. This is common in most African countries as well as Afghanistan and Yemen.

NGOs are increasingly feuding with each other about how to handle the growing money shortages they must deal with. The demand for contributions to buy food and other aid supplies has been increasing faster than donor nations, who supply most of this money, are willing to provide. This is in large part because of growing problems with a lot of the aid being stolen by local bandits and corrupt officials, or diverted to other uses by NGOs.

This is the problem the new IEA government in Afghanistan is encountering. NGOs and aid donors dont trust the Taliban because the Taliban has already broken promises it made before and after it took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. There is no disagreement over the need for aid in Afghanistan but the IEA is not willing to guarantee any aid will get to those who need it and refuses to give aid donors any control over aid distribution.

There are other problems as well. Increasingly people in the countrys NGOs deliver aid to complain about the NGOs being more concerned about their own safety and comfort than in making the lives of the locals better. But it's not as simple as that. There are also disagreements within the NGO community about how to deliver aid in areas swarming with bandits, Islamic terrorists, and other bad actors. The NGOs that continue to send people to these dangerous areas complain that many NGOs that used to be there with them are now snagging a lot of aid money and moving to some well-guarded urban area to spend the aid money on studies, seminars, and research into how to achieve peace and prosperity via diplomacy, negotiation, and creative financing. The NGOs still out in the field consider this growing interest in this new non-contact with the people needing the aid approach to be a craven copout and diversion of desperately needed funds from buying food and emergency services for people.

The NGOs are trying to keep this dispute from becoming a public debate as they all agree that putting these issues into the news would probably reduce contributions even more. NGOs are, for the most part, charitable organizations that take money from individuals, organizations and governments and use it for charitable work in foreign countries. The Red Cross is one of the oldest, and best-known NGOs, dating back to the 19th century. In the mid-20th century, the UN became the largest NGO. The Catholic Church could be considered one of the first major NGOs, as it organized large scale charity efforts over a thousand years ago. By the late 20th century, the number of NGOs grew explosively. Now there are thousands of them, providing work for hundreds of thousands of people.

The NGO elite are well-educated people, usually from Western countries, who solicit donations or go off to disaster areas and apply money, equipment and supplies to alleviate some natural or man-made disaster. Governments have been so impressed by the relative efficiency of NGOs that they have contracted them to perform foreign aid and disaster relief work that was once done by government employees.

Problems, however, have developed over the years. The Western employees of NGOs, while not highly paid, are infused with a certain degree of idealism, and that brings to disaster areas a bunch of outsiders who have a higher standard of living and radically different ideas. Several decades ago, the main thing these outsiders brought with them was food and medical care. The people on the receiving end were desperate, and grateful for the help. But NGOs have branched out into development and social programs.

These new activities caused unexpected problems with the local leaders. Development programs disrupt the existing economic and political relationships. This is especially the case if the NGOs try to change the way things are done. The local leaders are often not happy with this, as the NGOs are not always willing to work closely with the existing power structure. While the local worthies may be exploitative, and even corrupt, they are local, and they do know more about popular attitudes and ideals than the foreigners.

NGOs with social programs like education, especially educating women, new lifestyle choices and more power for people who don't usually have much, often run into conflict with the local leadership. Naturally, the local politicians and traditional leaders have resisted, or even fought back. Local governments will sometimes try to regulate or expel NGOs. That often includes local NGOs, who are doing some of the same work as the foreign ones. In these cases, the government is responding to complaints from old school tribal and religious leaders who are unhappy with all these foreigners, or urban locals with funny ideas, upsetting the ancient ways in the countryside.

NGOs are not military organizations, but they can fight back. They do this mainly through the media because they also use favorable media coverage to propel their fundraising efforts. NGOs will also ask, or demand, that the UN or other foreign governments send in peacekeeping troops to protect the NGOs from hostile locals. This had disastrous effects in Somalia during the early 1990s. Some NGOs remained, or came back to Somalia after the peacekeepers left. These NGOs learned how to cope on their own, although with increasing difficulty. The NGOs hired local muscle for protection, as well as cutting deals with the local warlords. But eventually, the local Islamic radicals became upset at the alien ideas these Western do-gooders brought with them and began to chase the NGOs out.

The Somalia experience and past performance of the Taliban towards foreign aid are the major factor the IEA is not getting the aid response it expected. There are few parts of the world that don't know about NGOs, who runs them and what these organizations do. NGOs are no longer seen as just charitable foreigners coming to help. The local leadership often sees the NGOs as a potential threat. While the material aid the NGOs bring is appreciated, the different ideas are not. And there are more NGOs showing up with more agenda than physical aid. NGOs have become more adept at dealing with local power brokers. That turns NGOs into diplomats, which they are not. NGO stands for Non-Governmental Organization but sometimes they act like government bureaucrats. NGOs that get too heavily into diplomacy are no longer regarded as NGOs. This has always been a problem, but now it's getting worse as NGOs have become a worldwide presence. And the decade old UN policy of deliberately politicizing aid efforts has turned the aid workers from angels of mercy to political targets.

This trend, from delivering aid to delivering ideas, often unwelcome ones, has put all NGOs at risk. The NGOs have become players in a worldwide civil war between local traditional ideas, and the more transnational concepts that trigger violent reactions in many parts of the world. Another problem is the money given to NGOs to spend on aid for a country is money the local officials would rather have control over. There are two reasons why donors prefer NGOs to have control over the aid. The primary problem is corruption. Money given to the government tends to get stolen. Often more than a third of it disappears into the pockets of government officials, their kin and friends. But letting the donors, and NGOs handle the money also sees about the same portion lost. This is because these donations often come with requirements that much of the money be spent on goods and services from the donor nation. This particularly bothers the locals as it means a lot of highly (especially by local standards) paid Western aid workers are supervising whatever is done in the aid receiving nation. The higher NGO pay standards are very visible because the Westerners tend to live much better than locals. The Westerners are also accused of not understanding the needs of locals, but the NGOs are also less prone to devote most of the programs to local traditional (tribal) or senior government officials. The locals would like to gain control of all the aid money, or at least get more of it spent inside the nation receiving the aid, but have not had much success. All of this just adds to the growing hostility towards NGOs, and the violence it generates. No one has a solution that doesn't involve bribes or local mercenaries, and the problem just keeps getting worse.

China is trying to negotiate an aid deal with the IEA but has learned from Western experience and demands a degree of validation and control over aid that the Taliban considers unacceptable but not entirely out of the question.
Alex Shpurov to become Chief Technology Officer

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 1, 2021 / Route1 Inc. (OTCQB: ROIUF) and (TSXV:ROI) (the "Company" or "Route1"), an advanced North American provider of data-centric business empowerment solutions, today provided a business update.

New Chief Technology Officer

Alex Shpurov has been hired as Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer ("CTO") and will start on November 8, 2021. Mr. Shpurov brings more than 25 years of experience in delivering enterprise solutions in multiple domains including blockchain, information security and artificial intelligence with a strong focus on the finance, banking and capital markets verticals. Alex also has a history with Route1 as he was Route1's Principal Java Platform Developer from 2008 to 2012 and, as a result, is very familiar with Route1's flagship technology MobiKEY powered by MobiNET. Yamian Quintero, Route1's current CTO, will be leaving the Company on November 19, 2021.

"Yamian has been a valuable contributor at Route1 and we are deeply appreciative of his efforts to advance our flagship MobiKEY technology and being a strong technology leader for us", said Tony Busseri, Route1's President and CEO. "With change comes fresh ideas and different viewpoints; Alex will bring that to us. We are very excited to have Alex leading our research and development team on a number of new ideas including: (a) addressing the limitations of traditional public key infrastructure based on certificate authorities - blockchain technology can provide a highly scalable and distributed alternative that is better suited to modern day requirements for finance and banking, smart communities, as well as the rapidly emerging Internet-of-Things ecosystems, (b) leveraging homomorphic encryption that allows computations on encrypted data to support the privacy objectives in cloud-based data analysis across finance and other regulated industries, (c) utilizing machine learning algorithms to transform large data sets into customers' desired outcomes, including Route1's ActionPLAN manufacturing optimization data and Security Center AutoVuTM from Genetec's automatic license plate recognition system data, and (d) creating artificial intelligence driven applications in the video intelligence space to enhance the safety of our communities."

Route1's very first CTO, Jerry Iwanski, was named Route1's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer earlier this month after working in various client facing and operational roles. Mr. Iwanski has played an integral role in deepening Route1's engineering and operating capabilities to support the Company's growth in the use of license plate recognition technology to build smart, secure communities. Jerry has also led the buildout of Route1's New Technology and Services team to enable the Company to deliver architected solutions to unify its clients' disparate and isolated technological investments that limit their ability to benefit from the data they are collecting and, equally importantly, fail to deliver actionable intelligence on a real time basis based on these data.

Stock Option Grant

Mr. Shpurov has been granted 300,000 stock options, each with an exercise price of the greater of the closing market price of Route1's TSX Venture Exchange common share price on November 8, 2021 and CAD $0.50. The stock options will expire on November 8, 2026 and will vest thirty percent on the first anniversary, thirty percent on the second anniversary and the remainder on the third anniversary.

Under the Company's stock option plan, 10% of the issued capital is reserved for issuance for a total of 3,807,996 options. Including the above grant, a total of 3,325,000 options are currently outstanding under the Company's stock option plan.

Launching MobiLPR

In November 2021, Route1 will introduce MobiLPR to the marketplace. MobiLPR 1.0 is a Route1- developed mobile application that extends Security Center AutoVu from Genetec to a smart phone. Route1's newest application puts advanced automatic license plate recognition ("ALPR") capability onto users' smart phones - delivering in-the-field intelligence for public safety and parking operations. MobiLPR will be available in the Google Play store.

Features include:

Live-stream continuous license plate recognition.

Validation against existing hotlists.

Automatic alerts when LPR generates a hit - shared across user group.

Situational awareness through sharing of live video streams with other users.

Location sharing in alert mode.

Optional "CB Radio" like communication.

Information is never stored on the device, protecting the chain of custody by integrating video live streams and ALPR events with Security Center AutoVu from Genetec.

Geo-referencing of events.

Force augmentation without the high costs of dedicated hardware.

Powered by the MobiNET secure platform.

Delivered under a SaaS model.

Route1 offers a complete suite of ALPR solutions including but not limited to Fixed-Mount ALPR and Mobile ALPR. Route1 offers not only best-in-class solution implementation but ongoing white glove support to all clients we partner with. Route1 has the capabilities to leverage our extensive knowledge and experience in ALPR technology solutions to provide our clients with a solution that will drive greater profitability, improve operational efficiency and lead to better decision making.

Acquisition of Spyrus Solutions, Inc.

On September 15, 2021, Route1 announced the acquisition of Spyrus Solutions, Inc. ("Spyrus"). Based in San Jose, California, Spyrus develops and manufactures cryptographic products including the SPYCOS smart card operating system, enabling strong protection for data-in-motion, data-at-rest and data-in-process. For more than 20 years, Spyrus has delivered encryption, authentication and digital content security products to U.S. defense and civilian agencies, international governments and financial services enterprises.

With the acquisition of Spyrus, Route1 proactively responded to the marketplace to better achieve our mission of leveraging technology to build smarter, safer communities with:

Products providing safe application execution environment - mitigating the risk of malware introduction;

Modules to create secure Internet of Things interactions across all sectors - from military applications to consumer electronics;

Cryptographically enabled MicroSD cards to secure mobile communications for governments and citizens; and

Next generation of high-performance encrypted data storage devices - from portable flash drives to embedded solid state drives - complemented with high assurance management and control platform.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2020, Spyrus generated revenue and gross profit of approximately $2.00 million and $1.39 million, respectively. Both numbers are in US dollars and are unaudited.

Route1 acquired Spyrus for cash or assumption of certain employee obligations of approximately US $0.58 million with US $0.22 million paid at closing and the balance paid out over the next 12 months. In addition, Route1 has agreed to pay the prior owners of Spyrus additional compensation based on certain gross profit metrics being met (the "Earnout").

The Earnout payment for calendar years 2021-2024 will work as follows:

For the remainder of CY 2021 - From date of closing to Dec 31-21, the prior owners will receive 20% of Spyrus' gross profit above US $1.0 mm.

For each of CY 2022, 2023 and 2024 - the prior owners will receive 20% of Spyrus' gross profit once a minimum gross profit threshold of US $1.5 mm is met.

If the gross profit in any one year exceeds US $2.5 mm, the Earnout percentage increases from 20% to 25%.

Route1 acquired cash, accounts receivable, net of reserves, and other current assets not including inventory worth US $0.3 mm. Route1 also assumed trade accounts payable, customer deposits and deferred revenue of US $0.3 mm. Deferred revenue makes up US $0.1 mm of the liability assumption.

Route1 acquired inventory with a book value of US $1.3 mm, net of reserves, that when adjusted for its market value will provide full asset coverage for the purchase price paid.

Through the first six weeks of owning Spyrus, Route1 has realized an improved gross margin and generated positive net cash flow.

Global Chip Shortage and Supply Chain Disruption

Over the course of the last six to eight weeks, delivery times for equipment that directly or indirectly rely upon semiconductor chips has dramatically increased. Route1 is now consistently seeing rugged device and camera lead times of between 12 and 16 weeks. Compounding the chip shortage, installation of license plate recognition technology for law enforcement and campus parking is being adversely affected by delays in the delivery of new vehicles that are required for ALPR deployment.

Route1 took certain actions over the summer based on OEM guidance to mitigate the impact of the global chip shortage on our ability to deliver on purchase orders, including building inventory and encouraging our clients to place orders ahead of their traditional timing cycle. The Company continues to work with its OEM partners to reduce lead times and create project completion certainty for our clients.

With predictions of component manufacturing and logistics impediments varying widely from historical norms, Route1 is having an increasingly difficult time forecasting operating results with the same level of accuracy and reliability that we have had prior.

"We will reduce costs where appropriate to maximize profitability during a period where there isn't certainty for hardware delivery timing. We will also continue to build out our engineering and services revenue with trusted clients and bring to market new software applications that are not directly connected to hardware purchases. Lastly, Route1 will continue to acquire businesses and assets to enhance these strategic objectives", said Tony Busseri, Route1's President and CEO.

Trading on the OTCQB

Based on the low volume of trading activity for Route1 stock on the OTCQB, and the Company's goal to control costs, Route1 will cease to be posted for trading on the OTCQB board at the close of business on November 30, 2021. The Company's common shares will continue to be listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ROI.

Annual General and Special Meeting Notification

Route1 will hold its annual general and special meeting ("AGM") at the offices of Route1 Inc., 7300 N. Via Paseo Del Sur, Suite 202, Scottsdale, Arizona on December 7, 2021 at 10 a.m. (Toronto time).

About Route1 Inc.

Route1 Inc. is an advanced North American technology company that empowers their clients with data-centric solutions necessary to drive greater profitability, improve operational efficiency and gain sustainable competitive advantages, while always emphasizing a strong cybersecurity and information assurance posture. Route1 delivers exceptional client outcomes through real-time secure delivery of actionable intelligence to decision makers, whether it be in a manufacturing plant, in-theater or in a university parking lot. Route1 is listed on the OTCQB in the United States under the symbol ROIUF and in Canada on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ROI. For more information, visit: www.route1.com.

For More Information, Contact:

Tony Busseri

President and Chief Executive Officer

+1 480 500-7030

tony.busseri@route1.com

This news release, required by applicable Canadian laws, does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

 2021 Route1 Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted or otherwise used in whole or in part or by any means without prior written consent of Route1 Inc. See https://www.route1.com/terms-of-use/ for notice of Route1's intellectual property.

This news release may contain statements that are not current or historical factual statements that may constitute forward-looking statements or future oriented financial information. These statements are based on certain factors and assumptions, including, expectations regarding the success of the private placement and the terms on which the Company will raise funds, price and liquidity of the common shares, expected financial performance, expected subscribers and subscription-based revenue, business prospects, technological developments, development activities, the ability of the Company to obtain the supersedeas bond in order to appeal the decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and like matters. While Route1 considers these factors and assumptions to be reasonable, based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risk factors described in reporting documents filed by the Company. Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of these and other risks and should not be relied upon as a prediction of future events. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or future oriented financial information to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. Estimates used in this presentation are from Company sources. Past or forecasted performance is not a guarantee of future performance and readers should not rely on historical results or forward-looking statements or future oriented financial information as an assurance of future results.

SOURCE: Route1 Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 1, 2021) - Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSXV: ML) (FSE: A3N2) (OTCQB: MLNLF) ("Millennial" or the "Company") announces that it has received an unsolicited non-binding proposal from Lithium Americas Corp. ("LAC"), for the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Millennial (each, a "Share") not already owned by LAC (the "New Offer"). The board of directors of Millennial (the "Board"), after consultation with the Company's financial advisors and outside legal counsel and after consideration of a recommendation from the special committee of the Board, has unanimously determined that the New Offer constitutes a "Superior Proposal" in accordance with the terms of the arrangement agreement between Millennial and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. ("CATL") dated September 28, 2021, as assigned and amended on October 12, 2021 (the "CATL Agreement").

Pursuant to the terms of the New Offer, LAC has offered to acquire the Shares from Millennial's shareholders by way of a plan of arrangement at a price of CAD $4.70 per Share (the "Purchase Price"), payable in common shares in the capital of LAC (the "LAC Shares") and $0.001 in cash per Share. The number of LAC Shares to be issued determined by the volume-weighted average trading price ("VWAP") of the LAC Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX") on the twenty trading days immediately preceding the business day immediately before the closing date, subject to a maximum of 25% of the outstanding LAC Shares at closing. The Purchase Price under the New Offer represents a premium of CAD $0.85 per Share (or 22.1%) to the consideration offered to Millennial's shareholders pursuant to the CATL Agreement and a premium of CAD $1.01 per Share (or 27.4%) to the closing market price of the Shares as of October 29, 2021.

The New Offer provides that LAC will, subject to certain conditions, reimburse the Company for the US $20 million payable by the Company to Canada Brunp Contemporary (Investment) Inc., a subsidiary of CATL, if the CATL Agreement is terminated (the "Existing Termination Amount"), and that LAC will pay the Company a reverse termination fee of US $20 million in certain specified circumstances, which amount will be held in escrow. In addition, the New Offer provides that the holders of the Company's warrants, stock options, broker options, restricted stock units and performance share units will be entitled to receive LAC Shares on completion of the arrangement. The New Offer also provides for, among other things, (i) customary Board support and non-solicitation covenants, with a "fiduciary out" that would allow Millennial to accept a superior proposal, subject to a "right to match" period in favour of LAC, (ii) a termination fee of USD$20 million, payable by Millennial to LAC in certain specified circumstances, (iii) the reimbursement of the Existing Termination Amount from Millennial to LAC in certain specified circumstances, and (iv) the reimbursement of LAC's expenses up to USD$500,000 in certain specified circumstances. The outside closing date for the arrangement under the New Offer is January 31, 2022.

Millennial has notified CATL that it considers the New Offer to be a Superior Proposal under the CATL Agreement and CATL will have a ten business day matching period under the CATL Agreement (the "Matching Period"), during which time CATL has the right, but not the obligation, to propose to amend the terms of the CATL Agreement in order for the New Offer to cease to be a Superior Proposal. The Matching Period expires at 4:30 p.m. (Vancouver Time) on November 16, 2021.

In connection with the New Offer, the Board has postponed the previously announced meeting of shareholders and warrantholders of the Company (the "CATL Meeting") to consider and vote on the arrangement contemplated under the CATL Agreement (the "CATL Arrangement") from November 15, 2021 to 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver Time) on November 18, 2021 to allow for the expiry of the Matching Period.

Further details of the New Offer will be provided if and when Millennial enters into a definitive agreement with LAC.

As there can be no assurance at this time that the New Offer will lead to a termination of the CATL Agreement or the execution of a definitive agreement with LAC, the Board has not changed its recommendation regarding the CATL Arrangement. Securityholders who have questions regarding the CATL Arrangement or require assistance with voting may contact the Company at the email address below.

About Millennial

To find out more about Millennial Lithium Corp. please contact Investor Relations at (604) 662-8184 or email info@millenniallithium.com.

MILLENNIAL LITHIUM CORP.

"Farhad Abasov"

President CEO and Director

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to the Arrangement, including statements with respect to the entering into a definitive agreement with LAC and the terms thereof, the reimbursement of the termination fee, the payment of amounts to Canada Brunp Contemporary (Investment) Inc., timing for completion of the Arrangement and the timing of the CATL Meeting. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FORDISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101523
The investment will help Project SEED fulfill its mission of making the Gaming Metaverse Ecosystem and bringing the blockchain gaming industry to the next level.

Jakarta, Indonesia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 31, 2021) - Project SEED, agaming metaverse ecosystem, has successfully closed its private funding round valued at $3.1 million. This funding initiative was participated by up to 40 leading venture capitalists and partners in the crypto industry, enabling Project SEED to take momentous steps at driving the next steps for this blockchain gaming multiverse. Up to now, Project SEED is also pleased to have received investment and funding offers from a number of partners that's 33x times more than our initial goal.

Project SEED

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8203/101338_6b044182b4a60985_001full.jpg

Founded by seasoned experts in both blockchain and gaming, Project SEED is a GameFi ecosystem built by a AAA Game Studio that utilizes multichain hybrid technology and integrates Game Hub, GameFi, DAO, E-Sports and Growth Program. The platform aims to disrupt and revolutionize the current market, facilitating a mainstream adoption of this technology through the world of gaming.

The Project SEED team is well-poised for the future after this private investment round. Totaling at $3.1 million, the funding was allocated by tier 1 investors of Huobi Ventures, Solar Eco Fund, Cipholio, Solana Capital, and BlackEdge Capital. Other high-profile venture capitalists have also participated in this funding round, including Basics Capital, UG Ventures, Exnetwork Capital, Minted Lab and a series of up to 30 other investment firms from 10++ countries. Backed by this caliber of preeminent partners in the blockchain industry, Project SEED continues to accelerate our revolutionary development with confidence.

"We expect to see a full-fledged Project SEED under this new milestone of a driving momentum from our prestigious partners. The world can prepare for a game-changer in the near future." said Liko Subakti, CEO of Project SEED.

Focusing on closing the gap between the traditional gaming and blockchain gaming industry, Project SEED has been proving to go on the right track. Our upcoming IDO will be launched at 12PM UTC Nov 9, 2021 on duo-blockchain (Solana and BSC) to provide seamless experience to different blockchain users, laying the foundation for further roadmap development in the future.

For more information:

About Project SEED:

Project SEED is a multichain gaming ecosystem that includes Game Hub, GameFi, DAO, E-Sports and Growth Program. Seeking to become the spearhead of blockchain mass adoption, Project SEED provides cutting-edge gameplay experience with full fledged gamefi use cases that empower players to own maximum financial power. For more information, please go to: https://projectseed.io/

Media Contact:

Name: Project SEED

Email: trang@projectseed.io

Website: www.projectseed.io

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/101338
NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With the hope of getting more people to participate in raising awareness for breast cancer and getting support from society, the top human hair wig brand Luvme Hair steps up to raise awareness and gives funds to help breast cancer support organizations.

Luvme Support - From October 15 to 17th, Luvme Hair launched a Luvme Support campaign on its social media channels. By sharing knowledge about breast cancer each day, such as the importance of breast cancer annual scanning, the risk of frequently using relaxers, and inviting followers to share their healthy tips to Keep Away From Cancers, this campaign has garnered over 450k engagements and 5,000+ interactions. During this event, many people talked about their experiences in fighting cancer, summed up their own experiences in living a healthy life, and shared them in the comments. It is a place where people can feel cared for from a person-to-person basis. "I am very happy with my purchase. Seeing your support for the fight against breast cancer makes me proud to support your brand. Thank you!" says @theothership to Luvme Hair.

Collaboration With LBBC (Living Beyond Breast Cancer) - According to LBBC, approximately 10-20 percent of breast cancers are triple-negative, with a higher prevalence (30%) among African-American women. After learning the situation, Luvme Hair pledged to donate $5,000 to LBBC for education and support of the breast cancer community and created breast cancer awareness brochures for its clients. With the contents backed by national nonprofit organization LBBC, this breast cancer awareness brochure includes data on the risk of the disease from the perspective of Black women, reveals the importance of self-defense and self-protection, and gives advice on breast cancer prevention and treatment. According to the plan of Luvme Hair, it will reach 10,000+ people who purchase Luvme Hair's wigs from October to November.

"We hope to bring more support to our customers through this event and will continue our works of supporting women through different aspects and the breast cancer community," said Amy J., the chief planner of Luvme Hair's BCAM events.

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View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/luvme-hairs-support-in-breast-cancer-awareness-month-301412549.html

SOURCE LUVME HAIR
An installation sign is displayed at the main gate of Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota Oct. 31, 2019. (Brody Katka/U.S. Air Force)

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Tribune News Service) - North Dakota's 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base has received the Air Force's Meritorious Unit Award, recognizing the exceptional service performed from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2021, including support for the missions of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions across 1 million square miles.

North Dakota Senator John Hoeven said the base is vital to national security and plays an integral role in global missions.

"This award is very well deserved and honors the significant advancements in technology, unmanned aviation and ISR at GFAFB as the airmen and women work tirelessly to protect our country," Hoeven said.

According to records, the 319th Reconnaissance Wing has earned the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award eight times previously as the 319th Air Refueling Wing. It has also won the award twice as the 319th Air Base Wing, and once as the 319th Reconnaissance Wing.

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The F-15C Eagle Aircraft flyover at the ceremonial groundbreaking of a new Taxiway Sierra at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (Leon Nguyen, The Republican/TNS)

WESTFIELD, Mass. (Tribune News Service)  The Pentagon is expected to announce by years end whether Barnes Air National Guard Base and its 104th Fighter Wing will get an upgraded version of the F-15 fighter jets it flies now or, preferably, the latest F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

Christopher J. Willenborg, manager of the adjacent Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, relayed the two-month timeframe last week, citing conversations with the U.S. Air Force. But otherwise there arent many details.

The F-35 was once described by the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as both a scandal and a tragedy due to its expense. The planes cost $78 million each, plus $38,000 an hour to fly.

Theyre also the future. Getting the latest F-35s would secure Barnes place in the Air Forces plans for decades, ensuring a steady stream of federal money and insulating it from any future round of base closings.

Both the civilian airport and military installation at Barnes have a total economic impact of $236.8 million, according to the airport authority here. The total number of jobs, civilian and military, tops 2,100. Barnes Air National Guard Base creates 1,600 jobs, worth an $85 million payroll in 2019, according to the state.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (left) greets congressman Richard E. Neal (right) prior to the ceremonial groundbreaking of a new Taxiway Sierra at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (Leon Nguyen, The Republican/TNS)

The presence of fighter jets in Westfield unlocks other funding, including for an air traffic control tower thats staffed during the day, something it would be hard for Westfield to provide on its own, Mayor Donald Humason said. That tower helped convince Gulfstream to build a maintenance facility for corporate jets at Barnes.

Any announcement might come more than 14 months after the Air Force said it will replace the Air National Guards remaining F-15C/D fighter jets  at Barnes, Fresno Yosemite Airport in California and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans  with either F-15EXs or F-35As. Naval Air Station Lemoore in California is also being considered for F-35As.

Spokespeople for the Massachusetts National Guard were asked for updates and said only that the decision-making is ongoing.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, has said he continues to advocate on behalf of Barnes. His office said that there is continued regular contact between Neal, chairman of the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means, and Air Force secretary Frank Kendall III.

Gov. Charlie Baker has met with top Air Force officials in Washington and expressed optimism on a visit to Barnes in May.

Meanwhile, Westfield and Massachusetts officials continue working to meet Pentagon requirements for bringing the jets to Barnes.

That includes the SPEED Act, a proposed state law formally known as an Act relative to military spouse-licensure portability, education and enrollment of dependents. Provisions include making it quicker for relocating military spouses to get professional licenses and easing enrollment in new school districts for military kids.

The state Senate passed the bill in October. It must still be approved by the House and signed into law by Baker.

State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, said the Pentagon looks for the accommodations in the bill to be in place before allocating assets like the F-35. Velis serves in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Willenborg said a long-talked-about new security gate is needed no matter what new plane Westfield gets. The $4.5 million gate would resemble the one the Connecticut Air National Guard has at its facility at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, the Air Force has said. Westfields would relocate the base entrance from Falcon Drive to Routes 10 and 202.

I know they are in the design phase right now, Willenborg said.

Matthew Mogavero, spokesman for MassDevelopment, said construction will begin in the spring of 2022.

MassDevelopment, the states development finance agency, administers the 2015 Military Bond Bill authorization, which will fund the gate. It has already funded a $4.7 million taxiway improvement, expected to be complete later this year. The bond also funded a $9 million runway resurfacing effort in 2014, and almost $1 million in energy efficiency improvements in 2015.

This years Taxiway Sierra project created new parking space big enough for three Boeing 737s, making it easier and safer for aircraft to move around on the ground. This will help Gulfstream and gives the military a place to park more aircraft.

No one in Westfield, at least thus far, is speaking out publicly about noise from the F-35. But in Burlington and Winooski, Vt., citizens complain at city council meetings that the noise is so intense it creates health problems.

The Vermont National Guards 158th Fighter Wing got its first F-35s in September 2019. It now has 20 of them. The unit there blames some of the complaints on the approach patterns it uses over Lake Champlain as part of its noise mitigation plan.

2021 Advance Local Media LLC.

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Buy Photo The Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Brisbane is moored at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. (Daniel Betancourt/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  The crew members of an Australian warship have been enjoying U.S. Navy amenities as they await delivery of a new helicopter.

The guided-missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane steamed into the homeport of the U.S. 7th Fleet for the first time on Friday. On Thursday, the crew expects delivery of an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter to replace one lost at sea last month.

The aircraft is being prepped for the trip at Yokota Air Base, the U.S. airlift hub in western Tokyo, where it arrived Saturday from Naval Air Station Nowra aboard an Australian C-17 Globemaster III.

A Seahawk aboard the Brisbane was ditched in the Philippine Sea during a military exercise Oct. 13, the Australian Department of Defence announced the next day. All three crewmembers were rescued within 20 minutes and treated for minor injuries.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, Brisbanes skipper, Cmdr. Aaron Cox, told Stars and Stripes on Monday. He said a team of investigators recently came aboard the ship to collect evidence gathered by his crew.

And theyve returned to Australia this morning to continue their investigations, he said.

Buy Photo The Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Brisbane is moored at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. (Daniel Betancourt/Stars and Stripes)

The Australian government agreed to a $985 million deal to purchase another 12 Seahawks from the U.S. on Oct. 8, according to a same day announcement from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Australia currently has 24 Seahawks, which it purchased for approximately $2.2 billion, according to the Australian Navy website.

The Brisbanes crew members have several more days before they get underway again, Cox said, but theyre keeping themselves busy.

The ship shares many features with the U.S. Navys Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and Cox described the Brisbane as a mini Arleigh Burke. The most obvious similarity is that both carry the Aegis Combat System, which can detect, track and target with missiles more than 100 targets simultaneously, according to Navy.mil.

Being able to come to a port like this, where all the expertise resides for those systems, its a fantastic opportunity halfway through our deployment, Cox said.

Despite their short stay in Japan, the crew has found time for recreational activities. They cant leave base due to COVID-19 restrictions, but they could shop the Navy Exchange and frequent other facilities at Yokosuka, Cox said.

We were fortunate enough to have been provided some limited opportunities ashore on the base to visit the NEX and some of the eateries in a COVID-safe manner, he said.

Cox said the Brisbane is on its first major deployment.

The ship left Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 22, for three to five months. So far, Brisbane has visited ports in Malaysia and South Korea. Its expected to call at Sasebo Naval Base, and South Korea for a second time, before returning home.
Boundless, by North Carolina artist Stephen Hayes, shown, will be unveiled this month at the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, N.C.  and it aims to put forward a new story line about African Americans during the Civil War. (Cameron Art Museum Facebook)

In the early 1900s, two Civil War memorials  both honoring the Confederacy  were erected in the busy downtown district of Wilmington, N.C. They were meant largely to send a message of intimidation to African Americans and "carpetbaggers," Northerners who came to the South during reconstruction  and there they stood for a century.

Five miles away, Heather Wilson, the deputy director of the Cameron Art Museum, wanted to tell a different story about the city. The U.S. Colored Troops, 80% of whom were formerly enslaved men from the South, accounted for over half of the more than 2,000 Union casualties in the battles for Wilmington  one of which had taken place on the museum's grounds. Yet there was no monument honoring them.

"These men fought for their freedom, here, where the museum stands, and this is vitally important to who we are as a community," Wilson said. "I want children to stand at the sculpture and look up and be inspired by the proud face of the soldiers and think: That could be me. That man looks like me."

And so, while the nation continues to take down Civil War monuments  including the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond, which was removed in September, and the two statues in Wilmington, which were removed last year  the museum is installing a new memorial that recognizes the sacrifices of Black soldiers in the Union Army. "Boundless," by North Carolina artist Stephen Hayes, will be unveiled this month  and it aims to put forward a new story line about African Americans during the Civil War.

"As a Black man in America, you see the imagery of a Black person in chains, being whipped, begging, kneeling and helpless," Hayes told StarNews, a local media outlet. "This project is important to me because, as a creator, I get to change that narrative  by giving Black soldiers a sense of honor and pride."

The Cameron Art Museum was built on the site of the Battle of Forks Road, part of the Union campaign to take the South's last seaport. The Fifth Regiment of the USCT acted as the vanguard. The Confederates, who had been entrenched behind an earthen berm that still stands today, fought off the first assault but withdrew afterward, opening a path to the city. A few days later  as the USCT marched into Wilmington singing "John Brown's Body" and cheered on by Black and white citizens alike  a Black woman embraced one of the soldiers in the USCT ranks. It was her son, who had escaped Wilmington, only to return as a free man and liberator. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant 46 days later, in Virginia.

Historian Chris Fonvielle, credited with uncovering the Confederate earthworks in the 1980s and naming the battle, has been working to document USCT combat sites in North Carolina; four of the six are in the vicinity of Wilmington. He hopes Hayes' sculpture will change people's understanding of the USCT and the role it played in the Union victory. "In the end, the right side won," Fonvielle said, "and African Americans contributed mightily to that effort."

After the Civil War, Wilmington grew into a mixed-race community with a thriving Black middle class, but that middle class was destroyed in 1898, when a coup  orchestrated by White politicians, newspaper publishers and Civil War veterans  removed a fusion government supported by Black voters. Between 60 and 300 Black people were killed and about 20 were banished from the state. After the coup, African Americans fled the city, and their property was confiscated.

More than a century later, racism here has never gone away. Last year, the Wilmington police department fired three officers after they were caught on video exchanging racist and threatening remarks.

After the art museum asked Hayes to be part of the project, he read up on the battle and submitted a few concept drawings of the sculpture. His vision for "Boundless" included a series of life-size bronze statues depicting the three ranks of USCT soldiers, along with a color guard and a drummer, marching toward the Confederate fortifications. Hayes and the museum put out a call asking descendants, veterans and reenactors to sit for a casting.

"These men were here to fight for their freedom, but then also, where does it go today or in the future?" Hayes said. "I was thinking: What if I cast a bust of the descendants of the soldiers and have them be a part of it because it still creates that story of now and progress and seeing how far we've come? It's telling a story, and I'm also creating a place for relatives and family members to want to come to"  a place where they can honor ancestors who "helped fight for our freedom."

Indeed, "Boundless" is more than a collection of statues. It is an attempt by the Wilmington community to step out of the shadow of racial violence. "Wilmington," Fonvielle said, "is coming to grips with how badly Blacks were treated for 150 years."

Hayes said the piece  which, in addition to the statues, features the sound of soldiers singing and marching via a QR code - speaks not only to the bravery of the troops, but to the power of community. "If it brings a sense of healing, I welcome that," Hayes said. "At the end of the day, my art is here to create a conversation and allow people to speak out together."
Buy Photo (Lloyd Borguss/Stars and Stripes)

Athens, Greece, June 1958: 5-year-old Glenn Ross, son of Sgt. 1st Class Bill Ross from the finance section of the Joint US Military Advisory Group, talks with Robert Mitchum after asking for an autograph. The actor was in Athens to film The Angry Hills, a story about Greek resistance during World War II.
More than 75% of South Koreans felt a new social-distancing policy was needed due to vaccinations and decreased COVID-19 cases, according to a recent survey from Seoul National University. (Pexels)

South Korea loosened its COVID-19 social distancing measures Monday following public fatigue from the prolonged pandemic response and the increased number of vaccinations.

The governments plan, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, is to ease restrictions over three steps, each lasting four weeks, followed by a two-week evaluation period. Each step will introduce new business hours, curfews and limits to public gatherings.

Public businesses in metropolitan areas have been typically open until 10 p.m. during the pandemic. Under the plan announced Monday, restaurants and cafes are allowed open for their normal business hours. Time restrictions and music bans at gyms and bathhouses were also lifted.

The Health and Welfare ministry described its step-by-step plan as the roadmap for gradual return to normal, with the goal of becoming the better Korea.

Today is a day we take the first step toward a gradual return to normal life, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said during a public briefing Monday. We have gone through so many great and small crises for about a year and 10 months since January of last year.

The change comes as South Korea announced Monday that 75% of its population is vaccinated. The country reported 1,686 new infections the same day, down from the record-high of 3,273 daily cases in September.

More than 76% of the public felt a new social-distancing policy was needed due to the vaccinations and decreased cases, according to a recent survey from Seoul National University.

Due to quarantine measures, such as long-term social distancing, the economic damage is accumulating to the self-employed, small business owners and the vulnerable, said the ministry statement. It also listed social and cultural damages resulting from the pandemic, such as lack of education, the corona blues and lack of care.

U.S. Forces Korea, the military command responsible for roughly 28,500 troops on the peninsula, announced last month that the South Korean government would recognize proof-of-vaccination cards issued for U.S. service members.

Previously, business owners who restricted patrons based on their vaccination status were not obligated to accept vaccination cards issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under a new policy, health authorities will accept pre-approved vaccination cards for service members who were inoculated in the United States or at a military facility in South Korea.

Were getting close to the end of the pandemic, thats for sure, Army Col. Douglas Lougee, USFKs command surgeon, told Armed Forces Network Pacific on Oct. 22. Every vaccinated person brings us closer.

Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
Buy Photo First Lady Jill Biden puts on an apron during a visit to a cooking class at Naval Support Activity Naples Middle/High School, Nov. 1, 2021. Biden helped students prepare ravioli during the visit. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)

NAPLES, Italy  First lady Jill Biden fostered a storytelling atmosphere during her visit Monday to a Defense Department school, sharing reminiscences of her own before encouraging students to do the same.

Not everyone knows what its like to be in your shoes, Biden said at a pep rally at Naval Support Activity Naples Middle/High School. You face unique challenges, and your stories dont get told.

One student who took her up on the invitation to speak told of the bullying he had endured at previous schools because of his sexuality. He said he had been called names and put in trash cans for being gay.

But things changed after he came to Naples, the boy said.

Its a warmth, he said of the support and acceptance he found at his new school.

He earned a standing ovation from his peers, as well as encouragement from Biden.

This truly is a family at this school, said Biden, who is also a teacher with a doctorate in education.

A girl who addressed the crowd told of the difficulties of moving repeatedly and the anxiety she felt each time. Another boy said that knowing he is an American gave him a source of pride and strength.

First Lady Jill Biden, left, hugs a student during a speaking engagement at the Naples Middle/High School at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Nov. 1, 2021. (Fred Gray IV/U.S. Navy) First Lady Jill Biden speaks at Naples Middle/High School at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy, Nov. 1, 2021. Biden visited with students, parents and community members as part of her White House initiative Joining Forces, a program that supports military and veteran families, caregivers and survivors. (Fred Gray IV/U.S. Navy)

Biden told the audience she was inspired to advocate for military families by the hardships her own grandchildren faced when their father, Maj. Beau Biden, who died in 2015 from cancer, had deployed with the Delaware Army National Guard.

The students stories showed strength, resilience and adaptability, she said to the audience, which included parents, school employees and military personnel.

The first lady also spoke with students on an earlier tour of the school, which included the robotics lab and a kitchen. In a cooking class, she shared stories about her Italian heritage and her grandmothers kitchen prowess.

She would cook noodles and hang them on the racks to dry, Biden said while wearing an apron she had donned for preparing ravioli with the students.

Her visit to the school lasted a little over an hour. She also met with Navy officials and service members before departing Naples.

Alison Bath
Afghan evacuees began arriving at Philadelphia International Airport in August. After processing at Terminal A East, most boarded buses to be taken to temporary housing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. This photo was taken shortly after 5 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2021. (Elizabeth Robertson, The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)

PHILADELPHIA (Tribune News Service)  The only thing Mohammad Towhid Shirzad carried out of Afghanistan was a broken heart.

He wasn't supposed to be evacuated on that day in late August. He was supposed to get married.

The woman he loves, Shabana, was waiting for him across the city in Kabul. He expected to pick up his groom's suit, get his hair trimmed, and join his parents and hers for the ceremony and celebration.

Instead he and the other exhausted flight attendants on his Kam Air team were hustled aboard a giant C-17 Globemaster in a sudden, now-or-never departure, their work with the Americans putting them in danger.

Three days later he was in the United States, living on a military base in South Jersey among thousands of evacuees. Last Monday he was approved to depart Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, heading to live with friends in Las Vegas, while his beloved remains 6,800 miles away in Kabul.

Shirzad, 26, doesn't know when he'll see her again. Or how she and their parents will survive under the Taliban. He's depressed, unable to sleep.

"I was expecting to come to the U.S. with my family, happily, without any problem," Shirzad said. "I left all of them ..."

Each of the 53,000 Afghans housed at eight U.S. military installations holds a unique story of escape and survival. What they share is the constant ache of leaving dear family behind  husbands, wives, children, parents, grandparents  and the choking fear of what the Taliban might do to them.

"Many families have been separated," said Said Ebad Hashemi, the resettlement case manager at Nationalities Service Center in Philadelphia, who is originally from Afghanistan. "It's really tough for them  it's difficult for them to even talk [about it]."

The presence of their loved ones, or at the least the assurance of their safety, is all that could soothe people here.

"There's a terrible myth that once people arrive in their host country that all is well," said Jeanne Felter, chair of the department of Counseling and Behavioral Health at Thomas Jefferson University. "It's not just saying goodbye to my community, it's often saying goodbye for the last time to very close family. ... There's layers and layers of loss."

Almost all of those evacuated to this country worked for the United States in military, diplomatic or development circles, or are related to someone who did. The advocacy group Project ANAR says at least 30,000 people who are at risk were left behind and must be allowed to come to the United States.

"You cannot get calm," said Mohammad Sadiq Sadeed, a former embassy interpreter now in Philadelphia, describing the dread for family members in Afghanistan.

He's worked to get people out since coming to the U.S. in 2019, and especially once it became clear the country could fall to the Taliban.

Last week his 44-year-old brother and 14-year-old niece arrived in Philadelphia after being released from Camp Atterbury in Indianapolis. That joy was tempered by the reality that his parents and two brothers remain in Afghanistan. One brother is known to the Taliban, having worked for a food-and-services supplier that provided meals to NATO forces.

"There are thousands of families in the same situation," Sadeed said.

In many cases relatives who tried to evacuate together were pushed apart in the chaotic crowds outside the Kabul airport. Separation could be as simple  and as life-altering  as one parent making it inside while the other did not. In some families, only certain members who faced threats had permission to leave.

"I'm very happy for those who have arrived," said Hashemi, who worked more than a decade with international NGOs and the U.S. government. "Everyone deserved to get out of Afghanistan. But we need a second evacuation, a chartered evacuation."

Immigrant and veterans organizations are publicly demanding that the Biden administration get people out of Afghanistan.

"We have a humanitarian crisis with our Afghan allies that is far from over," said Sayara International CEO Scott Shadian. "There's a lot of people still trying to get out, and there's very few options now."

The global development firm managed to organize two ad-hoc flights that brought out nearly 800 people from Mazar-i-Sharif, a city some 260 miles north of Kabul that has an international airport.

One flight landed in Qatar on Sept. 21, the other on Oct. 3, carrying Sayara employees and family members along with embassy workers, women's rights advocates, professors, journalists, student leaders, translators and government officials.

Now Sayara International is trying to organize a third flight.

"We still have a lot of very vulnerable Afghans that need to be taken out [and] there doesn't seem to be a plan," Shadian said.

Shirzad's beloved Shabana  her name means "fragrant flower"  is living with his parents in Kabul. Their video chats confirm the family's desperation.

As a woman, she's been forbidden to step outside, he said. The family's bank account has been frozen. People around them have been threatened.

"The level of safety is very, very low," Shirzad said.

This wasn't supposed to happen, his family broken apart.

He had a career as a flight attendant with Kam Air, the Afghan airline. He previously worked for a U.S. government-funded internet-technology project, as a technician for sites in the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Defense.

In August, as the Taliban captured province after province, Shirzad and his crew flew people out of Herat in western Afghanistan to the presumed safety of Kabul. No one imagined the capital could fall.

When it did, on Aug. 15, "We thought we are done, and we will be killed soon," he said.

He and Shabana made plans to marry as soon as preparations could be made.

On the 23rd he and several other flight attendants were told to report to the airport to staff an evacuation flight to Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.

When Shirzad managed to reach the airport gates, a Taliban gunman cursed and tried to strike him with the butt of a rifle. Other people were lashed with hoses. He barely made it inside. His colleagues limped in one by one.

That single evacuation turned into several flights, continuing over days, with little break, taking Shirzad as far as Uganda. In Kabul no replacement crews showed up. The American military pushed hard for departures.

On Aug. 26, his wedding day, Shirzad and his sleep-deprived colleagues were told their flight work had concluded  and now they needed to get out of the country while they could. It wasn't a request. His protests were first denied, then shouted down.

"Go! Get on a plane!" a soldier yelled at him.

Aboard the C-17, Shirzad was called to translate the pilots' instructions from English to Dari and Pashto for the evacuees. He contacted his family when the flight landed in Qatar that night.

The wedding had gone forward, anticipating his arrival, but the event had turned funereal. His fiance was weeping. So were his parents. His father-in-law and the guests were furious that the groom had not shown up.

Shirzad spoke to his bride. They accepted each other as husband and wife, and their parents accepted the marriage. A ceremony was conducted by video.

He arrived in the United States on Aug. 29.

"I am sorry that I am not there to help my love, and protect my family," Shirzad said. "They are not safe. I am looking for any chance and any possible way to help my family to come to United States."

2021 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC.

Visit at inquirer.com.

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(Tribune News Service)  Vietnam War-era veterans who served in Thailand say they're still fighting.

Veterans who served in Thailand have long contended they face a higher bar in winning Veterans Administration (VA) disability benefits claims, having to clearly demonstrate they were exposed to Agent Orange or other harmful herbicides while their fellow veterans enjoy a presumption that they were exposed.

Several bills in Congress purport to take aim at the problem. Among them: The Veterans Agent Orange Exposure Equity Act, the Cost of War Act, and others, including the Fairly Assessing Service-related Exposure Residual (FASTER) Presumptions Act, also dubbed the "FASTER" Act.

A Maryland Democrat, David Trone, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, has introduced the latter piece of legislation.

"We're going to try to right a wrong," Trone said.

'We're old news to them'

As some Thailand veterans see it, the VA places an undue burden of proof on them to demonstrate they were harmed by Agent Orange, in some cases asking for photographs or other evidence of physical proximity to harmful herbicides.

It's not a burden shared by veterans who served in Vietnam or in the Navy.

"If you set foot on a land mass (in Vietnam), you're entitled to a presumption" that you have been exposed to herbicides, Rhode Island attorney Robert Chisholm said in an interview. That presumption has been expanded to blue-water Navy veterans.

But not to veterans in Thailand  at least, not yet.

In October 2020, the VA denied Xenia, Ohio, resident and Thailand veteran Paul Skinner compensation for what Skinner believed was Agent Orange exposure, with the VA informing Skinner in a letter: "Your personnel records still fail to show that during your duties you were exposed to Agent Orange or tactical herbicides while performing daily duty assignments at Udom (Royal Thai Air Force Base)."

Skinner acknowledges that he can get health care from the VA. But he sought (and seeks) compensation for pain and suffering. Skinner, who has fought prostate cancer since 2018, has gone through 44 treatments of radiation therapy. He has to apply and use a catheter twice a day, something he expects to do for the rest of his life.

"We're old news to them," Skinner said of the VA.

Arnie Harmon, a Columbus-area veteran who served in Thailand, filed for compensation or a monthly stipend some 15 years ago at the urging of one of his physicians. "I'm spending out of pocket about $6,000 to $6,500 a year in medications," he said.

"You submit a claim," Harmon said. "They (the VA) will grant it, (or) they'll grant it partially, (or) they'll deny it, which is probably about 80 to 90% of the Thailand veterans, they have been denied. Some have won on appeal."

This letter rejecting Skinner's claim cited an August 2015 memo from the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), a memo that veteran Robert McHenry, a friend to Skinner and others, fought for years.

Centerville resident McHenry died in July 2021 at the age of 74. McHenry worked for years to correct what he argued was an error in that memo, which held there was no evidence of tactical herbicides having been used at American bases in Thailand.

The AFHRA memo said that although use of commercial herbicides is documented, the Air Force archivists found no mention of the transportation, payment for or use of any tactical herbicide to control vegetation on Air Force installations in Thailand.

"Bob has been fighting this letter since it came out," Skinner said.

"They used that letter repeatedly to deny claims," Mary Flodder, McHenry's widow, said in an interview.

Skinner said the denial was frustrating. But he trusted McHenry to make the historical case for him and veterans like him.

"He (McHenry) was a walking encyclopedia of information," Skinner said. "He did so much research on this letter (the August 2015 memo)."

"These men are now in many cases in their 80s," Trone said. "They deserve quick adjudication for their claim ... and we cannot put the burden on the veterans who served their country."

Trone's bill would force these to be adjudicated this quicker, presuming that they were exposed to harmful herbicides.

But the prospects for those bills are uncertain at this point.

In the 'spray zone'

"Everyone that was on the bases would have been in the spray zone" for the herbicides, Flodder said. "Bob was trying to get that letter rescinded at the time he died."

Typically, the VA looks for evidence of duty near base perimeters or fence lines to establish herbicide exposure. Often fence lines were sprayed to kill vegetation that may have hidden the presence of enemy soldiers.

In an interview, Skinner recalled that he was an aircraft mechanic on F4 Phantom jets while serving in Thailand. He said he worked in areas close to base fencelines and perimeters, sometimes chaining down jets to run the engines, "which would actually kick up dust and dirt everywhere around the aircraft."

His living quarters were also close to a base perimeter, he recalled. The herbicides were in the very air, he believes.

"I guess the VA doesn't believe the wind blows," Skinner said.

"They (the VA) don't give you a definition of what the perimeter is," Harmon said. "Is it two feet from the perimeter? Or is it 500 feet? Because all the perimeters were sprayed with various types of herbicides with dioxin in it. Agent Orange is just a euphemism for many different types of herbicides. But they were all sprayed."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Veterans Affairs declined an interview but offered to answer questions in writing.

"Unlike veterans who served in Vietnam and certain areas of Korea, veterans who served in Thailand are not entitled by law to a presumption of exposure to tactical herbicides," the spokeswoman said. "Lack of a presumption of herbicide exposure does not prevent veterans from demonstrating through competent evidence that they were exposed to herbicidal agents and that such exposure is sufficiently related to a current disability to warrant disability compensation."

Currently, Skinner hopes to make a case before a VA judge in perhaps a year, maybe longer.

A spokeswoman for the Air Force said neither the author of the AFHRA memo nor anyone else was available for an interview.

'These bills have a chance'

A solution by Congress may be the best approach, some attorneys and veterans advocates say.

"My sense is these bills have a chance, but I just don't know how good a chance," attorney Chisholm said.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, is listed as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 657, which would modify the presumption of a service connection for veterans who were exposed to herbicides while serving in Thailand. The bill was last referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs in June.

A VA spokeswoman said If enacted, S.657 would expand universal eligibility for veterans who served in Thailand.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, supports the Thailand Veterans Toxic Exposure Act, a version of which was included in the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee's toxic exposure bill reported out of committee in May.

"Time is running out for these veterans," Brown said in an email. "I will continue the fight to get benefits for all veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange  and other toxic chemicals  regardless of where they served."

Questions sent to the offices of Portman and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton. Turner has supported similar legislation in the past.

Harmon said his sense is that once attorneys are involved, claims from veterans who served in Thailand can be settled in as quickly as six months.

Chisholm said he and like-minded attorneys representing veterans who served in Thailand are winning these cases one at a time, but with detailed evidence, detailed arguments, detailed affidavits.

Poway, Calif., attorney Amanda Mineer recalled working on one case in which she and her team had to introduce into evidence a photo of a sailor taking a photographic selfie of himself on a ship as that ship crossed the equator, with barrels of Agent Orange nearby, visible in the photo.

The photo helped her win the case.

"That's what we do; we get creative," Mineer said. "That's our job."

"It's still essentially a case-by-case basis," Chisholm said. "You have to prove it."

But proving it isn't always possible, others say.

"Let's be real, this was 60 years ago," Trone said.

(c)2021 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

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A U.S. Army prototype Hughes YOH-6A Cayuse in mid-flight. (U.S. Army)

TOPEKA, Kan. (Tribune News Service)  When Larry Worthy returned from his stint in the Vietnam War as an aerial scout, he brought back a piece of the war with him  literally.

While attempting to scour the Vietnamese jungle for enemy soldiers, Worthy's helicopter came under fire. The first bullet deflected off his chest-plate and entered his jaw, becoming lodged in his head. He was able to land the helicopter  still fully conscious  and was rushed to receive treatment.

A few things helped him get medical aid. One was a fellow soldier who pulled a gun on an Army doctor so they would hurry up and help Worthy. And the other was the Hughes OH-6 Loach helicopter he was piloting  and the second Loach that took him to the first aid encampment  and he credits for saving his life.

"I don't ever regret it, not once," Worthy said. "I have a bullet in my head and I don't care. I don't regret one second of it."

When an OH-6 Loach came up for purchase, Worthy, a Rawlins County resident, knew he had to have it, no matter the cost.

"I want to share it with people because I think that what the scout pilots did, not a lot of people know about," Worthy said. "Most everyone knows about the Huey pilots that drop the troops off and pick up the wounded and they don't realize they're the scouts flying around over there getting shot at, trying to find the enemy."

Worthy, the OH-6 Loach and two other air scout helicopter pilots, all decorated, were in Topeka on Saturday night for an event at Forbes Field Airport designed to increase interest and understanding in the group of pilots that are less well known than many other Vietnam airmen.

Air scouts would skim the top of the jungle, looking out for the enemy using every means necessary. Sometimes outside equipment would be used, but mainly the helicopter teams used their own senses and training to identify Vietcong infantrymen for their American counterparts on the ground.

"The ability of an aerial scout is to see that which God didn't put there," said Hugh Mills, a fellow pilot.

Mills was awarded four Silver Stars, three Purple Hearts and the Legion of Merit for his service. He co-wrote a memoir about serving as an aerial scout and flew more than 2,000 hours in the OH-6 in Vietnam.

He later piloted similar helicopters for the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department but said flying the OH-6 always took him back to Vietnam  it was the first aircraft he was trained on in the military.

"I've got 8,500 hours on those things, but every time I get in the OH-6, yeah, it takes me back to Vietnam," Mills said.

The tactic of using a group of pilots solely dedicating to scouting the enemy is something that wasn't used prior to Vietnam and hasn't been used in the same way since, Worthy said.

"At night, we'd come in and report what we found to the intelligence guys," Worthy said. "They'd go: 'You're finding so much intelligence. Way more than anybody else on the ground. Somebody needs to write a book about you guys.'"

Mills and a third pilot, Bruce Huffman, flew in Worthy's OH-6 earlier in the afternoon, with the helicopter on display alongside other Vietnam War-era aircraft at the American Flight Museum at the airport.

Huffman said serving in the war was a seminal moment in his life, serving as chairman of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, an award he, as well as Worthy and Mills, won for their service in the war. The memories were so strong, Huffman said he felt called to fly in from Arizona to participate in the event.

"What I acquired by the age of 21 has served me well throughout my life," Huffman said. "Because I feel today that there isn't a challenge that I couldn't take or anything that I would be intimidated by. Because I was successful."

All three men underscored the need to improve understanding, particularly among younger generations, about the Vietnam War and how and why it came to pass. For Robert Rice, director of the American Flight Museum, there is no better way to do that than bringing their stories  and their aircraft  to Topeka.

"You can read a book about something or maybe watch a movie or documentary," Rice said. "But when you can sit down and listen to these guys talk and see the helicopter fly around, it is that three dimensions you can't get out of a book or movie."

abahl@gannett.com

(c)2021 The Topeka Capital-Journal, Kan.

Visit The Topeka Capital-Journal, Kan. at www.cjonline.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Sullivan, IN (47882)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 38F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 38F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
The Bay of Plenty District Health Board is backing a statement by Te Runanga Hauora Maori o te Moana a Toi, imploring Maori in the district to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

The Board tautoko the call from the Runanga for increased Maori vaccination rates in Te Moana a Toi, says Bay of Plenty DHB chairperson Sharon Shea.

The declaration calls on the descendants of Toi  of Mataatua waka, Takitimu waka, Tainui waka, and Te Arawa waka  to get vaccinated.

The Runanga are the Boards trusted iwi partner and we value their voice, their advice and their shared role in the DHBs decision-making, explains Shea.

The Runanga represents the 17 iwi in Te Moana a Toi and partners with the Board of the Bay of Plenty DHB.

The Covid-19 vaccine offers us the best protection against the virus. All 17 iwi in the rohe are behind this objective and supporting whanau to get vaccinated as soon as possible, says Shea.

If you havent taken the opportunity to get vaccinated, korero with someone who has already had it, speak to a trusted healthcare provider, or seek trusted information, advises Shea.

Bay of Plenty DHB chief executive officer Pete Chandler echoes the iwi partners call for action.

I honour and applaud the leadership of our Runanga partners. We know this vaccine is safe and can protect our community if enough of us are vaccinated. Theres now a very limited and critical window of time to get fully vaccinated before the end of the year and so I and our healthcare teams across the BOP are urging people not to delay  dont wait for Delta to get here.

We all need to do our part and get vaccinated for each other.

Vaccinated people are far less likely to contract Covid-19, get severely sick from the disease or require hospitalisation, according to the Ministry of Health.

The vaccine also reduces a vaccinated persons likelihood of passing on Covid-19 to other people.

All of the evidence continues to point to the fact that vaccination is our most important protection against this deadly virus, says Shea.

Our youth and rangatahi are our future. We are calling for our young Maori and non-Maori aged 12 to 30 to get vaccinated. We are building on earlier work with people in this age range and undertaking a dedicated youth approach, says Shea.

The Bay of Plenty DHB recently launched a campaign aimed at young people in the district called Plenty of Reasons.

The campaign encourages young people to think of the reasons to get vaccinated  including freedoms to travel, to attend events, and spend time with whanau.

On a personal note, as someone who has whakapapa to this rohe, I am a firm believer in our ability as tangata whenua to exercise our own rangatiratanga by choosing to get vaccinated in order to protect our whanau, emphasises Shea.

Walk-in Covid-19 vaccinations are available throughout the district and can be found at www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19-vaccination/bay-of-plenty

More than 178,000 residents in the district have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 140,000 residents are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

More than 50,000 doses have been given to Maori residents in the district, with more than 30,000 Maori having received at least one dose

The Covid-19 vaccine is available to everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand aged 12 and older. People can visit BookMyVaccine.nz or call 0800 28 29 26 to book, or visit www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19-vaccination/bay-of-plenty to find the nearest walk-in clinic.

More information about the vaccine can be found at covid19.govt.nz/vaccine.
The University of Waikato is one step closer to its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, buoyed by new funding announced by Climate Change Minister James Shaw as part of the $220 million State Sector Decarbonisation Fund.

The University of Waikato received $254,000 which will go towards two projects - replacing a chiller at the Hamilton campus with a low emissions alternative and a campus-wide upgrade of lighting which will see a switch to more efficient LEDs.

These projects will reduce emissions by an estimated 340 tonnes over the next ten years.

This follows $25,000 of co-funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority to undertake an Energy Transition Accelerator at the Hamilton campus to help identify further options for reducing energy-related emissions.

Its great to see the momentum build with our ambitious programme of work and for our staff and students to see some really visible examples of our commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030, says Chief Operating Officer, Jim Mercer.

While sustainability principles are firmly embedded within our new developments - including The Pa which is set to open in 2022 and transform the campus experience as the new hub of student activity - our big challenge lies with our older infrastructure. This requires us to be innovative and attentive and continue to prioritise this work in everything we do.

The University is poised to deliver a raft of initiatives at its Hamilton campus within the next six months which will see a significant reduction to emissions.

Over summer they will replace gas hot water boilers in a section of student accommodation with a biomass boiler and CO heat pump as part of a trial which will inform how they tackle the issue campus-wide.

When lockdown restrictions ease, 50 smart meters will be installed in the Waikato Management School. These will be linked to an energy management system which will provide real-time insights about energy usage for a period of six months, to inform future steps across the campus.

The focus will then shift to smart metering for water, exploration of a large-scale solar power installation, new provisions for e-bike storage and charging, and bold steps towards laying sustainable foundations for an exciting new development within the School of Engineering.

Assistant Vice-Chancellor Sustainability, Professor Lynda Johnston, is encouraged by the programme of work underway and what lies ahead.

Were proud to be on this journey, walking the talk at a time when our world-first Bachelor of Climate Change (launching in 2022) is making ripples across the globe, she says.

Our students especially want warm, energy-efficient buildings powered by clean energy. They also want to see us tackling sustainability issues holistically and meaningfully, setting an example as to how a university can contribute to the regeneration of the social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing of the region. This means setting ambitious targets, being transparent about how were tracking and constantly innovating in areas like travel, waste and water.

Weve learned a lot over the last two years about how we can get smarter with events, for instance, embracing digital technologies and changing our expectations about in-person attendance. Our challenge will be to maintain a hybrid offering as we establish our new normal, which will reduce the reliance on resource-intensive in-person events.

Were also very fortunate to have some world-leading expertise inhouse helping to guide our thinking and implementation along the journey.

The Waikato School of Engineering is currently leading a groundbreaking programme of research, Ahuora, supporting big industry in Aotearoa to transition to renewable energy for process heat, with the help of $12.5m MBIE Endeavour funding. Amiomio Aotearoa, a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, is also providing an inspiring example in their work to advance a circular economy concept for New Zealand backed by $10.9m MBIE Endeavour funding.

It is a really exciting time for the University of Waikato and while we have some hard mahi ahead of us, were well on the path and taking our responsibilities seriously, inspired in large part by the expertise we have within our own institution, says Professor Johnston
This years Crankworx Rotorua Mountain Biking Festival begins today, but there will be no spectators at the event.

Some of the worlds best in the field will be present at the event this week after up to 70 people were granted MIQ group allocation earlier this year.

To be eligible for group allocation, a group must have a sponsoring Government agency, need more that 20 rooms, have a time-sensitive element to their visit and must enter as a single unit.

With the Delta variant currently in the community across New Zealand, including a recent scare at Rotorua Airport, the decision was made not to allow spectators.

In the interest of protecting all athletes, team, volunteers, and our wider community, this years Rotorua-based festival will be broadcast-only, with no spectators on-site, says a statement from event organisers.

Another element toward eligibility for MIQ group allocation is that the group must be a Government priority.

If the group visit is of national interest, economic impact or in the interest of national security, it may qualify as a Government priority.

Whilst the absence of fans may very well diminish some of the economic impact, the event will still gain a large online audience and the events continued hosting in New Zealand could be seen as being in the national interest.

The live worldwide broadcast offers the unique chance to showcase Rotorua and New Zealand as a premiere mountain biking destination on the world stage, says a Crankworx statement.

Last year, livestream views reached 1.1 million and that is expected to increase this year with border closures and our current alert levels.

Fans will be able to catch live and behind the scenes action across five broadcast events and Crankworx Rotoruas digital channels.

The group allocation process for MIQ began in February 2021 and has seen the likes of the Blackcaps, the US Antarctic Programme and the New Zealand Defence Force receive isolation spots.

Whilst fans are not expected at the event, Waka Kotahi NZTA is still advising there may be delays this week in the area of SH5 Fairy Springs Rd to Old Taupo Rd, Rotorua.

Please drive with care and allow extra time for your journey, says a Waka Kotahi spokesperson.

International riders, like Frenchman Paul Couderc, have been granted New Zealand entry for the event. Clint Trahan.

This is the final stop of the current Crankworx cycle and includes events such as King and Queen of Crankworx, Crankworx Slopestyle FMBA World Champion, and the elusive Triple Crown of Slopestyle up for grabs.

International competitors Marcel Hunt, Bernd Winkler and Lukas Schafer are all preparing for their first Slopestyle comp at this level of competition..

Frenchman Paul Couderc is hoping to get his first taste of finals in Rotorua. He was on the start list for the event in 2020 but was injured in practice.

Last year I took a really bad slam one hour before the finals, so I wasnt able to compete, says Courderc of the contest in Rotorua in 2020.

This year Im coming back and Im so excited to ride this course because its such a fun course. The only thing is I have a broken ligament in my wrist. I did it at Crankworx in Canada. Its actually pretty painful. I didnt even ride before coming here. So, I will try to give my best, but its an odd situation for me. Im definitely really, really motivated to do my tricks. I will do my best.

This year, progression has been on for the women of freeride at Crankworx. So much so that when they threw down at Speed & Style at Crankworx Innsbruck earlier this year, they blew the trick list out of the water.

The women had progressed so much since our last womens Speed & Style competition in 2020 in Rotorua that the trick list was outdated, says Director of sport for the Crankworx World Tour Nicole Freeman, with local favourite Robin Goomes one to watch, after completing the first back flip in Crankworx competition earlier this year.

They were throwing down tricks that previously we didnt have on the Womens Speed & Style trick list, because no one was doing them in competition, says Freeman.

They have pushed the sport, so weve now updated our trick list to reflect this.

Were stoked to see what the ladies are going to bring to the table at Speed & Style in Rotorua.

The Rotorua Pump Track course. Photo. Kike Abelleira.

New Zealand will have high hopes from Sam Blenkinsop, George Brannigan, Brook Macdonald and Casey Brown in the downhill.

Crankworx Rotorua runs from November 1-7 and the action can be caught on Red Bull TV.
More than 3.1 million New Zealanders are now fully vaccinated, reports the Ministry of Health.

This comes as the Ministry reports 162 new community cases of Covid-19 today.

A total of 53 people are in hospital with the virus.

Three are in ICU or HDU, says an MOH spokesperson.

The average age of those in hospital is 47.

See a full breakdown of today's figures below:

COVID-19 vaccine update Total vaccines administered to date (percentage of eligible people) 6,868,846. 3,709,315 first doses (88%); 3,159,301 second doses (75%) Vaccines administered yesterday 20,176. 4,867 first doses; 15,303 second doses Maori (percentage of eligible people) 410,683 first doses (72%); 300,709 second doses (53%) Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people) 244,009 first doses (85%); 197,188 second doses (69%) Total vaccines administered to Auckland residents to date (percentage of eligible people) 2,462,939. 1,308,317 first doses (91%); 1,154,622 second doses (81%) Vaccines administered to Auckland residents yesterday 6,404. 1,302 first doses; 5,102 second doses Vaccination rates by DHB (with active cases) Northland DHB (percentage of eligible people 127,753 first doses (79%); 103,689 second doses (64%) Auckland metro DHBs (percentage of eligible people 1,308,317 first doses (91%); 1,154,622 second doses (81%) Waikato DHB (percentage of eligible people 309,732 first doses (87%); 258,045 second doses (72%) Canterbury DHB (percentage of eligible people 440,277 first doses (91%); 356,328 second doses (74%) Hospitalisations Cases in hospital 53 (total, down from 56 yesterday): North Shore (15); Middlemore (19); Auckland (19) Average age of current hospitalisations 47 Cases in ICU or HDU Three Cases Number of new community cases 162 Number of new cases identified at the border Four Location of new community cases Auckland (156), Waikato (5), Northland (1) Location of community cases (total) Auckland 3,351 (1,573 of whom have recovered); Waikato 123 (37 of whom have recovered); Wellington 17 (all of whom have recovered); Northland 13 (three of whom have recovered); Nelson/Marlborough 1 (recovered) Canterbury (5)* Number of community cases (total) 3,510 (in current community outbreak) Confirmed cases (total) 6,233 Historical cases * 181 out of 4,420 cases since 1 January Cases infectious in the community 33 of yesterdays cases have exposure events Cases in isolation throughout the period they were infectious 107 of yesterdays cases have no exposure events Cases epidemiologically linked 70 of todays cases Cases to be epidemiologically linked 92 of todays 74 cases Cases epidemiologically linked (total) 2,962 (in the current cluster) (421 unlinked from the past 14 days) Contacts Number of active contacts being managed (total): 3,143 Percentage who have received an outbound call from contact tracers (to confirm testing and isolation requirements) 76% Percentage who have returned at least one result 76% Locations of interest Locations of interest (total) 387 (as at 10am 1 November) Tests Number of tests (total) 4,115,279 Number of tests total (last 24 hours) 19,135 Tests processed in Auckland (last 24 hours) 7,683 Tests rolling average (last 7 days) 23,789 Testing centres in Auckland 18 Wastewater Wastewater detections See Christchurch update below NZ COVID Tracer Registered users (total) 3,337,515 Poster scans (total) 470,419,883 Manual diary entries (total) 19,372,795 Poster scans in 24 hours to midday yesterday 2,091,041

New cases identified at the border

Arrival date From Via Positive test day/reason Managed isolation/quarantine location 17 October Philippines Full travel history to be determined Day 12 / routine Auckland 26 October Russia Singapore Day 3 / routine Christchurch 28 October Full travel history to be determined Day 1 / routine Rotorua 29 October Ireland Singapore Day 1 / routine Christchurch

*Todays cases

The number of community cases in Canterbury officially remains at five.

"As reported yesterday, the fifth case has been confirmed as historical and will be removed from our case numbers tomorrow.

"One previously reported border case has been reclassified as a historical case."

Northland update

There is one new case to report in Northland today, bringing the total number of cases for the region to 13. All of the cases are isolating at home with public health oversight, says the MOH.

"Public Health interviews continue to identify new locations of interest and we do ask people in Northland to check the Ministrys locations of interest webpage regularly, which is updated throughout the day. Each location of interest has corresponding advice.

"Testing and vaccination rates remained relatively steady over the weekend. We urge anyone in Northland who has any symptoms that could be COVID-19 to get a test."

Testing today is available at the following locations:

-Rawene Hospital, Honey Street  open until 2pm

-Kerikeri, 1 Sammaree Place  open until 4pm

-Ohaeawai Rugby Clubrooms  open until 5pm

-Whangarei  20 Winger Crescent  open until 4pm

- Kaiwaka - Three Furlongs  open until 2pm

Auckland update

The focus today in Auckland remains on testing in areas identified as having higher positivity rates, where the risk of unidentified cases is higher, says the MOH.

"Public health staff are asking people in the suburbs of Redvale, Rosedale, New Lynn, Wiri, Drury, Henderson and Manurewa with symptoms, even if they are mild symptoms, to get tested. P - even if they are vaccinated.

"This testing will help to provide assurance that any undetected spread of Covid-19 in these communities is identified as quickly as possible."

There are 18 community testing centres available for testing across Auckland today. Up-to-date information on testing locations in Auckland, visit Auckland Regional Public Health Service.

In Auckland, public health officials are now supporting 1115 individuals safely isolate at home - this includes 564 cases across 372 households.

Auckland care home

One more staff member of Edmonton Meadows Care Home in Henderson has tested positive, meaning the total number of staff cases is now two.

The total number of cases related to Edmonton Meadows care home is now 10.

"As we reported yesterday, two of the Covid-19 -positive residents are currently receiving appropriate ward-level care at North Shore Hospital.

"The care home continues to operate under alert level 3 guidelines for visitors, meaning people have only been able to visit the facility on compassionate grounds.

"As the source of transmission remains unknown, Whole Genome Sequencing is underway."

Waikato update

There are five new cases in Waikato today. Of those, one is in Ngaruawahia, two are in Otorohanga and one is in Hamilton, says the MOH.

"The fifth is a case in Otorohanga announced yesterday that came in after our daily reporting time cut-off. This case is still under investigation to determine any links to existing cases.

"Three of the other five cases today are known contacts already in isolation and the remaining case has now also been linked to existing cases.

"Following an unexpected Covid-19 wastewater detection Huntly reported yesterday, there are pop-up testing centres at both Huntly East and Huntly West from 10am today.

"A third new pop-up testing site is being set up today at Ngaruawahia. This takes the number of testing sites operating in Waikato today to seven. Locations can be found on the Waikato DHB website."

Public Health staff are asking anyone with symptoms to get tested  no matter how mild their symptoms might be. The advice is the same even if people are vaccinated.

There were 1870 tests processed throughout Waikato yesterday and 1,257 vaccinations given.

Christchurch update

There are no new cases to report in Christchurch today.

Covid-19 has been detected in two new wastewater samples collected in Christchurch on Friday, in the southern and eastern part of the city.

"One of these samples is likely the result of a known case living in the catchment area. Investigations are underway to establish any link to known cases for the second sample, including any recovered cases that have recently left MIQ.

"Further samples are being taken, with results expected later this week.

"Because of the recently reported cases in Canterbury, it is important that anyone, especially those in Christchurch with any symptoms, no matter how mild, gets tested.

"Testing and vaccination sites are available across Canterbury today. Please see the Canterbury DHB website for site locations and hours.

"The four household contacts of the person who was reported as testing positive for Covid-19 in Tonga remain in isolation and have all returned an initial negative result. Two close contacts are in isolation with public health oversight in Christchurch and two are in isolation with public health oversight in Porirua."
Six Bay of Plenty women, from a range of industries, are among more than 60 high-achieving New Zealanders named as Women of Influence Awards finalists today.

They are: Cassandra Crowley, CEO, Te Arawa - Rotorua, Denise Arnold, Founder, Cambodia Charitable Trust - Tauranga, Shuari Naidoo, CEO and Founder Moraka Menstral Cups - Tauranga, Tina Armstrong, Farmer, Circular  Whakatane, Chris Duggan, Founder and CEO of House of Science - Tauranga, and Fiona McTavish, Chief Executive Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council - Tauranga.

Since becoming Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Councils Chief Executive in 2018, Fiona McTavish had used her influence to create greater gender equality internally, and strengthen Councils relationship with Maori.

She believes that a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace enables people to be themselves at work and to thrive.

She was honoured to be chosen as a finalist in the awards and proud to represent Toi Moana.

These awards showcase women who are making a difference to the lives of New Zealanders.

As Chief Execuitive, my role is to work for council and with staff to make a difference for the communities in the Bay of Plenty. I am immensely proud of this alignment and the mahi of this council.

My congratulations to all finalists for these awards and I look forward to hearing and connecting with these women.

Jointly presented by Westpac NZ and Stuff, the awards are now in their ninth year.

Nominees are judged on the strength, scope and impact of their actions across 10 categories including Arts & Culture, Environment, Innovation, Science & Research, Public Policy.

Westpac NZ Acting CEO Simon Power is pleased to see many young faces among this years finalists, taking action on issues that will benefit all New Zealanders in the years to come.

From innovative ideas aimed at reducing waste and cleaning up the environment to new initiatives around supporting the wellbeing of our rangatahi, its great to see young Kiwi women taking the lead on issues that matter to all of us.

Its also great to see such strong nominations in the Business Enterprise category. Kiwi SMEs have proven adaptable and resilient in tough conditions this year, and well continue to work together with them to help drive Aotearoas economic recovery into 2022.

Stuff CEO and Women of Influence judge Sinead Boucher praises the dedication and drive that the finalists show in their chosen fields.

They are champions of a better world - their work has real impact, be it making an immediate difference or striving to exert social or policy change that creates long-term benefits.

These awards attract inspiring women who are role models for all ages, they showcase our leaders of today and tomorrow.



A Women of Influence Supreme Winner is chosen from among the 10 category winners. Previous Supreme Winners include microbiologist and science communicator Siouxsie Wiles (2020), neonatologist Dame Jane Harding (2019) and founder of domestic violence charity The Aunties, Jackie Clark (2018).



The finalists will be honoured at a Women of Influence Awards gala dinner in Auckland on February 10, 2022.

For more information about the Awards, and to enquire about tickets to the Awards dinner, visit www.womenofinfluence.co.nz.

2021 Women of Influence finalists by category:

Arts & Culture

Susan Boland, Co-founder and Managing Director of Operatunity  Auckland

Ngaire Fuata, Director and General Manager of Sunpix Post  Auckland

Jody Jackson-Becerra, Creative Director  Auckland

Qiane Matata-Sipu, CEO of NUKU  Auckland

Jessie Rose, Artist and mentor  Whangarei

Julia Strelou, Managing Director of Addicted to Media  Queenstown

Hannah Watkinson, Manager of Salt Lane Studios  Christchurch

Lesley Whyte, Founder of Women in Photography  Auckland

Board & Management

Cassandra Crowley, CEO of Te Arawa and business mentor  Rotorua

Sally Morrison, Co-chair of Wellington Rugby League and board member  Wellington

Kylie Reiri, CEO of Nicholson Consulting, co-founder of Impact Lab  Wellington

Rebecca Thomas, Chief Information Officer of PricewaterhouseCoopers  Auckland

Sam Tyson, Managing director of Climate and Plumbing and National Master Plumbers only female representative  New Plymouth

Ana Wilkinson-Gee, Creative Director and founder of Holi Boli Fashionz  Hamilton

Business Enterprise

Agnes Loheni, Director of MENA International  Auckland

Anthea Madill, Founder of Clever Green  Christchurch

Carla McNeil, Managing Director of Learning MATTERS  Te Awamutu

Anna Mowbray, CEO of ZURU Toys  Auckland

Latesha Randall, Co-founder of Raglan Food Co  Raglan

Debbie Sorensen, Chief Executive of Pasifika Medical Association and Pasifika Futures Ltd - Auckland

Nicola Relph, Owner of Adult Brands  Wellington

Jessie Wong, Director of Yu Mei  Wellington

Chloe and Florence van Dyke, Co-founders of Chia Sisters  Nelson

Community Hero

Denise Arnold, Found of Cambodia Charitable Trust  Tauranga

Denise Astill, Founder and Executive Officer of Foetal Anticonvulsant Syndrome NZ  Auckland

Sarah Brown, Co-founder of She Is Not Your Rehab  Christchurch

Kim Murray & Rebecca Morahan, Co-CEOs and co-founders of WELLfed  Wellington

Ruth Money, volunteer victim advocate  Auckland

Sarah Page, Founder of the Kindness Collective Foundation  Auckland

Bernadette Pinnell, International Director of Compass Housing  Auckland

Diversity

Maria Jose Alvarez, Investment Manager, NZ Growth Capital Partners  Auckland

Nurain Janah, Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young and Founder of Authenticity Aotearoa  Auckland

Angela Meyer, Consultant and founder of the Gender Justice Collective  Auckland

Dana Youngman, Sky TV Network Executive  Auckland

Environment

Trisia Farrelly, Senior Lecturer at Massey University and environmental anthropologist  Palmerston North

Professor Bronwyn Hayward MNZM, Professor, University of Canterbury; Department of Political Science  Christchurch

Christine Liang, Programme Manager at the Southern Institute of Technology  Invercargill

Aroha Te Pareake Mead, Research Associate, Indigenous Knowledge & Biodiversity Chair Emeritus  Wellington

Cheryl Reynolds, CEO of Endangered Species Foundation  Raglan

Danielle Shanahan, Director of the Centre for People and Nature, and Deputy Chief Executive of Zealandia  Wellington

Innovation, Science & Health

Chris Duggan, Founder and CEO of House of Science - Tauranga

Anna Kominik, Asian Pacific Region Director at Wisk - Wellington

Professor Beverly Lawton, Founder and Director of the Centre for Womens Health Research Te Tatai Hauora o Hine  Wellington

Angela Lim, CEO and co-founder of Clearhead  Auckland

Professor Julia Rucklidge, Prof of Clinical Psychology at University of Canterbury  Christchurch

Primary Industries

Tina Armstrong, Organic Farmer  Whakatane

Carolyn Clegg, Vice President of New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association  Te Anau

Kristy McGregor, Editor-in-Chief of Shepherdess  Levin

Tia Potae, Whanau Ora Navigator  Milton

Public Policy

Louise Aitken, Chief Executive of The Akina Foundation  Wellington

Megan Main, Deputy Secretary of Managed Isolation and Quarantine  Wellington

Melanie Mark-Shadbolt, Deputy Secretary Maori Rights & Interests, Ministry for the Environment  Christchurch

Sharon Mason, CEO of Buller District Council  Westport

Fiona McTavish, Chief Executive, Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council  Tauranga

Fiona Michel, Director - Sector Engagement, Workforce and Welfare - COVID-19 Vaccination Immunisation Programme, Ministry of Health  Auckland

Leilani Tamu, Pacific Manager of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment  Auckland

Dr Jessica Young, Postdoctoral Fellow at Victoria University  Wellington

Young Leader

Kate Gatfield-Jeffries, Student at University of Auckland and co-founder of Women in Law  Auckland

Riley Hathaway, Educator at Young Ocean Explorer  Auckland

Shuari Naidoo, CEO and co-founder of Moraka Menstrual Cups  Tauranga

Tara Shepherd, Otago University Student and climate change champion  Westport

2021 Women of Influence Partners

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November 2 is a day where people traditionally adorn all kinds of fancy dress and head to the pub or sporting venue for the annual Melbourne Cup Day races.

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's most famous annual Thoroughbred horse race. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Twelve months on from having his first runner in the Melbourne Cup, Auckland racehorse trainer Nick Bishara is just as excited as he was last year before the running of the race that stops a nation.

Bishara, who prepared nine-time Group I winner Verry Elleegant for her first three starts in New Zealand and retained a share in the champion mare when she was sold and sent to Australia in September 2018, believes this could be her year after the daughter of Zed finished an unlucky seventh last year, just over two weeks after winning the Caulfield Cup.

Trainer Chris Waller  who started his career in New Zealand before shifting across the Tasman  and the mares syndicate of owners confirmed their second tilt at the Cup late on Saturday afternoon and Bishara is keen to see her perform up to her best on Tuesday.

I think the signs are all positive for her, and she is going to go the race of her life, Bishara says.

She is 30-40kgs heavier than last year and is a more mature product, while she gets the best in the business back on her with James McDonald now confirmed to ride.

Like Waller, McDonald is a Kiwi who has gone to the top of the ranks in Australia.

JMac was on fire at Flemington on Saturday with four wins, three of those for Chris, so the A team is firing on all cylinders just when you need them to be.

James worked her on Saturday morning and was delighted with her, while all the latest reports have been positive, so Im just fizzing for the race.

Bishara acknowledges the enormous task ahead of the mare as she carries 1.5kg more than last year and has drawn barrier 19.

He is keen for McDonald to ride her positively after she was caught near the rear last year for jockey Mark Zahra and made up plenty of ground to finish a close-up seventh.

I am convinced that JMac is the key to the whole thing as he just knows her inside and out, Bishara says.

The barrier draw is a shocker but that means he has to get into the race by coming wide with some cover and if she is somewhere near them on the corner, then it is game on.

She finished third in the Cox Plate last time which was a massive improvement after disappointing a little when only fourth the time before that, so she should be absolutely spot on for Tuesday.

While Bishara is excited to have a Cup runner again, he stills has a pang of disappointment that he and his fellow New Zealand-based owners, including breeder Don Goodwin of Auckland, cant be at Flemington to take in the spectacle.

I completely understand the whole Covid situation and the reasons for our restrictions, but there is a little part of me that is gutted that we cant be there, he says.

Well have our family and stable staff bubble around home to watch the race and celebrate win, lose or draw, but I do feel for the other owners who are in the same boat as us.

Poor Don Goodwin and his wife had followed her to every racetrack before Covid struck and now they are stuck at home.

They are in their 80s and may never get another Cup runner, so that does strike a bum note for me and takes some gloss off the whole thing.

Always one to look on the positive side, Bishara was overjoyed by the news that Verry Elleegants half-sister, Black Lace, has successfully foaled a Zed filly at Arrowfield Stud in Australia, making the foal a three-quarter sister to the great mare who is also by the underrated Grangewilliam Stud stallion.

We just heard that Black Lace has successfully delivered a filly and she is a bloody cracker, he said.

Ive seen a picture of her and she is a long-legged filly, who is the spitting image to Verry Elleegant, so that is very exciting news at just the right time.

 NZ Racing Desk/Stuff.
A small door that gives way to a building on Plaza San Francisco opens up a half century's worth of Spanish military history. As you step inside, you are transported from autumn 2021 to the year 1898, a time when the king of the country is Alfonso XII.

A sign that reads "Exposicion Tres Coronas" presides over a two-floor space that houses one of the most complete and highly valued Spanish military collections.

The first room is an impressive one, full of mannequins, but rather than be dressed with latest and greatest in fashion, they instead wear a Gran Gala Spanish army uniform from 1909, a military uniform from the first African campaign and a "Rayadillo" uniform worn in Cuba and the Philippines.

"This passion began when I was a teenager. I started buying medals and coats of arms. Then, whenever I could, I kept on expanding the collection," explained collector Chaos.

Now he owns around 220 military uniforms, which are the result of hours spent searching in flea markets and on specialised websites for militaria.

Three different periods

The uniforms are divided into three different time periods.

The first is between 1889 and 1931, with overseas and African uniforms, with their respective changes during Alfonso XIII's reign.

The second period spans the years 1931 to 1939, where the influence of the Second Spanish Republic is apparent in the changes to the uniforms.

Lastly, 1936 to 1948 covers the African military uprising, the Civil War and its immediate aftermath, and the Blue Division's participation in the Second World War.

Chaos knows that in his collection there are real rarities, some of which could be sold for significant sums of money.

"The Blue Division patches, for example, are worth more than the uniform itself," he said.

No economic interest

"I have no intention of making any money from this collection," he said.

As a man of his word, the entry price to this museum is set by each visitor. "Now I let people make donations, only because the tax man wouldn't believe that someone does something out of passion," he explained.

Chaos was born in Madrid but has been in Malaga for several years.

Trading and searching what he considers to be hidden gems has been the beating heart of his life.

But now space is an issue.

"I'm looking for somewhere bigger to exhibit all the uniforms that I have," he said.

"But it's incredible how rent prices have risen again, even for local businesses.

Chaos would like the help of Malaga city hall to find a space for his collection.

To show his commitment to expanding his museum, Javier Chaos decided to approach the local authorities.

The collection's current space isn't well known to the general public and doesn't appear on any of Malaga's museum listings, but it does reveal itself to be a hidden gem.

Chaos knows how unique his collection is. All the uniforms and everything seen in the museum are originals. There is no room for replicas here.
2022 will be the year that British tourists return to Andalucia Andalucia expects to receive in the first half of next year 60% of the British visitors to Spain before the pandemic

The World Travel Market (WTM) got under way this Monday in London, back to its face-to-face format after its virtual edition in 2020 due to the pandemic.

This year's travel trade fair has seen a significant reduction in professionals from the travel industry, with only a third of the countries that took part in 2019 and coronavirus also made its presence felt with security controls requiring a Covid certificate from all attendees.

There is a general sensation of hope, however, among the colourful stands lining the ExCel centre in London, where representatives from the world's tourism industry aim to recuperate their British tourists, the most important visitor market for numerous countries.

The Spanish contigent at this year's WTM has been formed by representatives from all levels of the tourism industry, including the minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto; the president of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno; the vice-president of the Junta and regional Tourism minister, Juan Marin; the president of the Costa del Sol tourism authority, Francisco Salado; and the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre; along with mayors and councillors from all of the main tourist resorts on the Costa del Sol, including Marbella, Torremolinos, Mijas, Torrox, Benalmadena and Nerja.

And all of their speeches during the busy fair in London have carried the same message: the tourism industry is on its way to recovery as British holidaymakers prepare to return to their destinations.

The different authorities also coincided in saying that now is the time to reposition the Costa del Sol brands as holiday destinations of quality rather than quantity.

Their aim is not necessarily to recover the figures of 2019, but rather to attract a visitor with higher spending power who takes longer holidays.

The president of the Junta de Andalucia stressed the importance of recovering the British market as soon as possible.

"They [the British] are vital for the reactivation of tourism in Andalucia as a whole. We are working to recover the pre-pandemic situation and the signs are positive. We are going in the right direction, adn so we can be reasonably optimistic with our forecasts," he said as he inaugurated the Andalucia section of the fair.

"We are the salespeople for Andalucia. We've come to sell the great things of our land to tourists and to investors with an interest in Andalucia; we want them to come to our region," he added.

He listed some of the things that would help them sell their product. "We've lowered taxes, removed bureaucracy and we're making sure they know that we are a safe destination. What better way of creating trust than to say that 91% of our target population has been vaccinated against Covid-19."

The message to British holidaymakers was simple: now they can plan the holiday in Andalucia that they have been dreaming of for months.
One dead and two seriously injured in A-357 head-on crash involving a car and van Four people were injured in the accident near Pizarra, and two were rushed, in a serious condition, to the intensive care unit at Malaga's Regional Hospital

A 22-year-old Romanian man has died after a head-on crash at kilometre 44 on Malagas A-357 road, in the municipality of Pizarra.

According to the emergency services four other people were injured in the accident, and two of them were rushed, in a serious condition, to the intensive care unit of the Regional Hospital in the city. All of them were male.

The accident, between a car and a van, was reported at around 8am on Sunday (31 October), when the 112 Andalucia emergency services control room was alerted by several callers.

Firefighters had to cut one of the victims free from the wreckage and an air ambulance ferried the seriously injured to the Regional Hospital in Malaga. In total three people were transferred to the Regional and a fourth person was taken to the Hospital Clinico in Malaga.

The deceased was a 22-year-old Romanian man who had lived in Pizarra for several years.

Guardia Civil traffic officers are investigating the cause of the crash.
London wakes up to a taste of Andalucia Commuters found the SUR in English Southern Spain supplement inside their copy of City A.M this Monday morning

Commuters in London have woken up this Monday morning to a taste of Andalucia and the Costa del Sol, when they found the SUR in English Southern Spain supplement inserted in their copy of their free newspaper City A.M.

Train and tube journeys into central London were brightened up with colourful images of the beaches of the Costa del Sol, of Andalucia's great cities and of the region's inland beauty.

"I love Spain," said finance officer Helga Morady, who found the supplement on her first day back at her office in London after working from home since the lockdown.

London commuter Helga Morady picks up her copy of City A.M. with the supplement inside. / salvador salas

The idea that international travel is once again a real possibility produced by the newspaper combined therefore with the growing sense that life is returning to normal in London and the rest of the UK.

The publication of the SUR in English Southern Spain supplement coincides with the opening this Monday of the World Travel Market in London, one of the world's most important tourism fairs.
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Taos County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the killing of Patrick Milligan, 49. Milligan was found dead of gunshot wounds at his home in Carson Estates on Oct. 7.
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Hong Kong To Amend Tax Rules For Foreign-Source Passive Income

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

01 November 2021

The Hong Kong Government has issued a statement committing to amend its tax law with regards the tax exemption for foreign source passive income from 2023, to ensure the territory does not end up placed on the EU's tax blacklist of non-cooperative territories.

Background

In 2017, the EU's Code of Conduct Group (COCG) found that a tax system that fully excludes passive income with a foreign link from taxation, without any conditions, is harmful.

The COCG has said: "Foreign source exemption regimes that are broad enough to include passive income, without any conditions, can result in ring-fencing and a lack of substance. Ring-fencing arises because the receipt of passive income generally requires a transaction with a non-resident. Passive income is generally not coupled with economic substance requirements. The COCG has found that the exemption of passive income without clear conditions (e.g. explicit link to some real activity in the jurisdiction) contravenes the principles of the Code."

On May 20, 2019, the Code of Conduct Group (COCG) agreed on an approach to assess foreign sourced income exemption regimes. It also issued guidelines to provide direction for jurisdictions that have already taken a commitment to amend their foreign source income exemptions, due to harmful features identified by the COCG.

In those guidelines, it said: "Foreign source income exemption regimes, or regimes that charge corporate tax on a territorial basis are not, in themselves, problematic. In fact, exempting foreign profits is acceptable and even recommendable, in certain cases, to prevent double taxation. However, problems arise when such regimes not only prevent double taxation, but also create situations of double-non taxation. This is particularly the case for regimes that have (i) an overly broad definition of the income excluded from taxation, notably foreign source passive income without any conditions or safeguards, and/or (ii) a nexus definition that is non-compliant with the definition of a permanent establishment in the OECD Model Tax Convention."

The COCG has said jurisdictions with harmful foreign income exemption regimes should either:

Introduce taxation of passive income; or

If they exclude from taxation certain types of passive income:

implement adequate substance requirements to the entities concerned, in line with the EU's Code of Conduct (Business Taxation); have robust anti-abuse rules in place; and



remove any administrative discretion in determining the income to be excluded from taxation.

Hong Kong's response

The Hong Kong Government issued a statement on October 5, 2021, following the inclusion of Hong Kong in the list of territories that have a harmful tax regime but have committed to address the COCG's concerns. According to the EU, Hong Kong has agreed to make legislative amendments to its tax laws by an agreed deadline of December 31, 2022, which according to Hong Kong will be implemented from 2023.

The Hong Kong Government said: "As an international financial centre, Hong Kong has all along been actively participating in and supportive of international tax co-operation. Over the years, Hong Kong has adopted the territorial source principle of taxation, whereby offshore profits are generally not subject to profits tax in Hong Kong."

"The EU is concerned that corporates with no substantial economic activity in Hong Kong are not subject to tax in respect of certain offshore passive income (such as interest and royalties), hence leading to circumstances of 'double non-taxation'. Under the premise of supporting the combating of cross-border tax evasion, the HKSAR Government agrees to co-operate with and has committed to the EU to amend the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Chapter 112 of the Hong Kong laws) by the end of 2022 and implement relevant measures in 2023."

"Hong Kong will continue to adopt the territorial source principle of taxation. The Government will endeavour to uphold our simple, certain and low-tax regime with a view to maintaining the competitiveness of Hong Kong's business environment."

"The proposed legislative amendments will merely target corporations, particularly those with no substantial economic activity in Hong Kong, that make use of passive income to evade tax across a border. Individual taxpayers will not be affected. As to financial institutions, their offshore interest income is already subject to profits tax under the Inland Revenue Ordinance at present, and hence the legislative amendments will not increase their tax burden."

"We will consult the stakeholders on the specific contents of the legislative amendments and strive to minimise the compliance burden of corporates."

The Government concluded: "Hong Kong enterprises will not be subject to defensive tax measures imposed by the EU as a result of being included in the watchlist on tax co-operation. The HKSAR Government will request the EU to swiftly remove Hong Kong from the watchlist after amending the relevant tax arrangements."
Centenary Anniversary of 1st Women Called to the Bar in Ireland  Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell.

Photos: Frances Kyle (top), Averil Deverall (bottom), Irish Independent, 2 November 1921 (right).

* Irish Independent, 2 November 1921 (with thanks to Renate Ni Uigin, the Honorable Society of the Kings Inns, Dublin).

On Tuesday, 1st November 1921, Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell, graduates of the Law School, Trinity College Dublin, became the first women called to the Bar in Ireland.

A resolution of the Kings Inns Benchers of January 1920 had provided that women shall be admitted on precisely the same terms as men. Both Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell became the first two women to be admitted and were called to the Bar alongside 18 men. The call of the two women barristers made headlines at the time, not only in Ireland but it was also picked up in the London Times, the New York Times, the suffragists journal The Vote, and even reached the Times of India.

Frances Kyle



Frances Kyle had the honor of becoming the first women called to the Irish Bar, and also the first women to take first place in the Bar finals receiving the John Brookes Scholarship in October 1921. She practiced law briefly before returning to her family home in Belfast. Averil Deverell



Averil Deverell was the first woman to practise at the Bar in Ireland. She was amongst the first group of women to obtain a Law degree from Trinity College Dublin (1915). She had a colourful and interesting career prior to commencing her legal practice  having served as with ambulance corps during World War. She developed a reputation while in practice of being a campaigner on behalf of her women colleagues; when the women's dressing room in the Law Library was changed in the 1930s, she organised the women to get their room back, and when the words 'Lady Barristers' were written on the door of the room, she insisted on their replacement with the words 'Women Barristers.'



She died in 1979 leaving a bequest setting up a lectureship in the Law School of Trinity College. The first to hold the position of the Averil Deverell Lecturer in Law was The Hon. Fidelma Macken SC. It is perhaps fitting that the first recipient of this post, also a Trinity College alum, was a pioneer herself, having the honor of being the first women judge appointed to the European Court of Justice. Patricia Brazil



The current Averil Deverell Lecturer in Law is Dr Patricia Brazil BL. Dr Brazil graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an LL.B. degree. She lectures and practises in asylum and immigration law, family and child law.



Patricia Brazil is pictured with a portrait of Averil Deverell, located in the Honorable Society of the Kings Inns, Dublin.

More information on Averil Deverell can be found here
In brief: Researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK have been working on a technique to store massive amount of data on CD-sized glass discs for over a decade. The current iteration of their tech is more than 10,000 times denser than Blu-ray optical storage.

As Optica explains, Yuhao Lei and Peter G. Kazansky from the University of Southampton have developed a method that uses an energy-efficient laser to create high-density nanostructures in silica glass across two optical dimensions and three spatial dimensions.

According to its creators, the technique can write at speeds of 1,000,000 voxels per second, which is equivalent to recording about 230 kilobytes of data (more than 100 pages of text) per second.

Humanity is generating ever-larger datasets, and while cloud-based storage systems are making do for now, theyre really just temporary solutions based on legacy storage technology. For truly longer-term data storage, something much more robust is needed.

Glass is one viable solution, but its not the only medium being explored. In addition to its own work with glass, Microsoft has also been experimenting with the viability of using DNA as a long-term storage medium. Twist Bioscience, the research facility Microsoft teamed with in 2016, said at the time that a single gram of DNA can store nearly one trillion gigabytes (sometimes referred to as a zettabyte) of digital data with a known shelf life of several thousand years.

Researchers in the UK are currently working to increase the writing speed of their laser / glass method to make it viable outside of the lab. Theyll also need a faster way to read data before it can become a practical storage solution.

Image courtesy Opt Lasers
In brief: Apple is working on an iPhone feature that will dial 911 automatically in the event you are in an auto accident. Sources familiar with the matter provided documents to The Wall Street Journal detailing the feature, tentatively called crash detection for iPhones and the Apple Watch. Itll use data from sensors built into the devices such as the accelerometer to detect sudden changes in g forces, like those that occur upon impact.

Apple is no stranger to using sensors in this manner. A couple of years back, the company rolled out a fall detection feature for its smartwatch designed to detect if its wearer has fallen and alert first responders if the wearer doesnt respond to a notification asking if they are alright. Another feature that debuted in iOS 15 assesses how steady a user is when walking.

Documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal suggest Apple has been testing its crash-detection feature over the past year by collecting data shared anonymously from Apple Watch and iPhone users. According to the WSJ, the feature has already detected more than 10 million suspected crashes and called 911 roughly 50,000 times.

Apple wouldnt be the first to market with such a feature. Google rolled out a similar feature with its Pixel smartphone in 2019 and General Motors has offered related functionality through its OnStar service since the mid-90s.

Sources said Apples rollout timing could change, or that the feature could be scrapped entirely, so don't be surprised if it's slow to materialize or never shows up at all.

Image credit Michael Fortsch, David Svihovec
Bottom line: Tesla founder Elon Musk said in a recent Twitter post that if the World Food Programme, a food-assistance branch of the United Nations, can explain exactly how $6 billion would solve world hunger, he will sell his Tesla stock to make it happen. Musk in a follow-up tweet said the proposed plan must follow open source accounting, so the public could see precisely how the money would be spent.

Musks messages are in response to recent comments made by David Beasley, the executive director for the UN World Food Programme. In an interview with CNNs Connect the World with Becky Anderson that aired last week, Beasley said $6 billion could help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we dont reach them.

If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021

An earlier version of CNN's headline incorrectly stated that Beasley believed two percent of Musk's wealth could solve world hunger. "He believes it could help solve world hunger," CNN said in its correction.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Elon Musk is currently the wealthiest person in the world with a total net worth of $311 billion. $6 billion would represent less than two percent of his total net worth.

The Institute for Policy Studies said that since the beginning of the pandemic, US billionaires wealth has surged by 70 percent, or $2.1 trillion. The top five US billionaires  Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Larry Page (as of October 15, 2021)  have seen their fortunes expand during this period faster than the US billionaire class as a whole, the institute added.

Tesla's stock is up more than five percent in early morning trading although it's unclear if it is a direct result of Musk's statements.
Apple Watches are proving their importance in a so-called "landmark" health study.

The study, which is headed by a team from the University of Michigan, is looking to understand how biosensors on wearable tech can accurately track health information, writes Apple Insider.

And with the use of Apple Watches, the results of the study are showing promise in terms of gathering clinical data from a lot of underrepresented groups of people.

In simpler terms, the Apple Watch has proven to feature the most accurate biosensors out of everything else the researchers tested on a very diverse range of participants.

Of all the people involved in the study, 18% are aged 65 years or older, 17% are African-American, 17% are Asian, and another 17% are Hispanic. These, according to study fellow Dr. Jessica Golbus, are all underrepresented people in terms of wearable tech research.

The total number of participants numbered around 6,700 individuals.

The study itself actually started in collaboration with Apple back in 2018, writes 9To5Mac. And since then, it has provided excellent data on the accuracy of wearable tech in terms of tracking health benchmarks across a wide range of people.

Its foremost goal is to "describe and compare key wearable signals" such as heart rate, blood pressure readings, and step count across different ages, sexes, ethnicities, and even individual health conditions.

You can check out the research paper's early insights (since it's not published yet) on The Lancet for further reading.

Read also: Apple Watch Series 7 That Were Shipped This Week Have Several Issues, Users Say

How Are Apple Watches Helping In The Research?

Modern smartwatches like the Apple Watch are designed to track a lot of health benchmarks such as heart rate, blood pressure, and the likes. This is what makes them popular these days.

However, it's been found that wearable tech sensors don't always report accurate readings. Specifically, heart rate trackers can be very unreliable on people with darker skin tones, as reported by VentureBeat.

That's due to the technology that a lot of fitness bands use. To track heart rate and other health stats, these devices use green LEDs to "look" under a wearer's skin. But sometimes, the LEDs won't have enough power or mechanical assistance to peer through darker skin.

Furthermore, the study has also revealed that the phones these devices are connected to are also at fault. Activity levels can show massive discrepancies because for some reason, the phone is underestimating things like step counts.

This, however, has been identified years ago. Back in 2017, scientists also found out that fitness trackers are not as accurate when monitoring heart rate during exercise.

Compared to an electrocardiogram, the trackers were consistently at least 41 BPM too slow or 39 BPM too fast. The results weren't even close.

But with the University of Michigan study, this could all change. Smartwatch makers such as Apple could take notes and further improve the health tracking functions of their devices in the future.

Related: Smartwatch Use Sharply Rises in 2021; Apple Watch Still Leads the Market Globally

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Elon Musk is now challenging the United Nations World Food Programme Director, David Beasley, to release research data and information regarding his net worth that can help solve world hunger. Over the past months, the Tesla CEO was projected to become the world's first trillionaire, and that is a massive thing that he and his many companies have achieved.

Elon Musk Challenges UN WFP Director

Elon Musk questioned a report and called out the United Nation's World Food Programme branch regarding their statement, saying that two percent of the Tesla CEO's money can help solve the problem. He asked for the concerned people to provide him an explanation and break it down for him via Twitter regarding the data and information.

Musk said he is willing to sell his stocks in Tesla to help in this cause.

If WFP can describe on this Twitter thread exactly how $6B will solve world hunger, I will sell Tesla stock right now and do it.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021

This is where David Beasley, the UN WFP Director came in and said that $6 billion alone cannot solve world hunger and can only answer geopolitical instability that would help the 42 million on the brink of starvation. Beasley also said that Musk and the UN should have a meeting regarding this issue and talk about the possible things that he can do to help this matter.

Musk's Challenge

Please publish your current & proposed spending in detail so people can see exactly where money goes.



Sunlight is a wonderful thing.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 31, 2021



Now, the billionaire has challenged Beasley and the United Nations to publish their reports regarding how money was spent, especially as they have already gotten funds as much as $8 billion for world hunger. Musk said that sunlight is a "wonderful thing," referring to shedding light on these issues.

Read Also: Tesla Surpasses $1 TRILLION Valuation

Elon Musk Companies

The United Nations initially spoke up about Elon Musk, saying that this money can be used to help and solve world hunger, with as much as $289 billion in the pot to do this. Musk is known to have garnered a lot of money because of the many companies and innovation that is available in the world, with many industries that are now popular.

The popularity of Musk's businesses focuses on the past, present, and future-with Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Co. being the ones to deliver its innovation and technology. Tesla is one of the most popular here, as it aims to bring an alternative driving focus, drawing its strengths on electric mobility and self-driving technology.

The world's top billionaire is known to have a lot of ventures and supporters to his cause, with these companies having both their investors and the public's supports on its projects. Musk regarded that he world help solve world hunger with his stocks and money if it is proven that his money alone can solve the problem of the entire population.

Related Article: Tesla FSD: Autonomy for Increasing Road Accidents in US for First Half 2021; Elon Musk Agrees

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Written by Isaiah Richard

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Microsoft warned about the "password spraying" rise that specifically targets the accounts of cloud users.

Microsoft Warns Password Spraying Rise on Cloud Users

As per the report by Bleeping Computer, the Microsoft Detection and Response Team, or shortly known as DART, found out that there is a notable increase in password spray attack incidents.

DART further noted that its threat intelligence team has been observing password spray schemes for years already. And through the years, cybercriminals and even state-sponsored attacks are using password spray schemes more.

That said, DART noticed a trend among the password spray attacks, adding that it targets "cloud administrator accounts."

As early as 2020, Microsoft already warned that password spray attacks are the most popular scheme used to target enterprise accounts, the director of identity security of Microsoft, Alex Weinert, previously revealed.

To echo the previous revelation, DART confirms that most cloud admin accounts that are being targeted by password spray include Microsoft Exchange service, along with Sharepoint Conditional Access administrators to billing, authentication, and helpdesk.

On top of the admin access, attackers are also using password spray to steal sensitive data of cloud users.

Password Spraying

According to ZDNet's report, password spraying is a hacking scheme that recently took the spotlight during the high-profile SolarWinds attacks.

It comes after the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency or CISA of the Department of Homeland Security disclosed that the allegedly Kremlin-backed hacking incident did not only use trojans to carry out the attack. The agency suggests that the hackers also used both password spraying and password guessing methods to access the administrative accounts.

This time around, Microsoft saw another uptick in password spraying, which mainly targets both US and Israeli infrastructures.

Read Also: Microsoft Plans to Save Around 5.7 Billion Liters/Year by 2030 as Company Plans to Be 'Water Positive'

Password Spraying: What is it?

So, what is password spraying in the first place?

Microsoft's DART explained that the new hacking scheme no longer uses numerous passwords to break an account, which was typically used for brute force attacks. Instead, password spraying goes the other way around. It utilizes a single password for hundreds if not thousands of users to access multiple accounts.

However, Microsoft estimates that such a method only has a 1% success rate. Nevertheless, the said approach prevents locking the account due to numerous failed attempts.

What's more, DART further revealed that there are two types of password spraying, "low and slow" and "average and reuse."

In the first method, the hackers use multiple IP addresses to attempt opening tons of accounts with a limited number of passwords.

On the other hand, the latter use credentials that were harvested from the dark web. Then, the attackers use the password to access other accounts from the said user as some folks reuse their password on multiple accounts.

Related Article: Microsoft Windows 11 Incompatible With More Than 55% of Workstations? New Study Shows Negative Effects

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Written by Teejay Boris

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tehachapi, CA (93561)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Strong Santa Ana winds possible. Low 39F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Strong Santa Ana winds possible. Low 39F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.
Tehachapi, CA (93561)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 36F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 36F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Despite the advice of medical experts, 14 Republican House members Monday questioned the need for children ages 5-11 to get the coronavirus vaccine in what could be the opening salvo in a new round of controversy.

The views were included in a letter from lawmakers to state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley on how schools should handle the vaccine for Louisiana's youngest students. "The likelihood of children of this age group with no comorbidities to survive from COVID is 99.9973%," the lawmakers said in their letter, dated Nov. 1.

"Their immune system is more robust. The number one risk factor for COVID is age," according to the letter.

But Dr. Joseph Bocchini, vice-president of the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said he would strongly recommend that eligible children get the vaccine. "And I want to first correct the misunderstanding that this is not a serious disease for young children," said Bocchini, who is also professor of pediatrics at Tulane University.

He said 6.2 million children have been infected with COVID and over 700 have died, including 170 ages 5-11.

"We have ample evidence that this is a vaccine preventable disease," Bocchini said.

The Food and Drug Administration on Oct. 29 authorized emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11.

The next step is review by an advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is scheduled for Tuesday, including who should get the shot, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The director of the CDC must approve any recommendations of the advisory panel before they take effect.

The letter is signed by a group of GOP lawmakers who have criticized pandemic-related mitigation measures for months, including state Reps. Kathy Edmonston, R-Gonzales; Valerie Hodges, R-Denham Springs; and House Majority Leader Blake Miguez, of Erath.

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Louisiana GOP lawmakers want to end state mask mandate. Gov. Edwards calls it 'irresponsible' In their latest attempt to undermine Gov. John Bel Edwards response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a small group of Republican state lawmakers is 

"We would note COVID, like influenza, is not a vaccine preventable disease and according to (state law) it should not be placed on the list of required immunizations for students," the letter says.

"Should any school district, medical professional or government agency arrange a vaccination mobile unit or school-based clinic during school hours we believe parents should be present should their minor children be immunized," the lawmakers said.

"At a minimum, verified parental consent for minor children should be obtained in advance if children are given a COVID shot on campus," they wrote. "This will ensure that all aspects of the law are followed."

Gov. John Bel Edwards last week lifted the state's indoor face mask mandate amid declining numbers of coronavirus cases.

However, Edwards kept the directive in place in school districts that opt to allow their children to remain in classrooms if they are exposed to the virus.

The CDC recommends that exposed students be quarantined for at least seven days.

The revised guidelines to let parents decide whether exposed students should be quarantined was recommended by Brumley, a move that sparked criticism from Edwards, chief state health officer Dr. Joseph Kanter and others.

Brumley has not responded to the letter from the legislators.
CREOLE  Cherie Hardie and her family were determined to make it back and rebuild for a third time, near the church where she was married and where her kids were baptized, the Gulf of Mexico in the distance. But it sometimes feels as though theyre fighting a losing battle.

We're younger and we can rebuild. But all of our family -- my parents, my husband's parents -- they're all kind of moving away. Theyre tired of it, Hardie, 42, said outside of her daughters house, where she and her husband are living temporarily while they wait for repairs on their home to be completed.

You can only take so much, and we try to be strong and want to come home. But to me, home is where your family is, and they're all moving away from us.

Cameron Parish, stretching along Louisianas southwestern coast, is the most sparsely populated of the state's 64 parishes. Its also one of the most vulnerable. Cameron is once again being confronted with questions over its future after the devastation wrought by last years hurricanes and the future risks posed by climate change.

Some residents predict the lower part of the parish closest to the Gulf, where major liquefied natural gas plants now operate, will gradually become more of a recreational and industrial hub than a full-fledged community.

Parish officials say theyre not going anywhere. They point to rebuilding plans, including the possibility of buying and redeveloping property with resilient homes, a program that could make it more affordable for families faced with costly reconstruction regulations.

+6 As southwest Louisianas fight for storm aid drags on, one family copes as best it can LAKE CHARLES  At an RV park she never intended to call home, Patricia Theriot was picking up laundry when she paused to answer a question abo

The challenges are immense, ranging from the replacement of downed electricity transmission lines to the struggle to reopen grocery stores. Parish officials say they dont yet know how many of the parishs roughly 7,000 residents have made it back, but locals offer grim assessments, indicating the possibility of another population loss similar to what followed Hurricane Rita in 2005. A drop of around one-third took place by the end of that decade.

In one disheartening sign, three Catholic churches in lower Cameron will be consolidated.

Hurricane Laura in August, the most powerful storm to make landfall in Louisiana since 1856, brought storm surge as high as 17 feet to parts of the parish, while 150 mph winds tore at the houses that werent swept from their foundations, in some cases never to be found.

Ten months later, Hardie and her husband still arent back in their house, which took on more than 2 feet of water despite being raised more than 10 feet. Just a couple weeks ago, their daughter moved back into her house nearby on property thats been in the family for generations.

They have no timeframe for when their house, located in the community of Creole, will be repaired. Its been hard to persuade contractors to accept work in the remote area.

+7 In flood-prone Lake Charles neighborhood, residents consider whether its time to leave LAKE CHARLES  Diadra Carmen steels herself before she opens the door, telling herself not to be afraid. Tears roll down her cheeks when she b

There are a lot of people that want to come home. It's just the cost, said Hardie, who worked as a secretary at one of the churches being combined, and whose husband works in the oil industry. And then, honestly, finding people to come down here to rebuild. Nobody wants to come down here. Its really sad.

Uncertain return

Despite being among the states largest parishes in area, Cameron had Louisianas third-lowest population before Laura roared through in August and Category 2 Hurricane Delta followed a similar path about six weeks later.

Roughly 10,000 people lived here at the turn of the 21st century. But by 2010, after being walloped by Hurricanes Rita and Ike, Camerons population had dropped to around 6,800.

It is a place of deep traditions that is heavily conservative, with some 91% of voters casting ballots for Donald Trump in the last election -- the highest share he took in any parish. Around 93% of the population is white.

Perched in the states southwestern corner on the border with Texas, it has long been known for its commercial fishing and the Holly Beach community along the coast, whose camps and beach life are not unlike what can be found in Grand Isle. Headstones in cemeteries are sometimes engraved with boats and fish.

Cameron has also served as a hub for the energy industry, and in recent years, helped by the boom in fracking, the parish has attracted liquefied natural gas plants, which export worldwide. Cameron Parish Port Director Clair Hebert Marceaux says that if Cameron Parish were a country, its LNG exports would be No. 3 in the world, behind Australia and Qatar.

Two huge LNG plants are up and running while a third  Venture Global  is under construction and already looking ahead to an expansion. Others are in the planning stages. White tour buses transport construction workers who often live in RV parks to and from the massive Venture Global site, past commercial fishing boats.

The out-of-state plates from Texas, Alabama, Florida and beyond indicate the draw of the construction jobs, and Marceaux says she and the parish are constantly working to promote local hiring. Every 10 construction jobs results in roughly one permanent position at the LNG facilities, she said.

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Parish Administrator Katie Armentor said some residents may be deciding to relocate further north in the parish rather than leave it completely, noting that some who had only recently made it back after previous storms were hit again by Laura.

But she pointed to other coastal communities nationwide and said she doesnt support buying out properties to turn them into green space. They should be redeveloped in a way that makes them safe, she said, as the parish did with its governmental buildings in lower Cameron following Hurricane Rita.

+7 Approaching a crisis: After storm damage, Lake Charles area faces affordable housing crunch LAKE CHARLES  By the time Clara Gaines made it back home, the nearly waist-high water outside was already flooding her house. Shoes and toys 

Still, she said of residents facing the decision of whether to return: A lot of people, they really don't know  If we had this survey out there and asked who's coming back and who's not, probably over 50% would say, I don't know yet. It depends on insurance, it depends on grant funds. It depends on if they were substantially damaged or not.

Like other officials in southwest Louisiana, Armentor said a federal relief package could help the parish finance a program to assist residents hoping to return.

'I started praying'

Those who have made it back to lower Cameron say patience is required. The nearest open grocery store for many in that area is around 40 miles away. A gas station and convenience store in the small community of Cameron, the parish seat, runs out of fuel at times.

Electricity has been restored, but is being supplied with banks of generators powered by LNG. Outages can occur at times due to malfunctions or maintenance issues.

Jeff Davis Electric Co-Op, which supplies power to most of the parish, lost all its transmission towers crossing the Intracoastal Waterway, said general manager Michael Heinen. It hopes to obtain federal funding to not only rebuild but do so in a more secure manner, with its current estimate at some $200 million.

+5 Search on for lost souls after Hurricane Laura washed away dozens of caskets CAMERON  Lerlene Rodrigue mourned the death of her father 30 years ago. Now she might have to bury him again  if she can find him.

Heinen said the co-op had around 11,000 electricity meters in the area before the storm. Its now down to around 9,500, including around 2,000 campers set up for plant workers.

The commercial fishing industry also took a hit, with 13 boats sinking despite being transported into what was meant to be safe harbor, said Marceaux.

One belonged to Frankie Mock, 58, who survived a harrowing experience riding out the storm in his other boat in Lake Charles. He had to jump in the water with a rope tied around him as it took on damage.

Before he was rescued, he said: I gave up. I sat down and started praying, asked the good Lord to watch over my grandkids and my ex-wife and my family.

But hes since gone back, and on a recent day he was welding parts for his other shrimp boat, the Golden Eagle, along Calcasieu Pass.

Craig Colten, an emeritus professor at LSUs department of geography and anthropology and author of an upcoming book on coastal land loss called State of Disaster, said communities such as lower Cameron are likely to see episodic migration away with each catastrophe rather than one mass exodus.

He said government policies should emphasize voluntary buyouts and transplanting communities further inland, better allowing people to retain their sense of culture.

I think what we're seeing already is that with each storm, there's going to be a pulse of people that leave, he said. And once the community gets too small or it can't support a post office, a grocery store, a school, a church or two, then the population really begins to disappear.

There are certainly those who are braving it out. Kristi Bearb returned to her job managing the Darla K Food Mart and gas station in lower Cameron even though her house washed away completely. She also lost her home in Rita and Ike, and before Laura had been living in a large storage container converted into a house, a strategy others have used as well.

At first, she didnt want to return, but decided to do so after the store owner asked her to. She now lives in a 30-foot camper. Asked why she keeps returning, she said, its home.

Its a small, quiet town. The people here, theyre die-hards, she said as she kept an eye on the store with construction workers filing in, at one point yelling to a driver that there was no gas available for now.

But if it happens again, I'm not. Its too much. Emotionally, its too much.
Reserve Bank of Australia chief Philip Lowe faces a major communications challenge on Tuesday as speculation mounts he will scrap a bond-yield target after the central bank allowed a market selloff to continue without defending it.

Speculation is growing on Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe calling a press briefing tomorrow to signal a major change in policy. Credit:Bloomberg

Yields started surging after data last Wednesday showed core inflation jumped back into the RBAs 2 to 3 per cent target for the first time since 2015. At one point on Friday traders drove up the rate on the April 2024 bond, which the bank aims to keep at 0.1 per cent, to more than eight times that level as the RBA skipped opportunities to hold the yield down.

A number of economists now expect the RBA to drop the yield target at the meeting. One early pointer to a potential U-turn would be the announcement of a press briefing after the meeting, which Lowe typically calls when there is a major policy change.

What is the point of having the target if you dont defend it? said Diana Mousina, senior economist at AMP Capital Investors. People will question their credibility, but at the end of the day they are still the central bank and people will still follow what they say and look at their communication very closely.

The predicament the RBA finds itself in is the latest example of how unexpectedly strong inflation around the globe is putting pressure on central bankers to rethink their policy timelines as the tradeoff between supporting pandemic-hit economies and overjuicing prices shifts.

The Bank of Canada ended its bond-buying stimulus last Wednesday and the Federal Reserve is seen announcing a pullback of its debt purchases in the coming days. The Bank of England also faces inflationary forces that have markets anticipating a hike at Thursdays meeting or the one just before Christmas.

Lowe has set out his stall as one of the worlds most dovish central bankers, having struggled for years to boost inflation. He says Australia doesnt face the sort of price pressures seen in the U.S. and U.K.

He predicts interest rates will remain at a record-low 0.1 per cent until 2024, by which time a tight labor market should drive faster wage growth for sustainable inflation.

In tandem with the bond selloff, swaps traders boosted bets on an early start to Australias tightening cycle. Theyre pricing in a first hike of 15 basis points by May and two more increases by the end of 2022.

While most economists see the market bets in Australia as an exaggerated response to one inflation report, many of them have also brought forward their rate hike forecasts. The median estimate among surveyed economists is for a 15 basis point hike in early 2023.

Indeed, with vaccination rates surging and New South Wales and Victoria states emerging from protracted virus-induced lockdowns earlier than expected, the portents for the economys rapid recovery are good.

Job advertisements data released Monday supported that view, climbing 6.2 per cent in October from a month earlier. It has now returned to a June peak set prior to the most recent delta lockdowns, according to ANZ Banking Group.

Loading

The strong inflation reading appears to have caught the RBA flat-footed in a pre-meeting period during which it prefers not to comment on policy. That has left a void to be filled by investors and economists until the central bank gets its chance to explain itself on Tuesday.

The RBA had built a lot of reputational capital from its pandemic interventions, but that risks significant undoing now if the framework is abandoned very early, said JPMorgan economist Ben Jarman.

He said the risk from scrapping the yield target on Tuesday was that policy will prove to be less stimulatory in future downturns, under the fear that commitments can be pulled at short notice.

Yet even if the RBA decides to leave policy and guidance unchanged this week it will still come out bruised, according to Su-Lin Ong, head of Australian economic and fixed-income strategy at Royal Bank of Canada.

The market would believe them even less than they do now, if that is possible, she said.
The recent pummelling in Chinas markets has made their valuations look attractive relative to almost anything, but bulls may find they need strong nerves to stay the course in a country that repeatedly shocked global investors this year.

The rationale for why much of the sell side is turning more confident on China right now is that things cant get much worse. Analysts and investors are betting prices already reflect a slowdown in the property market, weaker growth and President Xi Jinpings campaign to shake up private enterprise.

China shares are surging but analysts warn it could be short-lived. Credit:AP

Yet the drumbeat of negative news threatens to drown out the increasingly upbeat tone found in analyst notes. On Wednesday, Beijing condemned the USs latest overture toward Taiwan. On Thursday, Chinas intervention in coal markets sent futures down by the daily limit. A property stock sank a record 18 per cent amid concern the company may struggle to refinance dollar debts that total $US11.6 billion ($15.4 billion).

Peter Garnry, head of equity and quantitative strategy at Saxo Bank, is staying cautious. Credit Suisse Group analysts agree, saying its too early to return to China.
The Ages racing correspondent was unimpressed with the measures introduced to combat the Spanish flu pandemic in Victoria in 1919, which included shutting down racing for a time. He called the Victorian government of the day panic stricken, its proscriptions a mass of contradictions and irrelevancies that forced people to mope at home, and he lamented the loss of thousands of jobs in racing.

When at last the ban was lifted, he wrote: Fortunately, this ridiculous state of affairs came to an end on Saturday, and after an enforced period of dullness, Melbourne took on quite a carnival air.

Plus ca change. That year began with NSW and Victoria blaming each other for the spread of the pandemic. But on the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne Cup drew a record crowd of about 110,000 to thrill to Artillerymans win in a record time. The city  and for that matter, the country  was back on track.

Leading trainer Gai Waterhouse at Flemington with the 2021 Melbourne Cup. Credit:Wayne Taylor.

One remarkable fact about the Melbourne Cup is that in its 160-year history, it has never been cancelled. The race that stops a nation has never been stopped. Wars, depression, pandemic: none could waylay it. Arguably, the Cup has mattered even more in bad times than good. Phar Laps triumph in 1930 would have been a great story anyway, but the context of the Great Depression made it legendary. Last year, the Cup was run for the first time without a crowd  but it was run.
Australias relationship with France, a longstanding friend and a nuclear power, is in even deeper trouble than it looked  and the United States and United Kingdom are caught in the conflict. They signed up to the AUKUS alliance on the day the French deal was sunk. The French were infuriated when they saw reports that Morrison had been thinking about the nuclear submarine deal for months. That meant Morrison was thinking of cancelling the French contract when he met Macron in Paris in early June and the pair hugged at the Elysee Palace. Prime Minister Scott Morrison with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in June. Morrison says he told Macron the French submarines were not going to suit Australia. Credit:AP So did he lie? Morrison rejected that charge within 20 minutes of the French Presidents remarks. He said he told Macron the French submarines were not going to suit Australia. I was very clear that the conventional submarines were not going to be able to meet our strategic interests, he said.

Did he talk to Macron about buying French nuclear submarines instead? He would not say. Did he tell Macron that Australia was thinking of nuclear submarines from the US or UK? No. Why not? Because it was confidential. Morrison argued he could not confide in Macron about such a sensitive move. No other witnesses can shed light on all of this. It is about the two leaders. Some of their discussions were held over a private dinner in the palace in June. It is one mans word against anothers. And it is personal. That means Macrons word needs to be treated with caution. He is out to defend his government, himself, national pride and the French defence industry, all ahead of an election next year.

One weakness in Morrisons argument is that he suggests he could not trust Macron with a frank discussion about Australias search for alternatives. Morrison acknowledges he withheld this information from Macron. Loading Another problem is the admission from US President Joe Biden about the clumsy handling of the matter when AUKUS was announced on September 15. That reflected on Australia. Australia has seen arguments between leaders before. Paul Keating called then-Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad a recalcitrant and the fury in Malaysia lasted for years. But that was not like this. The argument with Macron is about honesty. And Macron is a lot more powerful than Mahathir was. Up to this moment, Morrison has responded to the row with France with attempts to control the damage. Now the damage looks uncontrollable. It is no longer just about submarines, nor the relationship with France alone or the alliance with the US and the UK.
Emmanuel Macrons accusation that Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him is an escalation of a bad diplomatic spat, but the French President also pointed out something that is much more important.

Australia does not have a plan to build new nuclear-powered submarines  it has a plan to conduct an 18-month review.

Emmanuel Macron, right, accused Scott Morrison of lying to him. Credit:Stephen Kiprillis

Australia is facing a looming capability gap because our existing Collins-class submarines will be well and truly due for retirement in the late 2030s, potentially years before the nuclear submarines are ready for operation. And we do not yet have a plan to deal with that.

Macrons accusation that Morrison lied to him, on the closing day of the G20 summit in Rome, suggests the fallout from Australias decision to dump the $90 billion submarine agreement with France is far from over.
Disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire told then-premier Gladys Berejiklian to get a private phone and download the encrypted messaging service WeChat five days after telling her he had been called to give evidence to the corruption watchdog in 2018.

A corruption inquiry on Monday heard a series of text messages sent between Ms Berejiklian and Mr Maguire while they were in a secret relationship, in which Mr Maguire suggested they communicate on a different platform.

Gladys Berejiklian at ICAC on Monday. Credit:ICAC

In one message on July 9, 2018, Mr Maguire said he was chatting with my friends on WeChat now and told Ms Berejiklian to download the app.

OK Ill try. What about WhatsApp, thats easy too, Ms Berejiklian replied, saying that she would do it tomorrow because she did not know her password.
Residents in the City of Melbourne will soon be subject to interstate travel restrictions because the federal and state governments are using outdated population data to assess vaccination levels.

According to the most recent federal figures, which were released on Monday, Melbourne has the lowest double-dose coverage of any council in Victoria at 67.4 per cent  but the actual rate could already be more than 80 per cent.

Outdated government data suggests only half of Carlton, an international student hub, has been fully vaccinated. Credit:Eddie Jim

The federal figures are based on population estimates from June 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic began.

State MP for Melbourne Ellen Sandell and lord mayor Sally Capp said the number of people living in the CBD and surrounding areas had dropped significantly since 2019 as tens of thousands of international students left the country while local students and young people moved into the suburbs or interstate.
He did what Wooldridge didnt have the time, or yearning, to do. Worked the phones, wooed branch members and muddied himself in dirty factional wars; chores he is good at and seems to enjoy. Liberal MP for Kew Tim Smith with Margaret Thatcher. Credit:Photographic Much of his life and early career was geared towards prominence in Liberal circles. After graduating from Scotch College in 2001, Smith attended Melbourne University and was a member of the Australian rowing team. He studied at the London School of Economics before working for several Liberals MPs and ministers, including Malcolm Turnbull, Bruce Billson and Michael OBrien, who he recently betrayed. But it was during the pandemic that he became more widely known, making a series of polarising posts on social media about the state governments response and lockdown measures. He took an opposition leader in exile persona, labelling Premier Daniel Andrews a friendless loser, control freak and a loony.

It was during this period that some of his colleagues also started to raise concerns about his mental state and increased alcohol consumption. Despite the change in behaviour, most agree it was out of character for him to get behind the wheel after drinking. He (Smith) has said to me on more than one occasion that he knows that such a decision would end his career, one Liberal MP said. Loading Smiths charm and political skills saw him win over some of the most senior and long-serving members of the Liberal Party. Their response to Saturdays incident has been one of anger and disappointment at a career which is now destined to be either cut short or limited. While fiercely loyal to his political allies and friends, Smiths hard-headed approach to those he thinks are against him, has made him a big target.

When Labor MP Will Fowles went on a rampage at a Canberra hotel, Smith showed little sympathy, repeatedly calling for him to resign. When politically expedient, he has shown a similar enthusiasm internally to amplify the personal indiscretions of his colleagues, such as former upper house MP Simon Ramsay, who returned a positive breath test while driving in 2018. For all of his faults, Smith is not politically naive. He knows his indiscretion and his behaviour to others in the past will haunt him should he decide to stick around. Once considered a future party leader or potential Canberra recruit, colleagues are now questioning Smiths position within the party. Some are still clinging to the hope he might be able to spend some years on the backbench and take the time he needs to recover. But others argue he has lost all credibility, and, even worse, has cost the Coalition any advantage it might have had on law and order issues ahead of the election in a years time. All agree itll be a long road back for Smith.

His political future not only rests with his colleagues, but with his conservative supporter base in Kew, who will no doubt be unimpressed by his Power Street prang. His political future not only rests on his colleagues but on his conservative base in Kew who will no-doubt be unimpressed by his Power Street prang. While those branch members mull over his future, and Smith does the same, there is a consensus among Victorian Liberal MPs that Matthew Guy has only one choice; he must distance himself from his former shadow attorney general. Guy is expected to meet Smith on Tuesday to discuss his future. Members of Guys shadow cabinet are viewing that meeting as a test of the returned leader, and will be watching to see if he is prepared to give frank advice and make a strong call on his political ally and mate. Recent polling by Resolve Political Monitor conducted for The Age showed the return of Guy had halved the gap the Liberals were facing trying to catch Daniel Andrews standing as preferred premier.

Guys popularity did not seem to suffer from the fact he rolled his partys leader, Michael OBrien, mid-term. Things were starting to look up. But he has a little more than a year to woo voters ahead of the election. After leading his party to a spectacular defeat in 2018, next years poll shapes as his final chance to snare the states top job. Tim Smith and Matthew Guy. Credit:Paul Jeffers Guy and Smith are close, not just professionally but personally. Smith's groundwork was key to Guy's resurrection as leader and the pair are often joined at the hip during sitting weeks. But politics is a brutal game and Guy now needs to distance himself from Smith if he wants to give himself the best shot at winning that election and the respect of his colleagues.
Glasgow: For days in Glasgow there has been a palpable sense of anxiety about the prospects for success of United Nations climate talks that scientists - and many politicians - agree are the worlds last best chance to start to stabilise the climate.

The decision of Chinas Xi Jinping not to attend, the agony of President Joe Bidens so far unsuccessful effort to secure a domestic climate package before his arrival and the failure of G20 leaders to agree on a coal phase out had many observers here despondent.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi presents his national statement on day two of COP26. Credit:Getty

It was a shock that good news came in the form of a speech by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the afternoon of the first full day of talks.

It is Indias expectation that the worlds developed nations make $1 trillion available as climate finance as soon as possible, he told delegates.
Manila: Netflix has removed two episodes of spy drama Pine Gap from its streaming service in the Philippines, after the south-east Asian country rejected scenes involving a map used by China to assert its claims to the South China Sea.

The Philippines on Monday, asked Netflix to remove certain episodes of the six-part Australian series, saying the map depicted on the show was a violation of its sovereignty.

A scene from the ABC-Netflix co-production Pine Gap, several episodes of which have been removed from the streaming service in the Philippines. Credit:Lisa Tomasetti

The second and third episodes of the show were no longer available in the Philippines by late Monday, with Netflix announcing on its platform that those episodes had been removed by government demand. It did not elaborate.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
London: Barclays Chief Executive Jes Staley is leaving the bank after a dispute with British financial regulators over how he described his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Staley will be replaced as chief executive by the banks head of global markets CS Venkatakrishnan, who pledged on Monday (local time) to continue his predecessors strategy for Britains third-biggest bank by market value.

Barclays CEO Jes Staley, pictured, is leaving the bank following an investigation into his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Credit:Bloomberg

Staleys shock departure comes after Barclays was informed on Friday of the unpublished findings of a report by Britains Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) into Staleys characterisation of his relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on charges related to sex trafficking.

In view of those conclusions, and Mr Staleys intention to contest them, the Board and Mr Staley have agreed that he will step down from his role as Group Chief Executive and as a director of Barclays, the bank said.
Audra McDonald is planning a return to Broadway in a new production of Adrienne Kennedy's 1992 play Ohio State Murders, directed by Kenny Leon. Dates and additional information are still forthcoming.

The production will mark the Broadway debut of legendary playwright Kennedy, who will be past the age of 90 by the time the play opens. Leon directed McDonald in a virtual reading of the 70-minute drama earlier this year, in a production that also starred Warner Miller, Lizan Mitchell, and Ben Rappaport.

Ohio State Murders is the story of Suzanne Alexander (to be played by McDonald), a writer and alum of Ohio State University, who returns there years later to talk about the violence in her work, and a dark mystery unravels. The play is described as "an unusual and chilling look at the destructiveness of racism in the United States."
2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody - Review by Larry Nutson +VIDEO

Muscle is alive and well

Larry Nutson

Executive Editor/Chicago Bureau Chief

THE AUTO CHANNEL







The first time a Hemi engine sat under the hood of a Dodge was back in 1953. This Red Ram V8 continued until 1957. Many of those engines found their way into hot rods and dragsters of the 1960's.

The Hemi engine reappeared in 1964 as the 426 race Hemi used in NASCAR for only one year. It was so good it was banned because it diluted the competition. However, it was the engine to beat in sanctioned Super Stock and Pro Stock drag racing for many, many years. It still is today!

Dodge introduced the Street Hemi in 1966 in a slightly milder state of tune than the race Hemi. That engine continued to dominate the streets into the early 1970's.

The third generation Hemi came along in 2002, and was found under the hood of Dodge cars and trucks. Further development by the SRT engineering team gave us the 485 horsepower 392 Hemi, and then the outrageous 707 horsepower supercharged Hemi Hellcat in 2015. Then to everyone's jaw dropping surprise the 808 horsepower Challenger SRT Demon limited production widebody street legal drag racer was introduced in 2017.

Fast forward to today and new for 2021 is the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody. With a 797 horsepower supercharged 6.2 liter Hemi pulled from the Challenger SRT Demon its capable of a top speed of 203 miles per hour, making it the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world. Widebody exterior is standard with integrated fender flares adding 3.5 inches of width.

New 20-inch by 11-inch wheels fitted with Pirelli 305 35 Z R 20 tires make the grip. The induction air box has three fresh air sources. A functional hood scoop, a mail slot grille opening and an opening near the front wheel liner. Launch assist and line lock launch controller help get the Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody down the quarter mile in 10.6 seconds at 129 miles per hour.

The Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody is yours with its base price of $78,595.

What is amazing to consider is, anyone can visit a Dodge dealer, plunk down the money and drive away with this production hot rod. I call it a street-legal race car. On the weekend load up your family for a visit to your local drag strip. You can make a few passes in sub 11 seconds covering the quarter mile just as quickly as the pro drag racers in their purpose-built Super Stock Dodges did in the '60's and '70's. Technology has come a long way.

The Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody has much more capability than just driving in a straight line. The very robust engineering, high performance competition chassis tuning, adaptive suspension, Brembo brake system with 6 piston calipers, performance wheels and tires, all make for great track capability.

Last Fall, on the invite of Dodge, I participated in a Dodge product briefing program, held in a city that celebrates the sport of auto racing, Charlotte, North Carolina. Dodge opened up Carolina Motorsports Park for a long afternoon running laps around the 2.28 mile 14-turn road course. Accelerating along the straights to 125 miles per hour, braking heavily, making the turn in and rolling into the throttle to accelerate again was done repeatedly over many laps. The balance and refinement is evident and rewarding in the complete performance package of this variant of the Charger.

True performance, ultimate performance, American performance, as well as fast and powerful very accurately describe the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody.

My most recent drive experience reinforced the streetability of this Charger. It seats five, has a big trunk, is loaded with the latest tech for comfort, safety and driving enjoyment. Alcantara, suede and carbon interior trim bring a premium finish and feel. Apple CarPlay, Google Android Auto, six speaker Alpine audio system, Uconnect 4C navigation system all make for great road-trip comfort and enjoyment.

The Hemi's throttle will get you going very quickly. The exhaust rumble and the whine of the supercharger are music to the enthusiast's ear, plus they turn some heads. The widebody look and the Hellcat Redeye badge will get you some thumbs up. If you're easy on the pedal you can get 21 miles per gallon, or even better cruising the highway.

Cars aren't dead. Sedans, coupes, convertibles and station wagon will continue at about twenty to twenty five percent of the U.S. market. The muscle car segment is not very large, but buyers are all fulfilling the want in their brain with Dodge cars. It's all about WANTS versus NEEDS.

Looking to the future, Dodge acknowledges that it will need to grow with the times for its products to remain relevant, adapting to emission and Cafe standards, and adding more offerings to its current vehicle lineup. But for now, Dodge's strategy seems to be working.

Lastly! Want some track time? Dodge is the official sponsor of the Bondurant High Performance Driving School in Chandler, Arizona, where guests get behind the wheels of the fastest street-legal cars in the world with professional instruction and time on the track. Customers who buy a new SRT model receive one full-day session as part of the Dodge SRT Package, and they have the opportunity to learn how to get the optimum performance from their new vehicles in a controlled environment.

For more information on this program, visit https://www.dodgegarage.com/track-experience.

 2021 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy
Van Buren, AR (72956)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 52F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 52F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
State Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, carries stacks of papers from his desk off the Senate floor after the body adjured early, Friday, May 15, 2015, in Jefferson City, Mo.
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Joe Guzzardi is a Progressives for Immigration Reform analyst who has written about immigration for more than 30 years. Contact him at jguzzardi@pfirdc.org.
Meet Banjo! She's a fun and loving rescue kitten who brings smiles to everyone's face! Banjo's favorite thing to do is cuddle up to you for he
Spooky season is officially over but dont you worry, we have a recap of the best celebrity halloween costumes in 2021!

Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner

The couple dressed up as Italian pop sensations Paolo Valisari and Isabella Parigi from the 2003 Disney film The Lizzie McGuire Movie. To make this even more ICONIC Hilary Duff commented on the post "I'M SCREAMING"
Will Ferrell turned down a $29 million offer to star in an 'Elf' sequel.

The 54-year-old actor appeared in the 2003 festive film as Buddy Hobbs, a human who was raised by Santa's elves, but he rejected the chance to make a follow-up movie because the premise was too similar to the original.

He said: "I would have had to promote the movie from an honest place, which wouldve been, like, Oh no, its not good. I just couldnt turn down that much money."

But Ferrell didn't want to just make the movie for a bumper pay cheque.

He added to The Hollywood Reporter: "I thought, Can I actually say those words? I dont think I can, so I guess I cant do the movie.' "

In September 2020, James Caan - who played Walter Hobbs, Buddy's biological father, in the movie - claimed an 'Elf' sequel "will never happen" because of alleged tension between Ferrell and director Jon Favreau.

He said: "We were gonna do it and I thought, 'Oh my god, I finally got a franchise movie, I could make some money, let my kids do what the hell they want to do.'"

The director and Will didn't get along very well.

"So, Will wanted to do it, he didn't want the director, and he had it in his contract, it was one of those things."

Favreau previously opened up how he made the 2003 film similar to the festive stories he grew up with.

He said: "They were looking for somebody to rewrite it and possibly direct it.

"And I remember reading it, and it clicked - if I made the world that he was from as though he grew up as an elf in 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer', one of those Rankin/Bass Christmas specials I grew up with, the everything fell into place tonally. So for a year, I rewrote the script."

Bang Showbiz
The Royal Hobart Hospital in the CBD of Tasmania's capital city, Hobart, on Tuesday, November 16, 2020. (AAP Image/Chris Crerar)

170 Health Workers Stood Down in Australian State for Failing to Meet Vaccine Mandate

99 percent of health workforce vaccinated

The Australian state of Tasmania has announced that 99 percent of its healthcare workforce has complied with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, leaving 170 to be stood aside, according to Jeremy Rockliff, the minister for health.

The state governments mandate meant health employees had to receive one dose of the vaccine by Oct. 31 unless they had a medical exemption.

According to Rockliff, 15,970 employees received the vaccination or displayed the appropriate exemption.

I would like to thank each and every one of these people for making sure they have done what they can to help keep Tasmaniansincluding some of the most vulnerableas safe as they can be against COVID-19, he said in a press release on Oct. 31.

It is extremely important that in our health settings, we do all we can to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. A vaccinated health workforce is a key part of that, he added.

For the small number of employees who have either not been vaccinated or have not informed the Department of Health of their vaccination evidence, they are no longer able to work for the Department and will not be paid.

The health department said of the 170 employees, 88 were permanent, and 82 were fixed-term or casual employees.

No permanent doctors were stood down. However, there were 38 permanent nurses, seven allied health professionals, and four paramedics affected by the mandate.

Kathrine Morgan-Wicks, Tasmanias health secretary, did not expect disruptions to health services due to the stand-downs but warned that some workers could be terminated.

I anticipate very little change to our business as usual and our service delivery from today. And we have our rosters confirmed right across  from today, into the early days of the next week, she told reporters, as noted by ABC.

Were confident that we have all of our areas covered, and well work with that small group in terms of recruitment to replace those positions.

The announcement comes just days after the Tasmanian Supreme Court refused to hand down an injunction against the states health mandate.

The legal action, which was filed on behalf of around 500 health workers, to pause the vaccine mandate.

Chief Justice Alan Blow said he had to consider the likelihood of success of such an action and was not convinced it had enough merit.

In my view, the applicants arguments are all remarkably weak, he said in his judgement.
Firefighters watch as their fire engine enters the FDNY Engine 281/Ladder 147 station in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City on Oct. 29, 2021. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

2,300 NYC Firefighters Out Sick as Vaccine Mandate Kicks In; Force Stretched to Cover Gaps

About one-fifth of New York Citys firefighters were unavailable to report for duty on Nov. 1, most of them because they werent in compliance with the citys COVID-19 vaccination requirement. The fire department (FDNY) suspended training and maintenance and still ended up understaffed, though it maintained that operations hadnt been affected.

As of Nov. 1, when the mandate for city workers went into effect, about 23 percent of the citys 10,000 to 11,000 firefighters remain unvaccinated. Many of them likely applied for medical or religious exemptions and wouldnt have faced being put on unpaid leave while their applications are pending. Yet many of them, it appears, have chosen over the past several days to take medical leave.

The usual 7 percent medical leave rate jumped to 20 percent as of 10 a.m. on Nov. 1, FDNY Assistant Chief Richard Blatus testified during a city council hearing.

As a result, the department is about 2,300 firefighters short, according to Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro.

A majority of firefighters on medical leave are unvaccinated, he said during the mayors press briefing. on Nov. 1.

We know its related to a protest against the mandate. Its obvious, he said, calling the behavior unacceptable. Consequently, 18 out of 350 firefighter units were out of service, he said.

The FDNY would usually have about 20 units out of service on any given day from firefighters getting physicals or training or because of equipment maintenance. All those activities have been suspended to make up for the staffing shortage, Blatus said.

Many units are understaffed, Nigro said, urging firefighters to get the vaccine and get back to work.

Blatus said that the departments operations havent been affected, and no firehouses have been closed.

Among the FDNYs emergency medical technicians and paramedics, 88 percent are vaccinated. Among civilian employees, the number reached 91 percent, the department said in a Nov. 1 Twitter post.

Mayor Bill de Blasio warned of disciplinary repercussions for any city employee thats faking sick leave.

Theres redundancy built in to the fire department, de Blasio said.

He also mentioned that the city is watching city workers unions for any violations of the Taylor Law, which, among other things, bans strikes by public employees in the state.

For the entire city workforce of some 400,000, about 9,000 were put on unpaid leave for refusing the shot, de Blasio said during the briefing.

Among police officers, 15 percent were still unvaccinated as of Nov. 1, but the vast majority of those applied for exemptions, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said during the briefing.

As a result, only 34 officers were put on unpaid leave due to lacking vaccination out of a force of about 35,000, he said.

A total of about 12,000 city employees have asked for medical or religious exemptions to the vaccination. The mayor said those employees are allowed to work until their applications are processed, including any appeals they may submit.

It will take days to play out, he said, adding that for the vast majority of people, of course, the decision is no, they do not get an exemption, they have to get vaccinated, get to work.

He noted that among employees of the citys Department of Education, which faced the vaccination mandate weeks earlier, relatively few [exemptions] were granted.
8 Hong Kong Activists on Trial Over Tiananmen Vigil

HONG KONGA trial began Monday for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and seven other pro-democracy activists charged over their roles in an unauthorized Tiananmen vigil last year, amid a clampdown on political dissent in Hong Kong.

Lai and the seven others, which includes Lee Cheuk-yan, the former chairman of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, face charges that include organizing, participating, and inciting others to take part in the unauthorized candlelight vigil commemorating the bloody 1989 massacre of protesters in Beijings Tiananmen Square.

Lee and four other defendants pleaded guilty to the incitement charge as the trial began. Former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai pleaded guilty to taking part in the unauthorized vigil, while Lee also pleaded guilty to organizing it. They will enter mitigation pleas Nov. 12 before they are sentenced.

Lai, the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, pleaded not guilty to inciting others to take part in the unauthorized assembly. Two other defendants, lawyer Chow Hang-tung and former reporter Gwyneth Ho, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Police last year banned the annual vigil for the first time in three decades, citing public health risks from the coronavirus pandemic. Critics believe the ban is part of the clampdown on opposition in the city following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019.

More than a dozen activists turned up at the June 4 vigil last year despite the ban, and thousands followed suit, breaking through barriers in spite of police warnings. They set up around Victoria Park to light candles and sing songs.

Police later arrested and charged 26 activists over the vigil, including members of the Hong Kong Alliance that organizes the annual vigil.

The Hong Kong Alliance disbanded in September, amid accusations from the government that the organization was working for foreign interests. Leaders of the alliance categorically denied the accusations.

Of the 26 activists arrested, 16 of them including prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong have pleaded guilty and were handed jail sentences ranging between four to 10 months. Three were given suspended sentences.

Two other activists in the case, Nathan Law and Sunny Cheung, have fled the city amid the clampdown.
Travellers arriving on the first quarantine free international flights are embraced by family at Sydney International Airport on Nov. 1, 2021. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)

After Nearly 600 Days Australia Opens up to the World

After nearly 600 days of closed borders, Australia has welcomed its first quarantine and travel bubble-free international flights on Monday morning.

A flight from Singapore arrived in Sydneys Kingsford Smith International Airport before 5:30 a.m. with a Qantas flight from Los Angeles, the United States, following at 6 a.m.

The initial flights entering Australia are limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their families who have been stranded overseas due to the governments strict biosecurity border policy.

Hundreds of travellers reunited with family and friends who greeted them at the airport.

Many passengers were greeted with welcome home signs and offered Tim Tams, an iconic Australian chocolate biscuit, and native Australian flowers when they exited customs.

A traveller arriving on the first quarantine free international flight is handed a native Australian flower by an airport worker at Sydney International Airport on Nov. 1, 2021. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)

I am ecstatic, an Australian passenger from Los Angeles told Nine News. This is like, the third flight that I have booked. I have been wanting to come home for a while now.

Another woman said she was coming home to see her father, who was in the hospital.

I havent been able to see him for two years, and they wouldnt let me come in any earlier than today, so I got the first flight back, she told AAP.

New South Wales (NSW) Premier Dominic Perrottet said it was a wonderful day for the NSW.

It is a great day for our state, Perrottet told the Nine Network.

Meanwhile, fully vaccinated Australians can now also leave the country for the United States, the United Kingdom, and Thailand from Monday with the first Qantas International flight QF1 will depart from Sydney to London at 6.30 p.m.

Further, within the state of NSW, the domestic travel ban between Greater Sydney and regional areas has lifted on Monday, as has the intrastate borders between NSW, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory, which will also open for those who are fully vaccinated.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet addresses media at NSW Government House in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 6, 2021. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)

Today is a day many people have been waiting for, Perrottet said in a statement.

Families and friends across NSW can now get together as well look forward to welcoming back home Australians who have been overseas trying to get home.

Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said it was time for Sydney to regain its title as the gateway to the nation with Australians coming home in time for Christmas.

NSW is again open for business. People can come together in a safe way whether it be returning home from overseas or getting together for an end-of-year gathering at your favourite venue, he said.
A 'We're Hiring!' sign is displayed at a Starbucks on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, on June 23, 2021. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Americas Shrinking Workforce a Puzzle for Economists

Commentary

The U.S. economy is suffering from a labor shortage, posing a difficult puzzle for economists and policymakers to solve.

The pandemic has deeply disrupted the labor market, with lockdowns causing millions to leave the workforce last year. While many businesses have reopened their doors, bringing back former employees, or hiring new workers, has never been so challenging. And the increasing imposition of vaccine mandates is making the problem worse.

Meanwhile, Americans are quitting their current jobs at a record pace. The Labor Department data showed that quits increased to 4.3 million in August, the highest on records dating back to December 2000.

Resignations peaked in April this year and remained unusually high during the summer, leading many to call the phenomenon The Great Resignation or The Big Quit. The number of resignations reached nearly 20 million between April and August.

Workers at restaurants and stores, especially, are quitting in droves. Resignations are also highest in the tech and health care industries, due to increased workloads and burnout.

A Gallup survey discovered that 48 percent of the working population in the United States is actively looking for a new job or watching for opportunities.

Adecco, the worlds second-largest human resources provider, defines this new era of work as The Great Reevaluation.

Workers are reevaluating their priorities, says Sara Gordon, vice president and head of customer success at Adecco.

Your job used to be the thing that you planned your life around, and now its really shifted to your family, your health, and your mental well-being.

Many workers prefer flexibility over salary, she said, adding that an increasing number of people in the traditional workforce, especially those in retail and hospitality, would like to take a part-time or a work-from-home job.

This new trend makes business owners very nervous. They have blamed expanded unemployment benefits and pandemic stimulus payments for the labor shortages.

U.S. job openings have raced to record-high levels this summer. There were about 10.4 million jobs unfilled at the end of August. Open jobs were 2.7 million higher than the number of people looking for work.

The ongoing labor shortage is the single most significant threat to Americas economic recovery, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nations biggest business lobbying group.

Congress should drop the multitrillion-dollar tax and spend proposals that would further undermine the economy and focus on getting Americans back to work and helping employers fill open jobs, the business group said in an Oct. 12 statement.

Several federal unemployment benefit programs expired across the country in early September. Economists forecast that the end of these pandemic-aid programs and the reopening of schools will accelerate hiring in the coming months.

Lapsed benefits have already prompted greater job search activity, with some companies such as McDonalds reporting a significant increase in job applications in states that ended the benefits earlier.

But millions still remain on the sidelines of the economy.

Theres a range of factors in our assessment, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, when asked about why people arent returning to work.

One is people are still fearful of COVID, she responded on Oct. 8.

Many are also struggling to return to work, she added, as they face challenges in child care and elder care.

Women especially have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. A record number of women have left the workforce to take care of their children or parents.

(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

In September, the labor force participation rate was 61.6 percent, down from the pre-pandemic level of 63.3 percent in February 2020. So far, more than 5 million people have dropped out of the labor force and most of them may not return to work, and baby boomers who are currently 57 to 75 years old have decided to retire because of the pandemic.

There are more than 3 million excess retirements, according to a recent analysis by Miguel Faria e Castro, a senior economist at the St. Louis Fed.

Several reasons, including health risks and a large rise in asset valuations, may have motivated boomers to leave the labor force early, Faria e Castro said in a report.

The significant financial stimulus provided by Congress and the Fed has further boosted stocks and home values during the pandemic, making it more feasible for people to retire.

Standard theories of household behavior predict that when people get richer, they work less, Faria e Castro said.
Jes Staley, CEO of Barclays, arrives at Downing Street for a meeting in London on Jan. 11, 2018. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

Barclays CEO Resigns Over Probe Into Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Barclays Chief Executive Jes Staley is stepping down from his role as head of the multinational banking group after British regulators announced preliminary conclusions of a probe into his ties to convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In a Nov. 1 statement, Barclays said it was made aware on Oct. 29 of initial findings of the investigation by Britains Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) into Staleys characterization to Barclays of his relationship with Epstein and the subsequent description of that relationship in Barclays response to the regulators.

Barclays stated that Staley was stepping down, as he intends to contest the conclusions of the probe, which makes no findings that Mr. Staley saw, or was aware of, any of Mr. Epsteins alleged crimes, which was the central question underpinning Barclays support for Mr. Staley following the arrest of Mr. Epstein in the summer of 2019, according to the bank.

In view of those conclusions, and Mr. Staleys intention to contest them, the Board and Mr. Staley have agreed that he will step down from his role as Group Chief Executive and as a director of Barclays, the statement reads. The board is disappointed at this outcome. Mr. Staley has run the Barclays Group successfully since December 2015 with real commitment and skill.

C.S. Venkatakrishnan, head of global markets, will replace Staley as chief executive with immediate effect, the bank stated.

The investigations sought to examine Staleys historical links to Epstein while Staley ran the private banking arm of U.S. investment bank JP Morgan, according to Sky News. Barclays said in February 2020 that Staley had offered an account of his business relationship with Epstein, and the banks board determined that Staley had been sufficiently transparent in describing his links to the deceased convicted sex offender, according to the media outlet.

While no details are available on the findings of the FCA and PRA probes, it appears that the agencies believe there was a distinct lack of transparency over this relationship, said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, according to The Guardian.

The FCA and PRA issued a joint statement on Nov. 1, stating that they do not comment on ongoing investigations or regulatory proceedings beyond confirming the regulatory actions as detailed in the firms announcement.

Epstein was found dead in a New York federal jail on Aug. 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging.

The repercussions from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal stretch far and wide, and now Barclays finds itself at the center of the storm, Streeter told The Guardian. Its understood Mr. Staley will contest the conclusions, and clearly the board wants to distance Barclays from what could be a long, drawn-out process.

A number of high-profile individuals, including Bill Gates and Prince Andrew, have faced scrutiny over their ties to Epstein or his victims.

Gates told CNN in August that he had several dinners with Epstein about 10 years ago, saying that it was a huge mistake to meet with the convicted sex offender.

It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of, you know, being there. There were lots of others in that same situation, but I made a mistake, Gates said.

One of Epsteins longtime accusers filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in August, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by him on three separate occasions when she was 17.

Prince Andrew has denied the allegations.
President Joe Biden speaks at the beginning of a meeting about the global supply chain during the G-20 Summit at the Roma Convention Center La Nuvola in Rome on Oct. 31, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Hails USEU Arrangement That Will Curb Dirty Chinese Steel Imports

President Joe Biden has hailed the joint global sustainable steel arrangement between the United States and European Union that would ease some tariffs on steel and aluminum and curb dirty Chinese steel imports, calling it a new era of trans-Atlantic cooperation.

In a joint address at an Oct. 31 press conference in Rome with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Biden called the agreement a major breakthrough that will address the existential threat of climate change while also protecting American jobs and American industry.

The agreement will immediately remove tariffs in the EU on a range of U.S. products that were enacted during former President Donald Trumps administration and lower costs to U.S. consumers.

It also will ensure a strong and competitive U.S. steel industry for decades to come while protecting workers and industry by creating good-paying union jobs at home, Biden said.

Biden also said the new agreement would lift up U.S. aluminum and steel and incentivize emission reductions in one of the most carbon-intensive sectors of the global economy.

The deal would also restrict access to our markets for dirty steel from countries like China, and counter countries that dumped steel in our markets, hammering our workers and harming them badly along with the industry and our environment, Biden said.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters that the deal would maintain U.S. Section 232 tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum while allowing limited volumes of EU-produced metals into the United States duty-free, although officials didnt specify the volume of duty-free steel to be allowed into the country under a tariff-rate quota system agreed upon with the EU.

The agreement also grants an additional two years of duty-free access above the quota for EU steel products that won Commerce Department exclusions in the past year.

The deal requires EU steel and aluminum to be entirely produced in the bloca standard known as melted and pouredto qualify for duty-free status.

In March 2018, Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent levy on aluminum imports. Some countries were permanently exempted from the tariffs, including South Korea, Argentina, Australia, and Brazil, while the levy on Canada and Mexico was lifted after the signing of the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement.

The tariffs were put in place after a Section 232 investigation found that foreign products were a threat to U.S. national security. However, it led Europeans and some other countries to impose counter-tariffs on U.S. products, including whiskey, motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter, and jeans, among other items.

Raimondo said on April 17 that the Trump-era tariffs saved jobs in the United States.

With respect to tariffs, there is a place for tariffs. The 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum have in fact helped save American jobs in the steel and aluminum industries, Raimondo told reporters at the White House.

However, on Oct. 30, the commerce secretary applauded the new agreement for protecting American jobs.

By agreeing to this framework, we are protecting American jobs, we are showing that clean manufacturing can be good for business and consumers, we are creating more incentives for steel and aluminum consumers to purchase American and European products, and we are helping the planet, Raimondo said in a teleconference with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

For far too long, China was routing its cheap steel into the U.S. via Europe and other markets, which drove down prices and made it essentially impossible for [the] American steel and aluminum industry to compete. And of course, in so doing, hurting the industry, hurting our workersso todays agreement enables us to allow limited volumes of steel to enter the U.S. tariff-free while still protecting Americas steel industry by ensuring that all steel entering the U.S. via Europe is produced entirely in Europe.

Allen Zhong and Reuters contributed to this report.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference of President Joe Biden at the end of the G-20 of World Leaders Summit at the convention center "La Nuvola" in the EUR district of Rome on Oct. 31, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken: Diplomacy Best Way to Handle Irans Nuclear Threat

Irans nuclear ambitions are a problem that can best be resolved through diplomacy, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken made the remarks in Rome at the end of the G-20 conference.

We continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to deal with the challenges, the threat posed by Irans nuclear program, he told CNN on Oct. 31.

Blinken said the United States has been absolutely in lockstep together with its allies to get Iran back to the nuclear dealthe Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018.

Under the deal, Iran would limit its nuclear development in exchange for sanctions being lifted.

Trump has consistently called it the worst deal, citing that the deal only delays but doesnt prevent a possible nuclear weapons program in Iran and that approximately $100 billion of Irans internationally frozen assets would be released, which might enable Tehrans terrorism and insurgency.

On the other hand, President Joe Biden has pledged to rejoin the nuclear deal, which President Barack Obama brokered when Biden was vice president.

Were continuing to suffer from Trumps pulling out of the deal, Biden said in a press conference at the end of the G-20 summit.

President Joe Biden addresses the media during the G-20 of World Leaders Summit at the convention center La Nuvola in the EUR district of Rome on Oct. 31, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Blinken said coming back to mutual compliance with the agreement would be the best result, but it depends on whether Iran is serious about doing that.

All of our countries workingby the way with Russia and Chinabelieve strongly that that would be the best path forward, Blinken said. But we do not yet know whether Iran is willing to come back in to engage in a meaningful way and get back into compliance.

In April, Tehran and six other partiesthe UK, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the EUstarted talks to salvage the nuclear deal. But the talks were put on hold because of the change of the Iranian government. Hardliner Ebrahim Raisi became Irans new president in June.

Iran recently announced that it would come back to talks in November.

In another interview, Blinken said the United States has also been looking at other options if Iran didnt engage quickly in good faith. Blinken refused to rule out the possibility of military action.

Well, as we always say, every option is on the table. But heres whats important: Iran, unfortunately, is moving forward aggressively with its program. The time it would take for it to produce enough fissile material for one nuclear weapon is getting shorter and shorter, Blinken told CBS on Oct. 31.

The other thing thats getting shorter is the runway we have where, if we do get back into compliance with the agreement and Iran gets back into compliance, we actually recapture all of the benefits of the agreement. Iran is learning enough, doing enough, so that thats starting to be a problem.

Last week, Iran allegedly carried outor at least facilitateda drone attack on U.S. forces in Syria. On Oct. 29, the Treasury Department announced sanctions related to Irans unmanned aerial vehicle program.

Biden said on Oct. 31 that the United States will respond to actions Iran has taken against Washingtons interests, including drone strikes.

On Oct. 31, Irans top diplomat said if the United States was serious about rejoining the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Biden could just issue an executive order, according to the state-owned Iran newspaper.

It is enough for Biden to issue an executive order tomorrow, and they announce they are rejoining the pact from the point where his predecessor left the deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said. If there is a serious will in Washington to return to the deal, there is no need for all these negotiations at all.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Falun Dafa practitioners raise awareness about forced organ harvesting atrocities in China, as they march through Manhattan celebrating World Falun Dafa Day on May 16, 2019. (Edward Dye/The Epoch Times)

Borderline Criminal: The Medias Failure to Report on Chinas Forced Organ Harvesting

Commentary

Major publications never tire of publishing pieces on the most important topics of our time, such as COVID-19, the demise of religious values, and the rise of cyberwarfare. Yet, somewhat incredibly, they consistently fail to report on one of the most horrific crimes occurring today: forced organ harvesting in China.

In July, as Reuters reported (to its credit), Chinese gene company BGI Group wasand still isselling prenatal tests worldwide. Rather worryingly, BGI developed these tests in collaboration with the countrys military. These tests were being used to collect genetic data from millions of women for sweeping research on the traits of populations, according to the report.

In other words, the Chinese regime wasand presumably still iscreating a gene bank.

Back in March, as the Reuters report detailed, members of the U.S. government had voiced concerns about BGI. They were particularly worried about a vast bank of genomic data that was being amassed and analyzed with artificial intelligence. This could give China a path to economic and military advantage, they argued. Their concerns appear to have been warranted, as such data could propel China to dominate global pharmaceuticals, and also potentially lead to genetically enhanced soldiers, or engineered pathogens to target the U.S. population or food supply.

In this age of advanced warfare, it appears that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will go to great lengths to further its nefarious agenda.

As Reuters concluded, BGI and the Chinese military are working to improve population quality. The idea of those in Beijing working to improve population quality should fill every reader with a sense of dread. Like the Nazis, the CCP appears to have great interest in the creation of a biological state, with the amplification and elimination of certain genetic traits.

Technicians work at a genetic testing laboratory of BGI in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, on Dec. 26, 2018. (Stringer/Reuters)

Less than a month after the investigative piece was published, a report by the International Forum for Rights and Security, a Toronto-based think tank, accused the Chinese regime of illegally collecting the DNA reports of the minority community of Uyghurs.

According to the report, the Chinese regime was also guilty of harvesting human organs. This immoral and illegal practice is closely tied to the development of the aforementioned gene bank, as the report demonstrated.

Members of Minority Groups Are Being Massacred

The Uyghurs arent the only minority group being targeted. Tibetans, Muslims, Christians, and Falun Gong practitioners are also in the CCPs crosshairs.

In September, Beijing submitted a lengthy statement to the U.N. Not surprisingly, the statement claimed that the accusations of forced organ harvesting were extreme fabrications, defamatory, and downright ridiculous. Any witness testimonies, according to the strongly worded statement, were given by actors who have a history of engaging in slander and rumor-mongering on the issue of human rights in China.

More recently, at a conference in Brussels that focused on forced organ harvesting in China, attendees were told that the Chinese regime conducts thousands of illegal transplants every year. Such crimes against humanity are occurring at this very momentand Falun Gong adherents appear to be among the worst affected.

Falun Gong has been and is, for many, more popular than communism in China, and the current regime is jealous of this, said KaYan Wong, a keynote speaker and spokesperson for Falun Gong in the Netherlands.

Because of this jealousy, Falun Gong practitioners are being targeted by the regime. Theyre brutalized and detained against their will, then their organs are harvested and their lives are taken away.

[The] persecution of the Falun Gong started as far back as 1999, and since then, it has been illegal to practice Falun Gong in China, Wong said.

The aim of the Chinese regime is clear: to demonize Falun Gong and treat it as a cult, Wong said.

But the regime doesnt stop with demonization and the dissemination of lies. With a murderous agenda, it clearly has a desire to remove as many Falun Gong members from society as possible. The word extermination, intimately connected with Nazi Germany, springs to mind. According to credible reports, victims organs are being sold on the black market, with a healthy liver fetching around 1,024,912 yuan (roughly $160,000). This type of trade results in an annual turnover of at least  $1 billion for those in Beijing, were told.

Innocent people are being massacred. Where is the global outcry? Where are the marchesthe protests in the streets? Imagine if such practices were occurring in the UK or Canadawould the world sit idly by and remain silent? The answer is obviously no. Then why does China get a free pass? And make no mistake about it, the CCP is getting a free pass.

A quick Google search for forced organ harvesting in China brings up a number of reports, but few of them from major publications. The question is, why?

Could the lack of reporting have anything to do with corporate media ties to China? Ill let you decide. Whatever the reason for the lack of reporting, the silence is deafening.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The remains of a bus that was hijacked and set alight in Newtownards, Northern Ireland on Nov. 1, 2021.(David Young/PA)

Bus Hijacked and Set Alight in Apparent Northern Ireland Protocol Protest

A bus has been hijacked and set alight in an attack politicians have linked to loyalist opposition to Brexits Northern Ireland Protocol.

Stormonts Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, said two masked men muttered something about the protocol as they held the driver at gunpoint.

The incident happened in the Abbot Drive area of Newtownards at about 6.30am on Monday.

Two masked and armed men boarded the bus and poured fuel over the vehicle before setting it alight.

The driver managed to get off the vehicle unharmed but has been left badly shaken by the incident. No passengers were on board at the time.

The charred and smouldering shell of the vehicle remained in the area on Monday afternoon. A nearby bus shelter was also significantly damage by the blaze.

The attack in the predominantly unionist area happened on the day set by the DUP earlier in the autumn to pull down the institutions at Stormont if major changes to the protocol had not been secured.

The DUP has not yet withdrawn ministers from the Executive, insisting progress is being made in efforts to dismantle the contentious Irish Sea border.

A police officer watches the remains of a bus that was hijacked and set alight in Newtownards, Northern Ireland on Nov. 1, 2021.(David Young/PA)

Opposition to the arrangements that have created trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK was a factor behind rioting that flared in several loyalist areas across the region in April.

Ms Mallon told BBC Radio Ulsters The Nolan Show: Two masked men entered the bus. They held the driver, a male, at gunpoint, they said something about the protocol, and they then proceeded to spray the inside of the bus with flammable liquid. They forced the bus driver off the bus and then they set it alight.

The faceless, mindless cowards who did this have done nothing more than attack their own community.

She added: We understand that they muttered something about the protocol.

I do not know what these people thought they were setting out to achieve by putting at risk a bus driver just trying to do his job and attacking a bus that is there to transport people in the community. It is mindless.

Bus services in area have been temporarily suspended following the attack.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: There was never any justification for masked gunmen on the streets of Northern Ireland and there never will be.

When I outlined DUP action on the protocol at the start of September, I indicated that action was needed within weeks. At that time the European Union was saying that fresh negotiations were impossible.

Since then the EU have agreed to table fresh proposals and serious negotiations have reopened with the UK Government.

No reasonable person could deny that this represents significant and positive progress. That progress was secured through political action and not violence.

He added: Our focus should be on restoring Northern Irelands place fully within the UK internal market.

If the EU refuses to agree to the restoration of Northern Irelands constitutional and economic integrity then it will fall to the UK Government to meet its commitment in the NDNA (New Decade, New Approach) agreement to do so through UK legislation.

That is the road map to securing removal of the Irish Sea border. Those engaging in thuggery only undermine these efforts and cement the protocol more firmly in place.

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie tweeted: Utterly disgraceful, depressing and stupid actions of thugs and criminals. In what way does this help address issues concerning the protocol, it simply hurts their own community. Wise up.

Unite the union also condemned the attack.

Deputy regional secretary Davy Thompson said: Today our thoughts are with the driver and his family, who will no doubt be very shaken by his experiences this morning.

This is a bus driver, out doing his best to provide for his family, exposed to the unbelievable horror of being removed from his bus, then watching it burn whilst a local community were left with disruption to their transport links, affecting the ability to get to appointments, school and work.

This attack is indefensible and wrong. It served no purpose aside from traumatising a worker and undermining access to public transport for a local community.

He added: We would call on all those who may have influence in our society to do all they can to ensure that these types of incidents are ended.
An employee inspects a circuit board on the controller production line at a Gree factory, following the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on Aug. 16, 2021. (CD via Reuters)

China-Based Gree Electric Fined $91 Million for Failure to Report Dangerous Dehumidifiers

China-based Gree Electric and two of its subsidiaries, including one in the U.S., have agreed to pay $91 million to resolve criminal charges for not reporting to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that their faulty dehumidifiers could catch on fire.

According to a court filing, Gree executives knew the defective dehumidifiers failed to meet applicable safety standards and could catch on fire but the company covered up the information and delayed reporting for months. The executives were eventually forced to report on the issue as consumer complaints of fires and related damages increased.

Based out of Zhuhai, China, Gree Electric is the largest air conditioner manufacturer in the world with stocks trading on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Charley Loh, 63, chief executive officer of Gree, and Simon Chu, 66, chief administrative officer of Gree USA, have been indicted by the Justice Department with felony charges brought under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and wire fraud for the failure to report on a timely basis.

No one should live in fear that a properly used consumer product might cause injury or death to their loved ones, said Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison for the Central District of California in the press release.

Grees months-long delay in reporting known problems with their dangerous and defective dehumidifiers was both criminal and costly. Grees decision to delay the reporting of its defective dehumidifiers has resulted in the recall of millions of those products and the payment of millions of dollars. We will not allow companies to profit at the expense of consumers health and safety, Wilkison added.

The tests were not reported and the products were not recalled until September 2013. The reason for the delay, according to the filing was that cooler fall and winter temperatures would help prevent Gree dehumidifiers from overheating and catching fire, and that there should be very few, if any, dehumidifier fires in the 6 to 9 months following September 2012.

Between 2007 and 2013, Gree sold almost two million dehumidifiers in the country under different names including Kenmore, GE, and Frigidaire.

As part of the deferred prosecution agreement (DPA), on or about July 26, 2012, Loh, the CEO, saw a video of a burning Gree dehumidifier. Loh forwarded the video immediately to a Gree Hong Kong director, in charge of U.S. exports, saying that the video was scarey [sic] to just watch and a very serious issue with GREE product quality.

After subsequent testing and discovering that the products could catch on fire, Loh again emailed the Hong Kong director stating, the result is not like what you have told us, and the result shows the units all can catch the fire and apparently the material is not according to UL standard! I dont think the factory is telling us the fact and truth.

On March 14, 2013, the company reported to the CPSC about consumers complaining about dehumidifiers catching on fire and damaging their property, but failed to mention that the defective product was the cause of the issue. Moreover, Gree sold products to retailers with a false representation that the dehumidifiers met all industry standards.

In the following month, an independent test report revealed that the plastic used in the dehumidifiers was inferior and did not meet the standards for fire resistance.

United States consumers lost at least $17,400,000 by purchasing defective and dangerous Gree dehumidifiers, and sustained at least $2,100,000 worth of property damage between September 2012 and April 2013, according to the plea agreement (pdf).

Finally, on Sept. 12, 2013, Gree announced a voluntary recall of 2.2 million dehumidifiers in the United States. By this time, however, consumers had reported more than 2,000 incidents with 450 fire issues and more than $19,000,000 in property damages.

During the period between September 2012 and April 2013, Gree was able to receive more than $39,000,000 in proceeds from distribution and wholesale. This amount is considered forfeiture for their failure to report immediately to the CPSC.

This historic criminal enforcement action should serve notice that the CPSC will use its authority to the fullest to keep American families safe, said Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric of the CPSC in the press release. Failing to report dangerous products puts consumers at an unnecessary risk and will not be tolerated.

The CEO and CAO have pleaded not guilty and the trial is scheduled for March 15, 2022, in Los Angeles.
COVID-19 Outbreak Worsens in Northern China, Cities and Ports Shutdown

At least 16 provinces in mainland China have recently experienced a new round of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Tougher restrictions have been implemented in northern China, with manufacturing and business operations and border ports shutdown, city services and transportation suspended, and people are not allowed to move in and out of the city, leaving travelers stranded, and some residents even having difficulty accessing food.

Mainland media Heilongjiang Daily reported on Oct. 28 that the COVID-19 epidemic in China reflects a serious situation as it spreads from multiple points. According to official reports, on Oct. 27, four new cases of local transmission were confirmed in Heilongjiang.

On Oct. 28, a local resident surnamed Wang living in South Street of Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province, told the Chinese language Epoch Times that one of the confirmed cases was a native of the city who was diagnosed at the Heihe Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

We local people know something, but we dare not say it openly. This is the second time this year that the city has been locked down. Since yesterday (Oct. 27) morning, the whole city has been shutdown and all the shops have been closed, Wang said. He added that the whole city is going through a second round of nucleic acid testing. He said he had heard plans for at least five rounds of testing.

Heihe City officials announced on Oct. 27 that the city was implementing its most stringent controls yet over the urban community from midnight Oct. 28. Except for some essential departments, such as water, electricity, gas heating, and communication and security, all business are suspended. Except for some staff from government-approved departments, individuals are not allowed to go outdoors; and supermarkets, warehouses, grocery stores, and pharmacies are only open for limited trading hours. People and vehicles are prohibited from entering or leaving the city unless deemed necessary by the authorities, and transportation services such as buses and taxis have also been stopped. Local media said on Oct. 29 that some flights and trains have also been cancelled.

The Epoch Times obtained a video showing a mass COVID-19 testing site in Heihe city on Oct. 27.

Jiamusi, another city in Heilongjiang that is close to the Russian border, has been put under emergency lockdown for seven days until Nov. 3. The city has banned tourists from entering for travels. Local authorities also announced tougher restrictions on gatherings, and banned people from visiting nursing homes and mental hospitals.

A staff member from a drugstore in Xiangyang District of Jiamusi City told the Chinese language Epoch Times that from Oct. 28, all cold, fever, cough, heat-clearing and detoxifying drugs will not allowed to be sold to individuals.

If you have symptoms of cold and fever, you have to go to the hospital to have it checked, the staff member, adding that they werent sure when the sales ban would be lifted.

A severe outbreak recently spread in Inner Mongolia, with Ejina Banner being the center of the epidemic. On Oct. 29, citizens of the border city Ceke told reporters that the port of entry has been closed, as well the capital of Hohhot. Both of them are major ports for supplying coal to the rest of China.

A local resident surnamed Li, told the Chinese Epoch Times on Oct. 27 that the area has been blocked for more than ten days.

Quanqi School has been closed since Oct. 17, and factories and shops have been shutdown. No one is allowed to go out, he said. Ceke Port is mainly for importing coal, and it is now totally closed.

Another resident Bai said that under the continued lockdown, there is no more food for many households, and tens of thousands of tourists are stranded.

Since the Chinese communist regime has consistently covered up the real situation of COVID-19 epidemic in China since the start of the outbreak in Wuhan, official statistics may not reflect the real number of cases and deaths.

Hong Ning, Gu Xiaohua, and Zhao Fenghua contributed to the report.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter after announcing his resignation, in New York City, on Aug. 10, 2021. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

Cuomo Accuses Sheriff, AG James of Epitomizing Incompetence and Abuse of the Law After Criminal Misdemeanor Charge

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday accused Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple and state Attorney General Letitia James of epitomizing the worst combination of politics, incompetence, and abuse of the law after he was charged with misdemeanor forcible touching last week.

Forcible touching, a class A misdemeanor in New York state, can carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail or three years probation.

The Democrat was charged with the misdemeanor following a criminal complaint filed by Apple accusing Cuomo of groping Brittany Commisso, a former staffer, in an unlawful manner, and that he allegedly did knowingly, and intentionally commit the class A misdemeanor of Forcible Touching.

Cuomo, who resigned earlier this year, has repeatedly denied the allegations during media appearances.

In a press release on Sunday, Cuomo took aim at both Apple and state Attorney General Letitia James. Cuomo authorized James to look into claims that he had sexually harassed several women, namely staffers who had worked for him, months before he stepped down from office in August.

Independent investigators she had hired then released a report in August 2021 that said there were credible allegations against Cuomo, although she didnt file any charges against him.

James announced Friday that she is running for governor of New York, just one day after she also praised Apples decision to charge Cuomo, saying in a statement that, the criminal charges brought today against Mr. Cuomo for forcible touching further validate the findings in our report.

In the last 72 hours, Sheriff Apple and Tish James have epitomized the worst combination of politics, incompetence and abuse of the law, Cuomo said in Sundays press release.

In an unprecedented move, Sheriff Apple filed charges against Governor Cuomo without the authorization of or coordination with the District Attorney, provoking condemnation and outrage from legal experts nationwide, the press release reads.

Apple DID, however, admit he had been coordinating with Tish James. Tish James publicly praised his actions, using it to validate her sham report while announcing a run for Governor the same day! These political bedfellows are abusing their office and putting their agenda over their ethical and constitutional duty, and no one is buying it, Cuomo continued.

Cuomo also claimed that there was zero evidence to corroborate Commissos allegations.

Politics is to be kept separate from law enforcement, the release continues. Citizens choose their leaders in elections not by political prosecution of opponents. That is the cardinal rule James and Apple have violated and justice dictates that it must be corrected, the former governor added.

On Saturday, Cuomos lawyer Rita Glavin sent a letter to Apple asking that the sheriffs office preserve all records relating to your investigation into allegations concerning the Governor and take all necessary steps to ensure such records are preserved.

Glavin asked that records including correspondence with two legal teams that investigated Cuomos conduct be preserved too.

Apple told The New York Post on Saturday that he expected the request for the preservation of such communications, and called Cuomos team bullies.

Theyre bullies. They keep doing what they do, and were going to continue to move forward with our investigation. People can see through that smoke screen. Weve tried to keep this from being a circus but theyve turned it into a circus, Apple said.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Two navy soldiers raise Taiwan's national flag during an official ceremony at a shipyard in Su'ao, a township in eastern Taiwan's Yilan County, on Dec. 15, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Defending Taiwan Against China Is Upholding US Democracy, Expert Says

The United States needs to defend Taiwan now more than ever, since the self-ruled island is part of the free world, sitting on the front line against Chinas aggression, said Miles Yu, a senior fellow at the Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute.

Taiwan is on the front line of the epic fight between tyranny and freedom. We already lost one battle  that is Hong Kong. So we should never allow the next Hong Kong to happen, Yu told The Epoch Times sister media outlet NTD on Oct 29.

Yu, a visiting fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution, previously served as the principal China policy adviser under former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The Chinese regime has dismantled Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms through a national security law, which Beijing implemented in the Chinese-ruled city in the summer of 2020. The controversial law punishes vaguely defined crimes such as subversion.

The camp of tyranny is represented by the Chinese communist regime, Yu said, while Taiwan is part of the camp of freedom.

So to defend Taiwans democracy is actually to defend in a way American democracy, Yu said.

He added that democracies in the world defended West Berlin in 1948 and 1949, and these countries should come together to defend Taiwan with confidence and with resolve.

For nearly a year beginning in June 1948, Western powers airlifted food and supplies to allied-controlled areas of Berlin, after the Soviet Union blocked all rail, road, and canal access to the zone, which was home to about 2.5 million civilians.

China has a grievance with everybody who loves freedom and democracy.  China has historical gripes against all the democracies around [its] periphery, Yu said, pointing to South Korea, Japan, and India.

So I see the defense of Taiwan is actually not only defending a democratic system, but it is also probably the best way to stop the momentum of this chain of aggression.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sees Taiwan as part of its territory to be taken by force, if necessary. In early October, Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to achieve reunification of the nation in a speech, and called the islands independence a serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation.

The United States isnt currently a formal diplomatic ally of Taiwan, after Washington ended its diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979.

Taiwan soldiers take part in the Han Kuang drill at the Ching Chuan Kang air force base in Taichung, Taiwan, on June 7, 2018. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

US-Taiwan Ties

Currently, Washington maintains a decades-long foreign policy known as strategic ambiguity, meaning the United States is deliberately vague on the question of whether it would come to Taiwans defense.

However, Washington is required by lawthe Taiwan Relations Act (TRA)to provide the island with military equipment for its self-defense.

Joseph Bosco, a member of the advisory board of the Washington-based Global Taiwan Institute, told NTD on Oct. 29 that the U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity should be called destructive ambiguity because it has not deterred China from planning to attack Taiwan.

Bosco, a fellow at both the Institute for Corean-American Studies and the Institute for Taiwan-America Studies, had served as China country director for the U.S. Secretary of Defense from 2005 to 2006.

He says its probably unlikely that China would launch a full-scale invasion against Taiwan, but the communist regime could escalate its pressure by taking over one of the islands controlled by Taipei.

There are many ways they [China] can increase the pressure to see what kind of concessions they can get, either from Taiwan or from the United States, Bosco said.

A recent virtual war game carried out by the Washington-based think tank Center for a New American Security showed that Washington and Taipei were ill-prepared if China invaded Taiwans Pratas Islands (also known as the Dongsha Islands), which are about 190 miles southeast of Hong Kong.

Chinas seizure of the Pratas Islands, located at the northern part of the South China Sea, would allow Beijing to create a chokepoint and disrupt regional shipping routes.

Bosco said the United States could further enhance ties with Taiwan by welcoming Taipei to join the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the biennial maritime military exercise hosted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

China has expanded its domain economically, politically, diplomatically, [and] militarily, he said.

Theyre a threat to the region [and] theyre a threat to the world.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi talks with members of her House of Representatives leadership team, including House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-M.D.), House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-M.A.) at the "In America: Remember" public art installation on the Washington Monument grounds in Washington on Oct. 1, 2021. (Reuters/Leah Millis)

Democrats Reveal Immigration Plan C In Reconciliation Bill

Democrats have unveiled a new plan to include amnesty for illegal aliens in their landmark multi-trillion dollar reconciliation bill after their first two efforts were shot down by the Senate parliamentarian.

The party has been desperate to find a way to include as much blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants as possible, seeing the current makeup of Congress and the White House as a once-in-a-decade chance at modifying the immigration system.

After their first two proposals were shot down by the Senates nonpartisan referee, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) told reporters that Democrats would move on to plan C.

Newest Immigration Plan

Democrats have released the text of their new compromise reconciliation bill, which has several provisions addressing immigration.

Limited Blanket Amnesty

Democrats new plan would make a tweak to the law that would allow illegal immigrants who came into the country after 1972 and before 2010 to be eligible for amnesty. The power to give this blanket amnesty to de facto residents has laid with Congress for decades, but since 1972 Congress has not moved up the date to allow illegal immigrants to be eligible for a pathway to citizenship.

Under the rules of the reconciliation process, all provisions included in a reconciliation bill have a more than merely incidental effect on government spending and revenues. After being denied the first two times, Democrats have a new plan to meet these requirements.

In their new proposal, illegal aliens eligible for a pathway to citizenship would have to pay the federal government an application fee of $1,500 plus an additional fee of $250 for each beneficiary. Additionally, fees ranging from $15 to $15,000 may apply based on the specific conditions of the illegal aliens residency.

This amnesty could cause a long-term increase in the number of foreign nationals living in the country. Under current immigration law, naturalized citizens may sponsor members of their family to become lawful green card-holding residents.

Visa Access to Those Denied by Trump Executive Orders

The new bill would also offer visas to those who were unable to receive them due to executive orders by President Donald Trump.

One such executive order, Executive Order 13769, limited those eligible for visas.

The executive order reads: In order to protect Americans, the United States must ensure that those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes toward it and its founding principles. The United States cannot, and should not, admit those who do not support the Constitution, or those who would place violent ideologies over American law.

To achieve this goal, the executive order limited visa access for citizens of countries of particular concern, including several Middle Eastern U.S. adversaries like Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen; This move was met with immediate criticism by Democrats.

One of President Joe Bidens first moves upon taking the White House was to end this policy with another executive order to end discriminatory bans on entry to the United States.

Now, Democrats are seeking to ensure that those aliens who were refused a visa, prevented from seeking admission, or denied admission to the United States during the Trump administration will be eligible to enter the United States.

Specifically, those aliens who were selected for visas in 2017 through 2021 but were denied due to Trumps executive orders or the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus retain their right to a visa.

In brief, those selected over the past five years but but barred for broader political or national security reasons will all be eligible to come to the United States as lawful residents.

In order to carry out these sweeping changes, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will receive $2.8 billion from the new reconciliation bill if passed. These changes will go into effect 100 days after the passage of the bill if they are kept in the final draft.

Similar Efforts Have Failed to Pass Muster With Senate Rule Keeper

The party has been so desperate to meet what they perceive as a critical moment that they have now put forward three separate proposals on the issue.

Their first proposal would have given amnesty to around 8 million illegal immigrants, a proposal designed to meet, as much as possible, Joe Bidens ambitious promise on the campaign trail.

It would have included so-called Dreamersa group of people who entered the United States illegally as children and were granted amnesty under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a controversial executive order signed by President Barack Obamaagricultural laborers, and other essential workers, among others.

This target of a path to citizenship for 8 million illegal aliens falls short of the presidents more ambitious targets on the campaign trail.

During an October presidential debate, then-candidate Biden was asked about the Obama administrations track record on immigration. On the campaign trail in 2008 and 2012, comprehensive immigration reform was a key Obama-Biden priority, but the administration failed to bring these promised changes about.

Biden explained that he and Obama made a mistake  we took too long to get it right.

Biden then made his ambitious promise, saying that within his first 100 days he would send to the United States Congress a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people.

He promised, those so-called Dreamers  [are] going to be immediately certified again to be able to stay in this country and put on a path to citizenship.

However, this proposal failed to pass muster with Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian who plays the role of a nonpartisan referee in the upper chamber.

Democrats second effort was less lofty, allowing for a pathway to citizenship but granting significantly reduced blanket amnesty.

This effort was again denied, a move in line with MacDonoughs track record. During her time in the position, MacDonough has not been shy to kill the priorities of either parties that she considered to be outside the scope of reconciliation.

For example, in 2017, Republicans tried to add a provision to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Actpassed through the reconciliation processthat would have repealed restrictions on churches, charitable foundations, and universities that forbade such nonprofits from becoming politically involved or endorsing candidates.

After Democrats took back the majority, MacDonough also put restrictions on what they were permitted to do. In February, the parliamentarian ruled against including a $15 minimum wage in a CCP virus relief package proposed by Biden.

Democrats newest immigration effort seeks to itself keep within the narrow bounds of the reconciliation process by showing a distinct effect on federal spending and revenue, but MacDonough has yet to approve these measures. Without her support, Democrats will not be able to include the provisions in the bills final draft.
Evis and Gene Kola attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 30, 2021. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)

DETROIT, Mich.It is one of the great ironic tragedies that an ancient civilization like China is cut off from its rich cultural and spiritual heritage due to its current political structure. Luckily, there exist groups like Shen Yun Performing Arts, who vow to preserve and promote what is at risk of being lost forever.

Shen Yun is a New York-based performing arts company whose seven touring groups present classical Chinese dance and music on the most prestigious stages of the world.

Gene and Evis Kola, who work in logistics and manufacturing, respectively, were grateful to have been able to experience Shen Yuns presentation of essential Chinese culture.

Im very happy that this kind of show is allowed here, Mrs. Kola said. Unfortunately, [its] not allowed back in China.

Being based outside mainland China, Shen Yun has the freedom to give artistic expression to Chinas rich spiritual heritageideas that are banned or strictly controlled in modern China.

Mr. Kola was touched by the portrayal of current human rights abuses taking place under the current communist systemparticularly those victimizing religious believers.

He said he liked the Falun Gong story, which is true that [the Chinese regime is] trafficking their organs, and theyre killing people.

Despite portraying some hard truths, the performance gave a message of hope: that justice and compassion will prevail.

Mary Gulliver attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 30, 2021. (Nancy Ma/The Epoch Times)

Mary Gulliver, CFO at Phoenix Investment Partners, had wanted to see Shen Yun for years, and was finally treated to the performance as a birthday gift from her fiance.

She was amazed by the grace, uniformity of movement, and synchronization between the dancers and musicians: I think its amazing that theyre able to precisely move their arms and knees to exact same position as everybody else on the stage. Its just gorgeous.

She described the experience as heartfelt, serene, and peaceful.

I think that its definitely something that I saw was being taken away, and that in China, that should be revived, Gulliver said of the traditional art forms presented, including the techniques of classical Chinese dance. Thats an ancient art that would be horrible to be lost.

Joe Zago and his family attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 30, 2021. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)

Joe Zago, CEO of The Carpet Guys, on the other hand, is a veteran to Shen Yun. He had seen the performance four years ago, but found this years performance as novel as his first encounter. He attended the Detroit performance with his parents, sister, son, and girlfriend.

I love that even more now because it has the same message but different scenes, he said.

While Shen Yun has always been about presenting the traditional stories from ancient China, the presenters have highlighted their mission this year with a new tagline: China before communism. Its an important distinction to make, since traditional Chinese culture has been systematically under attack by the communist regime. Its Shen Yuns mission to bring it back.

What I really liked about this [year], its more about humanityjust keeping away from the distractions of modernization and being more in tune with Gods creation, the higher powers, Zago said.

Reporting by Sherry Dong and Nancy Ma.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Peter Daszak, a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus, speaks to media upon arriving with other WHO members to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on February 3, 2021. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

Ernst Proposes to Ban Federal Funding of EcoHealth Alliance, Gain-of-Function Research

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) vowed on Nov. 1 to introduce legislation requiring a full investigation of all U.S. funding of gain-of-function research in China, and a ban on federal funding to a New York foundation that works closely with Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

I want to see the Wuhan lab come clean, for EcoHealth Alliance to come clean, and if they dont, then well have to go for a subpoena, Ernst told reporters in an afternoon news conference.

It seems like every week, we are learning more and more about not only the possible origins of the COVID-19 virus, but about our own governments involvement in dangerous scientific experiments overseas, including at the now-infamous Wuhan Institute for Virology (WIV) in communist China, Ernst said.

For years, the National Institutes for Health (NIH) was paying for research on deadly coronaviruses at the Wuhan lab through the EcoHealth Alliance. The NIH gave the money to EcoHealth, which then funneled the U.S. taxpayer dollars into the state-run lab in China.

Ernst said that after the CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus, caused the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 and early 2020, EcoHealth has refused to cooperate or answer basic questions about how they used our tax dollars in China, even going so far as to violate several federal transparency laws that require disclosure of how taxpayer dollars are spent, Ernst said.

More than 745,000 Americans are reported to have died from the CCP virus since January 2020.

The EcoHealth Alliance is a New York-based foundation that funds biomedical research around the world, much of it funded by grants the group receives from NIH and other federal agencies.

Much of the NIH funding awarded to EcoHealth was approved by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of NIHs National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), according to Ernst.

She noted that in sworn testimony before Congress in May, Fauci declared that no federal funding from NIH had ever gone to WIV for gain-of-function research (GOF), the experimental lab technique for adding capabilities to viruses to strengthen them and make them more virulent. The WIV has conducted a great deal of such research, and some portion of that research was paid for by EcoHealth.

Well, lo and behold, that turned out to be false, Ernst said. On Oct. 20, NIH made the glaring admission that they had in fact been funding experiments through EcoHealth that very closely resemble what many call gain-of-function. They admitted they were funding EcoHealth experiments on coronaviruses.

Ernst said NIH removed from its website its previous definition of GOF right around the time of its admission. Fauci had a legal obligation to know how the taxpayer dollars he was dishing out were being spent.

The Iowa Republican said shes been trying for three years without success to get information from NIH about its coronavirus research.

The only way to get to the bottom of this is to follow the science, follow the money and follow the law, Ernst said. To that end, she said shes introducing the Fairness and Accountability in Underwriting Chinese Institutions Act (FAUCI). This bill completely bans U.S. funding of gain-of-function research in communist China. It also prohibits any federal funding from going to labs and research institutions that receive funding from communist China for gain-of-function research.

Ernst said the FAUCI Act would also ensure that any NIH employee or official or grantee that intentionally misleads Congress or the Inspector General (IG) will be ineligible for future federal grants or employment.

The third part of the bill requires a full congressional investigation of U.S. funding of GOF research.

In addition, Ernst said she will offer an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to cut off funding to EcoHealth. And if EcoHealth continues hiding information from the American people and refuses to comply with the law, that leaves us with just one option, a subpoena.

Texts werent available for the FAUCI Act or the NDAA amendment.

A spokesman for EcoHealth Alliance didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment on Ernsts proposal and remarks.

We should not be funding dangerous experiments overseas, especially not in one of the worlds most closed societies, ruled by a ruthless authoritarian regime with no tolerance for truth or transparency, Ernst said.
(L-R) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and U.S. President Joe Biden, pose for the media prior to a meeting at the La Nuvola conference center for the G20 summit in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 30, 2021. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool/Getty Images)

Experts Fear Bidens Global Minimum 15 Percent Tax Rate on Big Corporations Could Harm Small Businesses

Experts are concerned that President Joe Bidens new global minimum tax rate of 15 percent on large multinational corporations will harm the small businesses that support them.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed on Oct. 30 that leaders of the worlds 20 biggest economies (G-20) have endorsed the historic agreement on new international tax rules, including a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15 percent.

The new rule would also make it harder for multinational firms, including tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook, to avoid taxation by establishing offices in low-tax jurisdictions.

Its estimated that the measure will generate around $150 billion in additional global tax revenues annually, while stabilizing the international tax system and increasing tax certainty for taxpayers and tax administrations, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The new global minimum tax rate has been championed by Biden, who hailed it as a game-changer, while Yellen told CNBC that what it will provide is a level playing field globally where companies and countries can compete, on the basis of their innovative ideas, fundamentals, the quality of workforce, and their business environments.

Countries around the globe have decided that to finance the public infrastructure investments that they need to invest in their people, and not to have all of the burden of raising taxes fall on workers  this is a way to make sure that all countries in a fair way can collect more, Yellen said.

Biden has also proposed a separate 15 percent tax rate called the Corporate Profits Minimum Tax, which would apply to roughly 200 U.S. corporations making more than $1 billion in profits annually.

Combined, both tax rates could leave Americas largest businesses paying more than 30 percent in new taxes.

The Business Roundtable, which represents some of the largest companies in the United States, said the two tax proposals impose $800 billion in tax increases on businesses and would aggravate the serious competitive disadvantage faced by U.S. companies relative to their foreign competitors.

But experts fear the new 15 percent global minimum tax could inadvertently harm small businesses in the United States that support the multinational corporations, leaving them exposed and making it more difficult for those firms to enter foreign markets because of the higher cost of conducting business abroad.

Small businesses that rely on multinational corporations will likely find themselves bearing the tax burden too, while those that rely on multinational companies for supplies could see costs increased further amid an ongoing supply chain crisis and skyrocketing prices.

If you are a large company headquartered in the U.S., you are likely not doing everything by yourself. You are relying on small businesses to supply parts to support your overall operations, Daniel Bunn, vice president of global projects at the Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy nonprofit, told The Washington Times. Its those small businesses that are most exposed when a large multinational sees a significant tax hike.

If you are a successful multinational company, you have the resources to navigate these rules, but its an extra layer of compliance to bury small business, he said. It turns smaller companies into acquisition targets rather than true competitors.

The minimum tax could cost the U.S. 500,000 to 1 million jobs and slash investment by $20 billion, The Washington Times reported, citing an August report by Ernst & Young, a multinational professional services network.

This is going to have a real impact, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, told the outlet. At the end of the day, our foreign competitors are going to insist on a big bite of Americas tax revenues. None of this makes any economic sense for America, certainly not for our ability to compete and win anywhere in the world, including here at home.

Treasury Department officials didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

President Joe Biden, who traveled to Rome for the G-20 summit, wrote on Twitter that leaders made clear their support for a strong global minimum tax, calling it more than just a tax dealits diplomacy reshaping our global economy and delivering for our people.

The minimum tax rate will apply to corporations with global revenue exceeding 750 million euros (roughly $870 million).

Governments could still set their own local corporate tax rate, but if companies pay lower rates in a particular country, their home governments could top up their taxes to the 15 percent minimum, eliminating the advantage of shifting profits, Reuters reported.
President Joe Biden participates in a town hall at Baltimore Center Stage in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 21, 2021. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Federal Contractors Get More Flexibility to Enforce COVID-19 Vaccine Rules for Millions: White House

New guidance released by the White House on Nov. 1 suggests that federal contractors will have significant leeway in enforcing President Joe Bidens COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Federal contractors such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Airlines, IBM, UPS, and many more employ a significant number of Americans. The new guidance, released on the Safer Federal Workforce website, provides flexibility for those companies to determine how to enforce the mandate.

A covered contractor should determine the appropriate means of enforcement with respect to its employee at a covered contractor workplace who refuses to be vaccinated and has not been provided, or does not have a pending request for, an accommodation, according to the guidelines.

On Sept. 9, Biden announced mandates for federal workers, federal contractors, and most health care staffdiffering from the forthcoming mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees stipulating that workers either get the vaccine or submit to weekly testing. Federal contractors have no option to be tested, and the only way by which workers can opt out is by seeking a medical or religious exemption.

Covered contractors are expected to comply with all requirements set forth in their contract, the White House said. Where covered contractors are working in good faith and encounter challenges with compliance with COVID-19 workplace safety protocols, the agency contracting officer should work with them to address these challenges.

If a covered contractor is not taking steps to comply, significant actions, such as termination of the contract, should be taken.

And a federal agency may determine that a covered contractor employee who refuses to be vaccinated in accordance with a contractual requirement pursuant to [Bidens executive order] will be denied entry to a Federal workplace, consistent with the agencys workplace safety protocols, it said.

For workers who dont want to get the vaccine, a limited period of counseling and education, followed by additional disciplinary measures may be necessary, according to the White House. Removal occurs only after continued noncompliance.

The guidance also lays out requirements for federal employees and contractors to provide proof of vaccination and says an attestation of

vaccination by the covered contractor employee is not an acceptable substitute for documentation of proof of vaccination.

Under the guidance, a covered contractor is responsible for considering requests from employees for religious exemptions from vaccination. If a

federal agency is considered a joint employer then the agency and contractor should review and consider what, if any, accommodation they

should offer.

The guidance says it is promulgated pursuant to federal law and supersedes any contrary state or local law or ordinance.

It came after the head of a trade association suggested that some companies might terminate their contracts with the federal government ahead of a Dec. 8 deadline.

Trucks fill up on gas at the One9 truck stop in Wildwood, Ga., on Oct. 20, 2021. (Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times)

Bill Sullivan, a vice president with the American Trucking Associations (ATA), suggested in an interview over the weekend that some firms likely wont follow the mandate and will instead just drop their contracts with the government, saying that the potential loss of workers would be too great. Should those companies scrap their agreements, it will be harder for the federal government to move military vehicles, transport the National Guard, and transport food to troops around the United States.

I am confident but with heavy heart recognize a vaccine mandate will mean less capacity for the government as a customer of freight, Sullivan told Politico on Oct. 31.

It has the potential to seriously impact military readiness, he said of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate announced by Biden on Sept. 9.

The Biden administration, he said, is using a one-size-fits-all strategy to mandate vaccines for Americans and suggested that officials didnt think of all the possible scenarios that could have emerged.

I feel like the president has tried to be beautifully simple like this could apply to everybody, and by doing that, there will be an impact, Sullivan told the outlet.

Previously, the American Trucking Associations, the Cargo Air Association, and other trade groups have issued letters making ominous predictions about fallout associated with the vaccine mandate. They warned that the already stretched-thin supply chain would be subject to further strain as some workers will be laid off or will simply quit over the mandate.

Other than mandating vaccinations for federal contractors and workers, the president also announced he would direct the Labor Department to create a rule mandating vaccines or regular testing for businesses with 100 or more workers, potentially affecting as many as 80 million private-sector employees.

White House officials have expressed confidence that workerswhen faced with the mandatewould instead opt in. Last week, COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters at a news conference that after United Airlines and Tyson Foods announced their respective vaccine mandates, it pushed both companies vaccination rates to more than 90 percent.

Zients also offered some reassurance last week that the mandate shouldnt disrupt services as the holiday season approaches.

These processes play out across weeks, not days, Zients said about a week ago. And so, to be clear, were creating flexibility within the system. Were offering people multiple opportunities to get vaccinated. There is not a cliff here.

But Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo signaled the White House wont delay its plans around vaccine mandates. In an interview on Oct. 31 with CBS News, Raimondo said that a delay would be a big mistake and again stressed that the only way the U.S. economy will recover is by having every worker get vaccinated.

Over the recent weekend, 10 attorneys general in Republican-led states filed a legal complaint against the Biden administrations federal contractor mandate, arguing that the move is tantamount to a power grab and would imperil the U.S. economy.

White House and ATA officials didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

Nick Ciolino contributed to this report.
Lauren Gioia stands in a protest against NorthShore University HealthSystem's vaccine mandate outside Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Ill., on Oct. 12, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Federal Judge Blocks Hospital From Putting Unvaccinated Workers on Unpaid Leave

A federal judge temporarily blocked an Illinois hospital system from allegedly putting workers with religious exemptions to getting the COVID-19 vaccine on unpaid leave.

In late October, several employees at the Chicago-area NorthShore University HealthSystem filed a legal complaint against the company, arguing that the firms vaccine mandate discriminated against them by forcing them to decide between a vaccine and their jobs.

Liberty Counsel, which is representing the 14 health care workers, said in an emailed statement last week that the plaintiffs have shared these religious beliefs, and others, with NorthShore, and have asked NorthShore for exemption and reasonable accommodation for these beliefs, but NorthShore has unlawfully and callously refused.

U.S. District Judge John Kness on Oct. 29 issued a temporary restraining order against the hospital system.

They cant be fired, and they cant be placed on what is effectively, in my mind, unpaid leave, Kness said during a hearing on the lawsuit, the Chicago Tribune reported.

NorthShore is going to have to keep paying them. If you wish to require them to show up to work and use [personal protective equipment] and go through testing because you need the help and you dont want to pay them to be off-site, thats up to the hospital, he said.

Liberty Counsel said that, more than a week ago, NorthShore had already started purging those employees with sincere religious objections to its Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policy' and removed many employees with religious exemptions from its November work schedule. That included staff members with appeals that were pending, Liberty Counsel said.

Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines say that employees may ask to be exempted from vaccine requirements due to religious or medical reasons. However, workplaces dont necessarily have to grant the exemptions under certain circumstances, the agencys guidance adds.

Horatio Mihet, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told the Chicago Tribune that unvaccinated workers can still work there while wearing personal protective equipment and getting weekly testing.

NorthShore previously told The Epoch Times that it understands that getting vaccinated may be a difficult decision for some of our team members and values their committed service and respect[s] their beliefs. On Nov. 1, NorthShore didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

We must prioritize the safety of our patients and team members in support of our broader mission, the hospital system said.

NorthShore, in a statement to local media last week, disputed several claims in the lawsuit and had considered each request based on multiple criteria for exemptions.
Fisherman Shocked to Find Incredible 19-Armed Fluorescent Sunflower Starfish in Crab Trap

A fisherman was awestruck when he accidentally caught a critically endangered fluorescent starfish in a crab trap.

Lee LeFever said he was shocked to haul up a sunflower starfish given that its population has plummeted by 90 percent in the last decade.

Lee found the bright orange sea creature with 19 arms in one of his four crab traps while fishing off the coast of Orcas Island in Washington state.

A critically endangered sunflower starfish is seen accidently caught in a crab trap off the coast of Orcas Island in Washington state. (SWNS)

The striking starfish, or sea star, was once a common sight along the American coast but an estimated 6 billion of the now critically endangered animals have died from a wasting disease in the last 10 years.

Lee said that the starfish was beautiful and he returned it back to the water after finding it.

Catching a sunflower sea star was potential evidence that they are making a comeback, he added.

I found it beautiful. Sea stars are an important part of the ocean ecology and any evidence that they are still around is potentially good news.

Sunflower starfish can be up to a meter wide with as many as 24 arms.

They are primarily found in the northeast Pacific and their color may vary from fluorescent orange to dark purple.

Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
A file photo of rubbish in Glasgow, Scotland, where refuse collectors have gone on strike. (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Glasgow Bin Collectors Go on Strike as UN Climate Summit COP26 Opens

Bin collectors and street cleaners have gone on strike in the Scottish city of Glasgow, which is hosting the United Nations climate conference, also known as COP26.

The strike began at one minute past midnight on Monday, hours before more than 100 world leaders were set to arrive in Glasgow for a two-day world leaders summit, which forms part of the two-week-long U.N. climate conference.

U.S. President Joe Biden is attending the summit, joined by White House climate advisers John Kerry and Gina McCarthy.

The GMB union said that its members will take strike action throughout the first full week of the COP26 conference.

The planned strike action was previously called off on Friday after a new pay offer from council umbrella body Cosla, and the GMB said it would suspend the strike for two weeks to consult with members.

But the union decided to go ahead with the industrial action after its last-ditch talks with Glasgow City Council collapsed on Sunday evening.

GMBs Scotland branch said it wanted the council to tackle the chronic and unacceptable problems caused by years of cuts, to urgently address the employers unresolved discriminatory pay system and outstanding equal pay liabilities.

Louise Gilmour, GMBs Scotland secretary, said the union had negotiated in good faith but the council had refused this massive opportunity to move forward.

Glasgow City Council said that GMBs action was disappointing.

The agreement struck at national level gave two weeks to consider the pay offer and so there is no reason for this strike to go ahead at this time, a spokeswoman for the council said on Monday.

The GMB was calling for a 2,000 ($2,736) pay rise and previously turned down an offer of an 850-a-year increase for staff earning up to 25,000.

The Cosla proposal is for a one-year, 5.89 percent increase for the lowest-paid council staff, as part of a 1,062 rise for all staff earning below 25,000.

The Scottish government gave 30 million ($41 million) to support the pay offer.

Scotlands Transport and Net Zero Secretary Michael Matheson said that he was disappointed by the strike action.

Talking to the BBCs Good Morning Scotland programme, Matheson said the Scottish government would certainly want to continue to encourage both Cosla, Glasgow City Council, and the GMB to continue to discuss this issue to try and find a quick resolution.

PA contributed to this report.
Glenn Youngkin Vows to Ban Critical Race Theory On Day One If Elected Governor of Virginia

Virginias gubernatorial race continues to heat up over the influence of critical race theory (CRT) in K-12 education, with Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin vowing to ban the Marxist ideology on day one if elected, and his Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe insisting that it has never been taught in public schools.

With only two days to go until Election Day and early voting underway, Youngkin pledged on Sunday during an interview with Fox News Life, Liberty & Levin that he would ban the teaching of CRT, which he said divides children into groups of oppressors and the oppressed, pitting them against each other.

What we know is [critical race theory] teaches children to see everything through a lens of race and then to divide them into buckets and have children that are called privileged and others that are victims, and its just wrong, Youngkin said. And it, in fact, forces our kids to compete against one another and steals their dreams.

In the immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., were called to judge one another based on the content of our character and not the color of our skin, he continued. Thats why theres no place for critical race theory in our school system, and why, on day one, Im going to ban it.

Meanwhile, McAuliffe on Sunday repeated the claim that the CRT has never been taught in the state.

Whats Glenn Youngkins education plan? He wants to ban Critical Race Theory. Well, let me explain to you, its never been in Virginia, the former governor said on MSNBCs Meet the Press.

As I said before, and Ill say it again, its never been taught in Virginia. And I really hate it, because its a racist dog whistle, he told host Chuck Todd. Its not taught so all youre doing is pitting parents against parents, parents against teachers, and theyre using children as political pawns.

The candidates remarks come as author and filmmaker Christopher Rufo, who is known for exposing the infiltration of CRT into governments, schools, and businesses, shared documents showing the presence of CRT in Virginia Department of Education.

Among the documents shared by Rufo is a slideshow (pdf) dating back to 2015 during McAuliffes tenure as governor. The presentation, which focuses on racial disparities in public school discipline, recommends that school administrators incorporate a Critical Race Theory lens into their disciplinary process, and that teachers embrace Critical Race Theory and engage in race-conscious teaching and learning.

In a 2019 memo sent to Virginias public schools, the DOE recommended a list of resources educators can use to prepare for dialogue around race, racism, and bigotry. The list includes the book Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education, which describes the CRT as an important analytic tool and provides an overview of the history and tenets of CRT in education.
Gov. Wolf Gives Vaccinated Pennsylvania State Employees Extra Week Off

Estimated Cost to Taxpayers: $100 Million.

Vaccinated employees of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania got an unexpected gift from Gov. Tom Wolf Monday: an additional paid five days off work.

The news was delivered in an email to the states 72,000 employees. The Wolf administration said the time off is in appreciation to those who have been vaccinated and an incentive to those who have not yet been vaccinated to get the shots.

Those who work under the governors jurisdiction get five extra paid days off if they are currently fully vaccinated or if they get fully vaccinated by Dec. 31. Employees must show proof of vaccination.

Time off must be taken between Dec. 20 and March 31. Employees who cant squeeze time off into those dates will be given a lump sum for any unused bonus time as of April 1.

While vaccinations are readily available on weekends and after works hours, the state already gives employees a full workday, 7.5 hours, off with pay to get the shot.

Pennsylvanias Treasury Department has estimated the plan will cost more than $100 million.

As of Oct. 31, in Pennsylvania, 78 percent of the population has had at least one vaccine dose and 60 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the Center for Disease Control.

In August, Wolf announced that all state employees would have to be vaccinated or get weekly testing for COVID-19 to remain employed with the state.

In response to the plan, Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, a Republican, issued a statement.

The Wolf administrations plan to charge taxpayers an estimated $100 million to give most state employees cash payments or a paid week-long COVID vaccine holiday is not only fiscally irresponsible but is tone-deaf, Benninghoff said. The same administration that, without notice, permanently ended thousands of Pennsylvania jobs and shuttered mom-and-pop stores across the commonwealth with its ill-advised and overbroad economic shutdown is now forcing many of those same individuals to finance this week-long paid vacation or cash payouts for the governors employees who received a COVID-19 vaccination.

Indeed, the food inspectors who closed restaurants, Health Department employees who crafted pandemic policy, and Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development workers who decided which businesses would be closed but who continued earning pay throughout the pandemic will be among those who get a week off; along with the many state employees who have been largely working from home since the pandemic began.

Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve better and those who have suffered financial devastation as a result of this administrations destructive unilateral action are due an explanation as to why they are struggling to make ends meet while funding additional vacation time for the governors employees, Benninghoff said.

In addition to the common holidays such as Christmas and July Fourth, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania employees also routinely get paid time off for the day after Thanksgiving, Columbus Day, Presidents Day, Martin Luther King Day, Veterans Day, and as of 2019, Juneteenth.

This modified enforcement model for car stops furthers the Departments priority of addressing the issue of racial disparity in the Departments investigative stops and complements the Departments efforts to address these same issues in pedestrian stops. As many know, the PPD has agreed proactively to implement several pilot programs with the goal of reducing racial disparity in these stops. Equally important, we worked with Council to develop programs that still allow the Department to address crime and disorder, but in a modified manner, thereby, balancing public safety with disparity mitigation efforts. We believe these two goals are not mutually exclusive but can work together to keep our community safe while also safeguarding the constitutional rights of community members. We also believe this approach will help to strengthen the relationships with communities we serve.
(Video) Collapsed Elephant Calf Gasping for Air in Muddy Pool Thrives After Rescue: He Is So Brave

A baby elephant named Dololo was almost close to death when he was found by Kenyan locals submerged in a muddy pool, with only the tip of his trunk visible above the surface. Rescuers heaved him out in the nick of time.

Thanks to their love and dedication, Dololo is a different elephant three years on.

Benjamin Kyalo, the head keeper at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trusts Ithumba Reintegration Unit, told The Epoch Times that Dololo is thriving at his new home in Nairobi; he has won the hearts of all who care for him.

He is so brave, Kyalo said. We are happy we have done what we can.

Dololo was found in the Mzee Kirema dam outside of Tsavo East National Park on Sept. 9, 2018, and taken into the care of the SWT, Kenyas leading operator of orphaned elephant rescue and wildlife rehabilitation.

Kyalo said that the community members informed them that they had brought their livestock to water the previous evening and saw a herd of elephants nearby, but they didnt see any baby elephant stuck in the mud.

When they returned the following morning, however, they found Dololo floating in the middle, stuck fast, with only his trunk sticking out for air, he said. He was so exhausted. Who knows how many hours he had struggled for?

Dololos rescuers suspected the calfs herd had been scared off, sensing the danger and knowing there were people nearby, and didnt come back for their baby.

Dololo after being pulled out of the muddy pool by the Kenya Wildlife Service rangers. (Courtesy of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust)

Locals notified the Kenya Wildlife Service and rangers attended the site, removing their uniforms and wading in to retrieve the calf.

The mud was slippery and Dololo was too tired to stand, but eventually, they succeeded in loading Dololo onto their land cruiser and drove to meet the Trusts Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit, headed by Dr. Poghon.

The vet team stabilized the calf by placing him on an IV drip, dowsing his body with water to keep his body temperature cool, and to clean away the compacted mud, said Kyalo. A SWT helicopter escorted Dololo to the Trusts Nairobi Nursery where keepers, fully briefed, stood waiting.

Arriving at his warm, comfortable stable, the roughly 18-month-old calf was helped to his feet.

Remarkably, he stood for the first time since his ordeal, and remained calm despite the strange and new surroundings, said Kyalo. It was as if he understood how much he was being helped and was certainly receptive to it all.

Dololo guzzled milk during his 3-hourly feeds throughout the night, and tucked into freshly-cut greens hanging in his stable without collapsing again. Next came his medical needs.

Dololo with his keepers and other rescued elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. (Courtesy of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust)

Having been submerged in foul water for hours, his eyes needed urgent care. He was treated for a worm infestation and given antibiotics to limit his risk of contracting pneumonia.

It was a long road to recovery, said Kyalo.

Yet as the months passed, so Dololos condition improved. The Trust shared footage of his miraculous rescue and rehabilitation on Facebook.

Dololo thriving at his new home. (Courtesy of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust)

Kyalo grew close to Dololo when he was transferred to the Trusts Ithumba site with two other elephants, Sattao and Musiara, in May 2020. The keeper was bowled over by his bravery and independence, but moreover his adorable success with other rescued females.

So many of the older girlslike Mutara, Sities, Turkwel, Suguta and Kainuklove him so much and want to look after him, he said. It is funny why it is him in particular and not any of the other youngsters.

Yet Dololo, unfazed, spends most of his time playing with his male roommatesMusiara, Ambo, and Jottoand challenging the big boys for fun. Kyalo said that with the exception of milk feeds, Dololo is more focused on being an elephant and engaging with the other orphans, or visiting bulls than spending time with the keepers.

As with our own species, some elephants are quite tactile and affectionate, while others just like to get on with it! he said. To see him walking now, happily swinging his trunk in the company of the older girls; such a sight makes us very happy, to know that he is safe and has a future ahead of him.

We are happy with all the elephants we manage to rescue and give a second chance.

Watch Dololos Recovery Story in the Video Below:

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Then U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury nominee Wally Adeyemo speaks during an event at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del., on Dec. 1, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

IRS Plan to Collect $400 Billion in Unpaid Taxes Relies on More Cops on the Beat: Treasury

The federal government is aiming to obtain $400 billion in new revenue over the next decade as part of the White House-backed $1.75 trillion social spending plan, according to a top Treasury official.

Increased Internal Revenue Service enforcement to collect unpaid taxes makes up the largest source of revenue in the legislation to be considered by Congress this week, Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Reuters on Monday. Adeyemo said that the agency is planning to carry out more audits to deter tax avoidance among wealthier Americans.

Adeyemo said that the IRS is planning to hire more agents, pursue more audit cases, and update its systems. The flurry of increased activity, he argued, will put more pressure on some individuals to hide their income.

When you are focusing on audits and people see that audits are happeningespecially amongst people who are situated similar to themyou have better compliance, Adeyemo told the news outlet. When they see more cops on the beat looking at tax returns, what people will decide is that its better to pay than to pay the penalty in the end.

In April, IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said that about $1 trillion in taxes go uncollected each year and called on Congress members to provide more funding to pursue tax fraud cases.

If you add those in, I think it would not be outlandish, that the actual tax gap could approach, and possibly exceed $1 trillion on a year-by-year basis, he told Congress at the time.

Previously, the Treasury Department sought a policy that would require banks to report account inflows and outflows of as little as $600 per year to allow the IRS to find audit targets, which drew significant concern among lawmakers about a potential invasion of Americans privacy. It was ultimately dropped from the $1.75 trillion package last week.

Top House Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), had largely supported the plan. Banks and many Republicans, however, strongly criticized the move and relayed concerns from their clients and constituents to Congress in recent weeks.

But in the interview, Adeyemo suggested that the IRS would pursue different avenues, including machine learning and advancements in technology.

The question becomes how do you use the resources of the IRS to verify and validate and where that is not possible to go out and ask questions. And well have a bunch more people who can ask those questions, Adeyemo said, adding, Were not going to be able to close the entire gap with these resources, but we do think that were going to make a significant dent.
Delta Airlines aircraft lands in Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on May 1, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Irvine Man Charged With Attacking Flight Attendant During Flight to Santa Ana

SANTA ANA, Calif.A 20-year-old Irvine man was arrested Nov. 1 on federal charges of attacking a flight attendant during a trip from New York bound for Santa Ana that had to be diverted to Denver.

Brian Hsu was accused of assaulting the flight attendant on Oct. 27 aboard an American Airlines flight, which took off from John F. Kennedy International Airport and was bound for John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana before it had to be diverted to Denver International Airport, according to federal prosecutors in Colorado.

The alleged attack happened about halfway through the flight when the plane was over Ohio, one passenger said.

Several witnesses initially told reporters that the attack erupted over a dispute about wearing a mask.

But various media outlets in Denver reported that the flight attendant had accidentally bumped into Hsua first-class passengerand apologized, but Hsu allegedly got out of his seat, walked to the airplanes galley, and punched the flight attendant twice before returning to his seat.

American Airlines issued a statement at the time saying, Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines.

The airline announced that Hsu would no longer be permitted to fly on American.

During a brief court appearance in Santa Ana on Nov. 1, a judge set Hsus bond at $10,000, which he was expected to post and be released from custody. He is next expected in federal court in Denver on Nov. 15.
File photo showing passengers waiting to board flights at an airport in New Zealand on June 1, 2011. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Kiwis Get Quarantine Free One-Way Travel to Australia

Kiwis will get free quarantined travel from New Zealand (NZ) to Australia after border restrictions were lifted on Monday.

However, restrictions still apply with limits on the type of visitors allowed to enter NZ; and only two Australian states, New South Wales and Victoria opening to international travel.

Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment Dan Tehan said, in a media release on Sunday, that allowing quarantine-free arrivals from NZ would significantly boost tourism and confidence in Australia.

In 2019, Australia hosted 1.434 million visitors from New Zealandmaking it our second-largest source marketand they spent AU$1.6 billion in the Australian economy supporting local jobs and businesses, Tehan said. Australia delivers what Kiwis want in a holiday, including safety and security, value for money and world-class natural beauty and wildlife.

Chief Health Officer Paul Kelly announced that one-way quarantine free, or green zone travel, would now be available from anywhere in NZ with jurisdictions that are ready to do so. All travellers will be expected to show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours and that they are fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Those under 12 years of age are exempt.

According to the NZ Department of Home Affairs, travellers will also need to complete a declaration that they have only been in Australia or NZ for the 14 days prior to their departure date.

Tehan noted in the announcement that the federal governments tourism body, Tourism Australia, would be looking to upscale its marketing activities in NZ with an immediate focus on building confidence and broadening the knowledge of Australias tourist offerings.

Tourists gather to watch sunset colours on Uluru, also known as Ayers rock, at the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in Australias Northern Territory on Oct 26, 2019. (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)

However, despite the relaxations of the borders in Australia, there will be no resumption of travel to NZ.

The travel bubble between the two nations was suspended on Sept. 17 by NZs Ardern government. The earliest date of resumption is likely to be mid-November, when NZ has likely increased its vaccination rates.

Individuals can only travel to NZ if they are a citizen, a permanent resident or resident visa holder, a critical purpose visa holder, or are an Australian citizen or permanent residence visa holder where NZ is your primary place of residence.

Travellers to NZ will also still need to undergo isolation and quarantine.
George Gascon, then San Francisco district attorney who took office as Los Angeles County district attorney on Dec. 7, 2020, speaks during a news conference in San Francisco on Dec. 9, 2014. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

LA Man Charged With Impersonating Attorney

LOS ANGELESA Lake Balboa man with a prior conviction for unlawful practice of law is set to be arraigned Nov. 1 on nine felony counts for offering legal services in family law and personal injury cases, along with other legal matters, without being a licensed attorney.

Efferin Deans, 55, is charged with three felony counts each of grand theft and practicing law without being a member of the State Bar after a prior conviction, two felony counts of preparing false documentary evidence, and one felony count of perjury by declaration, according to the District Attorneys Office.

Practicing law without a license is illegal in California, unfair to the unsuspecting client, and can cause irreparable harm to the clients case, District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement announcing the case.

Deans claimed to own The Law Offices of Deans & Associates in Canoga Park between January 2019 and September 2021 and allegedly filed court documents and appeared on the record as a licensed attorney, according to the District Attorneys Office.

He is also accused of providing clients and court staff with business cards and other indications of his standing as an attorney in an effort to get retainers and fees paid.

The criminal complaint alleges that Deans has prior convictions for unlawful practice of law in 2010 and for criminal threats in 1999.

The case, filed last week, stems from an investigation by the District Attorneys Notario Fraud Unit of the Consumer Protection Division, with assistance from the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and the State Bar of California.
A wave of states are filing lawsuits against the Biden administrations COVID-19 vaccine mandates, with 19 filings as of Friday; and with attorneys general in 10 states filing a joint lawsuit.

In other news, New York City is facing a public safety crisis as 26,000 city workers, including many police and firefighters, refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of the city deadline, risking their jobs.

In this special episode, Crossroads host Joshua Philipp will discuss these stories and others, and for a live Q&A, weve invited Mary Grabar to discuss her new book, Debunking the 1619 Project.

Were being heavily censored by Big Tech. Our solution? Create our own independent platform free of censorship. Join us today on EpochTV. Weve got a country to save: http://epochtv.com/Crossroads

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Mayoral Candidate Feuer Seeks 2022 Ballot Measure to Double Size of Council

LOS ANGELESLos Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer has said that, as part of his mayoral campaign, he will seek to have a ballot measure next year to double the size of the city council, with each councilmember receiving half their $223,829 salary.

Feuer first announced his position to increase the number of city councilmembers in September, and he reiterated that stance during a campaign speech on Nov. 1 outside Los Angeles City Hall.

The LA City Council Redistricting Commission also called for an increase in councilmembers in its report to the council last week.

Meanwhile, both Feuer and the commission called for a fully independent body to be assigned to redraw the districts in 2031, instead of the city council itself, which receives recommendations from the commission.

Power over council boundaries has got to be in the hands of the peoplenot self-interested politicians controlling the process behind the scenes to protect their power, Feuer said.

Its gotten so bad that commissioners themselves support my proposal for a truly independent panel to draw up districts. And cutting council districts in half will bring councilmembers much closer to the communities they serve, leading to the more responsive and accountable leadership voters so desperately want.

With a population of nearly 4 million people, Los Angeles has 15 councilmembers. New York, with about double Los Angeles population, has 51 councilmembers; and Chicago, which has a population of 2.7 million, has a governing body with 50 aldermen.

LAs big problems need big ideas and leaders whove proven they can deliver, Feuer said.

My Neighborhood Empowerment Plan would be the first structural reform to City Hall in a generation. And we need it now. Empowering our residents means putting them in charge of district boundaries and giving them councilmembers who respond rapidly to their concerns over everything from homelessness to public safety to traffic gridlock.

Feuers campaign speech came ahead of the city councils planned vote on Nov. 2 to create an Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee to lead the councils process of redrawing the districts.

The council will also hear a presentation on Nov. 2 from the redistricting commission on its proposed mapwhich council President Nury Martinez has already said cannot reasonably move forward because it raises concerns for so many marginalized communities.
A view of the New York City skyline of Manhattan and the Hudson River during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City, as seen from Weehawken, N.J., on April 18, 2020. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)

Northeast Locations Absent in Americas Top 10 Commercial Office Markets

New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, and Providence, Rhode Island, are among the largest cities in the Northeast, with a plethora of towering office buildings populating their skylines. However, none of these locations are listed among the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Top 10 commercial office markets for the third quarter.

Instead, the South and West dominate the list, with places such as Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Omaha, Nebraska, plus three locations in FloridaDaytona Beach, Palm Beach, and Miami. Also absent from the register are metropolitan locations such as Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, and Seattle.

NAR analyzed 390 commercial real estate markets across the United States and concluded that the office sector continues to struggle, as absorption rates and rents have declined in larger, more populated areas. Meanwhile, small and medium-sized metropolitan areas have seen an increase in office occupancy rates that outperform most large cities and the national average.

The survey reviewed several indicators, such as vacancy rate, asking rents, leasing activity, and square feet under construction.

In general, we found that the Northeast cities like New York, Boston, D.C., and Philadelphia had high vacancy rates, perhaps due to higher rents and people continuing to work from home in the post-COVID climate, Gay Cororaton, senior NAR economist, told The Epoch Times. In contrast, areas like Myrtle Beach [South Carolina], Provo [Utah], and San Antonio ranked among the top 10 office markets.

Cororaton, who also serves as NARs director of housing and commercial research, noted that Austin had the highest leasing activity, at 1.9 million square feet as well as the highest average sales transaction price at $584 per square foot.

Overall, there has been a big migration into Texas from California and other areas where the cost of living is higher, she said. In contrast, Omaha had the lowest average sales price in the third quarter, at $122 per square foot.

(Courtesy of National Association of Realtors)

Miami is second to Austin in terms of leasing activity, at 1.2 million square feet. While its vacancy rate is higher compared to the other top 10 markets10.7 percentit still remains lower than the national vacancy rate of 12.4 percent. Office properties are more expensive, with the average sales price at $383 per square foot.

Myrtle Beach showed the lowest office vacancy rate among markets in this list at just 2.2. percent. With a tight vacancy rate, it also has the second-highest average asking rent growth of 2.9 percent.

Boise was also found to have one of the lowest vacancy rates at just 4.7 percent, compared to 12.4 percent nationally. The city also absorbed 895,328 square feet of office space, the third-highest among the top 10. The asking office rent there was up 1.6 percent, compared to a decline of 0.4 percent across the country.

Salt Lake City was not on our top 10 list, but it is considered as a budding hot office market, Cororaton said. Typically, the cost of living is lower in the South and the West, compared to the Northeast, and both businesses and people are continuing to migrate to these regions.

Unexpectedly, Provo, Utah, absorbed 793,154 square feet of office space in the past 12 months, with 852,792 of office space leased. There, commercial office space is one of the least expensive at $177 per square foot.

More than 65 percent of respondents to the NAR survey reported more businesses leasing or moving into offices with smaller square footage, and 70 percent indicated that companies were adopting work from home or staggered office schedules.

Paul Cauchi, chief of commercial for the Miami Association of Realtors, isnt surprised that Miami, Daytona Beach, and Palm Beach were among NARs top 10 office markets.

The Northeast has always been more congested and more expensive, Cauchi told The Epoch Times. People and business owners alike are looking for more affordable places to live and work.

Read More Florida Now Has One of the Lowest COVID-19 Rates in the US

Cauchi also credited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with keeping the state open.

I think this has had a positive impact on real estate in general, and were seeing a lot of transplants from New York, New Jersey, and even California, he said. Theres a lot of new tech companies, hedge funds, and investment firms locating in Florida due to lower rents and taxes.

Also noting that South Florida is becoming the global Latin American hub, Cauchi predicts the area will continue to be an inviting destination for both residential and commercial real estate opportunities.
Pastor: Do Champions of Socialism Realize That Karl Marx Held a Deep Belief in God?

Karl Marx, the father of scientific socialism, once wrote that he knew he was born to God but was chosen for hell, author and radio host Dr. David Jeremiah said of many of the aha! moments he experienced in his year-long study of socialism, during which he read everything he could find on the ideology, including what motivated Marx in his ideological writings.

People dont realize that Marxs socialist theories are all based on a fundamental belief in the existence of God, but a hatred and opposition to everything God has taught, Dr. Jeremiah said.

You know, socialists dont believe that there is no Godtheyre not atheists, he told EpochTVs American Thought Leaders. Theyre anti-God. (Full on-camera interview on EpochTV coming in a few days).

In fact, Karl Marx  was a cheerleader for the devil, he explained of his research, which he said has given him a new way of viewing trends in news and social policy that he believes can help Americans understand the social turmoil in the country right now.

Dr. Jeremiah, a pastor and founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries, recently released a book to share his findings about the dangers of socialism titled Where Do We Go From Here?

Just about every chapter in this book, in some way or another, goes back to things that I learned about socialism, he told host Jan Jekielek. And now, what is so amazing to me is, because Ive sensitized my mind and heart to all of this, every day on the news, I see vivid examples of whats happening and how its affecting us as a nation.

The culture of canceling everything you dont agree with has bred the roots of totalitarianism in American society, Dr. Jeremiah warned.

He listed various negative trends, like parents being told that they shouldnt have any say over the content taught in schools, Republicans and Democrats not being able to agree to disagree, and Christians being fired from their workplaces for sharing their faith, as examples of how Marxs socialist ideas are eroding unity among people.

Censorship of ideas is not what Dr. Jeremiah grew up with in America, but has become normal social behavior in 2021.

Counter-protesters hold up signs while waiting for conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos to arrive at the University of California, Berkeley campus, on Sept. 24, 2017. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)

Theres nothing that is really true that should be afraid of challenge, Dr. Jeremiah challenged. If its true, its true. It shouldnt be an issue for it to be challenged, because truth will win, no matter what the challenge is. But if its not true, then you can. So all the stuff thats going on right now is interesting to me in light of that discussion, because  most of it is lies.

In his book, Dr. Jeremiah describes socialism as a deadly virus [that] is quietly spreading throughout our nationfar more lethal than COVID-19.

But he warned that most Americans are totally unaware of the threat that it poses to our way of life.

Its like smoke coming under the door. You just see it a little bit, but its no big deal. [But] if we dont become aware of it, itll be very destructive.

Thats why I wrote the book, he said. I wanted to help people understand.

He said that many readers have since told him, You answered all the questions I didnt know who to ask.

What I wanted to do is help them see the connectedness [sic] between so many of these things that are happening to us, he said. I wrote about the tearing down of monuments; its just not a bunch of rowdy kids out there trying to have fun knocking monuments down  Completely obliterate history so you can write a new one; thats all part of how this whole thing works, thats all a part of socialism.

Flanked by party members, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido speaks during a press conference, a day after parliamentary elections, in Caracas, Venezuela, on, Dec. 7, 2020. (Ariana Cubillos/The Associated Press)

Get rid of the things people hold dear, destroy the things that are at the core of who they are as peopletheir family, their church, their marriageand then come into that vacuum, and bring all of this rottenness called socialism. And if people understand that, it makes them aware, he said.

We need to have an awareness of this because its deadly. It will destroy everything.

Venezuela is a perfect picture of where were headed if we dont stop this. Its amazing to realize, just in our lifetime not long ago, Venezuela was the richest country in that part of the world. People had the same standard of living that we do.

Dr. Jeremiah said he hopes that talking more about the truth of socialism and its anti-God beliefs will help more people understand the problems of today.

One of his [Marxs] key phrases was to wipe God out of heaven and capitalists off the earth. That was his two-fold program, he said. Theres a lot of university students who were captivated by this.

Its really scary to me  some of the statistics I cited in this book really bear that out, that young people between 18 and 25I think 60-some percent of themthink socialism is cool, its OK; more than anything else because of all the free stuff they get promised in the process.

But when they understand the roots of socialism, it makes them stop and think, he said.

He said he has seen many young people wake up to the truth about socialism.

It leaves them empty, he said of what often happens when socialism takes hold of a persons psyche. It takes them to a place where they dont want to go, and they dont realize it on the journey.

[A]ll of a sudden, they wake up one day, and it doesnt have anything to breathe into them, and they realize that. I see that a lot, he said.

Dr. Jeremiah also commented that the church isnt free of socialism either, with some people claiming to be practicing Christian socialists.

Sometimes, they like to cite passages in the Bible, like in the book of Acts where they all held things together. But that wasnt socialism; that was just a bunch of Christians sharing what they had during a tough time.

There is no biblical basis whatsoever for socialism, either in the Old Testament or in the New Testament  because socialism is totally at the opposite end of the spectrum from what it means to be a God-fearing person, he said.

In his research, Dr. Jeremiah said he hasnt found one good story about socialism.

All the reading I did and all the stuff I studied, everybody talks about it, I cant find one good story that ends right because socialism is evil, and it takes people down, it doesnt lift them up, he said.

Jan Jekielek Senior Editor Follow Jan Jekielek is a senior editor with The Epoch Times and host of the show, "American Thought Leaders." Jans career has spanned academia, media, and international human rights work. In 2009 he joined The Epoch Times full time and has served in a variety of roles, including as website chief editor. He is the producer of the award-winning Holocaust documentary film "Finding Manny."
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is seen in Washington on Sept. 29, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/Pool/Getty Images)

Pentagon Ordered to Specify How It Treats Religious Exemption Requests to Vaccine Mandate

The Department of Defense has been ordered to outline in detail how service members can apply for religious exemptions to its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, as well as how officials decide whether to approve or deny such requests.

Pentagon officials must explain in detail how troops can apply for a religious exemption, the procedure for resolving the request, the criteria by which applications are judged, and the procedure the people deciding on each request use to judge them, U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, a George H. W. Bush appointee, ordered on Oct. 29.

The Pentagon must file the details by Nov. 12.

In addition, military officials must give a precise statement of the number of requests in each branch for a religious exemption from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine; the number of requests granted, denied, and pending; the number of people in the armed forces who are unvaccinated and who have submitted no request for exemption; the number of people whose application is resolved and who have received some change in the terms and conditions of their service, including separation of any kind; and the categories of results that have occurred and how many of each kind of result has occurred, Merryday wrote.

Some of those details, including how many religious exemption requests have been granted and denied, havent been made public. The military has rejected requests to disclose those figures.

The order comes in a case brought against the military and other parts of the federal government. The class-action lawsuit alleges that federal vaccine mandates violate multiple laws.

At issue is the fact that COVID-19 vaccines are being mandated, but the only version with Food and Drug Administration approval wasnt available in the United States as of Oct. 13.

Liberty Counsel, a law group representing the plaintiffs, says that means defendants, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, are in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Plaintiffs are also claiming that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment are being violated.

Plaintiffs include members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

The first military mandate deadline is Nov. 2. Each branch set different deadlines by which members must become fully vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.

The defendants are set to file a response to the plaintiffs motion for a preliminary injunction, or a temporary block of the mandates, by Nov. 4. Lawyers for the government said in a separate filing that theyll address the claims that the mandates are in violation of the law.

In addition to addressing these claims, defendants memorandum will also address numerous threshold constitutional questions of jurisdiction under Article III, none of which were addressed by plaintiff, they wrote.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 15 at the federal courthouse in Tampa, Florida.
A pharmacist prepares a syringe of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 in Seattle, Wash., on Jan. 8, 2021. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)

Pfizers COVID-19 Booster Dose Effective in Preventing Severe Disease: Israeli Study

A booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTechs COVID-19 vaccine five months after a second dose reduces an individuals risk of hospitalization by 93 percent, according to an Israeli study published on Oct. 28.

The study, published in The Lancet (pdf), was conducted by Israels largest HMO, Clalit Health Services, with funding from Harvard Medical School. Researchers compared data from 728,321 people aged 12 and up who had received a booster shot, as well as a similar number of people who received just two doses of Pfizers vaccine at least five months prior.

The researchers found that a vaccine booster dose was 93 percent effective at preventing hospital admission for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, with 29 hospitalizations recorded for those who had received a third Pfizer vaccine dose, compared to 231 hospitalizations for two-dose participants.

The study also suggests that Pfizers COVID-19 booster dose is effective in preventing severe disease, with 17 cases recorded in the group who had received a booster dose, and 157 cases in the control group.

Vaccine effectiveness evaluated at least 7 days after receipt of the third dose, compared with receiving only two doses at least 5 months ago, was estimated to be 93% (231 events for two doses vs 29 events for three doses; 95% CI 8897) for admission to hospital, 92% (157 vs 17 events; 8297) for severe disease, and 81% (44 vs seven events; 5997) for COVID-19-related death, the researchers wrote.

The study suggests that a third dose of Pfizers vaccine is effective in protecting individuals against severe COVID-19-related outcomes, compared with receiving only two doses at least 5 months ago.

All individuals involved in the study received a third vaccine dose between July 30, 2020, and Sept. 23, the study notes. Participants had a median age of 52 years, and 51 percent of them were female.

The researchers noted that the optimal time to achieve maximum protection against COVID-19-related outcomes after a third dose of the vaccine isnt currently known.

The results demonstrate in a very convincing way that the third dose of the vaccine is extremely efficient, Ran Balicer, Clalits chief innovation officer and senior author of the study, said in a statement.

However, researchers did note several limitations, including that they couldnt evaluate vaccine effectiveness in those younger than 40 years old, due to the relative scarcity of events in individuals in that age group.

This vaccine effectiveness study did not explore potential adverse clinical events and excess health-care [utilization] associated with the administration of a third dose, they wrote. Finally, we excluded populations (health care workers, those living in long-term care facilities, and those medically confined to their homes) that are likely to be targeted early to receive the booster dose.

Ben Reis, director of the Predictive Medicine Group at Harvard Medical School and the Boston Childrens Hospital Computational Health Informatics Program, said in a statement that the study provides reliable information on third-dose vaccine effectiveness, which we hope will be helpful to those who have not yet decided about vaccination with a third dose.

Responding to the findings, David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, wrote on Twitter that the risk of severe disease without a booster dose and no coexisting health conditions is 1 in 32,000 (3 per 100k).

If you have no other medical problems, this is not an urgent priority, Dowdy said.
Philadelphia Police Will Not Stop Drivers for Minor Traffic Violations

A broken taillight is no longer enough to get drivers pulled over by the Philadelphia Police Department. The city council has changed policies and now directs police to stand down from minor violations such as driving without an updated registration, certificate of inspection, or evidence of an emission inspection.

It is one of two newly approved driving equality rules originally promoted by city councilman Isaiah Thomas to prevent racial disparities.

I am humbled by every person who told my office of the humiliation and trauma experienced in some of these traffic stops, Thomas said in a statement. To many people who look like me, a traffic stop is a rite of passagewe pick out cars, we determine routes, we plan our social interactions around the fact that it is likely that we will be pulled over by police. By removing the traffic stops that promote discrimination rather than public safety, city council has made our streets safer and more equitable. With this vote, I breathe a sigh of relief that my sons and my friends children will grow up in a city where being pulled over is not a rite of passage but a measure of the safety of your driving and vehicle, regardless of the skin color of the driver.

Police may notice minor problems on vehicles but are not allowed to respond to anything considered a secondary traffic violation, including numerous lighting issues or having a license plate that is visible, but not securely fastened to the car.

Primary violations causing an imminent public safety risk still call for police to make a traffic stop. These include driving while intoxicated and driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

Police may issue a citation for a secondary violation if it is simultaneously observed with a primary violation.

We need to rethink police-community relations in a way that does not infringe on public safety. I believe that my driving equality agenda does just that, Thomas said in June when he introduced the bill. A person of colors first exchange with a police officer shouldnt be during a discriminatory traffic stop. By working closely with the Philadelphia Police Department, we were able to identify traffic stops that do nothing to keep people safer and remove the negative interaction.

The other bill passed through the driving equality agenda mandates data collection at traffic stops and a public, searchable database of those traffic stops. It will include driver and officer information, reason for the traffic stop, demographic, and geographic information.

The City council passed the bills on Oct. 14 and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has said he expects the change to go into effect this week.

Police provided The Epoch Times with a statement in support of the new policy. As many know, the Philadelphia Police Department has agreed proactively to implement several pilot programs with the goal of reducing racial disparity in these stops. Equally important, we worked with council to develop programs that still allow the department to address crime and disorder, but in a modified manner, thereby, balancing public safety with disparity mitigation efforts, the statement said. We believe these two goals are not mutually exclusive but can work together to keep our community safe while also safeguarding the constitutional rights of community members.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Melbourne, Australia to oppose the Victorian Government's pandemic legislation on Oct. 30, 2021. (supplied)

Thousands of Protesters Rally in Melbourne, Australia, to Oppose Pandemic Legislation

Thousands of Victorians have taken to the streets of Melbourne to oppose the Victorian Labor governments controversial pandemic legislation.

The protest, which occurred on Oct. 30, met with a heavy police presence as protesters rallied out on the steps of state parliament to voice their concerns over new legislationthe Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 (pdf)which has been described by Matthew Guy, leader of the opposition, as draconian.

Banners and handwritten signs that read Stop the Bill, No Pandemic Legislation, and SackDan: Make Victorian Great Again, as well as anti-vaccination messaging could be seen, according to a video by citizen journalist Real Rukshan.

Chants of Sack Dan Andrews and Free Victoria were also echoed among the protesters, with Independent MP Catherine Cumming leading the march to Parliament House.

Everyone knows that the government is introducing new legislation to get more power. But who would trust the government with more power? Liberal Democrats MP David Limbrick said, reported Rebel news.

We must respect the rights of Victorians. If this Bill passes, they will have a permanent emergency in the hands of the premier. We cannot let this Bill pass.

A women holds a banner during a protest on Oct. 30 in Melbourne, Australia to oppose the Victorian governments pandemic legislation. (supplied)

Craig Backman, a former police officer who quit the force due to his concerns that Victoria police unfairly breached the Human Rights of Victorian citizens, told the crowd that he came to speak out against the Chief Health Officers directives.

This is not just about a jab or no jab, and the ridicule that you have all faced in the media from the government, Backman said. I came out because I could see the divide that was coming, the divide that was caused, and it was caused because I could see my colleagues who were trapped by a pay-cheque following unjust orders.

Backmans comments follow those of former Acting Senior Sergeant Krystle Mitchell, who resigned publicly during an interview with media studio Discernable after she expressed her objection to the way directions from the states chief health officer were being enforced.

New Fines and Sentencing for Noncompliance Under Proposed Legislation

The protest in Melbourne comes after the passing of legislation in the lower house of state parliament that would give Premier Daniel Andrews new pandemic powerssuch as the power to declare a pandemic for three months at a time and allow the health minister to approve the public health orders.

Currently, the states Chief Health Officer must sign off on the public health orders before they take effect.

Under the proposed Bill, Victorians could also face up to 2 years of prison or a fine of over $90,000 if they are deemed to have intentionally or recklessly failed to comply with government-mandated health orders or pose a risk to the health of others.

A corporate body could be fined over $450,000 for similar breaches.

Victorias peak legal body, the Victorian Bar, has criticised the Bill, saying that if passed, the Bill gives the health minister effectively unlimited power to rule the state by decree, for an effectively indefinite period, and without effective judicial or parliamentary oversight.

The bill confers powers that can be appropriately described as draconian in authorising virtually unlimited interference with the liberties of Victorian citizens, Christopher Blanden Q.C. said in an internal email.

According to a government statement, new public health orders issued under the new bill can include orders to restrict or limit movement, detain or quarantine infectious people or groups of people, as well as regulate activities.

The (Health) Minister will also be able to issue a pandemic order to a specific classification of person or group depending on their location, participation at an event or activity, or a particular characteristic such as age, vaccination status, residence, occupation or living arrangements.

Health Minister Martin Foley said that under the proposed Bill, accountability and transparency were central to any decisions made while ensuring public health advice is central to any pandemic response.

Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, Health Minister, Martin Foley and Victorian COVID-19 Testing Commander, Jeroen Weimar arrive at the daily press conference on July 27, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Reason Party leader Fiona Patten told 3AW host Neil Mitchell on Oct. 26 that she supports the transparency and accountability components of the legislation.

Well have to publish the health advice, well have to have an assessment against human rights, well have to publish the reasons for their decisions, she said.

When asked whether she thought this legislation would give the premier extraordinary power, Patten disagreed.

Whos going to make that decision if its not the premier? I dont actually think it is extraordinary power; right now, we gave that extraordinary power to the CHO [Chief Hedical Officer].

The Andrews Labor government has 17 seats in the state parliament and is reported to have the support of the Greens, the Animal Justice Party, and the Reason Partyeach having one seat.

The Bill will now head to the upper house, the Victorian Legislative Council, where it needs 21 votes to pass.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki calls on reporters during the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 27, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Psaki Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Transmission From Family Members

White House press secretary Jennifer Psaki has said that she has tested positive for COVID-19 days after members of her household came down with the virus.

Psaki, who opted to stay in Washington due to a family emergency as President Joe Biden left for his trip to Rome and Glasgow on Oct. 28, said in a statement on Sunday, On Wednesday [Oct. 27], in coordination with senior leadership at the White House and the medical team, I made the decision not to travel on the foreign trip with the President due to a family emergency, which was members of my household testing positive for COVID-19.

Since then, I have quarantined and tested negative (via PCR) for COVID on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. However, today, I tested positive for COVID, she said. The press secretary is fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Sharing full statement and grateful I am vaccinated and for the amazing Biden team pic.twitter.com/QDokXo47dK  Jen Psaki (@PressSec) October 31, 2021

The press secretary last saw Biden on Oct. 26.

Psaki said she is only experiencing mild symptoms, thanks to what she believes is the vaccine, and has been well enough to work from home. She plans to return to the White House after ten days of quarantine given a negative rapid test.

I am disclosing todays positive test out of an abundance of transparency, Psaki said.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) at a hearing in the US Capitol Building in Washington, on Sept. 30, 2020. (Greg Nash/AFP/Getty Images)

Rep. Norman: Vaccine Mandate Is a Man-Made Crisis Affecting US Economy

The vaccine mandate recently implemented by the Biden administration is costing jobs and affecting the U.S. economy, said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) in an interview with NTD.

President Joe Biden on Sept. 9 announced sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandates for federal workers and contractors, and set a Dec. 8 deadline. Federal workers and contractors under the mandate wont have the option to submit weekly COVID-19 tests and instead have to get vaccinated or seek a religious or medical exemption.

Norman said the mandate is creating a huge issue in South Carolina where essential workers such as engineers have walked off jobs and military families have come under pressure.

It affects their livelihood, food on the table, not to mention their retirement, said Norman. This is a man-made crisis.

Norman also cited millions of illegal immigrants entering the United States without needing proof of COVID-19 vaccination or having received a negative test.

If its so important that Americans get vaccinated and to cause people to lose jobs again, how is it not important for the millions coming into this country? said Norman.

President Joe Biden has presided over what is on track to be the worst border crisis in U.S. history in terms of the number of illegal immigrants that U.S. agents and officers have encountered. The number topped 200,000 in both July and August.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki in September had defended the Biden administrations decision not to require negative COVID-19 test results or proof of vaccination from people illegally crossing the U.S.Mexico border.

Psaki, responding to a question from a reporter on whether border patrol officials ask to see proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or negative test results if somebody walks into the country, right across the river, said illegal immigration is not comparable to foreign nationals who arrive by airplane to the United States.

In August, 40 percent of illegal immigrants released in Texas city had tested positive for COVID-19.

Regarding the Biden administrations enforcement of the vaccine mandate for employers with 100 or more employees, Norman said private companies are being held hostage while postal unions were exempt from the mandate.

Its been a pick and choose, its been a sham show that this administration continues to do, stated Norman. They say one thing and do opposite.

A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) spokesman told The Epoch Times in September that the USPS is not one of the agencies compelled to require COVID-19 vaccination.

The USPS, with more than 630,000 employees, is an independent agency of the Executive Branch.
Ryanair Posts First Quarterly Profit Since 2019 but Sees Annual Loss

DUBLINRyanair on Monday reported its first quarterly profit since before COVID-19, but downgraded its annual forecast to a loss of up to 200 million euros ($231 million) on plans to sell discounted tickets over the winter and higher fuel costs.

Europes largest budget airline, which operated more flights this summer than any European rival, posted a profit of 225 million euros for the three months to the end of September, marking its first quarterly profit since OctoberDecember 2019.

But the Dublin-based airline said it expected a loss of between 100 million and 200 million euros for the financial year that ends on March 31.

While that is better than the 815 million euro loss posted in the previous year, it is a downgrade from its July forecast of somewhere between a small loss and breakeven.

There is no doubt that the remainder of the fiscal year will be challenging, the winter will be tough, Group Chief Executive Michael OLeary said in a video presentation.

But keeping prices low and passenger numbers high over the winter will set us up strongly for a very strong recovery in passenger numbers and ticket prices into the summer of 2022, he said.

The number of empty seats per plane would shrink from around 20 percent to under 10 percent by next summer while yields, or fare levels, will return to pre-COVID levels if not better, OLeary said.

The airline expects to return to profitability in the year ending March 2023, he said.

Opportunities

Ryanair shares briefly dropped more than 4 percent to 16.2 euros after what Goodbody stockbrokers described as a slight miss and a more cautious outlook statement than expected.

The shares recovered most of the losses to trade down 0.6 percent by 09:25 GMT at 16.85 euros. OLeary was due to brief investors in a call at 10:00 GMT.

Ryanair carried 39.1 million passengers in the six months ended September, more than double the number in the period last year but 54 percent fewer than the same months in 2019.

Ryanair said it would fly around 10 million passengers per month over the winter and just over 100 million in the year to March.

It flew 149 million passengers a year before the pandemic and Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said it expected to fly a record 165 million passengers next year.

OLeary, who has said the pandemic offers the best growth opportunities of his three-decade career, reiterated a forecast that Ryanair would fly 225 million passengers a year by 2026.

Ryanair reported an after-tax loss of 48 million euros for the six months to September, which includes a 273 million loss in the first quarter. A company poll of analysts had forecast a loss of 43 million euros for the six months.

By Conor Humphries
Ryanair Says Boeing Set Delusionary Double-Digit Price Rise

DUBLINRyanair on Monday said that Boeing was delusionary for imposing a double-digit price increase for an order for the 737 MAX 10 during talks earlier this year.

Europes largest low-cost carrier in September abruptly ended talks with the U.S. planemaker over an order of 737 MAX 10 jets, worth tens of billions of dollars because of differences over price.

Speaking in a video presentation following the airlines latest financial results, Group Chief Executive Michael OLeary said Boeings approach was delusionary.

Boeing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Boeing out of the blue sought a  substantial double-digit price increase. I dont understand the strategy. We think Boeings approach to this is delusionary, he said, describing Ryanair as Boeings only significant customer in Europe.

Ryanair I think was very close, in active negotiations for a follow-on order for MAX 10 but Boeing walked away from the discussions because they are looking for a price increase at a time when prices should be falling so Boeing can recover its production, OLeary said.

OLeary in September said Ryanair had been in talks to order 100 of the 230-seat MAX 10 for delivery from 2026 to 2030 with an option for 100 more before the talks were cancelled.

Ryanair Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan told Reuters in an interview on Monday that the airlines management were very patient people.

Well wait until the time is right and the price is right for a Boeing plane order, Sorahan said.

By Conor Humphries
SEC Still Investigating Sen. Richard Burr for Stock Sell-Off, Wants to Talk to Brother-in-Law

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is still investigating Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) for a stock sell-off he completed around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and wants to speak to Burrs brother-in-law.

Burr claimed in January that he was told the investigation ended last year.

However, an SEC lawyer in a recent court filing said the commission is probing whether Burr sold stocks on the basis of material nonpublic information on Feb. 13, 2020. Burr may have violated federal securities laws, including the STOCK Act, a 2012 law that bars members of Congress from using nonpublic information derived from their positions for their personal benefit.

Burrs brother-in-law Gerald Fauth and his wife, Mary Fauth, are also under investigation for selling securities on the same day. Authorities believe they may have made the sales based on nonpublic information from the senator.

According to the probe, Burr and his wife communicated regularly over the phone with the Fauths in February 2020 and Burr stayed at the Fauths home on more than one occasion that month. Additionally, on the day the stocks were sold, Fauth spoke to the senator over the phone, the SEC revealed.

Burr was one of a number of senators who sold stocks after receiving a closed-door briefing on the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19. The commission says that it appears from the probe that Burr possessed material nonpublic information concerning COVID-19 and its potential impact on the U.S. and global economies, including but not limited to information he had learned through his position on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Burr said last year that he relied solely on public reporting to guide his stock selling decisions.

Gerald Fauth serves as chairman of the National Mediation Board, a position for which he was nominated by President Donald Trump.

Burrs spokesperson, a spokesperson for the board, and a lawyer for the Fauths did not respond to requests for comment.

The Fauths lawyer told U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter Jr., a nominee of President Barack Obama, in court Friday that investigators should question Burr before Fauth, media outlets reported. He also blamed health issues for his client not appearing to answer questions.

In a court filing, the lawyer alleged prosecutors confirmed to him in January that the insider trading probe had been closed, around the time Burr said publicly that he was told the same.

The lawyer said he didnt hear again from the SEC until March 12, when the agency resumed efforts to enforce the subpoena.

Gerald Fauths written response to the SEC filing was sealed by a judge late last week. A status report from him is due to the court no later than Nov. 3, the court docket shows.

Burr is retiring in early 2022 after deciding not to run for another term.
Then-Lt. Gen. John E. Hyten, Air Force Space Command vice commander, speaks about how cyber operations are a clear catalyst for change in the art and science of modern warfare during the Space Foundation's Cyber 1.3 luncheon at The Broadmoor hotel, Colorado Springs, Colo., April 8, 2013. (U.S. Air Force photo/Duncan Wood)

Brutal Bureaucracy Preventing US Military From Countering China, Senior General Says

The United States ability to develop military technologies is being hamstrung by a brutal bureaucracy with a risk-averse culture which is preventing it from adequately countering Chinas arms development, according to the Pentagons second-highest-ranking officer.

The pace [China is] moving and the trajectory that theyre on will surpass Russia and the United States if we dont do something to change it, said Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a Defense Writers Group meeting on Oct. 28.

It will happen.

Bureaucracy Stunting Military Development



Hyten, who is set to retire this month after two years as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, lamented the slow turnaround time for research and development in the U.S. military. He noted that the average time he expected new projects to take was 10 to 15 years. That process goes even longer at times if there is cause for significant oversight, he said.

To put the pace in perspective, Hyten compared U.S. efforts to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) during the Cold War with similar efforts today.

During the 1960s, Hyten said, the United States researched, developed, and deployed some 800 rockets in just under five years during a push to counter similar development by the Soviet Union.

The United States current efforts to develop its next generation of ICBMs, on the other hand, began in 2015, and the weapons arent expected to be fully operational until 2035.

We can go fast if we want to, Hyten said. But the bureaucracy weve put in place is just brutal.

Hyten underscored that the dangers posed by such bureaucracy are becoming more clear and more imminent. He told reporters that the United States conducted nine hypersonic weapons tests in the past five years. China, meanwhile, has conducted hundreds.

Single digits versus hundreds is not a good place, Hyten said.

A hypersonic missile is a new type of weapon thats both fast and maneuverable. With a maneuverable trajectory that isnt confined to a fixed parabolic arc of a ballistic missile, they can evade current missile defense systems.

The general specifically acknowledged that the Chinese regime recently tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle in secret, the existence of which was only made known through the media months after the fact.

Such a capability could have been countered long ago, had bureaucracy not gotten in the way, Hyten said.

Thats because the United States has sought to remove virtually all risk from the development process over the past two decades, the general said, which has significantly stunted the research development of new defense capabilities. Chief among those capabilities were U.S. hypersonic weapons.

He offered the example of the HTV-1 and HTV-2 systems, American hypersonic glide vehicles not dissimilar from the one recently tested by China. The systems were first tested in 2010 and, after one failed test, subjected to years of investigation. After the second failed test, the program was scrapped.

We were developing hypersonics ahead of everybody in the world and the first test failed, Hyten said. The first test of everything fails.

So the first test fails and we have two years of investigation into why it did fail. Two years. Then we launch again and it fails, and we failed. This time it was two fails and we canceled the program and we stopped.

Hyten contrasted this approach with Cold War-era efforts during which the United States rapidly developed weapons systems through trial and error: failing, studying those failures, and implementing fixes until systems were functional. He singled out the development of Discoverer 14, the first-ever spy satellite, as a counterpoint to current processes.

Discoverer 1 through 13 failed in about 18 months, and Discoverer 14 happened and it worked, Hyten said. If you want to go fast, thats what you do.

A Risk-Averse Culture



The unwillingness to suffer failure in the development process, according to Hyten, is preventing the U.S. military from adequately competing with, and countering China. To fix that, Hyten underscored that the current culture of risk aversion would need to be done away with.

We have to understand risk and development, Hyten said.

Failure is just part of the learning process and if you want to get back to speed you better figure out how to put speed back into everything again, and that means taking risk, and that means learning from failures, and that means failing and moving fast.

But we have not done that, Hyten added. This country better do that or, eventually, even though theyre behind, China will pass us.

Hyten noted that, due to the combination of bureaucracy and risk aversion in the Pentagon, the department was struggling to create technologies when they were needed. What takes years at the Pentagon, Hyten said, takes six months in the private sector.

One odd ramification of this state of affairs, Hyten noted, is the over-classification of military technologies.

Military leaders, wary of red tape and political interference, have taken to classifying as much of their projects as possible because fewer people with access to the project means fewer people who can slow it down, Hyten said.

We are so over-classified in what we do, Hyten said. So over-classified.

Ironically, the push to classify as a means of speeding up development may have the effect of weakening national security in the long term, he said. This is because the obfuscation of military technologies prevents the United States from adequately demonstrating its strength to potential adversaries, thereby undermining its ability to successfully deter conflict.

How do you expect to deter everybody if you keep everything in the black? Hyten said. The last element of deterrence, that we dont do, is communicate it credibly to our adversaries.

You cant actually deter your adversary if everything is in the black, you know? he added.
David and Elise Debereux attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Fred Kavli Theater in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Oct. 31, 2021. (Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times)

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.Shen Yun Performing Arts mission is to transmit a message from China before communism. The companys aim is to revive Chinas 5,000 years of culture through storytelling, portrayed through classical and ethnic dances and music.

The message certainly resonated with Elise and David Devereux who attended New York-based Shen Yun at the Fred Kavli Theater in Thousand Oaks on Oct, 31.

Elise, who is an actress, said she was really enjoying the performance at the intermission. Its very eye-opening, I think, [for] the American people to see how China was and  whats going on now in China. I can see the tyranny that the Chinese people are under.

Chinas history needs to be told, she said, because I dont think a lot of people necessarily know [it].

I think [Shen Yun is] amazing. I hope China goes back to [the time] before communismif that will ever happen. I really hope so! I hope America doesnt become like that! she added.

Chinas traditional, semi-divine culture was virtually wiped out after the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949.

Shen Yun has a live orchestra that is unique in that it blends music from both traditional Chinese instruments and classical Western instruments. It also presents several vocalists whose Chinese lyrics are translated and projected in English on the stage for the audience to see.

One of the songs heard by the audience introduced the divine Creator. The song made a strong impression on Elise.

I was all emotional. [It] brought tears to my eyes actually, she said.

I think [communism is] trying to take God and everything out of humanity. And thats what they do, thats what communism is. They take everything, they strip the history, they strip God, they strip everything from the people. And its like you belong to them, the government, Elise said.

After watching Shen Yun, David, the owner of a small business, said he could identify with its message.

I had this thought, [that] each culture has its ancient beliefs. And theres a lot of differences but theres a lot of similarities. And being from the Christian belief system, theres a lot I could identify withthe Creator and [to] hold on to the traditions. I noticed that line.

We have to look to our Creator to get us through difficult times, like right now, he said.

[W]hether its Christian, whether its Judaism, or whatever faith it is  communism stripped that  hopefully, some people here will open their eyes to the reality of what the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] does, David said.

With the American people suffering greatly through the pandemic, Shen Yun has much to offer, David said. [I]t brings a little joy that people can get back outto some level of reality and normalcy, he said.

And you can see the influence from China to other cultures and see that its really beautiful.

Reporting by Linda Jiang and Diane Cordemans.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) and British broadcaster David Attenborough speak with school children during the launch of the UK-hosted COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, which will take place this autumn in Glasgow, at the Science Museum in London, England, on Feb. 4, 2020. (Chris J. Ratcliffe/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sleep Walking Into Subservience: Sovereignty or COP26

Commentary

Some Australians are more worried about net zero climate policies than defending our freedom and sovereignty, ironically against the largest polluter the world has ever known.

And some Australians are profiting from pushing climate policies.

At no time since World War II has Australia, the Indo-Pacific, and the free world been at more risk than we are now.

China is engaged in the most significant and most rapid expansion of military power in peacetime history, with the worlds largest navy and army, coupled with a formidable missile and air force.

In his recent Lowy Institute report Australia and the Growing Reach of Chinas Military, Thomas Shugart noted: Based on its scope, scale, and the specific capabilities being developed, this buildup appears to be designed to, first, threaten the United States with ejection from the western Pacific, and then to achieve dominance in the Indo-Pacific.

There will be no democracy to defend and pass on to our children if we dont wake up and address the immediate danger, and thats not climate change.

With all care and no responsibility, weakening Australia is precisely what Simon Holmes a Court, senior advisor to Melbourne Universitys Energy Transition Hub, supports with his Climate 200 group. The group has raised millions to fund the anti-AUKUS Greens Party and independent candidates like Zali Stegall.

But instead of supporting Australia, speaking out positively for initiatives like AUKUS, the defence of Taiwan, and Australian security, Holmes a Court and people like him are criticising the governments net zero plan.

Were talking about it because Morrison is about to go to Glasgow with nothing more than Tony Abbotts warmed-up homework from 2015. Were going to be an absolute embarrassment when we get there, Holmes a Court said on ABC Q&A.

But where was Holmes a Court when China built and militarised seven artificial islands in international waters, causing immense environmental damage to the marine ecosystem?

Chinese dredgers work on the construction of artificial islands on and around Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea on May 2, 2015. (U.S. Navy)

Undermining Supply Chain Sovereignty

Unsurprisingly, according to research provider BloombergNEF, China dominates the lithium-ion battery supply chain. Chinas success results from its sizeable domestic battery demand, 72GWh, and control of 80 percent of the worlds raw material refining, 77 percent of the worlds cell capacity, and 60 percent of the worlds component manufacturing.

The renewable energy business case is reliant upon energy storage, primarily via batteries. But, unfortunately, its not always sunny or windy, so generators must store energy, which is where batteries are crucial.

But this also opens Australia up to continued reliance upon other countries, like China, for a critical component fundamental to the operation of our economy.

While Australia is at risk from our largest adversary, the Morrison government is looking to invest in and shore up sovereign control over our supply chains.

But over-reliance on high total cost renewables, electric vehicles, and batteries undermines our sovereignty and makes us unnecessarily vulnerable to foreign countries supplying a critical supply chain component.

A giant sand artwork adorns New Brighton Beach to highlight the forthcoming COP26 global climate conference on in Wirral, Merseyside, on May 31, 2021. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

FLOP26 for Globalists

Prince Charles publicly urged Prime Minister Morrison to attend COP26 in Glasgow, calling it a last chance saloon to save the planet.

However, the Australian governments first priority is the safety and continued sovereignty of our people, in our country, not the planet.

Given the leaders from China, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Iran, Mexico, and the Vatican are not attendingPrince Charles, Holmes a Court, the Australian Greens Party, and Zali Steggal ought to be urging these leaders to act if they are actually fair dinkum about climate change.

Weakening Australias national security by placing additional costs, new so-called eco-friendly methods and systems on our industries while tethering energy storage to foreign-made batteries is reckless and not in our national interest.

Pretending to be doing all of this as a saviour of the environment when you stand to gain financially from changes to government policy is deceptive.

Doing so at a time when Australia is under threat from the largest and most powerful authoritarian military the world has ever seen is dangerous.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A man walks past a logo of SK Hynix at the lobby of the company's Bundang office in Seongnam on Jan. 29, 2021. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images)

South Korean Chip Giant SK Hynix Unveils Worlds Fastest, Highest Capacity Memory Chip

South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix Inc. has unveiled the industrys highest-performing DRAM with a data speed capable of transmitting 163 full-HD movies in a single second. Experts describe this as the fastest and largest capacity memory chip to date.

SK Hynix announced on Oct. 20 that it had successfully developed the third-generation DRAM (Dynamic Random-Access Memory) memory with an 819 gigabyte (GB) data processing rate.

The memory chip is called HBM3, short for High Bandwidth Memory 3. Its data processing rate has increased by 78 percent compared to its predecessor, HBM2E.

The company said HBM3 is the fastest DRAM in the world and has the largest capacity and a significantly improved quality level. The introduction of this new chip will help consolidate the companys leading position in the market.

Workers work at SK HYNIX Inc. plant on Aug. 25, 2015 in Icheon, South Korea. (Kim Min-Hee/Pool/Getty Images)

SK Hynix is the worlds second-largest memory chip manufacturer, and its main customers include Apple Inc.

DRAM is the most common memory chip used in computers and its able to store a large amount of data in a small physical space.

HBM is a new type of CPU/GPU memory (RAM) that vertically stacks memory chips like floors in a skyscraper. The design shortens the time for information commute.

Pride of Korean Semiconductors

HBM is the pride of [South Korean] semiconductors, said Jinwook Burm, chairman of the Korean Chip Engineering Society and a professor at Sogang University in South Korea, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 26.

According to Burm, HBM3 is by far the fastest memory device that can read and write the largest amount of data. It is also the fourth generation of HBM technology, succeeding the HBM1, HBM2, and HBM2E.

SK Hynixs HBM3 can process up to 819GB of data per secondthe industrys fastestand will be provided in two capacity types of 24GBthe industrys biggestand 16GB.

HBM3 is expected to be widely adopted by high-performance data centers and machine learning platforms that enhance the level of artificial intelligence and supercomputing performance.

If a standard memory chip is a 1-story building, the HBM3 is equivalent to a 12-story building, Burm explained.

The thickness of the chip is approximately 30 micrometer (m, 10-6m). It is extremely thin and must be stacked neatly. This extremely difficult process has been achieved in HBM technology. Although challenging, it will develop into an industry standard in the future.

Jinwook Burm, chairman of the Korean Chip Engineering Society and a professor at Sogang University in South Korea. (YouJeong Lee/The Epoch Times)

Burm believes that the successful development of HBM3 will help South Koreas domestic technology development and ensure international competitiveness.

Although some companies have acquired the technology to produce HBM memory, SK Hynix has maintained a leading position in the HBM field with its speed and capacity, he added.

DRAM Breakthrough

Earlier last month Samsung Electronics Co., the worlds largest memory chipmaker, also announced it had begun mass production of the industrys smallest 14-nanometer DRAM chips using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology, further widening its lead in the memory sector.

On Oct. 12 the tech giant said its five-layer EUV process enables the industrys highest DRAM bit density, enhancing overall wafer productivity by about 20 percent. The 14 nm process is said to slash power consumption by nearly 20 percent compared to the previous-generation DRAM node.

The company said its latest DDR5 has a 7.2 gigabits per second (Gbps) data processing speed, more than double the DDR4 speed of up to 3.2 Gbps.

According to Burm, DDR5 is the memory used in the central processing unit (CPU), and GDDR and HBM are the memory used in the graphics processing unit (GPU). Rather than saying that there are advantages and disadvantages, it is better to say that there are different architectures built for different purposes, experts have said.

The CPU has often been called the brains of a computer and GPU its soul. CPUs are suited to various workloads, executing the commands and processes needed for computers and operating systems, while GPUs are efficient at manipulating computer graphics and image processing.

Samsungs mass production of 14nm EUV DDR5 DRAM is an amazing feat. The reason its memory market share exceeds 70 percent is because it has ensured its technological advantages, Burm said.

Burm believes that Samsung and SK Hynix will continue to maintain their lead in DRAM.

I think that [South Korea] can overcome the shortcomings of the chip foundry sector by ensuring its technological advantages, Burm said. In the fierce competition with Taiwanese companies such as TSMC and Micron Technology, it will be an extraordinary challenge for U.S. companies to regain their share in the semiconductor industry.

Burm is optimistic about the future of semiconductors and believes that the global shortage may only be temporary. He sees explosive growth in the semiconductor market once the shortage is over.

The global semiconductor demand in data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), and automotive sectors increase 30 to 40 percent on a yearly average, he said. And with the increased usage of electronic devices and the advent of self-driving vehicles, there is more demand than ever.

Yun Jeong Lee contributed to this report.
South Korean presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo speaks during a campaign on May 8, 2017, in Seoul. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

South Korean Conservative Presidential Candidate Gains Popularity With Tough Stance on China

South Korean presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo on Oct. 27 made a series of pledges to transform South Korean diplomacy if elected, as the country gears up for its presidential election in March 2022.

Hong pledged Korea First policies, such as building a nuclear sharing program between South Korea and the United States, abolishing the Three Nos commitment to China, and other campaign conventions on security, national defense, and foreign policy.

South Korea is now isolated due to its disoriented diplomacy, Hong said in a press conference held in Seoul on Oct. 27. The Moon Jae-in government demonstrates no consistent principle in the intensified strategic competition between the United States and China. Its walking on tightrope diplomacy has been carried out under the banner of strategic ambiguity.

As a result, both China and the United States have lost trust, leading to a diplomatic dilemma. At the same time, in domestic politics, Moon used anti-Japanese sentiment to create the worst relationship with Japan.

Hong is a candidate for the People Power Party, the largest opposition party and the main conservative party in South Korea. The former governor of South Gyeongsang Province and a former prosecutor currently serve as a member of the National Assembly in his fifth term. He was the presidential nominee of the Liberty Korea Party in the 2017 South Korean presidential election. During the 2017 presidential election, Hong was often compared to U.S. President Donald Trump for his campaign-style rallies.

Pledge to Strengthen the South Korea-US-Japan Alliance

Hong promised to strengthen the Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance and put national interests first if he became president.

When I become president, I will restore our countrys pride and lay the groundwork for a leap forward as a G7 advanced country. And I will normalize the broken diplomatic relations such as Korea-U.S., Korea-China, and Korea-Japan under the grand principle of Korea First, Hong pledged.

I will hold a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden to establish bilateral or multilateralU.S., South Korea, Japan, AustraliaNATO-style nuclear weapons sharing systems, including tactical nuclear relocation.

When asked how he plans to coordinate the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons with the United States, he replied: In May 2017, I met with members of the U.S. government and its opposition to discuss the need for a NATO-style nuclear sharing program. We have reached an agreement and shared a consensus in this regard.

When diplomacy couldnt resolve the North Korean nuclear threats, how would the Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) protect [South Korean citizens]? Hong asked. Judging from the provisions of Article 10 of the NPT, it is possible to withdraw from the NPT for self-defense.

Tough Stance on South Korea-China Relations

Regarding South Korea-China relations, Hong pledged to abolish the Three Nos commitment with [the CCP] because it restricts [South Koreas] security and sovereignty and is a major violation of security cooperation between South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

In 2017, in an attempt to appease China, the Moon Jae-in government outlined three principles for security known as the Three Nos: no additional deployment of the U.S. missile system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD; no participation in a U.S.-led regional missile defense system; and no morphing a trilateral security alliance with the United States and Japan into a military alliance.

THAAD is a U.S.-designed and manufactured anti-missile system installed in South Korea between 2016 and 2017 to defend against North Korean nuclear missile threats. However, the CCP has insisted that the deployment of THAAD affects Chinas security and has since adopted a series of countermeasures against South Korea.

Hong said that after South Korea deployed THAAD in 2017, Wu Dawei, the former special representative of China for Korean Peninsula Affairs, was asked whether the CCP could eliminate the North Korean nuclear threats or play a leverage role. Wu replied: Because North Korea is a sovereign state, it cannot be done.

How can [the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)] point fingers at South Koreas defense policy when it cannot eliminate or control North Korean nuclear weapons? Hong said. This is against common sense.

Hong said he would hold a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to correct the abnormal relationship created by the Moon Jae-in administration and break free from pro-China dialogues, restore national dignity and the peoples self-esteem, and carry out diplomacy centered on national interests.

In addition, Hong suggested that he intends to restore communication and dialogue with China to resolve environmental, economic, and exchange issues, such as the air pollution from China and the nuclear power plant issues on the east coast of China, which have not been addressed previously.

Regarding the South-Korea-Japan relations, Hong promised to maintain the General Security of Military Information Agreement and promote the Joint Declaration on the Future Cooperation and Comprehensive Partnership between South Korea and Japan with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The latest polls show significant differences in popularity among the People Power Party presidential candidates from the initial stages. Recently, Hongs support has risen significantly. According to the latest polling released by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) on Oct. 25, Hong is tied with Yoon Seok-yeol, another conservative candidate in the party, at 26.9 percent. Yoon is the former prosecutor general of South Korea who was previously leading in the polls.

Jinbaek Lee and Khasub Lee contributed to this report.
Still Bad: American Airlines Problems Continue as Hundreds More Flights Canceled

American Airlines canceled hundreds of additional flights on Nov. 1 as the company struggled with problems it has attributed to high winds in Texas.

Some 261 flights were canceled early on Nov. 1, according to internal data obtained by The Epoch Times. Nearly 1,000 were canceled on Oct. 31.

Better than yesterday but still bad, Capt. Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, told The Epoch Times in an email.

The union represents pilots who fly for American Airlines.

The issues started late last week, when the DallasFort Worth area was hit by wind gusts reaching up to 50 miles per hour, David Seymour, Americans chief operating officer, told employees in a memorandum obtained by The Epoch Times.

The weather drove cancellations and led to staffing shortages because crew members ended up outside of their regular flight sequences, according to Seymour.

An American spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email that the issues werent related to Americans COVID-19 vaccine mandate, a view echoed by Tajer.

American stated that the problems would be resolved soon, aided by workers returning from leave and a hiring blitz across various positions.

The union said the weather did cause problems, but blamed American for the bulk of the cancellations, noting that the weather was clear practically all weekend.

Management is failing to connect pilots and flight attendants to the airplanes many days after the storm passes, Tajer said.

Representatives for American didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

In addition to the cancellations, about 166 American flights were delayed on Nov. 1, according to tracking website FlightAware.

Southwest Airlines also canceled a small number of flights. Around 79 Southwest flights were canceled on Nov. 1, representing 2 percent of flights scheduled that day, with another 4 percent being delayed, according to FlightAware.

Representatives for Southwest didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration told The Epoch Times on Oct. 31 that the agency was aware of the cancelations, but referred comment to the airlines.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Sunlight has a direct effect on our circadian rhythm and the mood centers in the brain. (Alina Kruk/Shutterstock)

Study Reveals Benefits of Sunlight

Sunlight may improve sleep, elevate mood, and reduce insomnia

Sleep disorders are pervasive and approximately one in three adults suffer from mild insomnia. As stress levels rise around the world, insomnia is becoming more prevalent in adults. But a new study led by Monash University has found that getting enough natural sunlight each day could help to reduce insomnia and improve mood.

The study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders included more than 400,000 participants from the UK biobank program. It was found that a lack of daytime light exposure was a risk factor for poor mood, insomnia, and depressive symptoms.

Researchers noted that most messaging around health and light is focused on avoiding light at night. Previous research has found that light during nighttime can disrupt the bodys clock, also known as circadian rhythm. This study helps to highlight the importance of getting enough daylight to ensure the body can function optimally.

Circadian Rhythm

Circadian rhythm is a natural internal process that regulates the sleepwake cycle. It repeats roughly every 24 hours and can help guide the body to let it know when to sleep and when to be awake. This cycle is vital in helping the body rest and regain energy lost from being awake and performing daily activities.

In an article on Monash Universitys website, study co-author Sean Cain said, In this study, we observed that the greater time spent in outdoor light during the day was associated with fewer depressive symptoms, lower odds of using antidepressant medication, better sleep, and fewer symptoms of insomnia.

The reduction of these symptoms may be explained by the effect of light on circadian rhythm and the direct effect that sunlight creates on mood centers in the brain.

People tend to spend most waking hours in artificial lighting conditions and relatively bright nighttime light exposure. By making minor adjustments to a daily routine, some may improve their sleep, mood, and energy levels.

Researchers concluded the study by noting that insufficient exposure to daytime light could be a critical factor that contributes to poor sleep outcomes and depressive disorders. They suggest simple advice for everyone; when the sun is out, get as much light as you can, but after it sets, keep your environment dark. Thats good advice, but likely easier said than done in northern climates, with radical shifts in daylight length between summer and winter.

This study helps to show the importance of daytime light. Researchers recommend exposure to bright lights first thing in the morning and spending time outdoors, getting enough sunlight during daytime hours. Exposure to blue light should be avoided, especially at night, and bright lights at night should be turned off, screen time limited, and lights in the bedroom blocked off.

By correcting your circadian rhythm, you will feel more awake during the day and more sleepy at night. As this study also suggests, you can help boost mood and reduce episodes of insomnia.

Sarah Cownley earned a diploma in nutritional therapy from Health Sciences Academy in London. She enjoys helping others by teaching healthy lifestyle changes through her personal consultations and with her regular contributions to the Doctors Health Press. This article was originally published on Bel Marra Health.
Super Will Now Follow Australian Workers Between Jobs

Superannuation funds will be stapled to Australian workers, following them when they switch jobs and minimising multiple unintended accounts.

As part of the federal governments Your Future, Your Super reform package, workers will have a single super account automatically following them between jobs until they choose to switch funds from Nov. 1.

Superannuation Minister Jane Hume said Australias superannuation assets, which cover 90 percent of workers, currently equate to over $3.3 trillion (US$2.5 trillion)equivalent to over 150 percent of the countrys GDP.

While its a system that wears three decades of alternations and addons of varying quality wellthe edges have certainly frayed, Hume said on Oct. 13. Over the years, investment opacity and compulsion, stemming from the mandated nature of superannuation, has allowed for widespread consumer disengagement and mission creep from funds.

Hume said the government had focused on eliminating multiple accounts that cause exit fees and multiple administrative fees, and insurance premiums.

However, the changes have faced criticism from the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST), who say that Australians will be worse off by $309,000 under the reforms.

AIST said under the rules, Australians under high performing funds will benefit, but members of persistently underperforming funds could be significantly worse off.

While the new stapling rules dont stop anyone from changing their super fund at any time, the reality is that millions of Australians set and forget their super, especially if they are years away from retirement, AIST CEO Eva Scheerlinck said.

Scheerlinck said they were concerned that the new stapling rules will negatively impact disengaged or vulnerable Australians who may not realise that they are in a persistently underperforming fund.

This isnt a handful of peopleits could be several million workers, she said.

To help Australians compare the performance of super funds, the federal government launched the free YourSuper comparison tool.

Hume said it provides a trusted source where Australians can easily compare and choose a low-cost, high-performing fund that meets their needs.

A bright-line test was also introduced to determine which super funds underperform. On July 1, the first performance test found that 13 superfunds had underperformed.

Funds that fail for a second consecutive year will be prevented from accepting new members.
The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington on Oct. 5, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Supreme Court Rejects Bid for Public Access to Rulings From Secretive FISA Court

An attempt to gain access to decisions made by a secretive court has been denied by the Supreme Court.

The American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of other groups had argued that the Constitutions First Amendment requires the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to make available all novel or significant interpretations of law issued between Sept. 11, 2001, and mid-2015.

The court was required by Congress with the passage of the USA Freedom Act to release significant opinions for public dissemination, but the government has refused to release any such opinions issued prior to June 2015.

FISC, which was created by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and its court of review both ruled against the civil liberties group. The courts asserted that they lacked the authority to consider granting the access sought. That set up a writ of certiorari, or an appeal, to the nations top court, which denied the writ on Nov. 1.

The majority didnt detail the rationale for their decision, but Justices Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor said they would have taken up the case.

The government does not merely argue that the lower court rulings should be left undisturbed because they are correct. The government also presses the extraordinary claim that this Court is powerless to review the lower court decisions even if they are mistaken. On the governments view, literally no court in this country has the power to decide whether citizens possess a First Amendment right of access to the work of our national security courts, Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, wrote in a dissenting opinion (pdf), joined by Obama appointee Sotomayor.

Gorsuch said he feels that the case presents questions about the right of the public to access judicial proceedings of grave national importance.

Maybe even more fundamentally, this case involves a governmental challenge to the power of this Court to review the work of Article III judges in a subordinate court. If these matters are not worthy of our time, what is? he said.

Patrick Toomey, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Unions National Security Project, also expressed disappointment regarding the high courts decision.

By turning away this case, the Supreme Court has failed to bring badly needed transparency to the surveillance court and to rulings that impact millions of Americans. Secret court decisions are corrosive in a democracy, especially when they so often hand the government the power to peer into our digital lives, Toomey said in a statement.

The ruling highlights the need to end laws that enable the government to operate in secret, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) added.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington on Oct. 4, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Texas Heartbeat Abortion Law Is Unconstitutional, Biden Administration Tells Supreme Court

A Texas law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy that authorizes anyone to sue when an illegal abortion is performed violates decades-old Supreme Court precedents, the Biden administration told the high court Nov. 1.

Texas designed the statute to thwart judicial review by offering bounties to the general public to carry out the states enforcement function, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told the justices.

And it structured those enforcement proceedings to be so burdensome and to threaten such significant liability, that they chill the exercise of the constitutional right altogether.

The Supreme Court actually heard two related cases the same day. The first was Whole Womans Health v. Jackson, court file 21-463, a challenge to the Texas statute. Immediately after, it heard United States v. Texas, court file 21-588, in which the federal government seeks to prevent the state, state court judges and clerks, other state officials, and private parties from enforcing the statute.

The Texas Heartbeat Act, also known as S.B. 8, crowdsources enforcement, as opposed to authorizing government officials to prosecute violations. The law, which took effect Sept. 1, permits any person to sue someone who performs or induces an abortion, or aids and abets an abortion, as soon as cardiac activity can be detected in a fetus, which is generally possible starting at about the sixth week of pregnancy. Private citizens may initiate civil suits seeking a minimum of $10,000 per abortion, money that some describe as a bounty.

Abortion provider Whole Womans Health, which runs clinics in Texas and 5 other states, sued to overturn the law, arguing that it runs afoul of Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), in which the Supreme Court created a constitutional right to obtain an abortion before the fetus is viable at about the 24-week-mark of pregnancy. The chain of clinics also challenged the enforcement mechanism that relies on individuals filing lawsuits.

Expedited Basis

As the Supreme Court hearing was underway, Whole Womans Health tweeted: For 61 days, patients have been forced to choose between traveling on average over 200 miles one way for care, or stay pregnant against their will. These are real peoples lives we are talking about.

After voting 5-4 on Sept.1 to deny a request to halt enforcement of the law, on Oct. 22 the Supreme Court voted to hear the case on an expedited basis and scheduled the Nov. 1 hearing. Between Sept. 1 and Oct. 22, the legal situation in Texas received saturation media coverage as activists and politicians denounced the high court and argued that Texas women have been harmed and inconvenienced by the law. On Sept. 2, President Joe Biden blasted the court, saying its refusal to block the law was an unprecedented assault on a womans constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for almost 50 years.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the challenge to the law, even while an appeal was pending in a lower court, after what is called a petition for certiorari before judgment was filed. Before that, on Oct. 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit stayed a lower courts preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the law. The 5th Circuit is not expected to hear the appeal against its ruling until December at the earliest.

Oral Arguments

During oral arguments Nov. 1, Whole Womans Health lawyer Marc Hearron said the Texas legislature created rules that turn courts into a weapon.

Hearron said the law chills the exercise of constitutionally protected rights, and Justice Neil Gorsuch implied the attorneys client was being hasty in trying to block enforcement of the Texas Heartbeat Act.

Gorsuch got Hearron to acknowledge that some other laws such as those about defamation, gun control, and rules about the exercise of religion during the pandemic, also, in the justices words, chill the exercise of constitutionally protected liberties.

Thats probably correct, Hearron said.

Prelogar said the Texas law could lead to chaos nationwide.

If Texas can nullify Roe and Casey in this manner, then other states could do the same with other constitutional rights or other decisions of this court that they disfavor, she said.

The state designed S.B. 8 to thwart the supremacy of federal law in open defiance of our constitutional structure, Prelogar said.

States are free to ask this court to reconsider its constitutional precedents, but they are not free to place themselves above this court, nullify the courts decisions in their borders, and block the judicial review necessary to vindicate federal rights.

If a state can give its enforcement authority to the general public backed up with a bounty of $10,000 or $1 million  then no constitutional right is safe.

Chief Justice John Roberts said Prelogar had claimed the governments case was very narrow, yet the authority you assert to respond to it is as broad as can be. Its equity, you say. We have the authority to sue states under equity, which is a limitless ill-defined authority.

What is the limiting principle?

Prelogar replied that the equitable remedy that were seeking here is not limitless. It is the traditional remedy of enjoining implementation of an unconstitutional law.

Roberts shot back: Well, its hardly traditional to get injunctions against judges, injunctions against clerks, injunctions against everybody, right? Thats part of the relief you seek, isnt it? Peopleanybody can bring one of these suits, so youre seeking an injunction against the world, right?

Texas Solicitor General Judd E. Stone II told the justices that the federal government lacks legal grounds to sue Texas in federal court.

The Department of Justices suit offends the separation of powers by usurping for the executive branch the role Congress plays in determining what cases may be heard and what remedies may be provided in the federal courts, Stone said.

The United States cannot seriously assert that the Constitution requires pre-enforcement federal judicial review. It opposes that result in virtually every other case, he said.

Justice Elena Kagan told Stone his line of thinking would be inviting all 50 states to try to nullify the law  that this court has laid down.

I mean, that was something that until this law came along no state dreamed of doing. And, essentially  theres nothing the Supreme Court can do about it. Guns, same sex marriage, religious rights, whatever you dont like, go ahead.

Stone pushed back, saying Texas had not nullified anything by enacting the statute, which he said is consistent with federal law. Those unhappy with the law are still free to challenge its constitutionality in state courts, he added.
The Judge and Kyle Rittenhouse

Commentary

Kyle Rittenhouse, whose trial begins today, is accused of murder in the fatal shootings of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. Hes also accused of several lesser charges, including the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz. It seems, however, that Rittenhouse has a strong case for self-defense and, even more important, he has a fair judge adjudicating the case.

A little background to jog your memory: In August 2020, riots erupted in Wisconsin in the aftermath of the police shooting of a black man, Jacob Blake. These were the fiery but mostly peaceful protests immortalized by CNN. Rittenhouse, then a mere 17-year-old, came armed to protect what he saw as innocent families and businesses that were being violently attacked and torched by rioters, many of them associated with Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

Well hear a lot in the coming weeks about what exactly happened between Rittenhouse and the three men he allegedly shot, but from video footage of the incidents, it seems that Rittenhouse has a strong case of self-defense. In each incident he appears to be the one under assault by armed assailants, so it seems plausible he was in reasonable fear for his life when he opened fire on each of them.

What I want to discuss here, however, is not the case in chief but the pre-trial proceedings that unfolded over the last few weeks. These are crucial, because they establish the judicial framework for the case. The first critical development was that Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder barred the prosecution from referring to the three individuals Rittenhouse shot as victims.

At the same time, the judge ruled that the defense could describe the same three as looters, rioters, and arsonists if there was evidence of them looting, rioting, and setting things on fire. The prosecution was outraged, at one point pleading that all were talking about is arson, which the judge immediately pounced on with a contemptuous, Come on! He wouldnt let the prosecution get away with the idea that arson was somehow no big deal.

Immediately following the judges instructions, the left erupted on social media accusing Judge Schroeder of bias. Why let the defense use such loaded terms as rioter or arsonist when the prosecution was barred from using the loaded term victim? Some Antifa types even warned that his ruling signaled that Rittenhouse would walk free, and they pledged a new round of violence if this happened.

Ive seen very little media coverage of the rational basis for Judge Schroeders supposed double standard. Basically, the judge said that it wasnt appropriate for Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskreutz to be called murder victims or victims of unlawful shooting because no murder or unlawful shooting had yet been proved. In fact, the judge said the prosecution couldnt presume what it first had the responsibility to establish.

This struck me as a profound point, because its commonplace these days to hear people who claim to be victims described as victims. This is routine in criminal trials, but also in our popular political discourse. For instance, Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of assaulting her decades ago, never produced a single witness to corroborate her charge and yet she was routinely called a victim. Arguably, thats just politics, which necessarily involves overheated rhetoric and an element of deception, but clearly Judge Schroeder wants none of that to contaminate a case in which Rittenhouses life is at stake.

The prosecution, at least from early indications, seems to be going all out to get Rittenhouse. One indication of the prosecutions unrestrained strategy was its attempt to get a list of donors nationwide who gave money to the Kyle Rittenhouse defense fund. The objective was to make sure that donors did not serve on the jury. However, another objective was clear: The media could then publicize these names, so that the individuals who helped Rittenhouse secure competent legal counsel could be defamed on social media, ostracized, and possibly even fired from their jobs.

Once again, Judge Schroeder would have none of it. He made the obvious point that he doesnt have the authority to compel the procurement of the list of donors. So no donor names will be released to the prosecution or the media hounds who seem to be working in league with the prosecution.

Then the prosecution moved to include evidence at trial of Rittenhouse meeting twice with members of the Proud Boys. The objective here was to portray Rittenhouse as a racist, because he was seen cavorting with a notoriously racist group. Whether the Proud Boys is racist is open to questionthe groups head is a Latino man, and no credible evidence of racism has ever been produced against the organization as a whole.

Even so, prosecutor Thomas Binger told the judge that most everyone that was there  was there because of their beliefs. He described Rittenhouse and others as chaos tourists who were drawn like a moth to the flame to our community. Rittenhouse, Binger said, was drawn to this incident because of his beliefs, which are consistent with those of the Proud Boys.  [The group] takes pride in using violence to achieve their means.

But Judge Schroeder nicely sidestepped this issue by noting that Rittenhouses meetings with the Proud Boysone at a tavern in Wisconsin, the other in Miamioccurred subsequent to the shootings. In other words, when Rittenhouse was being reviled as a murderer and had virtually no supporters or allies, he found a sympathetic ear among members of the Proud Boys group and so he took pictures with them, ate with them, and met with their leader.

So what? If this organization embraces the defendant after the fact, Judge Schroeder said,  that is not something that the jury can make anything out of that would be lawful. In other words, the jury cannot ascribe to Rittenhouse racist motives during the shootings that are presumed or derived from his associations that developed only subsequent to the shootings.

It seems refreshing, in this era of politicized justice, to find a judge who appears to be, if I can use this term, a straight shooter. Judge Schroeder knows how deeply politicized this trial is, and precisely for this reason he seems determined to make sure that it doesnt degenerateas the Derek Chauvin trial clearly didinto an atmosphere of mob intimidation and mob justice.

If Rittenhouse walks, and the Antifa thugs who are pledging violence make good on their threats, my hope is that they find themselves before Judge Schroeder. He seems to know how to distinguish between rioters, looters, and arsonists on the one hand, and a young man defending his fellow citizens and his own imperiled life on the other.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Michael and Audrey Deluca attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 31, 2021. (Nancy Ma/The Epoch Times)

DETROIT, Mich.Shen Yun, the New York-based classical Chinese performing arts company, may be best known for its colorful costumes and dazzling visual displays. But its music and live orchestra draws in audiences just as much.

Michael Deluca and his wife Audrey attended the Oct. 31 matinee of Shen Yun at the Detroit Opera House.

Im enjoying it very much! I love the stories and the songs, and the fusion of Western music and Eastern instruments, Mr. Deluca said. Deluca is a retired software engineer who used to play piano professionally.

He loved the pianist who accompanied the solo vocalists and the music overall.

Shen Yuns orchestra comprises of traditional Western instruments flavored by some key Chinese instruments, such as the pipa, the two-stringed erhu, and the trumpet-like suona. The overall effect is extremely expressive and diverse.

Deluca described the feeling transmitted by the music as a longinga sense of unfulfilled longing thats always beautiful.

John Glasnak, the owner of a commercial real estate development company, also attended Shen Yun with retired teacher Betty Lee.

Like Deluca, Glasnak was quite taken by Shen Yuns music, particularly the erhu, which hes has first-hand experience with.

I once had an erhu, he explained. Ive been to China several times and I brought back an erhu and tried to learn it, but its very difficult to learn.

One of the characteristics of the erhu is that it has no fingerboard, requiring the player to manipulate the strings themselves. Despite having only two strings, it is able to convey a wide range of emotions and produce different sound effects, such as mimicking the calls of horses or birds.

Both Glasnak and Lee urged anyone who hasnt seen Shen Yun yet to experience it.

I think that the more every person can experience a culture thats different from their own, the better world well have, Lee said. Its very enlightening, its colorful, its beautiful, and it makes you think about the past and the present and bringing everything all together.

Its an experience that you will enjoya one of a kind experience. You should come see it, Glasnak said.

Reporting by Nancy Ma and Epoch Times.

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
The New Great Game: China and Russia Competing in Afghanistan

News Analysis

Russia and China in the Graveyard of Empires, happy to see the United States leave, are the two big players that have just inherited a dangerous quagmire, plagued by instability and an uncertain economic future.

According to Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban government wants to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship component of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road), which connects Central Asia to the oil fields of Iran.

Russia and China see the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as proof of a decaying West and a demotion of the United States as the preeminent world power. This comes as welcomed news to China, aspiring to replace the United States as a global power. For Russia, the age-old rival of the United States, a U.S. decline would be the culmination of a Cold War dream. Both have leveraged the fall of Kabul to intimidate their respective nemeses, warning Ukraine and Taiwan, that the United States is an unreliable friend, with deteriorating power.

Although neither China nor Russia liked having U.S. troops on their borders, the U.S. military presence kept order. Both countries are now scrambling to decide how to deal with the fallout and the new responsibilities hoisted upon them such as how to contain Afghanistans many threats, including terrorism, drugs, and a refugee crisis.

Beijing is concerned about a potential increase in terrorist activity in Xinjiang. Similarly, Russia has suffered numerous Islamist terrorist attacks over the past decades and knows that an unstable Afghanistan could be a potential catalyst for more trouble. Curbing the flow of opium poppies into or through Russian territory is yet another security concern.

Russia also worries about potential violence in the Central Asian Republics, which have historically been well within the Russian sphere of influence. This increased destabilization and security threat has provided an opportunity for Russia to increase its military presence in Central Asia.

Russian attack helicopters launch rockets during military exercises at the Kapustin Yar range in Astrakhan region, Southern Russia, on Sept. 25, 2020. The Caucasus-2020 military drills gathered troops from China, Iran, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), along with ex-Soviet Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia and China have augmented their military aid and troop strength in Tajikistan. Additionally, Russia has hosted joint-military exercises, under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Shortly before the fall of Kabul, a meeting was held between the SCO and the Russian-led military grouping, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), whose members include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as observer states, Afghanistan, and Serbia. At the September summit of the SCO, which took place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, a primary topic of discussion was how to address the Afghanistan question, while no clear policy was actually defined.

Although China and Russia do not appear to have a concise Afghanistan roadmap, it seems that the CSTO will maintain security in Central Asia, while China will increase its own border defenses. Meanwhile, continued stability in Central Asia is dependent on whether or not Afghanistan becomes a safe haven for international terrorists and if terrorism can be contained inside of Afghanistan. The fear is that attacks could be launched from Afghanistan, or radicalization could be exported to China, Pakistan, the Central Asian Republics, and Russia.

Both China and Russia hosted Taliban leaders, before the fall of Kabul, and both have maintained their embassies there. China and Russia abstained from participating in G-7 demands that the Taliban respect and expand human rights. They also sent delegates to the G-20 leaders summit on Afghanistan, where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pushed for the removal of U.S. sanctions against the Taliban. Both countries have demanded that the United States pay for Afghanistans reconstruction.

Apart from expanding their military posture and advocating for the Taliban at world organizations, China and Russia are engaging directly with the Taliban. After the G-20 summit, Taliban leaders were invited to a meeting in Moscow.

On the ground in Afghanistan, Beijing has stepped up its attempts to influence the Taliban, offering aid, along with strong advice and recommendations; while Russia appears to have recused itself from such negotiations. Chinese companies are also exploring options for further investment in Afghanistan to restart two stalled mining projects, as well as an air transport corridor with China.

A recent story, published in Chinas state-run media CGTN, touted the benefits of the BRI to both Afghanistan and China through cooperation in energy, natural resources, and business services. A BRI memorandum of understanding was signed between China and Afghanistan in 2016. Whether Afghanistan gets upgraded to actually joining the BRI, and if Chinese investment flows in, depends on whether or not the Taliban are able to stabilize the country.

There is already evidence that city dwellers reject the legitimacy of Taliban rule and may begin protestinga move which would almost certainly incite violence. Meanwhile, armed conflict in Afghanistan has been ongoing for 43 years. There are ethnic and regional militias, as well as disbanded units of the Afghan army that could launch armed revolt against the Taliban.

Taliban terrorists take control of Afghans presidential palace after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. (Zabi Karimi/AP Photo)

For decades, the Taliban members were insurgents, fighting for the overthrow of a government. Now that the Taliban is the government, it is unclear if most, or all, Taliban factions are capable or willing to make this transition.

The other question is, how badly does the Taliban want to alter the conditions in their country to appease China? The Taliban need BRI investments and Afghanistan has large deposits of minerals and resources, which China wants. However, while Afghanistan would benefit from such investment, experience along the BRI shows that China would benefit more.

While the potential earnings from Afghan minerals could be in the trillions of dollars, extracting them will not be a simple matter of China pumping money into mines. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would also have to fund the construction of infrastructure, roads, power provision, processing, transportation, and support functions that make mining viable. Additionally, the minerals are the Talibans trump cardthe only economic asset they have. It does not seem likely that they would give these up easily. And even if the Taliban agree, the CCP will need guarantees that its investments would be physically protected from terrorist attacks.

Beijing has called for the Taliban to no longer be classified as a terrorist group; while in Russia, the situation is more complicated. Some voices in Russia agree with China and would like to see the terrorist designation removed from the Taliban. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, however, does not agree as he repeatedly pointing out the major security risks posed by the new Afghanistan situation.

The Moscow format, which was established in 2017 to address the Afghanistan issue, includes China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and Afghanistan. The platform was meant to outline how Russia and China would coordinate. For the time being, it is expected that the cooperation between Russia and China will largely be focused on security, as Russia lacks the capital to be meaningfully involved in massive investment and aid schemes. China, more or less alone, will be responsible for funding. But the amounts and the timing of these cash inflows will depend on the Talibans ability to stabilize a country, which no world power has been able to stabilize for centuries.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Pitfalls of the Scholar Turned Activist

Commentary

Professors are trained as impartial researchers. In a nutshell, they defend truth claims based on the best available evidence and avoid playing the role of a political advocate. Whenever academics gravitate toward the latter, they begin mirroring the discourses of an emerging cultural narrative instead of dispassionately interrogating its core arguments.

A perfect case in point concerns an initiative approved by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ottawa. The teaching staff recently received an invitation concerning an anti-racist workshop titled Building Belonging Through Antiracist Pedagogy, 2021-2022. One of the sponsors is the Antiracist History Group, an organization of uOttawa historians who wish to educate themselves on issues related to race and racism and promote antiracism throughout the university.

The first goal is laudable and relates to academic valuesspecifically, the value of inquirybut the second involves the dissemination of a favoured ideology, one that leads educators to adopt the self-evident positions of anti-racist activists.

Take for instance a bold assumption forwarded by the uOttawa historians: Racialized students and colleagues continue to experience racisms of all kinds, be it intentional or unintentional, in our city, our university, our faculties, and our departments. Heres the catch: The University of Ottawa has never completed an independent study on systemic racism.

How then would the uOttawa historians know to what degree racism occurs on campus? The University of Ottawa has a population of approximately 45,000 students, including over 1,000 professors, so anecdotal evidence is completely unreliable. It tells us nothing about the probability of experiencing racial discrimination.

If questions arise about the frequency of racist acts, the uOttawa historians have a pat answer: The belief that there is little to no racism  in our university and in our teaching, is itself a barrier to addressing it. But so is the assertion that racism is pervasive or ubiquitous. Without an independent study, we are only left to speculate.

Campus history also warns against jumping to any conclusions. Back in 2008, a University of Ottawa student-run group issued a report insisting that visible minoritiesnamely, Arab, black, and Asian men and womenwere most often the victims of systemic racism on campus. Law professor Joanne St. Lewis was asked by the administration to assess this allegation. In her evaluation, she concluded that the report did not establish the claim of systemic racism in any reasonable or analytically plausible fashion.

To avoid accusations of white fragility, the uOttawa historians make a personal confession: We acknowledge that we have individually and collectively perpetuated racism and white supremacy, often unintentionally. Promising to do better, they proceed by publicly shaming one of their fellow colleagues.

Prof. Verushka Lieutenant-Duval, who is white, was condemned for using an injurious racial term during one of her online lectures. Back in October 2020, a controversy erupted when she mentioned that some historically persecuted minorities reappropriate derogatory terms to liberate themselves from their oppressors. At first, Prof. Lieutenant-Duval discussed the word queer. Formerly used to denounce homosexuals, it is now employed as a badge of honour to signify both identity and difference. She posited the N-word as another examplejust not the euphemized version.

One member of the historians group referred to it as The Clothespin Incident, suggesting that these kinds of racial episodes represent the clothespins hanging on a clothesline of institutional whiteness. Yet, in this specific instance, Lieutenant-Duvals intent was clearly anti-racist. To think otherwise, one would have to ignore the distinction between use and mentionbetween professors who deploy the N-word as a racial slur and those who say it to confront racism.

The uOttawa historians sidestep context by assuming an absolutist stance: uttering injurious racial terms does not have any academic justification. But this too remains an open question.

Vershawn Ashanti Young, a black University of Waterloo drama and speech communication professor, wrote in The Conversation that his universitys prohibition on using the N-word actually serves the purposes of white supremacy and resuscitates racism rather than defeat it. From his perspective, banning the word functions as a too-easy way to quash the six or seven insightful ways the word functions in Black culture.

All educators should pause and reflect upon Prof. Youngs nuanced insights. Debates over sensitive racial issues, especially those considered non-negotiable, require more conversation. They are not settled by fiat.

By becoming politically and ideologically motivated, the uOttawa historians encounter pitfalls of the scholar turned activist. Racism is deemed a serious campus issue without hard evidence. Co-workers are characterized as racist without considering their methodological or pedagogical choices. And barring the N-word is viewed as progressive without recognizing the negative impact on black professors.

The implications here are obvious. The uOttawa historians are more inclined to acquiesce to the demands of anti-racist activists and less likely to challenge their beliefs head-on.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch talks in the House of Commons in London on Oct. 20, 2020. (Parliament TV)

UK Government Not Supporting Transgender Self-ID, Says Minister

Allowing self-identification is not part of the UK governments plan in supporting transgender people, equalities minister Kemi Badenoch said on Sunday.

The remarks came after a university professor resigned following a campaign to get her fired over her view on gender.

Kathleen Stock, a philosophy professor at the University of Sussex who opposes transgender self-identification, announced her resignation on Thursday, weeks after an anonymous group of transgender activists demanded the university fire her.

Despite having the support of the universitys leadership, the gender-critical feminist professor said she wanted to put behind her the absolutely horrible time fending off accusations from transgender activists.

Speaking on the Sky Newss Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme, Badenoch said the government doesnt believe self-ID should be allowed.

The governments position is to do everything it can to support LGBT people, but trans people in particular when it comes to health care, Badenoch said.

However, we do not think that goes as far as self-ID, we do believe that there should be a process to get a gender recognition certificate, and the process does mean involving medical professionals as well.

When told some transgender activists would say the fact she did not accept the statement trans women are women is in itself a form of violence, Badenoch said, Its sad that the debate has turned into one of name-calling.

Badenoch said while the government believes in equality and fairness for all, we should not get to a point where having a different opinion becomes a reason to insult other people. Thats absolutely wrong.

Asked about her thoughts on Stock, the minister said she was appalled at the way that the professor was treated.

Nobody should face bullying or harassment in the workplace, she said.

Stock, who is known for her book Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism, has been targeted by some transgender activists since 2018, when she said that while most trans people are law-abiding and wouldnt dream of harming anyone, transgender women shouldnt be in spaces such as female-only changing rooms in a completely unrestricted way because many of them are still males with male genitalia and are sexually attracted to females.

Earlier this month, an anonymous group of activists campaigned to get Stock fired, calling her one of this wretched islands most prominent transphobes.

Badenoch told Sky News she believes Stock has every right to hold the beliefs she has, and that her beliefs are probably in step with the majority of the population.

PA contributed to this report.
Undated handout UK Parliament official portrait of Rob Roberts, Conservative MP for Delyn, issued on May 25, 2021. (UK Parliament/PA)

UK MP Who Sexually Harassed Staff Member Is Given Back His Tory Party Membership

MP Rob Roberts has been given his Tory membership back despite a warning the move would let him off the hook for sexually harassing a member of staff.

The Conservatives confirmed on Monday morning that Roberts was a Tory party member again after a 12-week suspension.

The MP for Delyn in North Wales will continue to sit as an independent as the Tories are still withholding the party whip in the House of Commons.

A Conservative Party spokeswoman said: Rob Roberts membership suspension concluded on Monday November 1 after serving a 12-week suspension. The whip will remain suspended.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the move was a disgrace, adding: Rob Roberts has no place in Parliament, politics or public life.

Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds described the scheduled end of Roberts suspension as scandalous.

Rob Roberts should have resigned as an MP the moment he was suspended. That he is now set to return to the Conservative Party shows theyve let him off the hook, she added.

Roberts was stripped of the whip after Parliaments Independent Expert Panel found he broke the sexual misconduct policy by making repeated and unwanted advances to a man.

The former staff member who made the complaint in June last year told BBC Wales that the MP had repeatedly propositioned him, leaving him feeling uncomfortable, shocked and horrified.

Roberts, who became an MP in 2019, apologised for the completely improper behaviour but insisted his actions were romantic rather than sexual.

The Commons approved a motion to suspend Roberts from the House for six weeks in May, in line with the recommendation from the independent panel.

The Conservatives suspended him from the party for twice that duration, while senior figures including Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg urged Roberts to do the honourable thing and stand down as an MP.
Storm clouds pass over the Houses of Parliament in London on April 2, 2019. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

UK Watchdog Calls for Tougher Sanctions Against Unethical Politicians

Britains anti-corruption watchdog on Monday called for a radical overhaul of the system, which will see politicians with poor ethical standards facing tougher sanctions including fines and resignations.

Lord Evans of Weardale, chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said the watchdogs latest report points to a necessary programme of reform to restore public confidence in the regulation of ethical standards in government.

The report was commissioned after the Greensill scandal, which saw former Prime Minister David Cameron escaping punishment, despite privately lobbying ministers in efforts to secure access to an emergency COVID-19 loan scheme for Greensill before its collapse.

Lord Evans, who previously served as the director of MI5, said: The arrangements to uphold ethical standards in government have come under close scrutiny and significant criticism in recent months. Maintaining high standards requires vigilance and leadership.

David Cameron leaves his home ahead of giving evidence to the Commons Treasury Committee on Greensill Capital in London on May 13, 2021. (Victoria Jones/PA)

Under Lord Evanss plans, the prime ministers ethics adviser would be able to initiate investigations and have the authority to determine breaches of the code. Some of the sanctions the prime minister may issue include apologies, fines, and asking for a ministers resignation.

If the recommended reforms are implemented, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) and government departments will be able to impose a lobbying ban of up to five years on officials who have had a particularly senior role.

The committee said the government should also set out what the consequences for any breach of contract will be.

Possible options for sanctions may include seeking an injunction prohibiting the uptake of a certain business appointment, or the recouping of a proportion of an office holders pension or severance payment, the report said.

A Downing Street spokesman said the government will carefully consider the committees recommendations and will set out a full update to Parliament in due course.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected the call for the ethics adviser to have a greater role in scrutinising ministers conduct.

According to the spokesman, Johnson insisted the prime minister is the ultimate arbiter of the Ministerial Code and it should be his decision whether or not to order an investigation into one of his frontbench team.

The spokesman quoted a letter from Johnson to Lord Evans in April as saying that, if the adviser was given the power to launch their own probes, it could lead to trivial or vexatious complaints being examined.

PA contributed to this report.
Lord Wharton of Yarm speaks in the House of Lords in London on July 1, 2021. (House of Lords/Screenshot/The Epoch Times)

Universities Must Uphold Free Speech, Academic Freedom: UK Regulator

Universities must meet their obligations to uphold free speech and academic freedom, the UKs higher education regulator said on Oct. 31, days after a professor resigned following dissension with transgender activists.

James Wharton, chairman of the Office for Students (OfS), said the office requires universities to have mechanisms in place to protect these freedoms and to apply them in practice.

He also said the OfS is working closely with the government on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, which will put more legal duties on universities and colleges to protect free speech on campuses.

Writing in The Telegraph on Oct. 31, Wharton stressed that respectful debate is an essential life skill that students will need before stepping into the wider world, where theyll be confronted with ideas and philosophies that they are uncomfortable with, [or] even offended by.

Students attending our universities should have their understanding of the world around them stretched, and their horizons broadenedin short, they attend university to learn, he wrote.

Wharton said that despite the fact that freedom of speech does throw up difficult issues at times, it is where debate is most contentious that it is most important these freedoms are defended.

The OfS chair told universities that students are entitled to be exposed to academics who can freely express a range of views, no matter how controversial they may be.

He also said its vital to protect academics from harassment both on and off campus if the UK wishes to remain a world leader in research, as the ability to develop knowledge depends on the free exchange of ideas, underpinned by a culture of robust debate and unrestricted enquiry.

Academics cannot be expected to engage fully with their disciplines if they fear complaints that could effectively end their careers. They must be protected to ask difficult questions, Wharton said.

The caution to universities comes three days after philosophy professor Kathleen Stock resigned from the University of Sussex as a result of being targeted by transgender activists.

The gender-critical feminist professor has been targeted since 2018, when she said that while most trans people are law-abiding and wouldnt dream of harming anyone, transgender women shouldnt be in spaces such as female changing rooms in a completely unrestricted way because many of them are still males with male genitalia and are sexually attracted to females.

Earlier in October, an anonymous group of activists campaigned to get Stock fired, calling her one of this wretched islands most prominent transphobes. While university leadership issued a number of statements defending Stock, she said a statement from her former union that took the opposite side effectively ended her career at the university.
The seal of the United States Department of Justice is seen on the building exterior of the United States Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, N.Y., on Aug. 17, 2020. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

US Arrests Chinese Businessman Accused of Visa Fraud

A fugitive Chinese entrepreneur was arrested in Las Vegas last week for allegedly having used fraudulently obtained visas to enter the United States.

Prosecutors accused 57-year-old Shi Jianxiang of lying about his names to obtain two non-immigrant visas, which he used to enter the United States in 2016. A federal magistrate on Friday denied him bail upon finding that Shi presents a flight risk, an Oct. 29 Justice Department statement said.

Shi was arrested at a convention in Las Vegas while promoting a cryptocurrency venture. He faces two counts of fraud and misuse of U.S. non-immigrant visas that could result in a maximum of 10 years of federal imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000.

The businessman has been living at large in the United States since fleeing China in 2016, Chinese authorities said. He was one of 50 Chinese fugitives wanted by Chinas Central Anti-Corruption Coordination Group for alleged illicit gains, a 2018 post from the anti-graft body shows. A current red notice from Interpol, the global policing agency, said Beijing is going after Shi over illegal fundraising by fraudulent means.

A current Interpol red notice for Chinese businessman Shi Jianxiang. (Screenshot)

Shi has lived in California and Nevada under the name of Morgan Shi. In the two applications for non-immigrant visas he used to enter the United States at Miami International Airport in 2016, Shi had claimed he had never used another name even though he had alternate travel documents under the name Long Niu, which he used to enter the United States the following February, the Justice Department said.

In 2019, a Shanghai court, in a case against other defendants, found that Shi was a major culprit behind an illicit fundraising scheme that brought billions of losses for some 40,000 Chinese investors. Over a dozen defendants associated with Shi received sentences ranging from nine years to life imprisonment.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in September revoked registration of securities from Moregain Pictures Inc., a film production investment company controlled by Shi, citing its failure to file financial reports since March 2019.
US Donates 1.5 Million More COVID-19 Vaccines to Taiwan

The United States delivered an additional 1.5 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan, on top of the first 2.5 million doses in June.

Our donation reflects our commitment to Taiwan, a vibrant democracy, valued partner, and trusted friend, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said via Twitter on Sunday morning.

Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwans de facto ambassador to the United States received the vaccines on behalf of the government prior to their departure from Kentuckys Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, CNA reported. The new donation will arrive in Taiwan on Nov. 1 on a China Airlines plane, according to a Sunday announcement by the American Institute in Taiwan.

Upon the latest arrival, Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen expressed her gratitude on Twitter over the continued support from Washington, which proves the strength of our bilateral partnership, according to Tsai.

#Taiwan is deeply grateful to the US government for its latest donation of 1.5 million Moderna doses. Our friends in the US have to date provided Taiwan with a total of 4 million vaccine doses, demonstrating the strength of our bilateral partnership. pic.twitter.com/9wM8pt0nrK   Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) October 31, 2021

An unnamed Biden administration official told Reuters, Our vaccines do not come with strings attached and were not donated to secure favors or extract concessions. The remarks spotlighted Beijings attempt to strengthen its geopolitical clout around the globe through heavy-handed vaccine diplomacy, leveraging deals for Huawei 5G, for instance.

The Chinese communist regime, which has frequently claimed Taiwan as its own and vowed to take over with military force, accused any international support toward the island nation of interfering with its internal affairs.

Yet still, many countries have boosted relationships with the self-ruled democratic island by allocating vaccines to Taiwan amid domestic COVID-19 surges, including Japan, Lithuania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland.

Japan, a close neighbor of Taiwan, has made six donations to the island with a total of over 4.2 million vaccine doses, Taipei announced.

Like most countries with no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the United States has watched its rising tensions with Beijing with alarm. President Joe Bidens administration has vowed to boost ties with the island, which under U.S. law Washington is required to supply with the means of defense.

Tsai confirmed on Oct. 28 that for the first time in 40 years there are U.S. troops on Taiwanese soil, saying that shes confident that the United States would defend the self-ruled island if it were attacked by China.

I do have faith, given the long-term relationship that we have with the United States, she told CNN in an interview aired on Oct. 27.

On Oct. 31, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns about Beijings escalating military harassment toward Taiwan during a face-to-face meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Where Has Email Etiquette Gone?

Commentary

It is common knowledge that the email facility is both a wonderful invention and a disturbing nuisance. It offers a convenient way to communicate with people around the world effortlessly, but it can also serve as a tool to harass and humiliate the recipients of a message.

Christine Crandell, reporting on a 2015 Adobe Systems study, discloses that, on average, people spend 6.3 hours each day going through and responding to email messages.

She admits that the checking of email, which she describes as the most convenient form of social escapism, is an addiction that takes up a significant amount of peoples time.

It has become a burgeoning industry, the history of which only started in 1971.

The origins of email are controversial, with Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer, claiming that he invented email in 1971. However, V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai contradicted this claim by insisting that he created email as a teen genius in the late 1970s.

Be that as it may, I heard of email the very first time in the late 1980s when a colleague took me to the international airport of Sydney on my way to Europe.

The colleague, who had recently returned from an American sabbatical, told me that when American academics come to their office in the morning, they switch on their computer, and they would see all the messages which have been sent to them during the night. The term email was not used widely at that time.

A woman looks at her email on a computer screen in Washington on Nov. 23, 2010. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Considering that email has been around for a long time, it is amazing that even educated people cannot always use this facility in a civilised manner.

Indeed, it is sad to see that the Law Society of New South Wales should have to publish 10 rules for email etiquette.

The society recommends that to avoid an office e-war, it is necessary to:

Use a clear, professional subject line Proofread every email you send Write your email before entering the recipients email address Double check you have the correct recipient Ensure you CC all relevant recipients You dont always have to reply all Reply to your emails Include a signature block Use the appropriate level of formality Keep emails brief and to the point

Similarly, Inc. has published 15 email rules of etiquette, which in addition to those listed by the Law Society implore email users to leave humour out of their messages, to be aware of cultural differences, and the lack of confidentiality.

Nevertheless, even a cursory investigation into email etiquette reveals that email messages are often full of spelling errors, rules of punctuation are routinely disregarded, and the pursuit of professionalism in writing is noticeably lacking.

In this context, there are many email abuses that one could deplore; including the habit of failing to proofread messages, the annoying occurrence of using inappropriate abbreviations, for example R U OK, the spectacular deterioration in the art of writing letters, the inability or unwillingness of users to reply to all emails because it is inconvenient to reply to unwanted requests, and the abominable use of emails for purposes other than communication, for example, to humiliate or harm the intended recipients.

The ninth Law Society recommendationto use the appropriate level of formalitymerits further elaboration because it is reflective of societys level of civility.

Perceptive email users would have noticed that many email correspondents simply do not use a salutation anymore when drafting an email, and often they do no longer end their email message with an appropriate phrase, for example, Kind regards, and therefore would not start with Dear,.

Instead, they would merely contain an abrupt message, appropriately described as a blunt missile.

Some email users use the ubiquitous Hi which epitomises a willingness to connect with the recipient, but an unwillingness to be intimate.

There are those who use the unimaginative Good Morning or Good Afternoon salutation but are afraid to communicate any sense of closeness.

A person using a laptop on Aug. 6, 2013. (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

I often noticed that the absence of a salutation and an appropriate ending is not just a habit of many non-educated people, but also of people with advanced levels of education, and even friends or business acquaintances.

This is a truly disconcerting development for two reasons.

First, the absence of a salutation might indicate that the recipient is not worthy of a formal address. If so, the sender demonstrates a lack of respect.

Respect for other people is necessary to promote tolerance and to nurture their interest in valuing diversity.

Second, the absence of a salutation could indicate that the sender has no time for niceties and does not want to waste their time on the recipient. However, it is certainly indicative of the crassness promoted by societys email culture.

Thus, an appropriate level of formality is a measurable standard, which enables people to evaluate the health of civilised society.

It may also be a measure of civility if a recipient of an abusive or aggressive email were to reply, in a polite manner, with a return email that contains a salutation and an ending.

Such an approach is sure to disarm the sender of the aggressive message and defuses potentially dangerous situations, which otherwise might occur.

It may well be that disregard for the Law Societys ninth rule demonstrates the absence of emotional intelligence.

Psychologists Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer have described emotional intelligence as the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions.

They point out that, The emotionally intelligent person  attends to emotion in the path toward growth. Emotional intelligence involves self-regulation appreciative of the fact that temporarily hurt feelings or emotional restraint is often necessary in the service of a greater objective.

Of course, the email facility is here to stay. It can contribute to the maintenance of a stable, civil society and it facilitates communication among people.

The future will reveal whether this sentiment represents the expression of an expectation or a confident assertion of the present value of email.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Whitehalls main facade, facing the rising sun, is defined by six massive Doric columns that were typical of temples of Apollo. The design emulated a temple where the Muses of arts and literature reside. (Flagler Museum)

Whitehall: Where Muses of Literature and the Arts Reside

Larger than life: Art that inspires us through the ages

In 1883, Henry Morrison Flagler was charmed with his visit to Florida, and he imagined others would also find delight there. With that thought, five years later, he began construction of the first of many hotels in the state. To provide a path for others to enjoy the gifts of Florida, Flagler also established the Florida East Coast Railway leading deep into the state. After a significant over-sea engineering feat, eventually the railway reached all the way to Key West.

Due to his dedicated efforts, Flagler had a significant and lasting effect on establishing Florida as a holiday destination. Twenty years after that fortuitous first visit, he built his winter residence, Whitehall. His new home almost came as a reward, a place to enjoy the Florida he had helped create.

Whitehall was designed during the Gilded Age, a time of expansive technological development and cultural enrichment across America. It was influenced by the origins of Western civilization, that of Classical Greece and the Roman Empire. Whitehall was designed in Beaux-Arts style, which draws upon these periods. The partnership of architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings helped to advance the cultural heritage of the time. Whitehall was completed in 1902, the same year their design of the New York Public Library began construction.

Upon arriving in Whitehall, guests gaze in awe as they enter the Grand Hall. Looking upward into the lofty painted clouds, the Oracle of Delphi appears surrounded by the Muses of literature and the arts. The Muses aim to share the wisdom of Apollo, the Sun God, and by doing so, inspire and illuminate humanity. This grand arrival sets the tone for the rooms of Whitehall and their various uses and decorative details.

Knowledge of Western history, literature, and artplaying the role of imparting wisdom and broadening mindswas thought to be essential by those entrepreneurs who considered themselves leaders. They felt a responsibility to translate this gained wisdom into action, and thus Flagler and his contemporaries bore great influence on the men, women, and families of America.

Whitehall, then, provided an apt environment for this philosophy, with the Muses for inspiration, and rooms such as the Library, the Drawing Room, and the Dining Room offering spaces to learn, share insights, and strategize various projects.

To find out more about Whitehall, which is now the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, visit FlaglerMuseum.us.

The ornate cast-iron fence of Whitehall lines Palm Beach Street. (Sean Pavone/Shutterstock)

Located at Palm Beach Florida and sitting amid a Coconut Palm Grove, Whitehalls rear facade fronts onto Lake Worth, seen here at sunset. (Rich Andrews/CC BY-SA 4.0)

The two large marble urns greet guests and lead them to the massive bronze doors, which are imprinted with two lion heads. Lions are ancient symbols of the sun, representing Apollo, the sun god. (Flagler Museum)

The architecture is detailed with a refined cornice. Rosettes can be seen between the curved corbels. The terracotta roof tiles enliven the white and green palette of the surrounding landscape. (Flagler Museum)

The Grand Hall: The New York firm of Pottier & Stymus designed the interiors of Whitehall. The bold marble columns and ornate plaster moldings on the ceiling, highlighted with gold leaf, define the Grand Hall and welcome guests upon arrival. (Flagler Museum)

Designed in the style of the Italian Renaissance, the Library was a place for cultural enrichment. Portraits of great Americans such as George Washington line the walls to offer inspiration and to remind guests of the wisdom and virtues employed while forging America. Flagler received guests and business associates here. (Flagler Museum)

The Drawing Room is decorated in the Louis XVI style. The light tones and refined finishes create a harmonious atmosphere that was suitable for Henry Flaglers wife, Mary Lily, who would gather guests here for music and conversation. The painting on the piano lid is of Erato, the Muse of love poetry. (Flagler Museum)

The Flaglers would host large dinner parties that would often include prominent men from financial, literary, and legal circles. The Dining Room was designed in the French Renaissance style. The ceiling is cast plaster painted to look like wood. The fireplace mantle incorporates elaborately carved culinary touches such as shells, crabs, and fruit. (Flagler Museum)

Decorated in the Louis XV style, the Master Suite is adorned with gold-colored silk fabric, creating a nourishing haven that almost glows. (Flagler Museum)

The Kenan Pavillion was designed in the style of a 19th-century railway palace. It was an addition that came later, designed by the Smith Architecture Group. It officially opened in 2005.(Flagler Museum)

The Kenan Pavillion holds Henry Flaglers private Railcar No. 91. The railcar was built in 1886 for Flaglers personal use. Flagler traveled by this railcar at the completion of the Florida East Coast Railway from St. Augustine to Key West. (Flagler Museum)
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during a drive-in campaign rally with Democratic presidential-elect Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama at Belle Isle in Detroit, Mich., on Oct. 31, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Whitmer Vetoes Voter ID, Election Reform Bills, Says They Would Hurt Minority Voters

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday vetoed several bills aimed at tightening election security in the state, telling lawmakers the Republican-backed legislation would disenfranchise voters and disproportionally impact minority voters.

The billsSenate Bills 303 and 304, and House Bill 5007would have prohibited election officials from accepting donations, toughened in-person voter identification rules, required people to provide additional information on absentee ballot applications such as their drivers license number or state ID number, instead of only a signature.

The measures would have also banned the Secretary of States Office and township or city clerks from providing absentee ballot applications unless specifically requested by a voter, and removed a $10 fee to obtain or renew a state ID card.

These bills would disproportionately harm communities of color.  Non-white voters were about five times more likely to lack access to ID on election day than white voters, the Democratic governor wrote in a letter to lawmakers on Friday. Voter restrictions that produce such a racially disparate impact must never become law in this state.

All three bills passed the Legislature earlier in October, mainly along party-line votes. Republicans backing the measures argue they would boost election confidence.

Senate Elections Committee Chair, Sen. Ruth Johnson, a Republican, said in a statement that by vetoing the measures, the governor is rejecting nearly 80% of Michigan voters who support requiring every voter coming to the polls to present a government-issued ID to cast their ballotincluding over 58% of voters in her own party, citing a Detroit Regional Chamber poll conducted in May.

Critics of the measures have argued that it would make it harder to vote in the state.

These bills are out of step with what we know Michigan voters want, a voting system that works for everyone, said Sharon Dolente, senior adviser for Promote the Vote. Michigan law already requires voters to verify their identity prior to voting. These bills would impose a radically restrictive identity verification scheme rejected by 42 states.

A ballot committee, called Secure MI Vote, is currently circulating petitions that would allow the state Legislature to still enact similar changes in 2022 without Whitmers signatureguaranteed that the petitions receive roughly 340,000 valid signatures by the end of six months.

The governor may have vetoed this bill now, but once we finish this process, she will not be able to stop these changes, Jamie Roe, a spokesman for the GOP-backed ballot committee said in a statement.

The groups petition language was approved by the Michigan Board of Canvassers on Sept. 27, and it has been gathering signatures since then. The committees petition would prohibit private entities from donating money to election officials and would ban the Secretary of States Office and clerks from providing absentee ballot applications unless specifically requested by a voter, among other changessimilar to changes proposed by lawmakers in the vetoed bills.
Why Is the Constitution Not Democratic?

Commentary

Its hard not to notice that in the United States, political arguments frequently turn on questions that, in other democracies, nobody talks about. What are the powers of the legislature? What may the executive do? What can the states do without begging permission from the national government? Why cant an idea popular with the public become a law?

For these and other questions, the answer will always involve the American Constitution, a document more than two centuries old that has been amended (not counting the Bill of Rights) only 17 times. In the wake of the 2016 electionin which, not for the first time, a candidate who lost the popular election entered the White House anywaytalk about the Constitutions defects has become more insistent. Why cant America be more like other countries?

Do you worry about fracking? Boris Johnson was worried, so he banned it, because he is the Prime Minister of Great Britain and his party controls the House of Commons. He can do pretty much whatever he wants when he has a sufficient majority.

Think there are too many guns in town? Why cant we just ban them, like Britain and Australia do?

Do you think free health care for all is a good idea? The British Labour Party thought so, back in 1945, and only three years later, it became a reality.

These examples seem to suggest the problem. The United States appears to have a government that makes it very difficult to accomplish anything, while other countries seem much more able to make desired changeswith a minimum of fuss and bother.

On the other hand, several countries in Europeand we can temporarily include Great Britain in this categoryhave become alarmed at the way some people talk, especially about immigrants. The result: hate crime prosecutions in France, Great Britain, and elsewhere that show much less regard for freedom of speech than would be tolerated in the United States. In France, to take another example, no public school student may wear any article of clothing, or any jewelry, that indicates a religious affiliation. In the United States, this kind of interference with religious expression would be unthinkable, and would not survive a court challenge.

The American Constitution gives, and it takes away: it radically slows down the process of lawmaking, and it places major obstacles in the way of interfering with liberty. Congress shall make no lawso says the First Amendmentrespecting the establishment of religion or the free exercise thereof; nor may Congress interfere with the freedom of the press, speech, assembly, or petition. As the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once reminded us, No law means no law.

The Constitutions ability to slow down and even prevent actions or policies that might be popular has frustrated some Americans since the Founding era, and its easy to see why. The popular branch of the legislature, the House of Representatives, can have its will thwarted by a majority of the unrepresentative Senate. And assuming a bill gets past both the House and the Senate, it may be vetoed by the president and will die unless two-thirds of each house votes to override. Even if a bill makes it through all these hurdles, it may be challenged and struck down in the federal courts. Its a wonder we have any laws.

But, of course, we have a vast number of laws, too many, in fact. Despite the complexity of the legislative process, things do get done. Yet the popular impression is essentially correct: the passage of major pieces of legislation, especially when they aim at significant changes in the way we do things, is time-consuming and difficult. This is why so many gaze enviously across the Atlantic at the British Parliament, where legislative majorities can move mountains in a matter of weeks or even days.

The quaintness of the Constitution has proved a particular irritant to liberals, who, ever since the days of Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, have seen the Constitution as an 18th century relic in the modern worlda dinosaur, to use a favorite metaphor. This liberal critique identifies the Constitution as the source of what liberals believe to be wrong with the political and economic order that has grown up under its shelter. In Teddys day, the Constitution got in the way of confronting the trusts. In Franklin Roosevelts day, the Constitution impeded systematic economic reform. In our own time, the Electoral College has (for the second time in the new century) given us a president who lost the popular vote. The House of Representatives eventually impeached this presidentbut the unrepresentative Senate voted not to convict him.

Liberals criticize the anti-majoritarian framework of the Constitutionand it is unquestionably the case that the Constitution places impediments in the way of simple majority rule. This is a familiar story: each state has two senators, regardless of the states population; the Electoral College means that a popular vote majority is sometimes not enough to elect a president, especially if the majority is concentrated in fewer states; the Supreme Court can overturn popular legislation in the Congress and in the state legislatures. The Constitution creates a federal republic, where the national government is limited to a specific set of responsibilities, leaving the states free to adopt an array of policies on matters of public concern. This last quality sounds democratic, and one would think, therefore, that liberals would endorse it. But liberals have always had a tactical appreciation of federalism: they like it when states adopt liberal policies (California banned the sale of fur products), but not when states adopt policies that liberals oppose, especially if those policies are at odds with national public opinion (Alabamas strict anti-abortion law).

Finally, the Constitution can be amended only by a complex series of deliberations, first in the Congress, and then in the states, all of which require super-majorities in order to succeed: two-thirds in each house of Congress and three-fourths of the states.

Why does the Constitution place so many obstacles in the way of majority rule? To answer this question, it is necessary to go back to the beginning, and consult the seminal defense of the Constitution, The Federalist, whose principal authors were James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, writing as Publius. The understanding of human nature that Publius makes explicit underpins the anti-majoritarian components of the Constitution.

The Constitution was written to correct what appeared to be a failurethe Articles of Confederation, under which American politics had taken several ugly turns. It is impossible to read The Federalist without being struck by the anxiety that these failures provoked. In the very first number, Publius asks if it were really possible for societies of men  [to establish] good government from reflection and choice, or [were they] forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force. Americans, having won a glorious victory over Great Britain during the Revolution, were inclined to think too highly of themselves, and were reluctant to admit the failures of both the state governments and the weak national government under the Articles. Americans, the Framers believed, were capable of doing betterbut Americans were not saints, and The Federalist is unsparing in its description of human nature even under the best circumstances. America was blessed in many ways; the American population was far more experienced in the arts of self-government than any other people at the time, for example. And yet, even so, here is what Publius has to say, in Federalist 6, not just about people in general, but about Americans. Has it not on the contrary invariably been found that momentary passions, and immediate interest, have a more active and imperious control over human conduct than general or remote considerations of policy, utility or justice? Or in Federalist 10: The instability, injustice, and confusion introduced into the public councils, have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished. On the other hand, Publius also says (in Federalist 55) that there are other qualities in human nature which justify a certain portion of esteem and confidence. Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities in a higher degree than any other form.

Americans, like everyone else, were capable of being impulsive, passionate, short-sighted, selfish, and easily misled by flatterers and demagogues. They were also capable of better things. The trick in forming a government was to minimize the opportunities for mischief, while maximizing the opportunities for the exercise of virtue, or what Publius referred to as honorable determination. What this means institutionally is a limited government, with numerous obstacles placed in the way of impulsive and short-sighted behavior.

What was required at the Founding was a clear understanding of the failures of the Articles of Confederation and what those failures meant. They were failures of democracy, and it was in the states that the democratic impulse was the strongest. State legislatures, in particular, were too democratic, with small districts, short terms, and frequent elections. Executives were too weak, and courts lacked independencein many states, judges were elected. State governments interfered with their neighbors commerce, debased the currency, and failed to pay their debts. They passed too many laws and changed them too quickly. State legislatures acted impulsively and in ways contrary to their own long-term interests, and to the interests of the Union. These circumstances did not bode well for the future.

From the perspective of Publius and the members of the Convention, these failures revealed some of the weaknesses of popular governmentsome of the ills to which it is naturally susceptiblebut also suggested some of the remedies. The central problem with the states under the Articles was that their constitutional design was incapable of either controlling for the weaknesses of popular government or of taking advantage of its strengths. The strength of popular government is that it rests on a foundation of popular consent and popular participation. The weakness is that the energy and enthusiasm generated by a democratic society often could not be channeled in constructive ways. Channeling would mean finding ways to discipline human nature, so that human frailties are kept at bay and human virtues can flourish.

The Constitution aims, therefore, to create a government strong enough to achieve its ends, while controlling for the defects to which popular government is prone. It does not merely create a stronger national government; it creates a government that is popular. The Preamble announces this very clearly in its first sentence: We, the people establish this Constitution. But the government thus created, while popular, is not democratic, as that word was understood in 1787. It was not a government based on majority rule. In order to tame the worst impulses of human nature, a government must be shaped so that decisive action will require more than a majority, and more, in some cases, than a single session of the Congress.

To accomplish anything under this Constitution, it will be necessary to clear several hurdles.

First, many constraints are placed on the national government. It may not establish a religion; it may not restrict the freedom of the press or the freedom to speak. It cannot arbitrarily detain people without giving them an opportunity to challenge their detention in court. In general, the Congress may not do anything not expressly stated in the list of enumerated powers in Article I.

Second, the powers that are given to the Congress cannot always be exercised with only a majority vote, and never without an affirmative vote in both houses. The most important questionsthose involving an executive veto, a treaty, a constitutional amendment, or impeachmentall require super-majorities of either two-thirds or three-fourths of at least one of the two houses. And if a bill survives these legislative speed bumps, it still must receive the approval of the executive, whose veto can only be overturned by another supermajority. Almost everything the national government can do will require a great deal of thought, debate, and compromise. If the Constitution had a motto, it would be: Nothing important should be easy.

Third, much of what people understood by the word governing was not the business of the national government at all, but of the states. With few exceptions, the members of the Convention were determined to protect state governments, recognizing that the states already held the allegiance and the affections of the people, so that no new arrangement that ignored this reality could possibly succeed. In fact, there was near-universal agreement that the Constitution must be ratified by special conventions in at least nine of the thirteen statesmeaning that the Constitution would be established with the fullest possible measure of popular approval, short of unanimity.

What the states kept under the Constitution was referred to in the language of the day as the police powera term that includes law enforcement but also those powers that relate to the health, morals, and welfare of the people: including the still-familiar state (and local) responsibilities for education, family law, marriage and divorce, most matters relating to business, the prevention of vice, and such housekeeping responsibilities as roads, land use and zoning, trash collection, etc.

Taken together, these functions, should they be performed properly, would create a healthy atmosphere for the cultivation of local citizenship and civic virtue. No matter how well the national government performed its responsibility for national defense, or the regulation of interstate commerce, if life at the local level should become chaotic or debased, republican government could not survive.

Modern liberals might claim, in response to the Constitutions pessimistic view of human nature, that we have evolved beyond our ancestors, many of whom were elitists, aristocrats, and slaveowners. Look, they say, at the progress we have made since the bad old days of the 18th century.

Many are tempted by this view, but it is untenable. Pretending that human nature is not what Publius says it is requires ignoring the evidence of historyand not just ancient history. Who, looking at the horrors of the 20th century, could claim that human nature is an unmixed good? Ironically, some of the harshest critics of the anti-majoritarian elements of the Constitution will, in other venues, echo Hillary Clintons famous complaint about the basket of deplorables, describing many of their fellow citizens as racists, homophobes, and climate deniers. How can they pretend that they have no qualms about majority rule? Are they so confident that they are the majority, or that they will always be the majority? And can they really insist that no majority, even a temporary one, would ever dream of oppressing the minority if it had the chance to do so? If the critics of the Constitution were more introspective, they might find that they have more in common with Publius than they think.

The Framers view of human nature explains the anti-majoritarian elements that have earned for the Constitution the label undemocratic. To take one example, the Electoral College chooses the president. This method originated as a way of protecting federalismand it still does. Every state is important, especially in a close election. What this means in modern times is that no presidential candidate can afford merely to play to his basecandidates need to pay at least some attention to parts of the country that they might otherwise be tempted to ignore. Having to win a sufficient number of state elections requires a candidate to appreciate the regional diversity of the country and put together a tapestry of victories. This is a salutary arrangement, especially at a time when public opinion is so deeply polarized, because it forces candidates to create coalitions.

The Senate does something similar. To pass the Senate, a bill requires widespread support among senators from many kinds of states, and this necessity provides a counterweight to the House, which will normally express only the sentiment of the current majority. And given current population patterns, its possible to assemble a House majority out of a relatively small number of places.

All the constitutional restraints on majority rule are buttressed by the Supreme Court, whose constitutional responsibility is to say what the law means, especially the fundamental law of the Constitution. Any law that contravenes the language of the Constitution is necessarily void. This, too, is a feature of American constitutionalism that frequently frustrates one side or the other. It frustrated conservatives when the Court upheld the right to abortion; it frustrated liberals when the Court upheld the right legally to own a firearm in Chicago. The Supreme Courts authority presents a stark contrast with parliamentary systems such as Great Britain, where there is no fundamental law to constrain the legislative majority.

To those who envy Great Britain, we have a question. Are you sure that you know what the majority wants? We have been miseducated by modern polling to believe that this is a simple question, but there is much evidence, both historical and contemporary, to suggest that majorities are often ephemeral. It is easy to find out through polling what the majority believes at a given moment. But a stable majority emerges only through a process of deliberationthat is, people will often change their minds about what they think when they listen to other points of view or are presented with additional facts from those with a different perspective. (This happens on juries all the time.) In democratic politics, deliberation is not a solitary activity, and it is not the work of a moment. But given time, it can lead to permanent and substantial results.

For example, what did white Americans think about black Americans in, say, 1955? Given how segregated the country was back then, white Americans probably didnt think very much about black Americans at all, and no evidence exists that whites were deeply troubled by the racial segregation then pervasive in America, and not just in the South. A snapshot of majority opinion in 1955 would not be very reassuring. Yet think about how that fact changed: through the slow but steady influence of the civil rights movement, which made a powerful argument about human equality and the demands of the American idea. If you were around in those days, you remember the conversations about race that could not have happened without that movement. A majority was reconstructed before our eyes; the process was slow but lasting.

Something similar happened in Congress. As students of the period know, white Southern Democrats were determined to protect business as usual, at least in the South, and if possible, in the country. Their long seniority had given them important committee chairmanships, so long as Democrats held the majority, as they had in both houses for most of the time since the Depression. Overcoming their opposition to civil rights laws required the construction of a bipartisan majority in the House and in the Senate, and a lengthy debate about the importance of making the promise of equal rights a reality. It took timetoo much time, as critics often claimed. But when it was done, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 had the support of both parties and passed with overwhelming majorities in both houses.

As these examples indicate, much of what transpires in American politics is a result, not of the Constitution alone, but of the quality of leadership in the political class, and the quality of deliberation among citizens generally. Recall Publius in Federalist 55, quoted above: republican government presupposes the existence of certain virtues in a higher degree than is required for less popular forms of government. Therefore, the greatest error in thinking about the Constitution is to think of it as a machine that can run by itself, or as an operating manual. The Constitution is neither a machine nor a manual. It is a framework for government that encourages a particular kind of politicsbut it is not idiot-proof. At a minimum, it requires that those holding the levers of power respect the limitations that the Constitution imposesand not just rhetorically.

The Constitution requires the same discipline from citizens. Recall Publiuss reference to honorable determination. Citizens need to do more than simply demand things. They need to develop the wisdom to choose wisely. The Supreme Court may have the final say on what the Constitution and the laws mean, but every citizen, and every public servant, has an obligation to think constitutionally, and to reject ideas that violate constitutional norms, even when those ideas have popular support.

Who can deny that American political life needs improvement? But to paraphrase the Bard: the fault, dear readers, is not in our Constitution but in ourselves.

From RealClearWire

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Dennis Hale Follow Dennis Hale is a professor of political science at Boston College and the author of "The Jury in America: Triumph and Decline."
In this 2019 photo, barriers between the United States and Mexico where the border between the two countries meets the Pacific Ocean can be seen at Border Field State Park in San Diego, California. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Woman Dies Trying to Swim Around California-Mexican Border Barrier

A woman has died in an attempt to illegally enter the United States by swimming around the end of the barrier along the California-Mexican border, federal officials said.

Border patrol agents were notified just after 11:30 p.m. Friday that a group of possibly 70 people was trying to swim from Tijuana, Mexico into the United States at Border Field State Park in San Diego County, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

One responding agent found a single, unresponsive woman later believed to be from the same group of swimmers, officials said. The agent immediately performed CPR on the woman and called in emergency medical support, who arrived at the scene, continued medical aid, and declared her dead at about 12:30 a.m. The woman wasnt immediately identified.

Border Patrol said they worked with other federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and San Diego Fire Department, to search the area for any outstanding persons who might have been in distress. The agents ended up apprehending 36 adult Mexican nationals who had swum around the border barrier, including 13 people who were pulled from the water by the U.S. Coast Guard.

A view of the border fence separating the United States and Mexico from Border Field State Park, San Diego, on May 7, 2018. (Sophia Fang for The Epoch Times)

All 36 individuals were taken into custody and transported to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing, the agency said. It wasnt clear whether there were others who went missing or managed to return to Mexico.

The incident is linked to trafficking groups that take advantage of migrants, according to Aaron Heitke, the chief patrol agent of the San Diego Sector, which covers the western half of Californias border with Mexico.

This is yet another example of the ruthless tactics smuggling organizations use to bolster their power and profits, said Heitke. We will work tirelessly to pursue and bring to justice those responsible for this tragedy.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday issued a memo repealing the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which requires people seeking asylum at the southern border to wait in Mexico for their claims to be heard, even after admitting that the policy likely helped reduce illegal border crossings.

In the memo, Mayorkas said that while his department is still complying with a court order that the MPP must be reinstated after Texas and Missouri sued, he has conducted an analysis and determined that the protocol should be terminated.

In reaching this conclusion, I recognize that MPP likely contributed to reduced migratory flows. But it did so by imposing substantial and unjustifiable human costs on the individuals who were exposed to harm while waiting in Mexico, he said. The Biden-Harris Administration, by contrast, is pursuing a series of policies that disincentivize irregular migration while incentivizing safe, orderly, and humane pathways.
HARTFORD  Playwright Eugene ONeill did not write comedies. His main characters did not live happily ever after. There were no scenes of joyful family get-togethers.

His creations suffered long and hard into the night. The exception is his definitely different take on the Miller family in his one and only comic turn Ah, Wilderness!, a coming-of-age story at the turn of the century America that premiered on Broadway in 1933.

On the Fourth of July 1906, we meet the Millers and their precocious middle son Richard, who, at 16, is experiencing growth pains and exploring controversial social ideas. Is he dealing with youthful idealism or is he truly a rebel bent on rebellion?

Thought to be modeled after ONeill himself, the play, written in a single month, examines a world quite different from his usual milieu. Here Richard, despite his wild actions as a would be poet, is part of a loving family who care for him deeply, and are willing and able to pull him back from the cliff he seems ready to plunge over.

The Hartford Stage is anxious for you to experience live theater again with Eugene ONeills comedy Ah Wilderness! postponed from the 2019-20 season. Until Sunday, you are invited to take a seat in James Noones delightfully detailed summer house in New London to celebrate Independence Day.

Richard, a free-thinking and philosophical Jaevon Williams, is ready to take on love and poetry as his unalienable rights. His father Nate, a concerned Michael Boatman, and his mother, a protective Antoinette LaVecchia, are notably concerned when their middle son shows signs of teenage mutiny.

Who can blame Richard when he receives a letter of farewell from his new love Muriel (Brittany Anikka Liu), delivered personally by her irate father (Joseph Adams)? He is informed his fancy ideas and poetic outbursts are to stop immediately.

What is a poor lad to do? With innocence on Richards side and indiscretion from an instigating friend Wint (Tanner Jones), Richard plows straight into trouble and has to be rescued from his worst enemy  himself.

Heaven forbid he takes to alcohol like his Uncle Sid (McCaleb Burnett), who has been a disappointment to Lily (Natascia Diaz), who has been waiting in vain for Sid to reform.

Additional members of this talented cast include Katerina McCrimmon, Myles Low, Stuart Rider, Antonio Jose Jeffries and Annie Jean Buckley.

Artistic director Melia Bensussen has heightened the plays enjoyment by sprinkling music in the production played by pianist Yan Li, and sung by various cast members, with period costumes designed by Olivera Gajic.

For tickets ($30 and up), call the Hartford Stage, 50 Church St., Hartford, at 860-527-5151 or go online at HartfordStage.org. Performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees at 2 p.m Saturday and Sunday, with select weekday matinees at 2 p.m.

Remember your vaccination cards and masks.

Settle back for a kinder, gentler world where one rebellious teen finds his way to adulthood, with old-fashioned charm laced with nostalgia.
The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 5 million on Monday, less than two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems.

Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil  all upper-middle- or high-income countries  account for one-eighth of the worlds population but nearly half of all reported deaths. The U.S. alone has recorded over 745,000 lives lost, more than any other nation.

This is a defining moment in our lifetime, said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health. What do we have to do to protect ourselves so we dont get to another 5 million?

The death toll, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the populations of Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. It rivals the number of people killed in battles among nations since 1950, according to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Globally, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke.

The staggering figure is almost certainly an undercount because of limited testing and people dying at home without medical attention, especially in poor parts of the world, such as India.

Hot spots have shifted over the 22 months since the outbreak began, turning different places on the world map red. Now, the virus is pummeling Russia, Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe, especially where rumors, misinformation and distrust in government have hobbled vaccination efforts. In Ukraine, only 17% of the adult population is fully vaccinated; in Armenia, only 7%.

Whats uniquely different about this pandemic is it hit hardest the high-resource countries, said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of ICAP, a global health center at Columbia University. Thats the irony of COVID-19.

Wealthier nations with longer life expectancies have larger proportions of older people, cancer survivors and nursing home residents, all of whom are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, El-Sadr noted. Poorer countries tend to have larger shares of children, teens and young adults, who are less likely to fall seriously ill from the coronavirus.

India, despite its terrifying delta surge that peaked in early May, now has a much lower reported daily death rate than wealthier Russia, the U.S. or Britain, though there is uncertainty around its figures.

The seeming disconnect between wealth and health is a paradox that disease experts will be pondering for years. But the pattern that is seen on the grand scale, when nations are compared, is different when examined at closer range. Within each wealthy country, when deaths and infections are mapped, poorer neighborhoods are hit hardest.

In the U.S., for example, COVID-19 has taken an outsize toll on Black and Hispanic people, who are more likely than white people to live in poverty and have less access to health care.

When we get out our microscopes, we see that within countries, the most vulnerable have suffered most, Ko said.

Wealth has also played a role in the global vaccination drive, with rich countries accused of locking up supplies. The U.S. and others are already dispensing booster shots at a time when millions across Africa havent received a single dose, though the rich countries are also shipping hundreds of millions of shots to the rest of the world.

Africa remains the worlds least vaccinated region, with just 5% of the population of 1.3 billion people fully covered.

This devastating milestone reminds us that we are failing much of the world, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a written statement. This is a global shame.

In Kampala, Uganda, Cissy Kagaba lost her 62-year-old mother on Christmas Day and her 76-year-old father days later.

Christmas will never be the same for me, said Kagaba, an anti-corruption activist in the East African country that has been through multiple lockdowns against the virus and where a curfew remains in place.

The pandemic has united the globe in grief and pushed survivors to the breaking point.

Who else is there now? The responsibility is on me. COVID has changed my life, said 32-year-old Reena Kesarwani, a mother of two boys, who was left to manage her late husbands modest hardware store in a village in India.

Her husband, Anand Babu Kesarwani, died at 38 during India's crushing coronavirus surge earlier this year. It overwhelmed one of the most chronically underfunded public health systems in the world and killed tens of thousands as hospitals ran out of oxygen and medicine.

In Bergamo, Italy, once the site of the Wests first deadly wave, 51-year-old Fabrizio Fidanza was deprived of a final farewell as his 86-year-old father lay dying in the hospital. He is still trying to come to terms with the loss more than a year later.

For the last month, I never saw him, Fidanza said during a visit to his father's grave. It was the worst moment. But coming here every week, helps me.

Today, 92% of Bergamos eligible population have had at least one shot, the highest vaccination rate in Italy. The chief of medicine at Pope John XXIII Hospital, Dr. Stefano Fagiuoli, said he believes thats a clear result of the citys collective trauma, when the wail of ambulances was constant.

In Lake City, Florida, LaTasha Graham, 38, still gets mail almost daily for her 17-year-old daughter, JoKeria, who died of COVID-19 in August, days before starting her senior year of high school. The teen, who was buried in her cap and gown, wanted to be a trauma surgeon.

I know that she would have made it. I know that she would have been where she wanted to go, her mother said.

In Rio de Janeiro, Erika Machado scanned the list of names engraved on a long, undulating sculpture of oxidized steel that stands in Penitencia cemetery as an homage to some of Brazils COVID-19 victims. Then she found him: Wagner Machado, her father.

My dad was the love of my life, my best friend, said Machado, 40, a saleswoman who traveled from Sao Paulo to see her fathers name. He was everything to me.

___

AP journalists Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chhitpalgarh, India; Cara Anna in Nairobi, Kenya; Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda; Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Colleen Barry in Bergamo, Italy; and Diane Jeantet in Rio de Janeiro contributed.
A movement to divest from fossil fuel is gaining support among foundations as activists push for funding to be shifted away from coal, oil and natural gas.

The call from activists to the charitable world is simple: Ditch fossil fuels and direct your investments into climate-friendly companies and funds.

The worldwide divestment campaign has sought commitments from universities, corporations and other entities. Now, two of the biggest names in philanthropy  the Ford and MacArthur foundations  are reorienting their investments away from fossil fuels, a move that leaders of the divestment movement hope will prove to be a tipping point for the charitable world.

Were calling on governments and corporations to act on climate aggressively and commensurate with the science, said Ellen Dorsey, executive director of the Wallace Global Fund and a leader in Divest-Invest Philanthropy, which is pushing the philanthropic community to dump its fossil fuel investments. Why arent we asking ourselves if were doing that?

The announcements from Ford and MacArthur came in the lead-up to the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, where activists, policymakers and scientists are pushing for far-reaching action on climate change. Both foundations are joining nearly 200 charitable organizations and firms that manage investments for wealthy families that have committed to divest, according to Divest-Invest Philanthropy.

Im glad that we were able to finally reconcile our financial imperative with our moral imperative as a foundation, Darren Walker, president of The Ford Foundation, told The Associated Press.

About $1 trillion is sitting in endowments of private foundations, which are required to pay out only 5% of their assets annually. The rest is invested for growth. Traditionally, the two sides of their operations have been seen as separate: Grants were given to advance the foundations' mission. The foundations' money managers, meantime, sought high investment returns to maintain their organizations' financial health.

But in recent years, activists have argued that it's hypocritical for some foundations to fund initiatives that address climate change while potentially investing in fossil fuel-related companies. According to the ClimateWorks Foundation, global philanthropic funding for climate change mitigation totaled $6 to $10 billion in 2020, less than 2% of overall giving.

Critics of divestment counter that such changes could hurt investment returns and hinder foundations from maintaining their endowment size  thereby damaging what they set out to achieve. Ivo Welch, a finance professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, argues that foundations that divest won't have much impact on the market and could even lose whatever leverage they might have with fossil fuel companies.

I think its primarily a public relations exercise, Welch said. Lets presume we really could bring fossil fuel companies to their knees, and they would be bankrupt now. The world would be in utter collapse. They cannot possibly want that.

That said, many foundations see their shift away from fossil fuels as part of a broader effort to integrate the philosophies behind their donations with their investments.

It was long overdue, Walker said. I dont think The Ford Foundation deserves to be congratulated for doing the right thing.

The Ford Foundation, which has $16 billion in assets, said in a statement last month that only 0.3% of its endowment is directly invested in fossil fuel-related companies. It said it has made no such investments since 2013 and won't do so anymore.

Instead, the foundation says, it will invest in funds that address the threat of climate change, and support the transition to a green economy. Within five years, Walker said, the organization will also wind down its indirect investments in fossil fuels through partnerships with private equity funds.

For outside observers, its often been difficult to determine where Ford and some other foundations have been directing their investments. Some have been transparent about where their investments are landing. Others provide little information apart from how many assets they hold in various investment categories.

John Seitz, a former Wall Street portfolio manager who runs FoundationMark, which tracks investment performances of private foundations, noted that foundations are limited in what they can share if theyve invested in entities, like hedge funds, that are not typically transparent.

The Ford Foundations 990 forms, which it must file annually with the IRS, dont provide a clear picture of where its investments are landing. Walker says many of Ford's investments are in private equity and hedge funds rather than directly in companies. He says the foundation will seek to be more specific about funds it invests in.

Another factor in the lack of transparency among foundations, Seitz suggested, is the desire to avoid outside scrutiny.

It tends to create a lot of headaches, Seitz said. Because youre just going to be questioned on every move you make.

The AP reached out to a handful of sizable foundations that haven't made a pledge to divest. Spokespeople for three of them said they were reviewing their investment strategy. One didn't reply to an email seeking comment. Two others declined to speak on the matter.

The MacArthur Foundation, an $8 billion organization known for its genius grants, pledged two years ago to halt new investments in oil and gas. It went further in September, saying it would switch to U.S. index funds that exclude fossil fuel companies. And it's aiming to change its global index funds to do the same within a year.

John Palfrey, the foundation's president, didnt specify how much money is involved but said the move was in the billions.

Our goal is to be on a pathway to have zero fossil fuel-related companies in our portfolio over time, he said.

Palfrey says the foundation had been working for a couple of years to divest more of its portfolio from fossil fuels. Recently, it chose to announce its plans partly to add momentum to the effort to address climate change at the U.N's climate conference.

Last month, the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its $3 billion endowment by 2050.

Some other foundations have been quietly shifting investments away from fossil fuels.

Don Chen, president of the Surdna Foundation, which has about $1 billion in assets, says the foundation has been reducing its investments in fossil fuels over the past decade and plans to phase out more in coming years.

I do recognize the importance of using our public platform, profile and also our influence to be able to join the chorus of folks who are really trying to do more with our endowment assets, Chen said.

___

AP journalist Emma H. Tobin contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
NORWALK  A new name and a new museum await visitors to Historic Rowayton, formerly the Rowayton Historical Society.

We wanted the name to reflect a broader purpose that of preserving and sharing the history of our town, our city, and our region in a 21st century way, said Wendell Livingston, president of Historic Rowayton.

The organization celebrated its name change with the opening of its newest facility, the Frank E. Raymond Maritime Museum and Boathouse. The boathouse has sat on the property in Pinkney Park since 1992, but major renovations over the last three years have brought in more light and space to properly display artifacts.

Plans to convert the boathouse into a maritime museum began in 2018. The group applied for grants and looked for support from other groups. Then in 2019, state Sen. Bob Duff secured a $37,500 urban grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development to help complete the project.

Rowayton Historical Society had told me about renovating the building and making it a maritime museum to showcase our wonderful history that we have in the area. I thought it was a great idea, Duff said.

Livingston added, The grant was extremely helpful in getting the boathouse completed.

The goal was to open the museum in 2020, but the pandemic delayed those plans. Historic Rowayton finally held a ribbon cutting for the new space earlier this month with Mayor Harry Rilling performing the honor alongside Livingston, vice president and curator Lesley Korzennik, board of trustees members and community guests.

The Raymond Boathouse has served many purposes over its 160-year lifespan, including one as a hamburger joint. Now a museum, the exhibits and artifacts within highlight the Norwalk neighborhoods relationship to the Long Island Sound.

We have this collection in here from the old timers that was idiosyncratic. There was a lot of stuff, but it didnt really tell a story, Korzennik said. Its a story of people and their interaction with the Long Island Sound ... and how the Sound has been changed over the millennia by people, and how people have been affected by living here is what we want to portray.

Four window displays feature the ecology of the Sound and the Five Mile River, the Native Americans who once inhabited the area, the early oyster businesses of Rowayton, and an examination and outlook of the Sounds ecosystem currently.

In and above the displays are reproductions of the WPA murals that hang in Norwalk City Hall. Hanging on the walls and in pull-out drawers in the small back room, visitors can see many tools formerly used in the oyster trade and the boating industry.

The panels on a large, mobile grid display in the middle of the museum can pop out, allowing for different information to be displayed. It currently features Rowayton families that operated the earliest and most successful oyster businesses in the area.

What were lucky to have here at the historical society is a real continuous history of the people who lived here. That is really the story that were telling, Korzennik said.

Renovations to the building included the installation of heating and air conditioning, allowing Historic Rowayton to keep it open year-round for programs, lectures and tours for school groups, businesses and other community organizations.

Its a dream come true, Livingston said of opening the museum. Were already getting so many emails of people who want to come back. Rowayton School is already working on a field trip.

The museum is open on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. or by appointment. General admission is $5 or free for Historic Rowayton members.

emily.morgan@hearstmediact.com
DJ Simmons / Hearst Connecticut Media

WESTPORT  An individual on a boat rescued a wind surfer in distress on the Long Island Sound on Friday, according to fire officials.

Around 6:15 p.m. Friday, police got reports of residents seeing a wind surfer struggling to get back to shore and being swept away from Compo Beach because of the high winds and surf, Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Gootman said.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Fireworks boomed as visitors at Shanghai Disneyland waited for COVID-19 test results, surrounded by health care workers dressed from head to toe in white protective suits.

Shanghai Disneyland announced suddenly Sunday evening that it was no longer accepting any new visitors and was cooperating with an epidemiological investigation from another province. They then locked down the park as Shanghai city healthcare workers and police rushed to conduct a mass testing of the visitors already inside.

After testing everyone, the park will remain shut on Monday and Tuesday as it continues to cooperate with pandemic prevention efforts, Shanghai Disneyland said in a statement Monday.

The park's sudden lockdown and temporary closure underscored just how serious China is about enforcing its zero-tolerance pandemic prevention strategy.

Globally, many countries have turned to living with the virus, whether out of choice or necessity, although as virus surges come and go, many face overburdened health care systems and additional deaths.

In China, which has kept its borders sealed since March 2020, the response has been to cut the chain of transmission of the virus as quickly as possible. With a strict quarantine-on-arrival policy, the authorities have aimed to stamp out each local outbreak to zero  helping China keep its reported totals to 4,636 deaths and 97,243 cases since the pandemic began.

The case that may have prompted Disneyland's actions involved one person whose illness was discovered in the nearby city of Hangzhou and had visited the theme park on Saturday, local media reported.

For hours on Sunday night, tens of thousands of families and visitors were stuck in the park as they waited for a negative test result that would allow them to leave.

The city announced Monday morning that all 33,863 people who had been at the park over the weekend had tested negative for COVID-19. They will be asked to get tested again and their health will be monitored.

One Disney fan, who gave her family name as Chen, said she was inside the park when she heard an announcement at 5 p.m. that everyone must get tested.

No one complained, and everyone behaved really well, Chen said. She said she holds an annual membership and visits the park at least once a month. She is waiting at a hotel for her second COVID-19 test before she can go back to Beijing.

Shanghai Disneyland is just the latest example of how far Chinese authorities will go to stop the spread of the virus.

Last Thursday, Beijing Railway authorities told health authorities in Jinan to stop a train that was traveling from Shanghai to Beijing because one passenger was a close contact of someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Jinan health authorities then sent health care workers, transportation workers and police rushing to the station to quarantine the passengers and disinfect the train. They sent 212 people into centralized quarantine, including the close contact.

___

Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.

___

This story corrects that Chen is waiting for her second test, not her second test result.
EDWARDSVILLE  The annual Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce Halloween Parade was back in full force Sunday.

The parade was canceled last year because of rising COVID-19 cases in the region.

Families lined the sidewalks in downtown Edwardsville Sunday dressed in costumes, ready to trick-or-treat and receive free candy during the brisk fall evening. Though masquerade costumes were not frequent among paradegoers, parade participants embraced the theme of this years event. Crowds resembled a not-too-distant past before the pandemic impacted social outings.

The current Illinois mask mandate says masks are to be worn indoors in any public place.

This is a great opportunity to showcase our local businesses and organizations in a family-friendly environment, President and CEO of the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce Desiree Bennyhoff said Sunday before the parade.

Prior to the parade, some businesses gave out food while others stayed inside to grab warm drinks like hot chocolate.

Once the parade began, kids were unable to hide their excitement as they flocked to piles of candy being thrown from the floats.

The Edwardsville Police Department works with the Chamber for the event, patrolling the streets to keep everyone at a safe distance from the floats.

I want to give a special thanks to Lt. Chris Byrne, Bennyhoff said. He is wonderful to work with and ensures coordination between police and public works staff, which makes for a smooth and safe event.

Both Edwardsville and Glen Carbon police departments started the parade, which was followed by roars from the crowd led by Edwardsville Mayor Art Risavy and Glen Carbon Mayor Bob Marcus.

One of the larger floats of the evening came from the Hawthorne Animal Hospital, which had an oversized cutout of black cats with 65 on them to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the hospitals founding.

In total, the parade featured 72 floats and participants.

On Saturday, Edwardsville Parks and Recreation Departments Halloween Party in the Park also drew community members. The activity occurred prior to trick-or-treating downtown and around neighborhoods.

Voting for the fan favorite float begins at noon on Monday on the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Facebook page. Float winners will be announced on The Intelligencers website Monday.
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That release could not be found.
By-election brings extra alcohol ban to Tambon Thepkrasattri

PHUKET: Residents in Tambon Thepkrasattri, in central Phuket, will be subjected to an alcohol ban early next month as they go to the polls to elect a new mayor.

politicsalcohol

By The Phuket News

Monday 1 November 2021, 03:56PM

The municipal by-election in Tambon Thepkrasattri will be held on Dec 4. Image: PEC

The office of Thepkrasattri Mayor became vacant after Prasong Trairat resigned, after he was elected to office on Mar 28, the Phuket office of the Election Commission of Thailand has confirmed (PEC).

The by-election will be held on Dec 4. The polls will be open from 8am to 5pm.

In accordance with election law, a ban on the sale of alcohol will be in effect in the area administrated by Thepkrasattri Municipality from 6pm the night before the election through to 6pm the day of the election.

According to the PEC, three candidates have registered to contest the position of Thepkrasattri Mayor, but has yet to confirm their names.

However, already announced as registered in the race for Thepkrasattri Mayor are Mr Prasongs sister, Siricharat Trairat, and Manoch Chotiworananon.

Ms Siricharat has been allocated No 1 on the ballot, and is campaigning with her New Power team, advocating policies of creating opportunities for the new generation, developing the hometown, and creating jobs for local villagers.

Mr Manoch has been allocated No 2 on the ballot, and with his We Can Sustain team aims to focus on honesty and transparency, and to develop and strengthen the local economy through sustainable local development.

Residents in the adjoining area administered by Thepkrasattri Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor) will be subjected to an alcohol ban of their own as they go to the polls to elect a new OrBorTor chief and council on Nov 28.

All OrBorTor in the country go to the polls on Nov 28, with residents in Cherng Talay, Kamala, Koh Kaew, Mai Khao, Sakhu and Thepkrasattri casting their votes on that day.

An alcohol ban will be in effect in all OrBorTor election areas from 6pm Nov 27 through to 6pm Nov 28.
Drive to keep illegal migrants out

BANGKOK: More than 30,000 illegal migrants have been deported since the beginning of the year with the numbers rising ahead of the countrys reopening today (Nov 1), the Defence Ministry said yesterday.

immigrationCOVID-19Myanmar

By Bangkok Post

Monday 1 November 2021, 08:37AM

Illegal Myanmar migrants captured at the border. The Defence Ministry warns any state official found to be involved in human trafficking will face severe punishment. Photo: Royal Thai Army

Security authorities are stepping up efforts along the border to fend off illegal entry and other illegal transborder activities including drug trafficking, said Lt Gen Kongcheep Tantravanich, the ministrys spokesman. The military is working with police and local authorities to suppress these activities, he said.

Employers are also being encouraged to cooperate by not hiring illegal migrant workers who may not have been tested for COVID-19 and carry the risk of causing more outbreaks, he said.

In past months, businesses had ordered workers from labour brokers, some of whom smuggle in unregistered workers from neighbouring countries, reports the Bangkok Post.

State officials have allegedly been involved in these human trafficking activities and intelligence authorities are tracking them to establish a link with the human trafficking rings, he said. Most of the 30,343 illegal migrants detained were caught along the Thai-Myanmar and Thai-Cambodian borders, especially in Chiang Mai, Tak, Kanchanaburi and Chanthaburi, he said.

In Tak province yesterday, soldiers from a special operation unit of Naresuan Task Force and Mae Sot district police raided a resort in tambon Tha Sai Luat of Mae Sot and detained 31 illegal Myanmar migrant workers, said a source.

Another 45 illegal Myanmar workers were detained along with five smugglers in a crackdown carried out along a natural trail near the Thai-Myanmar border in Muang district of Prachuap Khiri Khan.

These migrant workers have been then sent to a local border police unit for COVID-19 testing.
Phuket expects 1mn arrivals in first quarter

BANGKOK: Phuket tourism operators expect the countrys reopening to help build momentum for 1 million international arrivals in the first quarter of next year.

tourismCOVID-19

By Bangkok Post

Monday 1 November 2021, 09:09AM

Tourists enjoy a stroll along Patong Beach in Phuket, as tourism starts to pick up for the upcoming high season. Photo: Dusida Worrachaddejchai / Bangkok Post

Bookings in November increased by 20%, while the load factor for some international flights will also rise to 80% thanks to fewer travel rules for low-risk countries and the winter season, said Bhummikitti Raktaengam, President of the Phuket Tourist Association, reports the Bangkok Post.

At present, 825 international flights from 17 airlines are scheduled to arrive in Phuket in November, compared with 562 flights from 11 airlines in October.

Under the regulations of the certificate of entry (CoE), which is still the active system for tourists while the Thailand Pass is not yet ready, guests can make reservations up to 30 days in advance. Thus the occupancy rate this month could gradually improve to 25-30% from 18-20% in October, before increasing to 35% in December.

However, Mr Bhummikitti said room rates had returned to 60% of pre-pandemic prices during year-end holidays, which is lower than destinations like Bangkok and northern provinces, which have more of a balanced supply and demand.

Assuming the overseas viral situation remains under control during winter, while most Phuket residents receive booster doses, the holiday island predicts it will welcome 1mn travellers, or 40% of the 3mn seen in the first quarter of 2019.

Russia and India are potential markets which operators must largely do without until they are added to the list of low-risk countries. (*Note: India was added yesterday, click here.)

Mr Bhummikitti said that even though Russia has recently seen spiking caseloads, Phuket has confidence in its safety protocols, with only 0.3% of arrivals testing positive for the virus over the past four months.

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew said the province has prepared the public health system for the worst-case scenario as the number of available beds remains at 60%, while the vaccination rate for booster jabs has surpassed 50% of the population.

Meanwhile, La-Iad Bungsrithong, president of the Thai Hotels Associations northern chapter, said the occupancy rate for Chiang Mai in October was 40% in the city and 60% on the outskirts.

The occupancy rates are expected to grow by 15-20% in the last two months of the year, mainly driven by the domestic market.

However, forward bookings from international guests have not yet materialised in great numbers as tourists are waiting for the Thailand Pass system  a simpler entry registration  to be activated. (The system was announced to launch today, Nov 1)

Mrs La-Iad said South Koreas Jeju Air wanted to conduct chartered flights in November, while regular Korean Air flights to Chiang Mai are scheduled from Dec 25, with two flights per week.
Phukets first Test & Go tourists arrive

PHUKET: The first tourists to arrive on the island under the new Test & Go scheme landed at Phuket International Airport this morning (Nov 1).

tourismCOVID-19economics

By The Phuket News

Monday 1 November 2021, 12:03PM

A total of 229 foreign tourists arrived on Edelweiss Airlines Flight WK050 from Zurich, touching down at 8am, reported AoT Phuket.

Present to welcome the tourists at Gate 11 of the international terminal were staff from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office and airline staff.

Edelweiss Airlines will operate eight more direct flights from Zurich to Phuket this month, with another nine flights next month and again thereafter through May next year.

Under the Test & Go tourist-arrival scheme, which comes into effect today (Nov 1), the tourists must spend one night at a SHA+ accommodation venue while waiting for their RT-PCR COVID test results.

If they test negative, they will be free to travel anywhere in Thailand for the duration of their stay.

See also:

Test & Go no quarantine countries expanded from 46 to 63 (click here)
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 35F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 35F. Winds light and variable.
Today

Rain showers this morning with some sunshine during the afternoon hours. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 46F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low near 25F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 48F. Winds light and variable.
A U.S. taxpayer living abroad was not entitled to take a foreign tax credit against her net investment income tax based on provisions in the United States-France and United States-Italy tax treaties.

Background

Catherine Toulouse is a U.S. citizen who resides outside the United States. For the 2013 tax year, she timely filed Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, filing married filing separately. On page 2 of Form 1040, she reported tax of $63,632 and claimed a foreign tax credit of $63,632. On Form 1116, Foreign Tax Credit, she reported that she had paid $51,456 in tax to Italy and France for 2013, as well as a carryover of foreign tax credits of approximately $340,000.

Toulouse had net investment income for 2013. With her 2013 return, she included Form 8960, Net Investment Income Tax  Individuals, Estates, and Trusts, reporting net investment income tax of $11,540 on line 17 of Form 8960. Apparently, Toulouse was aware that, in general, the IRS's position was that a taxpayer could not offset her net investment income tax with a foreign tax credit. However, she (as described below) believed she could, and added two new lines to the bottom of Form 8960 to do so. She labeled the first added line "Less: Foreign Tax Credit" and entered $11,540. She labeled the second added line "Net Investment Income Tax Due" and entered an amount of zero. She did not transfer the $11,540 net investment income tax from line Form 8960, line 17, to Form 1040, line 60, as taxpayers are told to do by the instructions on line 17.

To explain her offset of the net investment tax with a foreign tax credit and her unsanctioned modifications to Form 8960, she included with her return two Forms 8833, Treaty-Based Return Position Disclosure Under Section 6114 or 7701(b), disclosing that she used the foreign tax credit carryover to offset the net investment income tax. She also attached Form 8275, Disclosure Statement, which explained in detail her position that Article 24(2)(a) of the U.S. income tax treaty with France (the Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion With Respect to Taxes on Income and Capital (Aug. 31, 1994), as supplemented by protocols dated Dec. 8, 2004, and Jan. 13, 2009 (U.S.-France Treaty)) and Article 23(2)(a) of the U.S. income tax treaty with Italy (the Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation With Respect to Taxes on Income and the Prevention of Fraud or Fiscal Evasion (Aug. 25, 1999), as supplemented by a protocol dated Aug. 25, 1999 (U.S.-Italy Treaty)) permit a foreign tax credit against the net investment income tax.

The IRS did not agree that she could take the foreign tax credit against her net investment income tax. However, probably due to her modification of Form 8960, instead of immediately challenging the $11,540 foreign tax credit she took on Form 8960, the IRS sent her on Feb. 16, 2015, a notice of a math error informing her of an $11,540 adjustment to her 2013 return. On the same day, the IRS assessed tax of $11,540 pursuant to Sec. 6213(b).

Toulouse did not pay the assessed amount. She sent a letter to contest the assessment, asserting that no math error occurred and a foreign tax credit offset her liability for the net investment income tax. The IRS replied by telling her that, despite its earlier notice claiming a math error, her foreign tax credit of $11,540 had been disallowed because a foreign tax credit cannot be taken against the net investment income tax.

Toulouse filed a written protest with the IRS Appeals Office (Appeals). After a conference, Appeals sent her a letter stating that she was not entitled to a foreign tax credit against the net investment income tax and that it treated her protest as a claim for a refund.

In 2018, the IRS assessed an addition to tax under Sec. 6651(a)(2) of $2,885 against Toulouse for 2013 for a failure to pay tax shown on a return. Later that year, it issued her a final notice of intent to levy and notice of a right to a hearing and a notice of a federal tax lien filing and right to a hearing for the unpaid, assessed tax and the addition to tax.

Toulouse, undaunted, timely requested a CDP hearing with respect to both notices and challenged her underlying liability for the net investment income tax. She again asserted that the foreign tax credit provided under Article 24(2)(a) of the U.S.-France tax treaty and Article 23(2)(a) of the U.S.-Italy tax treaty fully offset her net investment income tax and objected to the lack of issuance of a notice of deficiency. She did not propose any collection alternatives.

After a CDP hearing was held, the IRS issued a notice of determination that sustained the proposed levy action but not the filing of the federal tax lien. The notice stated that the IRS settlement officer determined that Toulouse was not entitled to a foreign tax credit against the net investment income tax. Toulouse then took her fight to the Tax Court.

In Tax Court, Toulouse, while conceding that the Code does not provide a foreign tax credit against the net investment income tax, continued to argue that the U.S.-France and U.S.-Italy tax treaties provide a foreign tax credit independent of the Code. The IRS made a motion for summary judgment on the point.

The Tax Court's decision

The Tax Court held that Toulouse was not entitled to take a foreign tax credit against the Sec. 1411 net investment income tax under either the U.S.-France or the U.S.-Italy tax treaty and granted the IRS's motion for summary judgment.

The Tax Court explained that treaties are given the same force and effect as legislation enacted by Congress and that under Sec. 894(a)(1), "[t]he provisions of this title shall be applied to any taxpayer with due regard to any treaty obligation of the United States which applies to such taxpayer." Courts generally construe a treaty liberally to give effect to the purpose of the treaty, and where a treaty and a statute relate to the same subject, they attempt to construe the treaty and statute to give effect to both. The intent of both the U.S.-France and U.S.-Italy tax treaties is to limit the effects of double taxation, and they contain provisions that govern each country's obligations to grant a foreign tax credit to fulfill this general goal.

However, the Tax Court, after reviewing the applicable provisions of the two treaties, found that "the plain text of the treaty provisions on which [Toulouse] relies subject the terms of the Treaties, and thus any allowable credit, to the provisions and limitations of the Code." The fact that Sec. 1411, which imposes the net investment income tax, was enacted after the treaties were signed was not determinative because both treaties contained provisions that state that they apply to taxes imposed by the Code and an identical or substantially similar tax imposed after the effective date of the treaties.

Toulouse maintained that the treaties do not conflict with the Code because the Code is silent as to whether there is a foreign tax credit against the net investment income tax. According to her, the placement of Sec. 1411 in its own chapter of the Code, Chapter 2A, Unearned Income Medicare Contribution, was "happenstance" and a "clerical choice." Therefore, the legislative decision to place the tax in Chapter 2A should not override the treaties' elimination of double taxation, especially in light of the lack of legislative intent to do so. She further pointed to the fact that there is no explanation in the legislative history for Congress's decision to impose the net investment income tax under Chapter 2A or any indication that Congress considered whether to provide a foreign tax credit against the net investment income tax. The Tax Court, to the contrary, found that the placement of Sec. 1411 was not happenstance, noting that an "enumerated chapter of the Code to impose a distinct and separate tax is part of the Code's fundamental structure."

Toulouse also argued that the enactment of the net investment income tax in Chapter 2A is not a "limitation" as that term is used in the two tax treaties. Citing dictionary definitions of "limitation" and "limit," she asserted that "limit" should be defined as "to assign certain limits to, prescribe, restrict the bounds or limits of, or curtail or reduce in quantity or extent." Using this definition, she argued that any limitation of a foreign tax credit as set forth in the treaties requires some affirmative statement and should not be imposed on the basis of Congress's silence on the issue.

The Tax Court found that Toulouse wrongly focused on the term "limitation" and ignored that the treaty provisions on which she relied require any foreign tax credit to be "in accordance with the Code." Because the cited provisions in the treaties relied on by Toulouse must be "in accordance with the Code," for her argument to prevail based on those provisions, the court reasoned that the Code must provide the credit if one exists. It was immaterial that the Code does not affirmatively state that a foreign tax credit against the net investment income tax is disallowed.

The Tax Court further explained that while the U.S.-France and U.S.-Italy treaties provide for general protection against double taxation, they do not provide absolute protection from it and, moreover, their purpose is not to provide absolute protection. The general purpose of the treaties is to reduce double taxation, but the specific provisions of each treaty must be applied as written. As there is nothing in either Article 24(2)(a) of the U.S.-France treaty or Article 23(2)(a) of the U.S.-Italy treaty that entitles U.S. taxpayers to an elimination of all double taxation, the court concluded that Toulouse could not rely on those provisions to support her position that the foreign tax credit is allowed against the net investment income tax.

The Tax Court observed that Treasury, the agency charged with the negotiation and enforcement of tax treaties, had taken the same position as the court in its Technical Explanation to the U.S.-France Treaty. The Technical Explanation states:

The credits provided under the [treaty] are allowed in accordance with the provisions and subject to the limitations of U.S. law, as that law may be amended over time, so long as the general principle of [Article 24(2)(a)], i.e., the allowance of a credit, is retained. Thus, although the [treaty] provides for a foreign tax credit, the terms of the credit are determined by the provisions of the U.S. statutory credit at the time a credit is given. [Treasury Dep't, Technical Explanation of the Protocol Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the French Republic, Article 24, p. 39]

Reflections

In her arguments, Toulouse raised the general question of what was the purpose of the U.S.-France and U.S.-Italy tax treaties if there is no independent, treaty-based credit and a credit is allowable only if it is provided in the Code. The Tax Court, in response, pointed out that it was not holding that there could not be a treaty-based credit, and that "[o]ther provisions of the Treaties may well provide for credits that are unavailable under the Code." The problem in Toulouse's case was that she relied on treaty provisions that by their express terms did not provide for a credit.

The Tax Court noted that in the preamble to the Sec. 1411 regulations (T.D. 9644), the IRS stated that an analysis of each U.S. income tax treaty would be required to determine whether the United States has an obligation under the treaty to provide a foreign tax credit against the Sec. 1411 net investment income tax. Thus, while the Tax Court has weighed in about the credit's availability against the tax with regard to France and Italy, it could possibly come to a different conclusion if a taxpayer raised the issue with respect to a credit due to foreign taxes of a different country that has a tax treaty with the United States.

Toulouse, 157 T.C. No. 4 (2021)
A new petition on Change.org is potentially shaking things up in Madison County, Illinois. The petition calls upon Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to investigate wholesale corruption in that county. It charges that Black people in Madison County, Illinois, have been framed by a system of prosecutors and judges utilizing a group of professional prison snitches who lie and say that suspects confessed to them.

Central to the charge in the petition is the repeated use of the same jailhouse informants, or snitches, in convictions with sentences ranging from 40 years to life. Of nine such people convicted this way, all but one are Black.

Common to all nine cases is testimony by Demond Spruill, who befriended suspects in the Madison County Jail and then testified that they confessed to him their part in murders. There was no direct evidence linking any of them to the crimes for which they were convicted. The petition charges that prosecutors suppressed exculpatory evidence, ignored eyewitness accounts pointing to other suspects, paid witnesses to testify, and threatened potential defense witnesses to not testify.

The petition was initiated by friends and family of James Evans, who has been incarcerated for 22 years, convicted of murdering Nekemar Pearson who went missing on June 24, 1995. His body was found six months later in Godfrey, five miles from Alton.

In their case against Evans prosecutors spun an intricate web in which Evans ordered the murder of two witnesses to Pearsons killing, although he was never charged in those killings. Police reported they saw Pearson alive 10 days after his alleged murder, a fact withheld from Evans defense that came to light after his trial. This completely shreds the prosecution web enveloping Evans.

Evans cousin, Tommy Rounds, wore a wire and said he recorded a confession by Evans. A recording played in court against Evans was made of fragments recorded by Rounds spliced together. Prosecutors have defied court orders to produce the original recordings and the recording played at Evans trial. They say they have lost the evidence.

Spruill has testified in the same way against nine men, eight Black and one white. Spruill got a get out of jail free card in exchange. Jody Wesley, who is white, and another snitch that testified against Evans were given substantially reduced sentences for crimes for which they had been convicted. The court allowed Wesley to testify that Larry Greer told him that Evans had confessed to Pearsons murder, hearsay evidence.

Valdez Jordan, Jeffery Ewing and Larry Greer are among those fighting convictions by the same prosecutors and professional snitches.

The chief prosecutor, Keith Jensen, was later appointed an Associate Judge in Madison County in 2007. He retired at the age of 62 in 2014. John Lakin, a deputy Madison County sheriff, is now the sheriff of Madison County. Bradley Wells, another Madison County deputy sheriff, today is the chief of police in Wood River, Illinois.

The petition notes that Kwame Raoul was elected on a promise of rooting out corruption in local police and prosecutors offices throughout the state. . [Such] corruption has enveloped counties across the state. It ends by asking people to add their voices to those demanding that AG Raoul act to end this situation in Madison County.

Ted Pearson is co-chairperson, emeritus, of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The CAARPR is campaigning to extend the scope of the Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission to the entire state; it is currently restricted to examine only cases within Cook County.
ALTON  The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) has received a $1 million in-kind donation from Bien Air USA, Inc.

The company donated and is installing 256 new electric systems that operate the handpieces used in every patient workstation across the patient clinics in the Alton, Edwardsville and East St. Louis campuses, as well as in all the preclinical student workstations. The systems provide a significant technological advancement from those being replaced.

Technology is rapidly evolving in the practice of dentistry, said SDM Dean Bruce Rotter, DMD. It is incumbent on dental schools to provide training that will prepare our graduates to utilize this technology.

Faculty and staff in the SDMs Department of Restorative Dentistry had determined the previously used air-driven units were in critical need of technological advancement. However, the cost of converting to electric handpieces was prohibitive.

Through the generous donation by Bien Air, it has been possible for the school to embrace this technological advancement, which will help us to continue to train excellent dental practitioners, Rotter said.

The new handpieces offer numerous advantages over traditional air-driven handpieces. By operating at half the revolutions per minute than air-driven units, they produce greater cutting power with more precise margins, less heat and less noise.

The most popular feature among patients is the elimination of high-pitched whining, said Randall Duncan, DDS, clinical associate professor and chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry. Operating this handpiece also requires a shorter learning curve for students because its greater cutting efficiency makes it easier to control. It is also possible to easily cut and polish all materials used in todays dental offices that air-driven units often struggled to cut through.

This avant-garde technology offers exceptional ergonomics and unmatched performance,  said Arthur Mateen, general manager of Bien Air USA. We are proud to partner with the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine in providing the latest equipment for the training of future dentists.

SIU School of Dental Medicine students manage approximately 35,000 patient visits each year at patient clinics in Alton and East St. Louis. In addition, students offer oral health treatment, screenings and education to more than 10,000 people annually through a wide variety of off-campus community outreach events.
PONTOON BEACH  Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered all state buildings to fly U.S. and state flags at half mast in honor and rememberance of slain Pontoon Beach Police Officer Tyler Timmins until sunset on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Timmins, 36, died after being shot Oct. 26 at the Speedway gas station in Pontoon Beach during the traffic stop of a suspected stolen vehicle.

His Monday visitation, 1-7 p.m., will be followed by a funeral at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Both events will be at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, with a Tuesday funeral procession to Woodland Hill Cemetery at 370 6th St., Wood River.

Internment at the cemetery will be private.

A large law enforcement procession will follow the trip from Collinsville to Wood River. At the conclusion of the funeral services, the procession will travel at a low speed to the cemetery.

Intersections along the funeral procession route will be blocked to allow for safe travel of the vehicles in the procession.

The public is encouraged to line the route to show support. The procession route will be:

 West on Gateway Drive in Collinsville

 North on Eastport Plaza Drive

 West on Horseshoe Lake Road

 North on Illinois 111 through Pontoon Beach

 East on Interstate 270

 North on Illinois 255

 West on Madison Avenue

 North on Illinois 111 through Roxana and into Wood River

 West on Edwardsville Road, where the law enforcement procession will end.

Timmins began his law enforcement career 14 years ago as a Wood River Police cadet, then became a patrolman with the Roxana Police Department, a chief with the Worden department and a patrolman with the Hartford Police Department before joining the Pontoon Beach Police Department last year.

Timmins is survived by his wife, Linsey, of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Police Department, and his daughter, Chloe. He was the son of Timothy Timmins, of East Alton, and the late Beverly Timmins, of Roxana.

A GoFundMe page for Timmins family has been created at https://www.gofundme.com/f/family-of-fallen-offer-tyler-timmins?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unknown&utm_campaign=comms_l4vs+family-of-fallen-offer-tyler-timmins.

Scott Hyden, 31, of Highland, has been charged in connection with Timmins death. Hyden is being held without bond in the Madison County Jail facing two counts of first-degree murder, both Class M felonies; aggravated discharge of a firearm at a peace officer, a Class X felony; unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and offenses relating to motor vehicles, both Class 2 felonies; and, unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 3 felony.
JERSEYVILLE  Jersey State Bank on Monday announced a competition that enables Illinois high school seniors to enter a statewide essay-writing contest as part of a program sponsored by Illinois community banks and the CBAI Foundation for Community Banking to increase public awareness of locally owned banks and their contributions to the community.

A monetary award in the amount of $1,000 a year for up to four years of higher education will be given to the author of the best essay submitted to the CBAI Foundation by a participating Illinois high-school senior. Up to 11 additional first-place $1,000 awards and 12 second place $500 awards are available throughout the state. An additional $500 will be awarded to the high school of the overall winner.
Screen shot of Illinois State Police surveillance video

A man is recovering after being shot by a Jefferson County, Illinois correctional officer after he stole the gun from another officer.

According to the Illinois State Police, Fredrick Goss, 55, was being transported to court for a jury trial in Mount Vernon, Illinois when shortly after getting out of the car and into a wheel chair, he grabbed the correctional officer's gun from its holster. The entire incident was caught on camera and was shared by the Illinois State Police.
COLLINSVILLE  Hundreds turned out Monday to pay their respects to a Pontoon Beach police officer who died from gunshot wounds received last week during a traffic stop.

The visitation for Pontoon Beach Police Officer Tyler Timmins, 36  who also served on the Roxana, Harftord and Worden police departments  was held Monday at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville.

A crowd of people had gathered at the doors of the convention center before it opened at 1 p.m. Monday. A steady stream of people came and went during the afternoon. Some leaving the memorial wiped away tears or hugged friends outside. Flowers and an oversized picture of Timmins were displayed outside the entrance.

During the day more sprays of flowers were delivered and carried inside past members of the Patriot Guard who were taking turns displaying flags. The group of motorcyclists  most of whom were veterans, like Army Korean War veteran Fred Smith  were there to honor the fallen officer. Smith is known for the area flag displays he erects honoring veterans and first responders.

On Tuesday, the Patriot Guard will help lead the procession following Timmins funeral services at 11 a.m. in the convention center on the trip to his burial in Woodland Hill Cemetery in Wood River.

In advance of the procession, thousands of American flags on Monday lined both sides of much of the 19-mile-long route. The flags were lined up on Eastport Plaza Drive, Horeshoe Lake Road and Illinois 111 through Pontoon Beach, Roxana and Wood River.

The Illinois State Police are encouraging people to show their respects along the route during Tuesdays procession, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered flags at state buildings to fly at half mast until sunset Tuesday in honor of the officer.

Timmins internment at Woodland Hill Cemetery will be private.

Last week more than 100 police vehicles escorted Timmins from St. Louis, where he was pronounced deceased, to Marks Mourtuary in Wood River. That procession also was met by crowds of people silently standing in respect.

Scott Hyden, 31, of Highland, has been charged with several felonies  including two counts of first degree murder  in connection with the officers death. Hyden is being held without bond in the Madison County Jail.
ALTON  A crash on Homer Adam Parkway resulted in two people being taken to a hospital Saturday morning

Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said that at about 4:26 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, Alton Police and the Alton Fire Department responded to the area of Homer Adams Parkway and Alton Square Mall Drive for a traffic crash involving injuries.
SAM MONTALTO, Stonington, Boys Soccer, Senior; Montalto scored three goals including the 100th of his career in the Bears 4-0 victory over Plainville in the Class M state tournament. Montalto, who missed the first three games of the season, has 32 goals and nine assists this season.

GIRLS & BOYS Soccer Team, Chariho; It wouldnt be fair to single out a player from either team, both of which captured Division II titles over the weekend of Nov. 12. The girls tied their game with Prout with 1:02 left in regulation and prevailed in penalty kicks. The boys scored the winning goal in the final two minutes of the second overtime to beat North Smithfield.

ZACK TUCK, Westerly, Football; Tuck rushed for 150 yards on 29 carries in a loss to unbeaten St. Raphael in the Division II semifinals. Tuck has rushed for 1,533 yards and scored 19 touchdowns this season for the 7-3 Bulldogs.

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The Green Homes Grant has resulted in little more than 15,000 home insulation measures fitted for low income households, new data shows.

Out of the 29,211 insulations fitted since the scheme started accepting applications, around half were for those on lower incomes, according to analysis of new Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy figures by the Liberal Democrats.

This is despite these households being able to claim up to 100 per cent of the costs for home improvements under the scheme.

The Green Homes Grant was launched last year promising to upgrade 600,000 homes but was scrapped in March following low take-up and several problems.

Just 15,000 lower income homes had installation fitted under the Green Homes Grant

Although applications made prior to March are still being processed, they are dwindling as tradespeople work through the existing backlog.

This is Money takes a look at the new figures and what went wrong with the Green Homes Grant.

What was the Green Homes Grant?

Initially, the 2billion Green Homes Grant was introduced in September 2020 in a bid to help households become more energy efficient.

It allowed homeowners and landlords to apply for a voucher that would fund at least two thirds of the cost of hiring tradespeople to upgrade the energy performance of their homes.

More than 600,000 homes were eligible for the Grant with the vouchers worth up to 5,000 for most homeowners.

However, those on low incomes could receive vouchers covering 100 per cent of the cost of improvements, capped at a maximum of 10,000.

What went wrong?

There was a lack of people signing up to the scheme with just 71.3million worth of vouchers being allocated as of 22 January.

As a result, the Government pulled 1billion worth of funding from the Grant.

Another issue was that homeowners only had six months to not only apply for the voucher but also have all work completed which was an impossible task in some instances.

Other problems include smaller tradespeople being alienated from the scheme due to a registration process which was said to be both lengthy and costly.

Many households also reported struggling to find any available tradespeople due to the number of people looking to have works completed in the lockdown period.

Green Homes Grant was introduced in a bid to help households become more energy efficient

How many people took advantage of it?

New data has shown there were 113,700 household applications associated to 169,400 vouchers with 90,000 rejected, resulting in 79,400 vouchers being issued.

Of all applications, 44 per cent were withdrawn or rejected. For the rejected applications, 51 per cent were rejected as the application was deemed ineligible.

Subsequently, a further 18,800 vouchers expired, leaving vouchers issued at 60,600 with 41,300 measures installed.

This is far below the 600,000 target.

Meanwhile, just 15,182 home insulation measures have been installed for low-income households including 2,063 loft insulation measures, 4,752 pitched roof insulation measures and 5,153 external solid wall insulation measures.

Low-income households also installed 2,359 heat pumps and 5,257 solar thermal panels.

There is now only one household waiting approval before the scheme is completely shut down.

What is the Government offering now?

The Government is now offering households subsidies of 5,000 from next April towards home improvements such as heat pumps.

This, too, has been criticised as the funding will only cover up to 90,000 pumps with customers also likely having to splash out thousands of their own money in order to install one.

Aside from this, the heat and buildings strategy from the Government says it will commit to funding 3.9billion to decarbonise buildings and how they are heated.

There is also a 2035 target for all new heating systems in UK homes to be energy-efficient.

It is hoped there will be some more clarity on potential schemes revealed at COP26 in Glasgow in the coming weeks.
End of 'lock up': Mike Lynch can sell his Darktrace shares

Shares in Darktrace tumbled again today as tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his wife Angela Bacares can start selling off their 895million stake in the cybersecurity firm this week.

Darktrace went public in a blockbuster 1.7billion float in April and within months had joined the FTSE 100. After floating at 1.7billion, it is now worth 5.6billion.

A 180-day block on insider investors from selling shares in newly listed companies, also known as a 'lock-up' period, expires on Wednesday.

This will allow Lynch and Bacares to offload their combined 15.98 per cent stake if they choose to.

Lynch is fighting extradition to the US, where he faces fraud charges over the 7billion sale of his firm Autonomy to Hewlett Packard a decade ago.

He denies all the allegations.

Shares in Darktrace tumbled another 13 per cent to 698.50p in afternoon trading on Monday.

They had plunged 21 per cent last Monday after Peel Hunt brokers pointed to a 'disconnect' between its value and the money it could make.

The end of the lock-up period could see its share price pushed even lower if major investors dump their stakes.

Members o f Lynch's venture capital firm Invoke, an early backer of Darktrace, will also be able to sell shares for the first time.
Barclays shares have fallen by more than 3 per cent in early trading after it emerged that group chief executive Jes Staley will stand down in response to an investigation by UK regulators concerning convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The bank's performance under Staley's leadership has been strong, particularly within its investment banking division, and analysts suggest change at the top of Barclays could prove 'unsettling' for investors.

The bank said it was made aware on Friday about the findings around Staley's 'characterisation to Barclays of his relationship with the late Epstein, and the subsequent description of that relationship in Barclays' response' to the Financial Conduct Authority.

'It should be noted that the investigation makes no findings that Mr Staley saw, or was aware of, any of Mr Epstein's alleged crimes,' says Barclays

Investors have been awaiting the results of the FCA and Prudential Regulation Authority probe for some time, with the regulators concerned Staley did not accurately disclose to Epstein.

Barclays posted profits of 6.9billion for the first nine months of the year  a record high and up 187.5 per cent on the same period in 2020. Third quarter profits alone hit 2billion, 20 per cent ahead of expectations.

The performance was once again driven by the investment bank, vindicating the strategy pursued by chief executive Staley who fought off efforts by activist investor Ed Bramson to scale back the division.

Barclays said on Monday that it was 'disappointed at [the] outcome' of the regulator's investigation, highlighting the 'successful' leadership, 'commitment and skill' of Staley, but added it would be inappropriate to comment further.

As Barclays shares slipped on Monday morning, Senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Susannah Streeter said: 'For the Chief Executive, Jes Staley to step down following an investigation by city regulators into his into his dealings with Epstein, it's clear the conclusions of the probe are critical.

'While the probe did not centre on Mr Staley's role at Barclays but what he disclosed about his previous position at JP Morgan, what was under question was how he characterised his former relationship with the disgraced financier.

Although detail is limited, it appears regulators believe there was a distinct lack of transparency over this relationship. It's understood Mr Staley will contest the conclusions, and clearly the board want to distance Barclays from what could be a long drawn out process.

Barclays has performed well under Staley's leadership, with particular success within investment banking

'Sudden change at the top is always unsettling, and the departure of Mr Staley who propelled its successful investment banking expansion strategy may be particularly unnerving for investors, with shares falling 3% in early trading.'

However, Streeter noted 'continuity will be provided to some extent' by Staley's successor.

Staley has been handed 12 months' notice from Barclays under his contract of employment, and will therefore continue to receive his current fixed pay of 2.4million per annum delivered in cash and Barclays shares, pension allowance of 120,000 per annum, and other benefits until 31 October 2022.

He will also be eligible to receive repatriation costs to the US.

Staley will be replaced from today as group CEO and director by C.S. 'Venkat' Venkatakrish-nan, who has served as head of global markets and co-president of Barclays since October 2020, and group chief risk officer from 2016 to 2020.

Prior to joining Barclays in 2016, he worked at JP Morgan Chase from 1994, holding senior roles in asset management where he was chief investment officer in global fixed income.

Barclays said: 'The board has had succession planning in hand for some time, including reviewing potential external appointees, and identified Venkat as its preferred candidate for this role over a year ago,

'The board has long been confident in Venkat's capabilities to run the Barclays Group and is delighted to have such a strong internal candidate. The board is confident that Barclays under his leadership will continue its strategic direction and improve performance in line with the progress of recent years.'

On appointment, Venkat will receive fixed pay of 2.7million, delivered 50 per cent in cash paid monthly and 50 per cent delivered in Barclays shares.

The shares will be delivered quarterly and he will also receive a cash payment in lieu of pension of 135,000 per annum.
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Carolyn Sue Bryant Ellis, 78, of Fort Walton Beach, FL, passed away on Sunday, October 24, 2021 at Somerby of Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Born March 15, 1943, at Dr. Daniel's Hospital in Pavo, Georgia, Carolyn was the youngest of nine children born to Franklin and Marie (Dailey) Bryant, of Route 2
French President Emmanuel Macron said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him over the cancellation of a submarine building contract in September, and indicated more efforts were required to rebuild trust between the two allies.

In Rome for the G20 summit, the two leaders were meeting for first time since Australia scrapped the multi-billion dollar deal with France as part of a new security alliance with Britain and the United States unveiled in September.

The alliance, dubbed AUKUS, which could give Australia access to nuclear-powered submarines, caught Paris off guard, prompting it to recall ambassadors from Washington and Canberra amid accusations that France had been betrayed.

I dont think, I know, Macron said in response to a question whether he thought that Morrison had lied to him

I have a lot of respect for your country, he said in comments on Sunday to a group of Australian reporters who had travelled to Italy for the summit of leaders of the top 20 economies.

I have a lot of respect and a lot of friendship for your people. I just say when we have respect, you have to be true and you have to behave in line, and consistently, with this value.

Morrison told a media conference later the same day that he had not lied, and had previously explained to Macron that conventional submarines would no longer meet Australias needs. The process of repairing ties had begun, he added.

Morrison and Macron spoke last week before the Australian prime minister publicly sought a handsake with his French counterpart at the G20 meeting.

On Monday, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce urged France to view the matter in perspective.

We didnt steal an island, we didnt deface the Eiffel Tower. It was a contract, Joyce told reporters in Moree, 644 km(400 miles) northwest of Sydney.

Contracts have terms and conditions, and one of those terms and conditions and propositions is that you might get out of the contract.

Joyce spoke just hours before Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne met Frances ambassador to Canberra. Payne said their hour-long meeting focused on efforts to repair the relationship.

On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden said the handling of the new pact had been clumsy, adding that he had thought France had been informed of the contract cancellation before the pact was announced.

SOURCE: REUTERS
The latest in New York politics This article was featured in the Capitol Confidential newsletter. Sign up here to get it each morning.

The attorney for former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Saturday sent a letter to Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple requesting that his office "preserve all records relating to your investigation into allegations" that Cuomo had groped a female aide during a workplace encounter at the Executive Mansion in December. (TU)

The ask to preserve records by Cuomo's attorney comes the day after Apple defended his office while acknowledging the confusion that unfolded Thursday when a criminal complaint against the former governor was unexpectedly filed. In Apple's defense, it also became clear that the Albany County Sheriff's Office and the office of Albany County District Attorney David Soares have been conducting separate investigations of a woman's allegations that Cuomo groped her during a work-related encounter at the Executive Mansion last year. (TU)
Saratoga Restaurant Week continues through Sunday

Discover Saratoga's annual Restaurant Week, celebrating its 16th anniversary, runs through Sunday, Nov. 7.

There are eight restaurants offering $15 lunches, 10 with three-course dinners for $25 and more than two dozen serving three-course dinner for $35. All are from menus specific to Restaurant Week.

Make reservations via individual restaurants.

Cornell's in Little Italy waits on permits to reopen

The restaurant Cornell's in Little Italy in Schenectady is ready to reopen, having been revived by its next-door neighbor, Maria Perreca Papa, whose family founded the neighboring Perrecas Bakery in 1913.

Papa said she rehired much of the Cornell's staff, brought aboard Scott Carlton, recently of Tala American Bistro in Latham, as chef, and is simply awaiting a liquor license from the State Liquor Authority.

Cornells closed at the beginning of the pandemic, in March 2020, with the owners saying they were unable to adapt to the takeout-only model then dictated by the state.

In addition to Tala, Carlton was head chef at Sperry's in Saratoga Springs and from 2014 to 2016 was chef-owner of the Schenectady Italian restaurant E.K.s Cibo. His menu for Cornell's will include many of its familiar dishes, recipes for which were purchased along with the building and are included in a binder given to Papa, she said.

The reopening and revival of the Cornell's in Little Italy brand brings together names that have helped define Italian food in the Electric City for nearly 190 years combined. The 13,600-square-foot Cornells building, at 39 N. Jay St., is across a parking lot from Perreca's Bakery, owned by Papa and her brother Anthony Perreca Papa, and the adjoining restaurant More Perreca's, owned by Maria Perreca Papa and a silent partner. She and the silent partner bought the Cornell's building over the summer for $450,000. The Perrecas address is 31-33 N. Jay.

Cafe Boulud at Blantyre closed for long renovation

Cafe Boulud at Blantye, which instantly became one of the region's best restaurants when it opened last year at the posh Lenox, Mass., resort, ended service after Sunday, Oct. 31, while the hotel is closed for extensive renovation.

A representative said the duration of the closure is unknown at this time but is expected to be at least several several months.

Originally announced last year as a summer pop-up for celebrity chef Daniel Boulud's brand, Cafe Boulud took up residence in July 2020 at the country-house hotel in a former Gilded Age mansion in Lenox. It ended up staying open through the start of a winter break in February, reopening at Blantyre at the end of April for what was said as an open-ended run, suggesting the renovation closure was unforeseen. The original Cafe Boulud, at the Surrey Hotel on East 76th Street in Manhattan since 1998, closed during the pandemic, and it was announced this past spring that it would not reopen.

Info sought for T-Day list

In next week's Food section (Thursday, Nov. 11), we will publish a list of places to dine out on Thanksgiving Day (11/25) and of restaurants, caterers, retails markets, etc., offering Thanksgiving meals to go. Info is now being accepted at sbarnes@timesunion.com; listings will appear on the blog as they come in and will be compiled into a large list for the Food section.

Details, preferably in the form of a link to an online page or a PDF attachment, must be submitted in an email from an authorized representative of the business and must include hours/special seating times; menu info (i.e., regular menu, limited Thanksgiving menu, both); pricing (adults and children, if applicable); size and price for takeout packages; and a phone number and/or online link for reservations/ordering.

The deadline for submissions for the print listing is noon on Monday, Nov. 8. Listings that come in after will be published online only.
GREENPORT  Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett is heading into Tuesday's election without the endorsement of police unions that supported him in the past.

The unions, representing state troopers, police dispatchers and corrections officers, have not endorsed Bartlett's rival either, but it signals a departure from the 2017 sheriff's race, when seven different police unions endorsed Bartlett's campaign above his challengers'.

Bartlett, a Republican, is facing off against Don Krapf, one of his own deputies, in the race. Krapf is running as an independent, but has been endorsed by the Columbia County Democratic Committee.

The New York State Law Enforcement Officer's Union , a state-wide police union that includes the corrections officers at the Columbia County Jail in its ranks, declined to endorse either candidate, according to Staff Director Bill LeBeau.

The union bases its endorsement on the recommendation of the union's local chapter, according to LeBeau, which in this case consists of Bartlett's own employees at the county jail.

"They wanted to stay out of this race," he said.

It was common for local chapters to stay neutral during contested races, especially sheriff's races, LeBeau said. However, the union endorsed Bartlett during his last re-election campaign, when he fended off a challenge by Democratic candidate Peter Volkmann, a local police chief who later ran into legal trouble.

The New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association (NYSTPBA), which represents state police, also declined to endorse a candidate, according to Legislative Director John Clark.

The union generally endorses the incumbent when there is a challenger, unless the incumbent has expressed support for stances the union considers anti-police, such as for Defund the Police or for repealing 50-a, which shielded internal police disciplinary reports from the public before it was repealed. Bartlett supports neither.

Clarke conferred with the local delegates before reporting they had decided not to endorse either candidate.

Like the correction officers union, NYSTPBA endorsed Bartlett in the 2017 election.

The Columbia County 911 Dispatchers Benevolent Association also did not endorse a candidate, though they endorsed Bartlett in 2017.

"We have not made any endorsements towards either candidate, nor have we been approached for one," Vice-President Jessica Maloy wrote in an email.

In all, Bartlett was endorsed by seven police unions with members serving in Columbia County during the 2017 race. Along with the three unions who did not endorse this election cycle, four unions did not respond to repeated inquiries asking if they had endorsed a candidate.

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Bartlett did receive an endorsement this election cycle. A letter supporting his reelection signed by 27 retired law enforcement officers from the area appears on his website and includes the names of former Columbia County Sheriff David Harrison Jr.; former Deputy Kevin Marchetto, now the Chief of the Greenport Police Department; former Detective James Delaney of the Hudson police; and John Davi, Bartlett's former undersheriff; and Thomas Lamphear, a jail captain.

Bartlett faces an uncertain election. Registered Democrats have outnumbered Republicans in the county in recent years, and Bartlett has been dogged over questions about his handling of the Harold Handy assault case.

At July 4th party in 2020, Handy was allegedly beaten by off-duty Columbia County Sheriff's Deputy Kelly Rosenstrach, her husband, Alex Rosenstratch, and two others so badly he was taken by helicopter to the intensive care unit at Albany Medical Center. The investigation was initially handled by the sheriff's office, but no arrests were made until state police took over the case on the request of Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka.

About three months after the alleged assault, all four were indicted on felony gang assault and felony unlawful imprisonment charges. A trial date has not yet been set.

Alex Rosenstrach donated $2,900 to Bartlett's campaign  at the time, he was the campaign's biggest donor  though the donations were given before the alleged assault.
WASHINGTON (AP)  In a story published Oct. 31, 2021, The Associated Press identified Paul Barrett as teacher of a seminar in law, economics and journalism at New York University. The story should also have noted that his title is deputy director of NYUs Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Sydneys international airport came alive with tears, embraces and laughter on Monday as Australia opened its border for the first time in 20 months, with some arriving travelers removing mandatory masks to see the faces of loved ones theyve been separated from for so long.

Australia and other countries in the Asia-Pacific have had some of the worlds strictest COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures and travel restrictions, but with vaccination rates rising and cases falling, many are now starting to cautiously reopen.

Some, like China and Japan, remain essentially sealed off to foreign visitors, but Thailand also started to substantially reopen Monday and many others have already started, or plan to follow suit.

Traveler Carly Boyd seized the opportunity presented by the new Australian regulations to jump on the first flight home from New York to surprise her parents, whom she hadn't seen in three years.

Just being able to come home without having to go to quarantine is huge, she told reporters at Sydneys airport, where the country's unofficial anthem I Still Call Australia Home was playing.

Theres a lot of people on that flight who have loved ones who are about to die or have people who died this week, so for them to be able to get off the plane and go see them straight away is pretty amazing.

In Thailand, a country where tourism accounted for some 20% of the economy before the pandemic, the lockdown has caused massive job losses and hardship, and the government hopes the return of foreign visitors will provide a much-needed boost.

Still, only a few months removed from a surge fueled by the delta variant of the virus that saw deaths rise dramatically, many Thais remain worried that an influx of outsiders could trigger new outbreaks.

Bangkok taxi driver Issarapong Paingam lost his mother to COVID-19 during the recent surge, and said it would make more sense to him for the government to focus its attention fully on reopening domestically before introducing foreign travelers into the mix.

The government has not yet told the public what they would do if an outbreak takes place again, the 34-year-old said. "I dont understand why they dont let people in the country live normally as a trial to see the trend (of COVID-19 cases) before welcoming tourists.

Thailand has allowed residents to travel during the pandemic, but mandated a strict two-week quarantine in specially designated hotels for people entering the country.

Foreign arrivals plummeted from 40 million in 2019 to 6.69 million in 2020  almost all in the first three months before the pandemic restrictions were introduced  to fewer than 100,000 so far in 2021.

Monday's reopening builds on a pilot scheme launched in July on the resort island of Phuket, which allowed fully vaccinated travelers from selected countries to spend their quarantine moving around the island instead of in a hotel room.

Starting Monday, if travelers are fully vaccinated and from one of 63 countries and territories deemed low risk  which some cynical Thais have noted seem to be based more on spending power than coronavirus infections  they are exempt from quarantine. They need to spend one night at a designated hotel and can't check out until they have a negative COVID-19 test, but then are free to travel.

Travelers from countries not on the preferred list or those who are unvaccinated are still subject to various quarantine rules.

Restrictions are also being relaxed in the destination areas, including widespread reopening of businesses and other facilities such as department stores, spas, tattoo shops, schools and sporting events.

With the combination of strict screening of visitors and higher vaccination rates in Thailand, Supat Hasuwannakit, president of Thailands Rural Doctor Society, said he is not concerned about foreign tourists sparking a new surge in cases.

But he said he does worry about the planned reopening of bars and clubs in December, noting that recent domestic outbreaks came after the government allowed people to gather for activities such as religious services and weddings.

Once people start to gather, eat and drink, it has a high possibility to create a new outbreak, he said. Most bars and nightclubs are indoors with bad airflow, so it is easy for COVID-19 to spread once they reopen.

Rules requiring masks and distancing remain in place, much like other countries in the region that have begun reopening.

In India, which saw a peak of 400,000 daily cases in April and May, officials have been warning that people need to continue following such restrictions to avoid causing super spreader events during the holiday season as the country gradually reopens.

India began granting tourist visas on Oct. 15 for fully vaccinated people arriving on charter flights, and will extend them to tourists on commercial flights starting Nov. 15.

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Neighboring Sri Lanka has already started to allow fully vaccinated travelers without quarantines, and partially or non-vaccinated people with some restrictions. South Korea, which on Monday began to allow larger social gatherings and lifted operating-hour restrictions on restaurants, has a similar scheme.

Vietnam is still closed but plans to open the popular resort island of Phu Quoc to fully vaccinated vacationers by the end of the month, and neighboring Cambodia, which on Monday lifted restrictions on domestic travel, has a similar plan to open two seaside provinces to international travelers. Malaysia intends to open its northern resort island of Langkawi on Nov. 15 to fully vaccinated tourists.

Australia is betting that vaccination rates are now high enough to mitigate the danger of allowing international travel.

Initially only Australian permanent residents and citizens will be free to enter the country. Fully vaccinated foreigners traveling on skilled worker and student visas will be given priority over international tourists.

But the government expects Australia will welcome international tourists back to some degree before the year ends.

Already, Australia announced Monday that vaccinated tourists from Singapore  which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world  will be welcome from Nov. 21 under a bilateral agreement.

The new freedoms also mean that fully vaccinated Australian permanent residents and citizens can leave the country for any reason without asking the government for an exemption from a travel ban that has trapped most at home since March 25, 2020.

Sydney was the first Australian airport to announce it would reopen Monday because New South Wales was the first state where 80% of the population aged 16 and older has been fully vaccinated. Melbourne and the national capital, Canberra, also opened on Monday after Victoria state and the Australian Capital Territory achieved the vaccination benchmark.

Even though Australians are now free to travel overseas, four Australian states and a territory are still maintaining pandemic restrictions on crossing state lines.

Australian Ethen Carter, who landed at Sydney's airport from Los Angeles on Monday, expressed his frustration at having to apply for permission to visit his dying mother in Western Australia state.

He pleaded through the media to Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan, who has said the state border will not open this year, to let him in.

Mark, think of the people that are suffering, like, mentally to see their family. Thats also a health issue," Carter said. "And we know weve got to protect peoples lives, but youve got to bring families together again, you have to.

McGowan said his government would consider allowing Carter to enter the state if he applies for an exemption.

These situations are very sad and very difficult and weve seen much of this over the course of the last two years, McGowan said.

___ Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press journalists Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok and Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.
TROY  Early voting wrapped up Sunday for the 2021 general election, with turnout down dramatically from the 2020 presidential election but up from 2019 when early voting debuted in the state, according to voting tallies released Monday by the New York and local county Boards of Elections.

The Capital Regions 2021 elections dont have the emotional and political fervor that brought out 2,509,997 voters statewide to cast ballots in the 2020 presidential contest between Joseph Biden and Donald Trump.

But 2021 early voting turn out is 60 percent higher statewide at 411,172 than it was in 2019 when 256,251 voters cast early ballots, according to numbers released Monday.

Early voting is starting to become popular, said Schenectady County Republican Elections Commissioner Darlene Harris.

Schenectady County Democratic Elections Commissioner Ann Hild also said early voting is continuing to increase in popularity and that voters at the polls during the Oct. 22 through Oct. 31 early voting period recounted how they were able to take advantage to easily get to the polls instead of going through delays on Election Day.

In the Capital Region, Albany County, the most populous county, saw 79 percent more voters this year than two years ago with 9,535 ballots cast. In the other counties, Rensselaer was up 127 percent to 4,393, Saratoga County increased by 31 percent to 3,967, Schenectady County went up 49 percent to 4,443, Greene County increased 2 percent to 650, Warren County went up 26 percent to 1,083 and Washington County rose by 8 percent to 314 voters.

Columbia County was among 19 counties statewide that saw early voting turnout drop off. Columbia County fell 7 percent to 3,131 voters showing up early to cast ballots.

Voting times on Tuesday are from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at local polling spots.

Last year, we saw more come out for the presidential election, said Rensselaer County Republican Elections Commissioner Jason Schofield.

The 2020 early voting totals crushed what was seen in 2019 and 2021. Early voting in the hotly contested presidential election brought out 49,813 voters in Albany County; in Rensselaer County 23,153 voters; Saratoga County 27,570 voters; Schenectady County 26,633 voters; Columbia County 6,518 voters; Greene County 4,288 voters; Warren County 7,454 voters, and in Washington County 6,099 voters.

People come out and vote in presidential and gubernatorial election years, said Saratoga County Democratic Elections Commissioner William Fruci.

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Its better to compare the local election years when city, county and town offices are on the ballot than to the presidential and gubernatorial races, said Fruci.

During the nine days of early voting, each county saw a peak vote on one day. In Albany, Columbia, Saratoga and Schenectady counties the largest number of early voters turned out on Day 9, which was Sunday Oct. 31. The high turnout day for Rensselaer and Warren counties was Day 5, Wednesday Oct. 27. In Washington County the highest number of voters to cast ballots did it on Day 3, Monday Oct. 25, while in Greene County the high point came on Day 7, which was Friday Oct. 29.

The percentage of total voters going to the polls early, however, is in the single percentage points. Columbia County leads all other counties at 6.5 percent of its 48,305 registered voters casting early ballots. Its followed by Albany County at 4.5 percent of 210,592 voters; Schenectady County at 4.3 percent of 103,391 voters; Rensselaer County at 4.1 percent of 107,494 voters; Saratoga County at 2.3 percent of 174,372 voters; Warren County at 2.3 percent of 47,419 voters; Greene County at 1.9 percent of 33,928 voters, and Washington County with less than 1 percent at 0.8 percent of its 38,690 eligible voters.
ALBANY  Alexia Norton Jones first accused Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, of raping her in a Variety article published in 2018.

The story had been in the works for a year, Jones said in a recent interview with the Times Union.

As the daughter of Clarence Jones, who was formerly Martin Luther Kings former speech writer and private counsel, and the granddaughter of late book publisher W.W. Norton, the allegation was shocking.

Simmons is responsible for the careers of some of the most popular acts in hip-hop: Run DMC, Beastie Boys and Will Smith, among others.

More than a dozen women have accused the music mogul of sexual misconduct and abuse, according to Variety. Simmons has denied the accusations.

Decades after the assault, Jones filed a criminal complaint with the New York Police Department, according to the Variety story. But by then, the statute of limitations had expired under New York's former rules.

The Adult Survivors Act, a bill that has passed in the state Senate but has stalled in the Assembly, would allow Norton and other survivors of sexual violence to file civil claims against their alleged attackers by granting a one-year look back window setting aside New York's statute of limitations.

Although New York extended both its civil and criminal statute of limitations for many sex crimes in 2019, including second-degree rape and criminal sex act, the extensions do not apply retroactively to crimes committed before the law was enacted.

The proposed Adult Survivors Act, structured after the Child Victims Act, would similarly give adult sex abuse survivors one year to file a lawsuit against their alleged abusers for crimes that occurred years or decades ago  outside the statute of limitations.

The deadline for survivors to file a claim under the Child Victims Act closed in August. During the two-year period  it was extended a year due to the pandemic  thousands of cases were filed, many against the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church.

When asked why the Adult Survivors Act hasnt gotten through the Assembly's Judiciary Committee, Deputy Majority Leader Michaelle C. Solages, who represents Long Island and co-sponsored the bill, whittled it down to a lack of education.

I hope thats the issue, she said. Otherwise, if an individual is stalling this, theyre not trauma-informed about how these processes happen.

Experts say there are many reasons why a survivor might take years to come forward, including shame and a fear of consequences.

For Jones, it was because Simmons was a close family friend. So close, her father considered him a son.

Russell probably would not have a career if it wasnt for WBLS (an urban contemporary radio station in New York City) and if it wasnt for my father, because he was one of the founders of WBLS, she said.

So when Simmons allegedly violated Jones on a date in 1990, when she was 31, she felt like she had to keep quiet.

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Compounding her trepidation, there were the added layers that came with her being a biracial woman and him a Black man.

There's this whole thing with Black women, that if we bring down a brother, we're the bad guy, Jones attested. We want all our Black men to succeed, because the world is run by white men.

Its increasingly possible that survivors of color will face disproportionate obstacles when coming forward with allegations of abuse.

According to the American Psychological Association, Black and Brown survivors are less likely to be believed, but are more likely to experience abuse when compared to their white counterparts.

Jones has survived sexual violence twice, she said. Just before she turned 15, she was allegedly raped by someone who came into her family as a result of marriage.

In 2019, she filed a complaint with the New York Police Department detailing the crime. Shes unsure of the investigations status.

Although Jones said she would not file a lawsuit against Simmons if the Adult Survivors Act becomes law, she is an avid supporter of the bill and thinks that the statute of limitations should be abolished.

Many times its very hard for people to come forward for many reasons, sometimes for years, she said. "The trauma is so severe for so many of us that we cant come forward.
NEW YORK  A Saratoga Springs judge and his co-defendants lost their bid to keep secret a state Board of Election memo, a decision that will allow a former state Assembly candidate to move forward with his claims that evidence used to convict him 25 years ago was fabricated.

A Oct. 22 decision by Senior U.S. District Judge I. Leo Glasser in Brooklyn ruled John OHara has the right to see the report prepared by now City Court Judge Jeffrey Wait, a former investigating attorney with the Board of Elections, that ultimately resulted in O'Hara being disbarred, fined and sentenced to cleaning toilets and picking up garbage in city parks.

The legal case is moving forward after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling two years ago, which involved a Rensselaer ballot fraud case, that opened up the statute of limitations for suing over alleged fabrication of evidence.

Wait almost got away with it, OHara said. I got the decision 25 years to the day after I was arrested ... and now Wait will have to answer for it.

Wait, who declined comment, was among the players who investigated OHara, leading to his 1996 arrest and subsequent conviction for illegal voting. O'Hara was only the second person in the state to be convicted on that charge since 1873, when suffragist Susan B. Anthony was arrested for casting a ballot in Rochester.

OHara, a Brooklyn attorney and community activist, said his legal problems started when he crossed state Assemblyman James Brennan by challenging him in a primary. Brennan who then sought to destroy OHaras "political activities against the Brooklyn Democratic Machine, O'Hara has alleged.

An undated memorandum from then-acting District Attorney Eric Gonzalez noted that Brennan asked Wait to investigate O'Hara, and Wait complied.

In 1995, a confidential memo from Wait recommended that the Kings County district attorney's office "investigate the validity of Mr. O'Hara's voter registration." Gonzalez's memo also noted that Wait provided "an incomplete or incorrect interpretation of evidence."

Wait directed comments to his attorney at the state attorney general's office. Assistant Attorney General James Thompson did not respond to requests for comment.

Though Wait was hardly mentioned in Glasser's ruling, O'Hara said the decision "is all about Wait" and the reports he filed with the Kings County district attorney's office.

Wait "has been hoping it doesnt come out," O'Hara said. "Now I have the right to eight hours of sworn testimony under penalty of perjury. No glib remarks. It's going be a problem for him."

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OHara is now seeking $40 million in damages for his arrest and conviction, which was vacated in 2017. At the time, Wait told the Times Union he was just doing his job.

OHara would likely never have a chance to see the alleged fabricated evidence if not for another case with Capital Region roots: In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that embattled Rensselaer County Democratic Commissioner Edward McDonough, who was accused of forging absentee ballots in 2009, had a right to sue former county prosecutor Youel Trey Smith for allegedly fabricating evidence against him.

Initially, the 2nd Circuit in New York City had ruled that McDonough could not file suit against Smith because he acted too late. The nation's highest court overturned the ruling, saying that the clock started ticking on the statute of limitations for alleged fabrication of evidence when criminal proceedings against the defendant have terminated in his favor.

The same decision allowed OHara to move forward with his suit against Wait and others.

Now we will get an answer, OHara said. Thats all going to be completed in the next six months. The attorney general will file an answer on Waits behalf and we go forward. ... Ultimately in the end, Wait will have to explain to somebody what he has known about this for 25 years."
Lori Van Buren/Times Union

ALBANY  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday issued a decision vacating a state appellate court decision in a lawsuit brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany that challenged New York's mandate requiring employers offer abortion services as part of health insurance benefits.

The diocese's suit challenged a 2017 regulation issued by the state Department of Financial Services. It included what opponents argue is an excessively narrow religious exemption that covered only entities whose employees were all members of the same faith.
The debt has been paid, and then some.

That is the message New York needs to hear on a $13 million loan from Empire State Development (ESD) to purchase the property that is now the home of GlobalFoundries.

Twenty-plus years ago, Saratoga County economic development representatives approached the state with an idea, a big idea to purchase a 1,400-acre site in Malta to attract a semiconductor manufacturer.

The state, under then-Gov. George Pataki, had embarked on a long-term strategic effort to attract the semiconductor industry to invest in New York. As part of that initiative, there were a series of broad-based policy changes, workforce development initiatives and investment in the creation of Albany Nano, a world-class public/private research facility. Another key program launched in support of this initiative was SEMI-NY, which worked with communities around the state to acquire and develop sites suitable for semiconductor manufacturers.

Saratoga leaders approached Empire State Development with what they believed was the perfect site to ultimately attract a fab, but they needed a $13 million loan to get the property under control. That property is what we know today as the Luther Forest Technology Park. This was a unique opportunity, but Empire State Development, then and now, was not typically in the business of making real estate loans for speculative projects.

But Pataki and then-ESD Chairman Charles Gargano, with the support of Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, R-Brunswick, saw the bigger picture and approved the deal. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, GlobalFoundries directly employs some three thousand people, has invested billions of dollars into the site and just became a publicly traded company. Most importantly, GlobalFoundries has announced plans to expand its capacity in the coming years, adding as much as $15 billion in new investment, creating over 1,000 new jobs. By all accounts, the deal made by Pataki and supported and nurtured by three of his successors has been a massive success.

However, today, there is still a significant public debt owed by an organization that lacks the resources to pay it. The issue at hand today is the disposition of the balance of the loan and control over the future of development at the Luther Forest Technology Park. By holding this loan, further investment in the park by supply chain companies has been stunted, as the cost of real estate outpaces market realities. Forgiving the approximately $9 million remaining on the loan could drastically reduce the per-acre cost of real estate for Luther Forest Technology Corporation and finally jumpstart development that has effectively stalled for more than 15 years.

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I predicted it in 1998 and Ill say it again today: The overall economic impact to the community and the state of bringing a fab to New York far, far exceeds the value of the loan made by Empire State Development. In addition to the direct value in jobs and investment, the project put New York on the map, by providing the roadmap to compete globally in the semiconductor industry. Ultimately, this helped to pave the way for Cree to invest in Marcy, and, with the expected passage of Sen. Charles Schumer's CHIPS for America and Fab Act, more projects in New York are under active consideration today.

Lets embrace that success and recognize what most of us already know: Future development in Malta should be controlled by local leaders in cooperation with the community and with the site's most important tenant, GlobalFoundries. New York got what it bargained for, and its incumbent upon the Hochul administration to work with local elected officials to pass legislation directing Empire State Development to forgive the loan and allow future development decisions to be decided locally.

David Catalfamo is a former senior vice president of Empire State Development and is currently director of economic development in Oneida County.
The results of the "Cyber Ninja audit of the election results in Maricopa County in Arizona are in. It seems President Joe Biden had a slightly larger edge than originally reported. Does this mean we can put the Big Lie to bed? Please? Could we?

Well, we could if all of our representatives and senators would tell the truth. They all know the election was not stolen, and they need to tell their constituents. Part of the reason they think it was is that these congressional lawmakers continue backing the claims of former President Donald Trump. He lost. Bigly. Lets move on.
ALBANY  State officials are figuring out how to account for New York losing a congressional district following the 2020 Census and the Capital Region, based on the first batch of redistricting maps released, could see some substantial changes after population growth in Saratoga County and the Hudson Valley, as well as a decline in the North Country.

The initial process to redraw state and federal political lines in New York is different than in decades past. The bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission, which was created after a voter-approved referendum in 2014, is tasked with drawing the lines for the next decade. In January, it is expected to submit at least one map  although it could be several  to the Democratic-led Legislature for approval  or for the lawmakers to draw their own lines.

Until then, the commission is taking public input on whether its maps make sense. A public hearing for the Capital Region is scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday at Page Hall in the State University of New York at Albany's downtown campus at 135 Western Ave.

Here's a breakdown of the proposed changes to the region's congressional districts and how it could alter its political leanings. Maps made available by the City University of New York' The Graduate Center help identify exact boundaries of the proposed changes.

Congressional districts

(Lists incumbent, current boundaries and proposed plans for Democrats and Republicans.)

U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, NY-18.

Currently: Poughkeepsie, Newburgh, Middletown and Brewster, plus portions of Westchester County, including Mt. Kisco. The district voted 53 percent for President Joe Biden in 2020.

Democratic plan: Split into two districts, north and south. The northern district would be centered around Poughkeepsie and still include Newburgh and Middletown. It would encroach into Columbia County and include New Paltz and Kingston. The district would have voted for Biden with 53 percent of its vote. The southern district would include Brewster, Mt. Kisco, Nyack and the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, and would have voted for Biden with 56 percent of its vote.

Republican plan: Split into two districts, west and east. The western district would include Middletown and stretch north into Sullivan County to include Monticello. The district would have voted for President Donald Trump with 51 percent of its vote. The eastern district would include New Paltz, Poughkeepsie and Saugerties, Newburgh, Brewster, Mt. Kisco and part of Tarrytown. The district would have voted for Biden with 57 percent of its vote.

U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, NY-19.

Currently: New Paltz, Catskill, Hoosick Falls, Schoharie, Fort Plain and Cooperstown. The district voted 51 percent for Biden in 2020.

Democratic plan: Split into what would become the four Capital Region districts.The western district would create a quasi-central New York district that includes Schenectady, Monticello, Schoharie, Cooperstown, Binghamton and border Cortland and the Syracuse suburbs. The district would have voted for Trump with 50.3 percent of its vote. The southeastern portion would be the New Paltz, Poughkeepsie district, explained further above. A new district encompassing most of the immediate Capital Region would be formed, explained further below. A broader North Country district would be created, explained further below.

Republican plan: Split it into five districts. The western district would include parts of Ulster County, Catskill, Cooperstown, Oswego and to the Canadian border at Alexandria Bay in Jefferson County. It would have voted for Trump with 58 percent of its vote. The two southern districts, one with Poughkeepsie and the other with Middletown, are detailed above.

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U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, NY-20.

Currently: Albany, Troy, Rensselaer, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady and Amsterdam. The district voted 61 percent for Biden in 2020.

Democratic plan: Split into three districts. The Albany-based district would still include Albany, Troy and Saratoga Springs. It would now also include Hoosick Falls, Ballston Spa and Saugerties. It would no longer include Schenectady. It would have voted 58 percent for Biden. Schenectady would become part of the central district detailed above. Amsterdam, the home of Tonko, would now be in the North Country district.

Republican plan: Split into two districts. The new Albany district would include Schenectady, Troy, Saugerties and Kingston, but not Saratoga Springs. It would have voted 62 percent for Biden.

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, NY-21.

Currently: North Country, including Ballston Spa and out to Alexandria Bay in Jefferson County along the Canadian border. It voted 55 percent for Trump.

Democratic plan: Split into three districts. The North Country district would no longer include Ballston Spa, but would reach the Utica suburbs. It would have voted 57 percent for Trump. Two small sections of Lewis County would be carved out of the North Country district and be in a central New York district with Oswego, Elmira and Geneso. It would have voted for Trump with 58 percent of its vote. Ballston Spa would be in the new Albany district detailed above.

Republican plan: Split into two districts. The new North Country district would include Saratoga Springs, Hoosick Falls, Amsterdam, but not extend as far west. It would have voted for Trump with 52 percent of its vote. The western district, including Jefferson and Lewis counties, is explained above.
ALBANY  Major political corruption scandals in New York have often shared a common denominator: high-powered lobbyists.

Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos administration was rocked by two trials centering on lobbyist Todd Howe, including one where his campaign fundraising for Cuomo was a major element. Lobbyists also were significant background players in the criminal cases against former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. The synergy between lobbyists and lawmakers is not new, of course, and dates back decades.

In that context, Gov. Kathy Hochul has embarked on an aggressive and notable fundraising strategy: Her campaign is outsourcing a significant chunk of its money hunt to Albanys top lobbying firms, including a few featuring partners that were key witnesses caught up in past corruption cases.

At her swearing-in ceremony in August, she said one of her priorities was changing the culture of Albany." But as she seeks to win a full term as governor next year, her campaign fundraising tactics  which are legal  have accelerated a longstanding practice in the political culture of state politics.

Already, some eight lobbying firms with major Albany operations have held fundraising events for Hochul, according to people with knowledge of these efforts. These types of events have usually been exclusive, with attendance limited to the lobbying firm and its clients, many of whom have extensive business interest before Hochuls administration.

For private events where Hochul appears in person, her campaign has in at least some instances asked the lobbying firms to commit to raising at least $250,000.

The firms hosting Hochul's fundraisers are said to have included Albany powerhouses such as Hinman Straub, Brown & Weinraub, Avella Dickinson, Mercury Public Affairs and Bolton-St. Johns.

We are putting together a strong, diverse and well-funded campaign, which will be critical to communicate with voters, Brian Lenzmeier, Hochuls campaign manager, said in response to questions from the Times Union. When it comes to fundraising events, they are always organized by campaign staff and we hold ourselves to the highest standards on ethics and disclosures.

Like her predecessors, Hochul has pledged that political donations will not influence her political decision-making.

For her campaign, the tactic is to outsource a significant amount of work from the campaign to lobbyists, allowing the fundraising to proceed more rapidly in a compressed election calendar ahead of June's Democratic primary. That may prove important for a politician whose career  spanning terms as an Erie County clerk and then a member of Congress  was centered in Buffalo, outside the fundraising hub of New York City.

The urgency to raise money is only likely to intensify after state Attorney General Letitia James announced her bid for governor on Friday.

Veteran Albany lobbyist James Featherstonhaugh  who declined to say whether his firm had hosted a Hochul fundraiser  said he does not find the governor's fundraising strategy notable.

Lobbying firms have been holding receptions that they organize for as long as I can remember, Featherstonhaugh said. And I doubt anybody can remember any longer than I can.

During her first two months in office, Hochul has sought to break from other Cuomo practices by making moves to improve government transparency and workplace culture. Yet concerning campaign fundraising, Hochul has sought to emulate Cuomo  one of the most prolific campaign fundraisers in the country  and according to published reports has been trying to amass $10 million in new campaign funds by years end, $25 million in total. That goal may be attainable due to the high contribution limits in New York, which currently allow an individual to give nearly $70,000 to Democratic candidates for governor.

The finance director for Hochuls campaign is the former deputy finance director for Cuomo's committee. Top fundraising consultant Tucker Green has also been retained by Hochuls campaign. Cuomos campaign was also said to at times set fundraising commitments for events held by lobbying firms, though one person recalled the commitment as typically $100,000.

Hochul, in addition to the lobbying firm fundraising, last month held a campaign meet-and-greet event with potential donors in the Orthodox Jewish community, which was organized by a nonprofit that lobbied for $25 million in grants that Hochul had announced the same day.

Cuomo faced criticism for raising millions from people and entities with business before the state. He was at times known to have powerful state government figures attend his fundraising events, including budget director Robert Mujica, giving attendees an extra degree of access to government decision-makers. In that sense, Hochuls campaign is breaking from a Cuomo practice: Government officials besides Hochul have not attended any of the fundraisers, her campaign said.

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The governor travels with a body person, but that person does not participate in or staff fundraisers, Lenzmeier said, referring to a personal aide.

After this article's publication on Monday, Hochul was asked at a press conference whether she had indeed outsourced campaign fundraising to lobbying firms.

"My message to anyone who wants to support me is very clear: Thank you for investing in good government," Hochul told reporters in New York City. "That's it. So we need to raise, (and) will raise, the resources I need to win this election, and continue having conversations about public financing. So the next time people want to run, this will not be a barrier to anyone."

The Hochul events have not been publicly disclosed by her campaign, though the donors will eventually become public when her next campaign finance filing is due in January. In New York City elections, there is a law requiring campaign bundlers  people who raise money en masse for a campaign  to disclose their contributions raised. No such disclosure law exists for state-level elections, and the details of how various lobbyists have raised money for Hochul are not required to be made public.

Last week, Hochul publicly released a memorandum signed by her top aide, Secretary to the Governor Karen Persichilli Keogh, stating the secretary will recuse herself from decision-making on all matters related to her husband, Michael Keogh, who is a lobbyist at Bolton-St. Johns.

Two nights earlier, Bolton-St. Johns partner Emily Giske held a maximum $25,000-per-plate fundraiser for Hochul in Manhattan. That fundraiser, exclusive to the lobbying firm and its clients, was first reported by the New York Post.

For elected officials, questions of undue influence exerted by lobbyists are generally unwelcome. But for lobbyists, the perception of close relationships with elected officials can be a selling point to potential clients, and an intimate fundraiser with a politician can be a demonstration of such access.

Private fundraising events for politicians are often initiated by the lobbying firms. The money is usually principally raised from their own long roster of clients, who then attend the events. If the firm falls short of the amount committed to a campaign, lobbyists may chip in to make up the difference.

While generally unstated in the process of handing over checks, many lobbyists hope campaign donations bring a degree of goodwill with politicians. For clients, donating at political fundraisers could mean a few minutes of face time with Hochul, an advantage over sending a check from afar.

In terms of the governor's fundraising approach, she's following a well-trod path, said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group. Like a political version of Willie Sutton, she's going where the money is.
ALBANY Following a meeting in September, New Yorks ethics commission sent two letters seeking criminal investigations to Attorney General Letitia James office, according to emails obtained by the Times Union.

The second request, which was not previously disclosed, strongly suggests that during its closed-door executive session the Joint Commission on Public Ethics had voted to seek a criminal investigation of the state inspector generals office's handling of a sensitive matter related to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

JCOPE commissioners had voted overwhelmingly during that Sept. 14 session to make a referral to the attorney general's office requesting a new investigation into the unlawful 2019 leak of confidential information  from someone within JCOPE  to Cuomo. The information that was leaked related to how commissioners had voted in private on whether to pursue an investigation of Cuomo's former top aide, Joseph Percoco.

At the September meeting, the commissioners had also wrestled with whether to seek an investigation into the inspector generals office for its arguably lackluster investigation of the JCOPE leak. But their deliberations took place in a closed-door session.

Emails obtained by the Times Union through a Freedom of Information Law request indicate that on Sept. 29  15 days after the meeting  JCOPE general counsel Monica Stamm sent an email to Larry Schimmel, general counsel at the state attorney generals office, with the subject line: Referral.

That same day, Schimmel responded: Acknowledging receipt of both letters.

The attorney generals office provided redacted copies of the emails, but denied the Times Unions request for copies of the referral letters, citing exemptions in state law.

The referrals from JCOPE were legally necessary for James office to pursue the investigations.

Its unclear whether James office will launch an investigation into either the JCOPE leak, or the subsequent investigation of that violation by the inspector generals office; on Friday, a month after receiving the referrals, James office declined to say whether it will take up the cases.

Earlier this year, James office pursued two notable investigations into the Cuomo administration, including issuing an Aug. 3 report alleging extensive sexual harassment by Cuomo, which resulted in the governors resignation.

When James announced she would run in the 2022 Democratic primary for governor on Friday, Cuomo's spokesman again charged that her actions towards the former governor had been driven by politics. If James launched a new inquiry related to Cuomo concerning the leak, she could face new allegations from Cuomos camp about undertaking politically charged investigations, which she has denied.

The leak controversy began following a JCOPE meeting in January 2019, when the commission apparently voted in private against pursuing an investigation of Percoco, who was accused of misusing government resources to work on the governor's re-election campaign. Shortly after the meeting, Cuomo called Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie to complain about the way his appointees had voted on the matter, indicating that confidential information about the meeting had been shared with Cuomo.

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It is a misdemeanor to disclose information from JCOPE's closed-door executive sessions. In addition, after the leak was reported to the inspector general's office, JCOPE staff and commissioners were asked to sign sworn affirmations stating they had not leaked confidential information about the January 2019 meeting. If a JCOPE official had provided false information under penalty of perjury, that would create further legal liability.

The inspector generals investigation has been criticized because the office declined to interview key witnesses, including Cuomo and Heastie, before stating the leak allegations could not be substantiated in a letter report issued in October 2019. In seeking a criminal investigation, some JCOPE commissioners have argued that the inspector generals office may have intentionally failed to identify the leaker, engaging in a cover-up that constituted official misconduct.

The inspector generals office, long criticized for lacking independence from Cuomo, has argued it conducted a thorough investigation of the allegations. The inquiry was led by the offices then-second-in-command, Spencer Freedman, who formerly had served as a staffer under Cuomo.

At a prior meeting in August, a majority of JCOPE commissioners also voted to refer both the leak, and the inspector general's investigation, to James office. But James responded in a letter that the referrals were legally insufficient, since under JCOPEs special voting rules, votes in favor needed to come from JCOPE appointees of the governor, which had not occured.

At the Sept. 14 meeting, during JCOPEs public session, there was sufficient support from gubernatorial appointees to again refer the matter to James and satisfy the concerns shed raised. Its likely that second referral, issued during the executive session, may have met the legal requirements laid out by James.
ALBANY  The union representing New York state troopers has launched a fundraising effort to support Trooper Christopher G. Baldner, who was indicted last week on murder and manslaughter charges for allegedly using his marked cruiser to ram a car occupied by four family members, killing 11-year-old Monica Goods when their SUV flipped over.

A law enforcement source said the driver of the vehicle, Tristin Goods of Brooklyn, may also be arrested soon for his actions before the December crash that caused his daughter's death when she was ejected from the vehicle as it rolled over. The charges under consideration include reckless endangerment, speeding, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to make sure his child was wearing a seatbelt.

The person briefed on the matter said E-ZPass toll records indicated Goods, of Brooklyn, was driving north on the Thruway in Ulster County from New York City and had been traveling at speeds topping 110 mph. The state attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case against Baldner, has declined to say whether race was a factor in the incident. Goods is Black and Baldner is white.

The investigation of Goods' actions before and during the incident are the subject of a separate investigation by the Ulster County district attorney's office.

Sanford Rubenstein, an attorney for Michelle Surrency, the mother of Monica Goods, said that race may have been a factor in the incident.

"Certainly, Black men being pulled over by police in this country and resulting tragedies ... thats been an issue in this country for a very long time," he said.

Donald Boyajian, an attorney for Goods' wife, April, who was a front-seat passenger and witnessed the incident, said Baldner walked up to their vehicle after pulling over Tristin Goods and allegedly began shouting obscenities at the driver. Monica Goods and her 12-year-old sister were in the back seat.

"Can you say that that's racially motivated? I don't know. It's really a question of why such abhorrent behavior," Boyajian said. "You have to put things in context. Circumstantially, it just doesn't add up that you would be so aggressive so soon into the event."

According to police and law enforcement officials, Tristin Goods and Baldner began arguing during the traffic stop; the trooper dispensed pepper spray into the vehicle and Goods sped away. He told the Daily News he fled because he feared for his safety.

Baldner pursued the 2017 Dodge Journey, which the indictment said was "traveling at a high rate of speed," and allegedly used his cruiser to ram the back of the family's vehicle, causing Goods to lose control and the vehicle to flip over.

The 43-year-old trooper, a resident of Catskill, also was indicted on a charge of felony reckless endangerment for a similar incident in September 2019 when he allegedly rammed another motorist's minivan, causing it to careen into a guardrail. There were two passengers in that vehicle. The indictment does not indicate that driver, Jonathan Muthu, or his passengers had suffered any injuries.

State Attorney General Letitia James said Baldner "used his car as a deadly weapon and killed a young girl."

In a message to his fellow troopers last week, Thomas H. Mungeer, president of the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association, characterized Baldner's arrest as "the most infuriating" situation "Ive witnessed in my time as a New York state trooper ... the arrest and arraignment of one of our members on murder charges for performing his duties."



"I will reiterate that the NYSTPBA will continue to be in Trooper Baldners corner," Mungeer wrote in the internal PBA email. "As you read this, Trooper Baldner sits in the Ulster County jail without bail on murder charges for performing his duties as a New York state trooper. He is suspended without pay for at least 30 days and has a wife and two children, ages 13 and 10."



Mungeer added in the email that, "the driver of the vehicle  the father of the child who was killed - will soon be arrested on charges related to that incident. He will most likely benefit from the new, misplaced bail reform measures; however, our member did not."

In an interview on Sunday, Mungeer declined to discuss details of the case or Baldner's account, which a law enforcement source said included Baldner's allegation that Goods' vehicle struck his police cruiser before it lost control.

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"It's a little bit more than what's been portrayed," Mungeer said, declining to elaborate. "A little girl lost her life, and that's horrible, but there were contributing factors to the incident."

State troopers are trained to use their vehicles to force another vehicle off the road  a practice known as a Pursuit Immobilization Technique, or "PIT maneuver." But that type of maneuver is generally reserved for extreme situations, such as a fleeing vehicle speeding the wrong way on an interstate.

Tristin Goods told the Daily News in June that after Baldner pulled him over for speeding near Ulster, the trooper became angry and sprayed the interior of their SUV with pepper spray. The trooper is expected to contradict that account in defense of his case.

Mungeer has encouraged members of their union to donate to the PBA's Signal 30 Benefit Fund to raise money for Baldner and his family.



"The job of a New York state trooper and all law enforcement professionals is difficult enough, however, recent actions are forcing us to re-examine our role in policing society," Mungeer wrote in his email to the PBA last week. "This may ultimately cause our profession overall to become more reactive than proactive, a condition that will make all of us less safe. It is about time our public officials realize this and start to take corrective action to support the men and women of law enforcement."

State Police last week told the Times Union that Baldner had not faced prior discipline for any incidents in which he allegedly rammed vehicles with his cruiser. Baldner had been on administrative duties after the December crash. He was suspended from duty without pay  his pay will be reinstated after 30 days  following his indictment and arrest last week.

Baldner, who became a trooper in 2002, was arraigned by Ulster County Judge Bryan Rounds Wednesday and is being held without bail. A bail hearing is scheduled to take place on Thursday.

"The State Police investigated this matter and cooperated with the (attorney general's) office and will continue to do so," the State Police said in a statement following Baldner's arrest. "As with every state police investigation, our mission is to determine facts and ensure that justice is served, even when it involves one of our own members. Accountability is critically important to our agency."

The attorney general's office intervened as prosecutor in the case under an executive order signed by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that empowered that office to investigate instances in which civilians are killed during encounters with police.
Catholic Funeral Liturgy for Mary Casuccio will be at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church on November 23, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Interment follows at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Arrangements are under the care of Domico Funeral Home.
[November 01, 2021] Abernathy MacGregor Launches Digital Offering

Abernathy MacGregor, a leading strategic communications advisor, today announced the launch of a dedicated digital offering, focused on integrating and advancing the firm's digital expertise to serve clients across industries and practice areas. The digital offering is the latest addition to Abernathy's growing list of services providing clients with a full suite of stakeholder communications in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. "With the launch of a dedicated offering, we are reinforcing the mindset that digital is a critical consideration for every client facing a transformative situation, or seeking to build or protect their reputation through every possible communications platform they use," said Tom Johnson, CEO of Abernathy MacGregor. "As core stakeholder groups use digital channels as a primary means to gather, assess and share information, our mission is to deliver both specialized expertise and tailored strategies to shape the conversation and deliver it to those audiences who matter most, and with tangible, measurable results." Abernathy's digital offering will be overseen by Akeem Anderson, who joins the firm today as a Senior Vice President. He will partner with the firm's Research, Data & Insights team, Creative Services and across the firm's practice areas to help build out the offering. Akeem brings extensive experience counseling clients on innovative integrated digital communications across special situations, corporate reputation, public affairs, and internal communications campaigns. "I am delighted to join Abernathy at a time when digital undeniably is at the forefront of every company's communications stategy," said Mr. Anderson. "By extending the firm's digital offering across our practice areas, I believe we can drive even more value for our clients as they seek to solve their complex issues."



"I am thrilled to welcome Akeem to the firm to build upon our digital capabilities and partner with our expert practitioners on a variety of assignments," added Mr. Johnson. "As he assesses how we can best serve our clients, Akeem also will focus on expanding the offering with key hires and resources." Prior to joining Abernathy, Akeem was a Director at Brunswick Group where he led digital and social strategy development for a variety of clients. Over his career, Akeem has worked with companies in industries ranging from consumer brands and hospitality, as well as energy providers, publishers and prominent non-profits and NGOs. Representative clients include Nike, Pinterest, The Kellogg Company, Marriott, Hyundai, Elkay, ScottsMiracle-Gro, the NAACP, The Obama Foundation, The Law School Admissions Council, PolitiFact and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Anderson also is a former award-winning multi-media journalist, having served as a producer at WJBK FOX 2 Detroit and a reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a Gannett newspaper. He is a graduate of Florida A&M University.

Abernathy counsels companies on effective stakeholder communications. The firm continues to expand its offerings to meet clients' changing needs as business, political and social issues converge. In the last several years the firm has added expertise and launched new practice areas and expanded its capabilities, with key hires in public affairs, research and corporate governance and now, digital. This growth expands on the firm's established reputation, built over 35 years, as a strategic communications advisor in critical moments for CEOs, board directors and senior executives. About Abernathy MacGregor Abernathy MacGregor is a leading strategic communications advisor providing communications, engagement and advocacy expertise that helps clients build and preserve value, seize opportunities and solve problems in today's highly complex, dynamic and interconnected world. Since 1984, the firm has provided superior, customized communications strategies and an intensely collaborative and high-energy commitment to its clients. Abernathy operates from offices in New York, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. and with a presence in Chicago. The firm is a founding member of AMO, which is the leading international network of strategic communications consultancies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005759/en/

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[November 01, 2021]

AI in Banking Market to Reach $64.03 Bn, Globally, by 2030 at 32.6% CAGR: Allied Market Research

Rise in investment by banking companies in AI and machine learning and surge in preference for personalized financial services drive the growth of the global AI in banking market

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "AI in Banking Market by Component (Solution and Service), Enterprise Size (Large Enterprise and SMEs), Applications (Risk Management Compliance & Security, Customer Service, Back Office/Operations, Financial Advisory and Others) and Technology (Machine Learning & Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20212030."According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global AI in banking market was estimated at $3.88 billion in 2020 and is expected to hit $64.03 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 32.6% from 2021 to 2030.

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities-

Rise in investment by banking companies in AI and machine learning, surge in preference for personalized financial services, and increase in collaboration between financial institutes and AI & machine learning solution companies drive the growth of the global AI in banking market. On the other hand, higher deployment cost of AI and machine learning and lack of skilled labor restrain the growth to some extent. However, upsurge in government initiatives and growing investments to leverage the AI technology are expected to create lucrative opportunities in the industry.

Download Sample Report (Get Full Insights in PDF  333+ Pages) @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/12236

COVID-19 scenario-

The outbreak of COVID-19 is anticipated to have a positive impact on growth of AI in banking market. This is attributed to rise in demand for anti-money laundering (AML) and fraud detection solutions during the pandemic situation.

At the same time, with the significant rise in digitization among both the financial institutes and end users, the demand for AI technology has been increased so as to reduce the load on the banking servers, thereby easing up transaction delays throughout this unprecedented time.

The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) segment to retain the lion's share-

On the basis of solution type, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) segment held the major share in 2020, garnering nearly one-fifth of the global AI in banking market. The same segment is also projected to cite the fastest CAGR of 34.0% throughout the forecast period. Growing need for CRM solution to gain deeper insights into customer's habits and personal preferences drives the segment growth.

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The machine learning & deep learning segment to dominate by 2030-

On the basis of technology, the machine learning & deep learning segment contributed to the lion's share in 2020, holding around one-third of the global AI in banking market. However, the sme segment is also expected to cite the fastest CAGR of 33.5% from 2021 to 2030. This is attributed to increase in adoption of machine learning among banking institutes to support artificial intelligence software developed by various companies to improve their bias decisions while doing critical jobs.







North America held the major share in 2020-

By region, the market across North America dominated in 2020, garnering more than two-fifths of the global AI in banking market, owing to increase in demand for advanced analytics in this province. Simultaneously, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to cite the fastest CAGR of 34.3% throughout the forecast period. This is due to increase in investment by banks across China, Japan, and India for analyzing loan sanction patterns.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the AI in Banking Market @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/12236?reqfor=covid

Key players in the industry-

BigML, Inc.

Cisco Systems, Inc.

Fair Isaac Corporation

SAP SE

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

SAS Institute Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Amazon Web Services Inc.

Microsoft Corporation

RapidMiner, Inc.

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Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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[November 01, 2021]

AirX Climate Solutions, Inc. Hires Andy Halko As CFO

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AirX Climate Solutions, Inc. ("ACS") today announced the appointment of Andy Halko to Chief Financial Officer. In his new role, Halko will focus on ACS's goals of organic market share growth through new product development and geographic expansion as well as continued expansion through acquisitions.

AirX Climate Solutions, Inc. ("ACS") today announced the appointment of Andy Halko to Chief Financial Officer.

Halko joins ACS with an extensive understanding of the HVAC industry having more than 20 years of experience in the space. Most recently, Halko held leadership roles at Notek Air Solutions, including Controller and General Manager. Previously, he was the CFO of the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Halko is a CPA with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Science in accounting from Oklahoma City University.







"We are excited to announce that Andy has joined the senior leadership team at AirX Climate Solutions," said CEO Rick Aldridge. "Andy's leadership skills and financial knowledge will be of great value to our team as he helps drive ACS' strategy and growth."

About AirX Climate Solutions

ACS is a consolidator in the highly fragmented specialty HVAC industry and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK. ACS operates under five industry leading specialty HVAC brands including Marvair, Industrial Climate Engineering ("ICE"), Eubank, Suburban Applied Products, and Custom Air Products & Services ("CAPS"). These brands provide highly engineered cooling and ventilation solutions for telecommunications, energy development and storage, and education/multi-tenant housing industries by designing, manufacturing, and distributing innovative products and critical services.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/airx-climate-solutions-inc-hires-andy-halko-as-cfo-301413188.html

SOURCE AirX Climate Solutions, Inc.
[November 01, 2021] American Broadband announces addition of John Walter to leadership team

SULPHUR, La., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Broadband Holding Company (American Broadband or the Company), a leading provider of broadband access in rural markets across the United States, today announced the appointment of John Walter as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Company as it embarks on its next stage of growth.

Walter joins American Broadband as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, where he will be responsible for advising the company regarding strategic and operational matters, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), finance, contracting, compliance obligations and dispute resolution. Walter will also serve in the corporate secretary role and be responsible for corporate governance. Walter has nearly 20 years of professional legal experience in corporate law, M&A, securities and heavily regulated industries. He most recently served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for CVR Energy, Inc.; for the general partners of its refining subsidiary, CVR Refining, LP; and its nitrogen fertilizer subsidiary, CVR Partners, LP. He led the legal efforts for three publicly traded entities, with focus on governance, securities, M&A and finance.



Prior to his role with CVR, Walter was an associate at the law firms of Stinson LLP and Seigfreid Bingham, P.C., both based in Kansas City. He holds a Bachelor of Science in psycholoy from Colorado State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas.



Walter is the latest in a number of recent key executive appointments that will lead the Companys aggressive growth strategy in rural communities, said Chris Eldredge, CEO of American Broadband. John will be a significant contributor to our teams efforts to provide high-quality, high-speed and reliable broadband service to rural America, Eldredge said. With a dynamic leadership team in place with vast industry experience, we can now accelerate our Companys exciting next phase of growth.

About American Broadband Holding Company American Broadband is one of the leading providers of broadband for Rural America. The company provides phone access lines, video, and broadband service to customers in rural communities in Nebraska, Missouri, Alaska, Louisiana, and Texas. The Companys operating brands include American Broadband, Cameron Communications and TelAlaska. American Broadband partners in the growth and economic vitality of its communities by providing broadband and other advanced services and by contributing to and supporting new business activity and job growth. American Broadband retains local management and staff at each of its local operations to ensure continued superior levels of service to our customers. More information about the Company can be found at www.americanbroadband.com. American Broadband was recently acquired by Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC ("MDP"), a leading private equity firm based in Chicago, and Catania ABC Partners ("Catania"). Contacts:

Lukas Partners

Brian Ayers

Office: 402.895.2552 ext. 308

Cell: 402.917.8967 / [email protected]

American Broadband Holding Company

Bob OKeefe

475-323-8884 / [email protected]



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Best's Review Examines How D&I Impacts Insurers' Workforces, Products and Risks

Best's Review features coverage of "How D&I Impacts Insurers' Workforces, Products and Risks," a cross-media series with AM Best TV in which top industry leaders discuss diversity and inclusion in the insurance industry. The series explores the following topics:

As companies and organizations come under increased scrutiny, some insurers have taken the lead in developing heterogeneous workforces. Building a rich, multi-background workforce takes creativity, hustle and commitment. In "Best Practices for Building a Diverse and Inclusive Insurance Workforce," insurers and workplace experts examine real-world strategies and tactics for building an insurance workplace that embraces today's rapidly changing workforce.

Some insurers are meeting demographic and societal changes with new products and services designed to serve specialized communities and unique needs. In "How Insurers Profit by Serving a Diverse and Inclusive Customer Base," insurers and strategists examine how social change is driving insurance opportunity.

Insurers increasingly rely on tools such as data, analytics, algorithms and machine learning that are coming under increased scrutiny for possibly introducing unintended bias. In "Advancing Technology Exposes Insurers to Bias Risk," privacy, technology and regulatory experts examine where those exposures may be occurring, how they can be prevented and the implications for insurers that depend on these tools.







"Homeowners Insurtech Segment Expands Lines, Forms Partnerships, Adds Services" provides an overview of who's who in homeowners insurtechs.

In the life insurance sector, sales have been booming, with the industry posting its biggest sales gain since 1983. Best's Review explores the reasons for the banner year and examines whether it is sustainable in "Life Insurance Sales Are Up, But for How Long?"

explores the reasons for the banner year and examines whether it is sustainable in "Life Insurance Sales Are Up, But for How Long?" Due to the anticipated rise of space tourism and several billionaires' recent ventures into space, insurers are starting to develop products that would offer bodily injury coverage to spaceflight travelers. Learn more in "Space Invaders: Recent Private Spaceflights Have Insurers Eyeing New Coverages."

Best's Review is AM Best's monthly insurance magazine, covering emerging insurance issues and trends and evaluating their impact on the marketplace. Full access to the complete content of Best's Review is available Full access to the complete content of Best's Review is available here.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2021 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005637/en/
[November 01, 2021]

Call for Entries Issued for 9th Annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

FAIRFAX, Va., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Stevie Awards have issued the call for entries for the 2022 (9th annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards , the only business awards program to recognize innovation in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region.

The early-bird entry deadline, with discounted entry fees, is November 23, 2021. The entry deadline is January 19, 2022, but late entries will be accepted through March 2 with the payment of a late fee. Complete entry details are available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com .

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organizations in the 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region: large and small, for-profit and non-profit, public and private.

The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries will be accepted in eight languages  Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese - in the following awards category groups:

A new category group for 2022 will recognize Social Media innovations, in content creation and moderation, management, and marketing since July 1 2019.

Asia-Pacific Stevie Award winners will be announced on April 17. Winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during an awards banquet on May 27. In the event that we are unable to stage the banquet because of COVID-19, we will stage a virtual awards ceremony instead.

Scores of professionals from throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Stevie winners.

Some of the Asia-Pacific region's most innovative organizations have won Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in the past five years including ABS-CBN Corporation, Cisco Systems, DHL Asia Pacific Shared Services, EventsAIR, Freelancer.com, Google, Great Eagle Holdings, Globe Telecom, HLC Group, Hong Kong Tourism Board, HP Inc., IBM, KEB HANA Bank, KEPCO, KT, MSLGROUP China, Ooredoo, PT Petrokimia Gresik, Singapore Power, SM Supermalls, Tata Consultancy Services, Telkom Indonesia, VNPT Vinaphone Corporation, Viettel, and more.

The Stevie Award is among the world's most coveted prizes. The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for "crowned."

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com .

- Stevie, American Business Awards and International Business Awards are registered trademarks of Stevie Awards, Inc.

* PR Newswire Asia is the official news release distribution partner of the 2022 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

SOURCE The Stevie Awards
[November 01, 2021] CANbridge Pharmaceuticals Enters into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Gene Therapy Research Agreement with University of Washington School of Medicine

CANbridge Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading China-based global rare disease-focused biopharmaceutical company committed to the research, development and commercialization of transformative therapies, announced that it has entered into a two-year sponsored research agreement with the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle, Washington, for gene therapy research in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare neuromuscular disease. The program will be under the direction of Jeffrey Chamberlain, Ph.D., professor in the Departments of Neurology, Medicine and Biochemistry, the McCaw Endowed Chair in Muscular Dystrophy at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Director of the Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Center of Seattle. Guy Odom, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Washington, will serve as the co-principal investigator. Dr. Chamberlain is internationally renowned as a pioneer and one of the top researchers in the field of gene therapies for muscle diseases. His lab has been studying muscular dystrophy mechanisms, particularly dystrophin structure, and gene therapy approaches. They were the first to show that adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors could be used for systemic gene delivery to muscle. "We are thrilled to enter into this research agreement with Dr. Chamberlain, who has been leading the world in DMD research for decades, as we advance our gene therapy research program in neuromuscular disorders," said James Xue, Ph.D., Founder, Chairman and CEO, CANbridge Pharmaceuticals Inc. "Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common of the hereditary neuromuscular diseases and, despite recent approvals for exon-skipping therapies, remains severely underserved medicall. We believe that the best gene therapy for this devastating disease has not yet been discovered, and we look forward to working with Dr. Chamberlain and his team on their innovative research, as well as the new treatments that may arise from it."



About Dystrophinopathies Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a rare muscle disorder, but it is one of the most frequent genetic conditions that primarily affects males. DMD usually presents in early childhood and is characterized by rapidly progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, leading to loss of ambulation by about 12 years of age. Cardiomyopathy is a common cause of morbidity and death in DMD patients. The incidence of DMD is estimated to be 1/3,500 - 1/5,000 male births worldwide and 1/4,560 in China, according to the National Organization for Rare Disease and published peer review.

About the Chamberlain Laboratory, University of Washington Department of Neurology The lab is focused on muscular dystrophy research with two major goals: to develop a better understanding of the molecular basis of the pathophysiology of the diseases, and to develop gene and cell therapies that will correct and treat the muscular dystrophies. Major targets for therapy include Duchenne muscular dystrophy and LGMD2I. About the Odom Laboratory, University of Washington Department of Neurology The lab is focused on developing a more thorough understanding of the inherent muscle biology occurring during muscular dystrophy disease progression. As such, the lab's research generally involves developing or improving genetic-based therapies. About CANbridge Pharmaceuticals Inc. CANbridge Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a China-based global rare disease-focused biopharmaceutical company committed to the research, development and commercialization of transformative therapies. CANbridge has a comprehensive and differentiated pipeline of 13 drug assets with significant market potential, targeting some of the most prevalent rare diseases and rare oncology. These include Hunter syndrome (MPS II) and other lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), complement mediated disorders, hemophilia A, metabolic disorders, rare cholestatic liver diseases and neuromuscular diseases, as well as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). CANbridge strategically combines global collaborations and internal research to build and diversify its drug portfolio and invest in next-generation gene therapy technologies for rare disease treatments. CANbridge global partners include, but are not limited to, Apogenix, GC Pharma, Mirum, Wuxi Biologics, Privus, the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMass) and LogicBio. For more on CANbridge Pharmaceuticals Inc., please go to: www.canbridgepharma.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005332/en/

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[November 01, 2021] CBIZ InR Recognized as Approved Fiduciary Investment Advisor in the State of New Jersey

CBIZ InR Advisory Services, a division of CBIZ, Inc., a national leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services, has been approved by the state of New Jersey as a Fiduciary Investment Advisor. Following an extensive review and proposal process, CBIZ InR was appointed as an approved vendor, allowing the state's 457 retirement plans the option to engage with the firm as its investment advisor. To become approved with the state, CBIZ InR presented a program that provides economical, transparent and hands-on individual counseling for municipal employees. CBIZ InR brings an independent approach to delivering these services and remains committed to delivering a comprehensive and dynamic experience for employers and participants across the state while enhancing the level of fiduciary service provided. "CBIZ InR is proud to be an approved retirement plan provider for the state of New Jersey," said Brad Warner, Vice President of CBIZ InR. "The state's municipal employees are incredibly hard-working individals and they deserve quality service and comprehensive advice to manage their retirement assets and meet their financial goals."



Jeff Hugo, CBIZ InR Executive Vice President, added: "Our mission is to optimize our clients' retirement plans and we apply the same philosophy with municipal-level clients as we do with individual investors. This approach has yielded success with over 125 municipalities in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and we look forward to extending our work in the great state of New Jersey." CBIZ InR upholds an elevated service standard and assumes fiduciary responsibility for the investments in managed portfolios. This provides investors with full transparency and confidence to navigate their retirement landscape. More information about CBIZ InR can be found at cbiz.com.

Investment management services are provided through CBIZ Investment Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of CBIZ, Inc. dba CBIZ InR. About CBIZ CBIZ, Inc. is a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services to businesses throughout the United States. Financial services include accounting, tax, government health care consulting, transaction advisory, risk advisory, and valuation services. Insurance services include employee benefits consulting, retirement plan consulting, property and casualty insurance, payroll, and human capital consulting. With more than 100 Company offices in 31 states, CBIZ is one of the largest accounting and insurance brokerage providers in the U.S. For more information, visit www.cbiz.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005065/en/

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[November 01, 2021]

China-SCO Local Economic Cooperation Demonstration Zone in Qingdao ushers in the first overseas investment fund

QINGDAO, China, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 2021 China-SCO Countries Financial Cooperation and Capital Market Development Forum that opened in Jiaozhou, Qingdao on Oct 28, the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation, which is located in the Jiaozhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, ushered in the first overseas investment fund.

The fund is the first QDLP fund under Qingdao's Qualified Domestic Limited Partnership (QDLP) scheme. QDLP is a pilot program developed by Chinese local authorities for the purpose of facilitating cross-border asset allocation. It allows global asset managers to raise Renminbi from investors in China to invest in overseas traditional and alternative assets such as hedge funds, private equity funds and REITs. Qingdao has been assigned a quota of US$ 3 billion for piloting the QDLP scheme.







The China-SCO local economic cooperation demonstration zone will run the fund in collaboration with Sino-Russian Energy Investment Private Equity Fund Management (Qingdao) Co Ltd. At the forum, it also signed agreements with Kazakhstan's Astana International Financial Centre, CICC Capital and other domestic and overseas capital management organizations to launch cooperation in promoting cross-border capital flows.

Contact:Zhu Yiling

Tel.:0086-532-85911619

Website:http://www.qingdaochina.org

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/qingdaocity

Twitter:https://twitter.com/loveqingdao

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[November 01, 2021] Coya Therapeutics Appoints Dr. Adrian Hepner as Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Greg MacMichael as Chief Technical Officer

HOUSTON, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coya Therapeutics, Inc. (Coya), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class approaches utilizing autologous regulatory T cells (Treg) and Treg-derived exosome therapeutics for neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of Adrian Hepner, M.D., Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer and Greg MacMichael, Ph.D. as Chief Technical Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Hepner will drive the ongoing clinical and regulatory advancement of Coyas expanding pipeline, and Dr. MacMichael will oversee manufacturing and process development.

We are very pleased to welcome both Adrian and Greg, especially as we approach a significant inflection point and anticipate topline data following our recently completed Phase 2a trial, said Howard Berman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Coya Therapeutics. Adrians extensive leadership experience, strategic clinical-regulatory knowledge and neurology background make him exceptionally well qualified to drive the advancement of Coyas expanding pipeline and lead investigational drug, COYA101: an autologous, expanded Treg cell therapy in development for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). On the manufacturing end, Greg brings scientific acumen, broad drug development expertise and experience in establishing the necessary processes to maximize the potential of our proprietary platform. With these tremendous additions to our leadership team, we now have the necessary capabilities to advance our Treg programs through the clinic and beyond. Dr. Hepner has over 30 years of global experience in clinical research and drug development, including the development and implementation of the clinical and regulatory strategy for several products from early stage through successful New Drug Application (NDA) and EU regulatory filings and approvals. Dr. Hepners pharmaceutical industry experience includes over 20 years of elevating leadership roles in drug development. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of R&D at Pharnext and Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Eagle Pharmaceuticals. He has also held the positions of Vice President of Clinical Research at Avanir Pharmaceuticals, where he had a critical role in the development and approval of Nuedexta, a first-in-class product for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect, Vice President of Clinical Research and Medical Affairs at BioDelivery Sciences International (BDSI), where he led the regulatory process for the first buccal film approved for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. In addition, he had a critical role in the commercial launch of the product. Prior to BDSI,Dr. Hepner was senior medical director at UCB BioSciences, Inc., where he was responsible for global development projects in the central nervous system therapeutic area and led global clinical research projects in Latin America for Teva Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Hepner has authored multiple publications, holds several patents and spent 17 years as a practicing physician specializing in neuropsychiatry. Dr. Hepner completed visiting research physician experiences in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, the Department of Neurology at the National Institute of Mental Health, and a post-doctoral fellowship in neuropharmacology at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Hepner received his M.D., and Ph.D., from Universidad de Buenos Aires.



Dr. Hepner added, I am excited to join Coya, whose emerging data suggest COYA101 may slow and halt the progression of ALS and ultimately provide superior clinical benefit by harnessing the neuro-protective effects of Treg cell therapy. I look forward to working with Coyas outstanding team to maximize the full potential of Coyas proprietary platform technology, optimize our clinical development plans, and work with regulatory agencies to bring COYA101 to patients as efficiently and quickly as possible. Dr. MacMichael has nearly 40 years of biopharmaceutical experience, including in the development and manufacturing of biologics. Most recently, he was Chief Technology Officer of Castle Creek Biosciences, Inc., and President of CMC Bioservices, a consultancy focused on the development and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies, biologics and vaccines. Previously, he served as the Senior Vice President of Technology for Axovant Sciences, Senior Vice President of Development, Manufacturing and Quality Control at NantKwest, and Senior Vice President of Process, Development, Manufacturing and Quality Assurance at Rocket Pharma. He has also served as the Global Head of Biologics Process Development at Novartis, leading the chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC) aspects of Novartis acquisition and transfer of Kymriah from the University of Pennsylvania, including building the supply chain for plasmids, lentiviral vector and production capacity. Dr. MacMichael has worked with various notable companies, including Novartis, Wyeth, Eli Lilly, Chiron, Centocor and Cook. Dr. MacMichael received his Ph.D. in microbiology/biochemistry from Mississippi State University, his M.S. in microbiology/biochemistry from North Carolina State University and his B.S. in microbiology from Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. MacMichael added, I am impressed with Coyas disruptive platform technology, which is the first in the industry to expand, freeze and re-thaw Tregs, allowing for serial and monthly maintenance infusions while maintaining viability and suppressive function. With this capability, Coya has the potential to transform the treatment landscape for patients with neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. I look forward to working with the team to translate strategies into tactical programs and further optimize effective manufacturing and development processes. About Coya Therapeutics, Inc.

Headquartered in Houston, TX, Coya Therapeutics (TM) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class and best-in-class approaches utilizing adoptive regulatory T cells (Tregs) to target disease. The companys CTreg (TM) (Cryopreservation for Tregs) system is patent pending and the first in the industry to overcome prior limitations of Treg cell therapies, allowing for serial infusions from a single manufacturing run. Coyas proprietary TAI (Tregs Against Inflammation) involves the conversion of millions of dysfunctional Tregs into billions of Super Tregs, with superior immunosuppressive functionality. Our patent pending iscEXO (TM) (immunosuppressive cell Exosome) platform is a Treg derived exosome asset focused on the advancement of disease modifying approaches to address the significant unmet medical needs of patients with ALS, Frontotemporal Dementia, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and autoimmune diseases. For more information, please visit www.coyatherapeutics.com Investor Contact

Daniel Ferry

617-430-7576

[email protected] Media Contact

Jessica Starman

[email protected]



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[November 01, 2021] Elliptic Labs Signs Proof of Concept Agreement with A Leading PC OEM for All-in-One PC System

Elliptic Labs (EuroNext Growth: ELABS.OL), a global AI software company and the world leader in Virtual Smart Sensors, announced today that it has signed an additional proof-of-concept (PoC) contract with one of the top three laptop/PC manufacturers. This agreement features Elliptic's AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform on the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) line of All-in-One personal computers (PCs). This PoC project will highlight Elliptic's AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform, offering the AI Virtual Presence Sensor t enable the All-in-One PC to detect the user's presence. The capability automatically locks and puts the system to sleep when the user is away and automatically awakes and unlocks the system when the user returns, dramatically increasing the system's security and convenience while lowering its power consumption.



"Elliptic Labs is expanding the markets that our AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform can address into PCs and All-in-one systems with this contract," said Laila Danielsen, CEO of Elliptic Labs. "We have spent over a decade building a solid technology fueled by strong partner and customer relations that we leverage addressing multi-billion dollar markets. We are excited to see that our customers keep expanding with us into more business units and models." AI Virtual Smart Sensor and AI Virtual Sensor Platform are trademarks of Elliptic Labs.

About Elliptic Labs Elliptic Labs is a global enterprise targeting the smartphone, laptop, IoT, and automotive markets. Founded in 2006 as a research spin-off from Norway's Oslo University, the company's patented software uses AI, ultrasound and sensor-fusion to deliver intuitive 3D gesture, proximity, presence, breathing and heartbeat detection experiences. Its scalable AI Virtual Smart Sensor Platform creates software-only sensors that are sustainable, human-friendly and already deployed in hundreds of millions of devices around the world. Elliptic Labs is the only software company that has delivered detection capabilities using AI software, ultrasound, and sensor-fusion deployed at scale. It filed its IPO with the Euronext Growth Market in October 2020. Elliptic Labs is headquartered in Norway with presence in the USA, China, South-Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Its technology and IP are developed in Norway and are solely owned by the company. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211031005052/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Extinction Rebellion to address AidEx and Development2030 audience at event in Brussels

AidEx and Development2030 are two events that are run by the Montgomery Group in London LONDON and BRUSSELS, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In anticipation of COP26, tensions are growing across media and in the aid and international development community. With the climate crisis firmly on the global agenda in the countdown to COP26, AidEx and its new sister event, Development2030, are on a mission to address the question - Has the global pandemic distracted us from the much bigger threat of climate change? This is set against the general AidEx conference theme - Global growth in authoritarian and populist government is shrinking the space for civil society  how have the world's most powerful movements countered this trend and what lessons can be learnt? AidEx is pleased to introduce their keynote speaker Roger Hallam. Roger is the co-founder of Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain, and is well known as one of the most prolific civil society activists of current times. Extinction Rebellion is a global environmental movement that is increasingly involved in the mainstream debate. The language around climate change has also changed. Words like "extinction", "rebellion", "crisis" and "breakdown" are now part of everyday conversaions when discussing the environmental threat. But perhaps most importantly what is deemed "politically realistic" has changed. (The Guardian)



Roger will address the following critical topic: Our responsibilities at this time  The aftermath of COP26. With AidEx and Development2030 taking place just a week after COP26, the topic is of paramount importance. Roger is one of many, high profile and hard-hitting speakers at AidEx and Development2030 which includes:

David Miliband , CEO, IRC

, CEO, IRC Preet Kaur Gill , UK Shadow Secretary of State for International Development

, UK Shadow Secretary of State for International Development Sinead Walsh , Climate Envoy & Deputy Director General of Irish Aid and Africa , Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs

, Climate Envoy & Deputy Director General of and , Department of Foreign Affairs Flemming Mller Mortensen, Minister for Development and Nordic Cooperation of Denmark

Anders L Pettersson, Executive Director, Civil Rights Defenders

Lawrence Nathaniel , Founder, Black Lives Matter South Carolina and National Organization for Change Roger Hallam will be speaking on 18th November at 12:15-12:45 in the AidEx Theatre. The full conference programme for AidEx is here and for Development2030 is here. AidEx and Development2030 are taking place at Brussels Expo, Belgium on November 17-18. Registration is free for professionals working in the aid and development sector and students taking part in relevant studies. If you would like to know more or to register for these events, please visit  www.aid-expo.com Contact Romel Ahmed

Public Relations

AidEx and Development2030

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.montgomerygroup.com

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[November 01, 2021] First AML Raises $21 Million in Series B Funding to Replace Businesses' Due Diligence Stack

Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Anti-money laundering (AML) tech company First AML has raised US $21 million (NZ $ 30 million) in a Series B funding round led by Blackbird Ventures and international investor Headline, together with renewed commitments from existing investors Bedrock Capital, Icehouse Ventures and Pushpay founder Eliot Crowther. Fraud and money laundering, already a critical challenge to all digital transactions, have been on the rise due to the global instability brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigations such as the Pandora (News - Alert) Papers have also reignited concerns on AML compliance and the transparency of international financial transactions. Emerging legislation and regulation is also requiring a greater number of businesses and financial intermediaries to perform CDD and AML checks throughout the lifetime of all their customer relationships. First AML is solving this problem through its regulatory technology (RegTech) solution that allows B2B clients such as financial service providers, law firms, real estate agencies, and accountants, to streamline their anti-money laundering compliance processes and minimize risk. The company's end-to-end due diligence platform automates the identity verification of customers, with complete visibility and management oversight. It also includes improved biometric identification for remote verfication and visual tools to help users understand the ownership of complex company structures.



Leveraging global trends and network effects Launched in 2017 in New Zealand, First AML has since expanded to Australia in 2021. Raised on the back of strong international customer demand, today's Series B round will be used to expand its solution to Europe and double its global headcount from 90 to 180 employees.

"The market for AML has grown nearly 20% in the past year to US $214 billion - there is a massive global market opportunity for us now. With groundbreaking investigations around tax havens and money laundering across multiple countries, the AML compliance regime is now shifting to non-financial businesses globally. This raise will help us scale, fueling further global expansion and product development to supercharge our network effect," says First AML's co-founder and CEO Milan Cooper commenting on the raise. Global growth is part of the company's business model New investor Blackbird Ventures has been an avid user of First AML's solution for several years: "We heavily rely on First AML. This is what is special about this deal - how intimately connected we are to the customer pain point, our love for the product roadmap, and the network effects that emerge as their business model goes global," says Blackbird Partner Samantha Wong. "Most businesses do not have the resources to build their own compliance infrastructure. This is especially the case in Europe where new regulations have increased pressure and complexity on non-financial services businesses to comply with ever greater requirements. We are excited to join the company as it goes on to shake up the global compliance market," says Michael Kent from venture capital firm Headline. Milan Cooper founded First AML in 2017 with his two co-founders, Bion Behdin and Chris Caigou, who were working as corporate bankers. In 2020, First AML raised AU$7.3 million in a Series A funding round, led by US-based Bedrock Capital, with support from existing investors. About First AML First AML streamlines anti-money laundering compliance through its online identity verification system that can be completed by individuals anywhere in the world on their smart device. Its end-to-end customer due diligence platform is used by financial service providers, lawyers, accountants and real estate agents, providing them complete visibility and management oversight on the go. See https://www.firstaml.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005460/en/

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Generational Equity Advises Mountain West Security in its Sale to Fire Protection Service Corporation

Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client Mountain West Security, LLC to Fire Protection Service Corporation (dba Mountain Alarm Fire & Security). The transaction closed September 21, 2021.

Headquartered in Orem, Utah, with multiple locations throughout Western U.S., Mountain West Security (MWS) is an installer of commercial and residential fire and security alarm systems with 24-hour monitoring, commercial access control systems, and commercial and residential camera systems. MWS has been a trusted partner of commercial and residential property owners throughout the Western U.S.

Mountain Alarm Fire & Security, headquartered in Ogden, Utah provides the highest quality security, safety and automation backed by the best customer service. Their state-of-the art products and services include commercial and residential security systems, fire alarm systems, video, managed access, and test and inspections. Mountain Alarm is a third-generation family business with 14 offices across Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona. They are focused on growing organically and through acquisition. They will celebrate their 70-year anniversary in 2022.

Generational Equity Executive Managing Director of M&A - Western Region, Stephen Crisham, led by Sr. Managing Director Mergers & Acquisitions, Fred Zweifel, with support by Sr. Managing Director - Western Region, Lori Galloway closed the transaction. Senior Managing Director, James Carr established the initial relationship with MWS.







About Generational Equity

Generational Equity, Generational Capital Markets (member FINRA/SIPC), Generational Wealth Advisors, Generational Consulting Group, and DealForce are part of the Generational Group, which is headquartered in Dallas and is one of the leading M&A advisory firms in North America.

With more than 250 professionals located throughout 16 offices in North America, the companies help business owners release the wealth of their business by providing growth consulting, merger, acquisition, and wealth management services. Their six-step approach features strategic and tactical growth consulting, exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, M&A transactional services, and wealth management.

The M&A Advisor named the company the 2017 and 2018 Investment Banking Firm of the Year and Valuation Firm of the Year in 2020. For more information, visit https://www.genequityco.com/ or the Generational Equity press room.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005186/en/
[November 01, 2021] GlideFast Consulting And Pharicode Merge Teams to Form the Most Certified Elite ServiceNow Partner

GlideFast Consulting, an Elite ServiceNow (News - Alert) Partner and leading IT consulting, implementation, and development company, has merged teams with Pharicode, a fellow Elite ServiceNow Partner. Both companies share common roots and values as they were each founded by leaders who first worked as ServiceNow customers and later transitioned into the consulting side of the industry to deliver innovative solutions and services to customers. Pharicode is also a Microsoft (News - Alert) Partner with Cloud Hosting capabilities which makes them a leader in the Federal ServiceNow space. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005230/en/



GlideFast and Pharicode Merge Teams of ServiceNow Experts to Solidify GlideFast as The Most Certified ServiceNow Elite Partner. (Graphic: Business Wire)

This merger positions GlideFast Consulting as the largest and most certified Elite partner in the ServiceNow ecosystem. "With this exciting merger of Pharicode into the GlideFast brand, we continue our mission and our team will only continue to grow. Our federal practice will continue to be of high importance with an emphasis on unique, new banners across the Department of Defense and Federal / Civilian space. Our cloud modernization and hosting platform will continue to be a differentiator in the market for us and is a key capability in our wheelhouse. Our partnership with Microsoft will be more important than ever as ServiceNow continues to expand its mission areas side by side with them as well." - Stephen Light, CFSO at GlideFast Consulting GlideFast Consulting will welcome over 50 new team members from Pharicode. Pharicode is an Elite ServiceNow partner headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, offering implementation, process consulting, staff augmentation, custom application development, training, and instance administration services for the ServiceNow platform. Since inception, GlideFast Consulting has become a ServiceNow Elite partner and was recognized as No. 628 on the Inc. 5000 list of the 2021 fastest-growing private companies in the United States. "We are honored to announce this merger with Pharicode. GlideFast is now the most certified and largest ServiceNow Elite partner. Our mission to become the unequivocal leader in the ServiceNow partner space is now closer than ever." - Michael Lombardo, CEO of GlideFast Consulting This union of two Elite Partners will allow ServiceNow customers to benefit from the combined experience of the companies' highly-skilled ServiceNow consultants, architects, and developers. GlideFast will now be offering cloud capabilities which will enable them to help more customers than ever before. GlideFast Consulting remains committed to excellence on its journey to becoming the leading ServiceNow partner across North America and globally. About GlideFast Consulting GlideFast Consulting is a ServiceNow Elite Partner and professional services firm that provides tailored solutions and professional services for ServiceNow implementations, integrations, managed support services, application development, and training. Learn more at www.glidefast.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005230/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Income Research + Management Adds Advisory Members to Board of Trustees

Income Research + Management ("Income Research" or "IR+M"), a fixed income asset management firm based in Boston, today announced the addition of four Advisory Members to the Board of Trustees: Debbie Goldstein, Kate Taylor, Dune Thorne, and Ella Washington. The Advisory Members joined the Board on October 1, 2021, and work alongside Fiduciary Members John Sommers, Jack Sommers, and Bill O'Malley. "A critical goal of our succession planning is to remain a privately-owned investment management firm dedicated to providing our clients with best-in-class fixed income management," said Jack Sommers, Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson. "This includes a strong Board with a variety of perspectives." The Advisory Members aid the Board and IR+M's leadership team on matters pertaining to management, operations, and strategic positioning within the asset management industry. They support the firm in its overall mission to deliver superior investment results, provide exceptional client service, and advance the firm's Core Values. Bill O'Malley, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chief Investment Officer, added: "As our firm continues to grow, IR+M is thrilled to benefit from the collective experience of Kate, Dune, Ella, and Debbie. I am confident that the addition of these new Advisory Members will thoroughly complement the work of the Fiduciary Members and will positively contribute to IR+M's culture, evolution, and overall strategy." Through her work on the IR+M Board, Ms. Goldstein shares her extensive experience in communication, decision making and leadership. Beyond her Advisory Member role, she is the CEO and a Partner at Triad Consulting Group, a global leadership development and consulting firmbased in Boston, Massachusetts.



Ms. Taylor contributes expertise in building leadership teams, succession planning and Board governance, particularly in the investment management industry. In addition to her role as an Advisory Member with IR+M, she is a Founder and Partner of Alderbrook Advisors, a boutique business management consulting firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. Ms. Thorne brings knowledge derived from building a thriving investment management firm and creating a culture that supports growth and impact. Outside of her role with IR+M, Ms. Thorne is the Chief Strategy Officer, a Partner and a member of the Executive Team for Brown Advisory, a private, independent investment firm.

Dr. Washington provides expertise in how to develop leaders, fortify company cultures, and design impactful organizations. In addition to her role on IR+M's Advisory board, she is an organizational psychologist, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ellavate Solutions, and a Professor of Practice at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. To view each of the Advisory Members' full biographies, please visit Who We Are - Income Research + Management. The Board of Trustees, comprised of the Advisory Members, Fiduciary Members, and Clerk, meets quarterly and on an ad hoc basis to support the firm's affairs and overarching strategy. The Advisory Board Members provide external and independent counsel to the three Fiduciary Board Members and management. Matt Cannata, IR+M General Counsel, serves as Clerk of the Board. About Income Research + Management IR+M is a privately-owned, independent, fixed income investment management firm that serves institutional and private clients. The firm manages $96 billion across US investment grade and high yield strategies, with an emphasis on cash management, insurance, liability driven investing, tax efficient investing, and ESG and socially responsible investing. IR+M's long-standing investment philosophy and process are based on the belief that prudent, bottom-up security selection and active risk management provide superior results over the long-term. IR+M endeavors provide exceptional service for clients, forge authentic connections with its community, and foster an inclusive culture for its employees. For more information, visit incomeresearch.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005146/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Innovation Networks Ranks Globally Among TOP 501 Managed Services Providers

Innovation Networks is recognized as one of the TOP MSPs for the third year in a row, in 2021 ranking at 270 among the 501 MSPs in the world, #3 in British Columbia and #13 in Canada. Every year, Channel Futures selects the world's most successful Managed Services Providers, Innovation Networks being amongst the best 300 companies on the list. Channel Partners: Conference & Expo - Gala Event Channel Futures will be honouring 2020 and 2021 winners at the beautiful MSP 501 Gala during the MSP Summit on November 2. Andreas Karakas (President & CEO) and Charmis De Boer (Chief Operating Officer) will be representing Innovation Networks at the event virtually. The Channel Futures MSP 501 has become the definitive list that recognizes the most fast-growing and successful Managed Services Providers internationally.



For the past 15 years, Managed Services Providers from around the globe have submitted applications to be part of the world's most successful MSPs. The Channel Futures MSP 501 evaluates organizational performances considering innovation, growth opportunities, technology solutions, recurring revenue, profit margins, and company and customer demographics. Managed Services Providers that qualify for the list must pass a rigorous review conducted by the research team and editors of Channel Futures that rank applicants using a unique methodology that weighs financial performance according to long-term health and viability, commitment to recurring revenue and operational efficiency.

Diversity The Innovation family is composed of people from different walks of life, skills, and industries. We are a team full of diversity and commitment to providing our clients with services that exceed expectations. Our client list includes accounting firms, construction companies, healthcare organizations, manufacturers from various areas, and many more. About Innovation Networks Inc. Innovation Networks Inc, a Managed Services Provider located in Richmond, BC (in the Lower Mainland/Greater Vancouver Area), has been serving businesses throughout North America since 1996, offering a range of IT Services that include IT Help Desk Support, Cyber Security and Compliance, Outsourced IT, and many other technology solutions. Innovation Networks has worked for years helping businesses become more efficient, productive, and cost-effective, and its approach to IT proves to bring incredible results. The company maintains a clear partner relationship strategy with their clients and doesn't just sell products but rather focuses on implementing solutions. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005992/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Islamic Finance Market Outlook 2021 - 2026: Global Assets Increase by Double Digits Year on Year - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Islamic Finance Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Islamic finance industry's performance is measured through five sub-sectors: Islamic Banking; Takaful; Other Islamic Financial Institutions (OIFIs) such as investment or micro-finance companies; Sukuk; and Islamic Funds. The global Islamic finance market is growing rapidly, because of the strong investments in the Halal Sectors, infrastructure, and Sukuk bonds, especially through electronic modes in all products and services. The factors driving the growth of the Islamic Finance market are directing investment toward the tremendous growth opportunities in the promising Islamic sectors. The industry's total worth, according to key industry stakeholder organizations, across its three main sectors (banking, capital markets, and TAKAFUL), global Islamic Finance assets increased by double-digit year-on-year totaling in 2019. The global Islamic banking sector is the main contributor to this market and is worth at USD 1.99 trillion growing at 14percent. Islamic banking has a 6 percent share in global banking assets. Global SUKUK's outstanding value stood at USD 538 billion, as per industry sources, on the back of strong sovereign and multilateral issuances in key Islamic Finance markets to support respective budgetary expenditures. This included debut entries into the sovereign SUKUK market by Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, as well as the pan-African multilateral development finance institution, Africa Finance Corporation. The pandemic has got a dent in the growth of the Islamic Finance market. Sukuk is one of the worst hit segments and will be in the slump of slow trend. The main reason being the longer regularization process of Sukuk made many choose regular bonds to raise money during the Pandemic. Covid-19 pandemic and tumbling oil prices hamper Sukuk's growth. The first two quarters of 2020 saw high levels of volatility in global markets as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and oil pricescrashed. Some of the largest sukuk issuers, often from oil-exporting countries, held off from issuing sukuk during the first quarter amid the market turmoil.



Key Market Trends Islamic Banking is the Largest Segment

Islamic banking is the largest sector in the Islamic finance industry, contributing to 69%, or USD 1.992 trillion, of the industry's assets. The sector is supported by an array of commercial, wholesale, and other types of banks. Yet commercial banking remains the main contributor to the sector's growth. There were 526 Islamic banks in 2019. However, the number of players is not necessarily indicative of the size of the industry, In terms of assets. The top 3 markets of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia contribute to 63% of the Global Islamic Banking Assets, and Morocco is the fastest growing market in Islamic Banking Asset where assets doubled in 2019. Sector growth is likely to be muted in 2020 as Islamic banks around the world move to preserve their capital bases rather than expand operations as they face the economic fallout of Covid-19. Although the bottom lines of Islamic banks in core markets have taken a hit during the pandemic, this will be countered by liquidity injections from government bailout packages. As global economies recover over the next five years, Islamic banking assets are projected to reach US$2.44 trillion by 2024. Islamic banking is commonly seen to have two advantages over conventional banking. The first is a perception that Islamic banks are bound to a higher moral standard. They will not take on irresponsible amounts of risk or pay outsize bonuses to their top bankers. The second is that earnings come from identifiable assets, not opaque combinations of derivatives and securities. Because Islamic banks cannot make money through interest, they rely on ties to tangible assets, such as real estate and equity, charging 'rent' instead of interest. GCC and MENA Contributes 70% of Global Islamic Finance Assets Shariah-compliant assets represent a significant portion of total banking assets of the GCC. While in the Middle East & North African (MENA) region, Islamic Banking assets represent 14percent of total banking assets. In the GCC, the market share of Islamic banking crossed the 25percent threshold, which suggests that Islamic banks have become systemically important in these countries. The asset class rose 30 percent in 2019, in the GCC, with new launches of Islamic exchange traded funds (ETFs) in a number of countries and of ESG-related investment assets made available through digital media that appeal in particular to millennials. GCC Islamic financial assets reached USD 1253 billion by 2019, amounting for 44 percent of overall assets, followed by the MENA at USD 755 billion and 26.3 percent share, the southeast Asia at USD 24 percent, Europe, Asia, America and Africa amounting for the rest. Islamic banking has acquired systemic proportions in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, in line with IFSB's definition of systemic, at least 15 percent of banking system assets. Retail Islamic banking in Bahrain has reached systemic proportions with a 27 percent asset share in retail banking, and a 13 percent asset share in total retail and wholesale banking. Oman's entry in Islamic Banking was in late 2012. Covid-19 offers an opportunity for more integrated and transformative growth with a higher degree of standardization, stronger focus on the industry's social role, and meaningful adoption of financial technology or fintech. Companies Mentioned Dubai Islamic Bank

National Commercial Bank Saudi Arabia

Bank Mellat Iran

Bank Melli Iran

Kuwait Finance House

Bank Maskan Iran

Qatar Islamic Bank

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

May Bank Islamic

CIMB Islamic Bank For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/st2rfr View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005812/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Neeva and NewsGuard Team Up for First-Ever Independent Assessments of News Sources in Search

Neeva, the first ads-free, private subscription search engine, announced today that it now provides its users free access to NewsGuard's trustworthy explanatory Nutrition Labels for news sources. With this partnership, Neeva becomes the first search engine to deliver credibility and transparency news assessments in search results. Neeva users now have instant access to NewsGuard's labels alongside search results from all the news and information sources that account for 95% of engagement online. The rampant spread of misinformation and hoaxes across the internet continues to erode trust in institutions and to weaken civil society. NewsGuard analysts use nine apolitical criteria of journalistic practice to assess each website, and Neeva displays these Nutrition labels to its customers so that they can determine which news sources they want to engage with. NewsGuard analysis is used by the World Health Organization to track health misinformation, the Pentagon's Cyber Command to trace foreign disinformation and by librarians at more than 800 public libraries to give their patrons access to ratings. "We are pleased to be working alongside Neeva," said NewsGuard co-CEO Steven Brill. "Neeva was built on the radical and yet overdue idea that search should focus on the needs of consumers, not advertisers. NewsGuard is delighted to contribute to this mission by providing our humanly determined information about the trustworthiness of sources directly in the Neeva search results." Neeva uses NewsGuard as a "middleware" solution, integrating labels directly into the search results it provides to its consumers. This wll help protect families from the dangers of misinformation by providing information about the nature of the source. There is no censorship of source; instead, Neeva consumers will have access to information about the sources in their search results so that they can decide which sources are generally trustworthy and which ones are not. Research shows that rating credibility at the source level is a highly effective way to help consumers avoid relying on false content and increase their trust in credible and transparent sources.



"Neeva is the alternative for search built on trust and transparency," said Neeva CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy. "NewsGuard labels are critical to helping us provide the best answer to a consumer's query - which means information from trustworthy news sources, not the thousands of misinformation and hoax sites that too often dominate traditional search results." The founders of Neeva and NewsGuard have a unique combination of backgrounds to work together to increase trust on the internet. Sridhar Ramaswamy was the senior vice president of Google (News - Alert) for Advertising and Commerce. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Neeva he is now flipping the traditional ad-supported model by reimagining search to focus entirely on consumers' best interests. NewsGuard co-CEOs and Co-Founders spent their careers in journalism -- Gordon Crovitz as publisher of The Wall Street Journal and Steven Brill as founder of The American Lawyer and CourtTV and author of multiple best-selling non-fiction books.

Neeva and NewsGuard are both designed to support journalism and other content creation. NewsGuard boosts high-quality news sources by providing information about them to help consumers increase their trust in them. Neeva is also strongly pro-publisher and is committed to creating revenue opportunities for content creators. Neeva will share at least 20% of topline revenue with content creator partners when their content is used to directly answer a Neeva customer's query. About Neeva: Neeva is the world's first ads-free, private subscription search engine. Neeva focuses entirely on the consumer, delivering only real, high quality, trustworthy results. Neeva blocks third-party website trackers, and will never sell or share customer data with anyone, especially advertisers. Neeva also makes it easy to search within personal email accounts, calendars, and cloud storage platforms surfacing the most important information from the same familiar search box. Neeva was founded by former executives at Google and YouTube (News - Alert). For more information, visit neeva.com About NewsGuard: Launched in March 2018 by media entrepreneur and award-winning journalist Steven Brill and former Wall Street Journal publisher Gordon Crovitz, NewsGuard provides credibility ratings and detailed "Nutrition Labels" for thousands of news and information websites. NewsGuard rates all the news and information websites that account for 95% of online engagement across the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and Italy. NewsGuard's ratings are conducted by trained journalists using nine apolitical criteria of journalistic practice, including whether a site repeatedly publishes false content, whether it regularly corrects or clarifies errors, and whether it avoids deceptive headlines. Technology companies, content platforms, advertisers, and others license NewsGuard's ratings to help users find credible information sources and avoid misinformation. For more information, visit newsguardtech.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005199/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Prudential Financial commits to net zero emissions by 2050

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) today announced its commitment to achieve net zero emissions across its primary domestic and international home office operations by 2050. To accelerate the company's longstanding commitments to mitigate the impacts of climate change, Prudential also is setting an interim goal to become carbon neutral by 2040. These actions are aligned with the latest climate science of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or lower, as specified in the Paris climate accord. "As a global insurer and investment manager, we understand the magnitude and urgency of climate change, and that we have a responsibility to minimize our impact," said Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential. "This net zero commitment is an important step toward a more sustainable future for our customers, employees, investors and communities." The actions announced today build upon Prudential's 2019 Global Environmental Commitment, which include operational and investment goals aimed at mitigating climate change and other environmental risks. Prudential will reduce home office operational emissions globally (Scope 1 and Scope 2) by consolidating its real estate footprint, investing in energy-efficient capital improvements for owned properties, and purchasing renewable energy, where available, and then will utilize carbon removal strategies to eliminate its remaining carbon footprint. The company's home office operations include owned and leased office space, data centers and garages in the United States, Japan and Brazil. Prudential next plans to assess Scope 3 emissions, including those related to the company's owned assets within its $460 billion General Account portfolio.1 As an initial action, Prudential will begin restricting new direct investments in companies that derive 25% or more of their revenues from thermal coal. This restriction is included in Prudential's enhanced Responsible Investing Policy.



"Prudential is a company committed to delivering on its promises. We will hold ourselves accountable to these targets as we make meaningful progress toward addressing climate risk," said Rob Falzon, vice chair of Prudential, who oversees the company's Steering Council on Climate Change. "These carbon reduction targets are underpinned by our longstanding efforts to effectively engage with our stakeholders and provide transparency on our environmental actions." Other recent environmental actions taken by the company include sustainable finance transactions such as issuing an inaugural green bond. In May 2021, PGIM Real Estate, the real estate investment business of PGIM, Prudential's global investment management arm, committed to reducing operational carbon emissions from its global portfolio of managed properties to net zero by 2050.

Prudential will report progress and updates on these targets in its annual ESG Report. For more company news and information on sustainability initiatives, visit prudentialesg.com. 1General Account portfolio assets under management are as of June 30, 2021. Forward-Looking Statements Certain of the statements included in this release, including those related to Prudential's environmental, social and governance initiatives and targets, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects upon Prudential Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Prudential Financial, Inc.'s actual results may differ, possibly materially, from expectations or estimates reflected in such forward-looking statements. Certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ, possibly materially, from expectations or estimates reflected in such forward-looking statements can be found in the "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" sections included in Prudential Financial, Inc.'s Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Prudential Financial, Inc. does not undertake to update any particular forward-looking statement included in this release. About Prudential Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a global financial services leader and premier active global investment manager with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2021, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005604/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Todos Medical Announces 2nd Clinical Trial Site for Tollovir Phase 2 Clinical Trial for the Treatment of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients



 Interim Clinical Trial Data from Phase 2 expected in Q4/21  Nature Neuroscience and Cell Reports publications highlight 3CLpro (Mpro)s complementary mechanisms of virus replication and immune suppression New York, NY, and Tel Aviv, ISRAEL, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Todos Medical, Ltd. (OTCQB: TOMDF), a comprehensive medical diagnostics and theranostic solutions company, today announced it is now adding the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center as the 2nd clinical trial site in Hadera, Israel for its ongoing Tollovir Phase 2 randomized, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Tollovir is an oral 3CL Protease (3CLpro, Main Protease, MPro, Nsp5) antiviral/anti-cytokine therapeutic candidate focused on blocking the 3CL Protease. The Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel was the first site opened in April 2021 having enrolled 30 patients to date. An independent review of interim safety and efficacy data by the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) of the randomized trial data collected is expected in Q4/2021 that will guide the next steps in the programs development path towards the therapeutic treatment of COVID-19. We believe the addition of a 2nd clinical trial site will accelerate enrollment in our ongoing Phase 2 randomized trial and also expand Tollovirs clinical footprint, said Gerald Commissiong, President & CEO of Todos Medical. The upcoming data analysis is quite significant as it will guide the next steps in our clinical development pathway as we look at the potential use of Tollovir beyond hospitalized patients and potentially evaluating its efficacy in Moderate COVID (pre-hospital) and Long COVID in the future. The recent functional validation of our 3CLpro long ongoing research by two independent groups with publications on 3CLpro in Nature Neuroscience and Cell Reports really provides strong support for the clinical outcomes we have seen in Israel since the pandemic began, said Dr. Dorit Arad, Chief Scientific Officer of NLC Pharma, the Companys 3CL protease therapeutic and diagnostics joint venture partner. We are now evaluating the clinical development implications of thee findings on our upcoming Tollovir Phase 2 interim analysis, as well as proposed programs in Moderate COVID and Long Haul trial, as well as looking at pediatric populations who have very few options at the moment. Given that Tollovir is well tolerated, we see the potential to help children suffering from COVID-19.



About Todos Medical Ltd. Founded in Rehovot, Israel with offices in New York City, Todos Medical Ltd. (OTCQB: TOMDF) engineers life-saving diagnostic solutions for the early detection of a variety of cancers. The Company's state-of-the-art and patented Todos Biochemical Infrared Analyses (TBIA) is a proprietary cancer-screening technology using peripheral blood analysis that deploys deep examination into cancer's influence on the immune system, looking for biochemical changes in blood mononuclear cells and plasma. Todos' two internally-developed cancer-screening tests, TMB-1 and TMB-2, have received a CE mark in Europe. Todos recently acquired U.S.-based medical diagnostics company Provista Diagnostics, Inc. to gain rights to its Alpharetta, Georgia-based CLIA/CAP certified lab currently performing PCR COVID testing and Provista's proprietary commercial-stage Videssa breast cancer blood test.

Todos is also developing blood tests for the early detection of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. The Lymphocyte Proliferation Test (LymPro Test) is a diagnostic blood test that determines the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and monocytes to withstand an exogenous mitogenic stimulation that induces them to enter the cell cycle. It is believed that certain diseases, most notably Alzheimer's disease, are the result of compromised cellular machinery that leads to aberrant cell cycle re-entry by neurons, which then leads to apoptosis. LymPro is unique in the use of peripheral blood lymphocytes as a surrogate for neuronal cell function, suggesting a common relationship between PBLs and neurons in the brain. Todos has entered into distribution agreements with companies to distribute certain novel coronavirus (COVID-19) test kits. The agreements cover multiple international suppliers of PCR testing kits and related materials and supplies, as well as antibody testing kits from multiple manufacturers after completing validation of said testing kits and supplies in its partner CLIA/CAP certified laboratory in the United States. Additionally, Todos has entered into a joint venture with NLC Pharma to pursue the development of diagnostic tests targeting the 3CL protease, as well as 3CL protease inhibitors that target a fundamental reproductive mechanism of coronaviruses. For more information, please visit https://www.todosmedical.com/ . Forward-looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. For example, forward-looking statements are used when discussing our expected clinical development programs and clinical trials. These forward-looking statements are based only on current expectations of management, and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, including the risks and uncertainties related to the progress, timing, cost, and results of clinical trials and product development programs; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approval or patent protection for product candidates; competition from other biotechnology companies; and our ability to obtain additional funding required to conduct our research, development and commercialization activities. In addition, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements: changes in technology and market requirements; delays or obstacles in launching our clinical trials; changes in legislation; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; lack of validation of our technology as we progress further and lack of acceptance of our methods by the scientific community; inability to retain or attract key employees whose knowledge is essential to the development of our products; unforeseen scientific difficulties that may develop with our process; greater cost of final product than anticipated; loss of market share and pressure on pricing resulting from competition; and laboratory results that do not translate to equally good results in real settings, all of which could cause the actual results or performance to differ materially from those contemplated in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, Todos Medical does not undertake any obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Todos Medical, please refer to its reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Todos Corporate and Investor Contact: Richard Galterio Todos Medical 732-642-7770 [email protected]



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[October 31, 2021] Trading Technologies to be acquired by 7RIDGE

Enables continued expansion of its industry-leading technology platform to become the operating system of capital markets, preserving TT's independence CHICAGO, Oct. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trading Technologies International, Inc., (TT), a global provider of high-performance professional trading software, infrastructure and data solutions, today announced that the company has agreed to be acquired by 7RIDGE, a specialized growth equity firm invested in transformative technologies. 7RIDGE will fuel Trading Technologies' organic growth and enable the firm to make targeted strategic acquisitions in the future. Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE) and Singapore Exchange (SGX), who are among the limited partners of the fund managed by 7RIDGE, have voiced their support of the transaction. Terms of the transaction, expected to close before year-end subject to regulatory approvals, were not disclosed. 7RIDGE's acquisition of Trading Technologies recognizes the company's 27-year leadership position in derivatives trading software, the value of its new state-of-the-art Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, TT, and the talent of Trading Technologies' global team, which spans 13 offices across four continents. Under this new ownership, Trading Technologies will remain independent and focused on delivering innovative, enterprise-wide solutions for institutional and professional trading. Tim Geannopulos, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Trading Technologies, said: "We've been in search of the right strategic partner to help Trading Technlogies achieve the tremendous potential of our pioneering new technology platform and accelerate the expansion of the business and product roadmap. Maintaining the firm's independence will allow us to retain the incredible talent within our organization and further strengthen our relationships as a valuable ally to our clients, our partners and the industry. We're excited that 7RIDGE and its strategic limited partners including global exchanges Cboe and SGX believe in the future of our company and our vision of becoming the operating system of capital markets."



Shortly after the acquisition closes, it is expected that Geannopulos will relinquish his current role while remaining actively engaged with the company. It is intended that Keith Todd will then be appointed CEO of TT to lead the company as it embarks on this next growth phase. Todd has over 20 years of industry leadership in financial markets technology with FFastFill, ION and currently KRM22. Todd said: "Trading Technologies has built an exceptional global client base and great relationships with exchanges all over the world, as well as robust technology and a dedicated, experienced team. The firm has an aggressive roadmap for product and market expansion. I have long been a firm believer in the power of SaaS to deliver to clients better technology, greater cost savings and more efficient use of resources. I'm excited by this opportunity to lead TT into its next transformational phase with its outstanding new SaaS platform and the infusion of growth capital from 7RIDGE."

Carsten Kengeter, Founder of 7RIDGE, said: "We thank TT's shareholders for selecting us and look forward to accelerating the company's dedicated contribution to its clients' and users' success. The firm has built the market-leading SaaS-based, modular, multi-tenant platform for professional derivatives trading that will bring new efficiencies and strength to the global financial system. Our own operating experience as well as that of our limited partners will strengthen TT's position as the operating system of capital markets." TT was advised on the transaction by Broadhaven Capital Partners and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. About Trading Technologies

Trading Technologies (www.tradingtechnologies.com, @Trading_Tech ) creates professional trading software, infrastructure and data solutions for a wide variety of users, including proprietary traders, brokers, money managers, Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs), hedge funds, commercial hedgers and risk managers. In addition to providing access to the world's major international exchanges and liquidity venues via its TT trading platform, TT offers domain-specific technology for cryptocurrency trading and machine-learning tools for trade surveillance. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1672454/Trading_Technologies_Logo.jpg

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U.S. Department of Justice and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Leaders to Headline Wolters Kluwer's 25th CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium

Wolters Kluwer's Compliance Solutions business will host its 25th annual CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium as a virtual event again this year, offering two half-day sessions November 16-17. Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, will present the keynote address at 12:15 pm ET Tuesday, November 16. Patrice Ficklin, Fair Lending Director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), will be the honorary keynote speaker at 12:15 pm ET Wednesday, November 17.

This year's Colloquium features some of the top U.S. regulators and other leading regulatory compliance experts focusing on fair lending and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) compliance issues-as well as other related and trending regulatory developments-in a series of panel discussions and presentations. Each of the Colloquium half-day events will run from noon to 5:30 pm ET.

Kristen Clarke leads the Justice Department's broad federal civil rights enforcement efforts and works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all who live in America. A lifelong civil rights lawyer who has spent her entire career in public service, Clarke will elaborate on the Civil Rights Division's commitment to enforcing the nation's fair lending laws, including through its newly launched Combatting Redlining Initiative.

Patrice Alexander Ficklin is the founding director of the Office of Fair Lending & Equal Opportunity at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Her office leads and directs the Bureau's efforts to ensure fair, equitable, and nondiscriminatory access to credit for consumers and small businesses. During this session, Ficklin will share her thoughts on the future of fair lending at the Bureau and will highlight current and emerging issues in fair lending.

Joining these keynote presenters as featured speakers at this year's Colloquium are Eric Belsky, the Federal Reserve Board; Mark Pearce, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Frank Vespa-Papaleo, CFPB; and Grovetta Gardineer, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Along with these presenters, a number of other federal regulators, attorneys, bank CRA and fair lending compliance officers, community and civil rights group leaders, and other industry experts will speak at this year's Colloquium.

"Year after year, the Colloquium provides bankers a tremendous forum for hearing directly from regulators and industry leaders about the most pressing implications around regulatory compliance issues in fair lending and CRA for their institutions," said Timothy R. Burniston, Senior Advisor, Regulatory Strategy at Wolters Kluwer. "Given the increasing scope and complexity of regulatory change-including significant changes under discussion for the CRA regulations and examination framework-attendees will come away better informed and prepared to manage these complex issues."







Since its inception in 1996, the Colloquium has grown to become a prominent forum for bank and credit union compliance officers, state and federal banking regulators, risk managers, consultants, service providers and other industry players seeking deep insights on fair lending and CRA issues as they navigate increasingly complex regulatory and risk management challenges facing financial institutions today.

"For 25 years, the Colloquium has brought together an impressive range of expertise and depth on a variety of regulatory compliance issues facing U.S. banks and credit unions," noted Steve Meirink, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions. "For a second consecutive year, we are offering attendees a virtual experience due to pandemic challenges, enabling new members of our community to participate in this critical industry forum. We are honored to have these top regulatory compliance experts contribute their insights at the Colloquium and look forward to spirited discussions around these critical topics."

Sponsors of the 2021 Colloquium include the American Bankers Association and Independent Community Bankers of America. For more information, please visit Wolters Kluwer's CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium website.

Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions is a market leader and trusted provider of risk management and regulatory compliance solutions and services to U.S. banks and credit unions, insurers and securities firms. The business, which sits within Wolters Kluwer's Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) division, helps these financial institutions efficiently manage risk and regulatory compliance obligations, and gain the insights needed to focus on better serving their customers and growing their business. Compliance Solutions' CRA Wiz and Fair Lending Wiz helps financial institutions manage cost and risks while managing their CRA and fair lending compliance obligations.

Wolters Kluwer's GRC division provides an array of expert solutions to help financial institutions manage regulatory and risk obligations. Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions' eOriginal suite of purpose-built, digital lending solutions, for example, helps lenders digitize their transactions and features electronic signatures, collateral authentication and an electronic vault. Compliance Solutions' iLien Motor Vehicle provides for the processing and management of motor vehicle titles and liens, helping solve the most unique and complicated challenges in title perfection. Wolters Kluwer Finance, Risk & Regulatory Reporting (FRR), meanwhile, is a global market leader in the provision of integrated regulatory compliance and reporting solutions. The division's legal solutions businesses are Wolters Kluwer CT Corporation and Wolters Kluwer ELM Solutions.

About Wolters Kluwer Governance, Risk & Compliance

Governance, Risk & Compliance is a division of Wolters Kluwer, which provides legal and banking professionals with solutions to help ensure compliance with ever-changing regulatory and legal obligations, manage risk, increase efficiency, and produce better business outcomes. GRC offers a portfolio of technology-enabled expert services and solutions focused on legal entity compliance, legal operations management, banking product compliance, and banking regulatory compliance.

Wolters Kluwer (AEX: WKL) is a global leader in information services and solutions for professionals in the health, tax and accounting, risk and compliance, finance and legal sectors. Wolters Kluwer reported 2020 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The company, headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands, serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries and employs 19,200 people worldwide.

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[November 01, 2021] Vontobel Asset Management Strengthens US Intermediary Distribution

Vontobel Asset Management has appointed Jared Buell as Relationship Manager in the United States to support the growing needs of intermediary investors with the firm's multi-boutique capabilities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005096/en/ Vontobel Asset Management has appointed Jared Buell as Relationship Manager in the United States. (Photo: Business Wire) With nearly 20 years of experience in investment research and distribution, Jared will be responsible for developing and strengthening Vontobel's strategic distribution partnerships. Jared joins Vontobel from Stone Harbor Investment Partners, where he led the firm's intermediary distribution efforts for the US and Canada. Prior to that, he held senior-level positions in sb-advisory and retirement distribution at RS Investments and Virtus Investment Partners. He started his career as an Investment Analyst at MassMutual Retirement Services. Jared holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. He is a CFA charterholder.



"As we look forward to expanding our investment offerings to clients in the US, Jared's investment-led skillset across asset classes will be instrumental in deepening our distribution relationships and meeting our clients' investment goals," said Jeff Klepacki, Head of Intermediary Distribution in North America for Vontobel Asset Management. Vontobel Asset Management

Vontobel Asset Management is an active asset manager with global reach and a multi-boutique approach. Each of our boutiques draws on specialized investment talent, a strong performance culture and robust risk management. We deliver leading-edge solutions for both institutional and private clients. Our commitment to active management empowers us to invest based on our convictions. We deliver value through our diverse and highly specialized teams. Employing over 440 professionals worldwide - including 180 investment specialists - we operate across 16 locations including Switzerland, Europe and the US and create strategies and solutions covering equities, fixed income, multi-asset, and alternative investments. The goal of achieving excellent and repeatable performance has been fundamental to our approach since 1988. A strong and stable shareholder structure guarantees our entrepreneurial independence and protects the long-term mindset that guides our decision-making. Legal information This document is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer of any kind. The services described in the document are supplied under the agreement signed with the service recipient. The nature, scope and prices of services and products may vary from one country to another and may change without notice at any time. Certain services and products are not available worldwide or from all companies of Vontobel. In addition, they may be subject to legal restrictions in certain countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005096/en/

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[October 31, 2021] GTT Files for Chapter 11 to Implement Prepackaged Plan

GTT Communications, Inc., "GTT" or "the Company," a leading global cloud networking provider to multinational clients, announced today that the Company and certain of its direct and indirect subsidiaries have commenced prepackaged chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to effectuate a deleveraging of GTT's capital structure. GTT's foreign businesses and operations outside of the U.S. are not included in the filing and are unaffected by the chapter 11 cases. As previously announced, on September 1, 2021, GTT entered into an RSA (News - Alert) with key stakeholders, including holders of a majority of its secured and unsecured debt and I Squared Capital, to implement a comprehensive restructuring of the Company's balance sheet following the sale of its infrastructure division to I Squared Capital. The sale closed on September 16, 2021. Subsequent to executing the RSA and the closing of the sale, GTT solicited acceptances of its Prepackaged Plan, which received overwhelming support from its debtholders. Lenders holding over 88% of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of GTT's secured loans and holders of over 88% of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of GTT's 7.875% Senior Notes due 2024, including all lenders and noteholders that voted on the Prepackaged Plan, voted to accept. The Company is seeking to have the Prepackaged Plan confirmed in mid-December. The Prepackaged Plan advances GTT on its path to improve its capital structure and execute its long-term business strategy. The combination of the completed infrastructure division sale and the transactions contemplated by the Prepackaged Plan will reduce the Company's debt by approximately $2.8 billion. GTT is operating and serving its customers in the U.S. and globally without interruption. The RSA and the Prepackaged Plan provide for vendors, employees and other partners to be paid in the ordinary course of business for obligations incurred prior to and after the commencement of the chapter 11 cases. The Company has access to sufficient liquidity to operate its businesses including the payment of all such obligations. GTT expects to emerge from this process following receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals for the restructuring. Ernie Ortega, Chief Executive Officer of GTT, said, "I am pleased by the support we've received from our debtholders and other stakeholders demonstrating their confidence in the Company's business plan and long-term strategy. Following the entry into the RSA, we closed the sale of our infrastructure division, and repaid a significant portion of our secured debt, as we said we would. Commencing the Company's chapter 11 cases is the next major milestone that enables us to further strengthen our financial position as we continue to operate our business around the world." Ortega added, "GTT remains committed to providing market-leading network solutions to our clients throughout the restructuring process and beyond. The main pillars of our business strategy that focus on operational excellence and providing a differentiated customer experience remain intact. We will continue to place the needs of our customers first, encouraged by the positive progress we are seeing across the key operational metrics impacting customer experience. I am thankful for everyone on our team who works tirelessly to deliver top-tier services to our global client base. I would also like to express my gratitude to our valued clients with whom we are honored to partner." GTT's legal advisor in connection with the restructuring is Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC serves as its restructuring advisor and TRS Advisors, a group within the investment banking division of Piper Sandler & Co., serves as its investment banker for the restructuring. Interested parties who may have questions related to the restructuring may call Prime Clerk, at (877) 329-1803 or (347) 532-7908 (international) or send an email to [email protected]. In addition, information related to the restructuring is available at https://cases.primeclerk.com/GTT. About GTT GTT provides secure global connectivity, improving network performance and agility for your people, places, applcations and clouds. We operate a global Tier 1 internet network and provide a comprehensive suite of cloud networking and managed solutions that utilize advanced software-defined networking and security technologies. We serve thousands of businesses with a portfolio that includes SD-WAN and other WAN services, internet, security and voice services. Our customers benefit from a customer-first service experience underpinned by our commitment to operational excellence. For more information on GTT, please visit www.gtt.net.



Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. These statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of the Company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The above statements regarding the expected impact of the Company's voluntary petitions for relief (the "Chapter 11 Cases") under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code constitute forward-looking statements that are based on the Company's current expectations. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause future events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, many of which are outside of the Company's control. These factors include, but are not limited to, the effects on the Company's business and clients of general economic and financial market conditions, as well as the following: (1) the Company has announced that its previously issued financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, each of the quarters during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 and the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (the "Non-Reliance Periods") and related disclosures and communications should no longer be relied upon as a result of preliminary findings of the Company's previously disclosed review of certain accounting issues (the "Review"); the Company is continuing to finalize its quantification of the impact of errors identified by the Review on financial results for the Non-Reliance Periods and the impact may be materially different than previously disclosed estimates; (2) the completion of the Review and the completion and filing of the restated financial statements relating to the Company's previously issued consolidated financial statements for the Non-Reliance Periods, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 and any subsequent delayed periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC (News - Alert)") may take longer than expected as a result of the timing or findings of the Review or the Company's independent registered public accounting firm's review process; (3) existing cash balances and funds generated from operations may not be sufficient to finance the Company's operations and meet its cash requirements; (4) the Company is subject to risks associated with the actions of network providers and a concentrated number of vendors and clients; (5) the Company could be subject to cyber-attacks and other security breaches; (6) the Company's network could suffer serious disruption if certain locations experience damage or as the Company adds features and updates its network; (7) the Company is subject to risks associated with purchase commitments to vendors for longer terms or in excess of the volumes committed by the Company's underlying clients, or sales commitments to clients that extend beyond the Company's commitments from its underlying suppliers; (8) the Company may be unable to establish and maintain peering relationships with other providers or agreements with carrier neutral data center operators; (9) the Company's business, results of operation and financial condition are subject to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and related market and economic conditions; (10) the Company may be affected by information systems that do not perform as expected or by consolidation, competition, regulation or a downturn in the Company's industry; (11) the Company may be liable for the material that content providers distribute over its network; (12) the Company has generated net losses historically and may continue to do so; (13) the Company may fail to successfully integrate any future acquisitions or to efficiently manage its growth; (14) the Company may be unable to retain or hire key employees; (15) the Company recently announced management changes; (16) the Company is subject to risks relating to the international operations of its business; (17) the Company may be affected by tax assessments, unfavorable tax audit outcomes, delayed tax filings and future increased levels of taxation; (18) the Company has substantial indebtedness, which could prevent it from fulfilling its obligations under its debt agreements or subject the Company to interest rate risk; (19) the potential failure of the Company to realize anticipated benefits of the sale of the Company's infrastructure division (the "Sale Transaction"); (20) risks from relying on Cube Telecom Europe Bidco Limited (the "Buyer") for various critical transaction services and network services for an extended period under the transition services agreement and the master services agreement contemplated by that certain Sale and Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 16, 2020 (as amended, the "Infrastructure SPA"), among the Company, its subsidiaries GTT Holdings Limited, Global Telecom and Technology Holdings Ireland Limited, Hibernia NGS Limited and GTT Americas, LLC (collectively, the "Sellers") and the Buyer; (21 the potential impact of consummation of the Sale Transaction on relationships with third parties, including customers, employees and competitors; (22) the ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers in the manner anticipated; (23) the Company has announced that it expects to report material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and its internal control over financial reporting may have further weaknesses of which the Company is not currently aware or which have not been detected, (24) the RSA may be terminated by certain of its parties if specified milestones are not achieved, amended or waived, or if certain other events occur, and (25) the ability to obtain relief from the Bankruptcy Court to facilitate the smooth operation of the Company's businesses during the Chapter 11 Cases and other risks and uncertainties relating to the Chapter 11 Cases, including but not limited to, the Company's ability to obtain approval of the Bankruptcy Court with respect to motions, the effects of the Chapter 11 Cases on the Company and on the interests of various constituencies, Bankruptcy Court rulings in the Chapter 11 Cases and the outcome of the Chapter 11 Cases in general, the length of time the Company will operate under the Chapter 11 Cases, risks associated with third-party motions in the Chapter 11 Cases, regulatory approvals required to emerge from chapter 11, the potential adverse effects of the Chapter 11 Cases on the Company's liquidity or results of operations and increased legal and other professional costs in connection with the Chapter 11 Cases. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The Company does not undertake to update the forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that may arise after the date of the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of a variety of risk factors affecting the Company's business and prospects, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC including, but not limited to, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, which have been filed with the SEC and are available on the Company's website (www.gtt.net) and on the SEC's website (www.sec.gov).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211031005034/en/

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[October 31, 2021] Currenxie Launches New Visa Card for Easier, More Secure Global Payments

Launch marks latest milestone for company following successful Series A funding round

Physical Visa cards will be numberless and require chip and pin to safeguard against fraud HONG KONG, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Currenxie , the Hong Kong-headquartered cross-border payments company, today announced that it has launched a Visa card to provide businesses with a more convenient and secure way to manage global payments. The launch is the first release in a multi-year partnership with Visa to bring corporate cards to modern, borderless companies, and follows Currenxie's recent successful USD 10 million Series A funding round. Currenxie's Visa card has been developed with a particular focus on ease of use and security. The company's Global Account clients can apply for and receive virtual Visa cards instantly via the Global Account app. The card number is held securely in the app, allowing Currenxie to issue optional, physical companion cards that do not need a number printed on them. Together, these features help safeguard against fraud and provide a high degree of security in case of loss or theft. The virtual card will also allow companies to easily issue employee cards for simple and effective spend management. The introduction of the Currenxie Visa Business Card expands the payment options for Currenxie's business clients beyond bank-to-bank transfers to include all forms of business expenses, powered by Visa's comprehensive global merchant network. Businesses of all sizes will therefore benefit from a card that is secure, easy to manage and linked to the Currenxie Global Account  supporting their growth by allowng them to handle payment for goods and services across the world.



Riccardo Capelvenere, Founder and CEO of Currenxie, said: "Our clients are dynamic and they deserve a card to match. We're proud to have worked with Visa as part of their Fintech Fast Track Program to bring a new type of corporate card to Hong Kong. Today's launch is an important milestone in achieving our vision of empowering businesses to access global commerce." Maaike Steinebach, General Manager, Visa Hong Kong and Macau at Visa, said: "Innovation in payments is essential to supporting the growth of businesses large and small. As the world's leader in digital payments, Visa is delighted to partner with Currenxie to develop commercial card solutions. The ease of use, access to global networks and advanced-level security provided by Currenxie's new Visa cards are a powerful combination. Our joint efforts can meet the evolving needs of businesses in dealing with cross-border payments and help optimise their operations."

The Currenxie Visa Business Card is available now to the company's clients in Hong Kong and will be rolled out across the UK and Europe beginning in 2022. It allows its users to: Receive unlimited 1% cashback on all purchases

Easily manage spending limits

Monitor transactions in real-time in the Currenxie Global Account app

Create and manage employee cards ABOUT CURRENXIE Founded in Hong Kong in 2014, Currenxie's cross-border payments and business account solutions offer businesses of all sizes a seamless online alternative to traditional banking, breaking down the financial barriers that prevent them from growing their operations on the world stage. Currenxie has built one of the largest virtual account networks in the B2B fintech space, spanning 10 jurisdictions, 30 countries and 18 currencies. The Currenxie Global Account platform  the company's cloud-based core banking system  allows funds to flow freely across its banking network, in real-time, without costly cross-border fees. Access global commerce with us: www.currenxie.com ABOUT VISA Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world's leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company's relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device, for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa , visa.com/blog and @VisaNews . SOURCE Currenxie

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[October 31, 2021] AgreeYa Solutions Wins Double Awards at Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards 2021

NOIDA, India, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AgreeYa Solutions today announced winning the Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards 2021, the world's premier business awards program. These prestigious awards recognize the best organizations with distinguished and outstanding talent and HR practices. 15+ nationalities from over 150+countries participated in this award. AgreeYa has been hailed as Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards for Managing Health at Work for their remarkable and unique approach towards nurturing its employees' mental and physical health. Another category AgreeYa were termed winner for is Asia's Best Employer Brand for Transitioning to Virtual Workplace- the HR lens. This achievement is a direct consequence of the AgreeYa's commitment and efforts towards building an exceptional work-from-home infrastructure by making the best use of digital technology and governance. Speaking on the occasion, Arindam Ray Chaudhari, COO, AgreeYa Solutions said, "We are extremely elated to be recognized by Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards," Adding further he said, "At AgreeYa, we always keep our people at the center of everything that we do. We believe in the all-round development of the body, mind, and spirit of our employees. Our programs and initiatives are designed to encourage physical activities, bring fun and relaxation at work, practice mindfulness as we live our moments, and align with nature and universal consciousness. Institutionalizing these has made our employees more satisfied with life and work. And being a technology leader, we make sure that we make the best use of cloud technology and state-of-the art tools, and intelligent automation to manage our virtual workplace. This award is a testament to our commitment to our valuabl employees."



Also, speaking on the occasion, Sangita Srivastava, Director HR- India said, "Our well-thought-out approach and structured curriculum helped us meet our objectives around ensuring employees health and productivity. AgreeYa has always prioritized its employees and their well-being. Abiding by our employee-first policy, all our organizational policies and initiatives are designed to keep employees' well-being a priority." Adding further she said, "Huge credit goes to our support teams, who have played a massive and significant role in meeting the safety and healthcare needs of all our employees and their families during those difficult times. Special credit goes to our diligent HR team that has gone beyond in helping our employees in keeping them safe yet productive in recent times."

About Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards The 12th edition of Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards is hosted by Employer Branding Institute; World HRD Congress & Stars of the Industry Group. The Employer Branding Institute is a virtual organization that hosts industry leaders in HR in the cyber space to acknowledge the best and distinguished practices in Employee branding and professionals. They recognize organizations from various geographical regions that have shown excellence in Talent Management, Talent Development, and Talent Innovation. This year's Asia's Best Employer Brand Awards was a virtual event organized at Taj Land's End, Mumbai. About AgreeYa Solutions AgreeYa Solutions is a global systems integrator delivering technology-enabled business solutions to small, medium and global Fortune 1,000 organizations. It leverages leading-edge technology, consulting and outsourcing services to boost customer efficiency, productivity and deliver a competitive advantage. Through its consultative approach and utilization of a global delivery model, AgreeYa provides software, services and solutions that are cost-effective, achieve results and transform businesses. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Folsom, Calif., with a global footprint, AgreeYa is an SEI CMMI- and ISO 9001:2015-certified Microsoft Gold Partner, with multiple certifications, and operations with a team of over 1,800 employees across the world. Its extensive software portfolio includes AgreeYa Chatbot, BeatBlip, QuickApps, Site Administrator, Recovery Manager and Cogent. AgreeYa is a staffing industry leader, providing full-service Staffing Solutions to meet client workforce needs while driving business value. It also recently introduced new intelligent automation and digital transformation suite to its existing technology stack to help organizations combat future crises and venture into the digital-first world with confidence. For more information, visit www.agreeya.com and follow AgreeYa on social media @agreeyasolutions. For any media and PR queries, write to [email protected]

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[November 01, 2021] CGTN: China puts forward proposals on boosting global development, addressing economic difficulties

BEIJING, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In early October, the International Monetary Fund, in its World Economic Outlook, trimmed its 2021 global growth forecast to 5.9 percent and warned of high uncertainty in economic recovery. Against such a backdrop, the leaders of the world's 20 largest economies gathered in Italy's Rome on Saturday trying to make the multilateral platform work again  just as it did when they held two summits a year in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 global financial meltdown. China, the important growth engine of the global economy, highlighted cooperation, inclusiveness and green development at the 16th Group of 20 (G20) Leaders' Summit. Cooperation against pandemic As the COVID-19 still ravages the world, global vaccine cooperation was prioritized by Chinese President Xi Jinping when delivering his speech via video at the first session of the summit. He proposed a six-point Global Vaccine Cooperation Action Initiative with a focus on vaccine R&D cooperation, fair distribution of vaccines, waiving intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines, smooth trade in vaccines, mutual recognition of vaccines and financial support for global vaccine cooperation. Inequality in vaccine distribution is prominent, with low-income countries receiving less than 0.5 percent of the global total and less than 5 percent of Africa's population is fully vaccinated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO has set two targets to deal with the pandemic: to vaccinate at least 40 percent of the world's population by the end of this year and increase it to 70 percent by mid-2022. "China is ready to work with all parties to increase the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries and make positive contributions to building a global vaccine defense line," Xi said.



China has provided over 1.6 billion doses of vaccines for over 100 countries and international organizations to date. In total, China will provide over 2 billion doses for the world in the whole year, he added, noting that China is conducting joint vaccine production with 16 countries. Building open world economy

In promoting the economic recovery, the president stressed that the G20 should prioritize development in macro policy coordination, calling for making global development more equitable, effective and inclusive to ensure that no country will be left behind. "Advanced economies should fulfill their pledges on official development assistance and provide more resources for developing countries," Xi said. He also welcomed the active participation of more countries in the Global Development Initiative. Not long ago, he proposed the Global Development Initiative at the United Nations and called on the international community to strengthen cooperation in areas of poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity. The initiative is highly compatible with the G20's goal and priority of promoting global development, Xi said. Adherence to green development Meanwhile, addressing climate change is high on the global agenda as the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will open on Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland. In this context, Xi urged developed countries to lead by example on emissions reduction, saying that countries should fully accommodate the special difficulties and concerns of developing countries, deliver on their commitments of climate financing, and provide technology, capacity-building and other support for developing countries. "This is critically important for the success of the upcoming COP26," he said. Xi has, on many occasions, highlighted China's view on global climate governance and expressed China's firm support for the Paris Agreement, facilitating major progress at the global level. In 2015, Xi delivered a keynote speech at the Paris Conference on Climate Change, making a historic contribution to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement on global climate action after 2020. Earlier this month, he emphasized efforts to achieve China's carbon peak and neutrality targets when addressing the leaders' summit of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The G20 summit this year was held both online and offline under the Italian Presidency, focusing on the most pressing global challenges, with issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and economic recovery topping the agenda. Created in 1999, the G20 comprising 19 countries plus the European Union, is the main forum for international cooperation on financial and economic issues. The group accounts for almost two-thirds of the world's population, over 80 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product and 75 percent of global trade. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-10-30/China-puts-forward-proposals-on-boosting-global-development-14MDU37P5gk/index.html SOURCE CGTN

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[November 01, 2021] SITA Launches Free Digital Travel Declaration Solution, Supporting Governments in Safely Opening Their Borders

SITA will be making part of this solution available free of charge to government agencies to address the mounting challenge around health documentation LONDON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SITA today announced that to support the recovery of the travel industry, it will make its Digital Travel Declaration solution  which allows passengers to share required travel and health documentation with governments ahead of travel  available to governments free of charge globally. This is aimed at addressing the global challenge of submitting and verifying health documentation which remains a major impediment to the recovery of the global travel industry. Recent research from IATA highlighted that of 50 countries surveyed, 38 countries had some form of COVID-19 restriction on who could enter. For many countries, economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic relies heavily on travel and tourism. According to WTTC's 2020 Economic Impact Report, in 2019 travel and tourism was responsible for one in 10 jobs, making a 10.3% contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs. However, inefficiencies and a lack of common standards around managing health documentation remain the single biggest obstacle to rebuilding the travel and tourism industry and supporting economic growth. David Lavorel, CEO of SITA AT AIRPORTS AND BORDERS, said: "In many cases, today's onerous health requirements are discouraging travelers from flying or leading to long lines at airports. As an industry-owned organization working at the crossroads of airlines, airports, and governments, we are able to connect the dots and streamline processes around ealth documentation. Making Digital Travel Declaration freely available to governments will be an investment in the recovery of our industry, and we hope will go some way towards addressing the challenges we all face today."



SITA has worked closely with governments, leveraging its Electronic Travel Authorization solution to deliver a health-oriented travel declaration that informs governments on passenger health status in advance of travel and optionally issues authority to travel. Digital Travel Declaration has been operational and used by governments around the world since October 2020, making it easy for travelers to complete health declarations in a few quick steps. A response is shared as proof of approval to travel, so the passenger can demonstrate to airlines and airports that they have all the correct documentation. SITA has been at the forefront of travel authorization technology for 25 years, enabling governments and airlines to maximize both safety and revenue through increased security, operational efficiency, and traveler satisfaction. Based on this proven solution, and to further support the recovery of the travel sector, SITA is offering the entry level configuration of its Digital Travel Declaration solution free of charge to all governments for a period of 12 months.

While SITA's Digital Travel Declaration addresses the current health documentation required during the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be used to streamline the introduction of other travel requirements, such as future pandemics, local health concerns, or more traditional security and immigration travel authorizations. SITA Digital Travel Declaration is a solution for today and tomorrow. For further information, go to www.sita.aero/digital-travel-declaration Follow SITA online and at these links: SITA photos available here: http://www.sita.aero/pressroom/image-gallery and videos and info graphics here: http://www.sita.aero/pressroom About SITA SITA is the air transport industry's IT provider, delivering solutions for airlines, airports, aircraft and governments. Our technology powers more seamless, safe and sustainable air travel. With around 2,500 customers, SITA's solutions drive operational efficiencies at more than 1,000 airports while delivering the promise of the connected aircraft to customers of 18,000 aircraft globally. SITA also provides technology solutions that help more than 70 governments strike the balance of secure borders and seamless travel. Our communications network connects every corner of the globe and bridges 60% of the air transport community's data exchange. SITA is committed to being a carbon neutral company by 2022 through our UN recognized Planet+ program, while also developing solutions to help the aviation industry meet its carbon reduction objectives, including reduced fuel burn and greater operational efficiencies at the airport. SITA is 100% owned by the industry and driven by its needs. It is one of the most internationally diverse companies, providing services in over 200 countries and territories. For further information, go to www.sita.aero Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1673012/SITA_Border_Control_Digital_Travel_Declaration.jpg

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[November 01, 2021] Stamps.com Announces CEO Transition

Long time CEO Ken McBride Steps Down; Nathan Jones appointed new CEO EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Stamps.com, a leading global provider of ecommerce software that operates industry leading brands including ShipStation, Stamps.com, MetaPack, and ShipEngine, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Ken McBride has decided to step down, and that Nathan Jones has been appointed its new Chief Executive Officer effective today. Mr. Jones has been the President and CEO of ShipStation and several other brands within the organization for the past 7 years. Mr. Jones will also join the Company's Board of Directors. Mr. McBride will remain at the Company through year end to assist in the transition and will also remain on the Stamps.com Board of Directors going forward. Jones becomes CEO of Stamps.com with over 20 years of leadership, management, and culture experience within the fulfillment software industry. He joined Stamps.com following the acquisition of ShipStation, where he was the President and CEO. Prior to joining ShipStation, he was President of Journey Educational Marketing after Journey acquired Academic Superstore. Jones founded and served as President and CEO of Academic Superstore for 10 years. He has a proven record of operational experience in product strategy and innovation, organization and business transformation, and building enduring teams and cultures. "We're excited that Nathan will be the next CEO at Stampscom, helping us as we continue to pursue our mission of providing merchants the tools to solve global shipping and logistics problems," said Charles Goodman, Chairman of Stamps.com and Operating Partner at Thoma Bravo. "Nathan is a seasoned executive with deep domain expertise and operational excellence and has had a significant impact on the company these past 7 years. He is the perfect choice to lead Stamps.com through its next phase of growth. We thank Ken McBride for his vision, leadership, and dedication to the company over the past 22 years and are looking forward to Nathan taking the baton from Ken and building upon the strong reputation the company has."



"I am thrilled to take on this new role at Stamps.com and lead the company in its next chapter," said Nathan Jones, CEO of Stamps.com. "Under the visionary leadership of Ken McBride, Stamps.com has become the leader in solving shipping and logistics problems for merchants around the globe. Our company will continue our mission to assist every merchant, wherever they sell and however they ship, exceptionally efficient at fulfilling orders. With Stamps.com industry leading solutions, a strong commitment to the needs of our merchants, and the operational expertise of Thoma Bravo, we will continue to grow and create value throughout the ecommerce ecosystem." Ken McBride, the Company's former CEO, said, "Nathan has shown exceptional leadership during his time at Stamps.com and the next stage of the company will benefit from his experiences and vision. Our merchants depend on us to provide software products that provide simple solutions to complex logistical problems and Nathan brings a merchant-focused vision and a superior level of proven results. I look forward to watching the success of the company under his leadership and to continuing to participate as a member of the Board of Directors."

About Stamps.com

The complex challenges of shipping and logistics bring growing pains that fast-growing brands struggle to navigate across the globe. Delivering products into the hands of customers quickly and affordably is a challenge for all online sellers. At Stamps.com, we serve and champion these merchants every day. Our software solutions solve shipping and logistics problems so that merchants can scale easily and deliver incredible customer experiences. Stamps.com is a team of shipping and software experts with a passion for helping merchants move their ideas, dreams, and innovations around the globe. The Stamps.com global product family includes ShipStation, MetaPack, Endicia, ShipWorks, ShipEngine, ShippingEasy, and GlobalPost with offices in Austin, El Segundo, Sunnyvale, St. Louis, London, and Sydney. Media Contact:

Rebecca Reap

Kickstand Communications

[email protected]

(512) 554-1715 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1674677/Stamps_com_Logo.jpg

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[November 01, 2021] Infor Acquires Lighthouse Systems

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor, the industry cloud company, today announced the acquisition of Lighthouse Systems, a leading provider of manufacturing execution system (MES) software for smart manufacturing. The company's flagship product, Shopfloor-Online, helps manufacturing companies manage and improve manufacturing operations across production, quality, inventory, and maintenance. Lighthouse Systems' MES solution, which can be fully integrated into Infor CloudSuite ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, will help Infor address a critical customer requirement of 24x7 manufacturing operations. For those manufacturing companies that are looking to implement ERP and MES together, Infor anticipates that its ability to offer a fully integrated solution "out of the box" will significantly shorten time to value for customers. "MES solutions are critical for manufacturing organizations that want to ensure data consistency and real-time visibility across all plant operations," said Infor CEO Kevin Samuelson. "Integrating these capabilities with our industry-specific ERP systems will help us deliver even more powerful solutions to manufacturing organizations, as they look to digitize their operations and grow their businesses." Based in Crawley, UK, about 30 miles south of London, Lighthouse Systems has major offices in the UK, the United States and Singapore. Its approximately 100 employees serve customers worldwide in focus industries such as automotive, building & construction, food & beverage, life science, machinery & equipment, packaging, ad sustainable energy.



Lighthouse Systems customers include Ball Corporation, Formica, Lucite International, Nissan, Benteler, and the Timken Company. Tim Barber, company director at Lighthouse Systems, said, "We are delighted to join forces with Infor to further the operational excellence initiatives of our manufacturing customers. We have 30 years of experience delivering MES solutions to discrete and process manufacturers worldwide. These solutions are not only key to executing production efficiently, they also are essential building blocks for smart manufacturing and digital transformation."

Lighthouse Systems' Shopfloor-Online product enables smart manufacturing by bringing all manufacturing operations into one central software system, which is accessible 24x7. The system, which can be deployed in the cloud or on-premises, connects the factory with a single thread of critical data that is accessible at the shop-floor level and throughout the enterprise. The company was recognized as one of the Honorable Mentions in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Execution Systems report.* Infor's acquisition of Lighthouse Systems closed today, and financial terms are not being disclosed. *Gartner, "Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Execution Systems," Rick Franzosa, Christian Hestermann, March 30, 2021. GARTNER and MAGIC QUADRANT are registered trademarks and service marks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About Infor Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. Providing mission-critical enterprise applications to 65,000 customers in more than 175 countries, Infor software is designed to deliver more value and less risk, with more sustainable operational advantages. We empower our 17,000 employees to leverage their deep industry expertise and use data-driven insights to create, learn and adapt quickly to solve emerging business and industry challenges. Infor is committed to providing our customers with modern tools to transform their business and accelerate their own path to innovation. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com. Copyright 2021 Infor. All rights reserved. The word and design marks set forth herein are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Infor and/or related affiliates and subsidiaries. All other trademarks listed herein are the property of their respective owners. www.infor.com SOURCE Infor

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[November 01, 2021] JEOL: ECZ Luminous, a Brand-new High-resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance System, Is Now Available

JEOL Ltd. (TOKYO:6951)(President & COO Izumi Oi) announced the "ECZ Luminous" nuclear magnetic resonance console (JNM-ECZL series) on November 1, 2021. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005380/en/ JNM-ECZL R series (Photo: Business Wire) This product is a next step in spectrometer miniaturization and extended performance through state-of-the-art digital and high-frequency technologies. Main Features The Highest Performance in the World's Smallest Chassis

The ECZL chassis world's smallest chassis, while offering high performance for liquids as well as solid-state NMR. The latest NMR spectrometer features a high degree of configuration flexibility and contributes to cutting-edge research in a variety of situations. Stable, Fast, and Highly-sensitive

All circuits have been converted to digital versions. The STS (Smart Transceiver System), inherited from the previous model, achieves a tie resolution of 5 ns for frequency, phase and amplitude modulation, enabling ultra-fast control. Multiple Resonance Experiments





Remote Access and Automation

The ECZL can be remotely accessed from any computer on the network so that multiple operators can access the spectrometer simultaneously without interfering with each other's operations. Combined with an automatic sample changer, the ECZ Luminous system can be used remotely in continuous automation for both solution and solid-state NMR measurements. ECZ Luminous Lineup ECZL G series (400 MHz to 1.3 GHz)

ECZL G series is the flagship model and supports expansion to more than 3 channels, high power amplifiers, and high magnetic field gradients. The footprint has been reduced to about half that of the previous model, while offering various expansion capabilities. ECZL R series (400 to 600 MHz)

ECZL R series is a high-performance instrument equipped with a power amplifier capable of solid-state NMR measurements, and is the world's smallest, with less than half the footprint and only one-third the volume of previous models. ECZL S series (400 MHz)

The ECZL S series is an entry-level model with exactly the same architecture as the high-end models, specializing in 400 MHz solution measurements at a reduced price. Sales target

250 units/year

Product URL: https://www.jeol.co.jp/en/products/detail/JNM-ECZL.html JEOL Ltd.

3-1-2, Musashino, Akishima, Tokyo, 196-8558, Japan

Izumi Oi, President & COO

(Stock code: 6951, Tokyo Stock Exchange First Section)

www.jeol.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005380/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Mastercard and Partners Advance the Future of Sustainable Commerce

As world leaders come together for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), Mastercard unveiled an acceleration of its net zero timeline by a decade, from 2050 to 2040. It is also scaling its sustainable solutions to customers across Europe and Latin America, including Banco de Costa Rica, ekko, Granit Bank, and Sberbank, which have all signed on to adopt the Mastercard Carbon Calculator. As part of its net zero strategy, Mastercard had already committed to meet its existing science-based targets (SBTi) for greenhouse gas reduction, which are aligned to the United Nations Business Ambition for a 1.5C future. The company transitioned to 100% renewable energy in 2018 for its operations, and its emission reduction strategy primarily centers on further decarbonization across its value chain, including Scopes 1, 2 & 3 emissions. Mastercard has received an "A" rating for Supplier Engagement since 2018 from CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) and joined the 1.5C Supply Chain Leaders Initiative, supporting large and small suppliers with concrete resources and tools for measuring their emissions and developing climate strategies through the SME Climate Hub. Supported by its new global Sustainability Innovation Lab, the company aims to encourage tangible action by people who use its 2.9 billion cards across the globe. This includes helping banks offer their consumers digital tools, such as the Mastercard Carbon Calculator, that encourage climate-conscious choices, and cards made from more sustainable materials. "Tackling the global climate crisis will take all of us - and major businesses have a vital role to play. At Mastercard, we continue to raise the bar for ourselves, accelerating our commitment to reach net zero emissions," said Michael Miebach, chief executive officer, Mastercard. "We will also use our technology and global network to inspire collective action that fosters a more sustainable digital economy." Enabling sustainable consumer choice According to a recent Mastercard survey, 85% of respondents globally said they're willing to take personal action to combat environmental and sustainability challenges in 2021. New research from Mastercard also shows our society is now at an inflection point in both the supply and demand for sustainable options. Mastercard is helping inform consumers about the environmental impact of their spending through the Mastercard Carbon Calculator, created in collaboration with Swedish fintech Doconomy. Embedded across Mastercard's global network earlier this year, the Carbon Calculator will now be adopted by leading banking partners - both traditional financial institutions and emerging fintechs - in markets around the world, including Banco de Costa Rica, ekko, Granit Bank, and Sberbank. Together with Mastercard, each partner will co-create and define its customer experience, such as enhancing it with relatable and easy-to-understand equivalents (such as the number of trees required to compensate for the same amount of CO 2 ), integrating donation functionality to support reforestation projects, and providing tips about sustainable living. Mastercard's sustainable cards program shows strong momentum: 148 financial institutions in 46 countries have now issued cards made with more sustainable materials, including HSBC and Banco Santander, as we look to reduce the use of first-use PVC plastic in card manufacturing. The company also recently unveiled a first-of-its kind badge to identify these cards made more sustainably from recyclable, recycled, bio-sourced, chlorine-free or ocean plastics. Through the Priceless Planet Coalition, Mastercard and its partner network also continue to offer easy ways for consumers to contribute to forest restoration. Uniting more than 80 businesses globally in the restoration of 100 million trees, the Coalition now has multiple consumer engagement campaigns running across markets to generate donations to the environment. The Coalition's restoration partners, Conservation International and World Resources Institute, have also broken ground in key project locations.



the company made changes to its executive compensation model, linking it to three global ESG priorities including operational carbon neutrality. Mastercard also showed progress in 2020 against its existing 1.5C SBTi-approved targets, including a Scope 1 & 2 reduction of 44% and Scope 3 reduction of 57% against a 2016 baseline, and was recently awarded for Supply Chain Leadership from the Climate Leadership Conference. Quote sheet

Todd Stern, Former Special Envoy for Climate Change, the US's chief negotiator for the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, and Priceless Planet Coalition Advisor: "COP26 is an enormously important event as world leaders come together, but the action that follows is even more crucial. Businesses can play an important role by stepping up their own pledges and delivering on the demand from consumers for more green products and solutions. We need bold commitments and even bolder actions. The work Mastercard and its partners are doing through the Priceless Planet Coalition and with the Carbon Calculator will empower more consumers to contribute to tackling climate change." Banco de Costa Rica, Guillermo Gayle Monge, Head of Payments: "Costa Rica is a world icon as a green country and Banco de Costa Rica as a state bank is fully committed to environmental sustainability, we are proud to boost projects in favor of the environment. We thank Mastercard for inviting us to be part of the launch of the Carbon Calculator in LAC and give a hand to our planet, mitigating all of us our carbon footprint." Doconomy, Mathias Wikstrom, co-founder and CEO: "Doconomy is proud to work with Mastercard, contributing through the Aland Index methodology for the Carbon Calculator and the set-up of the Sustainability Innovation Lab. This is a strong foundation to enable everyone to contribute to much needed climate action. Mastercard continues to lead the way for their industry." ekko, Oli Cook, co-founder and CEO: "As the world's leaders come together at COP26 to advocate collaborative action, so starts our own journey. We are excited to introduce ekko to the world and offer people a greener way to pay. From collecting ocean bound plastic to global reforestation, together with Mastercard we will help our customers live more sustainably and become more aware of the carbon footprint of what they consume by doing nothing other than using their ekko card." GRANIT Bank, Eva Hegedus, chairperson and CEO: "Businesses need to use their resources to drive meaningful change for the planet. At GRANIT Bank we support every sustainability effort wholeheartedly. From the very beginning, it has been our mission to inspire the customers' minds and hearts towards sustainability and to make the planet-friendly living possible. For this work, GRANIT Bank has received several accolades, (e.g. Green Financial Innovator Prize awarded by the National Bank of Hungary), but the greatest prize of all is our planet that we can save for future generations. To this end, the Bank will shortly launch a new innovative function in its mobile banking application: the carbon calculator will enable users to measure and reduce their carbon footprint. It is a great honor to us that we have had the opportunity to work together with Mastercard on this and on many other innovative projects." Sberbank, Evgenia Tyurikova, Head of Sber Private Banking: "In partnership with Mastercard, we work on the launch of the Carbon Calculator. We want our business to drive meaningful change around the world. The Mastercard Carbon Calculator will help draw people's attention to environmental issues and increase their level of engagement by providing them with tools to assess their impact on the environment and the ability to neutralize this impact." About Mastercard (NYSE: MA) Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all. www.mastercard.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005373/en/

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[November 01, 2021] GoWithFlow Teams Up with EV Enthusiast Charley Boorman for Master Class at Web Summit 2021

- Flow executives lead panel to discuss pros, cons and the future of electric fleets

- "The EV Transition: The Answers You Need" set for 4th November LONDON, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- #WebSummit  GoWithFlow, a pioneer in delivering technology that helps organisations transition to electric vehicles, will be joined by actor/presenter and EV enthusiast Charley Boorman in a primetime master class at this year's Web Summit to discuss practical applications of electric and hybrid vehicles and the challenges with charging. Alongside organisations such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, GoWithFlow is committed to helping companies and communities transition away from fossil fuel-based vehicles. Flow's technology helps organisations plan for, manage and optimise the integration of electric and hybrid vehicles into their fleet, and then create and manage the charging infrastructure that's paramount to its successful operation. At Web Summit, 1-5 November, Charley Boorman will join Flow to discuss practical applications of EVs and the challenges with charging, drawing on his experiences with actor Ewan McGregor on Long Way Up for Apple+ TV. Boorman and McGegor rode two prototype electric Harley Davidson motorcycles the length of South America, igniting a passion around EVs and the need for more sustainable transportation  a passion shared by the Flow team.



In the Master Class "The EV Transition: The Answers You Need," scheduled for Thursday, 4th November, from 12:00-13:30 GMT, Flow CEO Jane Hoffer and Boorman will host a Q&A on the challenges with fleet transition to electric. Flow CTO and founder Andre Dias, and Head of Marketing Tomas Edwards, will review successful fleet-scale applications that illustrate some business-focused problems that arise when governments and companies begin to steer their workers away from internal-combustion engines and demonstrate visually how IoT devices, cloud technology and GoWithFlow's unique experience can help solve them. "Sustainable mobility is not the future  it's here  and companies and governments must prepare for the real-world implications on their people," said Edwards. "Working with EV thought leaders like Charley Boorman, Flow is talking about applications of fleet transition, and importantly, the impact that shift is having on how employees use and power their EVs at home and at work."

Companies that rely on Flow's Sustainable Mobility Management technology platform to manage electric fleets and the charging infrastructure to support them have saved an average of 190 per year per vehicle in operational costs. Additionally, these organisations reduced vehicle fuel costs by 40 percent or more when they switched to electricity vs. fossil fuels, and they have eliminated as much as 5,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions for every vehicle they transition to electric. Click here for more information about Web Summit and the Flow Master Class. About GoWithFlow Named Portugal's top cleantech startup in 2020, GoWithFlow and its Sustainable Mobility Management (SMM) platform help enterprises manage the transition of their fleet to low- or no-emission vehicles while reducing overall fleet and energy costs. Flow's SMM provides an integrated view of vehicle and energy data, enabling fleet and facilities managers to plan and operate a network of combustion and electric vehicles along with managing fuel and electricity consumption. Flow's majority shareholder is Galp, one of Europe's energy companies leading the transition into renewable energy and sustainable fuels. For more information, visit https://gowithflow.io. PR Contact: Paula Elliott

Managing Director

C8 Consulting Ltd

[email protected]

M +44 (0) 7894 339645

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[November 01, 2021] ManifestSeven Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2021

Consolidated revenues increased 11% to $4.2 million for the third quarter Continued cost optimization results in a 33% reduction in quarter-over-quarter operating expenses IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 1, 2021 /CNW/ -- ManifestSeven Holdings Corporation (CSE: MSVN; OTCMKTS: MNFSF) ("M7" or the "Company"), California's first integrated omnichannel platform for legal cannabis, announced financial results for its fiscal third quarter ended August 31, 2021 on October 29, 2021. M7's third-quarter financial results reflect the continued demand for the Company's integrated regulated operations in major metropolitan markets throughout California. All financial information in this press release is provided in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. Third Quarter 2021 Fiscal Quarter Financial Highlights Generated consolidated revenue of $4.2 million during the third fiscal quarter, representing an increase of 11% from $3.8 million during the second fiscal quarter. During the third fiscal quarter, M7 continued to place a greater emphasis on generating revenue from its regulated operations, with regulated product sales increasing by 25% quarter-over-quarter and expected to yield more significant long-term revenue growth.

during the third fiscal quarter, representing an increase of 11% from during the second fiscal quarter. During the third fiscal quarter, M7 continued to place a greater emphasis on generating revenue from its regulated operations, with regulated product sales increasing by 25% quarter-over-quarter and expected to yield more significant long-term revenue growth. M7 continued to optimize its cost structure, resulting in operating expenses (excluding depreciation and amortization and stock-based compensation expense) of $2.3 million during the fiscal third quarter, representing a decrease of 33% from $3.5 million during the second fiscal quarter.

during the fiscal third quarter, representing a decrease of 33% from during the second fiscal quarter. Reported consolidated gross profit of $1.17 million during the third first quarter, representing a decrease of 6% from $1.24 million during the second fiscal quarter. The decrease in gross profit is primarily attributable to a decline in revenue generated from ancillary product sales and a shift in product mix from ancillary to regulated products as described above, while gross profit generated by the Company's regulated segment increased by 5% year-over-year. Operational Updates In July 2021 , the Company entered into a Master Services Agreement with a licensed third-party cannabis distribution company, focused primarily on the rapidly growing beverage product category, to carry out finished goods distribution operations on behalf of Highlanders. The contract consolidates a client portfolio that includes some of California's highest-selling beverage products, a database of nearly 400 active licensed retailers throughout California , and a robust fleet of 16 distribution vehicles, allowing for efficient statewide long-haul transportation and last-mile fulfillment of regulated products. The agreement is expected to result in significant operational synergies and maximize the Company's ability to monetize its regulated distribution infrastructure by generating incremental and accretive revenue and optimizing operating margins.

, the Company entered into a Master Services Agreement with a licensed third-party cannabis distribution company, focused primarily on the rapidly growing beverage product category, to carry out finished goods distribution operations on behalf of Highlanders. The contract consolidates a client portfolio that includes some of highest-selling beverage products, a database of nearly 400 active licensed retailers throughout , and a robust fleet of 16 distribution vehicles, allowing for efficient statewide long-haul transportation and last-mile fulfillment of regulated products. The agreement is expected to result in significant operational synergies and maximize the Company's ability to monetize its regulated distribution infrastructure by generating incremental and accretive revenue and optimizing operating margins. The Company continues to explore, review and evalute a broad range of potential strategic alternatives focused on maximizing shareholder value. The Company is evaluating options around its strategic direction and drivers, operations and operating model, geographic footprint, value-driven elements of the supply chain, and resourcing.

The Company continues to be in default of certain debt obligations. The Company and certain of its debt holders are in discussions about possible solutions. Further, the Company is working closely with its major creditors, vendors, and landlords as it continues to pursue a range of strategic and financing alternatives.



About ManifestSeven Holdings Corporation ManifestSeven Holdings Corporation (CSE: MSVN; OTCMKTS: MNFSF) ("M7" or the "Company") disrupts the California cannabis landscape by seamlessly integrating proprietary distribution, retail, and delivery operations into a unified statewide platform that supports compliant and efficient commerce, both for cannabis enterprises and consumers. M7 offers local on-demand delivery and a storefront dispensary through its direct-to-consumer division, Weden. Through its business-to-business division, Highlanders Distribution, the Company provides a comprehensive suite of commercial and compliant services to licensed cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers operating throughout California. M7's 1-800-CANNABIS portal ties the Company's integrated operations together with a centralized gateway through which businesses and consumers can access M7's comprehensive suite of products and solutions. M7 is a publicly listed company on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") trading under the ticker symbol "MSVN". Additional information is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

For the latest news, activities, and media coverage, please visit www.manifest7.com . To receive Company updates and be added to the email distribution list, please sign up here . CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND STATEMENTS: This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs and assumptions regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. This forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions made by management and other factors used by management in developing such information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, regulatory actions, market prices, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice. The Company's securities referred to in this press release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the Company's securities may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any Company's securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/manifestseven-reports-financial-results-for-third-quarter-fiscal-year-2021-301412645.html SOURCE ManifestSeven

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[November 01, 2021] QuestionPro Acquires Bryght AI

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QuestionPro , a global leader in online survey and research services has acquired Bryght AI, a conversational intelligence platform that helps companies drive customer retention, satisfaction, conversion and compliance by analyzing digital customer brand engagement. QuestionPro will add Bryght AIs technology across all of its survey and research platforms.

Using artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML), Bryght AI analyzes millions of customer messages as well as other brand mentions across social media, online reviews, and other digital venues. The result is a rich data set that helps companies understand the effectiveness of their customer interactions as well as what is being said about the brand outside of company communications channels. Traditionally it has been extremely complicated for NLP and ML to accurately analyze and make sense of human conversations, emotion, intent and attitude. Bryght AI has solved for this not only with sophisticated, proprietary algorithms, but also created industry-specific terminology, jargon, euphemisms and other keywords to make analysis even more accurate for certain industries. In simplest terms, with structured data, you get what you ask for. With unstructured data, you get what you didnt even know to ask, said Vivek Bhaskaran, founder and CEO of QuestionPro. With advanced analytics now for both structured and unstructured data built into our platforms, clients will now be able to derive even better insights and business intelligence. Companies use Bryght AI to predit customer satisfaction/net promoter score; conversion, upsell and cross-sell opportunities; churn; product/feature/competitor references. The platform also analyzes, detects and reports regulatory compliance, policy compliance and abuse. Companies set the metrics they wish to measure, and Bryght AI provides the results in dashboards as well as raw data sets for quick or detailed further analysis by the client.



QuestionPro is a global provider of online survey and research services, including specific platforms for Customer Experience, Research & Insights and Employee/Workforce experience, that are used and trusted by thousands of companies worldwide, including more than a dozen in the Fortune 500. The Bryght AI technology will be integrated across QuestionPros platforms.

Unstructured text embedded in customer conversations represents a gold mine of data. Our platform can automatically tag large volumes of such unstructured text data without requiring laborious manual efforts, said Praful Chavda, founder and CEO of Bryght AI. These insights help customers drive critical actions such as retention/upsell emails, net promoter score (NPS) and customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys, compliance and risk audits, and personalization via micro-segmentation.

About QuestionPro

Founded in 2005, QuestionPro is a global provider of online survey and research services that help companies make better decisions through data. From free consumer accounts to robust enterprise-level research, we offer tools for the creation, distribution, and analysis of surveys. We also offer platforms for polling, mobile research and data visualization. Fortune 100 companies rely on us to help unlock insights about customers, employees and the marketplace. With offices in the US, Mexico, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and India, we offer customers 24-7 access to highly trained support specialists and engineers. More information is available at www.questionpro.com . About Bryght AI

Bryght AI is a conversational intelligence and scoring platform that helps drive customer retention, satisfaction, and conversion while also protecting a company brand. Using AI, Bryght AI analyzes and score the effectiveness of millions of customer messages. Companies use Bryght.AI to predict customer satisfaction/net promoter score; conversion, upsell and cross-sell opportunities; churn; product/feature/competitor references. It also analyzes, detects and reports regulatory compliance, policy compliance and abuse. More information is available at www.bryght.ai. Media Contact

John Williams, Scoville PR for QuestionPro

+1-206-660-5503, [email protected] A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/94cc61f6-a7ba-40fa-8d1e-d7befe0ed9f8



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[November 01, 2021] Anthem Blue Cross of California and Motivo are Expanding Access to Counseling Services in California

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthem Blue Cross, one of California's largest coordinators of Medicare and Medicaid benefits, has engaged Motivo, a leading healthcare technology developer, to increase access to mental health and substance use disorder services for Californians. Anthem has provided funding to Motivo to expand access to counseling services throughout the state. Motivo will utilize Anthem funding to roll out their technology solution to increase the number of licensed behavioral health counselors who are available to help Californians experiencing mental health or substance use disorders. Motivo partners with Anthem Blue Cross of California to increase access to mental health services. "COVID-19 introduced new barriers to addressing mental health and substance use disorder for individuals as well as counselors across California, and many communities continue to face barriers to accessing quality mental healthcare," said Rachel McCrickard, Founder and CEO of Motivo. "We are beginning to understand the impacts of the pandemic on individuals' mental health and well-being, and we are prepared to respond with solutions that effectively address barriers before they are exacerbated. Thanks to Anthem Blue Cross, we are able to launch those solutions across California to help build stronger, healthier communities." A recent study showed that 84 percent of surveyed health professionals saw an increase in the volume of patients they believe required mental health and substance use disorder services since the start of the pandemic. Also, nearly 75 percent of health professionals believe that negative mental health effects will linger for up to three years or longer after the pandemic subsides. This increased demand is putting a strain on existing counseling services, and there are barriers that are keeping qualified therapists from helping to addrss this demand. There is a pool of pre-licensed therapists who are close to earning licensure to serve communities in need, but to earn their licenses, they have to first complete two years of work under the supervision of a licensed therapist. The barrier is that there is a very limited pool of supervisors within driving distance who can help them complete this prerequisite.



Motivo has developed an online platform that can connect pre-licensed mental health therapists with clinical supervisors through online videoconferencing. This approach can expedite the path toward licensure and increase access to critically needed care, so Anthem has stepped-up to fund the launch of this technology across the state. "Anthem Blue Cross is living its commitment to listening to those on the front lines of behavioral healthcare to gain a deeper understanding of the needs of our communities  as demonstrated by Anthem's inaugural State of the Nation's Mental Health report, which documents a dramatic increase among individuals seeking mental health services," said Les Ybarra, President of Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal health plan. "Through our partnership with Motivo, and investments in their innovative technology platform, we can succeed in addressing some of California's most pressing needs, including increasing access to mental healthcare, enhancing workforce and eliminating disparities."

Motivo will work directly with behavioral health organizations to extend their solution across the state, starting in California's most underserved areas. The outcome is expected to be an increased pool of qualified therapists who will offer the needed counseling services that address the mental health and substance use disorder crisis, which continues to grow across the state. ABOUT MOTIVO Motivo is the first HIPAA-compliant platform that connects therapists to clinical supervisors, in a completely virtual environment. Learn more by visiting: http://motivohealth.com/ or by emailing [email protected]. ABOUT ANTHEM BLUE CROSS CALIFORNIA Anthem Blue Cross helps improve health care access and quality for Californians by developing innovative care management programs and services. Anthem Blue Cross' top priority is the health and well-being of our consumers and we are committed to providing members with access to comprehensive health care. Through health education and community outreach programs, members are empowered to choose and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name for Blue Cross of California. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Cross of California Partnership Plan, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Association. ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross name and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross Association. Blue Cross of California is contracted with L.A. Care Health Plan to provide Medi-Cal Managed Care services in Los Angeles County. To learn more, visit https://mss.anthem.com/ca. Follow us on Twitter or on Facebook. Media Contact:

Rachel McCrickand

[email protected]



Lindsay Scarpate

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/anthem-blue-cross-of-california-and-motivo-are-expanding-access-to-counseling-services-in-california-301412436.html SOURCE Motivo

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[November 01, 2021] Ooma Introduces a Simple Solution for POTS Replacement that Combines Phone Service, T-Mobile Connectivity and Hardware

Ooma, Inc., a smart communications platform for businesses and consumers, today introduced Ooma AirDial, a simple solution for business intended to address the looming retirement of legacy copper-wire analog phone service, also known as plain old telephone service or POTS. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005164/en/ Ooma today introduced Ooma AirDial, a simple solution for business intended to address the looming retirement of legacy copper-wire analog phone service, also known as plain old telephone service or POTS. Ooma AirDial will combine phone service, a T-Mobile (News - Alert) data connection and hardware in a single package that's easy to install and manage. Safety and business-critical systems that today require a POTS line - ranging from fire alarm panels to elevator phones, fax machines, public safety phones, building access systems and more - can be quickly and easily migrated to a digital connection. Because Ooma AirDial will maintain a managed voice channel that doesn't touch the public internet, the solution is expected to meet regulatory requirements such as NFPA 72 and UL 864 for life-safety systems. (Photo: Business Wire) Ooma AirDial (https://www.ooma.com/airdial) will combine phone service, a T-Mobile data connection and hardware in a single package that's easy to install and manage. Safety and business-critical systems that today require a POTS line - ranging from fire alarm panels to elevator phones, fax machines, public safety phones, building access systems and more - can be quickly and easily migrated to a digital connection. Because Ooma AirDial will maintain a managed voice channel that doesn't touch the public internet, the solution is expected to meet regulatory requirements such as NFPA 72 and UL 864 for life-safety systems. Ooma AirDial Providers of POTS lines are rapidly retiring copper-wire infrastructure and shutting off service t customers. FCC (News - Alert) data shows the number of POTS lines in the United States declined from 122 million in 2010 to 41 million in 2019 and industry analysts expect POTS lines could disappear completely within five years. At the same time, service rates are going up dramatically as providers are forced to support their remaining POTS infrastructure from a smaller pool of customers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has tracked a 36 percent increase in POTS rates from 2010 to 2021, even as mobile phone rates have gone down.



This situation creates a growing challenge for businesses with devices that require an analog phone line and therefore can't transition directly to digital voice over internet (VoIP) service. Existing solutions for replacing these analog lines - commonly known as "POTS in a box" - are typically expensive, don't come fully provisioned with wireless connectivity and phone service, and/or don't always meet safety requirements. "Many businesses are facing a squeeze as telephone companies move away from POTS," said Jason Blackwell, research director for SMB telecom at IDC (News - Alert). "POTS lines are becoming significantly more expensive, even as reliability declines, with more shutdowns on the horizon. Yet the cost of replacing legacy devices that rely on a POTS connection can be prohibitive. Innovative new technologies such as Ooma AirDial are essential to resolving this dilemma."

Ooma AirDial is designed to serve as a POTS replacement that is powerful and flexible, with features that will include: Up to four analog connections with standard dial tone and full backwards compatibility with POTS

Options for either an exclusively wireless connection or failover from a wired broadband connection to wireless

Backup battery that will maintain service for eight hours or more during an outage

LCD display that shows wireless signal strength, battery status and phone line status

Remote management across multiple locations through an online portal, with the option to set automated alerts for events such as outages and batteries that need replacement

Heat sink and ventilation for fan-less cooling

Support for external antennas for installations where the AirDial unit isn't near the exterior of a building

Number porting

Mounting that can be either vertical (wall) or horizontal (table) Ooma expects its channel partners will be a primary path to market for Ooma AirDial, giving them a new way to help their end customers transition from POTS lines while reducing monthly phone costs. "In an era of post-merger growth at T-Mobile Wholesale, we are excited about the solutions that we are creating for our customers. The launch of Ooma AirDial with T-Mobile network connectivity offers our customers a simple solution to a basic problem," said Dan Thygesen, senior vice president of T-Mobile Wholesale. "With millions of U.S. POTS lines being decommissioned in the coming years, customers need a post-POTS path that is user-friendly and cost-effective. For our Wholesale customers in this situation, Ooma AirDial meets that need - their devices that rely on an analog phone connection can now easily transition to a modern wireless solution that offers a compelling return on investment." "We discovered the need for Ooma AirDial by listening to our customers, who told us that - beyond our Ooma Office and Ooma Enterprise VoIP services - they had an urgent need for POTS replacement," said Chris Burgy (News - Alert), vice president of corporate development at Ooma. "Tapping into Ooma's long history of designing affordable and simple hardware and software, we built Ooma AirDial to provide a solution to our customers who are frustrated with the POTS replacement offerings on the market today." Ooma AirDial will be previewed at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Booth #1253, on Nov. 1 to 4 and is expected to be available in early 2022 in the United States only. To learn more, please visit https://www.ooma.com/airdial. About Ooma, Inc. Ooma (NYSE: OOMA) creates powerful connected experiences for businesses and consumers, delivered from its smart cloud-based SaaS (News - Alert) platform. For businesses of all sizes, Ooma provides advanced voice and collaboration features including messaging, intelligent virtual attendants, and video conferencing to help them run more efficiently. For consumers, Ooma's residential phone service provides PureVoice HD voice quality, advanced functionality and integration with mobile devices. Learn more at www.ooma.com or www.ooma.ca in Canada. Forward-Looking Statements This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." The forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements related to the functionality, performance, availability and regulatory compliance of Ooma AirDial. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in Ooma's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021 filed on April 7, 2021, and in its subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Ooma undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005164/en/

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[November 01, 2021]

2021 FAIR Awards Salute Cyber Risk Management Innovators at 2021 FAIR Conference

RESTON, Va., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Three cyber risk management leaders were awarded top honors in the 2021 FAIR Excellence Awards, at the virtual 2021 FAIR Conference, for their initiative, contributions and ingenuity to information security and operational risk management through the use and advocacy of FAIR. The FAIR Institute, conference host, is a non-profit organization advancing risk management based on Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR), the global standard for quantified risk analysis.



Recipients included Zach Cossairt, information security program manager, Equinix, Business Innovator Award; Christopher Porter, CISO, Fannie Mae, FAIR Champion Award; and Christophe Foret and Tom Callaghan, co-chairs, FAIR Institute Paris Chapter and co-founders, C-Risk, FAIR Ambassador Award.

The awards recognize professionals' commitment to operational excellence in protecting their organizations. Nearly 2,000 CISOs and business and risk management leaders attended the conference.

FAIR Business Innovator Award

The Business Innovator Award honors risk officers who leverage FAIR principles to create new risk analytic capabilities. At Equinix, a Fortune 500 tech company, Cossairt integrated cyber risk quantification and analysis into the corporate IT risk register, patch prioritization, security project planning and prioritization, and compliance program gap analysis. He and his team are bringing quantitative insight to the CISO and Board using the FAIR model, and are influencing decision-making.

Read more about Zach Cossairt's work here:

Meet a Member: Zach Cossairt of Equinix on the Human Element in Risk Quantification

Fellow Business Innovator Award nominees include Mary Elizabeth Faulkner, CISO, Thrivent Financial, and Bret Hunoldt, CISO, REEF Technology.

FAIR Champion Award

The FAIR Champion Award honors organization leaders who develop a FAIR initiative that engages data owners and stakeholders to improve analysis, and then garner support from decision-makers to use the analytics as key to their strategies, decision-making processes, and operating rhythms.

Porter, a longtime FAIR advocate and innovator, has demonstrated integrated quantitative risk analysis in operational decision-making. As Fannie Mae CISO, he and his team created FAIR-FAST for rapid risk analysis around issue management. Porter has focused on business resiliency, as the mortgage market experienced rapid growth. Using FAIR assessments, Fannie Mae, considered a critical part of the U.S. financial infrastructure, has secured appropriate controls to ensure operatons.







Watch Porter's past FAIR Institute sessions and interviews here:

Meet a Member Podcast: Christopher Porter, CISO at Fannie Mae and FAIR Institute Board Member

Video: How FAIR Cyber Risk Analysis Showed the Way to 3 Risk Reduction Wins for Fannie Mae

Fellow FAIR Champion Award nominees include Cedric De Carvalho, cyber risk manager, Richemont International, SA, and Dan Garcia, Deputy CISO, Datto.

FAIR Ambassador Award

The FAIR Ambassador Award honors members who bring FAIR knowledge and the FAIR Institute to a wider community. Foret and Callaghan are co-chairs of the European Chapter of the FAIR Institute and are co-founders of the risk management consultancy, C-Risk, based in Paris.

As FAIR community leaders in France and Europe, the two set virtual meetings in 2020 and 2021 to reach Institute members, nearly 200 of which are Paris Chapter members. They are raising awareness through hosting chapter events and meetings, and serving as FAIR Institute representatives at such industry events as the annual International Forum on Cybersecurity.

Fellow FAIR Ambassador Award nominees include Mike Radigan, chair, Ohio Local Chapter, and advisor, Cyber Risk Management, Cisco, and Chip Block, chair, Washington, D.C., Chapter; vice president, Evolver.

Learn from Foret's and Callaghan's work in past sessions here:

Meet the Members Podcast: Paris Chapter Leaders Tom Callaghan and Christophe Foret, Co-Founders of C-Risk

Risk-Based GDPR Compliance with FAIR  Q&A with European Chapter Co-Chairs Christophe Foret and Tom Callaghan of C-Risk

The 2021 FAIR Conference featured Day One keynotes and sessions by Nick Sanna, president, FAIR Institute; and Mary O'Brien, GM, IBM Security; followed by Matt Tolbert, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; Prashanthi Koutha, Netflix; and HPE's Aidan Farren, Aidan Whelan, and Jay Reyna.

On Day Two, Jack Jones, chairman, FAIR Institute, and creator of the FAIR standard, introduced FAIR-CAM, the new standard for modeling and quantifying the value for risk reduction of controls and controls systems. Speakers also included John A. Wheeler, Gartner, and Bob Kolasky, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Membership to The FAIR Institute is free. Members can view replays of all FAIRCON21 sessions free on demand through Saturday, Nov. 20. To sign-in, visit here.

About the FAIR Institute

The FAIR Institute is an expert, non-profit organization led by information risk officers, CISOs and business executives, created to develop and share standard risk management practices based on FAIR. Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) is the only international standard analytics model for information security and operational risk. FAIR helps organizations quantify and manage risk from the business perspective and enables cost-effective decision-making. To learn more and get involved visit: www.fairinstitute.org.

FAIR Institute education partners include Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Center for Applied Cyber Education, Ferris State University, George Mason University, Harvard University, Macquarie University, Pepperdine, San Jose State University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Tampa, University of Toronto, Virginia Tech, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Contact:

Cathy Morley Foster

Eskenzi PR

[email protected]

925.708.7893
[November 01, 2021] Moody's Analytics Launches New Cloud-Based Credit Portfolio Management Software

Moody's Analytics is pleased to announce the launch of PortfolioStudioTM, new cloud-based credit portfolio management software. PortfolioStudio provides a whole portfolio view of current and emerging risks in one platform so users can scan for risks and opportunities, evaluate possible actions, and decide how to act. "Portfolio managers need a holistic picture of portfolio risks and mitigation strategies to advise their business confidently," said Cayetano Gea-Carrasco, Managing Director at Moody's Analytics. "We developed PortfolioStudio to blend Moody's data with the latest cloud technology so portfolio managers can assess a broader set of risks more efficiently." In this complex market environment, credit portfolio management is a central driver for capital deployment to support growth with responsible risk taking. PortfolioStudio helps identify and manage risk positions and portfolio segments under economic, regulatory, and accounting lenses - allowing consistent and side-by-side analyses and reporting. The software allows portfolio managers and business users to design and implement strategies and adjust them to ensure the best risk and return outcome. In addition, the business reporting is geared to efficiently communiate portfolio strengths and weaknesses to the front office and the Board, enabling confident and timely decision-making.



PortfolioStudio is part of Moody's Analytics award-winning ecosystem of risk, finance, and lending solutions - all sharing data, assumptions, and models to produce results consistently across applications. The resulting synergies deliver consistent, accurate and intelligence-based insights for financial institutions. About Moody's Analytics

Moody's Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moody's Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moody's Corporation reported revenue of $5.4 billion in 2020, employs more than 13,000 people worldwide, and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005312/en/

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[November 01, 2021] True Digital Security Leverages Stellar Cyber's Open XDR Security Platform to Deliver Unprecedented Visibility for its Clients

Stellar Cyber, the leading security operations platform for MSSPs and innovator of Open XDR, announced today that True Digital Security, an MSSP with offices in Oklahoma, Florida, and New York, serving energy, healthcare, technology and finance clients, has adopted the Stellar Cyber platform to bring new levels of security visibility to its clients. Along with managed services, True Digital Security offers PEN testing and Governance, Risk and Compliance services. While it has a nine-year history of using SIEMs and other siloed security tools to deliver its services, True Digital Security has found new agility and clear, infrastructure-wide security visibility with Stellar Cyber's Open XDR platform, along with a highly responsive customer support team. "I needed a SIEM partner that would treat us like a partner they want to grow with, and not like a number," said Scott Williamson, VP of Information Services at True Digital Security (TRUE). "I wanted people who were eager to please and excited about what they were doing, and I found that with Stellar Cyber." TRUE had been using a legacy SIEM tool for network visibility, but it required a lot of manual data correlation. By using the next-generation SIEM in Stellar Cyber's platform, Williamson and his team were able to leverage the platform's AI and machine learning to get automatic correlation and analysis of the data coming in, so they could be much more productive. For example, TRUE analyst Logan DeWitt found that the platform's machine learning technology becomes more intuitive over time. It accurately detected a nascent attack when a customer's network showed an unfamiliar file type being uploaded to a server at an odd time of day, and it did this without the team's having to write rules to detect that anomalous behavior. Integrated with the Stellar Cyber platform, TRUE's security management portal, TrueSpeed, shows clients exactly what the company is doing for them and how each blocked attack impacts their security posture. "With its tremendous visualizations, Stellar Cyber nables us to answer the ultimate client question - 'What are you doing for me?'" added Williamson.



"Cyber security is a critical business asset, particularly for highly regulated industries like energy, finance and healthcare," said Brian Stoner, VP of the MSSP business unit at Stellar Cyber. "Our automated and intuitive platform helps MSSPs like True Digital Security deliver highly accurate insights and lightning-fast incident responses for their clients." TRUE Executives Speaking at Channel Partners Conference

With the rush of MSPs who are looking to provide cybersecurity services to their clients, Vice President of Information Services at TRUE, Scott Williamson, and TRUE's Executive Vice President, Sam Ruggeri, will be speaking on November 2 at the Channel Partners Conference in Las Vegas. Their topic is, "Behind the Curtain of Security Operations: The 5 Hidden Essentials of a Quality Security Services Program." Resources Stellar Cyber security operations platform

Stellar Cyber case studies

Stellar Cyber blogs About Stellar Cyber Stellar Cyber's Open XDR platform delivers Everything Detection and Response by ingesting data from all tools, automatically correlating alerts into incidents across the entire attack surface, delivering fewer and higher-fidelity incidents, and responding to threats automatically through AI and machine learning. Our XDR Kill Chain, fully compatible with the MITRE ATT&CK framework, is designed to characterize every aspect of modern attacks while remaining intuitive to understand. This reduces enterprise risk through early and precise identification and remediation of all attack activities while slashing costs, retaining investments in existing tools and accelerating analyst productivity. Typically, our platform delivers an 8X improvement in MTTD and a 20X improvement in MTTR. The company is based in Silicon Valley. For more information, contact https://stellarcyber.ai. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005237/en/

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[November 01, 2021] BioStem Technologies Announces Veterans Day Fundraiser to Support America's VetDogs

Pompano Beach, Fl., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioStem Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiary Blue Tech Industries, Inc. (d/b/a BioStem Life Sciences), a Certified VOSB (Veteran-Owned Small Business), are proud to announce a 2021 Veterans Day Fundraiser to support America's VetDogs. To honor those who have served our country, BioStem Technologies will be donating 10% of proceeds from all sales November 10-11th, 2021, to America's VetDogs.

The service dog programs of America's VetDogs were created to provide enhanced mobility and renewed independence to United States veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders, allowing them to once again live with pride and self-reliance. America's VetDogs specializes in placing highly skilled service and guide dogs with individuals suffering from physical injuries, PTSD, hearing and vision loss, and seizures. All services are provided by America's VetDogs at no cost to the individual. "We are excited to support this amazing organization and its mission to help those who selflessly served our country live with independence and dignity. As a USMC veteran myself, I have witnessed many brothers and sisters dealing with issues ranging from mental health to physical disabilities resulting from their military service," stated Andrew Van Vurst, BioStem Technologies COO and Co-Founder. "BioStem has had the privilege of providing life-changing tissue allografts to the VA for the last few years, and we are honored once again to help those who serve us by providing quality care for our veterans." For more information on America's VetDogs or how you can help support this wonderful organization, please click here. About America's VetDogs: Since 2003, America's VetDogs (www.VetDogs.org) has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to veterans with disabilities from all eras. In 2015, VetDogs opened its programs to first responders, including fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. America's VetDogs is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by the Guide Dog Foundation and serves clients from across the United States. VetDogs relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to help those who have served our country live with dignity and independence. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but America's VetDogs provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. America's VetDogs has been accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.



About BioStem Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK: BSEM): BioStem Technologies, Inc. is a pre-clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on harnessing elements of perinatal tissue and the bodys innate biology to repair or reverse damage caused by a broad range of degenerative diseases. Our proprietary approach, called Local Microenvironment Activation, or LMA, uses combinations of small molecules, cytokines, and growth factors to activate the microenvironment within the body to create communication for repair in the tissue. BioStem Technologies offers a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality brands that include RHEO, OROPRO, VENDAJE, VENDAJE AC, and VENDAJE OPTIC. The Company is comprised of a diverse group of scientists, physicians, and entrepreneurs who collaborate to create innovative products. These technologies improve the Quality of Life for our patients and, as a result, drive shareholder value. Forward-Looking Statements: Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "future," "plan" or "planned," "expects," believe" or "projected." These forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. These risk factors include, among others, limited operating history, difficulty in developing, exploiting and protecting proprietary technologies, intense competition and additional risks factors as discussed in reports filed by the company with OTC Markets.

BioStem Technologies, Inc.

Phone: 954-380-8342

Website: http://www.biostemtechnologies.com

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @BSEM_Tech

Facebook: BioStem Technologies Investor Relations:

[email protected]

(954) 380-8342



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[November 01, 2021] Tanium Appoints Chief Marketing Officer Steve Daheb

Tanium, the platform that organizations trust to gain visibility and control across all endpoints, today announced the appointment of Steve Daheb to the position of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Daheb is a marketing veteran in the IT industry with a long history of successfully driving business growth through corporate strategy, go-to-market execution, brand reimagining and demand creation for start-up, mid-late stage private and public companies. "We are in a relentless pursuit to help organizations around the world effectively secure and manage a rapidly proliferating number of endpoints, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a perhaps permanent shift to hybrid working environments," said Orion Hindawi, co-founder and CEO, Tanium. "With his proven marketing leadership and deep understanding of the fast-paced technology industry, Steve will be a driving force in building our brand and value proposition as the enabler of IT certainty." Upon his arrival, Daheb is responsible for aligning the marketing organization with the company's overall strategic direction designed to increase Tanium's brand momentum, continuing to drive success within the enterprise market while also expanding the global mid-market. His buyer experience spans multiple customer segments including Enterprise, mid-market, SMB and industries with related multiple customer engagement models, from targeted direct selling model to velocity customer growth strategies. "This is a truly exciting time to join the Tanium team," said Daheb. "Given the pace of digital transformation taking place across the globe for organizations of all sizes and industries, the real value that Tanium delivers is its ability to see, control and potect every end point. The 'Power of Certainty' is the highest value proposition that can be delivered to customers today. IT environments are complex and managing them is more challenging than ever before. With Tanium, you can know everything that's going on, on every endpoint - from on premises to the cloud - in order to prevent bad things from happening or address them immediately when they do."



Most recently, Daheb served as the CMO for California-based ON24, where he helped lead the company through its IPO in February 2021. Daheb also held the CMO title at other high-profile technology companies such as Citrix (News - Alert) and Blue Coat Systems. Prior to ON24, he served for over five years as the Senior Vice President (SVP) of Oracle Cloud Go-To-Market, where he was responsible for driving the global growth of Oracle (News - Alert) Cloud, including Oracle Cloud Platform services and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services. His responsibilities include full go-to-market strategy and execution to achieve top-line growth of Oracle's cloud business, which is now a multi-billion-dollar business. He also led Oracle Global Communications, spanning all products, industries, and corporate level comms. Over the course of his nearly 30-year career, Daheb gained invaluable experience in SaaS (News - Alert) applications, Cloud Platform services, and Cloud Infrastructure products. In particular, Daheb has launched numerous industry-first security products, services and solutions including early encryption devices, network security, cybersecurity and network management.

Mr. Daheb earned a B.A. from the University of California, Davis and a Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University, School of Law with a focus on high technology law and deal structure. About Tanium Tanium is the platform that the most demanding and complex organizations trust to gain visibility and control across all endpoints in on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments. Tanium addresses today's increasing IT challenges with high fidelity endpoint data - giving IT operations, security and risk teams confidence to quickly manage, secure and protect their networks at scale. Nearly half of the Fortune 100, top retailers and financial institutions, and multiple branches of the U.S. Armed Forces trust Tanium to help see and control every endpoint, everywhere. That's the power of certainty. Tanium has been named to the Forbes Cloud 100 list of "Top 100 Private Companies in Cloud Computing" for six consecutive years and ranks on FORTUNE's list of the "Best Large Workplaces in Technology 2021." Visit www.tanium.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005082/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Tauriga Sciences, Inc. Receives Notice of Publication from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Pursuant to its U.S. Patent Application No. 17/204,106

NEW YORK, NY, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: TAUG) (Tauriga or the Company), a New York based diversified Life Sciences Company, today announced that it has received Notice of Publication from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), for its U.S. Patent Application No. 17/204,106. The Company filed this U.S. Patent Application on March 17, 2021 and it related to its ongoing Pharmaceutical development efforts. Titled: MEDICATED CANNABINOID COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, AND METHODS OF TREATMENT The USPTO provided the Company with the following Publication #: US-2021-0290564-A1 The law firm of Lowenstein Sandler LLP represents the Company, with respect to its Pharmaceutical development efforts. In other news, the Company will be operating a Corporate Exhibitor Booth (# 416) at Kosherfest 2021 (the Event). This Event takes place in Secaucus, New Jersey at the Meadowlands Exposition Center  November 9-10, 2021. This is an important Tradeshow for the Company, as thousands of Kosher Buyers from around the world are expected to attend. ABOUT TAURIGA SCIENCES INC. Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (TAUG) is a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, engaged in several major business activities and initiatives. The company manufactures and distributes several proprietary retail products and product lines, mainly focused on the Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) Edibles market segment. The main product line, branded as Tauri-Gum, consists of a proprietary supplement chewing gum that is Kosher certified, Halal certified, and Vegan Formulated (CBD Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Mint, Blood Orange, Pomegranate), (CBG Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Peach-Lemon, Black Currant), (DELTA 8 THC Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Evergreen Mint), (Vitamin C + Zinc Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Pear Bellii), (Caffeine Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Cherry Lime Rickey), & (Vitamin D3 Infused Tauri-Gum Flavor: Golden Raspberry). The Companys commercialization strategy consists of a broad array of retail customers, distributors, and a fast-growing E-Commerce business segment (E-Commerce website: www.taurigum.com). Please visit our corporate website, for additional information, as well as inquiries, at http://www.tauriga.com



Complementary to the Companys retail business, is its ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative. This relates to the development of a proposed Pharmaceutical grade version of Tauri-Gum, for nausea regulation (specifically designed for the following indication: Patients Subjected to Ongoing Chemotherapy Treatment). On March 22, 2021, the Company announced that it had Converted its U.S. Provisional Patent Application (filed on March 17, 2020) into a U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application. The Patent, filed with the U.S.P.T.O. is Titled MEDICATED CBD COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, AND METHODS OF TREATMENT. On December 18, 2020 the Company disclosed that it had entered into a Master Services Agreement with CSTI to lead the Company's clinical development efforts. The Company is headquartered in Wappingers Falls, New York. In addition, the Company operates two full time E-Commerce fulfillment centers: one located in Montgomery, Texas and the other in Brooklyn, New York.

DISCLAIMER -- Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which represent managements beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are often indicated by using words such as may, will, expects, anticipates, believes, hopes, believes, or plans, and may include statements regarding corporate objectives as well as the attainment of certain corporate goals and milestones. Forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on managements present beliefs with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences or timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in forward looking statements due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, such as are not guarantees of general economic and business conditions, the ability to successfully develop and market products, consumer and business consumption habits, the ability to consummate successful acquisition and licensing transactions, fluctuations in exchange rates, and other factors over which Tauriga has little or no control. Many of these risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in the Risk Factors section of Taurigas Form 10-K and other periodic filings made from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and Tauriga assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Contact: Tauriga Sciences, Inc. 4 Nancy Court, Suite 4 Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 Chief Executive Officer Mr. Seth M. Shaw Email: [email protected] cell # (917) 796 9926 Company Instagram: @taurigum Personal Instagram: @sethsms47 Twitter: @SethMShaw Corp. Website: www.tauriga.com E-Commerce Website: www.taurigum.com



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[November 01, 2021] MidOcean Partners Embarks on Next Phase of Evolution with Strategic Minority Investment from Hunter Point Capital

MidOcean Partners ("MidOcean"), a premier New York-based alternative asset manager specializing in middle-market private equity and alternative credit investments, today announced it has taken the next step to position the firm for long-term growth by partnering with Hunter Point Capital ("HPC"), which has made a strategic, minority investment in MidOcean. MidOcean's investment process, management, and day-to-day operations will remain unchanged. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. Launched in 2020 by veteran investors Bennett Goodman and Avi Kalichstein, HPC is dedicated to pursuing long-term strategic partnerships with proven middle-market investment firms to help them achieve their business objectives. MidOcean intends to leverage HPC's strategic capital and expertise to build upon its 20-year track record, continue to create enduring private equity and alternative credit franchises, and add to its deep bench of talent. Bennett Goodman, Executive Chairman of HPC, stated, "I have long admired Ted Virtue and the entire MidOcean team for the differentiated sector focus and operating partner model they have leveraged to great success in the private equity business, their significant credit investing expertise, and the overall value proposition they bring to their stakeholders." Avi Kalichstein, CEO of HPC, added, "As our first partnership, MidOcean exemplifies the type of firm with which we seek to invest. We look forward to bringing our expertise and resources to add mometum across MidOcean's strategies."



"We are excited to work with the Hunter Point Capital team as we embark on the next phase of MidOcean's evolution. This partnership will lay the groundwork for our future success through significant investment in our business and our people," said Ted Virtue, CEO of MidOcean Partners. Dana Carey, CIO of MidOcean Credit, added, "For nearly 20 years, MidOcean has provided our limited partners with strong risk-adjusted returns across market cycles. We are pleased to form a relationship with HPC that will help us enhance the competitive advantages of our credit business and continue to deliver differentiated solutions to meet the evolving needs of limited partners globally." Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor to HPC.

About MidOcean Partners

MidOcean Partners is a premier New York-based alternative asset manager specializing in middle-market private equity and alternative credit investments. Since its inception in 2003, MidOcean Private Equity has targeted investments in high-quality middle-market companies in the consumer and business services sectors. MidOcean Credit Partners was launched in 2009 and manages a series of alternative credit strategies, collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), and customized separately managed accounts. For more information, please visit www.midoceanpartners.com. About Hunter Point Capital

Hunter Point Capital (HPC) is an independent investment firm seeking minority stakes in middle-market alternative asset managers in private equity, credit, real estate and infrastructure strategies around the world. Launched in 2020 and headquartered in New York, HPC aims to provide its partners with value-added capabilities, including strategic advice, LP capital formation, and other enterprise-enhancing services. For more information, visit https://www.hunterpointcapital.com/ View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005568/en/

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[November 01, 2021] INVESTIGATION REMINDER: The Schall Law Firm Announces it is Investigating Claims Against Lockheed Martin Corporation and Encourages Investors with Losses of $100,000 to Contact the Firm

The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Lockheed Martin (News - Alert) Corporation ("Lockheed Martin" or "the Company") (NYSE: LMT) for violations of the securities laws. The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Lockheed Martin announced its third-quarter 2021 financial results on October 26, 2021. As part of its report, the Company stated that it would ake a $1.7 billion non-cash pension settlement charge. This charge decreased the Company's net income by $4.72 per share. Based on this news, shares of Lockheed Martin fell by almost 12% on the same day.



If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at [email protected].

The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005621/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Kotak Special Situations Fund to invest INR 1000 crores in Sify's Data Center business

Mumbai, Maharashtra, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kotak Special Situations Fund (KSSF), managed by Kotak Investment Advisors Limited (KIAL) and whose LPs include leading Sovereign Wealth Funds, and Sify Technologies Limited (Sify), Indias most comprehensive ICT service & solutions provider, today announced an agreement under which KSSF will invest up to INR 1,000 crore (USD 135 million) in Sify Infinit Spaces Limited (SISL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sify. SISL is a leading data centre services player in India, serving Indian and Global enterprise customers and hyperscalers from its ten operational Data Centres across the country. Under the transaction, the KSSF investment will be in the form of Compulsorily Convertible Debentures, which will convert into equity based on the operational performance of SIS over a specified reference period. The funds would be used to invest in SIS current plan under execution of developing new Data Centres in Mumbai, Noida, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and for investment in renewable energy requirements for its operational and new Data Centres for up to INR 4,000 crore (USD 530 million). Raju Vegesna, Chairman and Managing Director, Sify said, India is set for significant economic growth and is becoming the first choice destination for both global businesses and investors. India is witnessing the rise of Information technology-driven entrepreneurship and business growth. The current capacity of the Data Centre industry in India is expanding at an unprecedented pace, powered by wider cloud adoption, 5G rollout and accelerated digital transformation programmes of enterprises. We are delighted to partner with KSSF as a part of this journey to build world-class Data Centre facilities for our customers to benefit from the large scale digital transformation of India. MP Vijay Kumar, Chief Financial Officer, Sify said, The hyperscalers and enterprise customers have shown high confidence in colocating to our Data Centres over time and these engagements continue to scale. The KSSF partnership will give us access to long-term capital, beyond the present investment. We will, as always, be prudent in our business judgements and build facilities close to assessment of customer demand and in a modular way, deploying the latest and most cost-effective technologies for both design and operations. Srini Sriniwasan, Managing Director, Kotak Investment Advisors Limited said, We are delighted to partner with Sify to build out the Data Centre capacity in India and contribute to the goal of a digitally savvy India, based on the strength of Sifys entrepreneurial capabilities and experienced management team. Data Centres are at the core of the countrys Digital India ambition, and we believe that with vibrant entrepreneurship in the igital space, rich media consumption by an exploding well-connected population and increasing requirements for local storage of data, Indias Data Centre sector is a long term secular opportunity.



Eshwar Karra, CEO-Kotak Special Situations Fund, Kotak Investment Advisors Limited said, Our investment in SIS is in line with our strategy of providing capital to unique India opportunities that require flexible and customised capital solutions, which enables us to grow with our partners and participate in their success while providing value-added support and opportunistic capital in size and scale.

About Kotak Investment Advisors Limited Kotak Investment Advisors Limited (KIAL), a part of the Kotak Mahindra Bank (Kotak), focuses on the Alternate Assets business. KIAL was set up in early 2005 to bring a sharper focus to Kotaks alternate assets practice and has raised/managed/advised in aggregate over USD 4.9 billion across different asset classes including Private Equity Funds, Real Estate Funds, Infrastructure Funds, Special Situations Fund, Listed Strategies and Investment Advisory, all led by independent investment teams. For more information, visit alternateassets.kotak.com About Kotak Special Situations Fund Kotak Special Situations Fund (KSSF) is an Alternative Investment Fund under SEBI regulations managed by the Alternate Asset Management Company - Kotak Investment Advisors Ltd. KSSF currently manages a USD 1 billion fund and is uniquely positioned to be a provider of customised solutions capital to corporates. KSSF has partnered with companies across sectors via customised structures/solutions depending on their situation, requirements and business prospects. With an ability to tactically participate across the capital structure of an enterprise, KSSF has been targeting value propositions across a spectrum of opportunities from growth, to credit situations and stressed assets. About SIFY Sify Technologies is Indias most comprehensive ICT service & solution provider. With Cloud at the core of our solutions portfolio, Sify is focussed on the changing ICT requirements of the emerging Digital economy and the resultant demands from large, mid and small-sized businesses. Sifys infrastructure comprising the largest MPLS network, top-of-the-line DCs, partnership with global technology majors, vast expertise in business transformation solutions modelled on the cloud make it the first choice of start-ups, incoming Enterprises and even large Enterprises on the verge of a revamp. More than 10,000 businesses across multiple verticals have taken advantage of our unassailable trinity of Data Centres, Networks and Security services and conduct their business seamlessly from more than 1600 cities in India. Internationally, Sify has presence across North America, the United Kingdom and Singapore. Sify, www.sify.com and Sify Technologies, www.sifytechnologies.com are registered trademarks of Sify Technologies Limited. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Sify undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of the risks associated with Sifys business, please see the discussion under the caption Risk Factors in the companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended March 31, 2021, which has been filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and is available by accessing the database maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov , and Sifys other reports filed with the SEC.



For further information, please contact: Attachment logo

Praveen Krishna Sify Technologies Limited +91 44 22540777 (ext.2055) [email protected] Lucia Domville Grayling Investor Relations +1-646-824-2856 [email protected] Nikhila Kesavan 20:20 Media +91 9840124036 [email protected] Phiroza Choksi Kotak Mahindra Group +91-98203-63681 [email protected] Mahesh Nayak Kotak Mahindra Group +91-98704-76989 [email protected] Rakesh Sharma Fortuna PR +91-98335-37679 [email protected] Prasanna Deshpande Fortuna PR +91-98206-79088 [email protected]

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[November 01, 2021] Agency Veteran Joins Valtech New York as Executive Creative Director

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Valtech, a global company focused on customer experience transformation, announced today that award winning design leader Seth Jablon will be the company's first Vice President, Executive Creative Director for Valtech in North America. Seth brings more than fifteen years of experience leading a wide range of engagements spanning product and service design, brand identity, campaign storytelling and brand activations. "Valtech's expertise bridging the physical/digital in retail and theme park environments is what really excited me," explained Seth Jablon, Vice President, Executive Creative Director New York for Valtech. "There's a race to innovate the customer experience that's being fueled by the consumer and our fast-changing world, and Valtech is at the forefront." An agency veteran, Seth has led teams at R/GA, TBWA\Chiat\Day, VSA Partners, DigitasLBi, and most recently at LiveArea where he served as the Group Creative Director of the New York office. Seth's work with some of the world's most well-known brands, including Nike, Google, Samsung, IBM, Spotify, Cole Haan, and Cadillac, has been recognized internationally, with accolades fromCannes Lions, ADC, D&AD, CLIO, and The One Show. At Valtech he will oversee the growing New York design and experience teams whose clients include Mandarin Oriental, Harry Winston, MAC Cosmetics, Samsung and Dolby.



In this newly formed role, Jabon will jointly report to David DeCheser Valtech's SVP, Executive Creative Director North America who joined in April after over a decade at R/GA, and to Jonathan Goldmacher SVP Managing Director of the New York office. "Over the past two years our clients' focus on transformation have accelerated and become even more ambitious," said Jonathan Goldmacher, Senior Vice President, Valtech New York. "We are excited about bringing Seth's expertise in helping modern digital brands succeed in the twenty-first century to our roster of world-class clients."

About Valtech Valtech is a global digital agency focused on business transformation. Valtech's network of more than 3,700 makers, thinkers, marketers, creatives and developers spanning 5 continents with 51 offices in 18 countries are experts in experience design, technology and marketing with a passion for addressing transformational business challenges. Valtech helps clients such as L'Oreal, MAC Cosmetics, Toyota, easyJet and more to anticipate tomorrow's trends and connect more directly with their consumers across digital and physical touch points, whilst optimizing time-to-market and ROI. From discovery to optimization, clients trust Valtech to remove complexity and deliver innovative, frictionless solutions that close the experience gap between customer expectation and reality. For more information, please visit www.valtech.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agency-veteran-joins-valtech-new-york-as-executive-creative-director-301412932.html SOURCE Valtech

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[November 01, 2021] Evaluate and Track Transportation Infrastructure Companies | View Company Insights for 1,000+ Transportation Infrastructure Manufacturers and Suppliers | BizVibe

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BizVibe has made available 1,000+ company profiles for the transportation infrastructure manufacturers and suppliers category on its B2B platform. Companies listed in this product category are primarily engaged in managing or supplying various types of transportation infrastructure and products (such as highway, runway, and railroad construction). Get Free Access to These 1,000+ Profiles Each profile is free to view and packed with high-quality insights, providing businesses with detailed company information. Users can take advantage of these insights to identify, target, and connect with the right transportation infrastructure manufacturers and suppliers. This company information includes employee insights, company competitors, the impact of emerging trends and challenges, the latest news, and more. Free Insights Included for all Transportation Infrastructure Company Profiles: List of product and service category offerings and primary operating industries

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List of key executives and their roles within the company

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Transportation Infrastructure Companies on BizVibe BizVibe's platform contains 30M+ company profiles, spanning across 200+ countries, categorized into 40,000+ products and services. There are 1,000+ company profiles related to transportation infrastructure manufacturers and suppliers on BizVibe, covering 10+ product and service categories. Each company profile contains detailed insights dedicated to helping procurement and sales teams find trusted suppliers and target sales prospects.

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Tunnel construction companies Get Free Company Profile Access for all Categories Company Profiles for Buyers and Sellers BizVibe's modern B2B platform is designed to help both global buyers and sellers. Powered by the latest best-in-class solutions, BizVibe provides outstanding product features for both category managers and sales professionals. Features for Buyers: Quickly discover the right suppliers

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API integration and data enrichment Learn how BizVibe helps sellers: https://www.bizvibe.com/sellers About BizVibe BizVibe has been conceptualized and built by a team based out of Toronto, Bangalore, and London. We are a branch of Infiniti Research and have dedicated units in all three locations. BizVibe helps buyers find the most relevant suppliers from around the world and help sellers target prospects who need their products and/or services. For more information, please visit www.bizvibe.com and start for free today. Contact

BizVibe

Jesse Maida

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+1 855-897-5880

Website: https://www.bizvibe.com/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/evaluate-and-track-transportation-infrastructure-companies--view-company-insights-for-1-000-transportation-infrastructure-manufacturers-and-suppliers--bizvibe-301411836.html SOURCE BizVibe

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[November 01, 2021] Data Center World 2022 Bolsters Team with the Addition of Liz Cruz as Conference Director; Bill Kleyman as Program Chair

Data Center World, the leading global conference for data center facilities and IT professionals, today announces it has bolstered its team with the addition of Liz Cruz as Conference Director and Bill Kleyman as Program Chair for Data Center World Conference & Expo. Data Center World 2022 will take place March 28-31, 2022, in Austin, Texas. Register to attend here. Given the rapid innovation in data center technologies that are enabling significant improvement in operations and efficiency, Cruz will also take on the helm of Informa (News - Alert) Tech's AFCOM, a member association for data center facilities and IT professionals focused on defining and sharing best practices for data center management. Data Center World is AFCOM's only global annual gathering of IT and data center professionals. In addition, Cruz will manage the Data Center Efficiency Evolution Program (DEEP), the newest addition to the Informa Tech data center portfolio, that provides IT professionals with guidance and direction on how to operate environmentally conscious data centers. Cruz has been researching, analyzing and forecasting key technology trends for the data center market for over a decade. In her previous role as Head of Omdia's Data Center Research Practice, Cruz was a frequent speaker and advisor on adoption and use cases for data center technologies. As the Product Manager for Data Center & IT at Informa Tech, Cruz developed products for data center operators and vendors that span across research, media and events, which provided insight that drove conversation and business partnerships. "I am ecstatic to join the Data Center World team. Our brands bring together the industry's best research, content, educational programming and leading experts in the data center field," said Cruz. "The people and technologies that drive data centers impact everything from powering our cities to predicting climate events. My number one priority will be to provide this mission-critical community wih the tools necessary to do their job effectively and efficiently using the latest technologies and best practices."



Kleyman, contributing editor to AFCOM, Program Chair for Data Center World and Executive Vice President of Digital Solutions for Switch, will continue to serve as the Master of Ceremonies at the 2022 Data Center World Conference & Expo, will lead the development of the conference program and will author the annual state of the data center industry report. For more than 15 years, Kleyman has used the latest innovations, such as AI, machine learning, data center design, DevOps, cloud and advanced technologies to deliver solutions to customers to help them achieve their business goals and remain competitive in their market. An active member in the technology industry, he was ranked #16 globally in the Onalytica study that reviewed the top 100 most influential individuals in the cloud landscape and #4 in another Onalytica study, which reviewed the industry's top Data Security Experts. Cruz added, "In addition, I am looking forward to collaborating with Bill. Our industry knowledge, passion for the data center marketplace and new ideas, will help Data Center World be well positioned to thrive in the years to come."

Registration for Data Center World 2022, which takes place March 28-31, 2022, in Austin, Texas, is open. Super Early Bird registration expires on November 30. Register here. Media interested in attending data Center World 2022, register here. For information on exhibition or sponsorship opportunities, contact Michael Leahy at [email protected]. Stay connected with Data Center World on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook. About Data Center World

Data Center World is the global conference for data center facilities and IT professionals. It offers premier education, abundant networking, and the broadest access to best-in-class vendors. Designed to help data center and IT infrastructure professionals with challenging issues, Data Center World presents top quality knowledge without bias towards a specific vendor product or service. Data Center World 2022 will be held March 28-31 in Austin, Texas. Data Center World is brought to you by Informa Tech. About AFCOM

AFCOM advances data center and IT professionals by delivering comprehensive and vendor-neutral education and peer-to-peer networking to its members around the world. Through forward-looking research, AFCOM supports thousands of IT, operations, facilities, builders/designers and vendors working in the data center and IT infrastructure industry. In serving the data center industry for more than 40 years, AFCOM has earned recognition as the market leader in educating, connecting and guiding the data center community. About Informa Tech

Informa Tech is a market leading provider of integrated research, media, training and events to the global Technology community. We're an international business of more than 600 colleagues, operating in more than 20 markets. Our aim is to inspire the Technology community to design, build and run a better digital world through research, media, training and event brands that inform, educate and connect. Over 7,000 professionals subscribe to our research, with 225,000 delegates attending our events and over 18,000 students participating in our training programs each year, and nearly 4 million people visiting our digital communities each month. Learn more about Informa Tech. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005180/en/

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[November 01, 2021] ProjectManager Ranked as Among Best Collaboration Software of 2021 by Digital.Com

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProjectManager , a leading project and work management solution for hybrid teams, today announced that it was ranked as among the Best Collaboration Software of 2021 by Digital.com , an independent review website for small business online tools, products, and services. In addition, Digital.com ranked ProjectManager on its list of best task management software and best resource management software .

For the Best Collaboration Software list, experts at Digital.com examined software with project management tools that can customize workflow and assign tasks. Each software company was also required to support third-party communication tools, such as email and chat. Additional qualifications include reporting capabilities with time tracking and goal setting. Todays teams are hybrid, spanning multiple locations, work styles and skill sets, said ProjectManager CEO Ryan Buma. Effective collaboration is vital to stay productive in that kind of environment, which is why ProjectManager is built to be collaborative to the core. With that fcus, were very pleased to be recognized as a leading collaboration solution by Digital.com.



With many people working remotely, collaboration software can significantly improve communication and increase productivity, says Christelle Feniza, Communications Manager of Digital.com. This review guide was developed to help businesses discover the most trusted solutions. Digital.coms research team conducted a 40-hour assessment of over 130 companies from across the web. To access the complete list of best collaboration software, please visit https://digital.com/collaboration-software/ .

For more information about ProjectManager, or to begin a free 30-day trial, visit www.projectmanager.com/pricing . ABOUT DIGITAL.COM

Digital.com reviews and compares the best products, services, and software for running or growing a small business website or online shop . The platform collects twitter comments and uses sentiment analysis to score companies and their products. Digital.com was founded in 2015 and formerly known as Review Squirrel. To learn more, visit https://digital.com/ . About ProjectManager ProjectManager is an award-winning SaaS project and work management software solution that supports the unique needs of hybrid teams. By uniting team members in different locations, with varying work styles and experience levels, in one solution, ProjectManager enables faster delivery, better resource management and more engaged workers. ProjectManager is simple enough for anyone to use, yet powerful enough for managers to make data-driven decisions, and for businesses to manage projects of all levels of complexity. Organizations such as NASA, Avis and the University of Washington rely on its software to manage their teams, their projects, and do amazing things together. To learn more, visit www.projectmanager.com . For more media information, contact: Lisa Hendrickson, LCH Communications 516-643-1642 [email protected]



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[November 01, 2021] CI&T Announces Launch of Initial Public Offering (IPO)

CI&T Inc, a global digital native specialist and end-to-end digital transformation partner providing strategy, design and software engineering services to some of the world's leading brands, today announced the launch of its initial public offering. The offering consists of 11,111,111 Class A common shares offered by CI&T and 8,333,333 Class A common shares offered by certain selling shareholders, pursuant to a registration statement on Form F-1 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC (News - Alert)"). In connection with the offering, the selling shareholders expect to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,916,667 Class A common shares, representing 15% of the base offering at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The estimated initial public offering price range for the offering is between US$17.00 and US$19.00 per Class A common share. CI&T intends to list its Class A common shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CINT." The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether, or when, the offering will be completed or as to the actual size or terms of the offering. CI&T intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to carry out future strategic acquisitions, fund working capital, finance capital expenditures and investments, as well as for general corporate purposes. CI&T will receive no proceeds from the sale of Class A common shares by the selling shareholders. The offering is being made through an underwriting group led by Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Citigroup, who are acting as global cordinators and lead bookrunners, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley, who are acting as joint bookrunners and Itau BBA, BofA Securities and Bradesco BBI, who are acting as passive bookrunners.



The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus may be obtained from:  Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, by telephone at 1-866-471-2526, facsimile: 212-902-9316 or by email at [email protected]; or

 Citigroup, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone at 800-831-9146 or by email at [email protected]. A registration statement on Form F-1 relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. No offer to buy the securities can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received until the registration statement has become effective, and any such offer may be withdrawn or revoked, without obligation or commitment of any kind, at any time prior to notice of its acceptance given after the effective date. About CI&T CI&T is a global digital specialist, a partner in end-to-end digital transformation for 50+ Large Enterprises & Fast Growth Clients. As digital natives, we bring a 26-year track record of accelerating business impact through complete and scalable digital solutions. With a global presence in 8 countries with a nearshore delivery model, CI&T is the Employer of Choice for 5,000 professionals in strategy, data science, design, and engineering, unlocking top-line growth, improving customer experience and driving operational efficiency. Forward - Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. CI&T undertakes no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect actual outcomes, unless required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005709/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Extensive Cooperation between China and Japan in Digital Society and AI

BEIJING, Nov. 1, 2021 /CNW/ -- A report from Science and Technology Daily: The 17th Beijing-Tokyo Forum was held from October 25 to 26 in Beijing and Tokyo online and offline simultaneously. Co-hosted by China International Publishing Group (CIPG) and Japanese non-profit think tank the Genron NPO, participants from both countries shared ideas and held in-depth dialogues on digital economy, artificial intelligence(AI), economic and trade cooperation, and cultural exchanges during the two-day forum. At the sub-forum of the 17th Beijing-Tokyo Forum on October 26, both Chinese and Japanese experts held candid and in-depth discussions on the prospects of bilateral cooperation in digital society and AI, and reached consensus on relevant issues. Sino-Japanese digital cooperation boasts great prospects Xu Zhilong, editor-in-chief of the Science and Technology Daily said at the forum, "The development of digital economy is not merely the development of digital technologies or products, but to build an ecological system of digital economy." Tatsuo Yamasaki, distinguished professor of the International University of Health and Welfare expressed his hope that this platform could explore solutions to the issues concerned the community with a shared future for mankind, such as the care of the elderly in an aging society, AI enabling climate change monitoring, tracking carbon footprint through AI technology, reducing energy consumption, and integrating traditional energy with new technologies. Pang Dazhi, vice president of NetEasebelieves that the young generation in China and Japan gets to know each other's culture through digital products, such as animation, games, music and movies. "In fact, based on the same cultural heritage and highly complementary technology on game development, the two countries have broad space for cooperation in the field of digital culture and digital economy."



Novel trends and scenarios of digital economy Duan Dawei, Senior vice president at iFLYTEK Co.Ltd. said, there is great room for cooperation between China and Japan in the field of AI. "China and Japan face common challenges in education, medical care, care for elderly people and other areas. Thus, we can discuss how to offer better service to the public through AI technology."

Taro Shimada, Senior VP of Toshiba corporation, said that the use of logistics data is vulnerable to natural disasters. "Both China and Japan are committed to improving the toughness of supply chain through sci-tech. Facing the shock of COVID-19, logistics data presents both opportunities and challenges. Common sense has been reached on the sharing of logistics data, promoting the use of logistics data to a new level." Jeff Shi, vice president of SenseTime, said AI can help solve the aging problem faced by both China and Japan, dealing with the practical challenge of productivity shortage. "AI can help solve the productivity shortfall. Meanwhile, AI itself is trying to improve productivity by reducing its reliance on data and humans." "Zero carbonisation" gains momentum through digital economy AI helps develop new materials such as new catalysts, said Junichi Hasegawa, COO of Preferred Networks. "Photovoltaic, hydraulic and hydrogen energy are all commonly discussed energy sources, whereas they all belong to secondary energy sources. Therefore, carbon emissions are unavoidable in the production of these new energies and how to reduce carbon emissions in producing these energy is an important issue." In addition, human society is inseparable from computers. How to reduce the power consumption of its data centers and develop new computers with higher efficiency and less emissions is also worth thinking about. "Total global carbon emissions fell by a record 7 percent in 2020 from the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Liu Song, vice president of Pingkai Xingchen (Beijing) Technology Co.Ltd., "However, economic activities did not suspend, the reason is the vigorous development of Internet economy." Liu said that online activities can significantly reduce carbon emissions while ensuring normal economic development. We may seek new path on energy conservation and emission reduction through the use, transmission and storage of data in the future. Data protection and security are focused Hiromi Yamaoka, board member of Future corporation, said that developing AI needs to address concerns on privacy collection. "The application of AI requires the collection of high-quality data, which involves the aspects of data governance, privacy protection and other issues. In the process of developing AI, the concerns should be tackled. In addition, when it comes to cross-border data flows, countries around the world should reach a consensus to ensure the security of data flow,"said he. Liu also shared idea on this topic, saying that the boundaries of national security and personal privacy need to be clearly defined. China has paid attention to the dialectical relationship between development and security of data flow. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/extensive-cooperation-between-china-and-japan-in-digital-society-and-ai-301413030.html SOURCE Science and Technology Daily

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[November 01, 2021] MICHAEL SHILLIN OF SHILLIN WEALTH MANAGEMENT INVESTOR ALERT: Kurta Law Investigates Allegations of Securities Fraud on Behalf of Investors

The securities attorneys of Kurta Law would like to speak with any investors who have worked with Michael F. Shillin. Kurta Law, a national securities law firm, is investigating Mr. Shillin's conduct as a broker following his bar from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). On October 27, 2021, Michael Shillin was indicted by the US Attorney's Office in Wisconsin for defrauding hundreds of clients through his now-defunct business Shillin Wealth Management. Michael Shillin is also the subject of a lawsuit brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC (News - Alert)) that alleged Mr. Shillin lied to investors and outrageously misrepresented returns. Investors are seeking to recover millions of dollars in damages. On September 23, 2021, the SEC initiated a lawsuit in which it alleged that Michael Shillin "systematically betrayed" his investors' trust. The SEC also alleges that Shillin went to "great lengths to deceive his clients" and set up a fake portal where investors could monitor their investment profits - profits that the SEC alleges were fictitious. Michael Shillin also allegedly lied to an investor about an insurance policy having a long-term care benefit. The suit alleges that the cient did not uncover Mr. Shillin's deceit until after he fell ill.



According to the SEC lawsuit, another client alleged that he decided to retire early after Michael F. Shillin made material misrepresentations about his portfolio, telling the client he was $450,000 richer than he really was. This nest egg purportedly came from returns on SpaceX (News - Alert) stock. Numerous investor disputes on Mr. Shillin's BrokerCheck record allege that he claimed to have purchased shares of SpaceX that never existed. This SEC suit is only the latest regulatory action on Michael Shillin's record. FINRA barred Michael Shillin in 2020 following allegations that he failed to provide on-the-record testimony, as required by FINRA rules. Mr. Shillin acknowledged he had received the request but refused to provide testimony.

Alliance Global Partners fired Michael Shillin following allegations that he had altered documents to show proof of a long-term care insurance policy that did not exist. He also allegedly provided falsified documents to the firm during the investigation in an apparent effort to explain his actions. In addition to Michael Shillin's misconduct, his brokerage firms may have failed to adequately supervise him. Firms are required to maintain a system reasonably designed to achieve compliance with FINRA rules and regulatory requirements. If you lost money while working with Michael Shillin, the brokerage firm may be liable for any losses you suffered as a result of his misconduct. Michael Shillin has worked with the following brokerage firms and advisory firm: International Assets Investment Management

A.G.P. / Alliance Global Partners

Raymond James Financial Services

Edward Jones Kurta Law is providing free case evaluations for investors who worked with Michael Shillin and/or Shillin Wealth Management. Investors may still be able recover their losses through FINRA arbitration. To speak with an experienced securities fraud attorney, call Jonathan Kurta at 877-600-0098 or email [email protected]. About Kurta Law Kurta Law is a national securities law firm that has recovered over $100 million on behalf of defrauded investors. Founding partner Jonathan Kurta exclusively represents investors and has litigated thousands of cases. Kurta Law is based in New York, New York. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005719/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Goodside Health Celebrates a Decade of Reimagining Pediatric Care

AUSTIN, Texas and FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodside Health, the leading provider of in-school telehealth, virtual family care, and clinic-based pediatric urgent care, commemorates it's 10-year anniversary this month by continuing to live its purpose of closing the gaps in children's healthcare through innovation and execution. Goodside Health, leader in school-based telehealth, virtual care, and urgent care marks a major milestone.



"There is nothing more important than your children, especially when they're sick. Deciding where to go and who is going to be in charge of your child's health in that moment in time is a major decision," said Brian White, Goodside CEO and Co-founder. "To go to work every day and know that at the end of the day, you really helped out a family and helped out a kiddo and made a positive impact, that's by far the best part of these past 10 years." Established by White and President and co-founder Kevin Pearce, Goodside Health opened the door to its first pediatric urgent care patient in Keller, TX on Nov. 1, 2011.

Today, Goodside Health provides SchoolMed telehealth services for more than 700,000 eligible students across 65 school districts, family-based telemedicine through Virtual Care for Families, and has provided care to more than 500,000 patients across 13 Urgent Care for Kids clinics. "When we set out 10 years ago, we had investors, partners, and team members hoping we could bring this vision of reimagining pediatric healthcare delivery to life," said Pearce. "As the world evolves and technology has advanced, our desire and hope to advance healthcare delivery for kids that are vulnerable and underserved is stronger today than ever before." About Goodside Health

Goodside Health is advancing the delivery of pediatric care by partnering with communities to provide access to physical health, mental health, and telehealth services at school, at home, and in the clinic. Relentless advocates for expanding access to care and promoting health equity, Goodside Health leverages a Whole-Child Approach to care and lives our purpose of closing gaps in children's healthcare through innovation and execution. To learn more about Goodside Health, please visit www.goodsidehealth.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goodside-health-celebrates-a-decade-of-reimagining-pediatric-care-301413040.html SOURCE Goodside Health

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[November 01, 2021] Kingston Technology Leads Channel SSD Shipments in 2020

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced TrendForce has named it as the number one supplier of SSDs in the channel for all of 2020. According to TrendForce, Kingston accounted for a whopping 27 percent of the 111.5 million units shipped in 2020. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005036/en/ Kingston ranked #1 in global market share of branded SSD module makers in all of 2020. (Graphic: Business Wire) With the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020, TrendForce reported a 15% YoY decrease in annual SSD shipments to the channel and severe delays in manufacturing and logistics resulting in a sudden decline in order volumes. Yet, findings show through Kingston's global strategy for sourcing components, the company was well ahead of its competitors considering a global pandemic and looming chip shortage. The results reinforced Kingston as the clear leader in SSD production, as the second-place supplier accounted for only 8 percent of the total channel market. As a category, third-party suppliers (non-semiconductor) SSD makers accounted for 35% of the total shipments in 2020. Kingston Technology's presence in the market is widely due to its strong relationships with customers and channel partners worldwide. As the ongoing health crisis swept through the world and businesses moved fast to adapt, Kingston continued to offer top-tier sales support and access to in-house product experts and engineers who embody the "Kingston Is With You" working attitude that has led to three successful decades of reliability and support for customers. Kingston's #1 rank in the SSD market is no surprise when the same approach in the DRAM division has led the company to be the largest third-party memory module supplier for the 18th consecutive year. "The 2020 research findings reinforce Kingston's growing presence and position in the SSD market," said Keith Schimmenti, SSD business manager, Kingston. "The COVID-19 pandemic has largely impacted and accelerated the worldwide demand of SSDs with remote working and education as the key drivers behind last year's surge continuing through 2021 into next year. With that, we continue to solidify our offerings with distinct SATA and NVMe solutions in the client space and growing enterprise solutions for a variety of applications and host environments." Kingston has no plans in slowing down having just added two PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSDs to its portfolio with the addition of KC3000 and Kingston FURY Renegade SSD. The high-performance drives joined Kingston's family of client SSDs to enable those who demand speed and reliability to handle intensive games and application workloads on desktops and laptop PCs. For more information visit kingston.com. Kingston can be found on:







YouTube Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Kingston Is With You

About Kingston Digital, Inc.

From big data, to laptops and PCs, to IoT-based devices like smart and wearable technology, to design-in and contract manufacturing, Kingston helps deliver the solutions used to live, work and play. The world's largest PC makers and cloud-hosting companies depend on Kingston for their manufacturing needs, and our passion fuels the technology the world uses every day. We strive beyond our products to see the bigger picture, to meet the needs of our customers and offer solutions that make a difference. To learn more about how Kingston Is With You, visit Kingston.com. Editor's Note: For additional information, evaluation units or executive interviews, please contact PR Team, Kingston Technology Company, Inc. 17600 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA (News - Alert) USA 92708, 714-435-2600 (Voice). Press images can be found in Kingston's press room kingston.com/company/press/ Kingston and the Kingston logo are registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. IronKey (News - Alert) is a registered trademark of Kingston Digital, Inc. Kingston FURY and the Kingston FURY logo are trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005036/en/

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[November 01, 2021] WPUR Drills For Water In Sub Sahara Africa As Company Pursues $263 Billion Renewable Water Market

Dallas, Texas, Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WaterPure International, Inc. (OTC Pink: WPUR) today confirmed that tomorrow, on Tuesday, November 2nd, the company will launch its new website and present the companys updated business plan implemented earlier this year to continue in developing clean water operations. The presentation will include details on the companys first pilot project fully developed and now in operation to include a short video of the company drilling for and striking water in the development of a well to support a dairy operation in Sub Sahara Africa. The renewable water market was valued at an estimated value of over $263 billion in 2020 anticipated to grow to $500 billion by 2028.



The company has recently updated its public disclosures with OTC Markets. The company expects to make a water related intellectual property acquisition prior to the end of the year.

The company has been in discussions with Alkame Holdings, Inc. (OTC Pink: ALKM) about developing an emergency water reserve solution for disaster relief events in developing economic regions. Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.



Contact:

Sean Mathis

[email protected]

972-918-5256



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[November 01, 2021] EPSG Awarded a Multi-Year, Multi-Location Merchant Services Contract for Bobby Van's Steakhouse & Grills

EPSG, a leading integrator of payment technology solutions, announced today that it has been awarded a multi-year merchant services contract, supporting seven Bobby Van's steakhouse locations. In 1996, Bobby Van opened his original location in Bridgehampton, NY. Since then, the company has grown to a total of seven locations throughout New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, and has become synonymous with the best steakhouse in each region. Matthew Byron, President & COO of EPSG, said: "We are excited to have been entrusted with providing merchant services to seven of Bobby Van's Steakhouse and Grill locations. As electronic payments continue to expand, maintaining uptime is mission critical to the day-to-day operations of a world class operation like Bobby Van's Steakhouse and Grill. EPSG has and will continue to invest in a state-of-the-art Network Operation Facility. The Company's proprietary Algorithmic Routing Center software has reduced merchant response times to less than 1 minute. Our continued commitment to investmet in the development of these, and new platforms to improve service, will only further assure the Bobby Van's group that they have selected the right partner for years to come."



Mr. Byron further commented, "EPSG provides a wide array of payment processing solutions. This gives our merchants the flexibility to scale their business and meet the demands of their customers as they change and choose the way they want to interact with them. These may include traditional brick and mortar stores, but also any of the ever-increasing number of virtual channels, such as online, mobile and social networks transforming to an omni-channel business." Brian Morrissey, Director of Operations of Bobby Van's said, "The hospitality industry is forever changing, and the level of service needed for Bobby Van's is very particular and after exploring numerous options we felt the technology and New York based support of EPSG was exactly aligned with our needs. I was thoroughly impressed from start to finish of the professionalism and work ethic of the EPSG team. They made me feel like family from the beginning. We are excited to start this business relationship."

About EPSG With a combined 60-year history in payment processing and related merchant services, EPSG is built on three basic principles - integrity, transparency, and commitment. We are experts at integrating today's complex transaction technologies into one simple platform, providing turnkey, end-to-end payment solutions. EPSG's solutions are designed to simplify the process and reduce processing costs, while increasing partner revenues by providing value-added services. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005818/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Molina Healthcare Announces Pricing of $750 Million of Senior Notes Due 2032

Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: MOH) (the "Company") today announced that it priced $750 million aggregate principal amount of its senior notes due 2032 (the "Notes") to be sold in a private offering to individuals reasonably believed to be "qualified institutional buyers" pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to certain persons outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act. The offering is expected to close on or about November 16, 2021 (such actual closing date, the "Settlement Date"), subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Notes will not be guaranteed by any of the Company's subsidiaries at the time of issuance. The Notes will bear interest at a rate of 3.875% per year. Interest will be payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, commencing May 15, 2022, and will accrue from the Settlement Date. The Notes will mature on May 15, 2032. The Company estimates that after deducting fees and expenses payable by the Company, the net proceeds from the issuance and sale of the Notes will be approximately $741 million (the "Net Proceeds"). The Company intends to use approximately $725 million of the Net Proceeds to redeem the entire $700 million outstanding principal amount of its 5.375% senior notes due 2022. The Company intends to use the remaining Net Proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of indebtedness, share repurchases, funding for acquisitions, capital expenditures, additions to working capital and capital contributions to the Company's health plan subsidiaries to meet statutory requirements in new or existing states. The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the benefit of, a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S)except in transactions exempt from, or not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.



This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase the Notes and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction where such offer, solicitation or sale is prohibited. About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, provides managed healthcare services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Through its locally operated health plans, Molina Healthcare served approximately 4.8 million members as of September 30, 2021. For more information about Molina Healthcare, please visit molinahealthcare.com. Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 This press release contains "forward-looking statements," including statements related to the Company's offering of the Notes and intended use of net proceeds of the offering, which are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks related to whether the Company will consummate the offering of the Notes on the expected terms, or at all, market and other general economic conditions, and whether the Company will be able to satisfy the conditions required to close any sale of the Notes. Additional information regarding the risk factors to which the Company is subject is provided in greater detail in its periodic reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021. These reports can be accessed under the investor relations tab of the Company's website at www.molinahealthcare.com or on the SEC's (News - Alert) website at www.sec.gov. Given these risks and uncertainties, the Company can give no assurances that its forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, or that any other results or events projected or contemplated by its forward-looking statements will in fact occur, and it cautions investors not to place undue reliance on these statements. All forward-looking statements in this release represent the Company's judgment as of the date hereof, and, except as otherwise required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to conform the statement to actual results or changes in its expectations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005968/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Horizon Bancorp, Inc. Releases 3rd Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights, Including Net Earnings of $1,590,000 or $0.38 Per Share, and Quarterly Earnings Per Share up 46.15% Over Third Quarter of 2020

Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (OTC Pink: HRRB), the holding company for Horizon Community Bank, announced net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 of $1,590,000 or $0.38 per share, up 14.97% over second quarter 2021 earnings, and up 45.47% over earnings for the quarter ended September 30, 2020. September 30, 2021 highlights include: Third quarter 2021 net earnings improvement of 45.47% over same quarter last year

Book value per share of $8.87, a 3.02% increase over prior quarter and 12.56% over prior year

Conventional loan growth (excluding PPP) down 1.44% for the quarter

Improved asset quality with non-performing assets ratio reduction to 0.16%

Average quarterly cost of funds reduced to 0.15%

Non-interest demand deposit representing nearly 37% of total deposits Ralph Tapscott, President and CEO stated, "Overall we are pleased with the quarterly performance. Earnings are strong, asset quality is favorable and trending in the right direction, and our cost of funds is well managed. This quarter's anomaly was a reduction in non-PPP loan funding, despite a strong second quarter. We were plagued with loan prepayments, through asset or business sales and competitive rate refinances. Additionally, due most to labor shortages and supply chain issues, the pace of our funding of construction financing has slowed over the past 12 months. We are pleased with our generation of non-interest income, and this is largely generated through service charges, treasury management, our SBA department, and our mortgage department. Looking into 2022, we are in-process of renegotiating several major contracts, that we believe will meaningfully reduce non-interest expense. The Arizona economies have performed well throughout the pandemic, but we are now seeing supply chain and personnel related issues. Our allowance for loan and lease loss is more than ample, given our analysis, and this has not required any significant funding this year. We have, however, expensed approximately $455,000 to further write down other real estate." "The bank's strong PPP performance, in both originations and forgiveness, has resulted in all but $14,665,000 yet to be forgiven, or approximately $80,000,000 having been forgiven in the past 15 months. The administrative aspect of this line of business is essentially completed and will continue to reduce through year-end. The quarterly reduction in non-PPP loans was further aggravated during the quarter. Gross loan production for the quarter was $33,700,000, which included $5,300,000 of SBA loans and the guaranteed portion of these were subsequently sold in the secondary market. Our unfunded construction commitments stand at $21,482,000, and these are funding at a slower pace than expected. That being said, we are looking for improved production with a loan pipeline of $78,800,000. Loan pricing, especially in the metro markets, is extremely competitive. We have largely curtailed active deposit seeking, until those liabilities can be effectively deployed into loans." Credit quality metrics are shown in the following table and reflect improvement year over year and are favorable relative to our peers. Other real estate has been dramatically reduced through both sales and write downs. The bank maintains an ample allowance for loan and lease loss at 1.59% of total outstanding loans, and this is inclusive of PPP.







09/30/2021 06/30/2021 09/30/2020 30+ Days Delinquent / Loans 0.19% 0.13% 0.12% Non-Accrual Loans / Loans 0.22% 0.21% 0.39% Other Real Estate Owned $300,809 $465,946 $1,344,296 Net Charge Offs/Loans -0.002% 0.002% 0.08% ALLL/Loans 1.59%(1) 1.48% 1.23%

(1) ALLL/Loans excluding PPP loans outstanding is 1.69 The Bank remains well capitalized under regulatory guidelines. The Bank's regulatory capital ratios are further addressed in the following table - 09/30/2021 06/30/21 09/30/2020 Tier 1 Leverage Ratio 8.02% 7.78% 7.04% Tier 1 Common Equity Ratio 15.08% 14.31% 11.92% Tier 1 Capital Ratio 15.08% 14.31% 11.92% Total Capital Ratio 16.34% 15.56% 13.17% "In addition to monitoring the environment, our focus is on our core business, slowing deposit growth, enhancing loan and fee production, further developing our treasury platform, and using technology to further enhance efficiencies," stated Tapscott. About the Company Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (OTC: HRRB), the holding company for Horizon Community Bank has $550 million in total assets as of September 30, 2021 and is headquartered in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. It owns, as its sole subsidiary, Horizon Community Bank, a locally owned and operated bank with branches in Fort Mohave, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Phoenix Metro, Parker and Quartzsite, Arizona, plus loan offices in Goodyear and Phoenix, Arizona. The Bank has 88 employees that provide high-touch, customized financial services to largely small business and commercial clients. The Bank operates a mortgage operation and is a leader in government guaranteed lending. Consumer services are also offered in the communities the bank serves. FDIC insured. Learn more at http://www.horizoncommunitybank.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release may include forward-looking statements about Horizon Bancorp, Inc. and Horizon Community Bank. These statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following factors: Annualized, proforma and projected or estimated numbers in this release are illustrative only, are not forecasts and may not reflect actual results. All forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time of this release, and Horizon Bancorp, Inc. and Horizon Community Bank assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Unaudited Financial Information follows. Horizon Bancorp, Inc. Financial Information - Unaudited In thousands - except per share data For the Three Months For the Nine Months ended September 30 ended September 30 Year-End 9/30/21 9/30/20 9/30/21 9/30/20 12/31/20 Summary Income Data: Interest Income $ 4,629 $ 4,400 $ 13,392 $ 12,879 $ 17,641 Interest Expense 193 441 742 1,730 2,072 Net Interest Income 4,436 3,959 12,650 11,149 15,569 Provision for loans losses 0 225 75 655 930 Non-interest Income 1,539 1,097 4,006 2,984 4,030 Non-interest expense 3,862 3,520 10,860 10,160 13,904 Income (loss) before income taxes 2,112 1,311 5,721 3,318 4,766 Provision(benefit) for income taxes 522 218 1,407 688 995 Net Income $ 1,590 $ 1,093 $ 4,314 $ 2,630 $ 3,770 Per Share Data: Shares outstanding end-of-period 4,132 4,131 4,132 4,131 4131 Earnings per common share $ 0.38 $ 0.26 $ 1.04 $ 0.64 $ 0.91 Total shareholder's equity $ 36,654 $ 32,566 $ 36,654 $ 32,566 $ 33,760 Book Value per share $ 8.87 $ 7.88 $ 8.87 $ 7.88 $ 8.17 Selected Balance Sheet Data: Total assets $ 549,935 $ 454,633 $ 549,935 $ 454,633 $ 475,720 Securities available-for-sale 149,010 33,907 149,010 33,907 103,558 Loans 267,519 312,868 267,519 312,868 293,220 Allowance for loan losses 4,264 3,889 4,264 3,889 4,179 Deposits 485,470 401,409 485,470 401,409 413,888 Other borrowings 14,093 15,680 14,093 15,680 15,615 Shareholder's Equity 36,654 32,566 36,654 32,566 33,760 Performance Ratios: Return on average assets (annualized) (%) 1.18% 0.95% 1.09% 0.85% 0.88% Return on average shareholder's equity (annualized) (%) 17.53% 13.71% 16.47% 11.39% 12.03% Shareholder's equity to assets (%) 6.67% 7.16% 6.67% 7.16% 7.10% Net interest margin (%) 3.43% 3.62% 3.35% 3.83% 3.86% Cost of funds 0.15% 0.40% 0.20% 0.59% 0.51% Average assets $ 539,412 $ 460,817 $ 527,048 $ 412,489 $ 427,840 Efficiency ratio (%) 64.65% 69.62% 65.20% 71.89% 70.94% Asset Quality Data: Nonaccrual loans $ 581 $ 1,230 $ 581 $ 1,230 $ 1,130 Troubled debt restructurings $ 1,015 $ 1,625 $ 1,015 $ 1,625 $ 1,593 Other real estate $ 301 $ 1,345 $ 301 $ 1,345 $ 1,226 Nonperforming assets $ 882 $ 2,575 $ 882 $ 2,575 $ 2,356 Nonperforming assets to total assets (%) 0.16% 0.57% 0.16% 0.57% 0.50% Nonperforming loans to total loans (%) 0.22% 0.39% 0.22% 0.39% 0.39% Reserve for loan losses to total loans (%) 1.59% 1.24% 1.59% 1.24% 1.43% Reserve for loan losses to nonperforming loans (%) 733.90% 316.18% 733.90% 316.18% 369.82% Reserve for loan losses to nonperforming assets (%) 483.44% 151.03% 483.44% 151.03% 177.38% Net charge-offs for period (4) 39 (10) 234 220 Average Loans $ 284,075 $ 309,123 $ 286,005 $ 285,243 $ 290,674 Ratio of net charge-offs to average loans (%) -0.001% 0.013% -0.003% 0.082% 0.080% CARES Act - Temporary loan payment relief (#) 0 6 0 6 0 CARES Act - Temporary loan payment relief ($) $ 0 6,755 $ 0 $ 6,755 $ 0 Regulatory Capital Ratios Horizon Community Bank: Tier 1 leverage ratio (%) 8.02% 7.04% 8.02% 7.04% 8.38% Common Equity Tier 1 ratio (%) 15.08% 11.92% 15.08% 11.92% 13.74% Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio (%) 15.08% 11.92% 15.08% 11.92% 13.74% Total risk-based capital ratio (%) 16.34% 13.17% 16.34% 13.17% 14.99% View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005970/en/

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[November 01, 2021] OrbitWeb Achieves New Google Partner Requirements

OrbitWeb, a digital marketing agency in the Greater Toronto Area, announced that it has achieved the new Google (News - Alert) Partner requirements. This partnership celebrates OrbitWeb's expertise in demonstrating successful industry best practices. "We've been a Google Partner for two years now here at OrbitWeb. The idea came after we decided to launch a PPC Management service for our web design clients back in 2018. At that time, our focus was on Web Development. However, there was a clear need to provide a complete Search Engine Optimization & Marketing solution to our existing andfuture clients," says Rigoberto Guadron, CEO at OrbitWeb. "We're very pleased with the Google Partners Programme and look forward to working with Google to grow our PPC Management offering further over the coming years."



With the Google Partner status, OrbitWeb stays ahead of the curve by working directly with Google to help clients get the most out of their marketing budgets using the latest Google tools and products. In order to achieve this certification, OrbitWeb met eligibility requirements which included passing certification exams that demonstrated expertise with managing Google accounts, continued best practices, and maintaining minimum spending levels. About OrbitWeb: OrbitWeb is a data-driven digital marketing agency from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA (News - Alert)). OrbitWeb offers integral solutions that propel businesses into the digital space. OrbitWeb is BBB Accredited and ranked one of the TOP PPC companies in Toronto according to Upcity.com

About Google: Google Partners is a marketing program for advertising agencies that manage Google Ads accounts on behalf of other brands or businesses. The Google Partners program was launched in 2013 to provide Partners with the tools, resources, and support to enable them to grow so they can help advertisers succeed. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211101005981/en/

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[November 01, 2021] Kingston FURY Unleashes Its New DDR5 and PCIe 4.0 NVMe Performance SSD Lineups for Gamers and Enthusiasts

Kingston FURY Beast DDR5: Aggressive Starting Speeds at 4800MHz, Intel XMP 3.0-Ready and Certified, Qualified by World's Leading Motherboard Manufacturers

Kingston FURY Renegade SSD: Cutting-Edge PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe Performance, Optimized for Gaming Applications and Intense Usage TAIPEI, Nov. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To kickstart a new gaming chapter, Kingston FURY, a division of Kingston Technology, a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, revealed today the launches of its pathbreaking and advanced DDR5 and SSD product lineups. Users can combine both the Kingston FURY memory line and the Kingston FURY Renegade SSD for the ultimate team to help keep them at the top of their game. Starting with the Kingston FURY Beast DDR5. With superior speed advancements, Plug N Play at 4800MHz[1], double the banks from 16 to 32 and double the burst length from 8 to 16, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 is ideal for gamers and enthusiasts seeking greater performance from their next-gen platforms. Kingston also announced Kingston FURY Renegade SSD, its next generation PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 drive for gamers, enthusiasts, and high-power users. Kingston FURY Renegade SSD delivers cutting-edge performance in high capacities using the latest Gen 4x4 controller and 3D TLC NAND. Pushing Limits with DDR5 Performance Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 arrives in sync with the launch of the Intel Z690 Chipset and 12th Gen Intel Core processors (code-named "Alder Lake-S"). This marks the first platform to utilize the new memory standard, bringing the performance and data integrity advancements of DDR5 to a global audience. Taking speed, capacity, and reliability even further, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 delivers an arsenal of enhanced features like on-die ECC (ODECC) for improved stability at extreme speeds, dual 32-bit subchannels for increased efficiency, and on-module power management integrated circuit (PMIC) to provide juice where it's needed most. When gaming at the most extreme settings, live streaming at 4K+ or pushing large animation and 3D rendering, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 is the level-up needed while seamlessly linking style and performance. Additionally, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 is Intel XMP 3.0-Ready and Certified, meaning users can expect an easy, stable, and certified overclock experience. Plus, new features allow for the creation of unique gaming experiences with two customizable profiles for speeds and timings. Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 is available in 16GB single modules and kits of 2, at speeds of 4800MHz and 5200MHz. Backed by a limited lifetime warranty and legendary Kingston reliability. "We're excited that DDR5 is finally here and that our offering is from the Kingston FURY line; ready for gamers and enthusiasts alike," said Kingston. "We're proud that users can build with confidence knowing Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 has been tested and approved by MSI, ASUS, ASRock, and Gigabyte, the world's leading motherboard manufacturers[2]. To offer a comprehensive product roadmap under Kingston FURY, we are also thrilled to introduce the Kingston FURY Renegade SSD, pushing limits of PCIe Gen4 technology to equip users with the high-performance storage required to elevate their gaming setup and experience as a whole." Kingston FURY Renegade SSD For Gamers, Enthusiasts and High-power Users By maximizing the available bandwidth of PCIe 4.0, Kingston FURY Renegade SSD achieves speeds up to 7,300/7,000MB/s read/write3 and up to 1,000,000 IOPS3 to deliver amazing consistency for an exceptional gaming experience. The drive is optimized to reduce game and application load times, stream and capture with ease and give your system an overall boost in responsiveness. Available in high capacities up to 4TB, users can store an extensive library of their favorite games and media and still have space for the latest titles. In addition to formidable speeds and massive capacity options, Kingston FURY Renegade SSD combines a slim M.2 form factor and an advanced low profile, graphene aluminum heat spreader to keep your drive cool during intense usage and bring superior performance to the tightest of spaces in gaming PC's and laptops. Kingston FURY Renegade SSD is currently available in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities. Kingston FURY Renegade SSD is backed by a limited five-year warranty6 and free technical support. Both Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 and Kingston FURY Renegade SSD will be available for purchase starting from mid-to late November, based on the delivery dates of each distributor. Please refer to Kingston Facebook Page for more information.







Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 Part Number Capacity KF548C38BB-16 16GB 4800MHz Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 Single Module KF548C38BBK2-32 32GB 4800MHz Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 Kit of 2 KF552C40BB-16 16GB 5200MHz Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 Single Module KF552C40BBK2-32 32GB 5200MHz Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 Kit of 2

Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 Features and Specifications : Greater starting speed performance: With an aggressive starting speed at 4800MHz, DDR5 is 50% faster than DDR4.

With an aggressive starting speed at 4800MHz, DDR5 is 50% faster than DDR4. Improved stability for overclocking: On-die ECC (ODECC) helps maintain data integrity to sustain the ultimate performance while you push the limits!

On-die ECC (ODECC) helps maintain data integrity to sustain the ultimate performance while you push the limits! Increased efficiency: Boosted by double the banks and burst length and two independent 32-bit subchannels, DDR5's exceptional handling of data shines with the latest games, programs and demanding applications.

Boosted by double the banks and burst length and two independent 32-bit subchannels, DDR5's exceptional handling of data shines with the latest games, programs and demanding applications. Intel  XMP 3.0-Ready and Certified: Advanced pre-optimized timings, speed and voltage for overclocking performance and save new user-customizable profiles utilizing a programmable PMIC.

Advanced pre-optimized timings, speed and voltage for overclocking performance and save new user-customizable profiles utilizing a programmable PMIC. Qualified by the world's leading motherboard manufacturers [2] : Tested and approved so you can build and upgrade with confidence on your preferred motherboard.

Tested and approved so you can build and upgrade with confidence on your preferred motherboard. Low-profile heat spreader: Newly designed heat spreader combines bold styling and prodigious cooling functionality.

Capacities:

o Singles  16GB

o Kits of 2  32GB

o  16GB o  32GB Frequencies : 4800MHz, 5200MHz

4800MHz, 5200MHz Latencies: CL38, CL40

CL38, CL40 Voltage: 1.1V, 1.25V

1.1V, 1.25V Operating Temperature: 0C-85C

0C-85C Dimensions: 133.35 mm x 34.9 mm x 6.62 mm [1] Kingston FURYTM Plug N Play memory will run in DDR5 systems up to the speed allowed by the manufacturer's system BIOS. PnP cannot increase the system memory speed faster than is allowed by the manufacturer's BIOS. Kingston FURY Plug N Play DDR5 products support XMP 3.0 specifications so overclocking can also be achieved by enabling the built-in XMP Profile. [2] Featured on the Qualified Vendor Lists (QVL) of the world's leading motherboard manufacturers. Kingston FURY Renegade SSD Part Number Capacity SFYRS/500G 500GB Kingston FURY Renegade SSD SFYRS/1000G 1TB Kingston FURY Renegade SSD SFYRD/2000G 2TB Kingston FURY Renegade SSD SFYRD/4000G 4TB Kingston FURY Renegade SSD Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD Features and Specifications : Level up with PCIe 4.0 NVMe : Dominate with cutting-edge Gen 4x4 intense speeds up to 7,300/7,000MB/s [1] read/write and up to 1,000,000 IOPS [1] performance.

: Dominate with cutting-edge Gen 4x4 intense speeds up to 7,300/7,000MB/s read/write and up to 1,000,000 IOPS performance. Maximize your motherboard: Powerful slim M.2 form factor to enhance your gaming rig and laptop.

Powerful slim M.2 form factor to enhance your gaming rig and laptop. More space to play: Get all the latest titles and DLC available. Performance with high capacities up to 4TB [2] to store your favorite games and media.

Get all the latest titles and DLC available. Performance with high capacities up to 4TB to store your favorite games and media. Low profile graphene aluminum heat spreader: Advanced thermal dissipation keeps your drive cool during intense usage. Brings higher performance to the tightest of spaces in gaming laptops and motherboards.

Advanced thermal dissipation keeps your drive cool during intense usage. Brings higher performance to the tightest of spaces in gaming laptops and motherboards. Form Factor: M.2 2280

M.2 2280 Interface: PCIe 4.0 NVMe

PCIe 4.0 NVMe Capacities [2] : 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB

500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB Controller: Phison E18

Phison E18 NAND: 3D TLC

3D TLC Sequential Read/Write:

o 500GB  7,300/3,900MB/s

o 1TB  7,300/6,000MB/s

o 2TB  7,300/7,000MB/s

o 4TB  7,300/7,000MB/s

o 7,300/3,900MB/s o 7,300/6,000MB/s o 7,300/7,000MB/s o 7,300/7,000MB/s Random 4K Read/Write [1] :

o 500GB  up to 450,000/900,000 IOPS

o 1TB  up to 900,000/1,000,000 IOPS

o 2TB  up to 1,000,000/1,000,000 IOPS

o 4TB  up to 1,000,000/1,000,000 IOPS

o up to 450,000/900,000 IOPS o up to 900,000/1,000,000 IOPS o up to 1,000,000/1,000,000 IOPS o up to 1,000,000/1,000,000 IOPS Total Bytes Written (TBW) [3] :

o 500GB  500TBW

o 1TB  1.0PBW

o 2TB  2.0PBW

o 4TB  4.0PBW

o 500TBW o 1.0PBW o 2.0PBW o 4.0PBW Power Consumption:

o 500GB  5mW Idle / 0.34mW Avg / 2.7W (MAX) Read / 4.1W (MAX) Write

o 1TB  5mW Idle / 0.33mW Avg / 2.8W (MAX) Read / 6.3W (MAX) Write

o 2TB  5mW Idle / 0.36mW Avg / 2.8W (MAX) Read / 9.9W (MAX) Write

o 4TB  5mW Idle / 0.36mW Avg / 2.7W (MAX) Read / 10.2W (MAX) Write

o 5mW Idle / 0.34mW Avg / 2.7W (MAX) Read / 4.1W (MAX) Write o 5mW Idle / 0.33mW Avg / 2.8W (MAX) Read / 6.3W (MAX) Write o 5mW Idle / 0.36mW Avg / 2.8W (MAX) Read / 9.9W (MAX) Write o 5mW Idle / 0.36mW Avg / 2.7W (MAX) Read / 10.2W (MAX) Write Storage Temperature: -40C~85C

-40C~85C Operating Temperature: 0C~70C

0C~70C Dimensions:

o 500GB-1TB  80mm x 22mm x 2.21mm

o 2TB-4TB  80mm x 22mm x 3.5mm

o  80mm x 22mm x 2.21mm o  80mm x 22mm x 3.5mm Weight:

o 500GB-1TB  7g

o 2TB-4TB  9.7g

o  7g o  9.7g Vibration Operating: 2.17G Peak (7-800Hz)

2.17G Peak (7-800Hz) Vibration Non-operating: 20G Peak (20-1000Hz)

20G Peak (20-1000Hz) MTBF: 1,800,000 hours

1,800,000 hours Warranty/Support [4] : Limited 5-year warranty with free technical support This SSD is designed for use in desktop and notebook computer workloads and is not intended for server environments. [1] Based on "out-of-box performance" using a PCIe 4.0 motherboard. Speed may vary due to host hardware, software, and usage. [2] Some of the listed capacity on a Flash storage device is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. As such, the actual available capacity for data storage is less than what is listed on the products. For more information, go to Kingston's Flash memory guide at kingston.com/flashguide. [3] Total Bytes Written (TBW) is derived from the JEDEC Client Workload (JESD219A). [4] Limited warranty based on 5 years or "Percentage Used" which can be found using the Kingston SSD Manager (Kingston.com/SSDManager). For NVMe SSDs, a new unused product will show a Percentage Used value of 0, whereas a product that reaches its warranty limit will show a Percentage Used value of greater than or equal to one hundred (100). See Kingston.com/wa for details. Kingston can be found on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KingstonAPAC

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/KingstonAPAC About Kingston Technology From big data, to laptops and PCs, to IoT-based devices like smart and wearable technology, to design-in and contract manufacturing, Kingston helps deliver the solutions used to live, work and play. The world's largest PC makers and cloud-hosting companies depend on Kingston for their manufacturing needs, and our passion fuels the technology the world uses every day. We strive beyond our products to see the bigger picture, to meet the needs of our customers and offer solutions that make a difference. To learn more about how Kingston Is With You, visit Kingston.com. Kingston and the Kingston logo are registered trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. IronKey is a registered trademark of Kingston Digital, Inc. Kingston FURY and the Kingston FURY logo are trademarks of Kingston Technology Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Kingston Technology

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The joke is over and it was never really that funny to begin with . . .

A Kansas politico and prankster was arrested today and again, most newsies don't really understand that his career is mostly an elaborate post-modern ruse that has backfired horribly.



Here's a bit of detail about the sitch and Democratic Party leadership asking for his resignation for the benefit of his constituents so that the young dude can get some help . . .

Coleman was taken into custody at around 8:15 p.m. in Overland Park and was taken to the Johnson County Adult Detention Center.He's set to have to a video appearance before a judge on Monday at 1:30 p.m.Coleman has not yet been formally charged.Kansas House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer released a statement Sunday afternoon about the news of Coleman's arrest. "This is extremely disturbing news. We are watching closely to make sure we gather all the facts," Sawyer said. "His constituents and the State of Kansas would be better served if he were to resign and get the help he badly needs.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

Kansas Rep. Aaron Coleman arrested on domestic violence charge Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City, Kansas, was arrested over the weekend on domestic violence allegations. Johnson County Sheriff's Office records show that Coleman was booked on Sunday at the Johnson County jail for domestic battery charges with no priors. He is scheduled to appear before a judge on Monday.

Kansas representative arrested for domestic battery KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) -- A member of the Kansas House of Representatives was arrested early Sunday morning in Overland Park. Representative Aaron Coleman (D-KS) was booked into the Johnson County Jail at 12:45 a.m. Sunday after being arrested in Overland Park. The reason for arrest shows to be domestic battery.

Kansas lawmaker arrested on domestic violence charge A first-year Kansas lawmaker, who was reprimanded by his colleagues for abusive conduct before taking office, has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City remained in custody Sunday afternoon, according to Johnson County Jail records. The 21-year-old was arrested at 8:15 p.m.

The latest on Monday . . .

21-year-old Kansas lawmaker who won by 14 votes arrested on domestic battery charge OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -- Kansas' youngest state lawmaker was arrested Saturday night in Overland Park and later charged with misdemeanor domestic battery. Rep. Aaron Coleman (D-Kansas City, KS) was booked Saturday night into the Johnson County jail, where he has remained without bond.

Developing . . .
A legendary local pizza dude is giving it up amid an uptick in gunfire, homeless and fewer protections in Westport.



Here's the note circulating on social media today . . .



A replacement operation should in place soon and there's a proposal to keep out customers from the street given that homeless were increasingly harassing customers.



Still . . .

Honey on greasy pizza is one of Kansas City's better culinary traditions and won't soon be forgotten.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

Popular Westport pizza spot closes doors for final time KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A popular Westport pizza spot closed its doors for the final time Sunday. Joe's Pizza Buy the Slice was owned and operated by Joe Addington for 24 years. After decades serving up slices, Addington decided to retire and spend more time with his grandchildren.

Say it ain't 'Joe!' Longtime Westport pizza shop closes its doors by: Heidi Schmidt Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The little pizza shop in he back of Kelly's is no more. After serving everyone from business executives to bar hoppers, Joe's Pizza sold it's last slice early Monday morning. The owner of Joe's Pizza, Joe Addington, decided to retire, effective October 31.

Developing . . .
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 31F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 31F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Veda Yowell, 90, of Clinton, passed away on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at IU West Hospital in Avon, surrounded by her loving family. Veda was born in Parke County on August 30, 1931, to Harry and Angeline Ladiha Crossley. She married her husband, Fred, on July 22, 1949, and together, they
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 38F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 38F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Terre Haute, IN (47803)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 38F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 38F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
I don't think you can get it issued in Denmark. I believe it's (more or less) the same thing as the EU Digital COVID Certificate. We already used a national app before the EUDCC was up and running, so we've never had to get the EU certificate, as our app was usable instead.

You can click the different European countries here and see where you can find more info per country:

Edited: 01 November 2021, 09:35
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Over the past 24 hours, on October 31, the Russian occupation forces committed 14 ceasefire violations, four of which included the use of weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements.

Thats according to the press service of the Joint Forces Operation HQ, Ukrinform reports.

Near Luhanske and Maiorsk, the enemy fired grenade launchers of various systems. In the area of Novo-oleksandrivka, the invaders fired large-caliber machine guns.

Our defense positions near Svitlodarsk were twice fired at with large-caliber machine guns and other small arms. Not far from Maryinka and twice near Shumy, the enemy opened fire using 82 mm mortars.

The occupiers employed 120-mm mortars and large-caliber machine guns toward Zolote-4. Outside Novoluhanske, Russian occupation forces fired twice, with anti-tank missile systems and small arms.

The enemy used easel-mounted anti-tank grenade launchers near Zaitseve, as well as automatic easel-mounted grenade launchers  in the area of Novotoshkivske.

In addition, in Luhansk region, Ukraine forces spotted a UAV, likely an Orlan-10, breaching the line of contact.

A Ukrainian military serviceman was injured in hostilities, the report said, adding that the soldier was evacuated to a hospital where he is undergoing treatment in satisfactory condition.

Ukrainian troops returned fire to the enemy's armed provocations, using weapons allowed by the Minsk agreements and forcing the adversary to cease fire.

Defensive efforts allowed the Ukrainian military to hold their ground in the Joint Forces Operation zone.

As of 7:00 Kyiv time on November 1, no new ceasefire violations were reported.

JF units keep the situation under control, continuing to carry out the orders to deter and repel Russias armed aggression.

im
Although strike drones Ukraine uses were manufactured in Turkey, Ankara has nothing to do with their use by the Ukrainian Army.

Thats according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who spoke on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, Ukrinform reported with reference to TRT Haber.

"If a country buys weapons from us or from another country, these weapons can no longer be called Turkish, Russian, or Ukrainian. If some government buys it from us, its no longer a Turkish product. It may have been made in Turkey, but it belongs to Ukraine. Turkey cant be blamed for this (use of UAVs in Ukraines east - ed.)," Cavusoglu said.

Cavusoglu added that, in his opinion, Kyiv should stop referring to UAVs purchased from Ankara as "Turkish."

"Sometimes, in our fight against terrorism in different countries, we encounter different weapons from different countries, including Russia. We never blame Russia. Ukraine must also stop using our name," Cavusoglu said.

As Ukrinform reported, a number of governments have criticized Ukraine over the use of a Bayraktar UAV by Ukraines Army to suppress an enemy howitzer that had been engaging Ukrainian defense positions.

In particular, a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry said Berlin was "very concerned" about the report of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army confirming the use of a strike drone in response to the shelling that killed a Ukrainian soldier.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk has confronted the said position, stressing Ukraines legal right to self-defense when its territory is bombed day and night with Russian heavy weapons and when civilians and soldiers die.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian soldiers had fulfilled their duty by deploying the Bayraktar reconnaissance and strike drone complex on October 26 to suppress an enemy firing position in eastern Ukraine.

"As for the use of UAVs and other modern weapons, these arms serves Ukraines defenses," Zelensky stressed. And when Ukraines Army feels its necessary to protect our land, they do so. And they will continue to operate guided by this principle."

The president stressed the fact that the Ukrainian soldiers were not on the offensive mission, only adequately responding to an act of aggression.

im
The full cycle of the Bayraktar UAV production will be launched in the short term  it is a matter of months, not years.

Thats according to Ukraines Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, who spoke with RFE/RLs Ukrainian bureau.

"In fact, this is probably a matter of months, not years. And work is already underway to allocate the appropriate land plot to begin substantive operations on the construction of this maintenance and repair center. Also, on a parallel track, the work is underway to create production capacities and launch Bayraktar production in Ukraine," Bodnar said.

According to the envoy, the pace of the ongoing work is quite fast.

The information I have speaks of the full-scale production from scratch of drones which could be used for both covering the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and supplying to third-country markets ... And production Turkey, I believe, is at full capacity. Therefore, additional full-cycle production facilities are also in the interest of the Turkish side to develop new markets and jointly conduct tests and later, perhaps, train some foreign colleagues to master this technology and jointly shape the defense field," the diplomat explained.

Bodnar also recalled a joint venture created for the production of Aknc UAVs.

'In addition, you know that we have in fact set up a joint venture to produce a new type of unmanned aerial vehicles, the Aknc, to which the Ukrainian side supplies engines and some other spare parts. That is, here we have complementarity and its based on both our strategic interest and mutual technological compatibility that we build our relationship. This is one of these high-tech drivers with concrete results and dimensions," the ambassador said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Turkish company Bayraktar Savunma signed on September 29 a memorandum of cooperation. According to the memo, Bayraktar will build on a land plot outside Kyiv, owned by the Ministry of Defense, a center for maintenance, current repairs, and modernization of the company's UAVs. The center will also train and retrain personnel operating these drones. A number of such centers is expected o be set up in Ukraine over time.

im
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of the Republic of Moldova Maya Sandu have discussed issue of energy security.

According to the Presidents Office, on October 30, the leaders discussed possible areas of further bilateral cooperation in order to prevent the energy crises. Sandu thanked Zelensky for the timely and urgent assistance amid the energy crisis in Moldova, in particular for the supply of gas and electricity by Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine noted the readiness of our state to further provide assistance to Moldova in matters of proper energy supply. To this end, the parties agreed to hold relevant consultations in Ukraine in the near future at the level of energy ministers of the two countries, reads the report.

The presidents also discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation, in particular on the progress in the implementation of the project on building a bridge across the Dniester. They also considered the cooperation in the field of European integration, emphasizing the necessity to ensure the greatest efficiency of the Eastern Partnership Summit, which will take place in December this year.

As Ukrinform reported, on October 22, the Moldovan government approved a 30-day state of emergency in the energy sector after its gas contract with Russia's Gazprom, Europe's largest natural gas supplier, expired at the end of last month, and both sides failed to agree on details of a new long-term agreement.

However, on October 30, the parties announced that they had agreed to extend a contract for the supply of Russian gas from November 1 for a five-year period. Then, in November, Moldova will buy gas from Gazprom at a price of $450 per 1,000 cubic meters.

iy
The United States needs to impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 operator until Russia stops manipulating natural gas flows for harmful political purposes, according to Yuriy Vitrenko, CEO of Naftogaz of Ukraine.

He wrote this on his Facebook page.

"Russia has done, is doing, and will continue to do so  manipulating gas flows for harmful political purposes. We have persuaded and continue to persuade the United States that the best course of action in this situation is to impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 operator until Russia stops doing so," Vitrenko said.

According to him, evidence of the cessation of manipulations will be the situation when supplies of gas to European companies are moved to the Ukraine-Russia border, gas exports from Central Asia are unblocked and Gazprom loses its de facto monopoly on gas exports through pipelines.

"When everyone sees that it is not Putin, but many different European companies can choose the routes of gas transportation from the Russian border to the EU, then Russia will not be able to manipulate gas flows for harmful political purposes," Vitrenko said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Joe Biden had a meeting on October 30 where the U.S. leader said it was important "to ensure that Russia cannot manipulate natural gas flows for harmful political purposes."

op
On October 30, 2021, Ukraines new air carrier Air Ocean Airlines operated its first regional flight on route Kyiv-Mykolayiv on an An-148 jet aircraft.

Thats according to Antonov SE press service, Ukrinform reports.

Air Ocean Airlines was founded in September 2020, becoming the countrys first carrier to choose An-148s and An-158s of the Antonov family for its regular and charter flights, both on domestic and international routes.

"We intend to start 2 to 2.5-hour flights, which we estimate will be most cost-effective," said Viacheslav Geriga, the airline CEO.

To date, Air Ocean Airlines has two An-148 aircraft in its fleet. Another plane is to be put into operation by the end of this year. In the first or second quarter of 2022, therell be three more aircraft. In total, the company plans to operate up to 10 aircraft of this type. They are leased from a Cyprus-incorporated CYPRUS AIRCRAFT LEASING 2 (CAL) LTD.

The An-148s will be fully maintained in Ukraine, the company said in the statement.

The glider will be serviced by Antonov, the engine  by PJSC Motor Sich, and the chassis  by Pivdenmash. Other enterprises involved in maintenance include Ekran, Elektronprylad, FED, HACB, UKRANALYT, and many other companies. To train the flight crews, SE Antonov provides a comprehensive simulator allowing to work out any emergency situations that may arise during actual flights.

Read also: UIA starts flying to Tel Aviv from Kharkiv and Dnipro in November

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in April 2020, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine announced his intention to create a government-run airline, whose fleet will consist exclusively of aircraft manufactured by SE Antonov.

im
Ukraine and Kazakhstan have agreed to enhance military cooperation, in particular in the areas of military education, aircraft repair and ammunition disposal.

According to Ukrinform, the Embassy of Ukraine in Kazakhstan reported that the issue of cooperation was discussed at a meeting of Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Kazakhstan Petro Vrublevsky with Deputy Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan, Major General Mukhamedzhan Talasov.

"Ukraine is ready to share with Kazakhstan the experience in the field of military education in the areas of: staff training, advanced training, course training, exchange of teaching experience," the embassy said.

In addition, the officials discussed the possibility of establishing a service center for the repairs of AN aircrafts in Kazakhstan, as well as considered the possibility of cooperation in the field of ammunition disposal.

The Ukrainian diplomats have added that they are considering the issue of holding the VIII meeting of the Joint Ukrainian-Kazakhstani Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Technical Cooperation in Kyiv next year.

iy
Russias move to suspend thermal coal supplies to Ukraine is including due to a sharp energy price hike and intensifying gas crisis in Europe, while the main reason behind the stunt is provoking a political crisis in Ukraine.

Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko has expressed the relevant opinion, speaking with Dom TV, as reported by Ukrinform.

"It's not just that they want to sell their coal more profitably or raise prices. There were also objective reasons, but under the pretext of needing to cover internal demand for gas and not having sufficient volumes to export, they exacerbated the gas crisis in Europe, sharply increased the prices, and are now partially profiting off of it, blackmailing Europe with this gas price. This is political blackmail, too. They demand the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline be certified as soon as possible," the expert said.

At the same time, Fesenko suggested that the ceasing of thermal coal supplies to Ukraine could be an attempt by the Russian side to persuade Kyiv to cooperate with the occupation administrations in eastern Ukraine.

"Here I should recall the story of 2014, when through (Vladimir Putins political operative in Ukraine Viktor - ed.) Medvedchuk, the Russian side offered the then Ukrainian leadership to purchase coal with cash, directly from separatists. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian leadership did agree back then. Now, I think the issue will be considered. Medvedchuk is already under investigation. Why had they agreed then anyway? After all, that cash was handed to the party fighting against Ukraine ... Now I believe Russia seeks to restore that situation, they wish to force us to buy coal directly from these so-called republics, Fesenko suggestted.

In his opinion, such interaction through informal legitimization of Russian proxies with the so-called "LPR/ DPR" could contribute to the violation of the Minsk agreements structure.

"On the one hand, this way they want to force us to informally recognize these republics through coal, and then they will use it as a precedent, claiming: Well, you are talking with them anyway, so let's talk within the Minsk agreements. Just recognize them and sign an agreement with them. And this will mean their official recognition, so then they could claim some unlimited autonomy, which would essentially imply a radical change in Ukraines state system. Also, this way they would compromise charges pressed against Medvedchuk, claiming that if you agreed to this today, whats the point of charges against Medvedchuk then? the political scientist explained.

He also predicted that Russia seeks to provoke an energy crisis in Ukraine this winter, and through it  a political one, too.

"That's why they are reducing gas shipments through our territory. Thats because weve been buying gas from European companies, but it was still gas coming from Russia. Now Russia is curbing gas supplies as much as possible. That is, no longer have this option. We do have reserves though so it's not as critical as the coal situation. But the most important thing is that Russia, by creating such problems with coal, gas, and possibly electricity, seeks to provoke an energy crisis in our country this winter, and political problems through it, thus destabilizing the political situation in the country," Fesenko elaborated.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Chairman of Parliaments Energy, Housing and Utilities Committee Andriy Herus said Russia would suspend thermal coal supplies to Ukraine from November 1, 2021. Referring to market players, Herus said the ban did not apply to coking coal.

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U.S. President Joe Biden during a meeting with Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz, the candidate for the post of the German government chief, stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine.

Thats according to a readout of the two leaders talks, released by the White House press service, Ukrinform reports.

"President Biden underscored the importance of continued work to implement the U.S.-Germany Joint Statement on Support for Ukraine and European Energy Security, to ensure that Russia cannot manipulate natural gas flows for harmful political purposes," the statement said.

The U.S. president also congratulated Chancellor Merkel on over 16 years of leadership on important issues of international security and transatlantic relations.

In addition, the parties discussed the situation in Afghanistan, including joint efforts to ensure continued humanitarian assistance.

As Ukrinform reported, the heads of the 19 largest economies in the world and the EU are physically meeting in Rome, the capital of the group chairing Italy, for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The presidents of Russia and China do not take part in person, they join the discussions online.

Photo: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

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Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov has submitted a letter of resignation.

Thats according to Taras Melnychuk, the government's representative to the Verkhovna Rada, who broke the news in his Telegram channel Ukrinform reports.

Member of Government, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine O. Reznikov submitted a resignation letter, in which he expressed gratitude for the trust, Melnychuk wrote.

Read also: Reintegration Ministry develops new strategy of IDPs integration

According to the envoy, the relevant letter has already been registered in the Verkhovna Rada.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on March 4, 2020, Reznikov was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.

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Servant of the People MPs are planning to nominate MP Iryna Vereshchuk for the post of Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine instead of Oleksiy Reznikov, who is to be appointed the country's defense minister.

The head of the Servant of the People faction in parliament, David Arakhamia, said this at a briefing after a meeting of the parliament's conciliatory council on Monday, November 1, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"As for Mr. Reznikov, I think everyone understands that in the field of defense and procurement, the rules have changed significantly due to the fact that we have adopted a new law on defense procurement. It started working only a few months ago. Now the Ministry of Defense needs very rapid changes. [] In fact, Mr. Reznikov has already proved his professionalism and diplomacy, he has a good reputation among international partners, that's why we made such a decision," he said.

Arakhamia added that Servant of the People had decided to delegate Vereshchuk to the position currently held by Reznikov, as members of the faction are convinced that she will be able to "perform this work professionally."

Reznikov filed a letter of resignation on November 1.

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the law "On Defense Procurement" on July 17, 2020. The document came into force on January 1, 2021.

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Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Urusky has tendered his resignation.

The government's representative in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, wrote this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleh Semenovych Urusky has submitted a statement of resignation to the Verkhovna Rada," Melnychuk wrote.

Earlier, the head of the parliamentary faction of the Servant of the People party, David Arakhamia, said at a briefing on Monday, November 1, that the incumbent head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, Pavlo Riabikin, will head the Ministry for Strategic Industries after Urusky's resignation.

On October 19, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada received a statement of resignation from Minister for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Roman Abramovsky. Members of the Servant of the People faction are considering the candidacy of Ruslan Strilets, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitization.

On November 1, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov filed a statement of resignation. Servant of the People MPs are planning to nominate MP Iryna Vereshchuk for the post of Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine instead of Oleksiy Reznikov, who is to be appointed the country's defense minister.

Earlier, the leadership of the Servant of the People faction announced the replacement of four or five ministers.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, the presidential press service has reported.

According to the report, both parties discussed the possibility of intensifying bilateral trade and mechanisms for implementing the agreements reached during the visit of the President of Ukraine to Qatar in April 2021, including agreements in the food and investment spheres.

"Intensifying trade and economic cooperation is one of our main common tasks," Zelensky said.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to the development of defense cooperation between the two countries.

Both parties also discussed the possibility and conditions of supplying liquefied natural gas from Qatar to Ukraine.

In addition, Zelensky thanked the Qatari side for assistance in evacuating Ukrainian citizens from Afghanistan and emphasized the importance of further cooperation in this area.

The president renewed the invitation for the Emir of Qatar to visit Ukraine.

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The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has protested against the ongoing attack by the Russian authorities on the rights of the Ukrainian minority in Russia, the ministry's press service has reported.

The ministry said that as part of Russia's state policy of forced assimilation during 2011-2020, Russia liquidated the Federal National and Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in Russia, the Association of Ukrainians in Russia, Omsk regional NGO Siberian Center of Ukrainian Culture Siryi Klyn, recognized the Ukrainian World Congress as an "undesirable organization" and destroyed the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow.

According to the report, another manifestation of the Russian authorities' efforts to erase the national and ethnic identity of Ukrainians in Russia was the decision by the Artyomovsk City Court of the Primorsky Territory to liquidate the autonomous non-profit organization Far Eastern Ukrainian Spiritual Cultural and Educational Center Prosvita.

"Decisions to forcibly close the Prosvita Center and other centers of Ukrainian culture in Russia a bright example of true 'Russian hospitality' for citizens of other countries the affinity with whom the Russian authorities continue to prove so desperately, encouraging the acquisition of Russian citizenship," the statement said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry states that the Russian authorities not only do not demonstrate their intention to protect the rights of Ukrainians in Russia, but also limit their opportunities to participate in the decision-making process on issues that affect them, preventing any attempts to self-organize.

"The Russian Federation must fulfill its international legal obligations, in particular in accordance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages," the statement said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to properly assess the rapid deterioration of the human rights situation in Russia, to condemn and increase political and diplomatic pressure on the Russian authorities to end the attack on the rights of the Ukrainian national minority in Russia.

The Ukrainian World Congress in October strongly condemned the decision of a Russian court to liquidate the Far Eastern Ukrainian Spiritual Cultural and Educational Center Prosvita in Vladivostok as another manifestation of a systemic policy of persecuting the Ukrainian community in Russia in order to destroy Ukrainian public life.

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Ukraine has recorded 13,936 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Health Ministry has reported on Facebook.

"Some 13,936 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease COVID-19 (including 905 cases in children and 111 cases in healthcare workers) were recorded in Ukraine on October 31, 2021," the report reads.

According to the report, 298 coronavirus-related deaths, 3,828 hospital admissions, and 5,885 recoveries were registered in Ukraine on October 31.

As many as 2,936,238 people in Ukraine have contracted coronavirus, 2,442,098 have recovered, and 68,027 have died since the pandemic began.

According to the report, 117,818 people were vaccinated for COVID-19 in Ukraine on October 31. Some 89,546 people received their first dose, and 28,272 people were fully vaccinated.

A total of 17,695,591 doses have been administered in Ukraine since it launched the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with 10,245,773 people receiving their first dose and 7,449,818 people receiving both doses (two people received their first dose abroad).

Some 94% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 last week were not vaccinated, the report said.

A total of 17,430 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Ukraine on October 30.

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Published Nov. 1, 2021

University of Louisiana Monroe TRIO Programs Student Support Services staff and student volunteers lead warm-up exercises at the 3rd Annual Free Kids Bike Race hosted by Pelican State Credit Union. Jyssica Hattaway/TRIO Programs

TRIO-SSS teams with Pelican State Credit Union for Kids Bike Race

The University of Louisiana Monroe TRIO Programs Student Support Services (TRIO-SSS) collaborated with Pelican State Credit Union (PSCU) in a fall community service project.

Pelican State Credit Union hosted the 3rd Annual Free Kids Bike Race for children ages 12 and younger on Saturday, Oct. 16, at Tower Place in Monroe.

TRIO-SSS volunteers helped with pre-race stretches and warm-up exercises, assembled and distributed goody bags with bike safety tips, and assisted PSCU staff in awarding each participant a medal of achievement. Following each race, PSCU gave door prizes for kids and parents donated from local Ouachita Parish businesses, and three children received a free bike.

The TRIO-SSS program coordinates a community service project each semester for program participants to ensure students understand the value of giving. These experiences provide students with opportunities to develop civic accountability and life skills that prepare them to be thoughtful and productive citizens.

Students benefit both academically and emotionally from volunteering their time to make the community and world a better place, said Mystee Burrell, Ed.D. co-associate Director of TRIO Programs.

TRIO-SSS students participating were Curtesia Davis, Lauren Edwards, Enrique Gonzalez, Kyle Hutchinson, Stacia Jinks, Willexus Jones, Brook Little, Emily Mahfouz, Phiphung Phan, Taylor Potter, Janett Solorio, Shamyia Sweet, Cazenski Watson, Lawren Williams, Reaianna Winston, and TaShia Zeigler. Staff participating were Burrell, Tammy Anderson, and Jyssica Hattaway.
A Honduran mother holds her three-year-old daughter at a makeshift shelter for asylum-seekers in Tijuana, northern Mexico.  UNHCR/Tim Gaynor

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the U.S. governments most recent step to end the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program.

UNHCR has continuously expressed its serious concerns about this program and its impact on asylum-seekers' safety and security and their due process rights.

We stand ready to work with all relevant authorities to ensure border and asylum measures and policies are in accordance with international refugee and human rights law.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Mrs. Evelyn Holland Reddick Dixon, 81, passed away on Nov. 14, 2021. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, at 11 a.m. in the Williams Funeral Home Chapel in Milledgeville. A burial service will be held at 2 p.m. in the Alligood Cemetery in Laurens County. The family wil
Scroll through the photo gallery above to see the best of UNOs Halloween celebration. Enjoy the photos below for even more Halloween fun!

Costume Contest

The winner of this year's costume contest is Brittany Turek as the "Mad Hatter." She is pictured below with Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA. Halloween is Tureks favorite holiday. She has been working on her Mad Hatter costume since the summer.

Turek has been with UNO for more than five years. She has been a staple in the Milo Bail Student Center Maverick Den, but will soon be starting a new position at the UNO Bookstore.





Getting In On the Fun

Faculty and Staff at the UNO College of Information Science and Technology (IS&T) got in on the Halloween fun on Friday, Oct. 29. Colleagues from other colleges, offices, and departments from across campus also participated.
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 01st Nov, 2021) The Anwar Gargash Diplomatic academy (AGDA) will host the 47th edition of the International Forum on Diplomatic Training (IFDT) from 4th to 5th November 2021.

The forum, which will welcome distinguished diplomats and foreign affairs experts from the IFDT members, will be held at the Academy, and will shed light on various pivotal topics and challenges surrounding 21st-century diplomacy.

The IFDT was established by a consortium of academic and diplomatic training institutions in 1972 as an annual meeting of deans and directors. Since its founding, its membership has grown to include the heads of academic institutes dedicated to the study of international relations and diplomacy, and to accredited institutes for the training of official diplomats from 56 countries, across six continents.

Commenting on hosting the IFDT in Abu Dhabi, Bernardino Leon, the Director-General of AGDA, said, "AGDA is proud and honoured to host the IFDT in the UAE. We are immensely looking forward to welcoming renowned experts in diplomacy and foreign affairs, who will provide fruitful discussions at this unique forum.

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"At AGDA, our mission is to train and empower future diplomats, who will represent their country on the global stage. Providing aspiring diplomats with the necessary skills and knowledge on 21st-century diplomacy is crucial for our dedicated team. The IFDT 2021 will thus be a great learning experience for our local and international guests, as well as our dedicated faculty, who will pass this great knowledge to our students and future diplomats."

Participants from the UAE and from around the world will discuss the future of diplomacy in a post-pandemic world and how to maintain its relevance in the 21st century, as well as digital diplomacy and the need to swiftly adapt to the changing environment of technologies. The event will also shed light on the integration of technological skills into diplomatic training, as well as gender equity in diplomacy, and international governance.

The event will include a panel discussion on the historic Abraham Accords and how the agreements can ultimately lead to a geopolitical shift. Experts will also highlight the recent turmoil in Afghanistan. Climate change will also be a hot topic at the forum.
Mexico City, Nov 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Nov, 2021 ) :Mexican journalist Alfredo Cardoso, who founded the Dos Costas magazine in the city of Acapulco, died Sunday two days after being shot, the state governor said.

"I wish to express my condolences to the family of journalist Alfredo Cardoso Echeverria, founder of the digital media Las Dos Costas, for their lamentable loss," Guerrero state leader Evelyn Salgado wrote on social media.

Salgado condemned Cardoso's murder and said she had instructed the state government secretariat to look after his family through a local system set up to protect human rights defenders and journalists.

"I have asked the State Attorney General's Office to follow up on the investigations into this incident," she said.

Media rights watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF) had been documenting the attack on Cardoso, who was shot five times on Friday.

Cardoso was kidnapped Thursday night by hooded men who broke into his home, RSF said on Twitter. His family had received threats.

Local media reported he was found Friday shot inside his vehicle. He was immediately hospitalized.

At least seven journalists have been murdered in Mexico since the start of 2021, although it is not yet clear whether the crimes were linked to their work.

Eight journalists were killed in Mexico in 2020, according to RSF.

RSF regularly ranks Mexico alongside war-torn Syria and Afghanistan as the world's most dangerous countries for news media.

More than 100 reporters have been murdered since 2000 in Mexico and only a fraction of the crimes have resulted in convictions.
Glasgow, Nov 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Nov, 2021 ) :More than 120 world leaders meet in Glasgow on Monday in a "last, best hope" to tackle the climate crisis and avert a looming global disaster.

"It's one minute to midnight and we need to act now," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was due to tell them, according to extracts from his speech.

"If we don't get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow." Observers had hoped a weekend meeting in Rome of leaders of the G20 nations, which between them emit nearly 80 percent of global carbon emissions, would give a strong impetus to the Glasgow COP26 summit, which was postponed for a year due to the pandemic.

The G20 major economies committed on Sunday to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- the most ambitious target of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement.

They also agreed to end funding for new unabated coal plants abroad -- those whose emissions have not gone through any filtering process -- by the end of 2021.

But this did not convince NGOs, the British prime minister or the United Nations.

"While I welcome the G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled -- but at least they are not buried," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Twitter.

"We've inched forward (at the G20). We've put ourselves in a reasonable position for COP in Glasgow but it's going to be very difficult in the next few days," Johnson said Sunday, before warning: "If Glasgow fails, then the whole thing fails." The Glasgow gathering, which runs until November 12, comes as an accelerating onslaught of extreme weather events across the world underscores the devastating impacts of climate change from 150 years of burning fossil fuels.

The current commitments of the signatories of the Paris agreement -- if they were followed -- would still lead to a "catastrophic" warming of 2.7 Celsius, according to the UN.

COP26 marks the "last, best hope to keep 1.5C in reach", summit president Alok Sharma said as he opened the meeting on Sunday.

"If we act now and we act together, we can protect our precious planet," he said.

Climate advocacy groups expressed disappointment at the statement released at the end of the G20 summit.

"These so-called leaders need to do better. They have another shot at this: starting tomorrow," said Namrata Chowdhary from the NGO 350.org.
(@FahadShabbir)

Seven U.S. military officers, who heard graphic descriptions last week of the brutal treatment of a Pakistani detainee at the hands of CIA, have urged that he be granted clemency in a letter addressed to the officer who will review the case, The New York Times reported Monday

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Nov, 2021 ) :Seven U.S. military officers, who heard graphic descriptions last week of the brutal treatment of a Pakistani detainee at the hands of CIA, have urged that he be granted clemency in a letter addressed to the officer who will review the case, The New York Times reported Monday.

The officers, all but one member of an eight-member military jury, condemned the U.S. government's conduct in the letter on behalf of Majid Khan, a Baltimore high school graduate turned Qaeda courier.

"Mr. Khan was subjected to physical and psychological abuse well-beyond approved enhanced interrogation techniques, instead of being closer to torture performed by the most abusive regimes in modern history," the jury members wrote in a letter addressed to the Arkansas National Guard's Colonel Jeffrey Wood, the convening authority of the military commission.

"This abuse was of no practical value in terms of intelligence, or any other tangible benefit to U.S. interests. Instead, it is a stain on the moral fiber of America; the treatment of Mr. Khan in the hands of U.S. personnel should be a source of shame for the U.S. government," they continued, according to The Times.

The harsh rebuke comes after the Guantanamo Bay detainee testified last Thursday on the abuse he suffered while in the CIA's overseas prison network between 2003 and 2006.

He said he had been subjected to waterboarding, forced enemas and feedings, as well as other forms of sexual and physical abuse.

Majid Khan said that even while he cooperated with officials, he continued to endure more abuse. "Instead, the more I cooperated, the more I was tortured," he said.

The seven jury members wrote that Khan had been a "vulnerable target for extremist recruiting" because he had been reeling from the death of his mother at the time. They argued that he was no longer an extremism threat and was remorseful of his past actions.

The jury sentenced Khan to 26 years, the lowest allowed according to the court's instructions.

Sentencing was delayed for nearly a decade after his guilty plea to give Khan time and opportunity to cooperate with Federal and military prosecutors, so far behind the scenes, in federal and military terrorism cases.

In the intervening years, prosecutors and defense lawyers clashed in court filings over who would be called to testify about Khan's abuse in C.I.A. custody, and how.

The panel was provided with nine letters of support for Khan from family members, including his father and several siblings  American citizens who live in the United States  as well as his wife, Rabia, and daughter, Manaal, who was born in Pakistan and live there.
Algeria is interested in long-term cooperation with Russia in the pharmaceutical industry, including the production of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, Algerian Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry, Abderrahmane Lotfi Djamel Benhamed, told Sputnik

ALGIERS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2021) Algeria is interested in long-term cooperation with Russia in the pharmaceutical industry, including the production of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, Algerian Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry, Abderrahmane Lotfi Djamel Benhamed, told Sputnik.

"As you know, a cooperation protocol has been signed with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). A digital database on the Russian vaccine has been created to provide a technology transfer procedure that will allow Algeria to produce (Sputnik V)," the minister said.

However, according to him, such a procedure usually takes a long time. In particular, as Benhamed said, the Russian side has not yet sent working groups to inspect Algerian enterprises. The minister stressed that it was not a delay, but the necessary time to launch the production of drugs in accordance with the standards of the pharmaceutical industry.

"We are ready to continue working with Russia. Moreover, we have expanded our cooperation at the expense of other products, since we know the excellent quality of Russian products. We were the first African country to register Sputnik V," Benhamed said.

According to the minister, Algerian enterprises will be able to start producing the vaccine two months after receiving the raw materials.

Along with the vaccine, cooperation with Russia also involves the production of anti-cancer drugs intended for the local market and for export to the middle East and African countries, Benhamed said.

"We have 130 pharmaceutical laboratories that, in accordance with the world standards, produce almost all drugs the African continent needs. We export to African and European countries," he added.

Previously, Algeria did not promote exports of pharmaceuticals because of the obligation to meet the needs of the local market, but the situation has changed, Benahmed explained. In particular, the African Medicines Agency, involving 15 of the continent's countries, will begin its work in a few weeks. According to Benhamed, Algeria is "seriously preparing" to work within the framework of this organization.

In February, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced that the production of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine would begin in the country in about six months. In the same month, Russia's trade representative in Algeria, Ivan Nalich, told Sputnik that Algeria was showing great interest in localizing the production of this vaccine and resolving technical issues.

The vaccination campaign began in Algeria on January 30. The Sputnik V vaccine is actively being used. Vaccination is free of charge for all population groups.
(@FahadShabbir)

Guinea's Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a coup in the West African nation in September, has announced that he is placing nearly 1,000 soldiers into retirement

Conakry, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Nov, 2021 ) :Guinea's Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a coup in the West African nation in September, has announced that he is placing nearly 1,000 soldiers into retirement.

In a speech on Sunday evening, the strongman said the retirements will come into force on Monday and "must in no way be considered as a punishment".

"After having loyally served Guinea, nearly a thousand military personnel will enjoy their right to a deserved retirement," Doumbouya, 37, said.

It is not clear which members of the military are being forced into retirement, nor why the decision was taken.

However, the announcement follows the forced retirement of 44 generals and admirals on October 12, in an apparent purge of the military top brass.

Former special-forces commander Doumbouya rose to power in Guinea on September 5 in a coup that ousted elected president Alpha Conde after months of brewing discontent against his government.

Doumbouya defied broad condemnation of the putsch and was sworn in as interim president on October 1.

He has nevertheless promised to restore civilian rule after a transition period of unspecified length, and to unite the politically fractious nation of 13 million people.

The strongman also appointed civilian Mohamed Beavogui as his interim prime minister last month, and pledged to revise the constitution and fight corruption.

On Sunday, Doumbouya stressed the need for transparency in the way resources are allocated to troops.

"It must be understood that subordinates who are not treated well by the hierarchy are generally inclined to defy authority," the coup leader said.
Japan will provide the United Nations Children's Fund office in Tajikistan with humanitarian funding of around $2.8 million to be spent on vaccines for children, the Tajik Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population told Sputnik on Monday

DUSHANBE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2021) Japan will provide the United Nations Children's Fund office in Tajikistan with humanitarian funding of around $2.8 million to be spent on vaccines for children, the Tajik Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population told Sputnik on Monday.

"Within the framework of the Survival and early child development project, Japan will provide the UNICEF office in Tajikistan with about 2.8 million Dollars for vaccines to protect children from measles, mumps and rubella, hepatitis B vaccines, and appropriate vaccination tools, such as syringes and safe containers," the ministry representative said.

The project is expected to provide direct assistance to almost a million children in 67 districts and cities of Tajikistan within the next three years.

"The vaccines provided under this project will definitely contribute to the healthy daily lives of children across the country. I believe that this project will protect children from various infectious diseases," Japanese Ambassador to Dushanbe, Takayuki Miyashita, said at the ceremony.

In the last five years, UNICEF, supported by the Japanese government, has purchased and delivered to Tajikistan the necessary medicines, vaccines, and refrigeration equipment for the prevention and treatment of common childhood diseases, at a cost of $5.35 million.
Dismissing a former Afghan diplomat's allegations about its role in Afghanistan, Pakistan has said that former President Ashraf Ghani's regime remains unable to own up to its mistakes that led its ouster

NEW YORK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Nov, 2021 ) :Dismissing a former Afghan diplomat's allegations about its role in Afghanistan, Pakistan has said that former President Ashraf Ghani's regime remains unable to own up to its mistakes that led its ouster.

"For 20 years, successive Afghan governments laid the blame for every problem in Afghanistan on Pakistan's doorstep," Maliha Shahid, spokesperson for the Pakistani embassy in Washington, said in a letter to The Wall Street Journal, adding that Islamabad was not responsible for Kabul's actions.

She was responding to an op-ed in the newspaper by Javid Ahmad, a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think-tank and until recently Afghanistan's Ambassador to the UAE.

Spokesperson Maliha Shahid said his op-ed in the Journal "betrays the same breathtaking lack of introspection and refusal to accept any responsibility that was the hallmark of the government he represented until Aug. 15," when Ghani fled Kabul.

Contrary to Javid Ahmed's claims, she pointed out, Pakistan vigorously supported, and still supports, an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan, and on at least two occasions, joined China, Russia and the U.S. in categorically opposing any government installed by force in Afghanistan.

"The problem, as former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and other senior U.

S. officials have confirmed, was that Mr. Ghani refused to seriously negotiate a power-sharing agreement with the Taliban and believed that American talk of withdrawal was a 'bluff' (something Mr. Ahmed also acknowledges)," the spokesperson argued.

" Even so, the violent chaos that marked the end of the Ghani regime could have been avoided if the former president had not reneged on an agreement that would have allowed for a more orderly transition," pointing out that the former Afghan diplomat doesn't back up some "outlandish" claims about Pakistan's role in the Taliban's military offensive this summer with any evidence.

"He doesn't explain why the vaunted Afghan security forces and intelligence services were unable to interdict a supposed 'deluge of militant fighters' that entered Afghanistan, she said and posed the question: How was Pakistan responsible for the rampant corruption within the Afghan state that led U.S. officials to privately describe the Kabul regime as VICE or "a vertically integrated criminal enterprise"?"Was Pakistan to blame for the stunning collapse of the demoralized and unpaid 300,000-strong Afghan army that had been built with $83 billion in American taxpayer money?", she asked.

"Answering these questions would require a degree of honesty and courage to own up to their mistakes that former Afghan government officials remain unable to muster," Spokesperson Shahid added.
The inaugural cohort of the Construction Management Building Blocks mentor-protege program has graduated after completing eight weeks of training with industry professionals from the University of South Florida and Skanska, a multinational construction and development company. The program was launched to assist small and diverse subcontractors in the Tampa Bay Region to grow and become more successful in the construction industry and with competitive bidding processes.

Facilitated through the USF Office of Supplier Diversity, participants received free guidance in the fundamental areas of construction business management, with topics covering environmental health and safety, field management, human resources, marketing and business development, legal, project accounting, project planning and preconstruction, and sustainability. In addition to the weekly training sessions, they visited construction sites, developed their growth plans with help from graduate students at the USF Center for Entrepreneurship and networked with key decision makers within USF Facilities Management and Skanskas greater Tampa Bay area operations.

Keith Ware, a U.S. Navy veteran, founded Secure2ware Inc. in 2005 with aspirations to serve the community by providing alternatives to the big blue security companies. Secure2ware Inc. offers residential and commercial establishments a wide range of low-voltage services, including alarm systems, surveillance cameras and home automation. Its sister company, S2W Security Guards, also provides guards on foot or mobile patrol to protect any property or event.

Its tremendous that Skanska and USF recognize that theres a need to look out for small, minority organizations, such as mine, Ware said. There can be some challenges achieving what we call the American Dream, and Im very thankful that theyve taken the time to reach back and help others.

Small businesses often learn as they go, and for Ware, project accounting was one of those growing pains. Not only did the mentor-protege program teach him the techniques and best practices he needed to improve his business, but he appreciated the added benefit of learning alongside a mentor. Ware said he also enjoyed the field trips to Skanskas construction sites. Proteges were able to see, on a larger scale, the planning that goes into bringing projects to life and how the crew adapts and overcomes challenges along the way.

The valuable knowledge that Ive gained through the mentorship program will be a great asset to me in order to take Secure2ware and S2W Security Guards to the next level, Ware said. Were hopeful that through these strategic partnerships, we are able to foster some better relationships throughout the community.

Darrick Fullwood Sr. has been passionate about construction and design ever since an architectural drafting class in middle school. In 2007, he founded AAA Restoration & Builders Team LLC to provide quality and cost-effective construction services ranging from remodels and repairs to complete renovations and additions.

I was ecstatic to be chosen for the mentor-protege program, Fullwood said. The training has given me the confidence to take on larger projects because the mentors taught us how to break projects down, not let the numbers overwhelm us and how to seek out the proper subcontractors to assist us.

Instead of seeing small construction companies as competition, Skanska opened their doors and shared the blueprint behind their processes and software to successfully go from bid to completion.

Fullwood has already scheduled a meeting with his project manager to review the program materials to make sure that everything he learned is implemented into AAAs business model. Thanks to this training, I know my company is going to grow, Fullwood said.

Having successfully completed the program, participants will receive a construction mentor from Skanska and a graduate student mentor from USFs Muma College of Business for up to six months to assist in streamlining administrative responsibilities. Participants will also be provided scholarships to the Profit Mastery Financial Management Program led by the colleges Small Business Development Center.

The 2021 cohort, recommended by the Hillsborough County NAACP, The St. Petersburg Collective, Prospera, the Womens Business Enterprise National Council and the Manasota Black Chamber of Commerce, included:

AAA Restoration & Builders Team LLC

Angels Cleaning Service

Arielle Management Group LLC

DuCon LLC

E&I Mechanical LLC

Lens Roofing Inc.

Phills Home Construction

Evolve Mechanical Services LLC

Samamed Home Improvement LLC

Secure2ware Inc.

WSV Group Inc.

Moving forward, cohorts will be selected annually by community partners. In order to qualify, companies must be in the construction industry and in business for at least one year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 weekly training sessions were held virtually, but future cohorts will attend in person.
A team of engineers at the University of South Florida has invented new technology that could forever change the manufacturing of wearable, electronic sensors. Theyve figured out a way to speed up production without having to use polymer binders  the industry standard in printing flexible sensors, which are often used to monitor vital signs in health care settings.

Their technology, featured on the cover of the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, prints electronic skin, or e-skin, by using corona discharge to create a strong electric field between binder-free functional powders, such as graphene, and flexible, non-conductive surfaces, such as medical tape. The electrostatic force used in Corona-Enabled Electrostatic Printing enables a multitude of e-skin sensors to be printed within sub-seconds, compared to the 20 minutes it takes with polymer binders, and doesnt require heat. E-skin is micrometer-thin, pliable technology that can be used to measure things such as strain, temperature and sound.

Ying Zhong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at USF, and her collaborator, Long Wang at California Polytechnic State University, found that the printing technique has broad applications, such as in health monitoring, prosthetics and robotics. Unlike with polymer binders, there arent sizing limitations, making the technique a strong candidate for the roll-to-roll manufacturing of large flexible sensors, which can greatly reduce production costs.

As a new, advanced manufacturing strategy, Corona-Enabled Electrostatic Printing will potentially transform the cost structure for large-area and high-performance electronics and enable versatile applications of flexible, functional systems, Zhong said. The technique can help contribute to maintaining the U.S.s leadership in advanced manufacturing.

Zhong recently received a $308,928 grant from the National Science Foundation to advance her research, proving the patent-pending ultra-fast manufacturing technique can be used to print materials beyond multifunctional e-skin.
M. Ray Perryman is president and Chief Executive Officer of The Perryman Group (www.perrymangroup.com), which has served the needs of over 2,500 clients over the past four decades. perrymangroup.com, info@perrymangroup.com, 254-751-9595.
ASHLEY DANIELS is a News and Features Reporter for The Vidette. Daniels can be contacted at Adanie6@ilstu.edu. Follow Daniels on Twitter at @RTV_Ash210

IF YOU SUPPORT THE VIDETTE MISSION of providing a training laboratory for Illinois State University student journalists to learn and sharpen viable, valuable and marketable skills in all phases of digital media, please contribute to this most important cause. Thank you.
The holidays are imminent, and it feels like the year flew by in a sneeze. Hard to believe we are being catapulted into Thanksgiving and we've been inundated ad-nauseam with Christmas decor before the trick-a-treaters have left our doorstep. No doubt a segue into the commercialized bombardment of Black Friday sales.

Thank goodness for family gatherings, where we rejoice in togetherness and food continuously plays a significant, vital part on any occasion.

Hard to believe this year marks the 400th anniversary of this long-standing, venerated tradition. Its been observed since 1621, when the first settlers and Wampanoag Indians gathered together by giving thanks for their plentiful, first autumn harvest.

The expression food coma doesnt even begin to describe the state of euphoria Thanksgiving brings to most Americans eagerly awaiting this holiday. It might well be about the proverbial plump, juicy turkey, buttery tater mash and sumptuous pumpkin pie, surely because it brings cozy and comfortable recollections of family gatherings and the tantalizing aromas of epic cooking.

However, no matter how eagerly awaited the culinary offerings are, we mustnt lose sight of the message. Its a time of reflection and truly being thankful for our many blessings; the everyday things we take for granted, which we should honor year-round. And of course, basking in the love and companionship of kinfolk and friends.

Elevated sides:

The turkey might be the main protagonist, but we all salivate, waiting with bated breath for the side trappings presented at the table. For some, they are more wildly awaited than the main event, the ill-fated bird. Sides are as passionately applauded, as they are devoured with complete abandon with second helpings, no matter how stuffed we are. And heaven forbid mom strays too far off from those dishes that walk you down Thanksgiving memory lane every year. Those dishes have to stay tried and true.

However, kudos go to the brave culinary adventurers wanting to inject diversity and new mojo into their sides to pile alongside the cornucopia of food on the groaning family table. If you fall into that crowd, youll jump on this bandwagon to stray from the customary. Your guests and family will grovel for these recipes and theyll be singing your accolades for decades to come. I guarantee youll be showcasing them not just at Thanksgiving, but year-round.

Orange/ginger whole baby carrots

This dish is outstanding anytime, as its a glamorous and colorful accompaniment to grilled meats, fish and chicken. The Thanksgiving table typically has the ubiquitous, orange-colored yams; however, this makes a nice departure from the customary take. Try not to omit the miso paste which is sold pretty much everywhere. It takes the flavor from good to extraordinary. Combined with the tangy, spicy flavor of the ginger and the sweetness of the honey is a match made in carrot heaven.

1 large bag whole baby carrots

1 TBSP of grated fresh ginger

1 TBSP unsalted butter

2 TBSP olive oil

1 heaped TSP of white miso paste

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1 large shallot  finely chopped

1 bay leaf

Juice and zest of half an orange (keep some of the zest to serve)

 cup of low sodium chicken broth

2 TBSP of wildflower honey (or any good honey)

Chopped fresh chives or parsley

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

After washing the carrots, make sure that they are all uniform in size, cut larger ones in half, so they cook evenly. In a large saute pan, add the olive oil, butter and sweat the shallot with the ginger plus a pinch of salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt as the miso paste is already salty. Incorporate the carrots and add the chicken stock, thyme, bay leaf, honey, miso paste, orange juice and half the zest, bringing to a boil. Simmer on very low for about 12 minutes semi-covered and an additional 5 minutes uncovered to evaporate some of the liquid and allow them to caramelize. Be careful, as they burn very easily. Dont overcook them, you want them tender but still with a bit of bite. To serve, sprinkle some chopped chives or fresh parsley with the rest

Roasted Brussel sprouts, bacon and apple

It serves about 8 but you can vary the quantities accordingly. The beauty of this dish is that it can be made the day before and reheated for the feast, which is perfect for when the kitchen is chaotic on the actual day. Sprouts with bacon and apples, oh my!

2 Lbs of Brussels sprouts  trimmed and halved or whole if small

2 large, unpeeled apples  cored and medium diced

6 slices of applewood smoked bacon  cut up into medium sized bite pieces

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

 cup of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

2 Tbsp of maple syrup

3 sprigs of either fresh thyme or rosemary

 cup of low sodium chicken stock

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a small mixing bowl whisk maple syrup, balsamic, EVOO, salt and fresh cracked pepper. Place the sprouts in a large bowl and add  of the vinaigrette to coat them and invert on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until tender, turning halfway through with some tongs to ensure even browning halfway through the cooking. Add the chicken stock to the remaining vinaigrette.

In a skillet with high sides, add the cut bacon and start sweating to release some of the fat allowing it to crisp. Add the apple, the rest of the vinaigrette and herb of choice. Saute until the apples are softened, but ensure they arent not too mushy and evaporate most of the liquid. Incorporate the roasted sprouts and toss to mix everything together.

Fall Sangria cocktail

What are the holidays without a celebratory cocktail concoction? This is a fall fave, and everyone will think youve got a clandestine bartender part-time job.

1 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio

1  cups of apple cider

1 apple  cored and sliced

1 pear  cored and sliced

4 to 5 fresh figs

 cup of fresh cranberries

7 tbsp of Calvados

7 tbsp of Pear brandy

 cup of Cinnamon simple syrup

3 cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves and some orange peel

1 cup of white sugar

 cup of pomegranate seeds or fresh cranberries

 orange sliced into half moons

 of the juice of the same orange

Simple syrup: In a small saucepan add 1 cup of water with the cup of sugar. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and remove from the fire. Add the cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves and some orange zest. Strain the syrup. In a large pitcher, add the chopped fruit and the cinnamon sticks from the syrup. Add the brandies, wine, orange juice, cider and as much of the simple syrup needed to sweeten to your taste. Refrigerate for 48 hours.
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Shantou-Waisha airport in the Guangdong province of China is located less than 220 miles from the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan. Opened in 1956 as a military airport for the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), the airport began hosting commercial carriers in 1974.

It was the main airport serving the city of Shantou until 2011 when another airport took over operations. However, Beijing seems to be using Shantou-Waisha airport once more for military purposes, specifically against Taiwan.

According to satellite images provided by Planet Labs to Defense News, the airport has been hosting rotating detachments of PLA aircraft since October Last year. One image from the month showed two Shaanxi KQ-200 anti-submarine warfare aircraft parked in the airport.

On May 7, two similar aircraft were seen. On that day, Taiwans defense ministry had announced that two KQ-200 had breached the southern part of the islands Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The aircraft flew from and went back in the direction of Shantou.

That type of area is airspace over which the identification and location of aircraft operating in it is monitored for national security purposes, and is separate from and may extend beyond a countrys territorial airspace to give the country more time to respond to aircraft of interest, according to Defense News.

On Sept. 2, six Sukhoi Su-27/30 Flanker aircraft were seen on the base. A few days later, Taiwan reported that Chinese Su-30 planes had entered its ADIZ.

The media outlet speculated that the presence of similar planes in Shantou-Waisha and during the ADIZ breach indicates that the air base might be operated by the PLA as a convenient jumping-off point for its aircraft heading towards Taiwan.

The base allows the PLA to decrease the time required to access and conduct patrols in the southern regions of the Taiwan Strait, Bashi Channel, and South China Sea.

Lately, Beijing has been sending more planes into Taiwans ADIZ. Experts believe that this increasing show of aggressiveness is triggered by growing ties between the United States and Taiwan.

Washingtons support to Taipei is problematic for Beijing as it could prevent Beijing from successfully annexing the island. Beijing does not see Taiwan as a separate independent entity but only as a wayward province that should soon be unified with the mainland.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen warned about Beijings belligerent attitude. In an interview with CNN, the president said that the threat from China is growing every day and confirmed that some U.S. soldiers were present on the island for training purposes.

Tsai said that Taiwan has a wide range of cooperation with the United States to boost the islands defense capabilities. Calling Taiwan a beacon of democracy, Tsai stressed that the island must be defended to uphold democratic values in the world.

Here is this island of 23 million people trying hard every day to protect ourselves and protect our democracy and making sure that our people have the kind of freedom they deserve If we fail, then that means people that believe in these values would doubt whether these are values that they [should] be fighting for, Tsai said.
Ever since the Talban took control of Afghanistan, the regime has been trying to gain international recognition. China had indicated that it was interested in closely working with the Taliban and has been advocating for legitimizing the outfits rule over the country.

There has been speculation that China might become the first nation to recognize the Taliban government. However, Hu Shisheng, South Asian expert at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICR), the official think-tank of Chinas national security apparatus, insists that this will not be the case.

Things will be different when the four countries of China, Pakistan, Russia, and Iran arrive at a consensus on this. We will not be the first, Hu said at a forum organized by a Chinese military think-tank.

Beijing is concerned that since the United States has now exited from Afghanistan, it could now redirect resources to focus on issues like the South China Sea, Korean peninsula, and Taiwan.

During its 20 year presence in Afghanistan, the U.S. poured in almost US$2 trillion to support its operations there. If Washington spends just $50 billion more in Chinas backyard, Beijing will feel a lot of pressure.

The increasing cooperation between the United States and India is also a source of worry for Beijing since a stronger India will thwart the Chinese regimes plans to dominate the Indo-Pacific.

On Oct. 25 and 26, Chinas foreign minister Wang Yi met with the Talibans interim Afghan government in Doha. Beijing called for Western nations to lift sanctions on Afghanistan and asked the international community to engage with the Taliban in a rational and pragmatic manner. The Chinese side expressed hope that Afghanistan will crack down on terror outfits like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).

The Afghan Taliban elaborated on the domestic and foreign policies of the interim government and made more positive remarks on relevant issues of China and the international communitys concern. The Afghan Taliban said it attaches great importance to Chinas security concerns, will resolutely honor its promise and never allow anyone or any force to use the Afghan territory to harm China. The two sides agreed to set up a working liaison mechanism to discuss exchanges in the next stage, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in an Oct. 27 press conference.

Last month, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen had called China a friendly country and welcomed investments from Beijing, promising that the outfit will ensure its safety. The CCP has eyes on Afghanistan as the country is said to have vast amounts of mineral wealth, especially rare earths that are critical for the tech sector. Almost a trillion dollars worth of resources are locked in the Afghan mountains.

In an article at RAND, defense expert Derek Grossman notes that Beijing is actively pursuing the construction of a motorway that will link Afghanistan and Pakistan under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In addition, a major road through the Wakhan Corridor that connects Chinas Xinjiang region with Afghanistan is also under construction.

Once completed, these new thoroughfares should enable Beijing to pursue its goals of increased trade with the region and natural resource extraction in Afghanistan, Grossman wrote.
On Oct. 29, at the forum on U.S.-Indo-Pacific strategies and cross-strait affairs hosted by the Washington Forum and Truth Warriors Alliance, Dr. Miles Maochun Yu said, To defend Taiwan is democracy activism, it is to defend in a way American democracy.

Yu is a Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute and a former Principal China Policy Adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He believes that defending Taiwan carries the same significance as defending West Berlin during the cold war era.

Dr.Yu also described how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has created a false narrative to deliberately misinterpret U.S. policy between Beijing and Taiwan, and how Beijing has skewed the key concepts of human rights.

On Oct. 21, President Joe Biden stated in a CNN Town Hall that the United States would defend Taiwan from an attack by Beijing. However, the White House later clarified that the U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity had not changed.

Beijing deliberately misinterprets US policy toward Taiwan

A policy of strategic ambiguity is a practice by a government of being intentionally ambiguous on aspects of its foreign policy. Its a diplomatic approach that allows a government to manage international relationships when opposing governments have foreign and domestic policies that are contrary. This is the approach the U.S. has historically taken when feilding issues between Beijing and Taiwan.

Dr. Yu has always believed there was a strategic clarity in the U.S.s commitment to the defense of Taiwan, which was codified in the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. In other words, it is clearly mentioned that the U.S. opposes the unilateral use of force to settle issues across the Taiwan Strait.

Yu explained the reason why theres so much confusion concerning the matter. Its because the U.S. policy toward Beijing and Taiwan has been deliberately misinterpreted by Beijing. Beijing has never wanted to acknowledge the Taiwan Relations Act and Six Assurances.

The Six Assurances are key foreign policy principles of the U.S. in regards to U.S.-Taiwan relations that were agreed to under the Reagan administration in July, 1982 and have been reaffirmed by successive U.S. administrations.

U.S. commitment to Taiwan self-defense is not only codified by U.S. law but also has been steadfastly stated by various leaders of Administrations in the past, said Yu.

The CCP excels at creating a false narrative

Dr.Yu said, the Chinese Communist Party excels at one thing, which is to create a false narrative. For example, the Chinese have a very different definition of some of the key concepts governing international governments, such as the key issues like human rights.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 clearly defined human rights as individual rights in the context of a totalitarian government, so human rights cannot really be talked about without emphasizing individual rights.

However, the CCP has strategic and wildly different communistic interpretations of human rights. Dr. Yu said, Right is also mostly defined by economic rights by which they use a Marxist term to say, what really matters ultimately is how much money one person has.

Secondly, they stress individual human rights can also be intrinsically related to the power of the government, which actually defeats the initial purpose of defining human rights in the first place, said Yu.

The CCP has conducted egregious human rights violations. Most of their human rights abuses have been conducted in the name of social stability and national sovereignty.

US Allies have come to realize the CCP threatens all

Miles Yu praised the Trump administration that realized clearly and took initiative against the CCP threat, We provide leadership in combating the central threat of real-time, which is the [Chinese] Communist Party and its global ambition to transform the international order that is basically created and led by the United States since the end of World War II.

He said that under U.S. leadership, during the Trump administration, U.S. allies have come to realize that the CCP threat is a threat to all. Even NATO, the worlds largest alliance of democracies, has come along to claim that its mission focus is actually shifting to the Asia-Pacific.

The U.S. Congress passed every Taiwan-related legislative initiative in the last several years, almost unanimously. There has been broad bipartisan support over the China policy that the Trump administration initiated, according to Yu.

To defend Taiwan is democracy activism, the same as defending West Berlin

Recently, Communist China flew a record number of military aircraft into Taiwans Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), raising serious concerns of a potential military attack.

Dr. Yu thinks that the essence of the confrontation in the world today is between tyranny and freedom. Because Taiwans greatest pride among world people is having transformed an authoritarian government into a vibrant democracy.

He repeated that to defend Taiwan is democracy activism. It is to defend, in a way, American democracy. Every democracy in the world should be on the side of Taiwan; for the same reason world democracies defended West Berlin in 1948-1949.

Taiwan is on the front line of the epic fight between tyranny and freedom, stated Yu, We should never allow the next Hong Kong to happen. 

Reiterating that the CCP poses a threat through a chain of aggression, Miles Yu said that defense of Taiwan is also probably the best way to stop the momentum of this chain of aggression.
Cameroonian and Nigerian authorities have agreed to jointly fight armed separatists in both countries. The nations' top security and government officials announced the deal during an emergency security meeting that ended Thursday in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. The meeting was convened after Anglophone separatists in Cameroon and the Indigenous People of Biafra in Nigeria said they would join forces to fight for independence.

Babagana Monguno, national security adviser to Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari, said Thursday secessionist groups are uniting to destabilize Cameroon and Nigeria. The retired major general spoke at the end of the eighth session of the Cameroon-Nigeria transborder meeting in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.



Monguno said the neighboring countries will jointly combat the rebels operating within their borders.

"President Muhammadu Buhari reassures you [Cameroon] that Nigeria's territory will never be used by any group of secessionists to destabilize another friendly sovereign country. In addition, we would work closely together to ensure that any real or perceived attempt to form any alliances between secessionist groups in Nigeria and Cameroon are decisively dealt with," Monguno said.

Speaking on Cameroonian state radio, CRTV, Monguno said Nigeria will continue to support the efforts of Cameroonian authorities to stop the separatist crisis in Cameroons English-speaking western regions. The United Nations says at least 3,000 people have been killed and 550,000 civilians displaced in Cameroon and in Nigeria by the separatist crisis that escalated into an armed conflict in 2017.

Governors from the Nigerian states that border Cameroon and Cameroonian regions bordering Nigeria also took part in the Abuja meeting.

Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji led Cameroons delegation. Nji said militaries of the two countries are already at work to map out ways of stopping separatists operating in Cameroon and in Nigeria. He said the two countries have decided to provide jobs and improve the livelihoods of people in border areas. He said poverty is driving many civilians to join separatist groups in pursuit of food and better living conditions.

"To eradicate transborder insecurity in all its forms or, I believe, to reduce it to minimum, our security forces must intensify intelligence gathering and information sharing. It must include measures to check religious radicalism, foster education and promote economic and social development projects along our common border," he said.

Nji said Cameroon is sincerely grateful for Buharis permanent commitment never to allow any part of Nigerian territory to serve as a safe haven for terrorists and separatist groups against its neighbor, Cameroon.

This week's Cameroonian-Nigerian security meeting is the first since Cameroons English-speaking separatists said they were partnering with the Indigenous People of Biafra, a group that wants a breakaway state in southeast Nigeria.

Capo Daniel, deputy defense chief of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, a rebel group in Cameroons English-speaking North-West and South-West regions, said the Ambazonia Defense Forces and Indigenous People of Biafra are determined to foster an alliance the Nigerian and Cameroonian separatist groups created in April.

"The alliance generates solidarity between the military wing of the IPOB, that is the Eastern Security Network and the Ambazonia Defense Forces. We will continue to intensify the collaboration in areas such as operating training camps, exchanges in military trainers, open exchange of weapons and military personnel, as well as sharing intelligence across the border," Daniel said.

The Indigenous People of Biafra has not issued a statement on the terms of their collaboration with the Ambazonia Defense Forces. Videos shared on social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, though, appear to show people claiming to be officials of the rebel groups meeting. Cameroon and Nigeria say rebel and secessionist groups from the two countries have been meeting and trafficking in weapons.

Nigeria shares a 1,975-kilometer border with Cameroon. Militaries of the two countries have been jointly fighting violent crises since 2010. Nigerias northeastern states of Borno and Adamawa and Cameroon's Far North region on Nigerias border report regular Boko Haram terrorist attacks.

Cameroon says separatists use porous borders to import weapons through Nigeria and collaboration between the Ambazonia Defense Forces and Indigenous People of Biafra is making the security situation very uncertain.

Other security challenges include conflicts over illegal exploitation of natural resources, highway robbery, drug and human trafficking, illicit trafficking of firearms, and agricultural conflicts.

The Cameroon-Nigeria Transborder Security Committee was created in 2012 in Nigeria to strengthen security in both countries.
The U.S. Air Force said Sunday it flew a B-1B strategic bomber over key maritime chokepoints in the Mideast with allies including Israel amid ongoing tensions with Iran as its nuclear deal with world powers remains in tatters.

The B-1B Lancer bomber flew Saturday over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes. It also flew over the Red Sea, its narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Egypt's Suez Canal.

The Strait of Hormuz has been the scene of attacks on shipping blamed on Iran in recent years, while the Red Sea has seen similar assaults amid an ongoing shadow war between Tehran and Israel. The Islamic Republic has denied being involved in the attacks, though it has promised to take revenge on Israel for a series of attacks targeting its nuclear program.

Fighter jets from Bahrain, Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia flew alongside the bomber.

Iranian state media did not immediately acknowledge the flyover. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The flyover comes after a pattern of such flights by nuclear-capable B-52 bombers since the Trump administration as a show of force to Iran. President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew America from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, which saw Tehran agree to drastically limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

In the time since, Iran has abandoned all the limits of the deal and drastically reduced the ability of international inspectors to keep watch over their program. While Iran insists its program is peaceful, the U.S. intelligence agencies, Western inspectors and others say Tehran had a structured military nuclear weapons program through the end of 2003.

President Joe Biden has said he's willing to re-enter the nuclear deal, but talks in Vienna have stalled as a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took over as president.

Biden sending a B1-B bomber into the region allows him to send "a clear message of reassurance" to regional allies, as the U.S. Air Force's Central Command put it on Twitter. But it doesn't involve a nuclear-capable bomber.

The B-1B came from the 37th Bomb Squadron based at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.
A wooden canoe used by the ancient Maya and believed to be more than 1,000 years old has turned up in southern Mexico, officials said on Friday, part of archeological work accompanying the construction of a major new tourist train.

The extremely rare canoe was found almost completely intact, submerged in a freshwater pool known as a cenote, thousands of which dot Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, near the ruins of Chichen Itza, once a major Maya city featuring elaborately carved temples and towering pyramids.

Measuring a little over 1.6 meters in length and 80 centimeters wide, the canoe was possibly used to transport water from the cenote or deposit ritual offerings, according to a statement from Mexican antiquities institute INAH.

The institute described the extraordinary find as "the first complete canoe like this in the Maya area," adding that experts from Paris' Sorbonne University will help with an analysis of the well-preserved wood to pinpoint its age and type.

A three-dimensional model of the canoe will also be commissioned, the statement added, to facilitate further study and allow for replicas to be made.

The canoe is tentatively dated to between 830-950 AD, near the end of the Maya civilization's classical zenith, when dozens of cities across present-day southern Mexico and Central America thrived amid major human achievements in math, writing and art.

It was found while workers building a tourist rail project championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador were inspecting the area surrounding the cenote which is near a section of the project that will connect with Cancun, Mexico's top beach resort.

Lopez Obrador has pitched the so-called Maya Train as tourist-friendly infrastructure that will help alleviate poverty in Mexico's poorer southern states, while critics argue it risks damaging the region's delicate ecosystems.
U.S. officials have confirmed that a newly formed armed group resisting Taliban rule in Afghanistan has registered with the Justice Department to carry out political lobbying in the United States.

The confirmation came in response to claims by the anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF) that its international office has received authorization to officially open in America.

Ali Maisam Nazary, the foreign relations chief for the anti-Taliban group, made the announcement on Friday via a Twitter post, promising the NRF will soon expand its activities throughout the globe.



A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told VOA officials are aware that an entity calling itself 'The National Resistance Front' registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act on October 26.

The spokesperson, however, explained the decision to register was made by the registrant and did not require any further action or approval by the Department of Justice or any other American government entity.

In general, organizations such as this one can open offices in the U.S. and do not require involvement from the Department of State, the spokesperson said.



The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August after ousting the Western-backed government in Kabul as American and NATO troops withdrew from the country after 20 years of involvement in the war.

The Islamist group, which comprises mostly members of the ethnic Pashtun majority, announced a blanket amnesty for all those who served in the previous government after regaining control of the country, though Taliban fighters are being accused of carrying out targeted killings of former Afghan security personnel.

The NRF claims it has set up bases in crucial mountainous parts Panjshir Valley, a predominantly ethnic Tajik province, about 100 kilometers northeast of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Taliban officials reject those claims and say leaders of the so-called resistance have long left Afghanistan.

NRF fighters come from the remnants of the U.S.-trained Afghan security forces and from local militias, although their exact number is not known. They are led by Ahmad Massoud, the 32-year-old son of former Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, nicknamed the Lion of Panjshir for his efforts to resist Taliban rule in the 1990s.

In 2001, the Northern Alliance helped U.S. forces oust the Taliban following the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11 of that year.



Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, reacting to the threat posed by the NRF to his government and reports of opening of an office in the U.S., said on Saturday that no entity can threaten the Afghan people in the name of resistance or anything else and that no such activities will be allowed.



Mujahid asserted while addressing a news conference in Kabul that American officials in recent bilateral talks conveyed to Taliban interlocutors that they could not confirm the reported opening of the NRF office nor did the U.S. think such activities were needed.

"I dont know how reliable the message from [the U.S] is, but our message to those raising the slogan of resistance is that Afghanistan needs peace and prosperity, and not wars anymore.

Despite holding meetings with Taliban representatives, Washington and the global community in general have not granted recognition to the interim Taliban government.

They have been pressing the Islamist group to govern Afghanistan through an inclusive political setup that ensures protection of rights of all Afghans, including women and minorities in line with assurances the Taliban have given to the international community.

A group of prominent politicians, who had directly or indirectly served in the previous Afghan government and fled the country after the Taliban takeover of Kabul, announced last week the formation of a coalition to achieve lasting peace in the country through both political and military means.

The front, called the Supreme Council of National Resistance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan said in a statement it was formed by a group of prominent and sympathetic political parties as well as figures, but mentioned no names.

Russia, which provided political and military support to the anti-Taliban campaign led by Massouds father in the 1990s, has been fully supportive of the current Taliban government. On Thursday, Moscow voiced concerns over the emergence of Afghan resistance groups.

We have noted a declaration published by some of the countrys former leaders on establishing the Supreme Council of National Resistance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for waging an armed struggle against the Taliban, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told her weekly news conference.

We urge all ethnic and political forces in Afghanistan to renounce militant rhetoric and to do everything possible to complete the process of national reconciliation, Zakharova said.

Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
Australians are being allowed to travel overseas without COVID-19 restrictions for the first time in almost 600 days. Previously they needed government permission to go overseas under strict measures designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

After more than 18 months, Australia is reconnecting with the world as vaccination rates increase. There were tearful reunions at Sydney Airport as the first overseas passengers landed after restrictions came to an end.

Australians can now travel freely overseas without needing official permission.

Returning travelers flying home into the states of New South Wales and Victoria no longer face mandatory hotel quarantine.

They must, however, be double vaccinated and only Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families can return home at this stage. Australia will reopen quarantine-free entry to fully vaccinated Singaporeans from Nov. 21, but it is unclear when other foreign nationals, who have been mostly banned since March 2020, will be permitted to enter.

Thousands of Australians have been stranded overseas during the pandemic by some of the worlds toughest border controls. Authorities placed limits on the number of travelers allowed back because of constraints on the quarantine system.

Melbourne Airport has also been preparing for the resumption of large-scale passenger numbers.

Chief executive Lyell Strambi said pandemic border closures have been hard on staff.

We have not really stopped flying, so we have been able to keep things working and making sure that everything is in great shape, Strambi said. But the stop-start nature of the whole episode we have been through has been really tough. In particular for the employees of the airport. We would normally have 20,000 people working at the airport. I think a few times there we were down to as low as 500 people. So, it has been really hard on those individuals in particular.

Internal border controls remain in parts of Australia. Residents in Sydney and Melbourne, for example, can now fly freely to Paris, France but not to Perth in Western Australia.

Travelers from New South Wales and Victoria, which have been at the center of delta variant outbreaks this year, can only enter Western Australia with an approved exemption permit and must be double vaccinated. Queensland state authorities plan to ease their internal border restrictions on Dec. 17.

Australia has diagnosed 170,000 coronavirus cases during the pandemic, and 1,700 people have died. More than 77% of eligible Australians have been fully vaccinated.




U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday announced a range of American commitments aimed at curbing global warming, as leaders from more than 100 countries gathered in Glasgow for the U.N. Climate Change Conference.

The United States will be able to meet the ambitious target I set at the Leaders Summit on climate back in April, reducing U.S. emissions by 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, Biden said. We will demonstrate to the world that the United States is not only back at the table, but hopefully leading by the power of our example. I know it hasn't been the case, and that's why my administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words.

WATCH: Biden Says the US is back to lead on climate change

Those new goals include a set of new U.S. climate commitments that build on previous global agreements: the unveiling of plans for a $3 billion Presidents Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience to tackle climate awareness, financing and adaptation efforts, and a raft of domestically focused legislation that aims to shore up American infrastructure while also cutting greenhouse gas pollution by well over one gigaton in 2030.

That legislation has occupied the U.S. Congress for months, with members of the legislative body negotiating fiercely throughout -- but ultimately, failing to bring the matter to a vote before Biden left for the summit last week.

The U.S. has previously faltered on its own climate commitments, with former President Donald Trump announcing in 2017 that he was withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. That took effect in November 2020, but Biden rejoined the deal on his first day in office.

Bidens critics note that some of his administrations climate commitments are not as large as those promised by other developed nations.

Biden also said, late Sunday, that he is disappointed that China and Russia have yet to come up with new commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The disappointment relates to the fact that Russia and, and including not only Russia, but China, basically didnt show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change, Biden said. And theres a reason why people should be disappointed in that. I found it disappointing myself.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not attending the summit. His government on Monday approved a climate strategy that targets carbon neutrality by 2060.

Russia has clearly set its perspectives, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday. Besides that, Russia is ahead of many countries, including Western Europes countries, on many parameters in terms of transition, to less carbon intensive ways of generation and production.

China opts out

China, the worlds largest emitter of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that cause global warming, announced last Thursday it had no new significant goals to reduce climate-changing emissions. Its plans include having the countrys carbon emissions peak before 2030 and achieving no net emissions of carbon dioxide by 2060.

Specific implementation plans for key areas such as energy, industry, construction and transport, and for key sectors such as coal, electricity, iron and steel, and cement will be rolled out, coupled with supporting measures in terms of science and technology, carbon sink, fiscal and taxation, and financial incentives, President Xi Jinping said in a written address to the climate summit Monday, according to a copy posted by Chinas Xinhua news agency.

Xi called on developed nations to both do more themselves and support developing nations in their climate efforts.

This years summit builds on a legally binding agreement that 196 parties, including the U.S., Russia and China, signed six years ago in Paris. The international treaty commits those countries to embark on emissions cuts that aim to limit the planets warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over preindustrial levels.

We go into (the summit) with roughly 65% of the world's economy in line with a 1.5 degree commitment, with still some significant outliers, one of those significant outliers being China, who will not be represented at the leader level at COP-26, said U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday. And who we do believe has an obligation to step up to greater ambition as we go forward."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that the world cannot afford to wait.

The six years since the Paris Climate Agreement have been the six hottest years on record, he said. Our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink. We face a stark choice: Either we stop it, or it stops us.

U.S.-China tensions

Administration officials have repeatedly described China as the U.S. biggest adversary and said the relationship between the two powers is a challenging one. But, Sullivan said, that should have no impact on this globally important issue.

They are perfectly well capable of living up to their responsibilities, he said. It's up to them to do so. And nothing about the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and China, structurally or otherwise, impedes or stands in the way of them doing their part.

But, said analyst Sarang Shidore, director of studies at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington, this may prove to be a stumbling block.

Expectations are low for COP-26 due to two reasons, he said. One is that the U.S.-China tensions continue to be very sharp in the Biden period, and this is detracting from cooperation on climate change.

And, he said, wealthy nations, while making large promises themselves, cant do this on their own.

Countries are unable to get each other to raise ambition, and wealthy countries are playing a weak game on the sort of robust and urgent financing commitments that the Global South is due, not as charity, but as a right, he said.

The summit continues through Tuesday.
The COVID-19 pandemic global death toll has hit the 5 million mark, according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

The tally comes a little more than four months after 4 million deaths from COVID-19 were recorded in June.

The milestone arrives as some countries struggle to get one vaccine into their citizens' arms, while other countries have begun inoculating their population with booster shots.

The current vaccine equity gap between wealthier and low resource countries demonstrates a disregard for the lives of the worlds poorest and most vulnerable, the World Health Organization recently said in an open letter to the leaders of the G-20 nations who are meeting in Rome.For every 100 people in high-income countries, 133 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, while in low-income countries, only 4 doses per 100 people have been administered.

The WHO letter also warned, Vaccine inequity is costing lives every day, and continues to place everyone at risk. History and science make it clear: coordinated action with equitable access to public health resources is the only way to face down a global public health scourge like COVID-19. We need a strong, collective push to save lives, reduce suffering and ensure a sustainable global recovery.
Local media in Miami reported that rock star Jon Bon Jovi was forced to cancel a concert Saturday minutes before taking the stage after testing positive for COVID-19.

A Miami television station said a spokesman for the fully vaccinated singer told the audience Saturday evening that Bon Jovi had tested positive after he and members of his band took rapid response tests. The spokesman said the rock star "feels great" but would not be performing and was headed to bed.

The band is reported to have stayed and played for the crowd without the lead singer.

There was no word about whether the concert would be rescheduled.

Bon Jovi participated in public service campaigns last year encouraging people to mask up and practice social distancing.

Earlier Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the more than 5 million COVID-19 deaths was "a global shame" and a reminder that much of the world is being "failed" by vaccine inequities.

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Monday that the global death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic reached its total just four months after the 4 million death milestone.

In a statement, Guterres said these deaths are "not just numbers on a page. They are mothers and fathers. Brothers and sisters. Daughters and sons. Family, friends and colleagues. Lives cut short by a merciless virus that respects no borders." COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus.

Guterres said the devastating milestone is a reminder that while wealthy countries are rolling out third "booster" doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, only about 5% of people in Africa are fully vaccinated.

The U.N chief urged world leaders to fully support the Global Vaccination Strategy he launched last month with the World Health Organization, and through funding and vaccine donations, help meet the goal of inoculating 40% of people in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70% by mid-2022.

"The best way to honor those 5 million people lost ... is to make vaccine equity a reality by accelerating our efforts and ensuring maximum vigilance to defeat this virus," Guterres said.

Meanwhile, Monday marks the easing of travel restrictions in Australia for its citizens and permanent residents who will no longer be subjected to a two-week quarantine when reentering the country. Australians will also be able to leave the country without getting special permission.

Thailand began allowing fully vaccinated tourists into the country Monday. Thailand's economy has been pummeled by the tourist restrictions prompted by the pandemic.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that although she is fully vaccinated, she has contracted COVID-19, adding that she is exhibiting only mild symptoms and is in quarantine. Members of her household have also tested positive, she said in a Twitter post Sunday.

Psaki did not travel to Europe with U.S. President Joe Biden, who attended the recent G-20 summit of world leaders in Rome and then flew to Glasgow, Scotland, for a conference on climate change.

British health care workers began their plan Monday to visit more than 800 schools to inoculate students ages 12 to 15 with COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccines minister Maggie Throup said, "Thanks to the dedication of NHS (National Health Service) vaccine teams, we are making it as simple as possible for parents or guardians to book COVID-19 vaccines for their children."

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said Monday that nearly 7 billion vaccines have been administered worldwide.


NOTE: The discovery in June 2021 of 215 unmarked graves by Canadas Tkemlups te Secwepemc First Nation at the Kamloops Indian Residential School prompted the U.S. Interior Department to launch a federal investigation into hundreds of similar boarding schools in the United States.

Investigators are expected to submit a final report in April 2022, identifying the location of school facilities and possible student burial sites, as well as the names and tribal affiliations of those children who died there.

This is the first of a four-part series examining the history of the federal off-reservation boarding school system and its long-term impact on Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

It was in an abandoned Spanish fortress in Florida that a U.S. cavalry officer hatched an idea for how to solve the so-called Indian question  whether and how to assimilate Natives into American society.

Richard H. Pratt, a low-ranking cavalry officer, spent eight years on the Western frontier in charge of enlisted African American soldiers and Native American Army scouts, both of whom he believed deserved the citizenship and equal opportunities guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

But Pratt saw no value in African or Native cultures, as he made clear in an 1892 speech during a conference on social reform.

Left in Africa, surrounded by their fellow-savages, our seven millions of industrious black fellow-citizens would still be savages, he said. They became English-speaking and civilized because [they were] forced into association with English-speaking and civilized people.

By contrast, he continued, Indians had been forced onto remote reservations, far from the civilizing influence of English-speaking peoples. And it was in this speech that he cited a quote popular during the Indian wars: The only good Indian is a dead one.

In a sense, I agree with the sentiment, he said, but only in this: that all the Indian there is in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him and save the man.

The experiment

Stationed in 1875 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Pratt wanted a change, as he wrote in his memoir, Battlefield and Classroom: Four Decades with the American Indian, 1867- 1904, on which VOA has relied for much of this report.

Hearing that the Army was planning to send 72 Arapaho, Caddo, Cheyenne, Comanche and Kiowa war prisoners to Fort Marion in Florida, he wrote his commander, volunteering to escort them.

Much can and should be done to reform these young men while under this banishment, he noted.

It was a 1,000-mile journey by wagon, rail and steamboat that took nearly a month. Two prisoners died along the way  one by suicide, and the other shot while attempting escape.

Fort Marion, a grim stone citadel built by the Spanish in the 1600s, had been a U.S. Army outpost since the early 1800s. The prisoners arrived in chains and shackles and were forced to sleep on dirt floors inside dark vaulted chambers. After several prisoners became sick or died, Pratt decided to make some changes.

The 19th century was a time of social reform in America, said Sarah Hayes, professor of Philosophy and English at Seminole State College in Florida. A large new social ideology was taking form.

Hayes outlined in her 2015 doctoral dissertation Penitential Education that America had transitioned from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. The factory system brought thousands into the nations cities, leading to overcrowding and rising crime rates.

Until the early 19th century, education was only available to elite Americans, mostly boys. Now, public school systems, funded by the taxpayer, dotted the country, opening up education to all.

In 1870, members of the National Congress of Penitentiary and Reformatory Discipline met in Ohio to discuss ways in which prisons could focus on inmate reform by educating and incentivizing criminals. They concluded that prisoners should work to earn their keep, and good behavior should be rewarded with extra privileges and shortened sentences.

What I found in my archival research -- and in looking at Richard Pratt's autobiography -- is that he was heavily influenced by both the prison and educational reform movements, Hayes said.

The experiment at Fort Marion, she believes, mirrored what was going on in schools and prisons across the country.

Not long after they arrived in St. Augustine, Pratt unshackled the men and began work to transform them into soldiers, cutting their hair and issuing them military uniforms. He put them through all the rigors of military life, including daily inspections, drills and marches.

Local women set up makeshift classrooms inside the casemates, where they taught the prisoners to read, write and speak English. And, on Sundays, Pratt delivered religious sermons.

Eventually, he gave them freedoms unheard of in other prisons: he organized prisoners into a military company with sergeants and corporals, and armed them with rifles so that they could guard themselves. After some time, he allowed them to stroll armed into town.

They were being watched constantly, not just by Pratt but by everyone in St. Augustine, Hayes said. Pratt knew they had nowhere to go.

St. Augustine was a popular tourist designation, and Pratt encouraged prison visitors. The prisoners were soon polishing seed beans, large seed pods from island plants that washed ashore and selling them as souvenirs, along with the many pencil drawings they produced on army ledger books.

The men performed dances for spectators, and the Smithsonian Institute sent a sculptor to cast life masks of more than 60 prisoners, including the wife and 9-year-old daughter of Comanche Chief Black Horse, who had chosen to come with him to Florida.

Pratts memoir downplays the harshness of incarceration by emphasizing what Hayes describes as endearing anecdotes of camping, shark fishing and foot races, which he cited as evidence that hard work, discipline and Christianity could civilize the Indian.

But this was no summer camp, and discipline could be harsh. In 1876, after learning that four Kiowa inmates were planning an escape, Pratt rounded them up and ordered the fort surgeon to drug them via hypodermic syringe.

He then instructed guards to place the unconscious men into a cart and wheel them out of the fort, in full view of the other prisoners, who believed that the men were dead.

Not one of these men will ever take up arms against the Government unless driven by the grossest bad treatment, he later wrote to his commander.

From prison to school

The prisoners completed their sentences in spring 1878. While most looked forward to going home, about two dozen of the younger men asked to continue to study in the East.

Pratt arranged for a handful to live with benefactors in New York and Minnesota. He enrolled the remaining 17 at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute -- now Hampton University -- a school in Virginia founded by Army General Samuel Armstrong to educate newly freed slaves.

The Interior Department had Pratt recruit another 50 students and put him in charge of Hamptons Indian program.

But Pratt and General Armstrong clashed: while both men agreed that schooling was the answer to the Indian question, Armstrong wanted to separate Native students from Black students, which Pratt strongly opposed.

Segregating any class or race of people apart from the rest of the people kills the progress of the segregated people or makes their growth very slow, Pratt would state in 1902. Association of races and classes is necessary to destroy racism and classism.

Pratt left Hampton and spent much of 1879 lobbying for a school of his own. He asked the Interior and War department secretaries to turn over abandoned Army barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for that purpose.

Washington, still grappling with the Indian problem, did not need much convincing. In September, Pratt made two more trips West, bringing back more than 135 youths -- boys and girls -- from several tribes.

And on November 1, 1879, still waiting for shipments of food, clothing and supplies, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, the governments first off-reservation boarding school, formally opened.

In the next article in this series, VOA will examine the Carlisle School's Outing Program by which Pratt placed students in white homes and farms, to learn farming and domestic skills and be exposed to "good, wholesome, civilized life."
Former U.S. ambassador and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is heading to Myanmar on a private humanitarian mission that will focus on pandemic support, his spokesperson said Sunday.

Myanmar has been mired in violence and civil unrest since a military coup seized power in February. Protesters have faced beatings and arrests. The United States suspended a trade deal with Myanmar until a democratic government is restored in the Southeast Asian country.

Richardson said his center has a long history of supporting the people of Myanmar, but he didn't mention the coup in his trip announcement or detail who he planned to meet with while there.

"In coordination with our contacts in Myanmar, we are visiting the country to discuss pathways for the humanitarian delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, medical supplies, and other public health needs," he said in a news release.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres was aware of the mission, said Richardson spokesperson Madeleine Mahony.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately comment on the trip.

Mahony declined to say whether Richardson would also be working for the release of an American journalist who has been jailed since May 24.

Danny Fenster was detained at Yangon International Airport as he was about to board a flight to the United States. He is the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, an online magazine based in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city.

Fenster was charged with incitement  also known as sedition  for allegedly spreading false or inflammatory information. The offense is punishable by up to three years in prison.

Richardson last visited Myanmar in 2018 to advise on the Rohingya crisis. He ended up quitting an international panel set up to work on findings from a previous commission after armed forces were accused of carrying out rapes and killings of Rohingyas.

Myanmar has denied the allegations.

He has made trips to Bangladesh to visit Rohingya refugee camps. The Richardson Center has supported the distribution of personal protection equipment to Rohingya refugees following the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Richardson's official statement on this latest trip also focused on public health.

Richardson believes, his statement said, that "in moments of crisis and instability such as this one, we must ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to those most in need."

Joining the governor on the trip are Cameron Hume, former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, South Africa and Algeria; and two officials from the Richardson Center.
Seven senior U.S. military officers who last week sentenced a Guantanamo Bay detainee to 26 years in prison issued an appeal for clemency in his case, calling his torture by the CIA a "stain" on America in a letter published on Sunday.

In the first-ever public account of torture by someone detained in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Pakistani national Majid Khan told the sentencing jury how he was raped, beaten and waterboarded by CIA interrogators.

Khan was sentenced at the U.S. naval base in Cuba on Oct. 29, after pleading guilty to helping in al-Qaida plots in 2002.

But in a handwritten letter first published by The New York Times, seven of the officers on the eight-member sentencing jury denounced his treatment as "a stain on the moral fiber of America." The letter was confirmed to AFP as authentic by the military commissions at Guantanamo Bay.

"The panel members listed below recommend clemency in the case of Majid Shoukat Khan," said the officers, who included six Army and Navy officers and one Marine. They signed the letter with their juror numbers, remaining anonymous.

"Mr. Khan committed serious crimes against the U.S. and partner nations. He has plead guilty to these crimes and taken responsibility for his actions. Further, he has expressed remorse for the impact of the victims and their families," they wrote.

It is unclear what if any impact the letter may have, however remarkable the stance taken by all but one of the active duty service members on the jury.

Based on an earlier plea deal -- of which the jurors were not aware -- Khan stands to be freed as early as next year, after spending 19 years in US custody.

Khan was allowed to tell his story after agreeing not to divulge classified information. He described in a 39-page statement being tortured in Pakistan, Afghanistan and a third country following his capture in Karachi in March 2003.

"Mr. Khan was subjected to physical and psychological abuse well-beyond approved enhanced interrogation techniques," the letter said. "This abuse was of no practical value in terms of intelligence, or any other tangible benefit to U.S. interests."

The letter-writers said the youthful Khan had been a "vulnerable target for extremist recruiting," having been mourning the loss of his mother at the time.

"Now at the age of 41... he is remorseful and not a threat for future extremism," the officers said.

Khan, who grew up in Pakistan and moved to the United States at 16, attributed his decision to help al-Qaida to poor judgment.

"I'm not the young, impressionable, vulnerable kid I was 20 years ago," he told the court. "I reject al-Qaida, I reject terrorism."

His testimony on torture is supported by the U.S. Senate's own investigation of the CIA's use of torture following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Photojournalist Alfredo Cardoso died in a hospital Sunday two days after being shot in Acapulco, the second Mexican journalist to be killed during the week, a international journalism group said.

Jan Albert Hootsen, Mexico's representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, reported Cardoso's death, saying he had direct confirmation from Cardoso's family.

Prosecutors in Acapulco said Friday that Cardoso, who worked for a news portal, had been found sitting on a city street with gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital. According to the National Union of Press Editors and information from the family relayed by CPJ, Cardoso had been taken from his home earlier Friday by armed men.

On Thursday, reporter Fredy Lopez Arevalo, who contributed to several local, national and foreign media outlets, was shot to death when he arrived at his home in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas state.

During the first three years of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration, 47 journalists and 94 human rights defenders have been slain in Mexico, according to data offered in early October by the the undersecretary of human rights, population and migration, Alejandro Encinas.

Mexico is the most violent country in the Western Hemisphere for journalism, according to CPJ, a New York-based press protection group.
Among the thousands of Afghans evacuated to the United States in recent months, several hundred are being relocated to the southeastern state of North Carolina, where preparations are in full swing to help them adjust to new lives in America.

Time is of the essence, according to Marsha Hirsch, executive director of the Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency (CRRA), based in Charlotte, North Carolina's largest city.

"It's always our hope that after the 90 days, someone [a refugee] is employed, so that the case can move forward to financial self-sufficiency, paying their own rent, taking ESL [English as a Second Language] classes, enrolling the children in school," Hirsch told VOA. "So, we try to accomplish all of those tasks in 90 days."

Like many refugees, the relocated Afghans fled war and upheaval as the Taliban swiftly came to power in the final days of the U.S. military withdrawal from the country. Unlike most refugees, nearly all Afghan evacuees already had some connection to the United States, having been on U.S. payrolls during America's 20-year war in Afghanistan or related to someone who was.

"Almost everybody [who] was given this visa [to come to America] had to work with the United States in some capacity, of course with their relatives," said Omer Omer, director of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' Raleigh, North Carolina field office.

Omer noted that some Afghan evacuees have already arrived in North Carolina, with more to come from U.S. military bases where they have been temporarily housed. Some arrive as family units, others as individuals.

"I expect we'll start to get larger numbers," he said. "So, we are really bracing ourselves."

Adjusting to American life

Helping Afghans reestablish themselves in the United States requires a holistic approach that begins with a basic need  being able to support themselves and their families.

"We have a full employment program, and we are very big about this one," Omer said. "We work intensively, analyzing these people [arriving refugees] and finding their potential. First, we want to make sure that they work and pay for their bills, but after that, we come to the next evaluation and in this phase, we allow them to make use of the skills, like gaining a certification for a mid-level technical job or taking extra courses."

Some challenges Americans are all too familiar with are also stumbling blocks for Afghan evacuees, including housing.

"We are facing housing issues, not affordable housing  housing period. There is no housing!" Omer told VOA. "It is our responsibility to do a good job as a community and prepare them. So in the meantime, finding the capacity of space is one of our biggest challenges."

In Charlotte, CRRA is networking with local institutions, including community colleges and companies based in the city.

"We have relationships with lots of employers where refugees whom we have welcomed find jobs to become self-sufficient. Relatedly, while we don't offer ESL programs, we partner with the local community college to offer refugees English language lessons," Hirsch said. "The college also offers a wide variety of programming for gaining certifications in other sectors and ultimately forging career paths for refugees."

Community response

Afghans have arrived at a time of contentious debate regarding U.S.-bound immigration. A majority of North Carolinian voters twice opted for former President Donald Trump, who dramatically cut the number of refugees admitted to the United States.

But Hirsch sees a welcoming environment for Afghans arriving in the state.

"I would have to say from our office's point of view, it hasn't been our experience that people have been hostile to this process [accepting and resettling Afghan refugees]," she said. On the contrary, she praised "the outpouring of support that has inundated the office, from calls to emails, and people even stopping by with donations."

While expressing concerns about uncontrolled migration to America's southern border, Charlotte resident Karina Gauthier is among those who want to put out the welcome mat for Afghan evacuees, all of whom came to the United States legally.

A mother of two adult children, Gauthier has lived in the Charlotte area for many years and works for a local nonprofit organization.

"In general, I welcome new migrants into the Charlotte area, I believe they make our city more interesting and richer in culture. I've recently been thinking about volunteering helping them [Afghans] to adjust, but I have so little time right now," Gauthier told VOA.


Pakistan's government and an outlawed radical Islamist party Sunday reached an agreement to end a 10-day long  and at times deadly violent  rally calling for the closure of France's embassy and the release of the party's leader.

Neither Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi nor religious leader Mufti Muneebur Rehman, who took part in the talks, gave any details of the agreement at a news conference in the capital Islamabad.

Thousands of supporters of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party marched from Lahore on Oct. 22 toward the capital Islamabad. They demanded the expulsion of France's envoy to Pakistan over publication of caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad in France. The protest march saw supporters clash with police at several points along the way.

At least seven police officers and four demonstrators were killed.

"Details and positive results of the agreement will come before the nation in a week or so," said Rehman, who said he had the endorsement of TLP party leader Saad Rizvi.

The violence erupted a day after the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan said it would not accept the Islamists' demand to close the French Embassy and expel the French envoy.

It wasn't immediately clear Sunday when the party would end its rally. Thousands of supporters halted their march in Wazirabad, about 185 kilometers (115 miles) from the capital Friday after roads and bridges ahead of them were blocked. Paramilitary rangers were deployed to stop the protesters from continuing toward the capital.

Sajid Saifi, TLP spokesman, said supporters were ready to "pack up" but were awaiting instructions from the party's leadership. He said he hoped party leader Saad Rizvi and all the supporters arrested in recent days would be released soon.

Besides demanding expulsion of the French ambassador, the TLP was also pressing for the release of its leader, Rizvi, who was arrested last year for inciting supporters to stage an anti-France protest.

Rizvi's party started demanding the expulsion of French envoy in October 2020 after French President Emmanuel Macron tried to defend caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad as freedom of expression. Macron's comments came after a young Muslim beheaded a French school teacher who had shown the caricatures in class. The images were republished by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to mark the opening of the trial over the deadly 2015 attack against the publication for the original caricatures.

Rizvi's party gained prominence in Pakistan's 2018 elections, campaigning on the single issue of defending the country's blasphemy law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard challenges Monday to a Texas law that imposes a near total ban on abortion after six weeks.

The Republican-backed Texas law bars abortions once cardiac activity has been detected in an embryo, which typically happens at six weeks  a point when some women are not yet aware they are pregnant.

The law also allows members of the public to sue people who may have facilitated an abortion after six weeks, taking enforcement out of the hands of state officials.

The justices heard separate challenges to the law from President Joe Biden's administration and from abortion providers.

In their questioning of lawyers appearing before the court Monday, the justices suggested the law's atypical enforcement structure could be problematic.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked whether defendants who are sued under the law could ever get a "full airing" of the constitutional claims on the right to an abortion. The law allows defendants to bring up such claims only after they have been sued.

Barrett was one of five conservative justices who allowed the Texas law to take effect while legal challenges to it played out in court.

Brett Kavanaugh, another of the justices who let the law take effect, also raised potential problems with its unusual structure. He said the law "exploited" a "loophole" in court precedent in how it is enforced with lawsuits. He raised the possibility that the court could "close that loophole."

Liberal Justice Elena Kagan said the law was written by "some geniuses" to evade legal principles.

In the cases brought before the Supreme Court Monday, the justices are not directly considering the constitutionality of the right to an abortion.

Abortion rights, however, were part of arguments made to the court by lawyers challenging the Texas law.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said the Texas law "clearly violates" Supreme Court precedents, referring to Roe v. Wade, the decades-old ruling that gives women the right to an abortion in most circumstances. The 1973 Supreme Court decision recognizes a constitutional right to an abortion before a fetus is viable, typically around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The high court is being closely watched on issues of abortion after it allowed the restrictive Texas law to take effect in September.

The court became more conservative under President Donald Trump, who appointed three justices to the nine-seat bench. Conservatives now hold a 6-3 majority.

The court scheduled oral arguments for December 1 to hear a case concerning a Mississippi state law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. That case directly asks justices to overturn Roe v. Wade.

A poll released by Monmouth University in September found that 62% of Americans believe abortion should either always be legal or be legal with some limitations. Twenty-four percent said it should be illegal except in rare circumstances such as rape, while 11% said it should always be illegal.

Some information in this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters.


Two different groups fighting Ethiopias central government said they had seized control of towns Sunday as the prime minister appealed for citizens to take up arms.

The spreading conflict threatens to further destabilize Africas second-most-populous nation, once considered a stable Western ally in a volatile region.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged citizens to join the fight against the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, or the TPLF, the party in control of the rebellious northern region of Tigray, after Tigrayan forces said they took another town on a highway linking the capital of the landlocked nation to the port of Djibouti.

Our people should march...with any weapon and resources they have to defend, repulse and bury the terrorist TPLF, Abiy said in a Facebook post Sunday night.

Claims of gains

TPLF spokesperson Getachew Reda said Tigrayan forces have seized the town of Kombolcha and its airport in the Amhara region. He spoke to Reuters by phone from an unknown location.

On Sunday night, insurgents from Oromiya, Ethiopias most populous region, said they had also seized the town of Kemise, 53 kilometers south of Kombolcha on the same highway to the capital Addis Ababa.

Odaa Tarbii, a spokesperson for the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), said the group had taken Kemise, 325 kilometers from Addis Ababa, and were engaging government forces.

The OLA is an outlawed splinter group of the Oromo Liberation Front, a formerly banned opposition group that returned from exile after Abiy took office in 2018. The Oromo are Ethiopias largest ethnic group; many of their political leaders have been imprisoned under Abiys government.

In August, the OLA and the TPLF announced a military alliance, heaping pressure on the central government.

Central government spokesperson Legesse Tulu, Ethiopian military spokesperson Col. Getnet Adane and Amhara regional spokesperson Gizachew Muluneh did not immediately respond requests for comment on the TPLF and the OLAs claims.

Reuters could not independently verify Getachews claim as phone lines in Kombolcha appeared to be down Sunday. Reuters could not reach anyone in Kemise.

On Sunday, the Amhara regional government said in a statement all government institutions must suspend their regular activities and should direct their budget and all their resources to the survival campaign.... officials on every level should mobilize and lead...to the front.

They announced a curfew of 8 p.m. and urged citizens to provide private vehicles to support the campaign.

Yearlong war

War broke nearly a year ago between federal troops and the TPLF, which dominated Ethiopian politics for nearly three decades before Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was appointed in 2018. The conflict has killed thousands of civilians and forced more than two million people to flee their homes.

Tigrayan forces were initially beaten back, but recaptured most of Tigray in July. They then pushed into the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, displacing hundreds of thousands more civilians.

Regional forces from Amhara have fought alongside the military in Tigray. The two regions of Amhara and Tigray have a long-running boundary dispute over farmland in Western Tigray, currently under the control of the Amhara administration.

In mid-October, the Tigrayan forces said the military had mounted an offensive to push them out of Amhara. The military has accused the Tigrayan forces of starting the recent round of fighting.

Tigrayan forces have said they will keep fighting until Amhara forces leave the heavily fortified area of Western Tigray, and until the government permits the free movement of aid into the rest of Tigray.

The United Nations has previously accused the government of a de facto blockade of Tigray, where the U.N. says around 400,000 people are living in famine conditions. The government denies blocking aid.




U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday called the more than five million COVID-19 deaths a global shame, and a reminder that much of the world is being failed by vaccine inequities.

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Monday that the global death toll from the COVID pandemic reached over five million, just four months after the four million death milestone.

In a statement, Guterres said these deaths are not just numbers on a page. They are mothers and fathers. Brothers and sisters. Daughters and sons. Family, friends and colleagues. Lives cut short by a merciless virus that respects no borders. COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus.

He said the devastating milestone is a reminder that while wealthy countries are rolling out third booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, only about 5 percent of people in Africa are fully vaccinated.

The U.N chief urged world leaders to fully support the Global Vaccination Strategy he launched last month with the World Health Organization, and, through funding and vaccine donations, help meet the goal of inoculating 40 percent of people in all countries by the end of this year  and 70 percent by mid-2022.

He said, The best way to honor those five million people lost.... is to make vaccine equity a reality by accelerating our efforts and ensuring maximum vigilance to defeat this virus.

Meanwhile, Monday marks the easing of travel restrictions in Australia for its citizens and permanent residents who will no longer be subjected to a two-week quarantine when re-entering the country. Australians will also be able to leave the country without getting special permission.

Thailand began allowing fully vaccinated tourists into the country Monday. Thailands economy has been pummeled by the tourist restrictions prompted by the pandemic.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that although she is fully vaccinated, she has contracted COVID-19, adding that she is exhibiting only mild symptoms and is in quarantine. Members of her household have also tested positive, she said in a Twitter post Sunday.

Psaki did not travel to Europe with U.S. President Joe Biden, who attended the recent G-20 summit of world leaders in Rome, Italy and then flew to Glasgow, Scotland for a conference on climate change.

British health care workers began their scheme Monday to visit more than 800 schools to inoculate youngsters, 12-to-15 years old, with COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccines Minister Maggie Throup said, Thanks to the dedication of NHS (National Health Service) vaccine teams, we are making it as simple as possible for parents or guardians to book COVID-19 vaccines for their children.

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said Monday that nearly 7 billion vaccines have been administered worldwide.
The White House COVID-19 response team said Monday it is anticipating final approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is prepared to administer the first vaccines to U.S. children ages 5-11 later this week.

Last Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave emergency approval for the distribution of childrens doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The CDCs advisory committee will consider the childrens doses of the vaccine for approval on Tuesday.

But during the White House COVID-19 briefing Monday, response coordinator Jeff Zients said the White House has been preparing for this moment for weeks. He said almost two weeks ago officials reached out to states and took their initial orders for the vaccine.

The FDAs announcement Friday prompted the White House to begin sending the childrens doses of the vaccine to pediatricians, pharmacies and community health centers all over the country. Zients said, pending CDC approval, the first children will get their initial vaccinations perhaps as early as Wednesday, and certainly by the end of the week.

He said by this time next week - the week of Nov. 7 - the children vaccination program will be fully up and running across the country. Zients said again, the White House has procured 28 million childrens doses of the Pfizer vaccine, enough for every child between the ages of 5 and 11 in the United States.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky offered assurance the CDC advisory committee will conduct a comprehensive, fair and open review of the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine for children. She said the vaccine, once approved, will be an important tool for protecting children from the virus that causes COVID-19. Walensky added that the best protection for children is surrounding them with vaccinated adults.

Walensky said that while, as of Monday, 70 percent of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated, there are still 60 million U.S. residents who are unvaccinated. She urged anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so.
More than 100 world leaders gathered for a summit Monday as work begins at a two-week U.N. climate conference, with areas of focus expected to include pledges for emissions targets and funding to help developing nations cope with impacts from climate change.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is serving as host of the conference in Glasgow, Scotland, stressed the urgency of acting, saying humanity has waited for too long.

"If we dont get serious about climate change today, it will be too late for our children to do so tomorrow," Johnson said.

John Kerry, the U.S. climate envoy, told reporters ahead of Mondays summit that goals for the conference include raising global ambition very significantly, and for countries to commit to what he called a decade of action in order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Kerry also highlighted the need to deal with the financial aspect of climate change, both the deployment of committed funds and helping developing nations with the damage they suffer.

We also know that theres real loss and damage out there, that there are nation-states that are talking about where their people are going to move because the sea level is rising. There are areas where people can no longer live. And there are migrants moving around the planet as a consequence of the destruction of habitat, Kerry said. I dont think you can galvanize the kind of global action that you need to be able to accomplish our goals if we're not being sensitive and thoughtful about people up and down the economic food chain and people who have done nothing, in most cases, to contribute to the problem.

The climate summit follows a meeting of G-20 leaders in Rome where they agreed to work to reach carbon neutrality by around mid-century" and pledged to end financing for coal plants abroad by the end of this year, but failed to agree on phasing out coal domestically.

While I welcome the #G20s recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled  but at least they are not buried, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter.

The leaders issued their final communique Sunday at the end of a two-day summit.

They also addressed efforts to reach the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, in line with a global commitment made in 2015 with the Paris Climate Accord to keep global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5 degrees.

We recognize that the impacts of climate change at 1.5C are much lower than at 2C. Keeping 1.5C within reach will require meaningful and effective actions and commitment by all countries, the communique said.

U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking at a press conference in Rome on Sunday, said while people were disappointed that Russia and China leaders didnt show up with commitments about climate change, the leaders who did attend made significant progress.

I think you are going to see we have made significant progress and more has to be done, he said. Its going to require us to continue to focus on what Chinas not doing, what Russia is not doing and what Saudi Arabia is not doing.

The grouping of 19 countries and the European Union accounts for more than three-quarters of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions.

In October, two dozen countries joined a U.S.- and EU-led effort to slash methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.

Coal, though, is a bigger point of contention. G-20 members China and India have resisted attempts to produce a declaration on phasing out domestic coal consumption.

Climate financing, namely pledges from wealthy nations to provide $100 billion a year to support developing countries efforts to reduce emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change, is another key concern. Indonesia, a large greenhouse gas emitter that will take over the G-20 presidency in December, urged developed countries to fulfill their financing commitments both in Rome and in Glasgow.

Some information in this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa arrived in Scotland last night amid pomp and fanfare and protests by some Zimbabweans, accusing him of human rights violations.

In a series of tweets, Information Secretary Nick Mangwana said, Zim1 safely in Scotland  Tonight there is a massive welcome party held in honour of HE President @edmnangagwa. Glasgow is the place to be as Zimbabweans from all corners of the UK attend this shindig and welcome their President. The party will spill over to the streets tomorrow. In the UK? Join the party.

Mangwana claimed that many Zimbabweans were on their way to Scotland from various parts of the United Kingdom to welcome the Zimbabwean president.

In a tweet with a photograph featuring three women dressed in Zimbabwean flag colors, Mangwana said, Comrades and friends are still arriving in Scotland. Here they are seen with Scottish MP, Maggie Chapman, who made raves when she took her oath in Shona to show she still has links with Zimbabwe. Good to see her adorning the beautiful scarf.

Most Zanu PF officials and supporters are dressed in Zimbabwean colors, including scarfs similar to the one always donned by Mnangagwa.

But some organizations, including the Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe, Zapu, and others protested against Mnangagwas invitation to the United National Climate Change Conference or COP26, claiming that he has not opened the democratic space in the southern African nation.

Panyika Karimanzira, spokesperson of the Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe, said, The whole point of our demonstration is that we want to tell the world about how evil Mnangagwa is  We will be telling the world about his atrocious human rights record starting from Gukurahundi genocide of the 80s up to today and also all the atrocities that he committed, the murders he committed over the years. We will also tell the world about his corruption and the lack of rule of law in Zimbabwe, his lack of respect of human rights and his cronyism and all his bad policies that have caused the economy to crush and forced the Zimbabwean population to suffer so much. So, we are here to tell the world about the true story of Zimbabwe and how evil Mnangagwa is 

Mnangagwa has publicly said the late former President Robert Mugabe was accountable for the Gukurahundi atrocities of the 1980s in which an estimated 20,000 people were killed in Matabeleland and the Midlands province by the Fifth Brigade.

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Mangwana said Zimbabwe has some specific programs for tackling air pollution.

Of the countries at #COP26 Zimbabwe has one of the most ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. This is in spite of being a net carbon sink Nation.

He said Zimbabwes current emission mitigation plans in the energy sector include the reduction of transmission loss from 18% to 11% by 2025, expansion of solar to 300MW by 2025, addition of 4.1MW biogas capacity by 2024, 12% efficiency saving in agriculture by 2030 and 8% efficiency savings in mining.

Mangwana further noted that Zimbabwes response to reducing greenhouse gases also include the introduction of carbon tax on all fuel, diesel and petrol imports, to ensure the importation of fuel with ethanol, and the protection of the countrys national parks and wetlands, which act as carbon sinks.

He noted that there is need for financial resources for Zimbabwe and other developing nations to achieve these goals.

For the Developing Countries to be able to meet the needs of adaptation and mitigation programmes that slow down climate change, they would need to be financed and these should not be loans but grants. This is our world together. We are the smallest emitters yet biggest victims.
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Red River new mexico (42.3 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Sitting in cabin and felt shaking. Got slightly stronger and then went away quickly. Lamps and items rattled. We stepped outside wondering if theres been an explosion and others came out also asking if wed felt it. Most definitely felt it! | One user found this interesting.

42 Manuel Martinez rd , el Prado NM sitting at hom (66.1 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 2-5 s : Seemed like the windows were going to explode. Initially thought house had been hit by 200mph wind gust only to find it calm outside

Upper Valley, Red River, NM 87558 (43.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Similar to other earthquakes I have felt. It had an initial "bump" with a sustained shaking/vibration. Longest duration I have experienced. You definitely could feel it. A vibration similar to a huge or massive dump truck or tank driving by our mountain c

Angel Fire, Colfax, New Mexico (51.7 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : lateral jolt to house initiated from the east. Resembled a large truck banging into the house. no obvious vertical movement detected

Springer NM (51 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : Little bit of rattling caught me, the dog & the cat's attention. Then it felt like the entire (adobe) house jerked. Maxwell,N.M. felt one side of house shake. / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short

87512 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / very short : Weirdness of the unknown! ! It was very quick but I felt like the floor had.something walking under it!

Ranchos De Taos / not felt : Watching scary movies in the house, no earthquake felt. Watching the Lost Boys and reference was The Big One.

Rio Rancho, NM USA / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s Reading in living room. Felt a thumper like sensation in seat. Looked up to notice outside trees looking violently shook. Dogs absolutely went bug-nuts in entire neighborhood again. Hard. Violent but brief. Huge crack widened in back wall. (reported through (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

87505 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Mostly heard/felt low rumbling for a few seconds, very low shaking while I was sitting in my basement apartment.

Trinidad, Colorado / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating : It felt like something was shaking underneath the loveseat that my husband and I were sitting on. A violent shaking, we accused each other of doing it. Then, realized it must have been an earthquake.

Arroyo Seco / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Felt like a vertical jolt. Very brief, but caused the viga/plank ceiling to creak. I lived in L.A. for 2 decades, so have a reference for these events.

Red River, NM, Bittercreek / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Whole house shook, decks shook and creaked, cat wasnt impressed. 3-5 mins later, very, very suttle vibrations lasting about 5 secs.

La Lama, New Mexico (60.9 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Questa (58.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / not felt

Raton (37.7 km E of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : None

La Lama, New Mexico (60.9 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

La sauses co, 81151 (92.6 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

David Fulton (37 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Weak shake

Angel Fire, New Mexico (49.7 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

2939 Hwy 434 Angel fire N.M. 87710 (55.6 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Weak shaking, inside dog ran around barking and was scared.

Cabresto Canyon, Questa, NM (53.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I heard the cabin walls and floor creaking for a couple of seconds.

On El Salto Road, 1.95 miles above the village of (59.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Sideways Shaking and thumping noise

Angel Fire, Colfax, New Mexico (51.9 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : Couch shook.

unspecified (48.8 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Springer

Southwest Colfax County, New Mexico, Highway 120 (54.9 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : House felt like someone hit it. Sofa shook.

unspecified (51 km SE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Laying in bed and the bed was shaking

Red River (42.9 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Trinidad, Las Animas, Colorado (59.8 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Laying on the couch. Felt shaking in the house.

Red river New Mexico (43.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was laying in bed and i felt the whole room shaking

San luis (82.2 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short : Laying in bed. The bed moved side to side 2 times.

La Lama, New Mexico (60.9 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Costilla / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Sitting down with a vibration to small shake

Arroyo Seco / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : I was lying in bed, and felt it shake mildly from side to side. Our bedsprings were creaking.

20200 State Highway 12 / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Cimarron / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / very short

questa, nm / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : Felt like wind shaking hose, but no wind.

uite park / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : loud rumble and vibration increasing to shaking and very loud boom lasted 6 to 8 sec

Valdez / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Upper deck of plant pots shaking outside while sitting underneath - sounded like loud stomping

Upper Valley, Red River, NM. Watching the World Se / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Thought that tree/trees had fallen nearby.

Arroyo Seco, New Mexicxo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : We were in bed, and our upstairs started to shake. Pictures on walls banged, and then just stopped.

Eagle nest / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Up stairs thought a car had hit our house

Cimarron NM / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Raton NM / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s (reported through our app / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : My mobile home shaking as if someone was pushing it back and forth.

Angel Fire, NM / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 10-15 s

Lama 4 miles south of Questa NM / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : a jolt. bottles on shelf shakc

Arroyo Seco / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : lateral house shift and a strange noise

Red River, NM / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 5-10 s

Amalia, NM / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Red river nm 87558 / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s

Valdez NM / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Angel Fire, NM / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : We felt our 3 story condominium shake for a few seconds.

MAXWELL,NM / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : It felt like a huge gust of wind the it felt like the wall and floor had moved.

Questa / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s

El Prado, NM / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : Short period of vibratory feeling then a large bump felt throughout a large structure.

Eagle Nest NM / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s

Red River NM upper valley / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Valdez,NM / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating : Multiple very short waves

Valdez, NM 87580 / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Hard initial bump followed by a few seconds of rattling/shaking

Cimarron, Nm / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Slight shake like if a gust of wind hit the house

Cerro, NM / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : Our house gently shook for approximately 7 seconds.

Vallecitos, NM / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Angel Fire, NM / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s
Photo: FX/gilga.com

After a long, long, loooong hiatus, Atlanta appears to finally be coming back to FX. Donald Glover tweeted the news sneakily October 31, dropping a link to gilga.com which (during the hours of 8 p.m. 3 a.m.) allows visitors to click around and find a teaser trailer for new Paperboi pathos. The trailer uses the Sun Ra track Its After the End of the World to really lay on the malaise, as we see artistic shots of  something. Something very trenchantly observed, no doubt. The only lead character depicted in the spot is Brian Tyree Henrys Paperboi, looking morose in a sweater that says FAKE in an extremely schmancy room. Two servants (?) appear to be facing the gold-papered walls.

Atlanta seasons three and four were announced on Disneys Investor Day in December of 2020. Back then, the company assured us that Atlanta would be back in 2021. But now were looking at a debut in 2022. Season three of Atlanta was filmed in Europe, which explains all the canals and neoclassical statues in the teaser.
Insecure Growth, Okay?! Season 5 Episode 2 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: Merie Weismiller Wallace/HBO

If last weeks reveal that Issa and Lawrence are done for good because of Condolas pregnancy wasnt enough to show you that Insecure doesnt plan to hold back in its final season, the opening of Growth, Okay?! might do the trick. The episode starts with a time-lapse of Molly and Issas lives in Los Angeles, their apartments and calendars filling up with the detritus of their lives. Then, out of nowhere, we get a title card: One Year Later. We in the future yall!

Heres the new status quo: Molly has a cute new haircut and a new zen approach to her life. Shes killing it at work (in an absolutely stunning all-blue number) and finally getting along with her work nemesis Torian. Issas finally seeing real success with her company The Blocc, with the help of assistant Quoia. And shes even hosting a book even for Britt Bennetts The Vanishing Half, to the delight of one, particularly overeager fan. But the headline news is that Molly and Issa are back to their old selves and their friendship is back on track. Theyve reintegrated themselves into each others lives  Molly even spends the night at Issas place so frequently that Issas bought her her own pillow  If you gon keep spending the night, I want you to be comfortable. Also, your head kept deflating mine. Its the thought that counts.

Elsewhere, Issa and Nathan are still very much in each others orbit. Theyre working together to plan an anniversary event for Nathans barbershop and dancing around their obvious attraction to each other. A work dinner suddenly becomes a date when the mood lighting kicks in, but neither is brave enough to go for it. Theres obviously more to come for those two, but its nice to see the equilibrium theyve achieved between them.

Molly, on the other hand, is wholly focused on herself. Shes getting her mind right and her parents affairs in order by (aggressively) nudging them to call an estate planner and sort out their will. Their shortlist written in pencil on a notepad page isnt cutting it. But Mollys parents have other things on their minds. They want grandbabies or at least a wedding, and theyre not quiet about it. Her mother tries to hook her up with a dorky old family friend who reworks trap songs for the Lord. Molly isnt impressed. She tells her mother that shes not pressed to be dating at the moment, and for once, it actually seems to be true. We can only assume that she stuck with therapy in the year that we missed, so it stands to reason that shes been doing the work to make sure shell be a good partner when shes ready.

Big things are happening for Issa and The Blocc. She and Quoia are presenting to partner with water brand NBW to sponsor a community fashion show for a formerly incarcerated designer named Crenshawn, played by the dazzlingly attractive Kofi Siriboe. His fashion comments on the prison system, and he employs other formerly incarcerated artists. Issas passionate about Crenshawns work, but the conservatively minded executive Seth is a little gunshy about spending so much money on an untested artist. They initially want to replace him with more established designers who feel like less of a gamble to them. But Issa insists that they stick with Crenshawn because hes from the community, in keeping with the ethos of The Blocc. Its an awkward little scene reminiscent of Lawrences Woot Woot pitch from a few seasons back. Everyone knows whats really happening, but no one wants to say the words out loud. And now, theres the added hurdle of acting as the interlocutor between a black artist and a white corporation. Thankfully, Issa doesnt plan to let it stand. She meets Molly and her place for dinner and updates her on all things related to Nathan and The Blocc. And Molly wisely advises her to go over the white execs head to his boss to address her concerns. With that out of the way, Molly introduces Issa to Herbet, the trap gospel preacher her mother is trying to set her up with. His daddy cute. Show me him. Lets just say Issa is not impressed!

Prompted by her mothers nagging, Molly decides to rejoin the dating world via apps. When she reopens her old profile, she realizes that her previous list of qualifications really was too restrictive. As she tries to update the app for where is in her life now, were treated to a cringeworthy little montage of her past relationships, right up to last years breakup with Andrew. Mollys relationship foibles have been a topic of conversation for as long as Insecure has been on the air. As harsh as it is to see them all lined up next to each other like that, its good to know that Mollys finally reached the point in her personal growth where she can reflect on her mistakes and see herself for the way she really was. But it remains to be seen what shell actually do about it.

Taking Mollys advice, Issa reaches out to Seths boss Nadia about keeping Crenshawn in the show. But, Nadia surprises her by inviting Seth to join them. Issa makes a case for keeping Crenshawn in the show, fighting hard to keep her vision intact. But in service of keeping the partnership going, she agrees to notes from NBW that amount to gutting the soul of Crenshawns presentation. Performance artists? Gone. Low riders? Gone. Drummers? Also gone. Crenshawn isnt pleased, but Issa manages to talk him down off the ledge.

On the other side of town, Molly calls her mother to apologize for bugging her about her estate planning. She tells her that she knows shes been intense and wants to address her behavior when she recognizes it. Her mother says that no apology is needed but promises to give the estate planner a call. Its a nice little scene that shows how much Molly has actually grown. She was so resistant to therapy the first time around, but now it seems like shes actually implementing the lessons shes learned and making meaningful changes in her life. Its long overdue, but its nice to see.

The day of Crenshawns event arrives, and Issa is setting up at the California African American Museum. Things are going well until Quoia alerts her that Crenshawn has put all parts they cut from the show back in and didnt bother to give her a heads up. Issa is pissed because shes afraid it will endanger The Bloccs partnership with NBW, but Crenshawn doesnt want to compromise his vision to answer to a brand and accuses her of being a sellout. When the show starts, its a brash, beautiful, in-your-face presentation with a political message. Sitting in the front row, Seth looks deeply uncomfortable, and Issa is sure that her career is over.

But, plot twist: Seth is blown away by Crenshawns vision. He thanks her for pushing him out of his comfort zone and says hed love to be part of future projects with The Blocc. Issa is relieved, but she knows that the win isnt hers. Her guilt is written all over her face. Is she a sellout? Or did she make the smart choice by asking Crenshawn to take the notes? Its pretty clear how he feels about it, but now Issa has to figure out how to navigate situations like this in the future. This wont be the last time shell have to choose between an artist and a brand. But at least Molly is having a better night. After the show, she goes on a date at a gorgeous restaurant. Fingers crossed it goes well.

Unwinding from the tension of the night, Issa invites Nathan to come over to her place to hang. When it gets late and he makes a move to leave for the night, Issa invites him to stay the night wink wink. But after they climb into bed and Nathan leans over for a kiss, Issa bursts into tears. He consoles her as she cries, but when she wakes up later in the night, hes gone. Awkward. So much for that, it seems. Theres no telling where things between them will go next.

Weeks Best Woot Woots

 Yall wrote yalls will in pencil?  Molly

 You can take it from day to night with a blazer. I mean, its day right now, but itll be night later.  Quoia

 How many bitches make a bevy? Seven.  Issa/Molly

 Bitch have you lost your mind? Dasani? We NBW gang now.  Issa

 Why ex-cons gotta be so fine. I mean, I knew, but I didnt know know. I mean lock me up and send me to his jail.  Quoia

Join Insecure stars Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji for a live pre-union at Vulture Festival on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
Succession The Disruption Season 3 Episode 3 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: Macall Polay/HBO

Kendall Roy believes himself to be media-savvy. In the lunch interview that opens this gut punch of an episode, he cheekily offers a journalist the lede to her own profile of him: Kendall Roy ordered the fennel salad and picked at it inquisitively. Its a pretty good guess, actually, given the long tradition of tortured scene-setting that accompanies profiles of important people. And he wants her and her readers to know that hes not fazed by the negative press his actions have drummed up. Of the nickname Oedipussy, he says, rather wanly, It doesnt hurt now. This is what it means to be in the public arena, and not only is he prepared to take a few hits, hes ready to step right into oncoming traffic.

The text and subtext of Kendalls behavior in The Disruption  all suggested so beautifully by Jeremy Strong, who is locked into this character  is a complex fusion of strategy, egotism, and childlike neediness and vulnerability thats simultaneously pathetic and heartbreaking. One correct thing that Kendall understands about the modern-media (and social-media) ecosystem is that it rewards people who keep themselves in the conversation, even if everyone is dunking on them. When a television host mocks one of his tweets (We must overthrow the culture of corruption that silences women) for fake wokeness, hes right to believe that it amplifies his relevance more than it damages his reputation. Just ask any Republican politician if getting called out for their hypocrisies via quote-tweet or Daily Show segment has ruined their careers.

But theres a lot more to it than that. He has a compulsion to appear bulletproof to the public and the people in his inner circle, to be the good sport who doesnt mind having bad tweets shouted out in the limo and is willing to appear on the late-night show (hosted by Ziwe) thats attacking him the most vociferously. (His communications people dont love it, but he waves them off.) Yet theres a part of him that feels he deserves it because hes living with the guilt of knowing exactly what happened on those cruise ships, just like his father and siblings, and his addiction once resulted in a mans death, which was subsequently covered up. He has talked about exposing his father as a cleansing, but he can never feel clean, even when he generously offers himself up for a broadcast lashing.

As with everything, though, Kendalls feelings circle back to his father  as do Romans, as do Shivs. The episode after Kendalls failed attempt to forge unity against this common enemy, theyve all returned to hurting each other badly over a man who has alternately betrayed, neglected, and manipulated them their entire lives. Now that theyre manning opposing battle stations in the hullabaloo over the cruises scandal, Kendall and Shiv, in particular, are landing blows far more devastating than any well-aimed tweet or talk-show monologue ever could. Theyre siblings. They know where the soft spots are.

For Shiv, its the reminder that shes sold herself out completely. Back when she had no role in Waystar whatsoever, she could freelance as the cool, liberal-minded Roy, someone who could offer wisdom (and access) to progressive politicians and who would surely be calling for justice for sexual-assault victims on cruise lines. Now shes appearing at a benefit specifically to get a read on Kendall and discourage him from coming back to his office in corporate headquarters. They made you get all dressed up for this? Kendall asks with a smile before coming in for the kill. Its you now. Im sorry for you, Siobhan.

Still, its debatable the extent to which Kendall means to hurt Shiv, specifically when he turns up the day of the town hall event and has the Nirvana song Rape Me piped into the room. She feels less like a target here than collateral damage, the victim of a well-timed prank intended to remind everyone at the company (and beyond) what this less-than-open, PR-managed event is intended to cover up. That it is essentially Shivs splashy debut as the president of domestic whatever-the-hell was probably lost on him, or maybe he doesnt have a great sense of whether hes gone too far anymore. Her ambition  the thing she sold out for  is to run this company someday, and hes humiliating her.

Hell hath no fury like a Roy scorned. The open letter Shiv drafts in response to Kendalls behavior  loaded with fake concern over his addiction and this inventory of personal faults (drug addict, serial liar, absentee father, history of problematic relations with women, etc.)  isnt even as clever or well-calculated as his IED at the town hall meeting. Even Roman, who comes about his sycophancy to Logan more naturally, wants nothing to do with the statement, nor does Connor, who calls it a Times New Roman firing squad. Shiv issues the letter anyway, timed to undercut a TV appearance and phrased so that Kendall cannot laugh it off. It breaks him.

Logan presides over all this drama with a smug imperiousness. Hes interested most in how his childrens actions might affect him, of course, but theres a sadistic part of him that enjoys watching them fight. These are the pit bulls that hes trained, and now he has a ringside seat for the dogfighting match. When Roman turns up in his office late in the episode, Logan nods his head in appreciation of Romuluss refusal to sign Shivs open letter  not because the letter was unduly nasty to his favorite son, but because not signing it was the prudent thing to do. He then asks about the Montana fly-fishing trip, the cherished memory that Roman half-whispers after rejecting other softball questions about his warm relationship with his father.

It was actually Connor who took him fishing, Roman says. A single, multiuse childhood memory. If he and his siblings ever win that coveted kiss from Daddy, it will be the first.

Sad Sack Wasp Traps

 Open the kimono is an unfortunate rhetorical flourish under the best of circumstances, let alone the prelude to an interview around sexual misconduct at your familys company.

 Gerris start as acting CEO in a nutshell: (1) Tells Carl to move forward on the purchase of an Israeli machine-learning operation. (2) Carl nods and takes the idea to Logan. (3) Logan says kill the deal.

 A full-page apology starting with the slogan We Get It seems like a reference to a specific incident of real-world corporate penance, but it may be a case where it sounds like all of them. Hugo thinks its quite funky, but Roman and Shiv feast on it like animals. Roman: We get it  a bit like those ladies on the cruise ship got it? Shiv: We get it already. Stop moaning about the rapes.

 Logans legal strategy of telling the authorities to fuck off finally does not pay dividends.

 Theres a specific nastiness that Tom permits himself to deploy with Greg, whos his underling and perhaps the only person around he can abuse. Hence threatening like DOJ is going to be like a combine harvester in a wheat field of dicks.

 Another line-of-the-night candidate from Tom: In offering himself up as a fall guy to Logan in case someone needs to go to jail, Tom quietly assures him, I wont wriggle. Just clunk the trout on the head and put it in your pouch. Now thats the sort of fly-fishing expedition that might send Logan to the bait shop.
Alabama has joined several other states in suing the Biden administration in an effort to stop the federal Covid-19 vaccine mandate.

WAAY 31 spoke with an attorney to see what the likelihood is that the lawsuit will be successful.

Governor Kay Ivey joins lawsuit to against Biden administration Governor Kay Ivey joins lawsuit to against Biden administration

Alabama is an at-will employment state; meaning, employees can quit their jobs at any time, and employers can fire their employees with or without reason. Because of this, Huntsville attorney Eric Artrip said this lawsuit most likely won't be successful.

Its very unlikely to succeed given that would in essence change hundreds of years of employment law," he said.

Alabama is now one of more than 10 other states who have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over the Covid-19 vaccine mandate. Gov. Kay Ivey made the announcement Saturday, saying, "I have joined a lawsuit to fight back against the outrageous, overreaching Biden vaccine mandates.

Artrip said he doesn't believe the lawsuit will bring much change.

The lawsuit, in my opinion, has a very low likelihood of success," he said. "However, bringing it certainly has certain political connotations."

Biden's vaccine mandate requires all federal contractors and subcontractors to be vaccinated by Dec. 8. Artrip said even with the lawsuit's "very low likelihood of success," under certain circumstances, things could change.

They would have to do away with at-will employment and say that mandates on certain vaccinations and things like that would be dispensed," he said. "It would overturn or go against a great weight of previous authority, spanning back into the late 1800s.

Artrip said that would mean a reversal of many years of court cases, and that's not likely to happen. Even if a judge does decide to see this case moving forward, it would most likely be after the deadline of Dec. 8, he said.
The American chief executive of Barclays, Jes Staley, is stepping down with immediate effect following an investigation by British regulators into his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the bank said Monday.

The investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority was disclosed by Barclays in early 2020 and focused on how Staley had characterized the relationship to his employer.

Barclays and Staley were made aware Friday evening by the FCA and the PRA of the preliminary conclusions of their investigation.

"In view of those conclusions, and Mr. Staley's intention to contest them, the board (of Barclays) and Mr. Staley have agreed that he will step down from his role as group chief executive and as a director of Barclays," Barclays said in its statement Monday.

"It should be noted that the investigation makes no findings that Mr. Staley saw, or was aware of, any of Mr. Epstein's alleged crimes, which was the central question underpinning Barclays' support for Mr. Staley following the arrest of Mr. Epstein in the summer of 2019," the bank added, saying it was not appropriate for it to comment further.

A spokesperson for the FCA and PRA said the regulators "do not comment on ongoing investigations or regulatory proceedings" beyond confirming the actions detailed in the statement from Barclays.

Relationship began at JPMorgan

Epstein, a multimillionaire and convicted pedophile who was charged with sex trafficking by US federal prosecutors, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Staley had been running Barclays since late 2015. Prior to that, he worked for more than 30 years at JPMorgan, where he served as head of its investment banking division. His relationship with Epstein dated back to 2000, when he became head of JPMorgan's private bank.

"He was already a client. The relationship was maintained during my time at JPMorgan, but as I left Morgan it tapered off quite significantly," Staley told reporters on a call in February 2020.

Asked then whether he regretted his relationship with Epstein, Staley said, "Obviously, I thought I knew him well and I didn't. And for sure with hindsight of what we all know now, I deeply regret having had any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein."

Staley had told the Barclays board that he had no contact with Epstein since becoming Barclays CEO in December 2015.

"Although detail is limited, it appears regulators believe there was a distinct lack of transparency over this relationship," said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at UK broker Hargreaves Lansdown. "It's understood Mr. Staley will contest the conclusions, and clearly the board wants to distance Barclays from what could be a long, drawn-out process."

The Wall Street veteran had run into trouble with UK regulators previously. In 2018, the FCA fined him about $870,000 after it emerged that he had tried to identify a whistleblower at the bank. Staley had attempted to find out who had authored an anonymous letter that raised concerns about a senior Barclays employee.

He apologized for his behavior and admitted he had "made a mistake." Barclays clawed back about $680,000 of his 2016 pay over the incident.

Barclays shares drop

But his loss is a big blow to one of the few European firms still committed to competing with the biggest American investment banks.

Barclays shares fell by as much as 3.7% in London and were last trading down 1.5%. They've jumped 35% so far this year, part of a broader rally in bank stocks fueled by the economic recovery.

"The (Barclays) board is disappointed at this outcome," the bank said in its statement. "Mr. Staley has run the Barclays Group successfully since December 2015 with real commitment and skill. Supported by the senior team which he largely helped build and on whom the Barclays Group will be relying for the future, Mr. Staley clarified the Barclays Group's strategy, transformed its operations and materially improved its results."

Effective Monday, C.S. Venkatakrishnan will take over as Barclays CEO, subject to regulatory approval. Venkat, as he is known at the bank, previously served as head of global markets at Barclays from October 2020 and as group chief risk officer from 2016 to 2020. Prior to joining Barclays in 2016, he worked at JPMorgan Chase from 1994.

Staley will receive his annual fixed pay worth 2.4 million ($3.3 million) in cash and shares, plus a pension allowance of 120,000 ($164,000) and other benefits until Oct. 31, 2022. He will also be eligible for the costs of relocating to the United States.

"No decisions have yet been made in respect of any further remuneration payments to be made to Mr. Staley," Barclays added.

The-CNN-Wire

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Six New York firefighters were suspended for four weeks without pay Friday following an incident between on-duty firefighters and an elected official's staff, according to a statement from a New York City Fire Department spokesperson.

The firefighters drove a fire engine to New York state Senator Zellnor Myrie's office in Brooklyn in protest of the city's Covid-19 vaccine mandate, a spokesperson for the senator's office told CNN Sunday.

Members of the fire department, the New York Police Department and other city workers were required to show proof they've received at least one vaccine dose by 5 p.m. Friday or face unpaid leave, under a mandate implemented by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Myrie's spokesperson Matt Baer said the firefighters went to the senator's office, rang the doorbell and asked to discuss the vaccine mandate with the Brooklyn-based senator in what Baer described as a "cordial" interaction.

The firefighters asked Baer, who was in the office at the time, where the senator lives and then said the city would have blood on its hands come Monday because of the vaccine mandate.

Baer told CNN that Myrie has not been directly involved with the city-wide vaccine mandate. "We love the firefighters, we have no problem with them at all," he said. "But this was inappropriate."

FDNY Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro criticized the firefighters' actions.

"This is a highly inappropriate act by on duty members of this Department who should only be concerned with responding to emergencies and helping New Yorkers and not harassing an elected official and his staff," Nigro said in a statement Friday. "The members in question have been immediately relieved of duty and will face disciplinary action."

The firefighters were from FDNY's Ladder 113, which is based in Brooklyn.

Reduction in service possible following vaccination deadline

As of Wednesday, the FDNY was preparing for a 20% reduction in service beginning Monday, a source familiar with the ongoing situation told CNN.

On Thursday, members of the FDNY opposed to the mandate crowded outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, to demonstrate, with some attendees carrying signs that read, "Essential Workers aren't Disposable Heros (sic)," "My Body My Choice," and "#Natural Immunity."

Unions for the fire and police departments have come out against the mandate, with Uniformed Fire Officers Association President Jim McCarthy describing a requirement that firefighters make a decision about the vaccine by Friday as "unconscionable."

Vaccination rates for the FDNY, NYC Department of Sanitation and the NYC Department of Corrections increased by 3% from Saturday to Sunday night, according to vaccination data released by de Blasio's office.

The percentage of FDNY employees who have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine increased to 80% from 78% on Saturday, according to the data.

As of Sunday night, there were still 22,800 unvaccinated individuals among NYC's workforce, according to the data. This is in contrast to the 46,300 unvaccinated city employees reported by the city on Tuesday, October 19, the day before the vaccine mandate was announced by de Blasio's office.

Based on the data provided throughout the weekend by the mayor's office, from Saturday night to Sunday night at least 1,400 NYC employees received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
HEALS, or Health Establishments at Local Schools, has been around for decades. It serves underprivileged kids within Huntsville City and Madison County school districts.

"It started in 1998 as a collaborative agreement between Huntsville City Schools and the local medical community because they were seeing the need for kids within the school systems who didn't have a place to go for medical, dental or optometry care," Executive Director Heather Mason said.

In 1999, HEALS opened its first clinic at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. However, it looked very different than it looks now.

"We were in a small trailer," Mason said. "When the school expanded  I think, actually, in 2016  they built us in the school."



It offers easy access for children who need care. Right now, HEALS has a total of five clinics across Madison County.

Dental hygienist Patricia Phillips has been with HEALS for 11 years. She said she has experienced firsthand the impact proper health care can have on a student's overall well-being and confidence.

"The best part of my job is to help the community who really needs the service," Phillips said.

Dental Assistant Chasity Ward was a single mother. She said she understands what it is like for some parents who need help.

"There's a lot of parents who cannot take work or do not have transportation to bring their kids here for the services they need," Ward said.

Mason said starting next year, they are hoping to provide transportation for patients who are not at a school with a built-in clinic. However, she said, donations and help from the community is crucial.

"About 40% comes from what we bill from Medicaid," Mason said. "The other 60% comes from grants, fundraising and other individual donations we get."

Those donations will help Phillips and Ward provide care to more kids in our community.

"They really become a part of us," Ward said.

The 2021 Stars Dancing for HEALS fundraising event is Thursday, Nov. 4. Right now, you can donate to your favorite "star." Each dollar donated represents one vote for the dancer of your choice.

For more information on how to donate, click here.
WAAY 31 and Bank Independent will host a Coats and Cans for Kids drive through Nov. 19.

All Bank Independent locations across North Alabama will be collecting new childrens coats and canned food during regular lobby hours.

New childrens coats and canned goods will be distributed to families across North Alabama for the winter months. Huntsville collections will be donated to Toni Terrells Coat and Cans for WHRP.

Toni will be collecting new childrens coats and canned goods the weekend of Nov. 1821 to benefit Christmas Charities Year Round, District 6 Christmas Food and Christmas Coat Program, New Futures and Crisis Services of North Alabama.

For Bank Independent locations, click here.
Decatur, IL (62521)

Today

Sunny to partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 54F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain developing after midnight. Low 41F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Novara Green Pass protest on Saturday slammed for 'Auschwitz prisoner' uniforms.

Italy's Jewish community has condemned Green Pass protesters who demonstrated in the northern city of Novara dressed in grey and white striped vests that recalled the uniforms worn by prisoners of Nazi concentration camps.

The protesters filed through the streets of Novara, two by two, clinging on to knotted ropes made to look like barbed wire, in an attempt to link Italy's Green Pass mandate for workers with Nazi fascism and the Holocaust.

The demonstrators carried signs that read "We are like prisoners of Auschwitz" and "Stop dictatorship", reports Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Reaction

"In the face of ravings like this one cannot invoke the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution" - said Noemi Di Segni, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) - "We have witnessed an abuse and an offense to memory."

No Green Pass protest in Novara

The images also received widespread condemnation on social media in Italy, with the nation's health minister Roberto Speranza describing the scenes as "shocking."

The Green Pass is a digital or paper certificate showing that people have been vaccinated, tested negative or recovered from covid-19.

On 15 October the government made the pass mandatory for all workers in a contentious move that affects 23 million people, leading to sporadic protests in cities around Italy.

Cover photo La Stampa
In a sharply divided nation, who gets to decide when its okay to use fatal force? Across the nation, there is no consensus: States are evenly divided over the core question of whether you have a duty to retreat from a confrontation in a public place that might endanger your life.
The bill has its critics, particularly on free speech. It risks forcing Facebook and other social media platforms like Twitter Inc. and Alphabets YouTube to over-remove content, according to Big Brother Watch, a privacy campaign group in the U.K. But so do efforts to reform free speech laws in the U.S., an issue over which there is little consensus. The U.K. has the benefit of moving quickly and with an existing regulatory agency to test the new rules and suggest changes where necessary.
China rolled out a carbon market for its power sector in July 2021. Also that month, EU officials spelled out the biggest overhaul to date of its 16-year-old emissions market: Permits will be harder to come by, the program will be extended to include maritime transport, and airlines will eventually have to pay for all their pollution in the cap-and-trade program, as their free allowances will be phased out. The Supreme Court of Canada in March 2021 ruled that the nations carbon tax is constitutional, effectively settling years of political debate about its legality. In the U.S., where President Joe Biden vowed to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, regional carbon markets will play a part, but the absence of a policy for a national price on emissions could slow progress. The American Petroleum Institute in March voted in favor of a tax or a national cap-and-trade program, with the understanding that it would replace existing regulations on greenhouse gases.
Much of the controversy comes down to the integrity of the accounting, making sure that each carbon credit is rigorously validated, isnt double counted and that its contribution to global emissions reduction can be verified. The most climate-conscious countries and campaigners are trying to ensure that each step to reduce emissions only counts once. Some campaigners warn that unless the rules are stringent, the same cut could count toward more than one national or corporate target, with little oversight to prevent abuse. Push-back is also coming from countries including Brazil, India and China, who have said they want to use old, unused credits from the 1997 Kyoto Protocols defunct Clean Development Mechanism.
The rush to buy meme stocks like GameStop and AMC earlier this year was seen by its participants as a blow for equality and against the elites. Calling themselves apes, the young traders who tried to force short-selling hedge funds out of business acted like a flash mob. Many of them have subsequently lost money. Cryptocurrencies, which have enriched many already-wealthy people, are also viewed by their supporters as a great economic leveler. Bitcoin, its backers hope, will not only emancipate us from the hold of banks over the financial system, but also break the grip of governments  even if they were democratically elected.
The key to managing the crisis is not just to contain the risk of the financial loans, but also the other two-thirds of the liabilities owed by the distressed real estate developer to a vast network of companies and enterprises in its supply chain  including providers of construction services and material as well as contractors and subcontractors supplying needs ranging from labor to decoration. Even though the PBOC has powerful tools to mitigate an Evergrande shock to the financial system, the fallout could still cause indirect yet long-lasting damage to a large segment of the economy. If not properly managed, this could affect the entire value chain of the property market in China and beyond.
But Staley has also been dogged by personal missteps from the start in London. He tried to uncover the identity of a whistleblower at Barclays who had made personal accusations about a close friend. That resulted in Staley and Barclays paying large fines to regulators. He also caused a rift for Barclays with private-equity firm KKR & Co. after getting involved in a dispute between the firm and his brother-in-law.
Theres a fair chance that the justices will ultimately decide that the only way the Texas law can be challenged is by actual lawsuits brought under the law being defended in state court and then making their way all the way to the highest courts of Texas and then to the Supreme Court. That result, if it comes, will be read by many as definitive proof that the justices are going to overturn Roe in the separate Mississippi case that they will consider later this year. Abortion opponents dont have to worry about higher courts blocking the Texas law if the Supreme Court has done away with Roe.
Second, every foreign delegation calling on the Taliban to discuss international aid should insist that there be women at the other side of the table. This will force the Taliban to look beyond its own ranks for representation, another necessary prerequisite for change. It isnt enough to make the restoration of international support and investment conditional on how women are treated. Women must be actively be involved in the negotiations, so they can help set the terms for how aid will be administered.
Of the many conflicts in the Middle East, the one between Iran and Israel is the most potentially explosive. Iranian leaders periodically vow to annihilate Israel and are suspected of pursuing nuclear weapons that would back the threat. Israel, which is thought to have such arms, has committed to doing whatever it takes to prevent Iran from acquiring them. For years, the two have engaged in a shadow war, quietly attacking each other on land, by air and at sea, in some cases by proxy. They have mostly sought to avoid open clashes that would risk escalation to all-out war, preferring instead to act with plausible deniability. But lately, the clashes have become more conspicuous. An Iranian general said Israel was likely behind an Oct. 26 cyberattack that paralyzed gas stations nationwide.
The CMA is breaking new ground with the scope of this study, but regulators elsewhere, including in the European Union, the U.S., Russia and South Korea, are making their own moves. Frustrated by the limits of antitrust enforcement, the EU and U.S. are also mulling legislation. The EU is close to agreeing a Digital Markets Act that might require Apple or Google to allow other app stores to install apps on devices. The U.S. Senate is considering an overhaul of Apples app store, which is also the subject of an influential California court ruling.
It may seem paradoxical, but in the entirety of the wild and woolly world of cryptocurrencies, what some of the top financial regulators are most worried about is the flavor of digital money designed to be the safest. Even the name, stablecoin, exudes, well, stability. But stablecoins in general and the giant among them, Tether, in particular have drawn increasing scrutiny amid worries that they could pose risks to cryptocurrency users and even to the global financial system. U.S. financial agencies have called for quick passage of legislation that would regulate stablecoin companies in much the same way as banks are regulated.
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And the story flowed. The girl, Evette Peeters, would be a symbol of our changing city, the daughter of a White man and a Black woman. The familys cultural conflicts are part of the book, The River and Me. And, as she works to unify her divided family, Evette becomes part of the generation that will help care for the river.
The criminal raids appear to follow a certain script. Near the end of the month, when the banks are full of cash, dozens of heavily armed gang members storm a midsize city at night, setting off explosives, shooting their weapons into the air and lighting cars on fire. Criminal analysts here say the idea is to overwhelm authorities with an overpowering display of force.
The government makes the extraordinary claim that this Court is powerless to review the lower court decisions even if they are mistaken, he wrote in an opinion joined by Sotomayor. On the governments view, literally no court in this country has the power to decide whether citizens possess a First Amendment right of access to the work of our national security courts.
Upholding Mintons claim does not compel Dignity Health to violate its religious principles if it can provide all persons with full and equal medical care at comparable facilities not subject to the same religious restrictions. But Mercys decision was based on Mintons gender identity, and it did not offer an accommodation, the court said. The court said allowing a physician to perform a medical procedure it had allowed before did not compel speech by the hospital in violation of the First Amendment.
According to a Monday news release from the House Ethics Committee, Greene was disciplined four times in late September for failing to wear a mask. The committee had previously made public three earlier occasions in which Greene was fined for breaking the same rule  another time in September, once in August and a first offense in May.
Sean Parnell is running in the Republican primary to succeed retiring Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), in what is likely to be one of the most hotly contested Senate races of 2022. He has been endorsed by former president Donald Trump, who said in a September statement that Parnell will make Pennsylvania very proud.
Seouls chicken restaurants had expected to help mark this summer with a return to the long lines of past Boknals, days that are sprinkled throughout July and August. But Park Mi-ra went a whole evening last week without a single customer at her Seoul restaurant, Smile Rice Chicken Baeksuk, which specializes in the traditional chicken dishes.
Of all the history the Taliban has with other Afghan groups, none is more tortured than the one with the countrys Hazara minority. When they first rose to power in the mid-1990s, the hard-line Sunni militants massacred, kidnapped and uprooted thousands of Shiite Hazaras, declaring them infidels. They destroyed Hazara cultural heritage sites and extended their political and economic marginalization by different Afghan regimes. Tens of thousands of Hazaras have fled the country.
He got down on one knee and popped the question at Nottingham Cottage on the Kensington Palace grounds, during a cozy dinner of roast chicken at his two-bedroom bachelor pad.

She didnt let him finish his proposal before saying yes.

The royal family on Monday announced that Britains Prince Harry is engaged to marry American actress Meghan Markle, ending days of feverish speculation in the tabloids over when their nuptial plans would be revealed.

The 33-year-old redheaded prince is fifth in line to the throne. The 36-year-old Markle was born and raised in California.

The prince said he tried to warn Markle what she was getting into.

She said she thought she understood.

I know Im in love with this girl, and I hope shes in love with me, the prince said in a television interview after the engagement was announced. But we still have to sit down on the sofa  I still have to have some pretty frank conversations with her to say, Look, this is what youre letting yourself in for. Its a big deal. Its not easy for anybody.

I know that at the end of the day, she chooses me, I choose her, and, therefore, whatever we have to tackle together or individually, we will always be us together as a team.

Markle leaned into Harry: Thats so nicely said, isnt it?

The two sat for a 20-minute chat with the BBC on Monday evening. The couple were poised but natural. They held hands. They finished each others sentences  in a good way.

It was the first time they have spoken as a couple, the first venture into this new role of a royal pair. They addressed tabloid culture, race, the legacy of Princess Diana, the ring, meeting the queen and her corgis, and Markle being a foreigner.

Markle was assertive but gushed a little.





The prince appeared a little nervous and cracked a few jokes.

Children? asked the BBC journalist.

Not currently, no Harry said, grinning. No, of course, you know, one step at a time. Hopefully, we will start a family in the near future.

The couple will wed in the spring of next year, date and location not yet revealed.

The last time an American married into the royal family, Britain and the monarchy were plunged into crisis. In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a Baltimore socialite and divorcee.

[The last time a British royal married an American, it didnt go well]

Harry confirmed he was dating the actress in November 2016, when he blasted the tabloid press for subjecting Markle to a "wave of abuse and harassment."

The palace condemned the smear on the front page of a national newspaper, the racial undertones of comment pieces, and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.

Markles mother is African American, and her father is white. She is divorced, without children from her previous marriage.

Markle said the scrutiny back then of being Prince Harrys girlfriend was hard, especially the initial reports and comments that focused on race.

Of course its disheartening, she said. You know its a shame that that is the climate in this world, to focus that much on that. She added, Im proud of who I am and where I come from.

Britains black queen: Will Meghan Markle really be the first mixed-race royal?

The couple were set up by a mutual friend and met for a drink on what they described as a blind date.

Both professed they were a little clueless.

Markle said: Because Im from the States, you dont grow up with the same understanding of the royal family. And so, while I now understand very clearly theres a global interest there, I didnt know much about him.

Markle said she asked her friend only one question: Was he nice? Because if he wasnt kind, it didnt seem like it would make sense.

The prince confessed, I never even heard of her.

In her career, Markle is best known for playing the character Rachel Zane in the New York City legal drama "Suits," which is filmed in Toronto, where Markle has been living.

Harry said: Id never watched Suits. I never heard of Meghan before. And I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her, and there she was sitting there, and I was like, Okay, Im going to have to up my game here. 

On their third date, they flew away to Botswana to sleep in a tent under African stars.

Markle dutifully showed the cameras her diamond engagement ring. The sparkler was designed by Harry. He said he picked yellow gold because its Markles favorite. The main stone was from Botswana, and the small diamonds were from Princess Dianas collection, to make sure that shes with us on this  on this crazy journey together, Harry said.

When asked what Diana would have made of Markle, Harry said his mother and his fiancee would have been thick as thieves.

He said: Its days like  days like today when  when I really miss having her around and miss being able to share the happy news. But you know with the ring and with everything else thats going on I'm sure shes 

Shes with us, Markle said, finishing Harrys sentence.

What the British will make of Markle is unknown. The tabloids here can be fickle and cruel.

On Monday, the British media quickly raised the issue of Markles race, marital status and nationality.

A BBC News alert read: American, divorced, an actress and mixed race  Meghan Markle will bring something different to the Royal Family.

The Daily Mail's headline said that "the Queen says she is 'delighted' the divorced American actress is to join the royal family."

The Guardians website started one of its live blogs with the tease: Joy or disdain? Follow the reactions to the royal engagement.

The media seemed unsure of the British publics gut reaction to the engagement news, even as most articles asserted that the bride-to-bes race and nationality were either a good thing or irrelevant.

What has obviously changed from previous eras was the public expression of welcome offered by the royal family, with full-throated wishes for happiness, from Queen Elizabeth II and down through the ranks.

Not too long ago, the couple revealed, they went for tea with the 91-year-old monarch, who technically could veto the marriage.

Apparently, it went just fine.

The corgis took to you straight away, Harry said. Ive spent the last 33 years being barked at. This one walks in, absolutely nothing.

Just laying on my feet during tea, it was very sweet, Markle said.

Just wagging tails, Harry said, moving his hand back and forth. And I was just like, Argh! 

Jennifer Hassan contributed to this report.

Read more:

Much ado in Britain about Prince Harry and (maybe) his American bride

Britains royal family announces third pregnancy for William and Kate

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Her physical absence at the event was a blow for U.K. ambitions to bring some of her lustre to the global stage, the BBC said. The queen doesnt have political power, but she is an experienced diplomat. She referenced her long reign in her speech, saying that for more than 70 years, I have been lucky to meet and to know many of the worlds great leaders, and I have perhaps come to understand a little about what made them special. She also has experience in helping to pull off major events: She arguably stole the show during the Opening Ceremonies at the 2012 Olympics in London when she teamed up with actor Daniel Craig for a James Bond-inspired skit.
Washington, IN (47501)

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Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

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Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
MARY RUTH WAGLER  The funeral for Mary Ruth Wagler was held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, at First Mennonite Church, with Chris Raber, Gaylon Sommers and David Lee Stoll officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.
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November 1 marks yet another milestone in the return to normality for many Australians. Regional businesses will be brimming with hope that regional tourism exuberance will once again return. As will the nations airlines and tourist operators with the resumption of international travel.

Despite a milder recession in 2020 vs many other OECD countries, 2021 has had its challenges. Significant lockdowns of varying duration and severity at different times across the country are expected to weigh on Australias 3Q GDP print due at the beginning of next month.

For dividend investors, its been a rough ride. Credit:Louie Douvis

Despite the disruption and significant toll on business, the consensus amongst economists is for Australias economy to grow by 3.8 per cent in 2021. There have been COVID winners and losers, businesses that have boomed during re-opening and many that have struggled with the inconsistency of policy.

Australian businesses on the whole are a resilient bunch, and many have not wasted a good crisis. Its an incredibly appropriate characterisation of corporate Australias efforts during the past 20 months.
POETRY: Trigger Warning, Maria Takolander, University of Queensland Press, $24.99 A recent article suggested we had reached the pandemic condition of languishing. Things are what they are, and we are almost past caring. The most salutary antidote I can suggest is Trigger Warning, Maria Takolanders scalp-stretching collection. It isnt a trigger warning in the usual sense. Its more like, See this? I think its probably a gun. I might pull the trigger: I might not. Maria Takolander has two coups de grace at the end of her new collection. Credit:Eddie Jim The first section, Confessions, has us indoors, with two men, her husband, poet David McCooey, and her father. The loving husband is in hospital, desperately ill after heart failure, and her experience of the horror of it is stark: An orderly tests your name, but you are deaf to his call. / I am the one who must lure you home. / My voice is daemonic. / Your larynx contracts at its sound; / a moan emerges like a ghoul. When he wrote about his illness himself in 2016, McCooey maintained a studied sangfroid, but his wife, as poet, is having none of that. It is almost existentially terrifying for her, and also summons up, and is stickily enmeshed with, memories of her father, a kind of Finnish golem, abusive and monstrous even at his most mundane, waiting, stooped before the open / door of the pot-belly stove. / He was feeding in logs, one after the other, just to be destroyed, / while peering into the glowing cavity / to see what he had done.

Credit: Its all quite compelling but claustrophobic, and Takolander calls on other poets to open the view out, addressing herself to them, mirroring their confessions. Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, Ted Hughes, Anne Sexton, for example, all baring their souls on cue, but distanced, dwelling in an ivy-clad firmament we can only glimpse through the telescope of history. This is actually quite apt, because her father received a telescope as a birthday present but he had no interest in observing / the vestigial glitter of anything. Its the gaze that expands rather than the lungs, making the whole thing bearable, even irresistible, for the 20 pages it occupies. After this, there is a series of poems about everyday objects, as if to purify the domestic, or at least inoculate it. This is as playful as she gets, but it isnt quite play: there are plenty of ideas about our things and their freight of meaning, but she just doesnt enjoy herself enough to get them airborne. It hardly matters, though, because in the last section she blows up the house and we are hurled outside, to be confronted with the results of our (in)actions. Chernobyl, nature forced to our will (she does this on the page, with haiku and typography), fairytales bleakened almost to abstraction. A woman in Oklahoma is touched lightly on the shoulder by a fragment of falling rocket: a perfect image for the effect of this book. Occasionally, she snaps her fingers at herself and points at the mirror. One poem is a message to her family from Medellin, the murder capital in Colombia. She turns the poem on its side and puts each line in a box. The effect is monumental, percussive, whether harsh (I hammed it up for laughs / Now it remains to forgive myself) or soft (I imagine you and our son lit up by the antipodean / day, shining like something quiet and impossible).
Whatever else might have occupied the Booker judges in this year of Covid, they have been mightily taken by death. Death as a catalyst, sparking a sea change in those who are left, or death as a cataclysm, a monstrous event that ends an era: it comes to us all, of course, but very insistently in this years shortlist for the 50,000 ($92,000) Booker prize.

Maggie Shipsteads Great Circle begins with an aviatrix nose-diving into the Pacific, then goes on to tell her story. A journey to a funeral provides the throughline for Anuk Arudpragasams A Passage North; Damon Galguts The Promise covers four decades, with a funeral marking each. Patricia Lockwoods No One is Talking About This begins as a series of waspish riffs on the Twitterverse, then changes gear quite suddenly to be about the death of a child. And so on. Grim times. Or maybe its just that nothing else seems quite serious enough.

The six books on the shortlist for this years Booker Prize. Credit:

Sombre as it is, there is nothing very scandalous or divisive about this years shortlist: no walk-outs, no disputes leaked from the judges meetings, just the usual mildly dyspeptic complaints about the writers who missed out. Indeed, there seems to have been a collective will among Harvard professor Maya Jasanoffs judges to pick something for everyone: this would not be any one persons list of favourites. One listed book is notably rarefied, one will be branded readable, one has a campaigners zeal.
Forget the Birdcage.

For Melbourne Cup 2021, its all about the owners enclosure and whos standing in it at 3pm when the start gun fires for Australias biggest race. With COVID-19 travel restrictions and state government rules capping numbers at Flemington at 10,000 for Cup day, its the racehorse owners who have already emerged as the days biggest winners given each Melbourne Cup runner is permitted to have 10 owners in attendance.

The question is, which owners will make the most of the access given the roll call of business identities who have horses towing up to the start line.

It could be a case of twice-lucky for Crown Casino developer Lloyd Williams who is part of a syndicate which won last years Melbourne Cup with Twilight Payment. This year, Twilight Payment is back racing from barrier two alongside the syndicates other runner, the UK-born nag Pondus racing out of barrier one.

The syndicate for both horses includes the estate of the late tour promoter Michael Gudinski, Jayco caravan magnate Gerry Ryan, real estate agent Mark Wizel and others. Wizel and Ryan are expected at the track, but Williams has been a no show for the past five years, opting instead to watch the big race at his Macedon Lodge about an hour north of Melbourne. Ryan wont know where to look given he also owns Grand Promenade which is trained by Ciaron Maher and will be ridden by three-time Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy. Triple the fun.
West Australians overseas are able to return to their country without quarantining if they come through Victoria or New South Wales but face a longer wait to re-enter their home state if they cannot get an exemption.

Both eastern states are allowing travel with no quarantine requirement for fully COVID-19 vaccinated passengers as of Monday, but the jurisdictions are still considered extreme risk by the McGowan Government which means few exemptions are approved for people to then travel onwards to WA.

But in a bright spot for West Australians stuck abroad, more returned travellers will soon be allowed back on international flights through Perth each week once the state reaches the milestone of having 70 per cent of the population fully vaccinated.

WA man Ethan Carter was not able to come directly into Perth, however, after he arrived in Sydney from Los Angeles, following two years abroad, on one of the first international flights which required no quarantining.
Rome: Hopes that leaders of the worlds largest economies would provide momentum for the first days of the United Nations climate talks in Glasgow were dashed when they failed to come to agreement over deeper emissions cuts and a phase-out of coal power.

Leaders and representatives of almost 200 countries have now arrived in Glasgow for two days of talks that many see as the last chance to keep the Paris agreement climate goals alive.

A UN proposal to phase out coal was strongly opposed by Australia, China, India, Russia and other nations. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The G20 leaders meeting in Rome scaled back plans by some of the groups most powerful members, including the United States and European Union, for an ambitious agreement that would set a collective goal to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050.

While the group backed a goal of limiting the rise in world temperatures, it made no firm commitments on how to keep the increase to 1.5 degrees after warnings from scientists two months ago on the need to reach that level.
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I cover a range of stories for WDRB, but really enjoy tracking what's going on at our State Capitol. I grew up on military bases all over the world, but am a Kentuckian at heart. I'm an EKU alum, and have lived in Louisville for 30 years.
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Louisville, KY (40203)

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HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- On Friday, Giada Gigi Rodriguez, a 13-year-old girl who died due to COVID-19 complications, was laid to rest. Her parents believe she came into contact with the virus at Holyoke Community Charter School.

We spoke to Gigis aunt today, who said the family is completely devastated as the teenager was laid to rest in Holyoke. Meantime, the Holyoke Community Charter School will begin remote learning on Monday due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Family members showed up in black Gigi sweaters in Springfield on Friday for her funeral services.

She loved to smile, she loved to love and cuddlethat was my Gigi, said aunt Celia Rodriguez.

Western Mass News spoke to Gigis parents on Thursday. Her mother, Wanda Rodriguez, shared with us the last moments she had with her daughter.

So I at least got the comfort of laying next to her and being able to hold her hand, which is what she loved to do, hold my hand all the time. Even in the most random times, it could be at the mall, she wanted to hold my hand, Wanda Rodriguez explained.

Gigi died on October 22. Her death certificate cited COVID-19 complications.

Everyone feels numb, Celia Rodriguez added.

Holyoke family speaks out after 13-year-old dies from COVID-19 complications HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- The western Massachusetts community is mourning the tragic death of a 13-year-old girl from Holyoke. Her parents sp

Celia Rodriguez told Western Mass News the family is broken after losing one of their youngest family members.

It was really tough to know one of our family members is not going to be here with you, especially at that age. She had all of her life to live, Celia Rodriguez noted.

Gigis parents said they believe their daughter was exposed to the virus at Holyoke Community Charter School, where she attended as an eighth grader. They said Gigi was not vaccinated, but the two of them were.

My daughter was so scared of going to school that she wore, at times, two masks, Eric Rodriguez said.

Western Mass News reached out to school officials who said they could not comment on Gigis death, but they tell us the school will move to remote learning next week out of an abundance of caution and due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

Here's what we know. The Holyoke Community Charter School has approximately 700 students kindergarten through 8th grade and over 100 staff members.

Western Mass News is getting answers on COVID-19 cases at the school. According to the Holyoke Board of Health, there were 28 positive cases as of Thursday. Meantime, the states Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said four classrooms at the school had been ordered to quarantine between October 14 and October 22.

There is a lot of kids right now with COVID in the school and it's not fair, Celia Rodriguez explained.

Western Mass News is breaking down what ahead for students and staff. The school was closed Friday for parent-teacher conferences. DESE has approved remote learning starting on Monday, November 1. On November 2, students and staff must get a PCR COVID-19 test, then on November 5, remote learning ends. Students with negative results will return to school on November 8.

School officials said students and staff can get tested at these three sites in the city. The schools principal said if students do not provide a negative PCR test, then they must quarantine for 14 days.

However, in light of Gigis death and an increase in COVID-19 cases within the school, Celia isnt on board with the fast return to the classroom.

Just the fact my daughter goes to the same school and I speak to Grace. I've explained to her, she's a third grader, and to hear your daughter say she doesnt want to go to school because she doesnt want to die. That's tough, that's really tough, Celia Rodriguez added.
DALLAS (AP)  American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights Sunday for a third straight day as it struggled with staffing shortages and upended weekend plans for tens of thousands of travelers.

By late afternoon Sunday, American had canceled more than 900 flights  one-third of its schedule for the day  after scrapping nearly 900 flights over the previous two days, according to tracking service FlightAware.

A spokeswoman for American said the airline expects considerable improvement starting Monday, although there will be some residual impact from the weekend. By Sunday afternoon, American had already canceled more than 100 Monday flights, according to FlightAware.

Americans troubles began Thursday and Friday, when high winds at times shut down its busiest hub, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and prevented the airline from using all runways there. That made it difficult for American to get crews in position for upcoming flights, and caused disruptions. The number of canceled and delayed flights grew larger in number and geographic sweep throughout the weekend.

To make sure we are taking care of our customers and providing scheduling certainty for our crews, we have adjusted our operation for the last few days this month by proactively canceling some flights, David Seymour, the airlines chief operating officer, said in a note to employees on Saturday.

About two-thirds of Sunday's cancellations were due to a lack of flight attendants in the right places, with almost all the remaining cancellations due to a shortage of pilots, according to internal figures seen by The Associated Press.

The nature of the debacle  starting with bad weather in part of the country before spinning out of control  was similar to disruptions at Southwest Airlines in early October. Together, the twin failures raised ominous questions about whether major airlines are prepared for the busy upcoming holiday travel period.

American says it will be.

Seymour said that nearly 1,800 flight attendants will begin returning to their jobs starting Monday and at least 600 new hires will be on board by the end of the year. He said the airline is also hiring pilots and reservations agents in time for the holidays.

Airlines were barred from laying off workers during the pandemic as a condition of billions in federal pandemic relief  American temporarily furloughed 19,000 workers when the money lapsed last year, but reversed the furloughs when aid was restored. That, however, didnt stop the airlines from persuading thousands of employees to accept cash incentives and quit voluntarily. American, Southwest and others are now hiring employees to replace some of those who left in 2020.

American's labor unions have warned for months that the airline was scheduling more flights than its pared-down work force can handle, leaving employees spread too thinly when bad weather snarls air travel.

Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines pilot and spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, said the union had not seen such a high level of cancellations after storms had passed.

Since the spring we have been warning of these post-weather management failures to recover, and its just getting worse, he said. We continue to be very concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming winter holiday travel season.

American planned about 2,600 flights Sunday, not counting regional affiliates that fly as American Eagle. That number is scheduled to jump to more than 3,000 flights on eight days around Thanksgiving and early December, according to aviation-data firm Cirium.

Earlier in October, Southwest canceled well over 2,000 flights after disruptions started with weather problems in Florida and were compounded by staffing shortages. Southwest's chief operating officer said the airline was pursuing a very aggressive hiring plan" but was "still not where we want to be with staffing, especially pilots.

___

David Koenig can be reached at www.twitter.com/airlinewriter
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP)  A first-year Kansas lawmaker, who was reprimanded by his colleagues for abusive conduct before taking office, has been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence.

Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman of Kansas City remained in custody Sunday afternoon, according to Johnson County Jail records. The 21-year-old was arrested at 8:15 p.m. Saturday by Overland Park police on a domestic battery charge.

Police didn't immediately respond to messages Sunday and calls to Coleman's cellphone rang unanswered Sunday. Coleman is not married and details of his domestic situation were not immediately available.

It wasnt immediately clear what consequences Coleman might face in the House after his arrest. He was being held without bond ahead of a court appearance scheduled for Monday.

Given what little we know about the situation, I am concerned for everyone involved, Speaker of the House, Ron Ryckman, said to the Kansas City Star. I know that law enforcement will thoroughly investigate and assess the situation so that we can take appropriate action.

House Democratic Leader Tom Sawyer said Coleman should resign.

This is extremely disturbing news. We are watching closely to make sure we gather all the facts," Sawyer said. "His constituents and the State of Kansas would be better served if he were to resign and get the help he badly needs. However, I want to reiterate again that the House Democratic Caucus does not condone this behavior in any way, shape, or form.

After he was elected last year, Coleman received a written reprimand from a legislative committee about his conduct before taking office.

The House committees investigation of Coleman followed accusations of abusive behavior toward girls and young women. He acknowledged some of the behavior on social media and said he had been a troubled teenager.

Earlier this month, Coleman was also banned from the Kansas Department of Labor's offices because the agency's director said Coleman had tried to improperly gain entry to the department's main office through a secured employee entry and berated a security officer.

At that time, Coleman said he was trying to help constituents deal with the states unemployment system.
If you want to conduct an experiment in the sociology of pandemic behavior, try a quick jaunt to Las Vegas. Always a petri dish for freaks, Sin City has gotten stranger in these strange times since it continues to have a mask mandate for everyone, vaccinated or not, gathered indoors.
If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

 New beauty studio, Glow Factory, opens at 1708 Washington Blvd. in Easton

 New salon, Mirror Beauty Studio, to open at 2002 Hanover Avenue in Allentown. Grand opening set for Dec. 3.

 A Red Wing shoe store will open on Airport Road in Allentown at the site of the former Zoup! restaurant.

 Paisley & Company Bath Boutique & Fragrance Bar in Kutztown reopens for in-person shopping

 Bitty & Beau's Coffee opens at 74 W. Broad Street in Bethlehem

 American Family Care opens urgent care center in the County Line Plaza, off of Route 113 near Souderton, Bucks County

 Charming Charlie, a women's contemporary fashion and accessories retailer, will return to the Outlets at Wind Creek.

 All Weather Selvedge Denim Co. (AW) opens at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley in suite 608, next to Evolve Salon & Spa.

 PrimoHoagies, the casual restaurant known for its gourmet hoagies, plans to open two restaurants in Stroudsburg.

 Laura McLain, executive director of the Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce, will retire at the end of 2021 after 21+ years of service.

 Thomas Ripsam has been named the new CEO of Martin Guitar. He succeeds longtime Chairman and CEO Christian Frederick Martin IV.

. Owners of Tucker Silk Mill to open wine bar and garden in down Easton in early 2022. Kabinett will have a mostly Australian and German wine list, with light fare, and an outdoor patio overlooking the Delaware River.
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Disney confirmed this afternoon the casting and production for Hocus Pocus 2, the sequel to the much-loved classic.

Playing the iconic three witches in the film will be Bette Midler (The First Wives Club), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City,), and Kathy Najimy (Sister), while Doug Jones (The Shape of Water) also returns as Billy Butcherson.

Also in the film are Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl) as Becca, Lilia Buckingham (Dirt) as Cassie, and Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories) as Izzy.

Joining them will be Emmy Award-winner Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso," "Game of Thrones"), Tony Hale (Veep), Sam Richardson (The Tomorrow War), Juju Brener (Vanquish), Froy Gutierrez (Teen Wolf''), Taylor Paige Henderson and Nina Kitchen.

Production is taking place in Rhode Island with the piece directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal). Fletcher says today: "Fans around the world have embraced these characters and have made this film a Halloween tradition whose popularity continues to grow, and how lucky am I to be back at Disney with these three extraordinarily talented ladies in the iconic roles they created, as well as our fabulous new additions to the cast?"

The new film is set 29 years after the original, and will follow a group of High School students as they attempt to battle the three ravenous witches (Buckley, Jessica-Parker and Najimy).

A specific date for an autumn 2022 release is to be revealed.
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Willmar, MN (56201)

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Winchester, VA (22601)

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A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 46F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

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Mostly cloudy. Low around 30F. Winds light and variable.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  World leaders turned up the heat and resorted to end-of-the-world rhetoric Monday in an attempt to bring new urgency to sputtering international climate negotiations.

Las banderas de Gran Bretana y Naciones Unidas se ven colocadas en la sala de conferencias antes de la inauguracion de la cumbre climatica de Naciones Unidas COP26 en Glasgow el domingo 31 de octubre de 2021. (AP Foto/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP)  World leaders turned up the heat and resorted to end-of-the-world rhetoric Monday in an attempt to bring new urgency to sputtering international climate negotiations.

The metaphors were dramatic and mixed at the start of the talks, known as COP26. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described global warming as a doomsday device strapped to humanity. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told his colleagues that humans are digging our own graves. And Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, speaking for vulnerable island nations, added moral thunder, warning leaders not to allow the path of greed and selfishness to sow the seeds of our common destruction.

Amid the speeches, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his coal-dependent country will aim to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070  two decades after the United States and at least 10 years later than China. Modi said the goal of reaching net zero by 2070 was one of five measures India planned to undertake to meet its commitments under the Paris climate accord.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel avoided soaring rhetoric and delved into policy.

"Theres no more time to sit back," Biden said in a more measured warning that also apologized for his predecessor's decision to temporarily pull the U.S. out of the historic 2015 Paris agreement, something he said put the country behind in its efforts. Every day we delay, the cost of inaction increases.

People walk past a wall with a message on climate eduction at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow formally opens Sunday, a day before leaders from around the world gather in Scotland's biggest city to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

One of the United Nations biggest concerns is that some countries are more focused on amorphous long-term net-zero goals instead of seeking cuts this decade that could prevent temperature increases that would exceed the Paris goal.

Modi also outlined shorter-term goals for the worlds third-biggest carbon emitter: raising its goal for non-fossil energy production, meeting half of its energy needs with renewable sources, cutting carbon emissions by 1 billion tons compared with previous targets and reducing the carbon intensity of its economy by 45%  all by 2030.

While 2070 sounds far off for Indias pledge, four outside experts from think tanks and universities said India's new short- and long-term goals are significant, while not huge, because of that nation's development status. Ulka Kelkar, who directs India climate policy analysis for the World Resource Institute, said a lot depends on details, but the 2070 goal would be similar to the U.S. and Europe adopting net-zero goals 20 years ago.

A delegate wears a face mask at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow formally opens Sunday, a day before leaders from around the world gather in Scotland's biggest city to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Still, European officials privately expressed disappointment at Indias late target, but declined to comment publicly.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen touted already announced efforts to make Europe the first net-zero continent in the long-term and cut emissions 55% in this decade. She pushed for other rich countries to aid poorer nations as much as Europe does and put a price on carbon emissions because nature cannot pay that price anymore.

Bolivia President Luis Arce said the speeches from developed countries sought to portray them as climate change leaders but this is far from the truth. He said rich nations need to face their historic responsibilities for causing the warming problem and not fix it by forcing rules on poor countries. The real solution, he said, is an alternative to capitalism and unfettered consumerism.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, greets Sao Tome and Principe President Carlos Vila Nova at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (Christopher Furlong/Pool via AP)

Johnson pointed out that the 130-plus world leaders gathered for the leaders' summit portion of the conference had an average age of over 60, while the generations most harmed by climate change arent yet born.

Outside the negotiations, youth climate activist Greta Thunberg accused world leaders of pretending to take our future seriously.

Change is not going to come from inside there, Thunberg said, We say no more blah-blah-blah.

Oxfam 'Big Head' caricatures of world leaders Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel, protest on the fringes of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

The conference aims to get governments to commit to curbing carbon emissions fast enough to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit). Current projections based on planned emissions cuts over the next decade are for it to hit 2.7C (4.9F) by the year 2100.

Increased warming over coming decades would melt much of the planets ice, raise global sea levels and greatly increase the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather, scientists say. With every tenth of a degree of warming, the dangers soar faster, they say.

The other goals for the meeting are for rich nations to give poor nations $100 billion a year in climate aid and to reach an agreement to spend half of the money to adapt to worsening climate impacts.

Masses of people queue as they arrive for the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Frank Jordans)

But Mottley, of Barbados, warned that negotiators are falling short.

"This is immoral and it is unjust," Mottley said. "Are we so blinded and hardened that we can no longer appreciate the cries of humanity?"

We are already gasping for survival, chimed in President Wavel John Charles Ramkalawan of the Seychelles, another island nation. Tomorrow is not an option for it will be too late.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, greets U.S. President Joe Biden at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (Christopher Furlong/Pool via AP)

Guterres struck an equally gloomy note.

We are digging our own graves, said the U.N. secretary-general. Our planet is changing before our eyes  from the ocean depths to mountaintops, from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events.

The speeches will continue through Tuesday, then the leaders will leave.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, right, greets Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

The idea is that they will do the big political give-and-take, setting out broad outlines of agreement, and then have other government officials hammer out the details. Thats what worked to make the historic 2015 Paris climate deal a success, former U.N. Climate Secretary Christiana Figueres told The Associated Press.

For heads of state, it is actually a much better use of their strategic thinking, Figueres said.

Thousands lined up in a chilly wind in Glasgow on Monday to get through a bottleneck at the entrance to the venue. But what will be noticeable are a handful of major absences.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, right, greet U.S. President Joe Biden , at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (Christopher Furlong/Pool via AP)

Xi Jinping, president of top carbon-polluting nation China, is not in Glasgow. Figueres said his absence is not that significant because he isn't leaving the country during the pandemic and his climate envoy is a veteran negotiator.

Biden has chided China and Russia for their less-than-ambitious efforts to curb emissions and blamed them for a disappointing statement on climate change at the end of the meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies in Rome this weekend.

Perhaps more troublesome for the U.N. summit is the absence of several small nations from the Pacific islands that couldnt make it because of COVID-19 restrictions and logistics. Thats a big problem because their voices relay urgency, Figueres said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the opening ceremony of the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow gathers leaders from around the world, in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

In addition, the heads of several major emerging economies beyond China are also skipping Scotland, including those from Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa. That leaves Modi the only leader present from the so-called BRICS nations, which account for more than 40% of global emissions.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless, Frank Jordans and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report. Follow APs climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate. Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
CHICAGO (AP)  A judge on Monday suspended a Dec. 31 deadline for Chicago police officers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 but didn't interfere with a requirement that they be regularly tested.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 members and their supporters protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates outside City Hall before a Chicago City Council meeting, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

CHICAGO (AP)  A judge on Monday suspended a Dec. 31 deadline for Chicago police officers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 but didn't interfere with a requirement that they be regularly tested.

Disputes over vaccinations should be handled as a labor grievance with an arbitrator, Cook County Judge Raymond Mitchell said.

"The effect of this order is to send these parties back to the bargaining table and to promote labor peace by allowing them to pursue" remedies under Illinois law, Mitchell said.

The grievance process could last months, the city said last week.

Officers who haven't been vaccinated still must be tested twice a week under city policy. Officers also can lose work and pay if they don't disclose their vaccine status.

"The principal risk to those who are unvaccinated is to themselves and to others who choose to be unvaccinated," the judge said.

Police have lagged behind other city departments in meeting the vaccine requirements, but the numbers have been slowly increasing. City data released Monday showed about 73% of Chicago Police Department employees had reported their vaccination status, and about 80% of those employees reported being fully vaccinated.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration announced the vaccine policy weeks ago, drawing sharp objections from police union leaders.

The judge noted that COVID-19 has killed many officers nationwide.

"In light of that terrible sacrifice, the police unions' request just to have their grievances heard seems a pretty modest task," Mitchell said.

Council member and union ally, Alderman Anthony Napolitano, said taking the dispute to arbitration is "a lot more American."

"Instead of forcing people to do something, you bring it to a conversation and arbitration. ... This has become too much of a control situation," Napolitano said of City Hall.

But another alderman, Chris Taliaferro, said the mayor shouldn't have to negotiate every policy with unions.

"But in the meantime, I hope those that are not vaccinated really take a deep look and see the good and the science behind this vaccination," he said.
Thousands of Assiniboine Credit Union members woke up Monday to a shocking $1,000, or less, gone from their accounts and few answers.

Thousands of Assiniboine Credit Union members woke up Monday to a shocking $1,000, or less, gone from their accounts and few answers.

Jennifer Sadowski, 40, checked her account because it was the beginning of November. On the first day of each month, she pays property taxes, an alarm system fee and insurance.

"I noticed that they had taken the $1,000 out," she said. "I was like, 'Oh my God,' so I tried to call."

The hefty withdrawal was listed as a maintenance fee. Sadowski was put on hold upon calling the credit union, and she left a message for someone to phone her back. Meanwhile, the credit union's social media posts regarding the error withdrawals were piling up with comments from angry members.

Sadowski received a call back, and by the afternoon, the money was back in her account.

"At first you think... 'Oh good, the money's back in there, and we're done with it,' but then there's all the repercussions that come from after that," she said.

"It's just annoying, because it's not our fault that we didn't have the money," she said. "I'll probably end up calling around and letting (the organizations) know, but it's frustrating to have to do that."

She also worried her credit score would be affected. She messaged the credit union about her concerns on Facebook, where they told her they'd be involved.

"We are currently evaluating any other impacts on our members and if members incurred additional charges because of this maintenance charge we will work with them to correct those changes," the credit union wrote in a response message around 3 p.m.

By 1:30 p.m., about 90 per cent of the erroneous fees had been reimbursed, according to Dean Beleyowski, Assiniboine Credit Union's marketing director. The company expected the rest to be completed by Monday's end.

The credit union was not hacked, Beleyowski said. However, he couldn't say if it was a system error.

"Our investigation is continuing," he wrote in an email. "What's important is that as soon as we saw the issue we immediately took action to correct it."

A member alerted the credit union to the problem at the beginning of the workday, Beleyowski wrote. A "few thousand" members were affected to varying degrees.

One customer reported a $13 maintenance fee  much lower than the $1,000 withdrawals others were seeing, but enough to upset him.

Paul McKie's $1,000 was returned to him around 1:30 p.m. He didn't receive an update; he'd noticed after frequently checking his account during the day.

"Your first fear is, 'Oh my God, my account's been hacked,'" he said. "Then I (had) gone to, 'Oh my God, the bank's been hacked.'"

McKie is looking for answers.

"I think they owe account holders a more detailed explanation as to what happened," he said. "(It) just seems very bizarre."

Assiniboine Credit Union has posted online it will provide more details via social media. The credit union will also use its investigation's findings to "make sure it never happens again," Beleyowski said.

A regular monthly fee ranges from $0 to $3 depending on the account's amount on reserve, he said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com
OTTAWA - A pair of public interest advocacy groups have asked the federal telecommunications regulator to delay a public hearing into Rogers Communications Inc.'s deal to buy Shaw Communications Inc.

A woman holds two cellphones in this photo illustration, Monday March 29, 2021 in Chelsea, Quebec. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - A pair of public interest advocacy groups have asked the federal telecommunications regulator to delay a public hearing into Rogers Communications Inc.'s deal to buy Shaw Communications Inc.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the National Pensioners Federation said in a letter Monday that the CRTC should postpone the Nov. 22 start of hearings because the boardroom infighting at Rogers has made it unclear who is in control of the company.

The two groups say that since the directors of the company are in doubt, it's unclear whether any submissions made in the name of Rogers continue to be supported by the board, and whether comments made by directors at the hearing will be supported by the company.

"[We] are concerned that the commission will not be able to conduct the hearing in a manner that is fair to all parties and protects the public interest until and unless the confusion surrounding the effective control of Rogers is adequately resolved."

The advocacy groups say that while delaying the hearings would negatively affect Rogers, the potential harm of going ahead with the hearings without certainty as to who is in charge risks greater harm to the public interest.

"Given the significant uncertainty that exists today regarding the corporate control of Rogers, proceeding with the hearing would cause prejudice to the public, the CRTC and to interveners."

The letter comes on the first day of hearings as Edward Rogers, son of late Rogers founder Ted Rogers, tries to have a B.C. court declare legitimate the board he formed after he was ousted as chair last month.

He claims that he has the power to fire and appoint board members because he is chair of the Rogers Control Trust.

However, his mother Loretta Rogers, sisters Melinda Rogers-Hixon and Martha Rogers and their associates say Edward Rogers' board is illegitimate and the only valid board is the one that existed prior to his changes.

Shaw declined to comment on the request by the advocacy groups, while Rogers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Along with the CRTC, the $26-billion deal including debt is also being reviewed by the Competition Bureau of Canada and the federal department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B, TSX:SJR.B)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Sydneys international airport came alive with tears, embraces and laughter on Monday as Australia opened its border for the first time in 20 months, with some arriving travelers removing mandatory masks to see the faces of loved ones theyve been separated from for so long.

A woman, right, is embraced by a loved-one after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles at Sydney Airport as Australia opened its borders for the first time in 19 months in Sydney, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. International travel will be initially restricted to Sydney's airport because New South Wales has the highest vaccination rate of any state. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Sydneys international airport came alive with tears, embraces and laughter on Monday as Australia opened its border for the first time in 20 months, with some arriving travelers removing mandatory masks to see the faces of loved ones theyve been separated from for so long.

Australia and other countries in the Asia-Pacific have had some of the worlds strictest COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures and travel restrictions, but with vaccination rates rising and cases falling, many are now starting to cautiously reopen.

Some, like China and Japan, remain essentially sealed off to foreign visitors, but Thailand also started to substantially reopen Monday and many others have already started, or plan to follow suit.

A woman arrives after a flight from Los Angeles at Sydney Airport as Australia open its borders for the first time in 19 months in Sydney, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. International travel will be initially restricted to Sydney's airport because New South Wales has the highest vaccination rate of any state. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Traveler Carly Boyd seized the opportunity presented by the new Australian regulations to jump on the first flight home from New York to surprise her parents, whom she hadn't seen in three years.

Just being able to come home without having to go to quarantine is huge, she told reporters at Sydneys airport, where the country's unofficial anthem I Still Call Australia Home was playing.

Theres a lot of people on that flight who have loved ones who are about to die or have people who died this week, so for them to be able to get off the plane and go see them straight away is pretty amazing.

In Thailand, a country where tourism accounted for some 20% of the economy before the pandemic, the lockdown has caused massive job losses and hardship, and the government hopes the return of foreign visitors will provide a much-needed boost.

A woman, left, is embraced by a friend after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles at Sydney Airport as Australia opened its borders for the first time in 19 months in Sydney, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. International travel will be initially restricted to Sydney's airport because New South Wales has the highest vaccination rate of any state. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Still, only a few months removed from a surge fueled by the delta variant of the virus that saw deaths rise dramatically, many Thais remain worried that an influx of outsiders could trigger new outbreaks.

Bangkok taxi driver Issarapong Paingam lost his mother to COVID-19 during the recent surge, and said it would make more sense to him for the government to focus its attention fully on reopening domestically before introducing foreign travelers into the mix.

The government has not yet told the public what they would do if an outbreak takes place again, the 34-year-old said. "I dont understand why they dont let people in the country live normally as a trial to see the trend (of COVID-19 cases) before welcoming tourists.

Thailand has allowed residents to travel during the pandemic, but mandated a strict two-week quarantine in specially designated hotels for people entering the country.

A woman, left, is embraced by her brother after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles at Sydney Airport as Australia open its borders for the first time in 19 months in Sydney, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. International travel will be initially restricted to Sydney's airport because New South Wales has the highest vaccination rate of any state. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Foreign arrivals plummeted from 40 million in 2019 to 6.69 million in 2020  almost all in the first three months before the pandemic restrictions were introduced  to fewer than 100,000 so far in 2021.

Monday's reopening builds on a pilot scheme launched in July on the resort island of Phuket, which allowed fully vaccinated travelers from selected countries to spend their quarantine moving around the island instead of in a hotel room.

Starting Monday, if travelers are fully vaccinated and from one of 63 countries and territories deemed low risk  which some cynical Thais have noted seem to be based more on spending power than coronavirus infections  they are exempt from quarantine. They need to spend one night at a designated hotel and can't check out until they have a negative COVID-19 test, but then are free to travel.

Travelers from countries not on the preferred list or those who are unvaccinated are still subject to various quarantine rules.

A hotel worker picks up arriving tourists at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Thailand was reopening its border Monday. Fully vaccinated tourists arriving by air from 46 countries and territories no longer have to quarantine and can move freely. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Restrictions are also being relaxed in the destination areas, including widespread reopening of businesses and other facilities such as department stores, spas, tattoo shops, schools and sporting events.

With the combination of strict screening of visitors and higher vaccination rates in Thailand, Supat Hasuwannakit, president of Thailands Rural Doctor Society, said he is not concerned about foreign tourists sparking a new surge in cases.

But he said he does worry about the planned reopening of bars and clubs in December, noting that recent domestic outbreaks came after the government allowed people to gather for activities such as religious services and weddings.

Once people start to gather, eat and drink, it has a high possibility to create a new outbreak, he said. Most bars and nightclubs are indoors with bad airflow, so it is easy for COVID-19 to spread once they reopen.

Hotel workers pick up arriving tourists at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Thailand was reopening its border Monday. Fully vaccinated tourists arriving by air from 46 countries and territories no longer have to quarantine and can move freely. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Rules requiring masks and distancing remain in place, much like other countries in the region that have begun reopening.

In India, which saw a peak of 400,000 daily cases in April and May, officials have been warning that people need to continue following such restrictions to avoid causing super spreader events during the holiday season as the country gradually reopens.

India began granting tourist visas on Oct. 15 for fully vaccinated people arriving on charter flights, and will extend them to tourists on commercial flights starting Nov. 15.

Neighboring Sri Lanka has already started to allow fully vaccinated travelers without quarantines, and partially or non-vaccinated people with some restrictions. South Korea, which on Monday began to allow larger social gatherings and lifted operating-hour restrictions on restaurants, has a similar scheme.

Tourists arrive at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Thailand was reopening its border Monday. Fully vaccinated tourists arriving by air from 46 countries and territories no longer have to quarantine and can move freely. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Vietnam is still closed but plans to open the popular resort island of Phu Quoc to fully vaccinated vacationers by the end of the month, and neighboring Cambodia, which on Monday lifted restrictions on domestic travel, has a similar plan to open two seaside provinces to international travelers. Malaysia intends to open its northern resort island of Langkawi on Nov. 15 to fully vaccinated tourists.

Australia is betting that vaccination rates are now high enough to mitigate the danger of allowing international travel.

Initially only Australian permanent residents and citizens will be free to enter the country. Fully vaccinated foreigners traveling on skilled worker and student visas will be given priority over international tourists.

But the government expects Australia will welcome international tourists back to some degree before the year ends.

Already, Australia announced Monday that vaccinated tourists from Singapore  which has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world  will be welcome from Nov. 21 under a bilateral agreement.

The new freedoms also mean that fully vaccinated Australian permanent residents and citizens can leave the country for any reason without asking the government for an exemption from a travel ban that has trapped most at home since March 25, 2020.

Sydney was the first Australian airport to announce it would reopen Monday because New South Wales was the first state where 80% of the population aged 16 and older has been fully vaccinated. Melbourne and the national capital, Canberra, also opened on Monday after Victoria state and the Australian Capital Territory achieved the vaccination benchmark.

Even though Australians are now free to travel overseas, four Australian states and a territory are still maintaining pandemic restrictions on crossing state lines.

Australian Ethen Carter, who landed at Sydney's airport from Los Angeles on Monday, expressed his frustration at having to apply for permission to visit his dying mother in Western Australia state.

He pleaded through the media to Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan, who has said the state border will not open this year, to let him in.

Mark, think of the people that are suffering, like, mentally to see their family. Thats also a health issue," Carter said. "And we know weve got to protect peoples lives, but youve got to bring families together again, you have to.

McGowan said his government would consider allowing Carter to enter the state if he applies for an exemption.

These situations are very sad and very difficult and weve seen much of this over the course of the last two years, McGowan said.

___ Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press journalists Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Tassanee Vejpongsa in Bangkok and Ashok Sharma in New Delhi contributed to this report.
VANCOUVER - The lawyer for the head of the Rogers family trust says his client had a right to remove and replace five directors without a meeting of shareholders, but a lawyer who represents opposing family members argues that's a simplistic interpretation of corporate laws in British Columbia.

The Rogers corporate head office and headquarters in Toronto on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. A battle for control of Rogers Communications Inc. will make its way to B.C. Supreme Court today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler

VANCOUVER - The lawyer for the head of the Rogers family trust says his client had a right to remove and replace five directors without a meeting of shareholders, but a lawyer who represents opposing family members argues that's a simplistic interpretation of corporate laws in British Columbia.

Stephen Schachter, lawyer for Edward Rogers' mother and two sisters, who are board members, told a B.C. Supreme Court judge Monday that "ordinary resolution" stipulates removal or election of directors must occur at a meeting where shareholders have a right to participate.

He said that's part of the long-standing public commitment to strong corporate governance practice by Toronto-based Rogers Communications Inc., which is incorporated in B.C.

"He cannot be thumbing his nose at due process," Schachter said of Edward Rogers, who was not in court. "This is a publicly traded company."

However, Ken McEwan, a lawyer for Edward Rogers, told Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick earlier that his client had the authority to make that decision under "ordinary resolution" of the board of shareholders because the trust controls 97.5 per cent of the shares in Rogers Communications.

"That is the default mode of resolution throughout the (B.C. Corporations) Act," McEwan told Fitzpatrick, who adjourned the case until Friday.

Schachter said the company has specifically rejected filling vacancies of board directors outside of a meeting.

"It's relevant, contextual information for your ladyship to know the public commitments by the company, signed off by Edward, are not in line with the one-day written resolution to remove the independent directors and replace them," Schachter told Fitzpatrick, who must decide if the newly constituted board is valid.

The son of the company's founder, the late Ted Rogers, claimed in an affidavit that he had the power to fire and appoint board members because he is chair of the Rogers Control Trust, prompting the feud with his mother Loretta Rogers and sisters Melinda Rogers-Hixon and Martha Rogers.

They are the respondent in the case and argue the board he appointed is illegitimate and the only valid board is the one that existed prior to his changes.

But McEwan said the respondent is seeking "to misdirect the fact" that the case is about an exercise of shareholder rights.

"It has filed evidence of what it asserts are best practices in Canadian corporate governance in an attempt to constrain or influence the statutory rights of shareholders," he said.

"The respondent seems to distract from the simplicity of the issue before the court in that it goes so far as to attempt to invoke minority shareholder rights, suggesting they are compromised."

David Conklin, a lawyer for Rogers Communications, said any removal or replacement of directors from the board of Rogers Communications should have been publicized in order to inform all shareholders about decisions to vote at a meeting about governance or to buy or sell stocks.

He said the company depends on all stakeholders, including those who make up 70 per cent of class B non-voting shareholders of the publicly traded company. Regular practice involving a change in governance would involve notice of a meeting to the 30 per cent of class A shareholders, who would be informed about what they were being asked to do and why, Conklin said.

However, shareholders were given three or four lines of explanation that "there's been a disagreement" leading to Edward Rogers' decision to replace independent directors of the board.

"That is not consistent with the environment in which Rogers operates," he said.

Conklin said Edward Rogers' actions are also in contrast to a "memorandum of wishes" by Ted Rogers, who "actually foresaw these events" before his death in 2008.

McEwan said the document from the late patriarch has, up until now, been treated as confidential, wouldn't meet a legal test and wasn't known to all shareholders.

"The only time it became a matter of public record was when it was filed by management," he said of documents filed in court on Friday by Ted Rogers' wife Loretta Rogers.

The dispute has left the telecom company with two boards that each claim to be in power and has publicly pitted members of the Rogers family against one another amid negotiations to buy rival Shaw Communications Inc. for $26 billion, pending approval by regulators.

Loretta Rogers says in an affidavit that the decision to unseat her son as chairman of the board was an extremely difficult one for her and other family members after weeks of trying to work with him.

The family matriarch said she disagrees with her son's portrayal of the facts in his affidavit and was misled about the reasons he wanted to fire CEO Joe Natale, who learned "by accident" that he was to be replaced by the chief financial officer.

Loretta Rogers said she disagrees with her son's "personal view that he is entitled to exploit his entrusted position as control trust chair to circumvent Teds wishes, the interests of the Rogers family members and the governance structure that has allowed Rogers to become a successful public company despite family control."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX: RCI)
A movement to divest from fossil fuel is gaining support among foundations as activists push for funding to be shifted away from coal, oil and natural gas.

The hints of sunlight begin to disappear behind a pair of pumpjacks Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021 in the oilfields of Penwell, Texas. A movement to divest from fossil fuels is gaining momentum among foundations as activists push the $1 trillion sector to shift its money away from coal, oil and natural gas. The call from activists to the charitable world and other sectors has been simple: ditch fossil fuels and direct your investments into climate-friendly companies and funds.(Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP, File)

A movement to divest from fossil fuel is gaining support among foundations as activists push for funding to be shifted away from coal, oil and natural gas.

The call from activists to the charitable world is simple: Ditch fossil fuels and direct your investments into climate-friendly companies and funds.

The worldwide divestment campaign has sought commitments from universities, corporations and other entities. Now, two of the biggest names in philanthropy  the Ford and MacArthur foundations  are reorienting their investments away from fossil fuels, a move that leaders of the divestment movement hope will prove to be a tipping point for the charitable world.

Were calling on governments and corporations to act on climate aggressively and commensurate with the science, said Ellen Dorsey, executive director of the Wallace Global Fund and a leader in Divest-Invest Philanthropy, which is pushing the philanthropic community to dump its fossil fuel investments. Why arent we asking ourselves if were doing that?

The announcements from Ford and MacArthur came in the lead-up to the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, where activists, policymakers and scientists are pushing for far-reaching action on climate change. Both foundations are joining nearly 200 charitable organizations and firms that manage investments for wealthy families that have committed to divest, according to Divest-Invest Philanthropy.

Im glad that we were able to finally reconcile our financial imperative with our moral imperative as a foundation, Darren Walker, president of The Ford Foundation, told The Associated Press.

About $1 trillion is sitting in endowments of private foundations, which are required to pay out only 5% of their assets annually. The rest is invested for growth. Traditionally, the two sides of their operations have been seen as separate: Grants were given to advance the foundations' mission. The foundations' money managers, meantime, sought high investment returns to maintain their organizations' financial health.

But in recent years, activists have argued that it's hypocritical for some foundations to fund initiatives that address climate change while potentially investing in fossil fuel-related companies. According to the ClimateWorks Foundation, global philanthropic funding for climate change mitigation totaled $6 to $10 billion in 2020, less than 2% of overall giving.

Critics of divestment counter that such changes could hurt investment returns and hinder foundations from maintaining their endowment size  thereby damaging what they set out to achieve. Ivo Welch, a finance professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, argues that foundations that divest won't have much impact on the market and could even lose whatever leverage they might have with fossil fuel companies.

I think its primarily a public relations exercise, Welch said. Lets presume we really could bring fossil fuel companies to their knees, and they would be bankrupt now. The world would be in utter collapse. They cannot possibly want that.

That said, many foundations see their shift away from fossil fuels as part of a broader effort to integrate the philosophies behind their donations with their investments.

It was long overdue, Walker said. I dont think The Ford Foundation deserves to be congratulated for doing the right thing.

The Ford Foundation, which has $16 billion in assets, said in a statement last month that only 0.3% of its endowment is directly invested in fossil fuel-related companies. It said it has made no such investments since 2013 and won't do so anymore.

Instead, the foundation says, it will invest in funds that address the threat of climate change, and support the transition to a green economy. Within five years, Walker said, the organization will also wind down its indirect investments in fossil fuels through partnerships with private equity funds.

For outside observers, its often been difficult to determine where Ford and some other foundations have been directing their investments. Some have been transparent about where their investments are landing. Others provide little information apart from how many assets they hold in various investment categories.

John Seitz, a former Wall Street portfolio manager who runs FoundationMark, which tracks investment performances of private foundations, noted that foundations are limited in what they can share if theyve invested in entities, like hedge funds, that are not typically transparent.

The Ford Foundations 990 forms, which it must file annually with the IRS, dont provide a clear picture of where its investments are landing. Walker says many of Ford's investments are in private equity and hedge funds rather than directly in companies. He says the foundation will seek to be more specific about funds it invests in.

Another factor in the lack of transparency among foundations, Seitz suggested, is the desire to avoid outside scrutiny.

It tends to create a lot of headaches, Seitz said. Because youre just going to be questioned on every move you make.

The AP reached out to a handful of sizable foundations that haven't made a pledge to divest. Spokespeople for three of them said they were reviewing their investment strategy. One didn't reply to an email seeking comment. Two others declined to speak on the matter.

The MacArthur Foundation, an $8 billion organization known for its genius grants, pledged two years ago to halt new investments in oil and gas. It went further in September, saying it would switch to U.S. index funds that exclude fossil fuel companies. And it's aiming to change its global index funds to do the same within a year.

John Palfrey, the foundation's president, didnt specify how much money is involved but said the move was in the billions.

Our goal is to be on a pathway to have zero fossil fuel-related companies in our portfolio over time, he said.

Palfrey says the foundation had been working for a couple of years to divest more of its portfolio from fossil fuels. Recently, it chose to announce its plans partly to add momentum to the effort to address climate change at the U.N's climate conference.

Last month, the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its $3 billion endowment by 2050.

Some other foundations have been quietly shifting investments away from fossil fuels.

Don Chen, president of the Surdna Foundation, which has about $1 billion in assets, says the foundation has been reducing its investments in fossil fuels over the past decade and plans to phase out more in coming years.

I do recognize the importance of using our public platform, profile and also our influence to be able to join the chorus of folks who are really trying to do more with our endowment assets, Chen said.

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AP journalist Emma H. Tobin contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press receives support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Gags Unlimited will soon have a new home, and its supposedly haunted.

The Winnipeg party supply and novelty staple is being disinterred from its current home in Osborne Village to be buried in a spookier part of town: the old Hamilton House at the corner of Henderson Highway and McIntosh Avenue, a building where the original owners once conducted metaphysical experiments such as seances in attempts  including some purportedly successful ones  to communicate with the dead.

Gags Unlimited owner Cheryl Wiebe heard about the listing from her psychic medium.

When Cheryl Wiebe needed a new location for her Gags Unlimited, Hamilton House, first owned by T.G. and Lillian Hamilton (seen in cardboard cutouts), and now, appropriately and reputedly, haunted. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press)

"She felt it would be a good fit," said Wiebe, who bought the business almost seven years ago from the original owner, who started the store nearly 40 years earlier.

Wiebe bought the business after a motor vehicle crash ended her career as a Red Seal millwright, seeing it as a good opportunity to start fresh with an established enterprise. For the first five years, business went quite well, but in the last two years, a trio of unforeseen struggles converged into a bit of a nightmare.

A safe once belonging to Dr. Hamilton is stored in the basement of the Hamilton House. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press)

First, there was a shortage of helium: of the three processing plants for the gas in the U.S., two were shut down for long stretches, leaving slightly less than one third of the finite substance, which is extremely expensive to store, available for gas suppliers to distribute across the continent, Wiebe said. Much of what was available was sent to hospitals, where helium is used for devices such as MRI machines. Bad news for physicists and purveyors of party balloons.

Then, as helium supplies rose and prices accordingly fell back to earth, the pandemic came, and parties, galas, weddings and more were cancelled  yet another burst to Gags Unlimiteds bubble.

Finally, in September 2020, the building and lot where Gags Unlimited had operated for decades was sold to a developer called Seekville Inc., heralding an end of an era in Osborne Village.

With Halloween around the corner, Wiebe was left to ponder what came next. She didnt want to sign a long-term lease, given the uncertainty of the pandemic, which, paired with the helium situation, made for the worst year on record for the business. "I had to contemplate closing," she recalled recently. "Commercial space was so expensive and I couldnt justify any of it."

Cutouts of the Hamiltons Cheryl Wiebe printed. She bought the historic house and will move her 40 year old gags business to the house. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press)

Following her medium and friend Bernice Bissons intuition, she considered Hamilton House, where 100 years earlier, the family who lived there also considered what came next. Dr. T.G. Hamilton and his wife, Lillian, werent thinking about the next fiscal quarter, though: they were considering the next life.

Dr. Hamilton, a leading orthopaedic surgeon who became president of the Manitoba Medical Association, chair of the Winnipeg Public School Board and the MLA for Elmwood, was drawn into the supernatural and metaphysical world in 1918, when he visited a medium in the United States. Intrigued, but not convinced, he returned home. His dormant interest was invigorated the following year when his son Arthur died in the influenza epidemic of 1919; Lillian encouraged her husband to explore ways to communicate with the three-year-old beyond the grave.

Hamilton House at 185 Henderson Hwy. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press)

The Hamiltons conducted thorough experiments in telekinesis and table-lifting, photographing the parapsychological work in a room on the second floor. Their family nanny, Elizabeth Poole, was photographed levitating and inverting a table. Soon, work with mediums followed, and ectoplasm  a material emerging from the mouths and ears of mediums  was captured on film, supposedly.

Seances came, with guests including prominent local doctor Bruce Chown and legal scion Isaac Pitblado. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of Sherlock Holmes books and himself a parapsychological enthusiast, visited the Hamilton House while on a North American tour.

A photograph of the medium, Mary Marshall, with a teleplasmic mass attached to her mouth featuring a partial materialization of a miniature version of the face of the spirit, Walter, during a seance at the home of Sylvia Barber in 1951. (University of Manitoba Archives)

All the while, Hamilton maintained a steady reputation in the citys political and medical circles, before finally presenting findings in 1926 to the Winnipeg Medical Society. "I did not know whether or not I would have a shred of professional prestige left when I was through," Dr. Hamilton wrote in Intention and Survival, a book published after his death in 1935, completed by his son and available in the Hamilton Fonds in the University of Manitobas digital collection.

To his surprise, his findings and insights were treated with respect. "I wish to pay tribute to our friend and fellow member, Dr. T. Glen Hamilton for the efforts he has made, and is making along this line of thought and discovery," Manitoba Medical Society president R. Rennie Swan said in 1930.

"Whatever criticism may be made of his work, no one can ever attempt to deny the truth of the wonderful phenomena which have come under his observation. We know our man, and we know that he is in this work a student and investigator, and we can have nothing but admiration and praise for him," he added. "And let me also say, thanks, for the work he is doing."

The house remained in possession of the Hamilton family until 1986, changing hands once more and most recently serving as a homeopathic clinic. But the owners decided to list it almost two years ago, and the job of marketing and selling the dually zoned property fell to Emma Alfons, a realtor with Coldwell Banker Commercial Preferred Real Estate.

It was a tough job: several promising starts fell through, and for a while, Alfons must have wondered what she had gotten into. Then Wiebe called, and with some negotiation and support from her husband, managed to seal the deal.

"Im humbled by the whole experience," Alfons said. "This property came with its own personality and went to the right hands."

"The Hamilton House is a true landmark in Winnipeg and my career," she added.

Wiebe, who grew up in a family that was open to the possibilities of the occult, took possession Sept. 18, and plans to move Gags Unlimiteds retail operation into the buildings main floor and to turn the residential suites upstairs into spooky AirBnBs, while selling off the bulk of the stock in Osborne Village at discount prices.

Despite legends that the house is haunted, and its eerie past, Wiebe said it has a good energy.

"My grandkids love it. My dogs love it. They run around and play, and if the dogs arent worried, Im not worried," she said.

Neither is her medium.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
DHANBAD, India (AP)  Every day, Raju gets on his bicycle and unwillingly pedals the world a tiny bit closer to climate catastrophe.

An Indian laborer smiles as she takes a break from loading coal into a truck in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand state -- among the poorest in India and the state with the nations largest coal reserves -- is also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

DHANBAD, India (AP)  Every day, Raju gets on his bicycle and unwillingly pedals the world a tiny bit closer to climate catastrophe.

Every day, he straps half a dozen sacks of coal pilfered from mines  up to 200 kilograms, or 440 pounds  to the reinforced metal frame of his bike. Driving mostly at night to avoid the police and the heat, he transports the coal 16 kilometers (10 miles) to traders who pay him $2.

Thousands of others do the same.

This has been Rajus life since he arrived in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state in 2016; annual floods in his home region have decimated traditional farm jobs. Coal is all he has.

A young woman holds a torch in her mouth as she collects coal from a mine near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand state -- among the poorest in India and the state with the nations largest coal reserves -- is also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

This is what the United Nations climate change conference in Scotland, known as COP26, is up against.

Earth desperately needs people to stop burning coal, the biggest single source of greenhouse gases, to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change  including the intense flooding that has cost agricultural jobs in India. But people rely on coal. It is the worlds biggest source of fuel for electric power and so many, desperate like Raju, depend on it for their very lives.

The poor have nothing but sorrow ... but so many people, theyve been saved by coal, Raju said.

Alok Sharma, the United Kingdoms president-designate of the conference, said in May that he hoped the conference would mark the moment where coal is left in the past where it belongs.

While that may be possible for some developed nations, it is not so simple for developing countries.

A boy stands next to small pile of coal burning after scavenging from an open-cast mine near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand state -- among the poorest in India and the state with the nations largest coal reserves -- is also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

They argue they should be allowed the carbon space to grow as developed nations have, by burning cheap fuels like coal, which is used in industrial processes such as steelmaking along with electric power generation. On average, the typical American uses 12 times more electricity than the typical Indian. There are over 27 million people in India who don't have electricity at all.

Power demand in India is expected to grow faster than anywhere in the world over the next two decades as the economy grows and ever more extreme heat increases demand for air conditioning that so much the rest of the world takes for granted.

Meeting that demand will not fall to people like Raju, but to Coal India, already the worlds largest miner, which aims to increase production to over 1 billion tons a year by 2024.

D.D. Ramanandan, the secretary at the Centre of Indian Trade Unions in Ranchi said that conversations of moving beyond coal were only taking place in Paris, Glasgow or New Delhi. They had hardly begun in Indias coal belt. Coal has continued for 100 years. Workers believe it will continue to do so, he said.

The consequences will be felt both globally and locally. Unless the world drastically cuts greenhouse gas emissions the planet will suffer even more extreme heat waves, erratic rainfall and destructive storms in coming years, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Laborers load coal onto trucks for transportation near Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand state -- among the poorest in India and the state with the nations largest coal reserves -- is also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

And a 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand state -- among the poorest in India and the state with the nations largest coal reserves -- is also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change.

But there are roughly 300,000 people working directly with government-owned coal mines, earning fixed salaries and benefits. And there are nearly 4 million people in India whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly linked to coal, said Sandeep Pai, who studies energy security and climate change at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Indias coal belt is dotted by industries that need the fuel, like steel and brick making. The Indian railways, countrys largest employers, earns half their revenue by transporting coal, allowing it to subsidize passenger travel.

Coal is an ecosystem, Pai said.

For people like Naresh Chauhan, 50 and his wife Rina Devi, 45, Indias economic slowdown resulting from the pandemic has intensified their dependence on coal.

A washerman uses coal to heat up iron in Dhanbad, an eastern Indian city in Jharkhand state, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. A 2021 Indian government study found that Jharkhand state -- among the poorest in India and the state with the nations largest coal reserves -- is also the most vulnerable Indian state to climate change. Efforts to fight climate change are being held back in part because coal, the biggest single source of climate-changing gases, provides cheap electricity and supports millions of jobs. It's one of the dilemmas facing world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week in an attempt to stave off the worst effects of climate change. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

The two have lived in a village at the edge of the Jharia coalfield in Dhanbad all their lives. Accidental fires, some of which have been blazing for decades, have charred the ground and left it spongey. Smoke hisses from cracks in the surface near their hut. Fatal sinkholes are common.

The couple earn $3 a day selling four baskets of scavenged coal to traders.

Families whove lived amid coal mines for generations rarely own any land they can farm and have nowhere else to go. Naresh hopes that his son would learn to drive so that he, at least, could get away. But even that may not be enough. There's less work for the city's existing taxi drivers. Wedding parties, who in the past reserved cars to ferry guests, have shrunk. Fewer travelers come to the city than before.

There is just coal, stone and fire. Nothing else here.

That could mean even harder times for the people in Dhanbad as the world eventually does turn away from coal. Pai says this is already happening as renewable energy gets cheaper and coal becomes less and less profitable.

India and other countries with coal-dependent regions have to diversify their economies and retrain workers, he said  both to protect the livelihoods of workers and to help speed the transition away from coal by offering new opportunities.

Otherwise, more will end up like Murti Devi. The 32-year-old single mother of four lost the job she had all her life when the mine she worked for closed four years ago. Nothing came of the resettlement plans promised by the coal company so she, like so many others, turned to scavenging coal. On good days, shell make a dollar. On other days, she relies on neighbors for help.

If there is coal, then we live. If there isnt any coal, then we dont live, she said.

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AP journalists Shonal Ganguly and Altaf Qadri contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Fireworks boomed as visitors at Shanghai Disneyland waited for COVID-19 test results, surrounded by health care workers dressed from head to toe in white protective suits.

A worker wearing a face mask to help protect from the coronavirus walks by a closed temperature screening booth set up at the entrance gate to the Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, China, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The theme park locked down late Sunday after learning a recent visitor had tested positive in another province. The park is shut for Monday and Tuesday as they continue to cooperate with the pandemic prevention efforts, Shanghai Disneyland said in a notice on Monday. (Chinatopix via AP)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Fireworks boomed as visitors at Shanghai Disneyland waited for COVID-19 test results, surrounded by health care workers dressed from head to toe in white protective suits.

Shanghai Disneyland announced suddenly Sunday evening that it was no longer accepting any new visitors and was cooperating with an epidemiological investigation from another province. They then locked down the park as Shanghai city healthcare workers and police rushed to conduct a mass testing of the visitors already inside.

After testing everyone, the park will remain shut on Monday and Tuesday as it continues to cooperate with pandemic prevention efforts, Shanghai Disneyland said in a statement Monday.

The park's sudden lockdown and temporary closure underscored just how serious China is about enforcing its zero-tolerance pandemic prevention strategy.

Globally, many countries have turned to living with the virus, whether out of choice or necessity, although as virus surges come and go, many face overburdened health care systems and additional deaths.

Barricades are set up at the closed Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, China, Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. The theme park locked down late Sunday after learning a recent visitor had tested positive in another province. The park is shut for Monday and Tuesday as they continue to cooperate with the pandemic prevention efforts, Shanghai Disneyland said in a notice on Monday. (Chinatopix via AP)

In China, which has kept its borders sealed since March 2020, the response has been to cut the chain of transmission of the virus as quickly as possible. With a strict quarantine-on-arrival policy, the authorities have aimed to stamp out each local outbreak to zero  helping China keep its reported totals to 4,636 deaths and 97,243 cases since the pandemic began.

The case that may have prompted Disneyland's actions involved one person whose illness was discovered in the nearby city of Hangzhou and had visited the theme park on Saturday, local media reported.

For hours on Sunday night, tens of thousands of families and visitors were stuck in the park as they waited for a negative test result that would allow them to leave.

The city announced Monday morning that all 33,863 people who had been at the park over the weekend had tested negative for COVID-19. They will be asked to get tested again and their health will be monitored.

One Disney fan, who gave her family name as Chen, said she was inside the park when she heard an announcement at 5 p.m. that everyone must get tested.

No one complained, and everyone behaved really well, Chen said. She said she holds an annual membership and visits the park at least once a month. She is waiting at a hotel for her second COVID-19 test before she can go back to Beijing.

Shanghai Disneyland is just the latest example of how far Chinese authorities will go to stop the spread of the virus.

Last Thursday, Beijing Railway authorities told health authorities in Jinan to stop a train that was traveling from Shanghai to Beijing because one passenger was a close contact of someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

Jinan health authorities then sent health care workers, transportation workers and police rushing to the station to quarantine the passengers and disinfect the train. They sent 212 people into centralized quarantine, including the close contact.

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Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.

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This story corrects that Chen is waiting for her second test, not her second test result.
BUSIA, Uganda (AP)  Dressed in his school uniform, Mathias Okwako jumped into the mud and started his daily search for gold, a commodity that may be closer to his grasp than another precious asset: an education.

Mathias Okwako, who started as a gold miner since schools remained closed, works in his old school uniform at a gold mining site in the village of Mawero, on the outskirts of Busia town, in eastern Uganda on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. With schools closed, students toil alongside adults, including some of their teachers, at the mine. Okwako sought work out of boredom but regrets that the tiring days leave him little energy to study on his own. (AP Photo/Nicholas Bamulanzeki)

BUSIA, Uganda (AP)  Dressed in his school uniform, Mathias Okwako jumped into the mud and started his daily search for gold, a commodity that may be closer to his grasp than another precious asset: an education.

His rural school in Uganda sits idle just across the road from the swamp where he and scores of children now work as informal miners. Weeds grow in some classrooms, where window frames have been looted for firewood. Another school nearby is renting out rooms to tenants.

Ugandas schools have been fully or partially shut for more than 77 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the longest disruption anywhere in the world, according to figures from the U.N. cultural agency.

And unlike many parts of the globe, where lessons moved online, most public schools, which serve the vast majority of children in this East African country, were unable to offer virtual schooling.

In the void left, some students got married. Some are dealing with unwanted pregnancies. Others, like 17-year-old Okwako, found jobs.

The pandemic has manufactured outcasts, a lost generation of learners now in a battle of how to fit in, said Moses Mangeni, an official with the local government in Busia, where Okwako lives.

Efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 have disrupted the lives of children in every corner of the globe, squeezing their parents, complicating their care, and often removing their safety nets. Perhaps most crucially, it has thrown their schooling into chaos.

The result is the biggest global education emergency of our time, according to the aid group Save the Children, which last month identified 48 countries, including Uganda, whose school systems are at extreme or high risk of collapse. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa, a region long marked by high dropout rates and a shortage of qualified teachers.

Some other parts of the world that saw protracted closures also struggled to teach students. Mexico, where internet connectivity is low in many places, opted for educational programming via television. Ultimately, the pandemic was devastating for children in Mexico, which saw millions leave school as well as increases in child homicides, teen pregnancies and domestic violence.

In Iraq, remote learning was similarly limited and unequal, according to the World Bank.

Some wealthier countries fared better. In Kuwait, because most public schools weren't equipped to go online when the virus first struck, all schooling was suspended for seven months in 2020. But then the oil-rich Gulf Arab sheikhdom poured $212 million into an e-learning platform, and all schools went online. The rollout is considered a success.

Tenants wash clothes outside the rooms that they rent at Busia Central Primary School on the outskirts of Busia town, in eastern Uganda on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. Uganda's schools have been fully or partially shut for more than 77 weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the longest disruption anywhere in the world, according to figures from the U.N. cultural agency. (AP Photo/Nicholas Bamulanzeki)

But in Uganda there is no success to speak of.

The country first shut down its schools in March 2020, shortly after the first coronavirus case was confirmed on the African continent. Some classes were reopened to students in February, but a total lockdown was imposed again in June as the country faced its first major surge. It is now the only country in Africa where schools remain closed  though President Yoweri Museveni announced last week that they would reopen in January.

That comes as virus cases have tapered off in recent months, with the country now recording an average of 70 new infections each day and a couple of deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. So far, Uganda has fully vaccinated about 700,000 of its 44 million people.

First lady Janet Museveni, who is the country's education minister, has rejected criticism that the government isn't doing enough to teach kids. In a speech in October, she asked why our children cannot be safe at home. What happened to the family?

The problem, some Ugandans say, is that the government hasnt found a successful way to keep up learning during lockdown. A suggested national program to broadcast lessons via free radio sets didnt materialize, and in rural areas many children dont have learning materials of any kind.

As elsewhere, schools typically also provide a refuge to vulnerable children: They may be fed there or receive their routine childhood vaccinations or have access to other services not easily available at home.

But in Ugandas poorest homes, children are now often left to their own devices, without the private tutoring or Zoom lessons that wealthy families can afford.

In Busia, even before the pandemic, the sight of kids peddling goods in the streets wasn't uncommon. Things have only become worse.

Many children who spoke to The Associated Press expressed hopelessness amid the protracted lockdown.

Okwako, who said he was wearing his school uniform while searching for gold because he had nothing else to put on, sought work out of boredom but regrets that the tiring days leave him little energy to study on his own.

No time (for) reading books, he said. If you try to open a book, you just go asleep, and sleep up to tomorrow.

At the informal gold mine, students toil alongside adults, including some of their teachers, under the scorching sun. Witnesses said the risks and frustrations of the precarious work have led to fistfights, and some children have broken limbs while digging.

A typical day can bring in just over $2, enough for a child to buy a pair of used shoes. Okwako is proud of the two pigs he bought with his earnings. Other children said they use the money help to look after their families, regularly buying salt or soap.

We come here to make money, said 16-year-old Annet Aita, whose job is to wash the sandy soil in which gold dust is trapped, using highly toxic mercury.

But work also provides a refuge from other dangers that stalk those not in school. Aita said she felt more fortunate than some friends who got pregnancies at home.

Teacher Francis Adungosi said he now works at the mine from Monday to Monday and warned that he will need a refresher course before going back to the classroom.

As for his students, "they are traumatized. Remember they are having a lot of challenges. Some of them are pregnant. Some have already got married. Handling those children is going to be so tasking.

That's for those who go back. Many say they won't.

Some of the children now say, we dont recall what we read, so why should we go back? said Gilbert Mugalanzi, of the group Somero Uganda, which carried out a survey in November to assess how the pandemic was affecting schoolchildren in parts of Busia.

At Okwako's Mawero Primary School, teacher Emmy Odillo said he expects a small fraction of the 400 students to return next year.

Others have similarly low expectations.

Bosco Masaba, the director of studies at Busia Central Primary School, the private school nearby that has been converted into rentals, said he regularly sees some students in the streets selling tomatoes or eggs. He heard that some girls became domestic workers across the border in Kenya.

Some, they have lost hope completely, Masaba said.

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Christopher Sherman in Mexico City, Zeina Karam in Beirut, and Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
GLASGOW, United Kingdom - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the memory of Lytton, B.C., on Monday as he called for more global action in the fight against climate change and said Canada is starting to move on his election promise to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in Edinburgh, Scotland, to attend COP26 on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. It's the first time the Prime Minister will be at a COP meeting since the Paris agreement was signed just weeks after he first became prime minister in 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

GLASGOW, United Kingdom - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the memory of Lytton, B.C., on Monday as he called for more global action in the fight against climate change and said Canada is starting to move on his election promise to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector.

Trudeau gave a short speech Monday at the 26th meeting of the Council of Parties to the UN climate convention, known as COP26 in Glasgow. The 14-day talks are starting with a leaders' summit bringing together presidents and prime ministers from more than 120 countries to finalize how they'll actually meet the goals of the Paris accord.

"In Canada, there was a town called Lytton," Trudeau said. "I say 'was' because on June 30, it burned to the ground."

The Lytton fire occurred in a punishing heat wave that saw the town reach 49.6 C, the hottest temperature Canada has ever recorded. He said it's the kind of thing that could happen anywhere and another sign that it's time for the world to step up.

"The science is clear: we must do more, faster," he said. "So thats the pledge and the call I bring to this historic meeting."

COP26 is grappling with setting the rules for implementing the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement  the main one being to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to hold global warming to as close to 1.5 C as possible by the end of the century.

That includes final agreements on what countries have to report about their plans, and their successes or failures at reducing greenhouse gases. Emissions like carbon, methane, and nitrous oxide, produced mostly from burning fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal, get lodged inside the atmosphere, where they trap heat and warm the planet.

Some of the stickiest talks have to do with the responsibility of the biggest polluters and economies to both reduce their own pollution, and also help smaller and less developed countries adapt to and mitigate against a problem they are far less responsible for causing.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at her last COP before she retires, told the conference the world is not where it needs to be yet to implement Paris, and there is a special role for developed countries because of their bigger responsibility for climate change to date.

Germany, she noted, recently increased its emissions targets to 65 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, and to be carbon-neutral by 2045.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is greeted by UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, left, and United Nations Secretary Executive Patricia Espinosa as he arrives to COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Those targets are more ambitious than Canada's new goal to get to 40-45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. The targets of the European Union, United Kingdom and United States are also more aggressive than Canadas.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, a longtime Canadian environmentalist, said Canada's new targets, just submitted to the United Nations in July, aren't going to be changed this week. The focus now is on implementing policies to actually meet them.

Trudeau said Monday the government is now moving on its election promise to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector. The pledge made in September would see emissions limited to around current levels and ratcheted down every five years until they are carbon neutral by 2050.

Well cap oil and gas sector emissions today and ensure they decrease tomorrow at a pace and scale needed to reach net zero by 2050, Trudeau said.

Thats no small task for a major oil and gas producing country. Its a big step thats absolutely necessary.

Guilbeault and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Monday formally asked the government's net-zero advisory board to help them accomplish this goal.

"We seek your advice on key guiding principles to inform the development of quantitative five-year targets," the ministers wrote in a letter.

"Your advice will also help inform the emissions reduction plan for Canadas 2030 target that we are committed to tabling in Parliament in the coming months."

Catherine Abreu, executive director of Destination Zero and a member of the net-zero advisory body, said Canada's issue is that the promised cap does not specifically address production of oil and gas.

"Canada has to grapple with production," she said while attending COP26 herself.

Abreu said the least developed countries submitted a request to COP26 for the developed world to set a specific date for when fossil fuels will not be produced or burned anymore.

Dale Marshall, national climate program manager with Environmental Defence, also said Trudeau's pledge fell short.

"Focusing on emissions from oil and gas production but not production itself will allow oil and gas companies to keep putting forward false solutions, such as carbon capture and storage, fossil-based hydrogen, and far-off net zero plans, all while pumping out more and more atmosphere-destroying fossil fuels," Marshall said in a statement.

"We cannot go from climate laggard to even the middle of the pack without curtailing oil and gas production, starting now."

Guilbeault said the federal government does not have jurisdiction over production, but does have jurisdiction over pollution. He cited the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the federal carbon price as evidence that Canada can act to force emissions down.

Alberta's premier, however, argued that any caps on emissions need to be set in consultation with the province.

"I don't know why they would make an announcement like this without consulting with the province that actually owns the overwhelming majority of Canada's oil and gas reserve," said Premier Jason Kenney.

Kenney told a news conference his government isn't necessarily opposed to an emissions cap, but "we need to know what the cap is.

He urged the federal government to invest in technologies that cut emissions, repeating his call for $32 billion in public funding for carbon capture, storage and use facilities, which inject carbon dioxide deep underground.

Trudeau also said Monday that $1 billion of Canada's promised $5.3 billion international climate financing will be directed to help less developed countries get off coal power.

That announcement was welcomed by Mafalda Duarte, CEO of Climate Investment Funds, which works with development banks, governments and communities in developing countries to finance climate solutions.

Canada understands our climate future will be won in developing countries," she said.

"Todays announcement from Prime Minister Trudeau is a strong signal of Canadas leadership in climate finance and represents a significant expansion of the countrys 12-year partnership with the Climate Investment Funds."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2021.

 With files from Bob Weber in Edmonton
The Royal Canadian Legion is hoping its annual poppy campaign regains a sense of normalcy this year as fewer pandemic restrictions are in place across the country.

Poppies are seen on the National War Memorial after Remembrance Day ceremonies, in Ottawa on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. The Royal Canadian Legion is hoping to return to a sense of normalcy with its annual poppy campaign this year, thanks to fewer COVID-19 restrictions in place across the country. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The Royal Canadian Legion is hoping its annual poppy campaign regains a sense of normalcy this year as fewer pandemic restrictions are in place across the country.

In the lead-up to Remembrance Day, the organization says it will have more than 34,000 traditional poppy boxes at locations across Canada, where people can donate cash and receive a poppy pin  roughly 9,000 more boxes than last year.

For the second year in a row, the organization will also have boxes that can accept payments from tap-enabled devices or cards. The legion said it will have 1,000 of those electronic boxes this year, compared to 250 last year.

Canadians can also make a donation towards the campaign at mypoppy.ca, where they can create a digital poppy, add a customized commemoration and share it on social media.

Nujma Bond, communications manager for the legion's national headquarters, said there will likely be a greater number of people physically present with donation boxes this year  similar to pre-pandemic times  thanks to looser COVID-19 measures.

"We are not only coming out with a greater number of initiatives, but we are also facing fewer ... local health restrictions," said Bond. "So it's allowing us to get back to a semblance of normalcy in terms of the poppy campaign itself."

Volunteers handing out poppies are still required to wear masks, stay distanced, and be vaccinated against COVID-19, Bond noted.

The legion said it raises about $20 million from its poppy campaign each year, with the funds going directly toward supporting veterans, their families and communities.

While the organization doesn't have final figures for the amount raised from last year's poppy campaign, Bond said the legion felt there was an increase in support "both figuratively and literally" for veterans in 2020 despite the restrictions brought on by the pandemic.

She said she expects a similar show of support from Canadians this year.

"We found last year, as I'm sure it will happen this year, that there was a tremendous show of remembrance and support across the country, despite the pandemic," said Bond.

Veteran Mike Turner is among those organizing poppy campaign efforts at the Royal Canadian Legion's East Toronto branch.

Turner said while there are fewer people handing out poppies from his branch this year compared to pre-pandemic times, they still have the same mission  to raise money to support veterans and veteran-assistance programs.

"I have personally seen and given finances to veterans, and seeing the smile on their face when they need assistance and they're getting it, it's worth its weight in gold," said the 51-year-old.

This year's poppy campaign coincides with the 100th anniversary of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance in Canada.

Bond said the Royal Canadian Legion is marking the anniversary with a number of initiatives. Those include an online offering of commemorative poppy pins that replicate the original 1921 lapel pin, as well as 100 limited-edition pieces of digital artwork meant to preserve the memory of 118,000 fallen Canadian soldiers dating back to 1812.

Other organizations are also marking the 100th anniversary of the poppy.

Canada Post has released a stamp to immortalize the crimson flower and honour the thousands of Canadians who have died in service to their country, while the Royal Canadian Mint has released a commemorative poppy coin.

Numerous Canadian landmarks will be lit up during the poppy campaign period and on Nov. 11 as well.

"People will still have the ability to remember," Bond said, "despite the pandemic that is still underway."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2021.



This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Under the Equity Matters banner, a new community coalition is calling on the province and school boards to create offices dedicated solely to addressing barriers for racialized students and boosting outcomes among these learners across Manitoba.

Under the Equity Matters banner, a new community coalition is calling on the province and school boards to create offices dedicated solely to addressing barriers for racialized students and boosting outcomes among these learners across Manitoba.

Teachers, parents and equity advocates will publicly launch their campaign, which has been months in the making, in Winnipeg on Friday to promote the importance of establishing an education equity secretariat within the provincial government and parallel offices in boards.

Upwards of 75 local organizations, including the Winnipeg, St. James Assiniboia, and Louis Riel school divisions, have endorsed the collectives calls to action.

"Many of those in power positions know that the world has been changing and the status quo is not good enough. They know that racialized students and those coming from immigrant, refugee backgrounds and Indigenous students are not reaching their full potential  and they know something has to be done," said Suni Matthews, co-chairwoman of Equity Matters.

For Matthews, a retired educator who worked for more than 40 years in inner-city schools, the campaign is about making anti-racist education the norm in K-12 buildings.

She said equity offices should be two-pronged, focusing on both updating education and human resources, with a goal of improving representation in schools so staff rosters better reflect student populations.

Last year, the State of Equity in Education reports highlighted severe gaps in reporting on staff diversity in divisions and the underrepresentation of racialized educators in public schools. At the time, the Winnipeg Indigenous Executive Circle estimated there would need to be almost 600 additional Indigenous educators hired in metro divisions so staff teams reflect the citys Indigenous student population.

Per the coalitions definition, an equity office would be run by a senior leader  either a chief equity officer or superintendent of equity  and tasked with community outreach, developing an anti-racism policy, publishing an annual equity action plan and accountability report card, and developing equity-based curricula.

Such an office is to provide professional learning opportunities for staff "on equity, decolonization and anti-racism instructional practice, anti-oppression, reconciliation and restorative practices."

Also under its responsibilities: ensuring self-identification surveys of students and staff are collected; monitoring employment equity policies; and undertaking comprehensive equity audits of schools, including the name of buildings, mascots, and learning materials.

In contrast to the community-led campaigns that prompted the province to axe its controversial education reform bill (the Education Modernization Act) this year, Matthews said this campaign aims to mobilize the public in favour of a shared vision of "modernization."

"A modern system of school governance acknowledges the impact of colonization and systemic racism, and actively changes the way these institutions function," states a report on the Equity Matters initiative.

Father Jordan Bighorn said he would feel far more encouraged that his children, who are of Lakota heritage, are being supported at school if there was an office they could access to advance a social issue, should one arise.

Bighorn said one recent event in his sons class sticks out to him as evidence change is needed  an Indigenous speaker spoke the names Eishia Hudson and Tina Fontaine during a classroom visit when a school administrator immediately stepped in to change the topic.

The parent representative with Equity Matters said his son came home and had questions because he sensed something was wrong. When Bighorn inquired about the incident with a school leader, he was informed there was simply concern teachers would not be able to respond adequately to student queries related to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

"It highlighted for me, again, where were at. Its (a lack of) training," said Bighorn, who hails from the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux community.

He added, "If (racialized people) have direct influence in decision-making and set policy, then the system can begin to slowly incorporate and change from the inside out."

Having experienced firsthand the challenges many racialized educators face in the school system  be it microaggressions or jumping through hoops to be recognized as an internationally-trained teacher, Matthews said she is committed to this work because she wants to improve student outcomes.

"Theres going to be pushback from some communities, Im sure," she said. "But we are patient. We work with people, because this is our journey."

A spokesperson for Manitoba Education said the department has been meeting with Equity Matters to discuss the concept of an equity office.

The Manitoba Association of School Superintendents and Manitoba Association of Parent Councils are among the supporters who have joined the coalition to support its calls to action.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
Premier-designate Heather Stefanson said rebuilding Manitoba's economy is going to be her focus and is key to the province recovering from the pandemic.

Premier-designate Heather Stefanson said rebuilding Manitoba's economy is going to be her focus and is key to the province recovering from the pandemic.

"We're going to focus on tackling those health care backlogs, we're going to focus on rebuilding our economy," she told reporters, after being declared the winner of the Progressive Conservative leadership Saturday.

"Once we do that, we'll have more money to spend on health care, education, social services," she said. "It has to be our priority moving forward."

The Tuxedo MLA said focusing on the economy is one thing that can unite all Manitobans  including those in parts of southern Manitoba who have opposed the PC government's pandemic restrictions and vaccination requirements.

"There are things those individuals are concerned about as well  like the future of Manitoba and what it means for our economy," she said. "We need to start rebuilding our economy. I'm going to reach out to them and say 'how are we going to do this together?' We don't agree with everyone on every issue. Let's find the common ground and move forward."

Some supporters of rival Shelly Glover, however, remain reluctant to find common ground  let alone accept the outcome, following a slew of issues with the leadership vote.

On Sunday afternoon, protesters gathered outside the PC headquarters downtown to call for a recount and investigation into the race, noting that at least 1,200 people did not receive their mail-in ballots days before the vote.

Stefanson received 363 more votes than Glover to claim the title of premier-elect.

"If we lost by 400 ballots, those 1,200 missing ballots is a huge deal," said one protester, who identified herself only as Sharon. Sharon said she drove an hour to the protest Sunday to make her opinion known and raise concerns about "corruption" in the party.

Glovers campaign team indicated Sunday that the leadership hopeful  who has yet to concede  would be making a public announcement Monday.

Meantime, after the results were announced Saturday, Stefanson said she's been listening and meeting with Manitobans and taking a collaborative approach to issues.

That "tone" and focusing on economic growth are how she plans to lead the PCs to another majority government in the next general election in 2023. The party had fallen behind the opposition NDP in the polls under the leadership of Brian Pallister, who was known for having a more combative tone and the face of the province's pandemic response.

"We need to get out of the pandemic and make sure there's hope and opportunity in Manitoba," Stefanson said. She said she's ready to get to work but hasn't decided on a date for her swearing-in ceremony, or when a byelection will be called in Fort Whyte, the seat Pallister vacated with his Oct. 4 resignation.

Stefanson indicated that she may be ready to call back the house as early as Nov. 16, with a throne speech and a cabinet chosen.

"It's not easy to turn these things around quickly," she said. But, being an elected member of the assembly for 21 years and having served in many senior cabinet roles, she's got a jump on what needs to get done "so we can really get on the ground running."

As for being the first women premier, Stefanson said the province has come a long way and "there's more work to be done."

"Look across the country right now," she said. "I will be the only woman premier once I'm sworn in. I look at that challenge, and I embrace it and I look forward to working with my counterparts across the country."

Stefanson said she wants to encourage more women to run and get involved in politics. She wouldn't commit to gender parity in her cabinet, though.

"We have a lot of great people in our cabinet including women," she said. "I want to ensure people are in the best roles possible."

A longtime observer of Manitoba politics says that Stefanson may be anxious to get to work but she shouldn't rush to choose her cabinet and call back the house.

"She's got to get things right," said Paul Thomas. "She's got to make this a smooth transition. She shouldn't install a bunch of new cabinet ministers that will constitute her team because if she's got a session coming up right away, inexperienced ministers are more prone to making mistakes," said the University of Manitoba political studies professor emeritus. He advised her to take the time to develop a "strategic premiership."

"Get yourself installed. Plan a big spring session with some impressive bills," Thomas said.

With a new premier selected, the province announced over the weekend that a former president of the Business Council of Manitoba would be taking the reins of chief bureaucrat as of Monday.

Premier Kelvin Goertzen announced in a release Sunday that Don Leitch is replacing David McLaughlin as clerk of the executive council and secretary to cabinet.

"Leitch has extensive executive experience in both the public and private sectors including having served as the clerk of the executive council and deputy minister to the premier in Manitoba for over eleven years previously," said Goertzen, in a prepared release.

Leitch has served on the boards of the Forks-North Portage Development Corporation, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Poverty Reduction Council at the United Way of Winnipeg, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

His resume includes experience as a deputy minister in B.C., where he oversaw economic development, international investment and trade, small business, and tourism files.

 with files from Maggie Macintosh

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
After nearly two years marked by the darkness of isolation, grief and loss, this years Diwali festival is set to herald new light, as Winnipegs Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities get together to feast, exchange gifts, and make memories once again.

After nearly two years marked by the darkness of isolation, grief and loss, this years Diwali festival is set to herald new light, as Winnipegs Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities get together to feast, exchange gifts, and make memories once again.

Diwali, India Association of Manitobas board secretary Priyanka Singh explains, is one of Indias largest holidays. Celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and other religious groups from India and the surrounding area, there are several religious mythologies associated with the festival, she says. Across each tradition the foundational tenet remains: Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil, and  with worship of the Goddess Lakshmi  of prosperity.

"We light lanterns and do a prayer at home, we go out shopping and get new clothes, in India traditionally there are a lot of fireworks and families get together," says Singh.

Though the festival traditionally lasts five days, the main holiday is celebrated in the middle of the week, this year it takes place on Nov. 4. In years past, Winnipeg held a Diwali Mela (meaning festival or fair) organized by the Hindu Society of Manitoba at the RBC Convention Centre.

"It was a place that you could go and run into almost everybody that you know," says Singh, adding thousands of people would come together to eat, dance and celebrate.

"Its going to be very fun performing and getting in touch with our culture again, says Harneet Aujla (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press)

But with COVID-19 hitting hard last fall, locking gatherings down to households only, 2020 celebrations were tame.

"We couldnt really do much, so everybody just did stuff at home," says Singh.

This year, though the convention centre doesnt plan to host its annual gathering, Singh says families are excited for the opportunity to get together with loved ones, host small, double-vaccinated-attendee parties, and celebrate the holiday again.

"This year I think all of the people in the community are feeling a bit relieved that we can at least get together with our friends and family," says Singh. "We dont get too many occasions to dress up in our traditional Indian outfitsIt feels really good."

For younger generations, the opportunity to celebrate Diwali also marks an opportunity to celebrate  and learn more about  their culture.

In Seven Oaks School Division, Maples math teacher Jagdeep Toor has been co-ordinating a bustling Diwali Mela since 2011.

Teacher Jagdeep Toor (from left) and students Harneet Aujla and Jasmine Dhalla are preparing for the virtual Diwali Mela celebration at Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre that will be held Wednesday and will be streamed online. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press)

"Diwali is just like Christmas for us. In India we buy new clothes, exchange gifts, light the lamps," says Toor.

A decade ago, Seven Oaks decided to "celebrate Diwali a little differently," he explains.

"We cannot exchange gifts and all that, but we can celebrate our culture," Toor says. "At Seven Oaks, we are trying to provide a platform for all students to celebrate their culture."

After pausing last year, the festivities will return virtually this year as more than 150 students from 10 schools perform dances, play instruments and celebrate at the Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre at 711 Jefferson Ave. on Nov. 3.

While they wont be able to host the thousands-strong audience theyre used to, students are excited to see each other perform, and the event will be streamed online at Channel 7 Oaks for anyone else looking to take part.

Harneet Aujla, 17, immigrated to Canada just a handful of years ago, and remembers the strange feeling of not being given time off school to mark the five-day festival.

We cannot exchange gifts and all that, but we can celebrate our culture, says math teacher Jagdeep Toor. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press)

In the years before COVID-19 struck, Aujla says the Seven Oaks Diwali Mela brought some of the fun of home to Winnipeg.

"This year its going to be a little empty, but its still going to be very fun," she says. "Were very excited this year, after a year of not celebrating anything, its going to be very fun performing and getting in touch with our culture again."

This year, Aujla will be performing bhangra, a high-energy Punjabi folk dance, with a team from Maples. The team has been training under Toors guidance for over a month to prepare for this weeks celebration.

Jasmine Dhalla, 16, joined the Diwali Mela in elementary school as a tabla player  a set of twin hand drums  but in Grade 9 became the go-to MC for the festival. Dhalla, who grew up in Winnipeg, sees the Diwali Mela as an opportunity to immerse in her culture.

"The Diwali Mela was a really great opportunity for me to connect with my culture and connect with people in my culture and learn about everything that my identity would be back home," says Dhalla. "Not having that last year was a little sad so Im excited to have that back and connect with everyone again."

Toor says the festival has long taught students more about their culture, and about leadership skills. Past performers and attendees have learned new confidence in speaking their languages and sharing their culture.

"The students are learning about the culture, theyre learning about the language, and thats what Im really excited about as an educator," says Toor.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers
Kira Sagan has always loved children, so when she was looking for somewhere to volunteer, she found a place where she could work with young people.

Kira Sagan volunteers with children in the West Broadway Youth Outreach in a pre-pandemic photo. The drop-in recreational and life skills program for youth provides a safe, fun and nurturing environment. (Supplied)

Kira Sagan has always loved children, so when she was looking for somewhere to volunteer, she found a place where she could work with young people.

The 24-year-old Osborne Village resident volunteers at West Broadway Youth Outreach (WBYO), a drop-in recreational and life skills program for youth ages four to 12. The drop-in provides free programming all year round in a safe, fun and nurturing environment.

"When youre a volunteer there, you feel really inspired," Sagan says. "Its just a really genuine mission they have."

The drop-in has moved all of its programming online as a result of the pandemic, save for some outdoor activities this past summer. Sagan volunteers every week with the homework club, where youth receive help with their schoolwork.

"We help them when theyre stuck on something, but also just listen to them talk about their day," she says. "Thats always really awesome and fun, to see their eyes light up about stuff theyre proud of and passionate about."

In addition to volunteering with the homework club, Sagan helps with the pen pals program every week.

Children are provided with paper, envelopes and stamps, and given the opportunity to write a letter to whomever they want. The goal is to increase the participants love for literacy and help them develop their handwriting skills.

One child once wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Another child, who was interested in architecture and enamoured by the buildings at the University of Winnipeg, wrote to the universitys president inquiring about the campus.

The president responded by sending the girl some of the universitys blueprints as a way of encouraging her interest.

"It was really cool to see the hard work and effort that young girl put into writing that letter," Sagan recalls. "When you grow older you can get less optimistic, so it was really nice to see this childs hard work acknowledged and rewarded, and how it inspired her to move forward. Those little moments can mean so much."

Sagan says that even after a tough day at her job as a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at the Childrens Hospital, volunteering at the drop-in puts a smile on her face.

"Its really just a happy place to be, and you do feel like the kids are definitely getting something out of it, too."

Sagan credits her parents with instilling in her a community-oriented mindset. Her grandmother also inspired her to make a difference. Whenever Sagan was leaving her grandmothers house when she was growing up, her grandmother would say, "Be good."

"She wanted us to put some good out into the world and leave it better than (we) found it," Sagan says. "I think thats one of the big things that lifes all about and what makes it meaningful to be part of a community."

The organization is thankful for Sagans time and talents, says volunteer co-ordinator Kyle Cuellar.

"Shes just been amazing. The kids love her so much," Cuellar says. "Whenever shes not there you can feel her presence (missing and) the kids are longing for her."

Cuellar is looking for more volunteers. The drop-in offers a variety of programming, and matches volunteers to programs that suit their interests and abilities.

Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Cuellar by emailing wbyokidz@gmail.com or by phoning 204-774-0451.

Sagan looks forward to volunteering every week.

"Its a joy and an honour to spend time with such creative, passionate, kind and intelligent young minds," she says.

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com.
The discovery of Judith Swains body on her New Bothwell farm last Wednesday set police on an immediate search for her son, Trevor Farley.

The discovery of Judith Swains body on her New Bothwell farm last Wednesday set police on an immediate search for her son, Trevor Farley.

That search led police to the discovery of a second victim  Farley's father  a 45-minute drive away in Winnipegs West End.

On Monday, the Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP confirmed details about the double homicide and announced Farley, a registered nurse, had been charged with murder in the deaths of Swain and Stuart Farley, both 73.

Farley, 37, has also been charged with attempted murder for a shocking knife attack in the main entrance of Seven Oaks General Hospital.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Rob Carver and RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre laid out a timeline for the three attacks, which investigators quickly determined were connected.

"We had a situation that unfolded in less than two hours," Manaigre said. "It was dynamic and quick. A lot of work had to be done in that time frame."

The trail of deadly violence began at about 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, when RCMP, responding to a call from a family acquaintance, were dispatched to check on Swain's well-being on her farm in New Bothwell. Officers discovered her body, believing she was a homicide victim.

The home of Judy Swain in New Bothwell. (Shannon VanRaes / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"Speaking with residents there, we determined a suspect," Manaigre said. "Officers advised the Winnipeg Police Service of a description and a name."

Police in Winnipeg got word the suspect was in the area of Seven Oaks and units were being dispatched to the area at the same time nursing supervisor Candyce Szkwarek was being attacked inside the hospital, at McPhillips Street and Leila Avenue.

"The assault has just taken place and the suspect is being held by people within the hospital as we walk in the door," Carver said. "He is taken into custody by our guys immediately as they walk in."

We had a situation that unfolded in less than two hours. It was dynamic and quick. A lot of work had to be done in that time frame.  RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre

Szkwarek, who was stabbed multiple times before a doctor at the hospital intervened and knocked a suspect off her, remains in hospital.

"The injuries were horrifically severe," Carver said. "I know that while she went (to hospital) absolutely critical, she has been stabilized and will be in the hospital for quite some time. She's not out of the woods, that is my understanding."

Around that same time, RCMP officers travelled to Winnipeg to inform Stuart Farley  Swain's former husband and next of kin  and discovered his body inside his Toronto Street home.

The body of 73-year-old Stuart Farley was found in his Toronto Street home. (Shannon VanRaes / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Investigators believe Trevor Farley killed his father first, then his mother, before proceeding to Seven Oaks.

Police would not confirm how either homicide victim was killed, only that no firearms were used and that they died as the result of a violent assault.

Manaigre said police found evidence Swain's killing was premeditated, supporting a charge of first-degree murder.

"In consultation with the Crown attorney's office, that criteria was met based on evidence at the scene," Manaigre said.

"The injuries were horrifically severe. I know that while she went (to hospital) absolutely critical, she has been stabilized and will be in the hospital for quite some time. She's not out of the woods."  Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Rob Carver

Evidence at the Toronto Street homicide scene supported a charge of second-degree murder, not first degree, Carver said, noting the difference between the two charges in this case have to do with the "deliberate actions" of the accused.

"The charges are really predicated on the actions of the individual preceding the event," he said.

Police said they could not confirm suggestions that Trevor Farley tried to access psychiatric help prior to the killings, citing personal health information. Prior to charges being laid, police said Farley was undergoing a medical assessment. He was arrested Wednesday but wasn't officially taken into police custody until Friday. He was charged Saturday.

Police arrived at Seven Oaks General Hospital last Wednesday right after the attack on nursing supervisor Candyce Szkwarek. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press files)

While police would not confirm whether the medical assessment included treatment for physical injuries or a psychiatric evaluation, Carver noted police typically notify media if a suspect is being treated for injuries, which was not done in this case.

"So, you can deduce from that what you like," he said.

Police didn't talk about a motive for the crimes, saying investigators are still piecing together the details.

"I'm not sure that is something we are going to provide, unless it can further the investigation," Manaigre said. "It's probably one of the bigger pieces of the puzzle. That is something we definitely want to find out."

Farley remains in custody. His next court date is Nov. 2.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Academics at the University of Manitoba have been asked to make their teaching materials inaccessible to students and set-up automated out-of-office emails in preparation for a picket line Tuesday.

Academics at the University of Manitoba have been asked to make their teaching materials inaccessible to students and set-up automated out-of-office emails in preparation for a picket line Tuesday.

The U of M Faculty Association, known as UMFA, announced Monday afternoon a recent round of mediation with administration has failed and a legal strike is set to begin Nov. 2.

In a memo to members, upwards of 1,200 professors, instructors and academic librarians, the union indicated it is taking job action for "a good salary increase for all members, that moves us all toward more competitive compensation, and improves our ability to recruit and retain faculty."

Among other key issues for the union include ensuring educators have the ability to refuse teaching online or remotely outside of a public health emergency, members are provided with "sufficient non-teaching time," and benefits are improved, per the notice.

"The University of Manitoba administration has chosen not to invest in the future of our faculty and our university, leaving us no choice except to strike," Orvie Dingwall, president of the faculty association, said in a release.

For weeks, academics have voiced concerns about the province issuing a wage increase mandate to their employer, saying it amounts to interference. The province has repeatedly insisted it is not out of the ordinary to provide such guidelines because of its role as a steward of public funds.

The undergraduate students union and a collective of students who have organized under the banner Students Supporting UMFA have publicly backed faculty members' requests.

Over the weekend, the faculty association called on incoming Progressive Conservative Leader Heather Stefanson to immediately pull the provinces wage mandate. Stefanson has yet to weigh-in on the matter.

Hours before the associations strike deadline, U of M rejected a final offer from the union.

Earlier in the day, administration released a community update that indicated its goal throughout the collective bargaining process has been to conclude an agreement "that supports stability in operations; an outstanding educational experience for our students; fairness to our faculty members; and sustainability for our institution."

The last time academics undertook a walkout at the U of M was in 2016, during a strike that spanned three weeks and disrupted activity across its campuses.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
THE COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated homelessness. Throughout the pandemic, shelters reduced capacity to comply with public health protocols, people lost jobs and affordable housing remained elusive.

Opinion

THE COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated homelessness. Throughout the pandemic, shelters reduced capacity to comply with public health protocols, people lost jobs and affordable housing remained elusive.

With a rise in tent cities and makeshift accommodations, homelessness has gained visibility.

Local municipal authorities across Canada have worked to enforce bylaws. Many have dismantled encampments to the dismay of activists and homeless people.

These events, media coverage, ensuing protests and policy discussions raise important questions about public space: How should it be used? Who is the public? And the question I am concerned with here, what are the implications of pushing people who are homeless out of these "inclusive spaces"?

Homelessness stigma in public spaces

Public spaces, such as parks and sidewalks, are typically thought to belong to everyone. However, many scholars have emphasized that there are rules and unsaid expectations that include and exclude.

Very few spaces exist where people who are homeless can feel like they belong.

Bylaws that criminalize behaviours associated with homelessness  including panhandling  and hostile architecture  such as a street bench with a central armrest that prevents people from lying down  are ways of pushing people out of a particular space.

Excluding homeless people from public spaces can perpetuate stigmas. These social stigmas typically take the form of labelling, stereotyping, a separation of "us and them" and a loss of social status. Sociologist Ervin Goffman famously described stigma as "a spoiled identity" based on stereotypes rather than inherent qualities.

Homelessness stigmas discredit individuals from participating in social life and limit access to social resources. These stigmas work against efforts to address homelessness because they can lead people to avoid essential services.

Social infrastructure

A natural approach to addressing stigma is to bring people together by forming relationships  in personal relationships, people know each others personal stories and aspirations, making them less inclined to rely on prejudice and harmful stereotypes. Brene Brown, who researches courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy captures the essence of this idea with her catchphrase: "People are hard to hate close up. Move in." And social infrastructure is the systems and environments that facilitate encounters and relationships, so social scientists have positioned social infrastructure as an antidote to social inequality and fragmentation.

Examples of social infrastructure include community centres, schools and public ice rinks; any space where people can meet and establish social relationships. Social infrastructure is essential to community wellness, it offers grounds for people to pool resources, receive and offer support and navigate social differences.

Strong social infrastructure is accessible, safe and malleable to the publics shifting interests, needs and challenges. Excluding those who are homeless from public spaces not only deepens stigmas that lead to the avoidance of essential services; it can also further marginalize them from the benefits of participating in communal life.

Spaces for people who are homeless

Thankfully, some institutions seek to offer public spaces for people who are homeless. Public libraries and faith-based organizations, such as mosques, churches and non-profits grounded in religious belief, are two examples. While public libraries and faith-based organizations are both quintessential examples of social infrastructure, they differ in significant ways.

Both have strengths and limitations when it comes to creating social connections. Faith-based organizations can be spaces where deep friendships form. These organizations bring people together regularly into a social and spiritual environment. However, they also have several barriers, such as history or reputation of excluding based on identity.

In contrast, a core value of public librarianship is to remove barriers to services.

Public libraries offer free services, regardless of socio-economic, housing and citizenship status, age, gender, ability, religion, sexual orientation, race or culture. Often described as a "community hub," public libraries bring people together from all walks of life. Nevertheless, they must balance their enormous mandate to address the informational, learning and leisure needs of diverse populations with bounded resources.

Partnering for stronger social infrastructure

While these two institutions alone may not be able to solve the issue of social stigma, looking at how they provide spaces for homeless people is a good place to start.

Hamilton Public Librarys Parkdale branch in Ontario is an example of a partnership between a faith-based organization and a public library. This library branch is in an affordable housing residence, operated by Indwell.

Indwell describes itself as "a Christian charity that creates affordable housing communities that support people seeking health, wellness and belonging." As the Parkdale branch only recently opened in July 2021, it presents a budding opportunity to examine how these two types of social infrastructure coalesce to provide inclusive social spaces for people who are homeless.

Partnerships between organizations with shared interests and complementary strengths hold promise when it comes to developing novel solutions to complex problems. There are several other examples of both faith-based organizations and public libraries sharing their spaces with social workers, health-care professionals and local enterprises.

For example, a pilot project in Philadelphia showed that having a social worker and a nurse working in a public library from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. helped connect homeless people with appropriate health care. The authors attributed some of this interventions success to the public librarys financially accessible community space. Partnerships allow organizations to do more than they could alone for those who are homeless.

Looking for creative ways to strengthen social infrastructure for marginalized groups may be an important step toward building a more equitable society post-COVID-19.

Kaitlin Wynia Baluk is a postdoctoral fellow in health and society at McMaster University.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.
Editorial

For premier-designate Heather Stefanson, fence-mending within the PC party will be a long and arduous process. (John Woods / The Canadian Press)

A fresh start. A clean slate. A new beginning. A forward focus. A unified and re-energized party.

These are things Manitobas Progressive Conservative party seems to have been denied by the result of a leadership race that has left a large swath of the membership critical of the process and displeased with, or distrustful of, the result.

Former cabinet minister Heather Stefanson, who entered the contest early with the support of a majority of the elected PC caucus and an aggressive approach that seemed designed to scare off other potential leadership aspirants, was declared the winner on Saturday.

But the slim margin of victory  Ms. Stefanson received 8,405 votes, compared to rival Shelly Glovers 8,042  was undoubtedly not the result the new leaders supporters desired.

Rather than receiving a decisive mandate that would allow her to move forward confidently as the new leader and Manitobas premier-designate, Ms. Stefanson now finds herself in charge of a party divided  one in which roughly half the eligible members did not support her leadership bid; one in which deficiencies in the mail-in voting process allegedly left a significant number of voters unable to cast ballots in time, prompting Ms. Glover to call for the vote count to be delayed; and one in which the losing candidate declared she would not concede when the margin of victory was just 363 votes, or 2.2 per cent of votes cast.

When asked on Saturday what role she would consider taking in a Stefanson government, Ms. Glover provided a terse response: "Premier."

Barring any actions due to the missing/delayed-votes, however, it is in fact Ms. Stefanson who will be sworn in as premier. And when she does, she faces the daunting challenge of reshaping a party whose popularity has plummeted in the wake of austere policy-making, abrasive leadership and an often-calamitous pandemic response that left the already-strained health-care system in tatters and Manitobans furious.

In accepting the razor-thin victory result, Ms. Stefanson signalled she intends to make the PC party more welcoming to the likes of First Nations and Metis people, labour and business groups, and Manitobas wide range of cultural and ethnic communities, who "didnt necessarily feel comfortable being part of our party."

Such open-armed optimism seems not to consider the reality that Ms. Stefanson was a front-bench standard-bearer for the government whose policies are responsible for the disaffection she describes. If theres one thing she was not, ever, under Pallister, its a publicly dissenting voice.

Still, if one accepts at face value Ms. Stefansons commitment to diversity, questions remain regarding how she will assuage the resentment of the 49 per cent of current members who did not vote for her  many of whom seemed to respond to Ms. Glovers vague acquiescences to anti-vaccine, anti-restriction sentiment.

Fence-mending on the PC party landscape will be a long and arduous process. Step 1 for Ms. Stefanson will be securing a definitive, unified endorsement from the partys membership. For the sake of the party and the province, one can only wish her the best of luck in the endeavour.
Manitobans overwhelmingly want parents to be able to screen their children for COVID-19 using rapid tests, but the province wont say whether its ever considered such a move.

Manitobans overwhelmingly want parents to be able to screen their children for COVID-19 using rapid tests, but the province wont say whether its ever considered such a move.

New polling data has the Manitoba Liberals calling on the province to make rapid testing available for families to use at home.

Probe Research asked 1,189 Manitobans a series of questions about COVID-19 last month. One of the most unifying opinions it found was about doling out rapid tests to parents.

A total of 80 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement "Manitoba parents should be provided with free rapid antigen at-home test kits for their children who may be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms so they can know if its OK to send them to school."

Among the respondents, 43 per cent strongly agreed with the idea.

Rapid tests are less accurate than molecular PCR tests done by labs, which are best used for people with symptoms.

Antigen tests detect people with high loads of the novel coronavirus who dont even know theyre sick, which are often the most likely people to spread COVID-19. Yet, these tests can produce false negatives in people with low viral loads in their nasal passages.

The Free Press asked Manitoba Health if it had ever considered doling out rapid test to parents; the department didnt answer the question.

Instead, a statement pointed to a checklist issued in June, to help parents decide whether a child's symptoms means they should stay home.

"We know that parents want to be safe, and ensure their children don't go to school if they are sick (whatever the cause)," wrote a spokesperson. "The best way to keep children safe from COVID-19 is to get them vaccinated, if they are eligible."

Rapid tests are less accurate than molecular PCR tests done by labs. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

But thats the whole point of using rapid tests, Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont argued.

He noted children make up the larger demographic of cases reported in the past week, including age groups too young to be vaccinated.

"What really matters is theyre readily available to parents," Lamont said in an interview. "They need to be readily available and they need to be free."

The NDP noted recent concerns about expiring rapid test kits in Manitoba, saying it was a sign the PC government should put them to use.

"Giving those rapid tests to parents so they can have peace of mind and guidance seems like an easy, simple step," wrote NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara. "Why wouldnt the PCs use every tool they have to help families and kids stay safe?"

Austria and other European countries have been using routine rapid tests on children for a year, to help contain outbreaks in schools.

Ontario rolled out a similar program a month ago, however, only for areas with high risk of COVID-19 transmission. Otherwise, officials argued rapid tests would produce too many false results, sending children out of school and their family to testing centres.

Meanwhile, Probe also asked if businesses with employees working in close contact should be required to routinely take rapid tests, even when vaccinated. Just 52 per cent of respondents agreed with that idea.

Manitobas strategy for rapid tests is to deploy them to almost any business that wants them, as well as public institutions that have unvaccinated employees required to undergo regular rapid testing.

As of Oct. 12, Manitoba had shipped out 1,130,700 of the 1,679,283 kits it has received from Ottawa or bought on its own, amounting to 67 per cent of those tests leaving the warehouse.

In September, Manitoba became the sole province to stop tracking how many COVID-19 rapid tests it has used, after persistently low uptake numbers. In previous months, fewer than one-fifth of deployed tests had actually been used.

The province argues it knows tests have been used when a company or department requests more of them.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Despite confusion surrounding months-old expiry dates on rapid tests, the province says the products being used among unvaccinated educators and other employees in its public sector are "safe and effective."

Despite confusion surrounding months-old expiry dates on rapid tests, the province says the products being used among unvaccinated educators and other employees in its public sector are "safe and effective."

The date  July 10, 2021  stamped on a plastic package containing a rapid test one unvaccinated teacher in Manitoba received from his employer made him do a double take. By the time the product was in his hands so he could begin routine testing for COVID-19, more than three months had passed since the original expiry date.

"(Testing) is totally not an issue, but the fact of the matter is: how could it be a valid test if its expired?" said the rural-based teacher, who must submit three negative results weekly to report to work because he is not immunized against the virus.

After learning colleagues were also given expired BD Veritor kits, the teacher has questions about their effectiveness and communication on the matter.

Manitoba has provided school divisions with thousands of kits containing Abbott Panbio and BD Veritor antigen rapid tests, which it obtained from the federal government, so they can enforce a new public health order that came into effect Oct. 18.

It remains unclear how many kits were past their original best-before date upon distribution, but the province says these tests can still be used without issue.

"While the expiry dates on some of these tests available at Manitoba facilities may have passed, these tests remain safe and effective to use by individuals in the detection of COVID-19," a spokesperson for Shared Health wrote in an email.

A risk manager at the Manitoba School Boards Association advised school division leaders on details surrounding an extended shelf-life of BD Veritor rapid tests in a memo Oct. 8; the notice included a March 2021 bulletin from the manufacturer that states testing was complete to support tacking six months onto product expiration dates.

Health Canada recently approved an even greater extension to allow for use as far as 10 months after the expiration date printed on the product, if it was in 2021. Tests with expiry dates in 2022 have been approved for use up to four months after the original date.

Ottawa also green-lit a shelf-life extension for Abbott Panbio tests in early September, increasing their expiry date from 12 months to 24.

"We should have zero room for error on this," said Lauren Hope, a teacher and parent in Winnipeg who heads Safe September MB. "If theres any question about these not being robust enough to pick-up COVID, then its too big of a risk to be using expired tests on unvaccinated teachers that are in close contact with vulnerable populations."

For months, the collective that advocates for heightened public health measures in schools has been calling on Manitoba to supply students with rapid tests. Had the province distributed the tests to divisions in the spring for families to use during the third wave of the pandemic, it could have both avoided concerns about expiry and kept schools open, said Hope.

The province indicated last week roughly 11 per cent of education staff require frequent testing. While supplies are available, employees can access tests free of charge.

 with files from Danielle Da Silva

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
Mayor Becky Glewen thanked those who made the new park possible after Tom Ptaschinski cut the ceremonial ribbon.

Its one thing to have a vision and to put it out there, but you need this whole community to get behind it and make things work and happen and its all because of each one of you, so thank you so, so much, she said.

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The 100 block of Front Street was closed to traffic as people shopped and trick-or-treated at local businesses. A staging area proved to be a hot spot as spectators gathered to view ladies dressed in black pointy hats perform a witches dance/flash mob. Other events include a One Voice childrens choir performance, an exercise demonstration from Get Fit, the Swinging Beavers square dancers and the Beaver Dam K-9 Unit.

Beaver Dam Police Officer Ryan Schneider introduced Boomer, a six-year-old German shepherd, to the community. The pair are a new addition to the force, having previously served in Waupun.

Hes dual purpose, he does apprehension and drugs tracking, said Schneider.
The fact that Rittenhouse wasn't a member of any extremist group before the shootings doesn't matter now given how he's been embraced by them, said Alex Friedfeld, an investigative researcher for the Center on Extremism with the Anti-Defamation League.

He said extremists will be looking to turn the trial to advantage. Some view the mere fact that Rittenhouse was charged as evidence that courts and the system are stacked against conservatives, or that the system is biased against white people, Friedfeld said.

"It starts to kind of lay the groundwork for the idea that people need to tear down these institutions and the system is broken and needs to be changed, which requires action," he said.

Baick, the historian, called the Rittenhouse trial "a moment for reality TV" and said the entire case takes its place amid one of the nation's most turbulent periods in generations.
VICTOR, N.Y. (AP) - A former top Republican lawmaker in New York has pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired.

Brian M. Kolb had resigned from a leadership post in the New York state Assembly after a drunken-driving arrest on New Years Eve, 2019.

He pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired in Victor Town Court in Ontario County on Monday. WHEC reports that he waived his right to appeal.

Authorities said Kolb was behind the wheel when his state-issued vehicle went into a ditch. Kolb initially blamed the crash on his wife.

The accident occurred just a week after he wrote a newspaper column warning citizens against drunken driving.

(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)
It's time now to welcome the newest members of our Morning Mug Club -- brought to you by Holland Farms Bakery & Deli.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Samuel Rowser, On Point for College provides the opportunity to change lives, one life at a time, by enabling students to fulfill their college and career dreams.

The organization is dedicated to developing programs and cultivating relationships to change the lives of traditional and non-traditional, 17- to 29-year-old students by breaking down barriers through access to training, college and careers for success in life.

On Point for College has been especially helpful this year as students were faced with the additional difficulties brought on by Covid restrictions.

This organization works with students from application to graduation and beyond, making higher education accessible to youth who have the desire and the will, but who feel college is out of reach due to economic, academic and other barriers.

On Point for College Utica has been honoring star students and partners since 2012, helping more than 1600 first-generation Utica adults overcome obstacles to their success, who go on to enroll in college.

More than 600 students have graduated with the help of On Point for College, an organization dedicated to removing academic and economic barriers for students who often lack the means to advance their learning beyond high school. To celebrate these successes, On Point for College is hosting a virtual event Thursday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m.

The link to the free celebration event can be found here.

Awards will be given to the following honorees:

The On Point for College Campus Angel Award is given to an individual at a college or university who has gone above and beyond to help On Points first-generation, lower-income students overcome challenges and empower their success. For ongoing student support, the 2021 On Point for College Utica Campus Angel Award goes to MVCC Equal Opportunity Program Counselor J. Manny Sabillon.

The On Point for College Uticas Foundation of Hope Award is given to organizations and individuals who have effectively partnered to positively help change our students lives and communities. This years Foundation of Hope Award goes to Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield and its Regional President Eve VandeWal. Their amazing partnership with On Point has benefited our community through internships, jobs, mentoring and empowerment.

The On Point for College Utica Achieving the Dream Award is given to organizations and individual leaders who, through their leadership, investments and collaboration, have helped make the educational and career dreams of our students come true. This years recipients, Adirondack Bank and President Rocco Arcuri, have provided steadfast support for On Point for College events, programs, student internships and jobs, demonstrating their priority to make student dreams a reality.

The On Point Make a Difference Award is given to an individual whose work with On Point has made a difference in the lives of On Point students. An amazing advisor, advocate and caring partner for On Point for College students statewide and nationally, this years Make a Difference Award recipient is New York State Higher Education Services Corporation Director of Federal Relations, Frank Ballman.

You can become a sponsor of On Point for College, and help future students succeed.

Sponsorship Levels:

$65 College Admission Sponsor

$100 Internet Access Sponsor

$250 Textbooks Sponsor

$500 Student Laptop Sponsor

For more information, call Kevin Marken at 315-454-7293, or make your online donation to help sponsor a students educational dreams come true.
New York State health care workers will no longer have a religious exemption to the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate after a federal appeals court vacated a temporary injunction Friday.

The three-judge panel in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit also sent the two court cases back to the lower courts to continue.

The ongoing court cases stem from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's order that all hospital and long-term care facility workers were required to get at least one dose of the vaccine by September 27.

CNN has reached out to the New York State Department of Health for comment, and details of how many exemptions the state has already provided.

An attorney for plaintiffs in one of the cases vowed to take the case to the US Supreme Court Friday.

"New York's mandate forces an abominable choice on New York healthcare workers: abandon their faith or lose their careers," said attorney Cameron Atkinson, who represents three nurses. "They have committed their futures to God's hands, and we remain optimistic that the United States Supreme Court will strike down New York's discriminatory mandate as violating the First Amendment."

In the second case, 17 health care workers, many of them unnamed doctors, residents and nurses, filed a lawsuit last month objecting to the New York State Department of Health's vaccine mandate, which didn't allow for religious exemptions. A judge issued a temporary restraining order on September 14 related to the religious exemptions.

CNN reached out to an attorney representing these health care workers for reaction.

Gov. Kathy Hochul praised the court's decision.

"On Day One, I pledged as Governor to battle this pandemic and take bold action to protect the health of all New Yorkers," Hochul said in a statement. "I commend the Second Circuit's findings affirming our first-in-the-nation vaccine mandate, and I will continue to do everything in my power to keep New Yorkers safe."

Religious exemptions granted to almost 16,000 workers before ruling, official said

Nearly 16,000 health care employees in New York State have been granted religious exemptions by their employers prior to Friday's court ruling, the state's health department confirmed to CNN Friday night.

That's 15,844 employees of hospitals, nursing homes, adult homes, Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHA), Licensed Home Care Service Agencies (LHCSA) and hospice facilities, said Jeffrey Hammond, deputy director of communications for the New York State Department of Health.

Hammond provided a breakdown of the data, including the number of employees and percentages of staff impacted in each health care group.

Hospitals (as of October 26): 6,433 employees (1.3%)

Certified Home Health Agencies (as of October 26): 505 employees (4%), of which, 365 are direct care staff

Licensed Home Care Service Agencies (as of October 26): 5,573 employees(2.1%), of which, 5,070 are direct care staff

Hospice (as of October 26): 94 employees (2%), of which, 70 are direct care staff

Nursing Homes (as of October 29): 2,684 employees (1.8%), of which, 1,935 are direct care staff

Adult Homes (as of October 29): 555 (2%), of which, 309 are direct care staff

The-CNN-Wire &  2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
UTICA, NY  United Way of the Mohawk Valley celebrated a century of service to the community during the organizations 100th birthday on Monday.

Since Nov. 1, 1921, the local chapter of the United Way has established programs, services and volunteer opportunities to support the Mohawk Valley community.

For 100 Years, United Way has brought people, resources, and ideas together to help our community thrive, stated Erin Gutierrez Matt, CEO of United Way MV. As we dive into the next century of our work, we can only keep our community moving forward by creating innovative solutions together.

Some of the notable initiatives over the past 100 years include:

Launching the 211 resource line

Opening the Academics First child care center

Creating the Volunteers United online platform to find volunteer opportunities

Connecting the homeless population with safe housing and resources

The United Way will continue to celebrate its centennial anniversary throughout 2022 with a series of events and campaigns, including:

100 Heroes Campaign: Celebrating locals who have made an impact on the community.

Workplace Campaigns 100th Birthday Challenge: Workplaces can complete 10 challenges by May 1 to receive a special gift.

Utica Coffee will create a United Way Birthday Blend.'

A 100th birthday party celebration on June 10, 2022, at the Saranac Brewery Biergarten.

For more information on the 100th-anniversary festivities, click here.
FRANKFORT, Ind. (WLFI) - Dozens of drivers in downtown Frankfort waited more than an hour Tuesday, gridlocked in traffic as a train stalled passing through town.

Accountability has to be there, you can't just block all those intersections and not care about it."

Frankfort Police Deputy Chief James Skinner is one of the many people frustrated about trains stalling as they pass through town.

On Tuesday one stalled for an hour.

"We had a lot of citizens who were concerned, they were frustrated, they were calling police, they were calling the mayor's office, Skinner said.

Skinner said the problem was even worse because recent construction has pushed more semis looking for alternate routes into Frankfort.

"We were trying to help truck drivers who were coming through here who were not familiar with the territory," added Skinner.

Bill McCullom runs McCullom TV and Appliances right next to the train tracks on Jackson. He said the delay caused him to miss a shipment.

McCullom said, "Those are very important because some of that stuff we've waited months on. It's really inconvenient and kind of frustrating."

For Skinner and the Frankfort Police Department, the most frustrating part is theres nothing they could do about it.

"There are no laws on the books anymore for us to stop them from doing that," Skinner remarked.

Skinner said they used to be able to issue citations to trains that stopped too long at street crossings but the Indiana Supreme Court struck down that law, saying states are not allowed to create a law that governs railroads. Skinner said there is no accountability.

"Sometimes a railroad is not that quick on getting things repaired or removed because they know there's no consequences," said Skinner.

The Frankfort Police department is now urging its citizens to call on their representatives in Washington to try and solve the issue.
W&M launches Democracy Initiative to promote civic engagement, civil discourse

For the people: The W&M Democracy Initiative's vision, outlined by a working group of roughly a dozen representatives from a wide array of disciplines and departments throughout the university, is aimed at promoting a shared sense of purpose in preserving American democracy. Photo by Stephen Salpukas Photo - of - Hide Caption

The vision for William & Marys new Democracy Initiative is succinct: W&M aspires to be a place where respectful dialogue takes place on challenging topics.

The initiatives vision, outlined by a working group of roughly a dozen representatives from a wide array of disciplines and departments throughout the university, is aimed at promoting a shared sense of purpose in preserving American democracy.

Co-director Steve Hanson, W&Ms vice provost for academic and international affairs, says that the charge may seem simple, but its one of the greatest challenges of our time.

We're aiming to get people to reflect deeply on how you combine things in a democracy that are often antithetical, Hanson said. Its imperative for the future of our republic that we learn to advocate for the beliefs we are passionate about, while having tolerance for perspectives we disagree with. Thats really hard to do. At its core, this initiative is about finding a path out of polarization through conversations that arent about division or anger, but bridging gaps.

Hanson is an expert on post-communist Europe and the rise and fall of democracies. He explained that there will be both curricular and co-curricular aspects to the initiative, which will extend throughout the university and beyond.

Our goal from the start was not just to include the whole university, but the entire local community in this work, he said. As the Alma Mater of the nation, we have a responsibility to lead this kind of engagement and ensure that our whole community is involved.

Carrie Cooper, Democracy Initiative co-director and dean of W&M Libraries, has a long track record of partnering with the local community to promote lifelong learning and has expanded access to Swem Library for local community members. She helped launch the One Book, One Community program with the Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL), an initiative that brings together the local community with the William & Mary community for a shared reading experience.

This years selected read, Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg, is a tribute to libraries and the important role they play in building connections, Cooper explained. Copies of the book were handed out to the university community at an event during W&Ms Homecoming & Reunion Weekend last month and are available at W&M Libraries and WRL. Klinenberg will give a book talk to W&M and the local community on February 24.

There is a strong link between libraries and democracy, Cooper said. Local libraries have always encouraged participation in the electoral process and free access to information. W&M Libraries is where residents and students converge. We imagine the Democracy Initiative will provide a platform and series of events for the purpose of facilitating intergenerational conversations between the university and the broader community.

Cooper added that the initiative aspires to give students and community members occasions to practice having better arguments, using the framework provided by the Aspen Institutes Better Arguments Project.

William & Marys Democracy Initiative launched at the start of the fall semester with a panel for all incoming new students titled Better Arguments Bring Us Together, featuring W&M Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler, W&M Law School Dean Ben Spencer and Associate Professor of Government Jaime Settle. A goal of the session was to provide tools for fostering debate and constructive conversation as part of the universitys Office of Student Transition Engagement Programs (STEP), which supports the transition of students into and through their W&M community experience.

Events such as Better Arguments Bring Us Together will be a key part of the work of the initiative, Hanson explained. For example, Harvard Professor Daniel Ziblatt will visit William & Mary on Nov. 11 to deliver the George Tayloe Ross Address on International Peace, entitled "The Life and Death of Democracies: Lessons for America."

The project will continue to evolve, Cooper added. The working group has recently completed an inventory of courses that could be included in a wider, democracy-based curriculum. The full inventory will allow W&M scholars and researchers to partner on democracy-related projects across a range of disciplines. The group has also identified opportunities for students outside the classroom to explore democratic ideals and practice civil discourse.

While an election is right around the corner, Hanson and Cooper stressed that they are planning for the long term  and thinking broadly about many aspects of civic life, not just the issues on the ballot today.

For example, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence will take place in 2026. The team at the Democracy Initiative is already formulating programming and curricula that will provide a fuller context for the anniversary.

William & Mary has also launched its Vision 2026, which outlines the strategic planning framework for the university over the next five years. One stated goal is to elevate civic engagement and service for the 21st century. The university plans to do so by: doubling down on W&Ms abiding commitment to evidence-based argument and discovery as a public good, modeling civil discourse, convening disparate views to advance democratic values and promoting community-engaged teaching, research and learning.

To me, this initiative is about institutionalizing the value of bringing people together, Hanson said. We hope to serve as a model for civil discourse and to continue to be a leader in advancing the principles of democracy, much as we have done at our best moments throughout our institutions complex history. Democracy is under threat throughout the world right now and the most immediate countermeasure we have is frank discussion of the issues.
16 candidates in Wrexham and Clwyd South put themselves forward for Welsh Youth Parliament elections

16 candidates in Wrexham and Clwyd South have put themselves forward for the second Welsh Youth Parliament elections.

They are amongst 300 others who have registered with every single constituency in Wales facing a battle for the seat.

Young people aged between 11 and 18 years old will be able to cast their vote anytime from today (1 November) to 22 November with voting registration closing on 12 November.

Nearly 300 candidates have registered with every single constituency in Wales facing a battle for the seat.

This includes 13 standing for election in Wrexham and three in the Clwyd South constituency.

Priorities for candidates include the environment, education, youth activities, bullying and mental health.

As with the first ever Welsh Youth Parliament in 2018-20, there will be 40 constituency seats decided by the votes of young people, in addition to 20 more Members who will be selected by partner organisations to ensure the representation of diverse groups of young people.

Voting is done electronically with each registered voter emailed a unique code to verify their ballot.

Maisy Evans, former Welsh Youth Parliament Member for Torfaen said, The topics we discussed wasnt to do with politics  it was everyday life. The environment, schools, health services; everything that matters.

Our reports into Emotional and Mental Health Support, Life Skills in the Curriculum, and Litter and Plastic waste were incredibly important and aims to influence both the work of the Senedd and the Welsh Government. Its so important for politicians to see the value that young people can bring to discussions  ones that often happen without us.

I want to see the Welsh Youth Parliament go from strength to strength, so I urge everyone out there between 11-17 years old to register to vote and to cast their ballot.

Elin Jones MS, Llywydd of the Senedd, said, The Welsh Youth Parliament has been a huge success, it is an excellent way for young people across the country to make their views heard. The Youth Parliament built on our education sessions and work in schools across Wales, alongside the introduction of votes at 16, to demonstrate our strong commitment to the next generation.

Young people have just as much a stake in our country as everyone else, and Members of the first Welsh Youth Parliament have demonstrated their passion, activism and ability to influence decisions.

This institution is now a key part of our democracy and over the last few years the Members hard work and perspectives have contributed in important ways to the work of the Senedd and decisions made by the Welsh Government.

It is crucial that young people have an opportunity to get involved in democracy as soon as possible and Im proud of the efforts of this institution. I hope every young person in Wales takes this opportunity to make their voice heard and vote in the Welsh Youth Parliament elections.

The results of the election will be announced on 1 December with the new members meeting for the first time in the New Year.

Profiles for every candidate running in the election can be found on the Welsh Youth Parliament website.

To register to vote, visit www.youthparliament.wales before the deadline of 12 November.
Creative cafe which opened days before lockdown survives and thrives against the odds

An inspirational woman who launched a cafe just days before coronavirus hit the UK says she has had to reinvent herself more times than Madonna to survive the pandemic.

Mother-of-four and gran-of-five Julie Vaughan-Roberts, 65, ploughed every penny of her life-savings  including her funeral fund  to establish Cwtch Ceramics in Rossett, near Wrexham

But just 10 days after she opened, the UK went was plunged into lockdown and the doors shut with Julie not knowing when they would re-open.

Despite the nightmare start, things are looking up again, with Julie paying tribute to her accountants, Wrexham and Chester based Coxeys, for helping her to navigate her way through the financial minefield of the past 18 months.

She was particularly grateful to managing director Anthony Lewis who has steered Julie and the business safely through the Covid crisis.

Starting a business can be tricky at the best of times but the pandemic threw up unprecedented and totally unexpected challenges, explained Julie.

Having access to the expert guidance and advice from Coxeys has been invaluable and has given me peace of mind when the world around us was going mad.

I have been able to contact Anthony any time and he has always responded quickly with the right answers. Thats just priceless.

Running the business is a far cry from her first job as a time and motion clerk after she left school.

A series of office jobs ensued before she became a full-time mum while her children grew up.

But she found an outlet for her life-long artistic streak when she founded Cwtch Ceramics at Ty Pawb in Wrexham, with parties for children making and painting pottery.

The business soon outgrew the premises and Julie took over the old Premier store in Rossett which provided the perfect location for her expansion plans, combining a cafe with the ceramics for adults and children alike.

She said: Ive always done a lot of arts and crafts and pottery as a hobby  Ive got an artistic streak, but this is the first time I have been able to follow my dream.

I have had a lot of encouragement from my family, from my children and my sister, Tracey Pearce, an interior designer who masterminded the refurbishment, putting in shelves, new lighting, toilets, a food counter, disabled access and a childrens play area.

The name Cwtch Ceramics came from my granddaughter, Paige, who drew a heart and wrote Cwtch inside it.

Moving here was a massive step. I invested every penny I had, including the money set aside for my funeral costs. I really wanted to get it off the ground because I could see the potential.

But Covid happened and shut us down after 10 days. It was very scary, really scary because wed got staff and obviously theyd committed and Id committed and the family committed to helping out and all of a sudden, it stops. You just didnt know what was going to happen.

We did close completely in the very beginning; everyone did and then we just had to rethink things. I reinvented myself. Im more reinvented than Madonna.

We started doing takeaway meals including afternoon teas and ploughmans lunches. We also did ceramic packs that people could pick up.

Anything we made was put back into the business and we just kept on going, working 12 to 14 hours a day. We have had incredible support from our customers who have been brilliant.

Then we were allowed to open outside so we had the benches made and now were allowed to have people inside as well.

But its been very stop-start. Weve stocked up several times only for the plug to be pulled.

We were all set for Christmas and had people booked to see Mrs. Claus and then it all went wrong, so we refunded everybody and lost all the money with the food and drink wed got in.

It was too important to let go and hopefully things are returning to normal.

Cwtch is a nice happy place for people to sit and enjoy family time. They can paint ceramics or they can colour and draw.

Or they can just sit had have food if they want. Were licensed, so customers can have a glass of prosecco and a ham sandwich as well.

Weve now also started selling old fashioned sweets  dolly mixtures, fruit salads, midget gems and the like  and thats going really well.

The summer holidays have been great because Cwtch is a destination for people. Things are looking up.

Coxeys managing director Anthony Lewis said Julie had shown admirable grit and determination to stay the course.

He said: Although she could not have known it at the time, she couldnt have picked a trickier time to set up.

But she persevered when many others would have thrown in the towel and walked away.

Julie is a very positive and upbeat person who just gets on with it when the going gets tough. Shes truly inspirational.
Learning to live with covid is very different from pretending it doesnt exist anymore  council issue latest detail update

Bangor-on-Dee, Overton and Penley sub-areas have seen the highest rates of covid recently since the pandemic began.

The latest data from Wrexham Council points to a doubling over the last two weeks and a tripling over the last three weeks, they explain, This is associated, firstly, with school-age children and, secondly, with their parents  there being a cluster of schools in this sub-area  and is a reminder that Coivd-19 has definitely not gone away in Wrexham. 

Wrexham Council remind teachers, parents and carers who are ready to go back to school Its important not to forget about lateral flow tests.

All those in secondary or further education whether working or studying should still be taking regular lateral flow tests.

To keep coronavirus away from Wrexhams schools the council remind people:

If your child has any symptoms, however mild, keep them at home and get a test.

No symptoms? Make sure they take a rapid lateral flow test twice-a-week and report all the results.

Follow the school rules on face coverings. Secondary pupils (Year 7 and above) will need to wear them on school transport.

Get the vaccine if its offered to you or your child.

Wash hands regularly.

In the wider update the council say that from 8th November, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) has agreed with the UK Department for Health and Social Care for a mobile testing unit to be deployed in Tesco Car park, Cefn Mawr.

There is also a reminder that there is no need to contact to book an appointment for your booster vaccine. You will be contacted directly when it is your turn.

Also, If you havent yet had your first dose or second dose then its not too late. You can arrange this by calling the COVID-19 Vaccination Contact Centre on 03000 840004. The lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm and Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 2pm.

The full council update correct as of Friday is copied below, without the preamble that was the First Ministers comments on Friday, as usual any bolding or italics is from Wrexham Council:
Relentless and exhausting  A day in the life of one of North Wales under fire GPs

A North Wales GP fears that ongoing public criticism, together with exhausting workloads is having a demoralising effect on NHS staff, as they prepare for their busiest ever winter.

Dr Nicky Davies, a GP Partner at Beech House Practice in Denbigh and Assistant Medical Director of Primary Care at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, has appealed for the general public to be patient and understanding over the winter months, as primary care staff across the region tackle unprecedented demand.

Her plea comes amid criticism that GPs arent doing enough to offer patients face-to-face appointments and false claims that GP surgeries have been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She has stressed that while General Practice had to change overnight at the beginning of the pandemic in order to maintain safety, primary care staff have been working and supporting patients throughout.

Dr Davies has shared details of a typical day in her life of a GP, to highlight the significant pressures facing primary care services and the impact that ongoing public criticism is having on its frontline staff.

My GP day starts at 8am and finishes at 6:30pm at the very earliest, however Im aware of colleagues staying until 9-10pm to complete the day she explained.

During the day Ill have appointments with a minimum of 30 patients, through a mixture of telephone, video and face-to-face consultations, whichever is appropriate.

There will also be around 20-30 additional telephone or administrative queries from patients.

I am aware some GP colleagues deal with more than 80+ patient contacts per day, when the British Medical Association suggests between 25-35 consultations.

Ill also undertake home visits in between the morning and afternoon surgeries and review and action dozens of pathology results daily.

We also review and action multiple prescription requests and complete medication reviews. 

We also find ourselves working hard supporting our hospital consultant colleagues when patients have questions about hospital care, appointments and waiting lists.

On top of this, there is additional paperwork such as support letters for patients, insurance and medical reports, all of which have to be fitted into the general day.

I dont have time for a wee some days, let alone take a lunch break! Ive been a GP since 2003 and this is the worst Ive seen it. Its just a relentless and exhausting day.

Demand for care is up by at least 25 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels and were grappling with the same unprecedented challenges as GPs across the country.

These include the ongoing need for social distancing to keep staff and patients safe in Practices that are often small and unsuited to this need; Covid illness and isolation in staff and family; general staff recruitment and retention; reducing the number of GPs; difficulties with long secondary care waiting times impacting on primary care; delivery of ongoing vaccination campaigns; dealing with Covid backlogs; and phlebotomy and blood bottle shortages.

Despite these challenges we are continuing to offer face to face appointments when they are indicated.

However, we do know that a lot of patients find telephone and video appointments very convenient because they dont have to take time out from work to come in and sit in waiting rooms.

Weve even had a patient consulting with us while riding their horse, so convenience is a big thing!

Dr Davies has appealed for people to be patient and understanding as NHS staff enter what is expected to be the busiest winter on record.

Morale is very low because of this unfounded and upsetting criticism when we are working really hard to do the best for our patients, she said.

This is leading to some GPs leaving the profession which only compounds the problem. I really feel for, and thank, all my NHS colleagues who are working so hard.

Please be patient with us. We appreciate it can be frustrating when you find difficulty in getting through to Practices on phone lines, but please bear in mind the lines are being used by our other patients, by our teams for telephone consultations or calling you in for vaccines or to discuss results.

Please be aware we have other digital methods to contact us and there is lots of useful information on Practice and NHS websites.

We are working really hard to do the best for our patients in very challenging circumstances.

It is a privilege to be a GP and to be part of and help our community. But we do need public help and understanding, not unfounded criticism.

For access to free health advice, 24 hours a day, including an online symptom checker, please visit the NHS 111 Wales website at: https://111.wales.nhs.uk/Default.aspx

For further information on how to access the most appropriate healthcare services please visit the BCUHB website: https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/services/where-do-i-go/
Top chef unites with former college to serve up new Welsh hospitality academy

A talented chef teamed-up with his former college to attract more apprentices to the hospitality and catering industry.

Adam Gaunt-Evans, Director of Restaurants and Bars at One Hundred Knights  operator of The Royal Hotel, the Three Eagles, and Tyn Dwr Hall in Llangollen  is on the lookout for recruits to join their new Academy.

His vision is to train and develop kitchen staff, chefs and front of house and hospitality professionals from across the region, in partnership with Coleg Cambria.

I grew up in Llangollen and received a fantastic apprenticeship under my mentor Dai Davies, supported by Cambrias Yale college in Wrexham, said Adam, who has worked at hotels all over the world including Burj al Arab in Dubai, and the Flying Fish restaurant in Sydney.

Learning a trade was my ticket to a new exciting life and once Id received my training, I was sent off to the bright lights of London, something I would never have been prepared for without a proper apprenticeship.

Being a chef has given me the opportunities to work in seven different countries and really see the world. Cooking is a fun, creative job you can get very passionate about.

Adam and the management team behind One Hundred Knights are passionate about nurturing their own talent.

We are creating dozens of really exciting new roles in our local area over the coming years with the addition of the Royal Hotel and some very exciting restaurant projects, opportunities you would have to move away for a generation ago.

Katie Ince, Operations Manager for One Hundred Knights and Restaurant Manager at the Three Eagles, added: Hospitality isnt all clearing plates and serving food, there is so much more. Not only do you get great customer interaction, or a real buzz from a busy shift, but the skills you can learn in this trade are phenomenal.

The academy alongside Coleg Cambria supports our youngest recruits whilst providing the opportunity to work in a great environment surrounded by passionate people who will take you under their wings.

Words echoed by Kate Muddiman, Cambrias Work-based Learning Manager: Learners will be supported in a variety of routes in hospitality and catering throughout their entire learner journey and can develop their skills to be the best they can be alongside the excellent team at One Hundred Knights.

Its a brilliant opportunity during a pivotal period in which the industry is fighting back from the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic. This is the ideal time to join the sector, so we look forward to taking this Academy forward together.

For more information, visit www.thethreeeagles.co.uk/join-the-one-hundred-knights-hospitality-academy or email team@thethreeeagles.co.uk.

Visit www.cambria.ac.uk and follow @colegcambria on social media for more on the wide range of courses and qualifications available at Coleg Cambria.
Work continuing at pace to secure step free access at Ruabon Station

Work to secure step free access at Ruabon Station is continuing at pace, with regular meetings between stakeholders now taking place.

Currently the station currently only has step access between platforms meaning disabled, those with young children or travellers with luggage are not access the Chester platform .

It is the only station on the Chester to Shrewsbury route that is failing to meet passengers expectations of modern, accessible train stations.

The station is also the rail and bus gateway access for important tourist destinations such as Llangollen and the Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site.

Back in 2018 a campaign to secure funding for step-free access to both platforms was launched. However earlier this year Wrexham.com reported that the station had failed to secure disabled access funding from UK Government.

Welsh Government funding for improvements was also lost in 2019.

However earlier this year it was announced that Ruabon Station was to finally get step free access, with work ongoing behind the scenes since to move the project forward.

A steering group of key partners now meets regularly and a feasibility study is being progressed to provide plans to bring the improvements to reality.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: Works are progressing well and its a pleasure to work with the steering group who are all committed to putting together a practical and speedy solution to improve the station so it is accessible for everyone.

Simon Baynes, Member of Parliament for South Clwyd, said: Im very pleased by the progress on step-free access at Ruabon and also by the regular meetings of the key stakeholder steering group.

I keep the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps MP, regularly updated on our progress and I was very pleased that he came to visit Ruabon Station in May where he met with Cllr David Bithell and myself.

Many representatives, organisations and residents in Ruabon have been campaigning for step-free access at Ruabon Station for many years so I am very pleased to see the pace of progress being made.

And it shows the commitment of the UK Government to Clwyd South and North Wales as this project is much needed so all passengers can access the jobs and leisure opportunities that will make our community an even greater place to live and work.

Ken Skates, Member of the Senedd for Clwyd South, said: I have worked alongside the fantastic Friends of Ruabon on this campaign for a number of years on behalf of local people, and I am pleased we are now seeing some progress.

The First Minister, Mark Drakeford, asked the UK Department for Transport to prioritise long-awaited improvements at Ruabon after our previous bids for were unsuccessful, so I know the people who use the station will welcome this too.

I look forward to seeing the project move forward after such a dedicated and passionate campaign, and will continue to work with all stakeholders to help ensure it finally comes to fruition.

In a statement to Simon Baynes, MP, Sam Hadley, Head of Communications at Network Rail, confirmed the news, he said: Ruabon is now included in the Access for All Programme.

This is fantastic news as Ruabon wasnt included in the original list of stations in Wales and Borders announced by the Department for Transport in April 2019.

The overall aim is to engage with the Councils Conservation Officer and develop an outline design by the end of this funding period in 2024. This will allow us to establish the cost of the scheme and progress to detailed design and delivery in CP7  subject to support from funders

The involvement of stakeholders at Parliamentary, Senedd and local authority level is important as is the backing of the wider community. We absolutely recognise the passion of the community in Ruabon, its role as a gateway to Llangollen and the surrounding area, and the rich railway heritage of the town.

We look forward to working with our partners to progress this project  weve committed to meeting with key stakeholders regularly, to update them on progress and to help them keep the people and communities they serve informed.
Eighty years ago, on June 22, 1941, the German military invaded the Soviet Union. A war began the likes of which humanity had never before experienced. The barbarism of the Middle Ages was combined with the most modern technology of the 20th century.

There had previously been horrific wars with millions of victims. The cannons of the First World War had been silenced just 23 years earlier. The blood-soaked fields of Verdun and the Marne, on which the flower of German, French and British youth were mown down by machine guns, were considered a monument of human barbarism.

But the attack on the Soviet Union went much further. From the outset, it was planned as a war of annihilation. It was not only a war for territory, raw materials and markets, but also a war driven by racism and ideology. The destruction of Bolshevism, the extermination of the Jews and the creation of living space in the east, which Hitler had been proclaiming for 20 years, was now put into practice.

Contrary to the belief of many in the West, Hitler did not blunder into the war in the east, wrote the historian Stephen Fritz in his landmark work Ostkrieg: Hitlers War of Extermination in the East. For him, the right war was always that against the Soviet Union, for to him Germanys destiny depended on attaining Lebensraum and solving the Jewish question. Both of these, in turn, hinged on destroying the Soviet Union. Which of these aims was most important? Given Hitlers views, it would be artificial to attempt to prioritize or separate them. For him, the war against Jewish-Bolshevism and for Lebensraum was comprehensive and of whole cloth.

Execution of captured partisans (Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-031-2436-05A / CC BY-SA 3.0)

When 3 million German soldiers, 600,000 vehicles, 3,500 tanks, 7,000 pieces of artillery and 3,900 aircraft invaded the Soviet Union at 3 a.m., they brought with them detailed orders and plans to physically exterminate millions of people. The invasion was accompanied by four einsatzgruppen (operational units) whose members had been carefully selected and trained by Reinhard Heydrich, head of the Reich Security Agency. The task of these 3,000-member units of stormtroopers of genocide (Ian Kershaw) was to immediately kill any communists, partisans, Jews and Sinti who came into their possession.

The four Einsatzgruppen and their helpers killed well over 500,000 Soviet Jews in the first six months of Barbarossa in addition to tens of thousands of partisans and Soviet prisoners of war, none of which would have been possible without the willing and active cooperation of the Wehrmacht, wrote Fritz.

The active complicity of the Wehrmacht in mass murder, which was denied in Germany for decades and even as late as 1999 led to the censorship of the exhibition War of annihilation. Crimes of the Wehrmacht, has been incontrovertibly documented. Already in January 1941, Hitler issued a target to a selected group of SS leaders that the Slavic population in the east should be reduced by 30 percent. Entire military staffs and racist theorists subsequently translated the will of the Fuhrer into precise orders on who should be shot and exterminated.

The generals signed off on these plans and ensured they were carried out. During the war army officials even inaugurated an exchange of ideas and experiences between army and SS officers, according to Fritz. As events on the ground demonstrated, criminal orders from above and vengeful impulses from below created a climate of violence that would remove any inhibitions about murder.

German professors embellished the murderous plans with pseudo-scientific arguments. In June 1942, the Generalplan Ost (General Plan East) was published based on the work of numerous academics. It planned for the murder of millions of Slavs to create room for German settlers. The German Society of Research (DFG), a coalition of renowned scholars, was already financing studies during the Weimar Republic that asserted a general superiority of the German population over the Slavic and others that understood race research as an applied science.

The operational plans for Operation Barbarossa, which was the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union, were worked out in the course of several round table discussions in early 1941 between the Chancellors Office, the SS, Reich Security Agency and the Wehrmacht [German military] High Command. The goal that was repeatedly formulated was to destroy the Bolshevik heads and commissars, Jewish-Bolshevik intellectuals and the socialist idea.

On May 2, several state secretaries and leading Wehrmacht commanders discussed the consequences of Operation Barbarossa for the war economy. According to a briefing note, they came to the conclusion that undoubtedly tens of millions of people will starve if we take from the country what is necessary for us.

On May 13, Wilhelm Keitel, head of the Wehrmacht High Command, issued the Military Judiciary Authorisation Order. It ordered that crimes committed by civilians against the Wehrmacht would no longer be handled by the courts, but that the accused could be immediately shot on the orders of an officer. Violent acts of collective punishment against entire areas were also permitted. This often resulted in women and children (men were at the front) being herded together in large buildings and shot with machine guns, before the buildings were torched so the remaining survivors were burned alive.

On June 6, two weeks prior to the invasion, the High Command, under the direction of Lieutenant General Alfred Jodl, issued the Commissar Order. It called for the civilian and military political commissars to be identified and that invading forces in principle immediately dispose of them with a weapon. On the basis of this order alone, there is evidence of at least 140,000 executions, with estimates ranging as high as 600,000.

This shows that on June 22, a well-prepared murder machine was set into motion. The last moral inhibitions had already been overcome in Poland, where the Wehrmacht had invaded and unleashed an orgy of violence two years earlier. Polish territory would also later serve as the location for the notorious death camps. But before millions of Jews from across Europe were sent to the gas chambers in Auschwitz and Majdanek, the German troops had already massacred hundreds of thousands of them in the Soviet Union.

One of the most well known massacres occurred on September 29 and 30, 1941, in the Babi Yar ravine near Kiev, where a special operations unit shot 33,771 Jews, including men, women and children, from the Ukrainian capital in the space of two days. Over subsequent months, a further 70,000 civilians were executed in the same ravine.

The balance sheet of the war of annihilation was horrendous. A total of 27 million Soviet citizens fell victim to the war. A commission organised by the Soviet Defence Ministry and Russian Academy of Sciences, which reviewed the figures between 1987 and 1991, placed the figure as high as 37 million. Of these, only 8.6 million were soldiers and 27 million to 28 million were civilians, many of whom lost their lives due to hunger and unbearable living conditions. The 28-month blockade of the city of Leningrad, which the Wehrmacht intentionally starved, claimed the lives of 470,000 people alone.

Among the Wehrmachts numerous war crimes was the murder of 3 million Soviet prisoners of war. On September 8, the High Command issued an order that placed the Red Army soldiers beyond the protection of international law: The Bolshevik soldier has lost any right to treatment as an honourable soldier under the Geneva Convention The use of weapons against Soviet prisoners of war is in general legitimate.

Roughly 60 percent of prisoners of war lost their lives. If they were not murdered or died of hunger, they were brought to the concentration camps, where they performed forced labour under inhumane conditions for the German war effort.

The course of the war

During the first weeks of the war, the Wehrmacht advanced rapidly into the Soviet Union. Its initial successes were above all thanks to the criminal policies of Stalin and the privileged bureaucracy, whose rule he personified. They had bled the Soviet Union dry and left it totally unprepared.

In the course of the Great Terror, which claimed the lives of almost the entire leadership of the October Revolution and hundreds of thousands of loyal communists and intellectuals, Stalin also beheaded the Red Army. Of the 178,000 leadership forces in the Red Army, 35,000 were arrested and some executed. Twice as many generals were killed than during the Second World War, including outstanding military commanders like Tukhachevsky, Yakir, Gamarnik and Uborivitch, who rose to leadership within the Red Army under Trotsky during the Civil War.

This was the generation who had received a baptism of fire during the Civil War, who rose suddenly above the mass, disclosing talent for organization and capacity for military leadership, tempered their will in a large-scale struggle and subsequently enjoyed further military training, as Trotsky noted in 1934. Military theory enabled them to discipline their minds, but did not kill the audacity that was steeled in the impetuous maneuvers of the civil war. They were replaced by less experienced officers who were characterised above all by their subservience to Stalin.

For his part, Stalin was totally surprised by the German invasion, even though he had been warned by his own and Western intelligence agencies. The communist spy Richard Sorge even supplied the entire plan of attack from Japan, including the timetable. But Stalin ignored all warnings and trusted in the non-aggression pact, which he had agreed with Hitler in August 1939. He was convinced that Germany, which was already at war with Britain, would not risk a war on two fronts. After the invasion, Stalin disappeared from the scene for days, leaving the Soviet Union practically leaderless.

But the October Revolution remained alive in the Soviet working class. Stalin may have murdered its leaders, but he had not destroyed its achievements: the state ownership of the means of production and the planned economy, which now proved to be tremendous advantages. The Wehrmacht soon realised that they were not fighting this time against the Tsars army of forcibly recruited semi-serf peasants, but against the motivated army of a workers state, which despite the terror did not capitulate, and instead developed a remarkable energy and readiness to sacrifice.

Trotsky, who had built the Red Army, also predicted this in 1934. The Red warrior differs sharply from the czarist soldier, he wrote: The cult of passivity and of submissive capitulation before obstacles has been supplanted by the cult of political and social audacity and technological Americanism.  Should the Russian Revolution, which has continued ebbing and flowing for almost thirty yearssince 1905be forced to direct its stream into the channel of war, it will unleash a terrific and overwhelming force.

Although the war continued for over three-and-a-half years and over 6 million soldiers were either killed or severely wounded on the German side, it was already clear after the first several weeks that the Wehrmacht had no chance of victory. Long before the first snows of winter began to fall, however, and even before the first autumn rains brought most movement to a halt, in fact as early as the summer of 1941, it was evident that Barbarossa was a spent exercise, unavoidably doomed to failure, wrote the military historian David Stahel.

Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 aircraft (RIA Novosti / archive Fyodor Levshin / CC-BY-SA 3.0)

In the arms production sector, which was so decisive for the war, the Soviet planned economy proved to be far superior to the German economy based on private property. In 1941, German industry produced 5,200 tanks, 11,776 planes and 7,000 artillery guns measuring more than 7 millimetres. In the first half of 1941, the Soviet economy managed only 1,800 tanks, 3,900 aircraft and 15,600 artillery pieces. But during the second half of the year, it increased arms production, in spite of the shifting of entire factories to the East and the destruction caused by the war, to 4,740 tanks, 8,000 aircraft and 55,500 pieces of artillery. In 1942, Germany manufactured 15,409 aircraft, while the Soviet Union managed 25,436. While Germany produced 9,200 tanks, the Soviet Union manufactured 24,446.

Despite its Stalinist degeneration, the Soviet Union, which emerged from the October Revolution, served as a decisive barrier against the plunging of humanity into barbarism. Serious historians leave no doubt about what a victory by Hitler would have meant.

Stahel remarked, The importance of Hitlers new war in the east was understood by all sides at the time as the definitive moment in the future fortunes of the expanding world war. Either Hitler would soon stand almost untouchable at the head of an enormous empire, or his greatest campaign would falter (something no government at the time believed to be likely) resulting in the dangerous Allied encirclement Hitler was aiming to eliminate forever. It is therefore not an overstatement to say that the German invasion of the Soviet Union represents an extraordinary turning point in world affairs, central not only in our understanding of World War II, but indeed as one of the most profound events in modern history.

The origins of the war

After Germanys defeat, nobody wanted to be responsible in Germany for the war of annihilation. There were only victims and people following ordersno perpetrators. Hitler was to blame for everything. The Second World War was Hitlers war.

Adolf Hitler, who shot himself shortly before the Wehrmachts unconditional capitulation, possessed extraordinary powers and was personally involved in all major political and military decisions. Despite that, he was merely supplying a product demanded by capitalist society. The answer to the question of how this failed Austrian artist and embittered war veteran could rise to the position of Germanys Fuhrer inevitably leads to the conclusion that he had powerful backers in the elites of business, politics, the military, aristocracy, culture and the universities.

One of his most well known promoters in early years was the general Erich Ludendorff, the second-in-command of the army during the First World War who co-led the 1923 coup attempt in Munich with Hitler. Others included the industrialists Fritz Thyssen and Erich Kirndorf, Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia and the composers widow Cosima Wagner. The media empire of the German nationalist industrialist Alfred Hugenberg, who was economy minister in Hitlers first cabinet, played a major role in his rise. In January 1932, an appearance by Hitler at the Dusseldorf industrialists club secured him the political and financial backing of the most important circles of big business.

Hitler did not have to violently seize power; it was offered to him on a silver platter. At the time of Hitlers accession to power, the Nazis were in a deep political and financial crisis. In the Reichstag election of November 1932, the party received just 33 percent of the vote4 percent less than in July and 4 percent less than the two large workers parties combinedthe Social Democrats and Communist Party. Hitler even toyed with the idea of suicide.

The decision to appoint Hitler as Chancellor in January 1933 was ultimately taken by a small circle of conspirators representing the interests of the state and big business around the elder statesman President Paul von Hindenburg. Two months later, with the Communist Party banned and the concentration camps filling up, all bourgeois parties voted for the Enabling Act, making Hitler a dictator.

During the war, Hitler then found thousands of willing assistants in the officer corps who carried out his murderous orders, among state officials, who terrorised the population and selected the Jews for extermination, in industry, which increased its profits through war production and forced labour, among professors, who gave race theory and arbitrary justice the appearance of science, and many more.

The war of annihilation did not emerge from the will of the Fuhrer, who unquestionably desired the war. The ruling elites promoted Hitler and placed him at the head of the state because they wanted and needed the war. It had deep objective causes in the irresolvable contradictions of the capitalist system.

Trotsky speaks to soldiers of the Red Army

Leon Trotsky, who understood the danger of fascism and war more than anyone else and mobilised the working class in opposition to them, wrote one year prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union, The sole feature of fascism which is not counterfeit is its will to power, subjugation and plunder. Fascism is a chemically pure distillation of the culture of imperialism This German epileptic with a calculating machine in his skull and unlimited power in his hands did not fall from the sky or come up out of hell: he is nothing but the personification of all the destructive forces of imperialism. Just as Genghis Khan and Tamerlane appeared to the weaker pastoral peoples as destroying scourges of God, whereas in reality they did nothing but express the need of all the pastoral tribes for more pasture land and the plunder of settled areas, so Hitler, rocking the old colonial powers to their foundations, does nothing but give a more finished expression to the imperialist will to power. Through Hitler, world capitalism, driven to desperation by its own impasse, has begun to press a razor sharp dagger into its own bowels.

Already during the First World War, German imperialism sought to subordinate Europe to its interests, and failed. It now attempted this for a second time.

The First World War was an imperialist war in which all of the major powers fought for the redivision of the world and the subordination of the world economy to their hegemony. German imperialism played an especially aggressive role, because capitalism developed belatedly due to the delayed bourgeois revolution, but thanks to modern technology enjoyed a tremendous dynamism. Confined to Central Europe, confronted with the British and French colonial powers, and an even more potent American rival, it could only rise to become Europes dominant power and secure access to raw materials and markets by violent means.

Germany lost the war. Weakened and heavily indebted due to the Treaty of Versailles and shaken by class struggles, all of the problems that drove German imperialism into the First World War were posed with renewed sharpness. In addition, in the east, the main area of German imperialist expansion, a workers state now existed which served as a revolutionary inspiration to workers in Germany.

The only way out of this blind alley open to German imperialism was the use of methods that were more brutal and barbaric than anything ever before experienced. The destruction of Bolshevism, the securing of living space in the east and the establishment of German hegemony over Europe required the concentration of state power in the hands of one individual, the subordination of all the countrys resources to war production, the destruction of the organised workers movement, and a war aimed not at the capitulation, but the extermination of the enemy.

The Nazis had the most to offer to meet this demand from society. The leaders of the state, business and the military did not support Hitler because they were ideologically dazzled, but because they needed him to achieve their goals.

They only succeeded due to the abysmal betrayal and failure of the workers leaders. The SPD firmly refused to mobilise its members against the Nazis. They trusted the state and supported all dictatorial stepsfrom Brunings emergency decrees and Hindenburgs election as Presidentthat paved the way for Hitler to take power. The KPD leadership, which was under the influence of Stalin, concealed its passivity and cowardice behind radical left-wing phrases. They firmly refused to fight for an anti-fascist united front with the SPD, as Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition demanded, and denounced the SPD workers as social fascists who were no different to the Nazis.

The United States, Britain and Germanys other capitalist opponents in the Second World War also fought for their imperialist interests, and not against fascism and for democracy. Only the Soviet Union fought for its very survival. A German victory would have meant the destruction of the workers state and its transformation into a slave colony.

As long as Hitlers regime was directed mainly against the German working class and the Soviet Union, it enjoyed considerable international support. Among the admirers of Hitler was the American industrialist Henry Ford, Britains King Edward VIII, and his American spouse Wallis Simpson. After Edwards abdication, the pair visited Hitler at his Berghof. During the Peoples Front government of 1936, the French bourgeoisie even advanced the slogan, Better Hitler than Blum (Leon Blum was Prime Minister in the Peoples Front). Germanys rapid victory over France was more a product of the defeatism of the French generals than of the technical superiority of the Wehrmachts weapons. The Vichy regime under Marshal Petain immediately reached an understanding with Hitler.

But American and British imperialism could not merely look on as Germany rose to become the ruler from the Atlantic to the Urals. In alliance with Japan, it would have become a deadly opponent of American imperialism. This led to the United States intervention into the war against Hitler, which only occurred after Germany was already on the defensive at the battle of Stalingrad.

The threat of a third world war

The lessons of the war of annihilation against the Soviet Union are of contemporary relevance. The same contradictions of world capitalismthe irreconcilability of the capitalist nation state and the private ownership of the means of production with the social and international character of modern productionthreaten to plunge the world into the inferno of a third world war.

The centre of the preparations for war is the United States, which will spend $753 billion on its military in the coming budgetary year, more than the next 10 states. Some $25 billion is earmarked for nuclear weapons, and $112 billion for the research and development of new weapons systems.

The US emerged as the real winner from the Second World War, and its economic powertogether with the suppression of revolutionary struggles by the Stalinist bureaucracy and Social Democratic partiesenabled it to temporarily stabilise European capitalism.

But the weight of the US in the world economy has declined consistently since then, and Washington is attempting to compensate for this decline with military force. The US has been waging war almost uninterruptedly for 30 years. In Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, they, with their allies, have destroyed entire societies.

The US war machine is now targeting China, which is officially defined as a systemic rival. The US wants to prevent at all costs that China overtakes it economically and rises to become a world power. US strategists now consider a war with China to be unavoidable.

German imperialism has not accepted its defeats in the two world wars. The German government is pursuing the official goal of expanding Europe into a political and military world power capable of confronting China as well as the United States. This is intensifying conflicts within Europe, especially with France, which is Germanys rival for hegemony within the European Union.

Germany has increased its military spending from 32 billion in 2014 to 53 billion, and this is only the beginning. A strategy paper from the Defence Ministry dated February 9 states that Germany has a special obligation for Europes security due to its geographic position at the centre of Europe and its economic power, and must make an appropriate contribution in military affairs as well. Essential to this are credible military deterrence and defence capabilities in all dimensionson land, at sea, in the air, space, and cyberspace, and the readiness and the ability of our soldiers to succeed, including in combat.

A central component of the revival of German militarism is the trivialisation and historical revision of the war of annihilation.

The Alternative For Germany (AfD) sits in parliament, describes the Nazi regime as mere bird sh*t in over 1,000 years of successful German history, and is embraced by all other established parties.

The Berlin-based historian Jorg Baberowski stated publicly as early as 2014 that Hitler was not a psychopath and not vicious. One year later, he claimed the war of annihilation was imposed on the Wehrmacht. The Wehrmacht soldiers on the eastern front were involved in a murderous war of partisans. They had no other option but to adapt to the partisans combat style. He continued, The war became independent, it freed itself from the original goals that were the pretext for the conflict. Numerous similar citations can be found in the works of the right-wing extremist professor.

When the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei and its youth organisation IYSSE criticised these and similar statements, giving expression to the widespread opposition in the population to the return of fascism and militarism, the media and political establishment defended the right-wing extremist professor.

A third world war would mean the end of human civilisation. But not a single established party is opposing the drive to war. Like the situation prior to the First and Second world wars, they are lining up all the more closely behind the warmongers as the inter-imperialist divisions deepen. The so-called peace movement has totally collapsed. The German Greens, which emerged from this movement long ago, have become the most disgusting warmongers. Eighty years after the invasion of the Soviet Union, they are leading the agitation for war against Russia.

A renewed relapse of barbarism can only be prevented by the international working class, which must link the struggle against militarism and war with its source in the capitalist system, and take up the struggle for a socialist programme. This is the perspective of the International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections, the Socialist Equality parties.
Children return to classrooms in England from today following the one week half-term holiday. Tens of thousands of COVID cases are continuing to rip through schools and the entire population.

On Saturday, the UK passed the milestone of 9 million infections (9,019,962), with around 40,000 people a day infected daily. This means that over 13.1 percent of the entire population have been infected with COVID.

The number of deaths in Britain flowing from the Conservative governments herd immunity policy is horrific. According to Office for National Statistics (ONS), 165,213 people had died by October 15 with COVID-19 listed on their death certificate. This equates to one in 400 people killed due to COVID so far in Britain.

Due to deaths since October 15, the fatality rate is now even higher. On October 27, retired lawyer Fionna O'Leary tweeted that the 1,221 deaths since then means, We have finally crossed the unthinkable 1/400 barrier. 1 in every 398 United Kingdom citizens dead of Covid.

A reception class teacher, left, leads the class at the Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Greenwich, London, Monday, May 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Despite 86.8 percent of the population having been vaccinated with two doses, the vaccination programme has virtually ground to a halt under conditions in which immunity to the virus is rapidly waning. By October 29, just 13.2 percent of the population aged 12+ have received a (booster/third dose).

The vaccine rollout among children was delayed for months after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) decided against recommending vaccinating almost all under-18s.

Documents leaked last Friday reveal that the JCVI made this decision to deliberately infect masses of children, falsely claiming that Circulation of covid in children could periodically boost immunity in adults. Schools could return with no mitigations in place, with minutes from a May 13, 2021 meeting of the JCVI also falsely claiming, under a section headed arguments against vaccination include, that Children rarely develop severe disease or die of COVID-19; even children with underlying comorbidities have a very low risk.

By the time the governmentunder mounting pressure from concerned parents and educatorsmade the decision that some school age groups, excluding those under 12, should be vaccinated the entire summer period had been lost. The vaccine programme among 1215-year-olds was finally rolled out in late September, but it has been marked by chaos, reaching only a fraction of pupils. Only 19.3 percent of 12-15 year-olds have been vaccinated, according to a UK Health Security Agency estimate. Over 40 percent of schools had not received the single vaccine for their pupils by half term.

The full reopening of the economy on July 19, following by the reopening of schools and then college and university campuses, has allowed the disease to spread freely.

July 19 was dubbed Freedom Day by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. By then, according to the governments figuresrecording deaths that occurred within 28 days of a positive testthere had already been 129,007 deaths. In just the three months from July 19 to October 27, there have been well over 11,000 more deaths (11,620). By July 19, 5.5 million Britons had been infected with COVID. On Sunday that figure stood at 9,057,629 million, a staggering rise of more than 3.4 million cases just over 100 days. In just the seven days to October 30, another 1,097 deaths were recorded in Britain.

Schools have been the main vector for the disease since their reopening in August and September. ONS data published October 29 found that one in 25 primary age children and one in 11 secondary pupils are currently infected. This is a significant increase in both age groups, with ONS data from October 8 finding that one in 33 primary age children and one in 12 secondary pupils were infected.

Over a thousand school children have been hospitalised in the few weeks since schools went back. On October 29, Professor Christina Pagel, the director of University College London's clinical operational research unit, tweeted, There have been 1,203 hospital admissions in 6-17 year olds with Covid since 1 Sept 2021. Previous research showed that about 80% of those are *because* of Covid & 58% in children with no other health conditions.

In the face of warnings from concerned scientists at a worsening public health catastrophe, the mouthpieces of the ruling class are demanding they be silenced once and for all.

Andrew Lilico, a columnist for the Tory Partys house organ, the Telegraph, declared in an article Friday, Lockdown fanatics should be ashamed of themselves.

Congratulating the government on its homicidal policy, Lilico commented, The government estimates are that nearly 80 per cent of children have now had Covid and about 6-7 per cent are newly infected per week. That means that the virus has all but run out of children to infect and cases among children will crashaccording to the latest data they are falling at a rate of about 40 per cent per week. Children constituted half of recent cases. So chldrens [sic] cases crashing means total cases will fall rapidly. He forecasts, Hospitalisations will fall, too, as boosters eliminate most of the residual serious disease risk for the elderly.

Declaring that the epidemic is over, [deliberately avoiding describing it as a pandemic], Lilico added casually, Maybe other things might threaten our health soon. A new flu epidemic is a possibility. Covid will become endemic, after a bumpy transition over the next year or so. Tens of thousands of people will catch it every day, for ever. All of us will get it many times.

Across the political spectrum, there is unanimity behind the herd immunity agenda, with apologias coming thick and fast. The BBCs health correspondent Nick Triggle consistently endorses herd immunity. In February, he wrote as the government stepped up its propaganda that everyone had to live with COVID This is simply about being realistic. Covid isnt something that can be eradicated like smallpox was Thousands will still die in winters to come. But each year this should lessen until it gets near to the levels of mortality we see with flusomething which society readily accepts. He followed up with another piece headlined, Why goal is to live with the virusnot fight it.

Last week Triggle noted the widespread infection of children with barely disguised approval, writing, In the most recent week, nearly half of cases have been in the under-20s, i.e., mainly children.

This has happened with relatively little spillover into older age groups. Once the virus had passed through these groups, who after all were the people least protected by the vaccine, there was always going to be a drop-off in infection levels because of the high levels of natural immunity acquired.

On October 22, the science editor of the nominally liberal Guardian also solidarised with those in ruling circles celebrating the mass infection of children. Ian Sample, in an article, Deep within the UKs shocking Covid data, there may be reasons for optimism, wrote, Nearly 1,000 hospital admissions a day, and nearly 1,000 deaths a week?  But delve into the data and there are, perhaps, some reasons for optimism.

He continued, With so many adults well protected after vaccination, infection, or both, the primary driver for the UK epidemic is the infection rate among schoolchildren The ONS estimates that for the week ending 9 October, 8.1% of children in school years 7 to 11 would have tested positive for coronavirus.

None of this is of any great concern to Sample, who explains that its really cause for optimism: This equates to about 5% becoming infected every week and adding to the pool of the immune. Before schools went back after the summer, a substantial minority of children in London may have had antibodies to the virus. With natural infections building on that immunity for weeks, cases may soon start to fall.

Indeed, everyone can benefit from herd immunity because since schoolchildren are seeding infections into the community, national cases may follow suit.

What is being advocated, almost two years into a global pandemic, can only be described as social murder. The impact of this sadistic policy on children has been brutal. Last week COVID claimed its 101st childs life in Britain. This death is on top of the more than 9,000 children hospitalised, 53,000 who are suffering Long COVID and at least 8,000 who have been orphaned.
The BBCs decision to reject an acclaimed play by Sir David Hare about his terrible experiences after catching COVID-19 points to a deliberate suppression of artistic and cultural responses to the pandemic.

Hare is one of the most celebrated figures in British theatre today, with a high profile in television drama. Part of an important group of playwrights radicalised in the 1960s, his work has focused frequently on aspects of capitalism and the structures of official British politics on both stage and screen, and he remains a highly critical voice. Last years BBC series Roadkill concerned a fictional Conservative MP attempting to stave off scandal surrounding his business history. Previous stage plays have explored the consequences of rail privatisation (Permanent Way, 2004), the cultivation of the war drive leading up to the invasion of Iraq (Stuff Happens, 2004), and the 2008 banking collapse (Power of Yes, 2009).

David Hare (Credit: Creative Commons)

Hare was diagnosed with COVID on March 22, 2020, the day the first British lockdown was announced. His doctor feared he would not survive. In the autobiographical monologue Beat the Devil, which premiered last year at Londons Bridge Theatre starring Ralph Fiennes, Hare discusses his experiences of the virus, which he describes as a sort of dirty bomb thrown into the body to cause havoc, and the criminal failures of the official government handling of the pandemic.

Critics described the play, directed by Nicholas Hytner, former artistic director at the National Theatre, as revelatory, and Hare at his furious best.

Hare was unflinching in his description of the impact the illness had on him physically, from diarrhoea to conjunctivitis, shortage of breath, vomiting, and finding that all food tasted of sewage. When his temperature hit 40, he assumed the thermometer was broken. He experienced delusions of being several separate identities which all sleep in the bed together. At one point he asked himself Am I dying?

The description won praise from medical journal The Lancet: it sounds every bit as awful and scary as it should.

Making this worse was his despair at the governments callous and incompetent response to the pandemic, where The preferred route through the crisis is bullshit. Hare rages at such failings as the lack of personal protective equipment, which has led to mass infections and the deaths of several nurses and doctors, and the mass slaughter that followed the transfer of infected patients from hospitals to care homes.

Hare has sought to draw political lessons from his own horrific experiences of the virus and encountering censorship for trying to do so. He did not hesitate to point the finger at the guilty, as he was forced to listen to ministers as they stuttered and stumbled on air. People complain that this is a cabinet of mediocrities. But this does violence to the word. Mediocrity suggests middling ability These people are incompetents.

After his recovery, Hare told BBC Radio 4, To watch a weasel-worded parade of ministers shirking responsibility for their failures and confecting non-apologies to the dead and dying has seen British public life sink as low as I can remember in my entire lifetime.

In return for lockdown, isolation, commercial disaster and social distancing, he said, the public needed honesty. Ministers must own up to their mistakes, stop dodging and waffling and start to trust us with the truth.

Philip Ball, writing in The Lancet, felt Hare could have said more. In his denunciation of the official line that Britain was an exemplar of preparedness, for example, Hare did not note that the remark was made by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries, who also dismissed the value of mask-wearing.

The medical journal commented that the handling of the pandemic is a reflection of a style of governance that draws on the tactics of authoritarian regimes in never admitting to or accepting responsibility for error, but instead asserting excellence and deflecting blame elsewhere  Maybe, for all the fury of Hares piece, we are not yet angry enough.

Hare decided to film his play for television. Over three days filming at his home, with Mike Eley as director of photography, Hare directed Fiennes, with Hytner producing.

When Hare first took it to the BBC, there was enthusiasm. Everyone was very keen on the show at the BBC until it went upstairs. Suddenly, mysteriously, something they were very keen to show, they became less keen to show.

He describes a brick wall on the pandemic: The basic difficulty is that everybody is absolutely convinced that nobody wants to know anything about COVID-19. If you talk to, for instance, people at the BBC, they will just say: Oh, give me drama on any other subject but COVIDpeople are not interested in COVID. There is absolutely no evidence for this.

All evidence testified to an opposite public response. Hare pointed to Jack Thornes Channel 4 drama Help, which had a consolidated average audience of 3 million viewers, making it the channels second highest-rating one-off drama. It also registered 1.1 million streams in four days on All4, the platforms biggest launch of a new drama.

Hare said, It strikes me as so derelict. I have just absolutely no idea what the BBC now thinks its doing if it is absolutely determined to avoid anything which is remotely contentious because it simply then isnt fulfilling its function as a public broadcaster. In drama, its not just crime series and police seriesand it wont take on anything like this.

He indicated some of the context in a recent opinion article in the Guardian, where he urged the BBC to become more expert at defending itself. When investment banker and Tory party donor Richard Sharp was appointed BBC chair, he targeted Hares Roadkill for its left-wing bias, saying the playwright is not considered to be impartial.

Hare said the BBC has been cowed into submission by Threats from the government, and alleged interference from one member of the BBC board itself. News at Ten was too often reduced to the cheerless reiteration of government press releases. It has become more like a state broadcaster than a public service, with serious investigations abandoned and all mention of the prime ministers history of lying censored.

He could have gone much further. The BBC has fallen in line with the governments murderous policies. Its health correspondent Nick Triggle is a loyal champion of herd immunity, with articles like, Why goal is to live with the virusnot fight it.

Echoing Johnsons Let the bodies pile high in their thousands, Triggle wrote complacently in February, Covid isnt something that can be eradicated like smallpox was Thousands will still die in winters to come.

Reviewing Help, the World Socialist Web Site noted that the Guardian s Lucy Mangan produced a decidedly sniffy review downplaying its significance by describing the drama as an addition to the wealth of pandemic testimonies that can and must be entered into the record in any way they can be. We replied, The truth is that Help is unfortunately not merely one addition to a wealth of pandemic testimonies, not artistically at least.

The BBCs refusal to take Beat the Devil confirms that the failure to address the pandemic is not only an artistic failure, but a refusal to challenge an undeclared policy of the major producers and broadcasters. When not even a recognised piece by David Hare can find its way onto the BBC, that can only be read as a determined statement that this is a pandemic-free zonemove along, nothing to see here.

The play will now be broadcast on Sky Arts on November 11. This will make it one of the very few dramas or comedies to have touched on life under lockdown, of which most are from an individualistic, petty-bourgeois standpoint of How terrible its inconvenience to me!

Help demonstrated that a receptive audience is desperate for serious works on the social crisis of the pandemic, but broadcasters and newspapers parrot the government line. That big names have been censored the Guardian refused to publish former childrens laureate Michael Rosens letter denouncing the governments herd immunity policy, again based on his own harrowing experiencesis intended to deter any critical response or comment.

Reviewing the original stage production, The Lancet described Beat the Devil as a raw early product of arts response to COVID 19, insisting There is much more to be said. This will require a broader view.

Above all it demands some serious addressing of the science and the social impact of the disease, which is falling chiefly on the working class. The Lancet review points to a growing recognition of these questions among scientists, as did the World Socialist Web Sites October 24 webinar How to stop the pandemic, where scientists explained that COVID is an eradicable and controllable disease.

Informed and angry testaments of survivors like Hare and Rosen, who are determined to get to the core of this crisis, must turn deeper to these questions in defiance of a deliberately fostered and politically stultifying artistic orthodoxy.
Federal court proceedings began in Charlottesville, Virginia, Monday in the civil lawsuit against the right-wing extremist organizers of the August 2017 Unite the Right rally that resulted in the murder of one counter-protester and the injuring of dozens more. Nine plaintiffs, all participants in counter-protests against the gathering, allege that the planners of the event were engaged in a conspiracy to deliberately foment racist violence.

The case, Sines V. Kessler, long delayed due to the pandemic, is aimed at the fascist leaders of the event. The plaintiffs, four of whom were injured during the events, allege that the planners of the events that weekend intended to deliberately provoke violence and that they have not been held to account for doing so. The far-right gathering resulted in the death of Heather Heyer and grievous injuries to dozens more when neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters.

FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2018 file photo, White nationalist Jason Kessler speaks at a rally near the White House on the one year anniversary of the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, FILE)

The plaintiffs lawyers are relying in part on a Civil War era federal law, known as the Ku Klux Klan Actpassed in 1871 to aid in suppressing the terrorist activities of the KKKto make the case that the plaintiffs had their civil rights violated by the fascist mob. The law allows Americans to accuse their fellow citizens of attempting to deprive them of equal protection under the law and to give them the right to sue their assailants in federal court.

Defendants brought with them to Charlottesville the imagery of the Holocaust, of slavery, of Jim Crow, and of fascism.  They also brought with them semiautomatic weapons, pistols, mace, rods, armor, shields, and torches, the affidavit reads.

The New York Times quotes lead plaintiff Elizabeth Sines, who relays the impact that the August 2017 events had on her. The trauma will never go away, she said. Among other things, I will always be on high alert when Im in a large crowd, and Ill always have nightmaresof the car attack, of torchlight rallies. Ill be scared forever. But the events from that weekend have reaffirmed for me how important it is to show up.

The defendants include 14 individuals and 10 organizations, made up of a range of white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. Among them is Jason Kessler, the main organizer of the rally, and avowed white supremacist Richard Spencer, who gained infamy for his Nazi-like Hail Trump! Hail our people! Hail victory! speech following Donald Trumps election victory in November 2016.

The Unite the Right rally was called by white supremacist groups in response to the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a Charlottesville city park. The rally began on the night of August 11, 2017, when a mob of fascists marched through the University of Virginia campus carrying lit torches while chanting racist, anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant slogans. The next day saw a fascist rampage unfold, with hundreds of armed neo-Nazis harassing, threatening and engaging in street brawls with counter-protesters.

Only a handful of those who took part in the riot were criminally charged. These include Fields, sentenced to multiple life sentences for the murder of Heyer; and four neo-Nazis who were filmed carrying out the savage beating of DeAndre Harris (an African American man) who were sentenced to up to eight years in jail.

The defendants argued that their actions were protected by the First Amendment as a form of self-expression and that violence was only discussed as a defensive measure. Theyre tasked with proving that I entered into a conspiracy to commit or inspire or direct racially motivated violence.  Theyre not going to be able to demonstrate that, said Spencer to the Washington Post.

Appearing on a right-wing talk show in July, Kessler blamed the outbreak of bloodshed on the police for not separating the two belligerent sides, saying no one would have died at the event if the police had done their job. At the time of the events in question, Kessler assured his attendees in a chat room that [w]e have the cooperation of the police if you need it, indicating that the organizers had supporters inside the state.

The free speech rally was in fact planned as a violent offensive, aimed ultimately at intimidating left-wing opposition to President Trump. For his part, Trump infamously stated there were very fine people on both sides of the clashes.

Further statements, contained on more than five terabytes of seized communications, demonstrated extensive preparations for violence. Kessler wrote to Spencer, Were raising an army my liege. For free speech, but the cracking of skulls if it comes to it. The posts include overtly racist and xenophobic language, the expression of violent fantasies, instructions on how to devise makeshift weapons (i.e., by embedding screws into flagpoles), and extensive photographs of fascists brandishing weapons and wearing body armor.

The far rights effort to dress up violent behavior as a defense of democracy is in fact the opposite: a cover for the attack on democratic rights.

In hindsight, the fascist riot in Charlottesville proved a harbinger of what was to come. The January 6, 2021 insurrection on Washington D.C. bore many of the same hallmarks and utilized many of the same tactics and personnel as those in Charlottesville.
A slew of articles and comments has appeared over the last week or so in the US and international mediathe New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian and the South China Morning Post among otherson the same theme: Why is China the last to adopt the criminal policy of living with the virus of other governments around the world?

The aim of this media campaign is to wind up the pressure on the Chinese government to fall into line. As children are being driven into unsafe schools and workers are forced to labour in unsafe factories to boost corporate profits in the US, Europe and Asia, leading to continuing infections and deaths, the demand is that China must do the same.

The New York Times article was headlined, Why China Is the Worlds Last Zero Covid Holdout. Citing so-called experts, it warned that the approach is unsustainable. China may find itself increasingly isolated, diplomatically and economically, at a time when global public opinion is hardening against it.

A worker at SMC assembles products at a factory in Beijing on Wednesday, May 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Significantly, all the articles acknowledge the success of Chinas policy in suppressing COVID-19 when it first broke out in the city of Wuhan and eliminating further outbreaks through a combination of mass testing and contact tracing, quarantining and lockdowns, as well as mass vaccination once vaccines became available.

The figures themselves are an irrefutable indictment of the policies pursued by governments internationally and an indisputable answer to all those experts who claim that it is impossible to eliminate COVID-19.

According to the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, the United States has had more than 45 million cases and 736,801 deaths and the United Kingdom nearly 9 million cases and 140,206 deaths. By comparison, China has had just 125,810 cases and 5,696 deaths.

The raw figures alone do not take into account the huge differences in population. Chinas population of 1.4 billion is more than four times that of the United States and nearly 21 times that of the UK. If COVID-19 had torn through China as it was allowed to do in the US, Chinas people would have experienced more than 180 million cases and nearly 3 million deaths.

The real question is not why China is the Last Zero Covid holdout, but why other governments have pursued murderous policies that have caused, and continue to cause, infections and deaths on a mass scale. The New York Times makes no mention of the fact that the living with the virus policy of the Biden administration is responsible for thousands of deaths each week, while British people are experiencing hundreds of deaths as the UK government follows Prime Minister Johnsons edictlet the bodies pile high.

The disastrous policy of opening up has been dictated by the financial and corporate elites, for whom profits and soaring share prices come before the health and lives of workers and their families. Opposition is rising in the working class. The obvious question arises for workers: If it is possible to suppress the virus in the worlds most populous country, then why not here and internationally?

This points to the political motivation behind the media campaign to pressure China to end its elimination policy.

The World Socialist Web Site holds no brief for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but the Beijing government has implemented a scientifically-based policy that has minimised the death and suffering caused by the pandemic. Moreover, it responded rapidly to an unknown, highly infectious disease, identified its source and developed methods to contain and suppress it. Other governments could have drawn on this experience, but most did not.

The New York Times seizes on the case of prominent infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong, claiming that he suggested that China learn to live with the virus and was attacked viciously online as a lackey of foreigners. Far from being an opponent of the elimination policy, Zhang has been a vigorous and popular advocate of it. As the WSWS pointed out in August, he came under fire not because he called on China to learn to live with the virus, but because his ambiguous comments in a July 29 social media post were latched onto as evidence of opposition.

In fact, grumbling in China about the governments policy has been largely confined to an upper-middle class layer. There has been widespread support for the policy. As the Times grudgingly conceded: At least for now, the elimination strategy appears to enjoy public support. While residents in locked-down areas have complained about seemingly arbitrary or overly harsh restrictions on social media, travel is relatively unconstrained in areas without cases.

A comment in the South China Morning Post entitled Can China afford to stay isolated as world abandons zero COVID? goes even further and identifies the real obstacle as being not so much the CCP regime but the broad popular support for elimination. As it states: When China eventually accepts that COVID-19 cannot be eliminated, its population is unlikely to welcome the world with open arms. On the contrary, they will view the rest of the world as forcing the disease on them.

The comment points to the underlying reason for the Chinese governments adoption and continuation of the elimination strategy: its fear of opposition, particularly in the working class, that would arise if it embraced Johnsons policy of herd immunity in the name of the economy and profits.

The CCP is well aware of the immense social tensions that exist as a result of the huge disparities between rich and poor that have arisen from its restoration of capitalism. It is also conscious that the legacy of the 1949 Chinese Revolution remains strong among broad layers of the population, who think that collective social interests should prevail over the private profit interests of the super-wealthy few.

Economics is also a powerful factor in the campaign to pressure China into reopening. The disruption of global supply chains has been a growing feature in the global business media, which has pushed for Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, to end their public health restrictions so as to facilitate supplies of everything from semi-conductor chips to palm oil.

Not surprisingly, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News have voiced the same demands in relation to Chinathe worlds second largest economy and largest manufacturer. Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia-Pacific at French bank Natixis, told the Journal: The fact that China is at the center of most global value chains and with such draconian zero case policies, does have a bearing on the dysfunctional global supply chains.

For the working class, China demonstrates that the policy of elimination is both possible and absolutely necessary. Continuous sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19 in China make clear that elimination is only possible on a global scale. The social force that is capable of carrying that out is the unified struggle of workersin China, the US and around the worldon the basis of the abolition of capitalism and the implementation of socialist policies.

The scientific basis for the policy of elimination and the need for the working class to fight for it was elaborated at the October 24 webinar with scientists and workers entitled, How to End the Pandemic held by the WSWS and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees.
A lengthy three-part series on the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, published Sunday on the website of the Washington Post, provides new evidence that federal agencies were well aware of the advance preparations for fascist violence and turned a blind eye, permitting the coup plot to go ahead.

According to the Post, the reports of imminent violence flooding in to federal agencies were so numerous that one official at the Department of the Homeland Security in Washington alerted local hospitals to prepare for a mass casualty event on January 6. The official urged hospitals to lay in additional blood supplies to treat the wounded.

The concerns of this official and many others, however, were overridden by the decision of the FBI, issued on December 23, to shut down any systematic threat assessment related to January 6, with the declaration that it does not warrant further investigation at this time.

Trump supporters at the US Capital Building on January 6, 2021. (Image Credit: Flickr?blinkofanaye)

Two weeks later, several thousand fascist rioters stormed the US Capitol, shutting down congressional certification of Trumps election defeat and seeking to capture Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top officials. If they had been able to take hostages, there is little doubt that the Democratic Party would have capitulated to demands to overturn the election and allow Trump to extend his presidency.

The new account of the January 6 attack, based on material collected by nearly two dozen reporters, is divided into three parts, headlined Red Flags, Bloodshed, and Contagion. The first segment, also labeled Before, contains much valuable, even remarkable material. The second and third sections, labeled During and After, are far less significant, and in the case of the latter, even misleading.

Red Flags begins by noting the efforts of a local homeland security official in Washington D.C., Donell Harvin, whose office had spotted increasing signs that supporters of President Donald Trump were planning violence when Congress met to formalize the electoral college vote, but federal law enforcement agencies did not seem to share his sense of urgency.

On January 2, Harvin and another local security official, Mike Sena in San Francisco, organized a conference call of fusion centersinter-agency security offices spread across 80 regions of the United Stateswhich unexpectedly drew the attendance of hundreds of officials, all reporting a similar upsurge in internet threats of violence. The Post account continues, For the first time, from coast to coast, the centers were blinking red. The hour, date and location of concern was the same: 1 p.m., the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6.

Harvin made further attempts to sound the alarm: He invited the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, military intelligence services and other agencies to see the information in real time as his team collected it. He took another extreme step: He asked the citys health department to convene a call of D.C.-area hospitals and urged them to prepare for a mass casualty event. Empty your emergency rooms, he said, and stock up your blood banks.

According to the Post, additional alerts were raised by local officials, FBI informants, social media companies, former national security officials, researchers, lawmakers and tipsters, new documents and firsthand accounts show.

None of these efforts, however, could sway top decision makers in the national security apparatus, and particularly at the FBI and the Pentagon, who were either intimidated by Trump or were part of his fascistic cabal.

According to the Post, There was so much material now bubbling up about Jan. 6 that bureau analysts running the FBIs online portal where social media companies were reporting suspected criminal behavior had begun using a hashtag to track and organize incoming threats: #CERTUNREST2021. One pro-Trump web site, TheDonald.win, appeared more than 300 times in FBI investigative reports leading up to January 6, without the agency taking any action.

The FBI dismissed the open planning for violence, including threats to kill congressmen, senators and anyone else who stood in Trumps way, as vague and primarily First Amendment-protected speech.

Given that the FBI is one of the leading enemies of free speech rights, particularly when asserted by opponents of American imperialism and representatives of workers, minorities and victims of police brutality, its solicitude for the First Amendment is not credible. The FBI didnt crack down on the fascist filth plotting violence on January 6 because FBI officials and agents were largely in agreement with these plans, or at least their political aims.

At the Department of Homeland Security, the massive super-agency created after the 9/11 attacks, supposedly to centralize the defense of targets within the United States against terrorist threats, top officials, most of them acting officials kept on a short leash by the White House, did not take any special measures except to fly in several hundred Border Patrol agents to protect their own offices in the District of Columbia.

The Post writes, But it did not issue a security bulletinthe departments most readily recognized warning to law enforcement agencies, as well as to the public, regarding possible violence. Agency leaders also never moved to put the Secret Service in charge of security planning for an event that would bring together all members of Congress, the vice president and the vice president-elect, a move that could have elevated intelligence sharing and security coordination.

Similarly, the Pentagon stayed on the sidelines, with top civilian and military leaders evading requests for the deployment of the National Guard, both ahead of and during the attack on the Capitol. Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reviewed a request from Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to deploy several hundred National Guard troops for traffic control on January 6, which would free the Washington Metropolitan Police for duty at the Capitol.

The Post writes, The main concern of both Bowser and the Pentagon officials was that Trump might direct National Guard troops to interfere with the vote count, or otherwise engage in action that could be perceived as intimidating Congress.

In other words, both the Pentagon officials and the Democratic mayor viewed mobilization of the National Guard as something of a double-edged sword, since Trump, still the commander-in-chief for two weeks until the January 20 inauguration, might order the troops to halt the certification of the Electoral College vote by Congress.

Bowser, with her close connections to congressional Democrats, would undoubtedly have informed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of her concerns, but neither the congressional leadership nor President-elect Biden sought to alert the American people to the danger that the outgoing president, just rejected by the voters, might seek to stay in power by force.

The Post report is completely silent on this crucial political aspect of the January 6 crisis. It indicts Trumpfor good reasonbut gives the Democratic Party a pass.

The account underscores the reality that the events of January 6 were not a spontaneous riot by disappointed Trump supporters, whipped into a frenzy at a rally outside the White House, but rather the outcome of several months of incitement, organization and preparation. It retraces the statements issued by Trump in the two months following the election, and the response at each point of the various fascist groups, particularly the Proud Boys, and the more informal networks of ultra-right activists, with an increasing focus on the congressional ceremony to certify the results of the Electoral College vote.

The newspapers account continues: Trump was the driving force at every turn as he orchestrated what would become an attempted political coup in the months leading up to Jan. 6, calling his supporters to Washington, encouraging the mob to march on the Capitol and freezing in place key federal agencies whose job it was to investigate and stop threats to national security. It then cites Trumps notorious tweet calling on supporters to come to Washington for January 6: Be there, will be wild!

However, the refusal of federal security agencies to take action is dismissed with the same whitewash theory first developed in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks to explain away the close connections between the hijackers and American intelligence agencies: failure to connect the dots. The Post writes, The paralysis that led to one of the biggest security failures in the nations history was driven by unique breakdowns inside each law enforcement agency and was exacerbated by the patchwork nature of security across a city where responsibilities are split between local and federal authorities.

The political purpose of this theory is demonstrated particularly in the final part of the series (the second part is largely a blow-by-blow account of the events of January 6 itself, containing little new information). Part three, headlined Contagion, follows the impact of the January 6 attack on individual policemen, participants in the attack, and election officials responsible for vote-counting in the election.

It avoids, however, any assessment of the response of the US political establishment to the attack. There is no discussion of the failed impeachment, the failed effort to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate January 6, or the establishment of the House Select Committee, which has become the chosen vehicle of the Democratic Party leadership to strictly limit the release of information to that permitted by the Biden administration.

The overriding concern of the Democrats is to conceal the deep involvement of wide layers of the Republican Party, including virtually the entire Republican membership of the House of Representatives and many Republican senators, in Trumps illegal and unconstitutional effort to overturn the election and stay in office.

A report last week from Rolling Stone, citing two organizers of the January 6 rally at which Trump urged his supporters to walk to the Capitol and fight like hell, said that a dozen Republican congressmen and several top Trump aides, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, participated in meetings to plan the events of January 6. The corporate media has largely ignored what the magazine described as explosive allegations that multiple members of Congress were intimately involved in planning both Trumps efforts to overturn his election loss and the Jan. 6 events that turned violent.

The scale of this collaboration is further indicated by a lawsuit filed over the weekend by Trumps attorneys seeking to block release by the National Archives of Trumps White House communications in the final days of his presidency. More than 750 pages of emails, text messages, phone logs and notes involving as many as 1,600 officials are listed in the suit, which seeks to withhold this evidence from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack.
One thousand support staff the Huntington, West Virginia hospital system voted October 21 to authorize a 10-day strike when their current contract expires November 2. The contract covers maintenance and service workers, licensed practical nurses, and other medical support workers at Cabell Huntington Hospital and Saint Marys Medical Center organized under the Service Employees International Union.

The staff have been under intense strain managing both the COVID-19 pandemic, with West Virginia presently one of the worst states in the country for infections, and the ongoing opioid epidemic, long centered in Huntington. Both of the citys hospitals saw record COVID-19 hospitalizations in September and ICUs at full capacity.

The vote takes place in the context of widespread strikes and protests by nurses, industrial workers, and educators who have been pushed to the brink by deadly conditions and a full-steam-ahead policy to reopen the economy to boost corporate profits. In the past month, strikes at John Deere, Kellogg, and hospitals across the country have involved thousands of workers.

Cabell Huntington Hospital (Image credit: Cabell Huntington Hospital)

One CHH employee, appealing for community support on social media, wrote that the hospital is attempting to set caps on pay that would punish longtime workers by freezing any wage increases after a certain amount of years. The worker also explained They want to take away insurance on our retirees. At the same time, the CHH system has reported $65 million in profits (revenue in excess of expenses) and executive board pay in the millions.

Only a few miles away, 450 workers at Special Metals Corporation in Huntington have been on strike over pay cuts and company attacks on health insurance and seniority rights. The metal workers, organized under the United Steelworkers Local 40, have picketed around the clock since October 1 to block entrances at the sprawling 100-acre plant.

Special Metals is the largest nickel alloy plant in the world. The facility is owned by Berkshire Hathaway and its billionaire CEO Warren Buffett, and operated by subsidiary Precision Castparts (PCC). The facility produces alloys critical to military jet engines and commercial aircraft, deep sea oil rigs, and other equipment for operation in high-temperature and -pressure environments.

Since the workers downed tools, the company has been intransigent on its demands. Besides cuts to pay and increases in deductibles, PCC was attempting to ratchet up penalties for missing work and erode job protections.

One Special Metals worker said, Greed is the only word you can use to describe their actions. They want to take away time off but not be responsible to keep track of it. They bear no responsibility at all. We break rules, were threatened with termination. They break rules, and say deal with it. In the companys press releases, largely parroted by the local media in the little coverage available, no mention is made of the dozens of jobs theyve cut and combined with other jobs over the years just to employ less people and force us to pick up the slack with no incentives or help.

The worker added, How about the fact we were considered essential through this whole pandemic yet werent treated as such? The owner of PCC didnt get rich like he is by treating his employees fair.

Another employee said, They have let the equipment go and treated the employees like dirt. They are a horrible company. Do not believe anything they put out there.

Combining job duties with the same amount of pay, and you have no life due to forced OT [overtime], said another. Work more for less are what they are all about. They could care less of the welfare and mental state of their workforce.

Although the nature of their workplaces differ, employees at both Special Metals and Cabell Huntington Hospital are up against the same powerful class interests and economic forces that are driving billions of workers around the world into a confrontation with the capitalist system. The pandemic has had an accelerating effect on all the underlying conflicts between the needs of the working class and the profit motive of the corporations and the wealthy.

The United Steelworkers union has been silent on the month-long strike at Special Metals. On its website, the USW makes no call for solidarity in support of the Huntington workers. The Special Metals workers are left isolated, to be starved on meager strike pay, just as the USW has done strike after strike under its domination. Special Metals workers should review the lessons of their counterparts to the north at Allegheny Technologies, who were sold out by the union and left to be victimized by the company.

To mount an effective fight, workers must organize across workplaces and independently of the narrow nationalist and industrial confines of the trade unions. These organizations are oriented to the companies and the Democratic Party, a section of the political establishment that is, no less than the Republicans, concerned mainly with suppressing class struggle and maintaining corporate profits at all costs. In the midst of a global pandemic, at all costs includes the lives of millions of people, including three-quarters of a million Americans since early 2020.

The World Socialist Web Site and Socialist Equality Parties urge workers to contact the socialist movement to build a network of rank-and-file committees that will spearhead an independent counteroffensive to the attacks of the ruling class. To get involved, contact us.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) is deepening its campaign against the anti-democratic electoral laws rushed through the Australian parliament on August 26. Behind the backs of the working class, the Labor Party joined the Morrison Liberal/National Coalition government to put these laws through both houses of parliament in less than 24 hours.

The laws threaten to deregister political parties without a seat in parliament, meaning candidates will not be able to run under their party name on election ballot papers. This affects the SEP, along with 35 other registered political parties.

The electoral members interviewed below speak about the attacks on Julian Assange, his persecution and imprisonment and their relationship to the electoral laws. They reference the October 24 webinar, sponsored by the WSWS, entitled  How to end the pandemic  which featured a panel of distinguished scientists and workers who have fought for an elimination strategy to defeat COVID-19.

To join the SEP campaign against the legislation, sign up as an electoral member today.

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The SEP spoke to John Isherwood, 72, who worked as a tiler for over 50 years before retiring last year following a knee injury.

John Isherwood

Referring to last weeks WSWS-sponsored webinar, John said: To have scientists come and speak to workers about the virus is a great thing. We get bombarded with pseudo-science and mainstream commentators take it out of context. The vast majority of climate scientists believe in man-made climate change and the few scientists who challenge this are always connected to the fossil fuel industry.

Ive been following Julian Assange for some time, he continued, He and Snowden are heroes. The Americans launch perpetual wars and the arms and service industries benefit. They are killing civilians. Assange has exposed more information than any other journalist in history. The whole case against him is a set-up, including the criminals they are getting as witnesses against him. The pretext for holding Assange in prison has well and truly expired.

Joshua Cook, a 21-year-old apprentice auto mechanic in Victoria is an electoral member. He began reading the WSWS this year.

Over time Ive been becoming more aware of conditions in society and how bad it is for workers as a whole, he said. I used to work at Coles and the support for workers over the past year has been inadequate in terms of wages and safety. Coles is one of those companies that received JobKeeper and saw increased profits.

Reading the WSWS shows that the struggles of workers are alike in different industries. The amount of labour needed by large and small businesses to keep society running is immense, but there is no financial or health support for workers.

Joshua Cook

No one consistently puts the experiences of the working class into perspective like the WSWS and the SEP does, he continued. Politics seems much clearer to me; it helps to express my thoughts. A lot of workers are misinformed about politics especially throughout the pandemic.

With the drive to get people back into work no matter the circumstances, the government and the media claim the issue is mental health. Obviously, this problem exists but theres nothing done to fix it. Matthew Guy, the Liberal opposition leader in Victoria often speaks about mental health but before the pandemic he was calling for cuts to mental health services.

Many workers simply dont realise how much theyve been stuffed over the past decade he continued. The issue is much broader and its misconstrued, so people think it doesnt require a collective response.

We can solve all the problems facing humanity, its not a case of a lack of money. The submarine deal recently established under AUKUS, for example, is around $100 billion. We do have the money; they are just choosing not to support us, he said.

David, a teacher who works in rural areas. This is a particularly dangerous time in the world. I decided to become an electoral member of the Socialist Equality Party because at the moment were only getting one opinion and its voiced by all members of the main political parties, right across the spectrum. Its important to have a reasoned voice to measure other things against and to have intelligent, different perspectives, not just Sky News.

David

I was surprised that these new electoral laws were supported by both major parties, he continued. I thought that the Labor party would have seen this for what it was: to shut people up. In hindsight, Im not that surprised because I dont think either of the two major parties in this country are far apart. The leadership is much the same in both.

Suddenly weve lost rights without any consultation, without any pushback, he continued. The politicians are taking the opportunity in a climate where people feel threatened and vulnerable. They are seeing how far they can push the envelope and bulldoze through.

The shutting down of voices occurs at the same time as they are putting imposts on reporters around the world, people that are genuine reporters. Julian Assange is just the tip of an iceberg. There are multitudes of voices around the world that have been silenced, either in open ways where theyve put the shackles on journalists or just literally killed the press, he said.
A major storm hit the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area on Friday, causing widespread flooding. Residents in low-lying areas faced knee-deep water, road closures, and power outages.

As late as Sunday, 14 million people were still under the impact of flood advisories and warnings. The National Weather Service (NWS) stated up to one half foot of inundation above ground level in low lying areas was possible due to tidal flooding in Harford County, Anne Arundel County, and DC. The three areas encompass a population of over 1.5 million people.

The NWS warned people to avoid travelling unnecessarily and to do what they can to protect flood-prone property. The advisories remain in effect until at least Monday morning when conditions are expected to improve.

The Potomac River floods the historic Old Town section of Alexandria, Va., Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Many buildings were undoubtedly damaged, but because the flooding lasted through the weekend, people have only just begun to take stock. The NWS issued a coastal flood warning for the areas surrounding the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River early on Friday. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency for all the areas in Maryland under the coastal flood warning. Baltimore County announced nineteen road closures by Friday night, along with 10 downed trees blocking roads.

According to a local news report, the Baltimore Gas & Electric outage map showed over 200 outages on Friday night affecting roughly 5,000 customers. By Sunday afternoon there were still 38 active outages impacting hundreds of customers. In the Washington D.C. area, Pepco was still showing 10 active outages Sunday afternoon.

Ellicott City, a low-lying neighborhood outside of Baltimore, was spared the impact of this weekends rains despite being hit with devastating floods several times in recent years. This was due to the majority of flooding coming not from inland rainfall that overwhelmed drainage systems and rivers, but storm surge which inundated coastal areas often only a few feet above sea level.

Meteorologists warned that the storm surge would produce record high tides and some of the worst flooding since Hurricane Isabel ravaged the region in 2003. This was confirmed by many residents who had not previously seen such extreme flooding. The high tides on Friday morning and evening came in at over four feet, compared to a usual height of between one and one-and-a-half feet, with little subsidence in between.

Entire neighborhoods were submerged, including Old Town Alexandria in Virginia, and Annapolis and the Inner Harbor of Baltimore in Maryland. Pictures circulated on social media showing shop fronts with several feet of water in front, and some residents paddling through streets in kayaks or canoes.

Flooding has increased in the area in recent years due to the growing effect of climate change. A warmer global temperature contributes to more frequent extreme weather events, like the storms which hit California last week and the remnants of Hurricane Ida which inundated New Jersey and New York City in August, drowning residents in their homes.

A Baltimore Magazine article from 2015 discussing the impact of sea level rise in the state notes, [f]loods have increased by more than 900% in both cities since 1960. Some projections call for 225 or more such floods a year for Baltimore and essentially daily inundation for Annapolis by 2045. The article circulated on social media Friday, with many noting somberly how the predictions made in the article are beginning to come true.

As with the pandemic, capitalist governments are fundamentally incapable of responding to climate change or the extreme weather events which it is producing. The Glasgow COP26 summit that started this weekend holds nothing but empty promises for those hoping to address climate change while the Earth continues to warm. It is up to the international working class to transform the global economy in the interests of human life and put an end to global warming.
In September, the left-wing daily newspaper junge Welt filed a lawsuit against the Federal Republic of Germany because it has been under surveillance by the intelligence agencies for years and is listed in the left-wing extremism chapter of the secret services annual report.

The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) welcomes and fully supports the lawsuit. Our political differences with junge Welt are well known, but this is a fundamental attack on democratic rights and on every socialist organization.

The accusation of anti-constitutionality against junge Welt lacks any foundation. In its justification, the federal government makes clear that its goal is to criminalize anyone who even verbally refers to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels or speaks out against military rearmament and right-wing extremism.

Junge Welt newspaper (Image credit: Junge Welt)

Even being named in the report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz), as Germanys secret service is called, is an attack on the democratic rights of an organization or newspaper. As junge Welt reports, it faces significant restrictions on freedom of trade. For example, national rail operator Deutsche Bahn and various municipalities and radio stations refuse to take out advertising with reference to the Verfassungsschutz entry, libraries block online access to the newspaper, and a printing company has refused to produce another print publication containing an advert from junge Welt, the papers editorial team explains.

In addition, surveillance by the intelligence agenciesincluding the covert monitoring of communications, the use of informers and secret searches of computersjeopardizes the protection of sources and a newspapers editorial confidentiality.

Besides the lawsuit, the newspaper has applied for a temporary injunction to prohibit the Verfassungsschutz from continuing to publish reports mentioning junge Welt. Since the Berlin Administrative Court granted an extension of the deadline, no response to the lawsuit has yet been filed. However, the government had already justified surveillance of junge Welt in detail on May 5 in its answer to a parliamentary question tabled by the Left Party in the Bundestag.

In it, the federal government repeats the same anti-democratic argumentation of Gesinnungsjustiz (justice based on opinions) that it developed to justify the surveillance of the SGP. It does not accuse junge Welt of conducting or preparing any illegal actions, but justifies the alleged anti-constitutionality exclusively with the 'basic Marxist convictions of the editorial staff. This contains as its essential goal the replacement of liberal democracy with a socialist/communist social order, according to the government. This is proven supposedly by the fact that junge Welt makes positive references to Marx, Engels, Lenin, Liebknecht and Luxemburg.

Elsewhere, the government accuses junge Welt of a fundamental critique of capitalism, declaring, Capitalism and the political and social order of the Federal Republicwhich, according to Marxist readings, arises from itare fundamentally rejected. Authors of the corresponding contributions see solutions to existing political and economic crises in an abolition of 'capitalism', identified as causal.

According to this hair-raising reading, it is not democratic rights such as freedom of speech or democratic elections that form the basis of the free democratic order, but ownership of the means of production and the exploitation of the working class. For this is what is to be abolished under socialism. Anyone who questions the interests of the super-rich is to be criminalized. According to this logic, 56.3 percent of Berliners would also have to be included in the secret service report because they recently voted in favour of expropriating the housing corporations in a referendum on the citys high rents.

This becomes even clearer when the government claims that even categorising the division of a society according to the characteristics of production-oriented class membership contradicts the free democratic order and human dignity. Accordingly, it is not poverty wages, homelessness or malnutrition that contradict human dignity, but the naming of this glaring social inequality!

While the government is responsible for the greatest levels of social inequality in history and pushes through ruthless profits before lives policies in the pandemic, it stamps everyone who calls out these class politics by their name to be an enemy of the constitution.

What is significant here is that it is attacking a press publication, junge Welt. The fact is that publishing opinions of any kind is not enough to justify surveillance by the secret service. According to the Bundesverfassungsschutzgesetz (Federal Law for the Protection of the Constitution), a group of persons must be shown to have engaged in purposeful conduct aimed at eliminating or impairing the object of protection under the law for the protection of the constitution.

The government attempts to construe such conduct by pointing to the newspaper's organization of conferences and conducting interviews with representatives of groups such as the Colombian FARC-EP or Palestinian representatives. But these absurd constructs cannot disguise the fact that what we are really dealing with here is pure Gesinnungsjustiz.The newspaper has come into the cross-hairs of the authorities solely because it expresses opinions which the authorities oppose.

At the same time, the government openly admits its aim is to obstruct the newspaper's circulation and thus attack the freedom of the press. According to the government, the aim of naming the newspaper in the secret service report is precisely to inform the public about anti-constitutional endeavours in order to be able to deprive them of a further breeding ground.

The government's renewed attempt to criminalize any positive references to Karl Marx or other Marxists, as well as sweeping criticism of capitalism, and even the naming of class antagonisms, confirms the perspective put forward by the SGP in its fight against its surveillance by the intelligence agencies and naming in the Verfassungsschutz annual report.

The SGP filed a lawsuit with the Berlin Administrative Court on January 24, 2019, after it was listed in the left-wing extremism chapter of the Verfassungsschutz report for the first time in 2018. The intelligence agency justified the party's inclusion solely on the grounds that it advocates a socialist programme, criticizes capitalism and rejects the establishment parties and trade unions.

In its response to the legal complaint, the government then developed, for the first time, the anti-democratic argumentation that is now also being used against junge Welt. Thus, it declared the struggle for a democratic, egalitarian, socialist society and the agitation against alleged imperialism and militarism alone to be unconstitutional. Also, thinking in class categories and the belief in the existence of irreconcilably opposing competing classes were presented in the response to the SGP as an attack on the free democratic order.

In its reply, the SGP showed that the government and the Verfassungsschutz were taking this line directly from Bismarcks anti-socialist laws and the Nazis Willensstrafrecht, and were pursuing an extreme right-wing agenda. The report of the Verfassungsschutz and the document of the lawyers of the Interior Ministry are products of a right-wing extremist conspiracy in the state apparatus aimed at intimidating public opinion and criminalizing all opposition to capitalism, nationalism, imperialism, militarism and the AfD [far-right Alternative for Germany] as left-wing extremist and anti-constitutional, the SGP said.

It added that the Verfassungsschutz is itself closely intertwined with the far-right scene. With its attack on the SGP, this criminal government agency wants to set a precedent for a new kind of legal prosecution of thought crimes that would provide the basis for the prosecution of anyone who criticises the current reactionary social and political situation. Striking workers would be prosecuted as well as book sellers who make available Marxist literature, or critical artists, journalists and intellectuals.

This warning has been confirmed by the government's anti-democratic tract against junge Welt. Last year, the environmentalist Ende Gelande movement was already placed under surveillance by the Berlin state secret service because, among other things, it linked protecting the environment with the thematic fields of anti-capitalism and anti-fascism, according to the intelligence agency. Music bands and concerts against the right were also defamed as left-wing extremist because they oppose the right wing.

Under these conditions, the SGP's legal complaint against its surveillance by the Verfassungsschutz takes on extraordinary significance. In our statement regarding the oral hearing, which is scheduled for November 18, we wrote:

We call on all those who defend democratic rights and want to oppose the far right to sign the SGPs petition on change.org. Post statements of support, pictures and videos on social media with the hashtag #DefendSGP. The surveillance of the SGP and all other left-wing groups by the secret services must be halted immediately, and this right-wing breeding ground for anti-democratic conspiracies disbanded.

We reiterate this demand for the dissolution of the Verfassungsschutz and call for the immediate removal of junge Welt from its annual report.
Bus drivers for Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) in southern New Mexico held a brief strike on October 28. Although it has been referred to as a one-day strike, it only began after the drivers had delivered the students on their morning routes. The drivers then picketed the office of their employer, Student Transportation Specialists (STS) New Mexico over their demands.

While the drivers did not work that afternoon for the regular student ridership of about 3,500, they provided transportation for disabled and special education students.

By the next morning, they were back on the job, as their union, Las Cruces Transportation Federation (LCTF) Local 6341, resumed talks with STS that have dragged on since July.

School buses sit idle at a main terminal. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The drivers want a substantial increase in their pay, updated safety language, updated sick day allotments and benefits. Currently, New Mexico bus drivers starting pay is about $13 per hour, with a $0.25-an-hour raise after two years, and no other raise for three more years. STSs highest offer has been a 10 percent raise, which would raise starting hourly pay to barely above $14.

Drivers are also demanding that STS address the staffing shortages that have plagued the district as bus drivers have left to seek higher-paid work elsewhere. The LCPS has about 120 routes, and as of October 1 STS had a deficit of 23 drivers. STS has prevailed on mechanics to drive, slowing the progress of repairs and maintenance on the companys buses, leading to another problem, the unsafe and unreliable condition of the buses, many of which are outdated as well.

LCTF responded to that longstanding complaint on September 26, when it invited a local clergyman to bless the buses on the STS lot.

Drivers have to take on extra routes to make up for the shortages, resulting in inevitable delays. Although there are ongoing training programs, most driver trainees bail out before the end of their course. For those who gain certification and some experience, many will seek higher-paying work with the city or Greyhound.

As one driver told the Las Cruces Sun-News, drivers have to make sure the kids are behaving and following the rules at the same time they have to drive safely. The 10-year school bus driver veteran remarked, A lot of the drivers dont understand, until they get kids on the bus, what they have to put up with. Then they go, The works not worth the pay.

The drivers had voted on September 28 by a 98 percent margin to strike if the LCTF and STS did not reach an agreement by the time of the expiration of their contract on October 3. Nonetheless, the LCTF extended the contract and negotiations, with LCTF president Dean Abrams claiming that striking was a drastic measure that drivers wanted to avoid. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Western Region is assisting the LCTF. The formers director, Ramiro Hernandez, admitted that there has been zero progress on negotiations.

The drivers impatience over the lack of progress forced the LCTF to call the less-than-one-day walkout. The bureaucrats were soon contacted by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, described by AFT New Mexico as a federal agency dedicated to promoting labor-management peace, and asked to voluntarily return the drivers to work as yet more negotiations take place.

The statement went on to claim, Unless a just solution is reached, further disruptions to student transportation could occur if STS-NM leaves us with no other options to resolve this dispute. Coming from a leadership that considers strikes as drastic measures to be avoided, STS has little to fear.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten got into the act with a tweet, telling the drivers, Weve got your back! Considering the AFTs, and in particular Wiengartens, role in sabotaging teachers strikes, promoting the unsafe return to in-person instruction, and collaboration with right-wing herd immunity advocates, the wise course for the drivers would be, Watch your own backs!

The bus drivers cannot count on their leadership to carry their struggle forward. That will require the formation of rank-and-file committees, independent of the union and democratically controlled by workers. These committees will formulate workers demands and organize a real fight, linking the fight of school bus drivers with other workers coming into struggle.
One week ago, on October 24, 2021, the World Socialist Web Site and the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) hosted an historic webinar titled, How to end the pandemic. The event, which has now been viewed by over 10,000 people from over 100 countries on every habitable continent, heard testimony from scientists and workers who have advocated for the global elimination of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The reports at the webinar explained the present state of the pandemic, how the virus spreads in aerosol form, the impact of Long COVID, the role that schools play in viral transmission, and what must be done to eliminate the virus worldwide. The event made clear that the vast majority of all global deaths from COVID-19 have been entirely preventable. Each report is now available in exhibit format on the WSWS.

Introducing the event, WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North condemned the corporate media cover-up of the ongoing global mass death from COVID-19 and posed the question: Confronted with the reality of this continuing disaster, at what point does it become necessary to start referring to COVID not only as a pandemic, but as a form of social holocaust?

Coffins with the bodies of victims of coronavirus are stored waiting for burial or cremation at the Collserola morgue in Barcelona. (Image Credit: AP/Emilio Morenatti)

Over the ensuing five days, it could be said that this point has been reached. On Friday, the official global death toll from COVID-19 surpassed five million people. This figure, horrific in itself, is known to be a vast under-count. A tracker of excess deaths by The Economist estimates that the most likely true global death toll now stands at a staggering 16.7 million people, roughly equivalent to the global death toll from World War I. The same tracker estimates that nearly 200,000 people are now dying from COVID-19 every week.

Amid the ongoing wave of mass death, governments worldwide are scrapping all remaining measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, with the grotesque mantra that society must learn to live with the virus. Two parallel processes are unfolding. Countries that had limited mitigation measures in place are now lifting them all, while countries that had more aggressive measures aimed at eliminating the virus are giving in to mounting pressure to let the virus rip through society.

Countries throughout the Asia-Pacific that had previously eliminated COVID-19 are quickly lifting all restrictions. On Monday, South Korea will officially enter the first phase of a gradual return to normal life. In Singapore, there is now a seven-day average of 3,707 official daily new cases, only two months after the country was recording less than 50 cases per day. In New Zealand, which abandoned the elimination strategy at the beginning of October, there are now an average of 104 new cases every day and rising. Global finance capital is increasingly pressuring China to abandon its elimination strategy and reopen its borders to resolve the global supply chain crisis, potentially exposing 1.4 billion people to the virus.

Across Europe and North America, new COVID-19 cases remain highly elevated or are surging once again as winter approaches. The United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Germany now account for roughly half of all official new cases globally.

In Germany, despite the fact that cases are rising exponentially, the government refuses to enact any public health measures. In the US, where daily new cases appear to have reached a trough at roughly 65,000 per day, and another surge is lurking around the corner, international travel restrictions are set to be fully lifted on November 8. Due to the persistently high rates of transmission throughout the US, there have already been 13,799 official breakthrough deaths among fully vaccinated individuals, not including Florida and other states that have covered up this data.

At a previous WSWS webinar on August 22, New Zealand epidemiologist Dr. Michael Baker condemned the school reopening policies of the Boris Johnson administration in the UK as a barbaric experiment. Similar statements were made by multiple scientists at the October 24 webinar. Dr. Deepti Gurdasani referred to the UK policies as frankly criminal, and Dr. Jose-Luis Jimenez criticized world governments for refusing to acknowledge the aerosolization of the virus because it is less convenient.

In the US, UK, Turkey and Germany, as well as in Brazil, India, and many other countries, federal and state governments have lifted almost every mitigation measure in order to fully resume capitalist production, no matter the cost in human lives. Following the pseudo-scientific herd immunity strategy outlined in the Great Barrington Declaration, these governments have deliberately killed millions of people. In essence, they are pursuing a fascistic policy of social holocaust not seen since the Nazi regime in Germany. Every politician responsible for these policies, as well as those corporate interests dictating their actions and trade union officials facilitating their implementation, should be the subject of criminal prosecution.

The UK, headed by the right-wing Boris Johnson administration, most starkly expresses this global process. On Friday, it was revealed that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) consciously enacted a policy to open schools with no mitigation measures in order to infect masses of children, falsely claiming that Circulation of COVID in children could periodically boost immunity in adults.

In 2020, the policy pursued by capitalist governments was to infect the elderly. In 2021, the principal target became children, with schools reopened everywhere in order to send parents back to work. In 2022, the stage is now set for the virus to permeate all of society, infecting and reinfecting billions worldwide. Under conditions where only 38.5 percent of the world population is fully vaccinated, these policies threaten to kill millions more globally.

The criminal policies pursued by capitalist governments worldwide during the pandemic represent the implementation of longstanding aims by sections of the ruling elites who have advocated for lowering the life expectancy of the working class in order to reduce pension obligations and social spending on the elderly. In 2014, Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the leading architects of the Obama administrations Affordable Care Act, called for the rationing of health care based on income while discouraging the use of medical screenings. Emanuel was a member of the Biden administrations White House Coronavirus Task Force until it was dissolved in January.

The dividing lines between the strategies towards the pandemic, elaborated by the WSWS on August 20, have become very clear. The capitalist class in every country is either pursuing herd immunity, a euphemism for killing millions, or so-called mitigation, which amounts to palliative care or putting the world population in hospice. Both of these policies accept the fatalistic premise that SARS-CoV-2 is already or will inevitably become endemic, with the unstated assumption that millions will needlessly die and suffer long-term health consequences year after year.

In irreconcilable opposition to these policies of mass death and social misery, the working class is increasingly advancing a policy for the global elimination of SARS-CoV-2 to save lives. This entails the nationalization of the pharmaceutical monopolies in order to rapidly vaccinate the world population; mass testing, contact tracing, quarantining of exposed people, and the safe isolation of infected patients to identify and cut off the chain of transmission; the temporary closure of schools and nonessential workplaces combined with financial and social supports for all affected workers and small business people; strict travel restrictions and border management; universal masking, improved ventilation and all other measures necessary to minimize infections in essential workplaces.

All of these measures are anathema to capitalist world governments that serve the financial oligarchy. Given the unprecedented growth of corporate debt and financialization, the shutdown of nonessential workplaces for even the minimal time necessary to bring cases down to zeroestimated by Dr. Malgorzata Gasperowicz to be only six to nine weeksis unacceptable and would induce a collapse of the stock market.

On November 3-4, the World Health Network is hosting its second Global Summit to End Pandemics. The event will feature a series of sessions led by scientists, covering various aspects of the pandemic. Some will advocate mitigations, while some will advocate for global elimination, as outlined in a statement published by the group in the Lancet last week.

The fundamental fallacy of the groups statement, which will surely inform many of the presentations, is that the policies necessary to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 worldwide can be implemented by pressuring capitalist politicians and corporations to change their ways. While advocating for solidarity and collective action at the individual, local, national, and international levels, the groups statement fails to delineate the fundamental class division in society between the working class and the capitalist class. The idea that the pandemic can be halted without a direct assault on the financial interests of the ruling class, without the expropriation of the vast wealth hoarded by this tiny minority, is delusional.

One of the essential points made at the WSWS October 24 webinar was that scientists cannot fight the pandemic alone. Without the support of the working class, the activity of scientists will be confined to the halls of academia and their journals with limited circulation. The reality is that the strategy of global elimination will be implemented only through the mass mobilization of the industrial strength of the working class of all genders, races, ethnicities and nationalities.

In his introduction to the October 24 webinar, David North stressed the five following points:

The target of SARS-CoV-2the virus that causes COVID-19is not individuals, but entire societies. The virus mode of transmission is directed toward achieving mass infection. SARS-CoV-2 has evolved biologically to strike billions, and, in so doing, kill millions. Therefore, the only effective strategy is one based on a globally coordinated campaign aimed at the elimination of the virus on every continent, in every region, and in every country. There is no effective national solution to this pandemic. Humanitypeople of all races, ethnicities, and nationalitiesmust confront and overcome this challenge through a vast collective and truly selfless global effort. The policies pursued by virtually all governments since the outbreak of the pandemic must be repudiated. The subordination of that which should be the unquestioned priority of social policythe protection of human lifeto the interests of corporate profit and private wealth accumulation cannot be allowed to continue. The initiative to bring about a decisive turn to a strategy directed toward global elimination must come from a socially conscious movement of millions of people. This global movement must draw upon scientific research. The persecution of scientists, many of whom labor under threats to their livelihoods and even their lives, must be ended. The global elimination of the virus requires the closest working alliance between the working classthe great mass of societyand the scientific community.

These must become the guiding principles for the development of a mass movement rooted in the working class to stop the pandemic. The scientists and workers who took part in the October 24 webinar presented an overwhelming case for the global elimination of COVID-19, and their reports have an immense and lasting value. The scientific truths elaborated at this event must be assimilated by broad sections of the working class, the youth and the most progressive sections of the middle class.

All those who have committed the crime of social holocaust must be exposed in order to educate the working class on the social interests that have driven pandemic policies worldwide. Fundamentally, the fight to stop the pandemic must be taken into the schools and workplaces of every country through a globally-coordinated campaign uniting masses of workers worldwide. The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees was founded for this purpose, and will serve as the central nexus to coordinate the global struggles of the working class to end the pandemic and save millions of lives.

The development of a coordinated network of working class organizations throughout the world must be connected to the building of a socialist political leadership in the working class, the International Committee of the Fourth International, to connect the fight against the pandemic with the fight against exploitation, inequality, war, dictatorship and the capitalist system.
Papua New Guineas (PNGs) health authorities have been organising a mass burial to relieve pressure on the Port Moresby hospital morgue, where bodies are stacked on top of each other as COVID-19 cases surge.

The National newspaper reported on October 27 that 253 bodies were to be given a mass burial in the capital. The bodies had been in the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) morgue since April, according to hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi.

National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning said: The mortuary is now filled to and beyond capacity with more than 300 bodies stacked on top of one another, as more Coronavirus (COVID-19) bodies are brought in from the wards and homes. The morgue was built to cater for only 60.

Medical staff of Papua New Guineas Defense Force received hands-on training on COVID-19 response. (Image Credit: WHO/ Papua New Guinea)

A newspaper advertisement is detailing the names and ages of the people who have died and been left unclaimed. After three days, the PMGH will take the bodies to a plot, allocated by the National Capital District Commission, to be buried together.

Among the deceased are 16 children, between the ages of two and 12, left by their relatives in hospital morgues for months. They will receive what is in effect a paupers burial, when someone dies destitute without anyone to pay for their funeral expenses.

Molumi said four children had died of COVID-19 at PMGH. They were among 39 paediatric cases admitted since September 22, with serious health conditions, including rheumatic heart disease and tuberculosis. A child with a serious medical condition, which has been complicated by COVID-19 pneumonia has a very high chance of dying, the doctor warned.

In a callous and dismissive statement, Pandemic Response Deputy Controller Daoni Esorom said children will only be vaccinated against COVID-19 when the need arises, and only after data is collected of children becoming infected. He falsely declared that there was no vaccine for those aged under 18, adding that in any case the primary focus was on vaccinating those over 18.

Just 1.2 percent of the population of nearly 9 million has so far been fully vaccinated. PNG has depended very much on supplies through COVAX, the so-called vaccine equity partnership through the World Health Organization. This has failed to bridge the vast gulf between the poorest and wealthiest nations in terms of access to vaccines.

According to the Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity (established by UNDP, WHO and Oxford University) as of September 15, just 3.07 percent of millions of people in low-income countries have been vaccinated with at least one dose, compared to 60.18 percent in high-income countries.

Meanwhile PNGs Health authorities scaled back the limited testing regime some months ago, on the pretext that it would allow them to shift focus to vaccinating vulnerable sections of the population.

PNG has officially confirmed 29,108 coronavirus cases and 367 deaths, but many more cases and deaths are going unreported. Official statistics drastically understate the reality of what is happening. What data is available shows a sharp spike in cases from April through June, and another this month, with 5,067 active cases over the last two weeks. On October 29, there were 285 cases reported, with a seven-day average of 340.

Radio New Zealand reported on October 11 that since PNGs first reported case of the Delta variant, brought in by a ships captain in July, the virus had been largely left to fester and spread. Port Moresby is currently undergoing a third wave of the pandemic, as a disaster unfolds around the country, with the fragile health system and its hospitals overwhelmed by hundreds of cases.

The indifference of authorities was underscored in a decision by National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop last month to oppose any further lockdowns in Port Moresby because of the costs of previous ones. In an apparent change of tune, Parkop later told the National: If the doctors tell me that we have to lock down because they cannot cope any more, then I will follow their advice.

However, on October 27, Parkop confirmed that after much deliberation with key stakeholders in the city and the national government, there would not be a total lockdown of the capital, despite the rocketing number of deaths and positive cases. Police Superintendent Gideon Ikumu declared there was moreover an absence of regulations to implement the Pandemic Act 2020, and we cannot arrest someone for simply not wearing a mask, as an example.

Several other regions have imposed partial lockdowns and curfews in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands and Enga are experiencing a surge in Delta variant cases. Hospitals in all three provinces have wards overflowing with COVID-19 patients, and shortages of beds and ventilators, forcing them to scale back services.

National health board deputy chair Mathias Sapuri said a two-week lockdown across the country was the only way to control the COVID-19 surge. The virus stops moving when people stop moving, he said.

This runs counter to the homicidal policy of the James Marape-led government, which, like governments around the world, has prioritised business interests above the health of the population. Following an initial national lockdown in July 2020, Marape bluntly declared: COVID-19 not only affects us health-wise, but also economically. We must adjust to living with the COVID-19 we will not shut down our country again.

While the culpability for the escalating catastrophe lies squarely with the PNG government, much media commentary points the finger at widespread vaccine hesitancy and misinformation among the general population for the extremely low testing and vaccination rates.

The Guardian reported an incident on 18 October, in the second largest city, Lae, where community health workers were harassed and threatened with sticks, rocks and iron bars during a mobile awareness and vaccination drive. The drive was promptly abandoned and vaccinations are now only offered in the province at Angau General Hospital and smaller suburban clinics.

Undoubtedly there is widespread distrust of the government and its agencies, including health authorities and police. PNGs corrupt and venal ruling elite, which garners its share of the proceeds of the looting of the countrys mineral resources by transnational corporations, rules over one of the most deprived populations in the world.

According to UN figures, 39 percent of PNGs people live below the poverty line of $US1.90 a day and 66.5 percent of the workforce earns less than $3.10 a day. In Port Moresby, tens of thousands live in crowded, unofficial settlements. More than 60 percent of the population has no access to safe drinking water.

The adult literacy rate is 64.2 percent, clearly a factor in keeping scientific knowledge from the working class and rural poor. The average number of years of schooling is 4.3 and just 11.7 percent of the population over the age of 25 has some secondary schooling. The deterioration of the public health system, compounded by a lack of roads and the remoteness of many villages, has had a devastating impact. Malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are rife.

The backwardness and poverty, imposed by successive PNG governments since formal independence in 1975, was bequeathed by Australian colonial rule. The Australian ruling class never demonstrated the slightest concern for the PNG masses when it ruled over them, and is today doing virtually nothing to help contain the devastating and escalating COVID-19 outbreak on its northern border.
In a sign of worsening relations between the West and Russia, Moscow ended its decades-long diplomatic mission to NATO, stripped the trans-Atlantic alliances military mission of its accreditation and shuttered its information office in the capital city. The move was in response to NATOs expulsion of eight members of Russias diplomatic team on allegations of spying, an accusation that the Kremlin denies.

In explaining his countrys actions, which are taking effect on Monday, November 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that NATO is uninterested in an equitable dialogue and joint work. The Kremlin, he stated, does not see the need to keep pretending that changes in the foreseeable future are possible. NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu had declared earlier that its expulsions were driven by the need to strengthen our deterrence and defense in response to Russias aggressive actions.

Speaking to the newspaper outlet Kommersant on October 18 about the latest developments, Andrei Kortunov, general director of the Russian Council on International Affairs, a Moscow think tank, described his countrys partnership with NATO as exhausted.

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrive to meet at the 'Villa la Grange', Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The US has recently said it may halt virtually all consular activity in Russia in January. It has largely stopped issuing American visas at its embassy and consulates in the country and on Thursday labeled Russian citizens homeless nationalities, a status usually reserved for states where the US has no diplomatic presence. Russians are now being directed to apply for entry papers in Poland.

An early October visit to Russia by US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland for discussions with high-level government officials failed to yield any concrete results, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned at the time that there was a risk of a further sharpening of tensions. Nuland, who famously declared in 2014 that the US had spent $5 billion on democracy building efforts in the Ukraine prior to the overthrow of a government in Kiev with ties to Moscow, had previously been barred from entering the country, and sanctions had to be lifted in order for her to come for the discussions.

Despite Moscows continual efforts to use olive branches and displays of military might to cope with the geopolitical crisis it has confronted ever since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, it has been unable to stop the relentless war threats coming from Washington and Brussels for years. A June 2021 summit between US President Joseph Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which seemed designed to ease tensions between the two countries as part of the US war drive against China, has not halted the provocations from the US and NATO.

In the middle of this year, NATO carried out its largest-ever war games along the entire span of Russias borders. In response, the Kremlin conducted major military exercisesZapad-2021 (West-2021)through the late summer and into the early fall. In 2021, the US, Canada and its European NATO countries collectively spent more than one trillion dollars on defense, compared to 61 billion dollars by Russia.

Last week, coming out of a meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran and President Volodymyr Zelensky, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin affirmed Washingtons commitment to Ukraines eventual entrance into NATO. Austins statements were intended to alleviate the fears of the Kiev government, which was thrown into near hysteria over the American pullout from Afghanistan, with Zelensky having realized that it too could be abandoned by its patrons in Washington.

Notwithstanding Western claims that the new Ukrainian state is some sort of icon of democracy, the government in Kiev rests on very little and has a narrow social base. It presides over a deeply impoverished population, currently being ravaged by COVID-19, and relies upon repression and far-right forces to prop itself up.

The ultimate entry of yet another American stooge regime into the trans-Atlantic alliance is ardently opposed by the Kremlin. President Putin reiterated earlier last week that the deployment of NATO military forces to Ukraine is a threat to the Russian Federation. A few days later, Americas Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, Laura Cooper, called on NATO allies to end their limits on arms sales to Kiev. Shortly thereafter, Germanys incumbent defense minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, threatened Russia with the use of nuclear weapons.

Simultaneous to these events, the Kremlin warned NATO member Turkey against the sale of arms to Ukraines military, as a Turkish-made drone was recently used to attack Russian-allied forces fighting in Ukraines east. The American Congress, meanwhile, is discussing means to limit Russias global arms sales, as it objects to the fact that Moscow is using its position as the worlds second leader in the trade of military materiel for advancing its foreign policy interests in a manner that could undermine those of the US.

Geopolitical turmoil around the globe is amplifying the conflict between Russia and the US-NATO. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Wednesday for all of Afghanistans neighboring states to reject the deployment of either American or NATO forces on their territory. Moscow is in ongoing talks with the Taliban, deeply concerned that the fall of the Afghan government will bring about an explosion of Islamist jihadism in Central Asia and Russia itself, where such movements have been used to destabilize Moscow.

On Thursday, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Hyten identified Russia as Americas most immediate threat, emphasizing, however, that Beijing would soon eclipse Moscow in terms of the size of its nuclear arsenal.

An overriding question that has occupied the minds of American military planners for years is whether the US is equipped to fight a two-front war against both Russia and China simultaneously. Writing in Defense One on October 28, three associates of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a leading neoconservative think tank in Washington, appealed to the government to prepare for just such a probability.

If the Biden administration is to develop an effective 2022 National Defense Strategy and build the U.S. defense capacity and capability that American interests require, the administration must jettison outdated assumptions and recognize that the United States could confront Chinese and Russian military forces simultaneously, they wrote. Any plans that assume the United States will confront only one great power adversary at a time should be revised and updated without delay. Any additional capacity and forward basing requirements identified should inform ongoing program and budget discussions.

According to recent official documents published as part of the US-Russia NEW START treaty, Washington has 1,389 nuclear warheads deployed and Moscow 1,458. Adding China into the mix, there is enough atomic firepower readily available to destroy all of humanity.

However mad these policies and visions, they are absolutely real. Those who will pay the ultimate price for themthe working class of every countrycan only stop them by building a mass movement against war and capitalism. The governments of Russia and Chinaone whose wealth comes from feeding off the carcass of the Soviet Union and the other which survives by having made Chinese workers the globes cheap labor platformcannot stop, much less defend anyone against the violent eruption of American imperialism.
About 2,000 Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) workers demonstrated across Sri Lanka on Friday against the sale of the Kerawalapitiya Yugadanavi power plant and other privatisation measures. Those involved included workers from Kuliyapitiya, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Galle, Ratnapura, Jaffna, Laxapana, Kelanitissa, Lakwijaya and Sapugaskanda.

The Rajapakse government signed the secret privatisation deal with the US-owned New Fortress Company at midnight on September 17 with most of its cabinet, let alone the rest of the Sri Lankan population, unaware of the agreement.

The deal includes the sale of 40 percent ownership of the West Coast Company, which currently controls the Kerawalapitiya Yugadanavi LNG power station, to the American company, along with rights to the production and supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to other power stations.

Ceylon Electricity Board workers demonstrating in Galle [Photo credit: WSWS Media]

According to the limited information currently available from the CEB engineers union, and the media, the company has been given the right to extract LNG from the deep sea, along with its storage, classification, and sale. The agreement is valid for a 15-year period but can be extended.

According to the same reports, the government will be paying a higher price for the LNG supplied by the company. The Kerawalapitiya Yugadanavi power station, which has a 300-megawatt (MW) capacity, requires 35,000 British Thermal Units (BTU) or 1.2 million gallons of LNG per day. A British Thermal Unit (BTU) currently costs $US1.45 which means the government will have to pay the company about $50,000 a day.

The government is also required to buy LNG from the New Fortress Company for all future power plants. Under the contracts, the government must also purchase a specific amount of LNG units, irrespective of whether they are used or not. If the LNG is not purchased the government has to compensate the company at about four-fold the current price, i.e., $5.50 per BTU.

The CEB workers protests are part of the developing resistance of the Sri Lankan working class to the governments privatisation plans and its escalating social attacks on the masses in response to the national economic crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fridays demonstration was called by CEB United Trade Union Alliance (UTUA). This involves the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led Ceylon Electricity Employees Union, the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP)-controlled Sri Lanka Nidaha Sewaka Sangamaya, and the National Employees Union, which is run by the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB).

The unions have initiated the campaign not to organise a genuine struggle against privatisation but to dissipate and divert workers opposition with false claims that the government can be pressured into changing policy.

Asked about the campaign, UTUA convener Ranjan Jayalal told the World Socialist Web Site, that the alliance would develop huge action against the agreement and involve religious groups, political parties and mass organisations. The aim of this type of movement is to consciously disorient CEB workers and keep them tied to one or another section of the Sri Lankan bourgeoisie.

Electricity workers protesting in Jaffna [Photo credit: WSWS Media]

The UTUA has met in recent weeks with several bourgeois parties, including the SJB and JVP, to discuss the campaign. These parties have no fundamental disagreement with the Rajapakse governments policies. SJB leaders were in the United National Party, which originally initiated Colombos privatisation policies, while the JVP was part of the subsequent SLFP-led administrations that continued these measures.

These organisations, in fact, have come together because they are afraid that CEB workers and the developing opposition in the working class as a whole will come into direct political conflict with the Rajapakse regime and undermine capitalist rule.

Addressing the media on October 27, Jayalal boasted that CEB workers would be mobilised in Colombo on November 3 and that if the governments Yugadanavi agreement was not withdrawn before that date, there would be an indefinite strike. He demagogically challenged the government to try and maintain the power plants by using the army and its henchmen.

Jayalals posturing will not defeat the Yugadanavi agreement or similar deals being organised by the Rajapakse regime, which is mired in an economic and financial crisis. The privatisation of public enterprises has been dictated by the International Monetary Fund and is an essential part of the governments big-business program. Along with the CEB, Colombo is moving to privatise the ports, the petroleum corporation, the railways and other state enterprises.

CEB workers are hostile to this agenda and the ongoing government attacks on living standards. As one CEB worker from Chilaw told the WSWS: Privatisation should be stopped. It will impact on workers and the ordinary masses. The government has responded to the economic crisis by already deciding to cut public sector workers' wages and under privatisation workers rights will be suppressed. Its a lie that the parties related to the government are opposed to the agreement, he said.

The increase in the prices of essential items is unbearable. After deductions for loans, my [monthly] salary is only 30,000 rupees ($150). My job involves recording and writing electricity bills for 2,000 houses a month but we have to bear the travelling costs of this ourselves, he added.

A CEB consumer coordinator from Kandy denounced the unions for not organising a genuine struggle against privatisation. Other than distributing a leaflet 27 unions did not organise the protests. Thats the reason for the low participation [on Friday]. The trade unions declared that there would be a large fight against privatisation of the port, but the same thing happened there, he said.

A CEB worker from Galle called for a unified struggle to stop the privatisation of public enterprises. Privatisation cannot be stopped by just one struggle. The government would suppress it. We saw this in its preparation of police repressive actions against the teachers struggle. We have to win the support of the working class and ordinary people, he said.

As the Socialist Equality Party has explained, workers need to build action committees at every workplace, independent of the trade unions, which act as the agents of the capitalist class, and fight to mobilise the industrial and political strength of workers in unity with their class brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka and internationally.

While the CEB is a strategic sector of the Sri Lankan economy, and its workers have immense industrial power, industrial strength alone cannot defeat the Rajapakse governments policies. What is required is a unified political struggle by the entire working class in defence of jobs, working conditions and social rights.

Against the Rajapakse regimes privatisation policies, Sri Lankan workers must mobilise their independent strength and fight for a workers and peasants government based on a socialist program that places all key industries, including the banks, under the democratic control of the working class.
Ukraine reported a record high number of daily COVID-19 deaths this past week, a result of the disastrous policies pursued by the Ukrainian government and capitalist governments all over the world. The Eastern European country of approximately 41 million is simultaneously Europes poorest country and one of its least vaccinated against COVID-19.

On October 30, Ukraines Health Ministry registered a new record of 26,198 new cases, the fourth highest number in the world. Among them were 1,108 children and 178 medical workers. The country also recorded 541 deaths, also one of the highest figures in the world. On October 26, Ukraine had reported a record 734 deaths in 24 hours.

The countrys overall death toll now stands at 71,710, according to data from John Hopkins University. Ukraines Ministry of Health reported earlier in October that 29,000 children are infected and that 42 children had died of the disease.

Patients with COVID-19 are treated in a hospital organized in the Lviv National Medical University in Lviv, Western Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

The situation is equally catastrophic in neighboring Russia, which continues to break its daily records in new deaths and infections. On October 29, Russia recorded 1,163 deaths, the highest number yet, and daily infections have repeatedly surpassed 40,000 last week. As of last week, almost 60,000 children in Russia were receiving medical care for COVID-19, with half of them showing acute symptoms. Last week, Moscows Mayor Sergei Sobyanin acknowledged that each day, about 1,000 children were getting infected in the capital, and between 20 and 30 had to be hospitalized.

Ukraine has an even lower vaccination rate than Russia, where only 32.5 percent are fully vaccinated, and 37.9 percent have received at least one jab. In Ukraine, just 7 million out of 41 million, or 16 percent, of the adult population are fully vaccinated the second lowest share in Europe after Armenias rate of slightly over 7 percent.

According to Health Minister Viktor Lyashko, 94 percent of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization are unvaccinated.

The current situation, however, is due not only to low vaccination rates but above all the criminal refusal of the government to impose necessary public health measures to stop the spread of the virus.

Despite clear signs in late summer that the spread of the Delta variant in the country would spell disaster, the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky refused until the end of September to begin implementing social distancing and lockdown measures, at which point daily case rates had already begun to accelerate and reach into the high thousands.

Throughout the summer, the country enforced what it called an adaptive lockdown, which allowed regional authorities to tighten or ease restrictions depending on the situation locally. Whatever measures were imposed within this framework were totally inadequate and weakly enforced, permitting the Delta variant to spread unchecked.

In late September, the government announced that it would extend a state of emergency until the end of the year and issued a yellow warning for the entire country, which does little more than limit mass events and mandates mask wearing.

In the capital Kiev, Mayor Vitali Klitschko waited until Thursday to announce new restrictions to stem the viruss spread. Starting November 1, restaurants, shopping centers and gyms will be closed and public transport limited to those who can show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test.

As has been the case in many countries of the former Soviet Union where governments have promoted ethnic nationalism and religious obscurantism since 1991, widespread anti-vaccine propaganda in Ukraine has further undermined any attempts to contain the spread of the Delta variant.

In the western Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi, Dr. Olha Kobevko told the Associated Press that the Orthodox Church, of which 67 percent of Ukrainians are members, bears a substantial share of responsibility for anti-vaccine sentiments. Some Orthodox priests have openly and aggressively urged people not to get vaccinated, and social networks have been filled with the most absurd rumors. She added, Ukrainians have learned to distrust any authorities initiatives, and vaccination isnt an exclusion.

In the Chernivtsi hospital where Dr. Kovebko works, there are just 120 beds and currently has 126 gravely ill COVID-19 patients. She reported seeing 10-23 patients dying every day at her hospital.

The Zelensky government has attempted to promote vaccination in recent months as the Delta variant spread by requiring teachers, government employees and other workers to be fully vaccinated by November 8. Proof of vaccination or a negative test will now be needed to travel on planes, trains and long-distance buses.

However, such measures have come too little too late. Moreover, the Zelensky government shares responsibility for the spread of vaccine misinformation and backwardness. For blatantly political reasons, it rejected the use of the readily available Russian Sputnik V vaccine and suggested it could be potentially dangerous.

In February, after refusing to permit the use of the vaccine, Zelensky stated that Ukrainian citizens are not guinea pigs. Later, he said, We have no right to perform experiments on them.

Sputnik Vs effectiveness and safety were confirmed by data published in Nature magazine in July.

Meanwhile, the desperate attempts of the Ukrainian government to solicit help from its imperialist backers for the vaccination effort fell largely on deaf ears .

Zelensky himself publicly displayed an unserious attitude towards the pandemic and downplayed the viruss danger. In June of 2020 he told the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda that he had considered purposely contracting the virus just to prove to people its not the plague.

Many of Ukraines hospitals, already poorly supplied and understaffed, are now completely overwhelmed by the wave of Delta variant cases and deaths. According to Health Minister Viktor Lyashko, two-thirds of the countrys hospital beds with oxygen supplies are now occupied, and hospitals nationally are 65 percent full.

The situation with hospitalisations is getting rampant, Lyashko said. I call on all of you to get your vaccine. We can and must stop these sad statistics.

Unfortunately, all signs point to the continuation of such sad statistics as the Ukrainian government and governments all over the world continue to subordinate the fight against COVID-19 to the interests of capitalist profit.

As the WSWS has reported, as important as they are, vaccines alone will not end the pandemic. Only a conscious global effort directed by scientists and rooted in a movement by the working class can lead to the end of the pandemic in Ukraine and across the globe.
CONNERSVILLE, Ind. (AP)  A fire that badly damaged a Black city council members home in eastern Indiana is being investigated by the FBI after a racial slur was found spray-painted at the house.

The fire broke out about 3:30 a.m. Friday at the home of Connersville City Councilman Tommy Williams, who is Black, while his wife said the couple and their two sons were away on vacation.

The racial slur was painted on the back patio and FBI agents spent Saturday at the house, Emma Williams said.

FBI Special Agent Steve Secor confirmed Monday that the agency was working with state and local authorities investigating the fire in the 13,000-person city about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) east of Indianapolis. Secor said no suspects had been immediately identified.

Williams said she had no idea who would attack her family in this way and she was forgiving whoever is responsible.

Im grateful for our community, Williams told WXIN-TV. We have really good people here, and I dont want this to be a message that represents our village here because its a lie. Its not what were about here.

Tommy Williams, a retired U.S. Postal Service worker and Army veteran, was elected by a Republican caucus last year to fill a city council vacancy.

An online fundraiser had collected more than $30,000 on Monday to assist the familys recovery.
Minister Majed Abdullah Alqasabi,

Honourable Ministers of Trade,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to join you today on behalf of WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The Director-General regrets that she cannot be with you today due to a prior commitment.

First of all, I would like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting this timely and important Virtual Ministerial Meeting of Arab Trade Ministers. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Arab leaders to meet the challenge of development and contribute to peace, security, and prosperity through domestic reform, including trade liberalization. The WTO Secretariat stands ready to support your countries and the wider region in all efforts and initiatives geared toward greater engagement and trade liberalization.

I'm pleased to say that the WTO Secretariat provides regular technical assistance and advisory services to Arab delegations and the Arab Group. The Secretariat is also providing active support and advice to the eight Arab countries that are currently in the process of accession to the WTO.

Excellencies, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you our assessment of key areas currently being considered by Members in the lead up to MC12.

And I would like to start with the response to the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the role that trade, and the WTO, can play both to combat the pandemic and to promote economic recovery. The WTO's active engagement is recognized around the world. We, collectively, have a moral obligation to address vaccine inequity, as well as be prepared for future pandemics. In anticipation of our MC12 Ministerial, Members are having positive discussions on a work plan to ensure open supply chains and regulatory coherence.

In addition, Members are engaging in active discussions on the role of intellectual property through the TRIPS Agreement. While those discussions are not as far along, we are hopeful to see a balanced and effective result.

Another important area of work is fisheries subsidies. Delegations are showing increasing engagement, and many are now signalling new flexibilities. We need to capitalize on all elements of convergence that are emerging as time is short.

We have all the elements to finalize an agreement that will bring benefits to all Members. We are quite close and now need political decisions to get to a balanced and robust outcome. This is important for the livelihood of millions of fisherwomen and men from coastal communities, for the oceans and the fish, and for the WTO.

In parallel, we are working to create a Fisheries Assistance Fund to support developing and least developed Members in implementing the new disciplines once agreed. We hope to count on financial support for the Fund by Arab WTO Members.

Let me now turn to agriculture, an area that is challenging for many Members, including many of you. While negotiations are proving difficult, many Members feel that we cannot come out of MC12 without an outcome on agriculture.

Gaps persist on domestic support and public stockholding, which will set the level of ambition for the overall agriculture outcome, and the Chair is meeting with Members to explore ways to bridge them. But if they are out of reach, we should still aim for outcomes on food security and transparency, and set a clear path for addressing other issues.

I will now turn to special and differential treatment. A few weeks ago, WTO Members agreed on a decision to be submitted to Trade Ministers for approval at MC12, which would help facilitate the integration of small economies into the multilateral trading system. It is the first decision proposed for MC12 for which consensus has been forged.

Members are also working on the issue of LDC graduation, as well as on a G90 proposal calling for S&D provisions in WTO agreements to be reviewed with a view to strengthening them.

Another area where we see a lot of action is environment and climate change. The international community is now converging on the urgent challenges of climate and sustainability. Therefore, what we need at MC12 is a clear political signal from trade ministers that they recognize the importance of addressing these challenges. The Arab Region is already making major efforts in this regard.

In addition, many Members, including several Arab countries, are actively participating in ongoing discussions and negotiations on the four Joint Statement Initiatives of e-commerce, domestic services regulation, investment Facilitation, and MSMEs.

There is general consensus among Members that the WTO needs to be better fit for the challenges of the 21st century. A frank discussion on the reforms that are required to ensure that the WTO delivers on its key objectives, including raising standards of living, ensuring full employment, and committing to sustainable development, is a must. In this regard, I would like to thank our host Saudi Arabia for initiating and advancing the Riyadh Initiative on the Future of the WTO.

MC12 is only four weeks away. To ensure that we have a successful Ministerial meeting, I appeal to Ministers to fully and proactively engage in the process. A successful ministerial meeting is one where the outcome is balanced, with positive results for strengthening global demand, increasing growth, and generating benefits for all our Members. I believe that such an outcome is possible with Ministers steering the process and directing their trade negotiators in Geneva. As the Director-General has stressed on several occasions, we owe it to the people we serve to deliver results.

I thank you once again for the opportunity to speak to you today, and I wish you fruitful discussions.
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - The Jackson Free Clinic is expanding its services to provide support for the Hispanic community in Mississippi.

The clinic based in the state's capital will offer a separate clinic with the goal to offer services to Spanish speakers in need. It is called Clinica Medica. The JFC will off this service every other month. Then, there will be a mobile clinic in Forest every other month that is separate from the clinic in Jackson.

Weve noticed that in these communities there is a lot of unaddressed medical issues that wed like to address so wed really like to get the word out also about Clinica Medica," Michael Hohl said. He is one of the five executive directors at the JFC and the chief outreach officer. "Wed like to eventually expand. Its once every other month right now. Wed like to eventually expand it to once monthly.

Right now, there are two dates scheduled for Clinica Medica; November 13th and January 8th.

"Often, well have to have people come in and have one in-person visit. Were offering days with Hispanic providers and all predominantly Hispanic providers and Spanish-speaking students.

Hohl said in-person visits help them put patients in their system. From there, patients can follow up through telehealth.

The Jackson Free Clinic is a student-owned and student-run free clinic by students of the University of Mississippi Medical Center. It has seen patients from over 90 different cities, towns and rural areas across Mississippi.

I think our whole team understands that transportation is a barrier for a lot of patients, Hohl said. Its likely that our physicians will want to see these patients in person and at least once so it might be a necessary trip to Jackson. We do have a pretty robust telehealth service now where we can follow up remotely with patients once weve established a solid care plan for them at our clinic.

It provides free medical, free dental, and specialty services to the uninsured in the state.

Patients are required to be uninsured if they plan to attend any of the clinics by the JFC. Not only does the health clinic offer Clinica Medica, but patients can attend one of its free clinics on Saturdays. Those weekly clinics run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

We can connect you with outside resources for social health screenings," Hohl said. "We can connect you with specialty services at UMMC. Well really work with you to kind of meet you where you are and figure out how we can get you plugged in to what you need to better your health.

The Jackson Free Clinic is located at 925 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Jackson, MS, 39203.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - One person was found dead early Monday morning, Nov. 1 in Columbus.

Police officers responded to a report of a possible gunshot victim in a car beside a building on 10th Avenue North, near Union Academy School.

Columbus, Mississippi. Photo Date: Aug. 25, 2021. Columbus, Mississippi. Photo Date: Aug. 25, 2021.

Columbus police spokesman Joe Dillon confirmed officers found one person dead in the vehicle. The individual was found in the drivers seat.

Shelton said it appears the man had been shot. Officers found at least one shell casing.

Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant later identified the man as Shad Reese, 23, of Macon.

An autopsy will be performed.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)  The University of Alabama will no longer require face coverings in most of its facilities for people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Beginning Friday, masks only will be mandated for unvaccinated people indoors and in crowded outdoor settings or during outdoor activities that involve sustained close contact with others who are unvaccinated, the university said in a statement.

Masks are will remain required for people in patient clinical-care settings at University Medical Center, the Student Health Center, the Capstone Village assisted living and specialty care units, Brewer-Porch Childrens Center and the Working on Womanhood program  and for those on Crimson Ride buses, WBRC-TV reported.

The university said unvaccinated people will not have to wear masks when eating or drinking or while maintaining appropriate distancing, when alone in offices with closed doors, while exercising or in residence hall rooms.

Since the pandemic began, 15,573 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Alabama, according to the state Department of Public Health.
Bill Kreutzmann, the drummer for Dead and Company, worried fans when he departed the stage early during the groups show Saturday night at the Hollywood Bowl. Sunday afternoon, he announced on social media that he would be taking the final evening of the bands three-night stand at the Bowl off, but Kreutzmann assured followers that he is resting and will be back full steam ahead soon.

Its Halloween, did I spook you? Kreutzmann joked in the tweet. Im okay & was sad to miss the end last night, he said, getting more serious. Wasnt feeling well & the show must go on. I returned to the road a little too soon & I need more rest, so Ill be back full steam ahead to jam with you in Mexico. I cant wait. He signed off with the message Love is real.

More from Variety

Fridays opening night gig at the Bowl proceeded without incident, but during Saturdays typically epic show, Dead and Company was four lengthy songs into the second set when Kreutzmann suddenly took his leave, right before he was to play the number that showcases him, Drums. Fellow drummer Jay Lane took over for him from that point on.

While the departure of a drummer mid-show would be a disaster for other bands, Dead and Company have the luxury of having three drummers on tour. And Lane had jumped in to take Kreutzmanns place just recently when he took a leave of absence for four shows at Red Rocks in Colorado to deal with an undisclosed non-COVID-related illness, per reports. Upon his return just five days ago, on Oct. 26, Kreutzmann tweeted, This was the first time in my entire career that I ever had to call in sick, but sometimes you just have to give yourself a time out. Im pleased to report that the doctors have cleared me to return to the road and continue doing what I love the most  playing music for all of you  for a long time to come.

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Sundays sold-out Bowl show is the last one the band had on the books for 2021, wrapping up a fall tour. The only dates on their calendar currently for 2022 are the Mexico shows Kreutzmann referred to  a long run of eight shows (all of them also sold out) over 10 days at Dos Riviera Cancun, Quintana Roo Jan. 7-10 and 13-16.

Kreutzmann, 75, played with the Grateful Dead through its entire career, and has subsequently been a part of the spinoff groups carrying the legacy forward, the Dead and, since 2015, the John Mayer-fronted Dead and Company.

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Juan Rosas/Netflix

Over the course of five seasons, Narcos and Narcos: Mexico have been as bleakand consistently greatas anything on television, and that holds true for the latters closing run, which solidifies the series standing as the definitive drama about the 1970s-1990s drug trade. Set in the lush jungles, arid deserts, and sweltering metropolises of South America and Mexico, Netflixs trafficking saga (returning Nov. 5) is a jet-black neo-noir driven by a despondency that knows no bounds. As always, theres scant uplift herejust an overarching recognition that theres no hope for justice, for peace, for answers, for absolution, or for the monstrous horrors of the world to ever truly be vanquished.

For all of its thrills and intrigue, Narcos: Mexicos third go-round is a fatalistic nightmare marked by a pervasive sense of disconnection. In the early 1990s, with kingpin Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo (Diego Luna) now behind bars after failing to unite the countrys rival cartels, pilot-turned-Juarez boss Amado Carrillo Fuentes (the magnetic Jose Maria Yazpik) concocts a revolutionary way to evolve the business: separate each facet of his trafficking operation, so that if one cog breaks down or gets caught, the larger machine keeps on running. Amados strategy gives new meaning to divide and conquer, and for a time, it works like a charm, as does his plan to halt any dealings with his adversaries in Tijuana and Sinaloa. Remaining independent, however, is almost as impossible as successfully collaborating with his fellow greedy cartel dons, thus underlining the catch-22 that propels much of the shows entangled action.

The Israeli Boy Who Says a Green Monster Told Him to Kill His Entire Family

While Amado attempts to go it alone by striking an exclusive partnership with Colombias Cali cartel bigwig Pacho Herrera (Alberto Ammann), Tijuanas Arellano clanled by cocky Benjamin (Alfonso Dosal), his sober sister Enedina (Mayra Hermosillo) and his wild brother Ramon (Manuel Masalva)reigns supreme over Mexico, enjoying the wealth and luxury that comes with its top-dog position. This leaves Sinaloas three bosses, Palma (Gorka Lasaosa), El Azul (Fermin Martinez), and Joaquin El Chapo Guzman (Alejandro Edda), with bottom-of-the-barrel scraps, which invariably begets the type of resentment, anger, and violence thats par for this milieus course. In these warring factions conflicts, Narcos: Mexico finalizes its 60-episode study of the cyclical nature of the narcotics industry, in which gangs rise, fall, and are replaced by likeminded outfits who follow the same up-and-down trajectories as their predecessors.

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The more things change, the more they stay the same in Narcos: Mexico, and that goes for DEA agent Walt Breslin (Scoot McNairy) as well. Even though he took down Gallardo at the conclusion of season two, Walt cant seem to get Mexico out of his blood, and its not long before hes sabotaging his relationship with teacher Dani (Kristen Gutoskie) in order to fully reimmerse himself in the bloody campaign against the cartels. McNairy exudes a weariness that feels inexhaustible, and its amplified by Walts understanding that almost all of his victories have been Pyrrhic. Walt is a man who fears he cant win, willfully corrupts himself in service of a greater good that cant be achieved (if it exists at all), and yet refuses to alter his course. In his acceptance of his own failings and weaknessesand the doom that may come from his conducthes a figure who earns our pity, empathy, and admiration.

If the Emmys paid attention to more than five shows each year, McNairys grizzled and forlorn performance would have earned him multiple awards by now, and his masterful turn is paralleled in Narcos: Mexico with that of Luis Gerardo Mendez as Victor Tapia. A Mexican cop introduced as a crooked thief, Victor undergoes a radical transformation upon being asked to investigate a neighbors missing niece. His subsequent sleuthing leads to the discovery of scores of young dead women whose demises are ignored by the public at large, and whose bodies are carelessly handled in refrigeration-deficient morgues and then unceremoniously dumped elsewhere. Like Walt, Victor becomes a crusader intent on stopping a scourge of violence thats destroying the very fabric of the country. And as with his American counterpart, he soon learns that his chances of improving anything are woefully low.

Narcos: Mexico is an anguished affair, and yet in Walt and Victors attempts to make a positive difference no matter the consequences (or futility) of their choices, it refuses to simply succumb to paralyzing despair. Similar positivity comes via the story of Andrea Nunez (Luisa Rubino), a fearless reporter at La Voz newspaper who serves as the proceedings narrator, and who endeavors to uncover the connections between the cartels and political mastermind Carlos Hank Gonzalez (Manuel Uriza), who maintains an intimate and covert affiliation with Amado. Assuming the showrunner reigns from Eric Newman, co-creator Carlo Bernard skillfully balances Walt, Victor and Andreas plights with the devious machinations of the Tijuana, Juarez and Sinaloa cartels, the result being a dense and intricate depiction of a war without any celebratory end in sight.

Packed to the gills with narrative twists, chaotic shootouts, treacherous double-crosses and more characters than a single series should be able to sustainincluding a few notable cameos from seasons pastNarcos: Mexico is suspenseful, gripping and complex. Whether addressing the cartels recruitment of narco juniors from upper class families as a means of bolstering their support from societys elite (one of whom is played by Bad Bunny), or illustrating the ramifications of NAFTA on trafficking, the series continues to be compellingly multifaceted. Moreover, it once again augments its based-on-actual-events realism by seamlessly interjecting non-fiction archival footage and TV news reports into its drama proper.

In the final tally, Narcos: Mexico isnt just an epic about a broken and irredeemable system, a vain anti-drug enterprise, or the predictable treachery of criminals and governmentsits a multinational portrait of individuals obsessed with greed, power, guilt and a self-destructive desire to make things better, even when those efforts are destined to come up short. As it ends its acclaimed small-screen run, it provides neither a happy ending nor any easy resolutions, instead staying true to the dark, grim perspective on the world, and the human heart, thats made it such a downbeat triumph.

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Huma Abedin had just arrived back in Washington after a fraught trip to Pakistan with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she got a text message from her husband.

"Nothing for you to worry about," tapped out New York Congressman Anthony Weiner late that spring night in 2011. His Twitter account had been hacked, he told his wife of less than a year, and "there might be a story."

Yes, there was. A story and a scandal that would upend Weiner's rising political career and eventually send him to prison. Unravel their marriage and leave her suffering from PTSD. And contribute to Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election.

At that moment, though, she figured he would handle it. After all, she had spent a dozen years by Clinton's side, through a thousand threats of crises or controversies. A vague report about a message that her husband denied having sent was just part of an "unending stream of incoming."

Nothing to worry about. Until it was.

After a decade of declining to comment and dodging paparazzi, Abedin told USA TODAY she is ready to take back her life. "I walked with so much shame for so long and I really wanted to take the power away from that," she said in an exclusive interview about her memoir, "Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds," being published Tuesday by Scribner. "This is clearing the slate. I have nothing to hide."

Huma Abedin, author of the book, "Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds." Abedin was the very close and very private top aide to Hillary Clinton and is also the divorced wife of the disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner. Abedin is now Hillary Clintons chief of staff.

In the book's 529 pages, she is unsparing about her own naivete, the depths of her husband's sexual addiction and her rage at what his actions cost. Since she was a college student who landed a White House internship and was assigned to the first lady's office, she has been behind the scenes for headliner events, first as the discreet aide and then as the humiliated spouse.

"I have been kind of the invisible person behind the main person  Hillary and then Anthony," she said. "I was somebody who's run from TV cameras and reporters her entire adult life."

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That's changed.

"I do feel now that if I don't tell my story, then somebody else is writing my history," she said, adding that not seizing control of her story, and understanding what had happened, "was slowly killing me."

'When does it stop hurting?'

At 46, she looks every inch the breezy, confident New Yorker. She's wearing a brilliant red pantsuit and black heels, her dark hair tumbling down her back. She is no longer routinely accosted by waiting photographers when she leaves her apartment building. On the walk to the interview, she was no longer cornered by passersby offering an opinion, often a caustic one, about her marriage or her boss.

"When people do stop me on the street now," she said, "what they ask me is this: What do I do? Do I stay or go? When does it stop hurting?"

What she has realized, she said, "is anything that happened with me and Anthony is actually, unfortunately, not all that unusual."

As it turned out, Weiner's Twitter feed hadn't been hacked. He had sent a sexually explicit photo of himself to a woman. Indeed, he would acknowledge, he had sent explicit photos to a half-dozen women over three years. Within weeks, he had resigned from Congress. When he ran a comeback campaign for mayor of New York two years later, with Abedin's blessing, stories broke that he had continued to send explicit photos, using the alias "Carlos Danger."

The final straw for Abedin: During the 2016 presidential campaign, the New York Post reported that he was sexting with yet another woman when his sleepy toddler son could be seen climbing onto the bed to cuddle with him. After that, there were reports Weiner had sexted a 15-year-old girl, a felony that would send him to prison.

Abedin threatened a divorce in 2015 but didn't file for one until 2017, and the process is not yet fully completed. She said it would be soon.

More: Anthony Weiner pleads guilty to sexting with minor; Huma Abedin files for divorce

Cover for Huma Abedin's book, "Both/And: A Life In Many Worlds"

Their relationship is complicated. He was the first man she had ever slept with, she writes, and the first one who told her he loved her. He is the father of her child, now 9. After the revelations in 2013, during his mayoral campaign, she made a public statement of support, one she knew Clinton didn't think she should make. But Abedin felt some obligation, she said, in part because she had urged him to run.

The parallels between her and Clinton are hard to miss. While there are big differences, both were accomplished women who married charismatic politicians, men whose unfaithfulness subjected their spouses to scrutiny and ridicule. Clinton chose to stand by Bill Clinton after infidelities that led to his impeachment. Abedin stood by Weiner until the evidence of his continued misbehavior convinced her that his issues were too painful for her to deal with and too deep-seated for her to solve.

Her public and private worlds collide

Then her personal crisis with Weiner intersected, disastrously, with her public role with Hillary Clinton.

When FBI agents seized Weiner's laptop during the 2016 investigation, they found emails that they thought might be related to the infamous inquiry over Clinton's emails, a case that had been closed. Less than two weeks before the election pitting Clinton against Trump for the White House, FBI Director James Comey announced he was reopening it. Days later, the FBI said nothing new or damaging against Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, was discovered.

Huma Abedin and Hillary Clinton in White Plains, N.Y., on Oct. 28, 2016.

But the issue had been reignited, dominating the headlines at the campaign's close.

On election night, Abedin writes that she was in Clinton's suite at the Peninsula Hotel in New York when the Associated Press called Florida for Trump. He had already won Ohio. "Can someone explain to me what is happening?" Clinton asked no one in particular. Then she said, more in shock than anger: "I'm not going to win."

The two campaigns had agreed beforehand that, once the AP had called the race, the loser would call the winner to concede. When the AP declared Trump the president-elect, and after some back and forth, Clinton told Abedin to place the call.

Abedin dialed the number of Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, put her cellphone on speaker, and held it on the palm of her hand at arm's length between her and Clinton. Neither seemed to want to get too close to it. At the other end, Conway handed her cellphone to Trump.

"You could hear a 'hello, hello,' kind of bellowing through," Abedin recalled. "It was very loud."

Clinton, usually so sure-footed, looked at the phone and then at Abedin. "What am I supposed to say?" she asked her.

"It's not like she didn't know what to say," Abedin told USA TODAY almost precisely five years later. Instead, "I experienced that as, this is her realization." This was the instant she fully understood that she had lost. That it was over."

"Say 'congratulations,' " Abedin told her.

"Donald, it's Hillary," Clinton said. "Congratulations."

Afterward, Abedin was haunted by the fear that she bore responsibility for Clinton's defeat, that Comey's announcement about Weiner's laptop was the tipping point. Clinton blamed Comey, too, among others, in the post-election book she wrote, "What Happened."

Exclusive: Hillary Clinton says Trump associates helped Russia meddle in the 2016 election

Exclusive: James Comey strikes back against 'morally unfit' Donald Trump in scathing interview

Comey: Former FBI Director Comey says he was 'mildly nauseous' Clinton email probe decisions may have impacted election

"For a long time, Comey was a daily nightmare for me, and even now the thought of what he did sometimes creeps in to torture me," Abedin writes in the final passage of her memoir. "But I have slowly come to accept that I am not the sole cause of the 2016 election loss. One man's decision to play God forever changed the course of history. It should not be my burden to carry the rest of my life. It should be his."

Not the "sole cause." But is she one of the causes for Clinton's loss?

First, Abedin reiterated Comey's role. Then she said: "Do I think I contributed?" There is the slightest pause. "Yes," she said.

Huma Abedin, author of the book "Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds." Abedin was the very close and very private top aide to Hillary Clinton and is also the divorced wife of the disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner. Abedin is now Hillary Clintons chief of staff.

Both at home and an outsider

Huma Mahmood Abedin has always been "both/and," somehow simultaneously at home and an outsider in the "many worlds" she has navigated.

She was a Muslim born in the heartland, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where followers of Islam were rare. She was the daughter of two academics, both Fulbright scholars, a father from India and a mother from Pakistan, countries that were bitter rivals. She was a free-spirited American girl who grew up in Saudi Arabia, where her father was teaching, and where she and her friends would be chastised by the religious police for not keeping their heads properly covered.

In her unexpected life, she became a close aide to one of the most consequential women in American history and the wife of a politician whose soaring ambitions would catastrophically crash.

Her memoir is full of behind-the-scenes moments. In one revelation, she writes about the unwanted sexual advances of an unnamed senator. They were part of a small group that had headed out to dinner after late Senate business. Afterward, he invited her up to his apartment for coffee, and then forcibly kissed her until she pushed him away. She had forgotten about it, she writes, until skeptics accused Christine Blasey Ford of "conveniently" remembering an alleged assault by Brett Kavanaugh when he was nominated for the Supreme Court.

Her portrayal of Clinton is sometimes personal and invariably positive. Clinton saw her as almost a second daughter; Abedin saw her as a mentor and more. But their relationship is changing. After a career that has revolved around Clinton since she was in college, Abedin now wants to do something different.

"I do not want to be Hillary Clinton's chief of staff for the rest of my life," she laughed. "What do I want to do when I grow up? The answer is, I don't know." In college, she admired CNN's Christiane Amanpour. So perhaps a journalist? Or run for office herself? She doesn't rule out either, or anything else. She hopes she is at the beginning of "a really interesting set of conversations with people about possibilities."

"I'm kind of in my year of saying yes," Abedin said, the advice famously given by renowned TV producer Shonda Rhimes to embrace life and its prospects, even the frightening ones. "I am literally right now, at this moment, doing the thing I was most scared of."

Speaking up in her own voice. Seizing control of her own life.

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The good news is, cases nationwide are going down. "In fact, 40 states are contributing to this case decrease over the past week," said virus expert Dr. Michael Osterholm. "It's been remarkable, in many of the states, even in the Midwest, like Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, are starting to see case numbers drop." However, there are states "where the number of cases are still double the national average. And if you take oneAlaska tops the list. If they were, in fact, a country they'd be in the top 10 countries in the world with the highest cadence rates." So which are the states that are most in danger right now? Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

1

Colorado Will Start Rationing Care

Infected patient in quarantine lying in bed in hospital

"If Colorado's COVID-19 situation continues to worsen and the state moves to ration care, who gets all possible treatment would depend on a formula calculating the odds of surviving," reports the Denver Post. "On Thursday, Gov. Jared Polis said if the COVID-19 situation doesn't improve in the next few days, the state will have to take action to preserve hospital capacity. The state is offering monoclonal antibodies  a treatment option that can reduce the odds of hospitalization from COVID-19  to more people, but state officials acknowledged that may not be enough. If cases and hospitalizations don't start falling soon, the state could call in health care teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; issue an order to remove barriers for moving patients between hospitals; halt non-emergency surgeries; or activate 'crisis standards of care.'"

2

Intensive Care Units are at Capacity in Utah

Top view of doctor and covid-19 patient with oxygen mask in bed in hospital, coronavirus concept.

"The Utah Department of Health on Thursday reported nine more COVID-19 deaths, including seven in the past day," reports the Salt Lake Tribune. "Two deaths reported Thursday occurred before Oct. 1 and were added to the death toll after further testing, the Health Department said. Four of those who died were under the age of 65  including a man in Iron County between the ages of 18 and 24. The Health Department on Thursday reported 1,859 new coronavirus cases. The rolling seven-day average for positive tests stands at 1,547 per day. Intensive care units in the state remain near capacity. According to the Health Department, 93.7% of all ICU beds and 95.5% of ICU beds in larger medical centers are occupied. Of all ICU patients, 41.4% are being treated for COVID-19."

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3

Montana Hospitalizations Remain High

Two exhausted and desperate surgeons.

"In Lewis and Clark County, and across Montana, the number of active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations has remained high this month. At St. Peter's Health, leaders say it's been one of their most challenging times during the pandemic," reports KTVH. "It has been an exceptionally challenging week for us here, with record numbers of hospitalizations and very, very sick and very, very acutely ill patients hospitalized due to COVID," Katie Gallagher, COVID-19 public information officer for St. Peter's, told the station.

4

Idaho Hospitals are "Overburdened" With Patients

Doctor examining female patient in critical health conditions using a stethoscope in the intensive care unit of a modern hospital during covid-19 pandemic

"Hospitalizations and Idaho's test positivity rate continued a pattern of several weeks of decline this week, though caseloads remain high and hospitals remain overburdened with patients. As of Oct. 27  the most recent data available  there were 525 patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 at Idaho hospitals, which is down from last month's peak of 793, but is still higher than during the surge last fall, when the peak was 496. In intensive care units, there were 147 COVID-19 patients on Oct. 27, down from the peak of 213 in September. Last December, the peak number of patients was 126," reports the Idaho Statesman.

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5

Nebraska, Don't Let Your Guard Down

Woman with face protective mask

"Don't let your guard down. COVID still haunts this area," warns Kearney Hub. "Susan Puckett, Two Rivers Public Health Department's community health nurse, blames a 'relaxed' public attitude for the fact that the Two Rivers COVID-19 risk dial has been parked in the red 'pandemic' level for the last six weeks."

"A couple of smaller towns in the Two Rivers jurisdiction still have lots and lots and lots of COVID, especially in the Phelps and Dawson county areas. In Kearney, it's a steady stream," she said. "People hear national news that says COVID is declining. Then our efforts to keep it away begin to decline and we get a reverse effect. Wear your mask, and encourage everyone else to do the same," she said.

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6

Alaska is Faring the Worst

Doctors and infected patient in quarantine in hospita.

"Alaska on Friday reported four more COVID-19 deaths, just over 800 new cases of the virus and yet another day of high hospitalizations. The deaths involved two Anchorage men in their 50s and 70s, respectively, along with a Nome man in his 60s and a Soldotna man in his 80s or older," reports ADN. "Transmission of the virus appears to have plateaued somewhat over the past six to eight weeks, but case counts, hospitalizations and deaths statewide have remained stubbornly elevated, even as cases around the country have begun to fall."

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7

How to Stay Safe Out There

Brunette woman wearing a KN95 FPP2 mask.

Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you liveget vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don't travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you're not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don't visit any of these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.
Two young Texans who would have otherwise been forced to sit this Halloween out due to medical reasons were gifted an unforgettable night of trick-or-treating by MedStar ambulance service over the weekend.

MedStar staff decked out two ambulances and dressed in costumes to escort 12-year-old Max Morrison and 11-year-old Noah Villalpando around Fort Worth's Berkeley Place neighborhood Saturday night.

MedStar Ambulance Halloween Max

MedStar

"I've been trick-or-treating as Post Malone," Max, who has a rare heart defect, told CBSDFW. "I haven't finished, but so far this has been an amazing experience."

The MedStar crew offered full medical support until both boys had their fills of trick-or-treating.

"If it weren't for this, he wouldn't be going trick-or-treating this year because of his health," Max's mother Jessica told the local news station. "It means the world to us for him to be able to have some kind of normalcy during a crazy time going on in the world."

Noah, who has a chromosomal disorder and suffers from seizures, dressed as the Hulk.

MedStar Halloween Noah

MedStar

"Definitely an honor, being invited, getting involved with the community, the families making us feel very welcome," his sister Michelle told CBSDWF.

MedStar takes nominations from the community to select the kids for VIP treatment each year. This yearthe program's eighthreportedly had more nominations than ever.

In the end, it was a night that meant the world to both the kids and their families.

"I think if we had amnesia, we still wouldn't forget this Halloween," Jessica said.
Workers at Bennett Packaging prepare Catch Co.Os O12 Days of Fishmas,O advent calendars for shipping, in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 26, 2021. (Chase Castor/The New York Times)

WASHINGTON  It was 73 days until Christmas, and the clock was ticking down for Catch Co.

The Chicago-based fishing company had secured a spot to sell a new product, an Advent calendar for fishing enthusiasts dubbed 12 Days of Fishmas, in 2,650 Walmart stores nationwide. But like so many products this holiday season, the calendars were mired in a massive traffic jam in the flow of goods from Asian factories to U.S. store shelves.

With Black Friday rapidly approaching, many of the calendars were stuck in a 40-foot steel box in the yard at the Port of Long Beach in California, blocked by other containers stuffed with toys, furniture and car parts. Truckers had come several times to pick up the Catch Co. container but had been turned away. Dozens more ships sat in the harbor, waiting their turn to dock. It was just one tiny piece in a vast maze of shipping containers that thousands of U.S. retailers were trying desperately to reach.

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Theres delays in every single piece of the supply chain, said Tim MacGuidwin, the companys chief operations officer. Youre very much not in control.

Catch Co. is one of the many companies finding themselves at the mercy of global supply chain disruptions this year. Worker shortages, pandemic shutdowns, strong consumer demand and other factors have come together to fracture the global conveyor belt that shuffles consumer goods from Chinese factories, through U.S. ports and along railways and freeways to households and stores around the United States.

American shoppers are growing nervous as they realize that certain toys, electronics and bicycles may not arrive in time for the holidays. Shortages of both finished products and components needed to make things like cars are feeding into rising prices, halting work at U.S. factories and dampening economic growth.

The disruptions have also become a problem for President Joe Biden, who has been vilified on Fox News as the Grinch who stole Christmas.

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The White Houses supply chain task force has been working with private companies to try to speed the flow of goods, even considering deploying the National Guard to help drive trucks. But the president appears to have limited power to alleviate a supply chain crisis that is both global in nature and linked to much larger economic forces that are out of his control. On Sunday, Biden met with other world leaders at the Group of 20 in Rome to discuss supply chain challenges.

On Oct. 13, the same day that Catch Co. was waiting for its calendars to clear the port, Biden announced that the Port of Los Angeles and companies like FedEx and Walmart would move toward round-the-clock operations, joining the Port of Long Beach, where one terminal had begun staying open 24 hours just weeks before.

This is a big first step in speeding up the movement of materials and goods through our supply chain, Biden said. But now we need the rest of the private sector chain to step up as well.

MacGuidwin praised the announcement but said it had come too late to make much difference for Catch Co., which had been working through supply chain headaches for many months.

The companys problems first began with the pandemic-related factory shutdowns in China and other countries, which led to a shortage in the graphite used to make fishing poles. A worldwide scramble for shipping containers soon followed, as Americans began spending less on movies, travel and restaurants, and more on outfitting their home offices, gyms and playrooms with products made in Asian factories.

Shipping rates soared tenfold, and big companies turned to extreme measures to deliver their goods. Walmart, Costco and Target began chartering their own ships to ferry products from Asia and hired thousands of new warehouse employees and truck drivers.

Smaller companies like Catch Co. were struggling to keep up. As soon as Apple launched a new iPhone, for example, the available shipping containers vanished, diverted to ship Apples products overseas.

The timing could not have been worse for Catch Co., which was seeing demand for its poles, lures and other products surge, as fishing became an ideal pandemic hobby. The company turned briefly to air freighting products to meet demand, but at five or six times the cost of sea freight, it cut into the companys profits.

The supply chain woes became an even bigger problem for Catch Co.s 12 Days of Fishmas calendar, which featured the companys plastic worms, silver fish hooks and painted lures hiding behind cardboard windows. The calendar, which retails for $24.98, was a big deal for the company, MacGuidwin said. It would account for more than 15% of the companys holiday sales and introduce customers to its other products. But it had an expiration date: Who would buy an Advent calendar after Christmas?

MacGuidwin thought briefly about storing late arrivals for next year before realizing the calendar said 2021.

It cannot be sold after Christmas, he said. It is a scrapped product after that.

Like many U.S. companies, Catch Co. had tried to prepare for the global delays.

The Chinese factories the company works with began manufacturing the calendar in April, before Walmart had even confirmed its orders. On July 10, the calendars were shipped to the port at Qingdao. But a global container shortage kept the calendars idling at the Chinese port for a month, awaiting for a box to be shipped in.

On Sept. 1, nearly three weeks after setting sail across the Pacific Ocean, the vessel anchored off the coast of Southern California, alongside 119 other ships vying to unload. Two weeks later Catch Co.s containers were off the ship, where they descended into the maze of boxes at the Port of Long Beach.

Inside the Box

The twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles  which together process 40% of the shipping containers brought into the United States  have struggled to keep up with the surge in imports for many months.

Together, the Southern California ports handled 15.3 million 20-foot containers in the first nine months of the year, up about a quarter from last year. Dockworkers and truckers had worked long hours throughout the pandemic. More than 100 trains, each at least 3 miles long, were leaving the Los Angeles basin each day.

But by this fall, the ports and warehouses of Southern California were so overstuffed that many cranes at the port had actually come to a standstill, without space to store the containers or truckers to ferry them away.

On Sept. 21, the Port of Long Beach announced that it had started a trial to keep one terminal open around the clock. A few weeks later, at Bidens urging and with the support of various unions, the Port of Los Angeles and Union Pacifics nearby California facility joined in.

So far, few truckers have arrived during the expanded hours. The ports have pointed to bottlenecks in other parts of the supply chain  including a shortage of truckers and overstuffed warehouses that cant fit more products through their doors.

We are in a national crisis, said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach. Its going to be an ongoing dynamic until we have full control of the virus thats before us.

In the past, Catch Co. would often ship products from West Coast ports by rail. But longer travel times on rail lines  as well as the high demand for containers at Chinese ports  mean shipping companies have been loath to let their containers stray too far from the ocean.

So instead, the Catch Co. calendars were moved by truck to a warehouse outside the port owned by freight forwarder Flexport. There, they were placed on another truck to be shipped to Catch Co.s Kansas City distribution center, where workers would repack the calendars for Walmart

MacGuidwin estimated that the calendars would arrive in Walmart stores by Nov. 17  just in time for Black Friday. The calendars entire trip from factory to store shelves would take about 130 days this year, compared with the typical 60.

MacGuidwin said he believes supply chain difficulties may ease next year, as ports, rails and trucking companies gradually work through their backlogs. Asia remains the best place to manufacture many of their goods, he said. But if shipping costs remain high and disruptions continue, they may consider sourcing more products from the United States and Latin America.

Catch Co. has already started designing its calendar for next year and is still deciding whether it should say 2022.

Its an open question, MacGuidwin said.

 2021 The New York Times Company
Satanists earned a victory after convincing a Pennsylvania school district to remove a student dress code ban on clothes that are "satanic in nature."

The Rose Tree Media School District, just west of Philadelphia, had included a ban on satanic clothing, along with clothes those that are sexually suggestive, obscene or promote violence. But earlier this week, the superintendent issued a statement that the dress code's reference to satanic clothing would be removed, reported WPVI-TV, an ABC TV station in Philadelphia.

"Although we have had no complaints or concerns brought forward by any student, parent, or resident we will remove this language from our current dress code information in the student handbook," the announcement read, according to WPVI.

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Joseph Rose, founder of the group Satanic Delco, in Philadelphia.

Joseph Rose, founder of the Philadelphia area group Satanic Delco, began contacting the school district about a month ago after learning about the dress code language from parents with children in the district. The wording is discriminatory, he argued.

The idea that a public school, which really isnt a place for religion to begin with, would allow all but one religion is just so obviously unfair and unconstitutional, Rose told WPIV-TV.

The group Satanic Delco does not "promote a belief in a personal Satan," it says on its website. "We believe that religion can, and should, be divorced from superstition.  To embrace the name Satan is to embrace rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions. Satanists should actively work to hone critical thinking and exercise reasonable agnosticism in all things. Our beliefs must be malleable to the best current scientific understandings of the material world  never the reverse."

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The school district made the correct move, Villanova law professor Ann Juliano told WPIV-TV. "They recognize that there could be religious beliefs at issue, not that there are, but there could be, and therefore they would take it out," she said.

A local Satanic organization has convinced a school district in Delaware County that its dress code was discriminatory against Satanists. https://t.co/ZUpYoPnpw7  Action News on 6abc (@6abc) October 26, 2021

Rose is currently fighting similar dress code wording  a ban on clothing or jewelry with satanic or cult references  at Garnet Valley School District, also near Philadelphia.

"I'm glad the (Rose Tree Media School District) made the right choice, and I only hope it sends a message to other schools that freedom of expression has to be given equally," Rose told USA TODAY.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Satanists get PA school district to change 'satanic' dress code ban
When Angie Cruz's family home in Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, Cruz packed up her elderly grandmother, toddler son and young niece to stay with an aunt in Chicago.

It was supposed to be temporary.

But weeks turned into months, and months have turned into nearly two years. Her grandmother longs to return to the island, and Cruz misses it too. Still, they are making a home in Chicago, among thousands of other American citizens who are part of the Puerto Rican diaspora.

For more than a century, the 3,500-square-mile island in the Caribbean has been a U.S. territory whose people are American citizens. Citizenship made it easier for Puerto Ricans to leave the island for New York, Chicago and other cities on the mainland.

The exodus to the mainland, though, has accelerated recently amid a 15-year depression and hurricanes and earthquakes that destroyed homes and left millions without power  in some cases for nearly a year. New decennial census data released in August show Puerto Rico lost nearly 440,000 people, representing about 12% of its population, over the past decade.

Today, more Puerto Ricans live in the 50 states than on the island.

Advocates say policy decisions have only made the situation worse. A fiscal control board established by Congress a decade after the island's recession began accelerated the squeeze on public services and further damaged quality of life on the island, they say.

The natural disasters only exacerbated what was already there, which were man-made disasters," said Erica Gonzalez, director of Power 4 Puerto Rico, a national network of Puerto Rican diaspora organizations.

Population losses have compounded the crises the island faces. The exodus means fewer wage earners, less money in taxes and fewer paths out of the island's economic collapse.

The older population I think are more attached to the island. The younger population probably they see, maybe over there I can find something else, another job, Cruz said. I came here with the mentality Im coming here for a couple months and then Im going to go back. I ended up staying because I found a job. I ended up going to school. I was like, 'No I need to think about my kids first more than what Im used to.'

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An historical trend

If Puerto Rico were a state, as some want, its 3.3 million people would make it the 30th largest in the country but one of only four that lost population from 2010 to 2020.

Carlos Vargas-Ramos, a researcher at Hunter College's Center for Puerto Rican Studies in New York, says migration in and out of the island generally runs alongside economic trends. When Puerto Rico's economy underperforms, more people leave. When conditions in the states deteriorate, they return.

Then came 2006. Puerto Rico was an early harbinger for the Great Recession that would devastate the global economy. That was the same year Congress ended special tax breaks that had buoyed the island's economy.

Without the tax breaks, jobs began to disappear, said Federico de Jesus, senior policy adviser at Power 4 Puerto Rico.

Employment on the island peaked over the past two decades at about 1.3 million jobs in December 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The island had about 987,000 jobs in September, according to the latest data available.

The economic damage compounded in the decadeplus to follow. The loss of tax revenue when corporations left the island pushed governments to borrow money, creating a debt crisis that ultimately crippled the island's public finances, de Jesus said.

Then in 2016 Congress created a fiscal control board to deal with the territory's $70 billion in debt. Gonzalez said "crippling austerity cuts" stemming from the board's decisions have hurt well-being on the island.

Some of the oversight board's work slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it has touted milestones such as balancing Puerto Rico's budget.

Natural disasters made Puerto Rico only more inhospitable, Vargas-Ramos said. Hurricane Maria killed nearly 3,000 people on the island in September 2017, and problems with access to electricity have persisted in the years since. Earthquakes have rocked the island as it tried to rebuild after Maria.

You had conditions that made it very difficult for people to survive," he said.

Finding opportunity

For the Rivera Colon family in south Florida, leaving Puerto Rico was all about opportunity.

Jennifer Colon, 39, her husband, Ismael Rivera, 42, moved to West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2017, just after Hurricane Maria hit the island. "I didn't have enough to keep my kids comfortable," Colon says.

Jennifer Colon, 39, her husband, Ismael Rivera, 42, and their three children moved from Toa Alta, a city of 67,000 southwest of San Juan, in 2017, just after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

Before their move, Colon was working in a call center and Rivera was a clerk at a food distribution company. They worked full-time, but it was still nearly impossible to make ends meet. Puerto Rico had a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour until Gov. Pedro Pierluisi raised it to $8.50 in September.

"I didn't have enough to keep my kids comfortable," Colon said. "I knew after the hurricane that prices on the island would go up, for light, for water and for food. That was going to be so difficult for us."

The family now lives in an apartment in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Colon works as an administrative assistant and Rivera works in apartment maintenance. In her free time, Colon makes and sells pastries, cakes, jewelry, hair bows and pasteles de Navidad, a Puerto Rican take on tamales that are typically wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn.

They joke that living stateside is like being on vacation but that living in Florida isn't like going to Walt Disney World every day. Colon and Rivera have worked to create a community of friends willing to help one another out.

But the transition wasn't easy.

None of us knew English, even basic English, Colon said. I had three kids that needed to learn English and needed help, but I couldnt help them.

The couple now run a family Facebook page with 164 members in the mainland United States, where they share updates from around the country. The group includes family members who left the island in 1950, up until the family's most recent transplants, who moved stateside in 2017.

Ismael Rivera, Jennifer Colon and their children now live stateside, but the transition hasn't been easy. None of us knew English, even basic English, Colon says. I had three kids that needed to learn English and needed help, but I couldnt help them.

Growing communities

The Colon Rivera family isn't alone in South Florida. In Palm Beach County, 24% of the population is Hispanic. Puerto Rican advocacy groups estimate that about 16% of that population is made up of Puerto Rican people.

Florida has been a magnet in the Puerto Rican exodus. The 45,000 Puerto Ricans who migrated to Florida in 2018 were about four times more than the next-closest state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Experts told USA TODAY that established Puerto Rican communities in places like Florida and New York attract new migrants, who then disperse around the country.

A lot of Puerto Ricans have someone in the mainland. That makes it easier for them to leave," said Gustavo Velez, an economist and former Puerto Rican government official. "The ones who are in the mainland are saying: 'OK, I have a better life, my quality of life has improved. Come here and Ill help you.'"

Puerto Rican populations increased in Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois and several other states as well in 2018, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

About 5.2 million Puerto Ricans lived stateside in 2015, the latest data available show. About 3.5 million were U.S. citizens born in the states, compared with 1.5 million born in Puerto Rico or in U.S. island areas.

The island has suffered from "brain drain," Velez said, as graduates from the University of Puerto Rico leave for higher pay, lower taxes and better lives in the states. That means the island's remaining population is growing older. In 2010, about 20% of Puerto Rico's population was over 60, compared with nearly 28% in 2019, the latest data available show.

The promise of higher pay lured Natalia Giraldo-Santiago to Glendale, Arizona, when she was 25 with a freshly minted master's degree in social work. The $36,000 salary she was offered after a job fair was as much as her parents, a teacher and a secretary, earned combined on the island.

Giraldo-Santiago, now 32, has since moved to Houston to pursue a doctorate at the University of Houston in a state with a growing Puerto Rican population. That combination of opportunity and community, she said, have anchored her in the states.

Now Im at a point where I know this is where I want to stay," she said.

Education and opportunity

As younger people like Giraldo-Santiago have left the island for new opportunities, its education system has spiraled.

The University of Puerto Rico has lost tens of millions of dollars in funding after the fiscal control board called for slashing its appropriation by more than half by 2022.

The island's K-12 public education system also has endured school closures over the last 15 years. In 2006, the island had more than 1,500 operational public schools. Today, it has 849, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

As schools closed, enrollment on the island cratered. In the fall of 2000, more than 600,000 children were enrolled in Puerto Rico's public elementary and secondary schools. By 2018, the latest data available from the center, that was cut in half to just more than 300,000.

Joan Perez prepares to give 1 year 9 month old son Samuel Martinez some water after giving him a banana as a snack. Perez, who was born in Puerto Rico, was encouraged by her father to move to New Jersey to get a better education and job opportunities. She now lives in Bayonne with her husband and two children.

Education and opportunity have always been important to Joan Perezs family. Its why today, shes a bilingual teacher at an elementary school in New Brunswick, New Jersey, equipped with two masters degrees from Rutgers University.

But its more than 1,500 miles from her hometown of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

Perez moved to New Jersey to pursue a masters degree in 2014. She originally planned to return to Puerto Rico, but with a well-paying job offer secured in New Jersey before she even graduated, the decision to stay was an easy one.

With her salary, Perez lives a comfortable life in Bayonne, New Jersey with her husband and two young sons. Its a far cry from how she would live in Puerto Rico, where her mother, who has been a teacher for almost 40 years, makes a third of what Perez makes.

New Jersey offers you so much in the way of living and opportunities that are not the same in Puerto Rico, Perez said. You can have a nicer house, make more money and live in a nicer area. You can have a good job so your kids can have a better life.

Joan Perez plays with her son Samuel Martinez who is 1 year and 9 months old. Joan Perez, who was born in Puerto Rico, was encouraged by her father to move to New Jersey to get more education and for the better job opportunities. She now lives in Bayonne with her husband and two children.

Colon, Rivera and their children spoke with The Palm Beach Post in Spanish.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Puerto Rico is losing population to the mainland U.S.: Census data
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during a photo session with all of the justices, in Washington, April 23, 2021. (Tom Brenner/The New York Times)

WASHINGTON  Exactly two months after the Supreme Court let Texas effectively outlaw most abortions in the state, it will hear a pair of arguments Monday that could allow it to reverse course. Much of the attention will be on Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The courts call for what amounts to a do-over suggests that something is afoot among the justices, said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University. Someone who was not on the fence is probably back on the fence, she said.

The vote the first time around was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the courts three liberal members in dissent.

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If the outcome is to be different, at least one of the members of the conservative majority will have to switch sides. The most likely candidate, legal experts said, is Kavanaugh, who has come to wield enormous power as the justice at the courts ideological center, shares some of the chief justices concerns for protecting the institutional authority of the court and is sensitive to public opinion.

Over his Supreme Court career, which began in 2018 after a bruising and partisan confirmation fight, Kavanaugh has been in the majority 87% of the time in divided decisions in argued cases, beating the career records of all justices appointed since 1937.

At his ceremonial swearing-in at the White House, after an introduction by President Donald Trump, Kavanaugh made a point of saying that he was a fan of the chief justice. Chief Justice Roberts is a principled, independent and inspiring leader for the American judiciary, Kavanaugh said.

He went on to vote with Roberts at a very high rate. In divided decisions in argued cases last term, for instance, the two men voted together 91% of the time, the highest rate of agreement among pairs of justices, one tied only by two members of the courts liberal wing, Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.

All of this suggests that Kavanaughs vote will be the crucial one in the two challenges to the Texas law to be argued Monday: one from abortion providers and the other from the Biden administration.

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Kavanaugh is probably the most susceptible to changing positions, mostly because I see him as most closely aligned with the chiefs institutional-protection instincts, said Michael C. Dorf, a law professor at Cornell University in New York. But I dont think hes very susceptible.

The very fact that the court agreed to hear the appeals to be argued Monday on an extraordinarily fast track is an indication that at least one member of the original majority may be in play, said Lawrence Baum, a political scientist at Ohio State.

The recent surveys showing a decline in approval of the court among the general public seem to have made some justices more sensitive to how people outside the court are reacting to its decisions, he said.

The Texas law bans abortions after about six weeks and makes no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape. In a novel structure intended to insulate the law from federal court review, it bars state officials from enforcing it and instead deputizes private individuals to sue anyone who performs the procedure or aids and abets it.

The patient may not be sued, but doctors, staff members at clinics, counselors and people who help pay for the procedure or drive patients to it are all potential defendants. Plaintiffs do not need to live in Texas, have any connection to the abortion or show any injury from it, and they are entitled to at least $10,000 and their legal fees if they win. Defendants who win their cases are not entitled to legal fees.

The Supreme Courts earlier encounter with the case, culminating in an order issued just before midnight Sept. 1, left the justices bitterly divided. In an unsigned opinion in that earlier case, the five-justice majority cited complex and novel procedural obstacles to blocking the law and stressed that it was not ruling on the constitutionality of the law.

The negative reactions to the Sept. 1 decision probably surprised some of the justices in the majority, Baum said, so that one or more of them felt a need to dispel the perception that they were responding to challenges to the Texas law in a cavalier way that simply reflected their attitudes toward abortion.

Where does that leave Kavanaugh?

He is, for starters, the member of the court most likely to acknowledge the power of the other sides argument.

There are very strong interests on both sides here, which is what makes the case difficult, obviously, he said last year at an argument over whether employers with religious objections could refuse to provide insurance coverage for contraception.

There is religious liberty for the Little Sisters of the Poor and others, he said, referring to an order of nuns that did not want to provide the coverage. There is the interest in ensuring womens access to health care and preventive services, which is also a critical interest. (He later joined a majority opinion ruling in favor of the nuns.)

Dissenting last year from a decision protecting LGBT workers from employment discrimination, Kavanaugh said that result was required by the text of the relevant statute. The court has previously stated, and I fully agree, that gay and lesbian Americans cannot be treated as social outcasts or as inferior in dignity and worth,  he said, quoting an opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy, whom he replaced in 2018.

That last statement, Ziegler said, was part of a pattern suggesting that Kavanaugh is sensitive to how he is seen beyond the court.

Theres an effort to distance himself from the politics of the ruling and to show that he is a sympathetic person and a good man, she said.

Kavanaugh does care about his own personal legacy, and he cares about how hes perceived  and not just by others who are in the conservative legal movement, she added.

That sometimes makes his fellow conservatives nervous, Dorf said. The way that the right constructs this is that its a kind of weakness or vanity, he said. The more sympathetic view is that he wants to be persuasive to a broad swath of informed opinion.

Kavanaugh had moved easily in elite circles before his confirmation hearings, during which he heatedly denied accusations of sexual misconduct.

He taught for a decade at Harvard Law School, for instance, garnering positive evaluations from his students.

At his second hearing, after the accusations against him surfaced, he said Democratic senators had sent him into a kind of exile.

I love teaching law, but thanks to what some of you on this side of the committee have unleashed, I may never be able to teach again, he said.

That turned out to be only partly true. Kavanaugh has not taught at Harvard since he joined the court (or at Georgetown or Yale, where he had also taught), but he has offered courses at George Mason Universitys Antonin Scalia Law School, which has a conservative reputation.

Liberal activists protested outside Kavanaughs home in suburban Washington in September, calling on him to support abortion rights. That move drew criticism from senators of both parties.

Heres the thing to understand about Kavanaugh: He wants to be liked and admired, Ruth Marcus, author of a book about the justice, wrote in The Washington Post. Unlike some of his conservative colleagues, he enjoyed being part of, and respected by, the legal establishment.

Kavanaughs questions Monday may give few hints about where he stands on the Texas law, much less on whether he is prepared to vote to overrule Roe v. Wade. Indeed, the arguments in the Texas case will probably address the fate of the constitutional right to abortion only in passing, if at all. The court will turn to that question in earnest Dec. 1, when it will hear arguments in a case challenging Mississippis 15-week abortion ban.

In that case, the court has been asked to overrule Roe, the 1973 decision that ruled that the Constitution does not allow states to ban abortions before fetal viability, or around 23 or 24 weeks.

By contrast, the questions the court have agreed to decide in the Texas case are procedural ones about whether abortion providers and the federal government can sue to challenge a law written to evade review.

The court will provide live audio, as it now does in all arguments.

Its going to be bewildering to the average person, said Dorf, who filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the Justice Department. The question that this case really poses is the hardest question in a federal-courts course, which is: When does a constitutional right entitle one to a judicial remedy and what kind of judicial remedy?

Tara Leigh Grove, a law professor at the University of Alabama, said the questions before the court were weighty but technical. But she added that the larger issues in the case cast a shadow.

Procedure is never just about procedure, she said. Jurisdiction is never just about jurisdiction.

Ziegler agreed, adding that the courts earlier order in the Texas case was telling.

As much as Texas law was ingenious and as much as there were actual real procedural hurdles there, she said, it just beggars belief that if there were another constitutional right at issue the court would have behaved in the same way. So it was definitely about Roe.

 2021 The New York Times Company
WASHINGTON (AP)  China's growing military muscle and its drive to end America predominance in the Asia-Pacific is rattling the U.S. defense establishment. American officials see trouble quickly accumulating on multiple fronts  Beijing's expanding nuclear arsenal, its advances in space, cyber and missile technologies, and threats to Taiwan.

The pace at which China is moving is stunning, says Gen. John Hyten, the No. 2-ranking U.S. military officer, who previously commanded U.S. nuclear forces and oversaw Air Force space operations.

At stake is a potential shift in the global balance of power that has favored the United States for decades. A realignment more favorable to China does not pose a direct threat to the United States but could complicate U.S. alliances in Asia. New signs of how the Pentagon intends to deal with the China challenge may emerge in coming weeks from Biden administration policy reviews on nuclear weapons, global troop basing and overall defense strategy.

For now, officials marvel at how Beijing is marshaling the resources, technology and political will to make rapid gains  so rapid that the Biden administration is attempting to reorient all aspects of U.S. foreign and defense policy.

The latest example of surprising speed was China's test of a hypersonic weapon capable of partially orbiting Earth before reentering the atmosphere and gliding on a maneuverable path to its target. The weapon system's design is meant to evade U.S. missile defenses, and although Beijing insisted it was testing a reusable space vehicle, not a missile, the test appeared to have startled U.S. officials.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the test was very close to being a Sputnik moment, akin to the 1957 launching by the Soviet Union of the world's first space satellite, which caught the world by surprise and fed fears the United States had fallen behind technologically. What followed was a nuclear arms and space race that ultimately bankrupted the Soviet Union.

Milley and other U.S. officials have declined to discuss details of the Chinese test, saying they are secret. He called it very concerning for the United States but added that problems posed by China's military modernization run far deeper.

Thats just one weapon system, he said in a Bloomberg Television interview. "The Chinese military capabilities are much greater than that. Theyre expanding rapidly in space, in cyber and then in the traditional domains of land, sea and air.

On the nuclear front, private satellite imagery in recent months has revealed large additions of launch silos that suggest the possibility that China plans to increase its fleet of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of American Scientists, says China appears to have about 250 ICBM silos under construction, which he says is more than 10 times the number in operation today. The U.S. military, by comparison, has 400 active ICBM silos and 50 in reserve.

Pentagon officials and defense hawks on Capitol Hill point to China's modernization as a key justification for rebuilding the U.S. nuclear arsenal, a project expected to cost more than $1 billion over 30 years, including sustainment costs.

Fiona Cunningham, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania and a specialist in Chinese military strategy, says a key driver of Beijings nuclear push is its concerns about U.S. intentions.

I dont think Chinas nuclear modernization is giving it a capability to pre-emptively strike the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and that was a really important generator of competition during the Cold War, Cunningham said in an online forum sponsored by Georgetown University. But what it does do is to limit the effectiveness of U.S. attempts to pre-emptively strike the Chinese arsenal.

Some analysts fear Washington will worry its way into an arms race with Beijing, frustrated at being unable to draw the Chinese into security talks. Congress also is increasingly focused on China and supports a spending boost for space and cyber operations and hypersonic technologies. There is a push, for example, to put money in the next defense budget to arm guided-missile submarines with hypersonic weapons, a plan initiated by the Trump administration.

For decades, the United States tracked China's increased defense investment and worried that Beijing was aiming to become a global power. But for at least the last 20 years, Washington was focused more on countering al-Qaida and other terrorist threats in Iraq and Afghanistan. That began to change during the Trump administration, which in 2018 formally elevated China to the top of the list of defense priorities, along with Russia, replacing terrorism as the No. 1 threat.

For now, Russia remains a bigger strategic threat to the United States because its nuclear arsenal far outnumbers China's. But Milley and others say Beijing is a bigger long-term worry because its economic strength far exceeds that of Russia, and it is rapidly pouring resources into military modernization.

At the current pace of China's military investment and achievement, Beijing will surpass Russia and the United States in overall military power in coming years if we don't do something to change it, said Hyten, who is retiring in November after two years as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It will happen.

The Biden administration says it is determined to compete effectively with China, banking on a network of allies in Asia and beyond that are a potential source of strength that Beijing cannot match. That was central to the reasoning behind a Biden decision to share highly sensitive nuclear propulsion technologies with Australia, enabling it to acquire a fleet of conventionally armed submarines to counter China. Although this was a boost for Australia, it was a devastating blow to Washington's oldest ally, France, which saw its $66 billion submarine sale to Australia scuttled in the process.

Taiwan is another big worry. Senior U.S. military officers have been warning this year that China is probably accelerating its timetable for capturing control of Taiwan, the island democracy widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic U.S.-China war.

The United States has long pledged to help Taiwan defend itself, but it has deliberately left unclear how far it would go in response to a Chinese attack. President Joe Biden appeared to abandon that ambiguity when he said Oct. 21 that America would come to Taiwan's defense if it were attacked by China.

We have a commitment to do that," Biden said. The White House later said he was not changing U.S. policy, which does not support Taiwanese independence but is committed to providing defensive arms.



Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
If you watch enough old movies, you know that there are two types of bank robberies. The fir
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And, though Lincoln Police initially are investigating whether the overdose deaths were connected to the stolen State Patrol evidence, they have declined to give the names of those who died.

"Our leadership has notified me that we are not commenting on this inquiry," Officer Erin Spilker said this week. She declined to say why.

It's unusual, given that deaths under investigation by Lincoln police usually are public information.

There are a lot of unknowns yet about the full effect of the theft of State Patrol evidence, aside from the number of cases dismissed  66  and the potential for more to follow.

Candice Wooster, a Lincoln defense attorney, said her client whose case was dismissed wasn't very concerned with the how or the why.

But, she said, attorneys are curious how the county attorney's office is deciding which cases are being dismissed.

"And I think we are, as a community, trying to figure that out, Wooster said.

In the case she had, the prosecutor gave her a short-and-to-the-point reason: The drugs seized had been kept and maintained by the State Patrol. Wooster isn't sure if that means the drugs were gone or if a chain-of-custody issue led to the dismissal.
The Odisha government has announced full exemption of motor vehicles taxes and registration fees on electric vehicles (EVs) in the state, as per an official notification. The decision was taken to encourage faster adoption of EVs, it said. The exemption, granted under the Odisha Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, is applicable till 2025. Further, the state government has proposed to extend a slew of incentives for the buyers, manufacturers, batteries and charging stations of electric vehicles under the Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy, officials said.

In the notification, the state government announced a 100 per cent exemption on motor vehicles taxes and registration fees for battery-operated vehicles. Transport Minister Padmanav Behera earlier said that the Transport department has submitted a proposal to the government for allowing subsidy on e-vehicles to attract the customers.

Also read: Ather Gid 2.0 fast charging network announced

The govt has now approved the proposal, however subsidies are not being provided as per the battery capacity, like most of the other states including Delhi and Gujarat are offering. Currently, apart from the central government e-vehicle policy called FAME II, states like Delhi, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra have implemented the e-vehicle policy.

The Transport Ministry proposed to extend 15% subsidy on two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers with maximum amount not exceeding Rs 5,000; Rs 12,000 and Rs 100,000 respectively. The department has also proposed to provide interest-free loan for the electric vehicles to state government employees and incentives to government departments and PSUs for hiring such vehicles.

The proposal includes subsidized parking fees for such vehicles in the municipal areas and battery charging facility in parking places said Transport Minister. Govt, though, has initially provided exemption on registration fees of EVs only.

With inputs from PTI

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Jaipur: Former SBI chairman Pratip Chaudhary has been arrested by the Jaisalmer Police from Delhi on the basis of arrest orders issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in the case of selling a hotel property at a cheap price after declaring it NPA.

Pratip Chaudhary was arrested on Sunday and will be brought to Jaisalmer on Monday.

According to information received from the police, Pratip Chaudhary was arrested from his residence in Delhi in a case related to a hotel group in Jaisalmer. It is alleged that the property worth about Rs 200 crore was sold for Rs 25 crore by declaring it Non Performing Asset (NPA).

This property, in fact, was seized in lieu of the loan.

According to the police, the hotel group had taken a loan of Rs 24 crore from SBI in 2008 for the construction purpose. At that time, another hotel of the group was running smoothly. After that, when the group could not repay the loan amount, the bank seized both the hotels of the group after considering it as a non-performing asset. At that time, the chairman of the bank was Pratip Chaudhary.

The bank then sold both the hotels to a company for Rs 25 crore at a much lower price than the market rate. On this, the hotel group went to court.

Meanwhile, the buyer company took over it in 2016 and when this property was valued in 2017, its market value was found to be Rs 160 crore. At the same time, after retirement, Pratip Chaudhary joined the same company as a director to which this hotel was sold. At present, the value of these hotels is being estimated at Rs 200 crore.

In this case, the CJM Court of Jaisalmer ordered the arrest of Pratip Chaudhary.

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NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party will gherao Civic Center tomorrow to protest against the BJP-ruled MCD's non-payment of salaries to employees. AAP's North MCD Leader of Opposition Vikas Goel said that BJP is hitting new lows each day; MCD employees have not received their salary for three months. Aam Aadmi Party demands immediate disbursal of salaries to MCD employees.

Vikas Goel said that if MCD can't pay its employees' salaries then the BJP leaders should resign. AAP's South MCD Leader of Opposition Prem Chauhan said that South MCD's revenue is the highest among all the three corporations, yet its employees are not getting their salary. Aam Aadmi Party will gherao BJP outside Civic Center tomorrow at 11 am.

Addressing the state of MCD employees at the hands of the BJP-led MCD, Leader of Opposition for North MCD Vikas Goel said, The festival season is upon us. Two days later we have Dhanteras, then Diwali, followed by Bhai Duj, Govardhan Puja, Chhat Puja. And its been our countrys long-standing tradition during the Diwali season, that from small shopkeepers to business tycoons  everyone gives their employees a Diwali bonus or sweets, to help them have a peaceful festive season. However, the BJP-ruled MCD practises the opposite. Bonus and sweets are a far fetched dream, for even the deserved salaries of the employees are not released on time. For two-three months, the hard-earned money that they make with their blood sweat and tears is kept from them by the BJP."

"Be it Safai Karamcharis, DBC Karamcharis, teachers, nurses, doctors -- all of MCDs working staff suffers. Even the retired MCD employees, who have dedicated their entire lives working for the MCD, havent received their pension money in two to three months now. How will these people celebrate Diwali? On one hand, BJP politicians are celebrating Diwali with great enthusiasm, while on the other, MCDs employees feel compelled to strike and protest just so that they can get the money they are due. It seems as if BJP has no humanity or morality left in its soul," said Vikas Goel.

"I ask the BJP politicians that when lakhs of your own employees are starving, how can you enjoy your Diwali sweets? How can you light diyas when they are suffering? This is the real face of the BJP. Today the Aam Aadmi Party demands from the BJP an immediate release of the salaries due to the MCD employees and the pension due to retired staff, along with relevant bonuses. And if you do not act on this soon, then you have no right to remain in power at the MCD. We demand a prompt resignation. You have no right to gamble with the lives of so many people. To support and help amplify the voices of these karamcharis, all of AAPs council members and workers will hold a strike at the Civic Center tomorrow. Our demand is simple: either give the salaries or your resignation, he added.

Leader of Opposition for South Delhi Municipal Corporation Prem Chauhan added, As you all know that South MCD is considered to be the most revenue-generating part of the NCT, and the most able one when money is in question. Despite this, the MCD releases its employees salaries over a month late every time. The BJP needs to understand that during the Covid period, many families have lost their small businesses and other sources of income. The one remaining source was a family member working at the MCD for a timely inflow of money to run a household. Even here, however, the employee suffers due to the laggard ways of the BJP. Moreover, we have found out that 586 contractual teachers, who were denied salaries and work by the MCD, visited the Civic Center some 112 times to fight for their rights."

"The Mayor gave time, made them wait for six-eight hours every time and eventually did not help at all. After this, the Delhi Government stepped in, gave them jobs, released their salaries and now they are all employed persons. Similarly, people working contract based jobs in the South MCD are prone to BJPs whims where the MCD seems to be looking for ways to sack them, deny them their salaries as well. So it is both a request and warning to the BJP-led MCD from me that such despicable behaviour of yours will not be tolerated, and that all three MCDs leaders of the opposition and our councillors are holding a protest tomorrow to stand with the karamcharis against your misgovernance. The Aam Aadmi Party unwaveringly supports the karamchari that works for the people of Delhi without worrying about Corona or Dengue, and they have no need to worry," he added.

The Leader of Opposition for East Delhi Municipal Corporation Manoj Tyagi further said, The way we clean our homes for the Diwali season, that way all of MCDs sanitation workers have been working tirelessly to clean all of Delhi for the past 10 days. But it is so shameful, that despite all the toiling, they dont receive their salaries; that retired employees of the MCD who gave years of their life to keep the MCD up and running, have not received their pension even during the festive season; those DBC karamcharis, who have been working on a contract basis for over 20-25 years, are still desperately waiting to be regularised. Bonuses are now a dream for the employees for no bonuses have been given to the employees in the last 2 years in all of Delhi."

"AAP workers and councillors are hence doing their best to raise voices for the rights of these karamcharis in both the streets and the House proceedings. But the BJP-led MCD did not even bat an eye while sacking karamcharis, aayas, truck drivers, contractual staff at schools, and others during the hard times of the pandemic. During this time, when most state governments were (?), Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal was requesting private business owners and shopkeepers to not fire their employees to help them run their household during the pressing times. But even in times of need, BJP was busy in sacking its employees left right and center," said Manoj Tyagi.

Tyagi added, "Today, the long-overdue regularisation matter has also become an election gimmick for the BJP. It is extremely condemnable that the diverse families of Delhi are not getting the money to celebrate their festivals well. We stand with each and every MCD employee who has given their lives in bringing about progress in the city, in maintaining its health and sanitation. We warn the BJP that till tomorrow, 1st November by 10:00 AM - you either release the salaries and bonuses of your employees, otherwise at 11:00 AM all of AAPs council members and workers will go on strike and echo these voices throughout the city. We will not stop until you fulfil our very just demands.
New Delhi: NIA Court Patna on Monday (November 1) sentenced four convicts to death in the 2013 Patna serial blasts case. Out of the nine convicts, two got life imprisonment, two others got 10-year imprisonment and one person got 7-year imprisonment.

Last week, the NIA court had convicted 10 people in connection with the 2013 serial blasts that left six dead and scores injured at the venue of a political rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat.

Special NIA judge Gurvinder Mehrotra, who passed the order, also acquitted one of the accused for want of evidence.

The NIA had submitted charge sheets against 11 people in the course of investigation. Of these, one was a minor and his case was referred to the juvenile justice board. The remaining were put on trial.

Today, all but one were convicted. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on November 1, Special Public Prosecutor Lalan Prasad Singh, who appeared for the probe agency, told PTI-Bhasha.

Those who were pronounced guilty are Imtiaz Ansari, Mujibullah, Haider Ali, Firoz Aslam, Omar Ansari, Iftekhar, Ahmed Husain, Umair Siddiqui and Azharuddin. The court acquitted Fakhruddin, he added.

The blasts had taken place at the Gandhi Maidan on October 27, 2013 when the BJP's Hunkar Rally' addressed by Modi, who had been declared the party's prime ministerial candidate, was underway.

The explosions and the ensuing stampede had claimed six lives, while scores were injured.

Although no terror outfit claimed responsibility for the serial blasts, the involvement of SIMI and its new avatar, the Indian Mujahideen, was suspected.
New Delhi: An average of 31 children died by suicide every day in India in 2020, according to government data, with experts underlining that the COVID-19 pandemic may have accentuated the psychological trauma faced by children to a great extent.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau data, 11,396 children died by suicide in 2020, an 18 per cent rise from 9,613 such deaths in 2019 and 21 per cent rise from 9,413 in 2018.

'Family Problems' (4,006), 'Love Affairs' (1,337) and 'Illness' (1,327) were the main causes of suicide among children (below 18 years of age). Ideological causes or hero worshipping, unemployment, bankruptcy, impotency or infertility and drug abuse were other reasons behind suicide by some children.

Prabhat Kumar, Deputy Director, Child Protection, Save the Children, said COVID-19 and the resultant school closures and social isolation coupled with anxiety among elders have further aggravated the issue of mental health and brought it to the forefront.

"While we as a society are cognisant of tangibles such as education and physical health for building national human capital, emotional wellbeing or psycho-social support often takes a back seat. The successively increasing number of suicides among children reflects a systemic failure.

It is a collective responsibility of parents, families, neighbourhoods, and government at large to provide a conducive ecosystem where children can look forward to realizing their potential and fulfilling their dreams for a bright future. Committing suicide, on the contrary, is an antithesis," Kumar said.

"Stigma attached to mental health and an abysmally low number of per capita mental health professionals demand urgent attention. COVID-19, and the resultant school closures and social isolation coupled with anxiety among elders has further aggravated the issue and brought it to the forefront. Save the Children calls for a collective action to nurture an encouraging and supportive ecosystem for children and youth," he added.

Commenting on the topic, Priti Mahara, Director, Policy Research and Advocacy at CRY- Child Rights and You, said from the very beginning of the pandemic, it was one of the major concerns that it might impact children's mental health and psycho-social well-being, and the recent NCRB data actually underscores the fear that the pandemic may have accentuated the psychological trauma faced by the children to a great extent.

"As the NCRB data reveals, a total of 11,396 children (5,392 boys and 6,004 girls) have died by suicide in 2020, which accounts for 31 deaths per day or approximately 1 child committing suicide per hour," she said.

"Children have gone through tremendous emotional stress and trauma due to home confinement and lack of interaction with friends, teachers or any other person in the position of trust due to prolonged closure of schools and limited social interactions," she said.

Many of them have been through hostile environment at home, many others have seen demise of their loved ones and have faced the impact of fear of contagion and deepening financial crisis at the family level, she said.

Many children have also experienced huge uncertainty related to completion of curriculum, exams and results.

"A huge number of children, especially the ones living under the shadows of multi-dimensional poverty, struggled with attending online classes and were majorly impacted by the digital divide, while many others suffered from over-exposure to internet and the social media and were subjected to online bullying and allied cyber-crimes," she said.

"All of these, compounded with an overall anxiety of the uncertainty of the future, must have been too much to bear for their young and tender minds," she added.

Akhila Sivadas, Executive Director, Centre For Advocacy and Research, said alternative care and counselling models have to be developed in collaboration with key stakeholders and every effort should be made to take the learnings to a cross-section of society so that everyone takes the responsibility to curb this practice.

Mental health expert Prakriti Poddar, Managing Trustee at Poddar Foundation, said parents must understand how fragile their children's mental well-being is and be proactive in assessing it.

"Teachers also need to be trained in identifying symptoms and patterns of mental issues. Apart from that, educational institutions must have psychological counselling programmes in place to help students deal with their issues in confidentiality. Every child has a different coping mechanism. Therefore, the counselling programmes must be flexible, to cater to the needs of each child individually. If needed, a student must be referred to a mental healthcare professional for timely intervention," Poddar said.

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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre on Monday over the rise in fuel prices and said one should beware of "pickpockets".

"Beware of pickpockets," he said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag "#TaxExtortion".

The former Congress chief cited a news report along with his tweet that said the petrol prices in some states have crossed Rs 120 a litre and that the Centre collected Rs 2.3 lakh crore in 2018-19 and Rs 2.58 lakh crore in 2017-18 by way of fuel taxes.

Gandhi and the Congress have been extremely critical of the government over the rise in fuel prices. The opposition party has accused the government of extortion in the name of taxes on petrol and diesel. It has also charged the government with "profiteering" from fuel tax and "fleecing" the common people.

READ | Environment is most important thing in Goa, won't let it become coal hub: Rahul Gandhi

The government's collection from the levy of excise duty on petroleum products has risen by 33 per cent in the first six months of the current fiscal, as compared to last year, and is 79 per cent more than the pre-Covid levels, according to official data.

Data available from the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in the Union Ministry of Finance showed excise duty collections during April-September, 2021 surging to over Rs 1.71 lakh crore from the Rs 1.28 lakh crore mop-up in the same period of the previous fiscal.

Thanks to a steep hike in the excise duty rates, the collection is 79 per cent more than the Rs 95,930 crore mop-up in April-September, 2019.

In the full 2020-21 fiscal, excise collections were Rs 3.89 lakh crore and in 2019-20, it was Rs 2.39 lakh crore, the CGA data showed.

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Agartala: All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday claimed his party would form the Government in Tripura in the 2023 state assembly elections by defeating both the ruling BJP and the CPI(M), which earlier ruled the state.

Banerjee promised to end what he claimed was "BJP's misrule" and said his party would follow West Bengal's model of 'good governance' to deliver fruits of development to the Northeastern state.

Addressing a gathering before the Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhaban (Tagore Centenary Hall), Banerjee alleged that law and order have collapsed in the state and development has come to a standstill ever since the BJP came to power in Tripura.

The TMC national general secretary also sparked a controversy with a sharp attack on Tripura's Chief Minister Biplab Deb, claiming that Deb was not even capable of being a local club chief, let alone be a Chief Minister and terming him 'big flop Deb'.

He also termed all poll pledges made by the ruling BJP as 'jumla' (fake promise) as he claimed these had not been fulfilled despite the party being in power for more than three and half years.

"They say BJP is a double engine government ... (but) If we compare the reports cards of West Bengal with that of the BJP-led government in Tripura and in the Centre, we see hardly any developments there (in Tripura and nationally)", Banerjee claimed.

He said both CPI(M) and BJP governments in Tripura had taken recourse to hooliganism and said his party would successfully take on both in the coming assembly election.

Under the leadership of our National General Secretary, we will always have the fire in our belly to fight FOR the welfare of our PEOPLE, to fight AGAINST ALL ATROCITIES of the @BJP4India! Highlights of Shri @abhishekaitc's event in #Tripura. #AbhishekBanerjeeInTripura pic.twitter.com/xnzghJv4Rx  All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) October 31, 2021

Banerjee also criticized Tripura's BJP government for vandalizing mosques and fuelling communal tension after vandalism in temples and Puja pandals in Bangladesh.

"If anybody or any group vandalized temples in Bangladesh should someone vandalise mosques in Tripura? We want to live in harmony with people from different religious faiths. Tripura's image is being tarnished across the country by creating communal tension," he said.

The TMC leader said his party would fight in all the seats of the civic polls in the state including the Agartala Municipal Council slated for November 25 and the sixty member assembly elections to be held in 2023 to "unseat the BJP."

"We must fight and defeat BJP, otherwise the situation in Tripura would turn similar to Afghanistan. BJP leaders have already instigated their party workers to launch attacks on TMC activists in Talibani style," Banerjee said.

"The double engine government of BJP is like coronavirus and they need only one dose which is Mamata Bandopaddhayay," he said.

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Glasgow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Glasgow on Sunday for the COP26 climate summit, interacted with the Indian community after his arrival at the hotel amid the singing of 'Modi Hai Bharat Ka Gehna'. The Prime Minister especially talked with a kid present there to welcome him.

As PM Modi arrived at the hotel, the Indian community sang 'Modi Hai Bharat Ka Gehna' during interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his arrival at the hotel.

#WATCH | Glasgow, UK | Indian community sings 'Modi Hai Bharat Ka Gehna' during interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his arrival at the hotel. pic.twitter.com/Hq2y7bSWEd  ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2021

The Prime Minister, who flew into Glasgow from the G20 Summit in Italy, will begin the UK leg of his European tour with a meeting with community leaders and Indologists based in Scotland on Monday morning. He will then proceed for the opening ceremony of the World Leaders' Summit (WLS) at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, where he is set to address the summit plenary session, said a PTI report.

#WATCH | Glasgow, UK | Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the hotel; interacts with a kid present among the Indian community to welcome him. pic.twitter.com/t1mLl63Jhy  ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2021

PM Modi's bilateral meeting with UP PM Boris Johnson is expected to take place soon after Monday's opening ceremony, which will include cultural performances and a speech by the UK Prime Minister. Johnson has said the summit will be the "world's moment of truth" and has urged world leaders to make the most of it.

"The question everyone is asking is whether we seize this moment or let it slip away," Johnson reportedly said ahead of the two-week conference. His talks with PM Modi are expected to focus on the UK-India climate partnership as well as a stock-take of the 2030 Roadmap for stronger

UK-India Strategic Partnership was signed by the two leaders during a virtual summit in May this year, and both the governments remain committed to the implementation of the Roadmap, within prescribed timelines.

The Modi-Johnson meeting will be followed by a leader-level COP26 event entitled Action and Solidarity: The Critical Decade, with Modi, set to deliver India's national statement on the country's climate action to the delegates soon after.

Ahead of the summit, PM Modi's statement said that "India is among the top countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy, wind and solar energy capacity. At the WLS, I will share India's excellent track record on climate action and our achievements."

"I will also highlight the need to comprehensively address climate change issues including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilisation of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles for green and inclusive growth," PM Modi's statement is quoted as saying.

India's focus at the COP26 Summit will be on the country's "ambitious" Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goals for the post-2020 period under the Paris Agreement. These include a reduction in emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from the 2005 level, as well as achieving 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030.

At the end of day one of the World Leaders' Summit on Monday, PM Modi will join more than 120 Heads of government and Heads of State at a special VVIP reception at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, one of Scotland's most popular visitor attractions.

The reception will also involve members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and wife Camilla and Prince William and wife Kate Middleton. Queen Elizabeth II was due to attend this special reception but pulled out last week after medical advice against travel.

On Tuesday, the final day of Modi's UK visit, the PM is scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of Switzerland, Finland, Israel, Nepal, Malawi, Ukraine, Japan and Argentina, as well as a meeting with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

The launch of the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States initiative and a leader-level event entitled Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment are also scheduled for Tuesday before the Prime Minister flies back to New Delhi in the evening.

The India-led International Solar Alliance (ISA) will launch a new Green Grids Initiative in partnership with the UK, with an ambition to connect different parts of the world with a common solar grid.

Notably, the COP26 climate summit comes six years after the Paris Agreement was signed by over 190 countries to limit rising global temperatures to well below 2C with a view of reaching 1.5C.

According to the UN, global temperatures are currently set to rise to 2.7C, and scientists are clear that emissions must halve by 2030 to keep the aims made in Paris within reach.

(With Agency Inputs)

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New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday (November 1) issued notices to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and others on a revision petition filed by former Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash, in connection with a 2018 case of alleged assault on him.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel sought the responses of Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and nine others on the plea challenging an earlier order that discharged the politicians. The court asked them to submit their responses in the further hearing in the case on November 23.

"The Trial Court even while selectively relying on and considering the material available on record, has arrived at divergent findings qua the accused persons, without any basis or justification, by applying different yardstick for different accused persons in relation to their role and involvement in the crime," the review petition read.

The petitioner stated that the accused under a well-planned and well designed conspiracy physically assaulted, humiliated and criminally intimidated him because he was not agreeing to the illegal directions to issue TV advertisements (on the occasion of the AAP Government completing 3 years in office) in violation of the guidelines of the Supreme Court and there were other issues in relation to the rates of such advertisements.

On August 11, a Delhi court dropped charges against Kejriwal, Sisodia, and nine other Aam Aadmi Party MLAs -- Rajesh Rishi, Nitin Tyagi, Praveen Kumar, Ajay Dutt, Sanjeev Jha, Rituraj Govind, Rajesh Gupta, Madan Lal and Dinesh Mohania.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sachin Gupta, however, had passed an order framing charges against two AAP MLAs -- Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal in this case.

Police had registered a case on the complaint of Anshu Prakash, who alleged that he was manhandled by the AAP MLAs on the intervening night of February 19 and 20, 2018 at Kejriwal`s residence when he was called for a meeting.

After investigation, police filed a chargesheet under sections 186 (obstructing a public servant), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from doing his duty), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant to discharge his duties), 504 (insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 506(ii),120B (criminal conspiracy), 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express is made for its punishment), 114 (abettor present when offence is committed),149 (unlawful assembly) 34 (common intention) and 36 (an effect caused partly by act and partly by omission) against the accused persons.

Earlier, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal had granted bail to all the accused in October 2018 on the condition that they will submit a bail bond of Rs 50,000 each and not try to tamper with the evidence or influence the witnesses in the matter.



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New Delhi: Delhi schools are reopening for all classes with 50% capacity from Monday (November 1) as announced by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia last month. The physical attendance, however, will be voluntary and parents would not be forced to send their children to school.

All classes in the national capital Delhi will resume from today after remaining closed for 19 months in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had announced that schools would reopen for all classes from November 1, even though teaching and learning would continue in blended mode.

The schools have been asked to ensure that there is not more than 50 per cent attendance in a class at one point of time and no student is forced to attend physical classes.

According to reports, the Delhi government schools have been reporting over 80 per cent attendance after they reopened in September for classes 9 to 12, while private schools are in the process of sending out consent forms to parents and most of them are expected to decide their plan of action after Diwali.

Private schools that are expected to reopen after Diwali are DAV Public School, Pushpanjali Enclave, Indian School and Bal Bharti School, Pitampura, among others.

Kerala schools re-open from today

As Kerala is all set to re-open schools from Monday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the guidelines prepared jointly by the Department of Health and the Department of Education need to be strictly followed by all schools.

"It is very important to keep the schools functioning in a safe manner. The support of teachers and parents alike is essential in this regard. For this, the guidelines prepared jointly by the Department of Health and the Department of Education in collaboration with other departments need to be strictly followed," the Chief Minister reportedly said.

"Important instructions have been passed on to schools and to parents also," Vijayan said, adding that the schools would implement necessary instructions to control congestion in schools, maintain maximum social distance among children, and ensure cleanliness in classrooms and surroundings.

He further said, "Each school will work in collaboration with the health department to take the necessary steps to complete the safety procedures. Necessary mechanisms are in place to monitor and implement these activities."

Detailing on the government`s decision over re-opening schools in Kerala, CM Vijayan said that the study was able to progress well through online classes, but students missed the school ambience.

(With Agency Inputs)

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New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday (November 1) chaired the review meeting on the dengue situation in Delhi, stressing active coordination between the Centre and states.

During the review, the Union Health Minister said, "On-ground initiatives like hotspot identification, fogging and timely treatment to be carried out. The centre is also sending a team of experts to states with rising Dengue cases."

Mandaviya stressed the need to ramp up testing, and said: "Many poor people are not diagnosed properly and their death goes unreported."

He also directed the Union health secretary to identify and send a team of experts to states with high active dengue cases, while chairing the high-level meeting with the Delhi government to review the public health measures taken for control and management of dengue.

The Union minister tweeted, "Reviewed the dengue situation in Delhi and assured Centre's full support," adding "On-ground initiatives like hotspot identification, fogging and timely treatment will be carried out to curb disease. The Centre is also sending a team of experts to states with rising dengue cases."

Highlighting the urgency of intervention, the health ministry's statement said that many poor people are affected by dengue and low platelet count weakens patients.

Citing sources close to the development, an ANI report said that an awareness campaign will be held in schools and speed testing for the vector-borne disease will also be done in Delhi.

"Union Ministry of Health is monitoring dengue cases in Delhi and other states closely. An expert team will do detailed planning with the Delhi Government to monitor the dengue cases, awareness campaigns will also be run in schools. Necessary speed testing will be conducted," sources told ANI.

The Centre has reportedly asked the Delhi government to procure dengue NS1 ELISA testing kits to maximise dengue testing in Delhi. As per sources, 200 homes affected by the dengue outbreak will be identified and teams will be sent.

As the COVID-19 cases subsided in Delhi, the rising of cases of Dengue has been a headache for the healthcare workers. With the rising number of dengue cases, breaching the 1,000-mark in recent days, the government and the private hospitals across Delhi have ramped up the beds and other medical facilities.

So far this year, six fatalities have been recorded due to the vector-borne disease, while the number of cases has climbed to over 1,530, according to a civic report released on Monday.

Dengue cases in the national capital have seen an unprecedented spurt with cases crossing a thousand mark in which more than 650 cases are being recorded in the month of October alone. The disease has claimed its first death in the month of September in the national capital where a 35-year-old woman died.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Glasgow: India highlighted the failure of developed nations in meeting their financial commitment of USD 100 billion per year made to the developing nations since 2009.

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who represented India at Conference of Parties (COP 26) meet said, developed nations have not only failed to meet the $100 billion goal per year of support to developing nations since 2009 but also continue to present it as ceiling of their ambition all the way to 2025.

Yadav made the statement on behalf of the BASIC group of countries - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - at the opening plenary session of COP 26, which began on Sunday.

Delivered the BASIC statement at opening plenary of #COP26 underlining that developed nations have not only failed to meet the $100 billion goal per year of support to developing nations since 2009 but also continue to present it as ceiling of their ambition all the way to 2025. pic.twitter.com/B8aCHqeaCI  Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) October 31, 2021

"In a context where developing countries, including BASIC countries, have massively stepped up their climate actions since 2009, it is unacceptable that there is still no matching ambition from developed countries on the enabling means of implementation on climate finance support," Yadav said.

The minister reached Glasgow on October 29 to attend the COP 26 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is being presided over by the UK and will end on November 12.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also attending the crucial conference, will be addressing leaders from nearly 200 countries on November 1 and 2.

At the plenary on Sunday, the environment minister also highlighted that even though COP 26 has been delayed by a year, parties have already commenced implementation of their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and therefore, it is crucial that the Paris Agreement Rulebook is concluded at COP 26.

"In doing so, full effect must be given to implementation of the principles of equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and, recognition of the very different national circumstances of parties," he said in a statement.

Yadav underlined that developing countries must be accorded time, policy space and support to transition towards a low emissions future.

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New Delhi: Days ahead of Diwali, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday (November 1) warned that bursting of crackers and northwesterly winds could push the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi to very poor category on November 5 and 6.

The air quality in the national capital is expected to remain in `poor` category till November 4, as per IMF forecast.

Till November 4, air quality is expected to be in poor category, VK Soni, scientist of IMD Delhi was quoted as saying by ANI.

It could dip to very poor category on November 5 to 6 due to northwesterly winds and bursting of crackers, he added.

Soni said that the minimum temperature in Delhi will remain between 13-15 degrees Celsius for the next three days.

On Monday, the overall air quality of Delhi slipped to the very poor category as the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) recorded Air Quality Indexing (AQI) of 302.

The agency, however, predicted that the air quality will improve to the upper end of poor due to the expected change in wind direction to westerly/south-westerly reducing transport of emissions from stubble burning.

Also Read: UP govt bans sale and use of firecrackers in NCR, cities where air quality is 'poor'

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Chandigarh: The Punjab government on Monday increased the dearness allowance of its employees to 28 per cent of the basic pay from the current 17 per cent, putting an additional burden of Rs 440 crore per month on the exchequer. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, just months ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls.

The move will put an additional burden of Rs 440 crore per month on account of increased DA from 17 to 28 per cent, said Channi while addressing the media. The DA has been increased with effect from July, said Channi.

He said employees are the backbone of the state administration and reiterated his government's firm commitment to accord the highest priority to their welfare.

READ | Punjab govt slashes power tariff by Rs 3 ahead of 2022 assembly polls

Channi said the state government has resolved most of employees' issues to their satisfaction and they have called off their strike and resumed work with immediate effect. He also announced that the employees who were recruited after January 1, 2016 will also be given the benefit of a minimum 15 per cent increase in the revised pay on par with other employees.

However, the pay of a junior employee would not be fixed higher than that of his seniors. The CM said representatives of various employees associations assured him that they would not follow the path of agitation rather get their issues resolved through mutual discussions across the table.

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Chennai: The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd (TASMAC) has directed the bars attached to its vending shops, to reopen from November 1. The TASMAC Managing Director, L Subramanian in a circular to all regional managers and district managers said that all standalone bars attached to the retail vending liquor shops can commence functioning from November 1.

The bars are allowed to function from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. However, those TASMAC shops that are in containment zones are not allowed to open yet.

Tasmac MD also directed the regional managers and other officers to adhere to strict Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) including compulsory face masks, social distancing, and sanitization while opening shops.

Sources in TASMAC said that the decision would increase the revenue of the corporation in a large manner. The bars attached to TASMAC shops were closed during the second wave of COVID-19 in early 2021.

TASMAC had netted a revenue of Rs 465.79 crore during the two-day Diwali sale in 2020 and on Deepavali day the revenue collected was Rs 237.91 crore. In 2019, the collection was Rs 355 crore during the sale on Deepavali day and the day preceding it.

While TASMAC management is insisting on Standard protocol at the bars attached to the liquor vends, those who manage the shops said it is not possible in a practical manner to adhere to SOPs.

An official with TASMAC in Chennai who does not wish to be named told IANS, "It is practically impossible to maintain the Standard Operating Protocol. Who will listen to us and if we insist it would lead to fisticuffs and will require police force to be deployed."

TASMAC Managing Director was not available for comment.

However, when contacted Chennai City Police, they said that the police would patrol all the TASMAC outlets and will take action against those who are not adhering to Covid protocol.

Tamil Nadu has 5,300 TASMAC shops with daily collections ranging from Rs 130 crore to Rs 140 crore on a normal day but during festive seasons like Deepavali, the collection is doubled.

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New Delhi: Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait has warned the Centre that the farmers agitating against the three central farm laws will turn the government offices into "grain markets" if they are forcibly evicted from the protest sites.

It may be noted that the farmers, under the aegis of Samyukta Kisan Morcha, have been agitating against the three contentious farm laws for the past 11 months.

The warning came two days after the Delhi Police removed all the barricades from Tikri and Ghazipur borders for the smooth movement of traffic. However, the farmers called it a "move" to displace them.

"If the farmers fail to sell their produce in mandis at a fair price, then, what better place to do so than the government offices?" Tikait said.

The BKU leader demanded that the Centre engage in dialogue with them and repeal the farm laws. Earlier, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha had released a statement asserting that before opening all the roads, the Centre will have to open the avenues to fulfill their demands.

Whether the agitation continues or shift to the national capital is a collective decision to be taken at an appropriate time, he asserted. Though the Government and the agitating farmers have met 11 times on the negotiating table, the talks remained inconclusive.

The Supreme Court, in its ruling last week, had held that though the farmers have all the freedom to protest, they cannot "block" the roads causing inconvenience to the public.

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New Delhi: According to the Compliance report released by Whatsapp on Monday (November 1), the company has banned 22 lakh 9 thousand Indian accounts in the the month of September.

WhatsApp, in its monthly compliance report, said it received total 560 complaints from 1st September to 31st September out of Which 121 were of Account Support, 309 were of Ban Appeal, 49 were of other support, 49 Product Support & 32 were of Safety.

Whatsapp also said that it has also Auctioned 51 Indian accounts in the Month of September. According to Whatsapp it has banned more than 22 lakh Indian Accounts using the aforementioned abuse detection approach, which also includes action taken due to negative feedback received from Whatsapp users via Report feature.

The new IT rules - which came into effect on May 26 - require large digital platforms (with over 5 million users) to publish compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken.

The First Monthly Compliance Report Under New IT Rules was Published by Whatsapp on 15 th July. Since then Whatsapp have banned More than 93 lakh Indian Accounts.



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Moradabad: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said that Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav should apologise to the people of the country for comparing Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who worked towards uniting the nation, with Pakistan`s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who divided India.

Yesterday, I was listening to Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav`s statement. He was comparing Jinnah, who divided the country, with the Saradar Vallabhbhai Patel, who united the country. This is extremely shameful. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel laid the foundation of India`s unity and integrity and is its creator," Adityanath said while addressing people here today.

He further made a scathing attack on Yadav saying his "divisive mindset" came to the fore once again as he tried to glorify Jinnah.

"His divisive mindset came to the fore once again when he tried to glorify Jinnah by equating Sardar Patel with him. It`s Talibani mentality that believes in dividing. SP national president should apologize for this," said Adityanath.

He added, "The whole society and the state should condemn this. SP national president should ask for an apology from the people of the country. The country cannot accept the insult of the creator of India`s integrity. "

With months ahead of 2022 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister also said that the people of the state and the country will not accept such a "divisive mindset."

Notably, Yadav has previously served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 2012 to 2017. While addressing a press conference last week, he asserted that his party will form the government after 2022 assembly polls.

On the occasion of the 146th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel which is celebrated as `National Unity Day`, Yadav was addressing a gathering when he remarked that Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah studied in the same institute, where they became barristers and fought for India`s independence.

"Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah studied in the same institute. They became barristers and fought for India`s freedom... It was Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who imposed a ban on an ideology (RSS)," Yadav had said.

Sardar Patel, who died on December 15, 1950, is widely attributed for uniting the princely states of the pre-independent country to build the Republic of India.

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New Delhi: Even as fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee withdrew the controversial Mangalsutra advertisement campaign, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra on Monday warned of direct action if there is a repeat of such offensive ad campaigns.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee has withdrawn the objectionable advertisement after my post. If he repeats such a thing, then direct action will be taken, no warning will be given. I appeal to him and those like him to not hurt sentiments of people, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister said.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee has withdrawn the objectionable advertisement after my post. If he repeats such a thing,then direct action will be taken,no warning will be given. Appeal to him & those like him to not hurt sentiments of people: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra pic.twitter.com/XkFPXw3pna  ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2021

The celebrity designer removed the advertisement stating that he was "deeply saddened" that the campaign "offended" a section of the society. This came hours after the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister issued a "24-hour ultimatum" to take it down and threatened to send the police after him.

The popular Indian fashion designer took to Instagram on Sunday and issued a statement on behalf of the firm stating that they are "deeply saddened" that the advertisement campaign "offended" a section of the society.

"In the context of making heritage and culture a dynamic conversation, the Mangalsutra campaign aimed to talk about inclusivity and empowerment. The campaign was intended as a celebration and we are deeply saddened that it has instead offended a section of our society. So we at Sabyasachi have decided to withdraw the campaign," read the fashion label`s statement.

Mishra had on Sunday termed the campaign as "highly objectionable and hurtful" and demanded Sabyasachi to withdraw it. "I have warned earlier as well. I am personally warning designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee and giving him a 24-hour ultimatum. If this objectionable and obscene advertisement is not withdrawn within 24 hours, then a case will be registered against him and legal action will be taken. The police force will be sent for the action," he said in a video message that he posted on Twitter.

The label`s advertisement campaign of Mangalsutra, a traditional necklace worn by married Hindu women, had featured intimate portraits of women and men.

Advocate Ashutosh Dubey, legal advisor of BJP-Maharashtra Palghar district on October 30 had issued a legal notice to the fashion designer for using "semi-naked models" for a Mangalsutra collection advertisement and hurting religious sentiments.

Earlier, Consumer Goods Company Dabur India Limited had withdrawn an advertisement featuring a lesbian couple celebrating the Hindu festival of Karwa Chauth, hours after Narottam Mishra criticised it for showing "objectionable content" and said that legal steps would be taken if the advertisement was not withdrawn.

Also, an advertisement by Ceat Ltd in which Bollywood actor Aamir Khan is shown advising people not to burst firecrackers on the streets received criticism from Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ananthkumar Hegde.

Recently, clothing brand Fabindia facing backlash withdrew its advertisement for its latest collection which it had called `Jashn-e-Riwaaz`.

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New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy between Nawab Malik and Sameer Wankhede, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday (November 1, 2021) extended his support to Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Mumbai zonal director and claimed that he is a Hindu Dalit and a follower of BR Ambedkar.

The Republican Party of India (A) chief also asked Malik to refrain from 'conspiring' to defame Wankhede and his family members. Athawale's remarks came after Wankhede's wife Kranti Redkar and her father-in-law Dnyandev Wankhede called on him on Sunday.

"I have gone through the documents. Sameer Wankhede is a Hindu dalit. He is a follower of Babasaheb Ambedkar. He is not Muslim," the Union Minister said.

"If he (Malik) says that Sameer is a Muslim, then why he, who is also a Muslim, is levelling these allegations? My party stands with Sameer's family. Sameer won't be harmed," Athawale added.

This is to be noted that the NCB official is currently facing a vigilance probe after an independent witness in the drugs-on-cruise case, in which Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan is one of the accused, claimed of overhearing a discussion of a Rs 25 crore pay-off, including Rs 8 crore for Sameer Wankhede.

Malik, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and a Maharashtra minister, has also levelled a slew of allegations against Wankhede including that he has forged his caste certificate and other documents to secure a job from the SC quota after clearing the UPSC examination as an IRS officer.

He has been claiming that Wankhede is a Muslim by birth.

Nawab Malik's allegations are baseless

After meeting Athawale, Sameer Wankhede's wife Kranti Redkar iterated that Malik's allegations against her family are 'baseless' and asked what he has got to do with someone's husband being a Hindu, Muslim or Christian.

On being asked about her husband's caste, Redkar said that her family was fed up with the 'harassment'.

Malik had claimed that Wankhede got married to his first wife Dr Shabana Qureshi in 2006 as per Muslim rituals. Redkar, who married Wankhede in 2017 after he had divorced Qureshi, claimed that Malik was 'fooling' media persons.

"My family is fed up with all these things. What you all people have got to do with the private life of Sameer Wankhede?" asked Redkar.

"Why is such a big politician harassing an officer, just because that officer is not corrupt? We have shown all documents of Sameer Wankhede to Athawale which proves that he was born as a Hindu. He had married a Muslim woman (Qureshi) by following rituals of that community for the sake of his mother's happiness," Redkar, an actress by profession, added.

This is noteworthy that Malik's son-in-law was also arrested by the NCB in January this year in an alleged drugs case. He was granted bail last month.

Caste panel official backs Sameer Wankhede

Arun Halder, vice chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), also came out in support of Sameer Wankhede on Sunday and said that although the officer is doing good work and making his department proud, a minister has launched a personal attack on him and his family members.

Halder also called for a government probe into finding out why the minister was attacking the officer and his family. He also visited Wankhede's residence.

Talking to reporters later, Halder said, "One officer is doing his duty and making the department proud, so how can a minister personally attack him and his family members? The government should carry out an investigation in why he is doing so."

Family's safety in jeopardy

Wankhede's wife Kranti Redkar on Sunday has said that the 'safety of her husband and family is in jeopardy' and asked for security. She claimed that three people conducted a recce of the house some days back and that these people are very 'dangerous'.

"We will provide the CCTV footage to the police. Security should be provided to the family. My children are very young, the safety is very important in that perspective. When we (Sameer and I) are not home who will take care of their safety?" she asked.

Earlier on October 2, an NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on a ship, which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea. A total of 20 people, including Aryan Khan, have been named so far in the case.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Renowned VJ Anusha Dandekar had a heart-to-heart with her fans on Sunday night (October 31) as she answered questions about herself on her Instagram stories. As she was pouring her heart out, she revealed that she had cheated on her boyfriend when she was in her early 20s.

When asked if she cheated on someone, the actress wrote in her Instagram story, "I did in my early 20s, I was torn, confused and well figuring myself out. No excuses just facts. Also, I immediately told the person and broke it off. We were best friends after that and are still friends today."

Take a look at her post:

It was reported a few days back, Anusha Dandekar will also be entering Bigg Boss 15 house as a wild card contestant. However, the popular VJ-host slammed all these reports and denied being a part of the show.

Fans were eagerly hoping the news was true as Bigg Boss 15 contestant Karan Kundrra and Anusha Dandekar had dated for over 3 years but broke up last year.

In a previous episode, Karan had shared details of his breakup with Shamita Shetty. However, he didn't mention any names.

He said, "I have lost a lot of friends recently, for obvious reasons." After which Shamita interrupted and asked, 'is it because of COVID? to which he clarified, 'Nahi, break up hua na".

He also shared, "I am a caring person but Im very self-centred. I forgot everything else this time. I got too busy with the relationship. They were like if you were not with us then, then why should we be with you now.

"A lot of things happened with me around the same time, around the lockdown time. Multiple people, multiple layers of relationships and everything I f***** up. With my friends, I am quite sure with my ex, with my family. People who actually cared for me. I am a caring person, I will be there for everyone but I am a very self-centred person. My approach towards people is very self-centred, Karan said.

On the work front, she is currently a judge of Supermodel of the Year 2 along with Milind Soman and Malaika Arora.
New Delhi: Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan's son Aryan Khan returned home on Saturday almost 26 days after he was nabbed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the drugs case. Aryan along with seven other accused was arrested on October 2 during a raid at a cruise ship in Mumbai later at night.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Aryan has changed his display picture on Instagram after returning from Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail. Screenshots are being shared of a blank, white image used as DP. However, Aryan has always had this display picture on his page. However, Aryan's Instagram account had a display picture before he was apprehended by the NCB team.

Aryan's last post on his page was from August 15 when he wrote about graduating from the University of Southern California. "Forgot about the mandatory graduation post. Better late than never I guess," he wrote with a picture of himself.

His post had more than 67,000 comments, with a section of people even trolling him for his arrest and involvement in the usage and sale-purchase of the banned substance.

Aryan was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Thursday last week, however, he spent another two nights in jail as his papers could not reach the jail authorities before the scheduled time.

On Saturday morning, Aryan finally walked out of jail and landed at his Mumbai abode, Mannat. He was welcomed in a grand way by hundreds of Shah Rukh Khan fans bursting firecrackers, beating dhols and celebrating his homecoming.
New Delhi: Kareena Kapoor Khan and her husband Saif Ali Khan is currently holidaying in Rajasthans Jaisalmer along with their two sons  Taimur and Jeh.

Bebo is constantly seen sharing the picturesque locales of the city, making her fans crave for more.

Now a series of pictures are doing rounds on social media where Saif can be seen having some shooting time with Taimur. The duo can be seen involved in a shooting session and enjoying each others company. The pictures have been shared by a fan page.

In one of the pictures, Saif can be seen helping his little one in holding the heavy shooting gun while Tim looked all focused and had noise-cancelling headphones on.

In another picture, Saif can be seen aiming at an object with full concentration and dedication.

Fans and fellow members of the film fraternity flooded the post with likes and comments. Earlier to this, Kareena also shared a post of Taimur chilling near a pool.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Kareena will be seen sharing screen space with Aamir Khan in 'Laal Singh Chaddha', which will release on Valentine's Day, 2022. It is a loose adaptation of Tom Hanks' 'Forrest Gump'.
New Delhi: Director Mahesh Manjrekar, who battled cancer for a year and a half, opened up on his ordeal with the disease in an interview with a leading daily. The director had learned he had cancer while shooting for his film 'Antim: The Final Truth'.

He revealed that one day on the shoot of his upcoming film 'Antim: The Final Truth' he was bleeding. This led him to get a check-up which in turn revealed that he had cancer.

Speaking about how he found how he had cancer, he told Hindustan Times, "I was undergoing treatment for overactive bladder for one and a half years. But one day during the shoot of Antim: The Final Truth, I began bleeding. So, I had to go and get it checked. Turned out I had cancer all the while. I could have saved my bladder if I started the treatment for cancer one and a half years back."

The director continued shooting while he was under chemotherapy for three months. Although he said, Salman Khan insisted that he get medical aid from abroad, the director decided to complete his treatment in the country.

He further said, "I wasnt too affected by chemo and thought that I might as well finish the film. And anyway after the surgery, I needed three months to recuperate."

Manjrekar also said that he wanted people around him to not make a big deal about his cancer and had asked them to not talk about it.

"I had instructed everyone around me to not talk about it. So many people get cancer and hence, I didnt want to make a big deal out of it. It could also have appeared as if Im asking for sympathy," he added.

Mahesh Manjrekar is a critically acclaimed filmmaker with many hits in his career such as Vaastav: The Reality in 1999, Astitva in 2000, and Viruddh... Family Comes First in 2005. The director has won many awards as well such as a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi and several Star Screen awards.

In 2018, he had hosted the Marathi version of Bigg Boss.

His upcoming film 'Antim: The Final Truth' starring Salman Khan and Aayush Sharma will hit the theatres on November 26.
New Delhi: Sushmita Sen's brother Rajeev Sen and his wife and television actor Charu Asopa have been blessed with a baby girl on Monday.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Sushmita shared her excitement by posting a picture of herself clicked at the hospital right before the birth of the "little angel".

She added the caption, "#answeredprayers. Lakshmi arrives just before Diwali!! IT'S A GIRL!!!! Congratulations @asopacharu and @rajeevsen9 ...what a beauty she is!!! I BECAME A BUA THIS MORNING #sooooooohapppyyyyyy. Not allowed to share baby pictures yet, so sharing mine from just before Charu delivered our little Angel I was blessed to witness it!!!"

The happy post garnered more than a lakh likes within an hour of posting.

"Love you a lot didi. Bua ki jaan aagayi finally," Charu dropped in the comment.

Later, Charu and Rajeev also posted pictures of the family post the baby's birth.

"Blessed with a baby girl. Thank u Rajeev for always being there for me, love you...Thank u all for your love and prayers...Thank u, God," she added the caption.

In August, Charu and Rajeev hosted a baby shower. Susmita, her daughters Renee and Alisah, and her boyfriend Rohman Shawl were present at the ceremony.
MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was granted bail in the drugs on cruise case by Bombay High Court after he was arrested by NCB officials on October 3. The star kid returned home and reunited with his parents, Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, almost 26 days after he was nabbed by the NCB. As soon as Aryan walked out of jail, Shah Rukh's fans beamed with joy and celebrated his return to home.

Meanwhile, Aryan's sister Suhana, who is currently studying filmmaking in New York, also got into a party mode and celebrated the return of his brother. Suhana, who had taken a break from social media after Aryan's arrest, on Sunday shared a glamorous picture of herself from a party. The starkid is seen enjoying time with her friends. Sporting a blue halter-neck top, she was seen hugging her gal pals in the picture, which has now gone viral on the internet.

Shah Rukh Khans daughter Suhana Khan, who is currently in New York, celebrated Halloween with her friends. In a picture shared on Instagram, she could be seen wearing a baby blue outfit with a tie-up back as she hugged her friend Priyanka. Their other friend, Raina, can als pic.twitter.com/EpWbziUwBc  Pasand Apki (@Apki1Pasand) November 1, 2021

After the Bombay High Court granted bail to Aryan in drugs case, Suhana shared a collage of black-and-white photo of her father and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan with Aryan and Suhana. She captioned the post, "I love you."

Although nothing is confirmed, Bollywood Life claimed that Suhana is planning to meet her family and celebrate Diwali with them.
New Delhi: The month of November has several holidays --some being observed nation-wide while some local festivities being celebrated across the country. Several bank branches will remain closed in various states owing to these festivities. Before visiting your bank branch in the month of November, you must note down the list of important days during which banks will remain closed.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mentioned some days when the banking operations will remain closed in the month of November 2021, although online banking activities will continue to work.

Banks will remain closed for total 17 days in the month of November-- 11 as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) holiday calendar list and the remaining days are that of weekends. However, you must note that the banks will NOT be closed for 17 days in all states or regions. This is the total number of days when banks in different parts of the country will remain closed for state-observed holidays. For example bank branches might be closed for Chhath Puja in Bihar but not closed for Wangala Festival being observed in North-eastern states.

Reserve Bank of India places its Holidays under three brackets --Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act; Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holiday; and Banks Closing of Accounts. However, it must be noted that the bank holidays vary in various states as well not observed by all the banking companies. Banking holidays also depend on the festivals being observed in specific states or notification of specific occasions in those states.

Here is an elaborate list of bank holidays falling in the month of November 2021. Check out the list.

Holiday Description Day

Kannada Rajyostsava/Kut: November 1

Naraka Chaturdashi: November 3

Diwali Amavasaya (Laxmi Pujan)/Deepavali/Kali Puja: November 4

Diwali (Bali Pratipada)/Vikram Samvant New Year Day/Govardhan Pooja: November 5

Bhai Duj/Chitragupt Jayanti/Laxmi Puja/Deepawali/Ningol Chakkouba: November 6

Chhath Puja//Surya Pashti Dala Chhath (Sayan ardhya) : November 10

Chhath Puja: November 11

Wangala Festival: November 12

Guru Nanak Jayanti/Karthika Purnima: November 19

Kanakadasa Jayanthi: November 22

Seng Kutsnem: November 23

Apart from the above bank holidays, the second and fourth Saturdays, Sundays of the month are falling on the following dates:

November 7 - Sunday

November 13- Second Saturday of the month

November 14- Sunday

November 21- Sunday

November 27- Fourth Saturday of the month

November 28- Sunday

Holidays of the mentioned days will be observed in various regions according to the state declared holidays, however for the gazetted holidays, banks will be closed all over the country.

If you keep a track of these holidays, you would be able to plan bank transaction activities in a better way. For long weekends, you can even plan your holidays well.

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New Delhi: Diwali, the festival of lights, is only a few days away. Diwali does not arrive on its own in Hinduism; celebrations begin two days before Diwali. Dhanteras is a very important celebration that occurs before Diwali. On this day, it is popular to buy gold and silver. Buying gold and silver on this day is thought to herald the coming of Lakshmi.

The coronavirus pandemic, on the other hand, has exacerbated the people's economic situation. But today we're going to inform you about a system that allows you to buy gold coins for just one rupee. You may get Digital Gold for 1 rupee this Diwali.

Digital payment is now accepted practically everywhere to encourage a cashless economy. Everyone is making the transition to digital payment. In such a situation, digital payment services such as Paytm (Paytm), Google Pay, and Phone Pay have come out with a slew of deals to entice clients on the occasion of Diwali.

Apart from that, brokerage companies such as HDFC Bank Securities and Motilal Oswal are offering fantastic deals on digital gold. If you're interested in purchasing digital gold, you can learn more about these deals.

How to buy gold coins?

To purchase gold coins, you must first create a Google Pay account.

After then, you must choose the Gold option.

You can now purchase digital gold by making a payment here.

Your gold will be kept safe in the mobile wallet's gold locker.

The most important thing is that you can sell this gold and send it to anyone as a present or delivery.

Click the 'Sell Button' if you want to sell gold.

If you wish to send it as a present, select 'Gift BUtton' from the drop-down menu.
New Delhi: Several rules that have a major impact in the lives of common man are going to change from November. These rules pertain to banking, financial and other sectors.

Since these new rules are set to impact the day-to-day lives of a common man and hence it is important to know more about these changes in detail.

Here are 5 rules impacting common man that will change from November 2021

Bank of Baroda withdrawal charges

Starting today, Bank of Baroda will be charging a small fee on depositing and withdrawing money from the bank account.

Trains Timetable

Indian Railways is going to change the timetable of several trains across the country from today --these include timings change for 13,000 passenger trains and 7,000 goods trains.

LPG Cylinder Price

LPG prices for commercial cylinders was today increased by Rs 266. The price rise will be effective from today onwards. Commercial cylinders of the 19 kg in Delhi will cost Rs 2000.50 from today onwards which was costing Rs 1734 earlier. The respite however is that there is no increase in domestic LPG cylinders by the petroleum companies. Commercial cylinders of the 19 kg in Mumbai will cost Rs Rs 1,950 as against its previous price of Rs 1,683. While in in Kolkata and Chennai, a 19-kg commercial cylinder will now costs Rs 2,073.50 and Rs 2,133 respectively.

WhatsApp changes

From November 1, WhatsApp will stop working on some iPhone and Android phones. The messaging app will not support Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, iOS 9, and KaiOS 2.5.0.

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New Delhi: Online banking has grown through time to become simple and convenient, allowing clients to handle their finances from their cellphones and computers. However, with all of the convenience of banking comes a slew of concerns, including the possibility of frauds and online fraud. The State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest public sector bank, is aware of the hazards of online fraud that may harm consumers and is constantly issuing warnings and advises to keep its customers secure. With an SBI SMS scam going on right now, the bank has once again shared instructions to keep people secure online and safeguard them from hacking, phishing, and other criminal conduct.

The State Bank of India recently addressed numerous aspects of being secure online in a tweet, including how a user should keep a watch out for SMS scam texts to avoid online fraud. Online fraud has increased significantly during the pandemic, and consumers must remain vigilant. Here's what SBI has to say about how people should keep vigilant in order to avoid online fraud.

Customers should be aware of the bank's "shortcode," which begins with SBI, according to SBI. These include SBIBNK, SBIINB, SBIPSG, and SBIYONO. Always check who's behind the door before letting anyone in. Here is your key to safety, the bank stated in a tweet on Friday. Users who receive an SMS with a message purporting to be from SBI should check the sender to see whether it was sent from one of these senders to determine whether the SMS is authentic.

SBI advises consumers to check their SMS in order to monitor their account activity, but warns them not to act on messages from unknown sources.

SBI has also warned customers about email frauds, as many consumers fall victim to exaggerated promises made by crooks online. Be aware of fraudulent emails offering free gifts and rewards. Scammers send these emails to extract money from your account via your personal details. Do not share your bank details with anyone. SBI never asks for your UPI PIN, the bank explained in another tweet posted on Sunday.

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New Delhi: Monday's episode of Bigg Boss saw Tejasswi Prakash, Ieshaan and Miesha Iyer discussing about Rajiv Adatia's behaviour towards him. Ieshaan says he had been feeling stressed because of Rajiv and once went to Shamita to talk about it. He says that despite having a bond with Rajiv, Shamita handled the situation well.

Jay and Vishal try to sort out their differences. Jay tells him that he felt bad when Vishal was not happy to see him become a part of Mukhya Ghar after sacrificing Rs 25 lakh. Vishal justifies saying he was angry at him since he was not ready to sacrifice show money during a previous task. Vishal says he is glad the two are having a discussion over it.

Afsana tells Shamita and Rajiv that Karan is falling for Tejasswi. She says that they have been eating in same plate and have also matched their shower time.

Former Bigg Boss contestant Rashami Patel enters the house. She grills Jay Bhanushali and tells him that she can't see his leadership qualities in the show. She says Jay has no opinion and even if he says it doesn't matter to housemates. Jay defends himself and says he will improve himself. He says Pratik isn't important to him in the show. He says he loves spending time with Nishant. Talking about Karan, Jay says he tries to find fault in everything.

Vishal Kotian speaks to Rashmi and says he had been hurt because of Jay. Rashami calls him 'Chitragupta' but Vishal says he is 'Chanakya'. Rashmi asks him to stop being a 'people pleaser'.

Rashami speaks to Karan and says he is her favourite. She says he is not performing as per his capabilities.

Bigg Boss gives Rashami the power to save one of the three nominated contestants and she saves Vishal Kotian.

Shamita engages in an argument with Shamita and accuses him of making weird expressions and asks him to say things on his face. Tejasswi jumps to his defence and she and Shamita get into a heated argument. Karan later apologises to Shamita and says he thought she is strong and he is vulnerable.

Former Bigg Boss winner Gautam Gulati enters the house and grills Pratik Sehajpal. He asks the latter to control his aggression. Before exiting, he saves Tejasswi.

Bigg Boss 13 contestant Devoleena enters the house and expresses her disappointment towards Karan. She also accuses Vishal of emotionally using Tejasswi, Jay and Shamita to go ahead in the show. In the end, she saves Jay Bhanushali.

Kamya Punjabi enters and she calls Karan Kundrra No 1 contestant in the house. However, she adds that his game has gone down in the last few days.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has warned that today Pakistan and Afghanistan are "feeling disturbed" by the rise of Taliban, but if the insurgent group dares to move towards India, "an airstrike is ready".

The Chief Minister said this while addressing the Samajik Pratinidhi Sammelan here on Sunday during which he also launched an attack on his political opponents in the state.

"Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is powerful, and no country can dare to raise its eyes towards India. Today, Pakistan and Afghanistan are feeling disturbed because of the Taliban. But, the Taliban know if it moves towards India, an airstrike is ready," CM Yogi said.

According to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP, CM Adityanath, referring apparently to SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, said, "His (Rajbhar's) thought process is confined only to the development of his family."

"While the father wanted to become a minister, one son wanted to be an MP, and another an MLC. The shops of such people indulging in blackmailing must be shut," Adityanath said.

Without naming Rajbhar, Adityanath further said, "There were two ministers from the Rajbhar community in my cabinet. In the Cabinet meeting, one minister opposed the construction of a memorial in the honour of Maharaja Suheldev in Bahraich, while Anil Rajbhar wanted a grand memorial should be built.

"Today, a grand memorial is being built in Bahraich. The BJP government has named the medical college in Bahraich, after Suheldev. What have the opposition parties done for Maharaja Suheldev?"

He said that the "followers of Muhammad Ghori and invader Ghazi fear that if a Suheldev memorial is built, people will forget Ghazi, and trash those indulging in political blackmailing. This is why they indirectly oppose the memorial of Suheldev."

Sharpening his attack on other rivals, CM Adityanath said the SP, BSP and the Congress have nothing to do with development.

Without naming the SP, Adityanath asked whether those "who murdered Ram devotees have the courage to seek apology from the people of the country?"

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Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida`s ruling LDP defied expectations and held its strong majority in Sunday`s parliamentary election, solidifying his position in a fractious party and allowing him to ramp up stimulus.

Kishida`s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) emerged with fewer seats in the powerful lower house than it won in the last election in 2017. But the LDP maintained its single-party majority in a big victory for Kishida, who took power only a month ago.

The result was at odds with expectations and initial exit polls that suggested the LDP, hurt by perceptions it mishandled the coronavirus pandemic, would need to rely on its junior coalition party for a majority.

Kishida, a soft-spoken former banker who has struggled to shake off an image that he lacks charisma, is also likely to be emboldened by the win. Kishida, who called the election soon after taking the top post, has hewed to traditional policies of the party`s right wing, pushing to increase military spending, but has also promised to address wealth inequality, touting a "new capitalism" that has stoked concern among investors.

In the end, the LDP claimed 261 seats against the 276 it held before the election - an absolute stable majority that will give it control of parliamentary committees and ease passage of legislation, including key budget proposals.

Kishida`s publicly stated goal had been for the coalition to keep a majority, at least 233 seats, of the 465 in the lower house - although that was widely seen as a lowball target, given the junior coalition partner Komeito had 29 seats before the election. Together the LDP and Komeito secured 293 seats.

"The overall trend is in favour of stability. The LDP cleared the hurdles it absolutely had to," said Tobias Harris, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. "We`ll see a lot of stimulus," he said.

Japanese stocks cheered the victory, with the Nikkei up 2.38% soon after trade began. A poorer showing would have heightened expectations that Kishida could follow predecessor Yoshihide Suga in becoming another short-term premier.

The party did take some notable hits, including the loss by its secretary-general, Akira Amari, in his single-seat district, and a former economy minister and the leader of one the party`s factions, Nobuteru Ishihara, who lost to an opposition candidate in a western Tokyo district.

EXTRA BUDGET TARGETED

Kishida said the administration would attempt to compile an extra budget this year, in what would be a tight schedule. "I hope to pass through parliament an extra budget this year," he told reporters.

This would involve funding steps to support people hit by the pandemic such as those who lost jobs and students struggling to pay tuitions.

A big winner was the conservative Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party, projected to more than treble its seats and surpass Komeito as the third force in the lower house, after the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

The emergence of the Osaka party as a national force may complicate Kishida`s pledge to roll back neoliberal economic policies.

The Innovation Party is "really sweeping the Osaka region. They`ve emerged as an important conservative bloc," said Yoichiro Sato, a professor of international relations at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. "They are going to block Kishida`s new capitalism idea of narrowing the rich-poor income gap."

The usually splintered opposition was united, with only one party - including the widely shunned Japanese Communist Party - facing off against the coalition in most districts.

Some voters - including Yoshihiko Suzuki, who voted for the main opposition candidate in his district and the Communists in proportional representation - hoped the poll might teach the LDP a lesson.

Suzuki, 68 and retired, said the LDP`s years in power made it complacent and arrogant, underscored by a series of money and cronyism scandals.

"I hope this election comes as a wakeup call for them," he said. "If it does, the LDP will become a better party, considering the number of talented lawmakers they`ve got."

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Glasgow: Highlighting India's efforts to combat climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that India is the only major economy that has worked and delivered on the Paris commitments both in letter and spirit.

Speaking in Hindi at the COP26 Global Leaders' Summit in Glasgow, the prime minister said, "Today, the world has acknowledged that India is the only such biggest economy that has worked and delivered on the Paris commitment in letter and spirit. Karam baddh (duty bound) India is bringing results by making all-out efforts."

Paris Agreement goal constitutes an effort to keep the global average temperature increase well below 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

READ | UK launches India Green Guarantee, commits new funds for EVs in India

"I am pleased to announce that in a developing country like India with a population of 125 crores, constitutes 17 per cent of the global population and India's contribution to the emission has only been 5 per cent. India has left no stone unturned in completing its duty," he added.

Recalling the Paris climate conference, he said that summit was a sentiment and commitment for him.

"I came to Paris with a concern for the sake of humanity. I came as a representative of that society that believes in 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah' (Let all be happy, let all be free from debilitation)," he said.

Prime Minister earlier today said adaptation has received less attention compared to mitigation in the global climate debate and emphasised resilience against climate change.

Addressing COP26 side event on 'Action and Solidarity - The Critical Decade', PM Modi referred to the adverse impact of climate change including change in cropping patterns and the increasing frequency of floods.

"When compared with mitigation, adaptation has received less attention in the global climate debate. The developing countries are facing injustice as they are most affected by climate change," he said.

He also noted that many traditional communities have knowledge of living in harmony with nature.

At COP26, the world leaders are expected to work to achieve the completion of Paris Agreement implementation guidelines, mobilisation of climate finance, actions to strengthen climate adaptation, technology development and transfer and keeping in reach the goals of limiting the rise in global temperatures.

The high-level segment of COP26 is titled the World Leaders' Summit (WLS) and is being attended by heads of state or government of more than 120 countries.

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